Notes: The Four Sisters and Sailor Pluto are all property of their creators. The doctor was invented by me. Well, thanks again for reading, I hope you like it. The Struggle of Life A prequal to "The Life Beyond Death" by Aneena Chapter II Prisma- The Birth of Hope Part I The sunset was beautiful, or at least Prisma thought so. On Dark Nemesis, they did not have sunrises or sunsets. Prisma had found that she enjoyed the sunlight and spent much of her free time outside working or lounging in it. And no matter what else she had to do, Prisma always made time for sunset. There was a small hill near where she lived with her sisters and every afternoon Prisma would go to the top of that hill and sit with her back against the sturdy oak tree that stood atop the hill and watch the sun slowly sink below the horizon. It was winter now, almost a full three months since the sisters had found a better way to live their lives then they had known on Dark Nemesis. Prisma clutched her sweater closer around her as she watched the last rays of light disappear into the darkness. The weather had turned unexpectedly cold in the last few days and Prisma had discovered that she now hated the cold. On Dark Nemesis, even the most biting frost did not bother her in the least but now... Prisma shook her head and pushed herself to her feet. It didn't really matter now. There was no more Dark Nemesis, no more Black Moon Family, nothing. The only thing that remained from those old days was her and her sisters. The wind whipped around her, ruffling her short black hair and ripping at her sweater. Far off, Prisma could hear the crash of thunder. Sounds like there is going to be one hell of a storm tonight, Prisma thought anxiously. She quickened her pace a little at the thought. The storm was coming in fast, unnaturally fast. When the sun had set only moments before, there hadn't been a cloud in the sky. She could vaguely hear the sound of Berti's voice over the howling wind. "Prisma! Hurry up, it's gonna start raining any minute! We don't want you to get sick again!" Prisma jogged the rest of the way down the hill and into the house. Berti smiled at Prisma as she entered. "You really should dress warmer, sister." Avery said lightly from where she lay, on the floor next to the fireplace. "So should you." Prisma said pointedly, nodding to Avery's short skirt and haltertop. Avery shrugged her cream colored shoulders, "How else am I going to catch myself a man? Besides, I wouldn't be caught dead in the kind of clothes that you wear, sis. I sure don't have anything to hide." Prisma glanced down at the black sweater and leggings she wore and made a face. "There is nothing wrong with what I'm wearing." "Not if you're sixty, there's not." Avery laughed. "Leave her alone, Avery." Catzi muttered from her seat in a chair near the window. "Why? Afraid I'll start in on you next, little sister?" Catzi shook her long blue locks, "No. I just don't think that Prisma needs to be told what to wear by the poster girl for tastelessness." Avery looked insulted. "My taste is better than yours!" Catzi raised an eyebrow, "As if." "Now, now, sist...." Berti was cut off by Avery's retort to Catzi. "Least I didn't get dumped by Rubeus!" Avery shouted. Berti and Prism quickly dunked out of the room as Catzi threw a flower vase at Avery's head. "How dare you!" Catzi shouted, leaping to her feet. "How dare you throw him in my face! He's dead, Avery, dead! He hurt me and you toss it in my face! Some sister you are!" Catzi cried. Avery looked taken aback, "I'm...I'm sorry, Cat. I didn't mean it." Catzi shook her head, "Why do have to always remind me of that?" "Look Cat, Rubeus had us all going for a while, vying for his affections. That all changed after we were cleansed by Sailor Moon." Prisma said quietly as she and Berti reentered the room. "But you didn't even like him that much, Prisma. You only liked Sapphiro, but I suppose that didn't make to much of a difference, since he never returned your feelings either and now he's dead."Catzi clasped a hand over her mouth as she realized what she'd said. "Oh Goodness! Prisma, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that. I..." Prisma turned to stare out the window at the pitch black sky. "No, it's alright, Catzi. You're right, he never really cared as much about me as I cared about him. But he was my friend. It's all either of us really wanted....someone to be there for us when our family couldn't be." "Look Prisma, I'm sure he..." Avery began, pushing herself to her feet. "No, he didn't. I was his friend...maybe his only friend in the end. I'd like to at least have that. He was...a nice person. Maybe I even loved him...but that doesn't matter now. He's dead, and life goes on." Prisma continued to stare out the window. Berti stepped up behind her and placed a pale hand on her shoulder. "You miss him, don't you?" Prisma nodded. "More sometimes and less. I miss the nights I spent in his arms and I miss his voice. Sometimes I wonder...I wonder..." Prisma nodded to herself. "I'm really tired guys. Do you mind if we continue this at a later time?" "No, not at all. Why don't you go upstairs and get some sleep." Avery said pushing her older sister towards the stairway. "Yes, we don't want you getting sick again. We'll talk in the morning." Berti added. "Good night, Prisma." Catzi said with a smile. "Good night." Prisma said quietly as she moved up the stairs. The moment she knew she was out of the sight of the other girls she ran to the bathroom. "This is not happening. I am not...I can not possibly be..." "Pregnant." The doctor said again, smiling broadly. "Congratulations!" "Says you." Prisma grumbled. She's been getting sick for the past couple of weeks, but when the girls had made her come to the doctor this was the last thing she expected him to say. The doctor beamed, "Aren't you happy Ms. Stevens?" "No." Prisma said simply, wondering if he would sue her if she slapped that stupid smile off his happy little face. The doctor continued to smile. "Well, if you do not want this child, you could always give it up for adoption. My wife and I have adopted several children." And the poor little things are most likely traumatized for life by this unfailingly happy little man, Prisma thought drearily. The smiling doctor wagged one fat finger in her direction. "But before you do anything, you should consult with the father. If you like, I could talk to him with you." "Only if your some sort of psychic." Prisma said quietly. "Hmm?" The doctor inquired. "What's that you say?" "He's dead. He died four months ago, tomorrow." The doctor patted her on the leg, "That's quite alright, dear. If you don't want me to speak with him you could have just said so." I'm going to hit him, Prisma thought as she clenched her fists at her sides. "Fine," Prisma ground out between clenched teeth. "Can I go now?" "Yes, yes, of course." The doctor handed her a bill. "There you go. Now make sure that you come back in two weeks for a check up. There is an excellent doctor working her that you can see." "Yeah, yeah." Prisma muttered as she walked out into the waiting area. All three of her sisters leaped to their feet. They'd all decided to close down the cosmetics shop and take Prisma to the doctor's office. "So, what did he say?" Avery asked, nervously. "Nothing. I have the flu, that's all." "Oh." Two months later, Prisma found that she was having difficulty hiding her pregnancy from her sisters and knew she wouldn't be able to for much longer. She'd found out that the baby would be a girl and she knew that she would be beautiful. It hurt not to be able to share this news with her sisters, but Prisma knew that she couldn't tell them. It was almost as if, if she told them too soon, something horrible would happen. That's why she had to move out. She'd told them that morning and they had all cried. Prisma had protested that she needed some space and after much arguing the others had agreed and bid her farewell. Prisma smiled grimly as she flopped another set of clothes into her suitcase. "Prisma?" Prisma turned at the sound of the stranger's voice. "Yes? Can I help you?" "I need to speak with you, about the future." The beautiful young woman said calmly. She was dressed in a sailor scout outfit like those of the scouts, but hers was black, white and red. It went well with her long dark green hair. "Excuse me? Do I know you?" "My name is Sailor Pluto. My friend's call me Setsuna. You must listen to me. I am the guardian of time. Your having this child in the past could be a grave danger to us all." Prisma shook her head, "What are you trying to tell me?" "You must not have this child." Sailor Pluto said simply. "What?!?!?!" "If you have this child, in this time, it could be catastrophic." "So what would you like me to do?" "You must come back to the future with me. To Crystal Tokyo." "No way. I am not going back there. No, no, no." Prisma said crossed her arms over her chest. "You have to, I'm afraid." Pluto said sadly. "I don't have to do a damn thing." Prisma said her voice becoming angrier. "Be reasonable." "I am being reasonable. I am going to have my child here, among my friends and my sisters and that's that." Prisma stated. "I am not asking you if you would like to go. I am telling you that you are going." Pluto said, her voice still calm. "Well, than I'm afraid that you are mistaken. I will have my child here." The two women stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Neither was willing or able to back down now. Finally Pluto took a step backwards. "Alright, I'll make you a deal Prisma. If you say nothing of my appearance here today and agree that when your child has reached the age of seventeen that she shall go with me to Crystal Tokyo then I will allow you to give birth to her and raise her here." "Fine." Prisma said with a nod. Pluto left without another word. Prisma knew that she had won a victory today, but for some reason she felt as if she had been tricked into doing exactly what Pluto wanted. It doesn't matter, Prisma thought viciously. My baby will grow up here with the scouts and my sisters. And when she's old enough I'll tell her about her father and how he died protecting his brother. Then I'll teach her to use the power that she will no doubt inherit from her father and I. Suddenly, Prisma felt that she could tell her sisters and the others now. The baby kicked her, and Prisma laughed. No matter what happens, I'll never regret the decision I made today, Prisma thought as she jogged down the stairs to tell her sisters the news that she should have told them months ago. The woman who sat in the oak tree beside Prisma's window cursed quietly. Pluto had won a victory today, a victory she would never have had a chance to win if the woman had had anything to say about it. But no, things had not gone as they should have and the little brat would be born. But it was a victory in vain, the woman had a plan and this child was now an most important part of it.