The sound of foot steps could be heard echoing down the dark halls. There was silence for an instant and then the swish of a door. Klip's light eyes swung about the room but he did not see anyone till he gazed in the direction of the small balcony. It was hard to move his feet but one after another it seemed to get easier. Klip felt like turning around at that moment and leaving but Yunda had already noticed that he was there. Yunda felt like she would break down and begin to cry. "I thought you weren't going to come back..."
"I changed my mind." There was a long pause as he cleared his throat. "Yunda..."
Her head shook from side to side; clumps of brown smacking against her face. She knew what he was going to ask her, more like tell. Him not going on the mission with his master made her want to scream. It only made things worse in her mind. "No Klip. Go away."
Those words stung him in ways that he never felt before.
Why was she being this way? Why did she not see that he was pouring his heart out to her and choosing her over everything else in his life.
Fighting the tears, she turned to leave. Every second that she lingered in this place made her heart ache, but his hand rested firmly upon her shoulder before she could make her retreat. Yunda closed her eyes, and when she opened them, she discovered that Klip had spun her around to face him.
It was hard for her to stare into his eyes. All the emotions that she tried to lock deep down inside were showing through her eyes. Her heart was racing a mile a minute as her dark eyes averted his purple ones.
A tear rolled down his face as he struggled to say something. His mind was whirling with so many questions that could not be answered. He had tried to make everything make sense; to find a way that the Jedi would be able to accept it but that search was in vain. Klip put both of his hands on her shoulders and pulled her close to him. All he wanted to do was try to explain to her what was going on inside, though no words seemed to form.
In an instant he had pressed his lips to hers. His tears ran against her cheek and fell to the floor.
The sun was now lowering, making this moment seem so perfect to Klip, but it wasn't to Yunda. If they were different people in a different world then she would have welcomed these feelings with all of her heart. Not Jedi, not Yunda Intuit, not Klip Judgin, not anything but two people. Two people who loved one another.
Resting her hands upon his chest, she pushed away from him with tears of her own forming. She wanted to appear brave and in control of her feelings. The only way to make him realize that he could do better without her was to reject him. To send him away. "No Klip."
His eyes opened and gazed down at her with confusion. The feeling of rejection washed over the padawan as he gazed down into the eyes which seemed to hold no place for him anymore. Why did he not see that same joy and life in them that captivated his body and soul. Was she right? No, there was hope, he knew it! "You don't mean that. Yunda, there is a feeling much greater then anything. It far surpasses love!"
Yunda shook her head without breaking her gaze with his. "No. Love the temple. Love the Jedi."
"How can I love anything more then you! I know you feel the same! Please tell me you feel the same! Come away with me and we won't have to worry about the temple or anything else. We can go far away."
This time she did not speak not shake her head. Inside her heart was breaking into a million pieces and she knew his was to, but it was for the best. She saw so much potential in him and she would hate herself if she took him away from this place. It was the air that he breathed. Klip wanted nothing more then to become a Jedi Knight; she knew that.
But oh, how she loved him!
The silence made a lump grow in his throat. He had turned down a chance to go on a mission to profess his feelings for her, his love, and she was turning him down. Sending him away. No! She did love him; he knew it! She never said that she didn't. But when he spoke her name, there was no certainty in his voice; only a quiver. "Yunda... please... do you not feel the same?" Taking her chin in his hand, he would not let her gaze away. "Look into my eyes and tell me that you do not love me."
Once again there was silence. How could she say it! How could any woman say that she did not love a man when she truly did? What was she to do? Her mouth opened then closed; stomach turning and flipping in pain.
Klip's eyes were now red and his head was throbbing from a growing head ache. "Please." he pleaded once more in a soft whisper.
No; she had to do this. It was the best thing! Klip's life would be better off. Now all she had to do was reach deep down and gather all her strength to lie right to his face. "I don't love you."
When her head turned away and gazed off into the distant, blood, red sun, Klip felt is world shatter. This was not how he depicted this meeting to turn out. So many times he heard of men and women who had run off together because they were in love, and he believed that him and Yunda were madly in love. Though he now doubted everything in life; he was spurned by Yunda. He was spurned by the girl... no... the woman he loved and would love always.
Finaly his hands dropped from her shoulders for her felt they did not belong there anymore. They hung limp at his sides; his head feeling as if it was not attached to his body. He had no words for her anymore. Nothing left. "Fine. I get it." he managed to say through quivering lips.
It was hard for him to turn and leave, but he could not stay here. He could not stay at the temple any longer. The first thing he would do would be to run away. Engulf himself in his work; trying never again to think about her. But first, he would go and cry. Go and let his heart weep for something that he could never have.
His steps made her heart sink and her eyes closed shut in pain. They panged as an echo inside of her head. It took all her strength not to run after him. All she wanted was to be near him; to go far away and live together with nothing in their way. But that was not reality.
Her heart told her go, but her mind told her to stay. Master Corran always said to go with what your head wanted you to do; the heart always lead to a path which you hated to take in the end. Was this now? Did she regret ever knowing love? It seemed that way as her dark eyes watched Klip disappear from her sight.
Things were different now and she could not go back and change the past. The future was all that she should dwell on.
/%%%/
Klip walked into the comfort of his room with a face that was colder then stone. Pressing his back against the door, he felt his knees buckle beneath him and he slid to the ground. He was now alone with his pain.
A hand smashed against the floor as he grunted in failure. When he looked into her eyes, he believed that she meant what she said. She did not love him.
He felt like a fool. Maybe the Jedi were right in not letting them have relationships which lead to marriage or other things along that line. It was just to aggravating and humiliating.
With eyes squinting shut, the tears came back. He felt like a child once more, but this was more then just a scraped knee or broken bone, it was a broken heart. The tears multiplied as he thought more on Yunda and the fact that she had rejected him. What was there left to live for now? It was hard to imagine himself living a day without her there or even on his mind. How did he live without her?
Slamming his head against the door, Klip let the tears come and did not try to fight them any longer.
"I changed my mind." There was a long pause as he cleared his throat. "Yunda..."
Her head shook from side to side; clumps of brown smacking against her face. She knew what he was going to ask her, more like tell. Him not going on the mission with his master made her want to scream. It only made things worse in her mind. "No Klip. Go away."
Those words stung him in ways that he never felt before.
Why was she being this way? Why did she not see that he was pouring his heart out to her and choosing her over everything else in his life.
Fighting the tears, she turned to leave. Every second that she lingered in this place made her heart ache, but his hand rested firmly upon her shoulder before she could make her retreat. Yunda closed her eyes, and when she opened them, she discovered that Klip had spun her around to face him.
It was hard for her to stare into his eyes. All the emotions that she tried to lock deep down inside were showing through her eyes. Her heart was racing a mile a minute as her dark eyes averted his purple ones.
A tear rolled down his face as he struggled to say something. His mind was whirling with so many questions that could not be answered. He had tried to make everything make sense; to find a way that the Jedi would be able to accept it but that search was in vain. Klip put both of his hands on her shoulders and pulled her close to him. All he wanted to do was try to explain to her what was going on inside, though no words seemed to form.
In an instant he had pressed his lips to hers. His tears ran against her cheek and fell to the floor.
The sun was now lowering, making this moment seem so perfect to Klip, but it wasn't to Yunda. If they were different people in a different world then she would have welcomed these feelings with all of her heart. Not Jedi, not Yunda Intuit, not Klip Judgin, not anything but two people. Two people who loved one another.
Resting her hands upon his chest, she pushed away from him with tears of her own forming. She wanted to appear brave and in control of her feelings. The only way to make him realize that he could do better without her was to reject him. To send him away. "No Klip."
His eyes opened and gazed down at her with confusion. The feeling of rejection washed over the padawan as he gazed down into the eyes which seemed to hold no place for him anymore. Why did he not see that same joy and life in them that captivated his body and soul. Was she right? No, there was hope, he knew it! "You don't mean that. Yunda, there is a feeling much greater then anything. It far surpasses love!"
Yunda shook her head without breaking her gaze with his. "No. Love the temple. Love the Jedi."
"How can I love anything more then you! I know you feel the same! Please tell me you feel the same! Come away with me and we won't have to worry about the temple or anything else. We can go far away."
This time she did not speak not shake her head. Inside her heart was breaking into a million pieces and she knew his was to, but it was for the best. She saw so much potential in him and she would hate herself if she took him away from this place. It was the air that he breathed. Klip wanted nothing more then to become a Jedi Knight; she knew that.
But oh, how she loved him!
The silence made a lump grow in his throat. He had turned down a chance to go on a mission to profess his feelings for her, his love, and she was turning him down. Sending him away. No! She did love him; he knew it! She never said that she didn't. But when he spoke her name, there was no certainty in his voice; only a quiver. "Yunda... please... do you not feel the same?" Taking her chin in his hand, he would not let her gaze away. "Look into my eyes and tell me that you do not love me."
Once again there was silence. How could she say it! How could any woman say that she did not love a man when she truly did? What was she to do? Her mouth opened then closed; stomach turning and flipping in pain.
Klip's eyes were now red and his head was throbbing from a growing head ache. "Please." he pleaded once more in a soft whisper.
No; she had to do this. It was the best thing! Klip's life would be better off. Now all she had to do was reach deep down and gather all her strength to lie right to his face. "I don't love you."
When her head turned away and gazed off into the distant, blood, red sun, Klip felt is world shatter. This was not how he depicted this meeting to turn out. So many times he heard of men and women who had run off together because they were in love, and he believed that him and Yunda were madly in love. Though he now doubted everything in life; he was spurned by Yunda. He was spurned by the girl... no... the woman he loved and would love always.
Finaly his hands dropped from her shoulders for her felt they did not belong there anymore. They hung limp at his sides; his head feeling as if it was not attached to his body. He had no words for her anymore. Nothing left. "Fine. I get it." he managed to say through quivering lips.
It was hard for him to turn and leave, but he could not stay here. He could not stay at the temple any longer. The first thing he would do would be to run away. Engulf himself in his work; trying never again to think about her. But first, he would go and cry. Go and let his heart weep for something that he could never have.
His steps made her heart sink and her eyes closed shut in pain. They panged as an echo inside of her head. It took all her strength not to run after him. All she wanted was to be near him; to go far away and live together with nothing in their way. But that was not reality.
Her heart told her go, but her mind told her to stay. Master Corran always said to go with what your head wanted you to do; the heart always lead to a path which you hated to take in the end. Was this now? Did she regret ever knowing love? It seemed that way as her dark eyes watched Klip disappear from her sight.
Things were different now and she could not go back and change the past. The future was all that she should dwell on.
/%%%/
Klip walked into the comfort of his room with a face that was colder then stone. Pressing his back against the door, he felt his knees buckle beneath him and he slid to the ground. He was now alone with his pain.
A hand smashed against the floor as he grunted in failure. When he looked into her eyes, he believed that she meant what she said. She did not love him.
He felt like a fool. Maybe the Jedi were right in not letting them have relationships which lead to marriage or other things along that line. It was just to aggravating and humiliating.
With eyes squinting shut, the tears came back. He felt like a child once more, but this was more then just a scraped knee or broken bone, it was a broken heart. The tears multiplied as he thought more on Yunda and the fact that she had rejected him. What was there left to live for now? It was hard to imagine himself living a day without her there or even on his mind. How did he live without her?
Slamming his head against the door, Klip let the tears come and did not try to fight them any longer.