The Unchronicled Adventures Of Ahsoka Tano, Book Ten

Chapter Eighty-Five: A Conversation Over The River Of Souls

AHSOKA TANO

Ahsoka, the kids, Enarion, Lux and Saw remained at the funerary temple in the company of the priestesses for several more hours, waiting until those who came for the general funeral had left. Then, as the sun was beginning to slip down below the horizon and it was time for Jani's soul to depart for true, they reassembled to begin the closing ceremonies.

Most of the necessary rituals had already been taken care of, so the few that remained were very brief and very simple. When there were but a few rays sunlight that still shone up over the mountains and the moons were beginning to rise, they arranged themselves along the steps up to the altar. Then, they faced the pale orange glow and made their respective symbols to show Jani the way.

"You are each and every one of you a beacon," the old Head Priestess had told them. "Your love for her will show her spirit the way she must take across the plains of Anru'up to reach the homes of her ancestors. The sacred symbols of your bonds to her facing the setting sun will show her spirit it can trust you to steer her true."

As the sky had finally faded into night and the funeral was at last concluded, Ahsoka walked over to where Saw stood gazing up at the pale face of Dxun, which was taking on more and more color the higher it rose in the sky.

"Will we be seeing you again soon?" Ahsoka asked. "I know things are difficult right now, but you're still one of Lux's closest friends."

"Our paths may cross again sometime in the near future," Saw said, "but it won't be here. I don't think I'll be coming back to Onderon after today. I'm no longer needed here as I once was."

"I understand. Just... don't be a stranger, okay?"

Saw nodded, and Ahsoka put a hand on his shoulder, just a few inches, she realized, above where his patchwork heart was beating, pumping his blood and Jani's as one...

They all had little pieces of Jani with them; Saw's just happened to be more poetic than most.

She shook the thought away and ushered her children to her side. Then, they began the walk back to the house. It was almost suppertime, and they needed to eat.

For the most part, the kids were too tired from the day's activities to put up much of a fuss. But, as it often happened, Ahsoka found herself with Anakin half asleep in her arms having to bark for Alux and Enarion to stay closer to her every few minutes. Aeja she trusted enough to let her go on ahead, but she was still careful not to let her out of her sight.

Lux was too wrapped up in his thoughts to participate, but Ahsoka didn't mind. He was the one herding their kids around in her absence, so it was only fair. Besides, he had a lot on his mind. Jani had been his sister before Ahsoka had been his wife, even when none of them had known that yet. A person never got over a bond like that easily.

Then, as they were crossing the bridge over the River of Souls, which marked the boundary between the funeral plains and the rest of the jungle to the south, Ahsoka realized that Lux had fallen behind. She looked back to see him leaning against the pale stone railing, gazing down into the swirling eddies and fast-moving rapids that flashed with faint greenish-yellow light.

"Go on with your grandpa," Ahsoka said, bending down to put down Anakin and kiss each of her children in turn. "Daddy and I will catch up."

Anakin shook his head fervently, and even as she tried to pull him off, he clung to her leg. "But I wanna stay with you, Momma."

"I won't be gone long," she soothed, kissing his forehead again. "And if you're good for the rest of the walk back, I'll tell you about the time I first met Anakin Skywalker and how we retook Christophsis from the Separatists as your bedtime story. Same goes for you, Enarion, Alux, Aeja."

Anakin perked up almost immediately, his sleepiness forgotten, and his older brothers nodded eagerly. Aeja smiled, and motioned for them to race her back to where their grandfather was a little while up the path. As they scampered off, Ahsoka headed back to where Lux stood, wrapping her arms around him from behind and tucking her chin over his shoulder as soon as she was close enough.

For a few moments they stood in silence, focusing instead on the water below them. Then, just as Ahsoka was beginning to wonder if she was going to need to start asking questions, Lux spoke said, "I never even got to say goodbye."

"You can still talk to her," Ahsoka said. "This is her home. She's here all around you – she will be even after she reaches Anru'up. It's a lot closer than most people usually get."

"But it's still not enough." He was silent for a long moment, chewing at his lower lip. Then came the inevitable, "Ahsoka, I need to see it."

Ahsoka shook her head slowly against his shoulder; she knew exactly what he was talking about. "Lux, no. That's not what you need right now."

"And what if it is?" Lux's eyes were dark as he turned around, pulling out of her arms to to face her again. "I can take it, Ahsoka. You don't have to keep trying to protect me like this."

Ahsoka sighed and took his hands, holding them tightly. "Lux, I love you. You're the man I married – our eleventh wedding anniversary is in less than three months. You're the father of my children. I would do anything for you. I'm always going to try to protect you, just as you always try to protect me."

Lux nodded, twisting his fingers in her own to touch the ring around her fourth finger. She did the same, smiling to herself for a moment before saying, "She died honorably. She sacrificed herself to take the enemy down with her; to save our babies. I've told you the whole story three times over without sparing a single detail. Seeing it through my eyes will make no difference, I promise you."

Lux opened his mouth to say something, but she put a finger over his lips to stop him. "But you can't hold it over my head and threaten to shut me out until I do. I can't find a way to help you if you don't talk to me."

"It's not always easy," he murmured, reaching out to trace the patterns along her right lekku gently with the back of his hand. "You can never pin down exactly where to draw the line between the things we keep to ourselves, and the things we share with each other. And with everything we've seen, that's normal."

Ahsoka fitted herself into his arms, tucking her face into the crook of his neck. "Why does war have to take so many good people, Lux?" she asked him, her voice hardly rising above a whisper.

Lux just shook his head and wrapped his arms a little tighter around her. Ahsoka lost track of how long they were standing there lost in their own thoughts or simply each other, but she did know for a fact that it was way past suppertime by the time they got back to the house.

*It's a true blessing that Lux and Ahsoka have each other to turn to in these troubled times. But will being able to hide away in each other's arms be enough with what's to come? As the Sith continue to grow stronger, will Ahsoka really be ready to face the enemy she has long suspected is rising to face her? And without Jani to hold the Bonteri family together, will Lux finally decide to tell Kanan, who is already starting to suspect something, the truth about their family? You'll find out in the next thrilling chapter of The Unchronicled Adventures Of Ahsoka Tano! 

OH MY GODS

SHARRON ACTUALLY WROTE A TOUCHING AND SEMI-FLUFFY CHAPTER THAT DIDNT END OMINOUSLY

WHAT IS THIS WITCHCRAFT

Well let me tell you, I was gonna put something. But then I was like, nah, it doesn't really need it. I'll let the characters be (mostly) happy for once.

Lux and Ahsoka: THANK YOU, ITS ABOUT TIME

Aww shush get back in the fanfic you two, the cameras are still rolling. *pushes them back through the fourth wall* 

So anyways, this is the last chapter of the second-to-last episode arc. Next up... well, I don't want to spoil it if you don't know. But I think most of you already have a pretty good idea what the last arc of UAAT *ominous crash of thunder and flicker of lightning* is going to be about. If not, you'll know in a chapter or two. But until then...

Unravel the secrets to destroying your enemies allied with the Dark Side and may the Force be with you,

Sharron