A/N: I wrote this a while back with the intentions of adding more, but I realized that there wasn't really much to add. This fic relates to one of my others, Reemerging Daylight, but it's not required to read that to understand this! Enjoy! :)
"Obi-Wan?"
The voice was muffled through the bedroom door, but the persistent knocking was not. Obi-Wan sat up and rubbed at his eyes to wake himself up a bit more.
He stumbled over to the door and pushed the button on the side of it to allow it to slide open, revealing his charge. Obi-Wan blinked. "Anakin?" His voice was rough from sleep, barely recognizable even to his own ears.
"I'm sorry, Ob—Master, I wouldn't have woken you if I didn't have to," Anakin rambled, staring at the floor. "But he needs to speak to you right now and I heard him knocking on the front door, so I let him in, and now—"
Obi-Wan held up a hand, stopping Anakin midsentence, and then closed his eyes for a moment. He wasn't fully awake yet; in fact, he was beginning to develop some semblance of a proper sleep cycle two days ago, but waking up at—he glanced at the chrono—2 in the morning now would likely have ruined that. He shook his head and opened his eyes. No matter. Focus on the present.
"Who is here, Anakin?" he asked finally.
The boy stared at him for a long moment, and not for the first time, Obi-Wan wondered if their fledgling bond was strong enough for Anakin to get some impressions of Obi-Wan's emotions.
"Master Windu. He says it's important, but he won't say why."
Obi-Wan nodded. "Alright. Tell him I'll be out in a moment," he said, and Anakin scurried off. He allowed the door to slide closed and turned around to face the bedroom. It felt strange, calling this room his own, when it really was Qui-Gon's, a little over a month ago. Obi-Wan still felt the faint impressions of his Master's Force presence at times, but it was fading fast, though the ache of the broken bond in his mind remained, almost stubbornly so.
One thing at a time, he reminded himself, and began to get ready.
Sure enough, Master Windu was sitting on his couch, watching him as he walked over. As soon as he saw Obi-Wan, the Jedi Master pulled himself to his feet and turned to face him.
"Master Windu," Obi-Wan greeted, and bowed. "What brings you here?"
Master Windu stared at him before looking behind him at Anakin, whose anxiety was now pressing hard against Obi-Wan's shields, almost painfully. For the past few weeks, Obi-Wan has been trying to help him ease his anxieties with meditation and simple katas, but it didn't seem to help that much.
"Anakin, you can go back to sleep," Obi-Wan said, turning briefly to address him. "I'll see you in the morning."
Anakin nodded. "Good night, Masters," he murmured before turning around and walking into Obi-Wan's old bedroom. The door slid shut behind him.
As soon as the door closed, Master Windu spoke, his voice quiet. "Based on your descriptions and the Council's review of the footage, we were able to identify the Sith you faced on Naboo," he said.
Obi-Wan felt his body go completely rigid.
Master Windu was still talking, but the sound of his voice was suddenly very far away. All he could hear was the generator complex, the sounds of the ray shields being activated and deactivated continuously.
When he blinked, he could see the generator complex itself, the red-and-black tattooed monstrosity that caused Qui-Gon to join the Force. He could feel the cooling body in his arms, the echoing emptiness in his mind, the jagged and bleeding ends of a broken bond. The tears running down his face.
"Obi-Wan!"
He blinked at Master Windu's shout and looked up at him. Obi-Wan took a deep breath, not even realizing when his breathing became quick and erratic. Master Windu's face was pulled into a deep frown, as it normally was.
"The Council is concerned," he murmured. "I am concerned. Qui-Gon was my friend, and you are his padawan." Master Windu has been saying that a lot lately, though Obi-Wan didn't completely understand why. "I know you said you've recovered from your illness, and the healers agree," the Jedi Master continued.
"I'm fine," Obi-Wan confirmed. About two weeks ago, he had a migraine so severe that he collapsed in front of Anakin while they were training. He was admitted to the Healers' Ward for about two days and was on medical leave for a full week, despite his protestations.
Mater Windu stared at him for a long moment. "We don't know much about the Zabrak, but we know his name: Maul. Darth Maul, in fact."
"So Qui-Gon was right," Obi-Wan mused. He suppressed the urge to shiver. "But you haven't checked to see if…?"
Master Windu gave him a wry smile. "You cut him in half, Obi-Wan. There is no way he could have survived that," he said.
Obi-Wan's dreams kept telling him otherwise, but that's all they were. Dreams. Qui-Gon would be telling him that they would pass, that ignoring them would be best, if he were here now.
Obi-Wan nodded finally. "Thank you," he murmured.
"One more thing," Master Windu said. "You have carried Qui-Gon's saber long enough. The Council is sending you to Ilum tomorrow to harvest a new lightsaber crystal."
When a Jedi normally passes into the Force, their saber is dismantled, and the crystal is kept in the Archives, while the parts are recycled for Jedi that need to build or repair their lightsabers. Obi-Wan, however, has been using Qui-Gon's lightsaber, since his was destroyed on Naboo. He should have known that the Council would eventually ask him for Qui-Gon's lightsaber.
"Yes, Master Windu," he said finally, though there was a knot in his stomach now, and his voice felt stuck in his throat. "What about Anakin?" he asked. "It is too early for me to bring him to Ilum."
"Don't worry about that, Obi-Wan. He'll be well taken care of."
"But why can't I come with you?" Anakin asked. He and Obi-Wan had just settled into a routine of sorts, and now Obi-Wan wants to leave? It made no sense. Anakin didn't feel ready to be left alone in the Temple, but now he was being given no choice.
Obi-Wan paused while pulling out a spare tunic from the closet. "It's only for a few days, Anakin. The Council requested me to go, which means I have to go," Obi-Wan replied, folding the tunic carefully before putting it in his bag.
Anakin bit his lip. "But…"
Obi-Wan must have sensed something from him, because he turned around to face him and kneeled down, putting both hands on his shoulders. "You'll be fine, Anakin. I'll ask Bant if you can stay with her for a few days, and you can continue going to your classes and practicing your katas." Obi-Wan's eyes were calm but earnest.
"Master Qui-Gon left me alone and then he didn't return," Anakin said finally. He swallowed down the tears the memory brought him. "I can't…I don't want to be alone right now. I'm scared," Anakin admitted, feeling his voice wobble slightly.
Obi-Wan's face was expressionless, and for a moment, Anakin wondered if he shouldn't have mentioned Master Qui-Gon. But then Obi-Wan smiled softly. "It's alright to be scared, Anakin. And you won't be alone, I promise. I won't leave you," he promised.
There was a soothing warmth in his mind, a certainty. "Okay," he murmured.
Years later, as Anakin lay burning on the shores of Mustafar, screaming at Obi-Wan's retreating form, he distantly wondered when exactly Obi-Wan realized that he would break that promise.