Disclaimer: All belongs to the great and powerful Mouse.

A/N: So, this update comes rather quickly (mostly because I have been sick and thankfully excused from work). They say misery loves company so I decided to call my old friends Qui and Obi to join me in my misery as I recover from my body's attempted coup!

A/N 2: Italics indicate emphasis, visions, personal thoughts and flashbacks. Context should illustrate which device is being used. / / indicates mindspeak.

Thanks:

Princesslolitatheorca654: Glad you like it!

Please R&R!

Chapter 2 – Bruises

Day – 0

Master Jinn stood at the door to his apartment for several minutes as he released his anger into the Force. That particular emotion was dispatched easily enough, but the old man was having a far more difficult time parting with his frustration and disappointment.

Qui-Gon sighed heavily, then palmed open the door and stepped inside. He casually looked around the apartment. His apprentice was nowhere to be seen. He closed his eyes and reached out over their bond. Obi-Wan was in his room hiding behind closed doors and heavy shields, yet even so, brief wisps of anxiety leaked across the bond confirming the boy's worry like sea spray confirmed the presence of an ocean.

"Padawan."

A door quietly opened. A sheepish looking teenager stepped out, his head down, his fingers nervously pulling at the hem of his robes. At first Qui-Gon thought the boy was staring at his boots simply to avoid his master's gaze, but as he studied his apprentice further it seemed Obi-Wan was hiding something else from him.

"Come here, Padawan," he said his voice stern, but not hard. Obi-Wan obeyed and stepped forward until he was standing directly in front of his master. Qui-Gon noticed that the boy had still not raised his head and the old master had a reasonable suspicion why.

"There is no sense trying to hide. Let me see," he gently ordered. Obi-Wan sighed, but obediently lifted his head so that his master could properly see his face. As the old man suspected a deep purple and black bruise rested puffily around the boy's right eye. Qui-Gon's finger traced the outside edge of the bruise. He saw his apprentice flinch under even this light touch. For a moment, the paternal part of Qui-Gon considered using the Force to speed the healing of the black eye, but the mentor in him thought perhaps this lesson might be better learnt if the discomfort remained.

"Sit," he said as he gestured to the large couch of their common room. Obi-Wan complied and slogged dejectedly to his seat. He slouched into the cushions and absently wrung his hands. Qui-Gon went into the compact kitchen and retrieved a small flimsiplast bag that he began to fill with ice. He then returned to his charge and handed him the compress which the student both reluctantly accepted and dutifully placed against his swollen face.

"Now, my young apprentice, care to explain how this occurred?" Qui-Gon asked as he crossed his arms over his chest. Obi-Wan glanced up at his master with his uncovered eye before returning his gaze to the floor, a flush creeping up his ears.

"There is no excuse, Master. I let my anger control my actions. I know better than to do that," he paused. "I'm sorry."

"You are right, Padawan and I am very disappointed in you." Qui-Gon could see the boy wince under his words, but he continued. "There is no excuse for your behavior, but I would like to know the reason for it," Qui-Gon finished. The old man had already been told the gist of the situation by the boy's saber instructor who had caught him fighting with another padawan, Bruck Chun. Qui-Gon was well aware that Bruck had been somewhat of a bully to Obi-Wan over the years, but now that the boys were padawans Qui-Gon had hoped they had outgrown such behavior. It was now clear to the master that that was not the case.

Obi-Wan raised a cautious eye to his master who greeted the boy's unspoken inquiry with a raised eyebrow. Obi-Wan sighed defeatedly.

"You know how he is, Master. I tried to ignore him. I tried to remain calm and just walk away, but... Bruck always knows..." he said his voice trailing off until his last words were lost to Qui-Gon.

"Bruck always knows what?" he asked. Obi-Wan shifted uncomfortably. He looked away from his master before answering.

"He always knows exactly where it hurts," the boy answered quietly.

Qui-Gon knew his apprentice was not referring to any physical pain as he felt something stir within the boy. A deep sense of shame and sadness permeated across the bond despite Obi-Wan's attempt to shield himself. Qui-Gon thought carefully before speaking. He did not want to pain the child further, but he had to get to the root of things if the problem were to be resolved.

"What did he say to you?" he asked finally. Obi-Wan's head snapped up at his master in horror. Such was the padawan's fear that he failed to notice that his ice pack had dropped out of his hand and fallen to the floor with a muted thump. It had never occurred to the boy that his master would want to know what Bruck said that had driven him to anger. Qui-Gon could see the plea in his apprentice's uninjured eye and though his heart ached, his face remained neutral and his gaze still awaited an answer. Obi-Wan shook his head and stared at his master's boots.

"Please, Master. It's... personal. I'd rather not say."

"It was not a request, Padawan," his master replied. Obi-Wan's frame trembled for a moment, then stilled as he desperately fought to hold back tears. Qui-Gon waited patiently for the boy to collect himself.

"He said that...," Obi-Wan started weakly, his voiced choked on the lump lodged deep in his throat. He paused, took a deep breath and began again. "He said that bringing me back from Bandomeer was... a mistake. That it was only a matter of time before you and the Council realized that... it was... the will of the Force that I not be trained as a knight. That I... didn't deserve... to be a Jedi... That you only took me as your padawan out of pity..." Obi-Wan finished. He had thought hearing himself say the words aloud had been uncomfortable, but the quiet that followed felt far worse. Just before the silence became too deafening, Qui-Gon sighed.

"Look at me," he said softly. When Obi-Wan didn't respond he tried a sterner approach. "Padawan."

As he expected, Obi-Wan would not disobey what he perceived as a direct order from his master. Slowly, blue-gray eyes rose to meet dark blue ones.

"Do you believe it?"

"Master?"

"Do you believe what Bruck told you?" he asked again. Obi-Wan shook his head emphatically.

"No, Master. Of course not," he replied. Qui-Gon continued his quiet stare. Obi-Wan strained uncomfortably under his master's gaze and finally he stopped shaking his head. His eyes dropped to once again scrutinize the patch of floor in front of his boots.

"Yes... sometimes... maybe...," he answered softly. For several moments the deafening silence returned.

"I think you should spend the next few hours meditating on your actions. When I return we will speak more on this," Qui-Gon said. Obi-Wan lifted his gaze, his uninjured eye opened wide.

"But... but I was supposed to go swimming with Bant and Garen," he pleaded.

"That was before."

"But, you said yesterday that I could."

"Obi-Wan,"

"But you said,"

"Do not try my patience further, Padawan," Qui-Gon interrupted his voice low and his words slow and punctuated. Obi-Wan's mouth immediately snapped shut. He looked once again at the floor. His shoulders slumped as he took a deep breath and calmed himself before he addressed his master again. After several seconds, he looked up.

"May I at least let them know that I'm not coming?" he asked his tone soft and respectful.

"I will inform their masters," Qui-Gon answered. Obi-Wan nodded and started towards his room. "You are to meditate and remain in these quarters until I return."

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan said turning briefly to his master. He then went into his room and closed his door behind him. Qui-Gon let out a heavy sigh. The boy wasn't the only one who needed some time in deep meditation, but he didn't want to do it here. No, he would go where he could be immersed in the Living Force. Without further thought, Qui-Gon left the apartment and made his way to the Room of a Thousand Fountains. Once there, he went to his favorite spot, an alcove by a shallow pond shaded by a small tree. Quickly, he pulled out his comm. and contacted Garen's master and Bant's crèche master to inform them of Obi-Wan's absence. That business taken care of, he knelt down, closed his eyes, and began to breathe deeply. He allowed his thoughts to drift back to Obi-Wan. The shame and sorrow he had felt from the boy disturbed him. Qui-Gon knew of his padawan's insecurities, particularly because he was responsible for causing or at least exacerbating most of them. He knew that his initial rejection of the boy had caused Obi-Wan to further doubt his self-worth. He continually questioned his place within the Order and his place at Qui-Gon's side. The deep seeded fear that he would be abandoned by the Jedi... abandoned by his master was a shadow ever gnawing at the boy's heart.

Qui-Gon allowed himself another heavy sigh. Obi-Wan would have to get over his fear and Qui-Gon needed to find a way to help him do it, but the master was at a loss as to how. How could he convince the child that it was, in fact, the will of the Force that he took him as his padawan and that his initial reluctance was because of his master's failings not his own?

The old master took another deep breath and allowed himself to fall deeper into the Force. He could feel its warm eddies and currents pass through him and over him. He felt wrapped in an almost palpable serenity, but something was... off. There was a whisper, a slight tugging in the back of his mind. A warning? Qui-Gon tried to focus on the niggling, but every time he tried to grasp it, it seeped through his fingers like a fistful of sand.

Mildly frustrated and no closer to any of the answers he sought, Qui-Gon opened his eyes. It had been several hours since he had left his padawan. Obi-Wan would be tired and hungry by now.

Qui-Gon headed back to the apartment. Maybe he would just tell Obi-Wan the truth, straight forward and plainly. He would simply make the boy understand how special and truly wanted he was. Yes, Qui-Gon would not rest until his apprentice knew and believed that he was meant to be a Jedi and that he was honored to be his master.

Qui-Gon entered the dark apartment. It was quiet and Obi-Wan's door was still closed. The master didn't bother to reach out with the Force. Instead he just went to his apprentice's door and knocked.

"Padawan?" he called, but there was no response. Perhaps the boy had fallen asleep. "Obi-Wan?" he called a bit louder, but still he was greeted only with silence. Qui-Gon opened the door to Obi-Wan's room. The small room was empty. Qui-Gon frowned. He had given the boy strict orders to remain in the apartment and it was not like his padawan to blatantly disobey his orders. He closed his eyes and reached out to their bond. He was met with... a void. Obi-Wan's side of the bond, the usually bright, warm light ever present in his master's mind, was now silent and empty. A feeling of extreme unease settled in the core of the master's body as the reality of the situation washed over him.

Obi-Wan was missing.