| Title: The World We Loved Author: Anna Disclaimers: George's, Jude's, and Zahn's characters. Read the first disclaimer for details. Author's Note: Heh, uhm...when I got JadeShadow's review, I realized; I haven't put any romance in this yet! *shakes her head* Actually, I did in the original Chapter Six, but guess what I (being the oh-so-awesome computer whiz that I am) did? Yup. I deleted it. So, here goes Chapter Six the Second. (Six is an UNLUCKY number. When the gas pump starts tallying what you owe at 6.66, expect your windshield to fall off, the doors to stop working, the roof to start rusting, and your car to die in your driveway. Or just save yourself the trouble and run for your life. And...yes...all of that, from the gas pump numbers to the car dying has happened to me in the past few weeks, LoL! I'm thinking of turning it into a Han-Torture fic.) Chapter Six Cerasi hugged the vornskr close to her. She was crouched at its side, and it was nearly on its stomach, quivering with anticipation. She kept her eyes focused ahead, on the light from the small camp. She could hear a few nocturnal birds above, but they were unimportant. Even the vornskr thought so. "Ready?" she whispered. She released it slowly, and the great canine became a blur. Cerasi stood up, waited, listened to the surprised shouts...a laugh...then a scream. The girl squeezed her eyes shut and lowered her head into her hands. "Stop!" she shouted after a moment, and arrived in the camp faster than the vornskr had. It was too late, and she knew it. Her pet stood over a middle-aged man, snarling slightly. The man lay unmoving, but she could tell what pain he was in. She pushed the vornskr away and knelt down next to its victim. "I'm sorry," she said softly to him. ~Force user,~ the voice said. //That's not a Force user...but he could have been.// ~So he's untrained. Big detail.~ A new sensation hit Cerasi, one that explained her actions, one that shook her down to the marrow of her bones. She looked up at the vornskr, shaking slightly, but it ignored her and continued to watch its would-be prey. "Is that planet even inhabited?" Obi-Wan asked. "I've heard of it once or twice." "As far as I know, the natives are all dead," Qui-Gon answered, grateful that his padawan was speaking again. "And no one from the New Republic goes there." "So why would she..." Obi-Wan looked out the window, silent again. "Perhaps she didn't know?" Qui-Gon nodded compassionately. "Not many people know about Myrkr." Well, he had to tell him something, and explaining that she was probably dead by now didn't strike the Jedi Master as a wise thing to do. The pilot shook his head. "What is it with you people and that place?" he clucked his tongue, still shaking his head. "We're going to get the girl you took there," Qui-Gon reminded him mildly. Buck (as the pilot called himself) had a selective memory. "Yeah...and? You ain't gonna find her there." "Why not?" Obi-Wan asked, instantly on edge. "Because, kid, we were only there a little bit. Last I saw her was Twineq." Cerasi had slowed the man's bleeding; he would be numb enough by now that he wouldn't be feeling any pain, and the cuts had seemed to close so far that they bled only shallowly. She considered this as she ran through the woods with the vornskr. ~A ship? So soon?~ //It must be one of the camper's.// The ship was about two miles away, and Cerasi waited until she heard it land and the engines died down before she and her pet moved towards it. "Cerasi?" Obi-Wan called. She stood in the woods, watching him for several minutes. He was about to call her again, but she ran forward suddenly, wrapping her arms around him, burying her face in his chest. She refused to answer any questions he asked, and even more stubbornly refused to look at him. Obi-Wan kept his arms tight around her, even when Qui-Gon and the pilot came back. "Hey, girl!" Buck greeted her. "Girl?" "Leave her alone," Obi-Wan advised. "Come on, let's go back to Coruscant," he whispered. She nodded, but neither of them moved. "Padawan?" Qui-Gon said softly. Cerasi screamed and tried to move away from him as he got closer, but Obi-Wan held her tight. "It's all right! What's wrong? Cerasi, calm down! Listen to me!" Obi-Wan protested. She shielded her eyes with her free arm, still as far as she could get from the two Jedi, but stopped struggling. She suddenly looked up, appearing for a moment like a panther on the alert. "Let's go," she said distantly. When she looked at Obi-Wan, she was more urgent. "Now, come on!" He nodded, then looked significantly at Qui-Gon, who led the way aboard the ship. Obi-Wan kept an arm around Cerasi's shoulders, and she leaned against him so heavily that he was half-carrying her. Qui-Gon sat in the co-pilot seat, next to Buck, while Cerasi and Obi-Wan sat just behind them. Qui-Gon smiled slightly at the sight of Cerasi, fast asleep on Obi-Wan's lap, leaned against his chest. His padawan's arms were held protectively around her, though he was half asleep himself. Yoda was right, however. There was something blatantly different about her, and it sent off warning signals in his mind. He couldn't tell if Obi-Wan was noticing it, and when he tried to tap into any fear his apprentice was feeling, he was overwhelmed by Obi-Wan's powerfully confusing mix of concern and peace. Cerasi whimpered softly and stirred, and Obi-Wan gently hugged her closer. Cerasi obligingly settled in. Qui-Gon's eyebrows raised, and Buck snickered. "Kinda protective, ain't you?" he said, careful not to disturb the teens. "I..." "I don't blame you," Buck replied, raising his hands. "I'm the same with my daughter, come to think on it. They grow up, and you never really notice. Not till something like this comes along." Qui-Gon didn't bother explaining that he wasn't Obi-Wan's father, and he had only known Obi-Wan three or four years. Obi-Wan had grown miles in those few short years; and Buck was right. He hadn't noticed, not all of it. He looked over his shoulder at the two again, ordering himself to stop being overprotective. Cerasi would never hurt Obi-Wan, and he knew it; so it certainly wasn't Yoda's warnings that were making him so nervous. ***End Part Six*** |
| hi |