The flicker of a crystallized peak in the sun… it was blinding… it was beautiful. She could not tear her eyes from the castle as it rose high into the sky, the crimson sun behind it a stark contrast to the silver palace. It was awe-inspiring, it was a beautifully crafted masterpiece. It was a reminder of the past. As her eyes swept across it, she felt as if she were back at the door of time staring in at her beloved queen and the little princess. Now it seemed there would be a new queen and princess to look after. She took a single step forward, her foot barely on the first step when…

"Setsuna?"

She opened her eyes, suddenly aware of the two pairs of eyes upon her. "Are you alright?" Michiru questioned, the aquamarine-haired woman looking concerned as she hovered. Beside her, the blonde woman looked as equally concerned, but remained silent. "You were… Mumbling." Michiru shifted, her mirror clasped tightly in her hand, its surface flickering with the image of long, golden strands of hair. Blinking fast, Setsuna sat up and nodded her head, silently informing the pair that she was fine. Rising to her feet, she pushed past them to enter the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

That dream… It had to have been Crystal Tokyo. But it was not the place she knew it to be. This place was full of warmth and power, she could feel her warmth without even seeing her. She had built that place with her power, that much she was certain of. This future she'd caught a glimpse of, it was not the future she had once known.

She had done it, she had changed the future.

[ x x x ]

"Sailor Pluto…"

The soft voice drew her eyes upward and she was rewarded with the sight of a brilliant smile. "Rise, please." She allowed the young woman to draw her to her feet, and as she always had she towered over her. Her lovely features were full of hope and joy, a little tired perhaps, but beautiful all the same. She giggled then, a sound like no other, and she gestured for her to follow. "Come, the others are waiting for us."

She remembered then, awakening in her crystal casket, the soft echo of the queen's voice in her ears. "The others…?" She heard her own voice question and the queen turned, coming around to fully face her once again. It was then that she took in the sight of her, slender and small, her once golden strands a gleaming shade of silver. She looked so much like her royal mother, the one time queen of the moon. She was her mirror image, in truth, and despite the years it took her breath away. Pluto had always idolized her queen, had always watched her from afar from the door of time. Now, the queen she served was the princess she once watched grow from a shining light into a young woman.

"Come on, you'll see…" The queen lifted her skirts with one hand, the pearl bracelet at her wrist catching the light that poured in through the windows. She gestured with her free hand for the once lone soldier to follow her and Pluto took a single step forward, following the bouncing twin-tailed woman as she strode towards a grand set of double doors. The doors opened with a wave of her hand and she stepped inside, her smile reappearing as she looked upon something Pluto could not yet see. As she stepped through the doors, she felt her breath catch, felt her heart skip a beat as several pairs of eyes stared back at her. "I told you, they've been waiting for you!" The queen cried out, her smile wide but her eyes full of tears as she latched onto the are of a blonde senshi. Her eyes trailed over the familiar faces, one by one, until they fell upon the three she'd been longing to see.

"Hotaru," she murmured the young girl's name and opened her arms… Her weight was warm and comforting as the little girl flew into her arms. Tears prickled in her eyes as she wound her arms around the girl, breathing in her still familiar scent. They were all here… Every single one of them… Well, except for one. But as her eyes returned their gaze to the young queen, she knew without a doubt that the last of their group would join them sooner rather than later. "We're together again…"

[ x x x ]

The dream from which she woke left her feeling like a mess. It was not everyday that Setsuna allowed her emotions to get the best of her, but this was something she simply could not control. Over and over she replayed the events of the dream, recalling every instant as if she were watching a television program instead of a memory. It had all been so clear. It had all been so real. The softness of the queen's hand as she rose her from her knees. The swish of the silk gown she wore as she raised the skirts to walk through the double doors. The warmth of the little soldier's touch. The skip of her heart as she realized the little princess had already been conceived. It had all just been so very real.

But she did not have the time to think about that dream and its possible meaning. She did not have time to second guess what was to come and her part in this fight. She looked to the two in the front seat of the helicopter, their hands clasped over the center console. They were stoic, lost in their own world, one that no one else was a part of. This mission… No, she could not second guess it now. Not after how far they had come. The silence had to be stopped. Saturn could not awaken. The dream was a dream and nothing more.

If that was the case, why did she feel so empty?

"Uranus." Neptune's voice cut in, sharp and like steel, pulling Setsuna from her own thoughts. Neptune was pointing forward, towards the building they flew right for; a powerful beam of light was heading right for them. There was no escaping, no avoiding… Unless…

It took her all of a moment to make her decision. She supposed that in a way, this was a perfectly fitting way for her to go. Raising her staff towards the ceiling, Pluto closed her eyes and willed the power to come. Just like that, everything froze and as her eyes opened time had frozen everything in its place. "Pluto?" Uranus' shocked whispered filtered in through her mind and Setsuna offered the two senshi. As she looked upon them in that moment she realized how truly young they looked.

"Go on. There's a future waiting for you," she said nodding towards the door of the helicopter. "I can't freeze time forever. Go." She watched the two exchange a glance and as always, Neptune was the first to move. She urged Uranus to move forward and slid the door open. Uranus remained in her place for another moment and Pluto smiled. "I promise you. I've seen it. She will reign, Uranus, and we will serve her as we did a lifetime ago." Uranus' face remained passive but her eyes widened and Pluto could see the hope in her eyes. "Goodbye, Haruka." The solider tipped her a nod and a smile and then was gone, following after Neptune to fight the battle they'd been preparing for all this time. Perhaps with that little piece of knowledge, Haruka would hold fast to the faith inside of her heart.

As she released time and everything fell back into motion, Setsuna stared out the window of the spinning helicopter, watching as the world sped by in a dizzy circle at a frightening speed. She felt the cold hands of death clawing at her and she began to sink back, further and further into darkness… But then a bright light shone before her eyes suddenly, she knew her last thought would be yet another vision of the future she was never to see…

"Amazing, isn't it?"

The voice at her shoulder caused her to turn, only to see her queen beside her, blue eyes peering out of the same window she'd been looking through for several minutes now. "Yes, it is." She replied, knowing immediately what the queen spoke of. She turned back to the window, looking out into the courtyard below, where a dark-haired senshi in shades of plum held onto the hands of a toddling, pink-haired princess. Beyond them, the four inner guardians watched, steadfast in their loyalties to both their queen and their new little princess. She was but a baby yet, but growing every day. "I did not think this day would ever come, honestly." Pluto found herself to be speaking the most honest words she had ever spoken in all of her life.

"Neither did I." The queen replied after a beat of silence, her words as honest as Pluto's had been. The guardian turned back to look at her and Serenity offered her a smile. "I mean, after seeing what this could have ended up like…" A chill raced down her spine because she shivered, running her hands up and down the exposed flesh of her forearms. "I know what is to come, but I'll be ready when it does." So many things she could have been speaking of: the invasion of the Black Moon Clan, the battle with Chaos… And any other potential threat that could rise against them. "It's strange to see her as a baby, when I know her so well as a child." Her smile was radiant as she reached out a hand, pressing her palm against the glass, as if she could reach right out and touch the little girl who's laughter was ringing out. "It's like I've known her all my life as someone else."

Pluto returned her gaze to the courtyard below and to her surprise, the dark-haired soldier was looking up at them. She felt a warm, tender feeling rising up in her heart, and she remembered the time she might have taken that same little girl's life. Her features broke out into a smile and then her attention was caught instead by the princess, who was tugging on her hands in an attempt to remain upright. "We will fight together this time." Pluto felt a hand slip into her own and the young queen was nodding, lifting her gaze to meet the once lone soldiers.

"Of course we will. We'll always be together, now."

And just like that, everything went black.