Hikari-No's Promise
Chapter Six
"The Second Age was short and brutal, the Age of fire and betrayal. It began with the invasion of the Dark Queen, who challenged the power of the Senshi as she enslaved the people of the galaxy. Many fell as they tried to stop her path towards Coruscant, and many more died in that final battle. It was only upon the Dark Queen's arrival at the fabled glittering city that our Queen truly understood the evil that had gathered there.
"The Queen's daughter and heir was one of the first to disappear, never to be seen again. Throughout the years that followed, the fates of most of the lost became clear, however, no trace of the princess was ever found. In her grief at her daughter's apparent death, the Queen raised her Crystal Staff, and invoked the power of the Mystical Sapphire Crystal, a talisman of ultimate good, capable of great works of power.
"She destroyed the Dark Queen's power systematically, until there was not one of her minions left alive. The path of invasion was blocked, and the evil sealed away. The Dark Queen would never again return to our galaxy, and her evil would never again touch the lives of our people.
"However, the Queen's use of the Crystal had drained her of her life energy, and she fell and died, both the Crystal and her staff disappearing before her lifeless body hit the ground. Neither were ever seen by mortal eyes again.
"The loss of the Queen demoralised the few remaining Senshi, and they renounced their powers, each returning to their planet of origin to try and come to terms with their grief and remorse.
"Many travelled different paths, but there were some who blamed the Queen's loss on themselves, and took their own lives. Some returned to their previous studies, whilst others went on to build the foundations of what is now known as the Galactic Republic. Of all of the survivors, only one left any record for future generations: Sailor Tatooine, who founded the Jedi Order."
- From the Second Book of the Song of Ages, Mau.
When Hikari-No awoke the next morning, there was a sour taste in her mouth, and in the mirror her eyes seemed grey and depressed. For one long moment, she felt that the previous night's events had been nothing more than a dream, until she noticed the new weight of the locket around her neck. There was something instantly comforting about the strange symbol on the locket, as if she had seen it before, even though she never had. She was calm then, and went to have some breakfast.
She had no classes this day, for even the Jedi realised that not everyone could work everyday without time to rest. Normally she would spend her time studying, and yet somehow Hikari-No realised that she would spend most of this day trying to sort out the confusion in her mind. She had so many questions, and above all else, she wanted to believe that nothing had changed.
There was a note from her Master on the table, saying that he was once again off with the Council. Hikari-No wondered briefly if anyone had warned her Master that when the Council starts letting someone attend most of their sessions, there would soon be a new position available. There were a number of seats on the Council that were not lifetime positions, merely held for as long as the member wanted it. If one of them wanted to return to active work, they could just give up their place at any time, but would generally wait until there was an appropriate replacement ready.
She sighed. This would be a good thing for him, but what would happen to her? Would she just be shunted off to some other Master? Or maybe she would not need another Master, maybe they would allow her to finish off the rest of her Padawan studies on her own? Then again, she was probably overreacting. Nothing had been announced yet, and maybe nothing ever would. Maybe the Council just wanted to have her Master around to help them out occasionally.
Maybe.
She looked over at her reflection in the mirror, and wondered at what she saw. Who was that girl staring back at her? Not the same one as had been there the previous day, that was for certain. Although she looked the same as before, her eyes no longer seemed quite as bright as they used to be, there was a darkness in them that had only appeared since the day before.
She had killed something last night, and that had changed everything. And no matter what she did, that look on the creature's face before she had destroyed it tore at her heart, convincing her that she had made a terrible mistake, that the power that she wielded was evil, and that last night she had probably utilised the Dark Side of the Force to kill.
'Do not look at it that way', Palomene's thought came to her, 'You saved the lives of those Jedi who you were fighting for. What is more important, the life of one creature that was created solely to kill, or many who will fight so that others may live?'
Although Hikari-No was again awed at the ease with which Palomene had been able to penetrate her mental shielding, she was too confused to question the voice in her mind. "It still feels wrong", she murmured aloud.
'You were fighting in defence, not attacking. Nothing you did was against the Code, and you know that.' Not for the first time, Hikari-No wished that Palomene was really present, someone to talk to face to face.
She wondered if she could go and speak to *Star about this. Surely telling her best friend would not be so bad? She needed someone who understood to tell her that everything would be alright.
'You can never tell anyone about your being Sailor Coruscant. If the enemy found out it could put her life in danger.'
'But *Star is a Padawan too. Surely she can take care of herself?', she rolled her eyes at the thought of *Star dressed up in a Sailor costume like her own. *Star had enough trouble trying to take care of that pet of hers, let alone fighting evil creatures trying to kill her.
Palomene knew that Hikari-No understood the prohibition, yet she still added one further comment. 'You will not be able to tell your Master either.'
'He will know who I am the moment I stand in a room with him. No foolish costume could disguise me as someone I am not.'
It seemed as if Palomene had an answer for every question that Hikari-No asked. 'The power that makes you Sailor Coruscant ensures that anyone who sees you will never recognise you. Not matter how close that person is to you. All they will see is the Sailor-suited warrior of love and justice.'
Hikari-No shook her head, wondering how this scene would look to anyone who would be watching her talk with the voice in her head. She pondered whether or not she was going mad for a time, until she realised that in her silence Palomene was laughing at her. 'And why do you keep calling me that? It is a bit of a mouthful and I do have a name.'
'I know. Hikari-No Miko. In the old language it means "The Priestess of Light", rather appropriate, although "Princess" would have been a better choice.'
'What?' Hikari-No was confused, and she knew that somewhere Palomene was smiling. Though she tried to trace her thought back to wherever Palomene really was, some sort of distortion prevented her farseeking Palomene properly. It was probably deliberate too, which explained why she always sounded so smugly superior, because she knew that Hikari-No could not track her down. 'One day you will understand', Palomene said cryptically.
'I hate when people say that', Hikari-No muttered sourly, even as she stood to clean up what she had failed to finish of her breakfast.
'I know.'
'So, do you want to explain all this, or am I supposed to figure it out on my own?' Hikari-No asked a while later, when she was sitting out on the balcony of her room looking out at the still-awakening cityscape before her.
'Explain what? I thought I did a good enough job last night.'
'Everything. You explained things really well, you just missed out on a few little details, like what exactly a Sailor Senshi is, why I have not heard of them before, who or what is the Dark Kingdom and what do they want? And more importantly, why were they trying to kill everyone in the Temple last night?' Palomene's short answers to every question Hikari-No asked was starting to frustrate her. How would she ever learn to control and use her powers if this 'Guardian' would not even explain what they were?
'Calm down, little Jedi', Hikari-No knew that Palomene was teasing her, 'Anger leads to the Dark Side, you know.' She was teasing Hikari-No, and not too kindly either. 'I will tell you a story then, shall I?'
Hikari-No nodded, not trusting herself to even think. Palomene sighed slightly, and then she appeared before Hikari-No, although the Jedi knew that it was just a projection, with no real substance. Her dress shimmered in many colours, as did her eyes. 'I hope you know what this is costing me.
'A long time ago, before the Jedi, before the Republic, there was the Kingdom. The Kingdom was ruled by a beautiful Queen, who watched over the people of all worlds and used her magic to protect them. It was a time of peace and tranquillity.
'However, the Galaxy is a large place, and the Queen knew that it was too much for any one person to have complete control over. And so the Sailor Senshi came, one for each planet, girls born to special powers, each a queen in her own right. They oversaw their own planets, but served and protected the Queen of the Sapphire Millennium, who lived in a palace on Coruscant.'
Hikari-No interrupted the narrative. 'Special powers? Like what I did last night?' She did not really want to think about it, but Palomene was the only one who could answer her questions.
'A little. Each person's power was different, as unique as the planet from which it came. You see, the magic, the power, comes from the individual planet, a gift to it's protector. It takes a different form for each person, and how it has to be used. Most Senshi have elemental powers, influence over the air, water, the earth, or even the ability to conjure fire. So, the Sailor Senshi from Hoth would have completely different influence than the one from Naboo.'
'But it is all just manipulation of the Force?'
'It varies. In your case, the power does mainly come from the use of the Force, as you Jedi call it. But it is just one aspect of how the Senshi operate. Besides that, I don't even know very much about your skills. There has never been a Sailor Coruscant before.'
'There hasn't?' She was worried now, especially now that she realised Palomene did not have all the answers.
'There never was a need. There are some legends and prophecies, but nothing in detail about how to train Sailor Coruscant. I'm not sure why, it was probably just a mistake of the record keepers.'
'You are here to train me?'
'Of course. Why else would I keep telling you what to do?'
'I do not know. I suppose it makes sense, but I am busy enough training to be a Jedi. Are you sure you could not choose someone else for this job?'
'Maybe I didn't make it clear. I am not the one who makes the choice. Coruscant did.'
'Coruscant, the planet Coruscant? The one I am standing on right now, Coruscant?'
'The same.' There was something in her tone that made Hikari-No look up in surprise.
'But how is that possible? Surely the planet is not alive?'
'Not in any way that you would recognise life. But it has an awareness. You know, it might just be easier if you thought about Coruscant as being a part of the Force. The Force surrounds everything, including the planet, correct?' Hikari-No nodded, noting the suddenly serious expression on Palomene's face. 'And the Force acts upon everything, correct?' Another nod. 'Well then, let's just say that Coruscant has the ability to influence and manipulate the Force, enough to let me know that you are the chosen one. The one that the planet wants to be its protector. Its avatar, its Senshi. You have one purpose, and that is to protect Coruscant and its people.'
'I am to be a Jedi.' Palomene shook her head.
'That is not important. All that matters is the Search. If we find the Princess and are able to stop the Dark Kingdom, then you might be able to become a Jedi. But not before.'
'Who is the Princess? And why would do we need to find her?'
'For that, I must go back to my story. Alright, back in the Sapphire Millennium, the Queen had a daughter.'
'The Princess?'
'Yes. The Princess was the next Queen in training, the one who would rule over the Kingdom when her mother died. She was as fair as her mother, with long hair that flowed down to her knees, although she mostly wore it up in a particular hairstyle that was popular at the time. She was beautiful, with eyes as blue as yours and skin as pale as moonlight. The hopes of countless lives and species depended on her, and then the Dark Kingdom came.
'No one really knew from where they came, only that they were fierce warriors, determined to destroy all that was good in the Galaxy and enslave the populations of every world. No creature, no life would remain untouched by these people, and the realm of the Dark Queen stretched further with each Senshi she corrupted. Most she simply killed, but there were others that she turned to her will, eradicating free thought from them and making them follow her desires. No one ever saw the Dark Queen, yet no one escaped from her dominion unscathed.
'However, there was no warning. As they swept out from beyond the Outer Rim, the Dark Kingdom left no one who could alert the other systems. Many disappeared, some of the most beautiful worlds ever beheld. And it was only as they approached Coruscant at the center of the spiral that the Queen realised that her Kingdom had fallen apart.
'In the dead of the night, the Princess disappeared.'
'What do you mean, disappeared?' Palomene shrugged, carefully choosing her next words.
'No one ever saw her again. Most believe she died, as did the Queen, who went mad with grief. She raised the Sapphire Crystal-'
'The what?'
'The Sapphire Crystal. It is the other item we are searching for. A jewel of strange powers, that can grant the wishes of the one who possesses it, by amplifying the will and the innate strength of the keeper, the one who bears it. According to the legends, only the Queen of Coruscant and the Sapphire Millennium can harness its power without dying.'
'How very strange.'
'Indeed. The Queen raised the Sapphire Crystal, and caused the forces of the Dark Kingdom to disappear, but not before they destroyed her castle and much of the beauty of the planet. They were gone completely, the creatures, the leaders, all of them, but the amount of energy required to cast such a powerful spell had drained the Queen of her life-Force. She died on the steps of the Palace, her last words were to her Guardian, telling her that the Dark Kingdom had been "sealed away". Because the heir had disappeared, there was no one to take over as Queen of the Sapphire Millennium. The Queen's staff and the Crystal disappeared in a flash of light, and the remaining Senshi renounced their powers in disgust, saying that they no longer had anyone to protect. In time, the Kingdom was forgotten by all save the Guardians.'
'Your people.' Hikari-No was beginning to understand.
'Exactly. The Guardians of Mau are the only ones to have kept the knowledge alive. They wrote everything down, in the hope that one day, the Senshi would be found again, and the Sapphire Millennium recovered. There are a set of prophecies that tell of a time when the Kingdom is restored, after the Dark Kingdom returns to finish their task, and the signs all say that it will happen soon. Which is why I decided to find you.'
'Why me?'
'Of all the Senshi, Sailor Coruscant was the only one not present in the times before. The records state that she will only come into her power when the Kingdom is in its darkest hour, which I can only assume means now.'
'I think you place too much credence in these prophecies. I have heard many, and most are far too vague to mean anything, let alone be specific about what will happen in the future.'
'But this one describes you in detail, Hikari-No. I have known and watched over your family for many, many years. And the prophecy was correct, right down to telling me that I would find you at the Jedi Temple, and stating your name in full.'
'It is not that uncommon a name.'
'I can see that you are determined not to believe me. But you can rest assured, you are the right girl.'
'How could you know that?'
'Because you were able to use the power of the locket without dying.' The chill way that Palomene told Hikari-No that she could have died the previous day, and that Palomene would accepted it so calmly sent a shiver down Hikari-No's spine, and caused her to seriously consider throwing the locket off the balcony in disgust.
'Why me?' Hikari-No asked again.
'Because you are the one that Coruscant chose, and you are the only one.'
And with that, Palomene disappeared again, her shimmering form fading from Hikari-No's view, though she realised that the Guardian was still in communication with her mind.
"Hikari-No", the scream was loud, from outside the door to the apartment, causing her to jump. After a soft command, it opened, and *Star came in, calling again.
"I am on the balcony", Hikari-No told her, more softly than her friend would have done. But it was still fairly early, and many in the Temple would still be asleep.
*Star appeared, her familiar face a welcome respite from the insanity that seemed to have perverted Hikari-No's life over the past day.
"I'm going to the markets. Do you want to come?" The request was so commonplace that it nearly made Hikari-No cry. But instead she shook her head, and tried to find the words. She wanted more than anything to talk with her friend, and explain to her what was happening, but Palomene, gave her a mental prod that shook the girl.
"I am afraid I cannot. I have to study this morning." It was not a lie, exactly, just a bending of the truth.
*Star merely rolled her eyes. "You study too much, Hikari-No. You need to relax more, and come shopping. A reliable source told me that Ura-Giri will be at the markets this morning, and I thought maybe we could go and see if he needs any help with his purchases."
Somehow Hikari-No doubted that he would really be there. She knew that it was just a rumour *Star had heard and hoped to believe was true. Despite herself, Hikari-No smiled.
"Not today *Star. Besides, I see enough of him in class, not to mention all those tutoring sessions he has asked for. I have to keep ahead of him, and I would not want my grades to slip. What would happen then?" The sarcasm in her voice was deliberate, and *Star laughed, as Hikari-No had known she would.
"The day you fall behind our class is the day I get full marks in my final exams", *Star smiled, eyes flashing, "But I can see there is no turning you today. So we will have to go out together next rest day. After all, too much study leads to the Dark Side."
Hikari-No smiled back at *Star's favourite expression. "I think you are a little confused", she murmured, and she could hear Palomene's silent laughter.
"Perhaps. But we will see. For now, I must go, before all the bargains are snapped up." And with that, *Star whirled from the balcony in a swirl of cloak.
'So now what do we do?' Hikari-No asked of her invisible companion.
'We wait. Until we find out more about the Dark Kingdom, there is little we can do to stop them. We have to find the Princess and the Crystal before the Dark Kingdom does, but again, we know so little about them that we have no choice but to wait. And be patient. You would be used to that, being a Jedi and all.'
Hikari-No chose to ignore the insult, listening but not paying very much attention to what Palomene was saying. Something at the back of her mind was worrying her, a vague feeling of unease that seemed to permeate her entire being.
'What's wrong?' Palomene was there at her side again, her shimmering form seeming to be little more than the sunlight dancing across the balcony.
Hikari-No did not answer, sending her thought out through the Temple, and beyond to where the markets were located a few streets away. She could suddenly sense a vast malevolence, spreading out from the stalls and stands, and amongst them, the cry of a friend in need.
"*Star", she whispered softly, not knowing what to do.
Palomene suddenly looked up in surprise. 'The Dark Kingdom is attacking again. You have to stop them.'
"Yes. I know", Hikari-No reached her hand up to her locket, but then thought better of it and removed her lightsaber from her belt, placing it with care on the floor. Palomene looked at her in confusion, but Hikari-No did not notice. She called out the transformation phrase, and once again her body seemed to fall away, to be replaced with something stronger, more real.
Sailor Coruscant picked up the lightsaber, not activating it, but holding it in her hand at the ready anyway.
'You know you won't need that', Palomene told her, more kindly than anything else she had said.
"It's a Jedi thing", Sailor Coruscant said, "I am taking it with me."
'As you wish.'
Sailor Coruscant turned to go back into the apartment, to the Temple. She knew that the easiest way would be simply to use the freight elevators, that way no one would notice her in the strange outfit.
'Where are you going?' Palomene sounded surprised.
'Down to the markets, of course.'
'There is a quicker way, you know.' Palomene made a vague gesture to the railing.
"You must be joking", she shook her head.
'The magic will protect you from harm, and you can use the Force to slow your descent if you are afraid.'
Jedi are never afraid. They control their fear, and make it work for them. Knowing that she was most likely about to kill herself, Sailor Coruscant closed her eyes, and leapt over the railing, falling to the street below the Temple.
Her first response to the realisation that she was about to die was to scream, loudly, as she fell.
From where he was mediating silently, Mi-Rai Shinwa looked up in alarm, believing for an instant that his Padawan was calling for him. He shook his head. Hikari-No was in no danger here in the Temple, and there was no way he could have heard her scream even if she was in trouble.
In alarm, the members of the Council exchanged worried glances. 'Perhaps the bond is stronger than we thought', one mentally whispered to the others.
Her hair was flying up above her head, and she knew that if anyone thought to look out their windows at the moment she passed, they would certainly be surprised. She hoped that the short skirt she was wearing was not fluttering up around her chest as she feared it was, and looked down for a brief instant to see the ground rising up towards her.
She felt ill, and wished that the ancient Jedi had built the Temple closer to the ground. Spires were all very well and good, but they took an awful long time to fall from. She stopped screaming in order to breathe.
It was strange. It seemed as if she had been falling forever, and yet it had taken only a moment to make it this far. And she knew suddenly, without knowing how she knew, that she would not die. It was almost disappointing, after she had resigned herself to the fact that she would be crushed by the impact of the street below, to realise that it would not happen.
Still, at least if she survived this she would have to face whatever monster the Dark Kingdom had sent against her.
'They're called youma', Palomene told her, 'but monster is a pretty close approximation. They are the minions of the Dark Kingdom, and the General commanding them will not hesitate to throw away the lives of hundreds of the youma to destroy you and hand over Coruscant to his Queen.'
'We must not let them do that.'
'That's what I was hoping you would say.'
Sailor Coruscant concentrated on her descent to the ground below, reaching out with the Force as she had done hundreds of times during training jumps of smaller distances. She made sure that she fell the last fifty or so meters slowly, so that she would not hurt herself when she landed.
As her feet touched the ground, she fell slightly forward, and she found herself on one knee, her arms moving wildly in an attempt to regain her balance. In a fit of clumsiness to rival *Star at her best, Sailor Coruscant fell to the ground, bumping her nose against the ground, to the timid laughter of a few bystanders who had noticed her suddenly falling from the sky and landing gracelessly.
For a moment she lay against the ground, hoping against hope that no one she knew would see her like that, and debating the worth of getting back up again. It was then that she heard the first scream, and got to her feet, not stopping to brush down her clothing.
As she ran amongst the stalls and crowds, Hikari-No realised she had no idea from where the scream had emanated. She stopped running, and turned around, trying to orientate herself. With the Temple at her back, she closed her eyes and searched with her mind, trying to find some sign of the Dark Kingdom's activity.
After a few moments, she could suddenly sense many minds crying out in pain, and near them a sphere of blackness that could only be the creature. It was only a few hundred meters away, and though she tried to push past the crowds, their flight was only hindering her movements, pushing her backwards. Using the Force to guide her actions, she leapt into the air, reaching out and trying to cover more distance, then to find a gap in the group to land in. But still she was pushed backwards in the tide of creatures trying to flee.
Though she had never tried such a thing before, Sailor Coruscant reached out with the Force towards the minds of those coming towards her, raising a hand. The locket on her chest began to grow warm, and she asked the crowd silently to let her through. For a moment, there was no difference, and the locket grew cool again. But then first one, then another creature took a step to the side, and in a few moments a path appeared.
Sailor Coruscant sent a quick thanks to the Force, before running on her way, hearing in her mind again *Star's scream. In two days, her closest Jedi friend had been attacked twice, and she wondered if that was coincidence. Perhaps, but probably not.
Sailor Coruscant saw the youma in the same instant that she spotted her, blue eyes matching deepest black in a glimpse of mutual terror. The beast was taller than her, with green skin that for a second reminded her of Catherine. Perversely, Sailor Coruscant remembered then that she had not yet read the message her friend had sent. Later. There would be time then.
She brought her hands together to begin her attack, ignoring the lightsaber in her left hand, to summon the power that would destroy the creature, and found that she could not. In that one instant of hesitation, the scantily dressed youma snarled in a sweet voice.
"My Master told me that you might turn up. I remember what you did to Mysia and will not fall into the same trap. Attack, my pretties", she called, and the unconscious forms at her feet suddenly started to stand and walk towards Sailor Coruscant, their hands held out before them. At the spearhead of the attack was *Star, her eyes the same colour as the youma's and a blank expression on her face. As she grew nearer, Sailor Coruscant took a step back.
"Please, *Star, do not do this", she tried to plead with the girl, even as she stumbled in the heeled boots, and tripped backwards.
"She cannot hear you. You will die this day, and the Dark Kingdom will prevail." The youma was crowing, and she stretched forth her hands to gather more energy from anyone still in the markets.
*Star reached out her hands, and grabbed a hold of Sailor Coruscant's throat. In a panic, Sailor Coruscant reached out with the Force, trying to seek out her friend's mind and make her see reason. But there was simply a fuzzy darkness where *Star's thoughts should have been. She was holding her breath, but it would not be long until she blacked out if *Star would not let go.
Her hand was still on her lightsaber, but she did not want to use it against her friend. Behind her stood perhaps twenty other people, all willing to take over if *Star failed. And behind them, the youma, screaming in triumph. She dropped the lightsaber, bringing her hands to her locket.
'Palomene, help me', she cried in fear.
'Child, I cannot interfere in this.' She remembered then that Palomene had no physical substance on Coruscant, but it did not help her.
If she had been able to breathe, Sailor Coruscant would have sighed deeply before she moved against *Star. She tried to recall everything from her training, and could only recollect that she was never to attack, and that it was always easier to use an enemy's own strength against them. Not that the information would help her much. Another human under the youma's control came around behind Sailor Coruscant, and pulled her arms behind her back.
Reaching out with the Force, she pushed the tall man back, and kicked backwards with her right foot, as her vision started to blacken. As she tried to stay conscious and focus her energies, Sailor Coruscant grabbed *Star's wrists, and thought at her, 'I hope you will forgive me later.'
She knew that *Star would instinctively prevent her from actively using the Force against her, so Sailor Coruscant jumped forward, hoping to dislodge her friend's hands even as she stretched forward one hand to place *Star in an unconscious state using those pressure points Jedi Heiwa had spoken about. Both girls crashed to the ground, and Sailor Coruscant found herself gasping for breath again.
More of the youma's 'slaves' came towards her, but she stood up, calling her lightsaber to her hand and igniting it, using the last of her strength to leap over the people to where the youma was waiting to see her die. Too late she saw her own death as the lightsaber swung down and she was sliced in two.
The youma let out a scream of rage, before her body began to crumble into dust. Around her, the people who had became her slaves fell to the ground, each assuming the same expression of ignorance and peace as they slept, despite the carnage around them. Most of the affects of the youma's attacks had faded, but many of the uprooted stalls and dismantled shopfronts would not be repaired in a moment.
Sailor Coruscant fell to her knees, drained, and suddenly afraid as she realised how close to death she had come herself. She threw the lightsaber to the ground near her, as she started to cry softly.
"Well done, Sailor Coruscant", the voice seemed to be everywhere and nowhere, reverberating through her skull and causing her to involuntarily cry out in pain. She looked around, but could see no one who was not otherwise trying to recompose their scattered wits.
"Who are you?" she whispered, standing and turning around, partially hoping to see who it was that spoke to her. His voice sounded familiar, but at the same time she knew that she had never heard it before. She would remember.
"I am Hematite, General of the Dark Kingdom, and enemy of you, Sailor Coruscant. I will remember your name even after you are dead and the Dark Queen rules over all of the Galaxy. That is my promise to you."
Remembering her earlier promise to Palomene, Sailor Coruscant suddenly ignited her lightsaber, and smiled calmly. "Come before me then, General, and you will see that the Dark Side can never triumph. I will die before I allow you to take over my home."
Suddenly there was a shifting in the air in front of her, and she stepped back reflexively. A tall man stood before her, dressed in a grey uniform with a single red strip across the front. But it was his eyes that caught hers, deepest green meeting blue in a flash of colour and power. Then Palomene was standing between them.
"Still playing these tired old games, Hematite? I would have thought you had grown up by now." With a start, Sailor Coruscant realised that Palomene was speaking aloud. And that she seemed to know the Dark Kingdom General.
"Begone Guardian, you have no place here. Leave it to those of us with the power to fight."
"I will fight you if that is what you want Hematite, but the timing is not right yet. Imagine what your Queen would say if she realised that her current favourite had died in a foolish battle he could not win."
"That hasn't been decided yet." But Hematite took a step away from Palomene anyway, and then shimmered and disappeared. She turned to Sailor Coruscant, and saw that the young Senshi was crying.
"Come now, Sailor Coruscant. It is best if we leave this place." A look of ancient sorrow passed over Palomene's face, and she stretched out a insubstantial hand, as though to touch the girl's arm, before sighing and disappearing.
Sailor Coruscant looked at the lightsaber in disgust and loathing, knowing that she had let her anger and fear overcome her, a dangerous occurrence that she would try never to repeat.
She dried her eyes with her glove, and tried to find her calm once more. She walked from the market, and found a secluded place in which she transformed back into Hikari-No. Attaching her lightsaber back to her belt, Hikari-No wiped the last of her sadness from her face, and went to wake *Star up.
"So you don't remember what happened?" Somehow, Hikari-No found that hard to believe. But the look on *Star's face suggested that what she said was true.
"I remember the strange creature. It was like the one in my dream last night, but not really. I seem to have a lot of strange dreams lately." She smiled, and winced at the pain that caused in her head, which was still aching.
At this mention of dreams, Hikari-No started, wondering if they shared the same one of ever encroaching darkness that was starting to swamp Coruscant, spreading out from the Jedi Temple. "What else have you been dreaming about?" she asked politely.
*Star blushed. "Not very much", she murmured, but a stray thought escaped her shielding, and Hikari-No smiled at the image of Ura-Giri, realising that her friend was probably safe for now. "Although I did dream of a beautiful warrior who saved us all from the monster. I wish you had been in my dream, she was simply amazing. Using a blue lightsaber, a little like yours, she sliced the evil monster in half. It was incredible."
*Star smiled happily, and Hikari-No found herself blushing deeply.
They parted a little while later, after *Star had promised Hikari-No that she would go to bed and sleep off the rest of her headache. As she reached her own apartment, Hikari-No remembered that she had promised to give Ura-Giri some help with his mathematics work that afternoon, but she called him and they agreed to do it some other time. He was looking as tired as she felt, and she was glad that he was not angry with her.
She went back to the balcony, and sat down, looking out at the city, now fully awake, but still calm, as though everything was normal, although Hikari-No realised that it never would be 'normal' again.
'Does it always feel this bad?' she asked of Palomene, knowing that the Guardian would hear her. In her mind she could still hear the youma's final cry of rage and fear, and she shuddered without realising what she did.
'Would you really want it to stop?' Palomene's voice was soft and understanding. Hikari-No thought about it for a few moments.
'I guess not. If it was easier, then I might somehow start to like destroying the creatures, hearing their pain. From there it would be a small step to the Dark Side and becoming no better then those of the Dark Kingdom.'
Palomene smiled at her, and kissed her forehead lightly, a motherly gesture that surprised Hikari-No. 'I knew that you were the right person for this', she said, her image sitting down next to the young Jedi.
'It does not make the regret go.' She sighed deeply, and another thought came to her. 'Palomene, how do you know Hematite? You spoke as if you knew him.'
It was the Guardian's turn to sigh. 'I did, long ago, before he joined the Dark Kingdom. He was a good man back then, before the Queen corrupted him with her power and changed him forever. Now there is no trace of the person he once was, although he still remembers the Guardians, if not me personally.' Her sigh carried the weight of ages, and of sorrow better forgotten. Although Hikari-No knew that she did not wish to speak on this topic any longer, she had one more question that she had to ask about Hematite.
'How long ago was it?'
'A very long time. I have lost count of the years that have passed since then, but it was many, many years before you were born.'
'But the Dark Kingdom had disappeared for thousands of years', Hikari-No was amazed and incredulous at once.
'I know child. It was a long time ago when I knew Hematite, and I was there when the Sapphire Millennium failed. I was the Guardian to the Princess, and I failed in my duty, which is why I am still alive. The Queen gave me the gift of a long life so that I could continue the search for her daughter. She never realised how long it would take, nor how weary I have become. And yet I know her line still exists, I simply cannot find the child. Hopefully we will soon, and then I can rest.'
Hikari-No tried to process this information in her mind, and although she understood the words, there was something in what Palomene was saying that terrified her as she tried to know the pain of living for thousands of years, watching as all her friends and lovers died of old age. She found herself unexpectedly crying for her new friend.
'Don't cry for me, child', Palomene said, 'you are the one who still has to fight Hematite, for I cannot. You must train hard if you wish to defeat him.'
'But I do not want to defeat him. All I want is to be a normal girl.'
'I know.' Even though she could not feel it, Palomene put her arms around the young girl who was crying for the loss of her innocence and peace.
'How long?' Hikari-No asked.
'How long until what?'
'How long until they attack again?'
'I do not know', Palomene shook her head. 'It could be hours or days, the Dark Kingdom was always unpredictable. Don't fret, you will have plenty of warning when they do.'
'I hope so.'
Thinking again of the horrible task she had been asked to complete, Hikari-No found herself wishing for a peaceful existence away from all her fears and worries. She feel asleep later, dreaming of a peaceful future.
On her desk rested a small message, still unread.
"Hikari-No,
I had a terrible dream last night that you were under attack from a awful monster, and although this probably seems strange, I thought to write and see that you were all right with my own eyes.
Hopefully this finds you well, and that my dream was little more than a nightmare.
Your friend until forever,
Catherine."