Disclaimer: I still do not own Star Wars or anything else from a galaxy far, far away.
Obi-wan caught up with Anakin, but they didn't say a word as they hurried to the Council chamber. Obi-wan could feel Anakin's anger at being made fun of already dissipating, however, and he smiled, thinking that perhaps the boy was finally beginning to learn some semblance of emotional control.
In reality, Anakin was simply completely preoccupied with Padmé; there was no room left in his mind for hurt feelings or irritation. He was concentrated so hard on the way he remembered her lovely face that he saw only her face in his mind's eye. It was because of this that he neglected to use his physical eyes as he and Obi-wan ascended the stairs into the Council chamber.
Whoosh! Anakin's foot completely missed the next step, causing him to lose his balance and crash onto the steps, banging both knees and his elbow. He cringed as he felt the tingling pain, and cringed more when Obi-wan chided,
"You know, Anakin, these steps were here when we were here an hour ago. One would think you would still be able to successfully navigate them."
Anakin groaned inwardly as he rose, rearranged his robes, and continued his ascent – this time with his eyes focused on where he was going.
Anakin stood in the Council chamber, muscles tensing and ears ringing with the thrill of what he had just heard. He and Obi-wan had been assigned to guard Senator Amidala from any further attacks – which meant he was finally going to get to see her again!
Then he realized that also meant that she would get to see him. Doubts immediately assailed him. Would she recognize him? Would she be the same as he remembered her? What if being a Senator gone to her head and she now was stuck up? What if she or he or both of them had changed so much that she just didn't like him anymore?
As childish as he knew it sounded, the worries filled his mind, clouding it so that no other part of his brain seemed to be able to function well. It was only because his eyes registered Obi-wan's bow that he realized they had been dismissed. He quickly added his own bow, then turned to follow his Master. Somewhere between turning and stepping forward, his rebellious feet escaped his brain's temporarily feeble control over them and they twisted around each other.
Kablam! Anakin fell flat on his face in front of the entire Jedi Council! Mortified, he rose to his feet and dusted himself off, knowing that every Council member was secretly laughing at him.
Obi-wan looked at him in dismay, and groaned, "And we put a lightsaber in your hands?" He grabbed Anakin's arm and walked him out of the room, accompanied by the laughter of nearly a dozen Jedi Masters.
They took a shuttle to the Senate apartment complex that very afternoon; the sun was just beginning to set as they came in sight of their destination. Anakin kept trying to adjust his position so he could see the building, trying to guess which one of its many windows belonged to the Senator. The activity helped calm his nerves, until he realized that the closer they got to the building, the sooner he would see Padmé again! Then his jitters came back in full force. He strained to stare out the opposite window, craning his neck to see just how close they were to the massive structure. He leaned too far; suddenly, he seemed hurtling through the air upside-down, until he landed with a thud! on the floor of the shuttle, his feet pointing toward the ceiling. Obi-wan didn't say a word; he simply helped Anakin up from the floor, plopped him back in his seat, and placed a hand on Anakin's forehead in concern that was only partially fabricated.
"No, I'm not sick," Anakin growled, yet another scowl gathering on his features.
Obi-wan just raised an eyebrow.
When the shuttle landed, Obi-wan strode out, graceful and confident.
Anakin, with his jumbled nerves and uncooperative feet, tripped over a large chunk of air and went sprawling – again. As he picked himself up off the landing platform, Obi-wan came to his side.
"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked, beginning to sound genuinely concerned. "I've never seen you this awkward before. You crashed into the door in your room, fell up the stairs to the Council chamber, tripped over your own feet on the way out of the Council chamber, fell from the chair on the shuttle, and now this!"
Anakin blushed with embarrassment. Did Obi-wan have to announce to all of Coruscant that his Padawan was as clumsy as a drunken bantha?
"I don't know why this keeps happening," he said out loud, irritation ringing through his voice.
"Perhaps you're growing again," remarked Obi-wan, a little more sympathetically. Together, they approached the door to the building.
