Author's Note: Well... First let me warn everyone: it's just a writing experiment which is messing with the idea of a SW AU. The story takes place in a setting and culture that resembles the best to the feudal Japan, with samurai and all (but it's NOT Japan). Basically, Jedi are samurai here, with kimono and katana and all. The Force is present, they can use it, but there isn't a strict organisation like the Jedi Order in SW.

Also, Qui and Obi is around the same age, Qui is ~40, Obi is 30-35. I'm not planning to write slash, however, I like the genre pretty much. Even I don't know yet where this story is going, but I enjoy writing it very much. I hope you would enjoy reading it!

My honest and heartfelt thanks goes to MillionLights, who was kind enough to accept my beta-request.

Chapter 1

The full moon in the sky observed in everlasting indifference as a dark figure ran across the grass-covered plain. The tall, long-haired male was beaten, scared, and exhausted. He didn't dare to stop, though, for he had no idea if someone was still tailing him.

A minute later, the uneven ground seemed to decide the issue at hand as the man stumbled and flew forward, crashing into the earth with such force that he swore he could feel one of his ribs snap. As if he hadn't been in enough pain already. His once neat and tidy kimono was torn and soaked in blood – both his own and not – he was covered all over with bruises and grazes, but his most dangerous injury was a deep gash on his back, caused by a sword.

Recovering from the shock of the crash-landing, Qui-Gon Jinn seriously began to consider the possibility of staying there on the grass and just passing out, waiting for death to arrive, but he knew he wouldn't – couldn't – do that. He was a born fighter and he never gave up, regardless the odds of his survival.

Perhaps that's why the Sith liked hunting him so much; they probably placed bets on which of them could kill him first.

Qui-Gon had no intention at all to give them that pleasure anytime soon, so he took a deep, painful breath and stood up. It seemed that once again luck was on his side because he didn't see or hear anyone nearby, not even when he used the Force to probe for harmful intentions. No Sith presence was in the near vicinity; it looked like he got rid of them.

So I'm gonna live through the night... perhaps, he thought grimly as he continued his way to the village he knew was nearby, the place where he hoped to find the person he sought.

~~~OOO~~~

Obi-Wan Kenobi sat outside his small cottage watching the moon, lost in his thoughts, not really seeing anything. Since the war with the Sith was officially over – on paper anyway – he lived a lonely life that others could call boring. However, he was content if not happy; he didn't have to fight and watch his friends die or be crippled for the rest of their lives. Obi-Wan felt that right now he couldn't ask more of his life, and he didn't want to, either.

Perhaps one day the Jedi and the Sith would learn to live beside each other, but it wasn't the case yet. The war ended for one reason only: none of the factions wanted to end up being extinct, and it was inevitable without a treaty. So they made the treaty, and since then the two groups moved to the farthest possible regions from each other. That didn't mean they never met, moreover, there were radicals on both sides who didn't give the slightest shit about the treaty and secretly hunted each other.

Obi-Wan didn't want to be caught up between them again, so he had moved into a friendly little village and was trying to live his life in peace.

However, this plan seemed to crumble when he suddenly sensed a far too familiar presence nearby, and soon he saw a sight that proved he wasn't mistaken. It was the picture of Qui-Gon Jinn dragging himself slowly up the path led to Obi-Wan's home. It was too dark to see clearly, but through the Force, Obi-Wan felt the other's pain and exhaustion. When Qui-Gon drew nearer, Obi-Wan smelled blood.

"Just what the hell happened to you?" he asked, unable to completely hide his worry, anger, and disappointment.

Qui-Gon had disappeared during the war, leaving Obi-Wan and the others alone. No one knew where he'd gone or why he'd left, and some suspected that he'd turned and become a Sith himself. Obi-Wan thought this was bullshit, but he was very angry with Qui-Gon; for some time he even wished the older man was dead.

Now, Obi-Wan could see that Qui-Gon was alive and kicking. However, he seemed close to keeling over. He shivered constantly, his gaze was unfocused and before he could answer Obi-Wan's question, he collapsed on the ground, no doubt increasing the number of his already countless bruises.

Obi-Wan sighed; he could be as angry as he liked later, but he didn't want to stand by as Qui-Gon bled to death on his doorstep. The wound on his back looked pretty bad.

"Hey! Wake up!" Obi-Wan snapped as he slapped Qui-Gon's face a few times, "I won't drag you all over the place."

Qui-Gon opened his eyes a bit and groaned loudly. He couldn't find the strength to form words but stood up with Obi-Wan's help. His back was killing him and he could hardly breathe, so he just concentrated on taking one step after the other. Left, right, left, right. He could do this.

The next thing he knew, he was sitting on a mattress. Obi-Wan wasn't there, but he quickly appeared with hot water and clean bandages. After putting these down, he sat behind Qui-Gon and removed his clothes as gently as he could.

"Holy crap, who did this to you?" he muttered to himself as he began to clean the wound on Qui-Gon's back.

The long-haired man jerked away at first (it hurt like hell), but when Obi-Wan groaned in frustration, he stayed motionless as best as he could. By the time Obi-Wan was finished with him, he was unconscious again.

Obi-Wan collected his former comrade's bloody, dirty clothes and soaked them in water; he'd try to wash them later. He didn't really know what to do with Qui-Gon, but he didn't want to deal with this dilemma while the other was knocked out cold in the house. He had no idea what Qui-Gon could want from him, but he had no intention to get involved, to do anything. He had thought he was done with Qui-Gon.

It was at least five years ago when he saw Qui-Gon for the last time, so it was quite a shock to have him back in his life again. They were like best friends, so it had hurt very much that the other deserted, leaving them behind without even a note. For a while, Obi-Wan wanted to go and hunt him down, but he was busy fighting in the war. When it was over, he had resolved to forget the very existence of his once friend. Now, he had no choice but to put that plan on hold.

Obi-Wan let out a frustrated sigh and tried to get rid of these anxieties; he knew it would only end up in a headache. Qui-Gon was here, injured and unconscious, and most definitely in need of help. He could yell at him when he'd woken up.

"Whoever you ran into, he thrashed you pretty badly," Obi-Wan murmured as he pulled the blanket around Qui-Gon tighter. The older man stirred a bit and buried his head deeper into the pillow.

Obi-Wan watched him thoughtfully, trying to determine how much time Qui-Gon would need to heal. The bruises were one thing – they would disappear soon enough – but the wound on his back was deep; he'd lost a considerable amount of blood and was exhausted enough to sleep a few days in a row. They were stuck together for the time being.