The Galaxy Cauldron is proud to announce a special event writing contest in honor of the birthday of Sailor Venus (October 22nd) and Sailor Pluto (October 29th). The challenge for this writing contest was anything that surrounds either or both of those two characters. The writers were free to interpret this challenge as they liked. The rules are as follows:

Rules
1. There is no word limit! (Be reasonable, please)
2. Entries must be a one-shot. Multiple chapters will not be accepted.
3. Entries must be rated PG13 or lower.
4. Entries must be related to the challenge (Sailor Venus and/or Sailor Pluto themed)
5. Your entry must be a new entry created specifically for this challenge.
6. You may only submit one entry.
7. You may not show your entry to anyone else or post it elsewhere on the Galaxy Cauldron until after the contest is over and the winner is announced.
8. Sailor Moon series themed entires are required.

Voting will be held for five days. Please help break the tie between Entry #1 and Entry #2! It doesn't matter if you voted last time, please vote again or for the very first time.

Entry #1

She didn't belong here.

It was obvious from the gold in her hair and the vibrance of her personality. Often, Setsuna would find herself staring at her recent student. She watched how Minako giggled with the servants and carelessly tossed her current task aside in order to saunter up to a handsome guard, a flirtatious smile playing on her lips.

Setsuna did not know how she would ever be able to teach a flighty teenager how to be a proper senshi. And this girl was to be the leader of the Senshi who would be charged with protecting the Princess? It seemed impossible. What could Queen Serenity possibly be thinking to entrust the training of this girl to her? Setsuna knew nothing about how to train another Senshi.

It is a good match, the Queen had assured her with a small smile. You will both teach each other many valuable lessons.

Seeing Minako trip for the second time this morning, Setsuna couldn't imagine needing to learn anything from her.

~~~

"Again."

Venus sent her another glare, but she said nothing as she raised her hands in a combative position. She struck out her right hand, fist connecting with the padded body of the training dummy.

"You're still lowering your shoulder, it gives away your intention," Pluto told her. "An enemy would be able to counter your attack before you've even completed it." She continued to circle around Sailor Venus in a slow pace, watching everything the other girl was doing. Pluto reached out and pushed on Venus's hands, raising them up even higher until they were level with her face. "If you keep your hands too low, it gives your opponent a chance to strike at one of your most vulnerable places."

Pluto did not miss the frustrated sigh that came from her student.

"I think we're done for today," Pluto said, her own frustrations getting the better of her. "We'll continue tomorrow."

"No! I can do this."

The words were said with conviction but Pluto had already made up her mind. "Your concentration is gone, and I need a break. We'll continue tomorrow." And then she left the room without a second look.

~~~

It was strange, sometimes, to walk through Charon Castle and find little reminders that someone new and different was now living inside the black walls. A loose and bright ribbon lying on the ground, or an opened book full of pictures meant for amusement.

Setsuna frowned at them, but left them where they were.

~~~

One night, after coming back from guarding the Time Gate, Setsuna saw Minako in the training room. She was alone, and she was focused. Setsuna could see it in those sky-colored eyes. Determination and resolve.

Minako looked like an entirely different person.

When Setsuna realized that she was staring, she tore herself away and left Minako to her training.

~~~

The first time Minako came up to Setsuna's favorite balcony, Setsuna almost ordered her to go away. But she didn't, and she wasn't sure why.

Minako came to stand beside her, her arms resting on the banister as she leaned in forward. Setsuna stood still as stone next to her and wondered why they were so close to touching one another. Then she wondered why she had even noticed such a thing.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Minako's voice was soft, contemplative. There was a small smile on her lips as she stared out at the dark sky. "In a gloomy kind of way."

"Hm." It wasn't quite an agreement, but it seemed to please Minako.

She grinned and turned her attention onto Setsuna herself. "You don't say much, do you?"

Their eyes locked, and Setsuna saw a brightness in Minako's expression, and she looked away. "No, I don't."

~~~

After that conversation on the balcony, Minako seemed to have made it her mission to get Setsuna to talk as much as possible. During training sessions, throughout dinner, even when they ran into each other in the halls, she would constantly be asking questions.

At first it annoyed Setsuna to no end. She was not used to having her personal thoughts barraged with questions at every corner.

But as the days went on, she surprised herself by indulging a little more information with each question.

Sometimes these questions led to long discussions that brought the two of them up to the balcony. With the cool wind on their skin, they would talk late into the night.

Setsuna found herself missing these conversations when she was forced to go a few days without them.

~~~

Venus was getting better. Her moves were quicker, more agile, and she reacted in a more experienced way rather than on base instinct. When Pluto sparred with her, Venus was a worthy opponent and sometimes she even won.

More and more, Pluto saw the focused woman instead of the flighty teenager.

Venus was becoming a warrior fit to protect a princess.

~~~

"Hey, Setsuna?"

"Hm?"

They were on their balcony. In the distance, the glimmer of the sun twinkled and gave off a vague sense of warmth. With Minako standing close to her, golden and bright, the sun paled in comparison.

"Do you ever get lonely?"

Setsuna frowned at the question and didn't know how to answer. She hesitated, before saying, "Sometimes."

A moment passed in silence. Minako moved in even closer against her and Setsuna could feel the warmth of her skin.

"Me too," Minako said in a soft voice.

Setsuna placed her hand over Minako's, and they stayed like that in silence for the rest of the night.

~~~

It was quiet in the main hall. Servants were packing away the suitcases and bags, but everything else felt incredibly still.

Setsuna stared at nothing in particular as Minako squeezed their clasped hands even tighter.

"You'll love the princess," Setsuna said, breaking the silence. "She's pure and bright. She almost reminds me of a more innocent you. Although I'm not sure who could be counted as being the more clumsy one."

Minako laughed, though it was short-lived and slightly forced. "Not funny," she said. She gave Setsuna's hand another squeeze. "Will I be able to come visit you sometimes?"

Setsuna hesitated. "I don't know." Another pause. "I will be spending more of my days at the Time Gate."

"Oh."

Setsuna turned to face her, taking in the sight of Minako's golden hair and clear blue eyes. "I will try to come up with a plan." The words felt hollow, but there wasn't anything else that could be said.

Minako nodded anyway, though her expression made it obvious that she did not believe the words either. "I'll be busy watching the Princess, anyway." She looked up at the taller woman, and smiled. "I had fun here, with you."

"So did I," Setsuna told her, and it still surprised her to know that it was true. She looked into Minako's eyes and Minako looked back.

A million things were said without a single word passing between them.

~~~

The Silver Millennium was ending in a bath of blood and death. Sailor Pluto watched from her solitary post at the Time Gates, and could do nothing to help.

Even as she caught sight of tangled golden hair and the torn red ribbon, the familiar orange and blue fuku dirty and bloody, Sailor Pluto did nothing.

Her heart broke into a hundred tiny painful pieces and her hands shook in anger and frustration and sorrow, she cried until the tears simply wouldn't come any more.

But she couldn't do anything to help the ones she loved.

~~~

On the crowded streets of London, talk of the famed Sailor V went through the city like wildfire. She protected the innocent and she helped those who could not help theirselves. She was beautiful and powerful and brought justice to the world.

But no one talked of the shadow that followed Sailor V everywhere she went. The shadow did not interact with the famed warrior, nor did the shadow ever made its presence known.

But it was always there, watching and helping in subtle unseen ways, content to protect instead of burdening Sailor V with memories of the past.

Waiting patiently for that one possible day when the two of them could continue where they left off.

Entry #2
Setsuna smiled softly to herself as she looked out on the city constructed out of jewels, glimmering beautifully in the light of the sinking sun. It had all become so beautiful, her home for the past six years. She never would have imagined it would turn out like this, that day she realized time and destiny had been changed somehow. She chuckled softly now to think of how she had fought so hard against it all. Silly thing for a guardian of time to do, when she had known better. Fate was never a thing to be stopped. And now, as she glanced around the room, she would never give anything to change it, even if she were given the chance. As she brushed her fingers against the walls made of smooth gem, she began thinking about what had led to all of this.




It had all started when that girl appeared before the Time Gates. Pluto had instantly recognized the hair color and eyes, but everything else was unfamiliar. Her hair was no longer in the cone shaped buns, but round ones, and her pigtails stretched to her ankles to brush the ground. So long and sleek, not puffy and short. Her eyes were...older. More mature, more sure and confident of herself. She moved with a grace that was only half perfected, but there and noticeable. And a gold crescent glowing gently on her brow, a testament to her heritage. Shy at first, the girl sat and played with fog. But she seemed to notice things Chibiusa hadn't. She called herself Nectaris.

No, no this was quite wrong. It was Chibiusa, not Nectaris. Cone buns, not round like her mother and grandmother. But she guarded the girl, and the senshi came for her. They took her back home, and then she could discover what happened. It hadn't happened, it should have by now. She could see it, see the man she originally fell in love with as he married her princess. But it wasn't Crystal Tokyo, no it was the palace on the Moon. Queen Serenity passing the throne and Silver Crystal onto her daughter. Pluto could feel the emotion rising in her. This wasn't how it was meant to be! Though she hated it, they were meant to die and be reborn! What would happen to Crystal Tokyo, her dear Chibiusa? They would never exist. It broke her heart then.

Then shortly after, came the invitation. A ball in her honor, to celebrate the woman who had protected the heir of the Silver Millennium during the attack of the Black Moon Clan. It had been years since she had left her post at the Time Gate, and she was uncomfortable, not used to so much attention and so many people around her after all the years alone. She was polite enough to accept the thanks and smiles, but one man she avoided. She had to avoid him, to prevent what would happen. It would be disaster, it couldn't happen! But it did. The party was attacked by the members of the Black Moon Clan again, as she knew it would. Oh how skewed time had become, for them to be here now!

But she hadn't been wary enough. She had been saved. By Him. She had seen the attack coming at her, and she had started to raise her hands to fend it off. The next thing she knew, she was on the floor, on top of someone warm. She opened her eyes, and they met beautiful green that reminded her of trees. She felt the breathlessness, it was as if the entire world disappeared for those precious few seconds. Had she frozen time by accident? She could feel her fingers delicately brushing against hair, his hair, colored smokey blue and soft. She heard his voice, a soft whisper as he said to her, “You're beautiful.” But it seemed time had started again, and she forced herself up and away from him. She transformed and began to fight. She should have been focusing on the battle, but she couldn't. She had been desperately avoiding the man and yet she had still met him. And now, she found she would give anything to look into his eyes again.

Afterward, she had struggled. The Queen had been saved, brought back to the Moon and everything was okay. But she could feel straining. The fabric of time and space was becoming skewed, worst than she had imagined. She was delaying the inevitable, why? But she had known why. She hoped that she could change things back, so that Crystal Tokyo would come to be, and Chibiusa. But that would never happen, now or ever. She went to a window and stared out over the surface of the Moon city. She had learned who that man was that had saved her, the man with the beautiful green eyes.

He was Crown Prince Hyperion of Earth, younger brother of Endymion and heir to the throne of Earth now. Ironic, she had thought. Then she had looked down, and saw Hyperion looking up at her hopefully. He had given a small wave, which she hesitantly returned and then he motioned for her to come down. She felt herself freeze up, staring down at him. She could see now how he was Endymion's brother. The same nose, the same shape of face and eyes. No, his eyes were not blue like the ocean, sucking you gently in. his hair wasn't black as the night sky. He would never wear a cape that reminded one of the sky at sunrise, a beautiful gentle lavender. But she couldn't deny him and his differences. She left her room to go downstairs.

She never could quite figure out when love for Endymion had turned to love for Hyperion, when she stopped comparing the brothers and suffering that painful twinge of the heart at the differences and similarities. Maybe it was when he took her out for a boat ride on a lake near one of his private summer homes on Earth. Or Maybe it was when he finally had the courage to kiss her delicately on the lips, a mere brushing that had left her as breathless as when they first met and the ache for more. Or maybe it was the nights they had begun spending together, when she would see him asleep in the moonlight. But when the day came, and Hyperion had presented her with a beautiful garnet ring, she no longer had the heart to resist. She said yes.

Then she had felt space stretching again. Things had to be fixed, to preserve all that had happened. There was no hesitation this time, and she joined her powers with Neo Queen Serenity of the Moon's. They projected their kingdoms into the future, the 29th century. The last vestiges of an ice age lingered, and people suffered. Together, they put things right, and began rebuilding. Serenity and Endymion retreated to the Moon again with their daughter. She and Hyperion were left on Earth, and she knew what had to be done now.

Construction commenced quickly, and Garnet Tokyo slowly grew and formed. She and Hyperion had been so happy together, and Pluto gained the name Setsuna. Hyperion had been confused by the strange name, but accepted it. And she would never tell him why she took it. She had taken it, to hold onto even a little of the timeline she had lost. A small memento that would always remind her of Chibiusa and Crystal Tokyo and everything that had existed but no longer did. And she found herself looking forward, more and more, to what she knew would come next.




Setsuna was broken out of her revelry by a soft crying. She turned and smiled, walking to the little bassinet and bent down. She cooed softly at the dark skinned little girl that laid there, staring up with the beautiful green eyes of her father and dark teal hair. Setsuna, Queen of Earth and Garnet Tokyo, gently picked up her daughter, the Crown Princess Theiusa of Earth. She nuzzled the child gently, hearing the soft giggles. Her own Chibiusa now, as she had taken to calling her. She carried the little girl about the room, then through the doors that led to her large bedroom. She moved to the bed and showed Theiusa the gown laid out on it. She would wear it tonight for her birthday celebration. All the nobles of Garnet Tokyo, all the senshi and the King and Queen of the Moon would be coming, to offer their well wishes and congratulations.

She glanced down and smiled to see Theiusa nuzzled into her breast, the familiar scent and voice having lulled her back to sleep. She was such a good child, and had only caused her and Hyperion to stay up a few nights so far. She gently laid Theiusa back into her little bed and looked down on the sleeping infant. She felt arms wrap around her from behind and smiled at the feeling of her husbands nose burying against her hair. “Our beautiful princess” he whispered softly. Setsuna turned around and wrapped her arms around Hyperion. She looked into his eyes for a moment before she kissed him. She wondered for a moment if she was getting addicted to his lips. She wondered how much time there was before the party began. Almost as if reading her mind, Hyperion whispered again, “We have time.” She smiled to herself and nodded, as they both drifted away from the bassinet and back into their bedroom, gently closing the doors.

voted

Voted ^.^!

voted! Its STILL an even tie, this is hilarious >D

Sailor Kakyuu wrote:

voted! Its STILL an even tie, this is hilarious >D

Lol they're both good so it's hard to decide X'D

Voted congrats to these two entries for making it this far!

Voted!

Congratulations to Entry#1, written by Verdandi!



Entry #1 - Verdandi
Entry #2 - CrystalSetsuna
Entry #3 - radicaledward124
Entry #4 - Anjyu
Entry #5 - Sailor Kakyuu
Entry #6 - mysterloveandjustice
Entry #7 - Sailor Venus

The special event was a success and I am glad to announce that we will have more special events in the future. I look forward to reading your entries for the 8th writing contest, which is currently accepting entries.