Holding her Lightsaber like a little teddy-bear, Hazazelle slept soundly.
Somehow, when she had come back to the surface after getting her Crystal, Hazazelle's black and red robes had dried. It was as if she had never even gone into the water in the first place.
Hazazelle's blue eyes fluttered open. She groaned and yawned, rubbing her eyes as she sat up.
When her blurry vision cleared, a stranger stood in front of her. Dressed in Jedi robes, he had a blue hue to him as if he was a hologram. The girl stared at him in wonder; she wasn't scared.
"Hello, Hazazelle," he greeted with a warm smile.
"Hi," Hazazelle cocked her head, "How do you know my name, sir?"
"I was once a Jedi Master; I was Obi Wan's mentor. I was killed by a Sith Lord called Darth Maul. My name is Qui Gon Jinn. Obi Wan and I rescued Anakin from slavery when he was a little older than you."
"Really?"
He nodded and looked down at her Lightsaber, "I see you've completed your Saber. What colour do you have?"
"Orange."
Qui Gon hummed in thought.
"Not much is known about the orange Crystals. It means that you're very in-tune with your feelings; and that you are connected to both the Force and the Dark Side."
"Oh," Hazazelle sighed, turning her eyes to the ground, "The Dark Side? Does that mean I'm one of the bad guys, Master Jinn?"
"Not if you stay true to the Jedi ways," he replied, kneeling in front of her.
Hazazelle looked up and he smiled. Qui Gon stood again and gestured for her to follow.
"Come, Hazazelle. I will begin your training."
Hazazelle's heart leaped with joy. She sprung off the ground and hurried after him, Lightsaber in hand.
"Very good, young Padawan," Qui Gon complimented, "Now hold it there. Clear your mind of any thoughts."
Hazazelle levitated in the air, her legs were crossed beneath her, her hands rested on her knees.
Deep breath in… deep breath out…
Qui Gon marvelled at her; Hazazelle's mind was completely empty of any trail of thought.
"Now. Tell me what you can feel - what you can sense - around you."
"I feel the Crystals. The rocks. The water. The mountain. Life, peace. Death, war. Warmth. Cold. Light and darkness. And you."
"What's connecting them?"
"The Force - the Balancer of all things. It's… even inside me."
"Yes. Yes, that's good."
Hazazelle's brows furrowed, "But… there's something else, master."
Qui Gon took a few steps forward, "What is it? Tell me."
"It's like a black hole. It's sucking in all the goodness from the world. I… I can hear it saying something."
"What's it saying?"
"It's telling me to let go of the Light inside. To give in to the Dark Side."
Qui Gon's eyes flashed with a mixture of emotions. He could feel the child getting scared. He tried to see inside her head, but… she was blocking him.
Suddenly, the rock beneath her broke. Qui Gon glanced between the ground and Hazazelle. He could see her eyes darting around in her closed lids; he could almost hear her heart racing.
"It's calling me, Master Jinn," she cried, "I don't want to go there! But, it's pulling me!"
"Fight it, Hazazelle! I know you can. You must not give in to darkness!"
Hazazelle's breathing quickened; her eyes darted more fiercely; her body began shaking. Sweat trickled from her forehead, forming a gloss on her face.Hazazelle gasped as her eyes shot open. She fell towards the ground. Using the Force, Qui Gon caught her and gently placed her on the ground.
The fallen Jedi Master rushed to the panting child's side.
"Did you let it take you? Did you fight it?"
"Yes, master. I fought it. It didn't get me," Hazazelle said, breathing heavily, suddenly bursting into tears at the experience.
With a sigh of relief and amazement, Qui Gon put a hand on her shoulder even though she wouldn't be able to feel it. To his surprise, Hazazelle immediately wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly as if he were still alive and in the flesh. Qui Gon slowly put his arms around her, confused as to how this could be so.
For the rest of the week, Qui Gon Jinn took it upon himself to be Hazazelle's temporary mentor.
On the last day, Hazazelle woke with excitement. She began gathering all her things and packing them back into the bag.
"What are you so excited about," Qui Gon laughed.
"I'm going home today," she replied.
She stopped and turned to face him, "You can't come with me… can you?"
Qui Gon smiled and knelt in front of her, "Of course. I will always be with you, Hazazelle. Though it may not seem like it, and you may not see, but I will always be there."
Hazazelle smiled back and returned to packing.
"Hello again, Hazazelle."
"Master Skywalker!"
Hazazelle ran to Anakin and hugged him tightly. Anakin looked down at her and laughed. Once she realised what she was doing, Hazazelle quickly stepped back.
Her blue eyes turned to the ground, "Oh, uh… sorry master."
"That's alright."
Anakin knelt down to be closer to her height and smiled brightly, "I have some good news."
"About what," Hazazelle asked curiously, her sparkling eyes looking back up at him.
"About you. You're now my adopted daughter as well as my Padawan."
Anakin didn't think the sparkle in her eyes could brighten, but he was proven very wrong.
"Really?!"
Anakin nodded.
Hazazelle wrapped her arms around him again with an even stronger hold, "Thank you, thank you, thank you! I've never had a dad before! This is so fantastic! Thank you!"
Anakin's smile grew brighter as he hugged his adopted daughter. When they broke apart, he stood up.
"Come along, Hazazelle Skywalker. You can tell me everything on the way back."
Hazazelle was about to climb into the Speeder when she felt someone behind her. She turned around and saw Qui Gon smiling brightly. She returned the smile and waved.
"Who were you waving too," Anakin asked when she jumped in her seat, "There's no one there."
"Yes there is, mast-... dad. I was waving to Master Qui Gon Jinn."
Anakin looked back in curiosity, however he saw no one there.
Qui Gon watched with a smile as the Speeder took off.