Rain ducks ala-Matrix-like as rotten tomatoes were hurled towards her.
"Alright, alright already! I'm sorry I – Ouch, hey!!!"
Rain got whacked on the head by a huge mallet out of nowhere.
"Argh!!! Gawd---dammit! Why I oughta – "
Rain turned around, all flushed, to face the doomed culprit. . .but was suddenly stopped short when she gazed into several narrowed frosty (yeouch!) eyes –-- and sweatdropped at the sight of several raised mallets and buckets of rotten vegetables all lined up ready for launch. . .not to mention the threatening growling sounds emitting from snarling rabid mouths.
"Ah, ehehehee,. . .err, hello, y'all." -_-
"Okay, okay, I'm at fault here! Okay, okay, I'm one low-down, good for nothing, inconsiderate fanfic writer! But hey, I'm only human!!! I need to live too, you know!"
". . . . . . . . . "
Rain almost sighed in relief. . .
. . .then all hell broke loose.
Suffice to say, Rain went home as a vegetable salad. :-)
Guys, I promise to have the next chapter out soon, like maybe next week or so, just be patient with me, ok?
Anyway, as a consolation (hehe) below's a teaser for the next chapter, which is actually silly because it's a bit long for a teaser. It tells of a dream sequence of Lita's on the Silver Millenium. This particular memory of hers came from an past encounter with Nephrite, even before the mock-battle scene they had on an earlier chapter. Enjoy!!!
Teaser to Chapter 15: Destined to Meet
"Ohhh. . ."
The slim figure on the bed moaned softly as she stirred restlessly in her slumber, her head moving from one side to another, while her long wavy auburn hair rustled delicately on the soft pillow beneath. The blanket covering her slim form slipped from one elegant shoulder to reveal the smooth expanse of her delicate neck and collarbone, barely covered by the two-piece emerald swimsuit she wore underneath.
Despite the fact that Lita was lying on a very comfortable bed in a luxuriant 5-star hotel, her body movements were quite agitated, frantic. . .and unknowingly, a bit alluring. Her eyelids were closed, and yet its rapid eye movements connoted that the tall pretty brunette, was currently in deep slumber. . .and dreaming. . .
Dream Sequence - Silver Millenium
Lita looked up into Lord Nephrite's handsome guarded face and almost yelped, "I am. . .delighted that they've found each other."
She then turned from the wary figure of the earth general to her contemplation of the young couple strolling in the gardens of the Earth Royal Palace below the balcony where they stood. The light emanating from the moon in the sky shone against the silvery radiance of the woman's long blonde hair, while the head of the man beside her glinted raven black.
"It will be nice to have the prince as a part of, er, - of our family. Queen Serenity delights in his company actually," Lita continued.
Nephrite spoke quietly, but his voice deepened with an emotion yet to be expressed, "You will live with them, then, my lady?"
Lita turned her head in surprise. "W-well, of course. I am a princess, but I am above all, a Moon Guardian. My duty is with the Princess Serena. I-I can hardly remain h-here on earth if they are to live on the Moon Castle."
The tall earth general shifted in his position, cursing himself for being a self-torturing fool.
Damn, damn, and double damn. If only –
If only he had told her earlier of his feelings, then he would not have been cheated out on the chance of loving the Jupiterian princess. As luck would have it, General Jadeite have announced nonchalantly at tea a few days ago, in front of both the Earth and Moon people, of his intent on wooing the tall pretty brunette. Nephrite never knew that his friend was interested in the Lady Lita thinking that Jadeite seemed taken with the Martian princess who arrived together with the other senshi's several weeks ago for the engagement of the Princess Serena to Prince Darien. Besides, he KNEW that Princess Lita danced only ONCE with Jadeite during one of the balls where both set of guardians got to know each one (it was also then he realized that his Lita was fond of dancing – he, on the other hand, has yet to develop a finesse for it). Shocked like the rest, and a bit enraged, he looked at the raven-haired girl at that time to see her reaction at the announcement of her supposed blond lover, only to find her face blank and devoid of any emotions. Sensing all eyes on him, Nephrite didn't let his jumbled up emotions show on his face – nor did he chance a look at the suddenly quiet Lita across him at the table. He was used to keeping his emotions in check, and would always wear a detached expression – sometimes to the point of making the people uncomfortable by his serous rugged features.
He was flabbergasted. He was livid. He was, - heck - he was damn jealous! Alright, maybe he was a bit slow in making his sentiments known to the woman he loves, and that it was not in his quiet nature to be wearing his heart out on his sleeve. But Hell! It wasn't fair! They SHOULD have known him better. Jadeite SHOULD have known him better. Damn him! He had the strong urge to punch the grinning blond in the gut, and shove him onto a cliff. God, he was. . .he was. . .
. . .simply put, he lost. He must give her up.
Both Earth and Moon royal families were there to hear the announcement – it was almost like a royal proclamation – that noone can and will defy. Besides, Jadeite's like a brother to him, and Nephrite has yet to determine the Princess Lita's feelings for him, for although they have grown close in the past several days, they have yet to reveal any attachments they might have with each other.
Dammit!!!
And to think, he had just risked his life a few days ago when during an outing, Lita almost had a horse-riding accident when a couple of rabid wolf-beasts chased her mount. Nephrite made away with the animals but got bitten with one of them in his upper thigh, which was now throbbing quite painfully - add that to the fact that his heart was also aching forlornly.
Nephrite slammed his hands down on the wide balustrade and braced his weight on them. Lita, jerked in surprise, and looked into the tall man's face to see his eyes tightly closed and wearing a grimace.
"Oh, my darling!" she cried without thinking – without realizing she used the endearment in her anguish of seeing the earth general in pain. "Your poor leg. You must be in an awful lot of pain!"
Lita slipped her arms around the young man's tense frame and gallantly attempted to relieve him of the burden of some of his weight.
At the touch of her arms and at the scent of her so close however, everything in Nephrite erupted like a flood from the broken dam of his reservation. Turning her lithe form in his arms and ignoring her startled cry, he brought his hungering lips down on hers and kissed her thoroughly, passionately.
Give her up? To hell with Jadeite!!! He can take him up on a duel anytime. If Lita wanted to dance, he'd buy her a partner. A new one for every dance – for he'd kill each one at the end of the dance for daring to hold his Lita in their arms.
If his rugged face frightened her friends, to hell with them! He'd so fill her every waking hour that she'd never miss friends!
She was his, by God! She'd been his since the moment she walked out of the carriage that drove them to the castle.
And noone, ABSOLUTELY frigging noone, would stand in his way.
Nephrite continued on his sweet assault on the brunette and even groaned in delight when the young woman returned his embrace and kissed him back.
The couple was so immersed in their passion, that they no longer heard the silent approach of another couple, the quiet chuckle of one scheming blonde princess; nor did they see the gentle smile on the face of one silver-haired earth general who nudged his partner along so as not to disturb them.
Out in the hallway, the emerging couple was conversing.
The woman thumped the man on the arm affectionately, "You, My lord, owe me."
The tall man tilted his head and regarded the woman rather tenderly, "Lucky for you, your crazy antics didn't backfire this time. Lita almost fainted when you bully Jadeite to make that ridiculous announcement, not to mention, riling up one fiery Martian princess in the process."
Mina merely grinned. "Smashing wasn't it? Still, for once I got Nephrite to act like the man that he is and just finally claim his woman. I mean, my goodness, they were taking too long. I almost went out of my poor mind trying to come up with something to make them just glomp each other already! And for that," the blonde princess stopped to turn up her lovely face to her lord, "I believe I am entitled to some recompense."
Kunzite merely chuckled deeply as he leaned down to claim what was his for the taking.
Outside, the moon simply shone on.