Disclaimer: Naoko gets fanmail because she owns
BSSM. But we don't get feedback. Does that mean
we don't own BSSM, Cherry Pie? ::confused eyes::
(sniffles) does that mean people don't love us 
much?  i mean, besides the men in the white suits
they seem to always be stalking us ... (winks)
i wonder why ...


The heat of passion
Builds up in my heart
But the sands of time
Slowly fade away


Desert Mirage
Chapter 5
By: Eternal Angel and The Rose Society
Rating: R
Email: stargazing12@hotmail.com
       etrlslrmn@aol.com
http://www.steelpenguin.com/~fromangeltofoes/
http://www.geocities.com/the_rose_society


        She was not in love with that man.

        Serenity's heart gave another thump to
the contrary as she sat there, listening to
Endymion talk with his advisors.

        Glaring, Serenity grabbed her heavy
cloak and tried to still her treacherous heart.
'Damn you, traitor,' she thought angrily.

        Thump, replied her heart, mockingly.

        'Do that again?I don't think that they
quite heard you in India!'

        THUMP THUMP went the insolent organ.

        Serenity gritted her teeth as an almost
overwhelming urge to scream filled her. She did
not love the man, she would not love the man,
she COULD NOT love the man. Love was an emotion
that she had long lost the desire to have.

        Love was an emotion meant for people in
stories, in songs. It had no place in the lives
of ordinary people trying to eeck out an
existence. Her mother, her father...anyone and
everyone she had ever loved had left her alone
in a world that did not want her. Serenity
choked back a sob unsuccessfully. Love was the
bane of existence and she was not going to let
it become the bane of hers, no matter what pain
it caused her.


        Endymion shot a concerned look at the
screen. Serenity had made some sort of choking
noise, muffled but still audible above the inane
chatter of his advisors. Was the cloak becoming
too warm for her? Was she alright? Did the sun
bother her? He couldn't see her since he was on
the floor with his advisors, looking at the
plans of his kingdom.

        His advisors began to look at Endymion,
curious as to why he had paused, and then turned
their gazes to the mysterious screen, hoping to
find the reason for the Sultan's distraction.
Seeing nothing and hearing nothing, they quickly
returned their gazes to the task at hand,
although not without a not-so-subtle glare from
the high advisor.

        Frowning a bit, Endymion returned his
attention back to his advisors. 'It must have
been my imagination,' he thought.

        The high advisor looked at the Sultan,
then the screen, then the Sultan again. A small
spark of hope that had been ignited upon seeing
the screen grew ever larger as he read genuine
concern in Endymion's eyes. Ever since Endymion
had been a lad, the high advisor had never seen
him completely concerned for another person's
well-being, excepting the high advisor himself.
He and the Sultan were almost as close as father
and son, explaining Endymion's high regard for
the man. But, usually, whenever servants became
ill, Endymion made sure that they had adequate
medical attention, but rarely did he himself
become troubled by the distress of others. He
always had more pressing matters to attend to,
like marauding thieves or a temporary drought.
'There must be something very unique about this
girl, if Endymion himself worries over the
slightest cough,' thought the high advisor.
Suppressing a laugh, the high advisor covertly
faced the floor in order to hide the growing
grin on his face.


        She had once been a fool of love, a
victim of its merciless power.

        ~She looked into his beautiful ice-blue
eyes, enveloped in the love that shone within
its crystalline depths. Her own deep blue eyes
returned his loving gaze.~

        It was so long ago, before she knew how
cruel the world actually was.

        ~He held her close as she rested her head
on his chest. His warmth embraced her, his kiss
captured her own, and how she longed and wished 
that this moment would last forever...~

        A fool she was, naive and innocent, not to
know how fleeting happiness was.

        ~...but of course, it could not. He would
leave in the morning, off to a dangerous mission.
She begged him to stay, to keep holding her into 
his strong arms in hope that she could freeze
this moment of true happiness.  But of course,
he had insisted, telling her this was the only
was he could set her free. At her pouting, he 
drew her into his arms and whispered on how
he would soon take her out of this nightmare,
that they would wed and become a family.~

        Serenity cursed the tear that slipped
passed her guard. His promises, his love...
everything that she valued most was beginning to
slowly slip away from her, just like that tear.
She reached up and wiped it away.

        ~He was her first love, her first friend,
her first lover...~

        Another fallen tear, but the great pain 
inside her ached, leaving her unable to think of
anything else.

	~...and her first great loss. Their last
night together, they had made love. It was the
first time for the both of them. But it was not
just a joining of bodies. It was a fusion of
souls, of two lonely hearts searching for shelter
from a storm.~

        Serenity hugged herself, cold despite the
oppressing heat.
	
	~And in the morning, he left, kissing her
goodbye as he rode off with his unit into the
desert, the sunlight giving him this god-like
look. He gave her one fleeting look, one that
haunted her for so many nights afterwards, and
then screaming to her how he would return with the
money.  That he'd return for her.

	He never returned.

	A month after his departure, his commander
had sent her a letter, informing her of his death.
She could still remember the pain that spread
within her at those words. He had died in a battle,
with full bravery and courage, saving his commander.
Dropping to her knees, Serenity found out that he
had left her with all the money in his possession,
enough to pay back a little more than half of the
debt she owed the old man.~

	But the money didn't mean anything to her
anymore.

	Not even the heartfelt letter telling her
he died whispering her name. No, not even that
mattered to her then - nothing did. She was numb,
cheated, stolen from - her dreams of living happily
ever after in the arms of her first love was cruelly
taken away from her. No longer would she be able to
look into his blue eyes and drown in the deep
passion within their depths. No longer...

        Tears fell from her eyes, one after another,
until they blended together in an endless stream of
pain. Serenity looked blankly out her window, deaf
to the words of Endymion and his advisors, trapped
within her past. Slowly, her pale lips parted,
whispering one word.

        "Kunzite..."



        Endymion dismissed his advisors, weary
after the long-winded speeches and heated arguments.
It was well into the night and he was famished.

	'She must be angry with me,' he thought, as
he longed to see her beautiful face again. 'She's
been stuck behind the screen all day today.' He
chuckled, imagining Serenity's wrath when he finally
would reach her location. Sneaking quietly up to the
screen, Endymion paused before suddenly sticking his
head behind the partition and saying, "Boo."

	??

        There was no scream, no "You creep, you
scared the daylights out of me," no reaction.
Puzzled, Endymion looked for Serenity's beautiful
face. His gaze finally fell to the cloaked and
huddled mass upon the floor. Frowning, Endymion
moved the hood, wondering if she was playing dead in
order to criticize him for letting her go hungry
until now.

        'She's asleep,' was his first thought.
Smiling, he looked at his siren's peaceful
countenance. 'She seems so peaceful.' Laughing
silently, Endymion bent to pick up Serenity when he
noticed that there were dried tears on her face.
Suddenly, the noise he had earlier returned to him.

	'She was crying,' the harsh realization and
remorse bit into him.  He had been so callous,
completely ignoring her needs and concerns. He
should not have forced her to sit all day, under
that sweltering cloak, without a bite to eat. He
felt like an ogre, worse than the old man that had
treated her so poorly. And to think that he had
promised her that she would never suffer again...
but here he was, starving his poor siren when she
was already so delicate. 

	He cursed at himself, as he scooped her up
into his arms, berating himself for neglecting her
welfare as he carried her back into his chambers.
He whispered to the sleeping figure, and himself,
that he'd to make this up to her.


        Serenity giggled. Once she had awaken,
Endymion had practically forced her to eat various
delectable foods, apologizing profusely for his
inattention. Then, after she was able to convince him
that she was full and not mad at him, he began telling
her about what had happened, pausing every so often to
eat a grape or take a sip of wine.

        "And so, he began flailing his arms, arguing
with the other advisor," Endymion said with a grin.
Comically, he began to wriggle his arms as if he were
a demented bird. "He looked as if he was a fish out of
sea, trying to wriggle back home. His face started
getting all red as he continued to rant. He looked
like an overripe date!" Endymion puffed out his cheeks
and crossed his eyes in demonstration.

        Eyes shining in delight, she clapped her hands
in praise for his wonderful performance. This was the
side to Endymion that she had seen the night he had
taken her from her old life and thrust her into her
new one, the naughty boy with enjoyed making people
laugh. She liked it better when he was in this mood,
enjoyed his company a lot more than when he was trying
to order her around.

        Endymion took a deep drink from his cup and
looked at Serenity carefully. Her once pale cheeks had
been wiped clean of their tears and now shone a rosy
red from all her laughing. For all appearances, she
seemed to be in better spirits. "Habibattee, would you
like something else to eat? More fruits, perhaps? Or
would you like a different wine? A merchant just
brought me a new shipment of wine as a gift, one of
the best from a great winery. Shall we enjoy some," he
asked as he moved to clap his hands to summon a
servant.

        Serenity reached across the table and stilled
his hands. Shaking her head, she replied, "No, sire,
I assure you again, I am full." Tilting her head, she
regarded Endymion carefully. "What is wrong, your
highness? You are uncharacteristically worried tonight.
Shall I dance to chase away this weight on your back?"

        Endymion shook his head. "No, Siren, I don't
want you to dance tonight. I was just concerned, since
you hadn't eaten all day and seemed?saddened earlier
after I dismissed my advisors. After all, you are a
rather big investment," he winked, "and I can't have
you becoming ill on me, now can I?"

        Biting her lip and lowering her head, she did
not rise to the bait. Instead, she was overwhelmed
that he had noticed that she had been crying and was
actually concerned. Confused, Endymion shot a look at
his attendants and silently they beat a hasty retreat.
Moving over to her, Endymion gently took her hand into
his. "Does something bother you, habibattee?"

        Serenity shook her head, even as tears began
to well up inside her. Endymion was being so tender,
so caring, so gentle...

        ...so like Kunzite.

        Crying freely now, Serenity bit her lip harder
in order to hide her sobs. But Endymion noticed the
drops of moisture as they fell into her lap. Without
a word, he gently pulled Serenity into his embrace.

        "Serenity," he whispered. His husky voice,
able to seduce a woman with just a single word, now
enveloped Serenity in its velvety comfort. "Let it out,
whatever bothers you. I'm here, lean on me."

        Her control broke. Finally, after all these
years, Serenity finally cried, cried about a love
lost, innocence lost, hope lost. She cried over the
pain of her abandonment, the loss of her family, the
loss of her childhood. She cried in defeat, knowing
that she had lost her battle. And she cried in joy,
because after all this time, she had found love again.

Author Notes:

(sniffles and wails) MMMYYYY KKUNNNZZZZYYYYY!! he's
nooooott suppose to diiieeeee!! (glares at kii) I'm
not talking to you anymore! (sniffles) I'm now
tramatized! remind me never to read this fanfiction
again! (coughs) what do you mean i help write it?
ehh ... umm ... (coughs) i knew that?
-Cherry Pie

::wrinkles her nose:: I had to kill Kunzy, or else
the men in white would be veerrryyy angry. Besides,
::glares at CP:: Endy and Sere are meant to be!
Nothing your warped brain can tell me to think
otherwise!
-The Rose Society a.k.a Kii