Defeat was something Setsuna hadn’t tasted since the fall of the Silver Millennium, and didn’t think it would be in her vocabulary again... she had always been so careful in every aspect with what she did. Every single variable was taken into consideration. All variations to her careful planning were expected.
And yet... Now, she had nothing. Serenity of all people... Serenity, whom she had served loyally for over two-thousand years... SERENITY...
...Dismissed her...
The one person she thought would never do that to her.
The one person whom she had pledged her loyalty and existence to, whom she had forsaken every aspect of her life to... She’d dismissed her because of the words of a few measly mortal men over some decision that Pluto wasn’t part of the Solar System.
Her! That was the sole reason why Crystal Tokyo took form. Crystal Tokyo, the rebirth of the Silver Millennium, only existed for Serenity’s descendants to rule because SHE took upon Serenity’s wishes and mantle to get it done! There was no way Usagi could handle such responsibility in time!
And still, her power over time had been stripped from her, taken by someone she thought her friend... the small lady.... Chibi-usa! Someone with even less sense of responsibility, she whom almost DESTROYED Crystal Tokyo by stealing the Ginsuizhou... was chosen to replace her at the Time Gates.
It was so... so...
It was something only a brain-dead idiot would do. The green-haired ex-Senshi could tell it was Usagi’s doing.
“Oh now, don’t blame the odango-haired one...” came a female voice from outside of Setsuna. “You seem to forget that Serenity herself was just as ditzy... whom do you think the princess got it from?”
The green-haired woman was instantly at the ready. That she no longer was a Senshi didn’t mean she was defenseless. “Who are you?” She demanded calmly.
And as she sat up, Setsuna realized she was in a bed not her own... and she was bandaged up. She could’ve sworn Chibi-usa had done worse when she’d beaten her...
Beaten by Chibi-Usa... how degrading. It was as if the laws of reality were suddenly changed and them left her out.
“There, there...” the older woman said as she gently pat her hand on Setsuna’s shoulder, careful of not aggravating any injuries. “It’s not the end of the world, Meioh-san...”
“... Who are you?” Setsuna asked once more, but this time her crimson eyes were downcast.
The white-haired woman stopped patting and just rubbed Setsuna’s shoulder in a calming manner. “I was born and grew up as ‘Dr. Gina Babette Diggers’, but I’ve gone by many names over the course of time... ‘Ancient One’... ‘Artificer’... ‘Kami’... the usual...”
Setsuna blinked her eyes in surprise a couple of times. “You’re Gina Diggers?”
The older woman smiled. “I was... and hope to be again in another six years...” it was always nice to feel recognized. “Is that so surprising?”
“It’s just... I thought you were a normal human...” Setsuna said and sighed. Hey, why not? Everything she believed in so far was shot to hell, anyway.
The older woman leaned forward, cupping the tanned woman’s chin gently. “The Gina there is now is a normal human...” turning Setsuna’s head to face her, the older woman’s red lips curved into a smile. “I’m not. My dear, how old do you think I am?”
Setsuna rubbed her forehead and sighed once more. She’d dealt with enough alternates to know this woman before her was far from normal. “I can’t even begin to guess,” she said at long last.
Gina smiled. “Over two-billion years, my dear. Two. Billion.”
Setsuna certainly didn’t expect that! As shown by her loss of composure. “WHAT!?!?”
And here she thought she was old!
The older woman nodded her head. “I’ve been around since the universe began. Watching and guiding all along a path... basically what you’ve had to do, but on a far-grander scale.” She smiled pleasantly at the woman. “I was even watching you at the Time Gates...”
“I see... so you are like...” Setsuna trailed off and then processed what Gina said. “You... were watching me?”
Gina nodded her head, and proved such by saying, “Both Kahns and Alexander the Great.”
Setsuna did something then she was sure no one alive had ever seen before. She felt her cheeks grow hot. “... Oh...”
Gina smiled. “I watched but I never interfered. It was your life, and I did not want to do anything to sway what you were doing. It is my job to guide things along, not to force it in the direction I want...” after all, that tended to make things blow up in her face.
“So now what? Why bring me here?” Setsuna asked despondently. After all, she didn’t have her powers anymore.
“The reason for that,” Gina started to get to the point, “Is because I was impressed by how you handled yourself in the position you were in. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely... you did what you had to do, above the influence of the power your position and your tools granted... and what happened to you for such loyal service, at the sacrifice of your wants and needs was unfair...”
“They threw you away,” Gina said as she looked the woman in the eyes. “Literally. Chibi-usa threw your battered body into the Time Gates after... I caught you before you fell into the abyss. You deserve better than that, Setsuna...” the platinum-blonde smiled, her ancient eyes twinkling with amusement. “You’re a princess and leader of a new government after all...”
However, the green haired woman didn’t catch that last part, her mind focused on the first half. “The small lady... threw me away to my death?” Setsuna asked in disbelief.
“Not to death,” Ancient Gina admitted. “More like endless falling...”
“As I said,” Gina pointed out once more. “Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. No sooner did she have the power of the Time Gates under her control did she take on a much darker persona.”
The green-haired woman shook her head, as if trying to deny what she was being told. She remembered helping raise the girl, damn it!
A girl who got tired of being treated like a little girl and stole the Ginzuisho, allowing the Nemesis Royal Family to destroy it, and was the same girl who joined them and became the Black Lady...
The same girl who knew the truth about Hotaru during the whole Pharaoh 90 mess, but denied it and didn’t tell the others before it was too late...
The same girl who knew of Pegasus and tried to keep him all to herself...
The same girl, who had mercilessly beaten the shit out of her...
Okay... maybe she was a little biased with the pink-haired girl...
“Setsuna, I’m sorry to say this, but as it stands, you are not part of Serenity’s court any longer,” Gina told her honestly. “But by that same turn of fate, you are free to use your ideals and strength to make the goal your own. You are still the Princess of Pluto, whom it was decided was the heart of the Kuiper Belt. You are on Serenity's Level.”
“And what exactly does that mean?” Setsuna asked sarcastically. “I’m the ruler of nothing.”
This time Ancient Gina smiled with a definite mirth to her face. “Every kingdom has to start somewhere. And you already have a loyal ally in me. I told you before I have had many titles, but there is one of my names you should know... You may call me Sailor Charon.”
Setsuna shifted on the bed and winced in pain. Usa wasn’t holding back anything. “So what now? You’re all going to start calling me princess? I won’t go for it.”
At the show of Setsuna’s true character showing through, Gina smiled. “I won’t. And besides, it’s only really me right now. Although...” Gina considered it. “There are a few others here, but they’re not Senshi. We’ll need to find the others...”
“Oh perfect...” Setsuna drawled and laid back down, covering her eyes with her arm. “Now I have to look up more whiny girls.”
“Actually the girls in mind are anything but whiny... with the possibility of one, but she’ll come around,” Gina explained to her. “Trust me, this will be a better experience for you...”
“I still don’t know...” Setsuna said. And truth be told, right now the least she wanted to do was think about the future.
Gina nodded her head. “It’s okay if you don’t feel like jumping head-first into this...” She gave the woman a comforting smile. “No matter what choice you make about this, I’ll help you with it.”
“Why the interest in me?” Setsuna asked with a frown as she retrieved her arm and frowned. “Even that you saw me, and that should make you lose even more interest...” She’d done many things in the Time Gates that she wished no one knew about.
Gina smiled. “Because I was where you are. It took me millennia to get out of my rut. I hope to make the transition easier for someone else.”
The green-haired woman locked gazes with the platinum-blonde, yet she couldn’t see any signs of deception. And she was good at reading body-language. “Okay... let us say I believe that for now.”
Ancient Gina nodded her head. “I know it’ll be a difficult transition for you Meioh-san... but I know you’ll come to enjoy this turn of events. I won’t be telling you what you can and can’t do for one thing.”
“And what’s in it for you?” Setsuna asked, knowing no one did anything for free.
Gina smiled. “Absolutely nothing... I already am getting what I want in about six more years... I’ll be able to go home.” Her smile faltered a little. “I just wanted to make sure you got something for your hard work too... you remind me of myself Meioh-san... and it just struck a chord with me, what was happening.”
“So in six years you are leaving,” Setsuna said with a nod. She then gave Gina a critical look. “Let me guess... I’m to be your successor, right?”
Gina shook her head. “I won’t be leaving. I’ll just finally be able to go home.” She let off a sigh. “I’ll finally be allowed to balance responsibilities and a life.”
“That’s not something I do very well...” Setsuna admitted.
“You’ll learn...” Gina said assuringly. “It’s been two-thousand years, but we’ll get you going again.”
“Yeah...” Setsuna said and rubbed her forehead again. At least she didn’t have to worry about the Time Gates anymore.
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(Posted Wed, 30 Aug 2006 17:31)
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