I have had a rather stressful couple of weeks as well as writers block for my other two stories. A challenge was issued in a writing circle I'm part off, the "Sailor Pluto; Where's my Planet?" Challenge. This is what I came up with. I wish to say that I adore Setsuna, I don't hate her, this is not a hate fiction story. I was trying to draw on her character, her sense of honour and rightness, as well as the Japanese views of honour. Hopefully it makes sense. This is not a happy ending story, so do not expect such.
--Anja
EDIT:: To clear a few things up, the challenge was started when Pluto was still not considered a real planet, and the specifications of the challenge were "Write a story describing Setsuna's initial reaction to having her planet taken away." Also, Pluto is still not a planet anymore, but has been classified as a "dwarf planet," along with Ceres and Eris. It does not have hydrostatic equilibrium due to the fact it doesn't have a completely spherical shape, which classifies it as a dwarf planet rather than a planet. For mor information visit wikipedia . org. Now, on with the tale.
Click. Bang.
Click. Bang.
That was the sound of an innocent remote control being used to shut off the TV and then being thrown brutally against a hard wall. Setsuna was not thrilled, to say the least, and had decided to take out her anger on the inanimate piece of plastic rather than the men and women she had just seen on the news. It had been the third time she had seen that news report, the third bloody time she had listened to the news reporter bring shame to her planet, her home and source of power and pride. How dare they show such disrespect to such a majestic place? She growled in frustration.
"You seem a little ticked," a quiet voice said next to her ear. Setsuna fought the urge to scream, and succeeded thanks to the fact that she recognized the source of the voice.
"What do you want, Luna?" she asked, her words sharp and clipped.
"I wanted to see how you were doing," the Moon cat replied as she jumped form the small side table to the sofa next to Setsuna.
"They have dishonored Pluto and all it stands for," the young woman growled, staring angrily at the black TV screen. Her eyes blazed with anger and pain, and for the hundredth time she contemplated hunting down those blasted scientists and showing her the true powers of Pluto and their consequences.
"It's hard, I know. It doesn't change anything though, you know. You are still Sailor Pluto, Sailor Scout of Time. Everything is still the same," Luna said gently, rubbing her head against Setsuna's elbow.
"People will no longer believe in Sailor Pluto, Luna. No one will take me seriously if I couldn't even maintain my planets standing and honor," she retorted, leaning her head against the back of the sofa.
"Take a look at them, those scientists who classified Pluto as no longer being a planet. Do you have a clue why they did so?"
Setsuna snorted. "Of course. They think they have the power to say what is and what is not, what can be classified as real and what is just plain rubbish and nonsense. They think they have the right to govern everything that has been for so many years, go against the very laws of the universe."
"You're right, the way they define things is only from their own perspective. Think about it though, they are only human. They are trying to suppress Pluto because they fear it."
Setsuna snorted again. "Fear it? If they feared the powers of Pluto they would have thought twice before making such a rash decision. I have every desire to go and smite them all."
Luna sighed and jumped onto Setsuna's lap, relieved that the young woman didn't try to kill her but rather started stroking her back. "Setsuna, think about what Pluto stands for, what it has been given and what it has been known for."
Setsuna was quiet for a moment as her hand kept stroking that cats ebony fur. "Pluto stands for death and time. From the gods of old, Hades ruled Pluto, and he was the god of death. I now control time."
"What do humans fear?" Luna prodded but received no answer. "They fear time," she began, "because it brings death. Think about it, Setsuna. Scientists have been working for years to reverse the effects of aging and death through medicine, but what have they been able to come up with? It is their mentality that has guided them to try and push Pluto as far out of the system as possible."
"They cannot erase the effects of time by simply saying it does not exist," Setsuna murmured as she opened her eyes and looked down at the cat on her lap. "They will only anger it."
"Try not to do anything rash," Luna murmured. "You are still loved and the Sailor Scouts don't accept this any more than you do. One day perhaps the humans will regain their senses and take the shame from Pluto. Come, the scouts have called a meeting, that's why they sent me here."
Setsuna sighed and let Luna jump from her lap. The tall woman stood from her plush green sofa and stretched her arms behind her back, feeling her spine crack in several places. She grabbed her coat and keys and followed Luna out the door, locking and shutting it behind her.
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The whole trip to the shrine was a silent gloomy one. Setsuna kept her eyes fixed ahead of her, allowing none of her emotions to seep out for the world to see. She held her chin up proudly. She was, after all, still the protector of Pluto and time, a powerful Senshi that would not be brought down so easily.
The pair reached the shrine. All the girls were already there, sitting around the steps and talking amongst each other. Setsuna cringed when they all went quiet when they saw her.
"Hey Setsuna, good to see you," Michiru called out cheerfully.
"Luna, what took you so long? I sent you an hour ago," Usagi chided.
"It's not Luna's fault. It took me a while to get going," Setsuna murmured as she came to a stand still next to Hotaru. "What is it you wished to discuss."
Before anyone could say anything, the clam of the moment was destroyed when wave of dark energy passed through the group. Makoto, Minko, Rei and Usagi shot up from their sitting places and everyone else tensed.
"Transform, there's trouble brewing!" Luna cried out. Everyone nodded and a flurry of transformations occurred.
When all was done, Usagi started running, everyone else following. "Can anyone guess what it is?" she called out.
"No, it feels unfamiliar," Rei called out from behind her.
A sense of foreboding filled the group. It was always the worst when a new enemy showed up, since they had no idea what they were up against.
Setsuna stuck to the back of the group, her heart hammering in her chest as she ran. Her palms were sweaty and her breathing labored, but she pressed on.
What the hell happened? she though to herself. She could feel all her muscles quivering as she thought back on her transformation. It had felt as if her whole being had been torn at just to perform the simple transformation, everything had been painfully slow and labored. It scared the Time Senshi to her core. Could a simple announcement as she had heard that day been enough to degrade her powers? Impossible, no? She shook her head and focused on her running, hoping that it was nothing more than a coincidence and she was simply coming down with something.
But things were not quite so simple.
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Click. Bang.
That was the sound of the door to Setsuna's home being unlocked and them shut with much force and anger. The said Senshi slammed her keys onto her table and threw the coat she had taken with her across the chair, irritation and anger, as well as fear and pain, radiating from her. She walked strait to her bathroom and turned on the shower, climbing in with all her clothing still on and just letting the hot water run down her body. She sat down and hugged her knees, allowing the tears she had been holding back all day to just flow. Her pride was cracking, her strength seeping out from her.
What had happened? She replayed the frightening moment in her mind again and again.
The beast was finally coming at her, and a smile spread across Setsuna's lips. She lifted her staff and prepared to strike down the creature, to direct all her anger and aggravation at it.
"Dead Scream," she murmured and swung her staff.
Nothing happened.
Had it not been for Tuxedo Kamen's fast reflexes and speed, she would have been killed. He scooped her from the spot she was standing and landed with her in his arms a few feet from where she had almost been impaled. He set her down, a look of pure concern on his face. Her entire body trembled as she fell to her knees. "Pluto," Tuxedo Kamen whispered.
She said nothing, only stood from where she had fallen. The monster gave an agonizing shriek as Usagi dealt a final blow to it, and Setsuna knew the battle was over. Before anyone could do anything, she started to run, run as fast as she could to her own apartment, letting her Senshi uniform melt away along the way.
What was happening? Nothing made sense. Pluto still existed, she still fed off it's powers.
Was that a lie though? Had she not been able to protect it, to uphold the planets honor in the face of evil and good?
The hot water pelted her quivering figure, sending rivets of water streaming down her face and body.
Everything happened for a reason, everything signified something. She had traveled through enough time to know that by now, seen enough hurt, pain, joy, and laughter, the expected and the unexpected. Now she was no longer the observer; Time has become her own mistress now.
She had failed, failed in everything. She could no longer help the scouts, no longer protect the Princess. Was she truly so weak? now?
The sound of the ringing phone reached her ears. Reluctantly Setsuna stood and stepped out of the shower, not bothering to turn off the water. She picked p the phone just outside the bathroom door, conveniently placed for such occasions.
"Moshi moshi," she murmured, leaning against the white door frame of the bathroom. Her hair clung to her face and she was dripping water everywhere, but she didn't care.
"Setsuna! I'm so glad you're there!" Usagi's voice said from the line. "We were all so worried about you when you ran off."
"I needed some time along," Setsuna replied as she closed her eyes. She could picture Usagi sitting in the window sill of her pink room, the hone resting between her ear and shoulder, tapping the tips of her pointer fingers together, a pouty look on her face. It almost brought a smile to Setsuna's face.
"Well, if you need to talk..." Usagi let her sentence trail off.
"Not at the moment, Usagi," Setsuna replied with a sigh.
There was a moment of silence. Setsuna could see that Usagi was reluctant to give up on the conversation so quickly. "You know, Luna says not to worry about it," Usagi finally said before rushing on so the older girl couldn't cut her off. "See, she says that your confidence is shaken because of the recent... news release. You're upset and not relying on Pluto to help you. Please, believe in yourself and your planet, and you'll be fine."
Setsuna absorbed Usagi's words, but they only seemed to make her feel worse. "Thanks Usagi, I'll keep that in mind," she said.
"Ok. Just, please call me if you need to talk, all right?"
"I will. Good bye," Setsuna replied before placing the receiver back in its cradle. She stood there for several moments, her head leaning against the wall, holding back the tears she should have never allowed to flow.
She felt dirty and shamed. Usagi was wrong. It was her own fault for not being able to do anything, her own weakness. She had dishonored her planet when she could not protect it's name from being blemished, dishonored her planet for not being strong enough to use its powers.
Her grip was slipping, and she knew she had already lost. Pluto would be nothing more than a barren waste for the rest of time, and time, well, it didn't need her guidance and controls anymore. That much was clear, Time had made it clear she wished to be left alone now. The Senshi knew that she would never walk through the corridors of time again, nor feel the power of Pluto rushing through her veins.
Setsuna shuddered. There was nothing left now. Her dishonor and shame was too much, it was unforgivable. Pushing herself from the wall she walked quickly into her bedroom. Years ago, when she had first gone to live on her own, her father had been worried about her safety. He had given her a gift, for her protection, in case she should need it. He hadn't know who she really was, Sailor Pluto, and he never would since he died a few years later. His gift was still hidden among her things, though she had never had a need for it.
Setsuna walked back to the bathroom and closed the door before stepping into the shower again. She sat in the corner and let the hot water beat down on her for a few more moments, savoring the warmth raining down on her, doing nothing to warm the chill of her bones and soul.
She unwrapped her fathers gift from the wool cloth she had it nestled in and stared at it, watched as droplets of water fell upon the smooth steel and coated it with a luminous light. Setsuna closed her eyes and lifted the weapon, her movements precise and accurate, flowing and smooth. No hesitation was in her mind now, she had to end the dishonor and shame.
Click. Bang.