He just kinda sat there in place for a while. Irtar didn’t really know what just happened.

Everything just kinda turned around on the drop of a pin. One minute they were talking, the next they were kissing, and the next she was leaving. He was still trying to grasp exactly what had just happened. And on what emotions he should be feeling.

Should he feel hurt?

She chose to just run out on him, after all he did, with hardly a word.

Should he feel sad?

He didn’t know she was going to do what she did. She took him entirely off-guard. He didn’t know women or what to do. It’s not his fault she just chose to jump in head long.

Should he something for her at all?

Above the confusion of his spirit rose one thing above it all. Concern and worry. He didn’t know whether it was just his own perception, or that time had actually passed. But it felt like too long. Had something happened? Or had she actually just left him with not even the decency to say goodbye?

Irtar looked out the window of the building with a sigh. The rain pouring down to the streets below, giving everything an odd sheen of sorts in the lights of the city. She still wasn’t well and this weather wouldn’t do well for her. But if she left with the intention of leaving him maybe she had somewhere she could go close by?

“Gahhhhh…” Irtar groaned as he made his way for the door. He didn’t have a coat in case it rained so he just hoped his suit jacket would handle the job well enough. It was really coming down but he couldn’t help but worry. He’d give it half-an-hour and then he’d come back. Or maybe longer…

Grumbling, Irtar made his way out of the apartment into the streets below. The second he stepped out of the door, a wall of water was there to meet him. He grumbled some curses and then proceeded out into the cold wet night and began to look around. Eyeing the streets and alleys, he made his search. But he knew when he started how hopeless and helpless this search was. It was like searching for a needle in a pile of needles. The city was huge and he began to realize how much his slim hope was beginning to fade.

Irtar leaned up against the front of a local building with a grunt. The rain ran along his face, dripping from his hair. He felt wet and damp to the core. He took a heavy sigh, his mind weary. He didn’t know where she could possibly be in this maze. He was cold, wet, and had been at this for more than thirty minutes now.

And then he felt it. In the distance, but not so far. A disturbance in the Force. The Sith? No. It felt… different. It didn’t feel like anything she had done so far. It didn’t feel cruel nor chill like that of the other. But whatever it was, maybe the Sith was nearby. Maybe with an apprentice that had not yet been corrupted fully. Or maybe a forcer who had yet to join sides.

Either way, he could at least get something done.

Irtar made his way, focusing upon it, and moving towards it. He would find out at least what this woman was up to and what ill she was trying to spread…

The rain soaked through her light, skin-tight clothes, yet she just stood, watching on as the stunning woman left. She wanted to stop her, to tell her she wanted to come. She just didn’t want to be alone again…

Why are you scared? You are not alone.

Her hair was sopping wet, her shoes waterlogged. And she just watched the slim blonde figure disappear into the darkness. She was scared, yet she couldn’t just go off with someone she hardly knew. It was too dangerous.

She was captivated by the woman’s beauty. Her strands of blonde hair to the corners of her soft pout.

The fat man down the road, the maids, the suits, the people on the streets, they’re all running after you. What makes her any different?

She carried on down the road, mostly attempting to stand up and turn away from the woman. She so badly wanted to follow her, talk to her, run her hands down her…

It took some time to realize she was just walking without aim, and she had to admit she was feeling a bit feverish from the rain water. Intent on heading back to the inn, she sloshed through the murky waters and ignored the feeling of dirty water on skin. But she was as weak as water. Like a feather blowing away in the wind, not knowing where to go from here. Maybe she should just go with Amara…

She was getting increasingly agitated. Aretsuya wasn’t sure which way to turn, inn or Amara? Both seemed rather fishy but she knew not of any other place to go. Amara was someone who she had just met, yet she felt strangely attracted to. Irtar was someone… well, who didn’t quite like her back.

Wait.

Was it just a coincidence? Or did she just spot the familiar rugged features ? She followed him for a bit making sure he didn’t catch sight of her. Where was he going? Was he actually being nice enough to look for her again?

He doesn’t like you. Leave him.

“But where will I go then!” She couldn't leave him. Something in her liked him too much.

Oops, she had said this out loud. Irtar spun around and heaved a sigh or relief, taking quick strides towards her.

“Aretsuya, I was looking all over for you. Where have you been? You look…”

He paused there. She was stepping closer to him. She couldn’t take her eyes off the rain soaked white shirt clinging to his taut stomach, or his muscular arms flexing as he managed to wipe away the rain drops from his forehead.

There were tears in her eyes, mixed with the cold droplets of the rain so it was hard to tell which was which.

“You hate me, don’t you?”

Edging closer still, she bit down on her lower lip till she tasted the warm blood flowing slowly down her lips. Now he was taking a few steps back, till the dirty concrete walls stopped him from going any further. He was trapped. She purposefully walked towards him. A grim expression tied to his face in a knot. A dim view of Irtar seared through her brain.

“Irtar, hit me. Why don’t you just beat me up and leave me here?”

Her eyes were now shining with tears, looking up at him hopefully.

“Hit me. Hit me hard.”

The sky was speckled with dark clouds, swirling overhead, the rain only pouring harder, beating on the metallic rooftops like drums. The vibrations were a welcome sound repelling the incessant voices of her love’s.

Thunder rumbled somewhere far away. There was the pattering of footsteps as the inhabitants of the cold streets hungered for shelter from the pounding wetness. The roads weren’t their usual selves, not scattered with the rusted bodies of cars. A neglected and lonely cat meowed from somewhere distant. The poor derelict suburb, once choked with dust but now drowning in the muddy waters.

Irtar fumbled uncomfortably as her thin arms grasped the nape of his neck, pulling him down towards her mouth till her bloodied lips locked against his. Either way, he did not resist her nails digging into his chest, while one hand focused on unbuttoning his very wet shirt, and her fingers sliding down towards his…

She squeezed him against her stomach, her tongue trailing towards his Adam’s apple.
Yet, even with her wandering hands couldn’t resist the thought that she was passionately kissing Amara’s chest, caressing her cheeks and so forth.

“Hit me Irtar, if you hate me so much.”

She didn’t love Amara, but she couldn’t help but think of her in any other way…

He was on his way towards whatever made his spine feel more icy. That feeling you got when you went into that room that always scared you as a child. That sense of wary that there was something lurking in the night. Whatever it was, he almost on top of it. His hand had come to rest on where his lightsaber sat within his drenched jacket. The firm metallic object adding some strange modicum of comfort for him while also a firm sense of dread. Would this one run? Would this one fight? Would this one lash out at someone innocent and uninvolved?

Suddenly, through his thoughts he heard a soft voice from behind him. Irtar spun on his heel, and there she was. Aretsuya. Irtar gave a sigh of relief to see she was alive and in one piece. This close to that darksider, he was expecting to find her in pieces if he was going to find her at all.

Her hair hung in loose, wet strands along her face. Her clothes were drenched clean through. She looked ragged, and drained from her experiences earlier combined with the cold and the wet. “Aretsuya, I was looking all over for you. Where have you been? You look…” Irtar began with relief until he noticed this look in her eye.

Was it madness? Anger? Determination? He couldn’t tell. He noticed a small trickle of blood come down her lip. He was about to say something when she cut him off.

“You hate me, don’t you?” She said, taking a step towards him.

“Wha?” Irtar said as he was taken back a step. He felt the cold of the concrete wall of the alley against his back. She walked towards him, her eyes burrowing into his with this expression as cold as the grave. He was worried about what was in her mind. What she had planned.

“Irtar, hit me. Why don’t you just beat me up and leave me here?” Tears were forming in her eyes as she stared up at him. Irtar was frozen, trying to figure out what to say. Why would she ask such a thing? “Hit me. Hit me hard.”

There was a moment of silence. All that was heard was the barrage of rain on the city and the rolling of thunder in the distance. Irtar tried to figure out what to do. Should he say something? Should he do something? She stood right before him. Her arm reached towards him.

Then all of a sudden, she had embraced into another kiss. One of her hands fumbled with his shirt while the other moved down lower. Irtar suddenly straightened up and tensed up in too many ways. Her tongue trailed along his neck sending a quiver up his spine.

“Hit me Irtar, if you hate me so much.” She practically moaned. Her lips trailed on his chest.

“Aretsuya…” Irtar mumbled as she continued her ministrations. “This isn’t right…”

He slowly lifted her head to level with his. Looking deeply into those tortured eyes. He couldn’t help but feel a pang and want to give her all the love he could give. But this wasn’t the place. A dark alley? In a storm? With a darksider nearby probably ready to kill them both?

But then again, maybe he was just a hopeless old fashioned romantic. They say that about people from back planets like him that are ‘out of touch with the way the modern galaxy works’. Irtar couldn’t help that everything in his mind screamed out against what his body yearned for.

“Not in a back alley… it isn’t right.” Irtar said as he looked softly in her eyes. He tried his best to not sound rejecting. It pained him to say it but he couldn’t help it. “This is too fast, and it isn’t safe here. You need to get out of here.”

“There’s a darksider nearby. Long story I’ll tell you later. I only hope I can get you out of here before whoever she is tries to jump me. They care nothing for the life of bystanders….”

Amara remained hidden in the darkness as she watched Aretsuya and her Jedi friend. She was just close enough to hear the ending of the conversation before she watched Aretsuya leave. Irtar remained behind and was obviously looking for her.

Amara carefully approached from behind and was well aware Irtar knew she was there. “I care for the lives of bystanders… when they serve my purposes.”

Irtar made no move…

Amara then slowly circled around from a safe distance as she darkly gazed into her enemy’s eyes as the rain continued to pour down. She felt the hatred deep inside for this Jedi that was intoxicating to her dark soul.

A dark smile crept across Amara’s face. “You must know the girl is one of us.” Amara said as she continued circling Irtar. “There is nothing you can do about it.”

Amara slowly walked around Irtar until she had stopped in front of him. “You cannot offer her safety, we can. You cannot offer her a family, we can. You cannot love her…”

Amara paused and gave an eerie smile as she was trying to fuel this Jedi’s emotions to ignore his beliefs and react in angeer.

“WE CAN.”

Amara took a few steps backward. “Leave her to me Jedi. All you need to do is walk away and stop medalling in my affairs and you can forget we ever met."

Amara sarcastically smiled and tapped her lightsaber with her long fingernail. "That is what you Jedi strive for isn't it?"

Amara tilted her head as the smile on her faced washed away with the rain. "The peaceful solution of a cowardice Jedi."

If he was normal, there’d have been no way he could’ve found her or noticed her in that dark alley in that cold and stormy night. It was strange.

Irtar knew in his younger years, when someone was watching him or trying to sneak up on him he would always get this feeling in his stomach. It felt like this sickly weight that just tugged at you. His parents told him it was the feeling that everyone got when they were being watched.

And now that he was trained in the Force, the feeling was so much more. It was near indescribable. It now felt like an icy hand gripped his stomach, and squeezed. But yet, it didn’t hurt or anything. It was just this strange disconnected feeling. The feeling that told him the Sith was sneaking up behind him. He turned a bit and then froze when a voice cut through the gloom.

“You must know the girl is one of us.” The shadow called out from the dark. “There is nothing you can do about it.”

Irtar’s mind skipped a beat. Was she talking about Aretsuya? Was Aretsuya all along… No, it couldn’t be true. The Sith was just trying to knock him off guard. Irtar held his ground, watching a target he couldn’t see with anything more than his instinct. Then she slowly came out into the dim light in the alley offered by the backdoor to some grungy business or apartment.

“You cannot offer her safety, we can. You cannot offer her a family, we can. You cannot love her…” The Sithling teased, Irtar’s hand coming slowly to his jacket to wrap his hand around the piece of metal that sat inside. “WE CAN.”

“Leave her to me Jedi. All you need to do is walk away and stop medalling in my affairs and you can forget we ever met." The Sith sarcastically smiled and tapped her lightsaber as Irtar’s hand tensed around his. "That is what you Jedi strive for isn't it?"

“The peaceful solution of a cowardice Jedi."

Irtar looked intensely at the woman, a deep anger burning within his soul. The anger that drove him on the course that he pursued. The course that dragged him from the Jedi Order and put him on the road to find his own path. The course to fight the darkness that plagued the galaxy instead of sitting and being content with meditating all day.

“I know your kind.” Irtar said coldly, as the bitter rain ran down his body. “The type who fawn over their body and use it to hide their sin. You do such horrible things, and no one asks questions because no one suspects a thing of beauty to be so deadly.”

Irtar’s hand tightened yet more, his knuckles becoming white. Suddenly in a flash, and a crackle, his blade was upon his foe. She only barely managed to parry the blade, Irtar had hoped to end this quickly and that she wouldn’t have noticed what he’d done in time. The large azure blade crackled as it bit into the deep scarlet of its foe.

“THE TYPE WHO KILLED MY MOTHER!” Irtar roared in Amara’s face as he pressed his blade against hers. The blades hissed in anger at one another, wrathful at the other not giving way.

Anger didn’t control Irtar. It was an odd thing with this young Jedi. He didn’t allow himself to be blinded by anger like so many others whom walked the path before him. He remembered the lessons of his life. His father telling him of right and wrong, and the values drawn into him from the lifestyle he was raised in.

Irtar suddenly jumped back realizing to try and push any further would leave himself vulnerable. “I guess maybe peace would be a choice, if I were a cowardice Jedi.”

Amara’s let out a shrill and shrieking laugh as she swung her lightsaber toward Irtar’s abdomen as he jumped back. She had just enough time to bring her weapon back up to defend herself from a powerful down stroke as the blades crashed together and flashed in the darkness of the night.

Amara spoke through her clenched teeth. "We kill many mothers and there is nothing your kind can do about it!"

Amara pushed him off as he made another strike upwards toward her face. She screamed as she grabbed her face and fell to the ground. Amara began weeping like an innocent girl which made Irtar hesitate for a moment before he almost helped the upset women. As he started to reach down to her, the crying changed to eerie laughter as Amara swiftly swung her blade toward Irtar’s throat. She missed by only inches as he lunged toward the ground.

Irtar jumped to his feet just as Amara lunged at him. The crackling blades sparked and lit up the falling rain as they began to strike and counterstrike at each other. Out of the corner of her eye, Amara realized people were beginning to watch the spectacle before them. More importantly, Amara heard the sound of sirens approaching in the distance.

Amara jumped back and cast the Spell of Telekinesis which she focused at a nearby light post. The bright light flashed as it burnt out and the massive post cracked at its base as it began to fall into a large gathering of onlookers. The screams of the people below the post could be heard among a family with three children who were trapped in the center of the panicking crowd.

Amara winked at Irtar as a smirk crossed her face. “Make your choice Jedi.” She then turned and pushed through the crowd behind her and began to run in the direction Aretsuya had gone as the post continued to fall to the ground, casting its shadow over the three children.

Irtar grit his teeth, ignoring the taunts and jabs to come from his foe as he brought his lightsaber to counter one of her swings. The pair of blades played their game in the night, the flashes of blue and red illuminating the dark alley they fought in. To a trained swordsman, the fight would seem messy but to them it seemed to flow in a string of blows and counter-blows.

High, low, mid, low, high. Right, left, right, right, above. The swings pummelled back and forth between the pair brutally. Amara tried to use her superior agility to try and take the openings Irtar had and Irtar tried to use his superior strength to try and make an opening in Amara’s defence. Irtar would admit he hadn’t really been trained overly extensively in the art of duelling and it showed.

Suddenly, after one of his swings the Sith fell over, holding on to her face. She sobbed gently enough to just be heard over the rain and Irtar paused for a moment. For a brief moment, he saw her not as a heartless Sith. He saw her as a woman. In a brief moment, his instinct took over and offered a hand to the wounded woman. And then, he remembered who he was and what he was dealing with when he heard her sobs turn sour. He began to fall back just in the nick of time as he lightsaber just narrowly missed him. Irtar fell back into a roll and came to his feet just in time to parry the Sith’s attack.

Mid, high, low, high, mind. Left, above, right, left, left. The swings resumed between the pair once again. The pair fighting intensely as they had at each other. He slowly began to make progress against his foe, as her defence was beginning to buckle against the onslaught. Suddenly, she put all her strength in a hit to knock back his blade and in that brief moment she jumped backward and through her might against a nearby lamppost.

It was only now that Irtar noticed the crowd and he looked on as the post teetered towards the crowd. Irtar’s eyes went wide as he watched the Sith run off. Irtar couldn’t believe himself and scorned himself afterwards. There was this moment, a split second, where he actually thought about going after her.

Irtar ran as fast he could and tried to stop the pole from falling over and hurting any of the people standing there. He ran before the pole and took a breath, and then threw his will at the pole. He focused his mind as he was taught, like a hand reaching out from your mind and spirit like a third arm. At first the pole continued to fall at the crowd as if in slow-motion. Fear gripped at Irtar at the thought of it falling; at the thought of his own inability actually hurting people.

No. Irtar wouldn’t allow himself to get distracted. He pushed the feelings down and back below the surface and focused. And then, he felt it. It felt so weird. Like his thoughts were snagged on something except instead of it being trying to remember something, he was snagged on a pole. The pole had come too close to coming down on people. When they cleared, he let go and the pole hit the ground with a thud.

Irtar heaved a sigh of relief and remembered why Master Organa-Solo had almost given up on his effective use of the Force. Then the whole scene finally sunk in and then Irtar noticed the sounds of sirens and the people looking on and shouting everything from questions to profanities. He ignored them and sped off to give chase.

He wouldn’t give that Sith a chance to escape and wreak havoc.

The wind had decided to tamper with the locks of crimson hair and stray strings of cotton cloth, carrying them around at its own will. Here and then, no significance to where it’d blow, but somewhere, that’s for sure. As long as it was somewhere.

That’s just how Aretsuya felt.

The once calming blue eyes seemed delicate and fragile like cracked glass, as if a sudden push would break the sea of emotions in them and flood the nearest victim with thoughts of pain and anguish. Once opaque, any viewer could tell what she felt in them now. The eyes, a dead giveaway. A passage to a being’s most inner thoughts and feelings. But an open passage, more importantly. If only they’d stay shut, never reopen. But then everything would be shut down. Halt. Well, perhaps that was best.

Within the array of sounds and sights, the girl felt so confused. So many places to go, but none seemed right. Besides, she was no longer sure of what she was running from. Amara and Irtar. Both tried to supposedly “help” her, both leaving her unsure about her own path. Her love couldn’t be wrong. Never. Her love was what kept her going on, why betray her now? But now that her guard was down, maybe “she” thought it was best. Catch it when it’ll least expect it, they say.

Aretsuya’s eyes scanned the pattern of the walls, the creaks and crevices, weaving into one another. All had direction. All had a sense of place and where to go. What about her? Now where? She was by herself, well, an exception of her love, her consort.

She walked on. A place will find her. Her feet trod on the crooked pathway, her slouched back ignoring all pains; the blisters, the ache of hunger, everything.

You’re a disgrace. Die. Just… die.

She stopped. Looked around, stumbled backwards and breathed in. She wouldn’t cry. She had enough of that, and she hated it. It made her feel weak. But now, even her love had turned against her. She had hope, even if it was the tiniest of all the emotional orbs in there, it was there. Now it was all fickle.

“No, I’m not. It’s time we’re after. In time, I’ll know where to go. In time.”

Where to go? No body wants you. Anywhere.

She couldn’t believe it. She wouldn’t. Denial. Denial that Irtar didn’t want her. Denial that she wasn’t good enough to be loved, but just thrown around like those horrible men had done. Denial that she didn’t know where she was going…

“STOP!”

A cry out loud, and everything was silent. She couldn’t stand it all crowded up in her head anymore. Breathing in once or twice, she placed her head in her hands and tried to empty her head off of all this… this… chaos.

Had it stopped raining? For Aretsuya hadn’t noticed. Apparently, it had then. The constant droplets of water stopped trailing down her face had either way. The murky puddle water reflected some of the features of her face, but she ignored it. It didn’t matter right now.

She got up,strode away, further and further. No one would know where she was going, because frankly, neither did she. She didn’t even hear the ruckus behind her. She was too busy trying to get away.

If only someone would save her.

Amara ran and splashed in the many puddles that had spotted the dark street. Up ahead she had spotted Aretsuya. Amara ran up to her from behind and placed her hand on her shoulder.

"That man who accompanied you, he just tried to kill me! I fear for your safety my sister. Please, come with me where you will be safe from such reckless danger." Amara gently took Aretsuya's hand and could sense the intense confusion from within her. She then placed her hands on each of her cheeks and held her head up to her. "The sisterhood will embrace you and protect you. We will become a family to you and we will help you harness the strength you possess deep inside you."

Amara looked around, sensing the Jedi was nearing their location. "Come with me my sister..." Amaria kissed Aretsuya's forehead. "Accept my love and the safety I can offer you."

Splash, splash, splash...

Looking in the distance behind Aretsuya, Amara caught sight of him running directly at them. Within seconds, he was in the air coming down right at her. In a split second, Amara decided to play upon Aretsuya's compassion. Amara took the brunt of his kick full force as it threw her several feet backwards and blood began to run from her nose.

Amara slowly rose to her feet, snapped her lightsaber from her belt, and activated it. In its blue glow, she glared at Irtar with a peculiar smile upon her face. Irtar would soon learn why she was smiling as she would now play on Aretsuya's emotions as she spoke out loud.

"I will not let you hurt her! She is my sister and I shall protect her from you!" Amara twirled her lightsaber in her hand before she took a defensive stance in front of Aretsuya.

A small smirk came across Amara's face. "Your move... Jedi."

(OOC: writer's block again, sorry about the crappage)

The petite figure anxiously stumbled towards the man, feeling helpless, but at the same time, obigated to do something, anything. He was walking briskly towards Amara, eyes fixated ahead. Anger portrayed in his cheeks, his clenched fists, his very eyes. The fairheaded woman watched Irtar fearfully, backing away, until she was held back against a wall, where she seemed so helpless and afraid…

Of course she was afraid. Aretsuya was herself. She felt stranded, alone and unsure of what to do next. Irtar was trying to hurt her all along, how could she have been so stupid as to miss it?

“Tell me what to do, my love…”

Silence.

What was going on ?

Her limbs trailed feebly along the walls, taking in the jagged surface and the cool slippery moss. She closed her eyes. The colour of the surrounding area dissappeared into a calming noir. How pointless truth can be, when one is blind. All was peaceful, until of course, she opened her eyes again. She only wished that her love would tell her what to do, but all was silent. It scared her. She was left to decide for herself. But why now ?

Her brain tried to piece up the fragments of what seemed to be happening. It all made sense while at the same time, didn’t. Irtar trying to hurt Aretsuya. He could’ve done it when they were alone. Irtar, being a bad man and going after Amara, he appeared to be a good bloke, but looks could be deceiving. Amara, trying to “help” her. She didn’t even know her, or the things Aretsuya went through, so why help her in the first place? Amara, consoling her when she most needed it, where was her love then?

Her thoughts played over like a silent film of black and white. Over, and over. She had to do something or someone was going to get hurt. It didn’t matter if it was her anyway, even the only one she ever loved turned against her. She had to make up her mind.

The scene was played in slow motion. Aretsuya rushed towards Irtar and pulled him down by the collar of his shirt, so he fell flat on the murky puddles of the solid ground.
She had caught him off guard.

“I’m sorry…”

With one quick movement of the hands, she snatched away his lightsaber.

Her eyes were then marked on Amara. ignoring the trickling of sweat on the nape of her neck, she spoke, keeping her voice firm. She had to prove to herself she didn’t need her love for everything.

“I don’t know what’s going on, or why you’re here to help me, but all I know is that I’m not going to let a man hurt another woman for his own selfish needs again.”

She made her way to Amara and dropped the lightsaber to her feet.

“So where are you taking me then?”