Mamoru's Other Family
Sailor Pluto stood at her post at the time gate watching as a swirl of mist appeared in front of her. She stepped forward out of the shadows and looked into mist, watching as images appeared. This was a rare occurrence that the time line would tangle like this, and even more so that it would appear so boldly in front of her.
The mist showed the image of a vehicle traveling down a dark road veering out of control. A strong wind blowing from the East steered the car towards the ledge of the cliff. Although something was changing and the winds threatened to shift to the West. Should the direction change the care would be able to regain control and continue down the road. But why would she be concerned with the wind or the occupants of the car?
Suddenly the image split and she saw two images side by side. To the left a young boy awoke in a hospital bed with tears in his eyes - his family was lost. To the right the same young boy was helping his mother to pack his toys into boxes. A little older now, the boy on the left lived in an orphanage while his counterpart played on the beach with his father. He has become a young adult, his left counterpart is torn apart by dreams that he cannot understand while his other has his first kiss with a pretty brunette.
Was it really such a difficult choice whether or not to allow the winds should be allowed to change? The images began to darken now, flashing quicker than she could process. When the images stopped, the young man was laying dead in the arms of blonde haired woman in a white dress.
“Princess!” Pluto gasps in recognition. “Do the fates mean to prevent you from finding your Prince once again?” Why must the Prince suffer and die she wonders? She raises her wand, prepared to make her ruling when she finally understands the darkness on the right side. It is not dark because the vision has passed. No, it’s dark because the world is no more.
She lowered her wand, allowing herself a moment to grieve for the family that he would never know. With a wave of her hand a doorway opened into the fields of Elysian. A young priest kneeling in prayer turned stiffened for a moment realizing that he was no longer alone. He completed his prayer and turned to face the doorway, bowing politely to the dark haired senshi standing on the other side.
“Priest,” Pluto says in her wispy voice. “You have seen the same vision that I have, and it is the power of the Golden Crystal that is attempting to alter fates. It seems that your young prince is instinctively reaching to it for survival.”
“Is there really nothing that we can do?” he asked sadly.
“You must bury this power further within him. He cannot be allowed to access it before it’s time.”
“I understand.” The young priest bowed his head and returned to kneel at his alter.
Sailor Pluto watched as the two images melded back together to show the image of the car careening off the road. She closed her eyes already knowing how the scene would end. The mist dissipated back into nothing as Pluto seemed to do the same, stepping back into her shadows as a single tear rolled down her cheek.
If only he could have known his life if his parents hadn’t died on that evening. But he would never know and she would never tell. His destiny was so much greater than this moment and she hoped that one day he would understand why this had to be.