Okay, for those of you who are reading this, I revamped the chapters so that everything was in nice long chapters instead of the short pathetic things they were; the only problem now is that you guys can't review the same chapters that you reviews before until I get to chapter 34, and that's a LONG way from here, so PLEASE if you want to review the chapter just like normal, just send me a PM with your review for the chapter. PLEASE still review; I really love them and they're helpful! Ani and Obi love them too! Don't put poor Ani and Obi into a depression! Please review!
Anakin Skywalker innocently stood in the gardens currently staring at a fountain. He was searching for Obi-Wan (whoops; Master Kenobi…why did they have to call them that?) until he had accidentally stumbled in here. There was so much water, and they were using it for decoration! That was a lot of water! Anakin had never seen so much water in his life since this past week; first Naboo and its swamps, waterfalls, and rivers, and now the Jedi have…well, Anakin didn't really know what they were. He didn't even know what a waterfall was until Naboo. This place was amazing. I wish Mom could see this, Anakin thought sadly. He missed his mother desperately. She was probably wasting away in the twin suns of Tatooine by now without her son…Anakin's eyes stung, but he wouldn't let the tears out; a slave never showed their emotions…wait, he wasn't a slave anymore.
Anakin shook his head; everything was going so fast. First he was freed, then taken to be trained a Jedi, rejected by the Order, fought in space combat, and then suddenly he's going to be trained by the apprentice of the man who found him since he died at the hands of some Sith monster.
Temptation flooded Anakin as he slowly made his way towards the fountain. Look at all of that water…he thought. Anakin just had to do it…
Anakin dipped his hands into the water and brought them up to his mouth. Anakin smiled as the cool water went down his throat; this tasted good! Anakin dipped his hands in again, but the same dependable feeling that he was being watched overcame him and he quickly stepped away from the fountain. Anakin looked over towards the doorway to the indoors and saw those same kids who ran into him before. Anakin took a step back; he didn't trust them. There was something wrong with them. Maybe he just wasn't used to Jedi or something…they weren't too nice to him at first anyway. Anakin turned away from them and tried to find someone to ask them where the Jedi Council was. Maybe if he was lucky, Obi-Wan…Master Kenobi…will find him and get him out of those kids' sights. A young Human boy with black hair and green eyes was currently talking to a dark-skinned Human girl. Anakin sighed; he might as well try them.
Hesitating, Anakin remembered that they might not react in the best sense; Anakin knew what it was like when a new kid came in; everyone treated them differently. Anakin had seen it before in the slave quarters; it was just the way beings were. Different things scared them, even if they're all in the same situation. Anakin felt completely hopeless. He was a nine-year-old Force-sensitive boy who had absolutely no Jedi training surrounded by kids his age who were a million times better than him. What was he thinking, anyway? How could he, Anakin Skywalker, a boy who had been nothing but a slave until now, add up to being a Jedi? Shaking his head, once more, Anakin angrily shook those thoughts out of his head; he never thought like that. Anakin could strive to whatever he wanted to if he put his mind to it. He wasn't just a nine-year-old who could do nothing but dream and clean a junkshop for a Toydarian anymore; he was Anakin Skywalker, a Jedi Padawan, and he would show Master Kenobi that he could be just as good as any other nine-year-old here; in fact, he would be even better.
Swallowing his trepidation, Anakin walked over to the two younglings. The two looked up at him with smiles. They must not know I'm new here yet, Anakin thought bitterly. Otherwise they'd act differently; oh, just wait until you ask your question…
"Hey," the boy said.
The girl pointed at Anakin's hairstyle. "Wow, is that a Padawan braid? You got chosen to be a Padawan already? How old are you? You look our age!"
"Um," Anakin replied timidly. "I'm nine."
"WOW!" they both shouted before he could continue.
"Yeah, um, but—"
"That is so wizard!" the boy laughed. "How did you do it? Who's your Master?"
Nine years of slavery almost burst out of him as the question 'Who's your Master' rang in his head. They're talking about your teacher, Anakin, he explained quickly in his head. Not an actual master…not Watto…
"O-Obi-Wan Kenobi," Anakin finally managed to get out.
"Obi-Wan Kenobi?!" the boy exclaimed. "He's a Knight?! He was just a Padawan on the mission he left for! Blast, what happened?"
"Master Qui-Gon's dead." Anakin choked. Emotions fought to get out, but Anakin wrestled with them ferociously.
The two younglings exchanged looks of shock and then looked back at Anakin. "He's…he's dead?"
Anakin nodded, not able to speak.
"Oh," the girl breathed. "That's…horrible…poor Master Kenobi…so…um, he's your Master now?"
"Yes," Anakin replied, his emotions bottled down. "Um, where's the Jedi Council again?"
The boy laughed. "Hey, you cheered me up! That was a good joke!"
Embarrassment filled Anakin as he desperately tried to ask again without sounding as stupid. "Yeah…"
The girl seemed to catch on. "You really don't know? Who are you?"
Anakin took a deep breath. "My name's Anakin Skywalker."
The boy gasped. "Hey, wait, I've heard about you! You're the new kid!" He turned the conversation towards the girl. "Did you know that they say he's the Chosen One?"
"Really?" the girl replied, looking at Anakin. "You're the prophesized Chosen One?"
"Um…" Anakin's voice faded. He wanted to just freeze this whole scene and get out of here. Suddenly, his saving grace came.
"Anakin! There you are!"
Obi-Wan ran over to Anakin, Anakin so grateful that his Master found him that he couldn't hide a smile of relief.
"Come, Padawan," Obi-Wan told him calmly, a hint of a smile twitching on the edge of his lips.
Anakin quickly obeyed, taking any excuse to get away from the younglings currently gaping at him. Obi-Wan led them out of the gardens back into the Temple, passing by those other kids once more. The girl watched Anakin very sternly, so Anakin avoided her eyes; what was her problem? He hadn't even done anything!
"Anakin, try to be more careful," Obi-Wan scolded lightly as they continued to walk. Anakin's shoulders slumped in shame. He hung his head down and followed Obi-Wan submissively. A question that had been bugging him ever since he found out Obi-Wan was going to train him started to poke and prod once more.
"Master?" he asked before he could stop himself.
"Hm?" Obi-Wan didn't even look back.
"Uh, nothing…" Anakin quickly compensated. He wanted to ask the question, but he didn't know if he was allowed to.
"What is it Anakin?" Obi-Wan pressed, his head turning slightly to regard Anakin for a moment.
"Um, are you going to beat me if I do something wrong?" Anakin burst out. The moment he asked the question, he wanted to kick himself; he believed he was going to find out the answer real soon, considering Obi-Wan stopped dead in his tracks. Anakin braced himself…
"Anakin, I would never do that," Obi-Wan said seriously. He kneeled down to Anakin's height and used his hand to push Anakin's chin up to face him, since his head automatically jumped down, his eyes shut tight. "Never. Don't you ever worry about that or think that."
An overwhelming amount of shock and relief flooded Anakin. Obi-Wan's intense eyes held his until Anakin had to look away. Now he felt bad even asking it to someone as kind and good as Obi-Wan…
………
Han was currently laughing as Luke angrily tried to make an explanation.
"Come on, Han, he was obviously from Tatooine, so of course he couldn't help it!"
"He looked like a full-feathered nutcase!" Han laughed. "The kid just drank water out of a fountain!"
Luke's irritated retaliation was lost in the roar of laughter from Han. Leia and Chewie rolled their eyes in unison. He certainly did look a little stupid doing that. A chuckle escaped Leia.
Anakin Skywalker…Darth Vader…the two names clashed in Leia's mind as the image of Anakin dunking his head into a fountain left her mind. Luke's earlier statement had certainly shaken her up, but she just didn't know what to do. On one end, there was a horrible monster, a murderer. On the other end, there was an innocent nine-year-old boy who had no idea what a fountain was and so he dunked himself into it. Could she give him a chance? The thought seemed ridiculous, but when Leia looked at it logically, she was accusing a nine-year-old boy for stuff he hadn't even done yet…but he was going to do it! Conflictions of all sorts went on in Leia's head, full out war between her hatred for him and Luke's compassion and logic.
Leia leaned against the wall as Han's laughter continued to make a raucous and Luke's irritated replies still went on unceasing. This trip was turning out to be real headache…and they still hadn't even found out how they got there! A horrible thought flooded her mind; they hadn't even found out how they had gotten there…or how they would leave.
………
Senator Mon Mothma relaxed on her couch as she thought of what she could possibly do in the Senate to subtly nudge the Republic towards survival. Could she tell someone? Bail Organa? Padmé Amidala? No, they'd all think she was insane…
Mon Mothma put her face in her hands; she was insane…how could she change the history of the entire Republic by herself? She couldn't get the others into it, could she? She had just given them a lecture about repercussions of doing anything, and now she's suggesting them to completely throw away what she had said just two or three nights ago and changing the fate of the galaxy. Sounds like some sort of new game that children would play so they couldn't do homework. Mon Mothma groaned. What was she thinking? If she kept this up, she was going to be spending half of her time pretending to be herself once more in the past, and the other half changing her mind with the wind about saving the galaxy. She needed someone, anyone…perhaps a Jedi? Would they think she was insane as well? Or would they sense the truth in her words? If they did…that was a very big 'if' though. 'If' was a dangerous word to tamper with; of course, doing nothing would be just as bad.
What have I gotten myself into? She asked herself desperately. She felt a million times better when she was fighting in the Rebel Alliance…she was directly under the nose of the Emperor in the Senate, and she still felt better than now…
She heard Treesha enter the apartment once more after a shopping trip and quickly composed herself. Looking at her datapad, Mon Mothma noticed that there was another session in the Senate to be attended. This was going to be a long day…
………
Han giggled furiously as they headed towards lunch. Luke seemed to be sizzling as they waited in line, but Leia calmed him down by starting a conversation that didn't have to do with Tatooine-living or head-dunking.
"I…I thought a lot about what you said earlier, Luke," Leia started off uncertainly.
Luke looked at her curiously. Leia took a deep breath and continued. "You know, about Vader? I've been thinking about it and…well, um, you're probably right about my hatred. I thought about it logically and I suppose…it would consume me in the end."
Leia paused, and then burst out. "But what do I do? How can I forgive him?"
"How can you forgive someone who hasn't even done what you're accusing them of doing?" Luke replied simply.
Leia nodded, taking in his answer. "I guess you're right; but what do I do?"
Luke put a hand on her shoulder. "You have to learn to look at him as Anakin Skywalker, our father. Then you can go from there."
Chewbacca pointed out an area where they could sit that was the only spot abandoned. Well, not abandoned completely.
"Oh, no…" Leia moaned.
Just as in the garden, Anakin was right where they wanted to go.
This chapter is shorter than the others, but that's because I needed to update so I could give you guys the new info about the story; also, since I'm trying to make the chapters a ton longer, updating may take longer (if that's possible...), but I'll do my best to update as soon as I can. Again, please review!
