AN: I know I said I wouldn't post here again (aren't you glad I changed my mind?), but with the encouragement I've received from others (known as my subscribers and my husband), I've returned to posting here. So I thought I'd post the rest of this story as well. There are two more chapters after this and IDK if any of you will read it since it's been on my other site for free for MONTHS now, lol. But for those who are scared to venture there or can't find it (it's on my Tumblr btw), here is the finale. I hope you all like it, and I hope you continue to read my works. Either here or on my other site.

Btw, whole I have you; come September (aka Smutember), I'll be posting all month long to celebrate my year anniversary. Seriously, go check out my Tumblr for more info. You don't want to miss out!!

Chapter Twenty-four

"Love can play destructive games; one day overwhelming you with joy and euphoria and the next, destroying your life."

― R.J. Intindola

He was really starting to doubt his charm, Usagi still giving him the cold shoulder. She moved around the arcade, a fake smile on her face to all the customers, only dropping it when she faced him at the counter. Trying to not let it get to him, he focused on his surroundings, the arcade now stitched back together you could hardly tell anything had ever happened to it.

But it had, him watching as the light threatened to drain completely from Usagi's eyes. All because she didn't want him exposing himself to the enemy. He could give two shits about it if it meant saving her life. Same went with her stepping out of the fight, she could be mad all she wanted, it was for her own good. Even if he died from lack of sex.

For nearly a year now, he had Endymion's memories of him with Serenity. Twenty-years-old and he finally had sex so, of course he was a bit single-minded. The love of his life was freezing him out for doing what was best.

"I'm freezing you out for not being on my side!"

"I'm always on your side, Usako!"

Gone again. She kept popping in his brain, saying her peace, and jumping back out again.

He missed her. Missed talking to her, touching her, kissing her… well he still did the last two but they were all stolen. His energy touched her all the time but she kept hers wrapped up tight. He was struggling and his girlfriend could care less.

She stopped, mid carry of some table's order and turned her head to the side to look back at him. The slight misty look to her eyes told him he went too far. But she shrugged him off, going back to work and ignoring him completely. She hadn't blocked their link, but she had gotten really good at pretending he didn't exist. He was absolutely certain, he could never ignore her existence.

Before he even knew her, he had walked into the arcade for the first time this lifetime and the last, subconsciously looking for her. He was drawn to her. It had been confusing; walking into a place he thought he had never been to before and only feeling at ease when he spotted her at the counter. So of course, it freaked him out and he did all he could to keep her away from him… and failed miserably thank kami.

Usagi's shift was at an end, which meant she would go in the back, change, and then he would get to walk her home in complete silence. Goody.

He watched her disappear in the back, barely passing him a glance. The highlight of all this was she still kissed him goodnight and told him she loved him. Not that he had any doubts but it was still really nice to hear. He just had to wait it all out, let her forgive him and move on. She would (she always did) and when she did; he would get his revenge in the form of staying up all night and doing as he pleased with her body.

Lost in thought, he was almost knocked off his stool; fear and pain hitting him hard in the gut as Usagi opened the floodgates to their link.

"MAMORU!!!"

Motoki caught sight of him (probably looking pale and pissed as he raced to the back room) knocking over a person on his way who sputtered as they hit the floor. He would apologize later: now he had to get to Usagi.

It was dark but he saw her clearly as she glowed; her energy spiked and ready to blast off. The scene had his energy flooding his veins in an uncontrolled manner.

One hand on her chest, she clutched (what looked like her shirt) to cover herself. Her skirt was still on thankfully but her other hand was held at the wrist by the same prick from a month ago. The one with the weird magic.

The asshat was trying to use it on Usagi again; he could feel it as it tried to dig under Usagi's skin and up her arm. There was no hesitation (as he sincerely doubted a misunderstanding) as he stormed over, ripped off the prick's hold, and head butted him hard. The prick fell to the floor, clutching his forehead instead of Mamoru's girl. So he focused on Usagi, who was trembling but seemed more angry than upset.

He quickly removed his jacket and placed it on her shoulders, zipping it up to cover her. "Go wait for me outside."

"Mamo."

"Go."

Another heartbeat passed and she left, leaving him to deal with the mess on the floor as asked. Mamoru picked him up and put him back on his feet. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Asshat still held onto his head as he spoke. "I was just trying to talk to her…"

"The hell you were! Stay away from her, I don't care if the teacher tells you to sit next to her, you tell Sensei you're allergic. Because I swear to god if you go near her again I'm going to give you a reaction so bad you will spend the rest of your life having women and children scream at the sight of your face. Understand?!"

He nodded and remained speechless. When he turned around, Motoki was behind him, glaring at the asshat. "You're banned from the Crown. Don't ever come back."

Fear, concern (and a bit turned on) Usagi's blood was hot and racing through the link, making Mamoru want to get back to her even more. She sat in his old seat, leg jumping as she waited. But he got blocked on the way; blood colored eyes trying to hold his gaze.

"Mamoru-san, are you alright?"

He was. Until this girl got in his way. She was the prick's sister wasn't she? "No, I'm not alright. Your pervert brother is lucky he isn't dead!"

"What? Well… um… you knocked me down! What about that?"

So that's who he dumped? Was she trying to help out her brother and distract him; keep him from getting to Usagi?! "Sorry, but I was busy keeping your brother from assaulting my girlfriend. Now, excuse me, I really need to check on her."

"What about me?!"

He didn't respond because his response was really rude. Basically 'fuck off'. Usagi wore a lopsided grin when he got to her, wrapping his arms around her and scooping her up off the stool. "Are you okay?"

Her face in his neck, she nodded against his skin. "Yeah, I'm fine. He didn't do anything. I didn't even let him try with his magic again."

"Good girl." He shifted, pulling her out of his neck to look at her face. "You can't keep blocking me, it's dangerous. If I had been a second late…"

"I would have been the one to head butt him."

He chuckled and she kissed the small sore spot on his forehead. "I'm serious, Usako. I don't care if you're mad at me, don't block me out. If for no other reason than so I feel your anger 100%. Deal?"

She rolled her eyes, "fine, deal. Now put me down and let's go home."

"Sure. My place or yours?"

A smack to his shoulder was her answer.

~*O*~

It felt as if she had been lying in her bed for hours, wide awake and staring up at the ceiling. The pristine marble that the castle was made of was beautiful, glowing in the moonlight, but it was lacking in any faults so she couldn't even count cracks or find designs in it. Which left her with the shadows that danced across it; a breeze from her cracked window making her curtains dance.

But then a larger shadow covered her ceiling.

Sitting up and nearly jumping out of her bed, a squeak was all she got out before the dark figure now in her room descended on her. Her fear almost had her missing it, calming as soon as she felt his heart in his chest, it beating wildly with hers.

"Endymion!"

"Shhh!!"

Pressing hands to her mouth did nothing for her giggle, feeling euphoric at the sight, smell, and feel of him. Gently, he pulled her hands from her mouth so he could press his lips to hers. She wasted no time digging her fingers into his scalp, pulling him in deeper to her. But he soon pushed her back, his heart doing flip flops in his chest.

"I came here to tell you, I passed. I won the challenge."

"You did?!"

He smirked, "So little faith in me?"

There was no stopping her hands, grabbing and pulling at him to try and get him closer to her. "It has been weeks! I feared your death!!"

"Death?! You truly think they would kill the Prince of Earth?!"

She shrugged, trying to play off her fear. "There are tales of gruesome tasks having to be completed and some never returning."

He finally wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to him, "I'm sure they didn't return out of embarrassment. It was not so difficult." She could tell he was lying, the wariness in his eyes and bones her proof. "Alright, so it was tricky at times. But I had a great motivator. You."

She could stand it no more, crushing her mouth to his again and refusing to let him pull away this time. For whatever reason he held back, he let it go; soon pulling her into his lap after he fell to her bed. Lacking any fear or reservations, the man under her to be her husband and the one she loved the most, she split her legs around him. Endymion let them remain that way for several more moments, ravishing her mouth as she did his, before grabbing her hips and pulling her off of him completely.

Jumping off the bed before she could grab him again, he paced before her while she sat and watched, waiting. "I wanted to tell you, to be the one to say we are to be wed. I did not think… that is I thought I was stronger than this…" He fell to his knees before her, looking up at her with dark and stormy eyes, "forgive me, Serenity, for I am a weak man."

His head fell to her lap, the raging emotions inside him telling her all she needed to know about him and his 'weakness'. Perhaps he meant it as a warning or thought he had insulted her. But in truth, he had only emboldened her.

"It appears that I am just as weak." She said, slipping the straps of her night gown off her shoulders.

It pooled around her waist, falling in waves over Endymion's head. He slowly looked up at her, taking in the sight of her so slow that it burned her. "I thought surviving those trials was the worst of it. But this… I certainly won't make it through the night."

She cupped his cheeks, pulling his face and eyes to look at hers. "Then let this be your final trial. One that I promise will be tiring in the best way."

"Serenity… we shouldn't…"

"It matters not to me if we wait until our wedding night. Does it matter to you?"

He answered her with a kiss, sucking on her lips but then leaving them to move down her skin. Hands on her back, he lowered her to the bed as he went lower on her. He nipped and sucked on her breasts, causing her to whimper, but continued down until he met the remaining fabric on her hips. The silk slipped easily off her skin, with a small lift of her hips Endymion had her nightgown on the floor instead of her.

Stretched out across her bed, she laid naked before him and he looked over her. The racing of his heart and the heat of his blood matched hers, causing her to feel no shame in the heat that pooled in her belly and thighs. "You're so beautiful."

Her breath caught, forcing herself to breathe again. "I want to see you too."

Endymion stripped before her, taking his time while she took hers, drinking him in. He looked just as strong as he acted, thick arms digging under her to pull her up to his wide chest and shoulders. She wrapped her legs around his taut hips and buttocks, her feet touching the backs of his muscled thighs.

Arms around his neck, she aided him in pressing every inch of their bodies together, still waiting for one last piece to be fitted together. His slow kisses only served to speed her heart up more, a quiver causing her thighs to quake again and again. When he left her mouth again, wetting her jaw and neck with his tongue, her hips popped up on their own.

"Endymion…"

Be it her moans, his name on her lips, her hips pressed against his, or his inability to wait any longer as she could not, but he finally fitted the last of them together. They chorused with their moans, Endymion growing still and waiting again, but she was far past waiting and wiggled against him. They quickly found a rhythm, Endymion releasing her at one point to sit back, taking her hips up off the bed with him. Everything but her tops of her shoulders and head were off the bed, the intensity of feelings from herself and him overwhelming her brain and body.

She wasn't sure what her body was building towards, but she didn't have to wonder long, heat rushing through her muscles and leaving them weak. Holding on tight to her sheets, she felt as if she was falling, the mountain her body had climbed coming to a peak and flinging itself off. Her cries were answered with grunts, Endymion laying back on top of her to help keep her from floating away. Now she held on tight to him instead, arms around his ribs as he covered her with his height. She could feel his muscles pulse under her heels, his thighs still working while she felt boneless.

When he came to a stop, he was careful not to put his entire weight on her, laying and cradling her into his side. The after effects of their love making had her mind a mess, thoughts rolling through it that confused her as they were not her own. "You enjoyed it that much, did you?"

His eyes pierced her when she looked up, the question layered with knowing. "I did. Did you?"

"I think you know the answer to that."

Her sharp intake of air was cut off by his lips on hers, taking away the breath she had managed to take.

The memory had her feeling warm all over, which made her especially cold now that she was no longer in Endymion's arms. It made her even more shocked when she opened her eyes and found herself not in her room. Instead of four walls and the bed she still shared with Luna, she was met with walls of green.

She was back in the maze again.

It had been months since she had this dream, not really sure if it was a memory since she was conscious of her surroundings and of the reality that waited for her when she woke. Unlike when she had dreams of the Silver Millennium, where she was just along for the ride. Here, she had control to a point, making her think it was just a dream.

Taking the path before her, she found she had to pull the skirt of her long gown up; not having a say in her attire in this dream. The pale blue cotton stuck out against the dark green and lush surroundings, but was thin and cool under the warm sun as it peeked through the leaves above her.

A small chill passed through her, the dew on the soft grass below her cold on her bare feet. None of this did anything for her racing heart, knowing just how this dream ended every time.

So she ran, trying to hide and keep away from him as long as possible. She was just wondering if their connection worked in this world when she felt him smile; his mind telling her exactly where he was just as hers told him where she was. Now it was a race, running from him and hoping to not get caught but wanting him to reach her at the same time.

"If you want me to catch you, then you should just let me."

His voice in her head made a shiver run up her spine. "No."

"Really? Even after that last dream you had; you don't want me?"

"Did you send that to me?!"

Arms wrapped around her from behind. He had distracted her while he caught up. She suppressed the moan that threatened to release when her back met his chest. "Found you."

"Like it was a struggle."

He chuckled, warm and deep in her ear. "It was at first, before I understood the link or what this place was."

"And now you do?"

Slowly, his hands traced up her belly, switching to her arms before he reached her breasts. A few strokes up and down her skin and he pushed the small sleeves of her gown off her shoulders, the material promising to fall to her feet from the simple change. She grabbed it at her chest, hands pressing to her heart to keep it from hitting the grass.

Hands on her hips and mouth on her neck, he tried to turn her around but she refused. "Usako, look at me."

Shaking her head, dread filled her belly. He wanted to end the dream already? "No."

"Look at me."

"NO!"

He laughed, hearty and full, making her knees weak. To which he took advantage, spinning her hard and fast. Eyes clenched tight, she hoped that would count and keep them from parting so soon.

"If you don't want to leave me, then you should have come home with me tonight. Usako, open your eyes. It's fine."

Fingers rubbing her spine and sweet promises whispered into her mind; she slowly opened her eyes, his dark ones meeting her. And they remained, the dream not ending. "But… it always ends…"

"Back when I didn't understand. And when I thought you would rather eat fire than be in my arms. This is a world Endymion created for Serenity whenever they were apart. It's part of a place called Ellyson. A dream realm Endymion, and I, control."

"Is that why we can share dreams?"

He shrugged, his hands going to hers in hopes of pulling her hold off her dress. "Seems to be the reason, yes."

Giving up on her hands, he pressed his palms into her spine, causing her to move into him and bend backward, giving him access to her neck. Her brain was turning to mush, heat rising in her just like it had for Serenity in her last dream.

"I'll make you feel exactly like she did here in a few moments."

He nipped at her collarbone and she lost herself, releasing her dress and throwing her arms around his neck. Pulling her off the ground, he walked them backward, soon laying her down on a stone bench, the cold rough surface waking her up when it hit her naked skin. "You put me in that dream didn't you?! Sent me to Serenity and Endymion's first time?!"

The lips against her skin curled into a smirk and she found a different heat rising in her anger.

"I didn't send myself there! How could I?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe falling asleep thinking about your first time? Or how much you wanted me to make love to you again?"

His face was at her ribs while his hands were on her thighs, her weak and half hearted attempts to shove him off were fooling no one. "I did neither of those things!!"

She fell silent when he continued to travel down her body, sucking in the skin just below her belly button and then her hip and then the inside of her thigh…

"Then I should just let you go back to sleep then, shouldn't I?"

He had popped back up off her skin, standing next to her and looking down at her. Her entire body was flushed and her chest heaving. Even without their connection, he knew exactly what she wanted but he was being a jerk.

Leaning over her, he put his face inches from hers and then kissed her hard. It had her wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his hips. But he pulled back a few short moments later, a pop coming from their lips at the sudden disconnect.

"Good night, Usako."

She jumped up, sitting up quickly now back in her room, cold and thoroughly agitated. Mamoru was still asleep, which explained why when she threw on some clothes and stomped out into the night, he wasn't fussing at her or racing out to meet her. It allowed her to go straight to his place and pound on his door without a single interruption. The panic he felt when he woke almost had her anger waning, but she held firm, wanting to blast the heat she felt in her heart and brain right back at him once he opened the door.

He was a mess of emotions and in appearance, waking from a dead sleep to his fear. She felt a bit guilty but reminded herself that he deserved it. "You're an ASS!!"

With that, she turned on her heel, planning on storming all the way back home. A firm and hard hold on her elbow stopped her, Mamoru yanking her back and into his apartment before slamming the door behind her. "Have you lost your mind?! Walking around alone in the middle of the night?!!"

"Yeah, well I wanted to tell you that you are AN ASS!!!"

"You could have done that from the safety of your room!!!!"

She pulled free of his hold, crossing her arms over her chest. "I wanted the satisfaction of saying it to your face!"

"And giving me a panic attack??!!"

"Yep! Mission accomplished. I'll be going now." She wasn't surprised when he stopped her but she had to try. "I can take care of myself, Mamoru, and I'm going home now!"

He spun her so fast and hard, her brain struggled to keep up, her vision blurry for a few seconds only to clear with raging blue eyes the only thing she could see. Sparks flew deep inside his irises, lightning so deep in his soul she didn't think he even realized it. "You're going nowhere."

"I'm not staying here with you!"

There were still sparks in his eyes when he smirked down at her. "Afraid of what will happen if we share a bed?" Her blood was boiling and she didn't know if it was her anger or lust anymore. "Fine, I'll sleep on the couch and you can go pout in the bed all night, but you are not walking alone in the dark!"

"Excuse me?! POUT?!!"

His nose brushed against hers, he put his face so close to hers. "You can be mad at me forever, Usako, but if it keeps you alive I will gladly take your anger all of our lives. I don't care who it endangers and I'm sorry if that makes me a shitty Prince but it's the truth. You will always come first to me, you will always be more important than anyone else!"

She actually hurt herself, hitting his mouth so hard with hers. What he said didn't really make her any less angry, but it had her lust overweighing her anger. Her dreams, heat in her veins, his words and nearness, and her general need for him had her leaping onto him. He caught her, his hands on her butt while she wrapped her legs around him. Their tongues danced together and he was slowly backing them away towards his bedroom.

Just as they reached the door, she pulled away from his mouth while he continued down her skin. "I'm still mad at you."

"I know."

Their mouths fused together again, Mamoru dropping both of them to the bed. She ripped his shirt in two, a show of her anger and want. Not that she needed to show it to him, he felt it just as she felt his desire. It filled his veins and pressed against her thigh.

A week had passed since they were last like this, naked and under his sheets, but it felt like it had been far longer, quickly finding their rhythm like no time had passed at all. And he was going to stop, grab some protection when she felt it was far too late for that. So he didn't, not faltering in his movements even when she lifted off the bed. He waited until she fell back and stilled before pulling out for his release.

Her back to his chest, she found herself running her fingers over the dips in his arms, muscles bulging as he caged her in them. "You make it sound as if I'm holding you hostage."

Wiggling against him, she moved a little deeper into his hold. "Aren't you?"

"You came here of your own free will… and you jumped on me. Told you that you would cave."

"But you sent me those dreams!!!"

"I told you, I didn't send them. You brought them on yourself because you wanted me. Just as badly as I wanted you."

The thick wet kiss he placed on the top of her spine made her shiver and he laughed, his hands pressing into her belly.

"You still mad at me?"

The tingle his touch gave her was hard to ignore, but she still tried. "Yes."

"Hmmm… that's fine. Makes the sex hotter anyway."

He was kissing her across her shoulder and she slowly turned, his mouth remaining on her skin as she faced him. Then he planted his mouth on hers, giving her lips the same thick, wet kiss he had been giving her skin. It had her melting, her leg wrapping around his hip. His hand on her thigh, he was kneading her flesh and pulling it up higher on his waist. As amazing as it felt, she still pushed him away hard, forcing him onto his back so she could climb on top of him.

"Hotter, huh? Let's see how hot you think this is?"

He groaned as she wrapped her energy up inside him, his flooding her a second later.