Memories - Epilogue

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Anakin was strapped into the crash couch of his X-Wing, the swirls of hyperspace hypnotic before him. He stretched as much as possible in the cramp cockpit trying to work out the kinks in his shoulders. He glanced down at the console, and noted that the last leg of his trip was over; after two weeks on Obra-Skai he was finally returning to the Jedi Academy on Yavin.

Grinning, he pushed the levers forward as Fiver, his astromech, told him that it was time to leave hyperspace. The swirling tunnel collapsed and the Yavin IV hung before him a blue and green jewel, in front of the larger orange and brown sphere of Yavin itself.

He activated his com and got clearance to land, once that was taken care of he called up his apartment.

His Aunt Mara answered, "About time you should back up, Solo."

He chuckled, long used to her acerbic personality, "I blame Uncle Luke for sending me on these things."

"Well, we've been waiting, and everyone's here, but you should have a package to pick up at the landing field."

The grin still on his lips, he nodded his head, "I understand Aunt Mara, and I'll see you soon, and there should probably be some canapes around."

"Copy that, Solo," she replied with a chuckle and then the circuit shut down.

Still grinning, he dove into the atmosphere, ignoring the squak of concern that came from traffic control. Speeding up, he dropped low, riding just a few meters above the massive trees which covered most of the area. Flowers and leaves blew up in the air, disturbed by the wake of his passage.

Within minutes he was within sight of the Jedi Temple, and traffic control was getting frantic at his speed and the fact that he was ignoring the customary approach patterns. With a flick of his wrist he turned off the comm unit entirely as he circled the Temple itself.

Leveling out, he flashed over the landing area, causing an explosion of colored petals to shower the area. He simultaneously pulled up on his stick and throttled his speed back down effectively flipping his craft over and shedding all its forward momentum.

Righting himself, he once more closed on the landing area at a more sedate pace. Arriving at his designated plot, he gently lowered the fighter to the ground. Pulling off his flight helmet, he looked at the stone bench set beside the landing area.

It wasn't that long ago that he sat there waiting for Jaina to come pick him up. For a moment, he wondered what his life would have been like if he hadn't came back to Yavin.

Even as he thought that, he focused on the person sitting on the bench. She was a slip of a girl in an orange jumpsuit, and had a piece of cloth tied over her hair. As he realized that she was without shoes as usual, he found that his grin had widened into a full smile; and he knew that his life would not be nearly as complete if he hadn't returned.

Pushing open the canopy, he jumped out and used the Force to slow his drop to the ground. The smell of flowers hung heavily on the air and the petals themselves were nearly everywhere; placed there by the aggressiveness of his approach. A strong wind would occasionally gust through them, sending a rainbow's worth of colors fluttering on the breeze.


He closed the distance between them, as he walked, he noticed that she shifted the cloth on top of her head as the wind tried to snatch it away.

Finally he was standing before her, and tossed her a half-hearted grin and a wave. "Hey suspicious person."

She raised her head, a frown on her own lips. "You're late. Way late."

"Sorry that I was a little late," he replied, ignoring her. "But then again, I'm not the suspicious person here."

"I'm not a suspicious person!" She exclaimed as her green eyes wavered between anger and amusement.

He laughed and knelt down in front of her. "What? Sorry, but no matter how you look at it, you're a suspicious person."

"How?"

"It's just everything," he replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

Her eyes narrowed slightly, and a pout touched her lips. "That's not true."

He patted the cloth. "What's with this, anyways?"

She sighed, and gripped the cloth tighter to her head. "Promise not to laugh?"

"I won't," he said, standing back up.

"You really, really promise not to laugh?"

"I swear that I won't, no matter what happens."

She frowned slightly. "That sounds made up, but it's a promise."

"I do keep my promises," he replied.

She nodded her head, and then sighed. "Well... I went to the barber and asked for a haircut. Then..." She pulled the cloth off, revealing that her long hair had been almost entirely hacked off into a short bob that ended just beneath her ears. "Then I kind of got a lot cut off. He was new, and a Chadra-fan... I don't think he knew that I was a girl."

He couldn't help it, Anakin burst out laughing.

She threw the cloth at him as she pouted. "You said you wouldn't laugh."

His laughing tapered off, and still grinning, he responded, "Well, it's just that with that haircut, you do look kind of like a boy. Next time, take Jaina or Nelani with you."

She sighed and nodded her head. "Yeah, I'll do that."

He held his hands out towards her. "Well come on then, let's go."

She reached up and grabbed his hands, and he pulled her to a standing position. "I commed Aunt Mara on my way down, and she said she'd make you some canapes. Also, Jaina, Tenel Ka, Eyrl, Kiori and Nelani are going to be there. They're all there waiting for us."

She grinned up at him, the smile lighting up her eyes as the wind once again tossed flowers around them. "Then we've got to hurry."

As they began to walk towards the apartments in the distance, he smiled down at her and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "No Tahiri, we've got all the time in the world."

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The time that had stopped slowly starts moving...

... all while holding on to a small fragment of a miracle.

I don't know how long it will take...

But... there's plenty of time.

Memories Ch 24

Previous Chapter

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A dream...

The day the dream ends...

Like the snow melting away under the spring sun...

Like how people's facades fade as they age...

Like how memories start to fade and disappear in the course of eternal time...

Now the long dream reaches an end...

After granting the final wish...

The one wish...

My wish is...

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The alarm clock started ringing, a constantly changing metronome which Anakin found annoying; the perfect impetuous to drag him out of bed.

Groaning, he opened his eyes, finding his face in a shaft of brilliant sunlight. He blinked twice and then rolled out of the bed, stretching muscles tightened by sleep. Leaving the room, he turned off his alarm clock on the way out, and as he entered the hallway, he could clearly hear the myriad alarms Jaina had set up in her room.

Sighing, he knocked on her door. "Jaina!"

When no answer came, he opened the door and quickly turned off her alarms. Then he turned towards his sister, and frowned. "Wake up, Jaina."

After getting her up and moving, they walked down the hallways towards the kitchen. Jaina looked over at him, a sly grin on her face. "I finally got a message back from Zekk."

He snorted. "Told you that you should send him one."

Sticking her tongue out at him, she darted around the corner and into the kitchen. Over her shoulder she called out, "Brat!"

Laughing, he followed her, to find Mara setting a plate onto the table. Ben was set on her hip, and he cooed as he saw them both.

Jaina settled into her customary spot, and looked at a jar. She pulled it towards her, and unscrewed the cap, sniffing its contents carefully. "Oh! This is a new jam isn't it?"

Mara smiled, and Anakin was slightly amazed at how well she had recovered in the past few weeks.

Too soon, Anakin found himself running behind Jaina, as they threaded through the crowds on their way to the Temple. Panting, he ground out, "How exactly did it come to this again?"

"That's just because Aunt Mara's new jam was so good," she replied with a giggle. Then she looked down at the chronometer attached to her wrist. "If you don't want to be late, we've got to run faster"

He sighed and tried to run faster.

They stumbled into the classroom just as the morning bell went off. Jaina looked around with a gloating smile on her face. "We made it."

Anakin slowly went over to his seat and collapsed into it. "Next time we're running late, don't eat so much. You can eat Mara's jam whenever you want."

Jaina settled into her seat next to his, and nodded her head. "Yeah... you're right... I can eat her jam whenever."

Smiling, he leaned towards her slightly. "Well, just make sure you eat that jam for her next time as well."

Jaina shuddered, her eyes squeezing shut in remembered pain. "I... no, you eat it."

"I'm allergic to jams."

She looked at him, a dubious expression on her face. "I've never heard of such a thing before..."

Raynar and Kiori walked over. "Hey!" Raynar called over. "What are you guys talking about?"

Anakin looked at his two friends. "We're talking about Mara's special blend jam."

Kiori's eyes opened wider in shock and fear. "Th...that's still around?"

"So, you've had it to," Anakin responded.

Kiori nodded. "Once. I went over while Jaina and I were working together on a project for Master Horn, and Master Skywalker served it to us."

"I see," Anakin replied.

"What?" Raynar cried out, looking between the three of them. "What's this jam all about?"

"There are some things that one is better off not knowing about," Anakin said, as the two girls quickly nodded their head in agreement.

Suddenly, Kiori slapped her hands together. "Oh! I almost forget... Anakin guess what."

Startled slightly, he looked up to see the bright smile on her face.

At the first break, he ran down the steps, and into the courtyard garden. Panting, he began looking around. He took a few more steps, heading deeper into the garden courtyard.

Then he heard the sound of someone stepping on the gravel behind him. "Anakin?"

He felt himself smiling. "I figured you'd come out here."

"Yes," she replied. "I'm back at school today."

He continued to look at the distance. "Why not keep skipping. You're going to have to repeat the entire year's worth of work."

"I don't like people who say such things."

He turned around and found Nelani standing there. She was dressed in a set of Jedi robes, her hands clasped in front of her and a bright smile on her lips.

"Long time no see," she said, her eyes dancing with happiness.

"Yeah," he replied as he closed the distance between them. When he got close enough, he rubbed at her hair. "I'm happy for you Nelani... that you can come to school again."

"Anakin..."

"Hey, let's celebrate again at Poltx; to celebrate you getting better."

"At times like this...." She lowered her head, and when she lifted her face towards her again, tears lined her eyes. "At... At times like this.... I can cry right?"

"Yeah," he replied nodding his head.

"Anakin!" she exclaimed, and grabbed the front of his tunic, burying her face in it. Her shoulders shaking as she cried into his chest. "I... I never wanted to die... I didn't want to say goodbye... I don't want to be...alone...."

Anakin wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight against his chest. "When you want to cry you can; since you've been strong all this time."

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Anakin sat on the thin mat. Across from him was Tenel Ka, and setting out the boxes of food was Eyrl. Once the food was put out, she threw her arms forward and grinned brightly

"Please, eat up!"

Anakin gathered up his share, and began eating. "I'm just happy you two managed to get out of the medward before the term ended. Weren't you both supposed to be knighted?"


"Yeah," Eyrl answered. "Even Master Cilghal was surprised. She said it was something of a miracle that we got out as early as we did. Right Tenel Ka?"

Tenel Ka nodded.

Anakin frowned at something Eyrl had said. It tugged at the jumbled mess of his memories. Miracle?

Eyrl continued speaking. "Yeah, though we're going to have to wait a while longer before we can get knighted. Master Skywalker thinks we might have missed a bit too much of this terms lessons. Right Tenel Ka?"

Tenel Ka nodded.

Anakin looked at her for a moment. "What exactly is your plan after you're knighted? Are you going into one of the government service programs or are you going to become a Jedi?"

Tenel Ka shrugged. "Government service has no appeal to me."

Anakin snorted. "Why not? I think you'd be good in the diplomatic corps."

She frowned and then reached over and slapped her hand onto the top of his head. "Ow!"

Eyrl giggled slightly. "Anakin, did you ever find your missing friend?"

"Tahiri?" he said with a slight sigh. "She said we weren't going to be able to see each other again, so I guess she left. She might have even gone back to Tatooine."

Smiling sadly, he picked up his plate again and once more began to eat.

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After he had been released from training for the day, Anakin strolled through the shopping district. As he turned every corner, he still half expected someone to come jumping onto his back and screaming out his name.

He was surprised at how much he missed her exuberance.

"Solo?"

Startled, he spun around to see who had called his name. For a split second he thought it was going to be Tahiri, instead it was Mara. "A-aunt Mara?"

Amusement twinkled in her eyes, as she tilted her head slightly. "Ah? Did you mistake me for someone else?" Then she twirled a strand of her red hair around one of her manicured fingers. "I can understand the eyes, Solo, but the hair is not quite right."

"Ah... no... it wasn't that..." he replied, scratching at his own hair. "Besides, she'd never call me 'Solo.'"

A sad look appeared in her eyes, as she nodded her head. Then she pointed towards a building across the street. "Let's go over there."

He followed her finger, and saw Poltx. Nodding his head, he followed her to it, and soon they were seated at a table across from each other.

After they had ordered, he looked at her. "I'm happy that there's no long term effect from the accident."

She smiled slightly. "Yeah, Cilghal was surprised as well. She even went so far as to call it a miracle." She looked down at the table as their teas were placed in front of them. A frown touched her lips for a moment, before she smiled again. Finally, she lifted her face to look at him once more. "Anakin, do you have any idea where Tahiri is? It's been bothering me, and I know Jaina is worried as well. Kriff, even Ben liked her. It's just not the same without her around."

Anakin lowered his head, and wrapped his hands around his cup, enjoying its warmth against his hands. He felt another pang of heartache, as what Mara was saying stirred up conflicting emotions. "Aunt Mara... I... I remember now."

"Huh?"

"About what happened all those years ago... Why I lost my memories... The last day of my training session, just hours before I was supposed to leave on the Falcon... my friend..." He clenched his teeth before continuing. "We were on the river... and she fell in, and got pulled away... when I got to her she wasn't breathing... Uncle Luke found us at that melted temple and then asked me what happened and then I was waiting to go back to Coruscant.

"As I sat on the bench waiting for Dad, Jaina came by. She... she didn't know what had happened and I... well, I took my frustrations and anger out on her. Then I fled with Dad back home. I don't remember much after that, and it's not until a year ago that my memories really begin again.

"I know you're just being considerate about my feelings when you didn't tell me about the accident. One day you did ask me about one of the Temples, to see if I remembered what had happened.

"That's why you asked... and I assume that's why the Temple was razed. Because.... Because that girl... my friend.... Her name was Tahiri Veila. Tahiri.... She's... she's not here anymore.... One with the Force as Uncle Luke would say."

He clenched his jaws together and dropped his head. He felt his body shaking slightly; as he fought the tears that he knew would come if he let them.

Mara gently touched his hand, and he lifted his head to look at her.

After a moment she spoke. "You can be a bit dense sometimes, you know that Solo? That girl... Your Uncle had a state of the art medical center built here because of her. She's not dead, but..."

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A Dream....

I'm seeing a dream...

A dream of the person most dear to me, sitting by my side.

He talks to me. He lets me hear about so many things. There are so many stories that he tells me...

A story about his sister who he met again after seven years.

A story of a girl that was a fish.

A story of a strange girl who would appear in the Temple's courtyards every day.

A story of a girl who fought her own demons.

And a story about a childhood friend who he met every day in the shopping districts.

A dream...

I'm seeing a dream...

A dream of being by my dearest person.

A daily life that repeats; pieces of dreams comes one after another and fill my heart.

Just like the seasons change. From winter to spring to summer to fall and back to winter.

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Anakin walked behind the nurse, his emotions flashing from one end of the spectrum to the other. Fragments of memories were jumbled in his head, the most prominent of which were parts of the conversation he had just had with Mara.

Finally, the nurse stopped and pulled open a door. Anakin paused, not wanting to look in. Then he stepped forward. The room was dominated by a bed, an array of medical scanners and equipment were attached to the wall by the head of the bed. The far wall from him had a wide window which allowed streams of the afternoon sun to fall on the bed.

Lying there, her features highlighted by the sun, was Tahiri. Her hair was longer than he remembered, and her chest lifted and lowered slowly and evenly with her breathing.

He stepped forward, and noticed that her hand was clenched tightly around a small doll. He took another step, and recognized the doll as the one he had given her.

Slowly, mechanically he crossed the room to her bed. Then he fell to his knees and dropped his head to her bed, resting it gently on her shoulder.

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Time passed slowly; Anakin visited daily. On occasion Nelani or Tenel Ka or Eyrl or Jaina would visit her with him. It was a firm part of his routine, as important to him as training ever was. He helped care for her, washed her hair, massaged her legs, but most of all he talked to her. He told her stories and anecdotes and the trials he was going through in order to complete his training.

While not exactly happy, neither was he sad. Tahiri was in front of him, there every day, just as he was there for her.

One day, while washing her hair with Jaina's help, Jaina paused for a moment. She frowned down at Tahiri's still form. "What happened to her necklace?"

Anakin frowned as he looked at her neck. The necklace was gone, and thinking back he realized that she had never had it on.

He shook his head. "I'm not sure, I don't remember seeing it."

Then with that said, they returned to washing her hair.

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Anakin sat on the bench across from Nelani. In her hand she held a sketchbook and a chunk of charcoal. Her hand moved with deft strokes, creating a skritching sound from the paper.

She lifted her eyes for a second. "Have you ever wondered if you were in someone's dream?"

"What's that?"

She paused in her drawing. "It's a 'what-if' situation." Her head titled slightly to the side. "For example, the person whose dream it is can grant a single wish. Originally in the dream the one thing the person could do was cry, but the person never gave up waiting."

She lowered the pad to the flat of her lap, and then continued speaking. "Then... then there was a small chance. The wish is kind of like a present that's been given to her for waiting so long. After all, that person has waited year after year. That way she'd be capable of granting any one wish. Saving a sickly girl... saving someone who got hurt in an accident... even healing the hurt friends...."

"Isn't there only supposed to be one wish?"

"I don't know what she wished for, but maybe... what if it was 'I want my dearest person to always be smiling?' Maybe it was a wish like that, and for that to come true, everyone around that person would have to be having a happy life too..."

Anakin lifted an eyebrow as he watched Nelani. "How are you able to think like that?"

Quickly, she began shaking her head. "I don't know..." She focused on him for a moment, and then lifted her eyes towards the sky. Then she shrugged her shoulders and said, "It's just a thought I've had ever since I got better."

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As was his custom, Anakin was sitting next to Tahiri, telling her about his day. As usual, she lay there, her eyes closed, not responding to anything he said.

The door opened, and he looked that way, to see Tenel Ka stepping into the room. She paused in the door way, her grey eyes boring into his.

He stood up, and allowed Tenel Ka to take the seat by the bed, while he prepared tea for them both. Glancing quickly over his shoulder, he asked, "You're not with Eyrl today?"

She remained silent for a long heartbeat; finally she bowed her head slightly. "Anakin... I am certain that she is still waiting for you." She looked up at him, as he turned to face her. "Go find her. Go find her, the way you found me."

Anakin frowned for a moment. "Find her?"

"Yes. I am certain that it is something that only you can do. The only person who can keep the promise, is the person with whom the promise was made."

As Anakin watched her, she lowered her head and once more began watching Tahiri.

"Where is she waiting?" he asked.

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I loved the scenery that flew by.

Spring.

The forest vibrant and life waking up.

I loved running through the forest, leaving behind my footprints in the moist ground.

Summer.

I loved the heat and warmth as I moved through the woods; all hints of the winter hidden by the dense foliage of the canopy.

Autumn.

The world begins to wait. The Forest closes begins to close in upon itself, readying for the long cold winter.

Winter.

The first biting chill wind. Going to the mountains, catching the snowflakes as they fall.

And then it's back to Spring.

The season of new life. The season when the flowers flare in a riot of colors.

I loved the scenery that flew by.

But, like a puddle frozen in winter, so my time has frozen.

I was always alone; all the while seeing the same scene repeated day after unending day. I was always alone while viewing the same unending night...

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He walked through the forest, heading deeper into it. He stumbled forward, and broke through into the clearing which housed the melted temple.

Looking around, he advanced forward slightly, and then he looked up at the sky. Sighing, not entirely certain what he was doing here, he began looking around.

And that was when he saw it.

A small parcel, aged, tossed away into the brush. He frowned, wondering why he had never seen it before. He picked it up, and with a start he realized that he had seen it before. It had been something he had bought. Carefully, he opened it up, and sitting inside was a necklace.

The pendant was a brown smooth stone, with a silver wire wrapped around it to hold it to the thin metal chain.

As he looked at it, in his mind's eye he saw Tahiri standing there, holding up the chains, as she said, "Yes, I do. It was a present from someone and means a lot to me." Then there was another time when they had discussed the necklace, and she had asked, "Do you remember when you gave this to me?"

Tears flowed down his cheek, as he crumpled to the ground. I never gave Tahiri the necklace. I never did...

As he cried, all the memories came slamming back, forcing him to realize all the things that he had done in his effort to forget his pain.

I never gave it to her, he thought. Instead I choose to believe that I had. I chose an illusion over reality. I forced away my sadness; I couldn't face it. I accepted the illusion that put me at ease, and I did it just because I didn't want to hurt anymore. I did it because I didn't want my heart to break any more than it already had.

He lifted his head and looked around. Everything around him felt surreal and altered. He looked down and realized that he was a child again; no more than eleven years old. He stood and walked back down the path. Before long he arrived where the city should have been, instead it was the woods of the past.

He continued on, through the path, up the slight hill until he came to the forbidding edifice which is the Jedi Temple. Feeling dwarfed in his childhood body, he entered the Temple through the wide hanger doors, and found her sitting on a stone bench. Her bare feet swung in time to a melody she was humming. Her green eyes flashed with happiness as she looked up at him. "You're late Anakin."

He nodded his head. "Yeah. This time I was really late."

Her smile was slightly bitter. "I don't think I want to play today though. I'm a bit tired from waiting."

"Did you worry that I might not come?"

She shook her head. "Nope. We promised, remember?"

"Tahiri," he said, as he lifted the package and held it out to her. "Here."

She looked at it for a moment. "What's that?"

"I said I had something to give you," he replied.

She sprang from her seat and rushed towards him. When she arrived in front of him, she took the package; her smile was brilliant as she looked down at it.

He held out his hand towards her. "Tahiri?"

She lifted her head.

"Come on. Let's go."

She watched his hand for a moment, and then nodded her head. "Yep."

Then her small hand slipped into his, and together they walked towards the setting sun.

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Next Chapter

Memories Ch. 23

Previous Chapter

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The rain pelted down on him, cold and harsh. He shivered, and closed his eyes; almost happy to be done with everything. Just a few more centimeters and then he would not have to worry about anything anymore.

Then something heavy dropped down into the creek bed; mud and rain water splashed over his face. He lifted his head and opened his eyes as he looked up. A girl was standing over him, her brown hair sodden and limp, but he could easily make out the dozens of braids.

"Sannah?" he muttered and then collapsed back down to the ground.

The world turned black all around him.

Awareness seeped back with the soft sounds of a woman's singing. There was something familiar about the voice and the tune, yet Anakin could place neither.

Carefully, he sat up on the mat that he had been laying on and looked around. A crude wooden table sat a few feet from him, and on the corner closest to him was Tahiri's doll.

Lifting his gaze from the doll, he looked around again, and realized that he was in a tree. Someone had carved out one of the massive trees, and turned it into an effective living space.

A white linen curtain sectioned off the area with the mat from what he assumed was the rest of the home. It was from the far side of it that he could hear the singing.

Suddenly, she stopped singing, and Anakin could feel her attention focus on him for a moment.

"I'm sorry, Anakin. Did I wake you with my singing?"

Anakin frowned for a moment. "Uhm… where am I?"

"Hold on a second, Anakin. I'm warming up a bit of blue milk for us."

"Ah, okay," he replied, even as he thought, who is she? She knows my name.

A few moments later, the curtain was pulled aside, and Anakin could see a kitchen and a closed door. The girl, who was a few years older than Anakin was, stood holding a tray. On the tray were two steaming mugs and a selection of biscuits. He looked at her, her hair was braided, much the same way that Sannah's always was, but in the light of her home, Anakin could tell that that was really the only similarity between the two.

She set the tray down on the table, and handed him one of the mugs.

"Well, Anakin. I see you've wondered back to Yavin IV. What do you think of all the growth that's happened since you've been away?"

He blinked twice, and found himself frowning for a moment. "Uhm… but how do you…"

"Know you?" She responded with a chuckle. "Well, I'm Eelysa and I may live in a tree, but I do have a holonet connection. Besides, I was a Jedi Knight before you ever came to the Junior Jedi Academy."

Anakin felt his frown deepen at that comment. "But you don't look old enough."

She laughed, and he thought how much he liked that sound. "Age has nothing to do with being a Knight. You of all people should know that much."

Anakin felt his cheeks start to burn. "Sorry."

She waved her hand in his direction, and took a sip of her own mug of milk. He followed suit.

With a clink, she set her cup back on the table, and looked at him. "You've grown up a lot since I saw you last. That must've been six, seven years ago now. Are you close to finishing your training?"

He hung his head, shame filling him. "I've not changed at all…"

"What?"

"I've not changed. I've not grown up. If someone's hurt, all I can do is stand there and watch. I'm weak. All I do is watch…. I couldn't help Jaina…" He covered his face with his hands, as the first of the tears began to flow. "I couldn't help Nelani, Tenel Ka or even Sannah… They were all waiting for me…" He clenched his fists, struggling against the pain and emotions that welled in him. "And I just forgot everything. And Tahiri…"

Eelysa laid a hand on his head, brushing it against his hair.

"And Tahiri," Anakin continued. "I couldn't do anything for Tahiri. All I did was forget our promise. All I do are the same things… over and over again… I'm…"

She grabbed his hands, and squeezed then. He looked up at her, to find her staring around her at the house. Confused slightly, he lifted his head, and looked at the ceiling and walls.

"Trees are funny things," she said. "Did you know that they have rings inside of them that tell their age?"

Anakin shook his head.

"Every thing that affects them, from drought to fire to pests to freezing weather; year after year the tree records that in those rings. It's a sign to those who know how to look for it of that tree's strength. I think humans are like that as well. The more trouble they go through, the more pain they suffer, the stronger and kinder they can get."

Anakin lowered his eyes again, as tears once more started to flow.

He could feel her kind smile directed at him. "If you've made a promise with someone, make sure you keep it."

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Anakin woke the next morning, his back hurting from the strange bed he had slept in. Sitting up, he looked around once more, thinking that the tree house looked even odder in the morning light than it did the evening before.

Glancing down at the table, he saw the datapad with a message indicator flashing on it. He picked the device up, and it came to life. Quickly, he scanned the simple lines recorded there:

Anakin, I'm off to perform my morning exercises. If you're hungry, you can eat what's in the food preserver.

He dropped the datapad back onto the table, and went into the kitchen. Opening the preserver, he found a package of meat rolls. The same brand which had been Sannah's favorite.

After he had eaten, he grabbed up the little angel doll and left the house. He quickly got his bearings, and began to walk through the woods. He had a specific destination in mind; the melted temple.

As he walked, he remembered a portion of that last conversation he had had with Tahiri: I'm sorry Anakin, I... I don't think I'll be able to meet you anymore.

The more he walked, the more memories of Tahiri invaded his mind. All the times he had seen her, walked with her, talked with her, or teased her since his return.

Finally he arrived at his destination.

He stood at the edge of the clearing, watching the blasted, melted ruins of a Temple. Then he walked to one of the melted columns, and leaned against it. After a short while, he sat down on the ground, his back to the column.

He lifted his head to the sky, staring at the clouds as they drifted by. "I did promise I'd meet you here again, didn't I?"

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

He heard his alarm clock begin its insistent tone. Frowning, he tossed the covers off and sat up on the bed looking around. I don't have training today, why did I leave that turned on?

Sighing, he got out of bed and quickly dressed. He stepped out into the hallway, and heard the thumps of someone running from behind him. Anakin spun in place, to find Tahiri there, a wide grin on her face as she raced up to him.

"What… what are you doing here," he asked her.

She giggled at him. "I'm a part of the family, right? Where else would I be?"

"Yeah, that's right," he replied, as he began to make his way towards the kitchen.

She skipped beside him, her every movement an expression of exuberant energy. Suddenly, she paused and spun towards him. "Today, Mrs. Mara is going to teach me how to make her cookies."

He snorted in amusement. "Aunt Mara's wasting her time there."

She frowned and stomped her foot. "That's not true."

"I remember the last time you made cookies. They were like stones."

She blushed, and spun away from him. "That was because I didn't know what I was doing, but today Aunt Mara will be teaching me."

He smiled at her. "Well, just don't give Aunt Mara too much trouble."

Tahiri tossed him a brilliant smile over her shoulder. "It'll be okay." Then she was rushing around the corner into the kitchen.

He followed at a more sedate pace, to discover Jaina and Mara already there; Jaina half-dozing as usual rather than eating.

"Good morning," Tahiri called out as she dropped into her place at the table.

Jaina bobbed her head, and Anakin laughed. "You've begun training again? You sure do work hard."

Jaina's head wavered for a moment. "Yeah… I work hard." Then her head fell forward to the table, and she was lightly snoring.

Mara spoke from the kitchen. "Tahiri, once everyone's had breakfast we'll work on those cookies, all right?"

"Yeah!" Tahiri called out, lifting her hands above her head. As she lowered her arms, she turned towards Anakin. "You'll eat them right?"

"Absolutely not," he shot back.

A scowl appeared on her face. "Well that was blunt."

"Today's will be different," Mara called from the kitchen. "Right?"

"Yeah. That's right," Tahiri replied.

He smiled at her. "Well then, if it looks good, then I guess I'll eat it."

She began to smile. "Really?"

"IF it looks good."

"Yeah! I'll do my best," she replied, her face a brilliant smile. "So look forward to my cookies, okay?"

With a start, Anakin jerked awake. He looked around himself and realized that he was still in the courtyard of the melted temple.

Frowning, he lifted his face towards the sky once again. "Guess I'm still really here then…"

He snorted in amusement, as he looked around him again. "I remember doing this when I first got here. Of course, I had a bench that time…"

Smiling, he looked down the path he had come. Unbidden, Tahiri's words once more rang through his head: But what I really like is when the person I'm waiting for comes. Then I can be glad that I was waiting.

He lifted the small angel doll, holding it in front of his face as he memory of another conversation with her fought through his mind again: I think that if you loved me, then I could love you. Forever.

He felt himself smiling. "I still love you…"

Then from behind him, he heard a voice; her voice; as Tahiri said, "Me, too, Anakin."

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

He squeezed his eyes shut tight. "Then why did you say we can't meet again?"

"Because I'm out of time," was her reply. "Today… today, I'm here to say good-bye."

"I'm here to give you what you left behind."

"So…. You found it?" He heard an odd sadness in her voice.

"Yeah," he responded. "With some trouble. Lots of trouble." Then he stood up, and slowly moved around the column.

As he cleared it, he saw her. She stood half a dozen paces away from him, her hands clasped in front of her chest. He felt his heart pound harder in his chest.

"Thank you," she said as he handed her the doll. She looked at it for a moment, and then clutched it tight to her chest.

"You're late," Anakin said.

A wistful smile appeared on her lips. "We're allowed to come whenever we want to to our school, remember?"

"That's right."

"Yep."

Anakin sighed. "We were able to meet again."

"Yep."

"Is this really good bye?"

"Yep."

He felt himself getting angrier at the unfairness of things. Automatically, his fists clenched by his side. "You can't stay here forever?"

A touch of sadness entered her voice. "No."

"I see," Anakin replied. "Then…then at least tell me your third wish. I did promise to give you three after all. So," He struggled to keep his voice even; to keep the tears from falling. "At the very least, let me grant that last wish."

"That's right," she said, her face falling slightly as she looked at the ground. When she looked up again, she had a smile on her lips and a glimmer of a tear in her eyes. "Then for my last wish… Anakin… Please forget about me."

Anakin felt as if the Falcon had just crash landed on his heart.

Tahiri continued talking. "Please, just think that I had never existed. Yes…" Her tears begin rolling down her face, and her body hitched with a sob. "Please… just forget me…"

A harsh wind began blowing around them, tugging at their clothes.

Anakin fought to gather control of his emotions. Finally, he found his voice. "Are you sure? Is your wish really for me to forget you?"

She looked up at him, the tears still flowing freely down her cheeks. "But I don't have any more wishes now…I was able to eat so many of the canapés that I was never supposed to be able to eat again. So… so please just forget me."

Anakin clenched his teeth and then rushed forward, wrapping her in his arms. He was almost surprised that she was so much shorter than he was. It felt like he was holding a 10 year old in his arms.

Her voice wavered, "Anakin?"

He began petting her hair, as he hugged her tight against his chest.

"I'm not a child, you know." She almost sounded indignant.

He chuckled. "Yes you are. You go running off on your own and cause all sorts of problems for people. What's worse is that you try to shoulder all these burdens by yourself." He paused for a moment, and felt a tear race down his right cheek. "You're not alone. I won't accept that wish." Another tear fell on his opposite cheek. "I can't grant it."

"Anakin…"

"There's no way I'd be able to forget about you!"

"Then I know what I want my last wish to be. My last wish is…"

He loosened his grip slightly so he could look down at her. She smiled, and opened her mouth to say something more. Just then the trees around them shook with a violent blast of wind; leaves raced around him. Even though they stood so close, even though he could see her lips moving, he could not hear any sound come from them.

"What did you just say, Tahiri?"

A weak smile graced her lips, and he pulled her into another tight hug.

"Anakin," she said. "Is my body still warm?"

He looked down at her, noticing for the first time the faint blue glow that surrounded her.

"Of course it is," he replied.

"What a relief."

Another wind whipped around Anakin, and suddenly, he was no longer holding her. He blinked in surprise, as he looked around. In the muddy ground, he could see his tracks, and he could see where she had been standing. Yet she had left no tracks, neither arriving nor leaving.

He dropped to his knees, staring at his hands that had been holding onto her. Finally, he used them to cover his face, as the tears began to flow, and his shoulders began to shake.

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

A dream.

I'm seeing a dream.

The same normal day, over and over again…

Waiting for the same morning, and then returning to the same dream.

Red, white, cold, warmth, sadness, and then the day starts all over again.

From years ago… I knew it from years ago.

While floating through the endless dream…

While waiting for the dawn that won't come…

I'm sitting at the same place… a crowd without noise… Emotionless people walk by…

Nobody notices the small child sitting all alone on the bench.

She's waiting for someone…

…Someone she knows won't show up…

For someone she knows won't show up for years and years…

I was waiting for years.

Waiting for the dawn that wouldn't come… inside my dream.

But…

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

Anakin sat on the bench. It was the same bench he had waited for Jaina at just a few short weeks ago when his father had dropped him off on Yavin. The rich warm fragrances of that day have been replaced by the pungent odor of the night blooming plants of the rain forest.

Yet none of that affected Anakin.

His hands were clasped together between his legs, his back curved, head bowed. If the Jedi Temple had been more into the trappings of religion, one could have assumed him a young monk deep in prayer.

But the Jedi are not concerned about the trappings of religion. Despite the mysticism inherent in their Order, they are very pragmatic and practical people.

Anakin sat like that, because he could not think of a better way to sit.

He was numb; heart broken; a smoldering pain, held deep in his chest, resting lightly on his stomach.

It just made sense to his body to assume that position, when his heart felt as crumpled and curved.

Then he heard the crunch of a boot on the gravel that was spread around the bench.

Jaina's voice intruded on his dark thoughts. "Anakin?"

He looked up at her, and she gave him a weak smile, even though there were tears lining her eyes.

"I've been looking everywhere for you."

"Sorry," he replied. "I didn't mean to make you worry."

Slowly she shook her head. "That's supposed to be my line."

He slid off the bench, and knelt in front of her. "Jaina… I've been depending on you so much… I've been nothing but a spoiled brat."

She knelt in front of him, her hands clutched over her chest. "It's the same with me…I said some mean things to you…"

"Jaina… I… I have to…"

She interrupted him. "Now we're even."

"Even?"

She smiled, and bopped her head. "Yup."

"Even, huh?" A weak smile appeared on his lips. "Did any news come from the medcenter?"

"No."

"I see…" Anakin looked down again.

"Anakin," Jaina began, wiping a tear from her eye. "I'll get stronger."

"Yeah…"

She frowned for a moment. "You look sad."

He shook his head. "That's a trick of the light."

Then she was hugging him. "It'll be okay, little brother. We'll be strong together."

She released him, and he watched her for a moment. "No Krakana."

"It's a promise."

"Yeah."

"And if you break the promise…"

Anakin felt himself grinning despite the pain in his chest. "I'll buy you a strawberry parfait."

She quickly shook her head. "No… not even strawberries will allow me to forgive you if you break this promise."

---

Next Chapter

Memories Ch. 22

Previous Post

---

Anakin sat in the rear seat of the Jedi ground car; Jaina beside him, staring out the window watching the pedestrians as they traveled along. They followed the defined path from the Temple to the medical center, moving at an almost sedate pace through the shopping district. Their pace slowed even further as they neared a large crowd. Anakin shifted his attention so that he was looking out Jaina's window.

He saw the twisted, smoking wreckage of the transport, and he blinked his eyes a few times, not quite certain if he believed what he was seeing. That's what hurt Aunt Mara.

Jaina gasped, and slammed her hands against the window. He leaned forward slightly, to see exactly what had caught her attention.

Frowning, he saw it on the ground; the crumpled remains of a strawberry cake.

Jaina dropped her hands from the window, and seemed to shrink in on herself. Her shoulders began to shake, and tears slashed down her face.

Jaina, he thought as he worried about her; wondered how he could help her.

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

Side-by-side, they stood at the observation window, looking into the small medward where Mara lay on the cot unconscious. Bandages were wrapped around the top of her head, a bright bruise marred her right cheek and eye, and through the oxygen mask strapped to her face, he could make out a thin cut at the edge of her mouth.

After they had stood there silently watching her for a few moments, the Jedi Healer Cilghal stepped up. "We'll do what we can," she began telling us. "But if she remains in this state... I won't lie to either of you, as long as she remains this way, her life remains in jeopardy."

He felt Jaina's emotions twinge. Her pain was a gaping wound in the Force and turned to look at her, seeing the hurt, fear, and tears in her eyes.

Cilghal retreated, and in silence they stood watching Mara's unconscious form. Shortly, he took Jaina by the elbow and led her down the hall to one of the small, comfortable waiting rooms. Making sure she was comfortable, he walked down the hall to the holonet, and quickly placed a call to his parents, making sure that they knew Aunt Mara had been injured.

After getting off the holonet, he rubbed his face, and then returned to the waiting room.

Kam stood there, watching Jaina, a frown on his face. As Anakin entered the room, he turned to face him.

Anakin bowed, and said, "I commed our parents. They said they would be here as soon as they could get here."

Kam nodded his head. "Is there anyone else we should try to contact?"

He shook his head. "Jaina?"

Anakin frowned as he watched the back of Jaina's head. She didn't respond, didn't move, just continued to stare down towards her hands. He sighed, and turned to find Kam watching her again. "Jaina... be strong, all right. The Force will work its will. If you need anything, you can contact either me or Tionne." When Jaina still didn't move, Kam turned and started to leave. He paused by Anakin. "Contact me if anything changes."

Anakin nodded his head. "Will do, Master."

Then he was gone, leaving Anakin and Jaina alone. He turned away from the closed door, and watched Jaina where she sat on a couch, her head bowed, as she watched the floor.

"Jaina?"

No response.

"Don't worry, Jaya. I'm sure she'll be fine."

Later that night, the door to the waiting room opened, and a nurse stepped into the room. Anakin bolted out of his seat. "Did something happen?"

The nurse blushed slightly, and then shook her head, holding out a couple of blankets. "No. There's been no change. I just thought you two would like to have some blankets."

Sighing, Anakin walked to the nurse and took the blankets. He returned to the couches, and unfurled one of them to wrap around Jaina's shoulders.

Jaina still did not move or respond. She just watched the floor.

Anakin sighed again, and returned to his place.

The next morning, the doctor stepped into the room, a frown on his face. He was an elderly human, at least 50 standard years old, with iron grey hair and dark eyes. As he walked around to the chairs and couches, Jaina reacted for the first time in hours. She lifted her head to watch the doctor.

The doctor dropped onto one of the chairs, and allowed his eyes to flicker between them. "There still hasn't been a change in Master Skywalker's condition. Likewise, we think that her condition will remain unchanged for the foreseeable future. We'll contact you the moment something changes, so why don't you two go home and get some rest?"

Anakin nodded his head. "Thank you, Doctor."

The older man stood up, and started from the room. He paused as he passed Jaina. "Just make sure to keep your comlinks on you and on at all times."

Anakin nodded again. "All right."

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

They got to the apartment, and Anakin opened the door. Jaina walked in, her movements stiff and unnatural. Without looking around, she walked into the kitchen and sat at her place at the dining room table.

Anakin closed the door, and followed her. He settled into the chair beside her. Silence hung heavy around them; a weight pressing down on his shoulders.

Interrupted by a bright cheerful, "Ikrit!"

He looked down, and saw the white creature sitting a few paces from him, its head cocked to the side, intelligent blue eyes boring holes into him.

Anakin grinned at the creature. "Ah, we left you all alone didn't we? You must be starved." He stood up, and placed a hand on Jaina's shoulder. "And we should eat something also."

She continued to look at the top of the table, ignoring him.

He sighed, and went to the kitchen. First he laid out something for Ikrit to eat, and then he went and made his and Jaina's breakfast.

A short while later, he placed the food in front of her. "Here you go Jaina. Hope you like it, but it's the only breakfast food I know how to fix. And you need to eat, aft-"

"It's my fault," she interrupted him, speaking for the first time since the trip to the hospital the day before.

Startled, he almost dropped his plate of food. Carefully, he set the plate down, and then looked at Jaina.

"It's... it's because I wanted strawberry cake. That's why.... that's..."

"Idiot!" Anakin interjected. "What are you saying?"

Jaina jumped, and then pushed back away from the table. In one smooth movement, she was up and running for her room.

"Jaina!" he called after her, even though he didn't expect her to stop.

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

Anakin stopped in front of Jaina's door. He stared at the simple barrier, and then looked down at the plate he held in his hands. Gently, he rapped on the door three times. He waited, hoping that she would respond. Some part of him, knowing better.

"Jaina?"

There was no response.

"I'm going to the Temple," he told the door. "I need to tell the Masters, and pick up our bags."

There was still no answer, and he looked down at Ikrit, where the creature was calmly sitting near his feet. Sighing, he knelt down and placed the plate on the floor.

"I'm leaving your food here. Make sure you eat."

Then he left and went to the Temple.

Once he had finished talking to the Masters concerning Mara's conditions, Anakin went and retrieved his and Jaina's school bags from their classroom. Then he wandered back towards the front of the Temple, intending on going home to Jaina. As he neared the stairwell leading to the ground floor, someone called out, "Anakin!"

He turned and tossed a glance over his shoulder to see Raynar running towards him. He forced a grin to his lips, and replied, "Hey."

Raynar stumbled to a stop in front of Anakin. "Uhm... so how is she?"

"She's still getting treated."

"I see," Rayner replied. "How's Jaina?"

Anakin looked away, not really wanting to tell Raynar how Jaina was behaving.

After a moment, Raynar blurted out, "I see." Then he dropped his hands onto Anakin's shoulders. "Hang in there! If there's anything I can do, then I'll do it."

Anakin watched his friend for a moment, and then nodded his head. "Yeah... thanks."

As he left the Temple, and began the walk towards the apartment, he saw a smattering of hulls on the ground. He stopped in his tracks, recognizing the hulls as being the shells of vweliu nuts.

Suddenly, images flashed across his mind once again. Him, knocking away the rhyscate that Jaina had made him, even as he raised his hand to strike his sister. Pain and sorrow gripped his heart, as his shoulders slumped under the weight of the memories, and the emotions they unlocked.

Once he arrived back at the apartment, he went to Jaina's room. The plate of food he had left her still sat in the hallway, and Ikrit sat beside it, staring intently at the closed door to Jaina's room.

He rapped on the door twice. "Jaina, I've come back. I... I stopped by the medcenter, but there's not been a change so far." No response came to him, and he frowned. "You're in there, aren't you? I'm coming in."

He grabbed the handle, but it refused to turn.

Frowning at the handle, he continued speaking. "Hey, I've got your books and bag from school, so open the door already."

Jaina finally responded, her voice quiet and weak. "Just leave it there."

"Jaina! I want to talk to you," he said as he began to beat heavily on the door.

"Stop it," the quiet voice replied.

Anakin ignored her, and continued to beat on the door. "Jaina!"

"Stop it!" she screamed at him. Startled, he took a step backwards, and a moment later she continued speaking, once more in the quiet, weak voice. "Please. Just stop it. I'm sorry, Anakin."

He dropped her bag beside the uneaten plate of food, and then went to his room. Throwing his own bag onto his bed, he sat at the desk. On top of it sat the small winged doll, Tahiri's lost item. He sighed, and opened one of the drawers, and picked up a thin flimsie with a still image on it. A still image showing, himself, Jaina, Mara and Sannah.

He stared at Sannah's smiling face, struggling to keep the tears from coming.

If she were around, he thought. If she were around right now, would she have brightened the mood?

The latch of his door shifted, and his head snapped that way as it began to swing open. His breath caught in his throat, as he watched it.

Then he sighed, as Ikrit came strolling through, his large blue eyes watching Anakin. Anakin dropped his head onto his desk, allowing it to thump hard against the wood. Squeezing his eyes shut, he was once again granted an image of memories. Specifically, the memory of him raising his hand to hit Jaina. Of him, knocking the rhyscate she had made him to the ground.

Then another memory came to him. A newer one. Jaina in the kitchen helping Sannah prepare a rhyscate, an odd, sad look in her eyes. Noticing him, she turned towards him and had asked, "Anakin, does the smell of this rhyscate remind you of anything?"

He felt a tear escape, and slice its way down his cheek. "So she remembered that all these years," he muttered to himself. "But... why was I crying that day?"

He lifted his head, and looked out the window. I remembered Sannah, and Tenel-Ka and even Jaina... but I'm still forgetting something. Something.... And I know that it's very important.

The next morning, Anakin once more knocked on Jaina's door. "Jaina, I'm going to the medcenter. I'll just leave your food here."

No answer came, and he sighed, and left the apartment.

Once he arrived at the medcenter he spoke shortly with the doctor and then sat with Mara for a while. Once the silence began to eat at his mind, he went to the Temple and spoke with Master Horn, explaining that they would still be out for a few more days. Then he went and bought some more food. As he walked through the produce section of the market, he noticed a container of wveliu nuts. He sighed, and quickly made his purchases and returned to the apartment.

When he opened the door, he found Ikrit waiting for him, sitting, watching; his blue eyes as piercing as always. As soon as Anakin had entered the apartment, Ikrit turned and darted into its depths, heading towards the hallway where the bedrooms were.

Anakin dropped his bags, and followed Ikrit into the hall and noticed that Jaina had eaten some of her food.

He knocked on the door again. "Hey Jaina? Have you calmed down now?"

Ikrit weaved through his feet, and butted the back of his legs. Then he darted forward and started scratching at Jaina's door. Hesitantly, Anakin reached out and gripped the handle, and twisted. Surprise shot through him as the door unlatched.

Pushing it open, he called out, "I'm coming in."

Slowly, the door swung open. The lights were out, the room itself neater than he could ever remember seeing it before. Sitting on the floor, in the darkest corner, near one of the windows was Jaina. She was huddled into a ball, her arms wrapped tightly around her legs with her back facing him.

"Anakin," she said. "Get out."

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

Jaina's voice was cold, harsh and filled with grief and pain as she said, "Get out Anakin. I don't want to talk to or see anybody right now. I... I want to just be alone."

Anakin frowned at his sister for a moment. "It's been a while, Jaina." He laughed nervously, as he continued. "Was my cooking good? Of course compared to Aunt Mara's it'd be-"

At the mention of Mara's name, Jaina's back tensed, her whole presence seemed to deflate ever so slightly.

Anakin sighed, and watched her for a minute before continuing. "Do you plan to continue blaming yourself? Mara will be all right. Do you think that she'd let something so small keep her from us?"

"Anakin... Can you make a miracle happen?"

Anakin's mouth dropped open, as he wondered what he could say to her.

"For the past few years, I've lived here with Aunt Mara. Ever since... Jacen... You remember Jacen now, don't you Anakin? I know you two never got along all that well, but he loved you. He was my twin, I know it. I, I felt it. Yet, when he died, I couldn't do anything. I couldn't breathe, or eat or even sleep. Mom and Dad fought so often, and when they weren't fighting, they were treating me with kid gloves. Trying to make sure that I didn't break or cry. Yet that was what I needed. Finally, I couldn't stand being there, in the house where we all lived, any more and I fled. Aunt Mara found me two weeks later on Azbrian.

Jaina paused for a moment, sniffling back tears. "She asked me to be her apprentice, and I came to Yavin IV with her, and we've been here ever since, save for the occasional mission which Uncle Luke would send us on. She... she saved me. She told me that it was okay to cry; to rage against the universe. That I could be angry and miss Jacen, but that I couldn't let it control me. She taught me how. I was hurting, missing the bond with my other half--with Jacen. And the training bond saved me. It gave me an anchor on which I could rebuild my life. But here I am, once again alone. Only... only this time it's my fault that my anchor is gone. It's my fault that I'm all alone."

"You're not alone," he replied. "You've got a lot of friends up at the Academy: Kiori, Raynar, and your teammates. And I'm here as well."

"You?"

"Yeah. I'm right here by you, aren't I?"

"Six years. After forgetting about me for six years?"

Anakin felt the pain of her accusation stabbing deep into him.

Then she spoke another word, one he could just barely make out through her tear strained voice. "Liar."

She started crying in earnest, and after a few minutes, looked up at him. He could see the tears shining brightly on her cheeks. "You never took any of my calls, never replied to any of the messages I sent you."

"But I did view them all."

"When I never heard anything back from you, I wondered if you had even forgotten me. I..." she paused, and exhaled. "When I went to pick you up at the landing field that day... I was scared. Scared that you would have forgotten my name. Scared that you had forgotten me."

He squeezed his hand into a tight fist, and started walking towards her. "I remembered what happened at the landing field that day six years ago. What I did." He knelt down beside her. "I... I'm sorry about the ryshcate. Won't you forgive me?"

She lowered her head, and once more refused to look at him. "It's in the past."

"Can't... Can't I at least sit in here with you?"

Her shoulders started to shake again. "You can't. You... can't... "

The clouds outside her window parted, and brilliant light from Yavin flooded the room. Jaina lifted her head towards the gas giant, and started crying even harder. "I... I can't smile anymore... I'm alone again..."

"Jai-"

"Get out!" she yelled at him.

Startled by the vehemence of her reaction, he jerked backwards, slamming his head against her desk. He heard something rolling, and watched as the red marble he had bought her rolled of the desk, and dropped to the floor. It bounced once, and then came to a rest in front of Jaina.

He reached his hand out towards her, and she yelled once again, "Get out!"

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

Anakin lay on his bed, his arms crossed beneath his head as he stared up at the ceiling. Ikrit was curled in a ball beside him, softly snoring as he slept.

Miracle, huh? he thought to himself as once more the image of him knocking the rhyscate from her hands flickered through his mind. How callous of me to say that "I'm here" after forgetting about that for all these years... Frowning, he shifted his head slightly until he could see the small winged doll on his desk. But something like that happened years ago.

The world began to waver, as he started to drift off to sleep. Someone got hurt... and hurt badly... and I couldn't do anything about it.

The next thing he knew, he was once more dreaming. Running through the Academy, heading to the temple where he knew she would be waiting. He raced down a flight of stairs, jumping off the last five. For a moment, a grin slashed across his face. He knew that his uncle wouldn't have approved of that.

Then he was running once more. He turned a final corner, and then darted out into the open field in front of the Jedi Temple. Turning to the north-east, he raced into the woods, dodging low hanging branches, and pushing aside the vines that tried to cling to him. Finally, he arrived at their temple and found her sitting on a log, her arms crossed over her chest, and a scowl on her face. She looked up at him, and declared, "You're late."

He chuckled. "But you said I could show up whenever I wanted to."

"Even still, you're late."

Raising the bag he held in his hand, he replied, "Well, I brought a snack to make up for it."

Her eyes lit up with joy as her lips twisted into a smile. "Canapés?"

He laughed as he pulled out the pastry and handed it over to her. "Would I bring you anything else?"

"No," she muttered between mouthfuls.

Silence hung over them while they ate. Once she had finished, she looked over at him, her face falling slightly. "So, have you gotten all packed up yet?"

"Nope. Besides, you don't have to worry about it, because today's our last day."

She stomped her foot onto the stone floor hard. "It can't be our last! You promised we would get to meet again."

"Right," Anakin replied as he popped his last bit of canapé into his mouth.

She looked up at him, her green eyes wavering, her eyebrows upturned slightly. "You promised we would come here again."

"I know; it's a promise."

"Yeah," she replied sullenly. "A promise..."

"Tell you what; the next time I come I'll introduce you to my sister. I'm sure the two of you will get along great."

She chewed on her lower lip for a moment, and then nodded her head. "All right... I guess."

He stood up and held his hand out towards her. "Come on; let's get back to the Jedi Temple."

She grasped his hand, and together they raced through the woods until they arrived at the clearing. Anakin looked around and stopped in his tracks. Over near the large river was a silver raft. It glimmered in the brilliant light of the afternoon sun. He swallowed hard, knowing that he had seen that raft before in a dream. As if he were on autopilot, he walked towards it, Tahiri following closely behind him. Together they climbed aboard, and pushed the raft out into the river.

It wobbled slightly, and they both gripped the sides, then they were in the current, being pulled downstream by the powerful river. Anakin looked over his shoulder and saw the Jedi Temple shrinking in the distance. Then he focused on Tahiri who had a look of utter terror on her face.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

She shook her head viciously, causing her hair to whip from side to side. "I... Nothing... It's just I've never been on water like this before..."

Anakin nodded his head, and then looked up at the sky. "This is the raft from our dreams, but the sky is blue and clear."

Tahiri lifted her head to look up at the sky, and slowly nodded.

In silence they traveled further down the river. Suddenly the sky darkened, and with a crack of thunder rain began to pelt them. Tahiri screamed in surprise as the first fat drop of water struck her nose.

The river, barely calm at the best of times, developed a chop, and began to rock the boat hard.

Lightning struck a tree on the back, and it crashed into the river. The wave from the tree's collapse slammed into the side of the boat, capsizing it. Tahiri's scream was cut off when she struck the water.

Anakin hit the water hard, and the breath exploded from him. He broke the surface a moment later, and frantically began looking around for her.

A splash sounded close by his ear, and he looked up just in time to see another fist-sized piece of hail slam into the water.

"Tahiri! Tahiri!" he called out, growing more and more scared as she did not appear.

Finally she broke the surface about two dozen meters from him. He began swimming over to her as fast as he could. Ten meters from her, was when it happened. It was another chunk of fist-sized hail. It was a hard, hollow sound, and she went under almost immediately.

He screamed her name once again and taking a deep breath, he dove in after her. Following the trail of red left in the water, he swam deeper and deeper. His lungs began to scream with the need to breath, but he pushed on. He touched the bottom, and found her. He pulled her to him, and then pushed off the river bed as hard as he could. Pain etched at his sides as he kicked towards the surface, the need to breathe a painful burn in his throat, chest and even tracing around to his back.

Finally he broke the surface, and sucked in a deep breath. He looked down at Tahiri, and saw how pale she was, almost a blue color, and began swimming as hard as he could towards the shore. His arms and legs burned with the exertion, and he felt hot tears mingled with the freezing rain and river. Finally, he made it to the shore, and he drug Tahiri out of the river and up into the forest.

He laid her as close to one of the massive trees as he could; used it to shelter them from the worst of the hail and rain. He shook her slightly, and with a start realized that she wasn't breathing. Squeezing his eyes shut, he struggled to remember the CPR lessons that all the Jedi trainees were forced to take. Uncertainty tugged at him, as he tilted her head back, and then took a deep breath, and pressed his lips to hers, exhaling forcefully.

Pulling away slightly, she still did not respond, so he repeated the process.

She coughed, spitting out a mouthful of water in the process.

He barked a laugh through his tears, as she opened her eyes.

"An... Ana...kin..."

"Don't talk," he cried out. "I'll get Uncle Luke and Master Cilghal."

"I...it...."

Anakin reached out and grasped her hand. As he lifted it, he noticed the blood that had pooled beneath her, and his body hitched. "It's... it'll be all right."

"I... fell in..." she replied as a tremor raced through her body. "I knew I had nev...er swam before.... but I..." She blinked her eyes, and gasped. "I... I can't feel the pain anymore."

"That's good, isn't it?" Anakin responded, scared somehow at how dim her eyes had gotten.

Those green eyes, which usually were so bright with life and laughter, shifted towards him. "Anakin, what's going to happen to me?"

"I... You're not hurting, so it'll be fine."

"I can't move, Anakin. Why can't I move?"

He squeezed her hand tighter. "It's all right if you can't move. I'll carry you back to the Temple."

He watched as tears flowed down her cheeks. "If I can't move, how can we... have more adventures? How can we play... again?"

Anakin felt his own eyes burn with tears, and he scrubbed his face with his free hand.

"Anakin?" Her voice was weaker now, barely a whisper. "Will you... play with me... again?"

"O-of course."

Her lips twitched into a smile, as her eyes began to shut. "Th-then it's... it's a prom...promise..."

Her body convulsed once and then went limp, and she shifted slightly. Anakin tilted his head back, and screamed "Tahiri!"

With a start, Anakin bolted upright. Tahiri's name still echoing around his room, and Ikrit was sitting at the foot of the bed, his blue eyes watching him. Anakin covered his face with his hand, his entire body shaking from the dream. He looked up, and saw the small doll sitting on his desk.

Without really thinking about it, he jumped out of bed and snatched up the doll, and then he raced out of the apartment. As he was leaving the building, he ran into someone. Stumbling, he twisted around to look at who it was, and found Raynar standing there.

"Raynar."

Raynar turned around, and looked at him, a frown on his face. "I came to check on you and Jaina." He lifted a bag of food. "And I brought something for dinner. Is something wrong?"

"Raynar... I... I remember. Now I remember."

Confusion was evident on his face. "Huh? Remember what?"

"Tahiri's.... Tahiri's...."

"Uhm, what's wrong with Tahiri?"

Anakin shook his head, and began running again. "Take care of Jaina for me."

"Hey! Anakin!"

But Anakin ignored him, and raced towards the river, and the Temple just beyond it.

As fast as he could, he ran up the path, dodging branches and fallen logs. Finally, he arrived at the melted temple, and stood there clutching the small doll, as he turned in a circle. "Tahiri!"

Frowning when she didn't respond, he raced deeper into the woods. All the time, calling out Tahiri's name.

He crested a ridge, and looked down into a dry creek bed. Suddenly, a large rain drop hit him in the head. He lifted his face to the sky, as the rain began in earnest. Instantly, he was drenched. He turned to the right, intending to follow the creek bed for a ways, when the ground suddenly gave out from beneath him. His ankle twisted, and he could hear a snap even over the sound of the pounding rain, and pain flared to life in his ankle.

Then he hit the creek bed. The wind whooshed out of him, and he struggled to regain his breath. Finally, he was able to sit up. He looked around, and saw Tahiri's doll. Snatching it back up, he stood, and instantly fell back to the creek bed. His head cracked against a rock which jutted up out of the ground.

He lay there on the creek bed as the water began to flow around him.

If I just lay here like this, he thought. Will I be able to go where she is? I'm sorry everyone....

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Memories, Ch. 21

Previous Post

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Anakin once more recognized the dream.

They were standing inside one of the Massassi temples, silk webs where everywhere, a weak shaft of light came in through one of the windows. They stood side-by-side, staring down into the darkness. He reached down, and found a thigh bone. Frowning at it, he stuck the bone into the web and twirled it, wrapping the web around the end of the bone. Then he pulled out a multitool from his pocket, and turned on the igniter, setting fire to the webbing.

Tahiri stepped into the shaft of light, holding the small, winged doll he had given her. The one he had told her would grant wishes. She raised it up by the thin string loop that came from the back of its head, watching as it swung back and forth in front of her eyes. They were dark with fear, glittering slightly in the flickering light of their torch.

"For my second wish.... I wish that we'd always be together. That we'd be here training with each other; that I'd get to go home with you; that you'd always be my friend. That you'll always be by my side." She looked up at him. "Is that okay?"

He nodded his head. "I promised that I'd grant anything that I can." Then he smiled at her. "Tell you what. This is our special place. It's not the praxeum, but it's our school. One just for us, where we don't have to deal with tests or training. Where we can do whatever we want, and whenever I come back for training, we'll come here."

She smiled back at him. "And we'll have canapés every day for lunch?"

He snorted with laughter. "Well, everyday is a bit much..."

"But we'll meet here, right?"

"Right."

"Good," she replied. "Then it's a promise.

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

His alarm clock went off, and he sat up. He looked around, and sighed. Then he rolled out of bed and stretched. Walking over to the clock, he pressed the button to deactivate the alarm. He continued forward, walking towards the door to the balcony, his fingers trailing lightly over Tahiri's backpack as he walked past it.

He opened the curtain, staring out at the bright morning sunlight. He lifted his hand, staring down at the dirt that stained it, the dirt that was still caked beneath his fingernails.

In his mind, he heard Tahiri's voice once again. I'm sorry, Anakin. I... I don't think I'll be able to meet you anymore.

Sighing, he allowed the curtain to close and went to get ready for his day.

Once clean and dressed, he walked into the kitchen. Mara looked up from her cup of caf and nodded her head once, sharply. "Good morning, Anakin."

He smiled weakly for her, and glanced over, noticing Jaina already dressed and eating a slice of toast. "And I see you're up early this morning."

The toast paused just shy of Jaina's mouth. "So, Tahiri didn't come back last night?"

"Yeah," he replied, turning away from his sister.

"What could have happened?" she asked. "Could she have gone home?"

He felt Mara's stare, and turned towards her. One of her eyebrows arched slightly. "Anakin, if you're not feeling well, I'm sure I can convince your uncle to give you the day off."

He merely shook his head in reply, walking into the kitchen to get his breakfast.

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Anakin had lunch with Jaina in the Academy's cafeteria.

He pushed the food from one side of his plate to the other, not really hungry.

Jaina chewed thoughtfully, "So you don't have any way to contact her? Not her address nor her comm number?"

"Nope," he replied sullenly. "I never asked her for them."

She finally noticed that he wasn't eating. "You've got to eat properly. You've not touched your lunch, and you didn't finish your breakfast."

He shook his head. "I just don't have any appetite."

Jaina lowered her head slightly. "You really love her, don't you..."

Frowning, he lifted his head. "What did you say?"

She quickly shook her head. "No, it's nothing."

After training was over for the day, Anakin retraced the path he had traveled with Tahiri the night before. Following the river, deep into the woods until he came to the broken, blasted Temple. He stared hard at the rubble, wondering what had happened there so many years ago.

Sighing, he turned away, and went back to the town. He found himself wondering through the shopping district, ending up in the small park which contained the bench that he would meet Tahiri at.

He dropped his chin to his chest. It was as if he could almost see her sitting on that bench, an angry scowl on her face as she chided him for being late.

He sucked in a deep breath of air, fighting back the urge to break down into tears.

"Anakin!" Jaina called out from behind him.

He turned, and saw her walking towards him.

"Have you found Tahiri yet?" she asked when she got within a few meters of him.

"No," he replied. "I had thought... had hoped, that she'd come if I waited here, but..."

"Here? Why?"

He smiled. "Because I always waited for her here."

"I see..."

Later, they were sitting at one of the small tables at Poltz. Jaina with a cup of tea in front of her, Anakin nursing a cup of caf. Jaina slowly stirred some sweetener into her cup, and then set aside her spoon.

She lifted her eyes to stare at him. "I asked some of the other trainees, the ones that have non-Jedi family. None of them know anything about a school near that burned out temple."

"Okay," he replied, taking a sip of his caf.

A strained silence stretched between them, and he noticed Jaina frowning at him, yet he couldn't bring himself to care.

Finally, she broke it. "Did you find what Tahiri had lost?"

"No," he replied. "Come to think of it, everything's just strange. That temple. Tahiri's lost item... and... and why don't I remember?"

He sighed as he stared out the window.

"Don't worry," Jaina said, smiling at him. "I'm sure she'll come back, after all you've got her bag, and it's her favorite, right?"

"Yeah," he replied, a weak smile appearing on his lips. "That's right."

He knew what his sister was trying to do, and though in his heart, he wondered if he would ever see Tahiri again, he was still happy that Jaina was trying so hard to cheer him up.

Then Jaina started waving her hand at a waitress, and he looked up. She was grinning, as she called out, "Excuse me! Can we get two strawberry parfaits over here please?"

The server droid beeped in acknowledgement and rolled back towards the kitchen.

Anakin frowned at her, and she smiled brightly at him. "If you eat something tasty, you'll cheer up."

He chuckled, shaking his head slightly.

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

Anakin and Jaina stepped into their apartment. He looked around and saw Mara Jade sitting on one of the couches, bouncing Ben on her knee.

"Hey, Aunt Mara. We're home," he called out to her.

She looked up and over at them. "Welcome back."

"So, did Tahiri com while we were at the Academy?"

Slowly, Mara shook her head. "No."

"I see," Anakin replied, frowning down at his shoes.

Then he walked down the hall towards his room. He could almost make out Jaina and Mara talking, but pushed it from his mind, and went in. Dropping his school bag on the floor by the door, he walked over to his desk, and picked up Tahiri's bag. He opened it and once more looking in all its pockets, frowning at the fact that it was perfectly empty.

"Nothing that might be a clue," he muttered under his breath.

Dropping into his chair, he spun it around so that it faced out the window. He could see a slice of sky and noticed that it had taken on the orange and red hues of a sunset. His voice was nothing but a pained whisper, as he said, "Tahiri..."

There was a knock on his door, and he turned back towards it as Jaina pushed it open.

"Hey Anakin, have you done your assignment yet?"

He frowned and shook his head.

"Good," she replied, smiling at him. "Then we can split up the workload."

Five minutes later, they were sitting on stools beside each other at a workbench in her room, their assignment spread out around them.

He looked at his sister, frowning slightly. "You do know that we don't have to work together on this."

She nodded. "I know. But we have an easier workload like this. It's not just for you that I decided to do it this way, you know."

Anakin barked a short, sharp laugh. "Ah, so you're just after making your life easier."

"Well, then, does that mean you're going to do all of it by yourself?"

She smiled brightly at him, and he sighed, looking down at the workbook he had opened in front of him. "So, which ones am I in charge of?"

Leaning towards him, she pointed out a few different problems.

A short while later, he finished making notations in his datapad and then lifted his head, and looked around. He frowned as he saw Jaina stretched out on the floor, snoring lightly.

"Hey, Jaina. If you're going to sleep, sleep on your bed."

"Go 'way, 'Kin. I'm sleepy."

He sighed, and shook his head. Standing, he walked over to her bed, and pulled the comforter off of it, and then returned to her side, and gently laid it out over her.

Sighing contentedly, she pulled the cover up to her cheeks and snuggled down into it.

Smiling, Anakin turned away and left the room, pulling the door closed behind him. Right before he closed it, he looked back into it, and said, "Thank's for cheering me up."

Then the door was closed, and he walked across the hallway, returning to his own room.

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A stiff cold breeze slashed through his light jacket. True Night had fallen, and with it came nearly freezing temperatures and nearly perfect darkness, made worse by the darkness of the forest they were traveling through. The only part of his body that seemed warm was his right hand, where it was tightly clasped by a pair of hands. He cast a glance over his shoulder to see who was clinging to his hand, and saw a 9 year old Tahiri. He turned back to face the direction he was walking.

"Anakin, it's dark out here," she whined, a hint of fear in her voice. "I'm scared."

"Don't worry, I'm with you," he replied.

"Yeah..."

He tossed another grin over his shoulder. "Besides, that temple is in a clearing, there'll be more light there when we get there."

They walked a dozen more meters in silence, when she suddenly squeezed his hand tighter. "Don't let go of my hand, okay?"

"Yeah, I have you tight."

She fell into silence again, and they stepped out of the forest into the clearing to look up at the temple. Ominous in the daytime, it sent a superstitious chill racing down his spine looking at it in the nearly perfect darkness.

Tahiri pulled her hand from his, making a gasping noise. She rushed over towards the bushes and began digging. A few moments later she pulled a metal canister with a faded Alliance symbol on its side. Standing, she lifted the canister up and held it out towards him. "Anakin? Have you ever heard of a time capsule?"

He frowned. "Yeah, it's something you put stuff into and bury or put into space so it can be looked at sometime in the future."

Her smile dazzled him. "Do you think we can use this for that?"

He took the canister from her and unscrewed the top, looking into it. "Yeah, I think it's airtight. What are you going to put into it?"

She took the canister, leaving him holding the lid, as her free hand dug into her pocket. She held up the small doll that he had given her, and said, "This!" She paused, frowning slightly. "Or do you not want me to?"

"You can, but you still have one wish left."

"I've had two wishes granted," she said as she smiled down at the small doll. "So that's enough for me. This last one is for the future me... or... or it's for someone else who needs it."

"But... but I'm the one who grants the wish."

She dropped the doll into the canister, and took the lid from him, screwing it on tight. "Good luck then."

She giggled as she knelt down, and grabbed a stick. Using that, she quickly dug a hole and then dropped the canister into it. After covering the canister up, she stood, wiping her hands on the legs of her jumpsuit.

Anakin looked around, frowning. "Will we be able to find it without any markers?"

"We'll definitely be able to find it," she replied, beaming a smile at him. "When there's someone who needs it, it'll appear."

A short while later, they are once more at the Praxeaum, standing just outside the bright glow coming from the still open hanger. Tahiri turned towards him. "Tomorrow, we're going back…"

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The next day, Jaina and Anakin walked together, heading towards the Temple.

He looked over at her. "Hey, Jaina, why did you stay on Yavin all these years?"

She stumbled slightly, and then looked at him for a moment, before turning away. "I... I had to complete my training. I was Aunt Mara's apprentice after all."

"Ah," he replied. "That's right. So, you two spent a lot of time together?"

She quickly nodded. "Yeah. I love her a lot, and she's helped me through a whole bunch of things."

"But wasn't it lonely without ever seeing mom or dad?"

Jaina lowered her chin for a moment. "A little, but they did come here to Yavin a few times. And there was Aunt Mara and Uncle Luke."

"I see."

"But you're here now, so I have even more family."

He chuckled. "True."

Then she lifted her face towards the sun. "But it would be nice for Tahiri to come back..."

After training was over for the day, Anakin, Raynar and Jaina were in the woods on the path leading to the remains of the temple from his dreams. The one which Tahiri had told him was her school.

Raynar looked over at him, leaning against the shovel he was using. "And are you sure that Tahiri's lost... thing is here?"

Anakin nodded his head. "Yeah, at least this is near where she was digging."

"Well," he replied, once more digging the shovel into the ground. "I've got nothing better to do right now, so I'm good."

"Sorry, and thanks."

A few minutes later, Jaina sighed. "It's not around here at all."

Raynar looked over at her. "Well, if there were a few more people, we could probably find it faster but..."

"But," Jaina continued for him. "We can't help it since we can't ask Kiori."

Anakin grunted, not really interested in talking about Nelani. He felt his two companions staring at his back, but just continued digging. After a few moments, he heard them begin to dig once more.

Suddenly, Jaina's spade clunked against something hard. Both Anakin's and Raynar's head snapped towards her, as she drugged her hands through the loose dirt. With a quick tug, she yanked out the shell of a mouse droid. Holding it up so they could see, she shook her head. "This isn't it, is it?"

Anakin sighed, and turned back to his own hole. "No..."

As night neared, the three turned back to the path, and looked down it, seeing the three dozen holes they had dug.

"We'll probably get yelled at if we don't fill them in," Jaina said, weariness weighing on her voice.

Wiping his brow with his sleeve, Raynar looked up towards the sky. "Could it have gotten dug up by someone else?"

Anakin turned away, and dropped to the ground. "It's possible, but..."

"But it could still be buried, right?" Jaina chimed in. "So, let's keep looking for it, okay?"

"That's right!" Raynar joined in.

"Yeah," Anakin replied, turning to look up at them.

Raynar smiled, and took a few steps forward, and shoved the shovel into the dirt close to a stunted, young tree. He pulled out a shovelful of dirt, and tossed it to the side, and repeated the process. This time though, the metal edge thunked loudly against something.

"Hey!" he called out. "Could this be it?"

Anakin scrambled over, Jaina a few seconds behind him.

He reached the hole Raynar had dug and could make out the edge of the canister. Reaching in, he pulled it out, holding it up towards the sun. The Rebel Alliance symbol even more faded with time. Carefully, he unscrewed the cap and looked inside of it.

A smile brightened his face. "This is it!"

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

Anakin leaned against the balcony. In his hand he held looped string attached to the small winged doll and watched it twist in the wind. Jaina stepped out onto the balcony, and walked towards him.

"Do you think that's a clue for finding Tahiri?'

Anakin frowned for a moment. "I'm not sure." Then he looked over at her. "And sorry for making you do so much for me today."

Jaina shook her head. "It's not a problem. It was kind of fun, actually."

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

The next morning, someone was shaking him awake.

"Anakin! Wake up Anakin. We have to eat breakfast."

He opened his eyes, squinting against the bright sunlight, and saw Jaina leaning over him.

"Anakin," she continued. "If you don't wake up, we're going to be late for classes."

Screwing a fist against an eye, he sat up in bed. "This has got to be a dream."

"It's not a dream," she replied. "Hurry and wake up."

Anakin shook his head. "I couldn't possibly be being woken up by Jaina. It... It's not natural..."

"You're being kind of mean, Anakin."

She shoved his shoulder, and stormed from his room. Chuckling, he quickly got ready for class, and went down for breakfast. Jaina was already eating, while Mara was in the kitchen getting the container of caf.

He sat down in his place, and looked at her. "Why are you up so early?"

She laughed. "Well, I just wanted to wake you up for a change."

Mara snorted in amusement. "It would be kind of nice to see this happen every day... but I guess I'd miss the usual routine."

Mara poured him a cup of caf, and then filled her own cup up as well. She then turned and went back into the kitchen.

Jaina watched her for a moment, and then turned towards him. "Both Sannah and Tahiri are gone, so... Aunt Mara liked it when it was lively; you're not going to disappear to are you?"

He grinned at her. "Of course not. This is my home now."

Jaina watched him for a moment, and then nodded her head. Together, they turned and looked at Mara.

She paused, a scowl coming to her features. "What?"

Jaina grinned. "What's for dinner tonight?"

Mara lifted a finger to her chin for a moment. "I hadn't thought about it truthfully. Is there something you were wanting?"

"Strawberry cake!"

"Strawberry again?" Anakin asked, dismayed.

Jaina turned towards him. "If it's strawberry, I don't mind if it's for breakfast, lunch and dinner."

"Fine," Mara replied. "I'll get a cake while I'm out shopping."

Jaina smiled brightly. "Thanks Aunt Mara."

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

Anakin and Jaina calmly walked side-by-side, heading towards the Temple. Neither spoke, but Jaina still had a smile on her face from Mara's decision to get a strawberry cake for desert that night.

They stepped off the bridge, and stopped to stare at the Temple in the distance. The morning sun gave it a golden hue. Jaina paused, and then her head shifted slightly, so that she was staring at a broken down, old transport sitting at the edge of the field used for Jedi transports.

"Hey, Anakin do you remember..."

Anakin looked at her for a moment, and then shifted his gaze out to the transport. An image of a ryshcate flying from someone's hands flashed through his mind.

Just before he could focus on who he was seeing, Raynar ran up towards them.

"Hey, you two," he called out. "You better hurry, or you'll be late for class."

Jaina looked down at the chrono strapped to her wrist, and replied. "Shavit. We're going to be late."

Then she was running towards the Temple, only a few steps behind Raynar. Sighing, Anakin started following them, walking at a much more sedate pace.

A short while later, he was sitting in Master Horn's class, once again not paying attention to the lecture. Instead, he stared out at the garden where he used to meet Nelani for their talks. Suppressing a sigh, he glanced at Kiori's empty seat, and then moved his attention on to Jaina, who he noticed was enthralled with Master Horn's lecture.

As he watched her, a memory slipped out, and overtook him.

He was sitting on a bench on the ground level of the Temple. Tears streamed down his face, and his body shook with the sobs. His grief in the memory was a palatable thing; slamming across his awareness.

"Anakin!" he heard a young feminine voice call out.

Lifting his head, he watched as Jaina ran towards him. She was dressed in the simple Corellian style clothes they wore while on Coruscant, and in her hands carried a box.

"Anakin!" she called again, as he dropped his head back to his chest; the tears and sadness refusing to leave him as she continued speaking. "I'm glad that I got to find you before you left to go back to Coruscant."

She slowed to a stop a few paces away, and he could feel her stare; her concern.

"Anakin... I... I'm sorry... I made this for you." She held out the box, and lifted the top away, revealing a ryshcate. The smell of the warm cake tickled his nose, and his body hitched again. "I... it took me a long time, but I was able to make it on the way out here. Dad helped me a little, but I really did most of it."

She paused, as if waiting for his response.

Then she continued once more. "Mom and Dad told me what happened to t.... Will you accept this? D-dad said that ryshcates are used to celebrate life so... I thought it would be okay..."

He lifted his head, as a dark, black rage overtook him. Anger, hate and pain flared in his heart, and he bolted to his feet. In one simple movement he knocked away the ryshcate from her hands, sending it tumbling to the ground. Then he lifted his fist over his head, his body straining with the desire to strike his sister. A dark voice whispered in the back of his mind to hit her; to take out his grief and pain on her.

She yelped in surprise as the cake fell away; cringing back from him.

He snapped back to the present, his mouth dropping open as he realized what he had done to Jaina all those years ago.

At that moment, the door to the classroom opened, and Master Salusar stood in the doorway. His face was strained and pinched somehow as he nodded to Master Horn. Then he focused on Jaina.

"Jaina, could you come with me please?" he paused for a moment, his attention shifting slightly to Anakin. "And you as well, Anakin."

Jaina shifted her focus onto him for a moment, and he merely shrugged his shoulder as he stood up. Together they walked out into the hallway, shutting the door behind them. Kam stood there, his back straight. After a moment, he turned back towards the two siblings, and sighed.

"Jaina... we've just called your Uncle back from his diplomatic mission to the Remnant because... well... your Aunt Mara was in an accident this morning."

"Wh-what happened?" Jaina stammered out.

"She... she was returning to the apartments from the bakery, and a transport just lost control. One of those silly, mechanical failures that no one can predict. It struck her head on, and she's currently in the med-center." He paused, scrubbing at his face for a moment. "They're not entirely certain that she'll make it through."

Anakin felt empty inside, as Jaina shook her head. "No... no... no… not Aunt Mara too..."

She dropped to her knees, and covered her face with her hands as her shoulders began to shake.

Not quite knowing what to do, he knelt beside her, and wrapped an arm around her.

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