The last thing he felt was the stabbing pain in his right shoulder... and the warmth of gentle arms embracing him. The last thing he heard was his angel weeping, telling him he had promised he would take her out... yet she was only trying to keep him alive, trying to keep him awake. His last thought... was a wish...

Please... I don't want to die... I want to stay with my angel... please...

Although he could hear, he couldn't move or speak. It was all slipping away... the sound growing dimmer, as he was lulled into a peaceful sleep. The next thing he knew he was falling into a strange void.

"Where am I?" he wondered out loud.

It was quiet there... so quiet... and dark. Soon, he landed on his knees, on a hard surface.

Is this... where I will be spending eternity? Nephrite thought.

"Naru..." he whispered, "Please don't take me yet... please... "

"Nephrite!" a voice called from above.

The chestnut-haired sky-king looked up to see a small bright light.

"Who... are you?" he asked.

"You wish to return?" the voice asked, ignoring Nephrite's question.

"Yes..." Nephrite answered, suspiciously.

"There will be a price to be paid... and a job for you to do"

Nephrite nodded, bracing himself for what would come.

"Anything to be with my angel..." he replied, rising to his feet.

The light took the form of someone familiar... long dumpling ponytails... a white gown... Queen Serenity?

"Someone has made a big enough wish," the 'queen' spoke, "So you will live... you and the others... "

The sky-king nodded, resisting the urge to tell 'Queen Serenity' to get to the point. The queen stroked his face with a pale hand, then reached towards his back, and made a small cut in it with her nails. With a surprised cry, Nephrite lost his footing and fell, to be caught by the woman. He tried to move, to get up... but his body was numb.

"What... is this?" he demanded.

"This is the cost, Nephrite," the queen explained, "It is your punishment for past deeds... a curse and a blessing... "

"What kind of 'blessing' is this?" Nephrite angrily shouted.

"You will find out someday," the queen explained, smiling.

"I will not forget this..." Nephrite growled, wishing he could lift his arms.

"You will, actually," the queen said, "Once you return, this will only be a dream in the back of your mind... "

Nephrite looked up at her, defiantly. Why was she doing this?

"Don't worry," she continued, "You will get some movement in your arms and hands back... but your job is to bring light to the world, to counter the darkness you had spread as one of Beryl's generals"

The sky-king glared at the dumpling-haired queen, then felt her hand stroking his face again. She bent down and kissed his forehead, spreading a soothing cool feeling throughout his body. Nephrite began to feel tired, pleasently drowsy... and listened as the queen softly sang to him.

He could have sworn he remembered that song from somewhere... but that thought soon became lost. Nephrite fell into a restful sleep and dreamed of sunshine and fields of flowers, and cherry blossoms floating down and tickling his nose. His angel was resting on him and stroking his hair.

"Naru..." he whispered, smiling.

The dream faded, and the air grew colder, chilling him. Nephrite was floating in the air, it seemed, as if someone was carrying him. He felt himself falling, very lightly, until he gently hit the ground. The pleasent smell of soil and grass reached his nose, and woke him. He slowly opened his eyes, and the dream slipped away, despite his efforts to hang onto it. When he tried to get up, his body felt as if it was pinned to the ground. He couldn't even wipe the sleep out of his eyes...

Nephrite looked around, to find himself in a grassy area of the park. It was night, and the moon and stars were out, and he was under a tree, but not the same one where he had died...

"Naru..." he whispered, "Naru... where are you..."

He scanned around as much as he could, but there was nobody there... he was alone. The sky-king thought of crying out for help, but decided against it. Zoisite was not going to see him in such a vulnerable position... neither was Beryl.

After staying awake and pondering the situation for awhile, Nephrite closed his eyes again and fell back to sleep. He would find his angel, one way or another. Someone had rescued him... someone who made a big enough wish... he was alive... broken yet alive.