Invitation to Darkness: Prelude -Chiba Setsuna (http://www.seiyakou.htmlplanet.com) Rated R, contains a few spoilers. DarkPluto, I can't thank you enough for everything! : ) Pluto Planet Power! ; ) Mako-chan, don't stop working on the ficcies! ; ) Notes of explanation (and spoiler info): Based largely on the Sm manga (takes place after manga 18), a little on the SailorV manga and on the anime, and one of my plot twisting theories... perhaps not quite fitting with the story (though I did try!), so use your imagination in the places that it doesn't... and I did keep the same that the Three Lights are in male form, like in the anime while on earth, and they transform to the Starlights.(though they haven't made thier appearance yet. ; ) ) Also, lots of Haruka/Michiru relationship. Tatami mats are the floor mats people sit on, and I sometimes use the word usagi to mean rabbit. Arigatou gozamesu is formal thank you, oishasan is doctor. And I'm making the assumption, for the moment, that Chibi-Usa was born after Crystal Tokyo came about. : ) Sailormoon and SailorV belongs to Naoko Takuchi, TOEI, DiC, Bandi, among others, and no copyright infringement is intended. **** She opened her eyes, gazing into the darkness of the bedroom ceiling, shaking with the haunting images of blood and death that left her alone and sweating beneath the sheets, her heart racing in her chest. Her breath slowed, and she slowly turned her head, her cheek pressing against the cool, dry side of her pillow, gazing at Michiru's aqua hair flowing gently over the curve of her face to pool against the white pillowcase, beginning to relax as fear dried from her veins, and pale beams of moonlight brushed over the bed from the sheer white curtains covering the window. Haruka slowly lifted her hand to gently brush Michiru's cheek, as in her peaceful sleep, the serenity of a child rested in the gently curl of her lashes and the slight part of her mouth as her breaths rose and fell evenly across her lips. Haruka's hands looked pale and slender, almost as if they were the unroughened hands of a musician instead of the those tainted by her love of cars. She paused, her hand inches from Michiru's face, and curled her fingers into her palm, refusing to disrupt the peace Michiru had found in her sleep tonight, before she fell back against her damp pillow and folded her arms beneath the blanket. She closed her eyes, determined to find the ever elusive peace in sleep... and the sky behind her closed lids was tainted a blood red with the fire of death, as she watched her lover die, hands made of shadows clawing at Michiru's throat until she collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony, as Haruka watched, the ground crumbling from beneath her feet. Ribbons of destruction brushed against her, intertwining with every fiber of life outside of the protection of the queen's gentle power... becoming a part of each city building and pulling it apart... the face of a blond child pressed against the glass panes of an apartment building window... and she could hear her cries for her mother as the building fell, and the silence was by far worse than the child's cries of fear... Haruka pried open her eyes, as hot tears began falling rapidly from the corner of her eyes, and she pulled her arms from beneath the covers, and pressed her palms hard against her eyes. She was too strong for that, to let her fears overrun her life, to let her agony escape her throat... and two warm hands wrapped around her wrists, gently pulling her hands from her eyes, and Michiru laced her fingers between her own, so that Haruka looked up at her, her blue eyes wet with the tears she wouldn't let herself shed. Michiru leaned forward, the rest of the covers sliding from her back and loose fabric of her silk nightgown fell against Haruka's white tanktop, as she gently brushed her lips against Haruka's, her aqua eyes bright with her own worries, and the remnants of sleep. "Haruka," she whispered softly, unlacing one of her hands to brush away the dampness of Haruka's cheeks, wishing more than anything that she could share the burden of the thoughts that tainted Haruka's mind. "You can tell me anything..." Haruka closed her eyes, fighting the overwhelming urge to cry, to scream her agonies, her loneliness, and the ache in her heart as the silence approached, stealing from her the one thing outside of her life as a senshi that she wanted to treasure most. Her confessions remained silent, as she opened her eyes, meeting the depths of Michiru's orbs evenly, a wry smile across her lips. "I know," she whispered, wrapping her arms around Michiru, and pulling her to the bed beside of her, holding her tightly as Michiru sighed softly, her eyes closing next to the pillow they shared. **** Minako wrapped her arms around her knees, cradled by the darkness as she rested on the narrow window ledge, the cool night air from the open window brushing against the bare skin of her arms, and she shivered, drawing her knees tighter to her chest, as she watching the overhead stars flicker, burning brightly against the black emptiness of the sky, the horizon an eerie yellow with the florescent and neon lights of the Tokyo streets at night. Artemis cocked his head, blinking through the darkness, as he watched Minako's soft blond hair flow over her shoulders, as she rested her chin on her knee, and longing crept into her eyes. She was his angel, the blond child that had held all of his faith, when he had first awakened. Sometimes, he considered that he had pushed her too far, that he had held her captive by her duty... and he shook his head slightly, licking a paw before resting his chin on it, watching over her patiently. Her loneliness had crept through her sleep, the face of her lover a wispy shadow around the corner of each street, slipping through her fingers... She had thought she loved them, the faces and names of those that had crossed her path, yet, in the dark hours of the night, the haunting melody of the curse played across her mind... she could have perhaps learned love him, as Adonis, as Katou Ace... she had seen his love for her burning in his eyes as he cursed her... Pale tears glistened on her cheeks under the waning light of the moon, and she could only curse herself, for falling in love with one of Prince Endymion's generals in her past life, instead of the man destined to love her. She sighed, tired of the ache of loneliness in her heart, tired of seeing those around her embraced by love while she stood alone, and tired of reaching out with no one to grasp on to, and no ground beneath her feet. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw distant stars trail across the edge of the horizon, her eyes locked on one of the faint glowing embers, as her heart began to race in her chest. She could almost feel the intensity of the star, a constant stronghold, as their pale colors burned across her vision, vanishing as she blinked. It was impossible, yet as she closed her eyes, she almost feel a pair of green catlike eyes burning into her soul... **** Usagi giggled, as she lay stretched out on the bed she shared with Mamoru, her hand resting lightly on the slight swell of her stomach, light fluttering against her fingers through the soft cotton fabric of her pajamas. Sunlight flooded the room through the glass paned window, and she sighed, a smile playing across her lips, delirious with happiness. She finally had everything she could possibly have asked for, but still, an uneasinessness pressed against the back of her mind. Her daughter, the beautiful butterfly dancing against her hand, had once told her, her garnet eyes touched by unease and seriousness that never should have crossed a small girl's face, when she had asked about Crystal Tokyo, that she knew little of it came to be, as she was born a part of the city. She could have easily brushed aside the worry, yet something... the constant uneasiness, the strain of silence that had permeated the room at Hikawa Shrine, as she had told the others she carried her daughter, while the fire in the other room crackled loudly, logs exploding amidst the flames, almost as if something unnatural had just touched the farthest corner of the universe, and their minds. She rolled on to her side, tucking her hands beneath the pillow, listening as she hear Mamoru's footsteps fall against the soft carpet of the hallway, stopping when he reached the edge of the bed. He sat gingerly on the edge, balancing the silver breakfast tray at the foot of the bed, as he leaned forward to kiss the back of Usagi's neck lightly. "Good morning," he said gently, tucking his arm around her into a hug. "Good morning," she replied, folding her arms over his and moving to look up at him, a strained smile across her lips, her odango twisted about her beneath the covers. His blue eyes were filled with love, kindness, and hope, yet she could almost see the shadow of fear climbing through the dark strands of his hair. "I brought you breakfast," he said, bending to kiss her gently, the sweet smell of her sleep clinging to her skin. "Rice, toast and orange juice. It's not much, but..." "No, no, it's perfect," Usagi said , swallowing a wave of nausea as it washed through her body, and she put her hand over her mouth, struggling to keep the bile from rising in her throat, as her stomach began to cramp, fighting to heave the remnants of last night's romantic dinner from it's possession. "but..." Mamoru scrambled from the bed, paling, as he reached for Usagi's free hand, seeing his fears mirrored in the depths of her eyes as he helped her up, and she folded her arms across her stomach, the carpeted floor cold against her feet, as Mamoru supported her, his hand on her shoulder, as she struggled to reach the bathroom across the hall from their bedroom... ...only a few more feet, and the distance across the tile floor looked uncrossable, as darkness tainted the edge of her vision, and the cramping in her stomach moved lower. She doubled over, she could hear Mamoru's voice calling to her in panic, and her palms pressed against the carpet of the hallway, as tears of pain and agony spilled from her eyes, "Mamo-chan..." she whispered, praying he would understand, that her small usagi would... as she struggled to hold to consciousness, while blood soaked through her pajamas, coating the carpet... **** The tall flames bent towards her, their mistress, and she could feel the caressing heat of the slender fingers of fire as it singed the ends of her hair, dancing with the flames as if the two were part of the same entity... words of fire intertwined with the embers, as the color of the fire altered, growing white with the heat of change, as the low chanting continued, and the light glinted off of her damp skin. A second, and the flames paused in motion, frozen, a painting of destruction on the wall. The priestess opened her dark eyes, staring into the still life, her gaze falling beyond the visible as her heart pounded against her ribs, and her breath came in short gasps. The tall burning pyre flickered, motion slowed beyond a force of the natural, before a log snapped, and the glowing white force exploded in a brilliant flash, as golden orange flames rose once more. Rei collapsed, bending forward over her knees, as visions of darkness and pain played across her mind. "Usagi..." she whispered, fearing the putrid sense of change and the hatred that pooled in her veins, as she rested her damp forehead on the back of her hands, feeling the heat of the fire through the bricks of the alter. With her eyes closed, she could see death personified, as buildings fell, and her princess, perhaps more than just her princess, collapsed in a pool of blood, her hand on her swollen stomach as she reached for the knife that pierced her chest... Rei raised her head, almost forcefully, blood pounding in her ears. She swore her life to protect her princess, bound by unconditional devotion and love... there was nothing she wouldn't do... and if Usagi fell, the world would collapse beside of her, remnants of beauty enchained by death, and the responsibility fell across the shoulders of the senshi... Rei would have sacrificed herself to the gods if it would have brought peace, or at least the security in knowing Usagi would live, yet there was nothing she could have said or done, as the future balanced precariously on a pedestal, a crystal ball rolling towards the edge of a cliff. The door behind her slid open, and she turned, Yuuchiro's form outlined by the brightness of the morning sun. He was silent, standing still as she watched him, tears flooding her eyes. Slowly, he moved, closing the door behind him, and coming to kneel beside of her on the tatami mat. He lifted a hand, gently tracing the edge of her jaw, as her eyes met his, and he saw fears he couldn't begin to understand hidden with in the depths of her orbs. "Rei-chan," he whispered softly, his voice gentle, as he dried the tears from her cheeks. She wrapped her arms around him, burying her face against his shoulder, the white fabric of his robe smelling of sweet burning wood and fall leaves, as her shoulders shook softly, and he ran his hands gently over her back, wishing he could share her burden, to cover the ache of pain in her heart with his love... but somehow, he knew it would never quite be enough, as the flames danced beside them. **** The sound of the ticking clock pounded his ear drums, a passionate artist erratically destroying his instrument with his pounding fists. Mamoru ran his hands through his thick dark hair, as he exhaled a shaking breath, his elbows resting on the hard vinyl covered chairs of the emergency room's waiting area. An old man sat two chairs down from him, his hand wrapped in a blood covered rag, reading a magazine, while a young woman across from him crumpled tissues in her hand, her mascara streaking her cheeks as she cried. He heard heels clicking on the white tile, and the sound stopped a few feet from him. He looked up, his heart pounding his chest, as he dreaded finding the doctor, the doctor's pen in his pocket, his eyes downcast and the front of his white lab coat splattered with her red blood, and the blood of his daughter... and his eyes meet the gaze of intense garnet orbs, and he froze, seeing her concern, her sympathy, and her fears etched into the lines of color of her iris among the shades of wisdom... For a brief second, he saw more, and a flash of memory invaded his mind, his fingers dancing across her bare shoulder, her lips slightly parted and skin glistening in firelight as he leaned her back on to the red sofa.... and then it was gone; he wondered if the memories were his, or if he'd stolen them from her mind... and she looked away, politely, at the magazine table, her dark hair falling over her shoulders. "Setsuna-san," he said, his voice rough and his hands shaking as he motioned towards the green vinyl seat beside of him, circles darkening the skin beneath his eyes, "Ohiyogozamesu." Uncertainties raced across his mind... she lived with the other outers, as a human, yet the blood racing through her veins seemed foreign, as if Setsuna was no more than the senshi Pluto, and the Guardian of Time. She bowed politely and sat, her hands folded placidly across her knees, the black fabric of her pants falling smoothly across her lap. "Endymion-san," she said, and his focus was drawn back to her in surprise, as he searched her face for some indication that the future would fall the way it was intended, that his sweet daughter would rest in his arms, and his wife would stand beside of him. She pulled her gaze from his, staring at her hands, searching for some consolation to offer him. She wasn't certain what had drawn her to him, beckoned her from her work on her computer, while Hotaru watched a tape of her favorite drama downstairs, and Haruka and Michiru slept in... She wanted to tell them, invite them to come and wait, yet even the simple invitation was forbidden, and she cursed Serenity for her restrictions. Nothing she could say would ease the burden Endymion carried in his heart... and to her, he would always be the king Endymion... She looked up, feeling the intensity of his gaze. "If you need comfort, find it in the knowledge that you daughter's soul will be born on this earth, and she will find you, even if it isn't permitted that she be born of your wife." He opened his mouth to speak, his words undefined, as he saw the doctor, a medical chart balanced on his arm, and his stethoscope in hand, round the corner, and paused to speak to individuals sitting at desks behind the high walled counter, before continuing towards Mamoru, his gait even, and Mamoru's eyes continued to follow the doctor's every movement, as if he could read the doctors thoughts... and Setsuna turned, following his line of vision. She stood quickly, gently resting a hand on his shoulder, as he looked up at her, fear in his eyes, the doctor only a few paces distance. "The best of luck, Endymion," she said softly, not looking behind her as she turned the corner quickly, a pattern of events, a flower unfurling in her mind, revealing intricate details with each passing second. The waiting room was behind her, as she passed by the nurses station in to a hallway. She froze, a dark haird figure leaned against the painting across from the nurses station, patient's charts in her hands. "Setsuna-san," Ami said, her voice firm, as she straightened, her fingers tightening around the plastic covers of the charts, as she watched Setsuna regain her composure. Ami adverted her eyes, her usual restraint lost beneath her fear for her friend and princess laying beneath the white sheets of the hospital bed, while anger and frustration ran rapidly through her veins, tainted by threat's beyond her vision. "I apologize, I intended to deliver the charts to the desk. I shouldn't have overheard." Setsuna bowed lightly, a circular pendant she wore on a silver chain about her neck falling forward. "Ami-san. I hope you will forgive my interruption of your intention." She straightened, her gaze resting on Ami's face, lined with worry, yet the uncertainties she had seen resting in the lines before had vanished, replaced with maturity, and for a brief second, she could see the guardian queen Mercury, blue silk flowing about her form, and her dark hair shining beneath the light of the overhead lamps. "The interruption was nothing," Ami said carefully, closing her eyes thoughtfully, as she recalled the gentleness with which Setsuna rested her hand on Mamoru's arm, and the intensity in her garnet orbs as her gaze rested on his face, when she knew he wasn't looking. Ami knew Mamoru was too blinded by his pain to suspect... and it infuriated her, to think Setsuna would betray the one she was destined to protect, to think of how easily Mamoru could have fallen for someone other than Usagi... and the thought threatened her existence, as she had to consider that the future was not the salvation they had hoped for... "However, perhaps it would be better if you would not be so close with Usagi-san's husband." Setsuna raised a brow, her face otherwise expressionless, revealing nothing of her inner turmoil, and the thoughts playing through her mind. "Perhaps," she said simply, and she hated waiting on others to see how her own future would unfold. "Though I think it would be better if you were less worried about the roles others are destined to play." Ami looked away, watching the movement behind the nurses' station, as uniformed figures moved to and from the paperwork on the desktop counters, and her mother rounded the corner, carrying the chart of an emergency pediatric patient, pausing to speak with some of the nurses. Ami was afraid that she would never have the chance to follow her dream, to become the person she dreamed of being... they had two years of high school left, and the silence was much closer than their dreams, even as Usagi still held tightly to the child she carried. "Are our dreams so worthless," she asked, her voice barely more than a whisper, "that anything beyond our duties can't be fulfilled?" Setsuna closed her eyes, considering. "Ami-san," she said, a light smile creeping across her lips, as she opened her eyes, feeling a bit like the mystic fortune teller at a carnival, shrouded by mysterious fog and a layer of misunderstandings, as individuals walked by, pausing sip the sour wine of the future, "If Serenity-sama had not held to her dreams, would we have found ourselves here, together, after we met the guardians of the cauldron?" **** Haruka lifted her glass of French wine, slowly sipping from the rim, as sunlight from the overhead skylights filtered through the red liquid adding a red tint to the saut饤 lettuce on her white china plate. The bistro was exclusive, the pristine penthouse of one of Tokyo's tallest down town sky scrapers, the over head clouds almost brushing against the skylights. She sat her wine glass back down, atop the white linen table cloth, as sweet music drifted from the low rise platform of the stage, white, almost translucent fiberglass edged by small white lights, as Michiru pulled the bow across her violin, her head tilted, lost in her music, as the cello and bass players behind her picked up the accompaniment. Michiru had received an invitation to play for some Tokyo's dignitaries, business men, and their families over the brunchen, and Haruka considered it impolite, at best, to send Michiru to a formal affair with out her partner, among the officials and their wives. Haruka straightened the front of her tuxedo, leaning back slightly in the chair, as she watched, enraptured by the emotions playing across Michiru's delicate features, the flow of the layers of light lace over her gown as she swayed, evoked by each note she pulled from the violin. Haruka closed her eyes, the melody, soft and comforting, satin fingers brushing over her bare skin, erotically intertwining with the low notes of the bass. Through the notes, waves of the ocean washing over her, she heard a crystal glass chime against one of the china plates, and she opened one eye, following the sound. Across the room, at the table just in front of the stage, an elegant woman, her dark hair cropped close to her head, wrapped her fingers around the crystal glass, helping her young blond daughter, the set of thier faces almost identical, set the glass behind the plate. She could almost since the woman's relief, as the girl removed her small hand from the fragile glass and lifted her chopsticks to begin eating her fried noodles, as she bounced in her chair, swinging her feet beneath the table. The child, blond waves flowing to her shoulders, couldn't have been more than five, about the same age that... Haruka shook her head, as she realized she was staring, and turned back to her glass of wine, taking a long drink over the rim of the glass, savoring the flavor across her tongue, before swallowing, almost forcefully. She looked back at the stage, and found Michiru's eyes scanning her features, as Michiru began to play the final movement of her concerto, the notes melodic, yet tainted by the uncertainties, as she had followed the line of Haruka's gaze.. **** Setsuna rested her chin in her hand, her mind on other matters as she pecked a few words at the computer terminal in her bedroom. The uncertainties... she tapped the backspace, as she realized she'd misspelled a word, and the program gave her the wrong kanji... she carried the knowledge she had gained in the future, from computer science to lessons in love, with each turn she had to make... The lessons of the past senshi of revolution, their memories, joys and burdens, embedded in the grains of the Pluto spirit gave her the wisdom she needed, when she stood alone... and it wasn't enough. She could offer them consolation, in what knowledge she carried, but with each decision every individual made, thousands of possibilities rippled the fabric of time, and she could only pick the path they were destined to follow... and sometimes, an individual dared to defy destiny, and succeeded, altering the entire pattern of the fabric, though the means of the altercation always resulted in the same tapering of the fabric, until the bolt of brilliantly colored cloth ended abruptly. And that was what troubled her- as she could never see beyond the last fringes of the threads, almost as if the weaver hadn't taken the time to tie the knots in the end, leaving it open for another to pick up the work to finish... and they were rolling, at an unstoppable speed, towards the end. A soft knock on the door interrupted her thoughts, and she looked up, Hotaru leaning in her doorway, the grays and blacks of Hotaru's school dress more elegant on her teenage body than overwhelmingly depressing, as they would have appeared on any other individual, and Setsuna smiled lightly at Hotaru's uncertainty she invited her in. "Hota-chan," she said, as Hotaru sat on the edge of Setsuna's bed, almost directly behind Setsuna's desk chair, her ankles crossed. "Mama," Hotaru said, her voice sounding young even to her own ears, her hesitation clinging to her skin like dried blood, as she twisted her fingers about each other in her lap, doubting even her own intuition, the voice that whispered softly to her while she slept, and cursed her foolishness when she fell. "Yes, Hotaru-chan?" Setsuna asked, turning around, and folding her arms along the back of the chair, as she waited for Hotaru to continue, the girls face perplexed with matters Setsuna had yet to find answers to herself. She watched shades of lavender colors send ripples through the pools of color in her eyes, and she almost dreaded the facing of the question, and Hotaru's realization. Granted, if she had only had in mind duty, she would have accepted the knowledge she saw developing in Hotaru's eyes, and encouraged her to follow her destiny... yet it seemed unfair, that Hotaru had never been given a normal life, blessed by the laughter of childhood, unmarred by worries adults never had dared to broach, before... The day was approaching. Hotaru could feel it in her veins, in her blood, the constant restlessness and unease, as the intensity of her energy became a constant presence, tapping incessantly at the back of her mind... but she didn't want it. She didn't ask for the responsibility, she didn't ask for her life, or question it when those she now loved most had tried to steal it from her. Until now, as the spirit of Saturn began to occupy her mind, still an annoyance she could easily defeat, creeping into her thoughts in her moments of silence. She could feel it, increasing in strength, and without doubt, she knew the force would steal her body from her as the end came... ...the burden of death was placed on Hotaru's narrow shoulders. Setsuna wanted to gather her in her arms, and hug away her troubles, as she had in the few months Hotaru had been a child, but fate held her back, as she knew that the deaths of billions of individuals would be carved into the headstone of her daughter's grave, and nothing she could say or could do would ease the burden, as Hotaru was slowly forced to become the senshi of death, nothing more. Setsuna stretched out her arm, gently brushing her fingers against Hotaru's arm through the sleeve of her gray dress, before placing her hand over her arm draped across the back of her wooden desk chair. "Daughter, you can share with me anything, and I will not think more or less of you for your thoughts." Hotaru smiled, a tight, cold smile, but a smile none the less, as she bowed lightly before standing, and moving towards the door. "It's nothing, Setsuna-mama. Thank you," she said, hesitating only slightly before stepping through the doorframe. **** Michiru's light laughter danced across the room, as a fair haired man spoke with her, his gold wire rimmed glasses balancing precariously on his nose, as his wife stood beside of him, her fingers laced through his elbow, and his free hand resting lightly atop of his blond daughter's head, as she gazed upward at Michiru, her blue eyes wide. Haruka approached Michiru from behind, lightly laying a hand on her shoulder, and Michiru leaned back slightly, resting against her, a content smile across her lips... concerts were exhausting, the stress and the exhilaration, a feeling she would have traded for none other, as she could see the emotion pulled from the depths of people's hearts in their eyes after she played. "Haruka," she said, motioning to the couple and their daughter, "this is Yaguchi Taiya-san, his wife, Yaguchi Medako-san, and his daughter, Yaguchi Yashiko-chan. Yaguchi-san is the owner of Futsuka Industries." Haruka bowed, her eyes falling on the daughter as she bent in the formal style of introduction. "A pleasure to meet you," she said, as the startling blue eyes at her bent height watched her with consideration... ...Another pair of blue eyes looked up at her, bright with inner strength, and intense with unconditional love and trust. The pale pink blanket was soft against the small body, and against Haruka's arms, as Haruka sighed, exhausted and frustrated as helplessness washed over her... what choice did she have? She had spent months struggling to avoid anything that would have made her acknowledge it, and now... she wished she had explored every second of every detail... The hospital room door opened, and she turned her head to face the opposite wall of the small windowless room... she was cornered, no where left to turn... it was for the best, her father had told her, to unburden themselves as quickly as possible, to move to Tokyo, where the incident could lay forgotten... she couldn't watch, what little inner strength she had left vanished, as the nurse lifted the squirming bundle from her arms... ...Haruka straightened, her face paling, and her skin becoming clammy as fear sank in her heart. Michiru spoke to her, the words distant in her distraction... she felt the weight of the silence climbing over her back, tearing at her soul. She had faced death before, she had stolen the life from behind the eyes of the possessed, drowned in the depths of hell for her sins, and now, she was surrounded by the screams of the dying, as only those with in her princess's protective energy would survive the silence... and her daughter, perhaps with the destiny of a senshi hidden with in her veins, would be among the voices screaming futilely for salvation, as the ribbons of destruction unfurled in fury, and the souls beneath the queen's bubble of energy slept uneasy, dreamless sleep...