Replies to Reviews:
Amy: Aw, gee, thanks. ;) Hehe, liked the fly part, too. It's so. . .Zoi! hehe.
Christine Tan: Aw, gee, thanks, too! By the way, are you by any chance Pinoy? ;)
Lilian: Mwahahaha! I finally get to update! In the words of Mina, "After 48 years and a century hence" I finally got inspired enough to write a decent chapter! Thanks for the reviews as always. ;) Hm, about Ami being shocked by Zoicite's nickname "Zach", (actually it's going to be explained later on anyway) here's a clue, remember her doll's name? ;)
wyannick54: Thanks! Hope this chapter would also find you in one of your more boring days to cheer you up. ;)
girl of darkness: oh my, a Makoto fan! ;) geez, I'm awfully sorry about Lita's absence in the prior chapter but do not fret, her chapter's up! And yeah, I do know that the generals are named after gemstones though I can't say I'm familiar with any of them. Hehe. And by the way, I happen to own Kunzite. Mwahahahahaha! Silent stoic guys are DEFINITELY my type. Kinda tempts you to get into their pants, er, hearts. Rain grins naughtily
Isis Aurora Tomoe: thank you, thank you. ;) And I liked the term you used too, "splenderifous!" hehe, hoped to be able to finish this fic soon, so that I could start on another fanfic. ;)
Yavanna: Here goes! :-) Enjoy!!!
MagicMizzy: hehe, GUILTY as charged. Aww, I guess I was a bit, er ok, maybe a LOT hard on Zoisite. In fairness though, HE was the ONLY one who got a kissing scene from among all the generals. Rain nudges Zoisite, you ladykillah, you! Most of the senshis' could only recall their past kisses (in Mina's case, she was asleep then), but Ami and Zoi got to do it in the present! ;) The lucky twerp!
Gizelle: Thanks! Kuzite? Well, well, well,. . .we'll see. ;-)
guardianmercury: Thanks! The fly-on-the-mouth was a bit gross, ain't it? hehe, but then, Zoi's the man!!! ;)
Tigeress Moon: Thanks! ;)
Liz: thanks! Don't worry, I'll try to update ASAP. Rain crosses fingers
dreamer: haunt me as a ghost, huh? Good luck girl!!! Hope you could find me in the pigsty known as my room. ;) Thanks for the review as always.
MoonJewel: Awww. . .that was really nice of you! Rain does a happy chibi dance Thanks!
Blue Quartz: Hahaha, sorry about the 'naming' thing. ;) What's with the low profile anyway? Oohhh, a fugitive!!! Hehe. Thanks for the reviews as always.
miLady: hehe, got that right! Zach's the name of Ami's doll, remember? But hohoho, the plot thickens!
kamikaze28: hehe, here's Lita/Makoto's chapter! Enjoy!
Kaze: haha, I'm glad that you liked the chapter. Loved the scene with Rae and Jadeite as well.
Victoria Hardman: nuninuninuuu. . .I'll try dear. Notice that I took a HELL of a time just to update. . .GOMEN, gomen!!! I will try my very best. ;)
Fireflyer56: Thanks! Glad you liked the story. ;) Popular? Rain clears her throat well, ahem, *not* really. Hehe
SquirrelnoShi: Thanks! ;)
Firefly: Awww, thanks a lot! Hope you liked the rest. ;)
AlabasterDuchess: Thanks! :-)
Minako-chan: hehe, thanks! Believe me, it ain't easy telling stories on 4 different couples. Me also like Minako and Kunzite, hehe, especially Kunzite. Hope you like this chapter.
wings of the phoenix: . . .Rain twisting her foot uneasily er, hehehe, first of all, I do apologize for the um, hehe, long time it took for updating. Well, I guess I was havin' a bit of trouble in thinking of what to write for the next chapter. I hope this compensates for all your troubles. :-)
aiko-chan: awww. . .thank you so much for the review and support. :-)
Heerosgurl: wow! Thanks for the vote of confidence! Me also great fan of Mina and Kunzite. :-) Hope you'll like this chapter on them.
Shizuka Kaze: Aye, aye, ma'am! Here's the chapter! Enjoy.
Isis Aurora Tomoe: Rain grabs an umbrella and opens it to shield herself from oncoming banana cream pies. :-)
sin katt: Thanks! :-)
NOTE:
First of all, I apologize for – ehehehe – er, making you guys wait for the next chapter. Some serious writer's block, you know. :-)
Also, AGAIN I would like to apologize for the inconsistencies in my spelling, grammar, and worst of all (Rain shivered), my tenses. Yuk, yuk, yuk!
Enjoy!!!
Chapter 15: Destined to Meet
"HHEELLLOOO!!! Anybody home? Yoohoo!!!"
The heavy wooden door gave a small creak of protest as the lone female figure opened it further to step forward onto the carpeted hallway of the house. Mina was temporarily disoriented as her cerulean eyes gradually adjusted to the slightly dim interior of the small house – which she noticed - had a bit of a homey charm all on its own.
'Now, to look for its – hopefully - equally charming owner,' Mina thought with a smile.
Several minutes ago, the perky blonde had just arrived at the doorsteps of the Thompson's residence down the block after visiting Rae at the Cherry Hills Temple, when she was informed by Mr. and Mrs. Thompson that SOMEONE else had already taken the twins for the afternoon. And that this certain 'someone', was just living in a small cozy house a block away from their very own home.
Mina was at first surprised at the thought that she had a fellow babysitter (considering that most of the girls hired to take care of the twins usually waved the white flag after just spending a few hours with the so-called 'brats' and their robustness). And she was even more stunned when told by a laughing Mr. Thompson that the twins had been nothing but gentle lambs ever since the new babysitter took care of them.
'Whoa! She really must be something to be able to keep up with the twins!' Mina thought in an admiring daze.
She remembered loosing a few precious locks of her glorious blonde hair the first time she babysat the Thompson girls. Mina cringed at the memory. The twins wanted to make a wig out of it for their very worn-out (but very much loved) Barbie dolls with fast-receding hairlines due to all the combing and hairstyling abuse, er, - treatments, that they love to apply on the dolls.
And of course,. . .it never occurred to the little dears to ask permission first from the person whose head was --- being desecrated.
Mina rolled her eyes upward upon remembering the events following the defilement of her person. Ugh! Talk about a total make-over. She remembered having to cut a generous portion of her hair just to make it all even.
And the little twerps even had the audacity (lovable as they are) to ask for the rest of her blonde strands. . .as hair extensions for the dolls, they simply said.
Mina smiled. She REALLY adored those girls. And now, someone else had also discovered that simple joy.
The blonde then squealed in delight. FINALLY, she could have someone to chat with while taking care of the twins. Waving a hasty goodbye and skipping swiftly towards the said house where the twins and 'her new friend' were supposed to be staying, Mina didn't get to hear Mrs. Thompson's parting words regarding the new 'babysitter.'
Mrs. Thompson then looked apprehensively at her husband, who only shrugged in amusement at the probable outcome of the encounter between Mina and the twins' new companion.
Prancing happily, Mina was absolutely enthralled at the thought of meeting a new friend. Heck, in fact, she's been feeling nothing less than ecstatic the whole day! She's just so, so. . .so damn giddy!
She had just done a couple of shows a few nights in a row for the play she had a major part in – and was acclaimed quite highly for it.
In addition, she had just witnessed raw passion in the flesh, - er, that is, she'd been a delighted spectator of a blooming love affair between Rae and her gorgeous temple aid a few hours ago. And now, she would get to spend an afternoon with her favorite twins, and on top of that, she would get to meet their new charming babysitter.
Thinking of all the fun and girlie stuff that they could do, Mina finally arrived at the front porch of the new babysitter's house as per instruction and description of Mr. Thompson. She hurriedly swung open the screen door and raised a delicate hand to knock at the front white wooden door.
Only to find that it was left slightly open.
With a curious look, the blonde pushed open the door and started, well, --- hollering,
"Yoohoo!!! Oh, Ms. New-babysitter-for-the-adorable-Thompson-twins! Haaallluuuu!!! Are you guys here? There? Anywhere? Wherever?"
The reply was a deafening silence, the type where you could actually hear hundred of crickets cheep. Mina sweatdropped at this, but immediately straightened up when she heard distant sounds of running water. . .and a rubber duckie squeak.
'Ohohohoho. . .,' Mina thought with a naughty twinkle in her sparkling eyes, her palms deliberately rubbing against each other as though in wicked intent.
"Nothing like a surprise attack on the girls on their bubble bath. Mwahahaha. . ."
Being the mischievous creature our heroine was, the young woman slowly traced the path of where the sounds were coming from. Tip-toeing like a ridiculous nifty tarantula, Mina went through the long corridor and into another hallway, to happen upon a door where the sounds of running water was heard from and which now had stopped. She oh-so-silently but craftily moved to crouched down beside the bathroom door, still keeping her slight form in the shadowed hallway so as not to be seen immediately by the unfortunate occupants of the bathroom when they do come out.
The doorknob then was being joggled open.
Another rubber duckie squeak was heard, and Mina grinned at the thought of goosing the girls and making them squeal in surprised delight – still wet from their bath. God, if only she had a camera right now!
The blonde then, with a gleeful evil grin, rose for the attack, delicately manicured hands raised to give her hapless would-be-victims the wretched demise of being in the receiving end of her infamous tickle-fest. And as the door finally swung open, the naughty blonde gave a startling shout before jumping towards the emerging figure who seemed to be cursing quietly, to finally glomp him and. . .
. . . . . . . . .
. . .Wait a minute. . .WAIT A BLOODY DARN MINUTE. . .HIM??????? It's a --- HIM????
Unfortunately, it was deemed too late for the gorgeous blonde to stop her all-out-war launch towards her poor defenseless target. Before the fact that it was not two small GIRLIE figures who emerged from the bathroom but a huge MANLY one registered in Mina's brain, she had already latched on to the slightly damp towel that was dangerously wrapped loose and low (for crying out loud!) around the astonished man's powerfully built lean waist.
"What the hell - ?!"
"gasp! Oh my, I'm sorr- !"
With a startled gasp, Mina, upon discovering her mistake, instinctively attempted to withdraw her hands from its tight clutch on the towel. Only to find (to her dismay), that some loose towel fibers somehow clung to her fingernails and hence when she tried removing her hands, the towel, according to the law of – hell, whatever science - would eventually, um, follow.
On the other hand, the tall bewildered man whose wet platinum head shone gorgeously seemed to sense the inevitability of the situation and reached out his own large hands to prevent the towel wrapped around his waist from being totally snatched from his body, and on the process, dropped the rubber duck he was holding a moment ago. Without thinking, he laid both of his powerful hands on top of Mina's dainty ones.
The effect was instantaneous.
At the touch of each other's flesh, an electrifying current flowed through their bodies, compelling them to look at each other in incredulity.
And wonder turned to astonishment,. . .and confusion,. . .and trepidation.
". . .Y-you - " Mina whispered in low tones.
Kunzite breathed in sharply upon gazing into dark gorgeous pools of hazel.
'Oh dear lord,. . .this is NOT happening. . .please, not now, not yet -,' the former warrior general thought in consternation, his hands unconsciously tightening around her small ones. He remained gravely silent, for he was deathly afraid of being the first to break the silence, the moment. Because when that happens (dear heavens!), all bloody hell would break loose.
And for goodness' sake, he was not prepared to face such a scenario donned only in a scrap of towel!
Kunzite's eyes steadied its gaze on Mina's clouded ones, and he prayed to all the gods and deities of the heavens above for the best.
The blonde woman continued to sputter in astonishment, and her eyes held a hint of uncertainty, "Y-you. . .it c-can't, it just can't be,. . .you. . .dear heavens!"
There was something about the bewildered way that Mina behaved that tore Kunzite inside. She looked absolutely lost, and the rarely-affectionate silver-haired man wanted to reach out to soothe her in her troubled state.
It was their first time to look at each other face to face since the Silver Millenium; and even though Kunzite had already "re-acquainted" himself with the blonde during those days while he was still a mere doll, Mina's situation might be a bit different than his.
Alright, alright. . .maybe a "bit" was an understatement.
Kunzite sighed. Concerned eyes looked on as he reached out a hand to touch an errant strand of gorgeous blonde hair from her half-ponytail. The poor baffled girl didn't even move away.
"I. . .," Kunzite inhaled unevenly, ". . .I know you're confused right now, --- but, I can assure you that there's absolutely no reason for you to fear. . .me or anything. . ." Kunzite gazed into Mina's eyes and saw her frown even more. He better do something.
Clearing his throat, he let his hand rest lightly on the blonde's shoulder, gripping her gently, "Look, I –"
BANG!
Both Mina and Kunzite jerked in alarm at the sudden loud noise, and almost jumped a mile high in fright, their hands reflexively tightened around each other's that were still in front of the latter's abs holding the towel.
Sounds of girls squealing were heard as the back door opened to reveal the twins followed by an amused Artemis carrying bags of groceries in his arms; several items were hampering his view upfront, and hence, the white-haired male failed to notice the two stunned figures before him.
Uh-oh.
"Hey Kunzite, you should have gone with us to the store, we bou –" Artemis, who was on the act of putting down his load, frowned upon realizing the sudden silence. The girls were no longer giggling, and Kunzite, whom he believed was just finishing his bath, didn't even acknowledge their arrival.
With a slight curious expression, the renowned guardian of the Lunar princesses turned to see what was afoot.
And saw Kunzite – half-naked and dripping wet. . .and Mina. . .whose hands were entwined with his. . .clutching the towel wrapped loosely on the former's waist. . .
Artemis' eyes widened. He looked at Kunzite, then at Mina, and then, his face reddening, looked at the twins who were watching curiously the pair.
Then one of the little angels just HAD to speak up,
"Auntie Mina,. . .are you giving Uncle Kunzite a bath?"
A rubber duckie squeak tore the air, as Kunzite – bowled over by the young girl's seemingly-innocent question – staggered back to create some space between him and the blonde, only to find himself stepping on the wretched wet toy.
Too late. The slippery surface of the wet floor as well as of the rubber duckie, propelled the tall man to lose his balance and fall on his back ---
--- with Mina still clutching onto his towel.
With a yelp, the blonde ended up falling on top of a dazed Kunzite. . .but not before she wrenched her hands free from his grasp to brace herself from falling hard onto the man.
Chaos ensued, several shouts and squeals were heard overhead.
And then finally, the world had stopped spinning for the pair. Mina, blushing furiously at the roots of her hair, attempted to push herself away from the man beneath her to get up, but was hindered in doing so by the firm grip he had on her head. Confused, and a bit indignant by his actions, the blonde woman tried escaping from the man's embrace er, hold.
"Hey! Let go! Get your hands off -"
"Don't you dare stand up, woman, or I swear, it's going to be really REALLY awkward for all of us!"
Mina stiffened at the hard edge on the man's voice, and moved her face to look at his face above her instead of having hers smashed against his (dear heavens!) solid chest. Incensed by the angry command, Mina was ready to blast the man to smithereens with an icy glare when she realized something overtly extraordinary.
The man's face was red. As in, really REALLY red.
And beside his head, Mina saw one of her hands braced on the floor ---
--- still holding the wretched wet towel.
'oh. . .my. . .god'
Mina blanched.
And everything went down from there.
* * * * *
"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.
Her movements conveyed that it'll only be a couple minutes more before the said woman would rose from her sleep.
Good. Otherwise, I'll go absolutely nuts!
Nephrite slowly clenched his jaw as he settled his gaze to where a tall pretty brunette lay casually on top of the bed – well, HIS bed, for that matter – and was obviously having a damn wonderful time snoozing on it.
Normally, the unruffled Nephrite had nothing against people who were slumbering the hours away. Everyone was entitled to decide on how they would spend their leisure time – provided they were doing it at their own expense, of course.
On the subject that there's a woman sleeping on his bed, well,. . .he's a man (a damn gorgeous one at that), and well, it's in his so-called nature to um,. . .*welcome* any kind of female companionship that one would normally assume a guy like him would indulge in at the privacy of his bedroom.
Then again, he's not just ANY guy.
Nor was the woman on his bed just ANY woman.
And on top of that, he just made a bloody mess of things on the pool below several hours ago.
Nephrite's aquamarine eyes twinkled in hidden amusement.
'Oh yes, a bloody mess, indeed.'
When Lita saw him and fainted at the sight of his tall figure sauntering towards her, he immediately reached out to catch the falling brunette to enfold her tenderly within his strong arms. Oblivious to the surprised gasps and murmurs of the people surrounding the pool area, his rugged face softened at the sight of the unconscious woman, and raised one hand to curl a loose tendril of wavy brown hair behind her ear. Thinking that she'd be more comfortable inside, Nephrite was on the act of carrying Lita's slender form, when Harold, the jerk of a hotel manager who was bothering her a while ago and whom he had almost forgotten, spoke in very low albeit very malicious tones.
"Well, well, well, the chap's got an eye on the bitch, too."
For one brief tense moment, Nephrite only saw red.
Facing the pompous man who was, to Nephrite's utmost satisfaction, still bleeding in the nose from the punch that Lita gave him a few minutes ago, the tall brunet gave him a withering glare with such detached icy contempt. It took Nephrite all of his iron self-control not to wipe the bloody sneer from the man's pudgy face with his fists. And if not for the reason that he still had Lita in his arms then, he might have been sorely tempted to charge like a raging bull towards the hotel executive and realign the features of his obnoxious face.
Harold grunted in satisfaction at the hesitation of the young man before him, empowering him to further twist the knife in,
"Tsk, tsk,. . .a pity, the bitch was kinda good, too,. . .never had one like her for a long time, then again, it's not often you get them young and fresh."
Gasps were heard as people surrounding the pool heard of the insult thrown.
And Nephrite. . .well, he wasn't exactly,. . .er, calm at the moment.
His eyes were angry slits in his thunderous face, narrowing them to emphasize his threat that the pudgy man was indeed threading on dangerous ground.
Harold merely stood beside the pool, deliberately relaxing into a male sprawl and smiled viciously just enough for Nephrite to know that he didn't feel threatened at all.
But then Nephrite's face relaxed and he smiled. His expression was so wolfishly anticipatory that Harold's grin faded back. The former warrior-general didn't mind hostility against his person. He did mind though, if it's against Lita. He became quiet, bland,. . .dangerously composed.
Nephrite spoke in a calm but dangerously low tone,
"You forget yourself, old boy. Judging by your bloody nose, I guess the lady wasn't exactly. . .receptive of your advances, ergo, you never really had her. Besides," one of Nephrite's brow rose condescendingly, his voice still carrying steel, "why would she want anything to do with someone like you,. . .when she already has someone like me."
And with that, he turned and left --- leaving a fuming red-faced hotel executive spluttering in anger and humiliation.
Nephrite didn't even listen to the man's hurled insults and threats, and merely leaned down to place a kiss on the unconscious young woman's brow before turning towards the elevator to bring them up to the penthouse. Upon reaching the desired floor, the tall figure carrying Lita sauntered down the corridor and kicked open a door leading to a private area where the penthouse suite was located.
When Nephrite reached the posh bedroom, he gently laid down the sleeping brunette and covered her with a blanket, but not before smoothing down one finger on her soft cheek.
The former earth general sighed. It has already been an hour since Lita fainted and judging by the soft sounds she's making in her sleep, his thunderheart might be getting a bit TOO comfortable in snoozing the day away. At which case, he had no complaints.
Nephrite's lips twitched.
It gave him more opportunity to just be with his love, even though she's a bit, well, indisposed at the moment.
". . .Hmmm. . ."
The figure on the bed moaned again and Nephrite stilled. His face was suddenly creased in a frown. Lita swung her head from left to right, her eyelids closed but moving as if she's having a dream.
'She must be dreaming. . .but of what?'
A bit concerned, Nephrite deliberately moved towards the bed beside Lita, and carefully lied down on his side facing the young woman. With brows knitted, he gently took hold one of Lita's hands, and closed his eyes.
'I need to see.'
With that, he joined the dream. . .
* * * * *
Silver Millenium
Lita looked up into Lord Nephrite's handsome guarded face and spoke with care, "I am delighted that they've found each other."
She then turned back 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,. . .of our family. Queen Serenity delights in his company," Lita continued.
Nephrite spoke quietly, but his voice deepened with an emotion yet to be expressed, "You will live with them, then?"
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."
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 at tea a few days ago, in front of both the Earth and Moon guardians, 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 saw 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, only to find her face 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 silent 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 serious 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. 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's feelings for him.
Dammit!!!
And to think, he had just risked his life a few days ago when during one of their outings, 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.
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 out without thinking – without realizing she used the endearment in her anguish of seeing her 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 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 and the quiet chuckle of one scheming blonde moon princess; nor did they see the gentle smile on the face of one stoic 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.
And the moon simply shone on.
* * * * *
Nephrite woke up.
For several moments, he was a bit dazed by his slumber and had to blink his eyes a couple of times to rid traces of sleep. His mind however, was besieged with thoughts on the dream he just shared with Lita.
With a tender smile forming on his lips, Nephrite gazed at the other lying figure beside him and stared to his heart's content. One of his arms was still around the young brunette, gently lying on top of her stomach, and without conscious thought his hand started to stroke the smooth expanse of skin of her belly --- all the while his eyes feasting on the beauty before him.
This is it.
Whatever happens after, Nephrite will not think of.
This is the moment he had been waiting for. Several weeks had already passed since he last left Lita's side when he transformed back to his human form, and a lot has happened since.
And he had enough. By now, most of his 'brothers' would have already met their loves in human form, and were having a blast of a time. He's not about to be left out on this.
". . .Hmmm. . ." Lita moaned, and slightly turned her head on her side, bringing her lovely face nearer to Nephrite's, eyes still closed.
Nephrite felt something stuck in his throat.
'God,. . .she's beautiful.'
A delicate frown then appeared in Lita's face. Moaning still, she shifted in her sleep. Nephrite stilled. But the young woman merely stirred to raise her arm and wrapped it around the auburn-haired man's lean waist, nudging her face on the crook between Nephrite's neck and shoulders.
". . .Hmmm,. . .hug, Nate. . ."
For several moments, all was still. Then, Nephrite sighed and smiled at the sleeping woman.
'Even now, she can't seem to forget the doll. I ought to be jealous!'
Shaking his head in amusement, Nephrite settled further into their embrace and before he close his eyes to sleep, whispered,
"You don't need that doll anymore, love. I'm here. And you can hug me all you want."
* * * * *