To Have a Gift (A Star Wars Fanfic)

Chapter 2

In a matter of moments, the Skywalker twins had completely forgotten their awkwardness and the fact that they hadn't seen each other in ten years. They spoke to each other as if they were never apart.

They both were so interested in the other's life: Arrai in her brother's normal padawan position, and Anakin in her not-so-normal one. After story after story, they could see memories through the other's eyes. It was an odd sensation to behold.

They had been told to wait for Master Yoda and Master Windu, but they appeared to be late. Arrai felt with the Force in an attempt to find them, but failed. She didn't even sense them in the building.

She stared at the ground, then looked at her brother out of the corner of her eye. Then she smiled. And he did too. They both knew what was happening.

Both looked around the room. No one but Obi-Wan was there. He looked back and forth at the twins. "If I'm thinking what I think you're thinking..." He didn't finish his sentence. Then he rolled his eyes. "This should be a sight to see." Then he sat back, eagerly awaiting the results.

Before either if them knew what was going on, they were both standing up. Anakin had his lightsaber in his hand and Arrai quickly assembled a single blade. Then, yellow met blue in an amazing clash of colors.

"Let's see what you've learned." Anakin mocked. "I'll try and go easy on you."

Arrai flashed her eyes, turning them yellow for a split second. "Likewise."

Soon, both twins were moving faster than humanly possible in an attempt to best their opponent.

Master Kenobi was clearly enjoying the show. In fact, it was unlike any duel he'd ever seen. Both padawans had fighting styles that were exactly the same. They could tell exactly when and where the other's blade would be. And finally, they knew exactly where the other would move. Everything was one hundred percent predictable.

Once or twice, it seemed as if the Force was in complete control of their bodies, guiding them; they just went with the flow.

The twins used everything to their own advantage. Their stature and strength both played key roles in this battle. Their control over the Force was great, but Anakin was, unadmittedly, more powerful than Arrai. But, and though she didn't, the Skywalker girl could call upon the power of the Dark Side of the Force. That could give her more focus on her surroundings and her opponent as a whole, instead of concentrating on one at a time. Using her powers could also have shielded her thoughts and actions, nearly blinding her brother if her next moves. But she remained in her Neutral State.

The battle wasn't won or lost. But it ended the second Master Windu came in. They bowed to him and Master Yoda as they entered the room. Both masters began to laugh at the event of the padawans.

"Late we were," Master Yoda said. "Purposeful, it was. Give you a little time, we did. But expect a duel, we did not."

The other master agreed. "Of all the things in the world, you choose to test your own and each other's strength." He gave a quick chuckle. "Teenagers." He turned his gaze to Obi-Wan. "I suspect it was very entertaining."

"Yes." He answered. "These two truly are ready for the task ahead."

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

The two Jedi took first watch on the senator, giving Arrai the chance to relax and explore. She did the latter far more than the other, though.

The temple was big, she'd give it that. But unlike Nequek, it had only one temple. So instead of a hundred small and not-so-small temples, there was just one large one.

Another thing she would have to get used to was all the disgust for her and her kind. Dark Jedi were indeed not accepted by most Jedi, but the Council had accepted them, therefore everyone else had too as well. The young Dark, as she found out the Dark Jedi were called, were often treated no better than a Sith would have been treated, had one been in her position.

The outside world still didn't know of the existence of the other Force-users, but the Jedi had learned to identify them. Most commoners would see a Dark as just another Jedi, but several noticeable differences could be seen. A Dark padawan had two braids instead of one. Specific makeup and tattoos were branded onto them to mark them, usually around the eyes. Many changes were mandatory, so one could be easily spotted a mile away, in case they were specifically needed.

It was just, the Jedi had always learned to reject the Dark Side. To see people that could use it freely, to use it halfway all the time, it was like betraying unbreakable vows. So many Jedi stuck to the word tolerate. The Darks had to be tolerated.

Sure, many of them had been very useful, able to do things that were forbidden by the Jedi Code. They could condemn someone to death or kill someone who needed to be removed before they were a major threat. Sometimes things had to be done quickly and required a lot of power. In these situations, a single Dark could be dispatched instead of four or five Jedi.

Arrai met up with her master around sunset. Most of the Jedi were either getting back from the city or were already sleeping. The temple was quiet. This was the time to explore.

Master Plo showed her some training rooms available for her to use, should she need one. He showed her the war room and some meditating chambers. But her favorite room was only for Darks. They would gather in a cellar-type room at night while all the Jedi slept. And they would duel. It was basically a bar with constant fighting for sport. It was allowed since they used the excuse that it helped them train.

The Darks called the room the Light Cell, focusing on irony. It was indeed a fun place. There weren't many people there, only about a dozen or so, and all the Darks at the Temple were there that night.

A heated match was just about to get interesting as one opponent decided to use the Dark Side when Arrai's comm link beeped. It was too loud, so she excused herself and went outside.

"This is Dark padawan Skywalker." She answered.

"Arrai!" Shouted someone.

"Ani?"

"No, duh. We got a situation. Look after the senator till we he back."

"Really? Can't I just come with you guys?"

A very dramatic sigh was heard on the other end of the line. "If you can get to the landing dock before I leave then fine. If not, watch Padme."

"If?"

"Yes, if. I'm almost there."

"I can make it." She smiled. "Skywalker out."

"Stop being so formal!" He yelled. Then he ended the transmission.