Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ A Future Imperfect- Makoto and Minako's Journey ❯ Chapter 4: Visions ( Chapter 5 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

By: ST Pika

Chapter 4: Visions

Thanks to Steven/DaTexn for his help with this chapter and the prereading of it. I know you the reader have been waiting so long for this new chapter so I won't keep you… enjoy!

Part A

Despite the reassurances from her friends, Setsuna was still troubled about the events of the past day… even after a few “hard” drinks. Confusion about the future is one thing the oldest Senshi had never experienced on this level before.

Wanting to take her mind off the problem for a little while, she turns on the television. A news show begins relating the events of the day while Setsuna feels herself growing more tired and soon passing out on the couch…

“I want to see the future…” the Guardian of Time calls out in front of the Gates of Time.

Slowly, the gates creak open and Setsuna watches for something, anything… only after a few minutes of total darkness does she dare move closer and closer… and steps inside…

“What is this? There's nothing here!” She screams out, feeling very much in despair

Silence greets the Senshi of time. Not even the sparkle of stars light her way, there's nothing but total void and emptiness. After walking around aimlessly for several minutes, she collapses on the ground and asks a simple question- “Why?”

No answer is forthcoming and Setsuna begins to silent weep, bemoaning the current situation and trying to make sense of it all. The grief continues… at least, until she suddenly wakes up…

“Huh? What?” Setsuna sits up on the couch and hears her phone ringing. After a brief moment of disorientation, she answers it saying, “Hello”

“Hi, it's Minako. I was wondering if Makoto and I could stop by sometime… we have some things we wanted to talk with you about…”

After hearing those two names, something is triggered inside of her. A desire to learn more about this manifests itself and Setsuna wants to find why…

“Yes, that's no problem. Stop by after your classes sometime during this week- I'll be around…”

A very enthusiastic Minako replies back almost immediately. “Sure, we'll call ahead and we'll see you soon!”

After hanging up the phone, Setsuna heads into her bathroom and dampens a towel. Wiping the cold sweat off of her face, she wonders what just happened…

`That nightmare… was too real to dismiss. I'd better take it easy for a while…'

After making some tea for herself, the Senshi of time tries to remember as much as she can from her vision, though the disturbing nature of it made it painful to remember. She retrieved a notepad and started jotting down notes about what she saw… which sadly, wasn't much. What she felt, she also jotted down and then reviewed… before notes from the previous visions were written as well.

`This is some puzzle… but I need more of the pieces. I think I'll give the future a rest for today… I'm really tapped out from that vision. Maybe Haruka and Michiru were right… maybe I should only do this with others around…'

Sipping her tea cautiously, Setsuna ponders the situation some more before giving into the desire to think about other things. She turns on the television and lets her mind focus on the shows and not the future…

The last week of school before the winter break passes by quickly, though not quickly enough for Makoto and Minako, who look forward to two things- talking to Setsuna on Friday and spending time with the other Inners on Saturday. They didn't have diversions like boyfriends to help keep their minds off the future… though the Inners with boyfriends did think about it as well. Surprisingly to some, it was Usagi who thought about it the most of the three and discussed her thoughts and feelings with Mamoru who did his best to help her out and figure out some kind of plan…

Despite having phone conversations with the other Outers everyday, it's Thursday afternoon before Setsuna has any real dealings with her friends. Hotaru stops by to see how she's doing… the pair share some tea and talk about what's going on…

“Michiru-mama says that you're not doing too good… she thinks those visions have more than cake to them…”

“You don't know the half of it…” is the reply back with a sigh. “It seems like every time I've looking into the future since then has shown me nothing…”

“Oh… that's not good. How could there be no future?” a curious Hotaru asks.

“I was looking at my own future the last few days… but all I felt was pain and saw nothing.”

“Oh…” that revelation startles the young woman. “Have you umm… looked at anyone else's future, like… mine?” she asks with some hesitancy.

“No… I haven't actually. I haven't been able to figure out the other vision I had when I was over last time… same goes for the cake vision.” Setsuna says while shaking her head sadly.

“I know… you could look into my future… and I'll be here to help you, in case something happens to you… you were out for a while last time. I have to know… what happens to me. You got me curious…” Hotaru says in an almost pleading manner. “Please tell me…”

Looking in her friend and fellow Senshi's eyes, she can see the desperation in her soul. `I guess I could… she has a right to know… and I have a feeling something's wrong, anyway. It wouldn't hurt to see how the others are doing…'

“Ahem…” Setsuna clears her throat. “Okay… let's do this. Be sure and keep and eye on me… I'm not sure if I can make it visible for you to see…”

“That's fine…” a happy Hotaru says with a nod.

Slowly, Pluto closes her eyes and focuses her thoughts on the future, this time thinking about Hotaru instead of herself. Dark clouds gather as she peers into the future…

“What the hell is this?”

Lightning bolts dance across the dark horizon and it takes a few moments for Setsuna to realize where she is.

“This is Saturn in front of me… but something's not right. I've never seen it look so…”

The glowing continues to increase and energy begins shooting out in all directions from the planet… with some of the beams nearly hitting Setsuna.

“What's wrong with this planet? And where's Hotaru?” she yells out, trying to increase her focus and get closer to the planet.

The pain increases as she moves closer and increases her focus. Unawares to her, the vision is slowly becoming visible in her garnet rod, allowing Hotaru to view what's going on.

After another minute or so, she sees a familiar sight, though something appears to be wrong with her.

“Hotaru! Hotaru!”

The future Hotaru Tomoe doesn't hear her friend's call but continues to cry, the tears falling like rain. She begins talking to herself…

“I can't take it anymore… I'm so lonely… there's nothing here for me and nothing is helping…”

“No! That's not true!” Pluto calls out to no avail.

“I'm… the Senshi of destruction… so…” Saturn raises her glaive up towards the sky, causing the lightning to increase to monumental proportions. “Time to end this…”

Pluto rushes forward and tries to stop her friend from doing the unspeakable. “NOOO! DON'T!”

With a quick slice, the glaive heads down towards the planet, causing a massive explosion moments later. The guardian of time is blown back with tremendous force into space by the shockwave of the exploding planet…

“NO! She's… she's… dead…”

As the remnants of the planet disperse into space, the vision fades. Tears flow from Setsuna's eyes as her room gradually becomes visible again. She's surprised to hear crying in the background…

“No! I don't want that future!” the young Saturn says before burying her head on her friends' shoulder. “That was… so horrible…”

After blinking a few times, Setsuna regains her bearings and notices that Hotaru is crying on her shoulder. “I know it was… I'm sorry you had to see that…”

“What happened? Why did I do that?” are the two main questions on Hotaru's mind as she tries to catch her breath and stop crying.

“I have no idea… no idea. All I saw was you in pain and…”

“What kind of future is that? I'd never do that!” Hotaru says, now turning her emotions into anger.

Lowering her voice to a calming tone, Setsuna tries to reason with her friend. “Hotaru… you know that anything I see is real… but it's not set in stone…”

“All I know is that I blew myself up!” Hotaru gets on her feet. “I'm not going to do that, ever! I don't care what that rod said!”

Setsuna is taken back how upset her friend is. `The way she is now… almost reminds me of the past… when she was Mistress Nine…'

Seeing only one way out of this conflict, the Senshi of time puts the Garnet rod down on the couch and walks towards Hotaru. The younger woman takes a step back… but stays in place after that- and soon finds herself in a hug…

“It's okay… I'm here for you…” Setsuna says softly. “We'll figure this out, okay? You're not going to die…”

“Really?” is the soft reply back.

In a near whisper, Setsuna answers the question, setting herself on a new path. "I won't let that happen to you."

“Thanks…”

Several minutes pass before either moves or says another word. The two very shaken Senshi take some time to rest before doing anything else… and when Hotaru is ready to go home, the elder Senshi walks her home, making sure that she'll be okay. Upon arriving back at Michiru and Haruka's apartment, the two part ways…

On the way back to her apartment and all the next day, Setsuna is thinking of a way to change the timeline, to prevent this tragedy from happening.

Later on Friday afternoon, Setsuna hears an energetic knock on the door and immediately knows who's there…

“Coming…”

Taking a few deep breaths, Setsuna prepares herself for what's to come. `Here goes nothing…'

End Part A.

Begin Part B.

Opening the door, the Senshi of time puts on her best face and tries to look happy. “Nice to see you two, come on in…”

“Thanks…” Makoto says as she walks in and takes off her shoes, Minako does the same.

“I brought something over for us to eat, I hope you like chocolate cake…” a grinning Makoto says while heading towards the kitchen.

“Of course…” Setsuna says before turning to close the front door. “Wait a second, did you say chocolate cake?”

“Yeah, I'm about to cut a slice for Minako right now… did you want a piece?”

Setsuna is silent for a moment, realizing the connection between the cake and her vision from earlier in the week. She carefully formulates a question as she turns and walks into the kitchen herself.

“Did you happen to make any cake this past weekend?”

“She sure did, it was the same exact cake as this one and it was delicious!” Minako says enthusiastically, answering the question before Makoto can say a word.

That question gets the brunette curious. “Same cake… but why do you ask?”

“I… had a vision of the future and I saw your cake… it was being cut…”

“Yes, that happened… but I wonder why your Garnet Rod would focus on our sleepover… it wasn't like anything big happened there… except…” Makoto's voice drops off. “Well, we did talk about the future, come to think of it…”

“That's why we're here; we need your help…” Minako says while tugging on the sleeve of Setsuna's shirt. “We need to know what happens to us in the future… especially when it comes to boys…”

Before Setsuna can say a single word, a cold gust of wind blows in through the now wide open front door, chilling the occupants inside.

“One second Minako…” the Senshi of Time says as she walks over to the door and closes it. “Normally I wouldn't grant such a request of a personal nature like that… it's not good to know too much about one's future… but recent events have caused me to think otherwise…”

“Oh…” the two young women exclaim, wondering what she means by that.

“Let's eat some of this cake first… and then I'll show you both what you want to see… I actually had some questions about you two myself…”

That response makes the pair even more curious about what's going to happen… and what's going on with Setsuna. All three take their time enjoying the chocolate cake that Makoto made and brought over and they engage in some small talk, though not too much is said- there's too much on all three women's minds.

Finally, almost thirty minutes later, it's time to begin. Setsuna has the two sit on the couch in front of her while she sits down and makes herself comfortable in a chair.

After standing the Garnet Rod upright, she closes her eyes and then instructs the other two teens to do the same. “Focus on the rod…”

“Okay…” is the common response back from both.

The rod starts to glow and shake slightly. Setsuna tries to focus on either Minako or Makoto's future separately but is unable to do so. `Hmm… maybe I should try to focus on all three of us together… I've felt a strong connection to both of the lately… like they're somehow involved with me in the future…'

“I'm going to try something else… just keep focused…” Setsuna says aloud as she changes her thoughts. Slowly, a vision begins forming, beginning with a heavy mist and the sounds of people's voices…

“Sounds like a party to me…” Minako says softly to herself.

“Hmm… this seems to be as far ahead as I can see… after all of our enemies are defeated…” Setsuna says, wondering what significance this scene has.

“That mist… it's beginning to clear…” Makoto says, noticing the thinning mist.

The vision suddenly becomes more focused and more emotional as the three begin to feel as well as see what's going on around them. As the details of this party become clearer, it's obvious that it's in the future, after the defeat of the Dark Moon armies. The two younger women try to focus more on the party itself while Setsuna keeps trying to look forward in her own future, to answer the question that's been nagging her so long… `Why can't I see my future? I can't see anything ahead of this party, not a year, not hundreds of years… why can't I? No one has the power to close the gates of time but me…'

Several people from Crystal Tokyo come and go in the scene and soon a familiar face makes an appearance.

“It's Queen Serenity…” Minako says softly.

A few moments later, King Endymion appears with Chibi-Usa walking in right behind him.

“Looks like the whole family's there…” Makoto comments aloud.

Setsuna says nothing but instead continues to look over the party, searching for clues. The future Jupiter and Venus appear, though the brunette seemed to be a little different then her usual self. Makoto suddenly begins feeling weak… and cannot help but feel angry as well.

A rush of feelings overwhelms Minako as the future Sailor Pluto makes her appearance and stands near Queen Serenity.

“Something's not right here… I'm feeling really angry right now…” the blonde says, beginning to get frightened about how realistic this vision actually is.

“Same here… and I feel weak for some reason…”

A cold chill runs down Setsuna's spine after hearing that, she feels the connection between them getting even stronger, like a decision point was about to be reached involving all three of them. Subtly, the future Venus and Jupiter move closer and closer to Pluto, who is distracted by Chibi-Usa… and then it happened…

Setsuna saw the fog rolling in just as the sword was pressed into Pluto's back... by Venus. A moment later, lightning fills the room and begins stunning the onlookers…

In that moment... the Senshi of time was too surprised to attack, to save herself... everything came to an end.

Utterly horrified by what just happened, Makoto cannot say a word, her jaw dropped and her mouth wide open in shock. Minako screams as the deaths continue, the future Jupiter and Venus are now fighting with the guests and even with the Queen…

Both teens are so transfixed on what's going on that they fail to notice that the real life Setsuna has passed out and is now slumped on her chair.

“This can't be… why are we killing all these people!” Minako screams out, tears in her eyes.

“No…” After a massive lightning attack, the future Jupiter collapses to the ground and is then summarily attacked in her weakened state by others… death doesn't take long.

“You ruined it all! Now Makoto's dead… just like the rest of them… I won't take this anymore!” Sailor Venus screamed before attacking with her sword and “Love-me chain”. Several more fall before her and she's about to make another charge when a barrage of roses pin her to the wall…

“Stop this now!” the future King cried out. “Have you gone mad?”

“No, it's you that's mad… you and your wife…” With much effort and pain, the Senshi of Love removes herself from the wall, blood running down her body and staining her clothes. “You'll pay for that!”

Charging forward, Sailor Venus intends to take out King Endymion, whom she also holds responsible for what's happened. Due to her weakened state, it's a mostly one sided battle that ends with a sword piercing the blonde through, putting an end to her struggles…

Both Minako and Makoto scream as the now dying Venus slumps to the ground and dies.

“I'm dead…” Minako says while trying not to tremble and cry.

“I killed people… and then was killed by the other party goers… what kind of future is this?” Makoto asks with fear and trepidation, her body trembling from the horrors it just witnessed. Tears flow from her eyes as she tries to come to grip with her own future… and impending death.

Slowly, the vision begins fading away as the two young women sob uncontrollably. The power of the rod begins diminishing and the vision soon fades away. It's several minutes before either woman opens their eyes… and when they do, they find an unconscious Setsuna, slumped in her chair…

After checking her vital signs, Makoto makes a pronouncement. “She's passed out… but otherwise seems to be okay…”

“Let's get her over on the couch…” Minako says before arranging the pillows on the couch. “I think she'll be safer there…”

After a few deep breaths, the two young women pick up Setsuna and carefully lay her down on the couch. Not sure of what to do next, the two silently look at her… and the Garnet Rod, which begins wobbling and eventually falls to the ground.

“What do we do now?” Minako asks aloud.

Remembering something from her examination a moment ago, Makoto has a partial answer. “Let's get some washcloths and soak them with some water… she has a temperature for one thing…”

“Good idea…”

The women quickly get some washcloths and soak them in water. After placing them on the unconscious Setsuna, the cooling affect begins to take hold. The Senshi of time opens her eyes and finds Makoto and Minako standing next to her, looking very concerned…

Her reflexes take hold and Setsuna's hands grab onto the couch tightly in fear…

“Are you okay?” Makoto asks softly in an effort to calm down her friend.

“You… killed me…” is about the Senshi of Time can say before closing her eyes. “What is going on here?”

A very distressed Minako responds to that question. “I didn't mean to! I swear, that looked like me… but it wasn't… it couldn't be… I'm not a killer…”

“Neither am I!” Makoto adds vehemently. “What was that… that… nightmare?”

Sitting up on the couch, Setsuna reveals the sad truth. “The Garnet Rod doesn't lie… that's going to happen…” She paused for a moment then looked into the eyes of her future killer, “In that future… you did k-kill me.”

Both women slump down next to Setsuna and exclaim… “No way…” as tears begin falling from their eyes.

“Something's not right here… I knew there was a problem when I couldn't see my own future… and now I know why. I looked at Hotaru's future… she blew up Saturn and herself… suicide…”

“Hotaru did that?” Makoto can't believe what she just heard.

“I can't believe that… sweet Hotaru destroyed her own planet?” Minako says, shaking her head in disbelief.

“I'm almost afraid to look into the future again… anyone's future. I'll have to discuss this with your group and the Outers… and figure out what's going on.”

“That's a good idea… why don't you call us this weekend… and let us know what you've found…” Makoto says softly. “I've gotta go home… and try to forget that nightmare…”

Minako agrees one hundred percent. “Me too…”

“You two go ahead… I'm sorry… I had no idea that was going to happen…” Setsuna says, doing her best to apologize.

“It's… not your fault…” Makoto says as she puts on her shoes.

Putting on her shoes rapidly, Minako feels a sudden urge to get away from her current location. “Call us, okay?”

“I promise I will…”

Waving “bye” to her fellow Senshi, Setsuna watches them leave and then closes her front door.

“I guess that saying is true… be careful what you wish for, you may get it. I wanted to see what my future held… and so did they. This is one messed up future we're dealing with here… and it gets worse and worse every single time I look at it. Damn it, what the hell happened? It wasn't this way before the Dark Moon invasion, so why is it like this after? There has to be some turning point, in the past, that caused this… or maybe there's several. Who knows?”

A loud sigh escapes Setsuna's lips as she heads over to her kitchen and pours herself some sake. “I need something to calm down…” she mutters while sipping the warm liquid. “That's better…”

“Umm… Setsuna…” a voice says from the front room… which startles her and nearly causes her to drop her drink.

“Hotaru? What are you doing here?”

“I… crept in after Minako and Makoto opened the door. I'm sorry…” the young woman says while bowing her head down. “I didn't mean to spy… but I had to see what the future held for them… and for you…”

Instead of feeling angry or annoyed, Setsuna takes a moment to think about the young woman's reasoning and then says softly- “You saw everything, didn't you?”

“Yes… it was one of the most horrible things I've ever witnessed… ever… it was so bloody… there was so much death and anger and pain… I couldn't help but feel it, even though I was almost four meters away…”

“It was too much… I passed out…”

“I noticed that… but I was too frightened to move…”

“It's okay, Hotaru, I'm fine now. I think we need to start taking this very seriously…”

“Yeah…”

A loud knock on the door interrupts their conversation. “Who's there?” Setsuna calls out… but gets no answer. Another knock is heard a moment later, followed by the sound of the door being opened…

Reaching for her Garnet Rod, Setsuna goes on the defensive. “Hotaru, get behind me…”

The younger Senshi quickly obeys and prepares to transform herself if necessary. A “click” is heard and the door swings wide open.

“It's been a while since I've been here…” a familiar voice calls out. Both Senshi inside watch as a woman walks into the apartment and begins looking around. Both Hotaru and Setsuna gasp…

“It can't be…” Setsuna exclaims. “I thought you were turned back…”

Hearing that, the intruder turns and looks at Setsuna and Hotaru. “Surprise!”

End Part B

Start Part C

Cautiously, Hotaru steps forward and takes a closer look at the pink-haired woman. “Is that… you, Chibi-Usa?”

A broad grin forms on the woman's face after hearing that…

“Yeah, it's me… though there's nothing really “chibi” about me anymore, especially up here…” is the reply back from the daughter of Usagi and Mamoru, who then places her hands on her chest, drawing attention to her well developed curves. “It's good to see you again Hotaru… and call me Usagi, okay?”

“Usagi!”

The two best friends give each other a hug and then Hotaru begins crying, unable to stop herself. “I'm so happy… that you're okay…”

Setsuna, who has been quiet, watches the reunion with joy, glad that the younger Usagi obviously survived that twisted future and made it back here.

“I'm sorry about earlier… you looked like the Black Lady with that hairstyle…” is the apologetic response from Pluto.

“It's fine… I did like the hairstyle… but not her attitude. That dress I was wearing when I was Black Lady was pretty sexy, though…” Gently, Usagi lets go of her friend and walks over to Setsuna. She gives the Senshi of time a hug and, being on the verge of tears ever since she saw these two, finally lets loose and begins crying. “Puu… I thought I'd never see you again… not after that massacre at the party…”

After hearing that, the Senshi of Time cannot help but tremble at the thought. “I… saw that just a little while ago… when Minako and Makoto were over here, asking about their futures.”

The mere mention of those two names causes Usagi to close her eyes. “I know… I was there, remember? That was pure… insanity… I'd never thought I'd see the day when we'd turn on each other… but then again, the future hadn't been right for a long time. Things went from bad to worse…”

“I see… but I haven't really investigated this further… it all started with a vision of cake from Makoto's sleepover last weekend…”

“That looked like one yummy cake!” Hotaru interjects, remembering that vision clearly.

“From her, I'd expect no less…” Usagi comments softly, remembering the old days when she was a kid and enjoy Makoto's cooking. “What else did you see?”

“The next thing I looked into was my own future, but all I saw was nothing. Hotaru here wanted to know what happened to her… so I showed her…”

“I nearly died inside… after hearing about that…” Usagi says sadly. “She was the first Senshi to…”

The pain of the memory causes Usagi to stop speaking. “Anyway… it was the beginning of the end… there was no silver lining in the future. My mother tried to do the best she could… but there were things wrong from the start, from the near future here. Events only accelerated… and then continued after the Great Freeze.”

“Usagi, how'd you get here? I mean, travel through time…” the ever curious Hotaru asks, not seeing any Time Key around her neck.

“Oh, it was easy… hold on…” After turning around, Usagi heads to the apartment entrance and picks up something off of the floor. “I used this…”

Holding up the Garnet Rod, Usagi explains how she got it. “I took it and hid it after Puu was killed… so no one else could go back and change time. I made it my mission to figure out a way to stop all of this… and keep everyone alive and good friends. With each death it only made my work more urgent…”

Setsuna watches as Usagi walks over with the rod. Both her and Hotaru gasp upon getting a better look at it…

“That's my Garnet Rod! What are those red stripes doing on it, though?”

Sadly, Usagi explains the difference between this rod and the one in Setsuna's possession now. “Puu… that's your blood…”

“Damn… that proves it beyond a shadow of a doubt…” Setsuna sighs aloud. “I'm going to die… and so is almost everyone else…”

Usagi nods her head. “That's right… and that's why I've come back- I want to stop this, even if it causes me never to exist. I'd rather see my friends happy and alive, no matter what the cost to me.”

“Usagi, what's your strategy? How can we stop this?” Hotaru asks, wondering what the first step is.

“I don't know… I think we need to gather more information first.” is Usagi's reply after a brief pause to think.

Nodding her head affirmatively, the Senshi of time agrees with her friend. “I agree… but I'm overwhelmed at the moment…”

“Me too… I'm happy because you're back… but I'm also horrified after seeing those two visions…” Hotaru says before taking a seat on the couch. “Why don't we relax for a little while first?”

“I like your thinking, Hotaru… and then maybe we can talk about your boyfriend…” Usagi says innocent though teasing matter.

Hotaru cannot help but blush. “What?”

The younger Usagi shrugs her shoulders. “I heard something from my mother a long time ago when we were talking about the past, so I'm just curious…”

“Hotaru, I had no idea you were dating someone. Michiru and Haruka never mentioned anything to me… and neither have you.” Setsuna says, wondering what's going on.

Twiddling her thumbs nervously, Hotaru reveals some more about her current situation to her friends. “I'm not… there's a few boys that I like… but I haven't asked anyone out yet. I'm still a little nervous about it, even though all the other girls my age seem to talk about boys all the time…”

The Senshi of Time makes an observation on that. “I would expect no less from sixteen and seventeen year olds in this day and age… or of any age…”

“Yeah…” is the almost inaudible reply back from Saturn. She cannot help but feel a little relieved after talking about this… the secret is out, at least with her closest friends. Turning to look at her friend from the future, Hotaru has a question to ask, since the topic of “age” has come up.

“Usagi… the last time I saw you, you were a lot shorter then me… but now you're almost as tall as Setsuna. How'd you grow up so fast? You look like an adult.”

“I was going to ask about that myself…” adds Setsuna. “You looked like you were about eleven or twelve in that vision I had of the party…”

“That sounds about right… after all of the dealings with Pegasus, I went back home. The war with the Black Moon had already come and gone… and the strained relationships started going from bad to worse after that. My mom tried to patch things up, but it was too late. Puu tried to help out, but…”

“There's no need to say anymore, we all saw what happened next.” Setsuna says grimly, being forced to think about her future death at the hands of Minako once again.

“It was at that point that I made a decision to come back to the past and fix things, when I was strong enough and old enough. I trained in private, learning martial arts and improving on my own attacks. It wasn't long before I figured out how to attack with the Garnet Rod, too… and to use its energy. It would've taken a long time for me to go from a girl of twelve by today's standards to a woman of twenty-one that you see now…”

Setsuna considers that and remembers her prior experiences with that future. “From what I remember of the future, I'd agree. I'm surprised it worked for you, though… I've never seen anyone else be able to use it before…”

“You're still a part of the rod… the blood became those red stripes… that's probably why I can use it…” Usagi says, remarking on the barber shop shaped strip going up the length of the rod.

“So you used the rod to make yourself older?” Hotaru wonder aloud.

“Yeah, though once I figured out how to manipulate the flow of temporal energy, I had to be careful. I know my mom or dad would've stopped me, despite their guilt about what had happened. They were a little shocked at first when a month later I started growing out of my clothes…” A small giggle escapes the former Chibi-Usa's lips as she recalls that first conversation with her mom. “She said that I was finally becoming a real woman and I got some of my first real bras, she was happy for her little princess. It wasn't long before it was time to order clothes again…”

Setsuna pictures the future Queen talking to her daughter as described and smiles. “I could see her doing that… but how long did it take you to go from twelve to twenty-one? And how did you explain away this sudden aging, I mean, I'd be wondering what was going on…”

“About nine months, so about one year per month. I didn't want to make it any slower… stuff kept getting worse and worse and I felt the need to get back to the past grow stronger with each passing day. The pace felt right… I tried making it faster but the rod wouldn't do it… I wasn't ready to make that jump, I guess…”

“That sounds right… the Rod won't let me do things that are harmful to myself, especially when it comes to the flow of time. I guess it accepted you as it's new owner somehow, you are here…”

“Yeah… I am. I'm so glad to be out of that hell…” Usagi says softly. “I never got to enjoy being a teenager, learning about life and love. By the time I was used to being thirteen, I had already grown into a fourteen year old. Same with fourteen, and fifteen…”

“I don't know how you handled that… skipping all those years…” Hotaru says sadly. “I'm glad I got a chance to live again, thanks to your mother. This last year especially has been wonderful! No enemies, no fighting… I got a chance to learn how to be a teenager, to be a woman and to have fun.”

“I'm happy for you, Hotaru… I didn't like skipping forward through time like that, but it had to be done. After three months in a row of my rapid aging, they really began to get concerned. They took me to a doctor… but he found nothing wrong with me. He just told them that it was “my time to become a woman” and they accepted that.”

“So that's what they did, I'm surprised they let it drop so quickly…” Setsuna says after hearing more of the story.

“It did take some getting used to… my training became easier as I got older in some ways, I kept getting taller and my muscles developed more. There were downsides, too… I wasn't a “little pipsqueak” anymore, I had to act more and more like an adult. It was harder to sneak around, to hide… I was a lot more obvious, especially since I was some of the only happiness left in my parent's lives.”

Silence fills the room after that statement and no one talks. Both Hotaru and Setsuna take a moment to try and comprehend the full scope of what they've just heard while Usagi heads over to the fridge and starts rummaging through it…

“What are you looking for?” a curious Pluto asks.

“Something to drink… it's been a long day… ah ha!”

Finding the bottle of sake, Usagi eagerly grabs it and places it on the counter, then closes the door. It isn't long before she finds a saucer in the cabinet and pours herself a drink…

Shocked at what she's seeing her future friend doing, Setsuna cannot help but ask. “You drink?”

After downing the whole saucer at once, Usagi nods her head and winks. “Of course, I'm twenty one after all, I'm legal.”

Putting the sake down on the counter, Usagi decides to tease her friend a little and lighten the mood. She walks over to her friend and begins nudging her in the ribs…

“Puu, I never knew you drank…”

“It's hard for me to picture you drinking…” is the reply back before Setsuna begins to “fight” back and nudge Usagi.

“Me too… I keep thinking about the old days and the old Chibi-Usa…” Saturn says softly.

Having had enough of the nudging, Usagi stops and then sighs aloud. “I miss the old days, too. I'm still not used to being an adult… you should've heard how many guys were whistling at me while I was walking down the street…”

“And you were worried about me and boys!” Hotaru says, teasing her friend. “You look very pretty in that outfit.”

“Thanks, I like it, too. Some high heels, a full length pink skirt and a pink button-down shirt… plus my alter ego's hairstyle- it's modest but still shows off my body. Maybe I can help you dress up for whatever boy you're interested in…”

“Sure!” is the gleeful response back while Setsuna rolls her eyes. Usagi notices this and smiles. “Maybe I could find a man for you, too…”

Shocked by that, the Senshi of Time can only utter one word. “Me?”

The pink-haired tease comes right to the point. “I've come back to help everyone stay happy and change the future… I think you need a man, Puu…”

Setsuna cannot help but say ”What?” before stopping to full realize what she's saying. `I've never really thought about it before… I'm always alone, watching the gates of time. Am I destined just to have friends… but no mate? I wonder…'

“Honestly, I've never really thought about it before… I think your rebellious attitude is catching…”

“After you've seen what I've seen… you can't help but have an attitude…” Usagi says back in her own defense. “There's a lot more then what you just viewed in the visions so far… but I think you two have been traumatized enough for one day…”

“You can say that again… but we're not going to let that happen. We've got a friend back… who can help us change things.” Hotaru says with a smile.

Setsuna gives Usagi a big hug. “Thanks for coming back… I know we'll need your help…”

“Anything for my friends, you know that, Puu…”

After a brief discussion, it's agreed that for now, anyway, knowledge of what's happened in these visions should be kept on the “down low”… the three already know that some panic will arise from what Minako and Makoto saw, since they'll be telling the other inners.

“I don't want everyone to go crazy, so I think Hotaru should keep silent as well…” Usagi says to her friend before turning to get another saucer of sake.

“I don't like keeping things from Michiru-mama and Haruka-papa but… I think Usagi's right…” is the reply back from Hotaru, who feels a little reluctant to lie to her “parents”.

“You have a point- we don't need anymore chaos that what's already been created by my looking into the future. Hotaru, call home and tell them you're staying here tonight. I think we need to make a game plan and figure out what to do and how to get started…”

Having some additional thoughts about it, Hotaru adds her own twist to the story. “Okay… it'll be a sleepover!”

“Good thinking…” Usagi says with a grin. “And it'll be the truth…”

While Hotaru makes the phone call, the other two are silent. Once the call is done and Hotaru reports in about the “Yes” answer, things become a little more jovial.

“Have another drink with me, Puu… to celebrate my return…”

Taking the sake, Setsuna pours her friend a drink. “Since when did you become a drunk?” she says playfully.

After downing the sake, Usagi retorts back: “I'm not a drunk…” before pouring Setsuna a round. “You need to loosen up, Puu… you're so serious all the time, at least, you were when I knew you…”

“I'm not saying I agree with that… but after what I saw today, I'll take that drink…”

Hotaru watches her friend down the sake and then say “Better make it two…” while shaking her head. “I said this was a sleepover… not a…”

“But we're having so much fun!” Usagi protests while trying to stop a red blush from forming on her face.

Setsuna sees an opportunity to tease her friend and takes it. “Hotaru… that's why you shouldn't drink too much… you'll get to be like our drunk little friend here…”

Usagi is not amused but smiles anyways. “See, I knew you could be funny…”

“Ha ha…” Setsuna says, not amused by the return comment.

“I'm not little anymore, either… I've already told you that. The little girl is long gone… and so is my innocence…” Usagi says, becoming suddenly very sober with her last words and thoughts. “I'm a woman now… for better or for worse…”

The other two silently agree with their friend… the silence is broken by the sound of a stomach growling…

“Sounds like someone's hungry…” Hotaru says while staring at the culprit.

“You're right… I haven't eaten since I got here a couple hours ago. I was touring the “old” Tokyo before I came here… including Tokyo Tower…”

“Don't forget ignoring all of the boys… you did say they were whistling at you…” a teasing Hotaru adds.

“That too…”

Setsuna has a solution to the “dinner” problem. “I know a good Thai place… I'll order some for us and have it delivered. Maybe some more sake… you drank the last of my stock…”

Lowering her head, Usagi apologizes to her friend. “Sorry Puu…”

Reaching for a menu, the Senshi of Time prepares to make the order. “It's okay… it's been a rough day to say the least. I don't blame you for wanting a drink…”

“Thanks…”

“Now, what does everyone want to eat? I'm buying…”

A hungry Hotaru likes what she hears. “Sounds good… let's see what they have to eat…”

After deciding on their dishes, Setsuna places the order and it isn't long before the food arrives. The three try to have a “normal” dinner and forget about what they saw earlier, even if it's just for the night.

By the time dinner's done, both bottles of sake are gone and both Usagi and Setsuna are feeling very “relaxed”, a red blush covers both woman's cheeks.

“You two shouldn't have had so much to drink…”

“We're fine Hotaru, don't worry…” Usagi says with a wink.

“If you say so… I don't know how you could drink that stuff, though… that little taste you gave me of your drink tasted awful…”

“Sometimes certain things are an acquired taste…” Setsuna says while cleaning up the kitchen table. “You're too young to be drinking anyway…”

Hotaru shrugs her shoulders and agrees, feeling like she's not really missing anything. She has an idea… this is supposed to be a sleepover after all…

“Why don't we all watch some TV together in the front room here…”

“Good idea, I'll go get my extra futons and we'll sleep out here…”

As Setsuna gets the necessary things, Usagi realizes that something else is missing in this sleepover.

“Hotaru, do you have pajamas here? I only have the clothes on my back…”

“I forgot about that… I don't have anything either…” Hotaru says, realizing that she totally forgot about that aspect of the sleepover.

“Puu…” Usagi calls out. “We need some pajamas…”

“Come into my room…” is the reply back. “I'm sure I've got something for you two to wear…”

The two women head into Setsuna's bedroom and find her wearing an outfit they've never seen before.

“That's so pretty…” Hotaru says, admiring her friend's black silk pajamas.

“I was out shopping and picked this up… it feels nice… and for some reason, I'm in the mood to wear it…”

Usagi agrees with Hotaru's comment a moment ago. “You look great, Puu… that's very elegant.”

Appreciating the comments, Setsuna happily nods her head. “Thanks…”

“You said that you had something for us to wear, too… do you have anymore pajamas like that?” a curious and hopeful Hotaru asks.

“I'm sorry… I didn't know that Usagi was coming… or that this was going to happen, so no… but, I do have some sweatpants and shirts you two could wear. It's a little cold in the apartment, I don't want you two to get sick or anything…”

Pluto opens up her closet door and immediately Usagi begins looking through the shirts on the hangars…

“Sounds good… ooh, pink!” she says, finding one that suits her almost immediately.

It isn't long before Hotaru sees something that she likes as well. “Pass me that purple one, please…”

“Sure…” Usagi takes both shirts off the hangars and then closes the door. “Now we need the sweatpants…”

After open one of her bottom drawers, Setsuna hands the pair what they need “Here you go…”

“Thanks…” is the reply from both before they undress and put on their new sleepwear.

After changing, Usagi notices a full-length mirror in the corner of the room and walks towards it, motioning the other two to join her in front of it.

“What do you think, are these the faces of the three women that can change the future?” she asks of her friends as they look into the mirror.

“Yeah! I'm not going to blow myself up, no matter what!” is the enthusiastic reply from Hotaru.

“And I'm not going to get stabbed… or let anyone else die…” Setsuna says softly, not wanting to think about those events any more then she has to before going to bed.

“I'm going to save all my friends… and the future, even if it costs me my life. It's time to make a change!” Usagi says enthusiastically.

After a few moments of quiet determination, each woman vows in her heart to stop the supposed future of death and destruction. The three head back to the front room and make themselves comfortable in their futons while watching TV. During the first program, Usagi heads to the kitchen to grab a snack while Hotaru stretches her arms towards the ceiling and yawns…

“Someone's tired…”

“Yeah, it's been a long day.” Looking down at the oversized shirt and the extra long sleeves, the Senshi of Saturn cannot help but comment on her situation. “I feel like I'm drowning in your shirt…”

“That's all I have… I'm sorry if it doesn't fit properly…”

“Just wait a few years and… woah…”

“Watch your step…” Setsuna says to Usagi, who nearly tripped and fell in the darkened room.

“Sorry about that…” Usagi then sits down on her futon and begins eating the ice cream she nearly dropped just a moment ago. “My balance is off…”

“I think it's from the alcohol…” is the quick reply from Hotaru.

“No, it's not. I'm just not used to these yet…”

“Used to what?” Setsuna asks, wondering what she means.

“My boobs… I went from having none to having these big ones in less then nine months… just how do you keep balanced, Puu? You fill out that shirt as well as I do…”

Not believing what she's hearing, Setsuna just rolls her eyes. “I guess you didn't have time to adjust… all I can suggest is just watching your step and don't bend over too much in any direction, especially forward… until you're used to your new body.”

“That sounds like it'd work…” Usagi notices that Hotaru has begun giggling for some reason and she wants to know why.

“Is something funny?”

“I just remembered something… about your mother. She is a bit of a klutz, maybe it's in your genes to be off balance…”

Setsuna grins and tries not to laugh… Usagi is not amused in the slightest.

“I'm not like my mom! I'm elegant and dainty… I was the “Small Lady” after all. Maybe I lost that when I skipped my childhood…”

“That could be…” Setsuna says, nodding in agreement. “You've done something that no one's done before, age with temporal energy from my rod. Who knows what the full range of consequences is?”

Softly sighing, Usagi voices her agreement with that statement. “Yeah…”

Trying to cheer her friend up, Hotaru offers some encouraging words. “You'll be fine, Usagi… I just know it…”

“I hope so…”

The three go back to watching TV and relaxing… during a commercial Usagi has a witty retort for Hotaru's “klutz” comment earlier.

“Hotaru, enjoy it while you can…”

“Enjoy what?” is the confused reply back.

Dodging that question for the moment, Usagi asks a question of Setsuna. “Puu, did you ever show Hotaru here what Mistress Nine looked like?”

“Hmm… no, I never did. I think Hotaru has a few memories of her time as that villain, like you do of Black Lady…”

“I see…” Usagi says while trying to figure out her next reply.

“I think I remember what I looked like as her…” Hotaru says while conjuring up the memory.

“Think about it- you may have your own “Balance problems” soon…” Usagi says with a large grin.

“That's bad, Usagi…” Setsuna says, not believing how truly “adult” the former Chibi-Usa had become- it was more then just her body that aged, her mind and attitude were that of an adult, not a child.

Hotaru blushes after realizing what her friend means. “That's mean! I like my body the way it is now…”

“Your still a teen, Hotaru… Usagi is right. You can keep the shirt… it'll fit you just fine in a year or two…”

After being double teamed like that, Hotaru only sees one way out. “Prepare for my wrath…”

“Huh?” is the common reply from the other two before each gets hit in the face with a pillow, courtesy of the Senshi of Destruction. “Pillow attack of Destruction!”

Grabbing the nearest pillow of her own, Usagi prepares for battle. “I'll show you a pillow attack of destruction…”

Much to the surprise of Hotaru and Usagi, Setsuna also wants to join the pillow fight. “Time for a “Deadly Pillow Scream”, Hotaru… I hope you're ready…”

“This pillow glaive can destroy the world, you know…” Hotaru says back, continuing the theme and playing along.

“Then we'll have to stop you…”

Taking a defensive posture, Hotaru boldly taunts her “foes”. “You can try…”

After Hotaru's comment, the pillow fighting begins in earnest. The two older women double team Hotaru for a while before it turns into a total free for all for several minutes… the three are having so much fun that they forget, at least temporarily, why Usagi has come back from the future. The bonds of friendship strengthen as the pillow fight comes to an end…

“That was fun!” Hotaru says happily. “I told you to watch out for the Pillow Glaive, but you two didn't listen…”

“I guess not… but YOU two got a little of my “Deadly Pillow Scream”…” Setsuna says proudly.

“Same from me… I do know all your moves, Puu. That was fun… I haven't had fun like this... or... or felt this happy in a long time." The girl said smiling brightly with tears forming in her eyes. "Thank you both…”

“Anything for my friends…” is Hotaru's happy reply back.

Worn out by the pillow fight, the three women decide to turn in for the night and talk more in the morning. It's not a peaceful night for any of them, nightmares haunt all three women as they sleep but Usagi's is the worst. Memories of her former boyfriend and how he met his death trouble her as she recalls how she started on her new mission…

“No, no… don't die! How could you do this to me?” Chibi-Usa says after letting the dead body slump to the ground.

“Rei... do you hate me?”

“Hate you? No I don't hate you... I loath you... I detest you... I cannot stand you! Your royal bitch of a mother took Mamoru away from me... just because "she" was the princess... and "she" was going to be the queen someday while I had to sit back and watch as she took the man of my dreams! She took him... married him and had a damn child with him and then she has the gall to ask ME to watch over her daughter for her! NO I don't hate you... I wish you were never alive!”

The words cause more pain then almost any attack the Senshi of fire could inflict on Chibi-Usa and she backs off slowly as Mars prepares for a Flame Sniper attack to finish off the pink-haired girl…

“No, please, don't do it, don't kill me… REI!”

Hotaru and Setsuna are suddenly awakened by a scream from Usagi. The two immediately wake up and look at their friend, who's breathing heavily and sweating.

“Usagi, are you okay?” Hotaru asks, being very concerned for her friend.

“I… I… think so. I was just having a nightmare… I'll be fine…” is the reply back from the pink-haired woman.

“Are you sure? You sounded pretty frightened…” Setsuna says, feeling very worried about her friend.

“I've seen a lot in the past year or so… lots of tragedy… I guess I can't help but think about it, even when I'm sleeping.”

“We're here… if you need us…” Setsuna says while adjusting her blanket.

“Okay… I'll let you know. I think we all need some sleep, though… I'll be fine, trust me…” Usagi closes her eyes again and prays for a better dream this time.

After watching Usagi fall asleep, Hotaru and Setsuna also go to sleep, satisfied that their friend is going to be okay… hopefully…

The days' events take their effects during the night on two other women, Minako and Makoto. Minako has terrible nightmares about killing Pluto and other people at that party and ends up unconsciously reaching for Artemis, who had been sleeping next to her, and using him as something to cry on…

Makoto has no so luxury and uses her pillow instead, grappling it tightly as she ponders
”Why?”

To be continued in Chapter 5: Revelations

Look for more Sailor Moon from me in the future, let me know what you think of this very unique chapter.