The relationship between Obi-Wan and Naritha blossomed again, becoming even stronger.
They began to share a bed and discovered the joy of making love just because they felt like doing it, as a way to express the love they harboured in their hearts.
They became everything for each other: lovers, friends, confidants, guardians and even co-workers.
They worked on their home to make it more spacious, sand-proof and more isolated from the outdoor heat.
They sowed the terrain behind their house to plant a small kitchen garden, a seemingly desperate battle against the heat and the sandstorms, which instead – thanks to some judicious use of the Force to coax the plants into growing – turned out to be a great success.
Obi-Wan took Naritha with him when he went to check the Lars homestead, but he no longer stopped outside the property without making any contact with the family. Now instead, they went to visit the Lars, and in due time Naritha and Beru developed a good friendship, while Obi-Wan and Owen came to respect each other, despite the younger man's uneasiness toward the Jedi.
The young man had spent his entire life on Tatooine, never travelling far from Mos Eisley and his home and, as many people with a narrow mentality and scarce knowledge of the galaxy, he was wary of what he did not know or understand.
Obi-Wan was aware of it, and tried not to talk about the Force or use his powers in Owen's presence, but it was not always possible. Luke was growing up quickly and it would not take long before the abilities he had received from his father started to manifest.
The boy would need to learn to control them, but every time Obi-Wan tried to breach the topic, Owen would say "later" and walk away.
Back at home, Obi-wan would confess his frustrations to Naritha, and she would try to soothe him as she could. In truth she understood some of Owen's reservations, but she also knew Obi-Wan missed having someone to teach.
Thus she asked him to teach her to meditate.
"So we will be able to do everything together. I feel lonely when you disappear for hours in that small cave of yours," she joked, referring to his favourite meditation place.
Obi-Wan growled, "That's fine for me, but remember, I can be a strict master." Then he lessened the effect of his words with a smile and a little kiss.
Under Obi-Wan's tutoring, Naritha slowly learned how to let go of conscious self, how to free her mind from her thought and came to understand why the Jedi dedicated to much time to meditation. She had never felt so much serenity and peace, and she regretted not asking her bondmate to teach it to her years before.
It was during one of their shared meditation sessions that Qui-Gon's faint, slightly transparent and glowing blue spirit finally appeared to his former Padawan.
Naritha stared at the Force ghost in amazement as he sat cross-legged in front of Obi-Wan, then she moved her gaze over her bondmate, and saw the tears of joy streaking down his cheeks.
Ever a perceptive woman, she stood up and after a bow to Master Jinn and a shoulder squeeze to Obi-Wan, she left them alone, for sometimes not even a bondmate has the right to listen to what a father and a son say to each other.
§
The Fifth Receiving, when it happened, brought a new dimension to the relationship between Naritha and Obi-Wan.
The previous experiences had been marked by a barely continued hunger, due to the long separations between one Receiving and the next. Having little time to spend together, they had wanted to do everything at once, to experience all as soon as possible.
With this fever instead, they took their time, combining their mental and physical strength not to be so ruled by their bodies, and to transform the experience in a very erotic, emotionally fulfilling moment.
It was during the Receiving that Obi-Wan, feeling overtly emotional, rolled atop Naritha and cupping her face in his hands murmured, his voice conveying all his seriousness. "I love you Naritha. You and our bond are really a gift of the Force. I am not sure I would have survived these last years without you."
"You would have," Naritha answered, trying to downplay her role. "You are strong, Obi-Wan. Steadfast. You would have gone on even without me."
"Yes, I probably would have. But how, dear heart? Duty can be a powerful push to go on with one's existence, but living is a different thing." Obi-Wan shook his head frustrated by his inability to express what he felt, then his eyes brightened and he went on. "During the year I spent here alone, my sleep was often tormented by nightmares and two of them were recurring. The first one was a repeat of the fight on Mustafar, and I always woke up with Anakin's screamed "I hate you!" in my ears. The second one instead was about myself duelling with Darth Vader as he is now. In that dream I looked slow and old, both in the spirit and the flesh, ready to sacrifice myself to protect Luke, who was in the dream too, a young man looking very much like Anakin at his age. And when Vader stroke me down, I was actually happy to leave this mortal world, because I had no reason to keep on living. After you moved here and made me see how I was slowly killing myself, I stopped having this dream—but it has recently returned. Only it is different from before."
"Different? How different?" Asked Naritha, wondering why Obi-Wan was telling this to her just then.
"The scene is always the same: Vader and I battle on something that looks like the hangar of a great ship or a space station, but the outcome of the fight is different. I am not killed there. I am much faster and fitter in this dream. I look even younger, for my hair is not completely grey but just grey streaked, and I am not just fighting to help Luke to escape; I am fighting because I have much worth living for. You. I have discussed the dreams with Qui-Gon and he believes these are not products of my imaginations. They are vision of my future. The first one showed my destiny before you come to live here with me, the other was the result of you taking a more permanent place in my life." Obi-Wan shook his head gently, and stared hard into her eyes. "I can feel it, Naritha. One day I will have to face Vader again, and when it happens, I will know the outcome of the duel will be not decided only by my skills with the lightsabre but by the love I have for you."
And speaking so, Obi-wan did not leave her the time to wonder about what he had said, but lowered his head and kissed her with passion, precipitating both of them in another round of lovemaking.