WE MEET AGAIN AND AGAIN

After the first few awkward weeks of living in the 20th Century, Setsuna's life entered into a routine and she gradually acclimatized herself to living like a "normal" college student. She earned enough as a nurse to feed herself comfortably, but still didn't have enough to afford the fashionable clothes she desired. She ended up buying herself unremarkable blouses and jackets, which were usually obscured by her long, loose lab coat.

As Setsuna was walking to work on one sunny afternoon, she started thinking about the events of the last few weeks. It was very strange, but no matter what she was doing or where she was going, she always managed to run into, or at least observe, one of the Senshi. After multiple instances of these supposed coincidences, Setsuna briefly sat down on a bench and began to ponder things out. It was very warm out, and the humid heat of summer caused her forehead to sweat a little. She slumped over in thought, her elbows on her knees and her fists held under her chin in frustration.

I just ran into the Prince and the Princess AGAIN! Juuban isn't that small a neighbourhood, so what's going on?

I met him on my first day. I met her on my second. And then I met the rest of the Senshi within a week.

Something out there is pushing us together. The Solar System Senshi and the Guardian of Earth seem to be inextricably drawn to each other.

We meet again and again.

She sighed, got up, and continued walking to work. Setsuna hoped she wouldn't feel the premonitory tingling sensation at the back of her neck. Whenever she felt it, she knew that the Senshi were in danger. She had developed a kind of Sixth Sense as to when the Daimons were attacking, but after nearly revealing herself when Rei was attacked, she decided she would only intervene if it seemed that the Senshi were in mortal danger. So she hid herself in shadows and in corners, and observed. Observing from afar had its advantages anyway.

She learned that the two mysterious Senshi were Sailors Uranus and Neptune, two older, wiser, and more powerful Senshi with a mission contrary to the Inner Senshi's duties. She'd watched the Inner Senshi and Uranus and Neptune form an uneasy alliance, which was quickly broken and repaired again depending on how the older Senshi reacted to a Heart Crystal. Setsuna found herself unable to choose between the Inners' idealism and Uranus and Neptune's cynicism. Having seen the end of the world with her own eyes, she wanted to stop it at all costs. But she wasn't sure she was willing to sacrifice lives to save the world. And, as much as she loved and trusted the future Neo-Queen Serenity, she was still human, and still capable of making mistakes.

If I reached the point of no return, what would I choose?

She hoped she'd never have to determine the answer.

The weeks went by quickly. Heart Crystal after Heart Crystal, Daimon after Daimon. Setsuna eventually realized that the woman in red who was commanding the Daimons was probably the same woman who was so rude to her back when she was applying for the nursing job. But she never saw the woman at Mugen Academy again, so she was never able to confirm for sure. Every time she tried to make her way down to the lab where the Professor worked, she felt nauseated. She told herself that maybe she was allergic to some of the chemicals he was experimenting with, but she knew that there was something very wrong with her employer. But, having no other options, she continued to work as a nurse at Mugen Academy.

Other than Hotaru's occasional visits, the only people Setsuna regularly interacted with were Haruka and Michiru. Neither one ever needed Setsuna's nursing services (Setsuna once marvelled at Haruka's athletic perfection), but Haruka had recognized her while passing the office, and, wanting to try to smooth over the bad impression she'd made when she and Setsuna first met, decided to lay on the charm.

"Hey there Ms..." Haruka glanced to the nameplate outside the nursing office. "Meiou. Do you remember me? I'm Haruka Tenou." She flashed Setsuna a cocky, handsome smile.

Setsuna was organizing her first aid equipment, but stopped immediately and couldn't help but beam at Haruka. "Yes, I remember you. You were the one eating lunch by the ocean with your girlfriend, right?" She put down the box of bandages on the table and stood up to shake Haruka's hand.

Haruka shook hands with Setsuna, smirked a little, but then turned around her to make sure no one was listening. "Yeah, that was me. Michiru was kind of annoyed with me for a few hours after that."

Setsuna felt a twinge of guilt. "Oh! I'm sorry!"

Haruka laughed, and leaned over in the doorway, her hands in her pockets. "So how long have you been working here, Ms. Meiou?"

Haruka was wearing a cologne that made her smell mysterious, and brought images of a warm summer wind to Setsuna's mind. "Call me Setsuna, please! And I've just been here for a few weeks. I must say though, you Mugen students are a handful."

Haruka laughed again, then flopped herself onto the examination bed. "I'm not feeling so well, Setsuna-san. Would you be willing to give me a physical?"

Setsuna flushed so deeply she was practically purple. "I-I've never done a physical before. I don't have the training." She was desperately trying to think of other excuses. Never mind that Haruka had a girlfriend, it would be tremendously inappropriate for a nurse to flirt with a student.

Haruka then sat up with incredible agility, the scent of her cologne wafting in the air. "I'm just kidding!" She paused. "Jeez, it's warm in here." She then took off her jacket.

Setsuna went white.

Although the Mugen Academy boys' uniform jacket concealed her gender well, once the jacket was off, there was no concealing that Haruka was a woman. The white shirt could not hide Haruka's relatively rounded breasts.

Setsuna unthinkingly stared at Haruka's chest, and stuttered, "You're...You're a woman!"

Haruka glanced down at her chest. "Yes?" Even she began to flush a little at knowing that a woman she was flirting with was staring at her chest.

Setsuna placed a hand to her forehead and flopped down onto her chair in exasperation. The chair squeaked under the sudden weight dropped onto it.

Haruka burst out laughing. "Well, you're not the only person I've fooled." She reached over to put her jacket back on.

Setsuna turned to Haruka, torn between irritation and amusement. "Pretty good disguise, MISS Tenou," she said sardonically.

Haruka was about to reply when she spotted Michiru's wavy aqua hair swing into the doorway.

"THERE you are, Haruka!"

Michiru was standing in the doorway holding a violin case and staring daggers at Haruka. Michiru was all elegance and grace, but apparently would not put up with her girlfriend's flirtatious nature.

Uh oh.

Setsuna rolled her chair backwards as if to try to hide herself.

Haruka stood up stiffly. "Hello, Michiru! Done with concert practice, I see?"

"I was done 20 minutes ago. I've been looking all over for you." Michiru's voice was clipped, and her eyes narrowed.

"I was just introducing myself to the new nurse. Michiru, you remember Ms. Setsuna Meiou, don't you?" Haruka gestured over to Setsuna, who softly yelped in embarrassment.

Michiru turned with mild irritation to look at Setsuna, then her expression softened. "Oh, yes. The one with the stuck shoe. Welcome to Mugen Academy, Ms. Meiou."

Setsuna was relieved at Michiru's politeness, and coughed and tried to sit up straight. "Thank you, Ms...?"

"Kaiou. Michiru Kaiou. You might have heard of me, I'm a concert violinist and painter." She put her violin case down on the floor as if to emphasize it.

Setsuna had seen some of Michiru's paintings displayed in Mugen Academy. They were absolute masterpieces.

She smiled. "Yes, I have heard of you, Ms. Kaiou. My favourite painting of yours is the seascape of a coral reef. It made me feel like I was swimming in an endless, calm ocean."

Michiru's face immediately brightened.

As it was the end of the day, the three women were able to pass the hours in lively conversation, and quickly became friends. Haruka and Michiru began visiting Setsuna in her office on a daily basis. Setsuna was grateful for their friendship, as it gave her the intellectual conversation she desperately craved. She knew that if she talked to Mamoru he would be equally brilliant, but she had resolved to minimize her contact with him. She was used to loving him from afar.

Upon later reflection, the aspect of her life in the 20th Century that Setsuna cherished the most was her opportunity to experience love. She knew she would never have a romantic lover, but she, Haruka, and Michiru became inseparable companions. She loved them like they were her sisters.

And, as Hotaru gradually came to visit her more often, although Setsuna would not admit it to herself, she began to love the child as if she were her daughter.


Setsuna was in the middle of an important late-night exam when she got the tingling sensation that the Senshi were in grave danger. The Princess was in grave danger. She was dying. She glanced at the clock, but there was more than an hour left in the allotted timeslot for the exam. She had to choose - abandon the exam and fail the course, or finish the exam and hope for the best. She weighed her options.

This program is so competitive. If I fail even one course, my GPA plummets, and there's a chance I won't be accepted into the later year courses.

But if something should happen to the Princess, I could never forgive myself.

But the Senshi have proven that they can handle anything.

Can they hold out for just a little longer?

Reluctantly, Setsuna finished the exam as quickly as she could. She knew her performance on the exam wouldn't be up to her usual high standards, but this time she chose duty over education. She wondered if Sailor Mercury ever had to make choices like this. As she burst out the exam hall doors, she rounded a corner, and transformed, knowing that the heightened physical abilities of being a Senshi would get her to the source of the problem quicker.

It was a surprisingly cold evening, as the air was stagnant. It was as if Tokyo itself knew that something significant was happening.

Sailor Pluto ran to the Tokyo Tower as fast as she could.

But she was too late.

She watched as an explosion of glass and energy destroyed several pillars on the tower, and heard a woman scream for someone named "Professor." Then a rounded block of glass plummeted off the Tower, and disappeared into the darkened night. There was silence. Oddly, she didn't hear any sort of smashing sound, though the smell of rusty metal permeated her senses.

She didn't have time to contemplate this anomaly, as she saw the movement of tiny figures exiting the Tower. It must have been the Sailor Senshi. They'd survived!

Thank goodness!

Pluto hid behind a corner as the Senshi went down the stairs to exit onto the street. The first two people to emerge were Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune. She couldn't see them very well, but she recognized Neptune's scent, which smelled like saltwater. Pluto rounded around the corner cautiously. Uranus had a severe cut on her shoulder, and she was obviously trying not to show how much pain she was in.

"Let's get you home," Neptune said.

"Agreed."

And the two ran off at a speed Pluto had never seen two women maintain before. She marvelled at just how talented Uranus and Neptune were. She wanted to stay to see how the other Senshi fared, but something told her that it was time to follow Uranus and Neptune.

She was glad she had transformed, since she could run faster as Pluto, and her intuition was stronger as well. Something about Uranus and Neptune made her feel more drawn to them than she ever felt for the younger Senshi. She loved them, but she was forbidden from making an alliance with them.

Pluto trusted her intuition to lead her to where the two Senshi were. As she passed by the entrance to a nearby park, she heard a deep voice calling to her.

"Looking for us?" the voice said with a cocky lilt.

She looked up, and saw Uranus and Neptune were hiding in a tree again. It was softly blowing in the summer breeze that had returned to the city.

Sailor Neptune jumped down from the tree branch. Her face was partially illuminated by a nearby streetlight. "We knew that someone was following us, but we had no idea it was yet another Sailor Senshi."

Uranus jumped down as well. "Are you with them?"

Pluto hesitated, then spoke. "No. I'm on my own."

Uranus scoffed and began to turn away. "What do you want, then?"

Pluto was hurt by Uranus' demeanour. "It's not a want...it's a need. I need to know who you are. Don't you feel it too? That there's a connection between the three of us?"

Uranus grimaced and looked off into the distance. Neptune's face was carefully composed to be inscrutable, and she chose not to speak.

Uranus then looked Pluto right in her eyes. "We'll tell you who we are since we know you won't let us leave without an answer. But don't expect to work with us." She turned to look at Neptune. "She and I have a mission that we cannot divulge to anyone."

Pluto sighed. Uranus was rather bull-headed, but she supposed it was a defence mechanism. She decided not to reveal that she already knew that they were after the Talismans.

Neptune tried to smile at Pluto, but her expression was pained with guilt. "I am Sailor Neptune, the Soldier of Embrace." She gestured to the woman beside her. "This is Sailor Uranus, the Soldier of the Sky."

Uranus' face fell. "You're not even going to let me introduce myself?"

Neptune smirked. "Well, you were too busy trying to rebuff her, weren't you?"

Pluto couldn't help smiling despite her annoyance with Uranus. She cleared her throat. She held up her Time Key to emphasize her powers. "I am Sailor Pluto. The Soldier of Revolution."

Neptune's looked at the enormous silver staff, and her eyes widened in shock. "Sailor Pluto? The Goddess of Time?"

Pluto had to laugh at that. "Well, I'm not actually a Goddess. But yes. I am she."

Better not mention that I'm literally the daughter of a God.

Neptune then clasped her hands pleadingly. "Please...tell us what is to happen. Is it true that The Silence is approaching?" She began to slowly walk over to see Pluto clearly.

Uranus glared at her. "Neptune!" She said warningly. But she, too, looked at Pluto with pleading eyes.

Pluto observed Neptune with a new light. It seemed that Sailor Mars was not the only Senshi besides herself to have visions of the apocalypse. She was impressed by Neptune's intuition. She shut her eyes suddenly as the vision of the harbinger of silence filled her eyes again.

She steeled herself to answer clearly. "I have seen glimpses of The Silence, yes. But... I believe it is preventable."

Neptune looked at Pluto with confusion. "But how?"

Uranus sighed. "We already know how! We have to find the Talismans!"

Neptune cocked an eyebrow at Uranus. "I thought we weren't going to tell her our mission?"

Uranus' eyes widened and she flushed with embarrassment. "Well, it doesn't matter now, does it?" She turned to Pluto. "Neptune and I are trying to prevent The Silence by gathering Talismans. The only way we can do that is to examine Heart Crystals taken from Pure-Hearted individuals."

Pluto nodded, concealing that she already knew this.

Uranus' expression softened. "So you already knew about Talismans and Heart Crystals? You're better than I expected."

But then her eyes hardened again. "Do not interfere. Our mission is essential to saving the planet. And if it means getting our hands dirty, so be it. Do not interfere."

Neptune's eyes didn't meet Pluto's. Her expression was sadly resigned.

Pluto regarded Uranus. "I understand. I am here to observe from afar anyway, so I will try not to interfere. But I cannot promise I will not act when it is necessary. I won't allow innocent lives to be sacrificed."

Uranus' face was pained, and she ran away.

Neptune turned to Pluto sadly. "That's just it, Sailor Pluto. The Pure-Hearted individual cannot survive without their Heart Crystal. To save the world, we must kill three innocent people. It's...a hard reality, but we have no choice." She then turned and ran away as well, following Uranus.

You two talk tough and pretend you're okay with your mission, but you hurt inside. Deeply. And you're very bad at concealing it.

Learning the realities of Uranus and Neptune's mission left Pluto standing in shock. What a choice to have to make. Let three innocent people die...or watch the world be destroyed. The Time Key materialized in her hands and she gripped it reflexively.

Could I make such a choice?

Can I stand by while they make theirs?

The streetlight above her fizzled between illumination and darkness.