Disclaimer: I don't own KOTOR. Seriously.
Author's Note: Well there's a lot of these, but I just thought I'd put this one out there too =). I haven't forgotten about A Voice Heard, I'm working on a new chapter up for that. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy.
1. A Bitter Taste
Revan took careful, measured steps as he circled his opponent, trying to find a way in. A quick strike might do the trick if he moved fast enough. As if sensing his strategy, she repositioned her lightsaber. Revan's lips tightened in a mirthless grin. A predator's grin. He would enjoy this fight.
Two more steps. One. Zero. He pushed off with both feet, covering the distance between them in less than a second. But his opponent was quick; the shimmering blade was already there to block him.
There was a hiss and a crackle as their lightsabers met again and again. Dodging a clumsy kick, Revan flipped high in the air, over his opponent's head. He parried the follow-up blow before landing a few metres away.
It was a dangerous dance. A dance of offense and defence. A dance of parries and blows. A dance of glowing blades in darkness.
Revan sipped the night air through his lips. It tasted sweet. His opponent flourished her double-bladed lightsaber, twirling it around her body and within an inch of her face. Revan didn't flinch. Instead, he beckoned his opponent to him and sank into a low stance.
She obliged, charging with one blade high and the other low. The higher one swept in an arc for his head. He blocked the blow easily before sidestepping the lower blade that came at his foot. He released a flurry of relentless counterattacks that forced her into a defensive position. Revan kept pressing, hoping to corner her.
She crouched to spring but Revan saw it coming. He swung his saber in a swift, downward chop that she was forced to deflect away. Her resistance was gradually wearing thin. Finally, his patience was rewarded with what he had been waiting for all this time: a huge gap in her defence. Foolishly eager, he took it without thinking.
By the time he realized it was a trap, it was too late. She spun out of the way, her foot catching him in the middle of the back. Revan sprawled to the stone floor. He managed to turn on his back just in time to prevent his own bisection. Her attacks were just as furious as his had been; she never gave him a chance to get back on his feet. Sweat dripped down his face as he barely stopped a strike intended to make him sterile. Her saber gouged into the rock.
"Bastila!" A voice called from the shadows.
The voice made her hesitate and that second of hesitation was enough.
Revan pushed out with the Force, blasting her away from him. He got to his feet just as Bastila lithely landed on hers.
"Hey, we agreed on no Force powers!" She shouted indignantly.
Revan laughed. "Oops. Guess I forgot. It would have been a tie anyway."
"I had you, Revan. Admit it!"
"Never."
"If you guys had told me you were having a midnight sparring match, I would have joined you." Malak stepped into the moonlight as they both thumbed their lightsabers on.
"This was just a little contest between Bast and me," Revan grinned. "Loser has to buy the caf. But I have to say, you picked the right time to come."
"Thanks a lot!" Bastila thumped Malak playfully on the chest.
Malak's eyebrow went up as he eyed their lightsabers. "A caf duel with real lightsabers and no melee shields? That's a little dangerous, don't you think?"
Now it was Bastila's turn to grin. "I would have left him in one piece. After I toyed with him a little bit."
Revan winced. "If you ask me, she was a little overzealous going for my ... treasure chest. I'm not sure how much kolto that would need."
"Not as much as your bruised ego, I'm sure." Malak traced a scorch mark in the stone floor with his boot. It was one of many. "Won't the Masters be mad when they find out you used the council chamber as a duelling ring?"
"Not as mad as they'll be when they see what we did to the training room. Not that they have to know about that either."
"The training room computer was your fault," Bastila said.
"Hey, I tried to fix it."
"We should go to bed," Malak suggested, his eyes on Bastila. His arm wrapped around her slim shoulders.
Of course. It was so easy to be with her, Revan had forgotten that they weren't together.
"You coming, Revan?"
"Not yet," he answered, trying to ignore the intentions in his friends' eyes.
The two walked away, hand in hand. Revan wished that he could be Malak, if only for a day. No, even an hour would be enough. He watched Bastila's retreating back for as long as he could until it disappeared beyond the circle of moonlight that left him alone.
He stood still for a moment before thumbing his lightsaber back on. Twisting through the movements of his form, he concentrated on perfecting his technique. If he won, Bastila would demand a rematch. Then they would duel more often and – Revan hoped – alone.
The young Jedi pushed himself to his limits. It was all about focus. Don't think about what they're doing right now, he told himself, but he couldn't stop wondering. His own imagination made Revan sick. He collapsed, completely exhausted and out of breath. The night air tasted bitter on his lips.
Author's Note: I tried to do some research on for this game, but it came back with a bunch of stuff that confused me so I'll just stick with what I know. If anyone could please remind me at exactly what point you meet Visas in Kotor 2, that would be greatly appreciated.
Apparently, Malak's real name is Alek Squinquargesimus. Who knew?
