"Hey!" Meredith was happy to see a familiar face in this unfamiliar country. Mercy didn't seem to hear her, though, and as she and Zeke approached, they could see that she was concentrating hard.

"Jedi training." Zeke whispered so as to not distract Mercy. Orion was leaning against the tree, looking rather unhappy. After a few minutes, Mercy finished the exercize and opened her eyes.

"Hey guys! Where'd you come from?"

Meredith reserved her usual smart alec comment and replied simply. "We're looking for Susanne. Do know where she headed?"

"Nope. When Celly flipped, we all ran for our lives, and I didn't see where anyone else went."

"What was this secret meeting about, anyway?" Meredith was a little upset that everyone had left and had a secret meeting without her, and her aura flared a bit with her frustration.

"It wasn't secret," Mercy defended. "You just stayed in London. And it wasn't really a meeting. We just kind of all ended up at the Mori when Celly was feeling like not fighting."

"But Celly's not here now, is she?" The two girls felt her presence, and whirled around to see Nyx. "Either of you two girls feel lucky today?"

Mercy looked back at Master Luke. The look in his eyes... she couldn't disappoint him, but she was also an Otaku. Nyx glared threateningly and Mercy knew she didn't have much time to make a decision. She stepped back even with her Master. "I won't fight you, Nyx."

"Well, then I'll beat you to a pulp again!" Orion lunged for his charge, but was held back by Milton. Nyx advanced towards Mercy and suddenly landed a punch straight to the stomach.

"Use the Force, Mercy." Master Luke coached. But she had tried. She could not control her anger towards Nyx, and so she couldn't harness the power. But she wouldn't fight. She could do that much.

Meredith watched in horror as the scene played out in front of her. Why wasn't Mercy fighting back? Did she expect Aneara to just heal her again? There was no way she could handle Nyx all by herself. Nyx started to punch Mercy again, and something snapped in Meredith.

"How tough is it to beat someone who won't fight back?" Nyx turned to see Meredith. "Meredith? you really think you can take me on?" Nyx laughed menacingly, but turned toward the blonde.

"Well, as Meredith, probably not. But I'm Rapath, and I'm not going to let you beat her to a pulp again." Zeke watched with interest as his charge's countenance changed. He held himself back. He wasn't supposed to interfere... it was like a battle raging inside himself.

"Then perhaps you'd like to feel what it's like." Nyx threw a punch which Rapath blocked, but the kick was unexpected. It knocked her down and dazed her.

Mercy watched the scene play before her. She couldn't fight... she just couldn't. Nyx definitly was winning. Rapath was still so inexperienced, and had somehow lost her sword. She was slowly backing up when Nyx felt her leaving and turned.

"Don't think you'll get off that easy. I never forget a betrayal."

"I'm not going to fight you, Nyx. I am a Jedi. Fighting is not our way."

"Well, then I'll just fight you." She left Rapath and once again focused on Mercy.

"No." Rapath mustered some energy and sent a blast. As it came to Nyx, a wave of confusion fell over her. She forgot why she was headed for the girl and momentarily stopped. But Rapath was weak, and the blast was also weak and short lived. She stood and grabbed Nyx's arm, whirling her around. As the trench-coated girl spun, Rapath met her with a fist in her side. "Remember now? You were fighting me."

Nyx was pissed now. She focused all her energy on Rapath now, as Orion grabbed his charge and left in a big hurry. Zeke watched, not knowing when to interfere. Nyx was definetly stronger, and when Rapath struggled to get up rather than immediatly fighting back, he grabbed her and pulled her out.

"No more. You've proved your point." He opened Meredith's Hammerspace and stepped inside, carrying his Otaku in his arms.

Nyx turned to face Mercy again, but the Otaku was gone, along with her Guardian and her Master.

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Zeke quietly opened the door. They had gone back to London, but Meredith wanted to go home. So they were back in California, or what seemed to be California. Meredith's roommates were nowhere to be found, but Zeke didn't complain. She needed her rest. She wasn't too badly beaten up, no broken bones, but she was mentally not doing well. He entered the room, and Meredith stirred in her sleep.

"Why didn't she fight... left me alone... not ready for Nyx... got to do something... can't let her..." Meredith was mumbling, and Zeke woke her up gently.

"Meredith, it's dinnertime. I've got some pasta on the table, and it'll get sticky."

"K, help me up, would ya please?" She held out her hands, and he took hold and helped pull her to her feet. They walked into the kitchen and sat down. "How're ya feeling?" Zeke served the pasta and put sauce on it.

"Quite a bit better. But I don't understand why Mercy just let me take on Nyx all alone. Why wouldn't she fight?" She dropped her fork and winced as she bent to pick it up. She hurt in muscles she didn't even know she had, and the cut on the back of her head throbbed. Zeke watched her pain and wondered if he should have stopped it earlier.

Meredith loked at him and said, "No. You're not to interfere in the fights, remember?" They had been round and round the issue, but Meredith was stubborn.

"Wha-?" He hadn't said anything. He had stopped saying it because Meredith would always get upset at him.

"But you never stopped thinking it." Meredith had usually not said anything, but she wasn't going to let her Guardian berate himself on the inside either.

"How do you know?"

"Ummm... I don't know how. I just do. I don't know everything, but I can feel the stronger emotions, somehow know what they're about."

It made sense, now that Zeke thought about it. That blast she sent somehow messed with Nyx's emotions. They finished dinner and Zeke sent Meredith to bed while he finished the dishes.

"We need to go back to London. I need to be with Susanne and Kristsi." She had changed from her pjs, and her resolve was quite firm.

"Alright, let's go."

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Mercy was also back in London. When Meredith arrived, the tension between the two was instant. The questions that had been burning in Meredith's mind came pouring ut with a vengeance.

"Why did you make me fight her all alone? Why wouldn't you fight?"

"I'm a Jedi. Fighting is not the way of a Jedi Knight."

"That's crap. You're an Otaku. You must fight. You can't do both, and if you're going to be a Jedi, go be a Jedi and quit endangering the rest of us!" Meredith was very worked up and upset. She still couldn't understand what the crap Mercy was trying to pull, but whatever it was, she had left Meredith high and dry and on her own.

"Just stay out of my life if you're going to do nothing but get us all hurt." Meredith whirled around and walked out.