All right, finally Naru is on her way to Nephrite. No more boring stuff in quasi-hell. Oh yes, I realize that the “earth kingdom” was probably in Japan, and, instead of making some lame attempt at making it look like I know what consists in Japanese culture, I think I’ll just admit right now that I know jack all about Japan. Thus, as a result the exact location of the capital of earth a mystery for now ^_^;;

August Moon
Part 5 : Beginnings
©MM T h r e a d s

Naru awoke to the soft feel of sheets around her. She tried to remember where she was.

Home?

No.

Usagi’s house?

No.

Then she began to remember Daun and the forest.

Was she still in Hell?

No, it wasn’t that either.

Naru cracked open and eye to find herself in a small room. A large bay window lay to the left of her- the drapes were drawn to the side, and was completely opened. A light breeze passed into her room and played with the loose hairs around her face. Though it was still light out, the sunlight scarcely entered her room, which suggested to her that it was late afternoon. Naru looked to the right to find a small dressed with a glass of water. She reached feebly for it as a woman entered into the room.

“Oh dear me, you don’t need to be moving. I’ll help you with that.” She rushed to Naru’s side and fed the glass to her mouth. Naru gulped hungrily, she didn’t realize how thirsty she was until the lukewarm water reached the back of her dry throat.

“There. That must feel better.” She said, pulling the glass from Naru’s lips, allowing her to breathe again. “I was worried you’d never awake.”

“How… how long have I been asleep?”

“Oh days… I was surprised you were even still alive.”

“Huh?”

“They found you in the middle of the road, naked, dehydrated and sun burnt. Your lucky you were found so close to this house.”

“How did I get there?”

“I think you’re the one to be answering that.”

Naru was silent for a moment.

“I… I don’t remember.” She lied.

The woman frowned, and brushed some loose gray hairs back into her bun. “It’ll return to you with time. You just need to rest up some more.”

Naru nodded obediently to the strange woman and sunk back down into the covers.

“I’ll go fetch you some more water, and some bread and cheese for you to eat. I don’t want you moving until I’m sure your well, if things go well, I may permit you to join his lordship’s guardians for dinner tomorrow.”

“Guardians?”

“You’ll meet them tomorrow. Now rest.”

She pushed Naru further under the covers, drew the drapes closed and left the room, closing the door behind her.

Naru was left in darkness, but only for a moment for she didn’t realize how tired she was until her eyelids fluttered closed again.

Naru awoke the next morning to be greeted by another glass of water. After a number of drowned protests, the middle-aged woman pulled the glass from Naru’s mouth and smiled.

“I see you have some of your strength now.”

“I do feel much better.” Naru’s stomach growled. She hadn’t eaten in at least two days. “But I’m starving!”

The woman smiled again. “Audrey!” She called. In another moment a small blond girl appeared at the door.

“Bring her some breakfast.”

The girl nodded and disappeared silently.

The maid who sat at Naru’s beside put her hand to her mouth. “Where are my manners? My name is Joanne.”

Naru smiled. “My name is Naru… I think.”

Joanne patted Naru’s shoulder. “That’s a very nice name, Naru.”

Joanne rose from her seat and walked over to the window and opened the drapes. The sunlight spilled in over Naru’s bed. It was a beautiful day out.

Audrey returned bearing a tray filled with juice, tea, bread, fruits and a bowl of unidentifiable mush.

Joanne helped Naru sit up and Audrey placed the try on her lap. Naru looked at all the food with hungry eyes.

Joanne smiled. “I’ll leave you two be. If you need anything just call and either myself or Audrey will come see you.”

Naru smiled and thanked the two women as they left the room.

“Joanne.” Naru called.

Joanne turned around and smiled. “Yes Naru?”

“I was wondering… why are you treating me so well? I would have figured I would have been sent on my way the moment I woke up.”

Joanne smiled again. “The man who found you is one of Prince Endymion’s guardians, and he insisted that you are well before you travel again.”

Endymion!

Naru remembered that name… he was Mamoru; Usagi’s fiancée.

Naru nodded slowly. “I’ll be sure to thank him.”

“Oh you will be tonight, he insists on meeting you.”

Naru gulped. She was eager to see why this stranger was so kind to an unconscious woman lying naked in the middle of the road, but was somewhat nervous at his eagerness to meet her.

She ate her food in thoughtful silence.

Naru paused to examine the sunburns across her back as she was getting dressed for dinner with Endymion’s guardian. Her back was red and extremely chapped as she looked at herself in the mirror. Joanne had found a dress with a high back to avoid revealing her unattractive burns. She pulled on the pale green dress and slowly did up the buttons on the side. Naru didn’t know how out of style it was, but it was still beautiful and was extremely grateful to Joanne for lending it to her. The dress had a fairly straight cut. It long sleeves, without any bows, or poufs, or flares. The skirt part reached to her ankles and flowed around her body like a dance. The front didn’t dip down very low; it was a v-shaped cut that stopped just as it reached her bust. Delicate lace trimmed the edges of it. The dress was very simple in design, but was one of the most beautiful she had ever seen. It was made from soft cotton that was thankfully kind to the burns on her back. She put on a pearl necklace, and raindrop shaped earrings to match. She gathered the hair from the sides of her head and swept them up with gorgeous combs that had pearls on the ends to match the jewelry she wore.

Naru put on a little rouge, eye shadow and lipstick and examined herself in the full-length mirror once more.

She looked beautiful.

She made a mental note to repeatedly thank Joanne again for letting her borrow all of the things she wore.

Naru sat down on her bed, careful not to crease her dress, and waited for someone to come summon her and tell her where and when she was supposed to meet this ‘guardian’.

She looked around her room and sighed.

Naru had been in the ‘past’ for almost three days now, and things hadn’t even begun to feel normal. She never expected it to, but at least by now develop some sore of familiarity to the severe culture shock she had underwent.

Or maybe she had, but didn’t know it. Or maybe what she had done hadn’t even fully hit her yet.

She had made a deal with a demon whom she didn’t even know, that even claimed to be Empress Metallia, protect her in hell, and then send her back though time to try and stop Nephrite from deciding to join the Dark Kingdom’s cause.

She knew this guardian would be curious to know how she had ended up in the middle of the roadway, naked, dehydrated, badly burnt and at the edge death. She couldn’t tell him that she’s from the future and that a ‘good’ demon had sent her through time to save a man she used to have feelings for, but never returned to gesture.

No, she wouldn’t sound crazy at all.

Naru sighed. This was going to be a lot more difficult than she could even comprehend, and she hadn’t even found Nephrite yet. Naru would just have to play the beautiful girl stricken with amnesia and hope she would be believed. It wasn’t so much that they wouldn’t believe that could happen in her condition, but rather that she wouldn’t be convincing at all.

She had never had serious amnesia before.

She heard a knock on her chamber door.

“Yes?” She called.

The door opened to reveal Audrey in her maid’s uniform.

“His lord requests your presence madam.”

Naru smiled. Madam. No one had ever called her that before.

Naru rose from her bed and followed Audrey downstairs to the dining room, nervous, but also eager to meet the strange man.

Naru paced the room slowly and nervously as she waited for this ‘guardian’ to meet her. She had been in the room for only five minutes it seemed, and already she had gone through two glasses of water.

She didn’t even understand why she was so nervous.

Maybe because she secretly wished it was Nephrite who had saved her, like he had so long ago.

Maybe one day he would save her again. She would really like that.

She heard the large dining room door open and turned around to greet the man who had saved her.

Audrey led two very striking men into the dining room dressed in full uniform. They looked extremely important.

Naru examined one of the men more closely and gasped slightly as she recognized who he was.

End Part Five.

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