Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ Lost in the Sea of Serenity: An Altered Destiny ❯ Prologue

Lost in the Sea of Serenity: An Altered Destiny

By: Moonlit_Angel

Contact me at: silverserenity0905@yahoo.com

 

 

Boredom. A normal human emotion, fueled by the want to do something or witness something more interesting to satisfy a human's needs, wants, and desires. Well, at least for the time being. Boredom can easily be transformed into interest, as soon as an event or thought occurs within the head of an individual to deviate them from the mindset of the ever-present feeling of having nothing to do. Boredom can also stem from the fleeting enjoyment of duties set before an individual. Spontaneity is needed in one's life to keep an individual alert, active, and helps them maintain interest in their tasks at hand. Normal human beings would normally try their best to find something, *anything* to take their minds off of whatever began to bore them in the first place. Normal humans would rejoice in their newfound interest, and after fulfilling their desire for excitement, return to the responsibilities previously forgotten in their bout of exhilaration. Yes, normal human beings could easily find something to alleviate their minds from a tedious task, humans…not goddesses.

Atropos sighed in utter boredom as she stared down at the image in front of her. The image was of Earth, and all her children going about their daily lives, bustling trying to achieve goals and live the lives that they believed that they were destined to live. Atropos rolled her eyes as she thought of the never ending cycle that was considered human life: waking in the morning, going to places called schools and jobs, coming home, socializing, trying to `find their place in society', and finally resting at the end of the day, just to wake in the morning and doing it all over again. It was always the same. Through countless millennia, it was ALWAYS the same, and Atropos thought that it was tremendously boring. How she wished she could just flick her wrist and end the annoyingly repetitive lives of all the humans on Earth, but that just was not allowed, and her sisters would ultimately pop a blood vessel.

Do not think Atropos evil in any way, maybe a bit sadistic at times, but not evil. As afore mentioned, she is a goddess. She and her two sisters, Clotho and Lachesis make up the legendary Fates. These three beautiful, immortal women along with their pupil Destiny control the lives of all beings across the galaxy. Each sister has their own part of time to control, and their own respective personalities that tend to make things pretty…interesting in their piece of the galaxy. Well, at least Clotho and Lachesis thought it was interesting.

Lachesis is the goddess of the past. Her beauty is unmistakable. With her pale skin, she seems to glow with the radiance of a thousand stars. Her blue gray eyes shine bright from behind black wire rimmed glasses, with an infinite wisdom of the workings of the universe, and her cascading silver blond locks forever remain in one long braid down her back. Yes, she is exceedingly beautiful, but incredibly reserved, which makes her the perfect one to measure the thread of life, in accordance to what events have already occurred. Though she is the middle child, she is often the voice of reason of the trio. Mysterious in stature, she most often has to separate Clotho and Atropos, who constantly bicker. Clotho often comes to her for advice on how to handle her charges, since many of their actions are stemmed from the past. Lachesis presents herself as being the most knowledgeable, but whether she is or not is highly debated among the three.

Clotho is the youngest of the three, and loves her role as being goddess of the present. The most flamboyant of the three, Clotho adores the fact that so many things are constantly changing within her realm of dominance. She often changes her appearance to try and match the times of her realm. At the moment, she donned bright red hair that stood as a startling contrast to her beautifully smooth, pale skin. Her glorious green eyes shone with a gold tint that always held a hint of amusement. Clotho loves to spin the course of a mortal's life on her spindle, taking pride in its many twists and turns. She believes the actions of the beings of the universe are incredibly amusing, especially the beings of Earth. Known for being a trickster and fun loving, she seems to always clash with her eldest and at times moody sister Atropos. They always seem to bump heads on one issue or another.

Atropos, the eldest could also be considered to be the most beautiful. She had looks that were forever changing, as the beings that resided in her realm of dominance often changed with regards to Clotho's realm. Because of this fact, her features were often switching, like an artist forever brainstorming on a blank slate. Her long brunette hair would often switch to every shade imaginable: various shades of blues, greens, and reds often graced her head, making her calve length hair even more beautiful. Her eyes that switched from blue to black to gold on a regular basis, always held a slight mischievous glint, and her cheery lips were always upturned into a cocky little smirk. Though she was the smallest in stature, she moved with an air of superiority, and Clotho hated it. In contrast to the other two, Atropos tended to dislike her job. She has never shirked her duties, but she has always wanted something more interesting to happen. She wanted to have complete control over the beings lives, but unfortunately, she had to share this duty with her sisters. Much to her delight, she is the one who decides when a mortal's life has reached it end, and with a flick of her wrist, she can easily cut their thread of life. So, one can guess what may happen if Atropos ever got too bored with an individual.

Atropos sighed again as she watched the mortals go about their daily lives. “How can these mortals go about in the same way from dawn `til dusk and not want to die from boredom?” she asked herself. She desperately wanted to do something to change the pace of things. She smirked deviously as she wondered what would happen if she decided to tamper with Clotho's realm and kill off a couple of humans. Then, things in her realm would change, and she could possibly get some things started.

Looking around their cloud filled residence, she got up and headed over to Clotho's looking portal to Earth, her long white robe flowing behind her. With a wave of her hand, the clouds separated, revealing a young man of Earth, around 20 or 21, riding his motorcycle down some busy street in some part of the world. Atropos really didn't care about the region; she just wanted to wreck havoc.

With a small smile, she pondered aloud, “Hmmm, I wonder what might happen if his life was to end right now? Would there be terrible suffering?”

With a flick of her wrist, her golden shears with what she cut the thread of life appeared in her hand. Closing her eyes, she whispered the ancient incantation that all three sisters had memorized. Instantly, little threads of life appeared around the cloud-covered realm. There were thousands of them, millions, an insurmountable number of threads. Many of them were mainly white, which made them hard to see amongst the clouds, but to Atropos' trained eye, they stood out like a sore thumb. Quickly, Atropos scanned the threads for the particular young man's, and found it instantly without major hassle. Just as she was about to cut the thread, her sister Clotho materialized in the realm, distracting Atropos. Just as soon as the threads appeared, they vanished and left a very unhappy Atropos in its wake.

“Sister,” Clotho innocently began as she sauntered up to her sister, her white robes trailing in her wake. “What on Olympia are you doing?” Atropos sneered slightly as she quickly willed her shears away. [Damn you Clotho], she sneered. [You always mess with my fun].

“Dear sister,” Atropos said as she strode away from the portal, quickly covering it once again with the clouds, “I was just watching over the progress of your realm. I had to make sure that everything was in order so that everything in my realm functioned properly.”

Clotho narrowed her eyes as she studied her sister. It was obvious that she did not believe a word that she said. Clotho knew that Atropos liked to meddle with her realm whenever she became bored with hers. Often, she would catch her pulling some kind of stunt, which seemed to liven up her futuristic realm. Sometimes, she just could not reach her in time to stop her meddling, but those times often turned out for the best anyway. Clotho decided to play along though, to see exactly where this would lead.

“Oh, Atropos? Is that all?” Clotho drawled as she conjured a chaise lounge of clouds and draped herself over it. Atropos' eyes narrowed at her sister's tone. She knew that she was toying with her.

“Yes, that is all Clotho. Is there anything else that it could have been?”

Clotho smiled slightly as she absentmindedly twirled a strand of hair around her finger. “Oh, I don't know,” she said. “It just looked like you were interfering with all of my hard work in preserving the precious lives of my mortals.” Clotho's eyes narrowed. “Again.” A flash of anger washed over Atropos' face, but she quickly erased it and in its place, she held a snobbish air.

“Oh, quit your whining Clotho,” Atropos said as she sauntered over to her own portal. “I cannot help that your own humans are bored with their own existence. After all, can you really blame them, with looking at whom the mistress of their present lives is?” Clothos silently fumed at her sister. She got up hastily and silently marched over to Atropos, looking her square in the eye. Atropos did not falter at all, in fact her smirk seemed to widen as she saw her sister's distress.

“As I recall *sister*,” Clotho began, “If it were not for the happenings of my realm, *your* pathetic realm would cease to exist. No present, no future, no *anything*.” Atropos seemed to size her sister up at this point. She snorted softly and dismissed her, turning towards her own portal of the future.

“That may be true, Clotho my dear,” said Atropos as she gazed onto her domain, “But I can easily send a being from my realm to yours to disrupt things if I so. . . please. . .hmmm,” As Atropos finished her statement, a slow smile crept along her face. [Now there is an idea], she thought to herself.

Clotho went pale as she recognized the devious grin on her sister's face. The last time she had that look, some poor kid in New England almost ended up being his own grandfather.

Clotho stalked up to her sister and firmly grabbed her wrist. Atropos sneered up at Clotho, highly disgusted that she even thought to touch her in such a rough way. “Would you kindly let go of me, my sister?” Atropos managed through clenched teeth. Clotho ignored the imminent threat that was sure to come from her temperamental sister and said, “Don't you even DARE Atropos. You will not, I repeat, will NOT, disrupt the continuum just for your amusement.” Atropos scoffed as she snatched her hand away. “And just who are you to stop me, *little* sister. I may do as I please.” She turned towards her portal once again. “Besides, it is we whom control their lives, we whom decide their fate. If I choose to make a minor adjustment, then so be it.” Clotho was just about to counter with an angry retort when a soft voice stopped her.

“Now what would mother think if you were to disrupt the continuum entirely for your pleasure and not the will of the greater Gods and deities Atropos?”

The two women turned to their left and saw that their sister Lachesis had materialized as the two were bickering. Lachesis strode up to her two siblings and laid a comforting hand on their shoulders, smiling softly.

“We all know our responsibilities over our domain. It is not just a hobby that we pick up then and again. This is our soul duty as was entrusted onto us by the greater Powers that Be. To disrupt their great plans would be a great dishonor to--” Lachesis stopped as she noticed Atropos silently mocking her words. She dropped her hands and narrowed her eyes. Atropos felt her stare and blushed slightly. “Honestly Atropos,” Lachesis scolded as she folded her arms and headed to the bronze and iron table that held their archives of everything that has ever happened. “The way you behave, it is very hard to believe that you are the eldest of we three.” Atropos mumbled something under her breath that Lachesis did not catch, as she and Clotho followed their sister who sings of the past.

At the Archive of the Bronze Table, Lachesis stood and closed her eyes, holding her arms at least five centimeters above it. Very quietly, she began to murmur the incantations to awaken the scenes of the past, present, and the determined future. The Archive of the Bronze Table has been in the hands of the Fates since The Beginning. It has in its records everything that has ever happened, is happening, or will happen in any given mortal's life. When the scenes of the table are put together, it is said that it tells the story of the Earth itself. The three sisters hold the table very dear to them, as it is the culmination of all of the dedication that they have shown throughout the millennia. Each sister often gazes upon the table for assistance as to what to plan next in the lives of the mortals, or they will use the table to just reflect, and make sure all is as it should be. If, in the rare occurrence a mistake were found on the table…well, drastic measure would have to occur because inevitable doom would surely follow.

As Lachesis chanted, the table illuminated with a soft gold glow, and one by one, small, translucent scenes appeared before the sisters. The millions of scenes swarmed around them, filling every possible space in their abode. The scenes showed all of the different beings of Earth, and exactly what they were doing at the present moment, what they had done in their past, and what they will presumably do in the future.

Clotho sighed with content as she gazed at the beings that dominated her realm, and cooed ever so often at the mortals she was more fond of. Atropos saw this and rolled her eyes, but she too gazed at the scenes before her. Even though she thought that her realm was excessively boring right now, even she had to admit that she had enjoyed some of her workings in previous years. Lachesis smiled that trademark melancholy smile of hers and gazed upon her creations. “Sister,” she said, addressing Atropos, “How could you ever think of disrupting the continuum of these glorious beings' lives? Do you not see what progress we have made?” As she spoke, a small scene caught her eye of a bomb going off in the Asian region of Earth. Her eye twitched as she considered that scene.

“Or lack thereof.”

Atropos sighed dramatically and put her hands on her hips, drawing the attentions of the other two. “This is true sister, but even you have to admit that these mortals really live BORING lives. And anything remotely exciting only occurs once in a millennia.”

“That is not entirely true Atropos,” Clotho countered. She walked to the western side of The Fates' abode and looked upon a few specific scenes. The scenes showed a group of young women and men that seemed to be enjoying each other's company. These were no ordinary individuals, however. In the scene of the present, the group seemed to be enjoying themselves at an amusement park. In a past scene, an immense battle was raging, with the group valiantly fighting against horrors that one would only see in nightmares, using super human abilities that mere mortals could only dream of. In a futuristic scene, the group was in the midst of a city made of pure crystal, living their lives to their hearts content. These individuals were no strangers to the Fates. In fact, they could easily be crowned the favorites of the three.

With a wave of her hand, Clotho brought the scenes into a much clearer focus. Now the sisters could distinctly see the group of nine young women and two men hanging out together as normal friends would. No one could mistake the bright blond girl with the strange hairstyle that seemed to hold most of the attention.

“Ah,” Lachesis said in appreciation. “The Sailor Senshi.” Even Atropos had to smile at Clotho's realization. It was true, whenever the Sailor Senshi were around, there was never a dull moment. Atropos loved to plan how their future would turn out; it always led to some extremely interesting results. The Senshi even managed to get one or two over on her, especially when they traveled through time from Clotho's present realm to her future one.

“Yes, the Sailor Senshi,” Clotho replied, her voice full of pride. She turned to Atropos with inquiring eyes. “Surely sister, you cannot say that the lives that the Powers that Be have mapped out for these beings is anything less than miraculous?” Atropos walked over and stood beside Clotho. Her smirk returned as she watched the meatball haired blond fall on her face. . .again. “No sister, I can honestly say that I cannot. These beings have effectively kept me on my toes for some time now.” Atropos' smirk slowly faded as she continued. “Though interesting they may normally be, as of late, they too have begun to bore me. Their lives have remained too. . .quiet. Too normal.”

Lachesis whirled around at her sister's words, her eyes wide. “But Atropos! Can you honestly say that they do not *deserve* this leisure time? What with all that they have been through? All they have done? Surely you cannot want them to constantly engage in battle for the rest of their lives?!” Before Atropos could answer, Lachesis instantly called upon the threads of life for the Sailor Senshi. Gesturing towards their respective threads, she exclaimed, “Look at how LONG these beings have to live!!”

Sure enough, the thread of life of each Sailor Senshi was very different than those of a normal human. Representative of the color of their guardian planets, the threads stretched beyond the confines of the Fates' dwelling, ending beyond the sisters' line of vision. Each thread also had an ethereal glow about them, signifying the Senshi's slight immortality. This was to ensure the safety of the world for as long as possible. The durability of the threads was also different from a normal human's, though they were not invincible. Atropos knew this to be a fact. She had figured it out on one of her more cruel days. It had taken all three sisters and a little help from the Gods and Goddesses on Olympus to fix that one.

Atropos sighed slightly as she gazed at the threads before her. Of course she didn't want the Senshi to engage in constant battle for the rest of their lives. No one deserved that fate. Besides, the Senshi had done so much for humanity that CONSTANT battles would be cruel. That would be increasingly dull anyway. Now, if the tides would tip in either sides favor now and then. . . she tried not to think about it. Those kinds of thoughts often got her into trouble anyway. How she constantly got into trouble as the eldest sister was beyond her.

“No, Lachesis,” Atropos answered her sister. “I do not expect them to fight for the rest of their lives.” She uncharacteristically stomped her foot in childlike frustration. “But this peace has gone on for so long! I need excitement!”

“But it is not your life to live, Atropos,” Clotho said as she watched the viewing portals.

Lachesis nodded at her sister's truth. “Clotho is right, Atropos. It is not your life.” Lachesis spread her hands, concentrating, and called upon a picture of a beautiful woman. A simple look upon the picture would show that the woman was not just any woman. Even in a picture, the woman had an ethereal glow about her, illuminating her for the goddess that she was. Her honey golden hair framed her slightly tanned face in an abundance of curls. Her chestnut eyes that shone through the curls held an infinite wisdom and nobleness that none other being, save one, could possess. Her lips were upturned in a most dazzling smile that could melt the heart of any around her. Her kindness was known to rival that of Queen Serenity during the Silver Millennium, a being who seemed to surpass the glory of the gods themselves. This woman was named Morai. This woman was also the three sisters' mother.

Atropos' eyes softened as she gazed upon the picture her younger sister held in her hand. She started to get a little nostalgic as she thought of her mother. Her mother was the only being in the entire universe that understood her, that could calm her rage, that knew what she needed even before she did. And that was a feat in itself, since Atropos was the one who was blessed with the sight of the future.

Before the three Fates donned their responsibilities, their mother Morai controlled the three aspects of time. Her rule was just and true, but she was never in the best health. She had contracted various diseases from the beings that she often came in contact with, and they all melded together, forging an extreme incurable illness that would not allow her to remain in her body.

Morai's illness was never constant, however. It would be tolerable some days, and other times it would be very trying, and something terrible would happen to the beings of the Solar System, such as the fall of the Silver Millennium. When her daughters became of age, Morai quickly passed her talents on to them, teaching them all they had to know before she was able to move on. Being immortal, Morai did not die when her soul left her body. She went on to live on Olympus with all the other retired gods and goddesses who still watched over the realm.

It was really hard on the sisters when Morai passed, especially Atropos. Her two sisters believed that it was the reason that she had been so troublesome throughout the years. This is mainly why they dismissed her terrorizing nature. She was just lashing out physically because she did not know how to express her emotions thoroughly. It was no secret that Atropos missed their mother the most, being that she had the most time to spent with the late goddess.

Lachesis noticed the change in her sister's demeanor and smiled wistfully. She often pitied her sister, and could only imagine the loneliness she must feel with the absence of their mother to be their guiding light. She hated to remind Atropos of their mother so often, but at the moment, it was necessary to bring Atropos back to reality.

“Sister,” Lachesis began softly. “You know as well as I, maybe more, that the lives that we manage are nowhere near comparison to our own. Though we control the majority of what happens in their lives, a large part of it is up to them, whether we like it or not. Sometimes the humans just need a little push. We can NEVER toy with their lives, just for our amusement. We must do as it is written for us to do. Remember what mother taught us?”

“We are all connected in the infinite scheme of life.”

Lachesis and Atropos looked up at Clotho's soft-spoken statement. Her back was to them, as she was still watching the screens but not really seeing what was happening. Clotho squared her shoulders as she recited the lecture that their mother had drilled in their heads.

“From the smallest amoeba to the gods in the heavens themselves, each being has a significant role in another beings life. Each living thing breathes to serve a purpose, whether it is to uplift an entire nation, rule a galaxy, or just bring light to another's life. With us being the Fates, we are not in the position to disrupt things willingly. We are here to guide, not dictate, no matter what the beings may believe. To interfere with the destinies that are foretold in the stars and written in the Archive of the Bronze Table, is unheard of. Strictly forbidden. But once it is set, and our decision about a life has been made, it is final. No one prevails above us. That is why we must not take our positions for granted. We literally have the fate of the galaxy on our shoulders, and nothing must hinder our mission. Not jealousy, greed, hate, envy…not anything.”

Clotho's last few words faded into existence, as her memories of her mother invaded her mind. She began to tear up, as she remembered sitting on her mother's lap during her younger years, as her mother often told her why things were as they were.

Seeing that her sister was not in the mood to continue, Lachesis picked up where she left off. “We also must never tamper with the lives of the pre-destined, the very descendents of the gods and goddesses themselves, the Senshi of the universe. They serve the mightiest purpose of all: to protect this galaxy from The Things Beyond. Without them, all of our work would be for naught. Yes, we control what ultimately happens, but it changes upon their whim. The decisions that we make for them are never set in stone; they always seem to find the one way to try to control us. But this is ultimately how it is written. We are their partners. We coincide on their destinies, and nothing that we do should EVER stray from the writings of the tablet, and the voices of the stars. If so, disaster would be sure to follow. So be careful, for this is a great responsibility that you share. Never forget your purpose, and always do as the Powers that Be intend. So it is written…”

“So shall it be,” Atropos and Clotho finished with her. Silence soon followed the sisters' lamentation, as each reflected on what it meant to her. Atropos sighed internally. She knew that it was wrong to interfere with the lives of the Senshi, just for her own pleasure. She could screw with any others beings for as long as she wanted, no matter what Clotho said, just not the Senshi. She would just have to sit by, and carry out her duties as it was written in the stars. She didn't have to like it though.

“I understand what you are saying, Lachesis,” Atropos said, breaking the silence. “I know that I cannot interfere with the Senshi's lives too much, or else I would have to suffer the consequences. I would never go against Mother's word. The Senshi have a duty to fulfill, as well as we, and it would be disastrous if something were to hurt that.” Lachesis smiled and embraced her sister. “I knew you would understand, my sister.”

Suddenly, a chime went off in Atropos' wing of the clouded abode. Atropos quickly re-conjured up her golden Shears of Imminence from before. This chime signaled to Atropos which beings life was to come to an end. Without a second thought, Atropos sought out the thread, and snipped it instantly. The thread dissolved into many, tiny lights that shot up and out of the Fate's domain, taking their place with the rest of the stars in the night sky. “Besides,” Atropos continued, her cocky smirk returning as she watched that particular beings life screen flicker out. “I do have SOME ways of keeping myself entertained.”

Clotho blinked as said screen in her peripheral view blinked out of existence. This brought the youngest Fate out of her reverie, and she ran toward Atropos, engulfing her in a backbreaking embrace. “Oh sister!” she exclaimed. “I knew you would see the error of your ways and leave my precious Senshi be!”

Unbeknownst to Clotho, the force that she used to slam into Atropos startled the sister of the future realm, causing her to flail backwards, shears still in hand…right for the Senshi's threads of life. Lachesis didn't have to have the future sight to foresee what was about to happen, and cried out in shock. Clotho heard her sister's cry, and unlatched herself from her sister at the last minute, but it was too late. Atropos stumbled back, crashing into the control panel of Clotho's realm, causing the shears to fly out of her hand. She watched in wide-eyed shock as they flew in seeming slow motion towards the Senshi's threads.

“No!” Clotho cried out. After all that they had worked for. After all they had done and sacrificed. After their mother had entrusted them with this sacred honor, was this how their ruling would end? Once the Senshi's lives ended, there would be no point in continuing to watch over their realms. Nothing but warfare, death, and destruction would follow.

Thinking quickly, Clotho lunged for the shears…but ended up tripping over the front of her robes. Clotho was never the most graceful of the trio. Propelled by the action, Clotho's outstretched hand passed straight through the Senshi's threads, causing the shears to bypass them, initially saving them, and land on the floor, inches away from where Clotho lay.

Atropos quickly gathered her shears and willed them away, but gazed in horror at the damage now done. The threads scattered into dozens of multi-colored particles that began to fly around the Fate's dwelling. Whirling around each sister, they danced, twirled, and spun until finally realigning themselves, and reforming the threads of life in a manner that was totally different than was before. Unbeknownst to them was the little speck of pure white that seemed to float away into the distance…

Lachesis paled as she realized what had been done. The destinies of the Senshi had been rearranged when the particles separated. Everything that was already written in the Archive of the Bronze Table was re-writing itself to fit in with the new settings, which was not at all what the stars had in mind. She sunk to her knees as she realized the weight of the workload that was now set before them. Her sisters and she would have to put the particles back into their rightful order, to balance the time stream. That task alone could take millennia. Her eye twitched as she glared at Clotho. Someone was bound to get yelled at for this. These were one of the times when she REALLY wished that they had something stiffer to drink in their home than Olympian Ambrosia. She was going to need it.

Clotho slowly sat up from her position on the floor and gazed at her sisters. “This isn't good is it?” It was more of a statement than a question, but Atropos and Lachesis shook their heads anyway.

Though this was an immense tragedy, Atropos couldn't help but smirk a little. This was the release she had been hoping for, though she didn't want something NEARLY this big. How the Senshi handled this sudden change was BOUND to be interesting.

“Well, at least we will not be bored any longer.”

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A dark, endless void, filled with wafts of gray clouds swirling about in an infinite pattern, scattered by some unfelt wind. In the midst of the shadows stood the majestic Gates of Time. It was in this very place that time seemed to stand still, all the while swirling about in an endless battle with destiny.

The impeccably vital position of guarding the gate was being maintained by a solitary figure. This figure was as mysterious as she was powerful, with a great wisdom bestowed upon her from countless events passed. Her tanned skin and jet-black hair highlighted with green accents are trademarks for her exotic beauty. Her garnet eyes hold strength and determination, yet often has a sad gleam to them, understandable for a person who knows and has seen far too much more than she should. It was this last fact that had the woman confused. This woman was supposed to know everything, see everything. This woman was the infamous Guardian of Time, Sailor Pluto. This woman was also very, VERY, confused.

Not many things get past the Guardian of Time. Either they were too small or insignificant for her to notice, or so large of a problem that the elders thought to include her in the lesson that was to be learned. And yet, there were fluctuations in the time stream that just didn't make any sense. This was one of those times.

Sailor Pluto watched open-mouthed as the entire time stream did an about face and seemed as if it was making up its' own way of how things should be done. Normally, if anything were to happen to disrupt the time stream, Pluto would be ready with a single `Dead Scream'. With the way that this had suddenly occurred, it caught her way off guard. She knew she wasn't at fault for this. She *couldn't* be! At least…she hoped she wasn't…

Slowly blinking in disbelief, Pluto desperately tried to think of a way to make things right again. She was always the decision maker, the voice of reason. Her friends often turned to her when things went haywire. She KNEW she could make sense of this situation if she really tried.

Pluto closed her eyes as she willed her brain to search for possible solutions; anything that could fix this. `Come on Pluto,' she coaxed herself. `Just use a little hope, a little faith, a good bit of judgment…'

She found nothing.

Pluto snapped open her eyes in anxious bewilderment. For the first time in her excruciatingly long life, she was stumped. Slowly she sank to her knees as she watched the time stream ripple and wave before her, rearranging itself every 3 seconds. A nauseous feeling began to consume her body as she said the first thing that came to her mind.

“The Queen is going to be pissed!”

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Somewhere deep in the recesses of the universe, a forgotten planet spun in an orbit all its own, ignored by all passersby and wary space travelers. Deeply rooted in the center of said planet lay an unforeseen evil. An evil once thought to be vanished. An evil once thought to be vanished by a certain pigtailed blond and a pink haired maiden. Apparently nothing is ever gone forever, just in stasis until just the right time for it to renew itself.

That time had come, rather, a certain being came upon the wandering planet, revitalizing its long dormant evil glory. A being awaiting it's chance to reclaim what was rightfully it's own.

A long abandoned throne sat in the middle of a vast, vacant, dwelling. What was once dust-ridden, devoid of evil, once again shone with a sickening gleam of foreboding doom.

A sadistic smile graced the face of the being that sat in the throne that no one dared to approach. Wafts of conversations drifted back and forth between the prominent being and it's subservient minions.

“The crystals are indeed on Earth, your majesty.”

“And the princess?”

“She is there as well.”

“Good. The plan is in motion then?”

“Yes, your majesty. Shall we strike now?”

“Yes, but begin gradually. We must not use all of our forces too quickly.”

“As you wish, your majesty.” The minion scurried away.

Bright hazel gold eyes seemed to glitter with malicious delight, as a pure white fanged smile spread across the figures face.

“Soon, little princess. I will regain the power that is rightfully mine. Revenge WILL be mine…”

Her maniacal laughter was heard throughout the planet.