Love eventually leads to as much pain as it does happiness. - Jolee
In the end, they did get their lightsaber's. Indeed, due to Revan's personal fighting style, they got three. The fact Zhar and the Council met for nearly two hours in the discussion of the topic led Revan to believe it hadn't been as easy a task as the serene Master made it appear, and it took very little imagination for the nearly sixteen year-old to figure out which Masters had been against the idea of giving the two notoriously aggressive Padawans weapons of actually power. She could practically see the vein throbbing in Vrooks temple at the idea.
Regardless of any objections, however, sabers they got. Ga'el had only shaken her head helplessly at her friends' enthusiasm over her two silver blades, one the traditional length of a saber and the other shorter for her off hand. Ga'el, along with the rest of the Temple's Padawans, watched in wry amusement as Revan's verbal arguments with Malak declined, and her tendency to pop out of no where to attempt to land a blow with her lightsabers on the male increased. While many Masters had strong words regarding this new found habit, Malak filed no formal complaints, and, in fact, indulged the girls surprise attacks with a glee of his own, his single blue blade always leaping to life in time to deflect the oncoming Padawan. Despite her new found addiction to the delightful hiss the lightsabers made when they connected, Revan remained significantly less skilled than Malak in straight forward melee combat.
As a less antagonistic relationship between to develop between the two notoriously talented Jedi, it was with no small amount of annoyance that Revan was forced to admit Ga'el had been right. Though the relationship between Malak and she remained far from peaceful, the sheer amount of time and energy freed up by their new found truce was simply astounding. Even she had to admit, however, that the significantly more harmonious relationship between them was not due to efforts on their part alone. Master Zhar had stumbled upon a fact that had previously escaped the notice of the council: the antagonistic relationship between the two gifted Padawans was born just as much from boredom as their conflicting strong personalities. When the two were left to only their studies, at which they both rapidly excelled and easily mastered, and their own amusement, the two quickly picked up their old habit of finding challenge and consuming time through conflict with each other. Zhar's solution to the problem was simple: the Padawn's were not given the time to become bored.
The normally Temple bound Master suddenly found reason upon reason to accept missions off world. The two years following their trip to Kashyyyk were littered with journeys across the Republic space and beyond. Manaan, Dantoonie, Nar Shaddaa, various unnamed worlds along the Outer Rim, the three visited them all and more. Each world brought its own knowledge and experiences, and Revan's collection of languages grew rapidly as she encountered each new alien race and culture. Every trip also revealed to the two Padawans how respected and relied upon the Jedi order truly was in the Republic. During their stay on a planet the three were called upon to do anything from advise and oversee diplomatic treaties, to search for missing children, to simply giving a blessing to whatever small village they had stumbled across. Revan had known the Republic looked up to the Order. She had never realized it revered them.
When not off world, the two advanced students were put to work at not only advancing their own studies, but in educating the younger generation of Jedi Apprentices. Revan's particular combination of snark and charm made her introductory courses to using the Force a packed lecture hall, and Malak's superior weaponry techniques made him a sought after tutor for even Knights of the Order. Between the two charismatic Jedi, a moderate but exceedingly dedicated following of fellow students was starting to gather.
In her rare moments of free time in the Temple, however, Revan still liked to indulge in traditionally favored hobbies. And when an opportunity as perfect as this one presented itself, who could really blame her? She had sensed his weary movements into the gardens half-way through the class of younglings she was in the midst of instructing. Over the past several months the odd moments of understanding she and Malak occasionally experienced had begun to strengthen, the fledgling tendrils of what Zhar had identified as a force bond steadily growing between them as time flowed on. To Malak's growing dismay, Revan was quick to determine how to use the bond to keep constant tabs on the Padawan, and wasted no time in learning how to monitor his emotions to see which tactics of verbal assault were most affective.
The seventeen year-old sunk into a low crouch as she stalked behind the waist high shrubberies that decorated the garden of the Jedi Temple. With well practiced ease, she called her long saber from its resting place on her hip to her awaiting hand, not yet activating the device due to the low hum that would betray her position to the prey. Gliding silently along the outer edge of the garden, Revan grinned as she reached her goal, suddenly flying forward in a swift roll that covered half the distance between her and the prone figure. Coming up out of the position, she planted her right foot on the ground and sent her body soaring in an elegant flip through the air, activating her lightsaber as she landed close to the boy's head. Her saber flew downwards, ending the decent inches above the older human's throat.
"Swish," she gloated, deactivating her saber and clipping the metallic cylinder safety back on her belt, "you're dead, Sarevok."
"Funny," he groused from his reclined position on the ground, one eye cracking open, "I still hurt the same."
She rolled her eyes, plopping down to sit in a cross-legged position next to his head. "You didn't even try to defend yourself. Where's the fun in that?"
"Revan, if I raise either of my arms I'm fairly certain they are going to fall off." Malak explained patiently, his only movement turning his read to regard the other Padawan. "Unlike you, the lessons I give actually require physical exertion, not thinking aggressively at inanimate objects."
"You know Sare, you're becoming very boring in your old age. I'll have you know there's a waiting line to become my new rival that could wrap around the Temple twice."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. And if you keep up with this shameful behavior, I'm going to be forced to seriously considering holding try outs for the role. I'm a very busy woman; I can't be sitting around waiting for you to feel like fulfilling your contractual duties all day."
"I have contractual duties now, do I?" He questioned, obviously amused. He tested his former statement regarding his arms by carefully rolling over, shifting to half sit up by resting his chin in one palm as he regarded her.
"Naturally. This is serious business you know. People expect us to bring a certain level of thrill and flair to this Temple, which we can't very well do if you're simply napping all the time."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"I would appreciate it if you would. Now, are you done being a laze about?"
He chuckled helplessly then groaned as he shoved himself into a full sitting position, rolling his shoulders in the attempt to work out any kinks.
"Some help," he added after a moment, "certainly wouldn't be unappreciated."
"So you want me to heal you then wreak you up again? That doesn't make too much sense."
"Fine," he stated, starting to lean back to lie on the ground once more, "have it your way."
Revan laughed and extended a hand to place it on his shoulder. The day she had figured out the basics of the art of healing had been one of the happiest of her life, and probably one of the worst of Malak's. While she was, much to her chagrin, still no master of the complicated technique, she used her modest ability as an excuse to intensify their duels and Force battles, contending that so long as she healed them up enough before the Masters discovered what was going on they couldn't get in any more trouble than they would otherwise. She tried not to linger too long on the implications that she was far more talented at using the Force as a weapon than as a healing tool.
He released a content sigh as the Force flowed from her into his body, the soreness of his muscles evidently evaporating as she concentrated on the task. Once she had finished he swung one arm before him experimentally, then nodded with apparent satisfaction as it moved without protest.
"There," she chirped at him happily, unfolding her legs to gracefully rise to a standing position. "All better. Now," she drew her lightsabers out of her belt, falling into a defensive position, "ready?"
Malak only lay back down on the ground, smirking happily at her disappointed expression. Revan felt his smug amusement through the bond, and sent an annoyed wave of frustration through the connection as she clicked the lightsabers back in place.
"You used me." Revan accused.
"I omitted certain truths." He admitted.
"You're no fun."
"I fight all day, Revan. I spent this morning dueling lightsaber wielding advanced Padawans, and in less than an hour will be spending the afternoon teaching a bunch of bumbling younglings which end of a training blade to hold. Is it that hard to understand I'd like to spend my free time not in combat?"
"I have seniority; you were fighting with me first." She countered, "I was hitting you with training blades before some of those kids were born"
He opened his mouth to counter then snapped it shut. Revan knew he couldn't argue that. They had been dueling and otherwise interacting for eight years now, so, quite literally, they had been fighting since before some of the six or seven year old younglings had even been conceived.
Rolling her eyes at his continued silence she returned to her seated position beside him, her legs stretched out before her.
"Why don't you go ask Ge'el to duel you?" he asked wearily.
"El's too busy saving kittens from trees or giving out hugs." Revan groused "Ever since she got her saber she's become an even more perfect Jedi. I don't think she'd be very up for anything that doesn't involve meditating or reflection."
Malak laughed softly at her commentary and she turned to fully regard the man. He had his eyes closed, basking in what little light filtered through the smog filled air of Coruscant, a small smile gracing his face at the peaceful atmosphere around them. Contentment fairly radiated off of him, and she resigned herself to spending her one free hour in a day that had been filled with meditation by sitting calmly besides him. Though this was, she had to admit, far more peaceful than the constant instructions and monitoring of others thoughts that instructing her classes involved. She would never say it, but this may actually be more stress relieving than the fight she had come searching for.
A smile played on her lips as she leaned back, joining the other Padawan in laying on the grass, turning her head to maintain her view of his face. He turned his head at her movement, one ear now flat against the ground, small blades of grass covering his cheek as their eyes met.
Brown. Brown eyes.
The tightness in her stomach that had started making itself known at odd moments when he was in her presence kicked up as she idly noted how close the two of them now were. The distance was short enough that she couldn't focus properly on his face, his eyes blurring slightly together, which was odd, considering she had just been noting the color of them, and she was quite certain she had been able to see both separately at that point…
Her hands clenched slightly into the grass beneath her at the feeling of his breath brushing against her lips as he spoke.
"You know," he whispered quietly, Revan's own breath becoming more shallow at the softness of his tone, "you're actually pretty ugly this close up."
She flew forwards to sit bold upright at his words, heat spreading down the back of her neck and up to the tip of her ears from the furious blush that over came her. She twisted violently around to glare down at the still grinning male.
"You…" she sputtered angrily, "You jerk."
She balled her fist and brought is down, slamming her hand into his unarmored stomach, the appendage burying itself into the soft shirt and flesh. He let out a pain 'umph' at the contact, air rushing out of his lungs as he curled up on his side, defending the vulnerable area from further assault.
"What was that for?" He demanded upon refilling his lungs with precious air, glaring up at her now standing form.
She fumed down at him, her arms crossed angrily over her chest, the blush still coating her face and neck, spreading down far enough to disappear under the edge of her brown robes.
"You," she spat at the angrily confused man, "are a complete and total idiot."
She spun on her heal, marching agitatedly away from the bewildered Padawan, his hurt and confusion echoing through their shared bond and she disappeared into the Temple before her.
Master Zhar had done his best, but even two years later certain aspects of their relationship remained unchanged: Malak would always find new and creative ways to annoy her. She paused outside the door to the training room, resting her head against the smooth stone wall in an attempt to calm her swirling mind. She was hardly in a shape to instruct others on finding the inner peace necessary to commune with the Force. Any other Padawan would have been utterly unable to draw upon its power through such chaos, she was Revan, however, and so with only minimum effort was able to find the threads of Force around her, drawing upon them until the song filled her mind to shove the conflict of moments before to the dark recesses of consciousness.
For the rest of her class, however, she couldn't completely remove the lingering memory of brown eyes.
A/N: I had a lot of difficulty writing this chapter. I'm not terribly experienced at writing romance and, having grown so comfortable writing them as rivals/friends, found making the transition to more very tricky to start. I don't want this story to last 40 chapters, however, so it's about time they started moving forward, both in terms of their relationship and in time.
I set up a forum if people want to ask questions or give more interactive feedback than commenting in reviews allows: .net/myforums/littlegeekpenguin/1819927/
Of course reviews are highly appreciated, but feel free to also put your constructive criticism in the forums if you want a more back and forth discussion on your ideas.
