"Luke... what... how are you here? Do your parents even know?" Obi wan looked around to confirm his suspicions. The boy had likely sneaked out, considering the fact that neither Anakin nor Padmé were in sight. All Obi wan saw was the little blue droid, R2-D2. "Well, this is just great, come on Luke, let's get you inside and comm your parents to pick you up."
Obi wan led Luke back to his apartments silently, and asked Luke to sit down before getting his commlink. He was about to dial the number before Luke interrupted, "So? Will you teach me how to be a Jedi?" Obi wan hesitated before saying, "Luke, I just don't think that's possible. The Jedi don't train anyone without their parent's consent, something I seriously doubt Anakin will give. And the new law might be stupid, but it's still a law..."
"But, I can be a Jedi! I know I can! And you're the one that told me I can do anything, why won't you help me? Or do you just not think I'm capable either," Luke said angrily.
"Of course not, Luke, but there are other things we have to think about. You're too old for the Council to ever approve, it's illegal to send you into combat, and it's just impossible. I'm truly sorry, and for what it's worth, I think you would have made a great Jedi." Obi wan responded, unable to look Luke in the eyes.
Luke stared emptily at the wall in front of him for a second. " Do you know how hard it is to be blind, Mister Obi wan? How everyone pities you, thinks that you're not capable just because you were born without something that everyone else had? Every single day I wake up, I'm constantly reminded of what everyone else has that I never will. My 'dreams' have to be the typical dreams that every blind kid has, like growing up to be a schoolteacher for disabled children, or working in some center for people with disabilities. I can't ever do what I want, because I have to be 'realistic.' But maybe, just this once, I don't want to use my head, or be 'realistic.' Maybe I want to take a risk and take a plunge without thinking about the consequences. Maybe I just want the same chances that everyone else has. Maybe I want to say yes, when the entire world is saying no." Luke took a deep breath before continuing,
"When I'm using the Force, it's not like anything I've ever felt before. It almost like what I imagine sight would be like. I can sense things around me, whether it's people or objects. Except the connection is so much deeper than that. I can pick up on thoughts and emotions. I can do things that normal people can't, and when I'm using it... I don't feel so alone in the darkness. I can just lose myself in it, you know? All my frustration, all my fears and doubts... it's like I'm in a world of my own, where no one can judge me for who I am."
"I want to learn how to use the Force. I want to learn about the Jedi, and I want to do something with my life, do something for other people. I'm tired of feeling useless all the time. And I will, whether you or my parents want me to or not. I'll download audiobooks and have R2 read me every scrap of information on the Force he can find. I'll disguise myself and sneak into the army when I'm 18. I'll do whatever it takes to be a Jedi. But I need a teacher. Help me, Obi wan Kenobi. You're my only hope."
Obi wan looked at Luke, hands still clutching the commlink. In all his years at the Temple, he had never seen any youngling with Luke's kind of perseverance. And something in Obi wan knew that if he turned Luke away now, he would be making a mistake that he would regret for the rest of his life. He had sensed it, the moment he had picked up Luke as an infant all those years ago. Luke was meant to be a Jedi. The light side of the Force danced around him. And who was Obi wan to stand in his way?
"All right, Luke. I will train you. But we'll have to keep it a secret, alright? No one, not Anakin, not the Senate, and certainly not the Jedi Council will approve of this," Obi wan acquiesced. Luke beamed at him, nodding furiously, before hugging Obi wan. The Jedi Master stiffened slightly, unused to such casual affection, before slowly returning the hug and smiling.
"Thank you so much! I'll work really hard, and I'll be the greatest Jedi ever, I promise," Luke whispered, his eyes focused somewhere above Obi wan's forehead. Together, they left the apartment, and Obi wan helped Luke and R2 sneak back into the Skywalker residence, but not before making Luke promise not to wander the streets alone again.
Obi wan watched the young boy. "Padawan Luke Skywalker, welcome to the Jedi Order," he whispered.
"So, where'd you go?" Leia asked as Luke shut the door softly.
"Leia! You gave me a heart attack!" Luke said, trying to figure out where his sister was through the Force. "Relax, I didn't tell mama and papa about you sneaking out with R2," she whispered. "So, where'd you go?"
Luke was silent for a minute, concentrating on Leia's Force presence. He and his sister had always been close, and he could sense that she would keep his secret if he asked. "I went to go see a Jedi Master, and he agreed to train me to become a Jedi."
Dead silence. Luke waited for the blast of disapproval, but it never came as Leia hugged him fiercely. "If that's want you want to do, Luke, then do it. Don't let anyone stop you," she said.
"Wow, who knew you could be so sentimental?" Luke joked, slightly surprised his sister was taking this so well. "I'm your sister. It's my job to look out for you, and I will always believe in you," Leia said proudly. "And plus, you'll need someone to cover for you when you sneak out for Jedi lessons and whatnot."
"Thanks sis," Luke said gratefully. The twins both went to bed, and Luke's dreams were filled with a warrior wielding a light blue blade...
RING! The school bell sounded, and hundreds of little kids ran out of their classrooms, happy to finally be home-free. Luke was one of them, running to his bus, when a voice whispered, "Luke!" Luke turned around, spying his new Jedi Master under a tree, wearing a cloak to disguise his identity. "Go, I'll tell mom you went over to a friend's house," Leia encouraged before leaving Luke with the Jedi.
Luke and Obi-wan made their way to the Temple, taking a back entrance to avoid detection. They ventured down to the deeper levels in the Temple, where Obi-wan knew no Jedi would be. "A whole bunch of the training rooms under the Temple are either forgotten or abandoned. We can train down here," he told Luke. They entered an old room with cobwebs in the corners, a fine layer of dust coating almost everything in the room.
"What are we learning first?" Luke asked ecstatically, practically jumping for joy. "The art of meditation," Obi-wan responded. He mentally braced himself for a groan; younglings typically hated meditation and it was a frequent punishment doled out by masters. However, it was necessary for Luke to strengthen and fully establish his connection with the Force before drawing upon it, and only meditation could really accomplish that.
To Obi-wan's surprise, Luke was actually excited about it. His supposes that Luke is just excited to be training at all at the moment, and the novelty will soon wear off. However, getting Luke to concentrate enough proves to be a difficult task. The youngling's mind is inconstant, thinking about everything from lightsabers to the waffles he had for breakfast.
"Focus, Luke. The key to meditation is drawing energy from the Force inside of you. Relax, and clear your head of any thoughts or emotions. Meditation is all about control."
Luke nodded, taking a deep breath and trying to dispel any wandering thoughts for the next few hours. He focused on the Force. The occasional feeling that he would get when trying to sense people around him was amplified. But instead of it coming and going as a random thing, he tried to actually connect with, and call upon it.
"Good. Your control is improving. We'll pick this up next class; we don't want your parents to get too worried," Obi-wan said, helping Luke up from his meditative pose.
Clip-clop. Clip-clop. Luke and Obi-wan froze as they heard footsteps descending the staircase. "I thought you said no one goes down here," Luke hissed. "I didn't think anyone did. I sense a Jedi Master... quick! Go to the door!" Obi-wan exclaimed hurriedly. If they got caught doing something that was technically illegal... he didn't even want to think about the consequences. Obi-wan and Luke had almost made it to the exit leading outside when a minuscule figure appeared in the doorway.
"Leaving so soon, you are?"
Uh oh. Someone's in trouble.