Here's a short one-shot that I came up with while listening to some music. Enjoy!
Title: Music
Rating: K+
Summary: Music was a subject that divided Obi-Wan and Anakin, but for once they find a piece they can agree on. Slightly angsty, no slash. One-shot.
Claimer: I claim Nihoma for it is an imaginary planet floating in my head. :-) However, I cannot claim SW. :-(
I had always liked folk music. Obi-Wan had always liked classical and refined music, though his preferences did include cultural folk songs. Even in folk music, though, Obi-Wan and I had different tastes.
Obi-Wan loved the lively and rich sounds of Chandrilan folk music. Much of the music consisted of a wind instrument and two string instruments, one plucked and one stroked. Some of the music was slow and calming, some had a good beat and dancing rhythm, and some was somber.
Chandrilan music was pleasant to my ears, but not invigorating or exciting. It held a bounce but not a fire. I desired adventure, but the music only brought a gentle feeling of peacefulness. I didn't want peacefulness; I never felt comfortable with peacefulness, probably because I had never truly felt it.
Another favorite of Obi-Wan's was Nihoman folk music. Nihoma had music that was charming and soothing. It calmed the senses and allowed the mind to wander. When Obi-Wan desired some background noise for meditation, he often used Nihoman music.
Nihoman music held a feeling of nature in it with every piece. I always imagined myself in mountains or forests whenever I heard its enthralling music. However, I was also always alone in those mountains and forests, and I never liked being alone. Besides, any association I made with the music was through meditation, placing Nihoman folk songs on my not-so-favorite list.
The mysterious and alluring folk music of Ryloth fascinated Obi-Wan. He sometimes would listen to it when he didn't have much else to do. While he did not hold a particular liking towards it, it was still interesting to listen to.
For me, Ryloth folk music made me think of slavery. I always heard interesting music when I was owned by Gardulla the Hutt, and most of it was modern or Huttese folk music. However, since traditional Ryloth music was what complemented a Twi'lek dancer best, I often heard its beats and jingles and clapping rhythm ringing through the palace walls. I will admit it has an interesting sound to it, but too many memories surface upon hearing its seductive call.
Out of all folk music, the most lively and enjoyable was from Tatooine. Although there were many things from that planet that I hated with a passion because of the horrid memories, the music was never one of them. The music always told a story because it was based off of Tusken dances. It was about the only redeeming quality I could possibly find about the Tusken Raiders.
On Tatooine, the main instruments for any folk music were drums and percussion instruments. A very old tradition was to actually use krayt dragon bones in dances, but that's now omitted most of the time. There were people banging out rhythms on the drums while people danced around a large bonfire and shouted loud phrases and lyrics in Huttese. In later years as interstellar travel grew more common, some other music seeped into the culture, but the most basic and principal folk music remained.
Obi-Wan, despite his claim to enjoy cultural music, never liked Tatooine music. He considered it loud and having no meaning. It was pointless yelling and dancing to him. But I knew the true meaning. I knew the moves to those dances and the words that went with them. I knew the traditions behind them.
The rough and basic sound of the Tatooine drum beats and sounding calls always found a place in my heart. On Coruscant everything was shrouded in mystery and political intrigue. Even the line between good and evil was blurred. Many planets in the Core shared that cultural sentiment and it translated through into their music, leaving a veil of mystery.
Tatooinian music held no hidden meaning; what was there was what you got. It was simple and yet profound at the same time.
Despite our different opinions on genres, I could tell by his eyes that he didn't like this new music any more than I did. The constant rhythm was all that kept me breathing, but I hated it. He hated it too. We both looked at me as more machine than man. The constant music to my ears was harsh and unforgiving, constantly reminding me of all that I had lost.
A harmony was provided to this new music. It clashed off beat and sizzled in syncopation. It was a traditional harmony set to a harsh melody. Obi-Wan looked at me and then raised his blade in front of him, standing with his eyes closed. I took the opportunity to end the horrible song once and for all. My lightsaber went through him, but the music did not end. He simply vanished; it was a pause in the rhythm, a fermata over a rest.
The horrid song continued, making my ears bleed. It forced my lungs to work against their will.
But at long last, the song is ending. The rhythm is slowing, whining and grinding to a halt. And now, the only music left is the gentle sound of my son's voice speaking to me. He is saying that he will save me, but I know it is too late. My concert is coming to a close.
I close my eyes and I hear one last stanza. It is the sound of a happy call. Someone is calling to me. I turn and I see him, finally there and waiting for me. I run to Obi-Wan and we embrace and the music comes to an end.
I hear a new rhythm. It is not my own, but the Rebellion's. I see Ewoks and Rebels celebrating and dancing around bonfires just as they do on Tatooine. I stand alongside my Master and we finally agree on a piece of music we both love.
Victory.
Fin.
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