Chapter 11 Around noon, Serenity teleported to the shrine in Elysion with only one companion, Diana, in tow. The two of them were greeted upon their arrival by Eos and Aurora, who bowed their heads in deference. Unlike the last time Serenity had come to Elysion, the day of her birthday, there was a marked solemnity between the two Maenads. They didn’t even smile. “Thank you for coming, Your Highness,” Aurora said, looking up. “The king informed us you would be coming in his stead. Has there been any change in Helios- sama’s condition?” “He’s the same,” Serenity replied, handing her suitcase to Eos. “And Hyperion -sama?” Eos sighed. “Physically, he’s doing better, but he’s still blocking us out, I’m afraid.” With a motion to follow her, Eos started down one of the shrine’s halls. “I hope you don’t mind staying here at the shrine instead of the palace,” she said as she led them through what appeared to be the shrine’s living quarters. “With such short notice, there wasn’t time to prepare for a proper royal visit. Endymion-sama wasn‘t intending to stay overnight.” “It’s fine. There’s little point in me staying in the palace by myself anyway.” “Your senshi are not coming?” “I’m in little danger here in Elysion, so I told them to take some time off,” Serenity explained, frowning as she remembered their reaction to her decision when she had told them the news. Ceres and the others had all wanted to come with her, but this was something she needed to deal with on her own. To be honest, she hadn’t even wanted to take Diana with her on the trip. However, her guardian cat had insisted on accompanying her in the senshi’s place, an idea her parents approved of. “It’s summer break; they should have the chance to relax and do things on their own.” “I see. I’m sorry to call you out here on your break.” Serenity shrugged. “I don’t mind. I had no plans.” The four of them stopped in front of a closed door at the end of the hallway. After pulling out a key from her pocket, Aurora stepped forward and unlocked it. “This is -- I mean, was Helios-sama’s room,” she announced, showing them inside. “I’m afraid it’s the only spare bedroom we have. If you would rather not sleep here, though, Eos and I don’t mind sharing and giving up one of our rooms. We were planning to do so anyway, if your senshi came with you.” “No, this room is fine,” Serenity said, looking around. The room was neat and clean, and she could tell Helios had been in the middle of packing up his things the last time he was there. There was a stack of cardboard boxes in one corner of the room and an opened trunk at the foot of the bed filled with books and clothes. “We’ve straightened things up a little and changed the sheets, of course, but the room is mostly how he left it. Hyperion-sama was to move to this room after Helios-sama left, but…“ Aurora’s voice trailed off. “Well, none of us felt right about packing up his things.” Serenity barely paid attention to Aurora’s words, her eyes drawn to a watercolor painting hanging on the wall. It was the only piece of artwork in the room, displayed in a beautiful wooden frame gilded with gold. She walked over to the drawing and lifted it from the hook. “He kept it…” she murmured, her fingers lightly raking over the Pegasus in the painting, the same one that featured in her dreams. A small shiver traveled up her spine, remembering how the Pegasus in the dream painting always died. She half- expected to see the painting to come to life, just like in her nightmare, but it remained mercifully still. “Is there anything else you need, Serenity-sama?” Eos asked. “Diana?” As Serenity was still preoccupied with the painting, Diana answered for the both of them. “I think we’re set for now. Thank you.” “If you need anything, just call for us.” The Maenads were just about to leave when Serenity turned back around, remembering the reason why she had come. “Wait,” she said, and the two paused at the door. “Where is Hyperion-sama at the moment?” “He’s in the middle of a prayer session,” Aurora answered. “He should be finished in about an hour or so, though.” Serenity nodded her understanding. “Good, I’ll try to speak to him then.” After the Maenads left, Diana transformed into her human form and began unpacking Serenity’s things. “Have you decided what you are going to say Hyperion-sama yet?” As she placed the painting back on its hook, Serenity sighed and shook her head. “No idea.” It was easy enough to say she wanted to help, but she was clueless as to how to do so. She hadn’t thought that far ahead. “Then why did you decide to come?” Diana asked, frowning in confusion. “Ceres and the others practically had to force you to go to Okinawa because you didn‘t want to leave Helios-sama‘s side, yet it was your idea to come here, leaving him again.” “I’m…not sure, to be honest,” she confessed. “I just sensed it was important that I come here, like Helios wanted me to come here. Papa told me that Helios loved Hyperion-sama like a son, so I think he would want me to try to help Hyperion-sama if I could.” Turning around, Serenity announced, “I’m going for a walk. Hopefully, I’ll run into Hyperion-sama before he returns to his room.” Serenity left without inviting Diana to come with her. Though Helios’ room was in an area of the shrine she was not familiar with, it was easy enough to navigate back to the main hall. From there, she made her way outside to the rose garden surrounding the shrine. It was obvious that the garden had fallen into disarray in Helios’ absence. The bushes needed to be trimmed, and weeds had begun to sprout uncontrollably. Serenity saw signs that somebody had attempted to make the garden presentable, but they had given up partway, most likely finding the task too big an undertaking. Taking a seat on a vine-covered stone bench, Serenity plucked a rose from the bush behind her and twirled the stem between her thumb and pointer finger. The blood-red petals fell lifelessly to the ground. She sighed and tossed the dead rose aside. It wasn’t only Eos and Aurora; the entire shrine felt cloaked in melancholy. Even the mysterious sun, which shined over Elysion despite its location at the center of the Earth, seemed less bright, peaking through rarely seen clouds. “The land is mirroring Hyperion-sama’s emotions,” Serenity murmured to herself, looking upwards toward the prayer tower, which stood on top of the shrine. Squinting, she could just barely make out the outline of the young boy kneeling in front of the tower in prayer. If he was speaking or chanting anything, Serenity could not hear it. The only sound she heard was that of the moaning wind. Serenity reached into the hidden pocket of her dress and pulled out the Crystal Carillon. “Helios, tell me what I should do,” she whispered, staring down at the bell in her hand. “How can I get through to him?” Of course, the bell provided no answers. With a heavy sigh, Serenity put it back in her pocket and stood up. A glance up at the prayer tower revealed Hyperion had finished with his prayers. The boy was slowly making his way down the flight of stairs leading to the rose garden. Serenity situated herself near the bottom of the stairs, where he would be certain to see her, and waited for her chance. When Hyperion finally reached the end of the staircase, Serenity stepped forward, tapping him on the shoulder. “Hyperion-sama.” The boy, rather than startled, continued walking past her, as if he wasn’t even aware of her presence. It was like he was in some kind of trance, his vacant silver eyes staring straight ahead. Serenity, concerned that he might try to drown himself in the lake again or something equally dangerous, followed after him, but he headed back to the living quarters, going into the room directly across the hall from Helios’. “I suppose that must be his room,” Serenity said to herself. Waiting a couple of minutes after the door closed behind him, she went up to the door and lightly knocked. Though it was unlikely he would answer, it was worth a try. “Hyperion-sama?” As expected, she received no response. “Hyperion-sama, you don’t know me,” she began again, not willing to give up so easily, “but my name is Serenity. I’m the crown princess of Crystal Tokyo, and I’d really like to meet you. May I come in?” Again, no answer. Serenity reached for the doorknob, surprised she was unable to turn it. “Locked?” She frowned and knocked for a second time. “Please, Hyperion-sama, open the door. I want to talk to you.” At that moment, Aurora exited the room next door -- presumably, her bedroom -- and came up beside Serenity. “He won’t talk to you?” she asked. Serenity shook her head. “I thought I could catch him before he went back to his room, but it was like he didn’t notice me at all.” “Let me try.” Serenity moved to the side, allowing Aurora to try her luck. “Hyperion-sama, it’s me, Aurora,” the Maenad said, jiggling the doorknob in her hand. Her voice was sharp and severe, like a mother scolding her child. “Unlock this door right now. You are being very rude to Her Highness, who came all this way just to meet you. As the guardian priest of Earth’s royal family, this behavior is unacceptable.” Aurora sighed, her voice softening when Hyperion failed to come out. “Look, I know you’re hurting. We all are, Serenity-sama especially; that’s why I think it would be a good idea if you two talked. Will you please open the door for us?” The two of them waited a few more moments, but the door still remained close. “In that case, I have no choice,” Aurora said, pulling out a set of gold-plated keys. Serenity, however, grabbed Aurora’s wrist before she could unlock it. “No, don’t. I don’t think it’s a good idea to force him to meet me like this.” “But, Your Highness --” “I’ll keep trying to reach out to him on my own,” she said, turning to the door and placing her palm against the smooth oak. “It’s okay, Hyperion-sama. Get some rest; you must be tired after your prayer session. We can meet some other time. I’ll be looking forward to it.” With that, Serenity headed back to her own room across the hall, Aurora following after her. “I must apologize for Hyperion-sama’s behavior, Your Highness,” Aurora apologized, bowing. “I assure you that Helios-sama did not raise that boy to be so rude. Hyperion-sama is usually polite and respectful.” I know, Aurora-chan.” Serenity looked over once more at Hyperion’s door. “Like you said, he’s hurting, and I think I understand a little how he feels. My mother once fell into a coma during an enemy attack. It was one of the worst periods of my life, not knowing if she would live or die. It‘s a horrible feeling.” *Especially since I was the one who stole her crystal, leaving her defenseless against the Black Moon’s attack,* Serenity added silently to herself. Even after all the years that had passed, she still blamed herself for what had happened. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to push the memory away. “Do you think you can get through to him?” the Maenad asked, breaking Serenity from her thoughts. “I don’t know, but I have to try.” ***** Serenity lay fully awake in Helios’ bed later that evening, her eyes staring up at the ceiling and her hands folded on top of her stomach. She could not sleep, her thoughts focused on the sad little boy who had become priest of Elysion. Though she had tried several more times throughout the day to speak to him, Hyperion had remained locked in his room, save for the period when he went back out to the tower for his evening prayers. “What should I do?” she asked herself aloud, keeping her voice a whisper so not to awake Diana, who was curled up in a ball at the foot of the bed in a deep sleep. “Why did I even come here? I don‘t --” A door creaked open. Startled by the sound in the absolute quiet of the shrine, Serenity bolted upright and began nudging at Diana with her foot. “Diana, Diana! Did you hear that?” she hissed. Her guardian cat remained asleep, not even cracking open an eyelid. “I guess not.” Serenity fumbled around in the darkness until she found a set of matches on the bedside table. Unlike the Golden Palace, the shrine had not been outfitted with modern electricity. There was just enough moonlight pouring though the windows for Serenity to strike one of the matches and light the lantern provided for her. With lantern in hand, she then climbed out of the bed and walked over to the door, sticking her head out into the hall. “Eos-chan? Aurora-chan? Is that you?” Serenity held up her lantern so she could better see. The door across from her was slightly ajar. “Hyperion-sama?” She padded over to Hyperion’s room and further opened the door. Inside, the bed was empty, blankets and pillows strewn about as if the occupant had been tossing and turning in his sleep. There was no sign of the young priest, though his lantern remained sitting on the bedside table, unlit. *Has he gone to the lake again?* Serenity thought, her chest tightening at the idea. Without bothering to go back to her room and put on a robe, Serenity headed outside, walking as fast as could without letting the lantern go out. Briefly, she wondered if she should have woken up Eos and Aurora as well and informed them what was going on, but concluded that it would have taken too much time. If Hyperion was planning to drown or harm himself in any way, it was imperative that she find him as soon as possible. The moment she made it outside to the rose garden, she began calling out Hyperion’s name. It didn’t take long before she found him. Following the sound of somebody sobbing, Serenity made her way to the bench where she had sat earlier, waiting for Hyperion to finish his prayers. She held up her lantern and saw the figure of a young boy sitting on the ground beside the bench, his knees drawn up to his chest and his face buried in his folded arms. Serenity, not wanting to scare him off, approached him with caution. When she was close enough, she kneeled down in front of him and placed a gentle hand on top of his golden curls. “Hyperion-sama?” The boy’s sobs quieted, and he slowly lifted up his head. Serenity was struck first by his silver eyes, which were too beautiful to be considered merely gray. They were like two full moons, shining in the darkness of the night. For a moment, the boy stared at her, then he let out a soft gasp. “It’s…you.” His voice was raspy from disuse, and he quickly wiped away his tears with the sleeves of his pajamas. “I saw…you.” Assuming he meant the night of her birthday when Helios had collapsed during the ceremony, she nodded. “Yes, we didn’t officially meet, but I was there --” Hyperion shook his head. “No, before. You told me… And in my dreams…” Again, he hid his face. “It’s all my fault!” “What do you mean?” she asked, confused. “I’m Princess Lady Serenity, Helios’ lover. This is the first time you and I have ever spoken to each other, if I am not mista--” She paused in mid-sentence, bringing a hand to her mouth. That wasn’t true. “It was you, wasn’t it? In my dreams, the young boy… And the beach!” The memory of the boy she had failed to save flashed in her mind. “You didn’t drown… It was an astral projection of what you were going through here in Elysion, in the lake…” Serenity reached for his arm, but Hyperion yanked it away from her. “Don’t touch me!” he said, briefly looking up. However, when he realized what he had said, and to whom, he lowered his eyes in shame. “I’m sorry.” Serenity stood back up and took a seat on the bench, taking in a deep breath as she gathered her thoughts. She needed to be careful with what she said to him. It was a mild victory that Hyperion had actually spoken to her -- something he had not done since Helios’ accident -- but he could just as easily clam up again if she said or did the wrong thing. “What are you doing out here?” she finally asked, breaking the silence that had fallen between them. Though it seemed to her an innocent enough question, Hyperion did not answer. Frowning, Serenity decided to try a different tactic. If he didn’t want to talk to her anymore, then perhaps he would reply to a “yes” or “no” question. “Did you have a bad dream?” Hyperion’s head shot up, and he craned his neck to look at Serenity. For a moment, Serenity thought he might say something. His lips were trembling, and it seemed as if he was struggling with himself. He must have lost the battle, however, for he looked back down without answering, his hands balled up into fists. His reaction all but confirmed Serenity’s suspicions. “It’s okay to admit when a dream scares you,” she said, her voice soft. “I’ve been having a lot of dreams like that myself lately -- nightmares really. Sometimes they scare me so much, I’m afraid to fall asleep,” she admitted. “I’ve found it helps to talk to others about my fears, though. The nightmares have yet to completely go away, but they no longer frighten me as much, because I know I have people who care about me, who will be there for me even if…” Her voice trailed off, and she shook her head. Even now she couldn’t bring herself to say the words aloud. “You know you shouldn’t run off on your own in the middle of the night, Hyperion-sama,” Serenity said instead, bringing the focus back to his problems. He had enough to deal with without being burdened with hers. “I’m not a child,” he said, much to Serenity’s surprise. “I know how to take care of myself.” Despite the seriousness of the conversation, Serenity smiled at his defiant declaration. “I remember feeling that way, too, when I was about your age. I wanted so terribly to be an adult, to become a beautiful lady like my mother…” Her smile disappearing, she sighed and looked down at her hands. They were bigger than they were back then, but just as useless. “Being a child made me feel so helpless, but I realize now that even adults have their weaknesses. They don’t always know the answers to everything.” Hyperion abruptly stood up and dusted the dirt off the back of his pajama pants. “Where are you going?” Serenity asked. He hesitated before saying, “Back to my room.” Serenity frowned. She had hoped Hyperion would open up more to her, but she supposed that was asking too much for their first meeting. As it was, she had already gotten further than the Maenads and her father had, though she didn’t understand how. Had her father’s theory been correct, and Hyperion felt more comfortable with her because she was a stranger, or was it something more? Something to do with the fact that he occasionally appeared in her dreams? In any case, she realized she would not get anything more out of him that night, so she stood up as well and held out her hand. “I’ll walk with you.” Hyperion ignored her offered hand and glanced away. “I said I’m not a child.” “Then be a gentleman and escort a lady back to her room,” Serenity said, taking his arm and placing his hand in the crook of her elbow. Hyperion didn’t let go. The two of them headed back into the shrine, Serenity guiding them through the dark halls with the light of her lantern. Neither of them spoke until stopping in front of Helios’ bedroom. “Thank you, Hyperion-sama,” she said as Hyperion quickly released her elbow. Though it was difficult to see in the dim light, Serenity could have sworn she saw a hint of a blush on his cheeks. “Goodnight, Your Highness,” he said with a polite bow before turning to go to his room across the hall. “Wait.” Serenity reached for his shoulder, forcing him to stop though he didn’t turn to face her. “The next time you have a bad dream, come to me, okay?” she said. “Don’t run off on your own. I’ll listen to whatever you want to say.” Hyperion didn’t respond. With a sigh, Serenity released her grip on him and allowed him to return to his room. DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon is the property of Naoko Takeuchi. AUTHOR’S NOTE: Sorry this is up a little later than usual! Any comments or criticisms can be sent to me at ElysionDream@aol.com. Special thanks to my editor, Starsea.