Chapter 9
Setsuna Hears the Voices

Time passed in its usual manner. Setsuna's eighth birthday, spent on Pluto with Lord Hades and Chronos just as her seventh, came and went. Again her lessons resumed from where they had been halted. Setsuna kept trying to hear the Voices of the Dead, even though the optimism with which she had faced the task months before was waning. When she first began listening for the Voices, she had expected several failures early on, followed by a great success. Now, her record was still a string of failures, and Setsuna was beginning to feel discouraged. Her lack of success was especially disheartening now that she was a whole eight years of age. Being so grown up, was it right that she was still struggling to master her powers?
"Does it always take this long to hear the Voices of the Dead?" Setsuna asked one afternoon as she sat with her mother, listening for the Voices. The sudden break in the silence startled Lady Moira from a peaceful reverie. The former warrior raised her garnet gaze from her lap to her daughter, sitting cross-legged in the chair beside her. Setsuna, her elbows propped up on her knees, cupped her chin in her hands. She had her eyes closed, and a deep frown of concentration creased her blessed little brow. The pose was the very same Moira had found her in several moments earlier. In asking her question, she had moved nothing but her lips.
"I told you it would, darling. You cannot expect your powers to awaken overnight."
"But it has not been overnight!" Setsuna protested, still not moving. "It has been months and months!"
"Setsuna, please open your eyes." Lady Moira sighed, somewhat put off by her child's lack of movement. "You will not be able to hear the Voices while talking to me, so there is no need to be so still. What troubles you, love?" Slowly, Setsuna opened one cranberry eye, then the other, and stretched briefly before turning to face her mother.
"Mother, I am now eight years of age. I have been training with you for two years now, and I cannot yet even hear the Voices of the Dead. Should that be?"
"You must be patient, my daughter," said the Queen mildly.
"But I have been patient, Mother! I have been patient for months now, but all in vain! I have done all that you have taught me! It should not take so long for your seeds to bear fruit unless I, the soil, am flawed in some way!" Moira raised an eyebrow.
"I did not begin to hear the Voices of the Dead until I was ten, myself," she said. Blood rushed up to Setsuna's cheeks, staining them a flattering shade of pink. She instantly wished she had held her tongue, but seeing her embarrassment, Lady Moira laughed.
"When I could not hear the Voices, I too felt as though it were a fault of mine. I believed my inability to hear them—at ten years of age, no less—made me an embarrassment to my mother?"
"Did it?" Setsuna asked, for she felt just as her own mother had described.
"Not at all," was Lady Moira's reply, "She said to me, 'Moira, you are my daughter, and nothing in this world can change that.' Do you understand what she meant?"
"She meant that you were born to her, so you were her own no matter what." Setsuna said promptly, not one to let her mother explain if she knew the answer already.
"Exactly," said the Queen. "I was her eldest daughter, and that was the way of it. She could not trade me for another, or return me to her womb to forget I ever was born. I knew her meaning as well as she. And do you know what she told me after that?" Setsuna shook her head. That was a question to which she did not know the answer.
"She said, 'for the fact that I cannot trade you. I praise the gods every day of my life.'" For a moment, mother and daughter both were silent. There was no need for Lady Moira to ask if Setsuna understood; she did. She understood perfectly, and that was what left her at a loss for words. She could think of no response. It was all she could do to meet her mother's eyes. They gazed steadily at one another for several minutes, until Lady Moira's sigh ruptured the silence. The Queen of Pluto stood then, but only to join Setsuna in her own seat. The chair was a large one, and Lady Moira, being of rather delicate build, easily fit in beside the princess. Tenderly, she brushed a stray hair from her child's eye, a curiously melancholy smile on her lips.
"I love you, Setsuna. I will always love you. I know the training cannot be easy for you, but you mustn't let failure dishearten you. Whatever happens, my girl, you can trust that I will still love you. When you begin to hear the Voices, I will be a proud and happy mother, just as I am now. And while the Voices still evade you, I will love you no less." Setsuna found her own voice again.
"But what of this kingdom, Mother? It is my duty to protect this kingdom as a Sailor Soldier. How can I do my duty until I become a Sailor Soldier?" Moira chuckled without joy.
"I am still young, child. My body and my powers are still strong enough that I can do battle if need be. You needn't fear." Moira pulled Setsuna into a tight embrace. "Do not be in such a rush to become Sailor Pluto, Setsuna. You are far too young to lose your innocence."

Setsuna's sleep was troubled that night. Her mother's words ran through her head in an endless circle, keeping her awake for hours. You are far too young to lose your innocence. Though she did not understand it, the statement bothered her. Something in the way her mother had spoken those words—longingly, her voice aching with loss—made Setsuna feel eerily cold and strange. The girl shivered beneath her blankets, trying for the first time in her life, to shut out the echo of her mother's voice.
Eventually, a fitful sleep found her, and as she slept, she dreamed—the strangest, most vivid dream she had ever seen. In her dream, she was lying in her bed, and it was just before daybreak. The blackness that cloaked her chambers in the night had been turned gray by the feeble, pre-dawn light. Setsuna glanced about the room. In the bed to her left, she could just make out Michiru sleeping peacefully, her breathing deep and even. In the bed on the far left, Haruka stirred slightly. A sleepy murmur escaped her lips, and then she was silent once more.
The details of Setsuna's bedchamber were sharp and real. Looking down at herself, she found that she was even wearing the same elegant white night dress she had put on before retiring that evening. This surprised her, as she was somehow aware of the fact that she was dreaming, but that was not what concerned her most. Dreams were unpredictable, and Setsuna's pulse fluttered with nervousness as she wondered what surprises her subconscious mind had in store for her. Drawing in a deep, calming breath, Setsuna huddled beneath her blankets, bracing herself for whatever was to come.
Soft voices stirred the air in the room. Setsuna bolted upright. At the foot of her bed stood two figures, veiled in the dusky shadows of the day's first light. Darkness made their faces swirl, and washed all color from them and their surroundings. In spite of this, Setsuna managed to identify the taller of the two shadows as her grandfather by the sheer familiarity of his form and manner. The other one was familiar to her as well—eerily so. A strange, though not unpleasant sensation settled over the princess as she gazed upon the shorter figure. Setsuna squinted, trying to make her—she was sure it was a woman—out.
Her hair was long, that much she could tell right away. She was also fairly tall, only shorter than Chronos by inches. She appeared to be slender, although with her hair being so long, it was difficult to tell in the darkness. When she shifted, catching what little light there was, Setsuna was able to catch a brief flash of silver at the woman's waist. What is was, though, she could not tell. In her hand, the feminine shadow clutched some sort of staff, at the top of which something gleamed red.
Noticing that Setsuna was watching them, the figures ceased their whispering and turned to face her.
"Grandfather?" Setsuna asked of the Chronos-shaped shadow, just to confirm it was he.
"It is I, my dear one," he replied softly. Beside him, the woman shifted as if something had startled her.
"Who is that?" Setsuna asked, pointing.
"I am you," said the womanly shadow, "I am who you will become." Setsuna gasped softly, mindful of her friends even as she dreamed.
"Are you Sailor Pluto?" she asked in a whisper. The woman shushed her gently.
"Sleep now," said she. Setsuna frowned, though she knew the shadow would not be able to see it.
"I am asleep!" Setsuna protested as quietly as she could. "And I would like to know if you are Sailor Pluto!" Her grandfather chuckled. The next Setsuna knew, he was at her side, gently guiding her head back to her pillow.
"Listen to yourself, sweet granddaughter," Chronos said, for she is the image of your future, and that is all you need know. It is nearly time for you to wake, and to wake, you must sleep in the world of your dreams."
So that woman is Sailor Pluto. Setsuna thought with certainty. Because she always obeyed her dear grandfather, Setsuna burrowed beneath her blankets, and closed her eyes. Chronos rejoined Sailor Pluto, and the two exchanged whispered words. In spite of herself, Setsuna yawned, feeling the odd dream-sleep begin to overtake her. Then, the voice of her future self came to her like an afterthought.
"Do not forget Mother's words, Setsuna," the woman said. "She speaks only the truth." The dream faded then, and Setsuna awoke with sunlight hurting her eyes.

Although she knew it had all been a dream, Setsuna was compelled to heed Sailor Pluto's advice. She did not shut out her mother's words, and did not get discouraged when her efforts to hear the Voices resulted only in silence—or at least, she tried not to.
"Try it again, Setsuna." Lady Moira urged her weary daughter one evening. "Just once more." Setsuna, wincing as she rubbed the back of her stiff neck, looked up at the Queen of Pluto pleadingly.
"Mother, I am tired." She protested, her statement reflected in her face as well as her voice. A yawn she could not quite hide parted her lips slightly, and she blinked groggily at her mother to keep her eyes from closing. Moira smiled sympathetically.
"I know you are, dearest. That is why I want for you to try it again." She frowned thoughtfully. "I think perhaps, if you listen when you are tired, there will be less that can distract you." Setsuna could hardly argue with a theory like that. She knew that when she was alert, every sound was magnified one hundred times over. It made listening for the Voices quite difficult. Still, she was so tired!
On the other hand, her mother had asked her to try again. Setsuna loved her mother, and would do anything to please her. Although her legs and back ached from sitting still, and her head swam with exhaustion, Setsuna decided she would try again. She nodded her consent. Moira smiled.
"Relax this time," the Plutonian Queen suggested. "You may sit more comfortably if you wish." Setsuna was grateful for that. She stretched briefly, easing the kinks from her spine, then curled up in her chair, resting her head on the arm. Setsuna let her eyelids fall closed.
Almost immediately, she felt the pull of sleep on her mind, and forced it back to the shadows. Concentrate. She told herself. Concentrate. But she felt so tired…
The air was still around her. Setsuna felt her mother's eyes upon her. Moira was watching. Watching her daughter for any sign of movement. She would not move; Setsuna knew better than that. Besides, she no longer felt she had the strength to move. A sudden chill swept through her, but she did not shiver. She could not have shivered had she wanted to.
Setsuna felt somehow detached from herself. Any sound that came to her was distorted as if someone had pulled it from the air, and twisted it out of shape. They seemed to come from further and further away, until they stopped coming all together.
Setsuna found herself standing before a swirling black hole. She could hear nothing now. She could see nothing now, save that strangely intriguing black hole. She was not afraid. Her blood was liquid ice within her veins, but she did not feel cold. The ice was a part of her. So was that black hole. Feeling impossibly peaceful, Setsuna stepped into the darkness.
The chill left her. Setsuna was warm within the dark and silent void. She still was not afraid, although she hadn't the slightest idea where she was. She might have tried to explore the blackness, but something told her she should remain motionless. Setsuna patiently waited for what was to come.
What's this? Asked an old woman's voice that seemed to come from inside her head. A visitor? Oh, it's you, dearie! How nice! Is your mother with you? Oh, I see. Moira, you silly little goose! The woman laughed fondly, but Setsuna was far too shocked to say anything. Briefly, she wondered if speech would even be possible under these circumstances.
Is there someone listening, Highness? Asked another female voice, one that sounded much younger than the first.
Our granddaughter, Lora. The first woman replied, and Setsuna realized with a start that she was hearing the voice of her mother's mother, the former Queen of Pluto! And do not call me "Highness." I am not a Queen here.
Old habits die hard, Helena. The second woman chuckled. Hello, Princess. How are you? Setsuna started to say she was fine, but found she could not speak, in spite of the fact that she had recovered from her initial shock.
It is only her first time hearing us. She cannot speak here yet.
My apologies, Princess Pluto. Lora replied softly.
Tsk, tsk! So formal! Helena scolded with a laugh. This is your son's daughter you are speaking to!
She may be my son's daughter, Highness, but she is also the Princess of Pluto, and I am a common, saucy street wench.
You are a foolish child, Lora, but I suppose that is why we all love you so. Do not fret, dearie. Lora will warm up to you in time. For now, why don't you go back to your world? It took Setsuna a moment to realize that Helena's last comment was directed at her. Her eyes popped open. She was back, curled up in her chair. Her mother smiled at her from across the room. Setsuna lifted her head and stared at Lady Moira with wide garnet eyes.
"I heard them, Mother!" she breathed. "I heard the Voices of the Dead."
"I know," said Lady Moira. "I was listening, too."