Eleanor Rigby picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been
Lives in a dream
Waits at the window, wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door
Who is it for?
-Eleanor Rigby: The Beatles

Naru Osaka gave a minute sigh. This was the worst part of her job, she thought, wistfully removing clusters of flowers from the ends of the church pews. She stared at it for a few seconds, admiring the carefully placed red and white roses, the luminescent faux-pearls that had been expertly woven in among the fresh flora. They had been discreetly attached to the edges of the mahogany pews with French lace, an extravagance that had gone unnoticed by most.

Naru untied one small bouquet, admiring the delicate details of embroidered flowers and decorative scalloped edging. Her crew seemed unaware of her, vacuuming, polishing, and dismantling other elaborate floral displays. She untied the customary bow in her hair, retying it with the length of beautiful lace. Scanning the church, making sure no one was looking, she stuffed the blue silk ribbon in her bra. She then dropped the flowers into the large, black garbage bag she carried.

"Hiro, please!" She cried suddenly, exasperation evident in her voice. "That belongs to the church, not to us!"

A broad-shouldered, scruffy man stopped on his way out the door, a golden chalice in his hand. He gave a rouge-ish grin, showing a missing canine tooth. "Can't blame a guy for trying, boss-lady," he said, dutifully walking to the altar and putting the expensive looking cup in it's rightful place.

Naru rolled her wide blue eyes. Hiro, who had been with her company from the beginning, was a hard-worker and a charming ruffian, however he had a tendency to attempt to steal nearly anything that wasn't nailed down.

Naru Osaka, sometimes called The Wedding Lady, had been in the business for almost ten years. Starting when she was an 18 year old girl selling bridal gowns and moonlighting as an event planner, she managed to build a successful wedding planning empire, and was now the go-to woman for anything wedding related. The 27, nearly 28, year old had even planned and coordinated her best friend Usagi's wedding to Mamoru Chiba.

This particular wedding, of a wealthy businessman to his young, aspiring model girlfriend, was one of the most expensive and extravagant weddings she had ever planned. The girl, young, silly, airheaded, but achingly beautiful, insisted their vows take place in this historic church, where God himself was not likely to be able to book an event. It had taken all of Naru's skillful negotiation (as well as a substantial contribution to the church donation box), to be allowed to use it, but that's what Naru was famous for. Getting things done. After all, she thought ruefully, why shouldn't she be? She had no husband or children to distract her from her work, and few friends, despite her amiable personality.

It had been the shock of her life when, at 21, her long-term boyfriend, Umino, had broken up with her for a plain looking but incredibly intelligent college student. "She just gets me," he had told her. "But I hope we can be good friends."

"Yeah right," Naru thought. It had been even more hurtful when a mere ten months later, Umino had requested that Naru plan his wedding to the same girl he'd dumped her for. Naru was sure it wasn't an attempt to hurt her feelings, but nonetheless, she had sent Hiro down to tell Umino to "buzz off". Afterwards, Hiro had teased her about being dumped by such a... well, Naru didn't like to use that word, but it effectively meant un-masculine. He had only let up when tears came to her eyes.

"Aww, I didn't mean it like that, boss-lady," he'd told her, awkwardly putting a hand on her shoulder. "You deserve much better than that little shrimp anyway." He had grinned his trademark grin, then, saying, "plus, I seen that girl he was with. What a dog, I'll tell you what..."

"All right crew, we're almost done in here!" Naru called out presently. She turned her attention to tying up her garbage bag that was filled with thousands of dollars worth of roses. She left it for the men to place in the dumpster, feeling a bit sad about doing so. Walking the perimeter of the church, she called out requests for things to be done. "Hiro, put that down and vacuum this pew one more time if you wouldn't mind! Yuusaku, if you and a couple other guys wouldn't mind taking all this stuff out back and tossing it in the garbage? Thanks. Hiro, damnit, I said put it down!!!"

-

The sky was an inky black when Naru determined that all was right with the church. "Alright guys, good job!"

She locked the door after her, making a mental note to mail the key back to the pastor when she got back to the office. She walked slowly down the stone steps, her hand grazing the railing.

"See ya Monday, boss-lady!" Hiro called from his pickup truck. Naru raised a hand, waving him goodbye. The other workmen filtered out, each saying their goodbye. A few, like Hiro, would be at her office building on Monday. They all did general maintenance on the building, and helped out with the setting up and cleaning up of weddings. The rest were part time workers whom she saw infrequently, only calling them in when she needed big time manual labor.

Finally, the parking lot was empty. Naru sat heavily on the stone steps, smoothing out little creases in her cream colored silk dress. It had been a gift for her, from the bride and groom. They said they bought it to thank her for all her hard work. Naru, personally, thought it was because the dress easily blended in with the scenery, and therefore she would be less obviously visible to the wedding guests. She reached into her purse, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. It was an unsavory habit she'd picked up during college. She reminded herself that she really needed to quit before lighting up and taking a deep drag.

Finishing, making sure that no one was around, she slowly walked back up the stairs, unlocked the doors to the church, and slipped back inside. She flicked on the lights to the chapel, smiling as the warm amber glow chased away the darkness. She spun around, making the skirt of her dress mushroom out, then swish to a halt just above her knees. Then, she walked down the aisle, slowly, just as she coached the brides-to-be. She held an invisible bouquet, that she thought would be filled with orange roses and tiny daisies. Her feet made their way to the altar, she still clasped her unseen bouquet as she turned to face a groom who was not there. She closed her eyes, trying to imagine who he would be. Opening them, she saw him there. There was a desperate pang in her chest as she looked into his deep blue eyes.

"Nephrite..." She murmured, seeing in her mind's eye the strong, handsome face that had haunted her dreams for nearly fourteen years. His piercing eyes drew her in, she reached for his chiseled jaw with a trembling hand, only to find he was not there after all. Her arm fell limply back to her side. Tears welled in her eyes, and she felt so very foolish. "He's dead," she told herself firmly. The church echoed with her voice, and left her words ringing in her ears.

She turned, rushing back towards the doors. She flipped off the lights, and shut the door behind her, locking it again. It was very dark outside, and she stumbled when trying to find her black sedan. Eventually, she did, and she pulled out of the parking lot, driving faster than she should have, trying to outrun her grief.

-

Naru opened the door to her apartment. She was greeted by the happy barks of her dog, Satchmo. He ran to greet her, and she reached down to rub her face in his shaggy fur. "Hey boy," she cooed.

She walked to her kitchen, lifting a hefty bag of dog food and pouring it into Satchmo's food dish. She watched him chow down happily for a few moments, then retreated to her bedroom. She flicked the light switch, bringing her lamps to life. She reached under the bed and withdrew a nearly full decorated shoe box. Inside were small mementos, little keepsakes from people and places. There was a pressed cherry blossom that she'd put in a plastic bag, from the Hikawa Shrine, the plastic bride and groom from the top of the wedding cake from the very first wedding she planned by herself. She dug deeper into the box, finding a faded picture of herself and Usagi when they were teenagers. She smiled softly at it, but put it back, and finally her fingers found what they were looking for.

She pulled out a folded white napkin. She clutched it to her heart as she walked back to her living room. She popped a CD in the stereo and poured herself a glass of red wine. She sat on her couch, sipping delicately from her glass. Carefully, she unfolded the napkin to reveal an old, tattered scrap of orange fabric. Tears brimmed in her eyes, spilling over, down her smooth, pale cheeks. Naru brought the piece of her old pajamas up to her lips. She kissed it lightly, remembering the night that her Nephrite had been so unfairly stolen.

"Oh, Nephrite..." She sobbed quietly, while the stereo provided the soundtrack to her misery.

What becomes of the broken hearted
Who had love that's now departed?
I know I've got to findSome kind of peace of mind
Maybe...

-

It was warm suddenly. He felt tugged, pulled through a bright, warm light.

Abruptly, he stopped. It was like being dunked in ice water. Chills ran through him as he fought to catch his breath.

Wait? He hadn't drawn breath in years. He looked frantically around him, ran his hands over his body, feeling his muscles, his skin, his hair. How was this happening? Was he...

"No, you're not alive," a voice told him. It wasn't clearly identifiable as male or female. He turned around, looking for the source. What he gazed upon were two figures. Both completely androgynous, without gender, it seemed. One sat regally, while the other stood. The sitting figure was a lotus blossom white, clad in flowing black robes. It had long black hair, and endlessly deep black eyes. The other, standing figure, was sheathed in golden armour, with it's hand on the hilt of an impressive looking golden sword. It's face was cherubic, with high pink cheeks and a small button nose. But it's oceanic blue eyes were hard and unforgiving. A mess of golden blonde hair adorned it's head.

"W-who are you?" He stuttered.

"I am Judgment," the black clad figure responded, "and this is Justice," it indicated the golden figure.

"What do you want with me?" He asked, suddenly terrified.

"You've been a very difficult case to decide," Judgment informed him. "You committed treason. You slaughtered innocents, perpetuated hatred and violence."

He winced.

"However," Judgment continued, "you showed the capacity to love, and to be loved. You gave your life for it, and repented for your sins. I have concluded that the only way to be sure, in your case, is to give you a second chance."

"A second chance?" He repeated.

"Yes. And Nephrite," Judgment said with a small smile, "don't screw it up this time."

Justice strode over to him, taking him by the arm and pulling him backwards. He closed his eyes...

-

Nephrite woke in Masato Sanjouin's mansion, cold sweat covering his naked body. Dazed and feeling slightly panicked, he looked around him. He studied his hands, his feet. He felt his shoulders, his strong biceps. He stared at his muscular, lean torso, running his hands up and down his own body.

For so long, he floated, conscious but non-corporeal. He had seen without eyes, heard without ears. He was nothing, yet still something, all at once. Drifting through time and space, always unseen and unheard by those whom he observed. It had not been a pleasant existence, for all he could do was watch.

He carefully tested his newly formed legs. He reveled in the sensation of hard wood against his bare skin. Each twitch of his muscles filled him with glorious sensation, each movement untold pleasure. As if on auto-pilot, he found himself in his bathroom, staring into the mirror. He touched his face, it was just as it had been before. His eyes still bright and blue, his nose long and straight. His mouth was still full and bow-shaped. His gaze traveled down his neck, to his shoulders. Something new. He touched the large scar on his shoulder, it was smooth under his fingertips. This must have been from the night that he died...

"Naru..." he whispered. He marveled at the sound of her name on his lips, his voice low and gravelly. "Naru," he said again, louder. He wondered if she still remembered him, if she still loved him. Was she married now? Were there children?

There was an unfamiliar sensation in the pit of his stomach. It was heavy and nauseating, leaving him gripping the marble counter in support. He didn't know what he would do if his little Naru was gone forever from him. The notion of such a thing was more terrifying than any fear he had ever felt before.

He breathed in deeply, trying to clear his mind. He reminded himself to think of nothing but the present, and presently, he could feel his exhaustion down to his newly formed bones. "Alright," he thought to himself, "for now, I'll sleep." However, he resolved to find his Naru as soon as he awoke.

-

Naru awoke on Saturday morning, finding herself still in her living room, empty wine glass loosely grasped in her hand, with Satchmo sleeping comfortably between her legs. "Hey Satch," she said sleepily. She sighed, looking down to realize that she still held the scrap of dirty pajama fabric in her fist and seeing that she had slept in her designer, cream colored dress.

"Damn it," she grumbled. The wrinkles would probably never come out. She swung her legs over the side of the couch, disturbing her shaggy brown dog from his slumber. Her head hurt terribly. Her feet touched the empty wine bottle, which had been completely full when she returned home last night. Sometimes, she surprised even herself with her alcohol tolerance. Getting up, she moved with great effort to the kitchen, disposing of the empty bottle in the recycling bin.

She walked gingerly back to the living room. She picked up the napkin she kept her only memento of her lost love in, making her way back to her room and her keepsake box. She sat down on her bed, legs crossed. She gently kissed the fabric one last time; it left the taste of a thousand tears burned on her lips. With that, she folded the white napkin over the little piece of orange material one more time. How many times had this happened? Hundreds? Thousands? She ran her hand through her hair, finding the lace ribbon still tied there from last night. Gently untying it, she retied it around the napkin. It made a pretty little package. She sighed, hiding it below everything else in the box, knowing it probably wouldn't be long until she pulled it out and cried again.

Satchmo trotted in, placing his head on the edge of Naru's bed, looking up at her with empathetic brown eyes. She leaned down, resting her chin on him. She rubbed his back, thankful for, at least, the constant love and devotion of her dog.

-

Nephrite awoke in his cavernous bedroom. There was a single lamp, next to his bed, that didn't even illuminate the corners of this giant room. He would buy more light after he found Naru. He stumbled out of his bed, a gigantic, soft mattress that could have easily fit four or five. He threw open the doors to his closet, looking in on moth-eaten fourteen year old clothes. He dug through them until he found a simple white t-shirt and jeans. He also managed to find loafers that weren't to bad looking.

He walked downstairs, taking in the sights of his old home that had sat, desolate and neglected for so many years. He strode into the chapel that he had built for himself, finding he disliked how dark it was.

"Hello, my old friends," he whispered softly. A warm feeling flooded through him, centering in the middle of his forehead. He looked up, the cosmos suddenly swirling around him, each star caressing him gently, in greeting. He felt peaceful, and the stars were glad to serve him.

"Show her to me," he asked. The stars obliged, weaving a picture of his Naru, considerably older than he was used to seeing her. There was a unpleasant pang in his heart as he looked upon her. Her face was pretty, heart-shaped, devoid of the youthful roundness that had been so apparent when he saw her last. There were dark circles under her bright blue eyes, eyes that, while beautiful, held a deep sadness. Her hair had not changed much, still thick, wavy, and bright red. She even kept it in the same style she had when he knew her. He continued scanning this moving portrait. Her ears were pierced twice in each ear. He thought that odd, as Naru had never seemed the rebellious type. But, perhaps, that was the style now. He observed her clothes, now. The fashion was not too different than when he was alive. Her clingy pencil skirt was black, her silk blouse a pretty sapphire blue. What was this? She held acigarette in her well manicured hand. When had that happened? He shook it off. He looked around the apartment she appeared to be in. A medium sized brown dog bounded up, jumping onto her lap. She murmured into it's ear, smiling. She produced a leash, clipping it to the dog's collar.

"Where can I find her?" He asked, praying silently that it was close by. A cold wave of emotion washed over him as the stars did his bidding. It was the park where fourteen years ago, he fell victim to Zoicite's attack.

"Thank you, friends," he said, indicating to his celestial friends that he was done. He strode quickly to his driveway, grabbing the dusty keys to his car on his way. The Ferrari was just where he had left it, not surprising, as he had kept it under a magical lock and key. However, fourteen years of disuse had done it no service, the engine taking a few tries to kick in, and the handling hardly as precise as it had been. Still, he marveled at the quality machine, most cars would have probably not made it through the neglect.

He sped down the road, Naru's haunted face burned in his brain.

-

The old park was across the street from Naru's apartment complex, something she was conversely thankful and depressed by. She walked briskly with Satchmo, her skirt preventing the long strides she usually took. Upon reflection, most of her wardrobe was impractical, being made up of mostly pieces that Masato Sanjouin would approve of. Designer Italian wool suits, cashmere sweaters, silk blouses, and flat slinky skirts. Naturally, this meant she didn't have a particularly full wardrobe, but she found that wearing designer clothing helped her clients ignore her obviously working class accent.

Waking from her musings, she realized that night had quickly fallen, and she had led herself to Their Tree, the tree where they had sat moments before... She shivered. Her hands ached of their own accord, recalling the pain she had endured trying to pull those monstrous thorns out of her beloved.

She let Satchmo wander, and he found a place not too far away to do his business. She studied the tree, brushing its thick trunk with her fingertips. Her eyes stung, she blinked back the tears. Her mother had told her that time heals all wounds, but it wasn't true. Years ago, not too long after he died, it was easier. She felt the missing piece of herself, but it was almost as if she didn't realize why. Her therapist called that denial, and told her she was deep in it. But ten years ago, the memories flooded back to her in gruesome detail, and she acutely felt every pain, every tear.

She didn't know what stage of grief she was in now, and she probably wouldn't ever. That particular therapist had given up hope, and two more subsequently. Maybe it was when Naru insisted that Nephrite was the general of a evil kingdom, and he was killed by a monster. No, not a person, a real honest-to-God monster.

Satchmo trotted back over to her, leaning into her leg. She rubbed his head, clipping his leash back onto his collar. "Let's get home," Naru said, turning to leave. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something dart out from behind Their Tree.

Suddenly, she felt something, a belt, around her neck, choking her. She released Satchmo's leash, her dog valiantly biting her assailant. She heard the deep voice behind curse, a thud, and a painful yelp from Satch. She tried screaming, but the tightness around the throat prevented her from making more than a strangled gurgle. She thrust backwards, trying to throw the man off balance. Her feet left the ground, her shoulders pressing against his hard chest. He took a step backwards, but did not fall. She couldn't breathe, couldn't gasp for air, and her muscles spasmed. She tried to rake the heel of her shoe down his shin, but it didn't phase him. Dread filled her whole being. She was going to die.

One last, desperate flail. No breath, no strength left to move. Her body went limp, and he dropped her to the ground. She didn't even have energy enough to take in precious oxygen, her breaths shallow, slow. She was dimly aware of her skirt being lifted. Shouldn't she be resisting? "Oh Nephrite," she thought, seeing the far reaching branches of Their Tree overhead, "is this irony?"

Movement, he was leaving. It was done already? Couldn't be, she felt her panties still there. Voices barely registered. No air. No breath. Her vision failing, she barely had time to see the blue eyes of her rescuer.

-

She was hardly breathing.

"Help!" He screamed, his voice catching in his throat. Seeing none forthcoming, he tried to remember the small amount of medical training he had received so many years ago. He pinched her nostrils closed with his thumb and forefinger, then breathed deeply into her mouth. Her chest rose, but she was not breathing on her own.

"HELP!" He screamed again. He was pumping her chest, breathing into her mouth. Two voices approached. Nephrite did not stop administering CPR, calling out to these people while his mouth wasn't occupied with Naru's.

A couple approached, shouting expletives when they came across the scene. The man pulled out a mobile phone, calling for help.

"Oh please Naru..." He whispered to her, starting another round of chest compressions. She gasped, sitting straight up and cracking his nose with her forehead. A white hot jolt of pain shocked him, as did the steady trickle of red blood leaking from his nose. But it didn't matter to him, because Naru was breathing again.

-

The crack of bone against her forehead made her lie down again. Naru shut her eyes tightly against the waves of sensation that rushed through her body. Her forehead hurt, the abrasions on her throat alternately ached and stung with friction burn. Her shoulders were sore from the fight she had put up, and she thought she felt a torn muscle in her thigh from when that bastard had yanked her legs apart. Mental assessment complete, Naru thought that she had escaped rather nicely from a near-rape situation.

But who had fended that man off? She briefly recalled blue eyes, eyes that looked terribly familiar... But that was impossible. She cracked open an eyelid to peek at her rescuer. He was looking down at her, a soft expression gracing his handsome features. Thick auburn hair framed his olive-skinned face.

"Nephrite!" She exclaimed, before passing out once again.

-

Nephrite's sense of urgency had faded, seeing that his red-headed rescuee was breathing on her own, and that her assailant, whom he had taken the liberty of knocking out, was not going anywhere fast. He knelt over her, stroking her hair with one hand and pinching his bleeding nose with the other. This was not exactly how he pictured their reunion.

Two ambulances arrived shortly thereafter. One sped away with Naru, despite his pleadings to go with her, the paramedics insisted that he stay so police could question him and they could tend to his bloody nose.

"Your nose isn't broken, but expect some swelling," a tired looking paramedic told him, as Nephrite was pulled to the side by an equally tired looking police officer.

"Name?"

A tough question. He wondered if anyone remembered Masato Sanjouin, his wealthy alter-ego. That could get tricky. "Masato. Masato Sanjouin."

Evidently, they did remember him, as the officer's eyes widened. "The rich guy who disappeared?" Nephrite nodded.

"Where ya been for the past fourteen years?"

"Abroad," Nephrite answered vaguely. The officer wisely took the hint, looking down at his notepad and quickly finding his next question.

"What is your relationship to Miss Osaka?" An officer asked.

"I'm-" he thought quickly, "I'm an ex-boyfriend. I just happened to be walking by at the time."

The officer nodded. "And how did you get that bang on the nose?"

"I was giving her CPR, she'd stopped breathing. When she woke up, she hit me on the nose."

The police man chuckled, "alright, sir. Well, it's a good thing you caught this guy, this is the fourth incident we've had in this park this month. Same M.O."

Nephrite nodded, pride swelling up in him. It felt unfamiliar, but he enjoyed it. He didn't think he'd ever prevented crimes against humanity. In the midst of this heady feeling, a shaggy brown dog trotted up to him. He recognized it as Naru's dog that had been with her when he had observed her though the stars. He knelt down, offering his hand to it. The dog sniffed, then happily allowed itself to be petted. The silver tags on it's collar indicated that it's name was Satchmo. He smiled at this. Was Naru a jazz fan? During his brief stay in Tokyo, he had become rather fond of the genre.

He stood, the desire to make sure Naru was overwhelming. He looked down at the dog, which looked back up at him with patient eyes. "Fine," he grumbled, picking it up, and taking it to his car. He'd drop it off at his house, then he would go to Naru. Besides, when she woke up, she probably wouldn't be pleased with him if he let her dog get lost.

-

Naru woke in an uncomfortable bed, sore all over. It took her several moments to remember where she was and why. She sighed. She was eternally grateful that disaster had narrowly been averted, but she wondered who had saved her. It had looked like Him. But it couldn't have been. Nephrite had died in her arms. Tears welled in her eyes. It had looked so much like him, though.

A nurse wandered in. "How are you feeling?" She asked.

"Sore," Naru smiled. The nurse chuckled. She offered Naru two small white pills, explaining that they were painkillers. Naru shook her head, deciding she'd rather be lucid for awhile. As the nurse prepared to leave, Naru gathered the courage to ask, "who was it that saved me?"

The nurse turned back around, her pretty brown eyes shining. "It's really quite extraordinary. Masato Sanjouin did. Gone for years, then he suddenly turns up, happens to be walking in the park, and he saves you. You're very lucky. Especially to be rescued by someone as handsome as Mr. Sanjouin..." The nurse blushed and bit her lip, embarrassed for letting her small crush slip. She quickly walked out of the room, leaving Naru to her thoughts.

It couldn't possibly be... But maybe... Naru twisted a lock of her fiery red hair around her finger. He was dead. She wouldn't allow herself to get excited, lest her heart be broken again. She closed her eyes against the waves of pain that wracked her body, remembering the night that she'd lost a part of herself under the branches of a maple tree.

The was a little knock at the door. She opened her eyes to see Him. He was really there. She couldn't, wouldn't believe it.

"Are you real?" She whispered, drinking in his appearance.

"I am." His voice sounded a little choked, but it was still the same voice that she remembered. Low, rumbling out of his chest and oh so sweet to hear.

They stared at each other, each unwilling to move or to speak, terrified that something might make the other disappear. Naru hardly dared to draw another breath, praying to every god she could think of that this was actually happening.

Before she could even blink, Nephrite had strode across the room, capturing her lips in a hard, longing kiss. She could taste him, she felt his chapped lips on hers, the beginnings of stubble on his jaw. Tears ran down her cheeks as she fervently returned the kiss, still afraid that this was just a beautiful dream. He pulled away from her, wiping her tears away with his thumbs.

"You're really here," Naru said, putting a trembling hand to his face. He leaned into it, closing his eyes. "You're really here," she repeated, her whole body shaking with the force of the emotions that were overwhelming her system. "How is this possible?"

Nephrite pulled a hard plastic hospital chair close to Naru's bed. "I got a second chance," he told her. He explained how he stood before Judgment and Justice, and they gave him an opportunity to prove himself to be a good human being. He told her of how he'd woken up only last night in his old house, naked and so very alive. Naru remained very quiet during his story, nodding slightly at times.

"You're here for good, then?" She very cautiously asked, glancing up at him though her tear-laden lashes.

"I think so," he responded.

Naru felt as though her heart would burst from happiness. She flung her arms around his broad shoulders, laughing and crying at the same time. She mumbled his name over and over while her face was buried in the base of his neck. His arms encircled her waist and he breathed in her scent, acrid tobacco smoke, sweet vanilla, and a citrus-y shampoo. "I'm going to get it right this time," he breathed into her ear.

----

Mollzxkor here. So, just wanted to put in a disclaimer here. I don't own Sailor Moon, obviously, and the two songs used were Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles and What Becomes of the Broken Hearted by Jimmy Ruffin.