Forget Me Not

1

"What will you do now?" Padmé Amidala, senator to the planet Naboo and close friend of Anakin, demanded. "Anakin gave his life to save Mandalore, and his killer is still out there! What are you doing about it?"

Murmurs of agreement rolled through the crowd, the noise increasing when Mace merely nodded in acknowledgment. "I understand your concerns, Senator, and I assure you the Jedi are doing everything that can be done to find the offender."

"It's been a week!" Padmé insisted, seemingly unaware that her short stature could be considered cute. "And there has been not so much as a whisper!"

"The Jedi are working hard," Mace continued evenly, "and not everything we do can be brought to light yet."

Another rumble, this time of dissatisfaction, rose from the crowd, accompanied by, "you can say that again," and "you're not wrong there."

Mace ignored the intended jab at the Jedi's dealings, finishing with, "But I ask that you continue to place your trust in the Jedi."

Padmé seemed wholly displeased as she stepped back, but she refrained from adding anything more.

"That's probably wise," I mused to myself, shifting in my crouched position atop one of the nearby buildings. "You don't want to get on the wrong side of Mace Windu." The wind's moaning loudened, whistling past the billboard I sheltered against and catching on my ripped tunic. Shuffling uncomfortably against its frigid attack, I tucked my long-sleeved underlayer snugger into my black pants, trapping my warmth. Below me, the funeral procession was breaking up, and I was glad for it: I was freezing.

Sliding off the apartment's roof, I landed heavily on the adjacent building, wincing as my thick-soled boots jarred into my ankles. They had in them a lot of heel for a guy, and I was beginning to regret my recent purchase of them. My old boots were so much more comfortable.

I strode along the roof's edge, keeping pace with the thinning stream of people who were flowing into the Jedi Temple for the provided afternoon tea. No one noticed me, the lone dark figure who walked parallel to them. That was the issue with always looking down.

I stopped when I reached the corner of the building, then swung myself down, expertly navigating my way to the smooth stone beneath. My gloved hands gripped the final windowsill before I released and dropped silently to the ground. A handful of pebbles fled as I took a few cautious steps forwards, making certain to remain shrouded by the alleyway's shadows.

From my concealed place, I watched the last stragglers trailing into the building, surprised to see Obi-Wan still standing at the bottom of the stairs. In his hands was Anakin's lightsaber, sitting innocently and glittering softly in the falling raindrops. His face was turned from me, his hood covering his expression, but his head was bowed just slightly. Maybe he was only cold in the wet chilliness, or maybe he was trembling a little.

My weight shifted as I moved to take a step forwards, but then Obi-Wan's chin lifted as Mace called to him. He must have simply been cold: no emotions, bar content acceptance, were present on his relaxed features.

"When you're ready, you're welcome to join us," Mace told him before disappearing into the Temple.

Still, I watched him. Still, he stayed. But what was he doing? What was going through his mind? Why didn't he move on and enter into the sweet consolation of companionship and nibbles? Perhaps he needed none of either.

Finally, he turned, about to head for the Jedi Temple, when suddenly a shadow appeared and grabbed Obi-Wan's own saber that hung at his side. In his moment of confusion, blue eyes darting around the area, the lightsaber in his hands was also pinched.

"Hey!" he started to say, but the rest died on his lips. And yet, in the millisecond that preceded him composing himself, there was no emotion in his eyes: only that same, duty-bound calmness.

But, despite myself, I didn't leave him to sort out his problems. I recognized the shadow, and I wanted to see what happened. So I stayed.

><><><><><><

So many questions at the end of this chapter!! How did Anakin die? What secrets do the Jedi hide? Who is "the shadow?"

Hey fam!!! I'm so excited to be back!!! Welcome to the first chapter of my (hopefully) standalone Star Wars fic!! This is gonna be such a crazy book, full of twists and turns, confusion and mystery, and sadness and joy (and probably a sprinkling of humour). I'm just so excited to share this with you guys, and I hope you're as fired up as I am!!

I've had this idea for a while now. It's strongly based off something me and my sister did ages ago, and I hope you guys find it as interesting as we did! Enjoy! ^0^

Also, I really can't promise when I'll update this: life just feels so crazy at the moment! But I'll see what I can do ^-^

Here are some dedications to my amazing followers! Feel free to check this one out; I'd love to have you here ^^ Also, feel free to leave a vote and/or a comment; I appreciate every one of them, and I love chatting with you guys!

Wikluk/cam_skywalker_stark/the_space_raiders/TheBeanQueen06/General_Skywalker/x_-_-_-_-_-_x/anakinpadmeforlife

Many thanks to anyone else who checks out my fic! Feel free to drop a comment and/or a vote! I love interacting with my readers :)

Love you lots and God bless y'all!

~Ecapé