The next morning, Annika sat in the Jedi Meditation room; eating. She was supposed to actually be meditating, but since she was no good at the most basic Jedi skill, she used her scheduled hour to stuff her face. Candy and cake wrappers were littered in a circle around her as she sat staring at the wall. She felt that she should be sad, or, at the least, devastated. Where were her tears, her hysterics, her over-reactions? Why didn't she seem to care? Even her red roses were blooming.

If it was truly over between her and Obi-Wan, why didn't Lys and Lysthea disappear? Annika pondered that question at the same time her daughters were. Lys lay stretched, stomach down, on her sister's bedroom rug. Her bare feet high in the air; they lazily swung back and forth. She was thinking about her existence. It's not every day you are there when your future mother and father break up, and Lys's thoughts kept going in circles. Lysthea was being no help at all.

"Listen, they obviously get back together - how else could we be here? I'm not worried about it at all. What does worry me is Ame. Remember a few weeks ago, on Naboo? The gate to the Afterlife opened and there was Ame... but she looked like an adult. That's not possible, right?" Lysthea gazed down at her twin sister, waiting for an answer. "Well?" she asked.

But Lys was too busy drawing circles on a piece of paper to hear. Lysa-chan scoffed and tossed a piece of crumpled paper at her.

Sighing, Lysthea said, "Fine! So what? We're still here! They get back together eventually, so why are you so upset? The only way we could still be here is if we're not really their children... but that's ridiculous!! Right?"

Lys furrowed her brow.

"Lys? We have to be their children!! Ame looks like Mama and we look like Daddy! Lys??"

"Thea, Mama may be a lot of things, but she's not a liar," the blonde girl said.

"Then what's wrong?"

"I'm just thinking... Mama is so sad in the future because she misses Daddy. If she only knew what was going to happen..."

"I know, but we can't tell her. It'll work out... it has to."

A small knock came to the door, and Chakra slipped her head inside. "Excuse me, but have you seen Miss Annika? I have something to tell her."

"Meditation Room," the sisters said simultaneously. Chakra quietly made her way down the corridors until she came to what she was looking for. The door wasn't locked, but she couldn't just barge in, so she knocked.

"Come in," the person inside sighed. The small girl slid open the curtain and saw Annika rolling the Koisuisho back and forth on the floor. Walking over and plopping down in front or the Bakuran Princess, Chakra smiled.

"I talked to Master Yoda today Miss Annika," she said with her eyes twinkling.

Annika smiled back; she knew that Chakra cared, and it made her heart warm. "You did?"

"Yes. He told me to tell you, and I quote-" She switched her voice into a gravelled inflection. "-'Clean up her messes she must. In her life as well as the meditation room!' " She giggled.

"I'll have to tell him my life isn't so messy anymore..."

"Miss Annika, you don't mean that do you? I thought you loved Obi-Wan... he loves you."

"Oh Chakra, I guess it's hard to explain. I look at him, and my heart beats faster, my cheeks blush, I feel... important. Then, I look at my life, behaviour, and personality. And then I look at his. We are so different; we care about different things, have different goals," Annika sighed as she placed the Koisuisho back inside her brooch.

"Maybe," she continued, "we're better off apart. I don't want to drag him down to my goofy level. I don't want him to regret ever meeting me. I'm a big screw up, and he deserves better."

"How can you say that?" Chakra said. "You have lots in common. Besides, it doesn't matter - love is love, remember?"

Annika inwardly winced. She hated it when people threw her own words back into her face. Truth be told, she did love Obi-Wan, loved him with all her heart. She just felt she was doing the right thing by setting him free.

Chakra sensed Annika's hesitation. "I'm the guardian of Inner Light, and I can tell that yours is diminished. When you are with Obi-Wan, your light shines so bright... I miss seeing that light."

Tears formed in Annika's eyes, and she hugged Chakra tightly. She stood and walked to the centre of the room, kicking candy wrappers everywhere. "What about his light? Does it shine bright too? I can't help but wonder... what if it's not me he loves?" Annika turned and faced the wide-eyed, golden-haired brunette. She didn't know how to express the things she was feeling. She was feeling a mixture of every emotion known to the universe, and it wasn't pleasant. On more than one occasion, Annika's sensitivity to the feelings of others left her overwhelmed, and it eventually led to depression. This time it was different - these were her own emotions, and she wasn't sure how to handle them. To say she felt like she was drowning herself was an understatement.

The white- and pink-haired girl looked down and shrugged her shoulders. "Many lifetimes ago, I was Sailor Serenity; the man I loved then is the man I love now. And," she said beginning to pace, "what if the love Obi-Wan feels is for Muren, and not Annika? Where does that leave me?"

Chakra's heart was breaking for Annika. She said the only thing she could think of. "The only difference between Muren and you is the one you are making. You are who you are Miss Annika - we all know that, Master Kenobi knows that. I cannot help but feel that you are both at the start of a difficult path, and the only way to successfully walk it; is together. It is sort of funny. Obi-Wan is afraid of hurting you, and you are afraid of hurting him, so you decide not to see each other anymore. What neither of you realise is this separation hurts the most."

Annika was now crying so much that she could barely breathe. Chakra cleaned up the rather large mess on the floor while Annika calmed down. "By the way," Chakra began, "when you two are together... your light and his light... become one light."

Smiling, Annika whispered, "Thank you." Then she got up and kissed her friend - Chakra was as much an asset to her life as Obi-Wan and her future children. She made a mental note to buy her eight pounds of candy as a more proper thank you.

Deciding that she should talk to Obi-Wan, Annika said goodbye to Chakra and made her way to the docking bays. She knew he would be returning in a short while, if he was not back already. Chakra had pulled Annika out of her personal ocean, making Annika's heart soar. She was still shaky about her future, but she didn't care. What mattered was right now, and that meant her life with Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Approaching the docking bay #17, she heard voices; Anakin Skywalker was talking with someone. That meant they were back early. Her brisk walk turned into a light jog as she put on her best smile. She saw Anakin standing with a very nasty-looking pilot; apparently there was some miscommunication about payment. Shaking her head, Annika looked around for Obi-Wan.

At the mere sound of his voice, electric shivers ran down her spine. Apologising wasn't one of Annika's favourite activities, but this time she was more than prepared to grovel. Master Kenobi was still standing on the landing ramp. His arms were folded and he was listening very intently to... a very beautiful woman!

The woman was small, but clearly all grown up. She possessed long, wavy brown hair; it fell about her waist. Her eyes sparkled as she talked with the impressive Jedi. Annika scolded herself for feeling pangs of jealousy and insecurity - there had to be an explanation. She was the new 'let's not jump to conclusions and pout' Annika, the 'I'm not gonna cry and whine' Annika. The adult... the mature one... and the undeniably jealous one.

The beautiful woman's voice flowed like warm water and enveloped the room. Her violet eyes fell on a bitter Annika, and she smiled, displaying perfectly straight, white teeth. I thought for sure she'd have fangs, the voice inside Annika's head whispered. Obi-Wan followed the woman's eyes. His smile faded when he saw his ex-girlfriend. He hadn't expected to see her so soon, and it hurt more than he'd anticipated.

Not willing to give an inch, however, Master Kenobi led Miss Gorgeous over to Annika, and he bowed.

"Your Highness, allow me to introduce Princess Annika Nesicha of Bakura," he intoned.

Highness??? Miss Gorgeous was royalty? Annika frowned; she had a bad feeling about this.

"Princess Annika Nesicha, may I present Princess Kirei of the Utsukushii tribe."

The other Princess spoke, and upon hearing her voice up close, it was thick and exotic. Her accent was enchanting, and there didn't seem to be a strand of her hair out of place.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, your Highness. May I ask, why is it that you are here? Is it also to become a great Jedi?"

"No... I-"

"Oh, that is too bad, for you see I am to become powerful Jedi! Of course, having Master Kenobi as teacher is sure to ensure victory," she oozed. A long hand glided out from under her crimson robe, and she placed it on Obi-Wan's arm.

"He is so strong - it will be an honour for my family to be his partner."

"What?!?" asked Annika.

"Forgive, please, my Basic is not so good. The word I meant to say is pupil."

Sure it was, thought Annika sarcastically. She was suddenly filled with feelings she didn't like, mean ones, angry ones. She was gripped by a strong urge to kick Miss Gorgeous into another galaxy, but remembering her 'new and improved' self, she gritted her teeth instead.

Clearing her throat, Annika said, "Aren't you a little old to start the training?"

"Oh no, on my planet, we have several Jedi. I was trained from birth. It is only now my great privilege to come here to be taught by such an outstanding Master." Gorgeous' eyes glistened as she smiled up at Obi-Wan.

It was Annika's turn to ooze charm as she said, "Obi-Wan, may I talk with you? It is rather urgent." Annika smiled; now this exotic tart would see who Obi-Wan really cared for.

Before he could say a word, Gorgeous spoke, "Cannot you talk with someone other than Master Kenobi? I am afraid we shall be busy all afternoon."

"I only desire (to pull your hair out) a moment of his time. I won't keep him longer than necessary." Annika grinned. Gorgeous pouted and half the men in the room ran over to ask her what was the matter.

"It is nothing, I only am fearing I shall loose my new teacher to this girl." She flopped her fingers in Annika's direction. "Being new to Coruscant, I will be so alone... I was but hoping to have an escort." She stuck her bottom lip out.

No one pouted better than Annika, but her 'new and improved' self didn't want to sink to that level. Finally, Obi-Wan sighed.

"Princess Annika, I will talk with you later. I did promise Majesty Kirei."

Biting her tongue so as not to cry, she turned and made an effort to be graceful, but slipped on a patch of oil and hit her head on the door. She noticed no one came running to aid her.

"Priire!!!" Solai yelled, "Priire baby, come quick! Annika's gone nutso!" The blonde girl dropped her book and took off, following her cat down to the shuttle bay. Priire's heart skipped a beat as she heard some fairly foul language and random blaster fires coming from somewhere too close to her ship. Her mouth dropped open when she saw the source of the dirty words and misfires was Annika.

"Why that stupid, stuck-up, brain-dead, she-beast!" Annika spat between clenched teeth. She pulled the trigger on a brand-new blaster and a shot went through the wall. Priire quickly ran over to disarm the Princess.

"Just give me the blaster, Annika..." she said slowly. Priire noticed the packaging the blaster came in, along with several credit card receipts laying at Annika's feet. She obviously spared no expense in buying this weapon - it was top of the line. Priire wanted to get it away from her friend so she could play with it herself.

Another shot was fired in between blaster rounds, and two more holes landed in the wall, making large holes.

"Priire! I'm glad you're here! You've got to show me how to fire this thing!" Annika said. She explained the transaction that happened with Obi-Wan and Miss Gorgeous.

Priire translated. "Princess Pretty of the Beautiful tribe? That sounds fake!"

"I know it! But she's legit, I had her investigated. Her whole tribe is beautiful - they are known for it," Annika said snidely, drawing out the last few syllables. She aimed the blaster again at a make-shift target of boxes and fired. The shot ricocheted, bolted around the room, and blew a hole in the Silver Swan.

"Uh-oh," Annika whispered.

"Give me that thing!" Priire said, snatching it. She shoved Annika outside while mumbling something about fixing the gaping hole in the ship.

The pilot sighed and set about trying to fix the Swan. She put the blaster back in its box and glanced at the price: 2200 credits. Priire whistled and placed it somewhere safe.

About an hour later, after she had given the Swan a complete diagnostic (simply for the fun of it), she delicately climbed under it to inspect the damage to the hull. It was massive and would take a lot of work and time. She didn't hear the approaching footsteps.

"Priire?" came the voice of Riku.

"Sithspit," she quietly cursed. Rolling herself into sight, she wiped her hand on her forehead, leaving a large streak of oil. Riku looked humble and upset. Priire felt a twinge of guilt.

"I'm going to ask a simple question, and I want a simple answer," Riku stated. "Why do you hate me so much?"

"Oh man..." she sighed. "I don't hate you, Riku. You're dating my only sister, and she means everything to me. I'm... protecting her."

"I wouldn't hurt her."

"I know... look, I don't necessarily like you, but I didn't mean to hurt you." Priire tried not to grimace, it was hardest for her to say 'sorry'. Riku smiled.

"And that surprise? The one about the N*aboo concert? I bought that last ticket for you, not me. It was supposed to be a surprise. I had to sing a song just to keep that secret, Riku! You should be thanking me."

Ippin ran in and tackled Priire. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!" she yelled. "I love the surprise!"

"Coru!! You weren't supposed to be listening!" Priire said with mock anger.

"I know, but I had to get away from Annika. She's in the Room Behind the Waterfall sobbing something like, 'Gorgeous... blah, blah, blah, Swan... big hole... blah, blah, blah... Obi-Wan... blah, blah, blah'. I tried consoling her, but she ate a whole bucket of Namana candy... so she's a little tipsy."

"This is the hole she was blabbing about," Priire said, gesturing above her.

"Hmmm... we'll leave you to this, then," Ippin smiled. She looped her arm through Riku's, and they walked out.

"Yeah, well don't forget about that concert later! I'm sure Lance will be happy to see you!!" Priire yelled after them.

"Shut up!" came the distant, giggling voice of Ippin.

"I'm ready to go!" Annika stated. She was wearing a new outfit consisting of a short pink skirt, a form-fitting pink top, long black boots and a diamond necklace. Her hair was hanging down past her waist in soft wavy tendrils. Yuki, who was wearing a simple pair of pants and a loose, billowy top, felt pitifully underdressed. Ippin, on the other hand, was also dressed up. She wore tight red pants, Priire's dragon shirt, a new pair of Yike tennis shoes (red and orange, of course), and a Corusca gem bracelet.

"Maybe I should change..." Yukiko mentioned to herself.

"No time for that! Our shuttle leaves in ten minutes," Annika snapped. She grabbed her autograph book and took off, followed by Ippin, an impressive-looking Riku, and a confused Yuki, who was still contemplating her fashion choice.

Walking along the street to the shuttle, Annika suddenly stopped. Ippin bumped into her, Riku into her, and Yuki into him. A chorus of 'ow' escaped them all. Ippin saw what made Annika stop, and she gasped.

"Is that?"

"Miss Gorgeous?" Yukiko finished the sentence.

"Yup," Annika growled. She, Ippin and Yuki gave Gorgeous the evil eye as she glided past them. Riku was too busy drooling to notice Ippin glaring at him, or the steam coming from her ears.

"Is she heading to Obi-Wan and Anakin's quarters?!?" asked an incredulous Yuki-chan.

"That's it! I'm ripping her to shreds!!" Annika started after her rival, only to be stopped by Riku. He was blushing, and a visible lump was forming on his head in the shape of Ippin's fist.

"We'll miss the shuttle... 'Senshi of Love and Peace', remember? Peeeeeaaaaaccccce," he drew out.

She settled down, smoothed her skirt and said, "Yes. Of course, you're right." Riku let go of her arm and smiled. Like a bolt of lightning, Annika began running in the direction of Miss Gorgeous.

"Stop her!!" Ippin yelled, "If we miss this concert, Annika, I'm bopping you with the Big Time Stick!!!"

Luckily for them all, Annika tripped over a stone, and Miss Gorgeous slipped into the private area of the Temple. Riku hoisted Annika over his shoulder, and they all ran to make the shuttle. Once in the blue shuttle, they all relaxed, excepting, of course, one very angry Princess.

"When we get back, remind me to get my blaster and shoot at some targets," she mentioned to no one in particular.

Roughly half an hour later, the shuttle stopped in front of the Coruscant Arena Dome. There were thousands of girls milling about; some of them were wearing outfits so revealing, it made Annika blush and gave Riku big heart eyes and another lump. Making their way through the crowd was no easy task, but being a Force user helped. Yuki and Ippin parted the crowd, allowing them all safe passage to their front row seats.

It wasn't long afterward that the lights dropped and the music began. N*aboo put on a terrific show, from being suspended over the audience in Force bubbles, to standing on a platform that rotated them around the arena - it was a good show. Annika squealed with joy when JC reached down and she got to touch his hand. Ippin couldn't take her eyes off of Lance (much to Riku's dismay), and he seemed to be singing just to her.

During the intermission, the set decorations changed. The carnival-esque atmosphere had been replaced with red balloons and streamers. Confetti fell from the ceiling as the music for the next song started. A few seconds after the boys took the stage, the lights came on full blast. Everyone shielded their eyes, and they didn't see Mystique enter the building disguised as a security guard. Yuki, however, sensed her presence.

"Let's go," she whispered to Ippin and Annika. They edged around the rail and found themselves behind a curtain. "It's Mystique."

No more needed to be said as they quickly changed into Sailors Hoth, Yavin, and Bakura. People started to scream when they saw the blue-skinned Sith woman drain the energy of N*aboo into small vials. She got to Lance just when the senshi burst onto the stage.

"Stop right there!" Sailor Bakura yelled.

"We can't forgive those who steal the pure beautiful energy of the galaxy's favourite boy band!" Sailor Hoth yelled.

"So back away from Lance and prepare to be defeated on behalf of the universe!" Ippin said, twirling her Time Staff.

The blonde singer's mouth fell open, and his eyes grew twice their normal size. He mouthed the words 'Sailor Yavin?' before fainting.

Mystique raised her hands and opened a bolthole, and several small, round, green balls flowed out. Their form quickly changed into large green monsters. Mystique threw the vials down and disappeared. It was difficult to see the youma as they danced around; the stage was littered with balloons and streamers. Bakura pushed some of them out of her way as she was almost hit by a flying CD. The youma had weapons and were flinging them fast. The silver disks came one after the other, missing Hoth only barely, and severing some of Yavin's famed hair.

"You've gone too far this time!" she spat, and with one attack, she took out two youma. She quickly scooped up the vials and replaced the energy to N*aboo.

"Hoth Blizzard Blast!" Sailor Hoth attacked... another one gone.

Sailor Bakura was by herself on the far end of the stage, completely surrounded by balloons and streamers. "Silly red ribbons," she whispered, knocking a few from her vision. Her heart thumped loudly. Red ribbons... the dream she had a few nights ago flooded her memory. She grew very afraid and scanned the area for the monsters. She didn't see any. Quietly she tiptoed around, keeping her eyes wide. The curtain behind her rustled, but she didn't hear it.

The youma had Annika clearly in its sights. It raised an arm and aimed the silver disk for Bakura's neck. All of a sudden, the unmistakable hum of a lightsaber being ignited caused the youma to turn around. It met its end by Obi-Wan Kenobi's blade.

The curtain billowed, and Sailor Bakura saw him. "Why are you here?" she said, looking at the disappearing body of the green monster.

"I remembered seeing a poster of N*aboo once - they were on stage surrounded by red streamers... and I remembered your dream."

Sailor Hoth found her way to Bakura, but by the time she arrived, Obi-Wan was gone.

"Are you oaky?" asked Hoth.

"I think so... where's Yavin?"

"Over here!!" the aforementioned girl said. She was helping N*aboo stand. Lance was staring at her still. His cheeks blushed a deep red, and he didn't know what to say. Sailor Yavin was standing in front of him; her stunning red hair, her beautiful eyes and smile... he was awe-struck.

"Do you think you can manage a memory wipe for the last fifteen minutes?" she asked Sailor Hoth over her shoulder.

"No problem."

"It's so nice to meet you, Ippin," Lance said backstage. He looked rested and well. He didn't remember anything - none of them did. After losing a few minutes, the song started again, and the senshi took their place in front row. They were the first backstage after the concert as well. Annika found that she had a lot in common with JC and spent the entire time talking with him. Yuki was busy entertaining all the boys with her charm, and Ippin was engrossed with Lance. Riku was standing by the exit door wondering how much trouble he'd get into if he bopped Ippin on the head.

"You live at the Jedi Temple?" JC asked Annika.

"Yes. A person in my position needs to be close to the Galactic Senate," Annika lied. She hated lying but had no choice.

"I'd love a tour of the Temple," JC said wistfully.

"Well," she thought. Her mind turned to Obi-Wan and Miss Gorgeous. "I'd be honoured to give you a tour. Please stop by anytime!"

In the recesses of the deepest shadows on Coruscant, Mystique stood, talking with someone. She was quiet, and a look of concern crossed her beautiful face.

"Tashita, we know you understand our position. Why don't you join us?"

"Because you're wrong..."

"In nature, some animals feed off other animals for survival. Is what the Sith do any different?"

Tashita struggled to come up with an answer. She did see Mystique's point. She was beginning to feel sorry for them.

"I should probably go back to the Temple," the brunette said.

Slowly, Mystique pulled a small bottle out of thin air and opened it. Black smoke creeped its way around Tashita until it filled her lungs. "This will help you see our side a little easier," said the Sith.

The thoughts and feelings that plagued the solitary Tashita formed into solid and clear choices. The Sith were doing right. The senshi were made up of spoiled Princesses, and the rest lived off the rich Jedi Temple. How could they fight for justice when they were so greedy?

"Maybe I will come with you," Tashita said.

"Maybe I will too," a voice behind her spoke. Chrone sauntered up to stand between them. Her eyes had taken on a strange glint, and the remains of the black smoke dissipated.

"Twosies beats onesies," Mystique smiled. Converting two of these brats to Sith would definitely win her some favour with Kendra and help her to achieve the throne herself one day. She smiled as her new converts walked through the bolthole.

As the morning rolled around and the senshi came down for breakfast, Annika was busy in the garden. Her roses were wilting because a disgusting moss had begun to spread over the roots. She tried everything to get rid of it to no avail. Even Xarae was perplexed.

To make matters worse, news that Chrone and Tashita were missing had everyone upset. Master Yoda was in conference with Kyoko for hours. By the afternoon, the entire Temple was worried. No one had heard anything from them; granted it was obvious for Tashita to be quiet and reserved, but she and Chrone had completely disappeared.

"You know, Annika," Xarae said as she examined the moss closer, "I'm not so sure this is native. It looks like it might be from a different planet. Maybe it was carried in by one of the arriving ships a few days ago."

Like the pest she was, Miss Gorgeous appeared from nowhere and strolled over to the flowers. She smiled and breathed in deep.

"Ah, the flowers are pretty yes? Roses! I love roses, especially the red ones. Oh, what an ugly-looking mold. You must not be taking too much care of them I think," she laughed before walking in the direction of the practice room.

"There is a simple way to find them, you know," Chrone drooled to Kendra. Her fuku was now all black as was Tashita's. They both stood before the Evil Queen with smirks on their faces.

"Explain," Kendra ordered, looking down at her trophies.

"Attack what they love most," Sailor Eclipse smiled. She wanted to end the senshi reign of false morality and self-righteousness. She was more than willing to help overthrow their system of lies.

"The Innocent," Ariel stepped up. She had been formulating a plan for days, and with the new recruits, it would be easy. She had been itching to kill Sailor Hoth for some time.

Sailor Cathar smiled evilly and said, "Each senshi represents something - attack what is in their heart."

Sailor Eclipse made a list of the senshi and what they represented.

"Might I suggest, my Queen, that we begin with Sailor Hoth?" Ariel asked.