WARNING: Some discussion of suicide. Chapter 13 Serenity crawled into bed, knowing it would be another restless night. Diana was not there, still keeping guard over Hyperion. Serenity had not seen either one of them since they returned to the shrine. She purposely kept her distance, knowing that she was probably the last person Hyperion wanted to see. With her accusation, she had burned whatever bridge they had built between them -- not that it had ever been that stable in the first place. At least he had finally opened up to her, although she still didn’t quite understand the meaning of his last words to her before running off: “You should hate me most of all, Serenity-sama.” What had he done to make him think she would ever hate him? What had he done to make him think he deserved anybody’s hatred? No answers came to mind as Serenity rolled over onto her side, looking at the Crystal Carillon, which she had set on the nightstand beside her lantern. She reached for the bell and sighed as she ran her fingers across the intricate engravings that decorated it. “I’m sorry, Helios,” she whispered. “I failed once again. I wanted to help him, for your sake, but --” She was startled by the sound of somebody knocking on her door. Serenity placed the Crystal Carillon in the drawer of the nightstand, then walked over to the door. She expected it to be Diana, checking in with her before going to bed, but her eyes widened in shock when she opened the door and saw who her late-night visitor was. “Hyperion-sama!” Without a word, the young boy threw his arms around Serenity’s waist and began to sob uncontrollably into the fabric of her nightgown. Serenity attempted to comfort him, running her fingers through his hair. “It’s okay, it’s okay,” she murmured, looking down to see Diana standing in the doorway. “Another bad dream?” she mouthed to the cat. Diana nodded. Serenity gently pulled away from Hyperion’s embrace and kneeled down in front of him so that they were eye-to-eye. “I’m glad you came to me instead of running off again,” she told him, remembering her words from the previous night. “Do you want to talk about it?” Hyperion shook his head, running the sleeve of his pajamas over his eyes. Serenity didn’t push him for details, not wanting a repeat of the day’s earlier performance, which he seemed to have forgotten in the aftermath of his nightmare. Instead, she took his other hand and stood back up, leading him over to the bed. She sat down on the mattress and reached for the handkerchief Aurora had loaned her, using it to wipe away his tears. “There,” she said as she finished. “Would you like to stay here for the rest of the night?” The dream must have truly upset him, for Hyperion nodded without hesitation. Serenity scooted over to the other side of the bed and lifted up the blanket, inviting him to join her. Though the bed was meant to only hold one person, Hyperion was small enough that he wouldn’t take up much room. He climbed in beside her and snuggled up against her like a frightened child clinging to his mother. Diana joined them as well, curling up against his back. “It’s going to be okay,” Serenity whispered, kissing the top of his head. “I’m here. You don’t have to be afraid. It‘s okay.” Remembering back to her own childhood, when she would sneak into her parents’ bedroom in the middle of the night whenever she had a bad dream, Serenity began humming an old lullaby her mother had used to lull her back to sleep. She had long forgotten the words, but the melody seemed to calm Hyperion‘s fear. His hold on her relaxed, and by the end of the second verse, his eyes had closed, his breathing soft and even. Looking down at his sleeping face, Serenity sighed. “Oh, Hyperion-sama, I wish you would tell us what is weighing so heavily on your soul,” she said softly. “Is the pain so unbearable you would rather end your own life than to deal with it? Let us shoulder some of the burden you bear. You don’t have to go through this on your own.” ***** It was a familiar dream. The endless corridor. Lights that turned on by themselves. Voices and cries that seemed to come out of nowhere. A bulletin board covered in drawings of Pegasus. Serenity passed them all by without thought, focused on only one thing: finding Hyperion. He didn’t always appear in the dream, but she sensed she would find him there tonight. Walking down the corridor at a breakneck pace, she began shouting his name, her yells echoing off the walls. “Hyperion-sama! Hyperion-sama, where are you? I need to talk to you!” When she reached the area where the boy usually appeared, she slowed down. He wasn’t there, but in his stead was a golden door in the middle of the hall, seemingly standing by itself. Confused by the sight, Serenity walked around to the back of the door, finding nothing but empty space behind it. “How peculiar…” she murmured. A knock on the door startled her. Still unsure of what was happening, Serenity came back around and opened the golden door a crack, peeking inside. Behind it was Hyperion, standing in what must have been some sort of subspace pocket. “Hyperion-sama?” “Can I -- May I enter your dream, Your Highness?” he asked in a small voice. “Y-Yes, of course,” she said, opening the door wider to invite him in. The moment Hyperion stepped through the door and into the hospital corridor, the door disappeared in a flash of golden light. “What was that?” she asked. “The door to your dream. Dream Walkers can enter dreamer’s dreams through the Hall of Dreams.” Hyperion bowed at his waist. “Forgive me, Serenity-sama. Until now, I have been entering your dreams without your permission. I’m sorry.” Serenity shook her head. “I don’t mind, but why?” Hyperion straightened back up, but didn’t answer her question. Instead, he walked toward the fake wall that Serenity knew led to the hospital room that Helios had occupied when he first fell into the coma and placed the palm of his hand against it. “Follow me,” was all he said before pushing through the wall. Having no other choice, Serenity followed Hyperion through the wall to Helios’ room. Many questions came to mind, but she kept silent, deciding it would be best to let Hyperion take the lead. He stopped in front of the door labeled with Helios’ name, placing his hand on the doorknob. “No, don’t,” she said, pulling his hand away. “I don’t want to see what’s in there…not again.” “It’s okay,” he assured her, pushing open the door. Serenity looked away, but when she heard the soft beeps of the heart monitor, she slowly turned her head back around. Unlike her usual nightmare, Helios was laying in his bed, still attached to the machine and an IV. He looked pale, but otherwise healthy. “He’s…alive?” she asked, brushing past Hyperion to enter the room and stand at Helios‘ bedside. She took one of his hands and kissed the back of it, blinking back tears of relief. “What does this mean?” she asked, turning back to Hyperion, who still remained in the doorway. “Does this mean Helios is going to make it through this after all? Is he getting better?” Hyperion glanced away, not answering her question. “Hyperion-sama?” “You are not a Dream Seer, Your Highness,” Hyperion replied in a low voice. “Your dreams do not predict the future. They are only a manifestation of your hopes and fears, nothing more.” “Oh, I see.” Serenity set Helios’ hand back down at his side and wrapped her arms around herself. “I’m glad. That means my nightmares weren’t some kind of warning, preparing me for the inevitable. There’s still a chance he might wake up.” “Serenity-sama…” The young priest took a hesitant step forward, a fist pressed against his chest. “About Helios-sama, he‘s…” “Yes? What is it?” There was a long pause before Hyperion finally answered. “I think you should go back to Crystal Tokyo and stay by Helios-sama’s side. Don’t concern yourself with me anymore. Please.” Serenity frowned. “I was planning to go home tomorrow, but I can’t just forget about you, Hyperion-sama.” “You have to!” he said. “There isn’t much time left…” “What do you mean, there isn’t much time left? Until what?” He shook his head. “Please, just go,” he said before turning and darting back into the hall. “Hyperion-sama?” By the time she reached the doorway and looked out into the corridor, Hyperion was already gone. ***** The next morning, Serenity woke up with a start when she opened her eyes and saw the spot beside her empty save for a sleeping gray cat. Memories of the dream she had during the night flashed through her mind, causing her to fear the worst. She nudged Diana awake, her heart pounding in her chest. “Diana, Diana!” Diana cracked open one eye. “Serenity-sama?” she mumbled, obviously still drowsy with sleep. “Where is Hyperion-sama?” Serenity demanded to know. “He’s gone?” The news seemed to shock her awake. Diana rose to her paws and looked around the room. “I didn’t hear him leave at all.” Fighting against the urge to lecture Diana when it was supposed to be her job to shadow Hyperion -- after all, he had slipped out without either one of them noticing -- Serenity jumped out of bed, threw a robe over her nightgown, and dashed across the hall to Hyperion’s room. “Hyperion-sama?” she called out, opening the door without bothering to knock. To her surprise, it was unlocked. The room itself, however, was vacant. “Serenity-sama?” Serenity closed the door and turned around to see Eos coming down the hall, carrying a breakfast tray. “Eos-chan, have you seen Hyperion-sama?” she asked the Maenad, bridging the gap between them. Eos blinked, seemingly confused by the question. “He’s performing his morning prayers at the tower as usual. Where else would he be?” “Are you certain?” “Yes, Aurora escorted him there herself, and she’s currently keeping guard over him, just like you told us to.” Serenity sighed in relief, leaning up against the wall to prevent her legs from buckling underneath her. “Thank goodness!” “Did something happen, Your Highness?” “Last night, Hyperion-sama had a nightmare and came to my room, crying. He was so upset, I let him stay with me, but when I woke up, he was gone,” Serenity explained. “I was afraid he might have run off to the lake again or something.” “A nightmare?” “I think he’s been having them for a while. The night I first talked to him, it was also after he had a bad dream.” The tray in Eos’ hands slipped, falling to the ground with a loud clatter that echoed through the empty hallway. “Eos-chan?” The Maenad kneeled down to clean up the pieces of broken glass and ruined food. “I’m sorry!” she apologized. “I’m so clumsy. I can’t believe I did that. I’ll prepare another meal for you and Diana right away.” “Never mind about breakfast.” Serenity reached for Eos’ wrist, pulling her back up. The Maenad’s skin was white as a ghost, and she was visibly trembling. “Eos- chan, what’s wrong?” she asked. “You’re shaking! Are you okay?” “Hyperion-sama should not be having nightmares,” Eos said, her voice low. “You can’t really blame him for having them. After all he’s been through, I would be surprised if he wasn’t having nightmares. It‘s normal for kids his age.” Eos shook her head. “Serenity-sama, you don’t understand. The priest of Elysion is also called the guardian of dreams. His strength relies greatly on the power of his dreams. If Hyperion-sama is having nightmares…” “…then his power is weakening,” Serenity completed for her, a sense of dread coming over her as the realization hit. The shadow that had fallen over Elysion… It was more than the land simply reacting to Hyperion’s depression. His powers were becoming too weak to support it. And if that happened… “Eos! Serenity-sama! Come quick!” Aurora shouted, running toward them. “It’s Hyperion-sama; he’s collapsed!” ***** Beep. Beep. Beeeeeeep. 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.