Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and all it's characters belong to Naoko Takeuchi, I am only borrowing them. The same goes for Ranma ½ and it's characters, which belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

This fic is set in an alternate universe, where things appear to be the same on the surface, but the reality is quite different.

Prologue - "Devastation and Hope"

'The path to Crystal Tokyo is set. Finally, the Silver Millennium will rise again. Finally, I can lay my ghosts to rest.' Setsuna Meioh, Sailor Pluto, Guardian of the Gates of Time stood at her post looking out at the glittering spires of the future city. All was peaceful and calm.

A slight shudder, more heard then seen vibrated through the city. A second, stronger one followed. A third caused the crystal towers to crack across their surfaces.

"No!" Sailor Pluto screamed, frantically calling upon her powers to try and stabilize the timeline. "Crystal Tokyo must come to pass! It must!" Her efforts stopped nothing, and she could only collapse to her knees and watch as the city she had worked so long to ensure would rise crumbled to dust and vanished without a trace.

"Why?" she whispered. "What could cause such complete devastation? I must know. I must find who destroyed Crystal Tokyo. Perhaps all is not lost, maybe if I remove them, Crystal Tokyo will reappear." Now firm with determination, she rose to her feet and began searching the timestream, trying to isolate the source responsible for the destruction of her dream. When she found it, many hours later, she almost couldn't believe it.

"Usagi? How could Usagi destroy Crystal Tokyo?" Frowning, she followed the current timeline as best she could, trying to make sense of the many branches that split off then rejoined. She came to a large nexus, where many of the potential futures joined. She looked into it, and stared in awe.

"How could I have missed this?" she whispered. "How could I have been so blind?" She looked at the glorious future more closely, and realized that there were many variations on it. Most just varied in minor details, but some, though just as bright were vastly different from the rest. "Why are there so many futures? There should be just one, the future must be guided to it's proper path, not left to the random decisions of..the...people." Her voice trailed off as an old, old memory surfaced. '"Do you, Setsuna Meioh, agree to take on the responsibilities of the role of Sailor Pluto? Do you swear to protect the Gates of Time from all who would try to use them? Do you swear to guard the timestream against all interference, leaving the future to the people who live it? Do you also swear to find your successor and train her when you find yourself tempted to break any part of this Oath?" "Yes, your Majesty. I, Setsuna Meioh, do so swear. My life, soul and power shall be yielded unto you should I break this Oath." "Then rise, Sailor Pluto."'

"My Oath. How could I have forgotten it?" Her face firmed, and she closed her eyes. "It is far past time that I passed on this post. I only can pray that Usagi will show me the same mercy she has shown her enemies." She realized that she was feeling something she hadn't felt in a long time. Uncertainty. Yet mixed with her uncertainty was a large amount of something else she hadn't felt for a long time.

Hope.

I've been stuck on Chapter 6 for a long time now, and I realized that to go where I wanted to go, I needed to rewrite parts of the story so far. This prologue came out of that realization, and the fact that I really needed one for this story. Most of the story will remain the same, but parts of it here and there will be redone, and I may scrap a chapter or two and rewrite them completely. Hopefully, this will enable me to get around the sticking point and get going again. I am not going to give any kind of estimate for how long each chapter is going to take, it's the start of the holiday season and I work retail. I'm going to be exhausted for the next two months, so don't expect anything soon, but I may surprise myself.

As always, reviews and constructive suggestions are welcome, flames will be used as a heat source.

Shadows Dark