Despite the pounding of his heart and the near desperation of his movements, his breath came out evenly and his gaze hard as he rained blow upon blow on the Sith before him. Yellow eyes, filled with hatred, glared out at him as they exchanged strikes. But, Qui-Gon wasn't as young as he used to be, and he could feel himself faltering. Only the panicked, fluttering presence of his Padawan nearby fueled his movements. He could not let Maul reach Obi-Wan.
Master! He heard the call. Wait for me.
Obi-Wan's voice was tinged with desperation, and if Qui-Gon had been any less occupied, he would have responded with the usual Patience and a tug of his braid.
But now was not the time to worry about his Padawan. The Force sang around him, guiding his tired limbs as they shifted from a vicious assault to a faltering defense. His philosophy had always been to quickly overwhelm his opponent before they had a chance to attack him back, but he had never encountered someone who could match his skill. Not until now.
The Force's voice rose in a crescendo, and somehow, he knew that this was the climax, and that the end dropped off steeply afterwards. He felt like it was his time, but it was still far too soon. With one last desperate surge, he thrust his emerald saber forward.
The Force screamed in warning, but it was too late. The Sith feinted and threw a blow at his head, stunning him and knocking him a stumbling step backwards. Pain blossomed in his chest as the crimson blade pierced it. He was dimly aware of Obi-Wan's anguish, but it was drowned out by the burning in his core.
No, he thought. Now is too soon. There's still too much that needs to be done.
He wasn't sure how long had passed before he felt gentle fingers on his face, and a comforting hand cradled his head. The pain in his chest was eclipsed by the pain in his heart, and all the emotions that he couldn't tell his Obi-Wan. He wanted to tell him how proud he was of his child. How far he had grown from the temperamental, insecure child to a brave, kind, and capable Jedi Knight. He would do great things one day, he was sure of it. But, there was no time.
"It-It's too late," he rasped, using the last of his energy to rest his hand on top of Obi-Wan's where it lain on his ruined chest. He could feel the tears on his face, and he knew it wasn't his own.
"No!" The denial rushed through their bond, accompanied by fear. So much fear. He was so young.
But, Qui-Gon had to make sure Obi-Wan knew. The Padawan had always scoffed at Qui-Gon's near obsession with the prophecy of the Chosen One. After they had found Anakin, the young man had teased him endlessly about how he was now able to combine two of his favorite things: the prophecy and picking up pathetic life forms. He knew that Obi-Wan had been hurt when he had announced his desire to train Anakin to the Council, but the young man had hid it well. He wanted to make amends, but it was too late now.
And it broke his heart, but this was far more important than him having to leave his child far too soon. He had to make sure Obi-Wan knew. With the last of his strength, he forced their bond open as wide as it could go, hoping to shove all the words he couldn't say at the one who needed to hear them the most.
"Obi-Wan… Promise me you will train the boy. He is the Chosen One. He will bring balance. Train him."
He could feel Obi-Wan go still above him. He knew the Padawan would obey. He always had.
But then came the anger. It radiated back through the bond, slicing through Qui-Gon's hopes.
"No."
The Master felt his heart shatter at the words, his very own apprentice stepping on what he had come to think of as his purpose in life. Obi-Wan knew how much it meant to him that they found the Chosen One of the prophecy. More than a decade of hard work had finally come to fruition when they had found Anakin. He felt his eyes flutter shut, the deep-set exhaustion finally settling in. It was time now. He could only hope that his stubborn child would change his mind.
A sudden warmth flooded him, and he knew he had to go, whether he was ready or not. It was not becoming of a Jedi Master to fight the will of the Force. He embraced it, ready to move on. He could finally see Tahl again.
But soon, the warmth became a burn, and his eyes shot open in surprise. The bond convulsed between them, and a second later, Qui-Gon became aware of what was happening.
"Obi-Wan," he gasped, his fingers twitching against his Padawan's, where they lay on his chest. Obi-Wan's eyes were shut tight and his teeth were gritted. Qui-Gon could feel Obi-Wan's very life force being pushed into him.
"Stop," he ordered, struggling to get away. But the stubborn apprentice's hold was far too strong. "Obi-Wan, don't!"
His chest burned, but it was the deep ache of a hard workout, instead of the agony of a saber wound. The Force shrieked around them, rebelling against this unnaturalness. But, Obi-Wan, for once, ignored it.
Hard blue eyes met his. "If training the Chosen One is so important to you, then do it yourself." A small smile of acceptance flitted across his son's face, and Qui-Gon could see all the emotions that ran through those clear eyes before they slid shut.
The grief that followed could have killed him. The shattering of the training bond almost did.
The flames crackled and popped as they slowly embraced the pyre, protecting their new charge. They danced around, lively and cheerful, so much like Obi-Wan had once been. It made him sick.
Qui-Gon stood before the pyre, mind empty and heart cold. No father should have to bury their child, and he had lost two now. Unconsciously, he probed the empty space in his mind where Obi-Wan's bright presence usually sat, ready with some witty comment or chagrin over his Master's flagrant disrespect of the Council and Jedi Code.
It took far too much effort to bring his glance downward, as Anakin pressed into his side. Qui-Gon knew that the boy didn't know Obi-Wan too well, but was doing his best to offer comfort in the only way he knew how. Releasing a hand from the knot he had formed in his voluminous sleeves, he reached down to put a hand on the small child's head.
"Come. Let us go home," he said finally, the words catching in his throat. And yet, his feet refused to answer him, remaining rooted to the spot until he could eventually follow Obi-Wan into the Force. Shutting his eyes against the wave of tears, he stood there, gathering himself together. He couldn't bring himself to say a final goodbye - the pain was too great.
Without another glance back, he led Anakin away, stepping into the future - one without his bright light.
Author's Notes:
Hello there! Thank you for making it to the end of "Light in Shadows"! Recently, I've stumbled back down the rabbit hole that is the Star Wars fandom. It has given me enough inspiration and motivation to start on yet another iteration of the "Obi-Wan time travel AU" - I am a sucker for these things. I have the first couple of chapters written out, and I have a plan for the next few. I hope to update this fic with a new chapter each week, and I currently have about 2-3 month's of content already written out, with a pretty solid outline on how I want the rest to go. I doubt this story will go past 15 chapters, and I'll leave it up to you to decide if that is a good or bad thing. Hopefully my motivation will last me through completing my first full length fic! This is essentially an exercise to get me writing again, since I just adore these characters and this one very specific trope. If you have time to drop a review, I very much appreciate constructive criticism, as a budding author. I already know where my weaknesses lie as a writer, but I'm curious if others see something else that I am missing, especially since I'm already used to my own writing. But, enough of my rambling. Enjoy! And thanks for your time and support!
Update as of 3/1/2021 [as of ch. 3's posting]
I've received a couple of remarks regarding the lack of Obi-Wan when the story is supposed to revolve around Obi-Wan. I promise that I am not using him as bait! He shows up in chapter three, so if you're in it for him, I suggest skipping ahead to there. The first two chapters are mostly exposition and follow Anakin and Qui-Gon's perspectives. The rest of the story will alternate perspectives between the three, but will feature all three characters, as well as others. Sorry for any confusion!