Witch's thoughts: well, yeah. that's been a while. let's skip the part when I'm embarassed okay-_-? it's been too long!... ok, I'll skip my rant too. so, down to the bussiness.

I lost the chapters chart, so this one is kind of... filler-ish? don't know how to put that. anyway, the plot goes on, some points are cleared and well... there is a song, actually...

"Hijo de la luna" by Sharah Brightman (I changed it to 'hija' for girl/daughter instead if 'hijo' - boy/son)

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars nor anyone of the characters aside mine, yada, yada, making no money.

Gentle tones of piano, swirling flute streamers, leading violin….

She walked through the crowd like a lunatic, her movements swift, light, without thinking. Creatures and people of Archimedes Asteroid were obediently coming out of her way, when she went straight ahead. In the alleys, always looking the same, she saw the same faces, same buildings and same flowers in pots, but she was staring into the distance, not blinking, not seeing, not recognizing anything. Going forward, always forward until her feet were sore, muscles tired and breath short. More alleys, always the same, always straight as an arrow, only more people, still the same, but more and more, and the crowd wasn't parting so eagerly, it wasn't Archimedes anymore, people started to look at her, their eyes silver, cold, empty… her feet hurt, bled, but she went forward, always forward, she had to move, walk, run… people were walking with her, behind her, pushing her back and urging her to go faster, she was afraid to look at them, to turn around and see their cruel eyes, accusing, icy pieces of iron… their glances were like blades, hurting her feet, dragging her down, but she had to go, terrified that if she stopped moving, she would drown in their flesh, melting like snow into a pool of bottomless ocean, silently, constantly denying her any air…

/

Shakti was sitting on her bed, covered in cold sweat and gulping for air in needy breaths. What she had seen was haunting her for some time now. Always the same: white people with their empty eyes following her as she tried to reached somewhere, she didn't know where, but the very concept of going there was making her hairs stand up on her neck. Shakti covered her eyes with hands and squeezed her eyelids shut firmly, trying to get rid of the image.

Hija de la luna.

She knew that term. An albino. A daughter of the moon. Hija de la luna. She had been called that once, she remembered that well enough. Shakti moaned, when a dull ache from the back of her head made her dizzy. Getting up from her bed to get some water to drink, she nearly jumped backwards, noticing that someone was observing her. Two shining points in surrounding darkness moved, disappearing for a moment and when they came back, a glass of water was pushed into Shakti's unmoving hand. A black, lean shape of four-legged animal was nearly unnoticeable in the dark, but the girl sighed heavily with relief. Looking as Koga positioned himself again near the entrance to the kitchen on his lair, Shakti drank her water, focusing on shutting her outer shields more firmly. She was quite sure that she didn't want her bondmate to see this particular dream. Koga might have been suspecting she was having nightmares, he much likely knew that already as she woke up every night with yell of terror on her lips, but she was sure as hell, it wasn't for him to see. Otherwise, Koga would have committed a murder on Obi-Wan at least three times already.

Shakti sighed again and touched her feverish forehead with cool glass. She had to get better soon, her schedule expecting her to wake up in three hours to check up on trainees in her ward. And her patients needed her… the girl sniffed weakly. She wasn't in her best lately and that accidents with Kenobi weren't helping her. Adding up the problem that occurred earlier that day, everything went just down the hill and Shakti simply didn't have any strength left to face any of it. with tears now freely flowing down her pale face, she sat down where she was standing, sobbing quietly and helplessly into welcoming embrace of darkness. She didn't even flinch when suddenly she could feel fur on her skin, just stretched her arms and held Koga by his neck, when the panther encircled her small body. The animal growled harshly, nuzzling up against her, but that wasn't enough. Shakti wept like a scared child, afraid to go back to sleep, not wanting to see these empty stares again and she couldn't calm down. Koga tried to help her, but Shakti spent too much time among humans, people, humanoids. Shairaani were alien for her as much as for Obi-Wan and Koga, who could offer only rough comfort of a warrior, couldn't do anything to quieten his girl. Shakti was holding him desperately, fisting his black, shining fur and shaking her head, when he wanted to draw hair from her face with one of his tails.

With an angered grunt, Koga morphed into his human form, easily preventing Shakti from getting up on her own and escaping. Lifting her without effort, the man laid her down on the bed, getting there himself and covering them both with a blanket.

"What are you…!"

"Quiet." He snapped. With sure movements, he gathered her in his arms, lying down on cool sheets. For a moment, silence followed, hanging between them as a needle, thin and seemingly safe, but at the same time able to draw blood.

Shakti moved a little, afraid to breath louder. Since earlier, when Koga got a glimpse of the black part of her, he was silent and didn't want to communicate through their bond. She understood that; he knew that she was doing some spy work and that involved to embody someone else, but never had he seen how exactly it looked like. Kusj Blackstone was a deepest, most hated and best kept secret of Shakti. Only Bruck, who had a role as her guardian, knew about her double identity. And Taceho Raksion. Even her Master knew less than them. It had to be this way. It had to be. Had to be. Had to be. Hadtobe. Hadtobehadtobehadto-

"Shakky."

A quiet whisper in the dark, not a voice through the bond. Shakti blinked and looked a little up, meeting dark, shining eyes of her bondmate, observing her expectantly.

"Does she scare you?"

Shakti didn't have to ask who he was asking for, it was obvious enough. Koga hated Bruck, truth to be told, he didn't like anyone here, maybe just respected Quella and Qui-Gon. But that was all. However, he respected Bruck as well, as he kept guard at Shakti's side when Koga himself wasn't allowed to. Now, the question about Kusj seemed to be breaking some kind of taboo, some subject that she would up until now talk about with Chun or her Master.

"She does."

"Trust me." He said, encircling her with her arms and Shakti tensed for a moment. But Koga stayed like that, without moving, threatening, saying anything. Just being there, making her feel safe and Shakti felt her eyes began to close…

/

"You must be kidding me, Quella" Obi-Wan snorted angrily, not caring that she winced being called by her name. "Baby recovered, right? Aside from attacking me, she seemed alright! And even that, I just heard it from you guys, I don't remember a thing! Maybe you want to talk me into something?"

"Oh yeah, we just want to make you a butt of jokes, just for your inconvenience." Bruk barked, then started to shout. "Enough is enough! Do you think everything happened just to make you feel bad? Quit with that thinking centred on yourself! You might be the great martyr Kenobi, but for Force's sake I swear…!"

"You swear nothing, Padawan" Taceho cut into Bruck speech, laying his hand on the other's arm. "We all are here to hear the truth about what had happened. This is no place to argue."

Bruck stepped down, obeying his teacher, but Obi-Wan didn't like the look they shared. He felt as if there was something more he missed and he thought he had to have a word with Taceho. Really quick.

"The healers said that her state of mind was disastrous and there was little they could do" Quella said coolly, eyeing them with hardly inhibited anger. "She attacked people, Kenobi. All alike, be it a Jedi, a healer, me or Qui-Gon. Didn't matter."

"That's rid…"

"Until she met Knight Chun."

Obi-Wan closed his mouth so fast that his teeth clicked. He turned to see Bruck, who was already looking at him with clear hate.

"Now, that's a lie." Obi-Wan said slowly, narrowing his eyes. But Qui-Gon didn't let him believe in that for one second.

"Of course it's not. You see, my Padawan, you two share a similar Force signature; not identical, just similar. But that was enough to put Shakti off balance."

"When we managed to restrain her, she was on the top of Bruck, clutching to him and sobbing 'yer not Ben, yer not Ben…'" Taceho managed to add.

"That's… horrible." Obi-Wan seemed shocked. He apparently wasn't himself, Qui-Gon thought. He cared about the girl, he knew his padawan did, but why so much denial? Why he was defending himself so much? What was wrong?

"You tell me?" Quella raised an eyebrow at him mockingly. "I had to sedate my own Padawan and somehow get her to Shairaan. In public transport! Do you even know what hell that was?"

/

Quella navigated through the crowd in the biggest space port on Archimedes Asteroid, trying to avoid touching the natives as much as she could. She hated being in the centre of attention, but here, where the Jedi were a rare occurrence, she made a lot of commotion. And two Jedi were a reason for real chaos.

"Stay by my side Padawan, don't lose me." She barked verbally and through the bond, adding a little mesmeric tone to it.

"Yes Master." Came from her right, quiet, weak sound. Quella gritted her teeth and elbowed a fat female looming over her. Another glance to her side revealed that nothing changed; Shakti followed her Master as obediently as mindlessly, her eyes perfectly calm, empty and clouded with sedatives. Her pupils were so thin that the girl looked as if she had whole eyes only green.

After recognizing the need to heal the girl somewhere else, Quella called Kodachi and came up with a way to treat broken bond, but first, the two of them had to come to the planet. It turned out, it wasn't as easy as it sounded, as the Temple could provide them not with a ship, confiscating Quella's own, which meant, she had to use regular shuttles in order to get near the proper planet. But at least, Shairaani healers and emphatic Dai would surely cure the girl… or what was left of her. The kitten followed her Master, because they made her to, she was so mesmerised and sedated that her brain, exhausted by broken bond was nearly sleeping while being awake. She was susceptible to suggestion and that was what saved Quella from fighting her way with taking the girl to their home planet.

Quella stopped for a moment, thinking how to go around a group of Xscisctians, when in the next second she was pushed forward by a falling body. Cursing, she swiftly avoided the ground and jumped to her legs, with her hand on the saber's handle.

"Padawan!" her voice hitched in amazement and irritation. Shakti stood low, in battle figure of one of the more offensive katas, while four beaten Coriellians were crawling near her legs, including the one that nearly knocked Quella down. Behind the girl, another female was crouching, scared.

"Padawan!" Quella was furious. Shakti didn't have her saber, it was taken from her to prevent any more damage to anyone else, but that didn't stop the girl from sending those men flying. However, hearing her Master's voice, Shakti slouched and straightened.

"What do you think you are doing! With so many people around! You might have hurt somebody!"

"Erm… excuse me…" came from behind her, when Quella yelled at the top of her voice at her Padawan, who looked as if she tried to simply disappear. Master turned around violently.

"I-it's my fault, I'm sorry!" Quella saw that young human female, who stepped back a little, flinching under her fiery gaze. When Shairaani didn't say anything, only narrowed her eyes, the woman continued talking, quickly, as if afraid Quella would interrupt her.

"I was a-attacked, they wanted my money" she said, nervously tugging at her sleeves. Quella frowned, noticing high quality of her clothes. "your… Padawan, was it? she saved me from them. Thank you. And I'm sorry! It's my fault."

"It is." Quella said, coolly. Holding firmly Shakti's arm, she added. "Next time do not stop alone in the middle of the crowd, wearing such expansive clothes. It provokes the thieves."

Once again, Quella looked the woman from head to toes, noting diamond earrings, jewellery, fancy shoes and professional make-up she was wearing. What such a wealthy girl was doing at the airport, with no one to guard her valuables? Quella didn't know and didn't care, still thinking desperately how to escape the gathering that was forming around them without triggering Shakti's berserker instincts.

"I'm sorry." Came again from the girl and Quella was seconds away from telling her to quit apologising and to try finding her way out, when the woman said something that silenced the Master.

"I haven't seen anyone like that before! Hija de la luna! So beautiful..."

Quella paled. Her face went completely white so fast that she felt herself swing on her feet, before she composed herself enough to answer the woman. She didn't know who that girl was, but that simple phrase reminded Quella of when she was wanted and tried to escape. Hija de la luna! Albino! White girl! White as a moon… some people were calling that woman, naming her 'Miss Saria' and Quella's mind screamed at her that it remembers such name, it always remembered, even if she didn't want to, but now was not the time, not a very good time that is. She turned around on her heel and stormed away.

Dragging confused Shakti after herself, Quella marched through the crowd to their shuttle with so much hatred on her face and in her signature, that people were jumping out of her way unconsciously. Her tail whipped furiously through the air, when she gave their tickets to the clerk and before the male could say something, she disappeared in the passenger zone. Only when they got to their seats, she did relax.

Contrary to Quella's fears, Shakti didn't react to what had happened and remained sedated and calm. She was sitting in a place her Master ordered her to, not moving much, only blinking from time to time, the movement of her eyelids slow and tired. It pained the Master to see usually lively girl in a state like that, but it was necessary. Due to headstrongness of the Council, right now Quella was escorting a bomb that could go off anytime, if not handled properly. She had a fresh memory in mind, the one when she was praying to whatever divinity was listening, when she saw her Padawan on the top of Padawn Chun, her steel claws near his vulnerable throat. Quella was still sweating, just thinking about that. And who could have thought Shakti had it in her, just by looking at her now, composed and absent-minded?

The flight went uneventful, so far. Quella started to relax a little. Her muscle hurt from staying tensed for too long, but she couldn't help it. Imagining a blood bath on casual flight shuttle didn't make her less nervous. But finally, her organism gave in. Seeing that Shakti seemed to be napping, Quella closed her eyes herself. Only for a moment….

…. Just to be startle awake some time later, with a bad feeling travelling down her spine. Kicked out of her sleep, she didn't know what was going on for a moment, where she was and what was wrong, but soon everything clicked in place. Quella jumped to her feet.

Holographic screens were on, transmitting some kind of a concert, but Quella couldn't care less. Her eyes were set at the figure in the centre of the corridor between the seats, in front of the biggest screen. Shakti had her eyes closed and in sudden silence, she was singing along with the singer.

Luna quieres ser madre

y no encuentras querer

que te haga mujer

dime luna de plata

qué pretendes hacer

con un niño de piel

Hija de la Luna

"Padawan!" Quella yelled, only to be quieten by the passengers, and quickly forced to sit down. These few seconds she was restrained by hypnotized people, she realized that her fear was unnecessary; Shakti just stood there, following the singer in word and in music, with her sweet, little voice telling a story about mothers and children. For several minutes, Quella felt strange, she wasn't used to be calm these days. But the song soon ended and no one prevented her anymore to go to her girl.

Just in time. with the last notes of music, Shakti literarily collapsed backwards, falling directly in her Master's outstretched hands.

"I'm tired, Master" she whispered, looking up. Her eyes, beautiful green eyes were clear and free from any cloud of sedatives. Before the eyelids closed, Quella saw some emotions behind them, anger, suffering, denial and sadness, terrifying sadness. And then was just her girls exhausted face.

Behind her, the screen transmitted the interview with a singer.

".. the idea for the song?"

"I had an encounter today… would you actually believe that I met a real hija de la luna? A beautiful, white girl…"

Quella jumped hearing this voice and turned around so abruptly that her neck gave out a sound of protest. A text was visible at the bottom of the screen and two words made her snort with irritation, before she looked back at Shakti. 'Saria Maniszk". What a place she found, to fall down and tried to be robbed, Quella thought annoyed. Now, she remembered the singer, no wonder she was looking so wealthy. But right now, Quella had more pressing problems at hand. There were still two days until they reach next planet and Shakti's breathing was erratic and uneven. She was cool and completely out, her body defenceless and limp. Gritting her teeth, Quella called healer of the shuttle to help her and modified the plan of taking the girl to Shairaan immediately. Right now, they needed a doctor, a healer, preferably Shairaani healer, but they needed him fast.

Shakti fell into a coma.

/

Quella winced remembering that, before she felt a wave of warm concern covering her cooler mind. She pushed it away.

"Get back Ceho, I don't need you."

The other Master just smiled. Being used to her rough character as he was, Taceho just strengthened him calming aura on the other two troublemakers, but Koga and Bruck didn't seem to care even a little. They still looked at Kenobi as if they were ready to rip his head off. And probably were ready, each from different reasons, though.

"That was awful." Obi-Wan whispered, staring into nothingness. His eyes were unfocused, he might have been imagining the whole scene in his head. He shuddered.

"Sure was. But thanks to that we managed to put Shakti back together and she is now nearly as she used to be… before you two parted." Taceho added quietly. Obi-Wan turned to him, but there was no hostility in Master's voice, nor was it in his posture and face. He and Qui-Gon seemed to be the only ones in the room that weren't blaming Obi-Wan for something and he was grateful for that. But, that didn't change the point that he had to do something about that leaving-Shakti thing, not taking care of her and well, not caring much about her now. What, he didn't know, but he did know he had to do something.

Then, it actually hit Obi-Wan what he had thought a second ago and he just had to hide his face in his palms in shame.

"That's right Obi-Wan." Taceho's voice was warm and sad, but full of strangely grim determination. "We will set you straight. We will."