Disclaimers and author's notes are at the end of interlude #2.

Sleeper

By: Masked Maiden

Interlude #2: Elysian

Somewhere between the boundaries of heaven and Earth was the sacred paradise

known as Elysian. It was all that remained of the Golden Kingdom, a luscious

and tranquil land that was once ruled by King Jove and Queen Tellus. Its

guardian was Elios, the boy priest who was anointed with the Spirit and

appointed by the queen at a young age. For over two thousand years Elios had

protected Elysian, along with the dreams of the people who lived on Earth.

He loved the ancient land, as it was his home. Yes, there were days when he

wished his mission was completed so he could return to Earth, and there were

days when it felt like there wasn't much to protect. However, embedded deep

within in his heart, Elios knew that the dreams of the Earthians and the hope

for a brighter future were enough to sacrifice his years of immortality, and

even his life for.

But today, something was troubling him. It all started some hour past

midnight, when Elios was suddenly jolted out of his slumber. It wasn't

because of a nightmare or a prophetic vision; Elios hadn't had any visions

since Nehelenia was defeated. He had to place the blame on a… Well, how

could he put this into words? It was as if a dark emotion had taken a

physical form and clutched Elios' chest, its grip like a vise that tightened

each time he gaped for air. And out of stark fear, Elios did not (and could

not, for that matter) fall back asleep. The visitor stayed for the night,

and it eventually faded away as the sun rose, leaving a very rattled and

bewildered priest behind.

Times like these required a moment of peace and quiet… and a good cup of tea.

Elios briefly spoke with the temple maidens Maenads and Mendes, informing the

ladies that he would be in his bedroom for most of the morning and that he

did not want to be disturbed. The maidens noticed the dark bags under Elios'

eyes and were concerned. But when the priest left the sanctuary, they

laughed to themselves and joked that he was probably going back to bed.

Instead, Elios went back upstairs, took the chair at his desk and dragged it

onto the balcony. Then he sat down with his favorite blend of chamomile tea

and silently pondered to himself, enjoying the scenery before him.

The temple was built on a body of land that was surrounded by a large pond.

(Well, Elios liked to call it a mini-ocean, for the word "pond" did a poor

job at describing it.) On the other side of the water was a woodland area

where most of the fauna resided. A bridge on the east side was the only

thing that connected the woodlands and the temple. In few words, the scene

was mesmerizing, if not breathtaking. Elios could stare at it for hours.

The calm serenity of the still waters and the green foliage on the trees

seemed to ease his mind, and he was able to think more clearly.

That dark emotion… It made him recollect back to the time when Nehelenia had

placed the black rose curse on Prince Endymion, who was now known as Chiba

Mamoru. When Endymion was cursed, so was the Earth. When the Earth was

cursed, so was Elysian. And when Elysian was cursed, so was Elios. The four

were all separate, though they shared a common link. Nothing could affect

one without affecting them all. When Endymion was cursed, a dark emotion

knocked Elios down to the floor and entered his chest, gradually weakening

him and making him one of Nehelenia's captures.

Elios couldn't ignore the similarities. The dark emotion was almost

identical to the one that had invaded him almost eleven years ago. While

this dark emotion didn't invade him, it did attack him, and that alone made

him fear for Mamoru's life…

A gentle breeze ruffled Elios' blue-white hair and sent a chill down his

spine. When the breeze died down, the there was the clinking sound of a

staff tapping the marble floor could be heard from behind. Footsteps

followed, letting Elios know that his surprise guest was walking onto the

balcony.

"Such a lovely day. Isn't it, Shounin Elios-sama?"

The fear that crept beside the boy priest's heart dissolved, and a smile

appeared on his face. Only three people ever addressed him by his official

title: King Jove, Queen Tellus, and Sailorpluto… Elios casually turned around

in his chair and saw that the sailor soldier standing beside him. He opened

his mouth to say a word of salutation; however, when he looked into her

solemn magenta eyes, the fear returned. This wasn't Sailorpluto who was

currently known as Meiou Setsuna. No… this was the Sailorpluto of Crystal

Tokyo, the guardian of the Time Gateway. To know that Sailorpluto was away

from the Time Gateway was similar to knowing that the Priest of Elysian was

away from the temple… Neither left their posts unless a threat was

approaching the ones they had sworn to watch over.

"I take it Diana-chan's watching over the Gateway," Elios said, breaking the

uncomfortable silence.

Sailorpluto faintly smiled and nodded. "To think that a feline is the only

creature I trust to guard the Gateway when I'm away."

"And I also take it you're here for a reason."

"I wish this was just a social call, but it isn't. There is something

approaching the Earth, and I'm going to need your help."

======

End of Interlude #2

05.27.03

Disclaimer: Sailormoon and the characters of "Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon" are

property of Takeuchi Naoko, Toei Animation, Kodansha, etc. "Sleeper" is

inspired by the novel "The Most Important Little Boy in the World" written by

Dean Briggs. It is property of the author and Word Publishing. I do not

have ownership and I do make any profits from the use of Sailormoon or the

novel in this fan fiction.

Author's Notes:

King Jove and Queen Tellus: If I ever write this certain fan fiction that I

have plotted out, you will probably get to see these two characters. But for

now, I'll tell you where I got their names. Jove is another form of the name

Jupiter, a Roman god. I'm not really going by mythology, though; I just

liked the name. Now, as for Tellus, it's another form of the name Terra.

Terra is another name for the goddess Gaea, who is the goddess of Earth.

Shounin Elios-sama: As far as I know, Elios is only referred to as Elios in

both the anime and the manga. But because I'm quite fond of your friendly-

neighborhood priest, I wanted to give an impressive title. (Okay, I know

Priest of Elysian is a very impressive title, but it's also a mouthful!)

Shounin is Japanese for "holy priest." I thought that most suited him. And

as everyone knows, the suffix "san" is a tern of respect.

Ah yes, the tea… As I'm also currently writing a Slayers fan fiction, I'm

focusing on two characters (Xelloss and Filia) that fancy tea. Since Elios

seems like a tea person, I'm continuing the tea tradition through this fan

fiction. So there! ^-^

Email: masked_maiden@hotmail.com

Web Sites: (a miracle romance) http://miracleromance.cjb.net/

(into the new world) http://intothenewworld.cjb.net/