Chapter 7: Gimme, Gimme More

Serena walked down the halls of the Moon Palace. This time people were around. Stopping to bow or curtsey before her, she was having some fun being treated like a queen.

She let herself be guided by her feet, just as always. She ended up outside. Nothing but luscious green grass as wide and far as the eye could see. The scenery was gorgeous, though what catch her attention were the sounds of metal clashed over in the distance. Seeing nothing around her, she started to walk towards where it was coming from.

She stopped on the top of the hill. Rini sat a ways down watching an intense training session. As she walked down closer, she could hear the blades slicing through the air, harsh curses and grunts coming from both her husband and daughter as they fought an even match.

Sitting down on the grass, her other child took the opportunity to climb into her lap. She was surprised to see the young teen wielded the heavy sword like it was a feather. Twirling and tossing it between her hands, she charged hurriedly, thrashing her sword. The King blocked every hit with ease.

"Never fight out of anger, Wynter. It will cloud your judgment." She stumbled back when he brought his own blade down.

"I'm not!" she glared. Leaping over his head, she spun around hoping that her momentum would catch him off balanced. It didn't.

With a flick of his wrist, he disarmed her, sending her sword across the field. The blade was embedded at the bottom of the grassy hill.

Sweat dripping from her brow, she tried to catch her breath. Staring at the tip that pointed at her throat let her know that she had lost. Anger and shame overwhelmed her.

"I told you that it would cloud your judgment." He lowered the blade, sheathing it. "That's enough for now."

Serena watched her jaw tightened when her father began to walk away. In a flash, she grabbed her sword again, posing in a guarded stance.

"Again." She persisted. He stopped to turn. Seeing the determination on her face didn't deter him from his pervious decision.

"We agreed on 3 out of 5." Dark eyes narrowed when she refused to let it go. "We're done for today, Wynter." His voice became stern. It seemed that now she was older, they went through this every time she was defeated.

"No, we're not." He gave her a weary expression when tears welded up.

"What is your sudden fascination of this excessive training?"

"If you loved me than you wouldn't ask me that."

Serena frowned. His love for her would be proven if he continued to fight her? If that wasn't a classic teenage outburst, she didn't know what was.

"Wynter…"

"Just forget it!" In a fit, she threw her weapon, stomping past her mother and sister as she went up the hill. "None of you understand how I feel!"

The blonde was unsure of what to do. Should she comfort her daughter or her husband? It was obvious that she was upset about something that she didn't care to reveal to them and by the look on his face he knew why.

She felt out of the loop. She opened her mouth to ask what was going on, but everything began to blur, fade away, and became dark.

She didn't open her eyes, hoping that she could fall back asleep. This was the first time she wanted to see what would happen next. Not for the mission but because she wanted to know more about the long lost child. Maybe she could get more information out of Rini or she could force herself to have another dream. It didn't work before but there was still a chance.

"I wish you would be quiet." A soft groggy voice drifted in her ears. She felt a large hand stroke her back.

"I wasn't talking." She sulked, but snuggled against him.

"You were thinking very loudly." His hand never stopped roaming. "What wrong this time?"

"You were right. The dream just came to me once I stopped overreacting."

"Hmm. What did you dream?" He was fully awake, but like the woman in his arms, he kept his eyes closed. Enjoying the embrace, he listened to the whisper soft sound of her voice.

"I ended outside this time and I watched as the King was training Wynter in sword fighting. She wasn't doing well because she was mad about something. She lost but wanted to go again. You could see that she was exhausted but she wanted to keep on fight. When he told her no, she threw a tantrum, saying that he didn't understand why she wanted to keep on fighting."

"And that was it?" Darien asked when she became silent. He snorted softly when he felt her nodding head on chest.

"It's not much to go on." She admitted. "Maybe there's more and I woke up too soon or maybe…"

"Or maybe it was just another memory that had nothing to do with finding clues about our enemy."

"But…"

"Don't worry about it. Just because you don't have clues." He stopped himself. "Scratch that. It's not your job to find clues by yourself. We'll manage so don't worry about it."

She let out a heavy sigh; those were the words that she needed to hear. That it was ok. That she wouldn't be blamed.

She wrapped her arms around his waist. Loving the way his body felt against hers. She wanted to stay there forever. But seeing the slight orange glow of the rising sun on the wall told her that it was about time for them to get up. She began to move away but was pulled back against him.

"Darien?"

"You think that I'm going to let you go now that we're in such a comfortable position?"

She was grateful that it was still dark in his bedroom knowing that her face was as red hot as she felt.

"But you have work." Her voice pitched a little when she felt him shift, trapping her snugly between him and the bed. She could've sworn she saw the impression of her heart thumping against her chest. She adverted away from his gaze.

"No I don't." he leaned down, kissing the side her neck. "Not yet anyways." he moved up to her jaw line. "The alarm didn't go off yet."

His heart rate quickened when she turned to face him. In the dim lighting, her seemingly dark eyes were filled with innocence, curiosity, and desire. Restraining himself he gave her a soft kiss, one that eased her worries and insecurities.

"I won't do anything that you don't want me to do." his low voice rippled over her flesh.

"You'll stop wh-when the alarm goes…goes off?" she stuttered. His finger nail raked gently against her skin. He went from her shoulder down to the tips of her fingers. From there it trailed down her side, hip, and leg and back up.

"If that's what you want." Playfully, he nibbled on her collarbone. He wasn't really waiting on confirmation. He just had a sick perversion of teasing his inexperienced loved one by making her hot and longing for more but just giving her a taste of what she could have…would have once she was ready for it.

His ears picked up to her soft moans, her breathing becoming more rapid. He trailed up her neck once again, putting his mark on her. He felt slim fingers glide through his hair gripping at the roots repeatedly then letting go. He shifted again, this time hovering completely over her.

Serena was nervous; who knew how much time would elapse before the alarm went off. How far would they progress? What if she didn't want to stop? Would that be a good thing or bad thing?

"Hm, you're still thinking. I must not be doing my job correctly." She opened her mouth to speak but was quickly quieted by his lips. Rougher than the last one. Longer. Deeper. Her body was quickly responding to the gesture.

Darien broke the kiss, bracing himself with his arms so that he wouldn't put all his weight on her. Blue eyes were now glassy, lips were red and slightly swollen. Her blonde hair pooled around like a mermaid underwater. He was enticed by the sight of her

"Do you have time to think now?" he smirked before claiming his prize once again.

Sensing that she didn't know what to do with her hands, he gently cuffed them above her head. Realization hit him that he now had the opportunity to ravish her body. He decided against it, afraid that she wasn't ready for such a treatment and neither was he.

He continued the kiss while his hand trailed over her clothes. He was pleased when her body jerked when he brushed a pebbled nipple through her shirt or the untouched area between her thighs. Pleasing moans and soft gasps came and went as he continued his treatment.

Her body was burning; desire was crawling through her skin. She was becoming lightheaded, her breaths were coming out in short pants. She wasn't sure how much she could take. But something inside of her was craving more contact. She needed more stimulation.

Not knowing what else to do, her hips rose to meet his. His throaty groan of approval gave her the confidence to rub against him again.

She found what she was missing; that friction to ignite the spark inside of her. She moaned between kisses, that spark kindled into a small flame; burning hotter and hotter. Her body was moving on its own. Wrapping her legs around his waist to keep close, they rocked in sync with one another.

Sweat beaded on their skin; moans melted into one as their pace quickened.

The blonde didn't know what she was doing. She didn't know if it was right or wrong, if she should try to touch him or say something. All she could think about was that she didn't want it to stop.

"Serena." Her head was buzzing; she was on fire. She had never felt this way with Darien before. "Serena." She heard her name again, but only when she didn't feel his body press to hers did she snap out of her haze.

Her head was really buzzing now, but it wasn't because she was about to climax. That damn alarm had sounded.

"Time's up." Her guy stated the obvious. He tried his hardest not to laugh when he saw her dazed and confused face.

"Wait…what?" she was flushed with passion. Finally getting control on her breathing and senses, she found herself alone in an empty bed. Darien had gotten up to shut off the machine.

"Wait." She wanted to sit up but she was completely numb.

"You asked me to stop when the alarm went off." He wasn't too happy himself. He was so close to bringing them both over the edge. But he was a man of his word and he wasn't going to pressure her, so he stopped.

"Yeah. But…" she didn't know what to say. She was so confused, and embarrassed as she started to remember most of those moans and grunts came from her. She felt hot, flustered and most of all… unsatisfied.

"Do you want to finish?" God, he wanted her to say yes. Just one word and he would take her far and beyond places she could never imagine.

She blushed at his words. Did she want him to finish? She wasn't sure if she could answer that at the moment. Well, she could but that was only because her body was now craving something that it never had before. But was her heart craving the same thing?

She looked up and pouted when he gave her a teasing look.

"No!" she blushed harder. He was just playing with her.

Upset, she threw a pillow at him before bundling herself under the covers.

"If you say so." He watched over the lump in the middle of his bed a minute longer. Leaving for the bathroom, he knew for sure that he would be taking an extra cold one this morning.

Life seemed to be getting back to normal. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary. People walked around her in the park. Children laughed and squealed as they played in the fountain nearby.

"Here you are, Miss." Serena paid for the cups of ice cream. Walking back to Rini who sat on the park bench, she handed her share of the cold dessert. She waited until the youngster had eaten a few mouthfuls. She wanted her to be as comfortable as possible before she asked her to reach into her memory bank and pull out some information.

"So what's this all about?" Rini didn't look up from her treat. She knew by how silent the blonde was that she was up to something.

"Can't I take you out for ice cream once in a while?" She didn't see the child roll her eyes at her but heard the snicker.

"Are you going to explain how you got those marks on your neck?"

Serena blushed, her hand automatically pressed at the place where Darien had marked her this morning. If she had known he was going to put them in spots that could be seen a mile away, she would have packed something that covered them. Instead she was stuck with a blue spaghetti strapped sun dress, unintentionally displaying them for the world to see.

"No…that's wasn't what I wanted to talk about." To make herself feel better, she scooped ice cream into her mouth. "Do you remember, back on the Moon Kingdom, on days when Wynter was training?"

"Yeah. When I didn't have to study, I would watch her."

"Did she seem, I don't know, persistent about it? Training, I mean." She could tell by the way Rini toyed with her spoon and bit her lower lip that she was holding on to something.

"You'll think differently of her."

"I'll try my best not to."

"When she found out that she had a special talent, she was ecstatic. She thought that with her powers, she could be a Scout. That's what she dreamed of becoming. She strived to be apart of that. But Mama wouldn't let her because she was already powerful. She craved to be the best fighter, the best defender and she felt that the only way she could be that was to become a Scout. It crushed her spirits.

"She worked hard. She pushed herself extremely hard because in her head, she wasn't the best until she beat the best and those were the people that trained her: Papa and the girls."

"So it was an obsession."

Rini shrugged, not knowing how to answer. She didn't want her beloved sister to be put in a bad light. She wouldn't say that she was obsessed with being the best. She was trying to find an outlet for her anger and disappointment.

Serena was putting everything together. Though she hesitated to speak her mind, afraid of how her company would take it.

"Did you see Wynter before you were sent back here?"

"No." she shook her head lightly. She poured the melted cream from her spoon back into the small decorative bowl. "I was only there for a short time and the Academy didn't let out for vacation."

"So she was probably told that you too are also a Sailor Scout."

"So?" she looked up at her, giving a suspicious look. She noticed as the older girl gripped the hem of her dress; the nervousness in her eyes. A light went off in her head. "She's not a part of this.".

"Rini it's a possibility. Everything fits." She felt guilty that she was accusing the person that she looked up to be a part of something evil.

"Yeah, if you didn't know Wynter!" Her outburst attracted onlookers. "I know her. She wouldn't do any of this!"

"Rini..." it hit her hard when she saw the pained look in those blue eyes. She reached out only to have her jump away.

"No! Don't pretend like you know her. A few dreams and you think you have her figured out!" As if throwing a fit wasn't enough, she threw her cup of melted ice cream in her direction. The impact made it splash over her face and dress.

Saying nothing, Serena wiped the cream away from her cheek. She wasn't sure if she deserved it or not.

"Don't you dare say any of this to the others." Rini warned, pointing an accusing finger at her. "Don't try to pull them to your side and make Wynter out to be the bad guy. She's not. She would never try to hurt me or anyone else!"

Unable to stand the sight of her any longer, Rini ran. She ran fast and she ran far. Far from the person that accused Wynter of the unthinkable. Even though the evidence was there in her face, she wasn't going to ignore her heart that told her otherwise.

Amora fixed her smudged lipstick as she came through the door of her temporary home.

"Where the hell were you!" Was Tempest's loud greeting. She gave her a genuine smile.

"I was out enjoying this nice city." She walked passed her, humming a tune.

"Your hair's a mess." Her narcissistic sister pointed out. She pulled at her locks, shaking it out of the style it was in that morning.

"It was…really windy out?"

"Yeah right." she giggled as she went over to her. Vani pulled out her brush and got to work.

"Yes, laugh it up. While you're out gallivanting around, we're busting our asses trying to plan this thing out."

Amora ignored another one of Tempest's many raging rampages. She pulled down her corset, exposing more of her chest. She was in a good mood for the first time since she had arrived and there was nothing that was going to put her in a funk.

"It's not like this has anything to do with me. I'm not even apart of it this time." She went to touch her hair only to have it batted away.

"Besides, how do we even know that this plan is going to work? Combining our powers? We never did it before." She was venting out everything that was on her mind. "And what about that girl? How do we know that she's not going to take credit for our work or throw us under the bus?"

"Throw us under the bus?" Tamanna looked over her shoulder in confusion.

"It's a term that these humans use. It means that's she may leave us to take the blame if we fail and say it wasn't her idea."

"Don't worry you're pretty little head over it." The woman in question appeared in the room. "If things go wrong, I'll take full responsibility. And if you all success, the credit is all yours. You have my word." She raised a hand, her palm facing towards them as a sign of her vow.

"So why are you here?"

"Well, I thought I should be so considerate as to tell you that I will accompany you."

"Why?" They all spoke at once. One thing that The Seven didn't like was to be chaperoned and treated like children.

"Relax. I'm not going to supervise your performance. I just wanna say 'hi' to my little sister."