Eternal Balance: Chapter 8, Part 2

By The Al Bhed Slayer

A/N: I'm so sorry guys! I had a busy weekend, what with buying the RotS game (pretty easy so far) and seeing the movie for the second time on Sunday! Ha, I cried again…ANYWAYS, this again is short, and I probably won't get out another chapter until Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, but that's just cuz I gotta study more! Finals on Tuesday! Then it's over! I'm free! Oh and sorry Niky, no part 3..next though! OK, R'n'R!

"Akaia, young Skywalker," Yoda began with little surprise at the two. "Pleased to hear from you, I am."

The young woman gave a smile to the holograph of the Jedi Master. She still felt guilty; Yoda had told her once how she had befriended him so very long ago, but to her, he was barely an acquaintance. "I know I've never asked, but troubling things have been happening recently that cannot be ignored any longer."

"Your prophecy you speak of, do you not?" Yoda questioned her.

She nodded in response, worry etched on her face. "I'd like to know more of it. Maybe if I could understand these odd familiarities, I could much more easily balance my emotions."

"Deeply hidden, this prophecy is. Disclosed to all, it must remain," Yoda responded warningly.

Akaia's eyes went downcast. She nodded. "I understand."

Yoda then smiled. "Though read it many times, I have. Underestimate my memory, do not."

She again eyed the blue translucent figure. "You memorized it?"

"Live on, she shall and bear hope to all before her, she will." Yoda closed his eyes, recalling the text. "For, the Force itself, she is. Bring peace to those who believe, she shall…From her life, restored, balance will be. From her ashes, come, salvation will." He reopened his eyes. "Shift, destinies will. Reign, order will. In the face of great loss…inevitable, fate is."

"Great loss?" Anakin echoed questioningly, recalling his own dream.

Akaia thought for a moment. "There are still so many questions…"

"Burden yourself not with events yet to happen," Yoda warned.

Still utterly confused, she spoke again. "But…what of the prophecy itself? Maybe if I knew where it came from…"

"Nothing, you will find." Yoda interjected. "For this planet…Docugan…exist, it does no longer."

Akaia worriedly paced back and forth, considering the Jedi Master's words. Docugan…would that be my home planet? She sighed. Of course not. I don't have a home planet. She stopped in her tracks. Things seemed so much simpler when she was back in that prison cell on Lotora. And the prophecy…It was as most are: vague and cryptic. But still, it shook her enough to keep thinking about it.

"Stop worrying over all of this," Anakin told in a concerned voice. "Just as Master Yoda said, you should not concern yourself with things that have yet to pass."

She gave him a shocked glance. "How can I not? The prophecy said itself I would die. 'From her ashes, salvation will come'."

"It could have been misinterpreted," He argued.

"You don't know that," Akaia replied quietly, eyes fixed out the window.

Before they knew it, the sound of light footfalls grew closer until Padme stood in the threshold of the room. Both Akaia and Anakin turned towards her, surprised. The smile on the senator's face faded at the anxiety in the room. "What's wrong?"

Akaia's lips formed a tight smile. "Nothing."

"We just finished a discussion with Master Yoda," Anakin answered.

Padme's eyes widened in alarm. "Is anything the matter?"

"Really, senator, it's nothing to concern yourself with," Akaia told the young woman. "Anakin is just worrying himself over trivial matters."

Now, your life is trivial? The padawan asked in disarray.

Akaia shot him a death glare before Padme began speaking again.

"I was just about to call both of you down for dinner, but if this is serious…" She began, then faltered.

"It's alright. The two of you go. I'll be down later," Akaia suggested, with an encouraging look.

The senator nodded and soon left, followed by Anakin, who stopped for a moment. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Your mission here is to protect Senator Amidala, not me," she responded with a grin. "Now go. I'll be fine."

He stared uneasily at her for a moment before turning and exiting the room.

Returning to her thoughts, her mind was screaming, Why did you just LET him go? It was obvious he wanted to stay! And just as obvious that you didn't want him to leave! What are you doing?

She pushed those thought away immediately. She went back to the window, staring at the pink and blue sky as the sun set,searching forwhere that planet, Docugan, might once had been.

((Complete darkness. It became increasingly harder to breathe. Now, each labored breath sounded…metallic. The same voice pleaded, just above a whisper, please…help me.

There was so much pain. A deafening scream pierced the still air. Then came the sound of synchronized footsteps right behind him. Images of millions…dead. Brutally murdered. He could smell the blood. His own hands were stained with it. A low, raspy voice came. Fulfill your destiny.

Fate is inevitable…

Again, just as before, Akaia looked him in eyes, her expression saying, 'I'm sorry.' She seemed to be in so much pain. It tore at him.

Face the darkness, learn from it. Do not become it.

He couldn't feel his limbs, everything was numb. Two blue lightsabers clashed as someone yelled, You were my brother, Anakin… and another screamed in agony, I HATE YOU. It was his own voice. The sensation that he was burning quickly consumed him.))

Anakin woke with a start, breathing heavily. They kept getting worse, each passing night. Something in him clicked then. Fate is inevitable…his mind repeated. It had been part of the prophecy. Perhaps this dream, or more so nightmare, was connected to all of this. Maybe he was meant to save Akaia...perhaps if he did, he could stop all else he had seen.

Little did he know, it was meant to be the other way around.

TBC

A/N: Hmm…I think I will make the next chapter fluffy, since it'll be a bit longer. What do you guys think? C-ya Wednesday probably!