Disclaimer: Here it is folks! Have fun everyone, email me kay?  Oh 
standard disclaimers apply.  I don't own Sailor Moon, lots of people, 
namely not me but Naoko Takeuchi.  My rants and ravings can be found 
at the end, toodles!  

inspiredthoughts@hotmail.com


			       Lita:Last Kiss
				Chapter Four
				  Epilogue



	Lita glared at her friend as she tried to reason with her.  
"Mina, you can't go, we need you.  What if something happens, what 
then?  Or if you insist on going let us come with you."  Mina didn't 
even look up at Lita's words and shook her head as she continued to 
pack.  
	"I must Lita.  They need me because Serenity needs Endymion.  
He has to stay here, we need our princess to be strong because the 
planets only know if something happens to the Queen Ser-chan must 
wield the power of the Silver Imperium Crystal and to that she has to 
be sound in body *and* heart.  
	But he can't deny his home a powerful fighter so I have to go 
in his stead.  You know I fight better alone since I was chosen years 
before the rest of you.  I'm the only logical choice.  I'll go with 
the generals to defend Earth and Endymion can stay here with 
Serenity."
	"There's nothing logical about it," Lita snapped.  "We have to 
stay together!  Beryl still has our homes surrounded and we're 
stronger together.  We can unite our powers but if you leave...  Let 
someone else go.  Hell, let me go, please Mina.  We need a leader."  
Mina finally looked up through long golden bangs and smiled sadly.
	"Your fate is linked with Serenity's, more strongly than the 
rest of us.  It is your duty to protect her, it always has been and 
the rest of the scouts can't match my strength.  You would be the 
only one I could send in my place because your powers are tied more 
closely with the earth than the rest of the senshi but like I said 
earlier you're needed here.
	Now promise you won't tell anyone about this.  Only Endymion, 
the Queen, and I know.  We're making the switch in the counsel room, 
right before Queen Serenity uses the crystal to transport us tomorrow 
morning.  And Lita..." with this Mina paused in her chore and 
met Lita's gaze as her normally light blue eyes darkened with 
seriousness, "in my absence you're in charge."  Lita's face flushed 
hot then cold.
	"Mina, you got to be kidding, me?!  What about Rei..."  Her 
blonde friend shook her head firmly.
	"No, not in this situation.  Our primary objective is to 
protect Serenity and you know how to do that best.  And also," at 
this Mina's face was shadowed with grief, "if the shielding for the 
planets should fail and their armies prove not enough I must leave 
someone in charge who will be able to still think clearly.
	If the worst should happen Rei would be devastated.  In that 
one point alone her mind link with Rani makes her vulnerable which 
normally isn't such a bad thing.  Our stone statue of a fire princess
can't be truly made of marble.  There has to be *some* humanity there.  
Which leaves you as leader Lita."  Mina finished packing the duffel 
bag and straightened.
	"Now go spend some time with your man," she said with false 
gaiety.  "Queen Serenity and I have some war plans to make..."  Mina 
trailed off and bit her lip to silence the sigh forming on her lips 
and for the first time Lita noticed the worry lines that creased 
around the bright blue eyes, the almost permanent knot of tension that 
seemed fixed on Mina's forehead, and felt a pang of remorse.  What had 
happened to the carefree woman who she had gossiped with till all 
hours of the night?  What had happened to the laugh lines that use to 
grace her face?  What had happened to her innocence and childhood?  
	Lita walked forward and sat on Mina's yellow quilted bed and 
motioned for her friend to join her.  "What's wrong girl?  You're too 
young to act this old...  What happened?  Is there anything that I 
can do?"  Mina refused to meet Lita's searching eyes and shifted as 
she tried to escape the questions.  Finally she decided that it wasn't 
possible and answered, voice bitter and hard.
	"I'm scared Lita.  I'm scared for my parents and I'm scared 
for Marcus.  I'm scared that I'm making the wrong decision, that my 
friends will end up dead because of it.  I'm scared of what I feel 
for Kunzite and I'm scared because I'm about to go into the first war 
I've ever been in.  I'm scared because Queen Serenity seeks my advice 
as an equal and I want Artemis!"  The last was said in a near 
hysterical wail.  "I want someone to tell me what to do.  I want 
someone to take some of this responsibility away from me because I'm 
afraid I can't handle it."  Lita impulsively reached and hugged her 
friend quickly before drawing back to consider what she said.
	"If it helps," Lita replied, voice slow but sure, "I'm scared 
for my father.  And death is all something we face daily, it holds no 
power over us anymore.  Kunzite is a wonderful man and you're a 
wonderful woman and he'll realize it as soon as you get a chance to 
pound it through his thick skull some more and then that problem will 
be solved.  We're all scared of the war too but that's okay.  War is a 
nasty thing but the important thing is we can face our fears of that.  
You are Queen Serenity's equal!  No one has as much strategic tactic 
training as you do and she recognizes that.  And finally if Artemis 
ever hears that you actually missed him bossing you around you'll 
never hear the end of it!!"  The last brought a reluctant smile to 
Mina's face and twirled a strand of honeyed colored hair around one 
finger as she considered it all.  Finally she grinned like the old 
Mina and chuckled.
	"Thanks Lita.  That helped a lot.  It didn't solve anything 
but it put things into perspective and that was what I needed.  Now 
go spend time with Nephrite, and that's an order!"  Lita smiled.
	"Aren't I the commander around here?" she quipped.  Mina 
arched an eyebrow and laughed out right.
	"Not until I'm gone you power fiend, not until I'm gone!"


			*	*	*


	Lita lay in Neprhite's strong arms as they gazed at the stars 
together.  They were on Nephrite's balcony, the night before the 
generals were off to Earth.  "What's that one?" she asked and 
pointed.  Nephrite chuckled warmly as he settled her more comfortably 
next to him on the overstuffed patio chair they were on.
	"That bright one?"  Lita nodded silently, enjoying the gentle 
rumble of his voice.  
	"That's Vega and that's Orion's belt over there..." He 
pointed also and smiled before kissing her cheek.
	"Having fun darling?"  She made a noise of agreement and 
snuggled deeper into his comfortable embrace happy, at least for the 
moment, without the thought of his immediate departure to cloud her 
mind.  Apparently that wasn't to last.  She felt him tense and 
could almost hear the words he didn't quite dare to utter before 
finally he spoke.
	"Lita... if I don't come back..." She whirled violently to 
face him, her fingers coming up to stop the rest of the sentence as 
she placed them over his lips to silence him.
	"Don't," she said shortly as tears filled her eyes.  He 
sighed but firmly, gently, removed her hand and took the other one, 
cradling them within his own before continuing doggedly onward.
	"If I don't come back know that I'll always love you but 
that I want you to be happy.  You're young... if someone should come 
along and you fall in love go for it..." his eyes clouded with dark 
emotions, "Promise me."  The last was whispered but with a hint of 
steel lying underneath.  Lita's own emerald eyes widened but then 
closed.  When she looked up again stubbornness glinted in them.  She 
carefully untangled her hands and reached up to remove the earrings 
she hadn't taken off since the day he had given them to her.
	She kissed them and placed them in his palms before curling 
his fingers over them, her hands resting on top of his.  She met his 
storm filled eyes again, fearlessly, expectantly, allowing him to see 
the true depth of her emotions.
	"Never," she said softly.  "In death, in life, you and I are 
one.  I couldn't love another even if I had a thousand years to look.  
My heart, my soul, belongs to you."  Lita squeezed his hands and 
leaned up to kiss him on his own cheek.
	"Keep these safe.  You can give them back to me when you come 
home."  Nephrite freed one hand and reached up to brush away a 
solitary glittering tear that had trailed from her eye down her face, 
gazing deeply into her eyes all the while.
	"And where is home my love?"  She managed a smile then, a 
secretive, radiant, smile.
	"Where ever you are.  Where ever you are."  Nephrite smiled 
also, joy lighting his features like the sun breaking from behind the 
clouds.
	"I will find a way to you no matter what happens Lita.  I love 
you."  With that he bent down and kissed her, a lingering embrace of 
their spirits, as he held her tightly, almost afraid that despite all 
that she said that something would still come between them.  Perhaps 
it was destiny that whispered him to do so because it was the last 
kiss they ever shared, at least in this lifetime. 



Author's Notes: I know, I know, it was a shortie but I'm really 
proud I got it out at all because....well.... two weeks, right after 
I sent in my last update, my computer crashed, totally.  It was kind 
of scary, LOL.  Anyway it was at the computer doctor for a 
lllooonnnggg time.  They finally got it back to me and insisted that 
there was nothing wrong with it.  So basically I have a ticking time 
bomb so to speak that can type stuff.  Neway its been a race 
against the wire but here it it...LOL...Email me and let me know 
whatcha all thought.  Oh and due to my pressed schedule my 
proofreader/prereader mercurami(hi!) didn't edit this chapter also.  
Sorry everyone!!  Have a great week!

Oh...almost forgot...*sheepish grin*...here's all the great people who
emailed me! Lady Jupiter(who put up Lita's story on her page *g*), 
melissa-chan, Lady Raye, Sonya, Mn, Yoshi (hiya hiya), and princess 
ara.  I *think* that's all, sorry if I forgot someone!


ST

If this is posted at an archive that only accepts Lita fics the rest 
of this story can be found at my homepage:  
http://www.geocities.com/keitree