The clock struck three in the morning when a soft tap was heard from Chibiusa's window. Or at least would have been heard if Chibiusa weren't fast asleep. Instead, the young girl dismissed it as the wind or a branch, rolled over and continued sleeping.

A moment later the window silently opened and a slender figure sneaked in, kneeling next to Chibiusa's bed and whispering to her ear. "Chibiusa-chan. Chi-bi-u-sa-chan! Wake up." The voice was soft but laughing.

Chibiusa turned in her sleep, waving to the general direction of the voice to make it go away. But when it kept repeating her name, she finally opened her eyes, slowly and still clouded by dreams. Only to stare right into a face only a few inches from hers. "EEEEK!!!" she screamed, pushing at the intruder in her bedroom. Then she reached for the lamp at the table next to her bed. As the light filled the room, it reflected on shining white clothes and wings shimmering in all colors of the rainbow. "Peruru!" Chibiusa exclaimed, "I'm sorry!"

"Never mind that," Peruru smiled, sitting on the floor and rubbing the back of his head.

"Here," Chibiusa stepped down from the bed and extended her hand to help the fairy up.

Peruru took the offered hand, although he mostly pushed himself up, remembering how Chibiusa had been considerably smaller than he was the last time they had met. But, much to his surprise, when they stood face-to-face he realized that they were of almost equal height. "You've grown," he commented, forgetting to let go of her hand.

Chibiusa jerked her hand away and crossed her arms, looking away. "Children grow." She wasn't sure if she should be flattered or insulted. Then she looked at him again from the corner of her eye. "At least human children do." He hadn't changed at all during these years.

Just at that moment the door to her room opened and Usagi burst in – with a baseball bat. She quickly looked around and then, not seeing anything threatening, started yelling at Chibiusa. "What's with the screaming at this hour?! What were you two doing? No, forget that, what's he doing here? You're way too young to be inviting boys to your bedroom in the middle of night!"

Chibiusa – more than a little irked – quickly put her hand on Usagi's mouth. "You're not mature enough to decide for me what I should or shouldn't do. Besides, I know you stayed at Mamo-chan's place last week."

Usagi pushed the hand aside just as quickly. "That's different! I'm much older than you!"

"Yeah, yeah," Chibiusa said in I'm-not-listening tone of voice and pushed Usagi out of the room. Then she closed and locked the door between them.

"Hey! Chibiusa, open this door this instant!"

"I can't hear you..." Chibiusa said while crossing her arms behind her head.

Peruru just watched the exchange between them with his mouth slightly open. Knowing how much they had cared for each other just a few years ago, it made no sense that they would fight like that. "Is it...really okay that I'm here?"

"Of course!" Chibiusa stated flatly. "Never mind what she says. She always sticks her nose where it doesn't belong."

Peruru chuckled at her tone, then asked with a smile, "But you do love her, don't you? And she loves you."

Chibiusa's expression softened. "I guess so." Suddenly she became quiet and brought a finger to her lips to indicate silence, then pulled the door open quickly.

Usagi, having pressed her ear to the door to hear what was being said in the room, fell on the floor.

Chibiusa gained a very menacing presence. "I thought I told you you're not fit to make my decisions for me. So stop eavesdropping!"

"Eh..." That was all Usagi had a chance to utter before Chibiusa slammed the door shut again.

"Sheesh, that Usagi..." Chibiusa muttered. Then she suddenly took Peruru's hand and started dragging him towards the window. "Let's go."

"Go where?"

Chibiusa blushed a little at the question, remembering what Usagi had just said about her age and boys. "Somewhere where she can't eavesdrop on us, of course!" She had climbed to the roof before when she had wanted to be alone. Usagi was simply too clumsy to follow.

Peruru quietly flew outside after her, torn between confusion and happiness.

Unfortunately Chibiusa was too focused on Usagi instead of what she was doing, and suddenly her foot slipped, sending her falling through the air towards the ground below. She didn't make it that far, though, before hitting the fairy hovering right below her.

Peruru's wings beat faster in an attempt to adjust to the increase in weight as his arms firmly gripped Chibiusa. "Are you alright?" he asked, his voice worried.

Chibiusa dared open her eyes again. "I'm okay." Then she smiled, "Thank you, Peruru."

Peruru couldn't help but smile back. Her smile simply was sweeter than anything else he had ever known.

~*~*~

A moment later they were on the roof of the house. As soon as they landed and sat down, Peruru's wings disappeared. Otherwise they would have attracted too much unwanted attention, should someone venture outside at this hour. Chibiusa was still fuming over Usagi's behavior.

"Your sister just wants to protect you," Peruru tried to soothe her.

"She's not my sister," Chibiusa said flatly. "She's my mother. At least in the future."

"In the future?"

"Yeah...I'm from the 30th century. But I like coming here sometimes. It gets lonely being the only child in Crystal Tokyo."

"I don't really understand," Peruru said with a soft smile, "But that's okay." Even if it was just a child's dream, it wasn't a bad one. And he was a protector of children's dreams, after all.

Chibiusa leaned back to watch the stars. She had wanted to come to the 20th century, but when she thought of home, she still missed her parents every now and then. Even though she knew they were Usagi and Mamo-chan in the future, it just wasn't the same. Then she thought of something. "Peruru..."

"What is it?"

"Where are your parents?"

The fairy considered the question for a moment before answering. "I don't know. As long as I can remember, it was just my older brother and I. And...now I don't even have him." His voice turned sad with the last sentence.

Chibiusa looked down. "I'm sorry." It was, after all, because of the sailor soldiers that Peruru had lost his only family.

"Don't be. It's not your fault." He hesitated but then wrapped one arm around her, pulling her to his side. "They chose to fight for Badiyanu. Your friends had no choice." And, in the end, his brother would have killed him too, if the sailor soldiers hadn't fought back. But still, Peruru had cried over losing him.

Silence.

"Chibiusa?" Peruru asked. The only answer he got was soft, even breathing. Chibiusa had fallen asleep. At first Peruru wanted to just stay like this – it was oddly comforting to be side-by-side with her - but then realized she would get sick if she stayed at the rooftop in only her pajamas until the light of dawn. With a slightly sad smile he gathered her on his arms and, with his wings magically appearing once again, flew back inside through the window left open.

Once back in Chibiusa's room, he carefully put her to bed and pulled the blanket over her. Then, quickly, he bent closer to her sleeping form and gave her a small kiss on the cheek. "Sweet dreams, Chibiusa-chan." With those words of farewell, he flew out, closed the window behind himself and disappeared into the quickly fading night.

Meanwhile, Usagi had fallen asleep in the hallway behind Chibiusa's locked door.