Silence by Sereko princess-serenity@rocketmail.com Finally, my first revision of this story! I've meant to do this for a long time, but I never really got around to it (I always seem to have about three stories on my plate at once...). Anyway, not many drastic changes...well, except for that one in the middle...j.k. ^_- Most of the revision is just grammar and what-not that I didn't get the chance to do before the first time I posted it. Enjoy! Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of the characters associated with the story. I merely use Naoko Takeuchi's genius as a starting point for my own storytelling. The song ‘You’ll Be In My Heart’ is copyrighted to Phil Collins, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. and the Walt Disney Music Company. ---------- Silence ---------- ~~~ Come stop your crying It will be all right Just take my hand Hold it tight ~~~ The rain was especially unyielding that night. Thunder shook the building walls while little children cowered in their parents’ beds. The darkness of night spread like a plague to all corners and alleyways. One alley, in particular, held a shivering young woman and three brute men. Blood was falling from a gash on the girl’s cheek and from an area in-between her legs. Her clothes were torn and thrown about the area. Some large bruises were forming in various areas on her arms, legs, neck, and face. A couple scrapes and cuts were also strewn about her petite form. The three men had their backs to her, all with satisfied smiles upon their faces. They were lazily exiting the dirty corridor, getting ready to add a few more alcoholic beverages to their already intoxicated systems. The two in front turned right when they reached the sidewalk. Slowly but surely, their hunched formed vanished from view. The third, wanting a parting gift, walked back over the to the frightened girl. She pressed herself up against the cement wall behind her in an attempt to get away. He only smiled mockingly at her efforts and crouched down to her level. With a quick swipe of his hand and a slight movement of his hips, he held the woman captive to an open- mouthed kiss. One more grope of her chest and he, too, vanished around the corner. Tears did not fall from her eyes. For if she shed tears, then that meant she felt pain. And if she felt pain, then she wasn’t imagining the whole thing....meaning that everything that happened, *really* happened. The concept was too much to bear; and so, she did not cry...for long. ~~~ I will protect you from all around you I will be here Don’t you cry ~~~ Once she found her legs able to move and her body able to function, she stood and left the alley. Taking a left at the corner, she stumbled along the abandoned sidewalk. She let her legs guide her since her mind was still thinking that this had to be a nightmare and not reality. The rain pelted down on her face and made her cuts sting, but she did not stop her limping walk. Eventually, along with her mind, her legs gave out and stopped working. That was when the tears came. She could not stop them, though she desperately wanted to. Now, she had proof that it was really real. That everything that happened to her did just happen. Instead of wiping the tears from her cheeks, though, the girl ignored them. Against her legs' protests, she stood and stared at the place that her legs led her. To her side was a potted plant. A little further away were some metal doors. But right in front of her was a plain and simple wooden door. Covered with a layer of dark green paint it stood. The only things of interest on it were three gold-colored objects about three fourths of the way up the door. As she looked at the things, she found them to symbolize the code: "78D". Not being able to comprehend what that might mean, she knocked on the door. Maybe someone inside could lend her a floor on which to sleep. After a few moments the door handle started to jiggle. Seconds after that, the door was open and a groggy male was standing in the entrance. ~~~ For one so small, you seem so strong My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm ~~~ The man probably wouldn’t have heard the knock had he not been up getting a glass of water. The sound was so faint, he wasn’t even sure if he heard anything at first. He glanced at the clock and the bright red digital numbers of "2:46" glared back at him. Figuring that anyone who needed him that early in the morning must have something important to say, he answered the door. The sight that greeted him was definitely a shock. He was expecting his sandy blonde friend to be there, tired yet needing his help for an exam that very morning. Or maybe even the tenant of his building, telling him that the storm had cut off power for the next week. Unfortunately, neither of those people was standing just outside of his door. His hollow gasp filled the once noiseless hallway. The clutzy ditz...the meatball head...the morning hurricane... ‘This can’t be possible.’ He thought to himself. Anything could happen to anyone...but not her....not his angel. Before him stood a young tortured girl, not the frequent arcade customer. Before him was a soaking wet child with blood flowing down her face, arm, and legs, not the one who brings sunshine to everyday. Before him cocked a female with a broken bra and a torn skirt, not the friend to all. Before him watered two pain-filled and frightened eyes, neither of which could belong to her...to her.... But even his will could not change the fact that *she* stood before him. Without any more hesitation, he took one step forward and lifted her up into his arms. He quickly entered his apartment and shut the door with a soft thud. Not even thinking about the couch, he carried her to his bedroom and laid her down upon his bed. He sat down beside her gently. He reached for her face, pretending for a moment that they'd just spent a lifetime loving each other and not throwing petty insults at each other. At first she drew back. The memory of the other three men so fresh in her mind, not even the harsh rain could wash it from her conscience. But then, she reached out for him as well. He caught her hand midway and laced his fingers with her own. ~~~ This bond between us can’t be broken I will be here Don’t you cry ~~~ He took his other hand and cupped her uninjured cheek. He rubbed her skin softly with his thumb, calming her and ridding her face of her tears. He then, keeping the one hand interlaced with hers, brought her to him. A long time was spent with the two just sitting their; him holding and her being held. The tears returned and the girl was now sobbing into the man’s chest. He rubbed circles on her back and smoothed out her disheveled hair, hoping to give some form of comfort. After an hour, she pulled away. He gave her a look of reassurance and picked her up off of the bed. The next thing she knew, she was in the bathroom. He, not caring for embarrassment but for medical condition, plucked what little clothes she had off of her. Soon thereafter, she was immersed in a warm bath. ~~~ ‘Cause you’ll be in my heart Yes, you’ll be in my heart From this day on Now and forever more ~~~ The girl woke with a start. Her chest rose and fell in time with her heavy breathing as she scanned her surroundings. The last thing she remembered was the alley *shudder*. ‘No, wait. I left there and went...oh, yeah! I went to *his* apartment. Then I was...I was in a bath? Yes, yes. That’s right. He gave me a bath.’ She sighed with relief and looked around for her ‘knight in shining armor’. At present she was lying in a bed, under covers, and...boy, did her hair smell nice! It was out of its customary style, but her natural golden locks were unmistakable. They pooled around her legs as she sat up on the man’s bed. ‘Speaking of which, where is he?’ As if her thoughts betrayed her, *he* stepped in the room. She glanced towards the door at the sound of the soft click and saw his face carefully peer within. When he saw her awake, he opened the door more fully and walked in with his tray. ‘Wait...his tray?’ Low and behold, he was carrying a full -yet light- meal, chicken noodle soup and all. She gave him a small smile for his gratitude and he smiled right back. He then sat on the edge of the bed and set the tray down over her thighs. Before she could blink an eye, he had grabbed the soupspoon and some soup and was holding it up in front of her mouth. She suppressed a giggled and allowed him to feed her. He continued on like this until there wasn’t another noodle to be found. Then he removed the glass of water and some pills from the tray and set them on the bedside table. Afterwards, he stood up and left the room, tray and dirty dishes in tow. ~~~ You’ll be in my heart No matter what they say You’ll be here in my heart, always ~~~ He was not happy with the sight that greeted him upon his return to the bedroom. The girl was trying to get out of bed. He cleared his throat to warn her of his presence. The sound made her head shoot up in alarm. When she realized who it was and that he was not very happy with her attempts at getting out of bed, she shot him a sheepish smile. The man just rolled his eyes and walked over to her. He put a hand on her shoulder and lightly pushed her back against the head board of the bed. Once done with making sure that she was back in bed, he glanced up into her eyes. His own eyes almost seemed to ask her, ‘What do you need?’ With another sheepish grin, she cast a thin finger in the direction of his entertainment system. She was pointing at the television that sat on one of the shelves. Rolling his eyes for second time in a few seconds, he walked over to the television to pick up the remote. A cough of disapproval stopped him before he could pick up the item. He took a glance back at his bedridden mate and noticed that she was pointing at something else now. With an exasperated sigh, he turned to see what was of new interest to her. A movie cover glared back at him. Childish memories came back to the man as he remembered why he had the tape. His sandy blonde friend had gotten him stuck with baby-sitting some little girl and she had ended up leaving her movie behind. When he tried to return it, she refused, saying it was something to ‘remember her by’. Considering that this comment came from a five-year-old, it was quite a cute memory for the college lad. He shook his head from the flashback and pulled the movie from its cover. He wasn’t usually one to go for cartoon fairy-tale type movies, but right now he was only looking to please the gorgeous blonde that was lying injured in his bed. He walked back to the girl after turning everything that was needed on, setting the right channel on the television, and popping the tape into the player. She looked happily back at him. ‘Thank you’s shone in her eyes as he came closer to the edge of the bed. She then pat the empty half of the bed next to her, inviting him to sit beside her. He obliged and crawled onto the bed from the side opposite her. Once he was sitting next to her, she made a motion telling him to lie down with her. Figuring that he would probably be more comfortable that way, anyway, he propped a pillow up behind him and stretched out on top of the dark green blanket covering the bed. That’s when the movie started. The lights had already been turned off, the pills from the bedside table had been taken, and the front door was locked. All was good in the man’s home. ~~~ Why can’t they understand the way we feel They just don’t trust what they can’t explain ~~~ After no time at all, it seemed, the evil queen was dead and the prince had kissed awake the sleeping beauty. The girl sighed happily at the childish, yet romantic, end and glanced at her movie-watching partner. He was asleep. His head had fallen towards her, thus allowing her to take in his slumbering self. His mouth was parted just slightly, letting shallow breaths flow in and out. His hair was rumpled in the most adorable way with that one troublesome lock still hanging helplessly past his brow. His expression was one of slight concern, but mostly of peace and serenity. She couldn’t help but melt at the picture that he made. Trying not to make any sudden movements, she turned her body enough that she could reach the remote control. When she had successfully grabbed it, she turned off the tape player and the television and set the control back on the bedside table. She then lay back down on top of the bed covers. It took her a mere instant to realize that the man next to her had no blanket to cover his clothed self with. Sitting up one final time, she grabbed the extra blanket at the foot of the bed and pulled it up over both her and the man. ~~~ I know we’re different but, deep inside us We’re not that different at all ~~~ It didn’t seem like she had been asleep very long -and she hadn’t been- when she woke up again. A chill had run through her body and ugly memories from a mere couple hours ago had resurfaced. Both of these things had caused her skin to turn cold. She pulled the blanket more securely around her shoulders, but that wasn’t enough. She was still shivering. Then she noticed the heat emanating from the body lying next to her. His whole body, not just his head, had now turned in her direction as he lay on his side. His face still had that one-in-a-million look to it. She just couldn’t resist. She carefully slid her body towards him, allowing their legs to touch. With one more daring look at his face, she rest her head on top of his outstretched arm, tucking it right in-between his chin and shoulder. His reaction was immediate. Feeling a body come in contact with him, he sub-consciously pressed himself a little closer to the form. Once the gap between the two had vanished, he continued by curling his once outstretched arm so that it wrapped around her shoulders. His took his other arm, the one that he wasn’t lying on top of, and moved it to rest on the girl’s waist. Then, he gave her a tender squeeze and fell completely back into unconsciousness. The girl sighed in complete contentment. Now that she had her warmth (and a lot of it! ^_^), she followed the man into a comforting sleep. ~~~ Don’t listen to them ‘Cause what do they know We need each other, to have, to hold They’ll see in time I know ~~~ Morning came way too early for the pair. The sun was shining brightly through the man’s balcony door. The same balcony door through which the moon had been sending its tendrils just moments before. The man was the first of the two to wake. He moaned in disapproval at the garish light of day. The moan quickly turned into a gasp of surprise as he realized that he was not alone in his bed. He cautiously opened his eyes and noticed a mop of blonde hair resting in the crook of his shoulder. Connected to the head was a small, feminine body. He suppressed another gasp when he realized just who it was laying next to him. The memories of the past hours decided to choose that moment to return to him. ‘I must have fallen asleep during the movie. But still, how did she end up...?’ He gazed back down at her face and his thought fell to nothingness. The first thing to meet his gaze was a deep gash above her left eyebrow. The second thing was a large bruise going all the way from her cheek to her neck. The third thing was the absolutely precious expression on her face. He smiled when he saw the third. She looked so peaceful. ‘Quiet the accomplishment for her, considering what happened last night.’ He shuddered from the disturbing images that floated through his mind at the thought. His shudder caused his hand to jerk a bit. This wouldn’t usually be a problem except for the fact that this particular hand was resting on a girl’s waist. She stirred from the movement. Nuzzling her head so that it moved closer to the man’s neck, she brought one hand from its clasped position in front of her chest to the small of his back. She then squeezed him in a way that pressed her body right up against his, similar to what he had done to her a mere three hours before. Once he was sure that she hadn’t awoken, he let out the breath he had been holding. He let a content smile work its way onto his face. How could he not smile? He had just woken up to a warm bed, a sunny day, and a beautiful woman sleeping beside him. ~~~ When destiny calls you You must be strong I may not be with you But you’ve got to hold on ~~~ She was furious, absolutely furious. The three other girls standing around her were quite aware of this fact. They just rolled their eyes and yawned. Old habits die hard. Though, the girl’s fury was slightly justified *this time*. The absent member of the group had been acting even more strangely than usual. She had made no phone calls, no check-ins with the communicator, and -though she was not known for her academic skills- she hadn’t even shown up for school that day. That didn’t keep the black-haired girl from getting angry, however. The habitual truant was *still* late, regardless of everything else that led most to believe that the girl was sick. The strange thing is that the missing girl wasn’t at home. "She’s probably at the arcade, playing ‘Sailor V’ instead of laying in bed at home getting better." That was what the black-haired girl had immediately concluded. So, now, the four girls were on their way to the aforementioned arcade. The blue-haired member of the group shot her head up from her trigonometry book when she heard a deep growl of anger coming from her friend. She took a glance at her friend and saw steam come out of her ears. Then, she took a glance at the unfortunate recipient of her friend’s temper. She sighed helplessly when she saw a blonde beauty seated on a stool at the counter. The next thing she knew, her book was laying face-down on the ground. The scream that erupted from her black-haired friend had scared her half to death. Now, as she glanced over at the counter she let out a small gasp. The poor blonde was being held by her collar by the black-haired girl. The unsuspecting victim’s chest was heaving with quick, frightened breaths. Her captor didn’t seem to care; she continued to glare at her prey with annoyed eyes. As soon as it had started, it was over. Chiba Mamoru, saint that he was, had pried the assailant’s hands off of the victim. With another flick of the wrist, he also pushed the black-haired girl a few feet away from the blonde. Mizuno Ami, the blue-haired observer, then witnessed one of the most hate-filled glares that she would ever see. The glare was not, however, coming from her black-haired friend Hino Rei. It was coming from Chiba-san, who was now standing protectively in front of a shaking, blonde Tsukino Usagi. ~~~ They’ll see in time I know We’ll show them together ~~~ Rei gave a hiss and was about to take a step towards Usagi, but when she glanced up at Mamoru’s stare she set her foot back down on the ground. Positive that nobody was going to make another move, Mamoru turned around to face Usagi. The girl’s body was still shaking from the surprising encounter and her eyes were as wide as could be. Without hesitation and without giving a second thought to the many people that were watching him, Mamoru gathered Usagi up in a comforting hug. Usagi was quick to wrap her arms tightly around his neck. She waited a moment for her heart to slow down, then, she slowly slipped from Mamoru’s arms. She walked up to Rei and rest a hand on the priestess’ shoulder. Usagi then gave a pained smile to her friends, walked back over to Mamoru, grabbed his hand and left the arcade. The senshi were struck speechless. What had just happened? The rest of the arcade took a moment to ponder that question before they gave up and went back to their previous activities. The four girls didn’t move from their positions in front of the arcade door for a long time. Motoki just smiled. ~~~ Oh, you’ll be in my heart No matter what they say You’ll be here in my heart, always Always ~~~ Usagi finally stopped walking when she and Mamoru reached the end of the dock in the park. She took a seat. Mamoru joined her seconds later. Not much else happened between the two for a good twenty minutes. A baby bird gave some distressed chirps at the end of a branch while its mother hovered in the air just out of reach. The lake rippled as a small breeze brushed its surface. Blades of grass were pushed out of the way as a mallard made its way back to the water. The sun spat fire into the blue sky as it began to make its slow decent behind the hills. Mamoru wrapped his arm around Usagi’s shoulders and leaned her against him. She smiled and dragged her eyes up to meet his. She would never get tired of the love that shown in those eyes. He carefully brought his fingertips to her cheek. She closed her eyes in bliss. She would never get tired of the softness of his touch. A warm feeling swept through her body as his lips claimed hers’. He tasted her slowly, before pressing his lips against hers’ more firmly. She would never get tired of his sweet kisses. No words were spoken for a long time. No words were needed. Only silence. Silence... The End ------------- It's...different. I know. It just kind of came out like that. I hope you enjoyed it despite its not-so-happy subject material and the odd ways that I made things progress. ^-^ Please send ANY comments to me, Sereko. My e-mail is: princess-serenity@rocketmail.com