Angel of Darkness

Tenshi sat down on the cold stone bench in the gardens of the Senshi, staring off into space. It's hard to believe this place won't be here in my time... it's so beautiful! she thought to herself, fingering the hem of her white sleeveless trenchcoat. She wore her long hair up in a pair of round odango, the long pigtails brushing the ground. Tenshi's eyes roved over the garden, and she spotted Kirana and Kendren, Aisu, Chakra, and Nijihoshi pestering Anakin, and Xarae tending to her white roses. She sighed and stood up, smoothing out her toe-touching blue dress under the trenchcoat.

Tenshi walked to the Room of a Thousand Waterfalls and sat down on the couch between a sleeping Annika and Kairiku, who was reading the latest Bantha Beat and laughing at the letters fangirls sent in. Tenshi sighed and crossed her arms over her chest, leaning back sulkily.

"What's up, Tenshi-san?" Kairiku asked, closing her magazine.

"Nothing. Just got this weird feeling," Tenshi said, "and I can't seem to shake it."

"Okay." Kairiku shrugged and stood up. "Hope it goes away soon." She walked off.

"Whatever, kid." Tenshi popped her neck and sulked some more, the feeling not going away. She fiddled with the rings on her finger that symbolized her marriage to Souru, the platinum-blonde Corellian Knight. Souru... damn, where is that guy?

Souru plopped down next to her on the couch. "Well, think of the devil. Hey Souru!" Tenshi smiled, trying to forget the feeling that had been bugging her all day.

"Hi Tenshi, how are you?" Souru leaned back, rested his head on his hands.

"Pretty good. You?"

"Ehh... Apollo won't stop bugging me. Sayin something about today being the perfect day for an attack and all. You know that cat..."

"...always got his tail in a kink." Tenshi chuckled. "But you can't blame him. I mean, you almost died last time."

"Yeah, I know. Sorry."

Tenshi leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "It's all right. It wouldn't be the first time one of us has died."

Souru nodded, opened his mouth to say something...

...and was interrupted by a muffled explosion from outside the building.

"What the hell was that??" Tenshi was on her feet in a flash, and in typical Solo fashion, her hand went straight for her weapon, her lightsaber.

"I'll give you three guesses and the first two don't count. Come on!" Souru ran from the room, followed by Tenshi and a few other occupants of the room - Shikuku, Arekaderu, and Mika the Cat.

"This way!" Souru led them to the spaceport, where they found Kai throwing Molotov cocktails at passing hovercars. "You guys... see if you can transform and go get help! I'll hold him off."

"Not alone you won't! I'm staying!" Tenshi put her fists on her hips. "I'm not taking you back to the bacta tank again. Mika, Shikuku, Arekaderu, please go get some help from the others."

"Yes ma'am," Shikuku said, and in a swirl of purple hair and a brown robe, she ran back into the Jedi temple with her boyfriend and Mika the Girl.

Kai turned around. "Souru! I figured you'd show up! And you brought your beautiful wife with you! How sweet!" Kai walked toward the pair, Tenshi kneeled slightly into a fighting stance. When he reached the two Jedi, Kai reached out a hand and caressed Tenshi's cheek. She snarled and turned her face away. "Such a pity that a jewel this precious must be taken from you."

"What do you mean by that?" Souru asked.

Kai merely laughed and grabbed Tenshi by the arm. Opening a bolthole, he shoved Tenshi through and said, "Sorry, your jewel is now mine!" He then jumped through and closed the bolthole behind him.

Sailors Yavin IV, Ralltiir, Iridonia, Corellia, and the Mon Gazza Knight ran in right when the bolthole closed. The five grouped in a horseshoe behind Souru. Ralltiir was about to ask what happened when Souru fell to his knees and started pounding his fists on the floor.

The senshi detransformed, and Sutaru suggested they go, but Arekaderu said he'd stay with Souru. Sutaru agreed, and she, Xarae, Mika, and Shikuku walked from the room. Arekaderu watched Souru pound the floor, watched as he finally stopped and hugged his knees to his chest, rested his forehead on his knees. Arekaderu kneeled beside his friend and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"We'll get him, Souru. I know we will. We'll get Tenshi back for you."

"No. I have to do this alone. Help or no help, I have to be the one."

Tenshi found herself in a wrought-iron cage, shackled at the ankles. Her clothes were filthy, her hair in total disarray. She shivered.

Kai sat in a big durasteel chair, one leg draped over the arm of the chair, drinking some sort of wine. "Well, well, the angel is awake now!"

"Where have you taken me? Let me out!" Tenshi pulled at the chains that bound her ankles and pounded on the bars of her cage.

"Now, now, Angel Guardian, we mustn't be this forceful! I'll let you out of the cage, if you promise not to leave my castle. Do we have a deal?" He reached out through his Sithly Force and unbuckled one shackle for emphasis.

"You have my word! Just please let me out of this cage... I hate small places!" The other shackle fell off, and the lock on the door clicked open. Tenshi reached through the bars and pulled off the lock, then kicked the door open. "I suppose I should thank you for that. Why'd you bring me here, anyway?"

"You're gonna help me kill Souru, my angel." Kai swung his leg off the arm of the chair and stood up, draining his glass and throwing it aside.

"Why would I?" Tenshi put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow at Kai. The pale-skinned man walked over to her and cradled her chin in his hand.

"Because you don't love him." He turned her head slightly left, then right, examining her face. She pulled away, backed up a couple steps.

"What?? Of course I love him! How could you SAY a thing like that!"

Kai laughed. "Silly angel. You'll learn soon enough. Come with me - I'll show you your room." He turned and walked down a hallway lit by candles.

"My room?" Tenshi caught up with Kai in a few steps. "Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden? Before, you wanted to kill me!"

"Why would I want to kill you? Souru's the one who stole my power... What good would come of killing an innocent?" Kai stopped and turned to Tenshi. "All I want is Souru, dead." He turned and opened the door they had stopped in front of. "Yes, here we are. Your room."

It was decorated in shades of black, silver, and red, with a large four-poster curtain bed pushed into one corner. All around the room were draped large sheets of fabric, and the floor was cold black obsidian. One wall was dominated by a large window that looked out on the planet beyond; the glass was red. A huge redwood wardrobe sat next to the bed, the doors closed and locked with a small silver key which stuck out of the keyhole. It was a nice room, and Tenshi was nearly breathless at the dark beauty of the place.

"This is my room?" Tenshi asked to Kai, who stood in the doorway a few paces behind her.

"Yes, Tenshi, this is your room. As long as you stay here, you are welcome to whatever is in this room. It's all yours." Kai smirked.

"By the way, what planet are we on?" Tenshi asked, walking over and touching her hand to the window.

"Folor, the moon of Commenor. I found this place to be quite convenient for frequent trips to Coruscant, wouldn't you?"

"I guess..." Tenshi yawned, tired. That's funny... I don't know why I'm so tired all of a sudden.. but sleep sounds like a great idea.

Kai walked to the wardrobe and pulled a long black nightgown from its interior. "You look tired, and your clothes are filthy. Here, have a good night's sleep." He handed Tenshi the nightgown and left the room, closing the door behind him. Tenshi watched him go.

She shrugged. "What the hell. I am tired, and it's not like these clothes will bite." She examined the fine fabric of the simple nightdress. Tenshi changed into it, neatly folding her own clothes and setting them and her shoes beside the wardrobe, and crawled into the bed, yawning. "Wow, this thing is soft. I can't keep my eyes... open..." She fell asleep mid-sentence.

Out in the hall, Kai laughed.

After leaving the spaceport, Xarae shook her head. She turned to Shikuku and said, "Did you just sense what I just sensed?"

"What do you mean, Xarae-sama?" Shikuku asked. She and Arekaderu walked together, her arm around his waist and his arm around her shoulders.

"I mean, did you sense something strange, about Tenshi? Like she has two selves or something?"

"Well, she told me that she was reborn in two different places. I can sense that. Maybe that's what you're feeling."

Xarae shook her head. "I guess you're right." She walked off to ponder her Force-sense.

Souru sat alone in the spaceport, staring at the empty space where Tenshi had disappeared only an hour before. "Why her? He wants to kill me - what good would she be for him?" He jumped as a hand touched his shoulder.

"Dad?" Sutaru sat down beside her father, looking up into the eyes of the man she idolized over all. A little girl's father is her first true love. "I know you're probably still worried about Mom and feel like no one must know what you're feeling. Daddy, I feel it too. But you know what? She's okay. Kai let her communicate with me through the Force. She's all right." Sutaru smiled, her green eyes sparkling with a secret. "And Xarae just told me something that might make you very happy." She got up on her knees and whispered something in Souru's ear, giggled, and stood up. "Gotta go now!" With that, Sutaru ran off into the Jedi Temple.

Souru sat dead on the floor, his eyes glazed over. Then he calmly got up and walked back to his room.

Kai looked into Tenshi's room the next morning, found her still asleep. All around her, black energy was swirling, erasing her memory and tainting her blood. Kai laughed.

"Yes, angel. Soon you will hate the Jedi, and you will be mine."

Tenshi's eyes opened slowly. "Kai, why are you laughing so loud? Can't a girl get any sleep around here?"

Kai grinned evilly and thought, The erasure is complete! She is mine! "Why Tenshi, you've been asleep for nearly twelve hours! Those Sailor Jedi could be out doing good, while you lie there in your comatose state!"

Tenshi sat up and frowned. Her hair had changed from shimmering golden brown to jet black. "I'm sorry, Kai. Those dreadful Jedi, I must kill them!"

"Good, Tenshi. I'll let you get dressed. We've got a busy day of ruining lives ahead." Kai left, and Tenshi stood up, stretching. In her transformation, her skin at paled considerably, and on her forehead was an upside-down black heart. On her back were a pair of black wings.

She opened the wardrobe and selected a red, toe-brushing dress and a black lace-chested sleeveless overdress. Tenshi dressed, pulled on her shoes, and pulled her hair into a pair of odango. Satisfied, she left the room and walked to the room Kai had first brought her to. The cage still sat across from the big chair. There Kai sat, drinking his wine. Tenshi knelt, bowing her head.

"What is thy bidding, Master Kai?"

Kai opened a bolthole behind her. "Go and attack the one named Souru. Take this." Kai tossed a silver staff to Tenshi, which she caught easily. "You will know what to do. Now go."

Tenshi bowed, said, "Yes, my lord," and stepped through the bolthole.

"She is ready. I only hope Souru isn't too small a task for her."

Tenshi landed on her feet at the other end of the bolthole, in a room that was at once familiar and unfamiliar to her. Souru sat in a chair facing away from her. Too easy, Tenshi thought, bringing up her staff to strike him in the head.

"Don't do it," Souru muttered, standing up. "You know you don't want to."

She lowered her staff. "Damn." Her eyes darted around the room, searching for an escape route. Souru walked toward her, and she realized there was no exit. Her eyes filled with fear. "I was sent here to kill you! You just watch yourself!" She backed up against a wall.

Souru stared at her sadly. "No, he changed you, Tenshi, he made you hate me. Just try to remember!"

Tenshi held her head. "NO!" She reached through the Dark Side of the Force and located the door. The Jedi had been using his Force to hide it. She opened the door and ran through, not entirely sure where she was going. Somehow she ended up in the lightsaber training hall. With Yukiko and Ben.

Ben and Yukiko were practicing with their swords when Tenshi ran in. They stopped and regarded the winged stranger kindly.

"Hi! I'm Yukiko, where'd you come from?" Yukiko sensed something about Tenshi that wasn't quite right. She seemed familiar, but surely she'd never met this person. Unless... "Tenshi? What happened? What'd Kai do to you?"

Tenshi gasped and turned to run, but Ben grabbed her by the shoulder. "Tenshi please, tell us!"

"I was ordered to kill Souru by Master Kai! You... you JEDI are getting in my way! I am Sith Lady Tenshi!!" Tenshi batted Ben's hand off her shoulder and ran out of the room.

Ben turned to Yukiko and asked, "You think she knows?"

"Doubtful," Yukiko answered.

Tenshi ran into Souru halfway down the hall, and immediately fell into a battle stance. "Now I'll kill you!" From her staff, a black ring of energy flew at Souru and caught him around the arms, pinning them to his sides. She brought the end of her staff down on the back of his neck, knocking him to the floor. She hit him in the stomach with the other end and continued to beat on him mercilessly.

With each impact, Souru's power grew.

Sutaru ran down the hall at that point. "Tenshi, stop!!"

Tenshi turned to the thirteen-year-old and took a step toward the girl, but a bright light stopped her. She turned around and saw that Souru had transformed correctly, and before her stood the Corellian Knight, his face obscured by a shining metal mask. Tenshi's eyes widened.

"I remember... I remember everything!" Tenshi smiled, and she was enveloped in a soft blue glow. Her hair flowed back to its golden brown shade, the forehead symbol disappeared, and the wings folded behind her and vanished. The blue light faded, and Tenshi fell to the floor, her energy sapped.

A bolthole opened behind the Corellian Knight, and an enraged Kai dropped through. "You weak twit! I knew you couldn't handle this!!"

Corellian Knight turned his body and faced Kai. "You get out of here. I don't want to see your pale face on this planet again."

"Oooh I'm scared..." Kai snickered. "What're you gonna do, trip me?"

The Corellian Knight shook his head and cupped his hands by his waist. He started muttering. "Ka... Me... Ha... Me......."

Kai saw the white ball of energy show up in his hands but had very little time to react.

"HA!!" The platinum-haired knight released the energy, and Kai caught the blast full in his side. He fell to the floor, howling in pain. He opened a bolthole and crawled through, leaving a nice puddle of blood on the floor.

Souru detransformed and ran to Tenshi, picking her up and carrying her to the Room of a Thousand Waterfalls. Sutaru ran ahead and told the girls to clear the couch, and Souru lay the unconcious form of Tenshi on the fluffy cushions. Souru sat down and held his love's head in his lap, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. Reaching out through the Force, he channeled its energy to heal Tenshi, and soon her eyes fluttered open.

"Souru!" Tenshi sat up, looked around. "Where am I? Wasn't I just at Kai's?" She sighed.

"Tenshi, you're fine. I finally transformed right, too."

"Wow! That's hoth!"

Sutaru nudged Souru and cleared her throat. "Oh, right. Tenshi, there's... uh... something you should know."

"What? Tell me. C'mon you know I hate secrets!"

"Well, uh..." Sutaru nudged him. Hard. "Okay okay... Tenshi, you're pregnant."

Tenshi fainted.