I've put this off for far too long...

[Allu'rah Danan]

It had been a little over a year since she had last seen him. This war... it cost so much. She had spent most of her time in the last few months hiding, stowing away and drifting between ports, finding recruits and tracking down local cells to take them. The Togruta doubted the Imperial Knights could ever fully recover from the destruction of HOMEFRONT, but they were trying their best.

Now she had other obligations. It had taken almost a month for her to get here, and it took most of her willpower not to weep from heartache the entire time. She could feel Elliot's growing pain, his deepening despair, until she simply could not block it out. It was at the forefront of her mind all the time, mingling with her own sense of longing. It was late, and the night was dark. There was no one to see the towering figure in the billowing, grey cloak with a vibropike strapped on her back. She was just a lone traveler, far from any civilization. The chill wind howling down off the mountain sent shivers through her. She was acclimated to hot savannah, not this cold stone or the frozen peak. Her bare feet didn't make a sound as she climbed the dusty path. Looking up the towering mountain, she could see lights flickering. She was getting close. She could feel it.

"Your Akira comes, Elliot," she whispered quietly to the wind.

 

[Ender]

"And that's when I burst in, screaming at the top o' me lungs, gun ready...and your sisters, all turn to stare at me like I'm a bloody idiot!" Burc'ya Marren said loudly, his baritone voice filling the lounge of the Mansion. Marren Mansion, handed down from generation to generation of Marrens. It wasn't the largest of mansions, or the prettiest to look at. But on the inside it felt like home to any Marren, any Mandalorian for that matter. It was warm. It always smelled of food. Weapons, armor and trophies lined the walls. It was rumored that somewhere in the Mansion Ak'Tari Ace Marren's own blaster was hidden, although Elliot had never found it.

Sitting in a lounge chair, half drunk, was Elliot Marren. His face, usually clean shaven or featuring a five o'clock shadow, was covered in an unkept beard, at least two weeks in the make. In one hand, was a bottle of Corellian firewhiskey, in the other, the breacelet Akira had given him. At his foot, a bucket. Just in case.

After a long moment of silence, Burc spoke. "Elliot. Ad'ika. You need to lay off the drink." the giant said quietly. "It's not helping anything, little 'un."

Elliot simply glared at Burc, and rolled over, deep in his own thoughts. Of Akira. Where was she? Gone. It was obvious. Killed. By those fools. Sighing, he took another drink, just as it was suddenly plucked away, spilling all over Elliot.

"Get yerself cleaned up, Elliot. You want to stay with me? You're gonna be a proper guest." Uncle Burc said, walking away.

 

[Allu'rah Danan]

It took hours to ascend the mountain. The night deepened, and the wind picked up. Snow blew down from the peak, and Akira grasped the edges of her cloak tightly, trying to keep it drawn close around herself. Her teeth chattered as she exhaled forcefully, and a misty steam formed from her breath. The cold burned in her throat, in her lungs. She couldn't feel her toes anymore, and she had started to stumble on her path. Corellia was supposed to be temperate. Why did this place need to be out in the mountains? The howling wind made her eyes sting and water, and the tears froze on her frost-nipped cheeks.

Akira blinked several times when she rounded a bend and unexpectedly stepped into a pool of warm yellow light spilling from the grand house before her. She could have danced for joy were she not frozen to the bone. She stumbled up the stairs to the front door, close to falling down from exhaustion. With a thin, shaking hand, she knocked on the heavy, frigid metal doors. The cold of the contact made her hand burn. Someone please open up, she prayed. She knew he was here. She could feel his pain more acutely at this close range. She only hoped someone heard her knocking.

 

[Ender]

Burc was quietly cleaning dishes, and Elliot's emergency bucket, when there was a light knocking at the door. No, not quite light. More...faint. Confused, Burc retrieved a blaster pistol from the mantel, and went to the door, opening it slowly. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the light outside, having hidden the blaster behind his back. The mountain of a man looked around, and then down. Before him, was a small, cold looking Togrutan. Burc'ya understood immediatly. " 'Ello." he said simply, then grabbed her up in his arms and dragged her in. "E's in the 'fresher 'ight now. E'll be out in a bit, I'll fetch 'em. You? You just get warm." Burc set her down by the fireplace, and then nearly sprinted up the stairs.

 

[Allu'rah Danan]

Akira sighed in sheer relief when someone opened the door. The man... he was the largest human she had ever seen. She tried to say something but couldn't find any words, and she doubt she could have voiced them even if they were within her grasp. She wavered, and was about to crumple when the man caught her under the arms and scooped her up. Even someone as strong as he would have found her to be quite light. Once you took away the added height of her montrals, she was not a tall girl. And the last year had not been kind to her. Her muscles were still strong and wiry, but she also appeared thinner. It was especially noticeable in her face. Any lingering baby fat from her youth had melted away, leaving her cheeks a little hollower and her eyes a little sunken. The spark of adventurous excitement and curiosity had faded from her once-bright eyes, leaving them dull and listless, world-weary and hurting.

Fabric pooled around her as she was set down by the fireplace. Elliot had been talking about her it seemed. This man seemed to understand what was happening with perfect clarity. It took a few moments, but once she was able to command her fingers again she pushed back her hood. The heat of the fire was glorious, but as she thawed out, her body took to even greater shivers. The snow melting on her grey cloak didn't help either. She hesitated for a moment, but then shed her pike and the garment. It was not difficult to see why Akira had nearly frozen to death on the climb up here. She wore a long white dress made of thin material. Pretty, but not something that would cut the wind at all. The hem of her flowing skirt was a dirty grey and fraying, and nothing covered her arms except for the dress's wide straps off the tips of her shoulders. She didn't have much clothing, only a few pieces. She had to travel light. But at least this was slightly warmer than what she tended to wear. She rubbed her arms to try and warm them, and turned her frostbitten feet to the fire. It was hard to believe, but she made it. And now all she could do was wait by the fire for Elliot to come to her.

 

[Ender]

Elliot practically flew down the steps, she was here. The cold shower had removed a small amount of the effects of the firewhiskey, and the news that Akira was here had done the rest. He hit the ground floor and sprinted into the lounge, a towel wrapped around his waist. He stopped, and stared at her. She looked different. Then again, he did too. His hair had grown long, and his beard was half shaven, making him look rather comical.

"Akira." he said quietly, before sprinting towards her and wrapping her in a crushing hug.

 

[Allu'rah Danan]

Akira heard the sounds of running feet even before they reached the ground floor. She closed her eyes, bracing herself. She knew she had hurt him by staying away for so long. But after all she had done, and what with the war, she had only wished to keep him safe. What if he was angry? What if he hated her for doing this to him? She shouldn't have come. She should have stayed away...

The footsteps stopped. She could hear his heavy breathing from the door. She opened her eyes and turned to see him standing on the threshold. Her breath caught in her throat for a moment. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the sight of him. He looked ridiculous with half his face covered in hair and lather, and his wet, shaggy hair clinging to his face. He looked a little rougher than she remembered him as well. He seemed... off. She didn't have much time to think further, because suddenly her slender frame was being crushed into Elliot's broad (and naked) chest. "Elliot... too tight..." she wheezed, and tried to wriggle loose from him. The warmth of his body felt nice, as did the strength of his arms. But the shivering Akira was very aware and self-conscious of her physique of late. She didn't want Elliot to feel how boney her back had gotten. She didn't want him feeling all her ribs, her spine, her shoulder blades... A flush crept into her cheeks as she also took notice of his state of undress. He had hugged her before, sure. Heck, she remembered a time before she started having visions and before she knew of the war when she would snuggle up to him. But never had he been so bare before her.

 

[Ender]

Elliot let go, grinning like an idiot. "Akira...Damn...AKIRA!" he cried, and began to dance around the lounge like an idiot. Staring at Akira once he stopped, he examined her closer. "Akira..." he whispered to himself, looking at her. She looked...older. More tired. The spark of curiosity in her eye was gone. She was...different. "You're alive." he informed her.

Realizing he was half shaven and nearly naked, he called out to his uncle. "Yo! Uncle Shale! Can you get off your fat ass and get me some clothes? There's a lady here and I'm not exactly decent!"

"Watch who's talkin, ya little arse!" Burc's voice boomed back.

 

[Allu'rah Danan]

"You're alive."

The small smile that had crept onto her face as she watched Elliot celebrating evaporated as she cringed at his words. They hit her in the chest like a ton of bricks, knocking her breath from her lungs. "You... you think me... dead?" No wonder she had caused him so much grief. Perhaps because he missed her, or wished badly to see her, that's what she'd thought. She hadn't thought that he was in mourning. Well, not for her anyway. News of the fall of Dani the Mandalore has reached her. Even Akira had mourned Dani briefly. They had not really seen eye to eye, and Akira always got the impression that Dani didn't like her. But Dani had looked out for her in a lot of ways, putting her in contact with the Imperial Knights when she had started having her visions, and making sure Elliot knew where to find her when she'd been kidnapped by a Mandalorian bounty hunter.

Akira got to her feet and walked towards him. Even shaking like a leaf, she seemed to float with a soft grace. She hesitated, but hugged him again. "Elliot, I am so, so sorry," she apologized. The lump in her throat was painful, and difficult to talk around. "I do not mean to hurt you. I only want safety. For you, for me. So I try to keep moving, keep hiding. I want to see you, but I am afraid," she attempted to explain. She stepped back to look at him better, but it was too difficult to look him in the eye. Her own silver orbs were brimming with tears. She couldn't help but feel crushed by her own guilt at how much suffering she had put Elliot through. "This war... so much happens. I... I kill a lot of people Elliot," she whispered. She couldn't make herself look at him. To try and distract herself, she traced the lines of his tattoo on his left arm. A lot had changed since she had last seen him. Sure, some people were bad people. Some people were not, they were just following orders. Most of the time, she was just trying to survive. Too often her survival meant dispatching those who were ordered to kill her.

 

[Ender]

Six Imperials. Six. People didn't realize how low of a kill count Snipers actually had. Sure, Elliot had killed people before. Self defense, bar fights, even a few Imp Security officials from his smuggling days. But the six men he'd killed during his time as an Imperial Knight Guardsman? Those were burned into his memory.They'd been more intimate. He'd learned about them. Seen their little quirks and traits. Watched them for days on end sometimes. So they were his kills. His memories. His burdens. The other Imperials he'd killed weren't as bad. The grunts he'd taken down in firefights. The Stormtroopers he'd faced on ops. But his targets? They were still with him. Carved into his armor were six notches. One for each. Written down in his journal were their names and pictures of their faces.

That's what entered his mind as Akira spoke. His only response was to hold her tight and speak softly. "I know, Akira. I know." as he looked down at the small Togruta, he realzied how much he had missed her. He realized how much pain it'd caused him when he'd thought he had lost her. And he realized how much he really cared about her. And he did the only thing he knew how to do. He leaned down to her, lifted her chin, and pressed his lips gently against hers.

 

[Allu'rah Danan]

Akira blinked in surprise as Elliot's lips met hers. She had not predicted this. But it put her heart at ease to say the least, and more besides. It felt as if something... awakened in her. She couldn't describe it as anything else. She kissed him back enthusiastically, parting her lips and granting entrance into her mouth. One arm hooked around his neck to keep him drawn in there, and the other hand reached to caress his cheek. Her palm planted straight into the lather of his half-shaved beard. Akira broke the kiss and withdrew her hand, glancing from her sud-covered fingers to Elliot's face and back. She couldn't help but burst out laughing. Oh, how good it felt to laugh. How long had it been since she'd done so? A few tears leaked onto her face as she continued laughing, and she brushed them away on the back of her hand. It looked like a great weight had been taken off her shoulders, and a bit of brightness returned to her face and eyes as she smiled.

"Go clean up, Elliot," she said, still chuckling. "Your Akira will still be here when you return."

 

[Ender]

Elliot grinned, realizing he was still in a towel and had a half shaven face. He leaned in and kissed her again gently before dashing up the stairs, his towel barely covering his retreating backside. Once out of sight, the mansion was eerily quiet again. The wood that the house was made of on the inside deadened most noise quieter than a blaster shot.

So that's why when the front door opened and a lightly snow dusted orange set of armor walked in the door, the only one capable of hearing it was Akira. Ruusan Marren casually entered the mansion, dropping her helmet on an end table. As she entered the lounge, letting her hair down, she caught sight of Akira. In an instant, she became enraged. "You bitch!" she cried, and lunged at her, fist raised.

 

[Allu'rah Danan]

Akira watched Elliot's retreating back with a smile on her face. She found herself almost wishing that the towel would fall off, and caught herself contemplating if she should use the Force to nab it. She blushed as soon as she realized what she was thinking. Where had those thoughts come from? She forced them from her mind. She glanced around, as if checking to see if anyone had overheard her impure thoughts.

She was warming herself by the fire when she heard someone approaching, their footsteps heavy on the floor. Akira turned, her slender figure silhouetted against the roaring orange fire. Their eyes met for a moment. Had she seen this woman before? It seemed the armoured Mandalorian was familiar with her at least, as she roared and charged forward. Alarmed, Akira took a defensive stance, grabbing the woman's wrist and using her own momentum against her as the Togruta threw her into a bookshelf on the opposite wall, causing dozens of tomes to fall off the wall and a vase to tumble and shatter. "I don't understand!" she cried. "What do I do that offends you? What is my crime?"

 

[Ender]

Ruusan cried out in pain as she hit the bookcase. Stumbling, she turned back to face the Togrutan Bitch. "He thought you were dead!" she growled, and lunged again, this time throwing her body weight straight at Akira in an attempt to tackle her.

Burc heard the commotion from upstairs, and knitted his eyebrows. Who would be fighting? He quickly dashed down the stairs, his foot falls echoing throughout the house.

 

[Allu'rah Danan]

Akira was much more ready for this charge than the last. As Ruusan made the attempt to tackle, the Knight grabbed the Mandalorian by the pauldrons on her armour and dropped backwards. Again, using Ruusan's momentum, they rolled back and Akira pushed with her strong legs to help aid with the full rotation, pinning the woman on her dark as a pair of knees planted into her chest to hold her there. "I know what I do!" Akira snarled, her pointed fangs bared. "I feel him suffer through the Force. In my mind, all the time I feel his pain. But I try to protect him! Everyday I watch for Sith and Imperials who seek to kill me. You think I want that sort of danger for him? I leave both of us to suffer because I think it is better to do that than bring my enemies to his door!" The indignity of it. Everyday she lived with the guilt and pain of staying away, staying in hiding. Who did this woman think she was to accuse her?

 

[Ender]

Ruusan sat there struggling as Akira ranted at her.When finished she spoke venomously. "Cause he's my little brother! And we're at war. And with the path he's on? He'll be at war with me soon." Ruusan continued struggling, attempting to reach the slugthrower on her thigh, just as Burc reached the lounge.

"Udessi, Ruusan!" he barked in Mandalorian. He continued, still in Mandalorian "She's a friend, you hurt her and I'll tear off your head and shove it up your shebs. If she's ACTUALLY dead and Elliot finds out, that WILL kill him." Burc emphasized, pushing Akira aside and dragging Ruusan to her feet. Now in basic, he said "This is Ruusan, Akira."

 

[Allu'rah Danan]

Akira stood up and regarded Ruusan coolly at her words. "Hardly my fault your brother has a stronger sense of honour than your Mandalore," she said bitterly as she straightened her skirt. "I am told you people look for honour and glory. What glory is there in stomping the weak? In championing an unjust cause? Elliot is good, and kind. I cannot fault him for championing the weak and fighting this festering evil, even if his sister will not." She calmly collected her cloak and her vibropike and then stood up straight, as tall and proud as she could manage. Elliot would have been astonished to see her behaving this way. She had changed considerably in a year.

"Please ser," she said, dipping her head towards her large host, "where is Elliot's room? I will wait for him there."

 

[Ender]

Ruusan glared darkly at her, speaking words that would only ever be uttered in this house. "The same man who would claim the life of my sister. The same man who would do so, and say that it was in honor. That she was a coward." Ruusan lowered her head, remembering the day Dani died. How she had stood defiantly in the face of death, looked Corden in the eye and accepted her fate.

Burc on the other hand was fuming. It was HIS Mandalore. And the Togruta AND Ruusan were bad mouthing him. Ruusan saw this and, in her first act of kindness towards Akira, said "Third room, first level of the basement. Go down the hall on the right. That third room."

 

[Allu'rah Danan]

Akira's hard features softened as she watched Ruusan wilt a little. She inclined her head slightly as she turned and left the room, a glimpse at the largest, eldest Mandalorian made her leave hastily. Ruusan was still in mourning for her sister it seemed. Good that Akira had not accused Elliot's pain as Danielle's fault, considering it was she who had brought the Togruta before the Imperial Knights as a Prospect. It was Dani who had set Akira on the path she now walked. As for her much more literal, current path, she followed Ruusan's instructions to the letter, heading down the stairs, taking the hall on the right and knocking on the third door. She didn't hear anyone inside, but knocked again. When no answer came, she opened the door and let herself in.

 

[Ender]

Elliot was in the midst of making himself presentable. His half beard was gone, clean shaven for once.He wore his usual cargo pants, the planned solid color T-shirt lay on an unmade bed. His hair was unkept, and when he turned at the creak of the door he smiled warmly. "Hi." he said simply. Turning he revealed a pair of new tattoos. Across his right bicep were six hash marks, below his Mandalorian tattoo was the word "Dar'manda". No longer Mandalorian. If anybody outside of his family ever saw that one, they'd probably kill him. Or just get really angry. Or disgusted. Elliot? Wore it with pride.

Taking a seat on the bed, he crossed his legs child like. "I love this house. So much history in it. Been in the Marren family for generations. It's occasionally used as a backup headquarters for the Clan."