Epilogue
The Gatekeeper
I am Sailor Pluto. It doesn't matter what Chronos or anyone else says. I am Sailor Pluto
and so shall I be for the rest of my days. At least, that's what I keep telling myself. I'm
beginning to doubt that I believe it. I mean, if I know that I'm still Sailor Pluto, why have I only
called upon the Voices twice since becoming the Time Goddess? I can't answer that.
The first time I called upon the Voices, I was looking to speak with Mother and
Father—or rather, Moira and Hades. As Chronos would be all too quick to remind me, I have
no earthly family now. But then, Hades and Moira have left the physical world. Could they still
be my family as free souls? Well, it doesn't matter. They shall always be Mother and Father to
me. Not even dear Chronos could replace my real father in my heart. To me, Chronos will
always be grandfather, nothing more or less.
Although I know as surely as I live that their souls are free—Lady Pluto favored both in
life—it still tears my heart in two when I think of my parents' violent deaths. The worst part, I
think, is the fact that my mother was with child when she died. I learned that when I spoke to
Mother and Father through the Voices. Had Mother lived, I would have had a brother. As it
was, she and Father died, and so did their unborn son.
The second time I called upon the Voices was to speak with Queen Serenity. I had
hoped to speak with her the first time, but Father told me that I could speak with her no place
except the moon. I dearly wished to speak with the Queen, so I called upon Chronos, and
begged him to appeal to Selene on my behalf. One advantage of being the Guardian of Time is
direct contact with one of the gods. Armed with Selene's official pardon, I journeyed to the
moon and opened myself to the Voices of the Dead that I might speak with the woman I had
once bowed to as my Queen.
I contacted her almost immediately.
"If you are calling from the moon, you are most assuredly looking to speak with Queen
Serenity," my grandmother Lora, Father's mother, remarked. And then my Queen was with me,
speaking to me. Crying. My Queen was in pain. She had died to save the lives of her daughter
and the Sailor Soldiers. That in itself should have earned her great favor with Lady Pluto. But
the princess and Sailor Soldiers were already dead. Rebirth is unnatural, and so the Queen was
punished. Her soul is now confined to the moon. From there, she watches her daughter grow up
again, free to visit her only in dreams.
There are three taboos I must always keep in mind as Guardian of Time. I broke the
first when I left my post to speak with my Queen. I had an official pardon from Selene that time,
but that would not be the last time I broke that particular rule, and I would not have Selene's
permission for most of those journeys. I must admit I have not been an especially responsible
Time Goddess. The first time that I abandoned the Gates after contacting the Queen, I left them
in the care of Artemis and Luna's young kitten, Diana.
I remember that time all too well. I had already broken the second taboo by allowing
Sailor Moon and the others to travel the time stream. Then, I abandoned my post.
Then, I stopped time.
I had to! If I hadn't, Demando would have joined the two Silver Crystals, and the world
would have been destroyed! The only reason I had left the Sacred Gates in the first place was to
help Sailor Moon and the others fight. I couldn't let them die. I just couldn't.
I was prepared for my death. I had resigned myself to it the moment I raised my Time
Staff. What I was not prepared for was the pain.
For a moment, it didn't come. For a moment, I was frozen along with everything else.
Then, I heard Chronos' voice in my head, a memory of him warning me against stopping time. I
collapsed quite suddenly, dizzy and breathless with pain, the frantic cries of my King and friends
echoing in my ears. Although the effort of upholding my spell was quickly destroying me, I
managed to maintain my command over the flow of time until Sailor Moon had retrieved the
two crystals. Then, I slowly released my hold, content to let time resume passage on its own
while I simply let death overtake me. The other Sailor Soldiers gathered around me. They were
afraid, I could tell. I tried to see them, to smile at them and assure them that I would be all
right, but the effort simply hurt too much. I let them think it was the end for me. The thought
terrified them. They cried and encouraged me. They all told me to "hang in there."
"A little bit longer, Pluto," the King told me. "If you can hold on just a little bit
longer…" But of course, it was not possible. I had to pay the price for my crime. And I did. My
breathing slowed. My heart stopped.
I died.
I was reborn, of course, but not until after I had journeyed to the Realm of Gods, where
both Chronos and Selene sharpened their tongues upon me for breaking the three taboos.
I have never again stopped time. There has never been a need since the Black Moon and
Demando, but if ever a situation presented itself in which altering the flow of time seemed an
appropriate course of action, I think the memory of all that pain, and of Chronos and Selene's
combined wrath, would be more than enough to change my mind. But even the sharp side of
Selene's tongue could scare me enough to stop me from breaking the first two taboos when it is
necessary. The moment I was reborn, I returned to the twentieth century to reawaken as Sailor
Pluto and help the others fight a new enemy. Needless to say, the others were surprised to see
me alive. I told them that Neo-Queen Serenity had revived me, although it would have been
acceptable to reveal the truth to them. They are born of the gods, and serve them faithfully. I
simply could not bear to have them know that I had let them worry when there was nothing to
worry about. Only the neo-Queen knows the truth, and has sworn before all the gods never to
reveal it to the others.
It was during that battle that I learned how wrong Chronos was about Lady Saturn's
child, Hotaru. Although Sailor Saturn is truly the guide to destruction, she is not evil. If Sailor
Saturn had not awakened, Sailor Moon's daughter would surely have died. Sailor Saturn is the
Soldier of Death…and Rebirth. Her power is great enough to destroy whole worlds, but we who
serve the gods of light need not fear her.
From the moment I laid eyes upon Tomoe Hotaru, I knew I could not kill her. I felt the
strangest connection to her, like…like we were family or something. I know it sounds silly, but
I really felt that it could be so. I didn't tell Haruka or Michiru, though. They would have just
written it off as me feeling uncertain about killing her. I know this is so, because I know they
felt that way. Michiru did not want to kill her because with Sailor Saturn still dormant within
her, Hotaru was a civilian, and would not understand why she had to die. As for Haruka,
well…Haruka simply hates killing. It has always been harder for her than for me, or Michiru.
Haruka may seem callous at times, but in truth, her heart is as tender as a heart can be.
But my reasons for hating our plan went deeper than the simple fear of a guilty
conscience. I felt Hotaru was a part of me. Why, I have no idea, but I knew that if I were to kill
Hotaru, it would be more than my conscience that would punish me. The gods would punish
me.
The sense of connection even increased with Saturn's awakening.
She was a terrifying figure to behold, small and pale though she was. I suppose it was
her eyes, her cold violet eyes glittering with hostility. Or perhaps it was her voice. It was dull
and emotionless as she spoke to us, calmly laying out the facts that pointed to out
condemnation. Oh gods, she scared me. But I accepted her words. As much as I hated it, I knew
she had no choice but to bring down her glaive. It was destiny.
I held my breath. The Silence Glaive slowly dropped. Everything and everyone died.
Everyone, that is except for us. Sailor Saturn spared us—and then threw herself through the
door to the alternate dimension from whence our enemy had come.
"Always with the end comes hope and rebirth," she said, smiling at Sailor Moon. Then,
she turned to me and ordered me to close the door to the other dimension. I knew that if I
closed that door, Saturn would be sealed inside of it, and that once the door was closed, it could
never again be opened. I did not want Saturn to be lost, but once again, I knew I had no choice. I
knelt and prayed for Chronos to lend me his power, and closed the door.
By Sailor Moon's power, Hotaru and the rest of the world were reborn. Hotaru being no
more than an infant, Haruka, Michiru, and I took it upon ourselves to raise her. I became known
to her as "Setsuna-mama." It's a cute little name, but it has never seemed right to me. Somehow,
it doesn't seem to fit…
I have long since returned to my post, but I have often considered the possible reasons
for my feelings about Saturn. Perhaps it is because I believe she is the only one who could
possibly understand the loneliness I feel as Guardian of Time. Then again, my loneliness is
much more than an unfulfilled need for human companionship.
I am the sole survivor of the White Moon Kingdom's demise. I am the only one of us
who has not had her memories distorted by complete rebirth. The others will slowly regain
most of their memories, but none of them will ever remember the past as clearly as I do.
I have left the Sacred Gates to travel the time stream time and time again. So often, in
fact, that I believe Chronos has given up trying to hold me there. Well, it is as I once told him.
No matter what my destiny is, I will always be a Sailor Soldier in my heart. I have gone from
the twentieth century to the thirtieth so many times that I have stopped caring which is the true
past or present or future. In all honesty, those three words have lost all meaning to me. Yet,
with all my time traveling, there is one era I have never visited since it was the true present: the
Silver Millennium.
Of course, that is perfectly all right. Chronos would have my head if ever I visited that
time. I think he fears the same thing I do. I fear that if ever I returned to the Silver Millennium,
I would not be able to resist the temptation to warn Queen Serenity of the danger. Often, when
I have been at the Sacred Gates, lonesome, and with no battle to turn my mind from dark
thoughts, I have watched that final battle that brought the Silver Millennium to an end. I watch
my mother, desperate to fight for the Queen, transform herself out of sheer willpower. I see my
father calling her back, begging her to go into hiding for the sake of the child she carries within
her womb. Over and over again, I hear Mother refuse, and watch as she and Father fight the
Terran army. Over and over again, I see my parents and unborn brother die at the hands of the
Terrans.
I wish these dark thoughts would leave me. I wish I could banish them from my head
forever. But in my loneliness, I'm afraid they are all that keep me from insanity. Oh, mighty
gods, will I ever be free?
***
In a vast and lonely dimension, a realm neither mortal nor divine, two young girls
found the Gates of Time. Neither one was at all surprised to find herself there, for both had been
there many times before. It had been their destination this time. But it was not the Gates they
were looking for, but rather, the gatekeeper.
She revealed herself to them immediately. She was a tall, slim woman with long, silky
green hair large garnet eyes. She was dressed in a Sailor Senshi's uniform of dark green and
garnet, and in her gloved hand she carried a mighty staff topped with a gleaming garnet orb.
She had an air of mystery about her, and she might have been beautiful except for the look of
sorrow etched permanently upon her face, and the pain that haunted her eyes. Because both
girls were dear to her, the gatekeeper offered them a smile, but it did not so much as touch her
sad garnet eyes.
"Small Lady," she said in greeting, opening her arms to them. "Hotaru-chan." Tomoe
Hotaru and Neo-Princess Serenity, called Small Lady or Chibiusa by her friends, both hurried to
embrace the gatekeeper.
"Puu," Chibiusa began cheerfully, "Mama sent us to ask if you might be able to dine with
us tonight. All the senshi will be there. Oh, please come, Puu!" Sailor Pluto bit her lower lip. She
wanted to accept the princess' offer, but knew the gods would not be pleased if she left her post.
"I don't know, Small Lady," she said uncertainly, "I do have my duty…" Both girls' faces
fell.
"Oh, please, Setsuna-mama!" Hotaru begged. "There is no danger now, is there?" Pluto
wrinkled her nose, hesitant to answer.
"No…" she admitted slowly. Hotaru grinned, mentally adding a point to hers and
Chibiusa's side.
"Then come!" she said. "If there's no danger to monitor, then what's the harm in leaving
for an hour or so?" Pluto did not answer.
"Please, Puu," the princess begged. "It would only be for dinner." Chibiusa's statement
seemed to free Pluto's tongue.
"That's just the point, Small Lady. Although I love you all, I simply cannot leave the
Sacred Gates for something as frivolous as a dinner."
"It's not frivolous!" Chibiusa exclaimed indignantly. "Mama is throwing this dinner in
honor of the senshi! Please come, Puu, please!"
"Small Lady…" Pluto whispered, smiling a little in spite of herself. Hotaru smiled as
well, knowing how close she and her best friend were to winning Pluto over.
"We need you there, Setsuna-mama," she said coaxingly. "You're a senshi, too. The team
wouldn't be complete without you." Pluto grimaced and looked away.
"The gods will be angry with me if I leave the Gates of Time," she said softly. "I have
earned their wrath far too many times to risk it on a dinner."
"What if you had their permission?" Chibiusa suggested. "Pluto fixed her eyes upon the
princess' hopeful face, studying her for a long while. Then, because she cared deeply for both
girls, she nodded curtly and knelt to pray to her father, Chronos. After a moment, she raised her
head and nodded again.
"I am free to leave," she told them. "My father will guard the Sacred Gates for me while
I am away." Both girls squealed with delight and hurried to embrace the eldest Sailor Senshi.
"I knew you'd come, Setsuna-mama!" Hotaru said triumphantly. "Didn't I tell you she
would come, Chibiusa-chan?" Pluto chucked mirthlessly.
"You know me too well, Hotaru-chan," she said, taking each girl by the hand. "Now,
come along, both of you."
From the Realm of Gods, Chronos watched as the gatekeeper led her princess and half-
sister away from the Gates of Time. Of course, Pluto did not think of Hotaru as her sister; she
had never learned the truth. But the truth did not matter. The gatekeeper was not longer
anyone's daughter, sister, or granddaughter. Not even Chronos could truly call himself her
father. The gatekeeper was only Time now. Immortal Time.
******************************************************************************
Stay tuned for the next story in the "Children of the Goddesses" series! An ancient prophecy
could spell the end of the White Moon Kingdom, and the very thing Queen Serenity is fighting
to protect holds the key to the destruction of her people.
Children of the Goddesses Book #2:
The Promise Child
Saturn's Story
The Gatekeeper
I am Sailor Pluto. It doesn't matter what Chronos or anyone else says. I am Sailor Pluto
and so shall I be for the rest of my days. At least, that's what I keep telling myself. I'm
beginning to doubt that I believe it. I mean, if I know that I'm still Sailor Pluto, why have I only
called upon the Voices twice since becoming the Time Goddess? I can't answer that.
The first time I called upon the Voices, I was looking to speak with Mother and
Father—or rather, Moira and Hades. As Chronos would be all too quick to remind me, I have
no earthly family now. But then, Hades and Moira have left the physical world. Could they still
be my family as free souls? Well, it doesn't matter. They shall always be Mother and Father to
me. Not even dear Chronos could replace my real father in my heart. To me, Chronos will
always be grandfather, nothing more or less.
Although I know as surely as I live that their souls are free—Lady Pluto favored both in
life—it still tears my heart in two when I think of my parents' violent deaths. The worst part, I
think, is the fact that my mother was with child when she died. I learned that when I spoke to
Mother and Father through the Voices. Had Mother lived, I would have had a brother. As it
was, she and Father died, and so did their unborn son.
The second time I called upon the Voices was to speak with Queen Serenity. I had
hoped to speak with her the first time, but Father told me that I could speak with her no place
except the moon. I dearly wished to speak with the Queen, so I called upon Chronos, and
begged him to appeal to Selene on my behalf. One advantage of being the Guardian of Time is
direct contact with one of the gods. Armed with Selene's official pardon, I journeyed to the
moon and opened myself to the Voices of the Dead that I might speak with the woman I had
once bowed to as my Queen.
I contacted her almost immediately.
"If you are calling from the moon, you are most assuredly looking to speak with Queen
Serenity," my grandmother Lora, Father's mother, remarked. And then my Queen was with me,
speaking to me. Crying. My Queen was in pain. She had died to save the lives of her daughter
and the Sailor Soldiers. That in itself should have earned her great favor with Lady Pluto. But
the princess and Sailor Soldiers were already dead. Rebirth is unnatural, and so the Queen was
punished. Her soul is now confined to the moon. From there, she watches her daughter grow up
again, free to visit her only in dreams.
There are three taboos I must always keep in mind as Guardian of Time. I broke the
first when I left my post to speak with my Queen. I had an official pardon from Selene that time,
but that would not be the last time I broke that particular rule, and I would not have Selene's
permission for most of those journeys. I must admit I have not been an especially responsible
Time Goddess. The first time that I abandoned the Gates after contacting the Queen, I left them
in the care of Artemis and Luna's young kitten, Diana.
I remember that time all too well. I had already broken the second taboo by allowing
Sailor Moon and the others to travel the time stream. Then, I abandoned my post.
Then, I stopped time.
I had to! If I hadn't, Demando would have joined the two Silver Crystals, and the world
would have been destroyed! The only reason I had left the Sacred Gates in the first place was to
help Sailor Moon and the others fight. I couldn't let them die. I just couldn't.
I was prepared for my death. I had resigned myself to it the moment I raised my Time
Staff. What I was not prepared for was the pain.
For a moment, it didn't come. For a moment, I was frozen along with everything else.
Then, I heard Chronos' voice in my head, a memory of him warning me against stopping time. I
collapsed quite suddenly, dizzy and breathless with pain, the frantic cries of my King and friends
echoing in my ears. Although the effort of upholding my spell was quickly destroying me, I
managed to maintain my command over the flow of time until Sailor Moon had retrieved the
two crystals. Then, I slowly released my hold, content to let time resume passage on its own
while I simply let death overtake me. The other Sailor Soldiers gathered around me. They were
afraid, I could tell. I tried to see them, to smile at them and assure them that I would be all
right, but the effort simply hurt too much. I let them think it was the end for me. The thought
terrified them. They cried and encouraged me. They all told me to "hang in there."
"A little bit longer, Pluto," the King told me. "If you can hold on just a little bit
longer…" But of course, it was not possible. I had to pay the price for my crime. And I did. My
breathing slowed. My heart stopped.
I died.
I was reborn, of course, but not until after I had journeyed to the Realm of Gods, where
both Chronos and Selene sharpened their tongues upon me for breaking the three taboos.
I have never again stopped time. There has never been a need since the Black Moon and
Demando, but if ever a situation presented itself in which altering the flow of time seemed an
appropriate course of action, I think the memory of all that pain, and of Chronos and Selene's
combined wrath, would be more than enough to change my mind. But even the sharp side of
Selene's tongue could scare me enough to stop me from breaking the first two taboos when it is
necessary. The moment I was reborn, I returned to the twentieth century to reawaken as Sailor
Pluto and help the others fight a new enemy. Needless to say, the others were surprised to see
me alive. I told them that Neo-Queen Serenity had revived me, although it would have been
acceptable to reveal the truth to them. They are born of the gods, and serve them faithfully. I
simply could not bear to have them know that I had let them worry when there was nothing to
worry about. Only the neo-Queen knows the truth, and has sworn before all the gods never to
reveal it to the others.
It was during that battle that I learned how wrong Chronos was about Lady Saturn's
child, Hotaru. Although Sailor Saturn is truly the guide to destruction, she is not evil. If Sailor
Saturn had not awakened, Sailor Moon's daughter would surely have died. Sailor Saturn is the
Soldier of Death…and Rebirth. Her power is great enough to destroy whole worlds, but we who
serve the gods of light need not fear her.
From the moment I laid eyes upon Tomoe Hotaru, I knew I could not kill her. I felt the
strangest connection to her, like…like we were family or something. I know it sounds silly, but
I really felt that it could be so. I didn't tell Haruka or Michiru, though. They would have just
written it off as me feeling uncertain about killing her. I know this is so, because I know they
felt that way. Michiru did not want to kill her because with Sailor Saturn still dormant within
her, Hotaru was a civilian, and would not understand why she had to die. As for Haruka,
well…Haruka simply hates killing. It has always been harder for her than for me, or Michiru.
Haruka may seem callous at times, but in truth, her heart is as tender as a heart can be.
But my reasons for hating our plan went deeper than the simple fear of a guilty
conscience. I felt Hotaru was a part of me. Why, I have no idea, but I knew that if I were to kill
Hotaru, it would be more than my conscience that would punish me. The gods would punish
me.
The sense of connection even increased with Saturn's awakening.
She was a terrifying figure to behold, small and pale though she was. I suppose it was
her eyes, her cold violet eyes glittering with hostility. Or perhaps it was her voice. It was dull
and emotionless as she spoke to us, calmly laying out the facts that pointed to out
condemnation. Oh gods, she scared me. But I accepted her words. As much as I hated it, I knew
she had no choice but to bring down her glaive. It was destiny.
I held my breath. The Silence Glaive slowly dropped. Everything and everyone died.
Everyone, that is except for us. Sailor Saturn spared us—and then threw herself through the
door to the alternate dimension from whence our enemy had come.
"Always with the end comes hope and rebirth," she said, smiling at Sailor Moon. Then,
she turned to me and ordered me to close the door to the other dimension. I knew that if I
closed that door, Saturn would be sealed inside of it, and that once the door was closed, it could
never again be opened. I did not want Saturn to be lost, but once again, I knew I had no choice. I
knelt and prayed for Chronos to lend me his power, and closed the door.
By Sailor Moon's power, Hotaru and the rest of the world were reborn. Hotaru being no
more than an infant, Haruka, Michiru, and I took it upon ourselves to raise her. I became known
to her as "Setsuna-mama." It's a cute little name, but it has never seemed right to me. Somehow,
it doesn't seem to fit…
I have long since returned to my post, but I have often considered the possible reasons
for my feelings about Saturn. Perhaps it is because I believe she is the only one who could
possibly understand the loneliness I feel as Guardian of Time. Then again, my loneliness is
much more than an unfulfilled need for human companionship.
I am the sole survivor of the White Moon Kingdom's demise. I am the only one of us
who has not had her memories distorted by complete rebirth. The others will slowly regain
most of their memories, but none of them will ever remember the past as clearly as I do.
I have left the Sacred Gates to travel the time stream time and time again. So often, in
fact, that I believe Chronos has given up trying to hold me there. Well, it is as I once told him.
No matter what my destiny is, I will always be a Sailor Soldier in my heart. I have gone from
the twentieth century to the thirtieth so many times that I have stopped caring which is the true
past or present or future. In all honesty, those three words have lost all meaning to me. Yet,
with all my time traveling, there is one era I have never visited since it was the true present: the
Silver Millennium.
Of course, that is perfectly all right. Chronos would have my head if ever I visited that
time. I think he fears the same thing I do. I fear that if ever I returned to the Silver Millennium,
I would not be able to resist the temptation to warn Queen Serenity of the danger. Often, when
I have been at the Sacred Gates, lonesome, and with no battle to turn my mind from dark
thoughts, I have watched that final battle that brought the Silver Millennium to an end. I watch
my mother, desperate to fight for the Queen, transform herself out of sheer willpower. I see my
father calling her back, begging her to go into hiding for the sake of the child she carries within
her womb. Over and over again, I hear Mother refuse, and watch as she and Father fight the
Terran army. Over and over again, I see my parents and unborn brother die at the hands of the
Terrans.
I wish these dark thoughts would leave me. I wish I could banish them from my head
forever. But in my loneliness, I'm afraid they are all that keep me from insanity. Oh, mighty
gods, will I ever be free?
***
In a vast and lonely dimension, a realm neither mortal nor divine, two young girls
found the Gates of Time. Neither one was at all surprised to find herself there, for both had been
there many times before. It had been their destination this time. But it was not the Gates they
were looking for, but rather, the gatekeeper.
She revealed herself to them immediately. She was a tall, slim woman with long, silky
green hair large garnet eyes. She was dressed in a Sailor Senshi's uniform of dark green and
garnet, and in her gloved hand she carried a mighty staff topped with a gleaming garnet orb.
She had an air of mystery about her, and she might have been beautiful except for the look of
sorrow etched permanently upon her face, and the pain that haunted her eyes. Because both
girls were dear to her, the gatekeeper offered them a smile, but it did not so much as touch her
sad garnet eyes.
"Small Lady," she said in greeting, opening her arms to them. "Hotaru-chan." Tomoe
Hotaru and Neo-Princess Serenity, called Small Lady or Chibiusa by her friends, both hurried to
embrace the gatekeeper.
"Puu," Chibiusa began cheerfully, "Mama sent us to ask if you might be able to dine with
us tonight. All the senshi will be there. Oh, please come, Puu!" Sailor Pluto bit her lower lip. She
wanted to accept the princess' offer, but knew the gods would not be pleased if she left her post.
"I don't know, Small Lady," she said uncertainly, "I do have my duty…" Both girls' faces
fell.
"Oh, please, Setsuna-mama!" Hotaru begged. "There is no danger now, is there?" Pluto
wrinkled her nose, hesitant to answer.
"No…" she admitted slowly. Hotaru grinned, mentally adding a point to hers and
Chibiusa's side.
"Then come!" she said. "If there's no danger to monitor, then what's the harm in leaving
for an hour or so?" Pluto did not answer.
"Please, Puu," the princess begged. "It would only be for dinner." Chibiusa's statement
seemed to free Pluto's tongue.
"That's just the point, Small Lady. Although I love you all, I simply cannot leave the
Sacred Gates for something as frivolous as a dinner."
"It's not frivolous!" Chibiusa exclaimed indignantly. "Mama is throwing this dinner in
honor of the senshi! Please come, Puu, please!"
"Small Lady…" Pluto whispered, smiling a little in spite of herself. Hotaru smiled as
well, knowing how close she and her best friend were to winning Pluto over.
"We need you there, Setsuna-mama," she said coaxingly. "You're a senshi, too. The team
wouldn't be complete without you." Pluto grimaced and looked away.
"The gods will be angry with me if I leave the Gates of Time," she said softly. "I have
earned their wrath far too many times to risk it on a dinner."
"What if you had their permission?" Chibiusa suggested. "Pluto fixed her eyes upon the
princess' hopeful face, studying her for a long while. Then, because she cared deeply for both
girls, she nodded curtly and knelt to pray to her father, Chronos. After a moment, she raised her
head and nodded again.
"I am free to leave," she told them. "My father will guard the Sacred Gates for me while
I am away." Both girls squealed with delight and hurried to embrace the eldest Sailor Senshi.
"I knew you'd come, Setsuna-mama!" Hotaru said triumphantly. "Didn't I tell you she
would come, Chibiusa-chan?" Pluto chucked mirthlessly.
"You know me too well, Hotaru-chan," she said, taking each girl by the hand. "Now,
come along, both of you."
From the Realm of Gods, Chronos watched as the gatekeeper led her princess and half-
sister away from the Gates of Time. Of course, Pluto did not think of Hotaru as her sister; she
had never learned the truth. But the truth did not matter. The gatekeeper was not longer
anyone's daughter, sister, or granddaughter. Not even Chronos could truly call himself her
father. The gatekeeper was only Time now. Immortal Time.
******************************************************************************
Stay tuned for the next story in the "Children of the Goddesses" series! An ancient prophecy
could spell the end of the White Moon Kingdom, and the very thing Queen Serenity is fighting
to protect holds the key to the destruction of her people.
Children of the Goddesses Book #2:
The Promise Child
Saturn's Story