CHAPTER 6: SAILOR PLUTO RETURN'S TO HER SENSES
"Bring her forward!" A voice commanded.
It was the Silver Millennium, the Ancient Moon Kingdom. The voice heard was that of Queen Serenity. Princess Usagi and her court were standing beside her. They were inside the grand ballroom, the same place where all the happy parties and masquerade balls were held, but now it was dark and solemn. A place of judgment.
Two guard came up from the rear of the room, a person in their custody. They threw her against the floor in front of Queen Serenity, who was brandishing her Crescent Moon Wand in her hand.
"Princess Setsuna of the Planet Pluto, we have reached a verdict," Queen Serenity staring Setsuna down in front of her, "Guilty."
"No!" Setsuna screamed, tears streaming down her face, "I didn't mean to...I-I didn't know...I-"
"Silence!" Commanded Queen Serenity, "You know that I am a peaceful person, sworn to keep the peace of the Universe. I do not wish to enforce this sentence on you but I must. You, Crown-Princess Setsuna of the Planet Pluto, alias Sailor Pluto; a member of my daughter Princess Usagi of the Earth Moon's court; is hereby banished for your behavior to the Timeless Dimension where you shall forever be, guarding the Door of Time and Space for bearing the curse of immortality."
"No! Please no! I'm sorry! I-I...Please! No!" Setsuna stuttered out, still kneeling before Queen Serenity. She then turned to the other Sailor Warriors of the court, "Ami, please Sailor Mercury, help me!" Sailor Mercury walked away, "Rei? Minako? Makoto?" Sailor Mars, Venus and Jupiter also turned and walked away, "Sailor Saturn? Please, you know me!" The frail Sailor Saturn turned her back on Sailor Pluto, "Haruka? Michiru? Uranus and Neptune please, us outer planets have to stay together, I promise I won't make fun of you sexuality anymore, I-" The last two Sailor Scouts left the scene, leaving Setsuna to face Queen Serenity; Princess Usagi, and Usagi's fiancé, Prince Endymion of Earth.
"It's too late for forgiveness now, Setsuna." Queen Serenity said.
"But-but what about Endymion? He-" Setsuna was cut off.
"Endymion is no longer any of your concern!" Queen Serenity interrupted. She raised her Crescent Moon Wand and shot a beam of energy at Setsuna, automatically transforming her into Sailor Pluto, and formed a large staff, a key with red crystals and sculpted of the finest ivory before her.
Queen Serenity then said, "This is now your weapon, your salvation, your life. As soon as you take hold of it, you will be transported to the Timeless Dimension. It will open the Door of Time and Space for you as needed. Take it now."
Setsuna was reluctant at first, but she then grabbed it. A white light surrounded Sailor Pluto as she disappeared into oblivion. She opened her eyes to Mamoru's apartment. It was a dream, reminiscent of her past. One of a long series that she had been dreaming for the past three days she had been asleep. Everything she knew was flooding back into her brain, including all of Topaz's memory.
Sailor Pluto had a terrible headache, and began to moan. Of course the fact of not knowing where she was only made her feel worse. She could be anywhere. Then she felt a cool, wet cloth cover her forehead, and a figure came into view. It was Mamoru.
"Endymion!" Pluto exclaimed, sitting up quickly but then laying down in pain.
"Shhh, easy. You've been asleep for three days." Mamoru said, "Luckily it is a weekend and I can take care of you." He helped her sit up. She was wearing an old shirt that probably belonged to Mamoru. Setsuna felt her stomach knot up around her scar and cringed.
"What happened? How did I get here?" She said.
"Esmeraude stabbed you, and your were dying, well, Topaz was dying. Then Sailor Moon used her crystal and returned you to your normal self." Mamoru explained, "Because you were still unconscious, I took you here to my place. You were naked so I had Usagi put some of my old clothes on you, and you have been her ever since."
"Thank you for caring for me, Endymion. Or should I say, Mamoru or Tuxedo Mask?" Setsuna said.
"Just Mamoru will do." He said, "How do you know my name?"
"You don't remember?" She asked. Mamoru shook his head, "Maybe it's better that way." Setsuna said.
"Why is that?" Mamoru asked.
"When you remember, you'll know. I don't think it is wise for me to tell you now." She said.
"You are form the Ancient Moon Kingdom, I remember that, but nothing too significant, like your name," Mamoru said, "but Sailor Mercury said you were Sailor Pluto."
"You can call me Setsuna, it is my real name." She said.
"Okay then Setsuna," Mamoru said, "Do you think you can handle a cup of tea?"
"Oh sure. I mean, please." Setsuna said.
Mamoru handed her a cup of hot tea.
"I haven't had tea in literally eternity." Setsuna said.
She expertly handled the teacup, as if she practiced it a million times. It was one of those handleless Japanese cups.
"Oh yeah, here." Mamoru handed Setsuna a mass of red fabric, "It's a dress from Usagi, she says it's too big on her and might fit you."
"Thank you, it'll do." Setsuna said. She set her teacup down and attempted to get up.
"Here, let me help you up." Mamoru said, grabbing Setsuna's hand. She stood up and stumbled into Mamoru's arms.
"Whoa, are you okay?" Mamoru said.
Setsuna quickly jumped back and regained her balance, as if she was forbidden to touch him.
"I'm fine." She said.
"Okay, then. I'll leave you to get dressed." Mamoru said.
Mamoru's last few words echoed through Setsuna's head until she heard Dimando's voice instead. They were the last words he said to her before she was transformed into Topaz. She put the dress on, not exactly a perfect fit, but close enough. The dress was pretty plain, with a button up front and a small yellow flower print. Setsuna then managed to fix her hair the best she could without a hairbrush and walked out of the bedroom.
"Well, what do you think?" She said, showing off to Mamoru.
"Not bad, considering it belonged to Usagi." Mamoru said, "What I mean is, I expected it to be wrinkled really bad or something." He laughed, "You're really uppity all of a sudden."
"Um, yeah." Setsuna said shyly, "I'm immortal, I regenerate pretty fast."
"Usagi and the girls will get out of school soon," Mamoru said, "they have a scout meeting usually. They said if you felt up to it you can go."
"Sure why not." Setsuna said, "Hang on." She formed a pair of shoes in her hand, "I might need these."
"How did you do that." Mamoru asked.
"I retained some of Topaz's powers. They're not as strong as they used to be though." Setsuna said.
"Ready to go?" Mamoru asked.
"Yes." She said.
They left Mamoru's apartment and headed to his car. He drove them to the Cherry Hill Temple. Where they were greeted by Chad, who helped around the temple, considering his rock-star/surfer disposition.
"Whoa." He thought when he saw Setsuna, "Wait her while I go tell Miss Rei that someone is here to see her." Chad said.
He went inside to where the scouts were.
"Miss Rei, Mamoru is here, and he's with a killer babe." He said.
"Killer babe?" Usagi asked, suspiciously, popping up and looking out the window, "Oh, it's just Sailor Pluto. I got worried for a minute."
"Show them in, Chad." Rei said.
"Yes ma'am." Chad said, walking out of the room and returning with Mamoru and Setsuna.
"Luna P!" A small voice shouted out from behind the group. It was Chibi-Usa.
"Small Lady!" Setsuna said, opening her arms to receive Chibi-Usa's little girl hug.
"So nice to see that you are well, Sailor Pluto." Luna said.
"Luna and Artemis! Wow, I haven't seen you in ages!" Setsuna said, reaching down to stroke the two cats.
"Stop it! That tickles!" Artemis squealed.
"He's still got a sensitive tummy, I see." Setsuna laughed.
"So, Sailor Pluto, how is your stomach?" Usagi said.
"Fine, thank you, and please call me Setsuna." She said.
"So how did you get involved with those Negamoonies?" Makoto asked.
"I'm not exactly sure." Setsuna lied, "They must have hypnotized me or something."
"Where exactly are they from?" Ami asked.
"They are from the future, the same time as Chibi-Usa." Setsuna said.
"Yeah, we knew that, but why are they attacking us in the past?" Rei asked.
"If Tokyo of the past falls, then Crystal Tokyo of the future will cease to exist. Making it easier for them to takeover Earth." Setsuna said, "They have been plotting their revenge for years."
"Revenge for what?" Usagi asked.
"Banishment. Oh no! I've said too much! The future could be changed forever now. I'm so stupid!" Setsuna said. "I have to go."
"No don't leave, we need your help." Usagi said.
"I can't, I must get back." Setsuna stood up, "Pluto Planet Power, makeup!" She transformed into Sailor Pluto, "Before I go," She said raising her hand, "You will have no memory of my visitation of Earth as Topaz or myself. This whole encounter will be erased from memory." Her beam did not reach Mamoru in time before she was sucked back involuntarily to her dimension. So she used her own mind powers to project an image of herself in his head.
"Mamoru," She said, "I have erased the others memory of this encounter, do not speak a word of it to them. only you will know."
Mamoru agreed to this out loud, and everyone looked at him like he was crazy.
* * * *
A few days later, Mamoru began to have dreams about him and Sailor Pluto. He didn't know if it was his imagination or him remembering anything about what she had said. His dreams usually meant something to him, something about his past or his future. He has also been having a recurring nightmare about Usagi being seriously hurt or something if he didn't stay away from her. Usagi also had this dream. Despite the warning, Mamoru and Usagi got back together, and were again inseparable.
These dreams were a little different, more clear but yet, still fuzzy. He saw himself being with Sailor Pluto on a number of occasions, nothing too special, just walking together, talking together; as if they were just good friends. Then he saw her being put before trial; as he was standing next to Usagi, the Moon Princess, and he was the Prince Earth. That is how he figured it was about the past. He could see Sailor Pluto crying, kneeling before Queen Serenity, her hands tied behind her back, guards at both sides of her. He felt a feeling of shame when looking upon her, so he often looked away. What crime could she have possibly committed that made him feel so guilty? He wanted to speak but no words were coming out. All he could do was watch.
This is usually the point where Mamoru would wake up.
"What is the point of this?" He said, "Am I subconsciously obsessed with Setsuna?" He repeated, "Setsuna, yeah Setsuna. Princess Setsuna of the Planet Pluto. I remember her now, but what did she do that was so bad? Was I involved?"
These dreams went on for a few days, but then new ones came. One of in which he was dancing with Setsuna at a ball on the Moon of the past, and snippets of scenes with him kissing Setsuna, then kissing Usagi, Setsuna again, then Usagi. Then more of him arguing with Setsuna and Usagi.
"They must all tie together somehow." Mamoru thought.
He spent many hours of the day zoning off, thinking about how the puzzle pieces fit together. Then one night, he had a very long dream.
He was with Sailor Pluto a lot it seemed. They went to a ball on the Moon together, but got in a fight. He then met Usagi and fell in love with her, and they became engaged. Then with no visual, he heard Setsuna's voice saying, "Endymion, we've been caught!" And then he woke up.
Then next day, Mamoru and Usagi went out for milkshakes, one of Usagi's favorite pastimes. In the middle of one of her squabbling moments, Mamoru began to zone again and tried to piece the dreams together. No luck. He was then interrupted by a friend's voice.
"Hi Usagi! Hi Mamoru!" It was Andrew, the arcade clerk, a good friend of theirs.
"Hey Andrew." Mamoru said, then returning to his thinking state. When it clicked.
"Oh my God!" Mamoru jumped up out of his seat.
"What's wrong, Mamoru?" Usagi asked.
"I just remembered something." Mamoru said.
"What?" Usagi asked.
Mamoru caught himself, "That I have a doctor's appointment." He got his stuff together, "I gotta go. See ya, Usagi." He leaned over and kissed her, then sped out the door to his car.
"I have to get home and piece all of this together, the whole chain of events." He said.
Mamoru got home and sat down in his chair, but then got up and began to pace nervously around the room, pasting all the events together.
"Okay," Mamoru thought, "Here goes. We were on the Moon, long ago. And apparently Setsuna and I were going out for quite sometime. We fought over something at a ball and we broke up, and that was when I met Usagi for the first time. We ended up falling in love and becoming engaged. Then we had a fight over something and did not speak to each other for a while. Then I remember seeing Setsuna in a garden outside of the palace. Since we were still good friends, we began to have a conversation and walk around the garden. Then she fell and hurt herself, like her ankle or something, and I helped her up to her wing of the palace. Then we started to kiss and everything went kind of fast from there. Then Usagi walked in on us in bed together..."
Mamoru sat down finally, his hands clutching his head, "Usagi told her mother, Queen Serenity, and she had Setsuna arrested for immoral acts, a biggie back then as I remember, but I was left alone and forgiven. Setsuna was put on trial and found guilty. She was then banished to the Timeless Dimension with the curse of Immortality and forced to guard the Door of Time and Space for Eternity, living in solitude and abstinence, and it's all my fault. Why wasn't I punished? Why am I always innocent and forgiven no matter what I do?"
* * * *
Seven unknown figures suddenly warped into the Timeless Dimension, and according to Sailor Pluto, only one had clearance. She cornered a group of them and placed a force field around them, and headed for the other two. She appeared before a soMakotory figure and introduced herself.
"Don't move trespasser! I am the Guardian of Time. Only those deemed worthy may be here. You are not worthy!"
"Wait!" A voice said, "Let me explain..."
"Too late trespasser!" Setsuna prepared to strike with her key.
"Luna P!" Chibi-Usa shouted, running toward Sailor Pluto.
"Small Lady!" Sailor Pluto said, "Sailor Moon!" The fog lifted, revealing a sprawled out Sailor Moon, "I'm sorry, the fog hid you."
"It's you!" Sailor Moon said.
In the meantime, the force field lifted from the other figures; the four Sailor Scouts and Tuxedo Mask.
"Please explain." Sailor Pluto said to Chibi-Usa. She knew very well what was going on. She did not want them to go to the future. It was too dangerous.
"I didn't want to go back alone. Don't be mad." Chibi-Usa said.
Sailor Pluto turned to the scouts and apologized for her behavior. Then she explained how to go about in the Time Warp.
Before they left, Sailor Pluto walked past Mamoru, who lightly tugged on her skirt and whispered softly in her ear, "I remember."
Sailor Pluto gasped and turned to face him. Mamoru just winked at her and entered the void with the rest of the scouts. Setsuna watched as they floated off into the Time Warp and shut the Door, and hanging on the handle was the velvet cloak of Topaz. Hanging from it was a short note that read:
I swiped this from Rei after
you erased their memories.
I thought you might want it
back. Love, Mamoru
PS: I am very sorry for what
happened, it was my fault too.
I will never tell Usagi,
it's for my own good.
Sailor Pluto couldn't help but smile.
"Oh, Endymion," She giggled, "you haven't changed a bit." She reached over and put on the cloak, "I'm going after them. It's not safe, someone is going to get hurt." She called upon Droid Plutonia and entered the Time Warp to pursue the scouts.
* * * *
Sailor Pluto roamed the wastelands of Crystal Tokyo. She came up to the Crystal Palace, where the scouts were for she could feel their presence within, but she could not get in for it was surrounded by a powerful force field, cast by the energy of the four Sailor Warriors of the future. So she set out for the next best place to go. The Dark Crystal Palace, where the DarkMoon Family currently was.
She reached the overgrown amethyst and hid in its shadow. She could see Esmeraude looking out from one of the ledges, so Sailor Pluto walked around the crystal and jumped up on another ledge, then, using her own mind powers to locate Dimando within. When she did, she entered the palace and crept among the shadows, her cloak covering her body, and followed her senses to Dimando.
Sailor Pluto arrived in Dimando's chamber, only to find him with Sailor Moon in his custody. She quickly flew up to a ledge overlooking the scenario, and tapped into Dimando's brain.
"He's in love with Usagi. What?" Sailor Pluto couldn't believe her own senses, "The bastard, he's trying to rape her!"
She noticed that Dimando had Sailor Moon under control with his hypnotic beam, and switched to reading her mind.
"She's scared," Sailor Pluto determined, "She wants Mamoru, Mamoru is the only one she loves. Damn, this is weirder then the cryogenically frozen ass of Jadeite!" She thought, "I see I've retained some of Topaz's vocabulary skills as well."
Then Mamoru appeared on the ledge next to her suddenly, he noticed her and winked. She gestured for him to be silent that she was there, and he nodded. He then turned his attention to Dimando and Usagi, who also noticed him. Sailor Pluto hid behind Tuxedo Mask, waiting for her turn to strike.
Dimando then shot an energy beam at Mamoru, who dodged it and retrieved Usagi from Dimando's arms. Dimando shot again but then Sailor Pluto sprang into action.
"The Element of Wind, attack him!" She said, and forced a gust of wind right at Dimando's third eye, distracting him and allowing Tuxedo Mask and Sailor Moon to make a clean break.
"When the wind subsided, Dimando searched the room, "Who did that?" he shouted.
Sailor Pluto came out of the shadows of the ledge, the hood of the cloak covering her head mysteriously.
"Hello, my prince." She said.
Dimando gasped, "Topaz? No it can't be, your dead!"
Sailor Pluto jumped off the ledge and landed in front of Dimando, "Guess again." She said, taking off the hood of the cloak.
"Setsuna? You're alive?" Dimando gasped again, trying to avoid Sailor Pluto.
"Wouldn't you just know it." Pluto said, approaching Dimando, who in turn was stepping back, just as he had done to her so many times before.
"But...But how?" Dimando stuttered, falling back on his bed, Sailor Pluto got on top of him and slowly began to undo his shirt.
"Immortality and Silver Crystal make for a fierce combination, don't you think?" Sailor Pluto said, then kissing Dimando's chest, neck, and lips. She could tell he was frightened, but she could also tell he was getting off on it as well.
Dimando managed to push her off him.
"What's the matter?" Sailor Pluto asked, "Can't take any of your own medicine?"
Dimando sat up and put his shirt back on.
"Oh, I get it, I've been replaced by Sailor Moon," Sailor Pluto said, "but that's okay, it's happened to me before, with the same girl."
Dimando then said, "It's not that."
"Really? Then what is?" Sailor Pluto asked, "Is it because I'm no longer one of 'your kind'? That doesn't matter." She ripped her sailor outfit open at her abdomen revealing the DarkMoon scar, "You see? Topaz has left a profound mark on me. Aren't we all just one big, happy, fucking family?"
Dimando gaped at the scar left by Esmeraude.
"Her language, her powers, her taste in men, you name it. I pretty much still have it." Sailor Pluto said.
"I never loved you, you bitch!" Dimando said, "I just used you to get to the Time Warp."
"Oh really?" Sailor Pluto asked, "The way you would make love to me isn't exactly what I would call faking it. I speak from many personal experiences. Just don't ask questions."
"Okay, maybe I was a little attracted to you, and a little desperate, but incase you haven't noticed, Esmeraude isn't exactly my type." Dimando said.
"Funny. I thought fast, cheap, and easy was definitely your type. Yes, I'm insulting myself. If only you saw how I behaved in the past. Then you wouldn't stop to wonder why I'm in soMakotory confinement for eternity." Sailor Pluto explained, "And I feel the old Setsuna coming back. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I was one trick bitch."
Dimando turned away.
"Good-bye, Dimando my love." Sailor Pluto said, "I'm sorry it had to end."
"I guess this means I loose access to the Time Warp now." Dimando said.
"No, It's too late for that now. You may come and go as you please." Sailor Pluto said, "And I wouldn't mind a visit every now and then. Just don't expect too much. I'm through with your wine-dine-69 approach." She disappeared.
"Wait!" Dimando said, but it was too late. He had let another girl slip through his fingers.