*bows head in shame* I'm so sorry everyone! I know
it's
been a very, very long time since I've sent anything
out.
You can blame the many rocks that life threw onto my
path. You can also go and hunt down this ugly little
monster that came to me while I was sleeping, took my
brain out, cut out that creative part of it and then
took
off.
o.O;;
I swear! That's what happened!
Enjoy reading!


Healer
Chapter 20
Author: Patch
E-mail: patchkhan1@hotmail.com
	kittiekat90@yahoo.com
Rated: PG

Insert standard disclaimer here.

	"What did he say? What did he say?!"
	Serenity stared straight ahead, and for a moment,
Minako thought she wouldn't answer her question. But
then she heard her Princess' murmur and couldn't hold
back a smile.
	"He said our story has not finished."
	She couldn't tell them what else he had said, would
have blushed again if she had to.
	"That's all? He must have said something else, if the
look on your face gives hint to anything," Rei said.
	"Well whatever he said to me couldn't possibly top
your kissing Jaedite. Really, Rei, as Princess of
Mars, I would think you to have a bit more control
over yourself!" Serenity scolded, although there was a
teasing light in her eyes.
	Rei could only sputter in response, at a loss for
words for once.
	Fortunately, Serenity did not have to say anything
more because only a short while later, the mist had
cleared and she heard a sharp cry.
	"Serenity!"
	She blinked and nearly stumbled off the platform in
her haste to get to the one who had called out her
name.
	"Mother!"
	She rushed into Queen Serenity's arms and hugged her
tightly, feeling the onslaught of tears. She had
thought she would never see her mother again and was
still having trouble believing that she was standing
in front of her. Serenity inhaled deeply and really
did begin to cry then because if there was
one thing that could make her believe that this was
all real, it was the fragrance her mother used. It had
always been the same and it was still the same… and it
told her she was really home.
	"Goddess, I didn't know when I would see you
again."
	Her mother's muffled voice brought her back to the
present moment and she pulled back to look into the
older woman's face.
	"I'm here now and I'm not leaving, so there's no need
to worry. The Moon will be where I stay, no matter
what."
	Her mother smiled through her tears and pulled
Serenity back into her arms. "Ah, Serenity, don't say
things you aren't too sure of yourself."
	Serenity pulled back a second time and frowned. "What
do you mean?"
	The Queen only smiled and then looked past her
daughter to the Senshi who stood waiting patiently.
Taking Serenity's hand, she walked to the group of
four and then stopped.
	"You cannot know how grateful I am for your
help in bringing Serenity back. When she was
kidnapped, I feared the worst but I knew, from
somewhere deep within me, I knew you all would bring
her back."
	"We're sorry we were unable to bring Serenity
back sooner," Minako said with a small, sad smile.
"The
fault lies in our hands entirely."
	"It does not matter," Queen Serenity interrupted,
"I'm happy to have all of you here, safe and sound.
Now I'm sure you all would like to get reacquainted
with your rooms. Your belongings will be taken up as
soon as they arrive. I find myself impatient to hear
of all your adventures but I believe I can wait until
dinner when you are all refreshed.
I will see you all then. Welcome home, all of you."
She nodded at the Senshi and then turned to her
daughter, holding out her hand. "Will you walk with
me, Serenity? I think I still haven't fully absorbed
the fact that you are really here."
	Serenity smiled and clasped hands with her
mother. Together they walked off and left the room.
They walked the quiet halls of the palace, not saying
anything, the silence between them comfortable and
peaceful. They reached the end of one hallway that
opened out to a balcony that overlooked the kingdom.
It was the same night that the Queen had stood on as
she watched the Senshi escort two of the Earth
Generals back to Naru's cottage. Once again she felt a
tingling of dread climb up her spine but did not allow
her fear to show on her face.
	Instead she smiled as she looked at Serenity
who was currently gazing at the blue and green planet
that hung in front of them.
	"You love Endymion very much."
	A small groan escaped Serenity's lips and she
hung her head for a moment before looking at her
mother. "I haven't been here for a whole day and
you've already mentioned the one subject I'd rather
not talk about."
	"And why not?"
	"Because I only have unhappy memories
whenever I think of him. That is why I would rather
not
discuss him at all."
	"You can't even say his name," the Queen
said softly.
	"I'd rather not," Serenity snapped, losing
control for just an instant. She instantly regretted
her tone and could have kicked herself.
	"Serenity, have I not told you that to be selfish is
to be ignorant? You may not want to talk now about the
Earth Prince but you must understand that your
feelings of guilt will eat at you day after day. I
will see you later." Having said that, the Queen then
left.
	The Princess stared after her mother with her
mouth hanging open. "I have truly missed something,"
she mumbled after closing her jaw.
	Turning back around she assessed her mother's
words. How was she selfish? And what feelings of guilt
was she experiencing? She felt nothing! Nothing at
all.
	However as she looked up into the sky once
more, all she could see in front of her was Endymion's
face and she could not help but feel a twinge
uneasiness stir within her.
*~*

	Later on, towards the end of dinner, Queen
Serenity lay down her glass against the table firmly,
signaling that she was done and most eager to talk.
	Resting her elbows on the table and linking her hands
underneath her chin, she looked around the table, not
missing the fact that the Senshi and her daughter
could not meet her eyes.
	There was a moment of silence before she
finally began to speak. "I do believe there is much
that I do not know of concerning your time on Earth.
Minako, other than those weekly screen meetings with
you, I had not a hint of what was going on underneath
the surface. There must be a reason why all of your
expressions lack their usual light."
	No one spoke. No one could speak. How
to tell your Queen that you had discovered a love so
deep with a person you believed your soul mate only to

leave him after only a short time…. it certainly
wasn't
an easy thing to say.
	"If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say that my
daughter's personal guard has fallen in love with the
Prince's personal guard."
	Four pairs of eyes looked up in shock. Only
Serenity kept her head down, playing with the leftover
food on her plate.
	"How… how did you know?" Rei asked,
surprise evident in her voice. "It isn't something we
made public. Only members of the Earth Palace were
supposed to know."
	"I have my ways," the Queen replied with a
small, secret smile. "However, that is of no
importance. I am delighted to know that you each have
found a man you would consider your other half. You
all must tell me how it worked out."
	And for the rest of the night, each of the
Senshi spoke of how they had first met the Generals
with undisguised hostility, only to find love in the
most unexpected ways. Serenity sat through it all,
somewhat entertained by the stories. She was glad that
her friends had finally filled the voids in their
hearts, yet at the same time she couldn't help but
fall deeper into a hole of despair as they went on
talking late into the night. They had left their loves
because of her. She had been the one to separate the
couples, only because she could not bear to stay on
Earth for a moment longer. Did they dislike her for
the abrupt leaving? She squeezed her eyes shut in an
effort to stop the feelings of doubt that were not
unlike the ones she had felt when she had first met
the
Senshi.
	As the conversation began to dwindle,
Serenity pretended to yawn and moved to get up from
her chair. She needed to get away. A startled gasp
stopped her and she looked questioningly at Ami who
had emitted the sound.
	"Oh Serenity, I didn't even realize…"
	Raising an eyebrow, Serenity stepped away
from her chair. "Realize what?"
	"Here we are going on and on about our
newfound happiness and we never stopped to think
about your situation," the other girl's voice died
away as silence loomed over the group.
	"Think nothing of it," Serenity replied flippantly.
"I'm happy for all of you and as for what happened
between Endymion and I… he has received a taste of his
own medicine."
	Silence met her statement.
	"What exactly do you mean by that?" Ami
asked finally.
	"I mean only what I say. Endymion actually
thinks that after everything that has happened, he can
just open his arms and expect me to run into them. He
will learn that I will do no such thing and make him
realize it."
	"Serenity," the Queen stood up, her expression
that of concern and the tiniest hint of alarm. "that
is not how I have brought you up. To behave in such a
manner is to be spiteful."
	"Mother, this has nothing to do with being
spiteful. Endymion cannot seem to understand how much
he has hurt me and he will see that I will not so
readily accept him back into my life."
	"So you will make him grovel for a bit before
crooking your finger towards him and taking him back?
Really, Serenity, you are acting just like the
nefarious courtesans of Venus. No offense to you,
Minako."
	Minako giggled and nodded. "No offense
taken, Your Highness. You speak the truth. The court
of
Venus is always swirling with some sort of scandal."
	"How can you say such a thing? I am not
acting like some vain swan." Serenity argued. Her
mother was making her feel as though she were
committing some sort of wrongdoing. But she wasn't!
Was she?
	"I just…" she broke off not finding the right
words to explain herself. "I just want…"
	Her mother broke in gently. "Serenity,
Endymion has asked you for a second chance. He has his

reasons for what he did in the past. Why not grab the
opportunity as it sits in front of you? Happiness is
within your reach. Take it!"
	"You don't know the half of it, Mother,"
Serenity snapped, not hearing the strain in the
Queen's last few words. "I would kindly ask all of you
to leave this topic alone. What has been done is done
and there is nothing more to be said." Saying that,
she left the room quickly, not wanting to hear
anything more.
	"I know more than you do," her mother said
quietly, sitting back tiredly. She looked at the young

women who sat before her with uncertainty etched in
their faces. "She is just so stubborn, not realizing
that time is short. I just want the best for her,
before…"
	"Before what, Your Highness?" Rei asked,
her tone serious, her eyes sharp and curious.
	Queen Serenity waved her hand in dismissal.
"I'm just worried for her. We are, after all, only
young once and I fear Serenity will not be able to
enjoy the full fruits of life if she continues like
this."
	"Then, Your Highness, may I let you in on
a little secret?" Minako leaned towards the Queen, her

blue eyes twinkling with a playful light.
*~*

	It was a clear night filled with stars when
Serenity rode out of the Palace with the four Senshi
fanning out behind her. It had been almost a week past

since they had returned to the Moon and it was only a
day ago that the Princess had announced she would
return to the world of healing, a world she declared,
she felt most comfortable in. Her mother and friends
had been a bit startled to say the least. No one had
expected Serenity to don the black cloak again after
her experiences on Earth. The garment could only be
seen as a painful reminder of a past that one would
think Serenity would best like to forget.
	But no, she had pulled the large hood
over her silver hair, casting most of her facial
features into a shadow, saddled her horse, Juniper,
and was ready to ride in under a few moments. She had
requested that her friends follow her as they had
before, from a safe distance so that they wouldn't
attract any sort of attention. The Senshi had no
choice but to follow because it made sense. As much
as they wanted to be near their Princess, it would do
no good to stick so closely to her. People would
question that. However, their senses were on high
alert as they rode because of the newer threat that
Beryl and her forces presented. Ordinary night
thieves they could handle but they had yet to fight
soldiers of evil.
	They rode to Naru's cottage, Serenity's
first stop as Healer for the night. Tying her horse,
she strode to the door and rapped her knuckles against
the wood in a specific pattern. The door opened
immediately and Serenity was swept inside. The
Senshi stayed outside, in the cover of the trees as
they always did, however this time they surrounded
each of the four corners of the small house instead
of staying together in one group. Every few moments,
each of them would allow a small light to flash in the
darkness letting each other know that they were still
there.
	They were taking no chances.
	Inside the cottage, Serenity hugged her
mentor fiercely as the other woman tried valiantly to
hold back tears.
	"Do you know, Serenity? I do not regret
anything that has happened." When the Princess
looked at her in surprise, Naru went on. "The Generals
had told me their story and I gave them permission to
take you. It was not in my place to do so, I know,
but I felt it necessary. You needed to experience life
outside of its normal routine and I realized that this

would be the best way. I understand that you went
through much hardship during your stay on Earth but
I can also see that you have changed." She smiled
tenderly at the young woman before her. "You have
grown Serenity, in more ways than one."
	Serenity stepped away from her friend
and walked around the main room, touching jars
and various items as she went. "It's true. I believe
I have grown a bit wiser in the way I view things.
You say I have changed but I wonder if it is for the
better. I have a feeling that my mother believes the
opposite."
	"No, it isn't that. She is proud of you,
Serenity. She only wants the best for you and I do
have to agree with her concerning the choices you
have made. I do think you should take another
look at them and then truly decide which path you
should take."
	Serenity could only stare, dumbfounded.
"When have you had the chance to speak with my
mother? And I can see that you are speaking in
riddles. I doubt I will be getting any straight
answers tonight," she said with a smile. "So I'll take
my leave now. By the way, how has it been with you
since I left?"
	Naru quickly walked over to the large
table that held a small black pot, various herbs and
dried plants and anything else that had to do with
the healing profession. "Well, it certainly was
interesting while you were gone. I don't think anyone
realized that I was truly not Healer. The villagers
might have noticed that Healer did not use her
'bright,
white light' but they were satisfied with the work
that was done. As long as the patients, their loved
ones, pull through, no one really cares much of the
method used."
	Serenity exhaled slowly in relief. "That's
good." She gave the woman another tight hug.
"Thank you so much, Naru for taking care of things.
I owe so much to you. Who will I be seeing first
tonight then?"
	"Well, the first case isn't quite an easy one.
Herbert, one of the farmers, is dying. His wife would
like you to cure him using your powers but you know
as well as I, that when it is that time for someone,
nothing can be done."
	Serenity nodded. "I know. I'll just use the
Crystal to make his transition less painful. That is
all I can I do."
	"Good. Then there is Dame Agnes who…"
Naru went on, quickly covering who all needed the
aid of Healer. When they were done at last, Serenity
grabbed a few items that she would need and left.
	Quickly untying the reins, she climbed up,
whistled low once and then rode off. The Senshi
came out from their positions just short moments
later and followed.
	Arriving at her second destination of the
night, Serenity slid off Juniper, patted her nose and
tied its reins to a wooden post next to the house.
Then moving away, she looked at the front door and
took a deep breath. She was glad that there wasn't a
crowd tonight. The villagers ordinarily gathered if
the
condition of the patient could only be healed by
something short of a miracle. There wouldn't be too
much miracle working tonight and for that Serenity
was glad.
	Anxiety racked her nervous and her
heartbeat had sped up considerably since they had
left Naru's house. Serenity knew that the last time
she had used the powers of the Crystal she had nearly
killed herself. It was all she could remember and she
wondered if it was safe for her to use it again. She
had nearly crossed a point of no return the last time
and she wondered if that had had any lasting effects.
Her mind screamed for her to let the Crystal reside
peacefully within her. However, Serenity almost
always never listened to that logical part of her. She

was quite the impulsive creature, she thought with a
smile.
	Shaking herself mentally, she walked up
to the door and knocked.  An old, hunched over
woman opened it and her tired expression
immediately lit up into a smile when she saw the
cloaked figure.
	"Healer! 'Tis good to see you! Come in,
come in." The woman ushered her inside and then
led her to a small room off to the left. "It's my
husband. He's old and in so much pain. Can you
help him?"
	"I'll try," Serenity murmured in reply.
She walked over to the low bed where the man lay
and sat on it. She took in his pale and withered
appearance, the breathing that was racked with
coughs, the trembling of his shriveled body and
knew that there was nothing she could do.
	She placed her hand on his forehead
and allowed for the light of the Crystal to enter his
body. The glow grew bright enough to light the
small room. She had no doubt that the Senshi
knew what she was doing. She waited for her own
body to react, wondering if it would feel different
in any sort of way. But there was nothing. She felt
the same as before and that was surely a good
thing. The man's features eased and smoothed
out as the Crystal's healing energy ran through his
body. Soon his breathing slowed down and
evened out. A few moments later he took in one
last breath and then lay still.
	"He's… he's dead!" She heard the
woman's startled exclamation.
	Feeling the slightest bit of exhaustion,
Serenity stood and took the woman's hand.
Ignoring the way the woman flinched, she spoke
softly. "He was in pain, yes, but my powers
cannot compete with those of nature. I made his
last moments peaceful and I do believe he
whispered your name in his last breath."
	The woman smiled then, sadly and
sniffed. "He was a good man, he was. We had
many happy years together and he never gave
me reason to want. He was a good man," she
said again, pulling her hand from Serenity's
grasp and walking over to him. She kissed his
cold cheek and then looked at her. "Thank you,
Healer."
	Serenity nodded her head in
acknowledgement and turned to leave. She felt
the stirrings of envy within her. The woman had
spoken so fondly of her husband. Would she
ever be able to speak so? She resisted the urge
to laugh bitterly. No, she didn't think life would
ever be so simple like that for her. She had
chosen the complicated path. The one that didn't
seem to have any love in sight.
*~*

	Minako flashed a small light in the
direction where Ami stood, signaling that she was
still there and there was no sign of danger.
	No sooner had she given the signal
when she heard a deep, male voice behind her.
	"Hello, love."
	Gasping, she whirled around and
encountered the silver gray uniform of an Earth
General. To be specific, an Earth General named…
	"Kunzite!" She felt him take her hand
and bring it up to his lips. Suppressing shivers, she
smiled brightly in the darkness. "You're here! But
how? Why?"
	He had turned her hand over and kissed
her palm and had then kissed the inside of her wrist
but her questions stopped him from going any further.
	"You ask me why? Would you rather
that I not be here at this moment?" He asked, with
an arch of his eyebrow.
	"No! No, it's just that I wasn't expecting
you to come so soon! I knew of your plans but I
didn't even know you were planning to come tonight."
	"Endymion was rather impatient to see
the Princess. And as his second-in-command, I
couldn't agree more with the decision to come. The
others stayed behind and Endymion would have
come alone but I insisted on accompanying him.
After all, it allowed me to see you sooner than
planned."
	"You have such a way with words,"
Minako teased, letting her free hand travel up
Kunzite's chest to rest behind his neck. Pulling his
head down, she brushed her lips against his before
kissing him fully.
	He dropped the hand he was holding
so that he could encircle his arms around her. "I've
missed you," he whispered hoarsely.
	"So have I."
	"Venus? Are you there?"
	Minako immediately broke away and
reached for her communicator. Finally able to flip it
open, she answered Ami's inquiry. "I'm here,
Mercury. I'm sorry, I was-"
	A faint shriek that was cut off very
quickly interrupted them. Minako looked up in alarm
as Kunzite cursed. They looked at each other once
before running towards the sound.
*~*

	Serenity had just tightened the saddle
when she heard the faint sound of footsteps behind
her. Stiffening, she stayed where she was without
turning around. How she knew there was someone
behind her, she didn't know. She couldn't discern
whether the person behind her was a man or a
woman because of the soft grass underneath their
feet.
	She knew what she had to do. This was
no time to panic. Slowly, she brought her hands
together in a motion that looked like she was fixing
the saddle. However, she was in actuality, building a
ball of energy between her palms. She would not let
herself be taken again!
	But before she could even whirl around
and release her attack, two hands had grabbed her
wrists, forcing her hands apart and away from each
other. She grit her teeth as she felt a stab of pain
between her shoulder blades. She struggled but the
other person had grabbed both of her wrists in one
hand behind her back. It was a man then.
	Opening her mouth she let out a scream
but she was cut off when the other had clamped
down on her mouth.
	No! her mind cried. It could not happen
again!

*^*^End*^*^
And onwards to the next chapter!


Lavender
http://www.geocities.com/patch_kana/