"More coffee, Michiru?"  The sandy haired woman stood up from
her chair and walked around to her dining companion, offering the 
coffeepot to her.  The woman with the sea green curls smiled up at her.
	"Thank you, Haruka, I would appreciate another cup."  Michiru
watched as Haruka carefully poured the hot liquid into the navy mug in
front of her.
	"Say when..."   Haruka told her.
	"When."  Michiru called it when it was about four-fifths of 
the way full.  She reached over to the creamer and added a liberal 
amount to the beverage.
	"And would you like some more coffee with that creamer?"  
Haruka asked, amused.  Michiru's light laughter was her only response.
	"Good morning," Setsuna joined the two at the breakfast table.
"Did you sleep well?"
	"Very," Haruka answered for the both of them.  "And you?"
	"It was very light, but that is usual," she said.  Changing 
the subject, she asked, "Is the morning paper here yet?"
	"Yes, it is over on the counter."  Michiru nodded her head 
toward its location.  "Incidentally, I am glad you were able to stay 
with us last night."
	"It was enjoyable," Setsuna agreed.  "Thanks for inviting me."
	"You're welcome back anytime," Haruka said.  "We don't see you
enough," she added as an afterthought, thinking of how lonely it must
be for Setsuna at the door of time.  She almost felt sorry for her.
	"I'll keep that in mind," she said evasively, and began 
reading the morning news.  Haruka looked at Michiru and shrugged.  
They began talking between themselves, lowering their voices out of 
courtesy to Setsuna.
	"So, you are giving lessons from ten till noon?"  Haruka
asked.
	"Yes, I have four violin students this morning," she said.  
"And I assume you will be back from the racetrack by one...?"
	"As always," Haruka said with a grin.  "Doesn't it feel good 
to have a normal schedule for once, even if it is temporary?"
	"Wonderful," Michiru agreed.  "Though neither of us regret our
responsibilities as senshi."
	"Of course not.  Been there, done that, ancient history," 
Haruka said.  "I got over my anxieties that day in the garage, when 
you appeared.  I knew what I was accepting."
	"I know you did," Michiru smiled softly at her partner.  Their
private reminiscing was then interrupted by a happy laugh at the other
side of the table.
	"Yes!"  Setsuna pumped her fist in the air as in a victory 
sign.  Haruka and Michiru raised their eyes in unison from this 
uncharacteristic display of emotion from the normally reserved senshi.
	"Is there good news in the paper?"  Michiru ventured to ask.
	"It's time, it's time, it's finally time!"  For good measure 
Setsuna stood up and twirled aroun  on the kitchen tile.  "It's time, 
it's time, it's time!" she sang.
	Now Haruka and Michiru openly gaped at her.  "She's lost it,"
Haruka whispered to Michiru, out of hearing from Setsuna.  Michiru 
gave an almost imperceptible nod in response.
	"Uh, Setsuna, you appear to be happy about something," Haruka
said.  Michiru gave her partner a light punch, telling Haruka that she
had just stated the obvious. 
	‘That's the understatement of the year,' she mumbled under her
breath.
	Setsuna twirled on her toes in one final jubilant moment, then
recovered and regained her typical perfect posture, with an atypically
large smile on her face.  "That's the understatement of the year," she
said.  Michiru smirked inwardly.
	Setsuna then looked somewhat sober.  "Then again, I shouldn't
be so happy about someone's misfortune, should I?"
	Haruka and Michiru exchanged a look.  "Whose misfortune?"  
Michiru asked.
	Setsuna looked at her with a straight and serious face, 
showing no indication of her emotions.  "Yours," she answered.
	

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Orbital Maneuvers

by Setsuna M  
meiou_setsuna@hotmail.com

Rated G
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

	"Excuse me?"  Haruka asked in disbelief.  "You're going to 
have to explain yourself."
	Setsuna nodded towards the paper on the table.  "Why don't 
you see for yourself?"  she said.  "It's right there, Section C, by 
the weather column."
	Haruka picked up the appropriate section.  She gave the 
articles a cursory scan but did not see anything of interest.  "Sunny
skies today?" she asked.  Trying to throw some humor in the moment,
she said, "I didn't know you hated rain that much, Setsuna."
	For all indications, Setsuna didn't hear her.  "Keep reading,"
she said simply.
	"Well...Global warming is stabilizing?"  Haruka tried.  
‘Setsuna always was interested in current events, and global warning 
could definitely make an impact in history,' she reasoned.
	"Not yet."
	She almost gave up when her eye caught the astronomy section.
‘Oh...' she thought, fairly certain she had found the cause of 
Setsuna's excitement...though why she was excited about it, she still
didn't understand.
	"Planets Neptune and Pluto to cross orbits."  Setsuna's wide 
grin told her she had succeeded.
	Michiru was curious as to the mention of the respective 
planet she obtained her powers from.  "What does it say?"
	"Two outermost planets to trade places," she read the sub-
headline.  She glanced over the rest of the article.  "According to 
this, the orbits of Neptune and Pluto cross every few hundred years, 
and for a while Neptune is the outermost planet--it doesn't say how 
long."
	"Twenty years," Setsuna said.
	Haruka rolled her eyes.  "You're the astronomer.  Anyway, it 
says this will happen next Sunday, at midnight."
	"That is very interesting, but what does it have to do with 
me?"  Michiru asked.
	"It's your turn," Setsuna said cryptically.
	Michiru didn't understand and got the bad feeling that she 
didn't want to.  "I am not sure I follow you."
	Setsuna laughed.  "That's OK, I know you do!"
	"You're not making any sense," Haruka argued.
	"I am too," Setsuna insisted.  "It's Michiru's turn."
	"To do what?" Haruka said.
	Setsuna dropped the bombshell.  "To guard the gate of time."
	Dead silence.  Haruka and Michiru looked at Setsuna in shock.
Setsuna looked back at them seriously.  Her matter-of-fact tone was
starting to grate on Haruka's nerves.
	"And where did you get that half-brained idea?"  Haruka asked
angrily.
	Setsuna answered with a question of her own.  "How do you 
think the senshi of time is chosen?"
	"Not that way."  Michiru had recovered her voice and was 
protesting this turn of events.
	"You don't know that," Setsuna said smugly.   Catching the 
look of dismay on Michiru's face, she told her a bit more 
sympathetically, "I'm sorry Michiru.  I know it's not the most desired
position in the world.  At least your shift is only for twenty years."
	"NOT EVEN!"  Haruka jumped up and yelled, furious at her self-
rightous attitude.  She leaned over the table and grabbed Setsuna by 
the shirt.  "Just who do you think you are..."
	"Haruka," Michiru set a warning hand on her shoulder and 
Haruka let go, but still glared across the table.  Michiru looked at
Setsuna less violently, but just as displeased.  Setsuna stared back
with a cool gaze.
	"I only state the facts.  I do not control the implications,"
she said.  "Today is Tuesday;  you have five days to prepare.  I 
suggest that some be spent in training, which I will happy to assist 
with.  Good-bye now."
	"Why you....*I'll "implicate" you*!"  Haruka shook her fist 
at an empty chair.  Setsuna had disappeared.  "How does she do that?"
she sighed.
	"I guess I will be finding out," Michiru said sadly.  
	"I guess you'll...what?"  Haruka turned to Michiru 
despairingly.  "You're not seriously going to do it?"
	"Of course I am," Michiru said.
	"But Michiru...twenty years?  I couldn't bear to be without 
you that long."  Haruka said insistently.
	"Who said anything about staying for twenty years?"  
	"But..."  Between Setsuna and Michiru, Haruka was thoroughly
confused at this point.  "I hope you have a plan," she finally said.
	Michiru patted her hand.  "Of course I do.  O ye of little 
faith," she teased.
	"What is it?"
	"It's a secret."
	"Michiru!"  Haruka was a bit frustrated by this point.
	"The less people who know the better...that way *she* doesn't
find out."
	"Who?"
	"Her."  
	"Now that really clears things up," Haruka said sarcastically.
She sighed.  "You two are quite a pair.  Setsuna might not be too far
from wrong--you're just as stubborn and secretive as she is,"  she 
said, then laughed and ducked as Michiru threw a dishrag at her.
	"Take that back or I might delete you from this time period,"
Michiru said playfully.
	"Oo, I'm so scared!"
	Haruka dodged another dishtowel.

==================================================================

	"I'm glad you decided to see it my way," Setsuna said.  She was
in her senshi form of Pluto, considering her current location.
	Michiru glared at her.  "I wouldn't go that far," she said, 
looking around.  She, too, was in her sailor seifuku.  She looked 
around at the temporal region and shivered.  "This place gives me 
the creeps!"
	"You'll get used to it," Pluto said.  "Now look, this is the 
door of time."
	Michiru restrained a sarcastic remark.
	"It will only open by these keys," Pluto dangled the keyring 
in front of Michiru's face.  She indicated for Michiru to hold out 
her hand.
	Michiru reluctantly extended her arm, palm up, and Pluto 
placed them in her hand.  In spite of herself she found the time 
keys fascinating.  She examined them carefully.
	"You have to be constantly watching for invaders," Pluto said.
"Considering the lengths of time that the region can be quiet and
peaceful, an invasion can take you quite off guard.  You can *not* 
afford to do this.  It's hard enough to fight them as it is, without 
giving them the element of surprise.
	"Now that's encouraging," Michiru couldn't keep the sarcasm 
out of her voice this time.
	"It's not as bad as it sounds," Pluto amended herself.  "You 
have this."  She held out her staff with the garnet orb in place on 
top.
	Michiru looked at it suspiciously.  "That's your talisman."
	"Not to mention the time staff.  And it's not mine anymore.  
Incidentally, yours is not yours either."
	As crazy as that sentence sounded, Michiru actually knew what
it meant.  "You are not serious.  The dream mirror is mine!"
	"It belongs to the senshi of water," Pluto corrected.
	"But that *is* me!"
	"No, now you are the senshi of time.  That means I take your
place."  Pluto had an almost gleeful look in anticipation of 
leaving the door.  Michiru would have liked to slap her, but that 
wouldn't have been very genteel.
	Though it would have made her feel better.
	She sighed and slowly counted to ten.  ‘You will get it back,'
she reminded herself.  She sadly removed the mirror and gave it to 
Pluto, and began to take the garnet orb and time staff in return.
	Pluto pulled them back.  "Wait, I have to show you how to use
it," Pluto instructed.  
	Michiru waited--with her arms crossed.
	Pluto glanced around and settled on a random object in the
distance.  She held the staff horizontal to the ground and whispered,
"Dead scream."
	A screaming whirl of purple energy flowed from the staff and
struck whatever the target was in a thunderous explosion.  Pluto
turned to her companion.  "OK, now you try," she insisted.
	Michiru sighed again, and took the time staff in her hand.  
She was a bit surprised at how heavy it was.  It put a strain on her 
wrist as she held it, but she was determined not to let it show on
her face.  She pointed it toward a spot directly in front of her.  
"Dead scream," she said uncertainly.
	She was not expecting it to be so forceful;  the energy was 
so great that it knocked her backwards, where she landed on her 
backside in an ungraceful, non-Michiru-like position.  The attack went
whirring into the distance.
	She carefully stood up.  Pluto, to her credit, did not say a 
word;  though her eyes were twinkling merrily.  Another voice broke 
the silence though.
	"What the...are you trying to kill me Michiru?!"
	Both Pluto and Michiru jumped, startled at the intruder.  
Michiru spun around with her staff.  "DEAD SCREAM!"  She yelled the 
attack.  She was a fast learner;  this time she was expecting the
power and stayed on her feet without batting an eyelash.
	Haruka, in Uranus form, dove under the purple energy ball.  
It missed her by millimeters.  "I'll take that as a yes?" she teased
her.
	Michiru placed a hand to her forehead and and closed her eyes,
groaning.  "Gomen, Haruka," she said.  For herself, she added, "This 
is going to be a long day."
	"Wait till you do it for 7,300 days in a row," Pluto helpfully
reminded her.  Michiru groaned again.  
	‘I will not hit Pluto with the time staff.  I will not hit 
Pluto with the time staff.  I will not...' she repeated to herself in
her head.  She decided to turn her attention to Haruka.  
	"What are you doing here?"
	"I came to see how you were doing," she told her.  "You appear
to be stressed."
	"Slightly," Michiru said.  She went over and laid her head on
the taller senshi's shoulder.  "It is not quite as easy as it 
appears."  Uranus reached up and tenderly stroked her hair.
	Pluto still remained silent, though she had a vindicated look
on her face.
	"So, are you finished with tonight's training?  Do you get to
come back yet?"  Haruka asked hopefully.
	"Hardly," Michiru said tiredly.  "Tonight is my dress 
rehearsal."
	"I don't like the sound of that," Haruka moaned.
	"It will be better to confront any problems now, when Pluto 
is still around to help me," she told her.  "She is going to check
on me every hour to make sure I am not having difficulties."
	Haruka still balked.  "Do you have to?"
	Michiru lifted her head up and looked her straight in the eye.
"Trust me," she said, then added a wink, out of sight of Pluto.
	Haruka raised her eyes, but didn't argue anymore, though she 
was clearly unhappy with this decision.  "All right."
	Pluto spoke again.  "Speaking of which, I will be getting back
now and letting you start your first shift.  Are you coming Uranus?"
	"Do you suppose we could have a moment alone?" she asked.
	Pluto hesitated, then nodded.  "I don't see what harm it can 
do.  I will meet you back at the house.  Good night."  She walked out
of the region.  Michiru thought back to a previous conversation with
Haruka.  Under much duress, Michiru had convinced Haruka that she 
should let Setsuna stay with her while Michiru was at the gate.
	"You did invite her," Michiru had reminded her.
	"That's before she tried to replace you," Haruka had growled 
back.  Michiru had winced in acknowledgement, but defended Setsuna to
some extent.  
	"She's just trying to do her job, and she thinks this is part
of it," she said.  "Besides, hopefully it will only be for one night."
	Haruka had looked a bit happier at that thought.  "I could 
handle one night," she admitted.  "What is your plan?"  She had 
pressed for details, but Michiru had remained tightlipped.
	As she was now.  With Pluto gone, Haruka pleaded with Michiru
for her idea again.
	"I said I'm not telling," Michiru told her.  "I will explain 
after it is all over."
	Haruka sighed.  "I guess there is no reason for me to stay, 
then," she said.  She turned and started walking out of sight also, 
then turned back to face Michiru.
	"Not even a little hint?"  She asked.
	Michiru considered it.  "I will visit the one who knows," she
told her with a smile.
	Haruka looked disgusted.  "You're about as helpful as 
Setsuna," she growled.  Michiru couldn't help but laugh.
	"I will see you in the morning," she called out.  Haruka blew
a kiss to her in response, then disappeared out of sight.

==================================================================

	"Halt!  Who goes there?"    Neptune wielded the staff 
menacingly.
	Pluto shook her head in disbelief.  "Please tell me you did 
not just say that," she groaned.  "Could you not come up with a less 
clichéd phrase than that?"
	Neptune looked at her irritably.  "And what do you usually
say?"
	"Dead scream," Pluto answered.
	They stared at each other in silence a moment, then Neptune 
actually managed a smile.  "Cute, that's cute."
	"Good job in noticing me though.  You had felt my presence 
before I was even visible," she commended.
	"Thanks," Neptune answered. She noticed that Pluto seemed a 
lot more talkative when she didn't have the stress of guarding the 
time gate on her shoulders.
	"So, anything happen?"  Pluto leaned casually against the door
of time.  She patted it almost lovingly.  Now that she was allowed to
stay away from it, she almost missed it.  *Almost* being the 
operative word.
	"I thought you were never going to get here," Neptune sighed.
	"I'm ten minutes early," Pluto answered.
	"But it has been extremely boring!" Neptune exclaimed.  "How 
could you cope with a thousand years of this?  There is absolutely 
nothing to do here, except stand and think.  What did you do?"
	"Well, it's like this," Pluto answered.  "You know those plays
*supposedly* written by Shakespeare..."
	"You didn't write those," Neptune laughed this time.  "Be 
serious, Setsuna."  She blinked as soon as she said it.  She never 
thought the day would come when she'd say *that* to *her*.
	Pluto patted her shoulder affectionately, as a mentor 
encouraging her pupil.  In this case, that was probably the 
appropriate relationship.  "You'll get used to the silence," she 
said.  "If you don't have any more questions, I'll go back now.  See
you in an hour?"
	"Yes," Neptune answered, and Pluto disappeared.  She was 
sorry to see her go;  at least she had been able to talk to someone 
for a while.  It was so lonely and boring up here.  She really had 
nothing to do except talk to herself, and monkeys would fly before 
she'd allow herself to do that.
	Correction.  She did have something to do, she thought with
a smile.  ‘And if it works, this is the last time I will be up here,'
she thought.  She crossed her fingers as she pulled out the time keys.
	"Now how do I use these things?" she asked herself out loud, 
then lightly hit herself on her forehead.  She was talking to herself
already.  She wondered sarcastically what region of the earth had 
gained a new breed of feathered primates.
	"I've got to get out of here..." she mumbled.  She picked up 
a key that looked promising, as it was made of silver that had a 
whitish shine to it.  If the keys were symbolic, as she thought they
were, this one should take her where she wanted to go.
	Carefully she put the key in the door, then almost drew back 
when she felt a tingling sensation in her arm, as the key acted as a
conductor for the temporal energy behind the door.  Praying that this
was a normal feeling, she pushed the key completely in the lock and
turned it.  The door opened.
	Neptune stood in the doorway, unsure of herself.  This was as
far as she had thought through; from here on out it was all 
improvision.  She stared through the door into the white mists that
obscured the landscape--if there was any landscape at all.  She had to 
go through there?  She remembered Pluto mentioning something about 
keeping one's eyes on the destination as she walked through the door.
Taking a deep breath, Neptune stepped out into the mists.
	She stifled the urge to scream as she was suddenly falling 
through space.  Her body twisted around so that she fell head first.
The cold wind whipped her hair around her face, and she got goosebumps
as it chilled her skin.  Its wailing created an eerie sound.  The 
mists swirled around her;  she could hardly see her own hand in front
of her face.  But she maintained her composure and kept her thoughts
on her goal.  
	Barely moments later it all stopped and she was righted.  
Neptune tested the ground she was standing on, slightly disoriented 
by the sudden change from falling upside down to standing right side 
up.  To further confuse her, the room she was in was almost pitch 
black;  she only make out the shadows of whatever was in the small 
space she was in.  Considering the small size of the room, she guessed
it was a closet of some sort.  This was confirmed as she took a step
forward and, still dizzy, managed to land a foot in an aluminum 
bucket, knocking down a long handled object beside it that she assumed
was its companion mop.  It clattered to the floor with a loud *clunk*.
	‘Nice job, Michiru, I don't think you're making enough noise,'
she thought wryly.  ‘Now to get out of here...'  Just a couple of 
steps in front of her was a slim ray of light.  That had to be the 
doorway.  She made it over there without further incident and stepped
outside.
	These surroundings were much better, she noted.  She was in 
some sort of hallway.  And an elegant one, at that.  The floors were
polished white marble, and the walls seemed to be made of one large 
white stone--she couldn't find a seam in them anywhere.  Here and 
here a large white pillar was overlaid on it, symmetric on each side 
of the hallway.  A soft light bathed the interior.  Periodically she
saw a glassless, open window.  She walked over to one and looked out.
The window she choose faced a luscious, blooming garden, with lilies,
honeysuckle, roses, and pansies, all entirely white.  It was twilight;
and the stars twinkled down on the flowers and her.  Another orb cast
a soft blue-green tint down upon the planet:  Earth.
	‘I must have made it,' Michiru realized.  ‘What now?'  Just 
as she began to form a plan she heard the clicking sound of high-
heeled shoes coming towards her.  She started towards the closet door
again to hide but was startled to find out that she couldn't see it 
anywhere.  Masterful engineering had camouflaged it to match the 
walls.  Before she could think of what to do next a voice called out
to her.
	"Princess Mikayla!  Is that you?"
	Michiru began to answer as she turned around to face the 
woman, but had only opened her mouth when she stopped short.  Before 
her stood a woman dressed in a long, white silk gown.  Delicate 
gossamer wings adorned her back, and her snowy white hair flowed out
from two royal buns, almost reaching the floor.  A golden crescent 
glowed softly from her forehead.  Neptune gracefully dropped to one 
knee on the floor and bowed her head.
	"Queen Serenity," she said softly.
	Queen Serenity looked at her quizzically.  "Arigatoo, Mikayla,
but you know that you do not have to kneel before me in such informal
situations.  And why are you in senshi form?  Is something the
matter?"
	With surprise and a touch of wonderment Michiru realized that
the Queen must be mistaking her with her past self.  ‘Mikayla,' she 
thought to herself.  ‘That was my name.'  Still kneeling, she answered
aloud, "My Queen, do not be concerned.  There is no danger.  I have 
come to request a favor of you."
	Queen Serenity walked over to Michiru.  Michiru caught her 
breath as the queen reached out with her hand and lifted her chin 
upwards to face her.  "Of course, whatever you need, Mikayla..." The 
Queen's voice trailed off in surprise, recognizing the subtle 
differences between past and present Neptune.  "You are Mikayla, 
aren't you?"
	"No," she answered.  "I mean, yes.  I mean..."  The Queen 
raised her eyebrows at Michiru's apparent confusion.  "It is a long 
story, my Queen.  I think I had better explain first, your majesty."
Michiru hoped the Queen would trust her, and not be angered at her 
intrusion.
	"That would be a good idea," the Queen agreed.  "Let's do it 
over tea, shall we?"  She extended her hand to help Neptune to her 
feet, then offered her arm.  Michiru hesitantly took it, and Queen 
Serenity led the way.
	"So, what is this about a split personality you seem to be 
alluding to?"  the Queen asked with a smile.  Michiru gave a relieved
laugh as they rounded a corner.

==================================================================

	"...and so Pluto is basing the changing of your positions, on
the planetary orbital junction?" the Queen asked.
	"Hai," Neptune affirmed this.  (She and the Queen had decided
to refer to her by her senshi name to avoid confusion.)  She wasn't 
sure, but she thought she caught a twinkling in the Queen's eye.  "She
said the senshi of time is chosen by the outermost planet.  What do 
you think of this?"
	‘Clever,' the Queen was tempted to say.  Instead, she was 
quiet for a moment.  When Neptune had grown sufficiently curious as 
to her introversion, the Queen presented her with another inquiry.
	"Neptune," the Queen carefully evaded the question, "you say 
you have already guarded the gate of time for awhile, is that correct?"
	"Hai." 
	"And what was your experience with it?"
	"Boring," Neptune said immediately, then blushed.  She 
shouldn't be insulting a position in the Queen's administration, she 
realized.  "That is, I am sorry, but it is a very monotonous job.  I 
spent a mere hour there, and it feels like the longest hour I have 
ever experienced," she confessed.
	"And do you doubt the importance of the job?"
	"No, your majesty, of course not," Neptune gasped.
	Queen Serenity smiled at her gently.  "I didn't think so.  
However, I do agree with you;  I have taken my own turn at the gates 
and Pluto's job is not envious at all.  You said you have spent an
hour.  How do you think a month would be?"
	"I do not think I would like it very much," Neptune admitted.
	"A year?"  
	"Well, no..."
	"How about a thousand years?"
	"I..."  Neptune couldn't finish.  She knew where the queen was
leading her.   She began to see Pluto's rigid beliefs and stubborn 
determination in all matters concerning time in a new light.  Even as
her friend, Michiru had sometimes wondered whether Setsuna's cool, 
impassive confidence was a help or hindrance to her.  But by actually
getting a chance to walk in her shoes, Neptune admired her all the 
more.  It wasn't a job she could accept indefinitely.  That Pluto was
able to was incredible.
	"She has a very special talent," she finally said softly.
	The Queen smiled.  "She does indeed.  But Neptune,  even the
guardian of time has her limitations.  Pluto has held her post--
exceptionally, I might add--for a longer time than most of us can ever
fathom.  She has witnessed the rise and fall of civilizations, 
including that of her own.  She has defended the timestream, and
fought against intruders during a one thousand year period that no one
else could.  All this she suffered quietly in solitude.  Don't you 
suppose she is a bit overdue for a break?"
	Neptune nodded her head slowly, hating to admit it to herself,
but not being able to fault Queen Serenity's reasoning.  Pluto more 
than deserved a break.
	"Yes, you are right, as always, my Queen," she agreed.  
Sighing, she asked, "Does this mean you believe that I should accept 
my post for twenty years?"  
	The Queen's face twitched a bit.  She coughed.  "I believe 
that, in light of our conversation, you should speak with Pluto 
first," she answered.
	"I think that you are right," Neptune said softly.
	"Me too," came a voice from behind them.
	Both the Queen and Neptune startled at the visitor, then the 
Queen relaxed, recognizing her.  "Princess Susanna.  Right on time, 
as usual."
	Pluto gave a faint smile, both at her bad pun, and the mention
of her past name.  "Queen Serenity.  As always, I am honored."  
	Neptune was a bit more confused at her sudden appearance.  
"Where did you come from?  And how long have you been here?"
	"Only long enough to hear the Queen suggest that we have a 
talk."  Pluto answered in response to the second question.  As to the
first, she didn't speak anything verbally, but simply held up the 
silver key she had found lying on the ground.  
	"Oh."  Neptune wasn't sure where to begin.
	"I wasn't going to make you stay at the door for twenty 
years," Pluto said.
	Neptune shook her head.  "You get right to the point....but 
is that so?"
	"No, just a couple weeks," Pluto said softly.  "I just wanted
a vacation.  I didn't think you'd say yes if I asked."
	"I understand."
	"You do?"  Pluto was surprised;  she would have thought she 
would be mad.
	"You are right, I probably would not have said yes," Neptune
answered with a smile.  
	Pluto rolled her eyes.  "And..."
	"And I have done some thinking since I have been here.  None 
of us have truly appreciated you before, Setsuna.  Your job is one 
that none of us would like to do, yet you shoulder it without 
complaint.  I had no idea what it was really like.  And I have only
accepted it for an hour;  I still can not imagine it as a full-time
occupation, " Michiru looked at her gently.
	Pluto looked away, a little uncomfortable at the attention 
she was receiving.  Then she smiled back.  "It is times like these 
that make it all worth it," she said, gesturing with her hands to show
that everything from the palace, and Queen Serenity, to the entire 
Silver Millennium were encompassed in the statement.  "I have seen 
heartache, but triumph also.  I simply see life at its highest scale."
Everyone was quiet for a moment as they pondered her last comment
	"What made you come back here?"  Michiru asked, breaking the
silence .  Pluto looked a little embarrassed to have to answer.
	"I was worried about you," she finally said.
	"Why?" Michiru was surprised and a bit touched at her 
admission.
	"When I went up to the gate and you weren't there, my first
thought was that you were hurt or in danger.  I was scared to realize
that if you were, it would have been all my fault," Pluto said 
sincerely.
	"I'm sorry.  I should have left a note or something," Michiru
berated herself.  She was startled to hear the Queen, whom both the
senshi had forgotten about in their heartfelt conversation, start 
giggling.
	"A note on the door of time?"  she laughed.  "That's a good 
one, Mikayla."
	Both senshi began to smile at this.  "I suppose that is a 
somewhat ludicrous picture," Michiru admitted sheepishly.  She began 
to laugh herself, when a deep voice broke their merriment.
	"All right, what's going on?  What's so funny...and where am 
I anyway?"  A slightly disgruntled and confused looking Uranus had 
found her way into the room.
	"Princess Hillary!  How nice of you to join us," the Queen
said.
	"Say what?" Haruka's mind had just registered that she was in
the presence of Queen Serenity, and was beginning to drop on one knee,
when she "attacked" by two other senshi first.
	"What are you doing here?" Neptune exclaimed.
	"How did you get here?"  Pluto added.
	"You're not suppose to time travel with out the aid of the 
guardian..."
	"...it's dangerous!  Both to you..."
	"...and the time stream.    You could have..."
	"...caused a time paradox..."
	"...or got caught in one yourself!" Neptune finished.  She 
and Pluto looked at each other and began laughing, while Haruka just
groaned.
	"*Two* senshi of time?  And I thought one was bad enough..." 
Haruka grinned and dodged the blow that Pluto feigned.
	"They are right though...you should not stay here any longer.
I think your job here is finished," Queen Serenity said tenderly, 
indicating all of her visitors.  "I have enjoyed having you."
	"And we have enjoyed meeting you," Neptune stood and looked 
at her gratefully.  "Thank you for everything."  
	"Any time," Queen Serenity grinned, as the other three 
collectively groaned.
	"Now I know where Usagi got her sense of humor from..."  
Haruka mumbled.  The Queen overheard her and just laughed again.

==================================================================

	"Well, I guess this is where we part," Haruka said.  The three
senshi stood in front of the door of time.
	"Yes, I guess it is.  I will come visit you soon," Setsuna 
said, resignedly.
	"What are you talking about?  This is your vacation," Michiru 
said.
	Setsuna looked up surprise  "But..."
	"No buts.  I think that you should go home and take a nap," 
Michiru teased gently.  "I can handle the gate tonight."
	"Do you really mean that?"  Setsuna looked as if she didn't 
quite believe that anyone would want to do something like that for her.
	"Of course," Michiru assured her.  "You just take the night 
off, and come back tomorrow whenever you feel like it.  And I am more 
than willing to help out in the future, too.  In fact, I believe that
I will go ahead and mark the day of October 29th down on my calendar 
as one of my days to work at the time gate."  She smiled at Setsuna.
	"My birthday..." Setsuna whispered.  "You remembered."  She 
unexpectedly threw her arms around Michiru.  "Thank you."
	Michiru hugged her back.  "You are quite welcome."
	Haruka cleared her throat.  "Um, you forgot about somebody 
back here."  The other two looked at her.  "What about me?"
	"What about you?" Michiru teased her back.
	"I'm hungry!" Haruka whined, and they laughed.  "Setsuna, do 
you cook?"
	"Hai,"  she said.  "In fact, I have wonderful recipe I picked
up from the Emperor's chef during the Tokugawa period.  It is a nice,
buttery eel, served with rice, and nattou..."
	Haruka made a face.  "I don't like soybeans."
	"How about salad?"
	"You're on!"  Haruka grinned and they started walking away, 
planning the meal.
	"That sounds delicious.  Have fun!"  Michiru called out to 
them, and Setsuna turned around.
	"I'll bring you some when it is done!" she promised.  She and
Haruka waved at Michiru and then disappeared from sight.
	Michiru took her place at the door, and smiled to herself.

==================================================================

The end.

AN:  

First, the premise for this fic is based on an actual event.  The 
orbits of the planets Neptune and Pluto actually do intersect, and 
Neptune can be considered the outermost planet for about twenty years.
I read that in a National Geographic.  ^_^  I was not able to find 
out how often this phenomena occurred, though.

Second, some Japanese notes: The Tokugawa period was from 1600 to
about 1867, A.D.  I just picked that period at random.

Nattou is fermented soybeans.  I read in a Sailor Moon Faq that they
are Haruka's least favorite food.  Doesn't sound like I'd like them
too much, either.

Some vocab:
 
seifuku=another word for uniform

gomen=sorry

hai=yes

arigatoo=thank you (my computer does not do long marks, that is why
I doubled the "o")

Finally, notes on the story:  you probably noticed that I used the
civilian/senshi names somewhat interchangeably.  Believe it or not,
this was not done randomly;  I had somewhat of a reason for using 
each name when I did.  Probably your English professor would be the 
only one to know why, though.  ^_^

That's about it...though I wanted to ask one thing of you.  A couple
people have requested a sequel to "A Crystal and a Ribbon."  So I
will do one, but I'm busy working on a series at the moment, and it 
might not get done for awhile.  However if anyone else would like 
one, it just might shift it higher up on the priority list ^_^
...please write me!  Otherwise, until next time!  Adios, mis amigos!

Setsuna M

07-03-99