Chapter Thirteen

On the other side of the painting, Taiki found herself transformed into Sailor Star Maker, standing in a world filled with nothing but mist. For some reason, it was familiar, but initially she couldn't place why. Then she remembered the morning when Sailor Moon had taken her to the Outer Residence. The morning Setsuna had decided to leave the Earth.

All around the house there'd been mist like this, creeping up to take Setsuna away. Star Maker filled her lungs and tried to call but the mist swallowed her words; she began to walk but she couldn't even say for sure she was moving.

Had Setsuna intended to pull her in? Was she in trouble? When she touched the painting, Star Maker's hands had glowed with power, and she was sure she'd felt Setsuna; felt her isolation, her fear, her determination to fight on in spite of that.

Star Maker's powers hadn't worked for her properly since the day Setsuna left, and she wondered what had suddenly made her able to connect to that part of herself again. Something about being here in this place? The feel of Setsuna's presence?

"Setsuna!" she tried again, "please help me find you! I'm lost!"

Lost, lost, lost, came the echo back, almost like the mists were mocking her.

Suddenly she heard footsteps running towards her, and quickly drew her Star Yell. Whoever or whatever was approaching, she knew it wasn't Setsuna.

A pink haired girl burst out of the mists who looked remarkably like a slightly younger version of the Sailor Moon Star Maker knew, wearing a white and pink Sailor outfit.

"You must be Sailor Star Maker," she said, apparently unfazed to find Maker's Star Yell pointed squarely at her chest.

"Um, yes. I am. Are you…Chibiusa?"

The girl nodded. "That's right." Filling her lungs, she gave a loud and unladylike bellow. "Saturn!"

Another set of swift footsteps approached through the mist. Star Maker easily recognised Saturn when she emerged, though she looked older now, perhaps eighteen or nineteen. About the same age as the pink-haired Usagi. She lowered the Star Yell, knowing Saturn could only be here with the intent to help Sailor Pluto.

"Serenity!" said Saturn. "You found her!"

"Serenity?" Star Maker wrinkled her brow in confusion, not sure for a moment to whom Saturn was referring.

"She means me," Chibiusa supplied. "My full name is Princess Usagi Small Lady Serenity."

"Yeah," Saturn nodded. "Calling her Chibiusa or Small Lady in bed was just really awkward, and Usagi was almost as bad. So we decided on Serenity."

"Okay, too much information," said Star Maker quickly. "Also, um, do your parents know about this?"

"Mine?" said Saturn. "Haruka and Michiru and Setsuna?" She laughed. "At this point, I think I'm practically keeping up family tradition."

"I think mine figured it out when I turned down Helios's offer of marriage and they found me…kind of undressed with Saturn in my bedroom half an hour later."

Star Maker grimaced. "Really too much information – and who is Helios?"

"A prince I met when I was a little girl. It was just a phase I grew out of."

"Well look, I'm glad not to be wandering around in these swirling mists by myself anymore, but…Do you two actually know what's going on here? What's happened to Setsuna? Is she the cause of all this?"

Serenity and Saturn exchanged a glance.

"We're not actually sure what's going on," said Saturn. "Serenity sensed a massive disturbance and we were able to slip through the Doors just before everything went…Crazy. When we landed, we caught a glimpse of Pluto, but she didn't see us. She was too intent on the Doors. It looked like she was trying to get somewhere but they wouldn't obey…"

Serenity added, "We tried to reach her, but the mists caught us up and tossed us around so we ended up way out here. Wherever here is. Just before we got thrown away, though, we saw Pluto make a tiny gap in the barrier of the Doors. She was so focused on getting out, she didn't realise it allowed someone to get in. But we saw, and we figured it was you."

"Why?"

"Because." Saturn became solemn. "Uranus and Neptune – the thirtieth century ones – they told me about what happened between Pluto and you. They didn't at first, but…I said something a little while ago that upset Pluto, and I didn't understand why, until they explained. And maybe, from your perspective, those events weren't very long ago?"

Star Maker looked away, an unpleasant pain in her heart. "It wasn't very long ago, for me," she said shortly. "But it's been a very long time for Pluto. I doubt I matter to her now, if I ever did."

"You're wrong," said Serenity. "If you didn't matter, you never would have been able to get through."

What had happened with Setsuna was still too raw for Star Maker to want to be talking about with anyone, least of all these two girls she didn't know. "Just tell me how I can find her," she whispered unsteadily. "I'll do whatever I can…"

Approaching Star Maker, Saturn took her hand. She smiled a little, and there was knowledge in her eyes far beyond her years. "Why don't you see if you can find her, Taiki? This is your power, isn't it? The power of possibility. It's brought you this far…"

"You can't be expecting me to believe I have a better chance of finding her than you. Saturn, you're her daughter. Serenity—"

"I'm one of Puu's oldest friends," Serenity agreed. "We very likely could find her. But—"

"We want to see if you can," said Saturn.

"What is this, some kind of test to prove my worthiness?" Star Maker asked.

Saturn shrugged. "If you like. The thing about Setsuna-mama is that…Sometimes she builds her own cage and buries herself so deep inside almost no one can find her. But she has her reasons. She remembers things, she's experienced things, that the rest of us never will. She wants to protect all of us. She's afraid that if she looks away, even for a moment, the world will fall again just like before."

"But if Pluto was here, guarding the Doors…What caused the disturbance Serenity felt?"

"We don't know," said Serenity. "But Star Maker – Look at your hands. They're glowing. Don't you want to know what they're pointing you towards?"

Star Maker considered her hands, holding them before her as the pulsing grew stronger. For too long she'd kept her hands empty, fearing this exact scenario, fearing to find something only to lose it, fearing her powers would go too when that happened.

But her powers had rekindled when she touched the painting, when she'd felt Setsuna's presence, however briefly. That meant there had to be some link still between them. Unfinished business still to be resolved.

There was, perhaps, possibility, but no more than that. It was hard for Star Maker to accept that Pluto had chosen this strange place of nothingness over her, but she did understand her desire to protect those she loved. She also understood this wasn't a rescue mission and that it probably wouldn't end in Pluto choosing her. At most, it might be a chance for Star Maker to say goodbye, to see Pluto's world and better make sense of the choices she'd made.

To take back everything she'd learnt, even the pain, and transform it into something beautiful for the world. That was her own destiny, as a Maker.

"All right," she said, looking at her two young companions. "Let's find Setsuna, and help her fix whatever's gone wrong."

Saturn and Serenity nodded their approval, and stood back to let Star Maker go first through the mists.

The shield on the Tiare lasted long enough for Neptune, Uranus, Moon and Fighter to reach the painting of Pluto in the museum. As it gave out, Uranus and Fighter moved to meet the monsters, pushing Moon back behind them.

Neptune meanwhile stood in front of the painting, running her fingers over its textured surface with a frown.

Glancing at what she was doing, Fighter implored, "Neptune, can't you hurry? Uranus and I can't hold these monsters back forever."

"Be quiet, Fighter, I'm concentrating," was the only murmured answer she got.

Uranus's eyebrows clearly suggested she thought Fighter an idiot for assuming Neptune wasn't already figuring this out as quickly as she could.

"Um," said Sailor Moon.

"Just stay back, Princess," Uranus grunted, shearing her Sword through half a dozen monsters. "Fighter and I can take care of this."

"But—"

Cutting her off, Fighter added, "Uranus is right, Sailor Moon. They're too much for you. Just wait—"

"Too much for me?" Feeling frustration flare in her as she looked at the stubborn backs of Uranus and Fighter, Sailor Moon repeated, her voice rising by several degrees, "too much for me?"

A monster launched itself at Fighter, and Sailor Moon quickly held her Tiare aloft. She wasn't going to let anyone get hurt today. Yesterday, she'd trusted Uranus and Neptune when they told her they intended to follow. She'd wanted to believe they were finally starting to change their ways, but she'd seen how they looked when they finally reached the shrine. The shock and disbelief on their faces. They hadn't thought they were going to make it. Their minds and their hearts had been filled with death, with pain and sadness, and after all this time, Moon didn't understand how they didn't realise that when they felt those things, she felt them too.

Brighter and brighter the Tiare grew, sending out a great wave of light that filled the alcove, and the room beyond, and probably the whole museum and all the streets surrounding it. Monsters were beings of darkness. They thrived on despair, on cruelty and suffering. Gentleness, love, the desire to save her friends from harm – monsters couldn't understand that, and they had no defense against it.

They vanished into smoke in the strength of light, and absolute silence reigned when Moon finally lowered the Tiare.

She smiled at the dumbfounded expressions Uranus, Neptune and Fighter were giving her. "When are all of you going to learn I don't need to be protected all of the time? That I can protect you as well?"

"Princess," said Uranus, her voice husky. There was such a strange look in her eyes, the memory of her past life stirring when she'd only been a weapon, not worthy of being protected, not deserving of compassion. Still the surprise and wonder that her new princess didn't treat her the same.

As if any future like that was the kind Sailor Moon would ever build.

With a slight cough, Neptune broke the moment. "I've figured out where the gateway is in the painting that Star Maker went through. I think I can get it open again, but not for long."

Sailor Moon nodded. "Thank you, Neptune. Let's get through to the other side, and figure out what we need to do."

Pluto's exhaustion had pushed her to her knees. The Rod was still pressed to the shimmering reality on the other side of the Doors, trying to break through the barrier blocking her from Earth. The gap she'd made was holding, but it refused to grow any larger, and unless she could think of something to do it was soon going to collapse, along with any chance of rescuing her friends.

She sprung to her feet and whirled in a circle as a soft touch landed on her shoulder. Nothing should be here; nothing could be with her at the Doors. That hadn't been the touch of an enemy; it was a touch filled with care and concern. The sort of touch Pluto had rarely felt in this place, not in all the lifetimes she'd been here.

Her Rod swung with her so that it was pointed at the person now in front of her, and she froze in surprise, not even daring to breathe, as she saw it was Taiki.

Pluto might have dreamed of Taiki, she might have spent longer than she'd ever admit following all the trails of their might-have-beens together, but never once had she seen Taiki here. Only in the world was it possible. Only when Pluto put on another form, another life, and hid from everyone what she really was.

"Setsuna-mama," a gentle voice said. Star Maker hadn't come alone. Saturn and Small Lady were with her, and disregarding the Rod, Saturn walked right past its deadly power to pull Pluto into a warm hug.

"You don't need to do that," she whispered. "We're not a threat. We came here to help. All of us."

"Saturn…Small Lady…"

With a tearful smile, Chibiusa joined the embrace, and through them, Pluto could feel the touch of the world, she could feel their life and their hope even though they'd left as their future crumbled.

Pluto had endured many endings here at the Doors; it had always been her burden to witness the passing and live on as the sole survivor, charged with remembering what no one else could.

Once she had let Sailor Moon and her friends through the Doors to destroy the twisted strands of Wiseman's plot, but even then she had done nothing besides watch and wait to see whether the world she loved would prevail.

That barrier had always been there between her and the world, and she had always been on the wrong side of it. But now, elements of Pluto's world were here with her in the void, and she couldn't even begin to guess at what that might mean.

Over the black and pink heads of her daughter and her future princess, she looked at Taiki again. She knew this Star Maker hadn't come from the reality where Kinmoku was saved. This wasn't the Star Maker Pluto had confessed her feelings to, whom she had kissed and held in her arms. The pain in this Star Maker's eyes was heartbreakingly fresh; her stance one of confusion and defence even though Pluto had already lowered the Rod.

"Taiki…" Letting go of Saturn and Small Lady, Pluto approached Star Maker, feeling that same tug in her core she'd felt in Babylon, overwhelmed by emotion at seeing her again, yet filled with guilt and caution as she wondered whether saving Taiki and her world had doomed the Earth. She touched her hand, wonderingly, because Taiki's hands were glowing, resonating with a power Pluto had never seen in her before. It was almost like the power Pluto had seen ignite when they'd met on Kinmoku. Maybe the effects of that other meeting had bled through into this reality; it was rare but Pluto had known things like that to happen before. Maybe, without knowing why, Taiki's heart would heal a little easier for it, even though here, now, Pluto couldn't risk repeating what she had then – The kiss, the declaration of love.

When she touched Taiki though she tried to impart something of the memory – the hope she'd seen in Taiki's eyes as the Crystal reengaged, the way they'd kissed in what brief time they had, high on the sacred mountain of the newly saved world.

"Setsuna." Star Maker's voice was shaking. "What…What was that?"

Pluto looked away, and didn't dare answer. She found an excuse to focus her attention on the Doors as she realised something was happening, and quickly swung her Rod up.

"Taiki, I'm sorry…There's something coming…" Turning towards the Doors, Pluto could feel that the barrier was shifting and changing, growing wider. She gasped. "Neptune and some of the others…They're breaking through!"

She touched her hand to the shimmering event horizon and wondered how she could have missed it. Star Maker had gotten here through Pluto's crack, using her own powers of making. The gap was resonating now with a power that belonged to Pluto and Maker both, time and possibility twining together to wend a tiny trail of magic through the barrier that the others could follow.

One after another, Neptune, Moon, Uranus and Fighter catapulted through the Doors, all of them expect Sailor Moon landing lightly on their feet.

"Pluto," said Neptune, her eyes warm, "it's good to see you. We thought you might need a hand. And it looks like we weren't the only ones with that idea."

Pluto smiled at her, at all of them. Had she been less self-contained, she might have cried. Every soldier here had crossed time and destiny just to reach her, and she could feel their emotions, banishing the frigid loneliness that had always reigned at the Doors.

She brushed shaking fingers over Neptune's shoulder. "Thank you," she whispered. Sweeping her gaze to take in all her assembled friends she repeated, "thank you, everyone."

Her voice gentle, Sailor Moon asked, "Setsuna, what's happened? There are monsters attacking the Earth and our magic isn't working properly."

"I know." Guilt stirring within her, Pluto admitted, "It's my fault." She looked at Maker and Fighter, her expression growing sombre. "Taiki, Seiya…I'm sorry to tell you this, but in the future when you find the Crystal, it's already broken. Kinmoku falls." Her voice wobbled, and she was acutely aware of everyone's eyes on her. "At least, that's what was supposed to happen. But I changed things. I found the Crystal in the past and I took it to Kinmoku when your world was about to be destroyed…"

Star Maker's eyes widened. "You did that? For us?"

"Yes," said Pluto, and looked away, her eyes settling on the Doors that had dominated so much of her existence. "Candles in the dark, to lead you to Babylon. I knew it was a change that would have consequences. I knew I'd be confined to the Doors again. I was prepared for that. But when I got back here, Earth was slipping out of alignment, splitting into two realities, and all of you fell into the crack…"

She let out a weary sigh. "A disturbance that severe should have been evident in the timestream before I did anything for Kinmoku, but it wasn't. All I saw was myself being exiled to the Doors. I don't know why I couldn't foresee what would happen…"

Sailor Moon immediately moved to reassure her. "Pluto, you didn't do anything wrong. You were saving an entire planet of people. No one should be punished for that."

Of course the princess would be forgiving. And Pluto wished she could believe her. Everything had seemed so clear when she'd entered ancient Babylon, when the feelings in her heart had led her to the conclusion that the only thing she could do was save Taiki's world.

To make it to the Doors, Taiki had crossed boundaries that should have been impassable; she'd influenced the Doors with her magic and the Doors had never before responded to any power but Pluto's own. If Pluto needed confirmation and the bond between them wasn't some fleeting desire confined to the flesh, this was truly it.

But it was also true that Pluto had spent so long in her own fantasies she'd completely neglected her duties and lost the crucial focus she'd always had before. She'd made a grave miscalculation and she wasn't sure that her emotions weren't to blame.

"I shouldn't have risked the Earth, Sailor Moon. That's what I was supposed to be doing at the Doors. Protecting everyone's future."

Sailor Moon's voice was sure. "We'll find a way to save the Earth."

"And what would that mean for Kinmoku?" Star Maker asked. "If restoring Kinmoku cost the Earth, then does the opposite hold true?"

Pluto answered, and she was saddened to see how quickly the shadows were growing in Star Maker's eyes again. "I don't know. All of our futures are in a great state of turmoil. But right now, we need to get back to Earth. The others will soon be in trouble at Hikawa Shrine."

"What?" Small Lady blinked at her in confusion. "But Puu – You said you were trapped here. And we saw you trying to break through that barrier…"

"Yes, and I did get through. At least enough that the rest of you were able to get through to me. Together, we changed things. Let's hope that together…"

All of them looked towards the Doors. Striding closer, Pluto placed the tip of her Rod against the shimmering barrier, feeling layers of magic old and new crackling between her and the world. The crack was growing wider and it couldn't be closed; whatever was coming, Pluto knew that her life after this would never be exactly the same again.

It was an exhilarating and terrifying thought.

"Pluto, we can't go back without a plan!" said Uranus, nearly having to yell over the howling winds that were rushing towards them, sweeping them inevitably back towards the world.

"It's okay," said Pluto as she felt the barrier shatter. "I think I know what to do."

Mercury closed her eyes in horror. "I'm sorry, Venus. This assault is too much for the forcefield to handle. It's going to go at any moment."

Venus set her jaw and nodded. She could see the fear in Mercury's eyes as she looked at the countless monsters swarming just below the hill. Just the four of them against a world overrun; the odds weren't good but in times like these it was Venus's job to make the others forget that.

She filled her lungs with air, reflecting that her voice training and acting lessons, for all she sometimes didn't want to admit it, probably had a far more significant use here on the cusp of battle than in trying to win the approval of perverted old men in suits at some Idol competition.

"Mercury! Mars! Jupiter! Listen up."

Positioning herself – not by accident – on a slight rise, Venus immediately drew the attention of her fellow fighters. She might never achieve the great fame her younger self had longed for – Sailor V's legacy would probably far outlast Aino Minako's, but sometimes, when she was being far more thoughtful than anyone would have ever guessed, Venus couldn't help but wonder whether her inclination towards dramatics hadn't been due to her love of Idols on the TV but some faint stirrings of her role in a past life as a military commander responsible for inspiring others to stay alive.

Venus knew her eyes were shining. Her hair was flowing in the wind; her voice was filled with passion, with a certainty she birthed into being not for herself but because she understood that a battle without hope was a fight already lost.

"When that barrier breaks," she bellowed, "all we have to do is one thing. Survive. Do not entertain defeat. Do not entertain despair. When the sun sets on this day, I expect every one of us to still be here. To still be standing, to still be fighting for our Princess."

Emotion welled in Venus as she thought of Usagi; her throat closed, her eyes filled and blurred the sight of the fangs and claws that would soon be upon them all. She could see her feelings reflected in Rei and Ami and Makoto. They would all do it, they would keep fighting and never give up because they knew Usagi would come and it was their job to make sure there was still a world here to save when she arrived.

Sometimes, when Venus thought back to her ill-remembered past, to the last battle that she recalled only as glimpses of pain and blood and screams, she wondered if that was what they'd done wrong back then. They'd been willing to die. They'd always been willing to die. But had they been just as prepared to live, to keep living even through darkness, through despair, through injury and pain and failure?

Perhaps now they were not as perfect as before, but Venus liked to think that was a strength, not a weakness. Their errors now resulted in growth, not in death. They could cry and stumble and fall and still believe the world worth saving.

The forcefield flickered warningly. Venus raised her hand. "Soldiers!" she cried… "Forward!"