Hello! Long time no see! So it's been over a decade since I've updated this, but this story has never left my mind. In fact, I wrote a fantasy book based on this. It's not yet published, but it is written better. It's also in first person for now. I'm trying to become traditionally published, but if I self-published, is that something you guys would be interested in? Let me know in the comments.

And, as sort of an apology for taking so long, you get a little bit of a sexy time scene. Enjoy!

Chapter 12: Unexpected Occurrences

The dark had plenty of time to settle over the castle. Usagi had calmed down in her room and was casually cleaning her weapons when she decided it would be a good time to go to the training room while the castle was as empty as it could be. In full assassin attire, as always, she made it there completely unnoticed. She set about practicing with her sword on one of the dummies when she began hearing slow footsteps coming from the hall. She turned with her sword still lowered but her guard up to see who it was. A small gasp came from her mouth as she saw Endymion enter with a confident smile.

"When I found your room empty I knew I'd find you here," he said as he walked over to her slowly, attempting to gage her reaction to him.

He was in full black, with a lightweight black chest plate and his same black cloak hanging down regally. Usagi looked at his blue eyes that were being enhanced more by his black attire and let an appreciative look cross her usually trained features. He did the same.

He eyed the sword that she held loosely by her side, knowing that he'd just interrupted her training. "Would you care to spar with me?" the prince questioned with a smile.

"I'm not sure that's a goo-"

"I may not be on level with some of you assassins, but I have been training very hard since you were kidnapped. I wanted vengeance. I wanted to find whoever took you and destroy them in the worst way." He put his hands up in defense when her surprise at his outburst turned into something more defensive when he threatened Jafari.

"I know, I know. He isn't just a kidnapper to you. I see that now. But I can still protect you against some of you enemies if you'd let me." He said it with such fortitude, which shocked her.

She thought over his words in her head, or at least tried to, as he started unsheathing his sword.

He held it up in a warrior's stance and said commandingly with a smirk, "Fight me."

"Do you have a death wish?!"

"Perhaps. Now raise your sword Kiss of Death. Let me prove my worth to you in the only way you understand," the handsome prince spoke softly as he made his first move.

Usagi quickly blocked it with her own while staring wide eyed at him and looking between his face and their connected blades.

His gaze, however, just stared between her eyes and her lips. He shoved her back with all his weight and sent a kick towards her midsection.

She caught his leg, but he jumped up from the other and kicked her chest. She went flying back and he landed on his back, lifted his legs, and sprung himself up with his hands into a squat before seeing her lying on her back looking at him in shock.

Endymion ran over to her with concerned features letting out a shocked "I'm so sorry!" as she smirked at him and swept his legs out from under him just as he got close enough. He lay there on his back for a few seconds out of embarrassment before lifting his head to look at her still form on the ground sitting with her palms flat behind her. She had an amused smile on her face as she laughed lightly. He sprung up again and she hopped up ready for him. Then their swords were clashing, reverberating throughout the training room.

Every now and then, you'd hear a laugh amongst the sound of metal scraping metal. Usagi had to admit to herself that she actually did have to put more effort in than she ever imagined. He really can handle his own, she thought whilst appraising him. He was quite a sight to behold. Black hair tickling handsomely above the deepest blue she's ever seen. He could really hypnotize her with his gaze if she stared long enough. Luckily the swords were helping keep her attention from him.

Until the second their swords were locked again.

Mere inches apart were two slightly flushed faces. Blue locked on blue. The moment her gaze fell to his lips, she couldn't explain what brought on her next action. She dropped her sword from her hand and slammed her mouth onto his while roughly grabbing the back of his head to hold him in place.

His eyes went wide before he dropped his own sword and put one hand on the back of her head, tangling it into her hair, as the other one swooped to her back to draw her flush against him.

After a few moments of just pressing mouths experimentally together, they parted panting while still holding each other. They stared surprised before he moved in, using his tongue to part her lips and starting them off in a new battle for dominance. One he was sure to win. Spinning her around effortlessly, he pinned her to the nearest column, hands on either side of her head, while she moved her hands from his hair to his upper back, pulling him down while raising up further.

Endymion could feel that she processed the same heavenly passion he was stricken with. It took one sweet moan to escape Usagi's unguarded lips to cause him to act on pure hunger for her and, without breaking contact from her lips and taking full advantage of her back to a pillar, used the leverage to tuck his fingers behind her knees and lift them to his waist.

The heat of the moment brought out instincts other than her normal fighting ones, and she swiftly wrapped her legs around his waist, and pulled him against her. This move sent a shock through Endymion's whole being – starting just below the waist. The new pressure made him stop all movements and kissing as he helplessly rested his forehead against hers as their panted breaths joined.

"Gods… I've missed you… I love you… Serenity." Endymion said with pent up emotions between pants. Hearing his words made her feel a number of things she wasn't used to. Shivers went up her spine at the intimacy of it all – spoken and physical. She felt wanted, desired, and loved.

Until the name Serenity left his lips.

Endymion wasn't there with her. She slightly pushed him back to see his face. He seemed confused before he realized his mistake. "Kiss of Death, Usagi, Serenity. Your name doesn't matter to me. Just being with you, like this…" he trailed off as he gently ran a hand down her left cheek. "I never thought I would see you again, let alone touch you. You may not remember me in your mind, but your heart," he paused and her breath caught waiting for him to continue as he looked lovingly at her, "your heart has to remember me, or else you wouldn't want this contact as much as I want it. Need it. Admit it, if I were anyone else, you wouldn't have started kissing me. Your heart remembers me," he finished and placed a soft kiss to her lips, both with eyes now closed in contentment.

Usagi's eyes stayed closed as he brought his face back from the kiss. He watched as a small smile grew on her lips, making him smile in return. "I think you're right. That first night in the ballroom when I came to find Diamond, I felt something toward you. I couldn't place it, but I knew I never felt it before. Again when you asked me to dinner, and I think it was obvious to you during our moonlit dinner. As if something in me is calling out to you, seeking you out in the crowd of anger and loneliness inside me. As though it knows it can trust you… that I can trust you. It keeps making me act upon it and do things I would normally find out of character. But when I'm alone with you like this, especially like this," she giggled slightly as she used her eyes to point to their still touching bodies then back to his anxious face. "I don't care about not keeping up my guard around you. I don't think I could if I wanted to. You level my guard with a look when you're this close," she finished, her voice and smile gentle.

They spent a few moments enjoying their intimate position and loving looks before Usagi heard soft footsteps. After a few more steps, Endymion heard them, too. He looked a tad panicked, especially when he saw the excitement light up Usagi's face. She winked, bringing her feet to the ground she quickly gathered both their swords and sheathed both his and hers before dragging the prince with her to the shadows behind another pillar.

They both looked to the door, waiting to see who would come through it. Endymion felt a rush of adrenaline that lurking in the shadows and awaiting the unknown brought on. A guard stepped through the doors, doing his patrolling he went to the center of the room and began looking around from his fixed position. The adrenaline, now peaking, was taking away a lot of the inhibitions the proper prince normally dealt with. Especially since his love was in the shadows with him, about 2 feet in front of him with her hands on the pillar as she peered around it. He used this to his advantage, stepping forward and brushing her hair off her neck, bringing his lips down and placing gentle kisses to the exposed skin.

Usagi, still looking at the guard, went wide eyed. Sure, she always felt that familiar adrenaline rush that he was feeling, but she never lurked in the shadows with anyone other than Jafari, and they didn't have feelings for each other that was anything other than father/daughter on a good day and master/apprentice on a bad one. Hiding like this, with this crazy prince, was a whole new experience - especially as he continued butterflying kisses down her neck.

Then, just when she thought she wouldn't be able to hold it together anymore, he started nibbling on that same overly sensitive skin. He knew from just minutes earlier she was prone to moaning when things got heated and gently put his hand over her mouth just before he bit harder.

And moan she did, eyes rolling back as she did so.

Endymion looked up at the guard and smirked, his teeth still pressed into her flesh gently. Luckily the guard didn't hear anything in the large room. Either that, or he chose to pretend that he didn't. Instead, he just turned and walked out.

As soon as the doors shut behind him, Usagi started to turn around, but Endymion gripped her in place, pushing her chest towards the pillar and pulling her hips back to meet his own.

"Put your hands back on the pillar and leave them there," he whispered deeply into her ear, his warm breath making her shiver as her eyes fluttered close. He brought his hand back to her mouth while his other arched her back forward like a bow, bringing her hips back farther.

She felt just then what effects the adrenaline were having on him and moaned again as he pressed against her and held himself there.

"Is this why you enjoy the shadows? This feeling? It feels like a hunt. I've been hunting before, but I never enjoyed it this much. Maybe it was the lack of your company. Or maybe I just never caught anything as beautiful as you before," he said as he continued kissing and nibbling at her neck again. Then, he started grinding and even all the layers of their clothes couldn't block the sensation of it all – she whimpered behind his hand that was still over her mouth. He smirked, still lacking his inhibitions. "Kiss of Death. Are you really what death feels like? Is this dying? Right now? With you like this?"

His unmerciful grinding continuing. She began arching herself even more. Attempting to gain more purchase of his torment. Her ribs now flush against the pillar. She never dreamed she would be able to turn over control of herself this fully before this prince. All coherent thoughts left her. She never felt this before. The heavenly torcher he was inflicting upon her was so very different from the pain of fighting she was fine tuned for.

"We would have been married by now. I would have been yours. And you? You would have been all mine," he punctuated his last word with a deep thrust forward of his hips. Usagi couldn't control herself anymore. She turned swiftly, pushed him to the wall and dragged him down it so he was seated with his back against it. She straddled him before he even knew what was going on.

They were in a thin patch of shadows now, but could still see each other. Her mouth was on his, hands in his hair, hips grinding onto him.

His hands were everywhere. And when they went for her breasts over her coat, she fumbled her hands down and opened it up revealing a low cut shirt. He brought his lips to the skin above the hem of it, and when she didn't protest, he pulled the fabric down revealing her perfect breasts with taught nipples hardened from the excitement of it all. Endymion's hands grazed over the nipples and her grinding sped up as the pressure increased.

Usagi's hands in his hair brought his face to her breasts.

He didn't need words to know what to do, his hands left her breasts and moved to her clothed hips, taking the lead of her movements as he took the sweet skin of her left breast in his mouth.

Her pants and moans became more frantic as she leaned back. She was close to something, but didn't know what.

The prince knew this and went to go show his attention to her other breast. He never made it there after he caught sight of her face. She had leaned back, eyes closed in pleasure, lips swollen from his kisses opened as her sounds of pleasure escaped them. What made the angel before him even more beautiful was the dim light of the earth that was cascading across her. He gripped her hips tighter as he ground her faster and harder against his clothed hardness. The crescent moon on her forehead began faintly flashing.

Then she came undone in his arms, and he was right there with her. Pleasure joining pleasure as her faint crescent stopped flickering and remained aglow while her orgasm overtook her senses.

He had never laid eyes upon such a beautiful sight. Once they came to their right mind, she slowly opened her eyes and looked at him in a relaxed awe. His hair was ruffled from her hands and his eyes - that peaked through the black curtain of his bangs - were looking at her with so much love. He was still panting, attempting to find his breath after his release left him breathless. He brought his hand up to her face, thumb sweeping over her bottom lip as he pulled her forward and kissed her lightly. "I love you," he said breathlessly. "I always have, I always will. Assassin, princess, it matters not. Whatever name you wish me to call you I'll do so gladly. All I ask is that you allow me to love you. Allow us to always have moments like this."

She looked into his honest eyes and smiled before she began. "On one condition."

"Anything," he said with intense eyes.

"You never mention this to anyone. Any moment like this, any time where my guard is swept away by you. That all is to remain a secret. Our secret. I can't afford anyone, not even your fellow royals, knowing that I'm not heartless," she ended in a sad tone.

"I agree to your conditions." He leaned in and kissed her nose. "But why? Why do you want to hide this side of yourself? I think that everyone, especially the Queen, would enjoy you without your cold shields in place on your emotions."

"It's not that easy," Usagi said, frustrated as she moved her shirt back and buttoned her coat back in place, much to his disappointment.

"Why? Why is it not easy for them but almost natural when it comes to me?" he softly asked.

"Two reasons," she began as she scanned all the windows quickly, her assassin nature coming back now that the passion passed. "If I let my guard down to them, they become my weakness."

"They won't see it like that." Endymion tried reasoning with her.

"That's the problem," she replied stonily. "They only see it on their own terms. Just as you do. The moment I agreed to stay here, all interaction with me was seen as interacting with a lost princess. My staying here brought a war to your front door that none of you seem to be taking seriously. Assassins surround this place nightly; I've already caught the ones that have broken into this palace. If they see that I have a weakness for the royal family, they will try even harder to kill them just so that when they fight me, my thoughts will be too mixed up to fully concentrate on fighting them back. If I seem like I don't give two shits about them, the assassins will be less inclined to kill them while I'm here.

"Okay, that's a good reason. But why is it different for me?" He asked after taking in all she said and gaining a better understanding of why she never let up at all around the others.

"That's the second reason. You've been the only one that seems somewhat familiar to me. Like I said before, it's like part of me does remember you, and is just trying to get my brain to catch up to it." She said while looking at him curiously. "I know I was just a child when I was taken so it's not very likely that moments like this will seem familiar. But it doesn't make me any less drawn to being with you."

"Well, I'm honored, my love," he said as he put his forehead against hers. "Back to what you said, do you give 'two shits' for the other royals?"

"They're good people. I'm not entirely used to good people, but they make it very hard to hate them; even if I do want to punch them each in the throat for being so naïve. Artemis is very patient with me. He was the first of them to understand that he has to talk to me on my terms. It has sort of endeared him to me in a way that the others – minus you – have failed to do."

"While I'm sure he'd be very pleased to know that you feel that way, I'm also aware that I would suffer your wrath if I told him myself," he added with a smile. "Formed opinions of any of the others?"

"Lita seems like more of a psycho than me about fighting."

Endymion laughed at her observation that mirrored his own of the queen's guard member. "You may be right about that! She idolizes you for your fighting skills, you know."

"I figured as much. It's really annoying. And Kunzite is fun to prove wrong in all his asinine methods that he has those pathetic guards trained in," she said with a smirk as she rolled her eyes.

"He's a very skilled general, but I must admit that I love it when you get to him," Endymion admitted with a guilty laugh. "No one would ever dare insult him. I think you're the first. Are the guards really as bad as you always make them out to be? Or is that part of you training method? Insult them into the perfect soldiers?" He asked curiously.

"If they were just guarding against regular enemies then they are at a decent level, but that's no longer the case. The standard that they now need to be at because of all the assassin threats is so much higher than they realize. The weapons that they are supplied with are also complete shit. The night that Diamond met me in the ball room, I went out afterwards and spoke with my weapons dealer. A shipment is arriving tomorrow morning at dawn. I bought them all new archery equipment as well as new swords."

"You bought them new equipment? Did you speak with the advisors first about the money for it? They haven't mentioned anything about it that I've heard."

"I'm not charging the Queen."

"You're kidding, right?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No, I'm not," she said before leaning in and kissing him one last time before rising up. "We should both leave before anyone starts looking for either of us and start getting the wrong idea about our absence.

"I wouldn't be opposed to them getting the wrong idea," he said with a boyish grin. She just giggled and shook her head as she smiled at him. "Wait a few minutes until after I have left before you leave."

"You know it wouldn't be too out of the question to be seen walking with me back to your room. As an escort I mean," he swiftly corrected with a gentlemanly nod of his head as he stood to his full height, properly smoothing out his clothes as he did so.

Usagi just looked at him cautiously before agreeing. The prince only smiled in victory. He really was sure she'd say no.

"Should I bother offering you my arm? Or would you be too worried about who might see that?" he asked as he proffered his arm. It just earned him a glare that he laughed at as he dropped his arm. "I figured as much my sweet."

They walked in silence and she noticed that as he led the way, he went a different way than the room she was staying in. "Where are you taking me? My room is on the floor below this one."

He stopped walking and just looked at her mischievously. "See this door?" he said as he knocked on the door behind him.

"Uh, yeah. I'm not blind."

He just smiled. "This is the door to my room."

"Oh, really? And why did you bring me here?" she questioned, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Just figured you should know where you could find me. See the door behind you?" She turned and nodded. "That was your room."

She turned back and looked at him with an unreadable expression.

"Would you care to go in your old room, my love?" he asked carefully.

Knowing her forgotten past was a touchy subject with her, but it was still something Usagi was curious about. She nodded slowly.

"Then allow me." He said, stepping around her and opening the door for her. Even when she went on assassin jobs, she never walked as carefully into a room as she now did.

It was dark until Endymion turned the light on, then her sight was attacked by pink. Everything was pink. Bunny stuffed toys were scattered about on shelves. Every piece of furniture and molding had crescent moons engraved on it. This was her past self, and none of it seemed at all familiar. "I don't remember any of this. I didn't know I liked bunnies this much and I really had no idea that even my past self would have loved pink this much," she remarked in disgust.

Endymion laughed at that. "Yes, you were definitely a girly-girl, all pinks and frills. I have to admit that I was hoping some of this would have brought back at least one memory," he said softly as he walked around her room picking up different girly objects, smiling at memories that only he had, and then putting them back down. "This room has always brought me great comfort. I've never told anyone this before, but when we would come from earth to visit the moon royals and sit around remembering you, I would always come here every night before I went to my own room. I'd sit on your bed and hold your pillow. I swear it still smells like you. This is the only place I would allow myself to cry for you. I know I must sound like such a weak man to you for even admitting that, but if I can't admit that to you, then who else could I admit it to? You already know that I never stopped loving you, so it can't come as a surprise that when you were not here I mourned deeply for you." He kept stammering, trying to find the best way to explain himself, afraid that she would now find him weak and unappealing.

She just stared at him. Not really knowing how to react to what he was admitting to her.

"I don't think you're weak. It takes a different kind of strength to admit something like that. A kind of strength I don't yet possess. I… I respect you for having that strength," she said as she approached him.

"You have that strength with me. Every moment we spend together where you're open and not guarded, it's that same type of strength that comes shining from you. You'll never know how happy I am to have you back."

"And what makes you think you have me back?" she asked while smirking at him and taking the few extra steps to get close enough to wrap her arms around his neck.

"Oh, I don't know. Call it a hunch," he said while smiling and leaning in to kiss her lips. "We should really leave this room. It reminds me too much of not having you in my life, even if you are in my arms right now."

He gently untangled himself from her arms and took her hand, leading her out of the room. After he noticed she was letting him hold her hand without a fuss, he smiled and gave it a squeeze. She didn't understand why he was squeezing her hand, so she just squeezed it back. The small gesture brought him even more happiness. "I suppose I should see you to your room for the night."

"I know where it is, no point in you coming too since you're already at your door," she said, removing her hand from his. "It's late, and I have to be there for the weapons delivery in a few hours. Don't be upset if you see me while others are around and I don't act like anything is different between us."

"Don't worry about me. I understand that you still have to be hard in front of them. When will we have a moment like tonight again?" he asked as he put his hands on either side of her face and rubbed her cheeks with his thumbs.

"I'm hoping soon. This whole night has been just so completely unexpected. I felt like a normal girl for a night. Not an always alert and guarded assassin. Being with you is like a vacation, and that's saying a lot because I have never taken a vacation before." She said with a sigh as she smiled at him.

Endymion just leaned down and kissed her softly. Where their first kisses this night held all his passion built up for her, this kiss was showing his love for her and appreciation to have her back in his life.

After a few moments, they separated, but not before he placed one more gentle kiss on her lips. "Sleep well my sweet," he gently told her before he walked to his door and gave her a final bow before she turned and walked back to her room.

Tonight, her room that was once more than satisfactory just left her feeling cold and alone without her prince with her. Sleep didn't come as easy as she would have liked since all she could think about was being back in his arms. You are becoming a complete mush because of him, Usagi thought to herself as she lay in bed.

But he's so worth it.