Kodoku no Fortress
Hour I
By Spirit-hime
************
Setsuna reclined at the foot of her bed, dabbing at her hair with a towel. The party
had already broken up, giving her a chance to take a hot shower and enjoy a little time
by herself.
Her lateness had been out of the ordinary, she knew. Always her birthdays were spent on
her own, taking the time out to wander through a park or even do a little shopping. She
never spent her time reminiscing, or even thinking for that matter. Do not think, just
feel. Do not dwell on the past, but take a few hours of this day to celebrate the fact
that you survived one more year. Have a little fun, buy some barbecued odango¹ and walk
barefoot through the grass. Go to a cafe and flirt with the waiter, rent a dog and take
it for a walk². She never stopped to wonder why she went through such motions, and her
friends, who themselves did not know the real reason for it, politely respected it and were
sure to stay out of her way. But through all that time that she spent not thinking, not
dwelling, not remembering the past, deep in her gut she sensed the reasons. She sensed them,
but she chose to ignore them. Look forwards and not backwards and you'll be alright. Keep
going no matter what. And when your hours are up and you feel like you can stand again,
go back home and return to the rest of your life.
But this time she messed up. This time she let herself look back. What triggered it? Oh yes,
the key. How did it get there, conveniently situated between her sun glasses and her wallet in
the simple black purse she carried? It was small and somewhat ordinary, much like the little
gold keys that hung from a large chain on her sailor fuku and allowed travelers to stroll
unhindered through time. At first glance it looked tarnished, perhaps from old age or lack
of use. Upon closer inspection, however, one could see that it was not of metal but of smooth
greyish stone that was cold to the touch and felt a little heavier than such a small object
should be. In it was a single dark red jewel, making it almost appear to be a shrunken version
of the heavy staff Sailor Pluto carried.
As she gazed at it in confusion, small drops had begun to splatter down from the heavy clouds
overhead. She cautiously pulled the key out of her purse, and she remembered. She remembered
who this item belonged to. She remembered where it came from. She remembered why it was now
in her possession. She remembered what she had lost. The drizzle turned to a storm, her
memories rushed at her one after another, and in her heart the floodwaters came.
Setsuna's appearance later would be the result of long hours spent wandering through the
torrents of rain that descended both on and in her. She had found herself crying--crying!
A deed that no one would think the cold and ancient soldier of time was even
capable of doing. But that is just what she did. She sat down beneath a tree in the center
of a dark and deserted park, and she cried her eyes out, screaming a name that had been long
forgotten.
Her tears were long spent, but she felt no better for it. A past that she had spent thousands
of years trying to leave behind had loomed its ugly head--out of her purse, of all places--and
it was somewhat disturbing to imagine how many more centuries it would take to outrun it again.
She pushed the thought aside. No, I'll be fine. By tomorrow, everything will be just the way
that it was yesterday. Let's move on and be done with it.
Critically, she inspected her drenched and soiled clothes. The white shirt was not worth
saving, and well beyond help. The black skirt had quite a mud stain on the rear, and was
frayed at the hem where some overly friendly rose bushes had snatched onto it, but she was
sure that with a little creativity she could fix it up again. She glanced at the digital
alarm clock beside her bed. Red lights in the shape of a one and two zeros shone on the black
face. Resigning herself to the task, she scooped the skirt up and headed for the door.
As she took a step, a small object slid from the article's pocket. It descended towards the
ground, turning and spinning as it went, and clattered onto the softwood floor.
The sound did not register in her mind at first, and she continued walking. As Setsuna neared
her bedroom door, however, something else did catch her attention. The light cast against the
walls of her bedroom turned to a soft purplish glow for a few moments, before fading back to the
ordinary pinkish white light cast by the lamp by her bed. She stopped, wondering whether it had
been her imagination. When the glow returned, she glanced back at her lamp, which remained the
same color. It faded and returned a third time before she discovered the source.
There it was again. That same ugly head. The stone key sat quite contentedly on the floor as
if it belonged there, pulsating with a violet aura.
"Why can't you leave me alone?" She asked dully. It replied by glowing again.
That was when she heard it. A voice sounded, echoing as though from a great distance,
something like a whisper, or a scream, or both. At first she could not understand what it was
saying, but as she listened two words became bone-chillingly clear. "Princess... Pluto!" The
key, the sound, the words, all sent an icy jolt of fear through her stomach, but none more than
the final revelation that dawned upon her. She recognized that voice.
Something more was happening now. Mist had begun to form around herself and the key. She could
barely see the walls, or anything else for that matter. It barely seemed like her own house
anymore. Some large THING was fabricating before her, filling her bedroom from floor to
ceiling. Its shadowy form loomed above her, and even after she recognized it for what it was,
her sense of forboding remained.
It was a door. Plain and simple. But more than that, it was a behemoth, an impenetrable gate
beyond which lay a world of undefineable power, infinite possibilities, and most of all,
eternal solitude. Every detail of its intricate carvings had been etched into Setsuna's mind,
but she had no desire to see it again. It was, without a doubt, the Space-Time Door.
With a deep groan that caused the very ground to shudder, the door gradually began to open of
its own accord. That same purple light shone out from the doorway, nearly blinding her. She
felt a tug at her heartstrings, the same feeling that stirred within her from the very moment
she first sighted the key. Go on. What could it hurt? There's something waiting for you there.
Will you run again? Or will you face it?
Tentatively, she knelt next to the key. Just pick it up. Take it, it's not going anywhere.
It's just a key, right?
Just a key.
As her fingers brushed against its smooth surface, her entire body went cold. The floor
seemed to drop from beneath her legs, a whirling vertigo of the winds of the Underworld
whipping around her, threatening to tear her to shreds. It clamped around her throat, pulled
at her limbs, helplessly tossing her about within her own element. She had no breath to scream,
no strength to move. At last giving up the struggle against the overwhelming force that held
her deep within its jaws, her numbed mind faintly heard a voice.
"I WON'T LET YOU HAVE HER!"
The turmoil ended as quickly as it had begun, and as Setsuna felt herself hit solid ground, her
mind slipped from consciousness.
************
¹Odango, or Japanese dumplings, are a common treat that can be bought barbecued at festivals
and such. Since they are simple and filling, they're quite popular.
²Since living conditions are so cramped in Japan, people are seldom able to have pets. Thus,
it has become popular to rent a dog for the day and walk it or take it to the park with
your family.
Hour I
By Spirit-hime
************
Setsuna reclined at the foot of her bed, dabbing at her hair with a towel. The party
had already broken up, giving her a chance to take a hot shower and enjoy a little time
by herself.
Her lateness had been out of the ordinary, she knew. Always her birthdays were spent on
her own, taking the time out to wander through a park or even do a little shopping. She
never spent her time reminiscing, or even thinking for that matter. Do not think, just
feel. Do not dwell on the past, but take a few hours of this day to celebrate the fact
that you survived one more year. Have a little fun, buy some barbecued odango¹ and walk
barefoot through the grass. Go to a cafe and flirt with the waiter, rent a dog and take
it for a walk². She never stopped to wonder why she went through such motions, and her
friends, who themselves did not know the real reason for it, politely respected it and were
sure to stay out of her way. But through all that time that she spent not thinking, not
dwelling, not remembering the past, deep in her gut she sensed the reasons. She sensed them,
but she chose to ignore them. Look forwards and not backwards and you'll be alright. Keep
going no matter what. And when your hours are up and you feel like you can stand again,
go back home and return to the rest of your life.
But this time she messed up. This time she let herself look back. What triggered it? Oh yes,
the key. How did it get there, conveniently situated between her sun glasses and her wallet in
the simple black purse she carried? It was small and somewhat ordinary, much like the little
gold keys that hung from a large chain on her sailor fuku and allowed travelers to stroll
unhindered through time. At first glance it looked tarnished, perhaps from old age or lack
of use. Upon closer inspection, however, one could see that it was not of metal but of smooth
greyish stone that was cold to the touch and felt a little heavier than such a small object
should be. In it was a single dark red jewel, making it almost appear to be a shrunken version
of the heavy staff Sailor Pluto carried.
As she gazed at it in confusion, small drops had begun to splatter down from the heavy clouds
overhead. She cautiously pulled the key out of her purse, and she remembered. She remembered
who this item belonged to. She remembered where it came from. She remembered why it was now
in her possession. She remembered what she had lost. The drizzle turned to a storm, her
memories rushed at her one after another, and in her heart the floodwaters came.
Setsuna's appearance later would be the result of long hours spent wandering through the
torrents of rain that descended both on and in her. She had found herself crying--crying!
A deed that no one would think the cold and ancient soldier of time was even
capable of doing. But that is just what she did. She sat down beneath a tree in the center
of a dark and deserted park, and she cried her eyes out, screaming a name that had been long
forgotten.
Her tears were long spent, but she felt no better for it. A past that she had spent thousands
of years trying to leave behind had loomed its ugly head--out of her purse, of all places--and
it was somewhat disturbing to imagine how many more centuries it would take to outrun it again.
She pushed the thought aside. No, I'll be fine. By tomorrow, everything will be just the way
that it was yesterday. Let's move on and be done with it.
Critically, she inspected her drenched and soiled clothes. The white shirt was not worth
saving, and well beyond help. The black skirt had quite a mud stain on the rear, and was
frayed at the hem where some overly friendly rose bushes had snatched onto it, but she was
sure that with a little creativity she could fix it up again. She glanced at the digital
alarm clock beside her bed. Red lights in the shape of a one and two zeros shone on the black
face. Resigning herself to the task, she scooped the skirt up and headed for the door.
As she took a step, a small object slid from the article's pocket. It descended towards the
ground, turning and spinning as it went, and clattered onto the softwood floor.
The sound did not register in her mind at first, and she continued walking. As Setsuna neared
her bedroom door, however, something else did catch her attention. The light cast against the
walls of her bedroom turned to a soft purplish glow for a few moments, before fading back to the
ordinary pinkish white light cast by the lamp by her bed. She stopped, wondering whether it had
been her imagination. When the glow returned, she glanced back at her lamp, which remained the
same color. It faded and returned a third time before she discovered the source.
There it was again. That same ugly head. The stone key sat quite contentedly on the floor as
if it belonged there, pulsating with a violet aura.
"Why can't you leave me alone?" She asked dully. It replied by glowing again.
That was when she heard it. A voice sounded, echoing as though from a great distance,
something like a whisper, or a scream, or both. At first she could not understand what it was
saying, but as she listened two words became bone-chillingly clear. "Princess... Pluto!" The
key, the sound, the words, all sent an icy jolt of fear through her stomach, but none more than
the final revelation that dawned upon her. She recognized that voice.
Something more was happening now. Mist had begun to form around herself and the key. She could
barely see the walls, or anything else for that matter. It barely seemed like her own house
anymore. Some large THING was fabricating before her, filling her bedroom from floor to
ceiling. Its shadowy form loomed above her, and even after she recognized it for what it was,
her sense of forboding remained.
It was a door. Plain and simple. But more than that, it was a behemoth, an impenetrable gate
beyond which lay a world of undefineable power, infinite possibilities, and most of all,
eternal solitude. Every detail of its intricate carvings had been etched into Setsuna's mind,
but she had no desire to see it again. It was, without a doubt, the Space-Time Door.
With a deep groan that caused the very ground to shudder, the door gradually began to open of
its own accord. That same purple light shone out from the doorway, nearly blinding her. She
felt a tug at her heartstrings, the same feeling that stirred within her from the very moment
she first sighted the key. Go on. What could it hurt? There's something waiting for you there.
Will you run again? Or will you face it?
Tentatively, she knelt next to the key. Just pick it up. Take it, it's not going anywhere.
It's just a key, right?
Just a key.
As her fingers brushed against its smooth surface, her entire body went cold. The floor
seemed to drop from beneath her legs, a whirling vertigo of the winds of the Underworld
whipping around her, threatening to tear her to shreds. It clamped around her throat, pulled
at her limbs, helplessly tossing her about within her own element. She had no breath to scream,
no strength to move. At last giving up the struggle against the overwhelming force that held
her deep within its jaws, her numbed mind faintly heard a voice.
"I WON'T LET YOU HAVE HER!"
The turmoil ended as quickly as it had begun, and as Setsuna felt herself hit solid ground, her
mind slipped from consciousness.
************
¹Odango, or Japanese dumplings, are a common treat that can be bought barbecued at festivals
and such. Since they are simple and filling, they're quite popular.
²Since living conditions are so cramped in Japan, people are seldom able to have pets. Thus,
it has become popular to rent a dog for the day and walk it or take it to the park with
your family.