AN: Alright, here's another chapter of From Darkness, and I've gotta say I'm enjoying this quite a bit so far. Just out of curiosity, do you all prefer long chapters or short chapters? I might increase the length of some in the future, but I would like to hear just so I can know people's opinions on the matter.
Anyways, I hope you all enjoy!
Kuro stood before the Jedi Council, her lips pressed into a thin line as she looked between them. She'd returned early from a mission because she felt that she was needed back at the Temple. Now, after hunting after Xanatos, she had been asked to report back to them. Unfortunately, due to his head start, she'd been unable to get to him before she'd been able to catch him. Now, with her report of her failure given, she was giving them a moment to take it in.
Looking at them all with a flat stare, they observed her silently. Deciding that she had enough, she crossed her arms and sharply exhaled. "What's done is done, but it also shown us a great deal as well."
"So we've heard." Mace softly ground his teeth together, the eloquent way she'd described the asteroid sized holes Xanatos had made in their defenses still running through his head. "However, much of what you've said is not something we can fix."
"So you say, and yet I know that you're avoiding some of the more obvious ways in which it could be fixed due to it changing the tradition we've held for so long." Kuro said, glaring at Mace's dismissal.
"I know. But those traditions are what has also kept us safe." Mace replied sharply. "We can work on some of them, but what you're implying is for Temple Security to be reworked entirely. We don't have the necessary funds or need for such a reaction."
"Are you so certain?" Kuro asked, keeping her face passive as she continued. "You say that we don't have the need, and yet we just had one person running around in the temple free. Just one. And somehow, they not only created chaos, they wrote messages on our walls, and had several bombs that was placed in multiple places which could have caused great devastation to the temple should he have wanted to do more than taunt us."
"And what are you thinking of us doing then?" Master Sifo-Dyas asked, looking the most engaged of the Council. His views on the universe could be considered the most radical, but in this case Kuro was appreciative of the fact someone was standing by her to at least allow her a moment to explain.
"A complete rework isn't necessarily needed, but with all that's happened we should make security a bit more thorough." Kuro closed her eyes, thinking about what the possible answers that could work. "…even without funds if we set aside something, a rotation maybe, of Jedi who would act alongside our security it would be better."
"Certain of this, are you?" Yoda asked, the first words he'd spoken since she'd begun speaking. He'd been contemplating what she'd said, and was finding that a change may be needed, especially since he'd quickly understood why she was pushing for this so adamantly.
"Yes."
"Master Kuro please," Mace asked, trying to be the voice of reason. "What you're asking is for us to turn the Jedi Temple into a fortress. In theory it makes sense, but in practice there will be those who take our actions as actions preparatory to a war that isn't happening."
"Isn't happening?" Her voice became cold, her eyes narrowing slightly. "So, the arm I delivered to security to run DNA on to provide lockdowns on his holdings, didn't happen. I didn't fight with someone who managed to break in, set bombs throughout the temple, threaten Master Yoda, and then kidnap several younglings so as to threaten their lives as well. Am I to understand that correctly?"
There was complete silence at that, none of them willing to answer her. What she said was true, and it was a harsh blow to the Temple; at least all those who were still in the temple at the moment. Most other people likely would just take things as they normally were, which made things all the more troubling since any changes would be met with confusion and would take longer because of that.
"What do you suggest we do then?" Plo Koon asked, taking some consideration to what she'd been saying. Thinking about it, he found that she didn't bring up some issues like these without having a few ideas in mind.
"I'm not saying we take over for Temple Security, but rather that we join them. Not all of the Jedi Order but groups of them, perhaps in rotations, that can work with them to bolster the defense of our temple so that this won't happen again." Seeing the expression on some of their faces, she raised a brow. "You don't approve?"
"Don't you think that there will be those who oppose such an idea?" Sifo-Dyas asked, less in opposition, but more curious about the reasoning behind her plan. "Not amongst the Jedi per se, but the Senate may believe we're trying to change our position from Guardians of the Peace to soldiers."
"Are we Guardians of the Peace? Truly?" Her eyes snapped to Mace, sensing he had something he wanted to interject and used it to stop him from speaking as she continued. Looking to the council, she motioned behind her. "As guardians, I feel we've failed then. If the children still safe then Force willing we'll promise to never let them feel fear like that again. If any opposes us, then we need to remind them that we are guardians, and that we need to ensure that we are able to protect ourselves to ensure that we can show the galaxy that we can protect them as well. If we can't even protect those who live among us, how can we truly promise protection for the galaxy?"
The council let that sink in, the question an unsettling one. With the way that things had happened, it was clear that their defenses were much weaker than they'd ever believed. The idea of bolstering their defenses was something they'd never thought of, and it was something that they never believed they needed.
Seeing their indecisiveness, Kuro's frown deepened. "You cannot look me in the eye and tell me that you believe that we'll be safe from those who we haven't stopped. There are people out there who we have made enemies with because we've been forced to stop their mechanisms to take control of that which would throw off the balance of the galaxy. There are people we are still trying to stop, who have the resources to hide even in plain sight. Perhaps we have forgotten, but there are more things than Jedi and Sith in the universe, and with the Sith gone those who should be considered enemies have for some reason been largely ignored. Not in terms of their deeds, but in terms of the damage they could possibly do to us in our home."
All of the Jedi seemed to consider this statement, and each looked to one another. Shaking his head, knowing that they'd be spending quite a bit of time discussing this, Mace finally sighed. "Very well, if you believe that this issue is so important, we will review our options and come to a decision. Thank you for bringing it up."
"Hm, good enough." Turning from the council, she began walking out.
"A moment, if you'd please." Pausing at the door, she turned back to Yoda. "On the progress of youngling Aurra, coming along is she?"
The silence between the two seemed heavy, and the other council members looked to one another. Aurra had been a trouble case since shortly after she'd arrived, constantly a loner, and a troublemaker. Such things they'd dealt with before, but each one needed their own brand of attention, seeing how each person was unique and required their own brand of attention.
From what Kuro had told them, Aurra's father was an unknown, and her mother had been a spice addict on the planet Nar Shaddaa. As such it appeared that it had affected her in ways that they weren't certain of, and made her a difficult child to work with. Kuro was someone they chose when they had difficult younglings, often letting her make them her padawan to help deal with them. Aurra was one such case, and while they knew that she was difficult, the silence told something different.
"…she's changing." She admitted after a moment. "There've been changes in her attitude, and while she's gotten into a lot of trouble, her training in the Force and velocities has improved multifold. The problem is…I know it's not me."
"…a problem, is this?" Yoda asked slowly, noting that she seemed troubled by this.
"Yes. I cannot claim responsibility for her change, and as such I have failed as her instructor." Taking a deep breath, she shook her head. "It's…difficult for me to understand how I missed how she has changed. If anything, the only real change…has been that she's spent more time with Naruto."
"Naruto? You mean the boy you brought back from the Maw?" Adi Gallia asked, sitting up a bit more as she recalled said blond boy.
"Yes. In fact, she's occasionally caused trouble by getting Naruto out of meditation and going with him to various parts of the temple. I've caught them in the training room, the archive, the roof, and various other areas doing many different things. They've pulled pranks, reprogrammed a droid in the temple laundry mat which has further increased Naruto's distaste for droids, gone swimming in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, and once locked themselves in the Temple Treasury. I've punished them in various ways, but they simply get back up and keep going. The one they've seemed to have the most fun with was fluffing the pillows in the meditation room. All of them."
"Very comfortable that was." Yoda said amusedly, recalling seeing the two competing to make the most fluffed pillow for him when he'd accidently stumbled across them in the middle of their punishment.
"True, but that's beside the point. They're troublemakers, but their presence together seems to be mending her. It's making her focused, occasionally showing more kindness towards him than I've seen her exhibit towards any of the younglings her own age, and she's trained harder than any of the instructions I've had with her." Kuro sighed sharply, shaking her head. "Were it not for the fact that to do so is not allowed, I'd ask to take Naruto as my padawan as well as Aurra so as to help her."
"She must learn to interact with others without relying on Naruto." Adi Gallia interjected.
Frowning, Kuro glared at her. "I know and understand that all too well. That's why I believe that taking her to Ord Namurt for further training. It will keep her from making an unhealthy connection, as well as give her a chance to see if we can get her to take her first steps towards truly becoming a Jedi."
"…I can understand what you're asking, and you have permission to do so. We do ask that you try to be back before the end of next year, so that we can evaluate her progress, but until that point we'll allow you that time." Mace said after a moment's deliberation.
Nodding to the man, she turned once more to the door. Not caring for it, she simply walked through the door as she left, leaving the Council members alone to determine what they should do with the information she'd given them.
x-=-x
"How are they?" Qui-gon asked softly, looking between the younglings. They seemed to be sinking in on themselves, comforting each other and doing what they could to comfort one another. Were what happened not so perilous, he might've smiled at how they had taken a bad situation and turned it into an experience that would keep them close.
"They'll survive." The healer said softly, placing her hand on one of the sleeping youngling's head. "Physically they're fine, and will make a full recovery in a few days. Mentally…I can never say for certain. Events such as this leave a lasting impact on many minds, and can sometimes leave them with scars. Obviously there are worse things to see, but having a brush with the dark side like this isn't something we're used to either. There's never been dark side used with a group like this since the time of the Sith. We…none of us foresaw this coming."
Qui-gon's head fell slightly, feeling a weight on his shoulders due to the fact Xanatos was his padawan at a point. "I'm sorry."
The healer placed a hand comfortingly on his shoulder. "Don't worry, none of them will blame you, and none of us will either. It wasn't your decision to do this. He chose his path. We'll just have to deal with this to the best of our ability." As she said this, her eyes slowly shifted to another part of the room, her eyes became concerned as she remembered something. "Things aren't all that bad, what with that little ball of energy being out of it."
"Oh?" Qui-gon asked, glancing to where Naruto was sleeping. He was leaned up against Aurra, who looked like she was holding as still as possible to prevent from waking her, with several of the other younglings all sleeping around her. It was a rather amusing sight to see the normally stubborn and insubordinate youngling become confused and uncertain. "I've never seen him get so bad as to get a remark like that."
"Well, it's not that he was bad per se. It's more that the Force was throwing things off around him. To make matters worse, he was constantly running around, getting under the healers feet, talking to the younglings that should have been lying down, and trying to cheer them up." Shaking her head, she pinched the bridge of her nose with a sigh. "Worse still, is that whatever happened to him with the Force isn't something we can fix…though he seems to be doing a good job so far, and doing better than we are."
It took a moment for what she said to sink in for Qui-gon. "He's healing himself?"
"More or less. It's not exactly what he's doing, since he's not actually consciously healing himself, but he is healing himself. Somehow, the dark side that was tainting his body is being dissipated to repair the damage to him. It's not something that I've ever seen or heard of happening before, and yet with my own eyes, I watched through the Force as a wound that I couldn't heal began slowly healing all on its own."
Qui-gon nodded, the words sound to him. Thinking over what she said, he found a discrepancy between what she said and what he was doing. "I didn't think that he'd been injured at all during the fighting. If anything, Aurra should've been the one who required assistance."
"True, but her healing was simple, barely a scratch when she got to us. The Dark Woman must've done quite a good job to have healed it as well as she did. Naruto on the other hand, had several points of internal damage. Self-inflicted from the look of it, the worst one being on his shoulder, and each wound laced with the dark side." Looking to the unconscious blond child, she huffed. "If I had to wager a guess, whatever happened between him and the youngling Bruck wasn't meant for him. Likely he was trying to protect those around him and in doing so the dark side lashed out at him from inside him. I'll have to document this for later…the masters will need to know of this to review so that we can get someone to look further into this."
Qui-gon nodded, also curious as to how Naruto could have had such internal wounds. It didn't make sense. No one should have the ability to inflict damage like that to oneself, though there were accounts of people injuring themselves with abilities like Force Lightning. "…one of his injuries stuck out to you. Why was his shoulder so severe?"
"That's the odd part. While we were able to heal that one for the most part, it seemed like part of his nerves had been burnt off as well as lacerations to his upper muscles. If I had to wager a guess, it looked like he'd been struck by something superheated."
"Like a lightsaber?"
"Perhaps." Glancing to Qui-gon, she noted his expression shift. "Something the matter master?"
"Hm? No nothing, just…he's got a good heart. I can only imagine what sort of thing happened to him in that room." Qui-gon's voice was soft, and distant, his mind far from them as he thought over what he'd just been told.
"…if you want to talk to him to find out, you'll have to wait till later, understand?" She jabbed his side lightly, getting him to jump and return to reality. "I don't want to hear that he was woken up and running around before he's gotten some rest. As much a help as we want him to be, letting him sleep is the best thing for you to do right now."
"Of course, I understand." He chuckled softly, moving over to the entrance. Glancing back, his smile widened as he saw Aurra glaring at him, silently mouthing the word 'traitor' to him. Shaking his head, he left the room and let them be. It would make for a good bonding moment for them after all.
x-=-x
"…are they gone?"
"Yeah, they are. Did you enjoy your nap?"
Naruto yawned widely, rubbing his eyes with his left hand gingerly. "I didn't take a nap…"
"Sure you didn't." Aurra gently poked the other three younglings, getting them to stir from their slumber. "Alright guys, huddle up, it's time we finish our talk."
"Whazza…" Jax muttered, picking his head up for a moment before dropping it back down. Getting another poke, he waved his hand as he slowly pushed himself up.
Yasuo and Sheeka rolled over and looked at them, taking a moment to take in everything. The room was dark, which meant that they wouldn't be seen or heard as far as they knew, which meant they could talk about some things that Naruto had thought of after running around the room like a blond blur.
"That guy was scary…" Naruto said after a moment, looking to the younglings. "They're all so scared, and it's so weird."
"Yeah well, there are some scary people out there." Aurra rubbed her shoulder, the mostly healed wound a reminder of Bruck and how he'd attacked her. "And even more stupid people."
Yasuo nodded, looking across the rest of his group with a pronounced frown. "I hate stupid people like that."
"We shouwd do something." Sheeka said, getting nods from everyone. When there was silence, her head fell slightly. "But…I don't know what to do…"
"We have to become super awesome, that's what!" Naruto punched his hands into the air, flinching and bringing them down when a sharp pain ran down his right side from his shoulder. "I mean, if the masters can do stuff to make him run away, why can't we?"
"But we're not masters. We're not even padawan's yet." Jax muttered, finally awake enough to focus on the conversation. "We're just some younglings with a big dream."
"Truly wonderful, the mind of a child." Aurra said in a mock-Yoda voice. Poking Jax's forehead, she grinned. "And big ideas can come from little people like you."
"…so what are you suggesting?" Yasuo leaned back against the wall, not sure what they should do, but beginning to get some ideas from what he'd seen of the masters.
"Well, you'll have to become awesome." Aurra patted Naruto on the head, who seemed to almost preen and nuzzle into the affectionate touch. "Naruto's right, that's probably the best thing you can do. The question is, how awesome do you want to be?"
"More awesome than Master Yoda!" Naruto said quickly.
"More powerful than Mace Windu." Jax nodded, remembering hearing about the saber skills of the legendary master.
"More wise than Ali-Alann." Yasuo softly smiled, remembering all that the master had taught them, knowing he had a lot more to show them if he was going to be leading their group for the next couple of years.
"Able to do anything at all…like Master Kuwo." Keesha glanced around when she got an odd look at that. "I heawd fwom some of the othew youngwings that she wan thwough a wall."
"No way, really?!" Naruto's jaw dropped at that statement. The idea of just walking through a wall was insane, but the idea of just popping through a wall was undoubtable one that would look pretty awesome.
"Yeah. And she beat up the bad Jedi too."
"Aw man, then that's what we're gonna do." Naruto nodded rapidly, his grin practically sparkling in the darkness. "We're gonna learn how to do all kinds of awesome and cool stuff, so that when we become Jedi Master's, no one will ever think to hurt younglings like our friends ever again!"
"What about the rest of the universe?" Yasuo cut in, remembering that they'd become Jedi and get to travel across the universe. "Jedi are guardians, so…why not protect everyone?"
"Hm…" Naruto thought about that for a moment. "Yeah…you're right! I like that plan a lot. We'll become Jedi who are super awesome and be able to jump across mountains, and walk through walls, maybe even fly, or be able to fight with armies of droids and tear through their vicious metal bodies with no remorse."
Aurra rolled her eyes. "Are you still mad about that? I told you I was sorry."
"Droids are evil and must be defeated before they begin their attacking! They've already attacked me a couple of times."
"A medical droid doing a check-up and the laundry droid moving to the machine you're at is hardly fair to all droids."
Naruto crossed his arms, huffing heatedly. "I know they're evil. I just know it. No droid is ever going to make a fool out of me."
"Uh-huh, sure they aren't. And I'm a Wookie's uncle." Aurra said with a giggle.
"…hey, is it true that they rip people's arms off when they lose?" Naruto asked suddenly, getting a very confused nod form Aurra. "Sweet! I'm gonna wrestle one someday!"
Everyone deadpanned at that, knowing full and well that Naruto was being absolutely serious about that idea. Of course, none of them would stop him either; if that's what he thought would help make him awesome they'd support him as he tried. And they'd likely wince as he was mercilessly defeated, but that was beside the point.
"So, we're all agreed that we'll become super awesome and protect everyone and anyone right?" Yasuo asked, getting a nod from everyone except Aurra.
"Except the bad guys. Bad guys get beat up because they're doing bad things." Naruto said resolutely.
Aurra watched them as they all began nodding and laughing silently. Inwardly, she questioned herself as to whether or not she herself had the ability to live up to such dreams. She'd never once thought about such things, but hearing the small group of younglings made her pause.
Was she really good enough to become a Jedi of repute? One who was 'super awesome' and capable of doing all the things and anything such as that. She was certain that she could do certain bits, but there was something about that which made her uncomfortable.
Closing her eyes, she rubbed their head and nodded slowly. "Yeah…we'll do that. And we'll be the most awesome guardian defender people of all time. Promise."
x-=-x
Two Days Later
An'ya Kuro stood next to the spaceship that was going to take her and Aurra to Ord Namurt. Looking over, she wasn't surprised to see Naruto was whining and making a scene with Aurra. Clearly he was going to be as much trouble as Aurra had been while she was gone, but then he'd already been a troublemaker due to the fact that the two of them had gotten so close during the few months they'd been together. As she watched them though, there was something different about them. While Naruto was making a scene, he seemed to be waving his arms and shouting something she could hear clearly from the other side of the hanger.
Shaking her head, she leaned back and watched the two with a hint of a smile on her face. Once more she could see that there was a connection, something like a sibling relationship…or even a sibling rivalry judging from how Aurra now had Naruto in a headlock and was scraping her knuckles roughly on his head.
"Aurra! Time to go!"
Aurra glanced up to her, letting go of Naruto. He tried to grab her back but was patted on the head which caused him to pause. Saying something An'ya couldn't hear, the two of them grinned before Aurra raced over to her.
She considered for a moment that she could've listened in on what they were saying, but she would let them have their moment. Whatever it was, it was between them. While she'd said before that she didn't want them to become wrongly attached, she wouldn't fault them for desiring to have some attachments. Her own philosophy was to detach themselves from everything but the Force, she let her students make their own decisions based on what she taught them. It was how she had learned, and her teachings were meant to be internalized and for their conclusions to be built up from that and everything else the Force and the universe would teach them.
Running past her into the ship, Kuro glanced once more towards Naruto. Said boy threw up his hands and shouted to them. "Come back soon so we can become even more awesome kay?!"
Not bothering to reply, she walked up the ramp and closed it behind her. Seeing Aurra with her bag of supplies, she walked to the controls and sat down. Strapping herself in, she set in the coordinates and began the launch sequence.
Aurra sat next to her, eyes staring blankly out the front view. Her mind was so far gone, on ideas and a few things she'd gotten snuck onto her datapad with Naruto the day before when they found out she would be leaving. It wasn't much, but hopefully it would make the very short breaks when she didn't feel like she'd been run over by a wampa.
"You're thoughts are unfocused and wild Aurra. Focus on one thing, and reach out with the Force. You'll learn far greater things if you do."
Aurra scowled softly at the words, still unaccustomed to Kuro's way of teaching. She seemed to cut in at every moment she thought she was free and give her some assignment that was meant to 'help' her but felt like a tedious assignment. Still, she did as she was asked, though her frustration was already proving to be a sore point.
Shaking her head, Kuro watched her padawan to be attempt to meditate and recenter herself. The trip to Ord Namurt would be the most she'd get to relax and allow herself to connect to the Force before the 'real' training began. She had many ideas and many ways in which she could educate Aurra, and each would help give her a more sound understanding of how to teach her.
"…Master?" Aurra's voice cut through her thoughts, making her pause in her hyperspace calculations to glance at her. "Do…nevermind."
"What is it?"
"It's nothing." Aurra gripped her arms and looked away, eyes lost in some phantom image far off. "It's nothing…"
"…" There was nothing she could reasonably say to that, though she felt that she should attempt to say something. Reaching out to the Force, she finally sighed and gave up. "When you're ready, I'm willing to listen. Whatever this 'nothing is', I'll willingly assist you with it."
Aurra glanced up, biting her lip as she thought about asking once more. Shaking her head, she let herself sink into herself dejected by her fear. "Thank you."
"Of course Aurra." Kuro finished the calculations and made the jump to hyperspace, sighing as the stars seemed to zoom around them as the ship raced towards their destination. Standing up, she began moving to the back of the ship.
Thinking of something, Aurra decided to try something else. "…do you think Naruto could do it? Become as strong as Master Yoda in nine years?"
Kuro paused, looking to Aurra and sensed her trepidation at the question. Thinking it over, she felt that she should give the most honest answer she could. "No. He won't be as strong as Master Yoda in that time." Letting the words sink in, she slowly continued. "But then, Master Yoda is nine hundred years old. Catching up to a master of that age would take considerably longer than just nine years. Especially with all that he's learned in that time."
Thinking about that, Aurra decided to prod a bit further. "Learned? Like what?"
"Oh Master Yoda has dabbled in a bit of everything. Saber forms, the Force, archives, even a bit into politics. He makes for a great debate partner whenever one can find the time to actually understand what the senators are saying. And those aren't just things he's learned, those are things he's mastered. To master them requires time. Time is something that will come in its own due course. Do you understand?"
"Of course." Aurra said, mentally filing those things away to send in a letter to Naruto. She knew that the lack of confidence wouldn't go well, but knowing where he could study them would help him.
In that moment she decided that even if she didn't become a great Jedi, she would do what she could to help Naruto become one. Even if only from the sidelines, she'd be able to feel the enthusiastic feeling of the Force when he finally obtained the rank of Master, and showed everyone that the impossible could be achieved.
AN: No questions this time, so thank you all for reading. There's going to be a few more skips in time coming up, but each will hopefully be locked into their own chapter to contain the events. And boy next chapter is going to be interesting to write because of Ord Namurt. For those of you who don't know Aurra's story, you'll either see or read up on it when/before I write about what happened.
In the meantime, enjoy yourselves, and see you on the next chapter of From Darkness.
