Moonlight Horizon
Chapter 5
Rini snapped her jaw shut and stared at Elios' back as they trotted on the white, pristine beach. Her eyes bored into his back, as if willing him to turn toward her and to explain his words. Ah God, but her insides trembled just thinking about what he said. She knew instantly that he was avoiding her now, not wanting to confront their emotions for each other.
Rini sighed; looking down her hands that shook with the force of her emotions and nearly ran into Elios as he turned back toward her, with his face composed once again.
"I will need you to wait for me, I've got to check the perimeter underwater. I've already went through the air surrounding us," he stated to her.
"But what do you need me here for?" Rini frowned at him.
Elios smiled slowly at her, his body continued to ignore his order to quit desiring her as she stood with one, softly rounded knee thrust forward and her stance subtly sensuous. But the cold water from the ocean should take care of obliterating the fire from him. At least, for the moment, he sighed. "Just scan the waters and make sure I come back up."
"Oh," was all she could say. She didn't like his idea of her scanning the waters for him. It seemed too dangerous to her. But before she say anything further, Elios launched himself into the air at breakneck speed. Rini's mouth parted open in amazement again as she witnessed the archangel's lightning speed into the atmosphere. In moments, he was nothing more than a speck in the sky before she noticed a change in the direction of his flying. She shielded her eyes against the bright glare of the sun, her breath catching in her throat and her heart hammering away like a freight train. She again spotted Elios in reverse, diving directly into the ocean at such a thunderous speed that the ocean water erupted around him with a large splash. And then there was nothing but the blue waters.
After a couple of minutes of searching the surface for any discernable movement on top of the waves, Rini began to fret. She started to tread a small trail back and forth across the sand, her brow wrinkling in frown as each second ticked by without a sign of Elios. Her gaze returning to the sea, time and time again. She knew that she shouldn't fret, that the angel probably to could his hold his breath for long minutes underwater, but that didn't stop her from worrying that maybe something bad had happened to him underwater that she wasn't aware of. As her mind began to ponder thoughts of unknown monsters probably native to Paradise's planet and lurking for him in the deep waters, her frown deepened with each further passing moment.
Finally after fighting with herself, she gave in and stepped into the water that lapped against her boots. With a sense of urgency she waded further into the ocean. Each step seemed more frantic than the other. It wasn't until she was half way into the water, did Elios burst out of the ocean like a cannon ball, whirling into the air like a bird spiraling upwards into the air. Feathers floated down from his reentry into the air.
Rini cursed, loud and long, her fist hitting the water before her with nary a splash despite the force she had put into it. A red haze appeared before her, the same way an angry bull becomes madden at the sight of a red blanket before its eyes. In a moment, Elios floated before her as she stood continually spitting out curses unfit for a lady of her stature and station.
Elios chuckled mischievously at her expression of anger. "Have I done something to make you angry?" He asked, innocently. Crystalline water droplets dripped from his clinging clothes and flapping wings. His arms gleamed wet and shiny, like a polished bronze statue, his thighs hard and seeming impressively muscular underneath his wet-clad pants. Even his eyes appeared a vibrant blue hue, twinkling with merriment.
If Rini weren't so angry at the moment, she probably would have taken the time just to admire his wonderful physic. As it was, she was too much in huff to care at the moment.
"You could have at least warned me, you-you insufferable Angian!" She sputtered forcibly.
Elios blinked, a grin erupting across his handsome face. "Warned you about what?"
Rini wanted to shout. "Oh!" She spluttered, launching herself into the air and flinging herself at him, arms flaying with the intent to hit him.
An 'oofff' escaped from Elios' chest as he was flung back, his arms insolently subduing Rini's attack on him as she continued to rail at him
"Whoa!" Elios burst out into laughter, the deep rumble of his voice causing Rini's face to become redder each passing second as she continued to plummet at his chest with her fists.
The more he laughed, the more upset she became.
"I-I don't think it's funny," Rini gasped out, straining against his arms. She wanted to sob. She didn't understand why she was so angry or why she was taking all her anger out on him. "You-you could have been hurt!" She exclaimed, finally looking into his face. The merriment was still there in his laughing gaze and surprise at her comments.
For a moment Rini forgot why she was so mad. She forgot to breathe, and her heart shuddered to a near halt as she found herself mesmerized by his glorious beauty. And the funny thing was, it was soul deep as well.
The next moment, Rini did what was the most natural thing for her to do. She kissed him. Full on the mouth and shocking him with the sensual pressure of her luscious lips on his.
It took nearly a full minute before Elios responded, belated as it was. He had floated in the air, his steely arms clasping Rini's body against him, still in paralysis. And then he was crushing her head to his, his mouth forcibly slanting greedily over her mouth as if he was drowning in a sea of passion.
Rini gasped loudly against his mouth, the fire burning in her as she was forced to confront the onslaught of his desire. The movement of her mouth allowed Elios access into her succulent mouth, drawing at the exquisite honey he found there and eagerly taking what was being offered to him.
She moaned when his tongue delved deeply into her mouth, lightly tracing her teeth and causing her insides to want to explode with flaring heat as she felt his large hands skimming over her backside and buttocks, learning her rounded shape, and committing the soft curves to his memory.
The kiss went on and on, staggering them both with its intensity as tongues clashed and hands explored each other without even being conscious of the thought. When Elios' head dipped to taste the soft skin at her throat, Rini responded by throwing back her head, the flowing mane of her pale-pink hair shimmering like silk underneath the morning sun, her arms loosely clasp around his broad shoulders. Neither realized that they had floated down into the ocean waters and now stood thigh-high in the waters, so wrapped up in their world for two.
It was the touch of Elios' hand on her breast, his thumb and forefinger confidently circling the aroused nub through her Sailor uniform that nearly caused Rini to sob in frustration. Elios' head shot up at the sound of her voice, blue and reddish gazes clashing and connecting. Slumbering fires of desire curled in his blazing blue eyes as his lids lowered lazily over his eyes. He cupped the full orb, molding the breast and testing its weight in his hands and instantly liking the way her breast overflowed in his palm.
Was it any wonder why she leaned in further into his hand, enjoying the exquisite feelings that he was arousing in her. Heady and hot, the languid heat burning deeply within the pit of her belly that she cried out at the pleasurable torture his hands were creating.
It was the painful ache and throbbing between his thighs and the sound of her passionate cry that tore through Elios desire laden mind, suddenly realizing how dangerously close he was to losing all his self-control. His lungs filled swiftly with air as he pulled slightly away from Rini's enticing charms. Trying desperately to reign in his control and nearly failing.
"Rini-Ah God," he groaned out. Despite his mind telling him to stop touching her, he couldn't. He didn't want to stop.
"Elios," she strained against his hand still touching her breast.
He glanced down between them; the sight of his large, dark hand molding her breast was a highly erotic sight to behold. He moved his hand to the other breast as if unable to stop himself, and heard her exclamation of pleasure. The purring sound from her throat nearly undid him.
"We need to stop," Elios uttered hoarsely, his hand not obeying his words as it reached inside of her shirt, caressing the silky flesh he found there. He found the puckered nipple, hard and erect and hot against his fingers.
She didn't answer, her head was still thrown back enjoying what he was doing to her. She wasn't capable of talking that moment, even if she wanted to, her vocal cords were not in working order. His hand was warm against her searing flesh, easily finding her aroused nipple that jutted softly against the fabric of her shirt.
"So why don't you stop?" Rini huskily asked. She didn't recognize the sound of her voice.
Elios shook his head at her, his hand still lazily molding her aching breast, his blue gaze intensely narrowed on her face. Finally aware of his surrounding, he realized once again that they had an audience. He cursed and then abruptly set Rini away from him, once more. The moment he did, he regretted his actions as the sudden surprise and hurt erupted across Rini's lovely features.
"Wha-" Rini exclaimed, staring at him with wide eyes.
"We have company," Elios said underneath his breath. His breathing was still ragged, but his heart was quickly returning to its normal beating. However, his body was a whole different matter. For Rini's sake and his own, his stood before her and erected his wings so that she could compose herself. He glanced heavenward and knew that he'd have to take another dip into the ocean to cool his ardor.
Rini was flustered; her face was burning as she glanced at the shore where Bark and Marilee stood gazing toward them. As usual, Bark was staring straight at them, while Marilee stared at everything else but them. She wondered what Bark and Marilee thought of her, especially since Bark had seen her mooning after Elios and then making out with him in the ocean, of all places! She blushed again, wondering if Marilee thought of her as forward. For moon's sake, she had only known the archangel for three days!
"You left this on the beach," Marilee said, handing Rini the forgotten paper that she had dropped on the beach after realizing that Elios wasn't surfacing soon from his dive into the ocean.
Rini took the paper, red spots on her cheeks and muttered a 'thank you'.
"Have you been able to scout this entire area yet?" Bark asked cheekily, nearly erupting with laughter.
"No," Elios coughed and cleared his throat, his face straight and composed. He forced his face into a fierce frown at the other man, intending to intimidate him with arrogance. The other man only chuckled underneath his breath and caused Rini's ears to turn red as well.
Marilee subtlety pinched Bark's arm and immediately got the reaction she wanted as she smiled at the archangel, innocently. Bark's smile disappeared as he grimaced. Well, she thought, it didn't take them long to get to know each other. She hoped it was for the best, for she liked both, the princess and the archangel.
"I supposed you still need to scout the perimeter of the island?" Bark finally asked, as he rubbed his arm, all the while glaring at Marilee.
"Yes, that still needs to be done. On foot, how long will it take to cover the entire island?" Elios pondered.
"Well, it's about 175 miles long and probably 80 miles wide at the most." Bark answered.
"On foot, probably a week or more and that's just a guess," Marilee replied.
Rini looked back at the archangel, her face now composed. "Why on foot? Why not fly?"
"The vegetation is too thick to fly into and driving is out of the question," Elios replied to her question, thinking of the solar powered jeeps parked in front of the compound. They looked ancient. "And in order to check the perimeter of the Cycle, I will need to go through the entire island, even for just for the tiniest of cracks in the Cycle field. And that will have to be on foot. Then we have to contend with the wild animals native to Paradise that roam freely on this island.'
Marilee grinned at the archangel's statement and watched the uncertainty that crossed the princess' face. "Oh yes, there are quite a few large, Katitz that roam around here. Beside the other animals, but it's the Katitz that I would worry about."
"Katitz are usually nomad herds. They're a cross between your ancient saber tooth cougars and longhaired buffalo. They usually stick to themselves but are quite territorial. The males, especially. And they don't like strangers in their domain," Bark explained. He turned to Elios; "you're going to need guides to get through the island, considering most of it is an overgrown jungle."
Elios nodded, still pondering the island's habitat and its surroundings.
"When are you leaving?" Rini voiced.
"We'll need to leave first thing tomorrow morning," Elios stated. "I would like to request your presence, Bark."
Bark nodded his head, already thinking about whom he was going to pick among the island's best guides. "I'll round up a couple more volunteers and the supplies today."
Elios gazed back at Rini, still measuring her, stating, "You will be coming along as well, princess. As much as I don't like the idea of putting you into any kind of exposure to danger. I think it be would far safer," and for my piece of mind, he thought, "if you accompanied us."
Rini turned away from Elios, staring out into the distance, not seeing the ocean or the sun that continued to climb into the sky as morning gave way to the afternoon. Her predicament was obvious even to her and to him. They would not be able to endure each other's presence day in or day out with doing something about their attraction to each other. She had a premonition that her time within the Hades' jungle and the time she spent in close contact with Elios would ultimately forever change her life.
"If you will excuse me, gentlemen and ladies, there is something I must do before we return to the compound," Elios interrupted Rini's musings as she turned back to him. Elios bowed to Rini and then to the rest of group and abruptly left them standing on the beach. A moment later, the group heard a distance splash and Rini secretly smiled.
Planet Earth, London England....
"Is everything in place?" The voice asked on the other side of the phone.
Baxter nodded his head absently, answering, "yes, we're expecting them in two hours from the air strip."
"Good, see that nothing goes wrong. I expect to that have the crystal by tomorrow and into Aaron's hands by tomorrow evening," the voice on the end replied.
"Sure, no problem. Everything is ready."
"Good, the usual call afterward," the came the voice again. And there was nothing but a dial tone.
Crystal Tokyo....
"Here you go, your highness," the servant laid out an assorted pile of jewelry, sitting on a pillow of deep velvet for Serena to pick from. All the pieces were priceless and each piece unique from one another in design and stone, most of them gifts from the king.
Serena was dressed in elegant and simple evening gown of royal blue velvet, while white, opera length gloves adorned her arms. Serena fingered a simple, silver chain necklace with a small, diamond shaped like a crescent moon before taking it from the pile of jewelry that glittered like precious, sparkling stars in the night. Darien had given the necklace to her, on the first day of their honeymoon, many, many years ago.
It was centuries old but still very delicate and fragile looking, reminding her like that of their love for one another.
Serena sighed, thinking of her and Darien's night together. She could almost feel his hands on her as if it was the night before, roaming over her, touching her where she wanted to be touched, whispering soft words of love and desire into her hair and neck after being estranged from their marriage for nearly a year.
"Thank you, Charity," Serena replied to the servant, who bowed low to her and turned to leave the queen's chambers.
Lita entered into the chambers after the servant left, wordlessly coming over to Serena and helping her with the necklace. "Serena, there's something I must speak to you about," Lita began. Royalty etiquette was not needed between the two, they had been friends and comrades for centuries.
Serena nodded her head silently, listening to something that no human could comprehend or understand, except for those born of another time and another place, an existence from within the past. She listened with her body and her heart, those whispering links of filtering luminescent lights of blue ice, bright oranges, fiery red and of course, Sailor Jupiter's own links, an emerald green link floated through Serena's aura like that of a soft, whispery breeze. Telling of her their whereabouts and lifeline existence, the links were such an everyday process that it was as natural as breathing.
But in the distance of those links, two faint auras, one golden, the other, a shimmering pink aura spiraled around her own silvery line, however faint they were. Serena knew how powerful those links really were, a constant reminder and a blazing telling of her own link to Darien and their daughter's, Rini.
"I'm hoping to sign the agreements tonight, Lita," Serena stated, sitting down at her Victorian dressing table and began to comb through the length of her silvery mane.
Lita nodded, instantly understanding as she stood behind Serena watching her in the mirror.
"Does everyone know?" Lita asked, Serena knew to whom she was referring to.
"No, they don't know yet," Serena replied, "have you readied the commuter ship?"
"Yes, it's all taken care of. Which brings me back to the subject that I must speak with you about," Lita stated.
Serena stared at her friend in the mirror, noting the worry on her lovely, ageless face. They were all ageless, her, Darien, Rini and the Sailor Warriors. Those who lived within the crystal palace were also somehow given an extended life beyond that of what was normal. It was why Raye, Mina, Amy and Lita were able to maintain the love of their lives with their significant other halves that were human for many, many decades. This was because all of her warriors lived within the palace, including the other older warriors and Rini's.
"I wish to come along with you," Lita asked, hoping to broach the subject without suspicion on Serena's end.
Serena frowned in surprised, "It's not really necessary, Lita."
"I realize that, but this time, I must insist-" Lita began, before her queen interrupted her.
"But I'm only going to join Darien, I don't-what's going on?" Serena exclaimed suspiciously, turning around in her chair to stare at Lita, her blue gaze narrowed keenly on the tall woman.
Lita mumbled a curse beneath her breath, wishing she had made up some feasible excuse as to why she would accompany Serena on the trip. Serena was not the little girl she used to be in high school-a happy go-lucky type of girl then, but a powerful queen, virtually aware of everything going on around her.
"It's nothing too serious to get bent over," Lita began, hoping her voice sounded light and casual. Lita took her position as Chief Royal Guard very seriously within the palace and although her and the rest of ladies were Serena's guardians of the Crystal Palace, hers was a personal guardian position to their queen.
They all had duties to the palace and to Crystal Tokyo. Darien, along with Mina was in charge of heading Crystal Tokyo's finance and business commerce and industries. Although Mina's duties were minimal with the capital, since Darien and Serena ran most of the business, Mina spent most of her time with her own small film and entertainment company, touring and filming worldwide. Raye's position consisted of Tokyo's bright and elite physiologists, serving as a board member for private institutions within Japan. While Amy did computer project research with the surrounding universities and was part of the board of directors for a large chain of hospitals. And then, there was Lita. Lita's other positions consisted of the nation's top security as well as running a highly successful restaurant located in the heart of Tokyo's most prominent and wealthy businesses and homes.
Serena gazed at Lita for so long that Lita wondered if Serena was going to continue to question her, until Serena sighed.
"Alright, I will take you for your word. But I wonder if you have the time for a short vacation?" Serena asked her, smiling softly at her friend. "You guys have been so busy lately with all your projects, that you're causing me to wonder, Lita."
Lita smiled softly back at her long-time friend, her pretty green eyes crinkling in amusement. "You have nothing to worry about, Serena. It is nothing more than standard operation. As much as I adore Alex, I also enjoy my time away from him," she laughed. Serena chuckled along.
"Alright then," Serena sighed as if she getting ready into battle instead of attending an important business meeting for Darien. "Shall we go?" Serena stood up and walked to Lita, her hand coming out to touch the taller woman's arm in a gesture of fondness and enduring friendship. Both women were stunning in their soirée evening gowns, for after the commerce meeting, they and two hundred close guests would gather in the small ballroom for a get together party. There, Serena and Lita would meet up with the rest of the warriors, except for Mina, who was still touring South America.
Stay tuned for chapter 6! Lady M. Harris
Chapter 5
Rini snapped her jaw shut and stared at Elios' back as they trotted on the white, pristine beach. Her eyes bored into his back, as if willing him to turn toward her and to explain his words. Ah God, but her insides trembled just thinking about what he said. She knew instantly that he was avoiding her now, not wanting to confront their emotions for each other.
Rini sighed; looking down her hands that shook with the force of her emotions and nearly ran into Elios as he turned back toward her, with his face composed once again.
"I will need you to wait for me, I've got to check the perimeter underwater. I've already went through the air surrounding us," he stated to her.
"But what do you need me here for?" Rini frowned at him.
Elios smiled slowly at her, his body continued to ignore his order to quit desiring her as she stood with one, softly rounded knee thrust forward and her stance subtly sensuous. But the cold water from the ocean should take care of obliterating the fire from him. At least, for the moment, he sighed. "Just scan the waters and make sure I come back up."
"Oh," was all she could say. She didn't like his idea of her scanning the waters for him. It seemed too dangerous to her. But before she say anything further, Elios launched himself into the air at breakneck speed. Rini's mouth parted open in amazement again as she witnessed the archangel's lightning speed into the atmosphere. In moments, he was nothing more than a speck in the sky before she noticed a change in the direction of his flying. She shielded her eyes against the bright glare of the sun, her breath catching in her throat and her heart hammering away like a freight train. She again spotted Elios in reverse, diving directly into the ocean at such a thunderous speed that the ocean water erupted around him with a large splash. And then there was nothing but the blue waters.
After a couple of minutes of searching the surface for any discernable movement on top of the waves, Rini began to fret. She started to tread a small trail back and forth across the sand, her brow wrinkling in frown as each second ticked by without a sign of Elios. Her gaze returning to the sea, time and time again. She knew that she shouldn't fret, that the angel probably to could his hold his breath for long minutes underwater, but that didn't stop her from worrying that maybe something bad had happened to him underwater that she wasn't aware of. As her mind began to ponder thoughts of unknown monsters probably native to Paradise's planet and lurking for him in the deep waters, her frown deepened with each further passing moment.
Finally after fighting with herself, she gave in and stepped into the water that lapped against her boots. With a sense of urgency she waded further into the ocean. Each step seemed more frantic than the other. It wasn't until she was half way into the water, did Elios burst out of the ocean like a cannon ball, whirling into the air like a bird spiraling upwards into the air. Feathers floated down from his reentry into the air.
Rini cursed, loud and long, her fist hitting the water before her with nary a splash despite the force she had put into it. A red haze appeared before her, the same way an angry bull becomes madden at the sight of a red blanket before its eyes. In a moment, Elios floated before her as she stood continually spitting out curses unfit for a lady of her stature and station.
Elios chuckled mischievously at her expression of anger. "Have I done something to make you angry?" He asked, innocently. Crystalline water droplets dripped from his clinging clothes and flapping wings. His arms gleamed wet and shiny, like a polished bronze statue, his thighs hard and seeming impressively muscular underneath his wet-clad pants. Even his eyes appeared a vibrant blue hue, twinkling with merriment.
If Rini weren't so angry at the moment, she probably would have taken the time just to admire his wonderful physic. As it was, she was too much in huff to care at the moment.
"You could have at least warned me, you-you insufferable Angian!" She sputtered forcibly.
Elios blinked, a grin erupting across his handsome face. "Warned you about what?"
Rini wanted to shout. "Oh!" She spluttered, launching herself into the air and flinging herself at him, arms flaying with the intent to hit him.
An 'oofff' escaped from Elios' chest as he was flung back, his arms insolently subduing Rini's attack on him as she continued to rail at him
"Whoa!" Elios burst out into laughter, the deep rumble of his voice causing Rini's face to become redder each passing second as she continued to plummet at his chest with her fists.
The more he laughed, the more upset she became.
"I-I don't think it's funny," Rini gasped out, straining against his arms. She wanted to sob. She didn't understand why she was so angry or why she was taking all her anger out on him. "You-you could have been hurt!" She exclaimed, finally looking into his face. The merriment was still there in his laughing gaze and surprise at her comments.
For a moment Rini forgot why she was so mad. She forgot to breathe, and her heart shuddered to a near halt as she found herself mesmerized by his glorious beauty. And the funny thing was, it was soul deep as well.
The next moment, Rini did what was the most natural thing for her to do. She kissed him. Full on the mouth and shocking him with the sensual pressure of her luscious lips on his.
It took nearly a full minute before Elios responded, belated as it was. He had floated in the air, his steely arms clasping Rini's body against him, still in paralysis. And then he was crushing her head to his, his mouth forcibly slanting greedily over her mouth as if he was drowning in a sea of passion.
Rini gasped loudly against his mouth, the fire burning in her as she was forced to confront the onslaught of his desire. The movement of her mouth allowed Elios access into her succulent mouth, drawing at the exquisite honey he found there and eagerly taking what was being offered to him.
She moaned when his tongue delved deeply into her mouth, lightly tracing her teeth and causing her insides to want to explode with flaring heat as she felt his large hands skimming over her backside and buttocks, learning her rounded shape, and committing the soft curves to his memory.
The kiss went on and on, staggering them both with its intensity as tongues clashed and hands explored each other without even being conscious of the thought. When Elios' head dipped to taste the soft skin at her throat, Rini responded by throwing back her head, the flowing mane of her pale-pink hair shimmering like silk underneath the morning sun, her arms loosely clasp around his broad shoulders. Neither realized that they had floated down into the ocean waters and now stood thigh-high in the waters, so wrapped up in their world for two.
It was the touch of Elios' hand on her breast, his thumb and forefinger confidently circling the aroused nub through her Sailor uniform that nearly caused Rini to sob in frustration. Elios' head shot up at the sound of her voice, blue and reddish gazes clashing and connecting. Slumbering fires of desire curled in his blazing blue eyes as his lids lowered lazily over his eyes. He cupped the full orb, molding the breast and testing its weight in his hands and instantly liking the way her breast overflowed in his palm.
Was it any wonder why she leaned in further into his hand, enjoying the exquisite feelings that he was arousing in her. Heady and hot, the languid heat burning deeply within the pit of her belly that she cried out at the pleasurable torture his hands were creating.
It was the painful ache and throbbing between his thighs and the sound of her passionate cry that tore through Elios desire laden mind, suddenly realizing how dangerously close he was to losing all his self-control. His lungs filled swiftly with air as he pulled slightly away from Rini's enticing charms. Trying desperately to reign in his control and nearly failing.
"Rini-Ah God," he groaned out. Despite his mind telling him to stop touching her, he couldn't. He didn't want to stop.
"Elios," she strained against his hand still touching her breast.
He glanced down between them; the sight of his large, dark hand molding her breast was a highly erotic sight to behold. He moved his hand to the other breast as if unable to stop himself, and heard her exclamation of pleasure. The purring sound from her throat nearly undid him.
"We need to stop," Elios uttered hoarsely, his hand not obeying his words as it reached inside of her shirt, caressing the silky flesh he found there. He found the puckered nipple, hard and erect and hot against his fingers.
She didn't answer, her head was still thrown back enjoying what he was doing to her. She wasn't capable of talking that moment, even if she wanted to, her vocal cords were not in working order. His hand was warm against her searing flesh, easily finding her aroused nipple that jutted softly against the fabric of her shirt.
"So why don't you stop?" Rini huskily asked. She didn't recognize the sound of her voice.
Elios shook his head at her, his hand still lazily molding her aching breast, his blue gaze intensely narrowed on her face. Finally aware of his surrounding, he realized once again that they had an audience. He cursed and then abruptly set Rini away from him, once more. The moment he did, he regretted his actions as the sudden surprise and hurt erupted across Rini's lovely features.
"Wha-" Rini exclaimed, staring at him with wide eyes.
"We have company," Elios said underneath his breath. His breathing was still ragged, but his heart was quickly returning to its normal beating. However, his body was a whole different matter. For Rini's sake and his own, his stood before her and erected his wings so that she could compose herself. He glanced heavenward and knew that he'd have to take another dip into the ocean to cool his ardor.
Rini was flustered; her face was burning as she glanced at the shore where Bark and Marilee stood gazing toward them. As usual, Bark was staring straight at them, while Marilee stared at everything else but them. She wondered what Bark and Marilee thought of her, especially since Bark had seen her mooning after Elios and then making out with him in the ocean, of all places! She blushed again, wondering if Marilee thought of her as forward. For moon's sake, she had only known the archangel for three days!
"You left this on the beach," Marilee said, handing Rini the forgotten paper that she had dropped on the beach after realizing that Elios wasn't surfacing soon from his dive into the ocean.
Rini took the paper, red spots on her cheeks and muttered a 'thank you'.
"Have you been able to scout this entire area yet?" Bark asked cheekily, nearly erupting with laughter.
"No," Elios coughed and cleared his throat, his face straight and composed. He forced his face into a fierce frown at the other man, intending to intimidate him with arrogance. The other man only chuckled underneath his breath and caused Rini's ears to turn red as well.
Marilee subtlety pinched Bark's arm and immediately got the reaction she wanted as she smiled at the archangel, innocently. Bark's smile disappeared as he grimaced. Well, she thought, it didn't take them long to get to know each other. She hoped it was for the best, for she liked both, the princess and the archangel.
"I supposed you still need to scout the perimeter of the island?" Bark finally asked, as he rubbed his arm, all the while glaring at Marilee.
"Yes, that still needs to be done. On foot, how long will it take to cover the entire island?" Elios pondered.
"Well, it's about 175 miles long and probably 80 miles wide at the most." Bark answered.
"On foot, probably a week or more and that's just a guess," Marilee replied.
Rini looked back at the archangel, her face now composed. "Why on foot? Why not fly?"
"The vegetation is too thick to fly into and driving is out of the question," Elios replied to her question, thinking of the solar powered jeeps parked in front of the compound. They looked ancient. "And in order to check the perimeter of the Cycle, I will need to go through the entire island, even for just for the tiniest of cracks in the Cycle field. And that will have to be on foot. Then we have to contend with the wild animals native to Paradise that roam freely on this island.'
Marilee grinned at the archangel's statement and watched the uncertainty that crossed the princess' face. "Oh yes, there are quite a few large, Katitz that roam around here. Beside the other animals, but it's the Katitz that I would worry about."
"Katitz are usually nomad herds. They're a cross between your ancient saber tooth cougars and longhaired buffalo. They usually stick to themselves but are quite territorial. The males, especially. And they don't like strangers in their domain," Bark explained. He turned to Elios; "you're going to need guides to get through the island, considering most of it is an overgrown jungle."
Elios nodded, still pondering the island's habitat and its surroundings.
"When are you leaving?" Rini voiced.
"We'll need to leave first thing tomorrow morning," Elios stated. "I would like to request your presence, Bark."
Bark nodded his head, already thinking about whom he was going to pick among the island's best guides. "I'll round up a couple more volunteers and the supplies today."
Elios gazed back at Rini, still measuring her, stating, "You will be coming along as well, princess. As much as I don't like the idea of putting you into any kind of exposure to danger. I think it be would far safer," and for my piece of mind, he thought, "if you accompanied us."
Rini turned away from Elios, staring out into the distance, not seeing the ocean or the sun that continued to climb into the sky as morning gave way to the afternoon. Her predicament was obvious even to her and to him. They would not be able to endure each other's presence day in or day out with doing something about their attraction to each other. She had a premonition that her time within the Hades' jungle and the time she spent in close contact with Elios would ultimately forever change her life.
"If you will excuse me, gentlemen and ladies, there is something I must do before we return to the compound," Elios interrupted Rini's musings as she turned back to him. Elios bowed to Rini and then to the rest of group and abruptly left them standing on the beach. A moment later, the group heard a distance splash and Rini secretly smiled.
Planet Earth, London England....
"Is everything in place?" The voice asked on the other side of the phone.
Baxter nodded his head absently, answering, "yes, we're expecting them in two hours from the air strip."
"Good, see that nothing goes wrong. I expect to that have the crystal by tomorrow and into Aaron's hands by tomorrow evening," the voice on the end replied.
"Sure, no problem. Everything is ready."
"Good, the usual call afterward," the came the voice again. And there was nothing but a dial tone.
Crystal Tokyo....
"Here you go, your highness," the servant laid out an assorted pile of jewelry, sitting on a pillow of deep velvet for Serena to pick from. All the pieces were priceless and each piece unique from one another in design and stone, most of them gifts from the king.
Serena was dressed in elegant and simple evening gown of royal blue velvet, while white, opera length gloves adorned her arms. Serena fingered a simple, silver chain necklace with a small, diamond shaped like a crescent moon before taking it from the pile of jewelry that glittered like precious, sparkling stars in the night. Darien had given the necklace to her, on the first day of their honeymoon, many, many years ago.
It was centuries old but still very delicate and fragile looking, reminding her like that of their love for one another.
Serena sighed, thinking of her and Darien's night together. She could almost feel his hands on her as if it was the night before, roaming over her, touching her where she wanted to be touched, whispering soft words of love and desire into her hair and neck after being estranged from their marriage for nearly a year.
"Thank you, Charity," Serena replied to the servant, who bowed low to her and turned to leave the queen's chambers.
Lita entered into the chambers after the servant left, wordlessly coming over to Serena and helping her with the necklace. "Serena, there's something I must speak to you about," Lita began. Royalty etiquette was not needed between the two, they had been friends and comrades for centuries.
Serena nodded her head silently, listening to something that no human could comprehend or understand, except for those born of another time and another place, an existence from within the past. She listened with her body and her heart, those whispering links of filtering luminescent lights of blue ice, bright oranges, fiery red and of course, Sailor Jupiter's own links, an emerald green link floated through Serena's aura like that of a soft, whispery breeze. Telling of her their whereabouts and lifeline existence, the links were such an everyday process that it was as natural as breathing.
But in the distance of those links, two faint auras, one golden, the other, a shimmering pink aura spiraled around her own silvery line, however faint they were. Serena knew how powerful those links really were, a constant reminder and a blazing telling of her own link to Darien and their daughter's, Rini.
"I'm hoping to sign the agreements tonight, Lita," Serena stated, sitting down at her Victorian dressing table and began to comb through the length of her silvery mane.
Lita nodded, instantly understanding as she stood behind Serena watching her in the mirror.
"Does everyone know?" Lita asked, Serena knew to whom she was referring to.
"No, they don't know yet," Serena replied, "have you readied the commuter ship?"
"Yes, it's all taken care of. Which brings me back to the subject that I must speak with you about," Lita stated.
Serena stared at her friend in the mirror, noting the worry on her lovely, ageless face. They were all ageless, her, Darien, Rini and the Sailor Warriors. Those who lived within the crystal palace were also somehow given an extended life beyond that of what was normal. It was why Raye, Mina, Amy and Lita were able to maintain the love of their lives with their significant other halves that were human for many, many decades. This was because all of her warriors lived within the palace, including the other older warriors and Rini's.
"I wish to come along with you," Lita asked, hoping to broach the subject without suspicion on Serena's end.
Serena frowned in surprised, "It's not really necessary, Lita."
"I realize that, but this time, I must insist-" Lita began, before her queen interrupted her.
"But I'm only going to join Darien, I don't-what's going on?" Serena exclaimed suspiciously, turning around in her chair to stare at Lita, her blue gaze narrowed keenly on the tall woman.
Lita mumbled a curse beneath her breath, wishing she had made up some feasible excuse as to why she would accompany Serena on the trip. Serena was not the little girl she used to be in high school-a happy go-lucky type of girl then, but a powerful queen, virtually aware of everything going on around her.
"It's nothing too serious to get bent over," Lita began, hoping her voice sounded light and casual. Lita took her position as Chief Royal Guard very seriously within the palace and although her and the rest of ladies were Serena's guardians of the Crystal Palace, hers was a personal guardian position to their queen.
They all had duties to the palace and to Crystal Tokyo. Darien, along with Mina was in charge of heading Crystal Tokyo's finance and business commerce and industries. Although Mina's duties were minimal with the capital, since Darien and Serena ran most of the business, Mina spent most of her time with her own small film and entertainment company, touring and filming worldwide. Raye's position consisted of Tokyo's bright and elite physiologists, serving as a board member for private institutions within Japan. While Amy did computer project research with the surrounding universities and was part of the board of directors for a large chain of hospitals. And then, there was Lita. Lita's other positions consisted of the nation's top security as well as running a highly successful restaurant located in the heart of Tokyo's most prominent and wealthy businesses and homes.
Serena gazed at Lita for so long that Lita wondered if Serena was going to continue to question her, until Serena sighed.
"Alright, I will take you for your word. But I wonder if you have the time for a short vacation?" Serena asked her, smiling softly at her friend. "You guys have been so busy lately with all your projects, that you're causing me to wonder, Lita."
Lita smiled softly back at her long-time friend, her pretty green eyes crinkling in amusement. "You have nothing to worry about, Serena. It is nothing more than standard operation. As much as I adore Alex, I also enjoy my time away from him," she laughed. Serena chuckled along.
"Alright then," Serena sighed as if she getting ready into battle instead of attending an important business meeting for Darien. "Shall we go?" Serena stood up and walked to Lita, her hand coming out to touch the taller woman's arm in a gesture of fondness and enduring friendship. Both women were stunning in their soirée evening gowns, for after the commerce meeting, they and two hundred close guests would gather in the small ballroom for a get together party. There, Serena and Lita would meet up with the rest of the warriors, except for Mina, who was still touring South America.
Stay tuned for chapter 6! Lady M. Harris