A/N: Disclaimer: Refer back to Chapter 1.

WARNING: LEMON CONTENT, MODERATE LANGUAGE.

Chapter 4: To Covet

Heat adjusted his cape accordingly, and grabbed his grenade launcher. It was 0430 hours. He only had half an hour left. But then again, who needed to worry about time?

"Plenty of time for cornflakes." he grinned to himself.

He walked out of his room and proceeded to the mess hall. He had decided to allow himself only 10 minutes to eat and then the next 5 minutes shall be dedicated to care for his inexpressible needs.

The remaining 15 minutes for the final debriefing.

As he walked through the halls, he recalled the dream that he had the night before; or rather, the lack thereof.

He frowned; something was definitely wrong.

Why didn't he dream about her? Why that night? She had finally let him rest. But why now? Granted, his desire for her had not waned, not even in the slightest degree. But then, he didn't know why, all he knew was that, his dreams about her had become something so familiar to him that unconsciously, he found himself expecting them to appear.

It was as if the dream was a constant part of his life that it became a routine. And its sudden absence had given his mind and heart fire signals. Her images, no matter frustrating that he could not touch and take her the way he did in his dreams, were still enough to keep him going.

They gave him the impetus to destroy Serph. They gave Heat a focused reminder of why he was doing the things he was doing; why he was thinking the things that he was thinking.

But, this could be settled at a later time.

As he blinked back to reality, he found himself already seated on a chair by the window of the mess hall and already had half of his breakfast.

'That was fast…' he thought with disbelief, 'I gotta calm down and concentrate damn it!'

That was true.

This was a mission and failure was not in his vocabulary, it never had been. He must not let his desires get in the way of his missions.

He stared into his food disinterestedly.

'I don't feel like eating this shit now…' he thought with disdain as he pushed his tray away from himself. He stood up and made to leave the hall when he caught sight of Argilla. He stopped and regarded her with an intense gaze, his face and eyes betraying nothing.

She had her eyes set on her tray as she ate her food, using her sweet time. Heat rolled his eyes; she seemed to be too relaxed, 'Women…'

It would seem to Heat that she was in deep thought as she failed to even notice his presence.

Heat averted his gaze and forced himself to walk through the sliding doors. Now was not the time; besides, he would have plenty of time for her when they had secured the supply depot.

xxxxx

Serph had nodded at the two of them, "Good. You're all here. Time for your debriefing. The mission will commence in exactly ten minutes. As I've already explained, this mission requires precision and speed. I want the depot established and operational within a day. Is this understood?"

Heat narrowed his eyes before nodding, "Yes sir." he said louder than he had originally intended, stressing on the word "sir".

"Enemy scouts?" Argilla inquired.

Serph turned his eyes towards hers; his eyes softened briefly before returning to its steely countenance, "Dispose of them ASAP and do not, I repeat, do not let them send any transmission to their HQ. That is why you are to set up the dishes that jam transmissions. Chaff grenades are also important. The enemy must not find out about Saraswati; at least, not until we want them to know about it."

Heat's eyes narrowed. He could still smell her…and it was bombarding his self control like a battering ram. Apparently, the bastard can as well. He noticed Serph shift uneasily; his nose sniffing the air about. Well, to Heat, it looked like he was sniffing about. But, it could also be that he was just breathing uneasy. 'Breathing her in…' Heat thought.

What was that smell anyway? It still annoyed him as it intoxicated him. He looked at Cielo from the corner of his eyes…he looked fine. There was no change in him whatsoever. So, it was just him and the bastard.

Argilla raised an eyebrow at Serph; clearly querying his cryptic words but then, made no move to question him. She trusted him.

"Any questions?"

"Just one." Heat said lazily.

"That is…?"

"What are our instructions after we had set up the depot?"

Serph's eyes narrowed, "You are to return to Saraswati at the event of success leaving the rest of the team. They will be the ones to maintain the depot. But, I will send out word should the plan change. Is there anything else?"

"No."

"Good. You are all dismissed."

Heat began to walk towards the door when he noticed that Argilla wasn't coming along. He looked at her and saw that she was talking to the bastard. Those two always did that. Be that as it may, alarms set themselves off in Heat's head…the bastard would be alone with her…his muscles tightened and his pulse raised.

What was happening to him? 'What is she doing to me…?' he thought angrily. He knew he needed a medical assessment if this continued but he wouldn't do that. That'd just be too sissy-ish.

He looked at the two again and scowled as he forced himself to calm down.

'Probably warning her about me…' Heat scowled.

That bastard.

Whereas before, Heat possessed a tolerating countenance, now, he was possessed with rage as he watched Serph step closer to Argilla, his hands grasping her shoulders, gently, almost affectionately before leaning down towards her face and whispering something into her ears.

Heat didn't hear what those words were but the expressions on their faces told him everything that he needed to know. Argilla had that pink tinge on her face again while Serph, saying nothing, his lips flashing her a sincere smile.

Heat growled and walked towards the door once more and stopping before the entrance, "Are you going to stand there all day? We have a team to debrief."

He didn't need to turn around to see that Argilla had heard him as he heard her footsteps near his location. Heat didn't need to turn around to see that Serph had turned to him to give him his most dangerous glares; yes, those glares that were reserved only for him. He loved breaking them apart.

"Right. Let's go!" Heat didn't miss the cheerfulness that laced her words. She was happy.

Suddenly, Heat had this unpleasant experience at the pit of his stomach. She was probably happy because of what that bastard had said to her.

Had she already forgotten what they had shared in the boiler room?

He growled again before stalking out of the room.

xxxxx

They had been on the road for over an hour now, making sure that their vehicle was unspotted by every, if any, enemy scouts present at their vicinity. The trip was as quiet as a graveyard. Everyone was deathly silent, alert, and ready for anything.

Finally, they had reached their destination.

Heat signaled the drivers and the other truck to halt.

He got down from the truck, walking over the ridge, with his hands on his hips before taking his binoculars that were slung from his shoulder, across his chest and looking through them, surveying the area.

'Yep…this is it alright.'

"Alright people. Let's get this shit over with." he said sternly, not even glancing at Argilla's direction.

xxxxx

"Heat…" Argilla's voice crackled trough the com link.

"Report."

"Five bogies. Vanguards. A scouting party."

"How far?"

"100 meters; 12 o'clock. What are your orders?"

"Take them out. I'll be there in 2."

"Roger."

"Fuck…they probably found us." Heat growled.

xxxxx

Argilla cursed as she lay on her stomach atop a ridge, positioning her eye-piece and her rifle. She gave her men the hand signal and told them to wait for her command to fire. Three other snipers were positioned on both their left and right flanks.

Her finger itched to shoot. She looked through her rifle scope and positioned her rifle accordingly on the target.

The target was moving towards their positions.

"Fire at will." she commanded through the com link.

At that moment, the whole issue was over. Argilla had taken down two of the five targets, hitting them on their heads. It was a sudden and painless death; that was the least she could do for them. And her subordinates did the rest.

It was then as she rose from her position and congratulated her team that Heat had arrived.

She smiled, "You're late."

Heat growled.

"We must move quickly. The Vanguards will miss their dogs. Were there any transmissions sent?"

"Negative. The targets were neutralized before we were spotted."

Heat nodded and proceeded to leave when Argilla spoke, "Wait! What are we going to do with the bodies?"

Heat shrugged, "Incinerate them. I don't want a ghost of a trace that they'd been here."

Argilla had a lump on her throat but said nothing and nodded instead. Seeing that Argilla had complied with his order, he started to walk once more but then, was stopped once more by Argilla, "Heat! What were they doing all the way out here?"

Heat sneered, "You're the Intelligence Officer. You should know more than I."

Argilla frowned, "It's possible that they were just scouting; but why here? Could there have been a spy?"

"A spy?" Now, it was Heat's turn to frown, "Do you suspect someone?"

"No."

"All the same, if they were just conducting a recon mission, we should finish our own mission and get outta here."

xxxxx

Heat walked over to the depot and addressed the men, "I want towers set up there, there, there and there. I want it done ASAP." he pointed to the four corners of the depot. Heat sighed. They've only arrived at the site and already they had company.

They should make this quick.

"Are the jamming dishes set up yet?" he asked his lieutenant almost impatiently. The frightened officer stammered in his response, "A-affirmative."

Heat nodded. They were lucky. They could be in trouble if those bastards were able to inform Harley of their location. But still, why would the Vanguards be doing a scouting mission 20 miles off Muladhara?

Could they have known about Saraswati? Or were they preparing for a preemptive strike of their own?

He cursed as he headed for the communications tower; he needed to speak to the bastard and inform him of what had happened.

They must have Saraswati ready for battle. The fortress must be completed ASAP.

xxxxx

"Report Delta 1." Serph's voice crackled through the monitor.

"HQ, this is Delta 1. We have encountered 5 bogies. Vanguards."

"Any transmissions?"

"Negative. Sir, a possible preemptive strike by the Vanguards to Muladhara may be under way. What are your orders?"

"What is the status of your depot?"

"Completed sir."

"Cancel the last order. Do not return to Saraswati. I repeat, do not return to Saraswati. You and Argilla leave for Muladhara at first light. I will give you further instructions there."

"Roger. Out."

xxxxx

Heat put down the headpiece and decided to retire for the night when he saw Argilla waiting a bit impatiently behind him.

Was she there the whole time of the transmission?

"What do you want?" he asked, he himself becoming impatient.

"What are our orders?"

"Nothing's changed. We still get to get outta this shit hole but not for Saraswati. We leave for Muladhara tomorrow." He brushed past her and started to walk towards his tent when she grabbed his arm.

"Heat."

Heat remained quiet for a while, "If you're asking for an apology about what happened back at Saraswati, don't bother. You won't get it. And if you want what's good for you, you'd leave me alone."

"…"

Taking her silence as her answer, he continued to walk.

xxxxx

Heat lay on his makeshift bunk that night, unable to get any sleep. He knew he had been rude to her, but then, again, she had been the one making him feel those unwanted and unpleasant feelings anyway.

What he said was the truth.

Heat knew that if she got closer to him, it would only be a matter of time before he totally lost control and ravage her.

Of course, his desire had not waned, not even during the mission, but because they had a mission, his priorities had shifted.

But now, in the dead of the night…as he closed his eyes, he could feel her…he could feel her kiss…her touches.

Heat grabbed the blanket and threw it off his body. The desire was overwhelming his senses…he needed release and needed it fast.

But she was the only one who could give that to him. She and she alone.

Making up his mind, he left his tent and searched for hers.

xxxxx

He found her tent by the ledge that hid their depot within the terrain. The lights were off. She was asleep. Heck, everyone was asleep. Well, except for the sentries.

Heat couldn't help but snort in condescendence. What kind of soldiers and warriors were these men? These men that he supposedly led? None of them were able to detect his presence at all.

But then, he smirked. That was the difference between him and these maggots; these poor excuses of a soldier. He scowled when he thought of Serph. Well, the way Heat figured, it was Serph's blundering that was to blame anyway.

'That idiot…' he thought.

He really should improve the men's training programs.

'If only I led Embryon…' he thought dreamily; but then his dreamy state dissipated to be replaced by a scowl, 'Yeah…if I only led Embryon instead of that bastard. Then we wouldn't have these lousy scumbags.' He shook his head from his fantasy world and proceeded towards Argilla's tent.

Her tent.

It was where she was. Tonight, she would comfort him.

Heat slid his nimble yet slightly trembling fingers through the slit that was Argilla's tent's opening. With stealth skills that would rival even the most adept shinobis of old, he slipped into the tent with neither sound nor sight as he blended conveniently into the shadows.

His breathing, that had been thus far perfect, began to become labored. His ruby eyes shone through the shadows as he gazed upon her sleeping form. Unlike him, she did not have a bunk or a bed but had just settled for a futon on the floor.

He walked closer to her, as if in a trance and stopped just a meter from her. He looked her from head to toe. Her pink hair, which was usually in their buns, was tousled carelessly on the pillows. Her lips were parted slightly and her upper lips were tugged in a small smile.

What was she smiling about? Was she dreaming? About what? Or, rather, about whom?

'Probably the bastard,' the voice in his head claimed.

'Shut up!'

'Hmph!'

The voice was gone.

He breathed the air within her tent intimately. It was filled with that smell…it was her smell. And as before, he felt his senses respond to the strong smell. It was drawing him closer to her…it was as if it was beckoning him to her.

Heat continued his appraisal of the woman in front of him. He blinked; it was then that he realized that in the few seconds that he had his 'inner turmoil' did she shift her body. Apparently, she had kicked the blanket halfway off of her body and it exposed her legs.

Her long creamy legs peeked seductively from her thin blanket.

Heat's pulse raced; blood rushing to his head. He forced his eyes to wander somewhere else. Unfortunately, that somewhere else was at her torso. The black shirt that she wore was thin and it did little to keep her modesty.

The flesh within seemed to call to Heat as well. Without thinking, Heat kneeled down and reached out his hand to touch her face. But he stopped just an inch from her as she moaned in her sleep. He blinked again.

This woman, whatever she was doing, was bewitching him. Whenever he would look at her, he would get distracted. Whenever he would sleep, she would haunt his dreams. He glared at the woman before him. She had not the right to do that to him; no right at all. Today, he had felt hot from the heat and the sun, he felt dirty from the sweat and the dust, he felt tired from the depot installation and worst of all…he felt deprived.

Deprived?

Deprived of what?

His mouth suddenly became dry. Yes…she had deprived him. She had deprived him his peace of mind. Not just his mind, but his body as well. Ever since that first night, his body had been in unrest. It was then that he became aware of that powerful feeling that was arousal.

But tonight, the feeling, the feeling of unquenchable thirst had overridden whatever control he had and it was this feeling that had brought him into her tent.

He glared at her again. She would satisfy him tonight. He cursed himself and then smirked. It was an oxymoron, he knew, but, all was well. He couldn't take her now, even if he painfully wanted to; no, that would ruin his plan. He would wait. But that didn't mean that he couldn't find other ways for her to please him.

His grin widened as he bared his teeth; she would satisfy him, and not even know it. With his renewed vigor, he took that one final and silent step towards her futon and gently, with all the gentleness he was capable, got on the futon and straddled her, but still careful not to touch her, and gently removed the blanket off of her completely.

Argilla sucked in her breath and Heat stopped dead in his tracks. Had she awakened? No, she wasn't awake. She was still fast asleep. But it would seem that she already missed her blanket as she slightly shivered and wrapped her arms around herself.

Heat grinned.

He'd warm her up.

He looked at the woman beneath him and saw that she was only in her underwear. Heat licked his lips unconsciously. Not wanting to waste anymore time, his gentle hands slowly glided through her legs, all the while marveling at the feel of her flesh.

It was soft and smooth to the touch. The skin on her legs was just as he dreamed and imagined. Despite the harshness of war, it contained none of the impurities that it brought everyone else. Everyone else, himself included, had marks of scarred flesh to remind them of the tragic and bloody lives they lived. But she, she was different.

She was perfect.

With his nimble and gentle fingers, he had pulled her underwear and slid them off of her completely. His breathing became irregular. What if she woke up? Would she scream? Would he take her?

No. She wouldn't wake up. She wouldn't scream. He wouldn't take her.

He was, after all, one of the best of Embryon. He'd just knock her out if she awoke and she wouldn't remember it in the morning. End of discussion.

He traced his fingers through the now exposed flesh before him. Her inner lips peeked innocently through her closed legs. Heat let out a ragged sigh. His desires were beginning to rise once more and now that she was exposed to him like this, he wasn't sure as to how his control would last.

Heat then removed his hands from her and removed his gloves. He wanted to feel her; skin on skin. With his gloves off, he reached for her legs once more, once more tracing her skin before stopping at the entrance of her inner lips. Heat traced his fingers through the soft pink curls before him. He smirked; so she was originally pink eh?

He withdrew his hands once more and put them on her both her knees. And with the least amount of effort, he drew them apart. The woman did not object and was still fast asleep. Heat was dumfounded for a moment. How could she not have noticed his presence?

She was probably very exhausted.

Heat smirked again and with his control almost lost, his fingers touched her inner lips. She moaned. He smiled; he liked that. This was the way it was supposed to be. She would moan because of him; she would moan for him. Heat inserted his finger into her folds. He himself groaned; she was tight…and warm. He let his finger work its magic on her and he looked at her face. There, on her cheeks, laid a bright tinge of pink.

She was flustered.

As he continued his ministrations, he realized that the growing bulge in his pants was beginning to become quite painful. He then sent another finger to accompany the other one. He looked at her again and saw that she was tossing her head from side to side, her hands grasping the sheets around her tightly.

Her mouth had parted and she was now openly moaning. She even tried to shut her legs but wasn't able to as his arm was in the way. He groaned as her legs had encased his arm but continued his ministrations with great fervor.

Her breathing had now become quite ragged, and her thin shirt showed Heat her hidden desires. Her peaks were erect and beads of sweat occupied her forehead and cheeks. It seemed to go on forever for Heat, but then, suddenly it was all over. Argilla had bucked her hips towards his arm in a final thrust as she lost herself in nirvana. Her nirvana. Heat may not have been with her there now, but he took great pleasure and pride that it was he who brought her there. Not the bastard; him.

She let out a deep sigh and unclenched the sheets around her. Heat looked at her and saw that the smile that had been present before his "attentions" to her body graced her face once more. Heat withdrew his fingers from her and saw that they were drenched with her essence. He bought his fingers to his lips and tasted her essence, closing his eyes, savoring the sweet taste. It was a curious taste; it was something that he couldn't put a finger on.

'Or could I?'

He inwardly laughed at his own joke but then returned to the subject at hand. Ah yes, her taste. Her taste was something that he had never before tasted. It was a taste that was purely hers. It was a taste that was uniquely hers.

He opened his eyes once more and looked at her inner lips once more. She was completely drenched and it flowed onto the futon. He smirked; he wondered what she would make of that on the next day? Would she suspect? Hmm…

Heat shook his head; now was not the time to speculate. He would just have to wait for her reaction tomorrow. He smirked again and retrieved her fallen underwear. He looked at the flimsy cloth in his hand and for a moment contemplated on taking it with him, but decided against it.

And so, he slipped them through her legs once more and spread the blanket around her now warm body before getting off the futon himself.

As he walked towards the entrance, he stopped and looked behind him one last time. She was breathing normally now but she was still flustered.

'I would have you soon enough…' he promised himself.

Now that he had a taste, he would be sure to have the entire main course. It was her voice though that broke through the misty air that surrounded them in the tent and Heat stopped his tracks, his eyes wide, his heart beating erratically and his hands shaking.

There…it was there she had uttered the word that had damned him. No, he was wrong, she didn't utter it; she moaned it. She moaned it as if it was what she needed most in the world; she moaned it as if her life depended on it; she moaned it desperately. Heat let out a trembling breath; he sharply turned around and looked at her, his eyes narrowing into slits. The woman was still asleep, the smile still playing on her lips.

Heat stood there for seconds he couldn't even begin to count; to an outsider, they were only a few insignificant seconds, but for Heat, it seemed like an eternity. He couldn't move; he couldn't speak; his whole body shook in anger.

He shook and trembled, and yet, he couldn't move. He was paralyzed with rage.

When he finally regained his senses, he glared at her once more, 'You'd pay for this bitch!' he promised dangerously, before stalking out of her tent, with her damning word replaying over and over in his head, "Serph…"

xxxxx