A/N: Many thanks to hateme101, Valkyrie Celes, and Vchanny 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 5

With a gentle smile, Usagi led Makoto over to the sofa and urged her to sit down. "Would you like to drink something? Mamo-chan has a nice stash of hot cocoa in his cupboard."

With a smile, Makoto watched as she wandered into the kitchen and grabbed a package out of the cupboard. A frown appeared on Usagi's face as she flipped it around, trying to find some kind of sign in regards to how to actually make the powder into a drink.

Well, it's not like a queen actually needs to know how to cook anyway.

Rising up from the sofa, Makoto went over to where Usagi was standing and took the package from her hand. It turned out that there were no labels on the plastic bag, so Makoto took a sniff of it instead.

"Cinnamon powder," Makoto muttered to herself.

She really needed to remind Mamoru to keep all labels on cans and packages in his apartment, or else she didn't want to know when one of them would be sent to the hospital.

Correction, it would most likely be Mamoru, since Usagi could probably process anything with that stomach of hers.

Searching through the cupboards, she finally found the packets Usagi had been talking about and made each of them a cup of hot cocoa. The two of them then went back into the living room to sit.

After they both took a sip out of their respective cups, Usagi finally spoke.

"They were cursed, right before the brainwashed Terrans attacked Earth."

Makoto glanced at Usagi, the hot cocoa forgotten in her hands.

"Beryl cursed them with Metallia's power," Usagi continued to say, gazing at Makoto. "She knew how important the four of them were to Endymion, so she believed that as long as the Shitennou were under her control, Endymion would be hers one day. Since the four of them were already brainwashed at that time, they didn't resist her. That's why when you, Venus, Mars, and Mercury killed them at the battlefield, they were immediately resurrected."

Makoto narrowed her eyes in thought before saying, "That's why they died this time around while we were fighting the Dark Kingdom, because Metallia was still sealed and not at her full power."

Usagi nodded. "If I had lost that day, Metallia would've returned to full power and would have probably resurrected them again, depending on if they were useful to her or not. Given that Endymion would probably be brainwashed again after I died, Beryl probably wouldn't have bothered. But anyway …" She smiled and shook her head. "The curse got broken after I defeated Metallia once and for all."

"But didn't Zoisite mention something about Jadeite ending up in a block of ice? Never mind how he ended up in there in the first place," Makoto said.

With a giggle, Usagi explained, "It's still a sore topic for Jadeite, which is why Zoisite would never stop talking about it. After Jadeite failed to kill or capture Ami-chan, Rei-chan, and me, Beryl encased him into a block of ice as a punishment. After I'd defeated Metallia, her power that had been keeping Jadeite alive faded away, taking his life with it. However, as one of the Shitennou, he was never a normal person. Neither were Kunzite, Zoisite, or Nephrite."

She paused momentarily, perhaps to monitor how Makoto would react to the last name she'd mentioned; Makoto would like to imagine that she managed to keep her expression in check.

"Their souls tried to protect Mamo-chan when Galaxia attacked him," Usagi continued to say.

Her eyes had a faraway look, and Makoto knew at that moment that it was difficult for her Princess to think of the time when she'd nearly lost her Prince.

"It was useless, of course," Usagi said, a sad smile on her face. "As you know, Galaxia still managed to steal his star seed."

Makoto reached over and placed a hand on Usagi's arm. The smile on Usagi's face brightened slightly.

"Everything's all right now. He came back to me," Usagi said. "And he remembered. Mamo-chan remembered how the four of them turned into stones and tried to secure his star seed, but Galaxia's attack was too strong, and all four of them cracked." She twisted the cup of hot cocoa around in her hands. "After Mamo-chan got resurrected, his memories from the Golden Kingdom returned and he privately mourned the loss of his generals, comrades, and brothers, thinking that they were lost."

She glanced at Makoto again, and the latter wondered if she was thinking about the moment when she very nearly lost her Senshi as well.

"But the stones were resurrected as well after Galaxia was defeated," Usagi continued, "and Mamo-chan kept it with him ever since." She smiled. "I didn't know they could talk until a couple of months ago. I accidentally knocked over the box he kept them in and accidentally stepped on Zoisite that day. Jadeite couldn't stop laughing."

Her cheeks turned slightly pink out of embarrassment at that memory, though a smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

"That sounds like Jadeite," Makoto commented.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she seemed to recall that during the Silver Millennium, the first impression that she'd had of Jadeite was that he was quite a serious young man. It was after a period of time that she found out that the man had a relaxed side that he only showed to those he was closest to.

Usagi nodded before pausing for a moment. "I didn't remember the relationships you, V-chan, Rei-chan, and Ami-chan had with the Shitennou until recently."

"I ...didn't actually remember it until yesterday, too," Makoto replied with a nervous laugh.

Usagi gazed at her. "Mako-chan? Does it bother you? Having a relationship with Nephrite-san?"

Makoto felt her cheeks burn at Usagi's question. "Usagi-chan … I don't actually have a relationship with him in this lifetime. I don't even know him."

Tilting her head to one side, Usagi thought about it before nodding. "True."

A mischievous look flashed across Usagi's face, thoroughly frightening Makoto.

"Usagi-chan," Makoto said, her tone more helpless than threatening.

Usagi's smile seemed innocent, but there was a sparkle in her eyes that didn't sit well with Makoto. "Anyway …"

Makoto had a feeling that Usagi was trying to change the subject on purpose, but as the latter hadn't actually mentioned anything, it would be awkward for Makoto to say something first, too. Therefore, she could only continue listening to Usagi's story.

"As I was saying, I didn't know all four pairs of you had relationship until two weeks after I found out they could talk and sort of appear, kind of like ghosts," Usagi said. "I was actually reading manga in the living room, and they were in Mamo-chan's room. I had no idea what they were talking about, but at one point Zoisite started annoying Jadeite, so Jadeite threatened to say something to Mercury, though I couldn't hear what it was he wanted to tell her. Anyhow, I couldn't understand what they were talking about, so I went in and asked them. They didn't really want to tell me, but in the end, they figured that I might remember everything about the Silver Millennium one day, so it was a bit pointless to hide it from me."

Makoto mulled over what Usagi had said before it hit her. "Wait … you can't possibly mean … did you resurrect them just because we had relationships with them?"

Usagi's eyes widened. "Of course not!" She gave pause before saying, "Well, maybe a little."

"Usagi-chan—"

"But it's not the only reason!" Usagi protested. "Mamo-chan missed them! He doesn't say anything, but I know he does, and you know he doesn't have that many friends in the first place. I just wanted him to have someone other than us or Motoki-oniisan to talk to, a couple of more guy friends to talk about guy things with him."

However, Makoto's mind was still stuck on the previous part of the conversation. She knew her Princess was fond of fairy tales, especially since she led a life that was as close to a real-life fairy tale as there was. What Usagi didn't understand was that real life did not always work out like that. Not everyone got their happily ever afters.

"Usagi-chan," Makoto said, choosing her words carefully in order to not hurt her, "just because we had relationships in our previous lives, it doesn't mean that we have to be together during this lifetime."

Usagi blinked, apparently confused. "But … why not?"

"Why—" Makoto stopped in her words and took a deep breath, knowing that Usagi really didn't understand. Keeping her voice as gentle as possible, she said, "Usagi-chan, things—relationships don't always work the way Mamoru-san and yours does. Not to mention that there are still things from the Silver Millennium that I hadn't worked out yet. And also, like what I've told you already: I don't know him this lifetime."

"You can spend more time with him and get to know him," Usagi said brightly. "I know he's been waiting to see you again ever since he got his body back."

Makoto closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. No wonder people always said to be careful what you wished for. Hadn't she hoped that the future Queen would retain some of that carefree teen somewhere inside her? Well, she could see the same naivety and Disney-princess-like quality right here and now in front of her. The worst thing was that she didn't even know how to explain things to Usagi in a way that she would understand.

I'm going to need Rei-chan's help. And Minako-chan's. And Ami-chan's, Haruka-san's, Michiru-san's, and Hotaru-san's. For the hell of it, I should probably call in Setsuna-san and Chibiusa-chan as well.

"Mako-chan," Usagi whined.

"I … Don't you need to finish telling me the story first?" Makoto asked, trying to change the subject.

Usagi stared at her blankly. "Huh?"

"The story about how the Shitennou came back to life and everything, what you were talking about before we went off topic," Makoto said.

"I was done," Usagi said.

"No, you weren't," Makoto said.

"I was," Usagi said, tilting her head to one side. "I heard them talking about the four of you, I asked them what happened, they finally told me, so Mamo-chan and I used the power of the Golden Crystal and the Silver Crystal to bring them back."

"Oh," Makoto said.

"Mako-ch—"

"Jadeite saw Rei already, didn't he?" Makoto asked, before Usagi could start her pleading again.

Usagi giggled. "He went to see her at the temple earlier. I don't think she's very happy about it."

Makoto snorted, remembering Jadeite's singed hair. "Understatement, Usagi-chan." She paused before asking, "When do you plan on telling the others?"

Upon hearing Makoto's question, Usagi froze. "Er … I haven't thought about it yet. Well, actually I have, but Mamo-chan suggested that I let the Shitennou learn to live in the modern world without magic first. Well, with minimal amount of magic. Nephrite still has an insane amount of money that he has access to from when he pretended to be Sanjoin Masato." She giggled. "Zoisite and Jadeite were the first to tell Mamo-chan that they won't forgive him if he forbade Nephrite to use the money. Even Kunzite didn't bother telling the two of them off when they did."

Makoto found it hard to stifle a short laugh. Then, she thought of another problem. "Have you thought about how to tell Haruka-san and the others?"

A nervous laugh escaped Usagi's lips. "I sort of thought that I could just … tell the Shitennou to come to one of our meetings one day."

Oh boy.

"I'm sure Haruka-san would take that well," Makoto said dryly.

"I was thinking that all four pairs of you would be together at that point, so it'll be easier for me to explain things to them," Usagi said.

Hint, hint, nudge, nudge.

"Well, let me know when you think of something," Makoto said, placing the cup of cocoa on the table and standing up.

Usagi looked slightly crestfallen, and Makoto's heart softened, reluctant to hurt her Princess in any form or manner.

"I need to go check up on Ami-chan," Makoto said. "She … ran away when she saw Zoisite."

"Is she okay?" Usagi asked, worried.

"Should be," Makoto said with a shrug. "She's just not very comfortable with the idea of being … Well, having a relationship with Zoisite is kind of freaking her out, even if it only happened in her past life."

"Oh," Usagi said with a frown.

Makoto could almost see the wheels of Usagi's brain working, and she mentally groaned.

Good luck, Ami-chan.

It wasn't like she could try to stop Usagi when she couldn't even try to convince the Princess from keep her nose out of Nephrite and hers situation.

After saying her good-byes, Makoto left Mamoru's apartment. What she hadn't expect was to see Nephrite standing in the lobby with his eyes glued to the elevator.

Her mind immediately went over the couple of options she had at hand.

One, she could risk hitting a random floor level and hoped the elevator moved before he managed to stop her. If he were as athletic as he was during the Silver Millennium, then this could be considered a stupid idea. He might even manage to break the elevator along the way, something she was sure Mamoru wouldn't be amused about.

Two, she could make a run for the front door. There was a fifty percent chance of her making it out safely and a fifty percent chance of him catching her. However, there was also an one hundred percent chance of her being looked upon as a coward, by herself if by no one else.

Three, she could attack him and knock him unconscious, thereby avoiding confrontation. But there was also a chance that she would be seen and then the police would be called in. She could already imagine the frown on Mamoru's face, Usagi's nonstop whining, and the nagging she would get from the other Senshi for her not calling them in to help.

The last option was the only viable one in her opinion and it was to pretend that nothing happened and to pretend that she didn't notice him. Given that he was the type of man that was noticeable everywhere—to be fair, all five of them, including Mamoru, would find it hard to stop people from noticing them even if they tried—anyone could see that she was pretending, but at least there was a slim chance that she could avoid talking to him.

Keeping her eyes firmly on the door behind him, she stepped out of the elevator and marched towards her way to freedom.

"Jupiter."

She'd forgotten how confrontational he could be.

Shit.

She wasn't ready for this. She might be in a couple of days or maybe even a couple of hours, but she wasn't ready to talk about this in such a short time after knowing that he was back to life.

"We need to talk," he said.

Stiffly, she answered, "There's nothing to talk about."

It was a lie of course. They had too many things to talk about.

"I need to look for Ami-chan," she said.

"Zoisite—"

"Which is precisely why I need to look for her," she said fiercely, whipping her head around to finally look at him.

She really wasn't ready. She wasn't ready to face a man who was looking for acceptance. She wasn't ready to face a man who wanted to repent to her. She wasn't ready to face a man who had his emotions written all over his face. Most of all, she wasn't ready to face a man who looked at her with more adoration than she had ever experienced in this lifetime.

She closed her eyes and turned away. "I need to look for her," she repeated. "She's not … she doesn't know how to look at her relationship with Zoisite yet, neither is she ready to face him. We'd thought that all four of you were dead, and now you're just standing here … he'll need to give her time and space to accept this."

You'll need to give me time and space to accept this.

Nephrite remained quiet for a while, and Makoto had no idea why she didn't walk away right then and there, but she stayed and waited for his answer.

"I understand," he finally said.

She nodded. Perhaps it was because she had known him in their previous lives, but he somehow knew that she wasn't only talking about Ami but about her need for space as well.

Before she could walk away, however, he spoke again, "But I need to tell you one thing before you leave."

She halted, her back stiff and her hands clenched into fists as she waited for him to continue speaking, almost as if she knew he was going to tell her something important.

"I lied," he said. "I lied that day, during the war between the Terrans and the Lunarians. During that … during that … that moment, every single word was a lie."

And just like that, Makoto felt all the tension leave her body. She knew what he meant, and she knew exactly which moment he was talking about.

He didn't kill Prometheus. Dear gods, he didn't kill Prometheus.

Forcing her voice to stay calm, she quietly asked, "How did he die?"

"Metallia attacked him," Nephrite replied. "She tried to sway and brainwash him, but he refused. He went down fighting as a warrior would."

Tears welled up in Makoto's eyes and she nodded. "Thank you."

A feeling of relief spread throughout her body at his words. However, there was a small part of her that wondered. She didn't know Prometheus this lifetime, yet the platonic love she felt for him still lingered, as if it were imprinted into her body, soul, and heart. It was too reminiscent of how she'd felt when she first saw Usagi. She remembered when she first saw her Princess and she felt this inexplicable pull towards her, that happiness that she'd felt whenever she was around the bubbly girl. At first, she'd thought it was because Usagi was the only one who was willing to talk to her when she first arrived to Juuban Junior High, but sometimes, she did reflect on whether she would've felt so close to Usagi if they hadn't known one another during their past lives.

However, with Nephrite so close to her, contemplating about emotions that might or might not carry across reincarnations was a bit too much for her to handle at the moment. Just like she had told him, she still needed a bit more time.

When she made a move to walk away again, he called out, almost frantically, "That wasn't the only lie I'd said that day."

Different thoughts flashed through her head, and she thought about telling him to stop, that she didn't know if she was ready to pick up where they'd left off before he left the moon and got brainwashed. However, there was also a part of her that knew that she couldn't continue running away. It wasn't in her nature to do that.

Without turning around, she said to him, "We'll talk about it later. After I check up on Ami-chan. Usagi-chan … she knows my phone number. Leave me your phone number and we'll decide on a place and time to sit down and talk."

With that, she walked out of the building. She didn't turn back, but somehow, she knew that his eyes were on her until she disappeared around the corner.

Perhaps she didn't know him this lifetime yet. Perhaps Jupiter's love for him had fade into a dull ache in a dark corner of Makoto's heart. Perhaps she didn't know what secrets were waiting for her in the future. Perhaps they won't become more intimate than friends.

But perhaps, just perhaps, they could finally resolve the obstacles that stood between them this lifetime, one problem at a time.

~-0-~

Fin.