Title: Spoils Of War
Disclaimer: The use of characters is used purely for the enjoyment of this fan fiction and I am in no way making any profit in this.
Chapter 3: Cosmic Reactions"This is the first and the last time I'm doing this for you Jed. You're absolutely helpless when you're drunk." Darien muttered as he carried his friend all the way to his tent.
They were finally nearing it when Jadeite snapped out from oblivion and started causing a ruckus. Growling, Darien pushed him inside the tent and followed him thereafter.
The pretty woman eyed them wearily, a good distance away fearing to come near. Darien held out his hands and pointed to Jadeite lying face down on the ground.
"Please take care of him." He looked at the woman carefully.
She returned back the look and finally nodded. He didn't miss her silent sigh of pity or relief as she bent down and picked up the pitiful general.
Darien took the bottle that Jadeite had been holding and noticed that it was still almost full. Shrugging, he raised the bottle to his lips and started drinking all the way back to his own tent.
By the time he reached his own tent, he had nearly fallen over, had stumbled upon a rock and had run through several people in his reckless state. He reached for the opening of the tent fell on the cushion and became unconscious.
***
She was still experiencing nausea and made indication of vomiting but it never went through. Certain places of her body still hurt. Her breasts still ached, her legs and arms a bit bruised and most of all her most intimate distinction as a woman.
Daylight was nearing and soon the 'punishment' to those held responsible would really start. The death of those last midnight was just the initiative. Hell has yet to claim its souls.
She was ran back before the one who claimed her had noticed her absence.
"He surely would have by now."
She sidestepped a hole in the ground just in time and nearly got tangled on a stingy bush. She growled and muttered outraged. She stopped moving and held herself very still. Clasping her hands together, she raised her arms solemnly upwards to the moon and suddenly shimmered out of sight.
***
She arrived outside the opening of the tent. Her feet not making a sound, she peeked behind the cloth first and cautiously went inside. She heard a faint noise and held her breath.
"Snore…snore…snore…"
She exhaled.
Moved with curiosity, she took hesitant steps forward. She saw a figure lying on the ground.
He was lying flat on his back. His arms were sprawled on his sides while his right hand still held the bottle of wine.
His black hair was tousled and he looked haggard in his sleep. There were creases on his brow, as he seemed to be wrapped in a deep stirring dream. Muscles rigidly formed due to strenuous exercise and fighting. He had broad shoulders a narrow waist and…He was all man. And he was beautiful.
"Beautiful." Serena swallowed. She took a step back confused.
A flash of silver caught her attention. A few steps away, a magnificent, well-used sword lay on the ground. Picking it up, she held it out to better light and examined the thing closely.
"Such a dangerous weapon." She murmured, testing the hard blade against her smooth skin. "Gasp." Blood flowed. Red liquid running down her exposed arm and pain entered her senses. With her other unharmed hand, she waved away the pain, and in an instant it was miraculously gone.
He moved.
Serena's attention then solely focused on him. Watching him wearily, his breathing was slow, and he kept moving and thrashing about. She circled him and walked dangerously near. Unable to help herself, she squatted on the ground. Her brows wrinkled in thought as she peered at him wonderingly, curiously studying him as she would a new toy.
She began touching him curiously and he became still, as though her touch was healing him of his nightmares. She touched his face, touching the firm line of his jaw, his nose, his forehead and then his lips. Her touch lingered there.
"Such a beautiful creature." She thought of his planned demise and her stomach clenched almost in regret. She planned to stand up and leave him be when a voice stopped her.
"Wait."
Serena turned around and eyed him warily. Electricity sizzled in the air. She swallowed compulsively. "Such beautiful blue eyes." She whispered in her head.
He tried to stand up only to fall flat on his butt hard.
"Ouch."
He rubbed his backside with one hand, the other hand on his temple trying to ease his headache.
Serena took a step towards him and spoke in her coldest voice manageable at the moment.
"You will see death and you will feel extreme pain but you will not die. You will continue to linger and mourn in guilt. Until the blood stops flowing from your hands and cries of pain no longer shout or curse with your name, then that is the time wherein you are truly repentant of your sins."
***
He knew that she was speaking to him. He saw her lips move but he was too entranced at them to listen and hear what they were saying. He looked up at her amazed, his breath stopped as he took in the sight of her. He was starting to get half-aroused just looking at her, and hearing her voice.
Unable to help himself, he reached out and gave a hard tug at her hand. She fell on top, her body fitting him perfectly. Her mouth formed an 'O' in surprise and her eyes widened in fear. She tried to get up but found her hands trapped by his hands.
"Ssshhh, don't be afraid my love." He whispered to her ear and then bit at her earlobe skillfully.
Serena froze.
Then he kissed her. Hungrily, devouringly his hand running up and down her spine. Still a bit drunk, he began groping her breasts, her butt, and his lips moving on to her neck. She became numb to everything but the feel of him beneath her and her startling reactions to him.
He started pulling her dress upwards as he brought her even closer. Warning bells rang at Serena's head. Battling against herself, she succeeded on pushing him away and stood up instantly fixing her disheveled clothing.
"This cannot be."
With her last words, she walked away from the tent to the outside night air.
***
The sun shone brightly with a curse.
Inside his tent, Darien woke up annoyed. He remembered faintly a vision, a very beautiful and damn sexy vision that left him boiling in desire. He closed his eyes and remembering the smell of her, the feel of her and how good she felt against him. He also remembered being denied.
Out on his tent, he was shocked at the site before him. His men, his warriors all dead. They were lying on the ground their eyes open in shock as though they saw something horrible before they died.
Darien let out an angry roar. "Hell, what is the meaning of this?!" He shouted to a less ranking soldier.
The soldier quivered at his stare and shook his head. "I…I…don't know."
"Where is Gen. Jadeite?"
"I…don't…know." He stammered.
Darien made a sound of frustration and strode towards his friend's tent. On the way a shout stopped him.
"Darien."
Darien turned and looked coolly at his brother. "What is it? I'm busy."
"My little priestess has escaped. Find her." Deamando ordered casually.
"Are you out of your mind? About a hundred of our best fighting soldier died mysteriously and you want me to go chasing after a damn prize?!" Darien yelled.
Deamando made a show of checking the death that surrounded him. Then he shrugged. "Look what I found…" He clapped his hand and a girl came forward, her wrists tied. It was his woman. "It seems you aren't the only one who lost his prize." He spoke smugly.
Darien saw red. He gave a glance at her, mentally checking for bruises. She seemed to be unhurt. She didn't shed an ounce of emotion as they discussed about her.
"Find my prize or I will have her instead." Deamando threatened.
Darien looked ready to battle.
"I'll find her."
Jadeite arrived just in time to stop the impending battle. He gave Deamando a cool look. "Release her first." He motioned towards Serena.
"Come and get her brother." Deamando taunted.
Darien's had envisioned wringing his brother's neck. Instead, he calmly went over, placed a hand at her back possessively and led her away.
"See that you find my prize, Jadeite." Deamando ordered again before he went inside his own tent. Jadeite gave a nod.
***
"Follow me." Darien ordered as he guided her back to his tent. He winced as he saw dead bodies of comrades lying there, some being hauled to be buried somewhere.
He glanced at the woman beside him to see her reaction. She looked unfazed with eyes looking past everything.
They finally arrived back at his tent.
"Please take a sit." He motioned. Serena complied. He gave a sigh and sat on the chair thinking.
"What in the world could've happened? Were they attacked while they were sleeping? By what? – A thousand invisible soldiers? Poisoned? A plague?"
Darien ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "How?" He muttered. He wasn't aware that he had spoken out aloud till he heard her speak.
"They died because they heard the screams of pain and death."
He turned to look at her. She met his gaze proudly; different from the cowering woman he thought she was when he picked her.
"What screams?" Darien frowned.
"The one they caused." She answered simply.
Darien started to become agitated. "What do you mean by that? I want answers and I want them now!" He yelled
She didn't even flinch. "What goes around comes around." She whispered but he didn't hear. She stood up and walked outside the tent. Darien watched agape as she freely moved around.
He went after her. Outside the tent, he found her looking upwards the bright sky staring outright at the glaring intensity of the sun unharmed.
"Apollo is very angry. You'd better leave now." She turned to look at him hard.
Why is he angry?" He doesn't believe in gods but felt compelled to ask.
"He too, heard their screams."
He gave her a look. "It'll take a couple of days or more for us to be prepared to leave. We still need to bury the dead."
Serena shrugged. "Excuses." She looked at him in the eye. "Do what you will." She tried to walk past him but he grabbed hold of her. She looked at his hand on her arm. "Remove it." She ordered.
He didn't. "I still haven't asked you your name."
"I'm a prize aren't I? Why does it matter? Sooner or later you will claim me just the way your brother did. Names wouldn't matter, nor would my voice, my thoughts, my dignity." She said bitterness and anger on her voice.
"My brother claimed you?" Darien demanded angry. "Tell me!"
Serena quickly realized her mistake. "I heard her screams. So full of pain. So full of pain, that it made me weep." She answered instead gazing at him reproachfully.
"I promise I won't hurt you like that."
"Don't make promises you couldn't keep." Serena goaded.
"I said I wouldn't hurt you like that." Darien seethed.
She eyed him and then nodded. "Okay, I believe you." She once again turned to leave.
"Wait, I do have conditions though."
Serena paused and listened warily.
"First of all, you have to make yourself useful."
She nodded.
"And second, I would like to make it known that I plan on having you though in any means possible excluding rape." He said confidently.
She laughed. "Such a proclamation. How would you accomplish that? Do you know who you're dealing with?" She mocked.
"We shared a kiss didn't we?" Darien reminded.
Serena fought a blush remembering. "I thought you were half-asleep."
"I was and you gave me beautiful dreams. Dreams I would certainly make into reality. After the kiss started out my dreams became quite…" He searched for a word. "Erotic."
She couldn't stop the blush.
Angered at her behavior, she turned breezy. "Describe them to me one of these days…" she said casually. "If you live through it." She flashed him a chilly smile.
Unperturbed by the interlaced threat, "I plan to." He answered back.
***
"Darien. We move at noon." Deamando ordered atop his horse. He had come upon them unexpectedly just as they were returning tiredly back at the tent after helping out in burying the dead.
"But it's too soon." Darien argued.
"We move at dawn." Deamando repeated.
"Our men are tired, we haven't completely replenish our supplies, we need to reorganize our legions since most of the other commanders mysteriously died." Darien listed and so on.
"There are cities waiting to be conquered, Riches to be sought. We cannot sit here idly just because of a few minor setbacks." Deamando scoffed.
"You call this minor? Given our situation, our win in the next battle is fifty-fifty." Darien pointed out.
"You still plan on going to battle? Ruin cities? Kill people?" Serena asked suddenly her voice strained.
The two other men looked at her surprised at her boldness of interrupting a conversation between men particularly royalty.
"You just recently buried your dead! And you seek more deaths?" She asked loudly in disbelief.
Deamando raised a hand to strike her. Darien intercepted it. "She's right. It is too soon."
Deamando eyed his brother coldly with distaste. "We leave at noon." He said with finality.
"True Wealth is in the eye of the beholder."
A/n: Review! Review! Review! *Commands everyone* So what did you think? Does it become boring if it is too long?