A/N: Another update! Just a quick note, I don't know if I've ever mentioned Vansic's Master before. And if I have, I can't find it anywhere. So I've given him a name, if anyone remembers any earlier mentions under a different name then don't hesitate to point it out!

I hope y'all are doing well! I'm doing my best to write consistently, so hopefully I'll keep going with these posts every few weeks!

Sunday 1:58pm; Jedi Temple.

Dodging to the side, Anakin just about struggled to move out of harm's way. The blow had come dangerously close to hitting his arm, which would have disarmed him. Grasping the hilt tighter, he span and aimed to the right, hoping to hit his opponents arm, or at least, manage to distract him. It was an unorthodox move, and he didn't know if he would be able to pull it off or not.

He was dismayed to find that it definitely didn't work, and he was thrown off balance once more, the other blade coming to parry him easily. Stumbling, Anakin did his best to bring the saber back up to defend his head, but he was too late, and he could just stand there as it came to hit him.

Thankfully Obi-Wan had a very steady hand, and it stopped an inch away from Anakin's head. Anakin flinched anyways, turning his body to the side, even though he knew that Obi-Wan didn't mean any harm. It was a natural reaction now.

Obi-Wan dropped the saber hilt to the side, coming and putting his hand on Anakin's shoulder.

"Hey. It's me. I wouldn't want to hurt you Young One."

Anakin nodded, turning back immediately.

"I know Master. It's just... I don't know, sometimes my body just does that."

"It happens sometimes, with trauma. Master Qui-Gon introduced me to someone who used to have a similar reaction."

"Do you know what happened to him?" Anakin asked. Obi-Wan nodded, but didn't elaborate much more, putting a hand on Anakin's shoulder instead.

"I'd best not tell you now. I don't think either of us would take it very well."

"That's okay."

But Obi-Wan's eyes had grown distant.

"He was the - he was going to be - the master of one of my friends when I was a youngling. When he found he couldn't cope anymore, Qui-Gon was the last person around who didn't have their hands full. He chose me. I don't know what happened to my friend."

"Oh." Anakin said. "I'm sorry."

"It is of little matter now." Obi-Wan said, snapping out of his daze. "We should probably take a rest."

"No! Can we continue?"

Anakin had spent so long trying to convince Obi-Wan to let him start sparring again. So long. Hours of his life had been wasted begging. He had thought that Obi-Wan wouldn't ever give in. But, when he had eventually agreed it, he had said that he'd want to do it himself so Anakin didn't get hurt, which was just a bonus as far as Anakin was concerned. He still didn't quite feel safe around the others, though there had not been any confrontations since the last one.

As far as everyone could see, Anakin was slowly healing. To all outward appearance, he seemed to be slowly gaining confidence, getting more comfortable with physical contact and talking to other people again. He had held a few small conversations, baby steps, but still giant leaps compared to what he had been like before. No, talking hadn't made all his problems go away, but it had certainly helped him to begin to heal. He was getting there very slowly.

The was an obvious change in Obi-Wan's mood too, Anakin could see it in his demeanor and his voice. He was smiling more, his worry for Anakin being overtaken by the delight of having his Padawan back. And Anakin had to admit that having the positive attention was nice. He had always struggled to achieve any recognition at all from Obi-Wan, any signs of pride. He had felt more like a burden than ever.

But now, when he truly was more of a burden than he ever had been before, he felt as if Obi-Wan truly cared for him. The slightest thing he did was met with praise of some sort, every tiny step in the right direction. Obi-Wan seemed to genuinely spend some time thinking about him, spend most of his time in fact. And it wasn't overwhelming. Well, it was, but Anakin didn't mind. It made him feel safe knowing that someone was always a few minutes away from him, ready to call if he needed.

However, he definitely knew that it would become tiresome very quickly. He reckoned he had about a week before he started to get annoyed by it, perhaps even less. It would begin to interfere with his plans and his desire to try to find Marius. But he pushed the thought away, to the back of his mind. He was going to bask in the care for as long as he could, until the inevitable arguments and struggles which would follow.

So overall things had been better, much better. Of course, the nights were nowhere near as fun.

He spent his few hours of sleep plagued by what seems like endless nightmares, trapped in a cycle he could not wake up from. He didn't tend to see events or recount memories, but instead he was thrust into places of darkness and emotion, flashes of people and things, events, but it was mainly the pure terror which engulfed him from every angle. Every moment he spent there slowly tore him to shreds, until he felt he could hardly breath.

And when he did see events, it was so much worse. He could sense when they were coming, his body became paralysed by fear and he could no longer move any of his arms. The visions were filled by haze, in the way that Force visions tended to be, but they held none of the life which the Force had. Anakin couldn't even feel the Force at all when in them, exactly like what had happened before, when he'd still had the chip dampening him. He figured it was probably flashbacks to that, but it was disconcerting either way.

The amount of times he was forced to watch his memories play out again, over and over again, immobile and unable to call for help. He watched Shoan die, saw Marius, the building collapsing, the dreadful thought that Obi-Wan was dead. The hours of darkness, the flashing lights, the absence of food and water, the cold. The men outside the club, the fight on the lower levels. And then, the most often recurring one, his fight with Obi-Wan.

While he couldn't move in these dreams, he often thrashed about in an attempt to get out of them. Obi-Wan had taken to sleeping in Anakin's room instead of in his own separate one. They'd found that, on the first night they'd spent apart, Anakin had woken up screaming, probably waking the whole floor. He didn't know if he would ever recover from that embarrassment.

Worse were the dreams when he didn't move at all, so Obi-Wan did not notice as quickly. He always noticed eventually, but it meant that Anakin had to spend a little more time struggling. Those were definitely the worst.

Anakin didn't even realize that he had been staring into space until Obi-Wan waved his hand in front of his face.

"Anakin? Still there?"

Anakin jolted.

"Oh. Yeah I'm here, I was just thinking."

Obi-Wan frowned.

"I agreed that we could continue for a bit, but I think- "

"No! Please? One more round Master."

Obi-Wan sighed, but looking at Anakin's eagerness he couldn't bring himself to decline.

"Well, if you insist." He answered. Stepping away, he brought the training lightsaber up into position. Anakin grinned, and hopped to his spot, clumsily positioning his own blade. Aside from a few tips, Obi-Wan ignored his overall lack of form, and they began to spar, Obi-Wan much slower and much softer than he would usually.

Slowly, very slowly, Anakin started to regain his flow. They had been training for a good few hours, but this was the first time when Anakin truly felt as if he was getting somewhere. Obi-Wan was obviously easily blocking him, but he was having to work for it now, Anakin sensed his concentration. When Anakin parried a blow and pushed back with force, he was able to speedily bring the blade back down near Obi-Wan's face.

For a moment Anakin thought he would hit Obi-Wan, the blade got dangerously close. But at the last second Obi-Wan brought his saber up and blocked.

"Hey! I did it!" He beamed. Obi-Wan laughed and deactivated his lightsaber. Anakin did the same.

"That was good Anakin! You are getting so much better." He said.

"Do we have to stop now?" Anakin pleaded. "Please, ten more minutes?"

Obi-Wan shook his head.

"You really need some rest Little One."

"I'm not a Youngling Master. I can keep going. One more time?"

"No." Obi-Wan said firmly. "You're going to strain yourself. Getting overwhelmed would not be a good idea so soon."

At Anakin's grumbling, he put a hand to his head exasperatedly. "Tomorrow. We can come back tomorrow. Deal?"

Anakin pretended to consider the matter, but it was a definite yes. While his leg still pained him occasionally, and some days he still walked with a vague limp, it was good to be able to move like he used to. He agreed, and they went to sit down to catch their breath. Anakin must have drank an entire bottle of water, at which they both laughed, but both of them were just glad that Anakin was drinking properly again. He had managed to keep all his food down for a few days.

When Anakin sat next to Obi-Wan, he slumped. The exhaustion had been, unbeknownst to him, encroaching on him slowly throughout the day. Obi-Wan saw him slouch, and after a cautious glance around the hall, he found it empty. So he carefully put his arm around Anakin, and his Padawan leaned into him gratefully. Obi-Wan found it easier to convey his feelings through actions rather than words, and in times like this, where he could not form his words to mean what he wanted, it was easier to show though physical touch. The rest of the Jedi would frown on it though, so he had to be wary.

Anakin was still breathing heavily, so they waited for a moment, Obi-Wan still with his arm protectively on his shoulders. There was a walkway around the top of the room, and Obi-Wan found that he had to keep an eye up there in case anyone decided to walk on it. But the Temple was surprisingly quiet for the weekend, and nobody passed. Obi-Wan presumed that they were all at lunch. Which reminded him that both Anakin and himself would need to get something to eat.

"Come on. We should start to head back. Are you feeling up to moving?"

"Yeah, just help me up."

"And you can't get up yourself for what reason?" Obi-Wan asked. Anakin picked up on the sarcasm and smiled sheepishly.

"Uh... Because I'm very injured and need support?" He tried.

"Don't think I'm just going to let you use that as an excuse forever." Obi-Wan replied, even as he carefully pulled Anakin to his feet. "I know you Anakin."

When Anakin was successfully standing up the began walking. Obi-Wan was pleased to see that Anakin could keep up easily now, it was a walking pace but still so much better than it had been before. They made their way towards the door, Anakin wrapping his cloak around himself again.

They were just stepping over the threshold when Anakin froze, his shoulders tensing. Obi-Wan, who was a step behind him, stilled too, looking at him with concern.

"Anakin?" He asked. Anakin shook his head discreetly and began to walk again. Obi-Wan hurried to keep up.

"It's nothing." He heard Anakin whisper. Obi-Wan frowned. Looking about, he could see nobody around who would cause any fear in his Padawan. In fact, there was barely anyone about at all. Except...

Right at the end of the passage, the only other two present, Obi-Wan could see two people. A Master and Padawan duo, much like themselves. But they were not a mirror image; while Anakin and Obi-Wan could only be described as disheveled, the other two were as composed as Obi-Wan had once strived to achieve.

He would not have taken much note of it, if not for Anakin's reaction. But even as he tried to quench it, Anakin was clearly uncomfortable, trying to hide in the folds of his cloak. Obi-Wan glanced at the two again, narrowing his eyes.

"Is that him?"

Anakin glanced down, avoiding eye contact. But that was confirmation enough for Obi-Wan.

Putting a protective hand on Anakin's shoulder, Obi-Wan steered them to move past them, lowering his head too to avoid being noticed, for Anakin's sake more than his own. He knew that there were memories associated with the boy, what was his name... Vansic. He had been the boiling point, the catalyst which had started the chain of events. And Obi-Wan had a feeling that Anakin wasn't telling him something's that he's had some trouble when he'd started classes. He was willing to bet all his money on the problems being caused by Vansic.

However, he wasn't about to pick a fight with a child, as much as he'd quite like to tell him what he thought. So he swapped sides with Anakin, moving so that Anakin was furthest from the Padawan and his Master. It was a simple action, but Anakin breathed out, and the nervous expression on his face became less prominent. However, in doing this, Obi-Wan had inadvertently attracted the attention of not only Vansic, but his Master too.

"Master Kenobi." He said, bowing his head respectfully. Or at least in something that could resemble respect. The tone of his voice indicated anything but, it hid a quiet amusement.

"Master... Fanro, was it?" Obi-Wan replied. He vaguely recognized the Togruta, he had seen him around the Temple occasionally. And once in a Council meeting. Never, however, had he needed to address him.

"Indeed." Fanro replied. "And I believe you know Vansic, my Padawan. Or at least your apprentice, young Skywalker, knows him, I think?"

Obi-Wan gritted his teeth. The attempts to engage in a conversation were working, and the found no polite way he could decline. As much as he wished to usher Anakin to somewhere he would feel safe, he couldn't find the opportunity.

"He does." Obi-Wan responded, answering for Anakin. The question had been directed towards his Padawan, but he did not want to put the pressure of it on him. "They are classmates after all."

"Of course. It is nice for Padawans to be able to associate with people of their own age and the same... skill level."

Obi-Wan digested the pause, his hand tightening on Anakin's shoulder. He could not tell if it was a jibe towards Anakin's abilities, which would certainly be incorrect, Obi-Wan had full trust in Anakin's skill, or if it was suggesting something else. He was about to challenge it, but Fanro continued, confirming what Obi-Wan had thought. "I wonder, how are you coping, what with all of your time off."

Anakin stuttered, trying to get a grasp on the conversation. He was still partially hidden behind Obi-Wan, who was currently browsing every available way they could get out of the situation before he activated his lightsaber and decapitated someone.

"I- uh. Uh. I just... I just... I don't know, I kind of am just... a quick learner."

"You'd have to be, to make up for what you missed."

And there it was. Anakin grew still and silent, and Obi-Wan's already stony expression hardened into a glare.

"I'm afraid you underestimate my Padawan's extreme talent for learning. His brief time away will have little consequence."

The consequence of the time often seemed insurmountable actually, but Obi-Wan was not about to agree with that.

"Brief? I hardly saw you for a good month. Same with Master Kenobi here, it could not have been that short of a time."

Obi-Wan, pleased that the attention had been diverted to him, picked up on the opportunity to divert the conversation away.

"I did wonder where you had got to, I did not see you around the Temple at all." He said casually. He watched as Master Fanro's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"I was present at the Temple. I think it was you who was missing."

"Must be a matter of perspective." Obi-Wan added lightly, doing his best to remain in control. "I was also here the entire time, I presume we must have not ran into each other."

"I guess."

Anakin was starting to fidget uncomfortably, and as the silence grew, both of the Padawans began to wish for it to end. But what would be perceived as awkward for most was, to Obi-Wan at least, a battle of wills. Breaking the silence would be to admit defeat. Anakin tugged on his sleeve, and he felt his Force presence nudge his own. Obi-Wan blocked it out, retaining all focus on the interaction at hand.

Eventually Vansic, the other boy, tugged at his Master's robes. Fanro broke eye contact, looking around.

"I- Master we have a session to get to."

Obi-Wan smiled, victorious, but he hid it under a mask of politeness.

"Oh, I'm so sorry to have kept you." He exclaimed. "Please, do not let us deter you."

"No, it was me Master Kenobi. I am sorry to have distracted you."

Obi-Wan nodded stiffly, instead of the usual bow he would have given out of respectful conduct. At this point he could not have cared less about image. Sweeping around, still partially shielding Anakin from view (whether for Anakin's benefit or his own he could not tell anymore), they walked away. His heart sank with every step, not knowing how Anakin felt about the conversation.

When he could be certain that they were out of earshot, Obi-Wan stopped, turning and putting both hands on Anakin's shoulders.

"Are you okay?" He questioned. Anakin nodded, and while it was jerky, Obi-Wan could not sense any lie behind it. "I'm sorry you had to deal with that. I had hoped we might slip past them."

"It's nothing Master. Really. We were barely there for two minutes."

Relieved, Obi-Wan began to walk again. Though he could not trust Anakin to tell the full truth, he was satisfied at least until they got back to a more private place. Underneath, however, masking it from Anakin, he was fuming. He didn't even realize he was walking quickly, stuck in his thoughts, until Anakin called for him to wait.

Hurrying back a few steps, he immediately apologized.

"I'm sorry Young One. I forgot."

"That's okay. I know you're annoyed."

"I'm not annoyed." Obi-Wan muttered. Anakin laughed at him, causing Obi-Wan to give a reluctant smile. "Well. A little annoyed."

Anakin sobered and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"I'm sorry I didn't speak up."

"I'm not annoyed at you Anakin." Obi-Wan replied. He should have remembered that his Padawan, who had a limited self esteem, would presume that he was the problem. "You have done nothing. It was Vansic and that Fanro man."

"Master Fanro always seems a bit off when I pass him." Anakin said. Thinking hard, Obi-Wan frowned.

"I agree. I'll keep my eye out, but I don't know him very well."

"I'll do that too."

"But be careful." Obi-Wan warned. "I wouldn't trust anyone at the minute."

A/N: I hope you enjoyed! Feel free to review!