Chapter #3Downgrades and Malfunctioning Wardrobe! by: Unknown “Michiru, can you hear me?” Setsuna spoke over the hum of the busy train station, the tiny cell phone pressed to her ear.
“Setsuna! Is that you?” Came the voice on the other end. “How are you? When did you get back to earth?”
“I arrived in Tokyo a few minutes ago.” Setsuna said, smiling a little at her friend’s excitement. “I apologize for not informing you sooner.”
“That’s all right!” Michiru assured. “But…wait, is something wrong? Do you need our help?”
“No, nothing like that.” Setsuna said, hesitating slightly. “Crystal Tokyo has been peaceful and quite prosperous. No one has threatened it since Wiseman was destroyed. Our Queen is happy, and Chibiusa is growing up. The Doorway of Time remains secure. If anything things have grown quieter.”
“Sounds boring.” Michiru said in sympathy.
“To be honest with you, I prefer it.” Setsuna said, sighing in exasperation and pushing her way into an alcove hoping to escape the throng of people and the accompanying cacophony of noise. “The silence allows me to think and be at peace. While I treasure the company of Small Lady, and I enjoyed my time with all of you when I was last here…”
Setsuna glanced up as a short, bolding man in a business suit passed by on his way to whatever destination he was headed. The man’s eyes were leering at the short skirt Setsuna wore on this summer day, trailing over her large breasts and well sculpted figure. She found herself blushing from the look. The man met her glare and quickly went on his way.
“But this city is full of awful people!” Setsuna said, the blush still on her face. “Less than an hour, and I’ve been jostled, bumped into, cursed at…and now stared at! There is too much noise and confusion, the air is so stifling. And there are smells coming from the corners of the streets I don’t want to think about!”
“You don’t like crowds, Setsuna?” Michiru asked, genuinely interested. Setsuna, or Sailor Pluto, rarely ever talked about herself. Or at all, for that matter. “You’ve always been a little withdrawn. I always thought it was a consequence of being so close to Time. I never imagined you were just being shy.”
“I…” Setsuna paused a moment to get her flustered voice under control. “I’d like to talk about something else now.”
“Oh, come on!” Michiru persisted. “Your taking a little vacation to visit us anyway. Do yourself a little favor, and hook up with someone while you’re here! Trust me, that’ll do wonders for you….and maybe it’ll get you to stop being so tightly wound….”
“I have no interest in…’hooking up’ with anyone here.” Setsuna said icily. “These people…they are just one more group in a throng of humanity…one more civilization that’s going to fall. I am the embodiment of Pluto and the guardian of Time. I remain detached from these people as part of my duty.”
“Oh, good god, Pluto! We’re talking about one little love affair! What’s the point of protecting the world if you can’t indulge yourself a little?” Michiru asked.
“I am perfectly content, thank you.” Setsuna muttered. “I am well aware of just how many of these brutish people would like me to ‘indulge’ in them. I’ve seen history, Neptune. I’ve seen the very worst parts of these…people play over and over again just beyond my doorstep. How can I find a decent person in this sea of…of leering faces?”
“So your just going to hide yourself behind your portal all your life? Setsuna…speaking as a friend who still admires these sorts of things…you’re a beautiful woman! Don’t hide behind your insecurities! Get out there and flaunt what you have! I mean…look, you’ve got more experience with this than I do. I don’t pretend to have a complete handle on destiny and fate, but I notice that we tend to have to face our fears one way or another. Either we confront them ourselves….or life makes us confront them.” Michiru warned.
“This isn’t a matter of fear. It is a matter of what duty demands of me, and what I prefer. I prefer to be alone. I have no intention of ever showing these drooling men…or, no offense, women….any more of myself than I am right now. And to be blunt…this is too much already. Do you have a place I can stay?” Setsuna asked.
“Of course. Your always welcome at our house. I’m sorry for pressing the issue…” Michiru said.
“No. No, I apologize. I have been uneasy for quite sometime.” Setsuna whispered.
“You seem a little on edge. Normally you’re a lot calmer and collected. And less talkative.” Michiru noted. “Are you sure everything is all right? No danger?”
“Mostly certain, yes. I’ve just been feeling…strangely lately. A little emptier, like there was a void in me. But I can’t seem to find a specific threat. Its more like a vague unease…like something fundamental has shifted somehow in a way I’m unaware of.”
“Hmmm…is that what prompted this little visit?” Michiru asked.
“Partly…” Setsuna admitted. “I may have….all of you, as well. And this place, a little as well.”
“Well, of course you have!” Michiru said. “And we’ve missed you. I’ll call the others. Its been awhile since we saw usagi and the inners anyway. We’ll have a little party when you get here, okay?”
“That sounds great.” Setsuna said, smiling to herself. Yes, despite all her harsh criticism of humanity, Earth did have its charms. She had missed it a little.
A sudden wind picked up, and she felt her flap up a little. Her panties were momentarily exposed. She squeeked a little and quickly yanked them down. Her eyes looked left and right. Sure enough, she spied a group of young boys pointing and laughing at her from a nearby bench. One even had a cellphone out to capture the event.
She had missed this world. It was just hard to recall why at the moment.
The air shifted It was a subtle thing, like static electricity in the air. The shadows seemed to lengthen, and the people seemed to move a little more sluggishly. Setsuna recognized the shift. Something was drawing out energy. Something nearby.
“Michiru, something is happening here. Have YOU been having in trouble? I think something is attacking these people.” Setsuna exclaimed.
“Ummm…nothing major. Since Galaxia things have settled down significantly. But we occasionally get a refugee from some other part of the Galaxy or crawling up from the Dark Kingdom. They don’t seem to have a specific agenda. They just need energy, and earth happens to have plenty of what they need.” Michiru said.
“Well, its still a parasite, and it needs to be stopped.” Setsuna said. “I realize its not typically our concern, but I believe I’ll take this particular creature out myself. If nothing else, it will allow me to work off some tension.”
“Okay. Let me know if you need any help.” Michiru said.
“I will.” Setsuna said, closing the cell phone.
“Pluto Power….MAKE UP!” She cried, feeling the familiar cold, grey magic of time embrace her. Her street clothes dissolved around her, to be replaced by the familiar fighting regalia of the senshi. First her fuku, identical to her fellow companions save for the particular dark colors of her small skirt and the scarf like bow all the sailor scouts wore about their necks. A moment later, her feet were clad in a pair of knee high black boots, and her hands in white gloves. The familiar, solid weight of her staff materialized in her hands. Finally, the magic provided the small cosmetic changes of her earings and crown, finishing with a dark shade of lip gloss across her lips.
The whole process felt a little more sluggish than normal. Pluto took a second to glance around, making certain no one had caught her in the midst of her transformation. She barely needed her civilian identity since she spent so little time in this world…but just the thought of being seen naked was enough to make her tremble. But no, no one was around.
This form allowed Setsuna to do many super human feats. If she couldn’t exactly leap tall builds in a single bound, she could at least jump several stories up. She quickly leapt from one train to another, closing in on the source of the dark energy. She saw it then, hidden on a roof top of the train station, near the hub of trains and people. It was black skinned with a reddish, diamond like dress that looked a bit like a revealing clown outfit. The shape approximated a female, but the 6 arms ending in taloned claws suggested a more spider-like physiology. This was an underling of the Dark Kingdom, no doubt a refugee from the turbulent place that had been in complete chaos since Queen Beryl had been defeated. Pluto sighed to herself. Not much of a challenge to a veteran like her. As an aside, the fashion of the Negaverse was as gawdy but otherworldly as ever.
Pluto paused a moment, then launched a kick at the creature’s head. The monster went flying into the crowd, squeeling in surprise. Although quieter and more withdrawn than the other scouts, Pluto nonetheless took a moment to pose, arms crossed and expression glaring.
“I come from a world of ice and darkness. I serve as the guardian of Time and Space on the lonely world called Pluto. You are not from this place, yet you seek to steal the very lifeforce from these people! I am Sailor Pluto, and in the name of Pluto I shall punish you!”
The spider woman hissed and spat ball of darkness that quickly expanded into a web. Pluto sighed and leapt straight at the web. Holding her staff in both hands, Pluto summoned a small amount of power and struck the web with her weapon. The staff tore through the webbing like a knife through butter. The spider woman’s eyes widened as she narrowly ducked out of the way as Pluto finished the downward spiral inches from the thing’s head.
“I just want to eat!” The Dark Kingdom monster whined. “I’m hungry, and this is the only place to get any food!”
“This world is under the protection of the sailor senshi. You knew this when you came, and you knew what it would mean if you were discovered.” Pluto said.
“Please! Listen, my names Ara. I’m not bad….okay, I am, but not that bad! I just want a little energy! I won’t take enough to hurt anyone! Just enough to keep myself alive. PLEASE!” Ara pleaded.
“Who you are and why you are here are irrelevant.” Pluto said, leaping at the poor demon, spinning her staff at the monster’s head.
“No!” Ara screamed, dodging desperately. “Please! Leave me alone! Have mercy!”
“I will give you the only mercy I have ever shown any creature that would cross between her rightful place in time and space into another’s- I will give you a quick end with no pain. You will simply be removed from this timeline….” Pluto said.
“LEAVE ME ALONE!” Ara screamed, dodging another blow and kicking with a high heeled shoe.
Pluto grabbed the boot with her gloved hand, forcefully stopping the attack with her mystically granted strength. She stared at the woman coldly, then blinked as she felt a cool wave of energy emanate from her hand. The glove seemed to waiver in the air, dissolving in a grey light, which slowly unraveled into nothing. Pluto was left holding the spider’s foot with a bare hand. Ara recovered from the surprise first and tore her leg from the scout’s grasp. With fury and helpless outrage, Ara spat two more balls of webbing at the scout. Pluto leapt out of range one attack, then the other. She skidded to a halt, deftly bunching herself and using her boots to stop her momentum. She glared at the spider woman….
And felt bare concrete underneath her feet. She glanced and and saw the wisps of smoky grey energy rise around her and float away. Her boots had dissolved like her glove.
“What are you doing?” Pluto demanded, looking slightly annoyed.
“Me? I’m not doing anything!” Ara said.
“Unlikely.” Pluto said. “Well, it is an amusing trick, but it only delays your death for a moment. Pluto Power, Make Up.”
Pluto ran her staff along her arm. The grey light gathering at the coiled outward and reformed the missing glove. Pluto flexed her encased fingers with satisfaction, then raised one bare leg. She touched the tip of her staff, first to one foot then the other. Soon enough her boots were back on her feet.
“I believe we should simply end this.” Pluto said, raising her staff over her head.
“Dead Scream.” She whispered, causing a mammoth bath of the same grey energy to well up on the end of the staff. She released the energy at Ara, momentarily blinded by the attack.
The smoke cleared to find Ara cowering behind her hands, trembling. She blinked a moment, looking over herself, apparently as astonished as Pluto that she was alive.
“What…hey, sailor bitch, are you just playing around with me? I thought you said you were going to make this quick!” Ara said.
“I…How did you stop that attack?” Pluto demanded. “There’s no way-“
She suddenly felt faint, like something was ebbing away from her. She fell to her knees, feeling a huge drop in energy. With an effort, she stopped the flow. She looked down at her hands and knees. Her gloves and boots were stripped from her.
“You….tell me what your doing to me!” Pluto demanded.
“Look, honey, I have no idea what your problem is!” Ara snapped, then her eyes narrowed and a sly expression came over her face. “Buuuuuut….you look a little like your losing your power over there.”
“What? How would that even be possible?” Pluto demanded.
“What do I look like, a professor? How the hell should I know?” Ara said.
Meanwhile, somewhere in America…..
“Professor!” Mamorou, who was occasionally known as Darien, or Tuxedo Kamen, or Tuxedo Mask, called as he walked into his Astronomy professors office.
“Yes?” The professor asked, looking up from his books.
“About this quiz you gave yesterday…” Mammorou began. “You marked question six wrong. I thought it must be an error.”
“Six? Ah, yes, six. How many planets are in the solar system. You said nine. That’s not the correct answer.” The professor said irritably.
“Of course it’s the right answer!” Mamourou said, flabberghasted. “Even elementary school kids know that! Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus, and Pluto. That’s nine planets! Trust me, I know this better than most!”
The professor sighed. “You need to keep up with current events, Mamorou. You’re a hard worker, but sometimes I feel like you’re writing my class off like the information is irrelevant.”
“No, no. I just know most of it already. I have a…err…fascination with the stars. There’s not a lot of stuff I don’t know about this system.” Mamourou said.
“Uh-huh. Well, for your edification, not too long ago the world astronomers decided to declare Pluto a non-planet.” The professor said.
“WHAT!” Mamorou asked.
“Yes, they’ve invented a category of ‘demi-planet’ for it. So the correct answer would have been 8.” The professor noted.
“WHO GAVE THEM THE RIGHT TO DO THAT?” Mamorou demanded.
“I wasn’t aware they needed the right.” The professor said.
“Well, what if someone gets hurt because of it?” Mamorou demanded. “What if the connection between a person and their planet gets disrupted because of this!”
“Good lord, son. Calm down. Who could possibly be hurt if one little planet isn’t considered a planet anymore? Other than you and your question 6, of course.”
Back in Japan….
Pluto looked at Ara in confusion. The spider woman looked over the sailor scout as she rose to her feet. Ara still looked weary, but was smiling a little too smugly to herself. Pluto found the look both alarming and highly annoying.
“So….how do you want to handle this?” Ara asked. “You could try to kill me…but that attack of yours clearly eats up your power like nobody’s business, and your apparently having some trouble keeping the power lethal long enough for it to connect with me. On the other hand, the longer you draw this out, the weaker you get. Right? Pretty soon you’d be at my mercy.”
Sailor Pluto drew herself into a fighting stance, spreading her knees and raising her staff above her with both hands. This caused her breasts to ride higher on her chest, highlighting and enlarging them. But that affect paled compared to what happened when a stiff wind billowed up, catching her skirt once again and revealing what she wore beneath to Ara and their stunned audience.
Or rather, revealing what she no longer wore….
Ara smirked, and the began to laugh hysterically. Pluto looked puzzled, then scowled. “What the hell are you laughing at?” She demanded.
“Oh! Oh, nothing! Just…heh heh…you might…hahaha!…might want to watch how much you bend your knees. Especially in that little bitty skirt of yours.” Ara said.
“What are you…” Pluto trailed off.
“Looks like you lost a little more than your shoes and gloves….” Ara said, smiling. You can check if you want. I’ll wait….”
Pluto blushed. With a sickening sensation, she reached beneath her skirt and felt around desperately for her panties. The silken fabric was nowhere to be found. Pluto pressed her lips together, her humiliation burning on her face. She felt a little dizzy as she looked at the crowd, seeing all the face who had just seen more of her than ANYONE had for millennia.
“Hon…I don’t mean to interrupted your deer in headlights moment here…but you might want to get your hand out of your skirt before people start to get the wrong idea….oops! Looks like they already did!” Ara said, gesturing at a group of leering males who had just snapped a picture on a cell phone.
Pluto tore her hand free like there was a snake hiding in her skirt. A second later, she used her hand to pull the hem of the skirt as low as it could go without revealing her butt or pulling it off.
“Won’t that make fighting kind of awkward?” Ara asked. “I mean…trying to hold your skirt down and attacking me at the same time. Also…correct me if I’m misreading the implications here…but your losing your powers, and the more power you lose the more clothes you lose, right? Pretty soon you won’t have a skirt to hide anything behind!”
The thought struck Pluto with horror. She looked around at the sea of faces. Everyone seemed eager to drink in her embarrassment. She tentatively began to inch towards the exit, walking on tip toes and keeping her skirt (which she was not ACUTELY aware was too short!) clamped to her side.
“Oh Pluto….” Ara said, walking towards her. “Where do you think your going?”
“Please…” Pluto muttered. “Just let me go…”
“I’m sorry. What? Let you go? Now that sounds familiar. Wasn’t I begging for that just a little while ago? Except….at the time, I wasn’t fretting over people seeing me naked. No, no, I was begging for my LIFE! And correct me if I’m wrong, but if you weren’t losing your energy left and right, that attack of yours would have killed me. RIGHT? So…why should I be any more merciful to you? All you lose is your clothes. And maybe your dignity!”
“E-either let me go or kill me now!” Pluto snapped.
“Huh. Your strange. You’d rather die than have anyone see you naked?” Ara asked.
“I…I’ve died before. I’m not afraid of that. But…everyone’s looking at me! Everyone saw me…saw my…!” Pluto stuttered.
“Yes. You have a lovely little slit down there. A nice butt too! I think everyone will appreciate seeing more of you!” Ara said. “But….okay. I’ll let you go.”
“You…you will?” Pluto asked, shock and relief on her face. Ara nodded and gestured towards the exit. “Th-thank you!”
“Sure thing.” Ara said as Pluto meekly retreated. “I’ll just suck these folks dry and be on my way.”
Pluto paused, turned around to stare at the monster. Her face grew determined, and she raised her staff and, cheeks burning as she let go of her skirt and felt it billow every direction as she gathered an enormous amount of energy in the tip. “Dead Scream” she whispered.
Ara looked smug now. The energy ball streaked towards her. Pluto concentrated on the power, making certain the energy maintained its cohension even as it burned into her personal reserves of power. Ara watched it come, smiled broadly, and leapt aside.
“No!” Pluto thought to herself. She mentally snapped back the energy, willing and even forcing the power to dissolve. It narrowly avoided striking the crowd before disappearing back to nothing. Pluto breathed heavily. Ara clapped her hands ( one pair, anyway, sitting on a train behind Pluto.
“Wonderful shot. I figured I could get you to throw one more shot at me. You really put your heart into that one, too. Definitely would have killed me. But, hate to say it, you’re a little too slow…” Ara smiled.
Pluto looked at her in despair. She felt her energy slipping. She was concentrating, trying to hold on to what she had.
“Ohhh….that look almost makes me feel sorry for you, Pluto. Your about to show off more of yourself, aren’t you. Hmmm…here’s a suggestion. Why not just transformation back into…whoever you are.” Ara asked.
“I’d be helpless.” Pluto muttered softly.
“Your about to be helpless AND naked.” Ara pointed out.
Pluto’s face burned, and she quickly held her staff in both hands and willed herself to return. There was a flash…and the staff was gone. So was her fuku.
Sailor Pluto stood dressed only in her skirt and the little bow she had tied about her neck. Everything else was gone, except the crown on her head. Pluto made a little noise in the back of her throat. Both hands went up, pulling the sides of her bow down over her naked, enormous breasts.
Ara practically squeeled in delight. “Oh, god yes! Oh, I’m so sorry Pluto…but this is so perfect! Look at you! Look at that flat little stomach! Those long, gorgeous legs. And this big, bouncing titties! Haha! I really was going to let you go, hon, but now that you’ve lost your chance to transform back….well, we’re too far gone now, aren’t we? You have no way to attack me, no way to turn back, and how long can it possibly take before your exposed butt naked to all these people?? Heh heh. I wonder which will be next? Your top, or your bottom?” Ara asked.
Sailor Pluto looked around at the assembled audience. This was easily every nightmare she had rolled into one. A sea of humanity, a sea she had deliberated tried to separate herself from emotionally and physically…despite all her desires and efforts, hundreds of people were staring at her! At her practically naked body! They had cameras and cell phones. This horrible moment, the moment when the modesty she’d safe guarded for millennia, was going to be captured for all time. Whatever was she going to do?
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