Missing Master
14-year-old Obi-Wan Kenobi was restless and a bit sad. He shouldn't have been, at least at first sight, because he was back at home in the Jedi Temple, he was with his friends, he could have three meals a day (plus the stolen snacks from the kitchen which no one knew about, except master Yoda, of course, but he always knew everything. Everything). But still, something was missing; or rather, someone. Obi was alone, his master was away on a solo mission.
Obi begged Qui-Gon for hours and hours but his master was solid in his decision about Obi staying at home this time. He said that the mission would be a boring one, and Obi was behind in some of his studies, and all in all, he'd have felt better if he knew Obi was safe and well-fed in the Temple while he'd be away. So Obi surrendered and stayed at home but with a heavy heart. He loved his master and now he missed him very much.
In the last – almost – four weeks there was no one who would wake him up with a cup of hot chocolate, hug him before he left for his classes or help with his homework; however, in the case of maths or physics, "help" was a compassionate but very much helpless shrug on Qui-Gon's part. Obi's master was simply hopeless in sciences, especially when he had to calculate with other than just numbers. Once Qui-Gon confessed that he gave up on maths the exact moment when the alphabet got involved. But, as compensation, Qui-Gon was incredibly good in history, literature or philosophy. He could write pages and pages or talk for long-long minutes about almost anything, be it a poem, a novel or just an interesting article. He was very good with words; Obi had an assumption that that's why his master chose to be a diplomat.
Despite this mission being a boring one, at least according to Qui-Gon, it took far too long for Obi's liking. He got worried. What if his master got lost somewhere? What if he'd been captured? Beaten, tortured? Mur...?
Enough!, Obi thought with a squeezing heart. It doesn't help anyone. He tried to concentrate on his history class, but they learnt about the Sith Wars so the topic didn't help at all to calm Obi's worrying soul. On the contrary, his imagination came up with pictures of his master in the grasp of some Sith scum, beaten up and bloodied and tortured, and calling for him for help. It was terrible.
At the end of the history class Obi was so upset that he decided not to go back yet to the apartment he shared with his master but sneak into one of the training rooms and wear himself out so much that he couldn't think even about his meal, let alone things so horrible as the Sith Wars. So he headed straight to the direction of the training rooms when he stepped out of the classroom, and lived up to his decision about wearing himself out thoroughly.
It was near dusk when finally Obi was tired enough to finish his exercises with the lightsaber and headed for the shower at the end of the room. He finished quickly, then after his dinner he went back to the apartment.
The first thing he saw was the messy pile of his master's robe and tunic at the corner of the room and his boots not far away from the door; so Qui-Gon was back. Obi ran happily to his master's bedroom to greet him with a bear-hug, but he stopped dead on his track when he reached the door. He was more than happy he didn't make any loud sound when he stepped in.
Qui-Gon lay facedown on his bed, sleeping like a baby and snoring softly into a pillow. He wore nothing than his T-shirt and pyjama-bottoms; he didn't even bother with the blanket. It seemed he just collapsed on his bed after the shower and fell asleep seconds later.
Obi sighed with relief. So his master was back, safe and sound, and apparently very sleepy. It didn't matter he couldn't hug the life out of him; he'd do it in the morning.
The End