Azaylia and Qui Gon carefully walked towards the outskirts of town where the parked ship was. The walk was mainly silent. Qui Gon only asked a couple of questions, "Are you considered a slave?"
"No. I'm not a slave. But people treat me like one." She responded looking down at the sand, trying to ignore the burning sensation in her feet every time she stepped.
"Oh I'm sorry to hear that..." Qui Gon clasped his hands together.
Silence had once again captured them until Azaylia asked the one question that was eating her up inside.
"Do you think Obi-Wan will be mad at me for leaving the Order? Maybe he won't even speak to me!"
Qui Gon quietly contemplated his answer.
"Well I don't think he'll be mad at you, he doesn't seem mad when he mentions you. He sounds more sad. Plus, Jedi aren't ones to hold grudges, so even if he was a little angry with you then, I'm sure he won't be now." Qui Gon nodded.
"What does he say when he talks about me?" The question had been burning in her mind since he had mentioned it last night.
"He keeps reminding me of how you two used to be best friends and how he wondered where you went or if you were alive. That's about all."
"Oh. That makes sense." She nodded her head slightly, looking back down at her feet and watching the wind rustle the sand.
She was about to ask Qui Gon another question when she saw the ship. She gasped. It was huge and so very shiny! Azaylia recognized it as a J-type 327 Nubian. Those kinds of ships were from Naboo.
"Here's the ship. Would you like me to come with you?" He asked politely.
"No thank you. I'm perfectly capable." She shook her head smiling.
Running to the ships door, she used the Force to open them. Once inside, she decided to look in the cockpit first. She found the door that led to the cockpit and opened it. Azaylia saw a group people sitting around. The pilots of the ship maybe? The only person who was not sitting down was someone wearing Jedi robes. The person turned around and revealed the face of a young man with ever so familiar sandy-blond hair. He had a tiny braid spilling out of the right side of his head just behind his ear. The young man's eyes widened and with one swift move he took out his lightsaber and stepped forward, swinging the lightsaber down.
Azaylia also had taken out her own lightsaber, blocking the attack. The man looked at her, confused how this strange woman had entered the ship. Azaylia stared into the mans eyes... and, in that moment, something in her brain clicked. Nobody else in the galaxy had eyes as bright blue as...
"Ben?!" Azaylia exclaimed. Obi-Wan stumbled backwards in surprise. How did this mystery girl know his nickname?! Only one person he knew called him Ben...the one who gave him the nickname in the first place.
"Z-Zayli?!" The young man deactivated his lightsaber, Azaylia followed suite. "Azaylia?!" His voice sounded much clearer than on the comlink. His smile grew wider as she nodded her head.
"Hello, Obi-Wan. How nice to see you again. Although, I've could've gone without the lightsaber attack." She teased.
"I thought you were attacking the ship. Sorry about that." He looked down, rubbing the back of his neck while a slight embarrassed flush crawled over his face.
Obi-Wan looked around before he pulled on her arm gently and whispered, "Let's go somewhere more...private to talk. I'm sure the pilots aren't going to be interested in our conversations." He laughed. Azaylia nodded and followed him to a small bedroom on the ship.
"Is this your bedroom?" She asked.
"It's only temporary. I don't sleep very often anyways. It's just here if I need to rest."
Azaylia backed up a little, readying herself.
"Zayli what are y-?" Azaylia dived onto the bed face down.
Obi-Wan chuckled loudly, shaking his head.
Azaylia had always enjoyed the sound of Obi-Wan's laugh. It was infectious and sort of addictive. She couldn't help laughing herself.
"Sorry I just couldn't resist!" She said as she rolled over and sat up. She patted the spot beside her and waited for Obi-Wan to sit down next to her until she spoke again. "You were saying you couldn't sleep?" She asked.
"Yes. I keep having dreams..."
"About what?" Azaylia's curiosity certainly hadn't dwindled since the last time he saw her.
"They're mostly about...I don't know. I can't remember them all." He looked at her with a weak smile. "They blur into each other often."
"I had a dream about you and I recently..." Azaylia started.
"Oh?" Obi-Wan looked surprised. "Do tell." He propped his chin up with his hand and stared at her, his interest peaked.
"It was the time we gave each other our nicknames."
"Ah yes," He fell backwards on the bed with his arms behind his head. "The time you gave me that horrible, horrible nickname." He shuddered dramatically.
"Oh please!" Azaylia hit him on the stomach making Obi-Wan recoil with a dramatic groan. "You secretly love it!"
"Do I?" He eyed her. "Actually, now that I think about it...I had a dream about you and I too." He sat up. "The time I first met you when you came to the Temple. Remember? You had to stay in my living quarters for years because they had no other rooms?"
Azaylia did remember. She arrived at the Temple when she was five. The living quarters were full and they're were no empty rooms for her. She had no place to stay. The Jedi were thinking about what to do with her when a seven year old Obi-Wan just happened to walk by. He offered that Azaylia could stay at his living quarters for the time-being until a room opened up. The Jedi decided to accept the young boy's offer and so she stayed with Obi-Wan until she became a Padawan at ten. It was around the time Obi-Wan had also became a Padawan.
"Oh yes! I do remember. You let me sleep on the bed while you slept on the floor! I felt bad you know...seeing you sleep on the floor. So when I finally channel the Force ...I lifted you onto the bed on the nights I didn't fall asleep immediately." She smiled sweetly.
"That's why I always woke up confused as to why I was in bed and not on the floor!" He looked as if a lightbulb had gone off in his head. Azaylia giggled.
"You really think I'd been that mean and let you sleep on the floor every night?!"
"No...not exactly...I just never knew."
The two had talked for hours on end. They talked about what they had been doing recently. Obi-Wan talked about his missions and other Jedi dealings. Azaylia talked about living on Tatooine, stealing ship parts and living with the Skywalkers. Time just seemed frozen to the reunited pair. It wasn't until Azaylia looked at her watch that she realized how long they'd been talking.
"Oh goodness! I have to go! Anakin's podrace is already half over!" She groaned. "Oh, I'll never make in time! Anakin's going to be so disappointed."
Azaylia jumped up and rushed out the door while Obi-Wan followed her asking, "Anakin? Wait Zayli! Is that who Qui-Gon was talking about?!!"
But Azaylia didn't reply. She rushed out of the ship and sprinted all the way to where Anakin's podrace was taking place.
>>>
Azaylia was too late. The podrace was over...but she had figured out that Anakin had won the race and the prize money! She congratulated Anakin with lots of hugs and even a kiss or two, much to Anakin's dismay, and apologized many many times that she couldn't see him race.
"What were you doing?" He had asked her after her apology frenzy.
"Visiting an old friend that I haven't seen in ten years, Ani. Imagine not seeing Kitster for ten years!"
Kitster was one of the many friends Anakin had.
"Oh, I see. When do I get to meet him or her?"
"I don't know. Hopefully someday!" She smiled at the little nine year old boy who was the happiest she had ever seen him. Qui Gon then tapped Azaylia's shoulder and beckoned her to come with him.
"What is it?" She asked the Jedi Master curiously. He holds up a bag of parts.
"Here are the parts for the ship. I want you to take these back to Obi-Wan. I have some other business to attend. " He hands her the bag.
"Will do. What's the business? Or is it classified Jedi business?" She wiggled her eyebrows, making Qui-Gon chuckle.
"Don't tell Anakin but...I've freed him from slavery." Qui-Gon lowered his voice.
"Really?! No way!" Azaylia exclaimed. She couldn't believe it Ani was free! "How'd you do it?"
"Well, a Master never reveals all his secrets." He joked.
"What about Shmi? Did you free her too?!"
Qui Gon shook his head sadly, "Watto wouldn't let me free the both of them."
"Oh, well at least Ani will have me!"
"You're coming to Coruscant?" Qui-Gon asked the ghost of a smile crossing his face.
"Of course, Ani's going to become a Jedi! I wouldn't miss it for the world." Qui-Gon chuckled.
"Obi-Wan will be glad to hear that...how do you know he's going to become a Jedi?"
"Master Qui Gon, I was once a Jedi. You forget." The Master chuckled again. She was quite a clever one.
>>>
Azaylia walked back to the ship with the bag of parts on her back. She started to feel a weird presence. A dark presence. It was there on Tatooine. She sped up her walking, hoping that she would at least make it back to the ship before the dark presence came closer...