MOVING INTO THE TEMPLE

or

Formerly Chapters 2 through 5 of "Flying with an Angel"

Coming home to his and Qui-Gon's quarters was one of the hardest things Obi-Wan had done in his life. And having another being who wasn't Qui-Gon staying where Obi-Wan and his Master had made so many memories together was both a great relief to not be alone and felt as if it was an offense that someone should take Qui-Gon's room so soon after his passing. As such, when he and Anakin arrived at the door, his emotions were so high that he said as few words as possible.

"You can have my old room. It's...on the left." and then as they entered the room, "Just give me a moment to move my things.

He didn't have many possessions. They all fit inside one box that he carried across the living area before stopping in front of the most difficult door he would ever open.

"Master? Are you alright?" The boy hadn't moved from his position next to the door. Obi-Wan looked at him with reddened eyes and paused.

"If you get hungry before dinner, um...there should be something in the cooling unit. Even if it's just juice and a few protein bars." he took in a sharp breath and rubbed at his eyes, "Qui-Gon wasn't a very good cook and I can't say I am either. If you need anything else, just knock."

With that he disappeared, leaving Anakin alone in the space. His Master obviously didn't want to be disturbed. There were a few holos on the wall, but Anakin passed them by, electing to move his rucksack of belongings into his new quarters. The room was as sparse as it was long and narrow. The bed was on his right, running perpendicular to the door with a window centered above it. All the way to his left, opposite the window, was his own private fresher. His own private fresher? He had to be dreaming. Excepting a dresser on one wall and a long, low table on the other, the room was a blank slate with grey walls to match that mood. If this was going to be home for the next who knew how many years, it was going to need a few adjustments.

He peeked out his door, checking for Obi Wan, before shutting it and emptying his bag onto the bed. He quickly moved an odd looking device with multiple straps and two long filaments coming off of it into the bottom drawer of the dresser and covered it with the little clothing he had brought from Tatooine. He took out the one small holo he had of his mother and himself and set it on the short nightstand next to the bed. The rest of his possessions were all parts and pieces of various projects in different stages of completeness which he arranged on the table, though he knew that any order would disappear very, very quickly.

He checked the cooling unit, and as Obi-Wan said, there was juice and protein bars along with something else that looked a bit too green and fuzzy for safe human consumption. He may not actually have been human, but he wasn't stupid either and promptly discarded the item into the trash. With snacks in hand he returned to his room and what he would now refer to as his workbench.

Hours passed and before Anakin knew it, there was a knock on his door.

"Come in."

A moment later, Obi-Wan's head poked through the door.

"Are you hung- Well, you made yourself at home, didn't you." A smile played at his lips, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. Anakin broke his gaze from his work and cast a sheepish look towards the door.

"I like fixing things." He didn't mean to make such a mess so quickly, it just just sort of...happened.

"As I was saying, are you hungry?" Obi-Wan was exhausted physically and mentally from having to sort through Qui-Gon's belongings that afternoon. He needed to eat.

Anakin practically leapt with excitement, "Starved!"

"Grab your cloak, we're going out tonight." This would be the first time for Obi-Wan to go to this restaurant without Qui-Gon, and he didn't quite know how it would affect him, but he needed to make new memories and so did Anakin. And so the tradition of Dex's Diner continued through another generation of Master and Padawan with no foreseeable end in the future.

Anakin could not remember the last time he had eaten such a delicious meal, or one so large. It was the greatest feast of his young life and though there was an undertone of loss and grief to the evening, Anakin had a wonderful time. He could tell he was going to become very familiar with both the menu and the owner of Dex's Diner.

The Coruscanti sunrise filtered through the blinds of his window and onto his face. He had never felt so relaxed and content in his life. For once his sleep had been warm and comfortable. Tatooine was famous for its searing heat in the daytime, but as night would fall the temperatures would plummet. The atmosphere of Coruscant was controlled, however, as were the heating and cooling systems of the temple.

He glanced at the small chrono on the nightstand, blinking 06:00, and a sudden realization overcame him. He didn't have to get up, and it was bliss. A few moments later he heard a knock on his door to which the only reaction given was a low groan muffled by the pillow his head was buried in. Two knocks and three "Anakin"s later he felt a weight settle onto the edge of the bed next to him.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan's voice was almost welcome, "Anakin, it's time to wake up." Almost. Obi-Wan watched as the child reached over to the chrono and squinted at the display.

"But, I just looked at the clock. It was 06:00." confusion drenched his sleepy expression.

The knight smiled, "That was nearly two hours ago. And if you don't get up soon we are going to be late. I think it would be best to be punctual on your first day."

"First day of what?"

"Of apprenticeship, my very young padawan. We've got a big day ahead of us. Paperwork for me, placement testing for you and your appointment with the healers."

Anakin's eyes shot open at the last statement. He was going to need to stall and make a plan. "Will there be time for me to take a shower?" Anakin hoped beyond all belief that there was, not only to give him more time but also because he had never bathed with real water before. Of all the places he had ever lived, none of them had hydro-showers, only sonic. He expected that it would be much more pleasant.

"I suppose there will be," Obi Wan paused, "just be ready by 08:30." On that note, his ginger-haired master left the room.

Anakin bolted out of bed and into the fresher, which he promptly locked. His whole body was shaking. What in the Great Pit of Carkoon was he going to do? He had not planned on having a check-up, there was only so much he would be able to hide. He removed his tunic and began unwinding the long strips of cloth around his torso.

It had been several days since he could release his wings from their casing. It both brought discomfort and relief. He did his best to check both for any injury or any broken or bent feathers. Satisfied with their state of being, he proceeded with his shower.

The vent on the ceiling of the fresher gave him an idea. As long as he found a holocomm or a data pad before the appointment, he would continue to be hidden from Zan Arbor and her compatriots.

Despite his alarm at the appointment with the healers he was very relaxed at the moment and couldn't help but grin from ear to ear. There was just so much water, more water than he had seen in his entire time on Tatooine. He wanted to stay in the shower for much longer, but he knew he shouldn't waste too much time. He still had to rebind his extra appendages. He was going to have to finish that cloaking device soon, and before binding became an impossible task. He was in desperate hope that he wouldn't have another growth spurt in the near future.

He was also going to have to get new tape, as the old roll was getting much too stretched and worn out. He finished the last wrap and tucked the end into place. Before putting his tunic back on, he stared at the tattoo just below his clavicle. He hated it, and hated even more that he didn't know what it said. Four lines of text with a scar bisecting them, where his mother had removed his first transmitter. The second was still somewhere on his person, but Watto had deactivated that and given the controls to Qui-Gon who had promptly destroyed them. He would never forget the kindness shown him by the Jedi Master.

As quickly as possible he resumed preparing himself for the day's events. Now that he had a plan, he did not need to stall any longer. Before walking out into the living area, he glanced at the chrono, 08:29.

"Just in time, padawan." A protein bar was thrown in his direction, which he caught with less grace than he would have liked, "Let's go."

Anakin's last thought before leaving the apartment was much simpler than you might expect.

'I've got a bad feeling about this.'

Anakin stared at the datapad Master Nu had handed him. Obi-Wan was in a chair off to the side of the private study room that the pair were occupying. Anakin was seated in front of a small table. He didn't want to disturb his master, but at the same time he would never be able to finish the test. He had been counting on it being an oral test like in the council room. His heart rate increased and he could feel his nerves rising. The first attempt he made to speak ended up sounding more like a squeak than actual language.

"Master?" to which Obi-Wan looked up from the forms that were occupying him.

"Yes, Padawan?" The sheepish look on Anakin's face was very evident.

He shook his head before speaking again, keeping his eyes downcast. "I can't take this test." That one sentence took a great deal of bravery. He severely hoped he wouldn't have to explain more.

"Of course you can, Anakin. This is simply to determine what classes you should be entered in, what level you will be most comfortable at. Whatever you get on this will neither count for or against you."

"But, Master, I can't. I-" Anakin glanced up at Obi-Wan before returning his gaze to the floor, "I can't read." Obi-Wan was floored by the statement. Most younglings were fluent readers by age six, and at the Temple it was often even younger. "I mean, I know a few words. I'm a bit better with Huttese, but-" his breath hitched and the shame in his voice was palpable, "I don't know nearly enough to do this. You might as well stick me with the three-year-olds."

Obi-Wan moved his chair over next to Anakin and shifted the datapad so it was between them. "Well, there's no rule that says I can't read the questions to you, now is there. And tomorrow, we can start working on your reading skills together. Does that sound alright to you?" Anakin nodded his head vigorously and they both smiled.

"Alright, question number one."

The results of Anakin's test were the only thing on Obi-Wan's mind as he and his padawan approached the healer's wing. Except for basic mathematics, the boy had practically failed the entire test. It took everything Obi-Wan had not to give away the answers. He didn't think Anakin was stupid, but it appeared that the boy had literally no schooling up to this point in his young life.

Anakin's gaze remained glued to the floor. He didn't know what he got on the quiz, but he knew it was bad. And only more bad things were going to happen in the near future. He felt like a man condemned as he and his master approached the healing wing. He had a rudimentary plan but it was doubtful that it would end up working.

Entering the examination room was enough to make Anakin's heart pound in his ears. The healer was a friendly Mon Calamari named Bant. She and Obi-Wan appeared to be friends, though how close, Anakin had no idea. He had to concentrate, he remembered how to do this. It was nothing he hadn't done before.

First they took his height and weight. One point four meters and sixteen point seven eight kilos.* Obi Wan gasped though Anakin wasn't sure why. He was lifted gently onto a high table where the healer continued the exam. She shined a light into his eyes and made him stick out his tongue and what seemed like a hundred other things, but he wished it had been a thousand is it meant delaying what was to be the final part of his check up.

Thus far he had been able to keep himself in check and not show how deeply his fear ran, if he wasn't careful Obi-Wan's suspicions would grow exponentially. But, then Healer Eerin rolled up his sleeve and sterilized the crook of his elbow. The smell of the liquid made him start hyperventilating. He had to act now before he lost all control.

"Anakin, are you alright? Bant, I think we should give him a moment." the Knight's eyebrows furrowed together.

It was too late. She had already pulled out the needle and Anakin had seen it. It was a reflex. He hadn't meant for it to be this extreme though he knew it was coming, he was planning on it, counting on it. He screamed.

Obi-Wan saw Anakin screaming at the sight of the needle, but he couldn't hear it. Bant was clutching the sides of her head and the lights were flickering.

"Hold him down!" Bant ordered as she grabbed another hypodermic filled with a blue liquid.

Obi-Wan did as he was told though he severely regretted it. Anakin thrashed about and the lights continued flickering until the Mon Cala put the second hypo against the boy's neck and the the lights went out.

"That-"the healer panted, "was the strangest thing I have ever heard." And then the lights returned with the back-up generator's ignition. She quickly reached for the first hypo again and quickly took the sample from Anakin, ready to insert it into the analysis machine, but it wouldn't respond to her.

"It's shorted out." Her voice was calm as her hands gripped the sides of the screen.

"What?" His day only got more confusing the longer it went on.

"Your padawan. He's shorted out the computer system."

*For those of you using the "standard" system, he is about 4' 8" and 37 lbs at this point.

Healer Eerin had said it would be several hours, if not morning, before the boy would regain consciousness. He had taken him off from over his shoulder and set Anakin on his bed once they had returned to their quarters. Anakin didn't even weigh seventeen kilos! He was just barely half the weight he should be for his height and age. Obi-Wan knew life must have been hard on Tatooine, but how was the boy even alive? Bant had given him a bottle of vitamins and a container of some sort of protein powder Anakin was supposed to mix into a drink every morning until his weight stabilized. There was concern over whether or not more serious health problems would exist because of prolonged malnourishment, but they wouldn't know until the computer systems were fixed and the blood sample could be properly analyzed.

"Oh, Qui-Gon, what have I gotten myself into?"

The fog cleared from Anakin's mind as he forced himself to the fresher and splashed water on his face. He hadn't been expecting the dose of sleep-inducer, but it wouldn't affect his plan as long as the computer's were still down.

Once he was fully awake he moved quietly to his door and pressed his ear against it, trying to determine if his master had already gone to sleep. He slid the door open a crack so he could hear better. Nothing. He crept out of his room and went almost to Obi-Wan's door, still listening. Anakin chuckled silently as he finally heard his master's light snoring. Returning to his quarters, he piled his extra clothes underneath the blanket on his bed in case Obi-Wan decided to check on him in the middle of the night. It may not have been fool-proof, but perhaps it would buy him some time.

Finally, he went to the bottom drawer of his dresser and pulled out the device he had previously hidden. Though it wasn't complete for his original intent, with some minor adjustments it would be perfect for tonight. After detaching the two filaments, he strapped it to his back and with the flip of a switch he became invisible.

For the sake of extra precaution, he had crawled through the vents, doing his best to remember the path to the healer's wing, which proved to be a more difficult task than expected. They had gone to the healer's from the archives that afternoon and he was unconscious on their return trip, so his route was much less direct than he had hoped for.

When he finally made it to the examination room, he dropped down from the ceiling and quietly as he could. Thankfully the vent was positioned over the table. He made his way carefully to the cooling unit where he knew his blood sample had to be stored until the computers rebooted. In addition to his sample there were several others waiting to be analyzed. A simple switch of labels and he wouldn't have to worry for a very long time. He couldn't tell all of the characters on the label he exchanged for his, though he did identify the initials. F. O. He only hoped he wouldn't cause this "F. O." any trouble, but any trouble they received would be significantly less than what he would have received.

He returned as quickly as possible to his quarters and slept more soundly than he had in ages. Zan Arbor wouldn't find him and neither would anyone else. For the first time in his life he was really and truly safe. And as long as he got his cloak working fully he always would be.

Safe.