Mists of Eternity The mists of eternity swirled and parted at the figure's feet, eager to escape the tumultuous emotions of the Guardian of Time. Confident that her reborn and now awakened ally, Michiru, was secure in her apartment and sleeping off the events of several exhausting days after remembering her past life and being awakened as Sailor Neptune, Pluto had finally returned to her post, hoping that Michiru could handle the memories and emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. The sapphire haired woman sighed as she collapsed into a large chair hidden by the mists. Sometimes, she wondered what was worse, the statically boring centuries she had endured prior to the rebirth of her friends, encompassing the hundreds of years where thoughts of Haruka and Michiru had been relegated to the backburners of her mind, or now, the present, where she had been presented with the effort of trying to bring together the partnership of one of the strongest unions in the solar system. The conviction in Neptune, or rather, Michiru's voice when the aqua haired girl had accepted her destiny still sent shivers down Pluto's spine. The fire that burned in her icy eyes, every pulse and synapse that ran through the young woman's body created almost a mirror image to the Michiru of the Silver Millennium; completely dedicated to her love of Haruka. She had not strayed from destiny's path. Where Haruka had. Haruka was not the mirror image of herself from a millennia ago. The darkened, cynical, lonely woman who shunned those around her was not who Haruka was supposed to be. Rather, she was the mirror image of the shell that held Uranus' likeness after the fall of Moon Kingdom. That, after that terrible day, Haruka fell victim to her duty and her personality having changed so drastically, her destiny was thrown to the element that should have saved her, not destroyed her. Was there any hope at all for the wayward Haruka? "Uranus told me that she wasn't ready to be awakened yet. But she also asked me not to give up hope." Michiru's words lit a spark of hope that warmed Pluto. For the spirit of Uranus to have contacted Neptune was more than she could ever have hoped. The long suppressed emotions that the stoic warrior had discarded so long ago had reached out. The rebirth of Michiru's memories of her past life had triggered Uranus to break one of the many barriers that imprisoned Haruka's true personality. Perhaps there was hope yet. Pluto shook her head. It would do her no good to get her hopes up yet. If Uranus would soon be receptive to being awakened, it would then be the time to bring the two together and hope that Michiru's dedication to her past lover would be enough to bring the rogue Haruka back to the woman she once was. And if such an effort could be accomplished, perhaps Pluto herself could return to the woman she once was, too. "Setsuna! You were called Setsuna!" Michiru's voice still fresh in her ears, a smile captured Pluto's lips as for the first time in centuries, she allowed herself the indulgence to think of her friends during the Silver Millennium. flashback Sailor Senshi Pluto smoothed out her green skirt contemplatively before pushing her way into Queen Serenity's chambers. She hadn't visited the Moon Palace since she had first given her allies, Uranus and Neptune, their missions more than one year prior. She wondered what could possibly be important enough for her Queen to pull her away from her post at the Time Gate. Surely, the foreseer of the future hadn't sensed anything that needed tending to on the Moon. Pluto approached the throne and dropped to one knee. "You summoned me, my Queen?" Surprisingly, Queen Serenity sighed and smacked her lips in an irritated fashion. "Honestly, Pluto. You've been in my service for two millennia and you've been my closest advisor for just as long. How long will you insist on such formalities?" Pluto's brow furrowed in confusion. "As long as your actions earn my respect, my Queen, as they always have." Serenity rose from her marble throne and lowered herself to meet Pluto's garnet eyes. Kneeling on the hard, marbled floors for one of her subjects was not beneath the monarch of the Silver Millennium. "Pluto, I'd like to think that I'm more than just your Queen. I'd like to think that I'm you friend, also. Do you see me as such?" She asked softly. The Guardian of the Time Gate stared at her leader blankly. In her long life of little contact, Pluto had never used that word. "Friends?" She asked cautiously, wondering if the wealth of emotions she felt, yet had never before displayed for her Queen might mean this foreign word. "Yes. Friends." Queen Serenity smiled softly and took Pluto's hands in her own, helping her to rise off her knees as they both stood. "And I think you need more of them." "I beg your pardon, my Queen?" Pluto began, and then was chilled by an icy glare from her leader. "I mean, Serenity-san." She amended, trying her hand at being marginally less formal. "That's your problem, Pluto. You're always so formal. Being trapped at the Time Gate, your social skills are more than lacking." She chuckled quietly at her advisor's incredulous expression. Serenity was surely known for her honesty and lack of subtlety. "If such a time should come, how do you expect your allies to fight next to you if you barely even know them?" "Uranus and Neptune?" Pluto asked hesitantly, naming those allies that she would fight alongside should the need arise. "Haruka and Michiru." Queen Serenity corrected sweetly, trying to get the duty hardened Pluto to think of her allies as not only senshi, but mere humans, too. "Spend time with them. Learn to understand them and to understand what it means to truly be human. Get to know yourself, Pluto." Pluto's head cocked to the side in thought. Serenity's offer was appealing, if not a little frightening, and although time on the mortal plane sounded like a worthwhile experience, she had her duty to think of as well. "And what of the Time Gate?" The Queen of the Moon sighed. Her advisor had spent most of her long life at her post, dedicated to her duty and nothing else. The woman deserved much more than just the short reprieve she planned to grant her. "Leave it. We've been at peace for almost a millennia. Besides, you have not alerted me to any problems on the horizon." "This is true." Pluto confirmed hesitantly. "Although, as you know, there is an unease about the solar system, though there has been nothing I can detect from my post. But," "But nothing." Queen Serenity said authoritatively. "Pluto, you need time for yourself, and you could use other friends too. I order you to take leave from the Time Gate until it is necessary for you to return." Pluto hid her garnet eyes behind thick, green bangs. "Understood, Serenity-san." Older, wiser and with even more sex appeal, Michiru at seventeen years of age fully understood the pull her body held over Haruka, and she was not beneath using it to her advantage. At the moment, the senshi of Neptune was craving quiet solace that only her stoic partner could provide, and even though the continued pain that came with not understanding Haruka's feelings for her constantly ate at her, she longed for the stronger woman's arms none the less. Little had changed in their relationship, their flirting had grown more dangerous and suggestive as ever, their chemistry had become a tangible force and those that didn't know them, and even some who did, thought the beautiful pair to be lovers. Yet still, Haruka and Michiru hadn't bridged that unspoken gap between them, their reluctance to speak about the closeness of their was relationship had become so great that Michiru feared that if she were to put words to their actions and emotions, the binds that kept them close could break apart. In the fading light of dusk, almost tentatively, Michiru raised her fist to knock on Haruka's door, just one down from her own similar suite. The sound of her knock echoed too loudly through the corridors of the palace hallway for her liking, and immediately upon hearing her partner's voice, the senshi of the ocean slipped in through the door. Sprawled across her bed with a book in hand, her back against the headboard, a lightly clothed Haruka caught Michiru's eyes with a hint of mischief in her hazel depths. "What? Training wasn't strenuous enough? You need me to tire you out some more?" The blonde's hearty laugh grated at Michiru and the smaller woman found she had to force herself not to answer in honesty to Haruka's flirtatious flippancy. Not trusting her mouth, she kept it shut and crossed the distance from the door to Haruka's bed. Wordlessly, she crawled onto the bed, kneeling in front of her partner. Haruka's novel fell from her fingertips numbly. As she lost herself in the senshi of the ocean's gaze, the taller woman tensed at the unexpectedness of her partner's actions. "Michiru, are you alright?" She asked softly. "Are you ill? Injured?" Too frozen to move a single muscle, Haruka gazed at the aqua haired woman's small form, diminished further by her sudden vulnerability. Could she be homesick? What could bother the strong Michiru to the point of wordlessness? "Shhh." Michiru replied softly, unable to form words. Though she wanted much, much more, for the moment, she'd force herself to be content with Haruka's closeness. The senshi of the wind swallowed audibly as the smaller woman turned to display her back to her, her too-thin nightgown showing off her exquisite feminine form as she curled into a ball next to her, resting her head on her partner's lap. Haruka's fingers ached to sink into Michiru's aqua hair, to caress the smooth skin of her neck, to... Haruka tried desperately to derail her dangerous thoughts, but her fingers found themselves entwined in Michiru's locks before she had even realized it. A sigh escaped her lips as she realized that it was as soft as she had imagined. As her long fingers brushed against the smooth skin of Michiru's neck, she promised herself not to take advantage of her situation, no matter how right such action may seem. After all, Haruka was sure that Michiru's actions were no different than those of the silly inner senshi girls. She had noticed that many of the younger girl's friendships allowed for such soft touches, hugs, and butterfly kisses. Friendship. Surely, that was what Michiru was looking for. The senshi of the wind felt guilty that her own emotions were not so pure. What she wanted was more than just a friendship with the aqua haired goddess currently in her lap. Much more. But she refused to push her desires on her partner. "Haruka?" Michiru's voice was a mere whisper as the slight girl sat up to face her partner, only inches away from the blonde's face. The senshi of the wind froze, remembering her partner's sixth sense of intuitiveness. Had she been found out? Her heart skipped a beat in her chest. She was entranced as each second seemed to last an eternity. They were painfully slowly leaning closer to each other. Michiru's lips parted, her warm breath on Haruka's own trembling lips, but was it all her imagination? A loud, firm knock on the door and the sound of it swinging open on its hinges caused the girls to gasp as their eyes shot to the door in frozen surprise, Haruka tightening her hold on Michiru's waist protectively at the unknown threat. Sailor Pluto stood in the entrance with a blank expression on her face, for the first time in her life at a total loss for words in the awkward situation she'd found herself in. She eyed the two on the bed, trying to determine their relationship. They were close, very close, but her own intuitiveness told her that they hadn't admitted that their feelings for each other were the same. "If... if I've caught you two at a bad time, I can come... err... back?" She stuttered uncomfortably. Michiru's signature giggle filled the room and broke the ice, the blush fading from her cheeks at the hilarity of it all. Brushing off the close encounter with her partner, she immediately attended to her floundering ally, expertly hiding her desperate sense of loss once squirming from Haruka's hold. "Are you going to come in or just stand there with your jaw hanging open?" Haruka asked brashly, following Michiru's lead though a fraction of her bravado was diminished by the lingering blush that tinged her cheeks, her mind indulging in what might have transpired between herself and Michiru had their untimely ally not barged in. Pluto did as was suggested. Latching the door behind her, she stepped into the entryway uncomfortably. Michiru regretfully slid from Haruka's large bed as she stood to greet her fellow senshi, wanting to ease Pluto's sense of intrusion and outsider-ness. "It's good to see you again, Pluto. It's been a year and a half since you gave us our mission. Has something happened regarding its importance?" "Not exactly." Pluto replied, quickly recovering from the awkward situation she had caused. "Perhaps a change in my own, personal mission." "Shall we discuss it over a cup of tea?" Michiru asked softly, trying to make Pluto more comfortable as Haruka got the hint and rose to straighten up her seating area. Pluto nodded. "That sounds wonderful. Only..." "Only what?" Haruka asked, a slight laugh in her voice. "Only I feel quite overdressed." Pluto replied, eyebrows raised and a hint of an amused smile on her lips as she indicated her senshi fuku in relation to their scant nightclothes. Haruka and Michiru blushed hotly, remembering their modesty. Michiru sported one of Haruka's long sleeved shirts, the sleeves falling over her hands as she served her allies' tea before taking a seat in a cushy chair next to her partner. "So, Pluto, tell us this news which would take you from the Time Gate." Pluto sipped her tea thoughtfully, her garnet eyes lost to recent memory as she shifted uncomfortably in her long unused civilian clothes she had reverted to in an effort to fit in. "The Queen suggested I spend some time away from my post. She wants me to befriend the two of you so that we might become a more effective team." "She wants you to become more human." Haruka said plainly, reading between the lines of the plans of their compassionate Queen. She caught a dirty look from her partner indicating her lack of tact. "What?" She asked. It was certainly no secret to anyone in Queen Serenity's service that the cold and formal Sailor Pluto could use some help in the friendliness department. "Haruka is correct." Pluto said fairly, assuring Michiru that she wasn't offended by the lack of subtlety offered. "And honestly, I think she's right. My inter-personal skills could use some brushing up on anyway." "So could your fashion sense." Haruka said lightly, a finger pointed to Pluto's sorely outdated clothing. "How many millennia has it been since you've worn civilian duds?" "Haruka!" Michiru exclaimed, but was eased by Pluto's quiet laugh. "I suppose you're right. I have a lot to learn." The sapphire haired woman admitted coyly. "Queen Serenity has given me a room close to yours. I only hope you two don't keep me up all night." She smiled righteously at the blushes she caused on the faces of her allies. So far, she found that life on the mortal plane was rather enjoyable. "So, Pluto," Haruka said, making an effort to shift the focus of conversation off of her undefined relationship with Michiru, "what should we call you?" "Call me?" The garnet eyed woman asked, her teacup paused enroute to her mouth. Michiru nodded, following her partner's lead. "A civilian name!" She said excitedly. "Something other than what your duty has named you." Pluto sat her cup down thoughtfully. "I don't know. I've... I've never had one before." Michiru cocked her head to the side in thought, concentration etched into her beautiful features. "Yuriko?" "No, too girly." Haruka said, shaking her head. "Haruna?" Michiru tried. "Too much like mine." Haruka complained. "Rin?" Michiru asked. "Too bland." Haruka sighed. "Setsuna?" Michiru proposed with more certainty. "Setsuna. I like that." Pluto said with conviction. Haruka smiled widely. "Well then, Setsuna, welcome home." In almost two years since the induction of the outer senshi, there had been no indication that Sailor Saturn would be needed; yet, without warning, they found themselves on the purple planet. Sailor Uranus' hands balled into white-knuckled fists as she and her allies followed the chalky purple path on the barren surface of the inhospitable planet of Saturn. "We shouldn't be here. There's no reason for this to be happening. If you can't sense a force dangerous enough to the Silver Millennium to cause her birth your premonitions must be wrong, Pluto." She barked into the harsh winds. Neptune stopped and laid a hand on her partner's arm and shot Uranus a stern glare to rein her in. Sailor Pluto wordlessly continued ahead of them on the path, twisting her body precariously to walk through a crevice of a rocky cliff. The reflection of the far away sun glinted off her imposing Time Staff as her tall profile vanished completely. "Whether a danger to the solar system has come or not, Saturn has been born and we must deal with those implications." Neptune explained firmly. Uranus shook her partner's hand off her irritably and crossed her arms over her chest, communicating her unhappiness with the situation. Neptune sighed at Uranus' childish reaction, knowing the taller woman was apt to push anyone close to her away when her own fate hung in the balance. The situation wasn't any easier on Neptune, of course. With Saturn's birth came the threat of an unforeseeable catastrophe, a disaster hidden not only from herself, but from Pluto as well. Yet, in the face of such uncertainty, what choice did they have but to join forces with the senshi of destruction? The breath of Neptune and Uranus caught in their throats as Pluto finally emerged from the cavernous hole ahead of them. A toddler, barely of walking age was wrapped in Pluto's gentle, yet tentative embrace. Even from so far away, the toddler's expressionless purple eyes locked onto the forms of Neptune and Uranus and seemed to bore through their very souls. Uranus spat, the mucus from her mouth sinking onto the thick soil at her feet. "She will be our destruction." Neptune and Pluto looked away guiltily. Although neither one could see clearly the future that awaited them, neither could they deny Uranus' premonition. Haruka had quickly found that she couldn't begrudge Sailor Saturn for the destiny the young girl had been born into. In the six months since the girl, who the three of them had named Hotaru, had come to live with the outer senshi, it hadn't taken the senshi of wind long to drop her reserves and embrace the child, and once she had, Haruka had reverted back to her normal, carefree personality and along with her other allies, had adopted the girl as her own. Besides, when the small, raven haired girl had first entered their lives, the toddler hadn't even understood the nature of her terrible powers. Though she technically was the senshi of Saturn, her knowledge of her duty to sacrifice herself and the entire Silver Millennium for the good of the solar system had yet to be awakened. She had grown rapidly over the course of the six months she'd been with the outer senshi, a sure sign of an approaching threat that still could not be determined. Regardless, Haruka had quickly found that she wanted to shield the young girl from the destiny that awaited her for as long as possible. Michiru too, felt the same. Haruka knew that much, and the maternal instincts that Michiru displayed while caring for the young senshi had sent chills down Haruka's spine. The young addition to their team made Michiru happy. Setsuna also, and the three of them functioned as the young girl's parents, a missing link to their family that they had never known existed, and in turn, the child had brought the three adults even closer. "Haruka-papa?" A young voice implored innocently. The senshi of the wind looked down to her adopted daughter cheerfully, squeezing her hand gently. It had seemed almost over night that she had grown to the physical appearance of eight years of age. "Yes, Hime-chan?" "This shop is boring, and Michiru-mama and Setsuna-mama will likely shop forever. Let's go back to the main market place!" The young girl said with exuberance. Her father figure was only too happy to oblige. Michiru caught the two sneaking out of the shop from the corner of her eye. "Hotaru-chan? You keep an eye out and don't let your Haruka-papa get into any trouble!" She smiled as Haruka smacked her lips in mock annoyance as Hotaru pushed her from the store. A quick smirk on Haruka's lips told Michiru that she'd pay for her comment later, and it was met by one of Michiru's own accepting the unspoken challenge. As the Neptunian woman examined the clothing display, the store's merchant approached her with a lighthearted laugh as his eyes lingered on the retreating forms of father and child. "What a beautiful child the two of you have!" He said heartily, relishing in the aqua haired woman's blush and sudden far away look that captured her eyes. Upon seeing her sapphire haired companion, he clasped his hands together loudly and turned his attention on her. "And you must be the lucky grandmother!" He exclaimed brightly. A sudden chill settled in the open air booth as Setsuna glared at the portly man. "Grandmother?" She grumbled. She glanced down at her clothing. She really had to learn to adopt the current millennium's fashion. Michiru laughed lightly and pushed the stunned woman from the booth and out of the awkward situation. "It's the gray tunic? Isn't it? No one wears gray anymore." Setsuna grumbled. Michiru chuckled at her fashion-limited friend. She still hadn't quite gotten the knack for dressing the part. Suddenly, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and she paused. "Michiru?" Setsuna asked, bewildered at her friend's strange actions. "Haruka's up to no good." Michiru answered with a grin on her lips, her sixth sense on full alert. Setsuna wordlessly followed her companion as she darted through an ally and down a street, somehow tracking the other two members of their impromptu family. "Really, must we sneak around like this?" The garnet eyed woman asked. "Ara? And you don't want to take part in catching Haruka red handed?" Michiru asked lightly as she spotted their target. Setsuna shut her mouth and leant against a merchant's booth as she kept her eyes trained on Haruka and Hotaru on the other side of the street. "Haruka-papa! Now!" Hotaru urged, barely maintaining her excitement. "Not yet, Hime-chan, not yet." Haruka replied through clenched teeth, trying her best to look casual. She surveyed the street packed with women and men alike, browsing the wares in the marketplace. The scents of baked goods and cooked food wafted on the gentle breeze that played around them, waiting for the command to be issued as the senshi of the winds readied herself. Suddenly, a ferocious gust of wind tore through the marketplace. Women's skirts flew up about their torsos, light wares were lifted off vendors' tables, and paper products scattered to the merciless wind. A commotion of voices, a combination of laughter, surprised exclamations and scurrying was heard as the marketplace was quickly reassembled, and above it all, the mischievous laughter of Haruka and Hotaru could be heard. "Tenoh Haruka!" The commanding voice of Michiru scolded as she and Setsuna caught up to their family. Haruka slouched, knowing that trouble was coming and that she was too weak to run from she who would deliver it. Her hazel eyes, large and surprised caught her partner's. She knew her easy laugh and seductive smile wouldn't get her out of this one. "What have I told you about abusing your powers in public?" Michiru scolded. Haruka brightened. "Ah, but I can do it in private?" She asked suggestively, playing off of Michiru's words. She reveled at her partner's beautiful pouting expression, knowing she had won that spat, but little did she know that the worst was yet to come. "I knew that was you that blew my skirt over my head last week!" Setsuna exclaimed angrily. "And you told me that it was just the wind!" Michiru smacked her lips. "Ara! After the third of fourth time that happened to me, I caught on to Haruka's game." She teased her friend, but then turned menacing eyes to Haruka. "Have you been teaching Hotaru-chan how to abuse one's senshi powers?" "Ah... no." Haruka tried, inching backwards. She'd been caught. She heard the giggle of her daughter next to her. It was always funny when it wasn't happening to you. Michiru cocked an eyebrow. Haruka flinched. The next thing she knew, Haruka fell to her bottom and was drenched from head to toe. Her partner's skill with her element was such that she hadn't even seen the torrent of water coming at her. A broad smile on her face, Michiru turned and walked away, Hotaru's skipping stride following after her mother. All that remained with the drenched Haruka was Setsuna's form, doubled over in righteous laughter. "You think that's so funny?" Haruka asked, a glint in her eye barely detected through her limp, soaked bangs that hid it from view. Setsuna detected the ripples of wind circling her friend and the laughter died in her throat, that deer in the headlights expression now gracing her own face. Her hands clamped down around her skirts. "You wouldn't dare... Haruka... Haruka!" /flashback A slight chuckle on her lips, the bittersweet memories lingered in her mind and Pluto came back to her senses with the realization of a hot sting behind her eyes of tears that would not fall. She focused instead on her post. A glance to the Time Gate showed her those that had already awakened, the inner senshi. Indulging in rest and relaxation after the defeat of the Black Moon Kingdom, it was a break well deserved. The inners had done well defeating first Beryl and Metallia, and then the Black Moon Kingdom. Yet Pluto frowned. The next enemy on the horizon would be much stronger, she could feel it. The help of the outer senshi would be necessary in the coming battle. Their awakening was necessary. Not that Pluto's powers to see the future were all-knowing. Quite the contrary, the mysteries of the future would only show themselves at their own discretion, and even then, that particular future could change. That was the nature of time. It could shift and destinies could change. Haruka's already had. The Time Gate clouded and the images disappeared. No longer showing the five young girls, the doorway was now divided, displaying Haruka and Michiru, both asleep and dreaming. Pluto watched critically, knowing that Michiru was likely remembering the same memories that she had just indulged in. She hoped that Haruka, for once not being plagued by visions of the silence, was also being receptive to the memories that tried to break through the walls she had erected at the end of her past life, the walls that threatened to keep her separated from the one woman who could make her whole again. The garnet eyed woman sighed with frustration. There was little more she could do to help them other than to provide simple guidance. All she knew for certain was that Haruka was not yet ready to awaken to her destiny, and that if she were pushed too hard, she would be likely to try to run from it, even run from Michiru, the only love her soul knew. Until Haruka were to become more susceptible to accepting who she was, the only option was to wait and hope. Hope that Michiru was strong enough to accept that reality, hope that Haruka would overcome her fears. But mostly, her hope was that Michiru and Haruka could figure out how to fix what had been broken so long ago. --------- Author's Notes: I know this chapter was brief, but it sheds lights on the development of the relationship between the Haruka and Michiru of the Silver Millennium, and enters Pluto's role into the mix. Stick with me! --------- Preview, Chapter 5: "Haruka, your eyes... what's affecting you so deeply? What are you so scared of?" Michiru asked quietly, her concern for her partner dominating her. Somehow she knew the answer to her own question. Haruka's jaw clicked shut, the closeness of her partner overwhelming her senses. The silence of their surroundings was deafening and she battled her own body to not respond to Michiru's touch. When suddenly, she felt Michiru's soft lips on her own in a gentle kiss, she felt hot tears well in her eyes. Slowly, the aqua haired woman pulled away, her eyes opening slowly as she observed her partner's stiff posture. She couldn't tell if the moisture in Haruka's eyes were tears or an illusion created by the reflection of the pool by their feet. Her breath caught in her throat as she panicked. Had she read Haruka wrong? Had she misinterpreted the song they had composed? What had she done?
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