Title: The Kitten

Author: Erika

Rating: G

Summary: When Obi-Wan comes home with a cute little something, Qui-Gon is very amused.

Time Frame: Obi-Wan is 15

Spoilers: I don't think so but I GUESS there could POSSIBLY be a SLIGHT spoiler for Obi's character in TPM (as if anyone here hasn't seen it yet!)

Category: Sweet little mushy story (as a little break from all the angst and the SERIOUS angst that's gonna be in my next longer story).

Disclaimers: The Star Wars universe and all of its characters belong to George Lucas, I'm only borrowing them to have a little fun and I promise to return them unharmed (well, at least mostly unharmed). I'm making no money off of this and this is written for entertainment purposes only.

Feedback: Please =D (firedrake88@yahoo.com)

Archive: Jedi Apprentice, Early Years, Wolfie's Den, JAFD, The Guardians of Peace, Telly, and anyone who has any of my other stories. Anyone else who wants this, please ask and send me a link to your site so that I can check it out. =)

Note: Don't even think about asking me where this story came from seeing as how it's like COMPLETELY pointless, but oh well.

Things enclosed in 's are telepathic communication through the Master/Padawan bond.

The Kitten

Qui-Gon:

          My eyes snapped open, body tense and ready to react. It was completely dark and silent in my room but I was sure that something had woken me up. I reached out to the Force, trying to sense if there was an intruder in Obi-Wan and my quarters but everything was utterly peaceful. Obi-Wan had gone over to a friend's house and wouldn't be back until the next morning. I relaxed slightly but kept my hearing focused on the silence of the room, just in case.

            Meow.

            My ears perked up. Had that small whimper been a kitten meowing? No, I had to be imagining things. What would a kitten be doing here at the Temple? The only person who had a pet was one of the crèche Masters and she had some sort of bird, not a cat.

            Meow.

            There it was again. Now I was sure that it was a kitten meowing and it was coming from somewhere in our quarters. I sat up slowly in bed and swung my feet over the edge until they touched the cold floor.

            Very slowly and quietly, lest I alarm the kitten that had somehow found its way up here, I made my way out of the room and into the living room. Everything was quiet. The moon's dim light was bright enough for me to be able to see that the room was empty. Of course I was looking for a kitten and the poor little thing could have been almost anywhere.

            I was about to begin searching under the chairs in the room when my eyes caught sight of a dim glow coming from underneath Obi-Wan's doorway. Who was in my Padawan's room? Obviously whoever it was posed no threat for when I had reached out to the Force everything had been completely peaceful, but still, how could this person have gotten in here without my noticing?

            I reached out to the Force again, this time to discern the intruder's identity. As before, everything was still. In fact, it seemed as if this person belonged in Obi-Wan's room. I gently touched my bond with my Padawan and couldn't help from smiling at the irony of the situation. Of course Obi-Wan belonged in his room…it was his room after all, but what was he doing in there? It was past midnight. Why wasn't he at his friend's house?

            I walked up to Obi-Wan's room and knocked softly on the door. Usually I would have entered without hesitation but I didn't want to startle the boy since it was rather late. Padawan? I spoke through our bond, Is everything all right? I couldn't sense that anything was wrong but I was still rather worried that he had come back early.

            Everything's fine, Master, Obi-Wan answered rather quickly, please come in.

            I keyed open Obi-Wan's door and curiously stepped inside. Obi-Wan was nun-too-casually lying on his bed, fully clothed, with an almost shyly guilty expression on his face.

            I raised my eyebrows, "Obi-Wan," I said, "what are you doing here?" I didn't have to be Master Yoda to realize Obi-Wan was hiding something. The question was, what? Surely the boy wouldn't have brought a kitten home, given his feelings towards 'pathetic life forms'.

            I glanced around the boy's room. There was no sign of the kitten. Of course, if Obi-Wan had brought it home, he could have hidden it anywhere. And if my Padawan hadn't brought the kitten home, how had it gotten up here?

            "Um…well, we had a…difference of opinion," the boy gave me a half-guilty, half-nervous, smile.

            "Over what, Padawan?" I asked, crossing my arms.

            "Over…something we found while we were walking around his neighborhood."

            I smiled. Obi-Wan had never quite been so evasive while still being completely honest. "Hmm, I see. Does this 'something' happen to have four paws and a tail?"

            Obi-Wan's eyes widened slightly and before he could answer a loud 'Meow' resounded throughout his silent room and a moment later a small, furry, orange head poked up from behind the boy's pillow.

            My Padawan blushed brightly and sat up, picking up the kitten as he moved. "Um…yes, Master," he said, placing the small creature on his lap and petting it gently. The kitten, I noted, was very small and looked like a fur ball with no body. It had beautiful orange and white stripes on its body of fur and a tiny orange head.

            I sat down next to the boy on the bed. "I see. Would you care to explain what this 'difference of opinion' was?"

            Obi-Wan's cheeks reddened even more and I could feel his embarrassment through our bond. "We found her just outside his house, Master. She was all alone and it was very cold so I wanted to bring her in so that she wouldn't die. He didn't want to, because she's 'just a cat' and so I took her and brought her back here."

            I grinned broadly, realizing why Obi-Wan was embarrassed. "I see. So, my Padawan, the 'not another pathetic life form' whiner, saw a defenseless creature and had a sudden change of heart and brought it home."

            Obi-Wan smiled slightly, "Yes, Master. I couldn't just leave her out there though! She was all by herself and she's just a little kitten," he said defensively.

            "Indeed," I agreed, "it would have been heartless to leave her to die."

            "Exactly."

            "So you brought the 'pathetic life form' home."

            Obi-Wan nodded, still embarrassed. "Yes, Master."

            I reached out and gently stroked the small kitten's back, smiling as she began to purr loudly and rub her head up against my hand. "She's very cute," I commented mildly.

            My Padawan was quick to agree, "She's adorable."

            "Just like the squirrel that I brought home a few weeks ago that you claimed was a 'waste of time' and should have been left where I found her," I said pointedly, "and the injured Mynok that I brought home a couple of weeks before that. Not to mention…"

            "That's all right," my Padawan interrupted, "I think you've made your point."

            I nodded, waiting for Obi-Wan to continue, but he didn't. "Well?" I asked.

            "Well what?"

            I sighed in mock exasperation, "Well, aren't you going to explain to me why you brought the 'pathetic life form' home when you always bother me about the 'strays' I pick up?"

            "This is different," he said stubbornly.

            "Oh, really? How?" I was no longer able to keep the amusement from my voice.

            "Because she's a harmless kitten. The strays you bring home tend to have sharp claws and teeth and some of them, if I recall correctly, were actually rather dangerous," the boy showed me the small bite mark on the inside of his wrist as proof.

            I snorted, "They're only 'dangerous' around you! I've never once gotten scratched or bitten. They, my Padawan, just do not like you because you dislike 'pathetic life forms."

            Obi-Wan rolled his eyes dramatically, "Can she please stay here tonight, Master? We can take her to the animal shelter tomorrow morning."

            "Oh, so it's all right to have defenseless animals stay here when you bring them home, but you never let me hear the end of it when I do the same."

            Obi-Wan smiled but said nothing.

            "Ah, no comment? I see. Very well, as you well know, I never turn my back on those in need, whether they are simply 'pathetic life forms' or humanoids, therefore she can stay. Tomorrow morning we will make sure she is completely healthy before taking her to the animal shelter where I am sure someone will find her a good home."

            Obi-Wan's eyes lit up, "Thank you, Master," he said.

            "Hmm," I grunted, "just remember this the next time I bring home a 'pathetic life form'."

            "You're never going to let me forget this, are you?" he asked.

            I smiled. "Good night, Padawan," I said, giving the small kitten one last gentle stroke along the fur of her tiny back, before standing up and heading towards the door of Obi-Wan's room. When I reached it I turned back around to look at my Padawan. The boy was busy petting his kitten and murmuring softly in her ear.

            "Obi-Wan," I said tenderly and waited for the boy to meet my gaze before continuing, "Yesterday one of your teachers told me that you have a very loving heart and caring soul. I want you to know that I agree with her."

            Obi-Wan blushed slightly, "Thank you, Master, but this is the only stray animal I have ever brought home, so don't think that I've undergone an extraordinary change of heart quite yet."

            I smiled, "No, I don't expect that you have, Padawan. This is merely the first step. Once you learn to look beyond the obvious and see the inner beauty in all living things, not merely those that are physically cute, I have a feeling that you too will have a reputation for bringing home 'pathetic life forms'.

            My Padawan smiled slightly, "Master, if there is anyone I know that I would want to be the most like when I become Knighted, it is you. So if I do have a change of heart and earn a reputation for bringing home strays, I would be honored to follow in your footsteps."

            I touched our bond slightly and infused it with warmth and love, "Thank you, Padawan, I would be honored to have you follow me."

The End

Okay, so it's silly, but sometimes silly is a good thing!