"We must find a way, before time runs out." The spirit of Queen Selene stood with Sailor Pluto in the swirling mists before the Gates of Time. They wore similar worried expressions on their faces. "My daughter and her husband will need the Guardians' help to peacefully unite the Earth and rule over it. But I have not been able to find a magic strong enough to bring them back. If we cannot think of a way to free the Guardians from the web that ensnares them..."

"I know, my Queen," Sailor Pluto said. Both women were silent for a time. Then the Senshi spoke again. "Queen Selene, if we could create an intense and immediate need for one of them on Earth, perhaps that would be strong enough to pull him free of Metallia's bindings. The four of them are so closely linked that if one breaks free the others certainly must follow."

"But only one of them has any ties on Earth. Strong though it is, that tie has not been strong enough to free him."

"Yet it gives us something to work with," Sailor Pluto said. She outlined her idea, in some detail, to Selene.

The silver-haired Queen was silent for a long time. Finally she said, thoughtfully, "It may work. But is what you propose to do not forbidden?"

"Not if certain conditions are met, no."

Selene sighed. "It breaks my heart to think of what she will go through. She has already made one great sacrifice."

"She is strong enough. And she will be well-rewarded in the end. The stakes are great, my Queen, greater than the hardship to one person."

The Queen nodded. "You are right, of course. Very well. Proceed with your plan."

Setsuna curtsied deeply, then opened the Gates of Time and entered. Queen Selene stood alone for another moment. "Forgive me, Naru," she finally whispered, then shimmered back to her resting place in the Light.

* * * * * * * *

Moving slowly, wielding the broadsword with a grace that belied the strength required to hold it, Nephrite demonstrated the move he was teaching Endymion. In front of him, the young Prince, his tongue sticking out between his teeth, tried to mirror Nephrite's actions with his much smaller, lighter sword. Nephrite was executing the move left-handed and backwards, so that the boy could copy his movements exactly instead of having to reverse them. It was a difficult trick, but the Prince's training required the greatest care and thoroughness. The stars were clear about Endymion's fate: the Prince had been born to a time of war.

"Well done, my Prince," Nephrite said when the exercise was completed. He wiped the sweat from his face with the sleeve of his loose white shirt, and shook out his short, wavy auburn hair. "You did that perfectly."

Ten-year-old Endymion glowed at the praise. "Really, Lord Nephrite?" He adored his Guardians, all four of them, and wanted to be exactly like them. The Guardians, who were between sixteen and nineteen years old, were the perfect age for the boy's hero-worship; grown men, practically, but not old and intimidating like his father, King Philemon.

"Absolutely, my Prince," Nephrite answered. "Now, let's try it one more time, just to make sure you remember how it's done. But this time I'll do it right-handed, so you must reverse what you see me do."

"I can do it," the boy replied.

Behind Endymion, Nephrite could see two pretty maidservants, whom he knew particularly well, standing side-by-side on the second-floor balcony, leaning against the railings and watching him eagerly. He tried to put the admiring girls out of his mind. There was a time to think about women and a time to concentrate on his responsibilities, and right now was one of the latter times. Nephrite led Endymion through the fighting move one more time, watching for any slight error in the boy's execution of the move. There were none.

Nephrite lowered his sword and grinned. "You did that very well, my Prince."

Endymion's reply was cut off by the voice of a page who was crossing the inner yard of the armory. "Lord Nephrite, there is someone here who wishes to speak to you."

"Who is it?"

The page shrugged apologetically. "She didn't give her name. And it isn't someone I've met before. She said it's urgent, though."

"One moment." Nephrite left Endymion to complete the morning's training with Jadeite, and went into the armory, where he cleaned and put away the practice blade. Then he returned to the waiting page. "Lead the way."

"Yes, my Lord."

* * * * * * * *

His visitor was waiting in a private parlor off the main hall of the palace. She was a tall, dark-eyed woman in a black gown trimmed with dark green velvet that matched her long hair. Nephrite remembered his mother telling him, the first time he came to Court as a young boy, that it was perfectly normal for people from other planets to have odd-colored hair and it wasn't polite to stare. Nephrite caught himself staring now, not because the woman had green hair but because she was beautiful. He bowed deeply to hide his poor manners. "Princess Setsuna of Pluto, if I'm not mistaken?" He had never met the mysterious Princess, but he had certainly heard of her. It was rumored that she guarded the Gates of Time and possessed the ability to travel through time.

"Lord Nephrite," she greeted him in return. Her voice was cultured and pleasant, but distant. "I'm here to ask a favor of you."

What could the legendary Setsuna of Pluto possibly need from him? "I--Certainly, my Lady. I'm at your service."

She smiled coolly, but her ruby eyes held a hint of--something, perhaps sadness, in them. "I need you to take a message through the Gates of Time for me, to a certain time in the future."

The Gates of Time. Nephrite's hands and feet went cold. He swallowed. "It's true, then? What they say about you?"

"Yes."

"Then... Why do you need me to go? Couldn't you go yourself?"

"I can't explain now. Someday you'll understand; just trust me on that." She smiled a little more warmly. "And don't worry. It's perfectly safe, if you know what you're doing and where you're going."

Nephrite felt himself blush, embarrassed that she had been able to read his fear. He bowed again, to hide his discomfort, and said, "I'm happy to serve you in this, my Lady." What am I doing? he wondered.

"Good. I've already spoken to King Philemon and obtained his permission to borrow you, although your absence from this time will be so brief as to go unnoticed. You will spend a little more than a month in the future, but you don't need to bring anything with you. I'll see that you are provided with everything you need."

"When do I leave?" Nephrite asked, his mouth dry.

"As soon as you can be ready."

"Now, you mean?" Nephrite's hands and feet felt even colder. Maybe it was just as well he went soon, so he wouldn't have more time to contemplate the prospect of passing through the Gates of Time.

Princess Setsuna smiled. "No time like the present, as they say, right?"

After a few seconds, Nephrite also smiled, despite himself, then bowed again. "I will return to you as soon as I'm ready, Princess."

Setsuna watched him leave the room, feeling another small pang of regret for what had to be done. The boy was big, handsome, supremely self-confident, at eighteen nearly a full-grown man, old enough and brave enough to fight and die for his King, but scared to death at the idea of traveling through time. As well he should be.

* * * * * * * *

A short time later, Setsuna and Nephrite stood in the white mists before the Gates of Time. "You will learn and see and do many things in the future," Setsuna said, "but you will forget all these things when you return to your own time, lest you use this knowledge to change the course of events. I must remain here, but my future self will be waiting for you at the other end. She will give you more information, and make sure you have everything you need."

"How will I know where to go?" Nephrite asked. He tried to sound calm, but inside he was cursing himself for agreeing to do this. He had never heard of anyone besides Setsuna who could travel through time; maybe that was because anyone else who tried it never made it back. But if Princess Setsuna needed him to carry out this errand, and, more importantly, if King Philemon agreed that he should do this, then who was he to object or ask questions?

"Don't worry," the Senshi said. "I've laid a path that will take you to the right time and place. But it can be confusing inside the Gates of Time. Hold on to this, and it will help you stay on the right path." Setsuna took his hand and pressed something into it, a scrap of orange cloth, stiff with dark greenish stains. Nephrite looked at it, then at Setsuna, feeling thoroughly puzzled.

"Trust me," she said gently. "Go now, Nephrite. And good luck." She touched the massive white doors with the elaborate staff she held, and they slowly, silently opened. Nephrite stepped through into the multicolored chaos of the Gates of Time.

* * * * * * * *

The park was nearly deserted, this weekday afternoon in early autumn. The leaves on the trees had barely begun to turn, and everything was green and cool and silent. Just as it had been that night two years ago, before the monsters came, bringing terror and death with them. The craters left by the explosions had long since been filled in, of course, and the grass had regrown to hide the slight depressions that were left.

The tree was still there. Naru had been sitting in the grass at its foot all day, leaning back against the broad, rough trunk, thinking, remembering, sometimes crying, but mostly just... being. It was so peaceful here, so beautiful, and sometimes, when her mind was quiet and her eyes were closed, she could almost feel his presence.

She held the letter he had written her when, for reasons she still didn't understand, he had disguised himself as Tuxedo Mask. That was the first time she told him that she loved him. He had never said that he loved her, not in so many words, but he had rescued her when there was really no reason for him to do so, and he had been killed trying to protect her. And at the end, right before he died, the look in his eyes, the way he touched her face... He had to have felt something. But she would never know.

Often, she wished she had died alongside him.

Naru also held a single long-stemmed white rose. Last year when she had come to the park to remember Nephrite, she had brought the letter and a rose and the bandage she had used to bind the cut on his arm. But this year she couldn't find the bandage. She was sure she hadn't given it back to Umino. She hoped her mother hadn't thrown it away; it was only a dirty piece of cloth, but it also had his blood on it, all that was left of him, the only proof, besides the letter and her memories, that he had ever existed.

She knew now that her friend Usagi was Sailor Moon, and that Usagi, Rei, and Ami had watched Nephrite die in her arms. But they never spoke of Nephrite to her, though she wished they would. Maybe they didn't know what to say, or they were afraid that anything they said would make her too sad. Maybe they wanted her to forget him and get on with her life. Or maybe they didn't care to speak of the man who had been their enemy and who had tried to kill them.

Naru felt the hot pressure of tears behind her eyes and nose. She held the letter and rose close to her heart while big tears rolled silently down her cheeks. Nephrite, why can't you be with me?

There was a light touch on her shoulder. "Naru-chan." It was Usagi's voice, quiet and gentle.

Naru rubbed her cheeks with the back of her hand. Her friend was kneeling next to her, looking worried. "Usagi-chan. What are you doing here?"

"You weren't in school today, so I thought you might be here." The blonde girl paused. "You're still hung up on him after all this time, aren't you?"

Naru nodded, looking away.

"Oh, Naru-chan, I wish I could help you."

Naru shrugged and wiped away more tears. "I'll be okay. It's just, sometimes, I can't help remembering, and wondering what things would have been like, if--if he--" She couldn't go on.

"Naru-chan, I'm so sorry for you." Usagi hugged her around the shoulders.

"Thanks, Usagi-chan."

"Hey, Naru-chan?"

Both girls jumped at the voice, and Usagi turned to scowl at Umino, who was standing behind her. "Umino, do you have to sneak up on people like that? What are you doing here?"

"I thought you were looking for Naru-chan, so I followed you. I have to talk to her. Alone."

Usagi looked from Umino to Naru. "Okay." She wandered some distance away, with a backward look at Naru.

Naru didn't look at Umino. She knew what was coming, and that it was probably inevitable. She had been dreading this. Though he wasn't Nephrite--no one could ever take Nephrite's place--she liked Umino, and he did help her forget how lonely she was. "What is it, Umino?"

"Naru-chan, we've been together for two years. But now we're at different high schools, and, well..."

"Go on, Umino. It's ok." She had heard the rumors about his pretty lab partner.

"Anyway. I know I'm not what you want--I don't know what you want, all I know is I'm not it. And, well, there's no easy way to say this, but, anyway, I've met someone and she wants me to go out with her, and I feel like I have more in common with her than you and I ever did, but..."

"It's ok, Umino." Naru cringed in shame, thinking about how she had sometimes treated Umino. He wasn't Nephrite, he never would be anything like Nephrite, and there was a big part of her that couldn't forget and keep from comparing them. "If you have someone you want to go out with, that's ok. I understand. I guess it just wasn't working out between us, huh?"

"Thanks, Naru-chan. I guess you're right, it just wasn't meant to be. We can still be friends though, right?"

"Sure, Umino."

He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, then stood. "I'll see you around, ok?"

"Ok." Naru watched him walk away.

Usagi came back over to her. "Great timing, Umino," Usagi muttered. "Oh, Naru-chan, are you okay?"

Tears had started running freely down Naru's face. "It doesn't matter. I knew this was going to happen. He deserves better, anyway. I was always so mean to him, because he isn't Nephrite. I'm afraid I'll be the same way with any guy I meet, and no one will ever love me."

Usagi patted her shoulder. "That won't happen, Naru-chan. Someone will love you. I promise. Come on, I'll buy you a shake. Okay?"

Naru scrubbed the tears away from her face, and sniffled. "Okay." She stood and leaned against the tree, one hand flat against the rough bark of the trunk. "I love you, Nephrite," she whispered. "I'll always love you." She stooped down and laid the rose at the foot of the tree, then straightened up and took a deep breath. "Okay, Usagi, you can buy me a shake." She forced a smile at her friend. "Not vanilla-prune, though, okay?"

"Okay." Usagi smiled back, and the two girls linked arms and walked out of the park.

* * * * * * * *

The Paths of Time were a confusion of twists and turns, colors and noise and wind. The silvery path that Setsuna had laid to guide Nephrite's way was something more felt than seen, and it was hard for him to keep his attention focused on it through the dizzying jumble of sensations. Finally, feeling rather foolish, Nephrite took the stained scrap of cloth the Princess had given him out of his pocket and studied it, wondering what was so important about a dirty, torn bit of cloth. It was only a bit of rubbish, but as he let his awareness of it fill his mind, he became certain of the way he needed to go. It was as though the path and the bit of cloth were somehow connected, and all he had to do was let himself be drawn through the chaos towards his goal.