Darkness {4}

Chapter 24

The climb up to the temple had been tedious but not difficult, and Luke and Kira found themselves at the top of the cliff they'd fallen off of by sunset. Luke exhaled slowly and stretched his tensed-up muscles before following Kira. Throughout their trip he'd kept an eye on her to make certain that she was truly alright and not faking it, but she wasn't lying; she really was fine. Frankly, now Luke felt like a bit of a weakling for being injured for so long when he'd gotten a blow to the head as opposed to a hole in the stomach.

Speaking of hole in the stomach, Luke was still perplexed about that and had practically forced her to talk about the way it worked. She'd said that she had to connect and regrow everything that had been burned by the lightsaber, and if it bled freely she'd still die. That's why she'd asked for bandages, because the skin was the last thing to fully grow back. She'd also said that stabbing, as a last resort, could be used to save someone under the influence. Luke had asked what influence she was talking about but that she didn't answer.

"We're here." Kira breathed, and Luke could detect traces of anxiety on her Force signature. He looked over to see her face almost perfectly passive except for a worry crease on her forehead and a slight furrow in her brows.

"Don't worry, the doors are already open this time." He reassured her, walking up the stairs first.

"Be careful." She warned, following him slowly. He was more than happy to obey, watching and sensing carefully for any cracks or danger in the staircase. They were now on the part of the staircase that bridged the gap between cliffs, and Luke subdued an icy feeling in his gut as he continued, refusing to look down beyond he stairs.

The breath caught in his throat as one of his feet slipped, and Kira lunged and grabbed his wrist to steady him. He looked down to see his foot dangling as the ground it previously stood on fell into the water, and slowly brought it back.

"Thanks." He breathed, regaining his balance and continuing even more slowly.

"Don't mention it." Kira replied shakily.

Once they were over the other cliff Luke breathed a bit easier, watching Kira carefully for any signs of fatigue or anxiety. She seemed fine, just a bit out of breath. He did notice, however, that she was staying at least six feet away from where she'd fallen at all times.

"Ready to go in?" She asked Luke, and he frowned.

"Remind me what we're looking for again? And why you needed me to begin with?"

Kira sighed, and Luke suppressed a scowl of frustration. He hated it when she sighed like that; it sounded like she was explaining something to a five year old. "We're looking for something powerful that could help the galaxy, and the reason I brought you here was so that we could get into the temple to begin with. Your Force signature is filled with so much light that it blocks out my darkness, allowing us both to enter."

"And she didn't tell you what this thing was?"

When Kira responded her voice was cold and hard. "No. She didn't."

Luke didn't press any further, instead relenting and following Kira into the temple. He felt the light radiating from it and relished in it. It made him breathe easier, whereas he knew Kira was struggling a bit.

But to his surprise when he looked over she seemed fine, as if her Force signature had adapted to the lightness easily. Add that to another list of things that's confusing about her. He thought to himself wryly.

"Where to now?" He asked her, and she looked around for an answer but resorted to shrugging.

"I'm not sure, I've never been here before."