DK Verse--

[masqueraider.livejournal.com]

The shadow passed, as the gaudy bright light of Coruscant was dimmed slightly when a vessel secretly and stealthily landed. What was more important, was who was piloting the thing. The capital city, the crown jewel of the Republic hadn't changed in the years since he had been here last.

When he last saw the daylight of this City. Before he was born into who he was now. A better man, for all intents and purposes. At least he had a purpose. And this purpose was ridding the galaxy of the criminal. Yes, it was a rather big, daunting, and altogether impossible task. But he did it anyway.

Who else would?

But he had promises to keep, something he had broken a long time ago. The ship was nestled secretly somewhere in the bowels of the city, whilst the dark figure that he had become dashed from walkway to rooftop to balcony to lift to stair, remembering the old steps he used to take. Believe it or not, he did this for fun once when he was young, mostly just to hear the cries of his old master at 'you're gonna fall, and it'll take you forever to fall!' Which made him curious to what was just below there. He wasn't that deep right now, but deep enough to be away from the bright, comfortable upper levels. The seedy streets, they were. Dark, dank, and full of nasty people. However his reputation preceded him, and people knew that the Dark Knight had come Home. So they themselves stayed home that night.

The tiny low level apartment was even dirtier and poorer than he last imagined. But she was here. She had to be. He had gotten through the window rather easily, dropping to the floor with barely a 'plip,' his long ,heavy cape swishing in the silence. His eyes adjusted to the dark.

His voice croaked a little from lack of use when he finally said her name.

"Pru?"

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[random-w00t.livejournal.com]

She was in the bedroom, her emaciated frame covered by a rumpled, threadbare blanket as she hovered in a dark dream. There was no outward sign of life about her save for the irregular movement of her ribs as her lungs worked stubbornly to keep life in her body. They would rest soon. Bereft of purpose, she had nothing left to do but fade as her feline instinct went into mourning and gave up.

Then a voice shattered the silence and her chest heaved as dulled green eyes opened, slit pupils dilating as she tried to hear past the roaring of her pulse in her ears. Her own voice was a whisper.

"Bruce?"

[masqueraider.livejournal.com]

He let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. Approaching the bed, he lifted the hood off of his cloak and stared for a moment. He was taller than she had seen him last, larger. His dark clothes blended in with the shadow.

"Pru. I'm here." She was the only one who still called him that. It brought back a slew of memories, not only of her but of the others who used that name, his master, the other kids at the temple, and so forth.

"I'm sorry." Yes, he was a little late. It took him a good deal of swallowing pride to even say 'sorry.'

[random-w00t.livejournal.com]

She gave no response other than the slightly tortured rasp of her breathing. But he, who knew her so well, could feel the battle going through her wasted frame. She would not leave him unless her Master stated otherwise.

[masqueraider.livejournal.com]

And thus he was fighting the growing panic that threatened to overwhelm him, to fight back the emotion that was trying to undo his composure. At last, they were here. The doors wooshed open and the attendant at the front desk looked a little surprised to see a man with what seemed like Jedi garments and the large robe, except black. He huffed, it hadn't been too much of an exertion but he was already at the limit of his stress point with Pru getting weaker by the second.

"Please." Was all he could say.

"Uh, set her down here," a floating gurney was summoned, except the attendant had to practically drive a wedge in his arms to force the Dark Knight to give her up and place her down.

[random-w00t.livejournal.com]

"Waiting," she said softly, reaching up and taking his hand, then tugging on it.

[masqueraider.livejournal.com]

"Waiting," he echoed blankly, his blue eyes showing just a hint of humanity behind them. "Waiting, all this time?" He still stood there, but he didn't take his hand away.

[random-w00t.livejournal.com]

"I blew something up in the Master's dinging hall to distract them." She'd never told him that before.

[masqueraider.livejournal.com]

"I know." It didn't escape him, but he knew she wanted to keep it a secret, or she would have told him before. "You could have gotten in so much trouble..."

[random-w00t.livejournal.com]

Her green eyes turned soft and pleading as she softly said the one word he'd never been able to deny when it came from her.

"Please?"

[masqueraider.livejournal.com]

Bruce smirked, it was an old smirk before the days had grown dark and he had forgotten how to smile instinctively. It was more of a force, conscious decision now. He turned and sat at the side of the bed, his dark cloak leaking about like a spilled cup of dark vine-caffine.

[random-w00t.livejournal.com]

She nodded and proceeded to pull the tubes and wires loose, which brought in a droid to protest and fuss.

[masqueraider.livejournal.com]

Bruce ignored the droid, and opened the door. Nothing wrong in here or the plain, sterile white hallway.

"C'mon." He was iching to get out of the medical center.

[random-w00t.livejournal.com]

They leapt smoothly away from the projectiles, then seperated and came back, hoping to surround and confound him. Meanwhile, the sith had gotten the jump on the unsuspecting Jedi and had knocked the man flying... directly into Pru's cover. As the dark one went to follow up on his prey he was met by a banshee scream and ten razor-sharp claws. Even Bruce could feel his jag of surprised horror.

[masqueraider.livejournal.com]

"Pru," he hissed under his breath, and even though she was probably fine for the moment, he couldn't help himself. If she had gotten hurt, he wouldn't know what to do. "Yyyyyyahh!" He leapt rather high and struck at the Sith with his lightsaber coming downwards, not aiming to kill, but to catch off guard and pull him away from Pru. He was so distracted by having Pru here that he didn't pay attention to the twi-lek and the other man.

[random-w00t.livejournal.com]

She'd managed to twist herself around and protect him from the worst of the blast, now it was just a matter of making her battered and weakened body get them out from under the pile of rubble that had decided to settle on them. Then suddenly it was gone, and she blinked as the blond Jedi knelt next to them with concern on his shaded face.

[masqueraider.livejournal.com]

Bruce blinked, seeing that Pru had fixed so that she protected him in the confusion. "Pru...what...what were you think--are you okay?" He then noticed the Jedi and the sudden lightness of the rubble that had been on them. He grimaced, he didn't particularly like them, to put it lightly.

"What took you so long?" He said as he got up, helping Pru.

[random-w00t.livejournal.com]

Pru suddenly shifted and turned her head. "The authorities are coming."

[masqueraider.livejournal.com]

"Blast it." This obviously told poor Slim that the man was not exactly on the favorable side with said authorities. "Blast, I need time." Time to get clues. He took out a tiny camera and began snapping pictures to look at later.

[random-w00t.livejournal.com]

Pru waited till the man was directly in front of her, then locked one arm around his neck and set her knee to his back, ignoring his exclaimation of shock.

[masqueraider.livejournal.com]

Bruce caught his flying lightsaber and held his own black tip at Slim's neck. He smirked just a bit, Pru and he seemed to work together so well.

"Are you tired of following us now?"

"You'd kill a Jedi?" He grimaced, throwing his neck out defiantly. He was still shaken by Pru's surprise attack.

"You wanna find out?"

"Do it. I'd be willing to die for the Order. And they'll come after you. "

"Can't have that, can we, Mr. Hero?" Bruce wavered his lightsaber in front of his face, turning off Slim's own. He motioned his head for Pru to let him go. "It'd be a wasted death."

[random-w00t.livejournal.com]

"Go wait in your ship. I'll be back in half an hour." She turned and jogged away.

[masqueraider.livejournal.com]

Bruce looked at her, the surprise actually showing on his face that she had someplace to go. He had been gone for quite some time, it was arrogant to assume that she wouldn't have done anything else except wait for him. But just what? He considered following her, but she would know where he was within seconds and his cover, no matter how well-disguised or hidden, would be blown. He sighed, putting his lightsaber back into his belt. He realized he was still holding Slim's saber. He wasn't going to go back and return it to him, that would be too much to ask. However, he had been itching to sneak back into the Temple ever since he got back. After he did some detective work. He locked the second saber on his belt and walked off into the darkness.

[random-w00t.livejournal.com]

"Read the datapad," she said softly, those green eyes watching a figment in the corner so as to spare him the weight of their gaze.

[masqueraider.livejournal.com]

He did so, his blue eyes scanning the information on there. There was plenty on Harley and Punch, and that Sith fellow, but one name stood out and he looked up at Pru, concern knotting his brows.

"The Fool?"

[random-w00t.livejournal.com]

She lifted the ship off the pad and flew for quite a ways over the city, the bland monotony of the drive enough to put less alert passengers to sleep.

[masqueraider.livejournal.com]

Bruce was used to being patient so it didn't bother him at all, the city had changed a little since he was here last so it was worth it to look out at the view. The green crystal flitted between his gloved fingers.

[random-w00t.livejournal.com]

"Yes." She smiled at him softly, then turned as the big creature reached one of it's own stubby hands toward hers. "This is Ace."

The rancor made a little snuffling sound, then cocked its head to look at Bruce with one twinkling... inteligent... beady eye.

[masqueraider.livejournal.com]

"Ace." He repeated blankly. In his mind, he was going 'Ace!?' Well, if Pru managed to get it slightly tame...He was still rather stiff as he looked it up and down.

"Uh. Hello."

[random-w00t.livejournal.com]

Pru was suddenly at his side, her stubby fingers slipping around his as she wordlessly offered support.

[masqueraider.livejournal.com]

He nodded to her, but he let go of her hand after a squeeze. "This is something I have to do myself." He had been terrified of...them for years, ever since he fell into an abandoned shaft one day as a child. They had swarmed over him, and he had nightmares for years, and had never quite got rid of the fear. He stepped forward into the darkness, the lights barely making any difference. The rustling grew louder, and he stiffened, knowing exactly what was going to come next.

[random-w00t.livejournal.com]

Pru looked up as Ace returned and smiled at him, then turned and jogged away into the darkness toward the water sounds, the rancor a huge silent shadow at her side.

An hour later

[masqueraider.livejournal.com]

Bruce had somehow gotten back into the ship, staring at the datapad that she had given him. He was lounging casually on the big black pilot's chair, something he had obviously done for quite some time when he needed to think. Several scraps of flimsy were cast aside, plans for the new 'cave' with designs on them.

[random-w00t.livejournal.com]

He was several feet away scratching his back against a large stalagtite.

"What's wrong?" asked Pru softly without looking up.

[masqueraider.livejournal.com]

"Nothing." He said a bit sullenly as he calmed down after figuring where Ace was.

[random-w00t.livejournal.com]

"Maybe you were born for such a role. To fill in a gap." She moved her hand from his back to his belly, the gentle rubbing continuing.

[masqueraider.livejournal.com]

"Maybe. I don`t think I`ve ever heard of anyone doing what I do. That`s the trouble, theres no precedent. But I guess that`s the fun, I suppose." He frowned.