Innocence. The thing that seperates the people we become as life moulds us from the people we were born as.

Innocence. So often stripped away by events beyond our control.

Innocence. That which I have stolen from a young girl. Yet, had I not, she would now be dead.

Innocence. That is what shown in the eyes of Mission Vao the first time we met. Sure, she understood the ugly realities of the world, but she'd never seen them first hand. She'd seen depravities commited in the name of survival, in the name of a power struggle, but she'd never seen atrocities commited simply for the sake of sating an evil urge to destroy and harm.

Innocence. I stripped it from her the day I asked her to join me. I dragged her through the flames of hell and forced her to see that which would make grown men weep. And through it all, she never once broke down. But I had.

I had locked myself in my cabin quite a few times over the course of our journey. I had let the tears come. I had always been an emotional man, during my time as the Dark Lord I would often spend hours staring at the memorial wall aboard my flagship. Weeping beneath my mask for every life taken, every life lost, every shred of innocence stolen. Yet through it all, I never once cried for my own innocence. I'd never had any to speak of.

I was raised an orphan on a Hutt controlled world. It was in my fifth year that my impossible rage was born. I saw a friend being raped by a spice trader and I lost it. Killing him with an instinctual command of Force Lightning. The ripples created from my rage were great enough that they drew the attention of Master Vandar. The tiny Jedi took it upon himself to train me, showing that unlike what the others of the council preached, walking in the light didn't mean banishing your emotions. Nor did it mean restraining yourself only to the higher aspects of the Force. He believed that walking in the light meant using everything at your disposal to heal the galaxy and its people. Funny how much I miss him.

Again, my mind wanders, and again, lands upon Mission Vao. I can see her now, on the security screen. She's playing with two strands of fabric, her nimble blue fingers twisting and knotting them. The smile that slips onto my face is one of genuine concern. Then and there I stand, and make my way through the halls of the Hawk until I come to her door.

"Mission?" My voice cracks softly as I tap on the side of the door as it slides open. Her blue eyes look up and sparkle happily as they meet my own acidic green.

"Revan. We heading out?" I feel the weight of reality crash upon my shoulders as I step into the cabin and drop onto the foot of the bed. In spite of everything, she's still ready to follow me into hell and beyond if I ask.

"No Mission. I just wanted to talk." I smile softly though it never reaches my eyes. The way she lowers herself beside me, I can tell she knows something's wrong. By the Forefathers, what did I do to deserve such a loyal companion?

"Revan... something's on your mind. But I can't think what it could be. We saved Bastilla, secured the Star Forge, regained your Empire from Malak, so why aren't you pleased?" Her hand found its way to my knee and I sighed at her soft touch. Like the sound of her voice, it was soothing.

"Mission, I feel the weight of my decisions bearing upon me. I've pulled you all through the muck and the murk in order to achieve my goals. When my mind restored itself, I had hoped things would be different. But it seems it was impossible." With a soft smile I place my hand atop her much smaller one and squeeze her blue fingers with a gentle grasp.

"Revan... you're letting the pain overtake you. Didn't you once say that for the good of the galaxy we must control our own emotions, rather than let them rule over us?" Smiling softly at me the young twi'lek leaned against my arm. Without thinking about it I shifted so she slid into the crook of my neck and my arm wrapped around her protectively.

"Mission... it is easy to preach and help others to follow your guidance. But, there is nothing harder in the galaxy than for one to follow their own advice." With a slow sigh I stand and walk towards the back wall of her cabin before pressing my forehead against the cold metal.

"Mission... you, Juhani, Bastilla, HK, and Zaalbar are the only ones who stayed at my side. Canderous left to go play king among his people, Jolee died from the strain on his old heart, and Carth betrayed me. Why Mission? I turned against the Republic again. Everything you love. Why do you still follow me?" Without realizing it I had let my voice rise until I was nearly yelling. With a rage filled growl I slammed my fist into the wall and let out a choking sob.

"Revan..." Her voice is soft and gentle. A whisper, soothing as the salty winds of the Naboo beaches. I hear the gentle patter of her feet as she walks up behind me. Her tiny hands run along my back, her fingers pressing into my shoulder blades and soothing the knots with a gentle touch. As gentle as her touch is, when she speaks again, her voice is more so.

"I follow you Revan, because you are a good man. And, you are the embodiment of what I love. When you carried me through the galaxy on our quest, I saw the truth of the Republic. Remember our adventures on Tattooine? That was a Republic slave operation that you saved me from. That was when I saw the truth. And also when I realized something." Her voice trailed off toward the end and her hands slipped from my back before one of them hooked around my arm and gently spun me around to face her.

"And what was it you realized?" My eyes locked with hers as her small hand reached up to stroke one of the strands of white in my hair.

"I realized... I love you. Revan, Darth Revan, I... love you." Giggling softly, the girl waited with baited breath for... something. The wait wasn't long though, soon enough, and without realizing what I was doing, my mouth landed on hers and placed a gentle kiss upon her lips.

Pulling back, I lowered my eyes in shame at the fact I'd just taken adavantage of a young girl's crush. She was fourteen, what did she really know of love? I knew better, it was hero worship, and I wouldn't bring myself to take advantage of the situation.

"No. Mission, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." To my surprise, I felt her small hand go beneath my chin and tilt my face up so our eyes met.

"Revan, it's okay. I understand about the "moral implications" of anything physical between us, but, you need to remember. I'm not human, so, holding me to your people's standards is not only pointless, it's mildly insulting. Twi'leks mature much faster than humans. So, your fears about "taking advantage of a girlhood crush" hold no relevance." Her pale pink lips glistened in the dull light of her quarters. I found myself imagining what it would feel like for those lips to... STOP RIGHT THERE REVAN!

"Mission, you offering to have sex with me isn't helping to refute my fears. It's a classic act of someone trying to prove their feelings aren't the result of a girlhood crush." Strange that I could show such restraint around Mission Vao, but during the war I readily accepted any offer of sex from my servants. What was even stranger though, was the girl smiled brightly at my words before she placed a hand over my racing heart.

"Revan, for someone who's seen as much of the galaxy as you have, you're woefully ignorant about some things. I'm not offering to let you fuck me, I'm offering to make love with you." Those pale blue eyes twinkled as she stepped around me and sealed the door. I felt my heart race with anxiety, and more than a little excitement as I fought to get myself under control. The more I fought it though, the more I wanted to give in.

"Please Revan, just trust me." I found myself unable to refuse her quivering lip and wide eyes. Against my better judgement, I gave a nod of consent and let her take my right hand in her two smaller ones.

"I promise you Revan, you'll see the truth." Smiling gently up at me, she placed my hand right above her small breast, my palm resting right atop her heartbeat. Closing her eyes, she then took my left hand and guided it to the back of her head, my fingers rested between the bases of her lek'ku. I found as my hand fit perfectly at the base of her skull, my eyes grew heavy. Sighing softly, I stopped looking, letting my eyelids fall shut. From that point on, I merely felt, and listened.

"Now, forget about everything. Feel me beneath you, and lose yourself." Her voice had deepened in a manner that no fourteen year old should be able to pull off, but, somewhere in the back of my brain, her tiny voice whispered again about her people maturing at eleven.

"Fall... my love." I heard the rustle as she stood up onto the tips of her toes. I felt the shifting of her body. I smelled the sweetness of her breath. I felt the warmth of her skin. And then, I felt something I never have before. A true kiss.

"Nnnnn..." To my eternal shame, a slight groan slipped from my mouth, but I couldn't care less at the time. I felt the velvet touch of her lips against mine and gave another groan as her slender arms snaked around my neck and she deepened the kiss. My mouth moved of its own accord, my mind long since having shut down. I felt our lips mould against each other in perfect harmony. I tasted the sweetness of innocence upon her.

I was complete.