Well, here it is. Finally. After a few days of work, and 'repairing' a certain computer here * glowers at it* I finally finished this story. It is for my dear friend Sithstrukk. Her birthday was actually on the 4th. Shame on me! But anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I already said that in private, but who cares?
Anyway, enjoy!
Ps: for everyone who reads my story 'The Deathly Decision', I had some trouble with the final chaps- My whole schedule for it has been thrown upside- down. I hope to post this week, though.A Baffling Birthday
Obi-Wan walked with a steady pace through the Temple. He had an unhappy frown on his normally calm face.
Today was his 14th birthday, and nobody had said anything about it in Even his own Master.
Had they just forgotten it?
It could be possible; his master and he were just back from another hectic mission. It had tired both of them out, and his Master was on the verge of exhaustion. Just like him. He felt he could fall asleep right now.
Though, his when is Master made preparative to leave, he'd asked. His Master had said he had some business left. And then he was gone. No "Happy Birthday, Obi-Wan!" or something likely.
He sighed. He hadn't thought his Master actually would forget, since it wasn't only that he was now 14, but in addition the anniversary of one year of Master and Padawan together. He had even made something for his Master, he had spent weeks to make it, between al the negotiations, until late in the night.
His plans for the rest of the day was to spent it with his friends. But even they had forgotten him completely the past days.
He'd tried to give them hints, but they were too busy to notice them.
Garen was with Master Clee Rhara on an important mission to Alderaan. The call with him had been short- they'd found important clues, and Garen had to go.
Reeft was busy with… Well, food? At least, that was when he'd asked. Oh, and he was practicing two of his Kata's. Yes, that was the reason.
And on top of that he couldn't find his best friend Bant. It looked like she'd vanished from the Temple;
She wasn't in The Room Of The Thousand Fountains, in her favorite pool. He had asked T'shaa, a classmate of Bant, but she also didn't know where the Mon Cal was, since Bant had ran away directly after finishing her classes.
When he went to her apartment thereafter, she hadn't been there. When he'd asked Tahl, she said she had absolutely no idea where she was. As a matter of fact, after he was gone, Tahl went searching for her Padawan.
He walked further, until he heard voices. They sounded awfully familiar
"We have to hurry, I think he suspect something…"
He looked and saw to his surprise that the voices belonged to no other than Bant and Reeft.
"Yeah, I do to. I saw him an hour ago. Anyway, did you already settled the thing with G-
Bant had looked for one moment over Reeft's shoulder, and she saw him. Obi-Wan backed up involuntarily.
"-Sssht!" Bant lowered her voice quickly.
Reeft didn't see him, since he was turned with his back to him.
"What?"
"He's there!"
Bant grabbed Reeft by his shoulders, and turned him around. Reeft's eyes widened when he saw Obi-Wan.
"Woah- sithspit!"
Then Bant pulled him with her, running away.
Obi-Wan came back to his senses
"Hey, wait! What are you doing?" he yelled, while running after them.
He ran after them through a few corridors, down a wide stair, when he bounced into a group of happy babbling initiates whom were free from their lessons.
He stopped, tripping over a small human girl, who dropped her bag. Datapads and other stuff fell out, sprawled across the floor. He looked at the girl, and then back to Bant and Reeft, who were almost out of his vision. Then he looked around, searching for a way out.
But instead, he saw two Masters looking disapprovingly at him.
He sighed, and bent over to help the girl with gathering her stuff. When he handed her the last datapad, the mass off people was significantly reduced, but Bant and Reeft were gone.
He had no chance to find them, and walked slowly away, pondering over what they'd said.
"He suspects something" Bant's voice rang in his confused mind
What was that supposed to mean? And what was it that Reeft had wanted to say?
'G' what? They were all walking away from him… Were they angry with him? Had it something to do with his hasty departure at the day they would've had a Holo-night?
No, that couldn't be.. That was over three months ago. Or was it four?
His eyes widened.
The last time they actually had done something together was almost half a year ago..
His Master and he were on active field duty, and were almost always gone. They days he had been at the Temple, he had only time to say "Hi" or make a quick talk. But no more than one afternoon together.
Maybe they hadn't forgotten him, but he had forgotten them.
Maybe they didn't want to be his friend anymore.
That relevation made his breath hitch.
It wouldn't surprise him. What kind of friend was he?
"Are you all right?"
Obi Wan looked up. A young Knight with deep brown gazed eyes at him
Obi-Wan looked up panicked. Oh no, he'd let his emotions control him, and they'd slipped past his shields
"I-I think so." And he ran away, leaving the Knight baffled. He knew it was rude, but he didn't want to explain himself, not to the Knight.
He quickly checked his shields, hiding his emotions. He really had to meditate, right now. Normally he didn't like to do it, but at this moment he almost ran to his favorite spot in the Room of the Thousand Fountains.
When he entered the Room, he slowed his pace, and walked softly to his place. At least, in his mind.
It was a small grassy field, near a decorated fountain. The field smelled like sweet roses, and fresh wood, and it was surrounded by trees, and bushes full of blue flowers.
He sat down on the edge of the fountain, and absently touched the water, making small circles in the blue mass. Then Obi-Wan looked down.
He saw himself in the water, rippled by his touch. The spiky ginger hair, his ever changing eyes, which were right now slightly moistured. And his braid, still short, since he only had it for a year. He trailed it, stroking the yellow bead were it ended.
A single tear slipped from his eyes, leaving a glistening trail on his cheek. He saw it dropping in the water, and his mirror image was once again disrupted. Just like he felt now.
Oh, how much would he give to speak to Master Yoda right now. Before he had a Master, he could aways go to him with his troubles. Master Yoda had always faith in him, even when the others hadn't.
"Wished to talk to me, you did?"
A raspy voice interrupted his thoughts.
He turned quickly, startled.
The small master sat calmly in front of him, keen eyes looking at him.
"Master Yoda-I I…" he trailed of, realizing of hoarse he sounded. He frantically rubbed his eyes clean, hoping that the Master didn't notice.
Master Yoda harrumphed.
"Troubled you are, young Obi-Wan. Though not, you should be"
Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow.
He should not be troubled? What was that supposed to mean?
"Question me, you do. Question yourself. No reason for that, there is."
Master Yoda laid a clawed hand on his knee, and Obi-Wan found himself staring at the green Master.
"Master?"
"in time, realize you will. But now calm yourself first, you should. Disrupting others, you are."
Obi-Wan blushed, remembering the Knight.
"I am sorry Master, I was trying to meditate…"
Master Yoda scowled, and he yelped when the Master waked his shin.
"Master?" he said, while rubbing his sore shin.
"Meditate you should not."
Obi-Wan stared dumbfounded at the diminutive Master. Not meditate? Master yoda's first advise was always meditate!
To his surprise, th old Master sniggered.
"Right you are, Young One. Meditate, almost always helps, when sorting out your own problems. But not by other's. Only find more questions, you will. Talk, you must, to the sources of your problems"
The green master raised his gimer stick, and Obi-Wan feared for his other leg, but the old master only poked him.
"Go you will, wait no longer."
Obi-Wan stood up, wavering a bit. He then kneeled and looked at the Master. Yoda looked back with his sleepy eyes.
"Thank you, Master Yoda. You are right."
With that he left the master, who was softly humming to himself.
"Solve your problems, I will not, Qui-Gon Jinn. Brought this upon yourself, you did"
The Master than vanished between the trees, the field now abandoned.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Obi-Wan walked throught the corridors of the temple, and walked past a large door. The Main training salle, a massive round room. He and his master always practioned there when they had the chance.
When he was almost at the end of the hall, he heard his name.
"Obi-Wan!"
He turned, and saw Torin, one of his classmates running to him. Torin received a few glares of the Jedi nearby, but frankly he didn't care.
"Obi-Wan, good to see you! I have a message for you- Your master was searching you. He said he'd tried to call you on you comm, but you didn't answer. Then he sighed something about you and "always the same', and asked me if I had seen you- I said no of course, and-
Obi-Wan interrupted him. Knowing Torin, he could go on for ages.
"He said what? He couldn't reach me…. Oww…"
He grabbed his commlink and looked sheepishly for a moment when he saw it wasn't turned on. Always the same, indeed.
Torin took in the scene, when he answered.
"Well, Obi-Wan, it's nice to see you again, but you'd better go. Force, he was in quite a haste to find you, I believe. Heh, he even tripped over a initiate. Poor lad was scared to death" Torin sniggered.
Obi-Wan frowned. If his normally calm and stoic Master was showing that behavior, than it was indeed serious busniss. He'd better go than for whatever his Master wanted to tell him. It seemed he would have to wait with his 'talk'.
"Thank you Torin, and it has been good to see you again. Maybe we could spar tomorrow?"
"Yeah, that would be nice, I look forward to it. Bye!"
"Good, see you tomorrow than. Bye!"
He almost ran to his apartment, and when he was there, he was surprised to find it open.
Maybe his Master had forgotten to close it in his haste?
"Ah, Obi-Wan, there you are! Frankly, you were difficult to find, Padawan. I have some rather important news, but when I tried to call you, your commlink-
"Was off, yes, I know." He said impatiently. He hoped it was good news.
Qui-Gon raised one eyebrow at his padawan's impertinent behavior, but went on.
"Yes, well, we have been asked for another mission to the planet Raay-Saa. I have agreed and we leave tomorrow. I'm glad I now have found you. I couldn't even reach you through the Force. Your shielding is very good, Padawan, but you don't need to hide anything from me. You do now that, don't you?"
But Obi-Wan didn't answer. Another mission. Again. They were barely two days back! How could his Master have agreed? Force knew how they both looked! The pent up frustration and disappointment of the whole day reached its top. He couldn't take another mission, and he would tell his Master. Right now.
"No. No other mission. "
His Master looked surprised.
"No other mission? But Obi-Wan, I already settled everything, we will go-
"No, we WON'T!"
His high pitched voice echoed through the Temple.
Qui-Gon looked in shock at him, and shut his mouth into a thin, dissaoproving line.
But Obi-Wan didn't care, he couldn't stop himself anymore, and he went on.
"Always those missions and never a break! Senator this, city that! Force knows how we both look right now, and all you care about is the missions! I can't take this any longer, it's too much! I haven't seen my friends for MONTHS!, and now I've lost them ALL!" And you-you have no time for anything else- I really don't mind missions, but not so long after each other! We have been on the field for a year, and I am so tired- You are too! And-
"Obi-Wan!" his Master thundered, and Obi-Wan stopped his ranting.
Oh dear Force, what had he said? Had he just spoken like that to his own Master? He lowered his eyes to the ground, not wanting to see the disappointment in his masters eyes.
Oh, he would pay for this dearly. He almost apologized. Almost.
Because then he had a sudden relevation which made it impossible to apologize for his actions.
His birthday, the thing they all had forgotten. The selfmade present for his Master…
He took a shuddering breath and looked up in the clear blue eyes of his Master. They were full of questions. Moisture welled up in his eyes. His Master really didn't know.
"Master, I-I know that you have forgotten my birthday" he said quickly, seeing Qui-Gon's eyes widening, and he opened his mouth to say something, but Obi-Wan went on
grabbing a small wooden box out of his robe and pushed it quickly in Qui-Gon's open hands.
"But it's not only that, you see, It is also that-that we have been together for one year and I thought about it like an anniversary, so I made this for you…"
With that, his tears finally escaped their prison, but he didn't mind. He just wanted to go, somewhere.. he turned around, unable to see his Master any longer, and fled Into their already open apartment, to his room.
When he flicked on the lights, his jaw dropped in utter surprise and shock.
7 pairs of wide eyes stared him, from behind the furniture. Pendula hung from the ceiling, and some balloons flew around.
"Happy Birthday, Obi-Wan…." said Reeft weakly, breaking the strained silence.
Then, slowly, his mind came back to him, if only half.
They hadn't forgotten him…. that was all of this about… Bant…. Reeft…. They had even managed to get Garen here… And his poor, poor Master… He had went through all this trouble to trow a surprise party for him.
Then, Tahl cleared her troat. He looked up.
"Well… We did surprise him…. a bit too good, I would say.." She looked questioning at her fellow Jedi. They looked at her as if she was crazy.
She shrugged, her long hair flowing.
"What? It is true!"
He looked at them one by one and smiled;
Tahl, Reeft, Garen, Clee Rhara, Quinlan Vos, even Master Tholme. And Bant. When he locked eyes with her large one,s he faltered.
She slowly stood up, leaning against the couch. She opened her mouth and closed it, if only for a second.
"Obi-Wan… Obi, did you really thought we would forget your birthday? After all you did for us?" She said soflty.
He staggered. How in the Force's name could he have even thought about them forgetting him? He was such a fool… His Master would never forget him, never.
He suddenly felt a warm large hand on his shoulder, and he quickly turned. His Master look at him, full sorrow and guilt.
"You are no fool Obi-Wan, You are right, I would, could never, ever forget you. I should have been more clear.. I thought you would understand, but clearly I was wrong."
Obi-Wan wanted to say that it wasn't his fault, but his own, but Qui-Gon put a finger on his mouth, stopping him death in his tracks.
"Don't take the blam, Young One, and never doubt yourself. And…"
With a gracious gesture, he showed the decorated box he had in his other hand, and closed Obi-Wan's hands around it.
The other people in the room looked curiously at each other, and then at the box.
"I want us to open it together."
They looked at each other and opened the box simultaneous.
On the velvet bottom lay a wooden figurine.
Obi-Wan watched with bated breath as his Master carefully took it out.
It was a beautifully carfed piece, two small figures next to each other. The larger one's hand laid on the shoulder of the smaller one. You could see the tiny features, of him and Qui-Gon. They both smiled.
At the the bottom stood an inscription:
Master and Padawan in the Here and Now.
He saw his Master open his mouth, closing it, looking at the small statue, and than at him.
Through their Bond he felt wonder, surprise, but above all; genuine love. Obi-Wan let it wash over him, and all the doubts he still had fell away.
He looked at his Master smiling. He could see moisture in his Master's eyes. Qui-Gon took a deep breath, trying to retain his speech again.
"I-I am deeply honored, Obi-Wan, I- it's beautiful…. Have you made this all by yourself?" his Master whispered hoarsely.
Obi-Wan gleamed when he heard the question.
"Yes Master, between all our missions, negotiati-
Before he could finish the sentence he was enveloped in a bone-crushing hug.
He felt wet drops land on his head and he only buried himself further in his Master's robe.
In response, the strong arms around him tightened even more.
He couldn't see anything, though he could hear soft "Ahh's", and someone even said "This is so perfect"
He smiled. It definitely was.
When his Master finally released him, and took him by his shoulders insteas, he felt better than in years.
"This is the best present I have ever had, Obi-Wan. I can't thank you enough. You are my padawan, and I-I love you. I can now see what I have missed. Shall we put this there?"
Tahl smiled knowingly and looked very happy with herself, Bant laughed, and clasped her hands together, and the others had also a wide grin on their faces.
Qui-Gon led Obi-Wan to the table in front of their couch, and put the small statue on it, next to bowl with pebbles and flowers. They smiled, and turned to their guests.
He looked at his friends, and they nodded, smiling. Mutual words were spoken between them, an they understood. He had only one question remaining;
"How did you get Garen here? You were one a mission, right?"
Garen looked at his master, who winked.
"Well, we were, really. But we were done earlier than expected, the senators suddenly decided they didn't need us anymore. And then I received a call from Bant, for your birthday, and well, the rest is history." he shrugged.
"And Obi-Wan, I have a present for you to, of course"
Obi-Wan looked at his Master, surprised
His Master laughed
"Oh, Obi-Wan, had you really thought you wouldn't get something? Well, to give you a clue, it has something to do with our mission.."
Obi-Wan looked questioning, but his Master only smiled mysteriously, and handed him two tickets. He took them, and read them.
Tickets for the InterGalactic Museum of Space And TechnologyHis mouth fell open for a second time. He had wanted to go to the Museum for a very long time!
With the tickets in one hand, he hugged his Master, who laughed, and ran a hand through his spikes.
"Well, Master, I think this is one of the best birthdays I've ever had! I don't mind it that we go on that mission, Master, I'm sorry for my behavior earlier." He said softly, regretting what he'd said earlier.
" Oh, Obi-Wan, that's, ah, another part of our celebration; our 'mission' will be a month long vacation on Raay-Saa!"
Obi-Wan could only grin, and hug his Master tighter.
Suddenly Reeft let his look wandered the table with food, yearning. Garen poked him and Bant rolled her eyes. To him, it was actually a surprise Reeft hadn't already eaten all the food.
Obi-Wan laughed, and said;
"Well, who wants cake?"
Everyone held up their hands, and Reeft almost ran to the table, only to be pulled back by Garen.
They walked to the table, taking cake when they suddenly heard a loud 'thud'. Qui-Gon frowned, walking with a filled plate to the door, which was still open.
"If you don't mind, I do, too"
Everyone jumped at the sudden voice, and looked wildly at each other. Then, realizing were the voice came from, they all looked down.
With them all focusing on Obi-wan and his Master, they hadn't noticed a certain Master Yoda creeping in the apartment.
The small green Master looked rather pleased with himself, looking at Obi-Wan and then at Qui-Gon, holding gazes.
Qui-Gon groaned. Within a green flash, they all heard a high pitched yelp.
They all looked startled at Qui-Gon who was rubbing his attacked shin, then Bant and Tahl started to giggle, sharing a look. Qui-Gon shot daggers at them, but it was useless. They laughed, hard.
Master Yoda looked with his sleepy eyes at his target.
"Do that, you will not. Heard it all, I did. Right I was for the both of you." he said while holding up the stolen plate of Qui-Gon, and he slowly made movement to eat. He stopped halfway, with a thoughtful look on his face, and gazed up, at Obi-Wan.
'Almost forgot something, I did. Happy Birthday, Obi-Wan."
The End!
Bet you didn't saw that coming XD
Sorry, but this is a classic story. I just had to write it.
I love sappy stories!