Nephrite fell to his knees beside Naru, scooping her small, limp body into his arms. "Naru-chan? Naru?" He shook her a little, looked at her staring, sightless eyes.... "Naru-chan, NOOOOOO!" He gathered her tightly against him, and rocked back and forth as hoarse sobs tore their way free from his body. "No, Naru, oh no..."

Kunzite grabbed Kenichi by the front of his sweater and slammed him up against the trunk of the tree where Naru and Nephrite had been kissing only a moment before. Zoisite stood alone, hands covering his mouth in shock as he silently wept. Jadeite walked unsteadily over to Nephrite and knelt beside his friend, putting an arm around his shoulders. He opened his mouth to try to say something, anything, but all that came out was a kind of a choked sob. So he sat quietly, tears running down his face, keeping a hand on Nephrite's shoulder.

Kunzite tightened his grip on the neck of Kenichi's sweater. "What the hell did you do that for, you murdering little bastard?" Kunzite yelled into the younger man's face.

"I had to teach the bitch a lesson!"

"Well, she's good and taught now, isn't she? Maybe I'll teach you the same kind of lesson!" Kunzite slammed Kenichi back against the tree again. Kenichi's head made a sickening wet, crunching sound. He went limp and the gun fell from his hand.

Kunzite let him fall to the ground, then walked over to Zoisite and put his arms around him. Nephrite sobbed Naru's name over and over. His hands scrabbled at her body, trying to pull her ever closer, as though this could deny her death.

A small blue motorbike skidded to a stop on the frozen driveway and a boy wearing a school uniform and thick glasses jumped off, letting the bike fall to the ground. "Hey, everybody, you guys, you've gotta watch out, Kenichi's -" Umino stopped and stared at Kenichi's crumpled form by the tree, Nephrite sobbing over Naru's body, the other men staring back at him with tears on their faces. "I'm too late, huh," he said in a high, strained voice. He stepped backwards, against the fallen bike, then sank to the ground and buried his face against his knees.

"Oh, good, we're all here now." Everyone but Nephrite looked at the source of the low, seductive female voice. The woman was floating in the air, several feet above the ground. She was pale, beautiful, voluptuous, barely wearing a severely-styled gray coatdress. She had close-cropped dark orange hair, and large yellow eyes.

"That's her," Umino said, crying. "She's the one who gave Kenichi the gun and told him to do this."

The lady in the gray dress turned her gaze towards Umino, and smiled. "I didn't tell him to do this, if you'll recall, Mr. Secret Agent. Spies should get their facts right. I simply gave him the gun and let him make his own decision. It just so happens that his decision fits in perfectly with my own plans." She turned her attention towards the grief-stricken Nephrite. "Oh, quit sniveling. I've got her life right here."

Shocked, Nephrite looked up at her, his eyes swollen and red-rimmed and spilling tears. The lady held out a rough quartz crystal, about the size of a child's fist. It glowed from the inside with a rainbow of soft colors. 'So beautiful, isn't it. Such a shame, cut down so young."

"Who are you?" Jadeite demanded.

"You can call me Topaz," she said, giving him a private, seductive smile. "Now, I'm in the mood to make a deal. If the three of you who are responsible for this little tragedy can figure out how to bring her to me, I'll let her have her life back. Of course, there'll be a price to pay, but then, no price would be too great, would it, boyfriend?" She directed a feral smile at Nephrite. He glared back at her over Naru's body, fury mixed with desperation on his face. "Oh, dear, I think she's going to need a little mending first, though. I'm sure one of you can figure something out. But you'd better hurry. This offer could expire at any time." Topaz descended to the snow-covered ground. "Oh, and I think I'll take this with me. See ya." She gestured at Kenichi's body. The young man stood, a blank look on his face, and followed Topaz as she walked between two trees and vanished.

Umino joined Kunzite and Zoisite where they stood behind Jadeite and Nephrite, who still clutched Naru close against his chest. Jadeite finally spoke. "Here, Nephrite, you've got to give me room to work." Silently, gently, Nephrite lowered the girl to the ground, then closed her staring eyes. Kunzite pulled Zoisite and Umino back several steps.

The front of Naru's coat was soaked with blood. Jadeite knelt closer to her, and looked apologetically at Nephrite. "Sorry. I have to do this." Carefully, keeping Naru covered as best he could, he removed her blood-drenched coat, sweater, blouse, and bra. "So much blood," Jadeite whispered, as Nephrite clasped Naru's hand in both of his. They both went pale and Jadeite had to swallow hard when they saw the ragged hole in the center of Naru's chest. "Too low for the heart, I think, but..."

Jadeite eased two fingers into the hole. Where her main blood vessel should have been was only mush. "Damn. That's what I was afraid of. Her aorta's gone. That's kind of important." He reached in a little farther and found the bullet, a jagged, misshapen metal sphere, lodged against her spine. Using a small amount of power, he worked it out. He held it in his fingers a moment, marveling that something so small could cause such devastation. Suddenly he spun around and threw the bullet as hard as he could across the clearing. "Dammit!"

"You can't help her," Nephrite said in a frighteningly quiet voice.

Jadeite looked at his old friend. He had never seen such empty despair on anyone's face before. "I'll do what I can." He carefully put the same two fingers in the hole again, and followed them with a tendril of healing power. He sought out whatever particles of tissue he could locate and drew them back together, binding them as best he could. When he couldn't find bits of blood vessel, he borrowed tissue from nearby organs and structures. The important thing was that it be whole and strong, with no leaks or weak spots. He could find barely enough tissue to make the reconstructed vessel bridge the gap between the undamaged portions and to make it sturdy enough. Unfortunately, it was going to be a little too stiff and narrow. He gave the rebuilt vessel one final inspection, checking its connection to the heart and the undamaged vessel, making sure there were no minuscule holes or weak points, then tidied up the peripheral damage and did his best to heal the wounds to the bones, muscle wall, and skin.

Finally done, he sighed, wiped sweat from his face with his clean forearm, and sat back. "I think I've got it put back together well enough for her to survive. But, Nephrite, it isn't perfect. She's always going to have pain there, especially when she exerts herself, and there will always be limits on her strength. I did what I could, with what I had to work with. And she's always going to have that bad scar."

"But she can live," Nephrite said.

"Yes, assuming Topaz gives her life back. Who is that bitch, anyway? Did she look familiar to you?"

"I don't know." Nephrite had taken off his bomber jacket and was carefully putting it on Naru. "Maybe a little." Once Naru was covered again, he gathered her close to him. "What does she want? Why would she do this to my Naru?"

Zoisite had walked over to see how the healing was progressing. His cheeks were still smudged from tears. "I'm sure we'll find out. Ready, Nephrite?"

Nephrite stood, Naru's limp form cradled in his arms. "What do we do now?" He was too numbed with grief and shock to be able to think the situation through with his usual logic and clarity.

Though Zoisite was unused to acting as a leader, he willingly stepped into the role. "She said that the three of us who are responsible for this were to bring Naru through the gate." He hesitated, then gently brushed Naru's smooth, cold cheek with his fingers. "It's - it's partly my fault. I'm the one who tore the two of you apart in the first place. If I hadn't, she never would have turned to anyone else."

Umino stepped forward shyly. "I - it's my fault too. The way I broke up with her. If I hadn't let her down like that, she wouldn't have been so easy for a creep like Kenichi to pick on. That's why I've been following him around, trying to get evidence to get him arrested or something.... I knew he was bad news, and I felt bad about Naru getting mixed up with him." The boy pulled off his glasses and rubbed at reddened eyes. Jadeite put a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, kid. You did what you could. Maybe now you can really help her."

Jadeite, Kunzite, Zoisite, and Umino looked around, wondering who the third person was. Nephrite buried his face in Naru's hair and remembered when he had first known her, how at first she had merely intrigued him a little, with the way her eyes followed him constantly the few times they crossed paths at the Juuban Tennis Club. Later, when he discovered how useful a tool her love for him made her, he had led her on, encouraging her feelings, using her, deceiving her.... "I'm so sorry, Naru. I should have just left you alone. I've never done anything but hurt you... I should have just stayed out of your life."

A narrow black oval flickered into existence in front of the group, then lengthened and widened enough to allow one person at a time to step through. "Come on," Zoisite said, once he realized that the gate had opened. He guided Nephrite through with a hand on his back, then stepped through, pulling a pale and trembling Umino by the sleeve of his jacket.

They found themselves in a dimly-lit stone chamber that was indistinguishable from the many other stone chambers that had made up the Dark Kingdom. The stone of the walls looked like it had once been wax that had melted and then petrified. The light was the same flickering orange-purple light that Nephrite and Zoisite had lived in for a thousand years.

"Congratulations, gentlemen. You found your way in." Topaz hovered into view, seeming to emerge out of thin air. "Nothing refreshes the soul like a little confession of guilt, don't you think? I'm sure you'll all be able to sleep much better tonight." She gestured with her right arm, and a freestanding bed carved of stone appeared in the center of the room. "You may go ahead and put her down, Lord Nephrite."

Nephrite and Zoisite looked sharply at the orange-haired woman. Nephrite was certain that she must have been in the Dark Kingdom, but he honestly couldn't place her anywhere. It didn't matter now. He carried Naru's body to the hard, cold bed that had been made for her and laid her down gently, then rejoined Zoisite and Umino.

The crystal containing Naru's life-force appeared in Topaz's left hand. The pastel colors glowed even brighter here in this dark place. "You made it here; I'll keep my part of the deal and restore her life. But first, the price." She let her yellow eyes linger on each of them in turn. "I need an ally. I have a lot of work to do, and I can't do it alone."

"What sort of work?" Zoisite asked.

"I'm afraid that information is given out strictly on a need-to-know basis." Her shapely lips pursed as she again studied the two men and the boy in front of her.

"I'll stay," Zoisite said. "Just restore Naru's life, and I'll gladly stay here."

Topaz looked at the tawny-haired Lord. She raised one dark red eyebrow. "Now, what would be the fun of that, girly-boy? Besides, I'm not asking for volunteers." Still, she eyed Zoisite in a way that, Nephrite thought, Kunzite would definitely not approve of. Then she turned her gaze to Umino, on Nephrite's other side. The boy trembled visibly. "Scared of me, aren't you, boy? You're smart, kid, but smart about the wrong things. You don't really believe in what's happening right in front of you, do you? Useless."

Now she looked at Nephrite. "It would be deliciously ironic, wouldn't it, if I chose you? To restore your beloved's life you have to leave her forever? But you drink too much and think too much. A bad combination. No, I'm sorry, gentlemen, none of you will do."

Nephrite buried his face in his hands. What a fool he had been, to hope. Naru was lost to him.

Zoisite stepped forward. "You've got to take one of us! I'll do anything you want me to, just, please, give Naru back her life."

Topaz laughed, a throaty, seductive sound. "You're all so pathetic. You give up so easily. All right, just to demonstrate my good faith..." She held the crystal over Naru's heart. Nephrite raised his face from his hands and watched as some of the color from inside the crystal shimmered out and covered Naru, then was absorbed into her. Naru stirred and gasped for breath.

Nephrite took a long stride towards Naru. Topaz planted herself between him and the bed. "Down, boy. I haven't settled on my price yet. I've given her back her vital functions and her consciousness, but her... longevity, shall we call it, is still in the crystal. She lives moment to moment." The gray-clad woman caught her lower lip between her teeth for a few seconds, then smiled. "I know who would make a fit ally for me." She directed a level gaze at Nephrite. "Your son."

Again, despair settled like a heavy weight in Nephrite's chest. "I don't have a son."

"Oh, that's right, you don't, do you? Well, well, what shall we do about that? Oh, I know." She smiled, and Nephrite suddenly knew that Topaz had had this whole thing scripted from the beginning. "I'm sure your little girlfriend over there would be more than happy to provide you with one." She ran one long fingernail down Nephrite's cheek, neck, and chest. "I'd volunteer for the job myself, but I'm afraid I'd just be more woman than you could handle. You seem to prefer these sweet, barely nubile little creatures. So," she went on briskly, "here's the deal. You get her pregnant, she stays here till the baby is born, and if it's a boy I give her back the rest of her life force and let her go, while the baby stays here. I'm happy, everyone's happy." She looked at Zoisite. "You get to go home knowing that I'm better at destroying dreams than you ever were." Zoisite buried his face in his hands. "You, Umino, you've learned that you're too smart about the wrong things." The boy winced and blushed and looked utterly miserable.

"And you, lover boy," she traced circles on Nephrite's chest with a long fingernail, "I'm sure you'll enjoy defiling your precious Naru and then explaining to her why you deliberately impregnated her while knowing that she would have to leave her baby behind with me."

"You monster." Nephrite's voice was low, but it shook with fury.

"Easy, boyfriend. I can still change my mind. I can shatter this crystal and destroy what's still inside. She'll live maybe five, ten minutes, and then -- gone. No more Naru."

"Why are you doing this?" Zoisite demanded.

"Sorry, pretty-boy, that's strictly need-to-know. Although you four fine excuses for Lords will need to know soon enough. Now, I believe our little lovebirds would like some privacy." She gestured, and the stone bed turned into a great, soft feather bed, piled high with silken coverlets and silk-covered pillows. Naru had shifted onto her side, and was staring at the group in front of her with sleepy, confused looking eyes. She was alive, was all Nephrite could think.

"And now," Topaz said, holding a hand out in front of her, "the party's over." Black power rippled and then surged toward Zoisite and Umino.

* * * * * * * *

They landed on their backs in the snow between the two trees. Kunzite and Jadeite rushed over to help Zoisite and Umino up. "Where's Nephrite?" Kunzite asked, brushing snow from Zoisite's clothes.

"He had to stay there for a while."

"What about Naru?" Jadeite demanded.

"She's... partially alive. The rest will be restored after... she and Nephrite fulfill their part of the bargain."

"What bargain?" Kunzite asked in a soft, harsh voice.

Zoisite looked at his lover, then turned his eyes towards Nephrite's best, oldest friend. "A son. Topaz offered Naru's life in exchange for Naru and Nephrite's son."

"But they don't --" Jadeite started to say, then went pale. "That's why he had to stay. What is she?"

"I wish I knew," Zoisite said. "I wish I could remember exactly where she fit into the Dark Kingdom."

"Nephrite was telling me, just last week," Jadeite said, "how important it was to him to do what was best for Naru. Damn Topaz." He looked at Umino, who had his hands stuffed in his pockets and was staring miserably down at the snow. "Thanks for trying, kid. You did what you could. We've all done all we can for her." He sighed. "Go on home - Umino, is it?"

Umino nodded.

"Go on home. We'll let you know when we know anything."

Umino nodded again, then slowly trudged over to his bike and lifted it out of the dirt and snow.

* * * * * * * *

Topaz had left them alone. Nephrite walked over to the bed and sat down. He touched Naru's cheek; it was warm. He started crying again, and lay down beside her and buried his face in her hair. He could feel her gently stroking his long hair.

After a while he fell still, and opened his eyes to look into hers. "Naru-chan," he breathed. She touched his face and murmured, "Nephrite."

"Naru-chan, do you understand the price we have to pay, for you to live?"

She nodded once. "Is it the only way?"

"I can't think of any other way. I'm sorry. I didn't want things to be like this."

"It's okay, Nephrite. It's not like I'm a virgin or anything." Her lips trembled and she looked away from him as she spoke.

"As far as I'm concerned, you are."

A single tear slipped from Naru's eye and ran down her face along her nose. "Just - let's find a way to not let her take our baby, please?"

"I promise, I'll do what I can. But I won't risk losing you again. I couldn't bear that." He opened the front of the jacket he had put on her, just enough to reveal the ragged, round scar just beneath her heart. Gently, he touched the scar. "Jadeite patched you up as best he could."

Naru laid her hand atop his, over the scar. "It hurts."

"He said it probably always would, especially when you exert yourself."

"Maybe I'll get used to it after a while." Her voice was soft and weak.

"Oh, Naru..." Nephrite moved their hands aside and kissed the scar, then laid his head against her chest. His lips just brushed the soft curve of her breast. Naru began stroking his hair again. He lay like that for a long time, listening to her heartbeat, steady and strong. It was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.