A/N: Many thanks to Isis Aurora Tomoe, Musa Tecna bestfriends forever, Vchanny, and Valkyrie Celes for the lovely reviews!

Written for the Senshi/Shitennou Reverse Mini Bang 2017. Huge thanks to all the mods who set this up. Huge thanks to my betas, CharlieChaplin2, Galaxylily, and Thalia! Huge, huge thanks to mochibuni, for her beautiful artwork which was the inspiration to this fic.

Chapter 3

Makoto opened her eyes, a sinking feeling in her heart. Judging by how Ami's face now looked paler than normal, she must had seen what Makoto had, most likely through the computer, and she wasn't much better off either.

"What … what was that all about?" Makoto stuttered.

The events she had just witnessed thoroughly frightened her. If things continued the way that was hinted from what she had seen …

"I don't know," Ami answered, her voice nearly a whisper. "I … what had we done?"

They'd opened a can of worms for all Makoto could tell. Makoto and the others had always known that the Shitennou were present during the Silver Millennium and were especially prominent during the fall of the Moon Kingdom. However, if what she had seen was true (and she had a deep gut feeling that they were), then …

"That meant … This means … that we weren't just enemies on the battlefield, doesn't it?" Makoto asked timidly.

The look of horror and realization on Ami's face was most likely the same as the expression she was wearing right now, and it came from nothing more than the pile of mess they'd unknowingly but willingly leapt into. If her memories were anything to go by, then there were a few relationships between the Senshi and the Shitennou that weren't just limited to "friendly acquaintances" but extended to something more.

Something much more.

Not knowing what to say with one another and with Makoto still shaken from what she had seen, they both mutually decided to call it a day. Almost frantically, they left the command center and parted ways, heading for their respective homes.

They could run from Game Center Crown, but they had no way to run from what they had seen.

Uneasiness plagued Makoto for the rest of the day, and even while she was lying in bed, she couldn't fall asleep, afraid of what was waiting for her if she allowed herself to rest and fall into the land of dreams.

She tossed and turned, thinking about what she had seen.

"Nephrite," she tried his name on her tongue.

Unexpectedly, she felt a jolt in her stomach, though she had no idea if it were really because her soul remembered him in some way or because of what she had seen. She didn't remember much of him, having joined Usagi and the others after Nephrite had been killed by Zoisite.

She narrowed her eyes at the ceiling, remembering how Zoisite had played that joke on him when they'd first arrived on the moon. Nonetheless, regardless of how much she tried, she couldn't stop a smile from forming on her lips.

"Eating babies. Ha!" she muttered to herself.

But was that Jupiter really her? She couldn't remember being so confident during this lifetime. The way she had turned away that blond guard …

"And he was pretty cute too," she sighed.

If he had asked her to a ball this lifetime, she probably would've said yes.

She turned over in bed and lied on side, her mind drifting over to Nephrite once more. At least, there was one thing the Jupiter in her memories and she had in common: Nephrite was gorgeous. She had no trouble understanding why Naru was so caught up with him and couldn't get over the fact that he'd died for such a long time.

If it had been her …

Maybe it had been.

She groaned and shook her head. She didn't even know the rest of the story. Perhaps they'd just become friends. She couldn't imagine someone like him falling in love with her. The other Senshi looked pretty much the same as they did in this lifetime, so she assumed that her looks remained the same as well.

She flipped over again and lied on her stomach.

Although … that Jupiter did possess a lot more confidence.

"Confidence is the key—well, one-third of the key to being attractive," Minako had once said to her. "You already have the looks and body, so you're just missing that last component to be a bombshell, Mako-chan."

She didn't know how much she trusted Minako, to be honest. The girl would probably Love and Beauty Shock anyone who dared to imply that her friends were anything less than gorgeous, so Makoto never took her opinions seriously.

Her expression turned grim as she recalled the Jupiter in her memories. That Jupiter wouldn't have this problem.

But that Jupiter was her, wasn't she? That was supposed to be her past life, wasn't it?

So how did they turn out to be so different?

She could understand Jupiter being uncertain the first time she'd cooked, though Makoto didn't have that problem this lifetime. She supposed it was because that Jupiter did continue to learn more about cooking after she'd discovered the joy in doing so. The confidence grew from there and then she carried it on to this lifetime.

Makoto had known that they weren't carbon copies of their previous lives, but what could've caused her to lose so much confidence throughout the two different lifetimes? She didn't need someone else to tell her to know that she was a bit on the side of being boy-crazy. Okay, she was lying. She was definitely in the category of being boy-crazy, but the point stood either way.

Does it have to do with Nephrite?

Uncontrollably, her heart skipped a beat at that thought.

It hadn't escaped her notice that she hadn't compared him to her Senpai at all, and it was really a first for her, ever since … well, ever since she'd gotten her heart broken by her Senpai. Subconsciously, she'd already known that there would be no comparison. Nephrite seriously blew her Senpai out of the water.

Sorry, Senpai!

She flipped over and stared at the ceiling again, aghast that she didn't really feel that sorry towards her Senpai.

Minako's going to be so proud of me, she thought sarcastically.

Great, now she was starting to sound like Rei, who would probably have a few other sarcastic remarks to kill Makoto with if she ever found out that the latter found a former enemy attractive.

Guilt warred with fear, and the exhaust that accompanied having previous memories returned to her finally caught up, and without knowing how and when it happened, Makoto slowly dozed off.

It could've been worse … like falling in love with Zoisite …

~-0-~

"M'lady, General Nephrite requests to see you," a maid said to Jupiter as she placed one last finishing touch of makeup on her face.

A giddiness she'd never known welled up in her heart when she heard who was waiting for her, though she managed to keep a straight face when she addressed the maid, "It's probably to discuss the safety measures for the ball tonight. Let him know that I'll be right out. I'll be heading to the ball immediately afterwards, so you may rest for the rest of the night after you deliver my message to him."

The maid bowed and left Jupiter's chambers. Once the door closed, Jupiter checked her look one last time before hurrying towards to the entrance. Bunching her dress up, she stooped down and peeked through the keyhole, waiting for the maid to leave the antechamber. When her eyes landed on Nephrite, her lips curved upwards into a smile. Once the maid left, she threw the door open.

Nephrite's eyes lit up when he saw her, and she rushed forwards, letting herself fall into his arms.

"You astound me, woman," Nephrite whispered into her hair.

Jupiter grinned, peering up through her lashes at him. "How so?"

"You manage to show me different sides of your beauty every single time. How is it possible for someone to look lovely no matter what they do?" Nephrite asked, adoration in his eyes.

"Flattery won't get you anywhere, General," Jupiter teased.

"Then how about a kiss?" he asked.

He dipped his head down and she met him halfway as she felt his arm tighten around her waist.

This … this was bliss. She'd never known that she could find so much happiness with one man, and now, she knew she would never want to lose this.

"Gods, I love you," he murmured against her lips.

I love you, too …

"We should head down to the ball before someone realizes that we're not there," Jupiter whispered instead, giggling softly when his lips traveled down to a particularly ticklish spot on her neck.

He sighed and straightened up his body but didn't release her from his embrace. They stood there in silence and Jupiter placed her head on his shoulder.

"I don't want to lose this," Nephrite suddenly said.

She froze. It was the first time she'd heard vulnerability in his voice and it frightened her.

"What's the matter?" she asked, millions of possibilities going through her mind but none of them really making sense to her.

He kissed her forehead before burying his face into her hair.

"Nephrite," she called, gently trying to prise herself out of his arms but he wouldn't let go.

"Let me hold you for a while," he requested quietly.

Jupiter stopped struggling and stood still, her heart still slightly worried about being found missing but even more concerned about him now.

"It's been happening for a while now," Nephrite finally said after a while. "I know Zoisite had been investigating about it, but he wouldn't tell me about it, neither would Kunzite. Jadeite and I had been trying to find out more about it, but we only found out what everyone already knew."

Jupiter remained silent, waiting for him to think of the proper words to say.

"People were going missing for months and then they'd reappear out of nowhere. Some of them pretended to be normal, but weeks later, they'd start causing trouble in their towns. Others … Jupiter, they're forming cults on Earth now," Nephrite said. "They say that they'd been kidnapped by evil beings from the skies, but they'd managed to escape. The ones who hadn't escaped got brainwashed to cause trouble when they went back to Earth."

"What?" Jupiter asked, shocked, and pushed herself out of his arms.

However, he placed his hands on her shoulders, refusing to let her get too far away. "They're trying to cause chaos, Jupiter. They're trying to make people believe that the Moon has a secret agenda to take over Earth, but I know it's not you who's done it. I know it's not you or anyone from the moon, Jupiter. How can I believe those lies when I've gotten to know you? When we'd gotten to know all of you? But people are afraid and Terrans do incredibly stupid things when they're afraid. That's why we didn't even hesitate when Endymion told us to come to the Moon with him. It wasn't just because he wanted to be with the Princess, but because all of us wanted an alliance with the Moon, because none of us wanted the Earth to go through an unnecessary war."

"The Terrans are thinking about going to war with the Moon Kingdom?" Jupiter questioned, her eyes wide.

"No!" Nephrite replied, shaking his head. He closed his eyes. "No, we don't want to go to war with the Moon Kingdom. Queen Serenity is a benevolent woman, and Princess Serenity has so much love in her that I'm not sure she's real. I know some Lunarians look down on Terrans and think that we're savages—"

Guilt welled up in Jupiter's heart, but she brushed it away to focus on what Nephrite was saying.

"—but I know that they don't have any thoughts of harm towards Earth. The ones who are spreading the lies … I'm not sure they're purely human anymore, Jupiter."

"But … but you said …"

"They look like the missing people, but there's something wrong with them. I tried to talk to the stars, but my divination powers aren't as strong as Mars's," Nephrite said.

"Perhaps we can ask Mars then. Or did Jadeite already speak to Mars about this?" Jupiter asked.

"They got into another argument," Nephrite replied, exasperated.

Jupiter lowered her eyes in thought. "But it's concerning the safety of Earth and possibly the Moon. They're bound to put their argument aside for the time being."

Nephrite said, "I was thinking about asking Mars later, after the ball. Will you come with me?"

Jupiter nodded.

Nephrite smiled at her, running a hand down her cheek before pushing a loose strand of hair away from her face and behind her ear. They looked at one another for a while, as if they were trying to imprint each other in one another's hearts, until Nephrite broke the silence.

"You know, it's such a pity that you despise marriages."

Jupiter stared at him, and she could feel the burn of the blush blossoming on her face. He couldn't possibly be saying what she thought he was saying, could he?

He cupped her cheek with one hand. "If you didn't, I would've risked the wrath of Queen Serenity, stolen you away from the Moon Kingdom, and gotten married with you in a heartbeat." The smile on his face deepened and looked almost like a child instead of a king-general. "There's a tailor in my lands who makes the most beautiful wedding dresses, if my sisters are to be believed. I think she'd find it a hard job to make you any more gorgeous than you already are, but if I were to make my brothers jealous about me getting married to a goddess, I might as well go all the way, don't you think?"

Other than being touched, she felt worry trickling through her body like poison upon hearing his words. It almost felt like a premonition of some kind.

Almost breathlessly, she replied in a hurried tone of voice as if they were running out of time, "Yes."

His eyes widened. "… What?"

Her eyes blurred but she didn't bother brushing away the tears that fell, choosing to cup his hands with hers instead. "I'll marry you. I don't care if an alliance is made or not. Even if your people hate me and there are people who want to burn me at stakes for being a witch from the skies, I want to be with you forever. I want to see what kind of dress the tailor will make for me and I want your brothers to be jealous of you. I want to—"

The rest of her words were lost as he pulled her into his embrace once again.

"My goddess," he whispered against her lips as he kissed her again and again, with neither of them caring anymore if anyone found out that they were missing from the ball.

~-0-~

"Supreme Thunder!" Jupiter shouted, frying the wave of Terran soldiers who'd tried to breach the Lunar defense line.

From a distance, she could hear the other Senshi releasing magic of their own, and she knew, without looking, that the force of their attacks must be stronger than they usually were, exponentially increased by the heartbreaks they had suffered.

During the ball, Endymion and the Shitennou had been called back to Earth, due to an unexpected riot. Three days later, the Earth blocked off all contact after emitting a message to the Moon, claiming that the two lands were now mortal enemies.

A day later, Endymion appeared at the palace without his Shitennou. The Inner Senshi didn't dare to ask, since their relationships with the Shitennou had always been a secret, even to their lieges. However, they knew how much the Shitennou loved Endymion. The fact that they had allowed him to go to the Moon all alone meant that they were either in danger or dead.

Shortly after Endymion arrived, the Terrans attacked the Moon. Other than the defense that were already in place, nobody had enough time to prepare themselves for the onslaught. The Inner Senshi immediately rushed to the frontline, ready to avenge their lost loves and to protect the Queen and the Princess at all costs, even if it meant to lose their lives.

"Impressive."

The familiar voice made Jupiter froze on the spot, and she nearly got gutted by a Terran soldier. Leaping backwards, she released a bolt of electricity on the attacker before seeking out the voice, not bothering to watch as the Terran soldier fell to the grounds, burnt and dead.

Her heart sank when she saw the familiar features of the one she'd loved.

"Nephrite," she whispered.

"You know, it's funny how I'd never seen you use your powers during my time here, considering how close we were," he said with a smile.

"You're … you're not dead," she stuttered.

He shook his head. "No. I'm not."

She took a step forward before she stopped herself. There was something wrong. Despite trying to reassure herself, she somehow knew.

"What's the matter? Don't I get a hug for coming back alive?" he asked, the smile on his face never wavering.

"There's something wrong," she said.

Another Terran soldier tried to strike her, but before she could release her attack on him, Nephrite raised his hand. The soldier flew backwards, landing on the ground next to him. Before the soldier could get up, Nephrite kicked him in the spine, forcing him to lay there.

"I was talking to Sailor Jupiter. Did I say you may interrupt us?" Nephrite asked coldly.

"I-I'm sorry, General," the soldier said.

"Go find some other Lunarian to play with. Jupiter is mine," Nephrite said.

The soldier scrambled away, leaving Jupiter and Nephrite alone.

Jupiter stared numbly throughout the whole interaction, her eyes taking in the reality but her mind refusing to accept it.

"So, where were we?" Nephrite asked, his expression returning back to warm smiles and pleasantness.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

He looked at her surprised, though it looked increasingly fake to her now. "What do you mean, Jupiter? It's me. Nephrite. Don't you remember?"

"You're not him," she said.

"Of course I am. Don't you remember? I asked for you to wait until the riots ended and I'll take you back to my homeland where we will get married. I'd come to fulfill my promise," Nephrite said.

Jupiter shook her head, her eyes never straying away from his.

"Don't you remember? I wanted to ask you to marry me, but I knew you were afraid of marriages, so I didn't steal you away from the Moon Kingdom from under Queen Serenity's nose," Nephrite continued.

Jupiter continued to shake her head, and slowly, the benevolence on Nephrite's face faded away, replaced by an ugly sneer.

"Is this how it's going to end then, Jupiter? You were lying to me all along?" he asked, his tone of voice taking on a hint of sarcasm.

"You're not him," she said, angry tears welling up in her eyes, now more certain than ever that the person standing in front of her couldn't be him.

Enraged that he dared to use her beloved's face, she released a jolt of electricity towards him. With a flip of his halberd, he easily disintegrated the magic. He leapt in the air, raising his weapon and striking it down at her. She flipped to the side, avoiding the attack, and kicking his airborne body. However, he suddenly disappeared.

Before Jupiter could turn around, he suddenly reappeared in front of her. His hands went around her neck, and he raised her up into the air, just high enough for her feel uncomfortable but not nearly strong enough to kill her. She grabbed onto his hands, trying to prise them away, but to no avail.

"You're no match for me, Jupiter," Nephrite said, his eyes as cold as ice. "You never were and you never will be. You can't even be considered a proper warrior. The people only worshipped you because you're the only princess on that planet of yours. Did you think all those suitors were going after you because they loved you for your beauty? You? Who is so awkwardly tall, unwomanly, and much too strong? Who would want someone like that? You can't even cook that well to be considered a mediocre wife." He laughed. "I suppose I acted my part well, didn't I? So well that you thought that I'm completely in love with you and you didn't even suspect that it had been me who'd killed your brother."

She stopped in her struggles when she heard his words, shock written all over her face. She'd never told him about her brother, so how did he …

"You thought he'd died in that storm, didn't you? And you dare to call Terrans stupid. You Jovians aren't much better, you know? As a member of the royal family, did you think that Prometheus could die so easily in a thunderstorm? And now you're going to die, just like him." He pulled her closer to him. "I'm going to burn the Moon Kingdom down to the grounds, Jupiter, and then I'm going to destroy your home planet as well. A pity that you won't be there to see it.

He tightened his hold around her neck, the force nearly enough to snap her neck or choke her.

She closed her eyes, and as unconsciousness threatened to overcome her, she remembered the Queen, the other Senshi, and ultimately and most importantly, her Princess.

Serenity … I'm sorry … I can't protect you anymore …

With determination, she opened her eyes and stared at him, no longer certain if the person standing in front of her was really Nephrite or just someone wearing his face.

Nonetheless, she knew that this was the last thing she could do for her liege.

"Supreme … Thunder!" she choked out.

At her command, lightning crashed down from the heavens, electrifying both Nephrite and Jupiter.

The hands around her neck loosened. As she fell to the floor, tears fell from her eyes. Tears because she couldn't protect her princess. Tears because she'd lost the only person she'd loved. Tears because her home was going to be in ruins because as the guardian of protection, she'd failed.

"Jupiter …" she heard him whisper as the last breath left his body.

She couldn't tell the emotions that accompanied his calling. Was it regret? Was it hatred? Was it recognition? She didn't know, but it no longer mattered anymore.

Too weak to turn her head, she tried her best to look towards the direction of Serenity's chambers, but before she could be certain that her Princess was safe, the last breath she would take during that lifetime caught in her throat and her body fell limp.

~-0-~