WARNING: Some discussion of suicide. Chapter 10 The moment Serenity and her senshi returned to the palace the next morning, Serenity sprinted up to Helios’ room. She didn’t even wait to greet her parents. “Serenity-sama, you’re home.” Diana was sitting in the chair beside Helios’ bed in her human form, a magazine, which she had been reading aloud, in her hands. However, she vacated the chair as soon as Serenity walked through the door. “How is he?” Serenity asked, taking a seat in the chair. She reached for Helios’ hand and pressed it against her lips in a kiss. Coming up behind her, Diana placed one of her hands on Serenity‘s shoulder. “I’m afraid there’s been no change in his condition,” she informed her. “But what about you?” “What about me?” “Mercury-sama told us you almost drowned last night trying to save a child‘s life. She said you were fine, physically, at least, but are you?” Releasing Helios’ hand, Serenity sat back in her chair and sighed. The last time Ceres had checked in with the rescuers, just before they left, they had yet to find the boy’s body, and the man in charge said it was unlikely they ever would. They were planning to search for a few more hours, but would most likely give up if they didn’t find anything by noon. Nobody had filed a missing child’s report in the area, so a search and recovery mission for an anonymous boy -- who may or may not even exist -- wasn’t considered high priority, even at the request of the crown princess. “I’m…okay,” Serenity said after a long pause, not sure if she believed the claim herself or not. She was still pretty shaken up by the previous night’s events, but building the memorial for the boy had helped her to begin to accept what had happened. Perhaps sensing that Serenity wasn’t ready to talk about it, Diana didn’t press her for more information. “It’s strange, though,” she said mostly to herself, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. “Two near-drownings in one night…” Serenity whipped her head around, catching the last part. “Two? What are you talking about, Diana?” “You mean, you haven’t heard?” She fully turned around to face Diana. “About what? Who almost drowned?” “Hyperion-sama,” Diana replied, with a frown, “almost around the same time you did. Mercury-sama received the call just minutes before Ceres contacted her about you. Since the ambulance was already on the way to the beach house, she first tended to him, then checked on your status. She ended up spending the night teleporting between Okinawa, Elysion, and here to check on Helios-sama. She didn‘t tell you?” “No, she didn’t mention it. Neither did the girls.” Although, come to think of it, Mercury hadn’t been at the beach house when she and the others had come down for breakfast. She had asked the others about her absence, but Juno had made some quick excuse about how Mercury was probably needed at the hospital and had left early. It seemed a reasonable explanation at the time, so Serenity hadn’t thought anything of it. “They probably didn’t want to worry you,” Diana said, knowing exactly what Serenity was thinking. “But Hyperion-sama? What happened? Is he okay?” “He’s recovering. It was a close call, though. Had Aurora-san not pulled him out of the lake in time…” Diana let the rest of the thought die in the air, wrapping her arms around herself as if she felt a chill as she slid off the bed and walked over to the window. “I overheard Mercury-sama explaining what happened to the king and queen,” she continued in a softer voice. “They think… They think he might have been trying to commit suicide.” “What?” Serenity jumped up from her chair, joining Diana at the window. “Suicide? But he’s just a little kid.” “A kid who has suffered through far more than any child should have to endure.” Serenity couldn’t argue against that, but… “Are they certain?” “He didn’t leave a letter, but they aren’t ruling out the possibility. According the Maenads, he rarely eats, and he still won’t talk to anybody, not even Endymion-sama. The king is at his wit’s end. He doesn’t know what to do.” “Papa…” “I’m worried about Endymion-sama, too,” Diana admitted. “He’s not doing well.” “What do you mean?” “The king has been locking himself away in his study, doing some sort of mysterious research. Days can go by without a single person seeing him, including your mother, and he‘s been ignoring practically all his royal duties.” That was the first time Serenity had heard about it, although when she thought about it, she couldn‘t even remember the last time she spoke to her father. She ate most of her meals in Helios’ room and spent the majority of her time with him, so she didn’t have much opportunity. “Research? What kind of research?” Diana shook her head. “Nobody knows. He refuses to tell anyone. I’m not sure if even the queen knows. Whenever Okaa-sama or Otou-sama ask her about him, she just tells them not to bother him. I saw him last night, though, when I accompanied Mercury-sama to inform your parents about what happened to you.” The catgirl closed her eyes. “He’s wasting away, Serenity-sama. He’s almost unrecognizable. It looked like he hadn’t slept or bathed in days, and he’s lost quite a bit of weight. He and your mother wanted to go to Okinawa with Mercury -sama to make sure you were okay, but, when she saw him, Mercury insisted he stay and get some much needed rest. He looked about ready to collapse from exhaustion, so she gave him a sedative to sleep. Your mother decided to stay with him.” “I had no idea…” Serenity murmured, leaning against the edge of Helios‘ bed. “Why didn’t you tell me about this until now, Diana?” “We didn’t want to worry you. You‘ve been so depressed yourself…” *I need to see Papa,* Serenity thought, standing back up and walking toward the door. Diana knew exactly what she thinking and answered her unasked question. “If the king is awake, he’s probably in his private study.” “Thank you,” she said, turning back around when she reached the door. “Would you mind staying with Helios for a little while longer? I shouldn‘t be long.” “Of course.” ***** Suicide. Helios had to strain to hear the rest of Serenity’s and Diana’s conversation, as they had apparently moved to another area of the room, but the word sent a chill down Helios’ spine that had nothing to do with the ever- present freezing temperature of the void. Any happiness he had felt at hearing his maiden’s voice again after a long break had vanished at the news of Hyperion’s possible suicide attempt. Since he fell into the coma, most of Helios’ thoughts had focused on Serenity. Every once in a while, usually when Eos or Aurora came to check on his condition, Helios wondered why he hadn’t heard Hyperion’s voice, but the boy’s absence at his bedside had not concerned him too much. At Hyperion's current power level and ability, he was most likely unable to handle a trip to the human realm. One of the few memories Helios had of his early life as priest of Elysion was of how he had to live in Elysion for a full year before his powers were strong enough to support a return to his home world. Eos and Aurora talked little about the boy, but then again, they rarely spoke about anything of importance during their short bedside visits. Eos mostly just wept and prayed, while Aurora had taken to Serenity’s habit of reading aloud to him, although her choice of literature were stories from the old kingdom, written in a language only he and the Maenads still spoke. Since they hadn’t mentioned anything, Helios had assumed things were going as well as could be expected in Elysion, but in truth, it was probably wishful thinking that allowed him to come to such a conclusion. Had the situation truly been fine, Eos and Aurora would have assured him so; the fact that they didn’t could only mean they had been avoiding the subject while around him. “What have I done?” Helios asked himself, covering his mouth with his hand. He felt sick to his stomach, the knot of guilt over his actions growing ever larger. “This wasn’t supposed to happen. Hyperion… Oh, I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” Helios thought back to the first time he met the boy he had chosen to be his successor. An orphan, Hyperion’s parents had both died in a tragic boating accident when he was only five years old. He had been the only survivor. Since he had no other family, he had been placed in an orphanage, where he was known as a loner, a shy, withdrawn boy who rarely ever spoke. Hyperion, however, had a vivid imagination. Despite his sad circumstances, his dreams were always filled with hope and love, beautiful worlds of happiness where he could go to forget his grief. Most importantly, he had possessed a beautiful dream -- a dream to once again feel the love of a family. Sadly, the odds of him being adopted were slim to none. Older children were often passed over in favor of babies or toddlers, and Hyperion’s introverted personality did little to endear him to prospective parents. It was the night after Hyperion had been rejected by yet another couple looking to adopt that Helios first visited the boy in his dream, sensing the potential in him. Though he was unaware of his powers at the time, Hyperion was a Dream Walker -- a person born with the rare ability to enter other people’s dreams. Many of his dreams were, in fact, the dreams of the other children of the orphanage whose dreamscapes he had unwittingly entered while sleeping. Only a Dream Walker had the potential to become priest of the dreamworld Elysion, a post also known by the title “guardian of dreams.” Hyperion -- then known by his birth name, Yumeno Hikaru -- took to Helios almost immediately, and the same went for Helios. Helios nightly visited the boy in his dreams, teaching him about his newfound powers and how to control them, as it was generally considered bad manners to walk into somebody’s private dream without good cause as he had been doing. They also spent time in Elysion, a place Hikaru soon considered his second home. After several months of observation and training, it became clear to Helios that Hikaru was indeed the best candidate to succeed him as priest of Elysion. With no friends or family to tie him, Hikaru had little attachment to the human realm, so when Helios came to him with the idea, he eagerly agreed, despite knowing the sacrifices he would have to make. King Endymion and Neo- Queen Serenity arranged it so that Hikaru was “adopted” by a wealthy Greek man by the name of Helios Nikolopoulos, looking for an heir to his vast shipping fortune. The adoption, so to speak, was “off the books” so as not to leave a paper trail, and the orphanage received funding for a new, state-of-the-art playground and gymnasium in gratitude for its cooperation and discretion in the matter. When Yumeno Hikaru vanished from the face of the Earth a short time later, there was no investigation into his disappearance, and the rest of his public records were destroyed under royal orders. Hikaru -- who had taken the name Hyperion as an acolyte -- adjusted quickly to his new home in Elysion. Eos and Aurora had doted on the cute little boy like proud aunts, and Helios’ fatherly affection toward him grew stronger every day. The four of them became like a family, Hyperion’s treasured dream coming true, and Hyperion gradually came out of his shell, transforming into a happy and cheerful boy, if somewhat absent-minded when it came to his training. Helios had wanted to protect Hyperion from ever feeling such pain and sadness ever again. He thought that by bringing the boy to Elysion, Hyperion could live inside his beautiful dream forever, eternally innocent and untouched by sorrow. How ironic that he would be the one to cause that dream to end. ***** Serenity ran into her mother outside of Helios’ room on her way to her father‘s study. “I thought you might be here,” the elder Serenity said as she embraced her daughter. “How are you, sweetheart? You aren’t hurt anywhere, are you? Your father and I were so worried when we heard what happened. We wanted to go to Okinawa to check on you, but Mercury assured us it wasn‘t necessary.” “I’m fine, Mama,” she assured her mother. Her mother placed her hands on Serenity’s cheeks, stared into her eyes as if trying to discern if she was telling the truth, and frowned. “You still look pale. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to go on vacation so soon after your illness. I thought it would help for you to get away from things for a while and try to have some fun, but…” “Really, I’m okay. Please, don’t worry about me so much.” Her mother brought down her hands, smiling faintly. “I’m your mother; of course I’m going to worry. It‘s my job.” Her smile slipped, however, as she linked her arm with Serenity’s, the two of them continuing their walk down the hall. “I can only imagine the pain that boy’s mother must be going through. My heart goes out to her. It must be pure agony to lose a child. Have they managed to identify him yet? I‘d like to send his parents our condolences.” Serenity shook her head. “They haven’t found his body yet, and nobody has filed a missing child’s report in the area.” “I see.” Coming to the end of the hallway, where the path split into two, the elder Serenity paused. “Where were you going?” “Papa‘s study. Diana says he has been spending a lot of time in there lately.” “So you know.“ Her mother sighed, releasing her hold on Serenity’s arm. “That he has. I rarely see your father these days. Sometimes he doesn’t even make it to bed at night, especially as of late. To be honest, I’m starting to really worry about him. He feels so guilty about what happened to Helios-sama, and now Hyperion-sama…” “What has Papa been doing in his study?” “I don’t know,” she admitted with a shake of her head. “He’s been reading books in languages I’ve never even seen before. I think he’s looking for something, but I haven’t asked what it is. I don’t want to invade his privacy. If he thought it was something I should know, I’m sure he would have told me. Instead, I just try to keep out of his way and pick up the slack in regards to his royal duties. It‘s the only way I can be of help.” Serenity thought back to the morning after Helios fell into the coma. Eos had said something about her father borrowing some books from Elysion’s library. Those were probably the books her mother was referring to. “Can I see him?” “He doesn’t normally like to be disturbed when he‘s doing his research, but I’m sure he’ll make an exception to welcome you back home. Come, I’ll take you to him.” Serenity followed her mother to the royal suite. Inside her parents’ bedroom, the elder Serenity walked over to the door leading to the study/office and lightly knocked. “Mamo-chan, you have a guest,” she announced in a soft voice, calling him by the affectionate nickname she only used in private. “Send them away, Usa-ko,” he ordered. “I told you I don’t have the time to deal with diplomatic matters.” “It’s Sma-- I mean, Usagi. She’s returned from Okinawa and would like to see you.” They heard the squeak from a chair from inside the office, and a few moments later, the door opened, revealing the ragged sight of the king. “Usagi!” He greeted her with a hug. “When did you get back?” he asked. “We weren’t expecting you to return from Okinawa until evening.” “Just a little over half an hour ago. We came back early. I… Well, it wasn’t much of a vacation.” “So I heard.” Her father pulled her into another hug, holding her longer and tighter than he had the first time, and kissed the top of her head. “I’m so glad you weren’t hurt,” he said, he voice cracking. “I don’t know what I…” “Papa, I’m fine,” Serenity assured him, gently releasing herself from his embrace and away from his less-than-shower-fresh odor. “You’re the one I’m worried about.” “I’ll let the two of you have some privacy,” her mother said. “I have a meeting to attend.” After the door closed behind her mother, Serenity took a good look at her father’s appearance for the first time since that morning in the hospital when he told her there was nothing the could do to awaken Helios from his coma. Like Diana had told her, he seemed to have lost a small amount of weight, and behind his wire-rimmed reading glasses, she took note of the shadows underneath his cobalt eyes, indicating a severe lack of sleep. His dark hair, usually perfectly coiffed, was greasy, disheveled, and badly in need of a trim, while the stubble on his cheeks and chin made him look more like a mad scientist than the king of Crystal Tokyo. Guiltily, Serenity wondered why she hadn’t noticed what kind of toll the events of the past few weeks had taken on her father. Had she been so wrapped up in her own grief that she had been blinded to everything else? Noticing her staring at his wild hair, her father self-consciously ran his fingers through the tangled mess on the top of his head, trying to restore it to some semblance of order. “Ah, I’ve been meaning to get a cut,” he said, “but things have been kind of crazy as of late. I barely have time to eat, much less make an appointment at the salon. Your mother has always wanted me to wear my hair long, though, so I’m thinking I’ll humor her for once. Maybe even grow a goatee. What do you think? Do you think I can pull it off?” Serenity didn’t answer him, instead walking past him into the study over his objections. Despite her father’s reputation for being a bit of a neat-freak, the entire room was in disarray, with countless stacks of books, scrolls, and papers placed around the room seemingly at random, making it difficult to even walk. There was only a narrow pathway cleared away, leading from the door to his large oak desk in the center of the room, which too appeared to be a mess of unorganized chaos. She walked over to the desk, mindful not to knock anything over, and chose a book at random from one of the stacks. It had a black leather cover, and the title was written in gold script across the front, although it was in a language Serenity had never seen before. The edge of the book’s pages were also gilded in gold. Carefully, so not to lose the pages her father had marked with red ribbon, she flipped through the first few sections of the book. It was written in the same strange language as the title. “What language is this?” she asked, turning back toward her father, who had joined her. “I’ve never seen characters like this.” Her father, paling, snatched the book out of her hands, clutching it against his chest. Serenity stared at him in confusion, not understanding his behavior. “Papa?” “I-I’m sorry,” he said, placing the book out of sight, underneath some scattered pages which were also covered with the unfamiliar writing, along with some Japanese kanji and another language that might have been Greek. Leaning against the desk, his hands gripping the edge, her father inhaled deeply before finally answering her previous question. “Terran -- that book was written in Terran.” “Terran?” “It was the official language of the Golden Kingdom.” Straightening back up, he took off his reading glasses and turned back around to face Serenity. “I only remember a few words and phrases, though. To the best of my knowledge, there are only three people in the world who still fluently speak it: Eos-san, Aurora-san, and…” “And Helios,” Serenity completed for him, her voice soft as she realized what he must be doing. “Is that what you are doing, Papa? Are you studying these Terran books in order to find a way to awaken Helios from his coma?” There was a short silence before the king sat back down at the desk, his head in his hands. “I found an old Terran-Greek dictionary at the shrine,” he explained. “I’ve been attempting to translate these old Terran texts into Greek, then into Japanese, but this is such an archaic form of Greek… I have to translate the ancient Greek into modern Greek before I can even try to decipher what it all means in Japanese.” Frowning, Serenity picked up a sheet of paper that showed several translations of what she assumed were the same words. “Can’t you ask Mercury- sama to use her Mercury Computer to translate all this for you?” “Computers -- even the Mercury Computer -- are notoriously unreliable when it comes to translation. At best, they can give you a vague idea what a sentence means. At worst, you get a headache trying to wade through all the bad grammar and incorrect words. As far as we’ve come with technology, translation is still best left to the human brain.” “Then why don’t you ask Eos-chan and Aurora-chan? You said they were fluent in Ter--” He shook his head. “I have to do this myself,” he interrupted before she could finish. “I can’t ask them, not when it’s my fau--” He cut himself off, his fingers yanking at his roots. “I just feel like I have to do this on my own,” he continued, his voice lowering to just barely over a whisper. “Eos- san and Aurora-san have enough on their plates without me burdening them with something like this.” “Papa…” After clearing away the stack of books sitting in the armchair in front of the desk, Serenity dragged it to a spot near her father and took a seat, placing a comforting hand on his arm. “It wasn’t your fault, Papa,” she said. “I don’t blame you for what happened to Helios, and neither do the Maenads. It was just an accident. Nobody could have known what would happen at the ceremony.” “It doesn’t matter, Usagi. I was the one who agreed to perform the ceremony. I understood there might be risks, but I knew how much you and Helios loved each other and wanted to be together. I only wanted to make you happy, yet I…” Her father covered his eyes with his left hand, but not before Serenity noticed a tear streaming down the side of his face, his shoulders shuddering underneath her touch. It was a rare sight to see her father -- a man known for his calm temperament -- cry. Serenity could probably count all the times she had seen him breakdown in front of her using only the fingers of one hand. Unsure of how to react in such a situation, she pulled her hand away and was about to leave the study to give him some privacy when he reached over and stopped her. She resumed her seat, sitting quietly by his side until he regained control of his emotions. “I’m sorry,” he apologized, wiping away the remainder of his tears with his hands. “I don’t -- I didn’t mean…” “Papa, you’re tired and stressed out. Mama says you haven’t been getting much rest lately. Take a break and go get some sleep. If you don’t take care of yourself, you’re going to fall ill like I did.” He shook his head and began shuffling around some papers. “I can’t. I’m supposed to leave for Elysion in a couple of hours to check on Hyperion, although I don’t know what I possibly can do to help him. He won’t talk to me; he won’t talk to anybody. It’s like he’s completely closed himself off. He‘s in so much pain, but we can‘t do anything to help him if continues shutting us out like this.” “Is it… Is it true that Hyperion-sama was trying to kill himself?” Serenity asked, remembering the rumor Diana had told her. Her father looked at her, seemingly surprised that she had heard that particular piece of information, then sighed. “It is unclear exactly what happened last night. He could have been merely sleepwalking.” “Does he have a history of sleepwalking?” “I don’t know. Not to my knowledge, no.” Leaning back in his chair, he pinched the bridge of his nose. “I wish the explanation was as simple as that, though.” “Papa…” “How much more tragedy can one child suffer?” he said, talking more to himself than anyone in particular. “He’s already lost one set of parents, and now Helios, who loved him as if he were his own son… He must feel as if he’s lost his father all over again.” “Helios thought of Hyperion-sama as his son?” “Yes, very much so. It was Hyperion’s most treasured dream to be a part of a family again after his parents’ deaths, and Helios and the Maenads fulfilled that dream for him. The four of them became a close-knit family.” “I had no idea…” Serenity murmured. She barely remembered Hyperion from the night Helios first fell into the coma. Her attention had been focused solely on Helios. She only recalled seeing the young boy clinging to Eos, then fainting when her father and Mercury had teleported Helios to the hospital. Serenity had left for Crystal Tokyo soon afterwards, too caught up in her grief to give the boy a second thought. But maybe there was something she could do to help. She didn’t have the power to awaken Helios, but she could reach out to the boy he considered his son. She had to at least try, for Helios’ sake. “Papa, let me go to Elysion,” she said, surprising her father. “What? Usagi, I --” Serenity reached for his hand, giving it a squeeze. “You need to get some rest, so send me instead. Let me help.” He considered her offer. “It’s true that he may be more willing to open up to you,” he admitted. “You’re virtually a stranger to Hyperion, and sometimes it can be easier unburden yourself to somebody you don’t know…” “But?” “Are you certain you feel up to it? I mean, considering what happened last night?” “It’s all the more reason why I want to go. I may not have been able to save that boy, but maybe I can save Hyperion-sama,” she said. “I‘d at least like to try. Please, I need to do this.” After a short silence, her father finally agreed. “It’s worth a shot, I suppose. I’m certainly not getting through to him.” Serenity stood back up and gave her father a hug. “Thank you. I’ll try my best.” DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon is the property of Naoko Takeuchi. AUTHOR’S NOTE: Any comments or criticisms can be sent to me at ElysionDream@aol.com. Special thanks to my editor, Starsea. The name Yumeno Hikaru means “light of dreams”.