Title: Rolling Thunder Author: Silly Smiles Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon.

Makoto stands staring out the window, her emerald eyes belying her worry as she waits for him to return. Jupiter was experiencing one if it's nastier storms and this could be one reason for him being late.
Terran spacecrafts had never been able to adapt to landing on her home planet during a storm. Glancing back down at the landing pad she hopes it is the storm and not Beryl's continuing decimation of Earth.

A wide smile spreads across her face as the long awaited terran craft begins its descent. With one last look she turns and runs, wanting to greet him as soon as he walks out.

She shifts her weight from foot-to-foot in the most un-princess like manner, waiting impatiently for him to emerge. Finally, he does and she immediately begins to move toward him, but slows when a sense of danger swells in side of her. She catches a wisp of the grotesque scent of youma and realizes something is not right.

"Hello love," his voice is void of its usual warmth.

Tears begin to pool in her eyes as she notices that his once sun-kissed skin is now a sickly pale, his once loving green eyes are now full of an emotion she doesn't quite understand, but knows to fear. Stepping up to him she wraps him in a hug. Green eyes flash before a blast of black lightning throws her away from him.

Pulling herself off of the ground, she runs. Tears flowing down her cheeks,
running as fast as her legs will allow, and hoping to get away from him for she is unable to face him just yet.

With an awful cackle he takes chase. Running into a corner unintentionally,
she begins to turn around, but he is there and the look in his eyes has intensified. She now understands what that look means. He means to kill her and she knows not why.

"Why? What has happened to you?" she hadn't meant for it to come out so weakly. She was the princess of Jupiter. She was supposed to be strong like the storms her home was so famous for.

He just smirks and punches her. More tears escape her eyes. The only man she had ever opened up to, the only man she had ever loved, the one man who had promised, day after day, to protect her and fight with her, to protect everything she loved, was beating her. With an anguished cry she transforms and begins to retaliate.

Another blast of dark energy sends her through a wall, but she quickly gets to her feet and throws her own attack of crackling lightning at him, hoping to swipe the sickening smirk off of his face.

Growing tired from all of the energy being exerted she begins to take more hits. Gaining the upper hand he blasts her into anther wall and she falls to the ground, "Nephrite! Why are you doing this? I thought you loved me!"

He just smirks, "I am her majesty, Queen Beryl's, now. She holds my heart and my soul. She alone is the key to the power I have always wanted."

His words stung worse than a thousand knives being driven into her back. With a heartfelt cry, she stands and with all of her anguish, anger, and desperation she gathers all of the power she possibly can from her home. With a deep yell she throws it at him and watches through watery eyes as he screams in pain and falls.

Lying there on the ground, unable to move, he glares at her with the green eyes that once had been so full of love.

"Is Beryl your choice then?" the complete flatness of her voice is chilling.

"You cannot hold a candle to the prowess of her majesty!"

Her emerald eyes set in determination, "Your betrayal is disgusting. I cannot believe you! You turn your back on your prince! On everything! I will not allow you to destroy everything. Not even my love for you will keep me from protecting everything. Good-bye Nephrite."

Lightning strikes, overhead the thunder rolls, and dust blows in the howling wind.

Dropping to her knees, she sobs. The storm picks up as if to console her.

She has to stop this. She needs to go; to warn the Moon.

She needs to stay strong, to save their slowly crumbling empire.

She needs the storm, the thunder, to keep her rolling.