chapter 13...getting close to the end. thanks to all those who read & review! it really means a lot. sorry for the brevity of legnth in the last few chapters, but chapter 14 is shaping up to be a longish one. enjoy!
same disclaimer & warnings apply.
Chapter 13: An ending
How many days had it been? She couldn't be sure, nor did she care too much. Katarin was so on the verge of giving up altogether. All of it—the physical pain, emotional pain—all of which she deserved—was making her life a virtual hell.
But a hell she felt worthy of. Who was she to defy everything she'd known and find herself lost in between? Who was she to think she deserved the heart of Obi-Wan, yet reach for him still?
She breathed deep, frustrated with herself, feeling the dull pain erupt into something more as her breathing quickened in hopes of the pain subsiding. When it finally did, she absentmindedly laid her hand on her head, jerking it quickly back as new pain rose.
Gingerly she brought her fingers back up, feeling gently around the massive swollen bruise that started on her forehead and traced down the contour of her left cheekbone. Her fingers then moved to the bar in her nose, making sure it was still there…thankfully it was.
'At least I'll be able to still see.' She closed her eyes slowly, not able to find any more energy to explore her other injuries, like the bandage she felt on the other side of her face or the cut at her lip, or to care about them.
'Surely if I deserve all this, then I am most certainly deserving of dea—'
'Just because you look and feel like hell is no need to go there any faster.' Slowly she opened her eyes and stared lethargically up at Setti. Whatever he was going to do to her she would welcome it…there was naught else she could do. She didn't even have the energy to attempt to sit up in her master's presence.
"We all build our own stairway to hell," Setti said calmly, surveying her injuries, "you just added a few more steps to yours," he paused reading the knowing look on her face, "your transport leaves in two days." He slid the backside of his thumb gently across her bandaged and swollen forehead, watching as her head sunk further into the pillow under the weight of deep sleep.
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Those had to be the fastest two days of Katarin's life. Before she knew it, she was walking up the gangway to the transport that would carry her back to Coruscant. But by no means was she ready.
Once she finally had some strength to stand, she had found herself immediately favoring her right side as strained muscles plagued her left leg; and her left hand…well, that something altogether different. She shuddered at the memory of discovering it as she raised it and studied it, as though willing it to return to normal.
MEMORY
She was actually allowed to sit up in bed—to prop herself up against the pillow. She placed her right hand flat on the mattress and proceeded to do the same with her left. But it wouldn't…wouldn't flatten. Her fingers were still bent, no matter how much she willed them to straighten out.
And then, as she tried to reign in her panic, she tried to ball her left hand into a fist. But it didn't…her curved fingers only came part of the way in, making a very open, loose grip.
In that moment, only then did she realize that she had lost 70 of the range of motion for her left hand. Her fingers always had a curve to them and would never straighten out or clench into a tight grip again.
Speeder racing would be near to impossible now, unless the controls were all super thick so that she could get her loose grip around it. And lightsaber fighting….She gulped hard. In that moment, she felt her world closing around her.
END MEMORY
And in truth, it never had opened back up. And now she was faced with the almost impossible task of fighting against Obi-Wan Kenobi and having to kill him. Never mind that she limped heavily to her right side, her left hand was virtually useless and her vision was off because of swelling from a massive bruise running along her cheek bone up to the forehead. All that and numerous scrapes and cuts…oh yeah, she was in great shape to fight. 'Obi-Wan could kill me before I even knew what hit me….' That's when it hit her.
Maybe that was Setti's intention. Since he couldn't outright kill her, for reasons she didn't have to understand, why not have Kenobi do it? 'Someone he knows is close to me; someone who is—or should be—my sworn enemy…of course….' She shook her head uncertainly. But would Obi-Wan actually kill her? She wondered…would she if she were in his position?
And to that question, which plagued her mind throughout her entire trip to Coruscant, she could honestly find no answer. But instead of finding an answer, however, she'd found the only course of action open to her. The only one, however painful, that would guarantee success.
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The Jedi Temple was such a familiar place. And as quickly as she could move, she slipped through the shadows, ever mindful to keep all thoughts at bay as any thought or feeling could easily be detected and then, game over. She ducked into the nearest practice room and quickly closed the door behind her, before grabbing her left side and doubling over in momentary pain. 'Damn my healing broken rib…,' she mentally cursed before regaining her composure and breathing deep, before reaching out to Obi-Wan.
Effortlessly she felt out with the force towards the one aura she had come to love, belonging to the one person she now had to kill. Gently she surrounded him, teasing him with whispers and touches until she felt his focus on her.
Quickly she pulled back, opening her eyes as she waited. She knew he would come, and she fought to keep her breathing normal. He would come…but would she able to go through with her plan?
She had no choice. She closed her eyes tight, leaning against the wall to conserve her strength as she bit her lip. 'This is the end, my only friend, the end.'
sorry for the lack of action in this chapter--but the scene had to be all set for chapter 14. what will Katarin do? will she kill Obi-Wan? will this be alternate universe? or will he kill her? tune in sometime next week for the exciting conclusion!
