April Shower 1

Hey chickabidddies (hehe my lil nickname for u readers), thanks for clicking here! Yeah, I know I'm a newbie, so please, go a lil easy on me! ^_^. I'm not some awesome writer, but I try. Brownie points for trying, rite? This is a short love story involving Lita and Nephrite. I personally believe that each scout was paired with each one of the generals. For those who aren't big fans of this particular couple, I hope I can change ur mind. Just give me a chance, PLEASE!

Blah, usual disclaimer: No, I don't own SailorMoon, and I really don't feel like gettin sued. Sailor Moon and all original characters included belong to Naoko Takeuchi and TOEI Animation. English adaptions are made possible by DiC.

Rating: umm...I guess PG/PG-13, pretty clean

April Showers: Part One

"That movie you rented was pathetic." Nephrite shook his head, remembering the torturous Friday night. For the three hours that the dreadful movie played, he had slumped on the couch with a stricken look on his face. Every time he would nod off to sleep, Lita would fiercely jab a sharp elbow into his side until Nephrite was doomed to awaken and watch the slow-paced, unrealistic romantic drama.

"It was NOT! It was *sniff* beautiful, aside from the ending. That Aiden was such a loser! He just up and left Gwendolyn, his true love! If he had been my boyfriend, I would have pummeled him," announced Lita before taking a loud slurp from her steaming hot chocolate. The pair continued walking along the bustling streets of Tokyo, their breaths slightly visible in the early spring weather.

"Somehow, I don't find that surprising."

"And after that, I would have dumped him on the spot." Her close friend suppressed a growing grin and nodded. A dreamy sigh snatched his attention. Hearts shone in the brunette's eyes as she focused on a stranger with fair hair cautiously crossing the busy streets.

"He looks like my old boyfriend." At this, the broad shouldered young man let out a roar of laughter. Lita glowered. If both her hands weren't straining to balance her drink, she'd sock him with a mean left hook.

"So far, every other guy that has passed us has looked like your old boyfriend, Lita."

"Weeeell excuse me if they have!"

"You're delusional."

"And you're heartless."

"What?! Me, heartless?"

"Yes, you! Okay, how many girlfriends have you had? Way too many to count. And I clearly recall the sweetest thing you have ever done for a woman was take her out to dinner. Which is pretty pathetic, lover boy."

"First of all, miss, those girls were nothing serious. So why should I spend my money on somebody just passing by?"

"Listen to you, you should hear how heartless you sound! You know, you should learn an important lesson from that movie." She slam dunked the empty styrofoam cup in a nearby trashcan.

"And what's that?"

"Women love to be romanced!" exclaimed Lita as she happily hopped over a crack in the sidewalk.

"Is that so?" A thick, brown brow lifted.

"Duh! We just swoon when we're treated like a queen, which is the only proper way women should be treated." He chuckled and ruffled her tidy ponytail, making her squawk indignantly and smack his imposing hands away.

"And what experience are you speaking from?"

"What are you trying to say?" she demanded suspiciously.

"Come on, Lita. Not counting all those crazy crushes you had on those poor guys, who are probably traumatized for the rest of their lives, you only had one real boyfriend and that only las--." His laughing comment was instantly interrupted as a soaring purse wacked his head.

"SHUT UP! That is not my point! What I was ORIGINALLY trying to say is that every woman deserves to be treated with absolute tenderness. No girl should have to deal with a macho man who is too insecure to be romantic."

"Me, insecure? I just don't want to waste my time and money on a girl who isn't special to me."

"Humph."

"Haven't we gone through this before?"

"Yeah, and you're too damn stubborn to ever budge."

"So are you." Nephrite grinned, and reached over to tweak the tip of her adorable nose.

"All right, loser, I'm tired of arguing with your ugly face," proclaimed the smiling brunette as she paused at the short flight of steps.

"Go get some beauty sleep, you need it. I'll call you tomorrow."

"See you."

"One last thing." As quick as a flash of lightening, he grabbed her slender wrist and yanked her athletic frame hard against his muscular body. All breath flew out of her lungs as Lita's hands automatically landed on defined pectorals. Instantly, she squirmed against him, hoping to catapult herself away from the strong arms that slipped around her waist.

"Nephrite, let me go! What do you think you're doing?!" There was a devious grin on his face, he was up to some stupid joke.

"Romancing you, of course." His warm breath brushed against her tingling lips, teasing her for not kissing her but setting his luscious lips only a few mere millimeters from her tightening mouth. Unaccustomed heat swept through her body at the intimate closeness, fogging her sensibility. Instinctively, his sweatshirt was gathered in her balled hands. His head inched downwards, urged by persistent tugs. The sensual pressure of his lips shaping to hers sent thrills through her relaxed body, closely followed by a surge of a growing desire. She was certain that all time skidded to an abrupt stop. Everything faded from importance and zeroed in on the exquisite sensations and the warmth of his body as she snuggled closer against him.

Their eager lips slowly pulled apart. Lita was heaving, hoping to catch the breath that had been skillfully knocked out of her. If he intended for that kiss to be a joke, she wasn't laughing, at all. Peridot saucers, rounded in complete shock, gawked at her best friend who towered above her. Her jaw hit the cement walk. Chestnut eyes, darkened with lust, returned her wide-eyed gaze.

"Umm....umm...s-see you tomorrow, N-Nephrite," she stuttered stupidly. Blindly, she rushed up the stone ascent, zoomed up the carpeted steps with such speed she tripped and fell flat on her face. After quickly brushing herself off, she continued her marathon to her apartment room, and slammed the door shut. She rested her back against the painted entrance to her apartment and gradually slid down into a sitting position. Her head softly banged against the door, her eyes closed to hide the confusion, the need that still beat in her heart. One word appeared in the blankness of her usually sharp mind.

Fireworks.

She absentmindedly drummed her short nails against the counter. It had been a week since the memorable happening. The events kept replaying in her mind as clear as day: his arms tightening around her waist as his lips tentatively stroked hers, Nephrite's manner, his air covered in a thick, dripping coat of raw sensuality.

The girls had decided to meet at the Crown Arcade before packing themselves into Mina's tiny car and heading for a festive day at an amusement park. Thankfully, she was the first one to arrive at the meeting place. It gave her time to contemplate. Something she had done quite a lot after the...kiss. In fact, for the past week, sleep refused to appear before her.

"Hey babe!" Mina shouted The gorgeous blonde, donning a clinging, cherry red halter that only emphasized her perfect figure, leapt onto an open stool and happily spun around.

"Huh? Oh, hey Mina."

"Where's Andrew?"

"Not here." The heavenly manager always made hearts apppear in her eyes. But now only one particular face haunted her.

"Damn!"

"Yeah, too bad," distractedly replied Lita.

"Hmm." Mina had that thoughtful, piercing look on her pretty face.

Uh oh.

"Don't look at me like that!"

"You got kissed, didn't you?" Honestly, the girl possessed clairvoyant powers in the subject of love. If anybody in the gang was suffering from guy problems, Mina could easily pick up the hints.

"No..." Her verdant eyes nervously fluttered away.

"Yes you did! Tell me who!" Figuring there was no use denying the fact, she unleashed every juicy detail without hesitation.

"Finally! I have been waiting for this moment!" shrieked her exuberant friend, pounding the counter and whooping.

"Well I haven't! Why did he even do it? He ruined everything!"

"Hmm, maybe it started out as a joke but you two just got caught up in the moment, you know? Or maybe, just maybe, our little theory was right all along."

"Don't be ridiculous." The girls came to a hare-brained conclusion that Nephrite and her were secretly in love.

"So, what was his kiss like?" Mina leaned in eagerly, her cornflower blues burning with curiosity.

"Very, very sexy. I felt...," she paused to find the right word, "fireworks." That was one way to describe it. The featherlike brush of his lips, the electricity that jolted her tingling body. Oh, oh, not good, just stop thinking about it...

"Fireworks?! Goodness, that boy must know how to kiss!"

"OH YEAH! Errr, THAT is not the point here. Now, it's so strange to be around him! I was so stupefied that I gurgled something that sounded like goodbye and fled," Lita moaned, burying her embarrassed face in her hands.

"Well, maybe your friendship will mature into something even more meaningful."

"Our friendship was already meaningful! Good friends are so hard to find, and I never wanted to lose one because of some stupid kiss! Fireworks or no fireworks!"

"It may be painful, but why don't you try calling him?"

"I already have. I chickened out." She could have stared a hole in the phone, she sat there for so long. After realizing she couldn't do the deed, she stormed off, cussing at herself for behaving so hesitant and bashful. It was unnerving to act so uncharacteristically shy.

"How about writing a letter?"

"I flunked English."

"How about reciting him some lovely poetry?" Mina snickered.

"Are you serious?!"

"Umm..." A blonde lock twirled around her finger.

"I guess I need to stop acting like a baby, tough it out, and just face him. I'll act like nothing even happened," she leaned back, brightening at the thought.

"Somehow, I don't think that's possible," gently objected Mina. She was only too right.

A orange sphere plunged, thumped loudly as it smacked against the tile, and rolled. Lita squealed and ducked behind a stand of fire engine red tomatoes. She was acting childish, but she wasn't quite ready to face the music, as predicted by Mina, the love guru herself. Nephrite had strolled easily into the grocery store, taking powerful, confident steps that only magnified his newly noticed sexiness. She was always aware of how staggeringly good-looking he was, with soulful, brown eyes, curling, mahogany locks pulled into a roguish ponytail, and a melting, lop-sided smile. However, fourteen years of friendship taught her it was safer to ignore his stunning attractiveness. It didn't due to fantasize about your best friend.

And there he was, surveying a sale on soda. Her heart raced, skipped a beat, then resumed its furious pounding. Gulping loudly, Lita inched to the check-out line, hoping to make a quick getaway without being recognized. Then, as graceful as a butterfly and twice as pretty, a smiling blonde dressed in a flowing, flowered sundress that brushed against her thighs, lovingly threw her arms around his neck and placed a quick kiss on his mouth. Lita's fingers squashed the ripe bananas she planned on buying. Brute force forced the yellow skin to crack open, releasing its squishy in- sides. Who was this girl? How dare she kiss him...wait a minute was she his latest fling? The jerk kissed her while he was seeing another person? The cheat! Anger was an understatement of the emotions that wreaked havoc upon her mind and heart. Nevertheless, Lita jumped from stand to stand like a ninja. She just HAD to hear what they were discussing about.

"So, how about that dinner date you promised me?" the mysterious woman bubbled. Her bananas were now demolished past recognition.

"Does Tuesday sound fine?" He was taking Barbie out to dinner? This mysterious woman must be awfully special to be invited to such a grand occasion.

"Sounds perfect, honey. What should I wear?"

"You'll look pretty in anything."

"Aww, Nephrite, you're so sweet," with a dazzling smile, she lifted her head, obviously striving for a passionate kiss. Lita cursed and held her breath. His eyes flickered over her parted lips, but surprisingly, her friend abruptly stepped out of her tightening embrace. Disappointment was written clearly on Barbie's magnificent face. Lita let out a sigh of relief.

"Look, I'll call you later, but I really have to get this shopping list finished. So if you'll excuse me, Rachel." So she had a name? Lita preferred Barbie, it suited her. He slowly extricated his arm from her death grip with a friendly smile.

"Are you sure you don't need any help?"

"I'm sure."

"Okay then dear, I will see your handsome face later," Rachel winked before gracefully gliding away. Dumb blonde! Boy, if Serena heard her mutter that, she'd be slapped upside the head. But she was aiming that stereotypical image to the particular blonde who had just kissed the man who she had mixed up feelings for. Lita was tempted to chuck her battered bananas at the retreating back, but wisely decided to focus on the object of her affection. He placed several liters of soda in his shopping cart and was now advancing towards the fruit section. Straight towards her hiding spot. With soft eep, the brunette made a beeline for the check-out line, but in the midst of her hurried getaway, she tripped over that damn orange that she dropped. Her knees hit the floor with a painful crack. Something disgustingly slimy was trapped beneath her stomach. Her bananas! Her blunder was followed by a long stream of colorful expletives.

"Are you okay?" Nephrite's voice questioned overhead. Strong hands lifted her to her feet and remained on her narrow waist even when it was obvious she was fine. Her eyes snapped wide open in pure horror when a chunk of banana plopped from the creamy stain on the front of her shirt to the ground. Could her day get any worse? With a toss of her ponytail, the humiliated young woman hesitantly met his amused gaze.

"Hi." What an awe-inspiring show of her wide vocabulary.

"I think your bananas suffered worse than you." His fingers indicated to the flattened mush glued to the floor. Redness blotched her cheeks. Slowly, his hands slipped away. Lita glared merciless at him before stalking off without a single word. Again, she was restrained by his warm grasp wrapping firmly, but gently, around her waist.

"Let me go!" she shouted, lifting her knee for a karate kick.

"Why are you so mad?" Deep brown eyes regarded her with an inscrutable look.

"Hmm, oh I don't know. Maybe the fact that you...you...KISSED ME while you were going out with that girl." As his mouth opened to protest, she plowed right through. "Yeah, I happened to catch that little exchange between you two. And...uhh..maybe I did happen to overhear the conversation. Dinner on Tuesday? I take it Barbie (did she just say that out loud?) is pretty special to you! So don't you dare even ask me what I'm mad about, because I think it's quite clear!" she seethed, not caring that she was so loud that two old women several aisles were screaming at her to shut up. Her chest heaving, she swiftly turned, further grinding the bananas into the floor with an angry stomp.

"I just want to...STRANGLE HIM! I mean, a guy just can't go up and kiss somebody while he's in a relationship! Particularly, HIS BEST FRIEND!" bellowed Lita, her constant pacing wearing the plush carpet down. Mina weakly smiled at her in sympathy but kept silent. She known her long enough to realize that when her easily angered friend fumed, she would only calm down once everything was released from her system.

After a few more minutes of pillows soaring across the room and cussing, the brunette collapsed beside Mina and, like a perplexed child, laid her head on her close comrade's slender shoulder.

"Feeling better?" she asked, patting the ponytail gingerly.

"A little. But I'm still steamed."

"Or maybe jealous?"

"WHAT?!" Lita's head snapped up, peering at her incredulously at the suggestion.

"I think it's pretty obvious that you were, and still are, envious of the girl Nephrite was talking to in the grocery store. Maybe you are mad at him, but let's be honest here, you're more jealous than anything else."

Moaning, her head returned to its resting point. "Damn it, you're right. I wanted to rip Barbie to shreds. I still do. You should have seen the way she touched him and smiled up at him."

"I can only imagine."

"Mina, what am I going to do?! I lost a best friend because of that kiss! And any hope for relationship is definitely out of the question."

"Why?" The inquiry made the suffering young woman bite her lip in thought.

"Because he's not interested in me like that." Even though that earth moving kiss spoke otherwise, still...

"What if you were certain he was interested in you?"

"Well, I never chased Nephrite like any of my past crushes because I cherished our friendship too much. I put our relationship on such a high pedestal that anything past that was too far to reach. And, honestly, because Nephrite could never be the boyfriend I would want him to be. I have such unfaltering beliefs that a woman deserves to be romanced, wooed, loved. And...he's the complete opposite of the ultimate romantic. He's.. A CYNIC. I don't think I could bear that, because that's something I feel too strongly about to ever change. And I'm not the type of woman to force a guy to change his personality just for my own security," softly explained Lita. Mina stroked her mane and tsked, finding the mature state- ment true to her friend's character. She was too stubborn to ever ask for a man to bow down to her wishes and too proud to accept anything below her high standards.

"I understand. Sweetie, I know you feel trapped right know, but I truly do feel that you two will find a way to be together."

Lita lifted her head, pure misery clouding the usually clear greenness of her thick-lashed eyes. "I just don't find a way for that to happen."

Oooh no, what is our heroine going to do? Torn and confused, two of the worst feelings for a teenage GIRL. And I speak from experience ^_^. Well, check back for part two to see how she ends up. Hope you chickabiddies liked part one! ~The Ruby Kitty