Clouds clouds go away,
Come again another day...
I *need* the sun! For heaven's sake
where did it go???
@_@
(Patch in another of her odd moments)
Enjoy reading!

Healer
Chapter 9
Author: Patch
Editor: Rei Kinneas aka *Kaitou Comma* ^^;
E-mail: patchkhan1@hotmail.com
	kittiekat90@yahoo.com

Insert standard disclaimer here.


	His black cape whirled around his legs as the
soldiers ran past him, not wanting to face his wrath.
His hand was at hilt of his sword and he looked as
though he might pull it out and use the lethal weapon.

	Lieutenant Odin stepped forward
threateningly, his scowl now ferocious and dangerous.
"I received word that you were to remain inside the
Prince's tent, not to come out unless Prince Endymion
willed it. You have disobeyed his orders, and by
coercing a soldier who will now be given his due
punishment, you came here where your aid was
unnecessary. What do you have to say for yourself?"
	Serenity did not have to answer to the man.
He rode high on his authority and was now talking to
her as though she were a child. Well, she wasn't! He
had no right to speak to her this way. If only he knew

who she really was, he would quiet down very
quickly or risk being given *his* due punishment.
	"I do not have to say anything," she replied
getting up. Her legs wobbled a bit, but she regained
her balance and stood straight, facing this man who
was fast becoming her adversary.
	"What did you say?"
	"I do not owe you any explanation of any
sorts. I answer only to the Prince and no one else
can question my actions."
	"That is what you-"
	"What is going on here?" Prince
Endymion stood at the entrance of the tent, his arms
crossed. Behind him stood Kunzite, looking
amazingly well. When no one answered, he walked
forward until he stood between the Healer and the
Lieutenant. "Do not make me repeat myself."
	The Healer refused to say anything so
Odin spoke, his eyes accusing. "Your Highness, the
Healer left your tent willingly, coerced one of the
men into not saying anything and came here causing
more confusion with her presence. The soldiers
have dropped their duties in favor of watching her
light show."
	Serenity felt herself shaking with anger.
The impudence of this man! She took a step and
opened her mouth but Endymion stopped her with
a warning glance.
	"Thank you Lieutenant for your answer
but I must disagree with you. The Healer has
helped General Kunzite and General Zoicite and
her presence, although distracting, was quite
advantageous. You may resume your duties. The
attack was a false alarm, however damaging it
was and I would like you to step up security at
all posts."
	Odin had no choice but to obey and he
bowed quickly before leaving the tent, all of the
remaining soldiers following him.
	When only the four of them were left,
Serenity exhaled slowly.
	"Thank you, Endymion."
	He raised his eyebrow at her. "For what?
Odin, that hothead, was right. You did disobey my
orders." He strode over to the cot to help Zoicite
who was attempting to sit up.
	"For good reason!" she insisted, coming
to aid Zoicite also. "The doctors themselves said
that nothing could be done!"
	"I have to check on the other soldiers,"
Zoicite interrupted, standing up. "I thank you,
Princess for saving my life. I think I was off in a
bad way," he said lightly.
	"And I too. You didn't have to heal us but
you did and I am grateful to you."
	Serenity looked at the two Generals and
smiled warmly. "How could I not help you? I am
grateful to all of you for..." she stopped, catching
herself before she could say anymore. Idiot, she
scolded herself. In the next moment she would have
thanked them for bringing her here to heal Endymion.
That would have been the end for her!
	The three men looked at her expectantly,
waiting for her to finish her sentence. But she didn't

and changed the subject instead.
	"Zoicite, we must hurry to help the others
who are injured. Some may have been hurt as
seriously as you had been."
	"Right, let's go then."
	Endymion made a move to protest but
saw the challenging stance of Serenity. "We will
talk about this later, Princess. As soon as you have
done your work here, come back to the tent."
	They all left the tent together, Endymion
and Kunzite going in the opposite direction of the
medic tent. For the remainder of the day then
Serenity stayed with Zoicite, caring for the others.
She had to use the restorative powers of the Crystal
two more times because she refused to let anyone
die if there was a possibility that the person could
live.
	But there were cases when she could not
use the Crystal because it was too late. And at those
times, Serenity sat with the soldier, rubbing his face

and chest with a special salve that calmed a dying
patient and made their passing slightly easier. She
would force back her tears because crying would not
help anyone and instead, soothe the patient with
quiet words that she hoped were helping.
 	By the time the Sun had finally set,
Serenity was exhausted. She had used the crystal
four times today and it was more than her body could
handle. She wavered when she stood from a soldier's
cot and Zoicite finally noticed it.
	He saw the shaking in her legs she tried to
hide. And when she put a lid back on a bottle of
medicine, he pretended not to see how it nearly
slipped out of her hands. Before she could walk to
another soldier's cot, he stopped her.
	"Princess, you have to stop." He saw her
begin to protest but held up a hand. "You have
done more than any of us and Endymion will have
my head if you don't go back now."
	After a moment, Serenity smiled wanly.
"Thank you Zoicite."
	"No need to thank me, we have been more
than grateful to have you around. I'll have a
soldier escort you back."
	Serenity walked outside, the soldier
following respectfully a few steps behind. She
stopped and stared up at the Moon that was partly
covered by clouds. She closed her eyes and let its
light heal her own tired body. She wondered how her
Mother was. She missed her and everyone else very
much. A deep sense of longing filled her soul and at
that moment she would have given anything just to
feel her mother's arms around her in a warm and
comforting embrace.
	Serenity swallowed and lifted a hand to
wipe away the tears that rimmed her eyes. You
would have been proud of me today, Mother, she
thought.
	As though her mother had heard her,
Serenity suddenly caught a whiff of the pleasant
smelling oil the Queen used daily. She smiled and
continued walking.
	Entering the tent, she found Endymion
already there, eating dinner. He looked up when he
saw her and stood up, his gaze looking her over.
	"You're ready to drop," he stated almost
harshly, coming towards her. She let him lead her to
his cot where she sat heavily. He sat next to her,
pushed off her hood and then began untying the strings

of her cape. She brought her hands up to stop his but
he swatted them away and she had no choice but to
sit there and let him do it.
	He took off the black garment and threw it
onto her cot and then picked up a plate from
somewhere.
	"You have to eat," he said, holding the
plate to her.
	"No," she replied and then fell backwards,
her head hitting the pillow. She closed her eyes and
sighed.
	Endymion looked at her in astonishment
before realizing she had fallen asleep. He placed
the plate of food on the other cot before shaking
Serenity by her shoulders.
	"Wake up, Princess. I'm not going to be
responsible for the heir of the Moon Kingdom
becoming sick. I will not have it. Wake up and eat!"
	Serenity moaned and turned around,
bringing her legs up onto the cot. Endymion looked
at her again before turning her onto her back. He
put an arm under her shoulders and lifted her up to
a sitting position. Her head fell back, exposing her
throat and pale neck and he gritted his teeth,
resisting the urge to kiss the pulse he could see
beating at the hollow of her throat. He took his other

hand and cupped her head, bringing it up.
	She moaned again and this time she
opened her eyes and shot him a harassed look.
"Leave me be," she said.
	"No, you will eat first," he insisted.
	"Why don't you feed me? I fed you,"
came the tart reply.
	Endymion's mouth dropped open. That
did not sound like the Princess he knew. Either
way though, he had to get some sort of nourishment
down her throat otherwise she would become
sick. She was already weak! He would talk to her
about her over usage of the Crystal tomorrow.
	But how to get her to eat? He looked
around the tent, hoping to spot something that
would help him. His gaze fell upon the small table
off to one side that held all her things. There were
quite a few bottles and he was almost positive
that one of them contained something that had a
pungent smell to it.
	He laid her back down, went over to
the table and began opening each bottle and
sniffing it. Finally he came to a small, black
bottle that had him almost dropping the thing
when he opened it. Whatever it was, it would
certainly have the effect he needed.
	Endymion went back to Serenity and
opened the bottle under her nose. He moved
back and grinned when her eyes shot open and
she got up suddenly. She looked around wildly
before noticing the grinning Prince. Seeing the
black bottle in his hand, her eyes narrowed.
	"You do not have permission to open
my things."
	"And why not? I am the Prince after all."
	"And I am a Princess, please put that
bottle back."
	He did and walked back to the cot,
picking up her plate of food. He placed it in her
lap and pointed to it.
	"Eat."
	She sighed and began eating, shooting
him looks every now and then. He finished his
own dinner and then waited in silence until she had
finished every last bit of her food. He took her
plate and handed both dishes to someone standing
outside. When he turned around he saw that she had
already lain back down and had her back facing
him.
	"Don't you want to change?" he asked.
	"Not while you're in here," she called
out, still turned away from him.
	He grinned wickedly and, balancing
himself on his fists, he leaned over her, so that
his lips were right next to her ear. "Are you afraid
I'll see something that I already haven't?"
	He thanked all his years of training
when, in the next moment he found himself
holding the wrist of a hand that would have slapped
him hard had he been less alert.
	"Just what do you mean by that comment?"
she hissed, trying to pull away her hand from his
grip.
	"I meant nothing," he said, letting go. "I
am in a lighthearted mood, is there anything wrong
with that?"
	She held her wrist to her chest and
glared at him before looking away. "I do not see
how you can be in such a mood when today lives
of your men were lost. Would you behave the same
way had Kunzite or Zoicite died? I believe you to
be selfish, acting like this."
	Endymion's face hardened and he
grabbed Serenity's chin, forcing her to look at him.
"I am sorry Princess, if my mood disillusions you
to what sort of man I am. Let me tell you this,
though. In war, lives are lost, daily. It is a lesson
you learn very quickly. One survives by looking
forward, never looking back and never dwelling in
tragedy. To do so would lead to downfall. So
forgive me, if I do not grieve openly like you would
wish. My pain is not for the world's eyes to see."
	Her anger fell away then and emotions
flashed across her eyes, emotions that disconcerted
him. He let go of her and walked away, leaving the
tent.
	Serenity stared after him, wanting so
badly to call him back and apologize. She felt
guilt wash over her and the ache in her heart grew
as she wondered if he would ever let her in. When
he had spoken, she had gotten a glimpse of that
pain he allowed no one to see. She had seen it
tighten his features and fill his eyes with anguish.
It was something that she had not expected and
now she felt regret for even having said anything
in the first place.
	Well, it was too late now. Feeling the
clutches of sleep overcome her, she changed and
lay down on her own cot. She was certain he did
not want to share his with her ever again.

	The next morning, Serenity woke up
and gasped when she realized she was in
Endymion's cot. But he was nowhere to be
found and from what she could see from the
entrance, she had slept well into the morning.
Quickly getting up, she stretched, feeling
refreshed and much better than yesterday.
	Having changed and eaten the
breakfast left for her, she left the tent and
stepped into the warm sunshine she could
already feel through the cape.
	"Healer, I have been given orders..."
	Not again! She turned around and
waited for the soldier to finish his little speech.
When he had stopped talking, she whirled
around and began walking again. She smiled to
herself, picturing the man's reaction.
	"Healer!"
	"You may tell the Prince that I
haven't gone far and I will return to the tent
shortly."
	With that said, Serenity walked to the
medic tent and upon entering it, looked for
Zoicite. Not finding him, she stopped by each
soldier's cot, checking their health and progress.
She helped in any which way she could, at times
directing the doctors in what needed to be done
to help the patient.
	A few hours later found her putting
together the ingredients for a type of liquid that
would be pored over infectious wounds. So
intent in her work was Serenity, that she didn't
hear the footsteps coming her way. A hand on
her shoulder caused her to jump slightly and she
turned around to face Endymion, a cross look
on his face.
	"To my tent, now," he ordered.
	"But I haven't-"
	"Now."
	She slowly put down the bowl she
had been holding and followed Endymion out.
She saw the sneering face of Odin and chose to
ignore him. Once inside the tent, the two faced
each other, not saying anything.
	He was the first to break the silence.
"You disobeyed my orders again."
	"I had to."
	"I am only looking after your safety
and you throw whatever it is I am doing back
into my face!"
	"And why not? I cannot stay here all
day waiting for you! I am Healer, a person who
helps people. Your soldiers need help and I am
the person they need."
	"Have you forgotten Zoicite and the
other doctors? They are not inexperienced and
know what their duties are. We would have
been fine without you."
	That was a blow and she recoiled only
for an instant before coming back. "That is not
true! You would have died without me! Kunzite
and Zoicite would have died without me! You
cannot deny that!"
	"Fine, I will admit to that. But you
cannot run around this camp as though you are free
to go anywhere you please. Twice already you
have left this tent without letting the soldiers who
guard you know where you are going. They have
been given orders to protect you and you cannot
just push them away. Your life is in danger,
Serenity. Can't you see that? Any harm that comes
to you and I..." He trailed off before continuing.
"You are my responsibility and I cannot have you
hurt in any way. The Queen, your mother, would
have me beheaded with a snap of her fingers."
	"My mother would do no such thing!"
Serenity protested.
	"Whatever she may do, I just cannot
risk it." He began to pace in front of her. "As
you can see I am perfectly fine now and in good
health. I thank you for your part in that and am
eternally grateful to you. However, Earth is not
a place for a Moon maiden," he emphasized the
two words, "such as yourself. As soon as I can
I will send for a transporter to take you back
home. I have enough to worry about what with
this rebel situation. I do not have time to worry
about a helpless female."
	Serenity gasped in outrage and
walked a few paces to stand directly in front of
Endymion. "Helpless? I do believe your
statement is grossly unfair. As far as I can see
you are not the least bit grateful that I saved
your *helpless* life and the lives of your
*helpless* Generals. Without me, your situation
would be more dire than it already is... you
would be as dead as a plagued rat," she finished.
	"You go too far!" Endymion replied,
his dark blue eyes turning even darker with his
anger. How dare she call him helpless? And her
arrogance! That she had the audacity to speak in
such a manner made him furious beyond
comprehension. His pride had been more than
just stepped on with the way she had thrown
what she said into his face. He intended to
disprove her; show her just how wrong she was
in her declaration that he was *helpless*.
	Gritting his teeth to keep from
snapping at her, he grabbed her upper arms and
brought her flush against him... and nearly
cursed out loud his stupid move for bringing
her so close. His eyes turning almost black, his
mood becoming volatile, he struggled to
maintain some sort of modicum, some sort
of-
	"Let me go, you brute!"
	He nearly growled at that. He was
tired of this! He now understood where his father
had gotten all his gray hairs from. Women!
Holding her even closer, despite the loud warning
bells clanging in his mind, he dipped his head and
stopped so that his lips were mere inches away
from hers. "Helpless, am I? You don't know how
far off the mark you are, Serenity."
	And before she could bite back a
retort, his lips had closed upon hers with an
intensity that had the both of them tumbling into
an abyss of total feeling and awareness. His head
moved sideways over hers as his hands let go of
her arms so that one could come up to cup her
neck and the other at her lower back to hold her
against him. Little bolts of lightening traveled
through the both of them and unconsciously, the
two pulled closer to each other, forgetting
for just a moment, the world outside.
	At the same time the pleasure coursed
through their bodies, the both of them felt fear
and confusion. In fact the two emotions
overwhelmed them because they now knew that
there would be consequences to their actions.
	But the kiss was becoming as
addicting as a drug. It was invoking feelings
neither had felt before and they couldn't stop
those feelings, at least not yet. There was a
certain degree of warmth and a certain degree of
excitement involved. Their kiss was unlike any
other kiss the two had ever given or received. It
was new, it was wonderful, and it was simply...
just right.
	However, what goes up, must come
down and the loud laughter of a soldier yanked
Endymion down from the high he was on. He
crashed down to present day and with a supreme
effort, lifted his hands away from the Princess'
body. He was about to break the kiss also when
he felt her hands come up to his chest and then
shove him away, hard. He stumbled backwards
and catching himself, looked at her in disbelief.
	"You... you..." he sputtered.
	"You *brute*!"
	The words caused him to flash a
quick grin. "It seems that you have a liking for
that word."
	She took a step forward, fury
reddening her face and then suddenly she stopped,
standing in one place and looking almost... deflated.
Confusion filled her bright eyes and she looked at
him with an expression of sadness.
	"Why did you do that?" she asked quietly.
	Endymion blinked at the sudden change.
He had fully been expecting a slap or two from the
young woman whom he had stolen a kiss from.
"What did you just say?"
	She took a deep breath and spoke once
more in a hushed voice.
	"Why did you kiss me?"
	"Why? Why?" He laughed, a noise that
sounded hollow to him and mocking to Serenity.
"Why? Because..." he faltered a bit before continuing.

Well, why not? No girl had ever asked such a
question! Quickly, he searched his mind for an
answer. "Well, now I'm not as helpless as you think,
am I?"
	"You kissed me... to teach me a lesson?
A lesson on male virility?"
	It was nothing like that, his mind
protested loudly. It was everything but! However
what came out of his mouth certainly did not
reflect his inner thoughts. "If that's how you would
like to see it."
	She took a deep breath and then
slowly and deliberately wiped the back of her hand
across her mouth. "That's what I thought of your
lesson." He stiffened at the obvious insult but said
nothing.
	She gazed at him steadily for a moment
before averting her eyes and turning away from him.
Crossing her arms at her waist, she broke the thick
silence that now hung between them. "You know, I
had thought you better than this. I believed that you
had a heart and I actually thought I lo-" She stopped
abruptly, her eyes going wide. She frantically
shook her head and looked at him one last time
before running from the tent, pulling up her hood as
she left.
	Endymion stood shocked for one moment
before running after her. He stopped just outside,
looking left and right. Serenity was nowhere in sight
and he realized that it wouldn't be too good of an
idea to chase after her at the moment.
	Sighing and shaking his head, he turned
around and slowly walked back into the tent. He
stopped abruptly when he realized he was not alone.
Friend or enemy, he could not tell. His hand went to
the pommel of his sword and he went tense when a
voice spoke.
	"Hello, Endymion. It is so good to finally
see you."

	Serenity ran as fast as she could, praying
to whoever was listening that he was not following
her. She knew the soldiers were surprised. But she
didn't care, she wanted to run and she did not
care one bit what they thought. She was too hurt.
	Finally stopping at the outer perimeters
of the camp, Serenity slowed to a walk, knowing
that if she did not stay within the sights of the
guards,
she would be in danger. Her eyes scanned the land
as far as possible. It looked so still and so quiet,
as
though not a soul existed out there. But looks were
deceiving as Endymion had told her. There were
rebels out there, hiding in camaflouge, just
watching and waiting.
	Sitting down on the sparse grass, she
drew up her knees to her chest and stared out. How
cursed she was! She was so confused and feeling
so lonely. Could life get any worse? The wind
blew and she realized it was stronger out here in
the open. She struggled a bit to keep herself
covered with the cape and then stilled her
movements.
	Cursed black cape, Serenity thought
wretchedly. Had she been wrong to take Naru's
hand all those years ago? Would she have
preferred her life as a true Princess than to this?
Would she have been happier? She lifted her arm
and stared at the thick material. No, she would
not have been happy. Her life as Healer was
something special and healing had occupied a
special place in her heart. It almost gave her a
certain degree of freedom. She was allowed to
express herself in other ways, ways that would
have surely been seen as odd at Court.
	But then again, would she have
experienced the pain she was feeling now? If she
had lived up to her title would she ever have felt
this ache that seemed to have occupied a more
permanent place in her heart than healing? Would
she have met a man like Endymion, so frustrating,
so vexing yet so easy to love despite everything?
	She squeezed her eyes shut to stop the
tears and dropped her head to her knees. Maybe...
maybe what she felt for Endymion was not love.
After all, when you loved someone, wasn't that
love returned? If she loved Endymion, than did
he not love her back?
	"Well, now I'm not as helpless as you
think, am I?"
	His words came back to her and the
tears she had held back now fell, framing her face.
He did not love her; that much was obvious.
Maybe he did not even like her; that had been
made clear several times also. He did not want
her here, he probably thought she was a bother
and burden. A helpless female, he had said.
	But his kisses...
	If Serenity even thought of them, she
could feel the tingling she had felt when his lips
had been on top of hers. The first ones had been
so sweet, so kind. They were no where near
platonic; they were everything but. And the
kisses that had come just a few moments before.
She didn't care whether or not they had been
about his... virility. There had been desire
behind them, she knew it. Passion did not ignite
behind ordinary kisses. She had learned that
much from Minako.
	But this was all coming from her
side. She could only hope that Endymion had
felt the same way, despite the hurtful words
that had come from his mouth.

	"Beryl."
	"It has been long, hasn't it?"
	"Not long enough."
	The Queen of darkness hissed, her
features tightening in anger. She sat up from the
reclining position she had been in on Endymion's
cot. She opened her mouth to say something but
then stopped and smiled instead. It wasn't a
pleasant smile at all. It was malicious and
Endymion waited tensely for her next move.
	He didn't have to think too long on
how the witch had entered his tent. She was
well-versed in the black arts and he knew none
of his soldiers were to blame for her trespassing.
She had probably manipulated their minds in
some manner. He watched her as she turned her
head away from him to look at her nails,
showing him her profile.
	"I have heard that you share a bed
with the Healer." She turned then, to look at him,
her eyes glinting and her smile wicked. "Does
she pleasure you well, Endymion?"
	The Prince snarled before leaping
towards the cot. In a flash, Beryl had leapt up
and thrown a metallic ball to the ground. In
the blink of an eye Endymion found himself on
his back, Beryl over him, straddling him, her
hands gripping his wrists.
	He growled, lurching upwards,
trying to throw her off but it was to no avail.
Beryl only smiled and he could have sworn he
could see tiny fangs. His assumptions proven,
he accepted fully the knowledge he had
suspected all along. Beryl was not human. She
would not be killed as easily as a human
would. She had to be killed like an immortal
would be killed. How, he did not know. He
struggled harder and then stilled, remembering
something.
	Above him, Beryl continued to
smile. "Now that is much better, my love. You
are already learning, aren't you? It would
not be to your benefit to displease me,
Endymion. I could so much and you wouldn't be
able to stop me." Suddenly her eyes widened
when she felt something grab hold of her waist.
She was pulled off of Endymion and found
herself suspended in air.
	Looking down, she screeched when
she realized the Prince had used his powers of
the Earth to trap her with an overgrown root.
Endymion got off the cot and walked up to her,
his sword unsheathed. He placed the tip at her
neck, pressing slightly so that a small spot of
blood appeared.
	"For all the lives lost, you deserve
to die painfully and slowly. I will show you
no mercy."
	"Do not speak until you are ready,
my Prince." The roots suddenly fell away,
withered and dead. Endymion looked at them
and then back at Beryl who held up her hands
to show to him. "The Moon child will die
before I! It will be her lifeless body that will
go home with her Senshi."
	She laughed and laughed as
Endymion turned pale. His sword fell to the
ground and he ran out of the tent, the witch's
laughter still in his ears.
	She knew the Healer's identity.

*^*End*^*
Can our cutey wooty Endymion save Serenity in
time? Muhahahaha. That's for me to know and
for you all to find out!
Thanks for reading!
Patch:-)(-:

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