Secondary Characters: Volta
{Jon Carp}
address: jcarp@med.unc.edu



It's not easy bein' green.  It seems you blend in with so many other 
ordinary things, and people tend to pass you over 'cause you're not standing 
out like flashy sparkles in the water, or stars in the sky.--Kermit the Frog



But green's the color of Spring, and green can be cool and friendly-like,
and green can be big like an ocean or important like a mountain or tall
like a tree.--Kermit the Frog


	She wouldn't look at them.  Instead, she went over to the edge and 
sat down, massaging her temples.  "I have a headache," she muttered.
	Moon and Tuxedo Kamen were reuniting over on one side.  The others 
looked at each other.  "What do we do now?" Venus asked.
	"I wouldn't mind killing her again," Jupiter said.  "Damn, that dead 
scream hurts."
	Mercury walked over to Pluto cautiously.  "Are you okay now?" she 
asked.  "Are you..."
	"Shut up.  Just shut up and go away."  She sounded like somebody who 
hand't had their morning cup of coffee yet.  
	Mercury sadly did as she was told.  "She should just calm down," 
Venus said upon the smart one's return.  "Acting like that isn't going to 
help the situation."
	"How is she supposed to act?" Jupiter asked.  "Friendly?  She just 
killed us all multiple times!  Are we supposed to forgive her, or 
something?"
	"I think we should," Mercury said quietly.  "It obviously won't do 
any good to fight her.  And if she's not going to be directly punished for 
what she did, we're going to have to work with her."
	"Divine retribution is a myth," she called out to them.  "I should 
know.  I came up with it myself."
	"So she just kills us all and gets away with it," Mars steamed.  
"She comes and murders us, murders...Usagi...and we just let her go?"
	"What else can we do?" Venus asked.  "She's one of us, no matter 
what she did."
	"The animates were senshi too, and we had no problem with their 
deaths," Mars snapped.  
	"What do you want to do with her?" Jupiter asked.  "What's your 
solution?"
	"I don't know.  Banish her.  Take her power and send her away 
somewhere."
	"But we might need her in the future," Mercury said.  "We don't 
know.  All of us may be necessary."
	"Including the ones that try to get rid of all the others?!" Mars 
bellowed, pointing in the direction of Pluto as if they wouldn't know who 
she was talking about.  "We can't trust her!  I don't think we ever could.  
God, that's terrifying."
	"I feel so bad for her," Venus said.  "Did you see her face when she 
was fighting us?"
	"Yes," Jupiter answered.  "It was scary."
	"No, it was sad," Venus said.  "We can't just banish her."
	"Is it even possible?" Jupiter asked.  "CAN we take her power if we 
want?"
	"Probably," Mercury said.  "But not now.  She's gone."
	They all whirled around and saw she was right.  Pluto was no longer 
there.
	"Shit," Mars muttered.  "Where the hell is she?"


	
	Her face was in her hands.  It looked like she was sobbing, but 
there were no tears.  Just bland depression.
	She looked up, and noticed her surroundings had changed.  She 
sighed.
	"So THIS is the Time Gate," a rather sarcastic voice said behind 
her.  "I always wondered what it looked like."
	"You should have visited," Setsuna said.  "I would've let you, if 
you'd asked."
	Her friends, no, her family were standing around her.  "It's 
very...purple," Haruka said. 
	"And still," Michiru broke in.  "There's absolutely no movement.  
You come here often?"
	"A lot in the old days," she said.  "Shit, I practically lived here 
for a couple of hundred years, when there was nowhere else to go."
	"How boring it must have been," Michiru said, more than a touch of 
pity in her voice.  "I'm sorry."  She reached out and touched her friend's 
hand softly.
	"Don't be," Setsuna said.  "It's obnoxious."
	"We're just trying to help," Hotaru said.  "That's all we ever tried 
to do."
	"Shut up," she growled.  "I don't need your condescending.  What the 
hell are you all doing here, anyway?"
	"We're trying to figure you out," a gruff voice said behind her.  
She turned and saw her god, grimacing as always.  "Standing here are all the 
people in the world who care if you exist or not.  Depressing, huh?"
	"Not really," Setsuna said.  "I thought it wasn't this many, 
actually."
	"Hey, here's my question," Hotaru said.  "You set up this big 
ambush, and you set it up on a roof in the middle of the night?  How cliched 
can you get?  Don't you have any imagination at all?"
	"No," Setsuna asnwered blankly.  "I had it supressed about four 
hundred years ago through hypnosis.  It's an evil thing.  Nothing is more 
painful than being able to picture a life that's worth living."
	That seemed to depress the others, which perked her up a little bit.
	"Don't say that," Michiru said sadly.  "It can't be that bad."
	"I don't know if it is or not," Setsuna said.  "I just thought it 
sounded dramatic."
	Every single one of them wanted to reply to that, but none could 
think of anything to say.  Eventually Haruka just changed the subject to the 
original point of the conversation.
	"Why did you do it, Setsuna?"
	She shrugged in response.  "No reason."
	"What are you talking about, 'No reason'?" Haruka asked, breaking 
her promise not to get angry.  "Don't you know what you did?  You MURDERED 
us all!  You must have had a reason!"
	"No," Setsuna answered.  "I understand what I did.  I understand how 
terrible most people would consider it.  But I had no real reason to do it. 
I just did it."
	The others glanced at each other.  They all knew what would happen 
if they couldn't reason with her.  
	"Okay, let me rephrase," Haruka said.  "What did you want?"
	Setsuna looked at her, confused.  "Want?" she asked.
	"Yes, want, goddamn it!" Haruka burst out angrily.  "Want!  What the 
hell was the purpose of going and killing everybody?"
	Setsuna pondered that.  "I wanted to feel better," she said 
eventually.
	"Really," Haruka said.  "You wanted to feel better.  And what 
exactly was it about killing us all did you think would make you feel 
better?"
	"It was the only thing I hadn't tried already."
	Pluto sighed.  "That doesn't help," he grunted.  "Listen, I got 
eight senshi and eight gods on my ass about you, and if we can't get this 
cleared up NOW, I won't have any choice but to just erase you.  It would be 
more than fair, and everyone except us four would prefer it."
	"Just go ahead," Setsuna said.  "I don't care.  It's probably better 
than the alternative."
	"No," Michiru said forcefully.  "You're part of OUR family, and 
we're not going to let anyone just throw you away."
	Setsuna shook her head.  "Pathetic," she muttered.  "Okay, what are 
you going to do instead?"
	"We're going to appease you," Pluto said.  "Give you whatever you 
wanted so you'll go back to your life and just shut up and be happy."
	"I don't know what I wanted," Setsuna said forcefully.  "I already 
told you that.  I don't think I wanted anything.  I have everything I need 
to be happy already."
	Pluto sighed.  "Okay," he said.  "Try this."  
	He raised his hands, and a small body appeared in them.  He held it 
tenderly, cradling the rather large head as the chest raised and lowered 
slowly, but perceivably.  He then grabbed the pink hair in one hand and the 
right shoulder in the other and twisted.  
	The crack would have been audible, if Setsuna hadn't screamed.  She 
ran at him, but of course was blocked halfway there.  "Bring her back!!" she 
yelled almost incomprehensively.  "Bring her back!"
	Pluto grinned as he threw the body on the ground.  "Congratulations!"
he said.  "You just acted like a normal human being."
	Chibi-Usa stood up and smiled at Setsuna.  "Good for you," she said. 
"We can't help you if you block yourself off like always.  Lessee, what else 
do you do that's normal?"
	"She likes ice cream," Michiru suggested.  
	"Yes," Hotaru agreed.  "She likes ice cream, and normal people like 
ice cream.  That's a start, isn't it?"
	"I hate ice cream," Setsuna protested.  "I just eat it because it 
makes people think I'm friendly and approachable."
	"This is ridiculous," Pluto said.  "Look at her.  Can't you people 
get her stop lying?"
	"What are you talking about?" Setsuna asked.  "I don't lie."
	"She's always been like this," Michiru said.  "I know exactly what 
she wants.  She'll just deny it if I say, though."
	"It's not you," Setsuna muttered.  "I got over you a long time ago."
	"What about him?" Michiru asked sweetly. 
	"Shut up."
	"It can't be him," Hotaru pointed out.  "She's in love with him, 
sure, but he been alive for what, five percent of her life?  It has to be 
bigger than just him."
	"You're right," Pluto mused, nodding.  "What else could it be, 
people?  What does she complain about?"
	"Nothing," Haruka answered.  "She always seemed perfectly happy to 
me.  Until a couple of days ago, at least."
	"I seem to remember her saying something about jealousy," Hotaru 
said, flashing Setsuna a look.
	"What jealousy?" Michiru asked, also flashing Setsuna a look.  
"Who's she jealous of?"
	"You, I think," Hotaru said.  "Both of you.  And me.  And all the 
inners.  And, I believe, random people she sees on the street."
	"Why?!" Pluto burst out.  "She has everything!  Love, friendship, 
sex, power...what the hell else do you humans want?  She's immortal, for 
fuck's sake!"  Setsuna looked up at him, then quickly away.
	Haruka noticed.  "That's it!" she exclaimed.  "That's what she's 
jealous of!  We're all mortal!  She wanted to die!"
	"Yes!" Michiru yelled excitedly.  "Of course!  She kills us, 
thinking she's giving us some kind of gift..."
	"All the while KNOWING it was an impossible task..." Haruka 
continued.
	"...And hoping we would come back and successfully kill her!"
	Setsuna grunted.  "I wanted to kill you," she said softly.  "That's 
all I wanted."
	"Oh, come on," Haruka scoffed.  "You just can't kill good-guy senshi
permenantly.  You know that."
	"And that's the reason for that evil thing of hers!" Hotaru 
exclaimed.  "So she could stay dead like the animates did!"
	"We figured it out!" Haruka yelled happily.  "Setsuna wanted to 
die!"
	They were very proud for a few minutes.  Then Chibi-Usa asked the 
obvious question.  "What's going to happen to her now?"
	"We're going to let her die," Pluto answered.  "So maybe she can 
shut up and be happy, finally."  He started walking toward her.
	"No!" she yelled.  "No.  You can't do that.  That's not what I want. 
You...none of you understand anything."
	"Then what is it?" Michiru asked.  
	Setsuna didn't move or look at them.  She faced the opposite way, 
just staring out into the unmoving purple.  "I..." she began.
	A soft hand touched her shoulder.  She knew by instinct it was 
Michiru's.  A few seconds later, a stronger hand brushed against her back.  
Then five weak fingers squeezed her arm.  And finally brash, ticking arms 
hugged around her waist.  
	All of them together in a soft embrace.  They loved her, and, it was 
stupid to deny it anymore, she loved them.
	She walked away.
	"Okay, that does it," Pluto's voice growled from behind her, behind 
them.  "Fuck her.  She wants it like that, I have no problem."
	"No!" Haruka yelled.  "No, we won't let that happen."  She turned to 
the streams of green hair.  "Setsuna," she said softly.  "Setsuna, listen to 
me.  You have anything you want.  Do you understand?  ANYTHING."
	"That's not true," Setsuna said harshly.  "I'm not free.  There's 
still a structure, there's still a cage."
	"There doesn't have to be!" Chibi-Usa protested.  
	Setsuna turned around, a hint of a smile on her lips.  "You really 
don't understand, do you?  There's a storyline.  There's a pattern that all 
our adventures have to fit into.  It's because of that we live such happy 
lives in our sweet little world.  I thought I could change it.  I thought I 
could force an unhappy ending."  The smile disappeared.  "It didn't work."
	"It can," Hotaru said.
	"I'm not important," Setsuna said.  "Nobody has any reason to mess 
everything up so much just for me."
	"Try us," Pluto said.
	Setsuna glared at him.  He glared back.  She grinned.  
	"I want to be the most important one," she said.
	They all disappeared.


	"Now, Sailor Pluto!"
	A flash of pink.  The pumpkin-monster screamed and disentegrated.  
Sailor Pluto smiled, exhilerated and victorious, still holding her staff in 
the "dead scream" position.  The person who sent the monster got angry.
	After the battle, they were all in their street clothes eating ice 
cream and talking.  It was Halloween, and a small girl walked by in a Sailor 
Pluto costume.
	"How come they always dress up as you?" Usagi asked.  "No one ever 
buys Sailor Moon costumes."
	"That's because most people would be embarrassed walking around with 
their hair like yours," Rei quipped.
	Usagi stuck her tongue out at Rei.  Rei stuck her tongue out at 
Usagi.  Everyong else sighed, large drops of sweat slowly rolling down the 
backs of their heads.
	"This isn't enough," Setsuna said.
	The others broke out of their positions and stared at Setsuna as if 
she had lost her mind.
	"This isn't enough," she repeated.  "I want it all."


	"You can't have it all," Pluto said gruffly in the purple place.
	"You said I could have anything I wanted," Setsuna said.  "And I 
want it ALL.  I want TO BE HER.  You did similar things to all us outers."
	"That's because I could with you guys," Pluto said.  "You're not 
important.  She is.  I can't mess with her."
	"You can.  You're just afraid of what will happen."
	Pluto grimaced.  "You're damn right I am.  You're asking me to turn 
the whole system upside-down!  The others would never let me get away with 
it.  Not without her permission, at least."
	Setsuna glared at him.  "Then let's get it."



	
	



	Usagi blinked.  Mamoru was no longer beside her.  And her 
surroundings were purple.  She was obviously in a different place.
	Haruka walked up to her and sighed.  
	"I'll be blunt," she said.  "Setsuna..."
	Usagi cut her off.  "Is she okay?  What's happened to her?"
	"Yes, she's fine," Haruka said, shaking her head at the kindness 
before her.  "In fact, we're going to grant her greatest wish."
	Usagi literally had tears in her eyes.  "Oh, I'm so happy for her.  
What is it?"
	Haruka also had tears in her eyes.  "Don't smile, Odango," she 
said harshly.  "This is not good news."
	Usagi blinked.  "What?  If she gets this she'll be happy, right?  So 
how can it be bad?"
	Christ, it was like talking to a puppy.  
	"Odango..." Haruka said softly.  "Her wish...she wants to be you."
	Usagi blinked again.  "What?"
	"She wants to have your life."
	It took quite a while for the full meaning of that statement to sink 
in.  "And what about me?" Usagi asked.
	"Your kindness is legendary," a voice came from behind her.  "You 
really would do anything to spare others pain, wouldn't you?"
	Usagi turned and saw Setsuna standing there, smiling slightly.
	"I think it's obvious how much pain I'm in," Setsuna said.  "Would a 
comfortable person kill repeatedly?"  She walked closer.  "Spare me that," 
she whispered.  "Please.  Let me have your life."
	"What about me?!" Usagi asked.  Setsuna could tell how terrified she 
was.
	"I don't know," Setsuna said.  "I guess you can have mine."
	It took quite a while for the full meaning of that statement to sink 
in.  Usagi opened her mouth.  Then she closed it again.
	"So, the question you have to consider is: are you willing to take 
on a lifetime of misery to spare someone else from having to go thorugh it?"
	Usagi touched her cheek briefly.  It was already wet.  She was 
already mourning.
	"You don't have to do it, Odango," Haruka said from behind her. 
	"Yes, she does," Setsuna said.
	"Yes, I do," Usagi said.
	"No, you don't!" Haruka yelled.  Setsuna could tell how terrified 
she was.  "Christ, you don't even care about her!  How could you even think 
about doing this?!"
	"You obviously don't know her very well," Setsuna said smugly.  
	"Odango," Haruka said.  Usagi didn't seem to notice.  
	"Odango?"  Nothing.
	"Odango!"  Usagi finally looked at Haruka, her eyes shining.
	"Odango, please," Haruka whispered.  "Don't do this.  She doesn't 
deserve it.  I love her, and I know she doesn't deserve it."
	"She deserves to be happy," Usagi said firmly.  "She needs my help. 
I can't just let her down."
	Haruka closed her eyes.  "You're a fool, Usagi," she said softly.  
"You would die to save the world.  You would die to save your friends.  I 
pray to God that you would die to save me, although I wouldn't let you if 
you tried.  Not everyone is worthy of that, though.  She's not worthy of 
you."
	"No one deserves the kind of life she's had," Usagi said stubbornly.
	"Odango, you don't understand a damn thing!" Haruka screamed.  "This 
ISN'T like normal!  This ISN'T some wacky fantasy adventure!  This is real 
life, Odango, and not all good deeds are rewarded!"
	"I know," Usagi whispered.  "I know."
	Pluto stood behind Setsuna.  "I'm happy for you, babe," he said.  
"You deserve this.  She doesn't, but you do."
	"This isn't about her," Setsuna said angrily.  "It's about me."
	Haruka was kneeling and punching the ground repeatedly, tears 
falling from her face into the purple.  Michiru stood over her comfortingly.
	Setsuna walked over to Usagi.  "Well," she said.  "Let's get this 
over with."

		


	It was a beautiful day.  Setsuna opened her eyes and just looked out 
the open window for a little bit.  It was gorgeous, bright and sunny.  The 
breeze was slightly cool, and smells seemed to waft with it more easily than 
normal.  Right now it was...evaporating rain.  
	She stretched and looked down to the foot of the bed.  "Morning, 
Luna," she said, bouncing out of bed and starting to get dressed.  "Did you 
sleep well?"
	"As well as normal," Luna grumbled.  "It's hard when somebody keeps 
rolling over you."
	"Whoops," Setsuna giggled.  "Sorry."  
	Luna shook herself and yawned.  "Where are you going?"
	"Oh, I'm meeting Mamoru for breakfast, then Minako and I are going 
shopping."
	Luna grunted, stretched, and went back to sleep.  Setsuna laughed.  
She stuck her head out the window, and inhaled the evaporating-rain smell 
deeply, and then let it out.  The sun shone on the pavement, and the slight 
mist made a rainbow hang low, seemingly within reach.  Curious, Setsuna 
tried to reach out and touch it, but of course didn't feel anything.
	Oh well.  It was beautiful anyway.



	It was another day.  Usagi woke up and got dressed.  She looked out 
the window, and saw what was on the outside of the window.  She smelled 
something.  Her skirt had a hole in it, so she put on another one.
	Then she walked downstairs.  
	  
	
