AN: Sadly I do not own Star Wars or any of its characters. I only borrow then and play with them.
All mistakes are my own.
Padawan
"So, what do you think?" asked the dark skinned Jedi Master his friend since childhood, who currently sat next to him.
"He is impulsive, impetuous and I would almost say wild. He certainly is stubborn and set on his goal, but I also fear anger in him."
The green Master, who had sat silently next to the two taller men up until now, hummed in agreement, "A hand to guide him, young Qui-Gon needs."
"And you think I should become his Master?" the ginger haired man asked, even though he already knew the answer to that.
"We think you two would be a good fit…" Mace confessed.
"Good for the both of you this apprenticeship would be."
Obi-Wan shook his head and turned his gaze away from the boy, who had beaten his opponent. "I will not take another apprentice… not after my failure with Xanatos," he said with determination in his voice.
Yoda closed his eyes and shook his head in disapproval, Mace Windu sighed, "Xanatos was not your failure, Obi-Wan. You guided and taught him very well, but in the end it was his decision."
It was clear that Obi-Wan did not believe the words of his friend. "Talk with him you should." Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows at the Master's words, "Take a look back at him you should. Eager to talk to you the boy is."
When Obi-Wan turned his gaze back to the boy, he was indeed gazing with an almost challenging look on his face. Obi-Wan returned the look with a calm and collected one. Eventually he sighed and stood up, "I will talk to him then, if you'll excuse me Mace, Master Yoda." He bowed his head and stepped down from the tribune to greet the boy, who was already coming his way.
"Master Kenobi," greeted the boy and bowed his head.
Obi-Wan straightened and hid his hands in the sleeves of his robes and inclined his head in a greeting manner, "Initiate Jinn," he didn't know what he was supposed to say next, but the young boy beat him to it, "Have you seen my fight, Master?"
"I did indeed Initiate and I must admit that you are very skilled with a lightsaber."
Qui-Gon's blue eyes shone with pride and Obi-Wan mentally flinched. Xanatos had harboured his pride instead of releasing it into the Force. "But good competence in wielding one's lightsaber is not the only skill a Jedi needs," he stated calmly, "Patience and restraint are important for a Jedi as well."
The boy looked confused for a moment and pushed away his hair from his face, "I know that... and I know that I lack in these fields, that's why I want a Master, someone who could teach me those things." His eyes were pleading, but Obi-Wan shook his head and took a step back.
"I am not going to be your Master. I fear you have to look for someone else who will guide and teach you on your way towards knighthood."
"But Master!" called the boy when Obi-Wan turned to walk away. When the Jedi Master looked back at the younger male, Qui-Gon seemed to be struggling with words, "I turn thirteen in a few weeks… I don't have the time to search for another. Please, you are my only hope."
"I am terrible sorry, but I am not going to be your Master."
"Why not?" demanded the boy to know. "Why won't you take me? Give me a damn reason!"
"Language," Obi-Wan warned, but Qui-Gon just returned his gaze with defiance, "Your lack of respect and your anger should be reason enough. May the Force be with you, Initiate Jinn." And with that the ginger haired man turned fully around.
He hadn't expected the boy to grab his sleeve however, "Master… I, I am terrible sorry. Please, forgive me for my rudeness. I shouldn't have let my temper get the best of me… but I can change! I promise I'll change and behave if you just give me a try to show you."
"Do or do not, there is no try," Obi-Wan repeated Master Yoda's wise words, "That and you cannot change who you are. No one can and an actor, who conceals who he truly is and therefore hides not only from others but from the Force as well, is not fit to be called a Jedi." With that Obi-Wan gently yet firmly removed the hand from his brown robe and marched towards his newly assigned quarters. He did not even stop once to glance behind or to talk with one of his fellow Knights and Masters.
Obi-Wan was restlessly pacing in his chambers. It was in the middle of the night and he was bone tired, yet his mind would not let him sleep. It was wandering on the events that occurred hours ago and Obi-Wan found himself often thinking about the young boy, whose dreams he had probably shattered. He silently cursed the green troll and Mace Windu for setting him up. He now felt guilty for refusing the boy, who apparently had put all his hopes in him, but couldn't they see that he wasn't ready to take on another apprentice just yet? He might have said that to the boy, but the fault did not lay with him. The fault lay with the Master, who was afraid to ruin another child.
The ginger haired man sighed and let himself fall on his couch, with his head in his hands. Sometimes he hated being a Jedi, but he would not change his life for anything in the world. He had become what the Force had planned for him and he would, even if it was hard sometimes, follow its will. Even if that meant to endure everything the meddling green troll would throw his way.
He was brought out of his musings by a knock on his door. With an irritated gaze on his chrono – who would spare him a visit at such an hour? – he stood up and opened his door. Only to be greeted by the cause of his insomnia.
Jedi Initiate Qui-Gon Jinn was standing head bowed and hunched over, before him and looked absolutely miserable.
"I am sorry to disturb you Master," Obi-Wan wondered if the boy had been crying, "but you told me I could always come to you when I have problems." Obi-Wan startled at that. He couldn't remember ever saying something like this to anyone except his former Padawan.
"Master?" the boy asked confused when he did not receive a reply. Obi-Wan just did not know what he should say.
The boy eventually raised his tear stained face and his eyes widened in a mixture of horror and shame when they landed on Obi-Wan's face. "Master Kenobi!" the boy exclaimed, "I… I am sorry. I didn't mean to wake you, I" but the older male kneeled down and gripped the brown haired boy's shoulders to stop him from babbling.
"It is alright, young one. I was not asleep either way…"
The boy nodded, his cheeks were reddening from embarrassment and his eyes averted Obi-Wan's. "I am sorry to have bothered you," he repeated.
"Nonsense…" he hesitated, before he stood back up with his grip still on the boy's shoulder, "Come in."
Immediately the young male complied and Obi-Wan ushered him into the living room, where he placed the Initiate on the couch. Curiously Qui-Gon looked around and his mood seemed to brighten once Obi-Wan offered him a warm cocoa.
Obi-Wan could not help himself but to smile at the image before him. Qui-Gon was sitting on his couch with a warm drink in his hand and the older Jedi couldn't get rid of the feeling that this was exactly as it should be, almost as if the boy actually belonged there.
Obi-Wan sat down on the ground next to the boy and rested his arms and head on the couch, so that Qui-Gon did not have to look up at him. "Do you want to talk about something?"
Qui-Gon sniffed and worried his lip for a moment, before he replied, "I had expected somebody else."
Obi-Wan hummed in agreement, the boy had skilfully dodged his question, "May I inquire who?"
"Master Decrux… but apparently I have knocked on the wrong door."
Master Decrux was the crèche Master and she was quite popular with all the children in the temple. Children often confided in her, when something personal was bothering them. Obi-Wan himself had done so when he had still been a youngling.
"Ah, the door was right, only the inhabitant changed I fear." Questioning blue eyes settled on him. "Master Decrux has decided that these quarters," he gestured around, "where too big for her and the Council assigned them to me, since I am bound to stay in the temple for an unknown amount of time."
The boy nodded, "Are you hurt?"
"Excuse me?" Obi-Wan asked bewildered.
"Are you injured? Is that why you have to stay in the temple?"
"No…" he chuckled, "The Council and my old Master just think I have been away for too long. Maybe they are right."
"What's that supposed to mean?" the boy inquired further.
"Ah, you'll learn when you get older." The Initiate nodded and could not help himself but yawn, causing the older Jedi to chuckle softly. "Someone is quite behind his curfew, eh? Come," without waiting for a response, Obi-Wan gathered the tired boy in his arms and carried him towards his own bed, where he carefully laid the boy on the large bed, before covering him with the blankets.
"But Master," Qui-Gon protested, "where will you sleep?"
"I'll find a place, let this be my concerns," he sent the boy a small sleep suggestion and almost immediately, Qui-Gon's eyes drifted close and he was fast asleep.
The ginger haired Jedi Master looked down fondly at the boy. He had no idea how much he had actually missed having someone with him, someone he could take care of. A Padawan could bring sorrow, pain and deep regret, but there was always the joy and pride when they achieved something and while watching them grow. The Jedi Master sighed, was he really ready to take on another Padawan and should Qui-Gon really be this Padawan? There were so many possibilities to this simple question and Obi-Wan decided he would need to sleep over it first, so he quickly prepared the couch to sleep. The quarters did have another room, a room where a Padawan could sleep, but there was no furniture in it. Master Decrux had used it for storing some of her belonging, but Obi-Wan had not have found a use for it until now. Maybe the morning would bring knew answers, he decided and soon joined his young charge into the depth of sleep.
Obi-Wan awoke slightly disorientated the next morning and it took him a moment until his sluggish brain had caught up with what had transpired yesterday. He slowly sat up from the sleep couch, his bones protesting. He gently reached out with the Force and found that his little companion was still deeply asleep and would stay so for quite some time. Amusement spread through the older Jedi. He distinctively remembered a time when he hated mornings as well. Now however, it was like a second nature to him, at least normally. But today he dreaded the morning, for he would need to face his thoughts and young Qui-Gon sooner or later. Deciding he needed a few cups of tea first, the Jedi Master got up and walked into the kitchen.
By the time the Initiate had awoken, Obi-Wan was already on his third cup and in a better mood. He greeted the young boy cheerfully, who looked unsure of what he should do. Obi-Wan was not a person who ate breakfast, but that hadn't stopped him from preparing something for the young boy, who heartily consumed it. The ginger haired Master somehow had the feeling Qui-Gon had skipped meal or it was just the appetite of a growing boy, you could never be too sure.
Qui-Gon proved to be an energetic boy, once he had fully woken up. In only a few short minutes, Obi-Wan was up to date with the latest temple rumours and parts f Qui-Gon's life. Eventually the flood of words stopped and Obi-Wan saw in the young midnight blue eyes that he wanted to ask a certain question, Obi-Wan didn't and yet couldn't answer. Thankfully, the Jedi Master's comlink chimed just in time to prevent an uncomfortable situation.
"Excuse me, I have to take this," Obi-Wan said maybe a little too hastily, but the younger male didn't seem to notice.
Midnight blue eyes looked up at him almost expectantly when he returned towards the table.
"I fear I have to leave for a Council meeting, young one. I trust that you can lock the door when you are finished with eating. Don't concern yourself with cleaning, I'll do that when I return.
The boy nodded, yet somehow the older male had the feeling he wouldn't need to clean once he returned, "Thank you Master, for the meal and well, I guess for being there," a shy smile appeared on the young features and Obi-Wan stopped in the middle of putting on his robe to kneel down.
"Do not hesitate to ask for help and guidance young one. The Jedi are a family and as such we care for each other," the boy nodded and the Force sang its approval. The ginger haired man hesitated, "I am in search for a sparring partner later this evening, if you are interested you can join me." Immediately the young Initiate's face lit up and something in Obi-Wan clenched painfully. He didn't want to make the boy false hopes.
"I'll be there Master," and Obi-Wan knew he would. With a last small and a ruffling of dark brown locks, the Jedi Master stood back up and exited his quarters, leaving a boy alone to rummage through it and he knew Qui-Gon would. The boy was curious by nature, but Obi-Wan had nothing in his quarters the boy should not see, otherwise he would have told him not to touch anything.
The meeting had been longer and more tiresome than Obi-Wan had anticipated and he was glad that it was finally over. He had been offered a seat on the Council more than once and reluctantly he had accepted to act as a substitute should one of the Masters not be able to attend. He began to regret his decision however and sometimes he even asked himself why Mace and Yoda hadn't fallen to the dark side yet. He himself would probably go crazy if he wouldn't get out of the temple or the Council chambers every once in a while.
Qui-Gon was already in the training halls when Obi-Wan entered. The boy was running through some katas and was so engrossed in it, that it took him a while until he noticed the Jedi Master's arrival. A look of relief ran through over the boy's face. He probably had thought that Obi-Wan had dumped him.
"Forgive me for my lateness, young one. The meeting took longer than I had anticipated."
"It's quite alright Master..." he hesitated, before a large and mischief grin appeared on his features, "I thought you might not come, because you were afraid of losing to me."
"Ah, I fear you have to train a little more to beat me in a fair spar," he emphasised the word 'fair' and noticed the troubled grin, "Or did you truly believe you could fool me?"
"Well, I..." the boy was suddenly unsure of himself and started fidgeting.
Obi-Wan took pity on him, "Programming the training droids to react to my presence is nothing new to me I fear," confused blue eyes looked up, "Ask Master Windu, I am sure he would very much like to tell you how his plan backfired and instead of me, it was himself who had to fight of the droid."
Qui-Gon laughed, "Did this really happen?"
"Oh yes, even though I would ask of you not to tell Master Windu I told you... I am not eager to be the test object to the new moves he created."
The boy caught himself, "But Master Kenobi, everybody in the temple knows that you are way better in combat than Master Windu is."
Obi-Wan nodded and discarded his robe, "Yes the temple knows that I have beaten Master Windu more than once, but so does he and he does everything in his power to change that fact."
"I thought Jedi aren't supposed to feel pride," the boy asked hesitantly and raised his saber at Obi-Wan's signal.
"We aren't, but it is not pride that drives Mace forwards, but a good and healthy rivalry. We've known each other since our days in the crèche and as far as I can remember we were always trying to be better than each other. This brought us into trouble more often than not, but it also is one of the reasons why we are so devoted and good in what we are doing," Qui-Gon nodded in understanding and together they ran through some basic katas to warm up, "Don't tell me you have experienced something like this yourself. Surely you must have something akin to a rival too." The boy faltered in one of the steps, but quickly regained his balance. The mistake was not lost to Obi-Wan's eye however and he slightly wondered what thought or memory could have caused this.
"I DO have some kind of rival," Qui-Gon eventually admitted, but his tone was what worried Obi-Wan, "but that was before Bruck had been sent to the Agri-Corps a few weeks ago."
The Jedi Master decided it was time to quickly change the topic, "Well, are you ready to get beaten?"
"With all due respect Master Kenobi, but I am ready to beat you," the boy replied arrogantly, but the ginger haired man somehow KNEW that it was just to cover up his grief. A trait he himself had developed. He didn't show arrogance when he was uncomfortable, but he often found himself hiding behind sarcasm. Maybe Qui-Gon and he had some things in common after all. In fact the boy was reminding him a lot of himself, when Obi-Wan had still been a Padawan.
Obi-Wan raised first his eyebrows and then his lightsaber in a mock salute, before he attacked.
If Qui-Gon had known what expected him when he challenged Master Kenobi so boldly, he would never have done so. He knew the Jedi Master was holding back, but the floor was still wiped with him. Eventually Qui-Gon collapsed to his knees from exhausting and he tried to calm his breath and his beating heart that was trying everything to escape from his chest. He heard the Jedi Master shutting off his lightsaber and almost inaudible footsteps approached him, until the larger frame of the ginger haired man kneeled down next to him. A comforting hand was resting on his back and drawing soothing circles and immediately Qui-Gon had less problems breathing.
"That's it young one, take deep breathes," Qui-Gon did as the accented voice told him and after a time, he had regained his composure enough to look up at his sparring partner. A gentle smile greeted him and Qui-Gon returned it full hearted.
Master Kenobi was a gentle soul and Qui-Gon had felt drawn to him since the first day his eyes had fallen on the ginger haired Jedi quite a few years ago. The Master still had his second Padawan back then, the one who, if the rumours could be trusted, had abandoned the Order and fallen to the dark side. Qui-Gon knew the Master blamed himself for that, he could feel it in the Force that surrounded the man, but he doubted that this was really the case. The ginger haired Jedi Master was a beacon in the light, so bright unlike any other Qui-Gon had encountered and his apprentice had been... quite the opposite in fact. Till now the Initiate didn't understand why the two of them had been teamed up.
Taking a deep breath and bathing in the calming and soothing presence that was Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon summoned all his courage and asked, "Master?" he received a hum in reply, "Why do you REALLY not want to take me as a Padawan?"
The hand on his back stopped its movement and immediately the Force around the older male saddened. Qui-Gon regretted asking this question and was about to apologize, but to his surprise the Master answered, "The fault is not with you, not matter what I said. I fear the fault is with me young one."
"Xanatos..."
"Yes," he sighed, "I failed my apprentice and all my efforts to train his dark tendencies out of him were in vain... I don't want to taint another child."
"Master," Qui-Gon protested, "this was not your fault."
"Oh, but it was," the man insisted, "He had been assigned to me so that I may guide him towards the right way. I obviously didn't."
"With all due respect Master, but the two of you weren't a very good match," he blushed slightly when the older man looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "I could feel it in the Force... you were not meant to be a team."
"Maybe..." silence rung between them, but Obi-Wan did not pull his hand away.
"What was it like with your first Padawan?" Qui-Gon asked hesitantly.
Obi-Wan tilted his head and ran his hand through his beard, probably thinking about the answer, "Ah Feemor, haven't seen him in quite a while now. I wonder what he has been up to," a pause, "I don't think I can answer that question fairly. Feemor had been another's apprentice first, I just took him, because his original Master had died and he had needed a hand to guide him. I was not sure if I was the right one, considering that the gap between us was arther small, but in the end he turned into quite a decent knight."
"How old are you anyway?" Qui-Gon blushed once he realised the bluntness of his question.
"Old enough to be your senior in many ways young man," he chuckled at the embarrassed expression of his ward, "I am thirty-eight, just so you know."
The Initiate was impressed. Master Kenobi was one of the most known and most respected Masters in the Order. Everyone knew that he had an unofficial seat in the Council and that he would give even Master Windu a run for his money. Some even said that he had been taught Soresu by Master Dooku's hand, but Qui-Gon didn't know if that was actually true. The ginger haired man was always kind and patient even with those younger than him and the best Negotiator the Order had to offer. Simply put, the man was a genius, a Jedi in his own league. Qui-Gon sighed mentally, he would give almost everything to have this man as his Master, the one every Initiate craved for.
"I had a lot good and sometimes very... adventurous times with Feemor, as well as Xanatos and I wouldn't miss these memories for anything in the world," the older male suddenly spoke up, "Maybe it IS time to make some new memories."
He looked down at Qui-Gon smiling and with a strange sparkling in his ever changing blue-green eyes. The Initiate felt hope arise in his chest again, surely Master Kenobi could not mean what he thought the man did.
Suddenly the older male had straightened up and changed his position so that he was kneeling in front of Qui-Gon instead of next to him, "Initiate Jinn, would you do me the honour of becoming my Padawan learner?"
For a moment, all Qui-Gon could do was gape openly at the amused looking male, before he gave in to his nature and instincts and literally flung himself against the taller male. With a grunt Obi-Wan encircled the smaller body in his arms. "Yes Master, yes! Thank you, thank you so much!"
Obi-Wan chuckled at the happy and very unjedi like reply, but he couldn't bring himself to care right not. Xanatos had never been so open with his emotions and maybe that was exactly what Obi-Wan needed right now, besides, it did feel right.
"Now Padawan mine," he spoke up when Qui-Gon had released him, "This won't be easy Padawan, we have different temperaments. No doubt we will clash, you will disagree and challenge me."
"I will try not to," Qui-Gon said almost panicked. He wanted to be the perfect Padawan, so that this man would not regret his decision, or even worse, cast him away again.
"You don't understand Padawan," the title coming to him like second nature, "I look forward to it." His smile was genuine and Qui-Gon could do nothing more than stare openly at his new Master. This man was definitely something else, he decided. "I do too Master," and the Force sang happily between them.
If the new Master Padawan Team had listened carefully instead of forging one of the strongest bonds the temple had ever seen, they would have heard the silent cackling of a certain old green troll and the laughter of a certain dark skinned Council member.
I hope you liked it and I would really appreciate some feedback!^^