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As soon as blaster fire started ringing out on his street, Kalei ran into the bedroom of his tiny apartment to make sure the electric blaster shield was on. A clear purple glaze over the window told him it was, and he sat down to soothe the screaming baby.
"It's okay, Rory," he said, slowly rocking the cradle that had previously belonged to his neighbor's daughter, Yartina. "Those big noises won't hurt us. We're safe in here," he said softly. Rory's screams began to subside as Kalei continued quietly reassuring him. "How about this?" he said, picking up a faded yellow book.
"Lady Ana went to the market.
She wanted to buy a peach.
The man who sold them said to her,
'They are half-a-Credit each.'"
His reading quieted the baby and eventually, Rory closed his eyes as Kalei went on softly.
"She gave him the money and said to herself,
'I will eat this peach on the sunny beach-' "
A wild pounding at the door startled him, and Rory's emerald eyes flew wide open again. Kalei set down the book and gently picked up the baby, whispering soothingly so the loud noise wouldn't upset him. The visitor was still knocking frantically when they reached the door.
It was Kharleina, Kalei's next door neighbor. "Kalei! Go me you must!" she wailed in broken Basic. Kalei shook his head to indicate he didn't understand, lightly bouncing Rory as he started crying again. Kharleina and her family had only recently immigrated to Coruscant, and in her panic, she was harder to understand than usual. "Yartina!" she cried desperately, tears dripping from her pearly alien eyes. "Go me!" she said again, indicating for him to follow. "Yartina outside!"
"Outside?!" Kalei exclaimed, the blaster fire suddenly seeming much louder. As soon as he realized little Yartina was in trouble, he hesitated only slightly, trying to decide whether it would be better to leave Rory alone in the apartment or take him out into the dangerous streets. After only a second's thought, he rushed the crying baby to his cradle and ran after Kharleina.
He followed the frantic woman outside, into the war zone his neighborhood had a habit of turning into. She scampered down the street, instinctively covering her face as if that would help against a blaster, and led him to a small cubby, originally meant for trash bins, between two vacant stores. There Kharleina's husband was crouching over a tiny, crumpled body that Kalei instantly recognized as Yartina's. Her father was sobbing into the girl's strawberry hair; her face was pale and empty, and blood was everywhere. Kalei nearly tripped over a discarded bag of groceries as he went closer. A bag of coarse wheat flour had broken open when one of the family had dropped it, and now it billowed up in dusty clouds whenever the wind blew and mixed grotesquely with the blood on the ground.
"Kalei fringigi krosyo," Kharleina said to her husband, Jian. Jian looked up at his neighbor. The man always wore a look of determination, but today it was despair; his tears seemed to have thoroughly rinsed away all his hope.
"Do something, Kalei," Jian begged. "Help Yartina, please!"
Kalei's own brown eyes filled with tears as he knelt next to the unusually still toddler. The child was dead.
In recent weeks, Cyrus had been spending more time in a hotel room in one of the worst districts of downtown Coruscant than he had in his comfortable apartment in a much nicer neighborhood. His curiosity about Kalei's true identity had grown exponentially. If his worst fears about the young man were real, it meant nothing but unbelievable power for the girl he was determined to destroy.
In his hours of observation, Cyrus had found that Kalei didn't lead a particularly interesting life. He bought groceries, took walks, babysat, occasionally stopped by a large bookstore several blocks away, and socialized on the front porch of his apartment building with boys Cyrus later saw shooting each other in gang fights. Previously, he'd often seen a Sailor Jedi named Lily visiting, but she seemed to have disappeared. Now, various other girls he recognized as Senshi regularly came, almost always in the company of a little girl with blonde ponytails. He'd even seen Xanthus stop by a few times before he went to Alderaan with Chikako.
One of the more interesting things he'd seen was Kalei bringing home a black-haired baby. At first, Cyrus had thought he was babysitting again, but some time had passed and he knew Kalei still had the baby. It wasn't just that he was caring for a baby, though – it was something about the baby itself. Cyrus sensed something odd about the child, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
This was his chance to figure it out.
Apparently, Kalei had left the baby alone inside his apartment to help one of the unlucky neighbor's kids that had been caught in the crossfire. With one eye on him and his patient, Cyrus focused on Kalei's bedroom window. Using the Force, he deactivated the simple mechanics of the electric blast shield, and then picked up the child. Being only a baby, it was easy to carry him out the window and across the street, towards Cyrus's own window. Perhaps with the baby right there in his hands, he could figure out why he felt so odd through the Force. Then, he could decide whether to keep him, or... not.
Just as the former Jedi reached out the window to catch the floating baby, Kalei glanced up. Without warning, the Force was gone. Cyrus cursed severely as Kalei sprinted towards the falling child, allowing the Force to return for only a split second to soften the baby's fall into his arms, after he dove onto the concrete to get underneath him.
Kalei, scraped up, bruised, and bleeding after his hard slide over the street, shot only one quick look up to Cyrus's window before running back inside with the child in his arms. Cyrus stared after him, warming with anger at the numbness in the Force, and at the son of Myrkr who had caused it. As for the baby that had been ripped from his arms, he was satisfied with what he had seen, and now knew exactly what he had sensed in that green-eyed child's Force signature – Xanthus Sloane.
For a moment, Cyrus didn't know whether he was angry about Xanthus's son, or amused, or proud... but before he had a chance to decide or even wonder who the mother was, his eyes were drawn back to the immigrant couple and the little girl who had been shot earlier. He had felt her death through the Force; it had been immediate, so that by the time Kalei got there – even if he'd been a Jedi Healer or had a portable Bacta tank – he couldn't have helped her.
And yet, that same child was getting to her feet, right before Cyrus's eyes.
The child's parents watched with amazement as the little girl stood, pushed an irritating strand of pinkish-red hair out of her wide pearly eyes, and spoke. Cyrus rose to his feet along with her, disbelieving. There was not a wound visible on her tiny body. But there was a new mark on her forehead, and as Yartina's ecstatic parents rushed their resurrected daughter home, Cyrus got a closer look at it.
The heat of his anger froze when he realized what it was, and he went completely cold. He watched the glowing purple symbol fade steadily between messy wisps of rosy hair, squinting to make sure it really was what he suspected. Even from a distance, the crescent and diamond shape were unmistakable: Yartina – who was most definitely not from Myrkr – had Myrkr's ancient royal symbol shining on her forehead. "This can't be," he muttered, going very pale. "Kalei banishes the Force at will... cares for the babies of his secret enemies... returns dead children to their parents and leaves the ancient symbol of Myrkr on their foreheads? By the Force, it is the Prince!" he whispered, frowning.
"And as always, he's on her side. What an obedient son!" he spat. "Just like the King chose the whore's son to father the Guardian of Myrkr – though my father was the first-born and only legitimate child of our grandfather – Kalei has chosen to continue his father's injustice and side with Chikako. Well, they are betrothed," he snickered bitterly. "Wonder if he's told her?"
Cyrus left the hotel the back way, anger smoldering in his cold eyes. His worst fears had been confirmed, but he wasn't ready to give up. He too was from ancient Myrkr, and he, too, had learned some ancient magic.
Xanthus crashed into his bed, totally exhausted from all the stress, tension, and surprises of the past few weeks. He, along with Chikako, Aiko, Annika, Yukiko, Ippin, and Kairiku, had just returned from Alderaan. Xanthus had included a quick trip to Ralltiir in the middle of their stay, though the reason for it was unbeknownst (or so he thought) to the girls.
As tired as he was, sleep would not come. He was torn in more directions than ever now: Cyrus had expected him to kill Chikako. And he had tried – but something, he wasn't even sure what, had stopped him. And inevitably, Cyrus would sense that both of them had returned to Coruscant. He knew his former Jedi Master wouldn't even listen to excuses this time. If Chikako was not dead by Xanthus's hand by the time Cyrus found him, his life was as good as over.
The moment he realized he couldn't kill Chikako, he'd turned his lightsaber on himself, knowing he was going to die anyway. But then, Maiko came. She told him a terrible, beautiful secret. His deeply divided loyalties had been ripping him apart, and now, some were pulling him in a brand new direction. There was Cyrus, his Master... there was Chikako, his love... and now, there was Rory. His son.
Xanthus flipped over, trying to clear his head so his body could rest. His sleeping couch had never been more uncomfortable, he was certain of it. Why couldn't he just be unconscious for a while? He reluctantly began some Jedi exercises that would relax him and help him to reenergize. Lately, he hated doing anything Jedi-like, even the tiniest of tasks. He'd fallen so far from being a proper Jedi; using the Force on purpose only reminded of that and made him miserable. But he needed rest, even if it meant he'd have to wallow in his guilt to get there.
The next time he opened his eyes, his chronometer told him it was two standard hours later. So he had slept, a little, he thought as he sat up. He got to his feet, turned the glowpanels to their lowest setting and flipped open his clothes trunk without really giving much thought to his actions. Something in his frantic, fuzzy dreams had reminded him of home. He felt around in the corner of his trunk and fished out a woman's ring. The silver band didn't make a complete circle; rather, it wrapped around to the front and a round, green jewel was pressed securely in the empty spot between the two ends of the almost-circle.
He had few memories of his family or his home, and he'd brought very little with him when he was taken from there as a small child to be trained at the Jedi Temple. And of the few things he'd brought to Coruscant, the ring was the only one that had remained through the years. He thought maybe it belonged to his mother, or to an older sister. He did remember taking it; it had been in a glass dish on a dresser. And he remembered feeling it in his pocket as his family kissed him good-bye, minutes after he'd slipped it out of the dish when no one was looking. He hadn't really intended to steal something valuable from his family, but, realizing at that young age that he might not come back, he wanted something to remind him of home. And that ring was, in a child's opinion, the most beautiful thing they had.
Xanthus closed his trunk and sat on it. He shook his head, twirling the ring on the palm of his hand. Almost twenty years at the Jedi Temple, and this was who he'd become. How had he gone so wrong compared to his classmates? To spite himself, he tossed the ring up in the air and used the Force to carry it slowly down, spinning and sparkling in the thin light, and landed it on his fingertip. He smiled bitterly, remembering how the ring had once been too big for his thumb. Now it barely fit on the top of his pinky.
Aiko bounced onto Chikako's bed early the next morning. "Mommy, I'm going to see some Wookiees!"
"What?" Chikako groaned, rubbing her eyes as she sat up. "Wh- wo- Wookiees?"
"Yes! Mori says they're three times as tall as I am, and covered in hair, and talk like this –" Aiko proceeded to make noises that slightly resembled the Wookiee language. "Isn't that cool?" she said she finished.
"Yeah," Chikako said, yawning as she got up. She began pulling her covers up and making her bed. "Where are you going to see Wookiees?"
"Kashyyyk!"
"Kashyyyk?!" Chikako dropped a pillow. "Who's taking you to Kashyyyk?"
"Nom."
"Nom?" Chikako laughed. "Why would Nom want to take you to Kashyyyk?"
"I don't know. Mori just said I could."
"Ah. Then Nom probably doesn't even know."
"You wanna come?"
"Aiko-hime, we just got back from Alderaan last night! I want to get some rest! In fact, I don't even think you should go."
"Mom!" Aiko cried. "But I have to go! I've never seen a Wookiee!"
"Look," Chikako sighed. "I'm going to go see Nom. If she gives you permission, then maybe we'll talk about it. Maybe."
"Okay. Just remember that I've never seen a Wookiee!"
"I'll remember," Chikako groaned, leaving the room in her pajamas.
A few minutes later, Chikako sat in the kitchen with a cup of tea, while Nom and Mori discussed the matter at hand. "I see no good reason to bring a child to Kashyyyk," Nom said. "It may be too dangerous. We do not need the added concern."
"Oh come on, Nom!" Mori said, cocking her head and putting her hands on her hips. "It will be fun to have her along! I know my way around Kashyyyk; you won't even have to worry about her. Besides, I already said she could go!"
"It does not make sense," Nom said. "The only reason I agreed to fly you to Kashyyyk was for a Sabacc rematch with a certain Wookiee."
"What, you didn't win last time?"
"Of course I won. Several times. But we agreed to one more game, winner-take-all. However, he had a 'family emergency' right before the last game and returned to Kashyyyk. Until now I have not made time to win the game."
"Nom, you better not kill anyone," Mori said.
Nom didn't answer.
"So," Chikako said. "Yes or no on Aiko?"
"Of course she can come!" Mori said.
"It is illogical," Nom said.
"It's not illogical!" Mori argued. "There are plenty of reasons for Aiko to come!"
"What reasons?"
"She wants to see the Wookiees!" Mori said.
"She's never seen one before," Chikako added.
"That is irrelevant."
"Oh, come on, Nom!" Mori begged. "Please?? I'll take care of her, I promise! It'll be like having a little sister!"
"You do not need a little sister."
"Nom!"
The Dathomirian woman frowned, and Mori looked at her expectantly, biting her lip. "She must not talk too much," Nom said.
"Oh, she won't, I promise!" Mori assured her. She looked at Chikako. "She doesn't really talk that much, does she?"
Chikako shrugged. "Not really. But she's fascinated by everything... and a little excitable."
"Oh, that's okay," Mori said. "Right, Nom?"
Nom, however, simply grunted and left the kitchen.
Kairiku was walking in circles around Yukiko's room. "What are we going to do?" she asked for the hundredth time.
"Why don't we go talk to Kalei?" Yukiko sighed. Thinking long term about Rory's future was giving her a headache.
"Right now?"
"Yeah. Right now."
"Okay," Kairiku said, already opening the door. They walked silently out of the Room Behind the Waterfall and through the rest of the Temple, except for when they ran into Xanthus.
"Good morning," Yukiko said coolly. "Where are you off to?"
"Breakfast," he said. "You?"
"Um... the mall," Kairiku said.
"Oh. Have fun."
"You too," she said, exchanging looks with Yukiko. Neither had quite forgiven him for cheating on Chikako.
They finally arrived at Kalei's apartment about an hour later. Yuki knocked softly on the door. "Who is it?" Kalei's voice asked, muffled by the door.
"Yuki and Kairiku," she answered. He opened the door and let them in, a finger to his lips to let them know the baby was sleeping. The girls stepped in quietly and waited for Kalei to close the bedroom door before speaking in hushed tones.
"Maiko wants Rory on Coruscant so he can go to the Jedi Temple when he's old enough," Kairiku said after quick pleasantries had been exchanged. "But..." she looked at Yuki.
"See, we know a little bit about the future," Yuki took over, "and this really isn't a good time for a kid to start a career as a Jedi."
"And even if Rory is not trained at the Temple," Kairiku said, "it's still not safe for him if he's strong in the Force. Especially right here on Coruscant. We need to find a safe place for him to grow up."
"But maybe Rory's not Force-sensitive," Yuki realized. "That would change everything. And I actually can't sense him at all right now."
Kalei smiled sheepishly. "Well, that's not because he doesn't have the Force. Hold on," he held up a finger, and the Force suddenly returned.
"Oh, there he is," Kairiku said, sensing Rory sound asleep in the bedroom. "I didn't know you could do that!"
"Yep," Kalei said, and the Force disappeared again. "See, I had a little problem with a Jedi yesterday," he sighed, and went on to tell them about Cyrus's attempted kidnapping. "I don't know if that has anything to do with whatever's going to happen in the future," he said when he'd finished, "but I can't keep Rory in a Force-proof bubble forever."
"Unless we take him to Myrkr," Kairiku realized.
"He might be safe there," Yuki agreed. "Who would care for him, though? Do you think Chikako's father would be willing to –"
"Wait," Kalei said. "I have another idea."
Xanthus returned to his room as soon as he finished breakfast and found he had a visitor. "How did you get in here?" he asked, doing a terrible job of hiding his surprise.
"Let me guess," Cyrus said, ignoring the question. "You just didn't have a chance to kill Chikako on Alderaan, did you?"
Xanthus didn't answer right away. "I just can't do it, Cyrus," he finally said. "I know you're going to kill me. I don't care."
Cyrus sighed dramatically. "Who would've thought Xanthus Sloane, of all people, would fall in love! I certainly didn't expect it. So does she know about your secret rendezvous with her buddy on Myrkr?"
Xanthus froze. He didn't dare respond.
Cyrus laughed. "I can't kill you, Xanthus. You're too precious. Though I never thought you'd get like this about Chikako. Oh, I hate her. First she steals my inheritance, and then she steals you."
"You forced me to date her."
"You never had a problem before with dating someone and not falling in love. How was I supposed to know you'd turn into some kind of daydreamy lover?"
"You said you were going to kill me if I didn't obey you. Why did you change your mind?"
"You sound disappointed," Cyrus snickered. "I can't kill you, just like you can't kill Chikako. You're like a son to me." He grinned. "I guess you know what that feels like now, don't you?"
Xanthus couldn't answer, or ask any questions. Cyrus talking about Rory made him sick.
"All of these familial feelings aside, though," Cyrus continued, "you have betrayed me, have you not?"
Xanthus again couldn't answer; he really wasn't sure.
"And justice has to be done, of course. We are Jedi," he smiled. "But instead of killing you now, I will give you a choice. Admit your loyalty to me, and I will free you from your promise to kill Chikako. I will avenge myself on my own. Or, you can reject me now. And I promise, Xanthus, that I will not kill you. I will kill Chikako as I have always intended, but I will not hurt you."
"What's the difference?" Xanthus asked. "Either way, Chikako dies and I live."
"The difference is this," Cyrus said. "If you confess loyalty to me, I will forgive you for betraying and disobeying me. But if you reject me, someone must pay for your betrayal. I have already said that it won't be you."
"Then who?" Xanthus went cold, knowing full well the answer.
"Why, your son, of course."
Aiko left for Kashyyyk with Mori and Nom later that day. "Be careful," Chikako said as her future daughter boarded the Mind's Eye.
"This is entirely illogical," Nom muttered as she prepared the ship for take off.
"Isn't this fun?" Mori bubbled.
Aiko looked around Nom's huge ship. "Wow," she gasped.
"Well?" Chikako looked at RE-4b, who had also come to see Aiko off. "Now what?"
Kairiku blinked. "Whoa." Kalei had just finished explaining his plan for Rory.
"We would have to ask Coru," Yuki said.
"I don't know if Cyrus is going to try and take this baby again," Kalei said quietly, "but I don't want to take chances. Can we ask her as soon as possible?"
Yuki nodded. "Let's call her now."
Ippin left the Temple immediately. "Aiko is my daughter," Kalei told her when she arrived at his apartment.
"I know," she said.
"Oh, right. Well, don't tell Chikako."
"I know." Ippin rolled her eyes.
"Right. Well, she came from the future, which you probably know, Ippin - remember, Yuki, when she showed up on Naboo? And she told me Chikako and I sent her back here to train as a Sailor Jedi, because the Kingdom of Myrkr and the rest of the Galaxy was so peaceful in her time. Maybe... maybe we could somehow send Rory to where Aiko came from? And Chikako and I could raise him?" He looked at Ippin eagerly.
The red-haired Guardian of Time and Space nodded, thinking it over. "Sure," she said.
"Really?"
"Yep. Where is he?"
"He's in the bedroom," Kalei said. "Are you – are you going to do it right now?"
"Isn't that what you want?"
"Um... yeah, I guess so." Kalei blushed, and walked towards the bedroom. "I'll be right back."
Rory was awake now, looking quietly around the room with his big green eyes. Kalei sighed as he pulled him out of his cradle. "I guess it'll be a while," he said. "But I'll see you again. And we'll live in a happy kingdom, and you'll have loads of brothers and sisters, and a mommy and daddy who love you, and nobody will try and hurt you or take you away. And on warm summer days, we'll buy peaches and eat them on the sunny beach." He kissed the baby on his forehead and carried him carefully into the living room. Ippin, now Sailor Yavin, cradled the child against her with one arm, and lifted her Time Staff with the other. In an instant, they both disappeared. Kalei sniffed and waved good-bye, a telltale shine over his brown eyes.
When Aiko returned over a week later, it seemed to Chikako that very little had happened. Really, a lot had happened – she just didn't know about any of it. Rory had been safely delivered to the future; Xanthus, not knowing that, had made his decision; Cyrus had prepared his magic; and Aiko had had many adventures on Kashyyyk, one of which she knew would be very important to Chikako.
Unfortunately, she was no where to be found when the Mind's Eye landed on Coruscant and Nom, Mori, and Aiko returned to the Room Behind the Waterfall. Kalei happened to be there, though, sitting alone on a couch with red peacocks printed on the cushions. However, he didn't seem to be much like himself.
"Aiko-hime," he said, looking very nervous and sad, "if something happens, take care of your mom, okay?"
"Of course," she said, a bit puzzled by such a greeting. "Hey, look, I found one of her flower petals on Kashyyyk! I can't believe I found one! I can't believe it was on Kashyyyk! Look how pretty it is!"
Kalei blinked at the petal. "Can you... not give that to her yet?"
Aiko was more perplexed than before. "Okay," she said slowly, putting it into her pocket. "When should I give it to her?"
"After I... well, you'll know when to give it to her. I trust you."
Aiko smiled nervously, Kalei's odd emotional state rubbing off. "Okay, Daddy."
"Do you know where your mom's at?" he asked.
"No, I just got here. Do you know?"
He shook his head. "I think she's with Xanthus."
"Oh."
But just then, Chikako herself walked into the room, looking a little disheveled and rather flustered. "Hi!" she said, surprised to see both of them. "How was your trip?" she asked Aiko, stopping, though she didn't seem to want to.
"It was fun," Aiko said. "Really fun. I saw Wookiees."
"That's great! Um, I'm gonna run up to my room, okay?"
She left as quickly as she had come. Aiko looked at her father. "I don't understand Mommy," she said. "She doesn't act like Mommy most of the time."
Kalei shrugged and shook his head. "I don't really get it either," he said. They sat in silence for a few more minutes before Chikako hurried back into the room.
"I'm going out with Xanthus," she told them. "Good night!"
"Ooh, where are you going?" Aiko asked.
"Um, the Children's Gardens," Chikako said reluctantly from the doorway.
"I love the Children's Gardens!" Aiko exclaimed.
"I know, I..." Chikako blushed. "So do I. Bye!"
Kalei looked at Aiko as she stared after her mother. "You okay?"
"I want to go to the Children's Gardens," she said.
He didn't respond. Then, a moment later, he nodded and stood up. "Okay. Let's go."
The sun had already set by the time they got to the Children's Gardens. In fact, the Gardens were closed; but it wasn't a particularly secure place and Xanthus and Chikako easily jumped the fence. "This is one of my favorite places on Coruscant," she said as they strolled through the storybook gardens, past statues of friendly animals and fairy-tail characters, around still pools with mosaic floors and quiet fountains surrounded by wildflower patches.
"I know," Xanthus smiled in the fading light, taking her hand. "Chikako, I really love you," he said.
Chikako didn't suppress her smile; before she had been full of doubt, but this time she knew he was telling the truth. "Xanthus, I –"
He put his finger to her lips, silencing her. He wasn't smiling. "I was forced to make a decision," he said gruffly. "I couldn't win, though. I'm sorry."
"I don't know what you're talking about," she said, sitting down on the bench inside a straw shelter, built under an arch of cascading roses.
"I know it doesn't make sense," he said. "And it probably won't later, either. I'm... I'm sorry," he repeated.
"Well! Look who it is?" a familiar voice called over a star-shaped butterfly garden.
"Cyrus," Xanthus said, standing up. "What are you doing here?"
"Haven't I got as much right to walk around in the Children's Garden after hours as you two have?"
"Why are you here?" Xanthus demanded.
Cyrus gave Chikako a long stare. "You know why I'm here," he told his old Padawan.
Chikako jumped off the bench and had her henshin locket out in an instant. "Super Myrkr Heart Power!" she exclaimed.
"Oh, lovely," Cyrus said.
"Why are you doing this to me?" Xanthus asked through his teeth.
"Hey, you're staying alive, aren't you?"
"I'd almost rather not."
"And so is – what was it? – Rory?"
"I understand the arrangement," Xanthus growled. "But why do I have to be here for this?"
"Oh, come off it. Maybe you'll learn a thing or two."
"Xanthus, what is going on?" Super Sailor Myrkr asked.
"He's going to kill you."
"No he's not," she said. "Vornskr Teeth Atta-!" Sailor Myrkr was shocked and stopped mid-word when Xanthus jumped between her and Cyrus, his lightsaber drawn and ignited. "You're going to defend him?" she cried.
"I'm sorry," he said sadly from behind his lightsaber. "He made me choose... And I think you would have made the same choice I did."
"I would never choose the side of someone who lived by manipulation and deceit, whose whole life was Vengeance, who gladly traded Joy for bitter Hate."
"It wasn't so black and white," Xanthus said sadly. "But for someone other than you or me, it was life and death. I chose life for him."
"I don't understand," Sailor Myrkr said, but Xanthus responded only with the poison-green blade of his lightsaber. She had no choice but to draw her weapon quickly and meet his with her own deep violet blade. They clashed loudly, casting odd shadows in the garden.
"Oh no, Daddy! What do we do?" Aiko panicked, popping up from within a nearby flower patch.
"Nothing," Kalei said, pushing her back into the bed of giant nasturtiums. "Stay hidden until I'm gone!"
"Where are you going?"
"Just stay hidden, Aiko-hime!"
"I'm transforming!" the little girl warned.
"Fine, just stay hidden!"
Rays of pink and yellow erupted from the nasturtium patch behind Kalei as Aiko transformed. When she'd finished, she jumped out and stood next to him. "I'm fighting with Mommy!" she announced, and started towards the duel.
"No you're not!" Kalei said, grabbing her and holding her back. "You need to stay here this time, Aiko-hime."
"Don't call me that when I'm Sailor Chibi Myrkr!"
"Nice of you to join us, Kalei," Cyrus called over to him as he struggled with his stubborn daughter. "I think you and your little friend will find things most interesting."
Meanwhile, the duel between Xanthus and Sailor Myrkr was losing speed. Neither wanted to hurt the other, and both realized that. Cyrus yawned loudly. "Now for the fun part!" he announced, and before either Sailor Myrkr or Kalei had a chance to block the Force, he lifted his cousin up and caught her in his arms. Several things happened the moment he did that.
One, the Force was suddenly banished from the Children's Garden, probably by Kalei. Second, Sailor Chibi Myrkr burst out of his grasp and ran forward a few steps more before he could catch her again. Third, Xanthus dropped his lightsaber. Fourth, Sailor Myrkr struggled a bit with her lightsaber in hand, and was about to yell an attack when Cyrus said "Nooncei aya," and she fell asleep. Her lightsaber, too, hit the engraved brick sidewalk of the Gardens as it slipped out of her limp hand. "Preenciel onya," Cyrus continued, calling upon ancient magic that didn't even depend on the Force. Kalei went very pale.
"Return to your owner," he translated, speaking without making the effort to move his lips much. Thin petal-shaped mists began to swirl out of the locket Sailor Myrkr wore on the front of her fuku, and towards Kalei. As they disappeared into him, Cyrus smiled.
"Hyana fuunshei," he finished.
"And answer to me." Kalei translated Cyrus's words as he absorbed the last of the transparent purple trails.
The locket clattered to the ground, the violet petals now a pale pink. Chikako, in street clothes again, landed on the sidewalk on top of it when Cyrus dropped her.
"What is happening?" Sailor Chibi Myrkr sobbed.
"The only way for Sailor Myrkr to lose her power is if they return to the one who gave them to her," Kalei told her softly. "He just undid what my father and I did when we enchanted the Small Sailor's flower thousands of years ago. All of the magic from the flower is back inside me now."
"So you can help Mommy!"
Kalei shook his head. "No. Cyrus learned a very evil kind of magic. His last words made it so that only he can use the magic. He could have done it without having it return to me, but this is crueler. If he had used the magic while it was still in Sailor Myrkr's locket, it would have returned to her as soon as Cyrus was killed. Now that won't happen."
"Mommy will never get her power back?" Aiko asked, tears streaming down her face.
"That depends," Kalei said, "on whether or not she'll kill me."
Chikako woke up as soon as the spell was complete, and found herself in a heap next to a bright patch of daisies. "A Thousand Flower Spiral!" Cyrus yelled, testing out his stolen magic. Chikako shielded her face from the quick whir of flower petals and struggled to her feet, hastily gathering her lightsaber and her now-useless henshin locket.
"What's going on?" she gasped, looking down at her powerless locket.
"Should I give her the petal now?" Sailor Chibi Myrkr asked Kalei.
"Not yet! It would only help Cyrus." He ran towards Chikako. "Listen to me, Chikako," he said. "You need to kill me!"
"I am not going to kill you!" Chikako exclaimed. "What is happening? Why is Cyrus using my attacks?"
"Metallic Invisibility!" Cyrus said, and disappeared. Kalei doubled over in pain, and Cyrus reappeared. "Oh, I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't realize it would cause you pain if I stored the magic in you. Pity. Vornskr Teeth Attack!"
Kalei squeezed his eyes closed, trying not to cry out. The attack, aimed at Chikako, was meant to hunt its prey through the Force; but in a Force-less zone, it simply shot off into the distance when Chikako jumped out of its path. "Xanthus," Kalei groaned, "you need to kill me. Please."
Xanthus just shook his head, a horrified look on his face, and Kalei knew there'd be no changing his mind. The blonde Jedi trainee ducked down and picked up his lightsaber, belted it and backed away.
Kalei, cramping in pain again, turned back to Chikako just as she dodged another attack from Cyrus. "He returned the magic of your locket to its source," he explained desperately. "Me!"
"What?!" Chikako shouted, busying herself with her lightsaber. It was now her only means of defense.
"Xanthus, attack her," Cyrus commanded.
"No!"
Cyrus raised an eyebrow. "Are you on my side?"
"Yes," Xanthus hissed, concentrating on the ground. His hand slowly moved to his lightsaber hilt.
"Well?" Cyrus said, producing his own golden saber. "I'll help you! In more ways than one," he said, and powered up another attack.
Xanthus, reluctantly obedient, switched on his bright green weapon and stepped toward Chikako. Her blue eyes moved wildly from Cyrus to Xanthus as she tried to hold her ground against both men. The violet, green, and gold sabers clashed nonstop as they backed Chikako further into the garden.
"Please, Chikako," Kalei begged, running among them as they hopped up onto a giant sundial. All three were careful not to hit him, for different reasons.
"A Thousand Flower Spiral!" Cyrus shot in a random direction to slow Kalei down.
"Your power will not return to you unless you destroy its source," Kalei said, running back alongside them when the throbbing passed. "And it's the only way to cancel his access to your magic. Please! You can't win unless you kill me!"
Chikako gasped for air as she fended off the green and gold blades. Sweat was pouring into her eyes, and tears were pouring out of them. She knew she was no match for two who had lived at the Academy all their lives. "Oh!" she cried as she fell right off the sundial and scrambled back to her feet just in time to ward of Xanthus and Cyrus as they leaped down over her. "I can't do it, Kalei," she said.
"There is no other way," he said. "Chikako, you are the chosen Guardian of Myrkr. General Justen was the chosen father to the Guardian of Myrkr. Cyrus is wrong; you did not steal his inheritance. Nobility means nothing to the King – that's what he doesn't understand."
Cyrus snorted and shot flower petals in Kalei's general direction.
"So?" Chikako said, stumbling into the goldfish pond her pursuers had driver towards.
"So you can't do you job as Guardian unless you do what I've been saying. Even if you do defeat Cyrus tonight, you're magic won't return to you until I die."
"You have done nothing to deserve death."
"That is irrelevant!"
"You sound like Nom!"
"Do you guys ever stop arguing?" Cyrus wondered. "Give it up, Kalei. She's not going to kill you. A Sailor Jedi – or, former Sailor Jedi – would never do something so barbaric."
"Please," Kalei begged Chikako.
"Nope, you're going to live," Cyrus answered for her. "She, however, is not." He swung his lightsaber in a sudden, jabbing curve towards Chikako's midsection. She met it unsteadily with her own blade, but the force of the blow caused her to lose balance and slip on the slick bottom of the goldfish pond. Before Cyrus could take advantage of that, though, Kalei dove onto Chikako, covering her from Cyrus's next swing.
The gold blade stopped short before hitting Kalei; and Xanthus, breathing heavily, stepped back a little, but remained in an attack stance. The four remained like that for a moment, with Kalei and Chikako sitting together in the goldfish pond and Cyrus holding his lightsaber in midair.
Sitting in the pond, the water was up to Chikako's waist. As little as she wanted Kalei involved, she was relieved to suddenly be protected. No one moved for what seemed like eternity. She noticed her sandaled feet getting cold, and that Kalei was heavy on top of her, and then felt silly for feeling uncomfortable when it was a miracle that she was still alive. She looked at Xanthus, and felt only numb. She looked at Cyrus and wondered when he would make his next move. Or maybe...
"Are you sure it's the only way?" she breathed into Kalei's ear. He subtly nodded his response.
Cyrus watched intently as Kalei bit his lip and closed his eyes. Suddenly, the vibrant blade of Chikako's lightsaber extended – right through Kalei's chest.
The small goldfish pool quickly darkened as it filled with his blood. "No," Xanthus cried, deactivating his lightsaber and falling back a few steps. He shot a fearful glance at Cyrus, who remained frozen as curls of purple mist began to surround Kalei and Chikako. As his life ended, the Force returned to the Gardens. Chikako, with a short cry of surprise at what she'd done, pulled herself out from under Kalei's body and carefully got to her feet. The thin violet mists followed and swirled into her, just as they'd gone into Kalei earlier.
As she stood, Kalei's body slipped into the pool with a soft splash and sank in the shallow water. Xanthus gasped, then turned and ran away. Chikako finally lifted her eyes to meet Cyrus's frozen stare and pulled out her silver locket. "Super Myrkr Heart Power," she said softly, and transformed in a gentle storm of pink and purple flower petals.
"Sailor Myrkr!" Sailor Chibi Myrkr burst out from behind a nearby statue of a large rabbit. "He's gone, isn't he?"
Sailor Myrkr, still standing in the bloodstained water of the goldfish pond, looked down at her feet. "Yes," she said, astonished at the empty pool. "He is gone!"
"Then, here," the little Senshi said, pressing her treasure in her mother's hand. "A souvenir from Kashyyyk." She glanced up at Cyrus, still standing fiercely with his lightsaber ignited, and ran back behind the rabbit. Sailor Myrkr immediately pulled her locket from her chest and flipped it open. The petal – her sixth one – fit tightly into its place with a purple flash.
Super Sailor Myrkr smiled sadly and stepped out of the goldfish pond. She turned to Cyrus and reignited her lightsaber, holding it in one hand and lifting it to the sky. He moved into a defense stance, but she shook her head. "Myrkr Jedi Revolution!" she said in as strong a voice as she could muster.
The ground shook and a glittery, violet fog filled the Gardens. Sailor Myrkr swung her lightsaber around and drew a shining silver circle in the air with the typical buzzing swish, then pointed the saber at Cyrus, like a blaster. As she did this, the silver circle tumbled elegantly through the air and spiraled into Cyrus. The shimmering fog followed, pouring into her cousin like light into a black hole. He screamed as it surrounded him, and when it was finished, he fell to the ground; the hilt of his deactivated lightsaber clattered near his head.
Sailor Myrkr looked at his motionless body from afar, then down at her own lightsaber. She flipped it off with a quick snap. The Gardens were eerily silent then, until Sailor Chibi Myrkr stepped anxiously out from behind the rabbit. She walked cautiously over to her mother, trying to keep her boots from clicking too loudly on the garden path. When she reached Sailor Myrkr, she looked into the red-tinted water of the goldfish pond. "You killed Daddy," she said dully.
"Daddy?" Sailor Myrkr repeated in a disbelieving whisper. She went to sit, but passed out on her way down and fell with a splash into the tainted water of the goldfish pond.
Xanthus, out of breath already, didn't stop running until he reached Kalei's apartment door. He didn't bother knocking, but the lock stopped him. "Is anybody in there?" he shouted, pounding relentlessly.
"Who is it?" a female voice asked.
"Xanthus Sloane."
"Aha." The door slid open.
"Ippin?" Xanthus said. "What are you doing here?"
Ippin grinned. "What are you doing here?" she answered.
"I'm looking for a baby."
"Oh yeah? Whose?"
"Ippin, Kalei is dead."
The grin vanished. "How can that be?" she asked. She shook her head. "He can't really be dead."
"No, he's dead all right," Xanthus said. "A lightsaber right through his heart. I saw it. I saw the blood, I saw -"
"What about Aiko?" Ippin interrupted. "Where is she?"
Xanthus shook his head. "I don't know. Where's the baby Kalei was taking care of?"
"Rory, you mean? He's safe," she said uncertainly. At least, he was safe in the future she'd taken him to. But in that future, Kalei was definitely alive.
"Are you sure? Where is he?"
The Time Guardian frowned. She would just have to trust that Destiny knew what he was doing. "Yeah, I'm sure," she said. "I can't tell you where he is, but you don't have to worry."
"What do you mean you can't tell me? I'm... I'm..."
"You're his father? I know."
Xanthus looked startled. "You're not going to tell Chikako, are you?" he asked, surprising himself that he was still worried about that after everything that had happened that night.
Ippin didn't answer.
"You can't tell her," Xanthus insisted, wishing he'd never laid eyes on Naito Maiko. "Please, Ippin!"
"Okay, I'll tell you where Rory is," she said, giving in to an entirely different plea.
Xanthus blinked. "Where?"
"I took him to the future. He is part of a big, loving family. And a Royal family, I might add."
"The future?" Xanthus asked with a skeptical half smile.
"I'm not crazy," Ippin assured him with a similar smile.
"Okay. Let's say this is true. Will I... Will I ever see Rory again?"
Ippin's smile faded slightly. "I can't tell you," she said.
"All right," Xanthus said quietly; Ippin's hazel eyes told him everything she wouldn't say. "All right," he repeated, barely above a whisper.
"He's not dead," Xarae said, looking down on Cyrus's unmoving body. "Chikako, do you have any idea what your new attack does? I mean, besides make everything glittery?"
"Not really," the brown-haired culprit said, sitting alone on a swing-bench with her knees drawn up to her chin. She was wet and bloody, her boyfriend had betrayed and attacked her, and she'd just killed the father of her future daughter. The emotional fallout hadn't begun to set in; right now she was totally numb. She wrapped herself tighter in the soft cloak Xarae had brought from the Temple.
Nom picked up Cyrus's lightsaber and turned it on. "He uses a silver lightsaber?" she asked.
"It was yellow before," Aiko said through her tears, clutching the hem of Xarae's skirt with one hand.
"Interesting. Perhaps Sailor Myrkr's attack involves some type of purification," Nom suggested, lightly kicking Cyrus with a heavy black boot. She deactivated the lightsaber and clipped it to her belt.
"Maybe we should take him back to the Temple," Xarae sighed, picking Aiko up.
"That is a reasonable course of action," Nom said. "However, I have no wish to carry a body through the streets of Coruscant. We will call for a transport."
"Fine," Xarae said. "Do you mind if I go ahead and take Aiko-hime back home?"
"Not at all," Nom said. "You may go too, Chikako."
"No thanks," Chikako said. "Actually, you go back with them. I'll stay here with Cyrus till the transport gets here."
Xarae looked at Nom. "Are you sure, Chikako?" she asked.
"I too question you," Nom added.
"It won't take the transport long to get here," Chikako said listlessly. "He won't wake up before then. I just want a few minutes alone."
"You will call us if you need help," Nom said in a low voice.
Chikako nodded her agreement and watched as Nom, Xarae, and Aiko left the garden. The swing creaked with a tenor groan as she stepped off, and she padded barefoot around the goldfish pond, leaving her soggy sandals in a puddle underneath the swing-bench.
She took a deep breath as she looked into the pool. She had killed him. It was like something that had happened in another life, or in a dream. Or to someone else. And Aiko said he was her father? That didn't make sense. Especially now.
She turned away, unable to indulge her misery so lavishly for much longer. She began walking silently through the garden. The straw shelter she'd sat in with Xanthus was surprisingly nearby; she'd thought they'd moved farther away from it during the battle... "Oh!" she cried softly, looking around. "It's a circle!" She hadn't noticed before that the sundial was in the center of the garden; all of the paths extended away from it, like spokes on a wheel. Her eyes went back to the straw shelter. Xanthus. She had been right to be cautious early on, but it hadn't come to much good in the end. How long had he been betraying her?
She felt suddenly very foolish, and wondered how much of her energy had gone into that relationship (and all of the adventures it entailed) rather than her role as a Sailor Jedi. She had been foolish and selfish. Several times it had almost cost her her life, and it had cost Kalei his.
"That will be the last time," she vowed, "any man comes before my fight for Justice and Peace in this galaxy." She nodded, satisfied with that commitment, and wandered away from the straw shelter. She found herself in a small grove, where the flowers grew thick over low wooden walls. If it had been daylight, she would've seen that the walls were carved with scenes from a popular storybook. As it was, they just looked rough and mysterious, and the flowers were all open despite the darkness. Water quietly trickled nearby, and as she looked for the source, another noise startled her. It was a voice. It was saying her name.
She looked behind her. There, in the narrow entrance to the small grove, stood Xanthus. She froze, and he approached cautiously. "Please forgive me for fighting you," he said. "More was at stake than I can tell you about."
She said nothing, only stared, not knowing what to think or how to respond. Once he was inside the small circle of walls, he knelt down in front of her. "Please," he whispered.
"I forgive you," she mouthed. Once again, she got the feeling that he wasn't lying to her. However, minutes after the last time she'd had that feeling, he'd turned against her with a lightsaber. But now, there was something else there... something Chikako had never truly known. Despair.
He nodded, sniffing. "Thank you," he said. "I'm so sorry."
"Xanthus, I've already forgiven you."
"I'm not going back to Cyrus," he said.
"That's... good," she said. Was he telling the truth?
"I'm not going back." He shook his head, staring at her knees. "I promise."
"Okay," she said voicelessly.
A moment passed silently except for his ragged breathing; then finally, he looked her straight in the eye. "Chikako, will you marry me?"
She blanched, and her lips parted. "Xanthus..."
"Don't say no," he pleaded. Something about the desperation in his voice and the tears still threatening his green eyes stopped her. No good would come of a practical explanation right now. She looked down at him, and gently pushed his fine blonde hair off his forehead. She knew from his eyes that he finally had truly broken with Cyrus. And she knew that he intensely needed her promise. He pulled a ring from somewhere in the rough fabric of his robe. "I love you," he offered, his voice breaking.
"I know, Xanthus," she whispered. She took the ring from his hand and clumsily twisted it onto her finger, right next to the ring he'd given her on her twentieth birthday. "I will marry you."
Xanthus smiled weakly. Her blue eyes filled with compassion, her fingers brushing his forehead... If only that compassion had been love.
(Yes, her eyes were filled with love, too... not the kind he needed or she deserved. The love in her eyes was the kind that promised her life to a man who'd been an accomplice to her attempted murder several times, while always posing as her lover.)
But still, she'd said yes. There was nothing more he wanted. No, that was a lie. There was so much more he wanted, including her love – but nothing could change the world around them, or the decisions they'd made. He was never supposed to fall in love with Chikako, and that one emotional leap had destroyed everything he used to live for. Maybe in another world, another time, it would've worked. He imagined her in white, silver rings on her fingers, living on a planet with no Jedi or Senshi or politics or revenge or secret affairs or destinies. Maybe there it would have worked.
He stared at her, amazed as she suffered it. Now all the sweet words he'd deceived her with had grown true in his heart. Now he had her promise, but he would never make her keep it.
A noise somewhere in the garden jolted Chikako and Xanthus out of the silent first moments of their engagement. "That's probably the transport," she mumbled, starting in the direction of the goldfish pond and the giant sundial. She walked through the birdhouse city and past the straw shelter and around the star-shaped butterfly garden. "Xanthus?" she called quietly over her shoulder, realizing for the first time that he wasn't behind her. She kept walking, though, past the fairytale tower and under the wedding arch, and to the swing-bench, where she realized that it was not the transport she'd heard from the storybook grove.
Cyrus groaned loudly – almost roared – as he got to his feet. Chikako's hand went to her locket, but she knew he was unarmed. "Stay here," she commanded.
He turned slowly to look at her, shaking his mane of silver, gold-streaked hair, and walked up onto the sundial between them, staring as if he didn't recognize her. "Cyrus?" she said cautiously.
He narrowed his eyes and his lips turned a small frown, but no anger registered, or even recognition. "Chikako?" he said, not seeming to understand the word that came from his mouth.
"Yes," she said.
"You are my... my..."
"Cousin?" she suggested.
He nodded. "My cousin, Chikako." That didn't seem to make sense to him either.
Chikako glanced nervously toward the garden gate, hoping the transport was near. "Please stay here, Cyrus," she said gently.
He seemed to consider the request, then slowly began shaking his head. "No," he said. With that, he stepped off the sundial and tore through the garden; Chikako saw him fly over the fence and then disappear into the forever-busy Coruscant streets.
The garden had grown strangely quiet again, and Chikako didn't know how to respond to Cyrus's odd behavior. Surely it had something to do with her Jedi Revolution attack? She shuddered as a cool breeze rifled through the garden; she was still soaked from fainting in the goldfish pond. It occurred to her that the Children's Garden was probably no longer one of her favorite places. The thought made her sad, and anxious for light and company and warm drinks. "Xanthus," she called as she walked quickly back to the storybook grove. "Let's go home, okay?"
The subtle movement of the swing and the darkness inside the straw shelter made her pick up her steps a bit, and the loneliness of the fairytale tower and strangeness of the birdhouse city made her hold her breath. Finally, she reached the narrow, flowery path to the storybook grove, with its sturdy, detailed walls. But it wasn't comforting like she imagined it would be as she raced through the garden, and her fiancé wasn't standing in the center of the grove waiting for her.
"Xanthus!" she whispered with a sharp intake of breath. She dropped to her knees and cradled his head in her arms. "What happened?"
He smiled and let go of his lightsaber hilt to reach up and gingerly caress her face. "Thank you for saying you'd marry me," he choked. "You don't have to, though."
"Xanthus, no!" Chikako whimpered, shaking her head frantically. "Please!"
He answered only with his sad smile, and continued gazing into her face until the color in his cheeks began to fade. "Why did you do this?" Chikako wept, gently closing his emerald eyes. The sight of the green jewel on her finger as she did so brought on a new, uncontrollable sorrow that manifested itself through heavy sobs. Blood finally began to seep through his robes from the clean slice through his upper body. "Oh, Xanthus," she moaned, sliding her hand up his chest and staring blindly as the bright blood covered her fingertips. "This isn't what I wanted!"
Those were her last words for some time. She stumbled back through the paths, stopping at the butterfly garden to water it with salty tears, and collapsed on the great sundial. That was as far as she could go; if the transport came, it could take her home. If it had already been there, she would just wait until someone else came looking for her. For now, all she knew were her bloodstained fingertips, and the dark red splotches on her dress; the tiny cuts on her bare feet; her wet clothes, damp hair, the tears that refused to dry; and a cold silver engagement ring with a stone the color his eyes had been.
