A/N: Okay my darling readers I am SUPER SORRY for the agonizingly long wait.
I hope you guys haven't given up on me or anything! I seriously had this written out weeks ago but just had no way of typing it, but finally I decided to use OpenOffice, so I apologize for the lack of update!
Well, enough of my rantings for now, on with this fic! -FINALLY-
Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon! However, I am daring to lay claim on Prince Endymion, now HE'S all mine!
O.O.O
Chapter Six: It Takes Two To Tango
She couldn't explain the pain and confusion in her heart.
After Endymion had strode off, she had let her back slide down the wall behind her and had slumped to the cold marble floor below.
And she had stayed like that for a good long time; trying to register exactly WHAT had just transpired between the Terran Prince and herself. She was disgusted with herself; she couldn't believe that she had let her self control be ripped away by him so easily.
Oh but goodness, his hands, his lips, his fingers...all were bewitching when it came to him kissing her, touching her, teasing her.
And she hated to admit it, but she had actually LIKED what the Terran Prince had done to her.
'No, no, no Serenity!' she berated herself as she shook her head in attempt to erase the lingering feel of his lips on hers, of his wandering hands on her.
'You are a PRINCESS for crying out loud!' she scolded herself, 'You know you have more self dignity than that!'
Burying her face in her hands, she sighed. But even if she did admit that she had liked what the Prince had done to her, she still couldn't explain why she felt so hurt. He had after all, made his intentions quite clear, he was merely getting even with her.
She laughed bitterly as she shook her head; she knew it would be foolish to think that he had felt anything but downright lust for her in his 'getting even'.
'The man is a stone hearted womanizer after all,' she reasoned, 'He is incapable of knowing what love is.'
And as she finally stood, a determined look was etched on her face. She would refuse to give the arrogant Prince the satisfaction of knowing that he had gotten to her.
'Oh no Endymion,' she vowed as she silently made her way back to her bed chambers, 'I will NEVER give you that satisfaction.'
O.O.O
He couldn't explain why he was being so affected by what had happened between Serenity and himself the night before.
He looked across the table towards the source of his thoughts.
She was staring at her breakfast plate, picking at the food every now and then; but though she was sitting directly in front of him, she had shown no signs of being hurt, angry or confused. In fact, she hadn't acknowledged him at all except for the polite greeting nod she had given everyone at the table when she walked into the dining hall.
And maybe that was what was troubling him. If she would only show that he had affected her the way she had done him, then maybe, just maybe, he could relax.
Forcing himself to finally tear his gaze away from her, he pushed his chair back.
"I think I'll go for a walk before training," he said as he stood. giving his Generals, his parents, and finally Serenity a curt nod, he excused himself and stalked off.
Now he was wandering through the maze like gardens, lazily picking flowers here and there and scattering their petals absent minded.
And as much as he tried, he couldn't erase the lingering feelings Serenity had brought out of him.
He could still hear her sighs and moans of pleasure echoing in his head, her soft, rosy pink lips on his, and of course, her impossibly long pale legs around him.
He was suddenly startled out of his thoughts as he heard his name being called out.
"Endymion!" called out Kunzite again, running to catch up with his liege.
"Oh, hello Kunzite," greeted Endymion.
The two men walked in silence for awhile, until Kunzite finally cleared his throat.
"So," he asked casually, "What's wrong?"
Endymion eyed his general first in command curiously.
"What makes you think anything is wrong?"
Chuckling softly, the silver haired general gave the prince a look.
"Well first of all, you left the dining hall so fast, you practically left a trail of smoke behind, and second, you said you'd be back for training and you never did, and let's face it, it's never like you to pass up the chance to show off your skills, so spill, what's wrong?"
Shaking his head, Endymion managed to smile slightly.
"You know me too well Kunz," he replied, "But if you must know, it is a woman that is troubling me."
Upon hearing this, the usually stoic and collected general burst out laughing.
"YOU?!" he asked in between laughter, "Have WOMEN problems?!"
"She's hardly a woman," muttered Endymion, causing Kunzite's laughter to slowly subside.
"So, may I know the name of this female who has you all riled up?" he asked with mischievous eyes.
"Serenity," answered the Prince flatly, "Princess Serenity."
Kunzite's eyes went from mischievous to disbelief and back in a matter of seconds.
Ah," he replied, "Don't tell me, you too were hypnotized by her beauty; I don't blame you, she looks like a goddess with all that silver hair and damn that figure," he paused, seeing the glare his prince was shooting at him.
Holding his hands up defensively, Kunzite merely shrugged.
"Hey, just stating the obvious, but why are you so worried? She's your betrothed, she's all yours."
Sighing in frustration, Endymion ran his hands through his thick dark hair uneasily.
"She's different Kunzite," he answered, "Out of all the women I've ever met, SHE'S the first to refuse and reject me; don't you think it's rather ironic that the first girl to turn me down is the one that I'm supposed to marry?!"
The prince met Kunzite's gaze with dark eyes.
"And you know what?" he added darkly, "At first I thought it would be better if we didn't like each other, neither of us is really all that thrilled to be betrothed to one another, but then last night..."
Endymion's voice trailed off, causing him to receive a curious look from Kunzite.
"What happened last night?" he prodded.
"Nothing," answered the Prince roughly, "But anyways, after last night, I realized that...that I...actually...want her."
He said the last few words in a defeated sigh, as if admitting his attraction to the Moon Princess wore him out.
"I still don't see the problem," said Kunzite slowly, "You're supposed to want her, she's the one you're going to marry."
"She hates me Kunzite," interrupted the Terran Prince, "And aren't I supposed to hate her too? Our kingdoms have been at each other's throats for decades, and now our parents think it's time for an alliance so the force us into a marriage? She can't stand me, and after what I did to her last night, she must LOATHE me more than ever."
"Damn, what the hell happened last night?!" asked Kunzite, "And don't give me none of this 'nothing' business!"
Groaning, Endymion faced his best friend.
"Fine! I kissed her senseless alright? I ravished her until I practically had her whimpering, there happy? Now you know!"
"Wow," was all Kunzite could say as he shook his head in amazement. He suspected there was more to the story, but chose not to press.
"So what are you going to do now?" he asked, "Because I agree with you; after doing that she must be pretty mad, and from what I've heard, she's quite the feisty one, do you think she'll get over it?"
"I truly have no idea," answered Endymion wearily, "And that's another thing! This morning she acted as if nothing ad happened! Was I seriously the only one who was affected by all this?!"
Shrugging, Kunzite merely patted the prince on the shoulder.
"You're on your own with that one my friend," he sympathized, "But tell you what? I'm canceling training for the rest of the day, your head is obviously not going to be in it."
"Thanks Kunz," thanked Endymion gratefully, and with that, Kunzite left the Prince of Earth to his musings.
O.O.O
She had been eying him out of the corner of her eye and had forced herself not to smile in satisfaction. She knew he was wondering why she hadn't come in with a tear stained face, or an angry one at that.
She had masked her feelings from him so perfectly, for she truly was angry, hurt, and confused.
But she had made a promise to herself, and she was a princess of her word. She would get back at the jerk of a prince by not getting back at all.
In the short time that hey had known each other, she had learned to read him like a book. She knew his weakness and knew it well; she knew it pained him, and in more than one way, not to have his way, especially when it came to women.
After he had left the dining hall in such a rush, King Henry had announced that she was free to roam around and do as she pleased; and that they would have a small ball in honor of her arrival that night.
With her new found freedom, she had excused herself and explored the vast Terran palace, eventually finding her way to what she REALLY wanted to see, the Terran Royal Gardens.
With a happy squeal, she picked up the skirts of her dress; a midnight blue gown with a silver laced corset that Naru had chosen for her that morning, and ran into the mass of greens.
The gardens were nothing like those of her own palace. Though the flowers from the Moon were quite beautiful, the ones in this garden took her breath away. Everywhere she looked, vibrant and soft colored flowers filled every inch of the luscious grass below. Unusual and exotic plants awed her. But it wasn't until her eyes landed on a certain flower that a gasp escaped her lips.
In front of her was the most beautiful flower she had ever seen. Its velvety red petals were intricately twined to a perfection and its sweet scent sent a flutter to her heart.
"It is called a rose," a deep voice commented.
She knew it was him even before she turned around. When she did turn, she found Endymion towering over her, a small smirk on his face.
"They're beautiful," she said, casting another glance in their direction.
"Yes, beautiful indeed," he replied, but he wasn't looking at the roses.
Was it him or was Serenity looking more appealing by the minute? He took in how the blue gown she wore contrasted beautifully with her sliver hair, and how it was modest enough to hug her curves and show a bit of cleavage and still not appear scandalous.
He watched as she touched the flower gingerly with such care, smiling slightly upon seeing the genuine smile on her face.
"Ow!" she suddenly cried out, her hand pulling away from the flower in a flash.
Cursing under his breath, he immediately reached over and took her hand.
"You idiot," he muttered as he saw a trickle of blood run down her index finger, "Didn't you see the thorns?!"
"No I didn't see the thorns! We don't have flowers like these on the Moon!" she responded heatedly, though she was now near tears.
Without thinking, Endymion pulled her finger towards his face and encased it in his warm, moist mouth.
Serenity's eyes widened in shock at his sudden action.
"What are you doing?!" she asked hoarsely.
He didn't answer her, instead he watched as her eyes fluttered closed as he gently sucked on her finger. And just as suddenly, he pulled her finger out and spit something out.
"The thorn," he explained quietly, 'If I didn't get it out, your finger would've gotten infected."
"Oh," she replied, a blush already spreading over her face, "Well, uh...thank you."
"No problem," he answered sincerely.
But when he noticed that she was rushing past him, a frown creased his forehead.
Serenity felt a strong hand enclose around her wrist and shuddered slightly at the sudden contact. Turning, she found Endymion's steady, intense gaze on her.
"What is it?" she asked, confused as to why his eyes were suddenly clouded with anger and confusion.
"Did you feel anything for me last night?" he asked.
Serenity felt her heart begin to pound wildly.
"Wh-what do you mean?" she asked, averting her eyes from his heated ones, trying to unsuccessfully yank her hand away.
His grip merely tightened, pulling her close so that she was pressed up against him.
"Don't play stupid with me Princess," he growled, his cobalt eyes resembling flickering flames, "Last night, did you or did you not feel anything for me?"
Serenity refused to meet his eyes, she couldn't face this, not yet, she wasn't ready.
Feeling Endymion's finger suddenly tilting her chin up to face him, she realized she had no choice and finally she was forced to meet his intense filled eyes.
She tried to mask her feelings with anger as she opened her mouth to speak.
"Why do you care so much?!" she snapped, more harshly than she'd intended, "YOU certainly didn't feel anything for me, why should I feel anything for you?"
Endymion's other hand suddenly snaked around her waist.
"And how do you know that?" he ground out fiercely, "How do you know if i felt anything or not?"
"You made it quite clear, "Serenity answered, " 'Consider us even', ring a bell?!"
And to her dismay, tears of anger began to well up in her eyes; the last thing she wanted was to appear weak in front of the Prince, hadn't she not vowed not to give him that satisfaction?
"You're crying," he noted, his hand leaving her chin to run his thumb over her cheeks, wiping the solitary tears away, "so is that a yes?"
Serenity remained silent. 'So much for showing no emotion,' she thought bitterly.
"I felt something for you too Princess," he suddenly whispered.
Her response was NOT what he had expected. Her tears immediately stopped falling and the spark returned to her icy blue eyes as she tried to push him away.
"And what was that Prince?" she asked, a hollow laugh escaping her throat, "Lust? Or are you going to tell me that you're suddenly madly in love with me?"
And just as quickly, the fire returned to Endymion's own eyes.
"And what if it was lust?" he demanded, tightening his hold around her, "Because newsflash Princess, it takes two to tango, and believe me, you were just as lost in the moment as I was, or tell me," he suddenly flashed her a mischievous smirk, "Do you let all men give you the same treatment?"
He knew he had gone too far even before the words were completely spoken. Before he could stop her, Serenity raised her hand and slapped him as hard as she could manage.
"How dare you?!" she whispered, her voice shaking with both rage and hurt, "How can you say something so cruel and crude?"
Endymion watched with wide eyes as he fingered his stinging cheek.
'Damn she's strong!' he thought amazed and irritated both.
It was her voice that returned his attention to her.
"Get this through your thick skull Endymion, I am not like one of your common whores, those women you pick up for your one night stands! I am not another girl for you to toy with!"
"It was a damn joke Serenity!" Endymion interrupted just as loudly, "Like I'd honestly believe that the innocent Moon Princess would actually be capable of doing something like that anyways!"
But though were both glaring intently at each other, Endymion was inwardly smirking.
'Though after last night I wouldn't consider her so 'innocent' anymore!"
"And what is THAT supposed to mean?!" Serenity suddenly screeched.
'Oops!' thought Endymion unfazed, 'Guess that inner thought found its way out!'
He managed to return his attention to the fuming princess just in time to avoid the second slap that came his way.
"Wow Princess," he murmured as he grabbed her wrist, "Not only are you a feisty Princess, but an aggressive one too!"
He smirked down at her glaring face, loving the way her cheeks flared, how her blue eyes flashed. And suddenly, he couldn't help himself; he saw her lips begin to part and he took his chance.
Serenity's eyes widened as she felt the angry words she had for the prince be swallowed by his lips over hers.
"Endymion no-" she began to protest, but as he pulled away slightly, she saw it; the passion, the desire, the burning fire in those alluring eyes of his.
"Serenity will you forget your hatred for me for just one second and stop resisting me?" he whispered, "You can't deny it forever you know, you may not love me, but there is physical attraction."
"No," Serenity whispered, "I refuse to believe that I'm attracted to you!"
"Then why does your body react the way it does?" he challenged. And to prove his point, his arms encircled HER wasist once again, smirking in amusement when she didn't struggle.
And before she could protest or pull away, his lips fell upon hers again.
It was unlike any kiss they had shared before. While the prior had been rough, this was tender and sweet, yet it held the same, if not more, of the burning flames of passion.
'No,' thought Serenity hazily, feeling her struggles begin to fall, 'why can't I resist him?'
As if reading her thoughts, Endymion pulled away again and pressed their foreheads together.
"I don't understand it either," he murmured as blue clashed with blue, "I keep telling myself that I hate you and your people, and yet every time I lay eyes on you, all that doesn't seem to matter."
They both stared at each other, then without hesitation, they both leaned forward, their eyes fluttering closed. Their arms went around each other and they let their confined emotions finally stream out, pouring all the ferocity into the kiss they shared.
"So it is true!" an enraged female's voice screeched out.
Cursing, Endymion pulled away reluctantly, turning towards the source of the voice with narrowed eyes.
Serenity turned as well, her gaze landing on a tall woman. She seemed of noble blood, for she stood with an almost authoritative aura; yet, though she regally held her head high, her piercing green eyes glared daggers at the Moon Princess.
"Answer me Endymion," she hissed through clenched teeth as she twirled one of her long red curls, "Are you really going to leave ME to marry that...that CHILD?!"
Serenity faced Endymion abruptly, blue eyes full of question.
"Endymion, who is this woman?" she asked.
The prince's eyes remained fixed on the tall redhead before them. Finally, he sighed.
"Beryl," he growled.
O.O.O
A/N: -Sigh- Wow, that chapter stretched out forever it seems, I had a bit of trouble deciding where to end it, but at least I gave you readers a sort of long chapter to make up for the long wait! And I only gave it a super quick editing, so if anyone happens to come across any spelling or grammar errors, let me know!
Well, that's about it, I'll get right on working on chap 7, in the meantime, please review and comment! Any comment, constructive criticism, or feedback is appreciated!
Peace and Love; Shadow's Moon Hime :D