- Joined
- May 6, 2010
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Kito Masaru
When The Galaxy Stood Still
“Master, why do we travel a lot?” Kito asked, bright hazel eyes looking up at the orange haired man rippling with muscle. The man turned a fierce blue gaze down upon the nine year old, though the smile that twitched into existence on his lips softened it. No matter how many times Kito looked into those piercing eyes, they always sent chills down his spine. It caught Kito off guard when his Master stopped walking and crouched down in front of him, holding Kito in place by the shoulders.
“What is a Jedi, Kito?” his Master asked. Kito tilted his head, confused for a moment.
“Defenders of the galaxy?” Kito answered, unsure of if his response was correct. His Master nodded, smirking. Kito relaxed a little, seeing that though his Master had the demeanor of a demon, he had a kinder side and was using this as an opportunity to council rather than make Kito learn the hard way.
“That’s right, but what do they do precisely?” his Master asked. Kito had never really paid attention in the classes given to younglings on Tython. His time was always spent sneaking around the temple trying to find sparring Knights and Masters. Martial Arts fascinated Kito, which is the only reason he could think of that Jedi Knight Agil would take him as a Padawan.
“Jedi defend the innocent people of the galaxy,” Kito said, smiling. “They bring peace where there is none.” Agil nodded, chuckling a little. Kito couldn’t help but grin. He rarely heard his Master laugh, and he could count on one hand the times he had seen his Master smile. Today seemed like a rare treat.
“That’s right, Kito. How does a Jedi bring peace to a place that has none?” The cryptic questions were a little unsettling for the nine year old, but Kito was enjoying seeing his Master in a lighter mood than usual. As much as Kito loved martial arts, the amount of times Kito swung a simple, heavy metal bar at a tree, rock, or wall was enough to drive him insane. His hands had softened with blisters at first, but they became callouses over the years. It was the same thing, over and over, and though Kito didn’t couldn’t fathom how hitting an inanimate object over and over was going to help him, he was terrified of letting his Master down.
“A Jedi searches out and destroys the evil that lurks there,” Kito answered. Agil shook his head slowly. Kito stiffened, only to relax when his Master’s smile never faded.
“No, a Jedi searches out and destroys those who would cause harm to the peace. Just because something is evil in nature, doesn’t mean it will harm the innocent or create chaos and war,” Agil explained. Kito blinked, not understanding. “Good and evil are points of views, Kito; they vary from person to person. Who is good and who is evil is irrelevant, especially when one is fighting a war.”
“So how do Jedi know who is evil, Master? How can we combat something that is in someone’s mind?” Kito asked. Agil’s smiled broadened.
“There is no right answer, Kito, you must follow your heart and your instincts,” Agil said. “You decide who is innocent and who is a combatant. You decide who is evil and who is good. The choice has always been, and forever will be yours.” Kito blinked, trying imagine ever having to decide something like that. The Jedi were good, the Sith were evil. The Alliance fought for freedom, the Imperium fought to conquer and enslave. It was simple.
“I don’t understand, Master,” Kito said. “How does that explain why we travel a lot?” Agil let go of Kito’s shoulders and stood up, his smiling starting to fade. Kito felt a knot in his stomach start twisting and a chill running up his spine.
“What will prepare you more for the choices you’ll need to make in the future, Kito: sitting at a temple getting classes on philosophy, or working in the field and gaining actual experience in what makes those philosophies?” Agil responded. Something beeped and Agil fished through his robes to find his communicator. “Agil here,” he said into it as he turned his back to Kito. Kito looked away from his Master, thinking about what his Master had just said. He at least knew that he would rather be waving a metal stick around everywhere rather than sitting in a boring class. Agil turned back around, dropping his communicator back into his pocket. His gaze was still fierce, but there was a hint of hollowness that Kito could sense through the Force.
“M-Master?” Kito whimpered, fear gripping his throat. He was truly afraid of this man, though he had done nothing to deserve to be feared.
“The Force plays in interesting ways, Kito,” he said. “Your training is going to increase in intensity.”
“Why, Master?” Kito regretted it the moment it left his lips. He didn’t mind, really, he just wanted to know. What had gotten into his Master all of a sudden? What caused this hollowness? Agil’s eyes grew fiercer and his nose flared in agitation at having his decision questioned.
“You are aware of the war between the Imperium and the Alliance? The Jedi and Sith?” Agil asked. Kito nodded his head, wanting nothing more than to shrink into a ball and roll away to hide. “The Imperium and Sith just won.”
Present Day
Kito lazily blinked his hazel eyes until he could keep them open. Sleep had come late again, as was the usual routine when one practically lived on neutral transport shuttles. They had landed already. Kito wondered how long he had been asleep and how long the crew had just left him there lying on the cold durasteel floor. Would it have mattered? He was in no rush.
Without using his hands, Kito raised himself up into a sitting position and looked around. His right hand naturally checked to make sure the lightsaber hilt clipped to his belt was still in place. Kito sighed, more so because he actually had to get up and start moving than out of relief of having his lightsaber right where he had left it last. He would have woken up if anyone tried to get near him anyway, he just had to make sure out of habit.
Kito got to his feet and brushed the dust off of his white robes. Satisfied with having no dirt or dust left on him, Kito made his way to the loading ramp of the shuttle. He exited, only to be greeted by intense artificial light. He was in a hangar. How long had it been since he had visited the very hangar? Kito smiled at the feeling of being older than he was. Nineteen and already able to use the “I haven’t been here in years” line. He certainly didn’t miss the cold.
The base at Anoth wasn’t a vast or completely secure one, but it was a home none-the-less. Kito wasn’t there to be welcomed or to come home; he was there because he had turned his back on the Order. Within minutes of beginning his journey through the corridors of the base towards what used to be his quarters, a Jedi Knight stopped him.
“I haven’t seen you here before,” the Jedi said, caution marring his otherwise perfect features.
“I’ve been…” Kito began, searching for a word that would describe his activities without giving too much information away. “Busy,” he concluded. “I don’t have much time- I’m just here to pick something up.”
“Who’s your Master?” The Jedi asked. Kito looked down at the floor.
When Heroes Fall
“Faster, Kito!” Agil yelled over the sizzling and screeching of lightsabers. Kito stepped back and out of reach from one of the practice droid’s slashes. The second droid swung high for his neck, so Kito ducked under it and stepped to the left. The third droid wasn’t ready for the sudden movement toward it, and caught Kito’s brilliant blue blade across its midsection. It whined, simulating pain. Kito followed through with the strike, stepping once more in the same direction so that he was behind the third droid. He spun, leveling his lightsaber with the droid’s neck and sliced into it. The lightsaber resistant material cracked and popped and the droid went down sizzling.
The first droid spun and lunged for Kito as the second droid swung wildly, thinking Kito was going to go after it. It was correct. Kito ducked under the swing, sliding on his knee and thrusting his lightsaber into the droids chassis. The direct attack punctured the lightsaber resistant material straight through. Without a moment of hesitation, as the droid spread its arms wide and whined, Kito disengaged his lightsaber and ran up the front of the droid, pushing off its shoulders into a high backflip. The first droid had swung at Kito, missing him and dropping its own comrade as Kito landed behind it. Kito ignited his lightsaber into the back of the droid so that the blade pierced out through its chest. It didn’t even whine, simply shut itself down and let its gears whir and clunk to a halt.
As the last droid fell to the durasteel floor, Kito disengaged his lightsaber, panting. He had had to use a lot more Force to speed his movements than he had previously in training. Most Padawan on Anoth were being taught advanced Force powers and how to manipulate objects with their mind; Kito was learning how to manipulate his own body with the Force. In the end, the intense training Agil gave him after the fall of Coruscant had been Kito’s saving grace. Agil taught him to manipulate his body without the Force, and once he had become adept with that, taught Kito how to manipulate his body even further with the Force. Speed and accuracy, Agil had told him, were the things Kito would have to rely on the most.
“Good, Kito,” Agil said, clapping. It was more affection that Kito was used to, but he thought nothing of it. At this point, his Master was the only father figure Kito cared to have. “How did it feel that time?” Kito clipped his lightsaber to his belt and lifted his hands to look at them. They were calloused from the years of practicing with a heavy metal pole.
“It felt more natural, but it’s still kind of difficult to concentrate on using the Force and fighting at the same time,” Kito answered, lowering his hands and lifting his hazel gaze to his Master. “I thought the Juyo form was for one on one?”
“It is,” Agil said, nodding. He folded his arms across his chest. The black chain coiling around his right arm that connected to the pummel of the black, beskar, Katana on his back had never lost its sinister look. Kito looked at it for a moment, then back up at his Masters eyes, soothing the chill he got from seeing it. “Imagine this, though. You’re locked in combat with one enemy, right? What’s stopping other enemy fighters from shooting at you, or attacking you from behind?”
“Nothing, I guess,” Kito said. He played scenario after scenario in his head, knowing his Master was right as usual.
“You must learn to use your style to fight as many enemies as possible,” Agil continued. “Otherwise, you’re a waste of a swordsman.” The last part stung Kito to the core. He had learned a lot of things through traveling with his Master across the galaxy. He met new and interesting people and species, helped beings out from time to time, made friends and even some enemies. The one thing he prided himself the most with was being a competent swordsman. Take that away from him, and Kito wouldn’t know what to do with himself. “Go freshen up and get some food. There’s a meeting between the Masters today and I want you to attend with me. Meet me at the lounge in an hour.” Kito nodded, though Agil had already turned and started walking away. That’s the way it worked with his Master- tough love through and through.
Kito made his way to his temporary quarters and stripped before stepping into the refresher. He still didn’t understand the importance of needing to be here. His Master was only a Knight in the Order, and the meeting was between Masters, so they really didn’t need to be on Anoth. Agil had said something about showing face and support to an old friend, but Kito didn’t know any of the other Jedi. The last time he even spoke to another Padawan was before they left Tython when he was seven years old; he was thirteen now! The Jedi needed to be reformed, Kito understood that much, but Agil had made sure they never really took part in the Order’s business much even when the Order was still intact. Kito shook his head, discarding the wild questions brewing in his mind. He just didn’t like being here because he had a bad feeling about it.
Having been travelling the galaxy and training in martial arts, Kito lacked decent looking robes to wear. He chose to wear the best he had though; a reddish brown colored robe with black trousers and reddish brown, leather boots. His lightsaber was clipped firmly to the right side of his belt on his hip. It had only been forty-five minutes since Agil had released him when Kito stepped into the lounge and found Agil meditating. Without a word, his Master stood and led him out of the lounge and toward where the meeting was taking place. Kito had never bothered to explore the base, so he was completely lost the entire time.
Entering the meeting chamber, Kito looked around. It looked like a stadium of sorts. Knights and Padawans were sitting in the seats surrounding the actual meeting, which was being held in the center. The Masters were already arguing with each other. Kito wanted to know what they were arguing about, but decided to keep quiet. How hard could making decisions be? Follow your heart and your instincts- that’s what Agil had told him four years earlier. Some of the Jedi watching whispered to each other. Other flat out cried out in protest or agreement. Kito couldn’t hear a word anyone was saying, and soon lost interest in the entire meeting. Why couldn’t they just agree?
“Be wary, Kito,” Agil whispered into his ear. Kito turned his gaze to his Master, who was scanning the surroundings as if something were about to happen. Following suite, Kito started scanning, both with his human senses and with the Force. He could sense the tension in his Master. What had him so taught?
As if on queue, the arguing erupted into a roar and then screams. Lightsabers were ignited across the entire room and many of them were piercing through fellow Jedi. Orange eyes glowed from many of the Jedi who had done the piercing. Kito stood up immediately, sensing the loss of life. It was like a brick to the chest, and he wanted to curl up in a ball and cry, but his training had kicked in. His lightsaber was already in his hand and ignited before he realized what he was doing. Agil had already sprang into action, fighting his way toward the Masters. Some Jedi fought back, most of the Padawans were ushered out, though some fell prey to the Cultists before they could escape. Kito was frozen in place, watching his Master move and fight as if he had spent his entire life training for this single moment.
His gawking came to an end when a Cultist lunge for Kito. Kito snapped out of it at the last moment, having only enough time to bend back at the hips to avoid having a green blade thrust through his body from the right. Without thinking, Kito stepped to the right, twisting his body so that his lightsaber had more Force as it sliced through the Cultists abdomen. Kito felt the resistance of the humans flesh and heard the thud as the man fell to the floor. He turned his head slowly so that his eyes gazed upon the human who lay dead behind Kito. Kito had killed him. He actually killed him! Kito wanted to cry and hide, but there was no time for that.
Another Cultist came at him, swinging for Kito’s midsection. Kito blocked the swing, stepped forward toward his attacker, and slashed across the Twi’lek’s neck. The head, having the lekku severed in the slash as well, fell to the floor followed by the rest of the body. Kito stole a glance toward his Master, not wanting to look at the result of his own swordsmanship. He immediately regretted it and wished he had chosen to look at the fallen Cultists instead.
Agil was fighting four Cultists at once, buying some of the remaining Masters to gain their wits or get out. Kito’s Master was actually outmatching the Cultists, until even more jumped to attack him. When Agil began back pedaling slowly, losing ground he had fought so hard to achieve, Kito knew his Master needed his help. Kito started toward his Master, running into a few Cultists along the way and cutting them down as fast as he could. He had to help his Master. His master needed him.
Seconds turned into minutes. Not matter how fast Kito cut his own opponents down, his Master kept getting farther and farther away it seemed. Kito could see the tears in his Master’s robes and burns on his flesh where Agil had narrowly escaped lightsabers. Agil ducked under two high swings, slashing wide low and then again through the midsections of four Cultists. The Cultists screamed as cold metal sliced through them and their blood sprayed out onto Agil and the floor. As they dropped, two others took their place before Agil was ready. The amazement Kito had felt watching his Master drop four enemy at once faded instantly as a yellow blade pierced through Agil’s back and out his chest, and then a purple blade sliced across his neck, creating a ditch where flesh used to be. Several Masters leapt to Agils aid, cutting the Cultists down in earnest.
Kito had stopped all movement. His mouth was open, unable to close even if he realized his jaw had dropped. His eyes were wide and dry. Heart thudding out of his chest, Kito didn’t know what to feel. What had been a brick slamming into his chest from the loss of life of people he didn’t even know became a hole, unable to be filled by anything Kito threw into it. He stumbled toward his Master’s fallen body as the Masters and Knights dealt with the remaining Cultists. The sounds of combat faded until there was nothing left except his own beating heart in his ears.
As soon as Kito stood over his Master’s body, the pain become unbearable. He dropped to his knees and let out a cry, tears instantly streaming down his cheeks as he collected his Master’s upper body and held it in his lap. Nothing else mattered. Kito didn’t feel the hands grabbing at him. He didn’t hear the shouts of the Masters trying to see if he was hurt and to get him out of the room. It was only his Master, and himself in that room. Why did they have to come to Anoth?
Present Day
“My Master was killed when the Cultists attacked the Masters’ Council,” Kito said, his hazel eyes still adverted to the floor. The Jedi shook his head with a frown.
“I apologize,” he said. “I meant no disrespect.” Kito shook his head, lifting his eyes back to the Jedi,
“Those who live by the sword will die by the sword,” Kito said, smiling. The Jedi raised a brow at him. What had this guy been doing since the attack? Was he even here for it?
“Kito?” a faintly familiar voice, innocent in nature yet holding a touch of demand filled the hall. “Is that you?” The Jedi stepped to the side and turned, looking in the direction of the voice. Kito smiled. She had grown her hair long and she wore more elaborate robes than she had as a Padawan.
“Mai, it’s good to see you again,” Kito said as the woman strode up to him as if she were on a mission. Her hand smacked across his cheek. No one said a word as the hall went dead silent. Kito raised a hand to his cheek, feeling how sensitive it had become. He was sure it a bright red.
“You kriffing nerf herder!” she cried, tears welling up in her eyes. Kito turned his gaze back to hers. She stepped forward and threw her arms around his neck. He was surprised at first and didn’t know how to react. Slowly his hands lifted and his arms wrapped around her shoulders and back. “We thought you were dead.” Kito smiled.
“Sorry.”
To Avenge Or To Protect... That Is The Question
“I heard a Knight named Cody is gathering Jedi to hunt down the Cultists,” Jo’Bik gossiped. Kito folded his arms across his chest and leaned back against the wall. Mai had cried herself to sleep on his shoulder. Kito and Mai had lost both their Masters during the attack, but Jo’Bik’s Master was still alive and well. In fact, Kito knew Jo’Bik’s Master was completely against hunting down the Cultists. Kito didn’t blame him, as he knew many Jedi were out for revenge.
“Jo,” Kito said, making Jo turn his blue gaze toward him. “Shut up.”
“Why should I?” Jo’Bik said. “I bet you want to go out there with him, don’t you? Lost your Master and you want to get ‘em back, huh?” Kito rolled his eyes.
“Careful, Jo,” Kito said, looking down at Mai before turning his eyes back to Jo’Bik. “Judging isn’t the Jedi way. Besides, I don’t know if I’d go or not. I want to make them pay for what they did, but I’m not about to hunt them down for revenge.”
“Why should we allow ourselves to fall to their level?” Mai said, surprising Kito that she had even been awake. She blinked up at him, smiled and lifted herself off his shoulder. She turned her puffy, red, tear ridden eyes towards Jo’Bik. “Our Masters wouldn’t want us to avenge them, they would want us to learn from this.”
“Whatever,” Jo’Bik said. Kito couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. What if he had lost his Master in the attack? Would he feel differently? Kito turned to Mai.
“What should we learn from this, exactly?” Kito asked. Mai looked at him and shook her head.
“I’m not sure,” she admitted. “The most obvious answer would be to never trust, but that isn’t the Jedi way. I think we need to learn to be more prepared for these kinds of things so that it doesn’t happen in the future.” Kito nodded. Prepare for attacks so that they can never happen again. It was a simple philosophy with a lot of merit.
“So what if someone fought so that an attack like this would never happen again?” Kito asked, turning his gaze to the floor between his knees. Mai rested her head on his shoulder again.
“Then they would be fighting for eternity, I guess,” she said. Fight for eternity to keep loved ones safe? Kito could deal with that.
Present Day
Mai released Kito from her embrace and stepped back, still holding his arms as if he might run away if she let go. Her eyes were glazed by tears, but she had grown in the Force in ways Kito hadn’t, so he was unable to tell if they were tears of joy or pain. She looked over at the Jedi who had been gawking at them since Mai had entered the conversation.
“I’ll take care of him, thank you,” she said, smiling. The Jedi looked at her, then at Kito, then back at her as he nodded and swiftly walked off. Mai wiped her eyes before any tears could roll down her cheeks. She grabbed Kito’s hand and started leading him down the hall. Eventually, when she knew Kito would run, she let go of his hand. “Where were you all those years, Kito?” she asked, looking up at him. Kito shook his head slowly, not wanting to get into a deep conversation about it, though he knew it was going to happen anyway.
“At first, I went to fight the Cultists so that they couldn’t attack us again,” Kito said quietly. “They had run to Kinooine at first.”
War!
Sharp, jagged mountain ranges, narrow valleys and ravines, and endless caves greeted the Jedi under Jedi Knight Cody followed the Cultists there. Kito followed the Jedi, but kept his distance; he was fighting for a completely different reason than they were. Many wanted revenge, others wanted to avenge their loved ones they had lost, and many used the old “All darksiders are evil” line. Kito only wanted to protect Mai and the rest of the people he cared about. The best way was to pre-emptively combat those who openly mean them harm.
A week went by, and though Kito didn’t see any of the skirmishes the Jedi and Cultists got into, he saw the after effects on the Jedi when they returned. Faces drawn out and dirty. Robes tattered and torn. Burns, cuts and bruises all over their bodies. The worst feature they sported upon returning from the skirmishes, were the holes left in their hearts at having to kill their own brothers and sisters. Every night, Kito would cry himself to sleep trying to forget the blank stares the Jedi came back with. He didn’t want to fight those who had once been practically family.
On the ninth day, Kito got his wish. A council was called for all the Jedi to attend. Jedi Knight Cody stood in the center of the circle of Jedi. Kito watched from a rock that stood higher than the rest that formed a set of stands for the Jedi to be seated.
“Welcome, brothers and sisters!” Cody began. “I’ve called you all here for two reasons. The first is to thank you all for volunteering to fight for the good of the galaxy and the Order. The Masters may not see it yet, but by hunting the Cultists down, we are making the galaxy a better place!” Are we, though? “I know it’s hard at times, but we must prevail for the good of the Order and the good of the galaxy!” Kito sighed, wondering how that mindset would turn out in the future. “The second reason I called you here to spread the word that our more sneaky Padawans have discovered. There is only one cult here on Kinooine; the rest have fled elsewhere. I plan on chasing each and every one of them, but we must deal with this cult first! What’s going to make fighting these cults difficult, is that a Sith and his apprentices have infiltrated these cults and are influencing the people within to do their bidding!”
Kito closed his eyes, feeling relieved. If there were Sith involved, it would make it easier to combat the cultists. All they had to do was take out the Sith and convince the cultists to come back to the Order, right?
“It is my belief after much council with the key leaders of this movement, that we must now destroy each and every cult and all those involved,” Cody said. Kito gasped. He couldn’t believe what he had just heard. This wasn’t how Jedi were supposed to act. It had only been a couple of weeks since the attack and already they were losing themselves. The band of Jedi that had come to fight the cultists were becoming a cult in themselves. Kito slid off his rock and pushed his way to the front. He walked out of the audience and into the open circle that formed a sort of stage between all the rocks.
“Send me after the Sith!” Kito cried, his voice revealing his desperation. “Destroy the head and the body will follow, right? Send me after the Sith and, once the Sith is gone, convince the cultists to come back to the Order to face justice!” Cody stared at Kito for a moment and then looked back at the audience of Jedi.
“It’s a dangerous plan, Padawan,” he said, more to get the audience on his side than to actually deny Kito the chance to fulfill his plan. “Why should we enact this plan of yours?”
“You’ll risk the life of a Padawan, rather than risking the lives of everyone here in an open war that you could very well lose!” Kito yelled, waving his arms to accentuate his words. “You would destroy those who we used to call family because they’re being influenced by our enemy?”
“If you wish to attack the Sith directly,” Cody started, turning his gaze to Kito. “Then by all means, do so. We will follow the plan set forth by myself and the other key leaders of this movement.” Kito shook his head in disbelief. Was this guy serious? He turned and started running. He had to find the Sith and kill him, then try to convince the cultists to surrender before the Cody and his own cult had a chance to act. Good and evil are points of view, Kito; who is good and who is evil are irrelevant in times of war.
It didn’t take long for Kito to find the Sith. The cult found him, in actuality. A lone Jedi running through the wilderness? They weren’t going to pass up the chance to get a new member. Upon Kito’s request, they brought him to their leader. Kito didn’t know the man, but he could feel that the man had once been a revered Jedi and was in no way a Sith. The Sith presence was indeed nearby, however.
“You seem nervous, Padawan,” the leader said. Kito turned his hazel gaze to the man and nodded, trying to force a smile.
“I feel uneasy in this place. There is a darkness here,” Kito said.
“Everything that is strange to the current Jedi Order feels dark to its members,” the leader said. “It was dark for me at first, but you get used to it and eventually you will be able to read between the lines and see that this is the way life should be.” Kito wanted to throw up at the man’s words.
“Is he having trouble believing?” a voice said. It sounded sinister, sending chills up Kito’s spine. The leader lifted his eyes to someone approaching behind Kito and nodded. A cold sweat started on Kito’s brow. He could feel the dark presence getting closer and closer until it was right on top of him. “Let me assure you, youngling, that you are making the right choice.” Kito turned his hazel eyes to the dark presence. Shoulder length, sandy hair covered his head and his most of his angelic features. Every part of him was perfect, except the extreme darkness radiating from his being.
“You’re the Sith,” Kito said, his eyes hardening. This was the man he had to kill to save all these people. The Sith stepped back, stunned momentarily by Kito’s assumption, then a wicked a smile spread across his face.
“You are a smart and sneaky, Jedi,” he said, unclipping his lightsaber from his belt. Kito turned his body to face the Sith and stepped back so that the Sith couldn’t ignite the lightsaber directly into him. His own lightsaber flew to his right hand with the Force. They ignited their lightsabers simultaneously, causing blue and crimson light to dance and mingle along the walls of the compound.
“You are not here to join us! You’re an assassin sent from the Jedi!” the leader said, standing up. Fury marred his face. Kito kept his eyes trained on the Sith.
“I am here to save you from a war that will destroy us all,” Kito said, his voice sounding more resolved than he was expecting out of himself. The Sith waved to the leader.
“Please, sit, I will take care of the assassin,” he said. Kito grit his teeth. He wasn’t an assassin. There was no way.
“Please do, Axith,” the leader said. With that, Axith burst into action. Axith swung down toward Kito’s head with both hands. Kito sidestepped, swinging his own blade from right to left in an attempt to catch the Sith’s flank. Axith ducked under the blue blade, stepping backwards as he did so to swing upwards at Kito’s hip. Kito moved his lightsaber in the way and blocked the attack but barely. The force of the attack made Kito stagger and forced his arms and ligthsaber upwards, breaking his guard. The Sith was fast and powerful. The age advantage was apparent.
Kito back pedaled three sets, reforming his composure as he stopped. It was just in time for Axith to attack again. Axith swung horizontally from Kito’s left to right. Kito ducked under the attack, and as he rose for his own attack, Kito had to cancel his movement to block the follow up downward slash Axith performed. The blow forced Kito to a knee as Axith used his body weight to force Kito lower and lower. He wanted to overpower Kito. Kito would have to use his training in manipulating his body and the Force to accent his body to win the duel.
Kito stepped forward, letting Axith’s blade slide to the end of his own and overpower his stance. Using the inertia of having his blade pushed down, Kito spun around to face Axith, unlocking his lightsaber with Axith’s and slashing upwards. Axith stepped out of the way, coming back with a straight thrust. Kito parried the thrust off to his left and swung back to the right to catch Axith off guard. Axith ducked under the swing and came back up ready. His fist slammed into Kito’s lip, accompanied with a bit of Force power. Kito not only staggered back, but flew backward several feet, landing on his back and sliding to a halt. The blow had cut his lip. Blood had splattered over his face and brown robes.
Axith cackled evilly as Kito got to his feet. “Some assassin you are, Jedi,” Axith mocked. He approached Kito slowly.
“I’m no assassin,” Kito said. It caused laughter from not only the Sith but all the on lookers as well.
“You came here with the intent to kill one man for a cause you believe to be for the greater good, no?” Axith asked. “That is practically the definition of assassin.” Damn the Sith. Landed one blow against Kito and was now trying to break Kito’s will to continue? Kito grit his teeth. Assassin was an evil word meant for people who did evil deeds. Who is good and who is evil are irrelevant in times of war. Kito sighed. Even in death, his Master was still guiding him.
Kito burst into a Force assisted sprint, coming at Axith as fast as he could. He swung downward, only to have Axith block it easily and stop him cold. Kito raised his blade again and swung downward again, roaring as he did so. Axith spun out of the way, thrusting his lightsaber at Kito’s chest. Kito bent backwards at the hip, letting the blade pass harmlessly in front of him as he back pedaled a step to slash horizontally to the left at hip height. Axith leapt over the brilliant blue blade and came down with a downward strike that had the Force backing it. The blow itself was hard to block and threw Kito off balance. The Force that exploded forth afterwards sent Kito flying into some of the cultist on lookers.
As he tried to get to his feet, he found that the cultists held on to him. They wanted to give the Sith an easy kill it seemed. Kito panicked. The people he was trying to save were helping his enemy. Master where are you now, damn it! What would Master do? What would he do? Axith approached with a sinister grin, laughing maniacally. Kito struggled against the cultist hold, failing the break free. His lightsaber was still in his hand and ignited, but the cultists knew as much as he did that he wouldn’t attack them. Axith raised his crimson blade above his head and paused.
“So falls another worthless, Jedi scum.” The blade started its arc downward. You must follow your heart and your instincts. There you are! Kito spun his lightsaber in his fingers, slicing through one of the cultists holding him and freeing his sword arm. With it, he parried Axith’s lightsaber off to the left, slicing through the second cultist holding him still in the same movement, then slashed back to the right across Axith’s chest. Kito felt the resistance of light armor and the sizzling of flesh. Axith stumbled backward, muttering something unintelligible. The cultists were frozen in place, shocked that Kito would harm them when his fight was with the Sith.
Kito sauntered forward, his eyes dull and tired but fixed on Axith. He raised his blade shoulder height with the blade pointed at the Sith, and with a quick strike, thrust the blade through the Axith’s neck. Axith stood, staring blankly and shocked at Kito for a moment before crumbling in a heap of robes and armor. Kito lowered his lightsaber but didn’t dis-engage it.
“My Master, someone you killed on Anoth, once taught me that good and evil are points of views,” Kito said, his voice sounding apathetic. The cultists were completely silent. “Those who are good and those who are evil are irrelevant in war, and to find out who is who, one must follow his or her heart and their instincts.” Kito looked from the dead Sith at his feet and turned to the on lookers. “Anyone who does not surrender to the Order now will suffer the same fate as the Sith that you choose to help.”
Present Day
“What did they choose to do?” Mai asked, bringing Kito back to the present. Kito looked at her, smiled as best he could and looked back at the floor.
“Some surrendered,” he said. “The rest…” Kito trailed off, losing the smile he had. Mai shook her head.
“It’s not your fault, Kito,” she said. “They had attacked us before and helped the Sith to almost kill you!” Kito shook his head and smiled weakly.
“When I returned to the Cody’s camp, I was praised as if I were a hero,” Kito said, remembering how he had debriefed Cody on all that had transpired. Cody had an “I told you so” moment but for the most part of thankful that Kito had spared most of the Jedi from having to fight in an open war. “It took us a while, but we ended up tracking another cult to the planet Skye.”
The Assassin
“Kito, you know what to do,” Cody said, nodding approvingly at Kito. Kito, who had chosen to wear black robes with the hood up in honor of his new title of “assassin,” turned without a word started out into the highlands. While the Jedi distracted the majority of the cultists forces, Kito was to infiltrate the cultist camp, find the Sith, and kill him. Though Kito despised everything about assassins, he had to become one for the greater good. How else would his friends back on Anoth be safe, after all?
Canaitith Mountain was where he found the cultist camp. Not only did the mountain provide a natural fort for the camp, but the camp was more like a fortress than anything Kito had seen. This time, the cultists didn’t allow him inside.
“Who are you and why are you here?” someone behind the gates called. Kito kept his hood up and his body unflinching.
“My name is Kito, and I’m here to call out the Sith that lives among you,” he replied.
“There are no Sith here!” the same person called again. Kito sighed. The hard way then. He sprinted up to the gates, jumped up onto one wall, then over to the other, climbing the face of the gates with relative ease. At the top, Kito used the Force to power a high leap and flipped over the top of the gates. Cultists scattered as he landed in a crouch. Several lightsabers ignited, showing colors normally used by Jedi. Kito ignited his own, as he erected his body to a normal, complacent stance.
With a roar of a battle cry, the cultists with ignited lightsabers converged on Kito. Kito dropped low into an unorthodox Juyo form stance. As the cultists came within range, he spun from side to side, slashing and twirling his lightsaber until he was the only one standing with a circle of bodies at his feet. The cultists that had watched were silent and awe struck.
“I’ll ask again,” Kito said calmly, his auburn hair that he had grown out hid his face more than the shadow of the hood he still wore. “Where is the Sith?”
“I had heard the Jedi had a new puppet they were using to assassinate us, but I didn’t believe it would be a mere boy,” a voice said. Kito turned his hazel eyes to a man approaching in black and red armored robes. The man had ivory hair down to his shoulders and two lightsaber hilts clipped to his belt. “You must be the one who assassinated Axith?” The man stopped ten meters in front of Kito. Kito erected his stance, throwing his hood off his head, revealing his face.
“Are you the one in charge of the Sith who have been influencing these people?” Kito asked, his voice had grown harder since he had left Anoth. The Sith laughed.
“No, boy, I am not. At least, not yet,” the Sith said, fiery green eyes flashing with excitement at what Kito could only guess was the thought of killing his superior and taking their place. “Shall we get this over with, then?” the Sith asked, taking the two lightsabers from his belt and igniting the crimson blades.
Kito wasted no time, bursting into a sprint. He thrust straight at the Sith’s chest. The Sith didn’t even have to move his body, using one lightsaber to push Kito’s blade to the side and using the other to slash at Kito. Kito lunged away from the Sith and out of range of the slashing lightsaber before stepping back toward him with a downward slash. The Sith waved one lightsaber in an arc above his head, parrying Kito’s attack, while simultaneously thrusting his second lightsaber toward Kito’s gut. Kito barely moved out of the way, feeling pain tear through his body as the blade skimmed his hip.
Kito rolled away, getting back into a Juyo form stance. This was the first time he was fighting someone with two lightsabers. It was almost impossible to break through the defense and avoid the offense at the same time. Kito grit his teeth together. You must learn to use your style to fight as many enemies as possible. Kito shook his head. Fighting multiple people was different than fighting one person with multiple weapons. No time to think, the Sith charged.
Kito parried the first downward swing off to the left, then waved his lightsaber overhead again to the right to parry the second. He back pedaled to allow more room for maneuverability as the Sith pushed forward. Kito had to rely on the Force to keep his movements faster than the Sith’s, and it was beginning to tax his strength and energy. He wasn’t about to just give up, though.
Kito pushed his blade to the left, connecting with the Sith’s first blade and using it to guard himself as he stepped forward into the Sith’s guard. The Sith swung his second lightsaber at Kito’s torso. Kito ducked under it, spinning on the ball of his left foot and swung upwards as he erected his body. The Sith stepped out of the way. Kito reversed the swing to come back down just as the Sith swung one of his blades horizontally. The blades met and screeched as they locked together. The Sith swung his second lightsaber, pushing Kito’s guard upwards. Kito used the momentum, spun completely around and into a horizontal slash that the Sith simply blocked. The Sith began to run forward, pushing Kito backwards until Kito’s back hit a wall. Then the Sith thrust his second saber. Kito tried to move out of the way, but was too slow. The blade pierced his right shoulder, pinning him to the wall. Kito screamed, dropping his lightsaber. He couldn’t struggle, couldn’t defend himself; he couldn’t do anything. This was the end. He lowered his head, his hair, soaked with sweat, fell in front of his face. Useless as a swordsman. Kito wanted to prove it wrong, but he couldn’t. He was useless as a swordsman. Faster Kito! You must use your style to fight as many enemies as possible!
Mai appeared in front of him, and as he reached out to her to say he was sorry for failing her, she burst into flames screaming. It was a vision; a trick his mind was playing on himself. The base on Anoth appeared and immediately began exploding, sending Jedi, some whole and some in pieces, into the toxic atmosphere. No. That wasn’t going to happen.
Kito opened his eyes, the same dull look he had when he had realized how to beat Axith. His hazel eyes met the Sith’s fiery green eyes that were slowly turning orange. Kito could feel a powerful energy trying to break free. The Sith was using a powerful Force camouflage to hide his presence, not that it mattered now seeing as how he had been found out. Kito sighed, letting his body fall limp against the pinning of the lightsaber and lowering his head so that his hair fell around his face.
“Giving up now, are we?” the Sith asked, audibly pleased.
“What’s your name, Sith?” Kito asked, ignoring the Sith’s meaningless attempts at gaining a mental victory. The Sith seemed stunned by the question at first, blinking at Kito in confusion. The confused look quickly turned into an amused look.
“What a weird thing to ask before you die,” he said. “If you must know, it’s Azurith.”
“Azurith,” Kito repeated. “Give Axith my regards.” Kito looked up at Azurith’s eyes as he called his lightsaber to his right hand with the Force. As it touched his palm, he ignited it and twirled it through fingers as his arm was relatively unusable due to the lightsaber sticking into his shoulder. His brilliant blue blade sliced through Azurith’s wrist, severing the hand from his arm. The lightsaber in Kito’s shoulder dis-engaged and Azurith staggered back screaming.
“My hand! You kriffing bastard! You took my hand!”
“To gain, one must sacrifice. The golden rule of any man or woman who lives by the blade,” Kito said, reciting something that his Master had taught him from his first day of being his Padawan. The sacrifice was the blow against Kito’s shoulder, the gain was taking Azurith’s ability to use two blades. It was game over for the Sith, now.
Kito switched his lightsaber into his left hand as his right arm hung limp at his side. He burst into a Force assisted sprint, lunging from side to side to create a ziz-zag pattern. Right, left, right, left, right, left. The next lunge, Kito lunged directly at Azurith, who swung his remaining lightsaber at Kito’s midsection. Kito ducked under the slash, spun around on the balls of his feet, and slashed downward as he erected his stance. His blade severed Azurith’s only remaining hand from the rest of his body. Azurith screamed again, staggering back. He didn’t escape fast enough; Kito continued to spin to the left, flipping his lightsaber into a reverse grip and sending it straight through Azurith’s chest. Armor and flesh sizzled, even after Azurith had fallen and Kito held his lightsaber at his side.
Present Day
Mai lead Kito to the old Padawan quarters they had lived in when they were younger. She listened intently to Kito’s stories, making sure not to make a sound while he spoke or else his trance like remembrance would be broken. They walked into Kito’s old room. Everything was as he had left it, except a few additions here and there. Kito turned his gaze to Mai.
“You took my old room?” he asked. She nodded and smiled.
“When you left, they were going to give your room to someone else, so I took it so I could keep all your things,” she explained. “Everything you left is still here.”
“There was a jewelry box,” Kito said, shifting his eyes across the room as if he were seeing it for the first time. Mai nodded and walked over to the dresser. She opened a drawer and pulled out a simple black box. Handing it Kito, she smiled. Kito opened it up and smiled. The necklace was still there, exactly where he had left it. The last thing he had to remind him of his Master, who had guided him even through death. It was the emblem of the New Jedi Order made in a luxurious, golden metal. It was small enough that it wouldn’t get in the way, but large enough so that people didn’t have to go out of their way to figure out what it was.
Kito lifted the necklace out of the box, setting the box on the bed, and pulled the necklace over his head. He took one last look at it, smiling fondly, and then tucked beneath his robes.
“So…” Mai began nervously. “Did you ever find out who was behind the Sith influencing the cultists?”
“Yeah,” Kito answered as his smile faded. He looked out the transparasteel window at the surface of Anoth.
This Is Where Heroes And Cowards Part Ways
While Cody and the rest of the Jedi were fighting the last pocket of cultists they were able to find, Kito had struggled to find who was behind the Sith infiltration. Many of the cults had disbanded due to the very high threat of the Sith. The entire time, Cody’s band of Jedi had been fighting small sects of cultists who were separated from the larger groups who had actually attacked Anoth. Kito broke away from his affiliation with the group, choosing instead to continue his work trying to find the Sith who had influenced the smaller cults to war against the Jedi.
During his investigation, Kito found exactly what he was looking for: a name and a planet. A Sith Marauder by the name of Aurai was hiding on the planet Rutan while sending his subordinates to influence cultists into wiping out the rest of the Jedi. It was clever, but Kito had all but ruined it for him. There was one enemy left for Kito in the war against the cultists, and he had tracked the man to a cave just outside of Kesta.
“You’re the assassin that killed Axith and Azurith, no?” a voice asked from the darkness. Kito, black robes tattered and torn, hair pulled back into a pony tail, stopped in his tracks. His eyes scanned every shadows for the owner of the voice.
“I am,” Kito said. He was sixteen years old now, and his voice and demeanor had grown with him. A chuckle filled the still cave air and a figure moved out of the shadows in front of Kito. The man was wrapped from the bridge of his nose down to his toes in black cloth. A black hakama covered his legs, though it was mostly torn and ripped. Kito didn’t see any lightsabers on the man’s belt, but the wan-shen the man held in his right hand and the katana on his back sent alarms ringing in Kito’s mind.
“You’re a skilled Jedi, then,” Aurai said. “You’ve come to finish what you started?”
“I’ve come to kill you, Aurai,” Kito said bluntly. He had been training extensively for this day. Aurai simply nodded his head.
“Then come and kill me, boy,” Aurai said, his golden eyes as fierce as Agil’s had been. Kito unclipped his lightsaber from his belt and ignited it. He burst into a sprint, starting the duel off with stoic, quick slashes and thrusts. Aurai matched him blow for blow with the wan-shen. Kito would block the blade end, only to be bludgeoned by the opposite end of the staff weapon. Kito had to get the weapon away from Aurai, only then could he win.
Kito leapt backwards several feet. Aurai started to approach, but Kito leapt up onto the wall and with the Force, started running up the wall of the cave. Aurai stopped, tossed his wan-shen up to change his grip on it, and then threw it at Kito. The accuracy and speed of the wan-shen was testament to the abilities of the Matukai. Kito wasn’t able to dodge it; the wan-shen pierced his abdomen, going straight through him and into the wall. Kito fell to the floor of the cave, eyes wide. To gain, one must sacrifice. This was a bit too much of a sacrifice, however. Kito struggled to get back to his feet as Aurai approached and unsheathed his katana.
Aurai thrust the katana towards Kito on the floor of the cave. Kito rolled out of the way, getting to a crouch, hazel eyes burning as they fixed on Aurai. Another thrust from Aurai and another rolled gave Kito the much needed time to be able to calm himself with the Force and diminish the pain from his wound.
Kito got to his feet and sprinted toward Aurai. Aurai swung horizontally from Kito’s left to right. Kito ducked under the swing and came up to thrust his blade through Aurai’s chest when Aurai’s Matukai speed beat him to the punch the katana came back. Kito diverted his lightsaber to block the attack but it took both hands which allowed Aurai to slam his fist into Kito’s cheek. Kito stumbled backwards, regaining his footing only to have Aurai pouncing on him. Faster, Kito!
Kito used the Force to speed his movements more and more. The ability was easy for him now, but at higher speeds it was more taxing on his body and mind. His arms were a blur, matching the speed of Aurai’s Matukai trained body. Kito was losing blood and energy. He wouldn’t last an extended fight. He needed to beat Aurai now or he was going to die.
A low swing meant for Kito’s hips- that was his chance. Kito reached out and under the katana as it moved towards his hip, grabbing it on its blunt side. Aurai was strong, and the attack landed on Kito’s hip as it was meant to, but it was so slowed by Kito’s maneuver that it stopped at the bone. Kito, without wasting time, thrust his lightsaber into Aurai’s chest. Aurai gasped, his eyes, the only visible part of his face, widened in shock as he stared into Kito’s. It wasn’t enough to just stab the monster. Kito swung his blade up, slicing through the rest of Aurai’s chest and through his face. Aurai fell with his upper body split into two pieces.
Present Day
“That was three years ago though,” Mai said. “What have you been doing since then?” Kito turned his gaze to her.
“Aurai had holocrons upon holocrons. Sith teachings, alchemy, Force techniques, you name it he had it,” Kito said. “I found the one about how the Matukai train, and I used it to train. I’m no Master by any means, but it was the same concept that Master Agil taught me when I was a Padawan.”
“That’s really dangerous, Kito,” she said, frowning. “You could have fallen to the darkside by reading a Sith’s holocrons!” Kito shook his head.
“I don’t think it works like that, Mai,” he said, a smile spreading across his lips. She was still a Jedi’s Jedi. He had grown out of the Order while she had grown in it. It was time for their good-byes. “I have what I came for. Thank you, Mai, for everything you’ve done for me.” Kito drew her into a hug. She looked up at him, raising a brow.
“You’re leaving? Where are you going?” she asked. Kito released her and started for the door.
“There’s still a war to fight, Mai. Until the galaxy and co-exist and live in peace, light and dark together, I will never stop fighting,” Kito said, looking over his shoulder and smiling at her. She finally allowed herself to cry as he walked out the door.
| Age | 19 |
| Gender | Male |
| Species | Human |
| Height | 5'6" |
| Weight | 160lbs |
Attributes
Strength ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
Dexterity ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
Constitution ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
Intelligence ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
Wisdom ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
Charisma ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
Equipment
A single, open crystal, blue bladed lightsaber.
I would like to apologize for the long background but there was a reason I needed it to be like this. I wanted to capture Kito's emotions and thoughts as he struggled to find out what he was fighting for and what he should do with his life. As a side motive, I wanted to kill off all my characters from last timeline. Now, with that said, this character is NO LONGER with the NJO. I need to point this out because I know "It says Indie but he's a Jedi" was coming. He is not apart of the Order; he has essentially "exiled" himself from it. There's a war to fight, y'know?
All GIFs were recorded and sized and turned into GIFs by me (Yes, I can use photoshop. Don't judge me!). I don't own any of the content that I recorded from, I'll say that right out. I simply recorded it to make what I think are pretty cool GIFs. The scenes were taken from Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Rurouni Kenshin, and Star Wars: The Old Republic.
All GIFs were recorded and sized and turned into GIFs by me (Yes, I can use photoshop. Don't judge me!). I don't own any of the content that I recorded from, I'll say that right out. I simply recorded it to make what I think are pretty cool GIFs. The scenes were taken from Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Rurouni Kenshin, and Star Wars: The Old Republic.
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