I totally just teased all of you waiting for an update on Captured Heart—it's coming! Trust me, soon. I know, I know; I have three other stories that need updating (four if you count ALITS) and I start another one? Well, this one wouldn't let me go! So enjoy this fresh new piece while it's still hot!
Obi-Wan Kenobi liked to think nothing surprised him.
He was utterly mistaken, of course; three years of being apprenticed to the not-so-rule-abiding Qui-Gon Jinn had proven him very, very wrong. Aside from having one of the wilder Masters in the Temple, his Jedi training allowed for him to keep calm in situations that most beings would have been panicking in, or from startling from a sharp noise or jolt. Garen and Bant often teased him on the subjecting, stating that his seriousness and perpetual composure kept him from having fun. "If we ever threw you a surprise party, you'd know a week before and would be the first to show up," Bant constantly said between laughs, to which Obi-Wan would reply that surprise parties were not encouraged among Jedi, earning him either a smack, eye roll or a pillow thrown at his head depending on the location. The padawan always met the teasing with the argument that he didn't like surprises if he wasn't expecting them, earning him yet another of the three aforementioned choices.
After spending a month of nothing but mud and rain, several ambushes and untrustworthy contacts, tenuously rebuilding trust among the warring clans and weaving a fragile alliance between the leaders, the two Jedi had left the dreary planet of Denoskar V severely disheartened. It had only taken one single sentence of refusal (not to mention a terrorist bomber making her way into their meeting) to bring all their hard work crashing down. It was no shock to the older man that his padawan was in an exceptionally foul mood, scowling and pacing with his arms folded on the shuttle back to Coruscant. Thoroughly tired, thoroughly discouraged and thoroughly caked in mud, Qui-Gon had halfheartedly offered a small praise of his apprentice's growing negotiating skills, and when that didn't lift the boy's spirit he promised a trip to visit Obi-Wan's friend Dexter at the diner he ran—Force knew why the boy wanted to eat there. Anything even related to food was equal to half his weight in fat, and non-too healthy to say the least. The Master had suggested many times that not every dish had to consist almost entirely of grease, to no avail—this Dexter character clearly had never heard of the word "nutrition". Obi-Wan, after demanding they stop by their quarters after the regular mission report to the Council to rinse off in the 'fresher, had made him swear to behave before even setting foot in the establishment, with much grumbling and groaning on Qui-Gon's part. It was all for naught when he was drowned out by the booming voice of his padawan's Besalisk friend, said padawan grinning from ear to ear.
Following a rough, draining mission with a surprise was not what Obi-Wan wanted. The Force had other plans.
Owen Kenobi loved to be surprised.
Growing up as the youngest of three in a rather poor family was challenging, and surprises usually meant good things like toys and sweets when he was younger. At sixteen years, he was too old for those certain surprises to excite him. Excelling in musical talents, for example, hadn't. Stewjon was a peaceful planet which centered around the arts; their food, their transportation, their clothing, their very lifestyle. Every child was expected to grow up to be a writer, artist, musician, political speaker, or some other form of self-expression career. They were encouraged to express themselves at early ages, and were considered disappointments if they failed at any and all artistic passion, subsequently shunned in the process. A child's parents influenced them greatly, so it came as a surprise when the youngest son of artist Breta Kenobi and journalist Ollen Kenobi showed interest in music, with both his older sisters—escpecially Brena, who giddily announced she was going to try to become a blogger for the HoloNet—pursuing journalism like their father.
Earning a scholarship to the finest academy of arts on Coruscant was a welcome surprise. Learning he had a twin brother—not so much.
Owen had always known the family was keeping a secret from him. Every few months one of his sisters or parents would slip up, saying "The other baby" or "Obi—Owen. I said Owen, sweetie,". The relatives spoke in hushed tones about his birth, and only when they thought he wasn't around. Every holopic from around the first year of his life seemed to have a rip or had been cut straight down the center or right after his image ended. One of his earliest memories was finding one his mother hadn't gotten to yet.
"Momma, come 'ere!" Little four-year-old Owen waved a holopic in his chubby toddler hand. Breta smiled tiredly and wiped her hands on her skirt, bending down to her son's eye level. "There's two of me!"
Panic froze her as she quickly snatched the holo out of his hands, scanning the one, one document she must have missed. Laughing anxiously, Betra hastily explained that he was standing in front of a mirror. Owen peeked over the edge of the holo and pointed to the other "him".
"But that me's shirt is blue. I'm wearing green." The toddler couldn't understand why his mother couldn't see the obvious color difference.
"It's a special mirror," Breta assured, cramming the holo in the pocket of her apron, "Let's keep the special mirror a secret, okay?"
Yes, Owen had had his suspicions long before his sending-off celebration, where his parents had revealed his elusive twin moments before he left for the Academy. Normally, he would have been fine with learning he had a long-long brother, and would have eagerly sought him out. As soon as he expressed his desire to do so, however, out came the story of just why his brother Obi-Wan hadn't been part of the family for fourteen years. Rumors floated around his school about the mystical Jedi—there was that kid in fourth year who'd jumped off the roof of the building believing he had the Farce or whatever it was—his father used to tell him bedtime stories about the light-stick wielding warriors, for kriff's sake. But his brother? A Jedi? The story about the hooded men coming to take the boy away? Unreal.
For the next two years on Coruscant, Owen almost forgot about his sibling. Schoolwork kept him busy, and he had performed a few times since arriving—once at the Senate building. Although he kept in touch with his parents and sisters, the name Obi-Wan was never mentioned again. Owen made plenty of friends who he hung around with a lot. But every time he walked past the Jedi Temple, or glanced at it looming in the distance from his quarters, he couldn't help but wonder if his brother was in one if those rooms, if he looked hard enough then could he see him? Owen pushed it back many times, but part of him held a burning desire to find out if they looked alike, if his twin liked Shockball or muja fruit, how well he could use the lightsaber the famed Jedi carried. Now, hopping onto one of the many skytrams, Owen briefly glanced at the enormous structure before a tunnel blocked his view. It was midday meal this fine, clear day, and his stomach was telling him to make use of the free period. A couple of buddies had told him about a great place down in Coco Town called Dex's Diner, which he'd been dying to try out. He had a strangely good feeling as he walked through the doors, like today was a special day.
Lost in the see of patrons, Owen didn't expect anything like a surprise during his meal. He couldn't sense it, but the Force had other plans.
I know Wookiepedia says Obi-Wan is the oldest and is from a moderately wealthy family, but what fun would that plot be? Please leave a review on what you think will happen! Thanks!