Disclaimer: In no way at all do I own any of the original character, locations, ships, or anything else mentioned in Star Wars. They are all owned by George Lucas. I only own my OC. Any similarities between this story and another are purely accidental.

A/N: Mushy romantic kiss-alert!

randomness: Thanks for that review. I was worried that my character was too much of a Mary-Sue. Good to know she isn't, cos I totally didn't intend for her to be one.

Manson: It's a saying I like to live by. Glad you loved the chapter.

Masked Masquerader: I will continue on to Episode II, don't worry. But there will be some interlude chapters before I actually begin AOTC.

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As soon as the parade ended, Obi-Wan noticed Lyra had slipped away from the large crowd. He followed her to a small balustrade at the southern end of the palace, where she was quietly watching the lake.

"Lyra?" he called, moving to stand beside her.

Lyra looked up, and Obi-Wan was surprised to see small tears forming in her eyes. He reached up a hand, brushing her tears away. "What's wrong?" he asked, resting his hand on her cheek.

Lyra took in a deep breath, then began to speak. "Master Yoda spoke to me today." She took another deep breath. "The Council is sending me to Alderaan, where I will be a personal guard to my cousin, Bail Organa."

"Then after today…"

"Yes," sighed Lyra. "We won't see each other again for a long time."

Obi-Wan remained silent, his hand still on her cheek. After a while, he reached his other arm up and hugged her, clasping his hands together around her slim waist. He ran his hands over her back, bringing them up to her shoulders then resting them on her face once more.

"What are you doing?" asked Lyra curiously, although from what Obi-Wan could feel she didn't mind it one bit.

"Remembering you," he answered, not removing his hands from her face. "I want to remember what you look like, what you feel like…" He trailed off before speaking. "I don't want to forget you again."

Lyra smiled, bringing her own hands to his face. "Neither do I want you to forget me."

Obi-Wan continued to stare at Lyra, almost drowning in her depthless gray eyes. For a very long time, this would be the last that he would see of her. The thought gave him courage, and he leaned down and captured Lyra's lips in a kiss.

At first, Lyra reacted with surprise. She then began to kiss back, applying more gentle pressure on his lips. She dropped her hands from his face to his shoulders, circling her arms around his neck.

Obi-Wan shivered as he felt Lyra's fingernails gently trace the back of his neck. His hands snaked down the curves of her body, stopping at her waist. Tentatively, he touched his tongue to her lips, almost afraid that Lyra would pull away.

To his delighted surprise, Lyra granted him entrance. The kiss intensified, as each tried to outdo one another. Finally, they broke the kiss, breathing heavily.

Obi-Wan rested his forehead on Lyra's, his arms still around her waist. Both were looking at each other with love—and with worry. They had just willingly and readily broken the Jedi Code, a Code they had followed rigorously for their entire life. They faced expulsion from the Order, a stripping of their titles as Knights, perhaps even exile.

For the first time in his life, Obi-Wan Kenobi did not know what to do. His love for his best friend ran deep—far too deep for him to be able to forget. And yet, he had to—they both did—in order to remain Jedi.

For the first time in his life, Obi-Wan Kenobi was afraid.

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Obi-Wan, Anakin, Padmé, and her retinue were gathered in the main hangar, saying their last goodbyes to Lyra. The young Jedi was to leave this morning for Alderaan. Unfortunately, Anakin wasn't taking the news well.

"I don't want you to go! I want you to stay with me!"

Anakin's incessant cries cut through Lyra's heart. She knelt down in front of him, encircling her arms around his small body. "The Council gave me explicit orders, Ani," she said sadly. "I must obey, whether I like it or not."

"It's not fair!" Anakin responded. "They can't tell you what to do like that!"

Lyra fought a smile. "Yes, Ani, they can. I'm sorry."

Anakin fought back tears, settling himself for hugging Lyra. "But I don't want to go without you."

Lyra smiled, brushing the blonde hair from Anakin's eyes. "Oh, you don't want to do that. The Temple is beautiful, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it." She kissed his forehead. "We will see each other again, don't worry."

She then turned to Padmé, who hugged her as well. "I will miss you, Lyra," she said. "You have been a great help to me during these troubling times. I wish you the best in Alderaan, and hope we will meet again."

Lyra shook her head. "From the heart, Padmé," she said, pointing to the younger woman's chest. "Let it come from the heart."

Padmé bit her lower lip, then flung her arms around Lyra. "I'm really going to miss you Lyra." The two girls separated. "I hope we'll see each other again."

Lyra looked at Obi-Wan, who she noticed was fidgeting uncomfortably. "Goodbye then," he said, bowing to her.

"Goodbye Obi-Wan," she said stiffly, a little hurt from his curtness. She bowed back, then turned around and headed for the Alderaanian ship.

As soon as she was inside, the ramp closed, the legs retracted and the ship took off. As the cruiser disappeared from view, Anakin lowered his head sadly. Obi-Wan gently guided him to another hangar, where another ship waited to take the two back to Coruscant, where Anakin would begin his training.

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THE END

(FOR NOW)

A/N: Short and simple.