Crescentia's Story
I do not own Sailor Moon or any of the characters from the Mange Series or anime…but I do own this storyline, any other characters outside of the original works of the Sailor Moon franchise, and any other fictional environment outside of the original Sailor Moon.
Here you go! Read and Review!
Ok, everyone, you have to admit I have worked hard these past couple of weeks to give you guys nearly back to back chapters. This one here took forever and I was so sleepy trying to finish it!
The next chapter will take a little while...hopefully not a full month but it will take a couple of weeks at least.
I wanted to rest for a short time from writing but I wanted to get to a place where resting was a good idea. I have finally gotten there. The story will finally get interesting as after this chapter we will be dealing with the interactions between all our characters and solving a lot of the riddles that have not been mentioned much from the beginning chapters. And I need time to truly reread my work and bring those situations into focus.
Also besides working and dealing with this pandemic, I am in the process of dealing with grad school and trying to find funding and scholarships for it. Tis a lot going on. I will not abandon this story of course, but I will like to rest for at least two weeks to focus on other things needing my undivided attention.
I do have 2 questions for you.
#1. How many of you reading this story are men? I just always assume only girls are reading this fanfic but if any guys are reading as well, please send me a message and tell me what you like about this story. I can relate with girls (as I am a girl myself) but not always with the male species. I like to know hat intrigue them about this story, what can be better, and what stories they may want to read in the future.
#2. What ending do you want? Vote for the ending pair you want. Serena and Raizen, Serena and Darien, Rei and Darien, Rini not existing.
I will tell you now that your vote will not affect the direction of this story. The story will write itself to its logical or illogical conclusion. (we are dealing with magic and in the realm of manga don't forget) It will just help me in the future. Also, it will either validate my feelings about certain Sailor moon characters or invalidate them.
Chapter 22 - Friend or Foe
Serena's eyes widened as waves of energy assaulted her senses. An avalanche of barely concealed power rose around Raizen, his rage at Rei's insult confirming the suspicion Serena had begun to have about him.
This man was most definitely more than he seemed.
His voice, which had scorched her skin with passion, was no longer warm and seductive. It was brutal with power that commanded and broke no argument. Like a raging storm, it lashed out at the moron who'd thought it was a good idea to disrespect his woman.
Though hidden behind him as she was, Serena could well picture his eyes, dark with vengeance and retribution, spitting fire at the girls before them. She was too busy processing Raizen's power to fully notice its impact on their audience.
'Who are you?' She thought, recognizing this was perhaps the second or third time she'd asked this question. The first time, he'd told her he didn't know, that he didn't have memories of his past.
She believed him. Still did.
But the man standing before her blazing internally with a power that was both beautiful and terrible was not the Raizen she'd come to know. The silver crystal sheltered in her chest began to blaze, she felt a fire course through her bones as the crystal responded to power too old, too powerful to ignore. She felt the power within her loosen as if trying to break through her chest cavity to come out.
She was used to the silver crystal coming out of her body in dire situations. But this was different. This was very different.
Serena had never felt so terrified.
Something, an instinct perhaps, told her not to let the crystal out. That the crystal was not behaving properly. It felt as if someone else was drawing on the power of the crystal. But that was impossible.
Only children born to the throne of the moon could use the crystal's power.
Right?
Her eyes darted to Raizen's back, her blue orbs narrowing into slits as an unsettling realization began to dawn on her.
Was Raizen pulling the power of the crystal out of her? The implication of that was beyond terrifying.
Gritting her teeth as her body began to pulse with the crystal's desire to be let out, Serena looked up towards the direction of the moon. Her eyes sharpened and glowed, piercing through the heavens to behold the crystal tower of the moon. Within the crystal tower, she saw the crystal sword turn blood red.
She took a step back from Raizen, fearful, perhaps for the first time, at whom she'd so readily embraced.
From across the street, the sisters watched the entire encounter intensely and chose not to intervene. The man who'd given the silly girls a run for their money was not Raizen. The black-haired girl's insult had ignited Raizen's apoplectic response and he'd unintentionally called forward the beast that slept within.
The beast that was Crescentius.
They'd watch Rune fall to the ground as Crescentius spirit suddenly left the bird to join with his human half. Now they held their breath, waiting to see if the Master of the Skies would reveal himself to the woman he had unintentionally frightened when he drove off those who would hurt her.
Crescentius stood still, caught between the desire to reveal himself to the woman he was so insanely in love with and desired so much, or to maintain the mask and innocence of Raizen. He really, truly wanted to reveal himself to her. He wanted to turn to her, tell her that he'd waited centuries for her. He wanted to draw her into his arms and kiss her until she lost her breath in him. He wanted to bury his aching cock in deep in her and spill his children into her womb, bind them together in such a way that nothing and no one could ever undo.
He wanted so so much.
He'd been jealous. Him.
Crescentius Avyon Sars, King of the beasts, Master of the skies, an immortal who had been worshipped as a god for centuries!
He'd been jealous of himself.
Watching Raizen freely kiss his woman through the eyes of the bird of prey had cut him. That he couldn't touch her, couldn't hold her, and devour her without adopting the guise of Raizen had felt almost like another betrayal.
Logically, he knew he was Raizen and he felt everything Raizen felt when he held the princess, but it was not the same. He wanted her to look at him as he was. As Crescentius. He wanted her to want him as Crescentius. It was not enough for him anymore to just be Raizen. To be a bystander in his own story, in his own body.
To have his spirit, his memories, his personality stripped from his own body in order to hold her couldn't satisfy him anymore.
But...
He had felt her. Felt her fear. Felt her withdrawal from him as his power had unleashed. To reveal himself to her now would be a disaster of epic proportions. He was still building a relationship with her, still earning her trust, her love. If he came out now, he would ruin everything. She would run from him, run back into the arms of that bastard who hadn't appreciated her. Who hadn't protected her. Crescentius balled his hands into fists, feeling helpless and so very lonely.
'When?' He thought despairingly.
Serena watched the tortured man in front of her. To be honest, she'd barely noticed anything happening around her, her focus entirely settled on the man before her. She'd peripherally seen the girls disappear but she hadn't taken her eyes off of Raizen. That's how she noticed when his mood changed. When he went from murderous rage into helpless despair. His power softened and the silver crystal quit trying to rip her chest open.
Watching him in obvious pain caused her heart to squeeze and it had nothing to do with the silver crystal. She would investigate that matter later but right now...right now, she had to do something. Something.
Anything.
Fear had made her withdrawal from him. It wasn't that she was afraid he'd do something to her. It was fear that perhaps she'd been sleeping (not yet) with the enemy.
Raizen was not human. No way in hell.
No human can contain the kind of power raging through him and be alive. She should know. She wasn't exactly human herself.
But if he wasn't human, then what was he? Was he a new enemy? Had he infiltrated her life to weaken her? Destroy her loyalties and make her vulnerable? Was he playing games with her? She shrank when her mind conjured up a devastating image of the girls and Darien mocking her for her stupidity if it turned out that Raizen was the enemy and he'd come to deceive her.
They would tear into her, remind her yet again why she was so useless and foolish.
'Why am I such a fool!?' she wondered in despair, pain cutting through her with razor-sharp precision.
Damn it she'd known! Known a long time ago, probably soon after meeting Raizen that something was different about him. That he seemed too good to be true. She'd known! But she hadn't asked. Hadn't wanted to ask. She hadn't wanted to know.
He'd been so good to her…
He'd loved her…
Cared for her…
And even now, he just defended her…
He'd come after her when she'd ran off…several times...
Fed her when she was hungry…
She'd wanted to believe that he was just a normal guy who loved her. A normal guy who was crazy about her.
But he wasn't.
He wasn't just a normal guy. And if she'd been willing to accept her own lies about him being normal...then wasn't it a lie that he loved her at all?
He turned and she shifted back a step with his movement. She wanted to shut her eyes and not take him in. She was falling in love with this man who could possibly be her enemy.
She caught her breath at that thought as wonder and horror froze her heart like a spear of ice.
'Love?' her mind picked up, her heartbeat racing.
Was she in love with Raizen? So soon? When he could be the enemy?!
Her eyes popped wide open, openly showing her horror.
An image imposed itself into her head for a brief second but she saw it as clearly as the day that image became part of her memory. It had happened four and a half years ago, in the early stages of her relationship with Darien. She and Darien were in his bedroom. He was in a sky blue pajama top and black slacks. He was sitting at the side of his bed, his feet touched the ground. The window shutters were closed but small amounts of light still filtered in through the sides, casting the room into blue-gray shadows. She was in her pink pajamas top and bottom set, sitting on the floor by the bed, her head resting in his lap. His hand was on her shoulder. That night, he'd opened up and shared his past with her. How he'd lost his parents in a car wreck. How he'd lost his memories of them. Life in a cold orphanage. His loneliness. And how he was scared of losing her.
That day she had made him a promise.
"No matter what, as long as you need me, I will always be with you."
Remembering that day made her feel sick in light of her growing feelings for Raizen. She couldn't help but feel she'd betrayed her promise. She'd betrayed him. She wanted to run, wanted her Eternal Sailor Moon wings to unfurl, and lift her up into the evening sky where she could take cover in the shadows cast by the moon. How was she any different from Darien? He'd broken all of his promises to her, but wasn't she doing the same thing? Years of 'I love you' and yet here she was, her heart easily given to another. When had love become so fickle?
She started to hyperventilate.
Humiliation, shame, and guilt released from their not so gated prison.
She closed her eyes tightly, fighting against the internal bashing of her self worth.
'It's alright' she told herself. 'It's ok. You did everything that you could. Besides, we're no longer together. I'm not betraying him.' It was a shallow, convictionless pep talk. But it was enough to help slow her hyperactive breathing.
Looking up into Raizen's tortured eyes helped even more. She took a deep breath and forced her mind to focus on the here and now. She would deal with the past and her promises later.
She commanded her feet to move but his gaze, his dark, hungry gaze held hers and everything stopped. She gasped as she saw the lamentation in his eyes. A sorrow that spoke of pain deeper than she knew. Her heart gave three loud, rib puncturing pulse and stopped. The pain in her chest felt like a physical blow. But she knew it was more his pain than her own. There were too many complicated layers to their relationship, too similar to what Serenity and Endymion had shared. She didn't understand it but she knew she'd have to puzzle out the riddle soon.
'He needs me,' she thought suddenly. The truth within her own thoughts rung with surety and certainty. It was not her pride talking or even her heart. Her instinct was a much stronger, more accurate radar.
Her fear gave way to concern.
Her fears would return at a later time and she would deal with it then, but right now, the man drowning in sorrow in front of her needed her to be strong for him. No one should look that miserable.
"Raizen?" she whispered, her voice hoarse.
He seemed... lost.
She saw his confusion, his indecision as if he was confused about his own identity.
She went to him. She couldn't leave him in pain, not like this. Enemy or not, he'd been the only one to show her any real kindness in nearly two years.
She owed him, owed him a debt she could not hope to repay.
Slowly she walked to him and he just watched her. He had a deer caught in a headlight look about him. She saw his body twitch as if deciding to meet her or run away. She didn't give him the choice. She reached him, wrapped her arms around his midsection, and rested her head on his chest. For a long minute, he did not respond to her touch. Just stood there. Hardly breathing.
After some time, fear of rejection almost made her withdraw.
She lifted her gaze, hoping to see his eyes and decipher what he was thinking. As her head lifted up and her mouth formed the letters and sound of his name, she was muted by his mouth on hers. Surprised by the move, her mouth open to his tongue and he entered her.
He wrapped his left arm around her, spreading his fingers on her back to press her into him. Then he used his right hand to hold the back of her head, angling her head for better access. He didn't attack like a hungry man. He was not aggressive. He just took her mouth as if there was nothing else in the world he could ever want more. It was a slow, deep, and unrelenting kiss. As if he wanted to inhale her, inhale her essence into himself. It was hard yet gentle, slow but deep, and oh so arousing. He kissed her to feed a hunger too vast to satisfy with a fit of passion. There would be time for passion and heart palpitating kisses later. Right now, all he needed was a connection to her soul. A means to show her the hunger and need and lust and love that burned his being. The dragon flame that had laid dormant too long was ablaze and no one but she had the power to quench it.
He pulled away when she struggled to pull air through her lungs. He buried his face in her neck, bit her to the pleasure of his ears as she moaned, her body shuddering and liquifying into his. He was the only thing keeping her standing, her legs had given out under her a long time ago.
"I love you. Only you. Always you. Always." he murmured hoarsely, the deep catching purr in his voice letting her know that her Raizen was not yet back from wherever he'd gone. For a split second, she wondered if she wasn't betraying Raizen by allowing this dark version of himself to kiss her. But then she remembered the eyes that were filled with pain and sorrow and wanted to comfort him no matter which version of Raizen she held in her arms. She clung to him until she felt his body give. Because her weight was supported by him, she wasn't prepared when his full weight dropped on her. The two tumbled to the ground together on their knees. She felt the power that had risen in him disappear completely.
"Raizen?" she murmured. There was no response.
She borrowed strength from her alter ego and pushed Raizen gently, turning him so the back of his head rested on her breasts as the rest of him flowed down her body onto the cemented floor of the sidewalk.
His eyes were closed and he hardly breathed.
"Raizen!" she called his name in panic.
"It's alright." she looked up to see the sisters had appeared by her side. She was surprised she hadn't heard them.
Cassandra bent to brush hair out of Raizen's eyes.
"He's just passed out. He gets like this once in a while." the older woman said.
Serena watched her with wide eyes, not sure how to respond but wanting to desperately believe that there was nothing wrong with him.
"Let's let him rest for a little while. He'll wake up soon." Maeve said gently.
Serena looked at them and back down the face of the motionless Raizen.
"Ok," she responded.
Xander and Laverna picked up the body of Raizen and took him into the car. He laid across the back seat and Serena sat next to him, adjusting his head on her lap to make him as comfortable as possible. He was a tall man so his legs were bent to fit inside the car. Cassandra took the driver's seat and Hera occupied the passenger seat. She saw a look pass between Cassandra and someone but she was too worried to pay attention. Soon she felt the car moving but she kept her eyes on the very slow rising chest of Raizen.
No one said anything through the car ride.
When they arrived home, two minutes later, Xander parked behind them with the rest of the sisters. Once again, Xander and Laverna muscled Raizen off to his bed and pulled the covers over him.
They all stood by the bed, not sure what to do next.
"You said he gets like this once in a while?" Serena asked, breaking the tense silence and wanting some assurance that he was going to be just fine.
Hera came forward and took Serena's hands in her own.
"Are you afraid of him or afraid for him?" she asked.
Serena blinked, staring into Hera's impenetrable eyes. She thought about the question she'd been asked and cringed inwardly at the answer she knew she must give.
Hera would see right through her if she lied.
"Both," she answered honestly. Hera watched her face steadily for a time, then smiled.
"He will never hurt you, princess. He is the Raizen you know because he has no memories of the life he lived before. But once in a while, the side of him you saw rise up and we believe that's that side that remembers who he is." Hera said. Serena nodded even though she wasn't really sure she understood what the younger girl was saying.
"I am not afraid of Raizen." she eventually ventured out.
"But you are afraid of the side of Raizen that came out today. His real self." Hera stated. She made it sound almost like a question but Serena knew it wasn't.
"I don't know the side of him with memories." she paused, hesitant to add what she was really thinking. Then there is the fact that he was most definitely not just another human man.
"He seems so different." she settled on, deciding that it was too early to share her fears with people she didn't know yet.
"He loves and adores you whether his memories are there or not." Hera, it seems, heard Serena's unspoken fears.
"How do you know?" Serena whispered, her heart lodged in her throat. She wanted so desperately to believe that. Hera had spoken aloud what she was afraid to admit to. If Raizen's memories returned, would he want her still? This powerful man with the dark presence and power. What would he want with her?
"Raizen didn't come here and find you by accident Serena. Even with his memories gone, he came here for you." Behind them, the sisters' breath caught in consternation. They looked at Hera and wondered what the hell she was doing.
Serena's eyes widened.
Hera nodded.
"We knew Raizen before he lost his memories. He thinks we met when we found him in the snowbank two years and some months ago. Why would we shelter and take care of a stranger for over two years? Sure if we found a stranger passed out, we would help. Send him to a hospital, contact the police, and let them deal with it. We would not just invite a stranger to live with us indefinitely." Hera continued.
Xander's jaw just continued to drop with each word Hera let out. Cassandra wanted to choke the little nymph.
This was not the plan.
The others looked on in various degrees of horror and trepidation.
"So you guys knew him before?" Serena asked, confusion plain on her face.
"Yes. We've been friends with him for a long time. We just let him believe that he met us for the first time when we helped him two and a half years ago."
"Why?"
"Because we wanted to prevent him from coming here to find you."
If the silence following her pronouncement could be measured, it'd be as thick and murky as butter.
Serena's eyes widened at the revelation.
"You wanted…." she started shakily, her heart beating erratically.
"He came to Tokyo three years ago for a conference. That's when and where he saw you. He became fixated on you. Our Raizen, for the most part, wants very little in life. But when he does want something, he becomes impossibly obsessed with it. He saw you once and decided that he wanted you. I don't know the circumstances in which he saw you but something about you attracted him. In general, Raizen doesn't act on impulses. So he studied you, collected whatever information he needed to be able to track you down. He eventually learned that you didn't live in Tokyo. So he researched you and found you here and monitored you. I know all this sounds stalkerish and it is and it isn't. That's just how he is. When he is keen on something, he takes time to study it. And no, he didn't put surveillance cameras and listening devices on you. He paid someone to periodically check on you and report to him. This went on for only a short period of time."
"He learned you had a lover but he couldn't give up on you. He was very torn. His instincts told him to come to you and claim you. But the better part of him knew you were with another. He worried endlessly over what the right thing to do was. When he decided that he couldn't stay away from you regardless of the consequences, that's when he got into an accident and lost his memories. We were afraid that if he remembered, he would come and disrupt your life. So we let him believe that we just found him and with our capriciousness decided to adopt him as our brother." Hera confessed, a rueful smile on her lips.
Serena sat immobilized, reeling from the revelations. Her emotions were in delayed overdrive mode. She comprehended the words coming out of Hera but its impact was absent due mostly to the fact that she was in shock.
"But then one day, out of the blue he told us that he was moving to Japan. When we asked him why, he simply stated, "that's where I need to be. I don't know why but something tells me I need to go there." We tried to stop him but we were unsuccessful. So he moved here. And met you anyways. Even without his memories to tell him why. And he fell in love with you. all. over. again."
Serena's eyes were like saucers by the end of Hera's tale. Emotions broke through the glaze of shock that had banked them. She experienced every kind of emotion as she tried to process what had just been revealed to her. Confusion, disbelief, fear, sadness, incredulous, and amazement.
He'd seen her three years ago in Tokyo. Had she seen him? Where in Tokyo exactly? Three years ago, what was she doing in Tokyo? Tokyo was two hours away from Juban.
He'd decided that he wanted her back all the way back then?! Disbelief won out on that one.
He tracked and monitored her. Her heart lurched in fear. How long had he monitored her for? Did he know her secret? Had he figured out that she was Sailor moon? Three years ago, that was right around the time she and the scouts were battling Nehelania or at the start of the war with Sailor Galaxia.
He'd worried over trying to do the right thing and he'd gotten into an accident. Being worried hadn't caused his accident but if Raizen truly was the man she'd come to know, she was sure that he probably agonized over the decision he had to make. Struggling to do what was right when the heart yearned for a different course of action.
That was something Serena understood well.
The age of the silver millennium hadn't come to a crashing halt because she'd done the right thing. No, she had followed her heart and loved and pursued a relationship with someone she wasn't supposed to be with and invited the wrath of a witch and her master. She knew all about agonizing over making the right decision. If the silver millennium wasn't enough of a lesson, she'd face those good versus heart decisions here on earth upon her rebirth, particularly regarding Rini, and she'd still failed time and time again. The heart wants what it wants and that was something she couldn't fault him for. Knowing him as she now did, if she was forced to walk away from him, would she? Could she? He obviously hadn't been able to stay away from her if Hera's tale is to be believed.
But Raizen hadn't had time to make a choice. Instead, he'd met an unfortunate fate and lost all his memories. Living in the world when suddenly nothing made sense, suddenly you don't know who you are, where you are, and where you're going had to be scary on so many levels. How do you move forward when you don't know where you came from. Every direction can be a forward, even going back because there's no frame of reference to guide you. Serena felt sadness on his behalf. He hadn't shared much of his feelings about when he'd found himself with no memories. But she hadn't asked either. Hadn't wanted to build a connection with him like she'd done with Darien after he told her about finding himself in a world he didn't understand because his point of reference had shattered beyond his ability to piece together. The loneliness of not knowing oneself and thus not knowing how to relate to the world around him.
She'd been afraid of the similarities. Afraid of what it meant. Been afraid of the implications and the possibilities.
Would Raizen eventually turn out to be like Darien? Once comfortable in his own skin and sure of his place in the world, would he throw her out like yesterday's garbage? Would he decide then that he needed more? Better? A perfect partner than she was? Now she felt sad for herself.
Then he randomly decided to move to Japan on instincts alone. Serena was Incredulous. How can one just make a decision of such magnitude on instincts alone? He'd turn his life upside down to pursue an instinct? Instincts weren't necessarily based on any logical reasoning.
And yet, instincts had made her trust him even before she knew him. Instincts had made her run from him in the beginning because something in her had known that if she allowed it, she'd fall crazy over heels in love with him. Yet another man, another decision that would start a war. But the same Instincts that had made her run away had also guided her back into his heart and him into hers, brought her into his bed, and against his body even against her better judgment. There was much to be said for the power of instincts.
Instinct was the sixth sense most people had but barely recognized. As Sailor Moon, she'd had to learn to trust her instincts in order to survive and to keep her friends and family and the earth safe. Her instincts had made her trust Seiya even when the rest of the scouts had been suspicious of the Kou brothers. And her instincts had paid off. Seiya had become one of her dearest friends, perhaps her best friend ever. Instinct was the subconscious alliance between the reasoning power of the mind and the feeling power of the heart working with the inner spirit, which was more attuned to the unknown, to the supernatural, than either organ working alone. More than ever, Serena had become very reliant on her instincts. Though she couldn't always explain it, she'd never been disappointed by her instincts. So perhaps Raizen moving to Juban on instincts wasn't as crazy as it sounded.
And he'd fallen in love with her all over again. She was amazed at it all.
Her lips moved up and down, wanting to say something, but no words escaped.
Her dry mouth formed no coherent words.
Hera squeezed her hands reassuringly.
"Think about what I've told you. You have a role to play too. You have to understand who he is. And you have to decide for yourself if you can accept him. Like all beings, he is flawed. He can be willful and selfish, he can be stubborn and demanding. But he is also sweet, caring, loving, and gentle. No person is ever a one-dimensional being, even those who feel as shallow as a pond have some depths to them. You have to decide if the good in him outweighs the bad and if you can live with the bad. He saw your weaknesses and decided he wanted you anyways. Now you must do the same. Make the choice that is right for you. We will not resent you no matter what you choose. We just don't want you to walk entirely blind into a relationship. Know whom you give your heart and body to. Know your worth. You don't want to create another relationship like the one you had with your ex. So this time, learn, be sure, and choose. Don't just accept things as they are. Don't lie to yourself, don't tell yourself he will change. See him as he is and know that if you choose him, this is what you'll get now and perhaps forever."
Serena sat as still as a statue. Shocked and poleaxed. Anxiety eating away at her.
Hera and the sisters walked out of the room, leaving her alone with the sleeping Raizen to ponder Hera's words and her fate.
"What the hell are you doing!?" Xander half yelled, half squealed.
Cassandra and Maeve closed their mouths, they had been on the verge of asking Hera the same question.
"What do you mean?" Hera asked, looking bewildered.
"What do you mean what do I mean!? You just told Serena everything!" Xander said, her shock making her voice a little more shrill than it usually was.
"I told her what she needed to know," Hera replied smoothly.
"And you thought she needed to know that Raizen has practically been stalking her?" Cassandra asked, feeling a bit miffed.
They'd spent hours planning and rehearsing their interactions with the princess, this was not part of the plan.
"And what exactly did I say or do that was wrong?" Hera challenged, her eyes narrowing at the women in front of her.
"She was not ready to be told all of that!" Cassandra seethed.
"Not ready? Pray tell, when would she be?" Hera questioned, her eyes cold and fiery simultaneously. No one replied.
"She's not a babe that we have to hold her hand." Hera's voice suddenly became nasty with wrath. For a young-looking girl, she sounded like a million-year-old crone, hoarse and crackly. The others stilled, watching the young woman with weariness. The predatory gleam in her eyes speaking volumes of who was truly on the surface.
"Do not forget who we are and what our true purpose is." She hissed.
"Crescentius is our friend and brother and I love him as dearly as you do, but we are not here for him. We have our own battle to wage as does he. She is not stupid. Right now she's a little vulnerable, but that will pass soon enough. If we wait to tell her what she needs to know, waiting for when it is more convenient for us, we risk her ire. It is better to prepare her slowly than to dump it all on her later when she's already come to trust us. It will destroy her trust. But, if we feed her as much information as we can without compromising our presence in her life too much, she will not feel so betrayed when we eventually tell her who we are. Besides, have you not felt it? The Outer Sailor Soldiers have arrived. It's only a matter of time before they find that time bitch. The Inners cannot see through our glamour to recognize us for who we are but let's not kid ourselves that we can fool the Outers for long. We don't have that kind of time. I'm surprised the moon queen hasn't figured us out already and warned her daughter against us."
Hera turned and walked away from her sisters, eyes blazing. She felt electricity zap through her system, adrenaline spiking her into excitement. When she closed her bedroom door behind her into the comfort of the darkened bedroom, her human facade dropped and deep blood eyes glowed.
"Soon." She murmured.
'Soon. They will all pay.'
Serena sat at the edge of the bed. She'd been in Raizen's room so many times recently that it had begun to feel like her own room. But not this evening. Sitting at the edge of the bed awkwardly, staring at the man who occupied it, Serena felt so uncomfortable she wanted to leave. And yet every time she looked at his pale face, his downturned mouth, she felt sorrow.
She was so conflicted.
"Are you a friend?" She asked in a whisper to the sleeping man. She hadn't expected an answer and she didn't get one. She stood and paced determinedly as if pacing would wear out the confusion in her.
'Ok, Serena. Ok. Think things through for once.'
She picked up her book bag which the sisters had placed by the foot of the bed and opened her notebook onto a blank page. She drew a straight line down the middle vertically and titled both sections of the now divided page.
Pros, one side said. Cons, the other side.
'Raizen is not human. At the very least, he's not your ordinary Joe.' She wasn't sure where to put that thought but then thought of herself and decided that just because he wasn't ordinary didn't mean he was evil. So she wrote it on the pros side. On the side of the con, she wrote, 'is that a bad thing?'
'He knew me. Our meeting wasn't accidental.' She was also torn as to which side to put that thought. Hers and Darien's relationship hadn't been accidental either. Destiny had brought her and Darien together. And he'd nearly destroyed her. Was her meeting with Raizen also destined? Pluto had made it clear that their destiny was Crystal Tokyo. With her and Darien married. Obviously, that seemed impossible given current circumstances.
Sure Raizen had basically stalked her, but he'd seen her by happenstance in Tokyo and decided then that he wanted her. That was by happenstance, wasn't it? Had something directed him to see her? To put him in Tokyo that day three years ago to cross paths with her? She didn't know and she'd grown so weary of this destiny crap she decided to put that topic under the con table.
"He's super powerful if today is anything to go by. Scary too." she murmured. She wrote that under both headings. If he was on her side, his power was a good thing. But if he was her enemy? She was screwed. Not because he was more powerful than her, which she had to admit that he could well be. The crystal had responded to his wrath. That had never happened before. Someone who can control HER power source was not to be taken lightly. She was screwed because she was emotionally involved with him. She didn't want to admit the love part, it was too scary to contemplate the implication of it all. If she had to fight against him, could she?
She deliberately shied away from putting down her feelings on the paper. She continued to write down the pros and cons. She saw there were many more cons than there were pros so she stopped writing and tried to process what she'd written.
She noticed a pattern.
'All my cons have to do with matters of trust and not having enough information, rather than concrete facts.' she thought.
But almost all her pros had to do with what she'd observed of him so far. No matter how much she tried to shake off his declared feelings for her, making him out to be an enemy playing with her, she couldn't. Serena couldn't seem to make herself doubt his love for her, his kindness towards her, his over possessiveness and protectiveness. If he turned out to be her enemy, it wasn't only her who would suffer. He'd take as much hurt as she would. His feelings for her were genuine even if his purpose was a mystery.
"So then what?" she asked in frustration. She didn't know what to do. Should she cut her losses and run now before she was all in (assuming that she wasn't already), or wait it out to see where the ball would drop? She looked at him, looked him up and down, searching for answers she couldn't find.
"Serena." She froze.
"Serena," he said her name again. His eyes were closed, his arms reached out as if to grab her. His face twisted in what could only be described as pain when his arms met air.
"Serena." He whimpered.
She found it then. Her answer.
Of Raizen's heart, she was certain without a shadow of a doubt. He was her friend. Not her enemy. He loved her. That was indisputable.
It was his missing memories she didn't trust. Who would he be when he regained his memories? Would he be her sweet, loving Raizen? Or a different man altogether?
'Like Darien became when he found his confidence.' she thought sadly.
If nothing else, today she'd seen a side of Raizen she wasn't sure she liked or disliked. He'd protected her, but he also frightened her. He had been harsh and callous no matter that Rei deserved it. The problem was, if he ever turned his anger on her, he would break her.
The best thing to do now was to cut her losses, walk away while she still could. She snorted derisively at the idea. She knew she couldn't walk away even if all signs pointed to Raizen being her enemy.
"I'm too greedy for his love. For his attention," she admitted.
It's been months, almost two years since she had anyone to talk to, to really connect with on a deep level. And it had been just as long since she'd felt loved or even appreciated. She'd been alone for too long. She didn't want to go back to being that sad girl everybody had given up on. She wanted, no...she needed his attention, every bit she could get. She was too hungry to pretend she'd be ok going back to being alone. And she wasn't ashamed to admit that anymore. He'd taught her to not be ashamed of herself. And her needs and wants were all a part of her.
So she looked at him, signed her invisible grave, and put away her book and pen. She lifted the cover to slide in. Under the cover, she took off her clothes and tossed them on the floor.
Slowly, she scooted closer to him. She got close enough to feel his body heat but did not touch him. Who would he be when he woke up? If he wasn't her normal Raizen, would he want her? She didn't know but she would deal with it when the time came. She pulled her legs up to wrap her arms around it in a fetal position. She didn't touch him, but his heat touched her and for now, that was enough.
It was enough just to be near him.
Raizen woke to a warm soft body wrapped around him. More accurately, he was tangled up with her. They were lying down side by side, pressed against each other with her head slightly elevated on his chest. He didn't panic. He knew the softness of her body, her lavender summery scent. He would know her even if he was blind.
He opened his eyes after inhaling her scent. It was dark in the room, the curtains drawn. But he saw her anyway. There she laid, a shadow against him. Beautiful.
She hadn't run away. He wasn't sure why he thought she would. In fact, he wasn't really sure what had happened. But this had happened before. There were times he'd find himself somewhere he couldn't remember going. He'd gotten used to it. Well not really. He felt unsettled but he'd learned that stressing over it only resulted in a nasty headache and as far as he knew, he hadn't done anything illegal in what he hoped was just a very severe case of sleepwalking, even during the day.
He lifted his hand and softly cupped her face.
"I must have scared you," he whispered unhappily. He might be used to it but he'd never mentioned this unusual behavior of his to her. His sisters knew though. But if she was still here, then hopefully that was a good sign.
He trailed his fingers down her graceful neck to her hunched shoulders. The position she was in couldn't possibly be comfortable. But he was loath to move and wake her. His fingers trailed down her shoulder blade to her back before something registered in his brain.
'She's unclothed.'
The thought startled him a little.
Why? Why was she naked? In bed. With him?
His pulse began to race.
'I hope I didn't...I...we didn't did we?!' he thought in a panic.
He let himself panic for a few seconds before doing what he'd done in other episodes of finding himself where he couldn't remember going. He traced his memories back to the morning.
Breakfast with Serena and his sisters.
Boutique business
Serena studying
Serena drawing
Rune
Sisters loving Serena's sketches
Him kissing her. He groaned, 'I have no self-control' he chided himself.
Something knocking pain into his head.
Rune. He stopped as an image of Rune's rage-filled eyes... No...that wasn't quite right. Not rage. Sad. yes...that was more true. Why had Rune been so sad when he kissed Serena? He felt a wave of pity for the bird.
"I don't want you to be sad," he said softly, not really aware of what he was saying.
He continued the perusal of his memories.
Rune had taken off flying when a nasty vicious attack was aimed at him and Serena.
"Well well well...what have we got here? If it isn't a teacher molesting his student. Or did the little tramp come onto you?"
His body tensed as the insult once again reverberated through him. He became furious remembering it. He didn't care about the molestation part. It was probably true. He couldn't keep his hands off the little blonde after all. The way he'd attacked her lips like that. A shot of arousal electrified his groin at the memory. He shook his head to clear the growing excitement.
But to call his precious lady a tramp...that part of the insult he could not tolerate. He took a deep even breath to calm his rage. He was going to set someone straight later. But for now, he had to try to remember what happened.
But try as he might, he couldn't remember past the fury he'd felt. He had been so angry, so viciously angry. What had he done in his anger? Had he hurt someone? Had he...he gulped, sick to his stomach.
Had he taken her? Made love to her? Would that even be called making love if he, pardon his french, fucked her in his anger?
He wasn't aware of how tense he'd become so he gasped in surprise when her soft voice penetrated his self-recrimination.
"Raizen?" her voice was soft, tentative. Hesitant. As if she was unsure who she was addressing.
"Sweetheart." he breathed, his anger evaporating like mist.
"Raizen," she said again, her voice hushed but stronger, hopeful.
He furrowed his brow at that. Who did she think he was? Maybe she was worried that Xander had snuck into bed with her again.
"Baby Girl I'm here," he assured her, bringing his mouth to the side of her mouth for a kiss. His warm breath touched her skin and she shivered. He loved how responsive she was to him. It made him wild with overflowing testosterone. His pride and ego affirmed by his certainty that she desired him. Even if her mouth never said the words, her body couldn't lie.
"Are you ok?" she asked. He noticed she was a little tense.
He leaned forward and kissed her. Tentatively, chastely.
Then he did it again, and again. The more he touched her lips with his, the harder he pressed. At first, she went still, immobile, and tensed. But when he started sucking on her bottom lip, her body shuddered and he felt the ripple on his skin. He shuddered with her, lust awakening. Her body relaxed, giving in to his seduction. He lifted himself on top of her and took her mouth and sucked harder. Eyes closed, her body bowed, a moan left them both. Her mouth opened in another breathy moan and he slipped his tongue inside and deepened the kiss. He ground against her, unable to help himself. He thanked his heavenly stars that she was naked beneath him. He felt every curve of her luscious body and the swell of her breasts, which had become heavy and roundedly full from her own arousal. He let his body touch her, rather than his hands because he was very certain he would not be able to stop from going all the way. So instead, he took her hands and placed them by the sides of her head so he could crawl down her body without having to let go. He slid lower and took the peaked nipple of one breast in between his teeth. He bit gently and sucked.
She screamed.
'Oh, sweet god.' He groaned in pleasure, his body vibrating from the thrill of her scream.
Her scream awaked his desperate hunger. He wanted to hear her scream again. Scream his name. So he repeated the nipple biting thing on the other nipple and got the same result. He continued to torture her nipples like that, sucking, biting, lapping until her nipples grew red and so sensitive it hurt. Aroused beyond madness, wetness slid down the lips of her sex.
"Please." she sobbed, not knowing what she was asking for but just needing more, everything. She'd had sex before. One time. With Darien. The second time he'd left her in bed. She knew her body yearned for Raizen's rather impressive manhood. Wanted his hard length in her womb. But there was something else she was begging for. Something without a name. A connection without logic. Something potent and binding even in its invincibility. Something she couldn't see but needed all the same.
He wanted to give in, free his bulging member, and drive into her with abandon. It was the thought that he might have already taken her that held him back from giving in. He knew he was big, there was no way she'd be able to take him again so soon. Especially if he'd fucked her in his anger. He wouldn't have been gentle. It would have been brutal, primitive, and god so very good. He knew himself.
He wanted to stop and ask her. Ask her why she was naked next to him. But he couldn't think long enough to stop driving them both mad. He was too far gone to even reason out that he was fully clothed even if she was naked and his cock...well it had been painful from the moment he met her.
Serena swerved her body upwards in a move that bushed his covered dick to her extremely wet lips. He growled at the electrifying sensation and let go of her hands. Before she could think to protest, his hands were holding her waist and he was driving hard and fast against her. Both needed relief in the worst way. She grasped his shoulders and met his trust and damn if it didn't feel so very good.
Then she was feeling more of him. Somehow he'd unbutton his pants and pulled it down. The only barrier between them now was his boxers. Loose boxers or shorts of some kind that did not restrict his member. When he drove at her, he almost went in with his length covered in the cloth of his boxers. But it still felt so much better, so good she begged for more. His pace increased, almost frenzied as he drove them both towards a precipe both of them needed. Her wet sex soaked through his boxers and he felt the warm touch of her juice.
"Fuuucckk." he cursed, unaware how dirty he sounded. It turned Serena all the more on. He lost control and proceeded to bruise her sex with uncontrolled speed and power, his body shaking like a junkie on an adrenaline rush. She loved it. Wanted more. The crazier he went over her, the more aroused she became. Later she would think about it and admit that perhaps she has a thing for dominance but currently, she felt too much to think.
He kept pounding into her, his massive dick nearly entering her glistering hole each time, his irises dilated, sweat rushing down his body. He tightened his hold on her, bruising her. She encouraged his roughness by gripping him as hard as he was gripping her, thrusting enthusiastically to meet him. They were both so close, so very close. They just needed a little more to get over that high jump. Almost as if they could read the other's mind, she lifted up her body in almost a sitting position, and in a synchronized move, she dove her hand into his boxers and grabbed his cock, squeezing the tip and rubbing it in a circular pattern just as he touched her.
Her hand was gentle but firm with every stroke. At the same time, he shoved two fingers into her wet oozing pussy and crocked his fingers to hit just the spot. His big body shuddered over her as he thrust into her hands, his teeth gitted as pleasure rose to a painful yearning to spill his semen into her palm. As his thrust became frenzied so did his fingers inside her, desperate to give her as much release as he needed. His hand at her back pulled her hair from her neck and he sank his teeth at the crook of her neck, biting. He didn't break her skin but the act shot a spirt of fire from the soles of her feet to the roots of her hair so quickly, she nearly blacked out from the electrifying pleasure.
For a moment she was stunned, causing her hand to slacken but when his thrust came up and she grasped it in her shock, she grabbed his balls. Screams tore out of both of them as a heavy climax sent them tumbling over the edge of the cliff, their bodies quaking with the relief of a release. Her body felt so good she couldn't think to maintain her hold on his cock but he kept massaging her, milking her for every last drop of wetness, her body shuddering over and over in a lengthy orgasm. But he didn't stop. Just as she was coming down the high, she found herself back on the bed, his tongue inside her and over her clit. He grabbed her breasts, messaging the globes, the nipples, and using his tongue to do wicked things to her. Within minutes she was climaxing again, screaming his name, telling him that she was his.
He crawled over her body and in a dark inhuman voice, whispered, "Don't you forget it. Mine."
It took a long time before her breathing came down to normal. He laid partially on top of her, holding on to her and kissing her around her neck.
"You're going to be the death of me," she whispered as the lie that she could somehow break free of him fell away completely. She was well and truly stuck to him.
He grunted.
"I think," he said, raising himself up to look at her. "It's the other way around."
They stared at each other, love and lust in equal measure reflected in each other's eyes.
"Did I hurt you?" he asked in a hushed voice, looking over her face for any indication of pain. She smiled up at him.
"No, you did not hurt me. It was…." she paused as she tried to find the right word...amazing, indescribably, out of this world?...it was hard to define the state of bliss and wholeness she felt at that moment. "It was everything dreams are made off." she finished, blushing at her sappiness. But that was what she felt and there was no denying it. He returned her smile as his heart swelled with adoration and gratitude.
"I'm in love with you sweetheart. You know that right?" he said, absolute truth ringing in his voice. Serena gulped, her lips went dry even as her heart surged and sang with joy and relief. This was her Raizen. Whom she was falling in love with as well. Those words bubbled in her throat, wanting to get out. He saw the struggle on her face and chose to relieve her from any responsibility she felt to return his words.
"When you are ready. You'll tell me. For now, just tell me that you know that I love you. That I'm in love with you." he said, touching her cheek and staring into her eyes. He waited and she took her time. Then she smiled gently at him.
"I Know Raizen."
"You know what?" he whispered, wanting her to fully acknowledge his feelings for her. He wouldn't ever force her to love him back, but he wouldn't let her live in ignorance of his feelings. She needed to know that someone was crazy about her. She gulped again.
"I know," she began in a whisper, "that you love me. That you are in love with me. I also know that you desire me, that you find me beautiful and lovely. I know that you are crazy about me. And I know that I have never felt so blessed, and cherished in my life. Thank you."
He stared at her with all the adoration of an infant. Then he leaned in and kissed her softly.
Home. This is what it felt like. She was his home, and he hers.
Later, hunger caught up with them so they snuck down to the kitchen and filled two bowls of cereal. She wore one of his midnight blue shirts which came down to her upper thighs. Seeing her in his shirt gave him a satisfaction so profound, he couldn't keep a goofy grin off his face. They turned on the tv as they ate their cereal, a tom and jerry cartoon entertaining them as time and again, a small mouse found a way to evade a big sneaky cat.
"I don't like cats." Raizen declared. Serena thought about it, remembered Luna and her harshness, and decided that she agreed with Raizen.
"I like dogs. They are more loyal, faithful," she replied. He turned his head to look at her with a smile.
"Would you like us to get a dog?" he asked. She stared at him wide-eyed.
"I didn't mean for us to…"
"I know. But if having a dog will put a smile on your face, then it's worth us getting one," he said gently. She stared into his eyes and knew, knew at that moment that this man would do anything for her. A big, unguarded smile stretched her lips into the most beautiful smile Raizen had ever seen. His heart studded, his breath caught.
She leaned in and pressed her lips to his. He responded automatically, his bowl of cereal forgotten for the moment. After a good five minutes of eating each other's lips, they came apart for air. Raizen eyes were entirely dark and Serena's lust darkened her blue orbs into midnight storms.
"Serena" his voice was thick with unspoken need.
"We are going to have to be careful," she said even as her heart hammered in her chest from the look in his eyes. She felt very overwhelmed by the desire she had for this man. She'd never felt this way about Darien because he had never allowed her to. So much of what she'd wanted to do with Darien but never could, was possible with Raizen. Endless hours of kissing, lovemaking, him looking at her as if she were the only woman in the world.
"I need to marry you. Like right now," he said thickly. Serena blinked, then smiled, then laughed throatily. The more confident she felt around Raizen, the bolder she became. And the wilder her imaginations. He would embrace any wild ideas she may come up with, he will be all too happy to play, love, sex, and repeat as many times as it would take to satisfy her. Princess Serenity had had a big appetite for sexual gratification, and Serena was starting to understand that she might be the same in that regard. And she'd read enough pornographic mangas to make her imaginations a little more creative than the average person.
"Get me a dog, a snowy white male dog and I might say yes." she teased as she returned to her now soggy cereal. He leaned in to whisper in her ear,
"He doesn't get to watch me suck your clit, fuck your mouth, and bury my long thick cock in your pussy. He might get jealous at how loudly I can make you scream." His voice was a caress and a promise and she could do nothing but shiver with unconcealed excitement. Dirty talk, she'd never thought she'd like dirty talk. But God, coming from him, it was just as good as the sex itself.
"Ahhh" she whimpered as his wet tongue and hot mouth sucked on her ear. Her body bent backward, causing her breasts to thrust up.
They were teasing each other right now but she was under no illusion that soon they would give in to their obvious lust. The constant sexual tension was just a long foreplay. Besides, except for penis penetration, what hadn't they done? The last barrier to become one was only a matter of time. In the meantime, she would enjoy his teasing and their hot make-out sessions which were enjoyable all on their own.
When they finished eating, between flirting and kissing, he took her back to bed and hummed to her, luring her into sleep. They had exactly three hours before she had to wake up. It was a school day after all and Serena didn't want to miss school. He stayed awake though, watching her sleep the whole time. He LOVED spending his days and nights with her. Loved watching her sleep, her chest rising with her breathing.
God, she was breath-taking.
And she was HIS. She knew it, he knew it, his sisters knew it. Soon he'd make sure the world knew it as well.
Morning commute to school had never really bothered Amy much but this morning, like every morning since the arrival of the Draganov sisters, Amy wished she had the power to teleport on her own and skip the whole ordeal. Students gathered by the gates, no one wanted to miss the entrance of the sisters. Amy wanted to disappear.
She looked around, searching for three familiar faces. At the far back, by the doors, Lita stood, watching the whole scene with a roll of her eyes. Like Amy, she was so over it. Standing next to her was Mina. She wore a blank look. Normally she'd be in the thick of the excited crowd, she and Serena jubilant with everything that made school just a little more exciting. But her bland look was anything but exciting.
Amy pushed her way through the crowd, trying to get to her friends even as she surreptitiously looked around for the blonde that wasn't Mina.
Would Serena come to school today? Would she dare? Amy wasn't sure but she had questions for their oh so great and powerful leader.
Like 'oh so you're cheating on Darien now?'
And 'are you pregnant? From the way the two of you were going at it, I was certain you'd be pregnant overnight.'
Amy barely made it when an all too familiar royal purple bus, a smaller one, more like a van but just a little bigger, pulled into the school. The crowd went wild.
The van was clean and crisp with only three words written on it.
The Draganov Fam.
Around the flowery words were eleven rings of interlocking circles. One big circle surrounded the words and the other circles interlocked with the big circle and with each other, all in different colors. As if the word 'fam' didn't already express the interlocking relationships between the sisters and their mysterious student-kissing-devouring brother. Amy blushed at the memory.
The crowd pushed against her, forcing her back and away from the progress she'd made towards the door. She gritted her teeth and gave up the fight knowing she might end up trampled at the onslaught of teenage fan worship.
She turned as she heard the van/bus door open. Well, it wasn't the opening of the vehicle but rather the soft gentle music that could now be heard because the van's door was open.
For a pregnant pause, nothing happened. No one stepped out. Amy rolled her eyes at the dramatics of these show biz sisters. They really did love to make a scene.
Then one by one, they walked out.
First came the silver-blonde woman who had been filling in as the music teacher for Raizen. There was an air of confidence around the blonde that was both intriguing and dismissive. She wore beige colored pants and matching top, her feet encased in white tennis shoes. Though she was dressed manly, her femininity was present in subtle but obvious ways. Like a tomboy who never grew out of that phase.
Then the girl named Laverna, then Alethea. Two others came out after them. Amy's blood ran cold.
Pink hair, familiar features...holy fuck.
Wide-eyed, she almost missed the last passenger to exit. Almost.
Hair glossy and shinning like a river of gold, an all too familiar teenager stepped out of the van, and silence fell over the front yard of the school as eyes widened.
Her lips were glossed with a pink shine, her hair out of their natural meatball buns and flowing in the wind, curly strands moving over a face that was naturally flawless but enhanced by popping eye shadow and glowing cheeks. She wasn't wearing the school uniform. She wore a black pencil skirt with a red blouse tucked in. The skirt had a gold zipper curving from one hip through the front to the opposite end of the skirt. She wore black ballet sandals, and a red trim gold watch adorned her wrist. She held her book bag in her hand.
Amy was speechless.
Serena was most definitely back in school and she looked meticulous and flawless, a smile making her even more radiant than was fair.
The silence at the front yard of the school was punctuated by a feeling of amazement and reverence. As if they were seeing Serena for the very first time.
The sisters gathered around her, the pink-haired ones at the back, Lava and Alethea on either side and Alexander taking the front. They walked amidst the spectators, jesting, laughing, paying no attention to those gawking at them.
From a window in an upper classroom overlooking the front yard, a brunette teacher looked down at the scene and smiled.
Ms. Haruna was happy to see her favorite student looking healthy and happy again, and back in school.
She sighed and went through the opposite door to greet them. When Serena was happy, all was well with the world.
Read and Review, please!
Oh and if you didn't read the introduction before the story began, please go back and read it! but if you don't at lease answer these two questions for me.
I do have 2 questions for you.
#1. How many of you reading this story are men? I just always assume only girls are reading this fanfic but if any guys are reading as well, please send me a message and tell me what you like about this story. I can relate with girls (as I am a girl myself) but not always with the male species. I like to know hat intrigue them about this story, what can be better, and what stories they may want to read in the future.
#2. What ending do you want? Vote for the ending pair you want. Serena and Raizen, Serena and Darien, Rei and Darien, Rini not existing.
I will tell you now that your vote will not affect the direction of this story. The story will write itself to its logical or illogical conclusion. (we are dealing with magic and in the realm of manga don't forget) It will just help me in the future. This is entirely for my thought process. I want to know how many of you share my personal feelings regarding these endings. But my feelings aren't going to dictate how this story ends.