Ryoku stood at his favorite spot on his apartment roof and gazed at the setting sun. The bright yellow sphere was slowly sinking below the horizon as he watched. He sighed softly to himself as he remembered the scene he had observed earlier.
Naru was sitting despondently at the base of the park’s slide, her head nestled morosely between her knees. Usagi stood nearby, offering whatever comfort she could. Ryoku watched from a distance, out of sight of both of them.
She had found out only yesterday that Sanjoin Masato wasn’t who he claimed to be, and a really bad man at that, but despite all of that, she still loved him.
He remembered a time when he loved someone like that. It seemed like a dozen lifetimes ago, although it was only a few months shy of five years ago.
The emotions that came to mind whenever he thought of the problem with Naru and Nephrite totally confused him. On one hand, he wanted to wring his neck for what he did. He still wasn’t about to forgive him for causing him to attack his friends. On the other hand, the emotional torment that Naru was going through right now was impossible for him to ignore. She was his friend, too. He hated seeing his friends in any distress.
The way things were going, he knew that something was about to happen and it wouldn’t be pretty. Naru was going to need all the emotional support she could get.
Nephrite sat in a tall stone-carved chair in one of the many rooms in his woods mansion. He was slowly twirling his Dark Crystal between the fingers of one hand, examining the crystal thoughtfully, while leaning on the elbow of the other arm. There was something about the crystal’s errant behavior that was bothering him.
“Osaka Naru. Why did the Dark Crystal respond to that girl? Is it because of the energy of love?” he mused to himself. He stopped twirling to crystal and sat up straight in his chair. “How pointless,” he said, standing up.
“Sailor Moon knew her name,” he said to himself. “She may know the true identity of Sailor Moon.” He grinned and began laughing to himself.
As Nephrite left, Zoisite watched him from behind one of the room’s pillars. There it is. The Dark Crystal, which shows the path to the Silver Crystal.
It was around midnight. Most of the city was asleep, as was Naru. It seemed to be the best time for Nephrite to check his suspicions about the Dark Crystal as he appeared silently inside her bedroom. Just like before, the crystal began to glow with a blue light.
“The Dark Crystal is responding again,” he said, looking at both the Crystal and at Naru. “To her. Could the Silver Crystal be inside a human body?” He floated the crystal over her body. The crystal shined brightly over her body as Nephrite examined her. “It isn’t there. The Silver Crystal is not inside this girl.” Nephrite had a thoughtful look on his face as the Dark Crystal returned to his hand. “Perhaps there is a small amount of power from the Silver Crystal that my crystal keeps detecting?” He noticed that she was beginning to stir, so he went back out her window before she could wake up.
Naru awoke, thinking she heard a voice in her room. His voice. She sat up in her bed and looked over to the window. There she saw a silhouette of a man behind her curtain, somehow hovering in air, since she had no balcony. The figure seemed familiar….
“Sanjoin-sama?” she called out hopefully.
The figure stayed silent for a few seconds before speaking. “Sanjoin Masato is a disguise. My true name is Nephrite. I don’t want to lie to you.” She got out of her bed and started walking towards the window. “Wait. Listen to me there,” Nephrite said.
She stopped walking and just stood there. “Yes,” she said, listening.
“You’re a wonderful girl,” he said. “Thanks to you, I found out what love is. There’s no love among the evil society I am in now. Everyone tries to betray each other and kill each other for their own advantage. I always thought that was natural, but you’ve helped me to see otherwise.
“I am thinking of fighting alongside of Sailor Moon,” he continued. “If you know anything about Sailor Moon, please let me know.”
“I’m sorry,” she answered sadly. “I don’t know anything.”
“Can’t you trust me?” he asked in a hurt tone.
“Yes, I do!” she replied, on the verge of tears. “But I really don’t know!”
His shadow bowed his head sadly at her reply. “I see,” he said disappointedly. “That’s too bad.” He then vanished from her window.
“Wait!” she cried out, rushing to the window and flinging apart the curtains. It was too late. He was nowhere in sight. “Nephrite-sama…,” she whispered to herself, as she leaned back against the window sadly.
Nephrite reappeared beside the window and gazed thoughtfully at Naru. If she knows the true identity of Sailor Moon, she will surely get in contact with her.
From across the street, Zoisite watched contemptuously from the top of another building.
“My goodness…. How silly he is,” she laughed to herself. “He fell in love with a human female.” She turned to the three youma that had accompanied her and grinned mockingly. “Well, you heard him.”
“What a foolish man,” the first replied. She had blue skin that was covered entirely in a pale green full body outfit that only exposed her upper half of her face and her dark black hair. Her outfit was adorned with vines and plant leaves across her shoulders and mid-section like bandoleers.
“Let us take him now,” the second added. She had orange skin that was covered entirely in a yellow full body outfit that only exposed her upper half of her face and her short red hair. Part of her outfit was half green and half red, like a court jester’s outfit.
“Just wait,” Zoisite said. “Nephrite is a fierce warrior. I don’t want to make any careless moves and get hurt.” She turned back to Naru’s apartment and grinned to herself. “Take the girl as a hostage and lure him out.”
“Understood,” the third one said as all three bowed. The last one had yellow skin that was covered entirely in a pink full body outfit that only exposed her upper half of her face and her blonde hair. Her left arm was composed entirely of plant vines.
Back in her room, Naru sat worriedly on her bed, deep in thought. What she had heard from Nephrite sounded horrible and she felt sorry for him. It was no wonder that he was the way he was. Now that he had changed heart and wanted to help Sailor Moon, she had to find a way to help him.
“How would I know where Sailor Moon is?” she pondered quietly to herself. “Where do I start looking?” There was only one person she could think of that would understand her problem and try to help her. She went into the living room and picked up the phone, dialing the number to her best friend’s house.
Usagi descended sleepily down the stairs as the phone rang incessantly. “Who the heck is it this late at night?” she mumbled as she reached the phone and answered it. “Hello?” she yawned into the phone. There wasn’t any answer. “Hello? Who is this?” she repeated, a little annoyed at not being answered the first time.
“Usagi-chan?” came the reply. It was Naru. “Sorry to call you so late.”
“Naru-chan?” Usagi said, surprised. “What’s the matter?”
“I thought you were the only one I could talk to.”
“What happened?”
“Sanjoin-sama’s looking for Sailor Moon,” Naru explained.
“Oh?”
“He’s in trouble,” she continued sadly. “But, there’s nothing I can do….” From what Usagi could hear, it sounded like she was crying.
“What about Sanjoin-san?” she asked. “You’re crying?”
For a short time, she just cried while Usagi waited. “I’m sorry,” she said finally. “Forget it.”
“But….”
“It’s okay. Now that I talked to you, Usagi-chan, I feel much better,” Naru continued. “Thanks.”
“Really?” Usagi answered, a little confused and not entirely convinced.
From outside the window, Nephrite glanced thoughtfully at Naru as she hung up the phone. “Usagi…?”
“Hurry up, Usagi!” Luna chided as she ran alongside Usagi. “I’ll bet Nephrite’s approaching Naru-chan! You’re slow! I’ll go ahead”
“Hey, I’m not a cat!” Usagi huffed, out of breath from sprinting nonstop from her house.
“Hurry!” Luna shouted, running ahead of her.
As soon as Luna was out of sight, the scenery suddenly began to twist and warp as lightning began to flash. “What’s this?” Usagi exclaimed, stopping in her tracks. “I know! This must be Nephrite’s doing! Where are you? Show yourself! Moon prism power, make up!” Within moments, she transformed into Sailor Moon.
“You have revealed yourself, Sailor Moon,” Nephrite’s voice boomed out as the scenery returned to normal. He then appeared several feet ahead of her, his arms folded and grinning smugly.
As realization of what just happened hit her like a slap in the face, the only words that could come to mind were, “Uh-oh….”
“Sailor Moon’s true identity is Tsukino Usagi. Now I know.”
“No way…. Please don’t tell anyone that I’m Sailor Moon!” she asked nervously.
“There is no need to hide.”
“That’s not really true. Please?”
“No need to be concerned,” he said, raising his hand. “You will die here!” He fired several blasts of energy at her, which she miraculously managed to dodge by mere inches.
“I don’t wanna!” she complained when he paused.
“Say your prayers,” he said and prepared to fire again. He was interrupted when a rose flew in front of him and landed at a slant on the ground.
“Defeat does not suit the beautiful Sailor Moon,” Tuxedo Kamen stated from atop a streetlight. “I will fight you.”
“Tuxedo Kamen-sama!” Sailor Moon called up to him as he leaped down between her and Nephrite.
He frowned at the appearance of that rose-throwing pest and was just about to blast the both of them, when he mentally heard Naru crying out to him for help. He paused and turned his head in the direction of Naru’s apartment.
“What is it, Nephrite?” Tuxedo Kamen asked, noticing his inattention.
“This fight will have to wait,” he replied coolly, then turned to Sailor Moon. “Sailor Moon, now I know your true identity. From now on, I can attack you whenever I choose. Remember that.” He then vanished, leaving Sailor Moon in a distressed state of mind.
“Now what do I do? He knows who I am!” she exclaimed anxiously.
“Don’t despair, even if your identity is revealed. Farewell,” Tuxedo Kamen replied and left.
Sailor Moon watched as he walked away. “I’ve gotta contact the other Sailor Scouts,” she whispered to herself.
Ryoku woke up at around midnight. For some reason, he couldn’t return to sleep. Giving up, he threw on a white shirt and black trousers and went outside.
For some reason, he felt like checking up on Naru. Considering everything that had happened to her, she probably needed looking out for.
Upon arriving at her apartment, he saw that he was right to go check up on her. Something was floating out of her room, carrying her away.
“Ryo-kun!” he heard Luna shout. “Oh, thank goodness you’re here! Quickly, you must transform and stop them from taking Naru-chan!”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Ryoku said, running toward a dark alley and taking out his swords from behind his back. When he was sure that no one could see him, he crossed the Knight Swords above his head. “Knight swords power!”
As the black-haired youma landed on the roof with the other two, she deposited Naru on the ground between them. “She put up a bit of a struggle, so I put her under for a bit,” she replied. “The hypnotic waves will wear off in a bit, so we’d better hurry.”
“What? Leaving so soon?” Sailor Knight asked from behind, his swords in hand. “I was hoping that you’d stay for a little bit.” He looked over at Naru. “She looks tired. I hope you don’t mind if I put her back in her bed, where she belongs. If you do mind….” He raised his swords in a defensive position. “…then, I’m afraid that I’m going to have to insist.”
“You two take care of him,” the first youma said, picking up Naru. “I’ll take care of her.” She rose into the air and started to float off.
“Hold it!” Knight shouted. “You’re not taking her anywhere!” He took careful aim and flung both swords at the retreating youma. Before they could hit, one of the youma that stayed behind shot what looked like spears made of vines at his swords, knocking them out of the other’s path.
“Looks like you’re without your weapons,” the redheaded one said mockingly. “Too bad.”
“You think?” Knight asked, giving of a half-smirk. He instinctively extended both hands as he mentally recalled his swords. Both swords curved midair and returned to his hands, hilt-first. “Wanna try again?” he said with a smug half-grin.
“How did you do that?” the blonde youma asked in disbelief.
“Guess,” he replied simply as he raised his swords and rushed at them both.
They both leaped out of his way in different directions. Knight chased after the redheaded one. “Earth thrust!” he shouted flinging a large stone spike at her, which she easily dodged. In retaliation, she flung several small red spheres at him. When he slashed at a couple of them, they exploded in his face. The resulting blast threw him over the edge of the building.
“That was quick,” the blonde one commented. “Now, let’s get going. We wouldn’t want to be late for when Nephrite shows up.” At that, they both took off in the same direction that the first youma went.
On the ground, Luna saw the explosion and watched in horror as Sailor Knight was blasted off the roof. She quickly rushed over to where she thought that he would land. Before she got there she heard a loud crash, which she assumed was his body hitting something upon landing. When she reached the alley, she couldn’t see him anywhere. There were only crates, cardboard boxes, garbage cans and a giant dumpster.
“Sailor Knight?” she called out. “Are you all right? Where are you?”
“Over here, Luna,” he muttered, flinging open the lid of the giant dumpster. “I landed in here.” He then made a grimace. “You don’t want to know what broke my fall. I’m not sure if I would’ve preferred the broken bones.” He slowly climbed out of the dumpster and brushed himself off as best he could. Luckily, there was a garden hose nearby, so he washed himself off. “At least there wasn’t anything with a powerful offensive odor in there,” he said.
“I’m not sure whether or not to call that luck,” Luna replied. “By the way, did you see where they were taking Naru-chan?”
“Yes,” Knight replied turning off the hose. “They went west. Let’s go.” They ran down the street as he pulled out his communicator.
“What’s up, Knight?” Sailor Moon responded quickly.
“Is something wrong?” Ami asked sleepily.
“This better be important,” Rei complained groggily. “I was just having a great dream.”
“Everyone, this is Sailor Knight. We’ve got an emergency here. Naru-chan’s just been kidnapped. I’m heading west from her apartment with Luna.”
“Naru-chan’s been kidnapped?” Sailor Moon exclaimed. “Then, it couldn’t have been Nephrite, since I was fighting him a few moments ago.”
“It was a group of three youma,” he replied. “I tried to stop them, but I couldn’t fight them all at once.”
“Are you all right?” Ami asked.
“For someone who’s survived a six-story drop by landing in a full garbage dumpster, I’m fine,” he muttered dryly.
“A… garbage… dumpster?” Sailor Moon snickered.
“If you even think about laughing, Moon, I’ll toss you in one myself!” he retorted. “This is no laughing matter! We have to find Naru-chan!”
“Oh…. Sorry, Knight…,” she replied sheepishly. “I’m heading your way now.”
“I’m on my way, too,” Ami added.
“Same here,” Rei added.
“All right, I’ll check in again in a few minutes,” Knight said. “Hopefully, by then, Luna and I will have found where they’re keeping her. Knight out.”
Meanwhile, back in Naru’s room, Nephrite appeared. He gazed down at her bed, noticing a small slip of paper left there. Obviously, it was for him. He picked it up and started to read.
“Hand over the Dark Crystal in exchange for the girl? So, it’s Zoisite’s youma.” He stared down at the paper in his hand. “Fool. Why should I care what happens to a girl?”
He crushed the paper in his hand and set it aflame.
Sailor Knight met up with Sailor Moon several blocks away from Naru’s apartment. They waited there for Ami and Rei, since Sailor Moon gave them both their position.
“We’re here,” Sailor Mercury said, arriving with Sailor Mars.
“Great,” Luna said. “Now that we’re all here, let’s keep going. We’ve got to find Naru-chan soon.” The five of them continued heading west.
“Hey, isn’t there an abandoned theater around here somewhere?” Sailor Moon asked.
“I think so,” Mars answered. “Why?”
“Well, usually the bad guys are always hiding out in abandoned places, you know, like on T.V.?” Sailor Moon said.
“This isn’t T.V.,” Mars replied flatly.
“I know that!” Sailor Moon retorted.
“Hold on,” Knight said, cutting them both off before an argument could ensue. “That isn’t a totally stupid idea.”
“That could be a possibility,” Mercury added. “We should at least check it out.”
“Right,” Luna said. “Let’s hurry, before it’s too late.”
When they arrived at the abandoned theater, at first glance it seemed as though no one had been there since it closed down years ago. The building had been condemned, and for good reason. It looked as though it was ready to fall apart at any moment. The marquee had long since fallen aslant and was on the verge of completely breaking off the building. There were cracks and holes all over the building.
“I’m surprised the place hasn’t crumbled already,” Knight commented.
“Yeah,” Mars agreed. “It’d probably collapse the moment we step in.”
“Actually, the building seems to be quite stable despite its flimsy appearance,” Mercury stated.
Mars and Knight turned to Mercury, who was now holding her minicomputer in her hands. “We were only joking,” Mars said dryly.
“Oh,” Mercury replied sheepishly as she put her minicomputer away.
“Well, let’s go see if they’re in there,” Luna said.
“Sure,” Sailor Moon said. “I’m… right behind you.” Meaning that she’d be the last to go in.
Knight was the first one in with Mars and Mercury close behind and Sailor Moon trailing behind. The theater seemed empty; their footsteps made echoes throughout the hall as they crossed the abandoned stage. The floorboards creaked quietly as weight was put upon it for the first time in years. The curtains above were tattered and moth-eaten. The place gave all of them an anxious feeling.
They came across a closed door, which aroused some suspicion since every door they’d seen so far was left open. Knight turned the knob and nodded to the others. When they nodded back, indicating that they were ready, he opened the door and rushed in with the others behind him.
The room was empty.
“No one’s here,” Mars said in an I-told-you-so tone of voice.
“But, there was someone here,” Knight pointed out.
“What do you mean?”
“There’s rope tied to that table over there,” Mercury pointed out. “Naru-chan could’ve been tied up over there.”
“She was rescued,” he added, walking over to the table in question. “There was a fight here.”
“How do you know that?” Sailor Moon asked.
“Look here,” he said, pointing to a small diamond-shaped hole in the wall. “This was made by the point of a sword.” He took out one of his swords and stabbed the wall under the hole. When he removed his sword, there was a similar-shaped hole underneath. “See?”
“Do you think it was Nephrite?” Sailor Moon asked. “Naru-chan called me earlier saying that he wanted to find me.” Her expression changed to one of worry. “He knows who I am,” she whispered fearfully.
“What?” everyone exclaimed at once. “How?”
“He saw me transform,” she explained in an upset voice. “I didn’t even know he was there!”
“We have to find them both,” Mercury said, breaking the silence that followed. “If Nephrite rescued Naru-chan, then whoever kidnapped her would go after them.”
“We’d better get going if we’re going to find them in time,” Luna added.
The many large thickets in Sankaku Park were an ideal place for both Naru and Nephrite to hide from their pursuers. She especially wanted to stop so she could take care of that wound he received while rescuing her. Even if he didn’t understand himself why he did it, he did rescue her, so she should at least tend to the wounds he received on her behalf.
She led him deep into the largest thicket in the park and sat him down next to one of the trees. “Take off your shirt,” she ordered. As he did so, she began to tear strips out of her pale orange pajamas to make a bandage.
There were tears in his purple undershirt as well. She rolled up the sleeve as she began to tie the bandage onto his arm.
“On Third Street,” she began while tying the bandage up, “there’s this cafe that serves a really delicious chocolate parfait. Do you like them?”
“Chocolate parfait?” he asked uncertainly. “Sure.”
“That’s not true,” she chided, grinning. He raised a questioning eyebrow as she laughed to herself. “You can lie to be kind.”
She finished tying the bandage and sat next to him. He slowly flexed his arm, testing for any restriction in movement. “Thank you.”
“I always wished we could have a chocolate parfait together,” Naru admitted. “It’s been a dream of mine ever since I met you.”
“Sure,” Nephrite said casually as he leaned back against the tree. “Why not?”
“Really?” she exclaimed happily.
“Do you think I’m lying?”
“No. I feel so happy.”
They just sat there in silence for a while. Nephrite stared out ahead into the woods, probably watching for any sign that they had been discovered. Naru stared up into the stars trying to think of something else to talk about.
“Tell me,” she said after a short silence, “do you get Sundays off in that evil society of yours?”
“Huh?” he asked, surprised. He grinned and started laughing.
“I see you’re smiling,” Naru said and started to laugh as well. “Funny… Why am I crying?” Smiling, she wiped away the tears from her eyes.
His laughter cut off suddenly as he sensed an incoming attack. He quickly pushed Naru away as several vine spears stabbed through his left shoulder and came out the other end.
“Nephrite-sama!” Naru exclaimed as he fell into her arms, writhing in pain. The long vine spears broke off and the part that wasn’t left in his shoulder retracted back into the left arm of one of their pursuers.
“We have you!” the blonde youma taunted as the others appeared in the air beside her. “The thorn will drain your energy until you die!” she said while the three descended to the ground. “If you don’t want the girl to get killed, hand over the Dark Crystal.”
“All right,” he growled in a strained voice, as he turned to face them.
“No!” Naru cried out.
“Run!” he shouted back at her.
“No!!!” she yelled and ran to him, going for the spears in his shoulder.
“You fool!” he said as pushed her away. “Run!” She ignored him as she grasped two of the spears. Immediately, she received a huge shock from touching them, but she continued to pull despite the pain.
“Stupid girl!” the redheaded one sneered. “How can a mere human pull those out?”
“Hurry. Run while you can,” he entreated, still trying to convince Naru to save herself. She disregarded his plea and continued to pull at the spears in his shoulder until they began to come out, a bit at a time.
“Please don’t die, Nephrite-sama….” she begged as tears rolled down her cheeks.
“Impossible!” the redhead exclaimed. “Then, I’ll finish the both of you off! Die!” She flung her small round explosives at them. Before they could hit them both, Nephrite grabbed Naru and shielded her with his body as they exploded over his unprotected back. The blast threw his Dark Crystal out of his possession as it rolled out into the open.
“Are you okay?” he asked weakly before he collapsed into Naru’s arms again.
“Nephrite-sama!” she cried, seeing his bloodied form slowly losing consciousness. His purple undershirt was all tattered and torn, while he had sustained numerous cuts and burns all over his back. He was bleeding severely.
Above them, Zoisite appeared within a flourish of cherry blossom petals. “Well done,” she said as the Dark Crystal began to float into her hand. “I have the Dark Crystal. Aren’t you lucky? You get to die with the girl you love.” She turned to her underlings and gave them a small wicked grin. “Torment them as you like,” she said and vanished within another shower of petals.
“Heartless creature…,” Nephrite muttered, regaining some of his strength.
“Time to meet your fate,” the redheaded youma said, grinning maliciously as she raised her hand for another attack.
“Run!” Nephrite shouted.
“No!” Naru countered, still refusing to leave his side.
“Hold it!” four voices ordered in unison. The three youma turned around, looking for the source of the interruption, and saw the Sailor Scouts standing behind them.
“How dare you torment a couple in love!” Sailor Moon shouted.
“Sailor Scouts!” the dark-haired youma exclaimed.
“On behalf of the Moon, I’ll punish you!” Sailor Moon stated.
“On behalf of the planet Mercury, I’ll punish you!” Sailor Mercury stated.
“In the name of Mars, I’ll lynch you!” Sailor Mars stated.
“And on the behalf of the Earth, I’ll crush you!” Sailor Knight stated.
“You!” the redheaded one exclaimed, pointing at Knight. “How did you survive that fall?”
“Figure it out yourself,” Knight retorted, bringing out his swords.
“You flippant brat! We’ll deal with you and your friends first!” she snapped, flinging several explosives, while the others fired their own attacks.
The Scouts leaped over the attacks and scattered. The dark-haired youma chased after Sailor Moon and attacked with her hypnotic waves, disorienting her and causing her to fall flat on her face. The blonde chased after Sailor Mars, shooting one vine spear after another, which Mars incinerated with her fireballs. The redhead chased after Knight, or rather, he chased after her. After experiencing her attack firsthand, he wasn’t about to get hit by the attack again.
“Fire soul!” Mars shouted, flinging her fireball at the blonde. She dodged the attack, but instead, it connected with the dark-haired youma. Sailor Moon quickly got out of her range. The redheaded youma dodged a pair of swords thrown by Knight and countered by throwing her mini-bombs again.
“Shabon spray!” Mercury shouted raising a thick, cold mist, freezing the bombs in midair and dropping them to the ground.
“Where are they?” the blonde one shouted as the three youma slowly backed toward each other.
“Fire….”
“Earth….”
“Moon tiara….”
“…soul!”
“…thrust!”
“…action!”
The three attacks combined into one powerful attack and slammed into the three youma, destroying them all. After they were gone, the four Scouts walked up to Naru and Nephrite. From the looks on the Scouts’ faces, they already knew they were too late.
“Sailor Moon…,” Nephrite said weakly.
“Yes?” she answered.
“Looks like nobody will know your true identity….”
“Don’t die.”
Nephrite grinned faintly and placed his blood-covered hand weakly on Naru’s hand. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I don’t think we’ll be having that chocolate parfait.” Naru’s expression turned devastated at what he was saying.
“Don’t….”
He gently laughed to himself as he placed his hand on her cheek. “I lied to the end. I’m sorry….”
Naru nodded speechlessly as tears streamed down her cheeks.
“I’m glad I met you….” he whispered as his eyes closed and his hand fell limp in her hands.
“No! Don’t!” she cried as his body started to fade away in her hands. “You promised… you’d have a chocolate parfait with me…. You can’t do this!” Slowly and inevitably, Nephrite’s body faded away, leaving the bandage she tied to his arm. In his place, several points of brilliant light floated into the sky, a symbol of the miraculous change in his heart and soul.
“No!!!” Naru screamed in heartbreak, her tears of pain streaming out from her eyes like a burst dam. The Scouts, except for Knight, all had sympathetic tears in their eyes; Sailor Moon especially, since it was her best friend that was in so much emotional pain.
Sailor Knight looked down pityingly at the grief-stricken girl crying on her knees before him. I know exactly how you feel, Naru-chan, he thought sadly to himself as he walked over to her and placed a consoling hand on her shoulder. Love can hurt more than the greatest physical pain. I was in your place before.… I know all too well.…
He helped her to her feet, while she tried to stifle her tears. “I’m all right,” she said shakily. “I’m sure he wouldn’t want me to cry over him….” Although she was fighting back her tears, she still looked as though she wanted to cry.
“I’m sure he wouldn’t,” he replied gently, his hand still on her shoulder as he gave her a sympathetic look. “But holding tears in won’t help you any. It will only lead to more and more sadness and pain. Let it go. Let it all go.”
Maybe it was his tone of voice. Maybe it was the look of sadness and complete understanding in his eyes. Maybe it was because that she felt that he truly knew how much emotional torment she was going through. Whatever the reason, not only did she stop fighting her tears, but she began to cry on his shoulder.
For a moment, he just looked down at her in surprise. “That’s better,” he said, giving her a supportive hug as the other Scouts joined him to add their support and sympathy. “Just let it all out. We’re all here for you.”
“T… thank you,” Naru murmured between sobs. In the sky above them, the sun began to slowly peek out over the horizon. Its first rays of light fell upon their small little group, as if it too wanted to add its own comfort and support. As her crying slowly began to subside as weariness began to take over, they all knew in their hearts that, in time, she would be all right.
To Chapter 22: Jupiter Comes Thundering In