**Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of the
characters in it.**
Setsuna's
Goodbye
The
wind blew harshly, creating violent waves in the bay. The dark clouds overhead were so dreary, that they were
reminiscent of the very embodiment of despair.
Three mysterious figures slowly made their way up to the docks, and then
stopped. One of them was very
beautiful, with aquamarine tresses, her hair and long lacey skirt were being
blown violently about by the wind.
Another, much taller, was quite handsome and also somewhat
androdynous. Closer inspection,
however, would reveal her to be a female, despite the short blonde hair and
boyish clothes.
"Are you sure?"
asked the latter.
"I'm
positive. I'm sorry." Answered their
companion. She looked to be slightly
older than her two friends, perhaps three or four years. Her olive green hair was down to her ankles,
and she had a look in her eyes that seemed to carry many more years of wisdom,
and years of loneliness than her age would permit. Her name was Setsuna.
"But
why?" pleaded the girl with the aquamarine curls.
"Michiru,
you knew I couldn't stay here with you forever, no matter how much I wanted
to. I was sent here to help defeat the
enemy, and Galaxia is gone. Now it is
my time to leave you." Setsuna answered
again. She bit her lip to keep herself
from crying. "Please take good care of
Hotaru."
"You
know we will, but we'll never be able to fill your shoes. Isn't there some way you could stay with
us? What about our family?" Michiru could no longer restrain
herself. She fell to her knees and
burst into tears. "Haruka…" she
whimpered. The taller girl knelt down
beside her and held Michiru in a tight, consoling embrace. Once she had regained her composure, the two
stood up together and once again faced Setsuna.
"You
two have each other to take care of.
Hotaru will now be your responsibility.
I wish that this could have been prevented, but you know what my destiny
is. I must return to my post, and guard
the gate forever. Please don't make
this any harder for me."
"What
about Usagi and the others? Aren't you
going to say good by to them?" Haruka
asked.
"They
will just try and persuade me to stay like the two of you have been doing, and
I can't…" Setsuna paused. There was a
look great sadness in her eyes, as though she was lost somewhere and all alone,
but she pulled herself together. "The
prince and princess are safe now.
Neither they, nor Small Lady are in anymore danger. I am no longer needed here."
"Pluto
Planet Power, Make-up!" Setsuna yelled as she raised her henshin stick into the
cold morning air high above head. There
was a flash of light, and before Michiru and Haruka stood not merely their
friend Setsuna, but Pluto, the guardian of the lower world and one of the outer
senshi. "You will tell Hotaru goodbye
for me."
She
raised her staff in the air, but then stopped.
She lowered it. "Take care of
each other, and our daughter.
Everything will be okay." She assured them, seeing the look in both
their faces. "I won't be as far away as
you'd think."
Setsuna
again raised her staff in the air. The
gray clouds above her head began to swirl like a whirlpool. Before they could speak another word, Haruka
and Michiru were alone together. All
that was left where Setsuna had stood was a tiny jeweled key lying on the
ground before them.
As
the sun began to rise and the sky became lighter Michiru rushed over and picked
it up. Slowly turning away, they
proceeded home to wake Hotaru, the key glistening in the light of the newly
risen sun.