Enigma and Exposition

"Right here is fine," Chikako said to the alien driving the speeder. He slowed down hesitantly.

"Are you so converted about present location, Miss Girl?" the driver asked in a thick, watery voice. "We are present in perilous neighborhood, do you not know?"

"No, this is good. I'm sure."

The driver shrugged and stopped his speeder. Chikako jumped off and dropped her credits into his strange, amphibian paw. "I am in trepidation that jeopardy is unrecognized by Your Pleasantness. But I thank you, Miss Girl," he said, tossing the credits into his moneybag. "Now do let's be vigilant in such death-defying vicinity."

"Of course," Chikako said, going to give the driver a reassuring smile but losing energy halfway through. To make sure all of her clothes were where they should be after her windy ride, she swept her hand over her simple, button-up blouse and down the tiny pleats of her sheer skirt, which just touched the tops of her calves. She watched as the speeder took off in the direction of a less interesting neighborhood, and then started up the sidewalk. She hadn't wanted to trouble the driver by forcing him to drive up the street - since he was already having a fit about being on the fringes of such a neighborhood - so she had about a block or two to walk. She didn't mind; it was early morning, and the air was cool and felt freshly processed. And despite the driver's fears and warnings, the only people out at this hour were cheerful shopkeepers unlocking the steel blast shields and rolling up the secure-doors they hid their businesses behind every evening.

There was reason for her being out so early, but it wasn't a particularly good one. She felt a little guilty, actually. Chikako's last few days had been without contest the worst in her life: she'd killed one man; she'd gotten engaged to another, who immediately killed himself; and then she'd allowed an evil Jedi to escape. At least, they were assuming he was still evil, but even that was up in the air. Naturally, the other Senshi were worried about their flower-child, and Chikako was glad they cared. But that also meant they were sometimes overprotective, so she'd left the Jedi Temple early enough so that no one would be around to tell her what she was doing might not be a good idea. She didn't know for sure if anyone would say that, but she didn't want to risk it.

After walking up the street a ways, she turned into a dingy apartment building; though compared to the surroundings, it was rather nice. It was also very quiet at that hour, and as Chikako made her way up the dark stairwell, all she could hear was a cat mewing outside a door several floors up.

She stopped at the third floor, long before reaching the cat, and found her way to apartment 3145. She knocked half-heartedly, then immediately tried opening it. Not surprisingly, it was locked, and Force-proof too. The Jedi-trainee didn't give up so quickly, though, and reached for her lightsaber. Before igniting it, she paused for a moment, examining the door with her head cocked to the right. With one casual motion, she pulled a jewel-adorned hairpin out of her wind-swept bob and slipped it into the lock. After a soft click, the door immediately swung open.

Chikako smiled, replaced her lightsaber and then her barrette, and entered the apartment, kicking the door shut behind her. Sometimes elegant Jedi weapons weren't half as efficient as simple girlish resourcefulness.

Her amused grin quickly faded as she glanced around the living room with a heavy sigh. Being in his home didn't do much to alleviate the mystery surrounding Kalei, as it did with many other people – Chikako being one of them. Her room was packed with things that she loved, anything that reminded her of people she adored or experiences she wanted never to forget. She was organized, but readily admitted a clutter problem. Kalei's apartment, however, was spotless, if only because it was nearly empty. He seemed to own only the essentials, aside from a few books and a soccer ball.

Chikako didn't spend much time in the living room, which was home only to a few library books. She stacked those on an empty table near the door, intending to return them, and moved on. In the kitchen, she found some silverware and a flashlight in one drawer, and several packages of noodles in another. There was a plate in the sink; she washed it and placed it in a cupboard housing a few other dishes. There was a table in there, too: a few pieces of blank paper and a black marker were scattered on top. She found more paper in another kitchen drawer, and a knife for slicing vegetables. When she found a partial grocery list stuck to the fridge in neat block letters (though they looked a little rushed), she broke down without warning.

"I can't believe I killed him," she sobbed suddenly, sinking to the floor and clutching the grocery list. "I killed a person! A person who wrote grocery lists! There had to have been another way. If the magic 'returned' to him, surely he's got more where that came from? Why couldn't he have done something?" She dried her face on her skirt as the tears slowed, leaving dark splotches among the pleats in the thin fabric. "I just don't understand... did I do the right thing? How could that have been the right thing?"

She looked down at the grocery list, the ink now blurring from the tears that had dripped onto the paper. The tears had stopped as suddenly as they had started. "There are like fifty other Senshi," she said softly into the empty kitchen, suddenly remembering the quietness of the empty apartment. "My powers aren't worth dying for. I'm not worth dying for..."

Shaking her head, she pushed herself up. She left the crinkled grocery list on the floor and went into Kalei's bedroom. If she were going to find answers to any of her questions, they were more likely there than in the kitchen.

However, the moment she walked in, she knew she'd only found more questions.

Chikako unconsciously wrapped her hands in a sunny yellow baby blanket as she looked down into an empty cradle. Kalei's bed, next to the cradle, was strewn with picture books, all from the library except for one big yellow one full of nursery rhymes. Plush animals and a rattle were on the floor surrounding the cradle. She set down the soft blanket and picked up the rattle, shaking it like a maraca. "Whose baby?!" she wondered aloud. "And where is it now?"

Still puzzling over the baby things, she gathered the library books and took them to the table where the others were. She took the yellow book too, and set it next to the library stack, along with the soft blanket, the rattle, and a stuffed rabbit.

Back in Kalei's room, she gathered the rest of the baby paraphernalia and filled the cradle with it. Then she made his bed; when that was finished, she walked over to the dresser. She went to open the top drawer, then changed her mind and started with the bottom. It didn't end up mattering, though: the dresser contained nothing but clothes. A lot of clothes, but still – only clothes.

There was no other furniture in the room, and no closet; so Chikako left, with a quick glance under the bed. Of course, before she'd gone a step out of the room, she was back reaching under the bed. She came out with a wooden box in which a pair of ice skates would fit nicely. There were no ice skates inside. The box held only two items, neither of which Chikako knew the purpose of: the larger was some kid of baton, about a foot long and made of stubbly dark green wood, with an onion shaped protrusion on one end; the much smaller item was glossy pink ribbon, tied tightly to itself in a wide, loopy bow. Blinking at the contents, she closed the box and left with it.

The pile that wasn't going to the library had grown, and Chikako actually had some trouble carrying her load down the stairs. Once she got outside, however, she caught a small transport right away and piled everything in the seat next to her. "To the Jedi Temple, please," she told the driver. She was tired. The library trip would have to wait.

"Yah," the humanoid said, snapping his gum at the same time. He glanced into his rear view mirror incessantly, but always looked at Chikako rather than at the traffic behind him. She diverted her eyes, blushing, and wondered if he'd notice if she used the Force to adjust the mirror a smidge. She decided to give it a shot, but he simply reached up and readjusted it so that he could see her again. Then she tried scooting over a little, just out of his line of view, but he again moved his mirror with no subtlety whatsoever. And then he gave her a toothy grin.

Chikako sighed and tried to find something else to pay attention to for the rest of the ride. Her eyes fell on a blue hooded sweatshirt she'd taken from Kalei's apartment, and she blushed again, wondering for the first time if it was disrespectful to borrow dead peoples' clothes.

"Only if ye're the one who killed 'im," the driver said, widening his grin. Chikako blushed deeper, realizing with horror that her driver belonged to a telepathic species. She quickly used the Force to close her mind to him, since she knew all her secrets would immediately rush forward in the presence of a mind reader. Koumi had given her plenty of experience in that department. But she wasn't fast enough, she realized; the driver's grin immediately disappeared and he went a little pale, though his uneasiness didn't last long. "I driven plenty of murderers around," he said, "but yous? I never woulda guessed it."

"Me neither," Chikako confessed, wishing it wasn't such a long way home.

She'd already gathered all her things from the seat next to her, quite ready to hop out of the transport by the time it stopped. "There ye go, Chikako," the driver finally said, getting her sufficiently close to the Temple. "Try not to kill any more a yer friends."

"Okay," Chikako said, balking at his bluntness. When she paid him, he smiled, winked, and gave her a look that made her mighty glad she couldn't read his mind.

Annika let herself into Chikako's room; she'd been checking on her grieving friend regularly, since the Bakuran princess's high sensitivity to other's emotions made it difficult for her to forget about someone else's pain for very long, as other well-meaning people often did. She found the quiet brunette in a typical position: lying on her bed, staring at the clouds painted on her ceiling. She was wearing a blue sweatshirt with the hood drawn tightly around her face, and softly tapping a jive rhythm on her chin with a baby's rattle.

"Did you go out?" Annika asked, eyeing a new pile of stuff, including a bunch of books, a blanket, some clothes, and a wooden box next to Chikako's bed.

"Yeah," she said, reaching over the side of her bed into the new pile. "I found something for you." She pulled out a small plush rabbit and tossed it at Annika.

"Where did you get it?" Annika asked, looking at the rabbit. Chikako didn't answer, and after a silent moment, resumed her jazzy percussion with the rattle. Annika walked over and lied down on the bed next to her, and joined in watching the static clouds hang in the blue-paint sky.

"Bei mir bist du schon," Annika started singing softly with the rhythm Chikako played. "Please let me explain," she continued, making her stuffed rabbit dance on her stomach, "Bei mir bist du schone means that you're grand. I could say 'Bella, bella!' Even say, 'Wunderbar!' Each language only helps me tell you how grand you are!"

She puckered her lips to imitate the horns in the brass interlude, while the little rabbit cut a mean rug on the front of her pink cardigan. Finally, she felt the girl next to her shake slightly with a silent giggle and silence the rattle. "Annika, you're so silly."

Annika turned her head and looked at Chikako. "You're laughing and crying at the same time," she told her.

Chikako sniffed, trying not to blink so the tears would dry up. "Don't tell me you've never been there," she said. "Where's Aiko-hime?"

Annika couldn't help but grin at the blatant subject change. "She spent the night in Hisako's room last night. Last time I saw her she was in the kitchen helping Kirana help Peetie help Yoshiko make instant pudding."

"Oh, good. She's learning how to cook from someone who eats only Jell-O cups and Pepsi when left to her own devices."

"She tried to help Nom with a souffle last night."

"I'm sure that went over well," Chikako snickered.

"Yeah. I think Nom almost laughed when she asked if she could help. She did let her set the table though."

"Good for her." They stared at the cloudy ceiling, each girl just thinking to herself for a minute. Chikako suddenly flipped onto her side and propped her head up on her arm. "I went to Kalei's apartment," she said.

"Today?" Annika looked curiously at her, also turning onto her side.

"Yeah. That's where I found your rabbit."

"Kalei had a stuffed rabbit?"

"Yeah," Chikako nodded, gazing at the toy in Annika's left hand. "He also had this rattle, a cradle, a yellow baby blanket, and about twenty picture books from the public library."

Annika stuck her bottom lip out a little as she thought that over. "Why?" she finally said, wrinkling her eyebrows.

Chikako shrugged and flopped back onto her back. "I don't know... he babysat a lot... I don't know! Oh, Annika! He babysat! How could I kill a babysitter?" She folded her arms across her chest and crinkled her face, trying to hold back more tears.

Annika reached over and squeezed one of Chikako's hands. "Just cry, Hanako," she sighed.

Nom still had the lightsaber she'd taken from Cyrus after he'd suffered Sailor Myrkr's "Myrkr Jedi Revolution" attack. She was intrigued by its change from gold-colored – before the attack – to silver afterwards. That wasn't the end of the story, though.

The first few times Nom turned on the lightsaber, the blade was pure white, not even a sheen of any other color, including its former gold. By the next day, though, the bright saber seemed to cast more of a creamier hue than it did a bright silver one. At first, Nom wondered if she simply hadn't looked closely at the color before, but as the days passed, it became clear that the change was not simply in Nom's perception. Soon, the lightsaber was a pale, lemon yellow – no one could mistake it for white.

Nom was fascinated and perplexed by Cyrus's mysterious weapon. One of the first things she did when she got up that morning was ignite the lightsaber, and her findings were exactly in accordance with her predictions. By now, the lightsaber was the color of butter.

Since the saber's change to silver had come with Chikako's use of her new attack, Nom suspected a relation between the two. She also wondered how Cyrus's own response to the attack had evolved. "It is unfortunate that he escaped," she muttered to herself as she flipped off the saber and attached it to her belt. "I can only hope," she said as she left her room, "that Chikako has not been dwelling solely on the irrational actions of that male Padawan and will be ready to offer some insight into the problem still at hand."

In the kitchen, Yuki used the Force to guide a plate of homemade chocolate chunk cookies from the top cupboard shelf into her hand. "Has anyone seen Chikako today?" she asked over cheers as she brought the plate over to a table of waiting senshi.

"I was just up there," Annika said, pulling apart a loaf of bread Priire had just brought home from a nearby bakery. "She's doing okay."

"Good," Yuki said, thoughtfully munching a cookie.

"Are you going to share that, Annika?" Priire asked.

In response, Annika playfully threw a chunk of bread at Priire's nose.

"Hey," Minae suddenly turned to Priire, "did you get anything else at that bakery?"

"Cinnamon rolls."

Minae almost knocked her chair over when she jumped up to go find them. "Bring me one!" Kairiku shouted with her mouth full of cookie.

"She went to Kalei's apartment today," Annika said, "sharing" more bread with Priire.

Yuki stopped chewing. "Chikako did?"

"Yeah." Annika laughed as Priire returned the first chunk of bread and it bounced of her forehead and plopped into her tea. "Okay, now you have to get me another cup!" She tossed another piece over the table.

"Ack!" Priire squaked. "Fine, I'll get you more tea, but only if you stop throwing bread!"

"Okay," Annika relented, tossing the bread into her mouth instead. "Yeah, and she found a baby cradle there," she said to Yuki. She sighed. "I just love babies!"

Yuki's eyes moved straight over to Kairiku, who had a bite of cinnamon roll stopped halfway to her mouth. She slowly lowered her fork. "What do we do?" she asked below the other senshi's chatter and occasional squeals.

Yuki shook her head, indicating that she didn't know. Both girls stood and left the kitchen.

"There's no reason to panic," Yuki said. "I'm sure Chikako isn't jumping to any wild conclusions about the baby cradle; she's probably just surprised and confused."

"I'm sure you're right," Kairiku said. "But I think we should tell her about Rory anyway. I heard Xanthus and Maiko's conversation that night, and Maiko wanted to tell Chikako. That's what she was on her way to do, in fact. It was Xanthus that held her back and changed her mind. And now Rory is safe, and Xanthus is... gone, so I think we should tell her. She has a right to know."

"I kind of hate to put Xanthus in such a bad light right after his death."

"I don't mind so much," Kairiku said.

Yuki smiled and shook her head. "Okay. Let's tell Chikako – oh, but Kairi-chan! Knowing that about Maiko is going to make everything else hurt even more! Maybe we should wait."

"She may as well get it all over with at once," Nom said, suddenly appearing behind them.

"Hey, Nom," Yuki and Kairiku said in unison.

"Hello. Knowing what about Maiko will make everything else hurt more?"

Kairiku shrugged. "It's kind of a long story."

"How long?"

"Maiko had a baby."

"That was not a long story."

"Xanthus's baby," Yuki added.

Nom raised an eyebrow. "I see. I do recall warning Chikako about that male. However, I still do not consider that a particularly long story."

"Well?" Kairiku said a few moments later. She, Nom, and Yuki had reached Chikako's room and were standing outside the door.

"I say we go in and see what happens," Yuki said. "I think we'll know what to say, if anything. But maybe we should get Coru, just in case."

Kairiku nodded and was off. "I'll go find her!"

Nom slid the door open. "Hello, Chikako."

Chikako, still bundled up in a blue hooded sweatshirt, was kneeling on her bed. She'd just opened the wooden box, removed the baton, and was holding the pink ribbon. "Hi Nom," she said, setting it down. "Hey Yuki."

"How are you doing?" Yuki asked.

"Okay."

"Annika said you went to Kalei's apartment?"

"Yeah," Chikako said, "and it's a good thing, too. He had a lot of library books out." She laughed dryly. "Though I guess it wouldn't matter if they fined him, since he's dead."

"Yeah, I guess not," Yuki winced slightly. She sat down on the edge of the bed. "Though... if he's Aiko-hime's father... Shouldn't she have disappeared if he was dead?"

"You would think."

"An interesting point," Nom said. "Lys and Lysthea disappear whenever Annika dies. Perhaps you did not actually kill Kalei."

"Yeah, I just put a lightsaber through his heart," Chikako said. "Don't you think that's a little illogical, Nom?"

"Improbable, but not illogical," Nom said, walking over to the bed but remaining on her feet. "And sarcasm does not become you."

"I'm sorry," Chikako said. "But I was there – I mean, he was sitting on me! I know he died! Don't you guys think it would solve a lot of mysteries if maybe he's just not Aiko's father?"

"Yes, that would explain the fact that she is still here. However, it would contradict what she herself has said."

"Maybe she's wrong," Chikako said. "Or lying."

"Maybe," Yuki said. "But I think that'd be more popular theory if you actually believed it."

Chikako looked down at her hands, and started fiddling with the pink ribbon she'd set down when they'd arrived.

"Chikako, may ask you some questions on another topic?" Nom asked.

"Please."

"Was Tuesday the first time you used your Jedi Revolution attack?"

"Yes," Chikako said, twirling the ends of the pink bow around her finger. "I just got it when Sailor Chibi Myrkr gave me my sixth flower petal. Right after I got my power back. Right after I killed Kalei in a goldfish pond."

Yuki picked up the green baton and started examining it.

"How does the attack work? What did it do to Cyrus?" Nom asked.

"It... Well, I held my lightsaber up to the sky, said 'Myrkr Jedi Revolution,' and then there was sparkly purple fog everywhere. I swung my lightsaber in an arc around me, and this silver circle appeared. When I pointed my lightsaber at Cyrus, the circle closed in on him, and all the fog went into him, too. He screamed and fell down."

"You do not know what it did to him?"

"I have no idea. When he woke up, he seemed really confused. He knew I was his cousin, but that was about it. When I told him not to go anywhere, he kind of considered it... but then changed his mind and left."

"Did he seem angry or vengeful?" Nom asked.

"No, he didn't seem anything."

"Is it possible the attack purified or redeemed him, similar to Eternal Sailors Bakura and Asteroid's 'Follow Your Heart' attack?"

Chikako hesitated, pulling slightly on the pink ribbons and loosening the knot. "I don't think I would have an attack as powerful as Eternal Sailors Bakura and Asteroid's joint attack. But, maybe it did something kind of like that."

"I still have Cyrus's lightsaber," Nom said. "When I first picked it up, the blade was white." She removed the weapon from her belt and turned it on for Chikako to see. "Obviously, it is white no longer."

"It's turning gold again!" Chikako exclaimed. "Why?"

"That is what I am trying to determine."

"I wonder," Yuki mumbled, staring at the maize colored lightsaber. "For Emi to be redeemed by Bakura and Asteroid's attack, she had to want to be. Maybe your attack works the same way, and..."

Chikako, without thinking, had started chewing on the end of the pink ribbon. "And?"

"And maybe Cyrus didn't want to change," Yuki said, "so he's turning back to normal, just like his lightsaber."

Chikako frowned. "What good is a redemption that doesn't work?"

"You have said that Cyrus is from ancient Myrkr, like you are," Nom said. "That means he has been determined to destroy you for a very long time."

"Maybe what would purify a normal person wouldn't work on someone who's been set in their ways for thousands of years," Yuki said.

"But if you guys are right," Chikako said, looking at the lightsaber, "he's not totally evil again, yet. Maybe we can do something to stop the process." She groaned. "Oh, I wish I hadn't let him go!"

Yuki was nodding. "We can find him again! Maybe he'll listen to us if we get there soon enough."

Nom turned off the lightsaber. "If it will prevent him from doing more evil, I am willing to help."

"We should start right away. Let's get Priire and Annika to help us, just in case," Chikako said. "At least we know what their attack does."

Just then, Ippin and Kairiku burst into the room. "Hey," Kairiku said. "What's up?"

Chikako, almost bordering on enthusiasm for the first time that week, now had the pink bow looped over her finger and was spinning it. "We're going to find Cyrus!" she announced.

"Okay," Ippin said. She eyed the pile of children's books next to Chikako's bed and exchanged looks with Kairiku, who had also been looking at it. "Excuse us," Ippin said, and pulled Kairiku out of the room. Yuki got up and followed them out. Chikako, watching them curiously, didn't notice the bow she was twirling slowly unraveling, and finally untying itself.

She held up her hand. The tightly knotted ribbon now hung in a loose twist over her finger. The wide pink strip had been tied around a tiny trinket, and the trinket's weight pulled out the remainder of the knot as it slipped down the ribbon and landed on the bed. Chikako dropped the ribbon and picked up the object that had been hidden within the thick knot. It was a small silver ring, nearly identical to the one she wore on her necklace.

Immediately, she unclasped her silver chain and removed her ring. Nom watched with slight interest, mostly because of the expression of amazement on Chikako's face, as she compared the two rings. Hers was several sizes smaller than the new one, which almost fit her pinky finger. But they definitely belonged together.

"When Aiko first arrived," Chikako said through a catch in her throat, "she told us she was the Princess of Myrkr."

Nom didn't reply and Chikako didn't continue for a second. She slowly slipped her own ring back onto the silver chain. "I – I'm not royalty," she finally said.

"Assuming you will not be elected Queen in the future," Nom said after a short pause, "that would mean Aiko's father will be heir to the throne of Myrkr."

"Myrkr's not a monarchy," Chikako said. Nom didn't answer. Chikako carefully threaded the new ring onto her necklace. She continued haltingly. "But it used to be. In the ancient kingdom, I was betrothed to the Prince of Myrkr. And we argued constantly." She lifted her necklace and refastened it around her neck, both rings now displayed between her subtle collarbones. "There aren't very many people I argue with constantly," she added.

"I can think of one," Nom said, a shade above a rough whisper.

"Me too." Chikako smoothed out the pink ribbon, making sure it wasn't keeping any more secrets.

Meanwhile, Yuki, Kairiku, and Ippin were coming to an agreement. "Cyrus knows about Rory," Ippin said. "If Chikako finds him, he might tell her. We have no idea what he'll do; we have to be ready."

"So you think we should tell her now," Kairiku said.

"Yes," Ippin said. "It'll be better to hear it from us than from him."

"The sooner we find Cyrus, the better off we are," Yuki said. "So let's tell her now."

"Maybe Nom would like to get started with finding Cyrus. She could get with Annika, Priire, and the other senshi, and they could see if the Jedi Council – or anyone – knows where he's been staying," Ippin suggested.

"Right," Kairiku said, opening the door. They found Chikako with one hand at her neckline, and the other caressing a pink ribbon. There was one tear caught above the slight bulge of her cheek. Nom stood silently nearby. Her black eyes turned slowly from the girl kneeling on the bed to the three standing at the door.

The message Maiko found when she got home from rehearsal was only three words long: "Xanthus is dead." She immediately replied with three words of her own.

"Where are you?"

"Coruscant. Temple."

Maiko didn't hesitate with her response. "I'm coming."

When a responding message didn't come right away, she got up and packed a few things while she waited for Chikako to acknowledge her plan. Not that her response would change it any: Maiko would go to Coruscant whether Chikako approved or not. She'd turned cold inside the moment she'd heard those three words, Xanthus is dead. She knew she had more reasons than one to be on Coruscant after Xanthus's death.

She'd waited twenty minutes and was about to walk out the door when her messenger beeped, informing her of a new message. This time it was only one word: "Okay."

Chikako stared at the screen of her small messenger device, examining the intricacies of every symbol in the written phrase "See you soon." Any healing that had happened since the awful events earlier that week had just been undone. She'd been fairly sure things couldn't get a whole lot worse, but her last conversation with Yuki, Ippin, and Kairiku had changed her mind.

"How do you feel?" Yuki asked, putting a hand on he arm. Chikako hadn't cried yet, but she had thrown up twice.

"Kinda sick again," Chikako said, still staring at the messenger in her hand. "I guess I should've known she'd want to come, but for some reason I didn't expect it." It had actually been her idea to contact Maiko; she thought she should know of her baby's father's death, but now Chikako was regretting it.

"She thinks Rory's still here," Kairiku explained.

"But then again, I guess I don't know Maiko as well as I thought I did," Chikako said, not acknowledging Kairiku's statement. She finally tore her eyes away from the text on her messenger. Unfortunately, they fell on the green ring she wore on her left hand. It was Xanthus's engagement ring.

"Excuse me," she said, upsetting the other three girls' positions as she pushed herself over the bed and ran into the bathroom.

"Poor Chika-chan," Ippin sighed, reclining where Chikako had just been sitting. Kairiku, realizing Chikako's bed couldn't be that lumpy, pulled back the bedspread to see what she'd been sitting on. She picked up the baby rattle and groaned. She shoved it under the yellow blanket on the floor.

"I guess Nom was right," Chikako said as she returned. She hadn't removed the ring.

"About what?" Yuki asked as Ippin sat up to make room for Chikako.

Chikako curled up into a little ball in that spot. "Right before we went to Myrkr, she grabbed my arm and said 'he does not love you.' And then on Myrkr, Xanthus told me he did. Stupid me didn't know who to believe, but of course that would be the trip where he and Maiko... yeah. I guess it's obvious how much he loved me.

"But... I think he loved me eventually," she added, not sounding very certain. Kairiku gently combed her fingers through Chikako's short hair until tears once again started falling from her often washed blue eyes.

Elsewhere in the Room Behind the Waterfall, Mika squinted at the screen as she scrolled through pages and pages of information on the datapad. "Here it is!" she said suddenly. Minae and Chouko appeared instantly, looking over her shoulders.

"205715 O'Trilobi Corridor, Genki-Denki Complex, Northwest Gamma District," Minae read.

"That's not too far from here," Kirana said from behind another computer after typing in the address. "I'm downloading the directions to the databank on my communicator."

"Fine," Nom said. "We will go there now."

"Wait," Priire said, rushing into the room. "I found something! According to Atmospheric Traffic Surveillance," she looked down at the notes she'd scribbled on the back of a Tour Dantooine! flyer during her conversation with the ATS officer, "Cyrus left the planet at 7:19 this morning on a Corellian vessel bound for Yavin IV. Does that help?"

Mika, who had stood up to go to his apartment, slumped back into her chair. "What should we do?" she asked.

"Let's go to his apartment anyway," Chouko said. "Maybe there'll be some kind of clue about why he went."

Without warning, Nom ignited her adopted lightsaber. Kirana, who was closest to the business end, yelped and nearly fell out of her chair. "What color is this weapon?" Nom asked.

"Yellow, gold kinda," Priire said.

"Then we are out of time," Nom said, returning the lightsaber to her belt. "Or nearly so."

"Either way, we won't catch Cyrus in time to change his mind about being evil, if he's already decided," Priire said.

"Right," Nom said. "Chouko's plan is satisfactory. Who will come to Cyrus's apartment with me?"

"I'll go," Kirana said, standing up and pocketing her communicator. "I have the directions."

"I'll go too," Chouko said.

"I'm going to stay and get the Dreamer ready in case we decide to go to Yavin IV," Priire said. "I'll be in the docking bay if you need me."

"Maiko's supposed to be here soon," Mika said. "I think I'll go with my sister to meet her at the landing pad."

"I... uh, well," Minae looked torn. "I guess I'll go with you guys," she said to Chouko, Kirana, and Nom.

That evening, the four senshi who'd scouted out Cyrus's apartment in the northwest end of the Gamma District found Priire in the docking bay. "Find anything?" the blonde pilot asked, flipping her braids as she turned to face them. Chouko handed her an envelope.

"Chikako?" Priire read the addressee aloud. She removed the letter. It was a blank, white piece of paper containing a short list printed in black block letters. "What's this supposed to mean?" she asked. "Naboo, Kashyyyk, Yavin IV? Is it like a... travel itinerary or something?"

"We don't know," Minae said, looking at her companions. "It's practically the only thing that was in his apartment. But we do have some thoughts."

"Look at the date," Kirana said. "Not long after this was written, Chouko and I went to Naboo with Chikako, Annika, and Yuki. Chikako found her fifth flower petal there."

"And I went to Kashyyyk with Mori and Aiko," Nom said.

"Just last week, right?" Priire asked.

"Yes. And that is where Aiko found the sixth flower petal."

"So you think..."

"It is conceivable that the seventh flower petal is on Yavin IV," Nom said.

"And if Cyrus thinks the same way we do," Minae said, "that explains why he left for Yavin IV today."

"Especially if he's still out to get Chikako," Chouko added.

"Yeah," Priire said, looking again at Chikako's name on the envelope. "I wonder who wrote this letter?"

"Maybe she would know," Kirana said.

"Then ask her," Priire said, handing the letter back to Chouko. "Yuki, Coru and Kairi-chan are still with her; they might have some ideas too." She glanced at the Black Fire Dreamer. "I'm ready to go when you are."

Just then, Mika flew into the docking bay. "Mai-mai's here," she reported. "Annika's taking her to Chikako's room right now."

"I'll go catch up with her," Chouko said, taking the letter and leaving. She glanced over her shoulder at the group by the Dreamer. "I'll be back!"

She was almost out of breath when she finally caught up with Annika and Maiko. They'd nearly reached Chikako's room. The pair was quite a contrast from the back: the light-haired Princess had her long hair wound up in typical odango, and was wearing a pale pink shirt with long sleeves, a loose linen skirt that hung softly around her knees, and fluffy slippers. Maiko's long black hair hung loose to her waist; she was wearing a sleeveless, bright yellow t-shirt, silky dark gray pants, and she had a dark red sweatshirt tied around her hips. She was the first to turn around to see who was panting behind them.

"Hi, I'm Chouko," she said, flipping her braid over her shoulder and extending her hand.

"Nice to meet you," Maiko said feebly, switching her small travel bag to her left hand and cautiously taking Chouko's. "I'm Maiko."

"Hey Chouko," Annika said.

"Hey," Chouko said. "I have to talk to Chikako really quick, is that okay?"

"Sure," Annika said. She motioned to Chikako's door, coming up on the left.

Chouko stepped timidly into Chikako's room, letting her eyes adjust to the dimmer lighting. "Hi," she said when she could finally make out Yuki, Ippin, Kairiku, and Chikako on the bed. "Quick question for you, Chikako."

"Okay."

"Do you recognize this handwriting?" She showed her the text of the letter.

Chikako nodded as she looked closely at the neat block letters. If the writer had been more rushed, it would've looked just a grocery list she'd cried over. "Kalei wrote that."

"Really?" Chouko raised an eyebrow. "Okay. Thanks!" She let Annika in as she left.

"Maiko is here," Annika announced. Yuki, Kairiku, and Ippin got to their feet. "Please, Chikako. She is terrified, and sorry..."

"Are you telling me to be merciful?" Chikako asked, playing with the rings on her fingers.

"I guess so," Annika admitted. The other three girls let themselves out.

Chikako blinked, as if she'd suddenly remembered something, and looked up at Annika. "Can you please ask Maiko to wait outside a minute? I'll open the door for her when I'm ready. I just need a second."

"Sure," Annika said. She stepped outside without another word and closed the door behind her.

As soon as she was gone, Chikako began cleaning off her nightstand. After removing all of the clutter that had built up since before Aiko had arrived, she finally came out with a folded piece of paper with her name on it. Inside was a short note written in Lily's loopy scrawl:

"I don't think I mentioned," Chikako said flatly, sitting down on the edge of her bed as Maiko appeared silently in the doorway a moment later, "Kalei is dead too."

Maiko dropped her bag and her hands flew over her mouth. "He can't be!" she cried, suddenly in hysterics.

"Oh, trust me, he is. I killed him myself."

"What?" Maiko wailed, collapsing to her knees as sobs wracked her thin shoulders. "Chikako!" she bawled, stumbling back to her feet just enough to move across the room, where she deposited herself at Chikako's feet. "You can't be serious. What do you mean? Why would you –" Maiko looked up into her dully calm face and realized Chikako was completely serious. She also knew exactly why Maiko was so hysteric over the news of Kalei's death. "Where's Rory?" she appealed between a heavy sob and a gasp for air.

The dullness in Chikako's face melted a little. She looked into Maiko's wildly frightened eyes. "He's fine," she whispered. "And very safe." She offered her hand, and Maiko, trembling uncontrollably, took it. She gingerly laid her head on Chikako's knee. Chikako appeased her by lightly stroking her long, dark hair while she wept. "Ippin will explain everything when you feel up to it," she murmured.

"Ippin?"

"She sent him to a less interesting time," Chikako said, knowing that wouldn't make any sense to Maiko. Chikako herself didn't know exactly where Rory had been sent. "At least, one where he's not so likely to be purged."

"I don't understand."

"I know."

"I'm so sorry, Chikako," Maiko lamented shakily.

Chikako said nothing, continuing to run her fingers through Maiko's hair.

"I was going to tell you everything –"

"I know, Maiko," she softly cut her off. "Just be quiet."

Annika, Yuki, Ippin, and Kairiku walked back to the docking bay with Chouko. "We should leave as soon as possible," Nom said when they arrived.

"To Yavin IV?" Kairiku asked. She, Yuki, and Ippin had received a quick debriefing on the afternoon's discoveries on the way there, but still had a lot of questions.

"Yes," Priire said. "We need to catch up to him before he finds Chikako's last flower petal and destroys it, or uses more of his nasty magic on it, or whatever it is he thinks he's doing."

"But Xanthus's funeral is tonight," Yuki said.

Nom raised both eyebrows, wrinkling her forehead. "You propose we postpone finding Cyrus in order to attend the death ceremony of an unfaithful male? That is preposterous."

"I think Chikako needs to go," Annika said softly.

Kairiku nodded. "Closure is... probably a good thing."

"But... is it worth giving Cyrus an advantage? This is for Chikako's sake," Priire said.

"We can't force her to go to Yavin IV with us," Mika pointed out. "And it does no good to go without her."

"Why not?" Nom asked.

"Cyrus is after her," Annika said. "The petal is hers. Like you just said, Priire, this is all about her. She has to be there when we challenge him."

"She may be more emotionally ready for this after the funeral," Yuki said. "And it only puts us back a few hours. It's worth waiting, I think."

"Fine," Nom said after a minute. "I accept your point of view, though with reservations. We will wait."

"But the second that funeral is over," Priire said, pointing at the group, "we are out of here!"

Aiko watched in dreadful awe as the flames covered Xanthus's body and reached up into the darkness of the garden where the funeral was being held. She had pulled Chouko's hand over her eyes, but was still peeking between her fingers in spite of herself. This was her first funeral.

Chikako wrapped herself tighter in her borrowed blue sweatshirt and watched as Aiko squinted through Chouko's fingers, her face strangely pale in the light of the fire and wearing a look of wondrous horror. She'd worried that a Jedi funeral would be too much for the little girl, but didn't think it was much good sheltering a Sailor-Jedi-in-training from the harsher points of life. Hurt was real.

Maiko suddenly collapsed next to her, falling into Ben's quick arms as both he and Koumi raced to catch her almost before she fell. Yuki quickly revived her using a little Force healing.

Chikako reluctantly wrapped her arm around Maiko's tiny waist, offering a little support to the girl she couldn't help but think of as her boyfriend's mistress. Maiko laid her head on her shoulder, her tears racing each other down to her delicate chin. Chikako, who hadn't shed a single tear since Maiko's arrival, almost smiled bitterly at the irony of the Deceased's fiancee and secret inamorata standing arm in arm at his funeral.

Of course, they'd been standing arm in arm long before "the Deceased" ever came along. But they hadn't been Fiancee and Secret Inamorata; they'd just been Chika-chan and Mai-Mai.

Chikako looked again at Aiko. Yeah, hurt was real. She finally returned her gaze to what had been Xanthus, now consumed entirely by unforgettably vivid whips of deep orange fire. Death was real, too.

Chikako closed her eyes, but the bright fire had burned into her retinas and still blinked across the back of her eyelids. Even after that faded, she knew the flames would be searing on the screen of her mind for a long time to come. With her eyes squeezed tight, with Maiko slumped against her and sobbing, with Aiko-hime unable to keep herself from watching and with her friends all around her, their faces hot and their hands cold, Chikako could do nothing but pray. She prayed for the faith, hope, and love Lily had told her to have. She prayed that she really was destined for joy.

And as she prayed, she remembered the words her future daughter Shinnen had spoken in the dark forests on Myrkr: "Many things will happen that you do not understand," the little strawberry blonde had said. "But when you do not understand, you must not doubt the promises."

"I am destined for joy," Chikako whispered, her eyes still closed. Maiko stirred a little.

Shinnen's twin sister, Mikomi, had delivered her message later, in Chikako's bedroom on Coruscant: "When everything is bad, I am a promise of a future bright and filled with peace."

"Bright and filled with peace," she mouthed, opening her eyes again. She looked at Aiko, who had finally turned away from Xanthus altogether and was clinging to Chouko's soft blue jeans. The little one raised her gaze till she met Chikako's blue eyes, shaded a little by the hood of Kalei's sweatshirt. She nodded slightly to her future daughter, and Aiko immediately ran to her. She buried her face in Chikako's skirt, hugging her legs so tightly she almost lost her balance.

"Don't cry, Aiko-hime," Chikako whispered, lightly rubbing her little girl's shoulders with the hand that wasn't already around Maiko's waist. "Our future is bright, and filled with peace." Her next words lingered on her lips a moment before she said them. "I promise."