"I need your help."

The words were not especially strange. As Sailor Mercury, Mizuno Ami was very used to helping those in need. But the last person she expected to ask for her help was the recently revived General Jadeite. The Shitennou had seemed to be doing everything in their power to avoid the Senshi. Secretly, Ami wished that they would continue to do so.

She had lived so long without him. She had to prepare herself for the prospect of eternity alone. To have him back as mere a shadow of his former self seemed cruel.

Still, the blonde general before her was not the source of her pain, and as a Senshi, she was honor bound to help those in need.

"What may I do for you General?"

Jadeite hesitated for a moment before he emptied a pouch into his hand. Several pieces of exquisite jewelry spilled out onto his palm.

"They're beautiful."

"I'm sure they are," he said.

"Um, what exactly can I do to help. Do you want me to wear them?"

"No!" he said more forcefully than he meant. He took a moment to regain his composure. "No, princess. That would be unwise. I need you to freeze them."

Ami was now thoroughly confused, a remarkable feat. "You want me to freeze them?"

"Yes, all the way through please."

"Why?"

"That is unimportant. Please, may I ask this favor of you?" His face revealed nothing, but Ami detected a hint of desperation in his tone. It was enough to overcome her curiosity.

"Very well." And with a mere snap of her fingers, the jewels were frozen solid.

Jadeite breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you." This time, genuine gratitude could be seen on his face and heard in his voice.

"Can I do anything else for you?"

Jadeite slipped the now frozen jewelry back into the pouch. "No."

And with a powerful grip, he crushed the pouch. The sound echoed loudly in the room. A few light tosses showed that the contents of the pouch were ground into a fine powder. "You have been of great help. Thank you."

And with that, Jadeite turned and left the room. Just before he walked out the door, he tossed the pouch into a nearby rubbish bin.

Curiosity finally got the better of Ami, and she retrieved the pouch from the bin. Pouring out the contents, she found that nothing was left but a fine powder. The entire exchange had left her very confused. She examined the pouch itself, wondering if there were any clues. There was only one, the name of the store from which the jewels came from. Osa-P.

"I haven't seen one of these in years," commented Makoto as she examined the old-fashioned floppy disk. "I didn't think anyone still used them."

"They don't. But all the same, I'd like it disposed of."

"That's the big favor you need? Getting rid of some old piece of junk?"

"Yes, please."

"What's so scary about this Crystal Seminar anyway? You should ask Ami to help you. She's the tech genius."

"No!" Once again, Jadeite had to regain his composure. "I'm sorry, but no, I can not ask the Princess for help with this task. It must be you."

Makoto eyed the general warily. As much as she was glad the Shitennou were back, they had to be watched carefully. Jadeite seemed slightly unstable to her. But there was a note of desperation in his eyes that she could not ignore.

"Allright." And in the blink of an eye, a jolt of electricity from her hands reduced the disk to molten plastic.

Jadeite bowed and thanked her, and turned to leave.

"You couldn't do that yourself?"

Jadeite faltered for a moment. "No, I don't know if I could have," he said cryptically.

"Sorry this is taking so long," said Minako as she poured out a bit more power.

Jadeite bowed. "Please, do not apologize. It is I who should apologize for troubling you."

"No trouble at all really. Believe it or not, this is the most fun I've had in weeks."

For the first time since his resurrection, Jadeite allowed a faint smile onto his face. "I do find crushing old buses to be quite therapeutic."

Minako grinned. "Isn't it? It's why I'm glad that I have powers over metal. If I was like one of the other Senshi, I'd have to settle for something boring like freezing rivers or burning trees."

It took one more push of her powers, but Minako managed to crush the old Tokyo city bus into a hunk of metal no larger than a car. She pumped her fist in triumph and flashed Jadeite her trademark V.

"Nothin' to it!"

Jadeite's smile grew. He remembered the vivacious Princess from the Silver Millenium. She had been very subdued since his return. She was glad that, even for a moment, some life had returned to her.

"Thank you again Princess. I am forever in your debt."

"No problem. I'm sure you'll find some way to repay me." And with that she made to leave.

"You're not going to ask me why I needed your help?"

"I'm sure you had your reasons. Just like I had mine for helping you."

For the first time in his encounters with the Senshi today, Jadeite was confused. "And what reason is that?"

"That's a secret!" she teased. "By the way, you should duck."

"What?" The word was barely out of his mouth when he felt something fly just over his head, making him duck. Suddenly, the bus behind him caught fire, as though it had been hit by a flying ofuda.

"Told ya so," called out Minako. "I'll leave you two alone."

Jadeite stood awkwardly to meet the approaching miko. This was a meeting he had been avoiding since his return. He tried to find some way to broach the distance between them.

"You still have incredible aim."

"Who says I wasn't trying to hit you."

The statement should have been painful. But Jadeite felt nothing. "You would have been justified."

She considered him for a moment. "Perhaps. But it would not have been right."

That statement too, should have meant something. But still, all Jadeite felt was emptiness.

Silence once again hung between them as the contemplated the burning rubble that was once the bus. Rei, however, knew it was much more than simply a bus. It was she who spoke first.

"You shouldn't have started with Ami. She's too smart. Also, she has all our mission records on her computer. She figured out what you were up to."

"It seems once again, I've made the mistake of underestimating you Senshi."

Rei turned to look at him. "Mistakes are fine, Jadeite. We all make them. What's important is that we learn from them."

Jadeite walked towards the now smoldering remains of the bus. "Mistakes are not always fine." He knelt and picked up a handful of ashes. "Mistakes can destroy."

Rei walked towards him, resting a hand on his shoulder. "That doesn't mean we still can't learn. From destruction comes rebirth."

Silence once again settled between them. Finally, Jadeite rose. When he did, Rei turned him so he was forced to face her.

"I know what you're trying to do. I even understand it. But remember Jadeite, you can't just erase your past. You have to come to terms with it. You have to accept it before you can move forward."

"I don't know if I can."

"You have to."

"Why?"

"Because I'm waiting for you."