The glass in front of Haruka and Michiru dissolved and the lovers fell out, clutching their throats as they gasped in air after not having the need to breathe for some time. Michiru stumbled towards Hotaru. "Sweetheart…"

Hotaru flung herself into Michiru's arms and held onto her as if someone were going to drag her away. "I'm sorry, Michi. I didn't mean to get us into so much trouble."

Michiru stroked Hotaru's dark hair. "It's all right. Everything will be fi-"

She had just spotted Setsuna across the way. "Oh…Haruka…" she breathed.

Haruka, finally catching her breath, glanced up. "Oh…" She was silent, speechless.

Michiru, her eyes shining, stood up, clutching Hotaru protectively to her side. "You found her. We can take her home now." She smiled brilliantly at Haruka through her tears. "Hotaru found her! We can all go home now!"

Hotaru answered, her voice choked. "We can't. He won't let Suna go." She gave Cronus a rare spiteful look. "Besides, he let her drink from a river that made her forget us. She doesn't know me anymore."

Ignoring Cronus, Michiru finally released Hotaru and moved towards Setsuna. "Suna?" She knelt down in front of Setsuna and tried to lift her chin. "Suna, listen to me! It's Michiru. Please speak to me!" She put her hands on Setsuna's cheeks and tilted her head to look into her eyes. Michiru drew in her breath sharply and looked back at Haruka. "There's nothing in her eyes! Not a thing!"

Haruka looked at Cronus angrily. "What gives you the right to decide who lives or dies?" she demanded. "You have many souls here. What difference does one young woman make to you?"

Cronus, who towered over Haruka by several feet, glared down at her. "It is my domain to rule over. You, who are trespassing and have already been punished for it, have no right to question my judgment! Be silent or I will see you sent back to Tartarus."

"Does our love for her mean nothing?" cried Michiru.

Hotaru, who had moved to Setsuna and was holding her limp hand, glared angrily at the god. "If you were kind you would get her a glass of water from that other river over there! The one with her memories in it!"

Haruka started. "That river over there?"

"Silence!" commanded Cronus.

"Haruka!" Michiru widened her eyes at her lover. "Haruka, GO!"

Without hesitating, Haruka charged past Cronus.

"STOP!" hollered the god.

With a cry of blind rage, Michiru threw herself at Cronus, followed closely by Hotaru. The force of Michiru's body hitting Cronus's caused him to stumble just long enough to lose his concentration. Before he knew it, he had Michiru on one arm and Hotaru on the other, hindering his movements. He didn't seem able to move when the girls were touching him, as if being touched by mortals was a weakness.

In moments, Haruka had Setsuna hoisted into her arms and was running through the field. Although Cronus was immediately detained, the Elysian Fields itself fought to keep Setsuna within it. The harmless looking flowers suddenly seemed to come alive, their stems grabbing at Haruka's ankles, thorns making long scratches in her skin. Haruka gave a cry of fear, but anger boiled beneath it. She held onto Setsuna even as she went sprawling. Grunting angrily, she kicked free from the binding plants and tore them from Setsuna's arms and legs where they had grabbed hold. "You will not take her!" Haruka yelled, hauling herself to her feet and hoisting Setsuna's dead weight into her arms again.

"STOP!" Cronus repeated, throwing Michiru from him violently. Relentlessly, nearly deranged, she rose and threw herself at the angry god once again, clawing and biting.

Haruka, upon reaching the edge of the river of memory, wasted no time. Using the last of her desperate strength, she threw Setsuna into the water. Splashing in after her, she seized Setsuna's head and forced her mouth open. Water flowed in and Setsuna gulped.

Across the way, Michiru finally let go of Cronus and, ignoring him, ran towards Haruka, Hotaru on her heels.

Haruka pulled the spluttering Setsuna from the river and used the hem of her shirt to wipe water from her friend's eyes. Setsuna seemed disoriented and confused, groping blindly, terror livid on her face. She seemed unable to see Haruka very well; her eyes weren't quite normal. "Uranus!" she cried, clutching at the air.

It became apparent to Haruka that her name was the last thing Setsuna had screamed before she died. Setsuna had needed her love and strength and she hadn't been there, hadn't believed anything was wrong until it was far too late. Tears came to her eyes and she vowed that she wouldn't fail her friend ever again. "I'm here!"

Setsuna said nothing, but once she found the fabric of Haruka's shirt, she clutched it tightly with both fists.

Michiru was on them in seconds and wrapped her arms around them both. "Let's get her out of here."

"You will not take her anywhere!" Cronus towered over the three of them, a violent fire blazing in his eyes. "Pluto belongs to me!"

The three gazed up at him, breathing hard from expenditure of energy and fear.

Cronus raised his arms. "If you will not leave on your own, I will show you what it means to be wrathful!" His voice was terrible.

Hotaru suddenly leapt in front of her guardians, brandishing her glaive. "Please stop!"

Cronus hesitated. "Stand aside, Saturn."

Hotaru pointed the glaive sharply at the god. "Why are you so selfish?" she demanded. Then, softening her voice, she repeated the question. "Why do you have to be so selfish? Why do you hate us so much? We love her."

Cronus's expression softened. "I don't think you understand, little one. I love her too. Pluto is my daughter."

"No!" Haruka glared.

"You lie!" cried Michiru, holding Setsuna tighter. "You just want to cause pain!"

Setsuna rose shakily to her feet, using Haruka's shoulders to brace herself. "Are…you really my father?" she asked, taking a tottering step towards him.

"No!" cried Michiru, refusing to release her hold on Setsuna's arm. "Setsuna…"

Setsuna turned and smiled.

Michiru shook her head. "Please…don't go with him. Come with us."

Setsuna leaned over and after using her hands to find Michiru's face, she kissed her softly on the cheek. "Everything will be fine." She smiled and walked towards Cronus, trance-like. Michiru's mouth opened in a silent plea as the folds of Setsuna's dress slipped through her fingers.

"Wait," Haruka said gently, wrapping an arm around Michiru and then pulling Hotaru close. "Let her talk." The three knelt in the grass, watching Setsuna, waiting.

Setsuna walked to the god and put her small hands in his. "I knew that I had the blood of Cronus in my veins, but I never imagined…"

"Shh," Cronus said gently. "I am sorry that you couldn't know and that I couldn't visit you as a child. But I have always watched over you and no father was ever prouder of his daughter." He squeezed her hands. "But now that you are here with me, things will be different. You will be given anything you wish. You will be at peace here. And I can be a proper father to you."

Setsuna smiled, and raised her head slightly. "I am honored and I would very much like to stay here with you…"

Hotaru whimpered in despair and Michiru closed her eyes tight and lowered her head. Haruka alone looked on calmly but tightened her grip on her lover and child.

Setsuna closed her eyes. "…But you have to let me go. I have to go back home. Hotaru is my daughter. And Haruka and Michiru are my sisters. They need me…and I need them."

Cronus bowed his head. "Daughter…"

"But…!" Setsuna exclaimed, holding the god's hands tighter, "I will make you a promise to come and visit for a week out of each month, if that would be permitted."

Hotaru made a face as if that time period was entirely too long, but Haruka nodded slowly. Hotaru looked back at Setsuna and managed a smile. She needed to be generous. After all, Cronus was really her grandfather of sorts. "Yes," she said. "Yes, you must visit him." She smiled, and Cronus smiled back with a nod. And she thought she heard a voice in her head, the Sibyl's, saying, "You have been very brave, child of the stars, and gracious. And for that, you will have your mother back."

"Saturn, do you still have the pomegranate of Persephone?"

"Yes." Hotaru dug around in her bag until she drew out the ripe fruit.

Cronus took it from her. "Daughter, will you eat from the pomegranate as a sign of your promise?"

The others stiffened. In myth, when Persephone had eaten the pomegranate seeds, she had been forced to come back for three months at a time. Hotaru didn't quite think she could stand that.

But Setsuna was not being forced. She wanted to come back if it would ease the father's loneliness – and perhaps some of her own. "I will eat."

When it was done, Cronus swept Setsuna into a hug. "Go in peace until we meet again, Daughter. I trust your Garnet Orb will know how to find me."

Setsuna kissed his cheek. "Go in peace, Father. And thank you."

Haruka helped Michiru to rise and then lifted Hotaru to her feet as well. "And we may take her home now?"

Cronus became serious. "In the future, Pluto will have the ability to travel here and back with the use of the Orb, but she is not yet living."

A chill ran down Hotaru's spine. It was true – Setsuna's eyes were still oddly empty, even with the return of her memories and emotions, and she was deathly pale.

Cronus continued. "Because of this, she must walk. Child of the stars…have you studied the story of Orpheus and his wife?"

Hotaru liked Greek myths and thought that perhaps she had. "Orpheus found his wife in the Underworld after she had died," she said slowly, trying to remember her school lessons. "She…was allowed to follow him out, but something bad happened. It was so sad."

"He looked back," Michiru murmured.

Haruka nodded. "Then we mustn't look back." Haruka took Setsuna's hand and tried to catch her attention, but she seemed to be slipping back into silence. "Setsuna, love, you have to follow us out of the Underworld. We can't look back at you or touch you, but please…follow us?" Haruka looked at Cronus uneasily.

"The power of the Underworld is strong," Cronus explained. "She is starting once again to fade. But she will follow you, if her love for you is true."

Haruka nodded. "Right." She reluctantly let go of Setsuna's hand. "Let's go."

The Garnet Orb drifted ahead of them, and the three started to follow it. Hotaru walked along between Haruka and Michiru, but she found it very hard not to turn her head. Subconsciously, her chin tilted towards her shoulder, but Haruka put a hand on her head. "I know it's hard, but we just have to walk…and trust."

Michiru smiled at her lover and squeezed her hand. "Setsuna will follow us. I know she will."