Bruck put his blindfold back on and instantly attacked.
Leila came over and stood by her Master.
"Spoken to him, have you?" asked Yoda softly as they watched the boys fight fiercely.
"Yes," said Leila. "He won't even talk about it any more. He grew angry with me today."
Yoda sighed.
Both boys where by now drenched in sweat and Bruck was fighting slower and slower. Soon Obi Wan didn't even need to leap away from Bruck's weary attacks. He merely blocked them and continued merely blocking them until Bruck gave up.
"Good, Obi Wan," called Yoda. "Learning, you are."
Obi Wan switched off his lightsaber and hung it on his belt. He then tugged the blindfold off. The first thing he saw was Leila and he smiled.
"You did well, Obi Wan," she said softly. She smiled at him.
Bruck stood up when he heard her voice and jerked his own blindfold off. His face went even redder when he saw her. There was not a single young boy in the Temple that wanted to be beaten in front of Leila Jinn. And while Bruck resented the thrashings he had received from her, he was still a boy.
The two boys bowed to Yoda.
"Enough for one day," said Yoda. "Tomorrow, a Jedi Knight comes to the Temple seeking a Padawan. Ready for him, you must be."
Obi Wan tried to hide his surprise. Usually when a Knight came to the Temple in search of a Padawan, rumors beat the arrival by days.
"Who?" asked Obi Wan, his heart racing. "Who's coming?"
"Mater Qui Gon Jinn," said Yoda.
Obi Wan's hopes rose slightly and he looked at Leila.
Her face was expressionless.
But Obi Wan ignored her. Qui Gon was a powerful knight, one of the best. He had been to the Temple several times before to look for an apprentice but he had never taken a new Padawan. He had heard rumors that Qui Gon's last Padawan had betrayed him terribly and Leila had confirmed that rumor but has refused to say anything else concerning the matter. He also knew that Qui Gon only came to look at the apprentices every year because the Council of Masters asked him to. Obi Wan felt his hope sink slightly. Qui Gon had rejected many of the students. And he had heard several of the Masters talk about Qui Gon. Qui Gon was more than content to have his daughter by his side than another Padawan. Obi Wan sighed. What made him think that he would be able to please him? "He won't want me," said Obi Wan softly. "He's seen me fight before and he did not chose me then. No one will."
Yoda squinted up at Obi Wan with wise eyes. "Hummmph! Always in motion, the future is. One cannot be sure, but I have sensed….a kinder destiny for you."
Obi Wan looked at Leila. But she was studying Bruck. He looked straight at Yoda. "Will he chose me?"
"On Qui Gon that depends," said Yoda calmly. "And you. Come back tomorrow and fight for him with the Force as your ally. Perhaps accept you he will." He then put a comforting hand on his arm. "Either way, it matters not. Leave the Temple soon you shall. But tell I must, to lose such an apt pupil, I am sorry."
Startled and pleased, Obi Wan looked at Yoda. A compliment from Yoda was as rare as an expression of regret. At that moment, he felt that even if he didn't become a Knight, he had earned Yoda's respect. That was a great gift. He suspected a lot of it had to do with Leila. But still…
Then Yoda turned and walked from the training room, the echo of his small feet thumping the floor.
Behind Obi Wan, Bruck began laughing. "Don't get your hopes up, Oafy. Yoda is just trying to make you feel better. The Master won't be able to push you onto anyone. There are plenty of better candidates than you."
Leila's eyes narrowed. "Well, Bruck, what about you? I sit in on the Council Meetings, and the Masters don't say anything about you. Could it be that they feel Obi Wan will be a great Knight? And you…a great farmer?" Her eyes where dancing with laughter and dimpled a sweet smile at him.
Bruck went red with anger.
At Bruck's words, Obi Wan had gone stiff with anger. He turned and headed to the door way. He had taken but one step when something hit the back of his head. The sound of the blow against Obi Wan's skull echoed through the room. He heard Leila's hiss of anger. Bruck had thrown a training probe at him. He whirled and glared at Bruck.
The probe lifted off the ground and flew right back at Bruck. It hit him hard in the stomach. He gasped as the air left him in a whoosh.
Leila had lifted it with the Force and returned it to him.
Bruck recovered quickly. He ignited his lightsaber, his eyes fixed on Leila. "Ready for a round?"
Leila deftly drew her lightsaber and ignited it. The purple glow lit up half of the room.
But Obi Wan wasn't even paying the slightest attention. "You knew that Qui Gon was coming to search for a Padawan."
Bruck's eyes went to him. and he laughed. "I made sure you didn't know. If I had my way, you wouldn't have found out until he had left."
Both Leila and Obi Wan realized it in a flash. Bruck hoped to become Qui Gon's Padawan! Obi Wan almost choked in his anger.
Suddenly, Leila laughed.
Bruck's eyes went to Leila.
She raised her lightsaber. "Bruck, three months from now, when you turn thirteen, I hope you'll make a great farmer!"
Bruck leaped toward her with a snarl.
Leila's eyes narrowed and she jumped forward to meet him.
Obi Wan stepped back when they clashed because the Force field they created was so strong. The Force around Bruck radiated anger, in such a degree that surprised Obi Wan.
Yoda stopped in the hall. He had felt the clash of the Force. He turned but didn't feel anything else. He stood there for a long moment, debating on whether to go back or go on.
Then he turned and continued going down the hall.
Leila fought calmly and with assurance. She refused to back down and go into the defensive mode. She had been trained by Yoda, Mace and Qui Gon. Mace had taught her in his own form, Vaapad, even though she was young. And right then, she drew from it strongly and attacked with such skill and fieriness that Bruck was constantly on the defensive mode.
Bruck was furious. The girl was two years younger than him but she wasn't even fighting him. she was toying with him. "Stop playing with me!" he snarled.
Something dark in Leila's eyes flickered. And a second later, she was holding Bruck's lightsaber. She looked at him for a long moment. Then she threw his lightsaber to the ground. "Game over."
Bruck escaped from the training room and instantly took a lift to the upper rooms of the Temple, where the healers practiced their arts. He limped in, pretending to be more hurt than he was. His clothes were slashed and singed from the practice sabers and blood ran from his nose. He didn't even realize how fortunate he was. If Leila had had her lightsaber on a higher power level, he would be dead.
As soon as the medics saw him, their first question was, "What happened?"
Bruck gasped, "Obi Wan Kenobi." And then he fell into a fake faint.
One the healer looked at him for a long moment and then turned to a droid. "Go and notify the Masters."