Hikari-No's Promise
Chapter Ten
For a long time he had been watching and waiting, softly influencing the politics of Domus Prime from afar, preparing for the time when he would begin to act openly against the peace and tranquillity of this world. He had seen the changes as his pawns slowly took their places around the board, and soon he would begin to manipulate them in earnest, enjoying his victory as he had many times before in other times and places, especially now that the numbers of his servants had increased.
There was only one thing that angered him about his plans, one flaw that he had not been able to foresee. Once he was done here on Domus Prime, he would go find that one and kill him for his betrayal of the Order.
But now, it was time to make his move.
Hikari-No ran down the stairs lightly, jumping the last few and using the Force to steady her uneven landing. She was still a little clumsy, even now that she was sixteen, but she had grown adept at covering it up. And Master Hoshi had just told her some wonderful news, that she would face the trials next week.
Hikari-No was excited, if a little nervous, as she raced back to her apartment to tell her Master the good news. Of course, he would already know, since he was on the Council and they were the ones who decided who was ready, but she it was all she could do to stop herself from leaping out of her skin. She was only sixteen, it was a great honour for the Council to give her this opportunity when she was still so young, but in her heart Hikari-No knew that she was ready and would succeed.
Suddenly she realised what she was doing, and slowed down to a walk, shaking her head at her undisciplined behaviour. If she was to be a Jedi Knight soon, she had better start acting like one. What would the Council say if they had saw her running down the hallway like some childish Padawan? For the next week she would have to be calm and more in tune with the Force than ever before, if she was to show them that she could be a full Jedi.
Hikari-No could barely keep the smile from her face as she walked demurely into her apartments. Reaching out with her Force-senses, she knew that it was empty, but she still walked inside quietly, and refused to act surprised when her Master appeared, embracing her fiercely. She wondered how he had managed to slip past her, but knew that there was still much she had yet to learn about applying the Force, for all that the Council may have been pressed into letting her face the trials. Again she found herself questioning why it had happened so soon.
"I am so very proud of you, my Little One", he said, and Hikari-No noted happily the sparkle in his eyes, which meant that he was indeed pleased with what she had achieved. But, as though looking at her Master for the first time, she also saw the few grey hairs over his brow, and the wrinkles under his eyes where there should have been none. Hikari-No realised that her Master was not as young as she remembered him and yet she knew that as long as his eyes retained that happy sparkle she could never think of him as getting old. She loved him too deeply for that.
As she hugged him back, Hikari-No thought she saw for the briefest of instants a flicker of sadness on her Master's face. But what was there to be sad about? Everything she had studied so hard for was coming to fruition. Hikari-No wondered what *Star would say when she was told.
"I have to meet with the Council in a little while, Master", Hikari-No said, pulling away to go into her room and prepare herself, knowing that her Master was nodding behind her, "but I knew you would be here, and I had to let someone know, although, since you are on the Council, I am certain it was partly your decision." A thought struck her, and she turned back to face him. "That was not why they said I was ready, was it? Because I am your Padawan?" Her eyes were filled with self-doubt, and her Master was suddenly filled with sorrow for his Padawan. He forced himself to smile reassuringly.
"Of course not, Little One. In fact, I had made them hold back several months before announcing it, because I knew you would think that. The Council truly believe you are ready; Master Yoda has thought so for a long time now."
'You have grown up so much in the past few years. I love you more than I could ever love a daughter, and I only hope you are strong enough to face the tests that are coming.' Mi-Rai thought quietly, remembering the strength Hikari-No had displayed in the past, but also the pain it had caused her. 'I wish that you would never grow up, that you will never have to experience the pain that life will deal you. Being a Jedi is a hard life that I would not wish on anyone, especially not someone I love.'
Aloud he said, "Don't worry, Little One. You are ready to be a full Jedi, and in your heart you know that. And don't let the other Council members scare you, although they will try to. It's tradition to make the trials as hard as possible, to truly test the Padawan."
"Yes, Master." She bowed her head, still doubting a little. Hikari-No realised that as long as her Master was on the Council she would never truly believe that her being asked to face the trials was fair to the other students, or that she was ready. One hand reached up to finger her braid thoughtfully, an old habit that only seemed to surface when she was truly nervous.
"By the way", he said, reaching over and taking the braid from her fingers as it was halfway to her lips, "there is a message here from Catherine."
Hikari-No grinned as she glanced over at the table. No, she would not think of it now, she had to speak with the Council. After that she would find out what had been taking place on Domus Prime since she last spoke with her friend. They had been in frequent communication since not long after Hikari-No had realised that what had happened to Ura-Giri was in fact not her fault but the consequences of the choices he had made long ago.
She still grieved for him, but it was not so bad. It was only occasionally, late at night when she had been studying overlong, that Hikari-No truly regretted what had happened, and remembered what it had been like when he had kissed her. She had not fallen in love since, but she had a feeling that one day she would meet the perfect man, who would love her as she loved him. Or at least that was what Catherine was constantly telling her. Until then, Hikari-No intended to keep her heart hidden and safe, so she would not be hurt again.
Hikari-No smiled at the thought of Catherine, and as she reached up a hand to her locket, she wondered what could possibly be happening on Domus Prime at this time. And though she tried to fight it, for a moment all she could see was red, the colour of blood, and there was a tang in the air that reminded Hikari-No of something she could not place. Her hand dropped from her locket, and she realised that she had called upon the power of the Sapphire Crystal without meaning to.
Hikari-No knew that the Crystal had the power to grant wishes, that much had been obvious when *Star had returned to life after Sailor Coruscant's battle with Hematite. But it was not until much later that Hikari-No realised that it could be used for everyday things too, and that was what worried her. She had kept the jewel in her locket, which had repaired itself after the battle, because it seemed like the safest option was to keep the Sapphire Crystal by her side where no one else could touch it.
But Hikari-No had vowed that she would never use its strong magic again, for all that it seemed to respond instantly to even her simplest thoughts. It meant that she had to be careful, guarding her thoughts even from herself, for she still felt the Crystal's presence in her mind. She would never assume the form of Princess Amaterasu again, Hikari-No had promised that to herself.
"Is everything alright, Little One?" The sound of her Master's voice startled Hikari-No back to the room, and all thought of the Crystal and the vision fled, "You've gone terribly white."
"I am fine, Master", Hikari-No answered, shaking off the last of the shadow that seemed to have taken her good mood for a time. "Let us go and face the Council then."
Hikari-No sighed deeply as she walked back into her apartment once more, her eyes looking over the sparse rooms critically. They seemed bare to her now, even though she had lived here all of her life and many of her happiest memories had taken place with them. She realised as she looked around that she was mentally cataloguing her belongings, as though she would never see them again. She shook her head at this lapse and decided to make herself something warm to drink while she waited for her Master to return.
He had remained with the other Council members, for there were still many matters that they had to discuss, of more importance than one Padawan wishing to be a Jedi.
Hikari-No had been aware, while she had been standing before them, of something like anticipation in the Jedi Masters. She wondered again why they would suddenly decide to allow her to face the trials, and what they had been seemingly afraid of. Then again, afraid was probably the wrong word for what she had felt in them, it was more like apprehension. They were waiting for something, and she found herself wishing that just once they would tell her what was going on, for she knew that it would not be good.
Then again, the Council was not known for confiding in Padawans, even those about to face the trials. They did not see her as important enough to be told and she understood that. But still, she wished she knew what was going on. Hikari-No shook her head, wishing for a distraction, something to take her mind away from her worries.
Hikari-No looked over at the table, then remembered the message from Catherine. She forced her worries from her mind as she picked up the small message cube, and for a brief instant considered waiting before seeing its contents. No, not this time, she needed Catherine's reassurances today, more than at any time in the near future. Hikari-No needed to hear her friend's voice, so that she might chase the remaining shadows of her earlier premonition away.
She activated the message cube, and the screen on the far wall lit up with light as the recording was displayed. Hikari-No was so glad to see her friend's face that she did not notice the shadows under Catherine's eyes, or her black clothing. Although it registered in her heart, Hikari-No's mind did not see the pain in Catherine's eyes as she spoke. In the end, it was the lack of a smile on Catherine's face that alerted Hikari-No to the fact that something had gone wrong.
Suddenly she was alert, ready to hear what Catherine said. She reached out a thought to her Master, calling him, making him see through her eyes for she knew that he needed to know what had happened as surely as she did. An echo at the back of her mind told her that he was leaving the Spire to come and listen personally, though his thoughts still witnessed events through his Padawan's mind.
"My friend", Catherine began, her familiar lilting voice full of tension like Hikari-No had never heard before. She stared at the recorder, but her eyes were devoid of emotion, and they kept darting to something outside the range of the recorder. Hikari-No wondered who it was.
Catherine took a deep breath that seemed almost like a sob. "Hikari-No, I need your help." The even sound of Catherine's voice was belied by the single tear that started tracing its way down her cheek. Hikari-No's breath caught in her throat and fear swept over her unchecked.
"The Princess of Domus Prime died last week, of natural causes, the doctors think, but I fear otherwise. Her council of Advisers have seized power for themselves, and they have control over the Royal Forces."
Hikari-No fought off her Master's thoughts about being calm, how could she be calm? There had been a revolution of sorts on Domus Prime, and the monarchy which had existed for hundreds of years there no longer existed. Hikari-No did not question how she knew the details of what was taking place, she accepted that what she was feeling was true without thought.
"They have let it be known that there is to be no election, that Domus Prime no longer needs a monarch. They say it is the will of the people, and it is starting to be that way, for anyone who speaks out against the council is taken prisoner and many have not been seen for days.
"I have appealed to the Jedi Council and the Senate of the Republic, but I suspect my messages are being screened by those who oppose us. To them you are only my friend, so I hope that this gets through to you. We will need the help of the Jedi and the Senate if there is to be an end to all of this nonsense, for there are few who are not afraid to challenge the councillors openly. I have a feeling that if the councillors are not stopped soon, many innocent lives will be lost, and I will not allow that to happen.
"Domus Prime is my world, and I will fight to protect my people.
"You must go to the Jedi Council and intercede on our behalf. The Jedi are sworn peacekeepers, they will not neglect their duty to Domus Prime and my people. Only if the Jedi come to our aid will we be able to save the people from the tyranny that the councillors represent.
"I have always known that they were power hungry, now I know the true extent of their desire. I have also heard it whispered that once their hold on Domus Prime is secure, the Royal Forces will move against the neighbouring systems to bring them under our 'blanket of protection'.
"My wish is that this message does get through to you, Hikari-No. You are our only hope. Please Hikari-No, help me save my people."
Through the message, a thousand thoughts had been trying to crowd in on Hikari-No's consciousness, but she had pushed them back, trying to understand what Catherine had meant. Somehow it did not seem real to her, what was happening, the fear in Catherine's voice. Catherine was afraid of nothing, she was going to be Queen of Domus Prime one day.
As the screen turned dark again she allowed herself a chance to think. Overlaying everything was a new fear that she could not place the source of, but Hikari-No knew that if she could find her calm long enough to try and focus on the Force she would probably find out what it meant.
And the Princess was dead. Hikari-No had been fond of the old woman, though they had only met a few times. She had always seemed so nice, and open, loving equally all who came into her Palace.
Hikari-No realised that she had sunken to the floor, and forced herself to stand, turning around to the door, where she knew her Master was standing.
Mi-Rai Shinwa had never seen his Padawan move so gracefully as she did when she stood and turned to him, her expression as free of emotion as any Jedi could aim for, her voice flat. If he did not know her as well as he did, he would have said that she had successfully suppressed all of what she was feeling and was at peace with the Force. But in his heart he knew that this was not true at all.
It was as though the last of Hikari-No's heart had died, he realised sadly. He wondered if his Padawan would ever truly be happy again, or if all she would ever feel was the satisfaction of doing the will of the Force.
"Go back to the Council", she said slowly, having thought about her words. Her voice sounded older to him and full of sadness, not that of a child but of a woman who had lost everything. He wondered what she feared. "Speak with them, convince them to act on behalf of Domus Prime. Master", Hikari-No paused before she called him that, and it worried him more than anything else that had already happened, "you will convince the other Council members that the Jedi Knights must intervene and stop the violence that Catherine fears before it has a chance to erupt."
Mi-Rai was unnerved by the tone of Hikari-No's voice, it didn't sound like his Padawan at all. There was no warmth to this voice, it was like ice. That was how she had made her heart after the death of Ura-Giri Koibito, a frozen place that very little light could penetrate.
Hikari-No stood tall, her presence overriding her short stature, looking at her Master with piercing blue eyes that startled him in their intensity. Although the rest of her body seemed almost dead, her eyes sparkled, and for the briefest of instants he thought he could see a flash of her energy as Sailor Coruscant shining in those eyes. He had never told his apprentice that he knew about her power, but he thought that she knew anyway, she generally understood whatever was in his heart, sometimes before he did.
Jedi Master Mi-Rai Shinwa did not know what to say to Hikari-No as she stood before him like that, so he simply nodded and walked from the apartment, following her orders without question because he could no longer stand to look into those empty eyes that seemed full of a power he did not understand.
Even after he left, Hikari-No did not move from where she was standing, lost in her thoughts. Her mind was far away, searching for Domus Prime, searching for Catherine, trying frantically to reach further than she had ever before to make contact with her friend. And when she reached the limits of her own power, for the first time since that night two years ago, Hikari-No considered using the strength of the Sapphire Crystal deliberately to augment her own. But fear overrode her need, and she could not.
Her eyes were drawn to a collection of flowers near the doorway, sitting in a vase, as unmoving as she was. They seemed perfect to her first glance, every aspect in its rightful position, nothing out of place. Then, as she watched, a single blood-red petal fell from one of them, making an almost audible sound as it hit the floor. It was the only movement in the room for a long time.
A brief flicker in the corner of her sight caused her to look away. The vision came unbidden through her lowered defenses, and Hikari-No saw her Master standing before the Council, not sitting in his seat as she half expected, but standing like a common petitioner before them. Hikari-No knew it was the future she saw, for no one could have traversed the Temple so quickly, not even using the Force to speed their movements.
Her Master ran one hand through his hair, a mannerism his Padawan had picked up many years earlier. Despite herself, Hikari-No found herself echoing the action, and she picked up the end of her braid and carried it towards her mouth, not realising what she did.
As she stood breathless, waiting for the decision she knew was coming, Hikari-No's heart told her what the answer would be, and her world seemed to stop even before Master Yoda spoke the words that condemned Domus Prime as she knew of it.
"Act on this", he said in his broken grammar, shaking his head, "The Council will not."
Hikari-No forced herself to breathe as she fought down tears. She almost did not hear the words of Master Genki. "It is the will of the Force that we do not interfere." Outside the Council rooms, the sun began to set, filling the sky with orange light.
With a soft cry, Hikari-No pushed the vision from her, not wanting to hear any more.
Premonition swept over her, and she was frightened for Catherine. Though she had seemed all right in the message, Hikari-No realised that she felt that something terrible was going to happen to her friend, and she had to stop it. She had to, because the Council would not interfere.
Hikari-No moved then, running into her room, throwing a few items into a bad, and without thought placed her lightsaber into her invisible pocket with the Crystal Staff. She knew that she would need both weapons to stop the great danger that she felt was going to take place. Catherine needed her help, and Hikari-No realised she no longer cared what the Council thought, she would interfere, she would go to her friend.
It was with shock that Hikari-No realised that she had no intention of returning to Coruscant when she was finished on Domus Prime. She would never be able to forgive the Council for disappointing her, and if making the wrong decisions was what being a full Jedi was all about, then she did not want it. She knew the Force well enough, she did not need the Council's approval, for in her heart she knew what she was doing was right.
Hikari-No angrily reached for her lightsaber, taking hold of her Padawan braid in her right hand and holding it out from her head. She moved the weapon up close to her head, and it ignited with a hissing noise, filling the room with deep blue light. She held it as close to the roots of her braid as she dared.
For a moment she paused, looking at the end of her braid, which she now realised was a symbol of her innocence. An innocence the Council had destroyed.
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and moved the lightsaber slightly.
She put the lightsaber back without thinking, looking at the long braid in her right hand that had once hung down her back. The ends where she had cut it were burnt and fused together and the air was filled with the smell of singed hair. She ran her left hand over the many links in the braid, touching each of them for a moment remembering what they had once meant to her. At the other end it was tied tightly, and there was little left unbraided.
As she looked down at the length of hair, she shook her head once, before throwing it distastefully away from herself and running out of the apartment, swinging the bag onto her back.
She had no idea where she was going, other than she had to leave the Temple, she had to get to Domus Prime. She could not travel as a Jedi would, because she had no intention of allowing them to follow her, though she missed her Master already. He would understand, she hoped, he would know what she had to do.
Hikari-No closed her eyes for a moment, trying to seek guidance from the Force, looking for an idea that would help her.
She drew her breath in sharply as pain flashed through her body, a burning sensation in her stomach that filled her mind with it's horrible aura and her sight with burning red. Hikari-No fell to her knees, dropping her bag as the feeling washed over her in waves, and she closed her eyes, wishing that it would end, but there was no relief. In desperation, one hand rose of its own accord to touch the locket on its silver chain around her neck, and the pain stopped as suddenly as it had started.
As she came back to herself, she looked around, and realised that there were several Padawans standing in this part of the Temple. The eyes of the three young children were open wide with apprehension, but when she started to stand they walked away, having sensed that she was now all right.
And yet, Hikari-No had no idea what had just happened, she knew that it was only the power of the Sapphire Crystal that was keeping the burning pain away from her, it should still be consuming her body, devouring her and leaving nothing but an awareness of suffering. She could hear the song of the Crystal in her mind, protecting her, and she did not push it away, not wanting to bring the pain back.
She stood unsteadily, and reached out one hand, calling the Crystal Staff to it. Keeping both hands on the strange weapon, she was able to continue standing, despite the fact that her legs felt too weak to support her weight. Hikari-No realised suddenly, as she tried to place the source of her agony, that she would not be able to reach Domus Prime in enough time if travelled by spacecraft. It would simply take too long.
Closing her eyes to steel herself, Hikari-No took the chain from her neck and opened the locket, fingering the stone within. Her mind was filled with visions and images, songs and stories, but she pushed them back using all of her willpower, keeping her mind focussed on one thing only, how to reach Catherine in time to stop whatever it was that she feared from occurring.
She never knew if it was the Crystal or the Force that told her the answer, but Hikari-No suddenly found it very hard to stop herself from shaking. She would have to be brave, she could do this for Catherine. She reached one hand to the sky in the empty corridor of the Temple, and whispered softly, "Coruscant Crystal Power, Make-Up!"
As the lights of her transformation faded away, Hikari-No realised that she felt different from all the previous times she had been Sailor Coruscant. She would be able to fight better than before, and she suspected that her attacks would be more powerful, more controlled. Somehow the Crystal had made her stronger, but this only caused her to worry more.
Hikari-No had never wanted to be a warrior, and she hated possessing the destructive powers that she wielded as Sailor Coruscant. A soft part of her mind told her that it was foolish to be afraid of her Senshi abilities, the same as it would be foolish for a Jedi to fear his lightsaber. The power of Coruscant was a part of her now. Besides, she would not be fighting on this day, she needed to be Sailor Coruscant only for as long as it would take to get to Domus Prime.
She held out her hands, one to either side, and closed her eyes, concentrating on calling forth the power of the Sapphire Crystal and becoming a part of it. "Coruscant Power", she whispered softly, more to herself than the Crystal. Her world started to glow blue as she drew the power within herself, and on her forehead the ancient symbol for Coruscant blazed blue underneath her tiara. Sailor Coruscant visualised Domus Prime, in particular the Palace and Catherine within, and she made the wish that the power would take her there. "Sailor Teleport!"
The incantation was ripped from her throat by invisible winds as Sailor Coruscant's world grew dark, then exploded into light.
The Jedi Council sat in session, as a disturbance in the Force rippled through the Spire and was felt by all. Mi-Rai Shinwa looked over at the other Jedi Masters, knowing that something had happened, but unable to place its source. He had yet to speak to them about what was transpiring on Domus Prime, having just arrived before the Council.
"What have you done?" Mi-Rai spoke in a small voice, looking towards Master Yoda. The oldest of the Jedi Masters did not move to speak, and his eyes were closed in a semblance of sleep that Mi-Rai knew was a fallacy. Master Yoda shook his head slowly, and it was Umino Genki who finally spoke.
"The Council has taken steps to ensure the safety of Domus Prime."
Mi-Rai was surprised that they already knew the news he had been about to tell them, but did not let it show. "And what steps are these?"
"We have arranged for one we have trained to go and rectify the situation."
A trace of apprehension crept over the Jedi Master, and he knew the next answer before he spoke it. "Who did you send?"
"The Padawan, Hikari-No Miko."
He had known Hikari-No would go when he saw the expression in her eyes as she heard Catherine's news. However, he could not fathom how his apprentice had been able to cause such a massive disturbance in the Force. "You have sent a Padawan to do the work of a Master. Hikari-No is not ready for such a heavy task."
"Each Padawan must face their trials individually. It is a challenge worthy of a Jedi and we do believe that Hikari-No will succeed, otherwise we would not have ensured that she left."
"She is gone already?" The words slipped out quickly without his normal control, and Mi-Rai suddenly realised that in his heart he believed he would never see his Padawan again. "You have driven her away." He remembered what Catherine had told him about Hikari-No being Sailor Coruscant, and wondered if she would able to get to Domus Prime faster than would be possible in a ship. He knew Hikari-No and suspected that whatever the Council had done to her would not only lead her away from the Temple, but that she would not return. Reaching out along the bond he felt to her, he could sense for a second a feeling of deep betrayal, then silence.
"We presented her with a choice. The path she follows is of her own making." Umino Genki spoke in a smug tone that had always irritated Mi-Rai, as though he believed he was the only Jedi Master who was truly worthy of his post on the Council.
Mi-Rai sighed. "And once again, the Jedi Council has acted without the consent of all of its members. How many decisions have you made without my being present? Am I a member of this Council or not?"
Umino smiled again. "You are a member of the Council, but it was our decision that should you be included in our discussions you would try to interfere with the will of the Force, which is that Hikari-No must journey alone."
"If I am not to be included in the meetings of the Jedi Council, I do not see why I must remain a member. Please find someone else to take my place, I want no further part of this." Mi-Rai turned to walk away from them all, not worrying dreadfully about the repercussions of his words. "I will go to find Hikari-No."
"No." It was Master Yoda who spoke, his eyes wide open now and his face shadowed with age.
"And why not, Master?"
Umino spoke again, and Mi-Rai sighed openly, not wanting to listen to this one any longer. "Because you still have tasks to complete here in the Temple, and Hikari-No must face her own destiny without you."
"Act on this", Master Yoda added in his broken grammar, shaking his head, "The Council will not."
"It is the will of the Force that we do not interfere." Umino added uselessly, determined to have the final word.
Mi-Rai's dark brown eyes narrowed slightly. "I will remain no longer on this Council", he said finally to the silent room, addressing each of the Jedi Masters with a nod of his head. "And as soon as this crisis on Domus Prime has passed I will go searching for Hikari-No. You will not be able to prevent me."
Sorrow for his missing Padawan burning in his heart, Mi-Rai Shinwa walked from the Spire as softly as he had come, though his thoughts seemed to scream for the girl he loved more than a daughter.
For what seemed to be a long time there was darkness, blacker than anything Sailor Coruscant had ever experienced. It was cold too, and she knew that this was odd because normally despite her short clothing she never felt any changes in temperature, although she had put this down to her training as a Jedi preventing her from allowing herself any discomfort. Now she began to wonder.
She could still feel the power of the Crystal around her, but it was different then she had ever known it. For some reason, against the blackness of this place between places, the faint touch of the Crystal in her mind was almost comforting, as if it knew what she was going through and did not want her to be afraid.
She had always hated darkness, not from any fear of what it was hiding or who could be watching her from without, but from her own loathing of not being in control, of not knowing what was taking place around her.
For the first time since that morning, Sailor Coruscant found herself having time to think. It was easier to ignore the cold if she was thinking, although her thoughts seemed to circulate about whether or not she had made the right choice, and why she felt so bad about Catherine.
She wondered if the spell had worked at all, or whether she would spend the rest of her life falling in this strange black place in which there was no light and no air and, she realised with shock, no connection to the Force. Suddenly Sailor Coruscant was terrified. She tried to scream out, but no sound was able to leave her throat in this ethereal void. All of her senses were completely blocked, and she was trapped, within her own mind, within this place of icy darkness. Sailor Coruscant knew that she was going mad despite the presence of the Crystal in her mind trying to calm her. She could not stand it, she needed light, she needed there to be life around her.
And then, so brightly that it blinded her, there was light.
Sailor Coruscant landed badly, and fell to the ground, holding her hands over her tightly-shut eyes. After that place of darkness the light here caused her pain, not so great that she could not bear it, but so that she could not see.
Around her she could hear excited murmurs that sounded altogether too loud to her ears, and the warmth of the place was stifling. Every sense seemed to be screaming for her attention, her Jedi-abilities more than all of the others. Considering how long it seemed she had been in sensory deprivation, the feeling of pain was welcome, but almost more then she could cope with.
A few moments later, the sounds around her became distinguishable, and Sailor Coruscant forced herself to open her eyes and sit up, wondering who was crying.
The room seemed to be filled with two groups of people, all members of the Royal Forces of Domus Prime. The first group stood around her, and they all looked very concerned, not just about Sailor Coruscant's dramatic entrance, but something else as well, which she could not place. Her thoughts were making such a clamour that she could not seem to reach beyond the walls of her mind to sense what was going on.
Sailor Coruscant started to stand, and those nearest to her took a step back. For an instant she wondered why they would do such a thing, before remembering how she must look to them. She tried to make herself smile reassuringly.
"It is all right", Sailor Coruscant tried to speak calmly, but her voice seemed to shake alarmingly. Her eyes tried to seek out the highest ranking officer in the group to address him, "I am here to help." For the first time she saw the blasters in the hands of several of the soldiers, and she realised that they might have been afraid of her.
"I am not going to hurt anyone", Sailor Coruscant said with a sigh, "Please, just take me to the princess Catherine." They still seemed hesitant. "I am a friend to her, you must believe me."
After all she had already been through this day, this seemed to be the last thing Sailor Coruscant could take, and a single tear escaped her control. She dashed it away hurriedly with a gloved hand, determined not to let anyone see her upset. She took a deep breath and looked up again. One of the soldiers was holding out a hand to help her to her feet, and most of the others had replaced their weapons.
She looked around the room she was in then, recognising almost instantly that this was the throne room of Fuhenteki Na Shiro. The high windows let in the morning sunlight, a bright contrast to the shadows in Sailor Coruscant's heart. Her body still seemed to ache all over, especially her stomach, but forced herself not to think about it.
No one had spoken to her, but someone was still crying on the other side of the room. Sailor Coruscant knew that she had to find out who it was and provide some comfort, and then she would go looking for Catherine.
The young woman who was crying seemed to be four or five years older than Sailor Coruscant, with white hair that progressed part way down her back in gentle waves. Her eyes were red-rimmed from crying, but her pupils were a startling navy. She was dressed as a member of the Royal Forces of low rank, and she sat within a group of eight other soldiers, all sombre and upset about someone on the floor at the centre of the circle they had formed. At the centre, past the woman who was crying, a girl of about sixteen lay on her back, and a single medical droid hovered over her beeping alarmingly. Two handmaidens sat beside her, holding her hand and whispering urgently.
Sailor Coruscant felt a twinge of pain in her abdomen, and walked past the soldiers to kneel down next to Catherine, knowing with sudden insight that this was who it was they were so upset about. She took her friend's hand, and Catherine looked up at her, yellow eyes flashing with pain. Her face was a paler shade of green that Sailor Coruscant had ever seen it, contorted with pain, and her hair no longer fell in graceful waves, but rather seemed tattered, as though the person cutting it had no care for what was taking place.
Catherine smiled at her, then flinched as another wave of pain washed over her body. The soldiers, seeing that Catherine knew who this person was, all took a small step back, giving her some privacy. Even the girl with white hair tried to stop her tears enough that she could move away, as did the handmaidens. Sailor Coruscant saw but did not realise the significance of the burnt ends of Catherine's hair, which had been brushed back from her face.
"I should have come sooner", Sailor Coruscant said softly, her blue eyes filling with tears. Shared pain swept over the pair, and Sailor Coruscant realised for the first time that over the course of their friendship she had formed a bond, a link in the Force with the princess of Domus Prime. It startled her because she had never noticed such a thing taking place, but she had no time to worry about who else it might have occurred with.
"It doesn't matter." Catherine's face seemed to be too pale. Sailor Coruscant reached out with the Force, ignoring the agony it caused her after her teleportation had blocked her Jedi senses. She tried to find a way to stop the bleeding, to do what the single medical droid near Catherine could not. "You are here now", Catherine spoke in a voice that was little more than a whisper, devoid of its usual chuckle.
"I am." Sailor Coruscant placed a hand against Catherine's face, still smiling. She breathed deeply, and then ran her left hand inside the wound, trying to sense just how bad it was, to know the extent of the damage. When she pulled her hand back, her white glove was now red with Catherine's blood, but she did not see it. "I will make everything all right again", Sailor Coruscant promised.
She suddenly realised that she could not fear the Crystal any longer, her fear for Catherine was stronger. She let go of Catherine's hand, and pulled both gloves from her hands. Then she reached up her hands to the locket around her neck, opening it to reveal the jewel inside, which flashed with faint blue light. After the teleportation spell, it would most likely be too weak to heal Catherine, but Sailor Coruscant could use her own energy to do make it do that.
Somehow, Catherine must have also been able to use their bond to hear what Sailor Coruscant was thinking, because she shook her head. "No", she whispered, "I won't let you do that."
"I must", Sailor Coruscant answered. Her life was nothing compared to that of her friend, who was fading before her eyes.
"If you try, neither of us will survive." Catherine's voice sounded so calm to Sailor Coruscant, but she knew that it was only an illusion. Inside, Catherine was terrified, Sailor Coruscant could sense it.
"You do not know that. I can heal you, I know how." She started to draw upon the power of the Crystal, taking Catherine's hand again and making the power flow into it.
When Catherine spoke again, her voice was little more than a whisper. Her eyes closed over, and she suddenly looked very old and very tired. "Hikari-No", no- one else was close enough to hear her words, "Please."
Hikari-No never knew how, but Catherine was then able to stop the power, to prevent Sailor Coruscant from using the Crystal on her. Sailor Coruscant blinked once, and several tears escaped her.
"Do not leave me", Sailor Coruscant said, holding Catherine's hand tightly, "let me heal you. Let me make it right."
"I am sorry you came all this way for nothing", Catherine opened her eyes again, and this time there was the familiar twinkle in them. For some reason this upset Sailor Coruscant more than anything else. "I had hoped to hold a party for you after you faced your trials and became a full Jedi, but I guess I won't get the chance."
Sailor Coruscant squeezed Catherine's hand harder. "I will make it up to you", she said softly, "I will make things go back to the way they were." Catherine nodded at her, smiling distantly. "I will not let it end like this."
Sailor Coruscant's blue eyes met the yellow of Catherine's one last time, and she saw something like understanding within them. With her left hand, she put the Crystal back in her locket and closed it, as with her right she held on to Catherine's, not wanting to let go. Catherine smiled up at her, as Sailor Coruscant ran her fingers one last time along the lightsaber wound in her friend's abdomen.
Then Catherine closed her eyes one last time and there was silence.