Memory 20

Author’s note

I’ve been using the generals’ real name in my stories and I begin to wonder whether you guys know their present life name. Well, if you don’t, I’d listed down the names.

Kunzite – Joseph Stanton
Nephrite – Maxfield Stanton
Zoisite – Zachary Stanton
Jadeite – Matthew Stanton

In case you guys don’t know, they all are brothers. A fake one, actually. You can see that all of them got Stanton name behind theirs. Now, the story.

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The dawn had left an hour ago. Lita was standing in front of a long mirror in her apartment, brushing her thick and long mahogany hair. For a while, she considered of letting her hair down but when she remembered what she must do today, Lita put it aside. Wearing a green turtleneck long-sleeve shirt with a new pair of jeans, Lita looked as if she wanted to go for a jungle trekking but she was going to go to a place where she hated most. And it was all for her friends’ and the Earth’s sake.

The truth was that even if she was given two choices between her friends and the Earth, Lita knew she would undoubtedly choose her friends. That’s why she was so willing to sacrifice her freedom and her pride to the person whom she hated and feared most - her master. Lita knew that the last time she would see her friends, she would hurt them with her words and actions.

Her master had told Lita that she will send a monster to attack the Earth. She had been thinking all possibilities of injuries that her friends might get if she didn’t tell her friend but when she thought all over again, it would be a perfect plan to break their friendship but she knew that they might get a few scratches and bruises. But after considering that her plan might save her friends from her master, that injuries were nothing to compare with what she intended to do. She had asked her master not to hurt them and her master was reluctantly agreed. As Lita tied up her shoes, her mind was whirling fast, thinking what would she said if she had encountered with her friends. Something scathing and insulting might hurt her friends especially Serena. But she knew she had to do it.

She closed the door behind her and went for jogging. If today was her last day on Earth, she wanted to enjoy it as much as she could. She didn’t want to look back wishing for something that she most certainly couldn’t have. Or wishing for someone. Lita thought grimly and her feature changed into wistful. After all, she didn’t know whether he felt the same way like she did.

* * * * * *

“Maybe she just go outside for fresh air,” Ami said logically. Typical Ami. She had rather thought some reasonable excuses instead of jumping to conclusion.

“Well, something is definitely wrong with her. She was hiding something. Can you guys see she is holding something from us?” Nephrite ran his hand through her thick hair in worry and frustrated.

“Nephrite, you worry too much. Lita can take care of herself,” Kunzite said unconcernedly. Mina frowned at him. For her, Kunzite was unbelievably ignorant for a leader. She wondered how could the rest of the generals stand his attitude. And for once, Mina thought as she glanced at Nephrite, she agreed with Nephrite. She noticed how quiet Lita had appeared. She also wasn’t interested to go shopping and when she asked Lita to cook for the party last night, Lita had decline. For someone like Lita, declining to cook was something very odd.

“Nephrite’s right, guys,” Mina said which brought eight eyes abruptly turned to her. Kunzite narrowed his silver-gray eyes at Mina, which were glittering in displeasure for she had agreed with Nephrite. For some reason, Kunzite felt uneasy and discontented. “Can you guys see it? I mean first she had nightmares, which make look pale as death, and then, she shocked us all by unexpectedly went hysterical. And now she had disappeared without telling us where she goes! You know what my conclusion is? Troubles,” Mina crossed her arms over her breasts.

“I think that she’s up to something. Did you hear the uncertainty in her voice when she tell us the dreams that she’s having?” Darien asked them.

“Well, I think she sounded more like hiding. Maybe she is protecting us from something or someone,” Rei said thoughtfully.

“Why did you say protecting us?” Serena frowned. Rei looked at Serena with her mind was thinking fast. “I don’t know,” she sighed. “Perhaps I said because I was judging from her disposition. Lita was overly protective when it comes to you and if I say that running away from something, that was really…um…un-Lita. She had rather facing it then ran away.”

Serena looked down as she was thinking to what Rei had said to her. “Yeah, that’s Lita we all know,”

“You know, predictability won’t lead us anywhere. Finding Lita to me, is the best way to solve the questions that we are having right now,” Zoisite said as he stood up. Jadeite, who was only listened to them, nodded his head.

“Should we split up?” Ami asked Serena. “Of course. That would save us time,” Serena concluded as she walked out the door with Darien.

“You guys go ahead,” Nephrite tied up his thick hair. “I’ll go to the office to see things.” In a flash of light, he had disappeared, leaving the six guardians alone.

Zoisite looked at Ami who was gathering her things. After the night where he had beaten Ami in chess and she had concluded that he was cheating, which he had not, she was reluctant to talk to him. If she looked at him, she was as if was looking right through him like he was invisible. So, he decided to search for Lita alone with Ami. “Ami, wait,” Zoisite called her. He could see the uneasiness in her face when he called her and it made him smiled. “I think we should look for Lita together.”

Even though she was reluctant, Zoisite had dragged her out of the penthouse, which made her unable to say no. When they were in the lobby, Ami raised her aqua eyes to meet his incredible green eyes. “Should? SHOULD?!” she hissed at him. “What do you mean, we should be looking for Lita together? I certainly think we should not!” she quickened her pace so that she was ahead him. Zoisite smiled admiringly. Even though her face was flushed with anger, she still looked so sweet and unbelievably cute. She was really mad at him and Zoisite determined to make up with her.

Upstairs, Mina had gone out with Kunzite with silent sulky because he had told her that leader should be with another leader, which she thought was absolutely stupid reason. From the way he had dragged her out of the penthouse, Mina hastily wondered whether he had something to tell her. From the first time she saw him, he had done unexpected things to her and this time she was determine to see what did he want from her. So, she walked out sulkily, in order to safe her pride and to prevent him to give her his victory smile that irritated her so much.

That left Rei and Jadeite alone. Rei, who was still awkward from the kiss that she’d shared with the blonde general, began hastily walked toward the door, wondering if he wanted to go searching for Lita with her because everybody went by couple and it would be strange if she and him searched separately. Still, the same stubbornness and pride whenever there was a man near her prevented her from asking him. After all, he still hadn’t apologized and explained to her why did he kiss her just now and Rei had seen no reason why she should ask him to go with her.

After wearing her coat, Rei walked out the door without a word. It disappointed her a little when he didn’t make any move to forestall her from stop walking. When she reached at the lobby, she felt someone was holding her shoulder. Immediately she turned around in surprise and saw the mischievous and twinkling pair of sapphire eyes.

“Are you expecting me?” he asked arrogantly and that make Rei’s color rose instantly.

“Should I?” she asked back, which made him chuckled annoyingly. Smoothing his blonde hair, he answered her question. “Of course you should. You’ve been glancing back at me when you left the room.”

“I was glancing back to you because I was wondering whether you are going to apologize and explain to me,” she retorted. She looks wonderful when her face is flushed as she is defending herself. Jadeite thought.

“What do you mean I am going to apologize or explain to you?” Jadeite asked as they left the enormous building behind. Rei couldn’t believe her ears. He didn’t remember what was he doing to her just now! That was irritating! That was insulting! That…that was strangely heartbreaking. Reluctant to look at him, she tucked her hair behind her ear. “Forget it,” she mumbled out.

Jadeite was bewildered. First she looked positively angry with him and then a second later, she was scowling at him. Mars was completely understandable and unpredictable. What had I said?

“What should I apologize at?” Jadeite asked quietly. That didn’t soften her feature. In fact Rei were scowling and glaring at him. “I cannot say sorry when I don’t what I’ve done wrong.”

“How many have you kissed women?” Rei stopped abruptly as she asked him. Jadeite raised his eyebrows in question. “How many have you kissed women?” She repeated.

“Uh…” Jadeite bit his lip as he remembered.

“It there so many women that you had kissed that you can’t remember?” Rei said accusingly. Suddenly Jadeite got her meaning and he couldn’t believe it.

“Surely you think my kisses are insulting?” Jadeite asked. Obviously she was and instantly Jadeite knew that Rei had never been kissed thoroughly. A slight touch on her lips, maybe but never like he had done to her. He couldn’t believe that he was the first to taste this raging beauty’s soft lips. Boys around her were as blind as a bat and so senseless. Maybe her short-tempered characteristic chased all her admirers away. Well, those naïve and eager boys didn’t cherish her fire. Jadeite thought and suddenly he felt lucky to be the first to taste her fire.

“I’m sorry,” he said at last, which make Rei snapped her head up. “I thought you are the same kind of women I’ve associated for years.”

“Which is?”

“Wild and eager,” he answered. “They are sophisticated and beautiful, alright but too…um…available.”

“You mean that they are willing to…” Rei felt her face getting warm and her heart was twisting over when she knew he had affair with dozens of women before her. She should have known that a successful and breathtakingly handsome businessman like him has dating with so many women before.

“Do you have a special woman with you right now?” Rei asked him casually, trying to hide that the fact she was strangely jealous. Jadeite looked down the angel with long and shiny raven hair and smiled. “Of course, I have her right now,” he was referring at Rei and she thought that he was talking about someone else.

Rei felt peculiarly disappointing at his answer. For once in her life she had put in interest with someone and he was somebody else’s. Jadeite was different from any man she had met. He was sure and never hesitated when he had kissed her. Other men were unsure and afraid to be close to her let alone kissed her. He was their enemy once and she used to loathe him so much and now, she was pathetically interested with him and she admired the aura of power he held in his hand. She was genuinely liked him and she knew if she kept their distance this close, she might fall in love with him.

* * * * * *

Serena lets out a sigh of relieve. From here, she could see Lita was sitting under the tree with her knees drew close to her chest. Her chin was rested on her knees. She could see that Lita was miserable and she quickly walked towards her. Darien had gone to buy her some ice cream. Slowly, she touched her hands on Lita shoulder, which made her stiffened in shock.

“Why did you leave quietly. You made nine people worried,” Serena said softly. Lita knew that she soon would have to meet her friends but not now.

“I’m so worry about you. Look at you! You are so pale and I am afraid to look at you!” Serena cried at her. Lita just looked down, unable to meet Serena’s eyes.

She grasped Lita shoulder and gave her a little shake. “Lita! We are your friends! Why don’t you tell us the truth! You look so…so helpless and so different from the Lita that I knew and loved. Please, Lita!”

“I’m fine,” Lita brushed her hands off her shoulder. “Just leave me alone. I…I need to think through.” That wasn’t insulting or scathing words like she had planned before but a request. Lita knew she couldn’t say something like that in front her princess.

Serena opened her mouth to speak but Lita firmly shook her head. “Fine, I’ll leave you alone. But please, come back.” Smiling at her, Serena teased her, “You know, Nephrite was exceptionally worried about you.” With that, she stood up and left her.

Nephrite was exceptionally worried about you. Lita’s heart pierced with sweetness and surprised. “Is he really that concern about me?” she asked herself. But she wouldn’t want to put any hope. She had thought Ken liked her because he cared for her so much but turned out to be he only thought her as his sister. It hurt to think about it. Besides, she was going somewhere else soon and never going to see Nephrite ever again. And she was a slave and he was too high for her to reach for.

* * * * * *

Serena was eating an ice cream with her fiancé, when suddenly they both heard screams from people in the park and saw a huge monster draining off a man’s energy. Quickly she transformed together with Darien.

“You ugly beast! Let the man go!” she shouted. Her hands quickly took out her wand and prepared herself for any action the beast might do.

“Take it back! He’s finished anyway,” the beast snarled at her as he tossed the unconscious man to her. Seeing the man’s pale face and his shallow breath, Sailormoon quickly raised her wand. “Moon Healing Escalation!” A bright light surrounded the man and she signaled Tuxedo Mask to bring the man far from her. She quickly contacted her friends and turned her attention back to the problem.

He let out a few powerful lightning at her and Sailormoon gracefully jumped up and aside to avoid the contact. Years of being a Sailormoon had made the job easier. Suddenly, the beast went still and she thought that the beast had losing his power but she kept alert.

“Sailormoon Kick!” she swayed her leg to her beast’s chin but the beast managed to catch her leg by surprised, which make Sailormoon fell down. With his another free hand, he raised it and began gathering a large amount of lightning. Sailormoon struggled to release but his grip was tightened every time she was fighting harder. Her eyes widened at the sparkling lightning.

“Prepare to die Sailor wench!”

“No! Tuxedo Mask!” she called out for help and her prayer had been answered when the beast let out a cry in pain as the thorny red rose stuck at his arms and he quickly released his grip. Sailormoon quickly slid herself away from beast before he threw the lightning at her.

“You hurt?” Tuxedo Mask asked his love concernedly. “You’re bleeding!” he exclaimed at her bleeding leg. Her leg was bruises and scratch.

“I’m not. It’s okay,” Sailormoon struggled to stand up.

When she turned around to fight again, she saw the generals and the senshi had arrived and they were fighting together. Sailormoon watched the fight and felt impressed. They fight very well, very smooth when they co-operated with each other.

“See, I’d told you that they are great when fight together. Look! How clever! Venus trapped the beast with her chain and being help by Kunzite, Jadeite and Mars. They pulled the chain from four different places while Nephrite, Zoisite and Mercury attack them!” Sailormoon exclaimed with much pride in her heart. “They were great!”

“Darien?” she asked softly when the prince of Earth frowned. “What?”

“Where’s Jupiter?” His question made her smile vanished, as she looked back the group.

“I don’t understand. She was the nearest when I contacted her and it was impossible to say that she was on her way,” her eyes were filled with confusion as she looked up to her fiancé, who was wearing the same expression. “You…you don’t think something had happened to her, do you?” Sailormoon’s blue shining eyes wide in fear.

“You are way too weak to try to break my chain,” Venus had a smug smile plastered on her face as she looked down at the dead beast. “Flattering yourself, Venus?” Kunzite asked her teasingly. With a smug smile that still on her face, she glanced at him. “I’m priding my chain, not myself,” she corrected, which made him chuckled softly.

“Guys!” they all turned around and saw Sailormoon was calling them.

“What?” Mercury asked breathlessly. She was a little exhausted from the battle.

“Have you seen Jupiter when you came here?”

“No, something wrong?” Nephrite’s eyes quickly darkened in worried. Darien looked at him as he explained. “When Serena contacted her, she said that she’ll be here. Judging that she was the nearest, she should be here first.”

“But she wasn’t here! Do you think she’s in trouble?” Mars said anxiously.

“That’s what we thought,” Serena eyes started to water.

“Let’s not get paranoid, alright? Why don’t we go the apartment? Perhaps she was there,” Jadeite said reasonably.

“You’re kidding, right?” Mars snapped at him. “Why would she go home when Serena had contacted her and tell that she’s in trouble?”

“Do you have any better idea than mine?” Jadeite snapped back and Mars bit her lips. She had no clue what to do. “Well, you obviously don’t!”

“I needed some times to think. I’m not like you, always blurt out before thinking!” Mars defended herself. Serena was getting frustrated.

“Let’s go to Lita’s apartment, alright,” Serena said with a tense sigh.

* * * * * *

Lita was quickly gathered her hair and caught it into a ponytail. She was hoping to look as casual as she could when she met her friends. She had memorized what was she going to answer when they’ll started fire her those questions. With a determined face, she told herself again and again that she would not allowed her emotion took control. She’ll be as cool and icy as possible.

“Lita?” her heart nearly stopped beating when she heard Serena called her from the living. Why did I forget to lock the door? Lita tensely asked herself. Slowly transformed her feature from frustrated to cool and walked out to meet them.

“Lita! Thanks goodness you’re safe! When you didn’t come, I was scared to death!” Serena exclaimed. Lita knew what she was going to say would hurt her beyond believe. Jadeite gave Mars an I-told-you-so look, which made her snorted in disgust.

“Why didn’t you come?” Serena asked her concernedly.

Lita chose not to answer, instead she handed Serena her transform pen. “What…why?”

“I don’t a sailor scout anymore,” Lita stated unfeeling but inside her heart was twisted over with different feelings.

For a while, the atmosphere was absolutely still. Nine pair of eyes looked at her with a great shocked and Lita forced herself to look defiantly back at them. Her lips quivered a little and Lita bit her lips so that they didn’t see her fear and uncertain feeling.

“You’re kidding, right?” Serena asked softly.

“Do I look like I’m joking to you?”

“But why? Why you suddenly said such thing?” Serena cried.

Lita folded her arms beneath her breasts, finding courage. “I don’t want to waste my time being something wasn’t worth for me.” But Serena wasn’t buying that. She needed something more concrete not something as flimsy as that.

“That’s all?” Serena said unbelievably.

“Lita, that’s ridiculous!”

“Yeah, absolutely absurd!”

“You need a rest, Lita,”

Lita let out a frustrated sigh. She was to tense and every muscle in her body was strained that she felt suffocated. She wanted this to end! Now! “Why, don’t you understand!” she cried. “I don’t want to be a senshi anymore! I don’t like the idea of being an immortal and live forever being a lonely!” Her friends looked at her in shock when she suddenly burst out. “I’m so tired of the battles, bloods and deaths. I just want to be normal!”

“Lita! Don’t…” Serena started to plead her to change her mind.

Lita had made her up. She was going to say something that would certainly made them hated her and leave her alone. “Don’t say anything! You know something Serena; I’m beginning to hate you! You are clumsy, stupid and such a baby! I don’t how you guys decided to accept her as…as your princess. She is not capable to be the one!”

“Lita!” Rei snapped at her and her hands immediately slapped her. “She is our princess and you have no right to say such thing to her!”

“Really, Rei? Perhaps I should say something about you too. You have such a bad-temper and I’m sick of hearing you quarreling with Serena every time we have meeting. Why, you acted very modestly and I hate it so much when you do that!” Lita shouted at her. Deep in her heart, Lita prayed that one-day, her friends would forgive her and understand.

“Stop that, Lita!” Mina stepped in front her crying princess. “I think you have enough. So shut up and listen to me!” Lita held her chin high, telling herself that she would not break down in front of her friends. “If you don’t want to be sailor scout, I don’t give a damn! But I’ll be damned if you started insulting one of us, telling us how perfect you are by hurting them, do you hear that?” Mina raged.

“Mina, don’t! She didn’t mean it!” Serena defended Lita, which made Lita’s heart broken into pieces when she saw Serena was protecting her. “You didn’t mean it, right?”

“No, Serena. I…I mean everything that I said. And I also when didn’t want to be a scout anymore!” Lita cursed silently when she stammered a little just now. “So, will you please leave,” she inquired politely.

“We’re intended to!” Mina retorted and she turned around and practically stomped her feet and left, followed by Rei and others and Serena was the last.

“Wait,” Lita called Serena. She whirled around, with a new hope bloomed in her heart. Closing her eyes, Lita handed out the transformation pen. “You forgot the pen.” Serena’s crashed against her ribs.

Slowly, she walked toward her. “Now I believe that you meant every word you have said about me. If you hate me that much, I hate you even more!” With that, she turned around and ran away with tears running down her cheek.

Lita slowly sank into her sofa because her shaking legs couldn’t support her anymore. Quietly she cried with her face buried in her face. She was letting go all the tenses and the pains that had burdened her from the first time her friends walked in. She had done it! Lita thought hysterically. Now her friends hated her so much that she doubted that they would forgive her.

Her cheek was still hurt from Rei’s powerful slap but her heart hurt more. She wanted to go to Serena and to comfort her, telling her she didn’t mean everything that she had said and told them her problems, her fear and her misery. But she couldn’t! She didn’t want her friends to get involved into something that wasn’t theirs. Tonight, she’ll be back to a place that she loathed most, Planet Jupiter.

* * * * * *

Lita turned around to look at her apartment for the last time. Her heart ached when she closed the door behind. She had stayed in that apartment since she had met Serena and it brought her many happy and sad memories. But now… She shook her firmly. As she got into the elevator, she told herself not to think of something or someone that she couldn’t have. Lita stopped briefly at the lobby to meet the receptionist.

“Hello, Aaron,” Lita managed to smile at him when her heart was filled with dozens of different feeling. Mostly the sad one.

“Hello, Miss Kino,” The blond hair man smiled charmingly at her. “I was forever grateful to God for you’d came back safely.” Aaron had like Lita ever since she protected her from getting fired after he accidentally broke down her car. That was why he worked as a receptionist.

“Thank you for you concern to me. Anyway, this is my apartment key,” Lita handed her apartment’s key to him

“Are you intended to live somewhere else?” Aaron raised his eyebrows. His hazel eyes were clouded with contrition, which made Lita decided not to tell him the truth.

“No,” Lita chuckled. “I’d decided to go somewhere else for a few days. And Aaron, can you help me with something.” Aaron nodded his head.

“Sure, Miss Kino. I’ll gladly to do it.”

“My friends didn’t know about my departure, so if they came, can you give them my apartment’s key and tell them I left something on the coffee table for them. You know, they usually come in-group and one of them…”

“…Has a weird hairstyle that looked as if she had two golden balls on her head,” Aaron finished which make Lita giggling merrily. “That’s right.”

“You can count on me, Miss Kino,” the receptionist assured her.

“I know,” Lita smiled at him. Two words that make him flattered. “And thank you,” with that, Lita turned around and walked out. Lita knew she had to hurry before she lost her nerve and determination. Praying that she wouldn’t encounter with any of her friends, Lita ran into the darkness.