"Helios?" Rini called, staring at the statue he had given her so long ago. It was her habit now; as soon as she came home, she called his name, hoping he'd come and talk to her. But he never did.
Rini sighed. It had been so long since she had last spoken to Helios, nearly two years. Though she dreamed of him frequently, it wasn't the same as when he himself had actually been in them. She missed him dearly. She cared for him deeply, loved him endlessly. Without him to talk to, she was simply bored. She knew he was busy, protecting Elysion and the Golden Crystal, but still, wasn't danger long gone by now? Maybe he's forgotten about me, she thought. It pained her to think that, but it was the only explanation she could think of.
Rini sat at her desk and started her homework. Every now and then she'd glance at the statue, hoping he'd appear in it and make her smile, but he didn't. She sighed again and went on with her boring homework.
Helios walked through the garden in Elysion, his thoughts frequently going to a certain pink-haired girl he missed. Rini was generally the sole focus of his mind. How he longed to leave Elysion for only a second, to go and see her in her dreams, but he knew he couldn't leave. Danger for the Golden Crystal was ever present, and he'd be foolish to leave it.
It was evening. Helios looked up at the stars. One flashed brightly, and he heard a girl giggling in the distance. A girl whose laugh he yearned to hear. Rini's dreams were so beautiful and so pure, the star representing them always flashed. Helios wasn't sure why he heard her laughing; was it because her dreams were so strong, or because he loved her and wanted to hear her?
"I have to find a way to get in touch with her," he thought out loud. "I can't take not seeing her anymore. She was so torn up when I left; I don't want that to be my last image of her."
Helios paced all around the garden, trying to think of some sort of way to communicate with Rini. The only ways he could think of involved him leaving the Crystal.
Then, finally, he had an idea: a letter. Simple, ordinary, and though indirect, it was a way to reach her. He hurried to go write it, to tell her he hadn't forgotten her.
The next day, Rini came home from school to find a letter on her bed. The envelope had a sticker with a pink heart and a Pegasus on it. Her heart beat erratically; it was from Helios, who had taken refuge in her dreams as Pegasus. She tore the envelope open, making sure to save the stickers. The letter read:
My Little One,
Oh, Rini, I am so sorry for the lack of communication between us. You've been on my mind every second of every day, and I can only hope I've been on yours for a fraction of that time. I want to see you, Little One, but I am unable to leave Elysion. The Golden Crystal and people's dreams need protection. Your dreams are still so pure. A star shines so brightly here because of your innocent dreams, and every time I see it it makes me miss you more. I hear your laughter, too, and it brings back all the memories we have. I'm so proud of you, Rini, for everything you've done. You helped to save the world on more than one occasion. I know that when your dream finally comes true, you'll be beautiful and powerful, just like you hope. Hopefully, we'll be able to see each other soon. You won't be able to respond to this letter, I regret to say. I'll be sure to write to you more often, though, I promise. I love you, Little One.
Yours truly,
Helios
Rini smiled. "Little One" was his affectionate name for her. He hadn't forgotten her after all. Her heart swelled. He loved her so much, and she wished she could tell him how much she loved him. Just the thought that he would write to her again was enough.
Eager to share the news, Rini ran downstairs to Serena, who would grow up to be Rini's mother. Rini was from the future, sent to the present to train as a Sailor Scout.
"Serena, look!" she cried, waving the letter around. "It's from Helios! Helios wrote to me!"
"No way," Serena said, snatching the letter and reading it. "I can't believe it! He actually wrote to you! It's been what, two years, since he left?"
"Too long," Rini said. "But he remembers me! He remembers me and he loves me and just yay!"
"You seem pretty happy," Serena smiled. Despite constant arguments between the two, she did care for Rini.
"I thought he'd forgotten me," Rini said. "I thought I wasn't important to him."
"You'll always be important to him," Serena said. "He chose to hide in your dreams, remember?"
"Yeah," Rini said, smiling proudly at that thought. "I want to go write him a letter."
"But he said there wasn't a way for you to reach him."
"So what?" Rini said, turning back from the foot of the stairs. "Doesn't mean I can't write!"
Rini tore up the stairs and took out a piece of paper. The words poured directly from her heart.
"Dear Helios,
Your letter made my day, Helios. It's been so long since we've seen each other—I thought you had forgotten all about me. I can never stop thinking about you. I look at that statue you gave me so we could communicate and it makes me miss you all the time. I know you're keeping the Golden Crystal safe, but still, I wish you could come see me. I want to go back to all the times we had together in my dreams, flying around and talking, it all. Please write to me again, Helios. It's the best thing we have. I love you so much. Hope to hear from you soon!
Love,
Your Little One"
"There," she said, sealing the envelope and putting a moon sticker on it. "Maybe someday he'll get it." With euphoria still surging through her veins, she began her homework.
That night, Helios was again walking around the gardens. He couldn't help but glance up at Rini's star, which was shining brightest of all. Its pink light illuminated the night sky, symbolizing the purity and strength of her sweet dreams. It had been far too long since he had seen her. Her dreams had been his refuge, and he longed to be back in them again. But he knew his duty. If the world fell into peril due to the loss of the crystal, Rini would be one of the ones to save it. He couldn't put her life in danger. He would never even dream of it.
Suddenly, a mysterious envelope floated down to the ground. Helios picked it up and examined it. A moon sticker was on it, and his heart fluttered; Rini had responded with the sticker-method he had come up with. In the corner was a sentence in handwriting he was sure wasn't hers: "The beauty of dreams connects two hearts; with that connection, nothing is impossible."
"So it's our love that got this letter here," he said out loud. He opened the letter and read it, smiling at her words. He was reminded of the sweet, innocent young girl he had met, how strong she was, despite her small stature.
"I wish I could see her," he sighed. "The keeper of the sweetest dreams."
As the weeks went on, Rini and Helios wrote letters to each other often. One day, Helios would write, the next Rini, and so on. Life was relatively well. Rini kept each letter in a notebook, and colored all over the pages with hearts. Helios carried them all around, and liked to look back at old ones and smile at the fact that he was connected to his Precious One again.
About three months after the first letter had been sent, Rini's sleep was plagued by awful nightmares. She had the same one every night, in which the Dead Moon Circus had returned and had taken the Golden Crystal. She kept her nightmare to herself, not wanting to worry anyone.
After two weeks of having the same nightmare, Rini finally wrote to Helios. He should know if the Golden Crystal's in danger, she thought. He has to be ready to protect it.
Helios was startled by Rini's letter. It read:
"Dear Helios,
I've been having this nightmare lately. It's not a pleasant one. In it, Queen Nehelenia and all her creepy followers come back. They invade Elysion and steal the Golden Crystal. I'm hoping it's just a crazy dream, but if it isn't, I thought I should tell you. You understand all about dreams and everything. Is there any way you can look into it? I'm scared, Helios, really scared. What's going to happen if those freaks come back? Will you be okay? Write me back ASAP.
Love,
Rini"
"Oh no," Helios said. If Rini was having the same nightmare, it must be a future event. He hurried to the Golden Crystal. It was still in its stand, thank God. Going against everything, he took the crystal and changed into Pegasus. The crystal became his horn. He went off to search for the Dead Moon Circus, hoping to be able to tell Rini that her nightmare wasn't real.
A few days later, Rini hadn't gotten a reply from Helios. Worried, she told the other Sailor Scouts about her nightmare.
"Do you think Helios is alright?" Rini asked. "I asked him to check into my nightmare. What if he got hurt?"
"I'm sure Pegasus is fine," Rei assured her. "He's strong."
"Don't you worry," Mina said. "He's probably searching all around so he can tell you everything's fine."
"Yeah," Rini said hopefully. "I really hope he's okay."
"He's got you to wait for," Lita said. "I'm sure he wouldn't do anything to endanger himself without seeing you again."
Just then, Luna, Artemis, and Diana, the three cat guardians, entered Rei's room at her temple. "There's trouble!" They all said at once. Immediately, the girls transformed into Sailor Scouts. Together, they rushed to the trouble.
"NO!" Sailor Mini Moon yelled, seeing the should-be-dead Tiger's Eye, a member of the Dead Moon Circus, alive and rounding up dream mirrors of innocent humans.
"You scouts again?" Tiger's Eye sighed. "You always mess up everything!"
"You owe us!" Sailor Moon cried. "We saved your life!"
"I owe you nothing," Tiger's Eye sneered. "Nehelenia gave us our life. In return, we're going to give her her life."
"No! That can't be!" Sailor Mars yelled. "We finished Nehelenia!"
"No, you didn't," Tiger's Eye taunted. "Nehelenia is going to get her power back, and then it's the end of the world, for real!"
"I won't let you!" Sailor Mini Moon yelled. "The power of dreams should be used for good, not your wicked, evil schemes!"
"Oh, it's the keeper of the Golden Mirror herself," Tiger's Eye smiled. "Pegasus would come running if we caught you."
"Not going to happen!" Sailor Venus said. "You're never laying a hand on Mini Moon!"
"Not this time anyways," Tiger's Eye laughed. "I'll just leave a monster to take care of you all. But don't worry, I'll be back."
A monster appeared as Tiger's Eye vanished. The girls began attacking. Once they managed to daze the monster, Sailor Mercury called, "Now, Sailor Mini Moon!"
Rini knelt down and hoped with all her heart that Pegasus would hear her and grant her and Sailor Moon the power to finish the monster. "Please, Pegasus," she prayed. "The Dead Moon Circus really is back! We need your help to finish this monster!" Her Crystal Carillon, a heart-shaped bell given to her by Pegasus, appeared and she grabbed it. "Crystal Twinkle Bell!" The bells chimed. Pegasus was giving his power.
Helios had been in the middle of writing back to Rini to inform her that the Dead Moon Circus had indeed returned. He heard Rini's cry for help. Focusing on her and Sailor Moon, he gave his power to them.
"Moon Gorgeous Meditation!" Sailor Moon yelled, finishing the monster with a devastating blow. "So, Pegasus can still give us power."
"That's a relief," Sailor Jupiter smiled. "We'd be in huge trouble if he couldn't help us."
"I have to hurry home!" Mini Moon said. "He's probably writing to me. I want to be home when he sends the letter." And with that, she ran home.
"How is it that she and Helios are writing to each other?" Sailor Mars asked. "They can't see each other, and Rini doesn't have the power to send letters like that."
"It's their love," Sailor Mercury said. "Their love forms a deep connection between them, which allows them to stay in contact."
"How sweet," Sailor Venus said. "Who knew Rini would be in love at this age?"
"No one," Sailor Moon said. "She's grown up so much."
Sure enough, a letter was waiting for Rini on her bed. She ripped the envelope open and hurriedly read the letter.
"My Little One,
The Dead Moon Circus has indeed returned, I'm afraid to say. They're goal this time isn't to find me—it's to collect as many dream mirrors as possible. Using their power, they plan to restore Nehelenia to power. Rini, my love, please be careful. Your Golden Mirror, your pure dreams, will greatly help them along. Protect yourself well. I'm keeping watch over the Golden Crystal. Due to the increased protection it needs, I can no longer assist you in fighting the Circus's pawns. Don't worry, though. I have given you and Sailor Moon enough power to be able to finish them without me. I wish I could still be of service to you, but you understand that the Crystal needs to be protected now more than ever. Be safe, Rini. I love you.
Helios"
"I'll be careful," Rini said in a determined voice. "No one's getting my mirror. Or anyone's, for that matter."
The Dead Moon Circus's attacks did not lighten up. They attacked every day, eager to get their mission over with and surrender the world to darkness. The Scouts, determined to prevent this, were usually exhausted from fighting them. They made sure to take extra care of Rini, as she could be a prime target.
Helios had been strolling in the gardens near the Golden Crystal when the monsters invaded Elysion.
"Impossible!" He cried, beginning to fight them off. "Nothing can invade this land!"
"Foolish horse," Tiger's Eye said, whipping Helios to the ground. "You're pitiful at guarding things, you know? Those stupid girls could do better than you."
"Leave the Crystal alone!" Helios cried, struggling to get up. Hawk's Eye, a comrade of Tiger's Eye, beat him to the ground.
"We'll take whatever we want, horsy," he said. "You can't stop us."
Tiger's Eye grabbed the Crystal, and immediately upon entering his hands, Elysion went from a beautiful sight to a barren wasteland. "Thanks for sharing," he laughed, before vanishing into darkness.
"Just for good measure," Hawk's Eye said, snapping his fingers. Chains wound around Helios. He couldn't move. "You're coming with us."
Before blacking out, Helios said, "My Little One, I need your help." Then, he fell unconscious.
Rini had been doing homework when Luna-P, her guardian from the future, began to buzz about. Its large eyes changed into that of a screen, like they did when Rini would communicate with Sailor Pluto. Only it was not Sailor Pluto she was shown. It was Helios.
Rini's body was frozen in shock and fear as she watched Helios be attacked and kidnapped, and the Crystal stolen. Not only had the Dead Moon Circus managed to get the Crystal, but Helios as well! Tears flowed from her face as she heard Helios's last words before sinking into unconsciousness.
"I have to help him!" Rini yelled. She hurried downstairs, where the girls were also doing homework. "Helios is in trouble! The Dead Moon Circus has kidnapped him! They have the Golden Crystal! We need to get it back and save him!"
Right away, they transformed and teleported into the circus's tent. They split up, Sailor Moon and Mini Moon going one way, while the remaining scouts went another.
The only thing occupying Rini's mind was fear. What could they be doing to Helios? Why would the kidnap him? This isn't fair! It should be me! He's probably somewhere horrible right now! I need to find him! And so, she ran faster, in search of her love.
Helios, as it was, couldn't be in a worse situation. Chains bound him still, rendering him unmovable. Tiger's Eye and Hawk's Eye were keeping watch on him.
"Why do you need the Crystal?" Helios yelled. "It can't do you any good! Nehelenia isn't revived yet!"
"Oh, but she will be," Hawk's Eye smirked. "With that little pink-haired girl's Golden Mirror, along with your own mirror, Nehelenia will be back and better than ever!"
Helios gasped. They were going to take Rini's mirror? And his own? He hadn't even been fully aware that he had a dream mirror—he'd been the protector of them. Sure, he had dreams, but more important to him was protecting the dreams of others.
He was so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed Hawk's Eye come up to him. With three snaps of his fingers, Helios screamed in pain as his dream mirror left his body. He managed to catch a glimpse of it—gold, like Rini's—before sliding into unconsciousness yet again.
"Hey, it's another Golden Mirror!" Hawk's Eye cheered. "And check it out—it's powerful enough to revive Nehelenia by itself! We don't need that little runt after all!"
"Hurry up and feed the mirror to Nehelenia, then!" Tiger's Eye hissed. They grabbed the mirror and brought it to the lifeless body of Nehelenia. The mirror began radiating energy, which was absorbed by Nehelenia till it was gray and very fragile-looking.
"Finally, I am back!" Nehelenia cried. "Where is the Golden Crystal?"
"Right here, Nehelenia," Hawk's Eye said reverently, handing over the Crystal. Its glow intensified in Nehelenia's hand.
"This time, the world will be mine!" She said. Her evil laugh filled the whole tent.
Rini could hear the laugh, could feel that the Crystal had reached Nehelenia's hands. She also felt slightly empty. Is it the connection between Helios and me? Has something happened? Oh no! Tears started flowing again. "Sailor Moon, they've got him and they've done something dreadful to him!" She cried.
"Oh no!" Sailor Moon said. "That can't be!"
Just then, a huge hole opened beneath them. The two fell through it, landing with the other scouts in a room, right in front of Nehelenia herself.
"So nice of you to join us," Nehelenia said evilly. "Now is the time I will finish you off! I will not fail this time!"
"Keep dreaming," Mini Moon said.
"You again?" Nehelenia laughed. "I have something you'd like to see." The lifeless body of Helios floated down towards her, his frail dream mirror in front of him.
"NO!" The scouts yelled, Mini Moon loudest of all. She grabbed the mirror before it could fall to the floor and shatter. Helios's body crumpled. She knelt down and wept over it. "You can't be dead, Helios!" She screamed. "Helios, come back!"
"Helios isn't coming back," Nehelenia smirked. "He's gone! I have taken his power!"
The Sailor Scouts began launching attacks at Nehelenia, but none of them reached her. They would simply bounce off an invisible barrier she had created to protect herself. They tired themselves out from attacking.
Finally, Mini Moon couldn't take it anymore. Setting Helios's mirror gently on the ground, she launched herself at Nehelenia. To everyone's surprise, including her own, Rini's fist connected with Nehelenia's body. In her shock, Nehelenia dropped the Golden Crystal. Rini caught it and made her way back to the scouts.
"No!" Nehelenia yelled. How could she have lost the Crystal to such a little runt? "No matter," she said. "I have enough power to be able to defeat you without the Crystal!" She fired a beam of darkness from her hands.
"Moon Cosmic Dream Action!" Rini yelled, the Crystal allowing her to transform into her Princess form, at which she had the most strength. "You're never going to hurt Helios or anyone ever again!" Using the Crystal, she launched a beam of white energy to counter Nehelenia's. The two collided and struggled for dominance.
Despite her amazing strength, Rini's beam was soon being overcome by that of Nehelenia. Panicking, she said to the scouts, "I need your power!"
"Mercury Star Power!"
"Mars Star Power!"
"Jupiter Star Power!"
"Venus Star Power!"
"Moon Cosmic Dream Action!"
The five older girls' powers wove their way into Rini's beam, intensifying it. Rini remembered the Silver Moon Crystal as well, the original source of her strength. Holding the Golden Crystal in one hand, she summoned the Silver Crystal in another.
"Rini, are you crazy?" Sailor Moon cried. "You don't have enough strength to use both crystals!"
"Yes I do," Rini said. "I have to save the world. It's in complete darkness and ruin. It's up to me. And I need to save Helios."
"He won't be worth saving if you're not going to be here," Sailor Moon said tearfully. The strength the crystals would leave Rini without would be enough to kill the small girl.
"He needs to protect everyone's dreams," Rini said. "I have to do this!" With her added determination, the beam from both crystals intensified even more, and it finally overpowered Nehelenia's, wiping her, as well as the Circus, away to dust. The group was somehow teleported to a safe place, a now-restored garden: Elysion.
Helios woke up to see bright blue skies, quite different from the last sky he had seen. His dream mirror had been restored and returned to his body. He was 100% well.
Helios sat up and looked around, amazed to find Elysion restored to glory. How had it occurred?
He saw the answer, noticing the Sailor Scouts clustered around the body of a young, pink-haired princess. It was Rini's turn to be the lifeless body. Helios's heart sunk at the sight of her.
"Rini!" He cried, running over to her and taking her into his arms. Through tears of his own, he said, "She did it?"
"She did it all," Sailor Mercury said.
"She used the Golden and Silver Moon Crystals," Sailor Venus continued.
"She restored you to life and defeated Nehelenia," Sailor Mars went on.
"She saved the whole world by herself," Sailor Jupiter finished.
"And now she's gone," Sailor Moon cried.
"No," Helios said. "She can't be gone." The last time he had seen her, she had been crying. Now, she was dead. Why must his images of her get progressively worse? He couldn't bear it.
"There might be something," he said, hurrying the girl to the fountain before the Golden Crystal, which had resumed its place in the center of the garden. He stepped into the fountain and gently put Rini into its water, which was supposed to restore life. Sadly, though, Rini remained lifeless. More tears were shed before Helios thought of one last way to save Rini.
"Rini, my Precious One," he said. "I give you my strength in the hope that you will be revived." Lifting her head out of the water, he kissed her.
As soon as he pulled away, Rini stirred. She rubbed her eyes and opened them to see a very relieved Helios staring down at her. Unsure of what she was seeing, she blinked her eyes and rubbed them again. Once she finally realized she was in Helios's arms, she threw her own around him.
"Helios!" She smiled. "Oh, Helios, I was so worried"—
"You had me worried, Rini," Helios said. "I thought you were gone."
"We all did," Sailor Moon said quickly. The others hushed her.
"Let's give them some privacy," Mercury whispered. "They are in love, after all." The scouts walked to a different part of the garden, leaving the princess and the protector alone.
"I'm so proud of you," Helios said, carrying Rini out of the fountain and setting her gently on her feet. "You saved the whole world, and my own life, all by yourself."
"The scouts did help me," She admitted, blushing slightly. "I didn't do it all by myself."
"It was your strength and your courage that saved us all," he said. "You truly did it, my Little One."
"I'm not so little anymore," she laughed. She had grown considerably since she had last seen Helios.
"You will always be my Little One, Rini," Helios said. "You will always be my love."
"You'll always be mine," she replied, stretching on tiptoe for another kiss.
Hand in hand, the couple began walking in the garden. They were silent, admiring the beauty of the garden, as well as each other. Rini's curiosity then buzzed with a question.
"Helios, if you don't mind me asking, what are your dreams?" She asked. "You know mine. Can you please tell me yours?" Rini's dream is to be a beautiful grown-up lady like her mother, Neo-Queen Serenity. She had achieved her dream through dark magic during the first invasion of the Circus. Learning that Pegasus couldn't remain hidden in her dreams if she remained grown up, she became a sweet little girl again, a sacrifice which had caused Helios to fall even more in love with her.
Helios blushed, quite sheepish. She'll find my dreams so silly, he thought. But she deserves to know. "It is my dream that your own dream will come true, and I will see it come true," he said, staring lovingly at the little girl who was in turn looking at him adoringly. "It is also my dream that you will give me the honor of being your prince, Princess Rini."
Rini blushed now. "Your dreams are all about me?" she asked in amazement. Helios nodded. Time for her to come clean about her second dream. "Well, my other dream is that you'll be my prince."
"Consider it a dream come true for us both," he said. Sweeping her off her feet, he held her in his arms. Oh, how he had missed her. "I will be your prince for all eternity, Rini."
"Good," she smiled. "I wouldn't want it any other way."