That afternoon, Endymion, Serenity, and Helios disappeared to the king's study. Chibi Usa was disappointed; she had wanted to spend the day with Helios, knowing that he wasn't at the palace permanently. So she ended up wandering the halls aimlessly, trying to figure out what they might be doing.

The late afternoon found Chibi Usa out in the garden, checking on the flowers she and her mother had planted the day before. Many of them were a little dry, so she watered them. The task took a while because of the vast quantity of plants. When she had finished, she found a spot to sit in the shade of a tree and settled against the trunk. The spot was hidden from the view of the palace by flowering bushes. She stared up into the leaves of the tree and felt quite content. The weather was very mild; warm, but with enough of a breeze to make the temperature feel perfect. After a while she began to doze off, and as she slept, she dreamed of white feathers and gold.

"Chibi Usa-chan," said a voice. Chibi Usa felt someone's hand on her shoulder. She groaned and opened her eyes. She found herself looking into a pair of eyes like liquid gold and let out a startled gasp. She heard a deep chuckle and felt her cheeks warm.

"I'm sorry to disturb you," said Helios apologetically. "You looked so peaceful. But you shouldn't sleep out here; you'll catch cold."

"It's okay," Chibi Usa replied sleepily. She was surprised to see that the sun had set. "Did I miss dinner?"

Helios nodded. "Your father and mother were worried. We've all been looking for you, including the Quartet and Aurora and Eos."

"Oh…I'm sorry to have caused you trouble," said Chibi Usa. She looked down at her hands. "Um, I'm not ready to go inside yet, though."

Helios seemed puzzled. "Aren't you hungry?"

"Not really. I just want to stay out here for a while," she said. She then looked up at him with beseeching eyes. "Will you stay with me?"

Helios hesitated. Everyone was worried about her, and he knew it wasn't right to have them running around searching for someone who wasn't missing. Yet, the look in her eyes seemed to have the startling ability to weaken his resolve, and he felt a need to please her. Besides that, he wanted to be next to her, and truthfully he had been as eager as she to spend time together. And so, with a sigh, he acquiesced, settling next to her in the grass.

"Can I ask you something, Helios?" Chibi Usa asked after a moment of silence.

"Of course," replied Helios.

Chibi Usa hesitated before asking, "Is it true that the darkness invading Elysion came through my dreams? Is it my fault they attacked it?"

Helios seemed caught off guard by the question. "Of course it's not your fault!" he said. "The dark ones were hiding in your dreams, waiting for a chance to strike. If it's anyone's fault, it is my own. They knew I would eventually come to you in your dreams, and they've been biding their time for a while. When I finally did, they took their chance. I should have seen it coming." He took her hand and squeezed it. "Don't blame yourself for my mistake."

Chibi Usa seemed doubtful. "I've been having nightmares," she told him, "ever since I returned to the 30th Century from the past. I thought they were a result of the things I went through there, but now I'm not so sure."

"Yes, I saw the nightmares," said Helios sadly, "and I thought the same thing, but I was wrong. That's why it's my fault. I should have realized they weren't natural. It's my duty to protect dreams, and I failed to protect yours, of all people."

"But I don't understand why you didn't realize what they were," said Chibi Usa.

There was silence as Helios considered his answer. "I'm not really sure," he said after a moment, "but I think it may be that those shadows weren't truly manifested in your dream until last night."

Chibi Usa frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"They were more like…an astral projection. In other words, they were watching your dreams, not really there but present enough to cause the nightmares."

"So, they were watching from some other place until you entered my dream?"

"I think it must be something like that. I couldn't detect them because they weren't present enough for me to pick up on."

Chibi Usa leaned her head back against the trunk of the tree, staring up at the stars and thinking over Helios' words. If these shadows were lying in wait for Helios, it made sense that they would use tactics to evade his exposure; it wouldn't have been be a very good trap if the quarry had seen it coming. Out of her peripheral vision, she could see Helios watching her, and she could feel his uneasiness. She turned her head so that she could look at him, then put her hand on his cheek. "It's not your fault, you know," she told him.

He put his hand over hers, saying nothing. They sat looking into each others eyes for a long moment, and Chibi Usa felt heat rising to her cheeks. Helios looked like an angel, with his perfect features and piercing eyes, and she wanted him to make a move, but, to her frustration, he didn't. She frowned slightly, then, before she could stop herself, she moved her hand to his neck and kissed him full on the lips. At first he responded hesitantly, but before long, instinct got the better of him and he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tight against him, as they deepened the kiss. Chibi Usa tangled her fingers into his hair, filled with exhilaration. After a moment, Helios pulled back and released her, gently pushing her back. He stood up, and Chibi Usa did the same. His eyes were downcast.

"What's wrong?" she asked, reaching for him, but he took a step back. She felt tears stinging the back of her eyes. "Helios?"

He looked at her sadly, and hesitated. The very thought of hurting her wounded him, and he wished he could spare her the pain of what he knew was to come. "Chibi Usa-chan, I'm very sorry," he said. "But we can't do this. It would just be creating another mess."

"Helios, what are you-?"

"We should go inside now. We've kept everyone worried long enough." He turned and started to walk to the palace.

"Wait!" cried Chibi Usa as the tears overflowed and ran down her face. Helios stopped, his back to her. She sniffled. "Didn't you feel what I felt just now?" she asked. Helios didn't answer, and that made her feel worse. "Don't you love me, Helios?"

Helios turned to face her, but had to look away when he saw her face; he couldn't stand to see her so upset. He mustered up his resolve and moved so that he was right in front of her. He gently wiped her tears, then whispered in her ear, "Sleep, my maiden, and let this memory remain only in your dreams."

Suddenly, Chibi Usa's eyelids felt very heavy. She swayed, then fell over sideways. Helios caught her and gathered her up in his arms. The last thing she saw before succumbing to slumber was Helios' face.

Helios watched her for a moment and felt himself blush. She looked so beautiful, sleeping peacefully against him. He kissed her forehead. "My love," he whispered, though she couldn't hear, "I wish I could tell you how I feel, but I'm afraid that knowing will only bring you more pain."

Serenity and Endymion were in the latter's study, waiting for new of Chibi Usa. Serenity figured Chibi Usa had gone off to hide somewhere, but had sent the Sailor Quartet, Helios, and Aurora and Eos to look for her anyway, just in case.

After a while, they noticed someone in the doorway. Helios stood there, holding a sleeping Chibi Usa in his arms. "I found her in the garden," he said quietly, "fast asleep."

Endymion put a hand on his shoulder. "I thank you, my friend," he said. "Why don't you go ahead and turn in? I'll take her from here."

"As you wish," Helios said, and Endymion carefully took his daughter into his own arms.

"Good night, Helios," Serenity said, "and thank you."

Helios nodded. "Good night." He left the study, and Endymion carried Chibi Usa to her room.

And here's chapter five! I'm not good at writing romance, exactly...but I'm giving it an honest effort. I hope you all liked the chapter! The next chapter is where the action begins ;) As always, please do review, and thank you for reading! And an extra big thank you to those of you who have reviewed already! Ya'll have a special place in my heart! May God bless ALL my readers!