Rebirth of the Shitennou

Krissie: Sorry I hit some writer's block along the way. But I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

GFMCTB: Thank you! I'll do my best.

LoveInTheBattleField: Don't worry. I'm up to date on all the Sailor Moon Crystal episodes. I just watched episode 9 yesterday with my friends and we loved it.

Chapter 4:

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The trip to the store was rather silent. Mako felt nervous as she hoped Nephrite would begin conversation. She soon discovered that the brunette male beside her wasn't much of a talker. In fact, the only sentences he uttered on the way there were, "Do I need to turn here?"

She was surprised that he opened the door for her when they arrived. "Oh thank you." She said as she stepped out of the car. "But you didn't have to."

"Of course I do." Nephrite closed the door. "If I do not treat you properly, Chiba-san and Tsukino-san will chide me. Now, shall we go?" He held his arm out to her. Mako took his arm and allowed him to escort her in.

The store was bigger on the inside then it looked on the outside. Nephrite let go of Mako's arm to grab a buggy.

"Where to first?" He asked.

"Well the produce is right there." Mako stated. "We can start from there and circle around the store."

"Good idea Kino-san." He pushed the buggy forward.

"What kinds of tomatoes do you want, Neph-"

"Masato Sanjouin." He removed his finger from her lips. "The big ones for the hamburgers. Cherry tomatoes for the salad."

"I'll get the tomatoes then. Why don't you grab some lettuce? Sound like a plan, Masato-san?" Makoto asked with a shy smile.

Masato nodded. "I'll grab some peppers while I'm over there."

"Mako muttered a quiet okay as she grabbed a bag for the tomatoes. After she had a nice selection of tomatoes, she turned back to find Masato standing behind the buggy with onion, bell peppers, lettuce, and ranch already.

"I figured it would take you a while to find good tomatoes. It always does." He retorted her arched eyebrow.

The two walked onward, getting what they needed off each aisle. They stopped at the butcher section.

"When did the price of meat go up so much?" Masato mused.

The economy hasn't been so good. I hear it's worse in America." Mako explained.

"Really? Guess I'm not going to be visiting home all that often for a while."

"Huh? What do you mean Masato-san?" She asked.

"I'm from America. I lived in the states until my parents died. Haven't you noticed that I saw my given name first and sir name last?"

"I thought Masato was you last name." Mako stare grew flush. "Oh my! I'm sorry! I meant no disrespect."

"As okay Kino-san." Masato chuckled as he patted her shoulder. "I don't mind. In America, it's not disrespectful at all."

"It's not?"

"No. The only time you address someone by their family name is when it's an elder, they're in the military or a teacher." He explained as he put some packs of meat into the buggy.

"Really?" Mako began to places this new information. It felt like she was about to have culture shock. "What kind of honorifics do you use in America?"

"We don't use any. Didn't you learn this in English class?" He arched an eyebrow.

"Um… THANK YOU!" She waved with a nervous smile.

"That means thank you. Not hello."

"Oopsi."

Masato Sanjouin chuckled as he patted her shoulder. "I take it you didn't get the best marks in English? I can tutor you if you like. English is really difficult to master unless you speak it often with someone."

"Thanks. I'd like that." Mako nodded as she continued to walk ahead. She wasn't really paying attention what was ahead of her so she let out a gasp when she bumped into someone.

"Kino-san?" Gamer Joe tilted his head. "Are you okay? It's not like you to just walk into people."

"Oh, hi Gamer Joe!" Mako gave a nervous wave. "Long time no see."

"I'll say. It's been a while. How have you been?" He asked with a friendly smile.

"I've been good." Mako tried to play it cool. She still had a bit of a crush on the gamer, but she didn't want him to know it. "You?"

"I've been good. Hey, would you like to go out for lunch sometime?"

""R-really?" Mako felt her face flush.

Masato Sanjouin gripped the buggy handle as he gave a low growl as he watched. He gasped when he realized what he was doing. He took a deep breath as he ran a hand through his hair. "What's wrong with me? I'm growling like a territorial bear." He placed two packs of hamburger meat in the buggy.

"Kino-san," Masato walked up to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. He tried to give a warm smile of greeting to the guy she was talking to, but it came out as clenched teeth. "What else do we need for the cook out?"

"Oh," Mako blushed at his sudden touch. "We need bread and some drinks and we should be good."

"Okay. I'll get them while you talk to your friend here." Nephrite was trying to be polite, but something about the guy rubbed him the wrong way. Maybe it was his ripped jeans. "I'll come back after I have everything."

"Are you sure you can find everything?" Mako called to him.

"I'll be fine Chere. I shouldn't be too long." Masato waved his hand. He'd get the bread and drink and got Mako-chan away from that guy all while being a gentle man.

He picked up several packs of buns and regular bread. Sandwiches for breakfast tomorrow would be a good thing. He paused at the drinks. He wasn't sure what to get. He knew that Mamoru drank a lot of coffee, but he wasn't sure what everyone else would want. Kunzite and him also liked coffee, but the other Shitennou didn't. Jadeite preferred tea and Zoisite liked juice and soft drinks. He had no clue what the girls would like. Maybe they would like tea or some soda.

"Masato-san?" Mako called as she came down the aisle.

"Ah. Kino-san." He beamed a smile at her. "What kind of drinks do you and the girls like?" He dropped some coffee into the buggy.

"Tea or juice will be fine." Makoto scanned the aisle for a drink. She picked up a soft drink that they liked. She turned and found Masato staring at the tea. She stood beside him and twiddled her thumbs. "What kind of tea do you like?"

"I don't know teas well enough to have a favorite." He responded. "But Jadeite is a tea otaku and is very picky about the kind of tea he has with each meal. So I'm trying to remember which one is always safe."

Mako stayed quiet for a while. Then she burst into laughter, causing Masato to give her a confused look. "Sorry, it's just that I didn't think you knew what an otaku was. Much less that Jadeite was one."

"Just ask him how he met Izono." Masato smiled.

"Well, if you don't know what kind of tea to get him, why don't you just call and ask him what kind of tea he'd like?" Mako suggested.

"Thank you." Masato pulled out his cell and dialed the house.

The house began to ring and everyone stared at it. They had found monopoly and were currently in the middle of a game. Well, everyone except Izono, who was currently exploring the house.

"Is anyone going to answer the phone?" Izono called from the book shelf he was skimming.

"I'm not sure if we should answer it." Mamoru stated. "I mean, we don't live here."

Izono rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'll play secretary." He walked over to the phone and picked it up. "Hello! This is the Sanjouin residence. The master is out at the moment. May I take a message?" He grabbed the small note pad by the phone and a pin.

"Izono?" Nephrite's voice sounded confused.

"Yes," came the witty reply. "Did something happen Masato? I hope you didn't do something to upset Kino-san. Do you need love advice already?"

"Wha- NO!" Masato tried to keep his composure, but it only made Izono want to tease him more. "I'm calling to ask Jadeite what kind of tea he would like, since it's about the only thing he'll drink. Can you get that information for me?"

"Oh, yes of course." Izono turned to face everyone who was playing monopoly. He hopped up on the small table as he watched them. "I think he likes kukicha in the evening. But it's been a while." He murmured into the phone as he tried to recall his friend's preferences. He gave up after a minute. "Jadeite, Masato wants to know what kind of tea you want with your dinner."

Jadeite, who at this point, was attempting to do math, looked up at him. "Kukicha is good in the evening. But green tea with some lemon will do just fine though. Plus, green tea is one you can have at any time." He answered before staring down at the scribble of math. "Ask him where the calculator is, because I'm pretty sure I just messed up and I think I'm in debt right now."

"Kukicha is good for evening. Green tea is anytime. A little lemon with the green tea will do. I'm pretty sure if you bring him black tea for the morning he'll bounce around the house and proclaim undying love to you." Izono told the brunette on the phone.

"Got it. Thanks Izono." Masato replied grabbing the teas off the shelf. "We're almost done here, so we should be back soon."

"That's cool. Be a good little boy and keep your hands to yourself." Izono hung up the phone before Masato could yell at him.

"Sorry. I forgot to ask about the calculator." He came over to see what everyone else was doing. From what he could see, Ami and Kunzite were winning. The others weren't very good at the game. Mamo, Rei, Mina, and Usagi ranked behind in that order. Jadeite had somehow been appointed accountant of the game.

"I heard." Jadeite stated. "But I still can't get all these numbers straight."

"It's just basic addition and subtraction, isn't it?"

"With really big numbers." Jadeite protested.

"Do you want me to take over the accounting?" Ami offered.

"No. You're playing right now. It's my turn to be accountant. It's just been a while since I did a math problem."

"At least it's not a word problem." Mina laughed.

Izono skimmed over the math scribbled on the sheet. He grabbed the pencil out of Jadeite's hand and began to scribble corrections. He placed his other hand on the table and began strumming his fingers one it as if he was playing a piano. Everyone stared at him with a confused look. Early Izono had been so hyper and happily exploring the house, commenting on this and that. And now he was quiet with his eyes staring at the page like it was a vile enemy. Everyone stayed silent for the next few minutes as they watched him. "Here you go." He slid the paper over to Jadeite. "That should be correct now." His eyes were now full of joy and some kind of naïve innocence. He hopped up from the table. "I'm going back to exploring the house now. Call me if you need me."

"Got it." Shin nodded as he handed the dice to Rei. "It's your turn Hino-san."

Back at the grocery store, Masato and Mako loaded the groceries into the trunk of the car. Masato opened the door for Makoto. She gave him a confused look when he handed her the keys to the car.

"Turn on the heat. It's getting chilly and you look cold." He stated before taking the buggy to the buggy return.

Mako sat in the car and stared at the keys. She may be 17 now, but she still didn't have the slightest clue on how to drive a car, much less turn it on. Masato opened the driver door and sat in the car. He noticed that the heat wasn't on and that Makoto was just sitting her staring at the keys in her hands with her door still open.

"Did I do something to upset you Kino-san?"

"No." She shook her head, not looking up at him. "I just don't know how to turn a car on."

"You don't?" He stated confused. Then it dawned on him. "Oh! That's right! Most people in Japan don't learn to drive until they're 18. I forgot about that cultural difference." He laughed. "It's really easy, let me show you." He grabbed her hand which held the keys and pulled her over. Mako's face bright red. "You just put the key in her and turn it like this." The engine roared to life. "And now the car is on! See, very simple."

Mako smiled. "It really is."

"Now, close your door and buckle up so we can go home."

Mako did as instructed. Once she was buckled in, Masato put the car in drive and they were on their way home. This time Mako didn't mind the lack of conversation as she tried to hide the fact that she was still blushing.

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Krissie: I hope you guys enjoyed this. I'll try to write chapter 5 soon.