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Author	Topic: There is no Death; there is the Force (Anakin and Tahiri bikini challenge)
Kissa Registered: Jan '06	Date Posted: 3/8/06 1:34pm Subject: There is no Death; there is the Force (Anakin and Tahiri bikini challenge)
	Title: There is no Death; there is the Force Author: Kissa Characters: Tahiri, Anakin Timeframe: NJO Summary: Note: Written for Anakin and Tahiri challenge. The highlighted word is part of the challenge. Nothing hurts more than watching the one you love in pain. She was staying in a rundown, cheap hotel on Togoria. Her slender body was lying listlessly on a lumpy mattress with a thin tattered sheet and scratchy blanket. Her curly blond hair was fanning her face, resting on a flat, stained pillow. I reached out to her, wanting to say something to make things better. But that was impossible. The only thing that could make her better was me. And I was dead. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that if I had known what my death would do to her, I wouldn’t have done what I had done. As right as my actions felt, I would have done things differently. But then again, maybe we’d all be dead that way. Tahiri raised one hand, and trailed her fingers across the vertical scars on her forehead. Her eyes, once vibrant and green, had faded to a duller hue since my death. Her lips were moving, mumbling something. I strained against the barriers between worlds, struggling to hear her words. ”There is no Death; there is the Force.” ”There is no Death; there is the Force.” ”There is no Death; there is the Force.” Over and over she repeated the end of the Jedi Code. I swallowed hard. There was something in her murmured words. Despair. I didn’t like it. I watched helpless as she slowly lifted her lightsaber and pressed it against the side of her head. “There is no Death; there is the Force.” Her finger hesitated over the initiation switch and I panicked. “No Tahiri!” I shouted. I ran forward, my unseen spirit body covering the scant meter between us in a heartbeat. “Don’t!” I half-commanded, half-begged. Never before had I been able to break through the barrier between the living and the Dead. To appear before anyone in spirit form was beyond my skills. But my desperation gave me the strength to try even if it was in vain. She dropped the weapon onto the worn bed. With a flash of blond curls, she shot to her feet, causing the old bedsprings to creak in protest. “Anakin!” She raced forward, wrapping her arms around me. “Tahiri . . .” I whispered, shocked and confused. How could she be holding me? I was dead and a spirit. She should have just passed right through me. But she didn’t. “How is this possible?” she demanded. I gave a helpless little shrug of my shoulders, and regretted it as she shook with sudden fear. “You’re just my imagination, aren’t you?” “No,” I said hastily. “I’m here. I was worried about you.” Her face brightened. “You were?” Solemnly I nodded, an indescribable thrill arching through me at the sight of her brightened features. This was the Tahiri I remembered from our childhood. This was the Tahiri I had grown to love. But the shadows were still there. I needed some way to chase them away forever. A way to show her how to be happy – how to live with a joyous bounce to her barefooted step. Creating a happiness that would last beyond my no doubt soon to be short lived visit was a serious problem. Fortunately I have always been a good problem solver. I took her hand, and led her out of the scum-dive inn. “Where are we going?” she asked, her hand tight against mine. I looked around, searching for something to implement Plan A. (Plan A consisted mostly of simply searching for something that would make a good plan.) My eyes fell on a window display in a brightly lit tourist shop. “There,” I said, pointing with my free hand. Tahiri looked at the shop skeptically. “I’m just dreaming of you, aren’t I?” “No,” I hastened to say. Had it always been this hard to talk to her? No, I decided. It wasn’t that it was hard to talk to her, it was that every word I said counted more than it had ever counted before. “I’m really here.” “Forever?” I shook my head sadly. “For now.” Her eyes misted. “I don’t want now to ever end.” I didn’t know what to say, so I put my foot in my mouth. Well, not literally. Instead of giving a decent response to her emotions, I said. “I wanna see you in an “itsy-bitsy-teeny-weeny-yellow-polka-dot-bikini.” Internally I cringed, ashamed of saying something so stupid. Here she was, more or less alone, heartbroken and suicidal and I was talking about polka dot bikinis. To my surprise, she laughed. “That’s so like you Anakin.” Her face sobered. “And at the same time, so foreign to me.” She squeezed my fingers lightly. “I’ve missed you.” That I could respond to. “I miss you too –“ I started to say, but she was already running the last few feet to the tourist shop. “Come on Anakin! Keep up. I’m going to buy that bikini you wanna see me in.” Inside the shop, we searched racks of swimsuits until we found one that was close to what I had called for. It was canary yellow with less fabric than a skimpy blindfold. And there were darker yellow polka dots adorning the itsy-bitsy pieces of fabric. “Are you going to try it on?” I asked, eyeing the teeny-weeny bit of fabric. She rolled her eyes. “Of course.” We made our way to the changing rooms and the first problem came up. I started to let go of her hand, and hers convulsed around me. “No!” she shouted, drawing the attention of several other customers. “Don’t let me go; don’t ever let me go!” “Tahiri,” I soothed. What I wanted to say – the logical thing to say – was: You have to try the bikini on. I have to wait out here. Instead I said, “I’ll never let you go. Even if I’m gone, I’ll be right here beside you.” Her desperate fear ebbed and she guided me into the changing rooms. “This might get a bit tricky,” she confessed as she stripped out of her Jedi robes. That was a bit of an understatement. Getting undressed and redressed with one hand is hard enough, but when the missing hand is connected to someone else’s hand . . . Well, let’s just say that certain pieces of clothes were cut off to preserve our physical connection. Then there was the more serious matter of me seeing Tahiri naked. I looked away the second she lost her top, and felt heat flush across my face. Stang, I thought, I didn’t know that spirits could blush. “What’s wrong?” Tahiri asked. “N-nothing,” I stammered. “You’re lying. Tell me what’s wrong!” she commanded. She stopped attempting to fasten the bikini around her breasts and stepped closer to me. “Anakin, I want to help you.” “I’d like it if you hurried up and got dressed.” “Why!” she exploded. “You don’t think I’m good enough to be –“ I pressed my free hand against her mouth. “It’s not like that, Tahiri. It’s more like I’m not comfortable with nudity.” She licked her lips, her tongue flickering across my fingers in the process. She looked ready to either accept my statement or continue to take offense. I didn’t give her a chance to do either. Instead I tried to placate her with a complimentary request. “I just wanna see you in you itsy-bistsy-teeny-weeny-yellow-polka-dot-bikini.” “Okay, you’re forgiven. I can’t stay mad at you anyway.” Silently I wished that dying had made girl’s make more sense. And in particular, the one in front of me. She was still very much an enigma to me. A puzzle that I never had been able to figure out. A riddle that I had hoped to spend my life figuring out. Too bad the Force had other plans; too bad my “destiny” had gotten in the way of what would have been a lifetime of exploration and love. Tahiri had the bikini on now. “What do you think?” I answered instantly and honestly. “It looks good, but you’re kind of pale. What happened to your tan?” “What’s wrong with my –“ Yikes! I’d messed up again. Sooner or later I was going to say something right. Something that would make her smile and forget about suicide. Something that she could look back on and feel joy in the remembering. And not a bittersweet joy either. I said, “Let’s go to the beach,” and then cringed at the words. Those weren’t words that she would find joy in remembering. I had to do better than this. But she was smiling again. “Okay.” By the time we arrived at the beach, the sun was just starting to set. We walked hand in hand through the fine sand – Tahiri in her new bikini and me in my Jedi robes. “Ooooh look!” she gasped, pointing at the horizon. I looked, not sure what I was looking for. As far as I could see was an expanse of pink and gold tinged water with streaks of violet reflected from the sky. And then there was the sky, which was the same shade as the water, but only more vibrant. There didn’t seem to be anything worth looking at . . . unless she was pointing to the sunset. I stared at her studiously. “Beautiful,” I murmured, meaning her. “Yes,” she agreed, talking about the sunset. She shuddered abruptly. “I hate sunsets.” I started. “What? Why?” “They bring night. Night brings darkness. The darkness fills me up. It consumes me in despair. Despair leads to you.” “And do –“ I hesitated, and then plowed ahead. If I ended up putting my foot so far down that I swallowed it, I certainly didn’t deserve Tahiri. “And do I lead to love?” “Love?” “Does thinking about me ever make you think about love?” She nodded slowly. “Yes.” “Love is good –“ “Every time I think of you, I think of love. But then I know that you – you are dead. And my love will never be answered –“ “That’s a lie!” I shouted forcefully. She flushed. “It is not. When I think of you, I feel love –“ “Your love is answered. I love you!” She stared at me stunned. “Anakin . . .” I looked at her, equally shocked at my outburst. “Tahiri, I love you.” “You’re gone.” “I’m with you everyday,” I whispered. “I watch you. I worry about you. I love you.” My throat constricted painfully. “When you placed your lightsaber against your temple . . . when you considered ending it all . . . I hurt. I don’t want you to die.” “There is no Death; there is –“ “I want you to live, Tahiri.” “Without you . . . I can’t.” She looked away, eyes staring unfocused at the brilliant sunset. “I’ve been dead since you died. Something vital inside me was extinguished. Something that I need more than air or water.” “I never left you,” I repeated. “I’m like a planet who’s sun has exploded. Without the heat from your fire, I’m nothing. I’m wilting away, the cold, vacant, and unforgiving blanket of space is stripping me of all that I once was. I am a dying planet. I –“ I drew her closer to me, still holding her hand. “I can’t have been your sun,” I said. “You were mine. The heat to my universe.” “Twin suns . . .” she sighed. “Like Tatoonie.” She looked down at her feet and wiggled her toes in the sand. Then she flopped down, hauling me into a sitting position. “You know, it’s kind of like we’re arguing over who was more important to who.” I sighed. “You’re right. But . . .” and here I hesitated. “I want you to live. Be happy.” Tahiri sighed too. “But I’m selfish. I don’t want to live without you. I don’t want to be happy without you.” She laughed softly and bitterly. “I’m not like you. I’m not selfless. I don’t think I could sacrifice myself –“ “I’m not selfless,” I said stubbornly. “I’m every bit as selfish as you are. I want you to live.” She digested that in silence. “If I die, we can be together.” That felt wrong. “Live. Be happy. And when your life ends naturally . . . we’ll be together.” “How can you ask something like that of me?” Tahiri demanded, a bit indignantly. I didn’t have an answer. Plan A wasn’t working. We sat silently on the beach, watching the sunset fade into the inky blackness of night. And as night set in, I felt my connection to Tahiri waver. This moment together was almost over. I felt like I hadn’t accomplished anything worthwhile. I hadn’t said or done anything that she would be able to look back on and love without bitterness. “I love you.” Her fingers tightened against my hand as it slowly became translucent. With a shuddering breath she said, “I love you.” I smiled sadly. “Wanna watch ewoks dance?” Stupid foot, get out of my mouth. That wasn’t what I had meant to ask. Tahiri, predictably, frowned at me. “What are you talking about?” A lopsided grin spread across my face. “Our first kiss. You told me that you had a tribe of ewoks dancing in your head. Do you remember?” “Oh,” she said softly. “Yeah. I remember.” My smile widened. “I’ll bet they get really rowdy this time.” “Huh?” I leaned forward and pressed my mouth against hers. “Before I kissed you when I thought we were going to die. This time I kissed you in an itsy-bitsy-teeny-weeny-polka-dot-bikini.” I kissed her again and pulled back, looking into her green eyes. “How are the ewoks?” “Kiss me again.” I obliged her, pouring all of my love and passion into the merging of our lips. “Live for me,” I whispered when I broke the kiss. “Promise me that you’ll live for me.” “I-I . . . promise,” she said softly. I let go of her, not wanting to feel our scant contact vanish. Slowly I stood up. “I have to leave now, Tahiri. Now is up.” “Don’t go.” Her voice trembled and she stood shakily, turning away from me. “Don’t leave me to the cold darkness of night. Don’t go.” I wrapped my arms around her, but didn’t feel her body beneath me. Careful not to move through her body, I held her in my phantom embrace. “You are light, Tahiri. My light. And you can vanquish any darkness – internal or external.” I released her from the touch less embrace, and she spun around. “Anakin, don’t go!” And she flung her arms out, falling toward me. Striving to hug my body close to hers. Instead she fell through my ghostly form. She crashed into the fine sand, and lay there sobbing. “Anakin . . . Anakin . . . I love you so much. Don’t go.” “I’m never far away,” I said slowly and softly. “I follow you everywhere. I watch your every move. And when you smile, it makes my death bearable. It makes the universe seem good and just. My happiness depends on your smile, your happiness.” Then I vanished. ** Tahiri woke in a scum-dive, cheap inn. Beneath her body the mattress was lumpy, and the blankets scratchy. In her hand she held a lightsaber, thumb on the depression stud. “Anakin . . .” she whispered, memories of a sunset beach tugging at her emotions. It had been a dream. Anakin wasn’t close to her. He was far away, beyond her in the realm of death. But soon, she would be with him. But not like this. She moved the lightsaber from the side of her head and rested it against her chest. She would let the beam penetrate her heart and . . . But as she looked down at her chest, her eyes slowly focused on . . . something brilliant yellow, with dark polka dots. She sat up slowly, listening to the springs groan. She was dressed in an itsy-bitsy-teeny-weeny-yellow-polka-dot-bikini. She looked around the room quickly. “Anakin?” There was no answer, but she could swear that she felt a ghostly embrace around her, holding her in a tender hug. Live for me. That’s what he wanted her to do. She took a long, slow breath. She would honor his request. -----signature----- Padawn to NYCitygurl I'm more Word Processor than human; Twisted by plot bunnies and feedback cravings! Replica: Sequel to Replaced: http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/24053902/p3
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Whitey Registered: Jan '03	Date Posted: 3/8/06 2:02pm Subject: RE: There is no Death; there is the Force (Anakin and Tahiri bikini challenge)
	The 2nd entry! Sad, but with a touch of humor. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but not in astonishment or shock or disgust like our first entry. -----signature----- "I really didn't rub against his bicep? I mean, it had an elbow."
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Imperial-Hippy Registered: Feb '06	Date Posted: 3/8/06 2:39pm Subject: RE: There is no Death; there is the Force (Anakin and Tahiri bikini challenge) - Date Edited: 3/8/06 2:39pm (1 edits total) Edited By: Imperial-Hippy
	Hey! thanks Whitey! Come on you cant tell me you didnt find it funny. Or maybe i just have a twisted sence of Humour. I am a Monty Python fan after all. Anyway. Nice fic Kissa. Reminds me of a song fic i did .... well done. -----signature----- "The only path to emortality is in the hearts of thoes who you love."
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Whitey Registered: Jan '03	Date Posted: 3/8/06 2:40pm Subject: RE: There is no Death; there is the Force (Anakin and Tahiri bikini challenge)
	Hey! thanks Whitey! Come on you cant tell me you didnt find it funny. Or maybe i just have a twisted sence of Humour. I am a Monty Python fan after all. I found it funny, but I also wanted to poke my eyes out. -----signature----- "I really didn't rub against his bicep? I mean, it had an elbow."
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Imperial-Hippy Registered: Feb '06	Date Posted: 3/8/06 3:10pm Subject: RE: There is no Death; there is the Force (Anakin and Tahiri bikini challenge)
	Whitey posted: I found it funny, but I also wanted to poke my eyes out. now you know how Tahiri felt. -----signature----- "The only path to emortality is in the hearts of thoes who you love."
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YodaKenobi Title: TFN EU Staff Registered: May '03	Date Posted: 3/8/06 3:31pm Subject: RE: There is no Death; there is the Force (Anakin and Tahiri bikini challenge)
	“I’d like it if you hurried up and got dressed.” “Why!” she exploded. “You don’t think I’m good enough to be –“ I pressed my free hand against her mouth. “It’s not like that, Tahiri. It’s more like I’m not comfortable with nudity.” What's wrong with this kid? Tahiri, predictably, frowned at me. “What are you talking about?” A lopsided grin spread across my face. “Our first kiss. You told me that you had a tribe of ewoks dancing in your head. Do you remember?” That was cute Very sad but heart-warming piece, Kissa Anakin certainly has some strange requests in the afterlife Love your writing style, and there were some cute A/T moments in there. Nicely done -----signature----- FADA Therapist The Lands of the Dead: http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/28522077/p1/ Blood Trail: http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/28636429/p1 "We're Jedi, not assassins."— Anakin Solo
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Kissa Registered: Jan '06	Date Posted: 3/13/06 5:53am Subject: RE: There is no Death; there is the Force (Anakin and Tahiri bikini challenge)
	YodaKenobi Very sad but heart-warming piece, Kissa Anakin certainly has some strange requests in the afterlife Love your writing style, and there were some cute A/T moments in there. Thank-you Whitney The 2nd entry! Sad, but with a touch of humor. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but not in astonishment or shock or disgust like our first entry. Hmm... I'll have to read the first entry. Imperial-hippy Anyway. Nice fic Kissa. Reminds me of a song fic i did .... well done. Thanks. -----signature----- Padawn to NYCitygurl I'm more Word Processor than human; Twisted by plot bunnies and feedback cravings! Replica: Sequel to Replaced: http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/24053902/p3
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fordefan327 Registered: Apr '06	Date Posted: 4/6/06 3:16pm Subject: RE: There is no Death; there is the Force (Anakin and Tahiri bikini challenge)
	oh, that was beautiful it made me cry. i love tahiri -----signature----- Dance like nobody's watching. Love like you've never been hurt. Sing like nobody's listening. Live like it's Heaven on Earth. Proud Padawan of flowerbee
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brodiew Registered: Oct '05	Date Posted: 4/6/06 4:34pm Subject: RE: There is no Death; there is the Force (Anakin and Tahiri bikini challenge) - Date Edited: 4/7/06 10:21am (1 edits total) Edited By: brodiew
	How did I miss this one? I thought I had gotten to all the A/T bikini responses. I look for to this Kissa, but I have no time today. I'll be back... Interesting story, Kissa. I like it. I was really captivated by Tahiri's pain in the opeing section. Anakin's appearance then turned the feel more fun, with a bit of foreboding. Then there was the more serious matter of me seeing Tahiri naked. I looked away the second she lost her top, and felt heat flush across my face. Stang, I thought, I didn’t know that spirits could blush. This was cute and fun. Perhaps Anakin doth protest too much? Finally, Tahiri awakens in the scum-dive dressed in that bikini. Good ending. -----signature----- Drabble Babble the Third: http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/29083113/p1/?23
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Kissa Registered: Jan '06	Date Posted: 5/17/06 4:25pm Subject: RE: There is no Death; there is the Force (Anakin and Tahiri bikini challenge)
	brodiew How did I miss this one? I thought I had gotten to all the A/T bikini responses. I look for to this Kissa, but I have no time today. I'll be back... And you were back . . . Interesting story, Kissa. I like it. I was really captivated by Tahiri's pain in the opeing section. Thanks. Anakin's appearance then turned the feel more fun, with a bit of foreboding. Again. Thanks. This was cute and fun. Perhaps Anakin doth protest too much? He seemed a bit uncertain about his feelings for Tahiri . . . well, on the proper way to express them anyway in pro-fic. I thought it fit. Finally, Tahiri awakens in the scum-dive dressed in that bikini. Makes you wonder, doens't it? Good ending. A million thanks. fordefan327 oh, that was beautiful it made me cry. i love tahiri Glad you liked it. -----signature----- Padawn to NYCitygurl I'm more Word Processor than human; Twisted by plot bunnies and feedback cravings! Replica: Sequel to Replaced: http://boards.theforce.net/beyond_the_saga/b10477/24053902/p3
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Handmaiden_Azul Registered: Dec '05	Date Posted: 8/28/06 1:45pm Subject: RE: There is no Death; there is the Force (Anakin and Tahiri bikini challenge)
	Aww, this was cute.
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Jek_Windu Registered: Jan '03	Date Posted: 8/28/06 3:20pm Subject: RE: There is no Death; there is the Force (Anakin and Tahiri bikini challenge)
	Nice. -----signature----- Tryanids: You don't have enough bullets! Imperial Guard: YES WE DO! R.I.P. Trini
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