*Disclaimer: Congrats to Takeuchi-san and
her hubby on their new baby!! And while
you are congratulating her, remind her that
we don't actually think that we own Bishoujo
Shoujo Senshi Sailor Moon...we're just
borrowing the characters for awhile =)

Hot, dry, the wind blows across the desert,
Carrying in its depths the secret of you.
Powerful and unseen, the sand bows before it
Obscuring my vision of you.

Is this your wish, my love?
To forever hide your secrets?
No matter what the years bring,
I will continue to search for you.

Desert Mirage
Chapter 2
By: Eternal Angel and The Rose Society
Rating: R
Email: usako9@hotmail.com
       etrlslrmn@aol.com
http://www.geocities.com/cherii_blossoms
http://www.geocities.com/the_rose_society

(note: habibattee - my love)

	His words chilled her very soul, forcing her
to breathe in sharply. He smiled tauntingly at her,
his eyes flashing with domination and triumph. She
shuddered, as his words echoed within her mind,
'You belong to me.'
	The force of his words hit her with an
incredible strength, rooting her in her spot. She
stood, gaping at him for a moment before she could
put together any words to throw at the arrogant
beast of a man. "No..."
	She lifted her head and glared at him, her
eyes piercing, as she let out an uncomfortable laugh.
"You lie..." Her eyes then focused on the elderly man
who smiled gratingly as he shook the large bag of coins
within his possession.
	She glared at the two angrily as the horrible
reality began to sink in...
	Chuckling softly, Endymion approached the
simmering beauty. Crossing his arms over his chest in
amusement, he drank in the sight of her before he
spoke again. Strands of silver silk escaped from it's
covering as he wondered how long it really was...and
how it would look - fanned out on his bed.  Her anger
had caused the soft blush of her cheeks to increase,
giving her face an even greater loveliness.
'Beautiful... that would not even begin to describe
her,' Endymion thought. The only thing that marred her
charm was the coldness in her sapphire eyes as they
continued to glare at him.
	"Shall I spell it out for you," Endymion said
firmly, enjoying his mockery. "You B-E-L-O-N-G to me.
I just purchased you from that man over there, for a
rather hefty sum I might add, and I am rather eager to
see what I have bought."
	She turned to look at her master, rather, former
master, who nodded, and replied "He owns you." His voice
was full of greed and joy, the only emotion she had ever
heard in his voice besides anger and cold disdain.
	Serenity could finally stand no more, her anger
getting the better of her. "I don't belong to anyone!"
she exclaimed. Whirling around, she planned on giving
the young arrogant man a piece of her mind but a hand
that felt more like a band of iron around her arm
stopped her.
	Spittle flying out of his enraged mouth, he
screamed in her face, "Shut up girl!  Do what the man
says!" Serenity knew that she had pushed the old man
past his endurance and that she was about to be
subjected to an immense amount of pain. The infuriated
man raised his arm and let it fly, impacting the fragile
girl across the cheek. Serenity fell, her vision suddenly
exploding with fireworks. Groaning, Serenity lay on the
ground, waiting for the world to return to its normal,
non-spinning state.
	Endymion caught his arm before the old man could
strike her again. "What do you think you're DOING?!!"
Endymion's fierce growl filled her ears as she inhaled
and exhaled slowly, trying to regain her breath.
"Don't you EVER touch her again," Endymion threatened,
his eyes glinting murderously at the old man.
	The old man glared at the young man before
spitting in the sand near Serenity's prone form and
walking away, contented with his sack full of money.
Serenity felt her blood rush to her violated cheek but
her vision slowly began to clear as she gently tried
to pick herself up from the ground.
	Endymion, seeing Serenity sway slightly from
her position, carefully helped her to get up. "Are you
okay? Did he hurt you much?" Placing a hand on her each
of her shoulders, his eyes roamed her face, trying to
see what damage had been inflicted on her.
	His voice was soft and sincere, surprising her
with his show of concern. Was it not him that treated her
like a wench?  "I'm fine, thank you for your concern...it's
not like I'm not use to it..." she said softly, her eyes
looking away, somewhat ashamed. She watched the desert
sand slowly drift away, hating her admission of
helplessness. She had lived all these years with the
cruel man; the little episode in front of Endymion was
merely a glimpse of the treatment she had endured
throughout her life. "This is not the worst injury I
have received. I should not have goaded him to anger.
It is my fault for making him so angry." Unconsciously,
Serenity lifted a shaky hand to her swollen face. "The
swelling should be gone in a day or two." Despite the
rather detached manner of speech, Endymion could tell
that she spoke from experience. She knew what it was
like to be battered and broken. Something in his heart
broke at the sight of such beauty eclipsed by such
pain.
	Without looking, she could feel the bristling
heat of his anger at the old man. Turning her head, she
was presented with a very fearful sight. Endymion's blue
eyes had become as black as night and were focused
exclusively on the retreating form of the old man,
visions of running his scimitar through the old man's
black little heart filling his head. She slid out of
his protective embrace when he returned his attention
to her.  His now brilliant blue eyes gazed down at
the silver haired nymph as he lifted up her chin so
that he could peer into her eyes.
	Wiping away the tears she never realized were
falling, he firmly said, "You'll never be treated in
such a manner again." He said it in such an honest and
truthful manner that Serenity could not help but believe
him. A great weight lifted from her heart with his
reassurance.
	"Thank you."  She softly whispered, ceasing her
tears. Endymion could feel his heart race at her
whispered words. Serenity could see desire deepen the
color of his eyes as their close proximity finally
registered in his mind.  But instead of kissing her like
last time, Endymion merely released her and nodded.
	Making sure that her dizziness had disappeared
before moving around too much, Serenity searched for and
found her small bundle of belongings. Picking up her only
possessions in the world, she turned to find Endymion still
standing nearby, as if he was waiting for her.
	"Shall we go home then?" he asked, noticing that
she was steady on her feet. He wanted to settle the girl
in the palace soon and have someone tend to her cheek. Even
in the moonlight he could see a large bruise blooming on
the beauty's cheek.
	She frowned at the comment.
	"Do you have everything?" Endymion was getting more
impatient as the silver nymph merely frowned at him in
confusion. Had the old man hurt her more than he thought?
	Her frown deepening, she replied, "Do you honestly
think you own me? I don't belong to anyone.  You hear me?
I don't know what the old man told you, but he cannot sell
me!!  He has a contract to follow!!"
	Endymion laughed at her naﶥt鮠 "Sorry
habibattee, but I bought out your contract.  The money
that you owed the old man, you now owe me. So, you see,
I do own you," he intoned softly.
	All color fled her face as her bundle fell again
from her hands. Dismay...disappointment...hopelessness...
she could feel her control over her emotions fly out of
her hands as her tears threatened to fall.  All that hard
work, all those days, all the beatings...it couldn't...She
could feel burning hatred for the old man who had stolen her
freedom away from a second time...She had been sold again,
as if she were nothing more than an unwanted piece of
trash to be tossed about.
	Endymion placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"You need not be so frightened. You never need to fear being
hit ever again. No one will ever be able to lay a hand on
you. Surely living with me would be less painful than staying
with that old man?"
	She nodded slowly in agreement, but in the pit of
her stomach, she couldn't help but wonder why it didn't
feel any less dangerous...
	Endymion motioned for her to pick up her small
bundle. "Let's go."
	Numbly, Serenity picked up her belongings and
followed Endymion as he led the way past the tents. Her
eyes were riveted on his figure as he walked imperiously
through the nighttime crowd. Tall and foreboding, people
got out of his way quickly as he approached. But Serenity
was smaller and more delicate; people ignored her feeble
efforts to maneuver through the crowd and she was quickly
falling behind.
	Serenity watched as the man's head was swallowed by
the crowd. She tried to call out to get his attention. "Um..."
Only now did she realize that she did not know her new
master's name. Somehow, yelling "Master!" in the middle of
a crowd of strangers did not appeal very much to Serenity.
Shrugging, Serenity squirmed her way to the side of the
crowd, near a jewelry vendor's shop. She hoped her new
master would be smart enough to realize that she had gotten
lost and return for her. After all, unless she went with
him, she had no place to stay for the night nor any food
to eat; returning to the old man would mean a severe beating
and staying on the streets would mean her death as a runaway
slave. Sighing, Serenity waited patiently for her master to
return.
	Making his way quickly through the crowd, Endymion
glanced back to see if the girl was following him. To his
surprise, only strangers greeted his eyes. Where had his
new possession wander off to? Irritated, Endymion began
backtracking his way through the crowd, his eyes angrily
searching for any sign of his silver haired escapee.
After a few moments, a wisp of silver hair peeked from the
crowd.
	'Typical woman,' he thought. 'I give her a simple
order and she gets distracted by pretty baubles.' Quickly
he made his way to the girl and grabbed her arm. "What do
you think you were doing? Did I not tell you to follow me?
We do not have time to waste on frivolous jewelry."
Annoyed, Endymion began to drag the girl through the crowd
again.
	At first surprised by his unexpected appearance,
Serenity was now miffed at the brute that was pulling her
through the crowd as a little boy drags a toy through the
dirt. She was being buffeted around and did NOT enjoy being
ignored. Wrenching her arm free of Endymion's grasp, she
glared at him.
	Endymion opened his mouth to yell but before he
could, Serenity ripped into him. "What's the big idea,
dragging me through the crowd like that! Just because you
are a big mean brute and people get out of your way does
not mean that they show the same courtesy for me! If you
hadn't noticed, I had been trying to keep up with you
the first time, but unfortunately I couldn't shove
people out of the way as quickly as you! And even when
I found myself trying to get your attention, I realized
that I did not know how to address you. Shouting 'master'
in a crowded marketplace did not seem like a very safe
idea. If you had any manners, you would have introduced
yourself properly and made sure that I could keep up with
your brisk pace instead of just rushing off with your
new slave to your domicile!" Her tirade over, she resisted
the childish urge to stomp her foot. Yelling at one's
master was not a very wise idea...but Serenity had about
all she could take for one night.
	Looking at Serenity's flushed face and her
obviously disheveled appearance, Endymion felt something
he had not felt for years. He was embarrassed. His silver
siren had embarrassed him! Color rose in his cheeks as
Endymion did something he had not done in years. He
apologized. "I'm sorry. You are right. I should not have
gone at such a quick pace and I should have introduced
myself." He allowed himself to smile at the situation.
Never had anyone, let alone a slave, demanded that he
introduce himself. Bowing half-mockingly, Endymion
gazed at Serenity with amusement sparkling in his
sapphire eyes. "Habibattee, my name is Endymion. Might
I have the pleasure of learning yours, my siren?"
	Huffing, Serenity crossed her arms over her
chest. "Hmph. You don't have to make fun of me." Endymion,
not rising from his position, glanced at Serenity and
raised an eyebrow. Despite her haughty expression, the
corners of her mouth were quivering as if she was
suppressing her laughter. "My name is Serenity and you
really should stop bowing. People are starting to stare."
Unable to hold her laughter anymore, Serenity let out a
small giggle. "You are a strange man, Endymion."
	He lifted his eyebrow and turned around, seeing
that indeed people were looking at them, but for a
different reason than what Serenity thought.  It was
mostly men that were staring at the silver haired vixen
before him.  He could feel a unknown rage fill him at
the thought of another man being able to look at her,
taking her into his eyes and fantasizing what it would
be like to...
	He silently cursed as he grabbed her into his
arms, tightly pressing her against him.  She stared at
him in surprise, wondering why he had not said
anything in retaliation to her comment.  Sighing, she
gave up the idea of trying to figure out his strange
behavior. After all, she had her own strange behavior
to puzzle out. Despite just meeting Endymion and being
sold to him before she could even blink, she could not
help but feel some sort of warmth within his arms. She
felt...safe within his embrace, a feeling so foreign
to her that it frightened her and comforted her at the
same time. In her entire life, men had only disappointed
and hurt her. Never had any man been a source of anything
but heartache. Yet, here she was, with a man she hardly
knew, feeling completely secure. Why?
	He continued to lead her along, his grip never
loosening.  The light of the moon seem to lead them
away, as she became quite breathless trying to keep up
with his fast pace.  But she didn't say anything,
dodging around the people.  It was strange how even in
the middle of the night the open markets still bustled
about with customers.  Maybe it was the escape from the
heat that the night brought, the soft wind bringing a
soft chilliness to the night's air that made this sanded
area so exotic and beautiful.
	Her head swam with thoughts, as she could feel
his pace finally slowing. They had reached the large
gates that led to the palace.  Her eyes stared at the
imposing building before she turned confusedly toward
Endymion.
	"What are we doing here, Endymion? I thought
that we were going to your house," said Serenity.
	As if she hadn't even spoken, the guards just
silently opened the gates and stood to the side,
waiting for Endymion and Serenity to enter the palace
grounds. Without even acknowledging her question,
Endymion dragged Serenity by the hand through the
gate and into the impressive palace.
	At their quick pace, Serenity could not notice
any of her surroundings, except that the place was
huge and very expensive looking and stared in awe of 
the building before her.  She had never been to the
palace before...hell, she hadn't even been able to go
fifty feet near one before-she never had the chance.
She never stayed in a city long enough to see 
something other than her tent and the hideous stage 
where she would perform her dances on.  Finally slipping 
out of her dazed state she listened to the questions that
were freely roaming within her head.  What was she doing
here? For that matter, what was he doing, taking her
here? Did he work here? Was Endymion some sort of
servant? A relative of the sultan? She couldn't help
but feel that she had just been thrown into a deep
hole that she wasn't going to be able to get out of...
	"Endymion? WHY are we here?!" The quick moving
pair had made their way into a large, dark room. Upon
their entrance, servants lit the candles and silently
made their way out of the room without glancing at
the struggling and out of breath Serenity. As light
filled the room, Serenity gasped with awe. There
were luxurious items scattered about the room as well
as ornate rugs and wall hangings. Eyes wide, Serenity
stood in utter shock, soaking in her surroundings.
	"Welcome, habibattee to my home," said Endymion
as he bowed jokingly.
	"Who...Who...Who are you?" stuttered Serenity.
	Smiling, he replied, "Endymion, my siren. I
thought that you already knew that."
	Frowning, Serenity shook her head. "You know
that I didn't mean that." Waving her hands to indicate
the room, she said, "How were you able to enter the
palace so easily?"
	With a wicked smile, Endymion drew close enough
to Serenity to whisper in her ear. His hot breath
tickling her neck, he said, "My siren, it's because I
am the sultan."

Author Notes:

(hides behind kii) gomen nasai!  We didn't mean to take
this long on writing!  It's just that we both have been
quite busy with...well, everything!  Anyways, I hope you
guys like this chapter...(winks) cause the next chapter
is going to be...(coughs) anyways, email is wonderful!
-cherry pie

::points at CP:: I dunno what she's talking about! I
live to write this story, really! I don't have a life
out of fanfiction writing!! ::coughs at she glances at
a new mountain of books she just purchased:: Ok...I do
have one tiny thing called college...but anyhoo...sorry
about the delay. We'll try harder next time ::winks::
-The Rose Society a.k.a. Kii