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Chapter 14
Memories of the Star General Part 1
After the ordeal in Kansas when the X-men went to awaken Jupiter, the X Jet took off and headed for home.
Of course not without a few stops along the way from a nervous Jupiter who had transformed into her regular persona. As Lita, which she introduced herself as; she explained her unnatural fear of flying despite being the Senshi of the storms.
Storm empathizing with the young woman's plight, had distracted tall Amazon like girl, with stories of how she dealt with her own fear of Claustrophobia. This helped smooth the rest of the trip greatly, for as they talked Lita, hadn't thought of anything but asking questions here and there about the weather mutant learned to deal with her fear.
Thus easing the mind of the others on the jet...
A few hours later...
The X Jet landed in the hanger of the school for the Gifted and all its occupants disembarked to find their friends waiting for them. When Lita stepped off the jet her already pale skin went even paler when she saw Jadeite and Zoicite standing next to Amy and Raye.
Like a fine tuned car, Lita went from fear to anger in 0.0 seconds and began yelling as she advanced towards the two would-be generals.
"What are you two doing here?" She hissed as she grasped her Jupiter Crystal. Ready to transform and to kick some Negaverse scum into oblivion, she begins to shout out the incantation, when she hears the pleas of one of her friends.
"Lita please relax they're no longer evil." Amy said as she stepped in front of Zoicite, her arms wide as if to say, you hit him, you are going to have to go through me first. Out of the corner of her eye, she notices as Raye begins to do the same thing for the other one.
"Amy is telling the truth Lita! Serenity with our help destroyed Beryl and Metallia, in doing so it released the four generals from the Dark Kingdom's influence." Raye stated as she looked into her friend's furious eyes. The wariness and desire to protect those she cares about is strong...
"How can you trust them? For all we know they could be lying!" Lita yelled. Her body trembling in barely checked rage.
"Please Princess Jupiter, Jadeite and I beg for your forgiveness for allowing Beryl and the Dark Kingdom to control us and for helping them to destroy the Moon Kingdom." Zoicite said sadly as he stepped forward Amy's hands firmly in his. "We had no choice...what she had done to our prince...she did to us as well."
"Lita please believe Zoicite's words. We are truly sorry for what we did to you all and I'm sure the others will feel the same way." Jadeite added, as he too stepped forward. He had attempted to grab onto Raye's hand, but she smacked him hard for 'missing' because instead he grabbed her bottom by mistake. Lita couldn't help but crack a small smile, for she had missed the priestess and her temper. Still that last statement confused her...
"You haven't found the other two Dark Kingdom Generals?" Lita asked the other scouts, to which Zoicite and Jadeite visibly flinched.
"Lita that was totally uncalled for!" Luna reprimanded as Artemis gave her a look of disapproval.
"It's alright Luna she's in her right to say that about us." Jadeite said bowing his head in shame. Those memories, that he did not want were forever engraved in his mind.
"I should say not Lord Jedite! Yes although at one point you two as well as for the others were once known as the four Dark Kingdom Generals, that all ended a long time ago with the death of Beryl. Raye and Amy already pointed out and Lita should have known better than to rub it in!" Luna replied angrily causing the young woman to feel chagrin, for her cruel and callous words.
"You four are now as you always should have been the four guards of Prince Endymion." Artemis said angry that Jedite would allow Lita to cut him down like that. "It will be hard to gain the trust that you once had from all of us, but I am sure given time, that all will forgive and forget...the Prince, I know wouldn't have it any other way."
"Thank you for your kind words Artemis." Zoicite said with a small smile of hope. The need to see Endymion once more is strong.
Artemis said nothing, but simply returned the words with a nod of his head. His and Luna's actions moved both the young men, into believing in themselves just a little more.
"I'm sorry! It's just hard to believe that you guys have switched all of a sudden...you know how can you be on our side? Especially after all that you did to us...I mean Zoicite, you nearly put a crystal clear through Darien's chest!" Lita said crestfallen, yet alert and wary.
The silence is there for but a few moments as everyone feels the tension in the room growing at an exponential rate. The professor, deciding now would be the time, begins to roll forward.
"If I may, I may be able to help you Lita with your anger." Professor Xavier said coming in between the small group of teenagers. His eyes warm and friendly, almost like a teacher and a parent all rolled into one.
"How can you help me?" Lita asked slowly. Not sure whether to believe all that is happening.
"Lita, if you haven't been introduced yet, this is Professor Xavier. He runs the school that sits above us." Amy said.
"Yes and he's also the leader of a group of people known as the X-men." Raye added.
"X-Men?"
"They are the ones, who have been finding us and them...they need us..." Amy replies gently.
"Is this true?" Lita asked looking at Professor Xavier and then the people all around her. The warm smiles and simple nods are reassuring her a little as each person givers off a friendly air.
"Yes it is Lita." Professor Xavier said.
"Lita you can trust him! It is he who gave us a home, when no one else would. He does care. Through the skill, he also helps us train to use our powers, to not only benefit ourselves, but others." Ororo said.
"Powers?" The young woman asks confused. Looking to Amy and Raye who nod their heads with brilliant smiles, she relaxes at their confident faces.
"It seems humanity is catching up with us now." Amy quips as she looks to the X-Men with a quiet smile.
"Yes, Lita you see certain humans have the ability to do things that no ordinary human can as you've already seen with Ororo, when she is Storm." Jean Grey said.
Nodding her belief for she had seen that with her own eyes, Lita looks hesitantly towards the bald headed man in the wheel chair.
"Can you really help me with my anger problem?" She says slowly and with a touch of nervousness.
"Trust us if he can help Logan with his, then he can help you with yours too!" Kitty said grinning. Logan hearing this out of the corner of his eye gives a little growl of irritation at the comment.
"Why you little..." Logan replied as he starts making a motion towards her. Kitty shrieks as the others relax and laugh as Logan backs away with a smile.
Chuckling with the others, Xavier looks towards the young woman who he can sense that although tense, relaxes at the friendly atmosphere between the small group of people.
"Miss Kino..."
"Lita..." The young woman replies. "Ms. Kino was my mother...call me Lita..."
"All right, Lita why don't you come with me and I'll see what I can do." Xavier suggested.
"Okay." Lita said a little reluctantly as she and the others followed Professor Xavier into a sitting room inside the school.
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Xavier's office...
A few minutes later and the large group of people found themselves sitting around the professor and Lita.
"Now Lita just relax and know that this will not hurt." Xavier told the young woman.
"Alright."
After Professor Xavier closed his eyes and opened his mind to the Senshi of thunder's mind he found himself in the middle of a vast storm, and yet it bounces off of him harmlessly as he walks through. Still he is stunned as an angry voice calls out to him...
"What are you doing here?" She asked. Turning around he sees the young woman, wearing an elaborate gown of jade green and holding roses in her hand. Curious and questioning is her gaze as she looks at him.
"You have no business being here!" Another form yelled from his side. She wears normal clothes, and yet something screams defensive by her stance. Almost as if she seems ready to fight.
"Leave now or we will force you out!" Yet another one hissed. Her Senshi side speaking...the rod of her tiara appearing and sparking with energy as he reaches for her, she sends a blast of energy at him...
This caused Professor Xavier to be pushed out of Lita's mind and across the room as a defensive measure...
"Such anger!" Xavier exclaimed opening his eyes as he came to. Logan was quick and had caught him, whereas the two generals had stopped his chair. Looking at the young woman, who glares at him, as she holds her head, causes the felines to approach with worry and a little fear for not only her sake, but the professor.
"What did you do to me? My head is pounding." Lita cried out in anger holding her head.
"Calm down please Lita the headache you are experiencing is only because your subconscious is fighting my mind." Xavier replied as the energy level she gives off seems to be affecting the power in the mansion.
"Lita please listen to the professor and take some deep breathes after all he is only trying to help you." Luna ordered with a motherly tone. She is wary, as are the others, for Lita's powers when unchecked, could cause serious damage to not only herself but to those around her.
"I'll try Luna, but I don't think this will work!" Lita replied, as the doubt in her eyes, grows even stronger. "Maybe I have been angry for so long...I don't know how to be anything else BUT!"
"Luna perhaps you could assist me in helping Lita." Xavier suggested, as an idea forms in his head. Luna being telepathic as well, would be recognized as a familiar presence to the young woman's subconscious mind. Thus maybe relaxing that part which is a self defense. After all, he has observed, the girls attachment to the black haired woman/feline and the silver haired male. It might work out...
Somehow...Luna knows his idea and nods. "I would be happy to help Charles...Artemis Jean...can you handle it?"
Both nod their heads and with that, both Luna and the Professor close their eyes and send their thoughts into Lita's mind.
Back inside Xavier and Luna in human form walked around until they ran into Lita's defenses once more.
"I thought we told you to get lost!" One of Lita's forms hissed, preparing to strike again.
"I am only trying to help." Xavier said.
"Well we don't want your help." Another one said.
"Why won't you allow the professor to help you?" Luna asked, as she stepped forward. The three somehow recognize the woman and her soft motherly voice. Relaxing enough to answer her, they stop...
"Because we're afraid." The last one admitted.
"What are you afraid of?" Xavier gently asked knowing he was gaining Lita's trust, with help from Luna. Who approaches and touches the one closet to her with a reassuring hand...
"We're not sure, we just know that what ever it is we can't let anywhere near us." The apparent leader said which was the one in the long silk gown of jade.
"What would you say if I told you, I could help you not only understand that fear but face it?" Xavier asked.
"How could you do that?" The Senshi form asked doubtfully.
"Simple all I need to know is where a locked door is." He said.
"A door?"
"Rhetorically speaking...it is the place that you are afraid to go into..."
"Why do you want to know that?" The leader asked.
"Because I believe this is where the basis for your fear lays." Xavier replied. They look thoughtful at his words and look to Luna, who smiles gently. At the moment all three forms of Lita fused together and the one form of Lita is left holding Luna's hand as a lifeline to sanity.
"Are you sure?" She asks softly and scared.
"Yes..."
"Then follow me...but don't say I didn't warn you..."
"Don't worry we won't." Luna replied with a smile and a soft chuckle.
"Okay it's this way!" Lita said as she led the others down a long path, which has appeared before them.
At the end of it stood a large green door that looked to be having electricity running through it. Sparking and shooting bolts at them...
"This is it..." Lita said nervously. Backing away some...the storm all around intensifying, for she is deathly frightened.
"Why can you never open it?" Xavier asked.
"I only know that what's behind that door could hurt me." She replied with a look of terror.
"Is this why you lash out sometimes at people Lita?" Luna asked.
"Yes." Lita answered with a startling conviction.
"Do you trust me?" Xavier said gently.
Nodding her head as somehow a part of her does, Lita allows Xavier to help and guide her as she opens the door.
When the door opened out stars shoot out and move to dance with the lightening joyfully. Her mind begins to calm as it takes shape within the open space. The stars forming and the lightening giving life...
A young man appears with long dark brown hair and brown eyes dance with a quiet elegance and charm. Holding out his hand, she swears she can hear his voice, laughing with amusement and a hidden desire...
"Dance with me Princess..."
"Nephlyte..." She replies softly and nervously. Looking towards the others, who nod their heads, she accepts his hand and allows herself to be pulled into the past along with the others.
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Puerto Rico...
Meanwhile a stone begins to rise up out of the ground near the Arecibo Satellite in the island country; upon it stone are words that appear in two languages like the others. One of which reads this...
Loved by she who is of Thunder
He is of the Stars and the clouds
Charming and Chivalrous
He helps all grow
Reluctant to betray, forced to do so
Here lies the General of Nature, Nephlyte
May the one who loves him
Set him free...
To be continued...