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by: Cynthia and Emerald J
During that fortnight, Neflite had remained by her side in the hospital constantly, using his near-ghost status to watch from the shadows whenever someone was there with her, or when she was alone, he would sit beside her and watch over her. Lita had been very sick, and she had felt better knowing that day and night, there was someone there with her.
Now, as she carefully walked into her living room and examined some of the books on her shelf, seeking help for a report she had to write to catch up on her schoolwork, she noticed that Neflite was still watching her, and smiled at him.
"Hello, beautiful," he said. He had learned how to manipulate his garments by now, and instead of the gray general's uniform he had died in; he now wore casual clothing of slacks and a blouse. She approved of this look much better than the austere uniform.
She raised one eyebrow at him. "Tonight's the night?" they were about to start on the second of the steps to bring him into full life once again, the summoning of the Jupiter Rose. Its aroma would begin to solidify Neflite's body, or so they hoped. "I can't wait to see it. The Jupiter Rose." Just the name of it brought back good memories of the time she'd lived on her old world. Well...perhaps memories wouldn't be the right word to use. There were images, feelings, most of all an abiding happiness that grew stronger every time she looked at Neflite.
"I'm seeing something much better than a rose," Neflite smiled, and Lita just rolled her eyes at him. She loved how he complimented her, but it was almost beginning to wear thin. She asked something instead.
"When we were in the Silver Millennium, was that rose special to us?" He nodded, and she sighed. She knew the name, but couldn't remember how it had come to be or what it meant to them. "I wish I could remember."
Neflite sighed quietly. "I made it for you."
"You will again," Lita reminded her boyfriend, and he smiled quietly, sadness and memory dark in his eyes. "What does it look like?" Slowly, with careful attention to detail, he described how the flower had first bloomed; how it's faintly green-tipped petals had flowed into marvelous blossoms of ivory-white, with a heart of pure pink. She sighed happily. "That sounds so beautiful."
"Almost as beautiful as you."
Lita smiled, and then found the book she needed and headed back to her room. "I really should get this homework caught up."
"I'll help you." Neflite followed her, and she glanced up at him.
"Just sit near me," she smiled. "That's all I ask." For the next several hours, she worked on getting caught up on the things she needed to do, things delayed from the fortnight she'd spent sicker than she'd imagined it was possible to be sick. Neflite helped where he could, pointing out errors in those few instances when she made them. Though not a brain in the same sense Amy was, Lita did apply herself as much to her work as she did to her fun. When she wanted to.
Several hours later, Lita shut the final book, leaned back, and stretched with a smile on her face. "Homework all done?" the ex-general beside her asked.
"Yes." She nodded, starting to pack things up. While she was 'out' the others had been working, getting everything put together to help with this night. Three things were needed: the fairest of white roses possible, picked at the moment of midnight, purest spring water without the slightest trace of pollution, and cherry wood, which had been very rare on Jupiter, to burn a small fire with. Serena and Darien were going to be picking the rose; they'd already got the water, while Raye took care of the wood.
Neflite watched her put things away and sighed. "I wish I could help you."
"I'm feeling better," Lita told him. "So it's not necessary."
He just smiled at her. "Maybe not. But I'd still like to help." Lita smiled warmly at him.
"I know." Carefully she packed up, and once she was ready, he floated over to her, leaning to touch her lips briefly with his own. She shivered a little and he sighed.
"Sorry."
Lita sighed herself. Whenever he kissed her, or touched her, she felt a chill from the fact he was a ghost. "I wish it were a real kiss."
"It will be." He promised her.
"Soon."
Neflite would've given everything he had to take her hand just then. "Not soon enough."
"We've waited this long," Lita looked at him. "We'll make it through these next two months." They had figured that it would take, at a rough estimate, two months before they had completed the entire list of things to do. Some were so highly complicated, while some of other ones were fairly simple. All put together, they would make Neflite a living being once again. Lita turned towards the door. "Let's go."
The two of them, with Neflite fading into invisibility, headed out towards the nearest bus stop. Once Lita paid her fare (and was grateful no one could see her beloved), she sat down by the window staring out and ignoring the various noises all around her. She smiled briefly as she felt Neflite's hand on hers. He brushed his fingertips gently across her hand, and she shivered. "I love you." The soft voice murmured into her ears. Lita smiled, and then got up as they reached the temple's stop.
"Hi, Lita!" Chad waved to her as they topped the stairway. He and Raye's grandfather were busily sweeping the area, and as she passed, both greeted her. She wondered what they would do if they found out that she had a ghost with her...hopefully they wouldn't even think about trying to exorcise him.
As they got inside, Lita wasn't at all surprised to see Raye tending the fire. She sniffed, a strange aroma in the air, and then smiled. "Is that cherry wood I smell?" She asked. Raye nodded as Lita shut the door, which caused Neflite to fade into visibility. Seeing him again caused her face to light up; she kept forgetting how handsome he was!
"You're the most beautiful being in the universe!" Neflite told her. Lita blushed a burning red; the compliments were just...too much!
Trying to concentrate, she sat down and touched the jar of water they had collected the previous day. "We wait until Darien and Serena get here."
"Hopefully Serena actually woke up this morning," Raye said a touch acidly. She liked Serena, but their leader did have some fairly annoying habits: such as sleeping late and eating anything that didn't eat her first.
Lita smiled. "She did. She's been at my house every morning since I got out of the hospital." The scout of Jupiter couldn't help but smile at the way Raye's eyes nearly doubled in size at that piece of news. "So," she made herself comfortable and looked around. "What's going to happen?"
"I'm not really sure," Raye shook her head. "It doesn't go into a lot of detail about just what will happen, but I do know what to do."
Lita nodded, leaning back and letting Neflite put a ghostly arm around her. She sighed to herself, wishing the two months were over with. All she wanted was just the chance to be with Neflite, both of them solid and alive again.
The three of them traded smiles all around for several minutes, until Raye finally rolled her eyes. "Okay, let's stop smiling like idiots!"
"Want to do something, Raye?" Lita asked. Raye jumped up at once.
"Feel up to a workout?"
The Jovian Scout got to her feet at once, a smile on her face. "I don't just feel up to it, I really need it!"
"Then shall we?" Raye grinned, heading for the workout area. Grandpa and Chad were still sweeping outdoors. She handed Lita a spare gi, and started changing into her own in a quiet corner.
"Thanks." Lita smiled at her as they came back out onto the dojo. Together they started to work out, moving side by side at first, then moving on to a quick sparring session, each testing the other's reflexes in moves that Lita hadn't tried in half a month.
Once they were finally done, a light sheen of sweat covered both of them. Raye looked at her friend. "How do you feel?"
"Wonderful!" Lita declared, her eyes bright as her lightning bolts and her heart racing. For the first time in quite a while, she actually felt alive, and it felt good!
Neflite smiled. He'd really enjoyed watching them, for a variety of reasons. "You looked incredible!"
Lita chuckled as Raye tossed her a towel. "I'm going to take a quick shower! I stink!" The smell of sweat was very noticeable to her sensitive nose, and she wanted it off her! She started for the shower, then paused, whirling around to point at Neflite, who was following her. "Hold it right there!" He looked completely baffled and she frowned. "We've talked about this!"
Neflite blanched a little. "Oh." Lita nodded sharply, then headed on towards the bathroom, trusting that Neflite would not follow her. She knew he'd be hovering out there, and as she finished and emerged, wasn't surprised to find him waiting for her.
"You look incredible," Neflite breathed, and Lita just blushed as she sat back down and glanced at the jug of water near her. Another step taken...and who knows what the rest of it is going to be like.
Raye smiled at her. "Glad you're feeling better."
"So am I." Lita took a long breath.
"We were worried about you." Raye said, the closest she would ever get to ever admitting how she truly felt about all of them. Lita nodded quietly, her eyes focusing more on the clock than anything else.
I hope this comes out right. I hope this is a good idea. I love Neflite, but still, it seems kind of...well...not wrong, but odd...all this that we have to do...
She toyed with a strand of her hair, her eyes dark and distant for several minutes. A few minutes passed before a voice breaking into her thoughts made her jump. "Lita?"
"Huh?" she stared. Neflite was looking at her with worry in her eyes.
"Are you okay?" He asked, his eyes concerned deeply. "You looked worried."
She shook her head. "I'm fine. Just nervous." She had no intentions of letting him know what was going through her mind in any shape, form, or fashion.
He smiled, reaching out to touch her hand briefly. She shivered, and he sighed. I keep forgetting! "I'm sorry."
"Don't be."
That was foolishness to say, but he didn't correct her in any sense of the word. He loved her too much to let her know that. All he said was, "I wish I were alive again."
Several hours passed, the day ticking away. The two Scouts talked of many things, old battles and old friends, and Neflite told them what he could remember of life in the Negaverse, and how things had caused him to grow in the desire for peace and love. As midnight drew near, Lita had nearly fallen asleep.
"I'll get some tea," Raye decided, rising up and heading into the kitchen. For several minutes they could hear her clattering around, then just as she stepped out of the kitchen, a knock came at the door. Raye swerved from the kitchen to the door, opening it up to reveal Serena and Darien behind it.
"It's 12:10 a.m.," Serena yawned widely. "The roses have been picked! Here's the midnight one!"
As she held it out to Lita, Neflite stared at it. "It's almost as beautiful as Lita!"
"Neflite!" The brown-haired Scout blushed again, wondering if it were possible for her skin to turn entirely red from all the blushing she was doing. "You're embarrassing me!"
He raised one eyebrow. "Well, it's the truth!" Lita sighed, and all he did was just kiss her, despite the chill that ran through her as he did.
"It's time," Lita finally said, as everyone settled into the room and waited. Neflite looked at everything.
"We have to burn the rose first, and douse the fire with the pure water," he explained. "There is also an incantation to be spoken, and that should create the Jupiter Rose." Lita nodded. "You're going to have to burn and douse it, it's rather hard when I can't touch anything. I'll do the incantation, though."
Lita nodded, watching nervously as Raye piled the cherry wood up into a small heap and quickly transformed to Sailor Mars, lighting the flame with a burst of Mars fire. With a deep breath, she waited as Neflite began the incantation; a rhythmic chant that she couldn't understand, but felt in her bones was filled with the most magnificent magic ever thought of.
As he finished, her arm jerked, and the midnight rose flew into the fire. Everyone there was watching, no one daring to breathe, as it crackled and burned. "How do we know when it's ready?"
"The flames will turn purple," Neflite told Lita quietly. Silence reigned for several moments, then in a flaming fury, violet fire suddenly burned before them.
"Now?"
"Yes!"
Lita dumped the water over the fire, and then quickly raked out the ashes as they cooled. The rest of the flowers that Darien and Serena had gathered were laid out, and she sprinkled the ashes over them. All was silent for several long minutes, then suddenly, between one heartbeat and the next, a tall golden-green bush was there, covered in flowers of the most unusual shades and fragrances.
Neflite smiled warmly. "Just as I remember it."
Lita leaned over, stroking the roses briefly, then breathed in one. "Oh! They smell like a mix between cherries and roses almost!"
Her boyfriend smiled, leaning over to breathe in the scent himself. "Oh, yes!"
Darien smiled. "He's become a little more solid!" He declared. Neflite and Lita both looked at each other, and could see he was right; Neflite did have more solidity to him!
Lita glanced over at the cat that had come in silently with Serena and Darien. "Luna, did you have any luck finding my 'sister'?"
"Not quite yet," Luna shook her head sadly. They had been searching for whoever had been Lita's sister in the time of the Silver Millennium ever since it was learned she was part of the process that would make Neflite human again.
The Jovian Scout frowned. "What about Molly?" she'd been thinking, and as odd as that seemed, Serena's friend could very well be it. "Could she be my sister? She is six months younger than I am this time around."
Luna nodded. "It is possible, I guess."
"Sure would explain why all the monsters kept on attacking her!" Serena giggled just a little; she'd lost track of all the times she'd had to save Molly!
Neflite agreed. "And the strange powers I felt from her," he remembered from when he'd served Beryl, and it made him sick a little.
"How could we find out?" Darien wondered.
"Dreams," Neflite said succinctly. "With this step, whomever her sister is might start remembering, and memories usually come in dreams."
Serena smiled a little. "I'll talk with her." She smiled as Lita put the flowers in a vase, and Neflite looked closer at them.
"Beautiful."
Lita nodded. "That they are."
"You're fairer," Neflite said smoothly. Lita frowned briefly, then turned to him with a serious look in her eyes.
"We need to talk about how much you compliment me." She said sternly.
Neflite frowned. "What's wrong?"
"I do like it when you do that, but it's just...don't have almost everything you say to me be a compliment. A person can only take so much!"
He smiled briefly at her, and touched her hand. "All right. I'll cut down."
"A lot?"
"Okay!" he smiled briefly, touching her hand and once more causing her to shiver. He shook his head a little. Soon that wouldn't happen...or would, for different reasons.
"We better get some sleep," Lita yawned deeply. It was way past midnight already! "We have school tomorrow."
They didn't have to wait for it. Serena's wail rose up as sharply as a knife slicing through the air. "I hate school!" The Lunar Scout glared at her giggling Jovian companion. "I do!"
"You'd like it a lot better if Darien were there, wouldn't you?" Lita teased. Serena's eyes bulged with love, and she giggled.
"Oh, yeah!"
Darien said nothing, only shook his head, kissing her softly goodbye and then heading for home himself; he had classes the next day. Lita chuckled, and then Raye showed them to the guest rooms. As almost anything did, this rite had turned into an impromptu sleepover for the Scouts. Neflite found a place to curl up out of the way and soon fell into sleep, his mind filled with dreams of Lita...dreams of the past...and the future.
The Silver Millennium
Royal Gardens of Jupiter
Moving quickly, they moved apart to make everything look as if they hadn't been doing things they'd been specifically ordered not to, and Neflite spoke firmly. "The politics of the situation, of course, demanded that we send in the warships, at once."
Lita, Princess of Jupiter, nodded as Neflite, General of Earth under Prince Darien, continued his lecture. "I see. It's quit fascinating."
Both of them looked up as the door swung open and Prince Darien, heir to the thrones of Earth, entered, and looked around the room suspiciously. "Your Highness! Greetings!" Neflite bowed quickly.
Darien frowned. "What are you doing here?" He growled, not liking this one bit.
"I was giving Princess Lita a lesson in system politics," his general explained. "She had asked for it some time ago, and I was just now able to make the time. I hope I haven't caused you any inconvenience."
His prince didn't appear to be buying this, however. "You aren't even supposed to be here! That was a direct order, remember?"
"Do you wish your realm to have a reputation for failing to keep its promises?"
Darien shook his head. "Neflite, her father has warned you about coming near his daughter."
"Fine." Neflite's voice was frosty cold. "Whatever."
Prince Darien sighed. "Neflite, I don't want you to see you get killed because of your feelings for her! She isn't allowed marriage!"
Neflite merely turned to Lita. "Farewell, Princess Lita."
"Farewell General Neflite." Lita said firmly, hiding the tear in her eye as he and Darien left. She sighed, curling up into a tight ball and crying her head off. She only looked up when her sister put her arms around her. The younger princess had given them the warning to halt their romance in time, and supported her sister with all her heart.
After a few moments of what felt like endless tears, Lita cried, "Why must I be the one who cannot get married?"
Her sister sighed. "I wish I could be the Scout, so you could marry him!"
Lita turned to look at her. "You might have to be." She slowly slid to her feet. "I am going to have a serious talk with father."
"All right." The younger sister took a long breath. This could change Jupiter history. Slowly she followed Lita.
What came next...is another story.