Obi-Wan felt hollow as he watched the door close behind Master Che. Anakin had shut him out of the bond - again - and the anger that had preceded the action …

"Why did he want Barriss?" Ahsoka's voice trembled a little, and Obi-Wan gave her a closer look. The padawan appeared as exhausted as he felt, and he suppressed a sigh. Things seemed to have gone downhill quickly as they'd entered the temple. Anakin was acting like he couldn't stand to be here, and the Force felt as though it was in turmoil.

"Offee is more than capable of helping him." Master Che said, motioning for them to follow her as she strode deeper into the Halls. Obi-Wan found his eyes lingering on the door, however, still disturbed. "Kenobi, Tano." Vokara's voice wasn't harsh – merely firm.

Obi-Wan turned to follow her, making sure to keep his expression neutral as they walked farther away. Why had Anakin closed him out again? What had made him so angry? The only thing Obi-Wan could think that had done it was Barriss Offee, but that made no sense.

Unless Barriss had been in Anakin's vision?

The thought was enough to give him pause, and after a moment of indecision Obi-Wan gave in to temptation, glancing back at the door and trying to sense what was going on in the room.

He immediately stiffened, halting in his tracks as he ran up against a wall in the Force; it was difficult for him to focus on it, as though it were redirecting his attention to keep him from prodding further. Obi-Wan felt his heart sink. Anakin was powerful, but the shield was practically indiscernible if you weren't trying to reach for someone behind it. How had Anakin learned to create such an incredible-

"Master Obi-Wan?"

He had been so focused on the shield that he'd completely forgotten his surroundings. Ahsoka was staring at him with wide eyes, and Master Che appeared to be resigned. "Master Kenobi, I realize that you're worried for Skywalker's condition, but he's not the only one who needs help today."

Obi-Wan saw that they had both stopped ahead of him, and bowed slightly. "I'm … sorry, Master Che. My thoughts were preoccupied."

Master Che looked at him for a long moment, and then pointed at another meditation room. "If you would like to go and start meditating as you wait, I'll get Tano set up with a healer and meet you in a few minutes."

Bowing again was only natural, for Obi-Wan recognized that as the favor it was from the Chief Healer. "Thank you, Vokara." He turned to Ahsoka then, who still had worry, questions and fear written all over her face. "I'll see you afterwards, Ahsoka." He made his way towards the meditation room right after, doing his best to appear unhurried.

He managed to keep up the charade until the door slid closed, sitting heavily on one of the meditation chairs as soon as he knew no one could see him. His hand trembled slightly as he brought it up to run it down his face, and the breath that he let out was equally shaky. It felt as though everything was going wrong, and yet instead of making more sense as he continued, it proceeded to get worse. From Anakin's anger to his terrifyingly powerful force-shielding, the younger Jedi was different than before, and to ignore that fact would have been folly.

Obi-Wan had so many questions, and yet it seemed as though Anakin was doing everything that he could to avoid answering them.

"The here and now, Kenobi ..." Obi-Wan murmured, slowly pulling his legs up onto the chair and tucking them under each other. He took a deep breath as he closed his eyes, pushing all of his doubt, anxiety and exhaustion into the Force and sinking into a very light meditation.

Focus was difficult to find, however, slipping away every time his thoughts flickered towards his old padawan.

Their training bond still throbbed, and Obi-Wan felt gratitude that it hadn't snapped entirely. He ventured towards it in the Force, gently following its fraying thread to run up against a wall on Anakin's end. For a moment he considered prodding it - mentally asking his old padawan to let him in - but ultimately decided against that course of action. It was probably better not to interrupt Anakin's session with the healer; it had been difficult enough to get him to come, and Anakin clearly didn't want to share his checkup with anyone if he could avoid it. Instead, Obi-Wan set to work - not for the first time - trying to heal the damage, easing the sharp throbbing that emanated from the bond.

He hadn't had much of a chance to look at the bond before, and what he saw now didn't assuage his fears in the slightest. The pain was terrifyingly similar to the torn ends of his old bond with Qui-Gon, ripped away at the old Master's death. Yet, in a way, this pain was far different - far worse. The damage, rather than feeling like a bleeding scrape, instead felt much more akin to a swelling burn. And underneath it all there was an echo of anger that Obi-Wan had no desire to dwell on, for fear of what it meant.

He was saved from having to think more on it when the door slid open, and it was with relief that he left the meditation. Utterly exhausted, and terribly scared, he opened his eyes to meet the gaze of Master Che. She raised her brows, moving to sit on a chair across from him with a professional brusqueness that belied the concern lacing her signature. "All right, Kenobi. What happened?"

It felt like a loaded question, as there were many different responses that he could have given. That his life had been upended? That his old padawan no longer seemed to be the same person that he had been that morning? That Obi-Wan's head throbbed with a burning pain that felt older than Anakin? In the end, he chose the simplest route.

"Anakin had a vision of the future, just a few hours ago."

Master Che nodded, and her expression tightened. "You mentioned that earlier. Would this vision have anything to do with the wave in the Force from earlier?"

"You felt it as well?" Obi-Wan felt resigned as he asked the question – more confirmation that the vision had affected much more than just his padawan.

"The whole Temple felt it, Kenobi." Master Che said, not unkindly, and her lekku both slumped a little behind her. "In fact, some of the more sensitive padawans and younglings had to come in after it - the backlash caused them some pain."

Obi-Wan closed his eyes upon hearing that – carefully accepting the fact that he was very afraid of what the vision had done to Anakin in that case – then pushed his fear away from himself to respond, again attempting to keep his answer simple. "Anakin is reluctant to speak of his vision, but he mentioned in the council chambers that he saw over twenty years in an instant. Whatever he saw seems to have … affected him greatly, and it almost broke his bonds with Ahsoka and me."

"Is that where your headache is coming from?" Master Che asked, and Obi-Wan grimaced, recognizing that he would have to let her look at it. Master Che wasn't one to mince words or soften the truth, and she definitely wasn't out to spare feelings; she would probably look at the damage clinically, and there was a great chance that she would see the same anger that he had.

There was an even greater chance, then, that Obi-Wan would be forced to face it, along with whatever it meant.

"Yes." He said softly.

"Let's look at it, then."

She closed her eyes, and Master Kenobi swiftly followed suit. Within moments he had slipped back into the Force, and with effort managed to open himself up to the woman before him. Master Che may have been known for being brisk and blunt, but her Force signature was a gentle and soft one, making the whole checkup feel far less invasive than it could have. It was with nervous tension that he pulled her in towards the bond, doing his best to keep his fear to himself. He was certain that she could still feel it, but there was absolutely no judgement from her as they arrived at the tattered entrance to his bond.

Master Che, ever the professional, released her worry into the Force as her signature moved to touch the bond. Together they traveled along it towards Anakin's side, where it appeared progressively worse under her probing light; cracks and crevices that Obi-Wan had never even known about were appearing, each deeper and more painful than the last.

It was becoming more difficult for him to release his own worry as they continued, such that it was almost a relief when they abruptly ran up against the wall that Anakin had erected. For a moment they stayed there, in the pulsing and painful link between Obi-Wan and the young man who had essentially become his brother. Then Master Che was pulling away, back and out of the meditation, and it felt as though she was healing him as she went. It was running water over a fresh burn, and Obi-Wan sighed with relief as the pounding of his head eased considerably.

A moment later they were opening their eyes, and Obi-Wan met her gaze earnestly.

"I don't know what he saw in that vision, Kenobi, but your bond is barely holding together." Master Che gave him an appraising look. "You've been trying to heal it since it happened, haven't you?"

"What else could I have done?" He responded, and it must have come out more despondent than he had intended for it to be, because her expression abruptly softened.

"Well it didn't break, and the healing that you've been doing is helping. Don't wear yourself out, though." Her eyes gained a familiar twinkle of warning, but she sobered quickly. "I've seen damage like this before, but not often, and never to this extent. It looks like most of it was …" Here she paused, her gaze sympathetic as she finished. "Self-inflicted."

If there was anything that Obi-Wan had expected to hear, then that certainly wasn't it. "What?"

"Obi-Wan. A training bond is one of the most powerful connections that a Jedi can make." Here Master Che laughed, but it sounded hollow. "Let's not delude ourselves into pretending that it's anything but the only sanctioned attachment we have. A bond is personal as well, a willing connection made and nurtured between two people. It isn't often that it's damaged, and when it is-"

"Then only one of the two bonded individuals could have done it." Obi-Wan finished, feeling sick as he thought back to the anger lacing the bond.

"That isn't always the case." Master Che was quick to respond before Obi-Wan truly had time to dwell on the idea. "I've studied and heard of cases where bonds have been twisted by a third party as well, but that is something that belongs exclusively to the dark side, and even then, any of the actual damage done still belongs to the one who holds the bond."

"But … how could Anakin have done so much damage in only a few moments? His vision was instant – I was there." Obi-Wan was desperate to hear something – anything – different from what he had just heard, and it helped to focus on the impossibility of it rather than to face the thought that it sounded perfectly plausible.

"That's something I'd like to know as well." Master Che's face twisted, her expression becoming one of deep concern. "Visions that come from the Force are commonly different for every individual. Some see them in dreams, and others see or hear them while awake. Usually the Force shows us a moment from our past or future, and it's generally vague, since they're always in motion."

"And Anakin saw twenty years."

"And he felt pain." Vokara emphasized. "That's the part that I don't like, Obi-Wan. The light side of the Force doesn't usually cause pain like that. It will show us things that make us sad or happy, things that make us hope or fear for the future or past, yet those are merely feelings born of what we see. But physical pain? Loss of motor control?"

"You're saying that his vision is from the dark side?" It felt like there was less air in the room, and Obi-Wan had to consciously take a deep breath to remain calm.

Vokara sighed. "I'm a healer, not a seer, but from what little I know of visions, the dark side was definitely involved in Skywalker's."

Obi-Wan didn't respond right away, and the room was heavy with a dreadful silence. The idea that the dark side - or that someone wielding it - had given Anakin his terrible vision … it was too much, especially on top of everything that had already happened. To know that Anakin's pain was self-inflicted, likely due to that same dark influence …

Obi-Wan closed his eyes, touching the bond again almost reflexively, carefully pushing warmth and light along the thread towards his old padawan, and wishing that the last few hours had never happened. It was only when a hand landed on his shoulder that he opened his eyes again, meeting Vokara's to ask in a voice that was much smaller than intended. "What can we do?"

Master Che removed her hand, her response given in a professional - if exhausted - tone. "As it stands right now, I think our only option is to treat his symptoms – at least until we know more about what happened in his vision. After Knight Offee gives her report on his condition I'll prescribe a daily joint meditation for the three of you; that will help with the current damage to the bonds. It would be best if we could find out more about the vision, though."

"You're not the only one who wants to know." Obi-Wan said dryly, thinking that Anakin wasn't likely to talk about it anytime soon, especially to Master Che or the Council.

"Well if anyone is going to get him to talk about it, you'd be the one." Master Che's smile was strained despite the optimism of her words, and Obi-Wan frowned.

"At this point, it seems as though the only one he trusts is Knight Offee."

Master Che's lekku twitched at that, "Do you know why he wanted her?"

"No." Obi-Wan admitted, recalling his old padawan's surge of anger with discomfort. "As far as I know they've never had any relationship beyond the fact that she's a very good friend to Ahsoka." He didn't mention the shield or Anakin's reaction to the young knight, but Vokara still seemed concerned.

"Offee is a good healer – she has a lot of raw talent for it – but I've been worried for her in the past few months. Recently she hasn't been coming in to help as often, and when I ask no one has seen her. I'd suspect something between her and Skywalker if I didn't know that he's never on-planet."

That only made Obi-Wan even more worried about Barriss' involvement than he had been before, and he thought back to the powerful fury that had stabbed through their bond right before Anakin had closed it - back to the subtle anger he'd felt during his meditation. "Perhaps she was in his vision?" He tried to sound as though the question was a nonchalant one, but Master Che's eyes narrowed slightly at the idea.

"Do what you can to find out. In the meantime, my prescription is lots of rest, and – again – daily joint meditations between you, Skywalker and Tano." She sighed. "When it comes to damaged bonds, emotions have a large part to play, so it would be best if you stayed close to him – see what's hurting him emotionally and try to fix it."

Obi-Wan refrained from sighing in return, nodding instead. "I'll certainly try."

"I have no doubt of that." Her smile was more relaxed this time, but it fell away only a moment later. "Obi-Wan," her voice was weighted with purpose, and he felt himself tense in preparation for her next words. "The council will have to be told."

Of course they would. The fact that one of the most powerful Jedi in the Order - even disregarding the fact that he was the Chosen One - had suffered a vision that had likely been induced by the dark side … it was the sort of thing that the council needed to know.

The sort of thing they demanded to know.

Yet Obi-Wan still found himself opening his mouth and saying, "Telling the council now would only be detrimental to Anakin's recovery, and he'll be far less likely to tell them about his vision if they begin asking him about the dark side." He had almost used the word 'interrogating,' much like Anakin had back at Padmé's apartment, but stopped himself just in time. "Let me work with him first, and find out more about the vision, then I'll tell them."

Master Che's eyes were sharp as she considered him, and Obi-Wan got the uncomfortable feeling that she could see right through him. It seemed like forever before she gave a huff. "All right, Kenobi. You win. But I'll only give you as long as it seems like Skywalker needs, and then I'll tell them myself." She stood as she spoke, and he did the same, exhaustion weighing even more heavily now that his head wasn't throbbing as much.

"Thank you, Vokara." Obi-Wan meant it.

Hello again, Gremlins! I'm back with a new chapter!

I keep getting to new chapters and being like, "oh this has to be the hardest one to write yet!" But I think it just feels that way cuz it's the one I have to write next. Regardless, I did find some aspects of this chapter quite difficult. I'mma be real tho and just say that the one where Vader talked to the council was still harder, lol.

The main difficulty in this one was trying to balance forcey-feeling-stuff with important plot info without it becoming a drag. So I do realize that there's not a ton of action here, but this was an extremely important chapter in the sense that the Jedi aren't going to be twiddling their thumbs while Anakin/Vader puts his new plans into action; that's why this chapter feels a little slow - it's mostly set-up.

Anyway, I hope that you all enjoyed it regardless, and I'd love to hear your thoughts either way! :) Until next time!