XIII

One could probably see the steam rising off of the two figures as they entered the dry room, their bodies completely soaked. Darth Maul moved down the short hall of the dwelling, not caring about what he stepped on in the process. Naturri clung to him loosely, her eyes closed in a slightly pained expression. Once in her own private room, Maul set her down on the end of the bed, laying her down gently so not to hurt her any further.

Quickly the Sith Lord set about searching through her small closet for something warmer to change into—staying in those wet clothes of hers was not a good idea. He found a plain gray, long and straight dress; it would have to do. Going back over to the bed he used one arm to lift her into a sitting position.

"Can you move?" he asked calmly. She gave him a short nod, but kept her eyes partly closed. Maul became frustrated immediately as he tried to help her out of the heavy wet clothes that stuck her body. He could tell just by looking that her arm was broken in at least two places, so he was careful not to move it more than he had to.

Naturri hissed quietly to herself several times with certain movements, but finally Maul was able to get the wet material off and the dry on. Wherever the wet clothes fell, he didn't care; he lifted her easily and brought her up further on the bed so she could lay her head on the pillows. He set to work at checking for further injuries. While undressing her he had found several bruises and cuts on her arms, legs and back. He could tell that she had put up a good struggle, but in the end her attackers won out.

Naturri's brown eyes looked at him softly, practically in a daze; she opened her mouth to speak and Maul anticipated her words. "Why did you come back?" she asked her voice weary.

It wasn't the question Maul had expected, and he wasn't prepared to answer it. He shook his head and lifted her other arm to see if that too was broken. "It doesn't matter," he told her a moment later, getting up and leaving the room. Before he did so, however, he caught a quick glimpse of a small smile on her face—as if she knew something he didn't.

Maul ignored it and went to the kitchen; he opened the cooling compartment and searched out the pink drink she had given him. He was disappointed to find there was barely half a glass left. He poured it anyway and brought it back to her, putting it to her mouth and letting her sip from it slowly.

Naturri looked up at him and Maul took the glass away, setting it down on the bedside table. As he started to let her lay back down, she shook her head and put her hand on his arm. "You need to rest," he told her.

"I need you to stay with me," she said quietly.

Darth Maul looked at her with an unsure face—he wasn't the type to comfort people; but for some reason he couldn't refuse her. He propped up a few pillows so she was sitting up a little, but he could see that the little movement she made hurt her more than it should have. Maul sensed that her injuries were internal as well, and that could only result in one thing unless she got help.

"You need medical assistance," he said starting to get up again. "I'll take you to Tyrena."

"No," she replied simply, shaking her head once to the side. "I just want to stay here."

"You're talking nonsense," Maul told her, but her hand tightened on his arm. "You'll die if you don't get the proper treatment."

Naturri closed her eyes, but her small smile didn't waiver. "I know," she replied. "But they can't treat me without giving me the tonic."

"What tonic?" He asked quickly.

Naturri smiled and looked away for a moment. "The reason why that man couldn't die is because he supplied me with a medicine that kept me alive…as long as I gave him what he wanted…."

Maul's brow furrowed and he snarled slightly. "What do you mean? Why?"

Naturri didn't answer; instead she raised her hand to his face and placed her fingers on his cheek. The tips of her fingers grazed down his skin to his mouth and then continued down his chin until her hand fell to his lap. "I'm glad I found you, Darth Maul. I didn't mind you being here."

Maul didn't know what to say; he didn't even know if there was anything to say. He could feel her life slipping away before him, the sparkle in her brown eyes fading slowly. She lay back into the pillows and closed her eyes, but her mouth was still curled to express some sort of happiness.

He understood. She knew that death was inevitable—and she wanted to die there…with him, even though he had destroyed her chances of living before he allowed himself to learn why. Maul never understood why someone would devote themselves to one person for their entire lives, but if it was for the reason he was feeling now, he could learn to understand. A Sith Lord, powerful in the dark side of the Force, master in combat, Maul couldn't explain why he felt different towards this one individual.

Naturri looked up at him then, her hand resting on his by her side. "Will you answer me one thing?" Maul hesitated, but then gave a short nod. "Do you regret allowing yourself to love?"

Again she struck him with her questions. It seemed that she had figured him out before he could even do so—if one could even go as far as saying such a thing. There was lust, passion, perhaps attraction, but he never considered the notion of "love" as she spoke of it. Yet how could he be sure that's not what the strange, twisty feeling in the pit of his stomach signified? Maul had never experienced love before—it had never been something he searched for. He was taught to strive for power, to learn how to fight and be the best he could at everything…but not love.

Maul's eyes locked with hers and he could see the admiration she had for him in them. He didn't understand—he had belittled her, hurt her, even tried to kill her more than once, but yet she spoke of this love concept. Unless it was the other night she spoke of, but he doubted it was just that.

Finally he answered her; "No." After saying that, she raised his hand up with her good arm and pulled off his glove. Maul said nothing as she brought it to lie on her chest, just below her left shoulder. He could feel her heart beating slowly, the pace below the normal rate. Instead of keeping it there, though, Maul's hand crept up and caressed her face, his thumb brushing under her eye.

As his fingers followed the edge of her jaw, he could see her eyes closing. When his thumb brushed over her lips, her body sagged and her head leaned back and away from him. She was dead.

Darth Maul ran his hand through the tangled, wet mess of her hair, his eyes stuck on the features of her face. Even someone as powerful as a Sith couldn't undo death. Even if she had lived, there was little hope that she could stay with him—he couldn't lead the life of a simple peasant, doomed to work for a living day in and day out. His place was where it was now, and he would pick up where he left off.

Standing up and pulling his glove back on his hand, Maul stared at Naturri one last time. Without a flinch, he watched as her pet came hurrying in, its bony hands holding her angelic face and wondering why she wasn't reacting. Maul picked the creature up and carried it outside with him. He tossed it to the ground and shooed it away with his hand.

Holding on the handle of his lightsaber and activating one side to its full length, Maul walked to the side of the house where the circuit breaker sat in the shadows of a palm tree. With one, quick swing he struck it with the energy beam, the wires shorting and sparks flying. As he expected, it burst into flames and soon the whole side of the house was engulfed in fire.

Maul replaced his lightsaber at his side and pulled up the hood on his cloak. By the short time it took him to reach the open ramp of the Infiltrator, the entire house had been swallowed in the blazing flames, the wood and plaster crackling as it burned. Grayish-black smoke rose into the air, its height almost immeasurable as the rain and wind from the dying storm pushed it to the side.

For a few minutes Darth Maul watched as windows burst from the heat, parts of roof caving in and furniture inside melted. The dark side embraced him and he allowed it to flow over him just as the heat from the fire did. Without a second glance over his shoulder, Maul returned to the pilot's seat of his ship and turned on the engines. Within seconds the ship lifted off the ground and left behind Maul's first and only taste of a different life.