Chapter 3

After the meal was over, he made his way to his rooms. He still had not left the rooms that he and his Master had shared together, which was probably preventing him from moving on completely, but he still did not have the heart to do so.

Qui Gon's belongings were still in there, as well, and he took time every day to look at them and remind himself of the great man that his Master was.

Obi Wan slipped into the main sitting room, closing the door behind him, and as he tossed his outer robe over the back of one of the chairs, he could practically hear Qui Gon saying, "I guess since the robe has taken the chair, we should hang you in the wardrobe then, hmm?"

And then Obi would roll his eyes and pick it up and put it where it belonged.

Thinking of that, he stared at the robe on the chair, as though hoping that Qui Gon would suddenly reappear to tell him just that.

But, of course, there wasn't a single sound in the room other than that of his own breathing.

Letting out a sigh filled with too much emotion, he picked up his robe and put it into the wardrobe that stood just to the inside of the door. As he put it away, he noticed one of Qui Gon's old robes in there as well, and he felt a pang deep in his chest.

Quickly, he shoved the feeling to the side and instead focused on readying his mind for sleep. He had been through a lot in the past few weeks, and so Healer Tara had told him that before he went to sleep each night, he should take an hour to meditate so that his mind would be centered before starting any sleep cycle, thereby greatly diminishing the probability that he would have any nightmares or night terrors, ensuring a proper rest.

He'd been doing as she asked, and it had worked for the most part, but he hadn't been remembering to do it every night.

The few nights that he had forgotten he'd had very vivid dreams of his Master coming back to him, bleeding and in pain, asking him why he hadn't saved him.

When he'd woken up from those nightmares, he had been shaky and covered in a cold sweat, feeling as though his blood sugar had been depleted, as though he had been running for his life in some unremembered chase from some bit of the already now partially forgotten nightmare.

Those few experiences had been more than enough to encourage him to do his meditation.

Moving carefully and with an ease that spoke of years of experience, he moved to the room that was set aside for such things and knelt down in the center of it, clearing his mind.

Clearing his mind was always the hardest part as distracting thoughts liked to go through his head and try to keep him from finding his equilibrium.

Thoughts of Elsa and of the Council flitted through his mind, as well as thoughts of the young Annakin Skywalker and what his fate might be. And, of course, of his now deceased Master and what he might say to him were he still alive.

However, this time was different…instead of the thoughts of his Master derailing him, or making him even more distracted, they seemed to center him.

Taking the feeling in stride, he closed his eyes and placed his hands on his bent knees, palm down, and let out a long, slow breath.

Master Qui Gon had taught him that breathing was the key to proper meditation. When in doubt, when utterly confused, when you are unable to seem to focus on anything at all…focus on breathing. That was what he had told him countless times. His Master had had to deal with a slightly cocky and very impatient Padawan, not comfortable with sitting still for long amounts of time, but he had managed to teach him how to meditate so well that it was now something that Obi enjoyed; looked forward to, even.

Breathe in…and out…in…and out…in…out…

He focused on his breathing and soon felt his body enter a state of relaxation that had all of his worries leaving him, drifting off into the force, cleaning him of any negative energy that he had felt during the day.

Even when he was focused on his breathing, his Master's voice was somehow in his head, still coaching him, still taking him through each stage of meditation. First, the Savitarka…next, the Savichara. He had moved from base relaxation to a slightly more heightened awareness of his surroundings, while still being disjointed.

Taking another deep breath, he heard Qui Gon's voice saying, "Now…reach beyond what you feel…and let it go into the force once more, rising gently to the next level…"

He was now in Sananda, or bliss, as it was also known.

Obi Wan let it envelop him, vaguely realizing that the sananda level seemed to mimic the feel of his old bond with his Master. Warm, comforting, reassuring.

He lingered on that level for a while, completely unaware of the passage of time around him, feeling more content than he'd felt since his Master's death. For once, it didn't feel as though his Master had died and left him alone. For a brief while he could have the illusion of feeling as though his Master had never gone.

Vaguely, he realized that he needed to let it go, so he moved on to the next plane of meditation, the one that was allowed once a Padawan became a Knight.

Sasmita.

The individuality. Not focused on himself, but on the idea of the individual, and it was a feeling that he was still becoming accustomed to.

He had only been doing this level for two weeks, and still had yet to sustain it for any true length of time. It was essential to be able to as Knight, as it helped a Knight become more aware of what the force was saying, and more aware of the emotions and feelings of others around him. It was very important.

That thought threatened to tip his precarious hold on his new level, but then, yet again, he heard his Master's voice…

"Obi Wan…just feel it. Sink into it. Let it become a part of you, a necessary aspect of your being. Like breathing, it is necessary for you to be able to do …"

It was simply amazing to Obi that he was hearing his Master's voice so clearly, as though Qui Gon had not actually passed on, but was in the room with him, guiding him and teaching him the way that he always had, with a patient and loving hand.

Listening to the mental voice, he did as it had said and felt for it…and then sank into it.

Like the feeling when he and his Master moved together fluidly in battle, each movement perfectly executed, with the exact amount of pressure and force, he sank into it almost effortlessly the instant that he had felt it.

It was…remarkable.

And suddenly, so easy.

Feeling so at ease, and so very much deep in relaxation, every part of his body in perfect tune with every other part of him, he simply let his mind go, unaware of the fact that he was dangerously slipping into the highest stage of meditation, one that was only attempted by Masters such as Windu and Yoda…and even then, only Yoda had ever accomplished it for any proper length of time to actually have it aid in any way.

With almost no effort, Obi Wan Kenobi was now resting comfortably in the highest state of meditation almost effortlessly.

In Asamprajnata.

No support. That was the literal meaning of the word; every other stage of meditation had a support of some kind to latch onto, the body or the mind, but this level did not. He was untethered, loose, not a single scrap of thought in his mind…in perfect harmony with the force.

It sang through him, vibrating in the air around him, holding him as though he had been meant to be there his entire life, as though the force were a living entity that had given birth to him at the beginning of time and had let him go, and was now receiving him back into its arms, his place having been carved out long ago, waiting to be filled once more.

And that was where it happened…

"Obi Wan…"

Unsure of where he was or what had happened, he turned, finding himself in a place devoid of color, only white surrounding him, and…there he was.

Instead of being shocked and surprised, he simply nodded.

"Master."

Part 3/?