Ayame was taken to a room near the Dorms in the temple. As she walked past the numerous apartments, there were young Jedi everywhere. Many just looked at her as she walked past, while some smiled and nodded in greeting. She nodded in return, smiling as well. When they arrived, Ayame figured that they were in a robing room. There were numerous tunics and brown robes hanging from the walls. A kindly old woman came out and greeted the group.
"Ah, you must be the new Padawan," she said. "What is your name, dear?"
"Ayame Melma," Ayame replied.
"Well, Ayame, if you'll come with me, we'll get your measurements for your uniform. Oh, and we'll have to cut your hair," the lady said. Ayame, who was walking back with her, stopped dead.
"What?! CUT MY HAIR?!" she yelled. "I can't cut my hair!"
"Is there something wrong?" Master Windu had come in to talk to Ayame about something.
"Do I really have to cut my hair, Master Windu?" Ayame asked.
"Yes, you do. It won't be so short, but you do have to get it cut and get your braid," he replied.
"Alright," Ayame sighed. The old lady took her measurements and then handed her a tunic, a pair of pants, a utility belt, a long brown robe, and a pair of calf-high brown boots. Ayame got changed in a changing room. When she was done, Ayame looked at herself in the mirror. "This is my future...staring me in the face," she thought. Then, she took her hair and pulled it up; she was trying to see what she would look like with short hair.
"Are you ready, dear?" the old lady called in. Ayame let her hair fall and gave herself one last look.
"Yes," she replied sighing. The lady led her to another room. Ayame sat in a chair and closed her eyes. "Just make it fast, please," she said. For the next few minutes, Ayame endured the sound of scissors cutting her hair. Then, out of nowhere, the sound stopped.
"All done, dear. What do you think?" Ayame opened her eyes and found herself looking at herself with shoulder-length hair. The only decoration that was visible was the little beads that were put into her apprentice braid that hung over her shoulder. "Now, see? That wasn't so bad," the lady said. Ayame nodded, got up and thanked the woman, then walked outside. Obi-Wan was waiting for her.
"So, you think you're ready?" Obi-Wan said, smirking. Ayame glared.
"Well, I must be ready if I beat you after picking up a saber for the first time," she retorted. Obi-Wan started stuttering while Ayame smirked. "So, why are you here?"
"Master Yoda wants me to give you a tour of the temple so that you don't get lost," he replied. They set off, passing training rooms and classrooms and such, with Obi-Wan telling her what those rooms were and why she would be there. Then, they got to an elevator to go up to the healers quarters. Both of them went for the button at the same time and their hands touched. They froze and looked at each other, and then Obi-Wan pushed the button and pulled his hand away, clearing his throat. Both of them looked away, but Ayame glanced back at him. His face was a bright pink color as he looked at the numbers above them. She smiled slightly and looked at the numbers as well. When they got to the floor, Obi-Wan was back to his old self, grumpy and short with her. Although he acted like this, deep down, he was scared.
"What happened? When she touched me...what was that feeling?" he thought to himself. Ayame, however, knew what she felt, and was even more terrified at the thought. "I can't love him! I'm not supposed to love him! I...I..." she thought to herself.
"Ah, but technically, unconditional love is central to a Jedi's life, so you can love him if you want to," a little voice in the back of her head said. She shook her head and paid attention to what Obi-Wan was saying. Once they were done, Obi-Wan took Ayame to her dorm room, where she would be staying while she was here and when she was not on missions.
'If you need anything, the droids are always active, so you can just ask them," he said. Then, he just left Ayame standing in front of her bed.
"Well," she said. "I don't even know why I felt anything for him at all."
"You know, you can't deny feelings," a female mechanical voice said from behind her. Ayame whirled around to see a protocol droid standing there. "I'm C4-B3 at your service, ma'am. Your parents sent me here to watch over you while you are away from home."
"Well, that was thoughtful of them. But, I'm not sure that Master Yoda would want me to keep a droid in my room," Ayame replied. But C4-B3 shook her silver head.
"Your parents already spoke with your Master and he has agreed to it," she said. Ayame nodded and sat down on her bed. "So, who's the lucky guy?"
"What do you mean?" Ayame said, looking up.
"You were talking about a boy just then. Was it the boy who was with you when you walked in?" the droid asked her.
"B, Jedi aren't allowed to love. I'm not supposed to be attached to anything," Ayame replied.
"But, from what I heard, you saved his life today, and you really didn't know him then," B pointed out. Ayame was silent as she thought about what her friend had just said. She was right. Ayame had just saved Obi-Wan's life without really knowing him first. That had to mean something. Could she possibly be in love with him? Suddenly, the doors opened and Master Yoda walked into her room.
"Master! What a pleasant surprise...I didn't know that you were coming," Ayame said, kneeling in front of her master.
"Be more aware of the Force, you should be," Yoda said wisely.
"Yes master," she replied. "Now, begin your training, we must," he said. He walked over to a small stool and sat down on it. Ayame went over and sat across from him. "Begin with meditation, we must. When you meditate, you must be completely relaxed. Let go of everything that you are clinging to and dont think. Breathe deeply and clear your mind," he told her.
"Master, how long should meditation last?" Ayame asked him.
"Last for hours, it could. As good as sleep, it is. Refreshes the body and mind, it does," he replied. Ayame nodded to show that she understood. "Now, try, you will." Ayame nodded and closed her eyes. Slowly, she began to breathe. As she kept breathing, she could feel everything leaving her mind. Suddenly, something began to form, unbidden. She tried to make it go away, but the image kept getting clearer and clearer. Mentally, she gasped at what she saw.
It was her and Obi-Wan.
They were fighting a strange-looking man with red and black tattoos and horns on his head. Obi-Wan, who looked about 3 years older, was dangling in a pit, barely hanging on to a light fixture. Ayame, again 3 years older, was against a wall, screaming Obi-Wan's name. Suddenly, he threw himself out of the pit, summoned a Lightsaber, and slashed the strange man right through the torso. As he fell, Ayame was released from the wall and ran into Obi-Wan's arms. Suddenly, they were kissing. Then, the vision disappeared.
Ayame opened her eyes, breathing hard.
"Something wrong?" Yoda asked her.
"I saw something," she said.
"A vision is what you saw. What was it about?"
"I saw me and Obi-Wan. We were fighting...a...a dark Jedi, I guess, and we defeated him. He must have been holding me against a wall with the Force or something, but I wasn't moving. But, once Obi-Wan defeated him, we...we..." Ayame couldn't continue.
"Yes?"
"I can't remember what came next. It was blurry," Ayame lied, looking down. She couldn't tell him that she had seen her and Obi-Wan kissing. What would he say? And what would happen to Obi-Wan? Wait, why was she thinking about him? This was confusing her.
