A/N I had started working on this story years ago but a persistent case of writer's block kept me from making any headway. Then, while working on my sm_monthly entries for August '08, I remembered this fanfic, and lo-and-behold, found the inspiration to finish it. So at long last, I give you Warmth.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon. All characters are the creation of Naoko Takeuchi-sensei.

Warmth

By Mangaka-chan

"Dream, dream, don't doubt it…a dream of dreams that dreaming children have… Dream, dream, don't doubt it…a dream of dreams that dreaming children have…Dream, dream…"

These words echoed through the bleak world inside the mirror. They were its single inhabitant's prayer; her mantra, her invocation. Her words bounced off the stalactite-like pillars hanging from the obscured ceiling, resonating against the endless marble paths running parallel through space. Inside this unlabeled dimension shadows never felt the sting of light, and shades of gray forever dominated the ambiance.

The air was chilly and stagnant but the woman had long since grown accustomed to that aspect of her surrounding. She took no heed of the cold, for her mind was entirely focused on the large framed mirror that allowed her to communicate with, while at the same time, separated her from the outside world.

The face faithfully reflected in the mirror was a masterpiece, a fragile kind of beauty with the exquisiteness of a finely crafted doll. Her wavy jet-black hair was lush and silky, and her skin was unblemished and pale like porcelain. Long lashes complemented the cool metallic-blue of her eyes while the cat-like yellow slit of her pupil denoted an otherworldly origin. Her painted lips parted to whisper her words as she raised her hand to the mirror's surface, the red finger nails made a soft "tap" sound against the glass.

With a dreamy yet wistful expression, Nehellenia stared at her reflection, which in turn stared back at her. "Dream, dream, don't doubt it…a dream of dreams that dreaming children have…" she said to her form in the mirror, as if it was an actual person who could understand her.

"Nehellenia-sama," a low meek voice said from the other side of the mirror.

The queen's gaze shifted and her dreamy expression dissolved and became hard. With unconcealed displeasure in her voice, Nehellenia answered back, "What is it Zirconia?"

As Nehellenia retracted her hand and stepped back from the mirror, her reflection shifted to show the aged face of her servant.

"Elysian has been fully subdued. We were met with literately no resistance!"

Nehellenia paid little attention to Zirconia's report as she looked at the old hag. It secretly disgusted the queen whenever she saw her lovely reflection replaced by Zirconia's withered form just so she might command her followers and be informed of new developments. But this time, the displeasure quickly passed at what the old woman said next.

"And just as you instructed, we have captured him as well."

At this the frozen eyes of the queen opened wide and a palpable sense of glee entered them. "Bring him to me," she said briskly. Outside the mirror, Zirconia gave a low bow before the mirror's image faded to black. Nehellenia turned around and a second mirror appeared before her, a simplified copy of the one that the queen had used to speak with her minion.

This new mirror held within it the figure of a white clad young man; his eyes closed and his body limp from a state of unconsciousness. The glass dissolved and the boy's body slumped onto the floor before the mirror that held him shifted and disappeared into thin air. Nehellenia stepped closer to the youth as he laid there. The golden horn protruding from the boy's forehead gave the queen slight pause. The last time she had seen him the horn had been absent, but when she saw how it glistened on its own in her dark realm, Nehellenia's red lips curved into a knowing grin.

With only a thought, the dark queen summoned silvery webs out from the hazy background. The silk wrapped itself around the boy's wrists and ankles then dragged him to his feet. Now that she could see his face clearly, Nehellenia walked up to him. "Helios…" she spoke his name softly, almost with a touch of reminiscence. She had last seen him millenniums ago, before she was trapped in this pitiful place. Discounting the horn, his physical appearance was the same as she remembered it to be. The boyish face, the white wavy locks, and though they were closed, she could clearly remember his amber eyes. He was still the same, she said to herself, but unlike last time, this time he and his secret were within reach. All these centuries of waiting, now the power to subdue the universe would finally belong to her.

Smiling still, Nehellenia raised her hand towards Helios. The Golden Crystal was hiding inside that horn, she was sure of it. It was only inches away from her hand, but just as her hand hovered above it, she suddenly paused.

Her eyes caught onto the little details about his features that contradicted her memories of him. For one his hair was tussled, there were scratches on his face, and his clothes were slightly torn. This wasn't the dignified guardian who had met her at the gates of the holy temple: this was a person who had been overpowered and subdued.

Hmp, it seems the Quartet and their Lemurs were a little rough with him, Nehellenia thought detachedly. But whatever the case, I have what I want.

The hand that had been poised to take the crystal moved down to the side of his face. When her fingertips touched his skin, the queen was startled for a second and flinched. What had surprised her was the warmth her fingers had felt. It was a sensation so long forgotten that it took her by surprise. Nehellenia frowned, furrowing her thin eyebrows. For a moment hesitancy pulled at her. The sensation of warmth to her was jarring and unfamiliar. Her world for a long time now had been cold and uninviting. The bleakness of the asteroid that had carried her to this planetary system, this prison that held her; even her beloved mirror was perpetually cold to the touch.

The only disruption to this cycle had been when she visited Elysian. When she saw the boy's eyes she found herself drawn to them, like a moth wandering in the darkness would to a candle light. Perhaps it was their hue, the color of a blazing sun during dusk, which reminded her of the sunlight that had not touched her skin for so long. She wanted to bask in their warmth, wanted to revel in this feeling which she had not experienced in so long.

The shock having subsided, she reached out and touched her fingers to his face again. Nehellenia's face was expressionless this time as she let her hand rest there. The longer her fingers lingered, the stronger a soothing sensation trickled through her. It was as if some sort of power was flowing into her, and power was exactly what she was after. But if she were to remove the crystal now, Nehellenia had a suspicion that doing so will harm its guardian. After all, Helios was guarding it with his life, and it would not surprise her if the crystal and the priest shared an intimate link.

No matter. Her fingers slipped under his chin and tipped his head up. He is mine now. There is no rush; I can take the crystal any time I want! Those golden eyes were no longer out of her reach, and she could not wait until he awoke so she may gaze into them to her heart's content. At this thought the smile returned to her face, and Queen Nehellenia felt the euphoria of triumph flooding her body, so strong was the rush that accompanied her victory that it overwhelmed the sensation of touch she had relished before.

Just as the queen reveled in her new acquired possession, Helios' eyes fluttered open and he uttered a muffled moan as he began to come-to. Seeing that he was finally gaining consciousness, Nehellenia chuckled humorlessly, "Hello again, my dear Priest Helios. It has been a while since we last met."

Helios blinked, disoriented. "…So it is you; you did all this," he said weakly.

"Yes, I, the Queen of the Dark Moon. The barrier that separates Elysian from the surface may be able to keep pathetic humans at bay but it stood no chance against me." Nehellenia looked directly into those golden eyes and whispered, "Now both Elysian and you yourself belong to me, and I-"

"Never"

Helios' voice cut short the queen's gloating words. She said nothing more for a second when she retracted her hand and stepped back. Though he was bound and beaten the defiance he showed was unmistakable. Nehellenia looked into those eyes and realized their color was different now. Brighter now yes, but hot like flames, like the blaze that had cast her out of Elysian, the consequences of which had ultimately landed her in this cold and lonely realm where she was forced to reside.

She no longer saw the warmth she had sought in those eyes. It had been replaced by a scorching flame that lashed out at her. The thought of those golden flames both terrified as well as enraged the queen, cascading from her heart to her face as her expression became contorted by those emotions.

A sharp slap echoed through her domain. The next second found Nehellenia with her hand raised. Helios winced from being struck and staggered a little despite being tied down by his silken fetters, but his determination did not falter.

"How dare of you!" She hissed dangerously, using rage to mask her trepidation. "I am the Queen of the Dark Moon, the one who shall rule this galaxy! I will not tolerate this insolence!" Roaring her words, Nehellenia felt her confidence returning and the desire to quell the young man's persistent defiance was manifested in jolts of energy that shot down the web-like cords holding Helios.

The guardian's scream filled the dark void. The agony in his voice would have made any another person cringe, but Nehellenia looked on unmoved, her eyes hard like diamonds.

Finally, the flashes of pale electricity stopped and the victim collapsed against his bounds. Nehellenia inhaled the still tingling air deeply as her wrath somewhat subsided. The room was silent again, and after a moment, the queen approached the ragged form before her. She lifted his face towards her, and looked into his pale face. The pain and anguish on this face did not match the one she remembered from so many thousands of years ago, nor did the eyes that had looked accusingly at her earlier. Her lips pulled tight as she thought about this.

No, this is not what I want, she said to herself. She could easily take the crystal from him and end his insubordination forever, but the dark queen hesitated. It might still be possible to tame him, to mollify those eyes so that they would shine for her alone.

As she sensed Helios beginning to stir, she addressed him once again. The edge was gone from her voice, and was almost soft as she said, "Things don't have to be so difficult, Helios. You and I together, worlds will lie at our feet. I've said this to you before and I offer it to you again: join me, and the rewards will be endless."

His head bowed still, Helios' voice answered huskily, "My answer…is still the same. The crystal's purpose is to protect, not to conquer and destroy." Mustering his strength, Helios looked up to his captor. "Elysian, the crystal, and myself; none of these will ever belong to you, Queen of the Dark Moon. Not to one with a heart black and frozen such as yours!"

Nehellenia listened silently, and though they came from a weak and defeated captive, hair line cracks began to form in the queen's perfect veneer as her expression contorted at those words. Tiny wrinkles began to crease along the edge of her eyes and her mouth as the raging anger inside of her was once again kindled by those unfalteringly defiant words. A part of her wanted to rip the crystal clear out of the boy, to make him scream and suffer for his incessant defiance. But somehow, despite her boiling wrath, Nehellenia held back.

It was those damned eyes of his again, she thought. The little she could see of them peeping out from beneath his hair, the light in them challenged her, threatening to change her. Her heart was cold and dark, but it had been for so long she could not tolerate the thought of it being thawed and brightened. Change to her meant loosing what she had now; it meant the loss of her beauty, her everything.

No, if the choice was between loosing her beauty and facing this radiant warmth, she would not falter in her decision. Those foolish impulses, the yearning for the light, Nehellenia now recognized them as dangerous.

Warmth and light be damned! She thought, I will not change. I will remain forever this way, forever beautiful! The light will not control me; it is I who shall control it!

"Is that what you think?" Nehellenia smiled scornfully. "You may be wise, Helios, but even you do not understand how all encompassing the darkness can be. Elysian is already covered in darkness," she cooed sneeringly, "and now you will be too!"

The queen made a swift motion with one hand and more webs shot out from the darkness, working themselves around the guardian's body before roughly hauling him into the air.

Nehellenia's pale eyes glowed crimson as the bondage around Helios gave off a similar blood red color. "I will strip you of everything you posses: your light, your hope, and your beautiful dreams! Everything you have will be laid bare before me, for you are mine!"

The webs cemented Helios in place, freezing his limbs as the spell took hold. Helios struggled, but being already weakened, the force of Nehellenia's power was too much for him to resist. Soon his body became consumed in the foul red glow and when the light faded a large cage had formed around the priest, jagged teeth clamping down around him like the fangs of some hellish beast. The cold restraints gnawed at his exposed skin, his remaining energy seemingly sucked away by the darkness that enveloped his body.

Nehellenia's eyes glowed eerily at the sight of her captive reduced to this helpless state. True to her name, the ruler of the Dark Moon had no need for light. In her dark realm her power surpassed those living in daylight. Even if her world was cold and unfeeling, she would remain beautiful, preserved like a fragile black rose that refused to fade.