It was the beginning of spring, and it was already hot. Not the hot that was unbearable, but the hot that was hot enough to want to stay in doors. The air smelled faintly of the wild honeysuckle that grew in a number of different places. Roses were also starting to bloom, their respective fragrances mixing on the breeze that had been constant that day.

Everyone's sprits high as they went about their activities, some were rushing home to be with family, children were playing in the park, couples strolled through the many gardens where the flowers were in the first stages of blooming.

The sun was on it's last leg of its west ward journey and the temperatures where dropping to make the evening pleasant. The ball of fiery red orange tinted the sky in beautiful shades of pink, purple, and orange. Adding the atmosphere of peace, making all those who beheld the sight feel as if everything was right in the world.

Where as others watched the sun setting with someone, one person was alone. Bright magenta eyes watched it's setting without blinking through a portal. The breeze drifted through blowing the long green tinted hair away from her face. The woman played no attention to the few strands that managed to find their way into her face no heed, letting them stay there. As soon as the sun finally sank below the horizon a delicate but strong hand came up to push the rebellious strands behind an ear.

Also with a wave of a hand the portal she had been looking through vanished. A small sigh escaped her lips as a frown etched itself on her ageless face. She turned on her heel and walked in a nameless direction.

As she walked gray mist swirled and parted by her booted feet, as if allowing her passage. She continued walking for a time while she let her mind wander in thought. Without thinking she held a hand out and called her beloved but hated staff to her side. It came at her biding, the garnet orb at the top flaring as her fingers grasped the shaft of the staff. The staff itself resembled a giant skeleton key.

The soft clinking of her staff and her muted footfalls were the only sound in the gray oblivion that she called home. After a time she stopped and glanced around, sighing a small sigh once again.

For days she had checked everything in time. All was as it should be, nothing amiss. But the Guardian of Time could not shake the feeling that something was wrong, that something was going to happen. Seeing everything in place should have relieved this fear, but all it did was make it heavier. Yes, the Guardian of Time was scared. There was no logical reason why she should be, but the logical or lack there of, was what was bothering her.

She had thought about going to the outers many times, even the inners and the Princess had crossed her mind. She thought about it again as she called forth portals that showed the Scouts and Tuxedo Mask.

Checking on each one she saw what each was doing, Raye was chasing Chad with a broom yelling something incoherent, Lita was in her kitchen looking through cook books with an apron over her clothes, Mina was brushing her hair out preparing for bed, Amy was in her room her dark blue tinted hair damp reading, Amara and Michelle were out on a date, Darien was out with Rini and Hotaru eating ice cream in the park, Artemis was napping on Mina's bed, and Luna and Serena were actually doing some homework.

What would she say when she went to them? Raye had sensed nothing from the Sacred Fire, Michelle's and Amara's guardian planets where both calm. There was no way to back up the Time Guardian's unrealistic fear.

'Maybe' she thought 'I just need to go out into the world.' She finally decided that that was what she would do. Tomorrow she would leave the Time Gates and have some fun. It would be good to catch up with everyone.

Being the Guardian of Time, she didn't need sleep while she was at the Gates. She watched as each got into bed and fell into an easy sleep. Seeing her dear friends safely to dreamland she let the portals close one by one, until none where left.

The night wore on slowly as she once again checked through time in one last attempt to see if anything was wrong. Once again finding nothing, just like the other many times that she had checked, she gave up, blaming it on her imagination.

Pluto, as the Scouts and her Princess knew her, relaxed floating in mid air. During the time she must have dozed off. For the next thing that she knew there was a small flux in the flow of the great and eternal River of Time. But before she had time to investigate it was gone.

Fluxes in time just don't happen. Her feeling of dread was once again renewed ten fold upon what it had been.





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Originally posted under a different name and title. But problems with the computer and account kind of screwed that up. We'll I thought about this late on night, and decided to write it down. Let me know what you think. Something different is in order for this story, but.I can't give anything away. Please review, the more reviews I get, the faster the next chapter will be out. Thanks.

~Silvra