Nephrite pulled the Ferrari into the parking lot behind the Hikawa Shrine. Naru looked at him. "Why--?"

"All the Senshi and Guardians are here. We were meeting when you called," Nephrite replied as he parked the car.

He got out of the car and came around to help Naru out. She didn't move. "Nephrite, I can't. I can't face them all. Not when I've messed up so badly. I just can't."

Nephrite leaned against the side of the car. "Naru-chan, I don't know what you've been through, and I don't know what happened to put you out on the street like that. But when you've tried your hardest and had some misfortune, there's no shame in letting your friends help you."

Naru didn't respond.

"Come inside, get warmed up and have something to eat. I've been listening to your stomach growling all the way across Tokyo."

She blushed.

"Besides, your friends are eager to see your child, and he needs to warm up and dry off and have something to eat, too."

Naru sighed. "You're right." She got out of the car, then Nephrite tilted the seat forward and helped Akeno out. The little boy went right to Naru and wrapped his arms around her leg.

"One more thing," Nephrite said before they turned to walk towards the shrine.

"What?" Naru looked up at him.

He moved closer to her, and spoke softly. "I did want to kiss you, but I didn't get the chance. I can't imagine not wanting to kiss you, Naru-chan." Carefully, not wanting to startle her, he lowered his head and touched his lips to hers, very gently. Her left hand slid up his chest to the back of his head, where it tangled itself in his long hair. She held him in place, deepening the kiss for a long moment, then let go. "That's what you said to me, three years ago."

"A thousand years ago. I remember, now." He brushed her cheek gently with his fingers. "Are you ready to go in now?"

She nodded. Nephrite picked up Akeno and carried him with one arm while he put the other arm around Naru's shoulder, and they walked to the shrine.

Inside Rei's quarters, the other Lords were deep in conversation with Mamoru, Haruka, and Rei. Naru's and Zoisite's eyes met across the room. Naru drew in a sharp breath, and her shoulders stiffened. The tension between the two hung in the air, silencing the conversation. Nephrite tightened his arm around Naru's shoulders. "It's all right," he said softly. Naru relaxed a bit and looked away from Zoisite. Maybe later she would feel up to dealing with the presence of Nephrite's murderer, but for now, she decided, she would just try to ignore him.

Usagi came running out of the kitchen, followed by Minako, Ami, and Makoto. "Naru-chan!" she cried, flinging her arms around her friend. "Oh, Naru-chan, I've missed you so much!"

Naru shyly returned the hug. "I've missed you too, Usagi-chan."

"And is this your baby?" Usagi turned to look at Akeno, who was clutching at Nephrite's shirt and shoulder, looking around with big cobalt-blue eyes. "Oh, he's so cute! Aren't you, little one? I'm your Auntie Usagi, and I'm so glad to finally get to see you! I wish I could have seen him when he was tiny," she said to Naru. "Now, come on, Makoto's made some soup, so come sit down and have something to eat." She led Naru, Nephrite, and Akeno to the low dining table, where they sat down on the mats. Usagi, Jadeite, Rei, Ami, and Minako joined them, and Makoto brought in the pot of hot, fragrant, spicy chicken soup. She ladled the soup into bowls of rice that were already on the table. The smell of the soup and its delicious appearance in the bowl of rice made Naru's stomach hurt. She thought she would shrivel up from hunger.

"Go ahead," Usagi said. "You don't have to wait."

Naru tried to eat slowly and politely, but before she knew it she had inhaled the entire contents of the bowl. As soon as it was empty, Makoto spooned in more rice and soup, and Naru made short work of that helping too. A third serving appeared as if by magic, and Naru was finally able to slow down and savor Makoto's excellent cooking. She looked to her side; Nephrite was helping Akeno eat some soup, while paying minimal attention to his own supper. Naru just watched the two of them for a moment. If she had ever let herself think about it, she never would have imagined that Nephrite would take to his son so quickly and easily.

The others came and went at the table, but eventually only Usagi, Nephrite, and Akeno remained at the table with Naru. "Now," Usagi said, "tell me what happened."

"I tried really hard," Naru said. "We were going to make it on our own, just me and Akeno."

"I know," Usagi said. "Just go on and tell us."

Naru hesitated, then Nephrite put his arm around her shoulder, reminding her that, for the moment at least, she wasn't alone, she was with people she could trust. "We were doing fine until a few months ago..." She told the whole story, of the broken refrigerator, her stolen purse, her burst appendix, the hospitalization and debt and lost wages, her broken wrist, more lost wages, then finally the loss of her job and the eviction from her apartment that day. "I just didn't know what else to do, Usagi-chan. That's why I called you. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm glad you called. I'm sure Nephrite is, too."

Nephrite pulled Naru closer to him. "When Usagi said she didn't know where you were, that frightened me," he said. "Anything could have happened to you, and I'd never know."

Naru was suddenly afraid she'd start crying again. Usagi tactfully changed the subject. "Look, Naru-chan, your baby is almost asleep." Naru peered around Nephrite; Akeno's head was drooping and his eyes were half-closed. "You could stay at our place, I suppose," Usagi said thoughtfully. "We don't have much room, but there's a couch in the front room..."

"They're coming home with me, of course," Nephrite said.

He stood, lifting Akeno in one arm while he helped Naru to her feet. Naru fought down an inexplicable urge to protest. By some miracle, Nephrite was back and he loved her and their child, and he wanted to take care of them. What could possibly be wrong?

Nephrite paused next to the other Guardians, were still talking with Mamoru. "I'm taking Naru and the little one home. I'll be back for you three later."

"No need," Jadeite said. "I think we feel up to teleporting." Zoisite and Kunzite concurred. "So we'll see you in a while."

In the car, driving towards the hilly western suburbs, Naru thought of something important. It was so hard to ask, but there was really no choice. "Nephrite, Akeno needs diapers to sleep in. I'm sorry. It's just that he's still so little--"

There was a supermarket still open just up the block; Nephrite swerved into the parking lot, stopped the car, and pulled his wallet out of his pocket. He extracted a handful of bills and handed them to Naru. "Is that enough?"

Naru stared at the money. It was more than her monthly grocery budget had been during the brief period when things were going well for them. "It's too much." She tried to hand most of the money back to him, but he said, "If you think of anything else you need, go ahead and get it."

In the store, Naru automatically reached for the cheapest brand of diapers, the ones she always got, then stopped herself. Surely Nephrite wouldn't begrudge the extra three hundred yen for the good diapers, the comfortable, absorbent ones with the famous cartoon character on them. For once, Akeno would have the best of something. Her heart pounding, she selected a package of the premium diapers and went to the checkout stand. She was almost afraid that the cashier would refuse to sell her the diapers, saying that she couldn't afford it and she had no business buying something so frivolous and expensive where there was a much cheaper and perfectly acceptable substitute. But the cashier said nothing, just rang up the purchase, accepted the money, put the package of cartoon-printed diapers in a bag and thanked her for her business.

Back in the car, Naru was afraid to tell Nephrite what she had done. But she owed it to him to be honest with him. "Nephrite?"

He glanced sideways at her as he negotiated the increasingly hilly road. "What, Naru-chan?"

She forced herself to confess. "Nephrite, I bought the expensive diapers. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. It's okay."

"Oh." Naru was silent for a moment. "I was afraid you'd be mad, but I couldn't help doing it. I've never been able to afford the best kind of anything for him before."

"Naru-chan, do you really think I could ever get mad at you about anything, especially something like this?"

"I guess not," Naru said after a short silence.

Nephrite reached over and rubbed her neck a little. "Of course I couldn't."

His house was a looming old mansion on a wooded hill. In the moonlight it looked eerie, like the sort of place that might be haunted. But with a murmured word from Nephrite, lights came on inside, transforming the building into a more welcoming place. Nephrite carried Akeno into the house, followed by Naru with the diapers.

The main room had a high, arched ceiling inset with a large round stained glass window. It was empty of furnishings. Nephrite and Naru went up the rather creaky wooden staircase to the second-story hallway. Several bedrooms and a couple of bathrooms opened off of the hallway, which led to a large space that was open to the ground floor. A huge bed beneath a skylight, with a night table and lamp beside it, dominated the loft. A dresser and wardrobe were placed against the far wall, and a door led to a large bathroom.

Nephrite carried Akeno into the luxurious bathroom. Naru followed them in and got the half-sleeping child into a diaper. He could sleep in that and his shirt, which had dried by now, if there were enough covers on the bed. "Where should we put him?" Naru asked as they went back out into the loft bedroom.

"You can both sleep here. There's plenty of room." Nephrite lay the little boy down on one half of the big bed and pulled the sheet, blanket, and comforter over him. "I'm going to wait up in the den, at the other end of the hall, for the others to get home. Will you be all right here?"

Naru nodded. She didn't have anything to sleep in but her filthy clothes and worn-out underwear, but she was so tired she didn't care. She just wanted to lay down on a comfortable mattress, feel smooth, cool sheets against her skin, curl up under warm, soft blankets, and fall asleep.

"All right." Nephrite pulled her close and kissed her mouth gently. "Don't worry about anything, Naru-chan. Everything will be all right."

She nodded again

After he went downstairs, she went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Her hair was a tangle, the bow she still wore was askew and half-untied. Even worse was the brownish-red stain spreading down the front of her white blouse, blood mixed with rainwater. Naru looked at herself more closely in the mirror; her nose was still slightly crusted with blood from when Akeno's head had hit her face. She couldn't believe that anyone would want to kiss her, the way she looked.

She washed her face, then took a wide-toothed comb and spent some time working out the worst of the tangles. When she went back out into the bedroom, she could hear masculine voices coming from down the hall. Suddenly she remembered when she was very little, before her father died, how comforting it had been to hear her parents talking in the living room while she lay in bed at night. The same feeling of comfort washed over her now, though she didn't understand why. Three of those men were strangers to her, and one of them had been responsible for Nephrite's death. Maybe it was knowing that Nephrite was there and that he would make sure nothing bad happened during the night. Or maybe it was just knowing that she wasn't alone.

Naru took off her dirty blouse and skirt, and folded them carefully and set them on top of the night table. They were all she had to wear until she could get back into her apartment. Then she slipped out of her loafers and socks and set them neatly just under the edge of the bed. Shivering in her ratty white cotton bra and underpants, she crawled under the covers next to her warm little son and tried to sleep.

She was so tired, but so much had happened that her mind couldn't settle. What was she going to do? She couldn't go job hunting in the clothes she had with her, but she couldn't get into her apartment to get clean clothes until she got a job and earned the money to pay the back rent. What job could she get when she had a broken wrist? And what about the babysitter problem?

What was wrong with her? she wondered. Nephrite was back. He cared for her. She should be happy. So why was she still worrying?

Eventually, she heard the men's voices saying good night, and doors opening and closing along the hallway. Naru rolled over, keeping the covers pulled up tightly to her shoulders, as Nephrite came into the loft. He went into the bathroom and she heard water running as he got ready for bed. When he came out, he walked over to the bed and started unbuttoning his shirt.

Naru stared up at him. "Nephrite?"

He glanced down at her, and gave her a quick smile, shadowy in the dark room. "It's my bed. Where else would I sleep?" She watched, unable to speak, as he stripped down to silk boxer shorts and got in bed next to her. Sandwiched between Nephrite and little Akeno, Naru hardly dared to even breathe, even though the bed was amply spacious enough for all three of them.

"Naru-chan," Nephrite said in a low voice.

She turned her head to look at him as he raised himself up on one elbow. "What?"

In answer, he lowered himself over her and kissed her. Naru wanted to lose herself in the kiss, in the warm, solid feel of him. Then reality reasserted itself. She shifted onto her side, facing away from Nephrite.

His hand moved along her side and came to rest casually, possessively, on her hip. "Naru-chan, please," he said, and slid his hand down to caress her thigh.

"I... I don't think it would be a good idea, Nephrite."

"What's wrong?"

"Well--Akeno--he's right here."

Nephrite leaned over her and touched two fingers to the sleeping child's forehead. "I've put a sleep shield over him. We won't disturb him." He shifted her onto her back and kissed her again.

"Nephrite, no," she said when he finally left her come up for air.

He stayed over her. "Why not?"

Her thoughts finally settled into one place, and she knew what was wrong. "Nephrite, do you know why you're here or how you came back or how long you can stay?"

He lay down again, facing her, and sighed. "No, I don't."

"So for all we know, you'll have to go away again and leave me to take care of Akeno by myself, and maybe another baby if we do what you want to do..."

"I'll see to it that you're provided for, Naru. You'll have this house, and plenty of money--"

"It isn't just about the money, Nephrite," she said angrily. Tears stung her eyes and threatened to choke off her voice. She sat up and buried her face against her knees. Nephrite sat up beside her. "It isn't just about the money. Twice now I've had to figure out how to go on without you, and it just about killed me. I don't think I can do it again. I can't afford to fall apart, not with a child to care for, and there's no way I could take care of another one." She glanced up at him, then looked away again. "Nephrite, I think it would be best if we just stayed away from each other."

He put his hand under her chin and forced her to meet his eyes. "Naru-chan, do you think I wanted to leave you? Do you think it didn't matter to me? When I went back to my own time, three years ago, a thousand years ago, I didn't remember you but I knew that something important was missing. I felt empty in a way I never had before. None of the girls I was used to... spending time with could fill that emptiness, so I finally gave up on that. I decided I would rather be alone than make do with something that didn't feel right." He paused, but Naru didn't say anything.

He went on, more quietly. "And death is not oblivion, Naru-chan. Thoughts and memories and feelings are much clearer without the distractions of the physical, and there is no time, so all time seems like an eternity. I had an eternity to think about you, to remember how I treated you and to regret everything I did that hurt you and to wish with all my soul for another chance. I've got that chance, and I want to make the best of it." He lay back down and pulled her down beside him. "Naru, whatever happens between us, I'll see that you're provided for. You won't have to struggle any more. But, even if it's just for tonight, I don't want you to have to feel lonely, either."

"No, Nephrite." Naru was fighting very hard to keep herself under control. She was so tired, so emotionally worn out, that she didn't think she could do it, but she had to.

"Naru-chan, please. It's been so long, and I need you. I need to feel like I really am alive."

"I'm sorry, Nephrite."

He was still for a few seconds, then let out a long breath and rolled over, facing away from her. Naru lay very rigid and motionless, feeling fragile and brittle. Nephrite was so still and quiet, she thought he might have fallen asleep until he spoke again. "Thank you for my son, Naru."

She shattered. "Oh, Nephrite," she said, and turned to him.