Part 11
Qui-Gon stared at the still form on the bed. Her eyes were closed and he could hear her soft breathing. He put his hand gently on her forehead. At that, Shmi opened her eyes and saw the caring face of Qui-Gon. She gave him a weary smile. "You are finally awake. The operation was successful; you no longer need to worry. You are free now, Shmi" assured Qui-Gon.
Shmi felt relieved. Finally, after all these years, she was no longer a slave. But then, instantly, her face became a frown. "Where is Anakin? Is he alright" she asked.
"Anakin is fine. He is safe in the hands of the Jedi Council. You will soon meet them" he replied, smiling down upon her.
She stared at him. "Tell me now, why was that man trying to take my life? I am just a slave."
Qui-Gon sighed. "I think I have found the reason why you were attacked. You see Shmi, Anakin is strong in the force, the council knows it too. But when I requested that Anakin be trained, they said no because he was far too old to begin training, as all Jedi have been taken from birth. They saw that Anakin had too much fear and anger in him and that is why he did not come with us to rescue you. They wanted to watch over him. They know how much you mean to Anakin. Now, that dark attacker knows too. He tried to kill you so that it would bring out Anakin's fear and anger, which would lead him to the dark side. This path is easy to follow and Anakin has much to learn to control his fear and anger."
Shmi lay motionless, letting all of Qui-Gon's words sink in. She now understood, but one question remained inside her. "What about you, Qui-Gon? About Anakin"
"Anakin is strong in the force. He is the chosen one, the one who will bring balance to the force. I believe Anakin will become a Jedi" he said as he smiled.
Kirana sat in a chair, rubbing her sore arms and legs. They still hurt from the fight but she soon used her Jedi healing powers to ease the pain. She looked at her hands, bruised. She rubbed them, trying to ease her pain when she heard a soft tapping at her door. "Come in" she said.
Obi-Wan walked in the room, no longer wearing his robe, but instead a thick white tunic and white trousers. His almost knee length boots were brown, but no longer had any sand caked on them. He smiled and sat down next to her. To her dismay, she found her heart beating wildly.
Why did her heart jump every time he came near her? She did not like him; it was absurd to think she would have feelings for him.
"So, what are you up to" he asked, staring at her.
Kirana looked at her hands. "Nothing much, except my hands feel really sore."
Without another word, Obi-Wan reached out and took both of her hands and started massaging them. Kirana gulped, she could feel the warmth in his hands. She had to admit her hands did feel much better. Kirana felt embarrassed, to be so close to him. A part of her wanted him to stop what he was doing but to her surprise, another part didn't. But soon her sense of dignity prevailed. After all, she was a Jedi and so was he.
"Stop it" she said finally.
Obi-Wan looked up, not stopping. "Stop what" he asked teasingly.
"Stop it. My hands are dirty" she said nervously.
Obi-Wan had to laugh. "My hands are dirty too. What are you afraid of"
She looked at him boldly. "Afraid? Of getting my hands dirty."
Obi-Wan shook his head. "I don't think so, Ki. You are afraid of admitting your feelings for me. Come on, admit it. Sometimes you think I'm alright" he said.
"Well...sometimes. When you're not acting like a snob." she said shyly.
Then, he slowly reached out and pulled Kirana towards him.
They both closed their eyes as Obi-Wan pressed his lips against Kirana's. A moment of silence passed through them. Kirana pulled away from him and quickly stood up. Obi-Wan gave her a confused look.
"What's wrong" he asked.
"Um...nothing, I'm just tired, that's all" she responded, not looking at him.
"Why do you deny your feelings" he pressed on.
Kirana frowned. "I don't deny them. They are perfectly clear. And as for having feelings for you, I'm afraid not."
Obi-Wan just smiled. "Then why are you so shy around me? You are turning more red by the minute. Explain that."
Kirana felt her face flush. "I'm just hot."
Obi-Wan stood up and crossed his arms. "Really. You didn't seem like you wanted to let me go back on Tatooine."
Kirana started to become angry. "I was just glad that you were okay so then I hugged you. Is it a crime to be grateful"
Obi-Wan smirked. "That makes a good story. But I think you just can't bear to let me out of your sight."
"I don't know where you get your delusions, laserbrain" said Kirana hotly, annoyed at his arrogance.
"They aren't delusions and you know it, don't you? You are just too proud to admit it" said Obi-Wan smoothly.
Kirana stared at him in disbelief. "You think you are just so charming. You think that every girl that passes you, will fall for your animal charms. Well, I'm sorry but I'm a little smarter than that"
Obi-Wan looked at her in the eye. "Yeah, you go around acting so noble, thinking you know everything about everyone! You know you enjoyed that kiss."
"Ha! You assume too much. I'd rather kiss a bantha." she spat angrily.
"I can arrange that. Believe me, you could use a good kiss. You've been so busy trying to be a Jedi, that you've forgotten how to be a women. If you'd have let go for a minute, I could have helped you. But now it's too late, Ki! You missed your big opportunity" he said.
"I think I can survive" she smirked.
"Yeah, we'll see" retorted Obi-Wan.
Kirana glared at him. "You think too highly of yourself. But mark my words, Obi-Wan Kenobi, your pride will be your downfall."
Obi-Wan reeled back, stung by her words. He stared at her.
Kirana could feel angry tears in her eyes. The words had flung out of her mouth before she could stop them.
"Well" he started. "I think that's my cue to leave. Uh... goodbye" said Obi-Wan as he walked out of the room.
Kirana stared after him.
A/n
Hello all . im very sorry I didn't get this out sooner. I've been very busy. I promise the next one will be out in a day maybe even later today. I would like to thank all of you that reviewed. So thanks Mystress Daedra, scarlettWALES Chaos-Vloors and NintendoKat. I would also like to remind the rest of my readers. The more reviews the sooner I post. Thanks all.
