Between the Lines

[Kurenai Yumi]

Things had not gone two well in the trip to Tython, but they were here, even if their ride was no longer a viable option. Still it would be a waist of time not to explore what the world had to offer and some possible training. The young Jedi Karren showed remarkable promise in the force, a stead fast user of the light side and Jedi principles, and sometimes a little 'thinking out side of the box'. All in all she was a good person, and Kurnai could see that she had a bright future.

Despite all this the 20sih year old padawan had a lot to learn, and if said adventures out alone was a common occurrence, there was the possibility that she way fall behind in her training. The over 800 year old Dark Jedi had not intention of trying to lure the girl to the dark side, knowing well first hands its danger, but could still teach her about certain aspects of the force, perhaps make her a slightly more Grey Jedi, like the famous Qui Gon Jin from when she was but a child.

To start things off though Kurenai wanted to see the child's force powers and how much they use it, ssimple lifting of objects, making them bigger and bigger over time. "Remember, size matter not when using the force, even if an object it 4 times your weight it should still be relatively easy to move, if you believe in the force and have strong enough will". It was a phrase she had heard second hand from Luke Sky walker, who had gotten if from master Yoda apparently, though its message rung true no matter who said it.

[member="Karren Trask"]

 

[RC 212]

[member="Kurenai Yumi"]

Since Yumi was one of those darker folks they were not at the Temple. They'd taken a little field trip to a cavernous area, riddled with a small waterfall and low dense vegetation. It was the waters tides and the growing aura of the plants that gave Karren her strength. She was still a little rattled from the events on board the Starliner.

How many folks had died by her hand she knew not. She knew that there was no other recourse but to kill them, but it still did not sit well with her. And it showed, in her focus.

Again she attempted to lift the boulder in front of her three times her size. Yumi's words sank into her mind as she strained, wrapping the boulder in a shell of force energies. She motioned up with her palms, fingers extended and joined. The boulder began to rise, then crashed flat into the vegetation.

Karren growled.

More death.

"How am I supposed to focus after all that. That mercenary took peoples lives needlessly. I felt it. The stench of death around him. I killed folks as well. That's not the Jedi way. There must have been a better way to handle the situation."

Yumi may or may not have cared. And if she didn't, the young Jedi's objections would probably begin to grate on her nerves.

 

[Kurenai Yumi]

She did well to lift the boulder, but was soon over come with anxiety and frustration, it was evident in the mood, facial expression and body language, even a blind person would be able to notice it. Kurenai gave a short sight, it was a bi annoying how she could not let go of that past, but it was understandable. "That is the problem with Jedi teaching, the say all life is sacred, which I do believe to a certain point, but they did not teach that there will be cases where you MUST kill, that is how I taught my children".

She walked over to Karren, placing a hand on her shoulder, "I know what that man did was unforgivable, if I was to ever meet him again I'd not hesitate to drive my saber into his chest, its okay to feel emotions, anger sadness, they are what makes use human, the problem is bottling these emotion up and letting them ruin us on the inside or expressing them without restraint".

"But remember, as time goes on your shadows will get larger, but just as shadows what happens in the past is not a burden on you"........ a little saying my daughter made up, she is a gem when if came to quotes". Kurenai stepped away and pulled out her saber, "I can sense your frustration, I want to you to attack me with all your hatred and pain, flush it out of your system and we can get back to training, don't be afraid, I doubt you could overpower me anyways.

[member="Karren Trask"]

 

[RC 212]

[member="Kurenai Yumi"]

The animal inside growled, and she felt her breath rise a little quicker. She was already angry, but with Kurenai egging her on and dismissing her thoughts, she was even angrier. For a second or two she resisted. The pent up rage had to stay caged, where it belonged. A Jedi had no place getting in their feelings. Again the voices within her whispered. she felt a familiar pull towards the edge.

This time instead of fighting it, she let go.

"Just this once. Not a word to anybody."

And she dipped her toes in the dark waters.

The rage felt good as it bubbled out. Her muscles tightened, producing enhanced force. Her speed quickened, her blood went pounding through every vein and vessel with hurricane force. She activated her saber, leaped into the air and came down with an overhead cleave. Electrical currents crackled around her limbs, raising her hairs.

​

This is wrong. Stop!​

​

Yes, but it feels so.... liberating.....so good!​

"Raaaaaaggghhhhhhhhh!"​

 

[Kurenai Yumi]

Kurenai was not the best at comforting people, years of nothing but fighting eroding her sense of tact and acknowledgment of other emotion, still she had, or at least tried to have the best interest at heart. She could feel the darkness inside Karren it was eager to get out, and to her trying to keep said emotion contained just brought suffering and pain.

"You have my word, no one need to know about this, but you must learn to vent your anger and frustration lest if grows to powerful to contain". She readied her blade in the typical Djem'So stance and awaited her attack, the emerald blade rising as Karren came for a striking attack. Though such attack could easily be parried Kurenai allowed the saber to meet its mark against hers, red and emerald clashing. Karren was much physically weaker then here, and even with the force the young Jedi was not able to over come Kurneai super human strength.

"Don't hold back, keep striking until you have exhausted all your pent up anger and stress", she pushed against Karren, breaking the saber lock and again putting distance between the two combatants.

[member="Karren Trask"]

 

[RC 212]

[member="Kurenai Yumi"]

Karren backed away, blood thundering in her ears. A dark pall came over her as years of pent up emotion rose to the fore. The loss of her family, as it were. The loss of her home among the silvers. The many wounds and beatings she'd taken on the Starliner, all for what? Some fools crusade? Was the light really that important.

"I like this..... it feels......GOOD!"

The last part was punctuated with an inward step. Her left foot shuffled forwards and then her right. In a split stance she whirled her blade through a few different spins and feints, creating a matrix of buzzing emerald about her. The llightsaber felt even lighter now, even faster. She felt all around deadlier.

"I could use this...... power in a fight and not be lost to it?"

She doubted she'd get the answer she wanted to hear. Regardless she whipped the blade around again and set it off to her left, point towards the floor. Then it snapped up and out. A thrust, that transitioned into and over hand chop with a flick of the wrist.

The chop retracted, the hilt transitioned around her hand to a reverse grip and she hammered in a strike from the left, adding ferocity behind the wild sweep...

 

[Kurenai Yumi]

Karrens emotions swept around like a ripping wind, Kurenai could feel the pain of her past, similar to her own, loss of family and everything that one held dear, as well as not having a proper home. She had to give Karren props for not falling to the dark side and reaching where she was, not all the young Jedi had to do was control her pain, leave the past behind and focus on the future, hopefully this session would achieve that outcome.

"Emotions give strength not matter what they may be", her attacks sped up creating a blur, but Kurenai would not be fool, she kept her ground and awaited Karrens next attack. Her next question though slightly broke the veteran mercs concentration, could she? A slight smile crept across her face, "Yes with enough training you can....... but not from a Jedi", "though you must remember to keep hold of the light, both sides have their pros and cons, its a matter of finding the balance, then you will have control and power.... far greater then any Jedi or Sith".

Karren advanced again feinting attack mid swing, she was a skilled fighter in the art of deception, her speed faster then before, though she still had much to learn about fighting. She extended the bottom of her saber, the device forming a saber-pike, the new extended part electrifying and clashing with Karrens attack, all with on hand. Using her free one Kurenai sent a powerful but gentle force push towards her opponents center, though it may take a while she would wear down the Padawan until she was exhausted.

[member="Karren Trask"]

 

[RC 212]

[member="Kurenai Yumi"]

The pike caught her by surprise. The force push even more so. Before Karren could react she felt herself fly backwards. Growling she renewed her vigor, feeding more into her darker energies. She was recalling memories now. The memory of how it felt to lose all those people on the ship stung the most.

Both hands clamped down on the hilt of her saber with unnatural force. She drove it deep into the earth and stone, crouching low as she slid. The combined friction managed to slow her down, until she could brace her feet across a rock and push off, flying right back towards Yumi. this time she kept her body low, and struck with two high flying slashes, to form a blazing V.

Her footing was sure, and one hand came off the hilt to try and sweep Yumi's leg.

"I like this game!"

The part about the Jedi Unnerved her.

"Who's going to teach me? You?"

With the mix of force energies cranking through her body, and her mind battling it out, she was beginning to tire. She could feel it in her bones, the force wrecking her, making her skin hot and her face flush. Sweat was rolling freely from every pore as her core temperature rose....

 

[Kurenai Yumi]

"You have good recovery, I'll give you that", She raised her bade to block the incoming attack, again just trying to stop the full force of Karren swings instead of putting her training in Djem So to use. The bade struck down hard, pushing Kurenai back a slight amount, kicking up a bit of dirt, perhaps she would start having to take things a bit more seriously or else risk an injury.

Unfortunately that would come sooner then expected, Karren arm swing came a slight surprised and with the sabers in a lock did not have enough time to doge the attack. Kurenai raised her leg in a counter kick, the two limbs clashing together, a decent shock wave being sent out, but beneath the sound a slight pain shot through her leg, one she was all to familiar with, 'that's a sprained bone right their'.

She kept a straight face as Karren posed the question, it seemed a bit sarcastic but she would answer either way, "If you would have me as your teacher, just if so be prepared for a more military regime than that of a force user". The pain in her legs was not unbearable, but force Kurenai not to put much weight on it, though it seemed as though the Jedi was starting to puff out, as well as calm down. "But tell me Trask, how does it feel to relise your pent up anger? are you starting to feel more clam now"?

[member="Karren Trask"]

 

[RC 212]

[member="Kurenai Yumi"]

The second Yumi sprained her bone she felt it. She heard it with all her being. With this much power running through the woman she found herself becoming nigh invincible. Part of her fed off of it, revelling in it. She was no longer Karren the Jedi Padawan that got he rear end served in every fight. For once she was taking the fight to the enemy.

"It feels good!"​

What are you even saying? She's not the enmy, she helped save you from the Starliner!

Her arm burned.

Did you feel her bone sprain? Fix her!

No no..... use her, then kill her.

Karren growled, deactivating the saber. The voices were too much. She tossed the weapon as hard as she could, letting it fly against the rocks and bounce off into the grass. All at once she exhaled, dropping to a knee and sinking her fingers deep into the earth, like claws rending flesh.

"Stop!"

The power dispersed, crackling as it left. She felt the force deep in the distance now. She was drained, body tired and sore. Her arm burned even worse now, and a tinge of yellow that had flared in her eyes disappeared, returning to their deep brown. Now her hair stood still and laid flat again.

"I'm ok....." She gasped

"With that."

Yumi's injury called to her. After a brief moment of deep breathing she rose on shaky legs, cornering her new teacher and sitting her down. From her back she unclipped her butt pack and rummaged through. It was a fracture, not a sprain.

"Be still."

Both hands splinted the micro break, and then she laid her palms over it, closing her eyes and throwing her head back. The force rushed in again, except this time much slower. A trickle rather than a waterfall. She was straining even to draw upon the light now. The currents felt different. The water fall, the grass, the tree, none of it fed her as she was used to.

Still she delved, breaking down the patterns of Yumis body. Hexes for bone,squiggles as blood cells, other patterns as skin. energy surged between her hands and the bone, wrapping around the break to enhance her view. Then slowly she mended it. Each shape drifted lazily to where it belonged, patterns restoring.

That was all she could muster. She fell back, arms spread, head spinning.

"It's not...... an instant *GASP* heal. But it'll hold your weight for now...."

 

[Kurenai Yumi]

The duel seemed to come to a stand still, neither participant moving and inch, but on the inside a battle was becoming intense. Kurenai toughed out the pain, she had had worse, it would take a few minutes for her healing ability to kick, in though bone always healed slower than flesh did, still that was the least of her worries. Emotion, anger, hatred flared from Karrens person, though not comfortable with the idea Kurenai was ready to knock the girl out and end the fight if need be.

Fortunatly for both of them her internal struggle petered out, the emotions, dark though and vanishing, running out of steam to continue bringing the fight to and end, it seemed as though the fight had exhausted the you woman though Kurenais fractured leg was the real issue. "Umm you don...", she tried to consoles Karren but the Jedi was adamant on healing her leg, her powers weak but slowly doing their job, "I appreciate that Trask but you did not need to waste you energy on me, my leg would have healed in 15 minutes or so, I have taken a light-saber through my abdomen and survived, a fractured leg is nothing I'm my books".

Kurenai sighed internally, if she was to training this woman in becoming a grey, more balanced she would have to come clean with her identity, lest cause problems in the future. "If you are wondering about that I can explain, I... am not human. I am an energy vampire, quite and old one at that, well over 800 year, that is why I am so experience, but only look 25". She waited for her words to sink in, "I had to tell you that, just to make sure you knew what you were getting yourself into if you do allow me to teach you, that is if you will still have me".

[member="Karren Trask"]

 

[RC 212]

[member="Kurenai Yumi"]

Karren nodded. Then passed out.

The End