AUTHOR'S NOTE: I wrote the following collection of ficlets for sailormoonland's LIMS Drabble contest. (Basically, it was like Last Icon-Maker Standing, except for writers.) Each of our entries had to be about our assigned character, and my character was Helios.

First Day Jitters
Written for Round One: "First Day of School"

Helios came to a stop in front of Crystal Tokyo Academy, his grip on his briefcase tightening as he fought back his nerves.

As priest of Elysion, he had never attended school before. The Maenads had seen to his education, teaching him everything from mathematics to literature. Though he had passed the entrance exam with flying colors, the real test would begin today, as he started his new life as a normal high school student.

"Helios!"

He turned around and smiled as he saw Serenity running toward him, her long pigtails flapping in the wind behind her.

"Good morning, maiden," he said when she reached him. "You look cute in that uniform."

"I do?" She blushed. "You look nice, too. Except…"

"What?"

Serenity moved closer toward him, reaching for his crooked tie. His heart pounding at her proximity, she expertly re-knotted it. "There, now you're perfect!"

"Thanks. I've never worn one of these before, so I had no idea what I was doing." Helios glanced back at the school. "Just like now…"

She slipped her hand into his and gave it a squeeze. "Don't worry, I'll be right here beside you. I'll teach you everything you need to know."

"Thanks."

Waking From A Dream
Written for Round Three: "I'm Still Alive"

It felt like I was awakening from a dream.

Was I really alive? The last thing I remembered was releasing the last of my power to save my prince and the Senshi. After that…nothing. It was all a blank until I opened my eyes to the sight of my maiden, crying tears of happiness.

She was the one who had saved me. With the power of her Pink Moon Crystal, she had pulled me back from the Eternal Sleep and restored my life back to me.

And suddenly I came to a realization.

For so long, I had searched for the woman I had seen in my vision, believing she was the one who would save Elysion by breaking the seal on the Golden Crystal. Sailor Moon had done so, but she wasn't the one I longed for deep in my heart.

Princess Lady Serenity… She had been right in front of me the entire time. Though still only a child, I knew that someday her most cherished dream would come true.

One day, my maiden would become a beautiful lady, and, if I was lucky, I would be her Prince Charming.

Curse of the Rose
Third Place winner of Round Four: "Sing Me A Story"

Collapsing to his knees, Helios clutched at his chest, feeling a sharp ache coming from within. His Maenads rushed to his side, alarmed.

"Helios-sama, what's wrong?" Eos asked.

"It's nothing. I'm fine," he lied before being overcome by a violent coughing fit.

In truth, he had been experiencing such "attacks" for several days, although none quite as strong as this. Whatever the cause, it was steadily growing more powerful. Helios wondered if it was related to the strange vision he had received during his last prayer session.

"No, you're not!" Aurora said, horrified when Helios pulled his hand away from his mouth to reveal that it was covered in black liquid. "Is that blood? Eos, help me get him into bed."

Too weak to protest, Helios allowed the Maenads to take him to his bedroom and put him to bed. He fell asleep almost immediately, but his rest was far from peaceful. Haunted by nightmares of a dark queen and a creepy circus, he awoke less than an hour later to the faint smell of roses perfuming the air.

"This fragrance… It seems nostalgic somehow," he murmured. Helios stumbled out of bed and followed the scent to the rose garden that surrounded the temple.

The roses, once vibrant red, had turned sickly black, giving off an odor so foul, Helios could barely breathe. Yet the enchanting fragrance somehow lingered as the dream-like figure of a man appeared in the center of the garden.

"Prince…"

The apparition didn't seem to hear him, collapsing in pain as Helios had done earlier. Helios ran over and gasped when he saw a black rose glowing within the translucent figure's chest.

"No, it can't be," he whispered. "This rose…"

But seeing the prince, he suddenly realized what had happened. A curse had fallen upon Elysion.

A Woman Scorned
Written for Round Five: "Opening Sentence"

The air was chilled and the sun nowhere in sight - a perfect day for revenge.

Or at least it would have been had Helios not refused her the Golden Crystal for a second time. Nehelenia clenched her fists at her side and glared at the unconscious boy suspended inside the cage, cursing his insubordination.

It was his fault - his, and those of the White Moon - that she had spent countless years imprisoned inside the mirror. With the Golden Crystal in her possession, she would have easily conquered Silver Millennium. Though she had offered to make Helios her king, he and the crystal had rejected her, leaving her at the mercy of Queen Serenity, who had sealed Nehelenia away within the darkness of the new moon.

As centuries passed, Nehelenia had dreamed of someday breaking free of her prison and taking revenge on all those who had denied her happiness. The day of the solar eclipse, when the barrier protecting Elysion was at its weakest, was to be the date of her triumphant return, but even though she had managed to capture the priest, his soul had somehow escaped to someone's beautiful dream, taking the Golden Crystal with him.

The body in her possession was nothing more than a husk, completely useless to her.

"Where are you, Helios?" Nehelenia demanded, shaking the cage. Her entire body vibrated with anger. "Tell me! In whose dream have you taken refuge?"

Of course, he didn't respond. Nehelenia, enraged, prepared an attack to kill him, but stopped herself just in time. If the body died, she had no idea what would happen to Helios' soul. It was best to keep him alive…for now.

But once she found the Golden Crystal, he would pay for rejecting her.

Yes, Helios would pay dearly.

Last Prayer
Written for Round Six: Given Image

The sweltering heat and abundance of tropical plant-life made it seem like they were in the middle of the Amazon. Around them, the senshi were collapsing, unable to breathe due to the muggy jungle atmosphere.

We have to do something, Mamoru thought as he succumbed to yet another violent coughing fit, but what can we do? He glanced over at Usagi, who had also begun coughing up black blood. Even if she had the ability do something about the situation, she was in no shape to use her powers.

Mamoru cursed his weakness, wishing he had more power. Perhaps if he actually possessed the Golden Crystal Helios had spoken of, but without it…

"Prince, Princess!"

Inside his head, Mamoru heard the voice of the priest.

"Holy Elysion, please!" the voice fervently prayed. "Send the cleansing power to the surface. Please hear my last prayer!"

Suddenly, crystal spires burst through the ground and the unbearable heat lifted, bringing much needed relief. "Helios, is this the cleansing power of Elysion?" Mamoru asked through their telepathic link.

"It might not hold up." Helios' voice had grown fainter, almost impossible to hear. "But this is absolutely all of myself and Elysion."

Mamoru gasped. "Helios?"

"I'm glad I was able to meet you, Prince…"

"Helios!"

He sensed it the instant it happened, like a part of his very soul had been ripped from his body. Though Mamoru had only known Helios for a short time, he felt as if he had just lost a life-long friend. Tears threatened to fall, but he did his best to hold them back; there would be time to grieve later.

For now, they needed to concentrate on defeating the enemy and protecting the Earth. Mamoru refused to let Helios' sacrifice be in vain.

Unexpected Surprise
Written for Round Seven: "Baby Momma"
Note: M-Preg, due to the requirements of the challenge

"Helios, you've been in there for almost an hour. Are you alright?"

Groaning, Helios raised his head and flushed the toilet. "I'm fine," he called out before going over to the sink to wash the foul taste out of his mouth.

When he exited the bathroom a few moments later, Serenity stepped forward and placed a hand against his forehead. "Strange, you don't feel like you have a fever… Still, you should have Mercury examine you."

"I don't -"

"Please?"

Helios sighed and kissed her forehead. "Okay, I'll go."

An hour later, Helios found himself laying on the examination table in Mercury's office as the doctor scanned his body with her computer. "Oh, my…" she murmured.

"What is it?"

Mercury frowned. "Helios, I don't know quite how to explain this, but according to these readings, you're pregnant."

"What?" Helios sat back up. "That's impossible!"

"Maybe not." She typed something into her computer. "What do you know about the reproductive capabilities of Pegasi?"

"Almost nothing," he admitted. "I'm the last of my kind. My mother died shortly after I was born, and I never knew my father."

She shook her head. "No, it's the other way around."

"What do you mean?"

"According to some old research I found on this computer, Pegasi are a single-sexed species. When a Pegasus in human form mates with a human female, the Pegasus can be impregnated. That means your 'mother' was a human and your 'father' was the Pegasus who bore you."

Helios placed a hand against his stomach. "Then, it's true? I'm really…pregnant?"

"I know this must be overwhelming…"

That was an understatement. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever think something like this was possible. But a child…

The corners of his lips curved upwards.

He and Serenity were having a baby.

Mysterious Stranger
Written for Round Eight: "Canon Crossover"

Serenity was in heaven, dancing in the arms of the man she loved at the palace's annual Masquerade Ball. The two of them garnered many admiring glances as they waltzed together across the dance floor, but one man's eyes in particular seemed permanently glued to them.

"Helios, that man in the corner is staring at us," she said, frowning.

"He's probably just in awe of how beautiful you look tonight, my maiden," Helios said after taking a cursory look at the mystery guest.

Serenity blushed, but something about the man's presence still unnerved her. She felt as if she knew him…only not. It was difficult to explain even to herself, much less Helios, so she put the stranger out of her mind for the rest of the dance.

When they had finished, however, the man beckoned her toward him with his finger before slipping out of the ballroom.

"What's wrong, maiden?" Helios asked.

"That man… He wants me to follow him." Serenity took a step in the direction he had disappeared. "I think I should."

"Then I'm coming with you," Helios decided, reaching for her hand.

Serenity squeezed it in gratitude, then led Helios through the crowd of party revelers, following the path the man had taken to the moonlit rose garden. They found him hiding behind a statue of King Endymion.

"Who are you?" she demanded to know, one hand placed over her transformation brooch.

The man held up both his hands and stepped out of the shadows. "I'm not your enemy," he said in a voice that sounded familiar. "May I?"

He pointed to the full-face mask he wore. Serenity nodded, giving him permission to remove it.

Beside her, Helios turned pale when the man took off the mask, revealing a face that was every bit identical to his. "W-Who -?"

"I am you, Helios," the man said. "You from a different universe. There isn't much time to explain."

He reached for the golden horn atop his head that Serenity had assumed was a part of his costume. He pulled the horn out, causing it to transform into a stone similar to her father's Golden Crystal, and handed it to Helios.

"Please, you both must protect this crystal until I return to reclaim it. The fate of my world is at stake. I'm begging you. Please!"

With that plea, the man turned into a Pegasus and flew away.

DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon is the property of Naoko Takeuchi.