Chibiusa looked blankly at the couple in front of her. It was if every part of her body forgot how to function and she was left frozen. She sucked in a breath as she tried to pull together some sense out of what was going on.
"Chibiusa is quite the unusual name." Ariel broke the silence with a laugh. "But darling I'll go help with Eos and Aurora with the dishes if you don't mind sorting this out."
"That sounds wonderful." Helios replied, giving the woman a peck on the cheek before she turned and left, leaving him and the pink haired girl alone. "I'll have to say I agree with Ariel here, I have never heard of the name Chibiusa before." He spoke.
In the past week Chibiusa had experienced more pain than ever, and every word from Helios seemed to add to it. It was strange how at one time, the sound of his voice would bring her the ultimate happiness and now, standing before him, she had never felt so hurt before. She swallowed hard, still trying to pull herself together. Deciding that she could not be Chibiusa, the girl who loved the Elysian priest more than anything, she would be Princess Small Lady Serenity, the future ruler of Crystal Tokyo. Swallowing hard and trying to keep her emotions under control, she replaced her confused face with a proud one, a face she wore to important meetings and press conferences. "Are you alright?" She asked calmly.
"Of course I am," Helios laughed, "however, I feel as if I should be asking you the same, Chibiusa."
"Actually, you may know me better as Small Lady Serenity, Princess of Crystal Tokyo, and heir to the throne." She said raising her chin a bit, not sure whether it was out of pride or to prevent any tears.
"My apologies your majesty," Helios bowed. "To what do I owe the honor of your presence?"
"I just thought, you might be in danger." She stumbled with her words, things seemed fine here, and even if it caused her massive heartbreak, Helios seemed much more cheery than when she left him last. Maybe it is for the best, maybe mom was right, and he found the right one. Chibiusa thought. "However, it appears you seem fine here, and I'm sorry to bother you Priest of Elysian." She found that it was much easier to avoid saying his name.
"Oh no your highness, it is no bother at all!" Helios chimed. "You seem exhausted from your travel, please stay a while and regain your strength."
Chibiusa gave in. With Helios' words, she realized that she was indeed tired beyond belief. And even though it tore her apart to see him next to another woman, she could not bear to walk away from Helios again. She repeatedly told herself again and again that he was happy now and that she should be happy as well, or at least be happy for him. But hard as she try, she still felt empty and lonely even when he smiled at her.
After a small tour of the grounds, which all looked healthy and beautiful unlike her last visit, Helios lead Chibiusa to a guest room for her to rest. However, before reaching that door, the two walked by the open doors of Helios' chamber. Almost immediately thoughts of the night they reunited came into Chibiusa's mind and for a moment she let out the smallest hint of a smile, but the smile soon turned to a frown as she noticed Ariel sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Darling," The Purple haired woman waved, "When you're done showing her around, we can finish where we left off." She said as she pointed to some flutes of champagne on the end table.
Chibiusa's heart clenched once more and she fought the urge to run away from the two. A princess would not run. A princess does not put her feelings before other's needs. Chibiusa reminded herself as she followed Helios to a room further down the hall. Inside it was very plain, lacking the exquisite designs and architecture she had seen in Helios'. Most importantly, this room wasn't where Helios was. The princess threw herself on the white blanketed canopy bed in the center of the room, Helios had left her moments ago, rushing to get back to his fiancé. Once situated on the bed, Chibiusa finally allowed herself to cry.
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
For some reason Chibiusa couldn't comprehend, she stayed at Elysian with the couple. She joined them for meals where she had front row seats to their romantic ways. She was invited on rides where she watched Ariel hold onto Helios intimately as they rode together. She constantly ran into the couple in the hallways, the library, the kitchen, and just about everywhere else she went. It was constant torture.
At some point Chibiusa stopped. She stopped counting the days she stayed there. She stopped noticing the romantic moments between Ariel and Helios at dinner. She stopped wondering if Helios ever looked at her the way he did with Ariel. She stopped staring at the couple when they all went riding. She stopped caring when she ran into their intimate moments in the hallways. She stopped smiling. She stopped feeling. And one night when she went to bed in the plain canopy bed, she woke up somewhere different.
Looking around, Chibiusa was in her bed, in the Crystal Palace.