Everybody was at the Crown game center after school.
Ami and Makoto were talking to each other while Usagi was engrossing in Sailor V game.
"I loved seeing you play chess yesterday, Ami. I had no idea watching a chess tournament can be this excited." Makoto said to her dear friend.
"Too bad you lost to that guy, though. It was very close." Makoto commented. She hardly sees Ami lost at anything, be it studying, exam, game, swimming, or whatever. So the first time she saw her friend lost at something, she couldn't help but seeing it as an out-of-character event for Ami.
"He was really good, that's why. I think it was a good match. I learned a lot and I will continue to improve myself." Ami explained.
"You seemed a little distracted, though." Makoto wondered because usually her intelligent friend has a laser-sharp focus.
"You looked at the guy a lot, what's his name, Zachary?" Mako teased Ami.
"In chess, you have to read your opponent, Mako-chan. That was what I was doing." Ami defended herself.
"Are you sure? I didn't really see his face clearly because we were far away, but I could still see that he was quite handsome, right?" Makoto teased Ami.
"Oh lost again!" Usagi lamented.
"Ami-chan, Mako-chan, let's go watch a movie. The new romantic movie just came up. Naru-chan and Umino said it was very good." Usagi asked.
"I can't, Usagi. I have to go to the planetarium. Professor Anderson invited me to join him in observing the meteor-shower tonight." Ami answered.
"Also, Usagi, shouldn't you be watching a romantic movie with your boyfriend. You are not single like we are, so take advantage of it." Makoto teased Usagi.
"But Mako-chan, you're free, right?" Usagi asked.
"Actually, I promised Ami I would go to the planetarium with her, to be her bodyguard and walk her home" Mako answered. It's not like it's a big deal anyway. Ami's and Mako's apartments are in the same area.
"Oh well, you two have fun then. I will go see if Mamo-chan is free." Usagi waved good bye to the two girls.
—
At the planetarium, Professor Anderson welcomed Ami and Makoto.
"Glad to see that you can come, Mizuno. Tonight's meteor-shower is going to be amazing."
"Good evening, Professor Anderson. This is my friend Kino Makoto. We go to the same school." Ami introduced Makoto.
"Nice to meet you, Kino. If you are a friend of Mizuno, you might be a genius as well." Professor Anderson asked with a smile.
"Oh no, I'm not a genius like Ami. But I'm trying to learn from her." Mako answered.
Makoto noticed a boy with long brown hair looking into the telescope.
"Oh sorry, I forgot to introduce. Nate, come here for a moment. Mizuno, Kino, this is an exchange student from the US, Nathan Becker. He will be staying here for a few weeks." Professor Anderson said while gesturing Nate to get his eyes off the telescope.
Makoto and Ami were shocked when they saw Nate's full face.
This can't be happening. He looks exactly like Nephrite. Am I the only one seeing this? Makoto thought while looked at her friend, who had a similar surprised reaction. Makoto knew in that instance that Ami felt the same way she did.
"Hi. I'm Nathan Becker. But you can call me Nate. Nice to meet you all." Nate greeted the girls while extending his right hand for a handshake.
"Nate is a senior at high school in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Mizuno and Kino here are students at Juuban middle school." Professor Anderson explained.
Makoto hardly heard anything after seeing Nate's face. But she still managed to give Nate a handshake.
While Nate and Makoto were shaking hands, Makoto felt a flash of her Silver Millennium memory with Nephrite.
He's got to be Nephrite, right? Mako wondered.
"Hm, Mako-chan, I'm going to discuss a few things with the professor at the library. Would you mind waiting here?" Ami asked.
"No problem, Ami." Mako answered.
Now that Mako was alone with Nate, she suddenly felt a little nervous.
"So Kino, are you interested in astronomy?" Nate broke the ice.
"Actually I just tag along with my friend. I do think stars and space are fascinating but I haven't really studied them a lot." Makoto shyly admitted.
"I love astronomy. Something about looking at stars makes me feel peaceful and exhilarating at the same time." Nate said.
Makoto must have stared at Nate too long.
"Is something wrong?" Nate asked.
"Hm, it's just that I felt like I may have seen you before." Makoto just decided to go for it and asked him directly.
Nate's thinking and said "I don't think so. This is my first time in Japan. Have you been to the US?"
"No. I must have imagined it then." Makoto responded slowly.
"A lot of people look similar. I'm sure I'm not an exception." Nate said with a smile.
Oh no. You're unique. At least I know that much. Mako thought.
Nate's using a telescope pointing out stars after stars to Makoto.
He's really good at this. Just like Nephrite. Makoto thought.
—
After they all watched the meteor-shower, Ami and Makoto left the planetarium and headed home.
"Ami-chan, did Nate remind you of someone?" Makoto asked. Even though she kind of figured out from her friend's reaction when they both met Nate, she still wanted to hear it directly from her friend.
"You mean, Nephrite?" Ami said.
Makoto nodded.
"What do you think, Mako-chan?" Ami asked back.
"I think he looks so much like Nephrite, and the way they talk is similar. They are both even passionate about stars and space." Makoto voiced her thoughts.
"Do you think it's …him?" Makoto asked Ami.
"I wasn't going to say anything, but now that you have similar feeling."
"Do you remember Zachary from the chess competition?" Ami asked.
"Yeah, why?" Makoto asked.
"I …have a feeling that he may be Zoicite." Ami confessed.
Makoto eyes got wide open.
"Now that you said it, Ami. I can totally see it. He actually looks like Zoicite." Makoto almost yelled.
"Keep it down, Mako-chan. It's already late." Ami said.
"Oh sorry." Makoto kept her voice down.
"How come you haven't told me about this before?" Makoto asked.
"I just thought that I might have imagined it." Ami said.
"For a second there, I thought I was imagining it too." Makoto admitted.
"Zac …doesn't seem to remember anything, though." Ami sadly told her friend.
"I don't think Nate remembers anything, either." Makoto said.
"So we can't really be sure if they are actually Zoicite and Nephrite. We just have the feeling?" Makoto asked.
Ami nodded.
"Could we please not tell anybody about this, at least until we know more? I don't want to burden anybody with just my… feeling." Ami asked.
Well, it's just our feeling. But we are Senshi of Mercury and Jupiter, maybe our feelings mean something. Makoto thought but held her tongue.
"Sure." Makoto responded. As much as she is curious, she agrees with Ami that it may not be in anyone's best interest to bring this up with the group, at least not yet. Why bother others with a baggage from their past lives and past battles when they were just starting to enjoy peace again?
"Just to let you know, Ami. Tomorrow I'm meeting Nate after school." Makoto said.
"What? Why?" Ami exclaimed.
"We were talking and he told me that he didn't know his way around the city. So I told him I could take him around." Makoto said.
"Oh Mako-chan, you're going on a date with a guy who looks like Nephrite. Isn't that difficult?" Ami asked.
"Of course, it's hard when I think that he might be Nephrite. But I'm curious, Ami. I want to find out more about him. I guess I am hoping to see if he's actually Nephrite or not." Makoto said.
"Be careful, Mako-chan. Call me if you need anything." Ami told her friend.
"You are talking to the strongest senshi, Ami. I can take care of myself." Makoto smiled.
"Yes, physically I know you can win any fight. But I mean emotionally, Mako-chan." Ami explained.
"Thank you, Ami. I will probably need you…soon." Makoto admitted.
—
That Makoto girl was awfully pretty…and nice. Nate thought while he's walking back to his apartment.
I have seen many pretty girls, but none has made me kept thinking about them. Why is she different? Nate pondered.
I feel so warm and comfortable around her. This thought surprised Nate himself because he usually does not open up to anyone this quickly. Sure, he's the life of the party once everyone gets to know him. But he generally prefers to keep some distance with strangers.
I hope she didn't think I was too forward asking her out like that. Nate regretted his action for a moment, but he knew it in his heart that there was no way he was not going to see her again. This warm feeling he had when he met her was too strong to be ignored.
Nate got to his apartment and set his bag down on the floor. His room was small and a little lifeless, just like any bachelor's apartment. But it doesn't bother him. He's only here for a few weeks. It's no use decorating anyway. However, there was a big poster of the planet Jupiter on his wall next to his desk.
I think about you again today, Jupiter. I'm going to learn about you as much as I can while I'm here. Nate thought. He already loves everything about space, but the planet Jupiter has always been the one most fascinating to him. He popped out the book on the planet Jupiter from his bookshelf and started flipping through even though he had done it thousands times before. But he always learned something new reading this, and the impulse he got today was so strong that he just had to read and think about his favorite planet again tonight.
—
The next day at 4 PM, Makoto was waiting in front of the planetarium.
Oh crap! She got here before I do. Way too go, Nate. Real gentleman. Nate thought
"Hi Makoto. Sorry I'm a little late." Nate rushed to see Makoto.
"No problem. I just got here." Makoto said.
"There was a lot of work today at the planetarium. Sorry about that." Nate apologized.
"Don't worry about it." Makoto waved with a smile.
She's so nice. Is she going to kill me with that smile? Nate thought
"So what do you want me to show you about the city?" Makoto asked.
"Well, I'm not really good at cooking. So if you can show me places to eat around here, that'd be great. For a student's budget, of course." Nate said with a chuckle.
"Sure, what kind of food do you like? There are some Western restaurants here, but I think most of the good ones are Japanese." Makoto explained.
"I like Japanese food. When I was in Cambridge, we love to eat sushi, although it's a little expensive over there." Nate said.
"There are more to Japanese food than sushi, you know." Makoto said with a grin.
"I'm ready to learn." Nate told Makoto. As long as I get to spend time with you, I will try any food if I have too.
—
After showing Nate several restaurants, Makoto introduced Nate to the nearby supermarket.
"Here is one of the best supermarkets around here. They have ready-made food sold here as well. So if you don't want to go to a restaurant, you can always stop by here. But you probably don't want to do that too often, though. Home-cooked food is better for your health." Makoto explained.
"Do you cook, Makoto?" Nate asked.
"Hm, it's actually one of my favorite things to do." Makoto said proudly.
Wow! She's sweet, pretty and she cooks. How fantastic can this girl be?
"I'd love to try your food sometime." Nate responded.
"I can show you how to make something easy. There are a lot of pre-made ingredients here. Come on, I'll show you." Makoto grabbed his hand and ran into the supermarket.
—
After arriving at Nate's apartment, they sat down at the sofa. Mako happened to see a copy of Astronomy Today on the coffee table.
"Why do you like star and space so much anyway?" Mako asked.
"Well, I want to be an astronaut." Nate answered.
"Wow, an astronaut!" Makoto exclaimed.
"It's just a dream, though. But I'm working hard to make it come true some day." Nate said.
"Isn't being an astronaut a little dangerous? It's like traveling into nothing." Makoto asked.
"Yeah, I suppose it is. But I love that part about being an astronaut. Going to where nobody has gone before. It's exciting.
You are so brave. Just like the way you used to be. Mako thought as she recalled her memories of General Nephrite.
"You're strong and intelligent. You'd make a great astronaut." Mako said.
"Why did you think I'm strong and intelligent." Nate asked.
That's a great question to ask. I don't really know why I said that, either. You are not General Nephrite that I knew. Makoto thought.
"Oh I just figured that you are studying with Professor Anderson, so you must be smart. And you look strong. So…" Makoto answered.
"I'll take that as a compliment then. Thank you, Makoto." Nate said with a smile.
"I'll get dinner ready." Mako tried to change the subject.
"I'll help you." Nate said while following Makoto to the kitchen.
—
"Oh my god, Makoto, this is delicious." Nate complimented her.
"It's just a simple curry and rice. It's no big deal." Makoto blushed.
"I always love your cooking. You are the best!" Nate said.
They both looked at each other at the same time.
Why did he say that? Does he remember me? Mako thought.
"I'm sorry I don't know why I said that. This is the first time I've tried your food." Nate wondered.
"Sorry maybe I studied too hard. My brain stopped working. Haha." Nate shrugged off.
Is he starting to remember me? Even a little? Makoto wondered.
Makoto sat down next to him and started eating.
"So Nate, what do you like most about space?" Makoto changed the subject.
"I like the stillness and mysteries of it. I like studying planets than stars, especially in our solar system. We still have a lot of learn about them." Nate explained.
"Out of all the planets in our solar system, I think Jupiter is the most fascinating." Nate said.
That line made Makoto stopped eating.
"You…like Jupiter?" Makoto asked.
"Yeah, I think it's the most interesting planet. I even have a poster, see?" Nate answered while pointing to the poster next to his desk.
Can't believe I didn't see that when we walked in. Makoto wondered.
"Why?" Makoto asked.
"Well, Jupiter is considered the biggest planet in our solar system, but it largely comprises of gas. So it's difficult to understand what's going on under that cloud of gas." Nate explained.
"I thought that what makes Jupiter so boring. It's big, but there's nothing there, unlike Venus or Mars that people find more interesting." Makoto said with a sad look.
"I disagree, Makoto. I think the fact that Jupiter is the largest planet makes it looks like the strongest, but in reality, Jupiter is gentler than its appearance." Nate explained.
"So you're really like Jupiter, huh?" Makoto asked timidly.
"I can't really explain it either, but I am drawn to Jupiter for some reason." Nate said.
You said the same thing back in Silver Millennium. Makoto thought.
It's becoming so difficult for Makoto to look at Nate now.
You are too much like Nephrite, but you don't remember me. Makoto had tears welling up. She felt rejected.
"It's getting late. I should get going." Makoto put the plate down and tried to grab her school bag.
"I'll walk you home." Nate offered.
"No, don't worry about it. I live not too far from here." Makoto hurriedly walked to the door.
"Oh ok. This is my number here in Japan. Hope we can meet again some time." Nate said as he quickly scribbled down his phone number on a small piece of paper.
Makoto received a note from Nate and nodded.
"Good night." Makoto said.
"Good night." Nate answered.
Once the door was closed, Makoto closed her eyes and tears coming down her cheeks.
I had no idea it would hurt this much. He's as nice as he used to be, but he doesn't know who I am. Makoto wiped off her tears and started walking home.
She opened her fist and looked at the note Nate just gave her. She smiled.
The note said "Call me. 111-233-432. Nate, Jupiter lover."