Velvet Underworld
by Silver Miko
*This is going to be soemwhat of a series of Setsuna themed stories...but each kind of seperate.*
Dark black rain clouds filled the Tokyo night sky, the remnant of a harsh thunderstorm that had plagued the city all day. The streets were quieter than usual, puddles everywhere on the slick gray pavement. The dim orange glow of streetlights made a pale path for the young woman to follow.
With long shining green hair and eyes the color of garnets, she walked with a supernatural grace as the black of her long coat swooshed silently in the cool night breeze. The click of her black velvet high heels clicked against the asphalt, the only sound the woman seemed to make.
One would think it odd a young woman walking alone in the middle of the night, unsafe and dangerous. Shedidn't care. She loved the night. It embraced her like a mother lovingly embracing a child. She felt at peace in the still dark tranquility.
It reminded her of her long ago home, the dark planet farthest from the light of the sun. Where it was cold, but not a brutal bitter cold. More like the cold of midwinter. It was never what many called daytime, but a planet of eternal night. Stars shined in the velvet blackness of the sky like polished diamonds, and the planets could be clearly seen in all their vivid glory. Sitting on the roof of Charon Castle, she had reveled in the beauty of her world, knowing that it would not be long before she would never see it again.
She had been fated to leave her home, abandon all the beautiful night, and take up a sacred post. To guard the Gate of Time for all eternity, never allowed to leave, always to remain in the land of mists alone. A solitary destiny. A lonely fate. It was hers and hers alone as the princess of Pluto.
She had miss them, the Senshi. They were her closest friends, especially the Outers. She had missed Neptune's violin playing accompanied by Uranus' piano. She had missed Venus' positive nature and vivacity, Jupiter's faith in all she held sacred, Mars' fire and dedication, Mercury's kindess and insight..and Serenity. She had missed the young princess who would be Queen...the purest person she ever knew. Serenity always shined with a light no one could ever match. She had missed the chance to guard such a soul.
Then the Dark Kingdom came, and she had no choice but the break the first of the three rules she must never break. She left her post to protect the Moon Kingdom...but ultimately died. She, like the others, was reborn in the twentieth century on Earth, as Meiou Setsuna.
She had always been aware she was different. She dreamt vividly of the Silver Millennium, and understood it all soon enough on her eighteenth birthday. She had found it, or rather, it had found her. The Garnet Rod.
She knew she could not escape her duty as Time Guardian. Accepting her long lost talisman, she once more became the solitary soldier, Sailor Pluto.
Now here she was again, on Earth. She had broken the first rule before, never leave her post. It was a strangely flexible rule she had found over time. It seemed she could leave in a time of crisis.
The second rule, never reverse or forward time was one she had not broken...but had broken the most important rule.
She was never to stop time.
She had. To save Sailor Uranus and Neptune in the battle against the Death Busters. As a result, she returned to the Time Game, only allowed to contact the other Senshi in spirit form until another crisis emerged.
There was the incident Queen Vadiane and the Black Dream Hole, then Nehelenia, and then Galaxia. She had died again, sacrificing her star seed. Brought back again. To life and her duty. Yet, she did not return to her post as she thought she would. She was still here.
It puzzled her. To be able to walk at night like she was, should not be. She should be back at the Time Gate, yet she wasn't. She could not understand it, but rather looked at it with a bit of relief. It was as if all her actions ans sacrifices had earned her what Minako would say as, 'vacation minutes'...a misquote of vacation time of course.
So she would enjoy it and savor it. Enjoy what time she had with the world, with the Senshi. With the Prince that she admired. It wasn't that she loved him or was attracted to him, but rather she was impressed by his bravery and strength. He had protected the princess time and time again.
She had always seen Serenity as her idol. In the past, present, and future. It had been her wish to be able to fight alongside her and protect her. She was so happy to have had to the chance many times over.
So here she was, not as the princess of Pluto or Sailor Pluto, but Meiou Setsuna. Just a woman walking alone in the velvet underworld of night, waiting to return to the mists.
by Silver Miko
*This is going to be soemwhat of a series of Setsuna themed stories...but each kind of seperate.*
Dark black rain clouds filled the Tokyo night sky, the remnant of a harsh thunderstorm that had plagued the city all day. The streets were quieter than usual, puddles everywhere on the slick gray pavement. The dim orange glow of streetlights made a pale path for the young woman to follow.
With long shining green hair and eyes the color of garnets, she walked with a supernatural grace as the black of her long coat swooshed silently in the cool night breeze. The click of her black velvet high heels clicked against the asphalt, the only sound the woman seemed to make.
One would think it odd a young woman walking alone in the middle of the night, unsafe and dangerous. Shedidn't care. She loved the night. It embraced her like a mother lovingly embracing a child. She felt at peace in the still dark tranquility.
It reminded her of her long ago home, the dark planet farthest from the light of the sun. Where it was cold, but not a brutal bitter cold. More like the cold of midwinter. It was never what many called daytime, but a planet of eternal night. Stars shined in the velvet blackness of the sky like polished diamonds, and the planets could be clearly seen in all their vivid glory. Sitting on the roof of Charon Castle, she had reveled in the beauty of her world, knowing that it would not be long before she would never see it again.
She had been fated to leave her home, abandon all the beautiful night, and take up a sacred post. To guard the Gate of Time for all eternity, never allowed to leave, always to remain in the land of mists alone. A solitary destiny. A lonely fate. It was hers and hers alone as the princess of Pluto.
She had miss them, the Senshi. They were her closest friends, especially the Outers. She had missed Neptune's violin playing accompanied by Uranus' piano. She had missed Venus' positive nature and vivacity, Jupiter's faith in all she held sacred, Mars' fire and dedication, Mercury's kindess and insight..and Serenity. She had missed the young princess who would be Queen...the purest person she ever knew. Serenity always shined with a light no one could ever match. She had missed the chance to guard such a soul.
Then the Dark Kingdom came, and she had no choice but the break the first of the three rules she must never break. She left her post to protect the Moon Kingdom...but ultimately died. She, like the others, was reborn in the twentieth century on Earth, as Meiou Setsuna.
She had always been aware she was different. She dreamt vividly of the Silver Millennium, and understood it all soon enough on her eighteenth birthday. She had found it, or rather, it had found her. The Garnet Rod.
She knew she could not escape her duty as Time Guardian. Accepting her long lost talisman, she once more became the solitary soldier, Sailor Pluto.
Now here she was again, on Earth. She had broken the first rule before, never leave her post. It was a strangely flexible rule she had found over time. It seemed she could leave in a time of crisis.
The second rule, never reverse or forward time was one she had not broken...but had broken the most important rule.
She was never to stop time.
She had. To save Sailor Uranus and Neptune in the battle against the Death Busters. As a result, she returned to the Time Game, only allowed to contact the other Senshi in spirit form until another crisis emerged.
There was the incident Queen Vadiane and the Black Dream Hole, then Nehelenia, and then Galaxia. She had died again, sacrificing her star seed. Brought back again. To life and her duty. Yet, she did not return to her post as she thought she would. She was still here.
It puzzled her. To be able to walk at night like she was, should not be. She should be back at the Time Gate, yet she wasn't. She could not understand it, but rather looked at it with a bit of relief. It was as if all her actions ans sacrifices had earned her what Minako would say as, 'vacation minutes'...a misquote of vacation time of course.
So she would enjoy it and savor it. Enjoy what time she had with the world, with the Senshi. With the Prince that she admired. It wasn't that she loved him or was attracted to him, but rather she was impressed by his bravery and strength. He had protected the princess time and time again.
She had always seen Serenity as her idol. In the past, present, and future. It had been her wish to be able to fight alongside her and protect her. She was so happy to have had to the chance many times over.
So here she was, not as the princess of Pluto or Sailor Pluto, but Meiou Setsuna. Just a woman walking alone in the velvet underworld of night, waiting to return to the mists.