Return To the Past

by Mangaka-chan

As a new enemy closes in with a sinister plan in store for the future princess, will Chibi Usa be able to face her true feelings for the man she loves and recover her powers to defend Earth at the same time? A Helios and Chibi Usa based story.

6. Act 6

Revised Version

Act 6 "A Jealous Chibi Usa! The return of the Outer Senshi!"

It was the day after the battle with the Sphinx. The sky had back to normal and the sun was shinning again. The weather had grown colder all of a sudden, forcing many of the pedestrians to wear long sleeved jackets and coats. Every once in a while a gust would sent leaves skittering across the ground like skillful dancers in a lively production. Teenagers gathered in groups around popular shopping centers and malls as the city bustled with life.

At the Crown Fruit Parlor in downtown Juuban, the Inner Senshi sat around a large private booth, sipping hot drinks to warm their hands. The booth was located in the very back of the parlor, giving them a degree of privacy and served as a refuge from the chattering of the other patrons. The circular seating arrangement could comfortably fit up to eight people at one time. Usagi and the older girls had occupied several chairs against the wall while Chibi Usa sat on the spacious long couch by herself. Opposite of the booth was a smaller booth, while the other side was the large, wall length front window of the shop in which the girls could look out over the street from where they sat. Ami, Rei, Makoto, Minako and Usagi all had two to three college textbooks with them. Some of the books were opened; pencils, erasers, and hi-lighters were strewn over the clean tabletop. The older girls were reading and taking notes while Chibi Usa leisurely drank a cup of warm lemon tea.

"I can't take this any more!" Usagi suddenly shouted, causing everyone to look up. "I still have three chapters to go, plus an eight page report due tomorrow! Why do the professors have to be so hard on me?"

Chibi Usa sipped her tea, obviously accustomed to such outbursts from Usagi.

"Oh come on Usagi-chan! All of us have a lot of work, that's why we brought our books along." Makoto tried to explain.

Rei closed her book and crossed her arm, a disapproving look on her face. "You should talk Usagi! Ami-chan has three reports due tomorrow, a research paper at the end of the week and four books to read! What are you complaining about?"

"Eh!" Usagi stared wide-eyed at Ami in utter disbelief.

Ami blushed and behaved modestly by waving her hand "It doesn't matter how much work we all have, as long as we try our best that's what's important." She reached out and gingerly grabbed the handle of her teacup. "Although I have to say, I don't usually study in this type of environment. I prefer staying at home where it's quieter and easier to concentrate."

Minako looked around at her friends, one eyebrow raised inquisitively "Say, whose idea was it to meet here any ways?"

Usagi looked thoughtful, holding her chin with her hand. "Well, Mamo-chan called me this morning and asked if I can get you guys to meet here today, said he has something to tell us."

"Except that you were sleeping-in when he called and almost fell off the bed trying to reach the phone," added Chibi Usa with a smirk.

"Watch it brat!" Usagi whispered thinly at the grinning teenager

Chibi Usa looked wittily at Usagi, then turned and looked the other way. As she looked out the clear glass window down toward the streets, Chibi Usa smiled gently to herself, feeling at ease for the first time in weeks. That dream didn't come to me last night…Maybe when Helios told me about the dream it foiled their plan, whatever it may have been. I can finally rest in peace. The pink haired teenager sighed contentedly.

"Hi girls."

Chibi Usa wheeled around and saw Mamoru standing by their table.

"Mamo-chan!" Usagi squealed happily before popping up out of her seat and attaching herself to Mamoru's arm.

"Hi Mamoru-san. You're right on time-" Ami dropped off when she noticed someone else standing behind Mamoru.

"Hello everyone." A charming voice greeted

The unfamiliar character turned out to be Helios. When he first came into view the girls hardly recognized him. Instead of the robe he wore, he was now dressed in a crisp white shirt with a pair of khaki pant. The crystal earring, his golden horn, and the tear shaped jewel on his forehead were gone, replaced by strands of snowy hair. If it weren't for his eyes and his snow-white hair, the girls would have easily mistaken him as just another ordinary teenage boy.

Mamoru smiled, a hint of unusual mischief in his dark blue eyes. "Everyone, meet Hikaru Kinyou, the younger brother of a old friend of mine who will be living with me while his parents are away on a long trip."

The girls burst out in laugher. Minako clapping her hands in amusement "Wow Mamoru-san! I didn't even recognize him when he first came in; you even fooled a person who's in the business of make-ups and costumes. I never knew you were so good at disguises!"

Helios smiled awkwardly at the host of senshi, but when he saw Chibi Usa his smile deepened.

Chibi Usa didn't laugh or meet Helios' eyes. Instead, she felt her heartbeat quicken as she scanned her eyes over the new Helios. She had never imagined him in anything other then his robes (or else as a Pegasus). But there he was, perfectly dressed as a normal person. It just seemed so unexpected that at first her mind wasn't able to connect the old Helios with the new Helios, or as of now, Hikaru.

Trying to push pass her nervous onset, Chibi Usa smiled back weakly and asked "Helios how's your arm doing?" while the two new comers sat down.

"I will be fine. Mamoru-san changed the dressing last night." Helios said with an amiable tone, the fatigue from yesterday clearing erased from his refreshed face. Chibi Usa nodded, noticing that he was no longer using Mamoru's former name of prince. She smiled to herself, imagining how Helios must've fumbled with calling Mamoru by another name other then Prince Endymion.

After Mamoru ordered coffee, he looked at Chibi Usa and asked unexpectedly. "Chibi Usa-chan you're quite familiar with your school and the people there, right?"

Chibi Usa nodded, "Yeah, but why ask me that all of a sudden?"

"Because," Mamoru took out a file folder from a bag he had been carrying "I've just enlisted Helios at your school. Since he has nothing to do here and the fact that he needs to blend in to avoid the eyes of the enemy, school is the best place he can go to. Plus you'll be there to help him adjust."

Everyone stared for a moment, leaving a void of sound in the noisy parlor. This was a little too much to absorb all at once. The boy priest whom they knew from the days battling the Dead Moon Circus was going to school!

Clearly, this came as more of a surprise to Chibi Usa even more so than seeing Helios in civilian clothing.

"My-my school?" Chibi Usa stuttered, her face apple red as she felt her heart pounding loudly like a jackhammer.

Mamoru chuckled, his closed eyes filled with quiet amusement. "I enrolled him yesterday after I got home. The district superintendent wasn't too happy but he said Helios should be able to come to school by Monday. I had to admit it was not easy trying to get all the required documents in such a short time but luckily I had a friend working at the district office who helped me put everything together." When Mamoru noticed a suspicious look in Usagi's eyes he quickly added, "Who happens to be one of my college buddies."

Helios, who looked a little nervous, gave Chibi Usa a rather unexpected shy smile "I will have to depend on you as my guide now Chibi Usa-chan."

Chibi Usa responded with a equally shy smile.

Inside, the pink princess felt like she was going to burst with joy. She had never dreamed that Helios would be staying here, much less go to school with her. But now he would be able to be with her most of the day and not have to talk secretively at night anymore. She could introduce him to all her friends and be able to see to him during the daytime in his human form. It just seemed that things couldn't get any better.

Just then Chibi Usa hear rapid footsteps approaching their table. She leaned over from her chair and to her surprise saw a purple-haired teenage girl running toward them.

Chibi Usa stood up, nearly knocking over her tea cup. "Hotaru-chan!"

The pink teenager left the table, ran up and hugged her beloved friend. Hotaru laughed, tears gathering happily in her eyes "Chibi Usa-chan! I can't believe it's really you!" Chibi Usa sniffed and whipped off her own tears of joy.

"Don't forget about us," said a feminine yet strong voice. Standing not far behind Hotaru stood Haruka and Michiru, together as usual.

By now everyone at the table was up, eager to see the persons in question. Usagi laughed and welcomed the Outer senshi with a happy squeal. "Haruka-san, Michiru-san!"

The woman with wavy green hair chuckled, "We just got here a few minutes ago. Hotaru-chan saw Chibi Usa-chan looking out the window so she ran up here ahead of us."

Haruka walked up and ruffled Chibi Usa's hair "It seems you've grown up since I last met you, little kitten!" Chibi Usa blushed from the nick-name but returned the affection with a wide, generous grin.

"We just came back from a world tour but when we called none of you were at home so we thought we might find you guys here," Hotaru looked at the Inners, then turned her attention back to Chibi Usa " but I didn't know you'd be here too! Haruka-papa and Michiru-mama will be settling down in Tokyo again. Now we can go to school together!" Hotaru squealed excitedly.

"Really? That's great!" Chibi Usa chirped excitedly, still holding onto her friend's arm.

As the two girls grinned Chibi Usa saw that the purple haired girl had grown since she last saw her four years ago. Now both of them were the same height and Hotaru seemed about the same age as when they first met in the park many years ago, except that this Hotaru was no longer a lonely and melancholy child.

Haruka and Michiru however, seemed to have changed little in four years. They were still proud and elegant, only their features seem much softer then Chibi Usa remembered from the days dealing with the Death Busters. Even the intense Outer Senshi had succumbed to the routines of a peaceful life style during the last four years.

Chibi Usa lead the newly arrived guests to the table. As they approached the table, the Outers noticed a new face amongst the crowd of familiar faces.

Chibi Usa walked towards Helios and led him up to the Outers. Beaming, Chibi Usa introduced Helios. "This is Helios. I think Usagi and the others have told you about him. He was the one who helped us when we fought the Dead Moon Circus."

Helios bowed politely to the older senshi, "It's a pleasure to meet you, um…" at this point Helios realized he didn't know the names of any of the Outer senshi.

Michiru smiled and introduced herself with a nod "I'm Michiru Kaioh, but please call me Michiru." Michiru turned to Hotaru and motioned for her to introduce herself.

Hotaru, however, was looking wide-eyed at Helios. A nudge from Chibi Usa shook her out of her thoughts. "Huh? Oh I'm sorry." She said to no one in particular. Slightly embarrassed, Hotaru spoke in a tiny voice that sounded like the squeak of a mouse. "I'm Hotaru Tomoe…glad to meet you." Chibi Usa watched as her friend quickly walked back, but she noticed that her cheeks were redder than before and her eyes seemed troubled as she returned to her side.

Haruka however, took a moment before she took a step towards Helios and stretched out her hand. So this is the kid that helped defeat the Dead Moon …hmp. Haruka walked up to Helios and held out her hand "I'm Haruka Tenoh," she said with great brevity and coolness. Helios, hesitated as if unsure if he should complete the handshake, nevertheless reached out and took Haruka's hand.

Haruka had half expected a weak if not faint grip from Helios, instead she felt a sudden jolt, like a small bolt of electricity had just gone up her spine. Shocked, Haruka slowly let go of Helios' hand, her mind still on pause from the pulse of energy she received.

Chibi Usa however, was oblivious to any discomfort Haruka had felt as she looked around eagerly, scanning the parlor for the last member of the Outer Senshi as the rest sat in the booth across from the Inner Senshi.

"Where's Pu?" Chibi Usa finally asked, after seeing no sign of Setsuna.

Hotaru's lips narrowed and her eyebrows were tied in a slight frown. Chibi Usa looked bewildered at Haruka and Michiru, to which Michiru answered slowly "Setsuna went off by herself a while back, said she needed to investigate something but told us not to worry about her. I think she'll be fine." Michiru added the last sentence to mollify Chibi Usa's anxiety, knowing how the little princess must be worried about the time guardian.

Chibi Usa nodded, knowing how strong Pluto is, she thought to herself, she will be all right. Hopefully, Chibi Usa whispered secretly to herself

Mamoru looked at the Outers, his eyes worried. "Did Setsuna tell you what she was investigating?"

Hotaru shook her head. Her dark violet eyes seemed darker and more solemn than before "No one knows. She only said it was something that had to be looked to right away. However, when she left she seemed very uneasy and anxious."

Ami put her hands to her lips apprehensively. "Could this have something to do with our new enemy?"

Shocked, the Outers looked wide-eyed at Ami "Enemy!" Michiru asked in a hushed whisper.

Makoto nodded, confirming their doubt. "A new enemy appeared a while ago and ever since they've been giving us trouble."

The Inners soon give their fellow senshi a quick review about the events that had taken place thus far. From Chibi Usa's reappearance and the ensuing attacks all the way up to the recent battle with the Sphinx and the arrival of Helios.

Michiru's eyes narrowed, revealing a shadow of concern in her mind. "So it begins again. Not only do we have a new enemy, but the future princess had suddenly has lost her senshi powers."

Chibi Usa lowered her head. Now everybody knows…

Haruka looked thoughtfully at the others, her hand supporting her chin. "This time we know nothing about our enemy. There's no Mugen School, no Sailor Starlights to help us or provide any hints about the enemy. We know nothing while our enemy may very well be planning another attack."

Chibi Usa gulped. Helios had told her that her nightmares were abnormal and might be caused by supernatural forces. If the others knew about her dream it might prove to be valuable information about the enemy but she just can't let anyone know, especially not in front of the Outers. Displaying her vulnerability before the powerful Outer Sailor Senshi will only further damage her already damaged pride.

Chibi Usa couldn't help but shot a nervous glance at Helios who seemed unmoved; however, the corner of his lips tightened a fraction.

A gloomy silence befell the senshi. Just then a beeping sound broke the silence. Minako glanced at her watch and turned off the alarm. With a sheepish smile she said "All this talk of enemies and such is making me tired. I say we continue this some other time!"

Artemis scowled at Minako, his whiskers swaying up and down. "Mina! This is important; you can't just ditch because you have a date with…" a threatening glare from Minako stifled Artemis, who unwilling submitted with a sigh.

Rei smiled, "Actually I second Minako-chan's motion. We've all been studying for a long time. Besides, Hotaru-chan, Haruka-san and Michiru-san just came back into town today. We should let them rest."

So saying the group began to collect their belongings and pack their purses and bags.

"It's agreed then! Bye everyone!" Waving enthusiastically and followed with a big grin, Minako grabbed Artemis and sped out of the parlor before the others could even respond with a goodbye. Only a faint choking sound from Artemis could be heard, most likely from the tight grip that Minako had around him.

The girls sweat dropped at Minako's drop-everything-attitude for the sake of a date.

Mamoru took out his sunglasses out of his suit pocket. With Helios at his side he said, "We'd better go as well. There's still some paper work I have to do before tomorrow."

After a prolonged farewell (mostly due to Usagi holding onto Mamoru's arm and not letting go) Usagi sobbed and waved like she was never going to see him again as Mamoru finally got into the car to leave. "I will be seeing you at school then, Chibi Usa-chan." Helios said before stepping into Mamoru's car. Chibi Usa smiled back, grinning from ear to ear. The pink princess felt so light and tipsy from joy that she thought she could float into the sky right then and there. She sighed, already feeling the longing for the arrival of the next day. As she stood by the sidewalk bidding Mamoru and Helios farewell, Chibi Usa felt a presence behind her. When she turned and looked it turned out to be Hotaru.

Surprisingly, Hotaru was also watching Helios as he got inside Mamoru's car, a flush on her pretty face. There was a gleam in her violet eyes; a gleam that Chibi Usa had never seen before. Chibi Usa watched her friend, feeling puzzled at Hotaru's strange behavior. That's weird, it's unlike Hotaru to blush so much. Chibi Usa looked back at the red car as the engine started and began to roar. Maybe she's just curious about Helios, after all she had never seen him before. Chibi Usa reasoned to herself. But deep inside, Chibi Usa felt vaguely uncomfortable about Hotaru's blushing eyes and faint smile. It was strange but the alien heart-tugging feeling felt threatening to the perplexed young princess.

Michiru walked up to her adopted daughter and tapped her lightly on the shoulder.

"Hotaru-chan?"

Hotaru snapped out of her gaze, her face even redder than the time she blushed inside the parlor.

"Are you not feeling well? Your face feels kind of hot today." Michiru asked as she touched Hotaru's burning cheeks with the back of her hand.

Hotaru shook her head, causing her wave of violet hair to spin in the air. "It's-it's nothing Michiru-mama! You guys go ahead, I want to say good bye to Chibi Usa-chan."

Hotaru smiled at her friend, the blush still evident on her face. "I'll see you tomorrow at school Chibi Usa-chan!" Chibi Usa wanted to respond, but found she couldn't conjure up a smile.

What's wrong with me? Why am I feeling so strange today? Chibi Usa's soul search proved to be fruitless. After an internal mental shook of her head, Chibi Usa nodded, forcing the corners of her lips to curl in an artificial smile. "All right then, I'll see you tomorrow," she said somewhat hesitantly.

"Bye!" Hotaru waved enthusiastically before she turned and went to catch up with Haruka and Michiru, leaving Chibi Usa with her mixed bag of emotions.

Meanwhile the other two Outer Senshi were walking toward their yellow racecar. Haruka had a cloudy look on her face, her brows pinched together in thought. Michiru touched her love's hand and asked tenderly "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

While Hotaru and Chibi Usa had their short discourse, Haruka lightly shook her head, trying to clear her mind "That boy, Helios, there's something about him that I don't like."

Michiru stopped, surprise evidently in her wide sea-green eyes. "What do you mean?"

Haruka frowned, "I don't know, but I think that kid's lying to us."

A silent gasp escaped Michiru's lips, which she quickly covered by placing her hand over her mouth and glanced back to see if any of the remaining senshi heard them.

After verifying their privacy, Haruka continued with a reluctant nod. "I had thought he'd be someone imposing, possessing a crystal like that. But when I saw him today his physical appearance didn't seem to reveal a single hint of strength within him. He reminds me more of a lamb than an ancient guardian with a crystal that has the power to destroy stars!" Haruka raised her hand to her chin, a perplexed look on her handsome face as her mind jogged back to the handshake in the Crown Fruit Parlor. "Yet, when I touched his hand… I felt this bolt of energy. It was so strange, almost like a liquid beam of heat. The others said he can't unleash the full power of that crystal, but I think they're wrong. I think he can."

Michiru considered that for a moment before saying "I suppose there is some reason in what you say. After all, he could open a portal from one dimension to another. That's a highly impressive ability even for a senshi. Still, perhaps he has his reasons. Priest Helios is after all, the guardian of the Prince and Elysian; there must be some secrets he has to keep hidden for the sake of this planet-" Michiru stopped abruptly, seeing the darkened look in Haruka's navy blue eyes.

Haruka's voice was layered with a sheet of frost as she narrowed her eyes; a solemn and serious mood hanged over her face. Whatever it is, I don't like it when people withhold important information, especially when it could mean the difference between defeat and victory; may he be an ally or not.

---

Bellona stared emptily at the Black Crystal floating before her, her mask was the only patch of visible white in the otherwise black and gloomy room. She thought about what Wise Man had told her earlier, how they could use the Elysian priest to their advantage and of this new plan he had created. Bellona shook her head, revealing her growing irritation. Whatever Wise Man's plan is it's not fast enough! At this rate I'll have to wait for years and by then...! Bellona paused, the thought too dark even for a shadow such as herself to bear.

"This will not do…" She said silently to herself, "The girls are working too slowly. Every time the Sailor Senshi arrive they would interfere with my well thought out plan. There must be something I can do to hold them back…" She reached out her frail hand and with a bright purple shimmer the Black Crystal appeared. The broken shards floated in the air like black chandeliers, catching and absorbing the paltry amount of light in the room. As she looked at the crystals, a thought entered Bellona's mind.

"Metallum Girls!"

The four shadows instantly appeared before her, their heads bowed. Bellona rose; her shadow seemed to grow as she moved down toward the girls whilst the crystal fatefully followed her.

"How would you like to be able to defeat the Sailor Senshi?" she asked in a tempting whisper.

Eisen looked up eagerly. "Of course we'd love to beat them! Those senshi are always getting in our way."

Bellona nodded approvingly and a soft chuckle could be heard from behind the ivory colored mask "Good." Bellona said briskly. Suddenly, four pieces of the Black Crystal shot out toward the four women and stopped just inches from their breasts. The four looked bewildered at first but they soon tentatively reached out with their hands and took possession of their respective shards. A faint black shadow passed over their eyes like the shadow of an ellipse upon the land.

"I have now empower you with the Black Crystal. Through those shards you will be able to tap into the magnificent resources of darkness. Now, go and do as I command!"

A long grin stretched across the women's face "Yes Mistress!"

---

"I can't believe this! This is so cool!" cried Eisen as she flexed her fingers and crackling her knuckles. "I feel like I can run a thousand miles and more! And to think I've only gotten my hands on it no more then fifteen minutes ago. The Black Crystal sure is powerful!"

Argent scuffed. "Of course it is, you dodo! After all, it is the source of our Mistress's power. Try using your brain once in a while won't hurt." Eisen stuck out her tongue at Argent who returned the insult with a loud raspberry. Oro, ignoring the childish impulses of her red and silver clad comrades, noticed that Rame was standing over the target map in the center of the room.

"Rame, are you going on a mission already?" Oro asked skeptically.

Rame didn't look at Oro, she only narrowed her eyes, thinking. Those damned Sailor Senshi…how dare of them to have humiliated me! Her mind snapped back to the scene at the shrine where her flower monster Rose Thorn was destroyed by Sailor Moon with a single blow of her wand.

As the image of a girl with short violet hair developed on the mirrors, Rame clutched her fist, her green eyes blazing like an uncontrollable wild fire. They will pay!

It was a cool Monday morning. The birds were chirping away on the bare trees. The streets look like they've been painted with splashes of color, with autumn leaves as the paint and the wind as the brush. The sky was pale blue with floating patches of white clouds. The creak of an opened door cut short the soothing peace of nature as footsteps clapped onto the paved surface of the street.

"Bye Michiru-mama, Haruka-papa!" Hotaru cried as she stepped out of the house.

Haruka followed, one arm leaning on the doorframe. "Hotaru-chan are you sure you don't want a ride? It's a long walk from here to school."

Hotaru shook her head, her lips curled in a smile. "I'll be okay. It's been so long since I last stayed here so I want to walk around a bit and get to know the city again."

"Are you sure?" Haruka said uncertainly. Letting her adopted child go into the world unprotected simply was against Haruka's secret maternal instincts.

Just then, Michiru appeared beside Haruka and nodded in approval. "Go ahead Hotaru-chan, but take care of yourself, and if you get lost or if anything happens make sure to call us on your cell-phone, okay?"

Haruka was about to protest but a look from the corner of Michiru's eyes stopped her. "All right then, but I'm going to pick you up today after school though. Your body may not be able to handle that much exercise in one day."

Hotaru nodded. "I know! See you later then!" The purple haired girl turned and disappeared down the street around a corner, out of the peaceful residential area.

As Hotaru walked down the street she marveled at the city scenes that passed her eyes. Even during the daytime Tokyo's giant billboard signs and attractive shops enchanted the schoolgirl. Hotaru could see other students walking as well, most were in groups of three to five and all were having intense conversations, be it about boys, sports, pop idols, or the newest chapter of a popular manga. The sight of a group of girls instantly brought the image of Chibi Usa to mind.

When Hotaru was still under the control of the Death Busters, young Chibi Usa was the only one who saw through her loneliness and befriended her. Since then, they had slowly developed their friendship and as senshi both would gladly die protecting the other. Chibi Usa was charming and innocent, like a blossoming lily, but Hotaru was different. As the Senshi of Death and Rebirth, Hotaru carried an immense weight on her slim shoulders. She could decide the fate of stars and planets, of kingdoms and civilizations. This kind of power may seem fabulous to an ordinary human but few understand the true burden of Death. The ability to renew life by taking away life is a cruel irony.

Setsuna was the only other senshi like her. As the Senshi of Time she had witnessed the downfall of her queen's kingdom, the horrors people commit against each other in the name of conquest and greed. Setsuna understood her pain, her suffering, possibly that's why out of her three caretakers Hotaru was closest to Setsuna. Due to the importance of their duty either of them would ever die, yet eternal life had sentenced them both forever to a life of loneliness and solitude. But now Setsuna had left and with her whereabouts unknown, Hotaru felt alone once more, the only person in the universe who must suffer the terrible fate of eternity. Hotaru had wishes and aspirations too, just like all humans, but true to her nature she had never revealed any of it except to one person. But that person was gone from her life and there was no one left to listen to her dreams. It was true that Chibi Usa was her best friend, the person who had taught her the power of friendship. But there were some things that no one could understand about me, not even Chibi Usa-chan, Hotaru thought to herself because inside, she knew one day she might have to throw all her dreams away when she brings an end to the world.

"Hotaru-chan!"

Hotaru snapped out of her reveries at the sound of her name. She looped up and saw Mamoru standing but a few feet away from her, Helios standing quietly by his side. Unknowingly, Hotaru had walked right to the front of Mamoru's apartment.

"Good Morning Mamoru-san, Helios-kun." Hotaru greeted them politely with a bow.

"Good morning to you too Hotaru-chan. Do you think you can do me a favor?"

Surprised, Hotaru looked curiously as Mamoru explained. "One of my friend just called and it seemed I had an engagement with him but I had completely forgotten about it until early this morning when he called. I have to leave immediately so I couldn't take Helios to school and couldn't find any alternatives until you showed up. Could you be so kind as to walk him to school? It would be a great help."

Hotaru shot a glance at Helios who smiled back. Hotaru couldn't help but blush a little at the boy's fair features.

"Sure, it's no trouble at all." Hotaru said without demur.

"Great!" Mamoru clasped his hand together in relief, turned to Helios and asked "Helios do you think you can manage?"

Helios' smile broadened "Don't worry about me, Mamoru-san. I'm sure I can find my way back if Hotaru will show me the way."

After saying good byes and making sure Helios had all the needed documents to hand to the school administrators, Mamoru waved and drove off.

Without further adieu, Hotaru and Helios began walking towards school. As the two teenagers walked down the noisy streets of Tokyo, neither of them spoke. Hotaru sneaked glances at Helios. Something about the boy's manner seemed so familiar. When she meet him in the parlor a part of her past-life's memory clicked, but exactly which mechanism was being brought to life Hotaru could not tell. The ever-present feeling of knowing yet not knowing irritated Hotaru, something that rarely affected her.

Too enveloped in her own thoughts, Hotaru failed to notice a partially raised piece of concrete in front of her. Her foot got caught on the raised edge, unbalancing her and caused her to fall to the ground.

Helios rushed to Hotaru's side as she pushed herself up and clutched her scrapped elbow. The scuff wasn't serious but the rolled up bits of skin, blood and dirt did not look pleasant.

"Are you alright?" Helios asked.

Hotaru shook her head. "I'll be fine, it's nothing…" Hotaru stopped in mid sentence when she noticed Helios taking out a plain but clean handkerchief from his pocket and gingerly wrapping it around her injured elbow. Hotaru could easily heal the wound herself when she's alone, but the image of Helios, with his eyes concentrated on the wrapping and her on the ground injured caused the gears of memory to turn once again.

A little girl was crying in a playground, her elbow scrapped from falling off a slide. Other small, child-like figures stood around her but were unresponsive to the girl's sobs.

A figure appeared, offering a hand and a soothing voice. "There, there don't cry Hotaru-chan. See, it's all better now." The little girl looked down and saw that a white handkerchief had been wrapped around her elbow. Sniffing her tears away, the little girl giggled and reached out with her arm into the welcoming arms of the figure.

This memory…where is it coming from? Hotaru asked herself. As the mechanism in her mind clicked the gear suddenly stopped. Wanting to know who that person was, Hotaru tried forcing the gears to move but received nothing but static.

"Hotaru? Hotaru do you hear me?"

"Huh?" Hotaru looked around and saw that Helios was looking at her with concern. "Oh, I'm alright." Hotaru grabbed her bag and gently pushed herself back up.

Unconvinced, Helios continued to look worriedly at Hotaru. "Your face is pale, are you really sure you will be alright?"

Hotaru smiled back, appreciating Helios' heart felt concern. "I'm okay. You don't have to worry about me."

The two continued on their way; Hotaru kept her hand on her elbow. Feeling confused and a little tense, Hotaru jumped when Helios abruptly asked her, "Hotaru, what is your dream?"

"My dream?" Hotaru echoed. She gave a rueful smile and asked in turn, "Why do you want to know?"

Helios chuckled. "You could say I'm trying to start a conversation, or…" Helios turned to Hotaru, his eyes softly amused. "it's the fact that I am the guardian of the dream world. I like to listen to other people's dreams."

Surprised, Hotaru looked back down at the concrete, not sure what to say.

Sensing her hesitation, Helios quickly said, "Of course if you do not want to say anything, I-"

"I used to have a dream." Hotaru said quietly. Helios paused for a moment, his eyebrow raised curiously at the use of a past tense.

"When I was little I wanted to be a nurse, to be able to help and cheer up people as they recover from their illness, but…" Hotaru paused, taking a deep breath. "After the accident…my life changed. I had no friends and when I discovered my destiny as Sailor Saturn I was forced to give up that dream."

"Why did you give up that dream?" Helios asked softly.

Hotaru felt uncomfortable. She had almost never revealed her dream to anyone, much less a stranger she had met the day before, but something in her compelled her.

"I'm the Senshi of Death," Hotaru began "one day I might be called upon to destroy this world. If so then what's the point of dreaming? What's the point if one day I will destroy all that I've worked for?"

Hotaru's voice disappeared. Tears were forming in her eyes and threatened to trail down her cheeks when Helios spoke.

"But to have a dream is to have hope. No matter how pointless and impossible a dream may seem it's the road on which you take towards that goal that is the most meaningful. I had seen dreams come and go for thousands of years, because all dreams will one day come to an end along with its dreamer. But to know that you have done your best, had achieved something on the way, and had given it your all is the accomplishment. The goal is the jewel, but the journey is the meaning and symbol that the jewel represents. I think that by becoming a nurse you are striving for a very noble career. To help others and relieve their pain and suffering is a great calling. Hotaru, you are a very determined person, I can tell. Pursue your dream with unwavering determination and I know you will succeed some day."

Hotaru was stunned speechless. There before her was no longer a boy, but for a second a reflection of an ancient and wise guardian, a guardian who had seen many generations and countless dreams born, grow, and die before his eyes. A person who had looked into man's most closely held hopes and desires; a person, who knew not only the hidden focuses of the world but also that of the human spirit.

Then the image shifted. The final click of memory had unknowingly taken place and suddenly Hotaru recognized the person she had been trying to remember.

"Do your best Hotaru. That's what matters." A man also with white hair and a distant voice had once said to a discouraged little girl in a time long ago.

Those words… they're-

DING! DING!

The bell of the school tolled, warning students that the beginning of class was only minutes away. Hearing this, Hotaru shook her thoughts loose once again, turned and saw a pink dot speeding towards them.

"Hotaru-chan!" Chibi Usa waved her arms wildly, trying to get her friend's attention

The two quickly met up with the pink teenager who was huffing and puffing from running.

With her hands on her knees, Chibi Usa panted, "I was-going-to walk to school with you-but Haruka-said you had already left…" just as Chibi Usa caught her breath, she looked up and noticed Helios standing beside her friend.

A blush quickly crept up into Chibi Usa's cheeks, her eyes wide in amazement at Helios, dressed in his handsome school uniform.

Chibi Usa mentally pinched herself, trying to snap herself out of the embarrassing stare. Helios smiled at the embarrassed princess, his eyes warm like the morning sun. "Chibi Usa-chan you didn't have to run so fast. You might have hurt yourself."

Chibi Usa nodded gingerly, but inside she was happy that Helios was concerned about her.

Feeling up tight, Hotaru glanced at her watch and said, "We'd better go to school or else we'll be late. Helios-kun and I still needs to check in at the office." She shot a quick glance over at Helios, which did not go undetected by Chibi Usa.

Chibi Usa was bewildered by Hotaru's brisk reaction but gasped when she saw the handkerchief around her elbow. "Hotaru-chan what happened to your elbow?"

Hotaru smiled rather shyly and explained what had happened a few minutes before. "Well, I was walking to school when I came across Mamoru-san's apartment. I just happened to encounter Helios-kun as they were leaving. Mamoru-san had an appointment with his friend in the morning but had not remembered it 'til this morning, and asked if I could walk Helios-kun to school instead. I was being absentminded and accidentally tripped. He give me his handkerchief to wrap the wound, it's nothing serious, don't worry." Hotaru concluded with a grateful smile toward Helios.

"It was nothing really. Hotaru behaved very bravely," Helios complimented to Hotaru whose smile deepened, her face radiant. Chibi Usa suddenly didn't feel so happy. That feeling she had yesterday grew and was becoming more then just discomfort. Her mind suddenly told her to separate the two of them and keep them apart.

Without a second thought to the matter, Chibi Usa abruptly walked between the two of them and said rather coldly, "We're almost there, you guys go ahead. I'll wait for you in class." Before either of them could say anything, Chibi Usa was already halfway down the street. Hotaru was bewildered. She looked at Helios but there was no clear expression on the boy's face save his stern amber eyes watching Chibi Usa as she ran off.

Chibi Usa stopped and panted after reaching the steel doors of Juuban Junior High School. She sighed, suddenly feeling foolish for running off on her friends like that, especially Helios and Hotaru who were very dear to her. The future princess slowly walked into class just as the bell rung. She listlessly eased down in her window seat in the front of class when the teacher came in.

The teacher was no other then Haruna sensei, the same teacher who taught Usagi when she was in junior high. She smiled and said, "Good morning class! I am happy to announce that we have two new students in our class." Haruna sensei motioned for Helios and Hotaru to come in. Everyone was surprised by the two unexpected new comers and followed them with curious eyes as they made their way to the teacher's podium. Murmurs began to grow louder and louder as speculation and curiosity grew in the class's mind. A discrete cough from the teacher effectively quieted the class. Haruna sensei gestured to Hotaru for her to introduce herself. Hotaru hesitantly walked to the center of class, her arms tucked behind her back, trying to hide the handkerchief around her elbow.

"My name is Hotaru Tomoe. I'm 14 and I recently came back from a trip with my family. I will be coming to school here so I hope to befriend everyone." Hotaru said hurriedly, yearning to be back by the teacher's side and out of the spotlight. After a round of applause and several embarrassed looks from the shy girl, Hotaru sat in a seat across the isle from Chibi Usa. Haruna-sensei nodded toward Helios who calmly stepped up before the podium. Chibi Usa looked at Helios and saw that he was smiling at her and at Hotaru as well, causing the latter to turn red. Chibi Usa didn't smile back, instead she looked down at her table, once again feeling hostility ticking inside of her.

As Helios walked toward the center of class, sighs and giggles from several female students could be heard very distinctly in the background. "Hello everyone," Helios bowed respectfully. "My name is Hikaru Kinyou. I am 15 years old and I've recently moved here to Tokyo. Even though I'm a stranger here in this city I am very happy to joining you here in this school." He ended the short speech with a warm smile. It seemed a beam of sunlight had suddenly penetrated the classroom through the windows, shining a holy light upon the graceful youth. Everyone in class was stunned speechless. Chibi Usa was stupefied as well, but she stopped and sweat dropped when she noticed that several of her female classmates were blushing furiously, their eyes had an 'unnatural' sparkle in them. When she saw that Hotaru also had a strange gleam in her eyes Chibi Usa turned away angrily out the window.

Jeez, it's not like these people had never seen a transfer student before… she grumbled silently to herself.

As she absentmindedly watched the school grounds below, a spot of pink moving behind a bare tree in the courtyard caught her eyes. She squinted her eyes to get a better look and saw a person inching towards her. The sunlight was blinding her view but she could faintly make out two long strands of pink hair and a black dress. Suddenly the person looked up as two pairs of ruby red eyes locked onto each other. Chibi Usa's body jerked up, startled. She looked back down again but the person was gone without a trace.

"Chibi Usa-chan are you all right?" Helios' soft voice shook Chibi Usa out of her trance. She turned back around and saw Helios standing in the isle beside her along with Hotaru who had a very concerned look on her pale face. It seemed Haruna sensei had given Helios the seat behind her but Chibi Usa was too into her own thoughts to have noticed.

"I-I'm all right…" she said with an unsteady voice. Helios nodded and sat down in his seat, a worried look still lingering on his face.

The shaken princess took a deep breath, trying to sort out what she saw but what came up was simply too appalling and impossible for her to accept. Could it be? Chibi Usa abruptly closed her eyes and shook her head No. No it can't be…it can't be. I must be seeing things, she thought firmly and decided to dismiss the thought and instead focused her attention on her textbook as Haruna sensei began the day's lecture.

That day turned out to be horrendous for Chibi Usa. She later found out in gym class that a group of girls in her class had formed a "Hikaru Fan-club". Helios however, seemed totally oblivious to the nuisance of the fan-girls who were following him like paper clips to a magnet. Amazingly, he treated them kindly and didn't seem at all annoyed or bothered by their constant attention.

During lunch Chibi Usa had hoped to introduce Hotaru and Helios to Momo-chan and her other friends but couldn't find either of them. She walked around and found Helios surrounded by a mob of dreamy-eyed girls near a row of trees and decided to walk away, half in disgust and half in disappointment. She was too irritated to handle that many people all at once and one important rule of surviving school had always been not to mess with the fangirls. Most were popular people and if they wanted to, they can make life so miserable you would soon wish you were dead.

Besides, Chibi Usa thought to herself, It looks like Helios is handling them pretty well. The statement was proven true by the usual gentle smile on Helios' face. Thus, Chibi Usa decided to look for Hotaru instead. But it seemed no body had seen Hotaru since the end of class and no one had any idea where she might be.

As it were, Hotaru was washing the handkerchief Helios had given her, her elbow long since healed with her powers. Hotaru was in the girl's bathroom, standing before the sink, rubbing and scrubbing with all her might but the small yet extremely noticeable bloodstain would not budge.

"This is hopeless!" Hotaru cried in defeat, her shoulders sloped and crestfallen.

Just then the bathroom door opened and a woman with soft brown eyes and curly black hair stepped in. When she saw what Hotaru was doing she asked kindly, "Is something wrong dear?"

Hotaru quickly turned off the tap and shook her head. "Oh no Ma'am, I'm just washing a handkerchief that's all."

The woman walked closer and took a look at the handkerchief and exclaimed, "Why there's blood on it! You're not injured are you?"

Hotaru shook her head once more, her head scrambling to find a plausible excuse. "It's just from a little paper cut I got earlier. It's nothing serious."

The woman sighed and smiled "Well, you most certainly won't get it clean with just tap water. Come to my office and I'll gave you something to get that stain out."

So saying, the nurse walked out with a puzzled Hotaru. The duo left the bathroom, crossed the schoolyard, went into the main school building, up flights of stairs and ended up in the top level of the school building. They entered a room with the label "Sick Room" on it. That's when Hotaru realized she had ran into the school nurse. When Hotaru went into the room she saw that there were two doors leading into the sickroom, one from the hallway, which they had entered from while the other was unknown to Hotaru at the moment. The large moveable window had been slid wide open, allowing a fresh autumn breeze to sweep in and clean away the smell of rubbing alcohol.

The nurse told her to sit while she rummaged around one of the cabinets, mumbling to herself. "I really wise I had time to clean up these cabinets. I can't find a roll of gauze if I had a magnifying glass!"

After a while when she seemed to have found what she was looking for, the nurse handed a bottle of stain remover to Hotaru and said, "Now, make sure to rub the fabric well or else the stain won't come out, then rinse it thoroughly with water. After you're done just put it on my desk today after school. It's in the other room over there." The nurse motioned toward the other door.

Hotaru nodded as the nurse got up and headed toward her office, rubbing her sour shoulder. A thought suddenly popped up in the purple haired girl's mind and she hurried to say, "Ma'am, uh-is it okay if I help you organize the cabinets?"

The nurse stopped and looked back, evidently surprised by the offer. "Sure, but do you think you can handle it? It's pretty messy in there."

Hotaru nodded, her face down cast from shyness. "Well, you see I want to be a nurse too so I thought maybe I could…"

The nurse smiled, turned around and placed her hand on Hotaru's shoulder. "I would love it if you could help. Can you come after school today?"

It took a moment for the sentence to set in, but Hotaru nodded energetically.

The nurse chuckled and winked facetiously. "Okay then. But first I think you should go and wash that handkerchief of yours first. I can tell it's from a boy and I think your boyfriend might want it back."

Hotaru blushed, "No, this handkerchief isn't from my…" Hotaru choked back the last word, her face blushing prettily as the breeze gently swayed her purple hair.

The nurse laughed softly in amusement. "All right then. Now run along, lunch is almost over. You don't have much time."

Hotaru nodded and headed toward the door. Before leaving she turned one last time, a rare bright smile on her face. "I'll see you this afternoon then Ma'am."

The nurse shook her head. "Don't call me Ma'am; it makes me sound old. Just call me Ayami."

Hotaru give a small nod before disappearing down the stairs.

---

After school, there was still no sign of Hotaru. "Where could she be?" Chibi Usa cried to herself as she wandered around school when Helios appeared around the corner. Gladdened to see a familiar face, Chibi Usa waved and ran toward the white haired boy, her left hand clutching her book bag. Helios welcomed the pink princess with a smile.

"Helio-I mean Hikaru, have you seen Hotaru-chan?" asked Chibi Usa

Helios shook his head. "No. However, I think I might know where she is. Follow me."

Chibi Usa looked on curiously as Helios led her into the school building and began climbing up a flight of stairs.

"Where are we going?" Chibi Usa finally asked after walking up three flights of stairs.

Helios looked back as he walked. "We are headed towards the nurse's office."

Chibi Usa paused in the middle of the stair, her eyes wide. "Nurse's office? Why? Is Hotaru not feeling well?" she asked urgently

Helios laughed and shook his head. "No, she's fine. But if my hunch is correct she's assisting the school nurse."

"Huh?" Chibi Usa's mouth hanged open at the unexpected news.

Helios stopped and waited for Chibi Usa to catch up before he explained, "When we were walking today I asked Hotaru what her dream was. She said she wanted to become a nurse and I told her that I thought that that was a very noble dream. At noon today I saw her go up this same flight of stairs with a teacher whom I later discovered was the school nurse. I also learned that the nurse had a notoriously untidy cabinet and due to Hotaru's helpful nature, I thought that she might be assisting the nurse with some cleaning."

"Oh."

Chibi Usa looked down at the concrete floor as Helios finished his explanations. It seemed strange that she, who had know Hotaru for so long, had to depend on a person who had met Hotaru the day before to know her well enough as to be able to predict her whereabouts.

A thought entered into the young princess' mind as Chibi Usa absent-mindedly blurted it out.

"Helios, do you think Hotaru-chan's dream is…is better than mine?"

Helios stopped around a bend, caught off guard by the unexpected question. Quickly, his eyes seemed to realize something, causing his lips to melt back into a smile.

"Why do you ask?" he asked patiently.

Chibi Usa blushed and twisted her fingers. "It's just that-well, it seems you know Hotaru-chan very well even though you guys have just met, so I thought maybe-maybe…" Chibi Usa stopped when she noticed Helios standing in front of her, his quiet amber eyes starring straight into her turbulent ruby colored ones.

Helios held Chibi Usa's gaze and said reassuringly, "Maiden, your dream is to grow up and be a graceful and brave lady. Hotaru has her dreams, so does many others in this vast world. But there is no such thing as a nobler or greater dream. Beautiful dreams are beautiful dreams and they are all worth treasuring and protecting, no matter what hopes they hold. But remember this, to me your dream will always be the most beautiful, the most radiant. I will always believe in you and your dream just as you have believed in me. Please, remember that."

Chibi Usa wasn't sure how to reply. She lowered her head, feeling foolish for behaving like an idiot this morning. Helios chuckled softly and reached out his hand to her.

"Come on, let us go find Hotaru. I'm sure she would want company."

Chibi Usa lifted up her head and looked shamefully back at Helios who only smiled. The young princess nodded, a small smile began to reappear on her lips. She reached out and took Helios' hand and continued their walk up stairs.

Meanwhile, Hotaru was busy categorizing and moving items in the sickroom cabinets. She took out a bottle of misplaced rubbing alcohol and placed it in the third shelve along with other bottled items.

The school nurse popped out from her office, "How are you doing dear? Do you need any help?"

Hotaru grinned and shook her head as she gingerly placed a box of extra large bandages back along with the other bandages. "I'm fine Ayami-san. In fact I'm almost done."

Ayami smiled and sighed, her arms crossed across her chest. "I really wish I don't have to have all these supplies but you won't believe how rough some kids can get these days. Coming in with scraped knees and bleeding noses all the time. Just this morning I got three boys who got in a brawl and one of them had a dislocated shoulder! I can only hope that they've learned a lesson after paying a visit here." Ayami said jokingly.

Outside, the school bell tower struck four, echoing the hour with twelve resounding dings. The nurse looked at her watch and said, "Oh dear, I have to go. Hotaru, do you think you can lock up after you're done and open the office in the morning?"

Hotaru nodded "Sure."

"All right then, I'll leave the keys right here." Ayami placed the keys on a nearby counter. The nurse smiled, a thankful look on her tired face just before she stepped out the door. "And by the way dear, thank you so much. I don't know what I would have done without your help."

Hotaru only smiled shyly as the nurse closed the door behind her. Unbeknownst to Hotaru or anyone else, Rame was watching the sickroom window from the ground up. Dressed in her usual lime green business suit and fitted with a broad rimmed hat, Rame looked conspicuously out of place in the deserted schoolyard. She took out the fragment of the Black Crystal and fingered it in her gloved hand. The crystal's texture was smooth despite its uneven surfaces. As Rame slipped her slender finger across the crystal, it began to give off a dim black-violet glow.

"She's here." Rame whispered to herself.

She tightly gripped the crystal and in a flash reappeared in her green and pink alter.

Forget stealth. If I can drain all of this girl's energy then I'll just have to risk some exposure! Rame grinned at the stick of crystal in her hand "Let's see what this thing can do!"

"Smeraldo Barbs!"

Hotaru was about to close the cabinet when the ground beneath her began to shake.

"What is this, an earthquake?" the bewildered girl screamed as things began to rattle and fall around her.

In the stair well, both Helios and Chibi Usa felt the tremors. "Ah!" Chibi Usa lost her balance when the sudden quake began. Luckily, she was caught just in time by Helios, who quickly pulled her down to the ground.

"Chibi Usa-chan hang on!" Helios shouted as the building shook violently. Chibi Usa looked up, her heart filled with fear and apprehension for her friend.

"Hotaru-chan!"

Up stairs, Hotaru had managed to get away from the falling object and was about to follow standard earthquake procedure by ducking under a table when tendrils suddenly poured in from the open window.

"Ahhh!" the purple-haired girl's cries went unheeded as the vines quickly wrapped themselves around her legs and arms, finally winding around her mouth, silencing her.

Rame grinned evilly; her green eyes gleamed. She drifted up to the window and floated through, hovering leisurely by her captive. Hotaru decided not to waste time staring at the strange woman before her. She tried to struggle against her restraints but to no avail, the vines were strong like steel chains and held fast no matter how hard she squirmed and wrestled.

"Don't waste your strength, it'll only reduce the amount of energy I can suck out of you. Now, it's get this over with quickly before there's any trouble arrives." Rame said coolly.

The green clad woman revealed one of her pink and white flowers and cast it into the air. The colors on the flower petals began to change into a deep shade of orange with black spots. Suddenly the petals elongated upward and fall back down again, now many times its original size. From the center of the flower a head and torso sprouted up, revealing a wave of bright orange hair with two streaks of black on each side of its face; a mop of hair concealing the monster' face. Brownish green roots plunged down from the monster, driving deep down into the floor while the terrified Hotaru watched with wide eyes.

The monster lurched and suddenly stretched up, spreading its body; it's arms warped around its waist. The head was that of a beautiful woman, its long hair cascading over its naked torso. Its eyes were completely yellow, with no visible sign of a pupil. It then unraveled its arms, revealing two hands with sharp and pointed nails. The long rippling petals formed a sort of skirt around its waist. Its skin was light green and with the ring of spotted amber petals it looked like a ballet dancer wearing a long, sleek tutu.

"I trust you know what to do Tiger Lily, and make sure to finish her off quickly." ordered Rame.

Tiger Lily complied with a hissing "yes". It spread its orange and black skirt, fanning them out like an umbrella. Hotaru struggled, but soon she felt herself weakening. Her arms went limp, and her eyes began to close, half hiding the dim violet eyes behind heavy eyelids.

Just then Chibi Usa and Helios burst through the door. "Hotaru-chan!" Chibi Usa gasps when she saw her unconscious friend. Shock quickly turned into rage as the princess of Crystal Tokyo looked spitefully at the woman in the beaded green and pink dress and her minion.

"Let her go you monster!" Chibi Usa shouted at the top of her lungs, her fist clutched tightly.

Rame scuffed and stared disapprovingly at the enraged teenager before her, annoyed. "Stupid humans, always getting in the way. Now I have to get ride of you all!" So saying Rame snapped her finger. The ground once again began to rumble. More tendrils rushed through the window, wrapping themselves around Chibi Usa's arms.

"Chibi Usa-chan!" Helios tried to reach her but the tendrils suddenly swung back out the open window, taking Chibi Usa with it and dangling her in midair.

Rame smiled cruelly and waved her fingers "Bye-bye now." The tendrils loosened its grip on Chibi Usa, sending her plummeting downward. Rame laughed, but she was so self absorbed in her victory that she failed to notice a flash of black and white fly out the window.

It turned out that Helios had dived out after Chibi Usa. A rush of white feathers washed over him and in his place was a horned Pegasus flying down toward the falling princess.

"Ahhh!"

Chibi Usa screamed as she plunged toward the ground, grasping at nothing but air. Suddenly a gust of air rushed up beneath her, leaving her hovering in the air. Chibi Usa opened her eyes and felt soft warm fur underneath her hands. She opened her eyes and saw Pegasus floating in the air with her lying on his back.

"Thanks Pegasus." Chibi Usa smiled as they gently landed on the ground. Pegasus folded his wings and transformed back to Helios.

"I'll try to distract that woman while you keep out of view. I might be able to buy Hotaru some time." Helios said glancing anxiously back at the window.

His words shocked her and Chibi Usa stared at him in disbelief, her fist clutched tightly against her breast. "But Hotaru-chan's in trouble, I can't just leave her and let you go alone!" then reality hit her as she remembered the cruel fact that she cannot transform. Chibi Usa looked down and saw the top of her pink and gold brooch, now only a decorative ornament serving no useful purpose. A sob tore out of her throat, her voice quaking. "If only I could transform, if only-!"

Helios cut Chibi Usa off with a stern look, his voice soft but firm. "Chibi Usa-chan you have to listen to me. This isn't your fault but you have to keep hidden; I can't protect both you and Hotaru at the same time in this kind of situation. Do you understand?"

Chibi Usa's tightly bent knuckles were white, angry at herself and on the verge of tears. The pink teenager inhaled deeply, quickly wiped her eyes and nodded "All right then. But please be careful Helios."

Helios smiled and touched Chibi Usa's face with his hand. "I know. Now go before any more time is lost!"

With that Chibi Usa headed toward a concealing corner of the school building. Helios watched as the princess disappeared behind the tall, gray building before once again transformed into Pegasus. Flapping his powerful wings, Pegasus soared into the air. Meanwhile, Rame was looking very please with herself when she heard a neigh outside the large windows.

"What!"

Rame poked her head out the window and saw Pegasus diving and slashing at her vines with his sharp golden horn.

"Damn it, where did that horse come from! Tiger Lily!"

Tiger Lily dropped its florid skirt, turning its attention toward the window. Without any hesitation, it charged out the window like an orange bullet, its roots trailing behind like a large coil of green rope. Pegasus watched as the monstrous lily flew out the window towards him. The monster stretched out its claws and slashed wildly at the equine but Pegasus skillfully dodged each of the monster's attacks.

Suddenly the monster stopped; instead it seemed to be holding still. Only its eyes were moving as it followed the winged horse in the sky. As the afternoon sun began to set, it cast its fading rays upon the monster, creating sharp contrasts between lime and hunter green skin. Pegasus jerked back sharply when he noticed the monster's skin beginning to glow as faint pulses of energy ran down its orange colored skirt.

The energy level in the petals grew until they were glowing red. A bright beam of light suddenly burst forth from the petals, shooting up toward Pegasus.

The monster's converting sun light into energy! Chibi Usa bite her lips, her heart pounding as she hid behind the school building. Pegasus!

With a strong flap of his wings, Pegasus moved out of the beam's path. When he turned and looked, he was shocked to find that part of a tree that had been in the beam's way had been incinerated.

The monster geared ups for another attack and let lose another blinding beam of light, forcing Pegasus to fly inches above the ground before sweeping up again. As the fight continued, Hotaru began to regain consciousness. She opened her violet eyes and heard the roaring of the monster and the neighs of Pegasus though she could do see them. Rame was distracted by the fight and did not notice anything as her victim began wiggling herself free from the loosened vines.

Tired now but determined, Pegasus kept trying to make a strike at the monster in between its energy blasts but the monster's defense was nearly flawless as it quickly whipped around at each approach.

"Hold it right there!" cried a powerful voice. Everyone looked up and saw two figures on the roof of the school. The sun was setting behind them, concealing their faces in shadows

"As champions of the new millennium we will not allow your foul actions to continue!" Announcement the taller figure with short cut hair.

"We will not allow you to go unpunished! Prepare for your doom!" said the other with wavy hair.

Rame grind her teeth, her green eyes flaming with fury, barely able to maintain self control. "Who are you?"

The two figures jumped down and landed gracefully on the green grass. A rush of petals swirled and danced around them. One wore a navy colored fuku with a short yellow bow in front while her partner wore a deep sea green colored fuku with a jade colored brooch upon her chest.

"Sailor Uranus, Sailor Neptune!" Chibi Usa almost cried at the sight of her fellow senshi, grateful that somebody had came to the rescue.

"We are the Sailor Senshi and we will not tolerate scoundrels like you!" cried Sailor Uranus as she raised her hand into the air.

"World Shaking!"

Uranus' attack gilded across the ground at an incredible speed toward the monster. The shock wave struck the monster with the force and momentum of a train, sending it crashing to the ground with a dull thud.

Seeing the tables turned against her, Rame summoned the closet portal and quickly made her get away, all the while with her hard eyes pressed hard on her antagonists.

Now that immediate danger has passed, Pegasus landed on the ground and changed back to a boy in simple black school uniform. Chibi Usa rushed forward toward the strange little group, a broad smile on her gladdened face.

"What happened here? When we came to pick up Hotaru the ground started shaking. Haruka probably violated half the traffic laws in Japan trying to get here," said Neptune.

Chibi Usa shook her head, turning her eyes to the sick room window. "I'll explain later. Right now we have to go get Hotaru-chan." So saying Chibi Usa began heading toward the school again when Helios suddenly grabbed her arm.

"Watch out!"

Dismayed, Chibi Usa looked toward the direction Helios was looking at and gasped when she saw the monster's body beginning to move. Damaged parts of the monster's body were quickly being replaced by its slick green skin, which stretched and flowed to fill in the wounds. As the monster raised its head, it began to reach forward with its claw like fingers, dragging and pushing itself up off the ground.

"What's it doing?" asked Chibi Usa in a hushed voice, one hand tightly gripping Helios' arm for support. No one replied, instead the others remained silent; their eyes fixed on the resurrected monster.

Suddenly, the earth shook violently and vines burst forth randomly from the ground. A rumble below the awestruck group cut short their amazement as tendrils proceeded to fly out from the ground around them. The raising coils shot high into the sky, forming towers of greenish brown columns.

"Ah!" Chibi Usa screamed as Helios held her protectively with his arms.

"Neptune!" Uranus shouted to her partner as they quickly jumped out of harm's way.

Neptune and Uranus manage to dodge to one side but Helios and Chibi Usa were closer toward the monster and were trapped in the raising forest of vines.

"Chibi Usa!" Neptune cried when she saw that the priest and princess were trapped inside the circular vine cage. A roar from the monster redirected her attention as she watched the monster flex its arms and torso.

When the shaking stopped and the dust settled, the Outer Senshi could make out the out line of the monster, barely visible from behind the thick veil of vines. The monster's once beautiful cascade of hair had melted away into a wild unruly mess that resembled a lion's mane. On its green body orange strips appeared above bulging muscles. Tiger Lily opened its mouth, revealing a mouth full of sharp canine teeth as it let out a thunderous roar.

"This doesn't look good," Uranus turned to Neptune. "We have to get them out of there!" Neptune responded with a nodded and raised her hand in front of her.

"Deep Submerge!"

Neptune's tsunami attack struck the fence at full force but it didn't even leave a scratch on the fortified vines.

"What!" Neptune gasped.

Uranus produced her sword and slashed at the vines with all her might. Her blade struck the vine but bounced back. Uranus tried again and again but all to no avail; the vines were as hard as steel and even the sword talisman could not penetrate it.

"Damn it! It won't budge!" Uranus cried in rage as she and her partner watched helplessly from outside the cage.

Trapped within the cage of vine, Chibi Usa and Helios were in plain sight of Tiger Lily's vicious eyes. A cat like hiss escaped from the monster's mouth, sending a freezing chill down everyone's spin. Chibi Usa, huddled closer to Helios. Her heart was racing and she felt naked and powerless under the hard cold eyes of the monster. Her body trembled despite the firm grip of Helios' hand on her shoulder. Then, without warning, the monster lunged toward the defenseless duo. Chibi Usa closed her eyes and waited for the end.

"Silent Wall!"

The monster saw a faint purple dome take shape before her. With too much momentum to stop in time, it slammed into the wall, screeching and disoriented from the impact.

Slowly opening her eyes, Chibi Usa was amazed when she saw Sailor Saturn standing before her, her silver and black glaive held firmly in her gloved hands.

"Saturn! Are you all right?" gasped Chibi Usa as she asked the first thing that came to mind.

Saturn's eyes remained fixed on the monster as she replied, "Don't worry about me. I regained conscious and managed to reach my henshin stick." Saturn glanced back at the two, a grateful smile on her lips. "Thanks for trying to protect me Chibi Usa-chan and Helios-kun. If you guys hadn't bought me some time I would probably be gone by now."

Chibi Usa smiled back, her eyes watery and glad that her friend was alive and well.

Neptune and Uranus rejoiced at seeing their adopted daughter still standing. "I knew she's tougher then that!" Uranus said proudly to herself.

Meanwhile, Tiger Lily positioned itself for another attack, this time with its photosynthesis attack as it unfurled its spotted skirt.

Sailor Saturn looked coldly at the raging monster, her eyes never wavered. "The time of your destruction has come." She said ominously in an unearthly tone. With a powerful leap, Saturn jumped into the air, her glaive at the ready.

"Silent Glaive Surprise!"

The purple streams of energy gathered on the silver white blade of the glaive, crackling and flashing as it descended upon the monster.

The energy of the glaive tore the monster apart as it was literately cut in half by the Senshi of Death. The vines popped and disappeared like sand in the wind. A beacon of light escaped the monster as it howled emptily into the setting sun, its remains now mere dust in the field of the school.

The senshi and Helios gathered around Saturn, all with smiles on their faces. Chibi Usa hugged Hotaru tightly. "I was so worried about you!"

Hotaru happily returned the hug and winked. "I'm not going to let some monster get me that easily you know." The group laughed and proceeded to detransform. Chibi Usa walked with Hotaru to Haruka's car. Hotaru suddenly stopped and turned toward Helios. She reached into her pocket and handed Helios the handkerchief he had given her to wrap her wound, now clean and folded neatly into a square.

Hotaru blushed as she handed back the piece of cloth. "Here's the handkerchief you gave me. I wanted to say thank you for being concerned about me and…" Hotaru paused while Helios looked on with his usual smile.

"I also want to thank you for making me see my dream again." Hotaru ended quietly as Helios received the handkerchief.

Chibi Usa watched the exchange without any comment, but inside her mind was stormy. She had acted strangely and rudely toward her two best friends. Her unusual animosity and ferocity had confused and frightened the young woman.

I don't understand…why am I feeling this way? Chibi Usa's mind produced no conclusion, leaving the teenager to sulk over her situation.

As Chibi Usa dwelled in her gloomy thoughts, her solemn face caught the eyes of Hotaru. Hotaru stood still for a minute, contemplating her friend's thoughts when she suddenly looked toward her adopted parents.

"Haruka-papa, Michiru-mama, can I sleep over at Chibi Usa-chan's house tonight?"

Caught off guard, Michiru responded, "Are you sure? It might be inconvenient for Chibi Usa and Usagi's family." Michiru looked at Chibi Usa for a response.

Caught off guard as well, Chibi Usa shook her head, half surprised and half confused before her mind began to register again. "Well, sure. It's no trouble at all. I'm sure Usagi and my family won't mind..."

Haruka sighed and shrugged. "Well all right then, but you two have to promise to be good, okay?" the sandy haired woman added comically, "I don't want you guys to over dose on candy or anything, got it?"

Hotaru nodded giggling happily to herself, while Chibi Usa stilled looked puzzled at the sudden change of plans.

"In that case I'll take you guys over since it's getting pretty late. Come on, hop in!" said Haruka as she got in the driver seat.

"But what about Helios-kun?" asked Hotaru as she cast a glance at the silent boy behind her. "I'm sure we have enough room for one more person."

A dark look suddenly passed over Haruka's face and for a long moment there was an awkward silence in the air. Helios didn't reply, instead he adverted his eyes, looking suddenly out of place amongst the four senshi. Chibi Usa grew even more confused than before, her eyes dashing back and forth between Haruka and Helios.

Finally Helios replied softly, "It would be too much trouble for you. I can get back by myself." With that he smiled at Chibi Usa and Hotaru "I will see you tomorrow then Chibi Usa-chan, Hotaru."

Chibi Usa wanted to stop him but a stony look on Haruka's face deterred her. What's going on? Chibi Usa thought to herself as Helios quietly walked away, the afternoon bleeding bright red in the distance.

---

After Haruka dropped the two girls off at the Tsukino residence, the two girls quickly finished their homework while Ikuko popped in every once in a while and offered them treats and drinks. The housewife wasn't angry at all toward the unexpected guest, quite the opposite, she was very pleased that Chibi Usa had brought a friend over. But despite the hospitality and good food, neither Chibi Usa nor Hotaru spoke much to each other.

After dinner, the two girls decided to wash up and go to bed early. After returning from a shower, Chibi Usa saw Hotaru sitting against her bed, her arms around her leg with a half smirk on her face.

"What is it?" Chibi Usa couldn't help but ask, turning this way and that to check her room and herself for anything that could be the cause of the girl's amusement.

Hotaru giggled unexpectedly as she replied casually, "Oh, nothing."

Chibi Usa raised an eyebrow. Hotaru usually does not behave so strangely, but then again, today had been a bizarre day. Chibi Usa wiped her wet cotton candy colored hair with her towel and plopped down beside Hotaru. Silence once again dominated the room. The clocked ticked by little by little but neither of the girls spoke until Hotaru abruptly popped a question.

"Chibi Usa-chan, you like Helios-kun don't you?"

Caught completely off guard, Chibi Usa jumped up and looked wide eyed at Hotaru, her face was so red that it seemed steam was going to blow out of her ears at any second.

"Eh! What-what makes you say that!" Chibi Usa fumbled to put words in her mouth.

Hotaru grinned. "Whenever I get close to him you began to look upset because you were jealous. It became clear to me when I saw your face after returning his handkerchief. That explains all your abrupt actions during the day."

Chibi Usa blinked. "I was…jealous?" She thought back to the time she had roughly walked between Hotaru and Helios and the unpleasant feeling she had when Hotaru returned Helios' handkerchief. So that's what jealousy is like. Chibi Usa shuddered at the memory.

The young princess sat back down again, her eyes gloomy. She stole a glance at Hotaru and muttered "I'm sorry Hotaru-chan. I shouldn't have acted so brashly towards you."

Hotaru placed her hand on Chibi Usa's shoulder. "It's normal for a person to get jealous when someone approaches the person you like. You don't have to worry about it."

Chibi Usa looked away, her eyes aimless and confused. "But I…I don't know if I like him. I just can't be sure…"

Seeing the once bright and perky princess being troubled by love, Hotaru asked quietly, "Chibi Usa-chan, what does your heart tell you?"

"My heart?"

"That's right," said Hotaru "If you truly love someone no matter how confused you may think you are your heart knows the truth. Close your eyes and listen, and think about all the time you've been with him. Do you hear what it says?"

Chibi Usa looked hesitantly at the floor before closing her eyes. She thought about the dream which brought Helios into her life, about the happy times they had spent sharing secrets and thoughts with each other and about the time they shared their first innocent kiss. She remembered the heartache she felt when Helios told her he must leave her, the agony when she witnessed Nehellenia forcefully took away his Golden Crystal and the sorrow when he flew away back to Elysian. She remembered the time she had wept silently, wishing for Helios to be by her side, and the time when Mamoru and Usagi's intertwined hands caused her confusion and pain.

A ping seemed to grow in Chibi Usa's chest; a warm yet painful throb in her heart. Chibi Usa opened her eyes and looked at Hotaru. "This feeling…It feels warm and yet it hurts."

Hotaru smiled knowingly. "Love is a double edged sword. You know that you love him but you haven't told him. That's why your heart aches. It's because you don't know if the other person feels the same about you."

"I…love Helios…" Chibi Usa whispered to herself, tentatively tasting those words on her lips. It makes sense now, I suppose. Those conflicting feelings and the way my heart beats faster whenever we're together. Yes, I love him. I am in love…with Helios. A shy smile spread across the princess' lips, brightening her lovely ruby eyes.

Then a second question appeared in Chibi Usa's mind. She cautiously turned to Hotaru, and waited without meeting Hotaru's questioning eyes. The pink teenager remained silent for a minute before asking, "Hotaru-chan…do you-um…like…Helios too?"

Hotaru laughed gently and answered without hesitation. "Of course I do!"

Chibi Usa looked down her the floor, her heart felt like it had been lifted into the sky but was now crashing back down.

"He's just like my papa."

Chibi Usa looked up and stared at her friend, wide eyed. "Professor Tomoe?"

Hotaru nodded as old memories of happier times bubbled up in her mind. "Before Papa was possessed by the Death Busters he was a good father to me. He would tell me stories and play with me when he could and…" Hotaru paused "He would always listen to me when I talk about my dream to become a nurse."

Stunned, Chibi Usa didn't know what to say.

Hotaru continued. "When I first saw Helios-kun he instantly reminded me of someone, it was like dejavu but I couldn't place whom that person was. When he helped me wrap my wound, the scene was just like what happened to me during my past life when I was little and had fallen off a slide. Papa, he helped bandaged my wound and comforted me. When Helios-kun unexpectedly asked me about my dreams and his encouragement…it suddenly struck me that he reminded me of Papa."

Hotaru's violet eyes were beginning to glisten under the faint yellow electric light of the room. She swallowed a sigh and continued. "It has been so long since I last saw him that my memory of him had started to fade. But Helios-kun…whenever I looked at Helios-kun it was like Papa was here again, by my side." A drop of crystal liquid escaped the violet eyes and drained into the soft cotton pajamas below. "Even thought I know that he doesn't remember me any more and I probably won't see him again, I still treasure the scarce memories I have of him," Hotaru sniffed faintly and wiped away a pool of liquid crystals hanging in her eyes.

Guilt ridden, Chibi Usa crawled closer to her friend and wrapped her arm around her shoulders. "Hotaru-chan…I'm sorry. I'm sorry for acting the way I did today. It's just that I…"

Hotaru shook her head; her smile never fazed. "It's okay Chibi Usa-chan. I'm just glad to have met Helios-kun and remembered the wonderful times I had with my father. But I think the most important thing is that you finally understand what your heart had been saying all this time."

Chibi Usa's face flushed embarrassingly. "But don't tell anyone. If Usagi and the other girls found out I wouldn't be able to live in peace as long as I'm in the 21st century!"

Hotaru laughed melodiously. "Don't worry, you're secret is safe with me."

Soon after, the girls shifted topics and after nearly two hours of chatting, laughter and jokes Usagi came up into the attic and told them that they should be going to bed. Just as Usagi was about to turn to leave the room, she stopped and took something out from her pocket.

"Chibi Usa, um…you left this on your uniform. I think you should carry it with you even thought, well…" Usagi soundlessly placed the heart shaped brooch on the wooden floor before smiling weakly and bidding the girls goodnight.

Chibi Usa slowly walked over and picked up her brooch. One corner of her lips turned up halfheartedly; Chibi Usa turned the brooch over in her hand. Without a word she walked back to Hotaru and placed the useless item on the desk with a frustrated thud. Hotaru watched Chibi Usa's face as the princess crawled into her bed. Wanting to say something but couldn't, Hotaru whispered a faint "Goodnight" before crawling beneath her mat.

Chibi Usa returned the goodnight and turned off the lights. How many times has it been now that she had to sleep with a heavy heart? Chibi Usa sighed into the blue black night of her room. When she tried to close her eyes, two red dotes stared back at her, like the eyes of a wild animal, lurking in the shadows, waiting to pounce on unsuspecting prey. Frightened and shaken, Chibi Usa opened her eyes and wrapped her blanket tightly around herself. The wind brushed its feathery wings upon the window, gently rattling the hinges as the dark raven night deepened.

A/N Hello everyone! When Hotaru talked about Professor Tomoe, you may ask how could he be gone? Didn't we saw him again during the end of Sailor Moon S? That may be true but the fact is he never showed up again and Hotaru never visited him while living with the Outers. This forced me to make a choice between 1) he's dead, which I doubt, or 2) Pluto erased his memory of Hotaru so that it'll be easier for her to fight and not have to hide her identity as a senshi from the people she's living with. Since killing innocent civilian would be un-Sailor Moon like, I decided on the erased memory theory. 'Smeraldo Barbs!" is the new attack I made up for Rame. "Smeraldo' is Italian for emerald, which is a green gem, so it ties in with Rame's color theme. The civilian name of "Hikaru Kinyou" I made up for Helios is 金陽 光 in kanji, which literately means "golden sunlight" and is a reference to the Greek sun god, Helios (notice too that I wrote the family name first in the kanji version of the name, so that it reads as "Kinyou Hikaru" in kanji).