tampered | (no subject)

When; Thursday, Feb 23 -- Late night
Rating; PG likely due to violence, may increase
Characters: Darth Bane

henkonasuisho
Summary: Bane is hunting for heart shards, and Zaheela's his first target.
Log: Bane moved through the darkened corridor of the apartment building, wrapping the Dark Side around himself like a blanket, practically blending in with the shadows. He could sense the heart shard mere meters ahead of him, it was like a beacon in his mind. This one emitted a profound sense of loneliness, something every Sith could relate to. He closed his eyes and focused his senses, trying to pinpoint the precise location of the shard. It was so powerful, trying to localize it was no easy task. He moved a few more feet down the corridor, then a few more, then a few more. He stopped turned to his right and opened his eyes. Apartment 3+4. This was it, he was sure. He reached for the knob and turned it ever so slowly, and silent as a shadow he slipped into the room, closing the door with barely a whisper of sound behind him. The apartment was somewhat larger than he'd expected, but that was no matter. His quarry was here somewhere, he would search room by room if he had to.

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His lightsaber hissed in protest as it clashed with her ice saber, and the dance began. Bane sank into the Force, letting it guide his movements as he parried each of her attacks, staying on the defensive, giving up ground and stepping to the side as he went. "You have a great well of anger within you," he said, "it gives you strength."

"But it will consume you if you do not learn to control it." He parried a particularly nasty cut and smiled. "You and I, working together we could make this entire world fade away, if that is your wish," he said, sensing her desires and speaking more to the heart shard within her, recognizing it's hold over her.

"Only I, you, need to fade. The world remains, we are apart." She responded, her eyes flashing clear for a moment. Bane misunderstood the wish to fade. She was a warrior who fought to protect the world, and thus she could never truly endanger it. She closed her eyes as the saber began to warp and shift into a gigantic scythe, mimicking her normal death scythe, and swung downwards.

"Anger, hate, none of this matters. Disappear, fade, I will." She murmured as she swung the scythe.

Bane's eyes narrowed as her weapon changed, and as it came down he let go of his 'saber with one hand and, channeling the Force through his arm he caught the weapon by the hilt, rage burning in his eyes as he glared at her. "Then fade," he said flatly. Reaching into her with the Force he found the shard, and with a surge of power he pulled.

She screamed as pain laced through her body. The pressure on her heart was something no one should or could tolerate. Like having your heart ripped out something so cold it sears the flesh as it tugs. Her chest glowing, she let the scythe fade away and clawed at her chest, her eyes unfocused before she suddenly lashed out, the power of the shard firmly stating that it wished to remain in place to it's host. It did not like someone trying to pry it from it's chosen.

Her eyes grew vacant in the fight, as the struggle of the shard to keep latched onto the heart it resided in and the mysterious force tried to pry the thing out. Her heart was near close to shattering until with a force, both of them were sent flying. The shard refused to budge, but her eyes were vacant, empty. Her emotions had been sealed.

Bane did nothing to hide his yell of pain when he hit the wall again, but again he fought through it as best he could as he picked himself up and regarded Zaheela's form on the other side of the room. She no longer contained the fire she'd had before, it was as if something had snapped closed when he'd tried to remove the heart shard from her. He approached her slowly, blade still activated, unsure of what to expect from this dangerously unpredictable girl. "Can you hear me?" he said.

As if she were a doll she stood, not doing anything more then staring at the floor. The power around her simmered in despair, but she remained still, as if awaiting a command from someone. Eyes once a brilliant purple indigo were a flat purplish red and her face was expressionless.

"What is it you wish of this one, Sir?" She asked, her voice hollow. Somewhere deep within, a voice snarled and struggled against self made chains and yet another, not her own, just giggled and held her closer. The Shard would accept that, the soul all to herself and the body to whomever wished to use it.

Bane's eyes narrowed again at her question. All manner of depraved acts passed through his mind at that moment but he pushed them all aside and instead focused on her. He sensed no duplicity in her, just a strange duality that he couldn't explain. No matter, a willing servant was a willing servant.

"Come with me," he said, "and keep quiet." With that, he turned to leave.

Not even bothering to answer, she followed quietly behind. Without a glance, she fell into pace behind him.

A voice inside screamed. Another laughed. And her eyes remained empty.