Memories Chapter 3-4

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Anakin walked into the classroom and glanced over at the chrono where it hung on the back wall. Great, there's still five minutes before lunch is over.

He took a few more steps, and saw Jaina sitting at her desk her face a stony mask of suppressed anger. He stopped at her desk, and she looked up at him, the anger in her eyes flashed brighter for a second.

Her voice hissed out between clenched teeth, "Liar."

Anakin winced, remembering that he had promised to eat lunch with her today. "Sorry, Jaya, I got caught up in something complicated."

"Liar."

He sighed and settled into his seat. "I said I was sorry, and it's not like you couldn't have ate lunch with Kiori."

Jaina looked over at him, and as Anakin watched the anger slipped from her face for a second, and he could see the pain that he had caused. Then the mask of her anger was back in place. "That's not the point, Anakin. You said you'd have lunch with me."

He frowned for a moment, wondering how he could fix things. "All I can do is tell you I'm sorry."

Jaina's expression softened slightly and she nodded her head, an almost imperceptible movement. "I guess I can forgive you. This time."

Anakin grinned at her, and she turned away to face the front of the room once again. A few moments later, Master Horn walked into the room, carrying a blue and green Holocron which he reverently set on his teaching podium.

His eyes sparkled with amusement. "For the rest of the afternoon we get to listen to stories from one of the auxiliary gatekeepers of this Holocron. Be ready for a series of stories detailing the court intrigues of the Old Republic, from about 1,500 years before the Battle of Yavin." He paused for a moment, a grin touching his lips. "Any student who falls asleep gets a special essay to write."

Anakin groaned to himself, knowing without doubt that these stories were going to be boring.

Master Horn turned to the podium and activated the Holocron. He took a step back and faced the classroom once again. "Oh and there will be a test on this material after the gatekeeper finishes."

Anakin watched as Horn's grin grew wider at the chorus of groans from the class.

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Anakin walked aimlessly through the shopping district, allowing the sights and sounds and smells to wash over him. It was an automatic walk, one where he paid no attention to where he was, where he had been or where he was going. It was a walk designed to give him time to figure out the various girls that had been thrust into his life since returning to Yavin IV. And in the back of his mind, Anakin wondered if he would ever figure those girls out.

Suddenly, a girl's voice cut through Anakin's thoughts, "Anakin!"

He lifted his head, glancing around quickly trying to find who called out his name.

The voice again, "It was Anakin!"

He frowned, he knew who that voice belonged to but did not see her anywhere.

Then something heavy slammed into his back, arms wrapped around his neck and legs around his waist. He stumbled forward as the suddenness of the attack knocked him off-balance.

"What? Who?" He said as he tried to twist his head around enough to see who was hanging onto him.

Tahiri's face, framed by a mass of blond curls, materialized beside his. He inhaled as deeply as he could with her arms wrapped tightly around his neck and was able to smell the clean scent of her hair—it was an interesting smell, equal parts the smell of rain and rivers, of flowing water and the harsh sand of the Corellian desert.

Her voice was light and bubbling as she said, "Hi."

Still slightly off balanced, Anakin took a sudden step backwards which caused her to release him. She dropped away and fell on her butt. Rubbing at his throat, Anakin turned to see her sitting on the ground, looking up at him as tears welled up in her large green eyes.

"You... you pushed me away?"

Anakin frowned at her. "Well, you attacked me. Again."

Anger flashed in her eyes. "It was not an attack, it was a hug! And you pushed me away."

He sighed and rolled his eyes as she stood up and turned away from him, stomping her feet in the process. "Anakin doesn't like me. He pushed me away. I don't think I'm talking to Anakin anymore."

"Wait a second," Anakin began. "You said 'It was Anakin' you attacked me and you weren't even sure it was me?"

She twirled towards him, her feet stomping again. "It wasn't an attack! It was a hug!"

Anakin laughed as she fumed.

Finally his amusement leveled off and he looked at her again. She stood there, her arms crossed, anger on her face, and as he watched a lonely tear streaked down the side of her cheek. He suddenly felt bad for teasing her.

"Hey, if I bought you a canapé would you cheer up?"

Her face transformed in an instant as she smiled at him. "Yummy!"

Giggling, she grabbed his hand and started running. Anakin fell into step behind her, shaking his head at the sudden switch in her mood.

A few minutes later Anakin had purchased two canapés and handed one to her. A slight steam rose from the pastry and Tahiri took a large bite out of it.

"So, you're planning your next crime?"

"No. I'm busy."

"Oh? What are you doing?"

She looked at him for a moment as she chewed at her bottom lip. Finally, as if she had made up her mind to tell him, she said, "I'm looking for something; something important."

Suddenly interested, Anakin grinned. "A treasure hunt? That sounds interesting. What are you looking for?"

"Like I said, 'something important,'" she replied. "Something that means a lot to me, that someone gave me. I dropped it somewhere and now I can't find it."

"But what does it look like?"

"I'll know it when I see it."

Anakin sighed and wondered why girls were so weird. "How am I supposed to help you find it if I don't know what it is?"

She looked up at him, tears shined lightly in her eyes. "You'll help me find it?"

He laughed. "Of course, we're friends right?"

"Yes..." she answered hesitantly.

"And friends help each other, right?"

She slowly nodded her head, once more chewing at her lower lip.

"Then, come on." He said as he held out his hand towards her. "And let's look for your important thing. Whatever it is."

She beamed happily at him, and grasped his hand. Together they started walking down the street, searching the ground for Tahiri's lost item. They searched throughout the entire shopping district, down every back alley and finally ended the search back in front of the baker's shop.

Anakin glanced towards the sun, and noticed that it had started to set. Tahiri followed his gaze and frowned at the sun. She turned to Anakin and said, "It's time for me to go home now."

He slowly nodded his head. "Yeah, I should probably go as well. Can I get your comm frequency?"

She grinned at him, as she shook her head. "Nope. You've just got to keep meeting me here. Bye!"

Then she turned and started running off into the approaching night. Anakin frowned for a moment, watching her until she turned down one of the side alleys and was lost from sight.

A short while later he stepped into the apartment and called out, "I'm home."

"Anakin!"

He looked up to see the yellow-eyed girl running towards him. Before he could react, she was there and jumping towards him. She landed atop of him and he fell backwards. They crashed into a heap on the floor.

"Ow," she complained. "You were supposed to catch me, Anakin."

He frowned at her. "You came running at me, how was I supposed to know to catch you?"

"You just are!" she declared.

Anakin looked up to see Mara Jade and Jaina walking in from the living area. "We have great news," said Mara Jade. "She's remembered her name."

The girl looked at Anakin, pride suffusing her face. "Yes! My name is Sannah. It must be hard for you, to now know what a cute name I have."

Anakin lifted an eyebrow. "It sounds like a boy's name to me."

"It's a cute name. I said it was cute, so it is cute." Sannah replied as she crossed her shoulders and twisted away so that she would not have to look at Anakin.

Anakin could only laugh.

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