Chapter 10
Of Confrontations

It was another typical day in Tokyo.  People were out, running
errands, working, and looking after children. On this particular
day a trio walked through the park.  While they were clearly lost 
in their own worlds, they drew the attention of those around them.  
Some would pause to look at the tallest male of the group, who
seemed to be puzzling out something in his head. Others would stare 
at the clearly gaijin female, who was doing an odd combination of 
muttering, shivering, stopping, and walking quickly - mostly with 
her eyes closed!  No wonder people stopped to look at the trio.

The shortest member of the party was clearly frustrated, whether
by the behavior of his companions or by something else, it wasn't
clear.  Given his practically tanigilbe annoyance, however, 
observers were not surprised when he suddenly burst out with, 
"May! Why in the hell are were walking all over this park?!  Tell 
us what happened yesterday already!"

The woman in the front sighed and stopped walking.  She 
turned around to face her companions.  "We are walking all
over this park because I don't know what to tell you about 
what happened yesterday."

"What do you mean YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT TO TELL US?! Look 
lady-"

"Yusuke," the third member of the group finally spoke up, 
"Let us give her a chance to explain.  We aren't going
to learn anything if we just scream at her."  Terry turned 
to May.  "You do need tell us something, though.  Given the
circumstances, the not knowing is making both of us edgy."

May looked at the two young men, who, ironically, had come 
to mean a lot ot her, although they probably wouldn't believe
her if she said so.  She hated that she had failed them, 
especially given the method she had employed near the end.  
She took a deep breath and delivered the body blow with no 
sugar coating.  "Your brother refuses to meet you."

"What?!" shouted Yusuke.  Terry didn't shout, but he looked 
wounded and angry.  May really didn't want to know if Terry 
was angry at her or at the situation.  The only reason that 
she didn't get unduly nervous when Terry made a fist was because 
she was pretty sure Terry wouldn't hit her, if only because she
was a girl.

Yusuke, that was another story.  May kept a wary eye on 
the hothead as she continued, "He said he wanted time to 
think about everything...alone.  Technically, in terms of 
meeting you two, as his brothers, his answer was 'not now' 
instead of a clear 'no,'" May sighed, "but let's be honest.  
The third week is almost over.  We have eight days for him
to change his mind, that's it.  And, I have to wonder if
that 'not now' was meant as a 'no'.  The Japanese are so 
damn polite with foreigners. He wouldn't have told me to 
'fuck off' if that was what he was feeling."

After a pause, Terry asked, "What does that mean for us?"

May sighed.  "I really don't know.  I think all we can 
do is spend time together.  The two of you still have 
each other.  And maybe we can piece together parts of 
your past, but-" She shrugged.  "I am sorry that I wasted 
your time."

"So we are just going to give up?!" Yusuke shouted.  "He's 
my brother!  We can't just let that empress bitch win!  
We can't just quit!  You're a devious bitch, too, lady!  
Figure something out!"

"What you you have me do, Yusuke?" May shouted back.  
"Trick him into meeting you two?  Kidnap him?  Kill his 
girlfriend?  What?!"  

"I'd have you do something!" Yusuke retorted.
 
"Do you have any suggestions then?  Since I obviously don't
know what I'm doing, what would you suggest?  Y'all don't 
trust me, not really.  Your brother doesn't trust me.  All three
of us are hiding from a rogue timewalker AND I'm trying to
keep y'all from being target practice for city protectors.
Given that, what options do I have left?  What would you have 
me do?"

Yusuke seemed to sputter at May's response, "You're in
charge! You dragged us here!  There has to be option that
you haven't tried.  Otherwise, why did you bother?"

"Are you kidding?  And, besides that, Why the hell do you 
care?!" May screamed, practically in Yusuke's face.  Her 
patience had obviously been pushed over the edge.  "You 
think I am incompetent and dangerous.  A "devious little 
bitch," correct?  You don't get along with Terry at all.  
Let's be honest.  The only reason you haven't demanded that 
I take you back to your dimension is that you are afraid of
missing a good fight-"

Yusuke had opened his mouth to reply, but Terry, looking 
off into the distance, broke in with "He may get that fight 
after all."

"What?" May asked as she whirled around to see a woman 
coming towards them.  Her long dark green hair blowing 
in the breeze, the woman wore a business suit and heels.  
To the passerby, she didn't look dangerous at all, but May 
sensed that this woman was some kind of threat.  Without 
analyzing why, May positioned herself in such a way that 
she stood in front of Terry and Yusuke, almost like a 
human shield, so that she could protect them.

Behind her, Yusuke and Terry both shifted into battle 
stances, but that was because they recognized the woman.  
She wasn't in the sailor uniform that she wore when she 
attacked them two days ago, but the posture, the hair, 
and the walk were the same.  They knew that this was the 
woman who attacked them.

The woman stopped three feet in front of the trio and 
gave May the once over.  Then she said, "Adaunde.  Why 
am I not surprised that you would somehow be involved 
in this?  You never knew when to let go."

Recognizing that the woman had referred to her by what 
must be her past life's name, May's eyes narrowed.  Only 
one person would know that name and feel like a threat.  
"Pluto.  I figured that I'd run into the empress' time 
walker sooner or later."

Setsuna's eyes narrowed briefly at the woman's use of her 
senshi title, but any other reaction she had to that 
revelation she kept to herself. "So, Adaunde, how does 
it feel to lose?"

"So, you appeared to gloat?" May asked to cover the pain 
that the well-placed barb caused.  She looked at the 
disguised time walker for few seconds.  Then she asked, 
"But have I really lost?"

"Endymion won't leave the moon princess.  You must know 
that by now," Setsuna stated.

"You mean Mamoru won't leave the reincarnation of the 
moon princess.  There is a difference, you know," May 
corrected.  "But," she added, "you assumed that breaking 
up that couple was my sole purpose.  It wasn't."  May 
laughed, although it held no mirth.  "I think you'll
find that your fiction doesn't hold up as well anymore.  
You'll have to explain a great many things to Mamoru soon 
enough."

Setsuna laughed off the warning.  "Is that rationalization 
all you have to take comfort in?"

"No," May replied.  Taking a deep breath, May prepared to
deliver words that would get at the other reasons she had 
been temporarily granted her powers. "Lady Pluto, time walker 
in the service of Queen Serenity, former empress and tryant of 
the Silver Alliance, I bring you a message from the Creator, 
the supreme ruler who granted you the gift you have abused.  
Since you were tweleve you have been watched.  No slight, no 
lie, no timeline trick that you have performed has gone 
unnoticed.  The Creator expresses His displeasure with your 
actions and hands down this sentence.  The truth will come 
out and as part of this, you will find your powers constrained.  
Be ye warned, Lady of Pluto.  Stand futher in the way of the 
Creator's plan and the punishment will be more severe."

Setsuna's eyes narrowed.  "Your attempt at frightening me 
is laughable.  I have still won."

"No, you've failed as well." Terry countered from behind May.

That statement seemed to surprise Setsuna.  "How do you 
deem that I  failed, Tremaine?  Your brother still sides 
with me."

Yusuke growled deep in his throat, showing his anger.  
Terry, however, calmly countered, "You failed because we 
are still here.  You tried to kill Yusuke and me both.  
You missed.  You failed."

Anger flashed briefly over Setsuna's face, but she didn't
express it or clear up the misunderstanding of her intentions.  
After a pause she said, "I have a message for you royals of 
earth.  Go back from whence you have come.  Your reign is over 
and you will never gain it back." With that Setsuna turned 
around and walked away.

After Setsuna had left them in the park, Yusuke came out of
his fighting stance and turned on May.  "We're just going to 
let her win?!" Yusuke shouted.  "We should go after her! Or 
something-"

"No," May shook her head.  "Pluto may think this is her 
First Battle of Bull Run.  What she doesn't know is that 
this is Gettysburg and she'll commit her own Pickett's charge 
pretty soon."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

May smiled softly.  In all of this she thought she had 
lost herself.  That last statement proved that she obviously 
hadn't.  "I'm sorry.  I'm a Southerner.  I tend to think about 
the American Civil War a little too much.  Most of us do."  
She took a deep breath.  "Come on guys.  Let's go."

"Where are we going?" Terry asked May, as, with surprisingly 
little comment, both he and Yusuke fell into step behind her.

"Back to the mansion.  Yusuke obviously needs to blow off 
some steam.  And I- I need to think."

*****

Pluto returned to the Gate of Time, inwardly seething.  
"How dare the former Queen of Earth think she can threaten 
me with her Creator?  I have done nothing but my duty!  The 
princess deserves this world!  Why must these Earth royals 
constantly make claims of tryanny?!" Pluto sighed.

It wasn't that she didn't question her actions at points, 
but she knew Queen Serenity.  Many kingdoms accused Serenity 
of ruling with an iron hand, but that wasn't true!  Serenity 
saved her life when her village was destroyed.  Serenity even 
killed the exiled criminal that was responsible for the 
destruction of her home.  At that moment, Pluto had pledged 
undying loyalty to her queen, who in turn, practically raised
her.  And Serenity did things for other planets.  She 
shielded Mercury from the sun so that people could live above 
ground on its surface.  She regulated Venus's atmosphere.  She 
caused water to appear on Mars.  She reigned in the wild storms 
of Jupiter...and her generosity continued.  Pluto had never 
understood the anger at and fear of Serenity that she
heard in whispers from other planets in the allaince, and 
usually blatantly from the Earth, at least in the beginning.

And here in the present appears the reborn Queen Adaunde, 
daring to criticise what Pluto had done out of loyalty.  
"But I can fix this."  Determined to stop this problem, 
Pluto prepared to go back into the past and stop the Earthen 
invasion...

...only to discover that she couldn't.  Her powers 
could not affect in any way the past three weeks.  
She could not even go back into the past and save 
the reborn Adaunde from the burning building, stopping 
the whole process before it started.  She also seemed 
unable to go into the future.

"You will find your powers constrained," Pluto heard 
ringing in her head.  She growled.  "Well, there is 
one way to end this," she said as she prepared to 
leave the Gate.  It was time to have another senshi
meeting.  All she had to do was make sure that Mamoru 
never interacted with his mother.  After those three 
finally realized that they had failed, they would leave.

More and more lately, her job called her to do more 
than merely guard the gate of time.

- to be continued -