Disclaimer: I own nothing blah blah blah.

A/N: This round of thank you's is extra special. I had kind of a bummer of a week, and your reviews just made it so much better! So thanks to kuyaga (oh, just you wait and see what is coming from the stars), IssaLee (wow! You must have read this whole monster in two days! That shows me you like it a lot!), cardcaptor eternity (I'll explain exactly who the Creature is in a bit, and yes, It still looks like Usagi, just with black hair and eyes) Lysia Croft (Gomen! No Starlights!) and aiisha, who is the only other person on Earth who knows what the Creature is! But you will notice that the Abyss, through Hotaru, has refered to It as her, and even given It a name. Check chapter 41.

I do have one warning! There is a little strong language in this chapter, but it fits, and is not just used to be obscene.

"What's wrong?" Nephrite asked, touching her face as a tear slid down her cheek.

"You don't love me," Naru said.

"I do love you," he said slowly. "I will always love you. When I met you, I wanted to use you for my own ends. You reminded me what it was to want to protect someone, to want to hold them close and kiss their tears away."

"But you are going to go and kiss someone else's tears away, aren't you?"

Nephrite took one of her hands in both of his. "You don't need me, Naru. You're not in love with me. Why do you want to hold on to the past?"

"You were my prince. You were my dream come true," Naru whispered. "You were my first love. I thought, maybe, you would be my forever."

"First loves are not forever, Naru." Nephrite squeezed her hand tightly. "Trust me. I betrayed my first love, and I hurt her."

"You're princess?" Naru guessed. "The one you said used to live on the moon?"

"Hai. In some ways, she was more than a princess." He laughed. "She was a warrior goddess. I loved her, I worshipped her, and I feared her. I feared she would not need me the way I needed her. I feared she would leave me. My fears… took over me. So I did not just wound her. I tried to destroy her."

"Is she the one you love now?"

"Hai…Iie." He shook his head. "She is so different it is almost like she is someone else. But she is also so very much the same. We have both changed. The past weighs heavily on us, the good and the bad. But now, maybe, we can build something new, something different. I think now we can be just a man and a woman, and lovers, and partners, and friends."

"I hope so."

He looked up, and Naru smiled tearfully at him. "I will always miss you in some part of my heart. But…I love Umino."

"You should. He will be good for you."

"He is wonderful, in his own way." Naru leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "I hope you will meet him some day. I hope you will like him."

Nephrite laughed, and kissed her back. "You tell him, if he ever makes you unhappy he will have me to answer to."

"Arigato," Naru whispered. "For everything, Nephrite."

He squeezed her hand one more time. "Arigato, Naru. You saved my life."

And he let her go.

"But now it is late, and you should be at home. Tokyo is not safe after dark. Go home, Naru."

"Alright." She stood up, and gave him a little bow. "Sayonara."

Nephrite sat at the table and watched her walk away. Then he looked up at the sky.

"May I have your blessing, Jupiter, to love your only daughter?"

The silence felt peaceful, and for a moment he could pretend the mighty giant whispered, "Take care of her, Nephrite." But planets can not speak, and he rose from the table with no real answer.

He pushed through the bushes, wondering if anyone would still be at the Prince's apartment. He hoped his lord had gone after the Princess. She looked heartbroken when she ran from them. He also hoped everyone else had calmed down a bit.

I should not have become so angry with Uranus and Neptune. They are only worried about the younger girls. I can't blame th-

His though was cut short as he spotted something out of place in the grass. A bare foot rested unmoving, the skin frighteningly pale. He followed it to a long leg encased in denim, over a feminine hip, to a familiar green blouse.

His heart stopped. Just beyond that blouse, white as death and wreathed in dark hair, lay Makoto's face.

"Iie," Nephrite whispered, moving closer. His feet slipped, and he fell to his hands and knees. Something slick and warm covered his fingers, and when he held up his hands, they were red.

"IIE!"

He grasped her shoulders and shook her. "Jupiter! Makoto! Wake up!"

Her lashes flickered, and a small smile curved her lips. "Nephrite?" she breathed. "Is that you?"

"Hai, Mako-chan. I'm here."

"Good. I wanted to see you one more time. I wanted to tell you…"

"Nani?" He ran his hands over her face, her neck, looking for the source of the blood. "You wanted to tell me what, Mako-chan?"

She sighed. "I'm trying to remember, but I'm kind of dizzy…"

Nephrite raised her left arm, and stared. A deep, bloody gouge split the translucent flesh of her inner wrist, leading halfway to her elbow.

"Mako-chan, what have you done?"

"I want to go home, Nephrite. Will you take me home?"

He ripped his shirt open, buttons flying all around them. "Makoto, what did you do? Why?"

"Please, Nephrite. Take me home."

Nephrite wrapped the shirt tightly around her slashed wrist. "I'll take you anywhere you want to go, Mako-chan. Just keep talking to me, alright?"

"But I'm so sleepy…"

"Mako-chan? Jupiter? Please! You are so strong," he moaned. "You can't die. I won't let you."

"Nephrite…"

"Hai, Mako-chan?" he whispered.

"I remember what I wanted to tell you," she sighed.

He brushed her hair back from her face, and looked into her green eyes.

"Tell me. Please."

She smiled, reaching up weakly with her good hand. Her fingers grazed over his cheeks, leaving bloody smudges he did not notice.

"I never stopped loving you."

Nephrite sobbed without shame. "This can't be happening."

"I didn't mean to make you cry," she whispered.

"Iie, love," he said. "It's not your fault."

"Ne…" She paused, gasping for breath. "Nephrite?"

"Hai?"

"I'm cold."

He gathered her into his arms, pressing her head to his shoulder. "I have you."

"Will you…will you kiss me? Please?"

She always was beautiful in the moonlight. Nephrite cupped her cheek with one hand, staring down at her, his princess, his goddess, his love. How could he have ever wanted to be anywhere she was not?

"I will kiss you forever," he whispered.

Colds lips. He tried to warm them with his own, tried to force his own life into the frighteningly still body in his arms. Her mouth moved just a bit, the softest of kisses, the faintest roll of distant thunder, the briefest flash of lightning as the storm faded. Then she sighed against his lips.

"Remember me."

Nephrite raised his head a little, his own tears wet on her cheek. "Makoto?"

Her head lolled against his shoulder. Blood streaked his chest, warm, but quickly cooling.

"Mako-chan?"

Her lips did not move. She did not speak.

"Wake up," he demanded.

She did not move.

"Wake up!"

She did not breathe.

"WAKE UP!" he screamed. "DON'T YOU DIE ON ME! DON'T YOU FUCKING DIE ON ME! NOT NOW!"

He shook her savagely, no longer gentle in his desperation.

"WAKE UP! JUPITER, DON'T YOU LEAVE ME!"

She lay still.

"Please wake up! I didn't get to tell you!" he whispered. "I never stopped loving you."

Only silence answered him, the calm after the storm.

"Please," Nephrite whispered. "Mighty Jupiter, please. I love her. I will take care of her. Sweet Queen Serenity, please, send me a miracle."

"Minna!"

Nephrite jumped at the sound of Luna's voice. He heard Mercury respond from the region of Makoto's wrist, under his bloody shirt.

"Luna? What is it?"

"Setsuna's gone mad! She's gone after Usagi!"

"Nani?" Ami shrieked. "I'm on my way!"

"Minako! Rei! Makoto!" the cat shouted. "Where are you?"

Nephrite fumbled with the little device. "Work, damn you! How does this thing work?"