Hey everyone! How you been doing? Sorry I was away for so long, but I've seriously been slammed with make-up work for school because of a few field trips; on my Choir field trip I got to see Phantom of the Opera, so as that's been stuck in my head, I integrated it in here. Anyway, I think I'm finally starting to get a really good flow to the plot, and I'd like to thank you all for my success. And now, for the new Chapter of Under the Stars…
Previously…
A figure with ringed eyes turned to face him, and the others quieted at the silent fury of his gaze. "We have ways to get them back, Deidara. Let them believe they are out there, aiding the galaxy. As they do, their own world shall descend into darkness.
"And they will come."
Naruto and Ahsoka finally separated in the cockpit of the fighter, and a few moments later, they left lightspeed. They paused for a moment, before Gaara blinked into existence and Mace a moment after that. They reentered Coruscanti airspace, and Naruto sighed, comforted by the familiar scenery. He stared out of the cockpit as Ahsoka focused on landing. They landed shortly after, and as the cockpit opened, they both tried to climb out, tumbling onto the deck. Naruto groaned, feeling his numb legs, where Ahsoka sat on him; Ahsoka's rear was numb from having to sit on him. He managed to stand, his legs wobbling, while Master Windu began relaying orders.
"You all have done an excellent job, and in very difficult circumstances," he said, the three Padawans standing before him. "I am very proud of each and every one of you. You can have a week off to rest from your ordeal." With that, he walked away, likely leaving to give a report to the Council about the boys' Trial. The three turned to each other, and began debating what to do. Ahsoka suggested that they rest, while Gaara and Naruto wanted to continue their sparring where they left off.
Ahsoka sighed, before saying, "I guess I might as well join you two then. Let's go to the sparring ring then." She began walking, followed by Gaara, then Naruto, who found himself staring at the sway of her hips. Holy hell, he thought, feeling a slight blush. How does she walk like that? He had to force his eyes away as they entered the halls, passing by many different Jedi. Several noticed the change in the two young men; not only their new eyes, but the fact that they held themselves taller, prouder. He thought he heard one of them, a Mon Calamarian, say, "They must have passed the Trial of Spirit."
They finally reached the sparring ring, and the three took up a fighting stance, forming a triangle. With a flourish, the three activated their lightsabers; Ahsoka held hers in a reverse grip, Gaara held his in a classic Soresu stance, and Naruto, deciding to throw them off, slipped into a block he had learned from Jiraiya on his communicator, called the Rising Eagle. It was normally for katanas, but it would work on a lightsaber. He raised his blade directly over his head, the pommel six inches diagonally above his forehead. The three waited for someone to move.
Ahsoka narrowed her eyes, before dashing forward at Naruto, slashing at his hip. He flicked his wrist, and the blades met in a clash of sparks, before he twisted around her, slashing at Gaara within the span of a second. The redhead blocked, twisting his lightsaber to also block Ahsoka, and the three blades pressed against each other; the opposing forces preventing anyone from moving.
They stepped back, disengaging, before Naruto blocked a downward slash from Gaara, bending at the waist. Gaara lost his balance, and Naruto twisted, allowing Gaara to fall forward. The redhead rolled, and came up, blocking a slash from Ahsoka. He deactivated his lightsaber, and it was Ahsoka's turn to fall. She landed on her stomach, and rolled to the side to dodge a slash from Naruto, before jumping to her feet. The two lunged at each other, and twisted as they locked together. They pulled apart, and jumped back in, Gaara watching, waiting.
They moved around each other in a dance only they knew, their skin a hair's breadth away, before momentum would pull them apart. They were completely aware of each other; their sweat, their pulse, the hidden lust only they could see. It had more passion than any kiss, more fire than the burning weapons in their hands. Every sense was heightened; Naruto could see every hair on their skin, hear the pounding of their hearts, taste the scent of her skin, smell the sweat coating their limbs, and above all else, FEEL the rhythm of their duel.
They separated one last time before Gaara suddenly closed in, batting aside Ahsoka's defenses with a well-placed slash, twisting to block Naruto, and kicking Ahsoka in the stomach, knocking her out of the ring. There was no dance between the two shinobi; theirs was pure violence, reminiscent of two lions clashing again and again. Naruto could feel power thrumming through his lightsaber as he performed the Vaapad style. His own power, coupled with Gaara's own, strengthened each blow, and the output of power to block each blow was added, increasing the power exponentially. Gaara, however, was able to hold his own with Soresu guards, before he would switch into Vaapad himself.
If they were any other Jedi, they would have killed each other long ago.
Even so, they collected a series of small scratches, bruises, stings, and burns that healed almost instantly, leaving behind nothing more than a mark on their clothes. Naruto and Gaara did not tire, for the Bijuu in their bodies fueled them, making their endurance greater than that of any other. Naruto knew that their contest would be decided upon speed; the one place where his Vaapad usage was superior to Gaara's.
When Naruto had taught Gaara Vaapad, the young Jedi had learned it like he had learned all the other styles; via the Shadow Clone Training Method. The problem, however, was that while the clone may retain knowledge, it did not retain muscle memory, and therefore, had to be practiced. Naruto had practiced all the styles as best he could, for he was allotted a small amount more free time, due to his Master's place on the High Council. Obi-Wan was usually fighting with the troops, or teaching Gaara, so the redhead did not have that advantage.
He moved faster and faster, his blade taking on the appearance of a wave of light, several blades appearing in the afterimage. His entire body was a blur as he attacked, his arms forcing power into the handle, his feet moving to provide stability, and the muscles on his back forcing power to the rest of his body. Gaara started to falter, unable to keep up with the sheer speed of Vaapad, before he was forced to switch back to Soresu, his main technique. Now that Gaara's offense was weaker, Naruto smashed against him, a vibration traveling up his arm with every blow.
At last, the moment came, and the very tip of his lightsaber dipped past Gaara's guard. He twisted the blade, and with one final flick of his wrist, sent Gaara's lightsaber flying from his hand. With another flick, his was resting an inch from Gaara's throat.
Gaara's lips twitched in the faintest hint of a smile, before he raised his hands in surrender. Naruto lowered his blade, and deactivated it before extending his hand. The two shook, and heard cheering erupt around them. Turning, they saw a group of around fifty younglings, twenty Padawan, seventy Knights, and ten Masters surrounding them. They recognized a few of the faces, and gave an embarrassed wave, before Ahsoka stepped up and shook their hands. Deciding to humor the assembled Jedi, Naruto grasped her hand, as well as Gaara's, and bowed, bringing the other two to bow with him. As the Jedi clapped, they bowed twice more, before stepping down from the ring.
"Very impressive, you three," a voice said, and they turned to see Anakin walking toward them. Naruto felt a brief bout of panic, before he remembered that no one knew about how he and Ahsoka felt; they had only found out mere hours before. Naruto and Ahsoka politely exchanged pleasantries with the Jedi Knight, while Gaara was speaking to Master Shaak Ti. Naruto finally managed to excuse himself, and just about ran from the room.
When he was finally free, he entered his room, digging around through his equipment. He finally managed to find his long-range communicator, and locked his door before activating the device. He waited for a few moments as it tracked down his home planet, Kironia, before Jiraiya finally picked up on his communicator. "Naruto!" he exclaimed, happiness etched onto his features. He had a woman hanging on each arm, but Naruto knew that the happiness was directed at him. "It's good to finally hear from you again! How've you been doing? Have you mastered those jutsu I sent you yet?"
"Jiraiya," he said, having gotten into the habit of calling him by name after he had become a Jedi, "I need to talk to you in private about the Fox." Jiraiya's expression instantly grew serious, and he turned to the women, sending them away with a quick word. He performed a few seals, soundproofing his room, before saying, "I'm being watched. We have only five minutes before this comlink can be tapped. Go."
Naruto launched into the story of his Trial of Spirit, explaining how his Sith form had been a materialization of the Kyuubi, and finishing with the change in his appearance. "It feels like I'm still undergoing changes," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "My healing factor has sped up even more, my canines are already a few millimeters longer, and I feel like my muscular structure is being subjected to some kind of… I dunno, it's like it's being amped up."
Jiraiya frowned, writing the info on one of his ever-present notepads. "I see. And you said Gaara also defeated the Shukaku? Fifty seconds." Naruto nodded, saying, "His appearance has also changed to more closely resemble Shukaku. Do you know anything about this?" Jiraiya paused, obviously ordering his thoughts, before replying, "It seems to me that you two have taken control of your Bijuu. It's not possible for a Jinchuuriki to do so, but I only know of one who has ever done so. I have to go now, Naruto. Only ten seconds left."
Naruto said goodbye, before switching off the link. He sighed, leaning his head against the wall of his room. He thought about his life, and memories of magical nights spent under the stars came to him. A gentle tune floated through his mind, and he softly sang the words as they came to him.
"Nighttime, sharpens, heightens each sensation… darkness, wakes, and stirs imagination… Silently the senses, abandon their defenses, helpless to resist, the notes I write… For I compose the music of the night…" A thoughtful look appeared on his face, and he continued, writing the words down as he sang them.
Ahsoka finally managed to slip away from her master, before walking casually toward Naruto's room, intent on seeing him again. She passed several Knights, and gave them a polite nod, betraying nothing of her secret mission. She finally reached his door, and raised her hand to knock, before she heard gentle singing. She paused, and, looking around to make sure no one was there, gently pressed her ear to the door.
"Slowly, gently, night unfurls its splendor… Grasp it, sense it, tremulous and tender… Hearing is believing, music is deceiving; hard as lightning, soft… as candlelight… Dare you trust the music of the night?"
She placed a hand over her heart, and for some reason, felt a stirring there stronger than any before. He's singing about his life, she realized, and pressed her ear back to the door.
"Close your eyes, for your eyes, will only tell the truth, and the truth, isn't what you want to see… in the dark, it is easy to preteeennnddd… that the truth… is what it ought to be…"
She quietly opened the door, and saw him sitting on his meditation mat, hunched over a sheet of paper. She gently sat down next to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. He relaxed, and she rested her head on his shoulder, feeling him move with each breath. Together they sat, listening to the words as he sang them.
"Softly, deftly, music shall caress you… fear it, feel it, secretly possess you… open up your mind, let your fantasies unwind, in this darkness which you know, you cannot fight… the darkness of the Music of the Night…"
Naruto's face changed slightly, and his voice rose, becoming stronger and stronger.
"Close your eyes, start a journey to a strange new world, leave all thoughts of the world you knew before… close your eyes, and let music set you FRRREEEEEE… only then, can you belong to me…"
His voice softened, and he turned to her, lacing his fingers with hers.
"Floating, falling, sweet intoxication… touch me, trust me, savor each sensation… let the dream begin, let your darker side give in, to the power of the music that I write… the power of the Music of the Night."
They gently kissed, and he pressed his forehead to hers, before singing softly,
"You alone can make my song take flight… help me make the music of the… niiiggghhhtttt…"
As the last echo faded from his room, Ahsoka released a content sigh, before gently capturing his lips with her own. They kissed for a few minutes, before they broke apart, falling into a comfortable silence.
"When I was little," Naruto suddenly said, breaking the silence, "I was hunted every year on my birthday; except for one. Last year I turned thirteen; it was my last year as a shinobi, and I was on a mission when my birthday rolled around. Most shinobi in the Village would have hated being on a mission on their birthday, away from the ones they loved. But what did I care?" he said, giving a dry chuckle. "I grew up an orphan. Even if I was able to stay home on my birthday, there would have been no one waiting for me. And if I was out of the Village, then I would be hunted. I didn't mention it to anyone, but something interesting happened anyway…"
Naruto sat at the top of a grassy hill, staring at the stars overhead. It was October 10th; his birthday, and the thirteenth anniversary of the Kyuubi's defeat. He smiled for a moment, glad to finally have a birthday where he wouldn't wake up in the hospital the next day. He gently inhaled, smelling the refreshing scent of the sea. His current mission had brought him to a harbor to guard a ship carrying products for Konoha from the usual pirates and highwaymen. The party had camped for the night, and Naruto had walked to the top of a cliff in order to see the skies.
"All alone on your birthday?" a voice asked, and Naruto nearly fell off his ledge before he recognized the voice as Kakashi. He sighed, picking up one of the pebbles by his hand and throwing it out over the waves. He heard a grunt as Kakashi sat down next to him. He moved over a bit to give the Jonin more room, and they stared up at the stars. After a few minutes, a warm light entered the corner of his vision, and he looked to his right. He wasn't prepared for what he saw.
Kakashi had pulled out a small plate, and, at some point on the mission, had apparently bought a cake the size of his fist. The cake sat on the plate, and a solitary candle impaled it, burning brightly despite the darkness. Looking up, he saw that Kakashi was smiling at him, and the look in his eye was one Naruto imagined a father might give his son. "Happy Birthday, Naruto," the Jonin said. Naruto accepted the cake and a tear appeared at the corners of his eyes. He blinked, and wiped his nose, not wishing to appear weak in front of his Sensei, but Kakashi's eyes softened even more. He patted Naruto on the shoulder, and stood, leaving him to eat in peace.
When Naruto finished his story, Ahsoka had tears in her eyes, and he wondered for a brief moment how Kakashi was doing. I'll ask next time I talk to Jiraiya, he thought. That, or I could try and send a communicator to Kakashi. But then again, it was such a risk to get one to Jiraiya. I'll have to think more on it. He was distracted a moment later when Ahsoka straddled his waist, gently kissing his lips. His thoughts melted away, replaced with desire. He deepened the kiss, and his hands started to wander against her smooth, cool skin. She shivered, and released a sigh so full of lust, Naruto nearly lost control. His breathing turned ragged, and he grabbed her neck with his lips, trailing across her collarbone before moving to the other side of her neck. She groaned, bucking her hips against his.
He gasped, and he felt his canines lengthen a few millimeters. Unable to stop himself, he growled, and sunk his teeth into the flesh of her neck. Ahsoka's eyes widened, before her lips curled, revealing her own Togruta fangs. She sunk hers into his own neck, and the two groaned, trying desperately to contain themselves. Their bodies twitched occasionally, digging their fangs deeper into each other's flesh. Naruto felt tremors rack through his heart and abdomen, and he finally managed to pull out, a trail of blood tracing the exit. The liquid dripped from his fangs, before he ran his tongue over it, tasting who Ahsoka was. She managed to extricate herself as well, and the two stared at each other for a moment.
Naruto grunted as he felt a slight itch as the bite marks on his neck healed over, and rubbed the spot. Ahsoka gently touched the bite marks on her neck, and brought her hand away, her fingers dripping blood. Naruto placed his hand on the wound, and felt the Force flowing through him. Using one of the techniques he had read about, he managed to heal over the two holes, leaving her skin smooth and flawless.
A sudden knock on his door made them jump, and Naruto quickly regained his composure. He pulled out a few holocrons, checked the writing on them, and dropped them randomly on the floor before opening up the door. He relaxed when he saw that it was Gaara. "Hey man," he said, standing aside to let the red-head in. "Come on in. We were just studying about the Old Republic."
The three sat down, and poured over the devices, absorbing what knowledge they could. Naruto sighed, glad that his ruse had succeeded, and Gaara set down his holocrons to take a few notes he could study later. Ahsoka would occasionally steal a glance at Naruto, and often he met her gaze, holding it for a moment before necessity made them look away. Naruto had no doubt that he could trust Gaara, but the Jedi Code forbade the relationship he and Ahsoka had started, and the less people who knew, the less likely their thoughts would betray them. Naruto was confident that he would be able to hide his thoughts from other people, but he just didn't want to risk letting anyone know, because then that thought would be present on his mind.
Another knock rang out on his door, and he opened it, finding Anakin there. He greeted them, taking a look around the room. "Ahsoka and I have to go out on assignment," he said, leaning against the door frame, "and Master Windu has requested to speak to you, Naruto." Naruto grunted in affirmation, stretching his sore limbs as he stood. He shook Ahsoka's hand, and gave her a knowing smile as she left. Gaara got up as well, and shook as well.
"Good luck with whatever mission you're about to go on, Naruto," he said, before crossing his arm over his chest in a Sand Warrior's salute. "May your blade bring you victory." Naruto performed the salute as well, before the two walked out of the room, separating a moment later.
Naruto wound his way through the halls of the Temple, before he finally found his Master's meditation room. The door opened, and he walked through, before sitting across from his Master. The man's eyes were closed, and Naruto was silent for an appropriate amount of time.
"You wished to see me, Master?" he asked when the man's eyes opened. Mace leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his fingers knotted under his chin. "I have a mission for you Naruto; one that I believe only you can perform. Tell me, what do you know of Geonosis?" he asked, staring at the young man before him. Naruto paused, recalling the information he had read in the Holocrons, as well as information he had been told by some of the other Jedi.
"I know that Geonosis is a strong Separatist planet. And that millions of years ago, Geonosis's largest moon was hit by a comet, killing off more than 99% of the planet's native species. This resulted in an extreme example of survival of the fittest, eventually culminating into the Geonosians. The Geonosians became fond of combat, and one of their prime sources of entertainment in the Old Republic was gladiatorial combat, something that is still practiced today."
Mace nodded, indicating that it was so. "From what I understand of our reports, we have discovered that the Separatist leaders are going to be holding a meeting on Geonosis. The Ruler, therefore, will be hosting Gladiator Tournaments for their entertainment. I understand that on your planet, you had a version of gladiator combat, correct?" Naruto nodded, saying, "Yes. When I took the Chunin exams, there were several tournaments. We had delegates watch for entertainment."
Mace was silent for a few moments, before saying, "What I am about to assign you, Naruto, is not something to take lightly. There are many different gladiators who will participate in this tournament, whether they be slaves, athletes, of volunteers seeking fame and fortune. Therefore, I want you to pose as a slave for one of our contacts. Your appearance is as of yet unknown to the Separatists, so you will participate in this tournament, and try to apprehend one of the Separatist leaders. Do you understand what I am saying, Naruto? You will be alone on this mission, and you will likely die. But we cannot let this chance escape us, and you are the only Jedi here who has any experience in this kind of combat."
Naruto fell silent for a while, contemplating his options. He knew that if he refused, the war could go on for much longer, possibly decades. And he would also lose the respect of every other Jedi in the Order. If he succeeded, there was a good chance he would die. He wouldn't be able to use the Force, because he would instantly be identified as a Jedi. His shinobi skills weren't well-known, but if he relied on them too heavily, his powers may raise some difficult questions. As for weapons, he didn't know many of the different weapons that may be used in the ring, but he was confident in his ability to learn.
"What will I need?" he asked his Master. Mace smiled before standing up. "We managed to concoct a good cover-up story for you. Your planet is now at least known among some people, so we said that a slaver decided to make a trip to your planet and captured you, allowing you to use at least some of your powers. We also made up the story that you bought a lightsaber on the black market; it has happened before, so you can bring it and it won't raise too many questions. You'll have to grab some slave-type clothing."
Naruto was silent for a moment, before he stood, uttering just three words.
"As you wish."
Well there you go guys. So who's looking forward to seeing a Jedi Gladiator Naruto? Review, and let me know. Zeratide, out.