Finding herself in the frozen tundra, the fact the cold didn't affect Setsuna all too much this time told her that she was still in her fuku. But then she realized she was alone. Right away she stood up and looked around, calling for Clockwork in hopes that he was nearby.
There was no answer as snow flew all around. She could see in the distance that there was a castle with a high wall around it.
She sighed in disappointment at not getting an answer before starting towards the castle.
As she approached, the doors would slowly begin to open.
The fact the doors were starting to open upon her approach had her nerves on alert since it meant she was likely expected. Regardless, she continued anyway.
The temperature past the gates where a good deal warmer. People saw her coming in and stared in awe. A few bowed to her deeply. She could hear a few whispered here and there.
"It's Sailor Pluto."
"She's returned."
"Maybe she can fix things."
"Oh this is great news. Lady Serenity will be so pleased."
"Someone go get Diana-Sama."
"...The first Sailor Senshi to be seen since Lady Serenity took the throne."
She was a little surprised at being bowed to. Hearing the whispers had her slightly concerned. Something needed to be fixed clearly. Though she was happy to hear that Lady Serenity, who she knew to be Chibi-Usa was on the throne. It gave her an idea of just where she was. Way in the future...though she couldn't be sure as to what timeline.
She could spot the crystal palace now not too far away. It still looked as it had in the future she had already seen.
She continued on towards the palace cautiously regardless of it looking how it had in the future she'd seen.
The doors of the palace flew open as an elegantly dressed, pink haired woman come running out. Tears were in her eyes as she all but tackled Sailor Pluto. "Puu! It's really you! I'm so glad it's been so long!" she sobbed. "You can fix it. You can fix everything I just know you can!" The Queen didn't seem to care that she was making a scene before her subjects.
Pluto hugged the young queen, soothingly rubbing her back. "I will try my best."
Diana had followed after Lady Serenity and looked around nervously. "Your highness, it would be better if you and Sailor Pluto discussed everything in private. It's quite a scene here now."
Lady Serenity nodded a bit as she stepped back from Sailor Pluto and motioned for her to follow them back into the palace. "I'm sorry. Things have just been terrible ever since..."
"Do not apologize for your reaction. It was instinctual and therefore I can understand. As I said, I will try my best to help." She followed Diana and Lady Serenity into the palace.
Lady Serenity led Sailor Pluto back to the throne room. She dismissed any guards or maids that had come in and waited for them to depart. Once the room was clear except for the three, Lady Serenity looked at Sailor Pluto. "I'm going to get straight to the point. I'm not sure from when you are coming from, but we need you. After he took over, time has been insane. He's insane. Bending the world to his own will all just to make things the way he wants them. He's not a Timekeeper like the ones before him. You see the insanity outside he has caused. When the senshi went against them, he killed them easily. Small things that got rid of them before they even had a chance. You'll see it. It hasn't happened to you yet, but you will. He made Mama's future turn dark and he let them hide me away as the Black Moon Kingdom took over. He thought that would bring you back, but it didn't. He just let things happened after that. He wouldn't let me go to the past. Blocked me off from Mama and the others. Mama was taken by Demando and he forced her into marriage with him. The Wiseman turned her into one of them. They ruined our world. Almost destroyed it. Papa was killed, but I found the crystal and I fought against them with the help of another time keeper and a man with flame like hair. They left and told me you would return. I wasn't sure, but in the meantime, Diana and I rebuilt the kingdom best we could and the false time keeper started messing with things again. Seasons out of order, Weather gone berserk. People seemingly fine one minute die horrible the next. We figure it's because in the future they had found a way to stop him." Lady Serenity explained. "This is not another dimension if that's what you're thinking. This is your new future, my present nightmare, if we do not stop the false time keeper."
Diana nodded sadly as Lady Serenity explained everything
Sailor Pluto was in shock. "No wonder you were forced to take the throne. I'm so sorry I haven't been here to help. But if he was looking for me to come back then I have quite the idea as to who this false time keeper is." She sighed. "I will see about fixing this. He has done too much manipulation to time for his position to it."
"Thank you. You have to be careful. By this time you have died. Clockwork faded away shortly after. He wasn't the same and the false timekeeper took him out easily. Ripped out his clock and watched him fade. Right here in my throne room." she said sadly. "He laughed. He was so happy that if he couldn't have you and you were a spirit or in heaven, Clockwork would fade into nothing and wouldn't get to be with you even in death. But...he probably knows you're here. May have planned it this way. Just...be careful."
"I fear you're right that he likely planned it. He separated me from Clockwork and sent me here, likely in hopes that I'll agree to love him if it meant he would set time back to how it should be. Or that I'll realize it was him I loved all along over Clockwork. I told him that he can't force me to love him and he likely believes that allowing Wiseman to make your mother like the Dark Moon and likely to love Demande that it proves my words wrong. The woman we know to be your mother is still in there somewhere. We just have to free her." She gently pulled Lady Serenity into a hug. "We'll figure out how to set things straight. He won't get what he wants of me but I won't allow him to continue his reign of terror either."
"Clockwork's alive too!? Well...as alive as he can be...We must find him. As for Mama...when we fought...she begged for her death. She couldn't stand what she had done or what she had become. I promised to somehow reset time so none of this happened.' she explained as she buried her face in Sailor Pluto's shoulder. After a few moments of silent tears, she pulled away and summoned the Genzuisho. "We can try and find Clockwork like this." she said as he concentrated. After a few moments, an image would appear. Clockwork was in the snow covered tundra slowly floating along and calling out Setsuna's name. His cloak billowed and whipped about behind him in the harsh blizzard like winds. Not far behind him something was coming.
"I'm sorry." She watched the image appear from Lady Serenity's use of the Ginzuishou and gasped. "We've got to hurry and reach him. That might be the observant behind him." She turned and started to run out of the room.
"Wait!" Lady Serenity called. "It's my husband!"
In the Tundra Clockwork turned around quickly when he heard something approaching and held his staff at the ready.
Sailor Pluto stopped. "Your husband? I'm sorry, I just couldn't help wanting to rush out."
A young man with blue hair, red eyes, a golden horn sticking out of his hair and a red gem on his forehead walked up. The man held his hands up in surrender. "Relax. I mean no harm. You were calling for Sailor Pluto I take it? If she's here as you believe, she is possibly at the palace."
"It's alright. I'm sure Helios will bring Clockwork back safely." Lady Serenity said with a reassuring smile.
Clockwork didn't know of this man yet and so kept his staff up and at the ready. "Why should I trust you?" he asked.
Sailor Pluto nodded. "I trust that he will."
"I am King Helios. My kingdom has been waiting for Sailor Pluto's return to save us from the reign of terror caused by the false timekeeper. If you still do not trust what I say, then trust in Sailor Pluto's judgement. For she knows my wife, Lady Serenity, as well as my wife's mother and grandmother. The senshi of this time are dead as is Neo Queen Serenity."
Clockwork listened, then after a few moments, slowly lowered his staff and nodded. "Take me to her, please."
Helios nodded. "Of course. Follow me. I'll get you up to speed on the way." He started on toward the palace, informing Clockwork of everything that had happened since the arrival of the false timekeeper.
Clockwork listened quietly as he followed Helios.
By the time Helios had brought Clockwork up to speed, they were walking into the palace. "Ah. I was right. She is here." He then led Clockwork to the throne room.
He saw Setsuna and moved quickly to embrace her tightly and closely. "You scared me. I thought something might have happened to you." he said with a sigh.
Lady Serenity smiled as she watched the scene.
Setsuna embraced Clockwork just as tight. "And I feared something happened to you." She choked out a sob. "We just...can't let him continue here like he has. We just can't..."
Helios moved over to stand with Lady Serenity, a smile of his own on his face
"We will." he said as he pulled back some so he could see her face. He then ran his fingers through her hair. "We will stop him. Who knows, we may even be able to get you back home."
She nodded and wiped her eyes. "We just have to figure out how to do it."
He smiled at her reassuringly, then looked at Helios and Lady Serenity. "What has been tried so far?"
"Hard to try much really when he's just manipulated time to prevent it. It's how Neo Queen Serenity ended up married to Demande, and how the senshi of our time are even went as far as to slightly temporarily de-age my wife during her own attempt to use the ginzuishou on him, just enough so that using it at full strength put her own life at risk."
"I see. Is there a place he is staying here or is he hiding back in the Ghost Zone?" Clockwork asked.
Lady Serenity just hung onto Helios' arm as she let the two men talk. It wasn't she was subservient. Far from it. She was just still weak from her attempt with the genzuishou.
"If he is hiding here, then he's doing a very good job. I've searched in the air countless times."He then looked to Lady Serenity in concern. "If you're still feeling weak, at least sit down if you won't go lay down and rest."
Lady Serenity nodded tiredly. She hugged and kissed Helios before hugging Setsuna. She then headed to her room to rest.
Clockwork listened, then nodded, "Then I'll have to see if we can't find him by other means."
He watched Lady Serenity leave with a bit of concern on his face before looking back to the two timekeepers with a sigh. "Ever since her attempt with the ginzuishou, I've been trying to get her to harness the power of her dream to be a lady like her mother to protect her while in battle. But she's still too weak to try like she should."
Setsuna nodded with a sigh of her own. "Hopefully we can finish him off soon and for good."
"Do you have a door to Setsuna's Time Gates in your palace?" Clockwork asked.
Helios nodded. "Of course. It's been locked in a way where not even the imposter could open it should he make it inside the palace. Follow me." He walked out of the throne room and down a long hallway
Setsuna followed Helios quietly, interested to see just how the door was locked off.
Clockwork held Setsuna's hand as he floated after Helios.
Helios stopped in front of a door with no door knob. Instead in the middle of the door was a red gem, similar in shape to the one on Helios' forehead. He closed his eyes just before a beam of light shot from the tip of his horn to the gem, causing the door to part into two as it opened. Beyond that was another door with a design that looked like it needed the top part of Setsuna's staff placed in it to open it. "A much more reliable way of opening it as only a descendant of the Plutonian royal family can get that part of the staff to separate."
Setsuna smiled to Clockwork as they walked, watching Helios open the first door before nodding at Helios' words in regards to the second door. "Thank goodness for that." Her staff separated and the top part floated into its place on the door, causing the door to disappear.
"Ingenious." Clockwork said nodding as he watched.
Setsuna smiled as she saw a set of Time Gate doors now that the other door had disappeared and the part of her staff had returned.
Clockwork released Setsuna's hand and floated on into the room. "This will be perfect." he said as he held his staff and looked at it, concentrating. A light flew from his staff and created a clock like the ones all over his tower. The hands began to spin and soon stopped at the 12:00 position. There an image started to slowly appear like a film developing.
Setsuna stepped up next to him to watch the appearing image
"He's in the Ghost Zone, in my tower." Clockwork said as the picture come into focus. "Let's go there."
"You sure we'll be able to get there?"
"We can give it a try. Helios, is there a portal to the Ghost Zone anywhere around here? A man made one?" Clockwork asked.
He nodded. "Tap that wall to your left with your staff three times."
Clockwork nodded and did so.
Helios watched as the wall disappeared, revealing the portal to the Ghost Zone clearly made with Mercurian technology.
"I'm impressed. It's very well made." he complemented before looking at Setsuna. "I know telling you to stay here would be futile. Are you ready?"
"Sailor Mercury put a lot of time into it to ensure it would work perfectly. Good luck."
Setsuna nodded. "You're right. It would be futile. Let's do this."
"It is beautifully done like everything she has made. Thank you Helios." he said with a quick bow. He smiled to Setsuna before taking her hand and going through the portal.
Setsuna smiled in return and walked with him through the portal.
Helios bowed to them both and watched them leave
Clockwork looked around as they come out in his tower. "He's probably in the observation room."
Setsuna nodded. "I assume you have a plan."
"Sadly no." He murmured.
She sighed. "Probably for the best."
"Yes. If we don't know, he doesn't know."
She nodded before lightly and lovingly squeezing his hand.
Clockwork brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it. "Just know that no matter what happens, I love you." he said.
She blushed at the small action. "And I love you."
He smiled and nodded, then started for a nearby stairwell.
She smiled and walked with him towards the stairwell. Her grip on her staff tight as a precaution.
They soon got to the top of the stairs and found the observer looking at the viewing screens.
Upon seeing the observer at the viewing screens, it took a lot of restraint for Setsuna not to just attack him in her anger
"I'd ask what took you, but of course, I know." The observant said before turning to reveal his true form. Another observant, but now dressed in purple robs instead of white and gold.
"You had no right to change the future like you did." She growled out.
"But I knew eventually you'd come upon it and want to save this world. We can end this right now. I can send everything back to normal if you'd just be with me."
"Of course you knew that. It was your fault we've been jumping through time in the first place." She narrowed her eyes. "You should know me better than that. I could be reborn multiple times until the end of time and I would still not want to be with you. No matter how much I want to save the world, I refuse to betray the royal family to do it and they would never ask me to either. I definitely refuse to be with someone who forced a dear friend of mine into a life she did not want."
"Then it looks like we have a problem that we need to solve." The observant said. If he'd had features besides a giant eyeball, he would have grinned.
"It looks that way." Clockwork said flatly. "Stand down and return to us what is ours and we wont have to explain the the other observants what you've done."
Setsuna continued to glare at the observant
The observant swung his arms and sent a powerful ecto attack to knock the two back and against a wall.
Clockwork grunted as he hit the wall, but then only glared as he swung his staff sending his own attack at the observant.
She hissed as she hit the wall and sent an energy attack of her own from her staff at the observant.
He was hit and knocked against a gear, but quickly got back up only to have Clockwork, now holding a scythe, swing the weapon at the Observant's mid section. The Observant moved and only got his tunic slashed.
She stood and twirled before sending a Deadly Scream attack at the observant
The observant was hit by the attack and sent flying against a wall. He slid down it, then growled as he flew at the two. He used his own staff to strike Clockwork across the face and knock him back before sending a plasma blast at Setsuna.
She went intangible to dodge the blast before sending another energy blast back at the Observant
The observant hit the wall again before sending a blast at Setsuna aimed for her head.
Clockwork moved to strike the blast back at the observant like a baseball.
Setsuna sent another blast at the observant after Clockwork knocked the other one back
The observant was hit and fell to the ground but pulled himself back up. Growling, he charged at Clockwork and struck him across the middle with his staff. There was a shattering noise and Clockwork was flung back against the wall by the blow.
She gasped when she heard the noise and ran over to Clockwork.
A blast flew at her to knock her away.
She screamed as the blast hit her and knocked her into a wall.
Seeing what had happened to Setsuna as he tried to get back up, Clockwork growled and moved forwards quickly with his staff held tight. On the top of his staff were to sharp prongs that were on wither side of a stop watch. Clockwork took the staff and pushed the prongs into the eye of the observant causing the ghost to scream out in pain and bat the time keeper away.
Setsuna struggled to stand back up, a look of determination on her face. The tiara on her forehead replaced by her planetary symbol as her staff glowed as one before she aimed it at the observant's eye, sending a blast at it.
The observant screamed out again before falling to the floor. A few gasping like sounds coming from him as he started to deteriorate into a puddle.
Clockwork watched as he slumped back to the floor tiredly.
Setsuna watched the observant start to deteriorate before she went over to Clockwork, kneeling next to him and looking at him in concern.
Clockwork looked at her and gave her a small smile. "I think you got him." he said before looking down at his shattered clock case door. "Ow..."
"I think so too." She choked out, having seen the state of his clock case door. "Are you...going to be alright?" She was trying not to cry, but she was scared that she would lose him.
"Should be...think I just need some new glass. But right now it's kind of like having a big opened wound. Not feeling so good, but I'll be alright." he said with a small, but reassuring smile. He picked up his staff and saw it glowing with it's full power back. He started to wind the stop watch. Setsuna would be able to see through the viewing screens as time reversed and was rest on the right track.
She smiled softly. "Good. I'd hate to lose you." She then watched the screens as time was reset to the right track.
He smiled a little more and nodded. Once things were back to normal, Clockwork passed out. He was weak from the long ordeal and then from using his time magic right after.
Even though she knew she could now rejoin the other senshi, she didn't want to leave his side. Not to mention she was tired as well and soon passed out next to him.
Once the two were rested up, Clockwork went to tell the observants what had taken place. They had gotten his glass fixed and then told him what they had decided. Since he had gone to the senshi's time and abandoned his post, he would have been in serious trouble. But because he had been able to defeat the rogue observant, his punishment wouldn't be as bad. He was told to return to his tower until they could decide on what to do.
While Clockwork had been with the observants, Setsuna had returned to the senshi to check on them and everything. Though she still kept to herself with them for the most part so she didn't risk spilling anything about the future. Once done with that, she returned to Clockwork's tower, curious to know what his punishment was.
When she come in, he looked very solemn. He looked at her and his face softened for a moment before he looked down. "I wish you hadn't returned so quickly." he said.
She was about to counter that she was gone at least a couple hours but had to remind herself that time flowed differently in the tower. "What was I supposed to do, stay there bored out of my mind?"
"It'd be better than what I have to do." he said as he floated over to her and embraced her to him tightly.
She held him back just as tightly. "I'd rather watch time with you than be forced to keep silent around the other senshi." She looked up at him. "They're not gonna make you give up 'us', are they?"
He fell silent as he continued to hold her. He took in the feel of her body, her warmth, her scent, everything. And then he let go and pulled away to float a few paces away. He looked at her sadly for a few moments before his expression went neutral. He pointed his scepter at her before saying, "Sailor Pluto, you have seen things in the future even you were not meant to see. For this temporal mistake, I have no choice but to remove your memories..." He looked at her sadly once more. "Of everything."
"No..." She stepped back...gripped her staff tight. "I refuse...to forget what we had over a mistake that wouldn't have happened if not for that rogue observant...I'd rather die than forget all of that...Is that really worth it...giving up the happiness and love over something that wasn't supposed to happen?" The orb on her staff started to glow. "Or is this you trying to be noble and protect me but using that travesty as your excuse? Tell me the truth Clockwork!" She was angry and hurt and it showed in her eyes.
He gritted his teeth together and growled out through them, "It's either this or they will kill and replace you." Louder he said to her, "This ruling is passed down from the council of observants and it is my duty to fulfill their wishes. You will not be harmed and will be sent back to your rightful place soon."
"They can kill me but they can't replace me fully. My post is through my family line, remember. I'm the last Plutonian. And I'll kill myself first. She gritted out as she moved one of her hands along her staff until it was right near her stomach. "I'd rather be dead than live with a heart in pain and not knowing why all over again. I'm dead serious."
"Setsuna don't do this." he warned. "Please don't force me to do something more I'll regret."
"What would that be? Pissing me off? Cause you've already done that. Breaking my heart? You've done that too. They already want me dead or they wouldn't consider it in the first place. At least let me get the dignity of deciding how I die!"
"I'M DOING THIS TO SAVE YOUR LIFE!" he exclaimed. "Please I couldn't exist if you were to die!"
"And I don't wanna live without you! I meant it when I told you I missed you enough to have Neptune paint that picture of your tower, with a little tiny you in it. It was the closest I could get to you because I thought I'd never see you again and it was killing me not to be able to see you. That painting, was all I had to keep me going until you showed up heart was aching because you weren't around. And now you're expecting me to live with that pain and not even be able to know why it hurts?"
"It's not my favorite choice, but it's better than the other unless you have any better ideas." he whispered out as he floated closer to her.
"None. I never thought they would request such a thing of so called future I've seen that I didn't know was a future caused by that rogue observant and erased once we defeated him."
He floated up to her and pulled her close once more, pushing her staff aside using his.
She broke down and cried the moment he pulled her close. "You still have to do it, don't you? If you must, can I make one last request first?"
"Yes?" he murmured against her hair.
"I'll understand if you can't give me this. But I would like one last day with you. A full 24 hours of uninterrupted time with you. Without having to worry about being sent to another time or worrying about being killed in our sleep."
"Granted." he said. An hour glass appeared in the center of the room. "A full 24 hours is yours. What would you like to do?"
She smiled softly. "Thank you." She kissed his cheek then his lips before blushing when he asked what she wanted to do.
He would gently kiss her back, then noticed the blush. "What?" he murmured.
"Well um...I don't really know how to ask for this. It's more for you really since at the end of the 24 hours I would forget anyway that it happened and we don't have to spend the full time doing it and..." She rambled trying to figure out how to say what she wanted to do. "Oh what the hell..." She yanked him close, kissing him deeply and pulling at his cloak to undo it
He was surprised, but dropped his staff and started to help her pull off his cloak. Wisp tail turned to legs as he picked her up and started for a different room where there was a huge four poster bed.
Her staff fell with his and she smiled as he carried her towards the bedroom. "I love you." She murmured against his lips.
"I love you too." he said as he gently placed her on the bed.
She smiled and pulled him down for another kiss and let her hands do the rest of the talking for her for the next few hours
Later the two laid in bed close together. Clockwork wasn't willing to leave her side for a second of the remaining time they had.
Setsuna was deep in thought. Wishing she could just will her heart to lock a few memories away and out of reach so she would still have some once her mind was wiped...even if they just ended up fuzzy dreams. There were still a few questions she wanted to ask but was afraid to because she just knew the answers were likely to hurt.
"What's wrong?" Clockwork asked.
"I'm over-thinking again. And part of me wants to rush to write down all that we went through so I could find it after...but I just feel it would be pointless as all that writing would likely be gone after..." She sighed. "And I already figure you won't be able to come near me again...so as not to risk the memories returning."
He sighed and pulled her closer. "I will leave you some of the memories hidden deeply. It will be up to you to uncover them." he whispered to her.
She nodded silently before pulling him to her for a deep kiss.
He returned the kiss with passion.
After the kiss, they cuddled and talked and she eventually fell asleep once more. When she awoke again, she was in her own bed in the manor she shared with Michiru and Haruka, her memories wiped.
Clockwork would continue to watch Setsuna from afar. He could always look back at the past and smile at the events, and check in on her present situation to make sure she was alright, but he couldn't see her future. So he had no way of knowing that his own future was going to be very interesting.
The End?