Thanks everyone for your responses! Hope you continue to enjoy the story.
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"So Trista's gone?" Serena asked, her mouth gaping open.
Michelle nodded. "I'm afraid so."
All of the scouts were assembled at Raye's temple. Upon entering Trista's room, Hotaru found a small note from Trista, saying that she was going to fulfill her duties and her destiny, and to not worry about her.
Mina said, "But what if we need her?"
"I'm sure you girls can handle things now. Trista has much more to do than you realize," Luna said.
"Oh, come on. How hard is it to guard a time-space gate?" Raye asked.
"Much harder than you can imagine. Maybe you should try it—being alone for centuries on end, waiting with enduring patience, and defending it from those determined to change the past! It is not an easy task. Imagine being alone for so long," Luna snapped.
Raye fell silent. Serena sat down and leaned her head against her hand. "What if…what if something happened? I mean, why leave so suddenly?" she inquired.
Luna replied, "She would let us know if something happened. She has before."
Hotaru interjected, "But she's our friend. We miss her…I miss her."
Amara rubbed her forehead. "Serena does have a point, though. It is just not like Trista to up and leave us like this, without any warning. Yet, I feel she is safe, wherever she is. Her spirit is fine."
"I still miss her," Hotaru muttered softly.
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Later that night, Serena sat in bed and gazed at the full moon. "Luna?"
The feline meowed—she was just stretching out to go to sleep. However, she jumped on the bed and sat near Serena. "Yes?"
"Do you know if Trista needs to be away? Isn't she supposed to be with us?"
"Well, perhaps Fate has decided this path for her."
"So fate makes friends split up."
Luna answered, "Fate isn't usually cruel like that. She has her reasons."
Serena perked up. "Wait, she?"
"Yes, there is a Sailor Scout known as Sailor Fate. Most people know her as Fate. Only when people provoke her does she mess with their lives."
"So I shouldn't get her upset?"
"Yes. Don't tempt Fate. She can have a nasty temper. We could even be in trouble right now for speaking about her like this," Luna stated.
"So how does this work? Are we in control of our own lives, or does she decide?"
"You make a decision. From there, Fate decides how she will treat you. If you make a cruel decision, she sends her friend Karma to do something bad to you. If you make a kind decision, she sends Karma again, but only to reward you."
"What if I decide to tie my shoe?"
Luna sighed, exasperated. "Fate will not bother with such trivial things." She turned around and lay on the bed. "However, should you tie someone else's shoe, then she may help you avoid one of your klutz attacks. But if you ignore that person, who may be unable to reach their shoes—like an elderly person—then you just might have a little 'accident' and fall."
Serena nodded, thinking. "Okay, I get it." She looked out the window again. "Fate sounds like a good person. She knows how nice Trista is. I hope she brings her back…if she can hear me."
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Time passes, and yet, does not pass, in the underworld. It was much like being at the time gate again, but this time, Trista had something to keep her occupied. Then, of course, there was Hades.
He had become quite the gentleman since her return. Granted, he did not see many live people in his life, so this was perhaps a reason why. He seemed eternally grateful to her return, and did everything possible to make sure she was not lonely and uncomfortable. Pluto was grateful for his presence, and began to again admire him for his attributes. He was quite handsome, for a man who guarded dead people, and before too long, Pluto began to wonder what it would be like to be held by him. She quickly hid these thoughts, however, for the fear that they would escape from her mind or that someone like Fate would know.
The castle was an amazing place. Hades had a few servants who were lost spirits that had never gotten to choose right or wrong before they died as children. Feeling pity for them, he took them in and began to teach them the workings of the underworld. The adoptions started 501 years ago. The servants were pale as ghosts (that being what they were) and were very polite. Kito was a black-haired young man had died at the age of seven, but his spirit aged slowly over the years, so his spirit appeared to be 27. His sister, Amarina, had died around the same time at the age of four. Her spirit aged to about 24. Another servant, Maggie, was rather new—she had died at the age of five and aged to only 12. She was rather tall for her "age" though, and had the appearance of long, curly brunette hair.
Trista had inquired Hades about the new additions to the company of the underworld. He had replied, "I was lonely without you. Besides, these were children without a guide in the world. Where would they have ended up? They were taught nothing, neglected by those who gave them life. I gave them a life here instead. It's the best I can do. I wish I could do more, but that is not within my power."
"What if they reach their 'dying' age?" She inquired curiously.
"Then they meet their Maker and He decides. Hopefully He will understand their situation. He appears to be quite compassionate."
Then, of course, there was Sailor Fate. "She lodged quarters here when the Silver Millenium fell," Hades explained. Fate usually sealed herself in the corner tower of the castle, constantly checking her crystal ball. However, she did come and greet Sailor Pluto before disappearing back to her tower, gazing into the lives of the humans above. Sailor Fate had a sailor suit similar to Pluto's, but she had clear ribbons where Pluto had red, and wore clear high-heels. She used her crystal ball as her weapon and protection. Her hair was firey red and her eyes were a deep purple. Upon her forehead was a tiara with a miniature crystal ball, dark and misty. From what Pluto could gather, it helped Fate read minds, to determine the true intentions of those around her.
Trista had approached Sailor Fate's tower. Before she could even knock on the door, however, Fate had already opened it for her. "Yes?" she queried.
"Sorry, I didn't want to interrupt."
"I know."
Right. She knew everything. "I just wanted to a—"
"Ask why I brought you here? My goodness, don't you know? You wanted to be here. You were so darn miserable back with the scouts because of your paranoia. You don't think I noticed? I suppose it wouldn't help if I explained that Amara and Michelle are of pure intentions now—well, besides their obvious relationship—but that cannot be helped. You did not have to fear them, but no one can blame you for it. I can tell you this much; they do miss you, despite however you feel about them."
"How are they? Any trouble?"
"Nothing they cannot handle. Now if you can excuse me, I have an appointment to make." She closed the door on Pluto.
Another acquaintance, popping in and out of the castle, was Sailor Karma. She wore a sailor suit with red ribbons and and orange collar and skirt. She visited quite often with Fate, helping decide the best ways to deal with the people who needed some sort of judgment.
Last, but certainly not the least, was the large three-headed dog Cerebrus. He was quite a sight to behold, being so tall and all—it was almost intimidating. However, he was quite the spoiled puppy. He hounded Hades (no pun intended…) every so often for his daily treat, which consisted of meat from large animals that had passed on, such as whales and elephants. Trista thought it sounded rather gross, but it was no different than her eating a cow in her hamburger when she was living on Earth…she was sure that sounded gross to other people.
Cerebrus quickly remembered Pluto, and began to dog her footsteps (again, no pun intended). He often tried to ride on the boat on the river, but was too big to ride along. That was probably a good thing, considering he scared most of the new arriving souls. He would resign to sitting on the shore and howling until she arrived back to shore, which he would celebrate by running back and forth on the shore and jumping. It was quite an amusing sight to see such a large dog act so much like a puppy.
Almost makes this feel like home, Trista thought. There is not any other place I would want to be.
