Zelina was, to say the least, slightly annoyed.

Ever since Kedavo, she'd been treated by almost everyone like some fragile artifact that would shatter if treated the wrong way or if the wrong thing was said. She wanted to put the experience behind her and move on, but her so called well-wishers had been making that rather difficult recently.

Well...not everyone was treating her that way at least. Anakin was a little different since Kedavo, though Zelina had the feeling that was for other reasons, and Obi-Wan never mentioned it. The older Jedi had a knowing look in his eyes, but he'd never mentioned it even once.

"Zelina."

Speaking of Obi-Wan...

Zelina turned around from where she had been walking in the Jedi Temple, only mildly surprised to see the elder Jedi approaching her. She gave him a pleasant smile as he approached. "Obi-Wan; how are you?"

Obi-Wan smiled, but it didn't light up his eyes like his smile usually did. "That's what I was about to ask you."

Zelina frowned. "Oh, not you too."

Obi-Wan arched an eyebrow. "What?"

Zelina sighed, turning to continue down the hall. "Everyone has been treating me like glass, asking me repeatedly if I'm all right and they just keep bringing up Kedavo; I hate it, and I can see it in your eyes, you're going to bring it up too."

Obi-Wan sighed. "Yes, I'm going to bring it up, but not in the way you probably think," Obi-Wan said. When Zelina turned to question what he was talking about Obi-Wan gently grasped her arm and pulled her aside into the nearest unoccupied room. Befuddled, and sensing that Obi-Wan was rather serious at the moment, she let him direct her into the room and sit her down on one of the cushioned seats. Obi-Wan took the seat across from her, clasping his hands together as his gaze leveled on her.

"I'm not going to ask if you are okay; I know you're not," Obi-Wan said evenly. When Zelina moved to deny it, he raised a hand, effectively cutting her off. "Zelina, you were pulled back into slavery and had to endure things I know you believed you'd left far behind you, not to mention it was all to save Anakin from the same pain."

Zelina swallowed, looking away. He put it so bluntly, yet it felt so much more complicated than that. Obi-Wan sighed when she wouldn't meet his gaze.

"I know that you...care deeply for him. And I know that he's rather oblivious about it as well. I know that you acted out of those deep feelings you have for him, and that you experienced things no one can hope to understand all for him." Obi-Wan stared intently at her even though she wasn't looking at him. Obi-Wan sighed. "I think you should know that although he may not realize it, I can see that he has feelings for you just as deep as the feelings you hold for him, and he is well aware and appreciative of what you did for him."

Zelina looked up at Obi-Wan, suddenly very grateful that the older man had pulled her aside to talk to her. "How do you know?"

Obi-Wan's eyes twinkled. "You've known him since you were both little, but I've also shared a room with him and taught him for many, many years. I've picked up on a few mannerisms of his; trust me, I know." He smiled a little. "With how much you two know about each other, there are a few things you both repeatedly miss about one another."

Zelina stared at him for a few seconds before she nodded, fighting back the tightening of her throat from emotion. "Thank you, Obi-Wan...that means a lot." She looked down at her hands as she stood up, rubbing them together nervously. She knew Obi-Wan wasn't the best at emotional moments, but she decided to say it anyway. "You know, I may have known Anakin for most of my life, but...You're definitely the one that fits into the responsible big brother role for me, and I want to thank you for that, Obi-Wan. You're always there when I need you to be."

A strange look crossed Obi-Wan's features, and Zelina wasn't quite sure what that expression meant. She decided that it was unease at the open proclamation, and hurried to ease his worries. "In a completely Jedi, non-attachment way," she said with a small, wry smile.

By the time she'd finished her statement, Obi-Wan's face had morphed back into its usual mask of calm and serenity. He rose to his feet as well, eyeing her closely.

"You will be all right, though; honestly?" Obi-Wan asked carefully, studying her expression. Zelina paused, considering his question for a few more moments before she finally answered him.

"I'm the best I'm going to be right now; with a little more time, I think that I'll be back to normal," Zelina informed him honestly. She glanced down at the floor, then cast her gaze up to meet Obi-Wan's once again. "I'll see you another time Obi-Wan. Don't get into too much trouble, all right?"

Obi-Wan smiled faintly. "I should be asking you that," he replied. Zelina smiled, then turned around to continue on her way to meet with Cruiser. She needed to check how the 105th was doing morale-wise and see what she could do to help should it be low for whatever reason.

Though she was going to escape the Jedi Temple just as much as she was going to help her men. Sometimes she just needed away from the Jedi and around people who wouldn't notice her faults in following the Jedi Code.

At the thought, Zelina subconsciously touched her mother's necklace hidden under her tunics as always. There were just some things, and some people, she couldn't let go of, no matter how much the other Jedi in the order preached the no attachment principle. She just couldn't distance herself from some of her feelings, even if she'd wanted to.

**************************************************

"So, what's the big rush?" Anakin asked Obi-Wan. Ahsoka, Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Zelina were currently taking a stroll through the nightly streets of Coruscant, spending some much needed time away from all talk of the war.

At least they had been. Now they were returning to the Jedi Temple, and Obi-Wan was explaining why exactly they needed to be there so quickly when they had been perfectly content talking anything but the war a few minutes ago,

"The Jedi Council has called an emergency meeting," Obi-Wan explained breezily, though Anakin was quick to sigh and make another comment, cutting off an explanation of why it was an emergency meeting.

"I can see it now; another long, boring debate..."

"Would you rather they pull you in to train younglings?" Ahsoka asked him. Obi-Wan perked up at her statement as if he'd remembered something, turning to Zelina.

"That reminds me, Zelina; myself and several of the other Council Members, including Master Yoda, were wondering what you thought of taking on an apprentice."

Zelina was absolutely surprised at the sudden turn of conversation, and all eyes turned to her. However, what she would have said was lost as shots suddenly rang out, coming a hair's breath away from Obi-Wan as the eldest Jedi in the group turned away on instinct to dodge the shot. They all scattered, acting on instincts ingrained into them over the course of the war as they all took cover. Anakin and Ahsoka dodged behind one group of crates, while Zelina and Obi-Wan took up the crates on the other side.

"Any idea where that shot came from?" Obi-Wan asked as the blasterfire rained down on the four. Zelina tried to poke her head from around the corner, but there was heavy fire on the side she and Obi-Wan were hiding on. Ahsoka and Anakin, however, seemed to have a better angle, as Ahsoka was quick to respond.

"A sniper; I see him up there," she said loud enough for the other pair to hear. Obi-Wan and Zelina had to rear back as a shot came dangerously close to their faces, and the pair shared a quick glance, Obi-Wan launching into a plan of attack.

"All right, here's the plan; Anakin, you flank him on the right, Ahsoka, you cover the lower street, Zelina, you run ahead and try to cut him off. I'm going after him."

With that, all four of them activated their blades, two blue, one green, and one purple springing to life as they raced down the main street together before branching off. Anakin and Obi-Wan both took the roofs on either side, Ahsoka kept to the lower street at an even pace with the shooter, and Zelina booked it to cut the shooter off.

Zelina could hear blaster fire up above, and she occasionally saw the bolts cross over the rooftops towards Anakin's side. She kept moving, however, as their momentary pause had given her time to gain ground, drawing ahead of the group and leaping onto the same rooftop as Obi-Wan. Her placement kept the shooter from going anywhere, though it would have helped if she knew where he was. She couldn't quite see him at the moment. There were high-rises everywhere, and Zelina was perched dangerously at the highest point she could find, eyes searching below for her target.

"I lost him! Obi-Wan, Zelina, do you have him?" Anakin asked over their connected links.

"I've cut off his escape from the roof, but I don't see him yet," Zelina informed them, eyes still scanning for the shooter. She did see Obi-Wan step out from where he'd been standing, head moving slowly from side to side as he tried to pick out the sniper—

Phew!

"Arg!"

"Obi-Wan!"

Zelina watched events unfold in front of her in what seemed like slow motion as she and Anakin cried Obi-Wan's name, half of her brain screaming at her that Obi-Wan was injured, he'd been shot off of the roof and she'd watched his body falling to the ground before it dipped out of view, that he could be dead now. The other half, meanwhile, tracked the path of the bolt that had hit him backwards, and she quickly found the sniper who was currently putting his weapon away and making his break for it.

"I've got him! Go!" Zelina faintly heard Ahoska say. She didn't need any more prompt, as she was already racing to intercept the sniper.

The man never saw it coming.

Zelina dropped down from her higher ground and rammed right into him as hard as she could, sending the man flying into the wall closest to them. He hit with a sickening crack, and Zelina pounced on him in the next second, delivering a few powerful punches to the head that she said was just for good measure to be sure he was out cold, though really it was her losing control for a moment.

If Obi-Wan died because of this scum-bag...

Breathing heavily, Zelina shoved the man's limp body back to the ground, stepping back as she fought for control. She glared at him hatefully, kicking him onto his back before she paced further away as if putting distance between herself and the urge to kill him while no one was around to see. When she was sure she could master her tone, she got on her comm link to contact Anakin.

"I got him, go check on Obi-Wan, I'll be right there," Zelina said, shoving the comm link right back into her pocket without waiting for a reply. Not wanting to waste any more time than necessary on the sniper, Zelina stepped up and slung the man over her shoulder unceremoniously, starting at a brisk jog back to where Obi-Wan had been shot off of the roof. She could hear Anakin before she even got off of the rooftops of the building.

"Obi-Wan! Obi-Wan!"

The raw...devastation Zelina could feel coming off of Anakin in waves nearly sent her to her knees, and suddenly Zelina didn't need to be there to know what had happened, to know the ugly truth of what would be waiting for her down there on the street. Immediately Zelina was hit with a crippling pain of her own, tears flowing down her cheeks.

"No..." she whispered.

She had to see it to believe it. Despite Anakin's agonized cries for Obi-Wan, she had to see it herself before she would believe it.

She didn't really process what was happening as she leapt off of the roof of the building, dropping the sniper to the ground without a second thought as she approached the streetlight Anakin and Ahsoka were huddled under. Ahsoka had tears in her eyes and Anakin was shaking something just out of Zelina's point of view, and she had to push past the finally arrived local law enforcement officers that were rushing towards the sniper. Obi-Wan finally came into view and she had to struggle to stifle her cry, dropping to her kneels beside Anakin who was trying in vain to shake Obi-Wan awake. There was a smoking blaster wound right over Obi-Wan's heart, and the man wasn't even breathing.

Panic, raw, heartbreaking panic, seized Zelina's heart. No, she couldn't lose someone else, not another person she held dear, not Obi-Wan!

But yet it was right in front of her. She didn't want to give up, she wanted the man to breathe, but not even Anakin's efforts were working, and she was overcome by a feeling of helplessness. Zelina put her fingers to Obi-Wan's jugular, stretching out for the man's Force Presence.

Nothing.

Weeping, Zelina finally stopped her meaningless efforts, moving to place her hands to Anakin's back. As tears blurred her vision to where she couldn't see him, she clung to Anakin both to give comfort and to receive, her mind unable to accept the fact that Obi-Wan was...that he'd just been...right in front of her.

To her surprise, Anakin responded to her motion, putting an arm around her and pulling her into a tight embrace. It didn't matter that they were in public, it didn't matter that Ahsoka his apprentice was right in front of them, it didn't matter what anyone thought.

Right now, Zelina and Anakin were the two Tatooine children on Naboo consoling each other once again.

Anakin and Zelina held tight to one another and poured their grief out to one another through the Force and their tears. A grief Zelina felt would never end, because nothing could fix this.

Nothing could fix the fact that Obi-Wan Kenobi was dead, and that he'd been shot right before Zelina and Anakin's eyes.

*************************************

By the time that the funeral was held for Obi-Wan, Zelina had enough presence of mind to silently make the rounds among the attendants, focusing on Anakin, Satine, and Padme. Satine was practically inconsolable, just as Zelina felt, sobbing without end and trying to muffle the sound. Zelina stood beside her for quite some time with Padme on the other side, trying despite the fact she knew it was in vain to console the other woman. Eventually she gave up, moving to stand beside the stoic Anakin instead.

Anakin had locked himself away in his room and not spoken a word to anyone since the shooting, not even to Padme or Zelina. Zelina hated to think that he was shutting her out, but that was exactly what he was doing, and so far nothing she had done had changed that.

What was worse was that she'd sensed how he was internalizing things, how he was stewing in his anger and grief and pain. She was too, to a degree, but she was managing to focus on other things, like consoling the others, to get her mind off of it and avoid a complete breakdown. She would have gone to Anakin to receive solace, but of course he hadn't been available. She too was left to her pain, unable to help but think that now would be about the time when Obi-Wan stepped in to help her and talk to her.

Zelina remained silent at Anakin's side, knowing that now was not the time to try speaking with him; that time would come later. Right now, she just needed to offer her silent support.

It didn't matter that she was breaking apart on the inside, or that another piece of her had died with the passage of yet another loved one, or that she couldn't calm down enough to dispel her emotions into the Force to give her something of a reprieve, resulting in her bottling up all of the emotions raging inside of her.

What mattered was that she help those around her get through this first. Maybe after that they'd be able to help her too.

Zelina's current train of thought was interrupted as the platform with Obi-Wan's covered body slowly lowered into the ground, the floor sealing above it with a deep toned, resounding thud. A beam of orange light shot to the ceiling, signaling that his body was currently being burned.

This was it.

He was really gone now.

Even in body, there was nothing left.

Without realizing it, Anakin and Zelina simultaneously bowed their heads and squeezed their eyes shut. Though when they opened their eyes again, they held completely different emotions within their depths. Anakin's was full of a dark, grieving rage he did well to hide from the Council Members and other Jedi in the room, while Zelina's was an expression of a broken heart.

Yet for the first time, no one called either of them out for their obvious displays of attachment and, in Anakin's case, darker emotions.

********************************************

Rako Hardeen, after only one day of questioning by Master Windu, was immediately placed into Coruscant's high security prison, the same one that was currently holding the young Boba Fett, the bounty hunter Cad Bane, and criminal mastermind Moralo Eval. Knowing that Obi-Wan's murderer was behind bars where he couldn't hurt anyone else—well at least not anyone that Zelina particularly cared about—brought some comfort for her. Anakin obviously would have preferred a more...permanent punishment, but he was well aware that his desired punishment wouldn't be seen as anything other than revenge by many of those around him. Justice had been served, and even if Anakin still felt it wasn't enough—it never would be with the void Obi-Wan had left behind.

Anakin still hid within his room and Zelina, sensing that he would not be so receptive to a visitor, decided to go see Satine in the morning and try Anakin later. That was why she was currently at 500 Republica, sitting in Satine's living room, and watching wearily as the woman tried to pour the pair of them a drink with shaking hands. Finally, Zelina couldn't stand to watch it anymore and she gently put her hands over Satine's, standing up to help her keep her hands steady.

"Here..." Zelina murmured. Satine made a weak sound of frustration.

"I'm sorry, I should be able to pour a simple drink," Satine said in irritation, though her voice wasn't as strong as it normally was.

Zelina helped her pour the rest of the drinks, but she didn't take her hands away, gazing at Satine in concern. "How are you holding up? And Satine, please be honest with me."

The woman sighed and looked away, gazing out the window instead of at Zelina as they both took a seat on the couch. Several long moments of silence passed between them before Zelina saw a tear leak out of Satine's eyes.

"I can't believe he's really gone," Satine whispered. "It doesn't seem real."

Zelina felt her heart ache for the woman before her, her head bowed. "No, it doesn't," Zelina replied softly.

"And I never told him...I never had the chance..." Satine paused, taking a deep breath and trying to regather herself. "I'm sorry, I—"

"Satine, now is not the time to be a Duchess, or a politician of any kind," Zelina said, not unkindly. "Now is the time to grieve for a lost loved one, and to let yourself lean on friends."

Satine nodded, finally meeting Zelina's eyes as Zelina continued.

"Obi-Wan was never great at expressing his deeper feelings, but he did love you deeply," Zelina told the woman softly. "And he knew that you loved him as well, even if neither of you ever said so."

Satine smiled weakly. "Thank you, Zelina, but I've been ungracious; I know that Obi-Wan meant much to you and Master Skywalker as well. He's known the two of you since you were children, has he not? How are the two of you holding up?"

Zelina sighed. "I...I haven't really allowed myself to dwell on how I feel much. I'm trying to help everyone around me first. Maybe then I'll be able to process everything and lean on someone else in return," she spoke quietly. "I saw it happen and..."

She shook her head. "I'm more worried about Anakin right now. He's locked himself away and hasn't talked to anyone since, not even me." She cast her eyes downward. "And I know exactly how he feels because I've been where he is, and that's why I'm so worried about him."

Satine watched Zelina closely as the girl spoke, tipping her chin up so the younger girl would meet her gaze. "It sounds like perhaps you two need each other now and not later. He might not get through this without you, and you need someone in return to lean on. I'd offer, but I feel that it would be more effective for the two of you to support one another."

Zelina nodded. "I suppose you're right. I just hope he'll listen; he has a habit of pushing people away when he's hurting."

Satine placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure you'll get through to him."

Zelina hesitated. "What about you? Will you be all right?"

Satine nodded. "Given time...I will recover. Besides, I have other people that have been offering support, like Senator Amidala."

Zelina smiled at Satine. "Yes, Padme does have a very kind heart. If you need any support, Satine, I'll be here."

"I have no doubt you will, but I believe right now you have another friend who needs your support. I will be all right in the meantime, Zelina. Perhaps I'll even go to pay Padme a visit," Satine said, her politician mask back in place. Zelina shook her head, lifting her glass to her lips to take a drink. She wasn't going to leave without at least finishing her drink.

"I think Padme would appreciate the comfort. She knew Obi-Wan as well, and since Anakin's locked himself away she hasn't had him to lean on like usual."

Satine studied Zelina for a few moments, and Zelina suddenly felt a little uncomfortable before the woman spoke.

"She's the other woman, isn't she? The one that Skywalker loves," Satine suddenly said. Zelina found no reason to lie to her, giving a small nod.

"Yes, she is. And since she's another close friend of mine, I could never tell him and risk coming between them. She knows though, how I feel about him. But she also knows I wouldn't ever make an advance on him out of respect for their feelings for one another. Not that I could with the Jedi Code," Zelina said wistfully, looking away.

Satine's hand returned to Zelina's shoulder, and Zelina looked up at the woman. Satine had a few tears in her eyes. "You are a wonderful, rare being Zelina. I feel blessed to know you. I find your sacrifice touching, but you should know that from what I've seen, even if he does not realize it, he shares similar feelings for you."

Zelina smiled weakly, taking a sip from her drink. "Thank you, Satine. Maybe one day he will realize those feelings...maybe one day he'll find out how I feel." Zelina shrank at the thought, her mind flashing back to Zygerria. "Though I don't know if that would be the best with how committed he is to Padme. Things may never be the same between us again, and not necessarily for the better."

Satine gave her a sympathetic look. "You might be surprised."

Zelina nodded, finishing her drink and standing. "I better go see him, then. Make sure that he's all right..."

Satine rose as well, returning Zelina's nod. "That would be best. Take care, Zelina; I shall see you another time then."

Zelina inclined her head. "Another time. You take care as well Satine...I know Obi-Wan would want us to keep fighting even in the wake of his death," Zelina finished in a bare whisper before she turned and left, silent tears tracking down her face.

******************************************

It wasn't long before Zelina found herself standing in the hall outside of Anakin's quarters. She received several stares from passing Jedi wondering why she was just standing outside of the room, but she ignored them, working up her courage. Once she was certain she'd collected herself, she rapped gently against the door.

"Anakin...would you let me in, please?" Zelina called gently. This hadn't been the first time she'd tried and failed to get Anakin to open his door. She heard no reply and she heaved a sigh. "Anakin, I know you're in there, please let me in."

Still no reply. Zelina felt a sharp spike of hurt and frustration, and she turned her head away from the hall. "Anakin, he was my friend too."

There was several long moments of silence before, miraculously, the door opened and Zelina was admitted inside of Anakin's chambers. By the time she closed the door behind her he was already on the other side of the room, standing in a corner by his workbench. He had his back turned towards her, and Zelina felt another pang go through her heart. Wordlessly she entered his room, sitting on the bed that was situated close to Anakin's workbench. Several heartbeats of silence passed between them where neither of them so much as made eye contact. Anakin wasn't even tinkering with anything.

Finally, she broke the silence. "Say something, please?"

"What is there to say?" Anakin replied, his voice sharp.

Zelina sighed. "Anakin, you can't just lock yourself away—"

"Oh? And why can't I? You did!" Anakin snapped. "In fact, you're still locked away, and you almost never open up about anything. So why am I not allowed to?"

"Because Obi-Wan wouldn't want you to," Zelina said just as sharply, standing up as Anakin rounded on her.

"Obi-Wan's not here!"

"Which is why I'm the one telling you," Zelina responded a little harsher than she meant to. She released a long breath, forcing herself to meet Anakin's blazing gaze. "I didn't say anything at first because you're allowed time to grieve, Anakin, but we all have to keep going, if not for ourselves than for those around us or for the ones we've lost. Besides, this isn't you! You never lock yourself away no matter how bad things get. At the worst you internalize and explode at the worst moment, so why lock yourself away now?"

Anakin turned away from her with a sound of aggravation deep in his throat. "You don't understand—"

"Anakin Skywalker, don't you dare tell me I don't understand," Zelina growled in a dangerous tone that actually caused him to shrink and turn back around to face her warily. "Don't you dare forget that I've been right where you are, except my master's killer is still at large and causing a large amount of the suffering in the galaxy. Especially don't forget that I cared about Obi-Wan too, and that he was like a brother to me as well."

Here her voice cracked and she looked away, fresh tears springing to her eyes. "And while you've shut everyone out, you've also managed to forget that you're not the only one suffering because of this. You haven't even visited Padme—believe me, I know, because I had to be the one to comfort her over the news since you went right to your quarters and locked yourself away."

Zelina crossed her arms over her chest as if to hold in all of the pain. "What happened to being there for one another, Ani? Because I've wanted to be here for you, and I've needed you here for me, and yet you've been hiding in here by yourself. Never mind that you haven't even seen your wife," Zelina said in a soft, accusing tone. Her eyes were now squeezed shut to hold the tears at bay.

"I know Obi-Wan wouldn't want you to do any of this. He'd want us to grieve, and then keep fighting for the cause he gave his life for." She shook her head. "At least you received some justice by seeing to it that Hardeen was locked away."

She jumped when, moments after saying that, she felt arms wrapping around her, finding herself within Anakin's embrace. He crushed her towards his chest, his arms holding her fast as his face buried into her hair. Shocked, it took Zelina a few moments to hide her face within his chest, though her surprise only increased when she felt Anakin's tears wetting her hair. That prompted her own emotions to catch up to her, and she started to cry into his chest as well, welcoming the comfort his arms presented to her as she snaked her own arms around his torso to constrict him in an equally tight hug.

"I just can't accept that he's gone. He can't be," Anakin whispered gruffly into Zelina's ear. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, letting her sob at his words slip free.

"I know, I...I can't either," Zelina replied quietly. "He survived so much more—a Sith, a shipwreck, so many odds stacked against us—it's almost impossible to believe he'd...that a sniper, of all things..."

After that statement, they didn't speak. They simply held each other and let their emotions flow over for only each other's eyes to see. Before she left, Zelina made Anakin promise her to go see his wife and Padawan, as well as to try and get his life going again. Only then did she leave, feeling slightly better after the moment she'd shared with him.

Of course, none of them had counted on Rako Hardeen breaking out of jail with Cad Bane and Moralo Eval only a few days after Obi-Wan's death.