Disclaimer: Sailormoon was created by Takeuchi Naoko. I'm just borrowing
her characters.
Setsuna awoke and looked about the mist. She must have fallen asleep crying. With a start, she realized her time staff was missing. Without it, she would no longer be able to leave the Gate. She would no longer be able to see into the Time Stream. Mugen had truly left her powerless to stop what was to come. But . . . someone else, surely, would be able to. Right?
Her mind worked furiously to find a solution. How would she warn Crystal Tokyo? The only possible way for a message to leave the Gate now was for Chibi-Usa to visit her . . . Setsuna prayed earnestly that she would. Perhaps she would be able to keep the princess from making costly mistakes. Pluto bit her lip. As she had done.
But it wasn't likely, she concluded. At this moment, the young princess had just returned from the past and was getting reacquainted with her home. The palace was celebrating and it didn't seem like a possibility that anyone would be visiting her anytime soon. Setsuna pushed that bitter thought away and continued to think.
Pluto's eyes widened as an idea came to her. Nodding to herself, Pluto knelt in the mist and concentrated all the power she had into a message. She hoped it would work.
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"I couldn't find her anywhere," Mars cried between breaths. "Do you think the Black Moon has already gotten to her?"
"No," Sailorvenus gritted out. "They can't have her. We won't let them." She turned to Mercury and Jupiter who were running to join them. "How's Serenity?"
"We sealed her encasement into the upper room, but we shouldn't leave it alone long," Mercury cautioned. "The enemy won't hesitate to destroy her."
"Endymion?" Mars asked.
Mercury and Jupiter shared a look. "He's wounded, badly." Jupiter's mouth was set in a determined line. "He won't be able to help us." Mars nodded softly.
"We have to find the princess," Venus reminded the other senshi. "We have to hurry."
"No need."
The senshi turned to see Sailorpluto holding an unconscious pink-haired princess. She handed the child to Mars and a small key to Mercury. "Take Princess Serenity to the outskirts of the city, past the chaos. Wake her if she hasn't already come to and tell her to use this key. Tell her to find Sailormoon and the ginzuishou. She will know what to do." At the senshi's hesitation, Pluto shouted, "Hurry!"
Sailorpluto watched for a moment as the senshi fled from the city. She wished them luck and returned to her post.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Neo-Queen Serenity sat up in her bed, breathing hard and sweating. Black Moon Clan? She had just managed to begin running Crystal Tokyo without their haunting presence at the back of her mind. What a dream . . . but it had seemed so real. What did it mean?
She walked over to the window and looked out into the night. A few guards patroled the palace grounds, but even so, it was a peaceful night. The scars from that crisis years ago had been nearly erased and forgotten. Almost.
She turned and saw Endymion roll over in his sleep. She smiled. It was just a dream. Serenity crawled back under the covers and was soon in sweet slumber.
Setsuna awoke and looked about the mist. She must have fallen asleep crying. With a start, she realized her time staff was missing. Without it, she would no longer be able to leave the Gate. She would no longer be able to see into the Time Stream. Mugen had truly left her powerless to stop what was to come. But . . . someone else, surely, would be able to. Right?
Her mind worked furiously to find a solution. How would she warn Crystal Tokyo? The only possible way for a message to leave the Gate now was for Chibi-Usa to visit her . . . Setsuna prayed earnestly that she would. Perhaps she would be able to keep the princess from making costly mistakes. Pluto bit her lip. As she had done.
But it wasn't likely, she concluded. At this moment, the young princess had just returned from the past and was getting reacquainted with her home. The palace was celebrating and it didn't seem like a possibility that anyone would be visiting her anytime soon. Setsuna pushed that bitter thought away and continued to think.
Pluto's eyes widened as an idea came to her. Nodding to herself, Pluto knelt in the mist and concentrated all the power she had into a message. She hoped it would work.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I couldn't find her anywhere," Mars cried between breaths. "Do you think the Black Moon has already gotten to her?"
"No," Sailorvenus gritted out. "They can't have her. We won't let them." She turned to Mercury and Jupiter who were running to join them. "How's Serenity?"
"We sealed her encasement into the upper room, but we shouldn't leave it alone long," Mercury cautioned. "The enemy won't hesitate to destroy her."
"Endymion?" Mars asked.
Mercury and Jupiter shared a look. "He's wounded, badly." Jupiter's mouth was set in a determined line. "He won't be able to help us." Mars nodded softly.
"We have to find the princess," Venus reminded the other senshi. "We have to hurry."
"No need."
The senshi turned to see Sailorpluto holding an unconscious pink-haired princess. She handed the child to Mars and a small key to Mercury. "Take Princess Serenity to the outskirts of the city, past the chaos. Wake her if she hasn't already come to and tell her to use this key. Tell her to find Sailormoon and the ginzuishou. She will know what to do." At the senshi's hesitation, Pluto shouted, "Hurry!"
Sailorpluto watched for a moment as the senshi fled from the city. She wished them luck and returned to her post.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Neo-Queen Serenity sat up in her bed, breathing hard and sweating. Black Moon Clan? She had just managed to begin running Crystal Tokyo without their haunting presence at the back of her mind. What a dream . . . but it had seemed so real. What did it mean?
She walked over to the window and looked out into the night. A few guards patroled the palace grounds, but even so, it was a peaceful night. The scars from that crisis years ago had been nearly erased and forgotten. Almost.
She turned and saw Endymion roll over in his sleep. She smiled. It was just a dream. Serenity crawled back under the covers and was soon in sweet slumber.