Naru stood close to Nephrite, her arm around his waist, while she looked shyly at the other three men in the kitchen. Jadeite, the blond man who had called them in to supper, whom Naru recognized from the gym and the Hikawa Shrine, smiled and saluted her with the wooden spoon he'd been using to stir the soup. Kunzite, the tall, cold-looking, silver-haired man who had offered to help her, nodded and said, "I'm glad you seem to be feeling better."

Naru murmured, "Thank you," then looked at the last man, whom Nephrite had introduced as Zoisite. He was slight, feminine-looking, with an abundance of tawny hair tied back in a loose ponytail and a face she would never forget -- the face that had sneered at Nephrite, taunting and ridiculing him, as he lay dying. Rage and grief filled her; her instinct was to run at him, pound him to pulp with her fists, rip that beautiful hair from his head by the roots, scream curses at him for what he had done to Nephrite and to her. She pressed herself closer against Nephrite, and he wrapped an arm snugly around her. Kunzite and Jadeite looked on, waiting to see if war would break out.

Zoisite made the first move. He came over to Naru and took her hand. Naru flinched, but Nephrite's arms stayed around her, firm and comforting, and she relaxed a little. Zoisite finally spoke. "I'm terribly sorry for what I did to you two. I hope you know that I would never do anything now to harm either of you. Please accept my apologies."

Naru had no idea what to say. This apology was the last thing she had expected. "Okay," she finally said in a small voice. The tension fled from the room, and everyone sat down to eat.

The main course was hot-and-sour chicken soup, which, despite Nephrite's disparaging comments about his housemates' cooking skills, was really pretty good. Naru was a little disappointed; she had been hoping that Nephrite would take her out to dinner. Well, there was plenty of time for that, now that he was back. She felt like firecrackers full of gold confetti were bursting inside her; she looked up at Nephrite, sitting beside her, and his large blue eyes, full of warmth and affection, met hers. They smiled into each other's eyes, forgetting about their meal, until Jadeite loudly cleared his throat. Naru blushed and turned her attention back to her soup.

"How did you guys happen to be there today?" she finally asked shyly.

"The Sailor Scouts told us that sometimes you and... that Kenichi guy... would walk by the harbor on Sunday afternoons," Jadeite said.

"The Sailor Scouts?"

"Yes," Kunzite said. "We decided it would be best for us to approach them, tell them that we're back and we mean no harm -"

"-so would they please not kill us," Zoisite interjected.

"And while we were there," Jadeite said, "Nephrite asked about you, and they told us about you and Kenichi."

"How would the Sailor Scouts know anything about that?" Naru asked.

Nephrite squeezed her hand, and Naru looked up at him. He said, "You don't know, do you?"

"Know what?"

"Tsukino Usagi is Sailor Moon."

Naru stared at him. "You're kidding...." Then the resemblance clicked. That hair; how could she have never noticed it before? She laughed. "Oh, wow, I feel like such a doofus, not seeing it. It does explain of lot of things, though."

"Don't feel bad," Kunzite said. "That's part of the disguise magic. It works as much on the mind of any onlookers as it does on the actual appearance of the person who is disguised. When I think of all the trouble I went through to find out who Sailor Moon is..."

"If I had known," Naru said, then fell silent. If I had known my best friend is Sailor Moon, I could have asked her to help me with Kenichi. "Never mind," she whispered, and went back to her soup.

The meal was soon finished, and Nephrite stood. "I'll take you home now, Naru. Your mother must be worried."

Naru looked around, then up at him. She didn't want to leave. She liked being here with him, in his house. She liked sitting at the big table in the beautifully-outfitted kitchen with him and his friends. They may have been evil once, but now they were so kind and friendly. Even, she had to admit, Zoisite. She felt happy here, comfortable... safe.

Still, she had to get home sometime, and it would be nice to have some time alone with Nephrite. "All right," she said.

Nephrite led her into the front room and got their coats from a hanger near the front door. After helping her on with her coat, and putting on his jacket, he picked her up, cradled in his arms. "Hold on tight."

Naru did as he asked. "Why?"

"Weather's too bad for driving, so we'll teleport."

Before she could say anything, the world seemed to fall away in a swirl of crimson and white light. The next thing she knew, they were surrounded by cold and darkness and wind, looking down at the lights of the vast city beneath them....

"Nephrite!" She clutched at him more tightly. They were floating in midair, several hundred feet above the city.

He laughed gently. "I won't let you fall. I just wanted to show you what it's like. Relax, love, and look at how beautiful the lights are."

Clinging to him, his arms secure around her, she looked. "It is beautiful."

"The stars are hidden by the clouds, though, so that'll have to wait for another time." He kissed her, and they bobbed slightly. Naru squealed and tightened her grip. "Time to go," Nephrite said reluctantly. "It's too cold to stay up here for long." The swirl of red and white surrounded them again. Naru felt their descent, but it was gentle, not scary at all. After a few moments they alit on the sidewalk in a small park not far from Naru's home.

Nephrite looked around. "I remember --"

"You protected me from that awful old woman," Naru said.

"You protected me from the Moon Tiara," he said. "I couldn't believe what I was seeing, the courage you showed. That was when I realized I couldn't bear it if you were harmed in any way."

Naru stood still a moment, remembering that night. Then she looked up at Nephrite's handsome face. He was staring into the night, lost in thought. Then he looked down at her and smiled. She threw her arms around him. "Oh, Nephrite, I missed you so much!"

He put his arms around her, picked her up, gave her a squeeze. "I'm just grateful I've got another chance with you, Naru." He set her down and said, "I'd better get you home. It's too cold out here." He walked her to the private entrance that led to the apartment above the OSA*P jewelry store, then leaned over and kissed her. "What are you going to do about Kenichi?"

"It's over with him. I don't know when I'll tell him, though. If there are people nearby he probably won't... lose his temper."

"Do you want me with you when you tell him?"

"No. I think it would be better if he didn't know this has anything to do with you."

Nephrite smoothed her hair away from her face. "All right, then. Just be careful, okay?"

"I will." They kissed again. Naru watched Nephrite disappear into the night, then pushed the buzzer.

"Who is it?" said her mother's voice over the speaker.

"It's me, Mama." It was her, but she was a different person from the girl who had left the apartment that afternoon. She felt alive; she felt like herself again.

"Naru! Thank goodness." There was a buzzing noise as the latch opened, and Naru went inside. She climbed the stairs to the second floor. Her heart felt like it would burst from happiness. She had to tell someone what had happened - Nephrite was back, he was alive again, he wasn't evil any more, he loved her.

Her mother was waiting for her in the doorway of their apartment. Standing just behind Mrs. Osaka was Kenichi, looking out into the hallway. "Where have you been, Naru?" Mrs. Osaka asked.

"I was with some friends." Naru ignored Kenichi. She didn't want to let his presence ruin her mood. She had very little to say to him, and what she did have to say couldn't be said in front of her mother.

"Kenichi's been here for a few hours. He said you two got separated during your outing today, and he couldn't find you."

Separated? He pushed me down and left me there, hurt and without any money to get home. "I guess it was a misunderstanding. I lost track of him, then I met some friends and ended up going to dinner with them."

"What friends? Naru, what happened to your tights?"

Naru didn't want to answer questions. She didn't want to stand in front of Kenichi and lie to her mother about what had happened between them. "Just some friends. You don't know them, Mama. My tights got torn when I slipped on some ice." All she wanted was to be alone, to think about Nephrite and how her life was going to be different after this. "I'm tired. Good night, Mama."

Naru started down the hall to her room, but her mother's voice stopped her. "Naru, you haven't even said hello to Kenichi. He's been so concerned about you!"

Kenichi came to her and put his arms around her, rubbing a hand against her hip. "I was worried about you, baby. Don't go off like that again, you hear?"

Naru could hear the edge of a threat in his voice, but apparently her mother couldn't. "He's right, Naru. Who knows what could happen?"

Naru worked her way out of Kenichi's arms. "I'd rather not talk about it. Good night." She went into her room and shut the door firmly. As she started undressing, she heard her mother's and Kenichi's voices, then the door closing as Kenichi left. A moment later there was a knock on her bedroom door. Naru pulled on her blue flannel Hello Kitty nightgown. "Come in, Mama."

Mrs. Osaka entered the room and stared at Naru, her arms folded across her chest. "I think it's just disgraceful the way you treated Kenichi," she finally said. "He's been so nice to you."

"It's over with me and Kenichi."

"Naru! Does this have anything to do with these 'friends' of yours? I'm not sure I like -"

Naru turned around to face her mother. It was time she knew the truth. "Mama, look." She pulled the neck of the nightgown down far enough to reveal the bruising along one collarbone and shoulder.

Mrs. Osaka gasped. "Naru, what happened to you?"

"Kenichi hits me. He does other things, too, that aren't very nice. After talking to my friend tonight I finally have the courage to tell you about this and to tell Kenichi that I'm not going to take it any more." She pulled her nightgown back into place and did up the buttons.

"But, Naru, he's such a nice boy! What would make him -- ?"

Tears stung Naru's eyes, and her throat suddenly ached. "What made him do this? I don't know. I've tried to make excuses for him, but they got harder and harder to believe."

"Haven't you tried telling him how you feel?"

Naru climbed into bed. She didn't want to talk about Kenichi. She didn't want to defend herself to her mother, as though Kenichi's hitting her had been all her fault. "I tell him how I feel, and he hits me. Good night, Mama."

Her mother came over and tucked her in. "Naru, I wish you had told me before. We could have figured out something."

"I was ashamed to tell you. But my friend helped me see that I shouldn't let Kenichi go on doing this."

Mrs. Osaka sighed. "This friend of yours... Is it a boy or a girl?"

"He's a man. He's older than me."

"Do you feel anything special for him, Naru?"

He's the love of my life. "Yes."

"Is that why you don't want to give Kenichi another chance?"

"No -- yes -- partly."

Her mother stroked her hair a few more times, then dropped a light kiss on her cheek. Naru felt sleepy. Her tension melted away with the comfort of her mother's touch, the remembered joy of Nephrite's return. "Please be careful, darling," Mrs. Osaka said. "I just want you to be happy. Good night." She turned off the light and left the room.

Naru didn't want to sleep. She lay awake and thought about Nephrite, about how it felt when he kissed and held her, how his voice sounded when he told her he loved her, about all the things they would now have the chance to do together....

* * * * * * * *

Nephrite reappeared in the house. Jadeite, Kunzite, and Zoisite were waiting in the living room, by the fireplace. "Well?" Jadeite said.

"It's all true," Nephrite said. "What Usagi said about that boy Naru's been seeing. The drugs, the -" He couldn't go on. He felt sick. His poor Naru - how much pain had she been in, to let herself be treated like that? Of all the people he could think of, she was the least deserving of that sort of abuse. "If we're not evil any more, does that mean I can't kill the bastard?"

Something flashed in Zoisite's hand, one of his deadly-sharp ice crystals. "I'll kill him for you, if your conscience is giving you a problem."

Nephrite fixed Zoisite with a flat stare. "If you hadn't killed me, she never would have gotten involved with someone like that." He turned his back and went upstairs, leaving Zoisite looking shocked and hurt.

The next day, Naru decided to join Usagi, Minako, and Makoto for lunch. She and Usagi had been friends since kindergarten, and she had gotten to know Makoto when the tall girl became friends with Usagi in junior high. They had gone on to the same high school together, along with another one of Usagi's friends, Minako. But as her relationship with Kenichi had progressed, Naru felt less and less like she had anything in common with the other girls. Besides, Kenichi always made fun of her for hanging around with stupid little girls. Not any more, Naru decided.

"Can I sit here?" she asked shyly.

Usagi's face lit up. "Sure, Naru-chan! It's been a long time." The three girls scooted their chairs around to make room at the small, round table for a fourth person. "So what's going on?" Usagi asked.

"It's over with me and Kenichi," Naru said when she was seated.

"Really!" Minako exclaimed, and Usagi said, "What happened?"

Naru looked at Usagi. Her best friend was Sailor Moon; that was still strange to think of. And the other girls - now that she knew who Sailor Moon was, the resemblances were easier to see. Minako and Makoto were also Sailor Scouts. Venus and Jupiter, she guessed. "Nephrite."

Usagi stared, then her face softened into a gentle smile. "He told you about me."

"Yeah." Naru looked at the other two girls. "And you guys are also --?"

They nodded. "She's Venus and I'm Jupiter," Makoto said.

"So we all know what's going on," Minako added.

"So tell us what happened," Usagi demanded.

"He and the other guys, you know, the ones who used to be evil, came to the harbor walk yesterday because you guys told him that sometimes Kenichi and I would walk there. Anyway, they saw us, and Kenichi was pushing me around, so they helped me." Naru stared down at her sandwich. "He pushed me down, and I cut my knee on the ice. Then he just ran off and left me." Was she finally going to have to courage to tell them? she wondered.

"That's terrible," Makoto said.

Usagi covered Naru's hand with her own. "Naru-chan, I was getting reports from Umino - you know how he loves gossip - about stuff that was going on with you and Kenichi. I had a hard time believing it, but I've still wondered... Please tell me the truth, Naru-chan. I've been worried about you, and if you need help I'll help you."

Naru squeezed Usagi's hand in return. The other two girls looked at her with serious expressions on their faces. "He hits me," she finally said, almost in a whisper.

"That isn't all, is it?" Minako's question was more of a statement.

"He deals drugs. All those parties we go to... He's supplying the drugs. He..." Naru's heart went cold, and her voice failed. She had told Nephrite, she reminded herself, and he hadn't hated her. She forced herself to go on. "He gives me drinks with pills in them, or just makes me take the pills, or other things, so I'll sleep with him."

"That's rape," Minako said. "I don't care if you try to fight him off or not. It's still rape."

Naru shrugged. "I don't know. If I tell him I don't want to, he says if I love him I will, and if I don't love him then life just isn't worth living, and he couldn't stand to see me with anyone else. I was afraid that if I didn't do what he wanted, or if I tried to break up with him, he'd kill himself."

"Or you," Makoto stated.

Naru stared at the tall girl. "He wouldn't -"

"Why not?" Makoto asked. "He beats you, he makes you take drugs, he rapes you, why wouldn't he kill you?"

Usagi had taken something that looked like a pink cell phone out of her satchel. She pushed a button, held the phone to her ear. "Rei? Usagi. Is Ami with you? Good. I've got a job for us... Naru needs a bodyguard. She's going to dump Kenichi... Yeah, everything Umino said is true, actually it's worse than we thought... Basically, he's threatened to kill her if she ever dumps him... She's hooked up with Nephrite again, so I don't think we need to worry about her when she's with those guys, but when she isn't, two or three of the Senshi ought to be around her all the time, plus I think we should keep an eye on the store... Right, meet us here after school. Thanks, you guys." Usagi folded the cell phone and tucked it away. "It's all taken care of, Naru-chan. Don't worry, just get rid of the guy."

"I can't believe I ever thought he loved me," Naru said. "How could I have been so stupid?"

"You aren't the first girl who's ever been fooled by flowers and a pretty face," Minako said.

* * * * * * * *

That afternoon, when school let out, Naru left the building with Usagi, Minako, and Makoto close behind her. As usual, Kenichi was waiting outside the front gate with his little black sports car his father had bought him. Naru walked up to him, her bodyguard sticking close by her side.

"Hey, babe," Kenichi said, "what's with the little girlfriends? We've got a date."

Naru took a deep breath. He never intended to kill himself. He was only manipulating her, she reminded herself. "It's over, Kenichi. I don't want to ever see you again."

The smile left his face, replaced by the lost puppy look that had always tugged at her heart before. But now she noticed the hard glint in his eyes. "What do you mean, baby? Don't we have fun together? Don't I love you?"

"No, no, and I meant what I said. It's over, and that's all I have to say."

He made a gesture towards her, then noticed the other three girls staring at him. Makoto had her arms folded across her chest; Kenichi knew of her reputation as a fighter. Minako and Usagi didn't look any friendlier. "Hey," he said, "it's just a misunderstanding. We'll work things out, baby. You'll see."

Naru turned away and started walking home, still with the other girls tightly clustered around her.

"You bitch!" Kenichi yelled. "You don't just walk away from me like that! You'll be sorry, you'll see! You think your stupid friends can protect you, but just wait!"

Naru tried to ignore him. She was trembling almost too hard to walk, but as they got farther away from the school and Kenichi didn't come after her, she started to relax. After a few blocks, Rei and Ami joined them, coming from their school, several blocks in the other direction.

"Well?" Rei asked.

"Kenichi's been dumped," Usagi said.

"He's back there in front of the school, cursing and making an idiot out of himself," Minako added.

"Idiot or not, he's still dangerous," Makoto said.

"I always knew he was no good," Rei said. "You doing okay, Naru?"

Naru nodded. She felt... free. Light inside. New, almost. "I'm fine."

"You know," Ami said, "I'm worried about you, Naru. This is the sort of thing that happens when you feel like you have to have a guy in your life all the time."

"Ami!" Usagi protested. "She doesn't need a lecture right now!"

"It's okay," Naru said softly. "I've been thinking about why I... did the things I did. I guess I was missing Nephrite so much, after he... you know..." Even though, miraculously, he was back, she couldn't bring herself to speak of his death. "I guess I was trying to replace him. I just wanted someone to love me."

Wordlessly, Usagi put an arm around her friend's shoulders and hugged her.

They arrived at the OSA*P shop. Naru went into the jewelry store to tell her mother she was home, then went upstairs to the apartment, followed by the five Sailor Scouts. A note was tucked into the crack between the front door and the doorframe. It was addressed to her, but she didn't recognize the handwriting. Curious, she opened it and read, "My darling Naru, Meet me in the park after school. Bring your homework and plan to stay through supper. Nephrite."

"He wants to see me!" Usagi grabbed the note. Naru grabbed it back, refolded it and tucked it into her school satchel, then ran back downstairs, still followed by the other girls. She hurried though the store, calling to her mother, "I'm going out, I'll be back after supper." Ignoring her mother's response, she ran to the park around the corner.

The weather had warmed a little more; it was almost a tolerable day to be outside. Nephrite was sitting on a bench in the park -- the same bench where he had been waiting for her the last time they had met in that park, two years before. When he saw her he stood, smiling. Naru ran into his arms, and he caught her up and hugged her. "I thought about you all night long," he said. "I couldn't wait to see you again. I'm glad you came."

"Of course I came. Did you think I wouldn't?"

He laughed, and set her down. "No, I guess not. Come on." With his arm around her shoulders, he led her to his red Ferrari, opened the door for her, then got in himself. Naru looked back at Usagi, Ami, Rei, Minako, and Makoto. She waved at them, laughing, and they waved back. They stood watching until the car was out of sight.

Nephrite drove to the hilly western fringes of the city. He turned the car on to a driveway that only seemed to be there if you weren't looking right at it, and drove up to a looming old mansion set atop the hill. After a moment, Naru recognized it as the house she had been in the night before, though she had only seen the inside then.

Inside, the blond man and the silver-haired man -- Jadeite and Kunzite -- were swordfighting in the great room, while Zoisite hovered above them, about eight feet up in the air, heckling them both. All three men paused to greet Naru, while Nephrite helped her off with her coat. She smiled shyly at Jadeite and Kunzite, but her smile faltered when she looked at Zoisite. Though she had, at least nominally, accepted his apologies the night before, she still couldn't get over the feeling of fear and rage that the very thought of him caused her. Nephrite rubbed his hand up and down her back, reassuring her of his presence, and Zoisite said, "It's all right. Take your time."

Naru managed a smile. Nephrite, an arm firmly around her shoulders, led her into the large, expensively-appointed kitchen. He seated her at the table, then poured a soda for her and a glass of wine for himself. Finally, he put a box of cookies on the table and sat down across from her, his chin propped in his hand as he watched her, smiling.

His observation of her made Naru feel self-conscious. "What's -- is something going on?" she asked.

"Nothing. I just wanted you here with me."

"Oh." She blushed and smiled, then took a cookie and nibbled at it.

"I know I promised you a chocolate parfait, but today I just want to see you here, without anyone else around." He glanced towards the kitchen door. "Except them, of course, but they don't really count." Naru laughed, and he reached across the table and gripped the hand that wasn't holding the pastry. "We've got time now, Naru-chan. We can do lots of things together."

She smiled, and squeezed his hand in return.

"Did you talk to Kenichi?" he asked after a moment.

"Yeah," Naru answered. "It was kind of scary, but the Sailor Senshi backed me up and he didn't try anything. They said they'll keep an eye on me when I'm not with you, just in case."

Nephrite looked at her a moment, a worried look briefly clouding his face. "Still, be careful, okay?"

"Okay."

* * * * * * * *

Kenichi sat on the bench in the park near Naru's house. He had arrived there, on his way to Naru's, just in time to see her get into a car with a guy who looked like that long-missing millionaire Sanjouin Masato. Liar, he thought. Tramp. Two-timing no-good slut --

"It doesn't feel good, does it?" said a husky, feminine voice behind him.

Kenichi jumped about six inches off the bench, then looked around. The woman who stood behind him was tall, slender and very shapely, pale with dark orange hair cut close to her head. Two long tendrils curled down in front of her ears, and she was twirling one of them around her forefinger. Her face was beautiful in a severe, sculpted way, despite the deep yellow color of her eyes. She wore a plain, form-fitting gray coatdress that was unbuttoned rather too far down for the chilly weather. She walked around the bench to sit beside Kenichi, and crossed her legs. They were great legs -- the best legs Kenichi had ever seen. Her black pumps had heels about five inches high.

"Hey." Despite himself, Kenichi was overwhelmed by the woman's overtly seductive appearance.

"I said, it doesn't feel good, does it?"

"Bitch. She's stupider than I thought if she thinks she's going to get away with this."

The woman chuckled, a rich, throaty sound. "And after all you've done for her."

"Yeah. She doesn't know how good she had it with me."

"Well, life sucks sometimes. What are you going to do about it?" She suddenly stood, and turned to walk away.

"Hey!" Kenichi called after her. He didn't want her to leave.

She stopped. "Yeah, kid?"

"What's your name?"

"Why? In case you want to see me again?" Kenichi nodded. "If you want to see me again, I'll find you. Have a nice day, Kenichi." She walked away. Kenichi blinked, and she was gone.

* * * * * * * *

return to Index / go to Chapter 4

The Nephrite and Naru Treasury