Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Sailor Moon or any of its characters.
They're copyrighted by a bunch of people who aren't me. Hopefully they all
have better things to do than make my life miserable for writing this
story.
***
Time Heals All Wounds
The plain was flat and almost completely featureless, extending off in all directions without end. The place was covered with a white mist, a fog that never lifted and never became any more or less intense than it always was. Although human feet rarely trod this place, there was no dust, not a single speck.
The plain was warm, although it was not the comforting warmth of a small room with a fire burning on the hearth. It was simply the absence of any extremes of temperature. It gave the place a desolate feeling.
There were only three things that kept the plain from being completely empty. The first was a large gate, carved of white marble. Large double doors, also of marble, rested closed within it. No hinges or other means of opening them were apparent. The gate stood at the center of the plain, though the location of the center was not a matter of distance from any particular points; rather, it was the center simply because the gate was there. Although the gate seemingly led nowhere, anyone with the ability to reach this place would know better. This was the Time Gate.
The second was the gate's guardian. And the third was the visitor approaching the gate.
Pluto stood at her post, watching, ever vigilant. She saw King Endymion long before he saw her. He was clad in his royal armor, his cape trailing behind him, not quite touching the ground. At his waist, he had his sword buckled to one side.
She knew why he was there. She was gifted with the ability to see across time, both into the past and the future. She had known this day would come for a long time now. Though it had been a thousand years, she would have to answer for what she had done.
Endymion stopped a short distance away from her. A long moment passed in silence.
Finally, he spoke. "Pluto. I need to speak with you."
Pluto nodded, avoiding his gaze.
Endymion paused for a moment, trying to organize his thoughts. "I have had a dream about the accident that killed my parents. That day... It seems almost a world away. But this felt as if I was there, living it all over again. It was all crystal clear. I now remember everything about that moment - the road along the cliff, the rain, the lightning... Everything."
He fought to keep his voice steady against rising emotion as he continued. "I remember, for the first time, there was something that hit the car before it went over the cliff. And at that moment, there was a flash of lightning... And I saw someone standing across the road." Quiet anger had crept into his voice as he spoke, and when he fell silent, the tension in the air became almost palpable.
Pluto looked over Endymion's shoulder, staring out onto the vast expanse of nothingness before her. She had never felt truly at home here, but her surroundings felt particularly uncomfortable and oppressive now - almost as if this place were sitting in silent judgment of her. She shivered, though there was no chill in the air.
"The future is not a thing that is set in stone. There are different possibilities, different ways it can develop. Sometimes, the potential exists for the future to take the wrong path, a path that would lead to disaster for the world we are charged with protecting. At those times, action needs to be taken.
You knew the Queen when she first took up the struggle against the forces of evil. Back then, she was a frightened child who had been thrust into an incredibly difficult situation. Without your aid, she would never have survived long enough to find her companions and become the person she needed to become in order to save the world. It was necessary for you to meet her and help her in her battle."
Pluto finally looked Endymion in the eye. "It was the death of your parents that set you on that path. That night, when you and your parents were driving home, was a crossroads for you... And it was vital that your future unfold in a certain way." Her voice broke, and tears filled her eyes. It had been the hardest choice she had ever had to make. And she knew that if she had it to do over again, she would do the same thing. But the thought of having caused so much pain was almost more than she could bear. "But I still... I don't know if you can forgive me, but I am sorry."
Filled with ambivalence, Endymion stood, completely still, staring at Pluto for a long moment. The look in his eyes belied his outward calm.
"Can I forgive you?" he said.
He knew in his head that she was right. If not for the death of his parents, there was a good chance he would never have embarked on his own mission against the Dark Kingdom. And it had been a sense of something missing in his life that had initially drawn him to the woman who would later become his wife and made him decide to protect her from the dangers she faced.
But in his heart, all he felt was anger at the woman who had murdered his parents, people who he had only warm and loving memories of.
"I don't know," he said, truthfully.
As Endymion turned and walked away, Pluto bowed her head. As he receded into the mists, she resumed her silent vigil at the gate. She would have to deal with her guilt as she dealt with most everything else in her life - alone.
***
Time Heals All Wounds
The plain was flat and almost completely featureless, extending off in all directions without end. The place was covered with a white mist, a fog that never lifted and never became any more or less intense than it always was. Although human feet rarely trod this place, there was no dust, not a single speck.
The plain was warm, although it was not the comforting warmth of a small room with a fire burning on the hearth. It was simply the absence of any extremes of temperature. It gave the place a desolate feeling.
There were only three things that kept the plain from being completely empty. The first was a large gate, carved of white marble. Large double doors, also of marble, rested closed within it. No hinges or other means of opening them were apparent. The gate stood at the center of the plain, though the location of the center was not a matter of distance from any particular points; rather, it was the center simply because the gate was there. Although the gate seemingly led nowhere, anyone with the ability to reach this place would know better. This was the Time Gate.
The second was the gate's guardian. And the third was the visitor approaching the gate.
Pluto stood at her post, watching, ever vigilant. She saw King Endymion long before he saw her. He was clad in his royal armor, his cape trailing behind him, not quite touching the ground. At his waist, he had his sword buckled to one side.
She knew why he was there. She was gifted with the ability to see across time, both into the past and the future. She had known this day would come for a long time now. Though it had been a thousand years, she would have to answer for what she had done.
Endymion stopped a short distance away from her. A long moment passed in silence.
Finally, he spoke. "Pluto. I need to speak with you."
Pluto nodded, avoiding his gaze.
Endymion paused for a moment, trying to organize his thoughts. "I have had a dream about the accident that killed my parents. That day... It seems almost a world away. But this felt as if I was there, living it all over again. It was all crystal clear. I now remember everything about that moment - the road along the cliff, the rain, the lightning... Everything."
He fought to keep his voice steady against rising emotion as he continued. "I remember, for the first time, there was something that hit the car before it went over the cliff. And at that moment, there was a flash of lightning... And I saw someone standing across the road." Quiet anger had crept into his voice as he spoke, and when he fell silent, the tension in the air became almost palpable.
Pluto looked over Endymion's shoulder, staring out onto the vast expanse of nothingness before her. She had never felt truly at home here, but her surroundings felt particularly uncomfortable and oppressive now - almost as if this place were sitting in silent judgment of her. She shivered, though there was no chill in the air.
"The future is not a thing that is set in stone. There are different possibilities, different ways it can develop. Sometimes, the potential exists for the future to take the wrong path, a path that would lead to disaster for the world we are charged with protecting. At those times, action needs to be taken.
You knew the Queen when she first took up the struggle against the forces of evil. Back then, she was a frightened child who had been thrust into an incredibly difficult situation. Without your aid, she would never have survived long enough to find her companions and become the person she needed to become in order to save the world. It was necessary for you to meet her and help her in her battle."
Pluto finally looked Endymion in the eye. "It was the death of your parents that set you on that path. That night, when you and your parents were driving home, was a crossroads for you... And it was vital that your future unfold in a certain way." Her voice broke, and tears filled her eyes. It had been the hardest choice she had ever had to make. And she knew that if she had it to do over again, she would do the same thing. But the thought of having caused so much pain was almost more than she could bear. "But I still... I don't know if you can forgive me, but I am sorry."
Filled with ambivalence, Endymion stood, completely still, staring at Pluto for a long moment. The look in his eyes belied his outward calm.
"Can I forgive you?" he said.
He knew in his head that she was right. If not for the death of his parents, there was a good chance he would never have embarked on his own mission against the Dark Kingdom. And it had been a sense of something missing in his life that had initially drawn him to the woman who would later become his wife and made him decide to protect her from the dangers she faced.
But in his heart, all he felt was anger at the woman who had murdered his parents, people who he had only warm and loving memories of.
"I don't know," he said, truthfully.
As Endymion turned and walked away, Pluto bowed her head. As he receded into the mists, she resumed her silent vigil at the gate. She would have to deal with her guilt as she dealt with most everything else in her life - alone.