Oysh, I haven't really been around much. That's the
lovely advantage of having night classes >.< Aah well,
CP! I'm so sorry about yesterday! I got kicked off and
well... Kana has like no patience these days so you
can take it from there.

Alrighty, fresh from the spell checker, here is
Chapter 8 for y'all. Enoy!
Patch:-)(-:

Healer
Chapter 8
Author: Patch
E-mail: patchkhan1@hotmail.com
Editor: Rei Kinneas
Rated: PG

Insert standard disclaimer here.

	She blinked, hoping what she was seeing
was a figment of her imagination; that she was not
really seeing Endymion sleeping, breathing deeply,
black hair falling over his forehead, thick lashes
falling over his cheeks, one arm falling in front of
his... bare body!
	A small squeak escaped her as she
realized that he was not wearing any clothing. At
least on top he wasn't. Oh goddess, what about the
bottom? She felt her face suffuse with heat at the
thought. Her eyes slowly drifted to his waist, where
the sheet hid the rest of his body from her eyes.
	Her breathing became hitched and her
eyes traveled back to his face and to his now very
open eyes.
	She started and letting out a small shriek,
she scrambled to a sitting position almost taking the
sheet that they shared with her before deciding it
would be best not to do such a thing. Who knew what
that would have uncovered? She certainly did not
want to find out.
	Endymion still lay there on his side,
gazing at her silently, his expression now very
amused.
She stared back at him incredulously, wondering what
he thought was so humorous.
	"What am I doing here?" she finally asked.
	"The answer is quite obvious, Princess," he
answered. His voice was deeper than normal as a
result of having just awakened and it caused shivers
to
run up and down her spine. Nevertheless, she had a
feeling he was mocking her.
	"It's not obvious to me!"
	"Why, you are here to take care of me. Have
you already forgotten?"
	The chuckle that followed had Serenity
shooting him a look of obvious displeasure.
	"Do not try to be funny! What am I doing
lying here next to you? Without my permission no
less!" She didn't think her voice showed it but she
was positive Endymion could tell just how shook up
she was. Her heart was pounding against her ribcage
and she could not remember ever feeling so frightened.
Waking up to a stranger, no matter how much she
thought she loved him, was still quite nerve-wracking.
	"You were asleep, so I could not gain
Your Highness' permission. And you looked so
peaceful lying there, I just didn't have the heart to
wake you from your beauty sleep for you to allow me
to pick you up."
	His tone dripped with sarcasm and she
balled her hands into fists and raised herself up on
her
knees. He didn't even want to explain himself properly
and that fact was quickly pushing her fear out of the
way. "Do not act like a pompous idiot with me,
Endymion," she was satisfied to see his eyes narrow
dangerously. "It's indecent and immoral that I be in
such
a position. Have you no idea what this could do to my

reputation and to yours?"
	He got up so suddenly that her eyes widened
and instinctively she moved backwards. But she forgot
that they were on a cot, not a wide one at that and
she
found herself moving too far back into empty space.
She
tried to grip the side of the cot but it did not help
and she
fell backwards.
	Her head hit the lining of the tent (thank the
goddess tents were not made of a hard material!) and
she
landed on the ground with a jarring thud. Wincing in
pain, she hardly had time to gasp when in the next
minute, hands grabbed her forearms and she was hauled
up and onto the cot once again.
	This time she did gasp when she came face
to face with Endymion, their noses almost touching.
Breathing heavily, she stared into his dark blue eyes
that looked almost black tonight.
	"Let... go... of... me!" she gasped, her heart
in her throat. His eyes searched hers and then he did
let
go of her. She sunk back down onto her knees and was
relieved to see that the bottom half of him was
decently
covered.
	Her eyes traveled back to his face and they
stared at each other in silence. Finally, Endymion sat

down, his legs over the side of the cot, his back
turned
to her.
	"Princess," his voice was harsh as he spoke,
"your life is currently at stake. If you wish to leave
this
place alive and well, I suggest you let me do what I
think is best for you. We are sleeping together
because
it is safer that way; I know where you are during the
night and if trouble should arise, I can protect you
easily. I would not share a bed with you for any other

purpose, so you may be rest assured of that."
	Serenity stared at the wide expanse of his
back, deciding whether or not she should feel insulted

by that last comment.  Her attention drifted when she
continued to gaze at his back and realized that the
skin
was not completely unmarred. She could see that he
had suffered many wounds in the past. Reaching
forward, she touched the scar of the wound that had
brought her here.
	He stiffened and turned his head swiftly to
look at her but did not say anything.
	She didn't even notice his reaction as she
traced the mark. "It's almost healed," she whispered.
"Pretty soon, it'll be as though it had never
happened."
She looked at him, her hands still on the scar. "That
is the power of the Silver Crystal. It erases."
	He jerked away suddenly from her touch
and got up. "It can only erase the physical and
nothing else."
	"That's not true," she replied, frowning.
"It can also-"
	He interrupted her before she could go on
further. "Maybe you should go back to sleep,
Princess." He turned towards the entrance and
pushed the flap aside to see that it was nearly dawn.
The camp was already beginning to stir and he
could hear his soldiers call out to each other. Cold
air touched his skin and he shivered slightly before
letting the flap drop back into place. It was truly
unbelievable that only a few days ago, he would not
have had the chance to ever wake up to the dawn's
cold air. He owed his life... to her.
	He looked at Serenity who still sat on
her knees, watching him. Her golden hair pooled
around her and her eyes were big and wide in the
fading darkness. She looked the picture of
complete innocence and he had no doubt that she
was quite the innocent.
	She did not belong here, in such a harsh
and unpredictable place, he thought. Life on the
Moon, he supposed was always a constant thing.
At least in the Palace Court it was. She could not
fit in here.
	Besides, in the short time that he had
come to know her, he was beginning to feel
certain... emotions that were foreign to him. He
had passed it for feeling overprotective but every
time he looked at her, those feelings would twist
something within him. They made him feel very
uncomfortable and he did not like it at all.
	"When are you going home?" he asked
suddenly.
	She looked at him oddly before
answering. "I've already told you. When I am sure
you are perfectly healthy, my Senshi will escort
me back home."
	"Well, I'm perfectly fit as you can see.
The Silver Crystal has worked successfully and
things will go uphill from here."
	"But..." Serenity felt her stomach
churn in anxiety. He could not be meaning to send
her home already! She didn't want to leave just
yet, she loved him! And the fact that he wanted to
get rid of her just like that could not bode well.
She had hoped that maybe, if he got to know her,
that he could at least like her. And then once she
went home, he would visit her from time to time
and she would do the same. He was the one
person she would not mind being courted by!
	"But what?"
	She snapped her attention back to him,
desperately thinking of someway to convince him
to let her stay. But before she could say anything,
a strange, ear-piercing whistling sound filled the
air. Serenity looked at Endymion who had gone
pale and was now running towards her. He
reached her just as a loud explosion sounded.
	Endymion pushed her over the edge
of the cot onto the side where she had fallen
earlier and pulled her to him as the ground shook.
He turned her face to his chest as she clutched
onto him, her eyes squeezed shut.
	There was another whistling sound
which was followed by another explosion, this
one much closer. Serenity cried out in fear,
praying that this would not be the end for them.
She heard Endymion whisper something to her
as he stroked her hair.
	The campsite fell silent after the
second explosion and now came the sounds of
the soldiers yelling and running, gearing up for
fighting. Others screamed or moaned in pain and
one could only guess how bad their injuries were.
	Someone entered the tent and Endymion
saw that it was a young soldier, his face
completely leached of color making the freckles on
his face stand out even more. His eyes widened
when he saw Serenity but then he remembered
where he was.
	"Your Highness! Are you alright?" he
gasped.
	"We're fine," Endymion replied. "I'll
be out in just a moment."
	"You must hurry Your Highness,
General Kunzite and General Zoicite have been
hurt."
	Endymion nodded curtly and when the
youth left, he cursed thoroughly. He felt Serenity
tighten her hold on him and looked down at her
bent head. A wave of guilt washed over him
when he saw that she was trembling in his arms.
His Generals should have never brought her
here, he thought, cursing once more.
	"Serenity."
	She did not answer him. Instead, a sob
escaped from her and Endymion felt something
inside of him break as he watched her helplessly.
Finally, she lifted her head, and he saw the tear
stains that had made tracks on her cheeks, saw
the fear and uncertainty in her watery eyes and
did not think twice when he slowly lowered his
head to brush his lips across hers. Her eyes
widened and she gasped, her fingers digging into
his arm. He pulled back and looked at her,
misunderstanding the tears that began to fall all
over again. He kissed her again, slowly and
lingeringly before moving upwards to place
small kisses on her trembling eyelids in a
comforting gesture.
	"Serenity, I'm so sorry," he whispered.
"Everything will be alright soon enough. But I
have to leave you right now. I have to go check
on the others, Kunzite and Zoicite especially."
	She sniffed and nodded her head but
when he made a move to get up, she suddenly
grabbed onto him.
	"Will you be alright?" he asked.
	"Endymion... please come back. What
if Beryl-"
	He pressed another kiss to her lips
and got up quickly. He bent down to help her up
and then held her for a moment before letting her
go.
	"I'll have soldiers outside of this tent
and I will come back to you, I promise it," he
answered firmly.
	He walked around the cot and picked
up the pieces of his armor that lay in a corner of
the camp. He grimaced at the shape they were in.
Apparently no one had thought to clean them
after he had been hurt. He quickly pulled the
armor on and grabbed his sword. He turned
around to Serenity and looked her over once
more. She seemed to be able to take care of
herself. Beryl would not take her away from him.
	"I promise."

	Serenity stared at the place where
Endymion had stood before he had left the tent.
Her eyes were unfocused and unseeing; pools of
blue reflecting no emotions. Her life could end
so quickly, she realized. Here and now.
	Those explosions had been so close
she was surprised she hadn't lost her hearing.
And if they had been any closer, would she still
be sitting here, reflecting and feeling so empty at
the same time. Would Endymion be out there,
shouting commands and readying to fight?
	Endymion...
	The glaze look left her eyes as she
snapped to attention. Endymion was out there, and
he was probably still a bit weak. After all, it had
been only a day since she had healed him with the
Silver Crystal. He was in no shape to lift a sword
and face the enemy. She had to convince him of
that.
	The sound of moaning brought forth a
gasp from her. Kunzite and Zoicite! They had been
hurt and she had no idea as to how bad. They
could have received minor scratches or they could
have been seriously injured. And here she was, just
standing here like simpleton! She shook her head
and walked to the entrance of the tent and peeked
out. Endymion had told her to stay here for her own
safety and she could see why. The campsite seemed
to be in a state of chaos. There were just so many
soldiers running around, some carrying the wounded
between them. She hoped Endymion could bring
order to the place quickly, because they were in a
very vulnerable position right now.
	Her hand came up to touch her lips where
he had placed not one, not two, but three kisses. Her
eyes softened as she remembered but then at the
sound of another man's groan, her hand dropped to
her side. She could not heed Endymion's order. As
she had learned, Zoicite was the main doctor of this
campsite. With him down, someone else had to take
his place. And that someone would be her.
	She found her black cape, put it on, fixed
her hair and tied the strings quickly and firmly. The
men whom she had come to consider as friends had
been hurt and she would see that they and the others
would recover to full health. She whirled around,
drew up her hood and walked out.
	The soldiers ran past her, hardly sparing
her a glance as they were busy grabbing up swords
and other weapons. In the distance she could see
Endymion, directing his men and she gave a quick,
silent prayer for him. But now, where would she
find the two Generals?
	"Lady Healer..."
	Now that was a new one, she thought,
her lips quirking upwards. No one had put a title
before her name and she turned around to face the
soldier who had called her name.
	"His Highness, the Prince has said that
you must remain inside his tent. We are to guard
you and let no one enter, except for him or one of
the Generals."
	Serenity felt a rise of frustration. She
had forgotten the guards that Endymion had posted
to protect her.
	"General Kunzite and Zoicite may
need my help," she answered. "They have been
seriously hurt and I may be the only one that can
help them. Let me go and I will make sure you are
not punished for this. I will speak in your defense
if need be."
	"But-"
	The soldier's protestations died quickly
when the Healer moved past him.
	"Don't worry," she called out, before
disappearing in the midst of the soldiers.
	The young man looked after her, gulping
nervously. He had every reason to worry.

	Serenity easily found the tent where
Kunzite and Zoicite were being kept. She figured
that the two were most likely being kept in the
medic tent along with all the other wounded
soldiers and her assumptions proved to be
correct. She rushed over to the last few cots
where a group of men had already gathered.
	"Let me through! Let me through!" She
pushed through the doctors and gasped at the sight
that lay before her. Kunzite seemed all right at first

glance, having looked like he had only received a
deep gash in his thigh that was already being
stitched up. But he was coughing and it was blood
he was coughing up. It was a sign of internal injury.
And Zoicite! Her hand flew to her mouth to stifle
a cry. He seemed to be covered all over with
blood and as a result, she couldn't see the true
injury. His eyes were wide open and unseeing,
forever trapped in a world of pain. He was also
convulsing and a few men stood close by to hold
him down if he jerked too much.
	"Oh goddess..."
	"You have to help them! They're going
to die!" A soldier grabbed her arm and looked at
her with frantic eyes, his face red with panic. "You
have to do something!"
	"Yes," another soldier added, "you
miraculously healed our Prince, now heal them!"
	Serenity stared between the two
Generals in indecision. Who was worse?
	"Healer." It was Kunzite who had
whispered her name and she rushed over to him,
leaning over him. He looked up at her, his brilliant
silver eyes now dull with pain. "I'll live, I can feel

it. I'm not as bad as Zoicite over there. Heal him
first, hurry."
	He coughed and a soldier held up a
small bowl in which he could spit in. Serenity
turned away and looked down at Zoicite. "Clean
him up," she told the doctors. "Wipe off this blood
and stitch up any minor cuts. After you have found
the true injury, rub some Talen salve on it and
press the wound with Falen leaves. See if he'll
swallow some of that soup I made for the Prince.
If not, do not force him to have it. move him to
another tent afterwards."
	As the doctors rushed to do as she had
ordered, Serenity turned back to sit next to Kunzite.
	"Healer, we've deducted that one of his
ribs on the left side has broke in a compound
fracture. It has probably punctured his lung and
needs to be moved back in place immediately."
	Serenity nodded at the doctor and
smiled down at Kunzite. "It will be alright, General."
She took hold of his hand and held it between her
two small ones. She turned to find a soldier who
could help her and nearly gasped when she found
one standing directly behind her. She moved back
so she could see him properly and felt a twinge of
uneasiness when she saw the scowl of distrust on
his face. He wasn't young but had a well-built body
that looked honed to fighting. He was probably one
of the more seasoned soldiers.
	"Your name sir?"
	"Lieutenant Odin, second in command to
General Kunzite's sector of the army."
	Good, she thought. He was someone
important enough for the soldiers to listen to.
	"Lieutenant, I need you to move this table
back," she said, pointing to the small wooden table
at the foot of the bed. "I also need you to have these
soldiers stand further back because they are too
close for what I have to do next."
	"What do you have to do?" he asked
suspiciously.
	What did he think she was going to do?
She bit back a retort and instead answered quietly,
"I will have to heal General Kunzite."
	"Then why do you need things moved?
What exactly will you be doing?"
	She frowned at the man. He was asking
too many questions and wasting necessary time.
Plus the fact that his tone and demeanor were
condescending did not sit well with her.
	"I will do what I have to do, now
please hurry."
	If possible, Odin's scowl became even
blacker and she turned away from him to Kunzite,
pointedly ignoring him.
	The Lieutenant grumbled something to
the other soldiers and they hurried to do his
bidding. The lot of them finally stood in a wide
semi-circle around Serenity and Kunzite.
	The Healer looked at Kunzite whose
eyes were closed.
	"You'll be better soon, Kunzite," she
whispered. "I wish I could prepare you for what
will come next but I am not exactly sure what it
will feel like."
	The General opened his eyes and
gazed at her. "I trust you."
	Serenity smiled in response, feeling
the sting of tears. Then, closing her eyes, she
placed her hand on the bandage that was wrapped
around his torso and allowed the Crystal to take
over. She moved her hand over the bandage,
pressing lightly to feel and understand the fracture
of the bone. Finally her hand stilled and as the
amazed soldiers looked on, a small light formed
under the Healer's hand.
	It started out as a small glow and
became brighter with every passing moment.
Some would later swear that it was the sun's
own golden light that the Healer emitted from
her hand. Others would say it was the white
light of an angel. But whatever kind of light it
was, it caused many of the soldiers to squint
and the rest to look away.
	There was one man, however who did
not squint nor did he look away. Instead he
watched the whole procedure with an intensity
that was unnerving and almost frightening... had
anyone noticed him.
	Finally the light subsided until it
disappeared completely. Serenity removed her hand
from Kunzite's body and took a deep breath. She
could feel the beads of sweat trail down from her
hair to behind her ears and then down her neck. She
wiped a hand across her forehead and continued to
breathe deeply.
	That had taken a lot more than she had
thought. Serenity realized it was due to the steady
and intense concentration needed to move the rib
back into place without causing further injury. But
now Kunzite was healed and would be able to
stand beside Endymion once again.
	She got up and turned to the soldiers
who had yet to close their mouths. It was more
than disconcerting to have them stare at her this
way. It made her feel uncomfortable and she was
grateful for the fact that her true identity was
unknown to them.
	"Where is General Zoicite?" she
asked, hoping to distract their attention away from
her. One of the soldiers came forward and
informed her that they had placed him in a tent
behind the medic tent.
	She rushed out and went to where the
man had directed her. She ran over to Zoicite's
cot and waited for the two doctors to give her any
sort of information about his condition. His
convulsing had lessened to a trembling but that
only caused her further worry, not knowing what
was happening to him.
	"Well?" she asked, doing her best to
maintain her composure. But oh, how badly she
wanted to cry for her friend.
	"It appears he has a severe head injury.
He was able to take down the soup and we have
taken care of all the minor wounds." The doctor
averted his eyes before continuing. "For a case
like this, we can do nothing except make the
patient's last moments comfortable. You might be
able to save General Zoicite."
	Serenity nodded. She would save as
many of the soldiers as she could. If they had a
chance at life because of her then she would do
everything she could to make sure they would live
to see another day... even if it meant risking her
own life.
	She sat down on the cot and placed her
hands over the bandage and prayed that Lieutenant
Odin wouldn't come in and interrupt her. She didn't
need his infernal questions about what she was
going to do.
	Before beginning she turned to other
men in the tent. "Stand as far back as you can," she
ordered, "you do not want to get close to the
General and I." Then she turned back to Zoicite and
leaned down towards his face.
	"Zoicite, dear friend," she whispered,
"please stay with me."
	The light emitted forth from her hands
and as with Endymion, Kunzite, and all that she
had healed, she could feel the energy of the Crystal
rising, moving faster, warming her body and taking
over her senses. She drifted, separating herself
from the healing power, letting it take away her
own body's energy.
	She never heard, nor did she notice the
commotion as someone entered the tent, pushing
through the group of soldiers. Only when the light
of the Silver Crystal dimmed and faded did she
realize someone was shouting. She wasn't sure if
it was at her and even if it was it sounded as
though it were from a great distance.
	She ignored the voice and grabbed
Zoicite's hand, looking into his face. Her joy was
insurmountable when he turned his head towards
hers and squeezed her hand. He blinked his eyes
open and when he saw her face, smiled slightly,
before closing his eyes again.
	Finally she turned around, wondering
what was going on behind her. The Healer
inhaled sharply when she saw who it was.
	"You're not supposed to be here!"

*^*End*^*
Aaah, I love cliffhangers, even if they are only
minor ones that leave you hanging off a teeny
weeny bridge. Hope you enjoyed!