The day had not gone well. With the Queen occupied, Serenity had inevitably insisted upon sneaking off to Earth again, dragging her bodyguards along with her. Venus only put up a show of protest, a fact Mercury chalked up to her recent visit to Koronis in the guise of Serenity. Whilst she thought it was due to the famously beautiful weather on Koronis this time of year, Mars suspected that it had much more to do with Kunzite having also attended whilst disguised as Endymion.

In any case, the five of them had found themselves on Earth once again, though Jupiter was quick to put a dampener on their plans. As soon as they'd met with Endymion and his entourage, she immediately sensed the ebb and flow of the air, the imperceptible (to all but her) 'pulse' of electricity above them. A storm was coming.

Serenity and Endymion didn't listen to her of course, or perhaps they were too drunk off each other to be capable of hearing anything. And so, the ten of them spent most of their getaway huddled beneath an old abandoned ruin, occasionally assaulted by droplets of water and kept warm by a fire Mars had thrown together.

Whilst this hardly mattered to Serenity and Endymion, Jupiter was in a less than romantic mood, a sentiment shared by the others. As such, it rather surprised her when, several hours before nightfall, Nephrite crossed over to her from the other side of the fire and spoke quietly, almost conspiratorially, to her. "Do you think you could stick around after dark?"

"No," she replied honestly, "I can sense the storm is going to ease off a little before sunset and Serenity is supposed to be back even before then."

"I didn't mean 'you' in the plural." Nephrite made a point of locking eyes with her as he said it.

Jupiter was totally taken aback. As close as she and Nephrite had gotten during the course of their charges' dalliances, their relationship had progressed slowly. Frustratingly slowly in fact. After all, even Zoisite and Mercury had kissed each other, whilst Nephrite still hadn't worked up the courage to make a move yet. But…could that perhaps have changed?

"I can sneak back to the teleport pads after we return Serenity to her chambers. What did you have in mind."

"You'll see."

Jupiter had no doubt that Nephrite had meant his words to sound romantic, but more than anything it was her curiosity that he had enticed. Whilst the storm would have passed by the time night had fallen, the dark, deserted, and soggy terrain was hardly any more romantic than their current circumstances.

Nevertheless, hours after the rain had abated and they'd returned to the Moon Castle, Jupiter snuck back to the teleportation pad and found herself once more upon the Earth's surface. She'd had the good sense to feign an 'alibi' for herself by making sure everyone knew she would be doing some late evening gardening, making sure she was seen pottering around her own private gardens. At the time she'd wondered if that was maybe going a bit too far, but as her ears were filled with the rhythmic squelching of her boots she swiftly changed her mind. Upon hearing the rhythm disrupted she realised she wasn't alone and looking over her shoulder she made out a tall figure with a veritable mane of auburn hair approaching her from behind.

"I'm glad you made it." Although the two of them were utterly alone, Nephrite's voice was low. Jupiter didn't dislike the effect. "Follow me." Despite his words, Nephrite took Jupiter by the hand and began leading them through the darkness. Jupiter was both a warrior and a Princess in her own right, unaccustomed to being led like this by anyone. But just now she didn't care.

And so, she allowed Nephrite to guide them through the field, his own inner energy providing a sufficient illumination for them as they traversed the ground. Jupiter lost track of how long they walked, too absorbed by her curiosity, to say nothing of the warmth and feel of Nephrite's hand in her own, even through the gloves they both sported. Finally, she became aware that they were walking up an incline, and found it odd that it was not more slippery. She wondered if Nephrite was using yet more of his own magical energy to dry out the ground for them, but she hadn't seen him make any kind of gesture that would indicate that. Could it be that he had prepared the path ahead of time? Upon reaching the top of the hill her suspicions were confirmed. There was a veritable picnic laid out for them, accompanied by warm torches housed within glass casings. However, her eye was more drawn by what surrounded the spread. All around them were row upon row of neatly trimmed rose bushes.

"You did this for me?" Jupiter said slightly breathlessly.

"Well, roses are your favourite, aren't they?"

"Yes, but how did you know?" Jupiter envisioned Nephrite prying the other Shitennou for information, anything their own lovers had told them about Jupiter. However, Nephrite simply smiled and gently lifted a hand to Jupiter's face. For a moment, Jupiter tensed, expecting him to lean in, but instead his fingers moved to her left earlobe, where Jupiter suddenly was all too aware of her pink rose earrings.

"I noticed these the first time we met."

Time seemed to have slowed down for Jupiter and she could detect, millisecond by millisecond, the motion of Nephrite's eyes shifting away from her earlobe. Once more, she tensed in anticipation. Only to be confused as her lover's gaze drifted, not to her face, but upwards.

"Ah, this is what I wanted to show you."

Jupiter's brow furrowed. She had presumed the roses and the spread were what Nephrite had wanted to show her. Following his gaze, she looked up and beheld a sight that took her breath away. The night was dancing with green light, flecked with twinkling silver stars.

"You don't get an aurora like that on the Moon, do you?"

"No, we don't." Jupiter was only vaguely aware of her response; she was too hypnotised by the illumination.

"And, if you look just…" Nephrite moved around so that he was behind Jupiter before taking a hold of her hand and lifting it skywards, "…there." His hand over hers, he pointed to a specific spot amidst the cascade of light. Narrowing her eyes, Jupiter focused and saw a particularly bright star. "A small sight of home."

For a moment, Jupiter felt almost numb. It wasn't an unpleasant numbness per se. It was as if she was out of her own body. Her being somehow in synchrony with the twinkling green star in the distance that had once been her home, her kingdom.

"How…How did you know you'd be able to see it tonight?"

Her neck and ear tickled as, from behind her, he leaned in closer. "The stars know everything," he whispered, "they speak to me sometimes." He laced the fingers of his outstretched hand with her own digits. "They tell me about the future."

A soft, pleasant shock crackled within the Senshi of Thunder, though it had nothing to do with her abilities.

"What else did they tell you?" she whispered back.

Gently, Nephrite brought his other hand up to her jaw and moved her head towards him so she was almost looking over her shoulder, her vision consumed by his face.

"They told me that my courage should be peaking just about…" his face grew closer to hers, "…now."

Suddenly, Jupiter wasn't particularly interested in the wonders of the night sky.

The wind was howling and the clouds were a threatening black. No doubt, a storm was brewing. But Makoto didn't care. She cared about nothing except the nightmare she had just bared witness to mere hours ago atop the Tokyo Tower.

Tuxedo Mask's limp body in the arms of the distraught Usagi. Then Usagi had vanished in a flash of purest silver light. In her place knelt the equally distraught form of Princess Serenity. And with her appearance the past had flooded back to Makoto and the others.

A low rumble sounded off in the distance.

They remembered that Venus was not their Princess. They remembered their lifelong duty to serve and protect that Princess. And they remembered their utter failure in that task.

The wind picked up, whipping Makoto's ponytail behind her.

It was a failure that weighed heavily on all of them, and yet Makoto had seen in each of her comrade's eyes the spark of determination to not let history repeat itself yet again. They had been given a second chance to protect their precious Princess. A second chance to safeguard the Earth's future. A second chance to halt the Dark Kingdom's wicked machinations.

The black clouds above seemed to almost convulse as if preparing themselves.

It was those machinations that weighed upon Makoto's mind most of all. They had abducted Endymion right from under their noses, and whilst Makoto knew there was probably nothing they could have done to stop them, that did not alleviate her guilt whenever she remembered Serenity's horrified face. Her heart ached for her charge, her friend. For all she, or any of them, knew Tuxedo Mask was already dead, or worse. It was a pain that Makoto couldn't possibly-

CRACK!

A bolt of vivid blue and yellow struck the very ground before Makoto!

Were she someone else, even another Sailor Senshi, the lightning would have likely killed her. And, at that moment, Makoto wished it had.

In the illumination of the thunderbolt, understanding began to dawn upon her.

BOOM!

The Heavens above ungently coaxed her further, forcing her to confront the terrible reality. The awful memory that was older than what happened on top of the tower, but far, far more recent than the downfall of the Moon Kingdom.

Lightning split the skies again and, in the light it summoned forth, she saw him, the thunder that followed seemingly reverberating with his deathcry. Nephrite dying, frying to a crisp, his body ravaged by a cascade of electricity. Electricity summoned by…

As the rain began to fall, so too did Makoto fall to her knees, the torrent from above doing nothing to conceal her tears. "I-I'm s-so-sor-N-Ne-Neph-" Her sobbing was so intense she could go no farther. Nor could she move. She was paralysed, upon the soaking wet pavement.

"It wasn't your fault." The voice was dim, as if coming from a great distance. "You were defending yourself and your friends." There was a twinge of warmth in the voice. "If you hadn't, he might've hurt you or any one of them." The warmth was what brought Makoto slightly back to reality. Not because it was comforting, but rather because some part of her realised it was…unusual.

The rhythmic sound of the rainfall changed and Makoto distantly noted the droplets were no longer falling upon her.

"W-wh-wha-what d-do y-you kn-kno-know abo-about it! H-how, c-co-could y-you p-po-possibly kn-kn-!"

"Because…What you did, what happened to you and Nephrite happened with me too. With me and…and J-…You just have to let it go. You have to move on."

"HOW!?"

Makoto at last looked up, her fury practically radiating from her green eyes, bombarding the sight of the raven-haired girl standing above her, a crimson umbrella covering them both.

"By focussing upon your duty," said Rei simply, "By remembering what you died for in the Silver Millennium. What you were reborn for in this lifetime. Why you even moved schools in the first place."

Once more Serenity's distraught face manifested in Makoto's mind.

"Now," began Rei, uncharacteristically gently, "let's go see if Usagi is okay."

She stretched out her hand and, after a few moments, Makoto took it. With Rei's help, she stood up, wiped her tears and walked towards their beloved bun-head's home.

Makoto gently closed the bedroom door behind her and let out a deep, thoroughly exhausted breath. She hated this part of the day, just before her head hit the pillow. Mostly because she knew what awaited her. The dream. Or rather, the nightmare.

It had been the same ever since that stormy day. She was always flanked by the bridal shops of Jûban and at the end of the row of shops was Nephrite.

He always smiled first. That was the worst part. Seeing his face happy, and bright and glad to see her. Until she took even a single tiny step towards him. Then his face was contorted in agony amidst the lightning. And yet the betrayal and hurt in his eyes always, always, always bore out at her. They were always the last things she saw before waking up.

For a moment, she considered calling Rei. She had been a rock to her these past weeks but she didn't have the heart to burden her friend with this. Not tonight anyway. Tonight everyone had been so happy, so cheery, and with just cause too.

They had won. The Dark Kingdom was no more. The Earth was saved, and both Usagi and Mamoru along with it. There was even the promise that the Moon Kingdom might someday be restored. She couldn't spoil that for Rei, or any of them for that matter.

And yet, now the war was over, now there was nothing but calm in the air, with no hint of a storm to follow, Makoto found guilt and grief intruding upon her waking thoughts as much as her sleeping ones. Was this her life from now on? Was this pain and guilt to be the reality she lived and breathed? Was that perhaps what she deserved given what she had done?

She found herself too exhausted to even dwell upon the despair that thought invited. Instead, she simply changed into her nightwear and collapsed onto the bed, too tired to even dread the nightmare she knew would begin in mere moments.

As usual she was in Jûban. Grimly, almost mechanically she made her way to Nephrite.

Oddly, the bridal shops seemed to be disappearing. With each step she took they seemed to 'pop' out of existence. They were instead replaced by row upon row of rose bushes, their flowers a vivid red and pink that couldn't have possibly existed in real life.

Makoto however was less interested in that compared to Nephrite remaining in perfectly fine health as she neared him. In fact, she was pretty sure she'd never gotten this close to him in the dreams before. She was so astonished by the miracle of him simply being there, of being alive and healthy, she almost didn't register his smile growing larger and warmer as she closed the gap between them

"Why? Why is it different now?" she said softly when she was finally just a few feet apart from him.

"Why is what different?" asked Nephrite, his voice low and strong, like distant thunder reverberating through Makoto.

"Usually in this nightmare I'd have killed you by now," replied Makoto.

"Well, perhaps this isn't a nightmare in the first place."

Makoto pondered the idea for a moment. "You're saying this is just a dream? Like maybe, because the Dark Kingdom has been defeated, my," she searched for the word she knew Ami had thrown out during their various talks about Usagi's own mental state, "my subconscious has shifted? Like I feel less guilty about what I did to you now?"

Nephrite shook his head, making the curly brown locks of his hair bounce somewhat as he did so. "I'm saying this isn't a dream in the first place. Not exactly anyway. Forgive me, I'm unaccustomed to all of this myself. This new state of existence."

Makoto didn't pretend to understand what he was saying. She didn't know if this was real, or in her head, or something in between. All she knew was this might be her one and only chance to say what had been weighing on her for far too long. "I'm sorry." She was surprised by her own casualness in giving voice to the words. But she simply didn't feel as in pain, as anxious, as she normally did these days. Perhaps it was the lingering shock of the dream being different. "I'm sorry for killing you."

Nephrite put his hands on Makoto's shoulders. "I was your enemy and you had no idea about our connection. None of us did. You have nothing to apologise for. You know that, don't you?"

To her own surprise, Makoto did know. She had always known in her head. But now, finally, she felt the truth too.

"Please continue protecting your Princess, my Prince and the world they and we all love."

"I promise." said Jupiter

It was only then she realised she was suddenly in her Senshi uniform, and any vestige of Jûban had apparently vanished. There was now nothing but rose bushes and a sky of dancing green light, freckled by twinkling stars.

"Oh." Her eyes slightly widened in recognition of the scene, a memory long past trickling back into her consciousness. "This is just like the night we first…" She trailed off, knowing there was no need to speak the thought aloud; not when Nephrite was already leaning in…

She was consumed by the warm, pleasant tingle dancing across her lips. Somewhat tentatively, she dared to allow her eyelids to open a slither. It was enough to confirm that the rose bushes were gone, as was her Senshi uniform. She was back to being Makoto Kino. Back to her bedroom in Jûban.

And yet Nephrite lingered before her, his lips still pressed to hers, though his form grew fainter and fainter with each moment. Eventually he became little more than a sparkling silver and green outline, though Makoto could still feel the press of his lips to hers. Finally though he pulled away and his form vanished in a shower of sparkling dust that seemed to drift out the window.

After a while Makoto got out of bed and crossed to the window, looking up at the night sky, with all its twinkling wonders. Over the coming years she'd spent many years looking out that same window. And each time, she would remember this night. Their last night together. The night she kissed the starlight.

A/N: I will fully admit that this fic was something of a rush job. Life had been pushing and pulling me from a lot of different angles so this fic sadly didn't quite turn out the way I wanted it too, though the basic premise didn't change too much.

I always planned on exploring the cruel irony that Mars and Jupiter killed their Shitennou lovers and when my Mars/Jadeite fic turned out the way it did, it was only natural to approach things from Jupiter's POV with this fic.

'Starlight Ni Kisu Shite' is probably my favourite Image Song in all of Sailor Moon so I alway wanted to write a fic that referenced it and since Nephrite was associated with the stars in the 1992 anime things sort of came together from there, especially when 'Stars' was one of the themes for this week's events.

Also, just to let you know I am involved in a discord called 'Moonlight Legends' which is dedicated to sharing all sorts of Sailor Moon fanworks, including other fanfics. If you would like to join so you can share your own work, get help with your current projects or just connect to other fan creators shoot me a PM and I'll send you an invite. All are welcome!