NOTE BEFORE READING: Serenity/Chibi-Usa and Helios are both adults in this fic.
Waking From A Dream
No matter how many times she visited Elysion, Princess Lady Serenity was awed by its otherworldly beauty.
There was no such thing as seasons in Elysion. Unlike Crystal Tokyo, which was currently in the middle of a cold and dreary winter, the dreamland teemed with vibrant life. Cloaked in eternal spring, trees and flowers painted in every color of the rainbow surrounded her. A gentle breeze blew, tousling her hair, and in the distance, an exotic bird sang a beautiful melody, perhaps calling for a mate.
Serenity kneeled down beside a nearby rose bush. The blood-red roses, her father's favorite, were in full bloom as always, their sweet perfume filling her nose as she bent down to smell the largest. Being mindful of the thorns, Serenity carefully plucked the flower off the bush, then rose back to her feet, her eyes searching the vicinity for a certain someone.
It didn't take long to locate him. She found him sitting underneath a tree near the lake, the wisteria in full bloom above him. Arms crossed over his chest, his head drooped forward as he slept, unaware of her arrival.
Serenity stifled a giggle as she approached, careful to keep as quiet as possible as she lowered to her knees beside him. Gently, she brushed his bangs to the side to reveal the shimmering jewel in the center of his forehead and smiled, thinking he looked like a little kid again, despite having long grown to manhood.
He must have been in a deeper sleep than she assumed. Despite her presence, his eyes remained closed, his breathing soft and even. Taking the rose she had clutched in her hand, Serenity traced its velvety petals down the profile of his face and softly cooed his name.
"Helios..."
Letting out a soft moan, Helios finally stirred from his slumber. His beautiful golden eyes, like two brightly shining suns, widened as he lifted his head. "M-Maiden?"
"I'm home, Helios," Serenity said, unable to stop herself any longer from throwing herself into his arms and giving him a long, passionate kiss on the lips. "Oh, how I've missed you…"
"I've missed you, too, my maiden… I feared…" Pulling back, Helios cradled her face in between his warm hands and stared at her as if he couldn't quite believe she was actually there and not just a figment of his imagination. "I prayed every day for your safety, for you and the other Asteroid Guardians," he said as he caressed her cheeks, his voice barely above a whisper. "If anything had happened to you..."
"But it didn't." Serenity reached up, placing one of her smaller hands over his. "I'm here, and I'm safe. We all are, and so are the people of Kinmoku. We were able to defeat the enemy and rescue the prince."
"Praise Terraya…" Smiling, Helios kissed Serenity's forehead, then taking the rose from her hand, he tucked it behind her ear. "You're incredible."
Serenity's cheeks warmed. "Thank you, but I still have a long way to go until I fill my mother's boots as Sailor Moon…"
It had been a fierce battle. She and the other Asteroid Guardians had fought in some minor skirmishes on Earth, but nothing had quite prepared them for their first solo mission, far from home and without the queen and the Planetary Guardians to assist when trouble arose. Though Serenity appreciated her parents' faith and confidence in her abilities, she had returned to Crystal Tokyo more determined than ever to dedicate herself to her training and prove herself worthy of inheriting the title of Sailor Moon.
"Tell me more?"
"Maybe later," Serenity said, not wanting to think about the time when they were apart any longer. She rested a hand upon his chest. "For now, all I want is to go back to your room and...have a proper reunion."
Underneath her palm, the rhythm of Helios's heartbeat quickened, a faint flush coloring his face. "That… That can be arranged. Come."
He rose to his feet and offered his hand to help her up before calling for his treasured steed, Pegasus. The winged unicorn appeared within seconds, magnificent as ever as he flew down from the sky and landed nearby on the ground.
"Pegasus!" Serenity hurried over to greet him, affectionately petting his neck. "I've missed you. Have you been a good boy?"
Pegasus neighed and nodded his head, almost if he understood what she was saying. Perhaps he did; he certainly was no ordinary horse. Serenity laughed as Pegasus nuzzled against her cheek.
"He's missed you, too," Helios said, joining them. "I think he's been wanting to take you for a ride again. It'll only take a couple of minutes to get back to the shrine, but perhaps we can go for a more leisurely flight some other night now that you're home."
"Oh… That sounds lovely, but…"
"Serenity?"
She grasped at the near-translucent skirt of her elegant negligee, pressing her lips together. She had been so happy to see him again after such a long absence, she had nearly forgotten about the decision she had made.
No, not now, she thought. They could discuss the future later. For the moment, all she wanted to do was live in the present, to forget about everything else and simply enjoy being with the man she loved…
...even if it was for the very last time.
"No, it's nothing," she said with a small smile, pushing her more melancholic thoughts away. "Help me up?"
"Of course."
Once he finished helping Serenity mount Pegasus, Helios pulled himself up to sit securely behind her and signaled for the winged unicorn to take flight.
As usual, the view of Elysion from the sky took Serenity's breath away. She wished they could have kept flying forever, but all too soon the stone pillars of the shrine appeared below them, sitting in the center of the crystal blue lake. With a gentle, but firm, tug of his golden reins, Helios directed Pegasus to land on a patch of grass near the entrance.
Eos and Aurora, the two devoted Maenads who served the shrine, stood waiting for them at the foot of the stairs, respectfully bowing their heads in greeting as Serenity and Helios approached, walking together hand-in-hand.
"Welcome back, Your Highness," Aurora said, lifting her chin. "We are so pleased to see you have returned from your mission, alive and well."
"Aurora and I have already prepared some snacks for you in Helios-sama's room in anticipation of your arrival," Eos added. "Please, feel free to partake as much as you wish."
"In the meantime, we shall attend to Pegasus and other chores outside the shrine to give you two some privacy."
Another blush crossing his cheeks, Helios lightly coughed into his fist while Serenity suppressed a giggle. "Yes, um, thank you. We appreciate...your dedication to your duties."
"Of course, Helios-sama," the two said in unison, bowing their heads once more before taking their leave.
Helios then showed Serenity inside the shrine. Months had passed since she last visited, but it looked very much the same as always, a timeless monument to the ancient Golden Kingdom it once served. Still grasping her hand, he led her down a familiar corridor, the marble flooring cool underneath her bare feet.
At the end of the corridor stood a pair of intricately carved doors. Helios pushed them open, revealing his bedchambers.
Serenity's eyes widened. Eos and Aurora had truly outdone themselves. More than a mere "snack", they had laid out a veritable smorgasbord of Serenity's favorite foods upon a low lying table in the center of the room. Her stomach lightly rumbled as she took in the beautifully decorated strawberry shortcake, the stack of pancakes almost as tall as her head, the freshly baked apple pie, and countless other sweets and delicacies that made up the feast.
"Those two… I told them they needn't go overboard with the refreshments, but I suppose they wanted to show how grateful they are for your return," Helios said, wrapping an arm around her waist and landing a kiss on Serenity's temple. "Your presence was well and truly missed, by more than only me."
Her stomach again grumbled, although that time not out of hunger. To think this would probably be the last time she entered his room...made love in his bed...
"It sounds like somebody's hungry," he affectionately teased, unaware of the inner turmoil brewing inside of her. "Shall we begin with some chocolate-covered cherries and wine?"
Helios started to move toward the banquet table, but Serenity reached out, tugging on the sleeve of his tunic. "No, not right now," she said when he turned back around, giving her a questioning look. "Food can wait for later. Right now… Right now, all I want is you."
A small smile crossed his lips. "Then far be it for me to keep you waiting, my maiden. Your wish is my command."
Pushing all other thoughts to the back of her mind, Serenity took Helios by the hand and led him toward the canopy bed. Wordlessly, he plucked the rose from behind her ear, setting it aside on the nightstand, then unbound her two odango. Released from its confines, her long hair flowed loosely down her back and shoulders, Helios combing his fingers through the wavy pink tresses.
"Beautiful…" he murmured, bringing a strand to his mouth.
Warmth rose to her cheeks, but she was far from satisfied with him merely kissing her hair. Serenity lifted up her chin and stared him straight in the eye. "Kiss me," she ordered softly, Helios more than happy to oblige.
Placing his hands on her hips, he brushed his lips against hers. Serenity let out a low moan, wrapping her arms around his neck as she returned the kiss in kind. Gentle at first, it didn't take long for sweet pecks to grow ever more passionate, the two of them basking in the joy of their long-awaited reunion.
Impatiently, Serenity's hands found the bottom hem of his tunic and began tugging it upward. Helios raised his arms in obedience, helping her pull it the rest of the way over his head and tossing the tunic aside. With his arms free once again, he drew Serenity closer, his lips capturing hers in a searing kiss.
Serenity moaned into his mouth, melting against the warmth of his body. Even through the layers of their remaining clothes, the evidence of his desire made itself known. She slid a hand in between their bodies, Helios breaking off their kiss to let out a gasp as she palmed him through the fabric of his trousers.
"Serenity…"
There really was still too much material between them. Serenity took a couple of steps backward, her heart pounding as she slid the thin straps of her negligee down her shoulders. With a look that was somehow both reverent and lustful, Helios watched as she continued to pull the nightgown downwards, revealing that she wore nothing else underneath.
Taking a seat on the edge of the bed, Serenity leaned back on her hands and spread her legs wide in invitation. As if hypnotized, Helios dropped down to his knees before her and ran a single finger down her slit, coating it with her arousal. Serenity trembled at his gentle touch, letting out a shaky breath.
"May I?" he asked, looking up at her through his long lashes.
Serenity nodded, gasping as he buried his head in between her legs. Helios lived to serve, and he knew exactly what she liked, starting with several teasing open-mouthed kisses along her inner thighs before turning his attention to her throbbing center. Serenity's fingers dug into the silken sheets underneath her, biting down on her bottom lip as a familiar pressure built up inside her, threatening to burst.
"Helios, please… I need you," she panted right before she reached her peak. "All of you."
After one final lick of her clit, Helios stopped what he was doing and rose back to his feet, his fingers fumbling with the drawstring belt of his pants. While he finished undressing, Serenity moved to the center of the bed, laying back against the fluffy pillows. He soon joined her, situating himself in between his legs.
"You're so beautiful, my maiden," he murmured, brushing his knuckles along side Serenity's face and giving her a long, lingering kiss before finally lowering himself on top of her.
He slipped inside easily, like a puzzle piece fitting into place. Serenity let out a soft moan, reveling in the sensation of being so intimately connected to him, his musky scent more enticing than even the most expensive colognes. She wanted to remember everything, to engrave it in her memory so she would never forget this beautiful dream…
A tear leaked without permission from the corner of her eye.
Dammit, not now! Serenity thought, grateful that Helios hadn't noticed, preoccupied with kissing her neck and lightly sucking the delicate skin. She closed her eyes and tried to force herself to forget about what she needed to do, to simply concentrate on how wonderful it was to be with him again, but the stubborn tears kept flowing against her will, eventually catching Helios's attention.
He paused, looking down at her in concern. "Did I… Did I hurt you?"
"No!" She wiped away her tears with the palm of her hand, mortified. As if anybody as sweet and gentle as him could ever cause her harm. "These are happy tears, I promise," she lied, smiling. "I'm just so overjoyed to be with you again. I've missed you so, so much."
"I've missed you, too, my maiden. More than words could ever convey."
"Then show me," Serenity said, bringing a hand to caress his cheek. She pushed all other thoughts aside, determined only to focus on the here and now, to make the most of what little time she had left with him. "Make love to me...please."
After a brief moment of hesitation, Helios resumed where he had left off, Serenity losing herself in his loving arms.
Serenity snuggled up against Helios's side, resting her head on his shoulder as he pulled the blanket over their naked bodies and wrapped his arms around her. Her heartbeat gradually returned to its normal rhythm, her breath slowing to match the rise and fall of Helios's chest. Her skin still tingled from the memory of their impassioned love-making, and a soft smile danced across her kiss-swollen lips as Helios's fingers played with a strand of her long, unbound hair.
Oh, how she had missed this… Her mission to rescue the Kinmoku prince had only taken a few Earth months, yet to Serenity, it felt like an eternity had passed. With Helios's powers confined to only working in Elysion and on Earth, the nights away had been dark and lonely, whatever dreams she managed to have often turning to the same recurring nightmare:
Helios, lying dead on the marble floor of Elysion's shrine. Red blood pooling around his motionless body, his chest impaled by an eerily familiar black crystal.
And her, standing over him, garbed in a body-hugging gown with a thigh-high slit up the side, an inverted black moon sigil tattooed upon her brow…
Serenity squeezed her eyes shut, forcing the horrifying images out of her mind.
It was only a nightmare, a fabrication of her unconscious fear that one day her evil Black Lady persona might reawaken and hurt the ones she loved. Death Phantom and his Black Moon Clan had been defeated, the planet Nemesis destroyed with the combination of her mother's and her own power. There was no reason to believe that Black Lady would ever return, yet...
"Something on your mind?" Helios asked, lightly stroking her arm.
She jumped, startled from her thoughts. "What?"
He frowned. "I can tell when something's bothering you. What is it?"
"No, it's nothing," Serenity said, again pushing away her pessimistic thoughts and kissing his chest. Not tonight. She didn't want to ruin their long-awaited reunion.
Goodbyes could wait for another time.
"It's something," Helios insisted. "Please, tell me."
"Later." Serenity moved to straddle his hips, his already half-aroused cock pressing against her entrance, and leaned over to brush her lips against his."There are only a few more hours left before daybreak. Let's not waste time talking when there are other, more pleasurable things we could be doing instead…"
She leaned down and captured his lips in another kiss, teasing his mouth open with her tongue. Though he responded favorably at first, moaning as she rocked her hips against him, after a short while, he gently pushed back, propping himself on his elbow as a confused Serenity sat up.
"Maiden, please." Helios reached upward, cupping her cheek in his hand. "Tell me what's behind the melancholic look in your eyes…"
Serenity sighed, averting her gaze away from his. He could tell?
Of course he could. Helios had always been too damn perceptive for his own good.
"Did something happen while you were away?" he prodded.
"No… No, I just…"
She pressed her lips together, swallowing hard.
What if it really was just a nightmare, nothing more? Though her dreams were occasionally prophetic in nature, most of them were not. What if what she feared never came to pass? Was it worth it to end her relationship with Helios for a threat she wasn't even certain was real?
"You know you can tell me anything, right?" Helios lifted himself into a sitting position, cradling her face in between his hands. "If something is troubling you… I'm here to listen."
But the fact that the same nightmare kept returning, night after night… There had to be a reason. If it had only been a one-time thing, it would be easier to write it off as nothing to worry about, but how could she risk taking that chance? She would never forgive herself if something happened to Helios because of her.
"Please…" Concern lined his handsome face, his eyes asking questions she did not want to answer. "Tell me."
"It's just… I wish this dream didn't have to end," Serenity finally said, turning her head to kiss the inside of Helios's wrist. "If only…"
"Maiden?"
Sighing, Serenity climbed off his lap, moving to lay at Helios's side. Her stomach knotted, wishing more than anything that things could be different, but she knew what she had to do. She would not – could not – allow her nightmare to become reality.
"I've been thinking about the future," she said softly, staring up at the underside of the canopy. The thin white fabric was almost translucent, like a delicate veil covering a bride's happy face...
"The future?"
Serenity briefly closed her eyes, taking a long moment to compose herself before revealing, "Queen Kakyuu and Consort Seiya have offered me the hand of Prince Yuusei in gratitude for saving him. They want to form an alliance with Silver Millennium."
"What?" Helios twisted around, his golden eyes widening in alarm. "You're marrying the Kinmoku prince?"
"I...didn't say no," she admitted. "I didn't say yes, either, but… I am considering it."
"Serenity, no. You can't… I don't understand."
She turned her head to the side, facing away from Helios, and pulled the blanket up to fully cover her chest. "Prince Yuusei is not a stranger to me. We've met several times over the years on diplomatic trips, and I've always found him very kind and charming. A marriage between us would be beneficial to both our king–"
"But you don't love him!" he interrupted.
"Love… Love can come later," she said, still refusing to look his way. "As I was saying, Silver Millennium and Kinmoku would both –"
"Bullshit!"
At that point, Serenity whipped her head around, shocked to hear such foul language falling from his lips. Even Helios seemed taken aback by what he had said, bringing a hand to his mouth.
"I, uh… Forgive me, I spoke without thinking," he said, a faint blush coloring his cheeks.
Another time, Serenity might have giggled, charmed by his innocence. Instead, she stifled her amusement, only allowing a small, sad smile as she sat back up and brushed a strand of silver-white hair off Helios's face.
"I'm sorry, Helios. I… I know I've caught you off-guard, but I believe marrying Prince Yuusei will be the best decision for everyone."
"How is marrying a man you don't love the best decision for you?" Helios asked. "How is… How is losing you the best decision for me? I truly do not understand. Surely the king and queen would be happy to form an alliance with Kinmoku without demanding marriage in return. I'm not that familiar with Kinmokan culture, but I find it hard to believe your parents would support such a political marriage, not after everything that happened in their previous lives."
"It's not their decision – it's mine." Indeed, once she informed her parents of her choice, Serenity had no doubt they would do their best to talk her out of going through with it. They had always expressed the wish that if she chose to marry, she would do it out of love, not obligation, not wanting to repeat the mistakes of the past.
"But why? Wasn't it always your dream to marry the person you loved?"
"It was," she admitted, resting her hands in her lap, "until I fell in love with a man I can never marry."
"Oh."
Helios's shoulders fell, and Serenity's heart broke.
In truth, marriage held little importance to her. Yes, of course, she had dreamed of her wedding day for years, envisioning walking down the aisle in a beautiful gown of white as her handsome groom waited for her with love and adoration in his golden eyes… It was a dream many young women shared, nothing out of the ordinary, but Serenity had made her peace long ago with the fact that such a dream would never become her reality. She had been fine with that, as long as Helios could remain in her life.
But now...
"One day I will be expected to bear a child to become the next heir of Silver Millennium," she reminded him. "Although I could do it on my own, I… I would rather not. I want to get married and have a family."
"And you can't if you choose to be with me."
Serenity sought out his hand, entwining their fingers together. "I love you," she said, kissing the back of his palm. "I love you so much that sometimes I feel like my heart might burst. I live for moments like this, when we can meet in my dreams and spend hours talking, and laughing, and making love…"
"But it's no longer enough, is it?"
"It's not," she lied, her voice cracking against her best efforts.
She had to do this. She had to protect Helios from the darkness potentially hiding within her.
"Oh, Serenity…"
He scooted closer to her, and Serenity fell into his arms, blinking back the tears threatening to fall. She wanted nothing more to stay there forever, to have Helios by her side for the rest of her life, but…
Helios sighed into her hair. "I would marry you in a heartbeat if I could," he said, holding her tighter as he landed a kiss on the top of her head. "Nothing would make me happier, but..."
"You must stay in Elysion."
"And you have your royal duties on Earth."
"Sometimes I wish I wasn't born the crown princess of Silver Millennium," Serenity confessed, sniffling. "If only I had been born an ordinary girl, and you, an ordinary guy…"
She would have loved that life. Being a princess and a superheroine had its perks, but also carried a heavy burden. If it hadn't been for her position as crown princess, she never would have been targeted by Wiseman and forced to awakened as Black Lady. And if Black Lady never existed, Helios's life wouldn't be in danger...
"There's nothing ordinary about you, my maiden," Helios said, lifting up her chin. His golden eyes, glistening with his own unshed tears, stared into hers. "You're extraordinary in every way."
She weakly smiled. "Flatterer."
"I only speak the truth."
"Helios…" She pulled his hand away from her face and looked away. "I… I should probably go."
If she stayed any longer, she feared she would lose all her resolve. Serenity climbed out of bed and gathered her silky nightgown from the floor. Helios did the same, pulling on his discarded pants as she slipped the negligee over her head and smoothed it down her body.
"Wait," he said as she started toward the door.
Against her better judgment, Serenity turned back toward him, avoiding looking directly at his face.
"Is this really the last time I will ever see you?" Helios asked, taking a step toward her. "I know our romantic relationship has come to an end, but you were always my friend, first and foremost. Perhaps, if you'd like, we could still meet on occasion –"
She shook her head. That would defeat the entire purpose. "I don't think that's a good idea, Helios," she said, cutting him off as she wrapped her arms around herself."It… It would be too hard to see you, to know I couldn't touch you the way I want to touch you…"
His hands clenched into tight fists at his sides. "Then this is goodbye."
"Yes, it is," she whispered, no longer able to hold back her tears. They flowed freely down her face, the taste of bitter salt coating her lips.
"Oh, Maiden…"
Helios bridged the gap between them, enveloping his arms around her quivering body. Though Serenity put up a token protest of trying to pull away, she found herself giving into his comforting embrace, burying her face into his bare shoulder as the sobs continued to wrack her body.
She couldn't do this. She didn't want to marry someone she didn't love, to bear the child of a foreign prince she barely knew. No matter how kind and decent Prince Yuusei may be, he would never replace Helios in her heart. She knew that as certain as the Earth revolved around the sun.
But…but...
"Serenity, please, don't do this," Helios softly pleaded into her hair, tightening his hold around her. "You don't want to end things anymore than I do, so why…?"
"I have to," she said, choking back another sob. "I know you don't understand… I know it doesn't make any sense...but...but…"
"Then talk to me. Make me understand. Maybe there's something –"
"No, I can't!" Forcefully, she broke free of his grasp, using her hands like a child to wipe away the tears that continue to fall without end. "There's nothing you...nothing anybody can do… Please, just let me go. I can't…"
Before she lost her nerve, Serenity pivoted back around and ran toward the set of double doors. Helios shouted her name, but she refused to look back at him, twisting one of the golden doorknobs and charging out of the room.
Serenity continued running as fast as she could down the corridor, her lungs burning as she struggled to breathe. Her tears blurred her vision, making it difficult to see, but her body remembered the way, leading her toward the exit. Helios, who had been chasing after her, calling her name, almost caught up to her as she stumbled down the stone stairs. She quickly regained her balance, however, her reflexes honed from years of training, and continued sprinting through the lush gardens surrounding the shrine.
"Your Highness! What hap–"
She passed by the Maenads, who were busying pruning a large hydrangea shrub. She had hoped to give them – and Pegasus – a proper goodbye, but there was no time to stop and explain, not when Helios was still right on her heels, refusing to give up his chase. She ran until she reached the bank of the lake encircling the shrine, realizing there was nowhere else for her to run.
"Serenity...please…" Helios gasped, hunched over as he attempted to catch his breath. "I...I...love you… Please, don't…"
"I love you, too," she wept. "But...I have to wake up… I have to end this dream…"
Lifting her face toward the heavens above, Serenity closed her eyes and silently called on the power within her.
Wake up.
Serenity gasped as she opened her eyes, her heart pounding against her rib cage.
She slowly lifted her head from her pillow, propping herself up by her elbows as her eyes roamed around the room. Faint sunlight, spilling through the glass doors leading out to the balcony, provided enough illumination to confirm that she had safely returned to her own bedroom in the Crystal Palace.
Alone.
Forcing herself to sit upright, Serenity swung her legs over the side of the mattress and reached for the silky pink robe laying at the foot of the bed. She pushed her arms through the sleeves, then slipped her feet into the pair of bunny slippers sitting next to her bed and padded across the room to the balcony doors.
The frigid air hit her as soon as Serenity pushed them open. While she had been gone, a light snow had fallen, covering the city of Crystal Tokyo in a blanket of white. Stepping out onto the balcony, Serenity pulled her robe tightly against her body to fight off the chill and leaned against the balustrade.
Her eyes watered at the sight of the rising sun, ascending over the horizon to beacon the new day.
Helios…
She had done the right thing, hadn't she? Cutting him out of her life completely was the only way she knew to guarantee Helios's safety. She wished things could be different, wished there had been some other way to protect him from herself, but...
"Your Highness?"
Startled from her thoughts, Serenity turned around and looked downward. Her guardian cat, Diana, stood in the open doorway, visibly shaking from the freezing weather.
"What are you doing, standing out there in the cold, dressed like that?" she asked. "Come back inside and warm up. You're going to –" Diana tilted her head to the side. "Have you been crying?"
Serenity brought a hand to her cheek, wiping away the tears she hadn't realized she had shed. "I'm fine," she lied, forcing a small smile. "My eyes are watery because of the cold, that's all. I'll come inside in a moment."
Taking one last look over her shoulder at the sun, she whispered, "Goodbye, my love," before following Diana back inside and closing the glass doors behind her.
And, in the distance, the specter of a wicked woman grinned, the black inverted moon glowing on her forehead…
DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon belongs to Naoko Takeuchi
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This story was written for Day 6 of Sailor Moon Rare Pair Week, Theme: Break-up/Make-up. I hope you enjoyed it!
Before anybody asks, no, I have no current plans to expand this fic, despite ending with a bit of a cliffhanger. Never say never, but I wouldn't hold your breath.
Feel free to follow me on Tumblr. My username is kaleidodreams.