RISING SUNS
CHAPTER THREE: RISING SUNS
By Tahiri Solo
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DISCLAIMER: All the characters, places and such mentioned in this story are property of Lucasfilm. I own nothing and am in no way making any money off of this story. Also, if this story bears any resemblance to stories written by others, it is purely coincidental. No infringement is intended.
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A YEAR LATER:
Anakin was worried. After a year, Tahiri had still replied to none of his messages. None. And he had sent her dozens.
He knew she was okay - he had asked Kam. Frequently. He wanted to go and see her more than anything, but the war with the Vong kept him quite busy. Every time he turned around, he was being sent somewhere else to fight them.
"She must hate me," Anakin groaned softly to himself. "Oh, Sithspawn, why couldn't she just see that I didn't want to see her die like Chewie?"
"All she can see is that you let her leave," Jaina said, walking up from behind him. "When girls are hurt like that, sometimes that's all they can see. Trust me. I speak from experience."
Jaina blinked for a moment, looking almost as though she were fighting tears. But before Anakin could ask if she was okay, she hugged him. "She'll come around eventually," Jaina said.
"I just wish I could go and see her. If the Sithspawned Vong stopped attacking long enough for me to . . . ."
Jaina pulled back with a grin. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Uncle Luke is sending you and Jacen on a mission to Yavin 4. Seems the shapers have gotten some new Jedi, and you're going to rescue them. I'm going too, with the Rogues."
"Oh, great," Anakin said sardonically. "I get to listen to my brother's endless pontification."
Jaina laughed. "It'll be worth it. Once you have the captives, you're taking them back to Kam and Tionne. You'll get to see Tahiri and explain things to her in person."
Anakin's eyes lit up. "Are you kidding?"
"Nope. You'd better be thinking what to say to that girlfriend of yours."
Anakin blushed, and Jaina chuckled. "Corran told Mara about the little locker incident, and she told me. It's not like it's a big secret. It happened over a year ago - half the ship knows."
Anakin halfheartedly glared at her, then said softly, "What if she won't listen to me?"
"She will," Jaina said firmly. "Eventually. You have to believe that."
"I love her so much," Anakin murmured. "She means the galaxy to me."
"That's pretty obvious," Jaina remarked quietly. "It's obvious how much you care about her."
"Then why can't she see it?"
Jaina shrugged. "I don't know. You'll figure it out. Now, I have to go and talk with Uncle Luke. See you later."
With that, Jaina walked off, leaving her little brother to wonder what in the worlds he was going to say when he saw Tahiri again.
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A few weeks later, Anakin landed his XJ Wing in the makeshift docking bay Kam had constructed, his facial expression torn between being disgusted, anxious, and hopeful.
Kam and Tionne were there to meet him. "Where's your brother?" Tionne demanded sharply.
Anakin snorted. "I have no idea. Just as we were about to leave Yavin 4, he says he senses someone's presence back at the Vong camp and runs off to save them. He would not tell me who it was. And we had rescued all the Jedi before. I don't know what Jacen thought he was doing. But he wouldn't let me talk him out of it, and he made me leave. He said he'd be back as soon as he rescued her - whoever 'her' is."
Kam looked thoughtful. "Well, there's certainly nothing we can do now, but Jacen had better be careful, or that Warmaster will have his head."
Anakin couldn't restrain himself any longer. "Where's Tahiri?" he blurted.
"She doesn't want to see you," Tionne warned.
"I don't care. Where is she?"
Tionne sighed and gave him directions to her quarters. Anakin nodded to them both, then rushed off.
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A few minutes later, Anakin knocked nervously on Tahiri's door. His heart was pounding. After over a year, he was going to see Tahiri again.
But would she want to see him?
A few anxious minutes later, the door swung open, revealing a very pretty young woman. Her skin was flawless porcelain, her hair long and golden, and her huge emerald eyes blinked up at him, first registering surprise, then anger.
"How dare you come here?" Tahiri growled. "How dare you, after what you did to me?"
"Tahiri, I -"
"Anakin Solo, listen to me. I have no idea why you decided to play with my heart like you did, after we'd been best friends for years, but believe me, you can't imagine how much you hurt me. You meant so much to me, Anakin. I thought you cared about me too, and that maybe I was someone you could have romantic feelings for. When you kissed me, it made me so happy. But then, you just send me off because you don't think I can take care of myself. You think I'm just a little girl. I'm not stupid, no matter what you think. You can't just use me like you did and expect me not to care, or not even to notice." Her voice was cold and hard.
Anakin listened to her in shock, listening to her. His heart wrenched in his chest - how could she think that? He loved her more than anything else in the universe! She went on and on, telling him how he used her and didn't really love her at all.
Finally, he couldn't take it anymore.
Anakin walked over to her, then without any warning, grabbed her by the shoulders and kissed her vehemently.
When he finally pulled away, he did not let go of her, but whispered, "Don't you ever think that I don't love you, because I do. I love you more than anything else in this entire galaxy, and you have to believe that. I would never, ever use you, Tahiri. I would give my life to keep you safe. I'm protective because I love you, not because I don't think you can take care of yourself! I've seen so many people die, Tahiri. I am not letting you be one of them."
He stroked her cheek, eyes intent on hers. "Do you understand that? I love you, Tahiri. More than life itself."
Tahiri didn't seem able to reply. She merely stared up at him - he wasn't certain what she was thinking.
Anakin pulled her close again, and carefully caressed her lips with his, telling her in more certain terms than words alone that he loved her, and would always love her.
Tahiri stiffened in surprise - she could feel Anakin's love for her washing over her in a wave, and she began to cry. He did love her. She wasn't just a silly little girl to him.
She wasn't able to do much more than thread her fingers through his hair and tremble in his arms. Why had she ever thought he didn't love her? It was so obvious now that he did.
Anakin brought her even closer to him, feeling a powerful need to be as close to her as possible. He'd missed her so much . . .
Tahiri clung to him fiercely, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him back.
Finally, after several minutes, Anakin pulled back. "Before I forget," he murmured. "I brought you a belated fifteenth birthday gifts. Two of them, actually. I would have sent them to you, but I was afraid you wouldn't open them, and plus I just recently found this one."
He handed her a small, velvet-covered box. Tahiri looked at it and then at him curiously, until he grinned and said, "Tahiri, open it, will you?"
She grinned back and lifted the lid of the box, gasping when she saw what was inside.
It was her necklace. The one Sliven had given her, with her parents' thumbprints.
"Anakin, what - how?" she stammered, at a loss for words. Tears welled up in her eyes. "How did you get this? I lost it when the Yuuzhan Vong had me . . ."
Anakin smiled. "Uncle Luke sent me and Jacen to Yavin 4 recently. I found it there and brought it back for you. I knew you'd missed it."
She was now crying in earnest. "Anakin, I - thank you." She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.
Anakin laughed, taking the necklace from her and slipping it over her head. "There's something else." He reached into a pocket and withdrew another box, almost identical to the first one.
"This is too much," Tahiri protested.
Anakin kissed her forehead. "That's my business. Now open it."
Tahiri blushed and did so.
And gasped again.
It was another necklace, one made out of a fine type of glass or crystal, she couldn't tell. There was a pattern resembling a Tatooine desert at night, but two tiny corusca gems appeared over the dunes, looking for all the worlds like a sunrise. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, and she cried harder.
"This must have cost a fortune!"
Anakin chuckled. "And that is my business too. The corusca gems - they represent the two of us." He blushed, and Tahiri silenced him with another kiss.
She didn't need him to explain. She knew without a doubt what the necklace symbolized.
With the Yuuzhan Vong, the future was so dark and uncertain, but their love shone brightly in the Force like two rising suns.
CHAPTER THREE: RISING SUNS
By Tahiri Solo
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DISCLAIMER: All the characters, places and such mentioned in this story are property of Lucasfilm. I own nothing and am in no way making any money off of this story. Also, if this story bears any resemblance to stories written by others, it is purely coincidental. No infringement is intended.
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A YEAR LATER:
Anakin was worried. After a year, Tahiri had still replied to none of his messages. None. And he had sent her dozens.
He knew she was okay - he had asked Kam. Frequently. He wanted to go and see her more than anything, but the war with the Vong kept him quite busy. Every time he turned around, he was being sent somewhere else to fight them.
"She must hate me," Anakin groaned softly to himself. "Oh, Sithspawn, why couldn't she just see that I didn't want to see her die like Chewie?"
"All she can see is that you let her leave," Jaina said, walking up from behind him. "When girls are hurt like that, sometimes that's all they can see. Trust me. I speak from experience."
Jaina blinked for a moment, looking almost as though she were fighting tears. But before Anakin could ask if she was okay, she hugged him. "She'll come around eventually," Jaina said.
"I just wish I could go and see her. If the Sithspawned Vong stopped attacking long enough for me to . . . ."
Jaina pulled back with a grin. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Uncle Luke is sending you and Jacen on a mission to Yavin 4. Seems the shapers have gotten some new Jedi, and you're going to rescue them. I'm going too, with the Rogues."
"Oh, great," Anakin said sardonically. "I get to listen to my brother's endless pontification."
Jaina laughed. "It'll be worth it. Once you have the captives, you're taking them back to Kam and Tionne. You'll get to see Tahiri and explain things to her in person."
Anakin's eyes lit up. "Are you kidding?"
"Nope. You'd better be thinking what to say to that girlfriend of yours."
Anakin blushed, and Jaina chuckled. "Corran told Mara about the little locker incident, and she told me. It's not like it's a big secret. It happened over a year ago - half the ship knows."
Anakin halfheartedly glared at her, then said softly, "What if she won't listen to me?"
"She will," Jaina said firmly. "Eventually. You have to believe that."
"I love her so much," Anakin murmured. "She means the galaxy to me."
"That's pretty obvious," Jaina remarked quietly. "It's obvious how much you care about her."
"Then why can't she see it?"
Jaina shrugged. "I don't know. You'll figure it out. Now, I have to go and talk with Uncle Luke. See you later."
With that, Jaina walked off, leaving her little brother to wonder what in the worlds he was going to say when he saw Tahiri again.
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A few weeks later, Anakin landed his XJ Wing in the makeshift docking bay Kam had constructed, his facial expression torn between being disgusted, anxious, and hopeful.
Kam and Tionne were there to meet him. "Where's your brother?" Tionne demanded sharply.
Anakin snorted. "I have no idea. Just as we were about to leave Yavin 4, he says he senses someone's presence back at the Vong camp and runs off to save them. He would not tell me who it was. And we had rescued all the Jedi before. I don't know what Jacen thought he was doing. But he wouldn't let me talk him out of it, and he made me leave. He said he'd be back as soon as he rescued her - whoever 'her' is."
Kam looked thoughtful. "Well, there's certainly nothing we can do now, but Jacen had better be careful, or that Warmaster will have his head."
Anakin couldn't restrain himself any longer. "Where's Tahiri?" he blurted.
"She doesn't want to see you," Tionne warned.
"I don't care. Where is she?"
Tionne sighed and gave him directions to her quarters. Anakin nodded to them both, then rushed off.
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A few minutes later, Anakin knocked nervously on Tahiri's door. His heart was pounding. After over a year, he was going to see Tahiri again.
But would she want to see him?
A few anxious minutes later, the door swung open, revealing a very pretty young woman. Her skin was flawless porcelain, her hair long and golden, and her huge emerald eyes blinked up at him, first registering surprise, then anger.
"How dare you come here?" Tahiri growled. "How dare you, after what you did to me?"
"Tahiri, I -"
"Anakin Solo, listen to me. I have no idea why you decided to play with my heart like you did, after we'd been best friends for years, but believe me, you can't imagine how much you hurt me. You meant so much to me, Anakin. I thought you cared about me too, and that maybe I was someone you could have romantic feelings for. When you kissed me, it made me so happy. But then, you just send me off because you don't think I can take care of myself. You think I'm just a little girl. I'm not stupid, no matter what you think. You can't just use me like you did and expect me not to care, or not even to notice." Her voice was cold and hard.
Anakin listened to her in shock, listening to her. His heart wrenched in his chest - how could she think that? He loved her more than anything else in the universe! She went on and on, telling him how he used her and didn't really love her at all.
Finally, he couldn't take it anymore.
Anakin walked over to her, then without any warning, grabbed her by the shoulders and kissed her vehemently.
When he finally pulled away, he did not let go of her, but whispered, "Don't you ever think that I don't love you, because I do. I love you more than anything else in this entire galaxy, and you have to believe that. I would never, ever use you, Tahiri. I would give my life to keep you safe. I'm protective because I love you, not because I don't think you can take care of yourself! I've seen so many people die, Tahiri. I am not letting you be one of them."
He stroked her cheek, eyes intent on hers. "Do you understand that? I love you, Tahiri. More than life itself."
Tahiri didn't seem able to reply. She merely stared up at him - he wasn't certain what she was thinking.
Anakin pulled her close again, and carefully caressed her lips with his, telling her in more certain terms than words alone that he loved her, and would always love her.
Tahiri stiffened in surprise - she could feel Anakin's love for her washing over her in a wave, and she began to cry. He did love her. She wasn't just a silly little girl to him.
She wasn't able to do much more than thread her fingers through his hair and tremble in his arms. Why had she ever thought he didn't love her? It was so obvious now that he did.
Anakin brought her even closer to him, feeling a powerful need to be as close to her as possible. He'd missed her so much . . .
Tahiri clung to him fiercely, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him back.
Finally, after several minutes, Anakin pulled back. "Before I forget," he murmured. "I brought you a belated fifteenth birthday gifts. Two of them, actually. I would have sent them to you, but I was afraid you wouldn't open them, and plus I just recently found this one."
He handed her a small, velvet-covered box. Tahiri looked at it and then at him curiously, until he grinned and said, "Tahiri, open it, will you?"
She grinned back and lifted the lid of the box, gasping when she saw what was inside.
It was her necklace. The one Sliven had given her, with her parents' thumbprints.
"Anakin, what - how?" she stammered, at a loss for words. Tears welled up in her eyes. "How did you get this? I lost it when the Yuuzhan Vong had me . . ."
Anakin smiled. "Uncle Luke sent me and Jacen to Yavin 4 recently. I found it there and brought it back for you. I knew you'd missed it."
She was now crying in earnest. "Anakin, I - thank you." She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.
Anakin laughed, taking the necklace from her and slipping it over her head. "There's something else." He reached into a pocket and withdrew another box, almost identical to the first one.
"This is too much," Tahiri protested.
Anakin kissed her forehead. "That's my business. Now open it."
Tahiri blushed and did so.
And gasped again.
It was another necklace, one made out of a fine type of glass or crystal, she couldn't tell. There was a pattern resembling a Tatooine desert at night, but two tiny corusca gems appeared over the dunes, looking for all the worlds like a sunrise. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, and she cried harder.
"This must have cost a fortune!"
Anakin chuckled. "And that is my business too. The corusca gems - they represent the two of us." He blushed, and Tahiri silenced him with another kiss.
She didn't need him to explain. She knew without a doubt what the necklace symbolized.
With the Yuuzhan Vong, the future was so dark and uncertain, but their love shone brightly in the Force like two rising suns.