Lita hadn't succeeded to get some sleep after the argument with earlier. Her heart was still hurt from his words and her humiliation and anger increased when she recall the way she responded to his passionate kiss that nearly made her guard slipped. To make thing worse, she had told him most of her life which could endanger her friends' and her own life. When he laughed at her hilarious childhood and when he told her that those boys who dumped her were stupid, Lita was began to enjoyed his company. The more they spent their time together, Lita felt radiantly happy and she realized that she was looking forward to see him again.
Closing her eyes tightly, Lita pulled the blanket up to her neck, trying to make his handsome and compelling face disappeared. The more she tried, the clearer the image became. The images showed Nephrite chuckled, which Lita thought was the most beautiful smile she had ever seen. It also showed he was angry. She knew how amazingly terrifying when he was angry but he would never stay angry for a long time. She was thinking about him again! She tossed her body to another side to keep his face out of her mind and after awhile staying in that position, Lita groaned in frustration. She wanted to strangle Nephrite, she wanted to kill him. She wanted to do anything so that he could feel the anger, humiliation, frustration and aching emptiness that had burdened her.
Suddenly Lita heard footsteps that coming towards her room. She abruptly sat up and preparing herself for whoever that might be. Her visitors were more than one. Lita realized that if the visitors were her adversaries, she was obviously outnumbered and there was no doubt that they could easily took her down because her leg was still bandaged. Her whole body tense when the visitors were closer.
"Lita?" A soft and familiar voice called her and within a second,
a cheerful face popped out.
"Serena!" Lita let out a nervous laugh.
The four beautiful women walked into the room, having a delightful face pasted onto their face. Lita quickly put down her tense and unhappy face and forced herself to curve a smile. Not that she didn’t happy to see her friends back. But she had rather be alone because it was a few minutes ago when she had an argument with Nephrite. Lita felt awkward using Nephrite instead of Maxfield but she reminded herself that Nephrite had used her for some reason that she had forgotten to ask. Seeing her friends lifted her spirit a little.
“Lita, we are so happy to see you! I’ve been worried about you,” Serena exclaimed as she hugged her. Lita returned her hug, feeling radiantly happy about her friends’ concern.
“We all had been worried about you,” Ami said as she sat beside her. They all chatted about Lita’s experience on the island and four of them were furious when Lita told them about Vanessa interference.
“Why that woman was surely desperate to win Maxfield’s heart,” Mina said angrily. Lita bit her lips as she tried not to laugh. In spite of what Mina said, Lita was wondering whether her friends knew who Maxfield really was. And she carefully took out the so-called romantic parts. She didn’t want her friends to get mushy about her relationship between her and Nephrite because she knew there would no relationship between them, as they were two worlds apart. One part of her desperately wanted to ask whether they knew about Nephrite and another part of her was too proud to ask anything. Usually her desperation won against her pride but when it came to her feeling, Lita was reluctant to say or ask anything about that bastard.
“So, when the doctor said you can get out?” Rei asked her.
“Tomorrow,” Lita answered enthusiastically. She was bored to death, laying in the bed all the time and had nothing to do except staring at the ceiling. Lita suspected that Nephrite was paying for her medical expense because she was staying in a room alone and not with other patients. Thinking of that made Lita felt sick. Her pride was wounded because he thought she couldn’t pay for her own medical expense. Maybe she would be gratitude if the charity came from other people but she couldn’t stand if it came from that two-face idiot!
“Lita? Are you all right? You seem awfully quiet?” Serena asked her concernedly. Putting aside her hatred, Lita shook her head.
“No, I’m fine. Maybe I’m just too tired,” Lita tried to smile but she felt her smile was plastic. Reluctantly to believe her excuse, Serena stood up.
“Then, I guess we all should be get going now and let you have some sleep,” Serena said.
“What do you think had bothered her,” Serena asked her friends at the restaurant half an hour later.
“You mean, Lita?” Mina asked.
“No, a cow. Of course I was talking about Lita! We’d just see her half an hour ago,” Serena rolled her eyes and Mina giggled.
“I think it involved a guy. I presume it is Nephrite,” Rei answered. Nibbling her straw thoughtfully, Ami recall the way Lita told them her experience with Nephrite. She carefully avoided something.
“I’m positive it was Nephrite,” Ami announced and immediately three pairs of eyes were focused at her. She had heard her friends' discussion and her mind quickly recall the way everytime Lita mentioned Nephrite. She seemed reluctant and hesitate and sometime she sounded sarcastic, which made Ami more than sure that Lita hated Nephrite. But when Lita mentioned Vanessa, she could hear the jealousy tone. Ami frowned a little. Nothing about Lita made any sense. Lita hated Nephrite but at the same time cared about him!
“Why would you say that?” Rei demanded.
“Well, I was watching Lita’s face when she told us the story. It is like she was holding something from us which I am sure the part where it involved him,” Ami explained.
“Do you think he’d done something to her?” Serena asked Ami fearfully. She didn’t want to think the horrible things that Nephrite had had done to her. But when she considered the thoughtful and handsome man that had captured Molly’s heart once, Serena thought it was impossible for Nephrite to do so. Still, people change.
“I don’t think so. But we will ask Nephrite,” Ami said hastily.
“You damn right I’m going to ask him. If he’d done something to her, he’s finish,” Mina said determinedly. Lita looked like hell when she saw her. She was exhausted and frustrated and her smile wasn’t even a smile. It looked more like a straight line.
“We all going to ask him,” Rei agreed.
* * * * * *
“You had learned your lesson very well,” a deep and husky woman’s voice said to her. She was sweating from her training and she was pleased when her lady praised her. Her lady told her once that she would a great warrior if she trained often. Now at her teen ages, she could beat any soldier that much older than her.
“Thank you, my lady,” she kneeled in front of the woman. Her lady had taken care of her ever since she could remember. Even though she wasn’t very nice to her. Sometime she was afraid at her lady when her lady was angry and was terrified when her lady was furious. When she finished abusing her, she would tell her that it was for her own good and then she’d left her in cold with blood all over her body.
For years her lady had done that to her which lead her to believe that her lady was abusing her own good. So she never questioned about her lady doing to her for her was very afraid of her lady.
“When you are old enough, my slave and my protector, you’ll very useful to me. Very useful,” As she finished her words, she turned around and left her.
* * * * * *
Lita slowly opened her eyes as the sun shone through her eyes. Lately her dreams became less terrifying but more strange. She was dreaming a woman whom she had never met. But in her dreams she was much younger and much more naïve. Even though she hadn’t seen her body in her dreams, she could tell in the dreams her body had had many scars which she convinced were the woman in her dreams’ handiwork. She shuddered at the thought of being abused. When she fought, her enemies always blasted her with fires, beams or anything but never ever with swords.
Lita desperately wanted to know what was the meaning of her dreams because it was continuing annoyed her; made her frustrated enough to scream loudly that the whole Japan would hear her suffer. Although she knew screaming was useless and painful thing to do but she’d heard how screaming could reduce someone’s tension. It would work much more better if there was someone to scream with. Sighing loudly Lita tried to stand up and found that her leg was strong enough to support her weight. She could walk but had to limp a little bit. But that didn’t bother her for she was so happy to be able to stand.
Waiting impatiently for her friends to come, Lita began packing up and wished that her friends remembered to bring her some clothes. Precisely at 9 am, her friends arrived and they did not forget to bring her some clothes. The doctor told her not to use her legs often for the next few days because her legs were not strong enough.
Lita had considered, telling her friends about the dreams that had bothered her so much but decided against it. Telling them about Nephrite, maybe but telling them about her dreams which probably earned dubious looks from her friends because she didn’t even know where to start was something else. Perhaps if she could discover a little what she was dreaming of, she will tell her friends. Perhaps. It was just perhaps.
* * * * * *
“When can we start our plan, my lady?” Vanessa nervously pulled her blond hair off her forehead. She was absolutely furious when she knew that Maxfield had fallen into Lita’s trap and eagerly wanted to show that superior woman that she, too, could win.
“I can see that you are eager to finish this game,” her lady curved up a smile that both pleased and scared her. “So do I. She was once my slave, who respected me and never questioned my action or shed a tear when I taught her a lesson and now look at her peaceful and happy life she’s having right now! That pathetic slave!” Her reaction changed abruptly from a smiling face into a hard and hatred.
Vanessa unconsciously took few steps back. For hundreds of years living with her lady, she could never be able to endure her lady’s anger with much bravado. She had seen her lady very angry and furious which made her to promise not ever made her lady angry. She knew how amazingly her lady’s power. But not like this. Not with her lady’s face so cold and hard. So much hatred. Vanessa knew that Lita was really in a big and serious trouble.
She didn't know what really happened to them. But according to her lady, a millenium ago, Lita had had done something that make her lady angry with her. Very angry, in fact. Her lady was trapped in this dark and cold place where no one here except her lady and her and Vanessa was wondering how a pathetic and weak scout such as Lita could trapped her powerful lady. But her lady never told her and she would gave her the coldest stare with her colourless eyes. Vanessa wouldn't dare to make her lady furious for she knew what would cost her.
“We gave her one last dream that shall told her every betrayal thing she had done to me that made me trapped and when she woke up we’ll gave that traitor an attack which she will never ever forget!” Her lady bellowed and ended with a horrible laugh that echoed through the empty castle.
* * * * * *
“We’re having a party,” Serena said excitedly on their way to Lita’s house. Her other friends nodded, sharing the same excitement. Looking at her friends, Lita frowned and then asked them,” What for?”
“For you had return safely, dummy,” Mina answered playfully.
“Not exactly ‘safely’,” Lita reminded them. She indicated to her bandaged leg. Mina just shrugged at her remarked and answered,” At least you did come back alive.”
“Anyway, we invited lots of other friends including the ex-generals,” Serena continued cheerfully. She had planned with her fiancé about the party yesterday. Lita seemed a little upset about something that Serena didn’t know and she desperately wanted to do something that could cheer her up. Her other friends also agreed that throwing a party would be a great way to lift Lita’s spirit.
Lita stopped immediately when Serena’d mentioned the ex-general. “Is that means that Nephrite would be there too?” Seeing Nephrite is something that she couldn’t bear to do and after all he’d done and said Lita was absolutely certain that she didn’t want to see that two-face idiot ever again. Her pride had destroyed when he thought that their time at the island was merely a game and it hurt her more when he said he was tired of it.
“Of course,” Ami answered instead of Serena. Ami noticed Lita’s expression changed from happy to frown. “Lita, why is your face was so…so foul?” she asked softly. Lita quickly put on her happy face to hide her feeling but Ami was sure something had happened between Nephrite and Lita and he had said something that made her loathed to see him again.
“Me?” Lita let out an unwilling laugh. “No…of course it will include Nephrite. I just…” Lita swallowed hard and grimaced at her next word. “…Anxious to see him again.” Lita could not believe she had said that! Anxious?! She would rather die than to meet him after what had happened! As usual the Venus’ warrior had her eyes widened.
“Really? I knew something had happened between you guys. Heck, living on an island with no one around, just you and Nephrite, surely you had felt something for him,” she blurted out excitedly. Lita listened to what Mina had said with disgust. Yeah, I did feel something for him. I’m disgusted and angry. That’s what I felt! Lita silently retorted.
“Is that so?” Rei sounded dubious but Lita hardly noticed her tone because she was busy cursing Nephrite. “Yeah,” Lita answered absently.
“Then, I guess it all settle,” Serena clapped her hands like a child. Little did Lita know that she was going to have a longest dream she had ever dreamt and it wasn’t going to be pleasant.
Memory 16
