Memories: Ch. 15

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Anakin stood with his back to Tenel Ka's. On either side of them were two of the demons, one at each end of the hallway, blocking any hopes of escape. Waves of dark emotions rolled off of them, crashing against Anakin's shields. Pain. Misery. Fear. Loneliness. Despair. Suffering. Guilt. Hate. Sadness.

It was almost as if every dark emotion a human could have was given substance, and sent out into the world.

"Anakin," Tenel Ka said; her voice calm and collected. "Remember what we practiced."

"What?"

"Our practice. Your body should remember how to move."

Then he felt her move away from him, the warmth of her back suddenly disappearing from his. Her steps faded down the hallway, and he was about to turn to look at her when he noticed the demon advancing towards him. The flickering distortion of movement rushed forward.

Anakin snarled and raised his blade, beginning a downwards slice towards the main body of the distortion. Suddenly a pseudopod rippled out from the demon, coming in from beneath him, striking him squarely on the chest. Pain flared across his sternum, as what felt like a huge piston collided with his chest. His eyes bulged as he flew backwards, and slammed to the ground hard, the air rushing out of his lungs as he rolled to a stop. As he struggled to breath against the pain in his chest, the distortion made to move past him. In response, he struggled to his feet.

He watched it as it shimmered in the dim light. Deciding if it wanted to go after Tenel Ka or deal with him. Making up its mind, it struck.

Anakin lifted his blade, and could see tendrils of the distortion wrap around his weapon. Light seem to appear from nowhere, as the demon attempted to pull his blade from his hands. His lips pulled away from his teeth, as he shifted his weight, and spun, bringing his blade down and around his body, slamming the point into the wall behind him.

The demon flowed with his movements, and slammed full force into the wall behind Anakin.

A shock wave from the demon's impact tossed Anakin through the air and he rolled to a stop, panting slightly. The dust slowly settled, and Anakin could just make out an impression in the stone of the wall.

That's it, he thought to himself as he once more got to his feet. I just have to fend it off long enough for Tenel Ka to take care of that first one. Then she'll come and help.

He glanced down the hall and saw Tenel Ka rolling and jumping, her blade a blur as she probed the other demon's defenses.

Then she slashed hard, and rainbow light flickered into existence and then exploded outward, signaling the end of one of the demons.

Then Anakin's opponent reappeared in front of him, slowly advancing towards him. Anakin darted forward, and slammed his blade down at the distortion. He struck one of the pseudopods, and with a flash of rainbow colored light, part of the distortion fell away.

A wave of shock and anger flashed through the Force, buffeting his senses as another pseudopod snapped out from the thing's main body, knocking Anakin from his feet.

He landed on his back hard, once more struggling to catch his breath. Lifting his head, he saw Tenel Ka running down the hallway towards him. A hard expression on her face, and her sword, pulled back, ready for her attack.

A flicker of light, and a pseudopod snaked out towards Tenel Ka. She jumped over the appendage, heading towards the wall. In mid-air her body twisted, and her feet landed against the wall. Her body compressed into a crouch, but before she started sliding towards the floor, she pushed forward with her legs, kicking herself off the wall and up towards the ceiling.

Then she fell, her blade sliding home through the center of the distortion. Where her blade sliced through, rainbow light spilled out. Then it exploded in the shower of rainbow motes.

Tenel Ka dropped to a knee, a pained expression flashing across her face, as she exhaled slowly.

Anakin lowered his sword. "What happened with the other one? Did you destroy it?"

She nodded her head once, as she gulped at the air. "That is a fact."

"I see," Anakin responded. "So, that means there's only one left."

Tenel Ka stood, and then winced. Anakin frowned and took a step forward.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

She glanced down and then away towards the wall. Anakin took another step forward, and looked down as well. On her leg was a deep purple and black bruise, running from her mid-thigh to her lower calf. Frowning, he closed the distance between them, and then knelt to get a better look at her leg.

"What's with that bruise?"

"I do not know," she replied. "I cannot move it."

Anakin scratched as his hair for a moment, and then looked up. "What's going on? A curse from the demons?"

"I do not know," she said, turning her head to look out the window. "I have been like this for a while, but it has gotten worse recently."

As she said these things, Anakin noticed another bruise coming from beneath the armor near her shoulder, slowly creeping down her arm, transforming the normally healthy-colored flesh into something dark and fetid.

Anakin stood up. "Let's go to the medcenter."

Tenel Ka frowned. "I shall fight."

He shook his head, saying, "No, that's enough for tonight. It's a big problem if you can't move. If we give it time, then it will probably just get worse."

Then she winced, and grasped at her stomach, her sword clattering to the ground.

"Tenel Ka!"

She sighed, and unsnapped the fastenings to her leather armor. Anakin stared in shock as she pulled the armor off, revealing her flat stomach and the peach colored halter she wore beneath the green leather. The flesh of her stomach, chest and shoulders was that same dark grey and purple as colored her leg. Then she turned so her back was facing him. It was blackened, the flesh cracked in some places, and as he stared at her in horror, another line appeared in her back. The flesh pulling away from itself, as if her body was fighting itself on some fundamental level.

She turned back towards him, finally looking at him again, fear and pain shining brightly in her eyes. "Anakin... please... help me..."

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Anakin carried his burden up the flight of stairs, surprised at how light she really was. He could feel the heat radiating off her body where it was pressed against his back, where her arms were snaked around his neck, even from where his hands rested on her thighs, and he had to wonder if she normally gave off that much body heat or if whatever was wrong with her had given her a high fever.

He crested the stairs, coming to the small landing where he usually ate lunch with Tenel Ka and Eryl. "This spot should be okay, right?"

He sat her down, leaning her against the wall. "It's the first time we've come here at night," he said as he settled to the floor by her side. "So, what should I do now?"

"You do not have to do anything," she replied. "Just... just be by my side."

Anakin could feel his eyes open wider, not quite able to believe the words he was hearing from her.

Then she continued speaking. "If you stay with me... you will be good bait."

He dropped his head, looking at his hands. And just what did I expect her to be saying?

She turned to look up at him. "What is wrong?"

Anakin looked up from his hands. "How can you say that in this type of situation?" Then he shook his head quickly. "Fine, I get it. I'll be the bait... or their supper, or whatever. So, take it easy for a bit."

She nodded her head. "Thank you, Friend Anakin," she said, and then she leaned in towards him, laying her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes.

Surprised, he looked down at her, noticing how peaceful she looked. "This kind of reminds me of something, of playing Hide-and-Seek."

She opened her eyes, their grey tones still and peaceful once again. "Hide-and-Seek?"

He nodded his head. "Yeah. The game where you hide, and whoever is 'it' then has to come find you."

Tenel Ka frowned for a moment. "We had to do that here once, but it was because the Shadow Academy attacked the Temple," she said and then sighed. "That was so long ago, back before..."

"Before?"


She nodded her head. "Yes, before."

Then she slowly sat up straighter, staring down the stairs. After a moment, she stood.

"Is it here?" he asked.

"Stay here," she replied. Then grabbing onto the railing for support, she stepped of the landing.

"Don't be stupid," he shot back. "You can barely move in your condition."

"That is why I am using the distance above the floor to my advantage."

He looked at her, frowning, "Tenel Ka?"

Then he noticed movement on the floor below them. A shimmering distortion, as if water was walking around. It moved to the foot of the stairs, and before he could do anything, Tenel Ka had pushed herself off of the steps, her sword raised as she fell. The demon darted up the stairs towards them. Then the two collided. A brilliant flash of rainbow colored light.

Then she hit the ground, rolling a meter or two to a stop, lying perfectly still.

"Tenel Ka!" Anakin yelled as he rushed down the steps, taking them three at a time. "You idiot," he hissed as he dropped the final two steps, falling to his knees beside her. He touched her shoulder, and she started to stir. Letting out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, he grinned at her. "Don't overdo it."

She lifted her head, and looked at him. "I did not get it."

Startled, Anakin raised his blade and then twisted around, just in time for the distortion to slam a pseudopod into the ground where he had been kneeling. The force of the impact threw them both across the landing, slamming them against the wall.

Anakin stood up, even as Tenel Ka leveraged herself into a sitting position. He slowly moved his sword from side to side, scanning the room. "Where is it?"

He took a step away from Tenel Ka, putting her at his back, when she yelled out, "Behind you!"

He snapped his body around, bringing his blade up in an upwards slice. He felt the resistance as his blade struck home, and that shimmering rainbow light flooded his eyes.

The pressure backed away, and Anakin could see the distortion. He placed his sword in a mid-guard. "Come on, I'm the one you want. I'll take you on. Come and get me."

Then he started backing away. The demon advanced. After a few minutes of this, he turned and started running, leaving Tenel Ka alone, leading the demon away from her.

"Anakin!" she called out, "Go to the meditation garden!"

Meditation garden? What's so special about that place, he wondered as he darted through the double doors of the grand audience chamber. They closed with a soft sigh, and he turned heading towards the stairwell. A moment later, the doors blew off their hinges, slamming into the opposite wall. Anakin stumbled as wind slashed down the hallway.

He glanced over his shoulder, and saw the distortion still there following him.

He spun around, bringing his blade back up. A pseudopod slapped out, and struck at his blade. He shifted the weapon, and the creature slammed into the wall, the section where it hit, crumbling into rubble.

Kriff, we'll be lucky to just be expelled from the Order after this.

The demon shot out from the wall towards Anakin, but he ducked, and the demon over shot him, slamming into the floor. Anakin watched in horror as fault-lines appeared in the stonework, and then the floor collapsed.

He jumped backwards, watching as where he had just been standing fell into the darkness of the classrooms beneath his current level.

As his feet touched the ground, the fault-line traced through them, the floor he was standing on, opening up as well, throwing him into the darkness below.

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Anakin landed hard on a student desk in the classroom on the floor below. The wooden top shattered as he slammed down on it, scattering someone's possessions on the floor around him. He groaned and tried to sit up, his back a mass of pain.

Then he saw the flickering distortion again.

He rolled to the left, just as a pseudopod slammed down into the ground where he had been laying. Struggling to his feet, he lifted his sword. "What do you want?"

There was no answer, nor had he been expecting one. The demon began to circle him, throwing chairs and desks against the walls, as it made its track around him. For his part, Anakin circled as well, his feet making small movements, trying to stay in the rough center of the demon's circle, movements designed to always keep his blade pointed towards the flickering distortion of the demon.

He felt something press against his mind, and frowned.

"Wha- you're trying to say something aren't you?"

The Force blasted at him, a wave of unfocused energy which slammed through him, tinged with the demon's ever present despair.

Anakin felt his knees try to buckle, and he struggled to stay upright, shaking his head. "I... I don't understand..."

Then a pseudopod snapped out, and caught Anakin under the chin. His teeth clicked together, and he flew through the air, crashing through the window. He landed on the ground, and rolled a few meters.

He raised a hand to his forehead, and pulled it away to see the blood clinging to his fingers. Then he lifted his head slightly to look around, recognizing one of the meditation gardens.

"The garden? What is so special about this place?"

Then another window exploded outward, and the demon came flying out the window, landing less than a meter from Anakin, creating an impression in the ground as it did so.

Anakin felt around for his sword, and then glanced to the left, seeing it laying there out of reach. "Shavit."

Then the demon jumped on him, and the breath exploded from his chest. His mouth snapped open in a silent scream. The distortion shifted shape, becoming denser and less transparent.

A flicker of motion, caught Anakin's eye and he looked up to see someone jumping off one of the ledges of the Temple. A flash of thin light revealed the presence of a sword, and Tenel Ka's blade connected with the central mass of the demon.

Rainbow light flared around them both, and then Force energy suddenly expelled from the body, driving Anakin deeper into the ground while throwing Tenel Ka through the air.

The demon reared back, lifting its bulk off of Anakin and then shattered into billions of rainbow shards. When one of the shards would touch his bare skin, he could feel a small flare in the Force, a nugget of misery pulling at the back of his mind.

He rolled over, and lifted his head, looking around for Tenel Ka. Finally, he saw her, catched up against a wall, curled into a small ball. Anakin struggled to his feet, and walked over to her, dropping to his knees beside her.

"Tenel Ka?"

Gingerly, he reached out to touch her shoulder as she lay unmoving on the ground. As soon as his fingers caressed her smooth flesh, her eyes snapped open, and she gasped for breath.

"Tenel Ka!" he yelled out, grabbing her into a hug.

He could feel a silly grin on his face as he squeezed her tight. Then she coughed, and he released her slightly, pulling away. She looked up at him with those calm grey eyes of hers. Then she said, "Anakin."

"Yes, Tenel Ka?"

"I am hungry," she responded, her voice even and calm, though softer than she usually spoke.

He barked a laugh, and then placed his forehead against hers for a moment.

"It's all over, and all you can say is 'I am hungry?'"

A flicker of amusement passed across her face, as she replied, "That is a fact."

"Kriff, Tenel Ka," he shot back. "Do you realize just how reckless you were?"

"I want to eat gyuudon."

"Fine," he said, as he chuckled slightly. Then he stood up, holding a hand out towards her, "Can you stand."

She nodded her head, and grasped his hand, using it as leverage to lift herself up. When she was almost in a standing position, she winced in pain and crumbled to the ground again.

Frowning, he lifted her from the ground, and walked her back into the Temple. He went to the second floor, taking her to his classroom there. As they arrived, she looked up at him again, saying, "I am hungry."

Anakin laughed, and set her on her feet, as he shook his head. "Wouldn't you rather go to the hospital and get checked out?"

Tenel Ka glanced down for a moment. She then settled into one of the chairs and then shook her head. "I am hungry."

He sighed, and straightened up. "Fine. You wait here, and I'll be back in a little while with some food. But after that, we're going to the hospital. Understand?"

She stared at him hard, and then her eyes flicked away from him as she sharply nodded her head.

Anakin walked towards the door; as he reached it he glanced back at her, finding her staring out the window once again. He watched her for a moment, and then left the room.

Calmly he walked through the hallways, heading towards the main entrance.

As he stepped out into the night air, a cold wind whipped at his hair, and he glanced up towards the stars. Tonight, he thought to himself. Tenel Ka will be able to go back to being a normal girl.

He grinned at the stars, and then ran down the path to the small shop where he usually purchased the foods he shared with her. Picking up some gyuudon, he ran back to the Temple, returning to the classroom where he had left Tenel Ka.

He pushed open the door to the classroom, and stepped in, calling out as he did so, "Hey Tenel Ka, I got the..."

His voice trailed off as he discovered that the room was empty. He stared at the empty chair where he had last seen her, a frown flickering onto his face.

"You've got to be kidding me," he muttered. "There was still one left."

Dropping the bag of food, he spun around and ran from the class, his feet pounding on the stone floors as he hurried to the hallway where he usually found Tenel Ka.

She was trying to make me leave. To escape, so she could deal with it all by herself.

Suddenly, pain lanced through his head, a lightning bolt of agony. His stride faltered, and he slammed into the floor. Lifting himself up to his hands and knees, he glared down the hallway, once more seeing the familiar distortions of a demon.

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He glared down the hallway as the demon slowly advanced. The pain wavered in his mind, as if someone or something was screaming at him, just above the level that he could hear.

"Are... Are you trying to tell me something?" he ground out between clenched teeth. "S-say it so I can understand."

Finally, his vision wavered, distorting from the familiar hallway, seemingly melting into a swirl of colors. Nausea and vertigo warred against his senses.

Out of the maelstrom, a shadow strode forward. Through the glare of light and color, Anakin could see a feminine form, slight, diminutive, with a familiar walk.

He stood up, his hand instinctively reaching for the wall to steady himself. But when all he could see was the swirling reds and oranges, the sensation of the marble wall under his fingers caused the dizziness to strengthen.

He glared at the form for a moment. "Are you the last demon?"

Black specks flickered in front of his vision, and the silhouette continued forward. Finally, it got close enough to resolve, slowly fading from the darkness, into an almost familiar sight. Red hair. Grey eyes. Copper-toned skin. He blinked his eyes, and glanced up and down at the girl.

She was a few years younger than he himself was, and wore the same type of armor as Tenel Ka. One arm ended just below the elbow in a cauterized stump.

He swallowed, as he recognized her. His mouth opened. Then closed. Finally, it opened again, and words spilled out: "Tenel Ka?"

Suddenly, the swirls of color were gone. He found himself just outside the Temple. Brilliant sunlight poured down upon him, and he glanced up at the yellow-white ball of the sun. Above the horizon, Yavin was rising up into the sky, swirled with orange storms.

He frowned, as he spun in a circle. There was the Temple, but the town that surrounded it was gone. There were no apartment complexes or modern hospital facilities. Just the ancient Massassi structure where he had originally trained.

As he watched, a group of students gathered near the edge of the forest, and his uncle stood among them, passing out helmets. Anakin walked closer, frowning as they seemed to either ignore him or not see him. Two of the students he recognized immediately. One was his sister Jaina and the other was Tenel Ka. They both appeared younger, in the early teens at the latest. The final two students were a tall, lanky Wookiee and a boy with brown hair and the same color eyes as Jaina. This boy looked familiar but Anakin could not place him.

He silently watched as the fought against the remotes. Frowning slightly, as Uncle Luke called a halt to the training when Tenel Ka destroyed one.

Then they separated into pairs, and prepared to spar one with the other. Jaina and the Wookiee went first. There battle was intense and furious, and over all too soon. He frowned as he scratched at the top of his head, trying to figure out just what he was seeing.

Then Tenel Ka and the boy were facing one another. It was almost with a touch of awe that he watched their fight. The boy was cocky, and fought with a flourish and a grin that would do Anakin's dad proud. Tenel Ka was as stone-faced as ever. Her movements precise and controlled.

He felt a presence beside him, and glanced down to see the one-armed Tenel Ka quietly standing beside him. An air of sadness etched onto her face as she watched her other self battle the boy.

Before he could ask her what was wrong, he felt a twinge in the Force, which caused his head to snap back towards the sparing match. He watched in horror as time seemed to slow to a crawl. Tenel Ka began an upward cut with her blade, the boy moving his own in a vertical slice to block. As Anakin watched, Tenel Ka's blade flickered from its turquoise color to a light orange, and then the blade flickered and died. The boy's saber sliced through the flesh of her arm.

The boy's mouth dropped open, and her arm continued the movement it had originally started, Tenel Ka's saber still firmly grasped in that hand. Both hand and emitter continued upward towards the boy's chin.

Anakin quickly glanced down at the Tenel Ka beside him and saw her pain clearly in her eyes and the way she held her hand against the stump of her arm. Then he returned his attention back to the students. As he watched, the emitter of the saber, a tooth of some kind he noted, slammed into the bottom of the boy's jaw. His head snapped back, the emitter turning slightly as it began to fall away.

Then a spark spat out of a crevice of the tooth, and with the familiar snap-hiss the saber flickered into life once again. The meter long shaft of energy emerged out the top of the boy's head.

Jaina screamed and the Wookiee roared. Uncle Luke began to rush forward as Tenel Ka collapsed in shock.

The saber's blade flickered away into nothingness once more, a grey stream of smoke coming from the crevice which had emitted the spark. The hand and the hilt began a journey towards the ground, followed by the dead boy. Then the saber exploded, causing the top third of the boy, the hand and the hilt to flash from existence.

Uncle Luke stumbled to a stop, and stared at the remains of the boy. Jaina had dropped to her knees and was wailing, the Wookiee trying his best to comfort her.

Then the scene was ripped away, the world suddenly replaced by swirling colors, except this time they were purple and black and blue. Dark and filled with despair and melancholy. Lightning flashed within the swirls, and Anakin looked down at the Tenel Ka beside him, noticing her pain. Instinctively, he slipped an arm around her, and the swirls slowly smoothed out, lightening as they did so.

Finally, they resolved themselves into a scene once again. Anakin found himself standing once more on Yavin 4 in front of the Temple.

The shattered remains of the Temple.

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Anakin stared at the shattered remains of the Jedi Temple. The massive base of the Temple still stood, and what he could only guess was the supporting structures. Everywhere else, walls were gone, and what stone remained in place was blackened. The stench of fire and explosives hung heavily on the air. For a moment, he wondered what had happened to the Temple.

Then his guide started walking forward, leading him through the rubble, until they found Tenel Ka pushing at a huge block of stone with her shoulder. He frowned, noting that she was alone as she worked, though the other students he had seen were working in groups of two or three. She was once again dressed in her leather armor, though her hair was left unbraided, instead of the normal braid mixed with beads that would hang down her back, her hair flowed wild and free. Unrestrained. Anakin was not entirely certain which he liked better.

Then he saw himself.

Or at least a younger version of himself, one that was at least five years younger than he was now.

The young Anakin walked up to her, and stared at her back for a moment, chewing at his lower lip. Finally, he spoke, "Hey, Tenel Ka."

She glanced over her shoulder at him, and blinked her eyes a few times. Then without saying a word, she turned away and returned to her task.

In silence, the young Anakin walked up and began to help her. As the younger him helped her push, Anakin noticed that her shoulders were shaking.

Finally, she collapsed to the ground, giving into her tears and grief. Both Anakins stood there in shock, watching as she slowly recovered from her breakdown.

Once she had gained control of her emotions again, she glanced up towards him, and asked, "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you not hate me?"

He shook his head, frowning. "Why would I hate you?"

"For the same reason your sister now hates me," she replied. "I killed your brother. I killed Friend Jacen."

The older Anakin's mouthed dropped open, as he listened. He turned towards his guide. "Brother? I have a brother?"

The Tenel Ka by his side stood as emotionless and quiet as ever. Finally, Anakin turned back to the scene in front of him as he heard his younger self speak again.

"Wasn't it an accident?"

"Yes..." she said her voice weak and hesitant. "But it was still my fault. I rushed through building my lightsaber. I did not check to ensure that everything was proper and flawless. I thought the warrior holding the weapon more important than the parts that made up that weapon. My pride killed him."

The younger Anakin shrugged his shoulders, and looked towards the block of stone that they had been pushing. "That may be..." he began. "But you were Jasa's friend. He always wanted to make you laugh. I don't think he would want you to be this sad over an accident."

Tenel Ka just looked at him, not saying anything. The young Anakin turned from the stone, to stare once more at Tenel Ka. After a second, he spoke up again. "Besides, you're my friend, and you always will be. Oh, yeah, since I heard you weren't going to take a prosthetic, frankly, I think that's kind of silly, but I figured out a way for you to still braid your hair with only one hand."

He pulled out a datapad and a long strand of green ribbon, holding both out towards her, saying. "It's all recorded on here, and I brought you a new ribbon to tie into your hair as well."

Hesitantly, Tenel Ka took the datapad and ribbon from him, and her body hitched slightly as she fought against her sobs. "Th-thank you, Friend Anakin." She sat there for a few minutes, looking down at his gifts to her. Then she glanced back up at him. "I... I am going home in a few days. I think I may need some time away from the Jedi. Away from the memories. There are too many demons here for me to stay. Do you understand this?"

Anakin thought for a moment, and then nodded his head. "Yeah, I understand. But don't worry, I'll be here waiting to help you when you come back. That's what friends do for each other, right?"

Then a smile flickered across her face for a split second. A scene which flashed through Anakin's memories. Anakin looked down at the Tenel Ka who stood beside him. Staring at her, as he slowly began to remember Tenel Ka and Jacen and their Wookiee friend, Lowbacca. He remembered their visits to Coruscant. The terrible time in his house after Jacen's death as his father and mother broke down. And finally, he remembered watching her ship as it lifted off, his Uncle standing silently beside him. He remembered telling his Uncle that she thought there were too many demons here for her to stay here.

And he remembered his Uncle's reply: Death is a tragedy... but only for the living. Those who have died go on to other things.

Anakin remembered at the time not quite understanding what his uncle meant. Now, he thinks he does.

As suddenly as the visions appeared, they ended, and Anakin was once more leaning against the wall of the Temple. It was the Temple as he had seen it since returning to finish his training. Frowning slightly, he returned to his classroom, and went to his desk, pulling out the package that Jaina had given to him a few days earlier. He opened it and looked into it for a moment, and then closed the bag, running from the room.

A few minutes of searching and he found Tenel Ka standing in a hallway as she stared out the windows into the night. At the sound of his approach reached her, her head snapped towards him, and she lifted her sword.

Anakin stared at her. The leather armor which exposed the tanned skin of her legs, arms and shoulders. Red hair pulled into a tight braid. Grey eyes that flashed with concern as she saw him. Then he noticed that she had two arms, and for a moment, wondered if the demon had lied to him. Then he noticed that one hand had the skin pulled away, revealing the subtle gleam of a prosthetic.

"Friend Anakin," she said, her voice soft, barely carrying the short distance between them. "Please go away. I cannot protect you as weakened as I am."

"Tenel Ka," he said, shaking his head slightly. "The demons aren't real. They never were. You gave rise to them. You created them. They're a manifestation of yourself. Of your memories from the first time you were here for training."

She looked away from him. "I... I do not understand what you are saying..."

He gestured towards the bruises, and cracked flesh on her body. "That's why it hurts you when you defeat one of them. You're destroying pieces of yourself." He paused and inhaled a deep breath, gathering his thoughts. Then he slowly exhaled before continuing to speak. "The demons... No... You wanted to tell me something. You were trying to make me remember. But I was too hard-headed, you were pouring too much power through them, and I couldn't understand. Until there was only the one left."

A small hand touched his elbow, and he glanced down to see the younger, one-armed Tenel Ka standing there, staring.

The older Tenel Ka stared in shock at her, and slowly lifted one arm, looking down at her hand. At the prosthetic machinery visible through the tear in her skin.

Anakin continued speaking. "Years ago, you were training here with your friends. You were happy and proud. And then something terrible happened. A horrible tragedy. A senseless accident. A pointless death. It was something that haunted you, tortured you. And you ran away. You went home to heal."

"Jacen..." she whispered silently, as she lowered her sword.

"I promised you that I would be here to help you when you came back. Then I lost my memories, so I wasn't here when you did return. So all that time, you were here at the Temple fighting those demons. Fighting yourself and your memories."

"I... I do not know..."

"It's all true," Anakin shot back. He then reached into his bag and pulled out a ribbon. "Here, do you remember this? Today, you will go back to being your old self. Accept your guilt, your sorrow and your pain. Work through it. Acknowledge it, stop fighting it, stop letting it be the ruling factor of your life. If you accept it, then the fighting will end."

He stepped forward, and loosened her hair. Then with a few quick, deft movements, he braided the ribbon into it. He stepped back away from her. "I saw you smile once, just before you left for Hapes. Can you do it again? Throw away your sword, and smile. Be free from your demons."

She frowned, and looked down at her weapon. Then she shook her head. "I cannot throw my sword away, Friend Anakin. I have depended on it for so many years."

"You have to let it go. All of it."

"Without my sword..." she replied, a lone tear slicing down her face. "I am weak. I am a useless warrior. This is a fact. I would just cause problems for my friends. For Anakin and Eryl."

Anakin shrugged his shoulders. "So? That doesn't matter. It's what friends are for. To help you through the problems that you cause. To help you through your problems."

He silently watched her as she considered his words. Emotions flared to life in her eyes, warring with one another. Suddenly, another tear sliced its way down her face.

"Thank you, Friend Anakin," she said, and then she looked up at him. Tears lined both of her eyes, and sorrow and grief and a look of contentment stood out in them, shining brightly. "Thank you... so much."

A smile started to form on his face as she lifted the sword. Then she spun it around, grabbing hold of the blade, pressing its tip to her chest. With a simple drop, she fell down onto the sword, sending it through her chest.

He stared in shock at her for a second, and then dropped to his knees, pulling the blade from her chest and tossing it away behind him. "Tenel Ka! Don't die!"

He grabbed her up, and pulled her into a hug.

Then a soft voice spoke, "Friend Anakin."

He looked up, and through his tears saw the younger Tenel Ka standing there. Sniffing back a tear, he told the shade, "I'm sorry I took so long."

As the room dissolved around them, reverting back to the training fields under the bright morning sun, she shook her head, and said, "It is all right, Friend Anakin. You came back to help me. This time... you will not leave me alone?"

Anakin shook his head. "Of course I won't. I'm your friend."

"You will be my friend, even after everything you learned? Even after... Jacen?"

"I promise," he replied.

She smiled, and behind her, another form took shape. A male shape stepped into sight. Tussled brown hair, brandy-colored eyes, and a soft blue shine surrounding him. He gently touched the younger Tenel Ka's shoulder and smiled at her. Then he looked towards Anakin, and said, "Hello, Little Brother. Still getting into trouble I see."

Anakin stared silently, his mouth opened in shock. Jacen just grinned at him, a lopsided slash of the mouth, and stepped around the demon, kneeling down beside Tenel Ka. He brushed a strand of hair from her face, and then placed a hand on her chest, and one on Anakin's forehead.

Anakin could feel the Force flowing through him, and looked down to see Tenel Ka's wounds slowly healing. He watched as the flesh began to knit itself before his eyes. He glanced up at Jacen's ghost. "Are you healing her?"

Jacen chuckled and gave a quick shake of his head. "No. I'm dead. I can't do anything like that. I'm just helping you direct your abilities."

Finally, he stood up, and tossed a wave to Anakin. "See you, Little Brother. And tell Jaya that Lowie and I say hi."

Anakin could only gape as Jacen dropped an arm around the shoulders of the one-armed Tenel Ka, and turned her around, leading her away from him. As they walked away, the field disappeared, slowly being replaced by the classroom.

As it finally faded from view, he blinked his eyes against the bright morning sun streaming through the windows. He looked down at the sleeping form of Tenel Ka in his arms, and pulled her into a slightly tighter hug. He could feel her vitality and health in the Force, and he sighed.

"Tenel Ka," he said softly. "It's time to wake up, Tenel Ka. Time to wake up from your dream."

---

Next Post

Jedi Adept: A Path In The Dark Ch. 3

Previous Post

---

Jacen Solo snapped his comlink close and reclined back in his chair. Surrounding him were thousands of flat images displaying news feeds and closed circuit camera feeds. Hundreds of spycams spread throughout the giant city planet of Coruscant were being piped into this, his inner sanctum at the Senate Rotunda. His eyes were unfocused, diffused, his awareness watching all the images at one time.

Movement, a flash of yellow and brown, on one of the flat images in the lower left hand section of the display drew his attention. He leaned forward slightly, getting a closer look at the image.

Jacen watched the monitor; watched the blonde Jedi leave through the main doors of the Jedi Temple, a satchel hanging over her shoulder. He frowned. He had had plans for Tahiri. He had planned on dangling before her the treat of seeing Anakin again, and then once she was hooked on Flow Walking in order to see his dead brother, he would use that need to subvert her to his will; to make her his willing spy, his slave. He scratched at his chin, and wondered how he could use her now that she was no longer a Jedi.

One thing was certain; his plans to turn her into a spy were dashed and useless. He snarled and slammed his fist into the padded armrest of his chair. With a wave of his hand, he turned off the monitors and leaned forward in his chair.

The chair shifted how it held him, the leg rest collapsing as the back straightened. Scooting to the edge of the chair, he rested his elbows on his desk, and clasped his hands into a fist in front of him, and then leaned his chin against the fist.

He knew there was something helpful here, and he wondered, not for the first time, if Ben was a worthy Sith apprentice for him.

The more he wondered about it, the more he was certain that Ben was not the appropriate apprentice for him.

First there was Ben's failure on Korriban with the young girl, and then the distinct lack of anger and hate coming from the boy after the death of his mother. Jacen frowned for a moment, as he realized that he had felt nothing from Ben in weeks. Not since he had been rescued from that cave-in on Ossus.

His frown grew deeper as he realized that he still did not have a clear picture of exactly what had happened during those hours when Ben had been trapped in the catacombs. He reached over to his terminal, and made a note that he needed to send someone to Ossus to discover exactly what had happened. Knowledge was power, and without that power, Jacen was vulnerable.

For a moment, he wondered what he could do to propel Ben further along the path to Sith apprenticeship. Then his thoughts turned to what he would do when Ben inevitably refused to become his apprentice.

Immediately, he came to a conclusion. If Ben was not his apprentice, then he was too dangerous and powerful to let live. He would have to be removed, in order to preserve the peace and stability of the galaxy.

Satisfied, he leaned back in his chair again flicking on the monitor again, watching Tahiri as she continued walking down the steps of the Temple; leaving that world behind, and entering the larger one in which Jacen lived in.

And with that thought, Jacen realized what he needed to do. He knew how he could use Tahiri.

Grinning, he leaned over, and thumbed his calendar, pulling up a list of events that had happened over the past twenty years during this week. His grin grew larger as he saw that tomorrow would be the anniversary of his younger brother's death. He knew it was soon, and the fact that it was so close, was just another instance of the Force looking out for him, its chosen gardener.

He scrubbed at his face, excited about his idea to ensnare Tahiri. He now knew how he could mold and shape her into a powerful tool, even if she did end up being useless to him as a Sith Apprentice.

At the very least, she would make a powerful Hand.

-------------------------------

Footsteps echoed through the close confines of the Coruscant street. Not an uncommon sound this deep in the under-city, where all manner of beings preyed upon one another.

The sound that did seem out of place, the sound which sent those residents of this particular level of the massive city planet scurrying back to their shadows, was the echoes of plazsteel armor that followed those footsteps.

Chase Polliska darted through the dimly lit streets; racing through them with a recklessness and abandon he had not experience since his time on Kashyyk. Stagnant pools of water soaked the lower edges of his pants as he splashed through them and created a new sound to the cacophony of the chase.

A dozen meters behind him, the source of the plazsteel armor noises came into view as they raced around a corner. There were three of them, dressed in the black armor of the Galactic Alliance Guard. Full-face helmets hid all identifying features, and their E15 Blastech rifles glittered coldly in the arc-sodium lights.

Chase did not look behind him. He did not check his pursuers to see how close they were. What he did was run.

He glanced over to the walkway attached to the building on the far side of the crevice to his right. There were a lot more open doors and alleys over there. Thirty meters away was one of the many pedestrian bridges that spanned the gulf between buildings.

Chase grinned and started running faster, his breath coming in great gulps as he fled the larger, armed men behind him.

Soon, he was at the bridge, and he darted down it. Halfway across, he stumbled to a stop and looked at the large chunk of permacrete that was just gone from the bridge. The guard rail was still there, which was what had lulled him into a false sense of security concerning the likelihood of making his way across the bridge.

The clatter of armor and the scuffle of boots sounded loud behind him. Deep in the back of his throat he growled as he turned around. His eyes flicked between the three burly men who had surrounded him. Their movements were smooth and coordinated; befitting their status as well trained soldiers.

Deep in the hind portions of his brain, Chase knew those movements, knew how to counter them, how to overcome them. It was not so much something that he had learned, but an almost instinctive aspect of himself.

Outwardly, Chase appeared to be a fifteen year old human male. Living in the under-city had given him a lean, hard physique, and a mop of unruly brown hair. Yet despite appearances, he was not quite a normal fifteen year old human male.

He was an experiment.

A collection of biotechnologies, shoved into a human frame, courtesy of BioTech Industries. Possibly, he would still be on Ambria, being experimented upon, if not for the help of a young Jedi apprentice. Their crowning achievement before he had fled Ambria alongside of Noelani Darklighter, the only bright spot that he could ever remember in his life. So, like a fool, he had fled from her. He had been scared; scared of the light and life that seemed to flow from her effortlessly.

The forward slash of an armored fist drew Chase from his ruminations. He leaned backwards slightly, and grabbed the arm as it flashed in front of his face.

Then he pulled, using the man's own momentum to drag him forward and off-balance.

With an opening created, he darted forward and ran back the way he had come. When he reached the end of the bridge, he darted right and took off running once more.

He knew that if cornered, he could take on all three of the soldiers, but he also instinctively knew that he would end up injured if he did so. So, as he always did, Chase followed his instincts, and when they directed him to dart through the opening he had created, he had done so without a moment's hesitation.

He made turns wildly, blindly, with the angered yells from the pursuing soldiers always there to dog his steps. Finally, he spied another of the bridges. This one led to the level above, so he could see that it was whole from one end to the other.

Still acting on instinct, he made the corner, and ran onto the bridge.

When he reached the midpoint he stopped, seeing a second squad of black suited soldiers standing there. Their blasters were drawn and leveled at him. He tossed a quick glance behind him and saw the original three just stepping out onto the bridge, their own blasters coming to bear on him.

The leader spoke, his voice amplified by his helmet. "Give it up kid, there's nowhere for you to run to today."

Slowly, he turned a complete circle, until he was once more facing the leader. His instincts were flaring, screaming at him to attack. The Yuuzhan Vong equivalent of a battle computer, which BioTech had shoved into his head, was detailing a thousand different patterns which would allow him to get through the soldiers, and probably not get shot.

It was that probability of getting shot that he did not like.

He glanced to his left, and the voices in his head fell silent. All save one, almost reckless voice; one which sounded to Chase just like Noelani.

Turning back towards the solider, Chase smiled viciously, and then screamed at him, "I'm not going to be tossed into a cell. Not again. And especially not by the likes of you."

The soldiers advanced; their tread heavy on the bridge. The leader spoke again. "Just come along peacefully. The Colonel wants a word with you is all. Besides, it's not like you have anywhere you can go."

He snorted, and shook his head, as he backed towards the railing. He kept his focus on the leader's black face mask. Finally, he bumped up against the edge of the handrail.

His hand reached behind him and gripped the railing tightly. He squeezed the metal. Then blindly listening to instinct once more, he pulled on the handrail as he jumped. The soldiers yelled at him as he vaulted over and threw himself off into the empty space…

---

Next Post

The Grin

It was that grin that did it.

It was coy, and fun, and symbolized just everything that I loved about her. She's tossed it at me every time that I'd done something to make her happy. It's an infectious grin, one that I'd do anything to see directed at me. Which does remind me of my favorite memory of that grin. We were staying at a resort on Piathi, beach-side during local winter. Not the best, or most logical of times to visit a seaside resort, but then we are Jedi, and our schedules don't always work out the way we expect.

Plus, it would be the slow season for them. That makes the difference between there being a few dozen couples at the resort and there being several hundred. I get enough of those holonet shills and people wanting autographs in my daily life; I try to take vacations with Tahiri at times when we'd be less bothered by those folks.

Anyways, the memory was using taking the long way to the beach.

Hand in hand we stepped up onto the top of the dune. We were surrounded by beach grass, the smallest of which came up to my waist. Occasionally, a stiff breeze would flash across, shivering the seed pods all around us, carrying the strong tang of the ocean scent.

I looked out across the wide expanse of water that was just a few hundred meters down slope from us. Pure white, quartz-based sand jetted out from the edge of the grasses until it was met by the white foam of the crashing surf. further out the water started out as a blue-green but quickly shifted to darker and darker shades of blue until it was a nearly navy colored line kissing the steel grey of the cloud filled sky.

With a flash of a grin, I looked down at my companion. She was a few centimeters shorter than me, so most of what I saw was her curly blond hair being pushed around by the wind. Shifting my stance slightly, I could make out the sheer amazement that was etched onto her face as she stared at the water.

She must have felt my attention, because she shifted hers to me. Her green eyes locked onto mine and I once again felt that searing jolt race down my spine.

It doesn't matter how many times she looks at me, I always get that.

"Wow, Anakin.. it's, it's just so much water...I've never seen so much water in one place. Whoever owns this must be rich."

I chuckled, and shook my head. "This is Piathi, not Tatooine, there's plenty of water here. No one owns this ocean."

Her cheeks flushed red, and she shifted her gaze away from me. "I... I know that, Dummy."

Still grinning, I gave her hand another gentle squeeze and then started walking forward, pulling her along. "Come on, let's go down to the water. It's too cold for us to actually swim or anything, but we can still walk along its edge."

"Are you sure? I mean... it's a lot of water."

I cast a quick glance behind me. "Hey, I'm here. What could go wrong?"

She sighed, and muttered something that I didn't catch, but I could still feel her sense of trepidation in the Force.

Then we were at the water's edge. The smell of salt and water was heavier, more pronounced, and there was a tinge of seaweed and fish to it as well. If anything the wind had gotten colder and I was glad that I was wearing my leather Corellian-style jacket. I glanced over at Tahiri, and took in what she was dressed in. Heavy-duty denim pants, running shoes, a simple pull-over tunic and then a light jacket over that. She looked warm enough, but she was from Tatooine. "Are you warm enough?"

She looked up at me, and smiled slightly. With a quick nod of her head, she replied, "Yeah, I'm fine like this."

Still holding her hand, we began to walk along the edge of the water. She glanced down as the water came rushing towards us. "I wish you hadn't made me wear shoes."

I laughed. "I know, but who knows what was in that stuff we walked through."

She sighed and we continued are walk; heading further and further away from the resort where we had hotel rooms at. Surreptitiously, I glanced at my chrono, and noted the time on Yavin IV. With a grin, I stopped, and glanced at her.

She continued a few more steps, and then noticing the pull on her hand, turned to face me. "What is it Anakin?"

"Happy Anniversary," I replied with a grin, as I pulled out a small wrapped package.

She blinked as she hesitatingly took the box from me. "Anniversary?"

I grinned at her. "Yeah, we met 10 years ago, at this moment, on Yavin."

Her cheeks flushed bright red as she looked at the package. "I... I didn't get you anything."

I laughed, and leaned forward claiming her lips in a kiss. After a few moments, I leaned back. "That was all I need."

If anything her blush grew brighter, as she lifted the package slightly. "Can I open it?"

Nodding my head, I watched as she slowly opened the box, to pull out the thin necklace with a small silver pendant. It caught the light of the thin winter sun, and flashed brightly. It was an odd-shaped thing, a mixture of swirls and hard angular lines. The books I had read on Tusken sociology and history indicated that it was a love charm.

She lifted it closer, staring at it. Then she burst out laughing. Her body doubling over from whatever had amused her so much.

I frowned. "What?"

She looked up, the tears glistening in her eyes. "This," she replied, lifting the pendant a bit higher.

"What's wrong with it? The holonet said that it was a Tusken love charm."

If anything, she laughed harder.

I stood, feeling my frustration growing.

Finally, she seemed to get her laughter under control. She blew out a breath slowly, one hand still holding the chain, the other holding her side. "Oh, that hurts..."

"So, what's wrong with the love charm?"

Her shoulders hitched slightly, and her lips were twisted into that grin as she looked at me again. "Love charm, huh Jedi-boy?"

"Yeah," I replied sullenly.

She looked at the pendant again, and then slipped it over her head. "I guess it could be that, from a certain point of view. It's a birthing charm. For Banthas."

I blinked. My mouth opened, yet I couldn't think of anything to say, so I snapped it shut.

She giggled again, and then leaned forward, kissing me deeply. I happily returned the kiss, while still trying to figure out what to say.

Breaking away, she turned from me and began walking back towards the resort. "Come on, Jedi-boy, let's go get some lunch."

She took a few steps away, and I was still trying to figure out just how to respond to my monumental screw up on the gift.

In mid-stride, she paused and turned her torso halfway towards me. Her face was focused on me, that grin there on her lips. The wind had picked up again, and was tugging her curls away from her.

That grin once again captured my heart and made it do double speed in my chest.

"Hurry up won't you," she said with that grin growing ever so slightly larger. "We still have to see just how well you're love charm is going to work."

Teetering

Standing on the railing of the skybridge, teetering on the edge of oblivion, she remembered it all; the event, the consequences, and, most of all, the disappointment.

Tahiri Veila had thought that it would be all right; that after his death she would be able to live again. That she would be able to love again.

Yet, after so many years of pain, after missing him for half of her life, waiting for him to walk through the door one more time, she had given up. She had decided that it was enough.

Enough of being a Jedi.

Enough of being used by the Jedi.

Enough of being a Sith.

Enough of being used by the Sith.

Enough of being used by the Solo's.

Just enough.

None of them had anything to offer her anymore.

There was nothing left.

She was empty. Bereft.

Fate. Destiny. The Force. Whatever one wanted to call it, her entire existence so far had been meaningless. Everything and everyone that she had ever loved had ultimately been ripped from her.

So, that was why she was here, standing out over the edge of the abyss in the middle of the night. No pedestrians, no passing motorists. Just her, the bridge and the wide open chasm beneath her toes.

She edged closer to the abyss, and leaned forward slightly, watching the clouds as they passed through the emptiness beneath her.

The pit called to her. It beckoned, promising release.

Release from the pain. The suffering.

She wanted nothing more to throw herself forward, and accept the pit's offering.

Gathering the Force to her, she prepared to leap.

And that's when it happened. That's when the world shifted again.

It was soft, gentle, an almost whisper on the breeze. Yet she heard it clearly.

"Tahiri..."

Her name.

His voice.

She swallowed and lifted her head towards the sky. Looking upwards even though no stars were visible. Her eyes drifted close as a lone tear traced its way down her cheek. "You had better not be some trick or joke or something. You had better be Anakin."

She heard him coming closer; heavy boots shifting the occasional bits of gravel which accumulated on the skybridges.

"It's not a joke, 'Ri. I'm here."

She knelt onto the railing as another tear raced down her face. "You were supposed to come back. You promised me you would."

"I know. I'm here now."

"Why did you take so long."

He chuckled. It sounded like he was right behind her.

Warm moist arm floated across her arm. With a start she realized that it was his breath.

"I missed you, and I'm here, isn't that enough?"

Tahiri clenched her teeth and lowered her head; pressing her chin tight against her chest. She didn't want to break down and cry. Not here. Not now. Not in front of him.

"If I turn around will you still be there?"

He chuckled again, and grabbed her arm, pulling her down. She let out a short yelp in surprise and then safety and warmth flooded back into her existence.

For the first time in years, she felt whole and alive.

He held her in his arms, not letting her feet touch the ground, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in the between her arm and his cheek.

She allowed herself to be held and comforted as he whispered something into her hair. She didn't care what he was saying, just the fact that he was there to say it at all was enough.

Memories Ch. 14

Previous Post

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Who are you?

The words that Tenel Ka said to him the previous evening continued to run through his head, pushing out all other concerns. He glanced up from his plate for a moment, looking towards Jaina and then Tahiri. He gave an inner shrug, and then took another bite from his food, not really tasting it.

Who are you? What an odd thing for her to ask me. I don't know what's going on. Why are the demons attacking me, and not Tenel Ka?

"Wow!"

Tahiri's voice cut through his thoughts, and he glanced up to see Mara setting a couple different jars full of jams and jellies on the table in front of them.

"Did you make all of this?" she asked innocently.

Anakin noticed that one of the jars contained Mara's special jam, and he swallowed hard.

"Yes, I did," Mara replied, smiling happily as she lifted one of the jars; the jar. "And this is my special jam."

"What a pretty color," Tahiri commented as she leaned towards it.

Anakin glanced across the table at Jaina, noticing how wide her eyes had gotten. In unison they stood up from their plates.

Mara arched an eyebrow towards them. "Are you two finished with breakfast already?"

"Y-yeah," Jaina said. "I'm already full."

Anakin glanced at Tahiri, noticing the slight confusion on her face, as she watched Jaina. "Tahiri..."

Tahiri turned towards him, saying, "Huh?"

Our time together has been so short, he thought to himself, as he stared at her. He then glanced towards Jaina, and noticed that she refused to look at either him or Tahiri.

"Wh-what?" Tahiri stammered.

Anakin just nodded his head, and walked away from the table, Jaina falling into step beside him. As he left the dining area, he noticed Mara slathering a thick layer of her special jam onto a piece of toast.

From behind him, he heard Tahiri speaking. "I wonder what that was all about."

Then Mara's voice floated towards him. "All right, eat this all up."

A few minutes later they were out of the building, and walking towards the Academy. Jaina glanced up at him, "You're so heartless."

"Hey," Anakin exclaimed. "You ran away too. When I saw that jam... Well it was like the Force itself was crying out in pain and fear."

Jaina sighed. "I wish I could say I don't know what you're talking about... but it feels exactly the same for me."

They took a few more steps, and Jaina suddenly stopped. "Oh, oh yeah. I got something for you."

She then dug into her bag, and pulled out a long ribbon, holding it out to Anakin.

He frowned, and took it from her, holding it up. "Okay, I'm not certain what I'm supposed to do with this."

He then wrapped it around his head once.

Jaina giggled. "It's not for you. You asked me a few days ago, how to make a girl cuter - well, you can start by changing her hair. Braid the ribbon into her hair or something."

"Ah, I see." Anakin replied, pulling the ribbon off his head, and holding it out in front of him.

Suddenly scenes flashed through his mind's eye. A girl, crying on her bed. Her red hair wild around her head, almost creating a halo for her. He could feel himself standing in the doorway watching her cry.

As quickly as they appeared, the scenes were gone.

"What's wrong?" Jaina was asking him.

He shook his head. "I... Nothing, I just almost remembered something."

"What?"

"I don't know, but... well, I'll probably remember sooner or later."

------------------------------

It was finally lunch time, and Anakin stepped off the stairs and onto the balcony where he ate lunch with Tenel Ka and Eryl. He paused for a moment, when he realized that only Tenel Ka was there.

"Uh, where's Eryl at today?"

Tenel Ka lifted her head and focused on him. "She is busy working. She will be late."

"Oh," he replied. "I see."

Then he sat down across from her, saying, "Then I guess we'll wait."

A few minutes passed in silence, and he finally lifted his head looking towards her. "Hey, about last night... What was that? Why are the demons after me?"

When she did not answer, he sighed. "Are they hunting me because I intervened so often?"

"I do not know," she replied softly. "But ever since you arrived here, the demons have gotten restless."

"Since I arrived?"

She nodded her head. "That is a fact. Before, they never appeared as frequently as they do now."

Anakin frowned, and lowered his head, watching the stone floor of the landing. Wondering why the demons would be so interested in him.

---------------------------------

After class, Anakin stood atop the Great Temple, the practice sword in hand. He ran through a simple kata, warming up for a practice session. Regardless of how she looks, he thought to himself, Jaina is probably worried about me. My behavior has been kind of odd lately, I'm sure.

He dived with the sword, and thrust it out in front of him, finishing the kata. Straightening, he glanced down, and sighed. He felt a prickle at the base of his neck, and glanced over his shoulder to find Tenel Ka standing a few paces away, staring at him.

He frowned at her. "Don't call this 'useless.' If I'm the one being targeted then I need to be able to defend myself."

When she did not say anything, he glanced over his shoulder at her. The moment, he looked that way, she swung forward with another practice sword, the tip of its blade coming to a stop less than a dozen centimeters from his nose.

He gulped and took an instinctive step backwards. "So, it's hands-on training? Thank y-"

Then she struck, her blade slashing forward. Instincts took over, and he flung himself to the side, raising his blade in the process.

She did not give him a chance to respond, the end of one swing, had already started the next attack. Her blade was continuously moving, the metal it was made from flashed in the afternoon sun, as he tried to parry and dodge her blows.

Her attacks slowly drove him backwards, her steel flashing in and out of range.

Then he missed. Her blade snapped in and snagged his leg, flipping him to the ground.

He glared up at her, as she took two steps back away from him. He struggled to his feet, and dropped into a ready state. "Well, I see, I don't have to go easy on you..."

Then he darted forward, raising the hilt of his blade up to his ear.

He closed with her and she side stepped, snagging his leg with hers. He fell to the ground, scrapping his forehead against the stone paving.

Then she smacked his butt with the broad side of her blade.

"Too slow."

Anakin lifted his head off of the ground and glanced towards Tenel Ka. He groaned, and then rolled over to his back.

Tenel Ka walked over and stood there, looking down at him. "Anakin, you do not understand how weak you truly are. If you understood that, then you would know which way to move."

Anakin watched her for a moment, and then closed his eyes. "Which way to move, right..." He blew out a breath and then rolled over. Climbing to his feet, he lifted his sword into a mid-guard. "Okay, one more time."

Tenel Ka lifted her sword into a high-guard. "No. As many as it takes."

Then she attacked once more. Her sword a blur of thrusts and strikes.

If I can just hit back once, he thought to himself.

Then he saw the opening. With one attack, her reach went a little too high. He blocked earlier, and then pushed his sword forward. As he neared the handguard of her hilt, he pushed outward with his blade, and pulled back to strike at Tenel Ka.

She danced out of reach of his blade, and he stumbled, tucking himself into a roll. He climbed to his feet, and fell into a ready position.

"So, how was that?"

She turned to face him. "It was adequate."

Then Eryl appeared. "Tenel Ka. Anakin. What are you two doing? Play fighting? Can I try?"

She picked up Anakin's sword, swinging it experimentally a few times.

"We are not playing," Tenel Ka told her.

"Yeah," Anakin said as well. "We're not playing. This is a serious duel."

Eryl's eyes harden, and a frown curved her lips. "Then I'll get serious too. Believe it or not, I have good reflexes."

Then she jumped backwards. As she landed her foot slipped, and shot out from beneath her, dumping her to the ground.

She stood up, and lifted the blade to a mid-guard.

"Wait, Eryl..." Anakin began.

Then Eryl lifted the blade to a high guard. "All right, Tenel Ka."

Tenel Ka nodded her head, and set herself into a mid guard, waiting patiently for Eryl to strike.

Anakin glanced at Tenel Ka. "H-hey, Tenel Ka... Are you seriously going to do this?"

Then Eryl darted forward, her blade snaking in towards Tenel Ka's side.

Anakin watched, as Tenel Ka just snapped her blade in, and then Eryl's blade was spinning through the air. It landed with a clatter two meters from them. Eryl dropped to her knees, stunned at how quickly she was disarmed.

Tenel Ka lowered the point of her blade until it hovered centimeters from Eryl's face.

"Now, do you understand," she said to Eryl, her voice cold and hard.

Tenel Ka lowered her blade the rest of the way, as Eryl's face dropped, and she looked away from the both of them.

"I wonder if I'm just getting in the way," Eryl said softly, not looking up.

"You are," Tenel Ka replied.

Anakin's head snapped around to see the shock painted on Eryl's face. After a moment, she nodded her head once, and then stood up. "Ahh... I'm sorry, Tenel Ka." Then she looked towards Anakin. "You too, Anakin."

Before he could do anything, she had turned around and fled.

"Eryl, wait!" he called out after her, but she had already disappeared. His head snapped around, looking at Tenel Ka. "Hey, what's wrong with you?"

Tenel Ka stood there, her back to him, staring out over the jungles. After a moment, she replied. "I care for Eryl. I really do. That is why..."

Anakin arched an eyebrow. "You're so awkward?"

She did not respond, and he just turned to look at the blue sky and empty steps where Eryl had disappeared.

-----------------------------

Anakin walked through the shopping district. Weaving in and out of the other shoppers, lost in his own thoughts.

Now that it is Tenel Ka's naming day, what are we going to do? Anakin thought to himself. And the way Eryl acts... she's too easy going.

"Anakin!" someone behind him called out.

Startled, he turned towards the voice, and found Eryl standing in the doorway of a small cafe, smiling at him.

She waved him over and went into the cafe. Anakin followed, noting to himself that it was the same cafe where he had first met Tahiri when she was being chased by the baker. He entered, and found Eryl sitting at a table near the window. He dropped into the seat across from her and the droid server brought over a cup of tea for him.

She sighed, and then took a sip of her tea. Placing the cup back onto the saucer, she focused on him. "I'm sorry about earlier. I know I was bothering you both." Then she turned her attention towards the window. "I guess I'll have to apologize to Tenel Ka as well."

Anakin looked down at his own cup of tea, feeling oddly guilty. "Eryl... you haven't noticed any--"

He cut himself off, not certain if he should say anything. Hating himself for that uncertainty.

Eryl looked towards him. "Did you say something, Anakin?"

"N-no, it's nothing," Anakin replied, shaking his head. "I was just talking to myself is all."

She then looked down at her tea, her perpetual smile faltering. "Well, if you and Tenel Ka aren't saying anything, then I guess it's better if I don't ask."

I'm scum. A bonafide Hutt, he thought to himself as he gazed down at his tea.

Eryl looked up at him, and smiled again. "I said something vague, didn't I? I... I guess there's just something wrong with me today."

Anakin watched her for a moment, and then said, "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Why do you try so hard for Tenel Ka? You're like a big sister, covering for her and saving her."

Eryl shook her head. "I'm the one that was saved."

Anakin felt shock rush through him at her words, and he leaned forward slightly, suddenly more interested.

"You said, 'like a big sister,' right?" she continued. "Once, I was a big sister, for real. Although that was a long time ago."

Anakin listened silently as Eryl told her story.

"'You'll be a big sister soon, Eryl.' Dad told me. 'The baby will need a good role model. Don't forget that.'

"Of course I replied that I would be a good big sister, so that our family wouldn't be embarrassed. You see, my father insisted that children should have self-control, that they should not be spoiled, he was a space racer, and taught that we had to be on our best behavior all the time. Because he taught me that I must have good behavior all the time, well, I was liked by the other adults in the racing circuits.

"I... I was proud of that. That's... that's why I thought I should be very strict when dealing with Therin."

Eryl paused in her story, and picked up a napkin to dab at her eye for a moment. Then she picked up her cup of tea and took a sip. She placed the cup back onto the plate, and then continued.

"So, I was strict with Therin, just like my father.

"'You mustn't cry,' I would tell him when he cried. 'Children in this family must not be selfish,' I would scold. What is sad is that all I wanted to do was pat him on the head, hug him and then give him what he wanted...

"But, I believed that being strict was better, for Therin's sake. He developed slowly. Slower than the other children in the racing circuit. When it came time for him to begin the preschool lessons over the holonet, he still couldn't speak.

"And, he never really laughed. It saddened me when I was on a planet and would see other sisters walking their younger siblings around, and the two of them would be laughing and having fun. In the end, he was always alone and barely even interacted with the other students over the holonet.

"And as always, I was very strict with him. 'Pampering won't help him.' That's what I thought. That was how I believed.

"I remember we were on this one planet. It was Agamar, Therin and I were walking through a bazaar there, and he saw these cheap water blasters. Two credits a piece. I could have gotten one for him, instead I told him 'No,' and continued walking.

"I wanted to be nicer to him. I wanted to buy him snacks and toys and games and anything and everything he wanted. I... I wanted to see him smile."

She picked up the napkin to wipe away another tear, before continuing her story.

"The day before we were scheduled to leave, he fell ill. We took him to the medcenter. I didn't understand at the time, all I knew was that he was sick, and my parents were sad and afraid. I remember asking my father, 'When Therin gets better, can I pat him on the head, and play with him and tell him that he's done a good job?'

"My father nodded his head and replied, 'Yes, do that for me. I'm sure Therin would like that.'

"But Therin's condition never improved. After we had been on planet for three weeks, I realized that something was seriously wrong. It was the longest we had ever stayed in one place. We even missed a race.

"I decided that I could be a bad girl, just this once. I took all my credits and snuck out of the ship, and went to that bazaar. I bought two of those water blasters and every sweet I could find until I ran out of money. Then... then I snuck into the medcenter and into Therin's room. I climbed into his bed and woke him up. When he opened his eyes, he was afraid, scared that I was there to scold him.

"I told him that I wasn't there to scold him and then dumped the candy out onto the bed between us. 'I'm here to play. With you.' I told him. It was the first time that I had ever truly been honest when dealing with him.

"We ate that entire bag of candy, ate so much that we got sick. Then I told him, 'When you get better, we can eat this again. Just the two of us.'

"I then picked up the water blasters and gave him one, and told him that we could play with these when he was better as well. I told him that I had good reflexes and that I did all sorts of fun things, and that we would do those fun things together. Then for the first time in his life, I told him that I loved him. And then even though we were both crying, for the first time in his life, he smiled at me.

"And that became my first... and my last memory of playing with my little brother.

"After he died, I lost the ability to view myself as a human being. To myself, I was an object, the same as a book or a datapad. I lost the ability to laugh or cry. I lost the will to live and to love."

She paused in the story, pulling the sleeve of her tunic up slightly, revealing the thin white scars on her wrists, vertical slashes running from just the beneath her palm to up under her tunic. She rubbed her thumb over the scars and then tugged her cuff back down.

"It wasn't until I met Tenel Ka that I could laugh again. So you see, I'm not saving Tenel Ka. She saved me. It's... it's like she's filling in the hole that was left when Therin died. There's something almost healing about her, even while she seemed as lost and alone as I was. I just wanted to be her friend. I wanted her to be my friend."

"I see," Anakin replied solemnly.

Closing her eyes, Eryl tilted her head slightly as silence fell between them, and for the first time, Anakin noticed the soft music playing in the background.

"Do you know the name of this music?"

Anakin shook his head, "Not really, but I know I've heard it before."

"It's called Canon. It's by an Alderaanian composer, named Bail Uthen."

"Canon?"

She nodded her head. "While repeating the same melody over and over again, it gradually becomes more peaceful, more beautiful. Just like that, we repeat the same routine every day, but if we change just a little every day, then it's all right. Then everything will be all right."

Anakin took another sip of his tea. "I... I can understand that."

She opened her eyes again, focusing on him. "Someday, I may be able to remember something about Therin that isn't sad."

----------------------------

Anakin and Eryl stood outside of the cafe. She had a wistful smile on her face, her eyes still slightly red from the tears she had cried while telling him the story of Therin.

"Well," she began. "I'm going to go home and fix some food for Tenel Ka. Then we'll take it over to her room, how does that sound?"

"Sounds great," Anakin replied. "Comm me when you're ready."

"All right," she said, her smile becoming slightly brighter. Then she waved at him, and took off, running down the street. Anakin watched her for a moment, and then turned and went the other way, heading towards home.

A short while later, he arrived, and stepped into the apartment.

"I'm home," he called out.

Tahiri stood up in the living room, smiling at him. "Welcome back, Anakin!" she called as she walked closer to him.

He grinned at her. "So, how was Aunt Mara's jam?"

A shiver wracked her body, and she clutched her arms to her chest. Odd emotions played across her face, as she said, "I get the feeling that it's somehow different from normal food."

"You thought so as well, I see," Anakin replied.

Her head snapped up towards him, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "You mean you knew?! You could have told me!"

Anakin scratched at his chin. "But I get the feeling its good for you. It helps you grow big and strong and maybe even prevents cancer."

She growled at him, and he laughed, heading towards his room, so he could do the homework assigned to him from Master Horn.

An hour later, he glanced up at the clock, noticing the time. He frowned, and said, "She's late. Tenel Ka's going to be heading to the Temple soon."

"Anakin!" Jaina called out a moment before she pushed open his door. "Anakin, it's time for dinner."

Anakin spun in his chair to face his sister. "Ah, sorry. I'm going to a naming day celebration for a friend tonight."

He then stood up, and grabbed a jacket.

"Right now?" Jaina asked.

"Yeah," he replied. "I'll be back in a bit."

Anakin walked through the night, heading towards the Temple. If I don't tell Tenel Ka to get back to her room, then Eryl's cooking will go to waste.

"Wait," Anakin suddenly said out loud, coming to a halt. "If Eryl can't get in touch with me, then she might start looking for me... Kriff! If she knows what Tenel Ka and I are doing..."

He slapped his hands against his pockets, hunting for his comlink. Cursing as he realized that he had left it at home, he started running towards the nearest public access terminal. Arriving at it, he yanked open the door and stormed into the almost closet like space. He pushed the door shut behind him, and waited as the system booted up.

When it was finally running, he punched in the comcode for Jaina.

A few moments later, her voice issued from the tiny speakers. "Hello?"

"Jaina, has anyone called for me?"

"Yes, a girl. I think she said her name was Eryl."

"What did she say?"

"Well, after I had said that you had left, she said that she'd try to go as well."

Anakin felt horror course through his veins. He shut off the connection and ripped open the door, running out into the night, heading towards the school as quickly as he could.

I'm such an idiot, he accused himself. If I had just waited ten more minutes...

He ran into the Temple, and turned the corner heading towards the stairs. He skidded to a stop when he saw Tenel Ka standing there, her back to him, her sword in a loose grip, almost falling from her fingers. The light from the room she stared into spilled out into the darkened hallway around her. Anakin glanced at the sign by the door, recognizing the symbols for a refresher.

"Tenel Ka?"

She did not respond, and he took a step closer to her.

"Tenel Ka? Are you okay? You can hear me, right?"

"Hey, Tenel Ka--"

The sword clattered to the ground, and a moment later, Tenel Ka likewise collapsed. She curled up around herself, pulling her legs close to her chest.

"Tenel Ka!"

He rushed to her side, sliding to a stop. Her eyes were wide and filled with pain, misery and fear. Despite the fact that he was right there in front of him, she appeared to not see him, but rather continued to stare into the refresher.

Slowly, he twisted to look into the room.

The first thing he saw was a stuffed Affytechan. It was coated in a reddish-brown sludge, and looked like a wild animal had been at it.

Beyond that was a box laying broken on its side. The foodstuffs it had contained were strewn about the refresher, as if whatever had destroyed the stuffed animal, and just thrown the food around randomly.

His mind tried to process what he had seen. He knew that there was something important there, but what, just refused to click into place.

Then he saw her.

She lay in a puddle of blood, her eyes were open wide, but were blank, lacking the laughter and life that he had so often seen in them.

Horror sliced through him, and took root in his heart as his mind finally caught up to the horror he was seeing. As the tableau clicked in his consciousness.

In a hoarse, pained whisper, he said her name, "Eryl..."

----------------------------

The antiseptic smell of Bacta and medicine hung heavily on the air as he stood watch over Eryl's bed. A few paces behind him, stood Tenel Ka, still in shock at finding Eryl. She had barely been able to function enough to help him get her to the medcenter.

The nurse, who stood on the far side of the bed, glanced up from her datapad. The movement caught Anakin's eye and he shifted focus off of Eryl and onto him.

"She'll survive, but she'll have to be hospitalized for a while," the nurse explained. "Are you her friends? Do we know where her family is?"

"I commed them," Anakin explained. "They're on their way."

The nurse turned back to Eryl, and continued speaking. "Well, either way we're going to have to contact security."

As the nurse was talking, Anakin slowly backed away, grabbing Tenel Ka and pulling her from the room. He turned the corner, and the nurse's voice faded away.

Dragging Tenel Ka along, he led them out of the medcenter. Before long, they were slowly walking back towards the Temple. Anakin a step or two ahead carrying Tenel Ka's sword. Tenel Ka herself following him, her head bowed. She stared down at her feet as she shuffled along the path.

Into the silence, Anakin spoke. "Well, it looks like Eryl knew what we were doing the entire time, and she still pretended to not know, even though she was so worried over us both."

Suddenly she ripped the sword from his hand, and pulled off the cloth wrapping Anakin had placed it in.

In a rage, she swung the weapon at a stone fence, crushing a section of it. Then she spun and sliced through a thin, decorative tree.

Screaming, she jumped up and landed next to a child's riding toy. She sent her blade slicing through it, and then darted forward to send her blade through the door of a parked speeder.

She yanked the blade back out, and by then Anakin had caught up with her. From behind her, he slipped his arms beneath hers, and laced his fingers behind her neck, attempting to immobilize her.

She struggled in his grip.

"Tenel Ka! Stop it! It's my fault! It's my fault that Eryl got hurt again!"

"No!" Tenel Ka cried out, the first words she had spoken since they had found Eryl. "It is my fault. If I had told her the truth sooner..."

Her body went limp in his arms, even as it was wracked by her sobs.

"I am the only one who never gets hurt..." she said in a weak voice. "I cause everyone else pain..."

Then she pushed upwards, trying to break his grip on her. "Why am I the only one?!"

"Calm down, Tenel Ka!" Anakin hissed in her ear.

Then he noticed movement from her sword, she was bringing it around, positioning its tip beneath her chin.

Acting on instinct, he dropped his grip on her, and pulled that arm up and away. He slid his hand down the inside of her arm, until his fingers caught in the sword's guard. Then with a slight push, he sent the sword flying through the air.

It came to a rest, even as Anakin was twisting Tenel Ka around to face him.

"You idiot!" he scolded her. Then he grabbed her face in both of his hands, and leaned forward until they noses were only centimeters apart. He looked into her grey eyes as tears streamed down her face, and wondered how he could ever have thought those eyes cold and heartless, filled as they were with such pain. "What do you think will happen if you hurt yourself? You'll just lose everything."

He paused for a moment.

"Do you want to lose everything? Everything that you, Eryl and I have made together?"

He paused again, watching the tears as they streamed down her face.

"Answer me, Tenel Ka."

Slowly, she shook her head. "I... I d-do not..."

He straightened, and pulled her to him, wrapping her in his arms.

"Then let's go back to the Temple. Let's end this tonight. If you're going to blame yourself, do it later. Okay?"

She did not answer, and he stepped away, and looked down at her again. The tears still flowed freely.

He placed his hands on her shoulder, and gave her a gentle shake. "Okay?"

Finally she lifted her head slightly, her eyes focused on his. "I... I will do as you say."

Anakin smiled at her, and pulled her close for another hug; surprised as her arms snaked around his waist.

---------------------------

They walked through the Temple, swords in hand. She took the lead, with him a step behind her. The dark casting odd shadows on the walls and in the classrooms.

"How many are left?" Anakin asked Tenel Ka.

"Three," she replied.

Then he could see the distortion flicker into existence beyond her. Anger and hate seemed to reverberate through the Force.

Suddenly he could feel pain and loneliness wash through him, coming from behind him. He spun around, to see another distortion slip around the corner of a connecting hallway.

Anakin pressed his back against Tenel Ka's and raised his sword.

"Let's take care of all of them tonight," he said. "And then, we'll go for some gyoodun."

He could feel it as she nodded her head, once quickly in acceptance. "Yes."

---

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Jedi Adept: A Path in the Dark Ch. 2

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Tahiri watched as Noelani ran through the door to the stairwell. As the door slowly swung close, she turned back towards Luke and through clenched teeth hissed, "Well, Luke, I hope you're proud of yourself".

Her eyes flicked between the Masters, finally ending up on Tionne who stood next to her, watching the door that Noelani had disappeared through. A moment later Tionne's eyes slid away from the door to focus on Tahiri.

Pain and grief were evident on Tionne's lined face, making her look even older than before. Conflicting emotions warred in her chest for a moment. Tahiri managed a small smile, more of a grimace really, and then spun on her heel, and stormed from the Council Chambers.

With a flick of the Force, she flung the doors shut behind her, the boom it caused echoing through the small room, making the Padawan on guard jump in fright.

Anger boiled through Tahiri, threatening to consume her. For weeks, she had attempted to meditate the anger away, attempted to resolve the conflict in her heart. Yet it was constantly there, just beneath the surface, an anger, a hate, one that burned brightly in her chest.

She had yet to even consider forgiving Luke for what he had done to them. Something made even more inconceivable to her after this latest betrayal.

Her body tense, clenched, she stomped down the stairwell, heading towards the quarters that she had shared with Noelani. She moved through the Jedi Temple like a wraith, skirting the edges of the groups of Jedi that wandered the hallways, until finally she was at her quarters.

She stepped through the doorway, and pain slashed through her. The common room was right there before her, a mishmash of hers and Noelani's personalities. The room was decorated with a smattering of eclectic belongings; souvenirs from missions and training, there was even a shimmering holograph of the two of them on the Skorch fields of Ossus. That was sitting on a shelf in the corner, easily visible from Tahiri's vantage point by the door.

Everything about the room stung at her; painful reminder of everything she had lost; gained and then lost again.

Her fists clenched tight again, the pain from her fingernails digging into the flesh of her palms clearing her mind. She walked through the common room into the third bedroom, the one she had set up as a meditation room in what was beginning to feel like another life.

She walked to the center of the room, and exhaled, trying to calm the inferno in her soul. She sank down to her knees, and then twisted her legs together as she assumed a classic meditation pose. She closed her eyes, and began the simple breathing exercises that she had been taught her first year of training. The simple breathing exercises that were probably the very first thing she had ever learned at the Jedi Praxeaum.

With a jolt, she remembered that Anakin had been by her side when she was learning this exercise, his right knee gently touching her left; as they both had their eyes closed and listened to what Tionne was telling them.

Her mind supplied the appropriate memory.

Tionne walked through the ranks of the young Jedi. Anakin right there, their bodies so close, she could smell the shampoo he used.

"Inhale. Exhale." Tionne commanded them. She took a few more steps. "It's deceptively easy. Everyone breathes."

"Not everyone," Anakin had interrupted then.

"I'm sorry, Anakin? What was that?"

She could feel the burst of embarrassment from her friend, and for a moment, she was startled from the memory. She had forgotten how close their bond had been, even back when they were untrained students.

Then the memory once more exerted itself, with Anakin saying, "Not everyone breathes. For example the Gand don't breathe, but rather get the essential elements needed for respiration through consuming food."

Tahiri remembered giggling at this; at the look of exasperation on Master Tionne's face.

The Jedi Master had rubbed at her temple for a moment, and exhaled slowly. Then she had smiled at Anakin. "That may be, but there are no Gand in this room. Everyone here breathes."

"Oh," he had replied, and then once more closed his eyes.

Tionne resumed her circuit around the room. "It's a deceptively easy practice, yet focus on what you're doing. Think about the mechanics and then picture when you are exhaling, you're blowing out all the frustrations, annoyances, and all the emotions which are struggling to break your concentration. Then imagine that when you are inhaling, you're breathing in the serenity of the Force itself."

Tahiri felt her lips twist slightly at the memory. She hadn't realized then that what Tionne had been doing was that very same breathing exercise when she was talking to Anakin.

She focused on breathing. On inhaling and exhaling. On breathing in serenity and breathing out the anger.

Finally, she felt her mind beginning to calm. She felt the fire that burned in her chest begin to bank slightly. A wave of relief rushed through her.

She opened her eyes, and glanced at the chrono. With a start, she realized that nearly twenty hours had passed from when she entered the room and now.

Her stomach grumbled and with a groan, she leveraged herself up from the sitting position she had been in. Her joints popped as she stretched out. She looked around the small room which Nelani and she had decorated, and grief over what had happened slammed into her again.

She dropped back to her knees, her back curling as she leaned over them. A wave of sobs wracked her body, as she shook with the fierceness of her emotions. The tears streaked down her face, and she lifted a balled fist and slammed it into the padded floor. Lifting her head, she saw a vase on one of the shelves. It had been a naming day gift from Cilghal two years ago. With a snarl, she stretched out her hand and a wave of Force energy slashed out, and struck the vase. It shattered, and for a heartbeat, Tahiri felt better, cleaner.

Then the anger and grief crashed in on her again, threatening to engulf her once more.

She covered her face with her hands, and fresh tears shook her body. I, I can't do this… I can't be a Jedi anymore. I'm sorry, Anakin. I'm so sorry.

After what seemed like forever, her tears dried up again, and all she was left with was an aching, empty feeling in the pit of her stomach; an open, hungry hole, waiting to consume her. She pulled herself up, and stumbled out of the room, her eyes catching Anakin's saber where it rested on a shelf next to a hologram of him. Her shoulders hitched at his lop-sided grin, and she grabbed both items up off of the shelf. Cradling the saber and the picture in her arms, she walked into her room.

Little mementos were all around her, and she dropped the saber and the hologram onto her bed. Then moving in a daze, she grabbed the travel bag from her closet, and threw in half a dozen changes of clothes, and a few additional belongings.

Gingerly, she picked up Anakin's lightsaber and pushed that into the bag as well, then followed that with his hologram. Finally, she walked over to the shelves that lined the wall, and plucked up a few additional holograms, concentrating on the ones that had Noelani in them.

Putting those last few things into her bag, she walked out of the room. Crossing the common area, she stuck her head into the room which, until recently, was Nelani's. She inhaled deeply, smelling the gentle soap which her little girl used. Her eyes flicked around the room, noting the small gadgets that were haphazardly strewn around.

Her body hitched again, this time though she fought the tears.

She turned around and left the room, and then the apartment. Quickly, she moved down the hall, and thumbed the page button for the turbolift.

Ten minutes later, she was standing outside the Council chambers, staring at the closed door. Her eyes flicked over to the young Arcornian Padawan who was standing guard.

She stepped forward, placing her hand on the door. The Arcornian glanced at her, and swallowed nervously. "I'm sorry, Knight Veila, but the Council is in session and has asked to not be disturbed."

Tahiri glanced at him, and grinned. "It'll be okay, Padawan. I'll only be a minute."

Before he could reply, she pulled the doors opened with a slight touch of the Force. Once more the rooms reverberated with a loud bang. She suppressed a smile and walked in. Her head held high. Her steps even.

Inside though, her stomach was doing flips, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to scream, cry or just go hide in a closet somewhere.

"Knight Veila," Luke began, anger briefly clouding his features. "We were not expecting you; to what do we owe this… pleasure."

Tahiri's gaze flipped from one master to the next. Once she saw that she had everyone's attention, she focused on Luke.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking recently. Soul searching if you will. Pondering my past, my present, and my future. And I've realized something. You've karked over my life, Luke. More than once. And you know what? I'm tired of it all. I deserve better than this, and if this is how you treat your Jedi… well, I guess I can't be one then. So, I guess, this is good bye." She quickly looked around the room, her eyes lingering for a second on Tionne, and then she was once more focused on Luke. "I hereby formally resign from the Jedi." Tionne gasped, and Tahiri glanced over at her again. "Take care of my daughter, Tionne."

She pulled out her saber, and snapped open the case, carefully extracting the crystal from its interior. Closing it back up, she lifted her arm and then made a slashing downward motion, releasing her grip on the saber, even as she enhanced its speed with the Force.

A moment later she looked down, and saw half of the hilt of her weapon sticking out of the ground. She grinned slightly, as she realized it was right in the center of the Jedi Sigil which decorated the floor. Cracks in the marble spread out from the hilt in a spider web pattern; marring the perfection of the Jedi sigil.

Somewhat appropriate, she thought to herself.

She spun on one foot and calmly strode from the room. As she pushed the doors closed behind her, she could feel the Force erupting, as the Council devolved into argument.

Taking the lift, she went down to the ground floor of the Temple, and began her long walk towards the main entrance.

She had taken a dozen steps down the hallway, and then pulled out her comlink, and by memory entered a number.

It clicked with the connection and then a strained voice issued from the speaker. "Yes?"

Tahiri paused for a moment, closing her eyes. He sounds so much like his brother. Finally, she opened them again. "Hey Jacen, this is Tahiri. Do you have a few minutes?"

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