[setsuna22]

Another image flashed before Yulia's eyes. It was very blurry.
Two women were together, dressed in robes. Their hair coiled around their head in curls and small braids. Fire had engulfed the city and was burning around them. War. Soldiers had burst into the large stone house, leering at Yulia's beautiful body. They had tried to rape her. Sobbing, Lena had attacked them.
Yulia, as if watching a movie, screamed when she saw a knife sink deep into Lena's stomach. Blood seeped into her white flowing robes as she collapsed to the floor. Yulia held Lena's head in her lap, begging her not to leave her.

As quickly as the dream had come, it had vanished, leaving Yulia panting and clenching the sink for support.
“She saved me.” Yulia whispered.
“Yes,” The voice whispered. “Now it’s your turn to save her.”
Lena struggled to get out of bed the next morning.
God, she hurt so badly. Sergi had come home the night before and had come over while her parents had been out to the theater. He had been in a rage because of an argument he had with his father. When she had spilled a drink, he had gone off. Lena had only enough time to curl herself into a ball as his fists came railing down her fragile body. He had kicked her as well, twice in the stomach, as she had tried to crawl away. His spiteful words hung in the air.
“You fucking stupid bitch! You think you’re so smart, do you?” The rest had become a blur as she curled up in the fetal position, her only thought to protect her vital organs and her head. Sergi had left her there on the floor. Knowing her parents would be home soon, she had literally crawled into her bedroom, locking the door behind her and curling up on the floor because her bed was too high for her to climb on. She was too exhausted to cry and too numb to think. One thing had drifted into her mind as she fell asleep.
Yulia. Tentatively, Lena pushed up from the floor, staggering as she felt a wave of dizziness pass over her while she stumbled into the bathroom. She shed the simple shift dress she wore, dropping it on the floor. She stared at herself in the mirror. No longer did she see herself. The only thing she saw was a worthless abused body. No longer was she Lena. She was what Sergi had wanted her to be - Nothing.
With each step she made, it took Lena every last drop of energy to prevent from screaming. She had managed to get her mother to drop her off at school, but as soon as the car had pulled away, Lena nearly crumpled to the ground. The long flights that led up to the school were long and drawn out. She felt her world dip and sway around her. Sweat broke out on her brow as she went to take another step.
“I can't do this anymore.” she sobbed silently. “I just can’t take anymore.”
“He won. He has broken me down until I have nothing left inside.” She felt her will to live wither, and she slowly started to sink to her knees in a slump. Someone caught her. Through masses of dark curls, she felt a familiar hand. Delicate, smaller than hers with red manicured fingertips. Her Yulia.
“Oh, God,” Lena heard Yulia whisper. “What has he done to you?” With agonizing slowness, she felt the arms slide around her waist, trying so hard not to hurt her.
“It will be okay, Lena. It's over. I'll protect you.” It didn't make sense. How could a girl smaller than her protect her from Sergi? But for some reason, she believed Yulia. At that moment, she believed that Yulia could do anything.
Somehow, Yulia had managed to get Lena to her car and into her apartment. Leading her to the bed, the auburn haired girl slumped onto it like a rag doll. Yulia knelt before her and slowly began to undo her shoelaces, carefully watching her face. Lena's face was a chalky white and her usually rose-colored lips were bloodless and chapped. Yulia stopped as she stared at her eyes - eyes that didn't belong to Lena. They were dead. Lifeless. No emotions even flickered in the glazed-over orbs. Yulia repressed her need to cry and slowly slid the shoes off of Lena's feet.
“There,” she said softly. “Why don't you lay down Lena.” As if in a trance, the girl obediently laid down on the bed, curling up on her side and making herself into a tight ball. Yulia knelt by the bed, her fingers lightly combing the red disarray of locks and brushing them away from her flushed face.
“She's so hot. She has to have a fever.” Yulia, thinking that Lena had fallen asleep, went to rise from her feet. She felt the other girl’s hand catch hers. Nearly rising off the bed, the look in her eyes panicked. Yulia, almost reading her thoughts, took Lena's other hand gently.
“I'm not going anywhere. Don't worry. I'll never leave you again.” Slowly, Lena's rigid posture began to relax and she leaned back on the bed, her hands still entwined with Yulia's. Lena couldn't make sense of all the chaotic emotions running in her head. She only knew that when Yulia climbed into the bed next to her, simply holding her hands, not making any other contact with her, she knew that this is what she needed. She needed to be held. But most of all, she needed to be loved.
Slowly, the world awoke Lena Katina. She felt her golden lashes flutter, not wanting to face the world when she was in such a wonderful dream. She was safe, and for once, her body didn't ache. She slowly opened her eyes, her face inches from Yulia's. Lena laid on her stomach, half resting on the smaller girl, Her arms curled around Lena, resting on the indentation of her waist.
“Why did she save me?” Lena asked as she watched the other girl sleep. “She doesn't even know me.” The thought passed through her head. Slowly compelled to do so, her hand gently reached and touched Yulia's forehead and then her cheek, her touch gentle as she used the back of her hand. Lost in thought, she didn’t hear Yulia's steady breathing stop as her eyes slowly opened, gazing down at the other woman watching - always simply watching.
“Because I knew I had to.” Yulia said aloud before she even knew what she was saying. Yulia didn't need words to know what was plaguing the other girl. Her facial expression, her body language, but most of all, her heart said it all. Yulia remembered more things than “they” realized or indented. Lena's soft gasp of surprise was audible as she gazed back at the girl. Yulia felt a heavy feeling grow inside her as she gently touched Lena's cheek, who stared mutely at her.
“Whatever does or doesn’t happen between us, you won't go back to him. I promise. I won't let it happen.” Lena really wanted to trust her. She knew deep down that Yulia's words were true, but the promising threats and time had worn down Lena and the small shards of doubt that were left inside of her showed in her terrified eyes.
Carefully, Yulia drew her body away from Lena and slid off the bed.
“Are you feeling okay?” Lena half nodded, doing a mental check on her body.
“Nothing’s broken, but I know ligaments and muscle are torn.”
“Well, first we need to get showered - if you think you can manage that - and then we need to call the doctor and the police.” Panic and a frightened look of near insanity filled Lena's eyes.
“No! Please no!” She almost shrank back in the bed, as if Sergi's physical presence filled the room.
“Okay. Okay.” Yulia hurriedly said as she sat down on the bed. Lena instinctively put her hand in Yulia's, needing human contact…needing Yulia.
“Slow down! You’re going to scare her!” The unknown voice whispered in Yulia's mind. She took a calming breath, knowing whoever was talking to her was right. She couldn't push Lena. Not so hard so soon. She racked her mind trying to change the subject.
“Do you think we can get you into a shower or bath?”
“Yes.” came the tentative reply after a few moments. Yulia pulled the blankets back on the bed as Lena slid to the edge of it. Her skirt rode up on her thighs revealing several large purple and black bruises, several spots were a deep plum color in which blood vessels had broken under the skin. Yulia pretended not to notice as she put an arm around Lena's waist, who leaned heavily on her and was panting by the time they got to the bathroom. Lena needed to cling to the sink as waves of dizziness engulfed her and the world tipped and swayed. Yulia said nothing, but her presence was more than enough. Lena stood in front of the sink, her gaze avoiding the mirror. Yulia turned on the water in the huge tub and added some peppermint soak gel to sooth Lena's bruises. For a moment, Lena bit at her bottom lip as she hesitated and then began to unbutton her shirt. A hand stopped her.
“Please, let me help you. You can’t get that shirt off without hurting yourself.” Yulia asked, almost pleading. Lena swallowed and nodded. Gently, treating Lena as if she were a china doll, Yulia began to undo the buttons of the long shirt. As each button came undone, the fabric gaped slightly and Yulia would pull it together lightly with her fingers until the last button was undone. Trying to be almost medical about it like a nurse or doctor would have been, she slid the shirt from Lena's shoulders. Lena watched as the look of utter horror flashed across Yulia's eyes as she saw her body. Lena felt disgusting. As quickly as the look had come, it had gone and was replaced by her nonchalant attitude. She put the shirt on the vanity and gave a soft smile.
“I'll be in the kitchen making some tea if you need me, okay?” Lena forced the return smile and nodded as Yulia walked by her, her hands working the zipper down on the skirt. She didn't see Yulia glance over her shoulder, seeing every bruise and mark on the rest of her body as the skirt slid to the floor. Yulia pulled the white door almost closed, leaving a crack open in case Lena needed her. Numbly, she walked into the unfinished guest bedroom and softly shut the door. Yulia's fit hit the door as she leaned her head against it, the first withheld sob filling the silence of the room. Her tears poured hot down her cheeks and drenched the collar of her t-shirt. Never in her life had Yulia felt an all-consuming anguish as when she had seen those bruises on her body. Her head pounded and her body ached, almost as if she felt Lena’s pain.
“Oh God. Why couldn't I have gotten here...sooner! God...why did you do this to her.” Her question fell deafly into the room between her choked sobs.
Lena slid into the hot water, the warmth seeping into her bones as they stung. She didn't look at any part of her body, not wanting to see how Yulia saw her. She leaned her head against the rim of the bathtub and closed her eyes.
“Sergi won't let me go.” Lena knew it was truth. He was crazy with rage over controlling her. The only thing he hadn’t done was rape her. Only because he had other girlfriends who filled that void. For now. She remembered when she first met Sergi. It had been at the start of the last quarter. Her parents and his father had become friends and they had gone to dinner together. He had been so different then. Gradually over the next two months, they started to date and then became more of a “serious item”, as much as you can in high school anyway. Some people even thought that someday they would get married. Lena didn't know where that idea came from. She cared for Sergi - at least in the beginning. Now, she stayed with him out of fear. Slowly, without even noticing, Lena had come under his control. Telling her friends she couldn’t go out because Sergi would get upset and jealous. She hadn't even seen it happen. There had been instances when he grabbed her arm too roughly or shoved her. All of which Lena had thought were accidents.
Lena lifted her hands and covered her face with her hands.
“How could I have been so stupid?” her mind asked. And she had given up hope of ever living again. She had even, on some occasions, considered suicide. But what would that do? She still would have died under his control. She remembered just a few weeks before, sitting in her room, staring at the bottle of tranquilizers, and then flushing them down the toilet. Just in case she did become too weak, just in case things got so bad that she did want them. She didn't trust herself anymore. With anything. Nothing made sense inside her head anymore.
Yulia.
She paused and thought about everything that had happened the past four days.
“She has helped me in the past four days more than any other person has in sixteen years.”
She closed her eyes again, remembering the kiss. When she had come out of the shower room, she had heard Yulia cursing about how things could never work. For some reason, those words had almost crushed her; more than anything that Sergi had ever said to her. Then, seeing her standing there, her dark eyes boring into her soul, she couldn't hold out. The kiss had been everything Lena had ever wanted from anyone and was nothing like Sergi's kisses, who simply took what he wanted - his hands crushing her body, hot and wet with saliva. Yulia had taken her as well, but the difference was that Lena had wanted to give her everything. In those few minutes, she was willing to risk everything - someone walking in, Sergi, her very life. But Yulia had given back. Her hands had been so gentle on her body, growing slowly yet more demanding as she had deepened the kiss - returning everything that Lena had given so willingly to Yulia. It was the first time in so long that Lena felt desirable or wanted.
“You’re not a lesbian.” A dark voice whispered in her mind. “You're not even bisexual.” Lena swallowed hard and let her mind go blank. She didn't know who she was anymore. She didn't care.
The silver kettle blew a hot stream of steam and Yulia pulled it off the stove and into a smaller white teapot, the herbs and rose petals already releasing their flavor into the water as it seeped through the strainer. She added an extra cup and put a lid on the tea before picking up the tray and walking back into the room to set it on the nightstand. Biting her lower lip, she tentatively knocked on the still closed door.
“Lena, do you want to borrow something to wear?” There was a long pause and then a splash of water.
“Yes, please.” Yulia let out a long breath, and smiled.
“I'll just put it inside the door.” Before she replied, she went across the room to her walk in closet and rummaged around for something suitable and comfortable for Lena to wear that she could put on without help. Her fingers scraped the bottom of the drawer and wrapped her hands around a piece of fabric and pulled. Standing up, she held up the soft peach tank dress. It was soft cotton and had no waist so it would not dig into Lena's bruises. But most of all, it was new. Still leaving the tags, she slowly cracked the door open and placed the dress on the table along with a pair of plush furry slippers. Trying to find something to occupy herself, Yulia spent the next few minutes remaking the bed with clean pristine white sheets and fixing the huge goose down comforter.
Inside the bathroom, Lena struggled from the bathtub. She lifted herself from the bathtub, gritting her teeth as her bare body met in contact with the cold tile,. She wrapped a towel around her body and dried it as best as she could while repressing a scream of pain that tightened in her throat when she bumped her arm across her stomach amid a crush of black bruises. Her fingers reached out and softly touched the soft peach fabric. Struggling, she pulled it on over her still damp body and down around the tops of her thighs. Her hair was still soaking wet as she pulled the door open and stepped back into the bedroom that became her sanctuary. Yulia glanced up from a magazine that she was reading in the corner armchair and smiled.
“I made you some breakfast and tea.” Lena looked at the small tray holding hot toast with butter and jam melting onto the crunchy surface, a bowl of mixed freshly cut fruit, juice and tea. There was also a vase holding some sprigs of lavender.
“You really didn't have to do that.” Lena said softly as she stared at the tray, nearly choking up with an overwhelming emotion.
“I know I didn't have to.” Yulia admonished softly as she set the magazine and stood up.
“I wanted to.”
Lena sucked in a deep breath of air as a single tear trickled down her cheek. Yulia crossed the space separating them and softly brushed the tear away with the pad of her thumb as she gazed intensely at the beautiful girl.
“Please, don't cry. I never wanted to make you cry. You have had more than enough of that in your life. I just wanted to make you smile.” Lena swallowed another knot in her throat and smiled softly as she took the other girl’s hand and gently gave it a squeeze.
Yulia closed her eyes as she tried to gain control of her erratic heartbeat. All her life this was all she ever wanted and it was standing right before her. But whether or not she would be able to keep it was a different story. So many times had she lost Lena. She didn't know if this life would be any different. She opened her eyes again and looked back into the dark green eyes that studied her.
“You looked so sad just then.”
Yulia gave a wary smile and brushed a soaking wet lock of hair that was clinging to Lena's face behind her shoulder. Lena's cheek turned into Yulia's palm instinctively as their bodies gravitated towards each other and their lips met softly. Lena, needing further contact, laid her hand on Yulia's waist. And the two ragged half souls touched - the jagged and tattered edges meeting the other and matching perfectly.
Yulia sat on the chair next to the bed where Lena sat, the cell phone clenched to her ear.
“I'm sorry Mom, but I got really sick and Yulia didn't know the number.”
There was a long pause as her mother talked and her face went pale, her knuckles turned white gripping on the phone. She coughed as if her throat was dry.
“Well, did he seem upset?” There was another pause
“Well, I'll call him tonight. Is it okay if I stay over here tonight? Yulia invited me since it’s a holiday tomorrow? Her parents?” She looked at Yulia who smiled and nodded.
“Yeah, they said it was fine. Okay, I love you too.” Lena snapped the phone closed and slumped back on the bed, exhausted.
“Sergi called.” Lena said dully. “He was really upset, and my mom said she heard something break in the background over the phone.”
“It will be okay, my Lenika.” Yulia said softly, not even noticing the tacked on nickname. “We have the rest of today and all day tomorrow before we even have to worry about Sergi. He doesn’t know where you are, and he sure as hell doesn’t know where I live.”
Lena visibly relaxed as Yulia took her hand. Yulia 's fingers rubbed softly across the palm of her hand.
“Yulia, where are your parents?” She was slightly taken aback by the question.
“My parents died a few months ago.” She heard Lena's soft gasp of surprise as her other hand covered her mouth. She slid further across the bed and took Yulia's other hand.
“My god, Yulia! I am so sorry I didn't know...I -” She stopped when she realized that Yulia didn't hear her, but was simply staring at her.
“She is so beautiful.” Yulia said to herself as she watched the other girl.
“She is such an amazing person and she doesn’t even realize it. How is it that she and I are tied for eternity?”