View source for That's What You Get (Nephrite)

{{Cutscene Header
|Date of Scene=2024/01/03
|Location=Mountains
|Synopsis=Nephrite reflects on the past six months on the night of his birthday.
|Cast of Characters=90
}}
The mountains, far away from the city lights, is a wonderful place to watch the stars. It's bitterly cold, and it was a bit of a trek to get out here compared to when he could teleport. However, it's also quiet, empty, and peaceful.

Nephrite sits on a cliff overlooking where a fight to rescue Naru Osaka from Sunbreaker took place. But his gaze is only directed upwards. The beauty and majesty and unknowable mystery of the cosmos spread out across the sky like a box of jewels spilled out onto black velvet... It's just as captivating as always.

So, he is just there, enjoying being able to look upon what he devoted his life to once, before he devoted it again to a person who he treasures just as much if not more, without the aggression, callousness, fear, and anger in his heart that carved out a nest for itself inside of him for so long.

If it had gone on much longer, he isn't sure he could have stayed human through the process. That darkness may have fully consumed him. But it didn't. So he can be here now, alive, breathing the freezing cold air, with a thermos of something warm and a bottle of something cold, and marveling at the second chance he was given.

He twitches his head to the side, but doesn't break his gaze away from the sky.

"I am." he says aloud.

After a pause of a few seconds, he holds up the bottle, though the label can't be seen in the dark of night, even by starlight. "Martinelli's Sparkling Apple Cider. Completely non-alcoholic, I assure you."

He waits again, then responds to the silence, "I could ask the same of you. Did you come here on your own? Does anyone else know?"

Nephrite rolls his eyes at whatever reply he hears. "Appreciating that I'm still alive and human again. Your turn."

The pattern repeats, over and over. Nephrite responding to silence, and then listening as silence continues to be silent.

"Surprised. But not hurt. I'll be fine. It was my fault to begin with. I think I may have been projecting my feelings about Sailor Jupiter onto her, because I hoped that she ''was'' her reincarnation. It made sense at the time." Nephrite sighs. "A lot of things made sense at the time."

Nephrite waits a little bit then smiles, and frees up a hand from the thermos to pat-pat the grass and clover next to him. "Feel free. Though I've not idea why you would bother asking. You're just a figment of my imagination after all."

There's several seconds more of silence aside from the chill wind that blows through, making Nephrite pull the thermal blanket around his body tighter. Then he laughs briefly, the sound of it echoing across the hills and off the mountains in the distance -- but not too distant. "Fair enough. Fair enough..."

Minutes pass with the conversation seemingly at an end. Nearly a half hour later, rubbing at his cold nose with the back of his sleeve, Nephrite moves to open up the thermos and pour some hot soup into the lid that doubles as a cup-slash-bowl. He can just drink it as-is, though takes the time to blow on it a bit so he doesn't burn himself. He can't regenerate anymore after all, and he doesn't really want to test his resilience without Dark Energy empowering him without need.

"Hm?" he lets out as he focuses on his soup.

A few moments later he says, "Because I can't hear the Stars anymore. I'm so used to being able to, that I'm having auditory hallucinations. Thus, you."

He drinks his soup carefully, and determines it needs to cool a little bit more.

"No, I've no explanation for the visual hallucinations. Hopefully they won't be recurring though. I've been fully healed. There shouldn't be any lingering side-effects. Though..." He looks up at the sky and sighs very, very sadly. "I have had much taken from me, as the price for my sins. I can't help but want to regain at least some of it, but perhaps it would be best if I didn't." Another drink of soup sends warmth flooding through the former Dark General's body, spreading like a river splitting into smaller streams.

His breath steams a little bit more when he breathes out afterwards, listening to his hallucination.

Then he nods and closes his clear blue eyes. "Yes. It seems to be a constant among we Guardians. Perhaps we are emulating our Prince. Even you..." He cuts himself off as though interrupted by something, opening his eyes and turning to look to his right. He just stares calmly for a few moments.

Then he breathes out another extra-steamed breath and says, "Stay safe. As safe as a hallucination can be."

He looks up at the sky again. Then he smirks after a few seconds. "Same to you, Juno." Then he shakes his head. His memory is supposed to be fully restored, but he still feels like he can't fully trust it, or the name his brain supplied. But she was a hallucination. Why did it matter?

"Happy birthday, Masato Sanjouin. Happy birthday, Nephrite. Let's make this next year a better one than what came before." Toasting the Moon and stars, the Guardian puts away the thermos, pops open the sparkling cider, and takes a nice long drink of something that won't poison him for once.