Hikari-No's Promise
Chapter Eight
"When at last the light arrives,
It shall be borne by the one bearing the mark of the Old Kingdom.
She shall be the one to lead them,
When that which has ever been hidden shall be revealed.
The Dark shall be vanquished,
And the path of destiny will lie in the hands of a child,
Raised by warriors,
Trained in the Old Ways by the one who cannot die."
"The Kingdom shall be borne anew when Coruscant's Shadow is finally shown;
And all will bear witness to the power of the Queen of Old,
Though she is long dead."
"Keep her get,
For it is only through her that all will be saved or surrendered."
"The face of the Shadow is crumpled with tears.
It is her choice that will determine the fate of us all."
"Guard well the priestess of light,
For she is our only hope."
-From the writings of Kassanda, Mau.
Hikari-No forced her eyes to open. She was so tired she could barely stay awake, even with the assistance of Ura-Giri and *Star, both of whom were watching over her.
The past three days the Dark Kingdom had been attacking almost incessantly, and after fighting them she had not had time to think, let alone to sleep or eat. It seemed that whenever she was not fighting, she was dreaming of a time when there would be no more fighting. She was well aware that she was being pushed to her limits, and sometime soon, something was going to break.
*Star was faring better. Somehow she did not tire as easily as Hikari-No did, and she always seemed to find time to sleep. Her grades were not suffering, but then again, there was little room for them to fall into. Sometimes it seemed to Hikari-No that *Star did not care about what she did, about how the creatures they destroyed by night could have had families and friends back in the Dark Kingdom who would have been grieved by what she was doing. That she did not understand that she was killing them, that they would become one with the Force, that there was no 'ever after' for them.
Hikari-No knew that her thoughts were angry and bitter and that she envied *Star her careless appearance, even though she knew it was a facade, *Star's way of hiding what she really felt. *Star was more practical than Hikari-No, she understood that what she did was for the good of the people of the galaxy, even if it was not what was best for the youma of the Dark Kingdom.
The last time she had seen Hematite, Hikari-No realised that he looked like she felt, completely run down and exhausted. She wondered what it was that she found so familiar about him, perhaps Palomene had been correct and she had known him in a previous life, although that did not fit with the Jedi's beliefs.
Her Master had accepted Lynn-Gie's position on the Council, and now that his time was officially theirs she saw him little, which suited her purposes. Until the threat of the Dark Kingdom had been removed, she had little time to spend with her Master, let alone study with him.
"Hikari-No, will you please pay attention?" Startled, she looked up at Master Haruna, aware that she was blushing deeply. She had gotten distracted again, and she couldn't afford that. A Jedi was always aware of what was taking place around her, and at the moment Hikari-No was beginning to wonder if she would ever become a Jedi.
"Yes Master", was all she said, bowing her head to conceal her embarrassment. When the teacher's back was turned again she looked up, and realised that she had missed several pages worth of notes. She would not be able to catch up this lesson, she would have to borrow the notes from Ura-Giri that afternoon, and hope that she would be able to pick it up herself, although the class had simply been revising past work recently. Hikari-No hoped there would be nothing new to learn.
Hikari-No was still confused about how she felt for Ura-Giri Koibito. She truly liked him, she knew that much, and she hoped that he liked her too, although she suspected that he thought of her as a younger sister or a close friend. More than anything else, she wished that she had enough time to spend more with him, if only so she could indulge her wish to speak with him properly and understand what was taking place in her own mind.
She wondered again if this was just a crush, rather like something *Star would say she felt for another student. No, this was more serious. Catching her thoughts before she even finished them, Hikari-No bent to do her work, ignoring the whispers from the back of the class at her recently acquired inattention.
'Sailor Coruscant.' Hikari-No started at the sudden voice of Hematite in her mind. She looked around frantically, trying to push the invader from her thoughts, whilst at the same time trying to track him. She could find nothing, and she shuddered at the sudden violation of her mind.
"Who is that?" one of the girls at the back of the room whispered to her friends, and Hikari-No realised that they had all heard his calling. Even Master Haruna looked suddenly distracted, and Hikari-No wondered how widespread Hematite's projection was. There was no time for further thought, as he started speaking again.
'I know that you are a Jedi, Sailor Coruscant, I know all about you.' How did he know that she was a Jedi? She doubted that he knew everything about her, if he did, why was he contacting almost every person in the Temple? 'I believe that it is time that you and I should have a duel. One on one, to the death, so that you can witness the Dark Kingdom's triumph over your galaxy. Tonight.'
There was an exciting whispering all around her, everyone was talking, she could not hear him properly. How could she, with all this excess noise? She had to know when, where Hematite was going to fight, so that she could stop him from doing what ever it was that he could do to the people that she was supposed to protect.
'Where?' she called, not knowing if he could even hear her.
'At the main spaceport at D-point, midnight.' There was a smile in his voice that made her cringe, it was so full of malice. How could anyone be so dark? She suddenly sensed Palomene's presence, beside her, but not visible. She was radiating anger and something else that Hikari-No could not place. She tried to converse silently with the Guardian, but then she could hear Hematite's laughter, mocking as always.
'I will be waiting for you, Sailor Coruscant. If you do not come, I will destroy your world without mercy.' Then his voice was gone, and she found herself slipping forward, away from everyone in the room.
The whispering rose in volume to a clamour, and it was only the sudden pressure of *Star's hand on her arm that forced Hikari-No to keep conscious. She felt dizzy and disorientated, and for a few moments she had no idea where she was, only that she had to get to D-point by midnight tonight. As she came to herself and looked around, she realised that she was not the only one who felt that way. Master Haruna looked visibly shaken, and Ura-Giri looked pale.
She wondered why Hematite had decided to broadcast his message to the boys as well as the girls in her class. Surely he realised that Sailor Coruscant was a girl. As she thought of her uniform, she had to smile. He would have to be blind to think otherwise. He had probably sent the message to everyone because it would have been easier than trying to only send it to half the Temple selectively. Still, she wondered how he could have known that she was a Jedi.
D-point was the name given to a bad area of the City, up above the artic circle of Coruscant. The spaceport had as bad a reputation as the rest of the area, and was well known as a gathering place for smugglers and space pirates. No one went there at night, and only the brave during the day. It was the type of area that the officials refused to admit existed, that everyone wished would just go away. Those set to try and keep the peace at D-point were as corrupt as the inhabitants, and now Hematite was asking her to go there, at midnight no less.
Hikari-No was not afraid. She was a Jedi, albeit just a Padawan, but she was still a Jedi with the Force on her side. She would go, and she would battle Hematite. *Star looked nervous, and the two girls exchanged a glance, worry showing clearly in their eyes.
Master Haruna recovered quickly, her eyes flashing dangerously as she called the class to order. Hikari-No looked around, and noticed for the first time that a number of the other students were saying that they were going to go up to D-point to witness the battle. They all seemed to want to watch Sailor Coruscant and maybe have the chance to help her defeat Hematite. Hikari-No was amazed, she had never realised that anyone would feel that way. She blushed at the whispered comments of some of the boys, especially the ones regarding her Senshi fuku, and how she and *Star looked as the Sailor Senshi.
"What's wrong, Little Miko?" Ura-Giri whispered to Hikari-No, shaking her arm.
"I have a bad feeling about this. Something terrible is going to happen tonight", she whispered, more to herself than him. He looked over at her quizzically, and she realised what it was she had said. The last of her fear dispersed as she looked over at the other student and forced herself to smile. "Sorry", she apologised, "I just worry for Sailor Coruscant. She carries all our hopes now."
He shook his head and was about to say something when Master Haruna interrupted, and they both looked up to meet her glance.
"The Council has just informed me that under no circumstances are any students allowed to leave the Temple tonight. A curfew will be in place from sunset, and all Padawans must stay with their Masters. I will hear no more mention of Sailor peoples or battles or anything. Now", she turned back to the front of the classroom and made a small gesture towards the students, "Can anyone tell me the answer to this problem?"
Hikari-No did not answer, lost in her own thoughts, suddenly wide awake. 'Palomene, what am I to do?' her mind whispered.
"Hikari-No", Master Haruna flicked her hair and stared down at the small girl, frowning at her inattention, "The Council wishes to speak with you now."
That was odd. Why would they want to see her? They must know about how she had to get out of the Temple that night. Hikari-No gathered up her things, and with a quick bow to her teacher, left the room, ignoring *Star's worried thoughts.
She walked quietly into the room, and looked around at the stern faces of the Jedi Council, not entirely sure what to expect. Twelve seats were spaced around the room, and as she glanced over at her Master, Hikari-No saw the expression on his face and nearly backed away in fear. She had never seen him so angry before, he was supposed to be a Jedi Master, and never give in or display his emotions. She wondered what she had done to so upset him.
"We have a task for you, Hikari-No Miko", spoke Master Genki, who had once been her teacher. She turned around to him and bowed low, forcing herself to smile. That did not make sense. If all the Council wanted was to ask her to do some odd task around the Palace, why did her Master look so full of anger?
"I am the servant of the Council, Master Genki", she answered dutifully, trying to sort out the puzzle in her mind. Dimly, she was aware of Palomene warning her to be careful and give nothing away, and Hikari-No realised that the Masters would be probing her mind to test her abilities.
"We wish for you to carry a message to Jedi Master Riyu, who is staying with the Senator from the planet Ifwahke. It is a matter of great importance to us that you take the message to him this afternoon, although you will be granted a place to stay the night so that you do not break the curfew that is currently in place here at the Temple."
She remembered suddenly that the Senator from Ifwahke lived in a series of apartments on the north side of Coruscant, and bit her lip for a moment, as she sought to find the courage to ask her question.
"Why can this message not be sent via commlink?"
He seemed prepared for this. "The contents of the message are of a sensitive nature, and must be delivered in person. You would do better not to question the motives of the Council, Padawan."
She blushed and bowed her head in shame, mumbling an apology. Hikari-No looked down at her feet in embarrassment, and so she did not see as Master Genki suddenly looked around at the other Jedi Masters in shock, trying to ascertain if what he had just been asked was agreed to by all. His gaze stopped on Mi-Rai Shinwa, who was adamant in his demand. Finally, Master Yoda nodded, and Master Genki turned back to Hikari-No.
"It is the wish of the Council that you take with you the Jedi Padawan *Star Fallus. Hopefully you will be able to keep each other out of trouble." Master Genki gestured to an aide, who brought over a sealed message that was handed to Hikari-No. She looked up at the Council once more, bowed to the group, and waiting for their dismissal. "May the Force be with you," Master Genki said, and she turned to return to class.
"What is the matter, Little Miko?"
She smiled and looked down at her work. "Nothing", she whispered, "I am just a little worried."
"What did the Council want with you?" He passed over his notes to her, and she started to copy the work she had missed, noting almost absently that she did understand it and should be able to duplicate the result in an exam if pressed.
"They asked me to take a message up to a Jedi staying with the Ifwahke Senator."
"Isn't the Ifwahke Senatorial Palace close to D-point?" He asked perhaps a little too loudly for the library. She hushed him, and nodded her head silently. "It is not safe for you to be up there, Little Miko. You heard, there is going to be a battle there tonight."
"I do not think the Council would put me in any danger. *Star will be with me, so we should be safe." He shook his head, and inwardly she was pleased that he would be worried about her. Perhaps he did like her after all. She finished the last sentence and closed her book, passing his back to him and smiling down at her toes.
He stood and the two walked out of the library, heading back to her rooms where she had said she would meet *Star.
"I wish you would stay away from that place. I don't want you to get hurt." If he noticed the faint blush on her cheeks he did not mention it.
"I will be fine, Ura-Giri."
They walked in silence for a time, each lost in their own thoughts of what would happen that night. Hikari-No silently wished to the Force that she would survive to return to the Temple and Ura-Giri the next day.
After a time that seemed to short to her they were at her room, and she suddenly realised that this might be the last time she would ever see him. "I will speak with you tomorrow."
"Do you promise?" he asked her, grinning back at her small smile.
"Of course." She took his hand and gave it a small squeeze.
He paused for a moment before removing his lightsaber from his belt and handing it to her. "I want you to take this", he said, "just in case something happens."
She saw the faint worry in his eyes and nodded. "I will not need it, but I know that you will not give in on this. I will give you back your weapon tomorrow, and you will see that you had nothing to worry about."
"Be careful, Little Miko", he said before starting down the corridor away from her.
"Goodbye Ura-Giri", she said back, "and may the Force be with you."
She opened to door to see her Master waiting for her. She embraced him warmly, and some of the anger in his eyes dissipated. As she looked him over, she realised that he looked older than she remembered, he definitely had more grey hairs than she recalled there being before. He held her fiercely for a long time, and she was glad, realising that this was a type of goodbye, though her Master did not know what she had to face this night.
Eventually, she stepped back, and looked up at his eyes, relieved to see that the anger had faded from them.
"Master, what was wrong earlier, with the Council? Why did you look so upset?" Her voice seemed small to her, and she wished that she could adequately explain her fears to him.
"I do not agree with the others. I do not see the task they set you as important enough to risk loosing you over. I do not understand what is going to happen up at D- point tonight, but I see no reason why this could not be put off until tomorrow."
She hugged him again, not caring about the display of emotion. "Master, do not worry. *Star and I can take care of ourselves, you know that."
"It does not stop me from worrying about you, Little One. You are my Padawan, it's my job to worry about you."
She grinned at him, knowing what he left unsaid. "I love you too, Master. Tomorrow, I will return, and you will see that you were foolish to spend all night worrying about me."
He held her tightly, and she suddenly found herself close to tears. Hikari-No wished to the Force that if something happened to her, her Master would be alright. She did not want him to be sad because of her, that would not be right.
There was a gentle tapping at the door, and Hikari-No realised that *Star was waiting for her. She opened the door and smiled at the other Padawan, who was carrying a bag, no doubt loaded up with everything her Master thought she would need for the overnight trip. "Are you ready?" she asked Hikari-No, who turned back to her Master one last time, looking at him and trying to sear her final image of him in her mind so that she would always remember him this way, no matter what happened.
"Do not stay up all night worrying, Master", she said, taking a step backwards towards the door. Finally he smiled at her, and she knew that everything was going to work out fine.
"Be careful, my Little One", he said by way of farewell.
She took a deep breath and walked out of her apartment, her hand unconsciously seeking *Star's as they walked together down to the speeder bay.
"You realise that this is a trap", *Star said as Hikari-No piloted them towards the Ifwahke Senator's apartments. Buildings flashed by as the air speeder travelled the length of the planet, headed northwards at a velocity that would alarm anyone who did not realise that a Jedi was driving.
"It is not as though he gave us much of a choice in the matter. Hematite said that he would kill everyone unless we came and fought him." She kept her eyes forward, and tried to control her tears that were threatening to spill over.
"Actually, he said that was what he was going to do if you failed to turn up. He never said anything about me." Hikari-No heard the worry in her friend's voice and suddenly realised that what she said was true.
"*Star, I am so sorry. I should have made them let you stay in the Temple. This is not your battle to fight."
*Star laughed, and tried to sound brave. "I would not miss out on this for the world. Just you wait and see, we're going to kick Hematite back to the Dark Kingdom where he belongs. And besides", she added with a toss of her beautiful chestnut hair, "I wouldn't want you to get all the credit for this. Sailor Star is at least as good a warrior as Sailor Coruscant."
Hikari-No smiled. "You will not get any arguments about that from me. I know you are a better fighter than I am. I certainly would not have lasted this long against the Dark Kingdom without your help."
As she glanced out the side window of the air speeder, Hikari-No realised that the sun was setting. "Only a few hours to go", she said softly to no one in particular.
As the door slammed shut in front of them, *Star looked over at Hikari-No in confusion. "What was that all about?" she asked softly, for some reason reluctant to raise her voice.
The Senator's staff had been less than polite to the two Jedi Padawans who had come to the door, although somehow Hikari-No had been expecting that reaction. It was still two hours to midnight, and the nerves in her stomach were beginning to make her feel ill.
"I am not certain, but I suspect the Council knew that this was going to happen."
"If they knew that we were going to be treated so rudely, why did they not just send a droid to deliver their precious message?"
"Because if they had done that, we would not this close to D-point now."
*Star considered it, as Hikari-No lead them back to the speeder. "Do you think that they know about us being the Sailor Senshi?"
Hikari-No pondered it, running one hand through her hair and pulling the end of her braid up to her mouth where she sucked on it thoughtfully. "I do not know. I suspect that when we get back we should have a long talk with the Council about all this."
"They are Jedi, whatever did you expect?" asked Palomene, and both girls smiled at the sudden appearance of the Guardian. Not for the first time Hikari-No wished she could reach out and touch the distant woman. She wondered silently how the Guardian could project her image so far from where ever it was that her body actually lived.
"Where have you been?" asked *Star petulantly, stamping one foot before ducking her head to get into the speeder.
"Trying to understand. You have no idea how abstract the prophesies can be. I have no idea what is supposed to happen tonight. Everything from us finding the Princess to her death and the end of the world is linked to Sailor Coruscant fighting Hematite. And even I am confused by all this sudden talk of shadows and the mark of the Sapphire Millennium." Hikari-No did not understand what Palomene was talking about and said so. The Guardian sighed, her dress shifting from purple to blue to red in rapid succession. "The Princess will be identified by the fact that she has a special birthmark on her forehead, a circle inside a heart. It was the crest of the Sapphire Millennium, and a powerful symbol on it's own. It is what is engraved on your locket, Hikari-No."
*Star looked over, worry in her eyes. "You said that Sailor Coruscant would fight Hematite, not me. Why?" she asked, her voice so calm that Hikari-No was suddenly afraid.
"I do not know why you will not fight him with her. All I know is that she has to face him alone." Palomene gave a small shrug, and gestured that Hikari-No start the speeder and go on to D-point. She put her hands in her lap.
"That does not make any sense. If *Star is not going to fight, I do not want her to be here. She could too easily get hurt."
"You can't let me out of this that easily", *Star countered, "We're a team, remember? You go, I go, it's that simple. Besides, prophesies have been wrong before, there is nothing that says this one will be absolutely correct."
"Friends forever", Hikari-No smiled and took the hand that *Star held out to her, "We shall defeat him together."
"Then go, Sailor Senshi", Palomene ordered them, "I will check back with you both later on. For now, go and fight back against the Dark Kingdom. It is time to take a stand against them."
Filled with new confidence and hope, Hikari-No found their enthusiasm contagious. "Then let us go meet our destiny."
Palomene gave them one last grin before disappearing. "May the Force be with you both", she laughed.
"Now what?" *Star asked Hikari-No, giving her a gentle nudge.
She sighed. "On to D-point."
It was cold. Sailor Coruscant found herself wishing that her uniform provided just a little more protection from the weather here at D-point. It was odd how she had not realised that it would be cold here above the artic circle. She supposed that she was so used to the unusually calm weather that the rest of the planet enjoyed that she had forgotten what extremes could be found around her.
Sailor Star stood by her side, and together the two waited in the deserted spaceport, wondering where the people had gone. Usually even a spaceport in an area such as this would be busy at night, and yet there was not a person in sight, the echoing hallways seemed endless, and the cold permeated every aspect of her body.
"I have a bad feeling about this." Sailor Star whispered the words, but they seemed to fill the air, drowning out all their other senses. Sailor Coruscant tried to use the Force to see if Hematite had arrived yet, and was not surprised to see that he was not visible to her senses.
She sighed. "I do too, but there is little we can do about this. We have no other choice."
Sailor Star gave her a sudden smile. "We could go back to the Temple and hide under our beds until Coruscant is destroyed and we all die."
Sailor Star's enthusiasm was infectious and Sailor Coruscant found herself joining in despite herself. "Yes", she grinned, "or we could destroy it ourselves. One nice, big, warm explosion." She shivered in the cold.
"Let's take out the entire Galaxy while we're at it."
The smile fell from Sailor Coruscant's face as she saw something moving in the shadows ahead of them.
"What is it?" Sailor Star whispered, noticing her distraction.
"A trap." She thought it was a youma moving towards them, but she could not be certain.
"Then let us go spring it. We came here to spring Hematite's traps, let's get to it so that we can all go home." For a brief moment she recognised the being up ahead as her Master, and she took a step towards him.
"No." Her voice was little more than a breath of air.
"Master Kum-Kwat?" Star asked of the insubstantial air before them, "Is it really you?" She started walking forwards. "You see, Sailor Coruscant? My Master is here, everything will be fine now."
Sailor Coruscant tried to take a step forwards, to stop Sailor Star from her path, but her limbs were like lead and she found that she could not move. "*Star", she called, "it is a trap. That is not your Master, it is a youma. *Star, come back here, it is not safe."
But Sailor Star would not turn back from her path, and when Sailor Coruscant was released from the insubstantial bindings that had held her in place she ran forward to try and stop Sailor Star from making the mistake that her confused mind had lead her to choose. "Please *Star!" she cried in desperation, even as the five youma appeared through the walls of the spaceport hall to reach out with their tentacled arms to take Sailor Star in their deadly embrace.
Sailor Coruscant threw her arms outward with all her power, even as Sailor Star realised what had happened and felt the first strains of her energy being drained away. A flash of fire enveloped her body, and Sailor Star called upon her power in one last blast, crying out "Infrit Brimstone, Surround" without any control over the magical attack. It's power burned her even as it destroyed the youma that held her, and when she fell to the ground at last, Sailor Coruscant reached her side. She felt Sailor Star's life- Force flicker one last time and die, and her eyes closed.
"No", Sailor Coruscant whispered, "*Star, do not leave me."
But her friend was silent and still, and Sailor Coruscant realised that she was crying, as she brushed *Star's burnt hair back from her singed face. She was not be dead, it simply was not possible. Her closest friend on Coruscant could not be dead. She needed *Star, they were going to defeat Hematite together.
As if her thoughts had summoned him, he suddenly appeared in the air before her. "An unfortunate occurrence", he chuckled, "I had hoped to kill Sailor Star myself."
Sailor Coruscant got to her feet, her eyes flashing with anger and grief as she suddenly realised why Palomene had said she would face Hematite alone. "You monster", she whispered to him, "How could you do this to her?" She did not expect an answer, reaching for her Crystal Staff, prepared to fight him at last.
"She was of no importance." He threw a bolt of dark energy at her, and she leapt over it, not caring about what it destroyed behind her.
"She was my friend. I will not let her death go unavenged."
"That is hardly a Jedi's attitude." She tossed a ball of blue energy at him, and it knocked him back several feet.
"I am Sailor Coruscant, the champion of love and justice. You will not defeat me, Hematite." The words were a whisper, a promise to *Star, and to everyone else who had ever suffered at the hands of the Dark Kingdom. Including all those who had died generations ago in the Sapphire Millennium.
A glowing sword appeared in Hematite's hand, and for a moment she was convinced that it was in fact a lightsaber. Then she saw that it was instead made of some metal alloy that glowed faintly in the darkness around them.
"You will pay for what you have done to me, Sailor Coruscant", he snarled at her, and leapt forward, his sword raised. Instinctively, she stepped to one side, bringing up her staff to turn aside his blade. She turned all her energy to the Force, using it to guide her movements so that she would be able to prevent him from killing her. She was amazed at how the Crystal Staff was strong enough to withstand the strength of Hematite's attacks.
His blade became locked against her Staff somehow, and she whispered softly, "What have I ever done to you?"
He snarled again, and kicked her hard, so that she fell to the floor. She quickly jumped up over the blast of energy that he sent at her, calling on her own magic to distract him for a time. He closed on her again, and she took a step backward as she tried to think about Ura-Giri's lightsaber, to call it to her aid from where she had put it. She could not find the focus she needed to bring it forth, and so she was required to parry his strokes with the Staff again. She knew full well that she was at a disadvantage against him, but could not think of a way out of the situation.
He launched a volley of blows at her head that caused her to stagger backwards. "You disgraced me in front of my Queen. You will die this night, Sailor Coruscant", he said, and she reached forward with her staff, attempting to use it to knock his feet out from underneath him. He merely leapt over it and continued his assault upon her.
Sailor Coruscant understood then that this was indeed a final battle, for if Hematite failed to defeat her this night, he would die for his failure to complete the tasks set by his Queen. She understood that this was Hematite's last chance, and his desperation would not let him surrender. Distantly Sailor Coruscant wondered if she would be able to defeat him after all.
She thought of *Star, and found the strength to fight back.
'Hematite.' They both heard the whisper, insidious as it was powerful. Sailor Coruscant realised that this was the voice of the Dark Queen that Palomene had told them about. 'The source of this Senshi's power is the locket she wears on her breast. I want you to give it to me.'
He smiled, seeing an easy way out of the conflict, as Sailor Coruscant took a step back, distantly letting one hand fall from the Staff to check if her locket was still there.
Hematite executed an acrobatic jump over her head, and by the time she could react and turn around to deflect the blow that was coming, his sword had knocked the Crystal Staff to the ground. She tried desperately to push him backwards with the Force and her power, but it did little good as he stepped through the barrier she had erected and grabbed her locket from the center of her uniform.
The chain snapped with a small tinkling sound, and her Senshi fuku became a stream of brightly coloured ribbons, to be replaced with her Jedi robes once more. She fell to her knees before him, tears flowing freely, no longer Sailor Coruscant, with no further defenses or options. He was going to kill her now, and the galaxy would be enslaved. She had failed everyone, and it seemed as though *Star had died in vain.
So softly that she almost missed it, Hematite whispered the two words that caused the final breaking of her heart.
"Little Miko."
She looked up.
Beyond the tears, deep in her eyes, was a fierce determination and a love that could not be denied. She met his gaze voluntarily for the first time, and for the first time saw what was there. She knew the options, she knew the risks. And she knew what her heart told her was true.
She made her choice.
Looking deep inside herself, she found that which had always been present, and that she had always known about, without knowing how she knew. She reached for it, but paused a second, knowing that she had something yet to say.
One tear fell, breaking the silence between them.
Even as the bright blue symbol that was her birthright began to shine forth from her forehead, she felt the regret that would never leave her.
"I am sorry" she said, and then she stood.
In her hands appeared the Staff, and then in a flash of light and the Force, that shook her to her core, the Sapphire Crystal appeared. The tip of the Staff opened like a flower, and the Crystal attached itself to the central focus. She thought that he had gasped, but could not be sure. Her clothes changed, rippling away from her Jedi robes into something different, a long dress of deepest blue.
Her hair began to fly away from her body as though caught in a wind she could not feel. One section braided itself into a crown that sat calmly on her forehead, as though acknowledging her power on its own. In an instant she understood, she understood everything.
Ignoring the commands of his Queen to capture the Crystal and its keeper, the Princess, he leant forward and kissed her, once, his emotions showing clearly in his eyes.
It was the kiss that nearly undid her.
She blinked her eyes once, a million thoughts suddenly crowding into her mind, destroying the calm that had been there a moment ago. Wishes and dreams, hope for the future returned, and she knew that she could never kill him. Behind her somewhere, Palomene arrived, and gasped in sudden recognition.
Holding the Staff to one side, she reached out with her other hand to touch his face, ignoring the Guardian's startled protest. She stepped towards him, and closed her eyes, savouring his taste as she kissed him again. It was just as she had dreamt, only better somehow. He was everything and she knew in her heart that she loved him, but as she took one small step backwards, she thought about him for a moment, trying to remember every detail and sear them in her mind, never to be forgotten.
'The Dark Side and the Light can never be joined.'
Ignoring the cry of her own grief-stricken heart, she raised the Staff in her left hand and called upon the Crystal's power, not trusting herself to speak, merely letting the Force and the power flow through her into him.
He cried out in pain, and one tear, then another, fell. There was to be no battle between them. She held the Staff above her head, the Crystal's light growing, spreading out to encompass everything.
She was the power, she was the galaxy. Every fibre of her body belonged to the whole. She had never felt such a powerful connection to the Force before. It was her and she was it, joined forever in a bond that could not be broken.
The Evil One stood before her, and she made the power flow into him, burning him with its light. He cried out in pain, and in desperation, a part of her screamed out for the power to let him be, to leave him because she loved him, but at the same time, a part of her craving vengeance made the power stronger.
It burned him, tore him apart into a million pieces and destroyed the Darkness within. For a brief instant, he was free of its shadow and she knew that he was thanking her, but without the Darkness' power he could no longer exist, and so he vanished, his body not even turning to dust.
In the thrall of the Crystal's power, she reached out further, banishing the Dark Kingdom's minions, sending them spiralling through the gate that she could see in her mind. Around Coruscant, people looked up to see a flash of startling blue light, and when it left them, they suddenly found themselves feeling happier then they had ever experienced. No soul was left untouched by this sudden disturbance in the Force. It purified all it touched, and many remembered forever this day.
*Star awoke, as though from a deep sleep, and smiled as she realised that Hikari-No had succeeded, remembering nothing of what had happened to her.
In her heart, the Princess Amaterasu knew that she never would forget this moment.
Then she saw the gate in all its beauty and its darkness, and she realised that it seemed to symbolise both sides of the spinning coin before her. She would not allow the Dark Queen to send forth her minions again to terrorise the people of the Galaxy. It was up to her to protect everyone, so that her pain and sacrifice would never again be needed.
She would do this for her friends.
Faces flashed through her mind, all of them counting on her. Catherine and the Princess of Domus Prime; *Star and the other Jedi; her friend Jester and his rubber chicken; the Riddler, a young man whom she had only met once but remembered well; her Master and the Council. Then she saw others whom she knew she would one day meet, who would have a profound influence on her life, and though she did not know their names, she would never forget their faces. A youth, whose eyes were red with rage as he fought like a berserker to save his friends; a handmaiden from Domus Prime, fingering the lightsaber hanging at her belt; a handsome pilot who stood with a woman who looked like her but was not; a quiet man who could not see the Force as Light and Dark.
For them, she would close the gate forever.
Concentrating fiercely, she sent the Crystal's power into the gate, sealing it, even as the Crystal's strength faltered and she fed it with her own. When at last she knew that it was over and the Dark Kingdom forever banished from the galaxy did she try to contain the Crystal's power.
But she had no strength left to stop it. The blue energy engulfed her, and Princess Amaterasu's last thought before she died was one of relief, now her friends could live in peace.
*Star was the one to find Hikari-No, lying alone in a crater in the area of Coruscant that had been demolished by the battle. She was alive, though her body was battered almost beyond recognition. Her robes were burnt, and her hair was singed at the ends, her braid, tied back neatly, seemed to have escaped most of the damage. Her calm face was smudged with soot, and for a moment *Star believed that there was a long scar, not unlike those a blaster graze, on Hikari-No's right cheek.
The only thing about her that was untouched was her locket, the one that she used to transform into Sailor Coruscant. It shone as though new, the pretty gems sparkling in the pale morning light. *Star saw that Palomene knelt by the side of her Princess, and started to cry.
As she slept, Hikari-No clutched Ura-Giri's lightsaber to her, not wanting to
remember what she had done, not wanting to forget why she had done it.