Finally reaching the classroom after the usual walk from the dormitories, I step inside. My eyes immediately turn to the third seat from the left in the back row; Serena's seat.

It's empty, and after glancing around the classroom, it looks like she isn't here yet.

I have to admit that this is a bit of a relief. This gives me at least a few more minutes to think.

Not that I haven't been doing so previously; ever since our trip to town, Serena's been on my mind.

I still don't know what to make of my relationship to Serena. I like her, I can admit that much to myself. I want to protect and shield her from the pain she feels. I really don't think my feelings are just those of friendship anymore.

But that said....I feel like I don't even know her.

If I made a move on her, how would she take it? Is she in an emotional state that allows her to make a reasonable decision about a relationship? How would she cope with anything that might happen afterwards?

There's also the possibility that I'm just completely misinterpreting Serena; not a difficult thing to do with someone whose social skills seem to be so underdeveloped.

The sound of footsteps comes up to the door, making me perk up.

It ends up just being Iris.

She barely acknowledges my existence when I accidentally make eye contact with her. I'm about to look away, but another person comes in not long after she takes her seat.

I feel myself freeze as I see Serena enter. This isn't a rational reaction, but I have no idea about how I should act or what I should say to her.

For a moment, our eyes meet.

And then, just as quickly, she looks away and moves to her seat without saying a single word.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As is now usual for the period following classes, my face is buried deep in a book that I find thoroughly uninteresting.

Judging by the faces of the other few students in the library, I don't think I'm alone in my distaste for this. Misery loves company, I suppose.

I decided to spend lunchtime with Serena since we haven't had lunch together for a while now. aside from pathetically small snippets of smalltalk, there was barely a word said between us.

Why does she keep doing this to me? I just want to protect her, to be there for her, but every time I feel like we're coming closer, we end up further away.

"A-are you busy...?" 

"SERENA!?" My head whips around in surprise, causing her to retreat in fright.

"Sorry, you just startled me." I smile to lower the tension.

"What's up?" I ask her.

"I was just...w-wondering what you were r-reading..." She still has a scared puppy look.

"Just a Japanese textbook." 

"H-has it helped?" She asks.

"It helped me realize that I don't like Japanese, yeah" I scratch my head along with a chuckle.

She gives a small giggle.

I look at her for a moment, thinking about what I do and don't know about her. It's a slightly depressing topic.

"I-is something...wrong?" She questions me.

"Can I ask you a question?" I place the book down.

"I don't mind." She smiles.

"I...want to know what your life was like. Your life before coming to this school."

She hesitates. I briefly consider backing off, but she seems to be taking the question quite seriously.

Her answer finally comes in a stiff, almost reluctant nod. She looks far more tense than she did before I'd asked.

"Okay. B-but in return...you have to t-tell me about your life as well..." She moves her hands to her chest.

I nod, and follow her as she begins to walk out the library so we can talk.

"I guess....we'll start with coming to this school." 

"Let's see...I was in the hospital when my parents first told me about this academy. The doctors told me I shouldn't go to my old school anymore. My parents agreed and persuaded me to apply for Vaniville Academy, even though it would mean living away from them for the first time."

"It must have...been hard for you." Serena says.

"Yeah...it was, you?" I turn to her.

A group of chatting girls passes us as we near the stairs, with Serena pressing herself tightly to my side until we reach the ground floor. She doesn't usually come this close while just walking in the school.

"The staff at the o-orphanage offered me some options on what I could do. Middle school....hadn't been good, so I thought Vaniville might be better. It was isolated, and I thought it might be easier to get by here with most of the others being disabled." Serena says.

"What was life like at the orphanage?" I ask.

"It was....okay. The staff there were nice, and they took care of us. The children there didn't talk to me much, but I didn't really want to talk to them either, so I didn't mind. The orphanage had a little library, so I started to read to pass the time. The staff didn't mind it, because it made me easier to handle than many of the other children." She blushes.

 "You didn't make any friends there?" I look at her.

"No. I think... my life was on hold...during that time. I knew that, but I didn't mind" She responds.

We walk through the door into the courtyard. I expect to need to avert my eyes from the sun, but by now it's well into sunset.

Serena's eyes keep flicking to me, so I look away from her for a bit.

"What was it like in the hospital?" She questions me.

I quickly clear my thoughts and try to refocus them.

"It was okay at times, but at others, it was pretty bad. At the beginning, everyone sent their sympathies, and came to visit often. It was just like breaking an arm or something. Meeting all of my friends was one of the good times. Misty came in often as well; more often than anyone else. But there were bad times, too. When my friends slowly stopped visiting, I began to realize how grave my situation was. It reminded me that this wasn't just a broken limb, but that I was now a different person than before. Even the times Misty would spend with me became torturous. By the end, we were reduced to silence, whereas before, she'd be talking constantly." 

...

I take a deep breath.

"I think the three lowest points would have been when my parents told me I wouldn't be going to my old school anymore, my birthday passing while I was in the hospital, and...when Misty left for the last time." 

"What was your middle school like?" She questions me again.

"It was good, I got good grades, lots of friends, played sports with my friends. Did get teased a bit over my hair, though." I sigh with a chuckle.

"Your hair?" Serena's eyes shoot open as she starts to inspect my hair.

I grimace a little as I take my hat off to show her.

"No matter what I'd do, it refused to flatten or stay where I wanted it to. My Mom wouldn't let me just get my hair shaved."

"It still does" She smiles at me.

"I was worried I'd get that reply."

"S-sorry, I didn't mean to...!" Serena panics.

I give a mild laugh and wave it off.

"it's fine, I know it still does." I smile 

I'm left deep in thought was we walk up the stair and down the hallway. It's only when we stop that I look up and realize that I've been following her without question.

"Why did we come to your room?" I ask

She looks straight at the door, without so much as a glance in my direction.

"Serena?" 

She moves to answer, but stops herself.

Instead, she silently breaks from my side, opens her door, and steps inside.

I decide to follow her since I don't have any reason to do otherwise.

I open my mouth to speak, but she preempts me.

"Could you....close and lock to the door?" She asks.

Serena's hand reaches for her chest, grabbing her blouse at her heart.

I turn and lock the door shut, then freeze.

The atmosphere is beginning to feel quite strange. This feeling is only made more profound when I hear the curtains being pulled behind me.

It's going to be night soon. A guy, and a girl, in a bedroom. She's closing the curtains, and I'm shutting and locking the door. She can't...she can't really have that in mind...can she?

I gulp and turn around very, very slowly. Serena is in the center of the room, but hasn't turned back to face me.

"You told me about your past, so I have to tell you mine." She says.

Her hands move to her blue ribbon and begin to tug, all but confirming my thoughts.

"S-Serena..." 

"P-please...don't say anything." She says,

I obediently stay hushed as she slips off her ribbon and continues to unbutton her blouse, before working the clip on her bra. The process is slow. Perhaps it just feels slow because of what she's doing. I'm not sure.

Frozen to the spot, all I can do is watch as Serena, hands trembling, unclips her skirt and lets it drop to the ground.

Finally, she takes her blouse in her hand and draws it off, her braw falling from her shoulders. And so, Serena stands in the middle of the room all but bared, save for her stockings and underwear.

"This is me. All....of me, Ash." Serena says.

My eyes are immediately drawn to the scarring on her back. The skin on her right side is of a similar texture to that of her face, but it's also stretched taut and covering a much larger area. The scarring is by far the worse on the shoulder, buttock, and thigh.

Just as my heart attack redefined my life... this is the event that redefined Serena's.

My reaction right now is not due to her scarring, but to her body.

"The fire happened when I was eight years old. It was night." 

Serena's voice trembles, the shaking of her blouse giving away the fact that her hands are doing just the same.

"I...curled up into a ball...when the fire swept over me/ My mother...tried to shield me. Th-that's one of the reasons...I lived..." 

Wait a minute....T-The girl I saved...she was curled up in a ball with a woman who I assumed was her Mom covering her? There's no possible way that girl is her.

I want to say something, anything, to make her feel better. I can't, though. I feel completely useless when faced with a situation like this. She's forcing herself to come so close, yet it's at times like this that I feel most distant to her.

"You, Ash.....you saved me....if it wasn't for you, I would've burned alive, eventually." She blushes and looks at me.

It is her.....I can't believe it.

"I'm sorry....for making you see this." She says.

She wants me to say the truth. What I genuinely, honestly, believe.

"I'm so glad you survived, I-I thought you died...Serena, you're a wonderful person. Your body doesn't change that." 

She looks at me for a long time, her breathing uneven as she tries to remain steady amidst the emotions we're both feeling. It feels less like she's looking at me than she's looking through me.

I slowly walk towards her, and gently place my hands on her shoulders as she lets go of her blouse. She gasps a little; not in fright, but in simple startlement.

Being so close to her causes my mind to become a jumble of feelings. The scarring on her shoulder, plain to see and leather-like to the touch, conflicts strangely with her otherwise soft skin and honey-blonde hair.

She has curves in all the right places. The nap of her neck, just visible thanks to her hair slung over her shoulder, is alluring.

"I know.....that I'm not pretty....like Dawn. I just...wanted you...to see me. The real me." She says.

"I've already seen the real you, though. You didn't need to take off your clothes for that." 

Her lips are open, just a little. She lets out a sharp breath as, without thinking, I breathlessly lean forwards and press my lips to hers.

The kiss only lasts for a fleeting moment before our faces part, our breathing quick and nervous. The feeling of Serena's mouth lingers, and her eyes remain locked to mine.

Trembling a little myself, I remove my tie, hat and begin undoing the buttons of my shirt.  Serena remains standing where she is, looking at the ground in front of her rather than watching me undress.

My shirt falls to the floor in a heap, as untidy and crumpled as Serena's blouse and skirt. Serena's entire body visibly flinches at the sound of the zipper on my trousers being pulled down.

My trousers join my shirt on Serena's floor next to the bed, as do my socks in short measure. I hesitate before taking off my boxers, and end up leaving them on.

"Serena..."

She gives a nod without so much glancing at me, and makes her way to the bed as I do. She walks as if her legs were wooden sticks. I'd find it amusing if I weren't doing exactly the same thing.

I take the initiative, turning around and sitting on the side of the bed. I look to her face to invite her to take a seat either rnext to me or in front of me, but end up awkwardly looking down to stop myself from staring at her body.

Nevertheless, she takes her cue and reluctantly sits between my legs. As she does, a rush of sensations hit me all at once.

The feeling fo her behind my crotch is the most obvious, but her scent is just as strong. The smell of her hair is washed across my face.

Deciding to try and move things along, one hand finds itself on her breast as the other rests on her leg.

Her lips purse tightly together as she tries, unsuccessfully, to suppress a squeal of surprise at the action.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." I say.

She takes a breath and she shakes her head as her only reply.

I move my hand around, feeling and massaging her breast and nipple. It feels really nice, giving way underneath my palm with just a little firmness.

For a while I don't think it's helping her get into the mood at all, but slowly her eyelids begin to lower. Her breathing slows to a more rhythmic pattern, and her body begins to relax into mine (SHE GETTIN' HORNY BOIIII)

I can sense a little hard bump brushing against my fingers that wasn't there before, too.

I move my hands downwards. She gives no protest, and my fingers soon begin to move up and down the soft groove between her legs.

Her body is pressed against mine by now, a think sheen of sweat on both of us. She feels warm, and all this has more than served to arouse me, as well as her.

Serena gives a small gasp, my fingers pressing a little harder and moving a little faster almost instinctively. The girl in front of me, the girl pressing against me.... I want her. All of her.

I stop moving my fingers, making Serena give a long breath of relief from the feelings welling up inside of her. Her face looks to mine a little, silent, but expectant.

All I do is nod. I don't know which one of us is more apprehensive right now. 

I push myself back onto the bed, extricating myself from Serena with a certain amount of reluctance. For her part, she slides back and lies down with her head on her pillow, breathing heavily all the while.

Serena lying in front of me, her panties darkened, her chest heaving, her face flushed, and her eyes looking into mine...her scars make her look all the more unique. I'm left without words that she'd allow me to see her like this.

I bring myself closer to her, closing my hands on her waist. I wait for her to nod before taking a delicate hold of her stocking, taking them up a bit as gently as I can manage.

I don't think I can get them off without tearing them, so I end up leaving them on her legs and moving her panties aside.

Serena lies practically naked on the bed; her most delicate parts and the scarring of her body are now plain to see.

Bringing my fingers to her flower, I stroke her a little more, causing her breath to catch. She should be okay if she's this aroused, so I open my boxers and move myself up a little on the bed.

Serena's entire body tenses as I bring myself closer to her, her eyes widening. She's...scared? Well, I don't blame her with this huge thing.

My heart thumps away as I focus my mind on its beating. It's faster than usual, of course, but the beat is regular. I....think....I can keep it in check, if I take this slowly.

"Are you... okay?" Serena questions me.

I open my eyes and look at her. I guess that she must have looked pretty worrying to someone else watching me.

"I'm okay. I was just making sure that I was." I smile at her.

She nods.

I lean over her and press my lips to her, our tongues tentatively touching. I can feel her body becoming less tense under mine, so it's getting us both back into the mood.

I look down and try to get my knees and waist in what I think are the right places, and take my penis in my slightly shaking hand. Serena's face is looking at mine, but her eyes are pointed down at where our crotches meet.

With a short breath, I position the head and push my hips forward.

"Aahn...!" She moans.

In one stroke, I push myself fully inside of her. The rush of sensations and emotions fills my head, and Serena moans.

Serena opens her eyes again and looks towards me. 

I look down and begin, slowly, to move my hips again after giving her a few moments to recover.

The movement feels really unnatural, and I can feel muscles moving all over my lower body that I haven't felt moving in this way before.

The feeling inside of Serena is soft and warm, her soft gasps and constant movements....it's really turning me on.

For Serena's part, her strands of hair are now sticking to her face, she moans loudly.

I put my arms around her body and lift it up a little. After some squirming for the both of us, we try positioning ourselves a bit differently to minimise her pain.

With my hands holding her legs, both of us are moving in less and less measured movements by now. The smell of Serena fills my senses, and ffrom this position, I'm not stressing my body quite as much.

A new wave of pleasure suddently begins to wash over me. My feelings are beginning to well up, and I don't think I can control them anymore. I speed up, concentrating less and less on pacing myself.

I turn and lay her back down on the bed, both of us well beyond the point of doing anything but reaching the end.

Serena's eyes shoot open as she squirts all over my abs.

"Aaaagh!" She moans loudly.

I begin to feel the point coming, frantically tensing myself to try and stave it off for as long as I can.

"Serena!" 

She gives another loud moan as my mind blanks. My waist hits hers with a fair amount of force as I hit the point of climax, and I can feel myself twitching inside of her. Her body twists and turns under mind, only heightening the feelings of euphoria.

And then, after a couple of seconds...it ends.

The sound of Serena's breathing and my own rings in my ears, almost painfully loudly. Serena holds an arm over her face, her mouth opens and gulping in air.

As I hold myself over her, suddenly my arms almost give away and my vision distorts, as if someone's grabbed it and pulled sideways. I let myself fall sideways onto the bed beside the panting Serena, for fear of falling onto her instead.

My eyes try to focus on the ceiling, to not much success. Pulling a blanket over us to stave off the cold is all I can do.

My vision slowly begins to return to normal as I continue to stare at the ceiling, but my limbs still feel like jelly(<--- that part is 100% true. Your limbs feel like shit after sex) I try to concentrate on my chest, and find its beat irregular and mildly painful.

This is a dangerous time. I have to think this through and not panic, lest I made my situation any worse.

With a huge effort, I take control of my erratic breathing, forcing myself to make long, deep breaths. I count half a dozen before I start to feel physically calm again, and press my hand to my chest to assure myself.

My heartbeat's back to normal. I'm okay.

I turn to my face towards Serena, who's already looking at me. Her expression looks pretty dazed, but underneath that, there's dfinitely a look of concern. She's realized what happened.

"I'm....okay, Serena....back to normal." I pant,

I push my heart thoughts to aside as I see the wide smile forming on Serena's face.

As always, I smile back without another thought. Serena's smile has always been infectious in its almost childlike sweetness and earnestly, something that sets her apart from anyone else I know.

Right now...we don't need words. Everything we want to communicate to each other, we can share just fine without them.

I close my eyes and slowly drift off to sleep.

DAMN! Was that detailed chapter! I'll update again which will be the final chapter! See ya'll next chap! <3