Part 4
Serenity knocked at Elios' door, trying to hide her fear. That morning, a servant had run into her dressing rooms, telling her the Princess was gone from her rooms. In fact, the door had been locked, and after they had gotten it open, they had found that the Princess had never been in the room at all.
So Serenity went to the only person she could think of that might have known where her precious daughter had run to: Elios.
No one answered her knocks, so Serenity opened the door and went in uninvited. I'm the queen, and my daughter is missing. Forget about ethics!
Elios' rooms were clean and untouched. She noticed a blanket on the futon, but thought nothing of it. There were no signs of his having awoken yet, and that upset Serenity for some reason. If I'm worried, he should be too. She knew that was silly to think, but she was worried about Small Lady. What if she had run away, or something terrible had happened to her? Her daughter had a streak of bad luck when it came to safety, and Serenity was worried about her.
However, when Serenity entered the priest's bedchamber, a new possibility for danger leaped into her head.
Small Lady was lying with her head on Elios' bare chest, her shirt nearly half unbuttoned. The priest's arms were wrapped around her daughter, and his cheek was resting against the top of Small Lady's head.
"Lady? Lady, are you in here?"
Serenity turned at the sound of Diana's voice.
"Is the Small Lady in here?" Serenity's ears perked at the voice of one of her head servants, and she did something she hadn't done in ages. She snuck into the closet, and prepared herself for a bit of spying.
Diana trotted in, looking every which way. "I thought I heard something."
The Head Servant came in a split second later, rubbing her hands together nervously. "We shouldn't have done that, Miss Diana. If the Queen finds out…"
"Oh!" Diana squealed when she came over to the bed. "Just like I thought." Her nose wrinkled. "Drats…nothing happened. I can tell."
"How?"
"Well, for one, the Lady is wearing clothes."
Serenity nearly choked. So it was Diana that had locked the door. She had plotted this entire thing! When she got her hands on that cat…
Not that Serenity really minded, though. Now that she thought about it, she remembered all the times she'd spent with Mamo-chan, and how she'd always dreamt of him. She knew her daughter felt the same feelings as she had, and that Small Lady loved Elios with all of her being. But the motherly part of her still had the urge to strangle the priest.
Elios yawned, and Diana yelped, then ran from the room. The Head Servant followed, but Serenity decided to stay where she was. She wanted to see exactly what this boy was like. Her eyes glinted as she narrowed them to an evil smile.
She watched the priest stir. His eyes fluttered open, and he yawned again. He stopped suddenly, and looked at Small Lady, as though he had forgotten she was there. A warm smile quickly lit his face, however, and he brushed the hair from her forehead. He gazed at her for a while, then blinked, as though remembering something.
Sliding off the bed carefully so her didn't wake Small Lady, the priest placed his feet against the floor, pulling back slightly as the cool surface touched his toes.
Serenity bit her lip when he started towards the closet, and quickly tried to think of a way out of this mess. Wait a minute, I'm the queen, what do I have to worry for? Besides, he's the one in trouble.
The Priest of Elysion blinked, then turned from the closet. Serenity let out a sigh of relief, but just when she thought she was safe, he looked back, right at her.
"Please don't think badly of me, your Majesty. I can swear to you that I did not touch your daughter."
As serenely and gracefully as she could, Serenity walked out from the closet, holding her head high and refusing to blush.
"You think that you could seduce my daughter with the help of Diana, and not have me find out?" He blinked, confused. Serenity took a deep breath, but her resolve never wavered. "Well. You were wrong. I thought it would be all right to let you stay, because I trusted you. Now I see I was wrong."
Elios looked at Serenity with the most adorable look of confusion that she almost forgot she was angry with him. "My Queen, I have no idea what you are talking about. Last night your daughter took me on a tour of the castle, and when I returned her to her rooms, the door was locked. There was no way to get in, so we came here."
"That doesn't explain why you were sleeping with her."
Elios turned a bright shade of crimson. "I…well…it's not what you think, my Queen. I didn't do anything, I promise."
Serenity smiled slightly. The boy was so pure and honest, she couldn't doubt him. Not that she had doubted him before, but she wanted to see how he would handle the situation.
"I know nothing happened. I trust you. I trust Small Lady. And I have no qualms about you being in love with my daughter." Serenity looked around him to see her daughter, sleeping softly. "She loves you very much, you know."
Elios' eyes followed hers. "I know. But I cannot stay. I have to return to my home."
Serenity walked forward and took his hands in hers. "You are always welcome here. And there is no threat to this world right now. Please stay. Elysion is not so far away that you cannot be there fast."
"But…I have responsibilities…"
Serenity's grip tightened, and Elios winced a little. "You have a responsibility here, as well. And if you do anything to hurt her feelings," her grip tightened even more, "I will feel very sorry for you."
The Priest of Elysion gulped.
"Hello! Is anyone here?"
Serenity smiled as her husband walked in, then glided over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "We're all here. And everything is fine."
Endymion scanned the room, taking it all in. He saw Elios standing before the closet without a shirt, he noticed Small Lady's dress hanging in the closet, he noticed Small Lady sleeping in the bed, he saw the window was left open.
Slowly, very slowly, his eyes made their way back to the bed, then very slowly, turned back to face Elios, who had quite a look of fear on his face. Serenity startled when Endymion took a step forward, but grabbed his arm and tried to hold him back when he lifted reaching hands for Elios' throat.
"Mamo-chan! Stop! It's alright!"
"What did you do to my daughter?"
"King, nothing happened! Really!"
"Mamo-chan!"
"I'm going to kill you!"
"Please, understand!"
"DIE!!"
"STOP!" All eyes turned to see Small Lady sitting, the blanket pulled up to her chest, her eyes hard with anger. "Daddy! Mama! Stop it!"
Endymion relaxed, but Serenity didn't release his arm. "What happened here?"
"I had a bad dream, and I didn't want to sleep alone. I wouldn't have been able to, anyway."
"Then why is your shirt unbuttoned?"
Small Lady blanched. "Um…it was hot out?"
Endymion lunged for Elios before Serenity could stop him, and he tackled the poor priest, his hands around his throat. Small Lady jumped off the bed, then ran and jumped onto her father, pulling him off the priest.
"My own priest! I can't believe you!"
"King, I swear nothing happened!"
"DIE!!!"
"Daddy!!"
"Mamo-chan, CALM DOWN!!"
Everyone shut up and stared at Serenity. Serenity, who hadn't raised her voice in ages, the perfect model of perfection. Now, she was full of anger, with eyes as hard as agates, and her hair sticking out in places. Endymion gulped, and removed his hands from Elios' throat. Small Lady ran over to her priest and knelt beside him, holding his head against her chest.
"Mamo-chan, apologize right now."
"But—"
"I said now!"
Endymion gulped again, and then reached down to help Elios up. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have reacted like that."
The Priest of Elysion gave a weak smile. "I think any father would."
"Now, Elios, explain yourself. You too, Small Lady."
So Elios told her and Mamo-chan about what had happened. Small Lady had taken him for a tour, and when he had returned her to her rooms, they had been locked. All the other doors were locked as well, and only his would open. They were both tired, so they decided to just stay in his room. They had been sleeping in different rooms, and Serenity remembered seeing a blanket on the futon in the sitting room. Then Small Lady said she had had a bad dream, and that she had been having dreams, and she was afraid to sleep by herself. And since Diana hadn't been there, she had made Elios stay with her.
At mention of Diana's name, Serenity couldn't keep the displeasure off her face.
When they had finished recounting what had happened, Endymion put a finger to his mouth, thinking. Serenity came up beside him.
"Diana set it up."
Everyone looked at her.
"I was in here before you woke up. Diana and the Head Servant decided to play matchmaker.
Small Lady's face lit up. "Really?!?!" Serenity gave her a hard look. "I mean, really? Well, she went about it the wrong way."
Serenity could tell her daughter was rather happy with the way Diana had done it.
"Well, Diana and I are going to have a long talk. Now, get dressed you two. You have a long day ahead."
Endymion left, and Serenity smiled at her daughter. Small Lady frowned, and Serenity went over to her, and took her elbow.
"I need to speak with you."
"Yes."
Serenity took Small Lady out into the sitting room, and made sure the priest couldn't hear.
"Small Lady, you've grown a lot. But you need to understand that things are different."
"I do."
"It's different than before, when you and I would stay in Mamo-chan's room. You're an adult now. Please remember." She quelled any argument Small Lady had with a finger to her daughter's lips. "I know how you feel about him, and I'm happy for you. But please don't let anything like this happen again."
She waited for Small Lady's nod, then kissed her cheek and walked from the room. She hoped her daughter would take her words to heart.
Chibi-Usa watched her mother leave, her lips pressed tight. She had the feeling Serenity was disappointed, but couldn't tell to what degree. All she cared about was that she was innocent of anything they may think.
Realizing she was standing in just a shirt, Chibi-Usa hurried to the door of the bedchamber and made sure it was safe to enter. Seeing no Elios in her sight, she hurried in, suddenly very cold and wanting a nice outfit to wear.
She was surprised to see him sitting on the bed, still wearing only his pants from the day before, and holding something in his hands. His face was very serious, and he was frowning.
When she stepped in the room, he quickly hid the thing he was holding, and stood. "I should probably let you change. I'll be out in the sitting room if you need me."
"Elios…"
He walked past her without saying anything else, and Chibi-Usa felt her heart ache. He seemed so distant suddenly. Was it because of her?
Grabbing her nightclothes from before, Chibi-Usa changed out of the shirt she had been wearing, but stored it away on her person. It was one of Elios' shirts, and she planned on keeping it, whether or not he cared.
She met with him in the sitting room, and together they walked back to her rooms. She left him outside while she went in to change into real clothes, and then they left together to go to breakfast.
The hall was full of guests, just like yesterday, but she noticed some were gone. In a few days, all the revelers that had come for her ceremony would be gone, and the palace would die down again. Does that mean Elios will leave as well? Chibi-Usa didn't want to think about anything like that, so she shook her head slightly and went to join her parents. Elios didn't look at her, but kept on walking.
At the head table, Chibi-Usa sat beside her mother. She was expecting Elios to sit with her, but he kept going and sat at the nearest guest table. She turned to look at her mother, a question in her eyes, but Serenity only shrugged.
Elios ignored her for the rest of the morning, and Chibi-Usa couldn't do much about it. As soon as breakfast was done, she and her mother left to work on state affairs, and she was cooped up in a room all day.
"Small Lady, pay attention. This needs to be discussed."
Chibi-Usa stopped looking out the window, and went over to her mother. Serenity was discussing the need for something, but Chibi-Usa couldn't remember what it was. Not that she had been paying attention, anyways.
"Mama, what's the point? Isn't Crystal Tokyo fine the way it is?"
Serenity looked at her daughter and smiled. "It is, my dear, but we must make sure it stays that way. It is our duty to protect these people."
"I know." She stared out the window again. "Is it our duty to protect Ely…um…the rest of this world too?"
Chibi-Usa didn't notice her mother's smile. "In some ways, yes. Just like before, in the Silver Millennium, we protected this star, and we do it now as well."
The princess smiled.
"However, that doesn't mean we can daydream about certain people from a certain part of this world. Now, pay attention."
Chibi-Usa sat up straight, and listened for the rest of the morning.
"Oy! Elios!"
Elios turned at the sound of his king's voice. Endymion leaned against the wall, eyeing his priest sideways. Elios stopped and bowed.
"So very formal. But that's just the way you are. It's alright."
Elios lifted from his bow, and Endymion started walking down the hall with him. The young priest didn't quite know what to say. He was worried his king was still angry, and didn't want to make things worse.
"So, Elios, are you staying for much longer?" Endymion didn't look at him.
Elios shook his head. "No, I'm leaving today."
Endymion still didn't look at him. "Chibi-Usa will be sad."
"It's better for her if I leave soon."
Elios didn't realize his king had stopped until he was a few steps past him. "Huh?"
"You need a lot of training."
Elios frowned in confusion. "I…I don't understand."
"Nor are you supposed to." Endymion came up to him and put a hand on the slender priest's shoulder. "Listen, it took me a few years, but eventually I learned the basics. But I can tell you right now that you have no idea what you're doing around women."
Elios spluttered. "But…what do you mean?"
Endymion smiled and patted his shoulder. "You'll just have to learn the same way I did. Be well, Elios. Take your time leaving, I really do miss talking with you."
Elios watched as his king walked away down the hall. He had no clue what it was Endymion had been trying to tell him. He had thought his king was still angry with him, but apparently he had been wrong.
He started to walk down the hall again, but this time was stopped by Neo Queen Serenity. Elios bowed, but she motioned for him to stand.
"So formal, my dear priest?"
Elios nodded. "My Queen…"
She smiled. "You both are still upset over that? You two trust each other, don't you?"
He nodded.
"Then I have nothing to worry about."
The queen left him alone then, and Elios just stood in the hall, leaning against a wall, not knowing what to do.
"What do they mean? The King told me to learn about women, and now the Queen says she trusts me. But…I don't understand why."
Elios began to walk, not knowing where he was going until he reached the room.
"Come in!"
The Priest of Elysion opened the door to Artemis' voice, then stepped inside.
"Artemis? May I ask you a question?"
Artemis looked up at the nervous priest, then nodded.
"Please, go ahead."
Elios nodded, then let out a breath. He had been afraid Artemis wouldn't listen to him.
"I have a problem—"
"With Chibi-Usa?"
Elios spluttered, then nodded.
"It's quite easy to see. And I've been there. You just have to learn how to read what she's saying."
"Saying?"
"Aye. Girls don't tell us what they mean. We have to read between the lines."
"All right. So what does she say?"
Artemis laughed. "I have no clue, boy. But I'm pretty sure she's telling you she likes you." His ears twitched. "Hmm…if you'll excuse me? Luna and Diana are coming back now. See you around, ok?"
Artemis shooed Elios out of his room, leaving Elios in the same place he was from before, and still confused. He knew he should return to Elysion soon, not only because he was needed there, but also because he felt unsure while he was here. But another part of him wanted to stay, and to see Chibi-Usa. And that part was the larger of the two.
"What should I do? I don't understand what's happening."
Serenity knocked at Elios' door, trying to hide her fear. That morning, a servant had run into her dressing rooms, telling her the Princess was gone from her rooms. In fact, the door had been locked, and after they had gotten it open, they had found that the Princess had never been in the room at all.
So Serenity went to the only person she could think of that might have known where her precious daughter had run to: Elios.
No one answered her knocks, so Serenity opened the door and went in uninvited. I'm the queen, and my daughter is missing. Forget about ethics!
Elios' rooms were clean and untouched. She noticed a blanket on the futon, but thought nothing of it. There were no signs of his having awoken yet, and that upset Serenity for some reason. If I'm worried, he should be too. She knew that was silly to think, but she was worried about Small Lady. What if she had run away, or something terrible had happened to her? Her daughter had a streak of bad luck when it came to safety, and Serenity was worried about her.
However, when Serenity entered the priest's bedchamber, a new possibility for danger leaped into her head.
Small Lady was lying with her head on Elios' bare chest, her shirt nearly half unbuttoned. The priest's arms were wrapped around her daughter, and his cheek was resting against the top of Small Lady's head.
"Lady? Lady, are you in here?"
Serenity turned at the sound of Diana's voice.
"Is the Small Lady in here?" Serenity's ears perked at the voice of one of her head servants, and she did something she hadn't done in ages. She snuck into the closet, and prepared herself for a bit of spying.
Diana trotted in, looking every which way. "I thought I heard something."
The Head Servant came in a split second later, rubbing her hands together nervously. "We shouldn't have done that, Miss Diana. If the Queen finds out…"
"Oh!" Diana squealed when she came over to the bed. "Just like I thought." Her nose wrinkled. "Drats…nothing happened. I can tell."
"How?"
"Well, for one, the Lady is wearing clothes."
Serenity nearly choked. So it was Diana that had locked the door. She had plotted this entire thing! When she got her hands on that cat…
Not that Serenity really minded, though. Now that she thought about it, she remembered all the times she'd spent with Mamo-chan, and how she'd always dreamt of him. She knew her daughter felt the same feelings as she had, and that Small Lady loved Elios with all of her being. But the motherly part of her still had the urge to strangle the priest.
Elios yawned, and Diana yelped, then ran from the room. The Head Servant followed, but Serenity decided to stay where she was. She wanted to see exactly what this boy was like. Her eyes glinted as she narrowed them to an evil smile.
She watched the priest stir. His eyes fluttered open, and he yawned again. He stopped suddenly, and looked at Small Lady, as though he had forgotten she was there. A warm smile quickly lit his face, however, and he brushed the hair from her forehead. He gazed at her for a while, then blinked, as though remembering something.
Sliding off the bed carefully so her didn't wake Small Lady, the priest placed his feet against the floor, pulling back slightly as the cool surface touched his toes.
Serenity bit her lip when he started towards the closet, and quickly tried to think of a way out of this mess. Wait a minute, I'm the queen, what do I have to worry for? Besides, he's the one in trouble.
The Priest of Elysion blinked, then turned from the closet. Serenity let out a sigh of relief, but just when she thought she was safe, he looked back, right at her.
"Please don't think badly of me, your Majesty. I can swear to you that I did not touch your daughter."
As serenely and gracefully as she could, Serenity walked out from the closet, holding her head high and refusing to blush.
"You think that you could seduce my daughter with the help of Diana, and not have me find out?" He blinked, confused. Serenity took a deep breath, but her resolve never wavered. "Well. You were wrong. I thought it would be all right to let you stay, because I trusted you. Now I see I was wrong."
Elios looked at Serenity with the most adorable look of confusion that she almost forgot she was angry with him. "My Queen, I have no idea what you are talking about. Last night your daughter took me on a tour of the castle, and when I returned her to her rooms, the door was locked. There was no way to get in, so we came here."
"That doesn't explain why you were sleeping with her."
Elios turned a bright shade of crimson. "I…well…it's not what you think, my Queen. I didn't do anything, I promise."
Serenity smiled slightly. The boy was so pure and honest, she couldn't doubt him. Not that she had doubted him before, but she wanted to see how he would handle the situation.
"I know nothing happened. I trust you. I trust Small Lady. And I have no qualms about you being in love with my daughter." Serenity looked around him to see her daughter, sleeping softly. "She loves you very much, you know."
Elios' eyes followed hers. "I know. But I cannot stay. I have to return to my home."
Serenity walked forward and took his hands in hers. "You are always welcome here. And there is no threat to this world right now. Please stay. Elysion is not so far away that you cannot be there fast."
"But…I have responsibilities…"
Serenity's grip tightened, and Elios winced a little. "You have a responsibility here, as well. And if you do anything to hurt her feelings," her grip tightened even more, "I will feel very sorry for you."
The Priest of Elysion gulped.
"Hello! Is anyone here?"
Serenity smiled as her husband walked in, then glided over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "We're all here. And everything is fine."
Endymion scanned the room, taking it all in. He saw Elios standing before the closet without a shirt, he noticed Small Lady's dress hanging in the closet, he noticed Small Lady sleeping in the bed, he saw the window was left open.
Slowly, very slowly, his eyes made their way back to the bed, then very slowly, turned back to face Elios, who had quite a look of fear on his face. Serenity startled when Endymion took a step forward, but grabbed his arm and tried to hold him back when he lifted reaching hands for Elios' throat.
"Mamo-chan! Stop! It's alright!"
"What did you do to my daughter?"
"King, nothing happened! Really!"
"Mamo-chan!"
"I'm going to kill you!"
"Please, understand!"
"DIE!!"
"STOP!" All eyes turned to see Small Lady sitting, the blanket pulled up to her chest, her eyes hard with anger. "Daddy! Mama! Stop it!"
Endymion relaxed, but Serenity didn't release his arm. "What happened here?"
"I had a bad dream, and I didn't want to sleep alone. I wouldn't have been able to, anyway."
"Then why is your shirt unbuttoned?"
Small Lady blanched. "Um…it was hot out?"
Endymion lunged for Elios before Serenity could stop him, and he tackled the poor priest, his hands around his throat. Small Lady jumped off the bed, then ran and jumped onto her father, pulling him off the priest.
"My own priest! I can't believe you!"
"King, I swear nothing happened!"
"DIE!!!"
"Daddy!!"
"Mamo-chan, CALM DOWN!!"
Everyone shut up and stared at Serenity. Serenity, who hadn't raised her voice in ages, the perfect model of perfection. Now, she was full of anger, with eyes as hard as agates, and her hair sticking out in places. Endymion gulped, and removed his hands from Elios' throat. Small Lady ran over to her priest and knelt beside him, holding his head against her chest.
"Mamo-chan, apologize right now."
"But—"
"I said now!"
Endymion gulped again, and then reached down to help Elios up. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have reacted like that."
The Priest of Elysion gave a weak smile. "I think any father would."
"Now, Elios, explain yourself. You too, Small Lady."
So Elios told her and Mamo-chan about what had happened. Small Lady had taken him for a tour, and when he had returned her to her rooms, they had been locked. All the other doors were locked as well, and only his would open. They were both tired, so they decided to just stay in his room. They had been sleeping in different rooms, and Serenity remembered seeing a blanket on the futon in the sitting room. Then Small Lady said she had had a bad dream, and that she had been having dreams, and she was afraid to sleep by herself. And since Diana hadn't been there, she had made Elios stay with her.
At mention of Diana's name, Serenity couldn't keep the displeasure off her face.
When they had finished recounting what had happened, Endymion put a finger to his mouth, thinking. Serenity came up beside him.
"Diana set it up."
Everyone looked at her.
"I was in here before you woke up. Diana and the Head Servant decided to play matchmaker.
Small Lady's face lit up. "Really?!?!" Serenity gave her a hard look. "I mean, really? Well, she went about it the wrong way."
Serenity could tell her daughter was rather happy with the way Diana had done it.
"Well, Diana and I are going to have a long talk. Now, get dressed you two. You have a long day ahead."
Endymion left, and Serenity smiled at her daughter. Small Lady frowned, and Serenity went over to her, and took her elbow.
"I need to speak with you."
"Yes."
Serenity took Small Lady out into the sitting room, and made sure the priest couldn't hear.
"Small Lady, you've grown a lot. But you need to understand that things are different."
"I do."
"It's different than before, when you and I would stay in Mamo-chan's room. You're an adult now. Please remember." She quelled any argument Small Lady had with a finger to her daughter's lips. "I know how you feel about him, and I'm happy for you. But please don't let anything like this happen again."
She waited for Small Lady's nod, then kissed her cheek and walked from the room. She hoped her daughter would take her words to heart.
Chibi-Usa watched her mother leave, her lips pressed tight. She had the feeling Serenity was disappointed, but couldn't tell to what degree. All she cared about was that she was innocent of anything they may think.
Realizing she was standing in just a shirt, Chibi-Usa hurried to the door of the bedchamber and made sure it was safe to enter. Seeing no Elios in her sight, she hurried in, suddenly very cold and wanting a nice outfit to wear.
She was surprised to see him sitting on the bed, still wearing only his pants from the day before, and holding something in his hands. His face was very serious, and he was frowning.
When she stepped in the room, he quickly hid the thing he was holding, and stood. "I should probably let you change. I'll be out in the sitting room if you need me."
"Elios…"
He walked past her without saying anything else, and Chibi-Usa felt her heart ache. He seemed so distant suddenly. Was it because of her?
Grabbing her nightclothes from before, Chibi-Usa changed out of the shirt she had been wearing, but stored it away on her person. It was one of Elios' shirts, and she planned on keeping it, whether or not he cared.
She met with him in the sitting room, and together they walked back to her rooms. She left him outside while she went in to change into real clothes, and then they left together to go to breakfast.
The hall was full of guests, just like yesterday, but she noticed some were gone. In a few days, all the revelers that had come for her ceremony would be gone, and the palace would die down again. Does that mean Elios will leave as well? Chibi-Usa didn't want to think about anything like that, so she shook her head slightly and went to join her parents. Elios didn't look at her, but kept on walking.
At the head table, Chibi-Usa sat beside her mother. She was expecting Elios to sit with her, but he kept going and sat at the nearest guest table. She turned to look at her mother, a question in her eyes, but Serenity only shrugged.
Elios ignored her for the rest of the morning, and Chibi-Usa couldn't do much about it. As soon as breakfast was done, she and her mother left to work on state affairs, and she was cooped up in a room all day.
"Small Lady, pay attention. This needs to be discussed."
Chibi-Usa stopped looking out the window, and went over to her mother. Serenity was discussing the need for something, but Chibi-Usa couldn't remember what it was. Not that she had been paying attention, anyways.
"Mama, what's the point? Isn't Crystal Tokyo fine the way it is?"
Serenity looked at her daughter and smiled. "It is, my dear, but we must make sure it stays that way. It is our duty to protect these people."
"I know." She stared out the window again. "Is it our duty to protect Ely…um…the rest of this world too?"
Chibi-Usa didn't notice her mother's smile. "In some ways, yes. Just like before, in the Silver Millennium, we protected this star, and we do it now as well."
The princess smiled.
"However, that doesn't mean we can daydream about certain people from a certain part of this world. Now, pay attention."
Chibi-Usa sat up straight, and listened for the rest of the morning.
"Oy! Elios!"
Elios turned at the sound of his king's voice. Endymion leaned against the wall, eyeing his priest sideways. Elios stopped and bowed.
"So very formal. But that's just the way you are. It's alright."
Elios lifted from his bow, and Endymion started walking down the hall with him. The young priest didn't quite know what to say. He was worried his king was still angry, and didn't want to make things worse.
"So, Elios, are you staying for much longer?" Endymion didn't look at him.
Elios shook his head. "No, I'm leaving today."
Endymion still didn't look at him. "Chibi-Usa will be sad."
"It's better for her if I leave soon."
Elios didn't realize his king had stopped until he was a few steps past him. "Huh?"
"You need a lot of training."
Elios frowned in confusion. "I…I don't understand."
"Nor are you supposed to." Endymion came up to him and put a hand on the slender priest's shoulder. "Listen, it took me a few years, but eventually I learned the basics. But I can tell you right now that you have no idea what you're doing around women."
Elios spluttered. "But…what do you mean?"
Endymion smiled and patted his shoulder. "You'll just have to learn the same way I did. Be well, Elios. Take your time leaving, I really do miss talking with you."
Elios watched as his king walked away down the hall. He had no clue what it was Endymion had been trying to tell him. He had thought his king was still angry with him, but apparently he had been wrong.
He started to walk down the hall again, but this time was stopped by Neo Queen Serenity. Elios bowed, but she motioned for him to stand.
"So formal, my dear priest?"
Elios nodded. "My Queen…"
She smiled. "You both are still upset over that? You two trust each other, don't you?"
He nodded.
"Then I have nothing to worry about."
The queen left him alone then, and Elios just stood in the hall, leaning against a wall, not knowing what to do.
"What do they mean? The King told me to learn about women, and now the Queen says she trusts me. But…I don't understand why."
Elios began to walk, not knowing where he was going until he reached the room.
"Come in!"
The Priest of Elysion opened the door to Artemis' voice, then stepped inside.
"Artemis? May I ask you a question?"
Artemis looked up at the nervous priest, then nodded.
"Please, go ahead."
Elios nodded, then let out a breath. He had been afraid Artemis wouldn't listen to him.
"I have a problem—"
"With Chibi-Usa?"
Elios spluttered, then nodded.
"It's quite easy to see. And I've been there. You just have to learn how to read what she's saying."
"Saying?"
"Aye. Girls don't tell us what they mean. We have to read between the lines."
"All right. So what does she say?"
Artemis laughed. "I have no clue, boy. But I'm pretty sure she's telling you she likes you." His ears twitched. "Hmm…if you'll excuse me? Luna and Diana are coming back now. See you around, ok?"
Artemis shooed Elios out of his room, leaving Elios in the same place he was from before, and still confused. He knew he should return to Elysion soon, not only because he was needed there, but also because he felt unsure while he was here. But another part of him wanted to stay, and to see Chibi-Usa. And that part was the larger of the two.
"What should I do? I don't understand what's happening."
