Chapter 15

Serenity awoke a few hours later and found herself laying in a hospital bed. Confused, she craned her neck to the right and saw Helios laying in another hospital bed about five feet away. She also noticed she had an IV sticking out of her right arm. "What…happened?" she murmured as she lifted up her arm.

"You used too much of your power and fainted."

The voice came from her left. She turned her head and saw Hyperion sitting in the chair beside her bed. "Hyperion-sama…"

"Helios-sama is still alive," he said, answering her unasked question, "but your powers were unable to get through to him."

"I see." Serenity's eyes brimmed with tears. She had failed once again. There was truly nothing she could do to save Helios now. It was time to face the inevitable.

"It'll be okay." Hyperion reached for her hand and gave it a light squeeze. "Everybody is here for you. You're not alone."

"Thank you," she said.

"For what, Your Highness?"

Serenity managed a weak smile. "You saved me," she admitted, thinking of the last thing she remembered before passing out. "At that time, I didn't care what happened to me. Life, death… They seemed the same to me. But your words pulled me back. You were right. Helios wouldn't want me to throw away my life for his."

"I only repeated what you and Endymion-sama said to me."

"I forgot. I was too caught up in my grief. I thought if I couldn't save him, then at least I wouldn't have to face a world without him." Serenity slowly sat up, her fists clutching at her blanket. "But he wouldn't want that. He'd want me to continue living, no matter how difficult it might be." She looked back over at Helios, suppressing the urge to cry again. "But I wonder if I can…"

Serenity tossed her blanket aside and slid out of bed. Holding back a yelp of pain, she pulled the IV out of her arm and used a tissue from the box on the rolling tray to clot the small amount of blood coming from the puncture wound in lieu of a band-aid.

"Serenity-sama!"

"It's fine. The IV was just a solution of electrolytes to refresh my energy." She'd had many such transfusions while training on the Moon, though she had never pushed herself quite so much to the brink before. "What about you? Aren't you reaching your limit?"

He shook his head. "The burst of energy Endymion-sama gave me earlier made me stronger. I should be able to stay in the human realm for another hour or so, if I don't overwork myself too much," Hyperion said, pausing for a moment before adding, "Eos-san and Aurora-san are here, too. They followed me here when they realized I was missing."

"How are they holding up?"

"I don't know." He looked down at his lap, twiddling his fingers. "I…haven't been able to face them."

Serenity came over and kneeled down beside his chair. "Hyperion-sama, you heard what my father said. What happened wasn't your fault. You tried to save Helios."

"But I couldn't, and now I'm the reason why Helios-sama is going to die. If only…" His hands clenched into fists, and tears filled his eyes. "Damn it!" he swore, dragging the sleeve of his tunic over his eyes.

Serenity rose back up to her feet and walked over to get another tissue. It was then that she first noticed her suitcase, which she had left behind in her haste to get to Crystal Tokyo, was sitting on the chair beside Helios' bed. "When did that get here?" she asked.

Hyperion looked up and shrugged, wiping the rest of his tears away with his hand. "The Maenads brought it with them, I think. I left the room when they came to say their good-byes to Helios-sama, and when I came back, that was there."

Grabbing the suitcase, Serenity brought it over to her bed and opened it. To her relief, the first thing she saw was her bell, laying on top of her folded clothes. She had been afraid it might have left it behind, since she had hidden it the night before in the nightstand. Serenity picked it up and held the bell to her chest, letting out a grateful sigh.

"What is that?" Hyperion asked.

"My most treasured possession," she answered. "It was the first gift Helios ever gave me." She smiled with a touch of sadness at the bittersweet memory.

Hyperion stood up and held out his hand. "May I see it? I promise I won't drop it, or anything like that."

Hesitantly, she handed the bell to him. "Here."

Holding the bell up to the level of his eyes, Hyperion stared at it as if it was some kind of mystical treasure. "This is the Crystal Carillon, isn't it?" he asked. "Helios-sama gave it to you so that you would be able to call on him whenever you needed help during the battle with the Dead Moon Circus."

"Yes, it is, but how did you know that?"

"Helios-sama told me about it." Abruptly, Hyperion looked over at her, his eyes wide with an excitement Serenity had never seen from him before. "This is it!"

"What are you talking about?"

"The bell! It was created as a beacon for Helios-sama's soul!" he exclaimed. "Does it still work?"

"I-I don't know. I never really - What is this about, Hyperion-sama?" Serenity asked, still not quite understanding the significance of his words.

"Call on his soul, Serenity-sama." Hyperion placed the bell back in her hand, wrapping her fingers around it. "I can't take down the barrier. If I do, Helios-sama's soul will move onto the afterlife. However, if you were to call his soul here…"

"…then I could heal it with my crystal," she completed for him, her heart beating faster. If that was true… No, she couldn't allow herself to get her hopes up yet again. "But will it work? The barrier is what is keeping his soul connected to his body. Will it allow his soul to leave if called by the Crystal Carillon?"

"It might. Helios-sama once told me that the Crystal Carillon was created by the Golden Crystal's power. If that's true, then the two powers are essentially the same. It's worth a try, at least. It's the only thing that might save him."

He didn't have to tell her twice. Serenity walked over to the side of Helios' bed and held the bell high above her head. *Please, let this work,* she silently prayed before shouting out the words "Twinkle Yell!" at the top of her lungs.

Helios turned around and gasped. Behind him, another light had suddenly appeared in the darkness. Unlike the pure holy white of the first light, the new light was a brilliant gold that reminded him of the sun. A soft, feminine voice beckoned him toward it.

"Helios, come back to me," the voice said. "Please, come back before it's too late."

He knew that voice, that melodic voice who had kept him company in the darkness and never let him give up.

"Serenity?" Helios spun around, looking for his maiden. She sounded so close… "Serenity?"

The bell rang once again, the sound both beautiful and nostalgic.

"That bell…" With a jolt, he realized why it sounded so familiar. "Serenity is calling to me! She's using the Crystal Carillon!"

The white light at once forgotten, Helios began making his way toward the golden one, swimming as fast as he could.

"Serenity, I'm coming back to you," he promised. "Just wait a little longer!"

"It didn't work."

Serenity lowered her arm and sighed as she looked down at the bell. It had been a long-shot, anyway. The bell was too old, and the barrier too strong even if the sound had managed to reach Helios.

Hyperion, who had moved to the foot of Helios' bed, looked close to tears. If possible, he seemed even more upset about the failure than Serenity. "I really thought it would succeed," he said mostly to himself. He gripped the footboard so tightly his knuckles turned white. "I thought… There really isn't anything we can do to save him, is there?"

"It was worth a shot," Serenity said, coming up behind the boy and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Her chin rested on the top of his head. "It's not your fault that the Crystal Carillon failed to work. It…just wasn't meant to be, I guess." She bit down on her bottom lip, blinking back her tears. She needed to be strong, for Hyperion's sake. There would be time to grieve later. "I… I think it's time we accepted that it's Helios' time to die, and let him go in peace."

"Wait, are you…?" Hyperion turned around, releasing himself from Serenity's hold. "Are you telling me to break the barrier?"

"There's nothing we can do to save him, Hyperion-sama." Serenity moved to sit down on the edge of Helios' mattress, taking his hand in her own. "Like you said before, the barrier is only prolonging the inevitable, and it's feeding off your energy as well," she reminded him. "I was willing to wait a thousand years for Helios to wake up, but if he isn't, then…he should go on to the next life. As much as I want to keep him here with me, as much as I want to wish a miracle will occur, it isn't right to keep his soul bound to his body like this. He must be so lonely…"

"Serenity-sama!"

"My maiden…"

Serenity's posture stiffened at the sound of a third voice in the room - a voice she had feared she would never hear again. *Impossible,* she thought, looking down at Helios. His eyes were still closed, and his skin had paled to a ghostly white, though the steadily beeping machines confirmed he was still alive. The voice repeated the word "Maiden," sending a not-unpleasant shiver up her spine, and she felt a feather-light weight on shoulders.

"Helios?"

Serenity slowly turned her head in the direction of the voice.

It was him.

Standing beside the bed was another Helios, dressed in white instead of the light-blue hospital gown the bed-bound Helios wore. He was transparent, like the hallucination she thought she saw that day in Diana's room, yet he seemed more…visible. She knew this time, however, that it was no hallucination, for Hyperion could see him, too, the young priest wiping away tears of happiness with the sleeve of his tunic.

Letting go of Helios' hand, Serenity slid off the bed and turned to face the other Helios, unspeaking. For a solid minute, she simply stared at him, in shock that he was actually there. Then, when she realized he had not disappeared, the tears began to flow, rivers streaming down her face.

Helios smiled, bringing a ghostly hand to caress her cheek. "Don't cry, my maiden," he said. "You've cried for me long enough. Tears don't suit you; you are most beautiful when you smile."

Though still crying, Serenity's lips curled upward.

"Better."

"Oh, Helios, I-I…" She longed to throw herself in his arms, but in his current state, that was impossible.

As if reading her mind, Helios stared through his hands and sighed. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "Without my powers, I can no longer give myself a corporeal form on the astral plane."

"Allow me," Hyperion said, speaking for the first time since Helios' spirit appeared.

Hyperion clasped his hands in front of him in prayer and closed his eyes. His entire body was enveloped in a golden light, which also surrounded the spirit. When the light disappeared, Helios had gained a solid form, but Hyperion looked like he was about to faint, grabbing onto the rails of Helios' bed to prevent himself from collapsing.

"Hyperion!"

"Hyperion-sama!"

He waved off their offers of help. "I'm okay. That just took a little more power than I expected," he said, straightening up. "I should probably return back to Elysion while I still have the strength. Besides, I don't want to intrude on your reunion."

"Wait, before you go…" Helios stepped forward and embraced him. "I'm sorry, Hyperion."

"Helios-sama… It is me who owes you an apology," Hyperion said, pulling away. "If it wasn't for me…"

Helios shook his head. "I pushed you too hard. I should have realized it was too soon for you to take over for me. I caused you -" he looked over at Serenity, who was attempting to pull herself together "- no, I caused everybody such pain and suffering, all because of my selfish wish." Turning back to Hyperion, he placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Forgive me."

"Helios-sama…" Hyperion threw his arms around Helios' waist, hugging him tightly. "I have to go now, but I'll see you soon, right?"

"Of course."

For the first time since Serenity had met him, Hyperion beamed. "The next time you see me, I'll be stronger," he promised. "I'll prove to you, and to everybody, that I am your rightful heir."

"I'll be looking forward to it…my son."

If possible, Hyperion's smile brightened more, almost outshining the ray of golden light that surrounded him as he released his hold on Helios and stepped back. He waved good-bye, and then, in a flash, he was gone, returning back to his adopted home.

Serenity suspected the next time she visited Elysion, the land would once again be as beautiful as a dream.

"He's a special boy," she said, coming up beside Helios. Though he had been granted a corporeal form through Hyperion's powers, she hesitated in taking his hand, unable to shake the fear that he was simply a figment of her imagination. "I can see why you care for him so much. It devastated him when -"

"Serenity."

Turning toward her, Helios placed the back of his hand against her cheek. As it was not his true body, Serenity couldn't sense any heat coming from his skin, yet his touch warmed her to the core. She reached up and brought the hand to her lips, blinking back tears.

"It really is you," she whispered. "I thought… No, it doesn't matter what I thought. The only thing that matters is that you are here."

"What I said before, I meant it," Helios said, lowering his hand back down to his side. "I'm sorry for putting you through so much pain and turmoil. I only wanted to make you happy, yet all I caused was tears." Looking down at his still-comatose body, he sighed. "This wasn't the way things were supposed to go. If I had known the true purpose of that spell before the ceremony…"

"You know?"

"I heard Endymion-sama telling the story to you and Hyperion. I knew the spell was forbidden, but I never knew the reason why. I never imagined…" His voice drifted off, and he shook his head. "Your father must hate me. None of this was his fault, Serenity; he didn't know the spell was forbidden."

"You tricked him."

It wasn't a question, or even an accusation, yet Helios nodded, looking away in shame. "I'm not proud of it. The king may never forgive me when he learns the truth, but it was the only way I could find to be stripped of my priesthood. I thought the risk would be mine alone. I never considered what consequences my actions might have on the people I loved. I was selfish and impatient."

Serenity stood next to him, resting a hand on his arm. "Papa will forgive you," she said. "So will Hyperion-sama and the Maenads. They'll understand; I know they will."

"And you?" Helios glanced over at her. "Can you ever forgive me for making you go through this?"

"You did this for me, Helios. You wanted to make my dream come true."

"It was my dream, too," he admitted. "I love Elysion. It was an honor and a privilege to serve as the priest of such a beautiful land, to pray for the protection of Earth and its royal family, and to watch over people's dreams. But after meeting you, I began longing for a different sort of life." Helios reached for her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I want to be with you, Serenity, in every way that matters. I want to marry you, to make love to you, to have a family with you, to watch our children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren grow up and have families of their own. It's a small dream, perhaps, one shared by many all over the world, but it's my dream, and I was willing to do almost anything to make it come true."

"But you almost died," she reminded him in a hushed voice. Despite her best attempts otherwise, the tears she had been trying to hold back started running down her cheeks again. "What dream is worth that?"

"I'm sorry." Pulling her closer to him, Helios wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry," he repeated.

Digging her nails into the fabric of his tunic, Serenity let out a sob as she buried her face in his shoulder. Helios didn't seem to mind, holding her tightly as she released all her pent-up, conflicted emotions. Happiness, anger, relief, guilt… They all seemed to flow out of her until only one remained.

"I love you, Helios," Serenity said when she finally looked back up. "Before I restore your soul back to your body, I want you to promise me one thing."

"Anything. I'll do anything for you."

"Promise me you'll never leave me again, that you will always be by my side."

There was no hesitation on his part. "I promise, my maiden."

They sealed the promise with a kiss.

His eyes fluttered opened.

At first blurry, his vision soon cleared as he focused on the odango-haired woman looking down at him. The woman was holding his left hand, and he could hear an annoying, yet strangely soothing, beeping sound coming from somewhere nearby. Turning his head slightly in the direction of the sound, he saw that it was a heart monitor.

He was in the hospital.

Helios returned his attention to the woman, his beloved maiden. She was smiling and crying both at the same time. He tried to reach up to wipe away her tears with his free hand, but he could barely lift his arm more than a couple of inches off the mattress.

"It's okay," Serenity said, placing the palm of his hand against her wet cheek. "You're still weak, but you'll get stronger."

"Mai…den…"

A mask covered his face, impeding his speech. Again, he tried to reach up to remove it.

"I'll go get Mercury-sama," Serenity said, but Helios squeezed her hand, imploring her to stay. Now that he was back, he didn't want to be away from her for any longer than necessary.

"It'll be just for a couple of minutes," she assured him, untangling her fingers from his and setting his hand back down on the bed. "I'll be right back, okay?"

Having no choice in the matter, he nodded and watched as Serenity left the room. True to her word, she returned just moments later with Mercury in tow.

"Helios-sama, welcome back," Mercury said, a smile on her face as she began examining him. "You gave us quite a scare there for a while."

"Sor…ry…"

"Try not to talk so much. You're not a hundred percent yet. There's no need to push yourself, so save your strength."

Helios wanted to point out that he - or, at least his body - had been resting for - what was it? Weeks? Months? He had lost track of time while trapped in that abyss of nothingness. But he followed the doctor's orders, keeping quiet as Mercury continued her examination and only nodding or shaking his head whenever she asked him a question.

"Is Helios okay?" Serenity asked after Mercury had finished listening to his heartbeat.

Placing her stethoscope back around her neck, Mercury nodded. "Like I said, he's not a hundred percent yet, but he should be fine with some rest and rehabilitation." The doctor removed his mask, taking him off the ventilator. "There, I bet you're glad to have that off."

Helios nodded.

"Thank you," Serenity said, voicing his gratitude for him.

"Don't thank me. In the end, I wasn't able to do anything for him. You were the one who saved Helios-sama, Serenity-chan," Mercury said, turning her attention back to Helios. "Now, there's a roomful of people out there who are anxious to see you, but I'll tell them you need your rest. After all, I'm sure the two of you would like some time alone. Just don't overexert yourself, okay?"

With a wink, Mercury left the room, giving them their privacy. Had he had the strength, Helios would have jumped out of bed, took Serenity into his arms, and kissed her until she was breathless, but it was a struggle just to even keep his eyes open in his current condition. How he could be tired after spending the last however long he had been in a coma, he had no clue.

"Should I go, too?" Serenity asked, noticing him fighting back a yawn. "You look like you're about to fall asleep."

Helios shook his head and struggled to move to a sitting position. As exhausted as he was, he refused to let the Sandman win.

"Wait, Mercury-sama said you shouldn't exert yourself too much," Serenity reminded him, walking over to the other bed in the room and grabbing the pillow from it. "Here, let me help." Coming back over, she pushed a button on what appeared to be a remote control attached to the side of the bed. The top half of the bed rose up, surprising Helios, who had never slept in such a bed before. When the bed had finished moving, Serenity placed the extra pillow behind his back. "Comfortable?"

"Yes," he said, his mouth still feeling like a desert. Helios pointed to a pitcher sitting on one of the rolling trays, indicating he wanted a drink.

Serenity picked up on the meaning and got him a glass of water from the bathroom. Never had just plain tap water tasted so delicious, like pure ambrosia from the gods. Not even Elysion's healing water could compare to it. As Serenity held the glass up to his lips, he drank greedily from it, not stopping until he had finished the last drop.

"Thank you," Helios said as she set the glass back on the tray. His words came much easier. Patting the spot beside him on the bed, he signaled her to join him.

Serenity climbed up onto the mattress and snuggled up next to him. "I can't believe you're back," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "It feels like a dream." She shook her head. "No, more like I'm waking up from a very bad nightmare, one that I thought would never end."

"I'm sorry." The words seemed so meaningless, yet he would keep saying them for the rest of his life if he had to.

"Please stop saying that." Serenity brought her hand up to his cheek in a light caress. "I don't want to hear you say that anymore. You've already apologized."

"But I don't know what else to say," he said. "I put you through so much pain… I don't know how I'll ever make it up to you."

"There's only one thing I want from you, Helios," she said. "Just keep your promise and make my most treasured dream come true. That's all I ever wanted."

"I will," he vowed, kissing the top of her head. "From now on, I'll be by your side…always."

The End

DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon is the property of Naoko Takeuchi.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Special thanks to my editor Starsea.