The Epic of the Time Key

“So do you think I should wear the emerald dress, or the purple pants and jacket?” Sutaru asked Koumi, holding up the two outfits.

I think the green dress would be better, Koumi replied, glancing up at Suta.

Just then, the door opened and Riku ran in panting. The group of rather bored girls immediately jumped up and ran to him. A chorus of “what happened”s and “where’s Ippin”s rang out. It took a moment for him to get his breath, and then he poured out the story. Unfortunately for him, Priire was visiting just then, and when he explained that Ippin must have been kidnapped after he made fun of her, she went up to him and solidly punched him - she hadn’t been the Hawkbat because of her looks - and the punch fractured his jaw.

Suddenly a portal opened, and Sailor Pluto appeared. She looked at the girls - and the bleeding Riku - gravely. “I’m sure you know why I am here,” she said softly, her musical voice silencing them. “Sailor Yavin has been taken into the custody of the Sailor Sith. I cannot assist you in bringing her home, but there is something you must know. Sailor Yavin has been kidnapped because Kougo Ada wants control of The Dimensions. She can only do that by controlling a Dimensional Staff, and there is only one person in this galaxy who holds one of these Staffs, and Kougo Ada has found a way to make her surrender it.” Priire started to object that her sister would never give up, but Pluto stopped her. “Kougo Ada has found that Senshi of the Light Side of the Force will do anything for their offspring. That is why she has chosen this moment to attack. She knows that if given a choice between death and her staff, Yavin would choose death. But if she has a child, she will not do that. She will even sacrifice the Staff and her powers to save her child. But that isn’t what will happen. Should the Staff fall into the hands of Evil, the Gods will immediately destroy it, and if a Senshi’s Staff and Guardianship is taken, their lives will fade as well. I cannot help you beyond this, but I warn you that if Ippin surrenders, she will die.” With that last foreboding message, Sailor Pluto vanished.

For a moment, Priire stared at where Pluto had been, then turned smartly and went out the door, not explaining - but everyone knowing where she was going. They knew just how protective Priire had become of her twin sister, especially in the recent months.

Priire was going to find her before it was too late.

Ippin moaned softly to herself. She knew if it came down to it, she would give in, but that didn’t make the fact any easier to deal with. She was going to betray everything, and more than likely she’d be killed because of it. She’d heard that was what happened when Sailor Guardians betrayed their duties. If Priire were to blow up a star, it would result in the same thing. Ippin knew that something similar had happened to Sailor Pluto during the fight with Mistress 9 and Pharaoh 90. She’d stopped time, something no Time Senshi was allowed to do, and although Ippin wasn’t sure of the punishment, she knew it had been severe.

But it was nowhere near what she would get if she allowed the Dimensions to be controlled by evil. She knew the Gods wouldn’t allow her to go unpunished, at best she’d lose her powers, at worst... well, she didn’t want to think about that.

She could only hope they would spare the baby; she was all that mattered. Ippin knew of course that her baby was a girl - she’d known that before the med-driods did. She had a connection with her child that only Jedi can have, a similar connection to the one she shared with her twin. It was the connection of someone that has been with you since the very beginning of your existence, the connection of a twin, or a mother.

The door opened, and Kayla entered the room. She glanced around nervously before sitting on the chair next to Ippin. “I’m not supposed to be here,” she declared, facing the captured Senshi.

“Then leave,” Ippin replied shortly. She was hardly in the mood for a conversation consisting of what her least favorite Sith was and was not supposed to do. She held an ever-growing disgust for the teenager more than the normal Sith, because Kayla was not your average Sith. She had appeared several years past and had at first taken her childlike form of KayKay, and that of the senshi of the Ghostling planet. After being taken in by the Senshi, she had turned them over the Sith, killing Xarae and injuring several others. Of course there was no permanent damage; Xarae could not die and because she hadn’t been too pleased about KayKay’s deception - being the Senshi of Children, being deceived by one wasn’t something she enjoyed - she had destroyed her ability to become a Senshi in her counter-attack.

“Well, to tell you the truth, I don’t like what Onee-sama is doing. I don’t think she should hold your baby hostage.”

Ippin raised her eyebrows and replied dryly. “Well at least that’s one thing we agree on.”

“Don’t be like that. I hate sarcasm.”

Ippin glanced up and scoffed. “Well then, I’ll just have to stop. There’s nothing at all I want more than for each and every evil being in the world to be in the utmost comfort.”

“More sarcasm! Of course you’re right...” The purple-haired girl sighed sadly and adjusted her ponytails. “You have no reason to like me, and every reason to hate me. But I HAVE to do what Onee-sama says! She’s the only family I’ve got!”

Ippin wasn’t being taken in this time; Kayla had performed this same act to many times for her to believe that this time she would change. Ippin hadn’t any doubt she wanted to change, but Kayla simply hadn’t the backbone to stick to it, and Ippin - forgiving person that she was - simply could not stand people that didn’t stand by their decisions. She sighed and looked at the teary girl. “We’ve given you chance after chance to change. Now don’t come crying to me about it. I don’t care.”

“Please, Miss Fuukou!” Kayla’s lower lip trembled.

“Yuri! Not Fuukou! I’m MARRIED! My name is YURI Ippin!” Ippin nostrils flared - she was defensive about that.

“Gomen ne, Mrs. Yuri.”

She sighed. “’Tis all right. I wouldn’t expect a Sith to be able to remember.”

“I detect an insult?” Kayla cocked an eyebrow.

Ippin scoffed. “You only detect? Ha! You are dumber than I thought. Even Geri would have been upset by that.”

She flipped her lavender hair over her shoulder. “I wouldn’t be so high and mighty if I were you! I was going to help. And I believe I still shall... seeing as you are... unavailable as of now, Riku-san will need comforting...” She smiled wickedly and, without another word, vanished.

Ippin’s eyes widened with despair. She knew exactly what Kayla was capable of; indeed she’d managed to seduce many young men of good character - and in such cases, Kayla planted a seed of evil inside them, which not even Sailor Bakura could diminish. Riku had fallen under her attentions several times prior, but Ippin was lucky enough to have saved him. She wasn’t there now. Of course she didn't know that Kayla was forbidden to leave, and that she wouldn't have done it anyway; she just wanted to scare Ippin for insulting her.

With those frightening thoughts echoing in her mind, Ippin pulled her knees up - as well as she could in her condition - and absently held her henshin necklace. Her eyes widened suddenly as an idea so obvious that she was ashamed she hadn’t thought of it before occurred to her.

They wanted her Staff; she had to be Sailor Yavin to give it to them, so that hadn’t taken away her necklace. She could transform and open a portal! She could escape!

She jumped up and shouted her Henshin. A moment later, Sailor Yavin stood in the cell. She grinned and summoned the Staff. The door opened as the Sith positioned at the door sensed the transformation. She held the Staff and began to open a portal to the Dimensional Gates.

Ariel - the guard - quickly reached down and pressed a button. Panels in the door opened and as they did Kendra appeared. She laughed wickedly as Sailor Yavin fainted. Inside the panels were ysalamiri.

The evil queen laughed again as she picked up her key to the Dimensions - the Space-Time Staff.

Priire gasped and sprang out of her chair.

Mika, who was sitting next to her in the cockpit of the Black Fire Dreamer, was startled and turned to the stunned ex-mercenary. “Priire? Are you okay?”

The blonde girl acted as if she hadn’t heard and ran out of the cockpit to the lounge, where most of the other Senshi sat nervously trying to read or watch the holo.

The girls - and the few men in the group - jumped up as she entered the room. She was instantly surrounded as people asked what had happened.

Priire gripped the arm of Xarae and in low tones asked her what she knew of childbirth.

Xarae frowned, puzzled. “I’m not an expert, but I’ve had some experience.”

Priire tightened her hold. “Could being forced out of your transformation – along with a sudden loss of the Force - put you in premature labor?” she asked tensely.

Xarae nodded slowly, not quite understanding where Priire was going with this. “Yes, I suppose it could. Depending on how it came about and how close you were.”

“Then I think Coru’s having her baby.”

Riku pushed his way to Priire’s side and grabbed her arm in a similar hold to what she had on Xarae. “What do you mean? Right now?”

Priire nodded tensely. “I felt her transform, then detransform. There was a shock of intense pain - then I couldn’t sense her anymore.”

Nom nodded gravely from beside her. “And you think that she is under a ysalamiri bubble?”

Priire released Xarae’s arm and clenched her fist. “It’s either that... or she’s dead.”

Priire was right - Ippin was in labor. The irony of the situation didn’t occur to her at the time, but later it did, and she hated the thought that in one day she had lost the Staff - and probably her life. Now, instead of being surrounded by loved ones as she had intended her child to be born, she had only Geri and Ariel.

She screamed in pain as a contraction started. Geri was oddly comforting at that moment; for some strange reason in her insanity she had bursts of kindness for the Senshi. The disturbed Sith gently patted Ippin’s hand and poured her a glass of water, which Ippin drank gratefully.

Ariel sat in a corner and glowered at her "ally." She had no fondness for Geri at any time and now in being "nice," she was more upsetting then ever. Ariel loved seeing things in pain, which was why she had requested to watch Ippin, though no one thought she was capable of escaping at that time.

So seeing a fellow sith easing the Jedi’s pain upset her more than any of Geri’s normal disturbed chatter. Angrily, she stood up and grabbed Ippin’s glass from her hand. Before she could even make a noise, Ariel threw in against the wall, the crash easing her annoyance somewhat.

She glared at Geri and Ippin, then left, leaving them alone in the cell.

Three hours later, six Sailor Senshi, three Knights, a Tuxedo Jedi, and one very mad husband of a senshi were walking through the the halls of Damarind Fishing Station, where Ippin had once started her career mining Corusca Gems in the core of Yavin. That was where Priire had sensed her, so that was where they were starting their search.

Ippin lay back on her pillows, relaxing for a moment before the pain started again. She took a drink from the glass the Geri had produced after Ariel broke the other one. She sighed and leaned back. "Why won't you get rid of the ysalamiri bubble? Please?"

Geri glanced around and shrugged. "Not hurt it would," she said mimicking Yoda's - and Numako's - speech patterns. "Close the panels I will." She reached over and flipped a switch, closing the panels in the wall and allowing the Force to flood the room.

Ippin gasped as she felt the return of the Force and immediately did two things: one, she lessened her pain; and two, she reached out for her twin. Aster...

Sailor Asteroid stopped suddenly in front of a hall. She turned and stared down it for a moment. An expression of pure relief and joy swept over her features. "Coru!" she exclaimed.

Riku looked past her, half-expecting to see his wife waddling toward them, but he saw only an empty passageway. "What?"

"I can sense her again. She called out to me. This way, come on." Asteroid started walking again, at a pace that was almost a run. She stopped in front of door and when she tried to open it, found that it was locked. "She's back there!" she said agitatedly.

Sailor Honoghr held up a hand. "Let me handle this." She cupped her hands, and they filled with a acidic liquid. She held her hands that way for a moment longer, than threw the liquid at the door, dissolving it. She shrugged guiltily. "So we'll pay them back for a door."

Asteroid said nothing; she simply started up her quick pace again and headed to where she could sense her twin was. A few minutes later, she again stopped before a door, this time knowing that her sister was just behind it - indeed, it was the door to her cell. She was about to attempt to open it when they heard a rather nasty laugh behind them. The group spun around in one motion to see Ariel looking almost pleased.

"Trying to save her? You're a bit too late."

Asteroid glared at her. "What do you mean? I can sense her. She's right behind this door."

"Oh of course she is. But not for long. We've gotten what we wanted from her, so as soon as we get the baby we're going to kill her." Ariel said this casually, as easily as if she were talking about the weather.

"We will not allow you to do that," Dathomir stated calmly.

"It's too late. You could go in and try to stop us, if you so desired. But we have what we wanted, our Key." Ariel smiled cruelly. "We're really helping her by putting her out of her misery. How terrible it would be for her if she knew that she had given us the power that would kill her friends."

Asteroid glared at the Sith. "What do you mean?"

"She has given us the power to travel time. As we speak, the Queen is planning which Senshi she wishes to kill first. We will go back in time and kill you one by one, coming after you as babies or small children. Or even simply killing your parents."

Asteroid stared in utter horror, remembering Pluto's message. "Starfire Surround!" She aimed the attack at the Sith, not even waiting to see if it hit her she turned and fired another attack at the door. It bent, and she ran in, ignoring the rather surprised Geri and kneeling beside her sister.

Ippin propped herself up as best she could and smiled. "Aster... you came."

The blonde Senshi felt her eyes filling with rare tears. "Of course I came! You think I'm gonna let these scummy Sith hold my twin captive for long?"

Ippin smiled sadly. "No. I knew you'd come after me. But it's too late... you're too late, Aster."

"What do you mean?" Priire asked, swallowing hard in attempt to dislodge the lump that had formed in her throat.

"You know what I mean. I gave up my Big Time Stick." She smiled at the friendly nickname the two had given her Staff and continued. "And now I'm going to die."

Priire gripped one of Ippin's hand tightly. "You are not going to die, Fuukou Ippin!"

Ippin frowned slightly; even in her pain, she corrected her twin. "Yuri Ippin."

Priire laughed, but there was no amusement in her voice. "Of course, how could I forget. And I'm not gonna let you die, Coru."

"Aster... whatever happens, make sure my daughter is taken care of."

Priire felt an unbidden tear slide down her cheeks. "Of course, Coru. You'll be a great mother; she'll have a good home."

"And remember her name... I told you before..."

"I remember, Coru."

Ippin smiled. "Good."

Within an hour, Ippin had a daughter. The baby had a sprinkling of dark hair, with big red-brown eyes that looked wide and curious even as she cried. Riku held his wife's hand, and they both looked in wonder at the newborn baby.

Mika let out a cry, which the others echoed. Priire and Riku looked at each other, then at the hand they each held clasped in their own. Ippin's hands, which were quickly growing less and less substantial.

"Coru?!" Priire and Riku cried at the same moment.

Ippin looked shocked, and when she spoke, it sounded as if it were from a great distance. "Riku, Aster?"

"We're here, Coru," Priire said, grasping tighter to the fading hand.

Ippin looked as indignant as a ghost-like person can. "I know that! I was just getting your attention. I'm fading into nothing, not blindness."

Priire laughed chokingly. "Sorry."

"It's okay... remember what I told you?" Ippin smiled, happy that if she were to die, she would be surrounded by the ones she loved best - her twin, her husband, and her newborn daughter.

"Yes," Priire replied, her voice thick with unshed tears.

"Remember her name... my little beauty... you remember, don't you, Aster?"

"I remember."

"And Riku..."

"Yeah, honey?"

"Take good care of our baby..."

"You know I will."

Ippin smiled, and the last image Riku and the senshi had of their beloved Sailor Yavin was her happiness shining like a lantern and lighting up the room.

Priire broke down then, laying her head on the now-empty bed and crying. Kousotsu started towards her, but Xarae stopped him. "This is something in which you cannot comfort her." She looked sadly at where Ippin had lain. She sighed and looked away; she and Ippin had always shared a special friendship, both being guardians as they were.

Riku stared at the cot, stunned. He'd just seen his wife - literally - fade away before his eyes. He turned pain-filled eyes towards Priire, whose tears had stopped, and who was now staring at him. Priire was still too grief-stricken to feel any sort of anger against her twin's murderers, but Riku wasn't. The pain was replaced by hot rage. Before anyone could say or do anything, he was on his feet and running into the hall. Ariel was calmly standing outside the door, smirking. She was about to make some sort of comment when Riku bodily attacked her, thinking of nothing more than tearing her eyes out and physically removing the smile from her face.

He never had a chance.

Within seconds Ariel had conjured up her attack of black fire, and then, in only moments, Yuri Riku was dead.

Two months after the deaths of her twin and brother-in-law, Priire disembarked from the public shuttle to Oleanda. A moment later, she found the address she was looking for and knocked.

The door opened, and a young woman appeared. Her face should have been young and beautiful for a great many years, but grief and worry had taken its toll, and she looked far older than her twenty-four years. "Miss Seijoutai?"

Priire nodded dully. "Yuri Yuushuu?"

She smiled. "Hana Yuushuu now."

Priire nodded. "Of course."

A kind smile lit the woman's features. "Is that her?" She nodded at the bundle Priire held close.

Priire nodded sadly. "Yes."

"Come in, Miss Seijoutai."

Priire shook her head so hard her braids slapped the side of her head. "No, I have to go. I can't stay."

Yuushuu nodded. "Of course. I understand. I won't hold you."

"You'll take care of her, won't you?" Priire's eyes filled with tears as she glanced down at the tightly-wrapped bundle in her arms. Since the loss of her sister, she'd found her only solace in the child. She still wished she could keep the baby with her, but Xarae had stepped in, saying it was Destiny that the child be raised away from the Senshi. Priire had fought the idea, but when it came to Destiny, you couldn't fight Xarae and win.

Yuushuu nodded gently. "As if she were my own."

Priire swollowed the lump in her throat and gave her niece a last tight hug, then released her into the arms of her father's sister.

Yuushuu smiled at the baby. "What a lovely baby. What shall I call you, hmm?" she cooed.

Priire's head snapped up. "Tanrei."

Yuushuu looked surprised. "What?"

"Her name. It's Tanrei..." Her voice changed, and there was again grief in her tone. "Hana... Tanrei."

Yuushuu nodded and smiled. "Hana Tanrei."

Priire left then. She never went back and never saw Hana Yuushuu again.

Sailor Yavin wiped a tear from her eye and smiled. She turned to Sailor Pluto. "I knew she wouldn't remember the right name."

Pluto smiled kindly. "It was close though," she replied comfortingly.

"I know. I don't mind, I just wish..."

Pluto laid a hand on Yavin's shoulder. "I know. I wish you could too."

Sailor Yavin felt a tear slide down her cheek, then glanced up at Sailor Pluto. "I don't know if I ever thanked you."

Pluto looked puzzled. "For what?"

"I know it was you who convinced them to let me live."

Pluto smiled. "I didn't want her to be an orphan."

"I know. I didn't either. If only I hadn't given up."

"They would have killed you anyway."

Yavin nodded and sighed. "But at least Riku wouldn't have... he died for me."

"He would have done it no matter what."

Yavin bit her lip and looked back into the portal. "I know. I know."

"Good night, Ippin," Pluto said kindly.

"Good night, Setsuna," Yavin replied.

A portal back to the Time Gates opened, Pluto stepped through, and Yavin was alone, watching her sister slowly climb aboard the transport that would take her back to the spaceport, back to the Black Fire Dreamer, and back to Kousotsu and the Sailor Senshi.