Memories - Ch. 20

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Breaking the kiss, she pulled away from him, dropping back to the flats of her feet. Opening his eyes, he saw hers slowly open as well. An emotion Anakin could not define shone in her eyes, and though her tears had stopped flowing, some still lined her eyes. Her mouth opened, and then she shut it quickly as she took a step back from him, chewing on her lower lip. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, and he wondered for a moment just what was wrong.

"I... uh..uhm.. I'm sorry," she stuttered.

"D-don't apologize," he snapped at her.

"B,but I ignored your feelings," she replied, lowering her head, her eyes seemed to darken somehow. "I...."

Without realizing what he was about to say, he spoke. "I love you, Tahiri."

Her head snapped up to look at him, her eyes opening wide, one hand coming up to cover her mouth.

"Do you love me," he asked her.

"I.... I... I do. I've loved you for years and years." She looked down into her hands for a moment, and then back up at him. "I... I think that if you loved me, then I could love you. Forever." Blushing, she looked away from him once again. "I don't really understand it, but I think it's something like that."

He watched as the blush on her cheeks grew darker and more pronounced.

"Uhm..." she began. "What am I saying? I shouldn't be talking about things that like that. It isn't like me."

"No, my thoughts are the same," Anakin replied, smiling down at her. "We've lost six years. We need to regain that time."

"Anakin..."

Then she flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around his chest, squeezing him tightly.

"Then let's meet here tomorrow. Here at this bench, it will be like old times. We'll meet just like we used to."

Letting his own arms wrap around her, Anakin nodded his head. "Yeah, like we used to."

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He pushed open the door and stepped into the apartment, Tahiri entering right behind him. He looked around, and went into the kitchen area, Tahiri still by his side. Once there, he saw Jaina wiping down the table as Mara prepped a meal in the kitchen.

His aunt looked up from the vegetables she was cutting and smiled at them both. "Welcome back, you two."

"Uh... Yeah, we're home."

A frown flickered across his face, as he quickly glanced down at Tahiri. Something about the situation rankled, and he wondered how Mara and Jaina would feel about the change in his relationship with Tahiri.

Trying to think of something to change the subject to, he looked over at Jaina once again. "Ah, so Jaina, you're helping Aunt Mara tonight?"

"Yeah," Jaina replied, one eyebrow lifting slightly. "So, you met up with Tahiri... did you find the lost item?"

"Nope, not yet," he said, and then looked down at Tahiri again. "Right?"

"Yeah," Tahiri replied, a blush cropping up on her cheeks.

Anakin noticed the smirk that Mara was fighting to keep from her face as she shot a look towards his sister. Internally, he sighed.

She waved her hand towards the bedrooms. "Why don't you two go wash your hands and get ready for dinner?"

Anakin nodded. "Yeah," he said as he looked down at Tahiri. "Come on, let's go."

He then walked from the room, noticing the slight hesitation before Tahiri followed him. As soon as the left the kitchen, she bolted past him, running down the hallway towards her room.

Startled he watched her disappear into her room. He stared at the closed door for a moment, wondering if he had done something wrong. If he had hurt her somehow. Sighing, he entered his own room, and dropped onto his bed. He put his hands behind his head, and looked up at the ceiling, thinking about this afternoon; about the kiss.

Ikrit jumped up onto the foot of the bed, and started walking up his legs. Frowning, he kicked, knocking the white creature back slightly.

As he felt Ikrit once more climbing towards him, he closed his eyes...

Opening his eyes again, he found himself huffing as he ran through the Temple. Everything seemed oversize, too big, the doorway, the com units, benches, everything. He frowned, and then suddenly realized that this must be another dream.

Turning a corner, he stumbled to a stop; there was the dream version of Tahiri. His breath caught in his throat, and he suddenly felt his palms grow slick with sweat. She sat on a bench, idly kicking her feet as she hummed one of Tionne's ballads, her head bounced from side-to-side in time with the music. Slowly, he approached her, struggling to regain control of his heart.

"Ah, sorry I'm late," he said.

She looked up at him, a smile touching her lips. "I'm just happy that you're here."

She jumped up off of the bench, and reached out for his hand. Instinctively, his own slid out and grasped hers. Together, they turned and ran giggling from the Temple. Heading towards the great river where it glittered in the dim sunlight.

The river itself appeared the same as always. Meters across, and with a fast current. Anakin watched a limb as it bobbed up in down, pulled downstream by the current. He looked around the area, flickers of memory superimposing themselves over what he was seeing.

He frowned, when he saw the raft. It was wood, worn, a dingy brown color, and beached on the shore a few meters to their left. Staring at it for a moment, he then looked around again. Turning back to the raft, he then scratched at the top of his head and said, "I thought it was supposed to be silver?"

Tahiri paused as well, and looked up into the darkening sky for a moment, before turning her attention back to the raft. "In the dream it was, but that's just a dream. I'm surprised to find a raft here at all."

"I don't know..."

"Oh, come on, Dummy," she said, sighing loudly as she walked to the raft and began punishing it out into the river.

Sighing, he followed her, and began to help her push the raft into the river. They clambered into the rocking boat, and Anakin picked up an oar.

He slipped the oar into the water and pulled it towards him, propelling the boat down river. He frowned. This was nothing like the dream. There were no clouds, no storm. Finally, they stopped at the broken old temple from their dreams. He beached the raft, and climbed out, turning to help Tahiri get to land.

She stared into the darkened doorway. "What do you think is in there?"

He shook his head, an instinctive fear clutching at his heart. "Dunno, but we're here now, and this is where our dream is leading us... so we need to find out."

He held his hand out, and she looked at it for a moment. Then she reached out and slipped her hand into his. Smiling at her, he gently squeezed her hand, and then faced the doorway again.

Together, they crossed the threshold and went into the darkness beyond.

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Anakin walked past the table, yawning. Ignoring everything but the strong scent of caf, he went into the kitchen and poured himself a cup, and after adding in an appropriate amount of sweetener, took a first, hesitant sip.

"Good morning, Anakin." Jaina said from the table.

He looked up to find her sitting there, wide awake and already dressed for school. In his surprise, he coughed, spewing caf over the counter in front of him.

A frown flickered onto her face. "You're overreacting, Anakin."

"What's going on?" he asked. "I thought you didn't have morning practices any more because the tournament was over."

"The tournament is over, but she still has to practice," Mara said from her seat opposite of Jaina.

Jaina stood up from her seat. "Well, I'll be off now."

Mara stood up as well. "Do you think you'll be home early today? There's a couple of things I want to go over with you."

"I'm sure I can manage that," Jaina replied as the two left the kitchen.

Frowning slightly, Anakin took another swallow of his caf.

A short while later, he was walking down the path, Tahiri there beside him.

"You're up early too," he said.

"Yup," she replied nodding her head vigorously. "It's good to be the first person to class on occasion."

"Is your school that much fun?"

"Of course."

"Why?"

"Well," she said, as she lifted her head to look at the sky. After a moment, she raised a finger. "First, there's seeing friends that I only see at school." Suddenly, she stopped and looked around, turning in the direction opposite of the Temple. "Well, this is it. Don't forget your promise for after school."

He grinned. "Don't go following a stranger, even if he gives you a canapé."

She stomped her feet, and yelled, "I'm not a child!"

He crossed his arms over his chest, and smirked at her. "You're a child until you can solve hyperspatial cubic equations in your head, like it's child's play. Do you even know what hyperspatial cubic equations are?"

She frowned, and started to chew on a knuckle. "Not really..."

Smiling, he tucked his thumbs behind his belt. "I don't either."

"What!" she yelped and then reached out and smacked his chest.

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After school, Anakin ran through the shopping district, heading towards the bench where he had promised he would meet Tahiri. He glanced at his chrono, and realized that he was already fifteen minutes late. Finally, he arrived at the bench, and staggered to a stop.

Scowling, she flipped her hair over her shoulder. "You're late, Anakin."

"Sorry," he replied, his breath coming in deep gasps. "But, I had to help clean up after the lesson."

"Oh, I see," she replied, bouncing up off the bench. "Well, in that case, I guess it couldn't be helped."

Anakin looked up at the sky. "Well, it'll get dark if we don't hurry."

She grinned at him. "So, where do we get to go?"

"Why that place, of course."

She tilted her head, a frown flickering on her lips. "'That place?' Where is that place?"

Anakin shrugged his shoulders. "Is it the shopping district? You always seem to be here."

"Ah," she responded. "Yes, it's the shopping district."

"Great," Anakin smirked, holding out his hand towards her. "Shall we go holding hands?"

Her face shifted towards crimson. "No, it's embarrassing."

"Kissing is fine," he said, arching an eyebrow at her. "But holding hands is embarrassing?"

"Uh... That... uhm... Well..."

Anakin chuckled and then turned away and started walking. "Come on, if you don't hurry, I'll leave you behind."

"Wait!" she called out, running to catch up to him.

They walked the first block in silence, and he could see the blush that was still on her cheeks.

"I don't really mind holding hands," she muttered.

"What?"

Then she reached out and grasped his hand, squeezing it tightly in hers. "See... isn't that warmer?"

"Yeah..."

The two then spent the next two hours searching the shopping district for Tahiri's lost item. Unable to find it before the sun had set in the west, Anakin bought them both a canapé, and they retreated to a bench. He leaned his head back, and looked up at the stars.

"So," he began. "We still couldn't find it today."

"Yeah," she replied, her voice soft and low. "But you know... maybe it's better if we don't." She reached over and covered his hand with hers. "What I'm looking for is something I must not need, if I'm this happy."

She looked away, and he saw a blush crop up on her cheeks. "Besides," she continued. "I don't think I mind that I don't have it now. If I need it later, I can always look for it then."

"Okay," he replied, smiling at her.

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Anakin stepped out of the refresher, toweling the water from his hair, when he heard Jaina's voice echoing down the hallway.

"Just as I thought, you look cute in that."

Then he heard Tahiri's reply. "Well, I think it might not fit right."

As he knocked on the door, Jaina was speaking again. "That's not true; it looks good- Come in!"

He opened the door and stepped into the room. "What are you two d-"

The ability to form words fled him as he stared at Tahiri wearing one of Jaina's outfits--the one cut along Corellian lines which she used during tournaments. Though Tahiri was the younger girl, she was taller, with slightly different, larger, proportions than his sister, which meant that the outfit was snug, showing off every curve of her body.

Anakin could feel his cheeks flaming, as he stared at the blond girl.

"What do you think Anakin?" she said, as she spun around.

He closed his eyes, and exhaled slowly. "Are you going to take up lightsabers or something?"

"You know it's my outfit," Jaina replied while rolling her eyes. "But she looks good in it, doesn't she?"

"I wished I went to your school," Tahiri said wistfully. "It sounds like a lot of fun."

Anakin shrugged his shoulders. "Well, yours is nice and relaxed. Come to think of it, I've never seen you study."

She giggled. "As long as I study at school, I can manage."

Jaina frowned for a moment. "You school is just over the big river, right?"

Tahiri quickly nodded her head. "Yes, it's just downstream a little bit."

Frowning, Jaina tugged on a lock of her hair. "When did they put a school up over there?"

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Anakin sat in the chair at his desk, a headset blasting music into his ears as he read the text for the next day's class.

A crack of thunder drew his attention and he looked outside to see the rain pouring down. Thick sheets, interrupted occasionally by a blue-white flare of lightning. He watched the rain for a moment, and then turned back to his terminal, getting lost once more in the finer points of biotechnological ethics.

When the current song ended, there was a pause before the next song came on, and he heard a knocking sound. Frowning, he took off his headset, and the knocking grew louder. He got up, and walked over to the door that led to the balcony, and opened the curtains, to find Tahiri on the other side. She was sodden, her hair hanging limp around her face, as her arms were clutched in front of her chest. Shivers wracked her body, as she pleaded at him with her eyes.

"Tahiri!" he shouted in alarm as he pulled open the door.

She stumbled inside, dropping to her knees, her body still shaking. He ran and grabbed a couple of towels, and then returned, rubbing down her hair and shoulders. Once he had moped up most of the wetness, he yanked the blanket from his bed and wrapped it around her. Then he picked her up, and dropped her onto his bed, rubbing her shoulders, trying to help her warm up.

A minute or so later, he straightened, and said, "I'll be right back with some caf."

He went to the kitchen, and quickly prepared a cup of caf for her. When he got back to his room, he handed her the cup, and she took an experimental sip, sighing as she swallowed the warm drink. Her teeth still chattering, she looked up at him. "T-t-t-that w-w-w-was c-c-c-cold."

"Sorry," he replied, scratching at the top of his head. "I didn't realize you were out there."

"Don't worry, I was the one that did it. I just can't believe I let my door lock behind me."

He grinned at her. "So, you're here as a robber tonight?"

She growled slightly, her head snapping up to look at him. "A robber wouldn't have knocked."

"Well then, what were you doing out there?"

Blushing, she turned away. "I... I just came to talk with you."

He laughed. "Then why not use the hallway?"

"I was worried that I would wake up Jaina when I walked past her door."

Anakin sighed, and shook his head. "Jaina's such a heavy sleeper, little things like footsteps have no chance of waking her up."

"Well," she replied, looking back at him. "That may be... but..."

"You're such an idiot."

Anger flushed her cheeks as she narrowed her eyes and stared at him. Her lips compressed into a thin line, as she said, "You don't have to be so blunt about it."

"But," he continued, dropping down to kneel in front of her. "That's one of the things I like about you, so I guess I'm an idiot as well."

The redness on her cheeks flared brighter as her face softened in surprise. "Really?"

Chuckling once, he nodded his head, and then glanced out into the rain. "But seriously, if you get scared so easily, why'd you go out there?"

"Because I wanted to see you," she replied, and then she looked down at her hands. "It's lonely being alone in that room by myself."

Leaning forward, he lifted himself up slightly, and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. He lingered there for less than a minute, but it felt like forever. She was quiet, her eyes large and round, and her mouth opened slightly.

Straightening up, he smiled down at her, and then walked over to the door. He opened the curtains and then stared out into the night and the storm. A few moments later Tahiri stepped up beside him, and leaned against him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and could feel how chilled her arm still was.

"Are you still cold?" he asked.

"No," she replied, shaking her head into the side of his chest. "I'm fine. Thank you."

They stood in silence for a few moments before Tahiri spoke again. "Anakin? Do you like it here?"

He glanced down at her for a moment, and then looked back out at the rain. "I... yeah, I think I do. So much stuff has happened since I came back, but despite it all, or maybe because of it all, I think I'm happy here. I like being a Jedi. For the first time in years, I can say that I'm truly happy."

He looked down at her, and saw the wistful smile she had on her face.

"Y'know, if you weren't training to be a Jedi, we could have gone to the same school."

"I'd like to see your school, and why aren't you in training yourself? I remember you used to be."

"Well, I'll take you to my school tomorrow after your training is over. As for my training, I... I don't quite remember... I don't think I made it. I... I think they might have told me that I couldn't be a Jedi. That I needed to wait a bit before trying again."

He watched her for a moment, the way her eyebrows had narrowed, and her eyes flickered back and forth as she thought hard, the way she was chewing on her lips, and the way she wrung her hands together. He decided to not ask any more about her Force potential. Instead, he turned back to the night. "Yeah, we'll go tomorrow afternoon."

"Great," she said, a large smile coming to her face. "Then we'll meet at the bench. Look forward to it, okay?"

He couldn't help but be warmed by her smile. He nodded his head. "I will."

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Anakin stepped out into the hallway, Tahiri still leaning against the door jamb watching him. Then the door to Mara's apartment opened up. Looking that way, Anakin saw her emerge from her apartment dressed in a set of dark green Jedi robes. The Jedi Master smiled at them, and Anakin waved bye to Tahiri.

Together, he and Mara stepped onto the lift, and he pushed the button for the ground floor.

Smiling, he looked over at Mara. "You're out early today."

"Yes," she replied with a chuckle. "Someone scheduled a Council meeting for this karking hour."

She's on the Council? he wondered.

"Are you still having trouble with your memory Anakin?'

"Yeah..."

"You don't remember anything about what happened six years ago?"

"No, not really," he replied, rubbing his hand down his face.

"I see," she responded and then looked away.

"Is there something that you're not telling me, Aunt Mara?"

"No, it's nothing. Only... well, only one of the Temples was razed, and..."

Then with a ping, the doors slid open for the ground floor, and without finishing her thought, she stepped off the Lift and walked away. Anakin watched as she disappeared through the door, wondering what she had been talking about. Wondering exactly what it was that she knew that he didn't.

Sighing, he left the building, and began the long hike to the Jedi Academy.

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He was sitting beside Tahiri on the bench, staring at the clouds as they rolled across the sky. The sun was nearing the horizon and cast an orangish-red tint over everything. He had bought them each a canapé, and she was happily eating hers, humming a tune he didn't recognize.

Suddenly, the tune stopped. "Hey, Anakin? If... well... if..... What would you do if you were my first love?"

He thought for a moment, and then decisively nodded his head. "Well, I'd ask you to change that this moment."

"What? Why?" she asked, panic causing her voice to rise slightly.

Blushing, he looked away from her. "It's often said that first loves don't come true."

She jumped up out of her seat, and stood in front of him, leaning over so that she would be eye level with him. "Anakin! Could it be that you're saying something embarrassing?"

"Leave me alone..."

She giggled. "But your face is all red."

"That's because of the sunset."

She straightened up, and took another bite of her canapé, chewing thoughtfully. Swallowing, she asked, "What was your first love like?"

He looked at her for a moment, and then averted his eyes from her again. "Well, I don't know if she was my first love or not... but I had a crush on an older girl."

"Oh? An older girl?"

"Yeah," he replied, blushing. "But other than that..."

Part of an image flashed through his mind's eye. Blond curls, lips twisted into a scream. He shuddered, and as fast as the image appeared it was gone--lost to the fog in his mind.

"I don't remember that well," he continued. "But I do remember that something sad happened..."

"Something sad?"

He lifted his head quickly and grinned at her, noting the worried expression painted on her face "Nothing. I'm just talking to myself." He stood up. "Don't worry about it, it's in the past. Tahiri, are you happy right now?"

She smiled brightly for him. "Yep, I am." Then she lowered her face slightly as her expression darkened. "But sometimes... sometimes I'm not so sure."

"Not sure?"

"I'm scared of the happiness," she explained. "It's so frightening, and I'm uneasy, and it feels like the reality right in front of me is nothing but a dream."

"You're thinking too much," he replied.

"Yeah," she said, not sounding entirely convinced.

"Besides, it doesn't suit you to give such serious lines.

She looked up at him, her eyes narrowing once again. "Dummy, don't tease me."

He grinned at her. "It's not the same as it was six years ago. I'm not going anywhere this time. I'll be here for you. I'll be right beside you."

Tears lined her eyes, as she sniffled. "Serious lines don't suit you, either."

"Well, I'm sorry," he replied.

Then her shoulders began to shake, and the threatened tears began to fall. They sliced down her face, splashing against the half-eaten canapé in her hands.

"You're canapé's going to get salty."

She laughed through her tears. "That's okay... it'll be a nostalgic taste."

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They were walking towards the north, just leaving the shopping district. In the distance, Anakin could make out the great river, and the bridges that spanned it for the new construction on its far banks.

"How long does it take to get to your school?"

"Oh, about thirty minutes," she replied.

"So, it's a walk," he said, looking up at the sky, and noticing that the next wave of rain clouds were starting to roll in. "Let's hurry; it looks like it's about to come down again."

They reached the river, and she looked around for a moment, as if she were confused. Then she turned right, and started walking towards the forest on the river's edge.

He caught up with her quickly. "So it's out this way? It's at a really inconvenient place..."

"Yeah..."

He looked down, noticing the odd expression on her face; a mixture of fear, and concern. Frowning, he asked, "Hey, are you sure there's a school this way?"

"There is one," she replied. Then her face hardened slightly. "There is definitely one!"

She took off running, dodging the undergrowth.

"Tahiri!" he called out after her, giving chase.

They ran for fifteen minutes, before Tahiri paused and looked around her. Anakin leaned against a tree, his breathing coming in ragged gasps. "Hey, are you sure you're going the right way?"

She looked over her shoulder at him, and he noticed that she wasn't even breathing hard. "I'm sure." She turned away from him, and continued speaking. "It's the school I've been going to. I went to it today, and I met my friends there."

Then she started walking deeper into the woods.

He noticed that they had begun to walk up a hill, and Tahiri's pace quickened. "See! You can just now start to make it out. Beyond that ridge is my..."

She had crested the hill and stopped.

He stepped up beside her and looked out at a field that had at one time contained a Massassi temple. The stone work was still standing in some places, but most of it had been melted down by turbolaser. Anakin looked around, a frown coming to his face.

"No... it's... it's nothing," Tahiri muttered.

In the back of his mind, he heard Mara's words again: one of the Temples was razed, and...

Tahiri started moving forward, heading towards the melted stone. Anakin watched her, listening as she mumbled, "No... way... why... I was... why?"

She stopped a few meters shy of the first bit of stone. "I know this place. School? I was... was... but... then... why..." She raised her face towards the heavens, her shoulders started to shake, and he could hear the tears in her voice. "Am I not supposed to be here? It's a joke! It can't be."

She dropped to her knees, and put her hands over her face, her body shaking.

"Tahiri!" he called out, running forward.

Suddenly, she yanked the school bag off her shoulder, and undid its clasp.

"I had school today, I was here," she screamed at the bag.

Her body froze as she stared into the bag.

"Tahiri," he said, as he neared her. "What's wrong? What's going on?"

She set the bag on the ground in front of her, and he noticed that it was empty. "I... I have to search for it," she replied as she stood up.

She turned towards him and then ran past him.

"Hey! Tahiri!" he called out. He ran over and snatched up her bag, and then chased after her.

She ran through the woods as if she were a part of them, while the limbs and branches seemed to snag him every time he moved forward. As he ran, he looked up and noticed that the sky had darkened appreciably.

Panting, he ran faster, pausing as night finally fell around him. "Tahiri!"

He received no answer, and then continued running. He passed a path, one lined with lights, and slowed to a stop. Sitting in one of the pools of light was Tahiri, her hands digging into the dirt beneath her.

Working to get his breathing back under control, he stood there watching her.

Finally, he started forward, worried that she would run again. He stopped a few paces from her. "Tahiri, what are you doing?"

She just continued to dig in the dirt. Leaning over, digging her fingers into the hard packed ground, and then pulling her hands towards her.

"What are you doing?" he yelled.

She jumped, and slowly lifted her head. Her green eyes were bright with pain and fear and her voice was soft and weak. "Searching for my lost item."

She then turned back to her digging.

"Lost item? It's somewhere around here? Buried?"

She nodded her head once, quickly. "Yeah..."

"Then we can look for it together, tomorrow once the sun has come up."

Her shoulders started to shake. "I can't," she said. Then she looked up at him again, the tears once more streaming down her face. "I can't... because the night might never end."

He watched her as she watched him. Then she looked down at the ground once more, and began to dig.

Anakin set her bag down beside him, and took off his jacket which he then draped over her shoulders. Kneeling on the hard ground, and he too began to dig.

"Anakin..."

He looked up, and saw the tears that shone in her large green eyes. He smiled at her. "You have to find it, right?"

She nodded again. "Yes."

He turned back to the hole he was digging. "Then let's hurry and find it."

Three hours later, they had dozens of holes, and still had not found Tahiri's lost item. Standing, they looked back at the holes that were scattered down the path.

He sighed. "We're a mess."

"Yeah," she agreed lifelessly.

He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her tight against him, as a light rain started. "We'll try again tomorrow." Then he looked around, saying, "Let's see... your bag is..."

Spying it on the ground a few meters away, he let Tahiri go and started walking towards it.

Behind him, he heard Tahiri's pain filled voice. "I'm sorry, Anakin."

He chuckled. "This is nothing."

"I... I don't think I'll be able to meet you anymore."

He stopped. He couldn't move—everything seemed frozen. His heart pounded in his ears, and he found that he was afraid to turn around and look at her.

She continued speaking, "We got to see each other again, but... It's been six years since we last met but..."

His shoulders started to shake, and he squeezed his eyes shut; wishing for some way to stop her voice.

"I'm really sorry. I'm so, so sorry, Anakin..."

Finally, he found his voice. "Hey! What are you sa-" He had turned around, and all he saw was his jacket lying in the middle of the path. "Tahiri!"

Slowly he retraced his steps back to his jacket, and looked down. He frowned as he realized there were no other footprints in the fresh mud from the rain.

He heard her voice, an almost echo in the back of his mind.

I don't think I'll be able to meet you anymore. We got to see each other again, but... It's been six years since we last met but... I'm really sorry. I'm so, so sorry, Anakin...

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Next Post

Memories - Ch. 19

Previous Post

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Anakin recognized being in the dream. He felt it in the way his limbs hung wrong on his body. The way that he felt dwarfed by the doorways in the Jedi Temple, and the adults that walked past him. He knew it in the way that he did not really have control over his body, the way he seemed more observer than participant. He glanced over and saw Tahiri, young, dressed in an orange jumpsuit, her hair a wild mass of curls and waves, bare feet whispered quietly on the stone as they walked the halls.

"This session is almost over, isn't it?" she asked him.

He nodded his head. "Yeah. That's why we have to do go down the river tomorrow."

"And then after that, you're going home?"

"Yeah," he replied, lowering his head slightly. "Jaina and Jacen are coming back for their session, so I'm going home to visit Mom and Dad."

"But you'll be back?"

He looked over at her again, and quickly nodded his head. "Of course."

She stopped walking. "C-can you promise me?"

He took a few more steps and then stopped as well. Slowly, he turned to look at her. She stood there, head tilted downward slightly, a frown edging her mouth and her eyes were large and green, with tears lining them. In her hands, she clasped the small angel doll that he had given her at the start of the term. The one his father had helped him pick out. He walked back towards her.

"It's a promise," he replied, grinning at her. "Everything will be all right."

"Promise?" she asked lifting her head to look up at him.

"Yeah, It's a promise."

"Yes," she said, a smile coming to her lips.

Anakin glanced at the doll for a moment. "That doll that I gave you..."

She lifted it slightly, "This one?"

"Yeah, it's not an ordinary doll. It's a magical doll that can grant wishes." She blinked her eyes a couple times, and he grinned at her as he continued speaking. "You think I'm lying to you, don't you?"

"A little," she replied.

He shrugged his shoulders. "But it's true."

"Really?" she exclaimed, her mouth dropping open.

He nodded his head, once sharply. "Yup, but it can only grant three wishes. And no more wishing for more wishes, you'll have to take into account the person granting the wishes."

She clutched the doll tight against her chest again. "Who's going to grant them?"

He grinned at her again. "Me, of course."

"I see..."

"So I can't grant any wishes that are impossible for me, either. Now, say any wish you want."

She tilted her head slightly, thinking hard. Then she focused on him again, smiling broadly. "All right, I have my first wish, and here it is. Please don't forget about me."

Anakin felt his mouth open in shock, and he blinked twice.

Tahiri had closed her eyes, and just continued talking. "Even if you go home, because it's your brother and sister's turn for training, please remember me from time to time. And think, 'Right, I met that strange, Tusken girl that wouldn't stop talking.' That's enough, so please... don't forget. That... that's my first wish." She opened her eyes again. "Is that okay?"

He snapped his mouth shut, and nodded his head quickly. "I told you, I'd do anything that I can. I promise. I'll never forget about you, and that I'll come back to Yavin. When I do, we'll have some canapés together."

She smiled brightly. "Yeah."

Anakin bolted awake, a thin sweat covering his body. He pushed the blankets off of him, and swung his feet out of the bed, clutching his head in his hands. The flickers of the dream still preyed on his mind, and he wondered why he was dreaming of Tahiri.

Sighing, he got out of bed, and walked to the door to the balcony. He pushed it open, and stepped out. A cold wind whipped through his hair, cutting through his sleeping clothes, sending a chill down his frame.

He leaned against the railing, and looked down at the ground far below. Then he lifted his face, to star at the stars. He watched, and as he did so, memories of Nelani flashed through his mind. All of events from the night of her party, two days ago. The way she had smiled at him. That single kiss. Then the way she had just disappeared.

"Anakin?"

Startled, he looked up and over, to see Tahiri walking towards him. "'Ri?"

"You'll catch a cold if you stay out here too long."

"Leave me alone," he replied, walking away from the rail to lean against the wall.

She giggled and jogged closer to him, gripping onto the railing, leaning over the side. Then she dropped back to the flats of her feet and looked up at the sky. "Do you think it'll be raining again soon?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Probably. The rainy season isn't that far off."

"You were thinking about Nelani again, weren't you?'

"You heard about her illness?"

"From Jaina," she replied. "And Jaina said she heard it from Kiori."

"I see."

"Is her illness that serious?"

"Yeah..." he said, frowning slightly. "Actually, I don't know that much either. All I know is that she can't come outside for a while."

"I see," Tahiri said a hint of pain in her voice. "Well, I hope she gets better soon. If there's anything I can do, I'll do it." She then turned to look at him. "Just like you comforted me so long ago."

He shook his head. "I didn't do much."

"That's not true. If you hadn't comforted me, I don't think I would have ever been able to smile again." She pulled her necklace out from beneath her sleeping shirt, and showed him one of the pendants on it. "And actually you gave me this as well."

He looked at the pendant, a brown stone; smooth, attached to her necklace by a twisted piece of wire. He felt a frown form onto his face, and he wondered just when he had done so. "I gave you that?"

"Yeah," she replied. "Around the time when you were supposed to go back to Coruscant." She pulled it out a bit further, so she could get a better look at it. "Anakin?"

He focused on her again, "Huh?"

"Do you remember when you gave this to me?"

Slowly, he shook his head. "No, I don't... sorry."

"Oh," she replied, eyes falling again. "Actually, I don't remember that much about that time either." She let the pendant go, allowing it to drop against her breast again. "I, I was hoping that you would remember, but... Let's go back inside."

He straightened slightly, surprised at the sudden shift in topic.

Tahiri smiled at him. "We need to get up early tomorrow for Jaina's match."

"Yeah," he replied. "You're right."

She turned to look up at the sky again. "I hope that it's sunny tomorrow."

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

Anakin, Mara Jade and Tahiri stepped into the dim cavernous room that was used for lightsaber tournaments. A crowd had already gathered, giving the room the atmosphere of a sporting event back on Coruscant. He looked around, waving at some of the other students that he knew from training. Finally, he spotted his sister, and called out, "Jaina!"

She turned towards him, and jogged over, a grin coming to her face.

"Everyone came," she said as she wrapped Anakin in a hug.

"Good luck, Jaina," Tahiri said.

"My apprentice doesn't need luck," Mara responded dryly.

Anakin shook his head slightly. "Dad would say that since she's a Solo, that's all she really needs."

Mara frowned his way. "Watch it, Solo."

Anakin laughed, and turned back to his sister. "Do make sure you put on a good show. I don't want to think I wasted this prime sleeping-in morning for a half-hearted attempt."

Jaina scowled at him, and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Keep it up, and I'm sure I could convince Aunt Mara that you need to participate in these things."

Tionne, the Master in charge of training with Jaina's team stepped out from a side door, and waved Jaina over. For a moment, her eyes seemed to lock onto Tahiri, but then she frowned and turned away. Jaina waved at the three of them, as she started to jog off. "I'll talk to you later."

Tahiri twisted her head around, and pointed towards a space on the top set of bleachers. "Look Anakin, we'll be able to see better from up there."

She then grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the bleacher. He cast a glance over his shoulder and saw that Mara was shaking her head as she fell into step behind them.

Once they had gotten settled into seats, Tahiri leaned towards him. "Do you think Jaina's going to win? She'll win right?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. She's not very nervous. Seems to me she'd be more nervous for the match."

Tahiri scowled at him, and slapped his shoulder. "That's not true! Jaina will win for sure."

Looking down at her, he grinned slightly. "You're the one that said you were worried."

Her eyes popped open wider, and then she dropped her head. "I did, but..."

The distinctive snap-hiss of a saber igniting drew his attention, and he turned towards the ring. Jaina stood in the center, an older Rodian he didn't know facing her. Standing to her left was Daesha'cor, on her right was Ganner and behind her was Raynar. In a similar diamond formation behind the Rodian were three other Jedi Knights: a second Rodian, this one female, was standing opposite Daesha'cor, while Miko Regalio faced off with Ganner and a human that Anakin didn't know was in the back position for the opposing team.

Standing in the center of the ring, was his Uncle Luke. He was speaking soft words to both teams. Anakin watched his uncle for a moment, seeing how tired he appeared.

Tahiri leaned over towards Anakin. "Isn't that your Uncle?"

"Yeah," he replied.

"I didn't know he was on Yavin right now."

"He came back," Mara responded; her eyes glued to the field, watching both her husband and her apprentice. "For this tournament. After this, he has to go back to Coruscant for more meetings."

Anakin focused back on the field, as Luke stepped away. Then the two teams rushed forward, their sabers flashing in bright arcs only to flare into white when they connected.

Jaina jumped and twirled, her blade always perfectly positioned to block the saber of her opponent; then she would twist and turn the block into an attack.

"Wow," Tahiri whispered.

He could hear the smirk in Mara's voice. "That's my apprentice. She's the best one out there, as usual."

Anakin chuckled, and continued watching, as one after one, Jaina's team defeated the opposing teams. Finally, it was the last match for the team events. Before long, Ganner had knocked Wurth Skidder to the ground, and with the tip of his saber drew an infinity symbol in the air, showing a kill point for the final member of the opposing group.

The crowd erupted into cheers, with Anakin and Tahiri standing up and screaming along with them. He noticed that Mara merely sat there, a superior smirk on her face, as she watched the two teams shaking hands in the center of the field.

After they had left the fields, Luke walked to the center, and raised his hands. Silence dropped over the gathered people. "Now, it is time for the singles competition."

He nodded towards the corner, and Anakin watched as Miko and a Twi'lek female he didn't recognize walked out onto the field. He proceeded to ignore the battle, and chatted with Tahiri instead.

Two hours later, the final singles match was being held. Jaina was squaring off against Raynar.

Anakin leaned forward, watching the two intently, wondering just how well Raynar would be able to do against Jaina. Since they spent so much time training together, he thought they should be fairly evenly matched.

Luke stepped away from between them, and gave the signal for the match to begin.

Jaina charged forward, her blade coming in low. She thrust up and to the left, and Raynar jumped high, slashing at her exposed back.

She dropped to the ground and rolled. She got to her feet in a single, fluid movement, and darted forward again, her saber slashing in a right, left, right pattern.

Raynar stumbled backwards, his blade constantly parrying Jaina's blows, but leaving him unable to attack.

She pulled back, and Raynar darted in with an attack. She ducked the blow, and swept his legs out from beneath him. Popping back into a standing position, she quickly made the infinity symbol above his chest.

As Jaina helped Raynar to his feet, Anakin chuckled to himself, pleased that she was able to so easily best her opponents.

Luke then gave out the awards for winning the various competitions. Jaina stood up there by their uncle, a happy grin on her lips. As she was getting the medal for winning, she saw Anakin and the others in the bleachers, and waved. Tahiri jumped up from her seat and waved back.

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

Anakin sat across from Jaina. They were in Poltz, at a table next to the big bay windows that looked out onto the street. Anakin lifted his cup of tea, while Jaina lifted her strawberry parfait. The touched the rims of their glasses together, as Anakin said, "Congratulations on winning."

She grinned for him, mischief flashing in her eyes, "Thanks, Anakin."

"So, did you comm and tell Kiori about your win?"

Jaina nodded her head, "Yes, she sounded happy. She also said that she's sorry that she couldn't be there in person."

"I see," he replied.

She took a bite of her parfait, and looked out the window. "So Anakin, have you gotten used to Yavin?"

Anakin arched an eyebrow at his sister. "What's this all of a sudden?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "It's just that when you got here, you were worried about not being happy here. That you were worried about the past. Do those things still bother you?"

He shook his head, and peered into his tea. "Yes and no. Most of the time I don't even think about it."

"I'm sure," she replied, grinning slightly as she took another bite of her desert. "But, I like it here, so I want you to like it as well."

Anakin took a sip of his tea, and looked out at the pedestrians on the street. After a moment, he turned back to Jaina. "You don't have anyone that you like do you?"

"What?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Just something Raynar said. You're popular, everyone likes you, but you keep everything in. You hide behind these walls."

Jaina sighed, and took another bite of her parfait. "I used to. There was a boy that I liked back on Coruscant."

"Wow," he replied. "That was a while ago. What happened?"

She shook her head. "I, I was rejected."

"And you haven't seen him since?"

"I saw him once after that rejection. Things... they didn't go well that time."

Anakin frowned at glanced out the window again. He watched, as a young boy, maybe 8 years old ran from a girl about the same age. In his hands he held a scarf, which the girl was obviously chasing after. The girl stopped and dropped to her knees, putting her hands over her face, obviously crying, and Anakin had to chuckle as the boy quickly turned back to the girl, handing her the scarf.

Anakin focused on Jaina again. "So there's no other boys out there?"

Laughing, Jaina shook her head. "No, that one was enough." She took another bite of her parfait, and then grinned up at him. "Well, I could tell you about this one boy I met, not the one I liked, but another one. It was about six years ago or so. He was head over heels for this one girl, had no clue about it though."

"So what happened between them?"

She chuckled. "Oh, he's still crazy about her."

"That's devoted."

"Well, he can be mean sometimes," she replied. "But when he sees someone in trouble, he has to stick his nose into it." Then she chuckled. "Of course, he doesn't seem to realize that he does so."

Anakin shook his head. "Sounds like a personality that is asking for trouble."

She smirked at him. "Oh, definitely."

A short while later, they were walking towards their apartment building. Anakin looked around at the stores that lined either side of the street, and then at Jaina. "Should I buy you something to celebrate your victory?"

She looked up at him, surprise on her face. "Really?"

"Although," he continued. "I don't have much on me. I had to use money rather frequently lately."

Jaina thought for a moment, and then looked into the shop they were passing. "Then..."

She stopped, and went into the shop. Anakin backed up and followed her in. Walking over to one of the display counters, she picked up a single red marble, holding it up to the light between her forefinger and her thumb.

"This," she said. "I want this."

"I've got enough to buy you something better than that."

"No," she said, smiling as she shook her head. "It's pretty, and it's the color of strawberries."

He shrugged his shoulders, and passed over his credit chit to the shopkeeper. A few minutes later, they were walking down the street. Jaina holding the marble up towards the sun, one eye closed as she stared at it. She grinned and said, "It really is pretty."

Snorting, Anakin replied, "And you're weird too. Comparable to Tahiri actually."

Jaina stopped walking and lowered her arm. "Hey, Anakin..."

He stopped, and turned back towards her.

She continued, "Don't give Tahiri too much trouble, okay?"

"If anything," he replied. "I think I'm the one who's getting all the troubles."

Jaina sighed and shook her head. "You don't understand. Tahiri is..."

"Tahiri is what?"

She turned away from him, refusing to meet his eyes. "It's a secret."

"Give me a hint," he said, raising a finger.

"It's meaningless for me to say it," she replied as she began to walk past him.

"Hint two," he said, raising a second finger.

"Nope. You only get one."

He turned, watching her as she walked past him, frowning slightly.

"Bonus chance!"

"There's none of that."

He jogged to catch up to her.

"Special chance?"

"Now you're just making things up."

"Attack chance?"

"You're not making any sense."

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

Anakin recognized the familiar sensations of a dream; the surreal quality to his sense and emotions, the feeling of once more being a child.

He was running down the hall, hunting for someone. Darting in and out of the other students and the instructors.

Finally, he spied her, sitting on a bench, kicking her legs, the pink of her toes flashing rhythmically as they swung in and out of the shadows beneath her seat. She stared at the ceiling, looking bored and chewing on her lower lip, and in her hands, she held a small package, wrapped tightly with a string.

"Tahiri!" he called out.

She lifted her head, her green eyes flashing with delight, as she jumped up off the bench. "You're late, Anakin."

"Sorry," he mumbled between pants. "To keep you waiting."

She shook her head. "I almost thought we weren't going to be able to do this today."

"Me too, actually," he replied. "I thought Uncle Luke was going to give me some extra lessons. Sorry, I made you wait."

"Anakin, uhm..." She then thrust the package she was holding towards him. "These are for you. They're cookies that I made."

"Handmade," he asked, taking them from her. "Thank you."

He untied the ribbon, and fought to keep the shock and fear off of his face, but what he saw in the package scared him. They were lumpy, and had a black tint to them, the smell of charcoal drifted up to his nose. His eyes flicked up to Tahiri, where she stood in front of him, a blush shining bright through her tanned cheeks.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't make them very well," she said.

He plucked one out of the bag, and lifted it to his lips. He bit into it, and then crunched down harder when a piece wouldn't come off. He tried to swallow the bite without tasting, but it still touched his taste buds, and he had to forcibly suppress a shudder.

"So, how is it," she asked, her eyes large and green.

"It's good," he lied to her.

The fear fled her face, being replaced by a brilliant smile. "That's great!"

Anakin looked around, shoving the remaining cookies into one of the pockets of his orange jumpsuit. He reached out and grabbed her hand, and together they darted towards one of the Temple's exits. As soon as they left the building, the warm humid air struck them, sweat started running down their faces and backs, as they went further and further from the Temple.

Then they stopped, both awestruck by the river that thundered past them. It was a good ten meters across, fast moving, and they had both seen it before in their dreams.

Tahiri gasped, and then said, "I, I've never seen so much water in one place before.

Anakin blinked rapidly, and then looked around. "Where is it?"

"Where's what?"

"The boat," he muttered, looking around. "In the dream, there's a boat, a silver boat."

The looked for a few more minutes, but when they couldn't find the boat, they slowly made their way back to the Temple. Once they had gotten back to the bench, Tahiri sighed.

Anakin scratched at his hair. "I guess we'll have to try again tomorrow."

She frowned for a moment. "It's not long before you have to go back to Coruscant, right?"

He nodded his head. "Yeah, but I have a few more days before that happens. We'll try again tomorrow."

"Great," she said, beaming at him. "I'll be waiting for you here then."

Anakin's eyes snapped open. He knew that he had been dreaming; that he had been reliving a memory. Yet the harder he clung to it, the quicker it flickered away. Finally, he gave up, and got out of bed. He glanced towards the door to the balcony, and walked over to it. His hand lingered on the handle for a moment, and then he slid it opened and stepped out.

A gust of wind tugged at his pajamas, and he frowned up at the stars, wondering why he couldn't remember anything.

"Anakin?"

He turned and saw Tahiri standing there in her pajamas. She was rubbing her shoulders as she watched him. She padded over to him, her bare feet barely whispering across the permacrete of the balcony. Leaning against the wall beside him, she looked up and said, "So, we're out here again."

Chuckling, he smiled at her and said, "Yeah. You're not stalking me are you?"

"It's a coincidence," she replied, lowering her face to look at her toes as she wiggled them. "I had a dream and woke up."

"That is a coincidence," he said. "I had a dream as well."

She lifted her face to look up at him again. "What kind of dream?"

"I forgot."

She giggled. "Well, maybe we had the same dream."

"As if."

Anakin looked up at the stars as silence settled over them. They watched together the timeless parade of the night.

"Hey," he began after a few moments of silence. "How much do you remember from six years ago?"

"Bits and pieces," she responded, chewing slightly on one of her knuckles. "I know we were together almost every day, but..."

He snorted. "You have a lame memory."

She made a disgusted noise in the back of her throat, and twisted her head to the side. "So, do you remember?"

Smiling, he shook his head. "To tell the truth, I don't remember either. Ultimately, I was able to remember with Sannah and Tenel Ka, I wonder why..."

"Well, it was six years ago. But..." Anakin turned to look down at her, and found her staring at him, her green eyes flashing with delight. "... even after six years, I still have my necklace, and you're right here in front of me. Isn't that amazing?"

"Is it that amazing?"

"Yep," she replied with a quick nod of the head and a big smile. "I think it is."

The next day at lunch, Anakin was sitting across from Raynar, who was poking at his nerf steak with his fork, one hand propping up his head. Sighing, he looked towards Anakin. "Why are we eating lunch together, alone?"

Anakin took a bite of his protatoes and shrugged. "Can't be helped. Kiori's out still and Jaina had to talk to Master Tionne about the team stuff, as you should know."

"I just feel so melancholic all of a sudden."

Anakin shrugged again, and took a bite of the fish he had as a main course.

A few minutes later, Raynar spoke again, "I hear Nelani is doing well."

"I see," he replied, a grin tugging slightly at his lips.

Once he returned to class, he started staring out at the meditation garden where he would often meet Nelani. Suddenly, he missed her, and wished to see her down there in the garden once again, with her shawl around her.

"Anakin," Jaina's voice cut through his ruminations. He looked up at her, and she grinned at him. "Training's over for the day."

Startled, he looked around and found that only the two of them remained in the classroom.

"Oh," he replied, then standing he left the Academy grounds, heading towards the shopping district.

Before long, he was wandering through the district, something tugging at his soul, causing him to frown.

Suddenly a weight dropped onto his back, as arms wrapped around his neck. Tahiri's voice was warm and loud in his ear, "Anakin!"

Grinning, he responded with a simple, "Hey, Tahiri."

She dropped off of his back, and titled her head slightly. "You're not surprised today?'

He shrugged, "I think I'm used to it now. Surprise attacks just won't work anymore."

Her face scrunched up in anger as she balled her fists and stomped. "They're not surprise attacks!"

She looked around, and then raced over to a bench. "You know, six years ago, I used to wait for you on a bench just like this." She dropped into the seat, and looked down at the ground. "I always arrived first, and would have to wait for you to show up."

Chuckling, Anakin walked towards where she sat, kicking her legs. When he stopped in front of her, she lifted her face, and with a grin said, "You're late, Anakin!"

He smiled at her. "Sorry, I'm a bit late."

"Not just a bit, a lot," she shot back. When he didn't respond, she lifted her head, and noticed the faraway look in his eyes. "Hey, what's wrong?"

He shook slightly, and grinned. "No, nothing. So, you're here looking for your lost item, have you found it yet?"

"Actually," she replied, some of the brightness seeming to flow from her. "Not yet..."

"Well, I'll help you out."

Her face transformed as she smiled up at him. "Did you come here just for that?"

"I just happened to pass by," he responded. "I'm not that nice."

With another bright smile, she stood up and they began to search once again.

Two hours later, they found themselves back where they had started, both of them now sitting on the bench, Tahiri looking depressed.

"I couldn't find it again," she complained.

"Don't be so sad," Anakin said, smiling at her. "I'll help you look again tomorrow."

A small, sad smile came to her lips. "Sorry I made you come along."

"Don't worry," he replied, shaking his head. "I had time to kill anyways."

She folded her hands and then placed them in her lap. Frowning, she looked down at them, watching her hands as they sat there. "Sitting here like this reminds me of those times. Before coming to Yavin, I was alone. I mean, I had my father Sliven, but he wasn't really my father. I didn't really have a friend until you came to talk to me."

"Yeah, I remember that," he replied.

"Have you ever lost an important person right in front of you?"

The tone of her voice, the wavering tears that threatened to fall from her eyes, all of it pricked at his heart. He opened his mouth to say something, anything, but nothing would come out.

Finally, she continued speaking. "I... I have. I couldn't do anything. I was forced to face the fact that I was a powerless child. All I could do was call..." She blinked, and one of those threatened tears became realized and slowly traveled down her cheek. "All I could do was call out my mother and father's name until my voice died, and I couldn't speak anymore."

The tear reached her chin, and fell to splatter against her hands. "I don't want to feel that again. Have you... have you had that experience?"

"I..."

Then images slammed into Anakin.

Sannah playing on the ground with Ikrit, mute and childlike from the Changing.

Sannah slipping into the dark waters.

Tenel Ka trembling from pain and exhaustion.

Tenel Ka slamming her sword through her chest.

Nelani from the moments leading up to that single kiss, and when she disappeared.

Finally, an image of the river, a silver boat, and gathering clouds slashed through his awareness.

"Tahiri, is... is Nelani... d-" he stopped speaking, and covered his face with his hands. He fought against the tears that wanted to come, and could feel his body shaking. Tahiri placed her hand on his back, and leaned towards him.

"What's wrong, Anakin?"

He bolted to his feet, and started walking away from her.

"Anakin," she called out after him, scrambling to her feet, and jogging to catch up to him.

After he had walked a good three meters, he stopped, and waited for Tahiri.

She arrived moments, later and walked around in front of him. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes.

"Sorry," he said. "I'm fine now."

"So," she replied, the tears leaking from both of her green eyes as they seemed to pierce his soul. "You have experienced it. You have lost someone important right in front of you."

He didn't reply, just watched her face, as the tears ran down both of her cheeks, freely flowing for their shared pain.

"Anakin," she said. "Don't look at my face, okay? I'm sure it's all messy from the tears and everything. So, close your eyes."

"Yeah," he replied, and did as she asked. Hiding the world behind his eyelids.

Her voice floated to him from the darkness. "I'll close my eyes, too."

Then he felt the gentle, feather-light touch of her lips against his. He almost opened his eyes, but was afraid that if he did so, she would disappear. Instead he reached down, and clasped his hands around her arms, ensuring that she stayed there with him.

In the light of the setting sun, they stood there kissing for an eternal moment.

---

Next Post

Memories - Ch. 17

Previous Post

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Anakin walked back towards the apartments; his feet shuffling against the hard-packed earth. He felt a frown pulling against his lips, and struggled to switch it to a smile.

Failing miserably.

He got on the elevator and watched out the window as it lifted towards the top floor. Sighing, he got off, and went into his apartment.

"I'm home," he called out.

Ikrit came sauntering into the room, his large, blue eyes focused on Anakin, watching him.

Next, Tahiri dashed into the room, a bright smile on her face. "Welcome back!"

He gave her a small smile, and bent down to pick up Ikrit. "How's Mara doing?"

Ikrit shuffled around and lay across his shoulders, as Tahiri answered. "She's feeling much better. Jaina took her over some porridge just a little while ago."

"I see," Anakin replied, as he pulled Ikrit off of his shoulders. Holding the creature with his hands under the forelegs, Anakin watched the blue eyes for a moment. Then he turned Ikrit around, and passed him off to Tahiri.

She took him, and cuddled him to her chest, her head tilting to one side as she watched Anakin. "What's wrong? You don't look that good. You're not getting sick on me are you?"

He shook his head and walked around her, heading towards his room. "It's just because it's starting to get cold outside."

Anakin walked into his room, and closed the door behind him. He leaned against it for a moment, squeezing his eyes shut. Then he sighed again and crossed over to his bed, dropping onto it. He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling, recalling portions of the conversation he had just had with Kiori. After she had regained a bit of her composure and they had begun to walk along the river bank.

So Nelani knows this?

Yes, Kiori had replied. I told her because she begged me to.

Are you absolutely certain, he had asked, and even now his frown deepened at the hint of panic which was in his voice. There's no chance of a mistake? They're certain that... that she won't make it to her next birthday?

That's what the doctors say. Even if she does make it to her next birthday, she won't last much longer than that. Kiori had paused here, and wiped away an errant tear. I haven't even told Jaina. She's my best friend here, and I kept this from her. But what can I do? I don't want her trying to take care of me. But... you... you've been friends with Nelani. I felt that you should know.

Yeah, he had replied. Thanks for letting me know.

They had reached the end of the walkway, and Kiori paused, looking off in the distance to the houses on the far side of the shopping district. Well, my house is over this way. Good night, Anakin.

He watched as she began to walk away. Kiori wait! he had called out. She stopped, turning to look at him again. Nelani's birthday. It's in just a few days right? Are you sure you want to keep avoiding her like this? There's not much time left.

She turned away from him. She smiles when she's with you?

Yeah, I've never seen her tears.

She nodded her head once, sharply. I see, she had said and then began to walk away again.

He had called out after her again, but she had ignored him. She just continued walking until she had disappeared into the darkness of the night.

Staring at the ceiling, he wondered what he was supposed to do. How he could fix things. His fist flashed out and slammed against the bed, and he growled slightly.

"Anakin?" Tahiri called from the other side of his door. "I'm coming in!"

She opened the door, and stepped into the room looking around. "It's dark in here," she complained. "Why don't you turn on some lights? Here, I'll do it for you, all right?"

"No," he said between clenched teeth. "Please don't."

"Why?"

"When it gets bright I turn to ashes," he replied and then felt the bed shift and Ikrit's form curling up beside him.

Tahiri giggled and walked further into the room. She settled beside him on the bed. "Are you some type of night-creature now?"

"You need something?"

"No," she replied. "Not really. I just felt that it would be better to stay close to you."

"Mind your own business," he snapped at her.

"Right...."

He sighed. "You're so strange."

"Right."

Closing his eyes, he felt his lips twitch into a small smile. "Thanks."

She did not respond and before long he felt the bed start to shift as she began to kick her feet.

As he began to drift off to sleep, he felt her moving, stretching out beside him. Part of him wanted to tell her to go away, to leave him be. But only a part.

The next morning, he sat in his usual seat, staring out the window as Master Horn taught the day's lesson. Idly, he remembered that at one time the curriculum which his Uncle had developed for the Jedi Academy had not involved rote learning of this nature.

Suppressing a sigh, he shifted in his seat, and turned back to look at the empty seat where Kiori usually sat. He stared at it for a moment, before facing forward once again.

When lunch rolled around, he walked out to the garden where he usually met Nelani.

He frowned when he found it empty. So, both sisters are absent today.

At the end of the school day, he slowly walked home, stopping on one of the many bridges. He stared at the water as it reflected the orange glow of the setting sun at him. Shimmering as the wind rippled the water's surface.

Dark thoughts plagued him.

If it's a lost item, we can search for it together. If it's against a demon, we can fight together. But Nelani is....

He lifted his head, facing towards the heavens and where Yavin 8 is just now beginning to shine through the Yavin-light.

Hey Sannah? What did it feel like for you? What can I do for a girl with only a small bit of time left?

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

Lost in his thoughts, Anakin began to wander through the shopping district. He ignored everything; he allowed his feet to lead him on an aimless path as he considered how he could help Nelani. Before long, it was night and the sound of a fountain imposed itself onto his awareness. Lifting his head, he look around, finding himself in the same park where he had spent so much time with Nelani a few days before.

He frowned, and walked closer to the fountain, stopping a few paces from it, watching the water and the spotlights kept deep in the pool. The lights slowly cycled through colors, and he sighed, and looked around the fountain.

His heart thumped hard in his chest when he saw Nelani. She was sitting at the edge of the fountain, her hands pulling her shawl tight around her shoulders as she stared at him.

He swallowed; his throat was suddenly dry.

Standing, she said, "This place is more beautiful at night."

He walked over to stand close to her. Stopping, he watched her for a moment, and then focused on the fountain again. "I think I prefer it during the day. The nights here are getting chilly."

"That's a pity," she replied as she turned to face the fountain as well. "I'm just happy that the fountain is still running at this hour."

The wind shifted and a fine mist of water covered them. They both jumped back, and Nelani let out a tiny yelp of surprise.

"Kriff, that's cold," he snapped. "Isn't there a plug or something?"

"You can't clog it even if there is one. It's too beautiful. Don't you want to keep staring at it? Forever and ever."

Sadly, he looked down at her, noticing the wistful expression on her face. The silence seemed to stretch out between them.

"When I was little," she began. "Back on Llord, there was a fountain that looked quite a lot like this one. My family and I would go there occasionally, because I was a little healthier back then. I... I had ice cream with my sister. I wanted to eat some with her again." She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. Opening them again, she looked up at him. "I don't remember any other time that was more fun than that time."

He smiled and nodded his head. "So, that means our date came in second."

"No," she said, shaking her head. "The date with you was equally fun."

"What sweet words."

"No, it's true," she responded. "If I had more time, I'd probably come to like you more and more. Even though... Even though I shouldn't like anyone..."

He fought to keep a frown from his face as she turned around and sat down on the edge of the fountain again. After a moment, he sat beside her.

Her voice was soft, when she next spoke. "There's so much that I've got to apologize to you about. But, I think there's even more things I need to thank you for."

Anakin looked over at her and noticed that she was staring down at her hands. He shifted his gaze to his feet, fighting once more to keep a tight reign on his emotions. To not let his sadness show on his face or leak out through the Force.

"So," he began slowly. "What is your illness?"

"It has a long, very complicated name. But it's something that won't heal with more medicine or shots or Bacta… so I forgot what it's called." From the corner of his eye he saw her lift her head towards the stars, a hint of a smile on her face. "It's useless to remember it after all. Knowing what it's called doesn't help it and there are other things I'd rather remember. When we came here for training, Kiori came back to our quarters and told me about that garden. We made a promise to eat lunch there one day."

"Nelani, Kiori, she treats you..."

"I know," Nelani broke in, a pained smile on her face. "That's why I try not to see her as well."

"Why?" Anakin demanded. "Didn't you two used to get along?"

She slowly shook her head, a frown marring her features. "It's because that's all I can do for her right now."

Anakin watched her. He blinked his eyes, trying to figure out how best to respond. After a moment, her head turned towards him, and her customary smile was back in place. "Anakin? Can I ask a favor?"

He closed his eyes, and sighed. Then he nodded his head as he replied, "Yeah, I'll listen to anything."

"Please treat me as a normal girl. When I'm with you, I can go back to the happy days."

"The happy days?"

She nodded her head. "Yeah. Going to school and having lunch with everyone. Walking home with my friends from my classes. Even getting yelled at by my parents when I'd play outside late at night, even though Kiori was with me. Those days when I had ordinary, happy days. So, I want you to treat me like I'm in those days. If you can, as if..." She closed her eyes, and dropped her chin to her chest for a moment. Then lifted it, and opening her eyes, continued speaking, "as if you were my brother."

He watched her for a moment. He was not certain how to respond, and felt oddly melancholic over being referred to as her brother. Finally, he nodded his head, once sharply. "Okay, I promise."

"Really," she said, as her head snapped to look at him, her eyes bright and wide.

He grinned at her. "If I'm good enough for you."

"Thank you," she replied, smiling brightly for him.

They sat together for a while longer, the silence stretching between them both comfortable and comforting. Finally, she yawned and stood up.

"I've got to go home now."

He stood up, and nodded his head. "Will you be at school tomorrow?"

"Yes," she replied. "Something that might surprise you may happen tomorrow."

He lifted his hand and waved it in her direction. "If it's another portrait, you don't have to draw it."

"It's nothing like that," she scolded, and then stomped her foot and half-turned away from him. "I don't like people who say things like that."

"Don't get mad, I was only joking."

She lifted one hand to her lips to chew on a knuckle. "It was mean, even for a joke."

"I'm sorry. I'll treat you to ice cream if you spare me."

She faced him fully once more, a smile coming to her lips. "In that case, I've got to forgive you."

He arched an eyebrow, and gave her a quick grin. "You're easy to satisfy."

In response, she just giggled.

She waved at him, and then began to walk away. Heading towards her home. He watched her for a moment, his frown pulling his lips down. He lifted his face to the sky, staring at the distant stars. Then he looked towards Nelani again, as she slowly walked away from her. Pain clutched at his heart.

"Nelani!" he called out. She slowed and turned towards him. "Is it too late? Is it really? Is there no chance that you can recover?"

She lowered her head slightly. "I may. If a miracle happens." Then she lifted it and smiled. "But remember, it's called a miracle because it doesn't happen."

Turning away from him once more, she slowly moved off into the darkness. Anakin watched until she had turned a corner and disappeared. Then he finally wiped away the tears that had been sliding down his cheeks.

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

Anakin returned home to find dinner waiting and a note from Jaina saying that she had turned in for the night already. He quickly warmed up his dinner, and as he sat at the table to eat, heard Ikrit walking up behind him. He grinned at the furry creature, and then turned back to his meal, quickly eating it.

After cleaning up the dishes, he walked into his room, Ikrit darting between his legs, almost tripping him. Shaking his head, he looked around and saw Tahiri sitting at his desk, her head resting on its surface, soft snores coming from her direction.

He stood over her, watching her for a moment. "So you were waiting for me," he whispered.

Smiling, and not quite understanding why, he pulled the chair away from the desk and picked her up. Then he carried her down the hall to her own room. Carefully, he laid her in her bed, and pulled her blankets up over her. He smiled down at her, and brushed her bangs back away from her face.

"Sweet dreams," he whispered, and then left her room to return to his own.

The next morning, Anakin was eating a bowl of porridge. Across from him, Jaina was sitting, all but falling asleep in her chair. Next to her, Tahiri was in similar straits.

Mara sat in the empty spot next to Anakin, and glanced between the other two girls. "Jaina, I expect to see all but asleep at breakfast, but this is something new for you, Tahiri."

The young, blonde girl sighed. "I know, but I had bad dreams all last night."

"Dreams?"

"Yeah," she replied. "I dreamed that I was getting carried away somewhere by ghosts."

Anakin put his bowl down, and used a napkin to hide his chuckles. "Strange. I wonder why you'd have such a dream."

"I don't know," Tahiri replied, a pout coming to her lips. Then she screwed her fists against her eyes, yawning.

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

Anakin stared down at the garden from the window of his classroom. He was frowning, though he did not really realize it. She said she would come.

"Anakin!" Raynar's voice slashed through his concentration, and he jumped slightly. His head snapped around, to find Raynar standing in front of him, arms clasped behind his back, a large, silly grin on his face. "It's lunchtime..."

He frowned at his friend. "I know... and you're smile is creeping me out. Stop."

Raynar collapsed across Anakin's desk, and tilted his face to look at him. "What's wrong? Don't you have any energy?"

At that moment, Jaina walked past. "Anakin? Are you going to eat with us in the cafeteria today?"

"Yeah," he replied, his head twisting slightly to look out at the empty garden. "Since my lunch-mates are gone..."

Raynar stood up and looked towards Kiori who had been sitting quietly in the back of the classroom. "Kiori! Let's go get some lunch."

"Forget it," she snapped. "I don't have an appetite today."

Jaina walked closer to her friend, leaning down slightly. "Are you sick? Do we need to take you to Master Cilghal?"

"I'm fine. Leave me be."

Raynar dropped into the seat in front of Anakin, and leaned closer to him. "Do you think something's happen to Kiori?"

Anakin shook his head. "I don't know."

"Anakin!" Someone from the other side of the classroom called out his name.

Frowning, he looked that way, as the student spoke again. "Anakin, someone's here to see you."

He felt his mouth drop open as he saw her standing in the doorway. She wore the orange jumpsuit common to the students in the level below his. Over the jumpsuit, there was a traditional Jedi Robe which almost seemed to swallow her.

He blinked a few times, and felt himself standing up without consciously moving.

The girl caught him staring, and with a blush burning her face, bowed slightly.

"Nelani," he muttered aloud.

Raynar jumped up and grabbed the collar of Anakin's tunic. "You've... you've gotten your hands on one of the younger students?"

"What kind of nonsense are you-"

His rant was interrupted by Kiori abruptly pushing back her chair, and storming from the room. Raynar looked after her for a moment, and then started chasing her down. "Kiori! Where are you going?"

Anakin looked to Nelani, and from across the room could see the tears shining in her eyes. He looked up at Jaina and saw her staring at the doorway that Kiori had disappeared through.

"I wonder what's wrong with her," Jaina asked.

Anakin shook his head. "You go to Kiori too. I have an... I've got something I need to do."

With that said he brushed past Jaina and walked towards Nelani, his heart pounding heavily in his chest.

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

Anakin stepped out of the food service line with a plate of curry in each hand. He glanced around the cafeteria, and finally spied Nelani sitting at a table halfway across the room from him, trying to look at everything at once.

Laughing to himself, he walked towards the place she had chosen and put her plate in front of her, sitting down in the seat across from her.

"So, this is what the cafeteria looks like... I kind of expected there to be more... well... on Llord, the cafeterias have these walls with all these little doors. You walk up to one, and put a credit chit in and then you open the door and pull out whatever type of food you want. It's not like this at all."

Anakin ignored her musings, and locked eyes with her. "Is it all right for you to suddenly show up for training like this?"

Nelani nodded her head quickly. "I have the doctor's permission. She said I can attend for the rest of the week."

Anakin quickly counted the days in his head. That means she'll be here until the day before her birthday.

She finally seemed to notice the plate of food that Anakin had put before her. She leaned over slightly, and sniffed. "It looks spicy."

He arched an eyebrow towards her. "The curry here isn't that bad. My dad makes it better though." He then dug his spoon into the brown stew-like mixture and brought a bite to his mouth.

Looking up from his plate, he noticed Nelani staring at him. He frowned for a moment. "What's wrong? Eat up."

She blinked a few times and then picked up her own spoon. "Y-yes..."

Tenderly, she put a bite in her mouth, chewing methodically. As she did, her face grew red, and she began to whimper slightly.

Anakin leaned forward. "Are you okay?"

She dropped her spoon back onto her plate, and grabbed up her glass of water, and quickly took three large gulps. She closed her eyes and put the glass back onto the table. When she opened her eyes again to look at him, he noticed the tears that rimmed them. "Well, truthfully... I can't take spicy food at all."

"What? What about horseradish?"

"I don't even want to see it," she responded, averting her head from him.

"Mustard?"

"I don't want to hear about it." She then covered her ears with her hands.

"Tabasco?"

"It's the enemy of all humans, everywhere," she snarled.

"Ice cream?"

Her entire mannerisms shifted. Going from the panicked, fear from when he was asking about spicy foods to an almost angelic smile, her hands pressed palms together, index fingers centimeters from her lips. "I love it!"

"Why did you have me order curry for you then?"

She looked down, a rosy tint coming to her pale cheeks. "Because, I wanted to eat the same thing as you."

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

Anakin and Nelani walked side by side down the path near the river. The setting sun struck it, changing the surface to the color of molten silver. Dancing across the ripples was the reflection of the setting sun. As they walked, their hands would occasionally brush across each other, and every time it happened, Anakin could feel his face flame with embarrassment. They turned at a crossroads, taking a bridge over the river, one which headed away from the Jedi Temple and towards the shopping districts. He rubbed at his stomach. "Man, I'm still full from eating so much at lunch."

She shrugged her shoulders. "I ate enough."

He laughed slightly. "Just make sure you order something that you actually eat, tomorrow."

She grinned up at him. "Should I make a lunch tomorrow then?"

"Sure," he replied, nodding his head. "That'll save money as well."

"Good! I'll make your share, too."

Anakin blinked, and looked down at her, to find her smiling up at him. "My share?"

She nodded, and turned her head to look at the river. "Yup. Your share."

Before long, they reach the path that would take Anakin on towards the apartment he shared with his sister. They stopped, and Anakin scratched at his hair, feeling a blush crop up on his cheeks again.

"Uhm," he began. "Tomorrow, let's stop somewhere special, all right?"

She smiled brightly for him, "Where?"

He laughed. "That's a secret."

She pouted, slightly. "Fine. We'll go to your special place tomorrow. But don't forget to look forward to the lunch I'm making you."

"Don't worry," he replied, a grin tugging at the right corner of his lips. "Even if it tastes horrible, I'll eat all of it."

She scowled at him, and turned partly away. "I don't like people who say such things."

"I'll see you tomorrow then?"

She turned, the scowl on her face dissolving into one of her brilliant smiles. "Yes, tomorrow."

Turning away from him, she headed down the path which would take her through the shopping district and to the residential section on the far side of it. Anakin stood there watching her as she walked away. Frowning, as he realized that if Kiori was right, he only had a few days left of being able to see Nelani's smile light up her face.

The next day at lunch, Anakin stepped into the cafeteria. As soon as he entered, Nelani stood up and started waving at him. Her smile once more brightening his world. He suppressed the dark emotions that threatened to well up.

"Anakin!" she called out. "Hurry up, Anakin."

He grinned and started walking towards her.

"Right here," she said, pointing towards the empty chair set across from hers. "That seat's open."

Anakin smiled, and nodded his head. "Thanks for saving a seat for me." Then he reached out and scruffed her hair, causing her to giggle. "Good job."

She laughed. "Well, I tried my best."

He shook his head as they both sat down, and Nelani pulled out two packages, snatching the lids off of both. "Tada!"

Anakin blinked his eyes as he looked between the two boxes. Both filled with various finger foods, sandwiches and sliced fruit. "Wow... there sure is a lot of it."

Nelani nodded her head quickly. "Yeah, it's packed."

Pointing towards one of the boxes, he looked at her. "Is that one yours or mine?"

She grinned again. "Nope. They're both yours." She then reached down beside her and lifted up a much smaller box, setting it on the table in front of her. "This is my lunch."

He looked at the box, frowning. "That's tiny..."

She straightened slightly in her seat, her head tilting a few centimeters to the left, as he said, "Please eat it all."

"I did promise," he replied, picking up the first of the triangular sandwiches. "Well, one's attitude towards a challenge is important to anything."

"What do you mean?"

He chuckled. "Don't let it bother you."

A half hour later, Nelani set a glass of water in front of him, as he leaned back in his chair. Both of the large boxes were empty save a scattering of crumbs and a few pieces of crumpled parchment.

She looked at him, worry shining in her eyes. "Was it a lot?"

He snorted in amusement, picking up the glass of water. "Just a little," he said and then took a sip from the glass.

"I'm sorry," she replied, blushing. "It was a lot of fun making it, so... And there was so many things that I wanted to make you..."

Taking another sip, he put it down, and smiled at her. "It was delicious. And because they were delicious, it all fit into my stomach."

"Really?" she asked, beaming with pride. "That makes me happy."

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

After school, the two were in Anakin's favorite bistro, Poltx. Located in the middle of the shopping shopping district, it had wide bay windows in the dining area, where one could sit and watch pedestrian traffic without being noticed. Sitting on the table in front of Nelani was an empty dish, the last traces of some ice cream still visible in its bottom, while he had a half-drained cup of caf. She looked up at him, and said, "It's been a while since I've been to a place like this."

He grinned at her. "Well, everyone needs a break every now and then."

"Yeah," she replied slowly.

"So, how was the ice cream here?"

"It was great!"

He smiled at her, and pushed his credit chit into the slot on the tabletop, settling their bill. Then he stood and helped her up, and together they left the bistro and turned right, walking deeper into the shopping district. Anakin noticed that they were nearing the doll shop, and he slowed down so that Nelani could look in the window. Front and center of the display was a life-sized Jawa doll, which Anakin could only frown at and wonder, Why would someone want to buy a Jawa doll?

Nelani leaned closer to the glass, as if she couldn't quite believe what she was seeing. "This... this is a really strange doll shop." She paused for a moment, her head moving slightly. "Looks like there's a lot more of them in there as well."

"I don't understand any of them," Anakin said. "It's probably better if we stay away."

She straightened and looked at him. "Let's go in."

"You want to?" he asked, his back straightening slightly. He saw her staring at him, her eyes silently pleading. "Well if you want to...."

He felt someone staring at him, and he lifted his gaze away from Nelani to find Kiori standing at the corner, not two dozen paces from them. As she stared at Nelani's back, Kiori's body was held rigid in shock. Slowly, Kiori lowered her head, and then backed away, sliding around the corner and disappearing from sight.

He focused on Nelani again. "Ah... uhm, I actually forgot something at Poltx's. Why don't you head inside first and check things out while I run and get what I forgot." He walked around her, and then called out over his shoulder. "I'll be right back, you wait for me here. Okay?"

Without waiting for her response, he darted around the corner and looked around. He saw Kiori running down the street and he gave chase.

"Kiori!" he called out. "Kiori! Wait!" He growled slightly when he realized she was ignoring him, and he put on more speed, catching up with her, and stopping in front of her. "Stop running away from me. Let's have tea or something with Nelani. You're concerned about her too, right?"

Kiori refused to meet his eyes. "I don't know anyone named Nelani." She then pushed him out of the way and started walking again. "Out of my way."

Anakin twisted around, and called out her name, but she was already gone.

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

Darkness had fully fallen, and Anakin stood next to Nelani on one of the many bridges around the town. He stared at the black river, frowning slightly at the occasional flash of silver either from a fish or from one of Yavin's other moons.

"That idiot," he mumbled under his breath, and feeling Nelani's gaze on him, lifted his head and smiled at her. "Ah, uh... don't mind me... so what was it? About the shop we stopped by?"

Nelani watched him for a moment, and then turned her attention towards the store. "Well, the shopkeeper was nice. He gave me detailed explanations about everything, and made all sorts of suggestions." She smiled slightly, and Anakin turned his back onto the river to lean against the railing, as she continued talking. "But I turned them all down because I didn't have any money."

He felt the feather-light touch of her hand on his shoulder, and he turned to look at her, seeing the concern in her large, blue eyes. "Did something happen, Anakin? You're staring off into space."

"No," he replied, kicking off the wall. "It's nothing. So, what kind of stuffed animals were there?"

"Really strange ones," she responded as they began walking across the bridge again. "Like a giant acklay and a Hutt."

"And a Affytechan, right?"

Nelani's eyes widened slightly. "There was such a thing there?"

He laughed. "Yeah."

Thoughts of the plush Affytechan brought memories of Tenel Ka to mind. Especially something she had said the time he had visited her in the hospital with Tahiri. He frowned slightly, as he struggled to remember the words. Finally, he did: There is someone near to you, who is trying to turn away from her pain. You need to give her strength.

"Hello," Nelani's voice cut through his wandering thoughts. "Anakin?"

"Oh, sorry," he replied, giving his head a quick shake. "So, which did you like more? The acklay or the Hutt?"

"Rather than those two, I liked the one in the window. The Jawa."

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

Anakin looked at the balance on his credit chit, and then at the handful of specific denomination credits he had scattered on his desk. Sighing, he picked up the credit chit again and moved from his desk chair to sit on his bed, dropping his head into his hands. "And that's my budget," he muttered.

Someone knocked at his door, and he looked over at it. "Come in," he called out.

The door cracked open, and at about his chest level, Ikrit floated into the room, holding him up were two tanned hands. "Good, Ikirt!" Tahiri called out from behind the door.

Giggling, she pushed the door the rest of the way open, and walked in.

He watched her for a moment, and then said, "Oh, it's only you." He then once more turned back to the glowing number on his credit chit. "What do you want?'

She plopped onto his bed beside him. "I just came to tell you that no one's using the 'fresher if you want a shower right now." She then glanced over at his credit chit. "Are you going to buy something?"

"Yeah," he said, and then looked over at her. He noticed the thin chain around her neck, and frowned for a moment. "You're always wearing that necklace, right?"

She fingered the necklace for a moment, and then nodded her head. "Yes, I do. It was a present from someone and means a lot to me."

Anakin nodded and looked away. "Speaking of presents, it's almost Nelani's birthday."

"Are you going to get her something?"

He turned to look at her again. "What do you think I should get?"

She grinned mischievously. "Canapés!"

He arched an eyebrow at her. "That's your personal preference."

Her grin turned into a full smile. "Then money."

Frowning, he looked over at her again. "You're oddly serious with that."

She began to chew on a finger tip, and then pulled it out and replied, "But if I have money, then I can buy canapés."

He could feel the beginnings of a headache, and he slowly began to run at his temple with his left hand. "Please, get your mind off of food."

She sighed, and looked down, clutching Ikrit tighter up against her chin. After a moment, she lifted her head to look at him. "Then rather than buying her something, why don't you do something for her? Do something that will make her happy."

Anakin pulled his hand away from his forehead, and slowly lifted his head to stare straight at the wall in front of him, his arm held forgotten halfway between his lap and his head.

Tahiri kept on talking. "You could take her somewhere fun. Or treat her to good fun. Isn't there anything that Nelani would like to do?"

He dropped his hand to his lap, and then looked at Tahiri. "What would make Nelani happy is to spend some time talking with Kiori." He worried at his lower lip for a moment, and then bolted into a standing position. "I've got it!" he announced.

"Anakin?"

He nodded his head quickly. "Yeah, this has to be what I need to do. This is something I can do for Nelani?"

"What is it?" Tahiri asked.

Anakin looked down at her and smiled.

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