Seeking Love

Chapter 13

Trekking back into the woods, the group was headed to a nearby hot spring. Serenity and the girls followed Kunzite, the rest of the boys following behind. Nephrite and Jadeite were lugging the watermelons, and Endymion was stuck with a backpack cooler. Makoto ran ahead of the group once they got closer, and she noted a torn down castle structure, it had been reclaimed by nature. Vines had been growing throughout it, and wildflowers sprouted from the windows. Beyond the relic, was the hot spring with a 40 meter cascading waterfall.

"Finally, we made it" Jadeite was out of breath, and put down the watermelons. They might look small, and be 90% water, but they were heavy.

"Wooo!" screamed Makoto at the top of her lungs. She was already ripping off her clothes, revealing a silver monokini. She grabbed Rei's hand, and dragged her to the edge of the water, eventually diving in. Ami stayed on the side, she was deep in discussion with Zoisite on the various animal and plant communities in the area.

Serenity stood by Mina, she hated wearing swimsuits, especially around guys. It wasn't that it made her feel self-conscious, but it was the fact that two pieces of fabric turned a woman into a piece of meat to be gawked at, it infuriated her. Trying to be sneaky, she slipped behind a bush near the edge of the water hole, and took her cover off there. Dipping a foot in, the water was gratifyingly hot. The steam rose above to her calves, and she let the rest of her body in. She instantly felt relaxed and on her way to being refreshed. Thank You Goddess of Comfort!

"AHHHHH-YA-YAAAAAAA!" she heard someone yelling like a monkey. A body was flying through the air, and started falling - towards her like a bomb. Water splashed up into her face, and she lost her footing, sending her under the steamy surface.

"You look like a wet cat!" Endymion flipped his wet hair to the side. He was the one to blame for the annoying disturbance. Serenity's face was twisted into a wild anger. Wading over to him, she yelled, "You've got to ruin everything!" and brought both of her arms out of the water – sending a wall of hot water into his face.

"Are you challenging me Miss. Mina? Because, I'll let you in on a little secret, the boys and I always win."

"Challenging you to what?" asked Serenity, deeply confused. All she wanted was peace and quiet.

"To capture the flag!" responded Endymion. Raising his arms up in excitement, his defined biceps and triceps showing off to the world.

A long time burning for competition ignited in Serenity's heart. Fool, he didn't know what was coming for him. "It's on! Earth vs. Moon. Losers have to streak naked all the way back home."

"Fine!" agreed Endymion. "Boys! We're going to war!" he hollered out.

Mina gave Serenity a confused look. Serenity responded with a single nod of satisfaction, the cocky bastard was going down!

"Coast is clear, over," Makoto reported over a walkie talkie. The girls base was at the highest point of the overgrown castle, the boys at the top of the waterfall. Watermelons were used as the flags, a different colored X on each for the two teams. Serenity and Ami had come up with the perfect strategy to infiltrate the boy's camp. Mina would stand guard over the melon, Ami would be surveillance for the castle, Makoto, Rei and Serenity were tasked with climbing to the top of the waterfall.

"I read you, no sign of them at home. Step one proceed, over and out," Mina let her hand off the walkie trigger.

Jadeite and Endymion had covered themselves in mud as camouflage. Army crawling across the ground, they had put leaves on their backs, and moved a few inches every few minutes. They needed to get past the castle wall without anyone noticing them. It would be a slow attack, but that's what they were hoping their 'enemy' wasn't counting on.

Makoto, Rei, and Serenity were also hiding, but nowhere on land - in the water. They swam all the way to the base of the waterfall, and were now directly beneath it. Taking gasps of air from holding their breaths for so long, Rei threw an anchor upwards, succeeding on the 2nd try.

"I've got one in my sight, Ami called over the hand-held system. I'm going in to intercept." Flying out of a window, she pounced on top of a pile of leaves. She couldn't believe they were using this snail strategy, didn't they know that only worked on dumb guards. Jadeite's face popped out from beneath her knees, smiling. The trap had sprung. A net grabbed both of them, and launched them into the air.

"Well, this isn't awkward. ~ Hello Jadeite~" Ami said, her words coated in sarcasm, she was looking straight at his ass.

"Sorry, soldiers got to do what a soldiers got to do," Endymion rushed under the netting, and entered the castle to start climbing up the stairs to the top, to the prize.

One hand over the other, Makoto climbed the rope. She started pumping to get the rope swaying side to side. Getting close enough to reach the rocks on her right, she leaped out; rock climbing had always been her strong suit. Scaling the side, she came across Nephrite, he was oblivious to her presence. He was also standing in a pool of water. She let her pointer finger send a small electric current in his direction, not enough to hurt him – just enough to knock him out. Moving forward to check his pulse, Zoisite came out of nowhere and called her out of the game by giving her a good slap on the arm.

This left Rei and Serenity on the rope. They heard Makoto cry out in frustration. "Princess" Rei whispered. "I have an idea." She started throwing energy balls downward, and this created a denser steam. "Go! I'll keep you covered!" Serenity climbed to the top of the rope. Rei had created plenty of coverage for her entrance, but she couldn't see anything farther then her hand outstretched in front of her. Crouching down, she started searching for the watermelon.

Endymion reached his last step on the spiraling staircase. He didn't remember there being so many. Staying close to the wall, he moved towards the opening to the roof. Using his knife's reflection, he checked the rooftop. The Princess was sitting on a stone, legs crossed, and fixing her hair? Seriously? The Princess wasn't even trying to play. He checked his options on attack. It would be best to just charge her, do a few fakes, and slip around her to win.

It has to be here somewhere! Serenity kept feeling around while on her hands and knees. This was not the way to a proud victory. Right before she was about to set her hand back down, she saw two bare feet inches away from her. Holding her breath, she looked around frantically. It couldn't end this way!

"WINNER!" announced Nephrite. All those who had been captured had gathered at the bottom of the water pool.

"I knew we would win!" Serenity said, jumping up and down in triumph with her girls.

Endymion had underestimated the Princess's abilities. He had rushed towards her for the green melon, but had tripped over invisible chains. He could only think of the chunk missing from his honor. How was he going to face running all the way back, ass naked?

"You all cheated! Every single one of you used your powers!" whined Jadeite.

"You never said we couldn't!" Rei retorted back.

"Let's go eat some watermelon, good game girls" said Kunzite settling everyone down. "We'll think about our punishment later."

Later...

Five pairs of clothes were piled at the start of the trail. The girls were falling over laughing. Hearing the boys yelping and hollering through the woods was a memory not to forget.

The fun had ended the stay on Nephros all too quickly. Before everyone knew it, they were docked back at the Earth's capital. Most had opted for an afternoon nap, but Serenity had other plans. It had been days since she had last seen Takeshi, and she knew she'd be returning back to the Moon soon.

She escaped through the rings just like last time, she had no clue where to find him. The feeling in the air was different then the last. Barely anyone was on the streets, and there was built up sewage around the drains. She walked out by the docks, the stench of old fish filled her noise. She checked the green house, no luck. She even went to the fountain where they first met, no sign of Takeshi. I must be a deranged fool, like I'd find one person in this huge city! she shook her head. Serenity began walking back to the palace.

"Do you have proper I.D. Miss?" the guard asked her. There was no family to sneak in with this time.

"No.." What was she suppose to say! "..but I need to talk with the Prince you see." She gave the guard her most innocent smile she could muster.

The guard only laughed in her face. "That's what they all say, back out onto the streets with you."

How dare he! Serenity was about to let her built up store of aggravation out on him. She couldn't let a man talk to her like this! Least a guard dog! Hmph! She was rolling up her sleeves.

"Serena?" a voice asked behind her.

Takeshi? She turned around, and there he stood. Perfect as ever. Every strand of hair in the perfect spot, his eyes full of conjecture upon the world and an aptitude to float above it all.

"Need help there? What do you need with the Prince?" he asked.

"Takeshi! Oh – it's nothing." Her rage subsided. Her hand automatically started playing with the back of her head in embarrassment, her head tilted to the side. "I'm so glad to see you. I was looking for you, and see, well, I'm sorry I disappeared like I did."

"I've been worried about you," his soft eyes looked down on her. "One night we're together under the stars, and then you disappear, and I don't see you for days! I thought I'd done something wrong."

"No, it was nothing like that. I've just... been busy," Hiding out on a floating island and all. "It turns out I'm going to be heading back home in a while though."

"Oh...can I escort you?" his eyes lit up.

Serenity sighed. "Not that home silly, my home back on the Moon."

His eyes shifted to the side in disappointment. "I thought we would have more time together."

GAH! She wasn't ready for this, and she had no clue what her heart was telling her, but she went with it - it hadn't steered her wrong as of yet.

"I know we've only just met, but you and me - we work, I feel like... I've known you all my life, and well, I want... I want this feeling to last forever. I mean, I don't know how you feel, but I think it might work. It would have to be..." Takeshi cut her off.

He wrapped her in his arms, and pulled her close. "It would have to be long distance. I know."

Takeshi was staring right at her. Not just at her face, but deep into her soul. Beyond her outer skin, and truly seeing her. It was as if there were just two souls standing in those streets, she had never felt this connected to a man before.

"Let me take you out to eat, back into the city." His hand held her small innocent face.

Serenity couldn't do anything but agree, and off they went – a one way ticket to cloud nine.

"So, how have you been feeling lately? How was your trip to Nephros?" asked a bald man in a maroon suit, he pushed his glasses up higher on his nose.

"Umm... it was interesting. I don't know how to describe all that went on," responded Endymion. He had finally made an appointment with his therapist. Not only was the man his therapist, he was the one who organized his closet; the fashion designer. He guessed that a sense of fashion might have tie-ins with a sense of psychological therapy, it had so far.

"Lets start from the beginning shall we. Drink your tea." The man put a sugar cube in his own cup, and stirred the liquid around. Not a drop sloshed out of the cup.

"Okay. Well, everyone got there, and then we went on our search for the weapon... and then.. this might sound unbelievable, but I went through this cave at the bottom of this giant tree, with this girl Mina, and we fell into this hole where she tried to save me. She couldn't though, and then this spirit thing started talking to me out of nowhere, and there was this blue globe that she absorbed, did I mention there were glowing caterpillars and foo dog statues where we couldn't hear each other?" He got faster and faster as he spoke, a plug in the drain finally being released.

Sir. Baldy's face stayed the same. No growing eyes, no interested eye movements. Just simple nods like everything coming out of Endymion's mouth was as usual. "Go on..."

"You want me to go on? What do you have to say about what I just said?" asked Endymion.

"Go On," the man said more firmly.

The man always had a weird way with his 'science.' "So this girl, Mina is her name - did I tell you that? Well she doesn't remember any of it, and I don't know if I should say anything. I haven't even told my guardians. I don't know why... it's odd. At one point in time, we had been watching a lightning storm, and I felt this connection to her. I still don't know what it was, but then Mina gets on my nerves like no other! She always has something to say, and whatever she says is so blunt and annoyingly true! It's like she never learned the art of conversation as a child!"

"What do you say to her, this Mina?"

"I say... nice things." He rolled the idea in his head. "Okay, I don't really remember what things, but they aren't mean - or suppose to be mean. I just tease her, and she doesn't know how to lighten up."

"I see..." More nods. Hopefully of understanding, and not boredom. "Let's move to this other girl. Natsumi?"

"Natsumi, she's a mystery still. The first time I met her, she was this striking figure in the crowd. We've had small talk, but that's about it on that front. She instills.. passion in me." He had never been the type to be sexual, not since the nightmares.

"Mmm... do you feel a connection between her, and your dreams perhaps? Maybe it is time for you to let yourself let go a little. Stop being the Prince, and become a growing man; experience the world for what it is - if I may say so sir."

"Maybe I'll go see Natsumi tonight. I should check up on her since the Spring Festival incident."

A knowing smile spread on the psychologist. "Oh - also, in your letter to me, you mentioned a discontinuation in your memory a few nights before the Princess arrived. Have you found any leads?"

"No. I remember green velvet, but none of the coachmen have said anything about me going out that night. It is at a standstill."

"If you have the time, we can try a go at hypnotism."

"Sorry doc, but maybe later. You got me on this Natsumi hangup, and that's what's on my mind right now. I'll come in, in a few days k?"

"Just remember Prince, don't mistake passion for something else like love. They are on the border of one another, but they are nothing alike. You might be feeling a resistance to let your feelings for a certain person show, due to your late mother passing, but I wanted to give you fair warning to keep hold of not overlook the consequences of your actions. As for the blue glowing weapon, I have a feeling you'll find the right time to reveal it with another, in the right time."

The sun was setting, it was the end of another day. The docks were busy, sailors scuffling about moving goods. Captains trying to decide if the tide was right for take off. So much noise and work that nobody saw Takeshi against the wall.

"Shes got it!" He was furiously talking to somone hiding in the shadows. "I saw it in her eyes. The Princess trusts me completely, I just need more time. She's in the palm of my hand, but I can't rush things."

"Oh really Taki?" a voice responded. A clawed hand reached out and pressed against his chest. "Well, unfortunately, that's not how the master sees it. He's sick of your disobedience, and he's ordered for me to move things along. Don't worry friend, it won't hurt, not for too long." The claw sunk into his flesh, a venom started dispersing throughout his body. He cried out into the night, the sound of a wild animal echoed through the alleyways.

And it looks like the end of another Chapter. I'd thought I'd throw something more upbeat in there before we got too serious into the plot. Looking ahead though, I see an action scene brewing...