Chapter Twelve: We Could Be Heroes Forever and Ever

*He ran. And ran. And continued running. The broken ground gave him no problem. The cold air barely affected him. The snowy wind hardly touched him. Where was he running? Why was he going there? He had no idea. Yes, he did have an idea.

While he had been walking away from Vivian he had had the epiphany. He wanted to share it with somebody, anybody. But not just anybody would do. Hiiro needed to find a certain person to explain this to. But he still had no idea where he was going.

But he would know when he got there. In fact, he was there now. Stopping in front of the stereotypical white picket fenced home, he sighed. This was it. He needed to get this off of his chest. He knocked. Footsteps. Door unlocking. Door opening.

“Yes? Can I help you?” An unfamiliar voice spoke.

“Serena.” He spoke. One word, so much meaning.

“Cin?” He looked up and brought his eyes to focus on the figure. Serena’s mother. And she wasn’t drunk. This was a new development.

“Yes.”

“Hello Hiiro. Serena went out. Looking for you actually.” Ilene smiled. When two people went looking for each other, but couldn’t find each other, it was symbolic. Both her daughter and Hiiro had been searching for each other their whole lives. And now they had finally realized it, but they still couldn’t find each other. Who needed soap operas when things like this happened in real life everyday?

“Looking for me?” He repeated. Why would she do that?

“Yes. Hiiro, I forgive you. I just wanted you to know.”

“Forgive me.” He repeated. Then he snapped out of it. “For what?”

“You killed my husband, and Serena’s father. You see, my husband had been part of OZ, and he had been stationed at a small village on the boarder of the Cinq. You at the time were part of the Treize Faction. I’m sure you don’t remember. Doesn’t matter though.”

“When I infiltrated the city there were still civilians in it. We evacuated them, and then sent our wounded to the Cinq.”

“You do remember.”

“Your husband was one of those men?”

“Yes. But don’t worry over it. Serena, well, she can tell you on her own. She’s looking for you. Try to find her, would you? I’m getting worried. She’s on the wrong side of town in the middle of the night. I’m sure you have a good idea of what happens over there around this time?”

“Understood.” He nodded in full comprehension.

“And Cin?” Ilene called after him. “Thanks for refusing me that night after you found out about my family.” She smiled. He simply nodded, then turned and fled down the street.

He had to find her. He had to tell her. Her mother had merely slowed him down- though it had been worth the delay. He at least understood her position slightly better now. If someone had killed his father, and he had known his father, he would have been upset. Still, she hadn’t given him a fair chance. And he was going to fix that. Desperation was waning.

>>>)(<<<

She ran. Into the dark allies. Through the bars. She poked her head in every club still open. And still, no sign of Hiiro. Was he on a job? Was he in the middle of such passion that he had forgotten her? Half of her hoped he was. That way his pain would be numb for a short amount of time. The other half was incredibly jealous. He was hers. And she was going to make sure the world knew it. As soon as she found him.

“Hey babe! Looking good!” A group of men came out from behind a dumpster.

“Thanks. Excuse me.” She brushed them off.

“No, you’re not excused. We’re looking for a one-night stand. You’re obviously a slut, so come on tramp. Let’s do the horizontal mambo, or whatever that saying is.”

“I’m not a slut, and I’m not interested. Now please move before I lose my temper and hurt you.”

“Well, well, well. Look who it is. Pretty little Serena from the bar. You should have just given in when I asked. It would have been so much easier on everyone.”

“Jerry!” She gasped in surprise. From her run in with him before, she knew he could be quite persuasive and even more so dangerous.

“Got that right baby cakes. Come on honey, let’s lose this scene.” He stepped up to her. She backed up. He had her against a wall. The group of men closed in around them.

“Leave me alone Jerry!”

“No, I don’t think so.” He lifted an arm and tugged at her worn jacket. The buttons easily unbuttoned and he pulled it off. “You see my dear.” He ran one of his cool fingers down her pale, thin arm and back up her neck. Tracing her jaw line, he stopped at her chin and forced her head up.

“Let go of me. Now!” She struggled to get free. But two guys with ropes had already made their way in closer towards her. Tying her hands together behind her back, they made the move to tie her feet together as well.

“No. Leave her feet untied. She can’t run anyway. We might as well have our fun with her.” Jerry smirked.

“No!” She continued to make it hard for the men.

“It won’t hurt… for long. Don’t worry about it. And after we’re done, we’ll let you go crying back to Cin. He’s too thick headed to try anything. And even if he wanted to, he wouldn’t be able to find us.” And the darkness consumed her. Though she screamed, no one came. They gagged her mouth. Though she struggled, they never stopped. And though she cried, they laughed harder.

“That’s enough. Let’s leave the bitch here. We’ve got no more use for her. Besides. For all her good looks, she wasn’t that great to rape. Rather boring if you ask me.” Jerry and his friends laughed.

“I’m sorry you feel that way. Because it’s the last ‘rape’ you’ll ever commit.”

“What? Who said that?” Jerry whirled around, accusing his friends.

“I did.” A figure stepped out of the shadows, a gun cocked, and a frown placed upon his darkened face.

“Cin.” Four shots were heard. Four men began running down the street, screaming.

“Jerry. You’re my next target. I’m giving you till the count of ten to run. Then I shoot. One. Two.” Hiiro began counting.

“Cin!” Jerry pleaded. When he saw Hiiro was serious, he turned and ran, not looking back.

“ Six. Seven. Ten.” Hiiro shot into the dark ally. A blood-curdling scream resounded in his ears and echoed throughout the black and empty streets. Once Hiiro was sure the gang members had been taken care, he turned around and rushed over to Serena. Ungagging and untying her, he helped her sit up as she choked and sputtered sobs.

Hiiro could not believe this was the same girl that he had gotten to know in the last few weeks. Her clothes were torn and ripped. Her face was black and blue; her mascara had dripped down below her eyes in black streaks. Lipstick smeared, disheveled hair. Blood matted in a few places, and she was sobbing. All he could think was that she didn’t deserve this. Even if she hated him with complete and utter contempt, he knew she didn’t deserve this. Picking her up, he raced up the street.

“Hiiro? What brings you… oh. Oh, I see. Come on in my boy.” Doctor J allowed his former student in and shut the door behind them. “You can put her in your room, and I trust you know where the first aid kit is?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Good night then.” With that, the old man left. Hiiro shook his head at the old man’s helpful behavior, then focused on his task. Laying the crying Serena out on his bed, he grabbed the first aid kit from underneath it and began to tend to her wounds. Soon her weeping subsided, and she silently sniffled as he moved deftly about his work.

“Hiiro?” She finally got the courage to speak his name.

“Serena. Don’t speak. Sleep.” He encouraged her. She was calling him Hiiro again. Not Cin like she had when she had been angry. What did that mean? Did it mean anything?

“No. Hiiro, I-”

“Please sleep.” Se stopped after he begged her again. All she could do was let him work. He looked so intent on helping her. Why? Wasn’t he mad? She felt so horrible. She needed to tell him. But sleep was winning her over and soon, she couldn’t fight it any longer.

Hiiro felt her tense muscles relax and her breathing even out and knew she was asleep. She trusted him enough to sleep near him. Or had she simply bee so tired she couldn’t stay awake to supervise him any longer? He hoped it had been the first, but his mind told him logically it had to be the latter of the answers. He finished cleaning her wounds and pulled up a chair. Sitting and relaxing as much as he possibly could, he too fell into a dreamless sleep.

Sometime in the late morning Serena awoke. The sun was streaming through the windows, right onto her face. She sat up quickly, slightly panicked that she didn’t recognize her surroundings. She then spied Hiiro asleep in the chair and knew she was safe. Memories from the night before came flooding back. Her mother… Trowa’s request… Jerry and his friends… being raped… Hiiro saving her… Hiiro tending to her wounds. Though she was stiff, she sat up straight and studied Hiiro. He must have fallen asleep after finishing bandaging her up. He looked at peace, content, in his sleep. His hard face was relaxed. The worry lines in his forehead were gone. His eyes were soft, not glaring and harsh.

She couldn’t believe he had ever been in a war, looking at him in this form. But just the night before she had seen him shoot five men. Given, he hadn’t killed any of them, it still must have hurt to get shot. And he had done it for her. But wasn’t she against killers? Her whole outlook on things was shifting. She couldn’t be happier that Hiiro had shot those guys. It had served them right. But he had killed her father. True, he hadn’t known it was her father, and he hadn’t had much of a choice, but… she felt horrible. Leaning forward, she lightly brushed back a few of his bangs that had fallen into his eyes. A heavy hand clasped around her wrist and held on tightly. She gasped in surprise.

“What were you doing?” He asked her coldly.

“I… I don’t know.” She answered. He looked hard at her, then let her hand go.

“Hiiro, I…”

“Look. Whatever you have to say, I don’t want to hear it. It doesn’t matter.” He sneered. He had had more time to think. After he had fallen asleep, he had continuously woken again and again thinking of Serena. What had he been so panicked to tell her the night before? He couldn’t remember any longer.

“Now wait just a minute. I’ve been looking for you…”

“And getting raped in the process?” He snorted. Her eyes glazed over in pain. Hiiro’s heart tugged as he saw them. He had caused her more pain. Damn himself. “Serena. I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.” He forced himself to say.

“It’s true. Why deny it?” She hung head low. “I’m sorry for being such a bother.”

“I thought you hated me? Never wanted me in your sight again? So why are you still here?” He asked, closing his eyes and crossing his arms in front of her.

“I’m here because I was looking for you. I had to tell you something.”

“It’s not important.”

“No. You’re wrong! It is important! It was worth getting raped for!” His head shot up. What could possibly be worth losing your innocence for?

“I’m listening.”

“I was looking for you last night to apologize to you. I treated you horribly, and my behavior was inexcusable. Not to mention I was wrong. You weren’t the cause of my problems. That was a pitiful excuse that I used.”

“Don’t waste your time apologizing. It was understandable, and I’m not worth the trouble. I’m sorry I killed your father.”

“You are worth the trouble, and don’t be sorry. You couldn’t avoid it. It was war. It’s taken me a long time to realize that. My mother finally opened my eyes to reality last night. God I owe you so much. And still I treated you as no one deserves to be treated. Worse. I treated someone I care very deeply for that way.”

“Yeah, well. Don’t bother apologizing. I’m not worth the time it takes.” He replied sarcastically. She stood and knelt before him at his feet.

“How dare you say that! You are worth the time! Otherwise I wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t be trying to confess my love for you. If you aren’t worth the time, I don’t know who is.”

“I’m not worth the time. I’m a murderer. My hands are so bloody, so stained that no one could ever think I’m worth the effort.”

“Your friends did. Otherwise they wouldn’t have spent three years searching for you. Hiiro, they need you to make their team whole. I need you. I was a pig-headed, stubborn fool. I’m sorry.”

“What about last night? You’re not upset I used my gun on those innocent civilians?”

“They were anything but innocent. I’m actually glad you did. Otherwise justice never would have been served. Thank you. You’ve saved my life Hiiro.”

“One life for the hundreds I destroyed. Doesn’t seem fair.”

“No. Hiiro, you need to stop thinking about it that way. You saved Earth by destroying that one piece of Libra. That’s millions of lives you saved. Stop being so hard on yourself.”

“Did you say you were trying to confess your love for me?” He asked randomly. Serena blushed. She had said that earlier. But she hadn’t meant to say it. It had just come out so naturally…

“Yeah, I suppose I did.”

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why would you confess you love for me if you hate me?”

“Because I don’t hate you. I hate the fact that I… the fact that I love you. There, I’ve said it. I love you.” She blushed and rubbed her temples with frustration.

“You love me. You love me.” He repeated it over and over, just to get a handle on what was being said. This was amazing. It was impossible.

“Serena. Last night I was with a woman. And I stopped in the middle of my job and left her.” She blushed heavily at his suggestion. So she had been right. He had been with another woman. Jealousy surged through her veins. But he had left her…

“Why?” Was the only question she could think of.

“Because I had an ‘enlightening’ idea that I wanted to run by you. I wanted to tell you I, I love you. I don’t know how, or why I thought that. I’ve never loved. Before you there was no such thing as love. It was only an emotion I had heard myths and storied about. I had made up an image in my mind that love was a cross between lust and jealousy.

But I was wrong, I think. I love every little thing about you. Your voice, how its soothing at the end of a long day. Your mind, how quick and sharp-witted you are. I love your heart. Even after you had betrayed me, I could still picture you giving out those presents to the kids. I love your strength to keep going, even when the going gets rough. I love the way you don’t flaunt your incredible beauty. I just love you. Now that isn’t just lust and jealousy. I don’t know what it is, but it’s anything but that.”

“Hiiro.” She breathed. “Nothing is unforgivable.”

“Hnn.”

“Please stop hurting yourself. You’ve paid your dues! Please!” She begged him. He watched her eyes glaze over.

“How can you be so passionate over a lost cause?”

“Because there are no lost causes. Life is only what you make of it. You did what you had to do because you though it was right. You stayed alive. That in itself is a human emotion and instinct, the will to survive. Stop acting like it was inhuman!”

“It was. I slaughtered.”

“To live.”

“To live. And I did it again last night out of rage.” He dropped his head.

“Enough!” Serena stated loudly. She brought her hands up to cup his cheeks and briskly placed her mouth over his. He sat, unmoving for a moment. Then he responded. Returning the pressure she had placed over his mouth, he pushed back. For a moment they teased each other. Then he wanted something more.

Bringing his hand up, he pushed the back of her head in closer to him. Moaning, they both lost themselves in desire. Their bodies pressed against each other, and their tongues preformed an erotic dance as they poured passion into each other.

Serena was in bliss. Contentment she had never known before over took her brain and she drowned in her pleasure. He was so gentle, yet so demanding. He had so much passion, such a capability to love so deeply. And she was only grazing the surface of his true personality. She craved more.

Hiiro had lost any logical or rational thought. His mind told him Serena was good. Serena was warm, Serena cared. She was so innocent and sweet. He could hardly believe she trusted him after all that had happened the night before. He felt blessed she would give herself to him so completely, so wholly, and still have more to give. His self-loathing and loneliness dissipated. Only happiness and fullness filled his once tormented soul. When they finally broke apart from lack of air, they rested their foreheads against each other.

“I love you Hiiro Yui. You are not Cin. You are not a soldier or a killer. You are the man I love. Please don’t hate yourself for that.”

“I love you.” He barely whispered. He couldn’t help it. Tears spilled and he cried openly for the first time he could remember. Serena enveloped him in a warm embrace. Together they stayed for minutes, hours on end, holding each other, comforting each other, being each other’s strength.*