Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ Pearls of Experience ❯ Comatose Dreams ( Chapter 9 )

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Pearls of Experience

Chapter Nine - Comatose Dreams

To say that Knives was shocked would have been an understatement. Ami was delirious when he picked her up gently from the porch and placed her on the couch in the living room. She had told him that he was a beautiful butterfly before she passed out completely. The way that she had said that and the soft smile on her face when she fell asleep made something within the tall Plant awaken. He couldn't explain the feeling and that disturbed him even more.

'"You're a beautiful butterfly," she whispered softly before going unconscious completely.'

He also could not get her voice out of his mind. It has been almost a week since the doctor became unconscious and her words still flowed within him. During that time, he had brought her to her room with Vash and Wolfwood helping him. The little pink spore, Chibiusa, would not leave him alone and nearly accused Knives of hurting her adoptive mother. But since she had the grace of good manners, the girl did not say anything to him. Unfortunately, Vash's woman, Meryl, had blamed him outright for her friend's condition and stated that she would keep an eye on him from now on.

Knives had scoffed at the small woman's empty threat. He knew that she was not able to do anything to him despite the fact that he still had his right arm in a cast. He knew that he should feel satisfied that the blue haired wench was unconscious, but he didn't. In fact, he did not know how he really felt about the whole situation. At night, when he slept, the Plant would dream of the doctor in her Lady Mercury form. Why he did, he had no idea. Not knowing anything about the situation really got on the blonde's nerves.

It was now the sixth day of Ami's coma and she still showed no signs of waking up. Chibiusa was getting very worried about the former senshi and was with her everyday from sunup to sundown. She would keep a close eye on the blue haired doctor and never left the woman's side ever since she found her 'sleeping' in the living room. The pink haired princess was suspicious for a little while of the tall man with the light blonde hair and thought that he had something to do with her new mother's infirmity.

The young princess realized that Knives had nothing to do with the situation and left the man alone. He even seemed interested in Ami's welfare in Chibiusa's opinion. Vash seemed to know that something was up with the doctor as well but he was being quiet about it and that was not in the usual character for the gunman. On another point, the pink haired girl saw that the priest, Wolfwood, was very worried about her adoptive mother in a way that only a brother could be worried.

'Ami-chan made some surprising friends,' Chibiusa thought to herself as she glanced out the window to see the sky darkening. It was yet another day that Ami had been in the coma and the girl was getting quite worried. Even Lita, the young woman that the princess knew to be Lady Jupiter's reincarnation, was worried. She would come into the doctor's house every day to help Millie cook the meals for the house. During her young ruminations, the young princess heard some shuffling of feet outside Ami's bedroom door. She somehow knew who it was.

"Mr. Knives, you can come in," Chibiusa chimed out to the door. She had taken to calling some of the residents of the house the way that her new friend, Millie, would call them.

The door creaked open slowly to reveal the tall form of Knives. In his icy, cerulean eyes, confusion seemed to swim in their depths for a moment before the façade of hatred fell upon his face. "Has the woman decided to wake up yet, spore?" he asked rather nastily.

Chibiusa rolled her crimson eyes at the man and gazed back at her adoptive mother. "Ami-chan is still sleeping," she answered softly, sadness staining her young voice. "I don't know what to do, Mr. Knives. If I had my mother's crystal, I am sure that I would be able to wake her up." (AN: No, she doesn't know that Ami has the Ginzuishou yet.)

Knives turned a curious glance at the small girl as if she was a little insane. 'How would a crystal help the wench?' he thought to himself as he slowly made his way to the bed. During the past week, the tall Plant and the pink haired princess had come to an understanding with one another. If they talk as little as possible, then they both won't get into any vocal arguments. Unfortunately, it seemed that the understanding was going to go out the window right now.

"I do not know how a crystal could help the doctor, spore," he retorted as he took a seat opposite Chibiusa. He observed the slow and rhythmic movements of Ami's chest going up and down as she breathed. "But I seriously doubt that you have any power that could help. And I don't think that she is going to make it…it looks like she will either die or become a mental vegetable."

At this taunt, the little princess stood up from her chair. She calmly walked over to the Plant and stared at him square in the eyes as he glared at her. Her crimson eyes were as cold as ice as she returned the man's glare. She slowly raised her hand behind her back and slapped Knives with the full force of her young body.

"Don't you EVER talk about Ami-chan in that way again!" Chibiusa nearly shouted, her eyes glimmering with unshed tears. "She is the last living member from my home that did not die! (AN: She was not counting on Lita on this part…) She has saved my life and the lives of others in the past and you think that she is going to die over something like this? Ami-chan was exhausted in some way that I don't know of and her body is probably just trying to heal itself. The only thing I can think of right now that could explain her condition is that she used her abilities!"

The young princess' words had a deep effect on Knives' spirit as his eyes narrowed at the girl. She did not know that Ami had transformed into Lady Mercury in front of him and he somehow knew that the blue haired woman used her abilities again on that Lowery girl. He was not about to tell the spore of what he knew…his pride was in the way and he really wanted to punish the girl for having the audacity of slapping a superior being such as himself. Somehow, he stopped himself from strangling the annoying little girl.

"Whatever, spore," he replied in a bored tone but Chibiusa knew something was off. By now, she knew that the Plant would have normally threatened her life and might have tried to do something. But for some unknown reason, he did not. "Now leave me…it is my turn to watch Ami tonight."

Chibiusa sneaked a quick look at the man and raised an eyebrow at what she saw and heard. He was staring at the unconscious Ami with some unreadable expression on his face and he had never referred to her friend by her given name before as well. Not only that, he had seem to be so eager to watch over the former senshi before despite the other nights that he had. She began thinking quickly and came to a realization…Knives had feelings for Ami-chan but refused to show them. (AN: I like to think that Chibiusa is a lot smarter than what other people may believe.)

"Well…okay," the pink haired girl replied as she strolled over to the bedroom door. "I'll bring up some dinner for you later, Mr. Knives." At that, she left the room, leaving Knives alone with the comatose senshi and his thoughts.

Knives glared at the retreating form of Chibiusa as she closed the door. He sighed heavily as his eyes wandered back over to the silent figure of Ami. His emotions were warring within his mind about the woman lying in the bed. Part of him still wanted to kill her for daring to touch him and the other part…that part was beginning to win. That part was fascinated with the woman who was not human. That part was becoming thrilled whenever the doctor would touch him while treating his wounds. This repulsed the blonde Plant but not as much as he thought that he would.

He watched the slow and even breathing of the woman and wondered if Ami was going to ever wake up. The Plant began thinking and he thought that he could possibly use his mental abilities and see if he could wake her up. This had occurred to him the previous night and that was what made him decide to watch the blue haired doctor this evening. The decision having been made, Knives stood up from the chair and walked over to the door, locking it. He did not want anyone to come in and disturb what he was about to do and see him doing something that he would have deemed weak.

The blonde Plant walked over to the bed and sat down next to Ami. His back stiffened as he realized that he had been thinking of the woman using her given name and not as wench or any other derogatory remark. Shaking his head, he made sure that his robe was on tight as he hesitantly placed a hand on Ami's forehead. As he did so, he felt jolts of electricity seemingly flow between him and the comatose female before his eyes rolled back and he collapsed on top of the woman.

Knives opened his eyes to see that he was in a field full of flowers. There were trees everywhere and a tall, crystal-like structure in the distance as well. He then noticed lovely butterflies flying to and fro between the various varieties of flowers that were blooming. He realized that this was the same place that he saw in the dream he had before. The major difference now was that there were no shadowed forms in the field. What he did see he did not expect.

He saw a young girl that appeared to be no older than fourteen years of age and dressed in a school uniform. She was sitting down with a look of sadness on her youthful face. Her hair was golden blonde and pulled into a hairstyle that was similar to the pink haired spore that lived in the doctor's house. He warily walked over to the girl and tried not to make a sound that would make the girl go away.

"I've been expecting you, Knives Millions," the girl replied in a tone that was pure and innocent…yet sadness was evident in her voice. She raised her head and the Plant saw cornflower blue eyes that had the same look that his twin would carry. Was it possible…

"No, your twin brother, Vash the Stampede, is not my reincarnation," the girl answered Knives' unspoken thought as she stood up gracefully. As she did that, the girl's garments changed to that of a white flowing gown with golden trim on the top of the bodice and translucent wings on the back. They reminded the blonde man of the wings of a butterfly. He then noticed that she also had a heart-shaped crown resting on her golden locks.

"How did you know my name?" Knives asked, his usual demeanor gone for the moment. "And how did you know what I was thinking? Who ARE you?"

The woman chuckled slightly as gave him a sad gaze. "I am the memory of Neo-Queen Serenity that is locked away in the Ginzuishou, which is otherwise known as the Silver Crystal," she answered regally as she approached the very tall Plant. "Ami-chan is correct…you can be inquisitive and demanding."

This startled Knives for a moment before scowling at the tiny Queen. "That woman has been discussing me with you?" he asked in a low and dangerous tone.

The Queen nodded and giggled in a child-like way. "But of course she has," she piped up. "She didn't have anyone else to talk to while in the coma."

"She…she knows that she is in that state?" the Plant asked incredulously.

The golden haired queen smiled and nodded as she began walking away. "Come, I shall bring you to our friend," she replied, smiling. "She will not admit it, but she has missed you."

Knives rolled his eyes and glowered at the Queen as he followed her diminutive figure across the beautiful meadow. He glanced around the scenery and marveled at how blue the sky was and then gentle breeze that flowed through the air. That was when he realized that this must have been what Earth was like before the humans destroyed what was left of their home planet.

After what seemed like an hour, the two beings found themselves inside the crystal palace. Knives couldn't help himself and admired the architecture of the edifice. He placed a hand on the smooth, yet cold, surface and was surprised that it appeared to be made out of one huge piece of crystal. He turned to face Neo-Queen Serenity to ask her about it and all she did was smile and beckoned to him to follow her.

They went through winding corridors and hallways but there was not anyone around. The deafening silence was actually getting on the Plant's already worn nerves. They finally were in front of a large door made out of blue crystal and it was engraved with water and ice scenes along with the symbol of Mercury on the scrollwork. The Queen raised her hand and the massive door opened to reveal an exquisitely beautiful room.

The room was actually not a room at all. It was a place within the palace that was obviously a person's private getaway. The foliage was lush and tropical and a rather large pond was in the center of the place. Knives looked around some more and realized that there were patches of the blue sky above that managed to break through the canopy of plant life. He then noticed a beautiful waterfall with the water misting around the rocky base into the pond. Since all he was used too was the desert and heat from the planet Gunsmoke, seeing all of this natural life was a surprise. He was then broken out of his reverie by the chiming of the Queen's voice.

"Ami-chan is over there," Neo-Queen Serenity replied, her outstretched arm pointing out the blue haired woman's position. She was in her Lady Mercury form and was wading in the shallow end of the pond. Her blue gown was hiked up to just above her knees so she wouldn't get the material wet from the water and she was not wearing her white cape. It was draped over a boulder on the shore. She was humming an unknown melody when she saw that she had visitors.

"Usagi-chan!" she called out, her sapphire eyes shining as she waded through the water and walked onto the shoreline. She embraced her Queen and then finally noticed Knives standing next to the golden haired woman. "Why is hehere?"

Knives mentally winced at the cold tone the Lady used but only showed his annoyance by narrowing his eyes. "I was going to try and wake you from the coma," he remarked spitefully, "but I am having second thoughts about that now."

"Knives, that is not a nice thing to say," Neo-Queen Serenity, also known as Usagi, lightly scolding the tall Plant. Her eyes were beginning to lose the sadness that was within them for some reason and smiled at the two people. "Besides, I think that the two of you need to have a talk." She winked and then disappeared in a cloud of silvery sparkles.

Ami turned her back towards Knives, not really wanting him to truly gaze into her face. "Be honest with me, Knives…Why are you here?" Her voice sounded…tired.

The blonde man walked over to the petite woman and uncertainly placed his hands on her shoulders. "I…I need you to remove my cast," he answered lamely but because of his pride, he couldn't tell her the truth. Being in this strange dream-place was making the man face his emotions and he did not like it one bit.

"I suppose…that I can accept that excuse," the short, blue haired woman stated softly. Her shoulders slumped a little as if she was defeated, not realizing the hands on her shoulders. "Does anyone miss me?"

"Yes…Wolfwood has been nearly unbearable with worry over your sorry existence," Knives replied, his old behavior returning. Because he was only facing Ami's back, he completely missed the smirk on her face. "Vash would only be placated whenever someone bought donuts. His human woman took charge of the house while that tall woman and the Lowery wench would cook the meals. That pink spore you adopted, what was that brat's name, would keep watching you from sunup to sundown."

That was when Ami turned around and faced the tall blonde, a strange expression on her face. "So…what did you do, Knives? Did you hide in your room and gloat at the fact that I am in a comatose state?"

Knives studied the petite woman's face for a moment before surveying her physical appearance. Her dark blue hair sparkled with the silver chain that was weaved in. Her beautiful sapphire eyes, however, seemed dull and lifeless. 'Why would she look like that?' he thought to himself as he cupped her chin with one of his hands.

"No, Ami, I did not gloat," he answered slowly, still not daring to tell Ami the truth.

The Lady Mercury stiffened slightly as the Plant held her chin in his hand, not knowing why he would do such a thing. That was when she realized that he called her by her given name. Thinking that he was probably disgusted by even touching her, Ami jerked away from his grasp and took a step back to look at the tall man. She couldn't fathom why he had a hurt look. It was fleeting and was replaced by his typical expressionless face. That was when his next question surprised her.

"Why did you call me a beautiful butterfly?" he asked; a trace of anger in his tone of voice. "You said it just before you passed out."

The blue haired senshi glanced down at the ground for a moment before looked up. She caught her breath as her eyes were held by Knives' cerulean eyes. Despite the slight anger she heard in the man's voice, there was something lurking deep within his eyes. She just couldn't break the stare and felt compelled to answer.

"I suppose I was in a delirium, but when I felt myself being picked up from the porch, I saw a beautiful butterfly carrying me," Ami began to explain. "It was so beautiful; I couldn't take my eyes off of it. The colors were so intense…but I saw mostly light yellow and cerulean blue. I just felt like I had to touch its face. I was surprised to find the face to be smooth on most of the surface but then I felt a stubble-like area. It was almost like I was touching a man's face."

"You were," Knives stated in an arrogant manner that brooked no argument. "I picked you up off of the porch and carried you to the couch in the living room. I was surprised, as a matter of fact, that you did that. I just figured you were not in your right mind."

The former senshi blushed and was finally able to break away from the intense stare that the tall blonde was giving her. "I…I am sorry anyway," she replied softly, almost too soft for the man to hear. She turned around as if to leave the sanctuary and was about to leave when Knives grabbed her arm.

"You cannot leave just yet," he commanded, drawing Ami close to his body. "I came to wake you up from the coma and I will do just that."

Ami struggled against the hold he had on her, but that only made him hold her tighter. "Please let me go, Knives," she pleaded.

Knives held the petite woman close to his chest and bent his head down. He placed his face on her hair and closed his eyes and he felt the softness of her blue tresses. He then decided to tell her what he did while she was in a coma when she woke up from the comatose condition.

"No, I will not," he answered as gently as a rough man such as he could be. "I am going to wake up now and will bring you with me." He closed his eyes to concentrate on waking up in the real world. His form started to vanish and took Ami's form with him. When they were finally gone, two figures stepped out from the shadows.

"Do you think it's wise that Lady Mercury be with that being?" the taller of the two figures asked, her long dark green hair flowing in the light breeze.

The other figure was Neo-Queen Serenity. "Yes, it is, Puu," she answered in a mysterious voice. "It will be up to them to find my reincarnated self."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ami's eyes fluttered open and she groaned softly as she tried to awaken her mind. She yawned a bit and then began remembering the last moments of the 'dream' she had before waking up. She gasped a bit as she realized that Knives was there and he was holding her close before waking. Her face became a light shade of red when she remembered how nice it was to be held by the very tall Plant in that manner. She then tried to sit up and felt something weighing her down to the bed. She looked down and her face became even redder.

Knives was still unconscious and part of him was on top of her. The doctor tried pushing him off but was still weak so she settled on running her fingers through his hair. It still amazed her that his hair was so soft despite the rough expressions he usually wore. She knew that he was somehow worming his way into her heart and for some reason, it did not bother her too much. There were parts of the Plant that did scare her but she would face it when the time came. She had stopped playing with his light blonde hair and was about to draw her hand away when Knives swiftly grabbed her wrist with his left hand and glanced at her.

"I see that you are awake," he remarked quietly as he idly stroked her wrist with his thumb. "You wondered what I did while you were unconscious, did you not, while we were in that 'dream'?" Ami nodded wordlessly as the blonde pushed himself off of her and sat back on the edge of her bed. "I was here every night, all night. I don't know why I felt compelled to watch you, but I did. But don't think that I enjoyed every minute of it, Ami."

The blue haired woman nodded and felt disappointed at Knives' last statement. She sighed and looked away from his handsome visage. "Thank you, Knives, for making sure that I was okay," she remarked tonelessly and then felt his fingers on her chin, just like in the 'dream' and was made to look at the man's icy blue eyes.

"That was not the thanks I wanted," he stated in a low and husky voice, sending little shivers up and down Ami's spine. He leaned in closer to her, his face being only mere centimeters away from her own. Suddenly, the bedroom door opened and someone came into the room carrying a tray of food. The tray fell to the floor, making a jangling sound.

"AMI-CHAN!" Chibiusa screamed in delight, running over to the former senshi. She gave the blue haired woman a tackle-like hug that basically shoved Knives out of the way. "You're awake!"

Knives scowled at the pink haired princess and thought of a few ways to kill the little spore because she interrupted something that he felt compelled to do…

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Jedite frowned at the current computer readouts from the planet Gunsmoke. More energy spikes, about five of them, came from there and three of them had the blue aura of Sailor Mercury. One of the blue auras had the silvery aura of the Ginzuishou around it and one other energy spike had a green one. That meant that Sailor Jupiter's reincarnation had been found. But…the fifth energy spike was a complete mystery to the evil General.

The color of that energy was strange. The energy glowed light yellow, then an icy, cerulean blue and finally a deep crimson red tinged with black. It was quite powerful and it seemed to suggest that there was a twin to the black tinged aura. These new readings also suggested that whoever, or whatever, gave off the power was not human.

'What could this mean?' Jedite thought to himself as he studied the readouts. He knew that they only had three more weeks before they can reach the desert planet and wanted to learn more about the new developments. Deciding on what to do next, he called for his second-in-command to come to his ready-room.

The door slid open to let Commander Tidus enter warily into the office. She glanced at her commanding officer and cleared her throat to gain his attention.

"Ah, Tidus, thank you for your prompt arrival," the blonde General commented as he looked up from the computer and gazed at the commander. "I need for you to send a couple of your best youma to Gunsmoke and make an assessment of the two senshi and the being who gave off those strange readings. I trust that whoever you choose will not fail me in their mission. But remember, they are not to kill. They are only to observe and see how strong Mercury has become and find that being."

Tidus nodded and saluted Jedite. "Yes sir, General. I know exactly who to send."

"Make sure that your youma will not fail me Tidus."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

AN: Woo! Another chapter is completed with over four thousand words…*grins* I think that the action will really get going now either in the next chapter or the chapter after that…*winks* I also had fun with this chapter…and I hope that people liked it because I did. Remember, this story is as much for me as it is for my readers…^_^