Chapter 23
Through the Door to the Future

Setsuna did not know how long she lie there, alone at the Gates of Time. Of course, it
hardly mattered at all. There was no such thing as time where she was. A blessing, Setsuna's
subconscious mind thought. With no limit to her time, there was no reason for her to awaken
and face the horror she knew awaited her.
Setsuna…Setsuna. The deep voice probed the depths of Setsuna's dormant mind, gently
drawing her back to consciousness. Even in sleep, she resisted.
No, she thought in desperation. I cannot wake! I do not want to!
You will have to awaken sometime, Setsuna dearest. Now be a good girl and open your eyes.
No.
Come now, Setsuna.
No!
"Setsuna! Wake up!" The voice now held a note of concern. It was coming from above
her now, and Setsuna realized that she had lost. Moaning softly, the Guardian of Time stirred,
and let her garnet eyes flutter open. Chronos' upside-down face looked down upon her from
above. He had been kneeling over her, gently cradling her head on his lap. Now, he smiled with
relief and tenderly smoothed her brow.
"You should not be sleeping at your post, dear one," he scolded mildly. "That could
cause some problems. Besides, the goddess of time is not supposed to need rest." Setsuna blinked
hard, trying to clear her head. Was this all that awaited her? Why had she been so frightened of
waking? Then, in a flash, her memories came rushing back to her. Battle. Death. Destruction.
"The Kingdom!" she gasped, bolting upright. "Oh, mighty gods! What has become of the
Kingdom?" Ignoring the dizziness that surged through her, Setsuna launched herself to her feet
and raced toward the Window to the Present, falling to her knees before it.
"Show me the Kingdom of the White Moon!" she ordered, and the Window obeyed. It
showed to her a cold and desolate moon, its surface littered with dead bodies and the crumbling
remains of the once majestic Silver Palace.
"What of Pluto?" she demanded, and the Window showed her what was once her home
planet. Pluto was even colder and bleaker than the moon. It was a solid, airless block of ice,
where nothing could ever live. This is horrifying, she thought, even more so than I imagined.
"Where are the Sailor Soldiers?" she pleaded. "Where is the princess?" Nothing. The
Window to the Present revealed nothing but darkness. Setsuna, who had thought herself empty
of tears, found she was weeping bitterly once more.
"You will not see the princess or the Sailor Soldiers yet." Chronos explained. "It will be
one thousand years yet before they are reborn." One thousand years, she thought. One thousand
years, which I will spend at these accursed Gates, watching as people are born and die, year after year.
What a wretched way to spend eternity.
"I dreamt of this." Setsuna whispered sadly.
"I know."
"I could have stopped this, Grandfather. If I had only told you or the Queen about my
dreams, none of this would have happened."
"You know there was nothing you could have done, Setsuna. It was destiny." Chronos
told her soothingly. Then, as a reluctant afterthought, he added, "And you know I am no longer
your grandfather." Setsuna sighed miserably.
"Yes, I know," she conceded. "I just…I just do not wish to be left alone." Chronos came
up behind the woman, gripping her shoulders gently.
"You will not be left alone, my dear one. I will always be with you, watching over you,
just like a good father." Setsuna flinched in surprise, and turned her confused gaze upon the god
of time.
" 'Father'?" she repeated warily. Chronos nodded, smiling warmly.
"As Guardian of Time, you have no earthly family, but no earthly family does not mean
no family at all. I took you into my care, and trained you as the Time Goddess. I fostered you,
and in a sense, 'fathered' you, that you might take my place. Some day, when you die leaving
behind an appointed heir who is fully ready to inherit your post—and I doubt not that day will
come—you will be regarded as your heir's mother, and I as her grandfather." Setsuna was not
quite sure she understood, but was more than certain that it would become clearer to her as the
years passed. Setsuna sighed heavily. She wanted to understand it all now, not later.
"Chronos, what are you even doing here?" she asked. "I thought you said that you would
not be allowed to return to the Sacred Gates after returning to the Realm of Gods?"
"Selene granted me my request to return to you this one time," he replied. "I have come
to warn you."
"Warn me? About what?"
"About Lady Saturn's child." Setsuna groaned, rolling her eyes.
"It is a bit late for that now, Chronos. The Kingdom is gone, and Lady Saturn's child is
dead, as are the other children of the goddesses."
"But they will be reborn," Chronos reminded her, "Lady Saturn's child included. I
wanted to warn you that you must not let Sailor Saturn awaken, or the same fate that met the
White Moon Kingdom will be brought upon Terra."
"But what can I do? I am bound to these Sacred Gates, and can no longer fight as Sailor
Pluto."
"Did you not notice your Garnet Orb resonating with Sailor Saturn's awakening?"
"…No…" she admitted slowly.
"Keep a careful watch over that talisman of yours, dear one. It is quite a remarkable
little thing."
Setsuna sighed again. There was so much she did not yet understand. She still needed
Chronos to guide her along her path. But she knew that could not be. There were some things
she would just have to figure out on her own. Laying a tentative hand upon her 'father's',
Setsuna raised her gaze to meet his.
"Will I ever see you again?" she asked softly, hopefully. He had been allowed to return
to the Gates once after his Passing. Could it happen again? Chronos regarded her with love in
his eyes and sadness in his smile.
"I am always here for you to call upon, my dear one. But I cannot say if ever we shall
meet face-to-face again." That had not been what Setsuna wanted to hear, but she knew she had
no choice but to accept it. She gripped the Time God's hand, and touched her lips to his knuckle.
"I love you, Chronos," she whispered. "I did not get the chance to say so earlier, but it is
true."
"Although I got the chance to say it," Chronos said, "I will say it again for good
measure. I love you, Setsuna." Setsuna drew in a shuddering breath, desperate to dam the fresh
flow of tears that threatened her.
"So," she said quietly, "what am I to do now?" She could scarcely bear the thought of
spending the next millennium watching generations live and die until at last, her princess and
friends were reborn. Even worse was the thought that even after they were reborn, she should
never be allowed to see them again.
Chronos knelt beside his 'daughter', and drew her into his arms. Setsuna clung to him
tightly, wanting never to let him go. She did not want to be left cold and alone, with none to
hold her and comfort her when she cried. But I am not a child any longer, she reminded herself. I
have grown up. Throughout her life, she had told herself such things too many times to count.
This time, though, it was not in disgust. She was simply stating a fact—a fact that it was time
for her to face.
"What am I to do now?" she sighed into the Time God's chest. Chronos rocked the
woman gently back and forth, and kissed the crown of her dark green head.
"I think I shall let you decide that," he whispered into her hair, and without warning, he
was gone. Setsuna almost fell on her face, so startled she was by the loss of his arms around her,
but she caught herself, and stared placidly into the air where he had once been.
"Goodbye, my father," she murmured, and knew it was forever. "I love you. And I know
what I am to do." Picking herself off the ground-that-was-not-there, Setsuna collect her Time
Staff, and approached the Door to the Future. The great iron lock lie at her feet; it had not been
put back on the Door. Setsuna did not bother to do so now. Rather, she gripped the knob, and
pushed the Door open. Silver light poured over her, but she did not squint or shield her eyes.
"My father, Chronos!" she called. "Open the gates to the fourth dimension for me! Guide
me on my path to the future!" The pool of light swirled into darkness, and Setsuna stepped
calmly into its sable depths. The darkness was cold, just like Setsuna's heart. Letting the icy
shadows caress her skin, Setsuna traveled deep into the world beyond the darkness, a world like
nothing she had ever known. Setsuna was not afraid. The world she had once known was gone
forever, lost to time.

Setsuna found her way through the time stream without any guide, emerging upon the
frozen world that was Terra in the early thirtieth century. It was a cool, quiet world. All sound
was muted by the snow and ice that encased Terra's people as they slept. Setsuna inhaled
deeply, drawing in a lungful of cold, clean air. The air tasted good, fresh and real, not at all like
the air she breathed at the Gates of Time. Setsuna almost wished things could remain this way
forever, but she quickly pushed such thoughts aside. This frozen world could not last. She knew
that all too well. Besides, she was not here to live. She was here for one purpose, and one
purpose only.
At that moment, some soft noises coming from not too far away caught Setsuna's
attention. The Guardian of Time stopped, listening carefully. Voices. Those were voices that she
heard. In an instant, she recognized whose voices she had to be hearing. They could belong to
no one else. She followed the voices, her step hurried.
Just as she had suspected, the voices belonged to the children of the goddesses. Uranus,
Neptune, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury, Princess Serenity, Prince Endymion, and even a girl
she recognized was Sailor Saturn stood before her in plain sight, talking and laughing with one
another. She should have been overjoyed to see her friends and princess alive. She should have
hurried to meet them, greeting them with joyful smiles, but she did not. She did not even
question Sailor Saturn's presence. She hung back, watching them. Quietly watching. She had
traveled well beyond feeling.
"Wow." Jupiter remarked. "A thousand years really flew by, didn't they?" Neptune
chuckled.
"I hardly even noticed them passing," she agreed teasingly, which brought giggles from
the others.
"Oh, the earth is just as I remember it!" Venus gushed dramatically.
"Except it's covered in ice." Mars muttered under her breath. Venus made a face at the
Soldier of War.
"You know that's not what I mean. Look! Except for the ice, Tokyo is just the same as it
was a thousand years ago." Uranus regarded the frozen city thoughtfully, and finally nodded in
agreement.
"I can see what you mean, Venus. When I was a kid, I'd always imagined the future
would be swarming with robots and flying cars."
"The planet has been frozen for a thousand years." Mercury pointed out. "There hasn't
been enough time for such vast technological advances."
"But there will be." Serenity declared, her voice soft and tinged with sorrow. "Once the
world awakens, there will be time."
"Once the world awakens…" Endymion repeated. His deep voice added power to the
words, and cast a solemn cloud over the gathering. For a long moment, they all stood in silence,
reflecting upon the events that had led up to this moment. Endymion slid an arm around his
wife's waist and drew her close. At last, the sober mood lifted when Sailor Saturn lifted her
head, and scanned the group with great violet eyes.
"Hey, wait a minute!" she exclaimed. "We're not all here! Where's Sailor Pluto?
Shouldn't she be with us?"
No, Setsuna wanted to say. Sailor Pluto should not be with you. She is dead. Only the goddess
of time remains now. But she did not speak thus.
"I am here," she said as an alternative. The prince, princess, and the Sailor Soldiers
turned smiling faces upon the Guardian of Time. Not one of them looked at all surprised to see
her.
"Setsuna-mama!" Saturn cried happily, racing up to the green-haired woman and
throwing her arms around her. Setsuna stared blankly down at the girl, not at all certain why
Lady Saturn's daughter was hugging her. Of course, she had over a thousand years of history to
view, which she swore to just as soon as she had completed the task at hand. For the moment,
she half-heartedly returned Saturn's embrace, then hastily freed herself and approached the
Queen.
The High Queen's daughter smiled at her as well.
"Setsuna-san! How nice to see you…" Serenity trailed off and sighed, rolling her eyes in
exasperation as Setsuna dropped to her knee before her. "Setsuna-san, you don't need to bow to
me. I've told you that a million times!"
"Your Majesty," Setsuna murmured, ignoring her Queen's comment. "To you, I pledge
my undying loyalty." Had she raised her eyes then, she would have seen Serenity gaping in
surprise.
"Setsuna-san, you don't need to pledge your loyalty! You've proven yourself loyal many
times over!"
"No, Majesty. I have not."
"Nani?" Here, Setsuna lifted her gaze. It was then that she realized that Serenity and the
others were not speaking in the language of the Old Kingdom, but rather, a crude imitation of it.
She was not surprised that she understood their words, nor was she at all shocked to find that
her eloquent and ancient tongue was quickly changing to conform to their rough dialect.
"Majesty, the Setsuna who kneels before you is a much younger woman than the one
you have known."
"Setsuna-san, what in the name of Selene are you talking about?"
"This is the future, you see. In the present, it has been mere hours since the fall of the
White Moon Kingdom and your mother's death. I have traveled here from the Gates of Time to
pledge my loyalty to you. When that is done, I shall return to my post, where I shall remain
until this future becomes the present. For you, it will be a matter of moments. For me, it will be
two thousand years." For a brief moment, Serenity stood in silent shock, then drew her lips
together and rubbed her temples. Setsuna clasped the Queen's hand in an earnest gesture,
perhaps the first sign of emotion she had shown since arriving in the future.
"I know it makes your head ache, Majesty," she admitted, "but you must trust me."
Serenity drew in a deep breath, closed her eyes, and exhaled slowly. Then she opened her eyes,
and fixed her cerulean gaze upon the woman kneeling before her.
"I do trust you, Setsuna-san. Now please stand up." Setsuna obeyed, still holding the
Queen's hand.
"Believe me, Majesty. My appearance here is not something you will ever be asked to
understand. You have my love and my loyalty. That is all you ever need know." Serenity
laughed, a lovely, melodic sound.
"You didn't need to assure me of anything, Setsuna-san," she said gently, squeezing the
Time Guardian's hand. "Remember? I trust you." She smiled warmly at her, and Setsuna fought
a lump that had arisen in her throat.
By the gods, she is beautiful, just as her mother was. In fact, she is just as her mother was. She is
as graceful, as kind…I love her as much…With these thoughts, Setsuna's cold heart melted. Hot
tears stinging her eyes, Setsuna embraced her friend, holding her tightly.
"Serenity," she whispered, "It's so wonderful to see you alive."

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Only the epilogue left! That should be out in a day or two. I've got it written out, I've just
got to type it. Stay tuned until then!