Jedi Adept: A Path In The Dark Ch. 1

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Coruscant. The capital of the galaxy. Homeworld to billions upon billions of sapient beings. It is a world ruled by bureaucracy. Though it has a gross domestic output in the quintillions, in reality it produces nothing but laws, bureaucrats and soldiers. It is a giant city planet, covered almost entirely by smog and buildings.

Small pockets of Yuuzhan Vong wildlife still struggle for life and survival, but these are few and far between, most located down deep, near the surface of the planet.

Yet despite the fact that it claims to be a single, overarching city, there are districts and sub-cities within the great city. Precincts with their own flavor and culture, some as wildly divergent from the Galactic norm as any Outer Rim world, others displaying the annoying production-line perfection of any of a handful of Core worlds.

Yet out of all the buildings and monuments, parks and museums, there are two buildings which are more widely known than any other buildings in the galaxy.

There are two buildings which every sapient on the planet, and most within the borders of the Galactic Alliance, would know on sight.

One is the Alliance Governmental Complex, more commonly known as the Imperial Palace.

The other is the Jedi Temple.

Both are works of art in their own right, yet while the Palace is a beacon of ritz and glamour, the Jedi Temple is profound in its simplicity and beauty.

A gleaming citadel, a pyramid, capable of housing every living Jedi, trainee and their families, and still having thousands upon thousands of spare rooms, it is a massive edifice glorifying the relationship between the Jedi and the Galactic Alliance.

And on a consistent basis it is nearly empty of Jedi.

Only a handful of Jedi are ever there at any given time, and though the Jedi Council holds its meetings there as a means of keeping close to the law-making body of the Alliance, for the Jedi it is merely a building. It is not home.

It is in the top most room of this pyramid in which the Council holds a majority of its meetings. An ostentatious room, designed to strike awe and respect into any of the sentients who have walked into it.

Mosaics adorn some of the walls and the floor, while large windows are situated behind the Council members themselves. When meetings were held at dusk, the setting sun would backlight the Council Members, giving them something of an ethereal glow.

The most impressive design though, is the Jedi sigil made from various colors of Hapan marble which adorned the floor.

It was here, in the Council Chambers, the most awe-inspiring room in the Jedi Temple, conceivably the most awe-inspiring room in the galaxy, which Noelani Darklighter found out her world was slowly crumbling.

Since the secret of her parentage had been revealed by Jedi Master Mara Jade Skywalker just a few short weeks ago, everything had been different. For a short time, she had thought that things were looking up.

Suddenly, she had a family beyond Huff Darklighter, the man who had raised her.

Suddenly, she had cousins and an uncle and an aunt. She had grandparents.

Suddenly, she knew who she was and where she had come from. All those thousands of questions she had asked and pondered over the years? Finally, she had answers for all of them.

Suddenly, her Master was her Mother.

Sure, her father had died during the war with the Yuuzhan Vong, but he had had a family that she now knew. She had grandparents and an uncle and aunt.

Yet for all the good, all the things that she had learned; that joy has now been sundered. She was once more cast adrift, lost to confusion when she had been so close to being safe and comfortable.

What sent her emotions spiraling downwards was the simple fact that the Council had determined that they needed to hold a hearing to decide if Tahiri would be too emotionally invested to be able to train her properly.

For a moment, she wondered which she would have preferred, not knowing who her mother was and still being trained by Tahiri, or knowing and being yanked away from her the way Council seemed certain to do.

She allowed her gaze to flicker from one Master to the next. Corran Horn, Kirana Ti, and the old hermit Streen flickered as blue holograms, attending these proceedings from Corellia and Dathomir respectively. Cilghal and Kyp Durron seemed impassive as they watched the proceedings: she had overheard them talking with Tahiri earlier so she knew that those two supported Luke. Kam and Tionne Solusar each had a pained expression on their face, as if they were not certain where they stood on the issue. Kyle Katarn had a stern look on his face. One which caused Noelani to swallow hard as a cold lump formed in her stomach. She was not certain why, but Master Katarn always seemed so frightening to her.

Mara Skywalker's seat was empty, her recent murder still hanging over everyone's heads; making a difficult Council meeting just that much worse; especially since her revelations had been the cause of this meeting.

Then there was Luke Skywalker. He seemed darker, more ominous than she remembered from earlier discussions with him, and she wondered if that impression was because of what happened to Mara or because of what he had done to her. For a moment, she wondered why he always seemed to be taking her from Tahiri.

She quickly glanced at her mother, and felt her in the Force. A tight, coiled ball of nervous energy, tinted through out with anger and distrust.

Noelani looked fully at her mentor, her Master, her Mother, to see Tahiri's green eyes locked in place, as she stared at the Grand Master of the Jedi. Noelani shifted, following Tahiri's gaze, and started watching Luke as well.

Luke sighed, and dropped his eyes. "It is this Council's decision that you will be too emotionally involved to train her."

And with that simple pronouncement, Noelani Darklighter's world shattered. She found it hard to breath, and gulped at the air as tears stung her eyes.

Tahiri's voice was calm and level, yet Noelani could feel the emotions which her mother was suppressing. "Tell me Luke, why is it that you're constantly trying to take my daughter away from me?"

For a moment she wondered if Tahiri had plucked those thoughts from her head, but decided that she would probably be thinking that as well.

Kyp spoke his voice tired and resigned. "Please speak to the Council members with the proper amount of respect, Knight Veila."

Tahiri snarled slightly as her attention snapped towards him. "Respect? When he kriffs with your family, stripping away months of your memories, and keeping something as important as a child from you. Then! Then you can come talk to me about respect."

Tionne sighed. "Angry outbursts from either side of this debate will not help things."

Tahiri turned towards Tionne, her jaw clenched as tight as her fists and then she sighed, as she nodded her head. "Sorry, Master Tionne."

Luke chose this moment to speak up again. "And these outbursts are why this Council feels that someone else should complete Noelani's training."

Tahiri opened her mouth to snap at Luke again, and he held up his hand, and said, "And that's enough."

Tahiri slowly closed her mouth, anger pouring off of her, as she stared at Luke, her eyes flecks of green ice.

After a few moments, Luke spoke again. "The Council's decision is final." He then turned towards Noelani. "Noelani, your new master is Tionne. She will complete your training. You are both dismissed."

Noelani could feel her tears as they sliced down the sides of her cheeks. She rubbed the back of her hand against the side of her face as she stared at Luke in shock. She knew that this meeting was about her continuing to train under Tahiri, but she never believed that she would be reassigned.

She had always thought that the Jedi's wisdom and compassion would make them realize how much of a mistake it would be to separate her from her mother.

Suddenly the full weight of the realization that it was the wise and compassionate Luke Skywalker who had stolen her from Tahiri in the first place crashed down upon her, threatening to crush her.

She took a step backwards, creating a larger gap between her and the Masters, and began to shake her head.

"Why?" she asked, her voice weak, and slight, even to her own ears. "Why did you do this, Master Skywalker?"

Luke sighed, and glanced out one of the windows at the lines of traffic visible in the distance. "I did… I do what is best for the Jedi, Padawan Darklighter."

Tahiri laughed bitterly at that. "No, Luke, you don't. You do what is best for you and yours. You always have. And for whatever reason, you don't want to claim your nephew's daughter as part of your family. Is it because she's my daughter? Or because she reminds you too much of the mistake you made sending us all to Mrykr?"

Kyp and Cilghal were both on their feet, and Tionne had her head lowered into one hand. Luke stared at Tahiri, his eyes cold and emotionless.

"That was uncalled for Jedi Veila," Cilghal responded.

Noelani dropped to her knees, and covered her face with her hands, as she began crying. She couldn't handle the Masters like this. She had always respected them, always believed that they were the best the galaxy had to offer.

They were supposed to be the epitome of the Light Side of the Force.

Yet, as her body shook with her tears, and the only person in the room that cared was Tahiri, as she laid a hand gently on the top of her head, Noelani realized something.

A fundamental truth slammed through her.

The Jedi were as flawed as every other being in the galaxy.

If not more so.

For a moment, she wondered why she had ever left Tatooine. Why had she left home and came all these light years in order to be abused over and over again?

A sickening knot of pain rested where her heart used to be. Even her torture at the hands of the Yuuzhan Vong warriors had not hurt her soul this much.

Tahiri's hand disappeared from the top of her head, and then Tionne's musical voice was close by, and Noelani could hear the pain in it; a pale reflection of what her heart now was. "Noelani? Come on. Let's go and have a chat."

For a moment, she almost believed that Tionne cared for her. For a moment, her desire to see the good in anything and anyone almost won out. Then she remembered that this was one of the people who had decided that her Master, her mother, was not good enough to teach her.

Tionne's long, slender fingers touched her shoulder, and Noelani's head snapped up. She snarled, and with a quick flash of the hand pushed Tionne away from her. "I don't want anything to do with you!"

Then she was up off her feet, spinning as she fled the Council chambers. Dimly she heard Tahiri calling her name out after her.

As she pushed onto the stairs leading down, she heard Tahiri make a final snapped comment towards the Council. "Well, Luke, I hope you're proud of yourself."

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Next Post

Remembrances of the Past

Tahiri was in the past.

She was there to watch. To watch the beginning of the end. To watch the pinnacle of her life. She watched that moment in time which was the climax of her life. She watched the moment, the heartbeat, in which her entire existence had changed.

Forever.

For the worse.

Every second, every moment since that single tick of time had steadily gotten worse. Every day after that moment was literally the worst day of her life.

Tahiri watched the past; with silent sobs, she watched both her highest moment; and the moment in which she lost everything.

She watched the death of Anakin Solo.

Again.

For the fifteenth time.

She squeezed her eyes shut, struggling to keep the tears from falling. She knew, even as she made the attempt, that she was failing. No matter how many times she watched, she always suffered the same pain. It was an open wound, one which she refused to quit picking at. One which she refused to let heal.

She opened her eyes again, and saw Anakin starting to glow as he channeled the Force through him. There. Right then. That was the moment in time in which he was about to die. It was now that she had to save him.

She knew that Jacen had told her that she wasn't really changing the past with these little trips. That all they did was create new memories for those on the strike team.

But Jacen had been a Sith. He had dealt in lies, and he wouldn't have wanted Anakin back as Anakin would have been able to stop him.

She knew that Jacen had lied to her. There was no other way around it. She could believe nothing else. She had to try for herself.

She stepped forward, closer to Anakin and the grotto where he fought, and saw Nom Anor run way. This is it!

She bolted forward, becoming more and more in tune with the time plane as she rushed towards Anakin. As he fell to the ground unconscious, she grabbed his arm and began dragging him away from the blast radius of the thermal detonator. Quickly, she looked around and found that there was no-one close enough to stop her, so she squatted into the dust and heaved him up onto her shoulders in a rescue carry. Then she ran off into the warrens, in the direction which she knew the rest of the strike team had disappeared to--after all, she had traveled that path in her mind every night for nearly fifteen years.

As she neared the hovel in which the strike team had hidden, she dropped Anakin and then threw some stones against the coral walls, and then allowed the Flow to dislodge her from the time plane. The door was flung open, and as she was swept forward in time, she heard her younger self call out Anakin's name.

She dropped back into the present, her breathing coming in great gasps. New memories slammed into her; a life she had never had, an existence she had only dreamed of. Anakin helping fight the ending of the war. Anakin on Zonoma Sekot with her after the war. Their wedding. The birth of her first child three years ago, a daughter. The birth of their second just a few months ago, this time a son.

An entire life that she had never known, but had always dreamed about was created fully in her mind in a heartbeat.

She curled herself around her legs, tears flowing down her face, even as the sobs shook her body. She raised herself up on her hands and knees, her tears still falling into the dirt around her as she began to laugh. "I knew it. I knew he was lying to me. He never tried to bring Anakin back, but I did it."

She straightened herself and rushed towards her ship; wanting desperately to get home to her husband. Wanting nothing more than to see him again.

Two days later her starship was landing on one of the landing areas situated around the Jedi Temple on Ossus. This was where they had made their home after they were married. She glanced towards the right and saw a battered old transport. It was a CEC Y-2700, and its mere presence made her smile. That was his ship.

She rushed down the gangplank and thundered into the Temple itself, brushing past the younger trainees and Masters alike.

Finally she stood before the entrance to their apartment within the Temple. Hesitantly, she reached out and touched the activation plate to the room. With a subtle hiss, the door slid open and Tahiri stepped into the room.

A room she did not recognize.

Her mouth hung open as she looked around the room. The east wall should have had an image of the Juundland Wastes at second sunset that Anakin had bought her for their fourth anniversary, but it was blank, empty. As was the rest of the room. No couches, no mementos of their life together. Just bare floors and empty walls. She wandered through the apartment, a growing sense of disconnect as she stopped and looked into each of the empty rooms. The first was her daughter's room. She remembered it being filled with brightly-colored stuffed animals; mostly gifts from Han and Lando. The next room was the nursery; there should have been decorations of stylized banthas on the wall painted in a light blue rather than their antiseptic white.

She screwed a fist against one of her eyes, as the tears slashed down her face.

Then the door to the apartment opened again.

She spun around and darted into the hallway, calling out, "Anakin!"

As she came into view of the door, she pulled up short, a frown flickering over her face. Standing there was Luke Skywalker, and a few steps behind him, his son and apprentice, Ben.

Luke took a step forward, as she fell back a step, her hands snapped to her face, covering her mouth. "Tahiri? What's wrong?"

She dropped her hands, and grabbed the door frame to her daughter's empty room. "Where are they? Where's my husband? My children? Where are Illis and Lani?"

Ben answered her. "'Ri, you're not married."

Anger clenched at her heart. "Don't call me 'Ri!" She snarled at Ben. "That's his nickname for me."

She saw them share a glance between each other. Screaming inarticulately, she spun around and ran away from them, deeper into the apartment, heading towards the one room she hadn't looked into yet. The bedroom she had shared with him.

She burst through the door into the empty room. Slowing down, she continued forward until she stood in the center of the room. Slowly she spun in a circle; surveying the room. Lost in its emptiness. An emptiness which echoed in her heart.

There wasn't even a bed.

The room felt cold and disused in the Force--as if no one lived here.

Or had ever lived there.

She dropped to her knees, curling her body over them as she broke down in tears.

She felt a hand press gently against her shoulder. Lifting her eyes, she could just barely make out Ben through the blur of her tears.

"Tahiri, are you okay?" His voice was hesitant, and she could feel his concern for her in the Force. It stung.

"Where are they Ben? Where's my family?"

He shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about 'Ri."

She shifted her gaze, facing Luke. "Where are they Luke? Where's Anakin?"

He frowned for a moment, and then shook his head. "Anakin's dead Tahiri. He's been dead for years. We burned his body on Hapes, remember?"

"Yes, no!" She shook her head violently from side-to-side. "No! He didn't die! I, I saved him! Y-you're lying! We got married! We had kids! You were there for their Naming Day!"

She dropped her face back to her knees, as more tears came, and found she was unable to stop her body from shaking.

Then the door opened once again, and she stretched out with the Force. He felt familiar and comfortable. Hope flaring in her chest, she was on her feet in an instant. She had moved so quickly, that she startled Luke and Ben as she pushed past them. As she rounded the corner from the bedroom into the hall, she called out, "Anakin!"

Memories - Ch. 12

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A dream. I am in a dream.

I can hear a bustling crowd... far away, and close by...

It echoes like never-ending ripples.

The busy adults never notice the little figure sitting on the bench...

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Anakin held his hand out, touching the shimmering, golden globe. Ripples ran out from where his hand pressed against the smooth surface, and he frowned. He knew deep in his heart that he had seen this globe before. That it was important. That it held something precious. He stared transfixed by the swirls of golden glitter that twisted through its interior.

A shorter blonde girl, who appeared to be about nine years old, stepped up beside him, raising her hand towards the globe. His mouth dropped open. Tahiri, he thought to himself. Why does she look so young?

Her hand closed towards the globe, until she was suddenly thrown backwards. She slammed hard against the wall and slumped to the ground. Anakin dashed over to her.

"I'm okay," she said as she rose to her feet. "Guess there's some kind of force field around that thing. Oh no, what's this creature?" Tahiri cried, jumping backwards.

Anakin looked down at the spot where Tahiri had fallen. Curled up at the base of the stone block was a small animal, not much more than a meter long, and the same brownish-gold as the blocks of the wall. For a moment, Anakin thought it was dead, but then he noticed the ever so slight lift of its side when it drew a breath. Anakin reached down, and stroked the soft fur.

"Anakin, I think it's waking up," Tahiri said from behind him.

Anakin scuttled backwards a bit as the creature opened one large eye. Browns, greens and blues swirled within that eye. Her lips next to his ear, Tahiri whispered, "Do you think it's dangerous?"

"He doesn't seem too worried about us," Anakin replied as he shrugged his shoulders.

The creature stood up, and then turned in a circle before settling down onto its haunches. The muscles on its back rippled, and then it stretched out its front paws, all the while letting out a large yawn.

Then it looked towards Anakin again, and blinked its eyes. Its mouth opened, and a loud whistling sound came out. Anakin could almost make out words, but he was having a hard time concentrating, and he frowned down at the thing.

The creature made the noise again. After Anakin still didn't do anything, it curled up a small fist and pounded it against its chest, making the sound a final time.

Tahiri giggled. "I think it's trying to tell us its name is-"

Anakin snapped awake with a jolt, a thin sheen of sweat covering him, causing his sleeping clothes to cling to his body. He sat up, pushing the blanket and sheet off of his chest, and then ran a hand through his damp hair.

He got out of bed, intending to go to the kitchen and get something to drink. Opening his door, he heard a short sharp yelp. As he stepped into the hallway, he saw Tahiri pressed against the wall, fear on her face. As she slowly recognized him the fear melted away, replaced by relief.

"Anakin," she sighed out.

He smirked at her. "What? Did you think I was a ghost or something?"

"Don't!" she said with in a stern voice as she quickly closed the distance between them.

"What?"

"Don't you know anything, Dummy," she scolded. "Ghosts appear when you talk about ghosts. So you absolutely can't talk about ghosts. Or even say the word ghosts. Especially at night."

Anakin could feel his lips twitching as he suppressed a smile. "You realize you just said the word five times or so."

She let out another yelp, her hands balling into small fists, which she crossed over her heart. "What should we do? What's going to happen?"

He looked at her, noticing the fear on her face. He suddenly felt bad for teasing her. "Don't worry. Nothing's going to happen. But more importantly, what are you doing wandering around this late?"

She lowered her hands, grasping the edge of her night shirt, tugging it taut for a moment. "Uhm... uh... ah..."

Anakin suppressed a chuckle. "Looking for something valuable?"

"No!" she snapped out, stomping one foot onto the floor.

Then she lowered her head. "I have to go to the bathroom. But it's scary."

Anakin arched an eyebrow, and then turned, heading towards the kitchen.

"Anakin wait!" she called out to him as she grabbed his pajamas. "You've got to take me, and stand guard outside the door for me."

He looked at her, and sighed as he began walking down the hall, Tahiri shuffling behind him, her hand still firmly holding his shirt.

"Why are you making such a fuss about going to the bathroom?"

Tahiri ignored his question. "I wonder if we woke up Jaina?"

Anakin shook his head. "I doubt it; she's quite a heavy sleeper. It's kind of freaky sometimes."

After she finished in the bathroom, Anakin started towards the kitchen, and she followed behind quietly. As he drew a glass of water, she leaned against the counter watching him.

Suddenly, she said, "I miss the stars."

Anakin took a swallow as he watched her. "Well, then go out on the balcony and look at them."

She blinked twice, and then turned, looking around. "Balcony?"

Sighing once again, Anakin led her through the living room to the door to the balcony. He quietly opened it, and stepped out, Tahiri close on his heels.

She gasped as she looked up at the night sky spread out around them. "Ah... wow, you can see so many... but I don't recognize any of the constellations. These aren't my stars."

"That's okay," Anakin replied as he smiled at her. "Your stars are still there-you just get some new ones is all. By the way, which planet are you from?"

Tahiri spun around to look at him, a smile on her face. "Tatooine, Dummy."

She then turned and looked back up at the stars. "My father once told me that the stars give us strength and courage. The power and wisdom to fight. After all, they have to fight so hard against the suns to be seen. But I can't help but still be afraid of such little things."

"Well, I know you're afraid of ghosts-but what else are you scared of?"

She leaned over the balcony's edge, staring down at the ground so far below. "Actually, I'm afraid of the river. Any type of running water terrifies me. It's all I can do to draw a bath sometimes. What's Anakin scared of?"

He chuckled slightly. "Funnily enough, I'm scared of any body of water that you can swim in. Lakes, pools, rivers-I've not been swimming in years."

Silence fell between them, and Tahiri switched from watching the ground to once more watching the sky.

"I think Jaina's kind of pretty, don't you?"

"What's with this all of a sudden?" Anakin asked.

"It's not sudden," Tahiri replied as she shook her head. "I've been thinking it since I met her. She's pretty, she's nice. I think she's a really great person."

"Really?" Anakin said, not sounding quite convinced. "All I've seen is her spacing out and taking naps during lessons. So I guess I just don't get it."

"I wonder if I'll be as pretty as she is, when I grow up."

"She's only a year and a half older than me, you know."

Tahiri turned and looked at him, tilting her head to the side for a moment. "And you're a year and a half older than me."

"Don't worry about it," Anakin said. "You have your own good points, after all."

She took a step towards him. "Like what?"

He once again, suppressed a smirk. "Well, you're able to steal from the same vendor three days in a row."

She stomped her foot in frustration. "Those were all accidents!"

He grinned at the scowl on her face, as he turned back towards the door. "I'm going back to bed now, Tahiri."

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Anakin walked towards the school, watching his feet as he followed the well tread path. Letting out a small sigh, he looked up and noticed that Tenel Ka and Eryl were just a few meters ahead of him.

"Hey, you two!" he called out.

They both glanced over their shoulders looking at him. Eryl smiled happily, "It's Anakin!"

"Yeah, it's Anakin," he said as he jogged forward to close the gap between them. "So, the big day is finally here."

Eryl nodded her head. "Yeah, I'm really looking forward to it."

"Tenel Ka," Anakin began. "You do remember, right? Tonight's the dance festival."

"Honey bear," Tenel Ka replied.

Eryl's face squished up in confusion, "What? A bear?"

"Bantha baby."

Anakin smacked his palm against his forehead. "Oh yeah. I remember now. I told her to say that. 'Honey bear' for yes and 'Bantha baby' for no. It's to make her cuter. Right, Tenel Ka?"

"Honey bear," she replied.

"Ah, so that's it..." Eryl said the disbelief still on her face slightly.

"It's a rather charming change," Anakin said.

Suddenly, Tenel Ka began walking faster, leaving them behind.

"Hey," Anakin called out after her. "Are you mad?"

Tenel Ka ignored him, so he turned towards Eryl. "Has she always been this way?"

"Yeah," Eryl responded. "For as long as I've known her."

Anakin snorted slightly. "It's amazing you chose to become friends with her."

She shrugged her shoulders slightly. "I just felt she was similar to me."

"Eh? How?"

"I don't really know myself," she replied. "Perhaps it's the burdens she carries."

Anakin watched Eryl for a moment, and then turned towards Tenel Ka once again.

Eryl's voice once more drew his attention once again. "You seem a lot like us too, Anakin."

"Eh?"

Eryl giggled. "Well, it's just my opinion, so don't worry about it." She looked down, a blush appearing on her cheeks for a moment. Then she looked at him with a smile, and started jogging towards Tenel Ka. "Tenel Ka, wait up."

Anakin frowned, wondering just what was going through her head.

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Anakin held out the container of ice cream towards Nelani, who smiled at him and took the sweet. She settled herself onto a low wall that surrounded one of the trees and peeled away the lid. He sat down beside her and watched as she dug the spoon into the desert and took her first bite, her eyes closing in pleasure as she chewed.

"You seem to be enjoying it," he said.

"That's because it's my favorite," she responded. Then she held it out towards him. "Would you like half?"

Anakin took it, and looked at it for a moment, wondering if he should eat the treat he had bought her.

"Go ahead, don't hold back," she encouraged from beside him.

Giving himself an inner shrug, he quickly began eating the ice cream.

Nelani gasped at his antics. "If you eat it that way," she said as she reached out and grabbed one of his arms. "You won't be able to taste it."

Suddenly pain lanced through his forehead, and he groaned as he squeezed his eyes shut. Intellectually, he knew what had happened. The cold ice cream had touched a nerve center on the roof of his mouth, activating a nerve cluster which responded by trying to heat his brain. Yet knowing that did nothing to lessen the pain.

"Are you all right?" Nelani asked

Setting the ice cream down, he grabbed at his head with both hands. "I'm not okay..."

"Standing on your head in these cases helps."

"I can't do that here," he shot back.

"Hm. I know," she responded. "I'll give you some medicine."

She began digging in a bag that she held underneath her shawl. She pulled out a white bottle. "This is diarrhea medicine."

She calmly set it down beside her and pulled out a white box with green writing. "This is cold medicine."

She pulled out a spray bottle containing a red liquid. "Throat spray..."

Anakin dropped his hands, and looked at the medicines and then at her. "Do you always carry such things?"

Turning to look at him, she smiled and said, "It's what I'm good at."

She looked back into her bag, and pulled out a clear bottle, filled with white pills and closed with a red lid. "Ah-hah. This is the pain medicine and antacid."

Then she pulled out another clear bottle with white pills, but this time with an orange lid. "No... It's this one... huh..."

Her brow knotted together as her eyes darted from one bottle to the other.

"Which was it?" she wondered aloud.

Anakin sighed and stood up. He walked over to a nearby tree, and flipped into a handstand, and then tried to hold that pose.

After a minute, Nelani's legs came into view, and she hunched down so he could see her face.

"Looks like you're feeling better," she said with a smile. Then she closed her eyes and continued. "But of course, I really didn't think you'd do this."

"Well, the dance festival is tonight," Anakin responded. "I can't afford to be sick."

"The dance festival...."

The way she said that drew Anakin's attention, and he noticed that had begun to stare out into the distance.

Finally, she spoke again. "I think I would like to try that. It sounds like fun."

"Then why don't you?" Anakin asked. "It's free to anyone who wants to participate."

"I'm sick, so I'll pass," she said, as she looked at him again. Then she gave him a strained smile, and tilted her head slightly. "Anakin, you've got to have fun for both of us, okay?"

Anakin wondered what he could say to that, even as he wondered just what was wrong with her. Suddenly, the alarm on his comlink began to ring.

"It's time isn't it?" she asked.

Anakin dropped from his position doing the handstand and stood up straight. "Yeah. It's time. So go home now, Cinderella."

A smile flashed across her lips. "Right. Bye then."

He watched as she began to slowly walk away. After she had gone a dozen steps she stopped suddenly. Without turning around, she said, "A Cinderella who can't go to the ball..." A heartbeat passed, and then she turned around, the smile still on her lips. "It's pretty wizard, don't you think?"

Anakin nodded. "Well, you just got to put up with having me, rather than a prince."

She waved at him, and then turned back around, walking towards the entrance to the school.

Anakin watched her disappear, and then went into the Temple. As he entered, he found himself standing in front of another trainee, a green Twi'lek who was slightly younger than he was. Her sinuous lekku writhed along her back, as her eyes seemed to bore into him.

"Do you know that girl you were just with?" she asked him.

He frowned for a moment, wondering if he knew this girl. Finally, he nodded his head. "Yes, I do. Are you in her training class?"

The girl nodded her head. "Yes, she was... but... uhm... why was she at the Temple?"

Anakin scratched at his head. "Well, she's out because of a cold, right? And she says it's too boring staying in her quarters all the time. So she sneaks out and comes here."

The girl tilted her head slightly. "A cold?" Then she shook her head. "But it's not a cold. She's been out for months, since the first day of this training period."

Anakin could feel his eyes widen in shock. He had not realized that her condition was that serious. "What?"

"She collapsed during class on that first day." The girl looked down, before she continued to speak. "She was the first person to speak to me, after I got here, so I've been worried about her this whole time. So that's why I was surprised to see Nelan'idinn here today."

"Nelan'idinn?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I have a bad habit of doing that. Her name is Nelani Dinn, but in my culture, it's not good to have your name separated like that, so I called her Nelan'idinn."

"Dinn? Her name is Nelani Dinn?"

The Twi'lek nodded her head. "Yes."

Just then one of the Jedi Masters who taught at the school walked past. He glanced at both of them, a frown on his face. "Get back to class."

The girl bowed quickly. "Sorry, sir." she stammered out, and then turned and fled back towards the classrooms.

Anakin watched her disappear, and then went to his own class, wondering the entire way, just how Nelani and Kiori were related.

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

As the bell signaling the start of the lunch hour chimed, Anakin stood up and stretched, as Jaina stepped to his side. Suddenly, Raynar jumped up on the desk, having changed from his robes to a white jumpsuit, with frills along the sleeves and legs, accompanied by a thick white belt.

"Anakin! Jaina! Look at this," he exclaimed happily, one arm on his hip, the other pointing towards the sky.

"What is it?" Anakin asked, almost scared of the answer he would receive.

"It's my outfit for the Dance Festival," Raynar replied. "I'm the activities chairman, so I have a responsibility to stand out."

Anakin shook his head, trying to wrap his brain around what Raynar was saying. "Activities chairman? You?"

Raynar glanced at him for a moment, and then posed in his outfit, displaying the sequins that decorated his back; a shimmering logo of the Bornaryn Trading Company.

"Yes," Raynar said, ignoring Anakin's questions. "With this outfit, I'll be the star of the dance. I'll have a monopoly on the hall, everyone will notice."

From her seat, Kiori spoke up, "It definitely looks like you'll have a monopoly on something."

"Right!" Raynar said happily to her. "I'm super excited about dancing with you."

"I'm not going," she replied, turning away from them to look towards the front of the classroom.

"WHAT!" Raynar yelled, his jaw dropping in disbelief.

"I've got plans to go shopping with Jaina today," she said as she stood up. Then she started walking from the room. "I've got to make an appearance at my club now. Wait for me out front, all right, Jaina?"

Then she was gone. Raynar stretched one arm out towards the door she had disappeared through. "N... no way...."

Then he slumped his shoulders and let out a sigh. "She's changed a lot since the start of this year's training."

Jaina nodded her head. "That's true, she doesn't seem very happy lately."

Anakin frowned for a moment, wondering if this had anything to do with Nelani. Making up his mind, he rushed from the room, running down the hall to catch up with Kiori.

"Kiori!" he called out as he caught sight of her about to turn a corner. She stopped, but did not turn to face him.

He closed the distance, stopping a few paces from her.

"You have a sister named Nelani, don't you? She was at school today," he frowned, noticing that her fists had clenched and she had begun to tremble slightly. "Should I tell you the next time she shows up?"

"Aren't you misunderstanding something?" she replied, her voice oddly without inflection.

"Huh?"

She turned slightly, just enough so that Anakin could see one of her eyes over her shoulder. In that eye, he could see layers of coldness and pain. Then in a flash those emotions where gone, and her eye appeared normal once more. "I don't have anything like a sister. I'm an only child."

Shock ran through Anakin and he straightened up, even as he could feel his jaw drop. "Eh?"

She turned away from him, and once more began walking down the hall. "Goodbye, Anakin."

Then she turned the corner, and was gone. Anakin stared at the spot where she had disappeared, once more confused about things.

A hand settled on his shoulder, and Jaina stepped into his peripheral vision, as she said, "Anakin, what's wrong?"

He frowned for a moment longer and then turned towards Jaina. "Do you know anything about Kiori's sister?"

Jaina arched an eyebrow, "Her sister? Kiori has a sister?"

Anakin shrugged. "There's another trainee with the same last name. If she's not her sister, then maybe she's a relative of some kind."

"I don't know," Jaina replied, lifting one hand to chew on a knuckle. "Kiori really doesn't talk about her family."

Anakin frowned, and once more turned his attention to the spot where she had disappeared. The haunted look he had glimpsed in her eye as she looked at him, weighed at his heart heavily.

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

Anakin sat cross-legged on the lunch mat, Tenel Ka and Eryl sitting on the edges of the square mat to either side of him. He silently stared at his food, still confused about Kiori and Nelani.

"Anakin, Here's your formal clothes for the dance tonight?" Eryl said, lifting up a package. "What's wrong? You've been spacing out for a while now."

"Sorry," Anakin replied, giving his head a little shake. "I've just been thinking about some things."

He slapped his face once, and then took the package from Eryl, giving her a Solo grin. "I'm looking forward to seeing both of your dresses. Tenel Ka, aren't you?"

She ignored him, focusing instead on her plate as she chewed silently. He frowned for a moment, and then lifted up her plate, raising it high. She tracked the plate with her eyes, lifting her chin in the process. Then he dropped the plate, and she tilted her head back down. Then he repeated the whole thing, before setting her plate back onto the mat.

Then he grinned once more. "See! Tenel Ka is looking forward to it as well."

Eryl smiled happily, as she clapped her hands. "That's great!"

Tenel Ka just looked straight ahead, her face a perfect mask of calm.

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

Anakin stepped into the apartment, and called out, "I'm back."

Tahiri rounded the corner from the living room, a smile on her face. "Welcome home, Anakin."

He grinned at her. "I think I'll start with a bath, you've drawn one right?"

She shook her head. "Sorry, it's not ready."

He sighed. "In that case, food!"

"We're about to go shopping now. Apparently, you're out of food."

At that moment, Mara Jade rounded the corner, a smirk tugging at one side of her lips. "Did I hear you correctly about a bath, Solo? Making this girl work like that?"

Anakin smiled, and chuckled. "I was actually joking, Aunt Mara."

Mara just looked at him, a sly amusement shining in her eyes. Finally, she spoke again, "Well we're going to the shopping district. Bye!"

Then Mara walked past him, and Tahiri trailed after. As she turned to close the door, Tahiri smiled brightly at him, and waved. "Bye! See you soon."

Then the door was closed, and Anakin frowned at it. Those two get along well. Too well, why does it bother me?

He looked around the room, his frown deepening. Then he walked into the living room, and turned on the holovid to a smashball game. Settling on the couch, he tried to get interested in the game, but found he couldn't concentrate.

It's too quiet around here, he thought. I think this might be the first time I've been home alone since I got back.

He sighed again, and once more tried to focus on the game. Stretching he glanced at the clock, to discover that he had an hour before he had to leave for the dance. As he leaned back in his seat, his eyes slowly drifted close, until he was lost to sleep.

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

Anakin slammed his fist against the door. After a second, he did it again. With the suddenness of Imperial engineering, the door snapped open, and Jaina stood there, dressed in a sleeping gown, rubbing at her eyes.

"What do you want, Anakin?" she growled at him.

"I need to borrow some money."

She blinked a few more times, and the arched an eyebrow at him. "Money? What for?"

Anakin glanced down, even as he could feel his cheeks start to redden. "Uhm... I've promised Tahiri that I'd bring her something back from Coruscant. And I'm supposed to go back to Yavin in just a few hours."

Jaina looked at him, a frown on her face. "And you woke me for this?"

"Yeah, I did," Anakin replied. He then clasped his hands together in front of him. "Come on, Jaya. Just a couple hundred or so credits. That's all I need."

She shook her head. "No."

"Jaya, please! When I get back from the Academy, I'll help you rebuild that astromech that you blew up last week.""

Jaina frowned for a moment. "I can give you a hundred. More than that, and mom will get mad at me."

Anakin grinned up at her. "That's more than enough, Jaya! Thanks!"

She turned away from him, muttering something he could not really hear under her breath. She went to her desk, and rummaged in it for a few moments. Then she returned to him, and held out a credit chit. "Here. Now go away."

Anakin snatched it away before she could change her mind, and smiled up at her. "Thanks Jaya! You're a life saver."

He then turned away and ran down the hallway. He left the house at a dead run, earning him a scream from his mother as he darted out the door. Then he was in the hallway, waiting impatiently on the turbolift. Every few seconds he jabbed at the call button.

His mother stuck her head out of the door to their apartment. "And just where do you think you're going young man? You're leaving for Yavin IV in less than two hours."

He glanced over his shoulder as the doors to the life opened. "I've just got to go buy something for one of my friends. I'll be back before dad's ready to leave."

Then before she could respond, he stepped onto the turbolift and the doors closed. He jabbed one of the buttons, smiling as the lift jolted into life, taking him to one of the tourist areas of the Imperial Palace, the one which had the most shops and vendor booths.

He strolled around the shops, hunting for that perfect something that he could get her. Finally, he found a small cart vendor, selling small stuffed dolls. One of them, had a vaguely human shape, with white wings on the back, and was all of 5 centimeters long. Anakin picked it up by the small cord that came from the doll's head, and held it up towards the Drall that was tending the cart.

"How much?"

The Drall glanced up from the terminal he was reading, and looked at the doll in Anakin's hands. "25 credits."

Anakin passed over the credit chit, and a few minutes later was running towards the landing bay where his dad kept the Millennium Falcon[.

As he stomped up the ramp, into the freighter's hold, he pulled the doll from his pocket, looking at it and smiling. Yeah, I think Tahiri will really like this. At least, I hope she does.

Frowning, he shoved the doll back into his pocket, and dropped into one of the seats, strapping himself in for take off.

Two days later, the Falcon was settling to the ground in front of the Great Temple. Sitting at the engineering station, Anakin switched on the external cameras and could make out his Uncle Luke, Tionne and Tahiri standing off to the side.

As soon as the ship was settled, he unstrapped himself, and slapped the ramp access controls, running down them even as they continued to lower to the ground. He ran past Luke and Tionne, and grabbed Tahiri's hand, dragging her towards the Temple and away from the grownups.

Once they were out of sight, Anakin reached into his pocket, and pulled out the doll, holding it out towards Tahiri.

Cautiously, she took it from him, and stared at it for a moment. Then she looked up at him. "Can I have it?"

"Of course," he replied as he grinned at her. "That's why I got it."

"Thank you," she responded, looking down at the doll again. "It's so cute. I'll treasure it. I'll treasure it forever and ever."

Anakin frowned for a moment. "Isn't that going a bit overboard?"

Tahiri shook her head, and smiled at him. "Thanks, Anakin."

Anakin looked at that smile for a moment, and then grinned again. "You've gotten cheerful again."

She looked up at him, "huh?"

Anakin ran a hand through his hair, pushing his long bangs away from his face. "Well, since we got back from Tatooine, and you were told about your parents, well... you've not been really happy. But now, you're smiling again."

Tahiri looked down at the doll, squeezing it slightly. "It's hard Anakin. I... I always wanted to know what happened to my parents, only to find out that my family killed them. And now, I can't ever go back to the Tribe. It hurts... It's hard to deal with. But... but I think I can forget the sadness."

Anakin looked at his friend, a melancholic ache in his heart at the pain evident on her face.

Then she looked up at him, a ghost of a smile touching her lips. "That's... that's why I'm so thankful for you, Anakin."

"I see," Anakin replied, not entirely certain how he should respond to that.

Then she smiled brightly for him, and with a jolt, he snapped awake.

He looked around trying to get past the memories of the dream, and then glanced at the chrono.

"Kriff!" he exclaimed as he realized he only had fifteen minutes before the dance started. He jumped up off the couch, and rushed to his room, quickly changing out of his training outfit and into the formal clothes that Eryl had provided him.

A half hour later, he walked into the massive hanger at the lowest level of the Temple. It was decorated for the Dance festival: along one wall was a buffet set out, spread out around the room were a number of tables, and in the center of the room the floor was open, with a few couples already dancing.

He looked around, looking for Tenel Ka and Eryl, but could not see them anywhere. He glanced towards the temporary stage set up against one wall, to see Raynar in his garish white jumpsuit, talking into a microphone. He tuned Raynar out, and walked deeper into the crowd, still looking for the girls.

"All right, Tenel Ka and Eryl... where are you two..."

Then a flash of pink and a swirl of red hair caught his eye.

He turned to find Tenel Ka standing a few meters away from him, dressed in a pink strapless gown. It was made of satin and shimmersilk, and was tight across the top and clung to her hips, tracing the outlines of her legs. A slit up one side, revealed a well toned leg up to her mid-thigh. A thin choker was strapped around her neck, with what appeared to be a rainbow gem fashioned in its center. Her hair was piled atop her head, with cascades of curls running down the side, and resting on her bared shoulders. The final touch of the outfit were a pair of corusca gems in her ears, their glitter the same grey as her eyes.

The only thing he found he could do was stare at her.

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

Anakin stared at her.

It was the only thing he was capable of doing. His feet refused to work, his mouth just wanted to hang open.

Is this really, Tenel Ka, he thought to himself.

Eryl talking to someone next to Tenel Ka glanced up and saw him. She smiled brightly, and turned back towards Tenel Ka, wrapping an arm around her.

"Look at this dress," she said happily to Anakin. "Doesn't Tenel Ka look so cute in it?"

"Yeah," Anakin replied. Then he tilted his head and smiled. "And just where might you be from, milady?"

Tenel Ka's lips twitched slightly, and a blush rose up on her cheeks. Then she walked forward, and hit him on the forehead with the edge of her palm.

He winced, and said. "Ow."

"Tenel Ka..." Eryl said, wondering what was happening.

Anakin grinned again. "She just delivered the punchline."

Eryl shook her head, and then looked between them. "Tenel Ka, it's nothing for you to blush over. It really does look nice on you."

Tenel Ka chopped Eryl on the forehead.

Anakin smirked, starting to enjoy himself. "This means that Tenel Ka is tonight's heroine, doesn't it?"

She hit him on the forehead again.

Eryl smiled bigger. "That's right. She's the prettiest one here."

Eryl's turn.

"That's exactly right," Anakin responded.

Then she hit him on the forehead again.

"Eryl!" someone from near the doorway called out.

The three of them turned, and saw the Rar twins, two Twi'leks who had recently been brought to the Academy for training by the Knight Swilija'fen. Eryl waved at the two of them, and started that way.

She glanced back towards Anakin and Tenel Ka. "I'm going to go talk to them for a bit."

Anakin nodded his head. "All right, take your time."

The two stood in silence for a moment and watched as Eryl walked away. Finally, Anakin spoke again. "But seriously, for a second, I thought you were someone else."

A blush once more came to Tenel Ka's cheeks.

Anakin chuckled. "Now, I meant it, there's not a reason for you to blush like that."

A stern harsh voice spoke from behind them. "Too think someone like you would come to this. And I bet you borrowed that dress from Eryl. How noble of you to take advantage of her kind heart."

Anakin and Tenel Ka turned towards the voice, and he could feel her tense beside him. Interested by the reaction from her, he looked closer at the man the voice belonged to. He was a few years older than Anakin himself, a ruffle of dark hair, and strong jawline. There was something in the way the man held himself that made Anakin dislike him immediately.

Anakin frowned, and stepped around Tenel Ka, interposing himself between her and the other man. "Who are you?"

He arched an eyebrow in Anakin's direction. "I'm the lead of the Student Council, Miko Reglia." Miko frowned for a moment. "Not knowing that... well you must not be very serious about your training."

"Oh really?" Anakin replied with a chuckle. "Is that how Council members reply to new trainees? I mean, I've only been here for a few weeks, it's not like I can know everything yet."

Miko's eyes narrowed as he looked at Anakin for a moment. Then he turned his attention to Tenel Ka. "I'm warning you, Tenel Ka. You've caused a lot of problems in the past. If you do anything to ruin this event, the school will punish you without mercy."

Anakin could feel himself growing angrier the more Miko talked.

"Keep that in mind," Miko continued. "You Dathomiri witch." Then he spun away from the two of them, and walked away.

Tenel Ka looked at him for a moment, and then spun on her heel, and walked towards one of the buffet tables. After a moment, Anakin followed her.

He fixed himself a plate of food, and then leaned against the wall near an empty table, watching the people on the dance floor. A few seconds later, Tenel Ka joined him.

On the dance floor, he could see Raynar asking various girls to dance, and consistently getting turned down.

"That Miko guy still ticks me off," Anakin began. "Hey, Tenel Ka, aren't you mad that he said that stuff to you?"

"Not really," she replied. "It is a fact after all."

Anakin sighed and shook his head. "You've got no sense of competition. Anyways, why don't you go dance with someone? You came all the way here after all."

"Someone?" she responded, looking up at him.

Anakin looked around the room, and saw Raynar asking yet another girl to dance; and being turned down. He gestured in Raynar's direction. "What about him? He doesn't seem to have a dance partner."

"No. Anakin. I would rather dance with Anakin."

Anakin scratched at the top of his head. "Eh? Well... it's... the thing is, as far as dancing goes, all I can do is the Monkey."

"Monkey?" she said, looking up at him, interest shining in her eyes.

He shook his head. "It's not really something that you'd do here. I learned it in a bar in Coronet, the last time dad took me without mom."

She looked away from him, and then dropped her gaze to the table where her food sat. "I am not accustomed to these places. These things. I... I want you to stay with me."

The music for the next dance started up, as Anakin watched her profile. Finally he held a hand out towards her. "It doesn't matter if you're accustomed or not. You just need to have fun."

She turned back to him and leaned forward slightly, looking at his hand. He grinned. "Take my hand. Take it."

She looked up at him again, and slid her hand into his. He then lead her out onto the dance floor. As they strode confidently through the crowds, he could feel the eyes of everyone following him. It brought back slightly unpleasant memories of the formal dinners and other affairs that his mother would often take him to.

Once they got to the center of the room, he twisted around in front of her, wrapping his free arm around her waist. Then he closed his eyes, allowing the music to fill him, and began to dance, leading Tenel Ka through the complicated movements.

After a few minutes of dancing, he opened his eyes, and grinned at her. "You can dance pretty well."

A smile flickered across her lips for a moment. "I am getting used to it." They danced for longer. Finally, her eyes caught his again. "Thank you, Anakin."

Anakin shook his head. "I didn't do anything here, Tenel Ka."

Suddenly, her body stiffened, and she stumbled slightly in the next step. Anakin tightened his grip slightly, in case she was about to fall. "What's wrong?"

Tenel Ka's eyes began darting around the room. "It is here," she whispered.

Before Anakin could respond, the windows that lined one side of the hall exploded inwards, showering everyone with small bits of glass.

The people around them, screamed in confusion, and backed away from the wall.

Then a strong wind gusted through the room, and the buffet table exploded, showering food in all directions.

Anakin spun in a circle, looking for the next target. As he did so, he spied Eryl standing still in shock. Before he could process that thought, the people between the buffet table and Eryl suddenly started getting knocked aside one by one.

"Eryl!" Anakin yelled out as soon as he realized that she was the demon's target and started running towards her.

Then Tenel Ka was running past him, Eryl's name came from her lips as a hoarse scream.

The wavering distortation which Anakin associated with the demon finally reached Eryl, and in a heart beat the girl was flying through the air; until she slammed into a wall, hard enough to leave an indention in the plaster. She slumped to the ground, unmoving.

Some part of his mind recognized that Tenel Ka had stopped and he passed her, but he continued on, not stopping until he had reached Eryl's side. He dropped down beside her, cradling her head into his arms. "Eryl? Answer me Eryl. Wake up!"

He glanced around, looking for Tenel Ka. "Where's Tenel Ka?"

Then there was another scream from his left, and he turned that way to see Tenel Ka standing there, her sword held out in front of her, a dark expression on her face.

"Tenel Ka..." Anakin shook his head. Where did she get her sword from, he thought to himself, even as he called out, "Tenel Ka! Wait! Stop!"

But he could see that she was ignoring him. She was captured in her emotions; her tears streamed down her face. She hunched forward slightly, and then darted ahead. The sword rose from a low guard up across her chest ending in a high guard. Then she landed, and sliced down and backwards, splintering a table.

The unseen demon struck her, sending her flying backwards. She twisted in mid air, landed and then darted forward again, attacking once more.

Anakin watched the battle transfixed. Tenel Ka was like a demonness herself. Unbridled fury and rage. Occasionally, when her blade would intersect with the distortation a flash of rainbow colored light would appear.

"Kriff it, Tenel Ka! Stop it! That's enough!" Anakin yelled again.

Tenel Ka continued to ignore him. She dodge the demon, the spot she had been standing exploded in a plume of dust and smoke. She back-flipped onto a table top and then jumped in the air, her blade coming down towards the distortion.

Right before her blade connected, the distortion disappeared. The sword's point lodged itself into the floor and she crumpled down beside it, her breath coming in labored gasps.

From somewhere, Anakin heard Miko yelling. "You've done it now, you Dathomiri witch."

Tenel Ka turned towards him, and Anakin could see the tears that flowed down her face.

Miko yelled again. "This is a serious problem! Don't think you'll get away with this!"

"Tenel Ka..." Eryl whispered in a weak voice from his lap.

For his part, the only thing that Anakin could think was why do things always get more and more kriffed up?

---

Next Post

Jedi Adept: A Path In The Dark - Prologue

"We each contain the potential for great good or great evil. We each hold the shadow of darkness... and the flame of light. Our destinies are not set, and life offers no guarantees. It is the choices that you make...that will determine what you become. It is not who raised us or who our parents were that determines our paths. The Emperor cannot reach out to you from beyond the grave-but neither can those you love make your choices for you. You will become what you become because of your choices...because of what you do."
-- Ikrit to Anakin Solo and Tahiri Veila (Anakin's Quest)

Prologue

Eleven year old Noelani Darklighter was scared.

In her hand, she held the small message cube which had been delivered to her from the Jedi Temple a few days ago. An invitation. A summons. It was both of those things and more. She had been invited to go to the Jedi, to train to become one of them.

She squeezed the cube slightly, and stepped up to the rim of the sunken pit which formed the main courtyard of her home. Standing at the edge, she looked up and watched as the twin suns of Tatooine started their inexorable march towards the horizon.

The first dipped down towards the edge, gaining a hazy appearance as it set.

Noelani could not help but feel that this was her life. A sun that was setting.

"It is both a blessing and a curse, is it not?"

She turned at the voice, finding her adoptive father standing there. From her earliest memories he had been there for her, a hale, hearty man, slightly overweight with a bundle of snow-white hair often pulled into a tight tail by a small band of leather. But in the past two years, he has lost that weight and now carried a slightly gaunt look to his frame.

For the first time in her life, she realized just how old Huff Darklighter was. The realization was like a shot in the gut, as she fought to keep a frown from her face.

"How do you mean, Papa?"

He gestured towards the small cube in her hand. "The opportunity. How amazing it would be to become a Jedi. Yet to accept that opportunity means to leave everything you have ever known here."

She chewed at her lip for a second, and then nodded her head.

"I don't wanna leave you."

She saw Huff's kind smile and remembered how often it had been turned her way. "I know, Little One, but you've been given a wonderful gift; the ability to help the galaxy. You will always have a home here, but I think you owe it to yourself to take the opportunity. "

Slowly, she nodded her head, and turned around, to watch Tatoo II finish setting, with Tatoo I just beginning to cross the horizon.

"I… I understand, sir."

"Good, I have someone I want you to meet."

"Oh?"

Huff smiled at her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, drawing her away the edge of the pit and towards a seed shaped spaceship; a reddish-orange blob, with odd protrusions on either side. Walking down the ramp towards them was a tall woman with flowing silver-white hair, dressed in simple brown robes. The material seemed to flow with her as she walked, the wind picking up her fine hair and tossing it about her head slightly, almost giving her the appearance of having a halo.

She stopped a few paces away from Noelani and Huff, and bowed slightly. When she straightened, Noelani noticed that she had pearl colored eyes, which seemed to shine with an internal light of their own.

"Hello, Noelani. I am Jedi Master Tionne Solusar. I was in this region and thought I would stop by and see if you had any questions or if you had made a decision to come and train with us."

Noelani glanced up at her father, and then back at the woman, nodding her head once quickly.

"Yes. I guess I'm coming with you. I, I guess I'm going to be a Jedi."

Tionne smiled warmly at her, saying, "That is wonderful news, Noelani. I am certain that you will become a wonderful Jedi."

Noelani smiled hesitatingly not quite certain how to respond.

A few days later, Tionne's starship, which Noelani had learned was called the Lore Seeker, was breaking orbit, dropping into Ossus's atmosphere.

Noelani smiled as the ship kissed the atmosphere, slicing through it, and then shedding speed until it finally dropped to a rest at the base of a massive stone structure. The white marble shone brightly in the silver-blue glare of the single sun, and Noelani could not help but feel a sense of awe settle over her.

Tionne turned to her, a smile coming easily to her face. "Welcome to Ossus, Noelani."

Noelani smiled, and then followed Tionne out of the ship, and she took her first breath of a world which was not Tatooine. It was a cool, crisp scent, a smell that was not pleasant, but not one that was unpleasant either. She sniffed again, twitching her nose as she tried to place the different scents that hung on the air.

Before long, Tionne was opening the door to a long room, with small divided cells spaced evenly down either side.

"This is the dorms for your age group." She walked about a quarter of the way down and pointed towards one of the cells. "This one will be yours."

Noelani nodded her head. "Thanks, Master Tionne."

Tionne smiled at her, and turned to leave. "The rules are on the terminal, and I will see you in class tomorrow."

Then Noelani was alone. She sighed, dropping her sack by the small chest which was provided. She looked around the partition, noting the desk and the terminal on it, the set of shelves set above the desk, and of course the cot and footlocker resting at the end of it. Finally, she threw herself onto her assigned bed, wrapping herself around her pillow.

Though she had never been an outgoing child, she had never felt quite this alone in her life either.

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to keep from crying. Not wanting that to be the first thing that those in her age group noticed about her.

Taking a deep breath, she finally noticed a new sound around her; someone walking down the center aisle, coming towards her. She opened her eyes and lifted her head slightly and watched as a young Bothan girl bounded around the corner and darted into the cell across from hers. Noelani looked at her closer, noticing the simple white tunic and dark brown pants she wore, admiring how it seemed to flow perfectly with the tan of her fur.

The Bothan dropped a couple of data chips on her desk, and then turned around, a bright smile came to her muzzle as she saw Noelani and she bounded across the aisle.

"Hey! I'm Kor Res'sal. You must be the new girl. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Noelani leveraged herself up from where she had been curled up on the bed, sitting on its edge and looked up at Kor. "Yeah. I guess I am. My name's Noelani Darklighter and I'm from Tatooine. Is it always this quite in here?"

Kor laughed. "No. There're usually a lot more people in here, but most are having a lesson right now, and those that aren't are studying."

"Oh. I see."

The Bothan grinned at her. "Come on, it's almost dinner time."

"Oh. Are you sure? I mean, I don't want to impose."

Kor laughed again. "Of course I'm sure. We're going to be Jedi together; we might as well be friends also."

"Friends?" Noelani smiled happily. "Yeah. I'd like that."

Kor bared her teeth in an imitation of Noelani's smile. "Then it's settled. We'll be friends."

---

Next Post

Memories Ch. 11

Previous Post

---

A Dream...

The day that the dream lost its end...

In the same way, at the same place, for so long, I can only wait. There is nothing else.

That's why... that's why I continue to wait.

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

Anakin placed the last book onto the shelf and then straightened up. He slowly surveyed the room: the closet door was slightly open with her clothes hanging there, the shelves which held the holonovels that she loved, and her bed which had been made for the first time since she had moved in.

A sharp pain lanced through his heart, and he inhaled through clenched teeth.

A small rustle drew his attention, and he turned to the doorway to find Mara and Jaina standing there. Both of them watched him, concern in their eyes.

He turned away from them again, to look at her room. "I think I'm going to leave this room like this for now."

"Are you sure tha-" Mara began but Jaina interrupted her.

"I think that's a great idea, Anakin."

A short while later, Anakin and Jaina were walking down the path, heading towards the Temple.

"Hey Anakin," she began. "Are you starting to remember the past?"

"Huh?"

"Well, you remembered Sannah, right?" she went on. "So maybe something else came back."

Anakin thought for a moment and then shook his head. "Nope. Everything I remembered was about her. Everything else is either fuzzy or just blank holes." They drew nearer the Temple gates, and he glanced over at her to ask, "Didn't you have practice this morning?"

She shook her head. "No, I took the day off. Everyone needs a break every now and then."

"Ah," he said, looking down at her. "So does that mean we can walk home together after school?"

"Sure," she replied with a smile.

Together they went the rest of the way to their classroom.

As they entered, Kiori and Raynar look up from a book on Kiori's desk.

"Good morning," Anakin called to them.

Raynar straightened up from where he was leaning over Kiori's desk and walked towards Anakin. "Ah, I see you've finally decided to rejoin us. And you're still wearing those shabby clothes of yours."

Anakin smiled at him and then laughed. "Well, I like my shabby clothes. They're comfortable. Though, I would prefer it if you wouldn't wear such bright things to class. The colors are distracting you know."

Raynar smirked at him. "I would, but these are the colors of the House of Thul. I've got to wear them and try to bring a bright spot to your otherwise dull existence."

Kiori looked towards Jaina. "Those two sure are weird when they're together."

Jaina giggled. "Yeah, they're almost made for each other."

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

Anakin sat on the low wall that surrounded the meditation garden. Beside him sat Nelani, her customary shawl wrapped tightly around her shoulders.

"Is your cold all better?" she asked.

He nodded his head. "Yes. And just so you know, I didn't catch it from you."

Nelani giggled. "That's good to know."

"How about you? Are you staying home like you're supposed to?"

She giggled again and shook her head. "No. It was boring not being able to see you."

"Ah," Anakin said.

Suddenly, Nelani's stomach gurgled, and her cheeks flushed a bright red. "Uhm... it appears that I'm hungry."

"Well, if you're hungry you shoul-"

"No!" Nelani interrupted an obstinate look appearing on her face.

"I haven't said anything yet!"

"You want me to go home, don't you." she accused, her brows knitting together into a frown. "You want me to be good and try to get better, right?"

"Of course!" he replied. "You don't get better because you keep coming here."

She looked down, the expression on her face falling slightly. "I hate people who say stuff like that."

"I don't care," Anakin shot back. "Go home."

Her head snapped back up, the obstinacy once more shining brightly in her eyes.

Anakin sighed. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Sorry," she replied, allowing her chin to lower to her chest. "I'm pretty selfish, aren't I? Yet, you always seem to worry about me."

Anakin looked at her, noticing the slight flush still on her cheeks. Finally, he looked away. "So, is there something you'd like to eat?"

"Eh?" she said, looking up at him.

He turned to face her, a half-grin coming to his lips. "You're hungry right? I'll go buy you something to eat."

A smile instantly brightened her face. "Anakin!"

Feeling his own cheeks start to burn from a blush, he said. "Hurry up and tell me, before I run out of time."

"Okay! Then I'd like some ice cream."

Anakin nodded his head and darted inside. He headed towards the cafeteria and bought a small container of ice cream. Then he returned to her side, and handed it to her.

She smiled happily as she opened the container and took a bite.

"Shouldn't we at least go inside?" Anakin asked.

Nelani shook her head. "No, if one of the Masters saw me, I'd get in trouble."

She took another bite. Anakin watched as she ate happily and then turned to face the Temple again.

"That... and..."

He turned back towards her, wondering what she was going to say.

Instead she just shook her head, and turned her smile on him again. "Oh, never mind." She took another bite. "This is good."

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

"Anakin."

Jaina's voice cut through the darkness. Then he felt a finger pressed hard against the side of his head for a moment, before that sensation disappeared. He cracked open his eyes, to find Jaina leaning over him.

She grinned at him. "It's lunch time."

He stretched and straightened up in his seat. "Yeah, I know."

"So," Raynar began. "Are we all going to eat in the cafeteria or what?"

Anakin shook his head. "Sorry. I have something to do."

He walked out of the class, hearing his friends behind him wondering who he always ate lunch with. Smiling to himself, he went to the Grand Audience chamber, and then up the small stairs behind the stage, heading to the small landing where he had so often ate lunch with Tenel Ka and Eyrl. He frowned as neither of the girls was there yet, and the blanket they ate on was folded neatly in the desk where they stored it.

He looked around for a moment. "I wonder if they went somewhere else?"

Shrugging his shoulders, he went back down the stairs and began walking around the Temple looking for the two girls. He turned a corner, to find a group of older trainees looking at a large piece of board attached over a broken window.

Frowning, Anakin glanced up and down the hall, recognizing it as the one where he often found Tenel Ka in the middle of the night.

Snippets of conversation floated from the group of students.

"I heard she broke it again." "She's an odd one, that's for sure." "She should be expelled soon, how many times is Master Skywalker going to forgive her for doing this type of stuff?"

Anakin clenched his fist, angered by the gossipy nature of the other student's murmurings. He turned away, and continued on down the hall. Finally, he found Eyrl.

She was leaning against the wall, across from his uncle's office. Anakin walked over and stood beside her.

"Is Tenel Ka in there?" he asked, gesturing with one hand to his uncle's office.

She nodded her head.

"What happened?"

Eyrl looked down for a moment, and then back up at Anakin. "A few years ago, Tenel Ka returned to finish her training. On the first night she was here, she knocked down a wall and broke a window and tore up a classroom. Even when I asked, she wouldn't tell me why. Ever since then, whenever something gets broken, she gets blamed."

Anakin frowned again, and then asked, "Do you think she did it?"

Eyrl sighed. "I don't know. She didn't tell me that she did, and if she did do it, I'm sure that she has a good reason to do so. So..."

Then the door to Luke's office opened, and Tenel Ka stepped out. She closed the door behind her, as Eyrl took a step forward.

"Tenel Ka," she began. "How was it?"

Tenel Ka turned to face her. "I got reprimanded."

"That's all?" Eyrl said, sounding slightly amazed. "No suspension?"

"No."

Anakin let out a sigh of relief, releasing a breath he hadn't realized that he was holding.

"Eyrl?" Tenel Ka said.

"Hm? What is it?"

"I'm hungry."

Eyrl grinned at her. "Okay! Wait at the usual spot. I'll bring the food."

Then Eyrl turned away, running down the hall towards her classroom.

A few moments after Eyrl left, Anakin and Tenel Ka turned the other way and headed towards the Grand Audience chamber and the small ledge where they usually took their lunches.

They passed a couple of Jedi trainees, two human males that Anakin didn't recognize. As soon as they had passed, he could hear their conversation.

"Hey, she's the one."

"Oh her isn't it."

Then they were too far away for Anakin to hear anymore. After a few more steps, he glanced towards Tenel Ka. "You're pretty famous here, aren't you?" He thought for a couple more minutes. "If we don't do something, it could be pretty bad, right?"

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

Anakin stared out the window of the classroom, one hand propping up his head as he watched the clouds pass by. He was not really paying attention to the view, merely lost in his own thoughts. Then Jaina leaned over his desk, and said, "Anakin, class is over."

"Right now," he replied. "That doesn't matter at all to me."

"Yes it does. We're going home together today."

"Who is?" He asked as he lifted his head from his palm, and turned to face his sister.

"Anakin is."

"With who?"

"With me."

"Why?"

"Because you promised."

"Who?"

"Anakin did."

"With who?"

"With me."

"Why?"

"Because you promised."

"Who did?"

"Who's going to deliver the punch line?" Raynar asked. Anakin leaned back in his seat as Jaina straightened. He looked up and found Raynar standing by his desk, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched the two of them.

Anakin smirked at him, and replied, "We were hoping you would."

Jaina tilted her head slightly. "You're not going home yet, Raynar?"

"Kiori has a club to attend," he replied, a smile flickering onto his face. "So I'm waiting for that to end."

Just then Kiori walked past the open door to the class, and waved in their direction. "Okay, I'm going home now. See you all tomorrow."

Shock registered on Raynar's face. "Hey! Wait up a second! Hey! Kiori!" Then he was running from the room, chasing after her.

Anakin watched him for a moment, the smirk still on his lips. Then he glanced towards Jaina, the smirk turning into a full fledged grin. "Let's go home, big sister."

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

Anakin and Jaina walked down the hallway side by side.

Movement along the wall up ahead, drew his attention, and he glanced that way to see a piece of plastic covering a hole in the window. The window Tenel Ka was accused of breaking. He frowned at it for a moment, and then turned towards Jaina.

"Hey Jaina, what do you think is the secret to being popular?"

"Secret?" she replied, turning to face him, a confused look on her face.

"Yeah, everyone's all over you, right?" he asked, a half-grin appearing on his face. "So teach me what someone has to do to be popular."

"I don't really know. I'm not really that popular at all."

Anakin sighed, and they walked a few more steps in silence as he watched his feet and chewed on his lower lip.

"Well then..." he began as he raised his head. "Is there a way to make a girl... well, look more like a girl?"

Jaina's frown deepened. "I... I don't think I understand what you're saying. Don't I look like a girl?"

"No! I'm not talking about you. Uh, I know, is there some way to make a Kowakian monkey-lizard look like a cute girl?"

"Does this girl really look like a monkey-lizard? If so, I kind of want to see her."

Anakin scratched at the top of his head. "Well, no... She doesn't look like a monkey lizard."

"Well then..." Jaina said, bringing her head to face Anakin fully, her lips twisted into a mischievous grin. "Is she cute?"

"Well..." Anakin replied, rubbing the top of his head slightly.

Then his shoulders slumped and he sighed.

Jaina suddenly stopped walking. After a few steps, Anakin stopped as well, and turned to find Jaina pointing to a flyer posted on one of the bulletin boards. He glanced at it, noticing that it had a base color of a bright pink, and was decorated with flowers and sweets.

"You could enter her in this," Jaina said.

"A poster about tooth decay?"

Jaina pushed against his shoulder, "Tooth decay? How? What are you talking about?"

Anakin looked closer at the flyer, this time making the effort to read the writing on its face. "Dance festival?"

"Oh no!" Jaina suddenly said as she straightened up. "I left something in the class. I'll catch up to you at the main entrance."

Then she turned from him and ran back down the hall. Anakin watched her for a moment, and then turned back and read the poster again.

"A dance huh..."

He then yanked the poster down from the wall, and took off at a run, heading deeper into the Temple, towards where Tenel Ka had her classes. He finally found Tenel Ka and Eyrl, and slid to a stop, shoving the poster into Tenel Ka's face.

"Tenel Ka, here! Look at this."

"Too close." she replied, calmly staring at the flimsie he continued to hold next to her nose.

Eyrl looked around Tenel Ka and saw the flyer. "Ah, the Dance Festival. The one that the Student Council is sponsoring."

"It is too close to see," Tenel Ka said again.

Anakin still ignored her, and turned his attention to Eyrl. "I'm making Tenel Ka participate in this."

Eyrl's mouth dropped open.

"It is too close to see," Tenel Ka said again.

"Oh," Anakin replied, and pulled his arm back slightly.

Tenel Ka took the flimsie from him, and began to read it.

"It's an effort to improve Tenel Ka's image," Anakin began. "If she dresses up and joins in on the fun, then more of the students will like her, and they won't say bad things about her."

Eyrl nodded her head slowly. "That might be a good idea." She then turned to Tenel Ka. "Tenel, let's try it!"

"I do not have a dress," Tenel Ka replied.

"You can just borrow that from someone," Anakin said happily. He then glanced over at Eyrl, asking, "Say, do you have one?"

Eryl shook her head. "I don't, but I'll ask someone I know. Could you help search as well?"

Anakin thought for a moment. "Aunt Mara might have something... anything Jaina has would probably be too small..."

Shock rolled through him. "Shavit!" he exclaimed as he suddenly remembered that he was supposed to meet up with Jaina at the main entrance.

A few minutes later, he pulls to a stop in front of her, his chest heaving with the exertion of running through the Jedi Temple.

She looked up at him with sad eyes. "Liar."

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

Anakin sat across the table from Jaina, watching as she happily ate the large desert in front of her. It came in a tall, wide cup. At the base was a chocolate cake, resting above that was various fruits. Topping the fruit was a scoop of ice cream, and then hot fudge was drizzled over it all.

"You feeling better now," he asked.

She nodded her head. "Yeah, I love these things."

He arched an eyebrow at her. "I'm surprised that you can eat so much of just that."

She grinned at him. "I think I'd be okay with three more." She then took another bite, closing her eyes as she savored the flavor.

Around an hour later, they step out of the cafe and onto the street of the business district. Anakin looked right and then left for a moment. Finally, he focused once more on Jaina. "Hey, do you or Aunt Mara have a fancy dress?"

"A dress?" she asked, confused.

"Yeah," he replied. "That girl I was talking about earlier, she signed up for the dance, but she needs a dress. And well, since it was your idea, I figured you could help her get one."

Jaina rolled her eyes. "Even if you do say that, I don't think Aunt Mara has one, and everything like that that I have is on Coruscant."

Anakin sighed, and shoved his thumbs into his belt. "Well then, in that case, where else can I look?"

Suddenly, someone slapped his shoulder from behind. He turned to see who it was, and finds himself looking at Tahiri as she smiled brightly up at him.

"Anakin!"

He frowned and shook his head. "I don't think so."

"What are you talking about," she asked.

"Just to be sure," Anakin replied. "You don't have a dress do you?"

"A dress? Why?"

Anakin frowned at her again. "Haven't you been listening? A dress for the dance festival."

Tahiri shook her head slowly. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You're our last hope," Anakin said grabbing her hand in both of his. "And still, you're all like, 'I don-'"

"Anakin" Jaina interrupted, causing Anakin turned his attention from Tahiri to Jaina. "You're getting harder and harder to understand."

Tahiri pulled her hand from him, and moved from where she was standing to beside Jaina.

"That's right," Tahiri began. "I've not seen you in such a long time, and when we finally do meet, you start saying such weird things."

"Not to mention," said Jaina. "That that was a really rude way to speak to someone."

"That's right Dummy! You're so rude and mean."

Then both of the girls, turned to face one another and smiling, at the same time said, "Right?"

After a moment of smiling at each other, matching frowns appeared on their faces, as they once again spoke at the same time. "Who are you?"

Anakin could only hang his head and sigh.

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

They stepped into their shared apartment, Tahiri peering around them.

"Aunt Mara! Are you here?" Jaina called out. "Tahiri's came over to play with us!"

Mara comes strolling out of the kitchen, a bundle of white fur cradled in her arms. "Jaina, Anakin, look! Ikrit came back."

Jaina's face lit up, and she stretched her arms out, and began walking towards Mara, saying "Ikrit!"

Anakin jumped in front of her, checking her movement. "Idiot, don't forget you're allergic to him."

From behind him, he could hear Tahiri. "Ah, that's the animal that stole the canapés."

Anakin glanced over his shoulder at her, saying, "So, he's your accomplice."

She stomped her feet, and balled her hands into fists. "I don't have an accomplice!"

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

Anakin was settled on one of the couches, Jaina beside him, glaring at Tahiri who sat across from them, petting Ikrit who was sleeping on her lap. He glanced at his sister, and stifled a laugh that he knew she wouldn't appreciate, and then turned back to Tahiri.

"You still haven't found what you're looking for?"

"No. But I'll find it one day. I know I will," Tahiri replied, a smile on her face.

From beside him, Jaina interjected, "I want to pet Ikrit..."

Anakin glanced at his sister again, and the turned his attention back to Tahiri. "Hey, you want to eat with us?"

Tahiri's eyes widened slightly. "Are you sure it's okay?"

"Of course, but if it'll make you feel better, you could always ask Aunt Mara."

The three went into the kitchen and make the request. In response, Mara arched one eyebrow and turned towards Anakin. "Does this mean you think I'm spending too much time over here?"

Anakin laughed, shaking his head. "Not at all, it's just that she wanted permission."

Mara turned back to Tahiri. "I don't have a problem with it, but you should probably com your parents. We don't want them getting upset when it gets too late."

Tahiri nodded her head once, and rushed over to the com unit built into the wall. She punched a code into the base quickly, and listened to the chime coming from the unit. After a few moments, she frowned. "That's odd, no one is answering."

"Maybe they're out doing something?" Jaina supplied.

Tahiri's back straightened in surprise. She glanced up at Mara who was standing beside her and then over towards Jaina.

"I just remembered, my family is off planet right now."

"Really?" Mara asked and Tahiri looked up at her.

"You can't forget something like that," Anakin said, drawing Tahiri's attention away from Mara.

"Really," Tahiri said, more to herself than to the others. "Why did I forget that?"

"Hey, I got a great idea, Tahiri," Jaina suddenly exclaimed. "Why don't you stay here with us until your family gets back?"

"Huh?" Tahiri replied.

"That's a good idea," said Anakin. "Especially for someone like you."

Jaina smacked him on the shoulder. "That was uncalled for."

"But..."

"It'll be all right," Mara interrupted. "There's plenty of room here."

Tahiri just kept glancing between them all, and Anakin smiled at her. "Just take the offer." Then his smile became more mischievous. "Or are you okay being all alone at night?"

Her eyes snapped open wider in fear. "I'm not okay!"

"Then it's decided," Jaina said with a smile on her face as she clapped her hands. "You'll be staying with us, starting today!"

Tahiri sighed and looked up at Mara. "Are you sure it's okay?"

Mara nodded her head.

Tahiri looked down, and Anakin could see a blush coloring her cheeks. Almost inaudibly, she whispered, "Thank you..."

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

Anakin sat in one of the conform chairs in the living room, staring at, but not reading, the datapad he held loosely in one hand.

"Hey Anakin?" Tahiri's soft voice seemed to float from behind him.

He stretched his neck, turning to glance at her, "Yeah?"

"What happened to Sannah? I thought she was staying with you."

Anakin frowned and then turned his attention back to the datapad. "She... she went home."

"To her house?"

Anakin closed his eyes for a minute. "Something like that. Just... she's gone. We'll never get to see her again."

"Oh," was the reply, her voice soft and introspective. "I had wanted to talk to her again."

Before he could think of something to say to that, he heard the soft sound of her feet as she padded away from him. With his free hand he scrubbed at his face for a moment, wondering once again just what Sannah's fate ultimately was.

Jaina came out from the kitchen, and dropped into the seat across from him. He looked up at her, and smirked as she smiled at him.

"Well," he began. "You seem happy that Tahiri's going to be staying with us for a bit?"

Jaina looked away, towards the corner of the room. "Yeah. Well, with Sannah not being here anymore, it was getting kind of lonely and well..."

Her voice drifted off, and he watched as she stared at the wall for a moment. "Aunt Mara may seem gruff, but she's happiest when she has someone to look over. She's actually a lot like Uncle Luke that way. Besides, the way you bring home girls... it's... it's almost like you're bringing home pets."

Something about the way Jaina said that last bit resonated through him. He looked closer at her, noticing the shine of a solitary tear as it tracked down her face.

Her lips twitched into a smile. "And I think I'll end up being good friends with Tahiri. She's lively."

Anakin snorted. "You've been thinking hard about this, haven't you? And here I thought you were all spaced out, and unaware of things."

Her eyes narrowed, and an angry flush came quickly to her cheeks. "That was uncalled for." She quickly stood up. "I'm going to bed."

Then she stormed from the room. He watched, a wry grin tugging at one side of his lips. After he heard the door to her room close, he tossed the datapad onto the small table beside the chair and stood up, glancing out the windows, looking out at the night.

"Well then," he said to himself. "I wonder if she's there."

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

He stepped out of the lift, and walked down the corridor. Turning a corner, he found Tenel Ka staring out into the night, her sword held loosely in one hand.

"You've not learned your lesson yet, huh?"

She continued to stare out at the night. Ignoring him.

"I've not come here in a while, I know. But... it can't be helped. I was with Sannah this whole time."

He noticed her eyes flickered towards him as he had said Sannah's name. Then she spoke. "How is she?"

He shook his head. "Long story." Then he reached into the bag that he carried, and pulled out a sandwich. "But first, let's eat."

He smiled at her, watching as she eat the sandwich. "You don't even let your guard down while you eat, huh? I know-why don't you fill me in on just why you're here, fighting all alone."

She swallowed hard. "Even if I say it, no one will believe me."

Anakin shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "I don't think that's true. At the least, Eryl will listen to you."

Tenel Ka shook her head. "I don't want to make her worry."

"Well, I can understand that, but why do the demons always attack you? What's their purpose?"

"I... I do not know."

He frowned for a moment. "If you beat the demons, will you find out?"

"Perhaps."

Silence settled on them for a few moments, before Tenel Ka spoke again. "About that girl..."

"You mean Sannah?"

"Yes. You were nice to her?"

Anakin smiled. "Yeah. I was."

She turned back towards the night, and finished eating her sandwich. Anakin collected the trash, and then turned to go. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

The next morning, he stepped into the kitchen, to have his nose assaulted by a burnt smell. He looked down at the table, to find a dozen plates, filled with blackened, unidentifiable foods. Tahiri sat at one of the chairs of the table, a perplexed look on her soot covered face. Jaina stepped up beside him, her nose twitching slightly at the smell.

"Did you do this?" he asked Tahiri.

She looked up at him for a moment, and then back towards the plates of food. "Yes. It was supposed to be a 'thank you' for letting me stay... but... I… I kind of messed things up."

Jaina picked up one of the plates, raising it so she could inspect it better. "Is this supposed to be sunny-side-up eggs?"

Tahiri's face lit up with a smile. "Exactly! You could tell!"

"This isn't the time to be impressed!" Anakin yelled at her.

She lowered her head again, saying, "Sorry."

A short time later, Anakin and Jaina were running through the streets, heading towards the temple.

Jaina glanced over at him. "Hurry it up, little brother, or we're going to be late."

"Well, it's your fault for making us help her clean up that mess."

"Idiot, she was trying to be nice to us."

Anakin just shook his head, and then turned the final corner, and ran through the gates of the Temple. Anakin leaned over, his chest heaving from the exertion, and he glanced at the chrono attached to his comlink. "Hey, we got ten minutes left."

"Really?" she replied. "That's a new record for us."

"Yeah, it's a miracle."

"Listen to the two of you. The way you talk, you would think that miracles are common place." Kiori said from behind them. They turned, finding her standing there, arms crossed over her chest, an odd expression on her face.

Anakin shrugged his shoulders. "We had to run here so having ten minutes to spare is a miracle."

"Miracles," Kiori said as her face darkened slightly. "They don't happen that easily."

"Huh?" Anakin said, confused.

"I'm going on ahead," Kiori said, pushing between them. "See you."

Anakin watched her storm away for a moment, and then turned to Jaina. "Is there something wrong with Kiori today?"

Jaina frowned for a moment, still watching her friend. "Looks like it."

Later, Master Horn was lecturing and writing on the board. Anakin glanced over to find Jaina sleeping at her desk. He looked behind her to find Kiori staring at the board, transfixed and ignoring everyone.

He sighed to himself, and then looked out the window. Out in the garden stood Nelani, wrapped in her customary shawl, staring up towards him. She seemed to notice his attention, as she suddenly waved at him.

He found himself grinning despite the tension pouring off Kiori, and he waved at her in return.

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

At the first break, Anakin was seated next to Nelani in the small garden they always meet in. He glanced at her. "Do you have a dress?"

"A dress?"

"Yeah. If you have one, I need to borrow it."

She thought for a moment, and then shook her head. "Nope. Sorry. I don't know where to get one. And if I did, I don't think it would fit you..."

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

Anakin stood next to Kiori, over Jaina's desk, as she slowly shook Jaina, trying to wake her up.

"Jaina," she said. "It's lunchtime."

Anakin shook his head. "It's no use, she's out cold."

A voice drifted from the doorway. "Is Anakin Solo here?"

Anakin looked up, to find Eryl standing there. As he straightened, Raynar grabbed his tunic, and pulled him around to face him. "Anakin! Explain to me just how it is you know such a pretty girl?"

He smirked, and brushed his arm off. "Sorry, I'm in a hurry. See ya."

Raynar sighed. "It's just not fair. Such a beautiful girl."

"So," Anakin heard Kiori say. "She's your type huh?"

"No," was Raynar's quick response. "I prefer you."

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

They were all seated in their usual places, the food laid out on the mat between them.

"So, you were able to get a dress?" Anakin asked, slightly amazed.

Eryl nodded her head. "Yeah. I was able to borrow it from someone I know. I wanted to tell you as soon as possible."

"Yes!" Anakin exclaimed, a smile on his face. He then turned towards Tenel Ka. "Isn't that great?"

She continued eating; the only sign of emotion a small twitch to her lips.

Anakin frowned, and slipped around behind her. "Hey, now, you should be celebrating. Like this." He grabbed her arms, and raised them straight up and shouted. "Hurray!"

Eryl's smile grew larger. "And I was able to get a dress for me and some formal clothes for you."

"What?" Anakin said, lifting his head over Tenel's, so that he could see Eryl. "I'm going to the dance to?"

"Of course!" Eyrl said with a giggle. "Tomorrow night, all three of us will get to have fun. Together. Right Tenel Ka?"

Tenel Ka nodded her head once.

That night, Anakin once more stood in front of Tenel Ka, holding up the package he had purchased at a small shop that stayed open all night. "Tonight's fare is extravagant and I'm pretty sure it was made sometime within the past two years."

Her nose twitched. "What is it?"

"It's gyoodun. Bantha meat, noodles and juice. Usually, it's tasty stuff."

She did not take it from him.

He frowned at her. "What's wrong?"

"I ca not eat it."

"Do you dislike it?"

She shook her head as she replied. "I do not dislike it."

"You can put the sword down, you know."

She looked at him, then at her sword and sighed. Then she leaned the sword against the wall, propping the hilt against the window sill, and took the gyoodun from him. He dropped to his butt, and leaned against the wall, eating the food he had bought for himself.

"Has Eyrl really not noticed anything?"

"Should not have," Tenel Ka replied.

Anakin looked up at her, a frown flashing across his face for a moment.

"You..." he began. "Don't laugh do you? You could brighten up; we're supposed to be showing off your good side tomorrow."

Tenel Ka ignored him, and just continued to eat.

His frown deepened, and then twisted into a smirk. "All right! Then for 'yes' you'll say 'honey-bear.'"

Her face snapped towards his, her eyebrows lowering.

"Responses, responses," he taunted, ignoring the look she continued to give him. "So, 'yes' is 'honey bear' and for no we'll say... 'baby bantha.' By doing this, everyone will think you're cuter."

Suddenly, she thrust her bowl of gyoodun towards him. Instinctively, he took it a second before she let go. Then she was grabbing up her sword and rushing down the hallway.

"Hey, Tenel Ka!" he called out after her.

Then his mouth opened in shock, as he saw a shimmering something, quickly advancing towards them. He wasn't sure if it was a trick of the moonlight or some alien life form that he had never seen before. Tenel Ka raised her sword and jumped forward, slicing through the shimmer. Then the blade snapped back up through the same space, and the shimmer was suddenly no longer there.

Anakin blinked, trying to decide if he had imagined it or not. Cautiously, he stood up and walked towards her. "Tenel Ka? Did you get it?"

"It goph vay," she replied around a mouthful of food.

Anakin shook his head. "Swallow before you speak."

A moment later, she repeated, "It got away."

"Ah," he said.

She turned away from him, lowering her sword and hanging her head.

---

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