Chapter 11: About your affairs

"Alright." Darius said to Jareth at the end of a party, "Alright. I'll agree to this."

He had never seen such a radiant smile as he had on Jareth's face. It actually made his own heart flutter a little and made him feel good about his arrangement.

Jareth had pulled him into a bear hug, nearly squeezing the life out of him, saying "You won't regret this!"

"You might if you don't let go!" Darius laughs a bit, "I need to breathe you know."

Still, his friend could only laugh letting him go. After all they had time.

Enough time.

As things were winding down and their group retreated in to their rooms, Diana glances over at her charge who went to the balcony to look over Paris at night.

"It's beautiful here, isn't it?" He said glancing behind him when she came up to him. She was dressed in a white sleeveless dress that poofs out towards the bottom. She had long ago taken off her shoes and had let her hair down from the strange twists that Michiru had put them up in.

"Yeah, " She nods looking down a bit on the glittering city, "Too bad we didn't get to stay at that catacomb party." She laughs a little remembering when Jareth had dragged them out while their chaperones were busy.

It was rather surprising that Hiroshi was such a party-animal. Darius wouldn't have imagined it at all. It was rather hilarious when one thought about it. Hiroshi was always so freaking proper, you never really knew.

But having watched him and the others dance the night away then and having done it himself, with Diana and Jareth keeping him company and then some random people after that- it had been the release he had been looking for.

He actually thought they were feeling the pressure and stress of all these boring meetings and playing nice with the rich brats of society that this was exactly what they needed.

Sure they gotten a talking to when they returned, but Darius doubted any of them were actually truly sorry for it.

"I know. But the tip about the police coming kinda killed it didn't it?" He told her with a grin, "It was fun at least."

She nods before glancing back seeing the light go out in each room before she looks back at him. Deirdre and Kumara had already made their relationship official and known to the others. Having sat with the pale pink haired woman and listening to her talk to the others about it, Diana found herself trying to get the courage to tell Darius her own feelings for the past month and a half.

She had rehearsed it in her head over and over again, but now..

Now...

"Darius."

"Hm?" He glances at her as his bangs, which were usually tucked away behind his ears, fell forward framing his face making him look even more prince-like in her mind. "What is it Diana?"

She blushes, how can she say- "I love you."

Darius froze for a long while staring at her. It was different with Jareth. When Jareth says it, he believes it but never took it really seriously. But Diana...Diana he grew up with. He knew and loved more than his sisters-believe it or not.

His stomach turns slightly wondering what he could say. Did he love her that way? He wasn't sure, and wasn't sure if he wanted to investigate that.

"You don't have to say anything." She told him blushing deeply and looking away, "I know you love Helios. However, I couldn't keep this inside any more. And..."

She only moves forward and kisses him quite thoroughly, catching him by surprise.

Darius had only a split second of thought to push her away and try to deny the feelings it aroused in him. He couldn't quite make himself pull away from this. Soft lips, a body that fits well against him that was rather curvy that he hadn't really noticed before.

Or maybe he had and he didn't think about it at the time?

Before the crown prince knew it, they were in his room. He doesn't remember how they had gotten there only that the door was shut- locked- and her hands threaded through his hair, pulling slightly with her body pressed close against him. A soft sound came from one of them - neither knew which had made it- only that these touches and her, sitting on his lap, instinctively grinding her hips a bit against his dragging a soft moan from him before they finally parted, panting a little with obvious want.

In that moment, Darius wouldn't have minded stripping her down and having his way with her. The only thing that stopped him was the thought of Helios. Fuck.

"Diana..." He breathes a bit, "I.. You should do this with someone that can love you too." He should be the gentleman here. Offer her a way out, to back off gracefully at least. Gods, he didn't want to hurt Diana. He really didn't.

"I am." She purrs and kisses him again, "I know you. I know you'll love me still, even if it's not the way I love you." She presses her forehead against his. "I want you to be my first. I know you must marry that girl for legitimate reasons. I know you truly love Helios, and you told me about Jareth." Diana's pinkish-red eyes stares at him with almost a resigned look. "I know and have seen everything, Darius. I know your feelings on this, so having me shouldn't be a problem either."

"But-!" He tries to protest a bit, however she only pushes him down onto the bed and leans over him with the cat tail swaying gently behind her. "What about-?"

She nips his lips, "I think Helios will forgive you for me." She nuzzles his throat licking it affectionately, "But for tonight while we're still here, let it just be the two of us?"

Darius breathes out, how could he really deny her? Truth was, he couldn't. After everything they had been through together and everything she's tried to do and have done...

"And the others? They'll hear us." Last ditch effort, however weak it was as he watched her unbutton his shirt. "What about-?"

Diana smiles a bit, "I'm your advisor for a reason." She leans over, her hands finding the end of the undershirt and pushing it up so she could feel his skin. Gods, how long had she wanted to do this? It seems like forever. "Precautions have already been taken."

It seems as if he had no reasons left. Not really. Not how he was going to run his life. Finally, making his last decision, he leans up and kisses her deeply.

If anything, he still loved her.

She closes the door when she saw them kiss and shakes her head. They needed to be more discreet if this was going to work.

In her nightie, now, Amuko walks over towards her bed where a nice bottle of wine was on the table with some strawberries and chocolate to the side. She could only muse, now, on how wrong she was.

"C'est la vie." She said and toasts the air before drinking the wine.

Maybe she could get buzzed enough to sleep through the morning.

Yuzuki had decided that Perle was probably one of -the- most frustrating guy she has ever had the displeasure of meeting!

Sometimes he would be nice and not cryptic, and others, he told riddles out the ass which gave her a headache.

Still, she couldn't help but feel a grudging affection for him. After all, he knew but didn't treat her any differently than he had before.

If anything, she thought while studying in the library, he seems to like that.

She blushes, remembering when he stole that kiss from her. She was torn between being royally pissed off at him still and wanting to find him and kiss him again.

Today, she had decided to piss Luna off by wearing a plaid short sleeved shirt, a blue vest and blue jeans that had a hole in the knee.

In some ways, she took an almost perverse pleasure in annoying that woman. Mostly because she didn't want her to run her life as she seemed prone to do these days. Soma had speculated she only did it as a response to her mother's waning interest in other things besides sitting in the garden- the rose section- whenever she had free time.

Thinking of her mother, Yuzuki frowns a little as worry ate at her over the older woman. She knew her brother would be returning soon, and hoped that with the group they would be able to interest their mother in other things again.

Though, She thought highlighting a passage in her book, she seems taken with planning Usa's wedding a few years after Darius's.

Yes. News of Usa's engagement to Theo spread like wildfire throughout the castle. Better than her own rebellious streak that they usually talked about. No, this was great. Another party to be had after the wedding and Coronation.

Yuzuki thought it was crazy, really. Really crazy, after all how could they possibly afford all that?

"Guess when it comes to a national holiday, people will spend anything." She said to herself, but glances over as she saw pale lavender hair duck behind another row of books.

Weird, she thought getting up and heading over. Nami was still a puzzle. Yuzuki couldn't quite figure the girl out. In a weird way the girl had eyes like she did if a shade different, but other than that there was nothing alike in either of their personalities.

She turns the corner and saw her with that book again. She stayed there observing the girl, trying to figure her out. There was something really odd about her. After all, she didn't act too much like a little kid but at the same time she wasn't quite..an adult.

It was weird.

Most of all, no matter how much everyone tried to pry into her, she kept her mouth closed.

What was so important?

"Nami!"

Yuzuki hide behind a different shelf as Spinel and Sphene came running up to her, "Come on! Jimmu's going to show us a magic trick!"

"Magic?" Nami sounded only half interested, "Like what?"

"Well, he's got these cards and-" Sphene went on about that enough for Nami to get up and set her book aside.

"Alright, I'm coming. So what snacks do you think Karou's mom made?"

"Probably cookies." Spinel said quietly but even in that quiet voice she sounded even excited-for her at least.

Once their voices faded, Yuzuki rounds the corner and went to pick up the book Nami had been reading.

"Wonder what this is?" She mutters flipping through it. It was obviously old. Much older than any of the books in the library. She wonders how the girl found this but ignores that in favor of reading it.

".. And so the Earth cried. " She read aloud from a random paragraph. "From her tears and blood they rose from the darkness in her heart. The Knights of Hades."

She frowns a bit, "I've never heard of this...Wonder if Helios knows?" She turns back a few pages and began reading from the beginning.

Maybe with this she would be able to figure out what Nami was keeping from everyone.

"Darius." Amuko found she can finally look at him and gestures him to follow her into the back, "May I speak with you?"

He shares a look with Ren and the others before nodding, "Sure." He nods to Consus, "Go ahead and play my guy."

"Great!" The brown haired boy grins before moving to take his place, "Prepare to be embarrassed!"

"I will not have my honor tarnished by a midget!" Zoisite said. Apparently the boys had talked the older man into this game. Which he now became highly addicted to wining ever since he managed to beat Kumara once.

"Midget?" Consus glares at him, "I'll show you a midget!"

Once they were away and in the back bedrooms on the plane, Darius closes the door and looks at her in the somewhat cramped space.

"What is it?" He wonders if she knew. If she did...well...

"About your affairs." Amuko began almost business like. "You need to be more discreet if you wish for this to go well."

Damn it. Yet he could feel his cheeks getting warm as he felt utterly ashamed of himself. "I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about." She sighs softly, "It's part of the deal, isn't it?" She looks at him before ruffling his hair, "And you've been away from your lover for two months. What's one to expect from a teenage boy?"

"I'm not a boy." Even though it sounded utterly childish to his own ears, he tries not to pout.

Amuko laughs softly, "Right, of course." She only kisses his cheek, "Well, my future husband, be more discreet. For everyone's sake."

He nods a bit but breathes out, "You're not angry?"

"A bit." She nods being honest at least, "Mostly because you haven't come to me at all in this time. However, I understand. They were your closest companions weren't they?"

He glances away, "How do you know?"

"I hear things." She smirks a bit, "That Minako is awfully chatty once you get her going."

Face palm, that was what Darius was doing, "Gods, Aunt Mina is such a motormouth!"

"It's rather cute, but it explains a lot." Amuko told him, "You were quite lonely until they came along. I can see that they're very loyal to you above all else. That's good. That means this could be successful."

"What about you?" He looks at her curiously, "I mean..."

Amuko shrugs, "It's not easy, but I'll manage. After all, I'm a little past the whole teenage scene-"

"I'm not a teenager!"

"By Ami's estimations, you are nineteen." Amuko pokes his nose, "See? There's that 'teen' part in it. Thus, Teenager."

He pouts. Damnit. He didn't want to! "Just because you happen to have a few years-"

"Oh, more like when you were born, I was already potty-trained." She interjected.

"Doesn't mean anything." He went on like he hadn't heard her. "Still.. I am sorry. I guess, I haven't really been quite..the gentleman.."

"Actually, aside from that, you have been. You just need to learn to be sneaky." She moves around him to the door, "Like me."

He watches her leave and wonders just how was she being sneaky?

Good question.

Well, he thought moving to leave to watch the games being played, at least we'll be home soon.

Suddenly, Darius realized that once home, he would formally have left his college and dorm for life at the palace again.

How depressing.

He decided that for the time being, he would push the thoughts out of his mind and simply leans back in the chair he settled in and watch Consus kick Zoisite's ass in the video game.