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The night of the Jedi Temple was filled with sounds from every world in the Republic. Most Jedi never heard the noises; they were asleep during the nocturnal hours. Priire followed their example with her body half-curled.
The pilot had spent most of her life sleeping in the very small bunks aboard ships. This taught her not to move when she was asleep. Otherwise... she'd fall off. That was embarrassing.
On the flight home to Coruscant, there hadn't been any crib to place Kleppa in, so Priire pressed her knees to the bulkhead and created a protective nest with her body for Kleppa to sleep in. Even since they arrived home, the pair slept like that. It seemed to be comforting to Kleppa to know that Priire was near. Since Priire had shoved her bed up against a wall, she could still keep the baby from falling off.
Unlike her older companion, Kleppa was not asleep. The baby's eyes glistened in the faint light from Priire's candles. She cooed softly, then closed her eyes as she felt the night wrap its arms around her and held her close.
~*~*~*~*~
"Hey, look! I'm a Larry-Go-Round!" Ciel dropped the plate she'd been holding and ran out of the room screaming. Priire didn't pay any attention to her; she was busy changing Kleppa's diaper and laughing.
" 'Their sheep had an unusual problem.' They tip over. Oh look. There goes one now."
The small asparagus on the holovid screen was busily employed in attempting to prop up all the sheep when Ippin walked in. The redhead picked up Ciel's plate and the cookies as the various vegetables on the screen burst into spontaneous song.
"What on the moons of Yavin are you watching??" Ippin asked, glaring at the holovid.
"It's called VeggiTales. This episode's Dave and the Giant Pickle," Priire explained, settling on the couch.
As Ippin collapsed on the couch next to her twin, the cucumber began singing again.
"That'd be too bad, I'd be so sad, I might call my dad. That's be too bad, I'd be sad... I love my lips!"
The redheaded time guardian had an incredulous look on her face. "Explain this to me..." She shook her head. "Never mind. Don't say anything. Please."
Priire laughed. "I think they're cute. And funny. Really funny."
"I had a question to ask you..." She tried to remember what it was. "Oh. Kousotsu wanted to know if you wanted to go to a movie tonight."
The blonde's face burst into an almost shy smile. Ippin shook her head.
"You're not going to sing... are you? Can't you just play a harp and I'll throw things at you?" a larger asparagus begged.
"But what'll I do with Kleppa?" Priire questioned. "I don't think I can just take her with us."
Almost as if she'd been waiting for the chance, Annika burst in. "Me! Me! Meeee!!! I'll watch her!" The girl would have taken Kleppa from Priire's arms, except that the odango atama tripped on the carpet and landed on her face. "Ouch."
Ippin glanced at the holovid. "It doesn't have any arms. How can it have boxing gloves?"
Priire was too busy trying to think of a way to tell Annika no without hurting her feelings. "Um... are you okay, Annika?"
The Princess gave her a thumbs-up. "I'm fine. Really."
Ippin giggled, sensing Priire's distress. I'll help her, the redhead told her twin through the Force.
This time Priire smiled more enthusiastically. "But... be careful with her, okay?" There was a deep concern in Priire's voice like Ippin had never heard before.
"We will, Aster," she assured the blonde. "We will."
"I laughed. I cried. It moved me, Bob!"
Ippin shot another glare at the holovid. "Turn that off!"
~*~*~*~*~
Priire rested her head on Kousotsu's shoulder as the pair drove around Coruscant. Before Priire could say something appropriately mushy - or "ten points if you hit the guy in the tacky shirt!" as the case may be - the comm beeped. She took a minute to glare at it before comming it on. "Priire here."
"Oh, dearie, I's so glad that I gots up with you!"
Kousotsu shot Priire a quizzical look. The lady I adopted Kleppa from, the blonde explained using the Force. Most of her attention was on the comm unit. "What's up?"
"It's Kleppa, honey. Her momma came by and she want her baby back!"
An almost panicked look came over Priire's face before she calmed down. "What can we do?"
"Well, dearie, legally she can't have Kleppa back... "
"I have a feeling there's a 'but' coming." The dread that Priire was emanating made Kousotsu take one hand off the wheel and wrap his arm around her. "What is it?"
There was a long pause. "Honey, her momma is the Hawkbat."
The pair exchanged incredulous looks. "How?" Priire's voice was now as cold as space and as hard as asteroids.
"Well," the woman sighed over the comm. "She comed in and she demanded her baby back."
Priire began putting things together. "Wait, the yellow-eyed woman? She came back?"
"Yes, honey."
"Then she revealed she was the Hawkbat?" Priire asked.
Kousotsu's crystal blue eyes widened. He jerked the wheel around, heading as fast as he could back to the Temple.
"Mistique," Priire growled, her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Don't touch my kid."
~*~*~*~*~
"I think she's getting bigger."
Ippin raised an eyebrow at Annika. "She's a baby. Babies grow."
"Yeah...but not like that." The princess pointed at Kleppa. "Look at her."
The baby had a look of studious concentration on her face. Whatever she was concentrating on was having an odd effect on her tiny body. Kleppa was aging years in mere minutes.
Emi, who had been playing with Niji and Melesse, stared at the growing girl. She's so familiar... the one-time Sith mused. The woman watched, surprised as the young child continued to grow.
Over near a pair of potted plants, Tanrei and Ame were coloring in some of the books Ippin had procured from Earth. Ame felt the ripple of Force surrounding Kleppa and frowned. "Just like... Kendra," the pink-haired girl whispered. Her feelings were seconded by Starr as the little kitten whined and buried herself between Ame's odango.
Kleppa had stopped growing at the apparent age of nine or so. Her blue, yellow-flecked eyes blinked.
"Um, Kleppa?" Annika questioned.
Ippin frowned. "Priire is going to kill us."
The young girl looked around and frowned. "There is Evil coming," she said quietly. Her voice had a soft, almost British accent. "Watch yourselves."
Just as she finished speaking, Priire walked in. "Hi everyone!"
The redhead giggled. "Hey, Aster. You're not going to believe..."
Kleppa turned her odd eyes on the blonde figure in the doorway. The little girl held out her hands, forming a heart with her fingers. Between her fingers, a crystal heart formed. For a moment, the heart stayed clear. Then it began to change. A ripple waved over its surface as if it couldn't decide what shape to be. "You are not who you say you are," Kleppa stated.
The girl who had appeared to be Priire frowned and shifted form.
"Mistique!"
"Vortex!"
Ippin and Annika transformed into their respective senshi forms and posed.
"I'm the senshi of love and peace! I don't know what you want, but you're not getting it!"
"I'm the beautiful and wise guardian of time! And your time has run out!"
Adding in her two cent, Emi transformed and stood in her completely silver suit. "I'm the Silver Sailor Seikatsu! The Silver Sailor redeemed by love! I won't let you ruin this place!"
The three were prepared to attack Sailor Sith Vortex when a new light gleamed from the middle of the room. Kleppa was holding in her hands a crystal heart. It looked like a puzzle... as if it had been shattered into a million pieces and glued back together perfectly. Kleppa held it above her head, and it grew as large as she was. The crystal suddenly shattered into a million pieces. Kleppa raised her arms and let the shattering crystal cover her.
As the crystal dust molded itself into an all-silver sailor suit, the child posed. "I am the Silver Sailor Chibi Ayameru! Child of the Night and Guardian of Broken Hearts!"
"And I thought we were in trouble before," Sailor Yavin groaned. "Priire's going to kill us."
A voice from the doorway seconded her opinion. "Yes. She is." Sailor Asteroid was leaning against the doorframe with Tuxedo Jedi right next to her. "And she's going to have a long talk with you... after she finishes kicking Mistique's six into the next millennium."
Sailor Yavin twirled her Time Staff to emphasize that fact that the Twin Guardians could very easily accomplish that feat.
"Crystal Hearts...!" Sailor Chibi Ayameru shouted. She traced the outline of a heart in the air, and it became a heart like the one she used to transform. The Silver Sailor stood behind the heart and shoved it, yelling "Shatter!"
Mistique held up her arm to protect herself from the fine crystal dust. She coughed as it surrounded her.
"Kl... Chi..." Sailor Asteroid shook her head, unsure of what to call the child. The Dark Sailor reached the little girl just in time to catch her. As Asteroid caught Chibi Ayameru, the girl transformed back into a baby. Standing there with the child in her arms, Asteroid looked around for the shapeshifter.
"She's gone," Tuxedo Jedi said, glancing around. "I bet she'll be back."
Asteroid nodded, holding the baby close to her chest. "I wonder why she wanted Kleppa." Holding the baby up, the Dark Sailor frowned. "What's so special about you? Other than you seemed to age at will."
For a moment, Seikatsu looked like she was going to say something. Then she just shook her head and was silent.
~*~*~*~*~
Priire stretched luxuriously in the cool night air. She had Kleppa on her lap, with a blanket around the little girl. Something about the nocturnal stillness seemed to calm the baby, Priire thought as she leaned back against the moist rocks of the waterfall.
The girl felt like she'd aged years in days. Or months, at least. Whatever the period, she felt older. Instead of being Priire the careless mercenary, she had to be Priire the responsible senshi. Sort of.
Having Kleppa to watch over made her happy. And Tashita. A grin split Priire's face. No wonder Annika had so many kids. They were wonderful!
Priire picked Kleppa up, preparing to go back inside. The baby complained quietly, making Priire laugh. The blonde stopped laughing when she realized there was another being nearby.
Easily balancing Kleppa in one arm and aiming a blaster in the general area of the Force-tremor, Priire searched for the intruder's identity. "Who's there?"
A horse, I believe,
But maybe a bird.
A winged equine
Seems quite absurd.
Priire frowned. Not only was something talking inside of her head, whatever-it-was was talking like a book of poetry. "Not funny. Where are you?"
By the guardian gate -
The wet waterfall -
But you must believe
If you're to see me at all.
Still not amused, Priire walked over to the waterfall that hid the entrance of the senshi's home. "I'm here. And whatever it is, I believe. Okay?"
She was surprised when neither Koumi nor one of the more mischievous senshi appeared. Instead, there was a huge white pegasus. Priire tucked Kleppa closer to her chest and aimed the blaster at the equine's chest. "Give me a good reason not to shoot you."
Mortal weapons
Cannot touch the heart
And cannot touch me
For I am that part.
"You realize that made no sense."
The pegasus whickered as if he were laughing. Extending one hoof and bowing his head, he introduced himself.
I am Zarathustra
My lady's guardian wings.
It is my duty
To help her understand things.
Priire didn't look convinced. "Yeah. Like you'll help anyone talking like that. Who's your lady?"
My lady is a warrior
Of the dark night
She is but young
And knows not what she'll fight.
For a minute, Priire sorted through the beast's verse. "Kleppa. You're Kleppa's guardian pegasus?" She tried not to laugh. "Like we need any more animals around this place!"
Zarathustra looked insulted.
An animal I'm not,
To add to your herd.
I'm a Force-being
Of that, you're assured.
"So, Zar... what do you do? Do you give powers?"
The horse shook his head.
"Advice?"
He shook his head again.
"Candy?"
Zar frowned, and shook his head again.
"Flowers? Rain? Stars? Dew?"
The horse responded to each in the negative.
"Speeches?"
He laughed quietly.
My purpose is hidden
From all but the child.
She may one day tell you,
But it'll be a while.
"Great," Priire sighed. She was going to address another question to the horse, but he was gone. "Kleppa?"
The little girl giggled and tugged on one of Priire's braids.
"What was that?"
Priire hadn't put her blaster away yet, so it was easy for her to train it on the latest interruption. "Oh, Tashita!" she grinned, finally putting the weapon away.
The brunette raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be in bed? It's past your bed time!"
Faking annoyance, Priire rolled her eyes. "You are a pain."
"I know, Mom," Tashita said, letting a rare smile lift her lips. "So. Who was that?"
"I'm not sure," Priire confessed. She went on to explain to her daughter about the strange pegasus. "Sith."
Tashita let her brown eyes take in the Room of a Thousand Waterfalls. "I wonder what he wanted."
With a laugh, the other girl shook her head. "I don't think I would have known if he'd told me."
After they finished laughing, Priire's eyes turned a little harder. "I want to know what Mistique wanted. She and Ariel are enemies. I wonder what she wanted with Ariel's baby?"
Tashita raised an eyebrow at her mom. It took a minute for Priire to catch on. "Oh. To use as a pawn."
"I feel sorry for you, kid," Tashita said softly as she took the baby from Priire's arms. Kleppa squealed unhappily and reached for Priire. "Hey!"
Priire laughed quietly as she took the baby back. "Awww. Don't worry, sweetheart. There's plenty of room for both of you in my heart."
The trio turned from the cool grasp of the night and walked back into the Room Behind the Waterfall. Behind them, silvery shadows danced playfully around the waters and waited for the daylight to come and chase them away.
About the Senshi in this story:
