Ok, next chapter! :) I got a few replies for this, which I was happy for, but I'd love more!
Qui Gon Jinn felt claustrophobic, which was silly. He was standing in the front of a small crowd that had gathered to watch Emalia be cremated. Obi Wan stood at his side. He had never heard the boy this quiet before. He sighed quietly and tucked his cold hands into the large sleeves of his cloak. He had been to many funerals like this before, and strangely, this was the one where he was the calmest. He remembered being sad when one of his friends had died.... but he was strangely calm when it was for his wife and daughter. He felt eyes on his back and felt people knocking on his shields. Probably trying to console him. He brushed them aside. He didn't want to be comforted. He had learned to not let his feelings get in the way of his duty, and he wouldn't. He dropped his gaze to the ground. He couldn't watch the flames anymore. He wanted to leave, but he knew that he couldn't. He placed a hand on Obi Wan's shoulder. The boy looked up and gave him a small, sad smile. As the flames lowered and eventually died, the crowd slowly dispersed. Soon, it was only them, the members of the Council who had known, and another figure, hidden in the shadows. He sighed heavily, feeling extremely old as Master Yoda stepped forward to gather the ashes into a container. Qui Gon squeezed Obi Wan's shoulder again.
"Let's go Obi Wan." He said quietly. The boy obeyed without a word, and the two turned to leave, when the figure hidden in the shadows came forward. The person was as tall as Qui Gon was, and had his hood up, hiding his face. The two stopped in front of him as the person lowered his hood. Qui Gon's eyes grew wide.
"Master." He said quietly, bowing to his former Master. Count Dooku repeated the gesture.
"Qui Gon." He put his hand on his former apprentice's shoulder. "How are you?" Qui Gon cast his eyes to the ground and mumbled something incoherently. He gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze.
"I need to talk to you Qui Gon. Just for a moment." He said. Qui Gon nodded, and just he turned to look at Obi Wan, he realized that the boy was gone. He looked around and saw him leaning against a column, staring off into the distance. He nodded, allowing Count Dooku to lead him away from the cremation site. The pair walked in silence for a few minutes, both nursing their own grade of pain.
"Qui Gon… I'm honestly surprised at you." Count Dooku said with a slight chuckle. Qui Gon looked up at the older man, confused.
"What do you mean?"
"If I was you, I would have hunted down whoever did this immediately."
"The Council forbade me." He said a bit grudgingly.
Count Dooku stopped in his tracks and laughed. "Qui Gon, I've never known you to agree with or listen to the Council without an argument." The men shared a chuckle and continued walking. Soon, they were at the mouth of the Memorial Gardens. Count Dooku stopped and turned to his former apprentice. The two were never that close. They never had the father-son relationship that Qui Gon and Obi Wan enjoyed, so this meeting was immensely awkward.
"Qui Gon, you have always been incredibly strong. I'm honestly surprised that decided to go through with the marriage. How you're holding up this well, honestly, amazes me." Qui Gon lowered his gaze, unable to meet his Master's eyes. "But, you cannot bottle up your feelings. You need to let them run their course, only then will you be able to move on. Emalia would want you to. As Jedi, our feelings are stronger than others, because we are more sensitive to the Living Force. Being a strong Jedi means in part that you can channel your emotions so that you can do your duty. I'm incredibly proud of you." He said the last part quietly. Qui Gon looked up at Count Dooku, surprised.
"Thank you Master." He said, giving the man a small smile. The older man clapped him on the shoulder.
"You're going to be fine. I have faith in you." He said with a smile. The pair walked back to where Obi Wan was silently waiting. He turned as they approached and bowed. Count Dooku returned the bow and turned.
"This is where I say goodbye." He shook Qui Gon's hand and clapped him on the shoulder again.
"May the Force be with you Master."
"May the Force be with you, and Obi Wan." He gave the two a smile and turned, walking back into the Temple. Qui Gon let out a heavy sigh. Things between him and Count Dooku were always tense, but that conversation was probably one of the most relaxed they had ever had. He turned to his own padawan.
"Let's go Obi Wan."
"Yes Master." The two set off walking towards the Temple. Qui Gon hurt just as much as he did before the funeral. Obi Wan was aching from losing the woman who had been like a mother to him. Obi Wan looked up his Master. They stopped near the doorway, looking at each other. Qui Gon knelt down and hugged his apprentice. Obi Wan hugged his Master, silently crying. Qui Gon sent as much comfort to his apprentice as he could, but as much comfort as he gave, the more the pain hurt. The two stood together, both silently mourning and trying to comfort the other in the setting sun of Coruscant.
Qui Gon stood in what remained of the small apartment, his heart aching. He set the pack on the ground and looked around, hurting. There wasn't much left. He sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn't want to go through all of this, but he knew that he had to eventually. He sighed again and started walking through the apartment. Everything he saw brought back some painful memory. A mug sitting on the kitchen shelf that Emalia had liked, a small blanket in Karine's room, even a data pad sitting on the counter. A lump started to form in his throat. He sighed sadly and starting choosing what to take. He threw some clothes and other necessities in the pack. He walked into Karine's room for what he knew would be the final time. He slowly made his way over to the crib, his heart constricting. Everything was just as it was before. He dropped to one knee and moved the blanket aside, as he had before. He held the small blanket in his large hand, and tears came to his eyes. He shook his head, trying to shove the feelings back inside, when his Master's words came back to him.
'But, you cannot bottle up your feelings. You need to let them run their course, only then will you be able to move on.' He sat on the floor, his back against the wall, and finally let the tears come. The pain was overwhelming. His heart felt as if it was breaking. He finally realized the true intensity of the situation: his wife and young daughter had just died. He let out a choking sob, tears flowing down his cheeks. He buried his face in his hands and sobbed quietly, clutching the blanket in his hand. He raised his head. From his position, he could see the bedroom that he and Emalia had shared. Another wave of pain and misery overcame him, and he felt more tears flowing. The blanket fell from his clenched fist and landed on his knee. Through all of the pain, however, there was relief. Finally, he would be able to move on. They were in a happier place now, and they were watching over him. He wiped the lingering tears away and held his head as it started to pound rhythmically with his hitching breaths. He took in a deep, yet shaky breath and rubbed slow circles into his temples. He looked down at his knee, smiling sadly as he thought about how small the blanket was compared to everything else. He remained sitting for a few more minutes, letting the wound on his heart begin to heal. Finally, he stood up and started to leave. Just before he turned out of the room, he turned and looked back into the room again, one last time. He did the same with his room, letting the image burn into his memory. He felt Obi Wan trying to contact him and smiled softly. 'Even in the despair of Death, there is Light.' He recalled from somewhere and opened his shields to the boy.
'Master? Are you alright?' He could feel Obi Wan's concern and love fill his mind.
'I am fine my Obi Wan.' He sent feelings of love and calmness through their Empathy Link.
'Where are you?'
'Leaving the apartment.' He stood up and shouldered the pack, after he folded up the small blanket and put in inside.
'Do you need any assistance?' He grinned. Obi Wan sometimes acted far beyond his years.
'No. I'm alright.' Clutching the doorknob, he turned and looked back, one last time. He then squared his shoulders, took a deep breath, and left.
15 YEARS LATER (TPM ERA)
"Focus Obi Wan." Qui Gon said as he helped his apprentice to his feet. Obi Wan smirked and rolled his shoulder.
"That hurt." He said with a slight laugh. Qui Gon smiled and shook his head.
"Come on Obi Wan, you're almost half my age and you're still getting beat by me?" He teased his slightly frustrated apprentice. Obi Wan rolled his eyes.
"Come on, why are you stalling? Are you too out of breath to go on?" He smirked. It was Qui Gon's turn to roll his eyes as he got into a defensive stance. Obi Wan laughed and got into his. Their stances were almost identical; Obi Wan had adjusted his to make it better to his fighting style, but other than that, they were the same. They stared each other down, daring the other to make the first move. Obi Wan gripped his training saber tighter, trying to come up with a plan. The only problem was that if he thought up a plan, Qui Gon would be able to see it through their Empathy Link. He mentally cursed the older man. Qui Gon smirked and flipped through the air, his lightsaber meeting Obi Wan's just before it would have hit him.
"Good!" Qui Gon exclaimed. He brought his lightsaber down, knocking Obi Wan back a few feet. The younger man started to swing his lightsaber to the right, and then brought it quickly to the left, hitting Qui Gon hard enough to make him drop his lightsaber. Qui Gon quickly jumped back out of reach of Obi Wan's second swing. He stretched his hand out and Called his saber to him. Obi Wan dove to the right and caught it before it could reach its target. Qui Gon chucked and gently reached out for the boy's mind, dodging his attacks. He reached out for their Empathy Link and sent a sleep suggestion through it. Obi Wan stopped swinging at him and stifled a yawn. In the second that Obi Wan hesitated, Qui Gon Called his saber back into his hand, ignited it, and had it pointed at Obi Wan's throat.
"I yield." Obi Wan said after his moment of shock had passed. Qui Gon smirked and backed down, extinguishing his lightsaber. Obi Wan extinguished his and handed it to his Master. Qui Gon took them and handed them to the droid, with a slight nod. He and Obi Wan left the training salle just as the sun began to set.
"You did very well today Obi Wan. Every day you improve more and more." Qui Gon said, pride coloring his voice. Obi Wan flushed with pride and thanked him quietly.
"But you know… I'd probably do better if you fought fair." Obi Wan laughed. Qui Gon rolled his eyes.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Obi Wan scoffed. "Not every opponent you fight will fight fair." He chuckled.
"True." He slung an arm around his apprentice's shoulders, laughing.
The pair made their way through the empty halls of the Temple silently until they reached their apartment. Once inside, Obi Wan flopped onto the sofa with a groan.
"Be careful. We don't need another sofa broken." Qui Gon said with a laugh.
"Haha, funny Master." Obi Wan glared at the older man, who was starting to make supper.
"If you want to eat, come and help."
"Maybe I'm not hungry tonight." Qui Gon threw Obi Wan an exasperated look over his shoulder.
"When are you not hungry?" He chuckled and stood up to help. Suddenly, both of their comm. links started flashing. He watched as the older man grabbed his and answered the call. He walked into the other room, giving him privacy in case it was needed. He sat on the sofa on his knees, folded his arms on the back of the sofa, and stared out of the window, admiring the view. He couldn't remember living anywhere else. His mind wandered back through his memories. He tried to remember living anywhere but the Temple, but couldn't. He wondered about his family: where they were, what they were like, whether or not they remembered him, or if they missed him. He sighed and rested his head on his arms, feeling a little tired. 'I just want to go to sleep…' He thought, closing his eyes. Just as he started to relax, however, he felt Qui Gon come into the room.
"The Council needs to talk to us Obi Wan." He groaned quietly and stood up. He grabbed his comm. link and followed Qui Gon out of the apartment.
"Why?"
"Apparently, they have a mission for us."
"Really?" He was shocked. They hadn't had a mission for a while. "What is it, do you know Master?"
"Negotiations. Master Windu wouldn't tell me anything else." They walked down the hallway, passing other Jedi and padawans that they knew. Every now and then, someone would give them a smile and a nod, and someone else wouldn't meet their gaze. Many people didn't like that Qui Gon disagreed with the Council so often. Obi Wan thought that it was kind of childish how they acted. Soon, they reached the Temple's elevators. They stepped inside one and Qui Gon pressed a button that would send them up to the Council. The elevator shot up, causing both of their ears to pop. Obi Wan flinched.
"I hate that…" He muttered. Qui Gon chuckled. He sighed and tucked his hands into the sleeves of his cloak. He felt a headache beginning to start and closed his eyes, willing it away. Obi Wan gave his Master a comforting smile, feeling his pain. Qui Gon returned the smile. He was concerned. Soon, Obi Wan would be ready to take the Trials. He had no doubt that he would pass with flying colors. He was immensely proud of the boy, but he was a little anxious. Truth be told, Obi Wan was like a son to him, and he honestly didn't want him to leave. But he knew that he had to eventually, just as he had left his Master, and just as Obi Wan's apprentice would leave him eventually. Still, he knew that it would break his heart to cut off Obi Wan's padawan braid at the knighting ceremony. He wordlessly reached out and squeezed the boy's shoulder. Obi Wan smiled and sent caring, loving feelings through their Empathy Link. Qui Gon smiled and reciprocated with fatherly concern and love.
"Master? Is something wrong?"
"No my Obi Wan. I… well, I hate to steal your phrase, but I have a bad feeling about this." He laughed as Obi Wan flushed, embarrassedly. They reached the floor and exited the elevator, both feeling a little bit of the anxiety that was surrounding the floor.
'So, we're not the only ones feeling the tension.' Qui Gon mentally said to Obi Wan as they met Master Windu outside of the Council room doors. They bowed to him respectfully.
"Master Jinn. Padawan Kenobi." He smiled warmly. He and Qui Gon had always gotten along well, even though he fought so much with the Council.
"Not for much longer." Qui Gon said, nudging Obi Wan. Windu laughed and put a hand on each of their shoulders.
"What is this mission about?" Qui Gon asked, turning serious. He walked with the pair to the large doors of the Council room.
"Nothing that you two can't handle." He said with a reassuring smile. He could feel Qui Gon's tension, and he knew that Qui Gon could feel his. He opened the door and walked into the room, the pair following behind him. Windu sat in his chair, between Master Yoda and Master Fisto. Master Mundi sat on the other side of Master Fisto. Obi Wan found it a little strange that only those four were the only ones in attendance.
"Master Jinn. Padawan Kenobi." Yoda said with a small smile. The two bowed respectfully.
"Difficult, this mission will not be. Negotiate with the Trade Federation, you must."
"Negotiate what Master Yoda?" Qui Gon asked, confused. Normally, the Jedi had little to do with the Trade Federation. If anything needed to be done with them, the Senate was involved.
"They're set up a blockade around the planet of Naboo. We need you two to go there and negotiate with the Federation and the Queen to help them work out an agreement." Master Fisto explained.
"Here. These data pads will give you two more details about both sides, and the situation." Master Mundi stood up and handed each one a data pad. Obi Wan took his and turned it on, watching as it loaded the information. He was shocked at how much there was on it. He shut it off and turned to face the Council once more.
"Your ship leaves tomorrow at 0700 hours. May the Force be with you." Master Windu said with a nod of his head. Obi Wan and Qui Gon bowed and left the room. Once inside the elevator, Obi Wan turned his datapad back on and looked to see how much info there really was.
"Master, we have to read all of this by tonight?!" He exclaimed as the screen projected the total. Qui Gon leaned over as the elevator started its descent and read the total off of his datapad. He chuckled.
"Well, this is going to be interesting." He smiled and watched his apprentice scroll through the data, exclaiming every now and then about something or other. Qui Gon reached under his tunic and pulled Karine's necklace out. He turned it over in his fingers as the crystal sparkled in the setting sun. He sighed quietly and tucked it back out of sight.
"Master?" Obi Wan was looking at him, concern written across his face.
"Don't worry Obi Wan." He gave his apprentice a warm smile, as if to prove that he was perfectly fine. Obi Wan could see the traces of pain in his eyes however. Qui Gon had a sudden thought.
"Let's go see Dex." He said with a smile. Obi Wan's face burst into a wide grin and he nodded. Qui Gon had a mischievous glint in his eyes. As they exited the elevator, he told Obi Wan his plan.
"Shhh." Qui Gon said, putting a finger to his lips. Obi Wan stifled a chuckle. Both Jedi stood outside of the diner, trying to hide their laughter. They put up their hoods and ignited their lightsabers. They crashed into the diner, causing the only two patrons to drop their silverware and scream. Obi Wan slammed the door shut behind them as Qui Gon stepped forward.
"You! Droid! We have an arrest warrant!" He yelled at the innocent droid, who looked like it was going to shut down. Dex shuffled to the serving window, looking frightened.
"Arrest warrant? For who?"
"For the owner of this diner." Obi Wan said. Dex looked as if he had been slapped for a moment, but then squinted at the two.
"If it's who I think it is, they aren't getting any food." He said, laughing. Qui Gon and Obi Wan lowered their hoods, looking confused.
"How'd you know it was us?" Qui Gon asked as the two put their weapons away. The customers looked horrified still. The droid, who had seen this stuff before, went over to them and explained.
"Well, first of all, didn't you two try this a few months ago?" Qui Gon laughed, remembering how they had done the exact same thing, but during the lunch rush.
"And secondly, I've never heard an accent like Obi Wan's before. Noticed it right away." He laughed loudly as Qui Gon turned and gave Obi Wan an accusatory glare. Obi Wan flushed.
"Ok padawan, you aren't eating tonight." He smirked. Obi Wan shrugged.
"I'd almost rather not eat than have to eat your cooking Master." Qui Gon gave Obi Wan a playful mental swat and elbowed him in the rib.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Well, it's no secret that you're no gourmet chef Master…"
"It's not like you are either." He smirked. "In fact, I remember one birthday a few years ago, when an overly excited apprentice of mine tried to make me a cake and almost burned the Temple down because he let the oven on overnight while I was still gone on my mission…" Obi Wan flushed and shuffled his feet.
"You were gone and I forgot!" Dex laughed and came over to the two, giving them each a bone crushing hug.
"The usual you guys?" He asked once he released the two. They nodded and walked over to their usual booth, nodding at the couple nearby. They returned the gesture, looking a little confused. The pair sat down. Just as they did, Dex came over. Obi Wan moved over and let the alien sit in the booth with them.
"So, how was your mission?"
"No mission this time Dex. We're leaving for one tomorrow and decided to stop by. We've got a lot of research to do tonight." Qui Gon pulled out the datapad.
"Looks like fun." The alien snorted with laughter. Obi Wan rolled his eyes and groaned, folding his arms on the table and smashing his head into them.
"And by the looks of things, either Obi Wan doesn't want to do the reading or he has forgotten how to." Qui Gon teased. Obi Wan raised his head and gave his Master a glare.
"Not funny." Qui Gon reached over and ruffled the boy's hair with a smile.
"Sorry padawan." He smiled. Obi Wan glanced at Qui Gon's datapad, just as his Master shut it off and held it in his hands. Obi Wan felt a drop in his stomach and pulled his out datapad. He turned it on and scanned it.
Beside him, Qui Gon and Dex had begun talking about something or other. He felt his apprentice's shock. Obi Wan reached over and yanked the datapad out of his stunned Master's hand.
"Obi Wan, what…?" He and Dex watched, confused, as Obi Wan looked over the datapads. Suddenly, the boy let out a yell and swore violently under his breath.
"Language Obi Wan! What is it?" He reprimanded, concerned. Obi Wan simply stared at the datapads in shock and shook his head. Dex leaned over and read over the boy's shoulder and started laughing loudly. The other couple looked at them in annoyance and left, muttering under their breath.
"What is going on with you two?" Qui Gon asked, shaking his head. "Obi Wan, let me see the datapads." He held out his hand.
"Ok, this is your datapad." He handed it over. On the screen, it had a number of how many articles he had to read. It was fairly large, but Qui Gon had seen worse.
"And here is mine." He handed his Master his datapad and held his head in his hands, groaning loudly. Qui Gon looked at the two and realized Obi Wan's problem.
"Obi Wan… you have almost four times more to read!" He exclaimed. Obi Wan groaned again.
"Don't remind me…" Dex laughed beside him. Qui Gon tried to bite back a laugh, but couldn't. Obi Wan glared at him again.
"Why though?" He asked. He had to wait a few moments for Qui Gon to be under enough control to speak.
"Because I've been to Naboo a few times, while you never have. And I've dealt with the Trade Federation before. What I have to read is just to refresh my memory. You have to learn it all." He burst out laughing at the end. Obi Wan groaned and dropped his hand into the arms. Qui Gon reached a hand out and placed it on the boy's shoulder, giving it a sympathetic squeeze.
"No, that's not it…" He said. Qui Gon raised an eyebrow silently and waited for his apprentice to continue.
"The Council's punishing me." He said with an angrily.
"What reason does the Council have to punish you? And why don't I know about it?" He asked, folding his arms and leaning back in the booth.
"Because it's because of you!" Qui Gon raised his eyebrows again and smiled, utterly confused about his padawan's quirky belief.
"What did I do?" He asked, curious to hear what the boy was going to say.
"The Council is punishing me because of how much you disobey them… and because of how you embarrassed Master Windu on Umma the other month… That's why I have so much more to learn!" He said triumphantly. Qui Gon stared at his apprentice in shock. 'He's gone mad…' He thought, shaking his head.
"Believe what you will padawan." He said, chuckling. Obi Wan glared at him again, but he could feel him laughing through their Empathy Link. Qui Gon smiled, hoping that they had many more times like this before Obi Wan as Knighted.
Review please *huggs* :D