Dark Kingdom Transgressions - Part 01 Fallen

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The next afternoon Zoisite was slowly walking over the dune between Endymion’s family’s vacation home and the ocean. He really hadn’t wanted to come but the assumption was Endymion’s guards would be going, and that included him. The group had grown to include the Princesses Reianne and Lynelle, the two girls Nephrite and Jadeite had met in town and a few other people. It still hadn’t been big enough for Zoisite to ignore the fact that Beryl was there too.

During the ride from the palace to the shore, Endymion and Beryl had good-naturedly joked, teased and picked on each other just as they had always done. It was obvious they had settled their differences and were getting along again.

It wasn’t noticeable to the others that Beryl was ignoring Zoisite since she had always ignored him before. She wasn’t impolite. She just treated him like another part of the crowd that surrounded her. Zoisite knew it though. In the past it hadn’t bothered him and he told himself it still didn’t.

Fortunately for Zoisite, Beryl and Endymion tended to naturally be at the center of everyone’s attention. Way too often he caught himself watching her. The more he told himself not to the more he seemed to do it.

Zoisite was also getting annoyed. At first he couldn’t figure out what was aggravating him. When some of the guys started scooping girls up and dumping them in the ocean, he finally figured it out.

The girls, Beryl included, were squealing and holding onto each other as the guys tried to pry them apart. Once a girl lost her grip, a guy would hoist her over his shoulder to mete out the dunking as the girl screamed and pleaded for mercy. The entire thing was a little too silly for Zoisite’s taste. He did notice the guys weren’t having much luck dislodging Beryl, and a few of them had suffered for trying. However, when Endymion got a hold of her, her grip slipped. Whooping his victory, Endymion threw her over his shoulder and headed for the water.

Zoisite knew Beryl could have taken Endymion down before he got anywhere near the water. Instead, she ineffectually beat on Endymion’s back and even squealed and pleaded just like the other girls. It made Zoisite feel slightly ill to see her act that way and he wondered why she’d do it.

When all the participants were thoroughly soaked the game began to wind down. Zoisite leaned back on the towel he sat on and closed his eyes. Not long after, Zoisite noticed someone was blocking the sun above him and looked up. Endymion was standing there and Zoisite sat back up.

Flipping his hair back out of his eyes, Endymion flopped down on the sand beside Zoisite with a sigh. “Whew, I’m beat! So, how have you been, Zoisite? I heard you’re at King Anir’s place now. How’s it working out?”

Zoisite shrugged. “Good, I guess. King Anir and I get along pretty well. He’s a master chess player and very smart. I’m learning a lot from him.”

Endymion nodded then laughingly observed, “I’m sure the ‘scenery’ is nice there too. Anir’s daughters are very pretty.”

Shrugging again Zoisite answered, “I guess. I think Anir is happy to have another guy in the palace. He’s always offering to do guy stuff together like hunting.” Zoisite paused then sighed. “The only thing I don’t like is lately he’s been trying to get his youngest daughter and I to spend time together. He even suggested that I should consider her for marriage!”

Endymion looked up quickly. “Princess Galienne?” Zoisite nodded. Endymion continued, \"I\'m surprised. Anir must really like you. He has a reputation for being quite protective of his daughters and very picky about who courts them.\" Endymion smirked and teasingly added, “She’s only about three years younger than you. Maybe you *should* consider it.”

Zoisite threw Endymion an exasperated glare. “I’m not ready to deal with anything like that!” Endymion laughed.

After a moment Endymion looked down. As he drew some patterns in the sand with his finger, he suggested, “Maybe Anir is unconsciously trying to have you fill a little bit of the spot Alexandrite left.”

“It’s possible,” Zoisite agreed. “It’s a shame they never had another son.”

“Yeah, Endymion answered. He then looked up. “Anir is the last king you need to train with. Right? So you\'ve already trained with King Fredrick? How did working with Beryl’s father go? Was it rough?”

Zoisite hadn’t expected Endymion to bring up the time he’d spent at Beryl’s and he really didn’t want to talk about it. He muttered something to the extent of, “I managed.” Then, before Endymion could continue his questions in that unwelcomed direction, the house staff arrived to start a barbeque pit for dinner. Zoisite hid a sigh of relief as everyone headed back to the house to clean up and change.

The sun was setting while dinner was served around the fire. When dinner was finished the staff took everything and left.

The teens languidly sat, stretched out or snuggled together around the fire chatting casually. Nephrite suddenly stood and cryptically stated, “Jade and I have something at the house we need to get. We’ll be right back.”

When the two came lumbering over the dune, weighted down by a large number of bottles they were barely managing to juggle, the group laughed. Kunzite added, “That explains why your bags were so heavy!”

Jadeite handed Endymion one of the bottles before dropping the rest in the sand. Looking at the label, Endymion observed with surprised amusement, “This definitely isn’t palace liquor!”

Nisha glanced at the crudely made utilitarian bottle Kunzite held then suspiciously questioned her brother. “Where did you get this? I’m sure father doesn’t know you have this kind of liquor.”

Nephrite finished opening the bottle he held and sat back down next to Sarah. Raising the bottle to her in tribute, which made Sarah giggle and blush, he then answered Nisha’s question. “It’s very nice to have a friend whose uncle is a tavern owner.”

The group was drinking and laughing together. After a while, Zoisite and a few of the others excused themselves to head for the house. Eventually, there were only a few couples sitting around the dying fire. Empty bottles were scattered around the area and everyone left was pretty much drunk.

Endymion was stretched out on the sand with his head comfortably cradled in Beryl’s lap. Occasionally, she’d play with a lock of Endymion’s hair or run her fingers through it, which he didn’t mind at all.

Endymion and Kunzite were talking about something Beryl found boring so she teasingly tried to pour a few drops of her drink on Endymion’s face when he wasn’t looking. To her amusement and chagrin, he saw her and was quick to catch the falling liquid in his mouth. Beryl pouted when he also reached up, pulled the bottle out of her hand and tossed it away into the darkness.

That was when Kunzite and Nisha decided to head back to the house. Endymion also stood to go. As he reached out to help Beryl to her feet, she offered, “I’m not really tired yet. Endymion, would you like to take a walk on the beach with me?”

Endymion shrugged. “Sure.” Turning to Kunzite and Nisha, he told them to go on ahead to the house and that they’d catch up in a bit.

Endymion and Beryl walked together silently. A breeze blew in off the ocean that made Endymion’s cape ruffle. He realized Beryl was wearing short sleeves. “Beryl, aren’t you cold?”

“Maybe a little,” she answered as she hugged her arms against her body.

“Here,” Endymion offered as he put his arm and cape around her shoulders and pulled her closer to his side. “This’ll keep you warm.”

Beryl put her arm around Endymion’s waist. She enjoyed his warmth and proximity as she relaxed against his side. They continued to walk as they chatted together amicably.

Eventually, Endymion asked, “So, what do you do in your day-to-day life?”

Beryl looked down. “Not much really. I spend most of my time with my mother helping with her duties and social visits. She keeps trying to turn me into a ‘proper lady’.”

Endymion started to chuckle. He wryly noted, “I can tell you really like doing that.”

“No, actually, I don’t but it’s what’s required of me.” Beryl sighed.

“So, what do you do for fun?” Endymion prompted.

Beryl answered, “I go horseback riding or take walks in the garden or the woods when I can. How about yourself?”

Endymion responded, “I like going to the beach, obviously. Then mostly the usual guy stuff like hunt or fish when I can.” He added with a grin, “I also like chess if I don’t play against Zoisite.”

Beryl looked up quickly. “Oh. Um, I like chess too.”

Endymion looked around. “Would you like to sit and rest a moment before we head back? We’ve walked quite a distance.”

Beryl nodded and they headed for a dune where the sand was drier. Endymion pulled his cape off and spread it out on the sand for them to sit on. Beryl shivered a bit from the loss of Endymion’s warmth and he reached out to pull her close to him again. She snuggled against him with a sigh.

Whether it was the affects of the alcohol or the moonlight Endymion couldn’t have said but when Beryl looked up at him, he suddenly found himself kissing her.

Beryl eagerly responded to what she had been secretly hoping for all along.

They broke their kiss and for a breathless moment stared at each other. Endymion then smiled as he moved to continue kissing her.

Slowly, Endymion leaned back pulling Beryl with him, until he was lying down and she was stretched out next to him. He then rolled them over until she was partially under him. The cape and sand made a very comfortable bed.

Endymion released her lips and as he began to gently press kisses along her neck, Beryl reached up to run her fingers through the ebony satin of his hair. She purred in pleasure and hopeful anticipation as his kisses continued down over her shoulder. As she felt Endymion start to slide the shoulders of her shirt down, Beryl fuzzily noted to herself that she may like peasant shirts for their comfort but she *really* liked them for how easily they came off.

Endymion looked down at Beryl and was flooded with desire for her. Her hair was spread around her in waves and bare-breasted, her skin glowed pale in the moonlight. She almost looked ethereal. Endymion slid his hand up over her breast and gently caressed it to prove she was truly there.

Endymion thought about it and was glad he was going into this with at least a little previous experience, even if he hadn’t liked how he had come by that experience. It had only been once, while he was away. He had had an evening off and went to a tavern with some of the other soldiers. The group had been pretty rowdy and soon it had taken over the place.

After way too many drinks over the course of the evening, Endymion had become careless with his tongue. When the others noted his embarrassed response to a barmaid’s blatant display and whispered suggestion, it hadn’t taken them long to pry the fact of his innocence from of him. A crusade had then been enthusiastically launched within the group to rectify Endymion’s unfortunate situation and he had been too drunk to talk his way out of it.

The next day had found Endymion sick, short two weeks of pay and barely able to remember what he had done. He had been angry with himself for getting that drunk. He had also been disgusted because, even if he had to, he wouldn’t have been able to identify the girl. What had happened had prompted him to swear off drinking entirely until he returned home. It had been a valuable learning experience for him in many ways.

As Endymion leaned down to kiss Beryl, he couldn’t stop himself from inwardly comparing this with that previous experience. He was relieved when he realized this time he wasn’t half as drunk and he not only knew this girl, she was someone he actually cared for.

********


Zoisite had stretched out on the couch in front of the living room fireplace with a book. As he read, the others slowly trickled into the house. Zoisite saw Kunzite and Nisha come in the front door together. Thinking he’d turn the lights down before heading to his room, Zoisite asked, “Are you the last ones left to come in?”

Kunzite’s answer of “No, Endymion and Beryl are taking a walk and said they’ll be in later,” caused Zoisite to sit up with a start. He did manage to shut his mouth before he said anything stupid.

Nisha and Kunzite both gave Zoisite odd looks. Kunzite asked, “Is that a problem? Why’d you ask?”

Zoisite looked down. Taking a deep breath, he silently berated himself for not schooling his reaction better. He then looked up and unconsciously began to twirl a lock of his hair between his fingers. “I, um, I just wanted to know if I should put the lights out.”

“Oh,” Kunzite responded. “I guess you should probably leave them.” Kunzite and Nisha then said good night to Zoisite and headed up the stairs to their rooms.

Zoisite gave a big sigh as he flopped back down on the couch. [Damn!] he though, then decided he really shouldn’t have been surprised. He should have known Beryl and Endymion would get back together. The fact that he had fallen in love with her wouldn’t have changed that.

Zoisite told himself he needed to get over this fast, especially now. He even went so far as to wonder if he should start courting Princess Galienne. Would another girl be able to make him forget Beryl?

Exhausted by the struggles in his heart, Zoisite inadvertently fell asleep. He awoke later to a darkened room and realized the lights had run out of oil so it must be almost morning.

Zoisite was about to get up to go upstairs when he heard a noise. Turning his head, he looked out the front window that was partially open, and saw a couple out there. They were leaning against a tree and necking ardently. He then heard the girl breathlessly suggest they should go inside. The guy responded that he didn’t want to as he continued to kiss her. The half moon peeked out from behind a cloud to briefly illuminate the couple and it was enough for Zoisite to affirm who it was.

Zoisite knew he should go upstairs but he couldn’t get his body to move. He heard Beryl throatily giggle as she reminded Endymion, “It’s almost morning! If we don’t go in, someone might get up and see us like this.\" She then added in a seductively petulant tone, \"Besides, you tired me out. I just want to go to bed now.”

Endymion chuckled then sighed. “Okay, okay. I guess I’m pretty worn out too. We should probably go in.” They passionately kissed one more time then headed for the front door, arm in arm, shushing each other and giggling.

That was when Zoisite realized he had ran out of time to go upstairs. The door was already opening so he closed his eyes and pretended he was asleep.

Beryl and Endymion never even looked around though. They headed straight for the stairs and went up.

Zoisite sadly sighed. Any questions he had left regarding Endymion and Beryl were now answered.

********


The following morning everyone had slept in, so they were late starting the outing they had planned. Endymion, Beryl and Zoisite were still sleeping and finally Kunzite suggested they either had to wake them or leave without them.

Nephrite woke Endymion fairly easily. After downing a strong cup of coffee, Endymion got his act together quickly. As he opened the door to leave his room, he heard a commotion down the hall. He walked around the corner and saw almost the entire group standing outside Beryl’s door.

“She won’t get up and she was *quite* rude about it!” Nisha complained to Kunzite.

One of the guys suggested they get a bucket of water and Endymion decided to step in. “Leave her sleep. We’ll catch up with her after we get back from town.”

Everyone turned startled eyes to look at Endymion. Nephrite asked, “Since when do you pass up a chance to annoy Beryl?”

Endymion ran his fingers through his hair. “Well, she’s probably tired. I just don’t see the point of antagonizing her. We’re on vacation. It’s not like she *has* to come with us.”

Everyone shrugged acceptance of his logic and Endymion asked, “Are we all ready?”

Jadeite answered, “Zoisite’s the only other one missing. He said he wasn’t feeling well and that we should go without him.”

“Okay, then,” Endymion offered. “Let’s get on the road.”

********


Later, Zoisite was sitting on the living room couch reading when he heard someone walking down the stairs. He had thought he was the only one in the house so he was very surprised to see Beryl turn the corner from the stairs into the living room. Zoisite decided she must have been navigating with her nose since her eyes were tightly squinched shut. Her hair flared around her in a tangled mess, she was wearing only a chemise and barefooted. Zoisite thought she looked absolutely breathtaking that way.

Beryl unknowingly padded right past Zoisite on her way to the kitchen. He still hadn’t made a sound and Beryl reentered the living room with a steaming cup of coffee in her hands. Apparently she still hadn’t opened her eyes but was somehow able to find the stuffed chair across from Zoisite and sit down. Beryl raised her cup to her lips and drank. She then sat back with a sigh and finally peeked her eyes open.

“Aaaugh!” Beryl screeched and barely managed to avoid dumping her coffee on the floor. “What the hell are *you* doing here?!”

Zoisite hadn’t had a chance to answer when Beryl suddenly realized she was still wearing her nightgown. Thumping her cup down on the table, she jumped up to run upstairs.

“Stop!” Zoisite insisted.

Beryl halted, looked back at Zoisite and exclaimed, “I have to change!”

Zoisite suppressed the urge to laugh as he pointed out, “Beryl, don’t bother. I’ve seen you in less. Please. Sit down and drink your coffee.”

She stood silent for a moment as her face turned a bright shade of red that rivaled her hair. Her expression showed she was trying to decide if she was embarrassed more or needed coffee more. Finally, she sighed with resignation and sat back down.

The two of them were silent as Beryl sipped her coffee and looked everywhere else except at the man sitting in front of her. Finally Zoisite asked, “How come you didn’t go with the others?”

Beryl sighed with exasperation. “Isn’t it obvious? I was sleeping!”

“Oh,” Zoisite responded. Then, even as he was internally telling himself not to, he added, “I guess going to bed just before dawn would make you sleep late.”

Jerking her head up, Beryl cautiously asked, “W-why would you say that?”

“Because I saw you and Endymion come in this morning,” he quietly answered.

Beryl took the offensive as she exclaimed, “What?! Were you spying on me?!”

Zoisite shook his head no. “I fell asleep on the couch and woke up when I heard you two out front.”

Beryl’s face again turned bright red. She looked down at her coffee then brought it to her lips and took a big gulp.

“So,” Zoisite continued in a casual tone. “Are you and Endymion an item now?”

“I…I guess,” she answered. Then, looking up she added, “We haven’t told anyone yet though.”

Quietly, Zoisite asked, “Does Endymion fit into your ‘plans’?”

Looking away, Beryl whispered, “Perhaps.”

Zoisite was silent a few moments as he asked himself whether what he was going to say next was motivated by resentment or concern. He realized it was a lot of both, for both of them. “Beryl…you do know he doesn’t love you. Right?”

Shocked and hurt by his harsh statement, Beryl gasped, “What?! Why would you say such a thing? Did Endymion tell you so?”

Shaking his head no, Zoisite answered, “You two had a big fight and he didn’t even bother to write or send flowers. He just forgot about you until he saw you again two years later. A guy in love wouldn’t do that.”

Beryl blinked back tears as she listened to Zoisite’s words and she had a very strong urge to turn him into a pile of cinders. The only reason she didn’t was because it’d be difficult to explain to Endymion why one of his guards had been murdered.

A thought suddenly occurred to Beryl and her eyes flashed angrily as she bit out, “I thought you of all people would be above such pettiness, Zoisite! Especially in regards to your prince! Even if I wasn’t with Endymion you’d still never have a chance with me! You had better get that into your thick skull right now and leave me alone!” Beryl stood up and scornfully threatened, “If you *ever* speak to me again I’ll make sure you don’t live to see the end of that day!”

Zoisite silently watched her turn the corner and run up the stairs. He heard the door to her room slam shut and he sighed. [That went well,] he dejectedly thought. [I should have just kept my big mouth shut! Now she *really* hates me.]

********


The rest of the group returned that afternoon. Dinner was served at the house and afterwards a card game was started. A few of the teens preferred to read books and everyone was just relaxing and having fun.

Kunzite and Nisha had left after dinner to take a walk on the beach together. When they returned, Nisha looked very happy and was hiding her left hand in the folds of her skirt.

Kunzite looked a little self-conscious as he asked for everyone’s attention. When all eyes were finally looking at him, Kunzite said, “I…I, um asked Nisha to marry me.”

Everyone started to clap and cheer when Endymion stood and interrupted. “Hold it! Wait!” He then turned to the blushing couple and flashed a devilish grin. “So, Kunzite, what answer did Nisha give to such a momentous question?”

With an exasperated scowl, Kunzite responded, “She said ‘Yes,’ of course! We wouldn’t be announcing it otherwise!”

“Just making sure,” Endymion teasingly laughed and everyone else jumped up to congratulate the happy couple.

Nephrite walked up behind his sister and future brother-in-law. Putting his arms around their shoulders, he teased, “So, is there a *reason* the two of you have decided to do this officially? Will I have a little nephew or niece soon?”

This crack earned Nephrite an elbow in the ribs from his sister. She glared and retorted, “No, Nephrite. Unlike someone else I know, it wouldn’t take something like that to get us down the aisle!”

Kunzite just shook his head and chuckled as Nephrite pouted and rubbed his bruised side. These brother-sister scuffles weren’t anything new and Nisha definitely knew how to hold her own in them.

Reianne then asked, “Can I see your ring?” so Nisha held out her hand. In synchronized chorus the girls all squealed at the large, translucent pale-pink teardrop stone nestled in a border of sparkling square diamonds.

Every guy in the room clamped his hands over his ears and groaned. Shaking his head, Jadeite exclaimed, “*Why* do girls do that?!”

Continued...

Thank you for reading my story. I hope you are enjoying it. If you did like my story, or if you have any (kind and gently worded) suggestions/comments about my story, please let me know. I truly appreciate feedback. You can email me at ndeblock@att.net .

This story was edited and enhanced by the great minds and imaginations of my three wonderful betas, Sophia Prester, Yumeko & Loki. Their help and ideas have been of great value to me! Each is also a fabulous Sailor Moon fanfic author. Sophia Prester’s and Yumeko’s stories can be found on Fanfic.net with an author’s name search (Yumeko\'s author\'s name is Heavely Pearl). Loki’s work is on AriasInk.com. I highly recommend reading all of their stories. ^_^

Bye, Luna Hope

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon, her lover, her friends, her family and her enemies all don’t belong to me. They belong to Naoko Takeuchi. I just borrowed them for a little bit of fun. All original characters in this story do belong to me. ^_^