Chapter 7 Serenity’s life soon fell into a regular routine. As she had promised Mercury, she reluctantly returned to school after Helios‘ transfer to the palace, although it wasn’t too long before the summer break arrived. While her classmates were all excitedly making plans to hang out on the beach or go on dates, with the occasional day set aside for studying for the college entrance exams, Serenity knew she would spend every waking moment of her vacation at Helios’ bedside, hoping and praying he would finally open his eyes. “Come on, Usagi-chan,” a girl named Misa Sakura said, using the name Serenity went by at school. “You can’t spend your *whole* summer break studying for the entrance exams. Come to the beach with us! It’ll be fun!” Other than the Sailor Quartet, who were also in her class, none of her classmates knew the real reason behind her long absence. As far as they knew -- as far as anybody knew -- she had been in the hospital with pneumonia. Serenity faked a grateful smile at the teenage girl. “Thank you for asking, Misa-chan, but I’m really behind on all my schoolwork due to my illness, not to mention all the summer homework we have. I don’t think I’m going to have any free time at all.” The blonde gave her a sympathetic look. “That sucks. I’d hate to have to spend my break in the library. Well, if you do happen to find some free time this weekend, you should definitely come. It‘s going to be a blast.” “I’ll try,” she promised, despite having no intention of doing so. School was one thing, but she had no desire to go out socially, leaving Helios behind while she attempted in vain to have fun. Gathering her things, she stood up from her desk and waved to Misa. “If I don’t see you before then, see you next term.” “Yeah. See you around, Usagi-chan!” The Sailor Quartet had gathered outside the classroom, waiting for her to join them. Juno, the closest to the door and thus within earshot of their conversation, frowned upon seeing Serenity. “You know, it might not be such a bad idea to go out with them,” she said. “Going to the beach sounds like fun, and you could use a real break from things.” “Oo, Pallas wants to go to the beach, too,” Pallas declared, her hand shooting up as if she was still in class. “Let’s all go together!” “Then go without me if you want to go so badly,” Serenity snapped, her voice sharper than she intended. “Sorry,” she apologized. She rubbed at her forehead, fighting back a yawn. “I’m just tired. I didn’t get much sleep last night, I guess.” “You haven’t been getting any sleep at all lately, according to Diana,” Vesta commented, a concerned look on her face. “She says you toss and turn all night, then get up ridiculously early in the morning so you can hold vigil at Helios-sama’s bedside before going to school. You’ve even started falling asleep in class, which isn’t like you at all.” “I’m fine, Vesta.” She hadn’t told anybody of the nightmares that had been plaguing her dreaming moments as of late, not wanting the others to worry about her anymore than they already were. “I’ll catch up on my sleep over the break.” “If you say so…” Vesta, though, did not look the least bit convinced. On the walk back to the palace, Serenity struggled to keep her eyes open as she trailed behind the others. Her body longed for sleep, but she knew the moment she closed her eyes, the nightmares would return, haunting and taunting her with thoughts she did not want to face. She hugged her bookbag to her chest and sighed, ignoring the look of concern Ceres gave her, glancing back at her as they crossed the street. When they finally arrived home, Serenity headed straight to her room as she always did to change out of her uniform. Diana, who was home -schooled by her parents, was laying on her bed in cat-form, taking a nap, but her eyes fluttered open when she heard Serenity come in. “You’re home early, Serenity-sama,” she said, glancing over at the alarm clock sitting on the bedside table. “It was the last day before summer break, so we had an early- release,” Serenity replied, stripping out of her uniform and changing into jeans and a T-shirt. “Oh, summer break!” Diana sat up. “I nearly forgot it was that time again. Any plans?” Instead of answering, she asked, “How is Helios? Has there been any change since this morning?” Diana sighed. “No change.“ It was always the first question Serenity asked of her the moment she returned home. “But, Serenity-sama, I really think you should use this break to relax some. You’ve been so stressed out, and --” “You’ve been talking to Vesta and the others, haven’t you? They said the same thing.” Turning to face her guardian cat, Serenity frowned, hands on her hips. “You told them I haven’t been sleeping well, too.” “I was worried about you.” “I’m fine, Diana,” she insisted, even as she began to feel woozy and faint. Walking over to the bed to sit down for a moment, Serenity stumbled over her feet, clutching at the bedspread as she fell. “Serenity-sama!” Diana jumped off the bed, shifting into her human form to check on her. “I’m okay, I’m okay…” She attempted to pull herself back up, but felt too light-headed to do so. “Fine, maybe I’m not so okay,” she mumbled as Diana placed a cool hand on her forehead. “I think you have a fever. I’ll go find Mercury-sama.” Diana stood up to leave, but Serenity grabbed her by the skirt, stopping her. “No, just help me to Helios’ room. I don’t want to worry anyone. I‘ll be fine.” “No, you won’t, not if you keep this up. Just stay here. I‘ll be back in a moment.” Yanking the skirt out of Serenity’s hands, Diana left to go find the doctor. Again, Serenity made an attempt to stand back up, but it was no more successful than the previous time. Cursing at her weakness, she rolled over on her back and stared up at the ceiling, wondering when a second chandelier had been installed. “Not good,” she murmured, throwing an arm over her eyes. “I’m seeing double. I think I really am getting sick. Stupid body. I don‘t have time for this.” A few minutes later, Diana returned with Mercury in tow. “Help me get her into bed,” Mercury said, crouching down beside Serenity and throwing her arm around her neck. As Mercury helped her stand back up, Diana pulled back the sheets and blankets, tucking Serenity in once they managed to get her in bed. “You don’t have to make such a fuss over me,” Serenity said. “It’s just a fever.” “I’ll be the judge of that.” Out of subspace, Mercury pulled out her doctor’s bag and reached inside for a thermometer. “Hold this under your tongue.” Having no choice in the matter, Serenity did as she was told. After a minute, Mercury took the thermometer out of her mouth, frowning when she saw the temperature reading. “How bad is it, Mercury-sama?” Diana asked. “It’s high,” Mercury replied, next pulling out a stethoscope. “What other symptoms are you experiencing?” she asked while checking Serenity’s heartbeat and lungs. “Nausea? Sore throat? Runny nose? Cough?” Serenity shook her head. “I’ve just been tired lately, that’s all.” “She hasn’t been sleeping well,” her guardian cat felt the need to add. “She’s been really stressed out ever since what happened to Helios-sama.” “Diana!” Diana gave her an apologetic look. “Sorry, Serenity-sama, but Mercury-sama should have the whole picture of what is going on.” “Diana’s right,” Mercury said. “Tell me, why haven’t you been sleeping?” “It’s just stress, like Diana said,” Serenity lied, not looking the doctor in the eye. “Are you sure?” “I think she’s been having nightmares, too,” Diana said, earning a glare from Serenity. “She’s been moaning and talking in her sleep a lot, lately.” “Is that true, Serenity-chan?” Serenity sighed, clenching her hands into fists as she clutched the blanket. “They come every night now,” she admitted after a long pause, knowing that Mercury wouldn‘t let up until she knew the truth. “They’re not the scary monster type nightmares, but they frighten me just the same, because they all end with Helios…with Helios…” She couldn’t finish the sentence, unable to say the words aloud. They all ended with Helios never waking up, eventually dying in his comatose sleep. Diana, climbing onto the bed with her, wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. “Oh, Serenity-sama, why didn’t you tell us?” she asked. “I didn’t want to worry everybody more than they already were.” “But we love you! Of course we’re going to worry about you, and you hiding things just makes us worry even more.” “I’m sorry.” Serenity had never thought of it like that. “It’s not healthy to keep things bottled up inside like that,” Mercury said. “When you are under that kind of stress, it’s easy to forget to care of yourself, making you vulnerable to illness. You should be okay if you rest for a bit, but I want you to promise me again that you will take some time out to relax every once in a while.” “B-But --” “Even if you don’t feel like going out with friends, try meditation or reading a good book. That always helps me when I’m feeling overwhelmed. Maybe even consider going on vacation, either by yourself or with friends. I wouldn’t usually advise you to make having fun a priority over your studies, especially when your college entrance exams are only months away, but I really think it would do you some good to take a break from the world. After some much needed R&R, the nightmares should become less frequent. They may even disappear altogether.” “Misa-chan from school did invite me to go to the beach with her and some of the others from class,” Serenity said. “Her parents own a summer house in Okinawa, and they‘re going down there this coming weekend. Pallas and the others really want to go, but…” “But you don’t want to leave Helios-sama in case he wakes up while you are gone,” Mercury completed for her, reading her mind. “Serenity-chan, Helios-sama would not want you to make yourself sick over him. I’m sure if he was able to speak, he would tell you to go.” “I think so, too,” Diana chimed in. Mercury place a hand on Serenity‘s shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. “Just think about it, okay? For the moment, however, I want you to stay in bed and try to get some rest. I’ll give you a mild sedative to help you sleep.” Again reaching inside her doctor’s bag, she pulled out a syringe and a vial. “But Helios…” Serenity protested. “It’s not a good idea to see him when you’re in this condition. Coma patients are very susceptible to illness,” she explained, filling the syringe with the vial’s contents. “I doubt you are contagious, but it’s better to be safe, than sorry. Don’t worry. We’ll take good care of him.” Serenity sighed in defeat as Mercury reached for her arm and injected her with the sedative. She wanted to see Helios, but it was hard to argue against medical fact. She didn’t want to risk passing whatever it was she had to him. After Diana promised to sit with Helios in her stead, Serenity snuggled underneath the covers and prayed it would be a dreamless sleep. ***** He had not heard Serenity’s voice in days. Helios was beginning to worry. He knew that she had started attending classes again, but he had grown accustomed to her visiting him before and after school. It was how he kept track of the time. The only reason he knew that days had passed since Serenity last visited him was because Mercury always checked on him once a day in what was probably the early afternoon, shortly before Serenity usually returned from school. Helios didn’t understand why Serenity wasn’t visiting him. Of course he didn’t want her to feel as if she had to stay with him all the time, but he also didn’t want her to completely ignore him either. Then again, maybe it would be better if she did. When he was in his darker, more pessimistic moods, Helios thought it would be best if Serenity simply moved on with her life and forgot about him. There was no telling how long he would remain in his current state, if he even recovered at all, and if that was the case, then she should find somebody else to love, somebody that could make her happy again. That was what he thought. How he actually felt about the idea of her finding someone else, on the other hand… Well, that was a different story. “Has she found a new boyfriend after all?” Helios asked himself aloud on the third day of Serenity’s absence. “Some handsome, athletic high school baseball star, or maybe a straight-A student who offered to help her with her college exam preparations?” Helios shook his head, forcing the pictures of Serenity with another man out of his mind. Even when he told her to find somebody else before leaving for training on the Moon, Serenity had stayed loyal and true to him. As long as there was still hope -- no matter how small -- that they would one day be together again, he knew she would never fall in love with somebody else. So where was she? ***** “The beach, the beach, the beach! Yay!” The moment the taxi arrived at the royal family’s vacation house in Okinawa, Pallas jumped out and immediately ran onto the beach, spinning around in circles. Vesta rolled her eyes in mild disapproval as Juno and the taxi driver started unloading their luggage. “Seriously, how old is that girl?” she asked. “You’d think she’d never been to the beach before.” “Oh, let her have her fun, Vesta,” Ceres said, peering over the rims of her stylish sunglasses. “It isn’t often we go on holiday, and I, for one, intend to enjoy myself. We should all enjoy the time off, right, Serenity-sama?” “R-Right,” Serenity agreed, though without much enthusiasm. Despite it being the purpose of the trip, she doubted she would have much fun. She already felt guilty for leaving Helios behind without saying goodbye, but she had been afraid she might change her mind about going if she saw him. “Are you feeling okay?” Ceres asked as Juno and Vesta began taking the luggage inside. She placed a hand on Serenity’s forehead. “I know Mercury-sama gave you a clean bill of health, but maybe you should have stayed in bed for a little while longer.” “I’m fine,” she said. Physically, it was true. After a couple days of rest, Serenity had fully recovered from her bout of illness, though she still felt tired at times. To prove she was okay, she grabbed her suitcase and followed the others into the house. “Come on!” “You know, Serenity-sama, I’m glad you changed your mind about going on vacation,” Juno said once they -- minus Pallas -- were all inside. “I think this trip is exactly what you need.” “I wonder where Misa-chan’s house is,” Vesta mused. “Maybe we could invite her and her friends over for a house party. It could be a real blast!” “Yeah, maybe,” Serenity said, trying harder to sound enthusiastic about the idea. Truthfully, though, she had just wanted to spend the weekend by herself. It was her mother who had insisted she take the others along with her on the trip, and she didn’t exactly relish the idea of hanging out with a bunch of classmates who she barely knew. “I’m going up to my room to unpack,” she announced to the others, heading up the stairs to her room with her suitcase in hand. The room was smaller than her bedroom at the palace, but still spacious and comfortable. A door led to a private Western-style bathroom with a Jacuzzi bathtub and separate shower, and she had access to one of the balconies looking out onto the beach. Sliding the glass door to the side, Serenity stepped out onto the balcony, the sea breeze blowing through her hair as she looked down at the beach below her. Though it was faint, she could hear Pallas, splashing around at the water’s edge, singing a silly little tune about living under the sea from a twentieth century anime. Serenity sighed, wondering if she would ever be that carefree and happy ever again. She returned back inside, sliding the door back close behind her, and unzipped her suitcase, digging around inside until she found her senshi communicator. As a favor to her, Diana had stayed behind in Crystal Tokyo to keep watch over Helios. Serenity pressed the button linking to Diana and waited for her to answer. “Diana here,” her guardian cat said, her human face appearing in the video screen. “Are you in Okinawa already, Serenity-sama? I wasn‘t expecting to hear from you until later.” “We’ve just arrived at the house,” Serenity replied, taking a seat on the bed. “How is Helios? Any change?” Diana regretfully shook her head. “His condition is the same as it has been. He’s still asleep.” “I see.” A part of Serenity was relieved. As much as she wanted Helios to wake from his coma, she also wanted to be there when it happened and hoped he would not awaken while she was gone. “What about you?” Diana asked. “Are you feeling better yet?” “I feel…lost.” That wasn’t quite the word she meant, but it was the first that came to mind. “I don’t know if I should be here, Diana. Maybe coming here was a bad idea.” “You only just arrived, right? Give it a chance. You might enjoy yourself.” “Maybe…” Just then, there was a knock on her door. “Diana, there’s someone at the door. I’ll talk to you later, okay?” “Talk to you later,” she agreed. “Oh, and Serenity-sama?” “Hmm?” “Try to relax, okay?” Without responding, Serenity disconnected and walked over to answer the door. It was Ceres and Juno, both already dressed in their swimsuits. Ceres’ was a yellow bikini printed with daisies, topped with a sheer sarong tied around her waist and a wide-brim straw hat to protect her fair skin, while Juno wore a simple green one-piece with a pair of denim cut-offs. “Were you talking with someone just now?” Ceres asked, popping her head in the room and lifting up her sunglasses as she looked inside. “We thought we heard someone else’s voice.” “I called Diana on the communicator to check on Helios,” Serenity said, placing said communicator in her pocket. “No change.” “Ah.” The two senshi gave her sympathetic looks. “Well, anyway, change into your swimsuit and come down to the beach with us,” Juno said, quickly changing the subject. “Vesta’s already down there, setting up the net.” “I’m not really in the mood, Juno…” “Serenity-sama, we are not going to allow you to lock yourself in your room and mope all weekend. We are under very strict orders from the queen to make sure you relax and have some fun.” “Mama said that?” “She did, so we expect to see you on the beach in ten minutes.” To further indicate her point, Juno tapped the face of her water-proof watch. “Ten minutes, you hear? Not a second later!” Not giving Serenity the chance to protest, Juno yanked Ceres by the arm and led her away, Ceres mouthing “I’m sorry” before disappearing down the stairs. Serenity sighed and began unbuttoning her shirt as she walked back toward the bed. It seemed she had no choice; they were determined to make sure she had fun, whether she liked it or not. *Well, maybe it won’t be too bad,* Serenity thought as she once again dug around her suitcase and pulled out her pink-and-white polka- dotted bikini. After changing, she headed down to the beach, where her senshi had begun a game of beach volleyball: Ceres and Pallas versus Juno and Vesta. As it was a private beach, nobody else was around. Serenity laid out a towel near the court and caught Juno’s attention. “Hey, Serenity-sama, come join us!” she shouted, waving Serenity over to hers and Vesta’s side of the court. On the other side, Pallas pouted, hands on her hips. “Hey, no fair! Why does she get to join you guys?” “Because we asked first, that‘s why,” Vesta retorted, sticking out her tongue. Pallas responded in kind. Serenity, not wanting to start an argument, declined the invitations from both sides and took a seat on the towel. “You guys play without me,” she said. “I’m feeling a little worn out from the trip. I think I’m going to read some manga and sunbathe for a while.” “But Serenity-sama --” Ceres reached for Pallas’ elbow and shook her head, murmuring something in Pallas’ ear that Serenity couldn’t hear. Whatever she said seemed to convince Pallas to leave Serenity alone, for which Serenity was grateful. Grabbing the ball, Pallas jogged to the back of the court and began the next serve. Serenity reached into the bag she had brought with her and pulled out a bottle of sunscreen. After slathering on the sunscreen, she took off her bikini top -- feeling no need for modesty with only her senshi around -- and laid down on her stomach to read the shoujo manga anthology she had picked up at the airport. The anthology was filled with new chapters of some of her favorite series, but Serenity found herself unable to enjoy them. Halfway through yet another star-crossed love story, she wished she had bought a shonen magazine instead. It didn’t help that almost all of bishonen heroes reminded her of Helios in some way. With a sigh, she tossed the magazine aside and rested her head on her folded arms. *This was a bad idea*, she thought, watching as Pallas face- faulted into the sand while trying to stop the ball from falling on their side of the court. *Everybody wants me to relax and have fun, but how can I? It’s impossible. It’s not like I can flip a switch and forget that Helios is in a coma.* The ball rolled out of bounds, coming to a stop in front of Serenity’s face. She made no move to return it. Vesta jogged over to retrieve the ball, giving Serenity a look of pity before returning back to the game. Deciding she had enough, Serenity gathered her things and headed back inside the house, holing herself in her room for the rest of the night. DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon is the property of Naoko Takeuchi. AUTHOR'S NOTES: Any comments or criticisms can be sent to me at ElysionDream@aol.com. Special thanks to my editor Starsea.