Act Three - Stranger from the Future

The morning after Minako's party, Usagi, Rei, Makoto, and the movie star decided to go shopping. Ami would have come if she hadn't been paged by the hospital to take over for a colleague, and Naru wasn't able to go either. As they walked toward a small, but very exclusive boutique in the heart of downtown Tokyo, Usagi couldn't contain her curiosity any longer. She just had to know what happened last night.

"So, you and Asai-kun looked very friendly last night at the party, Minako-chan," Usagi commented, poking her in the ribs. She was wearing one of her devilish smiles. "I take it that you were happy to see him again, weren't you?"

Minako blushed a pretty pink at the mention of Asai's name. Yes, it had been nice to see him again. Real nice. He was even cuter than the last time she saw him, which was when that daimon attacked him all those years ago.

"I'll say," Makoto chorused. "They were clinging to each other the entire night, as if they were afraid one of them was going to disappear if they stopped holding hands for even one second."

"You're exaggerating, Mako-chan," Minako replied, her face growing redder by the minute. "We weren't together the entire night."

"Really?" Rei teased. "When you and Asai-kun left the party early, I just assumed that you went back to your hotel room and… Well, let's just say that you look awfully tired this morning. You didn't get a lot of sleep last night, did you?"

The movie star's beautiful face was now colored a deep, dark scarlet. She couldn't blush any harder even if she tried. "Rei-chan!"

"You slept with him, didn't you?"

Okay. It was possible.

"Rei-chan, I don't really think that's any of your business," Minako said, trying to act cool and confident but not succeeding. "You know I'm not the type of girl to kiss and blab."

"So there was kissing involved?"

"Maybe."

"Come on, Minako-chan! You've got to be a little more specific than 'maybe'. In case you've forgotten, we were the ones who got you two back together. You owe us details."

Makoto sighed as she opened the door of Timeless Creations, allowing the others to go in ahead of her. "First of all, technically, I'm the one who called Asai-kun and invited him to the party, Rei-chan. You had absolutely nothing to do with it, so if Minako-chan owes anyone details, it's me. And secondly, if she doesn't want to tell us what happened last night, then I say we should respect her privacy. I'm sure Minako-chan has enough problems with the paparazzi invading her private life without her friends bugging her too."

Grateful for her help, Minako flashed her friend a relieved smile. It was true that the press had been hounding her lately, especially after the success of her last movie. She was finally beginning to understand how the Three Lights must have felt. It was hard work being a celebrity, but she wouldn't change it for the world. She was a star and loving almost every single minute of it.

However, she did miss having somewhat of a private life. Last night was the first time in a long time that she had been able to enjoy being with a guy without worrying about some paparazzo popping out of the shadows with his camera, hoping to catch some juicy picture he could sell to the tabloids for major bucks. Nothing happened between her and Asai at the hotel except a few innocent kisses (she wasn't that kind of girl), but still, it was the principle of the matter. She usually told her friends everything, but for once, it felt nice to have a part of her life that was hers and hers alone.

"But we want to know!" Usagi and Rei whined, speaking in perfect unison.

Upon hearing the two familiar voices of the beautiful priestess and her princess, Meioh Setsuna looked up from the design sketch she was working on and smiled warmly. Well, at least she hoped she was. For some reason, the appearance of Usagi caused another stab of pain to flicker in her heart, just like the day Hotaru told her about the engagement. She was at a lost for an explanation for these strange emotions she had been feeling the last few days, but she resolved not to let it interfere with her friendship with either Usagi or Mamoru. Maybe Michiru was right about her needing to go on a date…

"Hello, girls," she greeted them, setting aside her design. "What a nice surprise. I never see you four around here."

Rei, who was admiring a stunning crimson dress on a nearby mannequin, practically fainted as she took a peek at the price tag. Fifty thousand dollars for a dress that barely had enough fabric to cover the important parts? This was ridiculous! "That's because only Minako, Ami, and now Usagi could ever be able to afford anything in here," the priestess complained. "Haven't you ever heard of the term 'sale', Setsuna-san? The price of this dress alone is double the yearly budget at the temple."

The designer let out a rare giggle at the look on Rei's face. "That's from my haute couture collection, Rei-san. Not all of my designs are that expensive. If you'd like, I could show you some of the clothes from the ready-to-wear line that might fit your budget."

Usagi shook her head, smiling. "That won't be necessary, Setsuna-san," she replied, looking over a beautiful strapless wedding gown trimmed with delicate chantilly lace. "We're actually here to look for my wedding dress and the bridesmaids' gowns. And don't worry, price is no object now that my Mamo-chan is a millionaire. I'm paying for everything."

At the mention of the wedding, another stab of pain traveled to Setsuna's heart, causing her to clutch at her breast. Makoto, who was standing closest, reached out to the older woman just in case she fainted, but she quickly waved the tall brunette away. "It's nothing, Mako-chan," she whispered, recovering from the attack. What was going on with her? Why was it that whenever she thought about the wedding, she felt this unbelievable pain?

"Are you sure?" Makoto asked, doubtful that Setsuna was telling the truth.

"I'm fine. Really."

"Maybe we should take her to the hospital and let Ami-chan check her out, just to be on the safe side," Minako suggested. "After all, it's better to be safe then dead."

While the other girls groaned at yet another mistake by the Queen of Misquotes, Setsuna smiled faintly. It was nice of the younger girls to be so worried about her, but she was sure it was nothing. Probably just stress, or something like that. She had been under a lot of pressure lately, preparing for next season and organizing her big fashion show. The fact that these attacks occurred whenever the wedding was mentioned must just be some strange coincidence. That's all.

"That's okay, Minako-san," she insisted, the color returning to her face. "I feel much now. Now, what were you saying about the wedding?"

Leading the girls over to the bridal section, Setsuna could feel another attack coming on, but this time she did a much better job of concealing it.

Nothing was wrong. Absolutely nothing.

Struggling to fit into a skin tight charmuese dress, Makoto let out a string of curses that could be heard throughout all the dressing rooms. Why wouldn't this stupid dress fit? It was a size 6, her normal size, so she didn't understand why she couldn't zip up the back. "Could somebody please give me a hand in here?" she finally asked.

Setsuna opened the door to Makoto's dressing room and tried her luck at closing up the back of the dress, but it was obviously much too small for the curvy brunette, even when she sucked in her stomach. "I'm afraid that you need a bigger size, Makoto-san," she informed her. "Do you want me to go find an 8?"

"What? A bigger size? That's impossible. I've worn a size 6 ever since high school. You're just not trying hard enough."

"Maybe you should stop eating all those rich desserts you make at your restaurant, Mako-chan," Minako teased, her blonde head popping over the divider between their dressing rooms.

Makoto glanced up at her friend and gave her an evil glare. "Are you implying that I'm fat? Because if you are, I suddenly remember a certain embarrassing photo of you that I have that I'm sure the tabloids would pay big money for. You know the one I'm talking about, don't you? The one where you stuffed…"

"Okay, okay. I take it all back. You're still as skinny and beautiful as the day I met you."

Makoto grunted in satisfaction as Setsuna let out a sigh. "That may be the case, but there is absolutely no way you are going to squeeze into this dress. Let me go get the size 8."

Despite the Amazon's objections, the designer wouldn't take no for an answer. Setsuna exited Makoto's dressing room and knocked on the one next door to check on how Rei was doing. "Rei-san, do you need any help in there?"

In answer, the priestess opened the door and stepped out, voguing in front of Setsuna. She was wearing the crimson dress that she had been admiring earlier, the one that suddenly wasn't too expensive now that Usagi was paying.

"How do I look?" she asked, looking at her reflection in the full-length mirror with a satisfied grin on her face. "Yuuichiro would just die if he saw me in this, don't you think?"

The green-haired woman nodded her agreement. The normally chaste priestess looked positively sinful in the cut-out dress. "That dress looks great on you, Rei-san, but I'm afraid that it might be just a tad bit too sexy for the wedding."

Rei sighed. "You're right, but a girl can dream."

She went back into the dressing room to try on the other dress she liked as Setsuna went to the back room to get Makoto's dress. When she returned, she found Rei and Minako modeling their dresses in front of each other. The movie star had chosen a one-shouldered tangerine number with a slit running up the side, showing off her toned legs, while Rei looked gorgeous in bright red halter gown. A few minutes later, Makoto came out as well, looking fabulous in the size 8 light green dress which she had no problem getting into.

"So, which one do you think the bridesmaids should wear, Setsuna-san?" Minako asked, striking a haughty pose in front of the mirror. The other two proceeded to pose as well, allowing the designer to get a good look at all three choices.

"I don't know, Minako-chan," Setsuna replied, realizing that no matter which one she chose, the other two would complain. She knew better to fall in that trap. "They all look great to me. Besides, it doesn't matter what I think. Usagi-chan has to make the final decision. It's her wedding after all."

At the mention of her name, the door to the last dressing room opened and out stepped Usagi, dressed in the gorgeous silk and lace gown that she saw in the show room. Her friends gasped at how beautiful and graceful she looked, just like a princess. Even Setsuna smiled despite the reoccurring pain in her heart. "You look beautiful, Usagi-chan," she whispered, struggling to hold back her tears.

Luckily for her, the other girls had tears in their eyes as well as they beheld the sight of their beloved princess.

Usagi didn't say anything at first, but simply looked at herself in the mirror. She twirled around a couple of times, letting the full skirt fan out around her. It certainly was an exquisite dress, but she wasn't sure if this was the one. It was a little bit too elegant and sophisticated for her taste. She always dreamed of getting married in something more romantic, with lots of lace and maybe trimmed with flowers…

"It's perfect, Usagi-chan," Makoto said, a tone of reverence in her voice.

"I don't know…" Usagi murmured. "It's a pretty dress, but I don't think it's really me, you know?"

Her deep blue eyes traveled to a single chair sitting in the corner of the room and rested on Setsuna's sketchbook, which she brought in when she went to find Makoto's dress. It was opened to the dress she had been working on when they arrived. Picking up the book, Usagi's eyes widened. This was it! This was the dress she always dreamed of wearing!

Though the design was far from finish, Usagi could tell that it was extremely beautiful. It was a white gown with a full skirt complete with a long train covered in lace. The off-the-shoulder neckline and short, puffy sleeves were trimmed with small white roses, and there were also roses on either side of the hips, attached to the removable train. To complete the ensemble was a long veil with a headpiece made entirely of roses.

"This is my wedding dress," she confidently declared, holding up the drawing for everyone to see. The other girls nodded their agreement of Usagi's choice, except for Setsuna, who seemed to be in shock.

"Bu…But I haven't even finished the design yet," Setsuna stuttered uncharacteristically. "How can you be so certain after only seeing one preliminary sketch? Don't you think you should wait and see how it turns out before you make a final decision?"

"I've already made my decision, Setsuna-san," Usagi repeated, handing the book back to the surprised designer. "I want that dress. It doesn't matter that the sketch isn't finished yet. I know what I like, and I absolutely love that gown. I'm sure you'll do a wonderful job."

"It'll be expensive. This type of design is very labor-intensive, and, of course, I use only the finest materials…"

Usagi whipped out her checkbook and began writing out a check right then and there. "How much should I make it out for?"

"Usagi-chan…"

"What is the price of the gown? I told you that I didn't care how much it costs. Oh, and go ahead and add their dresses to the bill, including that dress Rei wants so badly so that she can give Yuuichiro a heart attack."

Setsuna sighed, then pulled the calculator from her pocket, adding up the price of all their purchases. She told Usagi the cost, expecting her to faint at the sight of the six-figure total like Rei almost did when she heard how much her friend was spending. However, the blonde didn't even flinch a muscle as she wrote the check. Mamoru must have inherited even more money than Setsuna first thought.

"Are you sure you want to spend so much money, Usagi?" Rei asked, still recovering from the shock as Setsuna packed their purchases. "I mean, I can live without the 50,000 dress."

"Nonsense, Rei-chan. It's no problem at all."

Grabbing their bags, the girls exited the store, calling out their goodbyes to Setsuna. Usagi mentioned something about an engagement party at Makoto's restaurant next weekend before she left, but the designer barely heard. Instead, she sat staring at the sketch, tears streaming down her face.

That was her wedding dress.

Slipping into her burgundy satin nightgown, Setsuna took a seat at her desk where she had laid her sketchbook and turned to the drawing of the beautiful wedding gown, the dress she had been hoping to wear at her own wedding. Why in the world did she ever let Usagi buy the design? She should have told her that it wasn't for sell. Usagi would have understood, but she seemed so happy when she spotted the drawing. How could she dash her princess's dream of the perfect wedding dress? Instead of being so selfish, she should be honored that Usagi loved the dress so much. That was her job after all.

After making a few minor changes, Setsuna threw the pencil to the side, unable to concentrate on the drawing any longer. Her fingers ached to tear the paper right of the book and throw it right into the garbage can, feeling that if she couldn't wear the dress, then nobody could, but stopped herself just in time.

This was so stupid! Why was she acting so childish? It wasn't like she was ever going to get married anyway…

A feeling of deep loneliness came over her as she realized the truth in those words. Setsuna had seen the future; she knew what was in store for her. There would be no handsome prince to say he loves her, no cozy little cottage in the woods, no sound of the pitter-patter of tiny feet… That was her fate. She was destined to remain the solitary guardian of the Gates of Time until the day she gave up her life to save Crystal Tokyo by breaking the biggest taboo, stopping time.

Perhaps that was what was bothering her so much about Usagi's and Mamoru's wedding, for she knew that Crystal Tokyo would soon be born and that she would have to take her rightful place as the Guardian of Time, leaving behind this world she loved so much. How could she say goodbye to Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru, the only real family she had ever known? And what would become of Timeless Creations? She didn't want to go back.

Out of all the Sailor Soldiers, Setsuna's memory of their lives' during the time of the Silver Millennium was the most vivid. She recalled almost everything. The pain, the loneliness, the solitude. Back then, she never really minded the sacrifices she had to make for her duty, for it was the only life she had ever known. Setsuna only had a handful of memories of her life before she was awakened, mostly of the times she visited her mother Chiyoko at the Gates of Time, whom she rarely saw. She never even met her father Chronos. She had always been alone.

That is, until the day Queen Beryl's troops attacked the Moon Palace. After she, Uranus, and Neptune awakened the sleeping soldier of destruction to destroy the final remnants of the ancient kingdom, an apparition of Queen Serenity appeared before them. She had used the rest of her remaining energy to seal those of the Silver Millennium, including Princess Serenity and her court, inside the shining power of the Silver Crystal in order to send them to a new future on Earth. As the kingdom no longer existed, the solitary Outers were no longer needed to protect the solar system from invaders. Thus, they too would be reborn with the others. However, Setsuna's time on Earth would be brief. When the kingdom was reborn, she would be forced to return to her post as the guardian of time.

Setsuna glanced over at the old-fashioned hourglass that sat on the corner of her desk. Haruka liked to tease her endlessly about it, finding it beyond amusing that the guardian of time relied on such an inaccurate instrument to tell time. However, her friend didn't understand the true power of that seemingly innocent looking hourglass, for when the last grain of sand passed through, Setsuna would have to return to the gates. A pain throbbed in her heart as she watched the sand shift through the small funnel, noticing just how little time she had left. How could time have passed so quickly? It seemed as if it was only yesterday that she began having those reoccurring dreams of her future self, awakening Sailor Pluto in the present time. Could it really have been seven years ago?

"Setsuna-mama?"

Hearing Hotaru's quiet voice, Setsuna popped her head up, only then realizing that she was crying. She wiped her tears away as her adopted daughter came up behind her and wrapped her in a comforting hug.

"Setsuna-mama, what's wrong?" she asked, the worry evident in her voice. Setsuna shook her head and forced herself to smile. There was no need for them to know yet of the future that awaited her.

"It's nothing, my little Hotaru-chan," Setsuna whispered.

"But you were crying…"

"I was only reading a sappy romance novel that Mako-chan lent me and I guess I got a little too into the story. That's all."

Scanning the room with her violet eyes, Hotaru saw no sign of the so-called "sappy romance novel" she claimed to have been reading. Furthermore, she also knew that her adopted mother would never read such light literature, preferring scientific papers and the classics to the trash of the latest Danielle Steel novel. Why was Setsuna lying to her?

"Why won't you trust us?" Hotaru asked. "Haruka-papa, Michiru-mama, and I are worried about you, Setsuna-mama. You've been acting so strange lately. We only want to help."

There's nothing you, or anyone, can do to help me, Setsuna thought sadly to herself. Turning back to Hotaru, she again smiled, trying to assure the teen that everything was alright. "I'm fine, really," she insisted. "Now, shouldn't you be in bed, young lady? It's almost midnight, way past your bedtime."

Hotaru rolled her eyes at the comment, relieved to see a little of the familiar Setsuna back."Come on! I'm a senior in high school. I don't have a bedtime anymore."

Setsuna stood up and opened the door, showing Hotaru out. "Nonsense. If I recall correctly, I believe that you have a major physics test tomorrow. You have to get plenty of sleep if you plan to do well."

"But, Setsuna-mama…" Hotaru whined as she walked, or rather was gently pushed, out of the room.

"Goodnight, Hotaru-chan."

"Goodnight, Setsuna-mama."

After she was certain that Hotaru had gone back to her room, Setsuna sighed and climbed underneath the satin sheets of her own bed. She really was going to miss that little firefly. After all, Hotaru and Chibi-Usa were about the closest things she had to real daughters.

Reaching over to her nightstand, Setsuna picked up a heavy silver picture frame which held a beautiful portrait of the unique family. There was Haruka in the back, dressed in what she humorously referred to as her "church clothes" (a pair of nice slacks, a pressed shirt, and the tie that Hotaru had given her for Father's Day) and a cocky grin. Beside her stood the always elegant Michiru with her arm wrapped discreetly around her lover's waist and her head resting on Haruka's shoulder. And Setsuna sat in front of them in a chair with a very adorable five-year old Hotaru (during her brief reawakening as a child), who was playing with a strand of her adopted mother's long green hair, sitting on her lap. They looked so happy together. They were a family.

Feeling another round of tears coming on, Setsuna placed the picture back on the table and gently cried herself to sleep.

A soft burgundy glow illuminated Setsuna's face, but surprisingly did not cause her to awaken. She must be in a deep sleep, the visitor thought. Reaching out with a small, tender hand, the source of the light let out a silent sigh as she gently caressed the sleeping woman's cheek.

Feeling the gentle touch of the hand, Setsuna slowly opened her garnet-colored eyes and found herself staring at a young teenage girl. "Hotaru-chan?" she asked, although she immediately noticed that the figure had longer hair than her adopted daughter.

The child shook her head as the glow surrounding her suddenly disappeared, leaving behind a very pretty girl with long ebony black hair pulled back in a simple braid and breathtaking red eyes, the same exact color as Setsuna's. Her skin was a beautiful cocoa color, complemented by the simple white dress she wore. Though from her height, she appeared to be about as tall as Hotaru (maybe a couple of inches shorter), it was obvious that she wasn't as developed as an older teenager. Setsuna estimated her to be around twelve or thirteen.

Much to Setsuna's surprise, the child kneeled down beside the bed and took her hand. She hadn't noticed it before, but the girl's eyes were brimming with tears. "It's me," the girl whispered, kissing her palm. "Masako."

"Masako?"

She repeated the name of the girl aloud with no recognition in her voice. Setsuna had never seen her before, although she did feel a strange bond with this girl that she couldn't quite understand. Realizing her mistake, Masako unfurled her hand and stared down at the intricately designed key which Setsuna recognized as one of the keys to the Gates of Time.

"I know you told me that I shouldn't try to use the keys until I was stronger, but I just missed you so much," the girl said softly, no longer able to hide her tears. "All I wanted was to see you again and ask you a question, but it is obvious that I went too far back in time. I'm sorry…"

Masako hid her face in her arms, allowing the sobs to rip through her body. Overcome with a strong emotion to comfort the girl, Setsuna began to stroke the back of her head. "It's okay," the older woman said, once the crying started to subside. "Who are you? What time did you come from?"

Masako wiped away a few stray tears and looked up at Setsuna. "My full name is Meioh Masago, and I come from 30th century Crystal Tokyo. Chibi-Usa-chan was the one who let me borrow her key so that I could go to the past, but I didn't mean to go so far back in time," she confessed.

Meioh Masago? Setsuna thought, wondering why this girl had the same surname as she did. Was she a long-lost cousin or maybe even sister? But that was impossible. Her Earth parents died when she was just a little girl, and neither of them had any other family. Who was she?

"Masago-chan, does your family know that you are here?" Setsuna asked. A flash of sadness flickered in the girl's red eyes.

"You are the only family I've ever known, but now you are gone and I'm all alone. That's why I wanted to talk to your past self…but never mind. You wouldn't know the answer to my question."

Masago stood up and began to glow once again as she raised the key above her head. However, before the time warp could open, Setsuna reached out and grabbed the girl's other hand. Though she couldn't explain why, she felt protective of the girl. Time travel was extremely dangerous, especially when she wasn't there to control the warp. She couldn't just let Masago go off by herself.

"Wait, Masago-chan," she ordered, standing up and taking the girl's hand. "I'll take you home."

"But I was…"

Setsuna shook her head. "I know what you are thinking. You still want to find the past me who can give you the answer to your question, but it's too dangerous by yourself. It's better that you just go back home."

"But…"

Setsuna took both of the girl's hands in her own and gave her a small smile. "Let's go."

In a flash of bright burgundy light, the two figures disappeared.

The next morning, Setsuna woke up in her bed, very confused about what had happened last night. It all seemed like some kind of dream, but somehow she knew that Masago had been a real person. She had held those small hands and looked in those sad eyes, understanding the pain inside. Setsuna had absolutely no idea who she was, but she did know that she loved that lonely little girl with all her heart and soul.