Disclaimer- I own only the people you do not recognize. The concept of the plot is vaguely mine. The concept of the bully is not mine, nor is the concept of the apprentice Turning to the Dark Side and Qui-Gon going on a guilt trip. This spin on it does belong to me, though.
A/N- This is the part everyone wants, I am sure. Day One in the life of Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi. This takes place about a week after the prologue. I apologize for the (very long) wait, real life got in the way.
SWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSW
SWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSW
Every Journey Has A First Step
Day One
SWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSW
SWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSW
"talking"
'private thoughts'
SWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSW
SWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSW
"Your fault it was not that Dorjan Turned, Qui-Gon. The Dark Side, enticing it can be. Blame yourself, you must not."
"Yes, Master." The Jedi was uncommonly subdued.
"Somehow, news of this has already spread through the Temple," Mace Windu warned him. "We don't know how, but almost everyone has heard. Any questions can be deflected to the Council."
Nodding without making eye contact, Qui-Gon bowed and left the room.
Yoda sighed. "Time, he will need to forgive himself. A new student, perhaps."
"He said he won't teach again," Mace said sadly. "He still thinks he caused Dorjan to Turn."
Adi Gallia spoke up. "I think he also believes that he missed the signs that Dorjan was going to Turn."
"What?" Mace asked in confusion. "Sure, the boy was headstrong, but there never was any indication that he was going to be tempted by the Dark Side."
"Right, both of you are. Qui-Gon's will it is not to train another. The will of the Force… have something to say about that it might."
SWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSW
Lost in his thoughts, Qui-Gon rounded a corner and ran straight into a young boy carrying a stack of books, which naturally went flying.
"I— I'm sorry, Master Jinn," the Initiate said, ducking his head as his face flushed. "I wasn't looking where I was going."
'There you go again. Clumsy.'
Qui-Gon wondered where the thought had come from; he hoped it was not his. "No harm done, young one. The fault is partly mine."
The boy reddened further and said nothing as he began to pick up his belongings. Bending down to help, Qui-Gon asked, "Why do you need all these textbooks? I thought they were all downloadable to your datapad."
"They are," he replied softly, keeping his eyes fixed on the floor. "but Master Morathi says nothing can replace a real book, so we use them for his class."
"What does Master Morathi teach?" Qui-Gon prodded gently, for some inexplicable reason wanting the child to open up.
"Galactic History and Politics." He finally glanced up and smiled shyly. "So, of course there are five volumes."
"Naturally." The Master returned the smile, feeling the odd strain of his facial muscles for the first time in days.
As he stood up, he handed two volumes and the datapad to the boy. When their hands met, both felt an electric charge shiver up their arms and down their spines. Qui-Gon looked into a pair of blue-green eyes which were widened in surprise. "What's your name, young one?"
"Obi-Wan Kenobi, sir." Obi-Wan kept timid eye contact through his mop of red hair.
"How old are you, Obi-Wan?"
"Ten, sir."
"Of course you are." He tempered the words with another gentle smile. "In which case, I think we have an appointment with the Council. Here, let me take a few of those."
SWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSW
"Master Jinn and Initiate Kenobi. Why come before us have you?"
The question was standard procedure, and said with a mysterious smile on the face of the small green Master.
Mace studied his longtime friend in surprise. Qui-Gon had entered the room carrying three large volumes in one arm, and his free hand was resting on the shoulder of a small, ginger-haired boy, who was also carrying volumes. What shocked— and greatly pleased— Mace was the faint smile on his friend's face. This was a far cry from the defeated, grieving Master who had left the same room just earlier that day.
"Honored Council," he bowed. "I wish to take Obi-Wan Kenobi as my Padawan Learner."
"Need our permission, do you?"
Qui-Gon's smile widened. "He's not eleven yet. And that's your rule, not mine."
"Hmm," Yoda gazed thoughtfully at the ten-year-old. "Wish this, do you, young Obi-Wan?"
Only years of Jedi training kept Qui-Gon from visibly starting. The intentions of the Force had been so clear to him that he had not thought to ask.
"Yes, Master Yoda," came Obi-Wan's steady voice. "This is what I wish."
"Then it is done. Bound together as Master and Padawan, you are. Learn from each other, you will. May the Force be with you."
They bowed in tandem, mindful of the heavy books in their arms, and left the Chamber.
"Good for each other, they will be."
"I think you're right."
SWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSW
"Please excuse my Padawan's tardiness, Master Morathi. It was I who delayed him."
"No harm done." Morathi smiled slightly. 'It seems quite the opposite, in fact.'
Ignoring the whispers and stares, Qui-Gon carefully handed Obi-Wan his books and ruffled his hair. "I'll see you later, Padawan."
"Thank you, Master."
Feeling happier than he had for a long time, Obi-Wan breezed through the lesson on Alderaan. His bubble was burst after class, however, when Shyam Valin knocked his books out of his arms so they scattered across the hallway. "Think you're so great no that you're a Padawan, Kenobi? How long do you think it will last before Master Jinn realizes how clumsy and stupid you are?"
Obi-Wan silently gathered his books, refusing to look at the older boy until he went to pick up his last volume. "Please give me my book back, Shyam."
The blond boy waited a moment before removing his foot from the tome. "You're pathetic, Kenobi. Master Jinn will realize it soon, and toss you out like the trash you are."
The redhead kept his gaze on the floor and hurried off, furiously blinking back tears. He did not completely disagree with Shyam.
SWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSW
"Obi-Wan, you're early," Qui-Gon said as he heard the door open behind him. "I wasn't expecting you for— by the Force, what happened to your arm?"
" 'Saber practice," the ten-year-old said softly, looking at his feet and cradling his right arm. "I'm… kind of clumsy. Master Purvaja sent me back to my quarters, so I thought I'd start getting my belongings together."
"I arrived only a few moments ago. This was the room I stayed in when I was your age, I always liked the view." He crossed the few feet between them and knelt in front of his Padawan. "Let me see if I can do anything for that arm of yours. It looks painful."
"Stings a bit." Obi-Wan gave a one-shouldered shrug, but obediently extended his burnt arm.
"If this 'stings a bit,' I would hate to see your definition of what's truly painful." Qui-Gon smiled slightly as he wrapped bacta-soaked bandages around the fresh burn.
"That would be when my arm gets sheared off," Obi-Wan replied in a perfectly serious voice offset by an impish smile. "It is such an inconvenience when that happens."
The Master blinked at him in surprise for a moment, then laughed. Laughed until he was breathless and felt better than he had in a long time. "Oh, Force," he wiped his eyes and patted Obi-Wan's shoulder. "I haven't laughed like that in years. You, my young Padawan, are a master of understatement."
Obi-Wan grinned at him, and then experimentally bent his arm. "Thank you, Master. I… really don't like going to the Healers."
"Was this supposed to surprise me? I think it's written somewhere in your genetic codes. It's supposed to wear off sometime in your adulthood… I think my gene is mutated." Delighting in his new apprentice's laugh, he brushed the moppy red hair out of the boy's face. "As soon as you're relocated, I think a haircut is in order."
For some inexplicable reason, that remark caused Obi-Wan's face to light up. Before the ten-year-old could say anything, however, his comlink beeped. "Sorry," his face flushed as he switched it on. "Yes, Healer Althea?"
'Why in the galaxy is a Healer calling him? And how did he know it was her?'
"Not today" Obi-Wan replied cheerfully. "My Master already took care of it."
The person on the other end said something Qui-Gon could not understand from the distance.
"Mm-hmm… earlier today… you do?... alright." He handed over the comlink. "Healer Althea wants to talk to you, Master. I'll go get my stuff."
"That's fine… hello?"
"Well, if it isn't Qui-Gon Jinn. Yours is a voice I still hear whining and complaining in my sleep."
"Jedi do not whine, Althea, and only rarely complain," he told her mock-sternly, smiling.
"A little-known fact… the real reason you're known as a rebel."
"Don't tell anyone, I have a reputation to maintain."
"Your secret's safe with me. But as fun as teasing you is, I wanted to talk to you about your new Padawan." Her voice lost its bantering tone. "He gets injured in his lightsaber class every day. I've taken to calling because he doesn't like to come down unless it's really serious. I don't blame him; he spends too much time here."
"How long has this been going on?"
"Eight months, ever since he got moved into Master Purvaja's class. Everyone there is a year or two older than him. He always chalks it up to being clumsy, but I find that highly unlikely."
"He doesn't strike me as remotely clumsy… What can I do?"
She sighed. "This has been a matter of concern for me since it began, but as a Healer I cannot get involved in the cause of the injuries. I asked Master Purvaja, but she didn't find it to be a matter of concern. Which is ridiculous. A ten-year-old boy has been getting injured in her class for months, that causes me concern. But she doesn't have to listen to me, and hasn't. You're his Master..."
"And she'd have to listen to me."
"Yes, exactly. Keep an eye on him, he's a good kid."
"He is, isn't he? It's taken me a surprisingly short amount of time to discover this."
"Qui-Gon, there's one more thing. I shouldn't be telling you this, but," he voice dropped. "There's a boy named Shyam Valin in most of Obi-Wan's classes, who for whatever reason strongly dislikes Obi-Wan."
"You think he might have something to do with my Padawan's injuries?"
"I have no proof, only my instincts telling me he is involved."
"Thank you for the warning. As Jedi are taught to trust their instincts, I'll trust yours. May the Force be with you, Althea. I'm going to get my Padawan settled."
"You do that. And make sure to be in within the week for your annual exam!" she said cheerfully, signing off.
"Sneaky," Qui-Gon muttered, then looked around for his apprentice. "Do you need a hand, Obi-Wan?"
"Thank you, Master, but I think I have everything." He wondered exactly what his Master thought he needed help with. All he'd had to pack were his extra clothes, toothbrush, and a very few personal things. He accepted the comlink back and stowed it away on his belt. "What did Healer Althea want?" he asked, immediately regretting his question. It was hardly his place to interrogate his Master.
"To remind me about my annual exam. She knows I try to escape them whenever possible. I've tried to tell her it's in my DNA, but she just won't listen." He smiled, putting Obi-Wan at ease. "What about your history books?"
"I forgot about them," the ten-year-old said sheepishly.
"I don't blame you there. Here, you take the things you have, and I'll get your books. You carry them around enough as it is." He hefted the pile of texts and remarked. "You know, you're going to have very large biceps by the time you're finished with Morathi's class. The girls will be falling at your feet."
Obi-Wan laughed at that, blushing a little in the way natural for ten-year-old boys when girls are mentioned. "Well sure, with huge biceps, I can beat just about anyone while sparring, girls included."
He held the door open for his chuckling Master, who was surprised by the thoughtful gesture which Obi-Wan seemed to do without giving a second thought. 'I hope you never cease to surprise me, my Padawan. Somehow, I don't think you will.'
SWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSW
"…like the three parts of this braid, Padawan, Master, and the Force are bound together. May you always remember this connection in your wanderings. Will you uphold the Jedi Code, work to help others, and obey your Master?"
"I will."
"Then I will guide you on your journey, Obi-Wan Kenobi, for as long as it is within my power to do so. You are my Padawan, and none may truly separate us."
The formal ritual was done in the privacy of Qui-Gon's— of their— quarters and, for the first time he could remember in ages, Obi-Wan felt he belonged. His braid, with it's section of his Master's hair and trailing down his right shoulder, would always remind him that someone wanted him. He would never forget it.
SWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSW
SWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSW
SWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSW
A/N- Again, I apologize for the wait. The braiding was not originally included in the story at all, so I added it. It's basically the part everyone wants to read. I hope to have the next part up soon, and as always, constructive criticism welcome unless it is complaining about the delay in chapters.
