Disclaimer: Star Wars belongs to George Lucas. I do not own Star Wars or any characters you recognize from previous Star Wars movies and books. I have no connection with anyone involved in the Star Wars movies, either. I did make up Yelen, though.

Chapter 2: What a Tube of Hot Pepper Powder Can Do in the Hands of Anakin Skywalker

Anakin Skywalker at age 20, was a very mischievous and reckless Jedi Padawan under the training of Jedi Knight, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Many of the Jedi believed Anakin to be the chosen one. A very long time ago, an ancient Jedi prophecy was made. It was said that one day, one would be born who would bring balance to the Force and many believed that was Anakin.

The reckless Padawan was right now, peering around a corner of a building watching his mentor, Obi-Wan, eating a piece of apple pie. Anakin grinned as he took out a little tube of hot pepper powder that looked like cinnamon, from inside his Jedi robes and poured a little bit into his left hand. He read the label. It said in red letters "CAUTION: For pranks on people. When the victim's mouth produces flames, put it out quickly by having him/her down at least 5 bottles of ice cold glacier water." His grin widened even more when Obi-Wan turned his way and looked at him with a scowl.

Anakin strolled over to his mentor with an air of calmness and a cocky grin that Obi-Wan did not like. He knew that something was up, but he didn't know what.

"Hello," Anakin greeted as he came up beside Obi-Wan.

"Anakin, how many times have I told you that it is not polite to stare at someone," Obi-Wan lectured without a greeting. "If you really have to, then try to make it look less obvious."

"I wasn't obvious," the Padawan replied grinning mischievously.

"Why are you doing that?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Doing what Master?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about Anakin," Obi-Wan answered with a glare at his young Padawan.

"Oh that!" Anakin exclaimed pointing at his mischievous grin. "Oh! Well. um. I just thought of a good joke!"

"Really?"

"Yes Master. You see." Anakin began with a wave of his left hand letting the little red pepper specks drift on to Obi-Wan's pie without him noticing. "It is very funny."

"Why don't you tell me then," Obi-Wan suggested suspiciously. When Anakin didn't respond, Obi-Wan followed his apprentice's gaze to his pie. He stared at his snack and saw a bunch of red specks on it.

"That's weird," Obi-Wan said.

"Huh?" the startled Padawan asked jerked back into reality by Obi-Wan's words.

"This piece of pie," Obi-Wan answered. "I could have sworn there weren't any red specks on it before I bought it."

Anakin hid his smile inside and replied very seriously. "It was probably just your eyes playing tricks on you before you bought it, Master."

"You're probably right," his mentor agreed brushing some of the red stuff off his pie and loading his fork.

Anakin nodded. Watching Obi-Wan bring his fork with some pie to his mouth with a bunch of red specks sitting on the pie was killing him. He doubled up on the ground and tried to hide his laughter with a moan.

Obi-Wan set his pie down and bent down to Anakin. "Anakin, what's wrong?" he asked.

Anakin seeing his mentor so worried about him decided to tell what was happening. "Don't yeast dee pipe!" he managed to gasp out before a burst of laughter issued from him.

"What?" Obi-Wan asked. "Speak up Anakin!"

"Don't. Don't yeast-" But Anakin could not get the rest of the sentence out because he was clutching his stomach and howling with laughter.

Obi-Wan shook Anakin hard. "Anakin!" He exclaimed. "What is wrong with you?"

The reply came followed by laughter. "Don't yeast dee pipe!"

The anxious Obi-Wan did the exact opposite of what Anakin said. He ate the pie. A few seconds went by and Obi-Wan stood there chewing the pie. The next few seconds were filled with Obi-Wan hopping around with his mouth open, gulping down air and screaming for water. The Padawan sat up fascinated as a burst of flames issued and danced on Obi-Wan's tongue. Anakin suddenly realized that if no actions were taken, Obi-Wan's throat would catch on fire disabling any way of speech or swallowing.

He got up suddenly worried and ran into the nearest bar to buy water.

"What do want?" the bartender asked Anakin.

"Five bottles of ice cold glacier water, please."

"We ain't got no glacier water that's cold. If you want hot glacier water, it's free." the bartender motioned to the steaming, metal tub next to him.

"No thanks," Anakin said wrinkling his nose.

He raced out of the bar and ran into another one, and then another, but it seemed not one of the bars had ice cold glacier water. After 10 minutes, Anakin raced into a restaurant that had a neon sign that read Céline's Café.

"Waddya want sonny?" the bartender there asked Anakin. He had a rather large stomach, big flapping ears and two pairs of arms and two legs.

"Five bottles of ice cold glacier water," Anakin replied desperately, but the bartender already had the bottles sitting on the counter.

"Ya can pay me later sonny," the bartender said shoving the water toward Anakin. "Go calm your friend down first. He's scaring away my customers."

"How did you know?" Anakin asked curiously.

"Beause I haven't got as many customers as I usually have at this hour, young Jedi."

"No, No," Anakin said shaking his head. "I meant how did you know about Obi- Wan?"

"Obi-Wan, eh? That's your Jedi pal's name? Funny sounding if you ask me," the bartender commented.

"What kind of name do you think sounds good then?" Anakin asked.

"Prackle Seepio," the bartender answered.

"Threepio?" Anakin asked.

"No sonny. Seepio," the bartender corrected. "Many say that it sounds like a droid's name, but it's my last name it tis. Prackle's me first. Prackle Seepio. Tis the finest name I've ever heard! What's your name?"

"Anakin. Anakin Skywalker."

"Anakin, eh? That's a mighty fine name. Anakin. Annnnnnakin. Anakin. Anakinny. Anakin," said Prackle Seepio trying different ways to sound out Anakin's name.

"AANNNNNNNAAKKIIINNN!" That was not Prackle Seepio, but actually Obi-Wan's voice in Anakin's head calling him through the Force.

"Oops," Anakin exclaimed. "I forgot about Obi-Wan!"

"Better go then Anakin," Prackle Seepio said.

"Thanks Prackle Seepio!" Anakin cried tearing out of the bar with the water. "I'll pay you back later!" In a few seconds, he was just a dot among the crowds.

In the corner of the bar, a figure in black stood there. waiting. Something flashed in the light for a spilt second before it disappeared in the folds of cloth the figure was wearing. The figure moved along the wall as silent as a shadow never making a noise. It disappeared for a minute and then came up behind a little boy's unsuspecting back.

The figure clasped its hands around the boy's mouth and the boy kicked the figure, hard. The figure let go in pain and the boy screamed. People were running to him. The figure looked around, turned into gray smoke and disappeared right into the boy's open mouth. The boy saw black and went limp, falling. always falling, to the ground.

By the time Anakin had got to the place where Obi-Wan had last been, so many onlookers surrounded his mentor that he had disappeared from view.

"Excuse me," Anakin said as he shoved his way past creatures and humans alike until he got to Obi-Wan. The Padawan was surprised to see a pile of bottles next to Obi-Wan and saw that his mentor was drinking a bottle of sweet shuura juice that one of the onlookers had donated. Obi-Wan finished the juice and set it in the growing pile of bottles. Anakin bent down and gave the water to him. His mentor downed all five bottles in 1 minute flat and lay down on his back no longer feeling as if his mouth was on fire.

Anakin got up from Obi-Wan's side and faced the onlookers, most of them taking pictures. He knew what Obi-Wan was going to say to him next and in front of everyone if he had to, so the Padawan raised his hands bringing the weight of the force into his voice as he half-heartily announced, "Everyone go back to what you were doing. You can forget this incident."

The onlookers stared as Obi-Wan got to his feet. He clapped his hands several times and brought the weight of the force into his voice and said loud and clear, "Nothing happened. You can leave now. Go back to what you were doing before."

Gradually, the onlookers parted and went their separate ways leaving Anakin with the seething Obi-Wan. Anakin expected a line of curses and lectures to come his way and winced, but Obi-Wan just grabbed Anakin roughly by the arm and dragged him off in the direction of a speeder.

Anakin trudged along half-heartily, but silently behind his mentor, his head hanging downward. Obi-Wan was not in a good mood and Anakin knew to stay clear of him until he was spoken to.

"Get in," Obi-Wan said curtly as they approached the speeder.

Though his mentor was not speaking to him directly, but instead facing the other way, Anakin thought he could picture how Obi-Wan's face looked. Angry, and scowling. The Padawan got into the yellow speeder not looking at his Master. Obi-Wan got into the driver seat and took off, piloting the craft to the Jedi Temple.