The Dark Siders Chronicles

It hadn't been long since Pikapika Koumi's parents had found Koumi and one of the spicer's boys together. Of course, they were trying to beat each other to death.

"Koumi! Stop that!" the girl's mother screamed. "Fighting never helps anything!"

The dark-haired and dark-eyed girl wasn't pay attention. She was busy anticipating the boy's next moves. He was larger than she would ever be, but he wasn't fast. Koumi was much faster than anyone on the whole plant. She lashed out at him again and knocked him flat on his back. "That'll teach you to pick fights!" Koumi said.

Her mother grabbed her by the arm. "Pikapika Koumi! How many times have I told you not to pick fights with the other children? You are in serious trouble, young lady!"

"But, Mom, I didn't..." Koumi protested.

"No buts, young lady! You are going to your room right now!"

Koumi knew there was nothing she could do to argue with her mother when the older woman was in this state. Silently, Koumi fumed.

It wasn't fair, Koumi frowned. It didn't matter who started the fight; she was always blamed for it. The girl kicked her backpack across her room. Arg!

The other guy had started it this time. Really. Most of the time, it was Koumi's fault. But not this time... she collapsed on her bed and glared at the door.

Her parents had just closed that door and locked it. Locked her in her own room! The injustice of it all!

The spice baron's daughter looked out her thick window. All of the buildings on Kessel were not only inside environmental bubbles, but they were also on their own support systems. It was a backup incase the main bubbles failed, letting in the poisonous atmosphere of Kessel.

She sighed, turning some music on while she reflected on her annoyance. The dark-haired senshi pulled the ribbon she was wearing out of her hair and made it float. She was the only one in her family who exhibited power in the Force. Her parents had no Force-sense whatsoever, and her little sister wasn't really exhibiting much. Koumi knew she wasn't supposed to use her talents, but she did anyway. There wasn't anyone on the Outer Rim who could teach her anything, so she did her best to find out what her powers could do on her own. It was really easy to do whatever she wanted.

Koumi was suddenly jarred out of her reverie by a sharp pain in her heart. It hurt so badly that she began screaming. A resounding explosion added to her hurt. Hundreds of people were dying outside, her mind told her. The explosion had to be one of the habitation bubbles... Koumi staggered over to her door and yanked on it, trying to open the thing. It was useless; she was locked in. Tears formed on Koumi's cheeks as she banged her hands on the unyielding door. She couldn't help her parents because she was locked in. The girl screamed out her hatred of locks one more time before collapsing to the floor.

"All right," Rene said, her pretty eyes looking over each of the people before her. "Something very weird is going on here."

Koumi was sitting silent in the corner. She was hesitant about volunteering any information... but despite her insecurities, she spoke - or rather, thought - up. Don't you remember? the silent girl asked. Last time? Xarae, Lys, and Nami? Before them Priire, Boshi, and Nom? They all had some darkness hidden in their past that maybe they couldn't even remember. And when it came back, it was in the form of an attack. An attack using the Dark Side.

Souru frowned. "You've got to be kidding. Darkness? How?"

If I remember correctly, for the first set of three it was some kind of anger. The next set it was fear. Now... for us it seems to be hate. The girl sighed. All elements of the Dark Side. Something that needs to be purged from our systems.

"You've got to be kidding," Souru said again. "And besides, it hasn't happened to you, has it?"

The dark-haired girl looked out the porthole. It's just a matter of time - she sighed mentally - before the hatred in my past comes to light.

The spice planet of Kessel had been Koumi's home in the past, long before she'd ever set foot on Coruscant or gone to the Jedi Temple. Standing on the ground in front of the main office, she couldn't help but remember the times she'd been there before, when the forbidding planet had been her home. As much as she loved the senshi and the Jedi Temple, the spice planet still resounded in her soul.

Careful, she reminded Rene. Kessel's atmosphere is poisonous. You'll die if you breathe it.

Rene nodded. "I remember."

The trio wandered around the grounds of the main city with Koumi acting as guide. One of the women walking around caught Rene's eyes. "Hey, what do you do here?" she asked.

The redheaded woman grinned. "I'm a cutter," she said. "I've been here for a long time."

Koumi frowned. Something wasn't quite right. When the redhead held up her hand to wave goodbye at the trio, Koumi pinned it down. She's not a cutter! Koumi thought to Souru. I have a feeling she's also up to no good.

The man frowned. How do you know?

Her hands are clean and uncut. Glittersim is very sharp. Anyone who works with it has little cuts all over their hands. Koumi pretended to be paying attention to the redhead. She's lying. And I have a bad feeling about it.

Souru nodded. "So," he smiled. "Have you lived here all your life?"

Koumi tried not to grin. The redhead had all of her attention directed toward Souru. The man was good looking, that's for sure. Carefully, Koumi tried to get a sense of the other girl's mind. If there was any ill intent, Koumi knew she'd be able to figure it out.

Iyagaru! Koumi gasped. Souru, that's...! She didn't have time to finish the thought, and she didn't have to. Iyagaru did the announcing for her.

"Yup yup yup yup! Ladies and gentlemens, I'm Sailor Sith Iyagaru!" the insane Sith giggled. "Cool, huh?"

"Well, I'm Sailor Dantooine, and I won't let you destroy this world!"

"I am Corellian Knight, and it is my duty to protect!"

And I am the Silent Sailor whose world you have invaded. I am Sailor Kessel!

The two senshi and knight posed. With a shrug, the Sailor Sith conjured up a string of her dark black holes. "Hehehe," she giggled. "Watch this!" Iyagaru threw the string of black holes like a lasso, securing a loop around each of the senshi. "There. All locked up!" she exclaimed, happily affixing a giant lock to each of the senshi.

Sailor Kessel struggled against the loop that secured her. She tried prying it off with the Force, but it was no use. Let me out! she growled through the Force at the Sailor Sith.

The Sith girl pouted. "That's not fun at all. I don't wanna!" She held up a huge lock. "I'm gonna put this on you instead!" The red-eyed Sith giggled.

Kessel shook her head. No, she begged to herself. Just coming to the spice planet had reawakened memories of her parents dying; the lock that Iyagaru held was making them harder to resist. Locks...

A sudden rush of power filled Kessel's body and she screamed, breaking the bonds. The Sailor Sith was blasted backwards. Kessel's black hair spread out behind her as the girl fell to her knees. She could feel the sheer hatred inside of her, but somehow she couldn't resist it. Instead, she let it take her away like a fast moving stream.

Thrusting her arms out in front of her, she called on the darkness. "Locked..." Tendrils of black iridescence laced her fingers together. "...Hate..." A surge of power glistened along the streams of blackness, strengthening the forming net. "Entrapment!" The net shimmered one last time as Kessel released it from her fingers toward the fallen Sith.

Iyagaru tried to ward off the darkness with an attack of her own, but it fizzled, powerless against Kessel's hatred. The Sith clawed her way out from under it as Sailor Kessel knelt, frozen on the face of her homeworld.

Corellian Knight went down on one knee beside her and placed his hand on her shoulder. He didn't say anything for long moments, waiting for Kessel to break her silence.

With her hair blowing in the slight wind, Sailor Kessel's black eyes flitted over the barren landscape. I told you it was a matter of time before the darkness surfaced.

The Corellian Knight had no answer for her.

There was a bright starscape before them as the trio sat in the Black Fire Legendmaker's library. Koumi was sitting with her feet tucked up under her and her arms around one of Mori's many stuffed teddy bears. I could feel it inside of me, forcing me to make a decision. Then I...

"Just let it have it's way?" Souru finished quietly.

Koumi nodded. Yeah. Just let it take me.

"It's scary," Rene shivered. "Something like that in us. I... I wonder if there's more. What if everyone has one of these..."

"Dark sider," Souru supplied, using Priire's term.

She nodded. "Dark sider attacks? If all the senshi gave in like we did, then there might not be anyone to fight for justice and right anymore."

Souru looked away. Darkness was something he had to struggle with everyday. Every transformation had the potential to destroy the people he'd sworn to protect. And now it seemed that there were dark attacks that could destroy even more people. He cursed softly. "Then we'll just have to be stronger and not give in."

Somehow, Koumi thought very softly. Somehow, I don't think that's going to be possible.