I won't update next week - Spring Break/Family vacation leaves me w/out internet access for a week. Sorry, but it's out of my control.

This chapter has a little humor to lighten the mood. Sorry, Obi-lovers, but this is what I see really happening. Besides, I live with Devil-Boy, so I should know what a young knight feels like around a ten-year-old.

If you include a story id # or other information in a review, I will review that story. Just give me enough information to find it (title, genre, rating, approx. update date, anything else that might help. . .), time to read it, and don't ask me to review anything rated R. If I can't find your story, I'll say so at the beginning of the next chapter.

Thank you to everyone who's reviewed. The feedback means a lot.

I still don't own the people you've heard of.

Obi-Wan laughed. Speaking with Qui-Gon again was lifting his spirits, almost as though Qui-Gon was still alive, as though they had never gone to Naboo.

The jovial mood the companions shared was shattered by the wave of mental anguish from Anakin. "What? What's wrong?" Obi-Wan asked aloud. "Anakin?"

Qui-Gon's face was twisted in concentration. "Yes," he said. "He feels," Qui-Gon paused, searching in the Force.

"Alone," Obi-Wan finished. "Where is he?"

"Follow the cry, Obi-Wan. I can't find him. He's being blocked by darkness. He is in danger!" //Go!// Qui-Gon desperately screamed the end of his instructions through their bond as he was sucked back into the mist.

Obi-Wan watched with grief as his master disappeared into the Force, leaving him alone with Anakin again. A renewed loneliness slammed into him with the force of a bantha stampede, startling him out of his stupor. Shaking away the remnants of his own feelings, Obi-Wan raced through the ship to find Anakin.

* * *

"And he's mean, and he never lets me do anything, and we're going to fight some evil Count Something-or-other but I'm not even allowed to turn on my lightsaber!" Anakin's shoulders shook with sobs as he poured out his heart to the stranger.

"Anakin," the man began, but found himself cut off by another wail. "Anakin."

"I hate him!" the boy screamed. "I don't want Obi-Wan! I want my mom! I want Padme! I want Qui-Gon!"

"Do you really want to learn how to use your lightsaber?" the man finally shouted above the ruckus.

Anakin sniffed and wiped his nose on the man's shirt. He nodded vehemently, still gasping for breath.

"I can teach you, but you must promise me one thing."

"What?" Anakin asked, calming down slightly.

"You must not tell Obi-Wan about our lessons, or even about this conversation," the man said.

"When can we start?" Anakin sniffled.

"Right no-" the man started. He stopped abruptly and shook his head. "Meet me here tomorrow after the first meal. Bring your lightsaber. And don't tell Obi-Wan!" he reminded Anakin, sweeping gracefully away.

Obi-Wan raced into the room. He found Anakin sitting in the corner, his eyes still red with tears. "What's wrong?" he asked, sitting down next to his Padawan.

"Nothing you'd care about," Anakin snapped. "You don't even want me anyway," he muttered under his breath.

His hurt leaked through the bond to Obi-Wan. //Of course I want you as my Padawan,// he thought soothingly.

"Get out of my head," Anakin said furiously. "You only took me on because Qui-Gon made you promise to train me."

"That's not true," Obi-Wan said, but he wasn't entirely certain that it was. /Did I only agree to train him for Qui-Gon?/ he wondered to himself.

"See? You're not even sure of it yourself." Clumsily Anakin tried to throw up Force shields around his mind, blocking out Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan saw that he could easily break through the careless shielding. //Let me help you,// he said, reaching through the bond to reinforce his Padawan's attempts. //You build shields carefully, from within. Make a layer following the pattern that's already there,// he instructed, rocking the young boy as they explored the construction of Force shields.

* * *

/Sith, who knew something so little could make such a mess?/ the man thought to himself as he stripped off the snotted tunic. /Or so much noise,/ he added. /My ears are going to hurt for the next year,/ he groaned, realizing the stain wasn't coming out of his tunic. /What a waste. It was one of my favorites, too. Well, it'll all be worth it to show those idiotic Jedi to mess with me,/ he chuckled maliciously to himself.

* * *

Erinn watched the younglings playing peacefully with the toys. /Kids are so inventive,/ she thought, watching Hamri, the youngest, float a toy bantha in the shallow pond. Lesha came up, and brought a model speeder next to the bantha.

"Roar! Roar! I eat bantha!" Lesha growled, her Bothan fur rustling in the breeze. She grabbed at the toy bantha, stuffing it into her mouth. Hamri began to wail, seeing the bantha disappear. With a sigh, Erinn came over to break up the fight. /And loud,/ she added. /Kids are very loud./

The nursery had gone to shambles. /What made Master Shedain think I could handle this?/ she wondered.

Having settled Lesha and Hamri, Erinn caught sight of Kyren taking a shiny metal ball from another toddler. Sensing a fight, Erinn ran across the room. Kyren saw her coming for him, and took off. His small size was an advantage, and he tore agilely around Erinn. Soon the other toddlers had abandoned their games to watch the chase.

* * *

The next day, Obi-Wan was awakened by a shrill whistle in his right ear. He sat bolt upright, forgetting that Anakin's sleep couch was stacked immediately above his own. A sharp pain stabbed through his head as it bounced off the hard metal bars that kept the sleep couch from crashing on top of him.

"What in the name of the Sith?" he asked disorientedly. Realization dawned on him. "Anakin!" he yelled, batting at the noisemaker by his ear. "Why won't this Sith-forsaken piece of junk shut up?" he muttered angrily.

"Yes, Master?" Anakin asked angelically.

"Is this your doing?" Obi-Wan asked, pointing at the noisemaker. The shrill whine wailed loudly enough that it was sure to wake the entire liner. Without waiting for an answer, Obi-Wan yelled "Shut it off!"

Anakin shrugged his shoulders innocently. "I don't know how," he said, barely contained giggles showing beneath the serene mask. "Sorry."

Obi-Wan roared. He fumbled for his lightsaber, only to find it had been moved during the night. Calling on what little control he had, he summoned the Force to call Anakin's lightsaber to his hand. The brilliant blue blade slammed through the noisemaker, melting it into a heap of glowing slag. The silence that followed was even more deafening than the siren had been as Anakin stared at the destroyed alarm..

"What did you do with my lightsaber?" Obi-Wan demanded impatiently.

"Nothing, Master. You left it under your sleep couch before you went to bed last night. It's still there."

Obi-Wan growled and crawled under the sleep couch. Sure enough, his lightsaber was lying just out of reach. Using the Force again, Obi-Wan felt it fall easily into his waiting palm.

"Somebody's not a morning person, is he?" Anakin asked, seeing the expression on Obi-Wan's face. He wisely shut up when he caught the meaning of the glare he was receiving. /If looks could kill,/ he thought to himself.

//You'd be dead,// Obi-Wan finished for him. //Shield yourself better so your thoughts don't leak out. I'll help, but you have to do this for yourself eventually. And don't be so satisfied. It wasn't that funny.//

//You know it was,// Anakin answered. //Besides, did you expect me to let you miss breakfast?// As Obi-Wan finished composing himself, Anakin brought in the food he had smuggled out of the kitchens. "It should still be warm," he said. "I'm going to go exploring the ship. Stay out of trouble!" Before Obi-Wan could react, Anakin skipped out of the cabin and disappeared.

Rubbing his aching head, Obi-Wan groaned. /I was never this bad,/ he thought, knowing Qui-Gon would hear. /You did this on purpose./

* * *

Anakin raced through the halls. /That was priceless!/ he laughed, recalling the expression on Obi-Wan's face. /I'll have to do that again sometime./

He tore around a corner, trying to get to the same spot he had met the man at yesterday. In his haste, he failed to notice the man's leg directly in his path. He collided with the barrier and tumbled head over heels into the ground, his lightsaber unclipping from his belt and flipping across the floor to the man's waiting hand. The man activated the lightsaber and held it to Anakin's throat.

The laser beam flickered, sending darts of light into Anakin's neck. His flesh sizzled in the close proximity of the weapon, and he gulped. "Be more careful next time," the man warned, switching off the laser sword and tossing it to the boy.

Anakin caught it and tenderly examined the burn on his neck. /This is going to hurt,/ he thought.

"Do you remember what you felt?" the man asked, interrupting Anakin's thoughts.

"I was afraid," Anakin said, only realizing it as he said the words.

"Exactly. Your fear will make you powerful," the man responded.

"But Master Yoda said-" Anakin was confused. Words echoed in his mind. /Fear is the path to the Dark side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate . . . leads to suffering./ He could still hear the inverted structure of Yoda's clumsy Basic instructing him not to be afraid.

"Master Yoda is an ignorant troll," the man said dismissively.

"But he's the greatest of all Jedi!"

"He didn't want to train you, did he? He would waste all the potential of the Chosen one, flaunt the prophecy the Jedi have revered for eons, all because he was jealous of you. Jealousy is something you will have to deal with. Yoda was afraid you would surpass him, just as Obi-Wan is. They restrict your training with meditation, a useless skill for useless Jedi. They deny you true power. I will give you that."

Anakin absorbed the man's tirade silently. /It makes sense,/ he thought. /But Obi-Wan wouldn't do that to me./ Anakin shoved the theory aside, but found he could not ignore the nagging voice that still wondered, /Would he?/

* * *

Just as Obi-Wan expected, Qui-Gon was watching the entire drama play out. He watched Anakin sneak out of his sleep couch and get the small device. Anakin set the device on the pillow next to Obi-Wan's ear, fiddle with a few dials, and steal away. Through the door he watched Anakin cover his ears tightly, but the only his Padawan's heavy snores broke the silence.

The morning shattered with the wail of the alarm. /Obi-Wan isn't going to be happy about this,/ Qui-Gon thought. /He's not a morning person. Anakin's in trouble, unless he's really quick about this./

Sure enough, Anakin had to run for it. Qui-Gon watched Obi-Wan let him go, waiting for the summons.

"Of course you were this bad. I seem to remember an incident after you first tried that Corellian whiskey, and you saw that girl walking through the street," Qui-Gon answered, appearing in his ghostly form.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Obi-Wan said abruptly.

"Of course, you were probably too drunk to remember." Qui-Gon said amiably.

"Let's drop that," Obi-Wan said. "You knew Anakin would be like this," he accused, changing the subject.

Qui-Gon didn't fall for it. "How long did you wind up grounded for, again?" he teased.

Obi-Wan gave Qui-Gon the same glare he had just given Anakin, but it cracked into a smile, and then a laugh. "About a year," he exaggerated.

"I overreacted that much?" Qui-Gon asked incredulously.

"You did know, though. What Anakin would be like, I mean."

"All Padawans go through a rather rambunctious stage. I recall raiding the kitchen with Mace once, right after I became Dooku's Padawan." Qui-Gon said ruefully.

"What happened?" Obi-Wan asked interestedly. He had trouble imagining the strict Council member raiding a kitchen.

"We got caught. Mace got cleanup duty, I got," Qui-Gon rubbed the bump where his nose had been broken. "It doesn't matter what I got."

Obi-Wan was suspicious. "I think you let yourself die just so I would have to deal with Anakin," he said.

Qui-Gon stopped. "I would never do that, Obi-Wan. I would not leave you alone like that," he said, all laughter gone.

"I'm sorry," Obi-Wan said, realizing how deeply the remark had wounded his master, and seeing the resentment that fueled it. "I didn't mean to, to-"

"I know you didn't, my old Padawan. I have other things on my mind as well, and you're worrying about Anakin. We're both a little insensitive." Qui-Gon broke in before Obi-Wan could take all the blame.

"But why does he have to be so moody? He was sullen yesterday, and pulling pranks today, do I even want to know what he'll be like tomorrow?"

"He's adjusting. He misses his mother, and he feels left out. He'll calm down with time," Qui-Gon advised. "Xanatos was like this, too."

/But Xanatos turned,/ Obi-Wan thought.

* * *

The man thought evilly about the plans he had set in motion. /So they're sending a pair of Jedi to deal with me,/ he thought. /They don't have the faintest idea they're going in the wrong direction. Soon they will, though. Soon they will./

* * *

Erinn panted, out of breath. She had finally caught up with the troublemaking youngling. "Kyren, you have to share with the others. They might want to play with the pretty ball, too." She picked up the struggling toddler and wrestled the metal ball out of his hand. She had never seen anything like it before. Lights flashed in colored patterns, dancing over the smooth surface.

/It's almost like a countdown,/ Erinn thought, fascinated. Her blood chilled with the warning of the force as she recognized the object. /Oh, Sith!/ she thought, right before everything went black.

* * *

The Force spun tumultuously, tossing Obi-Wan to the ground. The agony of souls ripped from their bodies burned like acid in his veins. He gasped for breath as the impact of the deaths pressed in on his chest. He couldn't move, couldn't see. The Force sucked the life out of him in an effort to appease the dead children. /No,/ he thought. //Anakin!// he called through the bond. //Anakin, link to me! Anchor yourself!//

* * *

Anakin collapsed, the burn in his neck coming back to life. Grief, rage, and horror swam through him, shattering his minimal control. /I can't stay here,/ he thought. /I can't live with this pain./

As he started to give in, to let himself go, he heard his Master's pleas. //Master!// Anakin shouted, throwing a root of power to Obi-Wan.

* * *

Even within the Force, Qui-Gon felt the pain. He absorbed the shock, letting it pass through him. /Obi-Wan!/ he thought suddenly. /Anyone without control, or who tries to take on to much, will be caught up in this./

He heard Obi-Wan's frantic call to Anakin. /No, Obi-Wan! You can't support the two of you!/ he tried to shout, but found Obi-Wan deaf to his cries. Worriedly, Qui-Gon set himself to keep Obi-Wan and Anakin in the realm of the living. /Dooku, you won't get away with this!/ he raged internally as he weathered the storm for the two living Jedi.

* * *

The man smiled to himself, reveling in the torture tearing through the Force. His plan was going perfectly.

So, if anyone's made it this far, congratulations. Remember that I'll review other stories if you give me the info. Please review; feedback is really important.

tbc