Nephrite sat still, contemplating all that had happened in the last couple years, while Naru combed his hair. All the power he had lusted after could not compare to the wonderful feeling of Naru gently combing his long hair, and then brushing it over and over again. She would often spend what seemed like hours washing, combing, and brushing his hair, and Nephrite would often ask her if he would look better with it cut short. She always laughed as if it was a joke, prompting him to laugh as well, but often the former general felt as if his long hair was an inconvenience, with all the upkeep it required. Try as he might, he couldn't bring himself to tell her what he was thinking.

Soon, Naru switched to a soft brush, and Nephrite closed his eyes and let out a sigh of pleasure at the bristles gently flowing through his hair. He was able to hold a brush on his own and brush his own hair a little, but he couldn't reach very far since his arms and wrists were partially paralyzed and he often dropped the brush. It was a nice challenge though, to see if he could do even more with his half-paralyzed limbs and put to shame those stupid doctors who told him he would never be able to move his wrists again.

Naru brushed the former general's luxuriant hair for awhile longer, then set the brush down and wrapped her arms around her friend. Nephrite reached up with a little difficulty and stroked her hair, his paralyzed fingers taking in a few sensations, pressure and texture mostly. The young woman gazed into Nephrite's eyes and smiled, then carefully sat down in his lap. For the most part, he couldn't feel her at all, except on the upper part of his chest.

Beautiful angel... he thought.

He held Naru as close as he could with his weak arms and stroked her hair, his fingers curling a bit due to being controlled by the tendons in his hands, not by their own muscles.

"Nephrite," Naru asked, "Would you like to go swimming today? I know a place that has a pond that isn't too deep"

Nephrite smiled at the thought. As long as nobody was there to see his skinny legs, he had no problem with it.

"I'd love to, Naru," the ancient general replied, hugging his angel again.

"Ok, I'll get my swimsuit ready, and get you dressed up," Naru giggled, before kissing Nephrite on the cheek.

Nephrite wheeled over to his bed, and Naru unstrapped him and rolled him out of the chair, lifting him onto the specially-made mattress. She supported his back and slowly lowered him, since he had little strength in his torso and couldn't sit up by himself. Afterwards, she helped Nephrite out of his clothes and underwear. Both were used to this, so neither blushed anymore when she dressed Nephrite or attended to certain intimate medical needs. She flexed his legs and feet a bit, keeping their tendons elastic and maintaining the circulation in those dead limbs.

The former general sighed a bit, looking at those stick-like things. The muscles had atrophied and made his legs look emaciated, almost bird-like. Naru didn't care though, and lovingly massaged and flexed them, before getting a pair of blue trunks and helping him into them. Then she sat him up and helped him put on a white t-shirt that had a picture of a tropical island on the front.

"Would you like to meet my friends later on, Nephrite?" Naru asked.

"Maybe," Nephrite answered, though he preferred to be away from the crowds these days.

"I think you'll like Usagi... she's a bit of a ditz sometimes but she's one of the best friends I ever had!"

At that, Nephrite suppressed a gasp of surprise. He had met her before but he didn't want to blow her cover.

"Is something wrong, Nephrite?" a concerned Naru asked him.

Nephrite shook his head and smiled.

"No, I would like to meet her," he lied, hating to have to do that.

"Well then, let's go to the arcade sometime... a warning though... Usagi might offer you some cookies. She's terrible at baking..."

Nephrite laughed a bit.

Finally, Naru packed a few things, including some home-made tuna rolls and bottled water, suntan lotion, and beach-towels. She lifted Nephrite back into his wheelchair and sat in his lap, duffel bag in hand, and they made their way to his sports car.

The car had been modified so Nephrite could accelerate and brake using his hands, so he was able to drive despite his condition, and the driver's area was fixed to accommodate his wheelchair so he didn't even need to be lifted into a seat. Nephrite wheeled into the driver's side and closed the door, while Naru climbed into the passenger's side. He started the car up and drove out onto the street.

It was a hot, sunny day, so Naru gave Nephrite a pair of sunglasses, and put on a pair of heart-shaped ones. She showed him which turns to make, then turned on the radio and put in an Ace of Base CD. No interruptions, no pansy-boy spoiling the party.

When they got to the secluded spot, Naru brought out the duffel bag and towels. She waited for Nephrite to get out of the car, then parked his wheelchair at the shore, unstrapped him, and gently lifted him down. Then she slowly eased him into the water, taking care to keep him afloat.

Nephrite took in a breath and sighed at the feel of the cool water bathing his arms and shoulders, and lapping at his cheeks. He turned his head to one side and saw his hair floating lazily below the surface. It would be more work for Naru, he thought.

"Now spread your arms," Naru instructed.

The former general did that, and began to weakly move himself through the calm water. In those two hard years, he had never felt so light and free. As if he could do anything...

Why did he want all that power? Why did he even side with that evil queen? All he would have had was power. No... not even that, he realized. Beryl would dispatch him the first chance she got after he gave her what she wanted.

But now he was a normal human. Red blood. No powers. And a broken body that couldn't even sit up.

And he had someone who loved him despite all he had done, all the lies he had told.

Naru lifted her lover up to a sitting position, and he rested against her chest. Her heart beat gently, almost lulling him to sleep. She stroked his hair, running her fingers through those wavy auburn locks. It seemed so wrong, yet so right. She was taken, yet neither could help it. Nephrite felt so guilty, being a burden on Naru, yet she was there, keeping him afloat, cradling, warming his heart.

The former general opened his eyes and smiled up at Naru, who gazed lovingly at him, and kissed him again, all over his face. This was heaven. After being apart for so long, they were together. They were happy. Even if they couldn't have everything they longed for, this was enough. The gentle swaying of Naru's body soothed Nephrite. She was now his legs, and in many cases, his arms... and his wings. His angel. It felt as if they were flying in the heavens.

Nephrite could have stayed like this forever, floating on his back in the refreshingly cool water, but it was time to rest before eating. Naru took him back to shore and with some difficulty carried him to his beach towel, and set him down slowly. She hugged him, and smiled up at the former general, and kissed him on the cheek. Nephrite held her and kissed her back, and for awhile, forgot completely about his condition.

Naru eased him down onto his back and lay on his chest, which was somewhat less muscular than it had been before that fateful night. She kissed him some more on his chin, his neck, his shoulder... and he held her closer to his wildly beating heart. He wasn't sure where this would go, but he would enjoy it, even if his condition prevented him from satisfying Naru.

After an hour or so of resting with Nephrite, Naru took out the tuna-rolls and soy sauce. She propped Nephrite up, and they shared the tuna-rolls. The former general was able to grasp his sushi rolls without much assistance from Naru.

"Have you ever tried spider crab rolls?" Nephrite asked.

"No," Naru replied, "What are they like?"

"Full of crisp, sweet crab legs... not too bad for an American version of our sushi," Nephrite laughed.

"That sounds good! Maybe we can visit the States together and have some spider crab rolls"

Naru took the last tuna roll and dipped it into the soy sauce, then brought it to Nephrite's lips. He smiled and accepted it, and pulled Naru closer, bringing her lips to his. Nephrite bit the roll in half, giving one side to Naru, sharing a kiss as well as a slice of sushi.

They washed the sushi down with some water, and lay back down on the beach towels. Nephrite watched Naru as she rested on him, wondering what would happen. He was more than a little scared of his feelings for Naru.

"What's wrong, Nephrite?" Naru asked, seeing his wistful expression.

"Nothing... it's ok..." Nephrite lied, trying to ignore what had been nagging him for awhile.

Naru sat up and took Nephrite's hand, and held it to her cheek.

"You don't have to lie, Nephrite..." she reassured him, "What's wrong?"

He felt tears welling up in his eyes, and tried to blink them back.

"I feel like a burden sometimes," Nephrite finally confided, "I'm heavy, I can't even sit up by myself... my hair takes so much care to... "

Naru quieted him gently with a finger to his lips. He looked up to see her sweet smile, and let the pools of tears run down his cheeks.

"You're not a burden," Naru whispered, "I comb your hair like that because I like to... it's so soft it feels like silk..."

Nephrite held her close again and smiled.

"And you're no bother to me," Naru giggled, "I like taking care of you!"

She kissed Nephrite and ran her fingers through his half-dried hair. The resurrected general kissed her on the lips again, and shed a couple happy tears. There were still a few worries to be had, but for now, he would forget them.

Especially since they would soon be back in the pond for another romantic swim.