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Act 37

Rei watched how Ami put her hand softly on Usagi's shoulder, confirming her question.

Mamoru was gone. He had been forced to join the Dark Kingdom. Now two of the girls had lost their loves. One to another woman, the other… to death.

But Usagi and Ami… couldn't this have been avoided somehow?

"Cheer up," Rei said and sat beside Usagi, "You can't let some ghost from the past to take away people that are important to you."

Usagi looked at her in surprise; then she smiled and nodded.

"Yes… you're right," she said, "And after all, he said that he'll come back for sure. If I act like a crybaby, you'll be mad at me."

Yes, Rei thought, because Mamoru at least has a chance to come back.

"I'm fine," Usagi said, tightly holding the watch Mamoru had given to her.

"That was nice of you," Makoto said.

"Whatever," Rei answered and took a few steps away.

This was one reason why Rei never had allowed herself to be interested in a boy. Because sooner or later it would end, and at least one of them would get hurt. And she didn't want to take the risk to be the one. Even the relationship with her father had been full of tears and disappointments, and though things had calm down and she was able to talk to him more normally now, they both knew that it would never be like the regular relationship father and daughter used to have.

At least she had been able to cheer up Usagi a little, but as for Ami… Rei was still surprised that she was so calm and even able to smile. In fact, her composed behavior worried her.

"Everything is alright," Usagi whispered, "isn't it?"

"We should go home," Makoto said, "it's getting late."

They left Crown together. Makoto put an arm around Usagi's shoulder. "I'll take you home," she said, Usagi nodded and they walked away.

Ami had already started to walk in the opposite direction.

"Ami!" Rei called and run beside her. "Wait, let's walk together."

After all, they really had almost the same way home. Ami didn't answer nor show any sign that she was aware that Rei was walking by her side.

"Ami," Rei finally started, "are you… okay?"

Ami smiled at her. It was a false smile.

"Of course I am," she answered. "Poor Usagi, it must be horrible for her to have lost Chiba-san like that."

Rei stepped in Ami's way and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Stop that now, Ami; I'm not talking about Usagi. I'm worried about you. After what has happened to Nephrite… I swear, I never wanted this for you."

She felt Ami wince, but she was still smiling. "This? Oh, it's nothing. It's even better this way."

"What?"

Ami shook her off, her smile widened and suddenly she laughed a little. Rei shivered. "Now this won't be a reason for us to argue anymore. You can rest easy again because the problem has been resolved by its own, right?"

"Ami," Rei said in disbelief.

"I'm fine, really," Ami asserted and patted Rei's arm, "Now let's go."

She kept on walking; but at the point they usually parted, she went straight, instead to turn left.

"Where are you going?" Rei asked.

"Oh, down to the river. I really need some fresh air."

Rei wanted nothing more than to follow her, but she knew that Ami needed to be alone right now. She watched her walking away until she had disappeared in the dark.

...

Ami walked straight until she reached the stairs that went down to the river's shore. She walked down and finally stood still. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the soft plash. There was nothing more, only the noise of the flowing water.

"Will you wait for me… Ami?"

Ami opened her eyes and clenched her hands.

Nephrite is dead.

"I'm alright," she whispered and tried to concentrate on the river's plash again.

Nephrite, forced to place his sword on his stomach.

Ami winced. Don't think about it, she thought, you're strong enough.

For a moment nothing happens; and all of a sudden he bores his sword into his own body.

"No," Ami gasped and tears started to run down her cheeks.

Nephrite, falling to the ground, where he remains motionless. His gaze all lifeless.

Ami burrowed her face in her hands, still trying to suppress the sobs that had started to shake her body. Or was it her body that was trembling so hard?

"Will you wait for me… Ami?"

Nephrite's warm lips on hers.

His gaze all lifeless.

Nephrite is dead.

The sobs came out on their own now, and it was useless trying to dry her tears away.

Nephrite is dead.

"No," Ami gasped again and again, "no."

Nephrite is dead.

From far away, Ami suddenly heard a horrible scream, and she asked herself who could be able to make such a terrifying noise. It sounded like a wounded, desperate animal. And then, as she felt the burning in her throat, Ami realized that she was the one who made that scream.

This was the moment she knew that she couldn't suppress it any longer. She sank to the ground, down on her knees, and clawed her fingers into the earth.

He was dead. Nephrite was dead. He'd been forced to kill himself right in front of her eyes, and there was no doubt that he wasn't alive anymore. She'd seen how he had thrust his sword into his body; she'd seen how he fell to the ground, his empty, dead eyes.

Another long scream escaped from her throat, a scream full of grief and pain. And then another and another.

"No!" Ami cried, "No, no…Nephrite!"

The wind carried away her screams and sobs until they got lost in the dark.

...

"Nephrite!"

Nephrite opened his eyes. All he could see was white light. He blinked several times until his eyes got used to it.

And then he heard it. The sobs and screams. It didn't come from far away. In fact, it seemed to be just before him. He took a few steps and suddenly found himself at the shore of a river, and there, right before him, he recognized Ami who was kneeling on the ground, her fingers bored into the sand and the screams and sobs she made were so full of grief, Nephrite couldn't stand it.

He knelt down beside her and caressed her back.

"Ami," he said, "Ami, what's wrong?"

She didn't answer, nor did she show any sign that she'd noticed him. Her body was trembling with her sobs and screams.

"Ami!" Nephrite called, alarmed.

"She can't hear you," a female voice resounded.

Nephrite turned around and was suddenly standing in that white light again. Far away, he could still hear Ami's heartbreaking sobs.

Before him a shape was standing, and though he wasn't able to see more than its contour, he somehow knew who it was.

"Queen Serenity," he said respectfully and bowed.

"I'm greeting you, Nephrite, one of the heavenly kings," the queen said in a friendly way, and nodded.

"What…" he started to ask.

"Remember," she cut him off, and waved once.

And suddenly Nephrite remembered. The lightening that had taken him away. The shock he had felt when he had appeared before Ami and the other senshi as their opponent. Queen Beryl, who had forced him first to put his sword against his neck and then to attack. And finally, the helplessness he had felt when Beryl had made him turn his own weapon against his body.

Not in front of her, was all he'd been able to think; not before Ami's eyes.

But it had been useless…

Actually, he hadn't felt any pain when he had bored his sword into his body. The shock had been too great; and though he'd wished nothing more than to call out Ami's name one last time, he didn't want to give Queen Beryl that pleasure. Because that had been her intention. She'd planned all this from the beginning. Somehow, she had found out about him and Ami.

Nephrite gasped and looked at Queen Serenity, who was still standing in front of him.

"Where am I?" he asked.

"You're in the world between life and death," she answered.

"Why?"

"Because you were not ready to leave."

Far away, Nephrite could hear Ami's cries again.

"Yes, she is grieving for you," the Queen answered his unspoken question.

"I… I never wanted this," Nephrite said and looked at Ami, who was still kneeling on the ground, her arms wrapped around her body now, still sobbing. "I never wanted her to suffer like this."

"This is Queen Beryl's way of revenge on you two," Queen Serenity's voice resounded, "Mercury's grief gives her pleasure."

Nephrite clenched his fists. The helplessness he felt, looking at Ami in that state, almost tore his heart to pieces.

"And now what?" he asked harshly. "Is watching her like this all I'm able to do? Unable to touch her, to console her? Unable to let her know that I'm still here? In that case, what good is my being here?"

"Do you want to be by her side again?" the Queen asked directly.

Nephrite looked at her in surprise and hope sprouted inside him. "Is that… possible?"

"Listen to me," Queen Serenity said, ignoring his question, "This is what I am able to give to you. A new life that will make it possible to be at your beloved's side. Do you want that?"

"Yes," Nephrite answered without hesitating, "more than anything else."

He still couldn't see her face, but for some reason he knew that she was smiling now.

"Nevertheless, there's one thing you should know," she continued, "I'm able to give you this new life, but you won't be the same as you are now. You'll be different, and once you've reawakened you won't remember me nor anything that has happened at this moment. There will be no turning back. Do you still agree?"

"I do," Nephrite answered, "I would put up with anything to be at her side."

The Queen nodded and stretched out her hand.

"So be it, Nephrite, one of the heavenly kings."

"Your Majesty," Nephrite said suddenly and the Queen paused in her movement, "I'm more than grateful, but may I ask…why?"

She let her hand fall and sighed.

"My family and I, we owe you this. Take it as atonement for what happened in the past."

"What…?"

The Queen lifted her hand. "No more questions. You don't have much time left. If you want to go back to your beloved, it has to happen now. Otherwise you'll be stuck between life and death forever."

Nephrite ceased.

"Kneel down," the Queen demanded and Nephrite did as she said. She placed her right hand on his head.

"Close your eyes. All you must focus now is your beloved and nothing else. Don't look back."

Nephrite closed his eyes and felt how the pleasant warmth of Queen Serenity's hand flowed into him.

"Ami," was all he was thinking now, "Ami, please, wait for me. I'm coming."

xxxx

Zoisite teleported away from the Dark Kingdom. He knew that he was taking a big risk. But as Queen Beryl had now what she wanted - Prince Endymion - Zoisite trusted that she wouldn't be as attentive on what the Shitennou were doing now.

He thought in pain of Nephrite. Their friendship had just begun, but Zoisite's grief about his death was nothing compared to what Mercury must be feeling now.

"If anything happens to me..."

"I will do whatever I can to look after your beloved."

Who could have known that he would have to fulfill his promise so soon?

Zoisite materialized in Venus' room. He looked around, but it was empty. Was she still with the other senshi? Or maybe she had already left…?

"She's not here," a serious voice came from the corner of the room.

Zoisite turned around and looked down on the white plushie that stepped out of the shadow.

"Artemis, right? Where is she?" Zoisite asked.

"Why didn't you come... earlier?"

Zoisite closed his eyes for a moment. "I was prevented."

"Prevented?"

"Queen Beryl shielded my room, after she found out that I'd tried to get in her way." There was silence. The plushie gazed at Zoisite very intensely. "I tried to come here," Zoisite felt forced to explained, "And it almost cost my life."

The cat sighed now. "I thought something like that," it said, mostly to itself.

"Where is Venus?" Zoisite asked again.

"Just give me one reason why I should tell you that."

Zoisite looked at Artemis, a little surprised by the anger in his voice; and he felt that he had to be completely sincere now.

"I need her," he answered honestly.

This seemed to cause something in the plushie, because its gaze became less reserved now. "If I tell you, will you go straight to her?"

"Of course."

The cat paused again, and then it said: "I really shouldn't do this."

"Why else were you waiting here for me, then?"

Because it was obvious that it had. Again there was silence.

"Please, Artemis," Zoisite solicited now, "tell me where she is."

Artemis sighed again. "She's at the Juuban Hospital. Room number 1325."

Zoisite felt a cold shiver run through his whole body. "Hospital? What happened?"

"She collapsed during the show the day before yesterday."

"Why?"

Artemis' gaze became reserved again. "I think it's better if she tells you that on her own."

"Venus," Zoisite said worriedly, "So that means she wasn't able to come here, either."

"She's been very anxious about that," the plushie confessed. "She feared that you might think she'd changed her mind."

"Just like I did," Zoisite said. "I have to go to her immediately."

"Zoisite."

Zoisite paused and looked at Artemis, who had jumped on the saloon table now. "I'm only a plushie; but if you ever hurt her, I swear by my own life that I will find a way to make you pay for this."

Zoisite smiled and nodded respectfully. "I'm glad to know that Venus has such a loyal friend.

Then he teleported away.

xxxx

Minako sighed when the doctor finally had left her room.

She'd been very lucky that nobody at the hospital had noticed that she had disappeared for a few hours. Whatever that big emergency had been, it must have been really horrible. Because of that reason, too, she had to spend another night at the hospital.

Though the doctor had looked at her a little suspiciously when he saw the scratches and blue bruises on her body. But maybe he took it as strange marks every pop-star had.

The exam had been the usual: taking her blood pressure, temperature and, of course, one more radiography of her head.

She didn't need to look at it to know that it didn't look good. She knew that the tumor in her head was growing every day. After all, this had been the reason for her latest collapse.

Afterward she had received another infusion while the doctor had looked at her worriedly.

"You should hold back a little," he finally had remarked. "It would be better for you."

If the situation hadn't been so serious, Minako would have laughed out loud. Hold back? How? Now that Queen Beryl had kidnapped Prince Endymion and Princess Serenity had fully awakened…

Minako couldn't avoid shivering when she remembered the Princess' concentrated power and her ruthlessness.

"Besides that," the doctor had said, "everything is normal, well, as normal as it could be in your case. But to be sure I would like to keep you this one night here, just for observation."

Great, Minako thought. Another night at the hospital was just what she needed.

She was standing at the window now and watching the silver moon in the black heavens. Her room had become dark, but Minako didn't want to turn the light on. The gloom somehow pleased her at the moment.

"Venus."

She would have recognized that voice anywhere, and though she knew that it would be better not to do so, she turned around and ran into Zoisite's open arms. She closed her eyes in relief and simply enjoyed feeling his strong arms around her, holding her tightly.

"How did you find me?" she whispered.

"Artemis told me."

"Artemis?" Minako looked up at Zoisite; and for a moment she forgot her question, when he bent down to kiss her long and deeply.

"He'd been waiting for me," Zoisite explained and caressed her cheek. "I'm sorry I didn't come earlier, but after we saw each other the last time Queen Beryl had shielded my room. I wasn't able to leave the Dark Kingdom. Not even with soul flight."

Then he looked at her worriedly. "Why are you here? Is it because of me? Are you hurt?"

Minako smiled and gave him a brief kiss.

"I'm fine," she said, "It was just exhaustion. I'm a pop-star and a Sailor Senshi. That means double work for me."

Zoisite smiled back. "You always wanted to do everything at once."

They laughed; then they kissed again.

Minako never had been a person who wished for eternity. Her opinion was that both good and bad moments existed, and it was just part of life that they balanced each other out. But at this moment, being in Zoisite's arms and feeling his warm mouth on hers, she suddenly wished that this moment would last forever.

Zoisite finally kissed her forehead.

"Are you hurt?" he asked again and took a step backwards to take a look at her.

Minako didn't know why that made her blush, but she was completely unable to suppress the heat that went to her head.

"I'm fine," she said a little bit brusquely and turned away from him, "That wasn't the first fight I have had in my life."

"But the first against me," Zoisite said with soft voice.

Minako slumped her shoulders, suddenly feeling tired, so tired. Zoisite stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her. She leaned back against him, feeling his warm breath on her neck.

"I'm sorry about what happened to Nephrite," she said sincerely.

Zoisite sighed and tightened his embrace. "It's a great loss; he has become a good friend to me. But my grief is nothing compared with..."

Minako frowned and turned around to face him. "Compared with...?"

"Mercury's."

She gasped in shock. "They were a couple? For how long? When did that happen?" She paused and suddenly looked at Zoisite hopefully. "Did Nephrite...?"

"No," Zoisite said seriously, "he didn't remember anything. He tried, but the memories about Mercury made him collapse."

Minako couldn't avoid feeling some disappointment. For a second she'd hoped that what had happened in the past between Nephrite and the Princess...

"You have to do something about the Princess," Zoisite continued. "Now that she has fully awakened, she has to be stopped immediately."

"What do you mean?" Minako asked in surprise.

"You know exactly what I mean. You've seen her power too. It hasn't been normal. It's been much bigger than in the past, and we both know what increases that power."

"The Ginzuishou," Minako whispered.

"You have to take it away from her," Zoisite said, "or what happened in the past will be repeated."

"But..."

"The Princess' powers are too strong. The Ginzuishou is completely connected to her feelings and she can't control them. You have to take away the crystal and destroy it."

Minako looked at Zoisite in shock. "I can't do that. If I eliminate the Ginzuishou, the Princess will..."

"I think one life is nothing compared to the existence of the earth."

Minako liberated herself from Zoisite's embrace and stepped back.

"Please," she said in disbelief, "you didn't just say that."

Zoisite didn't answer, but his gaze was answer enough. Minako wished that she could suppress the tremor that was overwhelming her body.

That was it. The reason why Artemis really didn't want to go to her hotel room. Minako understood very well now. How many times had Zoisite and she argued about just the same subject in the past?

"Zoisite," she said, and hated herself for the pleading tone in her voice.

His gaze remained steady for a long moment, but finally he sighed and took her into his arms again.

"I think this will always be a point of contention, won't it, my love?" he asked.

Minako wrapped her arms around his waist and closed her eyes. "She'll find a way to control the powers of the Ginzuishou," she said, "She's stronger than you think."

"I doubt that," Zoisite answered, "but I'm willing to give it a try to hope for it."

Minako smiled. That was at least something, wasn't it?

Zoisite leaned down and placed a kiss on her neck, then he let go of her and stepped back. "I have to go back," he said.

Minako frowned. "Where?"

"To the Dark Kingdom, of course. I hope Queen Beryl hasn't already noticed that I have disappeared."

Minako grabbed his arm. "You don't have to go back. What for? The Queen has what she wanted. She can't have need for you anymore."

Zoisite's gaze became sad now. "I can't leave the Master."

Minako let go of his arm. Artemis' words echoed in her head. "He's totally devoted to his Master, Prince Endymion. Whatever he feels for you isn't stronger than his loyalty for his Master."

"It was his own decision to join the Queen," she said.

"You know that's not true. He did it to save our lives."

"That's why he owns it?"

Zoisite paused and his gaze became cold and hard now. "I won't leave the Master," he repeated. "He joined the Dark Kingdom because we, the Shitennou, are important to him. I owe him my loyalty. I'm not cowardly enough to bail out just because..."

He cut himself off, but Minako had understood very well. "Just because of me," she finished his sentence.

"That's not what I wanted to say. You know how much you mean to me."

She looked at him and smiled sadly. "But not enough," she said and sighed. "You're right, Zoisite, the Princess and the Master will always be our point of contention. After all, I see, we're on different sides."

"Venus..." Zoisite started to say, a sudden tone of sadness and worry in his voice.

"I think you'd better go."

Zoisite paused for a very long time. "Whatever you say," he finally answered and teleported away.

Minako knew that actually she should be crying and sobbing, but she couldn't. Though the pain of loss inside her felt as if it would break her heart, she felt empty somehow, unable to shed one more single tear.

"Maybe that's how it should be," she thought, just as she had the night before.

xxxx

Luna was looking worriedly at Ami, who was lying in Usagi's bed. It seemed that she had finally fallen asleep, though from time to time she still gave a quiet sob.

The state in which Luna had found Ami on the river's shore had truly shocked her. She had been down on her knees, her arms wrapped around herself and rocking forwards and backwards. And the sobs she'd made had been heartbreaking.

When Luna had asked her what was going on with her, Ami only answered that Usagi's grief had touched her deeply. But Luna knew very well that this had been a lie. In fact, maybe Ami would still be there on the river's shore if Luna hadn't been forced to go out looking for Usagi, who had suddenly disappeared in the middle of the night. And as she hadn't been able to find her, she had to find a way to prevent her mother from getting worried.

Lying like this on her stomach, her head burrowed in Usagi's pillow, and with the pigtailed hair, Ami really almost looked like Usagi. Luna hoped that her plan would work. In the meantime, they had to find Usagi.

Ami sobbed again, but the way she was breathing now told Luna that she was really asleep. She'd been crying quietly the whole time, but Luna felt that at this moment it wouldn't had been good to ask her again why. After all, there must have been a reason why Ami had been all alone at the river's shore.

She wanted to be alone. She didn't want anybody to know about her grief, because if she did, Luna was very sure, she would have confided in someone.

Luna jumped on the bed and softly snuggled Ami's head.

"Ami," she whispered, "what could have caused you such a grief?"

xxxx

Motoki jumped when somebody slapped the back of his head. He straightened up. Before him stood his boss, looking grumpily at him.

"Did I wake you up? I'm so sorry," he said cynically.

"Mr. Yamada, Sir," Motoki stumbled, "Good morning."

In fact, he really was surprised to see his boss at the karaoke center. He didn't show up very regularly. Maybe once a month. And of course this time it just had to be that day. Motoki had had to work the whole night and, overwhelmed by his tiredness, had fallen asleep for a few minutes.

His boss snorted. "Would you please be so kind as to explain to me why you're here sleeping peacefully on the desk of my Karaoke Center instead of attending the clients and," he looked around and lifted one eyebrow, "cleaning up that mess?"

"Umm," was all Motoki was able to say, but suddenly his boss frowned.

"What are you doing here anyway, boy?" he asked, "I thought that guy I employed a few weeks ago was taking the night shifts."

"That's true, Sir," Motoki answered, "but he quit last week. He said that the pay is too low."

Mr. Yamada snorted again. "Money, that's all you young people are thinking of." He looked around again. "Clean up that mess, and for god's sake, at least comb your hair. You look like a hedgehog."

Motoki passed his hand through his hair and started to get the swab ready. His boss was just about to disappear in his office when he turned around once more.

"Ah, I've glanced at the latest inventory list. There are a lot of things missing. You'll have to take care of that in the next few days."

"Yes, sir," Motoki answered, "but who will look after the center?"

His boss sighed. "I'll do it this time."

"Sir," Motoki said quickly, "but we really need at least one more person. I can't take care of the whole center on my own." Finally, he had said it. Motoki observed his boss, who was obviously repeating his words in his mind.

"It's difficult to find good people nowadays," he finally answered. "Anyway, I'll try to find somebody; but nevertheless, if you run into anyone who could do it, they'd be welcome." With this he closed the door behind him.

"Man," Motoki moaned and started to clean up the floor, "where in the world would I 'run into somebody' who would be desperate enough to work here?"

xxxx

Makoto sighed in relief when she heard Ikuko Tsukino finally leave the house. She threw back the bedcovers and stepped to the window. Usagi's mother was just about to get into a taxi.

"That was close," she said to Luna, "she almost noticed something."

"Hm," Luna simply answered, playing around with her lilac hair. Makoto frowned and looked at the little girl who was sitting on the bed now. Her thoughts were obviously in a completely different place.

"Luna? Are you alright?"

"Eh? Yes... no... I mean..."

"What is it?"

"It's... about Ami-chan," Luna finally said, "In all honesty, I'm very worried about her."

"Why? What happened?"

Luna started to bite her lip; finally she seemed to make a decision.

"Last night when I was looking for Usagi, I found Ami-chan in a very worrying state at the river's shore."

"What do you mean?" Makoto said, all attention now because, seeing Luna so worried, she knew that it must be something serious.

"She's been down on her knees, crying and sobbing, as if... I don't know, as if she'd been grieving."

"Did you ask her what the reason was?"

Luna nodded. "She said that Usagi-chan's loss hit her hard, but..."

"... you don't believe that was the reason," Makoto finished Luna's sentence, "But maybe she is really feeling bad for Usagi-chan. You know how much she cares for her. It wouldn't surprise me if she would mourn more for Mamoru than Usagi-chan herself."

After all, Makoto knew, Ami was a very sentimental person; Usagi was too, but she was so much more easily distracted. "You shouldn't be so worried."

"You haven't seen her, Mako-chan," Luna said, and her persistence caught Makoto's attention now after all.

"She was completely drained. I've never seen her like that. Do you want to know how I found her at that place anyway? Because I could hear her crying and sobbing from so far away."

"What?" Makoto asked, truly shocked now.

"And the way I found her. Mako-chan, she was kneeling on the ground, her arms wrapped around herself and she was rocking forwards and backwards. And when we came here, after she changed to look like Usagi, she was weeping again into the pillow, until she fell asleep."

Makoto shivered. She had to admit now that this indeed sounded alarming, and she started to feel worried, too. And she was truly surprised by how well Ami had been covering all that this morning when she'd seen her. Makoto hadn't even noticed that she had been crying or anything else.

"But what could be reason for her to... grieve like that?" Makoto asked.

Luna shrugged and sighed. "I'm not sure," she answered. "I've been puzzling about it the whole night. The way she behaved last night was as if..." Luna bit her lips and started to knead her fingers nervously.

"As if...?" Makoto insisted.

"As if... she had... lost somebody."

"Somebody?" Makoto repeated, "You don't mean... what I think, do you?"

Luna only looked at her meaningfully.

"What?!" Makoto shouted, "How did you get that idea?"

"Haven't you noticed a change in Ami-chan at all?"

"Change?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Mako-chan, I forgot that you've been completely distracted with Motoki-kun."

"Luna!"

"However," Luna continued, "Even you should have noticed how Ami-chan has blossomed lately. Just the way somebody does who's in love."

Makoto felt herself blush. Actually, she hadn't noticed anything. Her thoughts had indeed been all caught up with her situation with Motoki. "But who?" she asked.

"I have no idea," Luna confessed, "but whoever it was, Ami-chan must have had very strong feelings for him."

"So the reason why she behaved... that way last night was because he's broken up with her?"

"No," Luna said immediately, "I think whoever it was must have... died."

Makoto was more than shocked now by Luna's clear and confident statement. So Ami had been with somebody who had died? And this recently? But...

"But why hasn't she ever told us?" Makoto asked,

"Maybe because she couldn't," Luna answered, "Maybe because she didn't want anybody to know about it."

She looked at Makoto very forcefully now. "And as far as I know, there is only one person we know who's just died recently. And if it is the so-called, it would explain a lot."

Makoto had to consider a little. Who did she knew who had died recently? The only person who was an option was...

She looked at Luna in disbelief.

"Please, tell me I'm wrong," she whispered, but Luna only nodded. Makoto let herself fall down on the bed.

"Oh my gosh," was all she was able to say.

xxxx

It was deep night. Nephrite didn't know what time it was or how long he'd been wandering aimlessly through the city. And he didn't care anyway.

Again he looked at his bare hands.

A human. He had become a human. A powerless, weak, helpless human.

"Queen Beryl," he hissed again, "you... bloody witch."

He'd been more than shocked when he had awakened.

Well, at the very first moment, he'd been relieved. He wasn't dead; it had all been a bad dream. Ami hadn't been forced to watch him die.

But the disillusionment had followed quickly at its heels.

Nephrite sighed and sat down on a bank. What now? Where should he go?

First he had been thinking about looking for Ami, but he had discarded that thought immediately. He would never dare to show up before her in that unsightly state. It was better for her to think he was dead instead of seeing him like... this.

No, all he could do now was find a way back to the Dark Kingdom and beg Queen Beryl to take him back into her service again.

He lay down on the bench. From far away he heard the play of a harp.

"Will you wait for me... Ami?"

Her radiant smile flashed before his inner eyes.

"Yes, I will."

"Forgive me, Ami," Nephrite whispered, and forced back the grief in his heart, "but I'm not able to come back to you anymore."