MEMORY 10

Nephrite slowly woke up. The sun shone directly to his eyes made him groaned. After he had succeeded to sit up, his first thought was Lita. He looked around and found no one. Maybe she went somewhere. He tried to assure himself, refused to let himself to be too emotionally panicky. He stood up and looked at the thick jungle behind him. If there is a jungle, there must be some animals. And if there are animals, there must be a river or a least a stream.

Tying up his hair, he walked toward the jungle. The jungle was cool and fresh. Living in Tokyo, makes you appreciate the nature. Nephrite thought wryly. Then he saw something. A tree that had an X on it. And there was another and another.

"Someone must have curved this letter. An animal certainly couldn't be the one who curved this,"

He decided to follow the mark and see who will he meet. At the end, he saw the most captivating picture he had ever seen. He saw Lita was swimming. Her movement was graceful and her hair was at her neck and her face like fingers. Nephrite's heart was aching with awe and amusement as he continued watching her.

Never had he met woman who was possible to make him admired her. Lita was undoubtedly an amazing woman. Outside, she was just like any ordinary woman, beautiful and intelligent but inside, she was tough, caring and absolutely pure temptation. She had attracted him in different way. Not with flirting nor girlish laugh but with her temper. Nephrite smiled at that thought.

Aware she was intended to get out, Nephrite turned around and waited patiently until she had finished dressing up. He heard her leaving the stream and he began freshen up. Then he went back to their place. He saw Lita was waiting him and her face was unquestionably furious.

"Have you been watching me?" a sudden question was being asked to him made him startled.

"What if I have?" he asked back calmly.

"That makes you have no dignity or respect to other people's privacy!" her face were red. Nephrite couldn't tell whether it was anger, or the sun or blush. But she looked totally beautiful.

"Oh come on. I only saw you swimming around......" Suddenly he stopped talking. Nephrite knew he had spoken a wrong word.

"You saw me SWIMMING!!! THEN YOU MUST SAW ME.....OH MY GOD!!!!" Lita went pale and then red with embarrasment and humilation.boiling that she could kill him at that time. She fisted her hands so tight and it started to ache. This time, Maxfield Stanton had gone too far.

"WHAT MAKE YOU THINK YOU HAVE RIGHT TO DO THAT. JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE RICH AND ARROGANT AND DISGUSTINGLY PERVERT, WHICH YOU ARE, AND YOU THINK YOU CAN DO THAT!!!" Lita shouted at the top of her lungs. She was so furious that she couldn't see straight.

"Stop it, will you!" Nephrite said and caught her hand, trying to calm her down.

"No!" she tried to snatch her hand back but failed.

"Lita,listen!" he tightened his grip. Then unexpectedly, Lita slapped his face, which made him shocked for a while.

"Serve you right, bastard!!" she snatched her hand back and this time she had succeeded. Nephrite cursed slowly and then he grabbed her hands and pulled her close.

"If I am as pervert as you think I am, I would have tore your fragile dress so easily and take you right now!" he hissed. Lita watched him with her wide in disbelieve and a little fear.

"I never, ever saw you naked. I turned around, TURNED AROUND, when you got out from the stream. And if you are interested, I do have the dignity and the respect for other people that you have mentioned earlier," his eyes were icy when Lita looked at him and it made her shuddered at the look at him. He was totally angry. And it was all my fault. I shouldn't lose my temper! Lita thought.

Suddenly, Nephrite crushed his lips to hers and started kissing her roughly. It hurt that Lita began to pushed him away. But he was locking his mouth to hers by gripping her arms tightly. It was meant for punishment and Lita knew it. She could just kicked his knee but her mind refused. Judging from the way he gripped her arms and the way he pulled her so close the him until she couldn't breath made her wondered, did her ribs break?

When he finally lifted his lips, Lita was suffocating and she was trying with all her might not to faint.

"You're hurting me," she managed to whisper. Immediately, Nephrite released her and Lita kneeled down and braced herself at the tree as she tried to ease the pain in her chest.

"Never, ever slapped me again," Nephrite said coolly, which made her felt insulted. Slowly, she stood up , keeping her chin high and holding her chest.

"I hate you," her voice was barely a whisper. "You are absolutely arrogant and undeniably a heartless bastard that had been raised among the money and thinks no one else but only himself!" Lita said it all in her most calm but deadly voice. She gathered her shattered pride and walked away proudly, without even glancing at him.

* * * * * *

"I don't think I like this," Kunzite muttered as he saw reporters were surrounding the main entrance of the harbour.

"They must have heard about the incident and I bet they are looking at us right now," Jadeite said.

"What incident?" Mina asked curiously.

"I'll tell you all later. But right now, we have to get away from those reporters," Kunzite looked around searching another way out.

"Let's try the back door," Mina suggested as she pointer at the small door behind them. Kunzite nodded his head.

Half an hour later, they were safely arrived at the generals huge penthouse. The girls were not totally impressed by it because they too anxious to know what kind of story the generals would tell. After they had been sitted, Kunzite began their mystery for being alive back for the second time.

"After you have defeated Queen Beryl four years ago, the world had again back to normal. But we, who had been brainwashed by her, still dead. Suddenly, something in our chest was shining brightly and it was warm. It was some kind of a power that almost like your Silver Crystal. It kept us warm and healed the wounds until we were well enough to reunite back,"

"Do you know what had brought back alive?" Ami asked. "Because, I was afraid it was another Dark Kingdom's device in your body,"

"We remembered everything that happened a millenium ago and the thing in our body was Golden Crystal," Zoisite said.

"Golden Crystal? My crystal?" Darien asked in uncertainity.

"Yes, my prince. King Endymion had parted the crystal into several pieces for the safety of the kingdom. He gave us a small piece each in order to prevent the crystal fall into other hands. It also helped us during the battle and when we were injured," Zoisite told him.

"Okay, then what happened to Nephrite? What did he have to do with Lita?" Serena's turn to ask them. She was worried about Lita.

"Well, I believe, Nephrite had met Lita at the reception and they become....uh..friend. Unfortunely, the previous night, Lita had slipped off the ship and Nephrite had jumped to save her. And they were both believe had drown," Jadeite repeated the story again like the one he had told Kunzite and Zoisite before.

"WHAT?!" the five of them chorused. Jadeite sighed. This is the second time people were shouted at him the word 'what'.

"Lita? DROWN?!" Rei shouted. She went towards Jadeite and folded her arms. "You have appeared in front of us from no where, making the story about the crystal and then, Lita had drown!!? You think we are going to buy your story?! Just admit you put her somewhere in the underground dungeon because no matter where you put her, we will find her!"

"Will you chill out!?" Jadeite stood up too. Rei lifted her chin high to meet his gaze because he was nearly two feet taller than her. "I told you the truth about the crystal and especially about Lita! Dark Kingdom had destroyed and we are free from her power. You think you are the only one who was worried about your friend so do we-"

"The point is," Kunzite cut off their argument. "we are no longer Mr Bad Guys. You have destroyed the Dark Kingdom and that is it. Whether you want to believe it or not that's your choice,"

"It is not about believing. It is about Lita. She cannot be dead. It's so unreal and impossible," Serena's teary eyes were ready to spill out.

"So do Nephrite. We were always facing the battle together and survived it no matter how impossible the mission was. But I believe he is still alive," Zoisite said confidently.

"How can you be certain?" Amy took off her glasses.

"He is one of the generals" he answered simply.