Alina 


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GOM: SOS
CHAPTER  SIX : AMBUSH!

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*********
Present
**********
Lita dropped her poles, but the man quickly caught them.
She snatched them out of his hand, and raised one hand
 as if to hit him, but then thought better of it.

"Just leave me alone." She said, her eyes
narrowing to emerald slits.   "I told you I had nothing to say to you."
She turned her head avoiding him.

"Look, Lita--I swear this is a coincidence,
I didn't plan this." Field paused, gathering his thoughts.
"But I'm glad it happened, I'll admit that. It's
a chance for us to talk."

She turned her body away then, staring out into the mountains
and mist.  She let her body languange tell him to go
to hell.  As far as she could, she edged away from him
on the small chair.  Too bad the ground was too
far, or she could have shoved him out, she thought.

"Lita? Look at me!" he swore under his breath, as
she turned her head, looking over her shoulder.
"I'm SORRY. OK? SORRY. I never should have..."

"Broken my heart?" She said looking up at him.
All the pain came back then, into her eyes. How
he'd left her in the gazebo.  How Ken had found her there, shaking
in the rain. How she cried on Ken's shoulder, too
stunned to be strong.

"Lita, I never meant to do that. "
She could see the pain register in his stormy dark blue
eyes.  His voice softened, and for a second his hand
rested on hers.  "I did what I thought
was best at the time, but things are different now."

Violently she shrugged his hand off.
"Oh? Am I old enough for you now? Is that
why you suddenly waltz back into my life?
What makes you think --"She broke it off, too
angry to finnish.  She looked away from those
eyes that saw into her soul.  "And you lied to me.
You said you loved me and you said
we'd be friends ."

"Lita, I didn't lie. I meant it." He looked down
at the mist covering the ground.  It was
as if the entire world didn't exist--just the
two of them, stuck on this chair to nowhere.

"Then why didn't you ever call me back?  I called
you when my parents died, and if you were
my "Friend" you'd have--"She broke off, closing her
eyes in memory and grief.   She'd
gone back with Ken, dried her tears and went to
the airport to greet a plane that never came.
She knew that wasn't his fault, but somehow
looking at him dredged up the pain of that moment.

After a moment, she regained her composure.
"Ken said that was just a way people break up.
But it hurt me.  It hurt me so much more, than if you'd just said
you never wanted to see me again." Her words hung in the
quiet of the snow covered hills.

For a a long silent moment he said nothing, just
watched as her hands clenched and unclenched on the
poles. He searched for the right words, knowing
she was prepared to condemn already.  How could he explain
what had happened to him? Why would she believe something
even he couldn't, though he had lived it?

"Lita, I didn't say that, because
that would have been a lie."He said finally, relying on
the plain truth and holding the rest back. "I wanted to see you--
but I felt I couldn't."

"Why not?" The mist was starting to clear
a little, but her eyes were clouded with
 unshed tears. She held them back by sheer force
of will. "What stopped you? I needed
you back then and you weren't there...how would
being my friend have hurt me?"

"Because I didn't--don't-- want to be just
a friend to you Lita. I've always wanted more
from you.  And once I knew you were too young
for that, everything changed."

"So now I'm just supposed to welcome you
back, as if nothing happened!? As if you
didn't just dissappear on me?!"

"Of course not Lita. I never meant to vanish, but
the night I left you my life changed forever." Again,
he contemplated how to explain that.

"So did mine!" She rasped out.  The tears flowed then with the memories.

In her mind, she saw Ken holding his umbrella.
as a shield against the rain.  Inadequate protection from
her emotions and the searing pain she felt. And all she'd
wanted to do was crawl into her mother's arms and
have her rock away the pain.  Just as she'd always
done when Lita had bruised herself.  That caring salve
of sympathy would work on a heart, she was sure.
And just when she thought the worst was over, the cure
almost at hand, she'd been struck again much deeper than
before.

Struck by the silence of a plane never landing, by
the emptiness of a goodbye never said, of forgiveness
never granted.  Ken had to hold her again.
 But at least by then she was too numb to cry.

She felt him pull her to him, as he whispered
"Not like mine--" He stopped as
a scream from below cut through the
fog. A sudden patch of clear air allowed
them to see the bright red of Raye's
jacket as she struggled with two
metallic looking figures. They
appeared to be grabbing her, as if to
tie her down.

"RAYE!" Lita screamed. Because they were
almost up the hill, the ground was not
far below. "I'm coming." Without thinking,
Lita shoved her poles into her skis, releasing
the bindings, shoved the safety bar back, stuck
her pole in the seats, slid down,and jumped
landing in a crouched positions in a snow hill.

She grabbed a fallen ski and ran down towards
the robots (for that's what they were) that
were circling around Raye.

"HEY--Pick on someone your own size!" She
called, at a loss for a more original line,
as she swung the ski at the midsection of the
robot closer to her.

The robot swivelled around, extended a hand
in a strike, which she tried to block, but
found herself pushed to the grown.  She ignored
the explosion of pain, and stood back up.

She charged down, grabbed the Robot and somehow
pushed it down the hill, into the other one.

"Thanks Lita" Raye said

"What were those things?"

"I don't know--but they're coming back!" Raye
said crouching defensively.  "Is anyone around?"
Lita looked back--all she could see was the mist.

She shook her head.

"Good--MARS CRYSTAL POWER" Raye shouted, and
Lita did the same. "Jupiter Crystal Power"
The pain disappeared inthe warm green light that
bathed her and left her
standing in high-heeled ankle-length boots, rather than
the thick clumsy ski boots.

The Robots paused, looking somewhat baffled.
Then suddenly they seemed to orient on the
two girls, and forged forward.

"Mars firebird strike" Mars called, as
Lita shouted "Jupiter Thunder Dragon"
the two creatures soared into the snow
and came up right under and through the
Robots.  The one hit by fire toppled, but
the other seemed to short circuit, collapsing
and laying helplessly on the ground.

Jupiter crossed her arms again "Jupiter Thunderclap
Zap!(Sparkeling Wide Pressure)" She yelled, throwing
the ball of energy directly at the other
one.  It too sizzled, jerked and crashed.

"Electrocuted!" She grinned--as a metallic
fist swiped into her knocking her to the
ground.  She rolled over--there were
six more. A torrent of flame bought
her the time to maneuver closer to
Mars.

"What are we going to do?" Jupiter asked.

"I don't know--my flames and charms have
no effect..."

"I can't hit them all!" Jupiter said.

Suddenly two of the creatures went down--
one briefly recovering from the
blast of a tiara, the other a little longer
as it was hit by a sword wielded by
a man hovering above it.

"Jaedite!" Mars called. "Duck!"

He shimmered and reappeared next to Mars
as one of the creatures hurled the arm of
the downed robot at the air where he'd been.

"Let's get out of here." Jaedite said, preparing
to grab Mars and teleport. "I can take
you one at a time."

"We can't leave Jupiter and Sailor Moon!" She said.

"I can hold them off." Jupiter said determinedly--
"I'm not running away from the fight." She
zapped one as it neared the hastily rising
Sailor Moon--she'd tripped over a hill in the snow.

Another Robot tried to grab her--but a rose cut through
it.  "Skiing is a dangerous enough sport without
 you, attacking in an unsportsmanlike
manner!." He lectured. swooping down and leaping with Sailor Moon
to the safety of the passing lift.

"We can't go--Jupiter! Mars!" She called struggling
to look down.

Jupiter zapped another--while Mars covered
her.

@)-->------->
Maxfield "Freddy" Stanton panicked when Lita
Jumped off the lift.  He realized
they were near the top, so rather than
following her, he skied off, and down
towards where they'd seen the attack.

The sight baffled him--who were these
women? Where did they come from with
these attacks even stranger than the
metallic robots? He frowned. Powerful
as they were, they seemed to
be in trouble.

He looked around for someway to help--
and that was when he saw her.  Nothing
about her looked threatening, red bobbed
hair, serious expression. But she was bent over a control
panel of a device he recognized, and was recording the fight.
  She seemed to be nominally
controlling the monsters.  Instinctively
he knew she was analyzing what was going on...
He looked at the battle. The monsters weren't
trying to kill--they were toying with
the women. They were trying to put them
through their paces. He'd seen that sort
of style used in his martial arts classes.

That was why, he realized, the monsters
were ignoring him--and why this woman
was too. He wasn't a threat or interesting
enough.

He charged straight at her.  Surprise
and momentum enabled him to knock her
over--though he realized she was heavier
than her frame suggested.  He felt
his skin break against the rough bark
of a tree.  The computer
she carried went flying. Rather than
attacking him, she went after the small
device.  He got to it first, crushing it
with his ski boot.He picked up his loose
pole, and sword fashion, began to threaten
her---"What were you doing?" He demanded.

"Just stay calm, and nothing will happen."
She said. "Hand me that device."

"I smashed it." He said. "Now tell me, what's
going on here?"

"I'm afraid I cannot do that." She grabbed the pole he held,
pushed him into a tree, stepped into
her skis, and took off down the mountain
past the still fighting figures.

He scrambled up, to watch Jupiter zap the last Robot.
Weakly, she kneeled on the ground.

"What do you suppose that was?" She asked.

"Where's Mercury when you need her?" Moon
called as she was carried to the ground.

"Too bad all this fog wasn't hers." Jupiter
said.  "I'm ready to call it a day."

Mars held out her hand-- "Wait...we've
got company." The group swivelled around.

"Freddy!" Jupiter said involuntarily. He
staggered from the trees, bleeding a little
from where he'd knocked into the trees.
He held his arm to stop the flow, making
his walk a little less steady.

"Neflite!?" Jaedite called, running
to embrace the friend he remembered.

Freddy looked at the blonde, oddly dressed
man running at him, and crouched, wary of
attack. "Who the hell are you?"

Jaedite paused, as Sailor Moon's voice
chirped out "See--I told you they had
to be the same person!!!"

"Who are you people?" He demanded "Where's
Lita?"

"She's safe"  The blonde woman with the weird
hairstyle assured him cheerfully "Are you ok?
You look a little dazed?"

"I'm fine. What do you mean she's safe?
Where'd they go? She and her friend were right here!"

 He said perplexed.  Suddenly Jupiter moved forward
as if to say something, and he focussed on her.

"Why did you call me Freddy?  Only Lita calls me that!"

He stared intensely at her. She stumbled then, exhausted
from the power drain . As she hit the snow,
 her uniform faded away, and her clothes
returned.

"Lita?!" Field  said as he  knelt to cradle her head....
"I don't understand. What are you?"

Impulsively, Sailor Moon dropped to her knees. Beside him,
 and raised up his chin in her hands.

 "We are warriors of love and justice,
defenders of the Earth" She smiled.
"And you're one of us. You just don't know it yet."

****************************
Neflite waited in the gardens, uneasy
and pacing.  He tried to study the patterns
in the sky--but the view from the moon
disoriented him.  Why hadn't he said he'd
escort her from her rooms?  Why had he
put himself in the position of waiting for her?
Then he saw her, and felt a bolt of electricity
crackle through his blood.   She was looking
for him directly in front of the doors that
led to the Ballroom.  His pacing had led
him out of her line of sight.  Reasserting
control, he called her name.  She looked up,
their eyes meeting as she greeted him casually.
 His questions fell away from him as did everything
except her.

Sounding more confident than he felt
he complimented her--he wasn't sure what he was saying,
but she blushed and inched closer to him.
He took her hand, as she nervously explained
she preferred ice skating to dancing.

He smiled, amused at how she could seem so afraid of a
 thing like dancing, when she
seemed otherwise so bold.  He wished again
that he could cast his own fortune to see
what she held for him--but he knew that
was forbidden.  Instead, he'd cast hers--
but the stars had been unusually quiet.
That worried him.

***********Lita's Past*************
Despite the clear weather of the night before,
the sky clouded over and a heavy rain began
to fall, turning the morning almost as dark
as night.  Lita stared out the window, knowing it was the kind of
day she'd have liked to stay in, even if she weren't
grounded.  She'd come in so late the night before that
Mrs. Oshiba had panicked and called the police. She'd
guessed that Lita had been on a date, and Ken had
confirmed it.  She still wasn't speaking to him for that.
To make matters worse, her parents
had called, and Mrs. Oshiba informed of what Lita had done.
Lita still remembered her mother's words. "We'll talk about
this later, when we arrive Lita. We're very dissapointed
in you!" And  Lita had gotten angry, and yelled and told
her parents that she didn't care what they thought, she wouldn't
let them keep her from Freddy.   She wouldn't let anyone
do that.

 So even though she didn't want to go outside, she did because
Freddy asked her to meet him. Dspite her mood
as awful as the weather,  when Freddy  called and asked her to
 meet him, she had to go. So, she left the warm cocoon
of the Oshiba's couch. She all but ran through the rain to
the park, tryingto keep her umbrella from inverting. Finally, she
reached the safety of the gazebo--their gazebo.
She was late, but then, so was he.  That was
odd, she thought, because he was the one that had
told her to meet him there.

The rain was pouring harder now, and
Lita moved her hands up and down her arms
to keep warm. Where was he? He should
have been here by now.  Had something
happened?  He sounded so serious when
he'd called. She'd never heard such hollowness
 and distance in his voice before.
After last night, that didn't make sense.

She could barely see the car pull up, through
the haze of the rain and seconds
later, dripping wet he stood before
her in the gazebo where they'd met.  He
hadn't even bothered to open up
the big black umbrella he'd brought with him.
Lita held out her green one, but he moved
aside and opened his.

"So what's up?" She asked,
when he said nothing, but just stared
at her, as if drinking in the
sight.

"I don't know where to start. "
He ran his hands over his short
dark hair  "I can't see you anymore."

"What?" She hadn't expected that, and she
grasped the rail for support. Last night
he'd taken her to the charity ball-- "Starlight
Serenade"--for his astronomy club...they'd
danced all night, and then had fallen asleep
together underneath this very gazebo roof.
"Why not?"

"Lita! You lied to me." He ground out.
"Was it some sort of a joke?"

"What do you mean?" She said backing away,
turning to face the park rather than
his angry face.

He'd gone to surprise her at her school,
a dozen long white orchids splayed
across the seat of his car.  He'd looked the address
up hurridedly--and been shocked to find he
was looking at a Junior High School.  As luck
would have it, a few of his friends were walking
by--saw his car and stopped to say hi.  Then
they'd looked up and saw the girl they'd all
coveted the night before--in her uniform carrying
her books.  He still hadn't heard the end of the jokes
he was sure.  Then his grandfather had called
to say he'd recognized the girl-- "It's
simply not appropriate." The old man had said. "I
liked her too--but Field, you're a man now, and
this is not honorable.  What will people say?
You're coming with your mother and I tonight on
that trip, you need to get away from her."


"You're 13 years old!!!!" He didn't shout, but
the cold fury in his voice left her in no
doubt of his anger.

"So?" She turned, and stepped forward holding his gaze.
"Does that change who I am?"

"It does to me!" He swore, and now he turned to face
the park. "Lita, I could get in trouble
for seeing you--your parents could
have me arrested!"

"We haven't done anything wrong!"

"You haven't--but your parents might
not agree with you--the laws don't.
I'm 21, Lita and you're just a little girl." He frowned
remembering his step-father's comments
about his choice of companions. Even he had
somehow found out. "I  can't deal with this,
Especially not now."

"A little girl?" She whispered hoarsely
"Is that what you think?"

"Just leave me alone." He barked.

"Freddy! I'm sorry, I didn't
mean to lie to you. "She placed a hand
on his shoulder, the contact feeling
so good to her.

"But you did." He turned and faced her,
shrugging her hand away.
"You humiliated me! One minute I'm
driving to see my girlfriend at college,
and the next I'm staring at a junior
high girl while my friends laugh at me!"

"Then they're the ones that
are immature." She threw back. Last night,
he'd held her, and they'd talked.
She'd felt starlight electricity course
through her whole body with every caress--until
he'd said--She began to blush, the memory that had
seemed so sweet this morning began to ache in
her mind. The rain
crashed down harder, temporarily distracting
her.  All day she'd been in a daze from the
lack of sleep and the hazy memories of the night
 before. She was exhausted, and it was hard to focus.
"You said you loved me!" She blinked back tears, unable
to hold onto her composure any longer.

"I do" He swore again.  She was so
beautiful in her anger.  He couldn't stop himself from
grabbing her and pulling her close.  To hold
her the way he had the night before, when
he opened his soul to her.

"I can't do this," he said backing away again.

"Yes you can! Don't worry about what
other people think--when I'm with you
no one else matters!  You told me that
last night!"  She was willing to stand up
to her parents to be with him.   Why couldn't
he do the same?

"Lita, I know I said that but-- You're 13!" He said again.

"It's just a number." She said stubbornly.

"Fine, even so. There are  some
things going on in my life right now
that are complicated. Things I can't
talk about with you."

"Why? Because you think I'm too young?"

"Yes." He said.  "And because I don't
..." She interrputed his last statement, not hearing him.

"Well you're wrong, Freddy. I'm not.
You didn't think I was too young
yesterday to--" She broke off in a furious
blush and avoided his eyes.

"I would have treated you differently, if I'd known.
 And that complicates things. We can't go back
to yesterday Lita. We need some time--to sort things out."

"So that's it? You're saying goodbye?" Her green
eyes locked into his.

"No!" He shook his head, and swore under his breath.
" Lita, I know that's what I
should do.  I should just walk away before
things get more serious between us but I can't."

"So I'm still your girlfriend?" She began to smile,
her eyes lightening a bit.

"I can't think of you  as a girlfriend. It's wrong." He said.

"To who?" She whispered. "I can't imagine
my life without you. I love you!"

 "I know but you can't. "He said. "We need
to let these feelings die down."

"So I'll never see you again?" She choked
out. "That's it? I love you and Good bye?"

"No. I'll call you." He responded "I just need
some time to sort this out--to learn
to think of you differenlty for now "
He wanted to careess her face, wipe
the tears trickling down.  "But I
can't be more than a friend to you. "

"But you are!" She reached out to him, but
he pulled back.

"Not anymore, Lita." He lied. "Not anymore."

He couldn't stand this. He used all his will
to look away, and before he could hear the
pain in her voice,before he made the mistake
of turning back to her and saying he didn't
really mean it, before her sobs called him back,
he ran to his car and out of her life.

He got in the car and slammed the accelerator
down. The car responded like lightening,
and in a red blur he'd left the park.  But
not his pain.  Driving aimlessly, he eventually
stopped the car in some forgotten corner of the city.
He sat, hoping the pattern of the wipers on the rain
and the blaring music would erase the image
of heartbreak on Lita's face. He could still see her
 trembling slightly inside the gazebo,  her umbrella
falling uselessly to the ground.   He couldn't
stand it anymore. "Everyone else can go to hell."
He said.

He turned the car around,and drove back to the park, but she was gone.
The only sign that she'd been there was a long green umbrella.

"END OF CHAPTER SIX"

GOM: Storm of Stars
Chapter 7: Explanations

Last Time:
1. Present; Raye gets attacked, the Assistant
gets away.  Freddy, or should we say "Maxfield"
 meets the scouts.
2. Past: Freddy breaks up with Lita. (sniff sniff)
3. Ancient History: small scene at the ball.

Author's Notes at end.
.

PRESENT:
@)-------------->
The fire crackled, in the small cabin to which
Field had led them. The cabin, though neat, looked a little
run down.  "It's not much, but its warm
and private--and we can talk there."

He set Lita down on the couch. Gently, he covered her with a blanket.

Everyone sat down around the small table, or stood.
He set the small kettle on the antique stove and
turned around to face the group.  He stared at all
of them in turn--only the small blonde with the
strange hairstyle held his gaze.  Her eyes were
soft and understanding.  "So. What did you mean
about me being one of you--what are you?" He said
at last.

She leaned forward. "Hi  I'm Serena...hm,
This may be harder to explain then the scene you witnessed
earlier."

"I suppose." he shook his head. "Why don't you start with what
 happened to her?"

He looked at Lita, still collapsed on the light green,
threadbare couch.

"She's just tired. She overused her powers." Serena
explained. "Got anything to eat? I'm *so* hungry!!"

"Powers?" Field said, trying to pull the girl back to
the topic.  He began to fish around for some snacks.
Eventually, he found some crackers behind a bottle of
red wine, both of which he set on the table.

"She controls lightening. " Serena continued between
mouthfuls of crackers. "These are good! Thanks!"

The dark haired girl started at that.
 "Do you think you should be telling
him all this? How can we trust him!?" She interjected.

Serena ignored her friend, and gulped the tea Field
served.   "She transforms into
the pretty sailor-suited soldier Jupiter." She paused,
swivelled, and added " She's Sailor Mars and also
Raye Hino." pointing to the dark haired, angry
girl who sat with folded arms, in front of the blond man.
"I"m their leader, Sailor Moon." She grinned.

Raye moved forward as if to hit Serena, but the blond man
put his hand on Raye's shoulder, stopping her.  Her forward
momentum caused her to rebound backwards and she ended up in
the man's lap.  She looked annoyed, but the man seemed rather
amused by it.

"Jed! Stop playing around." She muttered.
"Hey, you're the one who sat in my lap." He returned,
as she stood up, blushing.  "Not that I didn't want you to."

Ignoring the side show, Serena faced Maxfield again
 and continued. "A long time ago--
a lifetime ago really, all of us lived
in another kingdom, one filled with Magic.  My Darien
was your Prince, and you and Jed, here, served him--
fought with him--until something happened.  We
were reborn in this time--to fight the enemies
and evil of the world! " She paused. "Got that?"

He stared at her blankly.

Jed moved forward a little. "It's a lot to take
in--I know.  Magic right? Who could believe in it?
I'm struggling to integrate these past life
 memories in my life. I know what you're feeling--"

"No you don't. I've seen stranger things." Maxfield replied,
rebuffing the hand Jed would have laid on his shoulder.
 "And I don't care about it now. I've got other things
to worry about." He said   He sat down next
to Lita, stroking her forehead.  He stared at her, wishing
he could be the one hurt instead of her.

Serena blinked.  Nervously, she looked to Darrien.
"Muffin, he doesn't remember *any* of it " she whined.
"What are we gonna do? I don't think he even  believes me!"

"Are you sure it's him?" Raye pushed. "Jed, how
could you be so sure? I mean, he looks like
Neflite but "

"It's him." Jed said.

"Then why didn't Lita recognize him?!" She demanded.

Lita blinked awake slowly, hearing her name and feeling
the touch on her temple.  She
was wondering the same thing. How could she not
have realized that Neflite and Freddy were the same?
Of course, when she'd met Freddy, she didn't remember
her past life.  And when she saw the picture drawn by
Greg, it was sort of blurry and black and white. The features weren't
distinct, just long dark hair, dark eyes. Not having
seen Neflite in this lifetime, nor remembering him from before,
that picture was her first glance at him.  Her mental
picture of Freddy was frozen with him in his tuxedo suit
and slacks, darker hair cut short but still covering
his face as he smiled at her.

She almost smiled at that memory, how they'd been
lying next to each other, arms entwined and
staring into each other's eyes.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Flashback
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
 "Will this rain ever stop?!" Lita asked Freddy
as they ran soaked to the gazebo.
"So much for dancing under the stars!" He laughed,
"You're cold." He said, seeing her shiver in the thin
dress she wore.  He took his jacket off and gave it
to her.  "Everyone couldn't take their eyes off
you! I felt like the luckiest man at that ball."

 She blushed, lowered her eyes. She looked up
when she felt him pull her in to his arms.
"Are you warmer?" He asked.

"OH! Yes." She said. She was still feeling very
tipsy from all the wine she'd had.  She wasn't
used to drinking. She didn't know why he thought
she was cold when she felt so warm. She didn't
want to move.

"The wall would block the wind." He
said, lowering them to sit on the ground. "And
I think we left --there it is, a blanket here."
And then they were lying down, holding each other.
"I have something to tell you." He said in a low
voice . "A confession of sorts to make."

"WHAT?" She asked worried.

"Two actually.  I lied to you about my name."

"What? Why?" She asked perplexed, as she snuggled
closer not really caring what he was saying.

"I suppose I never lied, I just never mentioned
my real name."

"I thought it was Freddy Sinheart..."She said confused.

"Sinheart is  my step-father.Let's not even talk
about him. My name is Field Stanton" He smiled.
"Hi."

 She grinned back.  "Field?" She frowned..

"I like Freddy better."

"That's because you're used to it now."

"But why did you tell me your name was--"

"I wanted you to like*me* not my parent's
money..."

"STANTON?" She said, the pieces suddenly clicking
in "You mean!?"She stiffened a little. "My Dad
works at your!?"

"Yes." He frowned. "Now I wish I hadn't told
you. You're going to be different."

She hugged him tighter. "No. I won't. You're
still the same guy I like."

"And you're the girl I love."

"What?" She whispered. "Are you serious!?"

"That was my second confession.  I love you
Lita." He said, moving closer to kiss her--
nervously, she drew back... "And I know
this may be too early to say it but I want to
 spend the rest of my life  with you. When I'm with you, nothing else
 matters." She could feel his heart
beating next to her head.  "I'm sorry
Lita. I shouldn't rush you like this."

He pulled something out of his pocket, fumbling
with the velvet box.

"I feel the same way." She murmured, holding
him tighter. "I'm glad you didn't wait to tell me how
you feel."

"What's that!?" She asked, noticing the object.
Her pulse trippled.

He grinned. "It's not a ring but, I saw them
and thought of you."

Eagerly she pulled back the lid--in the dim
light they were nothing but red sparkles.

"They're roses. I forgot what stone they're
made out of, some kind of quartz I think." He
whispered. "If you don't like them, I can take
them back."

"Don't you dare.  I'm going to wear
them always." She said, inserting them into
her ears, glad that she'd had them pierced.

"Do you promise?" He asked pulling her
back against him. "Do you swear!?" She giggled,
remembering how she'd used those words to
ensure he'd go to her tournament. She
met his smile with her own, poking him with
a finger.

"On the stars above." She said recalling his odd phrase.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::End Flashback:::::::::

The memory  should have made her smile, but for
the image of the rain, the gazebo and the other
memory that overpowered the previous one. The day
that he'd broken her heart.

When this man had  shouted her name in the mall,
all she thought of was Freddy.
Neflite wasn't a real person to her. She still couldn't think
of them as the same person. No Freddy was, he was...
--she paused.

He was stroking her hair.  Rapidly, she sat up.

"Get *away* from me!" She spat, as she shifted away, shoving
him with what little strength she had.

"Lita?"He said, not moving. His arms grabbed her
and held her tight.  "Listen to me--"

She was too weak to protest farther, except by steadfastly
looking anywhere but at him.

"I'm sorry I never called, but I had a good
reason. I hope you believe me.  "He barely paused and said in a rush
 "The night I left you, I was in some  sort of explosion,
and then the next thing I remember I'm in
a prison in France."

Everyone stared, hanging on his words though
he meant them only for Lita.  Now that he was telling her
his impossible story, he felt better.  Maybe it would make
sense to her, given what Serena had said.  A superheroine
had to understand magic right?  Because magic was the only
way he could account for what had happened to him.

" I've lost six years. I don't even remember five of
them.  I'd been arrested for trespassing in some
mineral mine,nephrite, I think, but I don't know how I got there." He
paused.  "I tried to contact home--but all my
step-father's assitants would say was that I was dead or should be...
Considering what happened the last time I saw him
I should have expected that cold greeting." He smiled darkly,
remembering his step-father's chilling gaze.
"I was smart enough not to push the point.  So I've
been keeping  a low profile, studying my step-father
and Stanton Corporation." He gestured
around the rooms, at the boxes of files on the grounds.

"I've also been trying to reclaim my life.  I've
been hiding here, planning how I could prove
my identity, and get back my company from
 my step-father. It's not been easy, living off odd
jobs, and the few family assets that Sineheart didn't know
about. "

"Company?" Serena asked, as unable to take in his
story as he had been to take in her's.
But then again, she thought, he wasn't explaining
this very well.  Besides, her attention span wasn't
that long. This was as bad as history class, she thought
getting up to hunt for more food. "Step-father? What
are you *talking* about! Don't ramble on like that!
Just tell her you're sorry, you
were a jerk, and you love her!!!" She whispered,
but so loudly everyone, including Lita, heard.
She blushed, and snuggled closer to Darien.

Field looked up at his audience then.
"Lita told you my name was Freddy,
but its really Maxfield Stanton, jr." He
paused, and Serena's voice sang out.

"SEE! RAYE!" She said. "He is Neflite."

"I'm what? " Field said perplexed. She
started to explain but he held up a hand.
"Look, there *is* a reason I've told you all my
history. I think our problems are  related--that
woman who attacked, and those robots.
They're products of Stanton Electronics,
which means my step-father is involved somehow."

"That's a strange coincidence. " Darien said.
"Why would your step-father attack Raye?"

"Wait, Stanton Electronics that's the company
that bought out Chad's father's company's loans..."
Raye added. "And it's also the company that weirdo
in the warehouse mentioned..."   She'd
forgotten all about investigating that, since
everything had turned out fine.  She'd had
other things on her mind. She frowned, wondering
how she'd let that slip her mind.  Was she growing
careless? Jed caught her eyes
as if to tell her not to berate herself for
the neglect.
"We thought that was over." Jed said to her.

"From the information I was able to gather,
their last plan was to prevent the merger of
their two biggest rivals by kidnapping the young
heiress to one of the corporations." Field grabbed a file.  "This must
be you--unknown forces disrupted that attempt--sailor
suited superheroes." He smoothed the newspaper
clippings. "For the last six years, Stanton Electronics
or I should say, Stanton Industries now,
has been slowly and surely gaining commercial
power and political force. My grandfather's company
has become the vehicle
for one man's secret take-over of Tokyo..."

"But what are they after now?" Raye asked "Why attack
me?"

"My stepfather.is undoubtedly after what
he's always been after...Power." Field said.
He picked up a chart of constellations.  "The kind of power
that I had no proof existed until this afternoon.
Your power."

"But how did he know?!" Raye started pacing. "If this
attack was no accident--"

"When you foiled his last scheme, you must have come
to his attention." Field reasoned.  "Somehow,
he's discovered your secret identity....or
enough to try and find out more about you."

Suddenly Raye frowned, grabbing the mask she'd
won.  In a flash she threw a small piece of paper
on it, and the side frame split, revealing a small
device with an antenna....the device cracked.

"That's a sensor of some sort..." Field said,
picking it up. "He was studying you, tracking you..."

"OH!" Raye paled.  "I transformed with that thing on!"

Serena frowned. "So?"

"IF they were recording information about us--then
that must have caught their attention..."

"It's a moot point.  That woman, whoever she was,
saw you transform just as I did. She must know
who you all are.  How they know is not as important
as what they'll do with that information." His
voice was grim.  "My step-father is ruthless...
And dangerous.  We have to stop whatever it is
that he's trying this time."

"This time?" Jed asked, "You said before
you've seen stranger things....what
did he do the "last" time?"

Field marvelled at how Jed had read his
mind..."Six years ago  my step-father
attempted to gather supernatural power." He
turned to Lita... "From what I've figured
out, he sabotaged the plane that he put my grandfather
and mother on, so it crashed into a large jet
liner coming into Tokyo.  He somehow used the
energy of that event for some black magic ritual."

No one said anything, so he continued.

"He meant for me to be on that plane. But
I had to see Lita--and when I heard
it crashed, I knew....I knew that somehow
*he* was responsible. I followed him to this
old cathedral--I don't remember where it was,
but that's where he went. My
memories are so hazy--but I think I attacked
him...and all hell broke lose.  The next thing
I know, I'm...in a cave. In a country
where I don't understand the language....and
then, I'm in Prison..." He frowned. "I know
that's not very clear but everything
I do remember, everything I've learned
leads me to believe that Eris Sineheart, my step-father,
is attempting dark magic to summon something
powerful, so he can rule the
world. He tried six years ago, but failed
because of my interference. I believe he's
going to try again....when he figures out how
to use your power to help him."

"Why hasn't he tried before? Six years is
a long time to wait.  Surely if you're right, we'd
have crossed his path before. " Darien questioned Field.

"Yeah, we've never even heard of him." Raye said.

"I don't have an explanation.
Maybe he's tried other dark spells,
but they  didn't work...maybe he
was too scared to try again. I don't know
exactly what happened the last time. All that
matters is that this  time he's decided to
focus on *your* power. Of that you can be sure."

"Oh yeah, how do you know *that*." Lita challenged,
speaking at last.

"I've seen it in the stars, actually." Field
said, perfectly serious.

*************PAST*******************
Field stood, staring up into the sky.  The rain
had stopped, but smoky clouds hovered ominously.

He'd called Lita's numbers, but no one had answered
at either of them. He'd tried to find her, but
with no luck.  He knew he just had to be patient--she'd
go home eventually.  After all, she wasn't really
old enough to live on her own.  That was the one good
thing about her youth.  It wasn't like she could just
pick up and dissappear.

He sighed, thinking of travel.  He'd already
missed the plane he was supposed to take with his
grandfather and mother.   They wouldn't be too happy
about that, especially if they knew he'd done so
because of Lita.  He dismissed that thought as
he entered the gazebo. He put down Lita's umbrella,
and waited.  He felt so close to her here.

And then without really understanding how he saw
it, he saw the small Stanton private jet crash
into a larger plane.  It was as if the air in front
of him thickened into a movie screen and that image
projected itself onto there.  As the images cleared, he
saw Sineheart walk past him, away from the Stanton Tower.

Sineheart had a sickly self-satisfied smile on his
thin, sharply boned face.  Instinctively, Field ducked,
and then began to trail Sineheart. What was Sineheart up
to? Field wondered.  Why hadn't he gone to the plane with
the rest of his family?

Sineheart got into a long black limo, and ordered
the driver forward. Field noticed another car pull
out and follow.  Grabbing his sports car, he too
joined the procession.  Up winding roads they went,to
a church on a forgotten hillside, not too far from the
mansion.

With his binoculars (which he kept for on-the-spot
comet-gazing), he observed the figures.  Sineheart
didn't seem to be aware of his followers, so engrossed
in the small box he held.  The followers, a man
and a woman with short red hair that made it easy to
see her, crept along the ground.  Field wished he
could hear the conversation.

He got out of the car, crouching low to the ground.
Carefully he made his way up the rise and onto a
rock overlooking the clearing where Sineheart had
drawn some kind of circle in chalk.  He seemed to be
placing small figurines around the perimeter.

Field swore, realizing he recognized one of the statues
as belonging to his very own collection of Jade.
"I'll make him pay for that!" Field thought angrily,
seeing the small white figurine of a pony-tailed girl.
He'd never noticed it before, but it sort of reminded him of
Lita.  And that made it all the more precious to him.

"What's he up to down there?" He wondered.  Sineheart appeared
to be chanting something. Field began to sense something,
as an explosion occured in the sky. The hairs on his arms
swept up, as electricity cackled in the sky.  Instinctively
he ran forward into the circle to stop Sineheart. Whatever
he was doing felt wrong,dangerously wrong to Field.

He felt disoriented inside the circle--memories and visions
and thoughts that were not his, at least, could not logically
be his, swam in his mind.  He shoved Sineheart just as the
sound of evil laughter emanated from the whorl of energy
pulsating darkly above them.

He thought he heard a voice with an American accent call out
"Freeze--FBI", but he was extremely confused by that point.
He felt as if someone had disconnected this space from time.

He briefly wondered if he was dead? And then he heard the
demon woman's voice from his dream. "OH, no my pretty
general, you're not dead...everything is just beginning for you
Come, regain your position as a Dark King of the Negaverse!"

He stared down as dark green energy surrounded him, draining
him of his mind, he slumped to the ground. The last thing he saw
was the smashed remains of his little  green statue
that looked like Lita.
*************************************************
SILVER MILLENIUM
******************
Neflite paused, staring up at the stars in the sky.
He swore, he could almost see Lita's face in them. Would
he ever hold her again?  The Moon shone down--so
innocent and unreachable...and safe...like his love.
He hadn't been able to say the words. Why hadn't
he told her?

 He'd had so many chances, with all those meetings in
the gardens. She'd eagerly explored  all the flowers,
asking constant questions, as they strolled. She pulled him out
of his worries with her sparkling eyes and easy laughter. Destiny
and fate became unimportant in her presence, in those stolen moments.
 He wasn't sure when it had happened.  When he had fallen
in love with her while watching the Prince and Princess do the same.

She had to know he loved her. He formed a small crystal
in his hands...the same rosy quartz he'd made to form
the small crystal earrings he gave her. She pledged
to wear them always. Why couldn't' he have given her
a betrothal ring? But he knew why.

Now that he was not in the magical forrest of her green-eyed
gaze, he could remember the pictures in the stars.
Destiny was not going to be kind and
he felt the less he tied his fate to hers, the
safer she would be.  Even if he couldn't be with her.

Thinking all these things, Neflite stood
 watching the oceans churn white-grey,
as the boats stood guard on the coastal perimeter.
The clouds were getting thicker--rain would soon
block even his view of the stars...Navigation
would be tough, he thought.  They would need
to stay close to the shore, lest they got lost.

He wondered from which direction Beryl's forces would
come?  He frowned, his body stiff with tension.

"General! The Star has gone down.." A man shouted pointing out to
sea--though the rain ruined the visibility,
he knew he still should have seen it's lights.  The scout ship
had gone--...Then he could see the reason.  A
blue-green skinned woman, walking over the water,
to the ship next to them, laughing, glowing with an
eerie incandescence that made her visible in the
rain and night.

"Lovely Energy...come humans, let me on your
little boat too..." She sang, her voice mesmerizing.
"Your companions danced with Siren...Dance
with her and have the last dance of your life..."

"Don't let her up!" Neflite shouted--the
rain drowning his voice.  His captain didn't seem to hear.

His soldiers lowered a lifeboat, and raised her up.  With a wave of her
hand, the men fell.

"Hold the positions, flank to Diamond" Neflite
called...what sort of attack was this?  Where
were the ships--the cannons? The soldiers?

His three remaining ships steered behind his--
as a swarm of similar women appeared in the
water, swimming around calling to dance.

The men began to jump off the ships, into the water.

Neflite swore....what magic was this?  He grabbed
his lieutenant-- "Pyrite--command the men--hold fast
do not let these women on!" He cried. "We've
got to attack them!" The men were ordered to
release the hot oil and set it aflame in the water.

Neflite concentrated, trying to block the songs
the women surrounding the ship were singing...
How long could he hold out?

He counted but a few of his soldiers holding
fast to their positions--the result of the
shielding spell he'd cast.  How did they
fight these monsters? He frowned...as
a woman boarded and charged arms outstretched
"ENERGY!" She cried, her long tentacled
fingers sweeping out and grabbing Pyrite--
his body slumped down to the deck as grey
as the ocean.

He frowned, forming a crystal in his hand and slinging it
 at the creature.  Stabbed and blinded, it went down crumbling
into green dust.  The body of Pyrite rose up then. His friend had
turned  a curious black orange color, his features morphing
slightly.  He began to stalk towards Neflite, his expression
threatening.  Neflite shot a crystal straight at him.
Green blood oozed out onto the deck, as
he watched his friend die again, the body
disappearing as the monster-woman had.

"Green blood?" Neflite barely had time to notice that,
before he realized more monsters were being created out of the
bodies of his soldiers.

He whirled and slung more crystals into
the waters around him.  Each shard hit the water-demons, and his
possessed soldiers.   Soon nothing remained in the waters.

He grabbed his sword and teleported to the
remaining ships--the monsters were all
down.  So were all his men...bodies
littered the ships, limp and lifeless.
At his approach, they rose up to attack--their features
twisting into inhuman shapes.  Again, he noticed the
green, slightly luminscent, blood that flowed through them.
A warning sign that these were not human beings, but something
else, something that only wanted to destroy.

He destroyed several, but finally realized the futility
of his fight.  He couldn't save these men--they'd already
been sentenced to a fate worse than death.

 What was he to tell the Prince?  The Royal Navy
was destroyed in a matter of minutes
by a magical attack of a kind they'd never
even imagined.  There were too many
of these creatures....He concentrated and
teleported. He needed to warn Jaedite who was leading the cavalry
at the villages which bordered on the water.

The people cowered behind the barricades
as Jaedite rode his steed surveying the
readiness of his troops.

"We don't know when or how this
will be...but be prepared for anything
men...." He said to his warriors.
"Attack on my signal..."

Then they saw it--out of nowhere a large
creature made of stone appeared.... "Energy..."
It called. "Must gather...CHARBID WILL GET YOU ALL"
The huge beast kept walking straight forward. Cries of
"what is that" rumbled through his troops,
as a few nervously backed away.

"HOLD!" Jaedite pushed his steed forward.
"Don't let it near the village."

The creature pushed a tree aside, and
kept coming.
"Arrows!" Jaedite called as a flurry of
flaming arrows were launched by the archers.
A fair number struck the creature, but it
kept coming.

"Charge!" He said as the first line swept
forward on their horses, swords raised.
The creature batted them away like toys,
and then slowly, unconcernedly began
to walk to each fallen soldier and touch
them...Jaedite flinched hearing the
screams...then he saw his men began
to ride *toward* him, by the side
of the creature.

"Attack Them" Neflite said in his
ear, appearing out of nowhere. "Evil
magic has stolen them...."

Jaedite hesitated. "Those are my men."

"Not any more....give the order! Or I will."
Neflite said, pulling rank.

"FORWARD CHARGE--THEY ARE NO LONGER OURS!" Jaedite
shouted.  His men showed even more hesitation
and were cut down by their former soldiers...

"Fall back!" Jaedite said to his last line.
"What manner of fight is this?"

"The Dark Arts...This explains the atrocities
Zoycite reported. You have to fight with magic."
Neflite said forming a crystal in his hand,
and throwing it forward.  "Starlight Diamond
Explosion" He called, as the crystals glowed with
energy lines between them as they  fanned
out in a star pattern, and circled
the rock monster.  The points of the star then
pulled together cutting the creature in half, as
the points exploded in the center.

Jaedite nodded, raising his fist down
to the ground and then up to his chest
and up to the sky  "Earth-Mineral Power" He called,
transforming as well.

"Illusion Wall" He called. The line of attacking
monsters stopped, as suddenly they saw a huge
wooden wall made of clubs in front of them. Baffled, they
paused wondering where the soldiers had gone.

"Men, escape..Lord Neflite and I shall handle this.
Get those villagers to safety! Evacuate" He called.
They didn't move. Jaedite swore--and used his
mind control powers.

As one, the remaining soldiers obeyed.

Inadvertently, that pulled the power from the wall,
and  the monster-men began to charge again.

"Diamond Shard Strike" Neflite called, forming
the small crystals he'd used before, flinging
them out to destroy half the men.

"Force Shield" Jaedite called, encasing both
he and Neflite.  "Club Strike" huge wooden
 clover leafs sped out and hit the men.

"Diamond Shard Strike" Neflite shouted taking
down the last one, as Jaedite lowered the
shield.

"We must warn the others..." Jaedite said
A huge spike of dark black energy sliced
through his midsection.  Eyes wide in shock,
he fell down, as Neflite caught him.

"Very Impressive....Endymion will miss
your abilities, but you're to
join me now...I claim your eternal
allegiance as is my due!" Beryl Cackled
as she appeared floating before them.
"You will bow before your Queen and serve
the Dark Kingdom of the Negaverse!"

"Diamond Constellation Annihilation!" Neflite
shouted as shards of star shaped diamond crystals
began to form in his hands in the pattern of
the 12 zodiac signs, each one coming to
life.

Beryl laughed contemptuously, and threw another blast of
energy at Neflite before the attack could  start--but Jaedite
stood and took the blast again, saving Neflite.

Simultaneously the crystal--creatures launched
beams of light/energy at Beryl--the
centaur an arrow, the crab pinching, the
water maiden pouring a torrent of crushing
light at Beryl from above, as the goat and
ram headed her from behind.

Weakened, Beryl fell to her knees--and suddenly
a torrent of heart shaped flower petals appeared,
countering Neflite's attack.  The remaining
signs vanished, as a peal of laughter followed.,
Neflite swivelled his head up, to see
a familiar form sitting in the air.

Zoycite--he should have been guarding the skies,
Neflite thought wildly as he saw his fellow general
hover above Beryl, as she transported away.

" Traitor--" He spat, hesitating but briefly,
as he put his hands across each other to attack
Zoycite but found he couldn't move his arms--golden
shackles bound him, preventing his attack.

Malachite appeared and austerely as ever responded.
"Is one betrayed the traitor?. " His uniform was unbuttoned,
the flap covering the spot where the insignia of
his station as High General should have been.
"Why do you attack your fellow generals?"

"What's happened to you?" Neflite challenged, his
eyes meeting those of his former Commander. "Have
you betrayed Endymion as well?"

"He betrayed me." Malachite said. "He doesn't deserve your loyalty."

Zoycite laughed eerily.  "You don't understand
the situation Neflite" He smiled at Malachite.
"But you will...Just let Beryl explain it  to you."

Jaedite groaned weakly.  "Zoycite?" He called.
He stood up, preparing to hurl his sword at the
man he once called friend--Zoycite didn't
see the attack coming. Inches from his
head, a gold spade knocked the sword away.

Malachite barely appeared to have moved.

Zoycite's eyes widened in surprise. "Malachite...you saved
me..."

"What are you doing?"Malachite demanded of Jaedite.

"I fight for my kingdom." Jaedite said. "I
fight for justice, love and--"

"Love? HAH...."Zoycite spat "Pitiful human
emotion, and so easily betrayed...better to
fight for pleasure and power...."

"You've pledged to serve Beryl then?" Jaedite said.

"I serve myself...but yes, I work for
her...better than that fool Endymion."

"Malachite--let me kill the traitor now."
Neflite said. "He's sworn off Endymion!
He called him a fool!"

Malachite frowned. "Endymion  *is*  a fool.
He's not worthy of your sword"  He said cryptically.
 " You three are the only ones
I trust now.  We should not fight each other."

Zoycite winked out.

"Where's he gone?" Neflite swore.

Malachite looked at Neflite. "To the Negaverse...
And so must we." He waved a hand and the three disappeared.

**END OF CHAPTER SEVEN**
These happy endings are taking awhile...
sorry...but I hope you continue to
enjoy the story.  I have a bunch of
twists planned, so hopefully you'll hang
in there! One more chapter to go.