Days went by and turned into weeks without any word from Sailor Pluto. Sometimes Nephrite thought, though he hardly dared to put the thought into words, that maybe she had forgotten about him, she would never give him the message he was supposed to deliver and he wouldn't have to go back. He would always banish the hope as soon as it started to form, and he never mentioned it to Naru. But still, he couldn't help thinking, sometimes, that maybe he would be able to stay after all.

He never felt lonely with Naru; with her he felt like the person he was supposed to be. They fit each other in so many ways, like the two halves of a torn piece of paper. Nothing else and no one else could ever fill in his rough edges and empty places. Nephrite was careful never to say "I love you" to Naru, since it would only make things harder for her when the time came for him to leave. But it was getting harder not to say it.

It was so easy to lose himself in the routine of picking up Naru for school, walking hand-in-hand with her through the halls of the school to their different classes, then taking her on his motorcycle after school for ice cream or for a ride along the harbor or up along the cliffs that looked out over the bay. He could go on like this for the rest of his life, he thought.

* * * * * * * *

Though it was mid-autumn, the fifthe Sunday was a fine, warm, sunny day. Nephrite picked Naru up late in the morning, as he had the last three Sundays. Their plans were never set in advance, they just did whatever they felt like at the moment. Today Naru told him that Usagi and Mamoru and their friends were gathering at a park that had a large public swimming pool, to celebrate what would probably be the last good swimming day of the season.

After a stop at a department store so that Nephrite could purchase and change into a pair of dark green swim trunks, they went to the park. The swimming pool and the large sandy area nearby were crowded; it seemed that half of the residents of the Juuban district were taking advantage of the unseasonably warm weather. By now, Nephrite was used to the short skirts on the girls' school uniforms, but that hadn't prepared him for the sea of scantily-clad bodies at the park. As he and Naru walked over to the place that Usagi and Mamoru had staked out beneath some trees, he tried to simultaneously look everywhere and keep his eyes to himself.

They sat down on the blanket that Usagi had spread out, and said hello to the other Senshi, Rei's and Ami's boyfriends, and a few others who were joining the group. As at Mamoru's party, Setsuna was nowhere around, again to Nephrite's relief.

Naru leaned toward Nephrite and whispered, "You can put your eyeballs back in your head now."

He blushed. "This is legal?" he asked, indicating one young woman who was wearing a few scraps of fabric that wouldn't even have made decent undergarments.

"Of course it is." She pulled off her loose, short dress to reveal her own swimsuit, two interesting constructions of blue fabric, with ruffles at the shoulders and hips. More modest than some of the swimsuits the other girls were wearing, but still...

"Maybe you should keep the dress on," he whispered back to her.

She laughed, and handed him a bottle of white liquid. "Here, do my back and I'll do yours. So we won't get sunburned."

Nephrite obliged, rubbing the lotion into her smooth skin, then let her soft hands work on his own back and shoulders. It felt heavenly, and he wished they had spent more time at the pool before now.

"There," Naru said. "Let's swim. You know how, don't you?"

He knew; he had grown up swimming in the lakes and sea near the palace. They swam, and joined in a rather anarchic game that involved hitting a large ball around in the pool. Then they gathered with Usagi and Mamoru and the others for the picnic lunch Makoto had prepared.

Several nets were strung across the sandy area, and a number of groups of people were hitting balls across the nets in some sort of game. Naru told Nephrite that the game was called volleyball, and after lunch the group divided into two teams for a match. In the midst of the heated competition, Nephrite and Naru both lunged for the ball as it went sailing past, and crashed into each other. They fell laughing into the sand. Nephrite disentangled himself from Naru and raised himself over her. "Are you all right?" he asked.

She was flushed and breathless; she nodded, wordlessly looking deep into his eyes. The only thing he could possibly do right now was kiss her. So he did.

A moment later, Rei's voice thundered from above them, "Hey, you two, we're losing and you're laying there making out!"

Reluctantly, Nephrite broke the kiss and smiled down at Naru, remembering how they had been caught doing this same thing the first day he met her. Naru must have remembered the same thing, because she said, "We'd better get up. The wrath of Rei is worse than detention." Nephrite helped her to her feet, and they rejoined the game.

The afternoon passed with volleyball and swimming. As evening came on, the breeze grew chilly, and the park began to empty out. Usagi and Mamoru packed up the picnic things and started carrying them to Mamoru's car.

A street vendor came around, selling cups of hot soup. "Want some?" Nephrite asked Naru. He was hungry and a little cold, though he had put his jeans on over his swimsuit, and thought she might be, too.

She had put her loose t-shirt dress back on, but was starting to shiver anyway. "Yes, please."

He smiled at her, then pulled his shirt on and kissed her cheek. "Wait here."

A line had formed at the vendor's cart. While Nephrite waited, he suddenly felt a presence beside him. He looked, and saw Setsuna standing next to him. All at once, Nephrite felt a chill that had nothing to do with the rapid cooling of the autumn evening.

Setsuna held out a small, square envelope of heavy cream-colored paper. "Here is the message you are to deliver. You must give it to Princess Serenity early in the morning, then meet me by sunrise at the Gate where you arrived."

Nephrite didn't want to take the envelope. It meant that the happiness he had had the last four weeks would end. It meant his return to a life of duty, routine, and loneliness, a life in which he was fated to commit treason and die a terrible, painful death. It meant that Naru's heart would break again.

But his King had ordered him to obey Setsuna's instructions. It was his duty to obey, and his duty was his reason for living. He was a Guardian. His arm felt like it was made of lead and ice as he took the envelope and tucked it into his shirt pocket. As on the day she had come to recruit him for this strange mission, he thought he caught a glimpse of something, compassion or sorrow, in Setsuna's eyes. As soon as it appeared, though, the look was gone. He bowed his head slightly. "Yes, Princess Setsuna."

"I will see you in the morning, then. Good night." Then she was gone.

The line moved up, then it was Nephrite's turn to order. He spoke without even hearing his own words, then paid for the soup and walked back to Naru. He forced a smile as he gave one of the cups to her. Naru drank the broth and scooped up the noodles with the wooden sticks that had been provided, but Nephrite simply stared at his as it grew cold, his appetite gone. How was he going to tell Naru that he had to leave by sunrise? He had to tell her. He couldn't just leave; that would be easier for him, certainly, but harder for her. He respected her too much, cared for her too much... No, he said to himself, face it, you love her too much to leave her wondering if you had to leave or if you left because you wanted to.

Naru finished the soup, then threw the cup into a trash can as they walked to Nephrite's motorcycle. Nephrite did the same with his untouched soup. There was a phone booth near the parking lot. Nephrite handed Naru the correct change and said, "Better call your mom and tell her you'll be late. I want to ride for a while."

When Naru came back from making her phone call, Nephrite had decided where they would go and what he would say. He handed her the smaller helmet he had bought for her the first week, then put on his own helmet. In silence, except for the roar of the bike, they rode through the city and out onto the coastal highway where he had taken her the day they met. He stopped the bike at the same scenic pullout where they had stopped that day, then they both took off their helmets and sat sideways on the bike, looking out over the starlit sea.

For a long time they sat in silence. Naru's face was very still, and she wouldn't look at Nephrite. She knew, he thought. She knew the time had come for him to leave.

"When do you have to go?" she finally asked. Her voice shook, and she looked away from him.

"By sunrise."

She looked up at him now, her eyes bright with starlight and unshed tears. "We have till morning, then."

"Naru..."

"We have all night before you have to go away. I want to spend it with you."

"Naru, we--" he tried again.

"I thought I would never know what it would be like to make love with you. I'm not going to lose this chance, Nephrite. Please."

He didn't dare say anything.

"I know it's wrong of me to want to spend the night with you," she went on. "But I lost you once, and I'm going to lose you again, and I don't think I can count on another miracle happening to bring you back to me." Tears, shining silver in the starlight, had started running down her face. "If I'm never going to see you again, Nephrite, I want to at least have the memory of what it's like to make love with you."

"Naru," he said, his voice low and rough with his own emotions. He leaned over and kissed her until they were both dizzy and gasping for breath. When they finally pulled apart, he put his helmet on and started the bike. With Naru's arms firmly wrapped around him, he steered the bike back onto the highway and headed into the city.

They were silent as he parked the bike in the garage underneath his apartment building and as they rode the elevator. In front of the door to his apartment, Nephrite put his hands on Naru's shoulders and made her look at him. "You're sure about this."

She gave a firm, determined little nod.

"All right, then." He kissed her, then brushed her bangs back from her face. Her green bow had slipped loose at one point during their ride; he reached behind her head and untied it completely. "You don't need to be afraid, Naru-chan."

"I know," she said, looking up at him, her voice trembling slightly.

"Come on." He put an arm around her shoulders, unlocked the door, and led her inside.

* * * * * * * *

Naru was trying her hardest not to fall asleep. So little time was left, and she didn't want to lose any of it. The lights were off, and Nephrite lay on his back, asleep. She sat up, looking at him, and filled her mind with the sensation of his skin against hers, the size and solidity and warmth of his body. Her memories of him would have to be clear enough and detailed enough for a lifetime. She only wished that his hair was long, like it had been before. She would have liked to know how it would feel, to lie here with his hair spread across her bare skin. A tear ran down her cheek and fell onto his chest.

"Hmm?" Nephrite stirred awake. "Naru? What's wrong?"

"I want to make sure I remember everything about you."

He raised himself over her, pressing her shoulders with his hands against the cotton mattress. "At least you'll remember that I love you. I won't have any memories of being loved by you."

Naru went very still. "You love me?"

"I've loved you ever since... I guess since we drove up to that lookout, the day I first met you."

"You never said so, before now."

"I was afraid it would makes things more difficult for you. But at least you'll know that I loved you this time. And I'm sure I'll love you when I see you again, even if I won't remember loving you now."

"I love you, Nephrite. I'll always love you, and I'll never forget you."

Nephrite's only response was to kiss her deeply and take her into his arms again.