Memory 24

“What’s the matter, Mina?” Ami asked concernedly when Mina suddenly stood up and wandered around the huge room. They were staying at the Generals’ penthouse so that when something happened, they could go together without having trouble connecting each other. The other two generals hadn’t gotten back from the office. They had tried not to make themselves as suspicious as they could.

“I don’t know. I’ve a bad feeling. A very bad feeling,” she answered presently. It felt as if something really bad happened on the Planet Jupiter. Like someone had died. She really wanted to go to Jupiter right now. But her princess ordered mustn’t be broken.

“Relax, alright. They know how to take care of themselves,” Ami assured her. When she saw Mina nodded her head slightly, she turned her attention back to the book she had been reading.

I hope so, Ami. Mina sighed inwardly and sank herself in the soft cushion. I really hope so.

* * * * * *

Jadeite looked horrifyingly at Mars. Then he turned his gaze to the lying figure on the ground with a dangerously pool of blood around him. Without having a second thought, he ran toward Nephrite and Mars followed closely behind him.

When he arrived, he kneeled beside him and lifted Nephrite’s head. Mars clutched his arms supportively as her eyes drenched with unstoppable tears when she saw how Jadeite mourned at the death of his best friend. Jadeite didn’t shed any tear but only God knew how he felt that time. He felt the world started to spin around him as his mind pushed his heart to accept the death of Nephrite.

Nephrite’s death-pale face was covered with blood - Lita’s bloods and his own bloods. His rich brown hair was soaked with the vital fluid of life and tightly closed eyes, hiding those incredible blue eyes that were now lifeless and dull. Jadeite brought Nephrite’s face close to his chest and hugged him, reluctant to release him.

“Don’t be sad. Perhaps Serenity can brought him back to life,” Mars desperately wanted to cheer him up. She had seen the affectionate bond between the four generals and she knew how hurt heart felt if one of them died.

“Can she? I really… no…desperately…please. I just want to…Nephrite is my best friend and…and,” Jadeite loosened his hug as his arrogant blue eyes softened and changed into pleading.

“I understand,” Mars interrupted. “Yeah, Serenity will try her best.”

The queen was now put her full attention on Lita. Even though Lita’s leg and arms were bleeding heavily, they didn’t stop her from walking toward the queen with her eyes glittering dangerously. Those eyes reminded the queen of the same green eyes full with hatred that looked at her when she hurt Lita’s best friend – Callisto long time ago. And they made the queen slightly scared.

Serena slowly retreat her steps when she saw how angry Lita was. Though she didn’t fully understand the things that had happened two milleniums ago, she knew that Lita was going to finish it now. And she also could see that the queen was surprisingly trembled. She turned around when she heard somebody was calling her and went to Mars when she saw her waving at her.

“It is between you and me,” Lita spoke up. Her voice was straining with unbearable anger. “Did you have to kill Nephrite!” Somewhere in her heart cracked and Lita could feel fresh tears in her eyes, threatening to spill down. “Did you have to involve my friends in this mess?”

“I gave you the opportunity to save your friends,” the queen said coolly. “But it was you who brought your pathetic friends here.”

Lita advanced a step angrily at the queen remark. “You and your damned excuses!” She shouted as she took another step. “I kept my mouth shut when you lifted that hateful whip!” The brilliant green light started to brighten the surrounding. “I kept my hands from beating the hell out of you when you started to swearing all those disgusting words to me!”

“But I couldn’t and I wouldn’t stay silent when you KILLED NEPHRITE!” the whole ground started to shake uncontrollably. “You heartless, conceited, idiot and useless master!”

Molly clutched Mars’s hand tightly because her legs couldn’t support her weight as the ground started to tear apart, creating a deep hole. “It’s happening again!” Molly shouted at Serena, who was holding Nephrite with Jadeite. “The two millenium incident has repeated and it was Lita who did this!”

“We’ve got to find a place to protect us from their fight!” Serena shouted back. “And I need to try to bring Nephrite back to life!” The shaking was far more worst than those earthquakes that Japan had always experienced and Serena was scared beyond her imagination when she thought that they all might fall into the deep abyss that seemed had no ending.

Ignoring the shaking, Jadeite tried to stand up to look for a shelter. Through the stones and pebbles haze, his eyes caught a glimpse of hole that seemed to be a cave. It was quite far from Lita and was acceptably safe. “Come on!” he shouted, trying to fight the crashing sounds behind them. “I think I’ve found the shelter you’ve asked for!”

Mars turned around and saw Lita was fighting with the queen. Deep down inside, she knew she couldn’t leave her, even though it could cost her life. “You guys go ahead!” Jadeite’s head immediately snapped to face her. Mars saw the forbidden look in his face. “I couldn’t leave Lita alone facing that maniac!” She protested.

She turned around and ran into the haze, leaving Jadeite speechless. “Women,” he muttered under his breath and continued their journey to the cave. Mars stopped breathlessly when she finally saw Lita and the queen. They were still on the same position when they left them.

Lita was really angry. Rei had never seen her like this. She still had the same frowning face, fists tightened and her breath was straining. But there was something different in the way she held the stares – glittering furiously but soaking with sorrowful tears. Rage and sorrowful mixed together. Lita was undeniably in love with Nephrite. Rei realized.

The coruscating green beam was not coming from Lita. Rei covered her eyes, trying to have a better view because she wanted to be sure. Undoubtedly the light was not coming from Lita but from the underground. The brighter the light was the harder the ground shook and the angrier Lita felt.

Something in the queen’s mind flicked. She remembered the reason she took Lita as her slave. She knew that when Lita grew up to be a young lady, Lita was her greatest enemy of all and Lita didn’t know it. The brunette thought that her parent died in an accident and the queen was gracious enough to raise her. But no. The queen smiled grimly. She had a perfect reason that made her raise Lita and not just killed her when she was still naïve and young…

Flash Back

Jupiter Kingdom was in chaos. Everywhere, people were holding up a poster, telling the whole kingdom that they wanted the new ruler. Rumors flied through the wind, that King Jupiter was betraying the kingdom, selling the secret information that could harm the kingdom. People demanded for the ruler of the Jupiter – King Jupiter and his wife to step down from the throne. King Jupiter heatedly denied that he had done that but the power of the people was too strong to be beaten.

“Clara, I’m afraid I can’t stop our people from persuading us to step down,” King Jupiter said miserably. He felt like the whole world was pressing him and he had never felt this weak, surrounding by the proud Jupiter Fortress.

“Oh, it was all that damned Xiana’s fault. I trusted her and this is how she repaid us?” Queen Clara cried. In her hands, laid a sleeping baby. The baby had a soft and wavy mahogany hair and she was sleeping soundly, ignoring the critical situation.

“There’s no time for us to regret the things that had been done. Now I’m sure that she’ll induce the people to kill us!” The tired-looking king stood up and looked around the fortress. There were only the general and his soldiers, who were willing to stay to protect their king. Despite what those people had said about their king, the general and his soldiers knew that their beloved king wouldn’t do such thing. He was the king, for god sake! King Jaxon thought angrily. Why did he become this weak and so easy to give up?

“Yes, I’m sure of it, my love. If we are dead, Xiana will become the new ruler of Jupiter. The people shall pick her up as their new leader since she was the one who started the rumors,” Queen Clara wiped the tears that fall onto her pale cheeks.

King Jaxon walked toward his wife, who was cradling their first children that would be the last of the seven thousands years generation. Lifted their daughter and put her on the sofa, he stroke her small cheek lovingly. He left his daughter and turned his attention to his wife. He put his index finger under her smooth chin and lifted her beautiful face that he had loved for seven hundreds years to face him. He traced his finger from the curve of her high cheekbones to her soft cheek and settled at her full and pink lips.

He wanted to comfort her and told her that everything was going to be all right. But he knew that she would know that it was all a lie. They would never be all right. If his own people that he had loved willing believed that he was willing to betray his own kingdom, they would also willing to kill him and his family.

“I’m sorry, Clara,” he looked into her wet green eyes and it tore his heart. “When I married you, I thought I can give you every happiness in this world. But I was mistaken and I – “ Queen Clara put her finger on his lips to silence him.

“When I married you,” she began with a tearful smile. “I already knew that I had found every happiness that I’d ever dreamt of. You, your love, our daughter and wealth. I also knew that happiness didn’t last forever and I thank you that you had given me such a wonderful life. I’m not regretted that I’m with you.”

King Jaxon expressed his grateful to his loyal wife that was willing to stay with him whether in a hard life or in a wonderful life by gave her a kiss. “Thank you,” he whispered.

* * * * * *

Five days later…

Queen Clara was running helplessly. Tears fall to her pale cheeks as she tried to hide herself from Lady Xiana’s people. She was all alone. The general who had been loyal to her had died in the Lady Xiana’s hand. And her husband…her husband was…was dead in the battle to fight with the soldiers. She thought hysterically. How could her life turned into such a disaster in a few months?

Now, to make things worst, that maniac had her daughter. Her only daughter, the heir of this kingdom and the only person who could bring this dying kingdom back to life. Queen Clara knew the reason Lady Xiana had her daughter and whatever that crazy woman threatened to do to her daughter, she couldn’t and wouldn’t gave what Xiana wanted for the sake of this kingdom and the whole universe.

Looking around the forbidden garden of Jupiter Fortress, Queen Clara realized that she was alone. Clumsily, she wiped the tears way and forced herself to stay calm. Lady Xiana would think that she had gone far way from Jupiter Fortress but she wasn’t. She was in the Royal Garden. Now she had to hide the thing that Lady Xiana had wanted so much, hoping that if her daughter survived, she would find it one day.

After searching for the perfect place, she created the deepest hole she could ever made with that thing and dropped it. Quickly, she buried it. Now, she thought exhaustedly, she would leave her fate to the destiny. She hoped she would die because if she ever survived, she couldn’t leave without her beloved husband and daughter…

* * * * * *

Lady Xiana was furious. That stubborn queen was refused to tell her where she hid it. She wanted that thing so damn much that she was willing to do anything to find it. Damn her!

Suddenly she stopped wandering as her eyes locked at the crying baby. Her enraged eyes changed into mischievous eyes. She would keep the baby and raise her by herself and that baby would tell her where is that thing. After all, Queen Clara did say that only her daughter could show her where was that thing was.

End Flashback

The moment that she had been waiting for had finally arrived. Xiana thought grimly. But why did she feel so scared to see the precious thing now? Why did she feel that she was making a huge mistake by making Lita angry? Why? Seeing Lita like this – her eyes that were narrowing at her were deathly cold, her hair was over her shoulder and back and her body was shining with green light as if the whole universe was staring accusingly at her – made her think of Queen Clara. Lita was exactly like her mother.

Suddenly, a huge explosion brought the queen back to reality. She tried to see what had happened through the thick haze of smoke, pebbles and stones but failed. In the corner of her eyes, she swore that she saw a glimpse of shining…crystal? Is it the thing that she had been searching for years? She squinted again through the thick fog. Yes! It was the Emerald Crystal. It is the crystal that she had been searching for years and it had finally been found!

Impulsively, she retreated. She knew how dangerously the crystal could be. Especially an inexperience user was used it. When the haze was finally fade away, she saw that Lita was standing proudly that her hair pulled backward as the wind blew and the crystal was floating in front of her, shining brilliantly. She also was in surprised.

Lita watched blankly at the greenish crystal in front of her. She had no idea what that was and why did the queen retreat in frighten. A minute ago, when she was so angry, the crystal was shining brightly and now when she felt her anger was draining away, as she was dumbfounded at the appearance of the crystal, the light was fading away slowly. She also realized that now the shaking was reducing little by little. Now she really wondered, was the two thousands incident her fault? She caused the earthquake by using the crystal? Hundreds of people had had died because of her? She’d had trapped her master?

If she did, how could she trap her once again when she didn’t know how to do it? How to use this crystal when she didn’t know the existence of the crystal. She didn’t even know where did the crystal come from and she expected to use it just like that? As if the crystal sensed her confusion, the light began to fade away and a second later it dropped to the ground.

The surrounding was dark once again. The ground stopped shaking. The air was clear from the haze. Mars got out from her hiding spot to help Lita if she needed one. Although she didn’t really know what had happened many years ago, but she knew that this queen was Lita greatest enemy and she could sense that Lita wanted to finish her all by herself. And Rei respected her decision but she will help her if she really needed it.

“So,” the queen finally got the courage to step ahead. “My little slave didn’t know how to use her greatest weapon of all?” Lita eyes began to narrow back when she heard the sinister tone in her master voice. Quickly she picked up the crystal from the ground and clutched it tightly. Even though she was still confused, she would be damned if that queen get the crystal.

“You don’t even know what the thing in your hand is, do you?” she smiled snidely that made Lita longed to slap her face – master or no master. The fear that she used to feel whenever she heard her master voice was gone together with her heart when Nephrite had died. All she want to do was to kill her master right now.

“No, I admit that don’t know what the thing is. But I’ve got feeling that only I can use it,” Lita curved up a smile. Not the smile when she was with her friends – relax and happy or the smile when she was with Nephrite – filled with love and longing but the smile of hatred mixed together with satisfactory when she saw the queen bit her lip angrily at the truth in her words.

“Maybe you can use it, my slave, but did you HOW?” the queen quickly let out a fast beam toward Lita. It hit her but not on her heart liked the queen hoped for but on her shoulder. Lita bit her lips, bracing herself for the pain on her shoulder as she fall on her one knee. Then another blast from the queen and hit on Lita’s left leg. And Rei had seen enough.

“Mars Flame Sniper!” Rei shouted. She didn’t put much hope in her attack that the arrow shaped fire was going to hurt the queen. But she really hoped that it would manage to stall the queen while she rescuing Lita. Her tactic worked. The sudden attack from Rei had really surprised the queen and she was now busy trying to extinguish the fire that surrounding her.

“Lita! Are you all right?” Rei helped her stand up. Looking at Lita, who was covered with bloods and bruises, made Rei wondered how could she still stand up after losing so much blood? Lita quirked up a smile. “How do you think I feel right now?” she teased. Rei smiled back through tears and felt Lita’s body was cold under her skin.

“I’m going to get Serena!” Rei said frantically. Now Lita realized that Serena, Jadeite and Molly weren’t here.

“Where’s she?”

“She’s trying to bring Nephrite back to life,” Hearing Rei’s words brought a spark of hope in her heart. Quickly she grasped Rei’s hands. “Don’t call her. Let her finish her job. I’ll be all right!” Lita wanted to see Nephrite alive. She wanted to see him smiling at her, teasing her, touching her. She wanted to hear his deep voice back.

“No, you’re not!” Rei argued. Serena wasn’t an expert in bringing a person back to life. This was her first time of trying to do it to Nephrite and Rei knew the percentage of succeeding was low. Rei didn’t want Lita to put much hope in it. She didn’t want to see Lita hurting again. Lita had suffered much already.

“I…” Before Rei could finish her sentence, the queen performed another attack but luckily Rei managed to avoid the attack. She helped Lita to lay down a little bit far from the queen. “You stay here!” Rei told Lita and she left her to face the queen.

Lita closed her eyes. She was in a serious pain. Every part of her body was bleeding and bruising and aching. Her head felt light and she was in verge to unconscious. Her mind played her happy, sad, suspense experience in her life and she forgotten where she was.

“Jupiter,” Lita heard a soft voice calling her. A voice that brought an unexpected happy feeling to her heart. A voice that had been so dear and so loving to her. Calling her lovingly and softly. Slowly Lita opened her eyes and saw she wasn’t in the Planet Jupiter anymore. Everything was so cheerful and blissful and there was a beautiful woman in front of her. Wavy greenish hair and soft green eyes were looking at her. Lita’s heart aching with recognition.

The woman held outs her hand and soothed Lita’s cheek, wiping away a trace of blood. Then she sat in front of Lita with her eyes shining with tears. “I’m sorry, sweetheart,” she said heart brokenly. Lita just looked at the woman in front of her blankly. She didn’t recognize her. The woman wiped out another trace of blood on her face.

Then she leaned over and kissed Lita’s forehead. Lita had never felt so happy until this moment. It’s like the woman was her mother. The way she caressed her cheek, the way she cried when she saw she was badly hurt and the way she kissed softly her forehead made her believe that her mother was there.

“Are you my mother?” Lita spoke up uncertainly. Her question made the woman cried harder. When she got control of herself, the woman smiled at Lita. “It most hurtful thing for a mother is that her own daughter didn’t recognize her,” Lita’s eyes grew wider in surprise at her words.

“I guess you are saying that you are really my mother?”

Queen Clara nodded her head softly. “What’s your name?” Lita asked again eager to know more about her past life mother. “Clara,” the woman answered simply. A beautiful name for a beautiful woman. And sweet too. Lita thought. How she wished she had known her better. To have the chance to live with her. To feel all the love and caring. She was with her for only a few minutes and Lita felt so content.

“You didn’t really meant to name me as Jupiter, do you?” Lita joked and she was pleased to hear her mother soft chuckle. She hated to see her mother shed a tear for her “No, darling. I haven’t got the chance to name you when I died.” Queen Clara’s heart cracked in sadness when she recalled the previous memories, which was too hideous to remember.

“If you’re already dead, am I dead too?” Lita asked thoughtfully. Did she see a ghost? Queen Clara shook her head. “Not yet. I’m here to help you to use the Emerald Crystal.”

“You mean that greenish crystal?”

“Yes,” Queen Clara answered with a proud smile on her face to know that her daughter was a tough girl…no…she corrected herself. Her daughter was a tough woman.