Rachel 791: Well, wait no more! Here it is!
EagleFox: Really? Will I get a pretty review from the both of you?
Ktgymchick: Well, mine is... Though I am very happy that everyone who's reviewed likes it so much!
GMUXMenSoaps: More for you now!
On with the story!
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Point Seven: Picnics are a great way to spend time with your loved ones.
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"Anakin!" Obi-Wan called, knocking on the door to the home that his brother and Padme shared. "Anakin!"
"Obi-Wan!"
"Padme!" Obi-wan smiled, drawing the woman into a hug. "How are you?"
"Very well, Obi-Wan." She grinned. "Come in."
"Thank you, but I really only have a moment." The knight explained. "Master and I are going for our usual picnic... And we would like Anakin to join us. If he so desires, of course."
"You don't have to tip toe, Obi-Wan." Padme scolded. "We are not in a political arena."
Obi-Wan threw her a devilish grin. "Excuse me for being on edge when my brothers wife is showing me her house, as she nearly bored me to death the last time I was here for letting her husband become emotionally drained. In a lecture, that I kindly remind you, was very political in sound."
Padme gave a cute little pout. "I did say that I was sorry."
Obi-Wan laughed. As he took a seat, he took notice of Anakin leading in a petite sandy haired woman. Though he had never met her before, he knew her immediately. Silently, he rose and bowed to the new arrival. "Lady Skywalker." The woman however seemed more than slightly surprised at the show of manners on his part.
"Obi-Wan!" Anakin broke into a grin. "Mother, I'd like you to meet my brother. Obi-Wan, my mother."
Obi-Wan bowed low again as she was properly introduced to him, and was surprised when she placed her finger under his chin and drew his gaze back to her. Then she did something that the elder knight never thought that the mother of the one he had failed so thoroughly would ever do. She drew him into a solid embrace. And he tensed horribly, ready for whatever this woman had to throw at him. "Thank you."
That was definitely not expected.
"For what, Lady Skywalker?"
Shmi pulled him closer, barely breathing the words next to his ear, "For doing such a good job with my son." Then, before the knight could respond, she withdrew, kissed his cheek, and smiled a goodbye to her son and his wife, and left the house. This left Obi-Wan quite speechless, and standing rather awkwardly in the common room.
"I think she likes you." Anakin smirked. "You'll have to have a meal with us someday."
"Thank you Anakin," Obi-Wan said, finally regaining use of his vocal cords. "Which brings me back to my point. Master and I are going for a picnic. We would like you to join us, if you have no other plans, and your wife is willing to spare you."
Anakin's face lit up. "Of course! Padme was just about to visit her nieces."
Obi-Wan returned the happy look, and motioned towards the door. Together they chatted idly as they strolled. When they both reached the rather lovely picnic spot, they discovered that Qui-Gon had already been there long enough to spread and set the blanket. It really was a very beautiful place. A grassy plain that was set just above a white sand beach with nothing but crystal water beating upon it's shores. The perfect spot to spend a day with those that shared one's heart.
"Ah, there you two are." Qui-Gon jested lightly. "I was beginning to think that you were going to leave this poor old man all alone."
"Begging your pardon Master," Obi-Wan bowed. "But I met the Lady Skywalker, and we were therefore slightly detained. Although, if I knew it would be so easy to ditch you, I would have done so a long time ago."
Qui-Gon swatted the irrepressible Kenobi, but let the comment slide, "She's a wonderful woman." He spoke instead.
Both younger men nodded, and began setting out the food.
It was the first time that Anakin truly had the opportunity to watch his brother and their father match wits. And match they did, and took it into an all out war, switching from one topic to the next as soon as they drew to a stalemate or Master Jinn won a round.
"Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked, disturbing the younger mans thoughts, causing his brother to jump some. "Would you care to spar with us?"
Just as Obi-Wan had suspected, the younger's face brightened with the potential challenge. "Two against one?" The youngest asked hopefully.
Smiling, Obi-Wan threw a glance to his own Master, who grinned and replied, "If that's the way the Jedi Poster Boy wants it..." Qui-Gon smiled, before taking a very unsportsmanlike slash at Anakin's abdomen with the speed of a lightning strike.
It surprised Anakin, and the look of sheer shock on his face was more than just a little comical. After all, he usually wore such a smug expression, and it fit him like a glove. The two older humans, however, were more than happy to take the delusions of supreme power away from the youngest male. Obi-Wan took advantage of the surprise however, by suddenly appearing behind him and taking a shot at the still unarmed man's back.
"Master!" Anakin cried indignantly, as the quick blow forced the Chosen One to take a fast dive into the dust. "That was a cheap shot!"
Qui-Gon laughed, "You two talk too much!" He commented, brining his sword down forcing their youngest to roll over and force himself back up in a huff.
"Cheaters." Anakin grumbled good naturedly.
The two Masters however made no other move. They merely stood side by side, awaiting for Anakin to signal his readiness. It was only then that Anakin realised the strength that radiated of them in waves, each presence feeding off the other, forever making each other stronger without burning the other out. Power shone in their readied stances, and Anakin found he couldn't wait to test his skills upon two of the greatest of his predecessors. They were done playing. Anakin dusted off his dark clothing, and then his lightsaber was in his hand, and all were ready.
Then, there was stillness. Both Masters stood, ever patient. Anakin, however while his strengths were many and great, patience was not one of them, and he was the first to act. He took a swing at the tallest Master, only to have his blue blade cross with another of the same color. Not Jinn's blade, but his bothers.
Blinking back his surprise, he barely had the time to bring his blade back to protect against the strike made to his unguarded back, then bring it back to protect his throat from the blow that was being delivered from the the other blue blade.
'It's a good thing we're already dead,' Obi-Wan sent over the bond he shared with the two other men.
'Indeed it is,' Qui-Gon answered, mental tone ringing with shared humor. 'Or we might actually mar the pretty boys good looks.'
Obi-Wan laughed aloud, and locked the two blue blades together. Forcing the younger man to step and spin to make contact with the angry green blade that was still coming at him despite the fact that the elder of the brothers had yet to move. Grinning, the two older Jedi realized that Anakin had had enough of playing by their terms, and he took a page from the younger of the pairs book. He leaped above their heads, careful to keep well out of the range of stray saber blades. After all, one mistake like that was enough to teach Anakin that lesson. Once was more than enough.
Smiling with a very un-Jedi-like expression, Obi-Wan ducked and rolled, springing up right where his brother wished to land. Awkwardly, Anakin was forced to attempt to transform an uncomfortable fall into a manageable back flip. This too, was destined to fail. For Qui-Gon was there just a split second before he would have managed a rather impressive landing. As the youngest of the trio flailed to regain his precious footing, Obi-Wan feigned a blow that landed the dark clad Jedi on his back.
Then before Anakin was even aware there was even time to move, green and blue blades of light were held to his throat.
Chest heaving as he breathed, Anakin looked up in awe at them. "I yield." Anakin chocked. "But... How? I mean, I took down every Jedi in the sithling temple!"
Qui-Gon chuckled as the two blades about his throat disappeared with a snap-hiss. "It's quite simple. And I assure you that it has nothing to do with your abilities-"
"Or lack thereof." Obi-Wan teased.
"-Any form of saber form that you take is a divergence from Obi-Wan's." Jinn explained, ignoring the interruption as Obi-Wan settled down in the grass at his feet. "Just as Obi-Wan's is from mine. So unless you make a long, hard, very conscious-"
"And most likely painful..." Kenobi muttered playfully.
"-Effort... It will be no small task to beat our combined talents."
Obi-Wan offered a hand to his now steadily breathing brother, who was now moping in his own idiom. "There are many who would be happy to help you..."
Anakin hoisted himself up, and glared at his mentor as he dusted himself off, before smirking.
Obi-Wan barely ducked under the blade that came down in a scorching arc. He was not fast enough, for a large burn mark was more than evident on his tunic. Obi-Wan glanced at in in shock, before doing something Anakin had never thought he'd see his strong and proud Master do.
"Maaaaaaaaaster!" Kenobi cried as he ducked behind said older man, and clutched at the back of his tunics. "Maaaaaaster! He tried to take my arm off!"
Anakin blinked in surprise, before just giving into the moment and going with it. "I did not!" Anakin countered with a more than blatant lie. "Master Jinn, he's lying!" He whined.
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Now, now, children..." Jinn laughed, "Let's all play together nicely."
This, as one can imagine, hardly seemed to help.
"At least I didn't try to give my Master a heart attack with suicidal Skywalker flying!" Obi-Wan growled.
"And I didn't chop off all of my padawan's limbs!"
"You never had a padawan! Besides, you cut off your own son's hand... so you're one to talk!"
"That's not the point!"
"Well, you killed me!"
"You took most of me!"
Then they turned, "Maaaaaaaster!" Both whined at Qui-Gon.
And Jinn just laughed.
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Point Eight: Don't fight in the Afterlife. Winning, loosing, or coming to a stalemate just takes too long when your Master can't mediate because he's laughing to hard.
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