2647/Pillars in the Garden

Pillars in the Garden
Date of Scene:	26 June 2025
Location:	Jupiter's Moon Garden
Synopsis:	At the end of the Reception of the Moon Wedding, Masato and Makoto take some time alone in Jupiter's garden to reflect upon the future of their relationship (and talk about marriage).
Cast of Characters:	Nephrite, Makoto Kino

---

Nephrite has posed:
After dances, after singing, after cake and levity and laughter with friends, things had gotten quieter. Some people lingered longer, enjoying themselves, and others had started to go home. Many people had split off into their own quiet groups or pairs, marvelling at where and the love witnessed.

Jupiter's Garden was a little wilder than it had once been, for being unattended, but just as Masato had noted earlier, it was a beautiful and sheltering place full of lush and verdant growth. Thriving, despite the lonesomeness, and quiet. Blooms and foliage cutting sound. Offering small places of relative privacy to wander through, away from the courtyard proper.

It was only natural to find themselves here, in his most favoured spot-- the one that was strongest across his distant memory, the truest vantage from which he recalled looking up at the palace. He reached a glove out to touch a rose, idly, letting fingers briefly brush petals.

Makoto Kino has posed:
"Who'd have thought this would all come back?"

In contrast to the celebratory mood from the wedding reception, Makoto's voice is a little hushed. The overgrown garden, with the Earth hanging in the sky overhead like a round blue-green jewel, is a tranquil and secluded place, and it feels a little wrong to speak too loudly.

Her hand hovers over the rose bush's dark green leaves, not quite making contact. It's a little ragged from growing untended, but that hasn't stopped it from blooming. "I wonder how much trouble it would be to try to get it all back into order..."

Nephrite has posed:
Masato had genuinely not known what to expect to find, when he arrived here. It feels like a surreal miracle, as if this place too had been given a rebirth of a kind along with the rest of them.

"A few days of hard work could probably reign it in," Masato muses, and his voice is softer too. Not to shatter the quiet, or the gentle reverence for the life this garden holds against all odds. "But I can't help but be impressed by the sheer resilience of it."

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto lets her hand drop, turning toward Masato with a smile. "I feel like magic has more to do with it than resilience. Still... even overgrown, it's beautiful. Familiar. Not as though I've been here before, but like it's a place I've dreamed about more than once."

That might even be the truth, though Makoto can't truly say for sure. As little as she remembers clearly about that other life, Sailor Jupiter's heart recognizes her garden, and it welcomes her home.

Moving a half-step nearer, she reaches out to put her hand lightly on Masato's arm. "You really worked some wonders, making sure everything came together. How's it feel to finally get a break?"

Nephrite has posed:
Masato wonders if that magic is deeply connected to Makoto, in the present, somehow. If it is her resilience or her enduring heart that feeds it. Impossible to tell, but he finds the thought optimistic. Maybe the garden has been growing since she came into the blue world above, maybe the roses bloom more brilliantly when she's happier or more hopeful.

His romantic heart gets carried away easily, whether it's true or not. He wants it to be true and perhaps there is no harm in just believing it.

He smiles at her. "I feel like my arms and legs might fall off and I'll come apart, if we're being truthful. But, it made me think about the future instead of the past." Funny, how in Crystal Tokyo of the Future, it was their past that loomed largest, yet here, he can only think of things to come. "Watching everyone come together for the happiness of people they love... who love each other. I think weddings are a really beautiful thing."

He let his hand drift gently to the small of her back. "What about you?"

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto laughs softly. "Relieved," she admits. "It's a big weight off to know that Usagi-chan and Chibiusa-chan are back to normal and safe, after all of that. I suppose it's too early to really relax, as long as the Black Moon Clan are still out there, but we've all earned a good night's sleep once we get back to Tokyo."

A little hesitantly, she slides her arm around him. "It felt good to see everyone so happy. Like all the bad things that happened before now don't matter any more."

Nephrite has posed:
Gods know, Masato would much rather be swiping a bit of frosting off of Makoto's cheek, than think of a time when Nephrite might have see blood smeared there instead. But he doesn't dare say it out loud. Not here, not in this garden.

"It's been like the strangest loop, bringing us back around to where we should be. But then... it's different again." He murmurs, aware of the tentative wrap of her arm. "I feel lighter. Or like I've been held back, and now the rope has finally been cut to let me move again."

Makoto Kino has posed:
"Good," says Makoto - simply, softly, and with genuine feeling. "I'm glad."

She's quiet for a little, looking out across the garden. Under the atmosphere dome that encloses the Sea of Serenity, it has a dreamlike stillness to it. Even without the Earth visible overhead, it would be impossible to forget that they're standing on the moon.

"...I don't really remember as much from back then as the others do, I think. Just feelings. But I think it's been good for all of us, closing this circle. We can take back the good things from the past, and leave the rest behind, instead of dragging all that weight with us." Another, briefer pause and then she breathes out a quiet laugh. "I think I got a little carried away with that metaphor. I'm glad that's how you feel, though."

Nephrite has posed:
"I remember a lot more than I'd like to." Masato admits, though she probably suspects as much. Sapphire eyes turn to her. "Some of it warped, some of it not. Some of it wonderful, and then... awful. Deep feelings, too, that I couldn't place."

Even the prospect of the Fade brought its own kind of terror and promise-- a double edged blade. "I turned eighteen and I couldn't help but feel the clock ticking on everything. Past and present. I kept thinking, this would all be buried again and go back to being some unknown ache, if I didn't make things right enough before then. I would just live with it like I had before."

His brows knit to confide in her. "Obsidian took even more from me than I ever intended to give them. I took who I was as Masato and fed it through a spiritual wood chipper, Mako-chan. I've been more Nephrite than not, and I'm still picking up the smithereens of me now. Like the worst jigsaw of my life, on a timer. I was a little worried there wouldn't be much Masato left, if I lost the rest too."

He clicks his tongue, disapointed at himself for only a moment. He lets his attention wander over the flowers again. "But then I came back to Japan. I came back to Mamoru. I've made friends with the Senshi. And you..." He smiles a bit, and glances back at her with affection. "You're important to me, in new ways, I don't think I even have the words for the kind of hope I have now."

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto's arm around him tightens just a little in a gentle squeeze as she listens quietly, a look of sympathy coming over her expression. "Nobody should have to deal with all of that," she says softly. "Beryl and Obsidian and everything else..."

She trails off into a little sigh, then shakes her head, as though to shake off the heaviness of it. "You're important to me, too. I hope you know that. Even though I've been kind of a mess," her lips curve in a rueful smile. "You're not the only one who's gained a sense of hope, and I have you to thank for a lot of it."

Nephrite has posed:
That smile she gives him, tinged with wry sorrow, has him tilt his head just a little as he watches her. Contemplative, and letting his own arm wrap her more throroughly, so that they stand together in their loose embrace.

"You've been through a lot too," he ackowledges, and smiles a bit wider, "But maybe I don't see the mess. I don't know. I'm a little biased."

Well, he was allowed to be, he thought. His brows rose. "I just like being around you. You steady me. You're adorable... and hard working, and very kind."

Makoto Kino has posed:
The compliments cause a hint of a blush to color Mako's cheeks. "Well," she replies, green eyes sparkling playfully, "if you haven't seen it, I'm definitely not going to point it out for you."

She ducks her head, turning her eyes downward. "I haven't really been used to being able to lean on anyone. Meeting Usagi-chan and the other senshi changed a lot of things for me, but the habits don't all go away at once. I think maybe you and I are alike in that way. Trying to be the pillar for everyone else to lean on."

Never mind that what little she knows of his family situation couldn't be much more different from her own. This time since they returned from Crystal Tokyo has felt rather revealing, at least from where Makoto stands.

Nephrite has posed:
Masato nodded quietly, wondering of that similarity too. His gaze traces the proile of her face as her head lowers.

"I think we don't always feel understood by other people, easily, either." He makes that guess. "What's happening inside doesn't always match the outside, and people make a lot of assumptions about us based on how we look. We get seen in a shallow way. Not many people really see who we are beyond that."

It was a complicated subject, but one he knew was tender for both of them. "It's nice to be seen."

Makoto Kino has posed:
Makoto makes a soft, thoughtful noise. "That's probably true for most people, in different ways," she muses. "I mean... I don't think I'm all that complicated." When she looks back up and meets his eyes again, there's laughter glittering behind those leaf-green eyes. "But you're right. People assume a lot of things based on appearances. Not everyone, and not all the time, but... a lot."

Her thoughts drift to the pink azalea bonsai, carefully tended and flourishing in her dorm room. Her eyes soften, her smile warming with something akin to a secret shared: you understand. "It's very good to be seen," she agrees.

Nephrite has posed:
The way she is looking at him-- keeps looking at him-- is a small marvel. If he were all ice, it would have thawed him out completely. But Masato is not a cold man, he's an emotional man, he's a romantic man. He's a pining fool, in fact, who gets easily carried away on the rush of his own sentiments. Maybe he's gotten good at hiding his heart, but it's there, beating in the cage of his chest hard enough to break itself, sometimes.

"I think I might be a little complicated. Speaking of messes..." There's a hint of laughter at that, and he makes a face. "Then again. Maybe what I want is actually very simple. But it's probably not what people would expect."

He smirked a little. "My head is telling me to try not to move too fast. But I drive a Ferrari, I'm not exactly somebody who takes things slow."

Makoto Kino has posed:
"Is that so?" Mako can't quite keep herself from raising an eyebrow in response to his smirk. Her smile doesn't falter, though maybe it turns slightly teasing - as though there's a playful remark at the tip of her tongue that she thinks better of saying aloud.

Instead she says lightly, "I know a little about that, too. Even when I tell myself I should be cautious, it never seems to work out that way. Although..." She tips her head, still smiling up at him. "It kind of seems like the things I was worried the most about have ended up not mattering that much at all."

She pauses a moment, contemplating. "If it's not what people might expect, maybe I should just ask. What is it that you want? If you don't mind saying it, anyway."

Nephrite has posed:
Masato still has to think about it. How to put the yearning into words. How to make sense of the feeling he has. It's many things, but they all orbit something in common.

"I am supposed to step up and take on more responsibility within the Sanjouin Group, properly. After proving to my father that I can manage the Tennis Association. I still have to make up for..."

Running away from Setagaya. Joining forces with Hematite and Obsidian. Embezzling money from banks. Trying to sink Tokyo into the Dusk Zone. Being a bastard. "... Abandoning my duties as a son."

He glances up at the Earth, above them. "But, now I'm considering buying a bridal boutique instead. So, there's that." He murmurs, the first time he's admitted this to anyone-- including himself, really. "Maybe that's impulsive and sentimental of me, because I know he's not going to approve. But thinking about helping people plan weddings. Running a business like that..."

He looks back to her now. "He wouldn't understand. Our family use a marriage broker, he doesn't have any patience for things like that."

Makoto Kino has posed:
Surprise flickers across Makoto's expression for a moment, mild, quickly giving way to understanding. She doesn't say anything right away; instead she looks thoughtful, her focus turning partly inward as she considers what he's said, and what might go along with it.

The weight of parental expectations and filial responsibilities - these aren't things that Makoto has much personal experience with. Living without her own parents has left her inclined to encourage reconciliation where it seems possible... and yet...

"In the end," she says quietly, "you're the one who'll be living your life, and not your father. It'd be great if he could understand, but... whether he does or not, and whether he approves or not... if it's something that would make you happy, I think it would be worthwhile." A moment's pause, and then she adds in a lighter tone, "You've definitely shown that you have the knack for this sort of thing, after all."

Nephrite has posed:
He watches her expression shift as Makoto makes her way through it, thinking it over. He smiles a little at her small compliment, and encouragement.

"I think he'll be done with me, if I cause him any more trouble." Masato whispers, as if to hide that part from even the Garden. "I guess it's really just... whether I'm ready to accept that."

The thinnest of remaining threads, easily snapped. Only duty and access to the past truly remained. The man was a stranger to him.

He studies her face again. "Would you want to do something like that? Because that's the other part." And it was, the way he envisioned it-- he imagined most aspects of his future with Makoto present.

Makoto Kino has posed:
Once again, Makoto's arm around Masato tightens a little. There's a flicker of something in her green eyes for just a moment, a protective, dangerous little spark that vanishes just as quickly. Neither Sailor Jupiter nor Makoto Kino will just stand by if someone she loves is wronged.

But Masato's father is two hundred forty thousand miles away right now, and the wrong is still only a maybe for the future. There's nothing she can say to make the prospect any more pleasant to contemplate, so she doesn't say anything.

When he asks her about what she wants, it surprises a little laugh out of her. "There are so many things I want to do in the future," she says in a tone of cheerful self-deprecation. "Too many to choose from. I'd like to start a bakery, or a florist's shop... when you think about it, a bridal boutique fits right in there, too. What's a wedding without flowers or a wedding cake? So - yes." It's a realization she's only just reached once he asked, and she wonders over it, smiling. "I think I'd like something like that. Spending my time among beautiful things, helping make people happy."

Nephrite has posed:
Masato laughs a little bit when she says there's too many things to choose from. He understands that, deep in his gut-- there was always a certain comfort in turning over a lot of his direction to external divinations and guidance, like the stars. At least that helped narrow some things down, and gave him direction.

It's a great relief, unwinding something in him a little more, that she could see herself working in a business like that with him. Together. There is something in the compatibility of that dream, something that they could share, that reminds him of what she said earlier. Pillars, for everyone to lean on. Now, they had each other. Twin pillars, holding up the limitless sky... He was getting carried off again.

Masato exhaled, as if that were a load off of him. "That's good... I'm glad," A beat. "When we get married, we can use it as a catalogue example."

Makoto Kino has posed:
He probably anticipated the way Makoto immediately blushes a pink enough to match the roses blooming in the untended garden. "When?" she echoes him, her voice hitching on another little laugh. "You're very confident, even though Izou-kun is the one who ended up with the bouquet."

She doesn't protest the idea, though, even though having it brought up so casually has her flustered. She hadn't even brought up the other element in her dreams for the future - a husband, a family. Things that still seem too ephemeral to mention, but here he is talking about it like a certainty.

"You wouldn't feel weird about putting your real wedding in a catalog as an example for customers to look at?" she wonders cheerfully. "Something that important?"

Nephrite has posed:
He did expect to her to turn pink, and it's a small joy for him. "I don't need a bouquet. They need all the help they can get, Mako-chan, I'm decisive," he waves his hand, "If anything, it's a challenge. You know Jadeite called them the 'new alpha couple'? That's bullshit. We should beat them to it."

There's a playful edge to it, but he's not entirely unserious. Masato feels a competitive little flicker in him for it, too, in the best sort of way. He is too boastful not to.

"I don't think it's weird. There's no reason we can't advertise our own happiness as part of the business model..." He lets his gaze trace her features, lips and eyes, searching for any real hesitation. "Sure, it might not be a moon wedding, but think about it, Mako-chan. It doesn't even need to stop there. We could have little bonus weddings at bridal expos. We could even mock up and model different styles of ceremony and formal wear."

It seemed to make perfect sense, from a business standard, and appealed to his pride. "We could become the faces of happy marriage in Tokyo."

Makoto Kino has posed:
Blink. "Saitou-kun and Izou-kun?" Makoto squints a little, pondering it and coming up with a faintly dubious moue. It doesn't help that she's not really sure what an 'alpha couple' would look like to begin with.

Although-- "I refuse to get into a competition with Izou-kun," she says solemnly, only mostly tongue in cheek. "He definitely fights dirty. Anyway, how many times are you planning for us to get married?" Her effort at keeping a straight face breaks down very quickly. When he describes it like that, she can't deny the reasoning... and she can't even protest the idea of having more than one ceremony, given that Usagi and Mamoru will be having at least one more sometime in the future for the sake of the Tsukinos and other non-magical family and friends.

Decisive. He definitely is that, and Mako can't claim that she minds it.

Nephrite has posed:
"You're right. He does... Underhanded bastard." Masato's eyes narrow, as if he takes that into account as an actual threat, but the upturn of the corners of his mouth reveal some affection. It grows from there into a broader smirk.

"I don't believe in putting limits on love." He quips lightly, tilting his head and enjoying her amusement. "I'll marry you as many times as you'll have me, until you're sick of wearing dresses. Who's to stop me?"

Makoto Kino has posed:
"Nobody," Makoto concedes. Still pink in the face and smiling foolishly. "Although I think it would take a very long time for me to get tired of wearing beautiful dresses, so keep that in mind."

Mamoru and Usagi got the only bottle of real champagne, but just now, Makoto feels as giddy as if she'd been toasting with it herself. It's a strange, warm feeling, not at all unpleasant. "It's certainly one way to solve the issue of who gets to be the best man or the maid of honor. I'm sure Usagi-chan would be thrilled."

Nephrite has posed:
"She'd probably have as much fun trying different dresses on as you would." Masato chuckles warmly, with a hint of mischief. Despite his older looks, there's a trace of something boyish underneath that shines through in moments like this. It's almost cleansing, this warmth and fun and affection, shared here between them. Here, in the Garden, neglected in the time between now and when their hearts knew it last.

Something old is being forgiven, and healed. Makoto says she remembers the feelings, more than the memories themselves, and he wonders if being here will spark anything returned. He hopes, if it does, that it is something of similarly happy moments long ago. Before they were intervened upon, before that love was arrested and waylayed.

He is so, so certain that this isn't just Nephrite and Jupiter's feelings. Those are there, underneath, like bedrock. They're part of it. But this is also something new, being built on top of it. It belongs to Masato and Makoto.

"I'm glad that I got to be here with you, for this..." He settles, charmed, and his arm draws her in a little tighter.

Makoto Kino has posed:
"She definitely would, and so would Minako-chan." Affection warms Makoto's expression and her quiet laugh; the thought of bringing joy to her friends is a happy one. Much like seeing Masato looking so relaxed and happy now.

She leans contentedly against his side, making a soft humming sound. "I'm glad, too," she says, gazing out over the garden. The view is still just as beautiful, just as familiar, just as magical. "It just... feels right."

Nephrite has posed:
It feels as natural as the turn of the Earth, or the swing of the stars. He wonders, too, if they could tend to this place now-- Makoto may not be able to resist the urge to return here and tidy it up. He wonders if he might be able to help her. Maybe there will be dates here, maybe they'll continue to grow closer here.

He's the first Shitennou to step foot here, since then, and he feels strangely compelled to look after it all now. To help care for it, if allowed.

"It does." He agrees.