Chapter Ten: Death of the Innocent

*“Your mother?” Wufei snorted. The others laughed slightly.

“Yeah, my mother. She’s in jail. I have to go make bail.”

“Sere, I know this is a touchy subject, but what did your mother do this time?” Duo asked carefully.

“She was drunk again. The cops picked her up last night off the street for public indecency. Apparently she’s so drunk she passed out in the jail. Would you guys…”

“We’ll watch for the kids to get home from school. They’re there for the potluck dinner, right? Don’t worry about it.” Quatre flagged her off.

“Thanks. I really owe you guys.” She barely managed a smile, then grabbed her coat.

“Sere, I’ll drive you over there. If your mother’s passed out, you won’t be able to carry her home.” Trowa explained to her.

“Alright then. Do you know where the nearest police station is?” She asked him as they stepped out the front door.

“Yeah, don’t worry about it. I’ve got it covered.”

>>>)(<<<

“Cin! Hey Cin! Hey baby, looking sharp!” A woman called over the mess. Hiiro just nodded slightly in acknowledgement. He was in a hurry. Where could he go? He needed help. He needed to forget.

“Cin!’ The same woman was running to catch him. He didn’t feel like avoiding her, so he just let her come.

“Hnn.” He nodded once again in response to her.

“So Cin. It looks like your free right about now. Care for a little business?” Stepping up to him, the woman rubbed herself against him slowly and enticingly. Hiiro took one look at her and made his decision.

“Where’s your place sweetheart?” The girl giggled and pecked Hiiro’s lips. He did not hesitate to pull her in for a harder, longer, and deeper kiss. They stood for minutes on end, lips pressed hard against each other in a passionate exchange of saliva.

“Come on Cin, this way.” Hiiro allowed the woman to pull his shirt in the direction she wanted to go. Through the back allies and into a darkly lit apartment they walked. Each step Hiiro took brought him one step farther away from his troubles. And each step he took drew away from the light that he had found while with Serena. Back into the dark of his self-loathing he fell. And he fell hard. But now was not the time for logical thoughts. He narrowed his once idealistic notions and silly impossible dreams down to the practical thinking of ways to bring pleasure to the woman in front of him. She looked like a woman who would like foreplay…

“Sorry, what did you say?” He asked the woman in front of him. He had heard her speaking, but he had been too lost in his own thoughts to concentrate on her words.

“I said, you can call me Vivian. So tell me, Cin. I heard you were off the market… is there any truth to that rumor?”

“I’m here with you, aren’t I?”

“Yes,” She paused, then looked him into the eyes and smiled wickedly. “You are.”

“What you missed was that I upped my price. Two hundred an hour.” He said suddenly. He wasn’t sure why, but he was compelled to raise his price. Not that he was worth it. In fact, he probably hadn’t been worth the one hundred he had been charging before. But the one hundred just didn’t seem enough suddenly. Too much thinking… he needed to let go, forget.

“Well then. I suppose I won’t keep you the whole night. Three hours will be enough I suppose.” She sighed disappointedly, then spoke once more. “But Cin. I want it my way. You had better be worth the cash.” Hiiro couldn’t respond. Was he worth the cash?

>>>)(<<<

They stepped into the jail and their senses were slammed with violations. Cigar and cigarette smoke filled their lungs, causing Serena to cough. The lights flickered hot yellow artificial light, stinging their eyes, and the noise of the phone ringing, the talking, and the fights rang deafeningly in their ears.

“Who are we looking for?” Trowa whispered in Serena’s ear. She couldn’t deal with this all. Such a crazy room, all of the activity and noise. It made her feel sick. Swaying slightly, she grabbed Trowa’s arm to steady herself. So many things, all spinning in the opposite direction from where she wanted to go. She felt as if she were falling down a dark hole, slipping out of grace and into hell. But her mother was counting on her. And her brother and sisters were counting on her. She couldn’t fall just yet. She needed to hang on, just for a little while longer. But her fingers were slipping…

“We need to find an Officer Kelner. He’s the one that called me to inform me about my mother.” Serena managed to stand her ground and answer Trowa.

“Wait here and I’ll go…”

“No! I’ll come with you. She’s my mother Trowa.” Serena stood up for herself and bravely held her head up. Trowa looked at her with glazed eyes for a moment. He knew what was happening to her. He had seen it happen before. She was losing her grasp on reality. But he also knew that she would keep it, as long as she had others like her mother who were dependent upon her. Serena would not allow herself to fall yet. And he admired her for that.

“Fine. But stay close to me.” He advised her.

“Don’t worry, I will.” She smiled a meek smile, then followed as Trowa cut his way through the throng of cops, criminals, secretaries, and others people milling around in the station. They finally made their way to a desk in the back of the room. On the nameplate on the deal it read ‘J.R. Kelner’. Behind the desk sat a man that Serena thought fit the voice she had heard over the phone- a slightly overweight, middle-aged man with graying brown hair and clear gray eyes.

“Excuse me.” Trowa stated softly. The man looked up and with hard, scrutinizing eyes, glared at Trowa.

“Yes? Can I help you young man?” Kelner asked, with a tone that implied Trowa might perhaps be guilty of some crime.

“Yes. I’m looking for someone.” Trowa thanked himself for the fact that he had a good deal of patience.

“Look sonny. Missing person’s reports can be filed over at window four. So if that’s all, I really don’t have the time to fool around.” Kelner shot Trowa down, then went back to his paper work.

“Excuse me sir.” Serena stepped out form behind Trowa.

“What now?” Kelner looked back up and his entire disposition changed. “Excuse me. I mean; may I help you Ms.?” Serena smiled and saw Trowa frown out of the corner of her eye. Serena had known Kelner would pay attention to her. Usually she could get attention when others could not. She had never wondered why, but was always thankful when it came in handy for situations like this one.

“Yes. You called me earlier today about my mother, Ilene Tsukino. We’ve come to bail her out.”

“Ah, of course Ms. Tsukino.” Kelner looked at the woman before him. She was gorgeous. If he played his cards right… but what of the man beside her? “I’m sorry sir, I didn’t catch your name.”

“Trowa. Trowa Barton.” So they weren’t related. Interesting to know.

Trowa saw the gleam in the older man’s eyes and knew what was coming. But he would do everything in his power to stop it. “If you don’t mind sir, my girlfriend would like her mother back?”

Serena stopped and inwardly gasped. What the heck did Trowa think he was saying? She thought of him as just a friend. What was going on?

“Trowa?”

“In a minute Sere. Her mother, officer?” He repeated.

“Of course. Let me go get her.” Kelner stepped back. Damn. Well, there was always tomorrow. With that tired thought, he stood and picked up a ring full of keys. He went off to let the prisoner out.

“Trowa?” Serena repeated in confusion.

“Sorry Sere. He was going to make a move on you. I should have made you wait in the car.” Trowa explained.

“Oh.” She was surprised at the information that Trowa had just provided her. She hadn’t seen a come-on coming on. Oh well. It was for the best. “Thanks Trowa.” She gave him a sad smile, which he returned concernedly.

Serena was stretching herself too thin. That, plus the problems with Hiiro and her mother, and of course her brother and sisters were all adding up. The least he could do was help to watch out for her safety. But she almost seemed like she refused the help most of time. Poor Sere…

“Serena!” Ilene called from down the hall. Kelner was leading Ilene by the arm.

“Mom!” Serena rushed up to embrace her mother. Leading her mother away from Kelner, she headed back towards Trowa.

“Hello Trowa.” Ilene said.

“Hello Mrs. Tsukino.” He replied without skipping a beat. At least Mrs. Tsukino didn’t seem to be drunk anymore.

“Not quite so loud dear. I have a horrible headache.” Ilene winced.

“Her bail was set at one hundred dollars.” Kelner said tiredly. He hated being ignored.

“Oh, yes, I’m sorry.” Serena said. She reached into her purse and pulled out the hard earned cash. The last of her savings for that month. How would she pay the mortgage? The electricity? Water? Gas? Phone? And what about food? Damn. Well, she would have to think about all that tomorrow.

“Thank you. Mrs. Tsukino, you are a free woman. But if they bring you in again…”

“I know, I know. Thank you officer.” Ilene cut him off. Serena and Ilene, both being helped by Trowa, made their way out of the busy police station and into the car.

“Thank you for bailing me out.” Ilene finally said, breaking their silence.

“You’re my mother. I love you. That’s my job, to take care of you. But mom, you can’t keep drinking. You’ll get alcohol poisoning. Or get thrown in jail again, the next time for good.” Serena spoke quietly.

“I know Serena. I know.”

“Good.” They pulled up to the house. Ilene stepped out of the car, and Serena followed in suit. Leaning over to look through the window, she spoke to Trowa.

“Thank you so much Trowa. You’re a wonderful boyfriend.” They both smiled at the joke. “I’ll send the guys out.”

“Thanks Serena. Take care.”

“You too.” She turned and walked into the house. She saw her mother already speaking to Quatre.

“Hello Serena.”

“Hi Quatre. Trowa is waiting for you guys in the car.” She said bluntly.

“Thanks. We’d batter go then.”

“Wait, I haven’t paid you…”

“Sere! Give up with the whole payment thing already, would you?” Duo shouted out, bounding into the room. A more low-key Wufei trailed in behind him.

“Serena. We baby-sit for you for free. You should know that by now.” Wufei added.

“I know, but…”

“No buts Serena. We have to get going, can’t keep Trowa forever. Bye Sere!” Quatre said stepping out the door.

“Good night Serena.” Wufei followed.

“Sere. If Hiiro bothers you…”

“I know. Call you. Thanks Duo. I think I… I don’t know what to think. Well, maybe the answer will come to me eventually.”

“I hope so. All I want if for both you and Hiiro to be happy.”

“He’s a killer. A Gundam Pilot, the one that killed my father no less! He doesn’t deserve to be happy!” She yelled.

“Serena! Stop this! Before you become too blinded by your hatred. Yes, he was a killer. So was I. Didn’t you ever wonder how we all knew Hiiro from the war? We were all Gundam pilots. Do you hate us all now?” Duo countered her.

“I got over that! I got over the fact that you were killers!” She cried.

“Then why can’t you forgive Hiiro?”

“He killed my father!”

“How? How do you know?”

“Duo, I don’t want to…”

“Yeah, you’re right. You’re too scared to face the truth. Don’t mind me. Be quiet, alright? Your siblings are asleep.” He jerked around and strode out the door without looking back.

“Serena? Who is Hiiro? And how is he responsible for your father’s death?” Ilene asked. Serena turned around, shocked. She had forgotten her mother was right behind her.

“It’s not worth the thought Mom.” She brushed it off. She could feel her eyes glazing over. Self-loathing and pity became her main emotion, and she hated that she was so weak that she would cry over losing the man who was responsible for her horrible life.

“Serena, look at me.” Ilene cooed softly. How could she have let her daughter slip this far away from her? Even with her hangover, Ilene could see that her daughter was hurting.

“Yes?” Serena said as she slowly tilted her head up to look her mother in her eyes. Her mother was a drunk, all because of Hiiro Yui. Cin. The man whom her mother had once hired to fix her problems was the cause of them all. What irony this living hell held.

“Serena, what is going on?” Ilene asked gently.

“Nothing important Mom. Don’t worry about it. Really. Why don’t you go take a shower while I…”

“Serena. You never used to keep things from me. What’s different?”

“Never used to? Mom, I never had anything to hide. And I still don’t. Go take your shower. I’m going to bed.” Serena sighed, slightly angrily. She threw her coat onto the couch and stomped lightly up the stairs, trying not to awaken her sleeping siblings. At least they should be able to get some sleep. Besides. She had work tomorrow.

Ilene watched her daughter go up the stairs. What was going on with her daughter? She had been gone from the house for so long that she had no idea of even how her other three children were. Guilt overtook her. While she had been out drinking and getting high, her seventeen-year-old daughter had been playing house. Only it wasn’t playing. She had really been a homemaker. Ilene thought over her daughter. She hadn’t finished high school. She didn’t date, didn’t party. She worked, made lunches, did the laundry, cleaned house, washed the dishes and paid the bills. God- she acted more like the daughter than her own daughter did.

Ilene realized she had slowly stolen from her daughter what had been stolen from her the day she found out her husband had been killed- life. Serena had no life. Because she was too irresponsible. Well. This was going to end right here. She was going to pick up the pieces of her daughter’s broken non-existent life and put them back together. Beginning tonight with this argument she had heard between Serena and Duo. Making up her mind, Ilene threw her coat onto of Serena’s and stomped up the stairs.

Before she knocked on Serena’s door, she pressed her ear up against it. Serena was crying. But it wasn’t just any crying, it was sobbing, true, heat-felt sobs that echoed dimly through the rest of the house. Ilene had never heard her daughter cry before. Not when she had found out her fathered had died, not even at the funeral. Not ever in the history of Ilene’s memory could she remember Serena crying. God her daughter must be in so much pain. And all Ilene could do was listen to her. She was scared. To scared to help the broken heart of her daughter. What had she become? And how could she have let herself drag her own daughter down with her?*

~~~Sorry everyone. I’m resulting to bribes. I have the next chapter written. But if I don’t get at least 15 reviews, no one sees it. In Bugs Bunny’s terms, “Ain’t I a stinker?”~~~