Disclaimer: If I owned this, I'd be bragging about it like hell. -.-;

By the way…there might wink wink be a bit of…FLUFF…in this chapter. And…uhm…TRY not to skip over it too much…there's always SOME storyline in fluff… --;;

The rest of the evening had passed nicely. The group had eaten alone in the queen's personal sitting room, reminiscing on the old times and their journeys. Kuja played his part well, never letting on that he didn't know what they were talking about. His admiration for Garnet rose when he heard about the trials she had endured. She was much more than just an ordinary pampered royal. It was when the conversation turned to Kuja that Garnet began to feel uneasy again.

"Man, we really kicked his butt!" Eiko exclaimed, thrashing her small fists around for emphasis. "Remember when he tried to destroy the crystal, and we were like 'pow!' 'kerpow!' 'boom!!!" She knocked over a glass of wine with her wild movements. "And then he went into the trance!! Man, he was hard then! But my summons stopped him!" By this point, the small summoner had leapt up and was standing in her chair, hands clenched into fists, knees bent as if she were still fighting.

"Eiko," Vivi begged, "please sit down! You're going to fall and get hurt!"

Garnet agreed to her self while taking a sip of her wine. It was sweet and slightly chilled, and the queen closed her eyes as she drank, enjoying the flavor.

"But man, he didn't look too bad in his trance form!"

And queen Garnet til Alexandros choked on her wine. Kuja hit her lightly on the back as she coughed, glaring at Eiko the entire time.

"Oh, come on, Dagger! You know that you were thinking the same thing! You don't have to be so uppity…I saw you staring at him!"

"H-he's my enemy!!" Garnet sputtered. "O-of course I was staring…at…him… I just…didn't want to miss when I threw a holy spell at him!!"

Eiko rolled her eyes. "Yeah, suuuure! C'mon, Zidane doesn't mind! Do you, Zidane?"

Kuja smirked. "Oh no, I don't mind. After all, I ended up with the girl, right?"

Garnet glared at him, but he smiled at her innocently, looking for all the world like his brother genome. Still shooting daggers at him with her eyes, Garnet snapped at Eiko "It doesn't matter because the only man I will ever love is Zidane."

Kuja stiffened, but his smile remained. He knew that she was speaking both to the young summoner and to him. So, if that was how she wanted to play…

"That's right! Lucky me," he teased, leaning closer and flinging his arm casually over the tense woman's shoulders. She was already so stiff, but she managed to sit up even straighter in her chair when he did. It was obvious that she didn't want him touching her, but Eiko and Kuja didn't seem to notice as they went on with the conversation. Vivi, however, watched Garnet thoughtfully.

"Miss Garnet, are you feeling alright?" he asked in his soft, shy voice.

Garnet relaxed and smiled warmly at him. Vivi had always had a soft spot in her heart. He was so polite and yet so timid and shy that she wanted to wrap her arms around him and keep him safe. He was like a little brother to her…she loved him.

"Don't worry about me, Vivi. It's just hard being queen…harder than I thought it would be."

Vivi said nothing, but Eiko took the opportunity to reclaim her spot as the center of attention.

"Man, I know! I mean, I'm just a princess, but it's hard! I have to watch my manners and speak right and wear dresses and go to boring dances and meet people and-"

Kuja's hand moved slightly and Garnet slowly moved her eyes from Eiko to the man beside her. Eiko kept talking, mostly to Vivi, gesturing as she did. The mage proved himself a perfect audience, and Eiko enjoyed the attention. She seemed not to notice the tension between the two adults.

Garnet bit back a moan. God help her, was he massaging her?! She leaned back into his hand, sighing contently. She felt so sore…so tense from the past days' stress. She watched his face for signs of malice or contempt, but found none. He was watching Eiko, nodding every now and then. It was as though he wasn't even thinking about what he was doing.

And maybe he wasn't, but Garnet certainly was. He hit a particularly sore spot, and Garnet held her breath. Her eyes closed and she fully relaxed. She felt so content…how did he ever learn to massage this good?!

With a sigh and a smile, Garnet fell into the welcoming blackness.

"Is she asleep?"

"I think so."

"She fell asleep while I was talking to her?!"

"Shh, Eiko! You'll wake her up."

"Oh, like I care, Vivi!"

There was a soft flutter of fabric as Kuja stood. "I'm going to take her to bed. You guys know where to sleep tonight, right?"

"Yup!"

"Yes."

"I'll see you two tomorrow then," he whispered.

"Okaypeekay!" Eiko cried happily, grabbing Vivi's sleeve as she waved goodbye. She pulled the young mage along with her towards the guest rooms, chatting nonstop as she went.

Kuja smiled at their retreating figures and shook his head. This night had been most pleasing. The two children had actually been quite…well, fun wasn't quite the right word. Interesting, certainly…perhaps even borderline nice. But...they were not his friends; they were his brother's.

Garnet sighed in her sleep, causing Kuja's smile to widen. She had chatted cheerfully at dinner, her smile bright and her eyes shining. He could see why his brother had chosen to fall in love with her. His smile fell away at that thought. He must tread carefully…he was an impostor here and must remember that.

Shaking away his dangerous thoughts, Kuja turned to the situation at hand. He slipped a hand under Garnet's knees and the other behind her back then lifted her into his arms. Leaving her sleeping in a chair would not be gentlemanly, now would it? And Kuja, though he had once been the enemy of the world, was, in fact, a gentleman.

Garnet moaned and shifted in his arms, snuggling into his chest and shifting into a more comfortable position. Kuja swallowed, unable to prevent the stirring of desire that her movement caused. Her hair moved softly across his arm as he realized just how foolish it had been to put himself in this position. Sighing, Kuja decided that it would be best to finish what he had started. He carried the sleeping woman into her bedchambers and over to her bed.

Getting her in the bed was a little trickier. He could easily lay her on top of the bed, but it was a chilly night, and he would surely never hear the end of it if the queen woke up with a cold. Kuja raised one leg and planted his knee on her bed, balancing her inert body with one arm and his leg. He then used his free hand to pull at the covers roughly. After uncovering them enough that he could fit her under them, Kuja laid Garnet's sleeping form on the clean sheets carefully. He was about to pull the covers over her when he noticed her feet.

Kuja sighed. He couldn't put her to sleep while still fully dressed. He knew the kinds of things that women wore under those dresses…corsets and wiry skirts and such. He would hate to sleep in something like that (heheh…sleep in a wire skirt…), and he was certain that Garnet would not appreciate it either. On top of that, her shoes were still on her feet. Resolved to finish the process of putting the young queen to bed, Kuja reached for her slipper-clad feet.

Clunk! Clunk!

Garnet rolled away from him, exposing her back and the metal clasps holding her dress on. Kuja was quite aware that if he was caught undressing the queen, he would be in a lot of trouble. However, he was also aware that there were many things on under a lady's dress and that if it were removed there would be enough covering to save a young woman's modesty. So, because he liked torturing himself and enjoyed the thought of seeing Garnet's expression in the morning, Kuja began unhooking her gown. He had managed to unhook it and slip it from her body before she stiffened and rolled over again, muttering in her sleep as she did.

Kuja draped her dress over the nearest chair and returned to her side. He couldn't help his wandering eyes, but quickly decided that he'd better cover her. Leaning over her sleeping form, he grasped the blankets and drew them up to her shoulders. He tucked them lightly around her and felt a tug on his arm as he did.

Garnet was watching him through half-opened eyes. She must have still been partly asleep, for she did not comment on his putting her to bed. Instead, she gave him one of the most serious looks he'd ever received and muttered thickly, exhaustion giving her voice a husky quality, "S'not just your fault."

Kuja's brow furrowed in confusion. "Oh no? What isn't?"

Garnet yawned heavily. "This morn'n…s'not just your fault. S'mine too."

Realization dawned on him. The kiss, she was referring to the kiss they'd shared earlier. Kuja laughed and leaned closer, an arm on either side of her head steadying him. "How's it your fault? I kissed you, remember?"

Her eyes fluttered sleepily. "Yeah, but…" she yawned again, "I kissed you back."

Kuja inhaled sharply. Did she realize what she had just said? And more importantly…

"And if I did it again?"

She stared at him thoughtfully. "I don't know. I suppose I'd do the same thing."

And that was enough for him. Kuja dropped his lips to hers, capturing her mouth hungrily. And miraculously she was kissing him back, moaning deeply as she did. He felt her hands clutch his shirt as he deepened the kiss, sucking on her bottom lip gently. He dug his hands into her soft, thick hair in an attempt to keep them away from her warm squirming body. She pulled him closer and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth.

Garnet froze for a split second, but quickly accepted the move. She was tired and it felt so good…she had forgotten that Kuja was supposed to be her enemy. Right now, he was simply a man, and she was a woman.

He wasn't quite sure of when it happened, but Kuja was suddenly on top of her. Their legs tangled erotically, and their hands roamed, seeking each other's warmth. His mouth left hers and trailed a line of kisses down to her neck where he stopped to suck on the hot flesh there. Garnet moaned and pushed against him willingly. His hands slid to her breasts, squeezing through the thin layers of fabric.

Garnet's eyes snapped open, and she truly awakened. What was she doing?! This was Kuja, for heaven's sake! Her enemy! No matter how good this felt, it wasn't right! It was like cheating on Zidane…for his enemy!

Kuja seemed to sense her sudden reluctance. He raised his head to stare at her. His eyes were a dusky gold color, brimming with concern. "What's wrong?" he murmured. Garnet looked away from the intensity of his gaze guiltily. This was all her fault; she should never have let it get this far.

Still avoiding his gaze, she whispered, "I can't…we can't." Kuja stiffened, and for a moment she worried that he might not comply, but he pushed away from her roughly and stood, cursing.

"I knew it was foolish to think-" He cut himself off and turned back to her, dragging a hand through his hair harshly.

"Kuja," Garnet called uncertainly. It wasn't his fault…she had led him to think that… "Kuja, I'm sorry…"

"Of course you are," he snapped. Damn her! Who knew that the queen was such a tease? He hated it when women did that whole "yes-no" thing.

"Kuja…"

"I'm fine!" But of course, he wasn't. He was frustrated and tense and damn it, he still wanted her! So badly that it took all of his willpower to keep himself from returning to her side and convincing her that she wanted him as badly as he wanted her!

Kuja closed his eyes and counted to ten slowly. When his eyes opened once more, he felt more in control. Not better, but more in control.

"I'm going to go to my rooms. Goodnight, Garnet."

Garnet swallowed nervously. So much controlled anger in his voice! "G-goodnight, Kuja."

He left immediately, leaving Garnet with a sense of loss. She was so upset! At the both of them for what they'd done, at herself for encouraging it, and at him for not finishing it…

With a sigh, she tried to turn her mind away from the memory of his mouth on hers…of his hands on her breasts…of him…

The queen did not get much sleep that night.

Hum! So, what did you guys think? I'm kinda thinking that it was too early to throw that in there, but I'm a slave to the characters. Kuja's under some serious sexual tension (guys should understand and girls…well, I'm one so I'm really just imagining, but I'm under the impression that guys are always thinking about sex. Yup yup…), and Garnet…well, hey…she's a virgin seventeen year old queen whose only real contact with men was with Zidane, Kuja, and her friends. In other words, Kuja's lustin' after Garnet and Garnet's like "Whoa…so that's what fluff feels like!" Haha! Forgive me, after writing four chapters in a row (there's that AI one, remember?), I'm feeling a little tired. Not to mention that it's a couple hours later than I wanted to go to bed…yawn

So, you guys know the drill: Review, pleeease!

By the way, if you guys want more fluff, less fluff, or more than fluff, lemme know. I mean, I don't know if I could write a lemon or anything, but you might as well let me know what you guys want. I'm writing this for you, remember?