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  			Lita: Last Kiss
			 Chapter Three
	

	Lita laughed gaily as Rei cursed and fell flat on her face.  
Nephrite wrapped warm arms around her slender waist as he grinned down 
at her.  "Want to show her how its done lovely?" he asked in a 
delightful rumble, sending chills down her spine.  
	"Perhaps," she responded sweetly, "but you'll have to save me 
from her injured pride when she comes after me."  
	"Very well then, lets tempt the fire princess's fury."  
Pulling her to her feet from her place on the log he twirled her 
around so that she faced him.  Taking her hands in his he smiled and 
kissed them impulsively before leading her to the edge of the frozen 
pond and onto the ice.
	With a laugh she let him spin her away and draw her back to 
him before he threw her up with a powerful lift of his arms.  They 
whirled past Rei and Lita only giggled at the dumbfounded expression 
on her face.  Of all the men she had ever met Nephrite was one of the 
few who could ever lift her when she skated.  He was the only one she 
would ever trust not to drop her.
	Jadeite scrambled to hold back Rei who's face had suffused 
with rage before she had scrambled up and lunged at Lita and Nephrite.  
Not that Lita blamed her... after all she was taunting her and it 
really wasn't Rei's fault that she had never learned to ice skate.  
Mina didn't know very well either, though Ami was good and Serenity 
was even better than Lita was.
	Nephrite skated to an abrupt stop as he lowered Lita into his 
arms in a cloud of ice fragments.  Ami was clapping enthusiastically, 
a smile splitting her lovely face, as Zoicite tried to skate up behind 
her and wrap his arms around her.  Tried to that is...
	With a loud oath he misjudged his distance and flew by her, 
missing her by three feet.  Unfortunately he also hadn't quite gotten 
stopping down either...
	A loud cry signaled his arrival in a huge mound of snow.  Ami 
sighed, shook her head, rolled expressive eyes toward the sky, and 
went to pull her love out.  Lita bit her lip as her green eyes danced.
	Rei was busy dragging Jadeite around the ring as she tried to 
reach Lita's side.  Her skates kept slipping out from under her though 
and she and her lover more often than not ended up in a heap on the 
ice than moving forward.  Finally with an angry snort after one 
particular nasty fall, with Lita and Nephrite laughing hysterically 
all the while, Rei unlaced her shoes and marched barefooted across the 
ice to them with Jadeite running after her, his own boots slung over 
his shoulder.
	"I can't believe you talked me into this!" Rei fumed as she 
got within ear-shot of Lita.  "Of all the stupid, idiotic..."
	"Having fun?" Lita asked sweetly.  Rei's anger turned to 
embarrassment as she blushed hotly.  She scuffed one foot across the 
ice, almost immune to the biting cold by the fire that ran through her 
veins.  Finally she muttered darkly to answer.
	"Maybe a little bit, but just a little."  A reluctant smile 
graced her face.
	"I always have fun with Jade..."  Lita made appropriate noises 
of ohhing and ahhing and Jadeite who had made it for the last of the 
conversation met long suffering gazes with Nephrite.
	The princesses turned to punch their men.  "Behave," they 
both barked together.  Neprhite and Jadeite met eyes again and burst 
out laughing.
	"Kunzite, stop acting like an overgrown child you big oaf and 
get out here!"  Lita looked up and found more fuel for her amusement 
in the picture before all of them.  Mina was currently trying to coax 
a very stubborn Kunzite onto the ice.
	He was standing at the edge of the frozen pond, his face 
colder than the frozen water he refused to set foot upon, arms crossed 
across his broad chest.  Mina though was determined and if she truly 
wanted to do something neither heaven nor hell would stop her.  Lita 
also knew for a fact that she had set her sights on the generals'
aloof commander.  And though Mina's smile was sweet, and her voice 
pleasant, her blue eyes glinted with determination.  Kunzite was shy, 
of that there was no doubt, and he didn't have a clue around women.  
Mina was going to change all that, whether he was at first a willing 
participant or not.
	Lita's laughter quieted as speculative thoughts overtook her 
mind.  It was amazing how much everything had changed in just a 
month.  They were all in love, emerald eyes flickered to Mina and 
Kunzite again and she amended the thought, or on their way to love 
with the generals.  Each had found a part of themselves that they had 
never even known was missing.  It was wonderful and beautiful and it 
made her heart ache all the more because Lita knew it wasn't to last.
	In the last month their enemy had gained a name, a face of 
sorts.  It was lead by a witch called Beryl but further spy reports 
told them that even she was controlled by a yet unnamed power, 
greater, bleaker, and darker than even the evil queen's own.  And 
despite the fact that their forces had been attacking from the 
direction of the outer planets rumors, and even some facts, pointed 
them to come first from the sun and then from earth which had strained 
relations between the earth and the rest of the Silver Millennium 
alliance almost beyond repair.  The only thing that kept the arguments 
that the visiting generals were spies for Beryl quiet was the fact that 
Queen Serenity refused to hear a word if it and anyone who dared to 
mutter such fallacies behind their majesty's back were thoroughly and 
efficiently rebuked by the rest of the princesses.
	A blur of black against the white snow, magically created for 
the pleasure of the moon people in a few choice lakes like this, 
caught her eyes.  It was Luna, whose face was harsh and drawn.  Lita 
felt a flash of concern.  Their friend was working herself much too 
hard and with Artemis stranded on Venus she was doing the work of two 
all alone.  
	Luna trotted up to them, whiskers twitching in annoyance at 
having to walk on frozen water.  "Has the situation changed any?" 
Mina asked as she skated over, concern for warfare overcoming any 
personal goals.  Kunzite, forgetting his reluctance to be on the ice, 
strode up seconds later, still without skates.  Ami went quickly to 
Zoicite's side, pulled him from the snow, and joined their group.  
A glance around showed that all amusement and merriment was gone from 
everyone's faces.  Lita looked up at her love as her heart squeezed 
painfully.  How long before their duties drove them apart?  
	She had never voiced any of her very real concerns, though she 
knew Nephrite shared them.  She had sensed and taken part in his 
unspoken belief that all would work out, if the stars had their way.  
That was another thing she had to thank Nephrite for.  Before him she 
had never truly appreciated the stars...
	"Yes," Luna replied wearily.  "Unfortunately more bad news."  
Fear filled Lita's body.  Her father...
	"Have the planetary protections been overcome like they were 
with the outer planets?" Ami asked in a tight voice.  They had no idea 
what had happened to the outer planets...  All that was known was 
that the senshi were dead, the protections that usually guarded the 
planets from invasion were gone, and that for all anyone knew the 
royal families could be destroyed.  Pity filled Jupiter's 
princess for her blue haired friend.
	Of all of them Ami had the most to loose...  Without Zoicite 
she would have been a wreck worrying about Haja and the rest of the 
Terrible Five which composed of the rest of Uranus's brothers, all 
who Ami was as close to as her own siblings.  And if the protections 
around the inner planets failed...  Lita shuddered at the thought.
	Beryl's forces surrounded all of the inner planets save the 
earth and the moon.  So far the shields were holding.  Lita would 
have given anything to go to her father's aide and she knew the rest 
of the scouts shared her feelings but with Beryl's army it was 
impossible to travel to her home world and even if she could she 
wouldn't, that would leave Serenity alone.  They could keep in touch 
with their families through the mirror in the counsel room and for 
now that had to be enough.
	Looking at her true feelings Lita knew she wasn't faring 
much better than Ami, in truth none of them were.  Worry for their 
homes was clouding everything else and without the generals...
	"No," Luna answered, claming everyone's fears, at least for 
now.  "No they're still intact at the moment but there's a different 
situation that has arose.  Beryl's forces are moving towards us 
finally, the strategists suggest that they wanted to surround us 
before attacking.  
	But while the moon has planetary defenses the earth does not 
and that leaves it free for Beryl to take."  Lita felt Neprhite 
stiffen against her as all color drained from his face as well as his 
comrades.  Luna bowed her feline head, voice heavy with regret.
	"King Terra and Queen Gaia have asked for you to go and 
defend your home."  Lita's body filled with dread, if the generals 
left all of the senshi would be alone but if they didn't earth would 
fall...  She clutched Neprhite's arms, which were tightly wrapped 
around her still, before daring to look up and meet his gaze, for in 
there and there alone would she find his answer.
	Desperate emerald searched pain filled blue.  Neprhite tried 
to smile reassuringly but not even he could meet her eyes and deny 
the truth.  One of his large, caring hands gently untangled 
themselves from her death grip on them to wipe away the unknown tears 
that had filled her eyes and streaked down her cheeks.
	He cupped one cheek with his palm, long fingers soothingly 
brushing the rose earrings Lita wore even now but after only another 
moment he turned away from her intense stare, grieving face tilted 
towards the stars.  
	Lita studied her love's profile for a long moment, determined 
to commit it to memory before looking down at the icy ground which 
held none of its former beauty and magic.  Her own slender, white, 
and trembling hand came up and rested over Neprhite's and she closed 
her eyes to resolutely block back more hot tears that threatened to 
rain down.  A broken sob escaped her though because she knew no matter 
what they shared he would go to earth and if necessary he would die to 
defend it.  Both of them knew duty and both bore it without pause 
because both believed in and loved a friend that held the future in 
their hands.
	Serenity and Endymion could bring peace and happiness to the 
entire universe, if they were allowed to live, and for the greater 
good Lita and Neprhite would have, while not gladly, died to defend 
them.  It wasn't that their own lives meant less in comparison, only 
that Serenity and Endymion were meant to be whispered of for all time 
and Lita and Nephrite would find their immortality by ensuring that 
happened.  
	It wasn't a choice forced upon them but a personal one.  It 
wasn't something that their friends' had asked of them but it was 
nothing less than what they would do.  Nephrite would go and defend 
his planet and his prince because he loved them both and couldn't not 
go, just as Lita had told her father that she couldn't not do her 
duty.  
	Kunzite's solid, unwavering voice replied to Luna for all of 
his generals when the oppressive silence became so thick Lita swore 
the others could hear the frantic pounding of her heart.  
	"When do we leave?"

Author's Notes: Thanks for all your support everyone! I managed to 
pull this chapter off and know exactly how chapter four will go...if I 
can only find the time to write! LOL I'll try, really I will.  Here's 
all the nice people who emailed and said hi!: Mamatron, Lady Jupiter, 
FlameAngel16, AznLotus5, Sailor Tears, Yoshi, Sara, Venusian Goddess, 
Lady Ashura, and Echo-chan.  Whew that's a lot though I don't know 
exactly who emailed when...hehe. Everyone say hello to mercurami, my 
proof reader, but any boo boos are mine this week since I couldn't get 
it written fast enough to get it edited...sorry! Till next week!!

ST