Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

          Home, sweet home.

          To Princess Lady Serenity, it felt like a lifetime had passed since she last felt the gravity of Earth bearing down on her. For the past five years, she, along with her team of guardians, had been living at a secret facility on the Moon, training in controlling their senshi powers with Sailors Uranus and Neptune. Training had been tough and vigorous, as was to be expected, but they had finally passed the elder soldiers' program to become full-fledged Sailor Senshi.

          Sometimes, Serenity still couldn't quite believe she was the new Sailor Moon. Looking down at her intricately designed transformation brooch, she opened it up and ran her fingers against the pale pink heart-shaped stone in the center: her Pink Moon Crystal. It wasn't quite as powerful as her mother's Silver Moon Crystal, but Diana, her guardian cat and ever-faithful companion, assured her it would grow stronger as she gained more experience as a soldier princess.

          "Serenity-sama, I can't tell you how proud of you I am," Diana, who was sitting in Serenity's lap, said, noticing her looking at the crystal. "You're finally a true soldier like your mother was before you. I know Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion must be extremely proud of you as well."

          "I can't wait to see Mama, Papa, and everybody again," Serenity admitted, shutting close the brooch and pinning it to the large bow of the sailor suit she was wearing for her homecoming. "I know they came for the occasional visit at Fort Crystal, but it just wasn't the same. I wonder how much things have changed in Crystal Tokyo since we've been gone."

          “I imagine quite a lot. Five years is a long time to be gone, after all.”

          Serenity sighed, leaning her forehead against her window, which looked down at the blue-and-green marble called Earth. It wouldn’t be long until the royal shuttle hit the planet’s atmosphere. “Maybe so, but I hope things didn’t change too much at home. I‘d hate to come back and feel like a foreigner in my own city.”

          “I’m sure there are some things that will always stay the same, Serenity-sama.”

          “Like Mama’s complete inability to ever wake up before eight o’clock without Papa physically dragging her out of bed?” Serenity joked, breaking into a fit of uncontrollable giggles.

          The gray cat looked like she was about join her, but Diana managed to stifle her laughter at the last minute. “Now, Serenity-sama, that’s not a very nice thing to say about your mother,” she lectured, clearing her throat, “even if there is some truth to it.”

          “Sorry.”

          Her laughter dying down, Serenity stood up and pulled her bunny-shaped backpack down from the cargo bin above her seat. She was getting hungry, but unfortunately it looked like she had already eaten all the candy bars she had packed for the trip home. Sighing, she was about to zip the bag back up and put it away when something fell out of it with a soft, tinkling noise and rolled underneath Vesta’s seat in front of her.

          “Hey, Vesta, would you mind getting that for me?” Serenity asked after an unsuccessful bid to reach it. Not even a cat could fit under underneath the low-lying seats, so she couldn't ask Diana to pull it out.

          “What?”

          “My bell. It fell underneath your seat, and I can‘t reach it.”

          “Lemmee see…” Looking under her seat, Vesta felt around until she found it. “Here you go,” she said, handing the bell back to a grateful Serenity.

          “Thanks, Vesta!” Serenity said, clutching the small bell to her chest. “I don’t know what I would have done if I had lost it. You know how much it means to me.” 

          “Is that the bell Priest Helios-sama gave you when you traveled to the past?” Ceres, who was sitting next to Vesta, asked, turning around in her seat to face her princess.

          Nodding, Serenity held it up and gave it a little ring. The tone it gave out was as beautiful and as clear as a bird’s song. Luckily, it had been undamaged from the fall. “This bell is my most prized possession,” she confessed, causing Ceres to let out a worried sigh. “I take it with me everywhere.”

          “Oh, Serenity-sama, please don’t tell me you are still in love with Helios-sama.”

          Serenity felt her cheeks warm. “Well, what if I am? Is that so horrible?”

          “It is when you are only setting yourself up for disappointment,” Ceres said. “You do remember that Helios-sama is bound to Elysion and therefore cannot stay in our world for long periods of time without serious consequence, don‘t you?

          “Of course I do.”

          If only she could forget.

          It had absolutely devastated her when she returned to 30^th century Crystal Tokyo and learned that due to his duty as the priest of Elysion, Helios was not allowed to live in the human realm. He was needed in Elysion to watch over the dreams of dreamers, and could only visit the human realm for short periods of time before his power gave out. Serenity had hoped that when she left for her senshi training, the distance might help lessen her feelings for him. Helios had asked her to try to forget him, but her feelings had only grown deeper as the years passed and she developed into a young woman.

          “If you know the truth, then why do you insist on holding onto this childhood crush of yours?” Ceres asked. “You are the crown princess of Crystal Tokyo. You’re funny, smart, and one of the most beautiful women in the kingdom. You could have your pick of handsome and available suitors, yet you stubbornly hold onto the dream of a man who will never be yours. I don‘t understand it.”

          “That’s because you’ve never been in love, Ceres,” Serenity said. “Whenever you do fall in love, you’ll finally understand my feelings for Helios. It‘s just not that easy to fall out of love with somebody, no matter how much you know it is wrong.”

          “Well, promise me you will at least try to keep an open mind during your birthday ball next week. I‘m sure there will be plenty of cute, available men attending who would love the chance to become your suitor.”

          “Yes, okaa-san.”

          However, as soon as Ceres turned back around and settled into her seat, Serenity pulled down her lower eyelid and childishly stuck out her tongue.

          “Serenity-sama, Ceres only has your best interests at heart,” Diana said in a soft voice. “She just doesn’t want to see you get hurt.”

          Serenity sighed, knowing that Diana was right. “Yeah, I know…”

          An hour later, the voice of Uranus, who was piloting the shuttle, crackled over the speakers.

          “This is Uranus. We will be re-entering Earth’s atmosphere in approximately fifteen minutes. All passengers, please put on your suits and buckle your seatbelts. This will be a bumpy ride. I repeat: All passengers, suit up and buckle up for re-entry. Thank you.”

          Re-entry was always Serenity’s least favorite part of space travel, and, judging by the slightly greenish pallor of Pallas’ face as they pulled on their space suits, she was not alone in the feeling.

          “Pallas feels like she’s going to throw up,” Pallas mumbled from behind her hand, trying to hold back her nausea.

          “Well, if you must, at least put on your helmet first,” Ceres said, handing Pallas the blue helmet that matched her space suit before putting on her yellow one. “I do not want vomit floating around in the cabin. Reporters are bound to be covering our return, and I do not want to be covered in puke when I get my picture taken.”

          “That goes double for me,” Vesta agreed.

          “Triple for me,” Juno piped in.

          “Just try to think of something more pleasant, Pallas,” Serenity advised, patting the blue-haired senshi’s shoulder. “That’s what I always do.”

          Pallas managed to give her a weak smile. “Thanks, Serenity-sama. Pallas will try.”

          Fifteen minutes later, right on schedule, the shuttle broke through the Earth’s atmosphere. Serenity tightly clutched a now-human Diana’s hand, closed her eyes, and thought of the awaiting feast she was certain Sailor Jupiter had prepared in honor of their homecoming. It only blocked some of the quaking sensation of re-entry, but it was enough to keep her nausea in check.

          “Are you okay, Serenity-sama?” Diana asked once the worst was over.

          Serenity loosened her grip on Diana’s hand and nodded. “I’m fine, Diana,” she assured her guardian. “Just wishing we could have used Sailor Teleport to return home instead of flying. I guess with all our luggage, though, that was kind of impossible. ” Looking across the aisle at Pallas, she asked, “What about you, Pallas? How are you doing?”

          With a somewhat shaky hand, Pallas gave Serenity the thumbs-up sign.

          “Good.”

          Once they were back in the Earth’s atmosphere, it did not take long at all for Uranus to make a smooth landing at Crystal Tokyo Space Center. Looking out her window as the shuttle rolled to a stop, Serenity saw a crowd of people waiting for them at the end of the runway, among them her parents and the rest of the Sailor Senshi. Her heart leapt for joy at seeing them again, and, after taking off her space suit, Serenity was the first to disembark from the shuttle. Not caring the least about the three dozen or so reporters, photographers, and cameramen covering the event, Serenity ran over to her parents and embraced them in a three-way hug.

          “Mama, Papa…” she said, kissing them both on the cheek. “I’m home.”

          Among the crowd gathered to welcome the princess and her guardian soldiers home was the priest of Elysion, Helios. It was not often that Helios left Elysion to journey to the surface of the planet, but, like everybody else, he was anxious to see Serenity again after her long absence due to her training.

          Five years. It seemed like only yesterday that his “little maiden” -- as he affectionately called her -- had told him of her most treasured dream of becoming Sailor Moon. Now, that dream had come true, and she was finally a true lady, as beautiful and strong as her idolized mother.

          Not wanting to intrude on the family reunion, Helios kept mostly to the background, blending in among the media, who had snapped into action the second the shuttle landed. He smiled, however, watching Serenity excitedly show her parents and the elder Sailor Soldiers her new transformation brooch. Even though she was turning eighteen in a little over a week, she still had a aura of child-like innocence to her that was very refreshing.

          Once she had finished saying hello to everybody else, Serenity finally noticed Helios. If possible, her luminous smile brightened even more when she saw him, and she ran over, practically knocking him over with the force of her hug.

          “Helios, you came!” she said.

          “Of course I did, little maiden,” he replied, resisting every urge in his body to kiss her right then and there in front of everybody. Until that moment, he hadn’t realized just how much he had missed her. Holding Serenity in his arms, it felt like a piece of his heart had been returned to him, making him whole again. “Did you really think I would miss your homecoming?”

          Serenity rolled her wine-colored eyes. “Please, I’m not so little anymore. You’re as bad as my parents, still calling me Small Lady even though I‘m almost an adult.”

          “Forgive me, maiden,” Helios corrected, reluctantly releasing her from his embrace when he noticed a couple of photographers taking pictures of them. “I misspoke.”

          She smiled. “Better.”

          “You really have grown, though, haven’t you?”

          The last time he had seen the princess, Serenity had been on the threshold of adolescence, only just beginning to develop the womanly figure she now possessed. She was also taller than Helios remembered; as Helios was a man of short stature, they were now almost the same height. He only had about an inch or two on her, though had she been wearing high heels, Serenity would have surely towered over him.

          “I’m taller than Mama now,” Serenity announced proudly. “Though I still need to grow a few more inches to catch up with Jupiter.”

          “I think your height is fine just the way it is, maiden,” Helios assured her.

          “I suppose so. At least people can’t call me a squirt or a runt anymore.” The thought seemed to cheer her up.

          By that time, the crowd had begun to thin out some. A press conference had been scheduled to allow the reporters to ask the new Sailor Team questions about their training and homecoming, so the media people were packing up their things and heading to the Crystal Palace to set up. Soon, only the royal family, the guardian cats, the Sailor Senshi, and Helios were left on the tarmac.

          “Will you stay for the press conference, Helios?” Serenity asked as they too began to leave for the palace. “Jupiter planned a small reception for afterward, and I would love it if you could come.”

          “Thank you for inviting me, but I’m afraid I can’t,” Helios replied regretfully. He wanted to stay more than anything, but he could already feel his powers weakening. It had become more and more difficult as of late for him to stay even a few hours in the human realm, and he had already spent nearly half the day in audience with the king. “I need to return to Elysion soon to begin evening prayers.”

          “Oh.” She sighed, kicking a loose piece of gravel with her foot. “Right, I forgot.”

          “We’ll see each other again soon, though,” he reminded her. “Your mother’s and your birthday celebration is being held in Elysion this year.”

          Serenity’s momentary frown reverted back to its original smile. “Really? We‘re going to Elysion for my birthday?” she asked, sounding very much like a little girl who had just been told she was going to Disneyland.

          Helios laughed. “I thought you already knew.”

          “No, nobody told me,” she said with a shake of her head. “I thought the celebration would be held in Crystal Tokyo like usual.”

          “The celebration is partly why I came today,” Helios admitted, dying to divulge the surprise he had planned for her birthday, a secret he had been keeping from her for almost five years. “Of course, I wanted to see your homecoming, but the king also wanted to go over some last minute arrangements with me. I’m sorry if I ruined the surprise. Nobody told me it was supposed to be a secret.”

          “It’s okay. I’m glad I know. Now I‘m looking even more forward to my birthday!”

          “I’m sure it will be your best ever, maiden.”

          Once they reached the palace, it was about time for Helios to leave for Elysion. King Endymion and Neo-Queen Serenity, echoing their daughter’s invitation, urged him to stay for the homecoming celebration, but Helios knew he had only a short amount of time left before his powers were depleted. After bidding goodbye to the king, queen, and other senshi, who were all heading to the press room where the press conference was to take place, Helios turned in the opposite direction, somewhat surprised when he heard another set of footsteps following him.

          “Helios!”

          “Maiden, what are you doing here?” he asked when he turned around and saw Serenity jogging to catch up with him. “Shouldn’t you be heading to the press conference with the others? You don’t want to be late.”

          “I’m the crown princess of Crystal Tokyo and the leader of the Sailor Quartet; they won’t start without me,” Serenity said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “I just wanted to thank you for coming to see my homecoming. It really meant a lot to me that you came.”

          Helios smiled. “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world, my maiden. I’m so proud of all you have accomplished over the past five years. I’m sure you will be a wonderful Sailor Moon, just like your mother.”

          “I hope so. Mama’s boots will be hard to fill.”

          “If anybody can do it, I’m sure you can.”

          A faint blush crossed Serenity‘s cheeks at the compliment. “Are you certain you can’t stay a little while longer, Helios?” she asked. “The feast is going to be fantastic. Jupiter says she oversaw everything, from the roasted duck to the choice of wine.”        

          “I wish I could, but my powers are waning rapidly. I really do need to return to Elysion as soon as possible.”

          Sighing, Serenity buried her face in his shoulder and embraced him tightly, as if physically trying to bind him to her so that he couldn’t leave. “I hate this,” she said, her voice muffled and strained, as if she was trying her best not to cry. “I absolutely hate it. It always feels like we’re saying good-bye.”

          “Maiden…”

          “I know what you’re going to say,” Serenity said, “and I know you’re right. I know I promised you before I left that I would try to get over you, that I would find somebody else to love, somebody who could stay by my side always, but I couldn’t, Helios. I just couldn’t!”

          Smiling, Helios wrapped his arms around Serenity and kissed the top of her head. “I’m glad, my maiden,” he said. A part of him had worried she had taken his words to heart, and his sacrifice would be for nothing. “You have no idea how happy I am to hear that.”

          “You are?” Serenity looked up, wiping away a few wayward tears with her hand. “You aren’t mad?”

          “Mad? Why would I be mad?”

          “Ceres and Diana keep telling me that I should give up on you, that I’m just setting myself up for heartbreak and sorrow if I continue loving you like I do. It‘s the same thing you told me before I left for Fort Crystal to train.”

          “Do you believe that’s true?” he asked, half-afraid to hear the answer.

          To his relief, Serenity shook her head. “No, I don’t,” she declared. “I know it’s impossible for you to remain here with me in Crystal Tokyo, but I would rather have you only some of the time, than to never see you again. That would truly break my heart. I just wish…”

          “What?”

          “No, I won’t say it.” She smiled sadly and reached up to caress his cheek. “To put it into words would make me want it too much, and I know it’s an impossible dream.”

          “There is no such thing as an impossible dream,” Helios said. “Even the impossible can become possible if the wish is strong enough.”

          “Helios, I’m not a little kid anymore. I know the world doesn’t work like that, as much as I wish it did.”

          “You certainly have grown up, haven’t you?” Helios brushed a strand of pink hair out of her eyes and sighed. “Maybe you are right, but never stop believing in that dream, my maiden. No matter how impossible it seems at the moment, I promise you that one day it will come true.”

          For a moment, Serenity’s eyes lit up at his promise, but then she turned around, wrapping her arms around herself in a hug. “Please, don’t say things like that,” she begged, her voice once again strained. “Don’t set me up for disappointment. Ceres and Diana were right about one thing; I can’t keep thinking that we’ll get our happy ending as long as we love each other enough. I love you, Helios, and I’ll keep loving you until the day I die, but I cannot allow myself to hope for more than what we have now. I just have to learn to be satisfied with that.”

          “Maiden…”

          Helios hated hearing her sound so pessimistic, so different from the little girl he remembered, the one who believed all dreams were possible to achieve. He longed to take her in his arms and tell her that he had meant every word, that he was doing everything possible to make her unspoken dream a reality, but King Endymion had sworn him to secrecy, not wanting his daughter to get her hopes up until they had succeeded. Although things had been going well so far, what they were ultimately planning to do had never been done before, and the risks were unknown.

          Reminded of that fact, Helios looked down at his hands, unsurprised to see them fading away. He was at his limit; he could not stay in the human realm for any longer. Glad that Serenity had turned away before she could see, Helios came up behind her and kissed the back of her head.

          “Maiden, I must leave now,” he said, “but, please, no matter what, continue believing in your cherished dream. Good-bye.” 

          With those final words, Helios used the rest of his remaining power to teleport back to Elysion.

          “I am stuffed!”

          The second Serenity returned to her room after dinner, she plopped down on her canopy bed, her stomach full and her spirits high, despite Helios‘ absence. Jupiter had truly outdone herself for their homecoming feast; Serenity couldn’t remember the last time she ate so much in one sitting. Of course, after five years of mostly surviving on meals consisting of food-shaped cardboard, even her mother’s notoriously bad cooking probably would have tasted like a little piece of heaven.

          It truly was wonderful to finally be back home, although Serenity had to admit a part of her felt a bit out of place. She wondered if her feelings weren’t all too different from the way convicts felt after being released from prison after serving a long sentence. While she lived and trained on the moon, it was easy to imagine that time had stopped somehow, but life had continued on Earth as always, bringing about new trends, new technology, new bands, television shows, and movies… She had quite a bit to catch up on.

          Even Helios had changed from the boy she had remembered. The inhabitants of Elysion were blessed with eternal youth, but he had seemed older somehow, more…adult. She couldn’t quite put her finger on what exactly had been different about him, though. Was he taller? She couldn’t tell, due to her own spike in height, which skewed her perception. Or maybe it was his voice? It was still beautiful and ethereal, but she thought she sensed a new richness to it, as if it had deepened slightly.

          After managing to sit back up, Serenity walked over to her walk-in closet and sighed. While the closet used to be filled to the brim with fabulous designer clothes, only two formal dresses and a small selection of casual outfits hung on the hangers. She had long outgrown her old wardrobe, which her parents had most likely donated to charity after she left. She would definitely need to do some shopping before her birthday trip to Elysion.

          Thinking of her birthday celebration, Serenity smiled. She couldn’t wait to see Elysion -- and, more importantly, Helios -- again. Their reunion after her landing had been far too short for Serenity’s taste and slightly soured by the heavy conversation. She had wanted to keep things light and cheery, not to be reminded of the inherent hopelessness of their situation.

          If only she could believe Helios when he said that one day her dream would come true. He seemed so certain of it, somehow, but he, better than anybody, had to know a dream like hers could never become reality, no matter how much she wished it so. Helios was the priest of Elysion, and nothing could ever change that fact.

          “Serenity-sama, what are you doing?”

          Startled from her thoughts, Serenity jumped at the sound of her guardian cat’s voice. “Diana, don’t scare me like that! You nearly gave me a heart attack.”

          “Sorry,” Diana apologized, hopping on Serenity’s slightly rumpled bed. “You just had a funny look on your face, like you were daydreaming.”

          “Oh, I-I did?” To hide her embarrassment, Serenity turned back around to close the door to the closet.

          “You were thinking about him again, weren’t you?”

          There was no hiding anything from Diana. Sometimes Serenity felt as if Diana knew her better than she even knew herself.

          “Maybe,” Serenity said coyly.

          Diana shook her head. “Oh, Serenity-sama, didn’t you hear a word Ceres said earlier on the shuttle?”

          “You mean about how Helios is the priest of Elysion and he will never be able to marry me because of his duty? I believe the conversation vaguely rings a few bells.”

          Diana was not amused. “This situation is hardly something to joke about.”

          “Oh, lighten up, Diana!”

          “I’m just saying that I think you should heed Ceres’ advice,” the cat said. “You’re setting yourself up for heartbreak.”

          Not wanting to hear any more on the subject, Serenity abruptly stood back up. “I think I’m going to take a bath,” she announced, effectively ending the unpleasant conversation.

          “Serenity-sama…”

          Ignoring her well-meaning guardian cat, Serenity headed to her adjoining bathroom and began drawing herself a bath. Nobody understands my feelings, she thought mournfully as she undressed and submerged herself in the hot, bubbly water, lightly scented with lavender.

          Nobody seemed to understand that what she felt for Helios was real, and not some silly schoolgirl crush. In her mind, Serenity knew what Diana and Ceres were saying was true, but her heart refused to listen. Her mother had told her once when she was a little girl to always follow her heart, and even though she was old enough now to realize that wasn’t always the best course of action, her mother’s words were difficult to forget, especially when she was certain that she would never feel the same about another man.

          For her, it was Helios. It would always be Helios, even if they could never truly be together the way she wanted.

          “Maybe I’ll just be a spinster for the rest of my life,” Serenity said aloud to nobody in particular. “Who says I even have to get married? I can be perfectly happy loving Helios from afar…”

          Oh, who was she kidding? She wanted to get married and have a family. That had been a dream of hers for as long as Serenity could remember: to find her Prince Charming and live happily ever after, just like the fairy tales her father used to read to her as a child. It was just her bad luck that the Prince Charming of her dreams happened to be the priest of Elysion.

          With a heavy sigh, Serenity climbed out of the tub and dried herself off. Before she pulled on her nightgown and robe, however, she took the opportunity to admire her nude body in the mirror. Long, toned legs, a small waist, and soft, round breasts -- she had the type of body men lusted after and other women hated her for. Ceres had been right about one thing: with her looks, she could have her pick of suitors, but there was only one man she wanted.

          After getting dressed and brushing her teeth, Serenity returned to her bedroom to find that Diana had already fallen asleep, curled up in a fuzzy gray ball at the foot of Serenity’s bed where she normally slept. They had both had a big day, so, as quietly as she could, Serenity got in bed and snuggled under the covers, dreaming a dream that would never come true.

          Back in Elysion, Helios had finished saying his evening prayers in front of the golden prayer tower. Some of his strength had returned to him, restored by the power of people’s dreams, but he still felt quite weak. Eos and Aurora, his faithful shrine maidens, rushed to his side as he nearly collapsed upon standing, each of them grabbing one of his arms and helping him to walk over to a nearby bench.

          “Thank you,” he said to them as he sat down, grateful for the chance to rest.

          “Helios-sama, you should not have spent so much time in the human realm today,” Aurora lightly scolded him, sitting down beside him on the bench and placing two fingers on the inside of his wrist in order to check his pulse. “You know your powers are not as strong as they once were.”

          “But today was my maiden’s homecoming, Aurora. I could not miss it for the world.” Thinking of his beloved maiden, Helios could not help but smile. No matter how difficult things got for him over the next week leading to Serenity‘s birthday, he knew that if the king succeeded, it would all be worth it in the end. “Where is Hyperion?” he asked, referring to the young boy they had taken in almost five years ago.

          “Training in the Crystal Forest, sir,” Eos answered. “His powers are certainly growing stronger as of late.”

          “Do you think he will be ready in time?”

          She frowned. “It is hard to say. Like I said, his powers are strengthening, but he still has some difficulty controlling them. It may be best to delay the completion of the transfer, at least for a few more months.”

          Helios shook his head. “No, it has to be next week,” he insisted. “It has to be done by the princess’s birthday.”

          “Helios-sama, I understand how much you want to be with Serenity-sama, but you can’t rush things,” Eos said. “It’s not good for you, or for Hyperion.”

          Aurora nodded her agreement. “Eos is right. This is the first time something like this has ever been attempted, so you have to be careful and take things slowly. We aren’t even sure it will work.”

          “It will work.” Helios had to keep believing that, had to keep telling himself that. “It has to.” Feeling a bit stronger, he stood back up. “You said Hyperion was training in the forest? Perhaps I can help him learn to control his powers better.”

          “Helios-sama, no,” Aurora said, reaching out for his arm. “Not tonight. You are far too weak as it is.”

          “I’m fine, Aurora. I can handle it.”

          “No, you can’t.” Her voice was firm and full of authority. “You need to go to bed and get some much needed rest. Eos and I will go to the forest in your stead and oversee Hyperion’s training.”

          “But --”

          “No ‘but’s. Do you want to exhaust what is left of your remaining power before the king even has the chance to complete the transfer? What good will that do anybody?”

          Helios sighed, knowing that Aurora was right. As he was now, he could not risk expending his power unnecessarily. It was too dangerous, for himself and for Elysion. Until the transfer was complete, he was still the priest of Elysion, and his prayers and powers, as weak as they were, were still needed to protect the dream world from the darkness of nightmares.

          “Okay, I will try to get some sleep,” he promised. “Just…help prepare Hyperion for what is to come. Please, he is my only hope.”

          “We will, Helios-sama.”

Chapter Text

          The morning of June 30^th, Serenity awoke with a huge smile on her face. Not only was it her 18^th birthday, but in just a few short hours, she would be with Helios again in Elysion, where they would be able to spend the entire weekend together without worrying about his powers giving out. It truly was the best gift she could have ever hoped for, and she planned to spend every possible moment with the man she loved.

          “Good morning, Serenity-sama,” Diana said as Serenity sat up and stretched her arms over her head. “Happy birthday!”

          “Thank you, Diana.”

          Serenity petted the gray cat on the head, then climbed out of bed, walking over to her closet to pick out what to wear when she arrived in Elysion. As an early birthday present, her parents had presented her with her own credit card, which she had promptly used to go on a shopping spree with her guardian senshi. Her closet, bare just a week ago, was once again filled with all the latest styles.

          After some deliberation, she selected a red-and-white polka-dot printed sundress. It was sweet, but still showed off her womanly curves. She then got dressed, humming a cheerful little tune to herself as she sat down at her vanity and styled her hair in her usual odango, tying red ribbons around them to complement the dress. A ruby necklace and a dab of cherry-flavored lip gloss completed the look.

          “So, how do I look?” Serenity asked her guardian cat after she had finished, standing up and twirling around so Diana could see the full effect. “Do you think Helios will like it?”

          Diana, still sitting on Serenity’s bed, sighed. “You look beautiful as always, Serenity-sama…” she said.

          “But?” Serenity prompted, sensing the cat wanted to add something more to that statement.

          Indeed, Diana appeared to be fighting an internal struggle, biting down on her tongue as if to prevent herself from saying what was really on her mind. “It’s your birthday. so I’m not going to lecture you today,” she finally decided, much to Serenity’s relief.

          “Thanks, I appreciate it, Diana.”

          The last thing she wanted was to be reminded yet again that her love for Helios was ultimately hopeless, especially on her birthday. She was determined not to think about it the entire weekend, if possible. Even if it was only for two days, Serenity wanted to pretend they were a normal couple in love, with their entire lives ahead of them.

          “But…”

          Before Diana could finish thought, however, there was a soft knock on her door. Who could that be? Serenity wondered, walking over to the door to answer it.

          “Surprise! Happy birthday, Serenity-sama!”

          Outside the door, Ceres stood holding a small lit birthday cake, the other three members of her guard blowing noisemakers and tossing colorful confetti behind her. Without being invited in, the four girls came inside and began to sing a rousing chorus of the traditional “Birthday Song”.

          Happy birthday to you!

          Happy birthday to you!

          Happy birthday, dear Serenity-sama!

          Happy birthday to you!

          “And many, many more,” Palla couldn’t resist adding, complete with jazz hands.

          “Guys…” Serenity smiled, touched by the unexpected surprise. “You didn’t have to do this,” she said. “My party isn’t until later tonight.”

          “Yeah, but those royal affairs are always so formal and stuffy,” Juno said, wrinkling her nose in distaste, “and you’ll have to share the spotlight with your mother. We thought it would be more fun to have a private celebration of our own, like we did when we were in training at Fort Crystal.”

          “Besides, we knew you wouldn’t mind an excuse to have two birthday cakes,” Vesta teased, knowing Serenity far too well.

          “Speaking of cakes…” Ceres stepped forward and held up the cake -- a delicious-looking confection covered with creamy strawberry frosting and decorated with red rosettes -- to Serenity. “This thing is getting heavy, and the candles are starting to melt. Make a wish and blow them out, so we can eat.”

          Serenity thoughtfully stared at the eighteen pure white candles and the dancing flames, considering Ceres’ words. “A wish, huh?”

          There was only one true wish in her heart, and it would never come true. She knew that, yet when Serenity closed her eyes in preparation to blow out the candles, all she could see was a vision of a golden-eyed priest, herself standing next to him, dressed in a beautiful white gown befitting a bride -- her most cherished dream.

          Please, no matter how impossible it may be, let Helios be by my side always, she wished, inhaling deeply, then releasing her breath in one long, steady stream.

          All the candles extinguished in one try.

          As his faithful horse Pegasus landed near the Crystal Lake after their final ride together over Elysion, Helios inhaled deeply, taking in the familiar smells of the forest that he had loved for so long. It was hard to believe that in just a few short hours, Elysion would be his home no longer.

          In the five years since he had first put his plan into action, Helios had never really allowed himself to think of “after”. Whether it was because he thought it might jinx things, or because he was afraid if he did, he might change his mind, Helios did not know, but now that the day had arrived, an undeniable sadness had fallen over him, mixed with conflicting feelings of excitement and anticipation.

          After dismounting Pegasus, he led the winged unicorn over to the edge of the lake to quench his thirst. Pegasus, however, ignored the water, nuzzling at Helios’ cheek as if to reassure him that everything would be okay. Though Pegasus did not possess the ability to talk, Helios had cared for him for so long, it sometimes felt like he could actually understand the horse as if he were speaking human language.

          “Oh, I’m going to miss you, boy,” Helios murmured, running his hands over Pegasus’ pure white coat. “You have no idea how much. You, and Aurora, and Eos, and Hyperion…”

          Thinking of the boy who would take his place as the new priest of Elysion, Helios sighed. Over the years of training him, Helios had grown attached to the dreamy, energetic youngster, to the point that Helios almost considered Hyperion like his adopted son. And, like most fathers, he worried how his “son” would fare after he was gone. Hyperion had come far in his training and had accomplished much, but Helios feared he was not quite ready yet to take over the reins on his own, so to speak.

          It was a concern Aurora and Eos both shared as well. The three of them had done everything they could over the past week to try to prepare him for what was to come, but Hyperion still had difficulty in controlling his powers. It wasn’t his fault; the boy tried his best, but he was still green and immature, and his dreamy nature made it hard for him to focus his concentration when in prayer. Even the slightest distraction could cause his mind to wander, although he was getting better at it.

          Ever since the day of Serenity’s return, Eos and Aurora, along with King Endymion, had been trying to convince Helios to give Hyperion more time to mature into his powers. Helios had to admit that would probably be the best course of action, just to be on the safe side, but after waiting over a thousand years for his maiden to return to her proper time, then losing five more years while she trained on the moon with her guardian senshi, he was impatient. He wanted to be with her, and even a month delay would seem like an eternity. Maybe it was selfish of him, and maybe even foolish, but Helios didn’t care, as long as it meant he and Serenity could finally be together.  

          “Helios-sama!”

          Startled from his thoughts by somebody calling his name, Helios turned around to see a young boy running toward him, a huge, ever-present smile on his face. The boy was dressed in a manner similar to Helios, but he did not yet possess the jewel on his forehead that would mark him as the priest of Elysion; that would be bestowed upon him during the final ceremony later that evening.

          “Morning, Hyperion,” Helios said, raising his hand in greeting, as well as to signal the boy to stop before he ran straight into the lake. It wouldn’t be the first time that had happened. “You’re in high spirits as always, I see.”

          Hyperion braked just inches away from the edge, throwing his arms out like wings to prevent himself from falling in. He then turned around and dropped to one knee before Helios, a closed fist over his heart. “Good morning, Helios-sama.”

          Helios motioned for the boy to stand back up. Hyperion’s tendency to treat him with such reverence, as if he was some kind of king or god, had always bothered him, but it felt even more inappropriate now that his replacement was now so much more powerful than he was. “There’s no need for formalities today. You are priest of Elysion in all but in name. If anything, I should bow to you.”

          Silver eyes, the opposite of his golden ones, looked up in surprise. “No, please don’t,” Hyperion said, rising back to his feet. “I am not yet worthy, and I never will be, compared to you.”

          “Don’t think so little of yourself. You will make a fine priest of Elysion.”

          “Do you really think so?”

          Helios smiled. “I would not be able to leave this land I love if I didn’t trust it was in good hands,” he said, placing a fatherly hand on Hyperion’s shoulder. Despite his minor concerns, Helios had confidence that Hyperion would do just fine in his role as the new priest. There would be an adjustment period, obviously, but Earth and Elysion were at peace, so even if the protective barrier was a little weaker than usual, it would be fine. “Tell me, how did your prayer session go?”

          The morning prayers were to be the final test to determine if Hyperion was ready to take on the mantle of priest of Elysion. King Endymion refused to go through with the ceremony until Hyperion proved able to support Elysion through his prayers alone.

          “Eos-san and Aurora-san said I did well,” Hyperion boasted, obviously proud of himself. “I concentrated really hard the whole time, and I didn’t make a single major mistake. Elysion should be protected until after the ceremony.”

          Helios let out a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding. “Wonderful! It seems those concentration exercises Mars-sama taught you have paid off. What about visions? Did you receive any during your prayers?”

          A frown crossed Hyperion’s lips, replacing his satisfied grin, and his eyes darted to the right. “I saw one, but I didn’t understand it,” he admitted. “It was very faint, and I couldn’t hear most of what she was saying.”

          “She?”

          “It was a beautiful woman with long hair. I could not make out more than that.”

          “What did she say? Did you catch anything important at all?”

          Hyperion shook his head, still not looking at him. “I’m sorry, Helios-sama,” he apologized. “She was very pretty, and I think I may have been a little distracted.” A faint blush colored his cheeks. “I know she said my name, and yours a couple of times, but that’s all I really remember save for some random ‘and’s and ‘but’s.”

          Helios resisted the uncharacteristic urge to roll his eyes. He had hoped to convert Hyperion before the boy began to notice the opposite sex, to save him from the complications he had faced when he fell in love with Serenity, but evidently Hyperion had reached puberty a bit ahead of schedule.

          “Well, how did she sound? Act? Did you get the impression that her message was urgent?”

          “No, she just seemed…sad, I guess. I think she was just expressing her regret that you would no longer be the priest of Elysion.”

          Helios pursed his lips. He wished he knew for certain what the woman had said, but it didn’t seem like Elysion was in any kind of danger. The little power he had left consisted of the bond between himself, Elysion, Endymion, and Earth, and he sensed nothing to indicate trouble. Indeed, the pulse of Elysion felt strong and secure, thanks to Hyperion’s prayers of protection. Not all visions were those of warning and premonition, so Helios chose to agree with Hyperion’s interpretation of the vision and pushed it to the back of his mind.

          “If that’s all, then I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about,” Helios finally said, smiling and ruffling the boy’s golden blond hair. “Your ability to receive visions should improve once you receive the blessings of the Golden Crystal. You did well, but, next time, try to keep your hormones in check, okay?”

          Hyperion’s blush deepened, but he nodded, saying, “I will.”

          The two of them sat down on the grass, Hyperion laying on his back with his hands behind his head while Helios looked out onto the clear blue lake. “You know, this is where I first met her,” he said.

          “Princess Serenity-sama?”

          Helios nodded.

          “What is she like, the princess?” Hyperion asked, rolling over on his stomach and propping himself up with his elbows.. “She must be incredibly beautiful for you to give up your life here in Elysion just to be with her.”

          “Yes, she is physically attractive, but it is her soul that is truly beautiful,” he said, smiling as he thought of his maiden. “She is the kindest, sweetest, bravest person I have ever met, and she has so many wonderful dreams. That’s why I’m doing this. I want to make all her dreams come true, no matter what it takes.”

          “But won’t you miss being the priest of Elysion?”

          Helios sighed. “Yes, of course I will,” he admitted. “This has been my home for almost my entire life, and it has been an honor serving as the priest of this land, but I have a new dream now.”

          “To be with the princess?”

          “I want to be by her side for the rest of my life.” 

          At that moment, Helios felt a slight warming in his heart. It meant the king had arrived in Elysion. Hyperion, though his connection was not so strong, appeared to sense King Endymion’s arrival as well. The two of them nodded their mutual understanding, and Helios mounted Pegasus, offering his hand to help Hyperion climb up. They then flew back to the shrine, where both their lives would change forever.

          The first thing Serenity did when the royal family and their entourage of senshi, advisors, and trusted servants arrived at the Golden Palace was look around for Helios. She had assumed he would be there waiting for her, just as anxious to see her as she was him, but the only two people there to greet them were his two shrine maidens, Eos and Aurora. Serenity frowned, but tried not to look too disappointed lest Ceres decided to lecture her again about her hopeless feelings for Helios. Unlike Diana, Ceres had no qualms about scolding her on her birthday and had already made Serenity promise to dance with at least three other available men at her birthday celebration later that night.

          Where is he? Serenity couldn’t help but wonder, though, as Eos and Aurora greeted them and began directing the servants where to take their things. Helios always comes to greet Papa and me when we come to Elysion. Something feels…off.

          Absentmindedly petting Diana, who she carried in her arms, Serenity glanced over at her father and mother, deep in conversation with Aurora. Her father seemed tense, almost nervous -- an unusual occurrence for a man who was normally so self-assured and in control -- and her mother was rubbing circles on his back with one hand, as if trying to relax him. Serenity strained to hear what they were talking about over the hustle and bustle going on around her, but they were speaking in soft voices, and the only words she managed to make out were “Helios”, “crystal”, and “ceremony” before Eos startled her from her concentration.

          “May I show you to your room, Your Highness?” the shrine maiden asked, standing right in front of Serenity so she could no longer spy on her parents without being obvious.

          Serenity wanted to stay and see if she could decipher more of her parents’ and Aurora’s conversation, but a quick, covert look over Eos’ shoulder revealed that the three of them had slipped out of the room while she had been distracted. Resigned, Serenity nodded and allowed the shrine maiden to take her and Diana to the suite where they would be staying for the weekend.

          “I hope these rooms are to your satisfaction,” Eos said, pulling apart a set of velvet drapes covering a large window, which gave them fantastic view of the shrine where she, Aurora, and Helios lived. “Your senshi have been given rooms nearby, and your parents are in the master suite as usual. Diana, your room is just beyond those doors, should you wish to sleep in human form.” She indicated a set of double golden doors leading to a smaller bedroom, then turned back to Serenity. “Is there anything else I can get for you? Extra towels? More blankets?”

          Diana, upon hearing that she had her own room, jumped out of Serenity’s arms and transformed into her teenaged human form. She immediately went to check it out, leaving Serenity alone with Eos and giving the princess the perfect opportunity to ask the shrine maiden about Helios and the conversation she had partially overheard between her parents and Aurora. 

          “No, I think we’re fine for the moment,” Serenity said, taking a seat on the queen-sized bed. “I do have a question, though, if you don‘t mind.”

          “Oh?”

          “Where is Helios?” she asked, trying to sound as casual as possible just in case Eos and Aurora shared Ceres’ and Diana’s opinion of their relationship. “He usually comes to greet Papa as soon as he arrives in Elysion.”

          “Helios-sama?” Eos, turning away from Serenity, began opening the rest of the curtains in the room, letting in the sunlight. “I’m not sure. Perhaps he has gone out for a ride. He likes to take Pegasus out this time of day for exercise.”

          “Knowing that we were to arrive today?” Something about Eos’ behavior told Serenity that the shrine maiden was lying. “That isn’t like Helios.”

          “Maybe he forgot.”

          “My birthday?”

          Eos let go of the curtain she had been tying back, apparently realizing her mistake. Serenity knew that Helios would never forget her birthday and wondered just what everybody was hiding from her.

          “I overheard my parents and Aurora talking about him,” Serenity continued, not giving Eos the chance to come up with another implausible cover story for Helios’ absence.

          “Oh?” The shrine maiden resumed tying back the curtain. “What did they say?”

          “I couldn’t hear much. There was too much going on, and they snuck out before I got the chance to get any closer, but I know I heard Helios‘ name, and I have a feeling you know exactly what they were discussing. Where did they go, and why hasn‘t Helios come to greet me?”

          With a sigh, Eos finally turned back around. “I wish I could tell you, Your Highness, but I promised Helios-sama that I would not say anything to you,” she said.

          “Why?”

          “It’s a surprise,” Eos said, immediately slapping a hand over her mouth. “Oh, you’ve made me say too much already!”

          “A surprise?” Serenity rose from her seat on the bed, her eyes wide. She always loved surprises. “A surprise for me?”

          “Forget I ever said anything. I shouldn‘t have even said that much.”

          “No, wait!” As Eos started to leave, Serenity reached for her arm. “You can’t just tell me something like that, then walk off without telling me what it is. That‘s too cruel.”

          Eos smiled. “Your Highness, you will find out soon enough. Surely, you can wait until tonight’s celebration to find out what it is.”

          “But that’s hours away,” Serenity groaned, acting more like an eight-year-old girl than the eighteen-year-old woman she was supposed to be. “Can’t you at least give me a hint? Just a teeny, tiny one?”

          “Don’t you want to be surprised?”

          “I will be, I promise. It’s just going to drive me crazy if I have absolutely no idea what it’s going to be. All I‘m asking for is a hint, and I promise I won‘t tell Helios that you told me about the surprise.”

          “Well…”

          Conflicted, Eos bit her bottom lip. Serenity could tell that she was dying to spill the beans about what Helios had planned. Between the two shrine maidens, Eos was known as the gossip, and it was always difficult for her to keep secrets. That was why Serenity knew she had a better chance of finding out what the surprise was from Eos, rather than tight-lipped Aurora, who was notoriously difficult to crack.

          “Please, Eos-chan,” Serenity begged, giving Eos her best “pleading eyes”. “Just a little one?”

          “Oh, you know I can never say ‘no’ to you when you do that,” Eos said with a roll of her eyes. “You aren’t playing fair! Fine, just a little hint, but you didn’t hear it from me, okay?” Though they were the only ones in the room, Diana still exploring the rest of the suite, Eos made a show of looking around before cupping her mouth and whispering in Serenity’s ear, “Helios-sama plans to make your most cherished dream come true tonight.”

          “My most cherished dream?”

          Eos brought a finger to her lips, shushing Serenity. “That’s absolutely all you are going to get out of me,” she declared. “Now, I am required back at the shrine. Happy birthday, Your Highness, and I look forward to seeing you tonight at the ball.”

          With a bow of respect, Eos left the suite, leaving Serenity to fall back on her bed and ponder what she had told her. My most cherished dream… How can Helios possibly make something like that come true? she wondered with a sigh, thinking back to the wish she had made that morning on the cake her senshi had made for her. It’s impossible for him to live with me in the human realm, and as much as I would like to live here in Elysion, I have a duty to citizens of Crystal Tokyo; I can’t abandon my responsibilities as crown princess, not even for love.

          But then she remembered the day of her homecoming, and what Helios had told her just before he had to return to Elysion: Continue believing in your most cherished dream. Serenity recalled how certain he had seemed that one day her dream would come true, despite the futility of such a wish, but maybe their situation wasn’t so hopeless after all. Maybe Helios had discovered some way they could be together!

          The moment the forbidden thought came to her, however, Serenity pushed it away. She could not allow herself to hope for that. The disappointment would be too much for her to bear, and she already knew that such a thing was impossible. The surprise had to be something else, but what?

          Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Diana, who had just returned to Serenity’s room, offered to answer it. “This is for Her Highness,” a voice Serenity recognized as belonging to one of her handmaidens said. “Special delivery.”

          “I’ll take it. Thank you, Hitomi-chan,” Diana said, taking whatever the package was and closing the door behind her.

          Serenity sat back up, curious when she saw the garment bag in Diana’s hands. “What is it?”

          Diana grinned. “I believe it’s your dress for tonight’s celebration,” she replied. “Shall I do the honors?”

          Serenity nodded, Helios’ surprise, for the moment, forgotten. “Open it, open it!” she prodded, as anxious to see the dress as Diana was. Her parents had commissioned the one-of-a-kind dress from one of Crystal Tokyo’s top designers months before her return to Earth, so she had no idea what it looked like.

          Diana unzipped the garment bag and gasped as she pulled out the white silk dress and held it up. “Oh, Serenity-sama, it’s gorgeous!”

          Serenity had to agree. She had never seen a more beautiful gown in her entire life. The dress had an empire waist, a row of pearls sown underneath the bust and along the neckline. More strands of pearls served as sleeves, and a lace overlay covered the bodice. The skirt was full and flowing.

          Taking the dress from Diana’s hands, she walked over to a full-length mirror and held the dress in front of her, imagining Helios’ face when he saw her wearing it. It was guaranteed to take his breath away.

          “Why don’t you try it on?” Diana suggested. “Make sure it fits, since you weren’t able to go to any of the fittings.”

          Serenity didn’t need to be persuaded. She immediately went behind the silk screen in the corner of the room and changed, pleased when the dress fit her perfectly. Upon emerging from behind the screen, she twirled around for Diana, who clapped in approval.

          “You look beautiful, Serenity-sama,” Diana gushed as Serenity admired her reflection in the mirror. “It’s almost like you’re a bride on your wedding day!”

          “Tha-- Wait, what did you say?” Serenity abruptly turned back around, her eyes wide.

          Diana, confused, frowned. “What do you mean?”

          “Repeat what you just said.”

          “Uh… It’s almost like you’re a bride on your wedding day?” the catgirl repeated, tilting her head to the side. “Did I say something wrong?”

          Serenity shook her head, bringing her hand to her mouth in shock. Could that be it? she thought, recalling the earlier conversation between her parents and Aurora. They mentioned something about a ceremony. Were they talking about a wedding ceremony? Is that Helios’ surprise?

          “Serenity-sama?”

          They couldn’t live together, but, to her knowledge, there was nothing that said they couldn’t get married. Of course, they wouldn’t have a conventional marriage by any definition of the word… Was it possible?

          “Serenity-sama?”

          In her mind, marriage and living together were always a package deal. She never considered the fact that they could get married and not live together. It would be difficult, certainly, and it wasn’t exactly what she had envisioned earlier that morning when she made her birthday wish, but in light of their situation, it was the next best thing. At least she would get the wedding of her dreams, if not the life.

          “Serenity-sama!” Diana grabbed her by the arm, lightly shaking Serenity back to her senses. “Are you okay?”

          “Hmm?”

          “You spaced out there for a minute. Are you feeling okay?” Diana repeated, placing a hand on her forehead and frowning. “You don’t feel feverish, but you are looking a bit flushed.”

          “I’m fine, Diana,” Serenity assured her, beaming. “In fact, I’m even better than fine!” Taking both of Diana’s hands, she twirled her around in a circle, laughing like a little girl. “I feel wonderful! This is going to be the best birthday ever!”

Chapter Text

          Back at the temple, Helios and Hyperion were preparing for the ceremony. They had spoken with King Endymion earlier, and though the king had expressed mild concern about Hyperion’s vision of the sad woman, he agreed that Hyperion’s control over his powers had become stable enough to support Elysion on his own, meaning, much to Helios’ relief, the ceremony would continue on schedule.

          Helios regretted being unable to greet Serenity before the ceremony, but all involved agreed it was for the best, as it was quite obvious now that he was significantly weakened. His morning ride on Pegasus had tired him more than he had realized, so much so that it was even a strain to undress himself for the ritual cleansing. Eos, who was attending him, stepped forward upon noticing his struggle.

          “Here, let me assist you, Helios-sama,” she said, helping him pull his tunic over his head, then unbuckling his belt.

          “Thanks,” he mumbled, too wiped out to care about modesty. Besides, she had seen it all before.

          When Eos had finished taking off the rest of his clothes, Helios sat down on a bench near the cleansing pool, allowing Eos to scrub his back while he made a valiant effort to wash the rest of his body. After about the third or fourth time the soap slipped out of his hands, however, he gave up, letting Eos take over.

          “You’ll feel stronger after a soak,” Eos said, referring to the healing waters filling the pool, which healed minor physical injuries and refreshed a person’s energy.

          “Yeah.” Helios sighed, slumping over. He would be glad when the transfer was complete and he would begin feeling like himself again -- whoever that might be. It had literally been eons since he had last been completely human, and he only faintly remembered what true mortality felt like.

          “I spoke with Princess Lady Serenity-sama earlier,” the shrine maiden remarked conversationally as she kneeled down in front of him to wash his feet.

          Helios’ back straightened at the mention of his maiden’s name, although he didn’t say anything.

          “She was disappointed when you did not come to greet her when she arrived,” Eos continued. “She kept asking me where you were.”

          “You didn’t tell her about the ceremony, did you?”

          “Umm…well…”

          Looking down, Helios saw that Eos was blushing, although he knew her embarrassment had nothing to do with the fact that he was naked. He sighed, realizing he should have known Eos could never keep a secret.

          “I didn’t tell her…exactly,” Eos finally confessed, her eyes cast downwards. “I just told her you had a surprise planned for her.”

          “That’s all?”

          Again, a pause. “Well, uh, I might have given her a little hint, but I don’t think she realizes what it is yet.”

          “What kind of hint, Eos?”

          “All I said was that you were going to make her most cherished dream come true…”

          “Eos!”

          Helios was not normally prone to loud outbursts, so Eos jumped a little in surprise at the sharpness in his voice, the soap slipping from her hands to the marble floor.

          “I’m sorry!” she said, bowing in apology. “Forgive me, Helios-sama. I know I shouldn’t have said anything, but the princess was so insistent, I couldn’t help myself.”

          “It’s okay, Eos,” he said in a softer, kinder voice, placing a hand on the top of her head and encouraging her to look back up. When she finally did, he smiled, not wanting one of her last memories of him to be of anger. “Really.”

          “Are you sure?”

          “I know how my maiden gets when she’s curious about something. I don’t think even I would have been able to hold out,” Helios said with a soft chuckle. “Besides, you said yourself that she didn’t seem to realize what you were referring to, so it may still be a surprise. It‘s fine.”

          Eos let out a sigh of relief and resumed helping him wash. “Good.”

          Once she had finished dumping several buckets full of the pool’s healing water over Helios’ head to rinse off the soap, he felt strong enough to make it into the pool himself, though Eos still hovered nearby in case he needed a helping hand. It proved unnecessary, however, so, after he was situated, she left to check on Hyperion and Aurora in the other bath. Helios felt the warm waters begin to work their magic as soon as he got in and let out a contented groan as he sat back and relaxed, fully submerged except for his head.

          The purpose of the ritual cleansing was not only to cleanse the body, but to help clear the head as well. Helios, after countless years of practice, normally had no trouble emptying his mind, but found it difficult when all his thoughts were of his maiden and of the wonderful life they would have once he was no longer bound to his duty. He hoped what Eos said was true, and Serenity hadn’t guessed what his “surprise” was. He had been looking forward to seeing her face when he was able to tell her that they could finally be together, like a normal couple.

          He had so many plans, so many things he wanted to do and experience with his maiden. Helios had seen much of the modern world in other people’s dreams, but other than occasional trips to the Crystal Palace, he never had the chance to really see the city and all that it had to offer. He wanted to go on dates with Serenity to her favorite restaurants and explore the places she always told him about, to sunbathe on the beaches along the Sea of Japan and visit the beautiful Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples, and Christian churches he saw in so many dreams of the particularly faithful. And the movies! Serenity liked to describe going to the cinema as being able to see somebody else’s dream (or nightmare, depending on the genre) on screen, and the idea had always fascinated Helios. A dinner and a movie seemed like quite an appropriate idea for their “first” date as a normal couple. From what he understood, it was standard first date fare.

          And afterwards…

          “Helios-sama, it’s time.”

          The sound of Eos’ voice startled Helios from his rather impure thought. Blushing, he craned his neck over his shoulder to see the Maenad standing at the door to the bath, a fresh set of robes in her hands. She set the robes down on the set of shelves near the door and grabbed a large, fluffy white towel, which she unfolded and held up in front of her. “Do you need any assistance getting out?” she asked, coming up behind him.

          Helios quickly shook his head. “I can dress myself,” he insisted, his blush deepening as he looked straight ahead. Despite his lack of modesty earlier, he didn’t want Eos to see his reaction to the arousing image of Serenity he had pictured in his mind just before she arrived. “Would you mind waiting outside for me?”

          “Are you sure?”

          He nodded, and, without argument, Eos refolded the towel and set it down beside the pool before exiting the bathing room. Once she was gone, Helios exhaled, closed his eyes, and emptied his mind as he should have done before. His arousal diminished, he then climbed out of the pool and dried off before putting on the robes Eos had left for him to wear.

          The ceremonial robes were different from his usual attire of a tunic and pants, far more ornate and elaborate. Made of pure white silk, they were embroidered with golden roses, the royal symbol of the ancient Golden Kingdom, and accented by clear, faceted crystals around the collar and wrists. A red sash was tied around the waist like a belt, providing a contrasting pop of color to the otherwise neutral ensemble.

          When finished dressing, Helios turned toward the only full-length mirror in the room, a sad smile on his face as he pressed his right hand against his reflection’s left. The jewel on his forehead glimmered.

          “Goodbye, Priest Helios,” he whispered. “Hello, Helios Nikolopoulos.”

          King Endymion was waiting for Helios and Hyperion in the large chamber where the ceremony would be performed. Unlike the two of them, who were dressed in matching robes, he had donned his family’s prized armor, except instead of the usual red cape, he wore one of gold.

          Helios, along with Hyperion and the Maenads, who were there to assist with the ceremony, dropped to one knee in front of him. “King Endymion-sama…”

          “Arise, there‘s no need for that,” the king said, about as fond as formalities as Helios was. He smiled, descending from the dais where he stood to embrace Helios like a son. “So, it is time.”

          It was a statement, but Helios answered as if the king had asked a question. “Yes, Endymion-sama,” he said. “According to Eos, the sun is about to set. The ceremony must begin precisely at sundown in order to work.”

          Endymion nodded his understanding. “Then I must quickly ask you one last time -- are you certain this is what you want, Helios?” he asked, staring Helios straight in the eye. “It is not yet too late. As long as you are marked as the priest of Elysion, I can still restore your powers to you.”

          For one fleeting moment, Helios considered asking him to do just that. Looking over at Aurora and Eos, the latter who was discreetly wiping away a tear with a handkerchief, he thought of how much he would miss them, his constant companions for as long as he could remember. Though they weren’t related by blood, he considered them sisters of the heart, the only family he had left. The idea of not being able to see them every day was almost unimaginable, but Aurora, perhaps reading his thoughts, put on a brave smile and mouthed the words, “Go for it,” encouraging him to pursue his dream of being with the woman he loved above everything, even Elysion.

          “I’m certain,” Helios declared, turning back toward the king. “I want to stay by your daughter‘s side, no matter what.”    

          The king smiled at his answer. “I could ask for no better partner for my Small Lady. Treat her well,” he said before moving onto Hyperion. Due to the extreme difference in their heights, Endymion kneeled in front of the boy so that they were nearly eye-to-eye. “And, you, young man,” he addressed Hyperion, “are you prepared to sacrifice your mortal life in order to serve Elysion, Earth, and myself? You are still so young, and it is a huge responsibility…”

          “I was all alone,” Hyperion said in a soft voice, barely above a whisper. “My parents had died, and nobody wanted me until I met Helios-sama in a dream. He, Eos-san, and Aurora-san -- they took care of me and treated me like I was a part of their family. I felt like I finally belonged somewhere.” Hyperion briefly glanced over at Helios. “I love them all, and I want Helios-sama to be happy. I’m going to miss him lots, but if I can help make his dream come true, then I want to repay him for all that he’s given me.”

          “But is becoming the priest of Elysion what you truly want for yourself as well, Hyperion?” Endymion asked him. “It is admirable you want to repay Helios for rescuing you from a life of loneliness, but you shouldn’t base your decision on gratitude alone. Nobody here will think less of you, should you change your mind.”

          Helios came up behind Hyperion, placing his hands on the young boy’s shoulders. “The king is right,” he said, kissing the top of Hyperion‘s golden curls. “If my happiness comes at your expense, then I will not be happy at all. I came to you in that dream because I sensed you were one who could take my place, but I have grown to love you as well. I don’t want you to chain yourself to a life you do not want, solely for my sake.”

          Hyperion shook his head. “This is for my sake, as well. I love this land, Elysion. It is my home, the place where I belong. From the moment I first stepped foot in this shrine, I knew becoming priest of Elysion was my calling, my destiny. I can think of no greater happiness or honor than to live here forever with Eos-san and Aurora-san, serving the people of this planet with my prayers.”

          “That’s a fine answer,” the king said, rising back up and placing a hand on the top of Hyperion’s head. “I do believe you will make a wonderful new priest of Elysion.”

          “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

          With the final decision made, the Maenads stepped forward to say their goodbyes. Eos, always the more demonstrative of the two, threw herself in Helios’ arms, hiding her face -- and tears -- in the fabric of his elaborate robes.

          “I’m going to miss you, so, so much,” she sniffled as Helios embraced her in a brotherly hug.

          “Come now, it’s not like we’re never going to see each other again,” Helios reminded her. “Serenity and I will be certain to visit often.”

          “I know, but it won’t be the same.”

          “Maybe not,” he agreed, lifting up Eos’ chin and lightly kissing her on the cheek, “but, no matter what, Eos, you will always be my big sister, even when I’m old and gray.”

          The lame joke managed to bring a small smile to Eos’ lips. “Silly boy,” she said, brushing a strand of his silvery-white hair out of his eyes. “You’re already old and gray.”

          Aurora then came up behind Eos and tapped her on the shoulder. “Eos, don’t be selfish and hoard Helios-sama all to yourself, now. Hyperion and I still need to say good-bye, too, you know, and the sun is about to set.”

          “Sorry.” Wiping away the last of her tears with the palm of her hand, Eos gave Helios a final hug and stepped back. “Good-bye, Helios-sama.”

          “Good-bye, Eos-nee-chan.”

          Aurora was much less emotional when it came to her goodbye, though Helios could tell it was taking all her willpower not to burst into tears like Eos had. “You better be happy,” she said, her voice strained, and poked him in the chest. “I’ll never forgive you if you aren’t. To give up your life here, with us…” She took in a deep breath to compose herself, then continued. “Please, just be happy, Helios-sama. That‘s all I -- no, we -- ask of you.”

          “I will, Aurora-nee-chan,” he promised and embraced her as well. “Thank you, for everything, and good-bye.”

          “Good-bye, Helios-sama.”

          The last one to say farewell was Hyperion, who simply hugged Helios around the waist, so tight he could barely breathe. Words were not needed, and Helios fought back tears of his own as he hugged the boy back. The two of them stayed like that until Aurora announced that it was time to start the ceremony.

          King Endymion resumed his spot on the dais, standing behind a marble podium and carefully opening an ancient leather-bound manuscript to the proper spell needed to perform the transfer. Eos and Aurora stood on either side of the dais, their hands folded in prayer. The two of them were to channel Elysion’s power, which would be combined with the power of Earth’s Golden Crystal during the ceremony.

          Hyperion and Helios were told to kneel down on their knees in the center of the room, directly in front of the dais. Their hands, too, were clasped in prayer.

          Surrounding them were four items, each placed to the north, south, east, and west of them. To the north was a glass of the pool’s mysterious healing water. To the south, a pile of ashes, taken from the shrine’s sacred fire. In the east, one of King Endymion’s trademark roses represented the earth, and in the west, there was a bar of pure gold.

          Back on the dais, just as the last rays of sun were about to set over the horizon, which they could see in the open-air room, King Endymion called forth the Golden Crystal to his hands. The holy light it possessed was nearly blinding. The king held the crystal aloft and began chanting in Terran, the language of the old kingdom. Loosely translated, the chant read:

          Water, Fire, Wood, and Metal

          Four elements created this Earth

          But a Dream gave it life

          Guardian of dreams, priest of holy Elysion

          You wish to end your endless dream

          And pass it on to another

          Golden Crystal, soul of Earth,

          Grant this final wish to your loyal servant

          And break the bond binding him to us

          Look favorably upon the candidate;

          Open your heart to him

          And mark him as successor

          Let this old Dream die at the sunset,

          Let a new Dream begin with the sunrise

          May the bond of Earth and Elysion, royal and priest

          Be reborn anew, strong and forever impenetrable.

          As the king finished reading the spell, the Golden Crystal’s light grew even brighter still, filling the entire room as if it were a sun. Helios closed his eyes, unable to look at it without being blinded, but he could faintly hear Eos’ and Aurora’s melodic voices chanting their prayers, calling forth Elysion’s power. Moments later, he suffered a pain like none other he had ever experienced before.

          It felt like his very soul was being ripped from his body, and his forehead burned with a feverish fire. Helios bit down on his lip to prevent himself from screaming in agony, but he could not stop the tears from freely flowing down his cheeks. His hands, no longer folded, clinched into fists as he crumpled over from the overwhelming pain, and the only thought in his mind was, “Make it stop! Make it stop!”

          And, suddenly, it did.

          He felt…nothing.

          “Helios! Somebody, get Mercury! Hurry!”

          The last thing he remembered was the king shouting his name and somebody -- Eos? -- crying before the world went black.

          Though the celebration was in full swing, Serenity was not enjoying herself much.

          She had yet to see Helios. Despite Eos’ earlier assurance that he would be there with some wonderful surprise birthday gift for her, he was not present at the party. In fact, the Maenads appeared to be missing as well, along with her father, who had disappeared shortly after presenting her and her mother to their guests.

          Serenity had no idea where they could all be. Preparing her gift? The ballroom had been beautifully decorated in shades of pink, white, and silver -- her and her mother’s favorite colors -- but she had been disappointed when she came downstairs and saw nothing to indicate a wedding was to take place -- no altar, no aisle, no string quartet playing “Here Comes the Bride” as she descended the staircase with her parents. It appeared to be just a regular birthday party.

          But maybe the wedding was to take place somewhere else: the gardens, perhaps, or maybe the shrine. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. Helios wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise by being so obvious. He most likely planned to propose to her first at the party, then have everybody follow them to the true wedding venue for the ceremony itself.

          “But where is he?” Serenity muttered to herself, weaving through her guests for what seemed the hundredth time, looking for a hint of short silver-white hair.

          “Sm-- I mean, Serenity-chan,” a soft voice said, somebody reaching for her arm. “There you are!”

          Serenity, not wanting to seem rude, stopped and turned around. “Oh, Mercury-sama, hello.”

          The soldier of water smiled and gave her a hug. “Happy birthday, Sm-- Serenity-chan,” she said, correcting herself for the second time with an apologetic bow. “I’m sorry. It’s just so difficult to break the habit of calling you Small Lady after so many years, although you are obviously no longer ‘small’. I can‘t believe you are finally eighteen!”

          “It’s okay. Even my parents sometimes slip up on occasion,” Serenity assured her, none-too-subtly looking over Mercury’s left shoulder. A man with silver hair had caught her eye, but she sighed when he turned around, giving her a good look at his faintly wrinkled face. Definitely not Helios.

          “Looking for someone?”

          “Sorry.” Serenity blushed, realizing her rudeness. “Um, but, well, now that you mention it, have you seen Helios?”

          “Helios-sama? No, I’m afraid I haven’t.”

          “Oh.”

          “But I’m sure he’ll be here soon,” Mercury added, upon seeing her disappointment. “He’s been greatly looking forward to tonight.”

          “He has?” Serenity brightened, but before she had the chance to ask Mercury why, they were interrupted by a breathless Aurora, who grabbed Mercury by the arm. “Oh, Aurora-chan, there you are! Where’s He--”

          The Maenad ignored her, seemingly unaware of her presence. “Mercury-sama, come quickly!” Aurora said, pulling at Mercury’s arm. The usually calm woman was bordering on hysterics. “The shrine! Something’s gone horribly wrong! It’s Helios-sama!”

          For a moment, it felt like time itself had stopped, like the planet had stopped turning on its axis. Serenity was paralyzed, her breath caught in her throat, and her heart seized up as if somebody had punched a hole in her chest and grabbed it in their hand, squeezing it like one would do an orange. She faintly heard voices around her, but it sounded like they were miles away, echoes in a cavernous canyon. 

          It can’t be true, Serenity thought. Helios is okay. He has to be okay. He just fell from a ladder, trying to hang up some wedding decorations, and broke his leg, that’s all, right? It can’t be anything worse than that. He’ll be okay.

          When she finally regained awareness of where she was, Mercury and Aurora were already gone. Serenity remembered Aurora saying something about the shrine, so she gathered the full skirt of her white gown in her hands and ran out of the ballroom, only faintly aware of her mother and Diana calling out her name. They may have been following after her, but Serenity didn’t look back to check, only stopping for a moment to kick off her high heels as she hit the grass.

          “Please be okay, Helios,” she prayed. “You have to be okay!”

          She was not known for athletic ability, but Serenity ran faster than she ever had before, her heart pounding against her ribcage. When she finally reached the shrine, she caught sight of Mercury and Aurora heading inside. Pushing her body to the limit, she struggled to catch up with them, following them to a room she had never seen before.

          In the room, Helios lay prone on the floor, her father leaning over him, giving him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Eos was sobbing, and a young boy -- maybe about ten or so -- who Serenity did not recognize had buried his face in the fabric of the Maenad’s flowing dress. 

          It took Serenity a moment for the full impact of what was happening to hit her. Again, the world seemed to stop, although people were still moving around her. Maybe it was spinning around instead, out of control -- that would explain the queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Mercury took over performing the chest compressions from her father, while Aurora joined Eos and the boy, embracing her fellow Maenad, who continued crying on her shoulder. Nobody seemed to realize Serenity was there.

          Serenity stepped forward, her body feeling impossibly heavy. She wanted to scream, yell, but her voice was silent, her lips simply mouthing the words.

          This can’t be happening. This is a nightmare. It can’t be real.

          Forcing her leaden right arm to move, Serenity pinched the other, the pain bringing tears to her eyes and awakening her from her stupor, although not from the nightmare in front of her. No, it was very real, and Serenity cried out, running toward to the spot where Mercury and her father were still trying to revive him.

          “Helios!”

          Her father threw back an arm, signaling her not to come any closer, “Usagi, stay back,” he ordered, her voice harsh and very unlike him.

          Serenity didn’t listen, dropping to her knees beside him and Helios. Helios was so pale and lifeless, almost like a ghost… “W-What happened?” she asked as his father resumed breathing into Helios‘ mouth. “What’s wrong with him? Is he going to be okay?”

          “Serenity-chan, please, listen to your father,” Mercury said. “Let us handle it.”

          “But --”

          Somebody took Serenity by the arm, pulling her back up to her feet and away from Helios. “Come on, sweetheart,” her mother’s soothing, yet strained, voice said, her arm wrapped around Serenity‘s shoulder in comfort. “Papa and Mercury are doing their best to save him, so don‘t distract them.”

          “B-But I don’t understand. Why is he like this? What happened? What’s going on?” With every question, Serenity became more and more hysterical, hugging her mother tightly as sobs erupted through her body. “Tell me, Mama, why is this happening? Why Helios? Will he be okay? Please, tell me he will be okay!”

          Her mother had no answers for her, at least none she was willing to reveal. She simply held Serenity closer to her, kissing the top of her head.

          Over her mother’s shoulder, Serenity saw others had gathered in the room as well -- Diana in cat form and her four guardian soldiers, who had most likely followed after Diana and the queen. They all stayed back, however, for which Serenity was grateful.

          After what seemed like an eternity, her father finally said the words Serenity most wanted to hear:

          “He’s breathing again.”

          Relief washed over her, and Serenity’s legs buckled underneath her, pulling her mother down with her. He’s still alive! Thank goodness!

          “But his pulse is still weak,” Mercury said. “We need to get him to Crystal Tokyo, now.”

          Her father nodded his understanding and clasped the water soldier’s hand, the two of them taking each of Helios’ hands with their free ones. Glowing shades of blue and gold, the three of them shimmered briefly, then disappeared into thin air.

          It was dark. So very, very dark…

DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon is the property of Naoko Takeuchi.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Special thanks to my editor Starsea.

Chapter Text

          Back when they were training on the Moon, Sailor Uranus would often have Serenity and the Sailor Quartet perform arduous, exhaustive training exercises, meant to build up their physical strength and endurance. Serenity took to calling them torture sessions, for she could not imagine experiencing a worse pain.

          Those exercises were almost fun in comparison to the real torture of sitting in the waiting room of Crystal Tokyo General Hospital, waiting for Dr. Mizuno Ami, the civilian guise of Sailor Mercury, to return with news on Helios’ condition.

          Serenity had managed to piece together a rough explanation of what had happened, based on things she had overheard. Evidently, the “ceremony” her parents and Aurora had spoken about earlier was not a wedding ceremony, as she assumed, but a ceremony meant to strip Helios of his powers and name a new priest of Elysion: the boy she had noticed earlier, crying into Eos’ dress. Something -- nobody seemed to know what exactly -- had gone wrong with the ceremony, however, and Helios had suffered the brunt of it, almost dying in the process. Fortunately, Mercury and her father, who had studied to become a doctor before ascending the throne of Earth, had managed to save him from that fate -- for the moment, at least -- but they had not heard anything new about Helios’ condition since her father had joined them in the waiting room, informing them that Mercury and the other doctors were still working to stabilize him.

          Helios had yet to regain consciousness.

          “I never should have made that stupid wish,” Serenity muttered to herself, thinking back to that morning when she had made her birthday wish. If only she hadn’t been so selfish…

          Ceres, who was sitting beside her on the couch, wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Serenity-sama, this isn’t your fault,” she said softly. “You mustn’t blame yourself for what happened.”

          “Isn’t it, though?” she asked. “Helios knew how much I wanted us to be together. He never would have agreed to give up his priesthood if it wasn’t for me.”

          “You never asked him to do that.”

          “Only because I didn’t think it was possible! If I had known…” Serenity felt herself tearing up again, and she closed her eyes to compose herself before continuing, her hands clutching at the skirts of her ballgown. “I should have just listened to you and Diana. If I had ignored my feelings for Helios like you wanted me to and found somebody else to love, this never would have happened. It‘s all my fault.”

          “Serenity-sama, I --”

          Before Ceres could finish her thought, however, Mercury, dressed in a lab coat with the name Dr. Mizuno Ami on the ID card, entered the waiting room. Serenity was the first to jump up, followed shortly by her father. Soon, everybody had gathered around the doctor, anxious to hear the latest news.

          “Mer-- I mean, Mizuno-sensei, how is he?” her father inquired, asking the question Serenity was almost afraid to hear the answer to.

          “We were able to stabilize him,” Mercury announced, “but I’m afraid he is completely unresponsive to external stimuli.”

          The brief feeling of immense relief that had washed over Serenity at the first piece of news faded with the second. “Unresponsive? What does that mean?”

          Her father looked grim as her mother wrapped an arm around his waist. “It means Helios is still unconscious. He’s in a coma.”

          Mercury frowned, looking down at Helios’ chart. “Helios-sama’s Glasgow level is at a 3, indicating that he is, indeed, in a very deep coma, but there’s something unusual about his case that I can’t quite explain.”

          “Unusual?” Aurora repeated. Eos was leaning on her for support. “In what way?”

          “According to the tests we’ve run, there’s nothing physically or neurologically wrong with Helios-sama. In fact, scans show his brain activity is comparable to a healthy person at rest, and he is able to breathe on his own without the aid of machines. There’s no medical reason why he should not be regaining consciousness, yet he hasn’t.

          “In other words, the lights are off, but somebody’s home,” Juno quipped, twisting the colloquialism.

          Ceres, who was standing beside Juno, jabbed her in the side with her elbow. “Juno!”

          “Actually, Juno, that is an apt metaphor,” Mercury said. “We often tell the families of coma patients that their loved one is in a state similar to a very deep sleep, but in Helios’ case, that is literally true. He’s sleeping, but he is unable to wake up for some reason.”

          “He’s kind of like Sleeping Beauty, then,” Vesta said. “Or, I guess Sleeping Handsome would be more appropriate, huh?”

          Until then, Serenity had been in a bit of a daze, only vaguely understanding what Mercury and the others were talking about. Vesta’s comment snapped her out of it.

          “Sleeping Beauty?” Her eyes widened, and she grabbed Mercury’s arm. “Mercury, where is Helios?” she demanded to know. “I have to see him!”

          Her mother, letting go of her father, came up behind her, placing her hands on Serenity’s shoulders. “Usagi, I don’t think that’s such a good idea at the mo--”

          Serenity ignored her mother. “Mercury, please! Take me to him! It’s important!”

          “Visitation hours have already ended, but I suppose we can make an exception in this case,” Mercury consented, a sympathetic look in her eyes. Speaking to the others, she said, “The rest of you should return to the palace and try to get some sleep. It’s been a long night, and there’s nothing you can do for Helios-sama by staying here. I’ll contact you all the moment something changes in his condition.”

          “Eos and I would like to stay, if you don’t mind,” Aurora declared. “We don’t mind sleeping on the couches.”

          “What about Hyperion?” Serenity’s father asked. The new priest of Elysion had not come with them, having collapsed from exhaustion shortly after Mercury and the king had teleported Helios to Crystal Tokyo. His condition had not been serious, but Pallas had agreed to stay with him in Elysion, allowing Aurora and Eos to be there for Helios. “Shouldn’t one of you go back to the shrine and update him and Pallas on Helios’ condition? I know they must be worried.”

          Eos reluctantly let go of her hold on Aurora. “I’ll go.”

          “Are you sure?” Aurora asked.

          She nodded. “I’ll be fine, Aurora. The king is right. Somebody should be there for Hyperion. He’s been through a lot as well.”

          Diana, back in her human form, as cats were not allowed in the hospital, stepped forward. “If Serenity-sama is staying, then so am I.”

          “As the leader of the Sailor Quartet, the princess’ guardian soldiers, I will stay as well,” Ceres decided, joining Diana.

          “We all will,” Juno said.

          “No, that’s not necessary. You two go back to the palace with everybody else. I can handle things here on my own.”

          “But, Ceres…” Vesta protested.

          “That is an order.”

          It was decided that everybody save for Serenity, Aurora, Diana, and Ceres would return back to the palace. After the rest said their good-byes, Mercury showed Serenity the way to Helios’ room. The others had wanted to accompany her for moral support, but Serenity insisted on seeing Helios alone. When they finally reached his private room, she did a double-take at the name on the door.

          “Helios Nikolopoulos?” she read, stumbling over the unfamiliar surname. It appeared to be Greek, but Serenity wasn’t positive.

          “It was the identity he planned to assume once he left Elysion,” Mercury explained. “I helped him forge the required paperwork, which I must confess was not easy. My Greek was rusty, but Helios was apparently born in the area we now call Greece, so he knew some of the language, if a more archaic form of it.”

          Helios had been born in Greece? He had never told Serenity that. She had always assumed he had been born in Elysion and had always been priest of the holy land.

          “You knew what he was planning?”

          “We all did, your parents and us senshi -- at least, Mars, Jupiter, Venus, and I did. Your senshi had no idea this was in the works, as we began planning this soon after you left for training,” Mercury answered before Serenity could ask. She opened the door, showing Serenity in. “I have other patients I should check on, so I will leave you here. If anything happens, press the blue button above his bed and I, or another doctor, will come as quick as we can.”

          “Thank you, Mercury.”

          Serenity entered the dimly lit room, Mercury closing the door behind her. Hesitantly, she stepped toward the bed where Helios lay. She had expected him to be hooked up to a multitude of machines, but save for a heart monitor and the IV in his arm, providing him nourishment, he looked like he was merely sleeping.

          “Helios…” She took a few more steps forward, perching herself on the edge of the bed. “Helios, it’s me.” She reached for his hand and pressed it against her cheek, taking comfort in how warm it felt against her skin. “Can you hear me? If you can hear me, give me a sign. Move your fingers, open your eyes…anything!”

          Though she was unsurprised when he failed to respond, her eyes watered with unshed tears. Serenity set his hand back down at his side and brushed the hair out of the way of his closed eyes.

          “Your jewel…” She placed a finger on the spot on his forehead where the jewel marking him as the priest of Elysion once was. “It’s gone. You really did it; you gave up your priesthood for me.” The tears began to fall. “Why did you have to go so far, Helios, knowing how dangerous it might be? We could have been happy the way things were before. It would have been difficult, but we could have made it work, somehow.”

          Wiping away the tears with the palm of her hand, she composed herself and managed a weak smile. “You know, when Eos-chan told me you were planning to make my most cherished dream come true tonight, I thought you were going to ask me to marry you,” she admitted. “I had this whole picture in my mind of what would happen: I’d come down the stairs, wearing this beautiful, custom-made white dress that looked almost like a wedding gown, and you would be standing there at the bottom, in absolute awe of my beauty. Then you would get down on one knee and present me with a beautiful, flawless pink diamond solitaire ring as you asked me to be your wife. I would be so excited, I wouldn’t even let you finish proposing before saying ‘yes’.” Serenity laughed a little at the thought. “After that, we’d decide we didn’t want to wait any longer, so we would grab a priest or a judge who you had cleverly invited to the party and get married right there on the spot, in front of all our family and friends. And later that night…”

          Her cheeks burned, and she was glad nobody was there to see her embarrassment.

          “I would have been happy with that, Helios,” she continued, pushing the image of their hypothetical wedding night out of her head. “Even if you couldn’t stay by my side, to know you were mine, and mine alone, would have been enough. Why did you have to go so far?”

          Serenity reached for the broach she had pinned to the front of her dress, feeling the power of her crystal inside. “Are you really Sleeping Beauty, waiting for the kiss of your one true love to awaken you?” she asked, her voice cracking as she tried to hold back another round of tears. “I was able to revive you once before with my kiss, remember? When you had used up all your powers to save Mama and Papa during the battle with the Dead Moon, everybody thought you were dead, but I knew it couldn’t be true. The power of my Pink Moon Crystal was able to awaken you, so maybe it can again.”

          She leaned over, pressing her lips against his. Helios remained unresponsive.

          The tears now freely flowed, and she made no attempt to stop them, tasting the salt on her lips. “Helios, kiss me!” she ordered, kissing him again. “Kiss me back! Please, Helios! Kiss me back! Kiss me --”

          It was no use. Realizing that fairy tales rarely happened in real life, Serenity lay down beside him on the bed and sobbed herself to sleep.

          Darkness was all around him, a never-ending blackness that put the starless night to shame.

          He felt, rather than saw, that he was naked, bumps of gooseflesh dotting his skin. Drawing his legs up to his chest in an attempt to warm himself, he discovered he was floating, as there was no ground to speak of in the desolate nothingness. There was no sky, either, no blazing sun or glowing moon to remind him of his king and maiden.

          All there was…was emptiness.

          “Where am I?” Helios asked aloud, his voice sounding unnaturally loud in the quiet. He winced at the volume.

          Nobody answered him, but he could faintly hear a strange, incessant beeping sound and some other voices in the distance, muffled conversations he couldn’t quite understand. He turned his head in the direction he thought they might be coming from, yet the words did not become any clearer to him. He couldn’t even discern what language they were speaking.

          “I’m over here!” he yelled in Terran, the language he was most comfortable speaking. Again, the sound of his voice hurt his ears, but he did not know how far away the other voices were.  “Can anybody hear me?”

          The voices continued speaking uninterrupted, and Helios sighed, realizing they could not hear him after all. Where were they? If only he had a source of light, he might be able to find and join them. As the situation stood, however, it was pointless to go off on his own, wandering aimlessly in a boundless world. His only hope was that they would eventually find him instead.

          Hugging his knees even more tightly to his chest to ward off the chill, Helios struggled to remember how he had ended up in such a world. His final memories were vague and incomplete. He remembered feeling pain -- such horrible, overwhelming pain -- and somebody had yelled his name: a man’s voice. Endymion? And somebody had been crying. One of the Maenads, he thought. Eos, probably. She was always the more emotional one.

          But why had Eos cried? Because of him?

          What had happened to him?

          “Am I dead?” he whispered. “Is this Heaven?”

          No, it couldn’t be. Heaven was supposed to be a place of forever bliss. There was nothing blissful about this cold, dark world.

          “Hell? But what sin have I committed, to deserve such a punishment?”

          As expected, nobody answered him. In fact, the voices were becoming fainter and fainter, until they soon disappeared altogether. Once again, it was quiet.

          “It’s freezing,” he said softly to himself, trying to fill the silence. Helios rubbed at his arms, but the friction did little good. What he wouldn’t give for some clothes, or even just a blanket! “If I’m not dead already, then I’m certain to freeze to death in this condition. I should probably move around some…”

          But that was easier said than done. Without a ground to set his feet on, he could neither run nor walk. Instead, Helios began flapping his arms and legs around in an imitation of swimming, finding himself able to “swim” through the blackness. The physical activity did him good, but he could only keep it up for a short distance before he grew too tired to continue.

          As Helios once again curled up in the fetal position, his thoughts turned to food. More specifically, why he didn’t feel hungry. It seemed as if hours had passed since he first arrived in this place, yet he felt no pangs of hunger or thirst. Indeed, he felt as if he had just finished eating a five-course dinner, his stomach full and satisfied. He wasn’t complaining, since there appeared to be no food around for him to eat, but it was disconcerting all the same.

          What was this place?

          The question echoed in his mind as Helios felt his eyes start to close. He knew it probably wasn’t a good idea to sleep, but his lids felt like they were made of lead, and he was too tired to struggle to keep awake. Just as he was about to surrender himself to the Sandman’s magic, however, he was jerked back awake by the sound of another voice.

          “Helios… It’s me… Can…hear me? If you can…me, give…sign. Move…fingers… Your eyes…anything!”

          His eyes widened, and he frantically looked around for the source of the voice, his beloved maiden. He would recognize her voice anywhere.

          “Serenity, I can hear you,” he called out. “Where are you? I can’t see anything in this darkness.”

          Her voice became clearer, yet like the others, she didn’t appear to be able to hear him. “Your jewel… It’s gone. You really did it; you gave up your priesthood for me. Why did you have to go so far, Helios, knowing how dangerous it might be? We could have been happy the way things were before. It would have been difficult, but we could have made it work, somehow.”

          “What are you talking about, Serenity?” Helios asked, his hand reaching up to touch his forehead where the jewel marking him as priest of Elysion sat. “My jewel? What did I --?”

          The skin was smooth. The jewel was gone.

          The memories came back to him in a rush. It had been Serenity’s birthday, and he and Hyperion had decided to go through the final ceremony, which would strip him of his priesthood and name Hyperion as the new priest of Elysion. But something had gone wrong, terribly wrong. He had collapsed, and the next thing he knew, he had appeared in this world of darkness.

          “So, I really must be dead,” he realized, only half-paying attention to Serenity’s words. She was talking about a wedding, or something, but it seemed unimportant in light of his revelation. He would never see Serenity again…

          “Maiden, I’m sorry,” he whispered, knowing she wouldn’t hear him anyway, even if he yelled the apology at the top of his lungs. “I’m so, so sorry. I only wanted to make your cherished dream come true. I never thought it would come to this. I just wanted to be by your side. Please, for--”

          “Are you really Sleeping Beauty, waiting for the kiss of your one true love to awaken you?” Serenity asked, her words catching his attention once again.

          Sleeping Beauty? Why was she talking about some children’s fairy tale?

          “I was able to revive you once before with my kiss, remember? When you had used up all your powers to save Mama and Papa during the battle with the Dead Moon, everybody thought you were dead, but I knew it couldn’t be true. The power of my Pink Moon Crystal was able to awaken you, so maybe it can again.”

          “Then I’m not…dead?” Helios murmured. “I’m asleep? Then that must mean…”

          At that moment, he was overcome by warmth, and his skin began to glow a soft pink. “Maiden…”

          It was the power of her crystal; he could feel it. There was no mistaking the sense of love and light filling him, so much like her mother’s Silver Crystal, yet distinctly her own.

          “Helios, kiss me!” she said. “Kiss me back! Please, Helios! Kiss me back! Kiss me --”

          He wanted nothing more than to do just that, but when he heard Serenity’s heart-wrenching sobs, Helios knew that whatever she had tried to do to awaken him had not worked.

          He was in a coma, and he now knew without a doubt where he was.

          Mu.

          The land between life and death.

Chapter Text

          The next morning, Serenity was awakened by somebody gently shaking her by the shoulder. Her eyes fluttered open, and the first thing she saw was Helios’ sleeping face, so peaceful and child-like. She smiled at the sight until she became aware of the soft beats coming from his heart monitor. Remembering where she was, she turned to her other side to face the person who had awakened her.

          “Eos-chan?” Her voice was dry and hoarse due to having spent most of the night in tears. “What are you doing here? I thought you went back to Elysion.”

          The Maenad, who was dressed in unfamiliar modern clothes instead of her usual Grecian-style gown, bowed her head as Serenity fully sat up. “Good morning, Your Highness,” she said, handing Serenity a cup of coffee. “It’s not very good, but I thought you could use some caffeine.”

          “Thanks.” Serenity took a hesitant sip and immediately made a face. “Not very good” was an understatement, but she was thirsty, so she drank some more. “What time is it?”

          “Almost ten.”

          Unlike her mother, who notoriously liked to sleep in whenever she had the chance, Serenity was an early riser like her father. She rarely slept past eight. At least it was a Sunday, so she didn’t have to worry about school -- not that she would have gone anyway even if it had been a school day.

          “I brought you a change of clothes,” Eos continued when Serenity didn’t say anything, holding up a bag. “It must have been uncomfortable sleeping in that fancy dress.”

          Until Eos mentioned it, Serenity had forgotten she was still wearing her ballgown. She reached up, running her fingers through her tangled hair, and groaned. “I must look a fright.”

          “There’s a shower in there.” Eos nodded toward the door that didn’t lead out into the hall and handed Serenity the bag. “You’ll feel better after cleaning up some. I also packed some toiletries.”

          “Thanks.” A shower did sound nice. Finally sliding out of bed, she turned around and held her messy, half-undone hair out of the way. “Will you help me out of this thing?”

          “Of course.” Eos came up behind her and unzipped the back of the dress. “It’s a shame that Helios-sama never got the chance to see you in this,” she said. “You really did look beautiful.”

          Serenity didn’t say anything, struggling to hold back another round of tears that threatened to come forth at the sound of Helios’ name. She let the dress fall down to her ankles, leaving her in just her undergarments, and headed to the Western-style bathroom, where she finished undressing and stepped underneath a stream of scalding-hot water.

          It was only then that she released the tears she had been holding back, falling to her knees as the water pelted down on her. She had thought she had cried every last tear possible the night before, but evidently, she hadn’t. Heaving sobs tore through her body as she rocked herself back and forth.

          Helios, why won’t you wake up? she wondered. Why didn’t my crystal work this time? 

          Those two questions had weighed heavily on her mind ever since her failed attempt to awaken Helios from his coma. It didn’t make sense. Her crystal was stronger than it had been in the past. It should have worked. What had she done wrong?

          Again, no answer came to her. Standing back up, Serenity calmed herself back down and finished taking her shower. She then got dressed in the jeans and tank top Eos had brought for her, wiping away the last remnants of tears before heading back to Helios’ room.

          “You look better,” Eos commented as Serenity closed the door behind her. The Maenad had taken her spot on Helios’ bed, grasping one of his hands, which she released when she saw Serenity. “I’m sorry,” she apologized, faintly blushing. “I took your seat. I’ll --”

          Serenity held up a hand. “It’s fine, Eos-chan,” she said, walking to the foot of the bed. “You care about him, too. I shouldn’t be selfish.”

          Eos had started to get up, but settled back down on the bed. “Mer-- I mean, Mizuno-sensei came by while you were in the shower. There‘s been no change since last night.”

          “Oh.” A part of her had hoped that even if her crystal had failed to completely wake him up, it might have at least improved his condition. Apparently, that had not been the case. “I asked you earlier,” Serenity said, returning to the question she had asked when she first woke up, “but why are you here, Eos-chan? I though Aurora-chan had stayed, and you had gone back to Elysion to check on Hyperion-sama.” It felt strange referring to the young boy in such a reverential manner, but as he was now the new priest of Elysion, it seemed appropriate.

          “Aurora and I are bound by the same limitation as Helios-sama is -- I mean, was,” Eos corrected herself. “We cannot stay in the human realm for long periods of time, so we decided to take turns staying with him. I just arrived an hour ago to relieve her. By the way, we are posing as Helios-sama’s sisters, if anybody asks.”

          That made sense and explained the strange clothes. “And the others? Where are Diana and Ceres?”

          “Diana went out to buy us some breakfast. She should be back soon. As for Ceres, Pallas came back with me and managed to convince her to go home and get some rest. From what Diana’s told us, Ceres had been standing guard over you almost the entire night.”

          “I see. I didn’t realize…” That meant that Ceres had most likely heard her crying last night.

          “Endymion-sama is here, too,” Eos informed her. “Mizuno-sensei told me when she came by earlier. He’s trying to help the doctors with Helios-sama’s case.”

          “Papa?”

          Eos sighed. “I think the king feels guilty for what happened, like it’s his fault that something went wrong with the ceremony. Endymion-sama briefly returned to Elysion to check on Hyperion-sama last night, and, while he was there, he took a stack of books from our library, saying that he would find a way to bring Helios-sama back, even if it was the last thing he did. He seemed…angry at himself.”

          “He shouldn’t blame himself!” Serenity exclaimed. “It’s not his fault. It was just an accident, a horrible, terrible accident…”

          Craning her neck around, Eos gave her a small, sad smile. “Does that mean you’ve stopped blaming yourself as well?” she asked. “I’m sorry. I overheard you talking to Ceres last night in the waiting room.”

          “That’s…different.” Serenity tightened her grip on the footboard of the bed. “Helios did this for me. If I hadn’t been so selfish, wanting him to always be by my side…”

          Eos slid off the bed, coming up behind Serenity and placing her hands on her trembling shoulders. “You are one of the most selfless people I know, Your Highness,” she said. “It’s one of the things Helios-sama loves most about you. You never asked him to give his priesthood; it was his decision to do so, made of his own free will.”

          “B-But --”

          “You may say he did it for you, but, to be honest, I think he ultimately did it for himself. Helios-sama wanted to be with you, Serenity-sama, no matter what it took.”

          Her words did little to lessen Serenity‘s feelings of guilt, though she appreciated Eos trying to make her feel better. Turning around, she gave the Maenad a small half-smile just as there was a knock on the door. Eos walked over to the door and opened it, letting in Pallas and Diana, whose hands were full with several boxes of donuts and pastries from Serenity’s favorite bakery and cups of coffee from a well-known coffee shop.

          “I didn’t know what everybody wanted, so I got a little of everything,” Diana said as Eos unburdened her of some of the packages and set them on a small table in the corner of the room. “I hope everyone is hungry.”

          In light of everything that had happened, food had been the last thing on Serenity’s mind, but the smell of freshly-baked goods and gourmet coffee reminded her that she hadn’t eaten since lunch the day before. She never even got the chance to enjoy her second birthday cake. Her stomach growled ferociously in hunger, causing the three other girls to hide their amused chuckles behind their hands, and even a blushing Serenity had to smile a little as she took a chocolate-frosted donut from the box Diana offered to her.

          “I’ll take that as a ‘yes’.”

          The world was dark and cold again.

          The effects of the Pink Moon Crystal’s power had not lasted long, disappearing shortly after its owner had given up upon failing to awaken him from his coma. However, Helios soon became accustomed to the nothingness, the cold barely registering in his mind. His discomfort was nothing compared to the pain his maiden must be going through.

          He had listened to her cry through (what he assume was) the night, hating that he had no control over his physical body. He had wanted nothing more than to be able to wrap his arms around her and comfort her, to tell her that everything would alright, even if it currently seemed impossible.

          He had to keep believing that.

          But the outlook was certainly looking grim.

          Shortly after Serenity’s failed attempt to revive him, Helios tried to astral project himself out of his body, but found himself unable to. Without his priestly powers, he was nothing more than a mortal man again. On that count, the spell had succeeded exactly as planned.

          What he didn’t understand, though, was how he had ended up trapped in the darkness. Helios replayed the ceremony over and over in his mind, trying to discover what had gone wrong, but he found nothing. The king, the Maenads, Hyperion, and himself… They had all followed the protocol to the letter; he didn’t recall a single mistake on their parts.

          “Was this why it was called a forbidden spell?” Helios wondered aloud, thinking back to when he first found the spell in an ancient tome.

          It was shortly after Serenity and her guardian senshi had left for their training on the Moon. The new year had been approaching, so he and the Maenads had decided to undertake a massive cleaning of the shrine, borrowing from the Japanese custom. Helios had been put in charge of reorganizing the library, which had fallen into disorder over the years.

          Helios considered himself a well-read man, intimately acquainted with the library’s selection, but even he had never seen the book before, hidden inside a chest filled with other ancient spell books Helios was unfamiliar with. The brass nametag on the chest indicated it had belonged to the very first king of the Golden Kingdom, the current King Endymion’s namesake. Though the book had an ominous look to it, curiosity had gotten the best of Helios. He had read the tome cover-to-cover, almost as if possessed by it.

          The book contained spells relating specifically to using the Golden Crystal. Helios had been familiar with most of them and realized that it was an earlier version of the Golden Book, a book passed down through the royal line that taught the crystal’s carrier how to use the Golden Crystal’s power. However, the Black Book -- as Helios took to calling it, in reference of its black leather binding with gold lettering -- contained an extra chapter called “Forbidden Spells”.

          The “forbidden spells” in question ranged from one that turned everything the user touched into gold -- most likely the inspiration behind the King Midas story from Greek mythology -- to one that could destroy the entire planet. Helios could see why the first King Endymion decided to leave those spells out of the final version of the book. Just reading them sent shivers up Helios’ spine.

          If the Black Book fell into the wrong hands…

          But it was the last spell in the book that interested him most, as it didn’t seem to fit with the rest of the forbidden dark spells. In fact, King Endymion I himself noted that the spell could be used in extreme emergencies, although he didn’t elaborate on what those emergencies might be. It was a spell allowing the transfer of the priest of Elysion’s powers to another candidate.

          Helios had never heard of such a spell before. There had been other priests before him, but they had all died from either depleting their powers or from a natural death when the reigning monarch died, as the priest of Elysion‘s lifeline was fully dependent on the royal he was bound to. (The fact that he had not died when Prince Endymion was killed during the war with the Dark Kingdom was a unique case, as Helios had only been an acolyte at the time, under training from the previous priest bound to Endymion’s father. Since he had not yet taken permanent vows, he continued to live and took over the priesthood when the king and his master fell as well.) To his knowledge, never had a new priest of Elysion been named while the old one still lived, as the priesthood was considered a lifelong duty.

          Though Helios knew he should have forgotten about the spell -- and probably destroyed the Black Book as well -- he found himself hiding the book in his quarters, taking it out every night to look over the last couple of pages. He had not come to his decision easily. It was, without doubt, the hardest thing he had ever done. As much as he loved Serenity, a large part of his heart would always belong to Elysion, and he could not simply walk away from his duty as priest as if it were nothing.

          Yet the more he thought about it, the more tempting the spell became to him, despite the possible risks. King Endymion I had written a warning, as he had done with the rest of the forbidden spells in the book, but the writing had faded with time, leaving behind only a handful of legible words. From what Helios could make of it, though, it would cause no harm to Elysion or Earth, which had been his main concern. The risk was only to the priest of Elysion, himself.

          When Helios finally made his decision, he had gone to the current King Endymion to discuss it with him. Helios had known the king would never agree to go through with the ceremony if he thought it was dangerous, so he had presented it as a long forgotten spell, hating having to lie to the man he loved and respected above all others. It was not in his nature to deceive, but since King Endymion could no longer read the Terran language, he had accepted Helios’ explanation without question and agreed to perform the ceremony. Soon afterwards, Helios had found a successor in the orphan Hyperion and began training the boy to take his place as priest of Elysion.

          “Is this my punishment?” he shouted into the darkness, his hands clenched into fists at his side. “Is this the price I must pay for deceiving the king and breaking my vow? Is that the sin I must atone for in this Purgatory?”

          As usual, there was no reply.

          After finishing her breakfast, Serenity asked the others if they knew where her father was and offered to bring him a cup of coffee and some leftover donuts. She was somewhat reluctant to leave Helios’ side on the off-chance he might awaken while she was gone, but she needed to talk to her father about what really had happened during the ceremony and to ask if he knew why her crystal had failed to bring Helios out of his coma. The others promised to contact her immediately if anything changed in his condition.

          She found her father in doctors’ lounge. Through the window in the door, she saw that he was talking to Mercury, the both of them studying some brain scans that Serenity assumed belonged to Helios. Since they were the only ones in the room    , she opened the door without knocking, knowing they wouldn’t mind. Her father was the first to notice her presence.

          “Usagi, what are you doing here?” he asked, handing the scan to Mercury and walking over to greet her. “Is something wrong?”

          She shook her head, holding up the box of donuts and coffee she had brought. “Diana went out and bought us some breakfast, so I thought you might want some. I’m afraid the coffee may be a little cool by now, though.”

          “Thank you.” He took the box and set it on the coffee table in the center of the room, then accepted one of the remaining two cups of coffee left in the carton, handing the other to Mercury, who had put away Helios’ files and came over to join them. “We appreciate it. I came here so early, I didn’t even bother with breakfast this morning.”

          “Were you and Mercury-sama discussing Helios’ case?” she asked, nodding toward the manila envelope Mercury had set down beside the donuts. “Have you discovered the reason why he’s in a coma?”

          Before either could answer, a beeping noise came from Mercury’s lab coat pocket. She pulled out her pager and frowned. “I need to go,” she announced.

          “Is it Helios?” Serenity asked, trying to remain calm.

          To her immense relief, however, Mercury shook her head. “Another one of my patients. I’m sorry, Serenity-chan, but I can’t answer any of your questions right now. We‘ll have to talk later.”

          “No, it’s fine. I understand. Go ahead.”

          “Your father is up-to-date on Helios-sama’s current condition,” the doctor said as she was leaving the room. “If you have any urgent questions, I’m sure he can answer them.”

          Once Mercury left, her father motioned for Serenity to take a seat on the couch and sat down next to her, throwing an arm around her shoulder and pulling her close to him. “How are you holding up so far, sweetheart?” he asked, the concern evident in his voice.

          Though she was no longer a little girl anymore, Serenity found herself curling up next to him and wishing she was still small enough to sit on her father’s lap. She often felt she had to be strong in front of others, but the one person she almost always felt able to open up to was her father. She was a daddy’s girl through and through.

          “Papa, I’m scared,” she admitted, her voice soft. “I’ve never felt so scared in my entire life.”

          “Not even when the Black Moon attacked and you went to the 20^th century all by yourself?”

          “At least I was able to do something back then. I was afraid, but I was able to channel my fear into doing something productive, so I felt I was at least a little in control. But now…” She hugged her father even tighter, burying her face in his chest. “The Pink Moon Crystal doesn’t work,” she confessed, her words muffled. “I tried to use it last night to awaken Helios from his coma, but nothing happened. He’s still asleep, and there‘s nothing I can do to wake him up.”

          Her father sighed. “I see. I was afraid that might be the case.”

          “What do you mean?” Serenity sat back up and saw the frown on her father’s lips. “Do you know why my crystal wasn’t able to work? Even though it was able to revive Helios back when we were fighting Queen Nehelenia and the Dead Moon Circus?”

          “It’s only a theory, but…”

          “But?” she prodded.

          “I’m not certain, but I believe the power of the Pink Moon Crystal was repelled by the Golden Crystal’s power.”

          “The Golden Crystal’s power?”

          “You most likely cannot see it, as you do not possess the Golden Crystal’s power, but Helios is currently surrounded by a golden light,” he explained, leaning forward so that his elbows rested on his knees and his chin on his folded hands. “That light is most likely acting like a shield -- or perhaps ’barrier’ might be a better word for it -- against your powers.”

          “Is there anyway for me to bypass the barrier?”

          There was a long pause before he responded. “I do not know,” her father finally said. “As the Golden Crystal is fairly equal in power to your and your mother’s Silver Crystals, they cancel each other out. I doubt it is possible for the Silver Crystal to break through the Golden Crystal‘s barrier, even if both you and your mother were to use your crystals at the same time. As long as the powers are distinctly separate, even working together, the Golden Crystal would most likely repel both powers. Only a stronger crystal might be able to pass through.”

          “If that is the case, then maybe the Golden Crystal --”

          He shook his head before she finished the sentence, knowing exactly what she was going to suggest. “I already tried,” he admitted, his shoulders slumping forward. “When Mercury and I first arrived at the hospital with Helios, I used the Golden Crystal’s powers to help stabilize him, though I wasn’t able heal him fully. I had already used an enormous amount of power during the ceremony, so I could only do so much. The doctors had to do the rest. I can bypass the barrier, but the Golden Crystal can only heal the physical body. Only the Silver Crystal has the power to heal the soul; the Golden Crystal holds no such power.”

          “Wait, if you can bypass the barrier, then you should be able to break it, right?” Serenity asked, kneeling in front of him. For the first time since her attempt failed, she felt a true sliver of hope. “If you can break the barrier, then I can use my crystal to heal Helios.”

          “I’m not sure if I can, Usagi.”

          “Maybe you couldn’t last night, but you‘ve regained some of your energy. You’re stronger now. If you tried it again, I’m sure you could do it!” Standing back up, she grabbed her father’s wrist and pulled his arm. “Come on, we can try it now!”

          Her father, however, remained seated, his arm going limp in her hand. The man who she once thought was the strongest, most powerful man in the world looked utterly defeated.

          “Papa?”

          “It’s too risky,” he said in a voice so low, Serenity could barely make out the words. “The truth is, that barrier is a complete mystery to me. I did not knowingly place it on him. It could be that the barrier is the only thing still keeping him alive. If I were to break it…”

          “What are you saying?” Again dropping to her knees, Serenity grasped her father’s hands, surprised that they were shaking. “Papa? Papa, what does that mean? Does that mean --?”

          Her father released his hands from hers and slid from the couch to the floor. He pulled Serenity against his chest, hugging her tightly as the reality of what he said set in and the tears began to fall.

          “I’m sorry, Usagi,” he said into her hair. “There’s nothing we can do to help him. The only thing we can do is pray that Helios will awaken on his own.” 

Chapter Text

          In the week that followed, Serenity practically lived at the hospital, ignoring school and her other royal duties. Her guardian senshi, who had set up a schedule to watch over her, brought her clean clothes, food, and homework each day, while Diana fielded questions from curious reporters who had somehow found out where Serenity was. The official story from the palace was that the crown princess had been hospitalized with a mild case of pneumonia. Nobody outside of the royal family’s inner circle knew about Helios’ condition. King Endymion had not wanted to induce panic amongst the citizens by announcing that the priest of Elysion had fallen into a coma. Even though Hyperion had been marked the new priest, according to Eos and Aurora, the young boy had not spoken a single word since the ceremony. His muteness did not prevent him from performing his duties, which were mostly non-verbal, but it was unlikely he would inspire much confidence in his abilities. Luna, Diana’s mother and the king and queen’s most trusted advisor, thought it best to hold off the announcement until Hyperion had recovered from the shock of what had happened.

          Serenity, for her part, remained almost constantly at Helios’ bedside, holding vigil over him. One of the nurses had informed her that studies showed that coma patients could sometimes hear the people around them, so Serenity made a point to talk to him often when they were alone, telling him how much she loved him and making plans about what they would do when he finally woke up as incentive for him to do so. The times when she ran out of things to say -- which was often when the person she was talking to had no ability to speak -- she would resort to reading either the newspaper or her assignments aloud.

          “It’s good to see you are keeping up with your schoolwork,” Mercury said with a small smile upon walking in on Serenity reciting her English lessons. The doctor had come in to check on Helios’ condition, which had remained constant ever since the first night -- never improving, but never worsening either.

          “Trying to, at least.” Serenity sighed, sliding off Helios’ bed so that Mercury could examine him. “Nothing is sinking in. I can’t concentrate at all.”

          “Maybe it would help if you went home to study, or to the library,” she suggested. “You’ve barely left this room since Helios-sama was admitted. I know it might be difficult to slip away, what with the press camping outside the hospital, but --”

          Serenity shook her head, not wanting to hear the same thing everybody else had already told her. “I can’t leave. I want to be here the moment he wakes up.”

          Mercury gave her a sympathetic look. “I understand your feelings, Serenity-chan, but it is impossible to predict when that might be. He could remain in a coma for weeks, months, maybe even years. He may not even --” The doctor broke off the thought before she finished the sentence, but Serenity already knew what she had planned to say: He may not even wake up at all. “What I mean to say,” Mercury began again after better composing her thoughts, “is that you shouldn’t put your life on hold because of this. I doubt Helios-sama would want that.”

          “But my life is on hold, Mercury-sama,” Serenity said. “Until Helios wakes up, I can’t think about the future.” Reaching for Helios’ hand, she gave it a light squeeze. “I don’t want to think about the future…not if he’s not in it.” 

          “Serenity-chan…”

          By that time, Mercury had finished taking down his vitals, so Serenity returned to her spot on the bed, pushing back a strand of hair that had fallen over his closed eyes. Oh, how she wished they would open again…

          “He will wake up someday, won’t he?” she asked, looking back at the doctor.

          There was a long pause before Mercury answered. “I…don’t know. I won’t lie to you. The longer he remains in a coma, the less likely it is he will come out of it.”

          “But it’s not impossible.”

          “No, it’s not impossible. There have been rare cases of coma patients waking up even decades after the original onset.”

          “Then I will keep believing,” Serenity decided, “even if it takes over a thousand years. Helios waited that long for me to return to the 30^th century; I can do the same, if I have to.”

          “I --” Again, Mercury refrained herself from commenting, only placing a placating hand on Serenity’s arm before sighing and turning to leave.

          The doctor was halfway down the hall when Serenity suddenly stood back up and ran to the door.

          “Mer-- I mean, Mizuno-sensei!”

          Mercury turned back around, sprinting back to Helios’ room. “What is it?” she asked, brushing past Serenity and Vesta, who was guarding the door. “Did something happen?”

          “Um, no, not exactly,” Serenity said, blushing. “I just had a question, if you don’t mind.”

          “Of course not. What’s on your mind?”

          After closing the door so that Vesta couldn’t eavesdrop on their conversation, Serenity joined Mercury at Helios’ bedside. “I was just wondering if there is any reason why Helios needs to stay here at the hospital.”

          “I don’t quite understand. What do you mean?”

          “When you first told us that Helios was in a coma, you said he was perfectly healthy, except for the fact that he can’t wake up. You said it was like he was in a very deep sleep.”

          “Yes, that’s true.”

          “If that’s the case, why can’t I take him home to the Crystal Palace?” Serenity asked. The idea had been floating around in her mind for the past few days, though she had been hesitant to bring it up. She hated the thought of Helios being confined to a cold, harsh hospital room and felt it would be better for him to be surrounded by the people who cared about him. “I’m sure the hospital administrators are tired of all the reporters and paparazzi hanging around outside, and this pneumonia cover story can only last so long. If Helios was transferred to the palace, they would go away and things could get back to normal around here.”

          Mercury frowned, pushing her reading glasses up the bridge of her nose. “It’s true that the board would love nothing more than for the press to leave, but transferring Helios is not as simple as that, Serenity-chan. It‘s not like we can simply put him in bed and wait for him to wake up. We still need to monitor him and take care of his basic needs.”

          “But you could do that at the palace, right?”

          “Well, yes, I suppose I could…”

          “And I can help take care of him,” Serenity offered, growing more eager about the idea by the minute. “One of the nurses taught me how to do those exercises that are supposed to work out his muscles, so they don’t weaken too much, and I can bathe him, and change his clothes, and --”

          Mercury frowned. “There are still some things you are not qualified to do.”

          “Then I’ll hire a private nurse,” she decided. Money was no object; she would buy the latest equipment and hire the most experienced nurses and doctors as long as it meant Helios could come home with her. “Please, Mercury-sama. I don’t want him to wake up in a place like this. No offense.”

          “None taken. If I was Helios-sama, I doubt I would want to wake up in a hospital either.” The doctor sighed and looked down at Helios’ chart. “Helios-sama is scheduled to have a feeding tube inserted tomorrow, as it has become clear that he will require long-term care. If everything goes well, and you make the proper arrangements, then I see no reason why I can’t release him into your care by the end of the week.”

          “Really?” It was the first piece of good news she had received since Helios was first admitted to the hospital. Unable to contain her excitement, she hugged Mercury. “Thank you. Thank you so much! You have no idea how much I appreciate this.”

          “But I want you to do something for me as well.”

          “Anything! I’ll do anything.”

          “Quit putting your life on hold,” Mercury said. She held up a hand when Serenity started to protest. “I’m not saying you have to give up hope, but go back to school, study for your college entrance exams, and go out with your friends every once in a while. You can’t make your life all about Helios-sama. It’s unhealthy, and I doubt he would want you to do so.”

          “B-But --”

          “I assure you he will have around-the-clock medical care, and you will be the first person anybody contacts the moment he wakes up.”

          Serenity sighed in defeat. The logical side of her knew Mercury was right. Though she had little interest in anything besides Helios at the moment, she still had duties and responsibilities that she couldn’t just ignore. Like she had told Mercury, the pneumonia cover story could only work for so long; if she didn’t start making public appearances again soon, people would begin to think she was seriously ill.

          “Okay, I’ll…try,” Serenity agreed.

          “That’s all I ask.”

          In the days following his slipping into a coma, Helios had become quite adept at identifying people solely by the sound of their voices. Words were no longer as muddled and incomprehensible as they were before, though there were still times when it seemed the voices were faint and far away.

          The soft beeping sound that never seemed to end, he learned, came from something called a heart monitor. The equipment used in modern medicine was largely a mystery to him, but he had a vague idea of what one looked liked, based on dreams he had seen. The fact that he was most likely hooked up to one meant he was probably in a hospital -- one in Crystal Tokyo, as everybody with the exception of Eos and Aurora spoke only in Japanese.

          Helios always paid close attention whenever he heard the voices of Mercury or people he assumed to be doctors or nurses based on his unfamiliarity with them. Although he didn’t understand a lot of the medical jargon, he understood enough to realize that his condition had remained stable ever since the first night.

          He wasn’t quite sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

          So when Mercury interrupted Serenity’s admirable, if butchered, assault on the English language, Helios took notice. Mercury didn’t mention anything about his condition, which he assumed meant it was the same as the last time she had examined him, but he frowned as the doctor and Serenity discussed his maiden’s reluctance to leave his side.

          Helios wasn’t certain exactly how many days had passed since he had first fallen into the coma. He thought it might have been a week, though, based on listening to the news stories Serenity sometimes read aloud to him. During that week, she had hardly ever left his room. She even slept there, her occasional soft snores and half-awake mumblings alerting him to her continued presence during the night.

          Helios didn’t want her to put her life on hold for him. There was no telling when, if ever, he would awaken, and the thought of Serenity throwing her life away, waiting for him to do so, depressed him. What good was her staying by his side when they couldn’t even speak to each other?

          Mercury was right. Serenity should be studying for her college entrance exams and going out with her friends, things normal girls her age did. She had so much life left to live, things she had dreamed of achieving ever since she was a little girl. He fervently wished Serenity would take Mercury’s advice to heart, but he had a feeling the doctor’s words had fallen on deaf ears.

          Mercury agreed to release Helios the following weekend. The night before he was to be transferred to the palace, Serenity went to sleep in her own bed for the first time since the night before her birthday. It had been a difficult decision to leave him, but she was needed at the palace to help with the preparations, so she had reluctantly left him in Aurora’s care with the promise that she would be notified immediately in the event that his condition changed during the night.

          It took her a while to fall asleep. Though her luxurious queen-sized bed was far more comfortable than either Helios’ hospital bed or the hard plastic chair she had been sleeping on for the past couple of weeks, it felt…wrong to be away from him. Even the dead quiet of her bedroom -- free from the hospital noises she had grown accustomed to -- unnerved her.

          “Diana, you awake?” she whispered after an hour had passed, finding herself still wide awake and restless. Her guardian cat, however, seemed to have had no trouble falling asleep, not even stirring when Serenity reached over to stroke her back. “Lucky.”

          Serenity rolled over on her side, facing away from the slumbering cat. She needed to get some sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day. Desperate to try anything, she closed her eyes shut and resorted to counting sheep…

          She was back in the hospital, or at least so she assumed.

          Serenity couldn’t tell for certain, because she was standing at the entrance of a long, shadowy corridor. It was difficult to make out much of anything, but she recognized the noises surrounding her -- doctors speaking in a language that might as well have been Greek for all she understood it, various beeps, drips, and hums coming from expensive medical equipment, the rattling of trays as orderlies distributed what passed for food to the patients…

          …the sobs of mournful family members learning that their loved ones had not made it…

          Forcing herself to ignore the noises, Serenity took a hesitant step forward. Above her, a fluorescent light switched on, chasing away some of the darkness. With yet another step, another light came on.

          She continued walking down the corridor at a leisurely pace, the lights illuminating the way. Judging by the colorful murals and drawings decorating the wall, Serenity deduced that she must be in the children’s ward of the hospital, yet she had not passed a single person -- child or adult, patient or doctor -- in the hallway. All the doors were closed, the lights turned off within, but she could still hear the familiar hospital noises surrounding her.

          “Where is everybody?” Serenity murmured to herself, feeling a chill run up her spine as she opened one of the doors at random and saw that nobody was inside, despite the fact she could plainly hear a frightened child’s voice whimpering for her mommy.                 

          Serenity silently closed the door to the empty room and resumed her walk down the corridor.

          She wasn’t sure where she was going, but she felt the need to find someone -- anyone at all would do -- to ask them what was happening. “Mercury-sama?” she called out in a small voice. “Are you here? Papa? Mama? Diana?” After a short pause, she added, “Helios?”

          Nobody answered her.

          A bulletin board posted on the wall beside the door to the playroom caught Serenity’s eye. She once again stopped, admiring the crudely-drawn -- yet charming -- pictures drawn by the children staying in the hospital. They were all drawings of a beautiful white unicorn with wings. Some of the children had drawn themselves riding on the back of the mythical horse, while others portrayed the Pegasus standing regally against landscapes that bore some a minor resemblance to areas in Elysion.

          In the very center of the collage of Pegasus drawings was a watercolor painting that Serenity knew quite well, as she had drawn it herself for a class assignment back when she was training with Usagi and the others in the 20^th century. The assignment was to paint a landscape of a lake, but Serenity had disobeyed her art teacher’s instructions and added a supposedly mythological Pegasus to the picture. Though she had rightfully received a low grade on it, it was one of her favorite pieces, and she had given it to Helios shortly before she left to train on the Moon with her team of senshi.

          “What is this doing here?” she asked herself aloud, pulling out the tacks attaching it to the bulletin board and taking it down.

          She stared down at the painting, her hands trembling as the Pegasus in the picture began to move. It was trying to fly away, but something prevented it from doing so. After a couple of minutes of thrashing and whinnying, the Pegasus gave up and lay down on the ground, its large golden eyes shutting close as if merely going to sleep.

          But he wasn’t asleep. Somehow, Serenity knew.

          The Pegasus was dead.

          “No!”

          Serenity let go of the paper as if it had suddenly caught on fire. The painting fluttered to the ground, landing in front of her feet. When she finally found the courage to look back down, she was relieved to see that the picture had returned to its original condition. Serenity picked it up and placed it back on the board where she had found it.

          “It was just my imagination,” she said. “Right?”

          She continued onward down the hall, picking up her pace. She didn’t like this place at all. She needed to find a way out of there, but the corridor seemed endless, much longer than Serenity remembered it being, and all the elevators and stairwells she passed were out of order. She was about to turn around and go back the way she came when she finally saw somebody standing in the middle of the hall, about a hundred feet ahead of her.

          The person in question was short in stature, maybe about four to six inches shy of five feet, and had curly golden blond hair. Because the child was facing away from her, Serenity could not tell if the child was male or female, but thought he was most likely a boy, since his hair was short and he was wearing white pajamas. The strangest thing about him was that he seemed to glow in the darkness, his entire body outlined in an ethereal golden light like some kind of heavenly angel. Serenity almost expected wings to sprout from his back at any moment, but they never did.

          “Hello?” she called out to the boy. “Do you know the way out of here? I think I may be lost.”

          The boy, startled by the sound of her voice, briefly glanced over his shoulder toward her, then turned to his left. He began walking straight ahead, soon disappearing into the darkness.

          “Wait!”

          Serenity broke out into a sprint, reaching the spot where she thought she had seen the boy disappear. Looking to the left, as the boy had done, she saw nothing but a solid wall -- not even a door he might have used to leave.

          “I must be losing it,” Serenity said with a loud sigh, leaning up against the wall.

          To her surprise, the wall was not as solid as it first appeared. Serenity fell right through it, landing hard on her back. “Ow!”

          Looking around as she pulled herself back to her feet, Serenity noticed she was now in a different area of the hospital, one more familiar to her, as it was the floor were Helios’ room was located. This area was far more quiet than the children’s ward. The only thing she heard was the sound of somebody sobbing in the distance.

          Almost as if beckoned by a siren’s song, Serenity followed the sound of the crying down the hall. She once again came upon the boy. This time, he was sitting on the floor in front of a door, his knees drawn up to his chest and his face hidden behind his hands. As she approached him, she realized he was the one whose cries she had heard.

          “What is it?” she asked, kneeling down beside him.

          The boy didn’t look up.

          “It’s all my fault,” he said in a raspy voice. “I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”

          “For what? Who are you?” she pressed. “Where are your parents?” She stood back up, holding out her hand to the child. “Come on, I’ll take you back to children’s ward. You’re a patient here, right?”

          He shook his head, then as Serenity watched, the boy began fading out of sight. She tried to stop him, but there was nothing she could do. He slipped right out of her fingers into thin air.

          The boy’s sudden disappearing act startled her, but not as much as when she finally noticed whose room the boy had been sitting in front of. Looking at the name plate on the door, she gasped.

          It read, “Helios Nikolopoulos.”

          For the first time since she had arrived, Serenity felt truly afraid. With a shaking hand, she reached for the doorknob and twisted it. The door was unlocked. It took her a few more seconds before she found the courage to push it open.

          Immediately, she wished she hadn’t.

          Inside, Helios’ body had been covered by a white sheet, the heart monitor attached to him now turned off. Serenity shook her head, not wanting to believe the significance of what she saw. “It’s not him,” she said, walking over to his bedside. “It can’t be him.”

          With her eyes closed, mentally praying that it was just some sort of administrative mistake, Serenity pulled down the sheet covering the body in Helios’ bed. When she opened them again, she stifled a scream.

          The was no mistake. Helios was dead.

          “Serenity-sama! Serenity-sama! Wake up!”

          Serenity moaned, her eyes still closed shut. Helios was dead, and she didn‘t care if she ever woke up again. She wanted to join him in the Eternal Sleep. Yes, that was the only way they could be together. She would die, and then she could see him again.

          That was the only way…

          “Serenity-sama!”

          Somebody was shaking her, their voice panicked. Serenity struggled to remain asleep, but whoever was trying to wake her up was making it difficult to do so. Slowly, she opened her eyes to see the human face of Diana looking down at her in concern.

          “Di…an…a?”

          “You were having a bad dream, Serenity-sama,” Diana said. “A nightmare, by the sound of it.”

          “A…dream?” Her mind still foggy, she turned her head to the side. She was back in her bedroom at the palace. Tears of relief began running down her cheeks. “Thank goodness. It was just a dream,” she whispered to no one in particular.

          Diana sat down beside her on the bed, gathering Serenity in her arms as if she was a child. Serenity buried her face in Diana’s shoulder, letting out the tears that continued to fall.

          “It’s okay,” Diana murmured, rubbing soothing circles along Serenity’s back. “It was only a dream.” After a short pause, she asked, “Do you want to tell me about it?”

          Serenity shook her head. She wanted to forget all about it if she could.

          “Are you sure? You might feel better if you do.”

          “It was nothing,” Serenity lied, sitting back up on her own and swiping the sleeve of her nightgown over her eyes. “I feel silly for even getting upset about it. I’ll be fine.”

          Diana pursed her lips. Serenity could tell she didn’t quite believe her, but the catgirl didn’t press for more details, for which she was grateful. Instead, Diana tucked Serenity back into bed, staying by her side until Serenity finally fell back to a restless sleep.

          The next morning, Serenity woke up shortly after the crack of dawn and surprised one of her handmaidens when she asked where the bed linens were kept. The confused handmaiden offered to change her sheets for her, but it was not her bed that needed changing. After grabbing a stack of bed clothes from the linen closet, Serenity entered the bedroom next to hers and began stripping the bed.

          Technically, the room belonged to Diana, but the catgirl rarely used it, preferring to sleep on Serenity’s bed in her cat form. When she had heard Helios was coming to stay at the palace, Diana didn’t hesitate to offer her room for his use, knowing Serenity would prefer it if he was close by.

          “Now, how did this go again?” Serenity mumbled to herself, trying to figure out which direction the fitted sheet was supposed to go. She hadn’t made up a bed since her training in the past, when it had been one of Grandmother Ikuko’s rules. “This side is longer, I thi--”

          “Would you like some help, Serenity-sama?”

          Startled, Serenity dropped the tangled sheet and looked toward the opened door. Ceres stood in the doorway, already dressed, and she held several bouquets of colorful, fragrant flowers in her arms.

          “Ceres, you surprised me!” Serenity said, picking up the sheet and spreading it on top of the mattress. “What are you doing up so early?”

          “I should ask the same of you.” After placing the bouquets on top of Diana’s desk, Ceres walked over to the bed and began to help Serenity fit the sheet over the mattress without being asked. “Why are you the one changing sheets? The maids should be doing this; it’s their job.”

          “I wanted to do this myself.”

          “Why?”

          Serenity sighed, letting the mattress fall back on the bed frame after pulling the sheet over the last corner. “I can’t do much of anything,” she admitted, reaching into her pocket for her ever-present transformation brooch and pulling it out. “Not even my crystal was able to wake him up. I feel so…powerless, you know?” She placed the brooch back in her pocket and shook her head. That wasn’t quite the right word. “No, more than that. I’m useless. There’s nothing I can do to wake Helios up, so if there’s anything I can do for him, even if it’s as minor as this, I want to do it. At least it makes me feel like I‘m actually doing something.”

          “Serenity-sama…” Ceres walked over, placing her hands on Serenity‘s arms. “You’re not useless. You’ve stayed by Helios-sama’s side all this time, haven‘t you? That‘s something.” She frowned. “To be honest, until all this happened, I never really understood how much you loved him.”

          “Ceres…”

          “It’s true,” she confessed, unable to meet Serenity’s eyes. “I just assumed it was a silly crush you would eventually outgrow. Even as the years went by, and you continued to profess your love for him, I thought you simply got a thrill out of wanting a man you knew you could never have -- the proverbial forbidden fruit, so to speak. I even hated Helios-sama at times, because I knew he would eventually have to break your heart, and I didn’t want to see you in that kind of pain.”

          “You were right, Ceres.” Serenity brought her hand to the left side of her chest. A dull constant ache had settled there since the moment she saw Helios laying unconscious in the shrine of Elysion. “He did break my heart. Maybe not in the way you expected, but it’s broken all the same.”

          “No, it’s not broken. Your heart may be in pain, but it’s not broken yet.”

          Taking a seat on the bed, Serenity sighed. “Still, if only I had listened to you --”

          “It would have been the worst mistake of your life.”

          She glanced up at Ceres in surprise. After all Ceres’ words of warning concerning their relationship, Serenity never expected her to say something like that. “How can you say that? If I had only given up my feelings for Helios like you wanted me to, none of this would have ever happened! Helios would still be priest of Elysion, and --”

          “Neither of you would have been happy, right?”

          Serenity balled her hands into fists, clutching at the fabric of her skirt. “I would have rather been miserable for the rest of my life, than to go through this unbearable hell.”

          “But there’s still hope,” Ceres said, sitting down beside Serenity on the bed. “Helios-sama is still alive, and when he wakes up, you two can finally be together like you always wanted.”

           “If he --”

          Serenity shook her head. She had been about to say “If he wakes up,” but the words refused to leave her lips. Though she knew it was a strong possibility, she tried not to think about it.

          “Serenity-sama, don’t lose hope.” Ceres reached over and placed a hand on one of Serenity’s fists, giving it a firm squeeze. “We are all praying that Helios-sama wakes up, and one day, our prayers will be answered. I know they will.”

          Leaning over, Serenity rested her head on her friend‘s shoulder. “Thank you, Ceres. I appreciate it.”

          The two of them sat together silently for a few moments longer before resuming making the bed. Afterwards, Ceres, an expert flower arranger, began making several large floral arrangements with the bouquets she had brought with her, while Serenity decorated the room with pictures -- mostly drawn by her, but some were photographs -- and mementos of the happier times she and Helios had spent together.         

          The last item she pulled out was her treasured bell. Holding it up, she gave it a ring and sighed before placing it on the nightstand beside the bed, next to a photograph of herself in her school uniform. On the off-chance that she was not present when he awoke, she hoped the photograph would be one of the first things he saw.

          *I suppose that’s about it,* she thought to herself, admiring her handiwork. *This room is much more cheery than the one at that dreary hospital. Helios should --*

          As she turned around, her breath caught in her throat.

          Her eyes widened at the sight in front of her. Less than five feet away from Serenity stood a ghostly vision, a man with silver hair and eyes of molten gold. He was completely transparent and glowed with a faint golden shimmer. He slowly brought up his arm, his palm upturned toward her, and stared at her as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

          “Helios?” she breathed, so soft that Ceres didn‘t hear.

          Mirroring his movements, Serenity raised up her own arm, placing her palm against the apparition of his. She couldn’t feel him, but she could sense him. It was a strange sensation she would be hard-pressed to describe to somebody else, akin, perhaps, to feeling as if somebody was staring at you from behind. Helios smiled, but before he could say anything, the vision disappeared, fading into nothingness as Serenity tried in vain to grab him.

          “No, Helios!”

          Her sudden outburst caught Ceres’ attention. She looked up from the arrangement of yellow roses she had been working on, concerned when she saw Serenity hugging herself.

          “Serenity-sama?”

          “Just now, I thought I saw…” Bringing her arms back down to her sides, Serenity shook her head. “No, that’s impossible,” she said more to herself than to Ceres. “I was simply imagining things. That‘s all.”

          “What are you talking about?” Ceres asked, obviously confused. “You’re acting strange. Why did you suddenly yell out Helios-sama’s name like that?”

          Before she had the chance to answer, Diana appeared in the doorway, out of breath. “Serenity-sama, there you are! I’ve been looking all over for you!”

          Serenity was glad for the interruption. If she were to tell Ceres what she thought she had seen, no doubt Ceres would think she was going insane. She wondered briefly if maybe she was.

          “What is it, Diana?”

          “The ambulance has arrived. They’re preparing to bring Helios-sama up.”

          With that news, Serenity pushed all thoughts of the ghostly illusion from her mind.

          “We’ll be right there.”

*****

          “What…just happened?”

          Though his world was once again dark and cold, for the briefest of moments, he had experienced a vision of Serenity and one of her senshi -- Ceres -- in an unfamiliar bedroom. Helios shook his head. No, it had been more than merely a vision. He had actually been transported there; he was almost certain. 

          And Serenity had seen him.

          Helios strained his ears, struggling to single out his maiden’s voice from among the murmurs he could hear in the distance. If he had truly appeared before her, Serenity was certain to mention seeing him to Ceres, but none of the voices seemed to belong to her. In fact, most of the voices he heard were new to him, mixed among a few he did recognize -- most prominently, King Endymion and Sailor Mercury. He thought he heard the queen as well.

          “I didn’t see anybody laying in the bed,” Helios said to himself, recalling that the bed in the room had been neatly made. “I assume that means I can only hear people in close proximity to my body.” That would explain why voices seemed to appear and disappear at random, some louder and clearer than the rest. “But how and why did I suddenly appear in that room, of all places? I’ve never seen it before.”

          He attempted to think back to right before it happened, but nothing unusual had occurred to his knowledge. One moment, he had been floating around in the nothingness, naked as a newborn baby. The next, he had appeared in that unknown room, dressed in clothes that were not his.

          “Damn it!” he uncharacteristically swore, his hands pressing against his head. “I was right there! If only I could have stayed a bit longer, I could have told Serenity how much I love her and how sorry I am for putting her through so much pain because of me, but…”

          Helios again shook his head. No matter how it happened, it had happened and could happen again. He just needed to focus and try to figure out how to recreate the situation. Maybe the next time, he would be able to stay longer.

          *Maiden, no matter what it takes, I will come back to you. I promise!*

Chapter Text

          Serenity’s life soon fell into a regular routine. As she had promised Mercury, she reluctantly returned to school after Helios‘ transfer to the palace, although it wasn’t too long before the summer break arrived. While her classmates were all excitedly making plans to hang out on the beach or go on dates, with the occasional day set aside for studying for the college entrance exams, Serenity knew she would spend every waking moment of her vacation at Helios’ bedside, hoping and praying he would finally open his eyes.

          “Come on, Usagi-chan,” a girl named Misa Sakura said, using the name Serenity went by at school. “You can’t spend your *whole* summer break studying for the entrance exams. Come to the beach with us! It’ll be fun!”

          Other than the Sailor Quartet, who were also in her class, none of her classmates knew the real reason behind her long absence. As far as they knew -- as far as anybody knew -- she had been in the hospital with pneumonia.

          Serenity faked a grateful smile at the teenage girl. “Thank you for asking, Misa-chan, but I’m really behind on all my schoolwork due to my illness, not to mention all the summer homework we have. I don’t think I’m going to have any free time at all.”

          The blonde gave her a sympathetic look. “That sucks. I’d hate to have to spend my break in the library. Well, if you do happen to find some free time this weekend, you should definitely come. It‘s going to be a blast.”

          “I’ll try,” she promised, despite having no intention of doing so. School was one thing, but she had no desire to go out socially, leaving Helios behind while she attempted in vain to have fun. Gathering her things, she stood up from her desk and waved to Misa. “If I don’t see you before then, see you next term.”

          “Yeah. See you around, Usagi-chan!”

          The Sailor Quartet had gathered outside the classroom, waiting for her to join them. Juno, the closest to the door and thus within earshot of their conversation, frowned upon seeing Serenity.

          “You know, it might not be such a bad idea to go out with them,” she said. “Going to the beach sounds like fun, and you could use a real break from things.”

          “Oo, Pallas wants to go to the beach, too,” Pallas declared, her hand shooting up as if she was still in class. “Let’s all go together!”

          “Then go without me if you want to go so badly,” Serenity snapped, her voice sharper than she intended. “Sorry,” she apologized. She rubbed at her forehead, fighting back a yawn. “I’m just tired. I didn’t get much sleep last night, I guess.”

          “You haven’t been getting any sleep at all lately, according to Diana,” Vesta commented, a concerned look on her face. “She says you toss and turn all night, then get up ridiculously early in the morning so you can hold vigil at Helios-sama’s bedside before going to school. You’ve even started falling asleep in class, which isn’t like you at all.”

          “I’m fine, Vesta.” She hadn’t told anybody of the nightmares that had been plaguing her dreaming moments as of late, not wanting the others to worry about her anymore than they already were. “I’ll catch up on my sleep over the break.”

          “If you say so…” Vesta, though, did not look the least bit convinced.

          On the walk back to the palace, Serenity struggled to keep her eyes open as she trailed behind the others. Her body longed for sleep, but she knew the moment she closed her eyes, the nightmares would return, haunting and taunting her with thoughts she did not want to face. She hugged her bookbag to her chest and sighed, ignoring the look of concern Ceres gave her, glancing back at her as they crossed the street.

          When they finally arrived home, Serenity headed straight to her room as she always did to change out of her uniform. Diana, who was home-schooled by her parents, was laying on her bed in cat-form, taking a nap, but her eyes fluttered open when she heard Serenity come in.

          “You’re home early, Serenity-sama,” she said, glancing over at the alarm clock sitting on the bedside table.

          “It was the last day before summer break, so we had an early-release,” Serenity replied, stripping out of her uniform and changing into jeans and a T-shirt.  

          “Oh, summer break!” Diana sat up. “I nearly forgot it was that time again. Any plans?”

          Instead of answering, she asked, “How is Helios? Has there been any change since this morning?”

          Diana sighed. “No change.“ It was always the first question Serenity asked of her the moment she returned home. “But, Serenity-sama, I really think you should use this break to relax some. You’ve been so stressed out, and --”

          “You’ve been talking to Vesta and the others, haven’t you? They said the same thing.” Turning to face her guardian cat, Serenity frowned, hands on her hips. “You told them I haven’t been sleeping well, too.”

          “I was worried about you.”

          “I’m fine, Diana,” she insisted, even as she began to feel woozy and faint. Walking over to the bed to sit down for a moment, Serenity stumbled over her feet, clutching at the bedspread as she fell.

          “Serenity-sama!” Diana jumped off the bed, shifting into her human form to check on her.

          “I’m okay, I’m okay…” She attempted to pull herself back up, but felt too light-headed to do so. “Fine, maybe I’m not so okay,” she mumbled as Diana placed a cool hand on her forehead.

          “I think you have a fever. I’ll go find Mercury-sama.”

          Diana stood up to leave, but Serenity grabbed her by the skirt, stopping her. “No, just help me to Helios’ room. I don’t want to worry anyone. I‘ll be fine.”

          “No, you won’t, not if you keep this up. Just stay here. I‘ll be back in a moment.”

          Yanking the skirt out of Serenity’s hands, Diana left to go find the doctor. Again, Serenity made an attempt to stand back up, but it was no more successful than the previous time. Cursing at her weakness, she rolled over on her back and stared up at the ceiling, wondering when a second chandelier had been installed.

          “Not good,” she murmured, throwing an arm over her eyes. “I’m seeing double. I think I really am getting sick. Stupid body. I don‘t have time for this.”

          A few minutes later, Diana returned with Mercury in tow. “Help me get her into bed,” Mercury said, crouching down beside Serenity and throwing her arm around her neck. As Mercury helped her stand back up, Diana pulled back the sheets and blankets, tucking Serenity in once they managed to get her in bed.

          “You don’t have to make such a fuss over me,” Serenity said. “It’s just a fever.”

          “I’ll be the judge of that.” Out of subspace, Mercury pulled out her doctor’s bag and reached inside for a thermometer. “Hold this under your tongue.”

          Having no choice in the matter, Serenity did as she was told. After a minute, Mercury took the thermometer out of her mouth, frowning when she saw the temperature reading.

          “How bad is it, Mercury-sama?” Diana asked.

          “It’s high,” Mercury replied, next pulling out a stethoscope. “What other symptoms are you experiencing?” she asked while checking Serenity’s heartbeat and lungs. “Nausea? Sore throat? Runny nose? Cough?”

          Serenity shook her head. “I’ve just been tired lately, that’s all.”

          “She hasn’t been sleeping well,” her guardian cat felt the need to add. “She’s been really stressed out ever since what happened to Helios-sama.”

          “Diana!”

          Diana gave her an apologetic look. “Sorry, Serenity-sama, but Mercury-sama should have the whole picture of what is going on.”

          “Diana’s right,” Mercury said. “Tell me, why haven’t you been sleeping?”

          “It’s just stress, like Diana said,” Serenity lied, not looking the doctor in the eye.

          “Are you sure?”

          “I think she’s been having nightmares, too,” Diana said, earning a glare from Serenity. “She’s been moaning and talking in her sleep a lot, lately.”

          “Is that true, Serenity-chan?”

          Serenity sighed, clenching her hands into fists as she clutched the blanket. “They come every night now,” she admitted after a long pause, knowing that Mercury wouldn‘t let up until she knew the truth. “They’re not the scary monster type nightmares, but they frighten me just the same, because they all end with Helios…with Helios…” She couldn’t finish the sentence, unable to say the words aloud.

          They all ended with Helios never waking up, eventually dying in his comatose sleep.

          Diana, climbing onto the bed with her, wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. “Oh, Serenity-sama, why didn’t you tell us?” she asked.

          “I didn’t want to worry everybody more than they already were.”

          “But we love you! Of course we’re going to worry about you, and you hiding things just makes us worry even more.”

          “I’m sorry.” Serenity had never thought of it like that.

          “It’s not healthy to keep things bottled up inside like that,” Mercury said. “When you are under that kind of stress, it’s easy to forget to care of yourself, making you vulnerable to illness. You should be okay if you rest for a bit, but I want you to promise me again that you will take some time out to relax every once in a while.”

          “B-But --”

          “Even if you don’t feel like going out with friends, try meditation or reading a good book. That always helps me when I’m feeling overwhelmed. Maybe even consider going on vacation, either by yourself or with friends. I wouldn’t usually advise you to make having fun a priority over your studies, especially when your college entrance exams are only months away, but I really think it would do you some good to take a break from the world. After some much needed R&R, the nightmares should become less frequent. They may even disappear altogether.”

          “Misa-chan from school did invite me to go to the beach with her and some of the others from class,” Serenity said. “Her parents own a summer house in Okinawa, and they‘re going down there this coming weekend. Pallas and the others really want to go, but…”

          “But you don’t want to leave Helios-sama in case he wakes up while you are gone,” Mercury completed for her, reading her mind. “Serenity-chan, Helios-sama would not want you to make yourself sick over him. I’m sure if he was able to speak, he would tell you to go.”

          “I think so, too,” Diana chimed in.

          Mercury place a hand on Serenity‘s shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. “Just think about it, okay? For the moment, however, I want you to stay in bed and try to get some rest. I’ll give you a mild sedative to help you sleep.” Again reaching inside her doctor’s bag, she pulled out a syringe and a vial.

          “But Helios…” Serenity protested.

          “It’s not a good idea to see him when you’re in this condition. Coma patients are very susceptible to illness,” she explained, filling the syringe with the vial’s contents. “I doubt you are contagious, but it’s better to be safe, than sorry. Don’t worry. We’ll take good care of him.”

          Serenity sighed in defeat as Mercury reached for her arm and injected her with the sedative. She wanted to see Helios, but it was hard to argue against medical fact. She didn’t want to risk passing whatever it was she had to him. After Diana promised to sit with Helios in her stead, Serenity snuggled underneath the covers and prayed it would be a dreamless sleep.  

          He had not heard Serenity’s voice in days.

          Helios was beginning to worry. He knew that she had started attending classes again, but he had grown accustomed to her visiting him before and after school. It was how he kept track of the time. The only reason he knew that days had passed since Serenity last visited him was because Mercury always checked on him once a day in what was probably the early afternoon, shortly before Serenity usually returned from school.

          Helios didn’t understand why Serenity wasn’t visiting him. Of course he didn’t want her to feel as if she had to stay with him all the time, but he also didn’t want her to completely ignore him either.

          Then again, maybe it would be better if she did. When he was in his darker, more pessimistic moods, Helios thought it would be best if Serenity simply moved on with her life and forgot about him. There was no telling how long he would remain in his current state, if he even recovered at all, and if that was the case, then she should find somebody else to love, somebody that could make her happy again.

          That was what he thought.

          How he actually felt about the idea of her finding someone else, on the other hand… Well, that was a different story.

          “Has she found a new boyfriend after all?” Helios asked himself aloud on the third day of Serenity’s absence. “Some handsome, athletic high school baseball star, or maybe a straight-A student who offered to help her with her college exam preparations?”

          Helios shook his head, forcing the pictures of Serenity with another man out of his mind. Even when he told her to find somebody else before leaving for training on the Moon, Serenity had stayed loyal and true to him. As long as there was still hope -- no matter how small -- that they would one day be together again, he knew she would never fall in love with somebody else.

          So where was she?

          “The beach, the beach, the beach! Yay!”

          The moment the taxi arrived at the royal family’s vacation house in Okinawa, Pallas jumped out and immediately ran onto the beach, spinning around in circles. Vesta rolled her eyes in mild disapproval as Juno and the taxi driver started unloading their luggage.

          “Seriously, how old is that girl?” she asked. “You’d think she’d never been to the beach before.”

          “Oh, let her have her fun, Vesta,” Ceres said, peering over the rims of her stylish sunglasses. “It isn’t often we go on holiday, and I, for one, intend to enjoy myself. We should all enjoy the time off, right, Serenity-sama?”

          “R-Right,” Serenity agreed, though without much enthusiasm. Despite it being the purpose of the trip, she doubted she would have much fun. She already felt guilty for leaving Helios behind without saying goodbye, but she had been afraid she might change her mind about going if she saw him.

          “Are you feeling okay?” Ceres asked as Juno and Vesta began taking the luggage inside. She placed a hand on Serenity’s forehead. “I know Mercury-sama gave you a clean bill of health, but maybe you should have stayed in bed for a little while longer.”

          “I’m fine,” she said. Physically, it was true. After a couple days of rest, Serenity had fully recovered from her bout of illness, though she still felt tired at times. To prove she was okay, she grabbed her suitcase and followed the others into the house. “Come on!”

          “You know, Serenity-sama, I’m glad you changed your mind about going on vacation,” Juno said once they -- minus Pallas -- were all inside. “I think this trip is exactly what you need.” 

          “I wonder where Misa-chan’s house is,” Vesta mused. “Maybe we could invite her and her friends over for a house party. It could be a real blast!”

          “Yeah, maybe,” Serenity said, trying harder to sound enthusiastic about the idea.

          Truthfully, though, she had just wanted to spend the weekend by herself. It was her mother who had insisted she take the others along with her on the trip, and she didn’t exactly relish the idea of hanging out with a bunch of classmates who she barely knew.

          “I’m going up to my room to unpack,” she announced to the others, heading up the stairs to her room with her suitcase in hand.

          The room was smaller than her bedroom at the palace, but still spacious and comfortable. A door led to a private Western-style bathroom with a Jacuzzi bathtub and separate shower, and she had access to one of the balconies looking out onto the beach. Sliding the glass door to the side, Serenity stepped out onto the balcony, the sea breeze blowing through her hair as she looked down at the beach below her. Though it was faint, she could hear Pallas, splashing around at the water’s edge, singing a silly little tune about living under the sea from a twentieth century anime. Serenity sighed, wondering if she would ever be that carefree and happy ever again.

          She returned back inside, sliding the door back close behind her, and unzipped her suitcase, digging around inside until she found her senshi communicator. As a favor to her, Diana had stayed behind in Crystal Tokyo to keep watch over Helios. Serenity pressed the button linking to Diana and waited for her to answer.

          “Diana here,” her guardian cat said, her human face appearing in the video screen. “Are you in Okinawa already, Serenity-sama? I wasn‘t expecting to hear from you until later.”

          “We’ve just arrived at the house,” Serenity replied, taking a seat on the bed. “How is Helios? Any change?”

          Diana regretfully shook her head. “His condition is the same as it has been. He’s still asleep.”

          “I see.” A part of Serenity was relieved. As much as she wanted Helios to wake from his coma, she also wanted to be there when it happened and hoped he would not awaken while she was gone.

          “What about you?” Diana asked. “Are you feeling better yet?”

          “I feel…lost.” That wasn’t quite the word she meant, but it was the first that came to mind. “I don’t know if I should be here, Diana. Maybe coming here was a bad idea.”

          “You only just arrived, right? Give it a chance. You might enjoy yourself.”

          “Maybe…” Just then, there was a knock on her door. “Diana, there’s someone at the door. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

          “Talk to you later,” she agreed. “Oh, and Serenity-sama?”

          “Hmm?”

          “Try to relax, okay?”

          Without responding, Serenity disconnected and walked over to answer the door. It was Ceres and Juno, both already dressed in their swimsuits. Ceres’ was a yellow bikini printed with daisies, topped with a sheer sarong tied around her waist and a wide-brim straw hat to protect her fair skin, while Juno wore a simple green one-piece with a pair of denim cut-offs.

          “Were you talking with someone just now?” Ceres asked, popping her head in the room and lifting up her sunglasses as she looked inside. “We thought we heard someone else’s voice.”

          “I called Diana on the communicator to check on Helios,” Serenity said, placing said communicator in her pocket. “No change.”

          “Ah.” The two senshi gave her sympathetic looks. “Well, anyway, change into your swimsuit and come down to the beach with us,” Juno said, quickly changing the subject. “Vesta’s already down there, setting up the net.”

          “I’m not really in the mood, Juno…”

          “Serenity-sama, we are not going to allow you to lock yourself in your room and mope all weekend. We are under very strict orders from the queen to make sure you relax and have some fun.”

          “Mama said that?”

          “She did, so we expect to see you on the beach in ten minutes.” To further indicate her point, Juno tapped the face of her water-proof watch. “Ten minutes, you hear? Not a second later!”

          Not giving Serenity the chance to protest, Juno yanked Ceres by the arm and led her away, Ceres mouthing “I’m sorry” before disappearing down the stairs. Serenity sighed and began unbuttoning her shirt as she walked back toward the bed. It seemed she had no choice; they were determined to make sure she had fun, whether she liked it or not.

          *Well, maybe it won’t be too bad,* Serenity thought as she once again dug around her suitcase and pulled out her pink-and-white polka-dotted bikini.

          After changing, she headed down to the beach, where her senshi had begun a game of beach volleyball: Ceres and Pallas versus Juno and Vesta. As it was a private beach, nobody else was around. Serenity laid out a towel near the court and caught Juno’s attention.

          “Hey, Serenity-sama, come join us!” she shouted, waving Serenity over to hers and Vesta’s side of the court.

          On the other side, Pallas pouted, hands on her hips. “Hey, no fair! Why does she get to join you guys?”

          “Because we asked first, that‘s why,” Vesta retorted, sticking out her tongue.

          Pallas responded in kind.

          Serenity, not wanting to start an argument, declined the invitations from both sides and took a seat on the towel. “You guys play without me,” she said. “I’m feeling a little worn out from the trip. I think I’m going to read some manga and sunbathe for a while.”

          “But Serenity-sama --”

          Ceres reached for Pallas’ elbow and shook her head, murmuring something in Pallas’ ear that Serenity couldn’t hear. Whatever she said seemed to convince Pallas to leave Serenity alone, for which Serenity was grateful. Grabbing the ball, Pallas jogged to the back of the court and began the next serve.

          Serenity reached into the bag she had brought with her and pulled out a bottle of sunscreen. After slathering on the sunscreen, she took off her bikini top -- feeling no need for modesty with only her senshi around -- and laid down on her stomach to read the shoujo manga anthology she had picked up at the airport. The anthology was filled with new chapters of some of her favorite series, but Serenity found herself unable to enjoy them. Halfway through yet another star-crossed love story, she wished she had bought a shonen magazine instead. It didn’t help that almost all of bishonen heroes reminded her of Helios in some way. With a sigh, she tossed the magazine aside and rested her head on her folded arms.

          *This was a bad idea*, she thought, watching as Pallas face-faulted into the sand while trying to stop the ball from falling on their side of the court. *Everybody wants me to relax and have fun, but how can I? It’s impossible. It’s not like I can flip a switch and forget that Helios is in a coma.*

          The ball rolled out of bounds, coming to a stop in front of Serenity’s face. She made no move to return it. Vesta jogged over to retrieve the ball, giving Serenity a look of pity before returning back to the game.

          Deciding she had enough, Serenity gathered her things and headed back inside the house, holing herself in her room for the rest of the night.  

Chapter Text

          “She’s been in there all night. Do you think she’s okay in there? One of us should go in and check on her.”

          “Vesta, leave her alone. I’m sure Serenity-sama just wants some time to herself.”

          “I thought the whole purpose of this trip was to cheer her up, Ceres. We can’t do that if she won’t even talk to us.”

          “Pallas thinks Serenity-sama should come out and play with us, too. It‘ll make her feel better.”

          “Yeah. I get that she’s feeling depressed about Helios-sama, but it’s been weeks since he fell into a coma, and there’s no telling when he’s going to come out of it -- if he ever will.”

          “Juno!”

          “Hey, I’m just being realistic about the situation. We all know it’s a real possibility, even the princess.”

          “Even so, I don’t think you should say it. What if Serenity-sama heard you?”

          From inside the room, Serenity moaned and buried her head underneath a pillow. She wished they would all go away and leave her alone. While she appreciated the fact that her friends were worried about her, nothing they could do would lift the black cloud that had settled over her.

          The only thing that could do that was to see Helios’ beautiful eyes open once again, shining with love and adoration.

          After a few more minutes of deliberation amongst the senshi outside her bedroom door, it was decided that Ceres would be the one to check in on her. The others left, their footsteps retreating downstairs. Serenity sat up when she heard the soft knock on the door. Though tempted to tell Ceres to go away, she sighed and told her to come in, knowing that she would anyway.

          “I didn’t realize you were awake,” Ceres said as she entered the room and saw Serenity brushing her hair in bed. “We didn’t wake you, did we? We were trying to be quiet.”

          “No, I was already up,” Serenity admitted. “I’ve been up since before dawn.”

          “The nightmares again?” 

          She nodded. The sedatives Mercury had been giving her for the past few days had helped somewhat with her sleeping, but Mercury said she needed to learn to sleep again on her own, without the assistance of addicting sleep aids, and had refused to write her a prescription to take with her on the trip. Needless to say, the nightmares had returned in full force.

          Ceres took a seat on the mattress and placed a motherly hand against Serenity’s cheek. “Oh, Serenity-sama…”

          “It’s okay, Ceres.” She pulled down Ceres’ hand from her face, though she didn’t let it go. “Like Juno said, I know it’s a real possibility that Helios won’t wake up. Maybe these nightmares are to remind me of that, so I don’t get my hopes up too high.”

          “All they’re doing is depressing you more. You should be dreaming more hopeful dreams, dreams of love, beauty, and happiness.”

          “Tell that to my subconscious,” she weakly joked, managing a small smile that didn’t fool Ceres in the least.

          “Don’t feel like you have to put on an act for us, Serenity-sama. We all want to see you smile again, but not those fake smiles you’ve been giving us lately.”

          Serenity didn’t even try to deny it.

          “You shouldn’t worry about me so much,” she sighed. “I know you all want to cheer me up, but --”

          “-- but we’re just annoying you, aren’t we?”

          “I wouldn’t say it like that, but…”

          “What do you want?” Ceres asked. “Anything you want to do, we’ll do it. Just name it. If you want to go back to Crystal Tokyo, I‘ll have the jet put on stand-by. We can be back home by this afternoon.”

          The idea was tempting. Every minute she was away from Helios was another minute he could finally wake up, and Serenity hated the thought of not being there when it happened. But Pallas and the others had been so excited about spending the weekend at the beach house. She didn’t want to ruin the trip for them. Even if she was depressed, that didn’t mean her senshi couldn’t have fun. They deserved a vacation after all their training on the Moon, even if they were technically there as her guardians.

          “I’ll stay the weekend, as planned,” Serenity decided.

          “Are you sure you are okay with that?”

          She nodded. “Just…tell the others to give me some space. I know they mean well, but what I really want is to be left alone for awhile. Will you do that for me?”

          “Consider it done,” Ceres said, standing back up. “At least one of us will have to keep an eye on you at all times like always, but I’ll tell the others to be discreet about it. You won’t even know we’re here.”

          “Thanks, Ceres,” Serenity said, giving her a more sincere smile. “I appreciate it.”

          Ceres kept her word. For the rest of the day, her senshi kept their distance. There was always at least one nearby, keeping guard over her as was their sacred duty, but they kept to themselves, standing outside doors or hiding in the shadows. If not for the occasional shouts and bursts of laughter she heard coming from the beach, Serenity would almost think she truly was alone.

          Serenity stayed mostly inside, studying. She had not lied when she told Misa she had a lot of schoolwork to catch up on due to her absence. To keep her mind off how much she missed Helios, she threw herself into her studies.

          It helped, a little. 

          By the time she finished with her math homework, it was nearing sunset. Juno, the senshi currently on guard duty, poked her head inside the room to inform Serenity that it was time for dinner. Though she wasn’t feeling very hungry at the moment, Serenity followed Juno downstairs to the kitchen, knowing she had to eat something. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast, having skipped lunch to finish an essay for her Japanese literature class.

          One of the senshi had ordered two large pizzas, one pepperoni and one supreme. Serenity grabbed a paper plate from the stack beside the two boxes and selected a slice of pepperoni, her favorite. However, instead of joining the others at the table, she went out on the veranda and took a seat on the porch swing.

          She expected somebody to follow her, but the others remained inside, eating their dinner. Serenity suspected that was due to Ceres’ influence, for which she was grateful.

          Looking out at the crashing waves of the ocean, Serenity sighed and took a bite of her pizza. It tasted like cheesy cardboard to her, but if she didn’t finish at least one slice, she knew the others would worry. She continued eating until only the crust remained and set the plate aside.

          She then stood back up from the swing and took a seat on the top step leading down to the beach, her arms wrapped around her knees. The sun had nearly completed its descent into the horizon, the sky now a blend of purples and blues. It was still too light to see any stars, but Serenity found herself looking upward regardless, searching the heavens for any sign of the twinkling diamonds that were said to grant wishes. Though she realized the tradition of “wishing on stars” was nothing more than a silly children’s game, it couldn’t hurt to try.

          She eventually located one and closed her eyes, singing the traditional rhyme as she made her wish. When she had finished, Serenity slipped off her flip-flops and made her way down to the beach.

          She walked toward the ocean shore, letting the warm waters wash over her bare feet as she hugged herself against the cooling evening breeze. Her pigtails flapped slightly in the wind behind her like two pink party streamers.

          “Helios, I wish you were here,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I know coming here was supposed to help me get my mind off you for a while, but it’s no use. I’m trying to be strong, but…”

          Her voice trailed off, and Serenity reached up with her right hand to wipe away a few wayward tears that had made their way down her cheek without her permission. “Damn it, I promised myself I wasn’t going to let myself cry while I was here.”

          To distract herself, she crouched down and began picking up the various seashells the waves had washed ashore, using the skirt of her sundress as a makeshift basket. In the back of her mind, she thought they would make nice decorations for a picture frame for one of her drawings, although it had been a while since she felt the desire to draw anything. Arts and crafts used to be one of her favorite hobbies, but, like most everything else that used to bring her joy, it no longer filled her with the same satisfaction.

          “Maybe I’ll sketch a picture of the beach for Diana as a souvenir, since she wasn‘t able to come with us,” Serenity mused aloud as she combed through the sand. “She’d like th--”

          Serenity froze as she picked up one of the shells. A deep golden yellow color, the shell in question was a turritella sea shell. It was long and narrow, and looked almost like a screw. However, that comparison was not the first to come to mind.

          It also bore a remarkable resemblance to Pegasus’ golden horn.

          Letting go of her skirt, the shells she had collected fell unceremoniously back on the sand, forgotten. Serenity fell to her knees and stared at the horn-shaped shell in her hand, feeling another round of tears coming on.

          That time, however, she let them fall, unable to stop them from flowing.

          Somebody was holding her.

          For one brief moment, Serenity imagined it was Helios, the star having granted her wish. Her nose detected a familiar floral scent, however, and the voice that was murmuring words of comfort was unmistakably feminine. Through her tears, Serenity saw a blurry image of a girl with pink hair, slightly darker than her own.

          “Ceres…”

          “It’s okay, Serenity-sama,” Ceres said in a soft voice, rubbing Serenity‘s back in a soothing circular motion. “I’m here. You can cry on my shoulder. I don‘t mind. Cry as long as you like.”

          “Oh, Ceres!”

          No longer feeling the need to pretend to be strong, Serenity buried her face in the fabric of Ceres’ cardigan sweater, her arms wrapped around Ceres’ waist. Ceres held her even tighter, rocking her back and forth as sobs shook her body.

          “I want Helios back,” Serenity cried, feeling the shape of the turritella shell she still clutched in her right hand. “Bring him back, Ceres! Bring him back!”

          “More than anything, I wish I could, but…”

          “Bring him back to me!” she demanded yet again, not caring if it was an impossible request. “I can’t do this anymore. I want to see him!”

          “We’ll be heading back to Crystal Tokyo tomorrow; you‘ll see him again soon,” Ceres reminded her, but Serenity shook her head. 

          “I don’t want to see him like that. I want to see him open his eyes, Ceres. I want to hear his voice. I want to feel his touch. I want to smell his scent as he embraces me. I want Helios back -- all of him, not just an empty shell of a body.”

          “You just need to be patient, Serenity-sama. He will return to you in time.”

          “You don’t know that!”

          Angry at Ceres -- and even angrier with herself for her lack of hope -- Serenity pushed her away and rose back to her feet. She began running along the shoreline, the waves crashing violently against the sand. The night sky, which had been clear before, was hidden behind a veil of dark clouds, and raindrops started to fall, mixing with the salty tears running down her face.

          “Serenity-sama, come back!” Ceres shouted over a boom of thunder. “A storm is coming! It’s dangerous! Let‘s go back inside.”

          Serenity didn’t care and kept running without even a glance back at Ceres. When she was younger, the thunder used to scare her, but now she welcomed it, the sound drowning out the voice in the back of her mind that kept telling her it was hopeless, everything was hopeless. She wanted to run away to a place of nothingness, where she would no longer feel pain or sorrow or despair. A world like that would be paradise, more so than this retched place that mocked her sadness with its beauty even during a storm.

          Ceres continued calling out to her, her voice strained as Serenity suspected she ran after her. In response, Serenity increased her speed, pushing herself as hard as she could. It was tough to run in the shifting sands, but the uneven terrain also made it difficult for Ceres to catch up to her; had the chase taken place on solid ground, Ceres would have reached her easily with her superior athletic abilities.

          Serenity didn’t stop until she stumbled over a sand dune; the darkness and the stinging tears in her eyes made it almost impossible to see. She cursed as she propped herself up with her arms. She was soaking wet, sand sticking to her skin and clothes like bread crumbs, and her head throbbed. Looking behind her, she saw Ceres still running toward her, about a quarter of a mile away.

          Serenity didn’t bother running again, too exhausted to keep going. Besides, no matter how far she ran, she would never find what she was looking for.

          Slowly, she dragged herself back up to her feet, intending to meet Ceres halfway, but something bobbing on top of the crashing waves caught her eye. Serenity squinted, struggling to make out what it was through the torrential rains.

          She gasped.

          “Is that…?”

          She couldn’t be positive, but the object seemed to have a vaguely human shape, about the size of a child, and it was struggling. Without a second thought, Serenity stripped off her dress and plunged into the stormy waters, ignoring Ceres’ high-pitched scream.

          Where is he? Serenity thought as she resurfaced in the spot where she had first seen the child.

          He was no where in sight.

          Serenity took in a deep breath and once again plunged into the depths. She couldn’t see in the black water, so she relied on touch, waving her arms around and hoping to make contact with something solid: an arm, a leg, even a handful of hair would do.

          She felt nothing but water.

          Just when she was about to resurface to take another breath before resuming her search, Serenity felt somebody’s arms wrap around her waist, forcibly pulling her back up. She gasped as the two of them broke through the surface, the air burning her lungs.

          “What do you think you’re doing?” Ceres asked, still holding Serenity by the waist. “Are you crazy? You could have died!”

          “Let me go, Ceres!” Serenity demanded, struggling to release herself from Ceres’ hold on her. “I have to save him!”

          “Who?”

          “The boy, the boy!”

          “What boy?”

          “He’s drowning! Please, Ceres, we have to find him before it’s too late!”

          Ceres let her go and started looking around. “Where is he?”

          “I don’t know. He was somewhere around here, but I can’t find him.”

          “He might have been pushed further offshore by the waves. You stay here and keep looking around this area. I’m a stronger swimmer than you, so I’ll check further out.”

          Serenity nodded her agreement and once again dunked under the waves as Ceres made her way toward open water. Mentally, she prayed that the boy was still alive, although she knew the longer it took to find him, the less likely that would be. Already, several minutes had passed since she first spotted him from the shore.

          “Kid!” she shouted upon resurfacing. “If you can hear me, say something! Please!”

          All she heard was the crash of ominous thunder. The storm was going to get worse before it got better.

          “Are you certain you saw a boy out here?” Ceres yelled over the booms, evidently having little luck on her end. “We were on a private beach. The public beach is several miles away, and I don’t see any boats on the water. Where did he come from?”

          “I don’t know, but I know what I saw. He’s out here somewh-- Ceres, there he is!”

          Serenity pointed to a spot less than ten feet away from Ceres. The head of a blond-haired boy bobbed above the waves, just barely managing to stay afloat.

          “Where? I don’t see him.”

          “Right there!” she shouted hysterically. “Ceres, help him! You’re closer to him.”

          “But I don’t see anybody there!”

          How could she not see him? Despite their poor visibility in the storm, the boy seemed to be glowing with a strange golden light. He was nearly impossible to miss.  

          Serenity began swimming toward the boy, keeping her head above water so she could track him. She would not lose him again.

          “I’m coming!” she called out to the boy. “Just hang on a little longer…”

          Just then, a large wave crashed over the boy, submerging him into the depths. Serenity dove under, increasing her pace. The golden light surrounding the boy made him easy to track, but he was descending fast and made no attempt to fight back to the surface. Serenity feared the worst, but continued swimming toward him, her lungs feeling as if they were about to burst.

          Please let him be okay, she prayed. Please!

          When she finally reached the boy, she wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling him close. He was unconscious, completely unresponsive to her touch. Serenity had no idea if he was alive or dead.

          I have to get us back to the surface, she thought, but I feel so tired…

          She had reached her limit.

          With the last of her strength, Serenity cradled the boy in a motherly embrace, the two of them falling together into the depths of the ocean.

          I want to die.

          I want to die.

          I want to die.

          Let me die.

          I don’t deserve to live… It’s all my fault.

Chapter Text

          Serenity slowly opened her eyes.

          She was back in her room at the beach house, and somebody was holding her hand. Turning her head to the side, she saw a girl sitting in a chair beside the bed, her long pink hair damp and a blanket draped over her shoulders.

          “Ce…res…”

          Tears filled Ceres’ eyes. “Thank goodness,” she whispered, bringing Serenity‘s hand to her mouth. “I was so scared. So very, very scared.”

          “Where’s…the boy?” Serenity asked. “What happened…to the…boy?”

          There was a long pause before Ceres answered. “There was no boy, Serenity-sama.”

          “No, there was… I touched him… I held him...”

          “Vesta called the local authorities after I rescued you. Nobody has reported a missing boy.”

          “But I saw him!” she insisted, her voice growing stronger. “I did!”

          “It must have been a hallucination, a figment of your imagination.”

          Serenity shook her head. “He was real… As real as you and me.” Despite how tired she felt, she sat up and tossed her blanket aside. Somebody had changed her into a pair of dry pajamas. “I have to find him.”

          Ceres jumped up from her chair, placing her hands on Serenity’s shoulders and gently pushing her back down to the bed. “You are not going anywhere, Serenity-sama,” she said. “You almost drowned! If anything were to happen to you…”

          “But the boy --” 

          “He doesn‘t exist!” Ceres’ normally gentle voice sounded rough, almost angry. “You imagined him, or maybe…” She bit her bottom lip, seemingly hesitant to bring up her other theory.

          “What?” Serenity prodded.

          “Perhaps you made him up,” Ceres mumbled, looking away from Serenity.

          Her eyes widened in shock, and Serenity once again sat up. “Made him up? Why would I lie about something like that?”   

          “I… I don’t know. You were so upset before it happened, and we all know how depressed you’ve been as of late…”

          Serenity brought a hand to her mouth, understanding the implication behind Ceres‘ words. “You thought I was trying to commit suicide?”

          Ceres didn’t respond, but her silence was answer enough. Serenity shakily rose to her feet and embraced Ceres, who promptly burst into tears.

          “I’m sorry, Ceres,” Serenity apologized. “I didn’t mean to cause you so much worry. Yes, I‘ve been feeling depressed, but I don‘t want to kill myself. Helios wouldn‘t want that.”

          “I’m so glad to hear that,” Ceres said, sniffling. “Very, very glad. When you didn‘t come back up, I…”

          “I know. I’m sorry.”

          The two of them stood like that until the door to Serenity’s room opened and an older woman with blue hair came in.

          “It’s good to see you up, Serenity-chan,” Mercury said with a slight frown on her face, “but you should be resting. You just went through quite the ordeal.”

          Letting go of Ceres, Serenity asked, “Mercury-sama, what are you doing here?”

          “We called her on the communicator to check on your condition,” Ceres replied as Mercury helped Serenity back into bed.

          “Fortunately, Ceres pulled you out of the water just in the nick of time,” the doctor said, tucking Serenity in like a little child. “Had you remained in water for any longer, you could have suffered major brain damage from a lack of oxygen, hypothermia, or even worse. What were you thinking, going out into the ocean during a storm like this?” Outside, the storm continued to rage on, flashes of lightning visible from the rain-spattered window.

          “She claims she saw a boy drowning and was trying to rescue him, but she’s the only one who saw him. I saw no sign of him, and there haven’t been any missing children’s reports filed.”

          “I did see him.” No matter what Ceres said, Serenity knew what she saw. “He was a blond-haired boy, surrounded by a golden light.”

          Mercury tilted her head to the side. “Golden light?”

          “I’m not going crazy,” Serenity declared, knowing exactly what Ceres and Mercury were thinking. “I truly did see him.”

          Mercury and Ceres exchanged a look, obviously not believing her story. “Serenity-chan, it must have been dark out there,” Mercury said. “Are you certain what you saw wasn’t simply a piece of driftwood, illuminated by the light from a lighthouse or boat? Or maybe some large marine animal?”

          “It was a person, Mercury-sama.” Serenity wrapped her arms around herself, thinking back to the moment she reached the boy. “I touched him. I held him in my arms. I felt his…his sadness.”

          “Sadness?”

          Not knowing why she said that, Serenity shook her head. “Never mind. All that matters is that he really did exist; I know he did.”

          “Well, if he did, it’s unlikely he’s still alive,” Ceres said with a mournful sigh. “I’ll contact the authorities again, tell them to be on the alert. That’s the best we can do. They may at least be able to recover his body so his parents can give him a proper funeral.”

          “Thank you, Ceres.”

          “As for you,” Mercury said, talking to Serenity, “try to get some rest, okay? I‘m going to contact your parents and assure them you are alright. I‘m sure they‘re worried sick about you.”

          Serenity nodded, already feeling her eyelids begin to droop. After all the excitement, she was exhausted, and not even the threat of having another nightmare could keep her eyes open. Soon after Mercury and Ceres left the room, she fell fast asleep.

          “I want to die.”

          At the sound of the voice, Serenity opened her eyes and found herself in a world of blue. Where am I? she thought, treading her arms and legs through what appeared to be some kind of blue liquid. It seemed as if she was underwater, though she had no apparent trouble breathing. What is this? This isn’t my usual dream…

          “I want to die.”

          She turned around. It was that voice again. She couldn’t tell if it was a boy’s or a girl’s voice, but it sounded young, like that of a child. However, despite the water being crystal clear, Serenity saw no one else around.

          “I want to die.”

          Serenity finally looked upwards and noticed the reflection of the moon dancing on what must have been the water’s surface. She began swimming toward the light, surfacing in the middle of a large lake -- a lake she knew quite well. What am I doing in Elysion? she wondered, recognizing it as the lake in the middle of the Crystal Forest where she had first met Helios.

          She shook her head. That wasn’t important at the moment; she needed to find the source of the voice. Serenity looked around the vicinity, her eyes landing on the figure of a young boy, standing at the lake’s edge.

          He didn’t seem to notice her.

          “Let me die.”

          The boy’s lips didn’t move, yet somehow Serenity knew the voice belonged to him.

          “I don’t deserve to live… It’s all my fault.”

          As Serenity looked on, the boy began wading through the lake’s waters, still fully dressed in a white tunic and pants. He looked straight ahead, seemingly unaware of her presence. Serenity tried to catch his attention to no avail. When the boy was submerged to the point where only his head remained above the water, Serenity jumped into action, swimming toward him at top speed.

          “Stop!” she yelled, feeling a strong sense of déjà vu as she attempted to reach him. “Please, stop!”

          Unlike earlier, the water was calm and clear, but he was at least half a mile away from her. It was impossible to get to him before he fully disappeared under the surface. When she got to the point where she last saw him, Serenity dived once more into the blue world she had awakened in.

          The boy continued sinking to the bottom of the lake, making no attempt to save himself. Though it should have been an easy task to catch up with him without waves or other disturbances to push him further away, it seemed to Serenity as if the distance between them increased the faster she swam. Physics was never one of her best subjects, but she knew enough to realize something was definitely not normal about that, just like the fact that she could once again breathe underwater. She didn’t ponder too much on the mystery, however, attributing it to the nature of the dream world.

          Instead, she grew even more determined to reach the boy. Serenity remembered Helios once told her that if a dreamer was aware that he was in a dream, it was sometimes possible for the dreamer to control what he saw during the dream. Though she had never tested his claim, Serenity closed her eyes and willed herself to breach the distance between her and the child. When she opened them again, he was only a little more than an arm’s length away.

          “Take my hand,” she ordered the boy, reaching out toward him. To her amazement, he was still conscious.

          Slowly, with some hesitation, the boy extended his arm, grasping her fingers. Serenity breathed a sigh of relief, but just as she was about to pull him up toward her, she felt a squeeze…then nothing.

          Beneath them, a black hole had appeared out of nowhere. The boy was being pulled toward it like a magnet. Serenity once again tried to reach for him, but there seemed to be an invisible barrier of energy between them. She could only look on in horror as the boy, now glowing with a golden light, disappeared into the darkness.

          He said one more thing before he was consumed:

          “I’m sorry.”

          Serenity bolted upright, gasping as if she had just resurfaced from underwater. It took her a few moments to realize that she was no longer dreaming. The room was pitch dark, but lightning from the still raging storm outside provided enough illumination for her to see that she was back in her room at the beach house.

          She reached over to turn on the lamp on the nightstand beside her bed. It didn’t turn on. Thinking that the bulb had gone out, she climbed out of bed and walked over to flip the light switch. It, too, didn’t work.

          “Great, a power failure,” Serenity mumbled. “What is this, the 20^th century?” 

          She shuffled back over to the nightstand, blindly feeling around until her fingers wrapped around a drawer knob. Serenity pulled the drawer open and felt for the flashlight she hoped was inside. When she found one, she turned it on, grateful that the batteries still worked, and walked out into the hall.

          She had expected to find one of her senshi standing guard outside her door, but it appeared that everybody was sleeping in their own beds, a rumbling sound coming from the room across the hall from hers. That would be Juno, whose loud snoring was infamous among the members of their group. At another time, Serenity might have giggled and rolled her eyes, making plans to tease Juno about it over breakfast the next morning, but instead she ignored it, tiptoeing past the rest of the senshi’s rooms and down the stairs.

          Serenity had no idea where she was going until she slid open the sliding glass door leading out onto the veranda. Though it was still raining, the storm seemed to be letting up some. Without bothering to grab an umbrella, Serenity walked down the veranda stairs to the beach, the rain soaking her hair and pajamas in mere minutes. She knew it was a bad idea to go out in the rain when she was still recovering from her recent illness, but she didn’t care, falling to her knees just inches away from the ocean’s shore.

          The flashlight fell onto the sand, the light flickering twice before going out completely. 

          With no light coming from the house and the lightning having ceased, the world went black. Serenity felt a shiver of what might have been fear crawl up her back, and she hugged herself tightly, both to comfort herself and to fend off the sudden chill that had come over her thanks to her wet clothes. She was old enough to know there was -- usually -- no reason to be afraid of the dark, but that didn’t mean she had to like it. Fortunately, as the rain began to lessen and the clouds began to dissipate, the moon and a handful of stars became visible through the darkness, providing at least enough light to see the waves in front of her.

          Serenity stared out at the ocean, struggling to hold back the tears that threatened to fall as she remembered what had happened earlier that night. Somewhere out there, in those cold, black waters, a young boy had lost his life. She didn’t care what Ceres had said; she knew what she had seen.

          “I’m sorry,” she whispered to the ocean, the boy‘s watery grave. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you. Why am I always so…useless?”

          She swiped the damp sleeve of her pajama top across her eyes, but it didn’t do much good.

          Standing back up, Serenity squinted her eyes and scanned the beach. During the storm, several pieces of driftwood and other debris had washed ashore. She found two thin planks, one a couple of inches shorter than the other, and arranged them so that the shorter one sat horizontally over the longer, vertical plank. She couldn’t find any rope to tie them together, so Serenity pulled out the white drawstring from her pajama bottoms and used it to attach the two planks in a makeshift cross. A few feet further from the shore, so that it wouldn’t be washed away, she built up a mound of sand and erected the cross at the top. Serenity completed the memorial by placing a variety of different shells around the base of the mound and the cross as decoration since she didn‘t have any flowers to offer.

          Though she wasn’t raised Christian, she kneeled in front of the memorial and prayed to whoever was listening that she hoped the boy’s soul was at peace and that his family and friends would somehow find the strength and comfort to get through their grief. At the end, she also added a short prayer for Helios, that he would one day awaken from his coma and come back to her.

          When she finally stood back up and turned around, intending to go back to bed, Serenity was startled by the sudden appearance of a bright light, shining directly at her. She shielded her eyes with her hand, struggling to make out who the shadow was who was holding the light. The shape looked feminine, wearing either a long dress or nightgown, and held what appeared to be an umbrella over her head to shelter her from the drizzle of rain that still continued to fall, but it wasn’t until the shadow spoke that Serenity recognized her as the leader of the Sailor Quartet.

          “Serenity-sama?”

          “I-I’m sorry,” Serenity apologized, feeling very much like a child being caught making mischief by her mother. “I know I shouldn’t be out here so late at night, but I couldn’t sleep, and… Ceres?”

          Ceres had lowered her flashlight so that the beam fell upon the wooden cross of the memorial.

          Serenity started to give her an explanation, but Ceres shook her head; she already knew who the memorial was in honor of. To Serenity’s surprise, Ceres handed her the flashlight and snapped her fingers. Out of nowhere, a beautiful bouquet of pure white lilies, held together by a black satin ribbon, appeared in Ceres’ arms. Ceres motioned for Serenity to step aside, then kneeled in front of the memorial. After whispering something that Serenity couldn’t understand, Ceres placed the bouquet of lilies in front of the cross and stood back up.

          “Thank you,” Serenity said softly, touched by the gesture.

          Ceres wrapped an arm around Serenity’s shoulders, bringing her underneath the umbrella. “Come,” she said, leading Serenity back to the house. “Let’s get you out of those wet clothes and back to bed.”

Chapter Text

          The moment Serenity and her senshi returned to the palace the next morning, Serenity sprinted up to Helios’ room. She didn’t even wait to greet her parents.

          “Serenity-sama, you’re home.”

          Diana was sitting in the chair beside Helios’ bed in her human form, a magazine, which she had been reading aloud, in her hands. However, she vacated the chair as soon as Serenity walked through the door.

          “How is he?” Serenity asked, taking a seat in the chair. She reached for Helios’ hand and pressed it against her lips in a kiss.

          Coming up behind her, Diana placed one of her hands on Serenity‘s shoulder. “I’m afraid there’s been no change in his condition,” she informed her. “But what about you?”

          “What about me?”

          “Mercury-sama told us you almost drowned last night trying to save a child‘s life. She said you were fine, physically, at least, but are you?”

          Releasing Helios’ hand, Serenity sat back in her chair and sighed. The last time Ceres had checked in with the rescuers, just before they left, they had yet to find the boy’s body, and the man in charge said it was unlikely they ever would. They were planning to search for a few more hours, but would most likely give up if they didn’t find anything by noon. Nobody had filed a missing child’s report in the area, so a search and recovery mission for an anonymous boy -- who may or may not even exist -- wasn’t considered high priority, even at the request of the crown princess.

          “I’m…okay,” Serenity said after a long pause, not sure if she believed the claim herself or not. She was still pretty shaken up by the previous night’s events, but building the memorial for the boy had helped her to begin to accept what had happened.

          Perhaps sensing that Serenity wasn’t ready to talk about it, Diana didn’t press her for more information. “It’s strange, though,” she said mostly to herself, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. “Two near-drownings in one night…”

          Serenity whipped her head around, catching the last part. “Two? What are you talking about, Diana?”

          “You mean, you haven’t heard?”

          She fully turned around to face Diana. “About what? Who almost drowned?”

          “Hyperion-sama,” Diana replied, with a frown, “almost around the same time you did. Mercury-sama received the call just minutes before Ceres contacted her about you. Since the ambulance was already on the way to the beach house, she first tended to him, then checked on your status. She ended up spending the night teleporting between Okinawa, Elysion, and here to check on Helios-sama. She didn‘t tell you?”

          “No, she didn’t mention it. Neither did the girls.” Although, come to think of it, Mercury hadn’t been at the beach house when she and the others had come down for breakfast. She had asked the others about her absence, but Juno had made some quick excuse about how Mercury was probably needed at the hospital and had left early. It seemed a reasonable explanation at the time, so Serenity hadn’t thought anything of it.

          “They probably didn’t want to worry you,” Diana said, knowing exactly what Serenity was thinking.

          “But Hyperion-sama? What happened? Is he okay?”

          “He’s recovering. It was a close call, though. Had Aurora-san not pulled him out of the lake in time…” Diana let the rest of the thought die in the air, wrapping her arms around herself as if she felt a chill as she slid off the bed and walked over to the window. “I overheard Mercury-sama explaining what happened to the king and queen,” she continued in a softer voice. “They think… They think he might have been trying to commit suicide.”

          “What?” Serenity jumped up from her chair, joining Diana at the window. “Suicide? But he’s just a little kid.”

          “A kid who has suffered through far more than any child should have to endure.”

          Serenity couldn’t argue against that, but… “Are they certain?”

          “He didn’t leave a letter, but they aren’t ruling out the possibility. According the Maenads, he rarely eats, and he still won’t talk to anybody, not even Endymion-sama. The king is at his wit’s end. He doesn’t know what to do.”

          “Papa…”

          “I’m worried about Endymion-sama, too,” Diana admitted. “He’s not doing well.”

          “What do you mean?”

          “The king has been locking himself away in his study, doing some sort of mysterious research. Days can go by without a single person seeing him, including your mother, and he‘s been ignoring practically all his royal duties.”

          That was the first time Serenity had heard about it, although when she thought about it, she couldn‘t even remember the last time she spoke to her father. She ate most of her meals in Helios’ room and spent the majority of her time with him, so she didn’t have much opportunity. “Research? What kind of research?”

          Diana shook her head. “Nobody knows. He refuses to tell anyone. I’m not sure if even the queen knows. Whenever Okaa-sama or Otou-sama ask her about him, she just tells them not to bother him. I saw him last night, though, when I accompanied Mercury-sama to inform your parents about what happened to you.” The catgirl closed her eyes. “He’s wasting away, Serenity-sama. He’s almost unrecognizable. It looked like he hadn’t slept or bathed in days, and he’s lost quite a bit of weight. He and your mother wanted to go to Okinawa with Mercury-sama to make sure you were okay, but, when she saw him, Mercury insisted he stay and get some much needed rest. He looked about ready to collapse from exhaustion, so she gave him a sedative to sleep. Your mother decided to stay with him.”

          “I had no idea…” Serenity murmured, leaning against the edge of Helios‘ bed. “Why didn’t you tell me about this until now, Diana?”

          “We didn’t want to worry you. You‘ve been so depressed yourself…”

          I need to see Papa, Serenity thought, standing back up and walking toward the door.

          Diana knew exactly what she thinking and answered her unasked question. “If the king is awake, he’s probably in his private study.”

          “Thank you,” she said, turning back around when she reached the door. “Would you mind staying with Helios for a little while longer? I shouldn‘t be long.”

          “Of course.”

          Suicide.

          Helios had to strain to hear the rest of Serenity’s and Diana’s conversation, as they had apparently moved to another area of the room, but the word sent a chill down Helios’ spine that had nothing to do with the ever-present freezing temperature of the void. Any happiness he had felt at hearing his maiden’s voice again after a long break had vanished at the news of Hyperion’s possible suicide attempt.

          Since he fell into the coma, most of Helios’ thoughts had focused on Serenity. Every once in a while, usually when Eos or Aurora came to check on his condition, Helios wondered why he hadn’t heard Hyperion’s voice, but the boy’s absence at his bedside had not concerned him too much. At Hyperion’s current power level and ability, he was most likely unable to handle a trip to the human realm. One of the few memories Helios had of his early life as priest of Elysion was of how he had to live in Elysion for a full year before his powers were strong enough to support a return to his home world.

          Eos and Aurora talked little about the boy, but then again, they rarely spoke about anything of importance during their short bedside visits. Eos mostly just wept and prayed, while Aurora had taken to Serenity’s habit of reading aloud to him, although her choice of literature were stories from the old kingdom, written in a language only he and the Maenads still spoke. Since they hadn’t mentioned anything, Helios had assumed things were going as well as could be expected in Elysion, but in truth, it was probably wishful thinking that allowed him to come to such a conclusion. Had the situation truly been fine, Eos and Aurora would have assured him so; the fact that they didn’t could only mean they had been avoiding the subject while around him.

          “What have I done?” Helios asked himself, covering his mouth with his hand. He felt sick to his stomach, the knot of guilt over his actions growing ever larger. “This wasn’t supposed to happen. Hyperion… Oh, I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”

          Helios thought back to the first time he met the boy he had chosen to be his successor. An orphan, Hyperion’s parents had both died in a tragic boating accident when he was only five years old. He had been the only survivor. Since he had no other family, he had been placed in an orphanage, where he was known as a loner, a shy, withdrawn boy who rarely ever spoke. Hyperion, however, had a vivid imagination. Despite his sad circumstances, his dreams were always filled with hope and love, beautiful worlds of happiness where he could go to forget his grief.

          Most importantly, he had possessed a beautiful dream -- a dream to once again feel the love of a family.

          Sadly, the odds of him being adopted were slim to none. Older children were often passed over in favor of babies or toddlers, and Hyperion’s introverted personality did little to endear him to prospective parents.

          It was the night after Hyperion had been rejected by yet another couple looking to adopt that Helios first visited the boy in his dream, sensing the potential in him. Though he was unaware of his powers at the time, Hyperion was a Dream Walker -- a person born with the rare ability to enter other people’s dreams. Many of his dreams were, in fact, the dreams of the other children of the orphanage whose dreamscapes he had unwittingly entered while sleeping. Only a Dream Walker had the potential to become priest of the dreamworld Elysion, a post also known by the title “guardian of dreams.”

          Hyperion -- then known by his birth name,  Yumeno Hikaru -- took to Helios almost immediately, and the same went for Helios. Helios nightly visited the boy in his dreams, teaching him about his newfound powers and how to control them, as it was generally considered bad manners to walk into somebody’s private dream without good cause as he had been doing. They also spent time in Elysion, a place Hikaru soon considered his second home. After several months of observation and training, it became clear to Helios that Hikaru was indeed the best candidate to succeed him as priest of Elysion.

          With no friends or family to tie him, Hikaru had little attachment to the human realm, so when Helios came to him with the idea, he eagerly agreed, despite knowing the sacrifices he would have to make. King Endymion and Neo-Queen Serenity arranged it so that Hikaru was “adopted” by a wealthy Greek man by the name of Helios Nikolopoulos, looking for an heir to his vast shipping fortune. The adoption, so to speak, was “off the books” so as not to leave a paper trail, and the orphanage received funding for a new, state-of-the-art playground and gymnasium in gratitude for its cooperation and discretion in the matter. When Yumeno Hikaru vanished from the face of the Earth a short time later, there was no investigation into his disappearance, and the rest of his public records were destroyed under royal orders.

          Hikaru -- who had taken the name Hyperion as an acolyte -- adjusted quickly to his new home in Elysion. Eos and Aurora had doted on the cute little boy like proud aunts, and Helios’ fatherly affection toward him grew stronger every day. The four of them became like a family, Hyperion’s treasured dream coming true, and Hyperion gradually came out of his shell, transforming into a happy and cheerful boy, if somewhat absent-minded when it came to his training.

          Helios had wanted to protect Hyperion from ever feeling such pain and sadness ever again. He thought that by bringing the boy to Elysion, Hyperion could live inside his beautiful dream forever, eternally innocent and untouched by sorrow.

          How ironic that he would be the one to cause that dream to end.

          Serenity ran into her mother outside of Helios’ room on her way to her father‘s study.

          “I thought you might be here,” the elder Serenity said as she embraced her daughter. “How are you, sweetheart? You aren’t hurt anywhere, are you? Your father and I were so worried when we heard what happened. We wanted to go to Okinawa to check on you, but Mercury assured us it wasn‘t necessary.”

          “I’m fine, Mama,” she assured her mother.

          Her mother placed her hands on Serenity’s cheeks, stared into her eyes as if trying to discern if she was telling the truth, and frowned. “You still look pale. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to go on vacation so soon after your illness. I thought it would help for you to get away from things for a while and try to have some fun, but…”

          “Really, I’m okay. Please, don’t worry about me so much.”

          Her mother brought down her hands, smiling faintly. “I’m your mother; of course I’m going to worry. It‘s my job.” Her smile slipped, however, as she linked her arm with Serenity’s, the two of them continuing their walk down the hall. “I can only imagine the pain that boy’s mother must be going through. My heart goes out to her. It must be pure agony to lose a child. Have they managed to identify him yet? I‘d like to send his parents our condolences.”

          Serenity shook her head. “They haven’t found his body yet, and nobody has filed a missing child’s report in the area.”

          “I see.” Coming to the end of the hallway, where the path split into two, the elder Serenity paused. “Where were you going?”

          “Papa‘s study. Diana says he has been spending a lot of time in there lately.”

          “So you know.“ Her mother sighed, releasing her hold on Serenity’s arm. “That he has. I rarely see your father these days. Sometimes he doesn’t even make it to bed at night, especially as of late. To be honest, I’m starting to really worry about him. He feels so guilty about what happened to Helios-sama, and now Hyperion-sama…”

          “What has Papa been doing in his study?”

          “I don’t know,” she admitted with a shake of her head. “He’s been reading books in languages I’ve never even seen before. I think he’s looking for something, but I haven’t asked what it is. I don’t want to invade his privacy. If he thought it was something I should know, I’m sure he would have told me. Instead, I just try to keep out of his way and pick up the slack in regards to his royal duties. It‘s the only way I can be of help.”

          Serenity thought back to the morning after Helios fell into the coma. Eos had said something about her father borrowing some books from Elysion’s library. Those were probably the books her mother was referring to.

          “Can I see him?”

          “He doesn’t normally like to be disturbed when he‘s doing his research, but I’m sure he’ll make an exception to welcome you back home. Come, I’ll take you to him.”

          Serenity followed her mother to the royal suite. Inside her parents’ bedroom, the elder Serenity walked over to the door leading to the study/office and lightly knocked.

          “Mamo-chan, you have a guest,” she announced in a soft voice, calling him by the affectionate nickname she only used in private.

          “Send them away, Usa-ko,” he ordered. “I told you I don’t have the time to deal with diplomatic matters.” 

          “It’s Sma-- I mean, Usagi. She’s returned from Okinawa and would like to see you.”

          They heard the squeak from a chair from inside the office, and a few moments later, the door opened, revealing the ragged sight of the king. “Usagi!” He greeted her with a hug. “When did you get back?” he asked. “We weren’t expecting you to return from Okinawa until evening.”

          “Just a little over half an hour ago. We came back early. I… Well, it wasn’t much of a vacation.”

          “So I heard.” Her father pulled her into another hug, holding her longer and tighter than he had the first time, and kissed the top of her head. “I’m so glad you weren’t hurt,” he said, he voice cracking. “I don’t know what I…”

          “Papa, I’m fine,” Serenity assured him, gently releasing herself from his embrace and away from his less-than-shower-fresh odor. “You’re the one I’m worried about.”

          “I’ll let the two of you have some privacy,” her mother said. “I have a meeting to attend.”

          After the door closed behind her mother, Serenity took a good look at her father’s appearance for the first time since that morning in the hospital when he told her there was nothing the could do to awaken Helios from his coma. Like Diana had told her, he seemed to have lost a small amount of weight, and behind his wire-rimmed reading glasses, she took note of the shadows underneath his cobalt eyes, indicating a severe lack of sleep. His dark hair, usually perfectly coiffed, was greasy, disheveled, and badly in need of a trim, while the stubble on his cheeks and chin made him look more like a mad scientist than the king of Crystal Tokyo. Guiltily, Serenity wondered why she hadn’t noticed what kind of toll the events of the past few weeks had taken on her father. Had she been so wrapped up in her own grief that she had been blinded to everything else?

          Noticing her staring at his wild hair, her father self-consciously ran his fingers through the tangled mess on the top of his head, trying to restore it to some semblance of order. “Ah, I’ve been meaning to get a cut,” he said, “but things have been kind of crazy as of late. I barely have time to eat, much less make an appointment at the salon. Your mother has always wanted me to wear my hair long, though, so I’m thinking I’ll humor her for once. Maybe even grow a goatee. What do you think? Do you think I can pull it off?”

          Serenity didn’t answer him, instead walking past him into the study over his objections. Despite her father’s reputation for being a bit of a neat-freak, the entire room was in disarray, with countless stacks of books, scrolls, and papers placed around the room seemingly at random, making it difficult to even walk. There was only a narrow pathway cleared away, leading from the door to his large oak desk in the center of the room, which too appeared to be a mess of unorganized chaos.

          She walked over to the desk, mindful not to knock anything over, and chose a book at random from one of the stacks. It had a black leather cover, and the title was written in gold script across the front, although it was in a language Serenity had never seen before. The edge of the book’s pages were also gilded in gold. Carefully, so not to lose the pages her father had marked with red ribbon, she flipped through the first few sections of the book. It was written in the same strange language as the title. “What language is this?” she asked, turning back toward her father, who had joined her. “I’ve never seen characters like this.”

          Her father, paling, snatched the book out of her hands, clutching it against his chest. Serenity stared at him in confusion, not understanding his behavior.

          “Papa?”

          “I-I’m sorry,” he said, placing the book out of sight, underneath some scattered pages which were also covered with the unfamiliar writing, along with some Japanese kanji and another language that might have been Greek. Leaning against the desk, his hands gripping the edge, her father inhaled deeply before finally answering her previous question. “Terran -- that book was written in Terran.”

          “Terran?”

          “It was the official language of the Golden Kingdom.” Straightening back up, he took off his reading glasses and turned back around to face Serenity. “I only remember a few words and phrases, though. To the best of my knowledge, there are only three people in the world who still fluently speak it: Eos-san, Aurora-san, and…”

          “And Helios,” Serenity completed for him, her voice soft as she realized what he must be doing. “Is that what you are doing, Papa? Are you studying these Terran books in order to find a way to awaken Helios from his coma?”

          There was a short silence before the king sat back down at the desk, his head in his hands. “I found an old Terran-Greek dictionary at the shrine,” he explained. “I’ve been attempting to translate these old Terran texts into Greek, then into Japanese, but this is such an archaic form of Greek… I have to translate the ancient Greek into modern Greek before I can even try to decipher what it all means in Japanese.”

          Frowning, Serenity picked up a sheet of paper that showed several translations of what she assumed were the same words. “Can’t you ask Mercury-sama to use her Mercury Computer to translate all this for you?”

          “Computers -- even the Mercury Computer -- are notoriously unreliable when it comes to translation. At best, they can give you a vague idea what a sentence means. At worst, you get a headache trying to wade through all the bad grammar and incorrect words. As far as we’ve come with technology, translation is still best left to the human brain.”

          “Then why don’t you ask Eos-chan and Aurora-chan? You said they were fluent in Ter--”

          He shook his head. “I have to do this myself,” he interrupted before she could finish. “I can’t ask them, not when it’s my fau--” He cut himself off, his fingers yanking at his roots. “I just feel like I have to do this on my own,” he continued, his voice lowering to just barely over a whisper. “Eos-san and Aurora-san have enough on their plates without me burdening them with something like this.”

          “Papa…”

          After clearing away the stack of books sitting in the armchair in front of the desk, Serenity dragged it to a spot near her father and took a seat, placing a comforting hand on his arm. “It wasn’t your fault, Papa,” she said. “I don’t blame you for what happened to Helios, and neither do the Maenads. It was just an accident. Nobody could have known what would happen at the ceremony.”

          “It doesn’t matter, Usagi. I was the one who agreed to perform the ceremony. I understood there might be risks, but I knew how much you and Helios loved each other and wanted to be together. I only wanted to make you happy, yet I…” Her father covered his eyes with his left hand, but not before Serenity noticed a tear streaming down the side of his face, his shoulders shuddering underneath her touch.

          It was a rare sight to see her father -- a man known for his calm temperament -- cry. Serenity could probably count all the times she had seen him breakdown in front of her using only the fingers of one hand. Unsure of how to react in such a situation, she pulled her hand away and was about to leave the study to give him some privacy when he reached over and stopped her. She resumed her seat, sitting quietly by his side until he regained control of his emotions.

          “I’m sorry,” he apologized, wiping away the remainder of his tears with his hands. “I don’t -- I didn’t mean…”

          “Papa, you’re tired and stressed out. Mama says you haven’t been getting much rest lately. Take a break and go get some sleep. If you don’t take care of yourself, you’re going to fall ill like I did.”

          He shook his head and began shuffling around some papers. “I can’t. I’m supposed to leave for Elysion in a couple of hours to check on Hyperion, although I don’t know what I possibly can do to help him. He won’t talk to me; he won’t talk to anybody. It’s like he’s completely closed himself off. He‘s in so much pain, but we can‘t do anything to help him if continues shutting us out like this.”

          “Is it… Is it true that Hyperion-sama was trying to kill himself?” Serenity asked, remembering the rumor Diana had told her.

          Her father looked at her, seemingly surprised that she had heard that particular piece of information, then sighed. “It is unclear exactly what happened last night. He could have been merely sleepwalking.”

          “Does he have a history of sleepwalking?”

          “I don’t know. Not to my knowledge, no.” Leaning back in his chair, he pinched the bridge of his nose. “I wish the explanation was as simple as that, though.”

          “Papa…”

          “How much more tragedy can one child suffer?” he said, talking more to himself than anyone in particular. “He’s already lost one set of parents, and now Helios, who loved him as if he were his own son… He must feel as if he’s lost his father all over again.”

          “Helios thought of Hyperion-sama as his son?”

          “Yes, very much so. It was Hyperion’s most treasured dream to be a part of a family again after his parents’ deaths, and Helios and the Maenads fulfilled that dream for him. The four of them became a close-knit family.”

          “I had no idea…” Serenity murmured.

          She barely remembered Hyperion from the night Helios first fell into the coma. Her attention had been focused solely on Helios. She only recalled seeing the young boy clinging to Eos, then fainting when her father and Mercury had teleported Helios to the hospital. Serenity had left for Crystal Tokyo soon afterwards, too caught up in her grief to give the boy a second thought.

          But maybe there was something she could do to help. She didn’t have the power to awaken Helios, but she could reach out to the boy he considered his son. She had to at least try, for Helios’ sake.

          “Papa, let me go to Elysion,” she said, surprising her father.

          “What? Usagi, I --”

          Serenity reached for his hand, giving it a squeeze. “You need to get some rest, so send me instead. Let me help.”

          He considered her offer. “It’s true that he may be more willing to open up to you,” he admitted. “You’re virtually a stranger to Hyperion, and sometimes it can be easier unburden yourself to somebody you don’t know…”

          “But?”

          “Are you certain you feel up to it? I mean, considering what happened last night?”

          “It’s all the more reason why I want to go. I may not have been able to save that boy, but maybe I can save Hyperion-sama,” she said. “I‘d at least like to try. Please, I need to do this.”

          After a short silence, her father finally agreed. “It’s worth a shot, I suppose. I’m certainly not getting through to him.”

          Serenity stood back up and gave her father a hug. “Thank you. I’ll try my best.”

Chapter Text

          Around noon, Serenity teleported to the shrine in Elysion with only one companion, Diana, in tow. The two of them were greeted upon their arrival by Eos and Aurora, who bowed their heads in deference. Unlike the last time Serenity had come to Elysion, the day of her birthday, there was a marked solemnity between the two Maenads. They didn’t even smile.

          “Thank you for coming, Your Highness,” Aurora said, looking up. “The king informed us you would be coming in his stead. Has there been any change in Helios-sama’s condition?”

          “He’s the same,” Serenity replied, handing her suitcase to Eos. “And Hyperion-sama?”

          Eos sighed. “Physically, he’s doing better, but he’s still blocking us out, I’m afraid.” With a motion to follow her, Eos started down one of the shrine’s halls. “I hope you don’t mind staying here at the shrine instead of the palace,” she said as she led them through what appeared to be the shrine’s living quarters. “With such short notice, there wasn’t time to prepare for a proper royal visit. Endymion-sama wasn‘t intending to stay overnight.”

          “It’s fine. There’s little point in me staying in the palace by myself anyway.”

          “Your senshi are not coming?”

          “I’m in little danger here in Elysion, so I told them to take some time off,” Serenity explained, frowning as she remembered their reaction to her decision when she had told them the news. Ceres and the others had all wanted to come with her, but this was something she needed to deal with on her own. To be honest, she hadn’t even wanted to take Diana with her on the trip. However, her guardian cat had insisted on accompanying her in the senshi’s place, an idea her parents approved of. “It’s summer break; they should have the chance to relax and do things on their own.”

          “I see. I’m sorry to call you out here on your break.”

          Serenity shrugged. “I don’t mind. I had no plans.”

          The four of them stopped in front of a closed door at the end of the hallway. After pulling out a key from her pocket, Aurora stepped forward and unlocked it. “This is -- I mean, was Helios-sama’s room,” she announced, showing them inside. “I’m afraid it’s the only spare bedroom we have. If you would rather not sleep here, though, Eos and I don’t mind sharing and giving up one of our rooms. We were planning to do so anyway, if your senshi came with you.”

          “No, this room is fine,” Serenity said, looking around.

          The room was neat and clean, and she could tell Helios had been in the middle of packing up his things the last time he was there. There was a stack of cardboard boxes in one corner of the room and an opened trunk at the foot of the bed filled with books and clothes.

          “We’ve straightened things up a little and changed the sheets, of course, but the room is mostly how he left it. Hyperion-sama was to move to this room after Helios-sama left, but…“ Aurora’s voice trailed off. “Well, none of us felt right about packing up his things.”

          Serenity barely paid attention to Aurora’s words, her eyes drawn to a watercolor painting hanging on the wall. It was the only piece of artwork in the room, displayed in a beautiful wooden frame gilded with gold. She walked over to the drawing and lifted it from the hook.

          “He kept it…” she murmured, her fingers lightly raking over the Pegasus in the painting, the same one that featured in her dreams. A small shiver traveled up her spine, remembering how the Pegasus in the dream painting always died. She half-expected to see the painting to come to life, just like in her nightmare, but it remained mercifully still.

          “Is there anything else you need, Serenity-sama?” Eos asked. “Diana?”

          As Serenity was still preoccupied with the painting, Diana answered for the both of them. “I think we’re set for now. Thank you.”

          “If you need anything, just call for us.”

          The Maenads were just about to leave when Serenity turned back around, remembering the reason why she had come. “Wait,” she said, and the two paused at the door. “Where is Hyperion-sama at the moment?”

          “He’s in the middle of a prayer session,” Aurora answered. “He should be finished in about an hour or so, though.”

          Serenity nodded her understanding. “Good, I’ll try to speak to him then.”

          After the Maenads left, Diana transformed into her human form and began unpacking Serenity’s things. “Have you decided what you are going to say Hyperion-sama yet?”

          As she placed the painting back on its hook, Serenity sighed and shook her head. “No idea.” It was easy enough to say she wanted to help, but she was clueless as to how to do so. She hadn’t thought that far ahead.

          “Then why did you decide to come?” Diana asked, frowning in confusion. “Ceres and the others practically had to force you to go to Okinawa because you didn‘t want to leave Helios-sama‘s side, yet it was your idea to come here, leaving him again.”

          “I’m…not sure, to be honest,” she confessed. “I just sensed it was important that I come here, like Helios wanted me to come here. Papa told me that Helios loved Hyperion-sama like a son, so I think he would want me to try to help Hyperion-sama if I could.” Turning around, Serenity announced, “I’m going for a walk. Hopefully, I’ll run into Hyperion-sama before he returns to his room.”

          Serenity left without inviting Diana to come with her. Though Helios’ room was in an area of the shrine she was not familiar with, it was easy enough to navigate back to the main hall. From there, she made her way outside to the rose garden surrounding the shrine.

          It was obvious that the garden had fallen into disarray in Helios’ absence. The bushes needed to be trimmed, and weeds had begun to sprout uncontrollably. Serenity saw signs that somebody had attempted to make the garden presentable, but they had given up partway, most likely finding the task too big an undertaking. Taking a seat on a vine-covered stone bench, Serenity plucked a rose from the bush behind her and twirled the stem between her thumb and pointer finger. The blood-red petals fell lifelessly to the ground.

          She sighed and tossed the dead rose aside. It wasn’t only Eos and Aurora; the entire shrine felt cloaked in melancholy. Even the mysterious sun, which shined over Elysion despite its location at the center of the Earth, seemed less bright, peaking through rarely seen clouds.

          “The land is mirroring Hyperion-sama’s emotions,” Serenity murmured to herself, looking upwards toward the prayer tower, which stood on top of the shrine.

          Squinting, she could just barely make out the outline of the young boy kneeling in front of the tower in prayer. If he was speaking or chanting anything, Serenity could not hear it. The only sound she heard was that of the moaning wind.

          Serenity reached into the hidden pocket of her dress and pulled out the Crystal Carillon. “Helios, tell me what I should do,” she whispered, staring down at the bell in her hand. “How can I get through to him?”

          Of course, the bell provided no answers. With a heavy sigh, Serenity put it back in her pocket and stood up. A glance up at the prayer tower revealed Hyperion had finished with his prayers. The boy was slowly making his way down the flight of stairs leading to the rose garden.

          Serenity situated herself near the bottom of the stairs, where he would be certain to see her, and waited for her chance. When Hyperion finally reached the end of the staircase, Serenity stepped forward, tapping him on the shoulder.

          “Hyperion-sama.”

          The boy, rather than startled, continued walking past her, as if he wasn’t even aware of her presence. It was like he was in some kind of trance, his vacant silver eyes staring straight ahead. Serenity, concerned that he might try to drown himself in the lake again or something equally dangerous, followed after him, but he headed back to the living quarters, going into the room directly across the hall from Helios’.

          “I suppose that must be his room,” Serenity said to herself. Waiting a couple of minutes after the door closed behind him, she went up to the door and lightly knocked. Though it was unlikely he would answer, it was worth a try. “Hyperion-sama?”

          As expected, she received no response.

          “Hyperion-sama, you don’t know me,” she began again, not willing to give up so easily, “but my name is Serenity. I’m the crown princess of Crystal Tokyo, and I’d really like to meet you. May I come in?”

          Again, no answer.

          Serenity reached for the doorknob, surprised she was unable to turn it. “Locked?” She frowned and knocked for a second time. “Please, Hyperion-sama, open the door. I want to talk to you.”

          At that moment, Aurora exited the room next door -- presumably, her bedroom -- and came up beside Serenity. “He won’t talk to you?” she asked.

          Serenity shook her head. “I thought I could catch him before he went back to his room, but it was like he didn’t notice me at all.”

          “Let me try.” Serenity moved to the side, allowing Aurora to try her luck. “Hyperion-sama, it’s me, Aurora,” the Maenad said, jiggling the doorknob in her hand. Her voice was sharp and severe, like a mother scolding her child. “Unlock this door right now. You are being very rude to Her Highness, who came all this way just to meet you. As the guardian priest of Earth’s royal family, this behavior is unacceptable.” Aurora sighed, her voice softening when Hyperion failed to come out. “Look, I know you’re hurting. We all are, Serenity-sama especially; that’s why I think it would be a good idea if you two talked. Will you please open the door for us?”

          The two of them waited a few more moments, but the door still remained close. “In that case, I have no choice,” Aurora said, pulling out a set of gold-plated keys.

          Serenity, however, grabbed Aurora’s wrist before she could unlock it. “No, don’t. I don’t think it’s a good idea to force him to meet me like this.”

          “But, Your Highness --”

          “I’ll keep trying to reach out to him on my own,” she said, turning to the door and placing her palm against the smooth oak. “It’s okay, Hyperion-sama. Get some rest; you must be tired after your prayer session. We can meet some other time. I’ll be looking forward to it.”

          With that, Serenity headed back to her own room across the hall, Aurora following after her.

          “I must apologize for Hyperion-sama’s behavior, Your Highness,” Aurora apologized, bowing. “I assure you that Helios-sama did not raise that boy to be so rude. Hyperion-sama is usually polite and respectful.”

          I know, Aurora-chan.” Serenity looked over once more at Hyperion’s door. “Like you said, he’s hurting, and I think I understand a little how he feels. My mother once fell into a coma during an enemy attack. It was one of the worst periods of my life, not knowing if she would live or die. It‘s a horrible feeling.”

          Especially since I was the one who stole her crystal, leaving her defenseless against the Black Moon’s attack, Serenity added silently to herself. Even after all the years that had passed, she still blamed herself for what had happened. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to push the memory away.

          “Do you think you can get through to him?” the Maenad asked, breaking Serenity from her thoughts.

          “I don’t know, but I have to try.”        

          Serenity lay fully awake in Helios’ bed later that evening, her eyes staring up at the ceiling and her hands folded on top of her stomach. She could not sleep, her thoughts focused on the sad little boy who had become priest of Elysion. Though she had tried several more times throughout the day to speak to him, Hyperion had remained locked in his room, save for the period when he went back out to the tower for his evening prayers.

          “What should I do?” she asked herself aloud, keeping her voice a whisper so not to awake Diana, who was curled up in a ball at the foot of the bed in a deep sleep. “Why did I even come here? I don‘t --”

          A door creaked open.

          Startled by the sound in the absolute quiet of the shrine, Serenity bolted upright and began nudging at Diana with her foot. “Diana, Diana! Did you hear that?” she hissed. Her guardian cat remained asleep, not even cracking open an eyelid. “I guess not.”

          Serenity fumbled around in the darkness until she found a set of matches on the bedside table. Unlike the Golden Palace, the shrine had not been outfitted with modern electricity. There was just enough moonlight pouring though the windows for Serenity to strike one of the matches and light the lantern provided for her. With lantern in hand, she then climbed out of the bed and walked over to the door, sticking her head out into the hall.

          “Eos-chan? Aurora-chan? Is that you?” Serenity held up her lantern so she could better see. The door across from her was slightly ajar. “Hyperion-sama?”

          She padded over to Hyperion’s room and further opened the door. Inside, the bed was empty, blankets and pillows strewn about as if the occupant had been tossing and turning in his sleep. There was no sign of the young priest, though his lantern remained sitting on the bedside table, unlit.

          Has he gone to the lake again? Serenity thought, her chest tightening at the idea.

          Without bothering to go back to her room and put on a robe, Serenity headed outside, walking as fast as could without letting the lantern go out. Briefly, she wondered if she should have woken up Eos and Aurora as well and informed them what was going on, but concluded that it would have taken too much time. If Hyperion was planning to drown or harm himself in any way, it was imperative that she find him as soon as possible.

          The moment she made it outside to the rose garden, she began calling out Hyperion’s name. It didn’t take long before she found him.

          Following the sound of somebody sobbing, Serenity made her way to the bench where she had sat earlier, waiting for Hyperion to finish his prayers. She held up her lantern and saw the figure of a young boy sitting on the ground beside the bench, his knees drawn up to his chest and his face buried in his folded arms. Serenity, not wanting to scare him off, approached him with caution. When she was close enough, she kneeled down in front of him and placed a gentle hand on top of his golden curls.

          “Hyperion-sama?”

          The boy’s sobs quieted, and he slowly lifted up his head. Serenity was struck first by his silver eyes, which were too beautiful to be considered merely gray. They were like two full moons, shining in the darkness of the night. For a moment, the boy stared at her, then he let out a soft gasp.

          “It’s…you.” His voice was raspy from disuse, and he quickly wiped away his tears with the sleeves of his pajamas. “I saw…you.”

          Assuming he meant the night of her birthday when Helios had collapsed during the ceremony, she nodded. “Yes, we didn’t officially meet, but I was there --”

          Hyperion shook his head. “No, before. You told me… And in my dreams…” Again, he hid his face. “It’s all my fault!”

          “What do you mean?” she asked, confused. “I’m Princess Lady Serenity, Helios’ lover. This is the first time you and I have ever spoken to each other, if I am not mista--” She paused in mid-sentence, bringing a hand to her mouth. That wasn’t true. “It was you, wasn’t it? In my dreams, the young boy… And the beach!” The memory of the boy she had failed to save flashed in her mind. “You didn’t drown… It was an astral projection of what you were going through here in Elysion, in the lake…”         

          Serenity reached for his arm, but Hyperion yanked it away from her. “Don’t touch me!” he said, briefly looking up. However, when he realized what he had said, and to whom, he lowered his eyes in shame.

          “I’m sorry.”

          Serenity stood back up and took a seat on the bench, taking in a deep breath as she gathered her thoughts. She needed to be careful with what she said to him. It was a mild victory that Hyperion had actually spoken to her -- something he had not done since Helios’ accident -- but he could just as easily clam up again if she said or did the wrong thing.

          “What are you doing out here?” she finally asked, breaking the silence that had fallen between them.

          Though it seemed to her an innocent enough question, Hyperion did not answer.

          Frowning, Serenity decided to try a different tactic. If he didn’t want to talk to her anymore, then perhaps he would reply to a “yes” or “no” question.

          “Did you have a bad dream?”

          Hyperion’s head shot up, and he craned his neck to look at Serenity. For a moment, Serenity thought he might say something. His lips were trembling, and it seemed as if he was struggling with himself. He must have lost the battle, however, for he looked back down without answering, his hands balled up into fists.

          His reaction all but confirmed Serenity’s suspicions. “It’s okay to admit when a dream scares you,” she said, her voice soft. “I’ve been having a lot of dreams like that myself lately -- nightmares really. Sometimes they scare me so much, I’m afraid to fall asleep,” she admitted. “I’ve found it helps to talk to others about my fears, though. The nightmares have yet to completely go away, but they no longer frighten me as much, because I know I have people who care about me, who will be there for me even if…” Her voice trailed off, and she shook her head. Even now she couldn’t bring herself to say the words aloud. “You know you shouldn’t run off on your own in the middle of the night, Hyperion-sama,” Serenity said instead, bringing the focus back to his problems. He had enough to deal with without being burdened with hers.

          “I’m not a child,” he said, much to Serenity’s surprise. “I know how to take care of myself.”

          Despite the seriousness of the conversation, Serenity smiled at his defiant declaration. “I remember feeling that way, too, when I was about your age. I wanted so terribly to be an adult, to become a beautiful lady like my mother…” Her smile disappearing, she sighed and looked down at her hands. They were bigger than they were back then, but just as useless. “Being a child made me feel so helpless, but I realize now that even adults have their weaknesses. They don’t always know the answers to everything.”

          Hyperion abruptly stood up and dusted the dirt off the back of his pajama pants.

          “Where are you going?” Serenity asked.

          He hesitated before saying, “Back to my room.”

          Serenity frowned. She had hoped Hyperion would open up more to her, but she supposed that was asking too much for their first meeting. As it was, she had already gotten further than the Maenads and her father had, though she didn’t understand how. Had her father’s theory been correct, and Hyperion felt more comfortable with her because she was a stranger, or was it something more? Something to do with the fact that he occasionally appeared in her dreams? In any case, she realized she would not get anything more out of him that night, so she stood up as well and held out her hand.

          “I’ll walk with you.”

          Hyperion ignored her offered hand and glanced away. “I said I’m not a child.”

          “Then be a gentleman and escort a lady back to her room,” Serenity said, taking his arm and placing his hand in the crook of her elbow.

          Hyperion didn’t let go.

          The two of them headed back into the shrine, Serenity guiding them through the dark halls with the light of her lantern. Neither of them spoke until stopping in front of Helios’ bedroom.

          “Thank you, Hyperion-sama,” she said as Hyperion quickly released her elbow.

          Though it was difficult to see in the dim light, Serenity could have sworn she saw a hint of a blush on his cheeks.

          “Goodnight, Your Highness,” he said with a polite bow before turning to go to his room across the hall.

          “Wait.” Serenity reached for his shoulder, forcing him to stop though he didn’t turn to face her. “The next time you have a bad dream, come to me, okay?” she said. “Don’t run off on your own. I’ll listen to whatever you want to say.”

          Hyperion didn’t respond. With a sigh, Serenity released her grip on him and allowed him to return to his room.

Chapter Text

          After a night of restless -- though thankfully dreamless -- sleep, Serenity was awakened the following morning by a soft knock on the door. Her eyes fluttering open, she sat up and yawned.

          “Come in!”

          The door opened, and Eos entered the room, balancing a large silver tray in her arms. Whiffs of freshly-brewed coffee and warm bread tickled at Serenity’s nose.

          “Good morning, Your Highness,” Eos said, bowing her head to Serenity before unloading the contents of the tray on a small table in the corner of the room. “I hope I didn’t wake you.”

          “It’s fine.” Serenity reached for her robe as Diana, who had also woken up, jumped off the bed and transformed into her human form. “I wasn’t sleeping very well anyway.”

          Diana, taking a seat at the table, frowned. “Did you have another bad dream?”

          “No, actually.” Serenity joined Diana and grabbed a blueberry muffin from the basket sitting at the center of the table. “I spoke with Hyperion-sama last night.”

          Eos’ eyes widened in surprise as she handed Serenity the first cup of coffee. “You spoke to him? As in, you had an actual conversation with him?”

          “I’m not sure if I would really call it a conversation,” Serenity said, thinking back to the previous night. “I did most of the talking, but he did respond to me, a little.”

          “That’s wonderful, Serenity-sama!” Eos exclaimed, pressing the empty tray against her chest. “It’s like a miracle!”

          “Don’t call it a miracle yet.” Serenity sighed and stared down at her steaming coffee. “There’s something weighing down on him, something heavy that he doesn’t want to talk about.”

          “Like what?” Diana asked.

          Serenity shook her head. After Hyperion returned to his room, she had wondered what might be troubling him so much, but she had failed to come to any definite conclusions. And she still didn’t understand why Hyperion kept appearing in her dreams, something he seemed to be aware of, based on his recognition of her. “I don’t know, Diana. Your guess is as good as mine.”

          “At least it’s a start in the right direction,” Eos said. “That’s something, right?”

          “I hope so.” After taking a sip of her coffee, she asked, “Where is Hyperion-sama at the moment?”

          “At the tower for morning prayers.”

          “Has he had breakfast yet?”

          “Aurora brought him a tray earlier this morning, but he didn’t eat much,” Eos said. “I’m afraid he doesn’t eat much at all these days, which is unusual for Hyperion-sama. He used to have a very healthy appetite, especially when it came to sweets. He had a huge sweet tooth, but now he doesn‘t even touch his dessert.”

          “I see…” A plan began to form in Serenity’s head. She wasn’t sure if it would work, but she had to do something. “Eos-chan, would you mind packing a picnic lunch this afternoon? For three?”

          Eos looked from Serenity to Diana, confused. “Three? Are you expecting a guest?”

          “Prepare some of Hyperion-sama’s favorite foods if you can,” Serenity said in reply to her question.

          The Maenad sighed. “We’ve tried that before, Your Highness. We thought he might eat more if it was food he loved, but he ate the same amount as always.”

          “It’s worth another try. Would you mind?”

          “I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

          As promised, Eos had a picnic basket ready for them around lunchtime.

          While Hyperion was busy performing his afternoon prayers, Serenity and Diana snuck into his room with Eos’ help. Serenity wanted to catch him in a place where he was unlikely to run off. The two of them stayed hidden behind his bed until they heard him come in and close the door behind him.

          “Hyperion-sama!”

          Startled, the young priest turned around, though he didn’t say anything. He simply stared at her and Diana, who was in cat form per Serenity’s request.

          “I’m so glad I caught you,” she said in a forced cheerful voice, holding up the wicker basket in her hand. “Eos-chan made me this wonderful picnic basket, but there’s way too much food for just me and Diana. Would you like to join us? We were thinking of going to the lake.”

          Hyperion looked down at his feet. “I’m…not really hungry,” he said in a soft voice that was barely audible.

          In direct contrast to his words, his stomach growled.

          “Your stomach seems to say otherwise,” Serenity lightly teased, taking his hand. “Come on.”

          Though Hyperion continued to stand in place, to her surprise, he didn’t immediately let go of her hand. “I-I…”

          “You like fried chicken, don’t you? And chocolate chip cookies?”

          “I don’t…not like them,” he admitted, glancing away.

          “Then come with us.”

          Unwilling to take “no” for an answer, Serenity opened the door and pulled Hyperion back out into the hall. He was resistant at first, but surrendered to her lead, allowing her to guide him to the grassy pasture near the shrine where Pegasus was kept. Though years had passed since she last saw the winged unicorn, Pegasus recognized her at once, walking straight up to her and nuzzling at her cheek.

          “Hey, there, boy. It’s been a while,” she said, handing the horse one of the carrots Eos had included in the basket. While Pegasus was eating, she turned to Hyperion. “Have you been taking him out for exercise?”

          “Aurora-san and Eos-san have. I’m not that great a rider.”

          “It’s been a long time since I’ve had the chance to ride,” Serenity admitted. “Helios taught me when I was younger.” Memories of those long ago happy days threatened to fill her mind, but Serenity was quick to push them away, knowing if she let them through, she would break down. She needed to focus on Hyperion, not on her own sorrow.

          Serenity had asked Aurora to prepare Pegasus for riding beforehand, so he was already fitted with a gold-plated saddle and reins. After placing Diana in the empty half of the basket, she handed it to Hyperion and hoisted herself up on Pegasus‘ back.

          “Here,” she said, offering Hyperion her hand.

          Hyperion, after a moment’s hesitation, took the hand and allowed her to pull him up. He sat in front of her, the basket held in his hands. Serenity’s arms surrounded him as she reached for the reins.

          “Hold onto that basket. We don’t want Diana to fall.”

          With a silent command, Serenity urged Pegasus to take flight. They were soon high in the air, looking down at Elysion.

          The sadness that seemed to envelop the shrine extended outward. Though the land was still beautiful, there were beginning signs of decay. Trees were beginning to lose their leaves, flowers were less abundant, and the once vibrant colors were faded and dull, as if covered by a light shadow. Serenity let out a small gasp when she saw what Elysion had become, and even Hyperion seemed disturbed by the sight, quickly looking back up and swiping the sleeve of his tunic across his eyes.

          Serenity pretended she didn’t see.

          Deciding it best to wait until they landed before beginning any serious conversations, Serenity was silent until she saw the lake in the middle of the forest. She told Hyperion to hold on tight and yanked lightly on Pegasus’ reins, signaling for him to land. Down on the ground, Serenity dismounted and helped Hyperion down as well. Then, after leading Pegasus to the lake to drink, she took the picnic basket from Hyperion’s hands and began laying out the food on the checkered blanket Eos had provided.

          Diana remained in cat form, running off to chase after a butterfly as soon as she hopped out of the basket. It was part of Serenity’s plan for Hyperion to think that Diana was merely an ordinary Earth cat. According to Eos, he had never met Luna or Artemis while they were in their feline forms and was unaware they were shape-shifters, as were most of Earth’s citizens, who knew them only as the king and queen‘s trusted advisors. Serenity planned to use his ignorance to set Diana up as a round-the-clock bodyguard of sorts, hoping that even if he continued to push her and the Maenads away, he wouldn’t mind a cat keeping him company. 

          For her part, Diana played her role well. After becoming “bored” with the butterfly, she turned her attention to Hyperion, who stood staring at the lake. She came up to him and began rubbing herself against his legs, purring so loud that Serenity could hear her nearly ten feet away. When he became aware of the cat’s presence, Hyperion scooped Diana in his arms and absent-mindedly stroked her fur as he continued looking out at the water.

          “Eos-chan really outdid herself,” Serenity said once she had finished laying down the spread, “didn’t she?” When Hyperion made no move to join her, she patted the empty spot beside her on the blanket. “Hyperion-sama, have a seat. Don’t be shy.”

          Hyperion jumped a little at the sound of his name, but came over and sat down on the blanket where she had indicated, Diana snuggling in his lap. Serenity handed him an empty plate.

          “Take whatever you want. As you can see, there’s plenty to go around.”

          He chose a small assortment of food, barely covering up half his plate, while Serenity filled hers nearly to the brim, taking a little of everything. When she caught Hyperion staring at her selection, she blushed in embarrassment.

          “I’m afraid I inherited my mother’s appetite,” she admitted, “though, luckily, I seem to have her metabolism as well.” Looking at Hyperion’s meager pickings, she frowned. “Is that all you want? You’re a growing boy.”

          For the first time since they landed, Hyperion spoke. “My growth stopped the moment I became priest of Elysion,” he explained in a soft voice, looking down at his plate. He had yet to take a bite. “I’ll be this age eternally.”

          “But Helios grew,” Serenity said, confused. She had assumed that even if the aging process was slower in Elysion, people still aged. “He’s older than I remember.”

          “He only resumed aging a few years ago, when we began the conversion. The more power he lost, the faster he grew.”

          “I see.” So it was similar to what had happened to her, except that it had been the awakening of her powers as a Sailor Senshi that led to her growth resuming, not the loss of power. “Well, still, have a little more.” Serenity placed another drumstick on his plate. “Eos-chan told me fried chicken was your favorite food.”

          After that, the two of them ate their meals in silence. As expected, Hyperion only nibbled at his food, feeding most of his chicken to Diana, who refused to stoop so low as to eat the can of cat food Serenity had set out for her, regardless of the “normal cat” masquerade. He didn’t even touch his cookies.

          “You don’t like it?” Serenity asked when he set the unfinished plate aside.

          “It’s fine,” he said. “Like I said before, I’m not very hungry.”

          Serenity knew he was lying, but she couldn’t force him to eat if he didn’t want to. Instead, she continued with her own meal, studying Hyperion’s profile as he once again stared out at the lake. He seemed almost…entranced by it.

          “Why did you bring me here?”

          It was the first time Hyperion had spoken to her on his own accord, and not in response to something she said. Serenity, wanting to tread carefully, put down her plate and considered the question before answering.

          “This is a special place to me,” she finally said. “This forest is where I first met Helios.”

          “He liked to come here a lot, when he had the time,” he said.

          “Did you come here with him often?”

          Hyperion glanced over at her. “How did you know?”

          “A lucky guess.”

          Sighing, Hyperion turned his attention back to the lake. “Helios-sama told me this was a special place to him, too,” he murmured. “He said there was no place more beautiful in all of Elysion.”

          “I agree,” Serenity said, joining him in looking out at the crystal blue water, which sparkled in the sunlight. Unlike the rest of Elysion, the forest was the one place that still felt truly alive, the one bright spot in an otherwise dreary and somber world. “I would hate for this place to be tainted by sadness, too.”

          “What do you mean?”

          “You tried to kill yourself here, didn’t you?”

          Serenity hadn’t meant to broach the subject so bluntly, but with the question out in the open, she paid special attention to his reaction. Though he didn’t say anything, she could tell Hyperion was rattled, his posture straightening as Diana left the comfort of his lap to sit beside Serenity. He then drew up his knees, hugging them close to his chest as he hid his face.

          So it was true.

          Serenity brought a hand to her mouth, struggling not to cry out. Though the Maenads and her father had suspected that he had tried to commit suicide, she had hoped they were wrong, that something else had led him out to the lake that night. Hyperion was still so young, not even a teenager… But he had gone through so much already in his short life, experienced so much pain and sadness. Life had caused him to grow up long before his time.

          “That wasn’t the first time you tried, was it?” Serenity asked after composing herself. She may have been pushing her luck, but she needed to know the true extent of his suicidal thoughts. “The reason why you won’t eat is because you’re trying to starve yourself, aren’t you?” She touched his arm, encouraging him to look back up. “Hyperion-sama?”

          Hyperion jumped up and rounded on her. “You don’t know anything about me!” he shouted, the loudest he had spoken in her presence. “Don’t talk to me like you know me, like you care about me!”

          “I do care about you, Hyperion-sama,” Serenity said, scrambling to her feet and taking one of his hands between her own. “I’m worried about you. We all are -- Eos-chan, Aurora-chan, my father. We want to help you, but you have to let us in.”

          “You can’t,” Hyperion declared, yanking his hand away from her. In a softer voice, he added, “Nobody can.”

          “You don’t know that.”

          Hyperion’s hands clenched into fists at his side. “You shouldn’t concern yourself with me, Your Highness,” he said, unwilling to look her in the eye. “I’m not worth saving.”

          “What are you saying? Life is precious, and always worth saving. I know you are going through a difficult time right now, but is it so bad you feel your only option is to throw your life away as if it was nothing? What about the people who love you? Do you want them to feel the same pain you are feeling right now? Do you want to cause them sadness?”

          “No, of course not, but…”

          “Then let me help you. Tell me how you feel.”

          “Do you really want to know how I feel?” he asked, finally looking Serenity in the eye. “Fine, I’ll tell you. I want everybody to hate me, that’s how I feel. All I ever cause is grief, and I have never once made somebody happy. It would have been better if I had never been born. If I hadn‘t, then maybe…maybe…”

          “What?” she prodded, again grasping for his hand, which he pulled back away from her. “What did you do, Hyperion-sama?”

          “You should hate me most of all, Serenity-sama,” Hyperion said mournfully before turning around and sprinting off into the forest.

          “Hyperion-sama!”

          “Aren’t you going to go after him?” Diana asked, coming up beside Serenity. With Hyperion out of earshot, she could drop the “normal cat” charade.

          She shook her head, fighting every instinct she had to run after the boy. “I want to, but I don’t think I should. He won’t talk to me; I went too far.” She looked down at her guardian cat. “Diana, keep an eye on him. I don’t like the idea of him going off by himself when he’s that upset, but I don’t want to risk making him angrier with me than he already is. Keep to the original plan, and make sure he doesn’t hurt himself.”

          Diana nodded. “Got it,” the cat said before running off after him.

          Serenity returned to the shrine by herself, her heart heavy and feeling even more useless than usual. As much as she wanted to help Hyperion, she knew his problems were more than she could deal with. Sliding her back down one of the shrine’s outside columns to sit on the ground, she let out the sob she had been struggling to keep in from the moment she realized the true extent of Hyperion’s situation, gasping for air as the tears streamed down her face.

          “Serenity-sama!”

          Eos and Aurora, who had been tending to the overgrown gardens within earshot, dropped their gardening tools and ran over to Serenity, Eos kneeling down beside her.

          “Your Highness, what is it?” she asked. “What’s wrong? Where’s Hyperion-sama?” She gasped. “Did something happen? Is he…is he…?”

          Serenity shook her head. “He’s okay,” she managed to spill out between heaving breaths. “Diana is with him now, but…but…”

          “Here,” Aurora said, pulling a handkerchief from her pocket and offering it to Serenity. “Please, try to calm yourself down. We can barely understand you.”

          Nodding, Serenity took the handkerchief and forced herself to take in a couple of deep breaths. The intake of fresh oxygen helped, and her sobs eventually subsided. She wiped away her tears and looked up, wringing Aurora’s handkerchief between her hands.

          “Your suspicions were correct, Aurora-chan,” Serenity said, her voice strained as she held back the tears threatening to resume. “The time you saved him from drowning in the lake, Hyperion-sama was trying to commit suicide.”

          “Are you certain? He told you that?”

          “He didn’t have to tell me. I could tell by his reaction when I brought it up. And that’s not the only time he’s attempted it either. He’s been intentionally starving himself, hoping it would kill him.”

          Eos covered her mouth with her hands, horrified. “Oh, no, it’s worse than we thought, Aurora. What are we going to do?”

          “This is too big for me to handle on my own,” Serenity confessed. “You two need to take him to Crystal Tokyo. They have doctors and clinics there that can help him. I’m sure Mercury-sama can give you a recommendation.”

          “Serenity-sama, you’ve forgotten Hyperion-sama must stay here in Elysion,” Aurora reminded her. “His powers are not yet strong enough to visit Crystal Tokyo even for a short time. That’s why we never brought him to see Helios-sama when he was in the hospital.”

          “Then what can we do?” Eos asked again.

          At that moment, Hyperion returned to the shrine, Diana trailing behind him. As Serenity and the Maenads were gathered in front of the entrance, he had no choice but to pass by them if he wanted to go inside. Serenity met his eyes for a moment, but Hyperion quickly glanced away, his pace speeding up.

          “Hyperion-sama!” Eos called out, but the young priest had already disappeared inside the shrine, Diana just barely squeaking by before the door closed behind him.

          Aurora prevented Eos from following after him, grabbing her by the elbow. “Leave him be for the moment. Diana is with him, so he should be okay for now. Right now, we need to come up with a plan to deal with this situation.” She turned her attention back to Serenity, who had risen back to her feet. “Is there truly nothing you can do to help him?”

          “I’m going back to Crystal Tokyo tomorrow,” Serenity announced, making the decision right then and there. “I’ll ask Mercury-sama to give me some recommendations and find a psychiatrist who is willing to come here to Elysion.” Considering the circumstances, it was the only option available to them. “Until then, you two need to make sure he’s never alone. Even if he locks you out or pushes you away, you mustn’t give him the opportunity to harm himself.”

          “We understand. Thank you, Serenity-sama. We are in your debt.”

          Serenity shook her head, unwilling to accept their gratitude. “I wasn’t able to do anything. Again, I’m completely helpless.”

          “Serenity-sama…”

Chapter Text

          Serenity crawled into bed, knowing it would be another restless night.

          Diana was not there, still keeping guard over Hyperion. Serenity had not seen either one of them since they returned to the shrine. She purposely kept her distance, knowing that she was probably the last person Hyperion wanted to see. With her accusation, she had burned whatever bridge they had built between them -- not that it had ever been that stable in the first place.

          At least he had finally opened up to her, although she still didn’t quite understand the meaning of his last words to her before running off: “You should hate me most of all, Serenity-sama.” What had he done to make him think she would ever hate him? What had he done to make him think he deserved anybody’s hatred?

          No answers came to mind as Serenity rolled over onto her side, looking at the Crystal Carillon, which she had set on the nightstand beside her lantern. She reached for the bell and sighed as she ran her fingers across the intricate engravings that decorated it.

          “I’m sorry, Helios,” she whispered. “I failed once again. I wanted to help him, for your sake, but --”

          She was startled by the sound of somebody knocking on her door.

          Serenity placed the Crystal Carillon in the drawer of the nightstand, then walked over to the door. She expected it to be Diana, checking in with her before going to bed, but her eyes widened in shock when she opened the door and saw who her late-night visitor was.

          “Hyperion-sama!”

          Without a word, the young boy threw his arms around Serenity’s waist and began to sob uncontrollably into the fabric of her nightgown. Serenity attempted to comfort him, running her fingers through his hair.

          “It’s okay, it’s okay,” she murmured, looking down to see Diana standing in the doorway. “Another bad dream?” she mouthed to the cat.

          Diana nodded.

          Serenity gently pulled away from Hyperion’s embrace and kneeled down in front of him so that they were eye-to-eye. “I’m glad you came to me instead of running off again,” she told him, remembering her words from the previous night. “Do you want to talk about it?”

          Hyperion shook his head, running the sleeve of his pajamas over his eyes. Serenity didn’t push him for details, not wanting a repeat of the day’s earlier performance, which he seemed to have forgotten in the aftermath of his nightmare. Instead, she took his other hand and stood back up, leading him over to the bed. She sat down on the mattress and reached for the handkerchief Aurora had loaned her, using it to wipe away his tears.

          “There,” she said as she finished. “Would you like to stay here for the rest of the night?”

          The dream must have truly upset him, for Hyperion nodded without hesitation. Serenity scooted over to the other side of the bed and lifted up the blanket, inviting him to join her. Though the bed was meant to only hold one person, Hyperion was small enough that he wouldn’t take up much room. He climbed in beside her and snuggled up against her like a frightened child clinging to his mother.

          Diana joined them as well, curling up against his back.

          “It’s going to be okay,” Serenity whispered, kissing the top of his head. “I’m here. You don’t have to be afraid. It‘s okay.”

          Remembering back to her own childhood, when she would sneak into her parents’ bedroom in the middle of the night whenever she had a bad dream, Serenity began humming an old lullaby her mother had used to lull her back to sleep. She had long forgotten the words, but the melody seemed to calm Hyperion‘s fear. His hold on her relaxed, and by the end of the second verse, his eyes had closed, his breathing soft and even.

          Looking down at his sleeping face, Serenity sighed. “Oh, Hyperion-sama, I wish you would tell us what is weighing so heavily on your soul,” she said softly. “Is the pain so unbearable you would rather end your own life than to deal with it? Let us shoulder some of the burden you bear. You don’t have to go through this on your own.”

          It was a familiar dream.

          The endless corridor. Lights that turned on by themselves. Voices and cries that seemed to come out of nowhere. A bulletin board covered in drawings of Pegasus. Serenity passed them all by without thought, focused on only one thing: finding Hyperion.

          He didn’t always appear in the dream, but she sensed she would find him there tonight. Walking down the corridor at a breakneck pace, she began shouting his name, her yells echoing off the walls. “Hyperion-sama! Hyperion-sama, where are you? I need to talk to you!”

          When she reached the area where the boy usually appeared, she slowed down. He wasn’t there, but in his stead was a golden door in the middle of the hall, seemingly standing by itself. Confused by the sight, Serenity walked around to the back of the door, finding nothing but empty space behind it.

          “How peculiar…” she murmured.

          A knock on the door startled her.

          Still unsure of what was happening, Serenity came back around and opened the golden door a crack, peeking inside. Behind it was Hyperion, standing in what must have been some sort of subspace pocket.

          “Hyperion-sama?”

          “Can I -- May I enter your dream, Your Highness?” he asked in a small voice.

          “Y-Yes, of course,” she said, opening the door wider to invite him in.

          The moment Hyperion stepped through the door and into the hospital corridor, the door disappeared in a flash of golden light. “What was that?” she asked.

          “The door to your dream. Dream Walkers can enter dreamer’s dreams through the Hall of Dreams.” Hyperion bowed at his waist. “Forgive me, Serenity-sama. Until now, I have been entering your dreams without your permission. I’m sorry.”

          Serenity shook her head. “I don’t mind, but why?”

          Hyperion straightened back up, but didn’t answer her question. Instead, he walked toward the fake wall that Serenity knew led to the hospital room that Helios had occupied when he first fell into the coma and placed the palm of his hand against it. “Follow me,” was all he said before pushing through the wall.

          Having no other choice, Serenity followed Hyperion through the wall to Helios’ room. Many questions came to mind, but she kept silent, deciding it would be best to let Hyperion take the lead. He stopped in front of the door labeled with Helios’ name, placing his hand on the doorknob.

          “No, don’t,” she said, pulling his hand away. “I don’t want to see what’s in there…not again.”

          “It’s okay,” he assured her, pushing open the door.

          Serenity looked away, but when she heard the soft beeps of the heart monitor, she slowly turned her head back around. Unlike her usual nightmare, Helios was laying in his bed, still attached to the machine and an IV. He looked pale, but otherwise healthy. “He’s…alive?” she asked, brushing past Hyperion to enter the room and stand at Helios‘ bedside. She took one of his hands and kissed the back of it, blinking back tears of relief. “What does this mean?” she asked, turning back to Hyperion, who still remained in the doorway. “Does this mean Helios is going to make it through this after all? Is he getting better?”

          Hyperion glanced away, not answering her question.

          “Hyperion-sama?”

          “You are not a Dream Seer, Your Highness,” Hyperion replied in a low voice. “Your dreams do not predict the future. They are only a manifestation of your hopes and fears, nothing more.”

          “Oh, I see.” Serenity set Helios’ hand back down at his side and wrapped her arms around herself. “I’m glad. That means my nightmares weren’t some kind of warning, preparing me for the inevitable. There’s still a chance he might wake up.”

          “Serenity-sama…” The young priest took a hesitant step forward, a fist pressed against his chest. “About Helios-sama, he‘s…”

          “Yes? What is it?”

          There was a long pause before Hyperion finally answered. “I think you should go back to Crystal Tokyo and stay by Helios-sama’s side. Don’t concern yourself with me anymore. Please.”

          Serenity frowned. “I was planning to go home tomorrow, but I can’t just forget about you, Hyperion-sama.”

          “You have to!” he said. “There isn’t much time left…”

          “What do you mean, there isn’t much time left? Until what?”

          He shook his head. “Please, just go,” he said before turning and darting back into the hall.

          “Hyperion-sama?”

          By the time she reached the doorway and looked out into the corridor, Hyperion was already gone.

          The next morning, Serenity woke up with a start when she opened her eyes and saw the spot beside her empty save for a sleeping gray cat. Memories of the dream she had during the night flashed through her mind, causing her to fear the worst. She nudged Diana awake, her heart pounding in her chest.

          “Diana, Diana!”

          Diana cracked open one eye. “Serenity-sama?” she mumbled, obviously still drowsy with sleep.

          “Where is Hyperion-sama?” Serenity demanded to know.

          “He’s gone?” The news seemed to shock her awake. Diana rose to her paws and looked around the room. “I didn’t hear him leave at all.”

          Fighting against the urge to lecture Diana when it was supposed to be her job to shadow Hyperion -- after all, he had slipped out without either one of them noticing -- Serenity jumped out of bed, threw a robe over her nightgown, and dashed across the hall to Hyperion’s room.

          “Hyperion-sama?” she called out, opening the door without bothering to knock. To her surprise, it was unlocked.

          The room itself, however, was vacant.

          “Serenity-sama?”

          Serenity closed the door and turned around to see Eos coming down the hall, carrying a breakfast tray.

          “Eos-chan, have you seen Hyperion-sama?” she asked the Maenad, bridging the gap between them.

          Eos blinked, seemingly confused by the question. “He’s performing his morning prayers at the tower as usual. Where else would he be?”

          “Are you certain?”

          “Yes, Aurora escorted him there herself, and she’s currently keeping guard over him, just like you told us to.”

          Serenity sighed in relief, leaning up against the wall to prevent her legs from buckling underneath her. “Thank goodness!”

          “Did something happen, Your Highness?”

          “Last night, Hyperion-sama had a nightmare and came to my room, crying. He was so upset, I let him stay with me, but when I woke up, he was gone,” Serenity explained. “I was afraid he might have run off to the lake again or something.”

          “A nightmare?”

          “I think he’s been having them for a while. The night I first talked to him, it was also after he had a bad dream.”

          The tray in Eos’ hands slipped, falling to the ground with a loud clatter that echoed through the empty hallway.

          “Eos-chan?”

          The Maenad kneeled down to clean up the pieces of broken glass and ruined food. “I’m sorry!” she apologized. “I’m so clumsy. I can’t believe I did that. I’ll prepare another meal for you and Diana right away.” 

          “Never mind about breakfast.” Serenity reached for Eos’ wrist, pulling her back up. The Maenad’s skin was white as a ghost, and she was visibly trembling. “Eos-chan, what’s wrong?” she asked. “You’re shaking! Are you okay?”

          “Hyperion-sama should not be having nightmares,” Eos said, her voice low.

          “You can’t really blame him for having them. After all he’s been through, I would be surprised if he wasn’t having nightmares. It‘s normal for kids his age.”

          Eos shook her head. “Serenity-sama, you don’t understand. The priest of Elysion is also called the guardian of dreams. His strength relies greatly on the power of his dreams. If Hyperion-sama is having nightmares…”

          “…then his power is weakening,” Serenity completed for her, a sense of dread coming over her as the realization hit.

          The shadow that had fallen over Elysion… It was more than the land simply reacting to Hyperion’s depression. His powers were becoming too weak to support it. And if that happened…

          “Eos! Serenity-sama! Come quick!” Aurora shouted, running toward them. “It’s Hyperion-sama; he’s collapsed!”

          Beep. Beep. Beeeeeeep.

Chapter Text

          “Damn it, Mercury-sama, pick up!”

          Serenity punched the blue button on her communicator for the third time in just as many minutes, but the screen remained blank, the call unanswered. She growled in frustration, resisting the urge to smash the communicator to the ground.

          Where the hell was Mercury when she was needed?

          “Serenity-sama, please try to calm down,” Aurora said, having calmed down herself after they had checked on Hyperion and moved him to a couch inside the shrine. “It seems Hyperion-sama merely fainted. His pulse is normal, his breathing is steady, and his injuries are minor. I don’t believe he’s in any immediate danger.”

          “Maybe so, but I’ll feel better once I hear that from a doctor. There’s a chance he might have a concussion,” Serenity said, trying to reach Mercury once again with no luck. “Damn it! Why isn’t she answering?”

          Eos took a seat on the edge of the couch where Hyperion lay, still unconscious, and brushed the hair off his forehead to check his temperature. “He doesn’t seem to have a fever,” she said. Looking up at Aurora, who stood behind the couch, hugging herself, she asked, “What happened before he collapsed?”

          “Nothing out of the ordinary. At least, nothing that I noticed. Hyperion-sama had just finished performing his prayers. He stood up, and he seemed a little unsteady on his feet, but I didn’t think much of it at the time. Then when he was near the bottom of the staircase, he suddenly collapsed and fell down the rest of the way.”

          “It’s fortunate that he didn’t have that far to fall. His injuries could have been much worse. These scratches and bruises can be easily healed in the bath.”

          Serenity, for the moment taking a break from contacting Mercury, looked up from her communicator and frowned. “Aurora-chan, are you certain he didn’t purposely throw himself down the steps?” She hated to think such a thing, but considering the circumstances and Hyperion‘s current state of mind, she had to ask.

          “I can’t be positive, but I don’t think so, this time. It didn’t seem like a deliberate act to me,” Aurora said. “Besides, if he truly intended to kill himself, wouldn’t he have fallen from the top of the tower, rather than the bottom?”

          “Right before you came to tell us what happened, Serenity-sama told me Hyperion-sama has been having nightmares,” Eos informed Aurora, whose complexion visibly paled in response to the news, just as Eos’ had earlier. “Is it possible he collapsed from a lack of power? Since it happened right after he finished his prayers, he was probably very weak, and add that to the fact he hasn’t been eating well for the past few weeks…”

          “Hyperion-sama has been having nightmares?” Aurora looked down at Hyperion and shook her head. “This isn’t good. If his powers are weakening, then the barrier won’t be as strong. Earth and Elysion will be vulnerable to attack. Things have been peaceful ever since the Black Moon clan invaded Crystal Tokyo, but we can‘t risk letting our guard down.”

          “Can’t you and Eos-chan assist him with his prayers?” Serenity suggested. “If you two joined him, he wouldn’t have to use as much of his own powers, right?”

          “We can, but it would only be a temporary fix, and our prayers aren’t as potent as those offered by the priest.” Aurora turned around, leaning against the back of the couch. “I hate to say it,” she said in a low voice, “but I think Helios-sama may have made a mistake in naming Hyperion-sama as his successor.”

          “Aurora, no,” Eos protested. “I know Hyperion-sama had difficulties in controlling his powers at first, but he’s worked so hard, and he loves Elysion so very much.”

          “It’s not a question of dedication and devotion, Eos. Hyperion-sama has both in spades. I’m not denying that. However, it’s becoming clear that Hyperion-sama doesn’t have the mental maturity to deal with the realities of being priest of Elysion. Perhaps if he had a few more years to mature into the role, he may have handled the transition better, but Helios-sama was simply too impatient to wait.”

          “You’re blaming Helios?” Serenity asked. She was unable to hide her anger at the accusation.

          Eos fidgeted on the couch, obviously uncomfortable. “It’s true that Aurora, Endymion-sama, and myself tried several times to convince Helios-sama to postpone the ceremony,” she admitted, staring down at her hands.

          “We worried that Hyperion-sama might not be experienced enough to handle his duties by himself,” Aurora elaborated, turning back around to face Serenity. Like Eos, however, she too was unable to look Serenity in the eye. “As Eos said before, Hyperion-sama was not a natural when it came to controlling his powers. He was often unfocused and absent-minded, but he had begun to improve as of late, enough so that both he and Helios-sama felt he was ready to take over. Even we judged Hyperion-sama proficient enough during his trial prayer session.” She sighed. “Perhaps, we are partly to blame as well. We loved and respected Helios-sama so much, it’s possible we overlooked Hyperion-sama’s faults in favor of Helios-sama’s opinion.”

          Silence fell over the room’s occupants as they contemplated Aurora’s words. They were so lost in their own thoughts that they barely noticed Hyperion start to stir back into consciousness.

          “I believe in Helios,” Serenity finally declared. “He may have been impatient, as you said, but I don’t think he would have gone through with the ceremony if he didn’t think Hyperion-sama could handle his duties. Helios loves Elysion more than anyone; he would not knowingly put this land and Earth in danger for his own selfish wants.”

          “Serenity-sama…”

          Just then, a beep emitted from Serenity’s communicator. She picked it back up and saw that the blue button was pulsating.

          It was from Mercury.

          “Finally!” Serenity pushed the button, enabling the connection, and Mercury‘s face appeared in the video screen. “Mercury-sama, I’m glad you called back. Would you mind --”

          “Serenity-chan, you need to return to Crystal Tokyo as soon as possible,” Mercury interrupted, her face stern and serious. “Come to the hospital. It’s Helios-sama.”

          The second she and Diana arrived at Tokyo General Hospital, Serenity headed straight to the nurses’ station. “Where is Helios?” she demanded of the young nurse on desk duty.

          The nurse rose to her feet and bowed. “Y-Your Highness!”

          “Never mind the formalities. What room is Helios Nikolopoulos in?”

          “Um, yes… How do you spell that?” the nurse asked, flustered in the presence of the crown princess.

          “Never mind!” Serenity snapped. She was not normally so rude, but she was not in the mood to deal with incompetence. “I’ll find him myself.”

          “Serenity-sama!” Diana bowed in apology to the nurse and followed after Serenity as she stormed off in the direction of the elevators. “Serenity-sama, I know you are worried, but you have to calm down.”

          “You know, I’m sick and tired of people telling me to calm down. I can’t calm down! Not until I know what happened.” Serenity mashed the “up” button on the nearest elevator, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for the doors to open. “Ugh, this is taking too long! This is the 30^th century, for crying out loud! Why are these still as slow as they were in the past?”

          “Where are you going? This is a huge hospital, and you don’t even know what floor Helios-sama is on.”

          “I’ll start with the second and make my way up.”

          “That will take forever.” Diana grabbed Serenity by the shoulders and turned her around so that they were facing each other. “Listen, close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. All this running around isn’t going to help you find him any faster. After you settle down, we’ll go back to the nurse’s station and find out what room Helios-sama is in. Okay?”

          Serenity did as she was told, realizing that Diana was right. Freaking out when she didn’t even know what was happening wouldn’t help anything.

          “Better?”

          She nodded. “Thank you, Diana. I needed that.”

          The two of them began heading back to the nurses’ station, but were intercepted by Mercury. “Serenity-chan, Diana, good, I’m glad you’re here.”

          Despite Diana‘s words, Serenity felt herself getting worked up again. “What happened, Mercury-sama? Why is Helios back in the hospital?”

          “I was just on my way to update the king and queen on Helios-sama’s condition,” the doctor said, stepping into the elevator Serenity had been waiting to open and holding open the doors so they could join her. “Come with me. I’ll explain everything then.”

          Though they were only going up to two floors, the elevator ride seemed to take forever. Serenity resumed tapping her foot; Diana took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. When they finally reached the third floor, Mercury led them to the waiting room where her mother and father were waiting, along with the Sailor Quartet. Everybody except for the king, who sat with his head in his hands, not even looking at Serenity, stood up when they entered the room. Serenity threw herself in her mother’s arms.

          “Mama…”

          Her mother kissed the top of her head. “It’s going to be okay, sweetie,” she murmured before looking over at Mercury. “Right, Ami-chan?”

          Mercury, however, looked grim. “At the moment, Helios-sama is in serious condition.”

          “What happened?” Diana asked.

          “Like everything else concerning this case, it’s difficult to say. The only thing I can tell you for certain is that he went into cardiac arrest.”

          “You mean, like a heart attack?” Serenity turned back around, disengaging herself from her mother’s embrace. “I don’t understand. You said other than the fact he couldn’t wake up, Helios was healthy. Why would he suddenly have a heart attack?”

          “First off, I must clarify that cardiac arrest is not the same thing as a myocardial infarction -- or, in layman’s terms, a heart attack -- although a heart attack can lead to cardiac arrest,” Mercury explained. “Cardiac arrest occurs when the heart stops beating, cutting off blood circulation in the body. As for why Helios-sama went into cardiac arrest…” Sighing, Mercury slipped on her reading glasses and looked over the electronic files in her Mercury Computer. “I wish I could give you an explanation, but I can’t. None of the tests we’ve performed have given us any definite cause, and his heart appears to be quite healthy. Considering the case, I’m inclined to believe it was not a medical cause at all, but related to whatever put him in the coma in the first place.”

          “Will… Will he be okay?” she asked, afraid to hear the answer. Her heart pounded in her chest.

          “We’ll continue to monitor him closely, but…” Mercury took off her glasses and placed them back into the pocket of her lab coat, then closed her eyes. “I think you should all begin preparing for the worst.”

          “No.” Serenity shook her head, unwilling to accept that. There had to be something more they could do to save him. “No,” she repeated, looking over at Mercury. It had to be some kind of cruel joke. Helios couldn’t possibly…he couldn’t… “No…no!”

          Realizing that Mercury was telling the truth, Serenity collapsed, her mother catching her in her arms and falling to her knees. She rocked her back and forth like a baby as the tears began to fall.

          A light shone in the darkness.

          It was just a sliver, barely thicker than a strand of hair, but after spending so much time in an unending world of night, the beam of light seemed like a ray of sunshine. Helios could barely believe his eyes. He blinked twice before confirming that it was indeed real and not a figment of his imagination.

          He felt himself drawn to it, yet a part of him feared it. It was not the light of either King Endymion’s Golden Crystal or his maiden’s Pink Moon Crystal, but it conveyed a sense of being just as powerful -- if not even more so -- as those royal artifacts. The best word Helios could use to describe it was “awe-inspiring”, and he felt a warmth in his heart even as a chill ran up his spine.

          The light spoke to him -- not so much in words, but he understood it just the same. It was telling him not to be frightened, that everything would be okay if he only followed it. All he had to do was touch it, and his never-ending nightmare would be over.

          His body began moving on its own volition, “swimming” toward the thread of light. Helios was powerless to stop it, feeling a magnetic force pulling him toward it. He gave up fighting against it and began actively trying to reach the holy light, pushing down his fear.

          He wasn’t certain, but it was possible that the light would lead him back to the world of the living.

          Half in a daze, Serenity walked the quiet halls of the ICU, following the directions Mercury had given her to Helios’ room. The sound of her heels echoed loudly in the silence.

          When she finally came to a stop in front of the door labeled with Helios’ name, Serenity reached for the doorknob, but did not turn it. A part of her did not want to see him. As long as she didn’t lay eyes on him, she could pretend that it wasn’t real, that this really was a nightmare from which she would soon awaken. However, she knew she had to face reality, so inhaling deeply, she squared back her shoulders and opened the door.

          Unlike the first time she saw him in the hospital, Helios was attached to many machines, including a ventilator. His condition had worsened to the point that he couldn’t even breath on his own. Serenity choked back a sob when she saw him, tears burning her eyes. He looked so pale and lifeless…

          The nightmare truly had become her reality.

          After managing to recompose herself, Serenity took a seat in the chair beside his bed and reached for Helios’ hand. There was so much she wanted -- no, needed -- to tell him, yet the words would not come, her throat closing up as she struggled not to cry. She tried to speak anyhow.

          “Helios… I love you. I will always love you,” she said, her voice strained and cracking. “They’re telling me that I should say my goodbyes to you, but I don’t know how to do that. How can I possibly say goodbye to the person I love most in the world? It’s… It’s too hard.” A few tears managed to escape, and Serenity kissed the back of Helios’ hand, tasting the salt as they coated her lips. “Don’t make me say it,” she continued, holding his hand to her cheek. “Open your eyes and tell me this isn’t goodbye. Tell me that we’ll always be together and you’ll never leave my side. Make my cherished dream come true, like you said you would. Please… Please, don‘t leave me here.”

          Serenity squeezed his hand tightly, hoping against hope that the pain would stimulate him awake. It did not come as a surprise when it didn’t.

          “I’m not going anywhere, Helios. I’ll stay by your side until the very end,” she vowed. “I won’t let you --”

          Unable to finish the sentence, she released her grasp on his hand and curled up into an upright fetal position on the chair, her arms wrapped around her knees. Tears now freely flowed down her cheeks; she made no attempt to stop them.

          Serenity wasn’t sure how long she stayed like that. At one point, she heard the door creak open, but whoever it was -- most likely either her mother or father, or possibly Diana, coming to check on her -- had enough courtesy to leave without saying anything. When her tears finally dried up, the moon had risen up to the sky, its soft light shining through the window.

          Serenity walked over to the window, her forehead pressed against the glass as she looked up at the full moon. Five years, she had trained there with the other girls, working hard to achieve her dream of becoming a proud Sailor Senshi like her mother. At the time, five years didn’t seem like such a long time. Compared to her true age, five years was nothing in the span of her lifetime. It had been hard to leave Helios behind, knowing that they would be unable to visit each other, but she assumed they would have all the time in the world when she returned.

          Now she would give anything to have those five years back -- even just a day or two would do. She had wasted so much time, and for what? Her powers were useless to save him. She might as well start calling herself Sailor Chibi-Moon again, a pale imitation of the real thing.

          With a heavy sigh, Serenity pulled down the mini-blinds over the window, hiding the moon from her view. Seconds later, a bright golden light filled the darkened room, almost blinding. Shielding her eyes, Serenity turned toward the source of the light and gasped when she saw the figure of a child in the center of the room.

          “Hyperion-sama!”

          Noticing how unsteady he appeared on his feet, Serenity moved quickly to catch him in her arms as he collapsed.

          “I’m okay,” he mumbled. “Just a little tired…”

          “Hyperion-sama, you shouldn’t be here,” Serenity said, helping him to the chair she had vacated. “Eos-chan and Aurora-chan told me you don’t have enough power to travel to the human realm.”

          Hyperion shook his head. “It doesn’t matter.”

          “Yes, it does!” Serenity snapped, unable to control the sudden burst of anger she felt at his willingness to die. How dare he be entertaining suicidal thoughts when Helios was dying only feet away, against his will! “You may not value your life, but we do. If you can’t live for your own sake, then at least live for those who love you.”

          “I wonder…if you would still say that…if you knew the truth…”

          Against her protests, Hyperion stood back up and immediately crumpled to the floor.

          “Stay here,” Serenity told him, kneeling down beside him to check on him. He was still conscious, but just barely. She needed to get help. “I’ll go find my father.”

          “No, don’t, please.” With some of his last remaining strength, he grabbed the hem of Serenity’s dress as she stood. “Endymion-sama… He’ll only send me back.”

          “But --”

          “I won’t stay long,” he promised, his eyes beginning to close. “I just want…to apologize…”

          “Hyperion-sama! Hyperion-sama!” Serenity violently shook him by the shoulders, screaming his name. “Hyperion-sama, wake up! Somebody, help!”

          The door flew open.

          “Usagi, what’s wrong?” her father asked, his eyes falling on Hyperion’s motionless body. “Hyperion!” He kneeled down beside them and searched for Hyperion’s pulse. “What happened?”

          Serenity shook her head. “I don’t know. Is he…?”

          “He’s alive, but barely,” he announced upon finding a pulse. “What is he doing here? He should know his powers aren’t strong enough to cross over. Trying to teleport to the human realm at his level is practically suicidal!”

          Serenity flinched at the last word. With all that had happened, she had yet to tell her father about Hyperion’s death wish. Indeed, Hyperion had been the last thing on her mind from the moment she returned to Crystal Tokyo, to her shame.

          “He said he wanted to apologize,” she said, noticing her father looking over at Helios’ bed. “Papa?”

          “The barrier…?” he murmured, so low that Serenity could barely hear him.

          “Papa, is there anything you can do?”

          “R-Right.”

          Endymion turned his attention back to Hyperion. He placed his folded hands over Hyperion’s chest and closed his eyes. His hands began to glow golden as he used his powers to infuse Hyperion’s body with energy from the Golden Crystal. After a couple of minutes, Hyperion’s eyes fluttered back open.

          “Why?” he asked in a quiet voice, looking up at Serenity and Endymion. Tears leaked from the corners of his eyes. “Why?”

          Serenity gathered the young boy in her arms, crying her own tears of relief. “Because Helios loves you.”

          “And he wouldn’t want you to sacrifice your life for his sake,” her father added, causing Hyperion’s eyes to widen and Serenity to look at him in confusion.

          “What do you mean?” she asked.

          “The barrier…” After a glance back at Helios, he looked down at Hyperion. “It’s your power, isn’t it? You’re the one who has been keeping Helios alive all this time.”

          Hyperion’s head rolled to the side, avoiding looking either one of them in the eye. “It’s my fault,” he said in a voice barely above a whisper. “This is all my fault. If I had listened to Serenity-sama…”

          “You said something like that to me before, the first time we met,” Serenity recalled, remembering that night in the garden. “What did you mean?”

          “I…I had a vision,” he confessed. “A woman came to me. I did not know who she was at the time, but she was one of the prettiest girls I had ever seen.” Hyperion once again stared up at Serenity, a mixture of awe and shame reflected in his eyes. “She was you, Serenity-sama. She wanted me to convince Helios-sama to cancel the ceremony. She said I wasn’t ready yet to be priest of Elysion.”

          “This vision, it was the one you had the morning of the ceremony, correct?” Endymion asked, and Hyperion nodded. “You told us that the vision was unclear and you couldn’t understand her.”

          “I lied. I didn’t want to admit to myself that I wasn’t ready to become the new priest and risk disappointing Helios-sama. He was so looking forward to the princess’s birthday. He wanted to give her the one thing she wanted most in the world.”

          “Helios would have understood,” Serenity said. “He’s not the type to get mad over something like that. If you had told him the truth --”

          “I know, but…” Hyperion sighed. “I thought I could handle the responsibility. Truly, I did. I thought everything would be okay if I just tried harder, but Aurora-san was right. I wasn’t ready.”

          “You heard us?”

          “Bits and pieces. I was falling in and out of consciousness, but I heard enough of the conversation to realize what you and the Maenads were talking about.”

          It was Serenity’s turn to feel ashamed. Even if they had assumed Hyperion was unconscious, they shouldn’t have said those things in front of him.

          “Hyperion-sama, I’m so sorry. We didn’t real--”

          He shook his head. “It’s okay, Your Highness. Aurora-san was simply stating a fact. I never should have been named priest of Elysion, not at my current level. It was my fault for lying about the vision I received.”

          “What about the barrier?” Endymion asked, turning the subject back to the original topic.

          Hyperion closed his eyes, as if trying to bring a mental picture of that horrible day to his mind. “Something went wrong during the ceremony,” he began. “I don’t know exactly what happened, but Helios’ soul was being ripped from his body. I knew if I didn’t do anything, he would die, so I placed the barrier around him to block his soul from leaving.” After a short pause to open his eyes, he continued. “It takes a lot of energy to keep a barrier like that intact, though. I was fine for the first few days, but then I started having nightmares, and I felt my powers weakening. I couldn’t even control my powers as a Dream Walker and began showing up in the dreams of the woman I saw in the vision the day of the ceremony. I finally had to admit to myself that my vision was right. It was then that I decided I would sacrifice my life for Helios-sama‘s sake. I thought if I were to die, his powers would return to him and he would wake up from his coma. It was the only way I could think of to repent for what I had done. The ceremony probably failed because I was not strong enough to become the next priest of Elysion, like the vision told me. Helios-sama doesn‘t deserve to pay the price for my arrogance.”

          “Hyperion, you’re wrong. Nothing went wrong with the ceremony,” the king said in a low voice, surprising both him and Serenity. “What happened had nothing to do with your abilities as priest.”

          “Papa, what are you talking about?”

          There was a brief pause before he answered. “Helios was *meant* to die that day.” Her father reached inside the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a folded piece of paper, which he smoothed out and handed to Serenity with a shaking hand. “That is a translation of an entry taken from the journal of my ancestor, Endymion I, the first king of Earth. I discovered the journal the night you left for Elysion, while I was looking for a way to bring Helios back.”

          Serenity scanned the paper, bringing a hand to her mouth when she came to the part relevant to the subject at hand. “This wasn’t the first time the spell had been used?”

          “For unknown reasons, the first priest of Elysion suddenly went insane,” he said. “He murdered the two Maenads who served him and committed numerous other atrocities that are too vile to even put into words.” Indeed, he looked ill to his stomach just thinking of them. “At that time, Earth was in chaos. Endymion’s dream was to unite all the various countries and kingdoms under one empire in an attempt to bring peace to the planet, but not everybody was in favor of him becoming king, even though he was in possession of the Golden Crystal. It was rumored that one of the rebel factions had brainwashed the priest in order to prove that Endymion was not fit to rule. Since the king and priest were so closely connected to each other, the thinking of the time was that if the priest was evil, then the king must be, too.

          “When the priest was captured, he denied all knowledge of the acts of violence he had committed, seeming to prove the brainwashing theory correct. According to Endymion’s diary, the priest was sincerely horrified by the crimes he had committed and even tried to take his own life in atonement, but if he were to die, Endymion would as well.”

          Hyperion gasped when he heard that. “Then if I had succeeded…”

          “Then I would have died as well,” the king confirmed. “It would not have restored Helios’ powers to him as you hoped.”

          The boy in Serenity’s arms began weeping. She held him even closer, attempting to comfort him, as she encouraged her father to continue with the story. “What about the spell?”

          “Endymion was willing to forgive the priest for his crimes, believing that he was not in his right mind when he committed them, but the people of Earth and the priest himself were not. Many were crying out for his execution, paying no mind to the fact that the king would die as well if his priest were to be killed. As far as they were concerned, the two were partners in crime and both deserved to be put to death.

          “The priest urged Endymion to create a spell that would break the bond between them, allowing for a new priest to be named. Unfortunately, the only way to do that was for the king to kill the former priest himself. That is why Endymion referred to it as a ‘Forbidden Spell’. Though the priest had offered up his life willingly, the king had loved the priest like a brother, and it broke his heart to have to kill him, even if it was the only way to appease the populace.”

          “So it was a killing spell,” Serenity said softly to herself, still cradling Hyperion in her arms. “Helios was never meant to survive. Giving up his priesthood was the same as giving up his life. It was all…all for nothing?”

          No, Helios was still alive -- just barely hanging on by a thread, but the spell had not succeeded thanks to Hyperion’s quick thinking. Now that the truth had been revealed, there was a chance they could find a way to save him…

          “I’m sorry, Usagi.” Her father scooted over beside her, wrapping an arm around her shaking shoulders and kissing the top of her head. “If I had known, I never would have… I should have studied the spell more thoroughly beforehand, instead of taking Helios’ word at face-value that it was simply a spell forgotten by the ages. I should have known that it couldn’t be so easy to break the bond. I…killed him… I’m so sorry. So, so, sor--”

          For the second time in three days, the king of Earth broke down in tears, joined by his daughter and his priest.

          Helios had heard everything, having stopped in his journey toward the light when he became aware of Serenity screaming Hyperion’s name.

          “That spell was meant to kill me?” he murmured after the king had finished the story of Endymion I and his priest. “That’s why it was called a ‘Forbidden Spell’? I‘m dying?”

          He turned toward the light once again. The fear he had felt the first time he saw it returned, stronger than before, paralyzing him. Helios suddenly realized what the light represented. It was not the way back to the waking world, as he had hoped.

          It was the passageway to the afterlife.

          “No, I don’t want to die!” he screamed. “Don’t take me! I have to return to my maiden. I promised her! I promised her that I would make her dream come true!”

          Even as he resisted, Helios felt the magnetic pull of the light continuing to draw him closer toward it. He was virtually powerless against it. With nothing to grab on to as an anchor, all he had was his own strength to hold him back, and it was nothing compared to the strength of the light’s gravity. 

          “I’m sorry, Serenity,” he whispered. “I love you.”

          Serenity was the first to regain her bearings, wiping away her tears with the palm of her hand.

          Her father had his face buried into her shoulder, while Hyperion clung to her like a child would his mother. Serenity reached for her father’s hand, giving it a light squeeze. “Papa, please, you mustn’t blame yourself,” she said when he finally lifted up his head. “You didn’t know what the spell would do to Helios. It’s not your fault, and neither is it yours, Hyperion-sama.” She kissed the top of the boy’s golden curls. “You tried to save Helios, and I’ll forever be grateful for that.”

          With some struggle, as he was still quite weak, Hyperion rose to his feet and walked over to the foot of Helios’ bed. “I just wanted to make things right, but I can’t, can I?” he said, craning his neck to look back at Serenity and her father, who had stood up as well. “Helios-sama is dying. I can feel it.” He turned his attention back to Helios. “The barrier is no longer as strong as it was. His soul wants to escape. If only I had kept up my strength…”

          Coming up behind him, Endymion placed his hands on Hyperion’s shoulders. “Is there truly nothing you can do, Hyperion?”

          “If I was stronger, I could strengthen the barrier, but I’m afraid that would only postpone the inevitable. I put up the barrier in the heat of the moment; I cannot heal his soul, only contain it.”

          “Wait a minute.” Serenity walked over to Helios’ bedside, a flicker of hope in her heart at Hyperion’s words. He may not have the power to heal the soul, but she did. And if the barrier was as weak as he claimed… It was worth another try. “If the barrier is weakened, then my powers may be able to reach him now.”

          Since Helios’ mouth was obstructed by the ventilator, she could not kiss him as she did the first time. Instead, Serenity called forth her crystal, her casual clothes transforming into a gown of pale pink silk. A sigil in the shape of a golden crescent moon appeared on her forehead, and the room was filled with a rosy glow. Only Helios remained untouched by the light, as if his body was being protected by some kind of invisible barrier. If Serenity focused properly, she could just barely see the thin outline of golden light surrounding him, the Golden Crystal’s power that was the only thing still keeping him alive.

          Though her crystal was now stronger in comparison, she could not risk breaking the barrier. Instead, she searched for weaknesses, looking for small holes or breaks in the barrier that would indicate a possible way inside without harming it. To her disappointment, the barrier, though not as powerful as it once was, still covered the entirety of his body.

          Serenity was about to let go of her transformation when she noticed a small beam of white light coming from a spot over Helios’ heart, so thin that it resembled a spider’s thread. Indeed, at first she dismissed it as her eyes playing tricks on her. Blinking back her tears, she refocused on the spot in question and saw the beam was still there.

          *What is that?* she wondered. *It’s so tiny, but something has obviously broken through the barrier. That can’t be part of the Golden Crystal’s power. In that case…*

          Serenity cupped the Pink Moon Crystal between her hands, raising it up to chest level. She concentrated her power on the white light, hoping to chase it away and take its place at the one visible break in the barrier.

          The white light, however, proved formidable. It held a power Serenity had never experienced before. It wasn’t evil, and in some ways, it seemed similar to her own, yet it rejected her, the thin thread not even wavering when barraged by her powers. Serenity, undeterred, released even more of the crystal’s energy, determined to break through. She didn’t know why, but she sensed that it was of utmost importance that she get rid of that holy, yet horrifying, light. If she didn’t, then Helios…then Helios would…

          “Usagi, no!” She felt, rather than saw, her father coming up behind her, placing his hands on her arms. His voice was rough, yet frantic, as he shook her. “Stop it! It’s not working. The barrier is still too strong!”

          His words barely reached her ears. “Please, crystal, give me more power!” she prayed aloud.

          The crystal glowed even brighter, and she felt an extreme rush of power filling her, threatening to crush her.

          “Listen to me! If you don’t stop it, you’ll die! Please, Usagi!”

          Die? What did that matter anymore? Without Helios, what else did she have left to live for? It would be better for her to die in a hopeless bid to save him, than to live without doing nothing, to go on without him by her side. She didn’t want that life. It would be a fate worse than death.

          “More!” she shouted, knowing she was already close to her limit.

          The pain was excruciating, yet Serenity withstood it, gritting down on her teeth.

          “Serenity-sama!” A pair of short arms wrapped around her waist, and she became aware of somebody sobbing. “Stop it, please!” the child begged. “Helios-sama wouldn’t want this! He wouldn’t want you to sacrifice your life for his. Don’t make him sad; don’t make those who love you sad! You have to stop. Please!”

          “Hyperion-sama…?”

          The young priest’s words finally getting through to her, Serenity released her hold on the crystal and promptly fainted in her father’s arms.

Chapter Text

          Serenity awoke a few hours later and found herself laying in a hospital bed. Confused, she craned her neck to the right and saw Helios laying in another hospital bed about five feet away. She also noticed she had an IV sticking out of her right arm. “What…happened?” she murmured as she lifted up her arm.

          “You used too much of your power and fainted.”

          The voice came from her left. She turned her head and saw Hyperion sitting in the chair beside her bed. “Hyperion-sama…”

          “Helios-sama is still alive,” he said, answering her unasked question, “but your powers were unable to get through to him.”

          “I see.” Serenity’s eyes brimmed with tears. She had failed once again. There was truly nothing she could do to save Helios now. It was time to face the inevitable.

          “It’ll be okay.” Hyperion reached for her hand and gave it a light squeeze. “Everybody is here for you. You‘re not alone.”

          “Thank you,” she said.

          “For what, Your Highness?”

          Serenity managed a weak smile. “You saved me,” she admitted, thinking of the last thing she remembered before passing out. “At that time, I didn’t care what happened to me. Life, death… They seemed the same to me. But your words pulled me back. You were right. Helios wouldn’t want me to throw away my life for his.”

          “I only repeated what you and Endymion-sama said to me.”

          “I forgot. I was too caught up in my grief. I thought if I couldn’t save him, then at least I wouldn’t have to face a world without him.” Serenity slowly sat up, her fists clutching at her blanket. “But he wouldn’t want that. He’d want me to continue living, no matter how difficult it might be.” She looked back over at Helios, suppressing the urge to cry again. “But I wonder if I can…”

          Serenity tossed her blanket aside and slid out of bed. Holding back a yelp of pain, she pulled the IV out of her arm and used a tissue from the box on the rolling tray to clot the small amount of blood coming from the puncture wound in lieu of a band-aid.

          “Serenity-sama!”

          “It’s fine. The IV was just a solution of electrolytes to refresh my energy.” She’d had many such transfusions while training on the Moon, though she had never pushed herself quite so much to the brink before. “What about you? Aren’t you reaching your limit?”

          He shook his head. “The burst of energy Endymion-sama gave me earlier made me stronger. I should be able to stay in the human realm for another hour or so, if I don’t overwork myself too much,” Hyperion said, pausing for a moment before adding, “Eos-san and Aurora-san are here, too. They followed me here when they realized I was missing.”

          “How are they holding up?”

          “I don’t know.” He looked down at his lap, twiddling his fingers. “I…haven’t been able to face them.”

          Serenity came over and kneeled down beside his chair. “Hyperion-sama, you heard what my father said. What happened wasn‘t your fault. You tried to save Helios.”

          “But I couldn’t, and now I’m the reason why Helios-sama is going to die. If only…” His hands clenched into fists, and tears filled his eyes. “Damn it!” he swore, dragging the sleeve of his tunic over his eyes.

          Serenity rose back up to her feet and walked over to get another tissue. It was then that she first noticed her suitcase, which she had left behind in her haste to get to Crystal Tokyo, was sitting on the chair beside Helios’ bed. “When did that get here?” she asked.

          Hyperion looked up and shrugged, wiping the rest of his tears away with his hand. “The Maenads brought it with them, I think. I left the room when they came to say their good-byes to Helios-sama, and when I came back, that was there.”

          Grabbing the suitcase, Serenity brought it over to her bed and opened it. To her relief, the first thing she saw was her bell, laying on top of her folded clothes. She had been afraid it might have left it behind, since she had hidden it the night before in the nightstand. Serenity picked it up and held the bell to her chest, letting out a grateful sigh.

          “What is that?” Hyperion asked.

          “My most treasured possession,” she answered. “It was the first gift Helios ever gave me.” She smiled with a touch of sadness at the bittersweet memory. 

          Hyperion stood up and held out his hand. “May I see it? I promise I won’t drop it, or anything like that.”

          Hesitantly, she handed the bell to him. “Here.”

          Holding the bell up to the level of his eyes, Hyperion stared at it as if it was some kind of mystical treasure. “This is the Crystal Carillon, isn’t it?” he asked. “Helios-sama gave it to you so that you would be able to call on him whenever you needed help during the battle with the Dead Moon Circus.”

          “Yes, it is, but how did you know that?”

          “Helios-sama told me about it.” Abruptly, Hyperion looked over at her, his eyes wide with an excitement Serenity had never seen from him before. “This is it!”

          “What are you talking about?”

          “The bell! It was created as a beacon for Helios-sama’s soul!” he exclaimed. “Does it still work?”

          “I-I don’t know. I never really -- What is this about, Hyperion-sama?” Serenity asked, still not quite understanding the significance of his words.

          “Call on his soul, Serenity-sama.” Hyperion placed the bell back in her hand, wrapping her fingers around it. “I can’t take down the barrier. If I do, Helios-sama’s soul will move onto the afterlife. However, if you were to call his soul here…”

          “…then I could heal it with my crystal,” she completed for him, her heart beating faster. If that was true… No, she couldn’t allow herself to get her hopes up yet again. “But will it work? The barrier is what is keeping his soul connected to his body. Will it allow his soul to leave if called by the Crystal Carillon?”

          “It might. Helios-sama once told me that the Crystal Carillon was created by the Golden Crystal’s power. If that’s true, then the two powers are essentially the same. It’s worth a try, at least. It’s the only thing that might save him.”

          He didn’t have to tell her twice. Serenity walked over to the side of Helios’ bed and held the bell high above her head. *Please, let this work,* she silently prayed before shouting out the words “Twinkle Yell!” at the top of her lungs.

          Helios turned around and gasped. Behind him, another light had suddenly appeared in the darkness. Unlike the pure holy white of the first light, the new light was a brilliant gold that reminded him of the sun. A soft, feminine voice beckoned him toward it.

          “Helios, come back to me,” the voice said. “Please, come back before it’s too late.”

          He knew that voice, that melodic voice who had kept him company in the darkness and never let him give up.

          “Serenity?” Helios spun around, looking for his maiden. She sounded so close… “Serenity?”

          The bell rang once again, the sound both beautiful and nostalgic.

          “That bell…” With a jolt, he realized why it sounded so familiar. “Serenity is calling to me! She’s using the Crystal Carillon!”

          The white light at once forgotten, Helios began making his way toward the golden one, swimming as fast as he could.

          “Serenity, I’m coming back to you,” he promised. “Just wait a little longer!”

          “It didn’t work.”

          Serenity lowered her arm and sighed as she looked down at the bell. It had been a long-shot, anyway. The bell was too old, and the barrier too strong even if the sound had managed to reach Helios.

          Hyperion, who had moved to the foot of Helios’ bed, looked close to tears. If possible, he seemed even more upset about the failure than Serenity. “I really thought it would succeed,” he said mostly to himself. He gripped the footboard so tightly his knuckles turned white. “I thought… There really isn’t anything we can do to save him, is there?”

          “It was worth a shot,” Serenity said, coming up behind the boy and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Her chin rested on the top of his head. “It’s not your fault that the Crystal Carillon failed to work. It…just wasn‘t meant to be, I guess.” She bit down on her bottom lip, blinking back her tears. She needed to be strong, for Hyperion‘s sake. There would be time to grieve later. “I… I think it’s time we accepted that it’s Helios’ time to die, and let him go in peace.”

          “Wait, are you…?” Hyperion turned around, releasing himself from Serenity’s hold. “Are you telling me to break the barrier?”

          “There’s nothing we can do to save him, Hyperion-sama.” Serenity moved to sit down on the edge of Helios’ mattress, taking his hand in her own. “Like you said before, the barrier is only prolonging the inevitable, and it’s feeding off your energy as well,” she reminded him. “I was willing to wait a thousand years for Helios to wake up, but if he isn’t, then…he should go on to the next life. As much as I want to keep him here with me, as much as I want to wish a miracle will occur, it isn’t right to keep his soul bound to his body like this. He must be so lonely…”

          “Serenity-sama!”  

          “My maiden…”

          Serenity’s posture stiffened at the sound of a third voice in the room -- a voice she had feared she would never hear again. *Impossible,* she thought, looking down at Helios. His eyes were still closed, and his skin had paled to a ghostly white, though the steadily beeping machines confirmed he was still alive. The voice repeated the word “Maiden,” sending a not-unpleasant shiver up her spine, and she felt a feather-light weight on shoulders.

          “Helios?”

          Serenity slowly turned her head in the direction of the voice.

          It was him.

          Standing beside the bed was another Helios, dressed in white instead of the light-blue hospital gown the bed-bound Helios wore. He was transparent, like the hallucination she thought she saw that day in Diana’s room, yet he seemed more…visible. She knew this time, however, that it was no hallucination, for Hyperion could see him, too, the young priest wiping away tears of happiness with the sleeve of his tunic.

          Letting go of Helios’ hand, Serenity slid off the bed and turned to face the other Helios, unspeaking. For a solid minute, she simply stared at him, in shock that he was actually there. Then, when she realized he had not disappeared, the tears began to flow, rivers streaming down her face.

          Helios smiled, bringing a ghostly hand to caress her cheek. “Don’t cry, my maiden,” he said. “You’ve cried for me long enough. Tears don’t suit you; you are most beautiful when you smile.”

          Though still crying, Serenity’s lips curled upward.

          “Better.”

          “Oh, Helios, I-I…” She longed to throw herself in his arms, but in his current state, that was impossible.

          As if reading her mind, Helios stared through his hands and sighed. “I’m sorry,” he apologized. “Without my powers, I can no longer give myself a corporeal form on the astral plane.”

          “Allow me,” Hyperion said, speaking for the first time since Helios’ spirit appeared.

          Hyperion clasped his hands in front of him in prayer and closed his eyes. His entire body was enveloped in a golden light, which also surrounded the spirit. When the light disappeared, Helios had gained a solid form, but Hyperion looked like he was about to faint, grabbing onto the rails of Helios’ bed to prevent himself from collapsing.

          “Hyperion!”

          “Hyperion-sama!”

          He waved off their offers of help. “I’m okay. That just took a little more power than I expected,” he said, straightening up. “I should probably return back to Elysion while I still have the strength. Besides, I don’t want to intrude on your reunion.”

          “Wait, before you go…” Helios stepped forward and embraced him. “I’m sorry, Hyperion.”

          “Helios-sama… It is me who owes you an apology,” Hyperion said, pulling away. “If it wasn’t for me…”

          Helios shook his head. “I pushed you too hard. I should have realized it was too soon for you to take over for me. I caused you --” he looked over at Serenity, who was attempting to pull herself together “-- no, I caused everybody such pain and suffering, all because of my selfish wish.” Turning back to Hyperion, he placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Forgive me.”

          “Helios-sama…” Hyperion threw his arms around Helios’ waist, hugging him tightly. “I have to go now, but I’ll see you soon, right?”

          “Of course.”

          For the first time since Serenity had met him, Hyperion beamed. “The next time you see me, I’ll be stronger,” he promised. “I’ll prove to you, and to everybody, that I am your rightful heir.”

          “I’ll be looking forward to it…my son.”

          If possible, Hyperion’s smile brightened more, almost outshining the ray of golden light that surrounded him as he released his hold on Helios and stepped back. He waved good-bye, and then, in a flash, he was gone, returning back to his adopted home.

          Serenity suspected the next time she visited Elysion, the land would once again be as beautiful as a dream.

          “He’s a special boy,” she said, coming up beside Helios. Though he had been granted a corporeal form through Hyperion’s powers, she hesitated in taking his hand, unable to shake the fear that he was simply a figment of her imagination. “I can see why you care for him so much. It devastated him when --”

          “Serenity.”

          Turning toward her, Helios placed the back of his hand against her cheek. As it was not his true body, Serenity couldn’t sense any heat coming from his skin, yet his touch warmed her to the core. She reached up and brought the hand to her lips, blinking back tears.

          “It really is you,” she whispered. “I thought… No, it doesn’t matter what I thought. The only thing that matters is that you are here.”

          “What I said before, I meant it,” Helios said, lowering his hand back down to his side. “I’m sorry for putting you through so much pain and turmoil. I only wanted to make you happy, yet all I caused was tears.” Looking down at his still-comatose body, he sighed. “This wasn’t the way things were supposed to go. If I had known the true purpose of that spell before the ceremony…”

          “You know?”

          “I heard Endymion-sama telling the story to you and Hyperion. I knew the spell was forbidden, but I never knew the reason why. I never imagined…” His voice drifted off, and he shook his head. “Your father must hate me. None of this was his fault, Serenity; he didn’t know the spell was forbidden.”

          “You tricked him.”

          It wasn’t a question, or even an accusation, yet Helios nodded, looking away in shame. “I’m not proud of it. The king may never forgive me when he learns the truth, but it was the only way I could find to be stripped of my priesthood. I thought the risk would be mine alone. I never considered what consequences my actions might have on the people I loved. I was selfish and impatient.”

          Serenity stood next to him, resting a hand on his arm. “Papa will forgive you,” she said. “So will Hyperion-sama and the Maenads. They‘ll understand; I know they will.”

          “And you?” Helios glanced over at her. “Can you ever forgive me for making you go through this?”

          “You did this for me, Helios. You wanted to make my dream come true.”

          “It was my dream, too,” he admitted. “I love Elysion. It was an honor and a privilege to serve as the priest of such a beautiful land, to pray for the protection of Earth and its royal family, and to watch over people’s dreams. But after meeting you, I began longing for a different sort of life.” Helios reached for her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I want to be with you, Serenity, in every way that matters. I want to marry you, to make love to you, to have a family with you, to watch our children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren grow up and have families of their own. It’s a small dream, perhaps, one shared by many all over the world, but it’s my dream, and I was willing to do almost anything to make it come true.”

          “But you almost died,” she reminded him in a hushed voice. Despite her best attempts otherwise, the tears she had been trying to hold back started running down her cheeks again. “What dream is worth that?”

          “I’m sorry.” Pulling her closer to him, Helios wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. “I’m sorry,” he repeated.

          Digging her nails into the fabric of his tunic, Serenity let out a sob as she buried her face in his shoulder. Helios didn’t seem to mind, holding her tightly as she released all her pent-up, conflicted emotions. Happiness, anger, relief, guilt… They all seemed to flow out of her until only one remained.

          “I love you, Helios,” Serenity said when she finally looked back up. “Before I restore your soul back to your body, I want you to promise me one thing.”

          “Anything. I’ll do anything for you.”

          “Promise me you’ll never leave me again, that you will always be by my side.”

          There was no hesitation on his part. “I promise, my maiden.”

          They sealed the promise with a kiss.

          His eyes fluttered opened.

          At first blurry, his vision soon cleared as he focused on the odango-haired woman looking down at him. The woman was holding his left hand, and he could hear an annoying, yet strangely soothing, beeping sound coming from somewhere nearby. Turning his head slightly in the direction of the sound, he saw that it was a heart monitor.

          He was in the hospital.

          Helios returned his attention to the woman, his beloved maiden. She was smiling and crying both at the same time. He tried to reach up to wipe away her tears with his free hand, but he could barely lift his arm more than a couple of inches off the mattress.

          “It’s okay,” Serenity said, placing the palm of his hand against her wet cheek. “You’re still weak, but you’ll get stronger.”

          “Mai…den…”

          A mask covered his face, impeding his speech. Again, he tried to reach up to remove it.

          “I’ll go get Mercury-sama,” Serenity said, but Helios squeezed her hand, imploring her to stay. Now that he was back, he didn’t want to be away from her for any longer than necessary.

          “It’ll be just for a couple of minutes,” she assured him, untangling her fingers from his and setting his hand back down on the bed. “I’ll be right back, okay?”

          Having no choice in the matter, he nodded and watched as Serenity left the room. True to her word, she returned just moments later with Mercury in tow.

          “Helios-sama, welcome back,” Mercury said, a smile on her face as she began examining him. “You gave us quite a scare there for a while.”

          “Sor…ry…”

          “Try not to talk so much. You’re not a hundred percent yet. There’s no need to push yourself, so save your strength.”

          Helios wanted to point out that he -- or, at least his body -- had been resting for -- what was it? Weeks? Months? He had lost track of time while trapped in that abyss of nothingness. But he followed the doctor’s orders, keeping quiet as Mercury continued her examination and only nodding or shaking his head whenever she asked him a question.

          “Is Helios okay?” Serenity asked after Mercury had finished listening to his heartbeat.

          Placing her stethoscope back around her neck, Mercury nodded. “Like I said, he’s not a hundred percent yet, but he should be fine with some rest and rehabilitation.” The doctor removed his mask, taking him off the ventilator. “There, I bet you’re glad to have that off.”

          Helios nodded.

          “Thank you,” Serenity said, voicing his gratitude for him.

          “Don’t thank me. In the end, I wasn’t able to do anything for him. You were the one who saved Helios-sama, Serenity-chan,” Mercury said, turning her attention back to Helios. “Now, there’s a roomful of people out there who are anxious to see you, but I’ll tell them you need your rest. After all, I’m sure the two of you would like some time alone. Just don’t overexert yourself, okay?”

          With a wink, Mercury left the room, giving them their privacy. Had he had the strength, Helios would have jumped out of bed, took Serenity into his arms, and kissed her until she was breathless, but it was a struggle just to even keep his eyes open in his current condition. How he could be tired after spending the last however long he had been in a coma, he had no clue.

          “Should I go, too?” Serenity asked, noticing him fighting back a yawn. “You look like you’re about to fall asleep.”

          Helios shook his head and struggled to move to a sitting position. As exhausted as he was, he refused to let the Sandman win.

          “Wait, Mercury-sama said you shouldn’t exert yourself too much,” Serenity reminded him, walking over to the other bed in the room and grabbing the pillow from it. “Here, let me help.” Coming back over, she pushed a button on what appeared to be a remote control attached to the side of the bed. The top half of the bed rose up, surprising Helios, who had never slept in such a bed before. When the bed had finished moving, Serenity placed the extra pillow behind his back. “Comfortable?”

          “Yes,” he said, his mouth still feeling like a desert. Helios pointed to a pitcher sitting on one of the rolling trays, indicating he wanted a drink.

          Serenity picked up on the meaning and got him a glass of water from the bathroom. Never had just plain tap water tasted so delicious, like pure ambrosia from the gods. Not even Elysion’s healing water could compare to it. As Serenity held the glass up to his lips, he drank greedily from it, not stopping until he had finished the last drop.

          “Thank you,” Helios said as she set the glass back on the tray. His words came much easier. Patting the spot beside him on the bed, he signaled her to join him.

          Serenity climbed up onto the mattress and snuggled up next to him. “I can’t believe you’re back,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “It feels like a dream.” She shook her head. “No, more like I’m waking up from a very bad nightmare, one that I thought would never end.”

          “I’m sorry.” The words seemed so meaningless, yet he would keep saying them for the rest of his life if he had to.

          “Please stop saying that.” Serenity brought her hand up to his cheek in a light caress. “I don’t want to hear you say that anymore. You‘ve already apologized.”

          “But I don’t know what else to say,” he said. “I put you through so much pain… I don’t know how I’ll ever make it up to you.”

          “There’s only one thing I want from you, Helios,” she said. “Just keep your promise and make my most treasured dream come true. That‘s all I ever wanted.”

          “I will,” he vowed, kissing the top of her head. “From now on, I’ll be by your side…always.”

The End