Disclaimer:
Star Wars is not mine, all rights to Lucas and whoever else was involved.
Author's note:
I've no idea what this is, I started typing and this came out so...good luck with that.
"Yoda keeps looking at me weirdly." Sixteen-year-old Obi-Wan Kenobi complains to his friend Garen Muln, Garen turns to look over his shoulder, and sure enough there's Yoda, looking at Obi-Wan.
"Maybe he's internally correcting your posture since we aren't in class so he can't do it aloud." Obi-Wan looks at him like he's a daft git.
"Garen, he both could and would walk right over here and correct my posture should he feel it necessary. And no one would even bat an eye at him doing so in the middle of the commissary." Garen chuckles, looking back at his friend.
"Truth." He goes back to eating. A few minutes later Obi-Wan stands suddenly, gathering his tray.
"We should go."
"What, why?" Garen looks up, confused even as he begins gathering his tray as well.
"Because my Grandmaster joined Master Yoda and now they're both watching me weirdly." Garen unsubtly looks over again and sees Dooku and Yoda speaking quietly to one another as they look away as though they hadn't been watching the two boys.
"Yeah, we should go."
"Master, something decidedly…odd happened today in the commissary." Obi-Wan tells his Master during their evening saber practice.
"Oh?" Obi-wan drops his position, frowning. Qui-Gon raises an eyebrow causing Obi-Wan to retake position before continuing the conversation.
"Well, first it was just Master Yoda. He was sitting in the commissary on his own, with no food."
"Perhaps he was enjoying the presence of other Jedi. I imagine being Grandmaster of the Order gets lonely sometimes." Obi-Wan bites his lip, considering.
"Yes, I suppose it would. It's just that…well, then he started watching me. I'd feel eyes on me, look up, and he'd be watching me. After the third time he stopped even looking away when I caught him." Qui-Gon chuckles.
"It sounds as though he was trying to get a rise out of you my Padawan." Obi-Wan merely furrow his brows.
"I could perhaps accept that if not for what happened next."
"And what was that Padawan mine?"
"Master Dooku joined him at his table." This gives Qui-Gon pause.
"All right, that is indeed odd. But not necessarily cause for concern." Obi-Wan once again drops his saber to his side.
"He started watching me too. Neither were subtle about. Garen and I quickly decided to retreat." Qui-Gon drops position as well, giving up on getting his student to focus until this was dealt with.
"Honestly Padawan, I was not even aware my Former-Master was on Coruscant, so I've no explanation for the behaviour of the elder generations from our lineage."
"But doesn't that in itself strike you as odd? Why wouldn't Grandmaster have told you? Wouldn't he want to see his former-padawan?" Qui-Gon sighs.
"Obi-Wan, you know Master Dooku and I never had the greatest of relationships. I suspect he is in temple without my knowing about it frequently. Or, as frequently as one can get when they spend as little time here as possible."
"Then why see Master Yoda?" Qui-Gon opens his mouth to respond before closing it again, sighing, and massaging between his brows.
"I do not know Obi-Wan, it is indeed strange." They are quiet for a while before Obi-Wan pipes up again.
"You know…we are all the living members of our lineage, are we not?" Qui-Gon watches him warily before nodding slowly.
"As far as I am aware. I know next to nothing about Master Yoda's master, but I can't imagine they are alive now." Obi-Wan nods thoughtfully, "What are you thinking Padawan?"
"Just that it might be interesting to have the both of them over for dinner, it is, after all, so very rare that all four of us are on Coruscant at the same time." Qui-Gon looks deeply amused though also intrigued.
"Are you truly so desperate to have answers that you would willingly subject yourself to that?" Obi-Wan frowns, bites his lip, and furrows his brows once more. Qui-Gon almost laughs at the sight, then Obi-Wan stands up straight.
"Yes Master, I am." Qui-Gon grins at his Padawan.
"Good, because so am I." He gets his comm out and calls his Master, Obi-Wan's trepidation growing with every moment passing, yet also his determination to see this through.
"Qui-Gon, what a coincidence, I was just about to call you myself." Qui-Gon's eyes widen, Obi-Wan looking slightly smug, Qui-Gon glares at his apprentice.
"Wonderful timing then I suppose."
"Indeed, Master Yoda and I were wondering if you and young Kenobi would like to join us for a friendly sparring match in a half hour?" Qui-Gon openly looks at his comm in confusion, Obi-Wan now the wide-eyed. He nods when his Master looks to him questioningly, though the thought of sparring with those three opponents is rather intimidating to him.
"We would be honoured my Master. Which salle?"
"Oh the third will do, just wait for us there." He ends the call, leaving Qui-Gon sputtering silently.
"Something wrong Master? Besides the obvious I mean." Qui-Gon looks to his Padawan before looking around the salle for something, and evidently not finding it if the way he continues gaping rather like a fish is any indication.
"How did he know where we are?" Obi-Wan's eyes widen too, looking for any sign of the man and finding none.
Half an hour later, Dooku and Yoda enter the salle together and immediately walk over to the both of them.
"Padawan!" Dooku calls happily, smiling widely and opening his arms for a hug. Qui-Gon hugs the man even as he makes no effort to hide his confusion.
"Master, it is good to see you…I think." For some reason this makes Dooku chuckle, Yoda smirking as he looks to Obi-Wan who hurriedly bows.
"Master Yoda." The old master smiles kindly and gestures for the boy to kneel, walking forward and placing a claw on each of the boy's shoulders.
"When younger you were told me once that bored you were. An adventure you wanted, got one you did but like it you did not. I wonder, an adventure do you still want?" Obi-Wan tilts his head in confusion.
"Always Master."
"Even despite your past experiences?" Master Dooku questions, Obi-Wan still looks confused, looking to his Master who nods for him to answer despite his own confusion.
"Yes Master."
"Why?" The odd thing is, both Dooku and Yoda genuinely look interested in the answer, it was making him rather uncomfortable. But this, at least, he could answer in his sleep.
"Because something is missing here, if it weren't I would have no desire to leave." Dooku raises an eyebrow, intrigued.
"You are looking for something?"
"Yes Master."
"What?" At this Obi-Wan smiles slightly, looking to his feet before holding his Grandmaster's gaze once more.
"If I knew that, Grandmaster, I would have gone and gotten it by now." He seems satisfied with that, Yoda removes his claws and takes a few steps back.
"Perhaps closer than you think it is." Obi-Wan shrugs.
"I am not worried. The Force will either lead me to it or it to me eventually. I shan't find it before its time, so long as I follow the will of the force, everything will fall into place." Qui-Gon sighs at the familiar line. Usually it is the Masters job to teach the Padawan to rely on the force, but if you ask Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan was far too reliant on the force and always had been.
"Quite." Was all the response they got.
The four spar well into the night, none notice the time, none tiring even slightly. For part of the night, Dooku even leant Obi-Wan his lightsaber so that the boy may have experience with a multi-crystal blade, the Padawan had had wide eyes on the blade the entire time, however as soon as the blade was in his hands, he was a force to be reckoned with.
For the next year, none of them left the temple. Qui-Gon didn't notice at first, merely glad that Dooku was taking such an interest in his Grandpadawan's training. But after three months, he realised and planned to confront the council about it, until he told his Padawan about his concerns.
"It will not do any good Master."
"And why is that Padawan?"
"Because Master Yoda made it happen, and no one will question or challenge Master Yoda's decision."
"What makes you think Yoda had anything to do with this?" Obi-Wan looks up from his food to look at his Master rather blankly.
"Master Dooku has stayed here as well. Not that Yoda's orders would be enough to sustain that this long, but the two have been behaving strangely for months Master, if it is not the planning of the two of them keeping the four of us in temple, I will eat my lightsaber." Qui-Gon chuckles.
"I am quite certain that is unnecessary Young One." He grows serious again, "I just cannot understand the motivation behind this." Obi-Wan looks thoughtful.
"Perhaps someone who shouldn't know me threatened me personally by name, and as such Master Dooku returned urgently to alert Master Yoda. The two began watching me, wondering what this person would want with me or what association there could be between the two of us. Finding nothing and not wanting to give the game away should there be a real connection, they ground us to keep us safe. Wanting to limit questioning, they decide the best thing to do is distract us with infuriatingly confusing actions like Master Dooku remaining here and the both deciding to teach me to hold my own in a match against the two of them. Meanwhile, some of Master Dooku's less reputable contacts look into the situation since they now cannot. For a fee of course. However, it's likely easily covered from the money saved by none of us going on missions. Though that would mean taking the Orders money for a rogue operation and I do not believe Master Yoda would do such a thing, however we cannot rule anything out. I have no doubt he is capable of such a thing should he feel the situation called for it and could find no other options." Qui-Gon looks at him in complete confusion and just…what?
"Where in the force's name did that come from?"
"My desire to make a point Master." Qui-Gon raises an eye at the dry tone.
"What point would that be my snarky Padawan?" Obi-Wan drops the attitude and smiles at the older man.
"There is no point to spinning wild theories, the only way to know anything for sure is to ask them."
The two manage to avoid the conversation for the rest of the year. Then one day Obi-Wan beats all three of them in a fight, drawing the attention and applause of all those in the salle. The next day, Dooku goes on a mission, two days later they do as well. Just as suddenly as the odd behaviour began, it stopped, and Dooku was once again a mere shadow in their lives.
Obi-Wan keeps up the practice they had been giving him as best he can, though he never uses such techniques on another person again, save Garen who offers himself as test dummy. Then Darth Maul kills his Master. He lashes out violently, angrily, until he is knocked into the melting pit, only just catching a hold.
'I wonder an adventure do you still want.'
'Always Master.'
He calls on their training, and defeats the Sith with ease.
Later, looking back, he curses himself for ever speaking against the boy. Because looking now at his new Padawan, standing in the middle of their quarters and looking around in awe, he realises that Anakin Skywalker was his missing piece. He had finally found what he was looking for, and Qui-Gon's dying wish had given it to him.
Teaching Anakin is an absolute delight. They work well together, they just fit in a way that other Master/Padawan pairs can only hope to dream of. The rest of the Order continues to be suspicious of Anakin, but Obi-Wan and Anakin are so wrapped up in each other, they hardly notice. Then suddenly, a year after Anakin joins the Order, the door chimes.
"Hello?" Anakin asks unsurely as he opens the door, the man before him kneels down in front of him, smiling kindly. Already it is more kindness than anyone save for Obi-Wan had shown him the past year.
"Hello there. You must be Anakin Skywalker, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am Master Jard Dooku." The boy looks unsure, but shakes the hand that's offered.
"It's nice to meet you too Mist…ah…Master Dooku. Are you looking for Obi-Wan?" If the man is as affronted by the lack of title for Obi-Wan as everyone else seems to be, he doesn't show it. Instead he merely smiles kindly again.
"If the word bothers you Padawan Skywalker, you may call me Jard." The boys eyes light up, someone actually seemed to want to speak with him, to him, as a person!
"Thank you Jard." The man smiles again.
"I would like to speak with Obi-Wan, yes, but I actually came to meet you." Anakin looks confused.
"Why?" Suddenly the man seems sad, though still smiling, Anakin got the feeling the smile was merely for his benefit at this point.
"I was once Qui-Gon's Master. Traditionally, one's Master is around to help when one gains a new Padawan, however given the circumstances, I came to see if the two of you would care for mine instead." Anakin moves impulsively and hugs the man.
"M'sorry about Master Jinn, he was really nice." To his surprise, Jard put a hand around him and hugs him back.
"Thank you, Padawan Skywalker."
"You can call me Anakin if you want." The boy offers shyly, unsure how the offer would be taken.
"I'd like that, Anakin."
"Ani, breakfast!" A voice calls from within the quarters, Anakin gestures for Jard to follow him into the quarters, shutting the door behind him.
"Obi-Wan, you have a visitor."
"Who?" Obi-Wan asks in surprise, Anakin didn't sound defensive or annoyed, so it couldn't have been anyone they already knew. Except it is, that he knows at least, because then he turns around and sees the man standing beside his Padawan and holding his hand. Obi-Wan gasps, eyes wide, putting down the food and moving towards the other man, bowing politely. "Grandmaster." Dooku bows back, then moves and hugs his Grandpadawan.
"I am so sorry Obi-Wan." Obi-Wan buries his face in his Grandmaster's shoulder, accepting the comfort he had gotten nowhere else. Even Garen was too busy being wary of Anakin to grant him any support. "I would have been here sooner if I could. Actually, I would have been here before then, even, had I known everything." Obi-Wan pulls back.
"What do you mean?"
"When my Master told me what had happened to Qui-Gon, I of course started trying to rush my way through my mission to get back here. However, I thought you had others around to help, I thought my Master would be around to help. I certainly didn't think you had a Padawan around. Yoda did not tell me until I returned earlier today…it was not a conversation the troll will be forgetting anytime soon." Obi-Wan smiles, he'd forgotten how entertaining his Grandmaster could be. Anakin looks at Jard, face lit up with unconcealed delight for the first time that Obi-Wan had seen since he smiled at Padmé during the parade a year ago.
"You're here now." Dooku grimaced, turning to address Anakin as well.
"Still, the Order appears to have abandoned you both, so I want it made clear now, that I will not."
And just like that, Dooku was a massive part of Obi-Wan's life again. All three think Qui-Gon would have been happy about that.
He refuses every mission put to him for six months, then only small ones. Eventually he goes on missions as normal, but he always comes back for at least a week in between if they are in temple. He spends more time in Temple than ever before, save for the year during Obi-Wan's own Padawanship (It's the technical term, shut up.).
Then Obi-Wan is injured, Dooku returning to the temple the next day and finding a distraught sixteen-year-old Anakin who had been left to care for himself.
"Jard!" The boy cries in relief when he sees him leave the transport he had acquired.
"Ani, are you all right? What happened? How is he?" Somehow, his words relieve the boy even more, he just sort of…melts, into Jard's arms. Accidentally lowering his shields in the process and thus allowing Dooku to pick up on the problem. 'Finally, someone who cares, someone who wants to help. Finally finally finally, I am not alone.' He holds the boy tighter.
A week later Obi-Wan is back on his feet and thanking Dooku profusely for helping his Padawan, Dooku merely tells him it is not a problem and he need not thank him.
A month later he turns up again.
"I'm leaving the Order." Obi-Wan drops his tea, the mug shatters. Obi-Wan nearly doesn't let him leave. Screaming at him that he'd promised, that he was all either of them had and how could he do this how could he leave them? Eventually he goes quiet, the two remaining silent until Anakin gets home. Jard says goodbye, and then he's gone, and all of a sudden Obi-Wan thinks him akin to something you see out of the corner of your eye. One moment, you are certain it is there, the next you question whether it ever existed at all.
Three years later, Obi-Wan is on Geonosis. He's not sure he ever really leaves.
"Know I do that stop him you could have. Made sure of that long ago the two of us did." Obi-Wan looks at Yoda, tears in his eyes and a blanket around his shoulders as he looks out over his balcony.
"Why did you do it Yoda?"
"There must always be one trained to beat the unbeatable." Obi-Wan gives a watery noise that was probably intended to be a chuckle of some kind.
"How bitterly disappointed you must be."
"Find what you were looking for did you?" He looks to Yoda, surprised by the sudden change in topic, he nods, looking back at his padawan, asleep on the couch. Yoda follows his eyeline before nodding.
"Thought I did that so it may be." The smaller Master sighs, "A weapon we trained you to be Obi-Wan. Not for us would you fight, but for the force. Follow it over us you always have, if will it it does that kill Dooku you do, will you do so?" Obi-Wan looks at his hands.
"Yoda, I am a mere thirty-five years of age. However, you will never convince me that the force ever wills anyone dead." Yoda sighs.
"A weapon we have, a weapon against shadows." Obi-Wan raises an eyebrow, looking at the man he long ago lost all respect for.
"Master Yoda, I think you will find that the only way to battle shadows, is with light."
Three years later he eats his words. Three years later he burns his brother, and his soul along with it. Three years later he hates that Yoda and Dooku every trained him to fight well, hates that he ever went looking for his missing piece, hates that he found it only to have to destroy it, hates that he had to destroy himself. Hates that the force willed it dead and him along with it.
"WHY DID YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE ME TO BE YOUR BLASTED WEAPON?! WHAT GAVE YOU THE RIGHT?!" He asks, throwing Yoda against a wall as med droids finish readying Padmé's body for her funeral. He has his hand around Yoda's throat when Bail places a hand on his shoulder.
"It's over Obi-Wan, whatever happened, it doesn't mater anymore. We're alone now, we have to fight and take back this galaxy." Ob-Wan drops Yoda, turning and grabbing Luke from his crib.
"Fuck the galaxy."
"Obi-Wan!" Bail cries, scandalised and unwilling to believe his old friend had just said that.
"You were right Bail. You are alone now." He says, he turns and walks out, he never looks back.
"I'm sorry Obi-Wan." Ben Kenobi turns in shock, seeing his old Master, glowing and…blue?
"You're a force ghost?" Qui-Gon smiles gently and nods. "But…how? That's just a legend."
"Legends are just history we can no longer verify."
"Why are you sorry? Last I checked you've been dead for a very long time Master, what could you have possibly done?" Qui-Gon sighs, massaging his forehead in a way that is so familiar it makes his heart ache.
"I ignored the Council's orders about Anakin, had you do it too, and now you have to deal with the fall out here." Ben smiles at him.
"I had a decade filled with Happiness because of your actions. I'm not sure the rest of the galaxy would agree right now, but for me personally, I've decided to let that be worth it."
"How?" His Master looks rather concerned at the admission, Ben just keeps smiling.
"Do you ever regret taking Xanatos as your Padawan?"
"Of course not, but I do regret how that Padawanship ended."
"My life ended that day on Mustafar, I do not see the point in regretting things any longer. I have many happy memories, I choose to hold them closer to my heart than the bad. As I do with my Grandmaster as well. Perhaps that is unhealthy, or even makes me a terrible person, but the galaxy has never cared for me before, I doubt it will start now just because I decide to be a little selfish and keep my sanity as I wait here for my final task." Qui-Gon smiles at him, a mix between sadness and hope and gentleness and acceptance.
"I hope you find the peace you deserve."
Years later, Anakin joins him in the force.
"Master." He says happily, running and hugging his Master close, Ben hugs him back. Yoda doesn't look impressed. Ben doesn't care, he just holds him close.
"An adventure do you still want, Padawan?" Ben looks to Yoda and smiles, taking Anakin's hand.
"No Master, I am right where I am meant to be."
"Though, Yoda, I do have one question." Yoda raises his eyebrows, stopping his disappearing and returning to them fully.
"Just one, Obi-Wan?"
"How did Grandmaster know that Master Qui-Gon and I were in salle three?" Yoda's eyes widen before he cackles while Anakin merely looks confused.
"Best kept secret some things are. Discover it one day you will."
"How?"
"Through the force, all things are possible. Thought you did that an adventure would lead you to what was missing. Wrong you were. Began the adventure did before you were born, and long long after it will it end." Then he's gone, but out of the force he hears one last thing from his Great Grandmaster. "Perhaps ask him yourself you can when joins the force he does."
Anakin and Ben look at each other wide-eyed, Ben grins and grabs his hand.
"Up for an adventure Padawan?" Anakin returns the grin with a smirk.
"Always Master."