I'm sorry that it's been a while, and the last chapter was horribly short. So, here's something with a little more substance to make up for it. Enjoy!

I own Ayame and Kamuro. Everything else belongs to its respective owners.

As if on cue, Ayame's communicator went off. She excused herself and went into the other room to take the call. It was Obi-Wan.

"How did it go with the Council?" Ayame asked.

"The Council has assigned us to tracking down the Bounty Hunter that is after the Senator," came the reply.

"Alright. Kamuro and I can protect her for now," Ayame said, making arrangements in her head.

"Not myself and Anakin, you and I," Obi-Wan said. Ayame was confused.

"But, what about Anakin?" Ayame asked.

"Anakin has been assigned to protect the Senator. He's going to speak with the Chancellor about ordering her back to Naboo for her own safety. Kamuro will be accompanying him," Obi-Wan replied. Now, Ayame was hesitant. Kamuro hadn't done a solo mission before, and while it wouldn't be a solo mission, she wasn't sure how by-the-book Kamuro would manage with go-with-the-flow Anakin. Would they be able to do the job that they were assigned? "I'm hesitant as well, Ayame. However, the Council has made its decision," Obi-Wan said, sensing her hesitation. "This is a trust exercise for us as much as it is an exercise for them. We need to trust our apprentices."

"You're right," Ayame said. "I'll inform Kamuro and meet you back at the Temple." Ayame cut the connection and returned to Kamuro and Padmé.

"What is it?" Kamuro asked, sensing his Master's unrest.

"The Council has decided that Obi-Wan and I are to hunt down your assassin's killer, Senator," Ayame said. "Anakin and Kamuro have been assigned to protect you." Now, Kamuro was unsettled. He had been alone during missions, but he had never been given a mission without Ayame. Knowing that Kamuro could sense her unrest, she calmed herself down and smiled at her apprentice. "It's about time that you have your own assignment, Kamuro. Consider this your Rite," she said. She could still sense Kamuro's nervous energy, but it had dissipated a bit.

"Will Anakin be returning soon?" Padmé asked.

"I expect so. Obi-Wan said he was speaking with the Chancellor right now," Ayame replied. Almost instantly, Padmé's demeanor changed.

"He's going to order me home!" she exclaimed. "Who will take my place in the Senate? I have no other Senator that can make those decisions in my place!" Padmé was pacing again. Ayame stopped and thought. There was one person who could probably be trusted, but was a little strange.

"What about Representative Binks?" Kamuro said, voicing what Ayame was thinking. Padme stopped and thought for a moment.

"I suppose that Jar Jar can handle this for the time being. He knows where I stand on things and he knows what is going to be best for the people. Very well, Jar Jar will stay in my place," she said, her tone final but defeated. Ayame could understand her anger. The Military Creation Act was going to be voted on very soon, and the Senator had been very against it from the beginning, ever the diplomat. Given all of the violence that she had to go through so early in her reign as Queen, I can understand why, Ayame thought.

"I wish you all the best, Senator," Ayame said. "Obi-Wan, Anakin, and I will be back soon. I leave you in Kamuro's capable hands."

"I have faith in his skill," Padmé said, smiling at Kamuro.

"If you will excuse me, I have to meet with Obi-Wan back at the Temple," Ayame said, bowing.

"May the Force be with You, Master," Kamuro said, bowing to her.

"And May the Force be with You, Kamuro," Ayame replied. "Farewell, Senator."

"Until next time, Master Ayame," Padmé replied, curtsying. Ayame waited until she was in the turbo lift before she sighed and allowed her emotions to run rampant. She didn't do this often, and wasn't supposed to. However, sometimes, she found that it would help her to stay calm when she needed it. She feared for Kamuro, especially since her vision. Qui-Gon had told her once how it felt to lose a Padawan, and Ayame didn't want to experience that at all. She didn't know what she would do. Before she and Obi-Wan would see their Padawans off, she decided to go and talk to Master Yoda. This was something she needed to tell him.

Arriving back at the Temple, she found Obi-Wan talking with Masters Windu and Yoda. It was no surprise to her that the subject was Anakin.

"I am concerned for my Padawan," Obi-Wan was saying. "He is not ready to be given this assignment on his own yet."

"I cannot help but express my concern as well, Masters," Ayame said as she walked up. Obi-Wan took one look at her, and knew what she had been doing.

"The council is confident in its decision," Yoda replied.

"The boy has exceptional skills," Windu added. Obi-Wan shook his head.

"But he still has much to learn, Master. His abilities have made him, well, arrogant." Ayame couldn't help but agree.

"His confidence could be his undoing, and Kamuros as well," she added. Yoda looked at the two Knights.

"Yes, yes. A flaw more and more common among Jedi," he said. "Hmm. Too sure of themselves, they are. Even the older, more experienced ones." Obi-Wan and Ayame looked at each other, still concerned.

"Remember, Obi-Wan," Windu said. "If the prophecy is true, your apprentice is the only one who can bring the Force back into balance."

But at what cost? Ayame wondered. Obi-Wan didn't look too sure either.

"Something you wanted, Ayame?" asked Yoda, turning to his former Padawan.

"Yes," Ayame said, remembering why she was here in the first place. "May I speak to you privately, Master?" Yoda nodded, and the two went into an empty classroom.

"Something troubling you?" Yoda asked.

"Master, the last meeting we had with the Chancellor...I was lying when I said I didn't see anything," Ayame began. Yoda merely nodded. I should have guessed he knew, Ayame gently chided herself. "I saw the Temple in flames, and...a figure standing in the flames." She wasn't ready to admit who she had seen. "I fear if the dispute becomes a war, it will lead to the destruction of the Jedi." Yoda was quiet for a moment, and he seemed to be contemplating what she said. Finally, he looked at her, his green eyes serious.

"Then find this bounty hunter, you must," he said, pointing at her to emphasize his words. Ayame could feel the seriousness in his words.

"Obi-Wan and I will not fail, Master," Ayame promised. We can't fail.

They had some time before they had to take Anakin, Kamuro, and Padmé to the spaceport, so Obi-Wan and Ayame took this time to themselves. They retreated to their quarters, and as soon as the doors shut, they embraced. Feeling the gentle strength of his embrace, taking in his familiar, comforting scent...it was enough to make Ayame cry. Obi-Wan heard her start to cry, and pulled back to get a good look at her. Her hazel eyes were filled with tears, but she was smiling. However, as he examined her, there was a tinge of sadness behind the light of joy.

"Ayame? What's wrong?" he asked. Ayame realized that she would have to tell him eventually, so she did. Only, she told Obi-Wan everything.

"You're certain of what you saw?" he asked after she told him.

"It was as clear as I see you," Ayame replied. "We have to succeed." Obi-Wan sighed, and pulled Ayame to him. He kissed her gently on the forehead, disturbed by what she had told him. Ayame could sense it, and it matched her own. They sat in silence for a full five minutes before either one of them moved. Finally, Ayame sat up and studied her husband. His hair and beard had gotten long, but they were still that light reddish brown that she loved. His blue eyes held a permanent warm light that always made her feel safe. She touched his hair, which had grown to his shoulders.

"Remind me to give you a haircut," she said quietly. They both chuckled, allowing the small remark to fill them with much needed calm and happiness. Obi-Wan reached up, took her hand, and gently kissed it. Ayame have an involuntary giggle. His beard tickled her hand, and the way that he kissed it made her heart flutter. Even after ten years, he could still do that to her. Obi-Wan looked up and studied his wife carefully. Her hazel eyes seemed to sparkle with the inner light and tenacity that made her such a powerful Jedi. Her hair, much longer than it was when they first met, frayed out of the braid she tried to keep it in. It made her look frazzled, which, while adorable, would never do when they went to see their Padawans off.

"Let's fix that, shall we?" he asked, nodding to her hair. Ayame put a hand to her head, and felt all the little frizzy hairs poking out of her braid and scalp. Normally, Ayame didn't care about her appearance, especially when it came to a mission. However, this was a particularly important occasion for Kamuro. It was only right that she make herself presentable for this. Obi-Wan got up and walked to the bathroom for a brush while Ayame undid her braid. When she finished, she noticed that her brown hair had gone wavy, making her hair look like a waterfall. Ayame gave her head a little shake, allowing her hair to settle naturally. Obi-Wan returned, sat down behind her, and started gently brushing. He knew that Ayame could do it herself, but doing these little things for each other was a subtle – but no less powerful – way to show that they cared for each other.

"Ben...am I wrong to be concerned?" Ayame asked after a moment.

"Considering what you've seen, not at all. I'm even more concerned now," he replied, carefully untangling a knot. "However, we must remember that," he began.

"There is no emotion, there is peace," Ayame said, completing the thought. "I know. That doesn't make it easy," she added.

"Who ever said that being a Jedi was easy?" Obi-Wan said with a small chuckle. Ayame chuckled herself.

"True," she murmured. Obi-Wan finished what he was doing, and gently pulled on Ayames shoulders, causing her to fall backwards onto him. She felt his warm body against her back as he gently embraced her, kissing her on her head.

"We will do all that we can, Ayame. We can do nothing more than that," he said quietly. "I wish we could protect the boys too, but they will not learn if we do not allow them to."

"You're right," she replied. "We're masters...not parents. Our job is to teach them to be independent, powerful Jedi, not raise them as our own." Obi-Wan could hear the pain in her voice as she said it, but there was resolve to master the pain as well. He knew that she would be okay, and he would be there to keep an eye on her as well. Ayame sat up, and allowed Obi-Wan to braid her hair. When he finished, he wrapped it around the crown of her head, like a head band, and secured it in the back where the braid started. When he finished, Ayame got up and looked at herself in a mirror. It was a style she had never tried, but she liked it. "What brought this on?" she asked her husband.

"I thought something different might be nice," he replied, shrugging. Just then, there was a beeping from the computer console in their room. Ayame walked over and answered what she saw to be a call. A holographic image of her Padawan, dressed like a refugee, shimmered to life in front of her.

"Master, the Senator is ready, as are we. We are en route to the temple right now," Kamuro reported.

"Thank you, Kamuro. We will meet you in the shuttle bay shortly," Ayame replied. Kamuro nodded, and cut the transmission. Ayame heaved a sigh, and turned to Obi-Wan. He got up, walked over to her, and gave her a warm, reassuring kiss.

"Everything will be fine. The sooner we begin," Obi-Wan began.

"The sooner we come home," Ayame finished. The two gathered their things and walked to the shuttle bay to begin this mission. Needless to say, neither of them truly could have seen what was coming, or how it would end. Nevertheless, they were determined to do what they could for the Senator, the Jedi, and the Republic.