The next day, Chibi Usa had a training session with the Sailor Quartet, under the supervision of Makoto. They met her out in the courtyard after breakfast, where they had plenty of room to spar.
"Good morning, girls!" said the Senshi of Jupiter. "I hope you're ready for a workout!"
"I'm always ready!" said Jun-Jun.
"I'm glad someone is…" muttered Chibi Usa. She had slept restlessly the previous night, her dreams haunted by shadows and cold mirrors.
"So what's on the agenda today?" asked Cere-Cere as she started stretching.
"Physical combat. We're going to pair up and spar. You four," she indicated the Sailor Quartet, "can pair up with each other. As for you, Small Lady, I'll be your opponent. Now, I want you girls to try and focus on learning how to parry attacks, all right? So if you're ready, let's start. Jupiter Crystal Power, Make Up!" In a flash of light, Makoto transformed into Sailor Jupiter.
Chibi Usa sighed. She wasn't in the mood for fight training, but she knew there was no point in arguing. "Moon Crisis Power, Make Up!" she cried, transforming into Sailor Chibi Moon. The Sailor Quartet followed suit, transforming into Sailors Pallas, Vesta, Juno, and Ceres, respectively.
"Okay, let's go, Sailor Pallas!" said Sailor Vesta.
"Sailor Pallas doesn't know if she wants to spar with Sailor Vesta…" said the blue-haired Senshi, but her impetuous sister grabbed her hand and pulled her to a spot some distance from the others as to not get in their way.
"Guess that leaves you and me, sister," said Sailor Juno to Sailor Ceres, who nodded. They moved to a spot in the opposite direction from their sisters, leaving Sailors Jupiter and Chibi Moon in the middle.
"Are you ready to start, Small Lady?" asked Sailor Jupiter, falling gracefully into a fighting stance.
"Um, yes," said Chibi Moon. She slipped into a stance like Jupiter's, but looser.
"Don't hold back!" said the Soldier of Protection as she lunged forward, aiming a precise strike at Chibi Moon's neck. The younger Senshi was caught off guard by the lethal strike, and barely dodged out of the way by flinging herself sideways. She then lost her balance and ended up landing on her back.
"You need to do better than that!" said Jupiter as she aimed a punch at Chibi Moon's face.
Chibi Moon rolled to get out of the way, then scrambled to her feet. She then summoned the Pink Moon Stick. "Ugh…P-Pink Sugar Heart Attack!" Little pink hearts burst from the end of the weapon towards Sailor Jupiter.
"Sparkling Wide Pressure!" Sailor Jupiter formed a ball of electricity in her hands, then threw it. It smashed through Chibi Moon's attack and hit her square in the chest, knocking her off her feet.
Sailor Jupiter snatched the Pink Moon Stick from her hand. "No special attacks, Small Lady! You can't always rely on them during battle. I want you to focus on hand-to-hand this time."
Chibi Usa groaned loudly, then flung herself off the ground and tried to kick Sailor Jupiter's stomach. Jupiter grabbed her ankle, effectively stopping her, so she swung her other leg up and managed to land a blow on the older Senshi's shoulder.
"That's better," said Sailor Jupiter. "Keep it up!"
They sparred for around two hours, taking small breaks and swapping out opponents. Chibi Moon was having trouble focusing, but she managed to stand her ground. By the time the session was over, though, she was exhausted.
"All right, that's enough for today," said Jupiter, turning back into Makoto. "Good job, girls." The Sailor Quartet changed back to civilian forms, then went to fetch water. Makoto looked seriously at Chibi Moon. "You didn't fight as well as normal this time."
Breathing heavily, Sailor Chibi Moon flopped on the ground, changing back into Chibi Usa. "I'm sorry," she said. "My head wasn't in it today…I promise I'll be better next time."
"I'm holding you to that," Makoto said with a grin. She sat on the grass next to Chibi Usa. "Small Lady, is something bothering you? If you need to talk, I'd be happy to listen, and if you don't want to talk to me, you know your mother, Diana, or the Quartet are there for you, too."
"I know," said Chibi Usa, "and I appreciate it, really I do, but I'm fine. Thanks anyway, though."
Before Makoto could say anything more, Cere-Cere returned with water. Chibi Usa and Makoto accepted it gratefully, and once they had cooled off, they went inside to get lunch.
That evening, Chibi Usa took a hot bath after an exhausting day. She stayed in for quite a while, loath to remove herself from the pleasantly warm froth. She finally got out when her hands started to prune, slipping into a silk robe and retreating to her room, having decided to turn in early. She fell asleep quickly, and found herself lost in a dream.
She was standing in a garden she was familiar with. It was one of the most breathtaking places she'd ever known, filled with ruby red roses and a rainbow of other kinds of flowers. She was on the pathway, looking around for something she knew should be there. She began to grow disheartened when she didn't find it.
Suddenly, she felt a feather-light brush against her cheek. She turned around quickly and saw a snow white stallion with feathery wings and a gold horn on its head. It watched her with amber eyes filled with a fire that could warm or scorch. Right now, they warmed Chibi Usa to her very core.
"Pegasus!" she exclaimed. She rushed forward to embrace his neck. She closed her eyes contentedly, tangling her fingers into his mane. Suddenly, the shape in her arms felt different. She opened her eyes to see that rather than the neck of a horse, her arms were now around the torso of a young man. He had wavy white hair and the same beautiful eyes as the Pegasus. Where Chibi Usa had once been about half his height, she now stood just over his shoulder. "Helios! Oh, Helios, I've missed you so much!" She tightened her embrace, as if afraid he might disappear. She buried her face in his chest, feeling her eyes water with happy tears.
Helios smiled as he wrapped his arms around her. "Chibi Usa-chan," he said happily, and she blushed, loving the sound of her name on his lips. "I'm sorry I hadn't contacted you sooner."
Chibi Usa let out a barely audible sigh. "It's okay," she said. "I'm just glad you're here now."
Helios shook his head. "It's not okay. I know it upset you; I've seen your dreams."
Chibi Usa released him and took a step back so she could look at his face. His eyes were sad, guilty. She hated to see him look like that, so she dropped her gaze. "I was…I thought…I thought you…" She trailed off, and a sob racked her body. She shook her head roughly, trying to collect herself. "It had been so long since last time I saw you…I thought you'd forgotten me…"
Concern showed clearly on Helios' face now as he took her hands in his. "Chibi Usa-chan, believe me when I say that I could never forget you! I've thought about you every day! I've wanted to speak to you for so long, but…"
Chibi Usa looked into his face, tears flowing freely now. "But what?" she sobbed.
Helios hesitated before answering. "I've been watching your dreams every night. I thought, maybe, that it would be enough. But it wasn't- It isn't. Yet I knew that when, or even if, I was finally able to see you, to touch you, to hold you, I wouldn't want to let go."
Chibi Usa's blush deepened. Was he saying what she thought he was saying?
Helios looked nervous. "Chibi Usa-chan…"
Suddenly, there was a loud crack. Helios' grip on Chibi Usa's hands tightened.
"What's going on?" she asked, starting to become afraid. She blinked, and there were mirrors everywhere. Shadows cackled at the pair from within them, and hands emerged from them. The hands hung there eerily for a moment, then moved quickly towards Helios and Chibi Usa.
"No!" Helios began to run, towing Chibi Usa with him. They ran as fast as they could, but the hands were gaining on them. "Chibi Usa-chan! You must wake up, quickly!"
"But, what about you?" Chibi Usa cried.
"This is your dream, Chibi Usa-chan. They'll disappear without it, and I can return to Elysion!"
"Okay…I'll try!"
"Hurry, Chibi Usa-chan, they're closing in!"
"I'm trying!" She really was, but she struggled; she didn't know what she was doing. "I can't…I can't wake up!"
One of the hands grabbed her arm, jerking her to halt and yanking her hand out of Helios'. He tried to help her, but several more of the hands grabbed onto him. Chibi Usa fought futilely as more of the hands pinned her down. She watched helplessly as they dragged Helios back toward the mirrors. "NO!" she screamed as the hands began to pull him through the largest mirror. "MOON CRISIS POWER!" The crescent moon symbol appeared on her forehead, and a blinding light shone from it.
"HELIOS!"
Time for a cliffy! Whatever will happen to dear Helios and Chibi Usa? :O Anyway, I hope to hear your thoughts in the reviews! Thanks and see you soon!