PROLOGUE

"Do it, Setsuna."

The words from his mouth stun her heart like a poisonous barb. He laid in front of her upon the ground, his blue eyes shining and stern into her own. She stood unmoving, her Garnet Rod pointed at his throat like a spear, unwilling to make the killing blow. Another voice boomed around her; a voice which was deaf to his ears but thundered through her, ordering her to seal the fate of the man she loved.

"The Doctor has done the Unforgivable. He has broken the sacred laws of Time and must therefore be punished. Pluto, you know what must be done."

Her eyes began to well up with tears. "No.." she whispered, hoping that the sound would go unheard by the disembodied voice, but instead it echoed like a explosion. For swirling around her, ever vigilant, was Time Itself. She could not escape it. She could not reason with it. And if she disobeyed, what Time Itself would do to the beloved man who laid before her feet would be unfathomable; an incredulous ordinance.

This is all my fault, she thought to herself. Memories, both good and bad flooded her mind like camera flashes; the tear in Time and Space, the innocent lives lost, the seemingly complete upheaval of the Universe...the slow comforting sound of the TARDIS, the feeling in her heart when he tried touching her...how her life had changed in the few short weeks since she had met the Ninth Doctor.

Behind her stood a navy blue Police Call box, looming over them both. It seemed mountainous; Setsuna couldn't help but be completely aware of it behind her. She knew she had to do something fast. Ideas coursed through her brain as Time Itself pleaded on.

"Pluto, I grow tired of your defiance. You are fully aware of your duties. If you do not comply, then you shall be punished as well." the voice rumbled through her, making her heart race and her blood run cold. It continued on, trying to crack her resolve.

"The key to the Doctor's transportation vehicle has been confiscated. There is no escape for him from this place. He has come here as a deliberate act to harm this Universe. All Universes are laid out carefully. They must be not be disturbed. By his actions, the Doctor has damaged the delicate flow of time. He must no longer be allowed to distort and warp it as he sees fit. You know this."

Sailor Pluto continued to look into the eyes of the Doctor during the omnipotent lecture. Tears that she was desperately trying to hold back suddenly ran down her cheeks, sending a wave of sparkling diamonds twinkling down her cheeks; a small splash of beauty in a scene ripe with inevitable destruction.

"Time is correct, Setsuna-san." a small, meek voice spoke from behind her. She didn't need to turn around, for she felt the dark, pulsating thickness of death. Hotaru Tomoe, the young and timid Sailor Saturn approached Pluto from behind, stepping from the shadows and stopping a mere hair's-breadth from her. "The Doctor must be punished. He must be shown the errors of his ways." Saturn withdrew her Silence Glaive, an elegant yet frightful staff weapon, and pointed its tip at the Doctor's throat, along with Pluto's Garnet Rod. The sight of two deadly, fate-sealing weapons at the Doctor's throat was almost more than Setsuna could bear. The Doctor squirmed slightly at this new threat, but didn't take his eyes off of Pluto. Then she saw him give that all-too-familiar boyish grin, and in a bizarre and juxtaposed moment, the Doctor held up a finger and looked around him, as if to try and find a face to speak to, and began talking to Time Itself.

"If I could have half a moment please, I think I deserve a last word or two since, in this particular Universe it's some sort of cock-up to do what I do and I wasn't really AWARE I was pissing in anyone's gravy..." he said in his usual sarcastic tone, then looked back toward Setsuna...

"But I don't regret doing what I did. It was the best thing I've ever done, as a matter of fact...even better than saving a species...better than watching the birth of a star...better than anything I've seen in any Universe I've ever been to. I wouldn't trade meeting you for anything, Setsuna Meioh." His words made her arms faulter; the Rod's end dropped to the ground, as if suddenly it were made of lead.

"PLUTO!" the voice was no longer just a sound in Pluto's head. It resonated through them all, their very souls shuddered under it's rumbling weight. Beside her, Saturn's eyes glazed over and shone bright like shite-hot metal. Her hair began to blow calmly as if there were a pleasant breeze. Pluto was startled by this, and took a few steps away from her. The Doctor also became slightly amazed by this sudden transformation, and they both inched away from her, their eyes transfixed upon her as she spoke.

"The Doctor has disobeyed. He has broken sacred laws of Time and Space. He must be punished." Saturn spoke, tilting her head to gaze at Pluto. Pluto met her gaze with a realization, a compliance. Setsuna turned her gaze to meet the Doctor's. She lifted her Garnet Rod once more, clenching her teeth, and held it steadily at his throat. Tears streamed once more down her dark cheeks. His eyes burned into hers, and suddenly she knew what to do.

"FORGIVE ME." she whispered, and in a single, swift movement, she whipped her Rod around, bringing it's end squarely into Saturn's stomach, knocking the wind from her lungs and sending her hurlting away from her beloved Doctor. She then reached into her bodice, withdrawing a delicate silver chain on which the last of her Time Keys hung. She tugged at it furiously, the chain breaking a link and a bit of the skin on her neck all at once. She flung the key at the Doctor who caught it expertly with one hand.

"SAILOR PLUTO!" the voice of Time Itself errupted. No other sound or feeling could have matched it's ardor. Pluto then quickly swung around and pointed her Rod at the TARDIS. It sprang to life, the windows teeming with light, it's engines roaring and pulsating anew. The Doctor sprang to his feet, his eyes wide with shock and amazement.

"GO NOW!" Pluto roared at the Doctor. He seemed almost taken aback by her outburst. All around them, the intangible swirling Time seemed to crack and crumble, falling all around them like hunks of rock and stone. The sounds were deafening. Pluto dropped to her knees, the last of her strength drained. As close as he was, he seemed now, to her, so far away. She knew what she had done; she had saved him, but she knew also that she would never see him again.

He ran to her, wanting to take her with him, but she held up her hand, stopping him dead in his tracks with an invisible wall. She didn't want him any further harmed. He had his way out now, he would live.

He screamed, pleading with her, but his voice was lost in the sounds of Time. From her knees, she fell over onto the ground, the last glimmer of life in her eyes fading as the TARDIS doors opened, a light swallowing him up and dragging him into the safety of it's walls, all the while screaming her name. The last sight her eyes saw was of the TARDIS fading to nothing, escaping the cruel fate that he would have met at the hands of Time and Space. Her soul was at peace as her last thoughts were of him.