AN: Ohhh my goodness. HUGE apologies, you guys, I can't believe it's been nearly a year since my last update. I feel like I owe you guys an explanation, but I'll try and make it brief, so you can get on with the story. I've struggled with pretty bad depression and anxiety for several years now, but it's always been pretty manageable. This past year things got bad, and I pretty much lost all motivation to write.
The good news is, I've finally started getting help, and I'm doing a lot better now. However, I have also recently started college, so I'm pretty busy. I don't want to make any promises I can't keep, but I will say that no matter what, I'm not giving up on this story, and I will do my best to get chapters out as fast as I can.
Finally, a huge huge thank you to all of my lovely, patient reviewers: Beautiful Epiphany, Guest, Guest, Onyx2589, SaphireShimmer, James Birdsong, slightlyxjaded, Moonprincess998, Sage McGavin, lilymoon80, Sailor Nerd, gabeliz . castillocarin, and Moon Mage Goddess. Phew! You guys continue to blow me away with the amount of support and sheer number of reviews, it really means so much. Also, big thank you to the people who pointed out that Chibiusa already knew Sailor Moon's identity, I somehow missed that when scanning over previous chapters to check if she knew or not. It's all fixed now!
Very last final thing: this story has broken 100 reviews! Woohoo! You guys rock.
Usagi sighed and rolled onto her stomach as she listened to Luna talk. They were in the middle of a Senshi meeting, and they were getting nowhere.
"How do we know if we can trust the Shitennou?" Luna asked. "How can we be sure they're not still agents of the Dark Kingdom, serving Queen Beryl?"
"Luna makes a valid point," Artemis interjected. "The enemy has consistently been one step ahead of us, we're just barely keeping them at bay. Do we really want to risk trusting the Shitennou? I fear it could all be part of a more sinister plan, using your emotions against you, getting you to trust them before they turn on you."
"This is like Tuxedo Kamen all over again," Usagi said. "You didn't want to trust him at first, either, Luna. Remember?"
"Yeah, and a fat lot of good trusting him did us," Rei snorted. "I'd throttle that baka if I could."
"Rei." Usagi's tone was stern, but not unkind. "Mamoru is a valid ally, personal troubles aside. And even with all the personal drama, I don't regret what we had." It still stung a little, referring to them in the past tense, but she was slowly getting used to it.
Rei muttered under her breath, the words mostly inaudible, but Usagi could pick out a few choice insults and swear words directed at Mamoru.
"But back to the subject at hand," Ami said. "What are you proposing we do, Luna? Just outright ignore them? Attack them?"
"I vote option two," Rei grumbled, but a harsh look from Ami shut her up.
"Yes, we don't know if we can trust them," Ami continued smoothly, as if she'd never been interrupted. "But we don't know that we can't, either. Being on our guard is good, but it seems foolish to turn away what could be very valuable allies. And as you said, Artemis, the enemy has consistently been one step ahead of us. Having the Shitennou on our side could help change that."
"I'm inclined to agree with Ami," Makoto said. "I don't really trust Nephrite, but… I don't distrust him, either. I think as long as we're all cautious and proceed carefully, there's no harm in giving them a chance."
"Minako?" Artemis asked. "You've been silent so far. What are your thoughts on the matter?"
"I…" Minako trailed off. "I suppose I… I'm not sure. My head and my heart are telling me such different things, and I don't know who to listen to."
Usagi's heart broke at the raw emotion in her friend's voice. Out of all of them, Minako seemed to be taking the return of the Shitennou the hardest. Usagi supposed it made sense, Minako was the Senshi of love, after all. She always felt romantic connections more deeply than anyone else, and having Kunzite back couldn't have been easy for her.
"I know this is hard," Luna said sympathetically. "And I don't mean to be unkind, but… we need Sailor Venus. We need the second-in-command of the Senshi, and we need you at your best. What do you think is the best course of action regarding the Shitennou?"
Minako took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut. "I think…" she opened her eyes and released the breath. "I think Ami and Makoto make very good points. I don't think I'll ever be able to trust Kunzite again, and I know I'll never be able to love him again, but there is no doubt about the fact that he is an incredibly powerful warrior, and we could really use that right now. As long as we're aware of the risk and go into this with clear heads, I think it does more good than harm to form a partnership with the Shitennou."
"Very well," Luna said. "It is, after all, you girls' decision. Shall we put it to a vote, or has it been decided?"
"Rei?" Usagi asked, propping herself up on her elbows. "You're the lone dissenter."
"Okay, okay, fine," Rei said. "We can form a partnership. But I don't trust Jadeite as far as I can throw him. Actually, I trust him less than that, because I'm pretty sure I could throw him a fair distance. The Shitennou have betrayed us, broken our hearts, killed us—twice—and have twice nearly caused the end of the world, but sure. Let's form a partnership. Just don't say I didn't warn you."
"Noted," Ami said dryly. "Luna, was there anything else you wanted to discuss?"
Luna shook her head. "I believe that concludes things. Since we are moving ahead with this partnership with the Shitennou, I will get communication devices for them so they are more easily reachable. Did anyone else have anything to say?"
The group was silent, and so Luna officially adjourned the meeting, and they went their separate ways.
Later that afternoon, Usagi and Minako walked down the sidewalk through the busy downtown area, sipping milkshakes, their arms laden down with shopping bags.
"Thanks, Usagi," Minako said, breaking the silence. "I think… I think I needed this."
"Of course," Usagi said, giving her friend a warm smile. After the Senshi meeting, Usagi had proposed they go out on the town, shop a bit, indulge in Motoki's famous milkshakes, get their minds off things.
Ami had needed to study for class, Makoto was planning on meeting up with Nephrite and Rei… Usagi sighed at the memory. Rei had been very withdrawn ever since the return of the Shitennou, and Usagi suspected she was taking it harder than she was letting on. But Usagi knew her fiery, stubborn friend all too well, and she knew that pushing the matter would only drive Rei away; she had to let Rei come to her when she was ready.
"I'm glad it helps," Usagi said to Minako. "How are you holding up?"
"I…." Minako shrugged slightly. "I'm not sure, honestly. I just feel kind of… numb. Hollowed out. And then every time I look at him, I just want to forgive and forget, have him in my life again, but I can't. The memories of what he did… and the memories of what I did are too painful." She sighed and took another sip of her milkshake. "I don't know. I don't know how to be friends with him, I don't know to be in a relationship with him, I don't know… anything. I don't know how to be myself around him, and that scares me."
Her voice broke on the last word, and Usagi immediately pulled her into a tight hug, ignoring the way the straps of her shopping bags dug into her forearms. "Hey, it's okay. You need time to heal, and there's nothing wrong with that. It's understandable, after all the things you two have been through together. You can't just pick things back up the way they were before, but you can't move on, either, because there's no moving on from something like that."
"Exactly." Minako squeezed Usagi and then let her go. "Thank you. And I'm sorry, I shouldn't be complaining about my own problems, you have plenty to deal with on your own, with Mamoru…" she trailed off as Usagi waved a hand dismissively.
"Seriously, Minako. Don't worry about it. I'm… I'm okay." She gave Minako as big of a smile as she could muster. "It's hard sometimes, if I stop and think about it… but there are more important things, and the world needs Sailor Moon, champion of love and justice, not Usagi Tsukino, heartbroken teenager."
"Are you sure you're okay?" Minako asked. "I worry about you sometimes, Usagi. You spend so much time caring for others, and we all love you for it, but you're allowed to be sad. I know the breakup hasn't been easy, and you don't need to put on a brave front all the time. You're allowed to be vulnerable."
Usagi chewed on her lower lip, mulling over Minako's words and trying to think of how to respond when a shrill cry pierced the air. Usagi and Minako glanced at each other, and without saying anything, both took off running towards the source of the noise.
"Help!" a woman cried, crashing into Usagi and gripping her arms. She was bleeding profusely and her eyes were unfocused and filled with panic. "It's one of those… monsters! Someone…. help." She collapsed suddenly, and Usagi struggled with the weight of keeping her upright.
"Minako, a little help, please?" Usagi asked.
Minako gently grabbed ahold of the woman's arms, helping to take some of the weight off of Usagi. "I'll look after her and call the others. Will you be okay on your own?"
Usagi nodded. "I'll be fine." Pulling a face, she ducked into an alleyway, dropped her bags and pulled out her transformation brooch in one smooth motion. "Of course, it never fails," she grumbled. "Fun shopping trip with your friend? We can't have that; the Black Moon Clan has to interrupt!"
But there was nothing to do about it, so steeling herself, she gripped her brooch and called out her transformation. "Moon Prism Power, Make Up!"
Nothing. No flash of bright lights, no tingling rush of power in her limbs. She was still just Usagi Tsukino.
"Not again," she muttered. Why was this happening? Why couldn't she transform? Maybe she just wasn't focused enough. She could hear the screams of terror as civilians were attacked, and she took a deep breath and focused her mind. She was Sailor Moon, and the world needed her.
"Moon Prism Power, Make Up!" This time, it worked, and Usagi breathed a sigh of relief as she felt her transformation wash over her. Still, it was worrying that she was having difficulty with this, and she made a mental note to ask Luna and Artemis. But for now, it was time to teach the Black Moon Clan that they don't mess with Sailor Moon, especially not when one of her friends is having a crisis.
Running out of the alleyway, she scanned the area for the source of trouble, and found it quickly—what appeared to be a large, overgrown and horribly mutated praying mantis. It had two extra sets of legs with razor-sharp claws that glinted in the sunlight, even from a distance, and something about it was making Sailor Moon dizzy.
"Hey!" she shouted to get its attention off of the civilian it was about to attack. "Who do you think you are, interrupting this lovely afternoon? Some people have lives, you know, and it's very rude to make us put them on hold just so you can terrorize the residents of this city and use them for your nefarious plan!"
At the sound of her voice, the youma turned its attention to her, and what could only be described as a smile crept across its face. It let out a long, low hiss, and in the blink of an eye, it was next to her, swiping a giant claw down towards her neck.
"Holy crap, fast," she muttered, dropping to the ground and rolling out of the way just in time. Before she had a chance to do anything else, an ear-bleeding laugh cut through the sounds of the chaos.
"Don't you just love my droid?" The voice belonged to a woman, all decked out in green with the upside down black moon of the Black Moon Clan on her forehead. She fluttered the giant fan she held and laughed again.
"So, you're the famous Sailor Moon. I've hear so much about you, and I must admit, I'm rather disappointed. You're just a scrawny little girl. You're the one who's managed to elude us for so long?" She tossed her head back and laughed shrilly. "I knew Rubeus was incompetent, but this really takes things to a whole new level."
"Good god, that laugh," Sailor Moon winced. "And who exactly are you? The Black Moon Clan's latest sad attempt to defeat us?"
"I'm Esmeraude of the Black Moon Clan," she giggled, preening and fluttering her fan. "His Majesty Prince Demande's must trusted advisor, and the one who will restore glory to the Black Moon Clan by bringing you down once and for all."
"You keep saying that," Sailor Moon smirked. "All of you. But you've never succeeded, and guess what? You never will. Ha!"
A flash of anger crossed Esmeraude's face, and as she lifted her arm to strike, Sailor Moon wondered for a second if perhaps she shouldn't have taunted the woman. But as Esmeraude's fan came down and blades of dark energy came shooting out, a fireball slammed into them, stopping them from reaching Sailor Moon.
Sailor Moon breathed a sigh of relief as she looked over and saw the Senshi had all gathered, and not a moment too soon. To her surprise, the Shitennou were all there, too. Perhaps it shouldn't have been a surprise, as they had agreed to an alliance, but she wasn't quite expecting it to be so soon.
"Hmm. Very well," Esmeraude said. "I have important things to tend to." She turned to the youma. "Finish them off. Don't leave a single one alive, not even Sailor Moon. You answer to me now, not Prince Demande, understood?"
Sailor Moon was in the process of rolling her eyes at how cowardly Esmeraude was now that she was outnumbered, when her words struck her. What did she mean by "not even Sailor Moon"? And what was this about not answering to Prince Demande? Why on Earth would the leader of the Black Moon Clan want her alive?
But this was hardly the time to worry about it, so she re-focused her attention and jogged over to the Senshi. "Mercury, I want to know this thing's weaknesses so we can finish it off as soon as possible. Mars, Jupiter, Venus… just hit it with all you've got." She turned to the Shitennou and pursed her lips. "I'll be frank and I'll be brief. I don't know how you fight, I don't know your strengths or weaknesses and I don't know you. I'm not entirely sure I trust you, but I'm willing to give it a try. Do what you can, and stay out of our way. And if you hurt any of my Senshi in any way, I promise I will reflect that pain back on you tenfold."
They all looked somewhat surprised to be addressed so sternly, except for Kunzite, who nodded gravely. Still, Sailor Moon didn't really care what they thought about her words, she was the leader of the Senshi and if they were going to work together, they would have to respect her decisions as leader.
The youma had turned back towards the civilians, but a sharp cry from Jupiter caught its attention again.
"Supreme Thunder!" She hurled the ball of lightning towards the youma, but it avoided it all too easily, and appeared by Jupiter's side a second later, extending a sharp claw towards her. Jupiter ducked the blow and landed a hard kick to its stomach, but it hardly stumbled.
"I forgot to warn you," Sailor Moon said, her mouth twisting into a grim expression. "This thing is fast."
"Great," Mars muttered under her breath. "Just what I needed today. An ugly, giant bug with sharp claws that can cross great distances in the blink of an eye. And why do I feel dizzy?"
"Don't worry, I'll catch you if you fall," Jadeite grinned at her, but Mars fixed him with a glare that would have brought a lesser man to his knees, and his smug expression promptly shriveled up. "… or not?"
"You're dizzy because of the antennae," Mercury said, clicking off her visor. "They're emitting a high wave frequency, too high to be heard by human ears, but it interrupts the body's natural equilibrium. If it continues, it will only get worse, and we will likely pass out in approximately 15 minutes if it's not stopped."
"This day just keeps getting better and better," Mars said, her voice positively dripping with sarcasm. "All right. She pulled out an ofuda and closed her eyes, chanting the incantation under her breath. When she was finished, she snapped her eyes open, set the ofuda on fire, and sent it towards the youma. It froze briefly, but shook the ofuda off with little effort, and Mars cursed under her breath.
"Venus Love-Me Chain!" Venus sent her chain curling around the youma's antennae, tugging valiantly, but her efforts were in vain, and after a brief struggle, the youma broke free.
"Nothing's working," Mars growled in frustration as she turned to Jadeite. "Do you have any bright ideas, or are you just all talk and no substance?"
"I'll have you know that I—" Jadeite began, but Sailor Moon cut him off.
"This is hardly the time for fighting," she chided. "We all need to be at our best. Now before you despair at our inevitable, impending doom, I have an idea that might work." Closing her eyes, she took off her tiara and focused.
"Moon Tiara Action!" The tiara remained a lifeless hunk of metal in her hand.
"Sailor Moon?" Venus questioned, her eyes full of concern. "Are you alright?"
"Fine," she said. "I just… I don't know, this has been happening a little lately. Maybe I'm not focused enough, I usually get it on my second try."
"You should tell Luna and Artemis about this," Mercury said. "This isn't good."
"I know, and I will," Sailor Moon said. "But now's not the time." She took a deep breath, and kept her goal clearly in mind—she knew the youma hadn't been weakened enough to dust it, but maybe if she focused she could do some damage anyways.
Once more, she grabbed her tiara and called out the attack, and this time, she felt it come to life in her hands. She threw it in a graceful arc towards the youma, and it sliced through its antennae before returning to her hand.
Despite herself, she couldn't quite help the small, smug smirk that crept onto her face. Mission accomplished.
"Good job, Sailor Moon," Mercury said. "Are you guys in control of the situation? My scan of the youma produced no other useful information, unfortunately, it doesn't have any notable weaknesses. So, I think my skills would be best put to use attending to the wounded civilians."
Sailor Moon nodded. "We've got this." The youma had been shrieking in pain from the loss of its antennae, but it was quickly recovering. It crouched low, ready to spring into an attack, but Venus was faster.
"Crescent Beam!" The attack hit the youma squarely and it stumbled, but recovered quickly.
"Alright, time to end this." Jadeite made a show of cracking his knuckles ad flashed Mars a smug smile before he turned his attention to the youma. He inhaled sharply, rubbed his hands together, and shot a gout of flame towards the youma. But the youma was faster, neatly ducking the attack and springing forward, claws out, at the same time.
Jadeite managed to dodge the attack, but Mars cried out in pain as the blades pierced her arm.
"Enyo!" Jadeite screamed, his voice contorted with fury. He shoved his hands forward, a continuous stream of flames erupting from his palms. The youma screamed and twitched in the onslaught of the flames, but Jadeite didn't let up.
"Jadeite, that's enough," Sailor Moon said. "It's weak enough now. Jadeite!"
Finally, he turned to look at her, though he didn't stop his attack. Despite her frustration, Sailor Moon couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for him. His blue eyes burned with hatred and fury, his emotions clearing betraying how much he really did care for Mars, beneath his smarmy, smartass exterior.
"Let me finish it off," she said, her voice gentle, but stern.
"Why should I?" he snarled, and Sailor Moon's eyes flashed. She didn't have time to argue with him like this.
"You won't be able to hold it for long with just your flames," Sailor Moon said. As if to prove her point, the youma broke free a moment later. Snarling, smoking and clearly injured, but very much not dead.
"Look out!" she yelled, and Jadeite turned just in time to avoid being impaled. Sailor Moon, however, wasn't quite so lucky. The youma's claws raked across her chest, leaving barely more than a scratch, but as she stumbled backwards she felt her ankle crunch sickeningly beneath her.
"Sailor Moon!" Jupiter had been attending to Mars' wounds, making sure it wasn't too serious, but she looked up just in time to see Sailor Moon stumble backwards.
Venus had been standing guard, and took off running the moment she saw Sailor Moon fall, but it was clear she wouldn't make it in time as the youma prepared to strike again. The only person close enough to even have a chance of doing something was Jadeite, but he just stood there, dumbfounded, stuck in place as the youma leaned in close, baring its fangs, dripping with venom ready to strike.
Sailor Moon shoved her scepter between herself and the youma as it launched itself at her, but it was clear it wouldn't hold it for long. Her arms shook with the effort of holding the youma off as it snapped its jaws inches from her face. The venom from its fangs dripped onto her shoulder, burning holes through the fabric of her uniform, and she winced, but held her ground.
"Damnit, I don't have a clear shot!" Venus yelled, her voice filled with panic. "If I strike now, I could hit you."
Sailor Moon didn't say anything in response, she just grit her teeth in determination, hoping to at least hold off the youma until someone found a way to help that wouldn't risk hurting her as well. But she was slowly being overpowered, and she couldn't stop the scream that tore from her throat as the tip of the youma's fang sunk into her shoulder. The fang hadn't managed to penetrate more than an inch or two when suddenly she was airborne, a pair of familiar arms holding her tight and whisking her away from danger. Tuxedo Kamen.
"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice filled with concern and Sailor Moon looked up at him. That was a mistake. The familiar white mask he wore seemed to only amplify the look of genuine concern and caring that shone in his deep blue eyes, and Sailor Moon felt a twinge of that old heartbreak she had slowly been coming to terms with. He was concerned about her well-being in a purely professional manner, the way any colleague would, she reminded herself. That was all.
"Fine," she muttered sullenly. "It's all minor. Put me down, I need to speak to Jadeite."
Tuxedo Kamen obliged, but the second Sailor Moon's feet touched the ground, she fell to her knees. Crap. In the adrenaline of trying not to die, she'd forgotten about the broken ankle, but the pain seared up her whole leg when she put weight on it.
"Sailor Moon?" Tuxedo Kamen asked, but she waved him away and pushed herself to her feet, careful to balance on only her non-injured leg. She hobbled back to where the Shitennou and Senshi were still fighting off the youma, and pulled out her scepter. "Moon Scepter Elimination!" The youma crumbled to dust, and everyone turned to look at her. Good. She had their attention.
She marched over to Jadeite as best she could with a broken ankle and poked him firmly in the chest. "You absolute baka. Was I not perfectly clear when I told you to stay out of my way? I trust my Senshi with my life, and that is why we make a good team. I know their strengths and their weaknesses and I know I can rely on them. I know that if I tell them to do something, they will do it, not question why, and they especially will not outright refuse an order."
Jadeite flinched with each word. "I know, I know. I'm sorry."
"Sorry isn't good enough," she said, pursing her lips in distaste. "I gave you and the rest of the Shitennou the benefit of the doubt, and right about now, I'm starting to think that wasn't a good idea. I very nearly died, Jadeite. And while I admit that is an unfortunately common experience in my life, the last thing I need is more danger because one of my allies cannot follow orders because he let his emotions got the better of him."
"I said I was sorry!" Jadeite said, slouching like a child being chided for stealing cookies from the cookie jar, not like a man who was owning up to his grave mistake, and Sailor Moon sighed and shook her head.
"I don't want an apology, Jadeite," she said. "I want a change. I nearly died because of you. If you can't realize your mistake, if you can't control yourself, you have no place on my team. Because it is my team, and you need to respect that. You can't let your emotions get the better of you. People get hurt. People nearly die. Hell, everyone here has died twice!" She waved her arm at the Senshi behind her. "If you want to avoid that happening, you stay level-headed and calm, and if I tell you to stop needlessly torturing a youma because it will only aggravate it and will never kill it, you'd damn well better listen to me. I won't warn you again."
The fight drained out of her, and she was suddenly aware of the throbbing pain in her shoulder and ankle. She swayed slightly on her feet, but someone grabbed her shoulders before she could fall. She looked behind her and saw Tuxedo Kamen, his expression tight and unreadable. She hadn't realized he'd been standing there.
"Venus, could you please see to it that Sailor Moon's injuries are taken care of?" he asked, handing her off to the Senshi of Love. "I need to have a word with Jadeite." Venus nodded and wrapped an arm around her friend's waist, helping her hobble off.
Tuxedo Kamen looked to Jadeite, then jerked his head. "I'd like a word in private." He stalked off, not looking to see if Jadeite was following.
Tuxedo Kamen didn't walk far, just far enough to be out of hearing range of the Senshi. His hands balled into fists at his sides as he thought about what Sailor Moon had said. When he'd felt that familiar twinge that meant Sailor Moon was in danger, he'd gotten there as fast as he can, and not a moment too soon.
He swore his heart stopped every time he found her like that, moments from death. He knew she was a capable warrior, and passionately devoted to her cause, and that she threw herself into danger because she wanted to protect other people. It was one of the things he loved most about her, but it was so damn hard seeing her with a youma about to sink its claws into her.
But he hadn't realized it wasn't the ordinary kind of situation that Sailor Moon so often found herself in. He hadn't realized that it had been Jadeite. Jadeite, his supposed friend and guardian, had nearly gotten Sailor Moon killed.
"What. The. Hell. Were. You. Thinking?" Mamoru ground out, whirling on Jadeite the second they were out of earshot. He grabbed Jadeite by the collar, balling his hand into a fist around the fabric and shoving it up against Jadeite's throat.
"Ow!" he complained. "Let go of me!"
"Not until you explain what the hell happened out there," he snarled, tightening his grip around Jadeite's collar.
"It's a bit hard to explain when I can't breathe," Jadeite rasped out, and Mamoru reluctantly released him.
Jadeite smoothed out his collar, grumbling a little as he did so. "Look. I'm sorry. I know I messed up, I just… Enyo… Mars," he corrected himself. "She was hit by the youma and I just… I panicked, okay? What would you do if Sailor Moon was in danger?"
"I most certainly wouldn't put someone else in danger with reckless behavior just because of my feelings," he snapped. "You can't ignore direct orders, Jadeite. I know you've always had a fondness for flouting the rules, but they're there for a reason, and Sailor Moon knows best. What did she even tell you to do that you decided was unimportant?"
Jadeite flinched slightly and avoided looking Mamoru in the eye. "I… I was angry and scared, seeing Mars hurt like that. So, I attacked the youma. Sailor Moon told me to stop, so she could finish it off, and I… didn't stop. And then the youma broke free of the attack, and I… did nothing to stop it."
"What do you mean you did nothing to stop it?" Mamoru's voice was cold and perfectly level and Jadeite flinched again.
"I… I was standing right next to her. I could have—should have—tried to block the attack, but I panicked and I just… stood there. I'm sorry!"
Mamoru's eyes burned with fury and he grabbed Jadeite's collar again. "Never do that again. I promise you, if Sailor Moon is ever hurt again because your idiot self couldn't keep your emotions in check, I will make you live to regret it."
"I'm sorry!" Jadeite said again. "I don't know what else to say. I understand your anger, I know you love her, I know you two are Prince Endymion and Princess Serenity, destined to be together and all that, and I swear I never meant to hurt your girlfriend. I just didn't want to see mine getting hurt." He paused. "Well, ex-girlfriend I suppose."
Mamoru sighed. "I know you didn't intend to hurt her, but you need to use your brain. I know you have one. You can be a brilliant strategist but you have to keep your emotions in check. I know it's difficult, but it's necessary. And also… Sailor Moon isn't my girlfriend."
Jadeite squinted at Mamoru suspiciously, ignoring the first part of his sentence. "What do you mean she isn't your girlfriend?"
"I…" Mamoru rubbed his temples. "We broke up."
"Are you joking?" Jadeite asked, despite Mamoru's very somber attitude. "Why the hell would you break up? Are you an idiot?"
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't call me names," Mamoru snarled. "It's just… it's complicated, okay?"
"Do you not love her?"
"Of course I love her!" Mamoru shouted. "I'd be an idiot not to."
"Then what's so complicated about it?" Jadeite said. "Seems to me if you love her and she loves you—and I saw the googly eyes she made at you when you saved her from certain doom, there's definitely no doubt about the love on her part—then there's no reason not to be together."
"I just… I can't explain it right now," Mamoru said. "It's a long story, I'm tired, and you wouldn't understand."
"You're damn right I wouldn't understand," Jadeite said. "We—me, Kunzite, Zoisite and Nephrite—have been working so hard to come back. We were brainwashed and killed, twice, and now that we're finally ourselves again, we've been working to redeem ourselves, to win back the affection and trust of the women we loved in a previous life. You had all that. How could you just throw it away?"
Mamoru shook his head. "I'll explain some other time. Please, just… don't press the subject right now. I don't want to get into it."
Jadeite opened his mouth again, but then paused and closed it. Something in Mamoru's expression must have convinced him otherwise, as he shook his head and sighed. "Fine. I won't press the subject. But I hope for your sake—for everyone's sake, really—that you think long and hard about whether this is really want you want to be doing. You just lectured me about being an idiot and not letting my feelings get in the way, and I think you should consider your own words. I might not have the wisdom that Kunzite does or the pure smarts that Zoisite has, or the knowledge of all things mystical that Nephrite does, but I think I know enough to say that you're being an emotional idiot, and it needs to stop."
He paused for a moment and then walked off, leaving Mamoru alone to consider his words.
AN: Please keep up with your awesomeness and review! Much love to all.