Chapter Six: A Plutonian Past

Author's Notes: Chapter Six has cometh! Usual disclaimers apply, of course... now enjoy!

Mamoru felt scant of breath as he entered the warehouse. He was finding himself having a hard time believing Saffiru's words. Couldn't he be lying to them? Setting them up for a greater downfall? The black-haired man forced himself to calm down, as he felt Chibi Usa's hand clamp onto his. The young girl was looking towards him for support: and, in a way, he was gaining support from his offspring's touch, as well.

"Found it."

All of the senshi stopped their search under stray crates and debris, and looked towards the spot the senshi Pluto gesticulated. They scuttled over there, forming a neat rotary around the black hole. They stared down the ebony depths of the pit, some biting their lower lips in doubt. It seemed an awfully long drop, a sure death grant if anything were to go faulty. In a deep breath, Uranus dipped a suede boot-covered foot into the time warp, feeling its gravitational pull. She quickly grasped onto Neptune's hand, who took Saturn's, who then took Pluto's. They continued to lock each other within each person's grasp, completing the circuit with Mamoru. No longer doubting herself, Uranus made the plunge in, dragging everyone with her: to the base or to death was to be found out in a moment's notice.

[At the Base Gardens]

Usagi smiled at Demando, who led her by the hand through a magnificent garden. The blonde-haired girl sighed wistfully. "Prince, thy garden is just like the one I possess on the moon." she lightly touched a stray rose's petals, enraptured with its silky touch. "The flowers... they are so beautiful. White roses are my favorite, you know."

The white-haired man smiled softly. He cupped her chin in his hand, [the very same maneuver Mamoru was in the habit of doing], and whispered, "You are my favorite flower. You are the most beautiful maiden in the world. Now that's a fact worth knowing."

Usagi, [or now Serenity], smiled that soft smile of hers... the very smile that had ensnared the heart of the late Prince Endymion. And then the heart of his reincarnate, Chiba Mamoru, as well. "That was kind, noble sire. But I know of it to be untrue. My guardians, my friends, the senshi... they are the most beautiful." She slowly eased away from Demando's grasp, bending down to nuzzle her cheek against a white rose. Totally off subject she queried, before any defenses of her beauty could be made, "Roses... aren't they the favorite flower of the prince of earth as well?"

Facial muscles jerking slightly, Demando asked through gritted teeth, "What makes you ask about that ruffian now, dearest?"

"Not sure. But I heard he is quite handsome..."

Demando snorted, trying to erase the mere suggestion from the golden-haired princess's memory away. "He is nothing but an ugly oaf. I know beauty when I see it." then, he added as a bonus, "And, my dear... I see true, pure beauty in you."

The white-cloaked prince stooped down, tugging at Serenity until she was at her full stature. He leaned in for a kiss, when, Serenity, un-welcoming to this invasion of private space, said... "Look, prince. 'Tis one of thy servants."

Abruptly, the dark moon prince turned around and found a lower level monster saluting to him. "Well, what is it?!" snapped the ruffled royal. This had better be a full scale invasion, or otherwise he would be ready to make heads roll.

The creature trembled from the glare projected at him by the prince. "I-It's, uh... It's the.."

"OUT WITH IT!"

"It's the senshi and the prince, sir!"

So Demando wasn't off, after all.

"How did they make it to the base?" Demando mused aloud. He shook his head. "Shuro will take care of this. But I must see to the other traps if he doesn't..." He stomped away, quickly adding an attempted gentle, "Stay here, love." to Serenity.

Serenity, on her part, was more than happy to oblige. She sat among a throng of blossoms, enjoying their company. The prince's boots had just finished their final audible clack down the hall, when Serenity heard a voice cry, "Why, the nerve of it! A sexy queen like you left here all alone? Demando must be out of his mind!"

Startled, Serenity stared back at the man, who leaned against a pine tree, grinning at her; staring hungrily. His jet black hair, streaked with several shocks of silver, gleamed against the light of the moon. His looks, his built... she had to admit, the male was definitely attractive... but something about him frightened her... Numb with fear, all she could say was, "I'm a princess, not a queen."

The boy looked at her, his smile a suggestive one. "You are queen, my dear... queen of my heart." He walked over to her, introducing himself, "The name's Wakeru. And courting young, vibrant princesses like you, is my game. Now let's say we have some fun, huh?"

Serenity, who was less naive than the Usagi we are familiar with, scampered to her feet, saying, "I won't be some stupid pond in your silly perverted game!" then a thought dawned on her, "Run along now, little boy, lest you want your master's wrath turned upon you!"

Wakeru stopped short of where Serenity stood. He glanced at her through a half-lidded stare, noticing that despite her haughty tone of voice, and proud stance: she trembled. "What are mere lashes of a whip, compared to claiming the ultimate prize?"

And that's when he made his first jump.

[With Senshi and Tuxedo Kamen]

All the soldiers fell softly on to the pad of mud-packed ground that was their designated landing place. As they did so, Tuxedo Kamen felt an odd slice of fear jab at his heart. He knew that it resonated from his lost Usako. "Don't worry... we're coming for you, Usako," he vowed valiantly.

The girls [and boy] made their trip down the questioned cavern, snide remarks of re-decorating skills erupting from Venus. (Followed by indignant, "Be serious!" from Rei). They continued their tireless trip, their shoes padding against the soft ground. Finally, they reached upon a gate. It was an enormous gate, huge enough to act as cover for the hole that was entrance unto the black moon base. [Part of it, any way.] There, with a staff in hand, stood a well-built soldier. Its gaze was cast downwards, as if uncaring to the rapid footfalls of the ten beings coming towards him.

Pluto turned towards Mercury. "Vital readings? Weak points? Anything, so we can blow this guy to smithereens and out of our way?"

Ignoring the unusually violent comments bubbling from the usually reserved soldier, Mercury scanned the being in front of them with her VR goggles slid over her navy blue eyes. In a moment, sure that she was checking the readings correctly, she answered slowly, "...No readings. This thing's dead. A corpse, if you will."

"The living dead?" Neptune supplied, using the oxymoron loosely.

Jupiter shrugged. "Maybe we don't even have to take this guy down. Maybe he'll just let us through."

Her optimism was met by sarcastic rebuttals. "Jupi–any guy who wears the Black Moon crest probably won't play 'nice-nice' with us." the blonde-haired Venetian said sardonically, giving a roll of her blue eyes.

"You can all cease conversing like I'm not present."

"Wow. Smart zombie. Making such a fancy statement out of a simple one, eh?" Mars wisecracked, tossing around her raven locks slightly.

That is when the supposed "zombie" tilted its head, giving Tuxedo Kamen and his entourage a look at his face. He didn't look dead at all. Not even a quarter dead, in fact. He looked young, vibrant: alive. The male's purple bangs* fell over his slightly pink-violet eyes, which flashed malevolently. Pluto was heard to gasp. "Shuro?!"

This Shuro nodded and quipped with... "Princess Setsuna. Nice to see you still thriving."

The others stared at her, amazed by the familiarity between the duo.

"Was there some sort of gate-keepers convention in Tokyo or something?" Uranus snickered slightly.

Pluto didn't stop her own personal scan of the Black Moon soldier. Her gaze wandered onto the man's forehead... where she found a down-turned, black crescent moon embedded onto his skin. "Why–why are you working for... Demando?"

Shuro laughed. His voice seemingly hollow. "It's a bit of an unspoken rule, Sunset. Evidently, you have to serve the man responsible for your resurrection and ability to live."

Pluto felt herself smile, less at the joke, but more at the nickname. Shuro, whenever not around any court officials, had always called Setsuna that... back on Royal Pluto, when it was still the time of Silver Millennia. He dubbed her with that nickname, noting how her eyes were a reflection of the earth's sunset.

[flashback]

"Princess Setsuna... you have a beautiful name... but I think I should call you Sunset."

A young, teenaged Plutonian princess glanced at the still form of the Plutonian guard who was conversing with her. He was young, a male merely seventeen, a guard in training for the royal family. And she? A princess who had just turned sixteen, her beauty blossoming before all who were lucky enough to survey.

"Silly soldier boy. Why would you do that?" she questioned softly, the light wind that grazed her tall form making her green hair toss about playfully. She stared at the young man, somewhat shyly, from the corners of her bright, violet eyes. She merely questioned the pet name as a formality... she was not the type to readily accept things. Not at the time, any way.

Shuro chuckled, as if the answer to the riddle was so obvious. "Your eyes of course! On one of my visits to earth, I sat on a beach, and saw the sun setting. She cast about beautiful colors: orange, red... the usual. But what caught my eye was the purple. Such an unusual color: just like your eyes."

"I don't know whether to take your words as a compliment or insult."

"Take it as a compliment. 'Unusual' means 'special' in my book. Which you are to my heart."

Setsuna coughed, feeling a blush gracing her face. "You know: trying to flatter me won't help you get that job as captain of the palace guard, "she snapped, "that's something you earn." She started to step away, arms crossed against her chest. She was at the ready to smack her forehead. How could she believe in the gag that he considered her a friend? Considered her as his... love?

"Princess!"

She did not stop.

"Setsuna!"

She continued on her march.

"Sunset!"

She had the crazy urge to turn on her heel and face the handsome face of Shuro, but she stubbornly continued to walk towards the castle grounds.

"Princess, Setsuna, Sunset... Will you marry me?"

NOW, she stopped.

She turned, slowly... trying to mask her excitement and her piqued interest. "Wha-What did you say, soldier boy?" She tugged at the light green folds of her skirts slightly, staring at him in thunder shock awe.

Shuro cleared his throat, attempted to say the first word of his dramatic speech, and had his voice crack, issuing a bonafide giggle from his beloved Sunset. Abandoning such extravagance, he asked, "Amused, are you?"

"Yes, oh jester of Pluto! Especially with that 'marriage proposal' of yours!" she continued to laugh. ["Oh please say it was no joke, please don't be lying..."]

"'Twas no joke, kind lady. It's the real thing. Believe."

Silence.

"Well, do you accept?"

Silence.

"Is my fiancee suddenly mute?"

"Why do you call me that when I haven't even provided a reply to your silly question?"

The answer to this was easy. "Because the answer's written all over your face. Yes, Yes, Yes!"

Setsuna, on her turn, abruptly turned away, once again taking part on her steady walk back to the castle she called 'home'. Eyes wide open, Shuro clenched his fist, disappointed with the provided reaction. He turned the other way, his shoulders hunched.

"How easy you give up, Shuro. Once we get married, I'll have to reform that loser behavior of yours." The purple-eyed girl chirped, laughing brightly. "I shall meet you back here after dinner. I will have to go home and pack... tonight, we shall be married."

Setsuna wandered back to the stone castle of Pluto, made of granite. A smile formed on her face, as she heard the celebrating cheers that exploded from the man she left behind on the rock.

However, the new-born couple's happiness did not last. That night, a troop sent from earth invaded, all of Pluto's guards and soldiers called to duty, to protect the people of that once civilized planet. His sense of duty still intact, Shuro had come rushing to fulfill what his job description called for... and had forfeited his life in the process. This was the first event that led to the shaping of Setsuna's solemn, and heartbroken disposition.

[end flashback]

"Shuro. As your princess, I command you to stop this treason." Pluto barked, taking on the authoritative role. "If this was still Silver Millennia, you might have been hung for such betrayal."

Shuro smirked, a rebellious look shining in his eyes. "Sorry princess, but that time is erased with those other useless memories of the past: and allegiances have changed."

Setsuna felt that same devastating feeling she had felt at the moment she found out Shuro had been killed in battle. Was her precious planning to leave her once again?

"Shuro... don't... don't do this!" Setsuna exclaimed in desperation. Shuro raised his staff, pointed it in the general direction of the hero/heroine group threateningly. "Sorry. But if you don't leave now, I'll have to."

Tuxedo Kamen growled. "Look, buddy! Your people have been pissing me off since day one! I swear–I'll have your chopped off head to piss on if you don't step frickin' aside!"

"I wouldn't doubt the guy, either... this is what we call 'Tux taking it well'," Uranus clucked sneeringly. "And don't doubt that I will reinforce his cause." The soldier of Uranus summoned a ball of yellow energy, its glow pulsing threateningly within her grasp. Taking her cue, the remaining soldiers slipped from their inanimate state and called upon their planetary powers, stalling their magic in their gloved hands, on the verge of releasing their fatal attacks.

Shuro paid no heed to the countless threats that were uttered to him. He, instead, allowed his almost emotionless gaze to rest on Setsuna. "Quite a following you have here, huh, Setsuna-san?"

At this, Setsuna presented a sour grin. "You never worried about titles before... you just called me 'princess' to bother me."

The purple-haired man, thoroughly tired of speaking of the period of 'before', whispered, "Goodbye... lover." and with a swift motion of his hand, tossed his staff into the air, and–

He was not fast enough for our very own time guardian, because, in almost the same instant, Pluto summoned forth her garnet rod, tossed it in front of her, using the simple command of "Freeze!" to hold the object still. "Plutonian–Serpent–WRAP!" Obedient to its mistresses' orders, the silver staff flew forward at Shuro, going into an almost snake-like state; able to wrap its form around the Black Moon minion's build.

"GO! Through the door–NOW!"

Surprised by the abrupt command, some soldiers remained rooted to the spot. "Pluto... "

"Mercury-san: GO! There is not enough time! They need you!"

A furious squirm from the man ensnared by the silver snake.

As seven soldiers ran off, Chibi Moon and Saturn were left unconvinced. "Puu, we can't just leave you."

"Chibi-Usa.--I'll see you soon, I guarantee it! Now RUN! DON'T MAKE ME TELL YOU AGAIN!"

The moon child's eyes swelled with tears from the ancient one's scolding, and she slowly stepped back, until her footsteps carried her at full run.

Saturn nodded in cold recognition. "I want nothing else than to stay by your side. And you know that. But--"

Shuro let out a roar of frustration... but he was almost loose...

"There are things you need to confront, Hotaru. Demons that need to be slaughtered by your hand, alone."

Saturn nodded and dashed off, hearing a metallic 'snap', as one foot entered the dark entrance. And upon the fifth footfall upon the ground, and a barricade suddenly appeared behind her: she heard a blood-curdling scream: one of lost love, anguish, and an ultimate demise.

Author's [concluding] Notes:

*Purple hair: Ha ha! Sorry, just playing on that whole 'Setsuna loves Endymion' thing. [Don't believe in it, though.]

Well, that chapter's caput! This chapter is the start of a series of chapters in this story that I'll be doing... intertwined with my own interpretation of the senshis' pasts. I know, I know... overly cliche. But I just love the way it fits in with my story... hmmm...

And what of our dear princess?! Wakeru's finally set out to do what he has proposed! [ew!]

Any who, send comments to thepinkmatrix@aol.com or click that handy-dandy 'review' button! 'Till next chapter!