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Nephrite
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Nathaniel Kingsley Phillip Warrington IV had always hated his uptight upbringing. He preferred Nate, for one. His parents, who were far from a family unit, married out of collage for purely social and monetary reasons. Nate's great-grandfather on his father's side, Nathaniel the first, founded a large company, which in this day and age was now worth billions and his mother was a Southern Belle, with old oil money and was successful fashion designer, or at least that was the image that she tried to portray to the media.
Nate had never once seen his parents share a room or even converse for longer than ten minutes on a topic that wasn't about him or their image. His mother did not care that his father, who went by Kingsley, spent most of the year abroad, with a slew of mistresses. And his father did not care that his mother, Penelope, was having a long-term affair with a woman named Delilah. They had only married for appearance and only reproduced for an heir. They didn't hate each other, they just didn't care too much about each other, either. A marriage of complete indifference.
Nate was raised by nannies and spent more time with the butler growing up than his parents. It never bothered him, he never knew of any other way.
He was smart, almost too smart, but Nate lacked discipline. He let his heart get in the way with his head. It didn't take him long to realise that the scenes he dreamed every night, the people, the places, that they meant something. It also didn't take Penelope or Kingsley long to notice that little Nathaniel had imaginary friends at an age much too old for them. Years of therapy and psychoanalysis later and Nate never mentioned his dreams or the things in them out loud again, for a very long time.
Other than his few eccentricities, Nate was the perfect model of a son of high-class. Handsome, smart, intuitive, diligent, charismatic, but also sincere and friendly, if a little needy. He could also work a crowd, be a little manipulative. His temper, though, was on the short side.
He was perceptive and curious, but also kind and approachable. Nate was very street smart, especially for someone raised in mansions and with a trust fund the size of Texas.
At the age of thirteen, Nate's mother died. She drowned in a pool at the family's house in Greece, with a cocktail of drugs in her system, her lover, Delilah remanded in custody for suspicion of murder.
Three years later, Kingsley commit suicide after he was arrested for his dealing with underage girls. If that wasn't bad enough, the company that he ran was also nearing broke and he had been counting down the days to Nate's eighteenth, when his trust fund would be released. Kingsley was arrested two years shy of Nate's birthday and had only taken his life when it looked like the charges were sticking and he was looking at a very long time behind bars.
During the time his father was in prison, Nate became an emancipated minor. He never wanted anything to do with his family's company, so he had plans to sell it when he was old enough. He had always wanted to help people, make a difference.
From a young age, Nate had precognitive dreams along with his dreams of the past. It wasn't until his mother's death (which he dreamed of months before) that he truly began to put stock into them. It wasn't just dreams though. It was almost as if he had a way of just knowing things, before he learns of them or they even happen.
When he was on his own, Nate explored this other side of himself, his past life. His name was Nephrite and he lived one thousand years ago, a loyal servant to Prince Endymion of Earth and the lover of Princess Jupiter, Io. He could recall with almost perfect clarity his past life. His time as one of the Shitennou.
It was like something out of a fairy tale⦠or a Shakespearean Tragedy. Forbidden loves, magic, a huge battle, an evil witch and a tragic end.
After high school, Nate took a gap year. He wanted to sort his life out. He had no living relatives and was only eighteen years old. The most profound relationship he had was with a Japanese pen-pal he had in elementary school. He organised to sell all his parents properties and holdings, he didn't want any of that. He put his trust fund away, packed a bag and travelled. Going place to place, he began to feel comfortable in his own skin, as Nate-who-used-to-be-Nephrite. He started to look to the future instead of dwelling inside his dreams.
Yet, everywhere he went, he looked for them. Just in case.
Nate returned to New York after a year of backpacking and was not back in town for more than a week when he started to feel uneasy. He had explored his powers in his year away and everything he had learned about himself was screaming for him to be on alert.
Recently he had started to have dreams of Nephrite being brainwashed, turning on his Prince and striking down Jupiter. He remembered being trapped in his own mind, watching as his body moved on its own accord.
The feeling he got, like he was being watched, increased over the next few days. It was the same tingle that he got from his memories of his past life. He tried to be on alert, watching his step and sleeping with one eye open. He knew something was coming, he could feel it. After weeks of exhausting himself, he collapsed into a deep sleep and when he woke up, he was trapped again. Inside his own mind.
He saw Beryl. She was back, and she had taken his body, again.
His brothers were there, too. Jadeite, Zoisite and Kunzite, they were all twisted and perverted. They were not the loyal, honourable, noble solders he knew when they were Endymion's Shitennou. No, these were the abominations that Beryl and Metaria had turned them into, before the fall of the Silver Millennium.
The next few months were terrible. A walking nightmare, Nate was aware of it all. He could see the horrible acts and hear the awful things that they said and did.
Nate mourns when Jadeite fell in battle with the newly awoken Mars, but deep down, he envies the freedom that his brother's soul now has. Nephrite, however, hates the Sailor Senshi. He swears vengeance and tries to take it when he takes over Princess D's body with his shadows. It all fails, but he is happy that he wasn't killed by Sailor Moon's light.
When Nephrite next attacks, he chooses to pick love as his weapon, since to him, it's a weakness. Nate knows this is not true. Inside his mind, were he is trapped, he can see the face of Io in Nephrite's mind. It's not long before he comes face to face with the Princess Jupiter's Earth incarnation. Even if on the surface, Nephrite will not show it, Nate's pulse jumps and his head becomes light.
It's why his youma has chosen her as the victim, since as his pawn it knew that she is special.
Nate watches, stuck inside his prison inside the body of the evil Dark Kingdom agent Nephrite, powerless to do anything to stop himself from hurting his love. It doesn't matter if it's from another lifetime, Jupiter is his soulmate and it pains him to watch.
Sailors Moon, Mars and Mercury come to the rescue and Jupiter awakens her powers, but she still doesn't remember. Nephrite does, though. In that last moment before she attacked, releasing her fury at him, Nephrite knew that look and feared her power.
"Jupiter Thunder Bolt," Sailor Jupiter cried, the current of electricity running through his body, freeing Nate of his fate.
"Goodbye, my love," Nate whispered as his soul escaped Beryl grasp.
Mere months later he was trapped again, inside his guardian rock. The Prince and Princess defeated the Dark Kingdom, but had been unable to do more for the Shitennou. But that was fine, he and his brothers could serve Endymion, or Mamoru as he asked to be called, again.
For years, he existed only to advise, having a few moments of coherency in which Mamoru would need guidance, then he would be in nothingness.
It was after Usagi, Serenity's latest name, defeated Chaos that Mamoru came to him and his brothers, offering life to them. A life with him and his princess. Their princesses. Nate didn't need telling twice, he took the chance.
He woke up in the dark and musty apartment that he owned in New York. The air smelt like it hadn't seen a human in years and it probably hadn't. It was dark, cloth covering most of the furniture, a layer or two of dust covering the surface of everything.
Nate was disorientated, it took him a while to come to grips with what was going on in his head. He remembered things of his life, but the last thought he could recall was paranoia. Apparently the paranoia was valid, since he was missing almost four years of memories.
What had he been doing in that time?
Nathanial Warrington had been reported to be missing. Nate had never been much of a fit in his life, anyway.
He had a feeling that whatever he had been doing in the time he was missing, it had to do with his past life. A quick search into the news archives of the last four years, shows appearances of teenage girls in sailor outfits, acting as heroes, in Japan.
As soon as the pictures showed up, he saw her. His prince was there, too. As was many others from the Silver Millennium.
This was his chance.
Within a month, Nate had his stuff sorted. His missing person's report had been cancelled and he was all set for his trip to Japan.
He wondered how long it would take to find the 'Sailor Senshi' once he arrived in Tokyo.
Nate needn't have worried, though. As soon as the flight touched down in Japan, he felt this overwhelming need to go in a certain direction.
It was an apartment building, somewhere in the Azabu-Juuban area of Minato-ku, in Tokyo. Nate was thankful for a Japanese pen pal he had in elementary and middle school, as it helped him navigate his way around.
Nate found himself in front of a door. He rose his hand to knock, knowing that both Jupiter and Endymion were inside.
How would he explain himself? Would they be expecting him? Would they even know who he is?
He took a deep breath and knocked. Bang, bang, bang.
A minute later, the door swung open and his Prince stood there. He smiles and gestured for Nate to enter.
Once inside, Nate dropped to his knees.
"Master," he whispered.
"It's Mamoru," his Prince said, holding out his hand to shake.
Nate stood up and took his hand in his grasp, smiling. "Nate," he replied.
"Come in," Mamoru said, "It's my birthday and Usako organized a little party. Mako-chan's here."
"Makochan?" Nate questioned. He wasn't the best at Japanese, so he didn't know what a makochan was.
Mamoru just laughed, "Kino Makoto, Sailor Jupiter."
Nate felt his heart skip a beat at hearing Io's name.
"Mamo-chan, who was at the door?" A female voice asked, walking into the entry way was a small, petite blond. Serenity.
"Usako, this is Nate," Mamoru said. Or Usako? The Princess beamed at him. "Nate, Usagi."
"Your highness," Nate said, tipping his head slightly.
"No no no, Usagi," she smiled, pointing to herself. "And Nate-san, you're just in time for Mamo-chan's twenty-first, yay!" The small blond clapped her hands, smiling brightly. "C'mon," she took both his and Mamoru's hands and dragged them into the main part of the apartment. "Mako-chan will be so happy to see you, Nate-san!"
"Hey, everyone, guess who showed up?" She called over the din. "This is Nate!"
Everyone stopped what they were doing and look his way. He could see familiar faces there, including Kunzite's, but the one that stood out most was smack bam in the middle, talking to Mercury.
Makoto's face lit up like a Christmas tree and she placed her hand over her mouth, as her eyes filled with tears. Nate was frozen. He knew he would see her, but somehow, all the mental preparing he had been doing did nothing right now. He just stared, awestruck.
Makoto waited only a second, before she handed her drink glass to Mercury and took off towards him at a run. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sobbed into his hair.
"You've come back to me," she kept whispering, over and over again.
Nate embraced her, placing a small kiss on her forehead.
"Always," he whispered back, before picking her up and spinning around, her giggles loud in his ears.
Also, I have notes on Khalil (Kunzite) being from Egypt or Turkey, but I can't decide. Any suggestions?
Leave me a review to let me know what you think.
