"Maiden! Maiden!" Someone was calling me. Someone familiar. Someone warm. My eyes ached as they opened. The first thing to greet me was beautiful gold. I smiled weakly as I remembered those eyes.

"Helios?" I asked, wanting to touch his face as it came into clearer focus. He looked dreadful. Caked on blood covered most of his cheeks, and his chin looked bruised. "Did I save everyone?"

"Oh…" He gasped and pulled me into his arms. I heard cries of relief from others and glanced over his shoulder to see my parents and friends all around us, watching. I saw something small run towards us and pounce between Helios and me, landing in my lap.

"Lady Serenity, I was so worried!" Diana's shaken voice said as she rubbed her face against my stomach.

"We thought we lost you!" My mother exclaimed, grabbing one of my hands and holding it gingerly in her own. My father dusted away tears from his eyes.

"You did it, ChibiUsa…" he murmured proudly.

"Chaos is gone?" I asked, looking into tearful eyes of my mother. She smiled and nodded.

"There was no trace of it left." Sailor Mercury reported. "And for a time, no trace of you."

"Of me?" I pondered. Then I remembered my crystal breaking. "My crystal!" I shuffled my eyes around me, seeing that I was still in my gown, but my wings had disappeared, as well as whatever was left of my crystal. Helios brought up on of his hands and I saw some shards in his palm. "Oh no…"

"Don't be sad, Maiden." Helios said. I looked into his golden eyes. "This is a good thing."

"How? My crystal is destroyed! Ignoring the fact that I'm not dead, how will I be able to transform again?"

"You don't need that crystal anymore," he replied. "Your true power resides within you."

"What?" I scoffed. Then I remembered the little guardian's words. "She mentioned something about bonding with my true star power…" My eyes glanced at the shards in Helios's hand. "This is what she meant?"

"Who mentioned what?" Diana asked, confused. I shook my head as the others looked on in equal confusion.

"Don't worry about it." That means I don't need my crystal to transform anymore? Or as a life force? Did I really become that powerful? "Sailor Mercury…"

"Yes?" She looked over at me with her soft blue eyes, and I felt almost nervous to ask.

"You said there wasn't a trace of me? Why is that, and how was I found? All I remember is falling and not being able to breathe…" Everyone was silent and all eyes were on Helios. I followed their gaze and tilted my head to the side.

"It's because you died, Maiden. Well, you were very near death, I should say," he spoke softly, as if not to scare me. I was very still as I waited for him to continue. "When you disappeared into Chaos, we had no idea what happened, because the both of you disappeared. Once everyone regained their strength, we went searching for you around the city, hoping to find some trace of either of you. We all could sense Chaos strongly, but not you. I found myself near a park when I felt a sudden sting in my heart, and the presence of Chaos gone. A horrible vision of you falling came to my mind. The strange sensation told me to go in a certain direction, and I ran without haste.

"I saw a bright flash in the sky above me. When I looked up, I saw your body falling. I dove into the air, as my Pegasus form, to catch you. I brought you back down here and lay you on the ground. That's when I noticed that you had very little life force left. I let the others know where we were and returned to this form. Everyone thought the worse, because we found shards of your crystal around you. But something absolutely amazing happened…" Helios placed a hand over my heart. "You began to heal. At a rapid rate, I might add. It was then that we concluded your new abilities."

"You did so well, ChibiUsa…" I my mother added. "You're more powerful than any of us could have imagined. I'm so proud of you!"

"You're the new Sailor Moon, Small Lady," Pluto said. "The new protector of the planet."

"You've proven that you're ready to be a great ruler, Princess." Sailor Saturn said. I glanced over at her and started to cry.

"Oh, Hotaru…" I whispered. "Everyone…thank you!"

"Let's get you back to the castle so you can rest while we rebuild," my father said. I nodded. Before I could say anything, Helios pulled me into his strong arms, holding me tightly against him. I heard giggles and chuckles from our audience as he carried me back to my home. Embarrassed, I buried my head in his shirt and sighed.

"I think I know who will be her date for her party…" Sailor Venus's voice permeated my head as we walked. I blushed, shoving my head into the soft cloth further to hide it.