Garnet eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly as she spotted her prey peacefully sleeping on the other side of the glass. The slumbering woman was blissfully unaware of the other's presence, her senses completely captured by the dream within which she was ensconced. Her reverie was an unexpectedly pleasant one compared to the many nightmares she had endured since that one horrific day nearly ten years ago. As she lied there across her soft duvet, the strands of golden hair flowing freely across her face, she looked very much like the glorious princess she thought she was. But the woman meditatively staring at her through the pane knew better than to believe that.

It was her final mission and by far the most solemn, if only because its finality represented the end of one era and the beginning of another. Her solitary task was to ensure that a tenuous balance of opposing and fundamentally destructive forces was maintained throughout the universe. Great evil was beginning to stir once again, and its very presence threatened to disrupt that tenuous equilibrium. If left unchecked, that evil would have done far more damage than the annihilation of a small planet located within a backwater galaxy. She knew that more than anyone else on Earth, and so she took it upon herself to combat the darkness as she had always done. Unfortunately, that meant concluding the events of the past in order to allow the future to progress unimpeded.

Her first victim was Meioh Setsuna. By far, the woman's elimination was the easiest to accomplish, which was a tremendous surprise to her dear friends. Her sudden disappearance startled and saddened them, though not nearly as much as the lack of any tangible proof that she had ever existed. Only those special few individuals could ever recall a person by that name and appearance, and that fact worried them to no end. Combined with their sudden inability to transform into their powerful alter egos, it represented a devastating shock to their lives and everything they hoped would transpire. How could the glorious future they all expected and desired come to fruition without that one vital soul? Nevertheless, that nearly decade-old job was her original, and she completed it with perfection.

Next on her list were not only nearly inseparable lovers but two people who knew that enigmatic woman better than almost anyone else. Disposing of them would prove a challenge so long as they remained on edge from the previous incident. Almost two years would pass before she found an opportunity to deal with them, but when it arose she made the best of it. The automobile accident immediately claimed their lives, though it was a mystery how the renowned racing driver would be so careless as to lose control of her vehicle with her beloved partner sitting beside her. There were rumors that a third passenger had survived the crash, but they soon faded away since nobody had been able to locate the teenaged girl ever since her release from the hospital.

Five years had elapsed between that painful but since-forgotten episode and her subsequent moves. During that span, she had developed schemes for dealing with her remaining targets that were brutal, efficient, and completely ironic. First eliminated was a moderately popular singer who died tragically when a part of her set collapsed upon her during a televised concert. Barely a few days had gone by when one of the late idol's friends was murdered during an apparent robbery of her restaurant. Despite her atypical size and strength, the brunette clearly was no match for her unknown assailant. Soon, two more women died in equally inexplicable ways. The priestess who headed the Hikawa Shrine perished when a part of the ancient temple caught fire and she was left unable to escape. Later that same evening, an esteemed doctor from the district's main hospital drowned in her condominium's pool despite being well-known as an excellent swimmer.

That brought her to the last name and the final person who would have to be sacrificed in order to allow a return of order to the universe. It had taken well over two years for the blond-haired woman to recover enough from the untimely deaths of her dear friends to not suffer recurrent nightmares and bouts of depression. Even with the passage of several years, those five former warriors had remained very close to one another and treated each other like sisters. As she was the one who brought them all together, it made sense that she would feel the worst pain when they all left her. For the first months after the last death she wondered when she would join them. Afterward, the 'when' turned to 'if' as she struggled with the idea that, maybe, she would be the only one left. She would be trapped with the burden, the torture, of having to live alone. And she truly was alone, as the man she dearly loved more than any other and hoped would become her husband seemed to fade from her life as soon as he left her to pursue his studies in America. However, even that terrible thought eventually disappeared from her mind as she realized she could not pine over them forever. She had to find some shred of happiness and hold onto it for dear life, lest she succumb to the darkness and ensure that all of their sacrifices for her sake would have been in vain. Nevertheless, that mindset proved to be futile.

The blonde stirred when she heard the slight creak of her bedroom door opening. It confused her as she knew nobody could enter her apartment through the deadbolt-latched front entrance. She lifted her head from the pillow, at first groggily but then with a start as she perceived the presence of another individual within the room. Her cerulean eyes flew open, but those wide orbs were filled not with terror but a mixture of surprise and awe.

"Setsuna-chan?" Even after all those dreadful years, her soft whisper carried a hint of child-like melodiousness.

"Yes, Usagi. It's me," the other woman replied more gently than she anticipated.

"You… you're alive. I thought all of them were gone, but you're still here." At that moment, she leaped from the bed and threw herself at the woman with open arms, pulling her into a warm and tight embrace.

"Yes, but I cannot stay for long," she said plainly. Despite her better judgment, she hesitantly wrapped her arms around the shoulders of the shorter woman to return the hug.

"Why? What happened? Why can't you stay?" The look in her eyes as she solemnly gazed upward matched the desperately pleading tone of her voice.

"I-I'm afraid I can't tell you that." She then slowly pushed away from Usagi, imparting yet further disappointment into the mind of that younger woman. And yet she, not the blonde, was the one who ultimately felt woefully insecure and oddly miserable.

"So, I take it then you're here to tell me what happened to my friends and tell me why they all died, right? You'll tell me why they all left me all alone?"

"I wish I could, but—"

Usagi somberly shook her head as she turned and walked back to her bed, interrupting the response in the process with her sullen and somewhat petulant words. "I get it. You can't reveal anything that would disrupt the timeline. Not that there's much of a timeline left to maintain at this point in time, as I doubt Crystal Tokyo will ever happen."

"I'm afraid it will not, Usagi. Not anymore."

"Was it truly ever meant to be?" She turned her eyes to the dark-green-haired woman once again, but that time her gaze revealed sad resignation more than any other emotion. "I mean, for me. Not for her."

The older woman stiffened when she realized the true meaning behind the question. At no point in time did she ever anticipate the blonde figuring out even that much, but then the girl truly was a special being. She had a knack for always being more capable than anyone ever expected from her. That night was no exception.

"That's one of the reasons I'm here, and one of the things I can tell you," she said more melancholically than she desired in her otherwise calm voice. "It might have been a real future for you, had events taken a different course. But, now you will face an entirely different future."

A few seconds of piercing silence elapsed before Usagi spoke again. When she did, her almost inaudible whisper was heavy with contemplation and sorrow, and her eyes were focused on nothing more than the tan carpet at her feet.

"Did I truly ever have a past life, Setsuna-chan? Was I ever really a princess? Were any of them ever warriors?"

The older woman slowly shook her head before vocalizing her reply to the weary blonde. "No, Usagi. You were never a princess. You had no past life, and neither did any of your friends."

"So, all of it was a lie, then."

"That's not entirely true."

"How is it not?" Usagi pointedly asked as she swiftly turned a fierce yet wretched glower to the startled woman. "Why were we forced to look for a princess who really did not exist if it wasn't all a lie? Why did we fight for a future that would never become reality?"

"Because, Usagi, it was the only way to allow you to find each other early on and, after that, to motivate you to continue fighting even when all hope seemed lost."

"I'm sure we would have continued fighting if all we knew was that our failure meant the deaths of our loved ones," Usagi retorted.

"Maybe so, but history has shown me otherwise." By then, the woman had reclaimed her poise, although a part of her still felt miserable for the lies she had told in the past and the news she soon would have to reveal. "More often than not, the senshi of the past were more than willing to give up if they did not have that extra incentive to encourage them to persist."

The blonde pensively nodded and averted her eyes from her partner as she felt a sharp chill run through her body. "But Set—" she started to ask before halting midway. "I guess I really shouldn't call you that anymore, given that I no longer believe you're that kind woman I thought you were."

"You can just call me Sailor Pluto," she acceded, well aware of the dark place to where the conversation was turning.

Usagi nodded once again before morosely sighing and speaking in a somber and almost lifeless whisper. "Well, Pluto, why did you take our powers? Why did you force us to live through the torture of not knowing what was happening to us?"

"I did what I had to do. There was no way you all could maintain your powers without disrupting the vital balance of forces that hold the universe together. But, that balance clearly could not be maintained for long as evil started to surge once again."

"Couldn't you have just given us back our powers?"

"I wish I could, but, once lost, your ability to transform into senshi could never be restored. They can only be given to new girls. Furthermore, it was five years after Galaxia's defeat when I felt the imbalance grow. I knew it would only be a matter of time before a new threat emerged on this planet, but even if I could return your powers, they would be useless to you at that age."

"But, then… why did they all have to die?" she shakily asked as she pulled her knees into her chest and wrapped her arms around them in order to steady her trembling body to no avail. "Why did you think you had to kill them?"

"It was the only way to restore order," Pluto determinedly replied. "Even though none of you had your powers, I knew that the disparity would only grow, though by then it would be too far in the direction of good. Old senshi cannot exist at the same time as the new senshi."

"So, that's it. That's why you decided to murder my friends." She once again tentatively turned her eyes toward the woman, a hint of understandable fear and curious resolve etched upon her features. "And I take it you're here to kill me as well."

Pluto took in a deep breath and gradually exhaled it before revealing her answer. When she decided to speak her words failed to surprise the blonde, although her unexpected emotions certainly drew a questioning gaze.

"Yes, Usagi. You're absolutely right. In order for that girl you saw to realize her identity as Sailor Moon, you can no longer exist," she said with unabashed sadness as she stared at the younger woman with teary eyes. "You might not believe me, but I truly hate having to do that to you, far more than I despised having to kill any of them."

"But you still did it. You still killed them."

"Yes, I did, but only because the very survival of the universe dictated that I do so."

Usagi expected a sudden urge to weep for the lives of her friends and her own, and yet there were no tears. What good would it have done her to cry over their deaths once again, knowing she had felt nothing but misery for so long? What good would it have done to sob about her impending demise when there was nothing she could have done to prevent it? She was on the sixth floor of the apartment building, and, other than the doorway occupied by her would-be murderer, the only other exit was the window. Besides, as much as she wanted to feel panic at her situation or hatred toward Pluto for placing her there, she ultimately could feel neither. All she could sense was an overwhelming emotion of pity for the woman and for the girls who would succeed her friends and her.

"I hate it, but I guess you really have no choice," she whispered.

"Usagi…"

"You're stuck with no real way to save the universe but to call up these new senshi, and I'm only in the way of that," she said as she smiled weakly at the soldier of revolution.

Pluto slowly approached Usagi, fully anticipating the blonde to shrink away from her or attempt to flee, but as she closed the distance the younger woman sat on the edge of her bed almost stoically. Though she knew she had to be strong to complete the final act of her mission, it was readily evident that the person she had once called princess, even though as a lie, was far stronger still. Because of that, she could not stop her tears from flowing down her reddened cheeks as she tenderly wrapped her arms around her victim.

"I'm so sorry," she muttered between sobs. "If I had the power, I would eliminate the evil outright so nobody would ever have to fight and die like this, especially you."

"But, as you said, there has to be a balance of good and evil in the universe. That's far more important than anything else, including me." She gently embraced and attempted to console the woman who would soon execute her.

"You truly are an angel, Usagi," Pluto whispered several minutes later as her tears finally ebbed, if only for a short while. "I desperately wish that the new Sailor Moon would capture even a quarter of your shine, but I truly doubt she could. Please believe me when I say that, of all the girls I ever had to deal with, I not only loved working with you but I absolutely loved merely being around you."

"I believe you." The heartfelt smile she displayed left no doubt in Pluto's mind about the veracity of her words. She then slowly released her hold of the warrior and gave her a reassuring nod. "Now, I think there's one last thing you have to do."

With tremendous anguish threatening to overwhelm her yet again, she hesitantly directed the girl to lie across her bed. She then retrieved a rather large syringe and removed the cap from the needle. Thoughts of backing down, of throwing away that tool of death and just retreating from the bedroom entered her mind, but she pressed ahead. As much as she wanted that precious soul to live, it was only with her sacrifice that the universe could be saved. Her eyes began to water once again as the poison entered Usagi's bloodstream, knowing that a decade ago she would have been able to withstand its effects with the power granted to her by the Silver Crystal. But that object belonged to another girl who would fight for love and justice and all the other things she thought deserved defending. About a minute later the beautiful shine that she knew had always adorned those cerulean eyes faded. Usagi had finally discovered the everlasting peace she had sought for so long.

Pluto could not restrain her tears any longer as she dropped the empty syringe to the floor and collapsed into a miserable heap. For several millennia, if not longer, she had been the one tasked with shuffling the mythical powers of the senshi from one set of girls to the next as evil ebbed and their usefulness waned. For all that time she had never held any qualms about completing her deadly mission, for she always knew that the costs of her failure were far greater than any one life she was forced to take. Even during that decade, despite her hesitation in killing the women that she had grown to like, she was utterly ruthless in executing the will of the universe. Only when she had to extinguish the brilliant shine that was Usagi's did she ever think that one life could be far more valuable than she imagined. But even as she lamented her role in making the Earth just that-much gloomier, she knew that death had a vital purpose. So, after sitting at the side of the bed and weeping uncontrollably for several minutes, she pulled herself to her feet and laid a sorrowful kiss on the blonde's forehead before whisking herself from the bedroom.

After all, there was a very important meeting between a certain black feline and pigtail-wearing teenage girl that she had to arrange.

Author's Note: This story of mine is inspired by a story written by krisrat entitled 15 Years Later. I strongly recommend reading that story as well, so long as you're not so put off or depressed by the dark nature that exists in both.