Vk'leita stared at Dachande with a sinking heart at the request he was given.

Dachande stared back. "Is there a problem?" He asked. Vk'leita quickly clamped his mandibles together for a second before letting out a sigh and responding. "Sei-i. . .there is." Dachande tilted his head curiously at Vk'leita as the male yautja explained. "Dachande, I. . .I don't feel worthy to be your second in command." He painfully admitted.
Even Dachande's eyebrows rose up in shock at this confession. "You don't feel worthy how?" He demanded. Vk'leita felt his toes curl as he forced his pride down for this conversation.

"After what happened with Yeyinda-I mean Helena and Da'dtou-di, I don't feel worthy to lead this clan, even as only a second in command. My judgement was so screwed up thanks to my bias towards them. I put everyone in danger by treating them the way I did. I. . .I nearly got Helena killed." Vk'leita said her name with reverence. Though they had agreed that they would only call each other 'Helena' and 'Topknot' behind closed doors, Vk'leita knew Dachande already knew her real name long before he had. It was a fact he was secretly jealous of, but had to remind himself that half the fault of that was his own for not learning it sooner, amongst other things he should have done the minute he met her.

Dachande let his mandibles droop down into a frown at this. "I thought you two put your actions in the past and moved forward." He said. Vk'leita gave a half attempt at a nod. "Sei-i, we did. . .or at least she did. . .I have not forgiven myself. Nor have I talked to Da'dtou-di yet to apologize either." "Then you better go do that, because I will accept no one else as my second." Dachande said stubbornly. Vk'leita frowned at him. "Even if she forgives me Dachande, it will be a long time before I can forgive myself." Dachande tilted his head at him. "How come?" He demanded.

Vk'leita's hands clenched at his sides.

"I can still see her bruise." He said quietly. Dachande remained silent as he continued. "It's gone now, but I can still see the bruise every time I look at her. And every time I close my eyes, I can still hear the sound of her skull cracking-" "What?!" Dachande interrupted, giving him an appaled look.
Vk'leita's shoulders slumped. "I found out from the Witch that my attack not only bruised her. . .it nearly killed her. I had cracked her skull, and it was only thanks to the Witch's interference that she's still alive. I. . .That. . .That's the second time I put her life in danger." Vk'leita felt his body tremble. "That's the second time she nearly died by my hands." He looked up at Dachande with clear pain in his eyes. "I can't forgive myself for that!"

Silence filled the room.

Dachande stayed still for several seconds that stretched to minutes. Neither moved, but both felt the turmoil raging inside of them. Or more specifically, the turmoil raging inside of Vk'leita.

Finally, after a long while of deciding what to do, Dachande sighed. "So. . .what you're telling me is that you feel you still have to repent of your actions." "Sei-i, I do." Vk'leita softly answered. "Even going to the temple of Paya if I have to." Dachande tapped his claws on the armrest of his chair and thought about his answer.
"Then do what you must have to," He said. Vk'leita was shocked that Dachande would accept his answer so easily, but then the elder yautja continued talking. "but I still want you to consider my offer." He stood up from his chair. "I also want you to discuss this with Helena." "Why?" Vk'leita asked. Dachande smirked. "Because I know she can change your mind." Vk'leita gave him a bewildered look as Dachande chuckled. "I know you will listen to her. In the mean time, I will make a compromise. I will leave the position open for you until you make a final decision. If you decide you still aren't worthy of it, then I will search for someone else I can trust. If you decide you are worthy, I will give you the position right away."

Dachande stopped before Vk'leita and shook his shoulder warmly. "Deal?"

Vk'leita thought about the offer for a moment before reaching up and shaking Dachande's shoulder in return.

"Deal."


Vk'leita found Helena laying down on her bed when he returned to her room.

The woman's 11 foot height caused her limbs to hang off the edges of the bed, a fact that brought Vk'leita great humor. When she had been human, the bed had been a perfect fit for her. Now, however, she was taller than most females of his species. This meant they had no beds that could actually fit her.

She didn't seem to actually mind this, having told him once that she had the same problem back on earth during her human years.

Vk'leita reached a hand out and trailed the tips of his claws up the side of her ankle and then up the curve of her calf until he reached the back of her knee. Her leg reflexively jerked and the woman grunted as she rolled over to look at him. Vk'leita grinned and chuckled at her with rapidly clicking mandibles. He had found this little trait of hers on accident. When asked to explain, she told him how humans tended to be this thing called 'ticklish'.
Now he couldn't stop tickling her and she regretted telling him about it. Especially since he told Lar'nix'va and now the pup had a way of defeating Da'dtou-di whenever they sparred as well.

Vk'leita sat on the edge of the bed and turned so his back was facing her. He felt her shift around to make room for him and then he finally laid down next to her.

Helena pressed her side against his and Vk'leita let out a pleased purr at her affection. Then she leaned up on one elbow and blinked tired eyes at him. "So what did Dachande want?" She clicked before covering her mouth for a yawn. Vk'leita frowned at the subject, hoping to avoid it all together. "It was about me joining his new ship." Vk'leita said. Helena yawned again and rested her chin on her palm. "Didn't you already accept it?" She asked. Vk'leita nodded. "Sei-i, I did. . .he gave me another offer." Helena rose an eyebrow at him and tilted her head. "Oh? What was it?" She asked. Vk'leita felt himself grow uncomfortable. "He offered me the position as his second in command."

Despite being uncomfortable about the topic, his couldn't help but be happy when she smiled at him. "That's great! So when do you start?" She asked.

Vk'leita's mandibles drooped to a frown. "I didn't." He said quietly. Helena sat up a little more and Vk'leita recognized the concerned look in her eyes. "Why not?" She asked, leaning one hand forward to clasp his. Vk'leita gladly took her hand as he explained to her what he had to Dachande, though skipping the visual parts he had added before.

Helena frowned as soon as he finished. "Vk'leita, I already forgave you for it." "I know, but I-" Vk'leita stared at her face, specifically the right side. In his mind, the bruise came back along the entire right side of her face and his stomach gave a squeeze at the visual. "I just. . .I just can't forgive myself." He quietly clicked.

Helena moved until she was sitting up, then leaned forward to pull him into a hug. An affectionate gesture common to humans, but not common to his kind.

So of course, he couldn't help but melt in her arms as soon as they circled him.

Vk'leita leaned against her and Helena held him tightly with one arm while the other stroked along the length of his spine, causing him to shiver. She kept doing this until she started rubbing his back. "Well," She said between strokes. "You kind of have one day to figure it out." She said.

"Dachande has offered to let me take the time that I need to figure it out." He clicked against her neck. Helena trilled her curiosity. "What will you do?" She asked. Vk'leita leaned up a little so he could see her while he spoke. "When we return to my world, I will visit the temple of Paya. I will receive guidance there. . .I hope." He let out a breath and leaned against her neck again. Helena continued to stroke his back as she thought to herself.
"Will I be able to come with you to the temple?" She asked.

"Of course!" Vk'leita answered, happy she wanted to go with him.

Helena smiled and laid back down with him, both closing their eyes to the exhaustion they felt.

A nap was deeply needed.


Loud clanging and roaring could be heard from the Kehrite , though only two yautja occupied the room.

Lar'nix'va barely dodged Da'dtou-di's swing, distracted as he was by the attractive female's movements. His combistick came up to block her blow, but then her foot swept out and knocked him to the floor. In a flash, she had straddled him and was using her combistick to push his back and pin his hands underneath it. "I win." She grinned victoriously down at him.

Smirking up at her, Lar'nix'va used one last remaining cheat to get her off of him.

He managed to slip his hands from her pin and shot his claws forward, trailing the tips delicately up the sides of her belly until they stopped under her arms. Da'dtou-di let out the familiar squeal he craved to hear, and squirmed at the sudden sensation, which caused her arms to retract to protect her sides.

In a second, Lar'nix'va flipped them over so she was pinned beneath him instead. He grinned down at her as she huffed up at him. "That was cheap." She pouted. His grin grew wider. "But it works." He pointed out. Da'dtou-di rolled her eyes at him. "I'm going to have to kick Yeyinda for revealing that fact about us. It's no fair that none of you have tickle spots." She huffed. Lar'nix'va laughed and got up off of her. "The Witch didn't get rid of them and I'm glad she didn't." He smirked. Da'dtou-di rolled her eyes again and stood up. "Well maybe if I ask her nicely, she'll give you some spots for me to torment as well." She smirked.

Lar'nix'va gulped. He had a feeling that the Witch really would do that if she asked her.

Before they knew it, the alarm chimed out. The signal for the yautja assigned to nightshift rang in their hearing canals.
Lar'nix'va turned his head and gave Da'dtou-di an almost desperate look. Today was their last day to see each other. In the morning, Da'dtou-di would leave with Dachande onto his home-world and eventually the new ship. He, Lar'nix'va, would be forced to stay behind until the unblooded's new instructor would board this ship.

This was the last moment they would get to see each other.

He felt a twist in his stomach. He didn't want her to go. Not when he was just barely making progress with her. She was even close to coming around to forgiving him, he could feel it!

Da'dtou-di sighed and stood up from her spot on the ground. "Shorty, we better go to bed." She clicked as she turned to leave. Lar'nix'va grew desperate not to see her go. "Wait!" He called out, heart thudding. Da'dtou-di paused, so Lar'nix'va jogged to catch up to her. He pinched his mandibles together before opening his mouth. "Before you go, you should know my name." He said.

Da'dtou-di turned and tilted her head curiously as him as he took a breath to answer. "My real name is Lar'nix'va. . .though you can still call me Shorty if you feel I deserve it." He bowed his head and looked at the ground awkwardly. He heard her move her feet and assumed she had gone to leave the room, not finding his real name worth sticking around for.

Then to his surprise, he felt her hand under his chin and gentle pressure caused him to look up at her.

She was smiling at him.

"Mine is Machiko." She said before pressing her forehead to his for a moment. Lar'nix'va didn't have time to process the affectionate gesture before she turned to leave.

He promised to remember her name until the next time they met.


Author's note: Translation time!

-Sei-i: Yes

-Kehrite: Dojo/training room.

Happy Valentine's day! Both to everyone single(including me) and taken.

This is the official end of part two. Part three starts next chapter with an explanation (as usual) and a time skip.

I hope to see you all there!