Title: Crossing the Lines

Summary: Obi-wan Kenobi knows revenge leads to the Dark side, but after what his Master has done to him, it's worth it, isn't it?  Especially since Qui-gon betrayed him.  PG for violence.

Disclaimer: George Lucas owns all of Star Wars, Ob1, Qui and whoever else he owns, Kelyl Tanner is mine…

Acknowledgements: Jesus, Padawan Nik-ka, Redtailhawk (hey look, I placed something about chopping off stuff like you wanted), Ivy B (know you'll read this), Galahan, Ginger Ninja, and Chewie.

a/n: I know I'm late, but… anyway, here it is.  :)  tell me what ya think, and if anybody's acting ooc?

Chapter 5:

Qui-gon walked the streets carefully.  This time, he wasn't looking for Obi-wan, although he wished very much that he could.  He missed the boy deeply, and it hurt him even more to know that Obi-wan blamed him for what had happened, and that Obi-wan hated him.

Hate.

I never knew it could come to that.

Qui-gon stopped at a street corner, and waited patiently.  He had visited the Prisons this morning, Gura had brought him and showed him around.  All Qui-gon had seen were cells with criminals in them, a good thing, he thought to himself at first.  No-one seemed to be suffering badly, but Qui-gon had had a feeling that Gura hadn't been showing him everything.

Now, the Jedi Master stood on the street, just another obscure person on a crowded pavement, but he watched the people carefully, checking his chronometer every minute or so.

They said they would be here.  Qui-gon scanned the crowd again.

The Force stirred slightly, and Qui-gon looked to his left.  Two young men stood beside him.  One of them had his dark-brown hair tied back in a ponytail, and he trained his blue-eyed gaze on Qui-gon.  A shiver passed through the Jedi Master as he recognised – yet again – Obi-wan's partner. 

Why does he keep on turning up?  Qui-gon wondered, but he nodded to the two men, smiling slightly.

"Come, Jedi," the mercenary said roughly, slipping off into the crowd easily.  Qui-gon followed silently, the second escort walking behind him.

They travelled along the streets of the city for quite a while, turning this way and that.  Qui-gon had a feeling he was being thrown off his bearings, because he realised that they had backtracked once or twice, but he said nothing.

Eventually, they turned off the streets and Qui-gon was told to get into a landspeeder. 

"What's your name?" Qui-gon asked softly as the mercenary blind-folded him.  Not that blindfolding a Jedi was of much use, Qui-gon mused.

"Kelyl Tanner," the mercenary answered in a low, harsh voice, and Qui-gon caught a glimpse of Kelyl's cold, hard eyes before the cloth covered his own vision.  He reached out to the Force, so he wouldn't be totally blind.

"You tricked my Apprentice." It wasn't a question, and Qui-gon had meant it that way.

"Depends on what you mean," the reply was from somewhere in front of him, but there was no emotion in the voice.

"You told him what happened, but you changed it."

"I don't lie, Qui-gon Jinn.  He suffered, a lot, and you never came back for him."

"I didn't have a choice!" it sounded weak, even to himself, as Qui-gon said it.

Qui-gon could almost see the smile of contempt on Kelyl's face.  "Yes, of course you didn't…you were too busy saving yourself, and making excuses."

"They didn't let me come back!  Obi-wan doesn't hate me, you made him hate me," Qui-gon's voice increased steadily, although he tried to control his emotions.

"I gave him the facts, he made his choice.  You abandoned him, to the Prisons, after all he did for you…you left him," Qui-gon detected the faintest hint of emotion and buried hurt in the mercenary's voice.

"The Prisons are nothing.  I went to see them today." Qui-gon answered softly.

"Gura is hiding things from you, things you don't know.  All looks well," Kelyl's speech was more reasoned, his tone more neutral and business-like than before, "but not only criminals go there.  It is the worst suffering you could ever imagine."

Qui-gon wanted to not believe Kelyl, but he knew the mercenary might be right.  At any rate, it had added more weight to his suspicions,  "Then who would take me there?  To see the real thing?"

Kelyl didn't answer.  The speeder had stopped, and Qui-gon's blindfold was removed.  He found himself in some sort of hangar, but he guessed that they must have been underground.  Kelyl was holding a blaster rifle, and he prodded Qui-gon with it.  "Let's go, I've had enough talking to you."

Obi-wan was just waking up when Kelyl walked into their quarters.  The mercenary was as expressionless as ever, but Obi-wan detected a hint of tiredness in his voice.

"Qui-gon is here."

Obi-wan's sleepy eyes snapped wide open.  Then he hid his surprise hastily, he had sort of been expecting it, but it was also a surprise.  No doubt, Qui-gon would seek him out later, and try and bind him with lies again.

Obi-wan nodded slowly, then said softly, "He will come and find me, when his business is done, here."

"Yes," Kelyl unstrapped his blaster and placed it on a table, then climbed up to his bunk.

"What are you hiding?" Obi-wan asked Kelyl with a wry smile.

"The usual – everything.  Take a walk and see."

Obi-wan sighed and walked out of his quarters.  Whatever it was, Kelyl wasn't going to tell him.

"Obi-wan?" the familiar voice filled him both with warmth and with cold hatred, if warm and cold were ever possible together, all at once.  He turned around slowly in the deserted corridor, to face the man in a cloak.  The hood dropped back and Obi-wan saw the features of a man he had been with for so much of his life, and the man who had betrayed him at last.

"Yes," Obi-wan answered warily.

"I…talked with your leader…he said you and Kelyl would bring me to see the Prisons.  Kelyl volunteered…" Qui-gon didn't bother to hide his uneasiness.

So that was what Kelyl was being mysterious about.  Obi-wan mused.  He nodded curtly to Qui-gon.

"Obi-wan, I tried to come back to get you, but the Council didn't allow it…" Qui-gon's voice was wracked with anguish, although he seemed so calm.

Obi-wan spat.  "You tried!  You left me here, because it was convenient, more convenient than risking your neck to come down and get me.  Stick your neck out for me, and you'd get your shoulders chopped off as well.  So you didn't care."

"No, you don't understand."

"Yes, I do.  Kelyl told me everything that happened.  He was there, he fought beside me, while you left."

"He may be lying," Qui-gon tried to reason, his blue eyes troubled.  "He's a mercenary, he may be lying to you."

A flicker of doubt crossed Obi-wan's mind, but he pushed it aside.  Now wasn't the time to doubt Kelyl's real motives, "Kelyl was the one who looked after me, who tried his best to heal me while we were in the Prisons.  I trust him.  He was with me, you weren't."

"I don't.  He's dark.  Padawan…"

"Don't call me that!" Obi-wan snapped, his eyes flashing in anger, "You left me.  You left me… to pain, to suffering.  You deserve this, you will deserve revenge." Obi-wan choked out the words, furiously holding back hot tears, although he didn't know why he wanted to cry so badly.

"Obi-wan, don't believe all Kelyl says.  Revenge isn't right."

"Maybe it isn't," Obi-wan's voice dropped to barely more than a whisper, "but it's the only way.  You deserve it, and I hate you."

"Don't listen to Kelyl.  He killed a Jedi, he killed Takir in cold blood for no reason at all, in front of other Jedi.  He made her suffer, and he enjoyed it.  You don't want to become like this."

"No," Obi-wan shook his head, "He had a reason, even if you don't see it.  Revenge works.  I vow I will hunt you down and I will kill you, Qui-gon, as soon as you no longer receive immunity.  You can't hide…"

"Kelyl is using you to get back at the Jedi, can't you see?" Qui-gon said brusquely as he tried to keep impatience out of his voice.

Doubt crept back into Obi-wan's mind, again, he pushed it out.  Qui-gon had lied to him before, there was no reason why he wouldn't do it again.  "I don't believe you, you never trusted me.  I trusted you, I worked hard to please you, but you never cared.  You never even bothered to come back for me, Jedi Master." Obi-wan spat out the last few words in sarcasm and contempt. 

He turned around and walked away, forcing himself not to look back.  Even though a part of him wanted so much to be accepted by Qui-gon again, to have Qui-gon as the father he would never have.  The contrast between Kelyl and Qui-gon was sharp, and suddenly, Obi-wan didn't even know if he wanted to trust his partner.  Sith, Obi-wan cursed Qui-gon silently.  You always plant doubt and betrayal, and I hate you even more…

a/n: hopes ya all like it…um, next chapter is probably next weekend or so… hint: qui-gon's gonna get into big trouble, and it'll be up to obi to take his revenge.  :)  - wild horse