Title: One Last Night
Theme: "To You I Bestow" by Mundy
Genre: Angst
Version: Animanga 
Rating: PG-13

	They knew it would never last.

	They knew, yet it never mattered during those fleeting moments they 
found to be together. Every worry, every responsibility, every commitment 
they had seemed to fade away when they were in each other’s arms, and, for a 
short time at least, it was as if they were the only two people in the world.

	But, as always, reality inevitably caught up with them. When the 
morning came, he was already gone from her bed, though never out of her 
heart.

	On one such morning, when she opened her eyes and saw the familiar 
rumpled sheets left behind by her lover, Serenity reached for his pillow and 
took in the lingering scent of him as she crushed it against her body. She 
could feel her eyes beginning to water, but she refused to let herself cry.

	After all, it was better to have some of Helios, rather than nothing 
at all. That was what she kept telling herself, at least.

	Serenity no longer knew if she believed that or not. Though she knew 
from the very beginning that they could never have the life together she 
truly wanted due to their respective duties -- his as the priest of the 
dreamland Elysion, and hers as the crown princess of Crystal Tokyo -- 
Serenity thought it would be enough just to have him in her life, no matter 
if sometimes months passed by between his visits. She truly thought she could 
accept the arrangement, but…

	The truth was, she wasn’t happy. Maybe she was being selfish, wanting 
more than just secret trysts with the man she had loved ever since she was a 
little girl, but was that so horrible? For years, she had dreamed of finding 
her Prince Charming, marrying him in a beautiful, elaborate wedding, and 
raising a family together as they ruled together over Crystal Tokyo. It was a 
dream most girls had, but, for her, that would all that it would ever be.

	A dream.

	Serenity, rolling onto her back, hugged the pillow even tighter to 
her chest. She knew the choice she had to make, but that didn’t make it any 
easier to admit. Still, she couldn’t keep living her life like this, just 
existing for the moments she would be able to see him again.

	The next time he came, it would be the last.

*****

	“I don’t understand.”

	Helios didn’t know quite what hit him. One moment, they were making 
passionate love like there was no tomorrow, and, the next, his maiden was 
telling him that there really was no tomorrow, at least not for them.

	“Helios, don’t make this harder than it already is,” Serenity 
pleaded, wiping away a wayward tear with her hand. Wrapping a satin sheet 
around her nude body, she sat up in bed. “This just isn’t working any more.”

	“Why?” he asked, still trying to get his mind around what she had 
just told him. “Is there somebody else?”

	“No, of course not.”

	“Then why are you asking me not to come anymore?”

	“It’s just too hard,” she said, her voice cracking despite her best 
attempt to act cool and in control. “I want more than…this. I want a husband, 
a family. I want to wake up in the morning and actually see somebody laying 
beside me instead of an empty spot.”

	“Serenity, you know I can’t give that to you, no matter how much I 
wish I could,” Helios reminded her. “I’m needed in Elysion. I can’t leave, 
any more than you can give up your title and come live with me.”

	“I know, Helios. That’s why I think this is the best decision, for 
both of us. It‘s cruel to keep seeing each other, knowing that we can never 
have any real future together. Can‘t you understand?”

	Helios sighed. As much as he hated to admit it, he did understand how 
she felt, since he had felt those same feelings as well. He always pushed 
them away, though, not wanting to give up his maiden’s love. Even if it was 
torture every time he snuck away after one of their rendezvous to return to 
Elysion, he thought it was worth it as long as he could be with her.

	But if that was no longer what she wanted…

	“Are you sure, maiden?” he asked. “Is this really what you want?”

	She nodded, though she refused to meet his eyes. “Please, just go.”

	In compliance with her wishes, Helios gathered his clothes off the 
floor and got dressed. Before he left, however, he gave Serenity one final 
kiss, tasting the salt of her tears on her lips.

	“This may be goodbye,” he said, “but I will never stop loving you, 
and I will never stop waiting. Remember that.” 	

DISCLAIMER: "Sailor Moon" is the property of Takeuchi Naoko.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Any comments or criticisms can be sent to me at 
ElysionDream@aol.com. Written for the sm_monthly community at
Livejournal.