AN: I don't own Naruto/Star Wars: Legends


After the commotion that had happened a few days ago, several people had found themselves sequestered away from the other Jedi. A'Sharad had been locked under his father's care, needing to remain within his sight or within his room until the rest of the investigations were completed. Iowen had received a similar situation, however her master had left to perform some duty off world, and wouldn't be back for some time. As such, she was told to remain in her room, with no visitors save the occasional droid that brought her meals, and visited with her momentarily.

So, naturally, the only option was to ignore that mandate and show up anyways.

It felt strangely natural, slipping through the halls towards her room. No one was truly guarding it, and most Jedi would simply smile and wave as she passed by. She was a common sight to see around this part of the Temple, and it left a small feeling of delight as she waved back to them. This place, even with the chaos reigning among them, was still home; it still remembered her, despite everything.

A few people did give her a few odd looks when she opened Iowen's door, but a conspicuous smile and wink had them simply shaking their heads and going about their business. The Jedi were all to aware that things would go on about them, right under their noses between padawans, but they also understood it was part of their growth, and allowed them time to do so. Even some Masters were said to sneak about like padawans to enjoy the thrill of it again, even to just remember what their padawans would be feeling. There was a thrill that only came from it, and somehow acting like everyone was supposed to be in on the joke seemed to help people relax, taking the small hint of normalcy and letting it slide past them.

Upon entering the room, she was immediately assailed by concentrated, near overwhelming Falleen pheromones bombarding her senses. It held a deep seated, overwhelming sensation for the unaware, and could drag a person deep into the bowels of lust. For Sheeka, it was the smell of a friend in need. One who'd been left alone far, far too long.

Spinning around, her skin was now a flush maroon tone; likely intended to reflect her current feelings and tone from what had happened. Seeing Sheeka, her face brightened with a smile, before she suddenly looked to be in a mild panic. "What are you doing here?"

"Saying hi to my friend." Sheeka closed the door behind herself, shaking her head and gently pushing Iowen back into the room when she tried to usher her out. "Hey, don't you dare. I had to sneak my way in, I want my time before I have to hurry out."

"I'm in trouble though." Iowen whispered, eyes dropping as she shifted and grumbled. "You shouldn't be seen sneaking around to see me."

"Why? You're my friend, and I wanted to see you." Sheeka smiled, letting Iowen have a moment to let that sink in. To her surprise, Iowen pulled her into a tight hug, burying her face into her shoulder and just remaining there. Taking a moment to hug her back, she gently rocked Iowen in place, letting her have this time as she heard her friend exhale slowly as she seemed to almost deflate and fall against her, forcing her to shift her weight and hold her upright. "Hey now, if you're going to do that we're heading to the bed, alright?"

Iowen nodded after a moment, not saying anything as Sheeka guided her to the bed. Settling in, the two of them simply sat there, allowing the silence to linger. It wasn't a moment for pushing, or for trying to drag anything out. The fact Sheeka had come said more than enough, and it gave the two of them something to cling to for the brief time that they could enjoy between each other before inevitably one of them would need to say something more.

The time they allowed was surprisingly long, simply helping the other look their best, even as Iowen sniffled and tried to rub out the redness that was permeating around her eyes. Slowly, she straightened herself, rolling her shoulders back, as she breathed and centered herself. "Okay... I think I'm okay."

"Really?"

"... no..." Iowen smiled, trying not to look overly awkward as she curled in on herself slightly. "But I'm better. Thank you. I... oh kriff, I didn't - let me just -"

The room seemed to dial back a few notches, bringing a small smile to Sheeka as she rubbed her friend's arm. "You know I'm used to stuff like this. I'm fine."

"Well, uh, but it's more for me." She sheepishly shuffled in place, not able to look up as she fiddled with her hands. "It's something my... my master used to tell me to do. To focus on."

Sheeka frowned, gripping Iowen's arm and giving her a light shake. When Iowen didn't look up, Sheeka scooted forwards and hugged her friend. Gently playing with her hair, she lightly rested her head atop Iowen's. "Hey, I need you here."

"Yeah, yeah I'm here." She whispered, though from how she shifted it was clear that her thoughts were still upon her master. "I just... I dallied. They told me to be there, and instead I arrived so much later that I thought the room was locked and that I'd missed it... only to find when I returned later that people were dead and... and I..." Slowly, she lifted her head, eyes teeming with tears as she choked out her next words. "Did I help their killer? Did... he didn't do it, right? He's a good guy... right?"

The words cut deep, and Sheeka had to restrain herself from shaking her friend. With all that had happened the question was more than fair. Far more than fair. But it still cut all the same, knowing where the base of such accusations came from, and how she herself had accidentally been one who had perpetuated some of the thoughts, simply by not disagreeing with some of what had been discussed, as she'd heard it from Jedi Masters.

At the time, it had seemed so black and white. Jedi Masters knew more of the galaxy, and had seen more of what had happened. When Master Jmmaar protested Naruto's promotion to Jedi Knight softly, others brought it forwards. He had been on Abbaji, and had seen what had happened. It only made sense that people like him and Master D'oon would have known more than others who had not been there. Who hadn't seen the horrors of Abbaji.

Now she was seeing more clearly. Not from her own enlightenment, but from seeing him in action herself. For no reason than because they were friends, or because it was the right thing to do, Naruto had saved her from a crumbling building. From what he'd heard, it had caused him immense pain to do so, as the doctors had supposed parts of his skin had been burnt off and regrown near instantly with whatever he'd done. It sounded incredibly dark, like it drew from the dark side of the Force, and yet it had been used specifically to protect and save them.

"No, I don't think he did it." She gripped Iowen tightly, supporting her as much as she could. "He couldn't. He's too... his heart is too stupid to do something so heartless."

"But they're saying-"

"Forget about them." Sheeka tightened her grip, giving Iowen a light shake. "You've seen him. You were there. What do you think of him?"

Iowen didn't say anything for a moment, and it worried Sheeka for that bit of silence. Then, Iowen smiled, laughing and rubbing at her eyes slowly. "No... he had no idea what was going on. He's... his heart is too stupid to hide his feelings. He's such a bad Jedi..."

"He's among our best..."

"Yeah. He really is, isn't he?"

Both of them laughed, Iowen slowly leaning back and flopping over with an exhausted exhalation. Sheeka shook her head, slowly leaning back and staring up at the ceiling.

Idly, Sheeka let the mental image of Naruto standing stalwart, with shadows splayed out behind him. An image that had each shadow playing up doing something goofy, and silly, rather than threatening. The truest version of him that she knew.

Slowly, as the clock ticked on, Sheeka's smile slowly melted away, and a look of concern grew on her face. Pushing herself upright, she stared down at Iowen. It took a few moments for her to notice, causing Iowen to blink and shift about under the gaze. "... what?"

"You, went to the meeting room?"

"... yes, I did."

"But you said you went back. That it was locked, and that you had to return. Why didn't you just, wait?"

"I..." A look of confusion shifted across Iowen's face, her eyes moving out of focus. Her expression twisted further into a concerned expression, eyes moving about slowly, her mouth opening and closing before she chewed on her lip. "I was asked to..."

"To... what?"

"I - I don't know, I..." Iowen slowly sat up, gripping her head and gritting her teeth. "I was asked... and then I was walking back. Because I was super late, and then I saw Naruto and..."

Sheeka slowly shifted, gripping Iowen's shoulder. "Who? Who was it?" Seeing Iowen shaking her head, Sheeka let go and pulled back. "Alright... you don't know."

The gears turned full force in Sheeka's mind, suddenly trying to piece together the implications of what that meant. If someone had drugged Iowen, then that meant someone could have done the same to Naruto. That meant that there was someone who had redirected Iowen from her meeting room, who had managed to trick her. If she couldn't even remember that much, maybe they got caught on some of the holocams.

Maybe they'd caught where Naruto had went on the holocams.

Her head snapping up, Sheeka bolted to her feet. Iowen rocked back, eyes wide as she tried still to voice her absent thoughts. "I... I can't..."

"I know." She leaned down and gently kissed Iowen's forehead. "I'll see what I can find. This is... this could be big. I'll be back when I've done what I can, okay? Wait for me."

"Okay..." Iowen's voice was soft, but reassured. More of the Jedi she knew.

Nodding, Sheeka stepped out, eyes ablaze as she moved with purpose. Someone had messed with Iowen. Someone had messed with Naruto. They had messed with the Jedi. As she stepped up, she heard once more the words of Master Elymas.

"A side must be chosen... I have done so. Will you?"

She didn't know what sides there were, but if this were choosing between what the others were saying was the truth, and what Naruto had said. Finally, her mind felt more clear than it had in a long time, and she knew her choice. Striding with pride, she steeled herself.

Naruto. She was choosing the truth, and Naruto.

[=-x-=]

Striding into the Jedi Archives was a simple, unimpeded process. Getting information, as it turned out, was much more difficult than anticipated. Not from those who worked within the confines, but from how disjointed and empty the entire place felt.

Qui-gon stared at the information he'd been given, able to hold it all in the palm of his hand, and see everything that they had to offer in these confusing, trying times. Normally he'd be taking time to ponder each piece, to consider it, and to digest it to come to some form of conclusion. Here though, he was having to go over a lack of information, rather than the input of said information.

"Somehow there is no information from that day." He spoke slowly, tapping the empty datapad, exhaling as he leaned back in his seat. "None at all, or...?"

"None. At least, nothing regarding what people who came into the Archives looked up, rented out, or otherwise on that day. It's clear the information was scrubbed from the system, and now we're just left with completely blank datapad with nothing to read." Tahl replied to Qui-gon with just enough snark to let him know she wasn't upset by his repeated question, but that she had heard herself say it a number of times already.

Shaking his head, Qui-gon sighed and rolled his shoulders, smiling up at her gently. "I'm sorry, I just thought there'd be something that might have been overlooked. Something like this couldn't have just been done before Naruto could have left. Something would have been left behind, or missed, unless they had enough time to come in, and delete it."

"And in terms of the data, there's nothing." Tahl replied softly, sighing and placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, but the Archives don't have the answer your looking for."

Qui-gon nodded slowly, thinking over what to do next. Even just one sliver of data that showed that Naruto was there would validate their claims, as Qui-gon himself stating that he'd seen him had bolstered Naruto's case, but not enough to prevent his continued incarceration. An act like this couldn't have been done on a whim, or without some planning. This was someone who was ready, and had been waiting. Someone who knew the Temple, and how to get about without getting caught in the act.

Or, perhaps it was too far to think that much. With Naruto's confrontation, all someone would have to do is use that distraction and the shock wave it had caused in the Temple to slip in and wipe it all off. Quick, in and out, and they'd have been done before most people would've even had time to register a presence that wasn't being assisted, or hadn't been helped.

But, why? That was what was now causing Qui-gon to stay here and ponder, even as he felt Feemor's impatience growing bit by bit.

"Qui-gon!" Feemor shouted from an upper banister, waving for his master's attention. "I think I might have something."

Slowly, Qui-gon turned and faced Tahl. She didn't turn, or shift, but there was a smirk to her lips that told him enough. Even now, she saw the good in things, and could pick apart the things he missed. Even now, she approved of Feemor, but had come to find his dogged optimism a grand compliment to Qui-gon's. Anyone who met him would be able to determine within moments that Feemor had been trained by Qui-gon, without a shadow of a doubt.

With a small nod for him to follow Feemor, Tahl walked over to help another person. Qui-gon watched her go, silently appreciating how she quickly moved to help Jocasta as she seemed to be trying assist a youngling who had too many questions and not enough direction to actually help her. It was sweet to watch, and it gave him a moment's respite before he stood up and brought himself back fully to the moment. He still had work to do.

Moving up the stairs, he noted that Feemor seemed to be watching silently, his gaze silent and filled with no judgement, but knowing. Qui-gon didn't bring it up, or try to draw attention to it, but Feemor had always shown more than a bit of observance. With his understanding of how Qui-gon tended to go about things, it helped that he both understood, and was willing to let it go.

The rules of the Jedi were not fully set in stone the way Qui-gon went about them, but were things to consider towards becoming more in tune and enlightened within the Force. Most disagreed with some of what Qui-gon believed, but he took it in stride. It was likely not helped by the fact that, after Naruto's discussion with him, he'd begun experimenting and acting further upon nuances he was beginning to notice within the Force itself. Additionally, he was silently growing stronger within the Force, as he'd realized something that, perhaps other masters had learnt but didn't speak of, as he was beginning to see 'ratios of color' in the things he did with the Force, allowing him to begin more quickly remastering his techniques and improving them further as his education from the Force bolstered him.

Breathing slowly, he also considered some of the activities he'd been doing as well. Alongside Obi-wan he'd been training his body again, letting himself use the Force to further bolster his waning stamina. It did not help that his use of Ataru required him to have more stamina than he himself had, needing him to practice and learn Force Valor more and more. With the new vision of the Force though, it had become far easier to see and recognize the subtleties he'd once missed before; things that had made such a technique far more difficult to master. Now, he could go twice, to near three times as long as he once had in sparring sessions, making him once again a decisively dangerous duelist.

Moving up to Feemor, he noted another figure alongside him. A droid, that seemed to bob and shift about as though in nervousness. An odd motion to see of a droid, but a number of such creations had acted in manners similar to that before, and it was likely a way to help those around it understand what it was processing to allow them a peak into the 'emotion' behind it. Which, from such actions, implied either nervousness, or an anxiousness.

"I found this droid." Feemor motioned to it, both watching as it moved itself back a bit more as they turned their attention to it. "It, asked if we were friends of... Gonk?"

"Gonk?" Qui-gon turned to the droid, crossing his arms and humming softly.

"I questioned it a bit further, and it mentioned Gonk has a boss..." Feemor gave Qui-gon a knowing look. "A boss I saw it with on Pelgrin. Naruto."

Qui-gon's eyes widened slightly as he caught on to what Feemor meant. "I see. Well then, what can we do for you friend?"

"You are a friend to Gonk?" The droid asked, tapping in place as it glanced between them.

"We are friends to its boss."

"You know the one Gonk calls Boss?" It made a distinct whirring sound, processing what they said before suddenly beginning to shift away, turning to look up at Feemor. "You are spoken of by it, and it spoke of your padawan. Of the distrust, and disbelief she held. Do you hold that same disbelief?"

Glancing to his former apprentice, Qui-gon watched Feemor flinch at the words. Qui-gon recalled Feemor's words, and his question that he'd asked when he'd arrived. His question and confusion that came with not knowing enough. With not being sure of everything that was before him. He even now had to look at the world through his own eyes, knowing his own path as he saw it, day to day. Now he would watch him, and see what path he was choosing.

"I, believe that there is something amiss." Feemor spoke slowly, choosing his words with deliberate carefulness. "I don't care about much of what others say, I care about what I see. What ones actions say about them."

"And, what do you see? What have you seen?"

"I..." Feemor sighed gently, crossing his arms and shaking his head. "I've seen a young man troubled. He's done so much, trying his best to do what he sees as right, but at the end of it all, we're seeing what has become of others who are acting for themselves. I don't see this as Naruto's choice, or his actions. He didn't do it. Not from what I know of him... but what I know is limited, so I have to know more to prove it."

The droid seemed to consider that, acting slowly as it pondered, processed, then finished coming to its own choice. "This is, acceptable." Turning, it began moving away from the two of them, its head spinning to face them as it continued. "Please come this way. I have something I wish to show you."

Glancing to each other, they made their way after the droid. Weaving through the shelves was a simple matter, and the droid seemed to be quite aware of what it was doing. Even in an expansive library, the guidance and navigation of such droids was impressive, and showed a distinct understanding that the two Jedi simply didn't have. Within only a few moments, they arrived near a storage area off to the back of the files, where a number of things looked as though they'd been stuffed into a crate to one side, and a door had been left just ajar enough to peak back inside to note a number of holocrons stored against the back walls. Qui-gon had been there a few times, and knew it was storage for some of the more recent histories; likely someone had come and gone, and would return soon to document more of the history within. Bodo Bass, most likely, as he'd been working with the Tedryn Holocron for some time.

Ignoring the back room, the droid reached into the crate and shuffled a few things about. Then, gingerly, it pulled out a bottle. Immediately both Jedi perked up and stared at it before glancing to the other. Most drinks and foods were not allowed within the Archives, so seeing something like that back here was rather confusing.

"This is not supposed to be here." The droid intoned, as though they were completely unaware of such. "We are uncertain who brought it in, or what purpose it was supposed to serve, except that it was found nearest to the station that was serving Naruto at the time of his disappearance."

"Disappearance?" Qui-gon asked, reaching out and taking the bottle gingerly. Opening the top, he sniffed it slowly, his frown deepening. "There's some sort of fruit juice in here, but there's an aged stench to it. Not of juice, but of something..."

Passing it to Feemor, Qui-gon watched him sniff it as well, and immediately gag. Holding it away from him for Qui-gon to take, his face scrunched up in distaste and disgust. "You could've warned me."

"Warned you?" Qui-gon stared down at it, taking another whiff of it. Focusing more, he realized there was another scent to it as well; pungent, and distasteful underneath the fruit smell. Slowly closing his eyes, he found his frown growing deeper. He recognized parts of the smell; a chemical smell, that had a note of a place he'd been in once before, but couldn't place. Idly, he exhaled slowly, centering himself on the moment to try and help those here and now. It had to have been given to Naruto then, and if it were what he thought, then this had become another layer of danger for the Temple as a whole. "Who gave this to him?"

"A man, one of the guard, so far as we knew." The droid seemed distraught, but kept itself as collected as a droid should. "There are no real things we are given to determine the validity of those who enter. It was brought up at one point by Naruto that those who enter the Archives be given a card wherein they can have their identity known, so that the droids would be able to recognize and ensure that they are known should anything occur."

"Wasn't that turned down as an invasion of the privacy some felt it would breach?" Feemor asked, recalling the measures that Naruto had offered and those that had been put down. "And... wasn't it him who suggested more of the temple's security directly accessible by the council?"

"A needlessly overcautious action." Qui-gon intoned, recalling that as well. "He was worried footage could be doctored by other people, and that the Council could use their own to ensure that they could check it."

"I do not know what this has to do with the bottle." The droid cut in, tilting its head from side to side curiously. "What is it that you have determined from this bottle?"

"From the smell of it, it's rotting far faster than it has any right to." Qui-gon intoned, putting its cap back on. "There's something in it that is reacting poorly with it, meaning something likely was added. It's only been..." Qui-gon frowned, turning to his former apprentice. "Feemor, how long has it been?"

"Few days, less than a week."

"Mm, so it could have gotten to smelling poor by this point I suppose." He turned it over in his hands idly, then shook his head. "But there was a film of something across the top of it, like something had risen to the top. Something, that by my understanding, likely would've had to have been stirred in to have shown up like that. Flecks and bits of something." Idly, his eyes rolled over to the droid, tapping its side slowly. "... a drug, or a poison of some sort."

"This is, unfortunate then, that we do not have records of that day. Or record of who was in the Archives." The droid whirred slowly, sounding ponderous as it processed all this information. "Then, if that is the case, should that not be added among the things that prove his innocence?"

"Yes, it should indeed." Qui-gon slowly turned it over in his hands, frowning. "However, that is... something of a difficulty. We are building an extension of research options in the Temple, but analyzing various toxins and drugs to determine what they are is one of them. What I doubt though is that we'd find out what it was using them."

"No?" Feemor seemed taken aback, staring at the bottle slowly.

"It can prove that something was in his drink, yes. And potentially that he was given something to drink. However, if it can't identify what it is..." Qui-gon sighed, putting the bottle into a bag he had. "Then it may pass it over and say that there are 'trace amounts of unidentifiable substance'... which tells no court or people anything. It could just mean it's dust for all some people would think."

"Dust doesn't just get added to a drink."

"People do strange things when they're taking time to cause someone distress. Why not just adding something benign?"

Feemor scowled, shaking his head at the thought of that. He'd met with people who'd come to irrational and perplexing solutions, or ideas, but even that felt like it might be a stretch. And yet, he knew that with how many people there were in the galaxy, it wasn't that far off either. Some people might, and if there were enough to dismiss the notion of Naruto being poisoned or drugged, then this could be pointless. And yet, it was something.

"If I may?" The droid spoke softly, dropping its voice audibly. "I have spoken to a few others who know of Naruto's plight, and one mentions that the room wherein the murders occurred had something odd about them." Seeing the two Jedi perk up, it slowly continued. "There, was a person who had gone into them before the masters. A few times before. Someone there performing some form of maintenance, as they said. But the records that have been listed show no such necessity for maintenance outside of the expanded wings that are being constructed. That room was near none of those."

"You suppose then that something was happening in that area? That, someone was causing some kind of mischief?" Feemor frowned, turning to Qui-gon. "Why would someone perform maintenance? That... I don't wish to sound presumptuous, but that makes it sound like someone was-"

"Yes, I think I understand."

"Someone was altering something within, or causing some other mischief." Feemor finished, his lips curling faintly into a worried frown. "If that's true, then... then perhaps we have found your way around the Force."

"Perhaps." Qui-gon bowed to the droid slowly, a faint, sad smile on his face. "We will look into it post-haste. Thank you, my friend."

"Please," The droid spoke slowly, once more reaching out to them with a gesture that appeared imploring. "Please find the one who has done this to the Boss. The one known as Gonk would be upset, and the Temple would find trouble, but only because we all know it to not be true. It must be made clear. Please..."

"We can only do what we can." Qui-gon's voice was soft, and he could feel Feemor shaking his head at his words. He left it open that Naruto could be their culprit all the same, as their evidence only pointed so far away from him, even if he didn't think it could be Naruto. Still living very much in the moment, seeing what they had, verse what they knew, without looking so far towards the future that he would trip over what was directly in front of him.

"Then that will be enough, if you promise."

"I do."

"Good." Turning to go back to its duties, the droid paused. "... may the Force be with you."

Watching it move passed, the two glanced back to one another. A rote repetition of what had been said wouldn't be out of the question, but usually such thing from a droid tended to be after someone else had spoken. It was rare for a droid to speak up and offer the Force to be with someone, even within the Temple. The Force had no bearing for droids, or for their understanding of the world. Hearing it was both humbling, and confusing.

Slowly, Qui-gon jostled Feemor out of his thoughts with a hand on his shoulder, simply shaking his head. "It appears we have a new destination."

"Yes, we do." Feemor nodded. Thinking about the scene of the massacre, his eyes flickered about for a moment, clearly thinking of a few thoughts that crossed his mind. Then, he slowly looked up to Qui-gon, a look of worry on his face. "... are we going to end up being a nuisance again?"

"We are attempting to assist in a murder investigation."

"So, 'yes', then."

"Only if they have reason to hide something."

"Everyone seems to be hiding something." Feemor shook his head, the frown on his face seeming to be trying to force back the hints of a small smile. "I still have a bad feeling about this."

"Yes... I do too."


AN: slams hands on table

... ow. We're here, and the chapter is done. Finally. So, uh... let's get to the things for y'all to know.

I'm okay, and still writing. Was exposed to Covid recently, so I'm working to get tested and get all that taken care of and out of the way as quickly as I can. Additionally, fall just... sucks. And winter. I'm not from a place that is super cold, and moved to a place that is - that combined with how dark it gets early, saps my energy and has me just passing out hours before I normally do, making writing hard. But I am still working through this! Just... sadly slower than I'd like.

Additionally, I had to rewrite and reorganize this chapter and the upcoming ones a few times. My notes were disjointed, and worse... I'm writing from other people's perspectives without having Naruto's to fall back on to speed up the writing process. I know my Naruto. I can write him fairly easily for each thing. Going into others without his to speed up his parts makes it more difficult than I like, as I have to double check everything to ensure I'm getting all the pieces in place correctly.

I appreciate your understanding that it's taking a bit longer, and that I'm trying to keep the good content coming.


Q&A Time

Venom Spirit: What is this naruto's favorite food? And favorite color?

He enjoys fruits quite a bit - it's why he was both surprised, but didn't think much of the fruity drink. As for his favorite colors, they come from the Mandalorian armor color meanings:

Orange: A lust for life

Green: Duty

Black: Justice

Kuro Shikaku: Considering the placement of ihbonis, is the "rabbit goddess" Aboleth, or is she somewhere else in the maw?

I have a few things for that particular bit - but nowhere near too spoilery - we'll just say that Aboleth herself is somewhere else in the Maw. But only by so much.

WarBeserk: So when will Gonk be unleashed to save his Boss? And as to his War Saber that was just MEAN. Why would he destroy it? was it not well known that Naruto lost his War Saber in that Pirate attack?

Gonk was specifically left behind to make sure Naruto's new ship from Aurra was taken care of, and hasn't been brought back yet. As the droid mentioned at the end, if Gonk were here... it wouldn't help Naruto's case so much as wage an assault on the Jedi.

Ultimately to break Naruto - but first and foremost; they wanted to hurt him.

It's known to a number of people. A small number. Everyone else who wouldn't know haven't seen him around the Temple in over 6-7 months. During that time some might argue he found it again and had it hidden away, or that he never lost it to begin with. Time and perception are working very much against him in this regard.


Thank you all for your reviews, they are always great to read. If you haven't seen, the poll to go over the pairing options for Anakin on my Profile page. I look forward to seeing who you choose, and how I'll be able to consider and use it through the building story.

May this chapter find you well, and may the Force be with you.