Shadow Demons
Authoress: Aisling Kaiba
Aisling: I'm back with a new part of this, finally!
Yami: You just never know when to quit, do you?
Aisling: Will you be nice to me for once? Sheesh, I don't even know what you're complaining about, b/c you aren't even in this one.
Yami: Thank Ra for that.
Ryou: Yami, be nice to her.
Iris: Hikari, you should be trying to rest and get better, not be on the computer. You're never going to get rid of your cold.
Aisling: Really, I'm fine. It's just an annoying cough. Besides, it's boring downstairs. Can you do the disclaimer for me, Iris?
Iris: All right. My hikari does not own Star Wars, but any original characters are hers.
Yami: *Yelling from another room* Good thing, b/c you'd just screw it up!
Aisling: *Very cheerfully ignoring the Pharaoh* Thanks, Iris. In other words, oh rabid lawyers, I no own, so you can piss off. Got it? George Lucas owns SW, so leave me alone. Anyway, on with the fic!
***************************
Chapter 4:
Celestia let out a soft moan as she slowly started to come back to consciousness. Her lavender eyes fluttered open and she tried to take in her surroundings, but it was too dark in the room and her vision was blurry. She shook her head once to try to clear it, and quickly wished that she hadn't.
A wave of intense dizziness flooded over Celestia, making her nauseous, and a migraine headache throbbed softly behind her eyes, making it even harder for her to see anything. She turned her head slightly to one side when it became too much for her and vomitted.
After she'd emptied the contents of her stomach, she moaned quietly again and leaned her head back against the wall behind her and closed her eyes once again.
"Where am I?" she asked the room in general, her quiet voice little more than the mere ghost of a whisper.
She tried to stretch out and lay down, and it was then that she realized that her slender, pale wrists were shackled to the wall above her head and her legs were bound tightly with some kind of thick rope that dug painfully into her flesh, almost to the point of drawing blood.
Her lavender eyes snapped open again and her fear quickly overrode her nausea and fatigue. The memory of standing alone on that balcony and then being kidnapped came back to her and she started struggling against the restraints wildly, trying desperately to break free, but it was no use. She tried to use the Force to break her bonds, and let out a gasp when she realized that something was blocking it.
Suddenly she sensed someone approaching her and she went totally still, her whole body going tense like a coiled spring. A moment later, a door at the other side of the room opened, and a very dim light flooded into her prison, hurting her eyes briefly. A tall, cloaked figure stood sillhouetted in the doorway, watching the frightened girl very intently.
The stranger approached her, his very walk screaming danger. He knelt down in front of her, gently placing one cold, stone-like hand against the side of her face. Celestia shivered once involuntarily, recoiling in fear and disgust from that icy touch. She tried to back away from him, but the restraints held her firmly in place.
"W-who are you? W-what do you want from me?" she demanded, only partially succeeding in keeping her voice from trembling as badly as the rest of her slender body.
"You are truly magnificent, my young beauty," he purred, sounding very much like a cat, letting his hand slide down from her cheek to the base of her throat.
She glared at him defiantly, suppressing the urge to shiver under that icy touch again. She didn't pull back this time, though, knowing full well that she had nowhere to back away to.
"Look, I don't know who you are, but you have no right to keep me prisoner here! Let me go!" she snapped angrily.
The other didn't answer, though, and it seemed as if he had not even heard her. Instead he moved his hand away from her neck and started to play with her hair, idly lifting the coppery strands and letting them fall again. He watched with an almost innocent fascination in his ebony black eyes as the fiery strands slipped from his fingers and seemed to caress Celestia's pale flesh in an almost seductive manner. He lifted her braid and ran his hand down the length of it with a slow reverence.
"Flames in the hair, and the fire of amethysts forever in your beautiful eyes. You'll make a lovely addition to our kind, my dear," he whispered, his tone reverent as though she were a goddess in his eyes rather than a Jedi apprentice.
"You won't get away with this, monster! My Master will come looking for me, and when he finds me, you're going to regret this!" she hissed.
He laughed as though the very notion amused him. "Your Master? Don't you mean your lover?"
Celestia gasped softly. "How...How did you? How could you possibly...?" the young woman stammered, trying not to show her surprise and fear at his remark.
He smiled unpleasantly, showing his elongated fangs, his ebony black eyes as cold as ice. "How did I know that Qui-Gon Jinn was your lover? You are not very skilled at shielding your thoughts, my dear," he taunted. Then he leaned closer until his face was only a mere few centimeters away from hers. He grabbed her face roughly with his right hand, hurting her, and forcing her to meet his gaze with her own. "You belong to me, now. You will be my vampire queen."
"You insane bastard! I'd rather die than be your so-called vampire queen! And if you even so much as *think* about laying a hand on me or Qui-Gon, I swear by the Force, I'll slit your throat with my lightsaber so fast that you won't know what hit you! Then I'll shove your head so far up your ass that nobody will ever be able to find it, you lowlife sack of bantha shit!"
If she had been hoping to anger her captor, it had certainly worked. He moved back from her and stood up, glaring down at the girl. She shuddered.
Suddenly, without warning, he reached out and slapped her across the face as hard as he could, very nearly breaking her cheek bone, and a dark bruise had already started to form, the ugly splash of color a stark contrast to the ghostly paleness of her flesh. She hadn't been expecting it, and the blow stunned her. The sheer force of it normally would have been enough to send her sprawling if it were not for the fact that her wrists had been shackled to the wall.
"You'll learn to appreciate me in time, my dear. In the meantime, you would do well to remember who is in charge here," he said, his tone becoming dangerous.
Then he knelt down in front of her again, and a moment later, Celestia felt his icy lips on her throat as he began to kiss her neck, lightly nipping at the skin there and making her bleed a little. She tried to struggle against him as the crimson liquid slid down her throat, writhing and thrashing against him, but he wrapped his arms tightly around her shivering form, holding her still. His tongue lapped at the bite marks that were already on her neck like a cat seeking affection.
He was just about to sink his fangs into the wounds when they heard a shout coming from the open doorway.
"Let her go!"
Over her captor's shoulder, Celestia saw the newcomer and recognized him instantly. "Qui-Gon!" she cried out in relief.
The vampire let go of his hold on Celestia and stood up, whirling towards the source of the shout. An evil grin slowly crept across his ghostly features, and he darted towards Qui-Gon, his movements so quick it was almost as though he'd managed to vanish into thin air.
"Qui-Gon! Look out!" Celestia screamed, struggling against the restraints again.
But it was too late. The vampire had reappeared behind the Jedi Master and had grabbed Qui-Gon. He bent his head down and slipped his fangs into the Jedi Master's throat before he could even have the chance to speak or move.
Celestia wanted to run to him, but no matter how hard she pulled at her restraints, she could not break free from them. Tears of frustration streamed down her pale, silken cheeks.
She fell completely still, though, when the vampire lowered Qui-Gon's limp form to the ground. She felt along their link tentatively, which somehow had not been blocked along with the rest of her powers, and was quickly reassured that he was still alive, though just barely, and saw the almost imperceptible rise and fall of his chest with his breathing.
"No. Oh, God, no," she whispered brokenly.
The vampire glanced over in her direction the second she spoke, again giving her that icy smile that sent terrified shivers down her spine. She could only watch, horrified and unable to do anything, as he tore his own wrist and let his blood flow onto the wounds on Qui-Gon's neck.
After a few moments, he stood up and took a step back. "I'll be back for you later, my dear," he said quietly, then fled from the room.
Celestia ignored him. Her attention was focused entirely on her lover.
"Qui-Gon. Please, love, wake up. Qui-Gon, please, don't leave me here alone," she pleaded tearfully.
After a few moments, Qui-Gon opened his sapphire blue eyes. He sat up slowly, clutching his head, obviously in pain, and Celestia breathed a sigh of sheer relief as he stood up and walked over to her.
"Thank goodness you're all right. We have to get out of here, we could still be in danger. Qui-Gon, speak to me, please!"
Suddenly she realized that something wasn't quite right. Qui-Gon's eyes had become darker, almost smoky, really, and seemed to be glazed over as if he were in some sort of a trance. He appeared to be staring straight past her as he knelt down in front of her, his strong arms sliding around her waist as if to restrain her from trying to move away from him.
"Hush, my beautiful one," he whispered.
He reached up and gently touched her cheek, letting his hand trail slowly to her shoulder and down her pale, exposed arm. She shivered under his cold touch, her whole body starting to tremble violently in his grip. Tears slid down her face as she looked into his eyes, searching for even the slightest sign of life that had once been there in those sapphire orbs.
"Master, whatever is happening to you, I know you can fight it. Please, don't let him win this," she pleaded desperately, truly frightened now.
Qui-Gon merely shook his head once, still not aware of what he was doing to the girl. "No, little one, I don't think I can," he replied, his voice a lust-filled purr that she had never heard from him before.
Celestia gasped in horror as Qui-Gon bent his head down, his elongated fangs slowly piercing the delicate flesh of her throat, her lavender eyes going very wide with her terror. She screamed, more from her fear than from any real pain. She twisted and thrashed wildly in his arms, but he merely tightened his grip on her painfully, effectively stilling the young woman's desperate struggling as he pinned her body against the wall beneath his own more powerful one.
"Stop, Master, please. Let go, you're hurting me. Please, let me go, I'm begging you. It's me, Celestia. Please, Qui-Gon, stop," she whimpered fearfully. "I love you! Please, you must remember! Don't do this to me, please!"
Just when she thought that she could not take any more, the pain suddenly faded and Qui-Gon let go of his death grip on her. He moved back slowly, getting off of Celestia, letting his blue eyes drift closed as he shook his head a few times to clear it.
Then he glanced over at Celestia and was shocked to see the terror in her lavender eyes. She was crying and shaking badly as she shrank back away from him in fear. Her dress was torn slightly in a few places, her wrists were still shackled to the wall, and her legs were still bound with the thick rope. There were also traces of dried blood on her neck just below the still open wounds.
"Celestia? Are you all right?" he asked.
"Master? I-Is that you?" she whispered shakily.
He nodded. "It's all right, little one. I'm here, you're safe now," he said as he removed the shackles and ropes that bound her. She lowered her arms and gently massaged her wrists and ankles, trying to get rid of the numbness there.
Qui-Gon stood up and offered a hand to help his apprentice up. She hesitated for just a moment, uncertain as to whether she could trust him, then she shook it off and took his outstretched hand and slowly pulled herself to her feet. She steadied herself and flew into Qui-Gon's arms, burying her face in the front of his tunic.
He held her close to his own body protectively, trying to comfort her. Her trembling had subsided for the most part by now, though she still shook a little bit, and she had no more tears left to cry. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, finally managing to still her shaking form, shuddering only once as the breath left her.
Qui-Gon gently kissed her forehead, stroking her long auburn hair as he held her. She did not pull away from him, for the moment wanting only the familiar sensation of being safe and loved, despite the fact that she had been absolutely terrified of him only a few minutes ago.
"I thought I was going to lose you, little one," Qui-Gon whispered.
Celestia glanced up at him. "I'm fine now, Master," she assured him quietly.
"What exactly happened to you? I heard you call out to me for help, and then nothing," he said.
Celestia lowered her gaze, and her eyes became haunted. "I was out on the balcony, stargazing again. There wasn't anyone else out there, and I never saw the demon coming until it was too late. He grabbed me from behind, and all I remember before I woke up here was his fangs in my neck and then passing out. I tried to warn you when I saw you standing there in the doorway, but he was to fast, and he...he turned you into a Shadow Demon instead of me. He said he'd be back for me later, and then he took off. Then you came over to me, but it was almost like you were in a trance or something, and you..." her voice trailed off and she gestured towards the wounds on her neck mournfully.
"Oh, God. I'm so sorry I hurt you, love," Qui-Gon said quietly.
Celestia shook her head stubbornly. "No, Master. It wasn't your fault. You didn't know what you were doing," she insisted.
"Celestia, I hurt you, Padawan. I could have killed you tonight," Qui-Gon protested.
But Celestia was stubbornly having none of that. "It wasn't your fault. It was like you were under some kind of dark spell or something," she said again. Then she shivered once involuntarily when she remembered where they were. "Can we talk about this later, love? Right now I'd just very much like to get out of this place. It's like...something out of a nightmare."
Qui-Gon merely nodded and pulled her shawl out from a small pouch on his belt and gave it back to her. She wrapped the shawl around her small shoulders again, pulling it close around her shivering form almost as if she'd suddenly become cold. Qui-Gon flinched inwardly at the unconscious gesture. Then he wrapped his arm around the young woman's slender waist protectively, and they made their way back towards their hotel suite with an uncomfortable silence lingering in the air around them.
To Be Continued. This is the longest chapter I've done for this so far, but don't expect the next one to be this long. *Ducks objects thrown at her* Please, be nice to me? I know it's been forever since I've last updated this, but I've been a combination of sick and busy. I hope it was worth the wait, though. Any *constructive* criticism/reviews are welcome, but do not flame me for this. Even if you do, I will simply ridicule your ignorance and then very cheerfully ignore it. Please don't think me rude or harsh, but I put my heart and soul into my writing, and it's disenheartening when ppl just mindlessly flame it. (I'm very touchy about my writing). If it's pointing out something I need to fix or change, then I have no problem with that. Any and all flamers shall be sent to the dreaded Shadow Realm by my muses. Anyway, please R&R! Please? *Sad puppy eyes* Okay, I'll shut up now. Ja ne!
*Aisling Kaiba*
Authoress: Aisling Kaiba
Aisling: I'm back with a new part of this, finally!
Yami: You just never know when to quit, do you?
Aisling: Will you be nice to me for once? Sheesh, I don't even know what you're complaining about, b/c you aren't even in this one.
Yami: Thank Ra for that.
Ryou: Yami, be nice to her.
Iris: Hikari, you should be trying to rest and get better, not be on the computer. You're never going to get rid of your cold.
Aisling: Really, I'm fine. It's just an annoying cough. Besides, it's boring downstairs. Can you do the disclaimer for me, Iris?
Iris: All right. My hikari does not own Star Wars, but any original characters are hers.
Yami: *Yelling from another room* Good thing, b/c you'd just screw it up!
Aisling: *Very cheerfully ignoring the Pharaoh* Thanks, Iris. In other words, oh rabid lawyers, I no own, so you can piss off. Got it? George Lucas owns SW, so leave me alone. Anyway, on with the fic!
***************************
Chapter 4:
Celestia let out a soft moan as she slowly started to come back to consciousness. Her lavender eyes fluttered open and she tried to take in her surroundings, but it was too dark in the room and her vision was blurry. She shook her head once to try to clear it, and quickly wished that she hadn't.
A wave of intense dizziness flooded over Celestia, making her nauseous, and a migraine headache throbbed softly behind her eyes, making it even harder for her to see anything. She turned her head slightly to one side when it became too much for her and vomitted.
After she'd emptied the contents of her stomach, she moaned quietly again and leaned her head back against the wall behind her and closed her eyes once again.
"Where am I?" she asked the room in general, her quiet voice little more than the mere ghost of a whisper.
She tried to stretch out and lay down, and it was then that she realized that her slender, pale wrists were shackled to the wall above her head and her legs were bound tightly with some kind of thick rope that dug painfully into her flesh, almost to the point of drawing blood.
Her lavender eyes snapped open again and her fear quickly overrode her nausea and fatigue. The memory of standing alone on that balcony and then being kidnapped came back to her and she started struggling against the restraints wildly, trying desperately to break free, but it was no use. She tried to use the Force to break her bonds, and let out a gasp when she realized that something was blocking it.
Suddenly she sensed someone approaching her and she went totally still, her whole body going tense like a coiled spring. A moment later, a door at the other side of the room opened, and a very dim light flooded into her prison, hurting her eyes briefly. A tall, cloaked figure stood sillhouetted in the doorway, watching the frightened girl very intently.
The stranger approached her, his very walk screaming danger. He knelt down in front of her, gently placing one cold, stone-like hand against the side of her face. Celestia shivered once involuntarily, recoiling in fear and disgust from that icy touch. She tried to back away from him, but the restraints held her firmly in place.
"W-who are you? W-what do you want from me?" she demanded, only partially succeeding in keeping her voice from trembling as badly as the rest of her slender body.
"You are truly magnificent, my young beauty," he purred, sounding very much like a cat, letting his hand slide down from her cheek to the base of her throat.
She glared at him defiantly, suppressing the urge to shiver under that icy touch again. She didn't pull back this time, though, knowing full well that she had nowhere to back away to.
"Look, I don't know who you are, but you have no right to keep me prisoner here! Let me go!" she snapped angrily.
The other didn't answer, though, and it seemed as if he had not even heard her. Instead he moved his hand away from her neck and started to play with her hair, idly lifting the coppery strands and letting them fall again. He watched with an almost innocent fascination in his ebony black eyes as the fiery strands slipped from his fingers and seemed to caress Celestia's pale flesh in an almost seductive manner. He lifted her braid and ran his hand down the length of it with a slow reverence.
"Flames in the hair, and the fire of amethysts forever in your beautiful eyes. You'll make a lovely addition to our kind, my dear," he whispered, his tone reverent as though she were a goddess in his eyes rather than a Jedi apprentice.
"You won't get away with this, monster! My Master will come looking for me, and when he finds me, you're going to regret this!" she hissed.
He laughed as though the very notion amused him. "Your Master? Don't you mean your lover?"
Celestia gasped softly. "How...How did you? How could you possibly...?" the young woman stammered, trying not to show her surprise and fear at his remark.
He smiled unpleasantly, showing his elongated fangs, his ebony black eyes as cold as ice. "How did I know that Qui-Gon Jinn was your lover? You are not very skilled at shielding your thoughts, my dear," he taunted. Then he leaned closer until his face was only a mere few centimeters away from hers. He grabbed her face roughly with his right hand, hurting her, and forcing her to meet his gaze with her own. "You belong to me, now. You will be my vampire queen."
"You insane bastard! I'd rather die than be your so-called vampire queen! And if you even so much as *think* about laying a hand on me or Qui-Gon, I swear by the Force, I'll slit your throat with my lightsaber so fast that you won't know what hit you! Then I'll shove your head so far up your ass that nobody will ever be able to find it, you lowlife sack of bantha shit!"
If she had been hoping to anger her captor, it had certainly worked. He moved back from her and stood up, glaring down at the girl. She shuddered.
Suddenly, without warning, he reached out and slapped her across the face as hard as he could, very nearly breaking her cheek bone, and a dark bruise had already started to form, the ugly splash of color a stark contrast to the ghostly paleness of her flesh. She hadn't been expecting it, and the blow stunned her. The sheer force of it normally would have been enough to send her sprawling if it were not for the fact that her wrists had been shackled to the wall.
"You'll learn to appreciate me in time, my dear. In the meantime, you would do well to remember who is in charge here," he said, his tone becoming dangerous.
Then he knelt down in front of her again, and a moment later, Celestia felt his icy lips on her throat as he began to kiss her neck, lightly nipping at the skin there and making her bleed a little. She tried to struggle against him as the crimson liquid slid down her throat, writhing and thrashing against him, but he wrapped his arms tightly around her shivering form, holding her still. His tongue lapped at the bite marks that were already on her neck like a cat seeking affection.
He was just about to sink his fangs into the wounds when they heard a shout coming from the open doorway.
"Let her go!"
Over her captor's shoulder, Celestia saw the newcomer and recognized him instantly. "Qui-Gon!" she cried out in relief.
The vampire let go of his hold on Celestia and stood up, whirling towards the source of the shout. An evil grin slowly crept across his ghostly features, and he darted towards Qui-Gon, his movements so quick it was almost as though he'd managed to vanish into thin air.
"Qui-Gon! Look out!" Celestia screamed, struggling against the restraints again.
But it was too late. The vampire had reappeared behind the Jedi Master and had grabbed Qui-Gon. He bent his head down and slipped his fangs into the Jedi Master's throat before he could even have the chance to speak or move.
Celestia wanted to run to him, but no matter how hard she pulled at her restraints, she could not break free from them. Tears of frustration streamed down her pale, silken cheeks.
She fell completely still, though, when the vampire lowered Qui-Gon's limp form to the ground. She felt along their link tentatively, which somehow had not been blocked along with the rest of her powers, and was quickly reassured that he was still alive, though just barely, and saw the almost imperceptible rise and fall of his chest with his breathing.
"No. Oh, God, no," she whispered brokenly.
The vampire glanced over in her direction the second she spoke, again giving her that icy smile that sent terrified shivers down her spine. She could only watch, horrified and unable to do anything, as he tore his own wrist and let his blood flow onto the wounds on Qui-Gon's neck.
After a few moments, he stood up and took a step back. "I'll be back for you later, my dear," he said quietly, then fled from the room.
Celestia ignored him. Her attention was focused entirely on her lover.
"Qui-Gon. Please, love, wake up. Qui-Gon, please, don't leave me here alone," she pleaded tearfully.
After a few moments, Qui-Gon opened his sapphire blue eyes. He sat up slowly, clutching his head, obviously in pain, and Celestia breathed a sigh of sheer relief as he stood up and walked over to her.
"Thank goodness you're all right. We have to get out of here, we could still be in danger. Qui-Gon, speak to me, please!"
Suddenly she realized that something wasn't quite right. Qui-Gon's eyes had become darker, almost smoky, really, and seemed to be glazed over as if he were in some sort of a trance. He appeared to be staring straight past her as he knelt down in front of her, his strong arms sliding around her waist as if to restrain her from trying to move away from him.
"Hush, my beautiful one," he whispered.
He reached up and gently touched her cheek, letting his hand trail slowly to her shoulder and down her pale, exposed arm. She shivered under his cold touch, her whole body starting to tremble violently in his grip. Tears slid down her face as she looked into his eyes, searching for even the slightest sign of life that had once been there in those sapphire orbs.
"Master, whatever is happening to you, I know you can fight it. Please, don't let him win this," she pleaded desperately, truly frightened now.
Qui-Gon merely shook his head once, still not aware of what he was doing to the girl. "No, little one, I don't think I can," he replied, his voice a lust-filled purr that she had never heard from him before.
Celestia gasped in horror as Qui-Gon bent his head down, his elongated fangs slowly piercing the delicate flesh of her throat, her lavender eyes going very wide with her terror. She screamed, more from her fear than from any real pain. She twisted and thrashed wildly in his arms, but he merely tightened his grip on her painfully, effectively stilling the young woman's desperate struggling as he pinned her body against the wall beneath his own more powerful one.
"Stop, Master, please. Let go, you're hurting me. Please, let me go, I'm begging you. It's me, Celestia. Please, Qui-Gon, stop," she whimpered fearfully. "I love you! Please, you must remember! Don't do this to me, please!"
Just when she thought that she could not take any more, the pain suddenly faded and Qui-Gon let go of his death grip on her. He moved back slowly, getting off of Celestia, letting his blue eyes drift closed as he shook his head a few times to clear it.
Then he glanced over at Celestia and was shocked to see the terror in her lavender eyes. She was crying and shaking badly as she shrank back away from him in fear. Her dress was torn slightly in a few places, her wrists were still shackled to the wall, and her legs were still bound with the thick rope. There were also traces of dried blood on her neck just below the still open wounds.
"Celestia? Are you all right?" he asked.
"Master? I-Is that you?" she whispered shakily.
He nodded. "It's all right, little one. I'm here, you're safe now," he said as he removed the shackles and ropes that bound her. She lowered her arms and gently massaged her wrists and ankles, trying to get rid of the numbness there.
Qui-Gon stood up and offered a hand to help his apprentice up. She hesitated for just a moment, uncertain as to whether she could trust him, then she shook it off and took his outstretched hand and slowly pulled herself to her feet. She steadied herself and flew into Qui-Gon's arms, burying her face in the front of his tunic.
He held her close to his own body protectively, trying to comfort her. Her trembling had subsided for the most part by now, though she still shook a little bit, and she had no more tears left to cry. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, finally managing to still her shaking form, shuddering only once as the breath left her.
Qui-Gon gently kissed her forehead, stroking her long auburn hair as he held her. She did not pull away from him, for the moment wanting only the familiar sensation of being safe and loved, despite the fact that she had been absolutely terrified of him only a few minutes ago.
"I thought I was going to lose you, little one," Qui-Gon whispered.
Celestia glanced up at him. "I'm fine now, Master," she assured him quietly.
"What exactly happened to you? I heard you call out to me for help, and then nothing," he said.
Celestia lowered her gaze, and her eyes became haunted. "I was out on the balcony, stargazing again. There wasn't anyone else out there, and I never saw the demon coming until it was too late. He grabbed me from behind, and all I remember before I woke up here was his fangs in my neck and then passing out. I tried to warn you when I saw you standing there in the doorway, but he was to fast, and he...he turned you into a Shadow Demon instead of me. He said he'd be back for me later, and then he took off. Then you came over to me, but it was almost like you were in a trance or something, and you..." her voice trailed off and she gestured towards the wounds on her neck mournfully.
"Oh, God. I'm so sorry I hurt you, love," Qui-Gon said quietly.
Celestia shook her head stubbornly. "No, Master. It wasn't your fault. You didn't know what you were doing," she insisted.
"Celestia, I hurt you, Padawan. I could have killed you tonight," Qui-Gon protested.
But Celestia was stubbornly having none of that. "It wasn't your fault. It was like you were under some kind of dark spell or something," she said again. Then she shivered once involuntarily when she remembered where they were. "Can we talk about this later, love? Right now I'd just very much like to get out of this place. It's like...something out of a nightmare."
Qui-Gon merely nodded and pulled her shawl out from a small pouch on his belt and gave it back to her. She wrapped the shawl around her small shoulders again, pulling it close around her shivering form almost as if she'd suddenly become cold. Qui-Gon flinched inwardly at the unconscious gesture. Then he wrapped his arm around the young woman's slender waist protectively, and they made their way back towards their hotel suite with an uncomfortable silence lingering in the air around them.
To Be Continued. This is the longest chapter I've done for this so far, but don't expect the next one to be this long. *Ducks objects thrown at her* Please, be nice to me? I know it's been forever since I've last updated this, but I've been a combination of sick and busy. I hope it was worth the wait, though. Any *constructive* criticism/reviews are welcome, but do not flame me for this. Even if you do, I will simply ridicule your ignorance and then very cheerfully ignore it. Please don't think me rude or harsh, but I put my heart and soul into my writing, and it's disenheartening when ppl just mindlessly flame it. (I'm very touchy about my writing). If it's pointing out something I need to fix or change, then I have no problem with that. Any and all flamers shall be sent to the dreaded Shadow Realm by my muses. Anyway, please R&R! Please? *Sad puppy eyes* Okay, I'll shut up now. Ja ne!
*Aisling Kaiba*