Past Lives - part 2 The Jupiter Princess... "Sandora, I just spoke with King Serenity. Apparently, the Sun Kingdom has been dissolved and the Kingdom of the Moon now rules. He says they also have a newborn daughter. Suneria named her Serena. The Moon King also told me that Suneria would be here shortly and she had news for us. Oh, Queen Serenity also says 'hello' and that she's planning a court for Serena and would like it if our daughter could hold a position. I told her I'd talk it over with you first, but I'm sure you would agree." "That's wonderful. I mean about the court, of course. But the Sun Kingdom is dissolved? Why? Did Serenity explain?" "No, he said it was for Suneria to discuss with us. He didn't seem troubled by it though." "Oh. Fronteln, what do you suppose Suneria will name our beautiful daughter?" The Jupiter Queen asked her husband while cooing over their new baby. "I really couldn't say, dear, but whatever it is, I'm sure it will be wonderful. She is beautiful, isn't she? I'll make sure she's a strong and powerful fighter. That's my daughter." Jupiter's King smiled at the newborn infant sleeping silently in a green cradle next to her mother. King and Queen Vigority prided in the Strength of their lineage. The King himself was an undefeated Martial Arts Expert, while the Queen held the title of fastest sprinter. Their prosperity in athletics was passed on from generation to generation, so it was no surprise that the Jupiter Princess was also expected to be a leader in strength as well as mind. * ~ * A few hours after the Jupiter King spoke with King Serenity, Suneria arrived at the Grand Palace. She was smiling, but her eyes showed a trace of sadness in them. Almost as if she had suffered a great loss, but knew deep down that it was all for the better. "Your Majesties, it is so nice to see you again. We haven't seen each other in quite some time." "This is true, Suneria. You stay away far too long, but indeed it is quite a travel from the Sun to Jupiter, so we understand your absence." "Well my friends, I'm afraid it will be much much longer before my next visit. I Just spoke with King and Queen Serenity of the Moon Kingdom and it is understood that they are now the true rulers of this Solar System. The Sun Kingdom has at last fulfilled it's duty to the Galaxy and is therefore dissolved. Your newborn child is a gift from my Mother. Her name will be Lita and she will be a strong warrior. Her destiny is to protect the Moon Kingdom from any sort of evil that may arise. She will be a beautiful and wise leader. "I am sorry, but now I must go. There are still three more families for me to visit before my time is up. Good bye, my friends, and love well." And with that, the Sun Princess left King and Queen Vigority to raise Lita, their infant heir. "Lita is a strong name. Just as she will be," the King boasted. "Yes, my Love, the whole world will prosper under the rule of Princess Lita. Our beautiful child." "Come, Sandora, the Kingdom will rejoice in honor of our daughter." * ~ * ~ * "Hey there my little thunder bolt!" "Daddie you're so silly!" "I know Honey, I really try sometimes. But anyway, what would you say to Karate Lessons?" "Karate?" "Yes, your Mommie and I have been talking about this for a while and we feel it's time for you to start. Five is pretty old for a Princess, huh?" "Uh huh! Pretty soon I'll be as old as YOU, Daddie!" "That's my girl! You make your Daddie very proud, you know that Princess?" "Yup! But...Daddie? When can I get some friends? All the kids here are scared of me 'cause I'm strong and I hit that mean boy," Lita said sadly. "They don't like me. Can I have some friends, Daddie, puh-lease?" King Vigority looked at his sad little daughter. She had his deep green eyes, but she looked like a miniature replica of her 'Mommie'. With her hair pulled back in a soft ponytail, just like her Mother, she was irresistible. "Of course, hon, we'll get you some pals. Now how about that Karate class?" "Yippie! C'mon, Daddie, let's book it!" * ~ * ~ * "Serena!" The nice lady shouted, "The girls are here!" "I'm sorry, girls, she's probably goofing around inside somewhere. Serena, where are you?!" "Coming, Mama!" a little voice replied. "Sometimes that child's mind just wanders," the lady said with a laugh, "Here she comes. Serena, this is Amy from Mercury, Mina from Venus, Raye from Mars, and Lita from Jupiter." *Wow. All these different people from different places. I hope they're not afraid of me,* Lita thought to herself. *What do we do now?* Lita said, "Hi Serena," and was surprised to find that everyone else said it at the very same time. "Hi, guys! Do you wanna go play in the garden? I know this cool new game called tag. Someone from Earth taught it to me. Someone starts off being 'it' and that person has to tag someone else then that person is 'it'. Okay?" Serena asked. The blue hared girl from Mercury (Amy?) said, "Okay, as long as I'm not 'it' first. I'm not a very good runner," "Gee, I don't mind being 'it'," Lita offered, " I've always been pretty good at running. Is that okay with you guys? What's your name again? Meela? Meega? I'm not really good with names, sorry." "I'm Mina. And you're Lina?" "Lita." "Oh." "Yeah. Okay, let's play," said the dark haired girl from Mars, " I think we should determine boundaries and stuff first and if there should be a 'tag-free-zone' or something." "Have you played this before or something, Raye?" Serena asked, with a weird look of surprise on her face. "Of course. We play it all the time on Mars. What, do you think you're the only person in the universe that knows how to play 'tag'? It's not like it's the hardest game ever to be figured out or anything." That Raye person sure had a big mouth, "Gosh, Raye, you've got a big mouth," Lita said bluntly. "Let's just play and forget about the whole thing." *I want us to all get along. These girls are going to be my friends!* Raye took a good look at Lita and decided to back down, "Fine...GO!!" She yelled and took of at top speed towards the garden with Serena, Amy, Mina and Lita following close behind. Lita was having a blast. Not only was she making friends and having fun with them, she was getting to show off how fast and athletic she was. Besides the garden was so pretty, she didn't ever want to leave. It was filled with roses of every color of the rainbow. The little Jupiter Princess especially like the pink ones. They were so pretty. Too bad roses didn't grow easily on Jupiter, she'd have her Daddie plant a million of them! "You're it!" she saw a blur of short blue hair run by and thought, *Oh no! I've been tagged by Amy! She the slowest one here! I'll get her!* The girls played games all day, only stopping for lunch and snacks. All the girls got along quite well and knew they would all be best friends. "Bye Serena," Lita called as her Mommie arrived. She was the last one to leave. "Mommie, when can I visit my friend Serena again?" "Next month, Dear. Okay?" "Okay." * ~ * ~ * "Lita, Honey! It's time to go!" Queen Vigority shouted. "I'm coming, Mom!" *Wow. Eight years old...this is going to be the worst party ever! Too bad Serena and the girls can't come. That's alright, though, 'cause Mom said we could celebrate later.* Lita ran through the Grand Corridor and down the Royal Staircase. She was dressed in her favorite regal gown. It was long and flowed to her ankles. The fabric was the softest in the universe and was her favorite color: sugar pink. "Lita, you look beautiful! Your Dad and I are so proud of you!" "That's right. My little Thunder Bolt is growing up!" "Daa-aad! Puh-LEASE don't call me that anymore! It's so embarrassing! No wonder I don't have any friends. I'm eight years old now, you don't have to treat me like a baby anymore." Lita pouted. "You know you're awfully cute when you pout, Hon, I'd hate for you to crack a smile. It would just ruin the moment and..." Lita burst out laughing at her Dad's crazy antics. "Cool it, Dad, let's go party." * ~ * *What a boring party,* the Jupiter Princess thought for the umpteenth time. She stifled a yawn and made her way over to where her parents and some people she didn't know were speaking (quite intently) and waited for a pause in the conversation. "-een Serenity. And I strongly believe it is a good idea. Things will be a lot better off with Earth and the Moon Kingdom working together. Besides, I think they are both adorable!" "Mom..." "-piter is a prime candidate! Why when I was that age I was..." *I am going to scream if I stay here one minute longer!* And that was it. Lita made up her mind and walked out the door. She knew her Mom would be furious when she realized her role-model-of-a-daughter had ditched her own birthday party. *Who cares? I'll have much more fun outside by myself, anyway.* Lita walked through the gardens to her green house. She stepped inside and walked straight to her special thinking spot. Whenever the Princess needed to get away from it all, she came here. To the only roses in all of Jupiter. They were hers, too. Her most prized possession. And since she came here so often, she set up a little cushion to sit on, and kept her favorite book hidden underneath. Every once in a while, she would have a visitor. Corran was the keeper of the roses. He made sure they were watered and had enough light. He was her only friend on the whole planet. Corran's parents were the actual greens keepers for the Royal Family, but since their son was almost ten, they had started to give him some responsibilities. One of those being the roses. Sometimes when Lita was there, they would sit and talk for hours. He was the best kind of friend anyone could have But today Lita was alone. She sat on her cushion and sighed. *I bet Serena never had a boring birthday. She's always surrounded by people gushing at her. I bet she's never been bored in all her life. And Mina, too! She is always talking about the latest gossip and craze. All the girls have lots of friends and I don't have anybo-* "Hi there, Lita! Why aren't you inside having a good time with everyone?" "A good time, are you kidding?" Lita said as she cracked smile. She could never keep a straight face when Corran was around. "Of course not! All those high and mighty official people gushing over you saying how terrific you are, how all the cosmos are aligned, and that all is right with the universe. You know, that kind of stuff. Weren't you having fun in there?" "No. I don't know any of those people. I just walk around and people whisper about me behind my back. It makes me feel like some sort of a disease that everyone goes out of their way to avoid." "Eeeeeeeww!" "Yeah, I know. Hey, why weren't you in there?" She questioned the boy. Corran was noticeably uncomfortable with that question. "Well, I, uh, see I'm?well you're, I mean your parents, umm, well what I'm trying to say is? uh , I, uh, you're Dad said, uh?well, I just, I just, well, I don't really fit in. Yeah?" "Oh?I-I see." "I'm, sorry Lita, just forget about it. It's no big deal, just forget it." "Okay?well, um, how are things with you?" She tried to change the subject. "They're okay, I guess?" he glanced at his wrist, "Look, Lita, I gotta go. Happy birthday." Corran turned and hurried away. *What was THAT all about?! What did he mean about my parents?* Lita stared at the ground for a second or two after he left and was about to go after him when she noticed a crumpled up piece of paper lying discarded in the rose bush. Lita reached in, took the paper and carefully smoothed out the tattered page. Lita, Hi. Happy birthday. I rilly wanted to come to your party today. I was really excited about going I even talked to your Dad about it when he came into the green house yesterday. I asked him what time I should get their. What he told me made me sad. He said that I can't be your friend. That a princess can't be friends with a flower boy. He told me that if I came to you're party, then he wouldn't let you come to the green house anymore. It made me so mad! But I couldn't go and spoil your party for you, so that's why I can't go. I hope your still my friend. From Corran *Oh. I guess that's what he meant... Poor Corran?* * ~ * ~ * "Lita, honey, we need to talk, okay?" "Sure, Dad, what about?" *Huh?* "Hon, you've been growing up so fast. You're almost fourteen now, and your Mom and I would like to discuss something with you, grown up to grown up." "Okay, what's on your mind?" "Well, did you ever know how your Dad and I met?" the Jupiter Queen asked. "I never really thought about it, why?" "I was the princess of Jupiter, just like you are now. My Mother and Father had this same talk with me when I was your age. They told me that when I grew up, I would marry an important man to carry on the Vigority line. Your Father was introduced to me as the best there was in Martial Arts. He was one of the most sought after men on Jupiter. I fell in love at first glance. He was so handsome and strong. My mother and Father arranged the marriage, and here we are." "Wow, Mom, that's great. What does that have to do with me?" "Well, we thought you might be old enough to meet your future husband." "Wh-what?" She stammered. "His name is Khen and he's the son of the most profitable organization on Jupiter. Your Mother and I asked him to join us tomorrow night for dinner." Lita looked from her mother to her father searching for a sign that this wasn't real, that it was all some silly prank to get her worked up, but no. Her parents sat there looking back at her expecting her to welcome this turn of events that would forever change her life. In Lita's opinion, for the worst. "H-how could you??!" She managed to squeak just before she ran off to her room. *I can't believe it! How could they do this to me?!* Lita kept running until she reached her room. She burst through the door and ran to her balcony. Tears streamed down her hot cheeks as she climbed down to the Gardens below. Again she ran. Towards the Green House, and her sanctuary. When she finally reached her hideaway, she threw her head down and sobbed quietly into her pillow. *How could they DO this? Why don't I get to choose? I want to marry because of love not power! They just don't understand!* Quietly, a familiar figure crept up behind the miserable girl. *Lita??I wonder why she's here this late,* "Hi Lita!" "Wha- ? Oh! Corran! Uh, hi. I was just, um, and well?" "Lita, were you crying?" Asked Corran carefully. "N-no, I was just, I just, I.." "Hey, Lita, it's okay to cry. I cry sometimes, too. Lita, look at me. I'm your friend. Haven't I always been there for you? Remember after your eighth birthday?" "Yeah. Boy did I get in trouble big time for that one. 'Young lady, you march yourself right up to your room and write apologies to each and every one of our guests to say how sorry you are that you ran away during your own birthday celebration!' Ugh!" "Yeah, but after that." "You, you showed me how to climb out of my room and get to the green house without anyone seeing me," Lita suddenly realized why she was so upset over that Khen guy. He could turn out to be a wonderful person! She wasn't afraid of Khen, she was afraid of losing Corran! Corran?her best friend, her confidant, and well, her biggest crush ever! Lita looked up into Corran's dark green eyes. *How is it that Corran can always make me feel so safe? Even when my whole life is turning upside down.* Corran sat down next to Lita and put a comforting arm around her shoulders. "It's okay, Lita, you can talk to me." Lita rested her head on his shoulder and shakily tried to explain what happened. Corran looked miserable. "So then I stormed off." "I don't know what to say. What a shocker. I take it you don't what to marry this Khen guy." "No, I don't. I want to make my own choice." "Well, then I suggest you do what YOU want to do." "What about my parents?" "This is YOUR life, Lita, not theirs, I suggest you live it yourself." "I guess?um?Corran?" "Yeah?" "Would you help me?" "What do you mean?" "I don't know how to live my life." "What? What do you think you've been doing all this time? Sleeping?" "No, I just?" "Fine, I'll help you in one condition." "A condition?!" "Yeah, I'll help you if you say you'll be my girlfriend." "You-I, uh, I don't know what to say! Umm?umm?YES!" Lita was so excited. She couldn't believe that this was happening. Corran smiled as he wiped the tears from her face and kissed her gently. * ~ * ~ * "Lita, Khen's here. Let's go downstairs, okay?" "Mother, I can't believe you're making me DO this!" "It's all for the best, Honey. Trust me, you'll love Khen. He's handsome and charming, the perfect gentleman." "And what if I DON'T fall head over heels for this guy? Then what?" "Trust me, you WILL!" "I'm not making any promises." "Fine, Honey, let's just go. You'll see." * ~ * "He's in there, Hon, go ahead. We'll leave you two alone for a while." Lita sighed and walked through the door, prepared for the worst?only to find the second most gorgeous man in the world (next to Corran, of course). His short chestnut brown hair fell softly about his face. He looked gentle, yet very masculine at the same time. His eyes were a deep chocolate color that looked as sweet as the candy they resembled. Lita blushed as he stood up and presented her hand with a delicate kiss. "Lita, it's definitely a pleasure. I wasn't expecting you to be quite so beautiful! You look lovely?I'm Khen." She wasn't expecting this. Her Mother was actually RIGHT! "H-hi, Khen, it's nice to meet you." "Please, sit down and relax, I know this is uncomfortable for you. It is for me, too. I think we should talk about things," he said. For some reason, Lita was transfixed. This was the kind of guy who when he talked, you're really interested in what he has to say, because he seems so?I don't know?passionate. Like he really knows what he's talking about. "Good idea. I'm a little confused, when do we actually get married?" Lita asked. "I haven't the slightest. But I would like to discuss some things with you." "Uh, sure, me too." "Okay, you first." "No, YOU first." "Okay?where to start?hmm. Well, to be perfectly honest, there's this girl who I've been kind of seeing, and well, she's really nice, and I had no idea THIS was going to happen and, oh! I'm really sorry, not that this is your fault, and that I don't think you're one of the prettiest girls I've met, which I do," he blushed, "it's just, it's just?" "Oh! I know what you mean! There's this guy, and he's?well he's?YOU know!" "Of course!" he sighed with relief, "So, we'll be friends, right?" "You bet! Maybe after a while we should pretend to be in love or something?for our parents' sake!" she added quickly. "Good idea! Then it's settled." He smiled and they walked out of the room holding hands. * ~ * ~ * "This meeting will now come to order!" The Moon Princess said quite regally. "Any new business to discuss?" "Derik finally kissed me!" Venus shouted with glee. All the girls screamed and laughed, and Mina had to give all the details of her eighth kiss. "So, Serena, have you seen Darien lately?" Amy asked. "Father left yesterday saying he had business with Darien's Father. That is what he said, but I believe he is just going to bring Darien back here," said the princess. "They should arrive sometime tomorrow." "That's good. Have you told Darien that you like him yet?" asked a curious Raye. "N-not yet. I do not think I can tell him. I would be too embarrassed! What if he does not like me back? ?!?" "Oh please, Serena, give us a break! We can see how nuts he is for you!" "I give up. Lita? How's Corran? Anything happen between you two yet?" *Ugh. Raye will never drop this subject. I thought this was a court, not a dating quiz!* "Well?" "Come on, Lita! We all want to know!" Serena just looked relieved that the pressure was off her. "Yeah, Lita, tell us!" "Alright. Corran asked me to be his girlfriend two days ago." "AND?!" Everyone asked together. "And so my parents don't want me to have anything to do with him. I don't know what to do!" " 'Don't know what to do'? Get off it, Lita. You like the guy, and you're just going to forget about him?" demanded Mina 'oh goddess of romance'. "What do you want me to do?! My parents would kill me if they knew I was dating Corran!" "What did you tell him?" Amy asked. "I, uh, well?" "You said 'no', didn't you!" exclaimed Raye. "You have no guts to go against what your parents say! How do you know you and Corran aren't meant for each other?! Maybe he's your destiny! How could you do this? You really need to grow up, Lita. I can't believe you just let him go!" "Good, 'cause I didn't." "Good, then I want you to march right back there and tell him you?you what?!" "I said 'yes'. He's my boyfriend. There's more, though. I met the man I'm going to marry." "Wow. You already know you want to marry Corran?" Was all the princess from Venus could manage. "Not Corran...Khen." "Um, who is Khen?" Serena asked, slightly confused. "Did I miss something? I thought that you liked Corran." "I don't get it either, Lita, what's going on? " "My parents are arranging my marriage to Khen, the son of a powerful man on Jupiter. He's really a great guy and all, but I want to marry for my own reasons! So my relationship with Corran is kind of my way of rebelling against my family. I wasn't sure I was going to go through with it either. It just kind of came out, like it wasn't really me talking. It just seemed right." "How romantic!" Serena's eyes grew teary and she had a dreamy look about her. *God, doesn't that girl EVER stop thinking about Darien?* Lita thought to herself. * ~ * "Okay, by the next meeting, I want to have a solution for our Jupiter Crisis, a full update on the latest happenings on Venus, we will vote on the Mercury Ring, and decide what to do about Raye's new hairstyle," Serena announced at the end of the meeting, "See you all next month." * ~ * ~ * "Oh, hi Khen!" Lita exclaimed as she walked in from her date with Corran. I didn't know you were going to be here today." "Yeah, your Mother doesn't think we spend enough 'quality time' together. We're not 'falling in love' fast enough, I guess." "Something like that," Lita looked Khen right in the eye, "you're not fooling anyone, lover-boy, what's wrong? I want to know what happened." Khen sighed. "I've never been much of a liar, I guess I'll spill the beans. Your Mother never told me to come over, Erisi decided that we weren't right for each other. She decided that since I'm marrying you, it would be better to get this out of the way now instead of my wedding night." He looked miserable. "She...oh Khen, I'm so sorry. That's really horrible." "Actually, I'M the one who broke us up." Khen looked up sheepishly at Lita. "Why would you do a thing like that?" She was clearly confused. "You two were so happy together! What came over you?" "It pained me to break her heart, but it would be wrong to go on with me in love." "Okay, you've lost me. Shouldn't you be IN a relationship because of love." "That's exactly the reason I broke up with her." "Umm, yeah. Let me get this straight. You broke up with Erisi because you're in love with her? This makes PERFECT sense." "No, I broke up with Erisi because I'm in love with YOU." Lita was silent for a moment. "Oh. Well, that explains that, then." "I'm really sorry if this makes you unocmfortable, Lita. I just needed to tell you. It's okay if you don't feel the same. I just- I just- I want you to know that I'll always be here for you. Whatever the reason. I know how important Corran is to you, and I would never try to mess things up. Just...if anything should happen between you, I will always be here. I will wait." "Khen, that's really sweet of you. You're my best friend and one of a whole two people that truly understand me." Lita gave Khen a huge hug and a kiss on the cheek. "I'll remember what you said." "Oh, Khen! One more thing! Corran wanted me to thank you for bailing him out the other day." "No problem. I'm in good with the whole staff. Glad to be of help." "Mina sends her thanks as well," Lita added with a wink. They both busted up laughing. * ~ * ~ * "Corran!" *Where is he?* "Corran? Hello?" Corran snuck up behind Lita and gave her a ferocious backwards hug, causing Lita to emit an extremely high pitched scream. "Whoa! Cool it, Lita, it's me!" Lita turned around and socked her boyfriend in the shoulder. "You do that again and I'll kill you very slowly and painfully," she said with a look that meant business. "If you hadn't said anything, I would have had to break your arm or something." Lita smiled and hugged him. "So, what's new with your parents? Have you told them about us yet, or are we just going to surprise the heck out of them?" "Well, mostly I've just been telling them how much I STILL don't want to marry Khen. They can't understand why I wouldn't want to marry him. He IS a great guy, and best friend, but he's got a different life he wants to lead, and I just don't fit in with that picture. He needs someone to take care of and protect. Someone in pain that he can shelter and nurse. I'm just not that kind of person. I want to make my own choices and I want to live MY life. I don't need someone to take care of me. I just want you." "Hey, I know Lita, you don't have to explain yourself to me. I'm on your side, remember? I know what a great friend Khen is, he's saved my butt so many times he's like my guardian angel. He can see how in love we are and he doesn't want to mess with that. Although I do think he loves you. I can see it in his eyes. I guess he wants us to be together because he wants to see you happy." "Yeah, he told me. Khen's really something, isn't he? You know if it weren't for you, I probably WOULD marry Khen." Corran smiled and pulled Lita down on to the couch next to him. She marveled at his green eyes for about the millionth time and tugged on a stray bit of his dark brown hair that dangled in his face. "Why not tonight?" Corran murmured. "Hmmm?" Lita qustioned, not wanting to move from her comfotable position of resting her head on his shoulder. "Why don't we do it tonight? We'll ask your parents for permission and if they refuse we'll go off and elope like we planned." "Tonight? Well...I don't really see any reason not to, tonight's as good a night as any," Lita offered, starting to get excited. "Should we pack anything?" "Let's figure out where we're going first...umm...how about the Moon? Princess Serena understands what love means, heck Darien should be popping the question any time now." "Great idea! Meet me in my room in an hour, then we can talk to my parents! I love you." Corran agreed and kissed her tenderly before she took off and he began his packing. * ~ * "Lita?" Corran called softly into her room. "Come on in, Corran." Lita replied. "Are you ready?" she asked, more nervous than she was willing to admit. "Of course. Now give me a kiss before we're both banished from this planet." Lita walked up to Corran and put her arms around his neck. She smiled and kissed him with all the love in her soul. "I'll be right back. Wait on the balcony in case we need to make a fast getaway." She said as she went out the door. Corran walked over to the double doors he had just closed and opened them wide. The night sky looked beautiful and soon he would wisk his love up into that darkness and they could live 'happily ever after'. Corran stood next to the railing and peered over the edge. He saw the gardens and the greenhouse that Lita had watched so many times over the years. Soon they would leave this all behind. With or without her parents blessing. Hopefully with. Just then Lita's bedroom door open and Lita walked through, followed by King and Queen Vigority. "Mom, Dad, there's something I need to talk to you about." "Lita, dear, why make us come all the way to your room? Couldn't this wait until morning?" The Queen asked with a yawn. "No, Mother. I've agreed to marry-" "You've finally agreed to marry Khen? That's WONderful! Oh, Lita, I'm so-" "NO! You're not listening to me. I'm going to marry Corran!" "Oh come now, don't be silly! You can't marry a gardener, what a joke. Now really, what was it you wanted to say?" The King replied. "Corran...?" Lita motioned for him to join her from the balcony. "Corran and I have decided that we want to be married." "Yes, Your Majesties. We are in love and have been for some time." King Vigority quickly became red in the face, "Wh-WHAT IS THIS?!! I'll NOT STAND for it!" "Lita, what do you think you're doing?! I'm you Mother, you'll do as I say. You're never to speak to this boy again!" "Mother, this MAN and I are going to get married no matter what you say! This is MY life and I'M going to live it!!!" "Uh, Lita, maybe we should just-" "You stay out of this, Worker Boy!" The King shouted. "Father, his name is Corran. And WE...ARE... GETTING...MARRIED!! Come on, Corran, let's go!" "Sure Lita, I'm right with you." Corran grabbed the few bags of things they had packed and started towards the door, when the King grabbed Lita's arm. "You're not going anywhere, Princess." "LET GO OF ME!!" She screamed. "How could you do this to your Father and me?! Didn't we love you? Didn't we give you everything?" "No. You didn't give me a choice." Corran was at a loss. He almost wanted to give up. It almost wasn't worth it. Lita DID love her parents. And because of HIM, her family was being torn apart. "Fine. You have a choice, now. You can stay, marry Khen and forget about that boy, and all will be forgiven. Or you can leave now, forever being stricken from this world, and break the hearts of your parents that love and care for you. Lita's eyes spilled over as she took Corran's hand and silently walked out of her room while her Mother and Father looked on in sorrowful astonishment. * ~ * "I just talked to Queen Serenity. She told me Darien finally asked Serena to marry him," volunteered Lita "It's about time?um, did you tell her about our situation?" Corran asked. "Well?I told her that we we're coming to visit, just you and me. I didn't tell her about my parents, but I think she might know anyway, though." "What do you mean?" "Queen Serenity has a knack for seeing the unspoken truth. That's one of the reasons I like her so much." "Oh. I've never met her." "She knows all about you though, from Serena, you were all we talked about at court meetings. We barely talked about anything that didn't have to do with fashion or guys. Everyone thought it was so romantic that I had fallen in love with a rose gardener, " Lita laughed, "although I always envied Serena's relationship with Darien. She would just get SO dazed and ditsy, it was funny! You could always tell when she was thinking of him. One time, Darien sat in on one of the meetings!" She laughed even harder, "we didn't know what to do! We couldn't talk about boys or anything because we were too embarrassed! We finally had to ask him to leave! Then Serena got mad at us because of that and said we were so immature, so she ended the meeting early. But we all sat around and laughed for another hour! That was around the time when all of us except for Serena started our training. I think she was kind of jealous that she didn't get to train, or she resented us having to protect her or something." "Well, I think I'd be pretty resentful if all my friends had to train to be my personal bodyguards." "Yeah, we all felt the same way, so we never really talked about it around her. Anyway, you'll get your chance to sit in on a meeting. There's one in a couple days and I have to be there." "Sounds like a blast. Can I talk about cute boys too?" He joked. "Only if you want me to beat you up!" She countered. "Fine, it's a deal! Let's get going." * ~ * ~ * "Okay Serena, you can open the door now?I know you're in there, your Mother told me?" Lita hated talking to doors. "Corran, wait here, I'll be right back." Lita tried the handle and the door opened, so she walked in saying, "Serena? Are you in there? Hello?" Right away she wished she had waited. *Gosh, they sure don't waste any time!* "Oh, uh, sorry guys! I didn't think you two were, uh, 'you know', already. I'll wait outside." Lita did a one-eighty and walked back out the door. "Maybe we should come back later, Corran." "Why?" He asked. Just then a blushing Serena and a self conscious Darien walked out of the room. "Hi, Lita. Let me explain. I just came to wake up Darien. We did not 'do' anything. Well, nothing too bad." Serena smiled and you could visibly see Darien relax a little. "Sure. Your Mother told me last night about the engagement. I just had to come and see it for myself! Congratulations, guys!" Lita sent a wink to Darien and said, "Took you long enough! We all were about to give up on you! Darien put his arm around Serena and blushed. Serena leaned her head on his shoulder and said, "Venus is going to be so jealous!" They all laughed. "Serena, Darien, I'd like to introduce you to Corran. Corran, this is Serena and Darien." Corran kissed Serena's hand and shook Darien's, "It's nice to finally meet both of you. Lita talks about you often." "And I feel as if I have known you since I was thirteen! You are all Lita ever talks about!" The Moon Princess replied. All Darien said was, "Just hope they don't make you sit in on one of their meetings." He smiled with a knowing look in his eyes. "Too late, I've already been called to duty. Maybe if you're there, it won't be so bad. We can keep them in line and away from those 'embarrass-the-heck-out-of-your-fianc駠stories." Corran suggested. "Good idea. Do you mind, Serena?" "Of course not." "Good, then, it's settled." * ~ * "Corran! I talked to Serena, and she said she could have someone here to marry us tomorrow night! I'm so excited, we're finally going to do it!" Corran swept her up in a huge hug and planted a big kiss on her forehead. He smiled as they walked back to the room they were sharing. When they reached their room, an antsy Darien was standing around looking a bit worried. "What's wrong, Darien?" Lita asked. "Lita, Queen Serenity just received word that your parents have sent out a search for you. They are saying that Corran tricked you into running away! They want you back no matter what the cost. Lita, if I were you, I'd get away from here as soon as possible." "But Serena said her mother found someone to marry us tomorrow! We can't leave now!" Corran exclaimed. "Corran, it's for your safety that you go! Don't you see? Some of Queen Serenity's guards would kill for the chance to get in good with the royal family of Jupiter! Do you know how much this Princess of yours is worth to them?! They would be set for life!" "But-" "Did you hear me?! They would KILL for this opportunity!" Lita choked back a sob and hugged Corran's arm, "Maybe we should try somewhere else, Corran?" "Like where? Who else is going to help us out like the Queen and Serena, huh? This is our ONLY option! We're on our own if your parents are after us." The Jupiter Princess nodded to Corran and Darien shifted uncomfortably as the couple kissed. When they (finally) pulled apart, Darien said, "Okay, Serena and I will back you up, but please be careful. No one knows you're here aside from Serena, the Queen, and me. I suggest you keep it that way." "Yessir!" Lita said with a mock salute, "Dismissed!" Darien walked away shaking his head. In his mind he knew they were crazy. In his heart?he knew he would have done the same for Serena in less than a heartbeat. * ~ * The Moon Princess awoke with a start. *Did I hear something?* She looked around her dark room to see if anything was out of place, when she heard it again. It sounded almost liked a muffled thud. *What IS that?* She quickly got out of bed and made her way to the door into the corridor. Slowly, she opened the door, barely a centimeter and peered through the crack. What she saw made her want to scream out in horror! *Oh no! Corran! I have got to tell Corran!* She was just about to run off through one of her other doors when she heard a voice. "Let go of her!" "MMMmmmph! Cuuuuuuurrrrnnnnnn! Hllllllfff mmmmmmm!" Lita tried to scream back to Corran, but the soldier holding his hand over her mouth reduced it to a pathetic muffle. "This here's my golden ticket, boy!" the guard hissed. "I said let GO of her!" "Wh-?" Suddenly there was a loud thump, and the door they were near slowly opened to reveal an unconscious Serena sprawled on the floor. The Guard looked over, startled. It was all the distraction Lita needed. She bit down as hard as she could on the hand over her mouth, and at the same time she stomped on the man's foot. He yelped in pain and let go of her. Corran ran up to Lita and started to pull her away when the soldier regained his composure. He grabbed Lita's arm and the two men began a tug of war. All this was causing quite a commotion that attracted Darien's attention in the middle of his midnight stroll. He jogged over to see what was going on, clear eyes surveying the situation. His heart stopped dead in his chest when he saw Serena on the ground. His first thoughts were that she was dead and he hadn't been there to protect her. He ran up to her limp form and saw that she was a little pale, but otherwise sleeping like a baby. He hugged her to his chest and looked up to see Corran and one of Her Majesty's Guard's both tugging determinedly on each of Lita's arms. "Darien, will you snap out of your dream world and give help me already?!" Corran shouted desperately. The Prince of Earth released his love and started towards the struggling trio. About two strides away from them, Corran finally managed to rip Lita from the other's grasp. He flung her behind him to shield her from The Guard's still outstretched arms. In the span of a few seconds, two or three heart beats, Lita would never be the same. There was a flash of light, like the glow of the Earth being reflected off of something metal. The Jupiter princess looked on in horror as her true love fell into her arms. "NOOOOO! NOOOOO!! NO, CORRAN!! Darien, HELP ME!" Lita screamed. Corran looked up into his beloved's eyes and whispered, "I'll always?be?be here?for you. Always. I?I?love??..y?you?Lita?" Corran reached up his hand and caressed her cheek. "Noooo, NO! Corran! CORRAN, YOU CAN'T DIE!! Don't leave me!" Lita buried her face in his dark hair and sobbed. Darien was two seconds too late. Corran looked at him, tears forming in his eyes. His hands fumbled with something in his chest. The bloodied man gasped and dropped something to the ground with a metallic clank. "?Please?," was all Corran managed to say to him. He understood. With a white hot rage that he had never felt before, Darien grabbed the fallen dagger from the floor. "GuuuuuAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!" With one fluid motion, he buried it deep into the stunned guard's chest, then fell to the floor in tears. Lita just sat there on the floor, Corran draped across her lap, her shaking hands wet with his blood. "I've got to stop the bleeding! Darien, HELP ME!" She hiccuped and let out another sob. "?Lita?never?for??.get?.us?I love??.?you?" and with those final words, Corran closed his eyes and died in the arms of his love. "Corran, CORRAN! No, this can't be HAPPENING! NO! NO, I won't BELIEVE it! Corran, come back to me, I need you! I need you! I love you?" tears streamed steadily down her face as she whispered, "?I love you?" A few feet away, where Serena had collapsed, there was a little movement. "Oooohhhhh. My head." She looked up at the four in the middle of the hall and had to turn away so as not to throw up. Darien slowly and shakily stood up and moved to embrace his love. "Serena! Oh, Serena." Darien started crying again. "Darien! What happened?! Tell me! Lita? Cor-?!!?Ohmigod, Corran! Lita??" Serena's eyes started to shimmer and she turned away to bury her head in Darien's protective chest. He held her, his blood soaked hands making a mess of her fine hair and nightgown. "I'll go get my mother?" She walked off with one more sympathetic glance towards Lita and a reassuring squeeze to Darien's hand. Darien walked over to Lita who was now rocking back and forth cradling Corran's peaceful head in her arms. "Lita?" The Princess stared blankly across the hall and continued rocking. "Lita, I?" More rocking. "I want to tell you how sorry I am that I didn't help out in time," he apologized, "I thought Serena was dead and my heart just?well, I?" He was at a loss for words. Lita looked up and stared coldly at Darien, "I KNOW how you feel. Thank you," she said sarcastically, "your apology means SO much to me right now." She went back to rocking her lost love. "I see?" Darien retreated to the wall and leaned up against it, numb with shock from what he had done. *If I had been two seconds earlier?If only I hadn't stayed with Serena so long?I should have seen what was happening?If I had gotten there a moment sooner, Corran would still be alive right now?It's because of me that Corran is dead?It's all my fault!* * ~ * Muted sounds...blurred lights...fog...everywhere...voices now...pain. Oh the pain! How long has it been? Days? Hours? Minutes? Had Darien tried to say something to me? What did I said back? It must have been a dream. One long horrifying nightmare. Something bad had happened. What was it? I don't want to remember, it's too painfull. Something to do with Corran. No, stop! Don't remember, it hurts! Blood. Lots of it. I've got to stop the bleeding! Darien, HELP! Corran's dead! How can I live without him? He's everything to me...he's gone. Gone. What was that? Is someone trying to talk to me? I can't see! I don't want to see!...Darien...Darien is telling me something. What? I can't hear you! "Lita, come on! Snap out of it!" Darien said while shaking her shoulders. "You're stronger than this, Lita, wake up damn it!" "Lita, please come back to us! Oh Lita!" Serena cried. Just then Queen Serenity walked up carrying something glowing. Serena immediately recognized it and stepped aside. Darien moved away also, curious as to how a crystal was going to save a broken heart. Serena looked at him. "It helps. Trust us." Serenity placed the Imperian Silver Crystal in the palm of the heartbroken young woman. A few seconds later, Lita's eyes began to focus on the hand waving in front of her face. "Wh-Where? How? Corran?" "Lita, honey, Corran is gone. I'm sorry, but there's nothing that can change that and you'll have to learn to accept it. Life deals hard blows sometimes, and the faster you come to grips with that, the faster the pain will go away." Qeen Serenity held the girl to her chest and cooed soothingly to her. "I know how you feel, I know your pain. You'll survive, you're a strong woman." Slowly, Lita stood up. "I need to go home. Someone please take me home." She nearly dropped to the ground, but Darien caught her. "I've got you. I'll take you home. Are you ready, or do you want to get cleaned up?" "Yes, clean..." Lita was led away by Queen Serenity, still clutching the Silver Crystal. Darien stood next to Serena and looked into her eyes. "Serena, I love you. This whole thing has just made me crazy! For a minute there, I thought I'd lost you! I'm so lucky to have you here with me." "Oh Darien! You will always be in my heart!" She reached around him for a hug and was rewarded with a loving kiss. * ~ * "Thanks for taking me home, Darien. I really do appreciate it." "No problem." "I also wanted to say a few things. I know this sounds cruel, but I want to thank you for killing that man. I just might be able to sleep knowing that he's not out there anymore. I know it was a hard thing to do...to kill a man, but it really means alot to me." "That's okay. I'm sure if you had been in my position, you would have done the same thing." "I also wanted to apologize." Darien blushed a little, "Apologize for what?" He knew what. "Darien, I know I said something terrible to you back there. The thing is, I have no idea what I said. I just want you to know that whatever I said was just my hurt talking. It wasn't me. If Corran and I hadn't run away-" "But if I had just gotten there two seconds sooner-" "DARIEN! Are you listening to me?! We all want to blame ourselves and each other for what happened, but the truth is, it's NO ONE'S fault. I know if I keep saying that, sooner or later I'll start believing it. You should, too." "You're one hell of a brave woman, Lita. Corran was a lucky man." "Corran IS a lucky man." * ~ * ~ * Lita sat alone in her room. She was thinking of Corran and how his smile always cheered her up. She could hear him now?'Lita, what's that frown for? I'm not gone, I'll live on in your heart. Cheer up, you dork!' Lita sighed. Just then there was a knock at her door. "Come in," she said dejectedly. Her door opened and in walked Khen with a red rose, "I hope you don't mind, I picked one of your roses. It was just too beautiful. Lita nodded and accepted the flower. She lifted it to her nose and smelled it's sweet fragrance, it made her think of Corran. "I know I could never take his place, but I want you to know that I still love you. I'm here for you, Lita." The princess whispered, "Thank you," and walked out to her balcony. It was raining, but she didn't care. It suited her mood. She walked over and leaned against the railing, now soaked to the skin. After a moment or two, Khen followed her outside with an umbrella and a big blanket. He wrapped it around her shoulders and held the umbrella over their heads. "Lita, please talk to me," he pleaded. She looked up at him, eyes misty and on the verge of tears. "What do you want me to say? That I was wrong? That I DO need someone to take care of me? That I can't go on by myself? What?" "Lita, you can tell me anything, you know that. You always have." "I-I?I wish I didn't have any parents!!" she screamed into the night. The she broke down and cried, shivering in the cold Jupiter rain. Khen put his arms around her and let her cry on his shoulder. He kissed the top of her head and squeezed her tighter. "I'm here for you. We'll get through this together." * ~ * ~ * THE END * ~ * ~ * Okay, everyone. That was number two. Wha'cha think? Good? Bad? E-mail me at jupiter_sunrise@hotmail.com. I personally like this one the best. It turned out really good at the end (sorry the beginning was so slow). Once again, I made up the parents. I also made up Corran and changed Ken's name. (I think Khen just looks better). Pretty much everything else is copyrighted by a bunch of bigwigs with lotsa money. I don't have any. Please don't sue me. Thank you. Anyway, the next installment will be starring Mina. I've got some ideas, but I have no idea how long it will take me to write it. Kay? 'Till then! -Angie