Welcome to chapter 18. Alright, here's the deal; since FF.net is a pansy, I edited out all the "NC-17" stuff. You can read the FULL chapter (I believe it's about 9 pages) at: http://www.mediaminer.org/fanfic/view_ch.php?id=23387&cid=74145
Heed the warnings. Anyway, if you don't want to read the lemon, on with the fic!
Beyond the Moon
Eighteen
Hitomi rubbed her eyes, yawning as she slowly climbed off the floor. How she had fallen asleep there, she didn't know. But whenever she spoke to Van, it seemed, she fell into an untimely snooze.
Not long after she worked her way over to the bed, a knock came at the door. "Come in," Hitomi called weakly, letting out another yawn. Zuga opened the door, almost immediately swinging open the doors to the wooden wardrobe.
"Come and get dressed, Lady Hitomi," the doppelganger called, withdrawing a light, crême-colored gown from the closet. Hitomi sighed, getting up and taking the dress. Zuga smiled at her and bowed, leaving the room just as quickly as she had come.
Hitomi stood in front of the mirror, looking herself up and down before getting undressed. She sighed, abandoning her bra on the floor. She walked into the closet, getting over her nervousness of the wardrobe and looking around for something to wear under her gown.
Putting on a girdle was another thing altogether. After fiddling with it for some time, she called loudly for Zuga. Pattering came up to the door, and the servant woman entered in a rush.
"Yes, Lady Hitomi?" she asked. Hitomi turned around, tugging on her girdle. Immediately, Zuga's face lit up with a smile.
"Can you help me?" Hitomi asked meekly. Zuga nodded, indicating for her to turn around. Hitomi did so, watching in the mirror as the servant woman turned the girdle around so the laces rested on her back.
"Suck in," the doppelganger said. Hitomi did as she was told, and Zuga tightened it considerably. The brunette let out a surprised gasp, recovering her wits as the servant woman laced up the rest of the girdle and turned, leaving the room.
"Um... thank you," Hitomi called after her. Zuga bowed lightly before closing the door behind her. Hitomi turned back to the mirror, frowning at her appearance. Hopefully she could get her lingerie washed and wear some regular clothes soon.
After putting on the gown, Hitomi fixed her ruffled hair, washing her face with a refreshing splash of water. She didn't have long before Zuga knocked on the washroom door.
"Midday supper is ready, and Emperor Chid requests your presence," the servant woman called. Hitomi quickly opened the door, nodding in response.
***
As soon as they were let into the room, Celena dashed to the bed and did a jump-flop onto it. The doppelganger servant woman bowed respectfully and turned.
"Sir, your room is this way," she said meekly, holding the door open. Dilandau gave her a sideways glare, which caused her to shrink back further from him.
"This room is fine for both of us," he snarled, slamming the door in her face. With a huff, the albino turned back to where Celena lay spread out on the bed, hugging the down-feather pillow to her chest. "I still don't see why we have to hang around," Dilandau huffed, standing awkwardly at the doorway.
Celena sat up, bringing her knees to her chest. "I don't trust the Duke," she said quietly, playing with the soft silk of the quilt. Dilandau raised an eyebrow. "Why did he bring Hitomi here? He doesn't seem to want to tell us anything," she muttered, laying back down on the bed.
Dilandau walked across the room, taking a seat on the edge of the bed near the foot. "That's not like you," he commented. Celena sighed.
"I know. He has some other motive. I think Hitomi knows, but she seems... deceived. I'm not sure what it is, but I'll find out at lunch," she said, her voice still quiet. Dilandau cocked one eyebrow.
"I want to know why he needs her, and just what it is he wants her to do," he replied, leaning back on the bed. "Though I don't want to hang around here with nothing to do for three days!" Celena giggled, sitting up and crawling over to sit next to him.
"That garden was pretty," she replied as Dilandau let out a sigh, lying back on the quilted bed. She absently ran a finger through his hair, causing him to blush slightly and push her hand away. "The mansion is really big, too. I'm sure we'll have tons to eat!"
"Celena, just why are we staying here?" he asked with a peevish voice. She merely smiled at him.
"I have a feeling that Van and Allen are on their way here, if I know my brother. They should arrive long before three days is up," Celena replied with assurance. "They will get to the bottom of this. Until then, we should just wait."
Dilandau sat up abruptly. "You know they're coming here?! What will happen when they arrive and find me?" he demanded, glaring at her. She merely shrugged.
"As long as you don't try to kill them, I think they will both be occupied with Hitomi before they notice us. I just want to make sure nothing happens to Hitomi," she replied calmly. Dilandau sighed. Celena never ceased to amaze him with her amazing ability to read a situation.
She flopped down suddenly beside him, folding her hands over her stomach. The room was vast in expanse, but had few furnishings beside the bed, a tapestry or two, a desk, and a washroom door. A small wooden dresser sat in the far corner, and its finished surface was covered in dust.
"Dilandau," Celena asked quietly. The man in question turned his head, giving her his full attention. "You are more than just my friend, or my brother, or my counterpart, or my companion. I guess... I haven't realized it until now." At this point, she had more than just his full attention; he watched her with narrowed red eyes, his gaze penetrating but not angry... he seemed more earnest than anything.
Celena sighed, closing her eyes, unable to hold his stare anymore. "I don't ever remember being oppressed by you; it was all just forgotten after the sorcerers were through with me. It was only until I first spoke to you that I even knew of your existence." She looked up once more, her blue eyes cloudy and unsure. "When I needed a friend, you were there, whether or not you were friendly or voluntary about it. Why did you reply to me, Dilandau?"
Dilandau bit his lip. He had never been this nervous in his entire life; he had always been so sure of himself, so confident of his abilities. But now, he felt as if he could make a mistake at any time, and he would never be able to go back.
"Because you were my light," he replied quietly. "And you still are." Without warning, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close to himself. Celena let out a surprised gasp when she felt his hands tighten against her back, but the slight trembling in his arms seemed to display another emotion. Celena slowly lifted her hands, holding behind his neck as she responded to his tight embrace.
"Why did you release me?" Dilandau asked after some moments. He released his grip slightly, allowing her to look up at him inquisitively.
"Because... because I wanted not to be in you, but to be with you," Celena replied, her voice low and nervous. Dilandau reached down, taking her chin in his hand and lifting it, so she was forced to look into his eyes. "Because I love you, Dilandau."
They lay for some time, her arms wrapped around his neck, his hand clutching her waist and the fabric of her dress. "Do you love me enough now," he began, "to love me forever?" He searched her wide, sky blue eyes, his hand absently tucking a strand of feathery hair behind her ear.
Suddenly, Celena reached up, planting a full kiss on his lips. Dilandau blinked in surprise, before looking down at the woman clutching him tightly, her mouth pressed eagerly to his, her eyes squeezed closed. He responded in like manner, parting his lips lightly.
His tongue lightly ran along her waiting lips, eagerly completing the journey as she drew them apart for him. He met with unexpected resistance, her tongue nuzzling his lightly before mimicking his advance. Dilandau enveloped both his arms around her, pulling her tightly against him. She let out a small sound as the buttons of his jacket dug into her chest.
Drawing away with reluctance, he began disentangling himself from her so he could remove his jacket. Celena uttered a little whimper of response, still holding tightly onto him. Her arms trembled slightly, so he held her comfortingly with one hand while he finished removing the cumbersome overcoat. He tossed it to the floor, his soft, white shirt making a welcome change to Celena.
She nuzzled her face into Dilandau's chest, still holding tightly onto him. He sighed in response, pulling her closer to him.
Without warning, the albino rolled onto his back, pulling her with him. Dilandau slid off the bed, catching the surprised Celena in his arms before she tumbled off. One arm tucked under her knees and one arm under her back, she clutched him as he walked to the head of the enormous bed.
Dilandau leaned over, ready to deposit her on the bed, before an evil glint appeared in his eye. "Do you?" he asked, leaning his face closer to Celena's. She drew back slightly, giving him a slightly nervous look.
"Do I what?"
"Do you love me enough now, to love me forever?" He kept her suspended an inch or less over the bed, making the both of them itch to be down on the soft comforter.
"I do, Dilandau Albatou," she replied in a low voice, lowering the lids on her light blue eyes. He grinned evilly, setting her down lightly on the bed. Dilandau propped her head against the pillow, standing back and looking her from head to toe. Celena blushed immensely, very aware of his analyzing gaze.
"You've changed a lot since you first took over," he said quietly, leaning down to plant a light kiss on her nose. "You know, I've never had feelings for a woman in my life." Her eyebrows raised in surprise, as she eagerly accepted another gentle kiss to her lips.
"Allen never tried to get me a suitor," she replied, her voice light, "the only men who ever cared about me were he and Jajuka." He traveled further down to her cheek, dropping light kisses along her jaw and neck.
"I had three female Dragonslayers," Dilandau said, his voice becoming low and husky, his words interrupted by the tender kisses he planted up to her throat, "they liked me, but I think I was especially mean to them because I didn't want their attentions." He lowered himself slightly onto the bed, propping his hands on the quilt as he continued down her neck to her collarbone. Unable to respond, Celena merely let out a light murmur.
"I wanted to kill... fire is a really great thing," Dilandau began again, his voice deep and seducing. "More than anything in the world, I wanted to kill Van, to get revenge on everyone," he continued, moving his whole body onto the bed just beside her, still propped up on his knees and elbows. He sat back, looking her over. She trembled slightly, raising her gaze to his. "But now, all I want is you."
"Oh Dilandau," Celena replied huskily, suddenly lifting herself up, wrapping her arms around his neck. Dilandau let her pull him down on top of her, her mouth finding his as their bodies molded on top of the soft quilt. He kicked off his boots, letting them fall discarded off the bed, Celena's worn traveling slippers following not long after.
*** -*-
"Your brother will be very unhappy," Dilandau commented as Celena lay down beside him, propping her head up on one hand. Her eyes wandered down his chest, which was decently defined with sleek muscle. She ran one finger along his collar bone, her eyes meeting his.
"Yes, he will," she replied, lightly kissing his nose. Dilandau raised one silver eyebrow. "But he doesn't control my life."
"It didn't appear that way at first," he murmured, pulling the blanket tightly around them and lightly tracing patterns on her back.
Celena snorted. "He babied me for so long when I got back, I grew sick of it. I was happy when you made your appearance; I could defy him." She looked almost happy about the thought, something which surprised him.
Their conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door. "Mr. and Mrs. Albatou, you are being summoned to midday supper," the servant woman called. Celena let out a laugh at the title, which she then futilely hid beneath the quilt. Dilandau responded with a scowl.
"I'll have you know we're not married!" he called back, ready to leap out of bed and strangle the woman.
"The sounds I heard earlier would refute that," Zuga replied with a slight mock in her voice. Dilandau's face turned a bright red, which Celena could swear spread all the way across his ears. "I was instructed by my master to bring you new clothes. I suggest you make yourselves scarce so I can bring them in!" Dilandau instantly jumped into bed, pulling the covers over the both of them. Celena giggled, hiding under the protective tent that he erected angrily over them.
The door opened and closed, a call from the servant woman outside telling them it was alright to come out. She left with a laugh, leaving an extremely angry Dilandau and a giggling Celena to climb into their fancy new clothes.
***
The duo had reached the beach before noon, and the modest slope of the ascending plateau barred them from the tell-tale sounds of the crashing waterfall. Feeling disoriented, Allen had reluctantly switched seats with Van on the tired, lumbering gray stallion as they plodded along the coastline.
The grass became sparse closer to the rippling water, drowning into a small plain of thin, white sand before tapering off into the ocean.
"When do we get to turn around?" Van asked at length, his voice irritable and antsy. He reined the horse in to a halt, turning to the thoughtful Allen.
The knight sighed, diverting his eyes away from the mesmerizing lapping waves and back to the grassy plateau in the distance. "I think we've lost him by now. But he'll be expecting us to go back up onto higher ground, so we should take the coastline," Allen replied. He tapped his chin thoughtfully, before suddenly climbing off the horse. "Get off."
Van gave him a confused look. "What? Why?"
"Just do it." Sighing, the king slipped off as well. In a matter of seconds, Allen had removed the saddle and blanket, and carried the tack into the water, where the salty waves slapped at his precious leather boots. Van watched in confusion as the knight heaved the saddle back, flinging it off into the water, the blanket following soon after.
"What was that for?!" Van cried, keeping a hold on the surprised horse. Allen looked back at him with a neutral expression.
"If our little follower sees our tracks doubling back on themselves, he'll know we tricked him. We're going to walk in the water," he replied. Van took a breath, closing his dropped jaw. Allen stood beside the horse, offering his hand as a stepping stone.
"You're not joking, are you?" Allen shook his head, and Van reluctantly climbed back onto the stallion's bare, sweaty back. With uncanny agility, the knight vaulted on behind him. The king slowly led the horse into the water, the stallion jumping at the feel of the cold liquid against his legs. Van urged him on, the two companions finally getting on their way. As they passed through the four-inch-deep water, their tracks were almost instantly washed away.
The plateau rose higher above them, beginning to blot out their view of the compass-like mountains. Their disappearance began to unnerve Van, but he was assured that they were traveling in the right direction. His mind began to wander back to his conversation with Hitomi. Allen had had to poke him in the stomach with his elbow so that the king didn't topple right off the horse in his vision-induced slumber.
Celena and Dilandau? The puzzle was just too complicated; "Allen," Van asked, "why would Dilandau care about Hitomi's whereabouts?" Van looked back, gauging the knight's response.
"What do you mean?" Allen countered, his brow furrowed.
"I mean, that what would override all of Dilandau's many vendettas against Hitomi?" Allen turned his head, looking out over the clear, rippling water.
"Celena." Van raised his eyebrows, still keeping his gaze on the knight's stoic face. Allen slowly looked back, giving the inquirer an equally questioning expression. "Why?"
"Your sister and Dilandau found Hitomi, but she was too confused to make sense of everything when I spoke to her. I tried to reach her again, but she was either asleep or busy," Van replied, looking back at the endless waves ahead of them.
"What?! And.. Dilandau didn't... you know..?" Van shook his head.
"From what I understood, they're staying at the castle of 'Hudogar'," he replied calmly. Allen furrowed his brow in confusion.
"I don't get it," the knight confessed.
"Neither do I."