Epilogue: For All Eternity, Blood is Thicker than Water

*Serena opened her eyes to a darkened room. Staying laying down, she looked around and noticed she was in her coffin, but not in her room. She saw above her her cross, and next to her a table with her sword, a candelabra, and a very bloody wooden stake.

As her eyes followed the rim of the room, she saw that she had been placed next to a set of balcony doors. She saw a couch against a wall and a large armchair across from it. There was a fireplace and desk to one corner of the room, and a laptop and vid-phone sat upon it. On her other side, she saw an empty bed. Where on earth was she?

"You're up." Said a deep voice from the balcony. She flipped her head around in that direction, knowing full well whose voice it was.

"How do you feel?" She asked, her voice full of concern.

"Fine. You've been out for nearly a week." He informed her with a side smirk. She stood from her coffin and took notice of her change in clothes. Instead of her all black outfit, she was dressed in a long white cotton dress.

"So, are you responsible for my change in attire?" She too, smirked.

"Did you think I would let anyone else near enough to you?"

"Never. How long have you been up?" She smiled, concern still evident in her voice and in her eyes.

"I slept for two days. I was awake but in bed for the third. Technically, I've been up for two days." He walked over to the armchair and sat down in it. She walked over to him and sat on the floor below him, laying her head upon his knee. Not looking up at him, she began to trace a pattern on his knee.

"Where are we?" She asked him.

"While we were asleep, Quatre shipped us, all of us, over to his home in the Sanq Kingdom. After the first war, we all stayed here for a month. Then we split up, each of us going our own separate ways until Mariemeia tried to declare war on the ESUN. This was my room during that time."

"Oh? I'm not bothering you by being in here, am I?" She asked, suddenly extremely conscious of their position.

"No. I told them to put you in here when I woke up. They had originally put you in the room next door with all of your clothes and candles. I had them move just your coffin, cross, and one candelabra in here."

"And Darien's stake." She whispered.

"And Darien's stake." He repeated. He saw her face and cringed at his hard-edged thoughts. He was being real smooth. She was here, just woken up from a nap after killing someone who raped her of everything, and he was telling her about where they were and whose room was whose. "Serena," He began, wanting to make amends for all the wrongs that had ever been committed to her in her life. " Are you alright? With everything that happened regarding Darien?"

"What I did was a good thing. I know that. It's how I did it that is bothering me." She answered him with a low tone in her voice.

"How did you do it?" He honestly didn't know. He had been knocked out at the time.

"I hugged him and then stabbed him in the back. I told him I would be his in hell. I was so cruel. But, Hiiro," She let a sob slip through her lips. "But Hiiro, the worst part was, I let him nearly kill you! How selfish was I? Gods, how could I have possibly ever let that evil creature almost kill you?" She felt his strong warm arms wrap around her and pull her up to sit in his lap. For a while, they just sat there, him cradling her shaking and crying body, and her drawing strength from his warm and loving embrace. As the warm tears of blood leaked from her eyes, Hiiro attempted to wipe them away.

"Serena, I saw Trowa hold you back. You did try to stop him. But you couldn't, and you know it. Nothing could have stopped what happened to me. Besides, could you have really broken the Code of Honor? Intervened between us during our fight? No. You know it. Stop blaming yourself for something you had no control over."

"But Hiiro. He almost killed you. I almost lost you. What if I lose you again? What if you get shot? Or stabbed? Or some fluke accident happens and you die? I don't think I could stand it. I would be stuck here, the living dead, while you are gone forever."

"Serena. I won't die."

"But what if? There's always that chance. And, what happens when you start to get old, and I'm still the same, ageless little girl you knew fifty years ago? Would you still love me? Could you honestly be happy with me like that?"

"What else can we do Sere? It's bound to happen sooner or later. Unless I become a vampire like yourself, that is the inevitable reality of our situation." He took a deep breath. He had thought about this long and hard. He knew what he wanted.

"What are you saying Hiiro? That, that you want to be a vampire like me?"

"Will you change me Sere? Will you make me one of your own kind?"

"Hiiro! Do you know what you're saying? You'd be given immortality, sure, but the changes you'll have to go through… Hiiro, do you know what you're asking me to make you give up? You couldn't see the sun for eighty years. You would have to hunt and drink blood like I do. Is that the kind of life you want? And what about your friends? What do Duo and Quatre and Trowa and Wufei have to say about this?"

"I know exactly what I want Sere. I've thought about this long and hard. I know what I will give up. I know what I will have to do. I also know I will always be with you. As for the others, I don't know."

"Don't you think you should tell them? I mean, you will be dieing and coming back to life. That's a pretty important change."

"Then I'll ask them right now." He helped her up and walked over to the door. Opening it, he saw Duo coming down the hall. Duo, too, it seemed, saw them and went ballistic.

"Hey Hiiro, she's up! Hey Sere! How do you feel? Boy, for a while there we thought you were going to stay dead this time! Sere… you have blood steaks running down your cheeks. Is everything ok?"

"Hi Duo. I'm fine. This is just what happens when I cry." She explained to him.

"Oh." Silence ensued for a moment.

"Duo, get the others. We need to talk." Hiiro blurted out, breaking the silence.

"Hiiro's right. He has something he needs to speak to you all about, and it can't really wait." She said, in much the same fashion

"Sheesh, alright, yeah, sure. I'll get them. We'll be in your room in ten minutes." Duo said, his good mood returning. He turned on his heel and bounced down the hall and out of sight. Hiiro helped Serena back into his room to wait for the others.

*

"… Want to become one of the undead?" Are you sure Hiiro?" Quatre asked him.

"Yeah, I mean, dying is one thing, but dying and then coming back to life is another." Duo added.

"Yui, you'll be damning yourself for eternity." Was Wufei's only comment.

"If you know this is what you want, then live according to your emotions and do it." Trowa said quietly. They were discussing Hiiro's choice, and so far, only Trowa agreed with them. Then Wufei spoke up suddenly.

"Yui. If you wish to damn yourself, that's fine with me. However. If you do, I expect to be damned with you as well."

"Wufei?" Serena asked him. That was definitely not something she had been expecting from Wufei of all people.

"You heard me woman."

"I'm with Wufei." Said Trowa suddenly.

"Hey! Don't count me out!" Said Duo. They all looked expectantly at Quatre.

"I hope you won't mind if I join you all for eternity as well then?" He said with a broad grin.

"Are you all sure?" Serena asked them.

"Like Wu-man said, you heard us woman." Duo said happily.

"Damnit! Idiotic braid boy! Don't called me that! Injustice!" Serena and Hiiro exchanged glances. They were going to spend their eternity with these people? Someone down there really hated them.

*

Each of them was dressed in all black. Each had a cross around their neck, and each had left their necks exposed. The room was lit with dozens of softly glowing candles. Five coffins were lined up, side by side, each with a different name engraved in silver upon it. As the door opened, their eyes followed Serena as she walked in.

She, too, was dressed in an all black dress, simple with a low cut neckline. Around her neck hung a heavy wooden cross, and in one hand, a candle. She placed the candle on the table next to Wufei. He was to be consecrated first.

"Wufei, do not be nervous and do not hesitate. I'm going to bite your neck. Once I have taken all of your blood, you will bite mine and drink it back. As you drink, it will become easier. I promise. Are you ready?"

"Yes." He replied solemnly. He felt her cool breath trickle down his neck, and then felt her two soft lips touch his neck. He gulped in fear, then stood tall and proud, not flinching, even when she sunk her fangs into his neck.

After she had finished, he felt so lightheaded he was about to faint. Before he could, she grabbed his head and held it to her neck. Knowing he must complete his mission, he bit down hard, causing her to moan in pain. He felt sorry, but knew he must save his energy for drinking.

As he drank, he felt stronger, more powerful. When he thought he had had enough, he pulled away form her neck and looked at her face. It was straight, showing neither signs of pain, discomfort, of pleasure. He backed away, allowing her to move on to Quatre. Then she moved to Trowa, then Duo, and, finally, Hiiro.

As Hiiro felt her break the skin again, that familiar sensation washed over him. He felt so complete, so whole when she did this to him that he wondered what had taken him so long to convince her to do it again. His mind muddled in confusion and suddenly he felt lost. She had never taken so much blood before, and he wasn't used to being so lightheaded.

When she pulled away, he slightly turned his head to her neck, and just before he bit he, he whispered: "I love you." Then he bit down hard to break the skin and began to drink back his vampire-tainted blood. After he was done, she pulled his head from her neck and lightly said to him, "I love you too." Then she stepped away from him.

"You have all been consecrated. I would suggest a full day's sleep before you try to hunt. If you're all up to it, tomorrow night, I'll teach you how to hunt." As she watched each of them nod, she smiled inwardly to herself.

They would be good, honest vampires. Perfect for her friends once they had been reincarnated… hmm… she would have to set that one up… She watched as each of them climbed into their coffins and settled down. She went around to each of them, reassuring them that they would be fine before she shut the coffin lid. When she came to Hiiro, she stopped.

"Did I hurt you?" He asked her concerned.

"Not more than it should have. Besides. Tomorrow night, after you've fed and rested, you can kiss these bruises away."

"Don't think I won't." He said wit a light smirk. Then she saw the first glimmer of sunlight begin to sparkle over the horizon.

"You need to rest. Sleep well, my love." She kissed him gently on his lips, then his neck.

"And you as well love." With that last sentence, he drifted asleep. She shut the door to his coffin, thinking about how wonderful her life was going to be from now on. *

~~~Hey! I've finished all of the re-vamping! And just in time for Halloween too! I really hope you all like this one, it is one of my person favorites! PLEASE REVIEW! I'm dying to know what you all think! Much love, Vixen~~~