Crying On The Tree
A/N: Contribute to the rare Lumiwan fanfictions out there, one of my favorite paring, still so less stories about them, also inspired by reading 101Theonlyone101's profile, it's right they said, inspiration come from unexpected places.
It's a beautiful day on Aldreaan, birds are singing, trees are dancing in the wave of upcoming winds from the goddess of fall, and soft and gentle push by the whispering among the creature in the forest.
It's so quiet, so peaceful, and so wild that even a whisper can be heard in the rustling sound of the tree dancers, and joining the harmony of the great forest's orchestra, it's the sounds of running and of course, screaming.
''Stop!'' One female's voice echoed through the gaps in the trees, and the sound of her feet running was not far behind.
But only the figure ahead, with its heavy breathing sound answering her, and not far behind, a male voice was calling to her. '' Luminara, slow down!''
''I can't''
But using that moment of distraction, the figure, slowly approached the cliff, and with a glance behind its back, the figure jumped.
It's not an act of sacrifice for the greater cause; it's not an act of heroism, but an act of a coward, a terrorist who conspired against the Aldreaan's government, when he has been foiled, he turns out to be one of the senator's adviser and when he was caught trying to poison the king's drinks, he was caught by Qui – Gon Jin, and a Mirialan master, but when they almost had him, he ran, and left for the two young padawan to chase after him, up until now, he jumped off the cliff and was caught mid air by his associate.
In this universe, clearly you just need a speeder to fly.
And back on the cliff, the young Padawan look helplessly as the speeder flew away.
And in time, another Padawan joined her side, and breathing heavily.
'' Where is he?'' the young boy asked
And she used her arm to point out the directions of those men just flew away from their grips.
But the first questions hits the young boy, it's not the question about how they escaped because he already knew how, his master too done it sometime, by sometime he meant every time that he got into trouble and him, had to fly and rescue him by a speeder, but now he looks back and see only the fall forest greeting him.
And he just realized, they ran too fast, blur by the visions of capturing the man, using the force for speed, they didn't realized they got this deep into the jungle, and no castle is nowhere in sight.
And Obi Wan couldn't be more worried, oh the look on his master face when he gets back, and on Luminara's master face.
Yes they are in trouble, yet it still noon, so they has half a day to find a way back before their master's yanked their ears and scold them about being reckless.
And slowly, Luminara stands up beside him, and had the same worry look like him, where to find a way out in the middle of an autumn jungle?
They walked, and walked blindly, and let the awes before them reveal itself, the nature and the singing, the dancing and the waving, all combined to one before them, forget all about their little chase, their little worries, only to dip themselves into new scene like this, where you can't find it anywhere, it was only natural, but with those two young minds of theirs, how many possibilities?, their imaginations took over.
And when the Obi Wan noticed the lights are fading around them, and the clouds are coming, dark ones, and no more singing sounds and harmony of the forest, and the trees are waving even faster with the brutal winds screaming in the air, and it started to rain.
Raining, drops of water falling down from the sky, when it's come, it's bring the life for the earth and the trees, caring for the new root that in time will grow into a great trees, and orchestra become more and more louder and deeper with the falling water dropped to the ground.
But sometime, rain can be a menace, when they sat together under two tall trees with its branches covering their head, but sometime a lucky drop will slip through the gaps and landed happily on their hair.
It's better than nothing, better than walking in the rain and curse the sun do not stay and shine its light down to the earth.
And the scene Obi Wan and Luminara was enjoyed before their eyes were gone in a wall of white, of water; only the imaginations about it remain in their heads.
Suddenly Obi Wan found his eyes landed on Luminara, sitting with her knee wrapped around her arms, not to get draped in the rain, her eyes looking at something in the distance, something far and uncertain, but to Obi Wan, her deep blue eyes was something uncertain, so distance of miles and miles of blue in her eyes, like a blue diamond sparkling under the fading sunlight outside their shelter.
Obi Wan looks away, trying to rid her images off his mind, and focus on the task ahead, how to get out of here, among so many reds that the falling trees provide, make her green skin even brighter among the reds.
To his ears, only the rain drops and the sound of the trees waving for mercy before the god of wind, but like a lightning strike unexpected, a humming sound is heard coming from beside him, birds can't hum like that, only her sitting beside him.
A sound of humming is normal, but something about this song fascinate him, it's become one with the forest orchestra, it's above the sound of dropping rains and the songs of the water hit the leafs on the ground, a high, and a low, and sometime it just hanging and balance in the middle.
And in this close, he can hear her taking her breath after every pause.
It's not the first time he ever sat this close to a woman, but the woman he sat with were informants, ''entertainers'', but when he sat beside her, he felt something different, like the first time he saw her, the feelings were distance and detached, but in every missions he have with her, its grown, and now he sat beside her, and listen to her songs matching the rains, he can't explained it, but his mater put it in one word '' attachment '' and attachment was forbidden for Jedi, but somehow, Obi Wan felt happy to have an '' attachment ''
But now, it's not the problem, he just listen to her song, and tried to sneak a glance at her again, but this time he didn't expected the distance, and turned so quickly.
And his lips brushed on her cheek, and now he just realized he was sitting close to her, even closer than the last time he saw her, he didn't know that he unconsciously moving next to her, and while he turn to look at her eyes again, he didn't expected to came in contact with her cheek.
It's only an accident, but Obi Wan's face was covered in a warm sensation, and his face turned a shape of reds like leafs on the ground, and he notice Luminara touching the spot where his lips landed and with her cheek blushed a deeper green.
It was just an accident, but their eyes didn't land in each other, but let them found its destination in something out there, something away from each other, with their faces still blushing.
Maybe in their mind, it was not an accident
It was just a touch of love.
The rains stopped, and the peaceful songs that the forest dropped before the rains, and they got out of their natural shelter, and move on, trying not to look at each other, and let their eyes wonder around, looking at small moments when the water slipped off the leafs, the cracking of animals trying to get out of their shelters, and watching the forest begin again.
Sometime he sneak a glance for her unnoticed, and their eyes met in one of the glance, of sneaky looks that finally busted, and their face turned a deeper color again.
Until something decide to interrupt, and Obi Wan didn't notice a wet leaf before him, and he tripped over, and falling to small hill below.
A hand came out for him, but instead it pulls her down along with him, and they brace for impact, closed their eyes and prayed, and the roll came to a stop, as Obi tries to open his eyes, and noticed a figure lying beneath him, with looks of not horrified, but surprised.
Cursed rain
Cursed her beautiful skin and face
Cursed her voice
Cursed me
And Obi Wan put his lips down to meet hers, it's not a deep and compassionate kiss, but a waiting kiss, a careful kiss waiting for acceptance, it just a light brushed, he just do it out of instinct, he know doing this was foolish, and irresponsibility of a Jedi, Kiss means Love, Love means Attachment, and Attachment leads to the Dark Side, but now, it just felt like a warm sensation he never felt before, and he doesn't sure if she accept him or not, but for now, that was just enough, a brushed of lips.
Maybe this was just a silly Padawan's crush, maybe he was not old enough to contain this feelings he had right now, maybe she too, thought the same, maybe all of us has to experienced this once in our lifetime, and he was not exceptional, and so does she.
He slowly rose off from her, and held out a hand for her to take, and lift her up to his face, to let him see her beautiful face again, as they both flushed, as they walked, unnoticed that their hands was still in each other's hold.
The forest was never happier, it just like this every year on Aldreaan, but today, something in its aurora changed, something sound forbidden, but yet to sweet.
And the two young Padawan found their ways out of the forest's grip and return with two unhappy masters greeting them with the man who escaped in their captive.
Maybe the day wasn't turned out so bad after all.
And it was the last time as they saw each other so long, as she waved him to leave on her ship; he waved back, and hopes to see her sometime soon.
But when they had duty to perform, their little crush faded in the current of time, their accessions to Knight and then Master, less and less time they saw each others, only to take a look and ask if they are doing well, and leave with a burdens of duty to fulfill.
And the clone wars came.
And on her face, under the lips that Obi Wan once put his lips there was the tattoo.
Everything has changed, it always does in time.
Sometime Obi Wan wanted to go back under that tree where they felt it for the first time, and sitting on one of its branch, and cry.
Crying for everything that has changed, Qui Gon Jin, Anakin, Ahsoka , and the woman who confess her love to him, Satine Kryze, and his little padawan's crush, Luminara Unduli, and now only him, that too changed, followed rules and books, but somehow his feelings for those who he loves never changed, for her too, but now she seems distance, far away like the planets she was on during her battles, at least she have her own Padawan by her side now, and Anakin has Ahsoka, and he was alone, but he didn't mind, he was never mind, he still have a war to fight, worlds to save, titles to earn and hearts to break.
Maybe someday, she would came back for him, after this war finished, he could take her to that same trees and cry together with the memories.
After this war finished.