Chapter 1 - A chance meeting

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Sailor Pluto, Sailor Moon and all other characters of the Sailor Moon Series and Shows are not mine. They belong to their rightful owner, and this story is for entertainment purposes only. Thanks!

Pluto stood at the gate of time. She had been guarding it for years. She was there when Queen Serenity had to send the Prince of Earth and the Princess of the Moon to Earth for a better chance at life. She had also trapped some of the evil inside her silver ginzuishou, which Pluto knew was very important.

Pluto held her timestaff tightly, watching as the Moon Princess and the Prince of Earth came together once again. She knew this was their destiny, to be together and love each other in a way that no one else could. Setsuna had only known that type of love once, and it was very brief, then it was over so that Pluto could take over the duties of the gate of time.

She saw the future. The Small Lady that grew so close to her and visited her often.

One day, something terrible happened to Crystal Tokyo. Pluto was at her usual place at the gate of time when Neo-Queen Serenity came through the timegate in a panicked rush.

"Pluto...Sailor Pluto...!" Neo-Queen Serenity shouted, looking for the senshi of time. Pluto was startled by this panicked calling to her from the Queen. She turned quickly on her heel and took off toward the noise.

It didn't take her long to reach the Queen, who fell to her knees upon Pluto's approach. Pluto's timestaff clattered when it hit the floor as Pluto dropped it and ran to the side of her fallen Queen.

"Queen Serenity..?" Pluto whispered, tears in her eyes. "What has happened..?"

"You must go back to the Earth of the past....something terrible has happened." Neo-Queen Serenity stated quietly, her voice shaky. Her silver-blonde hair was streaky and dirty. "The silver ginzuishou...it has gone...and the timegate is wide open." Neo-Queen Serenity said quickly.

Pluto was confused by this. Nothing had come through the timegate. Nothing that she had seen, anyways.

"Queen Serenity...what are you talking about? There is nothing wrong with the timegate.." Pluto said, looking straight at the gate of time.

"No..I am from further in the future. In the future, there is a disturbance in the gate of time....someone opened it.." She said.

"That's impossible...no one can open it but the royal family of Pluto...and I am the only one left." Pluto said, her voice strong.

"I don't know who is responsible, Sailor Pluto...but someone is.." Neo-Queen Serenity said, her voice dying out. "I have sent the Princess from my time back to the Earth of the past...before it was Crystal Tokyo...that is where you must go as well...that was when things....st...st...started....happening...." Neo-Queen Serenity said, drawing her breath in gulps.

"I will go, my Queen...just stay here and try to rest." Pluto said, placing her on a bed and getting up. She grabbed her timestaff from the floor. She used the power to open the timegate. On her way out, she looked back at the Queen. "Be safe, Your Highness...I will get to the bottom of this." Pluto said, afraid of what she was going to find.

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PRESENT DAY EARTH

When Pluto emerged, she came through as Setsuna. She had been in such a rush that she didn't coordinate where she was coming through at. As she stepped through, her feet tried to grasp for firm ground, but found none. With a scream, she fell into the lake at the park. She got up, soaking wet and embarassed. Her face flushed red as people turned to stare at her.

"Um....well...I never thought I could fall out of that tree..." She said, trying to think of something that would explain it.

Setsuna soon found her way to the house of Usagi Tsukino, where she also found Chibi-Usa, staying there as a cousin. Chibi-Usa looked more grown than she had when she had last seen her. She looked almost like a little younger version of Usagi. Setsuna walked upon the house.

When she knocked on the door, Chibi-Usa was the one that answered. "Setsuna!!" She yelled out, wrapping herself around her tightly.

"Chibi-Usa.." Setsuna said with a smile. When she looked behind Chibi-Usa, she saw Usagi standing with a bright and cheerful smile on her face.

"Setsuna-chan...what brings you here?" Usagi asked.

"Usagi-chan...what is going on right now..?" Setsuna asked.

"Let me grab my coat and shoes and we will go and talk." Usagi stated.

They all went walking to a nearby cafe. Usagi didn't have any money to pay for all of the things she wanted, but Setsuna had plenty to pay for all of them. Usagi started to explain things to Setsuna as they sat.

"Well, Mamoru is back and up to his old studies, you know him." Usagi started. "Mina, Rei, Lita and Ami are all involved in their studies...I'm trying to be, but it's hard." Usagi said, her face crunching up into a disgustful look.

Setsuna remembered that Usagi didn't like school studies too much. She had wised up a little and started studying harder, but she had still not really grown up as much as the other girls did. Chibi-Usa teased Usagi.

"You always say that!" Chibi-Usa said, poking some fun at Usagi. "No, I don't.." Usagi retorted.

Setsuna interrupted. "Is there anything going on that seems strange." She asked quietly.

"Well, my mommy sent me here, but didn't tell me why I was coming here. She just said that I would know in my own time...like all of the other times." Chibi-Usa stated. "I just think she doesn't think I'm ready for anything..but I've become a full senshi." Chibi-Usa whined a bit.

"Oh hush..I'm sure your mommy is doing whatever she thinks is right for you." Usagi said, poking Chibi-Usa.

Setsuna interrupted again. "What else?" She asked.

"Well..the Three Lights have come back all of a sudden." Usagi said. "I don't know if that is weird or not."

Setsuna put her hand on her chin, pondering the statement. Her magenta eyes filled with thought and wonder. "I would call that strange. Have you talked to them at all?" She asked.

"No, I haven't. Kou Seiya has been coming around the house lately trying to talk to me. I haven't been there, my mother tells me that the singer from the famous Three Lights is coming there looking for me!" Usagi started to get excited.

"Don't get your hopes up, Usagi..you still have Mamoru." Setsuna said, her voice low.

"I know that, Setsuna....but there's nothing wrong with talking to an old friend." Usagi said.

"Not when that 'old friend' shows an interest in you. It could be detrimental to you and Mamoru." Setsuna said briefly. "I will find out what it is that they want." She said. "I need to find the outers."

"Oh YEAH!!" Chibi-Usa exclaimed. "Saturn has come back as well...I forgot to tell you that!"

"Yes...all of that is a strange coincidence." Setsuna started.

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MEANWHILE

Seiya had been trying to see Usagi ever since they got back. Their planet had been destroyed, along with Princess Kakyuu. That wasn't the only reason though. Seiya still had feelings for Usagi. He remembered the last encounter he had with her.

"Usako....why can't we be together...?" Seiya asked, his eyes full of tears. His voice was shaky and full of sadness.

"No, Seiya...I am with Mamoru.." Usagi said sternly to him.

"When you thought he was dead..." Seiya replied.

"No...when I thought he was dead, I could have loved you...but knowing he is alive...he needs me...as I need him. This is very hard on me as it is, Seiya...I care for you both..but I needed to make a decision...and I have made it and there is nothing you can do to change my mind." Usagi said, louder than she intended to. Her voice was shaky and her body was quivering all over. She got up and started to walk off.

"I will miss you, Seiya..I did love you...but I can't be with you." Usagi said as she ran away.

Seiya stopped running back toward his apartment and just broke down crying. Setsuna heard the sobbing on her way to see Seiya to find out why it was that the Three Lights had returned.

She stopped when she saw Seiya on the ground on his knees. He got up and pulled a gun out of the pocket of his pants. He started talking to the wind.

"I can't get over her....there is only one thing to do." He said, looking down at the gun. He stepped inside his apartment and shut the door.

Setsuna's eyes softened as she saw the pain he went through. For the longest time, she thought she was the only one that knew the pain of not being loved. She hardened herself again, however as she approached the apartment.

She knocked on the door. Seiya, who was startled inside the apartment, had just put the gun to his head and was about to pull the trigger. He put the gun under his pillow and went to the door.

"Who's there?" He asked, his voice still a bit shaky from the incident.

"Seiya Kou...my name is Setsuna Meiou. I have come to talk to you." She said.

He opened the door. "I remember you, Miss Pluto." Seiya said, his voice sounding harsh. "You didn't want me to be with Usagi." He said, grumbling some.

"That's right, Seiya." Setsuna answered coldly. "If they do not get together there is no hope for our future. There will be no little princess." Setsuna started.

"Don't give me that bull crap!" Seiya almost shouted. "We could have been happy. We would have been happy.." He said, hot tears welling up in his mystic blue eyes. His face turned a shade of red as he felt the blood rush to his face from his anger.

Setsuna did not even seemed phased. She sat on the bed, putting one of her hands on the pillow that had the gun under it.

"I need to know why it is you are here." She said bluntly.

"What do you care? Maybe I came back for Usagi." Seiya said shortly.

"I know better. Your kei have come with you...they would not have followed you if it was love you seek." She said, turning her face toward him. "Again, I will ask only one more time..why are you here?"

"Something destroyed our planet. Something that came through the timegate that YOU were supposed to be guarding." Seiya said, his voice starting to get louder and more fierce.

"I don't understand...Neo-Queen Serenity said the same thing." Setsuna stated, her voice higher and a bit more frightened.

"You saw Neo-Queen Serenity?" He asked, like his voice was full of hope.

"Yes, I saw her." Setsuna replied.

"Did she look.....happy...?" Seiya tried to come out with it.

"At that time, she was dying, Seiya...all she had ever known was dying or had died. No..she wasn't happy...but she looked like she had led a very full life." Setsuna said harshly. She then felt the barrel of the gun against her soft palm. She reached under the pillow.

"What were you planning to do with this?" Setsuna asked Seiya, for the first time, a look of concern crossed those magenta eyes that were so warm and flooding when they wanted to be.

"What do you care." Seiya asked in a soft, but still upset tone.

"I care." Setsuna said, putting the gun in her purse. She got up and started to walk out of the door. "I always DID care, but you must understand that I could not allow the flow of time to be disrupted." She said, walking outside. She turned toward him one final time.

"I didn't let the timegate become open...but I intend to stop it." She said, determination filling every part of her body.

END CHAPTER ONE