Far From Home

Chapter 20

"Warren!" cried Kiya as she saw him standing next to a large window near the Council Chamber. She noticed that he was all alone, but she sensed he was very content and calm. He had a pleased smile on his face he turned just in time to see the blue-eyed beauty approach him and embraced him into a hug. She buried her face into his black robes and inhaled deeply his wonderful scent of the great outdoors and space docks.

She simply couldn't contain how happy she was for him—how wonderful it was that he had been accepted by the Council that she didn't realize what she was doing until it was too late. Spurred on my her feelings of joy, Kiya pulled back and looped her arms around Warren's head and closed her haunting gray-blue eyes and gave him a sweet tender kiss.

In response, Warren felt like he was in heaven. He automatically wrapped his arms around Kiya to keep her balanced and melted into her touch. Never before had his Angel ever kissed him first. He had always been the one to give and never was he the receiver, but here now in her hold he was in bliss. It was a perfect moment.

Yet, unexpected she pulled away and mentally he began to panic. No! He didn't want the kiss to end. He wanted to kiss his Angel forever, but gradually he calmed as Kiya smiled brightly and wordlessly framed his head with her hands and pulled him forward so that their foreheads touched. She then closed her eyes again and gently she began to hum.

And amazingly, Warren felt his mind began to drift away and suddenly he was in tuned with the Living Force around him. He felt and heard the living energy of every atom and every star in the cosmos sing inside his mind, body and soul like they were all one. He felt so centered and at peace that it was like a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders and nothing mattered at all. Everything was in harmony and everything was unified by song. Things like Darkness and Light didn't seem to mean anything compared to the harmony he felt while being in sync with Kiya's mind. It was extraordinary.

Though, suddenly the harmony he felt shifted and he discovered he was now being consumed by a dazzling blaze. A raging fire of passion and desire engulfed him whole until he thought he'd burst into flames, but he soon realized that this inferno wasn't a part of the Living Force—no it was Kiya's feelings. It was her longing—her longing for him. Somehow since the time he first felt her channeling, she had grown to love him.

The Dark Knight gasped and his eyes flew open in disbelief. "Kiya…"

Tenderly, the lady-knight smiled and said, "I'll only sing for you, Warren. I'll only sing for you."

In answer, Warren gathered her up tight into his arms and whispered desperately into her ear, "Oh, Kiya. Do you love me? Does this mean you love me too? Please—please tell me."

"I love you, Warren. I love you so much that I'm afriad."

Startled, the young Knight pulled away and gazed into her azure eyes confused. "Afraid? What are you afraid of, Angel? I would never hurt you. I swear."

Shyly, Kiya turned her head in embarrassment and said, "I—I know wouldn't, but—oh, Warren, I love you so much that I'm afraid of what would happen to me if you didn't."

In reply, Warren practically glowed with happiness. He laughed joyfully and bent down and hoisted Kiya up into the air from around her waist and spun her around and shouted, "Then, you've got nothing to fear, my Angel! I promise to love you forever."

Kiya giggled and Warren allowed her to slide down in his arms until she was level to his deep brown eyes. The two then leaned in close to share another kiss, but before their lips could touch the young Knight was shoved back by a hand over his shoulder and he was sent to the ground violently by Master Starling.

"Get away from her you Sith!" roared the scar-Jedi. "You're not even good enough to breath the same air as her, you disgraceful creature! I won't have some boy from another world take away my second chance."

Enraged, Warren glared at the elder man dangerous and swiftly lunged at him and knocked him over with a body slam. The two men began to wrestle as each began to struggle for the upper hand; meanwhile Kiya looked on in shock.

"Warren! Please, the both of you, stop!"

However, the lady-knight was ignored as the two Jedi continued to struggle. They grew more violent as they battled on as punches and jabs were exchanged between them, but they showed no signs of stopping. Abruptly, they drew apart and each stood with their lightsabers draw and ready to duel. The air crackled with the hum of their laser blades as they circled each other with bloodlust gleaming in their eyes. The tension was thick as the men mirrored the other step for step.

Yet, Kiya felt her heart race wildly in her chest, as she feared the worst. Impulsively, she stepped between them and raised her hands to them both and shouted, "Please, don't do this. This isn't right. We shouldn't be enemies."

Starling replied, "He's the one who isn't right! He's the one that doesn't belong. Why don't you go back to where you came from."

Warren gave the elder man a sly smile and said, "Not in your life, Jedi. I don't care what you think. Kiya is mine."

Angered, the scar-Jedi moved forward and clashed swords with the young Knight and cried, "I don't care what lies you've told, my lady, but you can't have her! I won't be cheated out of happiness by a double!"

Starling then kicked Warren against a wall and the two resumed their duel. Viciously, the men fought wildly out of the observation deck and into the main corridor with flashes of light and searing burns that skidded across the walls. Padawans and personal quickly moved out of the way of the duelists and the commotion caused the Council Members to end their meeting and investigate.

The Masters were all surprised to see the two men fighting, but Ben saw his daughter standing by the observation deck looking on in distrait and he rushed to her side along with his wife. Ben asked, "Kiya, what's going on?"

"Oh, father! They're both fighting over me. Please, you must stop them," pleaded the blue-eyed beauty.

However, Lady Thrice placed her hand on her husband shoulder and shook her head. "No, Ben. Not even the Great Phoenix can put on end to this fight. They must resolve this one way or the other."

Horrified, Kiya shouted, "No, mother! What if Warren dies?"

Yet, there was no shaking the rudy-eyed warrior will. Passively, she stared at her child without a word while Kiya grew more desperate with worry by the minute. Frantic and wild, she tried to go to her Dark Knight, but Ben seized her by the arm and shook his head.

"No, Kiya. Your mother's right. Warren must do this alone. Nothing you say or do cannot stop this fight from happening."

Silent tears began to fall from her eyes as she watch on as the Jedi Master and the Knight continued their combat. Both men soon become burned, bloodied and bruised as they struggled for dominance, but finally Master Starling landed a blow at the young Knight's stomach and sent him gasping to the ground for breath. Starling took his chance and raised his blue lightsaber high over his head and was about to end his rival once and for all.

"NO!" shouted Kiya.

The lady-knight dashed to the scar-Jedi and grabbed his saber-hand in an iron grip. Her beautiful azure-gray eyes shone brightly with tears as she gazed intensely into Starling's.

"Don't kill him. Please."

Stunned, the Jedi Master stared at her amazed. Suddenly, all the bloodlust and fight was gone from him as he saw her tear stricken face. He pulled away from her in a daze and stumbled back in utter shock.

"K-Kiya, I—"

"No!" roared the blue-eyed beauty. "No, you will listen to me. I'll have no one hurt my Dark Knight. No one."

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Location: Kiya's apartment, Jedi Temple

"Ouch!" cried young Knight.

Kiya giggled and applied more healing ointment on his wounds with her fingertips. "Oh, Warren. Don't be such a baby."

Warren frowned. "I'm not being a baby, Angel. It's just that it hurts." He then examined the jar in her hand and sniffed the contents suspiciously. "And what exactly are you putting on me anyway?"

"It some healing plant ointment from the Clan. It's very good for burns and it should fix you right up in a day. Now there, all done. I just need to do one last thing."

The Dark Knight narrowed his brow as he saw Kiya re-cap the lid on the jar and place it on a table. "I thought you were finished."

Kiya smiled and leaned in close and kissed Warren sweetly on the forehead, right over his left eye and said, "There, now you're perfect."

Warren grinned and unexpectedly pulled her down into his lap as she squealed and hugged her close. Reverently, he breathed in her scent and closed his eyes as he spoke into her raven hair. "You saved me, Kiya. You chose me. Why did you save me from him? He was obviously stronger an I am."

"Because, my Knight, I love you. And I don't care if Master Starling was stronger than you. You're mine now. I told you. I'll only sing just for you. I've never had anyone love me like you do."

"But, I'm not like the other Jedi, Kiya. And I don't think I'll ever be, doesn't that bother you?"

The lady-knight pulled away and looked into Warren's deep brown eyes and said, "No, don't be silly, Warren. You've proven yourself many times. You're no longer a Sith and it doesn't bother me that you were. In fact, it might sound kind of strange, but I find it kind of exciting. I've never had anyone appreciate my fiery feelings like you do."

Warren beamed. "Oh, I love it when you share your feelings with me, Angel. They're so intense that I sometimes wonder why you don't burst into fire. Is that a Jedi thing or is that something only you can do?"

"No, it's a family thing actually. It's called Force-channeling. It's a specialty of the Clan on my mother's side of the family. They can manipulate the energy of the Living Force and magnify it like a Sith. Technically everyone has a fire-like energy within them. It's their Life Force, but I have a tendency of allowing my emotions to grow wild, but my mother told me that I will gain more focus as I mature. And to those of the Clan there is no such thing as good or evil emotion, they simply are. For there is no Darkness and there is no Light, there is only the Force."

Warren paused and thought about what Kiya said. "Only the Force…hmm, I remember Obi-Wan telling me that love was the greatest Force in the universe and I think I agree."

-0-0-0-

Location: Medical Ward

Luke, Ben and Thrice stood from afar and watched as Master Starling was being treated for his injuries in his duel with young Warren. The Kenobi couple standing every close with their heads bent towards each other as they whispered in Luke's earshot.

"Do you think he will cause trouble for Kiya, Ben?"

"I don't think so, Milady, but I don't think he will be getting over his heartbreak anytime soon."

"Well, if he does cause trouble for my treasure then I will simply ask Lord Blackswan to wipe his memory of her."

Ben turned his head and faced his wife in surprise. "Don't you think you're being a bit extreme? Master Starling doesn't appear to have anymore fight in him after he saw Kiya."

Luke jumped into the conversation and said, "No, I agree with Thrice. No one messes with my former apprentice."

The Knight groaned. "Oh, Force. Not you too. Can't we simply have a talk with him and be civilized?" Suddenly, Ben shook his head and said, "No wait, forget I even asked. No, I'm telling you, Milady that that would be going too far."

Thrice huffed. "Fine. As you wish, Sir Knight, but if anything should happen then I will give Kiya my blessings to deal with him as she sees fit."

The ruby-eyed warrior then turned and began to exit the Medical Ward without another word. Meanwhile, Ben and Luke watched her as she took her leave in distress. Luke frowned and placed his hand on his old mentor's shoulder and said, "Gee Ben, Lady Thrice sure doesn't take any chances."

The Knight sighed heavily and replied, "Yes, but I think she's just cross because she's being over protective."

The two Masters then looked back at Starling and noticed that a nurse had arrived and was applying healing ointment on his burns. They saw the nurse shyly place her gloved hand over his chest and then strangely snatch it away and turned her head with a blush. And in response, Master Starling smiled and began to speak to her.

Amazed, Ben said to Luke, "Well, it would appear that Master Starling will make a full recovery in no time at all."

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The End.

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