Long time, no see! Amirite?

Oy vey. It has been a while... sorry about that. Life sometimes gets in the way of hobbies, such as this.

Now, to those who reviewed my last chapter a million freaking years ago...

The part that made me cry (and I did...) was when Saesee Tiin held her through the Force. I'm not sure why. Maybe because it was something she really needed at that point, both for comfort and to be reminded that she still had the power to do great and noble things. Because hey, she is the good guy here. But as a person, she can't be perfect. Especially in her current situation.

Now for dedications...

Jemima Aslana, Cybernetic Mango, AgniFox, shabbacabba, Ice-Eagle Y'siri, Literary Duin, xFactor101, Captain Jinx Rummy, InceptionErection, AwesomeJellyBean, Starcrier, Kaez, schmooker, .9, Chjara 13, and the random guest(s) that comments-

All of you, and anyone else who reads this, are the reason that I continue on. Thank you so much for giving me the time of your thoughts!

But here it is! The next chapter! I'm not entirely sure how long it will take me to get the next one out to you... but it is already in the process of being made. This is graphic, ya'll. Just sayin'.

(I do not own anything from Star Wars.)

Chapter 16: With Teeth

The social room was lit both with the artificial light emitting from the walls and ceiling as well as the gray sky that showed through the large balcony screen. At the moment, the only sound available to the ears was that of rain falling onto glass with an occasional bout of thunder added to the mix.

There were five figures currently within the room while one other floated around in the master bedroom compiling the data he had collected on his most recent patient. One was an assassin droid by the name of HK-48 who was prepared to fire upon anyone who was unauthorized to enter or leave the senatorial suite.

In light of the events that had taken place the afternoon before, HK-48 had been stationed on guard duty. He stood by the door with his rifle prepared for use and watched everyone within the room with avid curiosity.

When he had finished storing his master's clothes in his bedroom closet, he had noticed the debilitated human female that had been unconscious within the room. Now she was up and moving, apparently on alert towards his master.

She had sat herself down next to the youngling as soon as she figured out that the once Sith apprentice had seen footage as early as when the girl had first run into the room, bloodied and scared. She tightened the robe around herself in the proper way and made it clear, without saying a single word, that she would not let anyone so much as breathe on the girl.

Though it was never Maul's intention to do anything to harm the young rutian twi'lek, he was never one to displace any intimidation that could be perceived. It was always an advantage to have the higher ground and right now it had been claimed.

There was also the fact that the Jedi was concealing the humiliation from him having seen everything that she herself had done. She was supposed to be a guardian of the light and peaceful side of the Force.

Instead, she had allowed her emotions to bastardize it into darkness.

While in present company, Maul refrained from interrogating her or harassing her on the subject. He would wait until they were alone, so that she herself might be easier to push information out of.

For the time being, however, he wanted to know how this supposed Jedi initiate had remained hidden from his radar for the length of time he had been there.

"How long have you been here?" he questioned the girl, whose hands began to fist within her lap.

"Three months."

"Where were you found?"

"I don't remember the planet… we had escaped from Bogden 3," she answered honestly. "We were attacked by some mercenaries and I was captured and taken to Coruscant."

She then proceeded to explain that she was certain that she would be turned in, but that the mercenary must not have realized that she was a Jedi youngling and instead sold her to a slaving syndicate.

"I was taken down to one area… I can't remember the name of the place, but it was in the underworld. I sat in a cell for a day before Imara had walked through."

"What was she doing in a slave trading establishment?" He asked, to no one in particular.

The girl couldn't answer, for she didn't know. Farkas had raised his hand for permission to answer.

"Tanran would occasionally send her out to find twi'leks to use for servitude here. He made sure to instruct her about the benefits of buying through a slaver, because most if not all of the persons were not citizens and could not be protected under the upcoming laws that are being set forth under the new regime."

Maul looked over at him in question.

"There are rumors that the Rights of Sentience clause is going to be discarded. Many of the non-human races will then be unprotected. Especially twi'leks…"

The Sith swore that the bothan male had meant to say, "Especially twi'lek females."

"How has your connection with the Force been hidden this entire time?" he pressed on with questioning the girl.

She looked over at Uriael, who nodded towards her in reassurance. She then lifted her right sleeve above her armpit to expose her upper arm.

There placed tightly around her small muscles was an inhibitor, very much the same in appearance as the one that Maul had ripped off of Uriael's neck on the first night that they had encountered one another.

"At first, Tanran wasn't here. He and the others were late in coming back from Felucia…"

Uriael knew why they had been late; because she had been a nuisance to capture.

"I did my best to hide, but Imara found out anyway. Before Yu'shaa left for a mission, Imara had made a deal with him…"

Her head lowered towards her hands, which now grabbed the fabric on her legs.

"If he would allow me to use the inhibitors to remain unnoticed and not report me to Tanran or Azazul or anyone else, then he could use me as a test subject."

As her story progressed, it was revealed that the creature had used several samples of her blood to perfect the Force inhibitors. He had also taken her blood for other reasons unknown to her.

"By the time they all had come back, I couldn't do or feel anything."

She appeared sad at the thought. It had been frustrating, both on her body and her spirit, to be disconnected from such a large part of her life.

Maul was reminded of how angry he had been when finding out about the inhibitors. His opinion had not changed despite the fact that it had been around two weeks earlier.

The youngling continued, "Imara told me that we would wait for as long as we could before replacing it with another, because if we replaced them too often…"

She froze, and it brought both the Sith and the Jedi to her attention.

"… If we replaced them too often," she repeated, "that my midi-chlorian count would be stunted permanently."

Everyone in the room became silent and contemplative for a few moments over what she had said. Maul wondered if it was true, or if the man had lied to the twi'lek woman to frighten her; though the possibility was still troubling.

He focused his attention on the thing that was wrapped around her arm. It was between brown and black in color and had an odd textured appearance. The skin around it was gray and looked like the object was sucking away the nutrients from the specific tissue it was nearest to. And did it just twitch?

Maul could not help but feel enraged at the idea of something destroying the connection that chosen few had with the Force.

Before considering anything, let alone the outcome of his action, Maul leaned forward far enough to where he was able to snatch the foul object off of her small arm.

The girl clenched her teeth and her blue eyes were wide with shock at the coldness from his brief touch. The anger transferred into her like a virus and affected her body for several seconds.

Uriael grabbed a hold of her as her whole body became rigid and her skin pale. She noticed, along with the others, that there was a ring of visible holes that now had both her blood and something else along with it seeping out.

Then, Farkas' hair stood on end after he had glanced towards the thing still in Maul's grasp.

"What in the Hell?"

The thing squirmed and vibrated rabidly against his firm grip while releasing a tar colored liquid from strange tendrils on its underside. The worst part of the thing at that moment, however, was a terrible, high-pitched screech. It was screaming.

It started to attach itself to his hand before Maul threw it to the ground. It thrashed around violently while still screeching at its surroundings. It continued on for a minute until it stopped moving altogether, as if it had died.

How strange…

"How long has this been on, Safi?"

Maul turned his attention back to the Jedi and youngling to find that the child was bleeding out from the arm.

Uriael had automatically grabbed around the wounded area and squeezed tightly to place pressure.

"A few… weeks," she answered, stunned.

The Jedi then shut her eyes. She didn't say anything or move for almost a minute before Maul noticed that she had begun to concentrate.

But on what?

That's when he felt a shift within the room, specifically around the girl. The youngling was not manipulating the Force herself, but Uriael had begun to focus it around the girl's arm.

The same bluish-green light that they had seen radiating off of the Jedi's back an hour before was now seeping through her fingers.

"One of the first times they put an inhibitor on me," Uriael began to explain, drawing Maul's attention away from where she had begun to heal, "they kept it on long enough to where it started to search for a larger source of blood."

"They had placed it on my neck and left it on for a month. When Yu'shaa took it off, I had nearly bled out. It had made its way to the carotid artery on my left side."

"I remember that," Farkas commented. "You were out for a couple of days…"

Azazul was ready to kill Yu'shaa because of it, he thought to himself.

The Sith brought his attention to the bothan, whose own attention was directly on the Jedi's hand. He had grown curious over the bothan's thoughts as of late.

The light began to fade away from her touch as Uriael released the girl's arm. They all looked and saw that not even a scar had been left.

"Which one of my veins did it hit?" the youngling asked her.

"It wasn't a vein- it was an artery," Uriael corrected with a gentle expression. "And I believe it was your brachial."

The youngling was visibly a lot more relaxed after Uriael used the light side of the Force to heal her. She placed a hand on her now healed skin and sighed.

"My name isn't Safi," she confessed. "Imara told me that I should use it for protection."

"What is your name?" Maul asked.

"Seddwia."

No one responded and the room was silent for several minutes until the med-droid exited the master bedroom.

"Ma'am, I would like to do one more assessment. Should we go into the room for privacy?"

"You can do it out here," Maul stated.

The droid only went forward with the assessment in the sitting room when Uriael nodded in agreement. She didn't agree with what Maul had said, but she was not yet ready to start an argument with the tattooed man.

He scanned her with the green light and pricked her finger for another blood sample. He was able to conclude the assessment fast.

"Your vital signs are normal, your blood levels are perfect… but there is one more thing. I believe it should be addressed privately."

Uriael was unsettled with the statement.

Maul cocked an eyebrow, expecting the droid to do as was told. Something, though, did not seem right.

"HK-48, do you have an extra communicator on hand?"

"Yes, my Lord," the tall, lean droid answered.

"Hand it over to Commander Farkas."

As the droid did so, Maul turned towards the bothan and explained, "It is a one way communicator- you can only use it to contact me."

"Take the youngling back down to the handmaiden quarters. The story will be that the trauma had caused a temporary power burst in latent Force abilities. Then inform the others that I have found the Jedi. Be wise about who you divulge to first. If anything of interest arises, inform me. And you-"

He pointed towards Seddwia, the young twi'lek, and she stopped moving.

"-don't say a word to anyone about any of this. My leniency will only go so far."

"Y-yes, Lord Maul."

Farkas acted immediately and Seddwia followed without resistance. She and Uriael glanced at each other one last time before she exited the room with the bothan.

"HK-48, guard the hall outside. Make sure no one other than Commander Farkas or the youngling tries to enter this room without my allowance. If anyone else comes, let me know immediately."

"Yes, my Lord," the black droid replied as he exited as well.

Maul sat back and crossed his arms.

"She is my prisoner and her health needs are, in turn, my concern- privacy or not," he said, matter of fact.

Uriael did not protest and hesitantly nodded once again for the droid to continue.

"Ma'am," he started, "have you recently had sexual intercourse?"

Both the Jedi and the Sith froze.

Oh no… she thought to herself.

"I've…"

She paused, literally unsure of how to answer.

I've never had sex before…

"I… was last active a little over two weeks ago," she answered, somewhat quietly.

"Was it unprotected?"

"…Yes," she answered, even quieter.

"How many sexual partners have you had?" the droid went on, not realizing the type of discomfort he was unintentionally causing.

"One."

She felt sick answering.

"Have you experienced a pregnancy recently?"

Uriael's throat closed up. She really did not want to answer any more questions and had begun to shake slightly.

Maul noticed this and, for whatever reason, was frustrated with the droid. He had an irrational anger towards all of the questions, but it was asking them for a reason.

"She had a miscarriage a week ago," he answered for her. "Get to the point."

"Ma'am, I believe that you have endometritis," he answered quickly, "and I believe that it may have caused the abortion. You did not test positive for any transmitted infections, but your white blood cell count is rather high. I would have thought it was simply an infection acquired within your recent wounds, but the local inflammation in your uterus told me otherwise."

Uriael thought about it and realized she had been taking the pelvic pain she had lightly. She didn't receive proper medical attention after the miscarriage.

Just a shower and a bath, she thought, bitterly.

"There is no retention of placental fragments, so I believe that it was simply the normal flora within your vaginal tract acting opportunistic. Considering it has been a week, you are doing very well and it has not progressed to anything lethal. I would like to administer a shot of antibiotics, if you would oblige."

"Ok," she answered quietly.

After the medical droid had given her an antibiotic cocktail and left, Uriael decided that she needed to wash herself off. She felt repulsed after having been questioned about such things, especially with Darth Maul present the entire time; the man had answered one of the questions for her.

She couldn't think about any of it without feeling something within her pelvis. And there were two memories that were prominently brought up when she thought about it; Azazul, taking a swig of water before he continued his assault on her, basking in all of his power…

And Darth Maul, Sith assassin painted in his own hate, explaining to her whilst stripping her naked that she was having a miscarriage.

She dropped the robe onto a counter and stepped inside of the shower, allowing the lukewarm water to spray her down. As she began to comb through her hair, she took note that when she was not concentrated on something, her hands would shake.

Even during all of those months of torture, she had never had hand tremors. She wondered what was different about today compared to others…

While thinking, she felt something crusty within the lower portions of her hair. Curious, she moved her hands back down so that she could take a look.

It was thick and brown… very much like old blood.

She froze, once again for the second time that day. She continued to brush her hair out with her fingers, and saw that there was even more, temporarily staining the tile to torment her.

Was it hers? Or was it the man whose stomach she destroyed?

Somewhat frenzied, she began to douse her hands in shampoo and scrubbed her hair down. She didn't care how abusive it felt on her scalp; she just wanted it gone.

This is what you get. This is what happens to people who try out the dark side.

It made sense, now that she thought about it. She didn't plan on turning to the darkness, but at the time it felt… right. As if that was what she needed to do in order to deal with her emotions, and the men that had killed Himmel, Lande, and Imara-

STOP IT!

She punched the tile wall and left several cracks, centered on where her fist had impacted. Her breaths were harsh and didn't provide enough air to her body.

The dark side was a living nightmare; anything that Uriael would normally be against doing had happened. All of her actions the previous day were the actions of a warped version of herself; a version that enjoyed causing physical harm to others, enjoyed drawing blood, and that even enjoyed the death that she caused.

The most disconcerting thing about it all was that at the time… she felt good. She felt invincible, like no person or thing could hurt her, except for herself.

Those events would be her dreams for the next month, if not longer. Now, it seemed, she was going through some kind of withdrawal.

Uriael breathed in through her nose and then out through her mouth, to try and calm herself down. She focused her thoughts on something other than scrubbing the blood out of her hair and the reasons why she had blood in her hair.

She thought of Seddwia, who she had known as Safi. Darth Maul did not seem to have any ill intentions towards her, other than some intimidation; even after finding out about her Jedi background. That would be one less person to worry about in terms of the girl's safety and wellbeing.

She then focused on healing; not currently, but the last two times she had done it. The warmth that gathered around her when she healed was always a comfort. When the healing was so strong that the Force she used would glow… that was when it felt the best. Yes, she would be exhausted afterwards, but the reward of being so efficient at healing and helping others was worth it.

It has always been my greatest belief that you could heal anything…

Her uncle's words, thinking back on them now, made her heart feel at ease. He knew what she had done, what she had been through. He had to if he was a part of the Force.

When he spoke to her, he did not sound critical. He sounded hopeful, patient, and very much like he had whenever she felt she had made a mistake in the past and went to him for guidance.

Many saw him as a stubborn man, and rightfully so; he had always said being hard-headed was his greatest strength. Because of this, when she was younger, she had been intimidated by him. She felt as if she needed to be better than she was, since she was his niece.

She found out later that there was more to him than hard-headedness, especially when she trained with him in mind abilities. Before the start of the Clone Wars, she was not close with more than six people, but he was up there with Shaak Ti. And he was her uncle, after all.

Hearing him comfort her… feeling him comfort her, was something that gave her hope. Perhaps the feeling was more than just him. Maybe her master was there, along with Barriss, Aayla, Obi-Wan… maybe all of her Jedi family was watching over her, be it through the Force or because they had become a part of it.

Uriael opened her eyes and realized that she had calmed down. Her hands were not shaking and she had apparently gotten all of the blood out of her hair. She took the time to soap herself down and left the shower feeling less burdened than she had walking in.

After grabbing a towel from J-23, she dried off her hair and the rest of herself. She wrapped the towel around her torso and decided to get dressed into something comfortable and to meditate.

Leaving the bathroom, she saw that Maul had already taken the living room as his meditation spot for the day. His face was as calm as she had ever seen it, though it still appeared focused and angry.

She made sure to step lightly around him. If there was one thing she was not going to try to do, it would be to interact with him. Even sitting down cross-legged, he appeared deadly.

This did not prevent her from acknowledging that something was going on with him. There was a sheen, possibly sweat, covering his face and the back of his neck.

Maul listened as the Jedi made her way into the master bedroom. He could sense her apprehension at being near him, even if it was only for a moment.

The more he tried to meditate to clear his mind of everything that had happened within the past two days, the more he couldn't help but think on it even more…

Lord Sidious was not the kind of person who would accidentally give false information. He was a clever man, probably a genius of a man, and he rarely made mistakes that were as large as this one.

Maul came to the same conclusion each time he considered the scenario; Lord Sidious knowingly sent him on a mission that would not only be botched, but would include an attempt on his life as well.

The assassin… he was not after Bail Organa or his wife and child. The man came straight after him with the intent to kill. Maul also knew that he had sensed the presence of this person before, though it was a short time. Was it Rokujou, who had apparently been absent from Coruscant during the events of yesterday?

This thought led to many revolving around the massacre that took place at this location the day before. All of that started because of a drunken man who couldn't bother with finding someone to screw that would accept his money. Not only did he want something he shouldn't have, but he wanted someone whose age didn't even reach the double digits.

The people he chose to leave in charge during his absence ended up being killed for trying to uphold his orders… or because of his orders. It wasn't the loss of life that bothered him as much as the waste. Both of those men were great fighters, even without the use of the Force. More importantly, they obeyed him.

He certainly felt a sadistic type of pleasure when he watched the Jedi break Tanran's leg, as well as his manhood. He probably wouldn't be able to use that particular part of himself for well over a year, without intense medical intervention.

And when she snapped that guard's ribs, ending his life by rupturing his lungs... it was perfection.

The way she used the two lightsabers primarily for defense while using her hands to maim the other guards, as well as the fact that she was up against close to thirty clone-troopers, was one of the most impressive things he had ever seen, in terms of the performance of another being. He wished that he could have witnessed it in person.

The seemingly gentle and fragile Jedi had become a master of death and pain. Though, she had apparently already been such as the Shadow, which posed many more questions and curiosities within the Sith.

When Maul hunted someone, his mind and body put him into a trance of heightened senses and awareness. An ability he was quite proud of was being able to follow, and recognize, an individual's Force signature. He wasn't able to literally see it, but he could in his mind after stalking the person for a long enough period of time. It made it easy to follow his prey.

While hunting Shadow, he was unable to use this due to his or hers ability to conceal their connection with the Force. And he knew that the Jedi captive was able to conceal hers on command. But certainly many Jedi had this ability.

He could also see, hear, taste, feel, and smell things on a different level of sensory power. He wasn't able to smell out bloodlines, such as the noghri could, but he could smell if there was a blood trail. At one point during his adolescent training, he realized that he could smell out pheromones; whether this was a trait of his predatory routes as a zabrakian or something he gained through the Force, he could not be sure. In the end, he had been able to tell whether an individual was male or female, without any visual clues.

And that was the second issue; while he hunted and tracked down Shadow, he was certain the entire time that the person he followed was male. Shadow smelled like a male. The Jedi currently in his room smelled very much like a female.

So, if this Jedi was indeed the one known as Shadow… and it seemed so from watching the way she fought and attacked from the video footage… then there was an interesting ability used that led to a misguided assailant, such as himself.

As he took in a breath, he could still catch her delicate scent lingering throughout the room. Yes, it was very much a feminine aroma; not flowered down by perfume like so many women seemed to drench themselves in. He hated having to spy on senators in large gatherings, because both the men and women seemed to think that smelling like fake, chemical garbage was attractive.

But, unlike those people, this Jedi just smelled like herself, even when just out of the shower.

Damn it. She is a Jedi, you fool…

Every one of his animal instincts protested against what was ultimately his final resolve in the matter. If he had been anything like Azazul, or any more of a savage, he would have taken her, protest or not. Instead, he simply found no interest in going for someone who would fight him or cry over it. He actually enjoyed pleasuring women.

"How many sexual partners have you had"…

Her face when the droid had asked her was… wrong. She was a 20 year old woman and during those questions, she managed to look like a child; very much like the child he had seen when he invaded her mind that first night…

"Damn it," he cursed, unable to get his mind off of her.

He rolled his neck around to try and physically loosen his thoughts. Before he finished, he felt something drip down his tense forehead to his nose.

He wiped a hand across his face and saw that his palm was covered in sweat. He dried it off on his shirt and began to notice that his neck felt moist as well. This was confusing to him, because he didn't feel overly warm; since he had two hearts to pump blood through his body, he ran just a bit warmer than humans.

That being said, he was not one to sweat when simply sitting in a meditative stance. Just the night before, he had woken up in a sweat while on his ship…

It suddenly occurred to him; the night on Alderaan… the assassin had sprayed something in his face. Was it a poison? Was it something biological?

Was he becoming ill? Or was it just his mind weakening….

I had a hard time concentrating while hunting the Jedi. I lost track a few times… even now I cannot concentrate on one subject for long. And these sweat-spells…

Other than those things, he did not notice anything apparent about his health… Maybe he did feel somewhat fatigued.

Maul repositioned himself and shut his eyes, once more, to try and balance himself.

…

There was a man and a woman, in a dark room only lit by the lights from outside. They were both on the floor and were both naked. It must have been in the middle of the night.

He had just released her from a kiss and was above her, feeling her small yet firm body underneath him. She sighed and bucked slightly, almost imperceptibly, against his unclothed groin, her hands already against his hard chest.

His senses alerted him that she was ready, just as much as he was. His sex was as hard as it could possibly be and he was impatient to begin. He moved his hands away from her slender, yet feminine hips and, once again, spread her legs open enough to allow him to enter her.

She hesitated, the victim and subsequent novice that she was, and moved her hands up to his shoulders. She dreaded the pain that would follow the next of his actions, but was aware that it would happen.

Before he pushed himself into her, he looked down at her and saw that she watched his face. Her hands gripped his shoulders in anticipation. Her eyes glistened with what light was available, and her lips curled inward. She was alluring to him in a way that many wouldn't understand.

He leaned down and kissed her, pushing against her tongue with his, his hands still squeezing her thighs… and then pushed slowly into her.

She tensed and did everything in her power not to seethe in pain. Her womanhood stung and throbbed as it stretched against his intrusion, despite how lubricated it was. Her mind screamed at her for not letting out the cry that would alleviate the feeling; for not fighting back.

But this was the first time she could deal with this without restraints and without someone who had an agenda with her womb… so she would deal with it, using what little control she had.

Her eyes looked at his face and saw that his own had shut tightly. He even discontinued kissing her to let out a heavy breath before he began to move, roughly, within her.

She shed tears and let loose a soft whine all the while squeezing her hands into fists to break the tension that was her entire being. His thrusts were hard and tortuously painful against her tender hole, and her whole body shook with discomfort every time he smacked against her. His hands gripped her thighs as if he was holding onto life itself. Did he even realize?

She didn't know what she would do if it felt like this the entire time. It felt as if there was a battle inside of her; her sex against his, her broken, overused shield against his sword. It was entirely opposite of what he must have been feeling, because he slid in and out of her with complete ease.

For the first few moments, he was selfish and only focused on pleasuring himself. Her body was tight around him and pulsed wonderfully against him. The sensation was something he had been waiting for, for what felt like years.

After some minutes, he could feel her pain fill within him. He immediately looked down upon her and saw that she was having a hard time of it, as evidenced by the tears that had fallen and the grimace on her face. Even her body looked uncomfortable, as witnessed by the fists on his chest. He had been told that she was relatively new to this, but didn't realize just how new.

He slowed down, not willing to stop completely, and brought his open mouth to the nape of her neck, letting go of her now bruised thighs to place his palms against the floor on either side of her.

She moaned and tried to focus on the sensation he was causing by suckling on her neck, thanking the Force for the change in speed. It still hurt, but she tolerated it better now that he had slowed himself. Her hands moved over to his arms and then to the back of his neck, unable to find a good spot to rest. She was also a little embarrassed with the sensation of her breasts bouncing to every thrust, especially now that they bounced against his chest.

He let out an animalistic growl against her neck, wanting to take her without restraint. He understood this was only a natural instinct drawn out because of the moment, but it was a very strong instinct. He felt her shiver and moan, simultaneously, as he harshly breathed against her sensitive skin. This, plus the feeling of them moving against him, made him grab her right breast and massage her already hardened nipple. Her reaction, an open mouthed gasp, made him smirk.

She noticed that as time passed, the pain numbed into something else, which discomforted and… interested her. Even as he gradually increased his speed, it wasn't a continuous pain, but momentary. Her tears were replaced with beads of sweat that had formed over any area of skin that was pressed against skin. Her hands had even made their way to the back of his bald head, wanting him to stay put where he was, to continue his wet and lavish exploration of her neck.

His movements paused, and he released her neck and breast and leaned away from her, satisfied at her complaining whine for his stopping. He watched her for but a moment and smirked again, as he reached down with his left hand towards her crotch, just above where they were currently attached, and lifted her left knee with his free hand.

This sensation was unlike anything she had felt before and momentarily shocked her.

His thumb slicked over her clitoris, and she lost all coherence; she had never been touched like this in her life. Her breathing became uneven and she began to move her hands across his hard chest and abdomen, smoothing across his musculature. This seemed to please him, and surprisingly, she enjoyed feeling him tense at her administrations.

He began to thrust into her again, while still giving avid attention to her clit; this multiplied the sensation tremendously. She appeared to be both pleasure filled and physically anxious, as she couldn't find a way to keep her hands from moving and her lips from trembling. Her lips let out noises that he found both soft and sexy. She even began to meet his thrusts with her own.

This caused him to become even more impatient than he had before. He removed his thumb and used that hand to hold himself up above her. He went from fast to faster, and the intensity he felt from this showed on his face, as well as hers.

"Ah… My Lord…" She didn't understand what was happening. Was she enjoying this? Was it wrong to feel such an instinctual pleasure as she was, after all of this time?

Especially with the person that was making her feel the way she was?

She groaned and grew unbearably hot. Something was about to happen; a pressure had started to fill within her belly and she wanted it gone...or released. She wasn't entirely sure. The faster he went and the harder he pressed against her sex, she felt like she would be closer to whatever the outcome of this pressure was. Then it moved down from her belly to her clitoris and… exploded.

The woman cried out in response to pure, physical ecstasy. A nervous, electrical sensation focused on her nub and vagina and then spread all of the way to her fingers and toes. She was so surprised by it that she rolled her head back and cried out without abandon.

He felt her walls clench around him, attempting to milk him of his seed, while he watched her tight and glistening body arch in such a natural, beautiful way. The leg he had lifted began to spasm, her toes curled, and her hands gripped his shoulders, holding on for dear life.

He continued into her, allowing her to ride out her orgasm, smiling to himself for getting what he wanted. What he didn't realize was that this was her very first one.

She was left a trembling, breathless mess and was completely exhausted... in such a great, unexpected way.

So… this is what I've been deprived of. She thought, unable to feel bitter for all of the needless torture, due to the aftermath of this thing. She even felt slightly rebellious against her true captor, physically enjoying herself with another man.

She cooed at the feeling of his hands as they moved to her rear-end. Her lips trembled and she bit the bottom one, to try and maintain some sort of control.

When she found that he had lifted her into his lap, still connected intimately, she was brought out of her momentary trance and very confused at the position. Her eyes had become accustomed to the darkness, and she saw an outline of horns around his head, as well as patterns across his face and chest. He had pulled her tail of hair free, and it flowed down in wavy locks over her smooth back and chest.

"My Lord?" she asked, breathless and unsure.

His fingers combed through her hair, which was so very soft. He smirked at how innocent she sounded, and his cock twitched inside of her; she felt it as well and blushed.

He placed his hand on her left cheek and used his thumb to trace the strange marking underneath her yellow and gray eye.

"It's my turn now."

…

Maul bolted upward, not realizing he had dozed off during his last attempt at meditating. He was now covered in sweat and he found it somewhat difficult to catch his breath.

That dream… he had a sexual dream involving… her.

Thinking back on the dream, he found himself in a strange state. His member was hard and kept from rising to its fullest by the two layers of clothing he still had on. He even felt… wetness.

Damn that fucking woman, he thought, angered at the influence she had over his mind and current thoughts.

He shot up, force-grabbed his bracelet, and stomped to the bathroom, unable to contain the frustration that spilled out of him like lava from a volcano. He pulled his clothes off of his body, no longer able to stand the restriction they had on his manhood.

His body was hot; way too hot for it to be healthy and also way too sweaty and sticky for a normal person's comfort. He looked down and was completely disbelieving of the control he had lost over his body and mind.

Maul almost broke the shower screen because it opened up too slow for his nerves. The water was set on lukewarm and he changed it from that to cold. Very, very, very cold…

He stood in the water, allowing it to barrage his hardened, hot, and sweaty form with icy droplets. He needed to calm himself. He needed to be in control.

What am I- a damned child? Some immature waste of a 35 year old life form that can't even contain some unwarranted attraction… you idiot. You fool.

"Well, she is an attractive woman."

The voice! He had wondered where it had gone off to, when not tormenting Maul for his weakness and insecurities.

"THAT isn't the point! She is a Jedi and I a Sith! She is my ENEMY!"

"And what kind of Sith are you to keep such an enemy as a roommate?"

Maul sighed and some of his frustration escaped with it. He opened his eyes and saw some cracks in the tile wall, below his chest line.

"You and I… both know I can't kill her."

Though it was a sad and embarrassing admission, he was glad to get it off of his chest; even if it was just some personality his mind concocted that he was admitting himself to.

The cracks appeared to be formed in a circular fashion, as if someone had punched the wall. He balled one of his hands into a fist and rested his knuckle into the point of impact.

"This is true. The only thing is to figure out why…"

"Because it feels wrong… though it should be the opposite-"

"And WHY does it feel wrong?"

Maul paused and thought about it. He still wasn't sure…

He noticed that the person who had punched the wall had a much smaller hand than his own. Possibly a woman's hand did this.

Apparently, neither of us is feeling in control.

"There is something about her…" he started, allowing himself to spill forth information, "Something that I find… strange. Different."

There was silence on both ends with the sound of water spraying from the faucet in the background.

"Darth Maul, was there ever a time in your life that you thought of yourself as a good person?"

He paused at what he thought of as one of the strangest questions anyone could have asked him.

According to most of the galaxy, the dark side of the Force was evil. But he never thought of himself as a villain or a "bad" person. He simply did things in the name of something much larger than himself. Whether the things were good or bad were not really considered.

"I don't see what the importance of judging myself as a good or a bad person is… So, no."

"Not even as a child?"

Maul did not like the voice making references to his childhood. He was not who he was as a child; he did his best to grow up and to leave the past behind him.

As a child, he was weak and pathetic. He was easily pushed around by the other zabrak's who lived in his district on Iridonia. His own family didn't want anything to do with him, and he was stupid enough to still vie for their attention and acceptance.

His own mother… she hated him the most out of any of their race, it felt like. And he couldn't blame her.

As a child, he was nothing. But as a Sith… he was dangerous. Strong. Fearless.

"…No."

"I believe, Darth Maul, that the Jedi in your midst… is the first good person that you have inadvertently connected with."

Maul did not respond to this immediately, because in his mind, her being a "good" or "bad" person was about as important to him as whether or not he was either of those things.

"I don't see the relevance of this conversation."

"I suppose that you wouldn't. But it couldn't possibly be just physical desires…"

He thought about it. Maybe it was something as simple as being attracted to her. Maybe deep down, he thought that it would be wasteful to rid the world of something that was so kind to his eyes.

He shook his head at the notion. No, that isn't it.

There was something else. Something even more pathetic, in his opinion.

He thought of when she leaned onto him in her moment of weakness. And then when she held onto him on his speeder. And then when he simply held her as he took her from the Jedi temple…

…And the night that she had apologized for becoming too close.

For a moment, he was certain that the voice would tease him; a Sith, finding comfort in another person? It was a stupid concept.

"There is nothing stupid about feeling comfort from someone."

Maul almost retorted in disagreement, but stopped.

"You have been deprived of comfort for your entire remembered life. The only person you have ever trusted has never shown you comfort… and not only has long betrayed your apprenticeship, but has also betrayed your life. Your mentor, whom you considered to be a father, threw you away as a simple assassin trained in the dark arts. Like an acolyte. And now… he treats you as someone who could be killed by anyone who can toss around a lightsaber."

Maul's fist crushed into the tile, adding a grinding deepness into the Jedi's desperate attempt to control her thoughts. The tile crunched and fell to the floor, taking some of his blood with it.

His master was no longer his. He needed to stop referring to him as such.

Maul reacted, suddenly, to the sensation of someone's hand gripping his right shoulder. He looked towards it, but saw nothing.

"I think that maybe, you should stop trying to fight the things that comfort you."

The grip loosened and disappeared altogether. Was that something he made up in his head?

No… it was too real.

How could he pretend to feel something so real… that he had never felt before?

Maul noticed that his body had calmed down, in every sense of the word. He had cooled off and he was finally able to catch his breath. He was tired, yes, but he didn't ponder over that for too long…

…Especially now that he sensed multiple persons moving upward towards his suite's level.

That's when he heard his bracelet beeping. Apparently, the bothan had been trying to communicate something with him. He guessed it had to do with the number of people preparing to enter his floor.

He stepped out of the shower and grabbed the bracelet and input the control to speak with HK-48.

"Do you wish for me to fire upon them, my Lord?"

"No. Come inside, camouflage yourself in a location that will allow you to open direct fire on the entry way, and wait for my command."

"Yes, Sir."

Uriael had changed into a simple night dress, brushed out her hair, and meditated for what must have been three hours. Her hands had begun to tremble again, so she needed a good distraction. It felt rejuvenating to be able to center one's thoughts and feelings into the life force of the universe itself.

Afterwards, though, she really did need to rest. She decided that since the Darth had chosen his territory for the day, she would probably be safe to use his comfortable bed to sleep.

When she woke up several hours later, she was certain that she had had a dream. But, for once, she couldn't remember it… and for whatever reason, she felt uncomfortable with herself.

She had woken up to a racing heart and to an unusual tingling feeling in her fingers. The tingling did not feel bad in the slightest, but it still made her wonder…

… Yes, she was very glad that she did not remember the dream she had.

She got up out of the bed and stretched out her arms, her neck, her back, and her legs. Her body felt a lot better and she even noticed a reduced amount of pain in her abdomen.

Feeling thirsty, Uriael began to leave before she remembered that she had fallen asleep in a night dress.

She went towards the large mirror in the bedroom, and judged how she looked in it. The cream colored nightgown was simple, but still a bit fancier than what she used to wear to bed. Imara had explained that it needed to look as if she was keeping up appearances for Maul. Uriael agreed, though she still felt awkward about how it felt on her.

The top fit her like a fancy tank-top, with flowery designs adorning the edges and stitching that allowed for a bit of support as well as to accentuate her upper body with a feminine shape. It was snug from her chest to her midriff and flowed down to the middle of her thighs. The material was satin and was smooth to the touch.

Imara made sure that it fit her perfectly; even when she knew that the man who had current claim to her had yet to touch her.

Uriael dismissed the thoughts that arose when thinking of the recently demised handmaiden, and decided to keep it on. She could simply wear a sweater over it, which she had provided to her as well. For now, though, she was thirsty beyond modesty.

She stepped out of the room and found, not to her surprise, that the Sith wasn't even in the living room. She sensed that he was in the bathroom, and hoped he would be in there for a while longer. Looking out through the quickly replaced balcony screen, she guessed it was evening time.

She walked over into the kitchen and went to the water dispenser, after grabbing a small glass. The glass was filled and she drank from it slowly, enjoying the relief it gave to her dry mouth and throat.

"Uriael…"

She froze, mid gulp, to the whisper that had just sounded in her head.

Out of instinct, she looked behind her and checked her surroundings. She didn't feel anyone else other than the Sith in the bathroom, with the shower running, and the droid out in the hall.

"Hello, my Uriael…"

The feeling of a stone settling down into her stomach hit her due to the sound of the voice. It had been a couple of weeks since she had last heard the voice, in person.

Azazul…

Just the thought of his name sent a chill down her spine. Despite a sharp pain that she felt in her abdomen and the frigid air that had begun to engulf her during his mind intrusion, she kept quiet.

"I hope that you are feeling better. I want to make sure you are in proper form for our next attempt…"

Absent mindedly, she dropped the glass and placed her hands firmly against her belly, just below the bellybutton. The cup exploded into shards that shot across the kitchen floor, in every direction.

No… not again.

"Oh yes, again and again until you give me what I desire."

She flinched at the sensation of his hands possessively gripping each side of her waist. The heat from his breath spread across her right ear.

By the Force…

His presence was there, even if his physical being wasn't. If could be on the other side of the galaxy and do this… what else was he capable of?

"You could make things easier, my dear. Just give in to your fate. You and I will be together for a very long time… so you might as well get used to it."

"Just remember, my precious Uriael… you belong to me," he stopped, and she could feel him press his nose into her hair.

"So don't become too comfortable with your current master."

She stood still, bereft of thought. All she could do was feel the remnants of what he had left behind. His darkness surrounded her and pressed against her, to the point where she could no longer feel the environment around her.

Uriael only moved when the entrance door opened. She turned and saw Maul's strange droid enter the room. He moved past the couch and stood near the corner wall closest to the screen.

"If you wish not to be killed," it said in a cold, hollow voice, focusing on the entry way with its red, visor-like eyes, "do not travel within my line of fire."

It proceeded to pull out a larger blaster, one of many hanging behind its back, and aimed it while kneeling down on one metal knee. It, and the blaster, then disappeared.

She would have been interested, had it not been for the amount of people she sensed walking down the hallway.

Eighteen?

She tried to move as quickly as she could to get inside of the bedroom to hide, but the door opened as soon as she was in the middle of the sitting room. And she did not want to get into that droid's line of fire.

The first person inside was Rokujou, followed closely by Volutta. The woman couldn't even look at her without backing away slightly.

Tanran was closely followed by the four guards that had come into the room. Farkas pushed his way through past the clone troopers that remained outside, hands at the ready to grab their blasters.

Minus Rokujou and the twi'lek, everyone regarded her with a mixture of fear and hate. The guards couldn't even reach for their weapons without shivering.

Tanran, however, was feeling something much more than plain hate or fear.

The tension between the two of them was enough to want to make Uriael back down in retreat; the way he watched her made her feel even more uneasy than she already was. He didn't look mad or upset in any shape or form.

His red eyes, unblinking, watched her with a sort of… certainty. He didn't even give her his typical, snide grin that was so commonplace on his face.

He appeared psychotic. He fancied someone who had his manhood trampled on in front of an audience. He surveyed her, as if trying to figure out which part of her to destroy first.

If he got his grimy hands on her, at all, he would do his best to do damage. But really, it wasn't just a matter of damaging her for him.

Uriael could see, from his mind, the things he had fantasized about. The things he wanted to do to her were… unspeakable. One could not describe what he saw without becoming cold with terror.

She couldn't help but try to swallow down the disgust that built up within her as Rokujou walked towards her, his weapon in hand.

"Come, Uriael," he said quietly, which made him that much more threatening. "I think that it's time that you came with us."

The Jedi faced the group wishing, in the saddest and most hopeless of ways that she could transform into the thing that she had turned into the day before. Apparently, her life being threatened wasn't enough for that to happen.

"On whose orders?"

Uriael looked to her right and froze. Even after being psychologically prodded by Azazul, even while terrified for her wellbeing, and even when threatened by the very people she had brutally attacked the day before… she stared and could not help but blush.

There was Darth Maul, almost in all of his naked glory, with nothing but his underwear on; those of which left only certain aspects to the imagination. His already muscular body seemed to be enhanced because of the tattoos that covered him from head to toe.

After placing his weapon somewhere out of reach, he walked down the steps that led from the kitchen to the living room area. He was not concerned the least bit about the crowd of people that gawked at him. He noted the broken glass on the kitchen floor and the Jedi's face, which was drained of color.

"Lord Maul," Rokujou forced out. "We need to… question her about the events from yesterday."

Maul stopped between Uriael and Rokujou, facing the Arkanian with his arms crossed just below his tattooed pectorals.

"You need your weapon out to question her?" Maul motioned to his right hand.

Uriael could see just over his broad shoulders, and watched everyone back away, as well as watch Volutta try not to swoon.

Rokujou did not answer.

"What more needs to be said? Shadow kidnapped her and left her in the under-city. She witnessed the same accounts that all of you did."

He stepped closer to Rokujou and furrowed his brows, then stated, "Perhaps I should start questioning all that you witnessed yesterday, Rokujou."

The arkanian stepped backward and hooked his weapon onto its hilt. Damn bastard.

"Uriael," Maul said.

Said person was a little shocked by the man having referred to her by her name and she almost didn't respond.

"Yes, my Lord?" she asked in a near whisper.

"Did they threaten you?"

She couldn't help but to make a small smile.

"No… no they didn't, my Lord…"

She stepped around the Sith, no longer in fear of being taken to what would certainly be a terrible fate. Her hands grabbed a hold of his right bicep and she leaned into him, which made him glance down at her. She gave him a sweet and shy smile.

"It's just as he said. Just some questions…"

She glanced back over to Rokujou and then to Tanran.

"The experience yesterday was terrifying… I don't think I'm ready to talk about it."

"You do not have to," Maul explained, as he uncrossed his arms and allowed her to settle in closer to his body; she came in between his arm and his chest, and her head rested against his shoulder.

"I'm going to go wait in the room, if you would allow, my Lord," she explained, with a little bit of color tinting her cheeks.

"I'll be right in," he answered.

Before she could move away from him, he wrapped his arm around her small waist and moved his mouth towards her ear.

He whispered, "You might want to change your dress, before I rip it off of you."

Uriael's face went from tinted to completely red as he released her. She walked away, while trailing her left hand over his tight abdominals and biting her bottom lip.

...

As soon as the door closed behind her in the room, she had to lean forward against the large dresser just to keep herself upright. The anxiety that had filled her between Azazul, Rokujou and the sick, disgusting Tanran had taken its toll. She once again felt her hands try to tremble and pushed harder onto the piece of furniture to stop them.

...

As she entered the room, Maul noticed that Volutta had been staring daggers at the Jedi. Afterwards, she looked back at him, full of jealousy, and left the room.

That was fine, to him. He really and truly didn't want any of them in his space.

He could feel that the Jedi had almost had a panic attack as soon as she was shielded by the door. It had something to do with Rokujou and a lot to do with Tanran…

"I'm going to make this clear."

Maul grabbed Rokujou's lightsaber and broke it in half over his bare knee. Before the man had time to react in what was an expected anger, Maul picked him up by the neck and used nothing but his own strength to throw him into the ground.

Rokujou's white, pupil-less eyes grew wide from the pain of being thrown, full force, onto his back. He didn't even have a moment to breathe before Maul's lightsaber flew into his hand, from somewhere in the kitchen, and activated; it wasn't a centimeter away from going through the middle of his forehead.

Maul's eyes burned into Rokujou's and forced him into a fear-induced silence. He then looked up from the grounded man and gave a threatening stare to the rest of the men who had, immediately, reached for their own weapons.

Tanran stared on, shocked out of his psychotic stupor in realization of how the events played out.

"If any of you comes into this room again without my permission, you will be killed before your foot hits the floor. If any of you comes to this level, without my permission, you will be killed as soon as the turbo lift's doors open."

He moved his gaze towards Tanran. He thought back on the footage he had seen earlier and remembered that this man had not only completely disobeyed him, but even began to touch her while making plans to rape her.

He then looked into his mind and saw everything that the bastard wanted to do to the Jedi currently, and it was worse than simple sexual assault… There were images of him shoving sharp objects up into her… person; things that would leave her deformed for the rest of her life, if she didn't die in the process.

Not while I'm here.

He growled, "If any of you touches that woman… if you so much as pull a single hair from her head… I will not only cut off your hands, but I will make sure that you will no longer be able to speak without needing a bib to catch your spit."

He looked back down at the arkanian, who was as still as he could possibly be.

"I TOLD you…" he started, furious at this man, and so certain that he was the one he ran into on Alderaan, "I told you that you would be punished for following me, you stupid piece of shit."

He raised his right hand and blasted him with his red force lightning, fueled perfectly by his current anger. The man screamed and convulsed as the electrical attack forced him into the floor. After about 20 seconds, Maul released him and watched as he violently shook and vomited blood contents all over the carpet.

He then used the force to throw his abused body out of the room and into the hallway, knocking over some of the terrified clones and guards in the process.

Maul stood there, saber activated, hating every single one of the men that still stood within his room… minus Farkas.

"Give me one good reason to split every single one of you into pieces. I'm in the mood for a good slaughter."

All of the men stumbled out of the room, in fear of what he would do to them if they stayed. The guards carried Rokujou's limp form to the turbo lift, hurrying after Tanran and the clone troopers.

The bothan sighed and nodded towards Maul, preparing to leave with the others to keep up appearances.

"Commander."

He turned around, and asked, "My Lord?"

Maul powered down his lightsaber and looked down at the emesis that was left on the floor.

"Find something for her to wear tonight. I feel like going out to eat… and make sure to bring up some handmaidens that are trustworthy to help her dress and prepare."

"Yes, Sir," the bothan answered, but then added, "What kind of outfit, my Lord?"

He thought about it for a moment, before answering, "As if she's going to an opera. Get us a ride, as well."

Yeah, I like getting everyone all hot and bothered. Even if it isn't really happening. Ahahahahahaha...

Please leave some reviews. They remind me of why I'm still doing this :)

~MN