Cycle of Our Souls: Heart's Thunder
Part III
M is for Mars

Disclaimers and the like:
The characters mentioned in this story do not belong to me, and I'm not making any money with this.
In other news... Justin Currie -- front man, song writer, and cool guy extraordinaire -- from Del Amitri makes a cameo in this section. Why? For the hell of it. I just have this thing about scruffy Scottish guys... <sigh> Ewan McGregor... hmm? Oh, the story. Right. Anyway, Justin is the guy in the park singing "Mother Nature's Writing." The song is by him, copyrighted to him and otherwise owned by him. I love him and would never try to make money off his work without permission so... please don't sue me, Justin!
Drop me a line to tell me what you think.

"So... um... what got you interested in the stars?" Lita asked, trying to cover the awkward silence that had hovered between them since Neil Forrester picked her up at her apartment earlier that evening.
He glanced up from the telescope he was adjusting and smiled brightly. Lita swore she felt her heart skip a beat, but she tried valiantly to ignore it as he said, "Nothing in particular, really. I just... looked up one night and realized how beautiful the sky truly is. It's a shame that so many people go through life looking down when such spectacular sites are right above them."
She nodded. "I guess most people don't have time to look up. They're too busy watching where they're going so they don't trip or anything."
He chuckled deep in his chest and she felt a flush of pleasure heating her cheeks. "I guess some of us," he said lightheartedly, "watch more carefully than others, ne?"
Biting back a retort -- she did realize he was only kkidding -- Lita laughed softly. "Oh look!" she cried, pointing skyward, "I just saw one!"
"Hai," he agreed, peering through the telescope. "Come here."
"Oh! There are so many! I'm surprised you can see this well with all the light pollution and everything."
"That's why I chose this spot," he explained. "It's one of the darkest in the entire park. I would normally drive out away from the city to find a place, but these days my work keeps me here."
"Your work?" she asked, glancing up from the lens. "What do you do?"
He grinned and ran a hand through his thick auburn hair. "Guess."
"Um... you're a telescope salesman!"
He threw back his head and laughed long and loud at her mocking tone. "Nai," he said once he had regained control of himself, "but you're close. I own a computer programming business. We design astronomy software and computer components for orbital and land-bound observation stations."
"Oh," she said. Computers weren't really her thing, but she didn't want him to think she didn't care. "My friend Amy would probably love that... she's a genius."
"A genius, huh? That's pretty high praise."
Lita shrugged and peered through the telescope once more. "It's the truth. She's always first in our class, and she can't stand getting any grade lower than perfect. Her IQ is over three-hundred. It's funny, because my friends Serena and Mina are just the opposite. They aren't stupid, I mean, but they don't really like school and their grades... well, Serena, at least, is always at the very bottom of the class!"
He smiled warmly and said, "Where do you all go to school?"
"Well, Serena, Amy and I go to Juuban Junior High, but Mina's at Shibakouen Junior High and Raye goes to T*A Catholic School. I think that's funny, really, because she's a miko!"
"You're... in middle school?" he demanded, stunned.
Moving slowly and deliberately, she straightened up and turned to face him, back stiff, jaw set. "Yeah. So?"
"Uh... um... nothing. It's just... surprising, that's all. I mean, you look a lot older than middle school."
She relaxed, but only a little bit. "I've had to grow up fast. My parents died in a plane crash when I was younger, and I've been on my own ever since."
"I'm sorry about your parents, Kino-san. I never knew mine."
The gentle sadness in his tone surprised her, and her face softened into a kind smile. "I guess we have a little more in common than we thought. I was always a loner until I met Serena and her friends." She sighed and looked away. "Serena is the friend I was worried about when I ran into you at the temple the other day."
"Do they still not know what's wrong with her?" he asked carefully, knowing this was a difficult subject for her.
She stared out across the lake, chewing her lower lip and wondering how much to tell him. How far could she trust Neil Forrester? Not with the whole truth, certainly, but a little portion of it couldn't hurt... "Hai, we do, but we don't know how to make it better... or even if we can make it better," she said at last.
"We?" he asked, surprised.
Shimatta. "I mean, collectively. The doctors, her family, her friends... we're all doing everything we can," she covered quickly.
"Ah, of course." He glanced up at the sky with a frown and said, "The moon will be rising soon, and it's a full one tonight. We'll not be able to see anything after that. Perhaps you'd like to get something to eat?"
Relieved at the change of subject, she spun around enthusiastically. "Food would be great! I'm starving!"
He packed up the telescope and they walked silently through the park together, enjoying the warm night air and the bright, young moonlight. "Why the stars and not the moon?" she asked, watching the silver disk as it made its slow, nearly imperceptible ascent.
"Man has already been to the moon," he replied simply.
"True... but... there's still much to be learned up there. My favorite planet is Jupiter, though."
"Jupiter? Why?"
She gave him a sweet, secret smile and said, "I have my reasons." Sprinting ahead of him, she looked back over her shoulder and called, "Last one to the fountain buys dinner!"
Laughing -- and never one to resist a challenge -- Neil hurried to catch up with her. "I'm the one who asked, baka, so I'm the one who pays!"
"Keep running like that and you will be the one who pays!" They ran along the paths, each leaf and branch and stone limned in silver from the moonlight, to the large, open area at the center of the park.
The fountain was huge and beautiful and sparkling, and the clearing was empty except for a man tuning his guitar, the case open on the pavement, a few coins glinting dully in the light. Afraid of startling the man, Lita almost slowed, but the close sounds of Neil's footfalls kept her moving. She reached out to touch the wet stone of the fountain's base, but at that moment Neil grabbed her around the waist and pulled.
"Hey!" she cried indignantly. "Cheater! Let go!"
He laughed and turned them both around so that his back was to the water. "Well, Kino-san? Think you can get past me?"
"Of course I can!" She dashed quickly to the left, but he was there to block her. She went right, he went right. She faked right, went left, and he was there, too! Then a mischievous idea flashed through her mind. She grinned sweetly before throwing her arms around him, splashing her hand through the cold water as she pressed up against him. "I win."
Surprised, he laughed brightly. "Hai, I guess you do."
A sudden chill breeze blew past them and Lita shivered slightly, glancing up at the sky with a frown. "What the hell...? It looks like it might storm!"
Unconsciously wrapping his arms around her, he followed her gaze. "That was sudden," he remarked as lightning bit through the sky.
She leaned closer to his warmth just as the guitar man finished tuning and began to play. The song was slow, but charged with something deep and rich, almost like the words themselves contained electricity. And the man's voice! Strong, dusky, eloquent... she imagined that even without the power of the song behind it, the sound would send shivers up her spine.
"Open up your eyes,
Everything is crying out,
'This could be your time!'
She fell out of the sky.
Must every star be working on heavenly designs?"
Neil glanced down, almost startled to find Lita nestled so snugly in his arms, fitting so perfectly against his chest... she was so soft and warm and beautiful. He could almost drown in the bright green of her amazing eyes, could lose himself in the sweet rose scent of her thick chestnut hair, could die happily against the softness of her gentle lips...
"A crooked line of lightning,
A silent movie moon.
Mother Nature's writing to you."
Lightning... the moon... she could see the former reflected in the deep sapphire of his eyes, could feel the power of the latter singing through her blood as she stared up at him. Gods, he was so... so... how had she not seen this side of him before? This gentleness, this kindness, this caring?
"So button up your lip;
You don't get many chances in between the tides.
The weather's rolling in:
In a minute flat you'll be soaking wet,
So kiss her while it's dry."
With a wry smile, Neil wondered if the man wasn't reading his mind. Would she belt him if he kissed her? Would she find something worse than rocks to throw at him? Her lips were parted slightly, her chest gently heaving against his, and he felt it was an invitation he couldn't resist. Leaning down, he pressed his mouth against hers and was lost.
"A crooked line of lightning,
A silent movie moon.
Mother Nature's writing to you."
The kiss stunned her, turned her knees to jelly and her insides to lava. She tangled her fingers in his thick, wavy hair and devoured his firm lips and hot tongue with her own. Forever... gods, please let this last forever! she thought incoherently as his mouth moved to her throat.
"Lita, oh, Lita..." he whispered over and over, not even aware of what he was saying, only aware of who he was saying it to, only knowing that he wanted to never let her go.
The sound of her name falling from his lips sent shocks through her, and she was suddenly fervently glad that he had never used it before. Thunder rumbled warningly, lightning flashed around them, but neither cared, not even when the rain began to pour down. Nothing could penetrate the world they had created beside the fountain... nothing, that is, but a beep from Lita's communicator.
"No, no, not now!" she muttered angrily.
"What is that?" he asked, pulling away slightly. "Your beeper?"
She frowned. "Something like that. I..." she sighed wearily, suddenly hating Sailor Jupiter with a passion, "I know my friends wouldn't be paging me unless it was important. I should go."
He let her go reluctantly and stepped back. "I still owe you dinner."
She smiled ruefully. "How about a rain check?" The communicator beeped again, and she knew the others would be getting antsy. "Tomorrow!" she called, sprinting away, "I promise!"
He watched her go with a frown and a shake of his head. Lita Kino was positively the strangest girl he had ever met.
End III