Uhmm... how should I say this.. well, folks I have an entire complete
fic at home. Well, I don't know if it's good enough so I'll run this through
you guys first. I really need C&C on this since it's in first person and I 
wrote this on the fly. I also need a suggestion for a title.

This is part of the fic. Tell me if I should post the entire thing.

C&C and MSTs are begged for.            

Standard Disclaimer
______________________________
I hate this.

I know I'm going to hate this.

In the old days, I would have reveled in the power of my 
uniform. The strength inherent in it, the magic that comes 
with it. But this was now, a long time since the halcyon 
days of my youth. I thought I'd found peace. Finding someone 
to love then settling down to a nice comfortable life. Yes, 
I did find someone, yes, I settled down. But now that dream 
of peace has been shattered. I close my eyes and remember, 
letting the memories come like a picture show inside the 
theater of my mind. Then I sensed the magic weakening 
around me. I was nearing my destination.

Enough contemplation for awhile, as I sense the magic 
starting to fall away from my body. I've arrived.

The magic settles down and I see the inside of a marble 
chamber. I've searched this place for a long time now. Poring 
over all the mouldy tomes had paid off after all. She would be 
here. It was her post before the Darkness took her and though 
it was useless now, the Darkness within her still guards it 
hoping that a time would come when it will be able to learn 
how to repair it. All the old books agreed that the Gate of Time 
would have need of an anchor in the real world. She would be 
here, the first of the ones I must try to save.

I stretched my limbs in wonder, the teleport had taken time even 
though it was supposedly instantaenous.

Must be because I'm alone. 

Alone. Alone in all things even in this duty. The princess was 
off to face the root of all this evil, this corruption, alone. I was 
to make sure that it would not relocate that root into any suitable 
hosts. I was here to kill one of the 'suitable' hosts, suitable in 
the sense that only one of them could handle the power , the 
Darkness. Normal people wouldn't be able to withstand the 
essence. But they can. 

Alone. Alone now in the antechamber of the Gate of Time, about to 
face an old friend , hoping to give her peace if not her salvation. 
I will try to bring her back. If I cannot then it is my duty to kill her. 
Kill one of my former comrades. No, my comrades, for it is not them 
but someone else that had stolen their bodies and their powers. I 
hear her. No, not her. I would not degrade her memory by calling the 
thing with her face her. No, I hear It. It begins to taunt.

' So, this woman's friend comes. What would you do, this woman's friend ?'

' Save her.' I say, my voice trembling a little as I see the roiling darkness 
behind the eyes of the Senshi of Time.

' Save her ? You amuse me, friend of the woman I hold. Save her ? 
Save her if you can, child. She is wholly mine now. But if you wish to 
save her, I will give you a chance. "Enter my parlor said the spider to 
the fly"'

With that the voice was silent and the door opened, grating slightly on 
the marble floor, revealing a mist-filled room.

I steeled myself what I may have to do. I enetered the mist, it's tendrils 
reaching out to me as I was soon  taken into it, beyond the marble portal.

Enter my parlor, the spider said to the fly.

********************

Pluto was the first. We didn't know how it happened but she was the first. 
The Darkness must have recognized her as the biggest threat, someone 
who could prevent it's plans before it formed. But I asked myself continualy 
why she had not been able to sense it or even see the Darkness. The 
Darkness must have been beyond her senses even of her future sight. 
But how could it avoid her future sight ? I asked myself again. The answer 
formed in my mind slowly as I contemplated it during the months of running 
and hiding.

The Darkness was beyond her sight since it was not in time. It was beyond 
the timestream, beyond time.                                           

Or from another timestream.

**********************         

I stopped when I saw the Gate of Time a few meters before me. Or what 
used to be the Gate of Time. Nowadays it's just a gate. I was here when 
Setsuna was fighting the Darkness within her. She had been writhing on 
the floor, clutching the Time Staff so hard that her knuckles were turning 
white. Her face was contorting into a thousand different expressions. It 
was making me sick. Me and Sailor Mars had responded to Pluto's call 
for help, the message reaching us via a magical messenger. When we 
arrived we saw Pluto struggling weakly to rise from the floor. As we 
approached, she started to have convulsions, falling to the floor one of her 
arms flailing about, yet still holding the Time Staff.                  

Suddenly she stopped moving. Worriedly, me and Mars approached. As 
we neared her, Pluto suddenly sat up straight, jolting into a sitting position 
from the floor. I looked at Mars and the look on her face told me that something 
was wrong. Very wrong. I returned my gaze to Pluto. I could see black blood 
starting to  drip from her left ear, slowly trickling down the side of her neck. 
Her face was set into a look of grim determination, gritting her teeth as if she 
was in pain, eyes closed as she slowly stood up. I moved forward to help her. 

What happened next was something I would remember for the rest of my 
life, however long that may be.

She belted me with her staff, sending me back with a pain in my abdomen. 
I fell on my knees surprised by the attack. She shouted at me.

' GET AWAY !!!' 

When I first heard those words, I thought she had gone crazy. I thought that 
the duties as the Senshi of Time had finally gotten to her. She's snapped, 
were the exact words I thought as she whirled around to face the Gate of 
Time, the glowing Time staff held high. As I harken now to the memory of 
those words, I sensed the pleading tone in her voice, the frightened look in 
her which I didn't notice the first time.                                                                                                

I sensed the power of the Time Staff gathering into it. I felt the inrushing wave 
of energy and I raised my hands to stop her. I thank the Fates that I was 
not able to. She did not need to shout the words for an attack anymore. 
She just focused her power and let go. I saw that power streak toward the 
Gate.  

The blast hit the Gate of Time head on. The effect was not noticeable at first. 
I had then sighed in relief that she had not been able to destroy it. Then the 
cracks started to appear across it's facade. Spiderwebbing across the 
structure slowly. A burst of white light flashed before my eyes as a column 
of  blue energy shot up from the Gate. I was thrown back by the shockwave 
of the magical release, along with Pluto and Mars. When I woke up I saw Mars 
tending to Pluto a few feet away from me. I moved to help her but she told me 
that I should go back to Crystal Tokyo and tell the Queen of this incident. I 
agreed. Before I left she said.

' Don't worry. I can take care of her just fine.' 

She said those words with a reassuring smile. That was the last time I saw 
her smile. The next time I saw her she was beside Pluto, eyes glinting with 
obsidian light, sending a maelstrom of fire into the Royal Guard.

My memories were interrupted by an energy blast coming from my left. It had 
expected an easy kill. It could focus the power we harnessed into the attack 
forms we used without saying the words. I learned that during my last battle 
with them, when me and my Queen were thrown back by the surprise attack,
the Ginzuisho shattering once again into seven pieces as all of their attacks 
focused upon it. 

I underestimated them. I made a mistake. I learn from my mistakes as the 
thing I was facing was about to learn.

I quickly wove my element into a shield, the blast dissipating harmlessly 
across the barrier that I created. Then I moved in quickly in the direction of 
the blast, hands outstretched groping for my enemy.

I hadn't wasted all my time running and hiding, this thing was about to find 
out. I also trained. Very hard.                

' So the child has learned a new trick. ' It taunted suddenly from behind me. 
I ducked, making a footsweep  backwards, hoping to catch it by surprise. I 
sensed the change of air pressure, of the mist moving a bit, telltale signs of 
it jumping over me. I pretended not to notice the movement, moving my head 
around as if searching for it.

' We shall see what your trick can do against this !' I heard the voice coming 
from all directions. It had hoped to trick me. I sensed the downward flow of the 
staff coming down on my head. My hands flew upward, catching the staff, mere 
inches away from my head. 

Then I pulled.

It lost it's balance as I pulled, coming down with the Time Staff. I saw Pluto's 
face coming toward's me, a look of surprise etched onto her face. My hands 
let go of the Staff and I sent an upturned palm to meet with her chin. 

I could hear her head snap back,as she flew backwards from the power of 
my blow. I hoped the neck wasn't broken. I was to save her, for heaven's sake 
not kill her. Killing her would be the last resort.

The Time Staff was on the floor beside her as I walked towards her. I was 
amazed how strong I had become. I sent her flying over five feet. I smiled 
a bit as I kneeled beside her feeling her pulse. The training really paid off.                

I felt her pulse. She was alive. Good. I now have to try and get rid of the 
Darkness inside her. I learned  a lot more tricks that the thing could give 
me credit for. I close my eyes and reach out with my mind into Pluto's 
consciousness.

I open my eyes to see myself looking into a raging abyss. Darkness 
swirling in a vortex. I felt the evil, the hunger for destruction from within 
the vortex. I looked around in dismay. No ! This can't be true ! NO!
NO! DAMMIT ! NO !  
 
I was inside Pluto's mind, all right. 

But Pluto wasn't there.                   

'NO ! SHE CAN"T BE GONE !! SHE CAN'T BE GONE !! I'M HERE TO 
SAVE HER !!!!'

I screamed in her mind. No, not her mind anymore. It's mind. I felt the 
tears coming to my eyes. I came too late. She's gone. 

Truly gone.  

Yes, she was obnoxious. Yes, she was irritating. Yes, I wanted to punch 
her face in sometimes.

But, even through all that she was still a friend. 

She was there when I was married. Hell, she arranged all of it. 

She was there when we needed her. 

Hell, she was my daughter's godmother, for heaven's sake. 

She was always there, dammit !    

I felt the tears rolling down my cheeks. 

I opened my eye and wiped away the tears as I stood up. 

' I'm sorry, Setsuna. Sorry, I was too late. Sorry that I was so damned 
slow in training. Sorry that I?'

I started to sob. I  was stopped by her eyes opening, the ebony darkness 
inside her- no, _IT's_ eyes glinting hungrily.     

' Don't worry, child. I'm sure she forgives you. She'll surely meet you when 
you join her.' 

I was too deep into my sorrow, to react quickly. I felt the Staff meet the 
side of my face in a powerful blow.

I staggered backward.  If I hadn't trained , I would be out like a lightbulb 
by now. The Staff hit my abdomen. Then it rapped in quick succesion my 
knee, my left side and my right shoulder, making me fall to my knees. I 
raised my hands to release a blast but it hit them with the Staff and then 
kicked my chin. 

I felt the metallic taste of blood in my throat as I flew backwards. I could 
also feel the hot liquid flowing down from my forehead. My shoulder felt like 
it was on fire and my side ached with pain as I struggled backwards, putting 
some distance between me and it. 

It stopped my slow retreat by hitting me once across the legs. I howled in 
pain. The the staff whirled over it's head and it brought it down. The succesive 
blows to my head that accompanied that manuever almost made me pass out. 
Cuts and bruises were all over my face as it finished. My mouth was filled with 
blood. I was losing and it knew it. 

I hit upon an idea, that just might work.

I let myself go limp. I closed my eyes, hoping that it would fall for my trap.

It hit me several times more. It took everything that I had to keep myself 
from screaming.

I heard it's steps move towards my head. Damn ! If it knew that I was faking, 
it'd plunge the staff down for the final blow. Then I heard it kneel down beside 
me, feeling my pulse, like I did to it a little while ago. 

' You are alive. Good. Your body is strong. A few could survive the beating you 
had taken. You will make a wonderful host.' It said moments before it put it's lips 
to mine. I felt it's tounge worm into my mouth, opening it a little, writhing it inside 
my mouth as if preparing it for something. I felt energy starting to coalesce inside 
our mouths as if a process was about to start. It stopped when it felt my hand on 
it's stomach. I opened my eyes and tore my mouth from it's obscene kiss. 

'I'm sorry, Setsuna.' I said as I released the full power of my element into her 
abdomen. I could see the energy  lance through Pluto's body, the body stolen 
from her by this abomination. The shocked look on the face was the last thing 
I saw before I passed out,  from exhaustion and pain.

*****************

When I came to, I found her body a few feet away from me. The look on her face 
wasn't the look of shock that I last saw on it but a slight smile, the same smile 
she uses when she's saying another one of her enigmatic predictions. I smiled, 
too, as I closed her eyes, which had returned to their natural color of burgundy, 
for the last time. I covered her body with a simple cloth that I found in the 
antechamber.                  

I picked myself up and used the Time Staff to support me as I walked away, out 
of the mists into the marble antechamber. I rested a bit and wove my element into 
a simple healing spell. I learned a lot of tricks during my training. I just hope they're 
enough.

I'm also worried that the next time I look into one of my friends' minds I'll see the 
same dark swirling abyss.

I stand up, glancing at a nearby mirror. The cuts and bruises are gone, only a 
few scars and droplets of blood left to remind me of my battle with the thing 
inside Pluto. 

I sighed. 

This was far from over. I focused my element again as I searched for my next 
teleport focus.
____________________________________

As I said this is already complete. I just wrote the stuff up in three hours and
it's huge. I'm asking those who read this to suggest atitle and tell me if it's
good enough to go on the ML.
I need a title, so send the suggestions in.

Anyway, any guesses on the main character ?

    

___________________________________________________________
' Writers are the torchbearers of civilization. We're set in a corner only we
can illuminate.Some of us are searchlights, able to cast a beam into the 
far reaches of the human soul.Some of us are candles , barely able to 
sustain a glow against the darkness. Nevertheless the words I write 
are important, because light is additive. Another's light  doesn't diminish
 my own. Our lights together make us stronger.'   
                   - (After much paraphrasing and reaaranging) Roger Martin  

' There is no such thing as fiction. There is no such thing as imagination.
Everthing's friggin' real.Everything's also one hell of an illusion. What that 
mean's ,my dear reader, is that you, me , the chair you're sitting on,
the chair I'm sitting on, are participants in one of the biggest fucking lies
in the history of Time: Reality' 
                      - Elsa Bibat, 'The Reality Manifesto'