Lita sighed as she walked the old familiar streets. She hadn't been home
for a long time. She had been so busy with her bar, madly trying to figure
out the business, with all its legal problems and financial messes, that
she hadn't even considered it. And now, when she was finally getting
comfortable with things, finally able to relax, this lands in her lap. A
part of her, the part who was willing to go fight some bully five times her
size over a principle was asking why she hadn't already open the stupid
little pen and joined the fight.
But another part of her, the part that had been forced to live in an adult world with real consequences that affected not only her, but her friends was hesitating. She had almost died tonight. If the blonde was to be believed, she had died before fighting. What would happen to her bar if she were to die now? What would happen to people like Zak who were her friends and relied on their jobs at her job to support themselves and their families. Could she risk herself in a fight knowing that others would be affected?
And what if she didn't fight? This wasn't some isolated problem that she could turn her back on. This fight had come right into her bar looking for her. And there were consequences for her friends if she didn't fight, didn't take her place at Sailor Moon's side. What if they lost? Did Lita really think that she could live, watching monsters slowly taking over her planet, knowing that she might have been able to stop it?
She looked up and searched the sky. There were still so many things she didn't know, things that Serena had left out of her story. She understood why the blonde had done that, not wanting to give away too much to someone who may never join them, but it was still frustrating.
And there was a part of her, a part she didn't understand, that was terrified of the man that had fallen into this with her. Nephlite. She didn't understand it, but for some reason it was important what he chose. But she couldn't say how she wanted him to choose.
Lita shivered in the cold night air, tucking her head down closer to her chest, trying to conserve warmth. Up ahead was an old park that she had hung out a lot when in school. Staring at it, she couldn't believe how little it had changed. It was like walking back into the past, making her that confused little teenager once again, seeking comfort from the cool green trees and the calm lake waters.
And there, staring up at the stars as if searching for his own answers, was Nephlite. She stood and stared at him for a moment, silently debating with herself whether or not to speak to him and interrupt both of their solitudes.
She stood there, staring at the man staring at the stars for what seemed like forever until the decision was taken away from her as Nephlite noticed her.
"Hey." he said, sending her a half smile.
"Any answers up there?" she asked, feeling foolish but almost hoping he would say yes.
Nephlite sighed and shook his head.
"I don't know what to do." he said haltingly as Lita sat down beside him, "I need to know what really happened but...if what they said...if I really...And there is more, things that they didn't tell us! How can I decide if I don't know?"
Lita listened to the frustrated voice, mirroring her own thoughts and, surprisingly, finally found an answer, "It's about faith. We take the jump and have faith that something will be on the other side to catch us."
"And if there isn't anything?" Nephlite asked.
"Then we hit the ground and make a pretty stain. Either way, it should be fun." Lita said with a weak grin at the macabre thought.
Nephlite chuckled, "So, next question, what if I don't have enough faith?"
"How about insanity?" Lita asked.
Another one of those deliciously low chuckles, "Well...maybe."
"How about we jump together. That way we can catch each other before we hit."
"I don't even want to think about the physics of that." Nephlite said, shaking his head.
"So is that a yes?" Lita asked impishly, while hiding the fact that she was holding her breathe. For some reason that she wasn't willing to look at too closely yet, this man's answer to her question was important. A small voice whispered viciously that she was letting him make the decision for both of them but she quickly stomped on it.
"I'm still not sure." Nephlite admitted.
"Could you really live, knowing only what you know now? Not ever learning the answer to all of your questions?" Lita asked, giving voice to her own questions.
Nephlite looked at her and asked in a quiet voice, "Promise to catch me?"
"Promise."
"Then I guess I'm jumping. Gods." Nephlite said, looking like he couldn't quite believe he had said that.
The two sat there in the grass, each silently thinking about the enormity of the decision they had both finally, so glibly came to. But it was the only choice they could have made. Neither one was really willing to back down from a challenge, even if the challenge was themselves.
"So...all the big decisions are made. Now what?" Lita asked.
"How about introductions?" Nephlite suggested.
"That actually sounds like a good idea." Lita said, sticking out her had, "Hi, my names Lita."
"Hello Lita, my name is Nephlite. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Nephlite said, shaking her hand.
Lita couldn't help the laughing at the absurdity of the entire situation. Maybe it was all the stress or the lack of sleep, but suddenly everything about everything was absolutely hilarious and she just started laughing.
Nephlite looked at her, convulsing in helpless laughter on the ground and eventually found himself laughing as well. And every time one of them would finally start to regain their composure, the other one would just look at them and they would start laughing all over again.
Eventually, by resolutely not looking at one another, they both managed to regain their composure. The occasional muffled chuckle still broke out. Lita lay back, wiping the tears from her eyes and stared at the night sky.
"So what do you do?" she asked to her new acquaintance.
"I'm a grad-student here...I mean in Ireland. I'm studying astronomy." Nephlite said.
"Really? What are you going to do with that?"
"Well, I was hoping to get involved with some of the space missions, investigate the inner workings of the universe. My area of research is stars and their lives. So, what about you?" Nephlite asked.
"Oh, I just run a little pub. Nothing too special." Lita said.
"Oh? What one?" Nephlite asked.
"The Glas Laoch." she replied.
"Really? I have friends that have been trying to get me to go there for years now. They swear by that place. Especially the food." Nephlite said.
Lita felt a slow blush creeping across her cheeks, "Well, now you really do have to come."
"I defiantly will." Nephlite said.
They spent the rest of the night out in the park talking. Nephlite occasionally pointed out different stars or constellations in the sky. Lita told stories about the people that had wandered into her bar over the years. They swapped recipes and jokes and basically ignored all the weirdness of the previous day, choosing to cling to the here and now.
And they watched the sun rise over the park's trees. The dawn sun chasing away the darkness of the night and the chill in the air.
"New day." Nephlite muttered tiredly.
"Yep. New day." Lita agreed, yawning.
"Guess this means its time to jump."
"Naw." Lita said, standing slowly and stretching.
"No?" Nephlite asked, cocking an eyebrow at the woman in front of him.
"No. Now its time for breakfast. We'll jump after breakfast." Lita said, turning back towards Serena's apartment.
Nephlite chuckled, following in her wake, "Are you cooking or am I?"
* * * * *
Serena sat in the window, silently watching the sun come up. It always seemed like she was sitting vigil, watching and waiting. And praying. She was praying for the two people out there, somewhere, who were so important to her. Lita was the last of her Scouts, the last of the Inner Court to be found and if she didn't join there would always be this void there. But Serena vowed to respect her Scout's decisions, no matter what. She would not beg if Lita chose not to accept the pen.
And Nephlite.
It seemed like they had just finished dealing with the pain of the past. But they obviously hadn't. She was beginning to realize that they had to search out the other two generals. They were a part of her Scout's past and they deserved, as much as her Scouts, to know who they really were.
She knew Rei didn't want to see Jadeite again. There was so much pain and anger there. But Serena wanted her friends to be happy and that meant they needed to heal up all the old wounds.
And Mina, the Goddess of Love. Serena knew that Mina had always been a little unsure about her own love life. She could help everyone else but when it came to herself, Mina lost some of that confidence. And Malachite, with his joining the ranks of their enemy, had shaken that confidence even more. Serena had this feeling that Mina blamed herself for too many events of the past.
In a lot of ways, Ami, who had always been the quietest and least obsessed with boys and love in general, turned out to be the one who was the most able to make things work between her and her love. Even Serena had screwed things up between her and Darien so many times, it was amazing that he still stuck by her. But Ami seemed to just accept the past and move on. Serena couldn't help but wonder how she was able to do it.
And Lita. Depending on how Lita and Nephlite chose, things could get ugly. She had left out so much in her retelling of the past. Things like the fact that they had once been lovers and Molly. Oh god, there was something that still brought tears to her eyes. The image of Nephlite dying, bleeding to death on the ground while Molly, one of her best friends sobbed over him.
It seemed like she always left nothing but tears and heart in her wake. Killing the enemy only to have their loved ones appear to fight her. She wondered if there was ever going to be a time when she would be able to stop fighting. If one day she would be allowed to just die and not be called beck into the world to fight.
But what would she do if there was nothing left to fight? It seemed like that was the only thing that she had ever been good at. And to be perfectly honest, she wasn't all that good at fighting. If she had been, Beryl would never have been able to capture the Moon, or kill her Scouts. The Moonlight Knight wouldn't have had to come to her rescue so many times. And if she had been a true fighter, she never would have cried herself to sleep in fits of self pity so many times.
The sun was up now and Serena felt herself yawning. Just as she was about to move from her perch, two figures came walking down the street, side by side. Lita and Nephlite were returning. Together. Serena smiled, knowing that whatever decision those to made, they had made it together. Which meant things were probably as good as they could be.
A sleepy groan from the couch drew her eyes away from the couple returning to the boy sleeping on her couch. Her smile slipped off of her face as worry returned. Today she would have to bring him home as well.
Serena sighed, sent one last desperate prayer out to whoever might be listening, and stood up, ready to face the new day.
* * * * *
Ack. Sorry all that this took longer than expected. It didn't quite come out how I wanted it to. My brain decided recently that it wanted to write an X-Men fic and wouldn't let me write anything else till I at least started that. Seriously, this fic almost gained several X-Men figures for awhile there and I don't even like cross-overs. Oh! Brownie points if you know what Lita's bar name translates into. hee hee. Its Gaelic.
Terenity Rose - thanks. I hope this doesn't suck too much.
kalinda - Glad you enjoyed it!
Lil-PrincessK - yea, I know. But it was supposed to be quick. I want Lita to deal with having feeling (love/hate) for a guy that she really only just met. Right now the two seem to be getting along but that shouldn't last too long.
Warube - OMG! Okay, you are really too nice. I'll tell you the truth about the names...the first time I heard the name 'Usagi' I hated it. I don't hate it anymore but I still don't like writing using that name. So...NA names it is. Stupid but true. You actually got me thinking about explaining some more about the scout's histories and how they got where they are. I don't feel too bad stretching reality because this is frankly an anime universe where thirteen year old children can save the world and battle huge robots. But I am going to try to explain more of how they were able to do what they did. It'll probably be small little things like what I did for Lita in this chapter. Anyways, thanks again for reading and such a great review. You gave me a lot of great things to think about and hopefull it'll get better.
Sailor Momoiro Hoshi - I promise, barring death, I will finish this story. I've written too much to stop now. Ooh! New cookies! I live peanut butter! Or sugar! Or mint oreos. hee hee.
Kail Ceannai - hee hee. Sorry, the reviewer responses stay. Too many people say things that I want to respond to. Not to mention, my readers are awsome people and who wouldn't want to talk to them. ;)
Miko633 - Ohh! ::lightbulb goes on:: You just gave me an idea! ::hugs:: Um...I can't tell you what you inspired though. That would be giving away the secret.
Silver Dragonfly - thanks. I worry sometimes that people are getting bored with this since there are a lot of repeating elements. I'm glad people are still reading though.
BenRG - YOU DID IT AGAIN!!! See, Molly wasn't even going to be mentioned in this. But then I get this review from you and the next thing I know my brain is trying to shove Molly into the plot line somehow. ::sigh:: Oh well, it does make for a better story. Thanks for the idea and review!
Shimmering Angel - hee hee. Naw. Not a dunce, just another writer banging their head against the keyboard. And as you can see, I have problems writing too. Seriously, the X-Men fic would not get out of my head and everytime I tried to write this I ended up thinking about that fic instead. grrr. Stupid brain.
Phoeaix - yea, Lass will be coming back. I want the puppy to chase the kitties.
Jabba1 - I think I may be playing more with the villians soon. After all, the heros aren't the only ones that should have problems.
Adyen - ack. The future. Well...um...yea. COnsider it 'under construction'. (aka author doesn't know yet)
happygolucky111 - yea, well, I can't really see Jupiter running away from a fight now...so, they're going to join.
Usako4life - yea, well, the Mt Dew sorta helped. I think the chapter really would have sucked a lot more without it.
missaw - not the fastest update ever, but I've done worse.
JerseyGirl03 - My favorite color? Dark green. Why? You could make a person paranoid with random questions like that.
Guardian Dimension - No other outers except Pluto so far. But they exist. Somewhere in this univese. I think.
firelightz - hee, yea. Things are moving a little faster now. Sorta. I've got so many things that I still want to do with this fic and I'm trying to figure out how to fit them all in without dragging things out. Ah well.
But another part of her, the part that had been forced to live in an adult world with real consequences that affected not only her, but her friends was hesitating. She had almost died tonight. If the blonde was to be believed, she had died before fighting. What would happen to her bar if she were to die now? What would happen to people like Zak who were her friends and relied on their jobs at her job to support themselves and their families. Could she risk herself in a fight knowing that others would be affected?
And what if she didn't fight? This wasn't some isolated problem that she could turn her back on. This fight had come right into her bar looking for her. And there were consequences for her friends if she didn't fight, didn't take her place at Sailor Moon's side. What if they lost? Did Lita really think that she could live, watching monsters slowly taking over her planet, knowing that she might have been able to stop it?
She looked up and searched the sky. There were still so many things she didn't know, things that Serena had left out of her story. She understood why the blonde had done that, not wanting to give away too much to someone who may never join them, but it was still frustrating.
And there was a part of her, a part she didn't understand, that was terrified of the man that had fallen into this with her. Nephlite. She didn't understand it, but for some reason it was important what he chose. But she couldn't say how she wanted him to choose.
Lita shivered in the cold night air, tucking her head down closer to her chest, trying to conserve warmth. Up ahead was an old park that she had hung out a lot when in school. Staring at it, she couldn't believe how little it had changed. It was like walking back into the past, making her that confused little teenager once again, seeking comfort from the cool green trees and the calm lake waters.
And there, staring up at the stars as if searching for his own answers, was Nephlite. She stood and stared at him for a moment, silently debating with herself whether or not to speak to him and interrupt both of their solitudes.
She stood there, staring at the man staring at the stars for what seemed like forever until the decision was taken away from her as Nephlite noticed her.
"Hey." he said, sending her a half smile.
"Any answers up there?" she asked, feeling foolish but almost hoping he would say yes.
Nephlite sighed and shook his head.
"I don't know what to do." he said haltingly as Lita sat down beside him, "I need to know what really happened but...if what they said...if I really...And there is more, things that they didn't tell us! How can I decide if I don't know?"
Lita listened to the frustrated voice, mirroring her own thoughts and, surprisingly, finally found an answer, "It's about faith. We take the jump and have faith that something will be on the other side to catch us."
"And if there isn't anything?" Nephlite asked.
"Then we hit the ground and make a pretty stain. Either way, it should be fun." Lita said with a weak grin at the macabre thought.
Nephlite chuckled, "So, next question, what if I don't have enough faith?"
"How about insanity?" Lita asked.
Another one of those deliciously low chuckles, "Well...maybe."
"How about we jump together. That way we can catch each other before we hit."
"I don't even want to think about the physics of that." Nephlite said, shaking his head.
"So is that a yes?" Lita asked impishly, while hiding the fact that she was holding her breathe. For some reason that she wasn't willing to look at too closely yet, this man's answer to her question was important. A small voice whispered viciously that she was letting him make the decision for both of them but she quickly stomped on it.
"I'm still not sure." Nephlite admitted.
"Could you really live, knowing only what you know now? Not ever learning the answer to all of your questions?" Lita asked, giving voice to her own questions.
Nephlite looked at her and asked in a quiet voice, "Promise to catch me?"
"Promise."
"Then I guess I'm jumping. Gods." Nephlite said, looking like he couldn't quite believe he had said that.
The two sat there in the grass, each silently thinking about the enormity of the decision they had both finally, so glibly came to. But it was the only choice they could have made. Neither one was really willing to back down from a challenge, even if the challenge was themselves.
"So...all the big decisions are made. Now what?" Lita asked.
"How about introductions?" Nephlite suggested.
"That actually sounds like a good idea." Lita said, sticking out her had, "Hi, my names Lita."
"Hello Lita, my name is Nephlite. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Nephlite said, shaking her hand.
Lita couldn't help the laughing at the absurdity of the entire situation. Maybe it was all the stress or the lack of sleep, but suddenly everything about everything was absolutely hilarious and she just started laughing.
Nephlite looked at her, convulsing in helpless laughter on the ground and eventually found himself laughing as well. And every time one of them would finally start to regain their composure, the other one would just look at them and they would start laughing all over again.
Eventually, by resolutely not looking at one another, they both managed to regain their composure. The occasional muffled chuckle still broke out. Lita lay back, wiping the tears from her eyes and stared at the night sky.
"So what do you do?" she asked to her new acquaintance.
"I'm a grad-student here...I mean in Ireland. I'm studying astronomy." Nephlite said.
"Really? What are you going to do with that?"
"Well, I was hoping to get involved with some of the space missions, investigate the inner workings of the universe. My area of research is stars and their lives. So, what about you?" Nephlite asked.
"Oh, I just run a little pub. Nothing too special." Lita said.
"Oh? What one?" Nephlite asked.
"The Glas Laoch." she replied.
"Really? I have friends that have been trying to get me to go there for years now. They swear by that place. Especially the food." Nephlite said.
Lita felt a slow blush creeping across her cheeks, "Well, now you really do have to come."
"I defiantly will." Nephlite said.
They spent the rest of the night out in the park talking. Nephlite occasionally pointed out different stars or constellations in the sky. Lita told stories about the people that had wandered into her bar over the years. They swapped recipes and jokes and basically ignored all the weirdness of the previous day, choosing to cling to the here and now.
And they watched the sun rise over the park's trees. The dawn sun chasing away the darkness of the night and the chill in the air.
"New day." Nephlite muttered tiredly.
"Yep. New day." Lita agreed, yawning.
"Guess this means its time to jump."
"Naw." Lita said, standing slowly and stretching.
"No?" Nephlite asked, cocking an eyebrow at the woman in front of him.
"No. Now its time for breakfast. We'll jump after breakfast." Lita said, turning back towards Serena's apartment.
Nephlite chuckled, following in her wake, "Are you cooking or am I?"
* * * * *
Serena sat in the window, silently watching the sun come up. It always seemed like she was sitting vigil, watching and waiting. And praying. She was praying for the two people out there, somewhere, who were so important to her. Lita was the last of her Scouts, the last of the Inner Court to be found and if she didn't join there would always be this void there. But Serena vowed to respect her Scout's decisions, no matter what. She would not beg if Lita chose not to accept the pen.
And Nephlite.
It seemed like they had just finished dealing with the pain of the past. But they obviously hadn't. She was beginning to realize that they had to search out the other two generals. They were a part of her Scout's past and they deserved, as much as her Scouts, to know who they really were.
She knew Rei didn't want to see Jadeite again. There was so much pain and anger there. But Serena wanted her friends to be happy and that meant they needed to heal up all the old wounds.
And Mina, the Goddess of Love. Serena knew that Mina had always been a little unsure about her own love life. She could help everyone else but when it came to herself, Mina lost some of that confidence. And Malachite, with his joining the ranks of their enemy, had shaken that confidence even more. Serena had this feeling that Mina blamed herself for too many events of the past.
In a lot of ways, Ami, who had always been the quietest and least obsessed with boys and love in general, turned out to be the one who was the most able to make things work between her and her love. Even Serena had screwed things up between her and Darien so many times, it was amazing that he still stuck by her. But Ami seemed to just accept the past and move on. Serena couldn't help but wonder how she was able to do it.
And Lita. Depending on how Lita and Nephlite chose, things could get ugly. She had left out so much in her retelling of the past. Things like the fact that they had once been lovers and Molly. Oh god, there was something that still brought tears to her eyes. The image of Nephlite dying, bleeding to death on the ground while Molly, one of her best friends sobbed over him.
It seemed like she always left nothing but tears and heart in her wake. Killing the enemy only to have their loved ones appear to fight her. She wondered if there was ever going to be a time when she would be able to stop fighting. If one day she would be allowed to just die and not be called beck into the world to fight.
But what would she do if there was nothing left to fight? It seemed like that was the only thing that she had ever been good at. And to be perfectly honest, she wasn't all that good at fighting. If she had been, Beryl would never have been able to capture the Moon, or kill her Scouts. The Moonlight Knight wouldn't have had to come to her rescue so many times. And if she had been a true fighter, she never would have cried herself to sleep in fits of self pity so many times.
The sun was up now and Serena felt herself yawning. Just as she was about to move from her perch, two figures came walking down the street, side by side. Lita and Nephlite were returning. Together. Serena smiled, knowing that whatever decision those to made, they had made it together. Which meant things were probably as good as they could be.
A sleepy groan from the couch drew her eyes away from the couple returning to the boy sleeping on her couch. Her smile slipped off of her face as worry returned. Today she would have to bring him home as well.
Serena sighed, sent one last desperate prayer out to whoever might be listening, and stood up, ready to face the new day.
* * * * *
Ack. Sorry all that this took longer than expected. It didn't quite come out how I wanted it to. My brain decided recently that it wanted to write an X-Men fic and wouldn't let me write anything else till I at least started that. Seriously, this fic almost gained several X-Men figures for awhile there and I don't even like cross-overs. Oh! Brownie points if you know what Lita's bar name translates into. hee hee. Its Gaelic.
Terenity Rose - thanks. I hope this doesn't suck too much.
kalinda - Glad you enjoyed it!
Lil-PrincessK - yea, I know. But it was supposed to be quick. I want Lita to deal with having feeling (love/hate) for a guy that she really only just met. Right now the two seem to be getting along but that shouldn't last too long.
Warube - OMG! Okay, you are really too nice. I'll tell you the truth about the names...the first time I heard the name 'Usagi' I hated it. I don't hate it anymore but I still don't like writing using that name. So...NA names it is. Stupid but true. You actually got me thinking about explaining some more about the scout's histories and how they got where they are. I don't feel too bad stretching reality because this is frankly an anime universe where thirteen year old children can save the world and battle huge robots. But I am going to try to explain more of how they were able to do what they did. It'll probably be small little things like what I did for Lita in this chapter. Anyways, thanks again for reading and such a great review. You gave me a lot of great things to think about and hopefull it'll get better.
Sailor Momoiro Hoshi - I promise, barring death, I will finish this story. I've written too much to stop now. Ooh! New cookies! I live peanut butter! Or sugar! Or mint oreos. hee hee.
Kail Ceannai - hee hee. Sorry, the reviewer responses stay. Too many people say things that I want to respond to. Not to mention, my readers are awsome people and who wouldn't want to talk to them. ;)
Miko633 - Ohh! ::lightbulb goes on:: You just gave me an idea! ::hugs:: Um...I can't tell you what you inspired though. That would be giving away the secret.
Silver Dragonfly - thanks. I worry sometimes that people are getting bored with this since there are a lot of repeating elements. I'm glad people are still reading though.
BenRG - YOU DID IT AGAIN!!! See, Molly wasn't even going to be mentioned in this. But then I get this review from you and the next thing I know my brain is trying to shove Molly into the plot line somehow. ::sigh:: Oh well, it does make for a better story. Thanks for the idea and review!
Shimmering Angel - hee hee. Naw. Not a dunce, just another writer banging their head against the keyboard. And as you can see, I have problems writing too. Seriously, the X-Men fic would not get out of my head and everytime I tried to write this I ended up thinking about that fic instead. grrr. Stupid brain.
Phoeaix - yea, Lass will be coming back. I want the puppy to chase the kitties.
Jabba1 - I think I may be playing more with the villians soon. After all, the heros aren't the only ones that should have problems.
Adyen - ack. The future. Well...um...yea. COnsider it 'under construction'. (aka author doesn't know yet)
happygolucky111 - yea, well, I can't really see Jupiter running away from a fight now...so, they're going to join.
Usako4life - yea, well, the Mt Dew sorta helped. I think the chapter really would have sucked a lot more without it.
missaw - not the fastest update ever, but I've done worse.
JerseyGirl03 - My favorite color? Dark green. Why? You could make a person paranoid with random questions like that.
Guardian Dimension - No other outers except Pluto so far. But they exist. Somewhere in this univese. I think.
firelightz - hee, yea. Things are moving a little faster now. Sorta. I've got so many things that I still want to do with this fic and I'm trying to figure out how to fit them all in without dragging things out. Ah well.