Part XII

"Kunzite!" Jae mentally bellows when he teleports back to the Dark Kingdom after bidding Diana goodnight.

"Honestly, Jadeite, there's no need to shout. I'm in Zoi's and my room. What do you want?" Comes Kunzite's slightly irritated reply.

"We need to talk. Now."

Jae can almost hear Kunz's exasperated sigh. "Fine. Meet me here in 45 minutes."

"Good, and have the pictures you stole from Diana with you."

Kunzite sighs and looks down at Zoi who's soaking in the tub with him.

"Jae's found out about the pictures," he tells her.

"WHAT?!" the gorgeous blond shrieks, alarm in her emerald eyes.

Kunz blinks, "Not THOSE pictures! The drawings I got from Diana's room."

"Oh," she sighs with relief, relaxing into her lover's strong arms.

"...and he's going to be here in 45 minutes."

Zoi sighs. "It never fails, you just get in the tub and someone calls you telepathically."

Forty-five minutes later, an angry Jae is met at the door by a wet haired Kunzite with Zoi, her hair wet too, right behind him.

"Where are they?" Jae asks, sapphire eyes impatient, tells him, stepping aside.

Jae shrugs and sits down in the offered seat.

Kunz hands him the pad and watches Jae's look of surprise when he opens it and sees the first picture of the group.

He sits there, frozen in shock.

Zoi giggles. "You look like a fish, Jae."

Jae ignores her, looking through the drawings.

"These are amazing," Jae mutters.

"Some of those look like they're a few years old, like that first one. How did she know what we look like and then not recognize us when we were ordered to get her? Also, who is that woman with the strange eyes?" Kunz voices his thoughts.

"I don't know...but I'll ask her when I see her tomorrow," Jae answers, silently closing the pad of paper. "Why where you in her room anyway?" he asks then as an afterthought , "And where's Nephrite? I haven't seen hide nor hair of him for a few days."

"Our Queen ordered me to search her room. She wasn't supposed to see me, but she takes fast showers.

As for Nephrite, he's on the human world preparing for a plan he has," Kunz answers, resting his arms around Zoi.

Jae nods and teleports to his room to get some sleep.  

The next morning, Jae teleports to Diana's room and finds her lying on the bed, still asleep.

He blinks, knowing she's usually awake by now.

He puts the drawing pad down before sitting by her on the bed.

Gently, tenderly, he sweeps a few strands of hair from her forehead, gazing down at her.

He looks up and hides as soon as he hears someone at the door. He sees Naomi step in with a tray with breakfast on it.

Naomi looks at Diana and with a smirk, takes a glass of orange juice, and hurls it at the slumbering girl.

When it hits the headboard, it shatters and showers Diana with shards of glass and stinging orange juice.

Diana shouts with surprise and pain. She leaps out of bed and snarls at Naomi, her face, neck and what's visible of her chest starting to bleed from numerous cuts from the glass. This sends Naomi running away, laughing like a demented hyena.

The red head makes her way to the door, slams it and locks it.

"Oh gods..Diana..." Jae goes over to his love and looks her over gently. He notes tears mixing with the blood and orange juice.

"Let's get you cleaned up," he says softly as he picks her up and carries her to the bathroom.

He gently pushes her robe over her shoulders as far as he sees any bleeding cuts and looks her over to see if there's still any glass still stuck in her skin.

"Does it sting to much? Are your eyes ok?"

"It stings a lot...and I think there's only orange juice in my eyes."

Jae nods as he gently picks shards of glass out of her hair. "Do you think a shower would do any good?"

"Hai," she answers softly.

"I'll give you some privacy then," he tells her, standing.

He stops when he feels her take hold of his hand.

"Please, don't go," she says in a trembling voice. "I feel so lonely without you," she half whimpers.

"Ok," Jae says with a gentle smile, "I'll join you, and we can help each other wash, ne?"

She unties the belt of her robe and lets it fall to the ground in a puddle at her feet.

Once they finish their shower, they clean up her bed, and Jae gently attends to her wounds, he combs the snarls out of her silky red, wet hair.

He has a towel wrapped around his hips while she has one around her chest, just under the arms, covering anything not to be seen in a G-rated flick.

He finishes with her hair and gently kneads the knotted muscles of her back.

She smiles softly, closing her eyes. Jae notices that all the little cuts are barely visible.

"You are so beautiful," he whispers without meaning to.

Diana blushes slightly. "Thank you," she whispers softly.

He leans down and kisses her neck gently. He grins at her shiver and his eyes move down her body.

"Hey now, stop peeking down the towel," Diana objects with a giggle.

Jae pouts, "You've got such a great body, though."

Diana giggles again and turns to face him. "Yours isn't half bad either."

She runs her fingers over his well-defined chest and stomach lightly.

He chuckles. "That tickles."

"That's not the only thing it's doing," Diana points out, looking at his towel.

Jae grins and uses her distraction for time to whip her towel off.

"Ack! Jae!" She blushes deeply, instinctively covering herself.

"Aw...c'mon...there's no need to be shy," he says in a sensual, persuasive voice, tracing her cheek and jaw with a fingertip.

Diana stands and shivers, lightly running her hands down his chest and stomach.

"Well...since you took my towel away," she traces the skin over his towel on his hips, "...I'm thinking maybe..." she gently slips her fingers under the edge of the towel and loosens it enough so it drops to the ground, "...I should maybe get even," she ends in a whisper.

Jae grins, and pulls her to him, kissing her hard and grinding his hips against hers, coaxing a low moan from deep in her throat.

He pulls back long enough to whisper huskily, "I love it when you do that."

"What? Moan?" she whispers back.

He nods as he feels her hands playing gently with his manhood.

Moaning softly, he gently pushes her down onto the bed, leaning over her.

He sees the brief, frightened look in her eyes that's sometimes there.

Jae gently traces her lips with a fingertip, and says in a tender voice, "Don't worry, Diana, I'm never going to hurt you. You are the woman I love, and I will do anything I can do to protect you."

Diana's beautiful green eyes turn shocked, then warm as they usually are, though now he sees the adoration and love that has been hiding beneath the surface all this time.

Part XI
Part XIII
Beginnings and Endings Index