Chapter 3

Once again, thoughts of that horrible day were plaguing his mind, but this time he found he was unable to escape those thoughts. In the past, one person had always been able to keep him from these thoughts, yet now that person was no longer in sight. He had made up his mind to go, and now he was stuck with the consequences of that decision.

Suddenly, he felt the urge to turn around. The sight that greeted him was one he had wished to never see again. He blinked his eyes, hoping that they were deceiving him, yet it was still there. He hid behind a hill, watching as craft from another system came into view. Were they the same ones who had killed his people, forcing him to wander alone? Hearing a cry coming from the direction he had just come from, he sprang into action, hoping that he was not too late. Then something happened. Suddenly he seemed to see someone standing next to him. The person suddenly looked right at him, as if to prove that they were really there with him, yet seemed a bit confused at the sight of him. Then the picture seemed to vanish. "No, wait! Do not leave me here alone!" he found himself saying, almost desperate to find out who it was and why he had been there, even for a moment.

The next thing he knew, he was running toward the village he had left a short time ago…

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Leia could tell that her brother was struggling with something. She saw it in his eyes, yet did not know what 'it' was. Suddenly, she seemed to perceive that something was happening, yet all she knew was that no one except her brother and herself seemed to sense that something important was going on. Then, she realized that it had to do with the Force, since Luke and she were the only ones in the group to be able to sense the Force, though Luke had been trained in how to control it and she had not. It was in their blood. No one else was able to fully grasp what the Force was, much less understand or be able to control it. Now that she knew that it had to do with the Force, all she had to do was convince Luke to open up to her and tell her what was troubling him. No problem, right?

"Luke, I know that something bothers you. What is happening? There has been a change in the Force."

He looked at her, silently, for a moment. When he answered her, his voice was grave. He had made his decision. "I must leave this place. Please do not try to stop me, for if I delay in leaving, others may suffer."

"Where must you go?"

He sighed. He had known that she would ask, yet had hoped that she wouldn't. "I do not know yet, but there is someone that I must find," he told her truthfully.

"Who is it? Maybe I could help you."

"I do not know his name, but I know that he must be found, and soon."

"Do you have anything to go on? You say that you do not know where to go or what his name is. How will you find him?"

"I must follow my instincts. I have received a warning that something terrible may happen if I am unsuccessful, though I have asked myself the very same question."

Leia looked at him, attempting to decide if it would be a good idea to let him leave, as he seemed to want to do, or if she should get the others to try to keep him here. 'He is stubborn sometimes, yet he does not seem to have a clue about where to even start looking for this mysterious person he keeps talking about. How does he expect to succeed in his goal?' 'Do not try to stop me,' he had said. 'Others may suffer…' 'Maybe he has an idea of where to start looking for this person, but is reluctant to tell me. Why does he keep it a secret?'

The pair had spent as much time together as their respective duties (and private schedules) would allow in the aftermath of what had been revealed to them and the destruction of the Death Star, yet at times they realized that they were still strangers to each other. Though siblings, they had grown up on completely different worlds, being raised in different cultures. The planet that she had grown up on had been very peaceful, but had been completely destroyed a few years earlier by the Death Star. Though Luke had lost the family that he had grown up with as well, the planet he grew up on still existed. Each had lost many of their friends in their attempts to destroy the Death Star, when there had been a need for a Rebellion. They had survived though, partly due to Han Solo, Chewie, and their friends. Time after time, Han had threatened to leave and go back to his old life, only to come to their rescue at the last possible second. They had learned the hard way that, if they were to survive intact, they had to be able to trust one another with their very lives, although the conditions they had met in could have easily caused them to mistrust one another.

Leia had to admit to herself that Luke had proven that he was more than capable of taking care of himself, yet could not forget the worry she had felt each time he had disappeared, without a word to anyone of his intentions, even before she realized that he was her brother. There had been that time when he was on patrol and went missing… There had also been the time that the Rebellion had fled their base, intending to regroup in another system, but he did not show up with the others… Sighing, she realized that she should simply be grateful that he was at least warning her that he intended to leave, before he left.

"I cannot stop you from leaving. But…"

--AN: I seem to be having trouble with the symbols I would like to use for breaks, but I am currently attempting to find ways around this little problem. Anyways... -changes subject- Time for review responses! Yeah! Woo-hoo! -random fans cheer, others simply stare- -Gulps, regains composure- Well...yeah...um...anyways. It's time for me to give a shout out to a few of you! -smiles, looks over reviews- Well, now...

To Arami (or should I say, 'Monk'?): You're right: I WON'T let you hear the end of it if you refuse... After all, you need me, right? I am the great, the powerful, the wonderful...Sharona!! -sees everyone staring, blinks- -crickets- -mumbles- Boy, tough crowd... -moves on-

To SoloKenobi: I appreciate your support! -grins, hands over random award- You know, it would be interesting to see what happens if they meet... I also wonder what would happen if they never did, but maybe someone should introduce them... After all, weird happenings do...happen... -smiles, thinks to self- You know, maybe this one will one day receive an award for being the most supportive...supporter... -grins-

To Shi-Nom: You're absolutely right! I imagine that this takes place shortly after the end of Ep. 6... A few of the details you request are bound to reveal themselves in due time... If you are patient enough to wait...

To my favorite lurkers: I understand if you are shy... I also understand if you simply do not have the time to review... After all, everyone starts out as lurkers, though many seem to recover very quickly... Quite nicely, too... -nods to self, hoping lurkers get hint-

To everyone: "May the Force (that drives you) be with you...always..."

My thanks to Lilliena, faithful and true... (Okay, okay... She's the one who got me started... She's the one who got me to watch the OT in the first place... Although, when she saw the first few chapters, shortly after I wrote them...Her expression was priceless!!! She has been the one who continued to support my story and encouraged me to continue... -thinks to self- As if I could have stopped at that point... -gets back to point- All who appreciate this story and any accuracy in it, should blame-I mean, thank- her for proof-reading and explaining a few vague, random details throughout...) Thanx, Miss Crazy-About-Hayden!!! -ducks as Lilliena throws random objects at me- -glares playfully-