• Chapter 7

    The next morning, the sun shined down to Serenity's face and stunged her.
    "Ah!" She covered her eyes and moaned. She felt something warm around her body. She turned around to take a look and saw William shirtless and with his arms around her. He was asleep and only wore his boxers, as for her, she wore one of William's old shirt that went down to her waist. She smiled and blushed. "William and I..." Just then, she heard someone coming. She ran to the closet and locked the door. She stayed close to the door to listen.
    "Master William, It's time to wake up."
    "Huh? Uh..." William slowly woked up. He looked next to him and noticed Serenity was gone. "Wait where's Serenity?"
    "In the closet... I guess. I'll check."
    "Okay..." Lawrence walked up to the closet. Serenity heard his footstep so she ran to her bed and pretended to sleep. Lawrence opened the door and saw Serenity "asleep" in her bed and smiled.
    "Erm she's asleep, master."
    "Hmm..."
    "Is there something the matter, master William?"
    "Lawrence... can you... let me be?"
    "Oh... but... what about today's schedule?"
    "... I... I... just leave me alone..." William covered his face with his hands and rubbed his temples.
    "Very well. Is there anything you need just ask."
    "Uh Infact, I do..." William looked up.
    "Yes?"
    "Lawrence... have you ever had... sexual relations?" Lawrence's eyes grew big. Of all the question, this one was the last on his list... infact, it wasn't even on his list of questions.
    "Well... yes... but that was a long time ago... when I used to be married."
    "And what happened?"
    "Oh well... things didn't go well. She tought I was to mild so she ask-"
    "No not that! I meant after you and her -ahem- had relations."
    "Oh. Well, in the morning... I felt like I couldn't leave her so I proposed to her. She agreed and so on the story goes. If you don't mind me asking, master, what is the purpose of these questions?"
    "... Well uh... I'm a teenager. It's normal that I ask these things." William said as an excuse. Lawrence narrowed his eyes and walked out of the room. William laid back on his bed just thinking about the night before. Just then, Serenity stepped out of the closet.
    "Huh?" William looked up. "Serenity!" He sat up. Serenity was already dressed with her HQ uniform and her backpack. "W-What?" William stood up. "Where are you going?"
    "Where does it look like I'm going? Home."
    "Are you really going to leave?"
    "Yeah. It's my home."
    "But... you can't leave. After last night..... YOU CAN'T LEAVE!" He yelled.
    "Don't yell at me, dammit!"
    "So what? Are you leaving 'cause you're ashamed we did it?"
    "I'm leaving 'cause I have a duty!!!"
    "A duty? A duty to who?"
    "To HQ."
    "To your heart!!"
    "If I were to listen to my heart I would-"
    "You would stay here!! with me!" He interrupted.
    "But I can't stay with you."
    "Why not?!"
    "BECAUSE I CAN'T, OKAY?!"
    "NO, NOT OKAY!!"
    "You have to understand... I just can't stay here." William stood up and walked over to her. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her.
    "I thought you loved me." He whispered.
    "I do. I really do. I want to stay... but I can't." William tilted her chin up with his hand and kissed her.
    "I don't want you to go."
    "... William, this is gonna hurt me more then it hurts you..."
    "What?"
    "... I love you very much... but that dosn't mean I'm going to put my friends aside..."
    "Yes I understand. What I don't understand is why, after you and I had an awesome time last night, why do you leave the next day? Why not some other time?"
    "I wasn't expecting what happened last night. But I was already warned. From six to six."
    "But what if you don't show up?"
    "I'll have to pay for a pass and I don't have any yens with me." William sighed.
    "Fine!! Go! Careful with the door on your way out." He said as he turned around.
    "Oh c'mon, Will. Don't be like tha-"
    "DON'T TALK TO ME!"
    "Oh so now you're getting pissed off because I want to see my friends."
    "Friends? You call Matt a friend?"
    "..."
    "He tried to kill you when you met him."
    "But he didn't!"
    "If it wasn't for his stupidity maybe he would've had!"
    "Don't you dare talk about Matt like that. You don't even know him!!"
    "SO WHAT IF I DID!? WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE?!"
    "IT MAKES MUCH DIFFERENCE! IT SHOWS HOW JELOUS YOU ARE!"
    "Jelous?! Hah! Why would I be jelous of the guy who tried to kill you in the first place?" Serenity sighhed.
    "You don't know what you're saying! Sure, he tried to kill me but it was for my own good. But instead I got a second chance and for that I'm eternally grateful. And in the end, we're good friends."
    "Answer this: What are Matt's goals?"
    "It's... um... uh..."
    "You see!? You don't even know what his goals are."
    "You neither!"
    "I DON'T CARE!!!" Serenity slapped William on the face.
    "I'm leaving not because of HQ... but because you need sometime to think, Will." She jumped out the window and up the roof.

    Up there, the black hole that would teleport her back to HQ was wide open. It was a three day trip from realm to realm. Serenity looked back at the big city of London. She wiped her tears and stepped inside. "I love you too, Will." She whispered as the portal closed along with her.

    ***
    "Head master! Head master!" Someone yelled from outside Ranzaroth's office. He sighed and dropped his pen.
    "Come in, Lynn." A girl with long blonde hair bursted into the room. "Yes, what is it?"
    "I bring an urgent message from Captain Elric." Lynn was breathing heavily. She handed Ranzaroth the paper which he unfolded. "Apparently, Serenity is on her way back. You requested that we let you know when we sensed her entrance to the portal, right?"
    "Yes. You did well Lynn. How long is the tragectory from the human realm to HQ?"
    "72 hours, sir." She said rapidly.
    "Thank you. You may retreat."
    "Yes sir. Thank you, sir." Lynn walked out of the office. Ranzaroth stood up to look out the big window. The view was the vast ocean that led to the sunset horizon. "Serenity... come to me..." He said to himself.

    Meanwhile, elsewhere in HQ, the Thirty Brothers, now twenty nine, were having a secret meeting Ranzaroth was not aware of.
    "Brothers, it seems our 26th sibling has gone missing. Gontou." Santos, the oldest of them, said.
    "Did he leave a message or a note stating were he was going?" Issaiah asked.
    "No. He betrayed HQ directly."
    "Gontou's disappearance is our top priority, I understand, but there is something suspicious..." Jeremiah said.
    "What is that, younger brother?" Santos turned to him with a serious face.
    "Matthew from room 203 is as well missing."
    "Oh yes, I didn't noticed. I haven't sense his soul in a long time now." Junko agreed.
    "Well, someone has to go off and look for them."
    "But who? This meeting is secret." Santos looked around.
    "I'll go." Junko said.
    "Me too." Jeremiah raised his hand.
    "I'm joining as well. As the eldest, it is my duty to watch over my siblings including Gontou." Santos said.
    "Very well. You three may go. Since I'm second oldest, I'll deal with Ranzaroth and the rest of HQ." Issaiah declared.
    "Very well. Brothers, fall back!" Santos, Junko, and Jeremiah disappeared. Issaiah took a deep breath and stepped back into the dark sidelines of the room.


    Serenity was in a completely black dimension, a small world in between realms. All of it was dark and every time she took a step forward, some rings covered the floor. As if she were walking on water. The only sound that prevailed was Serenity's breath and the sound of a water drop falling.
    "Better keep up my pace or else the spell will ware out and I'll drown in the passage between dimensions." She said to herself. "I need something." She pulled out an old rubber ball from her backpack pocket and smiled. "Matt always said to get some motivation into things." She focused her soul on her left arm and took a deep breath. "Nothing better then an old time American favorite, a classic game of catch." She said as she launched the ball into darkness. She stayed silent for a few hours without moving and afterwards heard a lite BA-BUMP! "There's the end of the portal." She clutched to her back pack and ran for it.



    Three days later and Jeremiah, along with his two other brothers came back. They discovered both Matt and Gontou had betrayed them and that they had joined forces to execute Gontou's final plan of complete destroction.
    "WHAT?!" Issaiah punched the colum and broked it down. "b*****d!!"
    "The worst thing is that he took Matt along." Santos sighed.
    "Hey... where's Jeremiah?" Junko looked around.
    "I told you to keep an eye on him, Junko."
    "I'm sorry."
    Santos rubbed his temples. "I should've known to expect this from you, being the youngest of all."
    "... what are you blaming him for? I'm right here." Everyone looked up and saw Jeremiah seating on the tallest of colums. Junko narrowed his eyes and sighed in relief.
    "So when are we going to tell Ranzaroth he's missing a piece of his chess board?" Karzess asked.
    "Soon... but not now. Ranzaroth has enough to worry now. It's the wisest thing to do."
    "W-What's wrong with Ranzaroth?" Junko asked nervously.
    "The Child has feelings for a lady."
    "Who exactly?" Jeremiah smiled grin.
    "Serenity, the spoiled brat from last time."
    "Really? I heard she just arrived here."
    Santos sighed. "Try to keep Ranzaroth away from her or else he'll be distracted from his duty and we'll be forced to execute him."
    "Yes, brother." They all said in unison.


    Serenity just arrived at HQ. She was hoping Matt would greet her but instead Ross, Vincent, Luna, Lynn, and of course, Elric came for her. She said her hellos and left to her dorm. She got on the elevator and quickly got to floor 569. She walked down the endless corridor until she reached door 203. She was hoping to find Matt inside but instead found no one.
    "Well... all of his clothes are still here. I guess he'll be back sooner or later." She began unpacking her stuff and took a short shower.

    She sat on her bed and waited and waited. She waited and waited and waited some more. Still no sign of Matt. The day ended and she fell asleep with a tear full face. The next morning, she was awaken by a knock on the door and bursted up. "Matt..." She ran to the door, took a deep breath, clutched her fist and when she opened the door she launched her it towards the person but found herself with a counterattack from Jeremiah. He'd grabbed her hand by the wrist and twist it clockwise.
    "nnah!"
    "Oh my, I'm sorry. Instincts..." Jeremiah apologized.
    "I-It's okay, your excellency... please, come in."
    "Very well." Jeremiah stepped inside Serenity's room. "Um... it's very dark in here." Jeremiah opened the curtains. Serenity quickly covered her eyes and turned the other way.
    "I-I'm sorry."
    "So how was your trip to the world of the living?"
    "... I made some friends..." Serenity's face showed despair.
    "What's wrong?"
    "I had a fight with one of them."
    "I think there's more to it then meets the eye."
    "Oh nevermind. I will not bother you with my problems."
    "Feel free to talk to me. To tell you the truth, ever since you stood up to Ranzaroth in the hearing back then, my idea towards you changed."
    "Huh?" Serenity looked up.
    "You are strong at mind, Serenity. And I admire that." Serenity faked a smiled and looked down.
    "Is there something wrong, Serenity? Trust me."
    "Matt hasn't showed up. I'm sure he'd liked to meet you."
    "That's exactly what I wanted to talk about." Jeremiah invited Serenity to sit down on her bed.
    "What about Matthew?"
    "Matthew is... gone, Serenity."
    "G-Gone? Gone where? A mission?"
    "No. Matthew betrayed HQ and left along with my younger brother, Gontou. They are currently on the death realm."
    "What? N-No. This can't be." Serenity's eyes grew so big, it seemed they were going to pop out of there sockets. "Matty would never do that."
    "I'm sorry."
    "I-I have to go get him." Serenity stood up and grabbed her backpack she began to panic as she packed her stuff quickly keeping Matt in mind.
    "Serenity, please stop. You can't-"
    "I HAVE TO!" She yelled. Jeremiah noticed the tears that came from her eyes like a flowing river.
    "..."
    "HE'S MY FRIEND!!! HE DOES UNDERSTAND, UNLIKE WILLIAM!!! ....." Serenity turned around and kept on packing silently. Jeremiah nodded and sighed.
    "Well I can't stop-" Serenity felt like her stomach went down her lower intestine and stormed into the bathroom were she vomited. "Serenity!" Jeremiah helped her.


    A few minutes later and Serenity was resting in bed. Jeremiah changed her clothes into something more comfortable and placed a warm pad on her forehead since she had fever. Jeremiah prepared a special tea-like drink with special herbs in the dormroom's kitchen. As he left the water boiling, he walked over to Serenity and uncovered her lower abdomen. He placed his hand over it and closed his eyes. His hand began to glow a white splendor. Five seconds later it stopped and he opened his eyes.
    "Serenity..." He whispered. "Serenity..."
    "Huh?" Serenity opened her eyes. "Y-Yes?"
    "... you're pregnant..."
    "WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" Serenity bursted up. Her faced turned pale and she fainted. The tea kettle began to whistle. Jeremiah stood up and mixed the hot water with the herbs and dropped a paper towel in the cup. The towel absorbed the drink and Jeremiah squeezed it so it would release the density of water. He placed the towel before her nose and she woked up.
    "Now don't faint like you did before." He joked.
    "I'm sorry." Serenity smiled.
    "What are you smiling about?" There was a hint of curiousity in his voice.
    "...." Serenity blushed. "I'm pregnant...."
    "Isn't that bad?"
    "No, of course not... wait..." Serenity's smiled flew off her face. "How can I be pregnant if I'm not human?"
    "Well, I'm not sure if you're familiar with this fact but, if you eat something from another dimensional realm, you may acquire some of it's traits. It also works by inserting it like needles or splinters. But this usually happens on rare cases."
    "Huh?"
    "Serenity, you have blood within you."
    "Isn't that wrong?"
    "Yes, for a pure soul. But you were once human. You must have your period, right."
    "Doesn't everyone... female?"
    "Well, most of the people in HQ were once humans so they, including you, have some traits. Some of them grow old. Others die a normal death. Others have blood... like you. But those pure souls like Matthew will always remain with eternal youth. And will not die of old age nor will be able to reproduce. It's not that complicated once you get used to it."
    "So I'm just different?"
    "Yes. And apparently, not only do you have blood, your body is also capable of nurturing a child." Serenity smiled again. She placed her hand in her abdomen and rubbed it. "Who is the father, anyway?"
    Serenity narrowed her eyes. "He's the friend I told you I argued with, William."
    "So he's more then a friend."
    "No... we're not friends." She said. She was trying hard not to blush. her cheeks felt numb after so much smiling and blushing.
    "Yet your expression shows otherwise."
    "He wanted me to put him over my friends and life."
    "Serenity, I'll tell you this not by experience but because of logic: When a man ask for you to stay with him, he doesn't mean forever, just until he gets enough of you."
    "That sounds selfish, your majesty."
    "No. Let me put it this way: If you two share a feeling, you're not going to leave him the day after you confess. That would be rude."
    "But Ranzaroth said the portal was opened from six to six. I had no options."
    "Of course you did. You could've stayed there. So what if the portal closes? You can ask Russell or Rin to re-open it."
    "Ooooh" Serenity said whincing at her own stupidity. "But then I'd have to pay for a pass and I didn't have any yens."
    "Rin is japanese. She had enough yens for you."
    "..."
    "Besides, Ranzaroth only said that because he has feelings for you."
    "HE DOES?!"
    "Yes, believe it or not."
    "But Ranzaroth doesn't have feelings."
    "Yes, my brothers and I were also shocked."
    "Master...?"
    "Yes?"
    "I need you to keep this a secret."
    "Of course, child." Suddenly, Jeremiah's head dropped, as if he were asleep, and fell in Serenity's lap.
    "MASTER!"

    -Jeremiah's vision-
    Matt- Any last words? *Points sword down*
    Serenity- Yes... I'm pregnant. I was hoping you could care for it but... nevermind now. *Coughs out blood*
    Matt- *Hesitates* I don't care. *Stabbs Serenity in the abdomen; Serenity dies*
    -End of Jeremiah's vision-

    Jeremiah wakes up just to find himself on Serenity's arm.
    "Master, you have awakened."
    "Oh really?" He said in a sarcastic tone.
    "What happened to you?" Jeremiah sat up quickly.
    "I had a vision, Serenity... You're going to die in the hands off Matthew..." Serenity wasn't expecting that.
    "You said he betrayed HQ, right?"
    "Yes..."
    "He betrayed HQ... he betrayed me. I don't care. I'll face him." She didn't really undertand exactly what was going on. She was just acting tough.
    "What about your child."
    "Take him and nurture it."
    "Very well."

    To be continued...