Author Notes: This is just a short chapter I'm putting out since I won't have 'net access
for about a week or so. It's pretty dialogue heavy, still just explaining the premise really.
Things will pick up next chapter I promise!
Oh, by the way, the dates I'm using are based on the end of Sailor Moon, not the start.
(Sailor Moon began airing in 1992 and ended in 1997, but the series takes place over
two years)
Moon Squared chapter 2
The Sailor Senshi arrived at Rei's family shrine. "We're here now Usagi." Ami said
gently, trying to pry the fourteen year old Usagi from her arm. "You can let go of me
now." She said, her voice carrying none of the strain she was feeling.
"H-hai Ami-chan." Usagi said as she slowly let go of her friend. It was a good thing Ami,
Rei and Makoto were here since this Usagi didn't know Sailor Venus or the Outer
Senshi.
The other senshi seemed nice enough, Usagi supposed, though she certainly didn't like
the way one of them was looking at her. 'What was her name?' Usagi wondered, looking
at the tall blonde haired girl, who could have been mistaken for a man given the clothes
she wore 'Oh yes, Haruka.'
Haruka noticed her gaze and winked at Usagi, before being elbowed by Michiru. Usagi
swiftly found something else to occupy her attention.
As they all filed into Rei's living room Setsuna whispered something to Hotaru before
anyone sat down. Usagi sat on the couch between Ami and Makoto. Rei sat on the
armchair next to it while Minako slumped onto a beanbag on the other side. Haruka and
Michiru made a beeline for the two seater couch and were just sitting down when Hotaru
dived in between them and grinned up at the shocked girls.
"I'm sitting with my Michiru-mama and Haruka-papa!" she announced proudly, giving a
wink to Setsuna. Setsuna covered her mouth to hide a chuckle before sitting by herself on
the remaining armchair, doing her best to ignore the pained looks Haruka and Michiru
were giving her.
Looking at Usagi sitting between Ami and Makoto, Setsuna's first reaction was that
Usagi must be way overdue for a growth spurt. This fourteen year old Usagi looked
nearly identical to the sixteen year old who had vanished. Sure there were differences if
you looked hard enough; the familiar Usagi was less than an inch taller, and her figure
was only slightly more developed.
"So..." Makoto began once everyone had settled. "Anyone know what the hell
happened?" She glanced around the room.
Everyone seemed to find the floor terribly interesting at this point.
"I have no idea." Usagi said hesitantly "One minute I'm fighting a youma, the next I'm
surrounded by you guys, and you say it's the future and that I did something to cause
this, but all I know is I was fighting a youma like Luna told me to and I hadn't even
actually done anything yet I was just going to do something but I hadn't done it yet. " Her
speech was coming out faster and faster as she talked before she lost it and just started
wailing.
Makoto and Ami both cringed at the aural onslaught. Rei sighed and went to kneel in
front of Usagi, holding her hands to comfort her. "We're not mad at you Usagi-chan." She
said gently. 'I'm mad at the other Usagi!' she added silently.
Usagi stopped wailing and looked at Rei "You mean it Rei-chan?" She asked hopefully.
Rei felt her heart melting as she looked into those innocent blue eyes. "Of course not
Usagi-chan." She reached up to wipe a tear off Usagi's cheek "Now dry those tears will
ya." She said cheerfully.
Usagi leapt forward and glomped onto Rei. "Thankyou Rei-chan! I won't be sad if you're
here!"
Rei was quite taken aback. She knew Usagi admired her, but the strength of her reaction
was surprising. 'Especially given the way I treat her sometimes.' she thought shamefully
as she hugged her friend back.
"Aaaww..." Everyone seemed to say at that point.
"A-anyway..." Rei muttered as she disengaged herself from Usagi and returned to her
seat. She noticed Haruka and Michiru were nodding at each other with silly smiles on
their faces. 'They had better not be thinking what I think they're thinking!' Rei thought as
she shot them a disapproving glare.
Haruka and Michiru both coughed and avoided eye contact with Rei.
"I have a theory." Ami announced to get everyone's attention before continuing "Usagi
said that she wished Rei would understand that she isn't the same person she was when
they first met. This Usagi-" she indicated the girl next to her "Comes from about the same
time we first met."
"So are you saying that she's from the past? Then where's our Usagi?" Minako asked,
shifting to a more upright position on her beanbag.
"Logically she would be in the same time frame that this Usagi came from." Ami
announced.
"But how did it happen Ami-san?" Hotaru asked.
Ami seemed stumped by this simple question. The fact that it came from a twelve year
old girl only irked her even more.
"It was the Ginzuishou. You all saw it glowing just before she disappeared." Michiru
said, surprised that they hadn't figured it out.
Makoto bolted upright, startling Usagi "Now hold on a damn minute!" She exclaimed
furiously "The Ginzuishou can kill her! Are you saying she risked her life just because
Rei doesn't take her seriously?"
Rei was feeling about two feet tall at this point.
Setsuna finally spoke "The Ginzuishou is capable of time travel. Using it such a manner
takes it to it's fullest potential, which is lethal to the user. Queen Serenity did this when
she sent your souls to be reincarnated in this era."
The room became deathly silent. Rei was now feeling two inches tall.
"But I'm right here." Usagi chirped innocently.
Everyone looked at her, their expressions unreadable. "Yes you are." Setsuna said before
anyone else got a word in "However I do not believe Usagi used the crystal to it's fullest
potential. In fact I believe it used only the smallest fraction of it's power."
"But you just said-" Minako began hesitantly.
"I know." Setsuna quieted her "But I do not believe the Ginzuishou performed this
temporal switch." Setsuna concentrated for a second, and the Garnet Rod appeared in her
hands. "This did." She held it up for everyone to see before she continued her
explanation. "I noticed the orb was glowing in synch with the crystal before the switch. I
believe the Ginzuishou simply tapped into the nearby source of temporal energy to
exercise Usagi's will without risk to Usagi herself." She couldn't hide the pride in her
voice as she finished. "Usagi's control over the crystal is becoming very impressive."
"So Usagi's safe?" Rei asked, desperate to avoid the possibility that Usagi had risked her
life just to get Rei to take her seriously.
"I'd imagine so." Setsuna said "There's little in that era which can threaten Eternal Sailor
Moon - so long as she doesn't get any silly idea's about taking on Beryl or even Metallia."
"Usagi wouldn't do that." Ami said confidently "She knows better than to interfere with
the timeline."
"Oh?" Setsuna arched an eyebrow "Think about her other experiences with time travel."
"Chibi Usa!" Minako exclaimed.
"Exactly." Setsuna nodded, pleased that Minako had gotten it so quickly. "A girl from
the future, who came back to your time, and by all appearances, did a lot of good."
"I'd hate to think how things would have turned out if I'd never met her." Hotaru
shuddered.
"Usagi might try to wipe out the Dark Kingdom prematurely." Haruka mused, not
altogether unhappy with the thought.
"Yes." Setsuna agreed "While no youma represents a threat to her, and she could easily
handle the generals, there are three beings who could defeat her." Setsuna began ticking
them off "Beryl is a powerful sorceress. It would be a close fight between them, and
could go either way." She raised a second finger "Queen Metallia could easily beat
Eternal Sailor Moon if she was alone." She brought up a third finger "And the last one is
unlikely, but if Endymion has already been captured by the Dark Kingdom, he could
threaten her."
"So you can just pop back in time and pick her up right?" Rei asked eagerly.
Setsuna supressed a sigh. 'I really should hate lying to them, but I'm just so used to it by
now... it's hard knowing everything...' "Yes." She said "I can go to the Time Gate and try
to find her." That part was at least technically true.
"Well, it would help if we gave you a start on where to look." Ami mused before turning
to Usagi, who had mostly spaced out during the discussion "Usagi?" she recieved no
response, so she prodded the girl to get her attention.
"Ow!" Usagi yelped, rubbing her arm. "What is it Ami?"
"What day was it before you came here?" Ami asked.
Usagi appeared to be deep in thought. She adopted a studious expression and placed a
finger to her lips. To any observer it might look like she was pondering the deeper
mysteries of life.
"Usagi?" Ami tried again, her patience fraying.
"Hold on, hold on." Usagi waved her protests away "I'm thinking."
Everyone in the room had very large sweatdrops by this point.
Eventually Usagi gave up. "I know it was Autumn!" She announced triumphantly "The
leaves were turning brown." She beamed at Ami.
Everyone facefaulted.
Rei was suddenly struck by an idea. And she immediately hated herself for it. She warred
with herself for a moment as she decided if she should risk it, but her conscience gave her
little choice. 'Usagi's given her life for us before!' she reminded herself 'I should at least
make the ultimate sacrifice for her!' her resolve hardened.
"I have an idea of how Usagi can tell us the date she's from." She announced in monotone
as she considered what she was risking.
***
The girls stood in front of Rei's extensive manga collection. Minako let out an awed
whistle.
"Okay Usagi, look through them and tell us which one was the last one you read." Rei
turned away so no one could see the tear falling down her cheek.
Usagi's eyes got so big they threatened to fall off her face. "Wow! Thanks Rei, you never
let me read your manga!"
Rei's head suddenly expanded to five times it's normal size "YOU'RE NOT READING
THEM!! JUST CHECK TO SEE IF YOU RECOGNISE THEM!!" She screamed.
Usagi seemed unperturbed as she picked up one from the top of the nearest stack and
began leafing through it.
Makoto put a consoling hand on Rei's shoulder. "You're making a truly noble sacrifice."
She said sympathetically.
Usagi looked up from her current manga. "Say, is there anything to eat around here?"
Rei was about to remark that it would be a cold day in hell before Usagi was allowed
food near her precious manga, but Hotaru spoke first "I'll get you something Usagi-san."
she ran to the kitchen.
Usagi blinked. No one ever added that honorific to her name. 'That little girl must really
look up to me.' she thought happily, ignoring the fact that Rei was now slumped on the
floor, sobbing her eyes out.
***
Sailor Pluto stood silently guarding the Time Gate. It was a frequently depressing,
always boring job, but somebody had to do it. On the rare ocassions when she had to
leave it to attend to matters on Earth, a Sailor Pluto from another time would arrive to
take over guarding it, such were the benefits of the place existing out of time.
She sighed as she considered recent events. She had sent Small Lady back to the
twentieth century, where she would befriend one Tomoe Hotaru. Soon Sailor Pluto
herself would arrive in that time, where she would attempt to kill that same girl.
It was pointless, she knew. All of history was known to her, but everyone must dance on
fate's strings. She would be unable to harm Sailor Saturn. Her sole contribution was to
save Uranus and Neptune from being killed in the helicopter over Mugen Gaken. But in
doing so she would have to use her most forbidden power, and in that one act, she
forfeited her right to exist.
Sailor Pluto accepted this. She had existed for eternity it seemed, but this act would mark
the end for her. From the perspective of those within the time stream she would still exist,
as a Sailor Pluto from another time would depart her post to aid in the battle against
Galaxia, and the formation of Crystal Tokyo. Since she had always known everything, it
did not matter which time she came from.
The very concept of surprise was alien to Sailor Pluto. She feigned it for the benefit of
those within the time stream when necessary. If she didn't the other senshi might become
overconfident that 'Everything will turn out all right' and wouldn't act to their fullest
potential.
Therefore she was very surprised when another Sailor Pluto appeared before the time
gate. "What the hell are you doing here?!" She exclaimed. This was not part of the
elaborate script destiny had written.
The newly arrived Sailor Pluto understood her counterparts surprise. She would react the
same way in her position. One day she would... or perhaps she already had. Time travel
was a very messy subject. "It's unexpected I know." she said "Has the Princess used the
Time Gate?"
Sailor Pluto frowned. She had been surprised over something as trivial as that? "I just
sent Small Lady to 1996."
The other Pluto shook her head. "Not her, Sailor Moon, circa 1997. Or for that matter
Sailor Moon from 1995. They switched places."
Pluto sucked her breath in sharply. "This is unexpected." She agreed, her mind racing
with the possibilities of something she knew nothing about. The prospect excited her. "So
what are you going to do?" She asked.
"The other senshi expect me to go back and get Eternal Sailor Moon and return her to her
time before doing the same to Sailor Moon."
Pluto was on familiar ground again. She knew her own thoughts "But you're not going to
do that?"
"Right." The newcomer Pluto nodded "I'm just going to prevent the switch occuring in
the first place. I just need to find a way of doing it without causing further damage."
The other Sailor Pluto hummed as she tapped her staff thoughtfuly. "Not wanting to play
devil's advocate or anything, but how do we know this isn't meant to be? Are we so sure
of our own infallibility that we can't accept any deviation from what we blindly assume
to be the correct path?" 'Hell, I'm going to cease to exist soon enough, I might as well live
dangerously' she thought.
Pluto was shocked speechless. Now she didn't even know what her own self was
thinking. "W-what do you propose?" She stammered.
Her reaction was not lost on her counterpart. 'Am I that shocking?' she wondered. "we
should follow this through, see what the future holds depending on when we choose to
step in and fix things."
Despite that the idea alarmed her, Pluto could find no flaw in the reasoning. "I suppose
you're right, we should at least check out the possibilities."
"Exactly." The other nodded. "After all, nothing happens without a reason." She smiled.
A truly bright smile, which hadn't crossed her features in millenia. 'Now things are
interesting!'
Her counterpart suppressed a groan. 'Now things are even more complicated.' she thought
dismally.
***
Author Notes: Heh. Sorry if that last chapter confused you, it was confusing enough to
write, so it's probably worse for you poor readers who aren't privy to all my thoughts on
the subject. (oh, and in case it's not obvious, the new arrival Pluto is the one from the
beginning of the story - she snuck out while Rei showed Usagi her manga. Let's hope Rei
won't find out her sacrifice is in vain ^_^ )
Anyway, the pace will pick up next chapter as Eternal Sailor Moon starts to open a few
can's of whupass while the two Sailor Pluto's check out what bizaare futures could
occour.
And will any of Rei's manga survive?!
Stay tuned.
for about a week or so. It's pretty dialogue heavy, still just explaining the premise really.
Things will pick up next chapter I promise!
Oh, by the way, the dates I'm using are based on the end of Sailor Moon, not the start.
(Sailor Moon began airing in 1992 and ended in 1997, but the series takes place over
two years)
Moon Squared chapter 2
The Sailor Senshi arrived at Rei's family shrine. "We're here now Usagi." Ami said
gently, trying to pry the fourteen year old Usagi from her arm. "You can let go of me
now." She said, her voice carrying none of the strain she was feeling.
"H-hai Ami-chan." Usagi said as she slowly let go of her friend. It was a good thing Ami,
Rei and Makoto were here since this Usagi didn't know Sailor Venus or the Outer
Senshi.
The other senshi seemed nice enough, Usagi supposed, though she certainly didn't like
the way one of them was looking at her. 'What was her name?' Usagi wondered, looking
at the tall blonde haired girl, who could have been mistaken for a man given the clothes
she wore 'Oh yes, Haruka.'
Haruka noticed her gaze and winked at Usagi, before being elbowed by Michiru. Usagi
swiftly found something else to occupy her attention.
As they all filed into Rei's living room Setsuna whispered something to Hotaru before
anyone sat down. Usagi sat on the couch between Ami and Makoto. Rei sat on the
armchair next to it while Minako slumped onto a beanbag on the other side. Haruka and
Michiru made a beeline for the two seater couch and were just sitting down when Hotaru
dived in between them and grinned up at the shocked girls.
"I'm sitting with my Michiru-mama and Haruka-papa!" she announced proudly, giving a
wink to Setsuna. Setsuna covered her mouth to hide a chuckle before sitting by herself on
the remaining armchair, doing her best to ignore the pained looks Haruka and Michiru
were giving her.
Looking at Usagi sitting between Ami and Makoto, Setsuna's first reaction was that
Usagi must be way overdue for a growth spurt. This fourteen year old Usagi looked
nearly identical to the sixteen year old who had vanished. Sure there were differences if
you looked hard enough; the familiar Usagi was less than an inch taller, and her figure
was only slightly more developed.
"So..." Makoto began once everyone had settled. "Anyone know what the hell
happened?" She glanced around the room.
Everyone seemed to find the floor terribly interesting at this point.
"I have no idea." Usagi said hesitantly "One minute I'm fighting a youma, the next I'm
surrounded by you guys, and you say it's the future and that I did something to cause
this, but all I know is I was fighting a youma like Luna told me to and I hadn't even
actually done anything yet I was just going to do something but I hadn't done it yet. " Her
speech was coming out faster and faster as she talked before she lost it and just started
wailing.
Makoto and Ami both cringed at the aural onslaught. Rei sighed and went to kneel in
front of Usagi, holding her hands to comfort her. "We're not mad at you Usagi-chan." She
said gently. 'I'm mad at the other Usagi!' she added silently.
Usagi stopped wailing and looked at Rei "You mean it Rei-chan?" She asked hopefully.
Rei felt her heart melting as she looked into those innocent blue eyes. "Of course not
Usagi-chan." She reached up to wipe a tear off Usagi's cheek "Now dry those tears will
ya." She said cheerfully.
Usagi leapt forward and glomped onto Rei. "Thankyou Rei-chan! I won't be sad if you're
here!"
Rei was quite taken aback. She knew Usagi admired her, but the strength of her reaction
was surprising. 'Especially given the way I treat her sometimes.' she thought shamefully
as she hugged her friend back.
"Aaaww..." Everyone seemed to say at that point.
"A-anyway..." Rei muttered as she disengaged herself from Usagi and returned to her
seat. She noticed Haruka and Michiru were nodding at each other with silly smiles on
their faces. 'They had better not be thinking what I think they're thinking!' Rei thought as
she shot them a disapproving glare.
Haruka and Michiru both coughed and avoided eye contact with Rei.
"I have a theory." Ami announced to get everyone's attention before continuing "Usagi
said that she wished Rei would understand that she isn't the same person she was when
they first met. This Usagi-" she indicated the girl next to her "Comes from about the same
time we first met."
"So are you saying that she's from the past? Then where's our Usagi?" Minako asked,
shifting to a more upright position on her beanbag.
"Logically she would be in the same time frame that this Usagi came from." Ami
announced.
"But how did it happen Ami-san?" Hotaru asked.
Ami seemed stumped by this simple question. The fact that it came from a twelve year
old girl only irked her even more.
"It was the Ginzuishou. You all saw it glowing just before she disappeared." Michiru
said, surprised that they hadn't figured it out.
Makoto bolted upright, startling Usagi "Now hold on a damn minute!" She exclaimed
furiously "The Ginzuishou can kill her! Are you saying she risked her life just because
Rei doesn't take her seriously?"
Rei was feeling about two feet tall at this point.
Setsuna finally spoke "The Ginzuishou is capable of time travel. Using it such a manner
takes it to it's fullest potential, which is lethal to the user. Queen Serenity did this when
she sent your souls to be reincarnated in this era."
The room became deathly silent. Rei was now feeling two inches tall.
"But I'm right here." Usagi chirped innocently.
Everyone looked at her, their expressions unreadable. "Yes you are." Setsuna said before
anyone else got a word in "However I do not believe Usagi used the crystal to it's fullest
potential. In fact I believe it used only the smallest fraction of it's power."
"But you just said-" Minako began hesitantly.
"I know." Setsuna quieted her "But I do not believe the Ginzuishou performed this
temporal switch." Setsuna concentrated for a second, and the Garnet Rod appeared in her
hands. "This did." She held it up for everyone to see before she continued her
explanation. "I noticed the orb was glowing in synch with the crystal before the switch. I
believe the Ginzuishou simply tapped into the nearby source of temporal energy to
exercise Usagi's will without risk to Usagi herself." She couldn't hide the pride in her
voice as she finished. "Usagi's control over the crystal is becoming very impressive."
"So Usagi's safe?" Rei asked, desperate to avoid the possibility that Usagi had risked her
life just to get Rei to take her seriously.
"I'd imagine so." Setsuna said "There's little in that era which can threaten Eternal Sailor
Moon - so long as she doesn't get any silly idea's about taking on Beryl or even Metallia."
"Usagi wouldn't do that." Ami said confidently "She knows better than to interfere with
the timeline."
"Oh?" Setsuna arched an eyebrow "Think about her other experiences with time travel."
"Chibi Usa!" Minako exclaimed.
"Exactly." Setsuna nodded, pleased that Minako had gotten it so quickly. "A girl from
the future, who came back to your time, and by all appearances, did a lot of good."
"I'd hate to think how things would have turned out if I'd never met her." Hotaru
shuddered.
"Usagi might try to wipe out the Dark Kingdom prematurely." Haruka mused, not
altogether unhappy with the thought.
"Yes." Setsuna agreed "While no youma represents a threat to her, and she could easily
handle the generals, there are three beings who could defeat her." Setsuna began ticking
them off "Beryl is a powerful sorceress. It would be a close fight between them, and
could go either way." She raised a second finger "Queen Metallia could easily beat
Eternal Sailor Moon if she was alone." She brought up a third finger "And the last one is
unlikely, but if Endymion has already been captured by the Dark Kingdom, he could
threaten her."
"So you can just pop back in time and pick her up right?" Rei asked eagerly.
Setsuna supressed a sigh. 'I really should hate lying to them, but I'm just so used to it by
now... it's hard knowing everything...' "Yes." She said "I can go to the Time Gate and try
to find her." That part was at least technically true.
"Well, it would help if we gave you a start on where to look." Ami mused before turning
to Usagi, who had mostly spaced out during the discussion "Usagi?" she recieved no
response, so she prodded the girl to get her attention.
"Ow!" Usagi yelped, rubbing her arm. "What is it Ami?"
"What day was it before you came here?" Ami asked.
Usagi appeared to be deep in thought. She adopted a studious expression and placed a
finger to her lips. To any observer it might look like she was pondering the deeper
mysteries of life.
"Usagi?" Ami tried again, her patience fraying.
"Hold on, hold on." Usagi waved her protests away "I'm thinking."
Everyone in the room had very large sweatdrops by this point.
Eventually Usagi gave up. "I know it was Autumn!" She announced triumphantly "The
leaves were turning brown." She beamed at Ami.
Everyone facefaulted.
Rei was suddenly struck by an idea. And she immediately hated herself for it. She warred
with herself for a moment as she decided if she should risk it, but her conscience gave her
little choice. 'Usagi's given her life for us before!' she reminded herself 'I should at least
make the ultimate sacrifice for her!' her resolve hardened.
"I have an idea of how Usagi can tell us the date she's from." She announced in monotone
as she considered what she was risking.
***
The girls stood in front of Rei's extensive manga collection. Minako let out an awed
whistle.
"Okay Usagi, look through them and tell us which one was the last one you read." Rei
turned away so no one could see the tear falling down her cheek.
Usagi's eyes got so big they threatened to fall off her face. "Wow! Thanks Rei, you never
let me read your manga!"
Rei's head suddenly expanded to five times it's normal size "YOU'RE NOT READING
THEM!! JUST CHECK TO SEE IF YOU RECOGNISE THEM!!" She screamed.
Usagi seemed unperturbed as she picked up one from the top of the nearest stack and
began leafing through it.
Makoto put a consoling hand on Rei's shoulder. "You're making a truly noble sacrifice."
She said sympathetically.
Usagi looked up from her current manga. "Say, is there anything to eat around here?"
Rei was about to remark that it would be a cold day in hell before Usagi was allowed
food near her precious manga, but Hotaru spoke first "I'll get you something Usagi-san."
she ran to the kitchen.
Usagi blinked. No one ever added that honorific to her name. 'That little girl must really
look up to me.' she thought happily, ignoring the fact that Rei was now slumped on the
floor, sobbing her eyes out.
***
Sailor Pluto stood silently guarding the Time Gate. It was a frequently depressing,
always boring job, but somebody had to do it. On the rare ocassions when she had to
leave it to attend to matters on Earth, a Sailor Pluto from another time would arrive to
take over guarding it, such were the benefits of the place existing out of time.
She sighed as she considered recent events. She had sent Small Lady back to the
twentieth century, where she would befriend one Tomoe Hotaru. Soon Sailor Pluto
herself would arrive in that time, where she would attempt to kill that same girl.
It was pointless, she knew. All of history was known to her, but everyone must dance on
fate's strings. She would be unable to harm Sailor Saturn. Her sole contribution was to
save Uranus and Neptune from being killed in the helicopter over Mugen Gaken. But in
doing so she would have to use her most forbidden power, and in that one act, she
forfeited her right to exist.
Sailor Pluto accepted this. She had existed for eternity it seemed, but this act would mark
the end for her. From the perspective of those within the time stream she would still exist,
as a Sailor Pluto from another time would depart her post to aid in the battle against
Galaxia, and the formation of Crystal Tokyo. Since she had always known everything, it
did not matter which time she came from.
The very concept of surprise was alien to Sailor Pluto. She feigned it for the benefit of
those within the time stream when necessary. If she didn't the other senshi might become
overconfident that 'Everything will turn out all right' and wouldn't act to their fullest
potential.
Therefore she was very surprised when another Sailor Pluto appeared before the time
gate. "What the hell are you doing here?!" She exclaimed. This was not part of the
elaborate script destiny had written.
The newly arrived Sailor Pluto understood her counterparts surprise. She would react the
same way in her position. One day she would... or perhaps she already had. Time travel
was a very messy subject. "It's unexpected I know." she said "Has the Princess used the
Time Gate?"
Sailor Pluto frowned. She had been surprised over something as trivial as that? "I just
sent Small Lady to 1996."
The other Pluto shook her head. "Not her, Sailor Moon, circa 1997. Or for that matter
Sailor Moon from 1995. They switched places."
Pluto sucked her breath in sharply. "This is unexpected." She agreed, her mind racing
with the possibilities of something she knew nothing about. The prospect excited her. "So
what are you going to do?" She asked.
"The other senshi expect me to go back and get Eternal Sailor Moon and return her to her
time before doing the same to Sailor Moon."
Pluto was on familiar ground again. She knew her own thoughts "But you're not going to
do that?"
"Right." The newcomer Pluto nodded "I'm just going to prevent the switch occuring in
the first place. I just need to find a way of doing it without causing further damage."
The other Sailor Pluto hummed as she tapped her staff thoughtfuly. "Not wanting to play
devil's advocate or anything, but how do we know this isn't meant to be? Are we so sure
of our own infallibility that we can't accept any deviation from what we blindly assume
to be the correct path?" 'Hell, I'm going to cease to exist soon enough, I might as well live
dangerously' she thought.
Pluto was shocked speechless. Now she didn't even know what her own self was
thinking. "W-what do you propose?" She stammered.
Her reaction was not lost on her counterpart. 'Am I that shocking?' she wondered. "we
should follow this through, see what the future holds depending on when we choose to
step in and fix things."
Despite that the idea alarmed her, Pluto could find no flaw in the reasoning. "I suppose
you're right, we should at least check out the possibilities."
"Exactly." The other nodded. "After all, nothing happens without a reason." She smiled.
A truly bright smile, which hadn't crossed her features in millenia. 'Now things are
interesting!'
Her counterpart suppressed a groan. 'Now things are even more complicated.' she thought
dismally.
***
Author Notes: Heh. Sorry if that last chapter confused you, it was confusing enough to
write, so it's probably worse for you poor readers who aren't privy to all my thoughts on
the subject. (oh, and in case it's not obvious, the new arrival Pluto is the one from the
beginning of the story - she snuck out while Rei showed Usagi her manga. Let's hope Rei
won't find out her sacrifice is in vain ^_^ )
Anyway, the pace will pick up next chapter as Eternal Sailor Moon starts to open a few
can's of whupass while the two Sailor Pluto's check out what bizaare futures could
occour.
And will any of Rei's manga survive?!
Stay tuned.