DISCLAIMER: Don't own, don't sue.

Happy 2006! And thank you to all of you readers that reviewed, I love you all!

Yavië is back in town. She'll write the next chapter. I was just possessive over this one. (translation: mega-major pillow fight followed by her unsuccessful attempts at video gaming, namely Soul Calibur 2 and Super Smash Bros. Melee)

Okay, anyway, please enjoy. This is going to be slightly more serious, if at this point that's possible. Also, pretty soon, this story's going to take a jump in a few years, twisting the plot line to a darker, more twisted form. Hence our wonderful little rating. Just in case you want a hint at this, I'll put a preview at the end for you. If that doesn't interest you, hang on or stop reading. This story's going to get a lot more complex and Never Saw the Sun will begin to take on a literal meaning as about four characters die later on, and as one progresses into a strange state of what could be considered insanity.

Carry on into the new chapter.


Why must the sun shine so darkly?

She was standing by the window again. Ever since their arrival at the Temple had happened, almost a year ago now, so many changes had happened. She had gotten taller by about two inches. And stronger. She was starting to learn maturity, and many said she was unusually silent and even antisocial, preferring training alone or with the four to five others that tagged along almost all the time. When she spoke, it was generally something that made everyone stop and wonder what had brought her to that conclusion, and it nevertheless was always an apt observation that, with examination, made perfect sense. Somehow, she was a child no longer. Not an adult, not a teenager, but on the cusp of another world entirely.

Cool grey eyes following air vehicles, she turned as she heard quiet, tentative footsteps in her direction. Deep sapphire eyes met the coldness, and the two girls quietly exchanged a few words.

"Liam said that I could find you out here. Um, if it's not too much to ask, can I get a match?" asked the eight-year old Mon Calamari.

Nodding, Imaru turned.

"Nûniel. Training room seven, then." Walking briskly off, the seven-year old human made her way to what were officially her quarters, though she rarely if ever used them. The few friends she had made, Liam, Enya, Chiara, and now Nûniel, all slept in Liam's quarters still, along with herself and her twin, Alcanar. Changing into fresh robes, she gently brought down a pair of gloves. Where the fingers should have been in these, instead, the material of the gloves only came up to her knuckles, eliminating the need for grips on her training lightsabers.

Nûniel, on the other hand, went directly to Liam's quarters.

"She said yes! C'mon, you guys are going to want to watch," the Mon Calamari exclaimed. Whenever the proclaimed fighting genius of the Temple had a sparring match, the results were always spectacular. Very few people had ever managed to win against her, and only in her younger days. Masters Yoda, Windu, and Jinn so far were the only ones who had any chance whatsoever, and the only ones that had so far managed to defeat the little warrior.

As a result, Imaru Anij was in the highest sparring class, with those who were already Padawans and needed to brush up, or those who were about to become padawans. No one really knew where the girl would go after that; she would most likely be trained by Yoda himself.

Scoffing, Liam refused to get up. "You seriously think you can defeat 'er, Nûniel? You're whacked in the head..." Lazily yawning, he stretched, rolled over, and went back to sleep.

Shaking her head, Nûniel retrieved her training lightsaber and was followed out the door by Chiara, a seven-year old human girl, just as much inferior to Imaru as anyone else was.

"I'm all for beating her, you know. I just can't. Remember last time?"

Last time, Chiara had held off the relentless attacks for three straight minutes before managing to get a strike in—though everyone knew it had just been a fluke. It had, however, taken 'Maru a full fifteen minutes to take Chiara down; a record if there ever was one. But that had been a while ago, and since then, Alcanar's twin had shown natural skills with the Niman style of combat—use of two or more sabers in battle. So far, she used two. And it was bloody hard to beat her.


Arriving at the training area a few minutes early, Imaru begin stretching in preparation for the upcoming spar. It would be good exercise... and well needed. It had been a few weeks since she had accepted her last match-up, and then she had practically been ordered by Bultar Swan. She would be a Master soon, and had decided to dispel the rumours calling Imaru a 'combat genius' and the 'Jedi prodigy child'. After fighting her, the padawan was immediately taken to the hospital ward. It had been her own fault, of course, for leaving herself unguarded. Therefore, no blame was spread, and Swan was actually on better terms with the girl than before.

As Nûniel, followed by Chiara, Alcanar, Enya, and a tugged along Liam (by Enya) entered the room, they were greeted by a scowling Imaru.

"Ready?" she asked, simply. No other words were really needed.

"Sure, why not," responded Nûniel. Imaru was slightly shorter than she, so she had a slight advantage here...

Both girls moved to the center of the room. Bowing, both ignited their lightsabers. It was well-known that Imaru played until one contestant was unconscious or too tired to get up. This was for keeps.

Looking right into each other's eyes, the Mon Calamari only felt a small twinge of fear as the combat genius jumped into the air, and, with a somersault, engaged her opponent.

Clashing and twirling, it was clear that 'Maru was doing an offensive pattern with only one saber, devoting the other to pure defense. These sabers were not made to even draw blood, for they were training sabers, however, by the time that Imaru force-leapt above Nûniel's head and smashed both sabers down on the eight-year-old's single saber, a little slash had been made on her hand. Nothing major, it was ignored to allow the battle to continue.

Leaping off of that particular stance, Imaru propelled herself off of one wall, and shifted both sabers to one side as she began to fly off the walls at high speeds. Slashing at Nûniel, she then took up the ground and fought hand-to-hand. Twirling both in a confusing pattern, she was surprised to be deflected by the other girl, and in retaliation, kicked out with aid of the Force. Lifting her hand, she smashed the opposing girl to a wall, and as Nûniel got back up shakily, they met head on in a form of highly evolved dance. Twirling back and forth again, the child prodigy used both of her sabers to scissor forward and snake around the lone opposing one, wrenching it from Nûniel's grasp and throwing it easily to the other side of the room.

"You lose."

The words reverberated out as Imaru deactivated her twin sabers and left the room, not even having broken a sweat.

"She's good," was all Nûniel could gasp out before falling unconscious on the floor from sheer exhaustion.


Imaru was outside the Temple, crouched on the spire, looking out. The sun was falling in the sky, illuminating all of Coruscant in an eerie glow. Hovercars seemed to bask in the sun as they shot forward and upward, and the buildings were shown in their finest glory. But something still seemed wrong.

There was still suffering.

Still death.

Still people that would go through the many things that they as slaves had been through. And then...

A few silent tears crept out of her eyes as she reflected on her rape. It had scarred her, both mentally and physically. No one had ever bothered to ask her what was wrong; she was destined to bear this pain alone. And so she would. It was what drove her to become the best Jedi she possibly could; no one deserved that kind of suffering. No one.

Watching the Coruscant sun set, she wondered at many things, the most evident being this:

The sun may shine brightly for everyone else; but why is it so dark and hidden from me? Why do my dreams forsake me when I need them?

Her only answer she could come up with?

Because. You're weak.


That night, Liam got worried and sent Alcanar to find her sister. Enya followed along; for the past few weeks she had been totally enamoured to the girl of the autumn, and so she had clung onto her instead of Liam.

Locating her sister quite rapidly, she found her on the spire of the Temple, fast asleep. Sighing and shaking her head, she shook Imaru awake and brought her down to Liam's room with the rest of them. After they entered, Chiara sighed in relief and moved to sleep next to her best friends, Alcanar and Imaru. She and Alcanar talked privately for quite a while and then fell fast asleep on the pillow, having resolved to speak with a Master tomorrow morning, as soon as it was possible.


The four of them walked purposefully. Imaru was still sleeping since they hadn't woken her up; besides, it was still rather early.

Walking into the Room of One Thousand Fountains, they found Master Qui-Gon Jinn meditating. Liam jumped forward and tapped him, startling him out of his trance.

"Master Jinn," Alcanar said, bowing first and indicating that the others should do the same.

"It's about Imaru Anij. We're all worried about her," she continued.

"Yeah, she always hides and tries to distance herself from everyone simply for her studies or her own thoughts. She fell asleep on the Temple roof last night, Alcanar had to go find her," Chiara explained thoughtfully. "She also has a reserved interior, only a few people can tell what kind of mood she's in, she's...impassive. That's it. She's impassive and quiet. She doesn't express any emotions, and puts her entire life into her studies of combat and other field strategies and techniques."

"I had noticed that too. No seven-year old should act like that, but understand that she has had a hard life, young ones. A very hard life. Shhh, Alcanar, I know you had much the same, but in many ways your twin's was traumatic. She was very noble and sacrificed herself for you many times, but it was still very hard on her. She's still a child despite what people hail her as, and she is mature enough that she makes many forget that sometimes. They treat her like even a padawan at times because she acts much like one. Give her time. This may be something she can grow out of. Until then, I'll do my best," the large Master said, with a troubled expression on his face as his padawan Xanatos entered. The foursome left to go back to their quarters and awaken Imaru.


At the same time they left, Imaru had woken herself up and gotten into training mode. Moving to the training rooms, she began a slow routine with her sabers, and was joined by the usual people who she had come to regard as partners. Master Windu came first, and they all stretched and practice various stances and occasionally combat. Master Tahl entered next, followed by Padawan Swan. A few others entered, and eventually she began a pattern of whirls with her 'sabers. Eerily peaceful, they continued and then she slowly transformed her routine into a dance. Eyes closed, she could feel the others sliding into the same; they all could sense each other through the infinitely strong bonds through the Force. Each was an entity within a collective, yet their own individual. Each participant moved into a complex yet totally random 'dance', still peaceful and calm, their partners in this court their lightsabers. They were, after all, extensions of themselves.

After a while, the pace picked up and it turned from a silent dance to a small brawl. It was a small game they had played before; each Jedi silently aligned him or herself with another Jedi in the room without telling each other. These teams of two would silently work apart until their team-member was threatened. This exercise of the Force helped Imaru to focus. All of the Masters worked still silently, eyes shut against the lightening sky. All in all, there were ten people in the room, Padawan Swan being the only padawan there. Imaru was the youngest. Besides those two, all of the rest were Masters.

Reaching out through the Force's branches and permeating them with her awareness, 'Maru was easily able to evade attacks while simultaneously sending opponents in the direction of Masters Windu and Tahl. Their work so far was excellent, and Imaru made a silent note to challenge her later.

Finally, they were rudely interrupted by someone entering the door. Qui-Gon Jinn stood in the doorway, curious as to why so many Force-sensitives were in one area of the Temple. All of the combatants turned as one, opening their eyes and deactivating their lightsabers.

"Imaru? Your sister was worried about you..." he trailed off, looking at the little girl. Here she was, among the top of the field! And she had gained recognition here, probably even started this group. She was sweating, though not heavily. The others? Besides Windu, most of them could hardly stand, they looked so exhausted. No wonder. Alcanar had been alarmed about three hours ago, because by the time they had gotten back from their little meeting with Qui-Gon, she had been gone. Apparently she had been hiding her Force-signature from her twin.

It had taken him three hours after that point to even find her.

Oh, well. Both twins could be a handful. But Alcanar at least had common sense. Well... Imaru did too. It was just more... feral. Instinctive. Which was fine for anyone but a Jedi. She would learn.

The little girl turned her face to Qui-Gon and asked, "What did she want, Master Jinn?"

"Oh, nothing really, she just couldn't find you. What were you doing back there, with the other Jedi?" he asked, intent on finding out what he had witnessed.

"A while ago, I started going early in the mornings to train for the Niman style, you know, dual lightsabers. Eventually, though, Master Windu found me and told me I'd have to stay in bed. Unless he could practice in the mornings with me. So he did, and eventually the others sensed us and followed. I guess you could call it a dance. We start with stretches, then a few basic positions meant for better meditation, and then we just tap into the Living Force and use it to create a separate kind of 'dance', you might say. We allow the Force to guide us. We sometimes spar, but the whole time we're in there, we're silent and our eyes are closed. It's a great way for me to practice a few skills."

Afterwards, Master Jinn could see why people called her brilliant. She was already accessing a branch of the Force that many never learned. He hadn't even attempted it, it was so difficult. Very few had mastered it, including his friend Tahl, Mace Windu, and Yoda, to name most of them. Bultar Swan? She had been born with the ability and had had to learn normal Force skills. She never had totally learned it, though, or else she wouldn't be just good, she could be close to Imaru's level.

Which could turn out interestingly.

Sometimes, he wondered if bringing the twins back was the best idea.


"You're getting a new trainer? Already?" Alcanar exclaimed along, then remembered she wasn't supposed to talk about this aloud.

:Yes. I graduated the class with perfect marks. So Master Jinn will most likely be teaching me, and if I surpass him, then Yoda.:

:But you've already surpassed Master Jinn, right:

:Only in the Niman style. He uses Ataru, and I want to perfect that side of combat for myself. It sacrifices defense entirely and turns all those capabilities towards offense. If I can learn that with my right hand, then I'll be golden for another few years.:

:I see...you've been slacking off in team training though, as well as some practical classes, like math, perhaps:

:Well it's not my fault I'm horrible at them. You should teach me, after all, you are in one math class above. That's how we met Nûniel.:

:I can help you, not do it for you. Oh, and that reminds me. You haven't totally mastered Level Four healing, what's this with asking Yoda to move you up ANOTHER level? You know, it's actually okay to only be two classes ahead...or none at all...:

:No. I need perfection for what I'm trying to do. I've got to be the best Jedi out there. That way I can protect others:

As her sister pushed her out of her mind, Alcanar felt growing urgency and a strong need to fulfill this wish. She accepted it, and placed a warm hand on the taller twin's shoulder.

"Sister, I'll do anything I can to help you," she resolved aloud.

Without looking away, 'Maru registered it. "Promise?"

"Promise. And I won't ever break it, either."

At which point Imaru wondered aloud where Enya was. Neither of them saw Enya until a few moments later, where they found her underneath a table in the cafeteria, sleeping with a small and squishy ball in her arms.


Heh.

Sorry for the delay, once again.

Tomorrow I go back to school with Yavië, and so it's going to be pretty busy. We're back to the regular update cycle, where it'll be about a week before you get an update, maybe more, maybe less. Sorry!

And I did promise you a sneak preview, did I not?

It's at the bottom. Maybe you'll like it, maybe not... but it's a guarantee. After you read this, if you like it, you're going to have to keep reading! Muahaha! It's a cliffhanger!

Oh, and I swear, the next chapter is Yavië's. She hasn't written enough. Just screwed around horribly with my video games. (shoots twin)

Ah, well.

TTYL! And please review! You guys rock!

-Anij Jinn


Preview of the chapter 'Fallen too far in an illusion'

'Deformography' by Marilyn Manson

When you
Wish upon a star
Don't let
Yourself fall
Fall in too far

I fell into you and I'm on my back
An insect decaying in your little trap
I squirm into you, now I'm in your gut
I fell into you, now I'm in a rut
"i lift you up like the sweetest angel,
i'll tear you down like a whore.
CHORUS
i will bury your god in my warm spit,
you'll be deformed in your porn"
rock star, yeah (you're such a dirty, dirty)
rock star, yeah (dirty, dirty, dirty)

you eat up my heart and all the little parts
your star is so sharp
it leaves me jagged holes
I make myself sick just to poison you
if I can't have you then no one will
(CHORUS)


Normally, they would have called it a stormy night.

Normally, though, the rain would be made out of water.

Not of blood.

And this was only the first of many nights where even hell would cry out in anguished protest.

A monster had been released. A killer was on the run.


A shadow flicked from rooftop to rooftop, sight set on a small building that had once housed a mentor, a friend. Now he was the enemy. And now Cain, the eternal killer, had come to claim him. Jumping down from the rooftop, the slender figure drew a blaster and, with precision and skill, shot the lock off the door. Simply raising a hand from a few feet away, the shadow made the door fly inward, and as the wind worsened, the figure stepped inward and immediately fell into a scarily...familiar stance. Making no attempt at stealth any longer, the shape became a demon, a beast that had been released from the inside. While the actual shape of the figure did not change, the mask they had worn before grew thin, an inner devil had taken hold and thus far refused to let go. Reaching behind their back as they flew up the metal staircase, the soon-to-be assassin drew the hilt of something dark. Something dangerous, and not just physically. Allowing it to fly around as the beast rushed toward the smell of sweat and human bodies, the goal was reached. The final door.

Cocking its head, and hearing small sounds, the noise of people talking nervously, having heard the intruder, the individual being spoken of burst through the door, and with a flick of a wrist turned the lights off. Only the glow of a laser would illuminate the person's hands before reaching out to caress the flesh it had been made to claim.


Looking at the scene later, blood stained the walls, floor, and furniture. All the same, this had been a skilled killer indeed... no traces of identity had been left at all, save a possible one. As soon as that was analyzed by the police force, a Jedi was called. When asked why, all the frightened officer had to do was point at one of the many wounds and the Master understood.

It had been done by a lightsaber.

Hope you liked it! Stay tuned later for this chapter!