April Shower 2

And here, chickabiddies, is the second part to the love story of Nephrite and Lita. As you can see, I took a different approach to how they met. I hoped you like it, cuz my purpose here is to entertain you guys! Again, please email me at Kittyluver2312@yahoo.com with your opinions!

As I said before, I don't own SailorMoon, and I Sailor Moon and all original characters included belong to Naoko Takeuchi and TOEI Animation. English adaptions are made possible by DiC.

Rating: PG/PG-13

April Showers: Part Two

Days progressed to weeks. Lita avoided those puppy brown eyes like a disease. It hurt her wounded heart too much to lay eyes upon him, knowing she had fallen in love with a man who she could never have. Damnit, love hurt. Oh, sure, she could march up to him, grab his collar, and kiss the living daylights out of him. Boy, did she want to. She could just imagine his enticing touch, his lips...*ahem* ANYWAY, a fling wouldn't be enough.

She wanted to be in a serious relationship where she was certain she held her boyfriend's heart, and vice versa. So the idea of having Nephrite as a boyfriend was VERY reluctantly thrown out the window.

So she was down a boyfriend and a best friend, one she sorely missed. Now, their Friday movie nights were spent watching reruns of ancient, corny Japanese movies. She cooked and ate by herself, but images of a particular young man sitting beside her with an indulgent smile as she forcefully shoved a forkful of her legendary cherry pie down his throat kept appearing. Nephrite might be terrible boyfriend, but he was a top-notch best friend. In different ways, he was better than her regular pack of girls, even though she'd rather die a torturous death than ever tell them that. She could just imagine their faces. Not good, not good. It wasn't that Mina's listening skills weren't comforting, Serena's jubilance wasn't uplifting, Amy's wisdom wasn't helpful, or Raye's fiery attitude wasn't refreshing. It was just that all those wonderful qualities were packed into one man. To sum it all up, she missed him. She missed their little wrestling matches, even though she always lost in the end. She missed his lop-sided smile, so infectious that she instantly returned the sign of happiness. Most of all, she missed his generous friendship. She might have always complained he was heartless towards his girlfriends, but he was never greedy when it came to her.

But now all those sorrows were joined by something else. Desire. After their lips had touched, Lita sat herself down on and came to a profound realization that she not only LOVED him, but physically WANTED him. He was still easy going, practical Nephrite, but now also sexy, gorgeous Nephrite. Was it possible that her view of somebody could change so easily after one event? It sounded pretty hooky to her, but here she was, in the exact situation.

Rrrriiiiing. Rrrriiiiiing.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Lita." She damn near dropped the phone. Her hands balled into tight fists, turning her knuckles pasty white. Geez, she missed his voice. She almost forgot the warmth in it.

"Hi."

"Look, I want to say sorry for everything. For kissing you, for screwing up our friendship, for everything. I never meant for this to happen," hurriedly apologized Nephrite.

"Umm..." Don't hesitate! She wanted this, right? She wanted everything to go back to normal...right?!

"I don't want to lose you, Lita. I know how much you treasured our friendship."

"I-It was very special to me."

"And it still should be. Let's just forget it ever happened, all right?" Her heart was ripped out of her chest and clobbered by a furious salsa. Forget the feelings that kiss discovered? Forget how her heart longed for him? Too late for that buddy!

"Umm..."

"Please?" he begged.

"All right, Neph."

"Thank you, Lita, so much. To make it up to you, I'm going to take you out to a movie and dinner afterwards. My treat."

"You don't have to...," she trailed, hesitant.

"No, no, I do. This mess is my fault."

"Fine."

"Good, I'll pick you up at 6:00."

"Sounds good, I'll see you then." Slowly, the receiver was placed in the holder. Her trembling fingers remained pressed against the creamy plastic. Unfocused verdant eyes stared in the direction of the contraption, but didn't truly focus upon it. She was in her own, complex, soap operaish world. A jewel-like tear coursed down her satiny, tanned cheek and splattered onto the carpet. Fiercely, she told herself she would forget her love for Nephrite. For the sake of their friendship, she vowed she would.

"I hate horror flicks," grumbled Lita, distastefully picking up the movie and shoving it into the VCR.

"Stop nagging. Who had first dibs on the movie last week?" he teased from the couch.

"Yeah, yeah, shut up." Purposefully pasting a dismal look on her face, the young woman strolled to where her best friend was lazily sprawled. His position occupied half her beloved pastel pink couch. Whining and muttering, she kicked him to the corner, but he refused to budge. His unwillingness to move was rewarded by several acute punches to his rock hard biceps. Whoa, who knew her best friend was built? Then again, who knew he could kiss like THAT?

"You punch like a girl!"

"I am a girl, jerk!" A delighted shriek sailed through the lighthearted atmosphere as Nephrite ruffled her ponytail, holding her still by using his famous headlock. She squirmed, screamed, and flailed her arms like a windmill, only to find she was to endure the assault to her silky mane.

"Say it, say it!" he hooted.

"Noooo!" He began to tickle her stomach.

"Say it!"

"Hahahaha! Okay, okay! Hahahaha! M-MERCY!" Abruptly, the tickling stopped and she was politely allowed to settle back against the sofa. A mischevious grin hinted at the solemn line of his lips, but Lita was unable to hide her sunny smile. The PLAY button was pushed, and the blood and gore began.

She wasn't the type to get frightened easily, but when a shadow repeatedly sprang out during unexpected moments and the music was in perfect sync with the sudden rise of excitement, Lita couldn't help but cry out a few times.

"AHHHHHHH!" Her face instinctively buried in Nephrite's plaid, button down shirt. Immediately, inquisitive emeralds peeked at the television screen to see what was going to happen next. Nephrite shook his head and slipped a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"DON'T GO TO THE BASEMENT!! THE KILLER'S WAITING FOR YOU!!!"

"Shut up." Expecting another verbal battle, Lita twisted her head to meet his gently admonishing face. The heroine's slow maneuvers down the creeping steps were lost upon her as she found herself drowning in those radiant, rich chocolate lakes. It was sappy to say, but she could see forever in those resplendent orbs. Forever. Like her love for Nephrite. What she felt wasn't some infatutation, like the one with Andrew. Granted, the manager was downright gorgeous and his eyes were SO dreamy, BUT the severe aching, the heart broken tears, the gnawing need for Nephrite was too real.

His fingers cautiously crept out and tucked a stray lock behind her ear. With the softest, most tantalizing touch, he brushed the sensitive spot beneath her ears, making her entire being shiver. He shifted forward, Lita's eyes were beginning to flutter shut...(WOOHOO, ANOTHER KISS)

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The thunderous plea of the young woman who was being chased by the killer shattered Lita's fantasy world that she gladly delved herself into. Nephrite's intense stare blinked once, blinked twice, then uneasily shifted to the television set. The cheerfulness in the air was swallowed by that mouth of awareness. Grr, she wanted to toss that stupid TV right in the trashcan.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, unable to catch her hopeful gleam.

"Yeah, so am I."

"I'll call you tomorrow," Nephrite suggested as he slipped into his light spring jacket. Still glum that he acted like he was walking on egg shells, the young woman nodded before turning to shut the door.

"Lita?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry about what happened...I really didn't mean to do that." For some reason, his sincere apology made something inside of her snap. Maybe she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, who knew, but she kinda went nuts. The dam that restrained the emotions that built up inside of her for the past months was destroyed. Soon words flooded out of her mouth without a single thought.

"Well, you know what, I'm not! Don't look so damn shocked! Before you leave, let me give you a piece of my mind, buddy, something I have been DYING to do for quite a while now! And close your jaw! I can't take this anymore, Nephrite, I just can't! I can't keep on pretending to be friends when I'm really head over heels in love with you! I can't keep on smiling when I just want to break down into tears!" Lita childishly stamped her foot.

"B-But I thought you wanted this," a truly bewildered Nephrite stammered.

"I told myself I did! I thought I could put up with my crazy feelings for the sake of our friendship. But you know what, I DON'T CARE ANYMORE! I'd rather to never see your gorgeous face again than to have to see you day in and day out knowing I can never touch you! A girl can only handle so much, and this is the last straw. Goodnight!" With that, she ended her dramatic speech with an equally dramatic slam of her apartment door.

Groggily, Lita trudged to her sofa and collapsed onto the sinking cushions. It had been two weeks since her tirade, and not a single peep heard from the object of her deep affection. She did feel just a tad stupid about all the words that gushed out of her mouth that night but she didn't really regret it. Emotions cooped up inside of her for too long, and according to Amy, it was scientifically proven that it was healthy to vent them. Leave it to Miss Health Expert herself. But now, she had fallen back into that void of emptiness. Finally, when the man who she shared such a special, intricate bond with reconnected with her, she destroyed the fragile friendship by exploding into a strange confession of love. No flowers, no sweet music, but simply her mouth flapping wide open, her eyes blazing with rage. Boy, she must have NOT been a pretty sight to see.

To add to her depressing mood, the sapphire sky parted and released a heavy shower. She had planned to go jogging to release some pent-up energy. Clear droplets quietly pelted against the window, creating skinny rivulets of rainwater. Showers during the spring were always so pretty. During the summer, the sky turned angry and the most gloomiest, darkest shade of gray. Yet in the spring, the sky remained a spirited hue of bright blue and the golden sun still smiled. Still smiled through the tears of heaven. Lita shifted and hid the extra brightness in her eyes with the palm of her hand. Could she be like the spring sun and smile through the tears? No, she already tried and miserably failed.

A sharp rapping at her apartment door shoved her out of her despondent reverie. Curiously, she plodded to the entrance with tired, dawdling steps. No one had called and mentioned that they were planning to stop by. And certainly a robber wouldn't bother to knock before entering. Sorrowful emeralds peered out of the peephole. After a few seconds, her ponytail jerked back in shock. Ever so slowly, the door creaked open to reveal a drenched Nephrite.

Lita bit her lip from saying anything brainless. Broad shoulders filled the entire doorway. His raw, stirring aura filled the room and spiraled around her like a gale of wind. Grains of liquid streamed down exposed, muscular arms. The pitch black T-shirt carved against pectorals and a washboard stomach, heightening that familiar aching in the pit of her stomach. Denim jeans desperately clung onto his narrow hip and defined thighs. The cord that usually confined his shoulder length, wavy brown locks was gone. Now several threads of chestnut molded to the sides of his face and his square jaw. He never looked more handsome. She couldn't stop staring...

"Wha--," her unsteady inquiry was rudely cut off as Nephrite's hand circled her wrist. Without speaking or bothering to close the open door, he sprinted through the hallway, dragging a sputtering Lita directly behind him. Down the staircase quicker than a flash of lightening, through the door the pair went. Rain began to splash against her body and face, quickly seeping through her sweatpants and cotton T-shirt. One watery pellet from the heavens trickled down the bridge of her impish nose. She turned wildly around, then stared up at the cerulean sky before stealing a glance at the man who had stolen her heart with a single, amazing kiss. Really, she had loved him ever since he stole her delicious dumplings in the first grade and she ran up to him in a red rage and socked him right in the stomach, but it wasn't until that fervent moment that realization threw a potent punch. Unfortunately, he wasn't looking in her direction, but boring a hole in the ground. He looked so thoughtful. For a second, she was uncertain how to react to his uncharacteristic behavior. Before she could speak, the silent young man led her out to the parking lot of the apartment complex. He raced up a paved hill, then made a quick right to a flourishing field rolling with gentle hills. The ground was sopping wet, her bare feet sunk into the tall grasses that waved a friendly greeting to her.

It was then he turned fully to gaze down upon her quizzical expression. Questions of what in the world his purpose was for bringing her here were scrawled across her ravishing face. Her pajamas clung to her blossoming figure, the rise of her firm breasts, the inward curve of her waist, the flare of her rounded hips. With droplets coursing down her face, her innocent green eyes wide and curious, and her pouty lips twisted, she was the perfect image of fresh loveliness.

"You're beautiful," he whispered. She warmed to his compliment. A soft forefinger caressed her defiant jaw line, then traveled north to outline her high cheekbones. Waves of heat crashed onto her body, and she gladly welcomed that dizzy, weak feeling. So that was why people wanted to fall in love, to experience that unique, light headed emotion. It was unlike any other feeling, and it triumphed over any other feeling. The enticing roving of his powerful fingers was too strong to fight against. Like two spoons, Lita melted against him, pressing her palms to the sturdy, rhythmic beat of his heart. His thumb replaced his forefinger, dipping to her mouth, gently brushing over the succulent fullness with feathery softness. She sucked in a nervous breath. His mouth was so close, no more than a simple breath away. He was driving her crazy...

"Nephrite..."

"Once it started raining, I knew it was a perfect time, a perfect opportunity." Her eyes rounded. Whoa, hold on! Mr. Cynical planned to bring her to this field? To do this? Someone pinch her!

"But I thought you weren't a romantic guy?" she crossly inquired.

"I'm willing to change for you, Lita. As I said before, you're too important to lose, as a best friend and as a soul mate. I can't let my own stupidity allow true love to breeze by." His lips whispered against hers, the flame inside her being provoked into a raging inferno when he did not immediately kiss her.

"B-But, umm (she was having a difficult time collecting her thoughts) what about our friendship? It was so special to us! And I don't want to change you, Nephrite. I would never want you to be someone you're not."

"Not all change is entirely bad. What we had in the past is turning into something even more precious. My personal change is for the woman I love and I can't think of a better reason." She smiled slightly at his judgement.

"Good call. But," Lita pulled back as her sparkling eyes clouded suddenly, "what about the fact that you kissed me while you were seeing someone else? What if you were to do that while we were together?" The thought of him betraying her trust was unbearable. She wasn't sure if she'd kick him or cry first. He massaged her collarbone, a spot she never knew so sensitive to head reeling sensations until now.

"That girl, and her name ISN'T Barbie, was just a friend. I took her out to dinner because she was upset about the fact that her boyfriend recently dumped her. I wanted to cheer her up. But I never stepped beyond being a gentleman, I swear, Lita." His earnest look crumbled the protective wall shielding her feelings.

"You better be telling me the truth," she tilted her head.

"Lita, you're the only woman on my mind. You've BEEN the only woman on my mind. I haven't had a wink of sleep for these past weeks because of you." She did that to him? It sounded too good to be true!

"I've dreamt of this, Nephrite. I've wanted this moment to happen so badly," she tearfully choked.

"Well, little dreamer, it looks like your dreams have come true."

His hand cupped the back of her elegant neck, showering her anticipating lips with a sizzling kiss. As his mouth expertly molded to hers, he prodded and coaxed the parting of her lips. His free hand roamed from the roll of her hips to the soft expanse of her back. She entwined her hands at the nape of his neck, bringing him closer against her steaming body. Standing beneath the opened sky, oblivious to the water marinating their clothes, Lita could only think of one word while wrapped in an intimate embrace and a passionate kiss.

Fireworks.

Ta da! *dances around happily* yes it's finished! Aww, of course Lita solved her love problems, along with a little help from Mina. I decided to bring her in because of her natural insight on love. Well, you have reached the end. I'm thinking of writing another story on a different senshi. I already got some ideas. I really did hope my chickabiddies liked the story! Adios, los amigos! ~The Ruby Kitty