Nephrite and Juno

In which no words were needed

She had no idea what she was doing here. She wished that she could convince herself that this was a mistake, a fateful coincidence, that had her lurking like some kind of miscreant outside of his condo on the other side of town. And, If any of her new, life-saving, friends happened to see her here, she liked to think that she could wave her hand dismissively with a practiced, and not-at-all transparent, laugh. She imagined herself tossing her ponytail over her shoulder, suavely saying that it was an accident.

She hadn't actually followed Nephrite home.

Because that was genuinely idiotic, wasn't it? Even borderline pathetic?

Makoto swallowed nervously, a frown creased on her brow, as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other, as her fingers fiddled with the seam of her pleated, tan-colored skirt. Which belonged to a uniform from a school that she didn't even go to anymore. Because she couldn't, for the life of her, manage to make her too-long legs, and the sturdy shape of her torso fit into the standard school uniform of the school that she currently did attend.

The familiar threads of insecurity coursed through her, and since there wasn't anyone here, she didn't disguise the crestfallen expression on her face. She was used to being an outcast and, honestly, it had been almost easy to let everyone think she'd break their face if they so much as looked her way the wrong way.

They had no way of knowing that she'd grown up alone, desperate for some kind of connection, as she secretly imagined baking and building a home for a family that loved her. The type that she found displayed beautifully in the home and garden magazines that she reverently thumbed through, even while she threatened to clobber the mean girl that had dared to call her an unloveable Amazonian beast behind her back.

She wasn't a stranger to unrequited love, and, she'd resigned herself to this miserable existence, until a bright-eyed, bubbly, and an infinitely compassionate blonde-haired girl had sidled up next to her at lunch one day. Eyeing her food appreciatively, as her brow creased in genuine disbelieving confusion when Makoto had pointed out that she usually ate alone because everyone was afraid of her.

Makoto would never forget the way she'd felt in that moment. Her heart had skipped a beat, and her throat constricted so tightly as she'd forcibly blinked back the tears that welled, unbidden, at the corners of her eyes as Usagi had laughed sweetly. The melodic sound like chiming bells as she leaned forward, placed a delicate hand on her arm comfortingly.

"Well, that's just ridiculous. Who could possibly be afraid of a beautiful girl with pretty rose earrings?" She'd exclaimed, baffled, with a shake of her head. "Which are absolutely beautiful, by the way! Where did you get them?"

Usagi had no way of knowing how much that had meant to her. That she'd painstakingly chosen those earrings because they represented all of the things that she secretly loved; a delicate, gentle piece of her. A part of her that nobody ever bothered to see.

It was in that moment that she'd decided that she would protect the beautiful, sweet girl with the big heart and the soulful blue eyes, no matter what. It was like the purpose she'd been searching for her entire life was somehow connected to this girl.

Of course, she hadn't known at the time that she was sitting beside Sailor Moon and that she would ultimately become a Senshi alongside her. The warrior of Jupiter.

It had been almost a week since she'd exploded into a whirlwind of swirling green ribbons of fabric and lightning when she'd faced down Beryl and Mamoru's General… Nephrite.

She exhaled slowly, and her fingers clenched into fists as she craned her neck to peer up the glassy, sleek side of the condo building where she now knew that he lived.

She'd told herself that the reason she was here was that she wanted to protect Usagi, and the Senshi, that had quickly become like her sisters. Besides, she didn't trust Nephrite. How could she? He'd been the one to blast her through the air with a horribly dark and soulless look in his eyes, and a terrifying sneer curled onto his face.

His super chiseled, handsome face.

She scoffed loudly and grimaced at the thought. Of course, she would be attracted to the wrong guy. She was ridiculous. A sucker for pain and heartache, apparently.

"How long do you think you'll stand out here?"

The low grunting baritone of his voice snapped her out of her thoughts, and a red blush crept up her neck, spread across her cheeks, and horribly heated up her face with embarrassment. She cringed, and slowly twisted around to face him. Gah! She was so busted.

He stood just behind her, and, God, the man was built like a freaking rock. A boulder of tall, sinuous strength that towered above everyone. Even her. His arms crossed over the hardened, unyielding, expanse of his chest. A stoically irritable scowl on his face as his eyes swept over her. His expression hardened, practically unreadable, except that it was laced with cool irritation. An emotion that seemed to be a permanent fixture for him, along with an anger that she often glimpsed on his face.

She tried to smile, though it came off as more of a guilty grimace. She knew that there was a reasonable explanation, that didn't involve the enticingly gorgeous curves of his sculpted body, for why she'd followed him here. Those reasons disappeared like a wisp of smoke when actually standing near him, though, and she couldn't for the life of her think of anything except for how much she wished that she could kiss that angry look off of his face.

That thought, in turn, elicited her own scowl of irritation, because of course, she would immediately fall for the strangely mysterious, angry-looking, jerk that she wasn't entirely sure was a friend. Despite what Mamoru and Usagi said, Rei was convinced that there was something they weren't telling them.

She took a deep breath and opened her mouth to retort with something clever and witty that would put her entirely on the defensive. But, he raised an eyebrow, and the words tangled up on her tongue as she forcibly snapped her mouth shut with a defeated sigh.

With an angry, silent shake of her head, her gaze averted, she didn't say a word as she moved to sweep by him and get out of here. Where was the strong, prickly, Amazonian beast that she supposedly was, now?

She didn't expect it when he took a step to the side and positioned himself directly in her path. She felt too confused and humiliated in her rush to get away that she couldn't manage to stop in time. It was like running into a solid granite wall, and she gasped, the breath knocked from her lungs as she curled her fingers around the steely strength of his biceps to steady herself.

She sputtered, her cheeks flushed and her heart racing as she risked a glance up into his face that hovered only inches above hers. Though his expression was difficult to read, she blinked, frozen in place, lips parted in shock, as she couldn't help but lose herself in the deep brown pools of his eyes laced with flecks of gold that glinted down at her.

She knew, just like she'd known the moment that Usagi Tsukino sat down beside her, that she was somehow connected to this man. That there was something more profound, more powerful, that would inevitably keep pulling her towards him. And, it wasn't like the time she'd heartbrokenly fallen for her senpai, or the times before that when she'd been desperate for someone to love her. This was different, and, unlike fiery Rei and logical, perceptive Ami, she trusted him. Fierce scowl and all.

Her stiffened posture relaxed with the realization, and his eyes widened, thoroughly baffled, at the warm smile that curled onto her lips.

She was very aware that his hands had settled on her waist, and she took a step closer, suddenly giddy at the idea that he was so much taller than her. She'd spent her entire life towering over everyone else; being the strongest, the most intimidating girl no matter where she went. Though she may never admit it out loud, it was nice to be in the arms of someone taller, stronger, and whose facial expressions were more off-putting than her own.

She couldn't help the giggle that spilled from her mouth, and she bit her lower lip to forcibly stop it. She did manage to wipe the scowl from his face, though, and it was replaced by a confused frown.

He didn't say a word as they studied each other, and she noted that he subtly pulled her closer. It was the strangest thing. She was standing in the embrace of a man that she barely knew, her palms intimately pressed into the fabric of his shirt on his chest where she could feel the steady beat of his heart beneath her hands as their breath intermingled hotly between them; their faces just inches apart.

There should have been an awkwardness laced painfully in the air between them. They hadn't said a single word to each other in minutes, so, by all rights, she should have been flushed and squirming uncomfortably. She should have pulled away immediately, mumbled an apology, or at the very least, a warning-filled threat.

Instead, her smile widened as she boldly met his gaze. "Are you hungry?" She blurted, her tone filled with eager anticipation.

She felt his tensed muscles relax beneath her fingers, and her breath caught in her throat, because, for the very first time, his scowl melted away and the soft wisp of a smile curled onto his lips. "Yes," he replied gruffly. "Starving."

She got a sense- some kind of innate knowing feeling- that Nephrite was a man of little words. It didn't matter though, because she was familiar with every look on the carved edges of his face. Every sinuous movement of his body. She didn't know how she knew it, but she could clearly read everything he conveyed that spoke so much louder than words.

She supposed she should have stopped to think about how crazy this was. How utterly insane it was to feel this way about someone potentially dangerous, that she'd just met, so soon. She should be demanding answers on behalf of her Senshi sisters. Wasn't she the prickly, fighter that always used her fists before her words?

Everything she thought that she should be saying faded away when he suddenly lifted his hand and swept a tawny tendril of hair behind her ear. His eyes filled with an awe-filled warmth that let her know that, somehow, he could see into the depths of her heart, and he could see the real her, too.

So, with a smile on her face, she willingly ignored all of her reservations as she wordlessly clasped his hand and tugged him through the front doors and into the lobby of his condo complex.

It wasn't until much later that the questions that she'd spent the evening suppressing clawed their way to the forefront of her mind. The sun had set hours ago, and the luminescent glow of the moon, in a cloudless sky, filtered in through the uncovered window and bathed their forms, tangled together in the crisp, crimson red sheets on his bed.

She sighed quietly, her head nestled on his shoulder, as her fingers mindlessly traced shapes on the bare, hardened expanse of his chest. Without thinking, she instinctively pressed her lips onto the dip of his collarbone. He inhaled sharply, and his arm, wedged beneath the curve of her waist, curled more tightly around her as he pressed her closer to his side. He used his other hand to possessively grip her thigh and drape it across him.

She should have had second thoughts. She'd fancied herself in love many times, but she'd never allowed herself to let go so completely that she'd find herself in such an intimate position.

Surely she should feel some kind of guilt?

She didn't, though, and that was probably because every moment that had led up to this one had felt right. From the way his gaze had remained fixed on her, silent and observing, as she'd prepared dinner for them in the sleek kitchen that she had no trouble comfortably navigating. The way that she'd watched, with delight, as the intimidating, hardened general had savored every morsel she'd cooked with a blissful look on his face before he'd leaned over and confidently captured her lips underneath his own. They'd barely had a full conversation, and yet, she felt like she knew everything about him.

It was impossible, really, but she hadn't given it much thought until now. Only after she'd surrendered every last bit of herself to him. She didn't regret it. In fact, she was a hundred percent sure that she was in love with him. Though she had no idea how that had happened so quickly, even for her. The uncertainty crept forward once again, though, and she felt her throat constrict nervously, because although she was sure now that Nephrite was no longer a threat. There were questions she needed answered.

She took a deep breath, propped herself up on her elbow, and lifted her gaze to meet his. "Neph," she murmured, and she could already tell by the way his body tensed against hers, and by the shuttered look that washed over his face, that he already knew what was coming. "When Mamoru healed you, brought you out of Beryl's fog, and we stood in his living room, you called me Juno."

She wasn't sure why that was the first thing to pop into her head. Amongst the many questions that swirled around the mysterious generals that Mamoru was trying to save from the Dark Kingdom, that one was probably the least important, wasn't it?

He averted his gaze to stare up at the ceiling. His expression hard, difficult to read once again. "Yes, I did," he responded gruffly, and the baritone of his voice was low, resigned, and filled with dread.

Something coursed through her at his response. It flashed through her like the elemental lighting bolts that she could manipulate. It was a cord of something familiar.

His eyes met hers, and she sucked in a breath of air, her lips parted in shock. There was more. There was a reason that they were so connected, and it was because he knew her.

"Do you know me, Neph?" She whispered, and the sound was harsh, confused, because… how was that possible?

At first, she didn't think he was going to say anything. There was nothing in his expression to indicate that he was going to answer her, but, without warning, he nodded.

"Yes," he replied simply, and his arm tightened around her waist as if he was afraid that she might bolt at his response.

She didn't have the urge to run, though she did pull herself up into a sitting position, her eyes filled with frustrated confusion as she peered down at him.

"How?" She demanded sharply as her heart began to race. She could see it then. The regret in his eyes, and the way his jaw clenched tightly.

"I can't tell you," he responded, though this time, the anguished contrition was clearly evident in his tone.

Her breath hitched painfully in her throat because Rei was right. There was something else. They were hiding something from them, and Usagi, her beautiful, bubbly, trusting friend, was so deeply lost, head over heels in love with Mamoru, that she was exposed. Whatever they were keeping from them could potentially hurt her.

Her heart sank, and with an angry curse, she sat up fully, swung her legs over the edge of the bed and pulled herself out of his embrace.

Her movements were hurried and filled with anger as she leaned over and furiously pulled her crumpled skirt off of the ground to yank it over her legs. She stood abruptly, and with difficulty, wiggled the tangled fabric over her hips. She was so stupid. What had she been thinking? She needed to protect Usagi from whatever it was that was about to happen, and though she may not be as tenacious as Rei, or as logical as Ami, she could feel that something bigger than herself, and her love for Nephrite was coming for them.

It was only when she was fully dressed, that she swiveled around to face Nephrite who was now sitting up, his expression miserable, and filled with sorrow as he watched her.

Her breath caught in her throat, and she froze, the look on his face effectively melting the anger and replacing it with sad, resigned devastation.

He was just so… so… perfect. Bathed in the moonlight, the hardened muscled edges of his body exuding a strength that made her shiver, and his eyes conveying a regretful tenderness that made her want to cry.

She bit her lower lip, and took a step towards him perched on the edge of the bed, the sheet slung across his naked waist, his long hair loose and falling across the steel-like corded muscles coiled into his neck and shoulders.

Wordlessly, he lifted his hands and grasped her waist to pull her towards him. She didn't resist as she melted, her arms curling around his neck as she straddled his lap, and her skirt bunched up at her hips between them.

She clenched her eyes shut, and unwillingly whimpered with pained anguish, as she pressed her forehead onto his and his arms coiled, like steel bands, around her. His palms pressed protectively just below her shoulder blades.

It was silent for another moment, their breathing ragged as the threads of pained emotion laced into the air around them.

He groaned and pressed his lips into the crook of her shoulder. "I'm sorry," he whispered raggedly against her skin. "I've never been good with words, Ju— Makoto, and I know you don't remember me, so it's difficult to ask for your trust…" he trailed off, and she wished that she could stop the painfully fast way her heart hammered against her ribcage as she carefully listened to every distressed word he uttered against her heated skin.

She leaned back and pulled away so that she could cradle his face in her hands. Their gazes locked, and she spent a moment scrutinizing his eyes.

She swallowed past the painful lump in her throat. "It's crazy. It doesn't make sense, but I do trust you," she replied, and her heart constricted even more at the look of relief that flashed through his eyes. Because it didn't matter if she trusted him. It wasn't enough. "But, it doesn't matter, Neph," she practically whispered.

His eyes widened slightly, before that sullen scowl, and his hardened expression fell back into place. It hurt to see, and she couldn't figure out why her heart felt like it was breaking.

Impulsively, she leaned forward and crushed her mouth onto his. They molded perfectly together, and she couldn't help but whimper as his tongue expertly parted her lips and his fingers threaded, almost painfully, into the hair at the back of her head.

He shifted beneath her, and she broke away, breathless, and forcibly pulled herself out of his arms before she lost herself, and let him press her back into the beckoning plush surface of his mattress.

Her vision blurred with tears, as she steadied herself on her feet and twisted her body away from him. Nearly tripping over his discarded clothes in her rush to leave the bedroom.

She didn't look back to see if he followed her as she slipped out of his condo and into the cold, night air outside.

It didn't matter that she'd somehow fallen in love with Nephrite, or that, for some reason, she trusted him implicitly.

She was Sailor Jupiter, the soldier of thunder and courage. Right now, she needed to summon the courage to face the realization that she served a higher purpose than love. She was a Senshi, and until Nephrite could give her answers, she needed to stand with her sisters.