So, brown eyes, I'll hold you near
'Cause you're the only song I want to hear
A melody softly soaring through my atmosphere

- Death Cab for Cutie

V

The smell of another fire tickled her nose as she gradually came to, and she opened her blinking eyes to the sight of sunlight streaming in through the cave.

"So, you're finally up, are you, Dreaming Beauty?" the rifleman's voice greeted her. She looked up sharply to see him already garbed in his ammunition and cloak, standing over a smoldering fire with a spinning rack of ribs. "Have breakfast. I'm going to scout for a while, and then we can leave for your camp."

He was gone for twenty minutes, more than enough time for Shaak Ti to finish her breakfast and prepare to leave. As she adjusted her cloak, she felt something suddenly sharp in her pocket. She pulled it out with a curious glance. Her blue lightsaber crystal shimmered back at her in response.

It was a shame that they were so different, she and the rifleman. In another time, she was very certain that they would have been great friends. But as things stood now…

She frowned, heard some rocks clattering together as her rescuer began to climb up the cliff wall, and quickly stowed the crystal back into her pocket.

He stuck his wrapped head over the lip of the cave. "Are you ready to leave?"

"Yes."

"Then let's go. And I hope your ankle's better, because there is no chance I am dragging you all the way back down this cliff."

The swelling had gone down during the night, and with only minimal discomfort, the young Togruta managed her way down the cliff side. At the bottom, the rifleman waited for her and helped her from the rock without a word.

In similar silence, the two plunged into the forest, trekking back through the plants without a noise between them.

Shaak Ti couldn't guess at what her companion was thinking. She could only know that she herself was feeling a surprising amount of sadness. This could very well be the last time she would see him, this alien man who had saved her life, guided her, sheltered her, spoken with her about so many things.

She curled her fingers around the crystal in her pocket. Not yet. Wait for a moment.

They walked together for an hour or so, brushing past the leaves, wet from last night's healing rain. Once or twice, he wordlessly waited for her as she and her limping ankle attempted to navigate through a particularly malicious area of underbrush. During these moments, she attempted to gauge what he was feeling behind the skull mask and the golden eyes, but he only turned his head away when she met his gaze, and her efforts were fruitless.

Finally, she began to recognize the woodlands. She was approaching her camp. Sure enough, they began to see light coming through the branches of the trees, and a small group of white tents in the distance.

"This is where we must part company," the rifleman spoke for the first time since the start of the journey. "I'm sure you can find your way from here, can't you?"

She nodded wordlessly. Excitement had risen in her throat at the sight of her Master's familiar campsite, but at the words, "part company," she felt her heart sink.

"Farewell, Shaak Ti," he muttered. "I wish you all happiness in the life you have chosen."

He began to move away, back into the forest. But she couldn't let him leave. At least, not without one last thing.

She grasped his arm before he had a chance to fully escape. "Wait."

He paused and looked down at her with his vivid golden stare. She looked back into his eyes for what she was sure was the last time and allowed a tiny spark of her soul to color her gaze, making sure he could see that not all Jedi were emotionless hypocrites.

"I want you to have this," she said, sliding her vivid red hand down his forearm to his palm and pressing the cool blue crystal between their skin.

She let her fingers fall away and watched as his eyes lit up with wonder at the glowing stone. "What's this?"

"To remember me," she explained, feeling her cheeks heat up. "I won't ever forget this, forget you, and just…I want to make sure that you don't forget me."

He stared at the crystal with wide eyes before lifting his gaze to hers. "It would take nothing short of brain surgery to ever make me forget you, Shaak Ti."

She ducked her head, praying he didn't notice the glow in her cheeks. "Maybe not, but…you will keep it, won't you?"

"It's the most precious gift any friend has ever given me," he replied with a smile. "I'll never forget you, Jedi, never in a lifetime."

It was a piecrust promise—easily made, easily broken—but she allowed herself to believe it just the same. "I will fight for your people. I promise. These atrocities won't go on."

He shook his head with another gentle look in his eyes. "You are young, Shaak Ti. We both are. We will change, I know we will, and neither of us can change our destinies. But all the same…I'm glad to have met you."

"And you," she smiled. She wanted to say more, but she couldn't find the words. She began to back away into the trees towards camp, where she could hear the faint sounds of her Master calling her name. "Until we meet again, may the Force be with you."

He tipped his head, slipped the crystal into a pocket of his belt, and bid her, "Farewell, Shaak Ti. My friend."

Then, he melted away into the forest.

She stood there, looking after him for a long while before she suddenly realized she had never even asked his name.

Thirty minutes later, the rifleman was making his way back towards his village, feeling the warm blue crystal glow in his pocket. What would he do with the gem? For now, he had nothing in mind, but he had a feeling an idea would come to him later.

He heard a roar and looked to the sky to watch as a Jedi Starfighter rose into the air and disappeared in a flash of light, carrying with it the young Jedi female who had given him a fleeting moment of hope.

"Goodbye, Shaak Ti," he said quietly to the forest. "I hope we might meet again, under different circumstances, and I hope we can still be friends."

With that, the young Qymaen jai Sheelal turned with a sweep of his cape, and a lightsaber crystal in his pocket, and vanished into the trees.

A/N: Lots of time-line errors probably. Some reference issues. Shaak Ti was probably older even before the Huk wars started, but hey, that would've screwed up the story! XP Please review and point out my mistakes!

Updated A/N: Well, that is this labor of love finished. I didn't realize they had disabled copy/paste on this site, and I thus had to retype this entire thing (I have no idea where the original is, some dusty hard drive in a desk drawer somewhere). But all the effort just reminded me of how much I am still in love with this crackmess of a ship. Lord. They need their own AU where the pair of them just travel the galaxy fighting injustice together (as suggested by several wonderful reviewers over the years).

And speaking of reviewers: you guys. Seriously. I reread the feedback after I finished typing this up, thinking, "Does anybody even like this one?" and holy cow. Just. Words cannot describe. My sincerest gratitude to each and every one of you. I do have some nebulous plans for Qymaen and Shaak floating around in my brain. Don't know when they'll be posted (if ever), but my humblest thanks to all of you. You make this all worthwhile.