VICTORY OF LOVE
A Sailor Moon Lemon

by Sailor Mac
	He couldn't believe his luck.
	Negaverse General Scarpiite had followed the young man who was carrying
the Black Crystal all the way through town. The fool had just found the
treasure lying in a gutter somewhere, the treasure for which the Negaverse
had been searching for months.
	The treasure that may lead to the restoration of the Dark Kingdom.
	But for the moment, that was not the foremost thing on Scarpiite's mind.
Because he just saw the crystal carrier go into the home of the young woman
he had lusted after for months, ever since she had taken him on in a fight.
Sailor Jupiter.
	Scarpiite was obsessed with the fiery-tempered beauty. He'd had her
followed, found out her everyday identity. His fellow generals thought it
was because he wanted to capture her for the Negaverse.
	His real reason was much more personal.
	Now, he stood looking at her apartment, laughing darkly to himself. Sailor
Jupiter and the Black Crystal in one fell swoop-how lucky could he get?
	And a dark, dark plan began to form in Scarpiite's mind. . .
* * *
	Ken shoved the stone he'd found into his pocket before knocking on Lita's
door. He'd wondered if it was some kind of semiprecious gem. Perhaps he
could get it set into a necklace for her.
	She was wearing an apron and covered with flour, as she so often was. He
thought she was more beautiful that way than she would have been in satins
and pearls.
	"Ken!" She threw her arms around him. They lingered in the embrace for a
long moment, reveling in each other's heat, each other's scent. . .When
they broke apart, he was as covered in flour as she was. They made a true
matching pair.
	"You're just in time to help me with the cherry pies," she said. "The
school's asked me to make a half-dozen for college night. I've got the
crusts made, but I need some help with the filling."
	I'd help you move a mountain, he thought as he washed his hands and
prepared to remove the stems and stones from a pile of cherries. She was
chattering away as she took bowls and spoons out of cabinets, her ponytail
flipping around as she turned this way and that.
	". . .and then I got this phone call from Serena, half-frantic. She was
going to bake a loaf of bread for Darien, and the dough wouldn't rise. So I
ran over there, and it turned out that the yeast she was using had sat in
her mother's cabinet for over a year! We had to run to the store, get all
new ingredients, and start all over again. And then Mina called, and she
couldn't find Artemis anywhere, so I had to. . ."
	He put down the fruit and knife, went over to her, and dammed up her flood
of chatter with a kiss. Her hands came up to the back of his head, pulling
him closer, allowing her to get more and more of that hot, luscious mouth.
	Oh, Gods, Ken, did we really go so long thinking we were just friends? How
did we not know we were made for each other from the very start?
	It had been a little over a month since they had confessed their true
feelings for each other and become lovers. And for her, it had been a month
lived with her head in the clouds.
	They broke the kiss, only to hold each other tightly, their heads on each
other's shoulders. Her hands roamed up and down his shoulders and back,
feeling the play and ripple of muscles under his skin.
	The hell with the damn pies, she thought. I want to brush aside all the
crust and cherries, lay you out flat on your back on that table, and give
you the lovin' of your life. . .
	He had a similar idea. "Think the school could wait an hour longer for
those pies?"
	"As far as I'm concerned, they can wait until doomsday."
	He picked her up, crushing his mouth against hers, and carried her easily
to the bedroom.
* * *
	Gods, could there possibly be a human on this earth who's more gorgeous?
	This was the thought running through her head as her hands unbuttoned his
shirt, slowly, slowly, one button at a time. His mouth was on hers, first
gently caressing, then becoming harder, more insistent. She took his bottom
lip in her teeth, biting playfully, before moving her mouth down, brushing
her lips along his neck. She had the shirt undone at last, and she fell to
her knees, embracing him around his waist, kissing his chest and stomach
again and again.
	"Oh, baby, you're something else," she whispered. "Just looking at you
makes me hot all over."
	He lifted her back up to him. "I can see how hot you are," he replied, his
hands cupping and stroking her breasts. She could see her nipples straining
against the fabric with arousal.
	"Want to see more?" she said. She stripped off her blouse and bra, leaving
what was underneath completely open to him. It was an opportunity he took
full advantage of. He rubbed the palms of his hands over the hardened tips,
then brushed his thumbs over them. She tangled her hands in his hair,
pushing his head down, down, to where she needed it most. When he circled a
nipple with his tongue and pulled it into his lips, she let out a cry and
her whole body arched against him, willing him to suck harder, suck faster,
drink every drop of her essence. He paused only long enough to steal
another kiss from her lips before going back down to the other breast. "Oh,
yesss, oh, baby," she sighed as he pleasured her.
	They broke apart; she fell on her back on the bed and quickly rid herself
of everything else she wore. She rolled on her side and watched as he did
the same. As she saw his manhood freed from its constraints, she couldn't
control herself-she grasped it, caressed it, pulled it toward her eager
lips. Her hands came around to his tight ass, squeezing and caressing as
she drew him in and out. He yanked out her ponytail holder and tangled his
fingers in her hair, trying to hold her down there forever. Oh, how good he
tasted, how nice he felt slipping in and out of her mouth . . .
	He willed himself to gently push her away-the last thing he wanted to do
was be selfish with such a wonderful girl as her. He wanted to share his
climax with her. "Baby, you're gonna drive me out of my mind," he growled.
"I want to be inside you."
	"Have you got something?" she asked breathlessly.
	"In my pocket."
	She leaned over the edge of his bed to his discarded pants as his hands
grasped and caressed her ass. Eagerly, she searched around in the pocket
for the rubber. . .but her hand hit something else. She drew out a curious
hunk of rock, black but glowing. "Hey, what's this?"
	"Oh, just a stone I found. You like it?"
	There were some kind of vibes coming off of that stone, something
unsettling, maybe even evil. . .Maybe I should show this to Luna later, she
thought. . .
	Uh-oh, he thought, she's getting distracted. Time to bring her mind back
to the business at hand. And he began to caress and stroke her rump again,
letting a finger slide down, down, until he reached her womanhood. . .
	She gasped. Oh, Gods! Yes, oh, that feels so good. . .The rock fell to the
floor, forgotten, as her hand plunged back into the pocket on its original
quest. The rubber was quickly retrieved. He pulled her back onto the bed,
and she unwrapped and unrolled it, preparing to get him ready for love.
	She took his manhood in her hand, stroking it up and down, up and down,
reveling in its size and hardness. She rolled on the rubber, then caressed
him some more until he moaned. She moved back up so they were lying side by
side and gently kissed his mouth.
	"Ready?" he said.
	"Never so ready for anything in my life."
	He rolled her on her back, pulling her legs up and out. She groaned deeply
as he filled her. They just stayed still for a moment, enjoying the feel of
union. . .then, he began to pump her, and she felt the world start to spin
out of control. "Oh, Ken," she moaned, "you're just incredible. Please,
please give me more. . ." And more he gave her, thrusting harder, faster,
going as deep into her as they both could possibly stand. She let out a
series of small cries, her hands gripping his ass, pulling him deeper and
deeper into her. Oh yes, oh please, oh Gods, let this go on and on and on.
. .Then, suddenly, the floodgates burst within her, and she bucked and
shrieked as she was wracked with a climax. The hot throbbing within her set
him off, and he yelled his ecstacy as he released himself, his final spasms
sending off another series of delicious shudders within her.
	Spent, they curled up together, whispering soft words of love as they
dozed off.
	Some time later, he awoke. A look at the clock told him something he
didn't want to see-he had to be at work in half an hour.
	He got up from the bed and kissed his sleeping love. He dressed and went
into the kitchen, where he quickly assembled the pies himself. Then, after
scribbling a quick love note, he left the apartment.
* * *
	Scarpiite was ready for when the kid came down the walk. He'd summoned a
couple of henchmen, who were waiting in the bushes with him.
	Pictures filled the general's mind. . .pictures of what he was sure this
youth was just doing with that beautiful lady. It'll be his last time with
her, he thought. As of tonight, I will be taking his place.
	Ken wasn't even aware of the ambush. They knocked him down with bolts of
Negapower before he knew they were there. And as they carried off his prone
body, Scarpiite dropped the matchbook, the matchbook with the address on
it. The address he knew she'd come to.
	Soon, my sweet, he thought. Very soon, I'll have you.
* * *
	Lita heard some kind of clattering outside her window-like garbage cans
being banged together.
	"Ken?" she called.
	When she got no answer, she jumped out of bed, threw on her robe, and
looked outside the window-only to be greeted with the sight of an
unconscious person being loaded into the back of a car.
	A person who looked just like-
	"KEN! OH, MY GODS!"
	She flew down the stairs so fast she almost tripped over her own feet. Her
robe was starting to fall off her body when she reached the outdoors. She
didn't care.
	Where was he? Where did they take him? Frantically, she called his name,
over and over, rushing back and forth, trying to catch a glimpse of the
car. . .
	Then, she saw the matchbook on the ground. Picking it up slowly, she read
the address. An old factory in a not-so-nice part of town. . .
	"I have you now, you bastards," she said. "You picked the wrong guy to
grab. You think you're just going to have to deal with a mere woman? You're
going to have to tangle with SAILOR JUPITER!"
	She flew in the house to get her wand, not realizing she was walking right
into Scarpiite's sinister plan. . .
* * *
	The machine was humming along very nicely, he thought, petting it like an
animal. It generated a special high-frequency electronic field, just the
right frequency to block a Sailor Scout's powers. And because he was going
to have it well-hidden, she'd never know about it.
	The only thunder and lighting, he thought, will be when I have her flat on
her back.
	Scarpiite went back to the table, which had been set for dinner. Even in
such lowly settings, Negaverse generals tended to have refined tastes. He
had sent his henchmen out to bring him back a good steak and a decent wine.
	As he carved the steak into small pieces, he listened for sounds in the
next room. The young man should be waking up any second now, he thought.
And then, the fun will begin. . .
	Sure enough, one of the henchmen came into the room. "The prisoner is
ready to be brought before you, General."
	"Well, what are you waiting for? Let's see him."
	Ken was led into the room, his hands tied behind him, looking angry and
defiant. His first words were, "You'd better not have done anything to
Lita."
	"Do you see her here? No, my good man, it's you we're after. What have you
done with the Black Crystal?"
	"Black Crystal? What the hell are you talking about?"
	"Oh, don't play dumb with us. You have the crystal. Now tell us where it is."
	That hunk of rock? Ken thought. That hunk of rock is valuable? He
remembered exactly where it was-Lita's apartment. No way in hell was he
endangering her by leading them to her place. . .
	"Look, buddy, there's no goddamn crystal. Now let me go or so help me
I'll. . ."
	Scarpiite smacked him across the face. "If you're not gonna talk, we're
gonna make you talk!" To the henchmen, he said, "Take him back to the next
room and prepare the torture!"
	I don't care what they do to me, Ken thought as they dragged him off. I
will never, never betray you, my Lita. . .
	And as soon as they disappeared into the other room with him, she kicked
in the door. "Let him go, Negabastard!" she shouted.
	Scarpiite regarded her calmly. "Well, look at what we have here," he said.
"Hello, Sailor Jupiter."
	"You got that right!" she said. "I'm Sailor Jupiter, champion of love and
justice, and in the name of Jupiter, I'll punish you!"
	"I'd like to see you try."
	She concentrated her power. "You asked for it! JUPITER THUNDER. . .CRASH!!!"
	Nothing happened.
	"What the hell? JUPITER THUNDER. . .CRASH!!!!"
	"What's the matter, Sailor Brat?" Scarpiite said. "Lost your little
electrical toys? Your powers aren't going to work here, you know."
	"You're lying! You're playing mind games with me! My powers have never. .
." Just then, there was a horrible scream from the next room. "KEN! What
the hell are you doing to him?"
	"We have him hooked up to a nice little machine that just happens to
generate electrical shocks stronger and more painful than anything you
could come up with. Seems your little buddy is hiding something from us.
Ever heard of the Black Crystal?"
	An image flashed in her mind of the stone she had found in his pocket.
"Never heard of it before in my life."
	"Oh, you will. It's a crystal so powerful it makes the Silver Crystal look
like a chunk of glass. And once we have it, the Dark Kingdom will rule
again!"
	"BASTARD!" She charged at him with a karate kick. But Scarpiite was just
as adept at martial arts as she was. He blocked and parried her every kick,
blow and thrust, and got in a few kicks of his own, knocking her to the
ground just as Ken screamed again. She leapt to her feet, ran to the door
of the room where he was, tried the lock on the door. It was securely
locked. She kicked and kicked at it, it would not budge. She fell to the
floor, panting and heaving, struggling to hold back tears-she was not going
to let this Negabastard see her cry.
	Scarpiite walked over to her, laid a hand on her shoulder. "He'll die in
there. We're going to torture him to death by degrees. Unless you give up
the crystal."
	She wanted to scream, "Take your stupid crystal!" But she couldn't let the
Negaverse seize power again. . .
	Instead, she yelled, "Never!"
	"There's something else you could do, you know. If you do it, we'll let
your precious young man go, and we'll even forget all about the crystal."
	She looked up, hope in her eyes. "What is it? Tell me!"
	He smiled at her, a horrid, smirking smile. "You let me have your body for
tonight."
	She fell back to the ground, dazed, numb.
	Oh Gods, she thought. I've never done anything truly bad in my life. I've
devoted myself to fighting for love and justice. Why, why have you paid me
back like this. . .
	"Well?" said Scarpiite. "What's it going to be? Are you going to save your
lover's life?"
	She wanted to vomit. Just the thought of touching his repulsive body. . .
	Then Ken screamed again, and her last bit of resolve broke.
	"Yes," she said in a voice little above a choked whisper.
	Scarpiite punched an intercom. "Stop the torture for now. But do not let
him go. Be ready to resume at my signal."
	Lita was still huddled on the floor. Scarpiite picked her up. "Now, my
dear, why don't you get cozy before we begin our little tete-a-tete.
There's some wonderful wine on the table. Have some."
	She'd never been a drinker-but she couldn't imagine anyone ever needing a
drink more than she did at that moment.
	Slowly, she made her way over to the table. He was busy with a dirty,
ramshackle bed in the corner, pulling at the covers, fluffing the pillows.
. .With a shaking hand, she picked up the bottle and started to pour.
	That's when she saw the knife.
	For a second, she just stared at it, her hand hovering over it. Then,
slowly, slowly, she picked it up and turned around, hiding the knife behind
her back.
	Crazed with lust, he came to her, his arms outstretched. "Sailor Jupiter,
at last you are mine!"
	She swung her arm around. She hadn't intended to strike a fatal blow, but
it caught him full in the chest. He fell to the ground with a strangled
cry. "Bitch! Help, I'm dying!" He grabbed frantically at her legs, she
kicked his hands away.
	All the fury in her burst forth at once. "Are you choking to death on your
own blood, Negacreep? Look at me, Scarpiite-I am Sailor Jupiter! You can
take away my powers, but you can't take away my fight for love and justice!
Die, you monster! Die! Die!"
	He twitched, his eyes went dull, and he fell back. She stared at the knife
in her hand, shaking. She'd blasted plenty of Negacreeps to oblivion with
thunder and lightning before, but killing someone with a knife. . .The
vomit that had seemed to be stuck somewhere between her stomach and throat
ever since she found Ken gone finally came up, along with the tears she'd
been holding back. She fell to her knees, sick and sobbing.
	When she came to her senses, she began frantically searching the body for
the key. Grabbing it, she ran for the room where Ken had been held.
	Why is it so quiet in there. . .
	Opening the door, the first thing she realized was that the henchmen were
gone. Why did they leave if they were supposed to be guarding. . .
	Then, she saw Ken, and realized that Scarpiite had lied to her. He hadn't
spared his life at all. Ken was dead.
	She fell to her knees with a scream, embracing the body. "He's dead!
Murdered! Dead! Oh, Ken. . .to come to your end like this. . .what will
become of me now? I can't live without you!" Sobbing, she rocked and rocked
him, trying to will life back into him with every fiber of her being.
	She didn't hear the henchmen in the next room, finding the body. "He's
dead-murdered-it was that Sailor brat! Get her!"
	Then, she saw them running toward her, flinging bolts of power. She jumped
up and launched a karate kick, knocking one flat. Then, she ran, ran, ran.
. .
	There was a set of fire stairs, and she climbed up, up, up. . .how tall
was this friggin' building, anyway? They were coming after her, faster,
faster. . .
	She burst out of a top hatch onto the roof, noticing that she was about
six stories up. Let them come now, she thought. Let them come now, I don't
care anymore. . .
	They caught up to her. "Sailor girl, you will pay dearly for Scarpiite's
life!" the henchman shouted.
	"With my own!" she replied, running to the ledge. "This isn't over,
Scarpiite," she called out. "We'll settle this in the next world!"
	And she threw herself into space.
* * *
	Raye had felt the psychic jolt when she was in the kitchen boiling water
for tea. Not again, she thought. We've been through so much lately, please
tell me that something else horrible hasn't happened. . .
	But then, she felt it again.
	She flew into the main part of the temple, her heart hammering. She sat in
front of the fire, willing her breathing to quiet, her heart to still. .
.and she listened for the voice, the dear voice of her psychic guide,
friend and lover, the god Mars.
	"Who is it this time?" she asked. "It's not Serena again, is it?"
	"No, Raye. It's Lita. She's in very grave danger. . ."
	"Where is she? What is it? I have to go to her!"
	"You can't. You'll be placing yourself in danger as well."
	"But I can't just sit here and let her. . ."
	"Someone else is on the way to help her right now. Someone who has a
better grasp on this whole situation than either you or I. . ."
* * *
	She felt the strong, loving hands pluck her out of mid-air as she fell
through space. Suddenly, instead of plummeting toward earth, she was being
eased down, gently, gently. . .
	As they touched ground, she looked up and saw the face looming over her-a
handsome, bearded face that seemed to radiate fatherly love.
	The first words out of her mouth were, "Why did you save me?"
	"I saved you because I love you, Lita. You are as dear to me as one of my
own children. You always have been, and always will be."
	"Who are you?"
	"Maybe the question should be, who are you?"
	She sighed, remembering her proud boasts to Scarpiite before she'd killed
him, beforeshe found out that Ken was. . .
	"Lita Kino. Sailor Jupiter."
	"And I am the source of your power, Sailor Jupiter. You are my champion
and priestess, my representative in the human world. . ."
	She gasped. "Then that makes you. . ."
	"Yes, Lita. I'm Jupiter. The god Jupiter."
	Suddenly, a flash of her usual spunk returned. "Then WHY did you let this
happen? Why did you let them take away Ken? What kind of a god does
something like that to somebody he claims to love?"
	He hugged her. "Oh, Lita, Lita. Sometimes, human evil-or, in this case,
Negaverse evil-catches even us gods unaware. You're not going to be
separated from Ken forever, Lita. . ."
	"Oh, so I have to wait thousands and thousands of years before we're
reincarnated and reunited, like Darien and Serena? No thanks!"
	"You're not going to have to wait. You will live out the span of your
life-and Ken will live with you. I'm going to restore his life."
	She let out a shriek of joy and hugged him. "Oh, thank you, thank you. .
.You don't know how much he means to me. He's my love, my life. . ."
	"Yes I do know, Lita. It was I who created him to be your consort. Come,
sit over here. . ." He led her to the curb, and sat beside her, his arm
around her like a father comforting a beloved daughter.
	"Back in the Silver Millennium," he said, "a group of us gods decided that
we needed warrior priestesses to be our champions among humans. Mars and
Mercury took their priestesses to be their lovers, as well. But as for me.
. .I decided to adopt you as my honorary daughter instead. If you paid
attention to your mythology in school, you know that trouble always had a
way of befalling my human lovers." He chuckled, and she laughed with him.
	"Anyway," he continued, "I wanted to make sure that you'd always feel
loved and happy. So I created a young man, molding him so he'd meet all
your needs, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual. And that young man
is the one that you know as Ken. The two of you cannot be taken away from
each other, because you were meant to be together from the beginning."
	Wow, Lita thought. And I thought Darien and Serena were the only ones with
a bond like that. . .
	She turned to the god and smiled. "Guess that explains why I could never
seem to build a decent relationship with anyone else, huh?"
	He laughed and hugged her. "I'd have been extremely shocked if you could.
Now before we go get Ken. . .there's one more thing I have to talk to you
about. That crystal. It's very, very dangerous, Lita. If it falls into the
hands of what's left of the Negaverse, they will be able to do what Beryl
was unable to-annihilate the universe that you live in."
	"So what are we supposed to do with it?"
	"I'm going to take it back to my own dimension and keep it in the realm of
the gods. It's a shame that I have to do that, because in the right hands,
it can be just as powerful a tool for good as it is for evil. But with the
Negaverse still active, leaving it in the human world would be like leaving
a time bomb behind. Now come on-let's go find your love."
	They pushed open the doors of the building. Ken's body was still lying
there. Lita felt tears welling up in her eyes all over again.
	The god walked over to the young man. He raised his hands to the sky, and
a glow appeared all around him. He put his hands on Ken's temples, and the
light grew brighter, enveloping both of them.
	Then, he stepped back, and Ken's eyelids began to flutter. "Lita?" he said
weakly.
	She threw herself on her knees next to him. "Ken! Oh, Ken! I can't believe
it, I thought you were. . .Oh, Gods, Ken!" They embraced each other
tightly, covering each other's faces with kisses. She lowered her head to
his chest so she could hear his heartbeat-the most beautiful sound in the
world.
	And, in the background, the god silently withdrew, knowing all too well
from personal experience when it was best to leave lovers alone.
* * *
	The first rays of dawn were peeking in Lita's bedroom window. Ken was
asleep under the covers, fully clothed. Lita lay atop the covers next to
him. She'd just watched him most of the night, hardly believing that he'd
been returned to her.
	Imagine-he had been created just for her! They were truly, in every sense
of the words, made for each other! The terror of the night before, the
revulsion she'd felt when Scarpiite had touched her and when she'd stabbed
him, were swept away like dust under the rug.
	She stroked his hair. He opened his eyes and looked at her. "What are you
thinking?" he said.
	"I'm thinking about how very lucky I am to have you," she said.
	He snuggled closer to her, pulled her into his embrace. "You saved my
life, Lita," he said. "I heard you yelling at that Scarpiite creep in the
next room. You put your own neck on the line for me."
	"And I'd do it again and again if it means staying with you forever," she
whispered. "But it wasn't me who ultimately saved you. We'll just say that
we had a little. . .divine intervention?"
	"Well, whether or not we had help, you still risked your beautiful neck to
save me."
	I risked more than that, she thought. "I did it because I love you so much."
	"Oh, honey. . .I love you too. . ." He brought his mouth to hers. The
first kiss was gentle, sweet, tender, mouth mingling softly with mouth.
Then, the second was more urgent, and grew gradually hotter, like a little
spark turning into a dancing flame. Their arms were around each other,
their hands tangling in each other's hair, their bodies rubbing together,
as if struggling to rub their clothes off through pure friction so they
could touch skin to skin.
	She broke away from him, her hands practically tripping over themselves in
their haste to remove her clothing. After the last garment had been
discarded, she helped him join her in the state of blissful nudity. She let
her hands roam over every part of him, feeling his well-muscled chest and
arms, his broad back and shoulders, his long, strong legs. . .
	And this. Oh, yes, this.
	Almost reverently, she took his manhood in both her hands, stroking and
caressing. "Oh, Ken, you feel so good," she sighed.
	"And you taste so good," he whispered. He rolled her on her back, his
mouth gently clashing with hers. Down he moved, kissing her neck, moving
toward her breasts. . .He took the right in his mouth, his lips tugging on
the nipple as his tongue brushed across it, while his hand caressed the
left. He stopped only to switch the positions of mouth and hand.
	Then, he continued his descent, moving toward his ultimate goal. . . When
he reached the patch of brown, curly hair, he paused, just staring at the
treasure before him. She whimpered and stirred in anticipation.
	His mouth made contact with her most delicate flesh, his lips caressing
her nether lips in the most intimate kiss one person can give another. His
tongue moved over the soft folds, stroking, licking, caressing. Oh, Lita,
he thought, there's nothing I'd rather taste than your sweet honey. He slid
his tongue deep inside her to get more, more more of what he craved. She
moved her hips up and down and moaned deep in her throat, her hands
caressing her own breasts. Then, his mouth found the single most sensitive
spot on her entire body, her sweet, hot jewel, and he began to suck. This
threw her over the edge. She screamed his name as she climaxed.
	He needed his own satisfaction, and he wanted to take her to the edge of
heaven again. He pulled away only long enough to find and put on his
protection, then he was on top of her, inside her.
	She'd barely recovered from the last one when this new assault was upon
her. He was filling her, thrusting inside her. . .completing her. Just when
she thought she'd been drained of every drop of energy, he was taking her
up, up, up again. . .She felt her hips moving, her muscles tightening,
trying to hold on to him, trying to make him a part of her forever and
ever. She moved with him, meeting every thrust, again and again and again
and.  .  .OOHHH!!! The world exploded in glorious fireworks as they reached
a simultaneous climax, crying out each other's names, holding onto each
other as tightly as their arms would allow.
	He rolled off her, pulling them so they both lay on their sides. She
nestled her head into his shoulder, and they held onto each other as their
heartbeats slowed, their breathing stilled.
	"I love you, Lita."
	"I love you took Ken."
	My very own love, she thought. There never were two people more made for
each other.	

	"And Love, to whom is due your life's redemption,
	Will be our guide on land, our pilot on the ocean
	Peace shall be ours, from worldly cares exemption
	Until, united in some celestial sphere
	Fluttering like fleecy clouds ever in motion
	We shall soar high above the globe terrestrial."
-Luigi Illica/Guiseppe Giacosa, the libretto for Puccini's "Tosca"

AUTHOR'S NOTE: The basis for this story is the opera from which the closing
quote comes, Puccini's "Tosca." The opera concerns diva Floria Tosca, whose
lover, painter/political rebel Mario Cavaradossi, is kidnapped and tortured
by the evil Baron Scarpia. Like Lita in this story, Tosca is told she can
bargain for her lover's life with her body-and, also like Lita, she ends up
freeing herself with a steak knife. At the end of the opera, Tosca commits
suicide by leaping from the top of a castle in one of the most famous
finales in all opera- but unlike Lita, she had no god to catch and help
her. The libretto for "Tosca" can be found online at XXX.
	Standard Sailor Moon disclaimers apply. These characters ain't mine, I'm
just borrowing them for awhile.