A/N: This starts where Serenity pulled Diamond into her room and then skips ahead once more. Warning of fluff and warning of lemon. A very fluffy lemon.

Perfect World

Chapter Fourteen: Darling

There was something natural, something peaceful, about leading Diamond though the halls of her empty palace. No one was around to interrupt them. Nothing was in their way. They were alone and it felt good. It felt right. She led him into the room she had chosen to be her own, a large chamber that suited a queen, and closed the door. Diamond immediately gathered her face in his hands and kissed her.

Serenity blushed furiously as he held her close, lips pressed hard to her own. When they pulled away, he whispered, "Forgive my abruptness, Serenity, but I had to know... I had to know if this was real."

Her cheeks were still red as she met his eyes and answered. "It's real," she told him. "I'm real."

He held her tightly and she let herself relax into his arms. After a few moments she pulled away out of his arms. She moved to the bed and sat on its edge, holding out her hand to him. "Diamond," she said. "Join me."

There was a light in his eyes as he approached. Something that screamed of awe and excitement and love and so much more that she couldn't name. He held her hand in his own and took to one knee, pressing his lips to her smooth flesh. He rubbed his cheek against it, nuzzling her wrist, before pressing more kisses to it, moving up her arm and closer to her body. He stopped when, still kneeling, his body was right before hers on the bed, lips pressed into the crook of her arms. He looked at her, waiting for her word, her command, before making another action.

She leaned forward, pressing her forehead to his and running her hand through his hair. She moved her fingers across his cheek in a caress then slid them over his lips. "Diamond," she whispered. "I am a queen of nothing. I have renounced the Earth. I have nothing on the Moon. I may be known as the woman that abandoned her home, the one Endymion discarded." Her fingers trailed lightly to his neck. "I have little to offer you. Little reason for you to court me, were your people to ask. I... may be ahead of myself..." She trailed off and tried to withdraw her hand, but he caught it.

He held her hand tight in his, looking at her sternly. "You are queen of my heart," he told her. "You are the woman that gave my planet aid. Of all the planets, only you deigned to help me. My people would welcome you in a heartbeat if you were to come to us. And as for courting you..." He laced his finger through hers. "I love you, Serenity. That is all the reason that I need to court you. You are not out of line for thinking beyond this night. If you want me to court you, if you want to come to Nemesis, all you have to do is say the words, and it can be so. We can plan out our courtship, our lives, this night, if you please. But believe me when I tell you that you have everything to offer me, by offering me yourself. Your heart. Your love."

"I know not what I will do beyond this night," she said. "I do not know what will happen between you and I. There is so much to consider. If not for myself, then for you."

"Do not mistake my planet for caring so deeply about rumor and politics."

"So much could come up, Diamond," Serenity said. "I want you by my side. I want to be by your side. I do not know what that means yet for us."

"Whatever we make it mean," he told her. "I mean every word that I say, Serenity. You move my heart and you move me."

Serenity reached out to hold his face in both her hands. She pressed her forehead to his, then moved her cheek to press against his own, finally touching his lips softly with hers. Her hands moved down his shoulders and to the front of his jacket, where she began to unbutton it. "You have heard me so often despair," she whispered. "Do you even know who I can be when I am not unburdened?"

Her hands paused on the button she was on. "Not yet," she said. Releasing him she stood and took a step away from the bed. "There is still something that you don't know." She turned her back to him and after a moment, the fabric of her gown began to drop from her shoulders. "After tonight, Diamond, you shall know me very well."

His eyes were intent on her bare shoulders, watching as the fabric finally dropped from her her hands, leaving her back exposed. With his eyes, he traced the curve of her back and downward. She reached to her hair without turning to face him and slowly undid her hair until it fell straight down her back. When she turned to face him, she was without her under garments, completely bare for him. Her skin was lightly flushed, but she met his eyes easily, without embarrassment or shame. His eyes tried to be everywhere at once. He wanted to look into the intimate depths of her eyes, trace the curves of her breast and hips, admire the simple beauty of her exposed arms and legs.

"We have time," she whispered. She waited as his eyes roamed all over her until he finally seemed to realized that she was right. They did have time. There was no kingdom here to need them, to interrupt them.

Starting from the top, he slowly looked over her entire body. He felt frozen in place by how beautiful she was. Once again, she held her hand out to him. He rose, removing and discarding his earrings as he did so, loosening his tie as he approached. He didn't take her hand. He moved close to her and her hands slid over the front of his suit. Discarding the loosened fabric that was his tie and unfastening the remaining buttons. She slid the jacket off of him and he removed the shirt after. Her hands slid down his shoulders and to his chest, down his chest and to his stomach, down his stomach to hover at the waistband of his pants. He could feel the uncertainty in her and he drew he close.

She gasped and he felt a slight tremble down his spine, as her soft uncovered body was pressed to his own. He moved his hands down her back, slowly wrapping them around her thin waist, reveling in the feeling. Her hands moved up his back to rest on his shoulder blades, holding him close as well. She leaned up to his lips and he met hers in a lingering kiss.

They ended up on the bed after that, Serenity pressed into the sheets underneath him. They still kissed heatedly, lips locked and tongues tangling. His hand caught her hair, playing with the long golden strands and she simply clung to him.

"You're so soft, Serenity," he whispered between kisses.

She smiled and replied, "Your arms are strong." Her fingers began to trace along his back and he made a contented sound at her touch. His lips moved along her cheek to her ear, from her ear to her neck. Her breath caught as he planted soft kisses along her neck, then to her collar bone. Her eyes closed as she let the pleasant sensations flood over her, hands tangling in his hair. Slowly, he moved his lips down her chest until finally he planted a kiss on the raised bud of her nipple. She gasped, grabbing onto him a little tighter. He kissed it again. Once more. Then he moved to the other, planting kisses before his tongue lightly lapped at it.

"Diamond," she whispered softly and he could feel her legs move restlessly beneath him. He slid one leg between hers as he moved closer to her, his lips and tongue lightly caressing her nipple. Soft, breathy gasp began to arise from Serenity. One of his hands gently caressed her hip before stroking her thigh. Her pants became heavier and her body lightly trembled. "Diamond," she said again.

Her hands moved to the side of his face, tugging him higher. He followed her pull, kissing a path upward as she guided him along her neck and then to her lips. His hand on her thigh continued it's path, stroking her and kneading its way up her inner thigh. Serenity parted her legs, granting him access to her sensitive areas and he kissed her deeply as he cupped her core. He let out a shuddering breath as he felt her heat in the palm of his hand and she moaned quietly.

He gently trailed a finger along her lower lips, lightly parting them and touching her growing wetness. She gasped, her lips breaking away from his. He buried his head in her neck and mumbled. "You are so soft, Serenity. So warm... so wet."

Her hands clutched onto him again. "Diamond," she said once more, opening her legs wider still. "Touch me." It was the barest of whispers. A plea. Pressing his finger up and into her core, he was rewarded with feeling more heat, more wetness. He stroked up and down her parted lips, stroking along her slit and causing her body to tense and tighten. His hand slid away from her core, along her thigh to her hip and then up to her breast. He gently fondled her, nuzzling her neck, encouraging her to make her own action.

Meeting his eyes for a moment, both pairs reflecting love and lust, her hands moved to his pants. She looked down as she undid the buttons and tugged them down and he moved to pull them and what was left of his clothing, off. Her eyes did not stray from the hardened member as her hands wrapped around it softly, stroking and fondling him as he was doing her. This did not go on long, though. She leaned up to his ear and whispered. "Allow me," she said. "Lay down."

He did so without breaking his gaze from hers, the taut flesh of his aroused organ standing tall. Serenity moved over him, pressing her forehead to his and looking into his eyes. She smiled and then her eyes dropped to the place between their bodies. She took hold of his hard member and she moved herself in place over it. Slowly, she lowered her body onto his member, onto him, closing her eyes as the feeling washed over her. Her body trembled and Diamond took hold of her hips as she moaned. She took a few deep breaths as she settled completely onto him before rising and moving on and off.

"So good," she whispered, moving steadily.

"Serenity," he groaned out, hands tight on her hips. Tighter than he would have normally dared, had he not been so distracted. But he loved the feeling of her hips beneath his hands, of her walls tightly latched onto him. He loved the sight of her above him, framed by the seemingly endless golden hair, eyes lost to lust. And he loved the look on her face as he pushed up into her, unexpectedly breaking her rhythm.

She cried out, and he definitely loved that. He did it again and again. Serenity threw her head back as she adjusted her movements to match his, slamming herself down as he pushed up. The wetness and heat that surrounded him was maddening and the way Serenity was gripping onto him, he could tell she felt the same.

It was good to look at her. To watch her. To touch her and hear her and taste her. He drew one of her hands to his lips and lightly licked at one of her fingers, just to indulge himself and she hummed in pleasure. Yes, all of this was so much better than anything he could have imagined.

Serenity managed a breathy laugh, which caught his attention. She smiled, still panting with pleasure, as she spoke. "Your eyes..." she said between gasp. "You love this."

"Yes," he answered. "So much."

Serenity's eyes sparkled and she slammed onto him harder, tightening around him, and he couldn't stand it anymore. He groaned and shuddered as he released inside her, and she made a sound of surprise as her own orgasm seized hold of her.

His arms wrapped around her back and pulled her close and she let out a contented sigh, her head on his chest, she whispered, "This is all of me, Diamond. This is everything."

His only answer was to pull her closer, lifting her chin so that their lips could come together in a kiss.

Mercury considered herself the most practical of all the senshi. When presented with difficult situations, she was the one that could remain calm enough to think things through and plan the best course of action. Usagi was the one that got to cry, Mars was the one that got to be mad, Jupiter was impulsive, Venus was determined, and Mercury got to plan.

At least, it used to be that way. Now Serenity was a queen and she didn't get to cry or laugh, it was too improper. She couldn't smile or frown for fear of telling too much with her expression. And Mercury hadn't noticed. She was suppose to be the one to notice things, the one to think things through, and yet she never considered the consequences of Usagi becoming a queen. She never considered that anything could bring her princess down. She though that Usagi was invincible. She had bounced back from so much, overcome so many obstacles, lifted them up with her.

Her princess was not invincible. Mercury was not so observant. They were all normal girls and they all had weaknesses, could all miss things. Over the years of being a senshi first, she began to forget these things. That they had once been normal girls, not warriors, not a queen. They were the perfect forms of themselves, as she had begun to believe.

She wanted to cry for having such a misunderstanding thrown in her face. Mars' blatant attitude and Serenity's obvious sorrow, Jupiter's anger and Venus' quiet acquiescence. She wanted to cry on behalf of her princess turned queen. She, too, had believed in the fairytale come true. The princess gets her prince, gets her kingdom, gets her crown. She wanted Usagi to be happy. She wanted to be able to look at the smiling face of her friend and know that what they had spent two lifetimes fighting for had finally come true. Not only peace, but happiness. She had believed and it hurt to have that belief shattered.

Mercury wanted to cry, but she didn't have time. She had to help her princess in someway. Serenity did not know what she would do, but she'd already made a decision, hadn't she? Serenity had decided on the moon and while her princess- her queen- did not have a plan, Mercury would create one for her. That was suppose to be her purpose, after all. The one that thought things through.

She spent a long time typing away on the main computer of the control room. She had to redirect supply ships, she had to create new order and give them coordinates. She rearranged schedules so that some ships left slightly later and others a little sooner. A kingdom, even a kingdom of one, had needs. Mercury would take care of those needs. There was only so much that the Ginzuishou could do. Even if it restored everything that the moon had once been, there was much to be considered in the way of maintenance. She couldn't do everything herself, she knew, but there was enough that she could do to keep herself from thinking about that. She had to make up for her failure. For Mars' failure. After all, she hadn't noticed anything was odd with either of her friends. She'd been too caught up in her own world and she had to make up for that.

She wanted to make other arrangements. Arrangements for workers and servants, call upon favors and make commands, take advantage of her rank and position to aid Serenity, but she wouldn't do that just yet. She did not know if Serenity was prepared to take care of the needs of others. As much help as it would be, it could so easily turn into a burden.

She gathered together the files that she had worked on over the years. Any information that she had worked on, transferring all private files so that they would no longer be on any of Earth's computers and copying all of her research that had been made public. She was very thorough and it was very late by the time she had finished making such arrangements.

Saphir was hesitant as he entered his father's throne room. King Jasper sat upon his throne in quiet contemplation, the form of the Phantom floating at his flank. Saphir did not like to interrupt his father often. The King was worried about relations with the other planets, trying to keep his people healthy with how little food stores they had, the cold harsh surface unsuitable for growing much, and how to make his people happy under such circumstances. Saphir was about to leave, deciding his inquiry was unimportant and not wanting to break his father's concentration, but the Phantom spoke before he could go.

"Prince Saphhir, unusual to see you here."

King Jasper looked up at that, only now noticing his son. "Saphir? Did you need something son?"

"I was only wondering if Diamond had been here," Saphir answered. "I haven't seen him since yesterday."

"Nor have I," Jasper said. "Perhaps Emerald or Rubeus know where he has gone. He has been disappearing often lately." Jasper frowned at the thought, wondering what his son had been up to.

"He seems to spend much time with the Neo Queen," the Phantom offered. "Perhaps that is where he has gone."

"He does seem to be spending an unusual amount of time in her company recently," Saphire contemplated aloud.

"Suspicious, I would think."

"Diamond has made the Neo Queen our ally," King Jasper stated. "There is nothing to be suspicious over."

"She has offered us and asked little in return," the Phantom said. "It does not benefit her to do so unless there is something that she is getting in return. We cannot provide her with supplies of our own, she has asked for no trades, and yet the prince is spending an increasingly large amount of time in her company. What sort of service do you believe she could be wrangling from him?"

King Jasper frowned at the implication, but Saphir spoke up. "I've spoken with the Neo Queen. She seemed kindly to me. It is likely nothing more than a social calling."

"Recently the prince has opened a dialogue with Saturn," the Phantom told them. "Would this not be an influence of the Neo Queen? And why would he not mention to us, if it were for political reasons?"

"What are you implying, Phantom?" Saphir questioned harshly.

"I am only summarizing facts, young prince," The Phantom said in a relenting tone.

"We will question him about it when he returns," Jasper decided. "I am certain he will have a satisfactory explanation and there will be nothing more to it. You think too harshly of the other planets, Phantom."

The Phantom's attention was elsewhere and he stared past the doorway, though neither could tell with the cloak obscuring his features. He replied distracted as he watched the concealed Emerald teleport away from her spying position. "I would not underestimate the other planets, your majesty."

That was the end of the conversation, however, as Saphir took his leave and the King returned to his solemn contemplation. The Phantom, however, did not remain where he had been. Dismissing himself from his king's side, the advisor thought it time he pay a visit to the prince's personal guardian.

Once Serenity had calmed down, she gathered Saturn and Diamond into the room that she'd chosen for her study. The youngest senshi smiled at the prince, holding her weapon away in a non-threatening position. "It is good to see you, Prince of Nemesis. It has been a while."

Prince Diamond bowed, taking her hand and pressing his lips to the back of it in a polite kiss. "Should I address you as a warrior or as a princess?"

"Both," Saturn replied. "I am used to being called by my title, but since you seem to be so well acquainted with my queen, my name is Hotaru."

Serenity blushed as Saturn gave her a sly look. Prince Diamond smiled at her. "It nice to see you once more, Princess Hotaru."

The Neo Queen tried not to stutter in embarrassment as she claimed their attention once more. "I wanted to share something with you both."

"About yourself and the prince?" Saturn questioned.

"Not exactly," Serenity said, refusing to let the teasing make her turn more red than she already was. Her eyes went to Diamond's as she continued. "This is about your people, Diamond. You may be hesitant to believe me, but... I believe that there is something wicked about your father's advisor."

"My father's advisor?" Diamond repeated.

"It is... a complicated matter to explain how it is that I know," Serenity began in a hesitant voice. "In the future, he took us by complete surprise when he attacked and there were many casualties and much war. I've... come back... so that I may correct my previous errors."

"Come back..." Diamond repeated. "You mean, to the past. You've come through time?"

"Yes." Serenity answered.

Saturn took this in stride. She knew what Pluto could do, after all, knew about the gates of space and time. Not many did, so Serenity was not surprised by the confused look on Diamond's face. She was a little surprised at what he chose to ask her, though.

"When?" he questioned. "At what point were you... the person that I know?"

"Since my first visit to all the planets," she told him. "It was... hazy, at first. I thought it to be a dream, of sorts. I had new memories of the things that were happening here and... I wanted for it to be no more than a dream. But I've come to terms with the truth and I don't want things to repeat any longer."

"What has repeated?" He questioned.

Serenity let a small, despairing laugh escape her. "Though it happened differently, Endymion and Mars are the same as ever. You are... just as kind as you were the first time. Things have, of course, begun to deviate. It was... years and years before the Phantom made any sign of attack. I do not want to wait that long."

"I was entwined with you before, as well?"

"You were very kind to me, as you are now. However, it was only during the duress of the Phantom's attacks that we... dared to dream, as it were. It came mostly to naught, though. One tragedy after another, one heartbreak following another disaster."

Saturn reached out for Serenity's hand, smiling at her, but giving her a serious look at the same time. "We have warning, now. We can change things. Tell us everything, Serenity, and we can help. We can move quietly so he is not alerted or alarmed and if we know what moves he made before, we can cut him off certain avenues."

Serenity looked to Diamond, imploringly. The Prince sighed. "I do not want to doubt you, Serenity, but it is a shock to think that my father's advisor plots so. For you, I am willing to look into this and I will keep silent, so as not to upset his movements, but I will need a bit more proof before I can believe such a thing."

"I understand." The queen nodded.

"Now, tell us everything," Saturn said, and Serenity proceeded to do so.