Zannah awakened.
Even in the darkness of her quarters of the medbay where she finally regained consciousness, her mind wavered between the dregs of her memories where she recalled her battle with Bane.
It left her triumphant with no less feelings. Bane was gone, but she did not despise or resent the man. It was how they would establish the Rule of Two. There were no personal feelings behind the action. It was simply to continue the rise of the Sith and eventually, the fall of the Jedi.
For that, there were no true attachments formed. Force bonds existed, but they were merely to facilitate growth and knowledge from one to the other. Once the apprentice soaked up knowledge and growth from the master, it was then for them to combat and defeat the master. If they had succeeded in doing so, then it showed that they were ready. If not, then it showed their arrogance and failure, and one that would cost them dearly. Unlike the Jedi, there were no second chances. A lesson in pain was to teach them. It simply wasn't just to derive pleasure. They understood the pain from failure and strived for better.
As she had been taught, and perhaps as many Sith before her had been taught.
Now all that was left was to find an apprentice, but she wasn't the impatient sort. Impatience had led to Lord Kaan's downfall when he had enacted his Brotherhood of Darkness as Bane had taught her. The Sith would bide their time until it was time for vengeance, and for the Jedi to pay.
Zannah dressed herself, her healing trance finished. She reached out to feel the Force provide her comfort. Though she had ended Bane, there was a sense and a feeling that he wasn't entirely gone or removed, and she wanted to be certain that she would never even feel a sliver of his presence in the Force after their duel. He was in chaos now.
Once she had felt nothing, beyond the Force's own perception reaching out to hers, she was finally able to allow herself a modicum and level of comfort. Bane was strong and powerful and if she were to succeed him, she must obtain an apprentice who was worthy of the mantle that would continue their line even long after they vanquished their foes, not a Force sensitive powerful enough in the Force but also one that would carry out and uphold values.
The rest not only gave her energy that was greatly desired after but also a form of meditation that she would feel a presence strong enough in the Force that wasn't tainted by the Jedi orthodoxy across galaxies that she would feel a young individual ripe with darkness in them, just starting to form and bud to allow the seeds to take root.
Sasuke Uchiha walked down the empty streets, but it was as if he was not there. He was not there, yet he heard the voices of concerns, asking if he was all right, asking if there was anything they could do for him. A puppet had taken control of him, or a form of him that did hear them, but was tethered by nothing, only a soul that was barely moving, cognizant, yet nothing compelled him.
Itachi had slain their clan. Itachi had slain their family, leaving only Sasuke. There was a part of the Uchiha that registered what he believed was a bad dream, one that he believed was part that his mother told him would never happen, one that he believed that they were happy, and a family. He saw the family photos: his smiling mother, his father embarrassed to be in the photos, Itachi happy and proud, and there he was as well, eager and cheerful. A part of Sasuke had always found it cheesy, but internally, it brought joy to him, because his parents were happy, and so was he and Itachi. There could be nothing that could ruin this image, nothing to tear it apart.
Nothing. He would go home and all would be fine. A day in the Academy and he would return home, eager to begin shuriken training with his mother.
Until he had come home, Uchiha lying around him in the pool of their own blood that he wanted to believe was a nightmare; they weren't dead, they couldn't be! A part of him wanted to run to the Hokage and tell him, but he could not leave his parents.
So he ventured in through the macabre sight, barely able to keep his gaze away. He nearly puked at the overwhelming pool of crimson that splattered around and everywhere like a perversion of a painting. It was by sheer will and effort that he continued in with both terror, confusion, and curiosity all rolled into a sickening discovery. His mind had wandered to a killer, a rogue shinobi, someone deadly and dangerous and a part of Sasuke knew that running would attract attention and the danger to him, his thoughts only pushed towards his beloved parents.
When he had finally arrived, he had pounded on the door, but his parents' screams and warnings for him to stay outside prevented him from even kicking in, along with something ripping and a squelch of something that was absolutely not right, and he saw it.
He wished he had been blind. It was better to be blind, to lose one of his senses than to witness it.
Itachi, cold and stone faced, splattered in blood, and his parents, lying on the floor of their home. Unmoving.
And when he approached, begging and pleading, even trying to carry them away to the direction of Konoha's hospital, Sasuke did not understand why Itachi wasn't helping them. Why was he staring at him like that? Why was he staring as if he was the enemy, as if he did something wrong?
Denial came way to realization, even before Itachi had spoken, even before Itachi had casted the Genjutsu on him.
Their family image had shattered.
And, as Sasuke Uchiha stared down at the shallow waters of the lake of their home. Something in him had broken forever, irreversibly irreparable.
Itachi had taken everything. The image of that brother he loved was gone. He never even cared for their family, their clan, or even anyone but himself.
No one would see him come home and ask him how his day was. No one would watch over him when he had nightmares. No one would assist his aim and support him when he had done something wrong, or even give him advice.
There was no one left.
Sasuke wanted to die at this point. He simply wanted to curl up and vanish. A part of him wanted to drown at the lake. There was no point and no purpose in living.
And he screamed. A horrible noise ripped out of his throat as it came back crashing into him with no remorse or even a token of mercy. It tore through his mind until it remained burrowed deep until it was ingrained forever. Only the driving image of his brother was tearing whatever that used to be Uchiha Sasuke apart, until it was an imposter taking his place that donned the same name, same face, but never that boy who once desired his parents and Itachi's approval and sought to simply stand out in the name of Uchiha.
Darth Zannah's eyes opened as she sensed it lightyears away, from a galaxy and world elsewhere.
She had at last found him, her golden eyes glowing with delight. A new apprentice. And he was now hers.
a Star Wars x Naruto crossover but unlike most of them that heavily utilized Disney Canon Star Wars characters, I'm utilizing Zannah, who is massively underrated as a character and appeared primarily in Legends. Shame she is overlooked, especially since she's a great character, and literal proof there are great female characters in Legends continuity, besides Mara Jade, Jaina Solo, Satele Shan, Bastila Shan, etc.