Jedi Lessons

Whenever she could - which wasn't very often - Chikako attended classes at the Jedi Temple. She was far too old of course, being almost twenty, but certain exceptions were made for people with Destinies and that sort of thing, which included the Sailor Jedi. She loved the lectures and the workshops, and practiced what she learned all the time. After growing up on Myrkr, the realization that the Force existed at all was absolutely thrilling.

However, some of the more formally-trained Sailor Jedi, along with Kousotsu, wondered if perhaps Chikako's "training" was a little unbalanced, due to the Senshi's unpredictable schedule.

"What do you mean?" Chikako asked when they talked to her about it.

"Remember when we were in the market district the other day?" Suta asked.

Chikako did. The two of them, along with Koumi, Nom, and Annika, had been shopping for the ingredients they needed to make a fruit salad. They'd found the recipe in Zyta's cookbook, which had been a gag gift, of course.

"Where are we going to find Dathomirian sunfruit on Coruscant?" Annika wondered, looking out over the crowded square.

Suta waved it off. "Oh, they sell everything at this market."

"It is simply a matter of finding it," Nom said.

Chikako laughed. They all knew that the huge square they were standing in opened up into three more squares crowded with vendors, which then led to another set of squares, which led to another and another. And then there was the fact that they were on the top floor of the market; for all they knew, Dathomiran sunfruit was fifteen stories down.

"Let's go..." Suta spun around, ready to pick a random direction.

"This way," Nom said, pointing to the left. The other four shrugged and followed the warrior woman.

Two and a half standard hours later, they still had no luck. "Maybe we should go down a floor," Annika suggested. "This sun is killing me."

"Let's just check out this last square," Suta said.

Chikako stared helplessly at a vendor woman hauling a big tub of strawberries two rows over. "I'm hungry!" she lamented a bit overdramatically. Annika was slightly rubbing off on her by this point.

"I think I saw an ice cream stand," Suta said, turning around to look for it. When she turned back to her friends, Chikako was holding a handful of fresh strawberries. "Wha-?"

"Where did you get those?" Nom demanded.

"Mmm-mm-mm," Chikako said with her mouth full. She motioned with a flip of her short brown hair to the vendor woman two rows over.

"Chikako!" Suta exclaimed. "Those aren't yours!"

Chikako stopped chewing and blushed, but Annika took out a Republic credit and tossed it high into the air, and Chikako and she used the Force to guide the coin into the vendor's pocket.

"That'll more than cover it. Now give me one!" the princess said, taking a strawberry.

Nom sighed and started walking again. "Oh look," she said a second later. "Sunfruit!"

Now Chikako blushed again as she remembered the incident at the market. "Well, it just didn't occur to me..." she started to explain.

"That you weren't using the right side of the Force to get that fruit?" Ippin supplied.

Chikako looked horrified. "I hadn't looked at it that way!" she squeaked. "But we did pay for it." Koumi gave her a look only Koumi could give, and Chikako laughed in spite of herself. "Yeah, I suppose that was Annika." And then another thought occurred to her. "Am I going to be punished?"

"No," Kousotsu assured her. "We talked to Yoda, and -"

"What'd he say?"

"He SAID," Kousotsu continued, making it quite clear that she needn't be so jumpy, "that instead of going to regular classes at the Temple, you should be trained privately."

"With Obi-Wan?" Chikako suggested hopefully.

"No," Kousotsu laughed.

"Oh," she responded, only a little disappointed since she knew Obi-Wan was rather claimed. "Then who?"

Koumi smiled. Me!

A few mornings later, Chikako strolled through the Jedi Temple towards the practice room where she was to meet Sailor Senshi and Official Jedi Knight Pikapika Koumi. She couldn't help but wonder what these lessons might lead to. What if Chikako, even though she was already nineteen years old, could become a real Jedi? She could learn to lift things way bigger than strawberries, and maybe even learn mind-reading like Koumi. And, of course, she'd be the Dark Side's worst enemy. She forced herself to walk and not skip down the main hallway. How many Jedi came from Myrkr? Probably none. "I might even get my own lightsaber!" she said out loud - quietly, but still out loud. She giggled and continued along, unable to shake a picture of herself deflecting everything from blaster bolts to hockey pucks with a vibrant pink lightsaber.

Finally, she reached the practice room. The doors slid open and Chikako went inside. The room was carpeted in a peachy color and was empty except for a few stacks of books and Koumi, sitting cross-legged on the floor. "Hey Koumi-cha-... uh, Koumi-Sensei," she said cheerfully. Koumi smiled and stood up. "So... Where do we start?"

The dark-haired Jedi grinned weakly and pointed to the stacks of books from the Temple Library. She'd asked Yoda and some of the more experienced Jedi Masters for advice on how to "train" Chikako. Several had suggested, because of her situation, it might be a good idea to start with some history books and Jedi lore. Then they could get into more practical stuff: tuning into the Force, using it to lift up pencils and chairs and such, distinguishing plain nervousness from bona fide "bad feelings," and the difference between the Light Side and the Dark Side.

"But..." Chikako said, eyeing with some fear the pile of books, "when are we going to do the... other stuff?"

Soon, Koumi said through the Force. Chikako strained to hear her clearly. Which is why I want you to read all these books as soon as you can. Then we can move on to the fun stuff.

"When should I have them done by?"

Koumi squinted her bright blue eyes for half a moment of thought. A week? she suggested.

Chikako made a funny noise. "A week?" she repeated. The pink lightsaber in her daydream deactivated.

Koumi shrugged helplessly. We have a lot to do.

"Yeah. I know."

I'll teach you a few meditation exercises before we get started, okay?

Chikako stared at the books a minute longer. At first, she'd assumed they were there for lifting practice. She liked to read... but there were a whole lot of books there! "Okay," she finally said, as if she had much of a choice. "Let's go!"

Koumi smiled.

BEEP BEEP BRRRRRRIINNNGG!

Chikako opened her eyes. Her droid had taken it upon itself to be her alarm clock. RE-4b continued warbling and bumping into her bed until it was sure she wouldn't go back to sleep. Chikako pushed her blanket off. She blinked. Her desk lamp had been on all night. An open copy of The Jedi's Roll in the Early Galactic Republic lay where her pillow should have been. She had fallen asleep half way through Chapter Seventeen: "The Temple: Relocation and Restoration."

"This is the last book, Ari," she said, rubbing her eyes. "And I've got two hours left before this week is officially over."

The droid beeped its applause. Chikako resumed her reading.

A few hours later, Chikako slammed the book shut with a smile. She was finished. Just then, there was a knock at the door. It slid open, and Koumi came in with a cup of hot chocolate, which Chikako gratefully accepted. "I'm done reading!" she announced.

Koumi grinned and clapped her hands quietly. Meet me at noon in the practice room. We'll use the Force to take these books back to the library.

"Okay!" Chikako said.

Using the Force to drop a bowl on the head of a Senshi who pulled a particularly nasty prank on you.

"Um... that'd be revenge... Dark Side?"

Yes. How about using the Force to fool your enemy when you're in a life-threatening situation?

She remembered a story some Earthborn had told her about Ewoks and a floating droid. "Ohh... I think that's permissable..."

As long as you're not acting out of anger or anything impure.

"Right."

How about using the Force to steal fruit when you could easily pay for it?

"Dark Side," Chikako sighed.

Concentrate!

"Yes, Master."

Koumi suppressed a giggle, and then was serious again. You're almost there.

Chikako put all her energy into her task. She tried to let the Force flow through her, to let its strength fill her. Niji-chan started to look very uncomfortable.

Nom burst into the kitchen. "Chikako, what are you doing?"

"Huh?" She made the mistake of turning around to see who it was. Koumi frantically grabbed her arm and turned her back around, just in time to see a look of horror cross Niji-chan's face as the little girl, suspended five feet off the ground, started to fall. "Ahh!!" Chikako cried, trying to resume her broken concentration. With Koumi and Nom's help, they caught little Niji-chan about a foot up.

Try again, Koumi told her trainee.

Niji-chan looked worried. "Those cookies you promised better be very good," she said shyly.

"They will be," Chikako assured her and started lifting her higher.

Audra burst into the kitchen. "What -"

Koumi spun around and pressed her finger to her lips, just as Nom whispered, "Do not ask."

The three watched in silence as Chikako lifted Niji-chan six feet off the ground and set her safely on top of the refrigerator. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally!" Niji-chan exclaimed and started in on the cookie jar someone had put up there for safekeeping.

"I made those cookies," Nom realized.

"They are excellent!" Niji-chan assured her.

Nom nodded. "Thank you."

Chikako powered down the bright blue lightsaber. She took her blindfold off and handed the weapon back to Koumi. "I missed a lot," she complained, making sure the practice droid was turned off.

You improved a lot the last round. I think you're finally starting to depend on the Force.

"Then what was I doing wrong?" Chikako said. She sat down to nurse some sore spots on her arms.

Some of it might be your technique. Koumi switched the lightsaber on again. Her eyes reflected the glowing blade for a minute, and then she started demonstrating correct technique. Chikako picked up a dummy-saber and imitated her.

"Will I ever have my own lightsaber?" Chikako said breathlessly.

We'll talk about that after practice.

"Annika, pass the grape juice," Chikako said several hours later in the dining room-behind-the-waterfall. "I know I'm not quite ready, Koumi-Sensei, but - Chouko, Priire wants the salt. Thanks. But I was just wondering if it was a possibility ever in the - What Aisu-chan? Oh, I think we're having ice cream after dinner." Chikako started eating her mashed potatoes.

What? Koumi said through the Force a minute later.

"What?"

A possibility in th...?

"Oh. The future. A possibility in the future." A dinner roll floated past Chikako's head towards some Force user up the table.

Koumi thoughtfully bit a dinner roll. Maybe, she finally said. But I'll have to talk to someone on the Council. I don't think they want you to spend your time building a lightsaber when you already have other ways of defending yourself, as a Senshi.

"That's true. But maybe, someday in the future...?"

Koumi passed the salad from Chouko to Zyta. Maybe. But it would be better not to dwell on the future.

"But Master Yoda said I should be mindful of the future," Kumoko piped in with a distinctly British accent.

"But never at the expense of the present, young padawan," Zyta answered.

Right, Koumi agreed, wondering where on Coruscant that had come from. Chikako nodded confusedly and sipped her grape juice.

"Hiya Nom," Chikako said, returning to her room after a morning practice with Koumi. "Where are you going?"

"Ippin's birthday is coming," Nom said. "I will make her a salad. Therefore, I need to buy ingredients."

"You're making her a birthday salad?"

"Priire will make her a birthday cake, if that is why you look worried. But I am making the salad with the Dathomirian sunfruit. She said she loved it." Nom shrugged slightly.

"Yeah, that was good," Chikako said, relieved to hear that there would, indeed, be a birthday cake.

"Would you like to come to the market with me?"

"Umm... Sure! Why not?"

The extent of the Downtown Marketplace of Coruscant again dazzled the two girls, though only Chikako showed it. "I believe the sunfruit was over here..." Nom said, leading them to the north side of the top floor of the market. "Perhaps we should have asked Sutaru or someone who was with us before."

They passed a row of strawberry vendors. "I'm pretty sure it was over here somewhere," Chikako said.

"Ah, yes. Right here."

Chikako suddenly remembered, as she watched Nom pick up one fruit at a time and analyze it thoroughly, how meticulous she was when choosing produce. One salad called for a dozen sunfruits (they were small) and she would have to make several salads to feed all the Senshi. And Chikako knew that it would never do to try and assist Nom with so delicate an operation.

Chikako watched people walk by for a moment, then caught a glimpse of a vendor selling random antique junk a few tables away. She thought she saw a few picture frames among the clutter. "Nom," she said.

"Sir, were these fruits grown on Dathomir?"

"Hey, Nom?"

"And when were they brought to Coruscant?"

"Uh... Nom?"

"Perhaps the price should be a few credits lower. What Chikako?"

"I'm going to go look around over there, okay?"

"Fine," Nom glanced in the direction Chikako had motioned, then turned back to the vendor. "I will pay six Credits."

Chikako approached the table she had spotted with the "random antique junk." It mostly was junk, the kind of stuff you would find in an antique shop in a town that had nothing but antique shops. There was a mildly pretty picture frame, but it was a little too big for any picture Chikako had. Besides that, it was mostly rather ugly costume jewelry and old soft drink bottles with very high prices.

"Can I help you with anything?" the vendor asked after an older couple walked away without buying anything.

Chikako put down the fifteen-year-old Burger Monarch kid's meal toys she had picked up. "No," she said, already starting to back away. "I was just looking." She glanced up to give a quick, polite smile to the vendor and stopped backing away. She fought off a laugh. I always find the cutest street vendors! she thought. What is with that? This one had sandy blonde hair hanging in messy strands over his light brown eyes and a very nice smile. Chikako sighed and glanced at Nom. She was still debating with the fruit seller. Then she glanced at the surrounding vendors. They were all old, with many missing teeth, and most of them were selling fruit. "Well, actually," she said, "do you have any other picture frames?"

"Let's see," the boy said. He reached under the table and brought out a big, unorganized box of other random antique junk. "I really don't know what we have."

Okay, he clearly doesn't do this full time. Maybe he's giving his grandparents a day off? That's really nice of him! He has a cool accent, too... Chikako caught herself speculating and snapped back into reality. Relationships with street vendors never work out, she told herself. Relationships with street vendors never work -

"Here's one! - I think... no, I suppose this isn't exactly a picture frame, is it?" the boy said, examining an elaborate pill box. "It might work. What do you think?"

Chikako wasn't listening - something in the vendor's box of extra stuff had caught her eye. "Could that be...?" she mumbled.

"What?" the vendor looked up from the pill box. "Could what be what?"

"That!" Chikako pointed, leaning over the table.

"What, this?" the boy pulled a carved wooden blaster gun out of the box. "Are you looking for a carved wooden blaster?"

"No, that!" Chikako pointed again.

He pulled a dull silver cylinder out of the box. It was about eight inches long and carved with an ornate flower design. "Well no, this certainly isn't a picture frame either," the vendor said.

"Well, what is it?" Chikako laughed.

"I think it's a lightsaber."

Chikako tried her best not to squeal and jump a little bit. "What color is it? Does it work? How much, how much??"

The boy looked past Chikako at the crowd maneuver through narrow rows of produce. "I'd rather not turn it on right here, you know. Might cause a panic."

"Oh, you're right," Chikako sighed. "So...?"

"So what?"

"How much is it!?"

"Oh, you still want to know?" he asked. He turned the lightsaber over. "I wonder if there's not a price sticker on here somewhere. Ah, yes!" He peeled a little round circle off the butt of the handle and offered it to Chikako. "Twenty credits."

Her face fell a little. "That cheap? It must not work, then. Oh well!" she brightened and started pulling money out of her purse. "I'll take it anyway!"

"Are you a Jedi?" the vendor asked as he wrapped up her purchase.

"Sort of," Chikako said.

"Sort of," he chuckled. "Well, good luck with it," the boy grinned as he handed her the small package. "And may the Force be with you."

Nom, thankfully, didn't ask about Chikako's package. As soon as they got back to the Temple, Chikako booked it to her room and locked the door. After checking under her bed and peeking through the strings of flower-shaped beads she'd hung over the closet door - you can never be too careful, she thought - she unwrapped the package. Re-4b beeped curiously at her behavior.

"Master Windu's concern, I think, was with me using training time to build a lightsaber," she told the droid. "I don't think he or Koumi-chan - er, Sensei - would care if I just bought one. Anyway, I won't use it - until they say I can, anyway." She glanced at the droid. "I don't see why you care, anyway, Ari!"

Ari beeped and sputtered a little but Chikako ignored him. She finally got the lightsaber unwrapped and flicked on her lamp by her bed to get a closer look at the handle. It was beautiful. The metal - she wasn't sure what it was - was the color of sterling silver, and detailed flower carvings covered the entire handle. A few of the flowers had tiny, dark purple stones set in their centers. "What Jedi did this belong to?" she mumbled, thinking of the history books she had sped through. Ari beeped the pattern she had come to recognize as "I don't know." The concept of rhetorical questions didn't seem to be part of his programming.

"Well," Chikako stood up and walked to the center of her room. "Let's see if she works!">

A knock came at the door.

Chikako gasped and threw the yet-untested saber into a desk drawer. She tossed the packaging papers into her trashcan and hit the button to open the door.

"Hi!" Kairiku grinned and stepped into her room.

"Hi, Kairi-chan," Chikako said, glancing around to check for any incriminating evidence. First, she wanted to see if the lightsaber worked, then, if she liked it, wanted to bounce the idea off Master Koumi. She would then talk to Master Yoda or someone like that. Then the lightsaber could become common knowledge.

Kairiku looked around the room, and then up at the ceiling, painted blue with white clouds. "I like your room, Chikako!" she said.

"Thanks!"

"How come nothing matches?"

"Nothing matches?" Chikako glanced at the bedspread (white with pale pink flowers), her pillowcase (purple with huge white roses), at the carpet (green with tiny violets), at the curtains (blue with white and yellow daisies), at the lampshade (magenta, cartoony flowers), and at the vase of big, orange tropical flowers on the nightstand. "It sort of matches," she said. "Maybe?"

"I like it anyway," she said.

"Me too."

"Good," Kairiku laughed. "Anyway, I was wondering if you happened to have my copy of Timeless Fables of the Gungan Culture?"

"Oh, is that yours?" Chikako said, scanning her bookshelf. "I was wondering where I got that. Come help me look."

Kairiku joined her, and found six other books she was missing, in addition to Timeless Fables.

"Sorry," Chikako said, blushing. "I don't know how I ended up with all of those!"

"It's okay," Kairiku sighed. "Oh, it's dinner time, by the way. Walk down with me!"

"Okay," Chikako said, and looked helplessly at the desk drawer where the lightsaber was hidden.

As soon as she finished eating, Chikako ran up to her room before anyone could pull her into a conversation or game or invite her anywhere. She locked the door again, checked under the bed and in the closet in case of spies, and pulled open the desk drawer.

“It’s still here!” she sang. Before any possibility of interruption, she picked up the weapon, stood in the middle of the room, and took a deep breath. She switched the lightsaber to ON.

“Joy and Strength to the Sailor Small!
Shout it from the Palace wall!
Let all within and outside hear,
The Sailor greets another year!”

Justen shook with laughter again. “Tell Mom it feels fabulous,” he prompted.

The Prince picked up the gift. “Let me show you,” he said. The onlookers stepped back a few feet, and the boy ignited the lightsaber. A vibrant purple blade extended before him, and made a deep, electric swoosh as he swung it up against the empty blue sky.

Chikako pulled her eyes away from the bright violet blade of the lightsaber and turned it off. The eerie purple light disappeared, leaving only the creamy glow of her bedside lamp. She realized with a start and a gasp that she’d forgotten about breathing. “How did I find you?” she said as she collapsed onto her bed. She set the lightsaber on her pillow, next to her face where she saw it blurry and gray. “How did you find me?”

Peetie jumped out from behind a large potted plant and landed in front of Chikako, who, naturally, stopped walking. “Where you goin’, chica?” he asked.

“Ko.”

“Huh?”

“My name is Chikako.”

“I know that...” Peetie looked slightly more puzzled than usual. “Oh!” he exclaimed. “I was calling you , not Chika. It means girl. It’s Spanish!” He looked exceedingly proud.

“Oh. Okay.” Normally she might have asked what Spanish was, but her mind was drawn to the lightsaber in her desk drawer, and she tried not to giggle. The image of its bright, dark purple blade was burned on her retina. But she pushed the nice electronic swooshing out of her mind. She couldn’t be distracted. She’d decided not to tell Koumi today. There was one more thing to do - just so she could answer some questions - and then she’d tell her.

“So?” Peetie pressed, as they started walking towards the hidden exit to the more public part of the Jedi Temple.

“So what?”

“Where are you going?”

“Oh, that. I’m going to meet with Koumi-Sensei.” The two emerged from a large waterfall and exited the huge Room of a Thousand Waterfalls.

“Oh, that’s right. You’re like her padawan or something, eh?”

Chikako laughed. “Not exactly, but... something like that, I guess.” They started along the main public hallway of the Temple, which was rather crowded with the usual diverse crowd of students, Jedi, and visitors. They turned right. “Hi Xarae!” Chikako called, spotting a young woman with long brown hair walking behind some Sullustan tourists.

“Hello!” Xarae smiled.

“I just remembered that I have to go that way,” Peetie said, turning around and going the other direction. “Wait up!” he called to a young centaur-like boy with a padawan braid, who’d clearly never seen him before.

“How are you?” Chikako asked after marveling briefly. They started walking again.

Xarae shrugged. “Fine, I guess. How are you?”

“Fine!”

“How are your lessons with Koumi going?”

“Fine!”

“Everything’s... fine?”

“Yep!” Chikako snuck a glance at Xarae. Yep, she thought, after seeing the look on Xarae’s face, she knows I’m hiding something!

“Nothing’s... new?”

“Nope!” Chikako said immediately. Koumi has to be the first to know, she told herself. She looked despairingly up at the ceiling, painfully aware of Xarae’s curious stare. How am I going to get out of this?

“Chikako!” Xarae said suddenly, “Watch where you -!”

Chikako looked back down just in time to see the bent form of a man, but not in time to avoid running into him. “Oh! My goodness, I’m so sorry!” she cried reflexively as Xarae caught her arm to keep her from falling. The bending man had barely been swayed, and he finished gathering the stack of small papers he’d dropped before drawing himself up to his full height.

“I’m so, so sorry!” she said again, more embarrassed than sorry, as no one had really been harmed by the incident.

“It’s fine,” the man said. He shuffled the small, multicolored papers and slipped them into a pocket in his robe. He was well over six feet; he had a long silver ponytail, streaked with bright gold; and the typical clothing of a Jedi Master. “It was my fault for being so careless and dropping my things. My name is Cyrus.” He gazed at her with big, bright green eyes and extended his hand.

“I’m Chikako,” she said, taking it. “And this is my friend, Xarae.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Cyrus said, not breaking eye contact with Chikako. “So you’re one of the Sailor Jedi.”

Was he supposed to know that? Chikako looked quickly around the busy hallway, and then at Xarae, who was frowning slightly. She turned back to Cyrus. He knew it, so she couldn’t very well deny being a Senshi. Still, she was hesitant to acknowledge the fact to a stranger.

“It’s okay,” Cyrus assured her. “I’m a Jedi who’s been around here a long time. After a while, one starts to notice those who aren’t exactly traditional Temple students.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Chikako said, almost wincing. Why hadn’t he pointed Xarae out as a Sailor Jedi? She felt a familiar tug on her mind, which she first thought was Koumi letting her know she was late, but then realized it was Xarae. “Well, I have to go,” she said to Cyrus, doing as Xarae said. “Bye!”

“Good-bye,” he said. “I’m sure I’ll see you around, Chikako.”

“That was weird,” Chikako whispered when she was sure Cyrus was out of earshot. “Not so much that he knew I was a Senshi, but that he announced it like that. That, and he barely acknowledged your presence.” She smiled a little. “And you’re way cuter than I am!”

Xarae allowed a smile to cross her face, too, but her blue eyes stayed serious. “Something was not right with him,” she said. “Almost... dark.”

Chikako frowned. “But I thought the Dark Side was hard to see?”

“I’ve had some practice,” Xarae said simply.

They stayed quiet until they reached the practice room where Koumi waited. “I’ll see you later, Xarae,” Chikako said.

Xarae nodded. “Enjoy your training,” she smiled. “And,” she added softly, “avoid that man if you can.”

Chikako promised she would and closed the door.

Practice didn’t last very long. Chikako locked her door as violently as she could and stood there for a second, making the transition from fighting the tears to letting them come, if they wanted to. When they’d done their thing, she changed into a pair of baggy cargo pants and pulled open her desk drawer. She removed the lightsaber, turned it on and then off to make sure it still worked, and buried it deep in a side cargo pocket. She went to a small mirror on the wall. It was framed with loopy wire flowers, with a dried rose and a few other real flowers ones stuck into the loops. She brushed her hair, made sure she didn’t look like she’d been crying, and left her room, heading towards the even more secret exit out of the Room Behind the Waterfall.

She used the main doors to leave the Temple itself (she nearly always got lost of she used any other ones) and didn’t even look twice at the boy at the Coruscant Times stand across the street. He was her steady secret crush, and usually the highlight of exiting the Temple.

She stared straight ahead as she walked, matching the pace of the street exactly but not paying attention to a single thing around her. You’re hiding something! Koumi has said only ten minutes into practice. She’d sensed it immediately but gave Chikako several chances to share. She didn’t take them.

“No, I’m not,” Chikako answered. Please, drop it! she silently begged.

I will not drop it! Koumi said, blue eyes getting a little fiery. Chikako kicked herself. Darn mind reading. What’s your secret? Koumi demanded.

“Nothing!” Chikako insisted. She was fully aware of what an awful liar she was, and vaguely wondering why she hadn’t thought of this before.

I’m gonna go get Yoda, Koumi threatened, walking towards the door. See through you he can!

“No! Koumi, please!”

Then tell me! she said. Chikako was silent. Koumi started to look vaguely like she would be willing to fight her over this, and Chikako felt her heart dropping into her stomach. It was most uncomfortable.

“I can’t tell you yet.”

Then come talk to me when you can, Koumi said and walked back to the door. We’re not going to get anything done like this. And she left.

Chikako turned red at the recent memory. Why had she been so determined not to tell Koumi? She turned a corner and saw the entrance to the big marketplace she’d come to with Nom the day before. Was it that important to come here first?

She touched her side pocket to make sure the lightsaber was still there and then began to suspect the real reason she’d been so reluctant to tell Koumi.

What if she tells me I can’t keep it?

She found her way back to the notorious Dathomirian sunfruit table and spotted the same too-big picture frame a few booths away. There was an old man at the antique stand who looked somewhat like he was in a trance. Chikako approached gingerly. “Excuse me,” she said. He didn’t move. “Excuse me!” she said a bit louder.

“Yes, yes, what can I do for you, ma’am?” He came to life in an instant, grinning with three gold teeth.

“I bought a lightsaber here yesterday, and I was wondering if you could tell me about it. Like, where you got it from, how long you’ve had it?”

“What was that you said you bought?”

“A lightsaber.”

“A what?” He leaned toward her, putting his hand behind his ear.

“A LIGHTSABER.”

The old man cocked his head. “A lightsaber? Don’t think I’ve ever had one of those...”

“Yes you have, I bought one here yesterday.”

“Couldn’t a been here. I remember everything I sell.”

“It was, though! It came from that box under the table.” The man shrugged and brought out the box, having considerably more trouble with it than the boy yesterday had had. Chikako noticed the wooden blaster and the pill box. “It was here!” she exclaimed again. “See, it was long, had flowers on it... oh, wait,” she reached into her pocket. “Ta-da! I bought this - here! - yesterday.”

The old man looked closely at the lightsaber handle. “No,” he said after a thoughtful minute, “don’t believe I’ve ever seen this before in my life.”

Chikako took her lightsaber back and suppressed the urge to throw her hands up into the air with frustration. “Here - I’ll just buy that... that pillbox there.”

“Two credits!” he grinned.

Chikako dished out the coins and sighed. He handed over the pillbox and she turned away. And then she turned back. “What about the boy?” she asked.

“What boy?”

“The one who was here yesterday, working.”

“Boy?”

“Yes, boy!” Chikako sighed. “There was a boy. He had brown eyes!”

The man curled his bottom lip over and thought.

“He sold me the lightsaber.” She put her palms on the table and leaned over. “Who works here when you don’t?”

“I work here everyday!” the man said.

“But WHAT ABOUT the BOY?”

“I don’t know any boy.”

“He was here yesterday,” Chikako nearly whined.

The man squinted. “Well... I don’t remember yesterday!”

“What?”

He was shocked. “I could tell you what I had for breakfast 32 years ago. I could tell you all about the day before yesterday. But yesterday... well, let’s see. I woke up. I went to bed. Well I’ll be if that’s not all I remember!”

Chikako bit her lip. “Hmm...” she said. “Well, thanks for the pillbox.”

“You’re mighty welcome, m’dear, mighty welcome.”

Dinner that night started out like a forty years sentence to a Kessel spice mine. Chikako tried not to take her eyes off her spinach - whose idea was spinach, anyway? Koumi, seated awkwardly across the table, looked in every direction but straight ahead. Chouko sat nearby, spreading her spinach around the plate and mumbling every so often about what a boring day she was having. Xarae sat silently next to her, slowly dipping a teabag into a cup of hot water, and Annika, next to her, sighed. "What's wrong, Annika?" Ippin asked without taking her eyes off Xarae's teabag ritual.

Annika sighed again. "I've just been feeling... not special lately."

Ippin looked up and her face shone with pure sympathy. "I know exactly how you feel!"

"Guess what!" Priire said energetically as she entered the room with a bit of jingling from some keys or loose credits in her pockets, or something. She laid her plate, two books, a small leather bag, a blue shopping bag, and a plastic baggie full of sugar cookies on the table. She squeezed a chair between Koumi and Ippin and sat down.

"What?" Chouko asked. Priire was apparently in a good mood... maybe she would cheer the rest of them up.

"I was in the bookstore today over by the Senate and..." She paused to flip her blonde braids over her shoulder and take a bite of dinner. "...I walked by the magazine racks and this magazine called Starship Builder caught my eye. It turned out to be kind of..." She took another bite. "...lame, but while I was looking at it I saw the newest issue of Bantha Beat, which I normally don't buy, of course, but they did another Senshi Sightings special." She took another bite.

Ippin's face had lit up. "I've got to be in it this time!" she said. "Give it to me!"

"Wait!" Priire said with her mouth full, putting a gloved hand over the shopping bag. "I wanna show everybody." Ippin rolled her eyes but waited until her sister had finished chewing. Priire grinned and slipped her hand into the blue bag. She pulled the magazine out and held it under the table, much to the other girls' frustration, until she found the page she wanted. "Here you go!" she said, holding the magazine wide open so everyone could see the layout.

"I am in it, I knew it!" Ippin squealed, hitting the table with her fist.

"Hey!" Xarae said as some hot water splashed out of her cup.

"Sorry!"

"Awww!" Annika sighed. "That is such a good picture of you two."

Priire smiled and looked at the picture again. It was a silhouette of her - or, Sailor Asteroid, rather - and Sailor Yavin, posed majestically against a red sunset. Chikako giggled and read the caption. "The Twin Terrors?"

"Yeah... well, it's a little better than that 'Groovy Guardians' thing they had last time. Oh, but wait!" She pulled the magazine under the table again and flipped to another page. "It's Annika!"

"Wow!" Chouko said. "You get a two page layout all to yourself?"

"Let me see that!" Annika grabbed the magazine.

Chouko leaned over her as she flipped through the special section. "I'm not in any pictures!" she lamented. "Who's unspecial now?"

"No, you're right here!" Annika said, pointing.

"That's my elbow."

"Oh, look," Ippin said, taking the magazine from Annika. "They interviewed people about us! One kid wrote, 'I met a Senshi once. She was pretty and saved me from getting killed by a bad guy.' Sounds authentic," Ippin muttered under a giggle.

"Read more!" Priire demanded.

"Okay, okay!" Ippin laughed. "This one says, 'I once saw two Senshi at a Burger Monarch. They defeated a bad lady and then signed autographs.'" Everybody laughed and pointed at Priire.

"What?" she cried.

"Look, there's even a picture of her with a little autographed Sailor Asteroid Burger Monarch action figure. She says you're her hero."

Everybody awwwww-ed at Priire, and she snatched the magazine away from her sister. "Oh, this one's about Chikako," she said. "'I met a Sailor Jedi one morning when I used to be in a gang. She hit me with pink flowers and stole my blaster.'"

"What makes you think that's ME?!" Chikako laughed.

Xarae had the magazine now. "Here's a section on what people think is the most important quality for a Sailor Jedi. Let's see... Justice, Love, Bravery, Goodness," she giggled softly, "Nice Legs made the top five! Strength, Loyalty, Honesty...

Chikako's eyes zipped back to the spinach. Chouko had grabbed the magazine now to search for another Sailor Chibi Dantooine reference, but Chikako was stuck on the last word Xarae had said - and she certainly wasn't very subtle about stressing it!

Okay, she thought. Even if they say I can't use the lightsaber... She sighed out loud. Even if they say I can't, I can't keep keeping secrets from Koumi. I'll never find the boy who sold it to me anyway... and if I do, he'll probably be just as clueless as that old man I talked to today. She looked at Koumi, who was looking over Priire's shoulder at the magazine. Okay, Chikako thought. I'm gonna tell her.

Koumi smiled. Good! Let's go to your room. She stood up, waved to the others, and left.

Chikako blushed. Darn mind reading.

"So I bought it from a boy with brown eyes and a funny accent. It had flowers on it, Koumi-chan!"

Flowers! Oh! Well, once the council hears that, there will be no problem! Koumi grinned.

"Koumi!" Chikako closed her bedroom door and turned on three of the random lamps she had sitting around the room.

Koumi sat on the floor. Chikako, I told you what Master Windu said - no lightsaber yet! And then you bought one anyway?

"Well... he said I couldn't make one," Chikako said, joining Koumi on the floor. "He said nothing about buying one!"

That's true, Koumi admitted. But still... I don't' know.

"But... it's my lightsaber, Koumi-Sensei."

Koumi raised an eyebrow. How do you mean?

Chikako told her what had happened when she first turned the lightsaber on, about the flashback she'd had. She also through in the disappearing antique vendor and the old man, just to add to the mystery of it all. On the same token, she was about to tell Koumi about the man she and Xarae had met, even though it had nothing to do with what they were talking about, but Koumi cut her off with a thought: Can I see the lightsaber?

"Yeah!" Chikako said, and stood up. She took the lightsaber from her desk - she kept it in the same drawer as the blaster she never ever used - and brought it to Koumi.

Koumi turned the handle over in her hand, looking at the flower design close, and then from arm's length. She twirled it a few times, almost as if she were trying one out in the store, and ignited it with a quick snap. Chikako watched her with a mixture of envy, and pride that this was her teacher. Koumi swung the blade through the air a bit. Well, at least it's a quality lightsaber, she finally said. Catch!

Chikako nearly panicked and jumped back when Koumi let go of the still ignited lightsaber, but she reached out with the Force just in time to catch it. By then, Koumi had drawn her own lightsaber, and the room was filled with a deep violet-blue tint.

"What are you doing?!" Chikako gasped.

We didn't practice today, Koumi said.

Chikako was speechless and stood there holding her lightsaber as far away from her as she could. "I'm - I'm not practicing with a real lightsaber!" she finally sputtered.

Yes, you are, Koumi said.

"I'm not ready for this."

Who's the Jedi Knight here? Koumi asked, demanding an answer by pointing at Chikako with her bright blue blade.

"You are," Chikako muttered. "But -"

Koumi gave her a look that basically said, "Shut your mouth or you will regret it," and assumed a standard dueling stance.

Chikako sighed helplessly and assumed the same stance. She straightened a little when she thought she heard Koumi say, Stop being such a baby!

"What?"

I didn't say anything.

"Of course you didn't! You thought it."

Koumi shrugged innocently.

"You did think it!" Chikako caught herself just before stomping her foot. "You just thought it quietly or something!"

Can one think quietly? Koumi wondered, pursing her lips together to avoid smiling.

"You can," Chikako pouted.

You need to relax. Don't be nervous or afraid or angry. You're not going to do this alone - it will be the Force moving through you. That's how the Light Side works - the battle is not fought with your emotions, or even your strength; it is fought by the strength and movement of the living Force through you. Koumi smiled a tiny smile of encouragement at her student. Take a deep breath. Now let's go!

The clash of lightsabers was not something Chikako often heard in her bedroom. It was strange to actually be using a real lightsaber, much less using it to duel another person with a real lightsaber. And then there was the fact that she was sparring with her friend - and still, the thing about all of this taking place in her bedroom.

RE-4b went a little wild during the sparring session. First, the little droid didn't know what to make of what was happening. Then he started spinning his top around wildly and squealing a lot. Then he looked like he wanted to intervene. At that point, Chikako called times and locked him in the bathroom. And then practice continued.

That's enough, Koumi finally said. Chikako switched off her lightsaber and flopped backwards onto her bed, gasping for air and looking rather exhausted. Koumi also turned her lightsaber off and put it back wherever she kept it. She shot an amused look at Chikako before sitting down on the floor again.

"Oh, my goodness, Koumi," Chikako said, still trying to catch her breath and not doing a very good job. "You went easy on me, didn't you?" She heard a banging sound and used the Force to unlock and open the bathroom door, hoping to avoid any unneeded dents. "I can't believe THAT was considered easy..."

Well, you're not quite a Jedi yet, Koumi said.

"Oh... really?" Chikako giggled, rolling over so she could face Koumi.

But, the black-haired girl said, your lightsaber technique has improved a lot in the last few weeks. And you handle that one - wherever it came from - very... naturally.

Chikako beamed. I told you it was mine! she thought.

Koumi giggled.

Ippin pushed some stray hairs out of her face. "So... tell me again - what am I doing here?"

"You're waiting with me!" Chikako said, grabbing Ippin's right arm as if she were afraid the redhead would leave.

"Ow!"

"Sorry." Chikako went to let go of Ippin's arm, but changed her mind and just loosened her grip. The two stood in silence outside the Jedi Council meeting where Koumi was speaking briefly with Masters Yoda, Mace Windu, and the others about Chikako's training.

Ippin had been innocently returning from the newsstand across the street when she ran into Chikako and Koumi on their way here. She then began to innocently tease Chikako: something along the lines of "guess who sold me this newspaper!" and a bit of harmless waving it about. The next thing she knew, she was standing outside the Jedi Council meeting with Chikako clinging to her arm.

"What if they don't let me keep my lightsaber?!" she suddenly exploded.

"Ouuuch!"

"Sorry. Again." The brunette smiled sheepishly.

The door behind them creaked open. Chikako squeaked, and Ippin whimpered in pain. "Here," she said, pulling her right arm away and turning around. "Switch arms."

"Okay," Chikako agreed. The door finally swung open all the way, and Koumi emerged. Ippin did her best to brace herself while the other girl squeezed her left arm now. "What did they say, Koumi-Sensei?"

Koumi didn't send out any indications through the Force of what the Council had said. She stood silently, her face expressionless and her blue eyes clear.

Chikako finally let go of Ippin and put her hands on her hips. "Koumi!" she pleaded.

Finally, a slightly roguish smile crossed Koumi's face. She produced the flowery lightsaber handle and sent it sailing through the air. A brief communication more subtle than Force-talk passed from one set of blue eyes to the other. Chikako made a joyful noise somewhere in between a laugh and a sob and caught the lightsaber. Ippin watched the exchange, grinned, and prepared herself for a very tight hug.