Moriari

Chapter 7

A/N: Schools out! I graduated from college about a week ago so I've been real busy, but I'm back and writing again. Hope you all like it.

A/N: REVISED 7/2/08

Disclaimer: I don't own SM

Rating: M

Serena sat quietly, letting her fingertips brush against the wine colored satin dress she was wearing. Her hair was pulled back into an ornate style, tiny ringlets falling onto her shoulder, down her back. She stared at herself in the mirror; she would have been beautiful if it weren't for the grim expression she was wearing. She touched the jewel on her neck, a red ruby. The stone was cold against her skin and she was surprised she could feel it glide against her. Her fingertips felt dead and cold just like the rest of her body. Her skin was pale and soft and she almost looked ethereal in the moonlight, the long dress looking like satin blood attached to her body.

It had been a week since she had last seen Darien. She wasn't sure if he had fled the castle in an attempt to rid himself of her or if he was gone on business like everyone was saying. He had made no attempt to say farewell and she had heard no word of him since his departure. All she knew was that she missed him. That she longed to hear his voice, to look into his eyes, to see his sweet smile, to feel his lips moving against hers. Her body tingled as she remembered the feelings of him pressed against her, the raw desire that she felt course through her body. She sighed, her fingers pressing into the dried, crisp green flowers that littered the marble vanity in her room. She pressed her lips together, licking them and tasting the salt that the bitter tears had left there.

She heard a knock on the door that seemed gentle and timid; she didn't move to answer it. She heard it again and this time it was more firm, more agitated maybe even a bit angry. She picked up the bottom of the dress, the material soft and feathery in her hands and she walked toward the door, the black boots she wore clanking against the stone floor. She rested her forehead against it and closed her eyes. She asked who it was and the only response she received was another knock, angrier, more urgent. She reached for the brass handle and wrapped her fingers around it before turning the lock and opening the door.

She almost gasped, she almost screamed, she wanted to cry. Of all people, of anyone it could have been, it was him, standing in her doorway with a melancholy look on his face. He was bracing himself against the door and she wasn't sure if it was because he was hurt or fatigued. Regardless, the dark circles under his eyes told her that he had been struggling with something also during the last seven days they had been apart.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice more meek than she intended for it to be. He didn't respond and she looked at him quizzically for a moment, confused by his behavior. He was staring at her so hungrily that she thought he would bite her.

When fear filled her eyes, he wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch her cheek, tell her that he was sorry, tell her that he loved her. But his mouth remained closed, his voice remained quiet, the air remained still and it was almost as if time had frozen. The moonlight reflected off of her blue eyes and he felt as if she was staring into his soul, searching for the reason behind his sadness, his fear. The dress she was wearing hugged every curve on her body and her hair made her look so royal that he might have mistaken her for a queen if he had not known her true identity.

"You look beautiful," he said. His voice was gruff and hard and he seemed to be struggling to breathe.

"Are you hurt?" she asked, watching his stiff body lean further into the room. There seemed to be some sort of barrier preventing him from fully entering.

"Yes," he said, his throat dry and scratchy. "I hurt whenever I look at you."

"What?" Her eyes narrowed.

"May I come in?"

"Where have you been?" she asked.

"Nowhere." He chuckled to himself. "May I?"

She moved away from the door, gesturing for him to come in. He glided into the room like he usually did, and his posture and his movements became regal and proud. He closed and locked the door behind him and when he looked to her his gaze became predatory.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, leaning against the thick, ornate door and staring into her eyes.

"About what? Avoiding me? Or are you sorry for kissing me?"

"I'm sorry for everything."

"Why did you leave?"

"I didn't," he said, closing his eyes and letting his head rest against the door.

"Everyone told me that you did."

"Because I told them to." He laughed dryly.

"Why?"

"I couldn't see you," he said looking at her. "If I did, you and I would have done something we'd both regret."

"I wouldn't regret it."

"Yes, you would," he said. "Trust me."

"I did once. I'm not so sure I do anymore. Tell me the truth, do you love me?"

"More than my own life."

She smiled softly. "Then why did you leave? Why did you have everyone lie to me?"

"Because I love you so much it might kill you."

He looked serious. "Stay with me," she said.

"I can't. I can't be with you Serena," he said. "I came here to tell you that."

"It took you seven days to get the balls to come down here and say that."

"Yes."

"Why not?"

"Because I can't. If you knew why you'd hate me more."

"I don't hate you. I love you," she said, walking toward him.

"Stay away from me."

"Why?" She stopped her pursuit of him.

"I can't control myself when you're so close to me."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"It is."

"Let me love you."

"I can't. You wouldn't understand. I'll hurt you."

"I'm willing to risk it," she said stepping towards him.

"Serena, I'm serious, stay there." His voice was loud and threatening.

"I'm not afraid."

"You should be."

"You won't hurt me," she said, inching toward him. She reached out and touched his face and she felt alive. He grabbed her hand and tried to move it away when she walked into him, letting her head rest against his chest. He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her waist. She looked up into her eyes as his lips found her forehead. He seemed to be struggling with himself but his urges, his love for her won out. He kissed her temple, her eyes, her cheeks, her nose. She sighed into his mouth when his lips brushed against hers. His hands snaked lower and she could feel one hand grip her bottom as the other massaged her back. The kisses were soft but so full of need that she melted against him. She felt like they were one and she could see his soul. He would never be able to find comfort in another woman, he would never want to. She had changed his life; everything was different.

Her hands fumbled with his shirt, taking the buttons into her hands and undoing them slowly. As the shirt fell from his shoulders he felt the cold night air brush against him with a gentle gust and he sighed. She parted from him, letting her lips fall onto his neck and she planted another gentle kisses there. Darien closed his eyes, letting the soft sensations further lead to his arousal. Her hands touched his strong chest, and she let the tips of her fingers glide down his pectorals, over his stomach, beneath his belly button.

"You're killing me," he said, his voice a mere whisper. She grinned to herself over the power she had over him at the moment. She looked up into his eyes as he reached the strings that held her corset together. He pulled on them as the bodice loosened around her torso. She felt her breasts becoming more and more free from their constraints and just as he reached to expose her flesh he heard the sounds of agony in his ears. Screaming filled his mind and a sense of dread filled his heart. He froze. She was shocked by his sudden rigid frame and she became worried.

"Something's going on," he said, looking to the sky. It was nearly dawn and he could see the two suns just below the horizon and their yellow brilliance burned his eyes. He felt his skin crawling as the heat reached his flesh.

"Darien? Are you okay? Talk to me."

He remained quiet but he was squinting. She would tell he was looking at something. His flesh began to peel back and his skin shriveled. "Get away from the window!" she cried. "What are you doing?" She grabbed him and tried to move him. Yet, he would not budge. Shock filled him as he saw a bright light form beneath the second sun, an array of blue, orange, yellow and white hues. Serena saw it for herself and wondered what was happening. She stood in front of Darien in an attempt to shield him from the sun. Suddenly there was a loud sound of an explosion and the nebulous cloud of color in the sky erupted into a ball of light, bigger than its counterparts. The sudden blast of rays sent a wave of light that pulsated throughout the sky sending a burst of radiance and hot air into the distance at such a speed that it sent Darien flying backwards into the wall. Serena screamed as she rushed toward him. He looked as if he had been flayed; his skin was peeling right of the bone.

She grabbed a blanket off the bed and covered him with it. From the window she could hear and uproarious dissonance. It was the undeniable sound of hurting, the noise of people dying, of agony, of pain. She helped him stand and ran with him down the set of spiral stairs that led to his underground chamber. There was panic everywhere and people around the castle were all headed to the underground bedrooms, the human slaves helping the royalty stagger about to their resting places. At the bottom of the stairs Serena lunged for the door and jerked it open pushing Darien into the room, removing the blanket and letting him settle to rest before running out, blowing out the candles and slamming the door shut.

"How many casualties?" asked Darien to Nicolae. His hand rested on his forehead and his eyes were closed.

"A little over 750,000 people, sir," he replied, his eyes downcast. Serena watched as Darien leaned back into the chair, looking to the now dark sky.

"Perhaps the girl was right," said Nicolae, looking sheepishly toward Serena and then back to his king. "Perhaps now it is time to take action."

"He's right," said Raye, wiping the tears from her eyes. "This is the third new sun that has formed and we had no warning of it. It even caused an early sunrise. If things continue this way, there will be no one left before we find another solution."

"Serena, what do we do?" asked Nicolae. "Whatever you ask I'm at your service."

The blonde was a bit caught off guard by this sudden profession of loyalty, but every inhabitant of the room was staring at her, searching for an answer. "Well," she began, swallowing the lump in her throat, "we already know the source of the negative energy that's causing the suns to form and the weather to change. The only way to alleviate this problem is to get rid of the energy's suppliers. There are only two foreseeable options and both are very expensive and time consuming."

"Tell us what they are," Darien said, looking at Serena and giving her a reassuring nod.

"Well, the first is less plausible but much faster and less expensive although it will have more consequences in the long run. We could just remove all the humans from the planet. They could be sold and transported throughout the galaxy and despite transportation costs, there is a profit to be made by selling them. However all your laborers will have been dispatched and there will be no one to work the mercury mines or produce synthetic blood in the labs," Serena said.

"We could make a profit by selling the slaves, a huge one I presume. But years to come, when the money runs out, what will we export? What other idea did you have?" asked Darien.

"We have to improve their working conditions. Make them feel as though they are a part of this society rather than just peons of the people who run it. I've seen the condition the humans are working in and they're horrible. They're without adequate medicine, food, clothing and they even lack water. Take a look at the demographics; hundreds of humans are dying every day. Joshua, what are the mortality rates for humans in the mining camps?"

The man named Joshua cleared his throat. "The average life expectancy age for humans is 37.4 years compared to 73.1 on Earth. There are 6 deaths for every 9 human births."

Darien sighed. The numbers were staggering; he never expected…he didn't think… something had to be done.

"Other than the bare necessities, if we just asked them what they wanted, what they needed, maybe we could improve their lives and in turn, improve our own."

"How can we do that?" asked Raye. "Every time we go down there they've tried to kill a royal. The only person they never tried to kill was Serena."

"Perhaps she can talk to them, since she is a human too," said Nicolae, looking to Darien.

"Out of the question," he said, standing up. "Due to her special abilities, she gets sick every time she gets anywhere near them. There has to be another way. I won't risk it."

"I wouldn't mind," she said quietly. "They're my people. I want to help them. I want things to be better for them."

Darien remained quiet. "I want proper precautions taken and I want to ensure her health. Are you sure about this?"

"I'll do whatever I can to help."

"Then it's settled," said Darien. "We will adjourn for sustenance and return in an hour to draw up plans. You are all dismissed."

Darien caught Serena's eye and she realized that he wanted her to stay there with him. She could feel Raye's eyes on the back of her neck but she did not turn to look at her and felt relieved when she realized that everyone was gone. As soon as the door shut Darien was standing in front of her looking into her eyes. "Are you sure about this?"

"I am," she said, reaching out to touch his cheek. She was shocked when he swatted her hand away.

"I love you Serena, I really do. But I cannot be with you. If that changes your mind about helping me then I understand. But Raye was right, you I and will never be together," he said, before pursing his lips and leaving a silent and somber Serena to ponder her thoughts.