~Chapter One~

A clouded figure approached Obi-Wan Kenobi in the melting pit corridor on Naboo.  They pulled out lightsabers to meet one another.  Obi-Wan noticed his newfound opponent's lightsaber was pure black, with a slight silverish glow, different from anything he hand seen before.  He hoped it was not the one who had killed his master, Qui-Gon Jinn, and the one he had killed, back from the pits... but how could that be?  He sensed there was something different about this person he approached but he couldn't put his finger on it... not right now anyways.  He really hoped this was not a Sith, but he feared it and he sensed that this opponent could be just as dangerous as the one that killed his master.  "Back away Anakin…" Obi-Wan said to his protégé thinking to himself, I'll handle this.

Another clouded figure, much shorter than the first said in a slightly squeaky voice, "It may be messy."

Something didn't feel right to Obi-Wan so he turned off his lightsaber.  Maybe the feeling was brought about by the presence of the shorter creature, something he thought he had seen before, but he wasn't sure.  His opponent turned their lightsaber off as well.  Although they were both wearing the hoods of their cloaks, Obi-Wan felt as if he could feel his opponent's eyes piercing through and past him.  But there was something familiar about this presence, something that gave him chills, and if it was the presence that he felt, he hoped that she was not a Sith.  But he seriously doubted it was her, Jyana Falson, because after she left years ago, he felt that he would never see her again, which bothered him all the time because he wanted to see her so badly.  Obi-Wan tried to get closer to the black-cloaked person, but something popped into his mind saying, You will maintain your distance.  "Who are you?" he asked approaching still.

The opponent backed up and gave no audible response.  One of no consequence was the reply that echoed through his mind.  Obi-Wan sensed a bit of fear in the person or creature before him.  I must know, he replied in his mind.  Get used to disappointment, came the reply.

Obi-Wan sighed and asked aloud, "Do I have to fight you to find out who you are?"

Although not seen by Obi-Wan, the opponent raised an eyebrow at the challenge, knowing very well he was right.  The opponent knew that Obi-Wan would know their identity when the fight was over.  But pride kicked in and the black lightsaber extended itself again.

"Very well, I accept," he said and brought the green lightsaber, Qui-Gon's, not his own, back out.

The lightsabers met in the air and stayed for a while, both unsure why the fight had to take place.  Then the dark figure made a quick cut downward, much more aggressive than Obi-Wan had expected, so it caught him off guard, but only for a second.  He fought the creature as hard as he was able to.

Meanwhile, Anakin stood in awe at his Master and the dark one fighting.  He noticed the shorter dark creature standing by him.  "Don't fear.  I don't agree with her fighting everything that breathes."

Anakin's eyes widened, "Her?"

"Oops.  I did it again."

"You're a ewok aren't you?"

"Yep.  I'm too furry and cute to be just short."

"Why is she fighting my master?"

"Not sure.  Who is he?"

"Obi-Wan Kenobi."

The ewok's eyes widened and a broad smile crossed his face.  Finally, he thought.

Obi-Wan, still unaware of the news of his opponent being a she was trying his best to keep her at bay.  He had underestimated the talent that his opponent had at fighting, and they fought with a type of passion that Obi-Wan surely wished he had right now, the passion that helped him kill the tattooed creature 10 years ago.  He decided the best way to win this fight would be to trap her into the nearest corner.  She didn't see it coming so she backed herself against the wall and was trapped.  Obi-Wan caught her lightsaber with his own so that she couldn't use it to either stop him from getting closer to her or do some considerable damage to himself.  All of a sudden, she used her leg and kicked at him.  Obi-Wan jumped away, knowing how close that was to a crucial male area.  No guy would be able to do that so easily, he thought.  "Who are you?" he asked again.

There was no reply, so Obi-Wan used one hand on his lightsaber to keep her lightsaber away from her.  Then the Force led him to take his other hand and grab the hood of her cloak to take it off.  When he saw who she was, his breath stopped short and his eyes widened.  His thoughts ran away with him, It is her. Finally.  He flipped off the lightsaber, sighed and let his breath come back out again and asked, "Jyana?"

Her hazel eyes widened.  Her long dark brown hair was pulled back into braided pigtails and she had shorter light purple (more of a lavender than a purple) strands of hair outlining her youthful face.  Her lightsaber remained activated to keep Obi-Wan further from her.

Obi-Wan removed his hood and Jyana's eyes flickered in recognition and something else, more hidden from his knowledge.  Maybe it was the same thing she noticed in his blue eyes, thus causing her not to look him in the eye at all.  She lowered her lightsaber and turned it off with a sigh.  Nuts to this, she allowed herself to think… I can't fight him now.

"You have your own lightsaber now," Obi-Wan remarked.

She looked down and handed it to him.  He inspected it and looked at her.  "It looks similar to mine, just darker."  The handle was all black with some silver design similar to the one he had lost in this very place.

"But it's not yours, hence the color," she replied softly yet bitingly.

"You're right."  He handed it back to her.  When she took it back, his hand brushed hers, thus giving both a very unusual feeling.  It made her flinch a little, but he didn't know what it was to him.  Shaking the feeling as best he could he asked, "Where have you been?"

Jyana didn't answer; she just looked at him, actually past him, focusing on something in the distance.  It was highly possible she didn't wish to answer.  She didn't even really want him to be there and she knew it.  But some things you couldn't escape from no matter how hard one tried.

All of a sudden an unidentified explosion rocked the corridor, thus distracting Obi-Wan so that Jyana could take off running as fast she could.  Obi-Wan chased after her.  The laser beams protecting outsiders from going into the corridor had kicked back in and thus trapped Jyana so she couldn't get away.  As she turned back around she ran smack into Obi-Wan and caught her breath.  Oh nuts, was the "censored" thought that raced across her mind.  This was not a position she had wished to be in she knew it as he grabbed her and pulled her away from the laser beams protectively.

He looked down to try to look her in the eyes, but her eyes wouldn't meet his, and asked, "I see you are wearing black.  Are you a Jedi or a Sith?"

 "What do you think?"

A sigh of relief escaped him as he thought to himself that that was good.  "Then why black?"

"It's more me, that's all."  Her hazel eyes focused on something of no importance in the distance yet he could see them shining a light of defiance.  "Would you please let me go.  I'm not a 4-year-old needing a bodyguard like I used to be."

"I see."  He let go of her as she requested yet he offered her back his hand as a friendly greeting.   "It's good to see you again."

Jyana looked at the hand, and at Obi-Wan's face and not his eyes.  He didn't look the same as she had remembered.  She hadn't expected him to have aged as much as he had.  He looks better, she thought, but in her mind she smacked herself.  What am I thinking?  I'm supposed to remain single.  She looked at the hand and wondered what it truly offered.  She was scared to take it.  Is he truly the same as he used to be?  She either doubted it, didn't want to believe it or was just scared to believe anything remotely good could come out of this situation.

Obi-Wan felt the conflict immerging from her, but he couldn't tell why and he didn't understand what it was or what she was thinking on.  He wondered why Jyana felt that conflict.

The spunky opinionated little ewok walked up to them, took Jyana's hand and forcefully put it into Obi-Wan's.  Her hands are frozen, Obi-Wan thought.

Jyana, trying to keep her cool and not melt completely at his touch, took a deep breath.  I missed you, she heard Obi-Wan say, yet not with words.  It was completely within the mind. He pulled her towards him and hugged her.  She accepted the embrace cautiously, but she knew she was shaking, though not really sure why.  She had hoped he would've forgotten her, but she hadn't forgotten him, so he must have remembered her, and she figured she couldn't get away too easily.  He kissed her on the top of her head, just like he had the last day she had saw him, before she left Coruscant with Wokki, her ewok companion, a long while ago. 

Fear of him, because he was now a man, overtook her for some reason.  Not wanting him to do that ever again, she pushed herself away from him and swung her fist at him, but he caught it midair.  "Calm down," he said, "What's wrong?"  He lowered her hand and looked her in the eyes.  When her eyes finally met his, they widened and then closed and her knees collapsed and she fell forward.  Obi-Wan caught her, and held her for a while, shocked that she had passed out.  With incredible worry for her, he laid her on the ground.

Obi-Wan knelt down beside her and touched her neck trying to find a pulse.  While doing that he couldn't help but notice how soft and smooth her neck was.  He found himself then caressing her cheek and admiring how smooth it was.  What's come over me? he asked himself.  He honestly didn't know what to make of the feelings that were flooding his senses. 

"What are you doing Master?" Anakin said.
"Nothing," he said banishing the feelings that were in him as best he could so that his protégé couldn't sense them, although he felt that he had already failed in that area.  "I've got to take her to sick bay."

"And what do you want me to do?"

Obi-Wan looked at his apprentice and then back at Jyana.  Padawan or old friend… what's right…  He carefully put her arms around his neck and picked her up.

"Where are you taking her?" the ewok asked.

"Sick bay.  What's wrong with her?"  Maybe he'll know.

"Not sure.  Looks like she just passed out."

"I can see that.  Does this happen often?"

"No.  She's never done that at all, that I can remember.  You knew her before I did."

"She never passed out that I remember.  She was always much stronger than the other girls, her age or even older."

"Maybe I do know.  Could be that she's shocked that you're here.  You see, when she went with me, she didn't stop talking about you, Obi-Wan.  Eventually that stopped.  I think she thought that she would never see you again."

Obi-Wan looked down at her.  I thought the same, he thought to himself; part musing, part in wonder.  She looked comfortable in his arms, but something told him that she wouldn't easily let him do this again if she was the same stubborn Jyana he knew and remembered.  "Keep an eye on my young Padawan for me please," he told the ewok.

"Sure," Wokki said with a smirk.

In sickbay, Obi-Wan, after he took off his cloak, stood staring at medical droid DP-9000 checking Jyana out.  DP-9000 took the black robe off of her and handed it to Obi-Wan.  He noticed that it was the same material as his.  Then he noticed that she was indeed wearing all black.  Her tunic was black and her utility belt was black, and of course her boots, pants and sash underneath her belt were all black.  Some reason she always liked a dark appearance to fool people, but under that, in true reality he hoped she wasn't so dark.  The droid took off the belt and placed it on a table near where Obi-Wan was standing.  She had two lightsabers, both similar except for one ball at the end of the one she used to fight him with.  She also carried a Corellian blaster and another gun like device that he had never seen before.  He had never known a Jedi to carry a blaster for most Jedi's only needed their lightsaber.  Jyana had always been different, unique.  She carried a blaster since before she was 4.  She was not the typical Jedi, and he assumed that she didn't want to be.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked concerned.

"Nothing really," DP-9000 responded, "Shock is what I guess it was."

Shock that it's me, Obi-Wan thought.  The ewok must be right.  I couldn't believe it's her either.  He looked at her lying there, seemingly at peace.  She's grown up, he couldn't help but notice, She's not a little girl anymore, she's a woman.  She looks…  A feeling came over Obi-Wan that he had never felt before, or since he last saw that little girl in pigtails and the clothing of a Jedi Padawan with the lavender curls outlining her face.  Now she was a Jedi Knight, with her own style, but the pigtails and natural lavender strands were still there.  She now looked like a strong woman instead of a stubborn little girl.  The cuteness had grown into beauty, and now something more than the old friendship he had used to feel for her overtook his senses.  They were best friends back then, but then she left, and her only good-bye came through Qui-Gon Jinn, his Master and the man he considered to be his father.  That hurt even more than the fact that she had left.  Obi-Wan had got outside just as the ship took off into Coruscant's trafficked sky.  That was the only time in his life that he remembered tears coming out of his eyes as a flood, except for maybe when Qui-Gon was dying.

Awhile of silence overtook the place after the medical droid left the room.  It seemed like eternity while he stood there waiting for something to occur.  All of a sudden, Jyana's leg twitched and her eyes fluttered open.  She jumped up and her lightsaber leapt into her hand from across the room and activated.  Where am I? she thought in a frantic sense. She looked around the room, eyes wide, taking in everything for she had truly no clue where she was.  Obi-Wan looked at her, Down girl, he thought.  She saw him standing there with a concerned look on his face and she had a small feeling what had happened.  She really didn't care, all that mattered was that she was all right and that someone had been nice enough to make sure of that.  The least bit of decency she could show him was to show a little gratitude instead of attacking him again.  She took a deep breath and said, "Oh nuts to this," and deactivated her lightsaber.

"Jyana, calm down.  It's only me," Obi-Wan said to her.

She looked down at the ground.  "That's the problem," she mumbled.

What does she mean by that? he thought but pushed that menacing thought away and asked, "Where were you?"

"A different place.  A place where peace is," she responded with a dream-like look in her eyes.

"Yoda thought you were dead."

"Well Yoda was mislead."

"He thought the Sith had got you."

"They could've, but I didn't like them, much."

"You are too wild, Jyana, running away from the Council as much as you do.  You are very much like them."

"I'm not like them, Obi-Wan.  I'm a Corellian."

He had forgotten that she came from Corellia, and had that wild space pirate like side to her.  Someone named Solo had brought her to the Council long ago.  He didn't remember exactly who it was though. "A Jedi is a Jedi, no matter what race or world you come from.  Always a Jedi."

Jyana looked briefly up at Obi-Wan, and then down, "So, the point being is?"

"You are a Jedi, aren't you?"

"Yes.  Since I was 16."

"16?"  Whoa, that's young.

"I know I was young, but Master Mace felt I was ready and I faced and passed the trials with great ease."

"A little cocky about it you sound."

"Point being?"

"Well you shouldn't classify yourself as a Corellian if you are a Jedi."

"The Jedi don't recognize my power, unfortunately." 

What?  "That's still no excuse.  If you have been trained as a Jedi, you are a Jedi."

"Then I am."

"Why do you carry the blaster?"

"I feel security in a blaster by my side," she said walking over to where her utility belt was and put it on, placing her lightsaber where it had originally been.  "That's the Corellian in me, Obi-Wan.  The rest is Jedi."

"Very well," he replied and handed her the dark cloak.  There was silence as she put it back on.  Obi-Wan put his cloak back on as well and stretched his hand to her, "Come, we must go back to the Jedi Temple."

Her eyes flickered as she heard that name.  One would say that it was a response of a memory that she wouldn't like to remember.  One could think that she had been possessed by something that couldn't let her go back to that place.  But speculations were not allowed in such a case, for the case seemed to be quite unknown to anyone but the person who now should declare what she felt inside her.  "I can't go back," she said and stepped back from him.

Obi-Wan couldn't understand, and maybe he still didn't want to, at least not yet.  "But you must."

"I hate Coruscant.  All metal and no beauty."

"The Council must see you, they have been looking for you for years."

"I don't care.  I ain't going back."

"Jyana," he looked her deep in the eyes, "You must go back."

She started shaking from his eyes staring into hers.  He walked closer to her, grabbed both of her hands with his and pulled her to him, so close that their bodies were almost touching, or so it seemed.  His right hand let go and rubbed her cheek.  "Go for me… I mean, with me."

She shivered from the closeness he has her in.  Her left hand went to his shoulder and then to his chest trying to push him away and her eyes lowered.  He still has the braid of a Padawan, one would think he had cut it off by now, she noticed and started twirling it with her fingers, thus distracting herself from pushing him away.  "Fine.  I'll go with you to Coruscant, to the temple, but it really won't change anything."

"That doesn't matter.  The Council needs to see you.  I think they have matters to discuss with you."

"I'm sure they do.  They always have."

Obi-Wan lifted her chin gently so she met his eyes, "Why did you leave?"
"My destiny was elsewhere."

"How did you know?"

"I felt it."

"At such a young age?"  She was always so much more advanced than I was.

She looked at him, raised an eyebrow calmly and spoke with a voice not her own, "Age matters not."

He took a deep breath.  "The Council fears you will go to the dark side."

"Never.  Not my style."

"If you defy the Council, they said they will have me destroy you."  No matter how much I really don't want to, his heart finished the thought without expressing it aloud.

Her eyes flickered in defiance.  "Go ahead and kill me.  Get it over with now, for I will only cooperate so far."

He shook his head.  She knew he couldn't follow that particular demand of the Council.  "Do you defy the council?" he asked, looking past her.

"Depends."

"Well on the issue you defy them most."

"Ten of them, yes."

"Then I will also."

"Huh?"

"My destiny," he said looking her deep in the eyes and moving her closer to him an while she tried to back away, shaking, "Lies with you."

"But mine lies…" she started but couldn't finish.  Obi-Wan stopped her sentence with a short yet sweet, gentle kiss on the mouth.  Her shuddering increased rapidly. She didn't know how to tell him at the time that he was the issue that she wished to defy or whether or not he would understand.  She doubted it because of how he was treating her now.

"Come," he said taking her right hand possessively in his, "Let's go.  I need to find Anakin."

"Who?"

"My Padawan, Anakin Skywalker.  I'm a Master now."  He felt a little pride in telling her that.

"Really?"  He has grown up, she thought with some small amount of shock that couldn't help but slip through her defenses.

"You find that hard to believe?"

"No, just I guess I'm not used to the idea yet."

"Qui-Gon would've trained him had he not…"

A sudden shock and sadness overwhelmed Jyana and she cut him off even though he didn't want to say what it was.  "What?"

"You didn't know?" 

She didn't want to believe it, but she knew it was true.  She couldn't help the sadness that overcame her, but she took it strongly and tried her hardest to keep her deep emotions about losing people that she had cared about to herself... she didn't like people to know she had a weakness in that area.  "Not really.  I felt the emptiness in the Force, but I wasn't sure why.  No one told me." 

"I was wondering why you weren't at the funeral.  You would've stood beside me.  You would've met Anakin then.  Qui-Gon found him.  He thought he was the Chosen One."

"Is he?"  I can't believe that, I don't think I'd allow myself to believe that ever, the girl thought to herself.

"I'm not sure yet.  Sometimes it seems as if he is, and sometimes it doesn't.  You can make your own decision about him."

"When was it?  Qui-Gon's passing to the other side, I mean."

"Five years ago."

Jyana closed her eyes and allowed tears to come out.  She now understood why she hadn't been told of it.  "That explains my depression at that time."

"What?"  Obi-Wan was overwhelmingly concerned and squeezed  her hand.  He longed to comfort her as he has always done.  Her hand seemed to melt into his at that time.

"If I had died anytime it would've been then."  By my own hand…

"As long as I'm living, you will not die."  I hope.

She looked at him and past him, tears still bound in her eyes.  "Don't say that.  It's bound to happen."

They came upon the hangar and Wokki and Anakin were making small repairs on a Corellian stock freighter.  Jyana quickly let go of Obi-Wan's hand dried her eyes, took on a sunny disposition and went to see what was wrong.  "What'd you do to my ship this time, you furry thing you?"

"Hey, just small repairs from that last run," Wokki responded, "You really got to stop taking us through asteroid belts."

Anakin looked back at Obi-Wan with a terrified look on his face.  His only response was a shrug.

"Aw, but it's so much fun," Jyana replied with a smirk.

Wokki shook his small head.  "Anywho, I'm cute."

"I know Wokki.  If you weren't cute I would've left you on Endor."

Wokki made a face and kept on working.

"This is your ship?" Obi-Wan asked Jyana when she backed away to look at her ship as a whole.

"Sure is.  I made her myself."

"It looks like a piece of junk."

She glared at him, but still smirked a little.  "Hey, she may not look like much, but she's the fastest ship in the galaxy."

"What's her name?"

She shrugged.  "Not sure.  I haven't came up with one yet.  But that doesn't matter.  Must we go to Coruscant, or are we not going to bother?"
"We are going, Jyana.  There's no way you're getting out of it this time."

"Shouldn't we tell Amidala?"

"I'll tell her!" Anakin piped in.

"No, she has already been notified of the decision," Obi-Wan said giving a harsh look to Anakin.

Jyana sighed one of those sighs of reluctant acceptance.  "Alrighty.  Wokki, lets get her ready."  She entered the ramp to the ship and the ewok followed to do a few checks before take off.

"Master, are we going on this thing?" Anakin asked.

"Yes, Anakin."

"But I thought the Council wanted us here."

"They did.  Now I know why.  I promised the Council that if I found Jyana Falson that I would bring her back to Coruscant as quickly as I could."

"Why can't we take our ship?"

"She's got to fly herself."

"Why can't we follow her?"

"I know Jyana.  She doesn't want to go to Coruscant, and if I gave her that freedom, she may never go.  I want to make sure that she's really going."

"But I don't think it's safe."

"I trust Jyana's judgment."

"I don't trust her piloting."

"She shouldn't do anything dangerous when she's got more than herself and the ewok to take care of."

"I still have a bad feeling about this."

"You must push that feeling aside, Anakin.  We must both do what is right in obeying our masters."

Anakin reluctantly followed Obi-Wan onto the ship.  They both strapped themselves into seats behind the pilots and the ewok got into the copilot's chair while Jyana got the ship ready to take off.  They took off and then when the calculations were correct, Jyana said, "Now here's where her beauty lies," and they burst into hyperspace.