K-Rock - I think I'll stick with my own little world too. Although sometimes I think other's are better. ;) Anyway, I think you can stop dancing for the moment, but I also think I should probably warn you. You just might need some tissues by the end of this chap. It all depends on how emotionally involved with your stories you get. It's not what you think. Just read and you'll find out. ;)

Everyone else, enjoy! :D :D

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"What in the Force are you doing Master?" Every minute held a new surprise for Anakin. He was simply astonished at how much his Master was willing to sacrifice for the sake of a friend. But to fold so quickly when they clearly had had the upper hand was ludicrous. If only they had fought them and taken MysAri back to the Temple as soon as they touched down, they wouldn't be in this mess. Of course MysAri would probably have been dead by the time they got back to the Temple, but to be trapped seemed like a worse fate.

Obi-Wan ignored the question; his only concern at the moment was the possible effects on his Padawan. "Are you alright Ani?"

Drawing his attention back to the bracelet, Anakin felt no different with the Disrupter on. But that was the last thing on his mind. "I can't believe this! Why are you giving in to them? Do you want to condemn us all?"

"Anakin, you will stop this now." The severity and command in his tone left no room for argument, but Anakin was no ordinary Padawan.

"No, Master, I will not," he argued. Anakin could no longer stand by and accept this, "You have quickly conceded to all of their demands, you risk your self and me to save a friend? Why?"

"Now is not the time. We shall discuss this later." The look in the man's eyes could have been deadly, yet the boy didn't even flinch.

"Will there be another time Master? Or will I be orphaned again?" It was a retort born from fear, it was double edged and meant to cut.

Was it possible for a heart to shred any further? Obi-Wan didn't think so, but he found out so quickly and so viciously that he was wrong. Over the course of his life, Obi-Wan had made and lost many friends. Of course he loved everyone, that was his nature, but love is a fickle beast. One that clings to the essence of specific people. As such, only a scant few went deep enough to touch his soul. Of course there was Bant, she was for all practical purposes, his first love. And then there was Cerasi, a young girl that had swept away his heart in his adolescence. Tragically she died shortly after they met, still he never forgot her. Garen was more like a brother than a crèche mate or friend. Yoda was an estranged grandfather and confidant.

His beloved Master, Qui-Gon Jinn, was a man that at one time meant more to him than life itself. To this day he would still give anything to have traded places with him on the fateful day on Naboo. Unfortunately, no matter how much you might try, you can't change the past. Instead he looked toward the future, Anakin. He had lost his father, but he had gained a son. And how could he explain to his son that the woman he would seemingly throw everything away for was more than a friend? If things - life - had been different, Obi-Wan could definitely have entertained thoughts of spending the rest of his life with that friend. But he was a Jedi and his first devotion was to the Order and the galaxy, or was it?

He was here for the benefit of a member of the Order, one that had stumbled across the path of revenge. He needed to rectify that mishap, but was it only for the good of the Order or to assuage his own fears and guilt. The situation was complicated. Now he stared into the bright azure eyes of his son pleading with the boy to cease this line of inquisition. So how does he tell his progeny that a piece of him lay on the brink of death no more than a few feet away from them. That so much of him died when his Master was stolen from him. And that he was brought back into existence when Mys had come to him after Naboo. In addition to her revitalization of his spirit, that it was Anakin that kept him going from day to day.

Yes, love was a fickle beast. Allowing one to be vulnerable to betrayal and rejection at the same time making them blind to imperfections and faults. Yet providing a sense of joy and satisfaction that can be so hard to come by. Neither aspect was inherently good or bad, but they created a weakness that few could afford.

It was only mere seconds that his thoughts careened from one to another. In those brief moments, Obi-Wan's anger crumbled away. His son stood, worry etched on the young features, waiting for him to answer. He suddenly wished he had not been so hasty, but there was little option for him at the time. Slowly, the Knight approached the boy. Carefully, he fell to his knees and placed comforting hands on the youth's shoulders. His voice sounded inordinately exhausted, "Anakin, please try to understand. I would never willingly abandon you. However, I cannot simply turn my back on a friend either."

The fight drained from his Master in the span of a heartbeat, aging him rapidly. The tension melted away. "Alright, Master. Whatever you say." Anakin, too, seemed to have cooled off abruptly. Due to the unsettling change that had befallen his Master rather than the dissuasive words.

"While this has been most entertaining, I must be off. I have some preparations to attend to, as I am sure my colleague does as well. We should see some results when she wakes up. That should be in a few hours." They were quickly reminded of the Scientist's presence again. Immediately, the pair departed leaving the Jedi alone to their thoughts.

As soon as the door clicked shut, silence engulfed the room. Anakin studied his Master carefully. Slumping his shoulders, Obi-Wan let go of his Padawan and sagged to the ground. When the Apprentice stared into the man's eyes, the murky blue-green depths held a sadness so profound that he winced. The two stayed where they were for some time before Obi-Wan finally moved. Sluggishly, he forced his limbs to get him back to MysAri's side. With all the tenderness he could muster, the Knight reached out and pulled the woman's hand to his chest. His other hand went to caress her forehead, pushing away the ebony and crimson strands of hair. Now all they had to do was wait.

Anakin moved to a seat in the corner and watched the couple. His mind running over the course of the past few days and how quickly things spun out of control. An hour must have passed before Anakin found the courage to speak again, "Master?"

It took several calls from his Padawan to rouse him from the self-induced stupor he was in. Obi-Wan slowly turned to take in the image of his Apprentice. When he looked at the boy, he noticed the youth swallow hard. He never responded vocally, but it was apparent that he was listening.

"May I ask you a question?" Anakin asked timidly. In his musings, he remembered something from his conversation with Bant. At one point in time, there was a rift that existed between his Master and the Knight. He wondered if this was the reason that his Master could not face the feelings he had for the woman. An almost imperceptible nod encouraged him, "What happened to MysAri's sister?"

Obi-Wan had hoped that he could hide away from the nightmare of Feswyyck forever, but knew it could not last. He just never expected it to be his Apprentice to broach the subject again. He closed his eyes in response to the stab of old pain. Failure. An insidious voice whispered to him. Always were a Failure. Always will be a Failure. Cringing away from the dark mutterings, Obi-Wan glanced back toward his Padawan. Now, did he have the courage to face his past?

Anakin waited patiently, he could see the internal struggle waging in the man. For a long time the man didn't answer, most likely debating on where to begin or what to say. The span of silence lingered long enough that Anakin wasn't even sure if Obi-Wan would answer his question. He was about to loose hope when he heard his Master sigh.

"She died about a year before Naboo," Obi-Wan said at last. "They were close, almost of one mind, until…"

"What happened Master? Bant said that you and MysAri didn't speak to each other for a while." Anakin tried to encourage the man to open up.

Perhaps it worked, because he continued, "Two years before Naboo the Council decided to send us on a mission. They had just sent Master Qui-Gon on a solo mission of his own. The Council believed that a few senior Padawans should be sufficient to handle a situation on Feswyyck. A Civil War that had engulfed the planet for a decade was finally coming to an end. The winning regime requested a team of Jedi to assist with distribution of medicines and food to many of the smaller villages that were destroyed during the war. It seemed simple enough, until things went wrong."

Wrong? What could have gone so wrong that drove them apart for a time? Anakin wondered. Weariness enveloped the Knight, his attention drifting back toward the sleeping form. Anakin knew it was better to wait until his Master was ready to reveal the rest of the story than to try and force it out of him. This was something Obi-Wan had to be willing to disclose, and he needed to do it on his terms. For once, Anakin was able to find the patience to stay his curiosity.

He didn't have to wait long, "We had gone to one such village near the capital city and were almost finished passing out the supplies. MysAri had gone to another building to check on some patients and collect the medicines to administer to some of the people. That's when it happened." He swallowed, his throat and mouth suddenly feeling very dry. "A small pocket of Nivvanii followers decided to make one last charge. They are a strange people, Wyykans. Unable to be sensed in the Force but not entirely impervious to it. We didn't know something was wrong until it was too late.

"They stormed the makeshift infirmary and held the prisoners at gunpoint. There was little room and I didn't want to have to fight amongst the injured. We…I… suggested that we do as they say. They tied our wrists together with leather straps and took us to a group of caves. MysAri hid from them while they took us away. They didn't know that there was anyone else. We were locked in a cell for a while. After hours had passed, we heard battle sounds beyond our cell. I thought…" his voice hitched from bridled anguish. The memories were still vivid in his mind as if the incident took place hours ago.

Closing his eyes, he composed himself in order to finish his story. "I thought we would be free soon. Then a few Wyykans showed up. A look in their eyes told me we were in for trouble. I was right about one thing finally. They began beating me, before they turned their attention to Mira. I – I tried." A sob escaped the usually controlled Knight. It was a heart wrenching sound, and Anakin could not help feeling the tears form in his eyes. "I tried to stop them, but we were bound. The others kept beating me, while one of them advanced on her. She tried to fend them off – used a Force push, but it only angered them. I struggled but they finally managed to knock me out."

Tears streaked the young man's face, he now appeared so much older and cowed. Anakin felt a small trace of moisture down his own cheek. The regret and grief poured off the man. It struck the boy suddenly that he had always felt a deeply rooted sense of melancholy in his Master, but the source was beyond his reach. And even with this new information rising to the surface, he knew that it was only one of many things his mentor keep hidden within his soul. Anakin was almost devoured by the misery filling the room, he was drawn out by the gentle tones of his Master. Amazingly, the man found the courage to speak even through his torment.

"When I woke up it was already too late. Those foul beasts molested her without mercy." He spat out the words disgustedly. The bile quickly forming at the back of his throat. "Unwittingly, they caused more damage than they could ever have realized. Like I said before, they were almost of one mind. And what one experiences more than likely the other experienced it too. This case was no exception."

The horror of what happened back then hit the Apprentice full force. "Both MysAri and her sister were raped. Although, for Mys it was a mental experience not physical." His Master nodded jerkily, his grief consuming him rapidly.

"But no less painful." Obi-Wan admitted. The distraught image of her entering the small chamber danced across his memory.

"Is that where she died?" Anakin assumed it to be true.

"No," he replied. His light sniffles seemingly subsiding. "I found out that she died on another mission when she returned to active duty. I can only imagine how crushed Mys and Master Xichu were afterwards. Master Qui-Gon and I were on a mission and no one told us. But I should have known, should have been there for you." The vocal chords constricted in sorrow and he placed his forehead on the back of her hand. Just above the sound of a whisper, he muttered, "All my fault."

"No, it wasn't," a light raspy voice denied. Obi-Wan was both relieved and startled to hear the tender invocation. Her hand weakly squeezed his. Another sob escaped him before he could look up and meet her eyes. A meek smile curled her lips and Obi-Wan returned the gesture.

"How can you say so? I shouldn't have allowed our capture. I should have protected you better." He argued his point.

With great effort she brought up a hand to caress his face. "We each make our own decisions. The fault is no one else's but our own." It was an old Jedi philosophy, but it did nothing to assuage his guilt.

"Enough of this," Obi-Wan ended the conversation as abruptly as possible. He couldn't bare the torment eating away at him much longer. All he wanted was to bury it back deep inside where he could contain it. Vowing that he would not let anything else harm those he loves, he focused his concern on the woman next to him. Leaning in closer, he asked, "How do you feel?" It was the most important question he had ever asked, he held his breath in anticipation.

MysAri closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Letting the air out slowly, she assessed her body. When she had come to a consensus, she answered, "I feel - better, there's not as much pain." Yet she still felt like her body was trying to rip apart, the intensity had waned. Perhaps, their captor did cure her.

Anakin watched with mixed emotions as his Master closed his eyes and placed his forehead on hers, relief washed over them. The faint smile that played on both of their lips was overshadowed by the tear that slid down the older Jedi's face. A rare tender moment, and Anakin suddenly wished he could see more of these from the man he considered father. He had always thought it unfair of the Order to deny its members the one emotion that they should nourish. With love came caring and understanding. With love came the desire to help and heal. How could the display and expression of love lead one to the darkside? He just didn't understand it.

But the moment, like so many previous was not meant to last. The door to the room hissed ominously open. The calculating pair of woman stood menacingly framed in the doorway. Without a second thought, Jenna announced, "It's time for them to go."

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I apologize for all the love references. I did want to mention I think I have answered Anakin's question at the end earlier in Obi's turmoil. If you want to know what my answer is read the paragraphs with "love is a fickle beast." If you have any questions about it or comments, please do share them. I like good discussions.

Thanks for reading, please leave a review! More to come. ;)