Seeking You

Chapter 8

Life is a like a puzzle. There are an overwhelming amount of pieces, and you couldn't possibly fathom that each one could only fit with a selected few. You can't predict when you will find two pieces that connect. Sometimes you have to scavenger through every single one, and sometimes it is lying there right under your nose. The puzzle pieces have to be turned and flipped before they find their place in the bigger picture, but they will always have a place, a destiny.

Serenity's bum hurt after sitting in the royal carriage for the past hour. The cobblestones on the street were making the ride make her feel like she was at a fair riding a bounce car. How she despised those as a child. The soldiers and guardians accompanied the Prince and Princess in a parade for the Spring Festival. Food, drinks, and plenty of dancing would ensue. Along with fireworks, loud music, and other festival traditions. Makoto ran off with Nephrite to try out candied apples covered in powdered sugar, colored sugar, caramel, marshmallows, and other treats that had no name on the Moon. Jadeite led Rei to a tarot reading booth to have their fortunes told, always a highlight at festivals. Ami ended up playing a game with Zoisite rooting her on where she was trying to toss a ring around a bottle neck. Her prize would eventually end up being a purple goldfish. The Prince Endymion and Mina were still caught up in royal speeches, and that left Mina to herself to wander off.

Serenity meandered through the crowds. Kids were everywhere chasing each other. Teenagers had arms wrapped around each other, believing they would spend eternity together. Looking up into the sky the Sun Globe floated high above the people. There were then strings trailing from it also creating a luminescence through the dark. It looked like a small sun surrounded by billions of stars.

Takeshi said to meet at the docks. It couldn't be in the third ring, and that meant she was going to have to travel out to the 4th by herself. Another thing to add to the list her guardians would not approve of. They weren't her mother though, and there wasn't much they could do. The crowds thinned out as she reached the gates. The guards were in small groups laughing about times when they were kids at the Spring Festival. No one saw her slip out. The docks were just outside the gate, and there was Takeshi. He was wearing a loose white shirt that conveniently revealed the muscular body underneath.

"Pretty lady! Over here!" he called out. Serenity was already headed his way. The rush of adrenaline for the unknown coursed through her veins. It felt like she was on her first date, meeting a boy for the first time.

"I was thinking you weren't going to show, but I kept waiting – you promised to be here."

"I said I would 'promise' to try my hardest to meet you."

"Same same," as he moved his shoulders up and down. Are you ready to go out to sea?" asked Takeshi.

"As long as we aren't going too far. I don't want to worry my friends."

"No worries. We will be out and back before you know it. There is something I want you to see. Nothing to fear, Takeshi is here... and I know that was very corny."

"As long as you know that."

"All I know is that I am here with you." Takeshi reached out his hand to Serenity, and she hopped on board his little boat. It was a wooden boat, small – and would literally only fit two people. She was so close to the ocean, she was hesitant that nothing was going to come out and attack her. Nothing to fear - hopefully Takeshi was right.

He started paddling out away from the dock. The darkness getting stronger, and the creeping feeling that something wasn't right sank in Serenity's stomach.

Endymion bypassed the huge crowds, and went to the opening of his secret passageway. Natsumi should be waiting for him there. Walking at a steady rushed pace, he finally reached the entrance. The square was deserted. The sounds of the festival echoed against the walls, but nobody was in sight. He turned around to look at his surroundings, and there was a silhouette of a woman against a wall around a corner. Natsumi? Endymion followed the shadow down the street, but he wasn't quick enough to see where it went after the last turn. He put his hands on his knees to catch his breath. He was still going on the energy he had accumulated from the short sleep he had the previous night.

"Mamoru! There you are!" a voice came from behind him. The figure of a woman clad in a tight black dress was waving at him. She had a halter top dress that was practically see through where the light hit it. She wasn't wearing anything but a pair of black underwear underneath. His eyebrows shot up, as did his hormones.

"N-n-natsumi, is that you? You look so different." He non-nonchalantly started pressing his hands against his shirt to get rid of any wrinkles. His number one way of coping with anxiety. Natsumi's hair was now up in a low bun. Her cheekbones were more prominent, and her eyes more dark.

"Come here, I've missed you all day. I thought I wasn't going to see you, and then I got all worried. I didn't know what to do." She was leaning against the wall, and it looked like she could barely stand in the 5 in. heels she had on.

"Are you alright?" Endymion rushed to her side. He could smell the pungent tint of alcohol coming from her breath. She had started the festivities without him. "You've had a little too much to drink. Maybe we should go sit down huh?"

"No! I don't want to. I just want to be by you. Come closer!"

He had been holding her up. Her arm wrapped around his neck, and his hand on her waist. How was he suppose to get any closer? He sat her down on a nearby bench, and she slid onto his lap – well her head did. Which was resting right on top of his manhood.

"I know this is only our second time spending time together, but I want to make this your first."

She was making no sense, but he knew what she was implying. He had to stop her now before she did something she might regret, or something he would regret. Her hand rose to his thigh, and started stroking it.

"Come on! You know you want me to. I don't bite."

"No Natsumi, No. You don't want this. Why don't we go back to the festival. I can take you back home." He was brushing her bangs away from her face.

Her hand clenched his thigh. Her nails started digging into the material. "Mamoru, listen to me. I know what I'm doing, and let me do it!"

Endymion put his hand on her wrist to try to detach her from his leg. What had gotten into her? A silent rage had entered her being. This was not the Natsumi from the other day.

"Mamoru, Mamoru, Mamoru," she kept whispering in a dotting way. "You just don't know how to relax. I could tell from earlier that you put on this bravado to hide something. You think you are strong, but you're not. You are more like a homeless kitten. I just want to be the one to take care of you. Is that too much to ask?" Her dark eyes gazed up at him. Something in the back of his mind wanted to go crazy with this girl, but his Princely self made him step back.

"You're right. I'm not who you think I try to be." How that sentence could be a double sword he thought to himself. "I think we need to go back to the festival. Come on." He tried to stand up, but Natsumi pushed both of his shoulders down, and somehow managed to straddle him. Her chest was pressing against his, and her breath was on his ear. Shivers ran down his back, and all of his senses heightened, testosterone was rushing through him. Don't give in to temptation, he kept repeating this in his mind.

"I'll let you go this time, but don't think I wont try again." She pulled back from his body, and turned to face him, her face looked drained of life.

"Natsumi.. are you okay?" Endymion asked.

Her head gave a slight nod, but not as an answer to his question. More like she had just awoken from a deep sleep.

"Mamoru, I don't know what's gotten into me! I don't know what I was doing, and I feel so tired. I think I'm going to have to stay away from drink for a while, just take me home." Her voice reflected her tired state. It was barely audible, and the seductive tone had disappeared.

That was a quick turn around. Natsumi was once again the girl he had met the other day. The spirits can do a lot to a person, and from what he knew about Natsumi – she had been through 'a lot'. Picking her up like a hero carrying a damsel in distress, he found her apartment to help her sober up. What a crazy day it had been.

Serenity's nerves were at there end when a loud BOOM went off. The sound was so loud it created a wave through the water. Immediately after there were twinkling lights in the sky, and then they showered down like rain – but never touched the ground. Another loud canon went off, and more colorful lights rained from the heavens.

"They're called fireworks! Never seen them I'm assuming. You almost tipped over the boat with your reaction," commented Takeshi.

"You can't seem to stop amazing me. One thing after the other, and I thought you brought me out here to kidnap me or something," teased Serenity.

"You want to know the truth?" Takeshi's voice was right by her ear. Turning her head from looking up at the sky to his face only inches away she responded, "Yes."

He inched closer and Serenity felt his soft lips brushing hers. They were warm, and left a breath of mint behind. Her eyes closed, and she felt his hands reaching for her waist pulling her closer. Her hands slid up his neck to his raven hair. They were nose to nose, looking into each others eyes. The fireworks reflected in each others irises. The heat between them grew, and Serenity couldn't keep herself from kissing him again.

End Chapter 8. More to come :D