Obdurate Heart – XVIII

Oh God, an update? Unheard of! To answer a question posed by Ija, I read in a bio somewhere along the line that when Maul died, he was twenty-five. So the story is based on that theory. Does anyone else know for sure how old he was? Anyway…thank you all, who are still bothering to read.

"Freedom is nothing else but a chance to be better."

- Albert Camus

"Obi Wan?"

Obi Wan's eyes slowly began to open at the sensation of a gentle hand stroking the side of his face, the white light glaring in at him and the hazy image above him remaining unclear. He couldn't for the life of him understand where he was or why.

"There you are…" came the warm voice that his mind was at least awake enough to recognize as his master's. "It's about time you'd woken up you lazy dog, you."

"Woken up…?" Obi Wan was shocked at how haggard his own voice sounded to him.

"Take your time, Padawan, it will come back to you." Qui Gon said, and his blurry figure moved away momentarily. "Would you like some tea?"

"…I think so…yes." Obi Wan agreed, swallowing thickly and furrowing his brow. His head was terribly sore. Where had he been? Surely it must have been something rather drastic for all of this…

"You frightened me something awful, I must say." Qui Gon returned with a cup of tea as Obi Wan tentatively leaned up on his elbows with a groan. His vision slowly cleared up and he recognized his surroundings as the medical ward.

"I apologize, Master, I…" Obi Wan muttered, though unsure of what he was apologizing for at the moment. He carefully took the tea in hand and thought. He had been watching Maul, as usual, and…Had he fallen asleep? No, perhaps Maul had assaulted him…Or…someone…The assassin! The man, the—"Maul!" Obi Wan suddenly blurted, sitting up a little too fast and spilling tea into his lap. The events leading up to this came rushing back to him in one great flurry. His mind snapped back as though he was ready to jump directly into the fight again. "What happened? Did he escape?"

"Easy, Padawan," Qui Gon quickly coaxed the tea away from him and shook his head. "There's no need to get in such a panic. Darth Maul yet remains in captivity, nothing was lost. The greatest concern, at the moment, is you."

Obi Wan let his chest drop in relief, accepting a towel to clean himself up a little. "I…I don't understand…" he said helplessly, holding a hand to his head. "Maul didn't…kill me?"

"Kill you?" Qui Gon chuckled. "Quite the opposite, really. Not only did he dispatch your new friend, but he also took it upon himself to fetch the guard."

Obi Wan stared blankly for a moment, shaking his head and trying to process this ludicrous event in his head. "…He…Maul…saved my life?"

"An eye for an eye, I suppose. Though I did not suspect a Sith would honor something of this nature…"

"Oh…yes…" Obi Wan was still partially in shock, taking his tea once more and sipping from it. "Who…Was it found who this assassin was?" Brief flickers of the man's image raced through his mind.

"Yes." Qui Gon nodded as he set to pour himself a cup. "Omad Vavesto. A previous inhabitant of Tatooine."

"Should I know this name, Master?"

"I shouldn't think so, no." Qui Gon leaned casually by his patient's bedside and drank.

"Well who was he?"

"As far as status, he was no one known. To our best knowledge, he was a mere nomad with a score to settle. Or perhaps Maul's head is worth something somewhere, I wouldn't doubt that either. I'm afraid that with his death, we may never truly know."

"I see…" Obi Wan drew out a lengthy breath. "How was it that he passed the guards?"

"A crafty fellow he turned out to be. He managed to find a way through the roofing. A maneuver that required great strength—but then he'd need that to deal you a hit as hard as he did."

"And what is the extent of my injury?"

"A nasty concussion and a chipped tooth, but you're perfectly well off now. You need only rest a bit more than I hear you have been."

Obi Wan rubbed his jaw and consciously ran a tongue over his lower teeth, catching a previously nonexistent notch. "I've been resting, Master, I just…"

Qui Gon raised an eyebrow at him.

"…Er…alright, Master, yes." He agreed.

"Good." Qui Gon nodded and set his cup down. "I'm curious, Obi Wan, have you actually forged some sort of truce between yourself and Maul?"

"Certainly not." Obi Wan shrugged quickly, touching lightly at the back of his head.

"Hm. So then I suppose the aim of his rescue may not have been so valiant." Qui Gon grinned.

"Perhaps not…" Obi Wan shook his head and looked out the door thoughtfully. "Though I fully intend to find out."

"I see you're still alive." Maul said rather flatly as he noted the Jedi's presence in the room once more.

Obi Wan waved a hand slightly to dismiss the guards that had taken post inside the room, clearing his throat. "That's really what I came here to talk about."

"How interesting." Maul didn't move from his position, flat on his back with his hands resting on his stomach. Clearly he was taking this situation in stride, as he seemed to do most.

Obi Wan slowly approached the chair and sat, remaining silent for a moment as he looked over his shoulder at the departing guards. "…I suppose I should start by thanking you."

Maul smirked carelessly and licked an upper lip. "Then by all means, do so."

Obi Wan fought the urge to roll his eyes. "Thank you, Maul, for saving my life. Whether you did so out of impulse or to settle whatever score there was between us."

Maul's eyes went to focus on Obi Wan at last, annoyed. "That really is assuming something, now, isn't it? Let us not forget that had that pitiable dolt killed you, I was rather next on his list, hm?"

Obi Wan broke out in a grin before he could stop himself. "Come now. The death of a Jedi and you would have been spared all consequence. Surely you could have killed him after he'd done your dirty work and gotten rid of your most avid nuisance."

Maul offered an expression that stated his distaste plainly. "Truth be told, I was under the impression that he already had."

"Well now you're just lying." Obi Wan accused. "No one poses to kill after they've killed. You came to my rescue, you didn't want to see me killed—you actually like me, don't you?" He couldn't get rid of his grin, as this deduction was quite amusing.

"If you are looking for me to admit something, I will make this confession," Maul leaned up on an elbow with a growl. "Compared to your brethren, I find you tolerable. Though if you knew how very little that was saying, you wouldn't be grinning like the damned idiot you are."

"You would admit that? Well now, I certainly fancy that something…" Obi Wan feigned being greatly pleased, which, in turn, ignited stirring embers in Maul's poor mood.

"I would kill you with no more hesitation." Maul added.

"Yes, and apparently save me in that same rush." Obi Wan continued. Maul moved to speak, but Obi Wan wouldn't allow it. "Don't let it humiliate you so, Maul, I was the one that rushed into the fight to save you. And for the second time, it would've been!"

"Pest!" Maul pounded his fist down on the bed and snarled wolfishly. "This is the gratitude I get from a Jedi?"

"Was the gratitude I received kinder?" Obi Wan suddenly turned more serious.

"You received what you should have expected. But for a Jedi to mock the face of his savior—I am disappointed."

"You never even thanked me." Obi Wan pointed out. "And what is it you're telling me? That I should expect less from the Sith?"

"Of course you should. If you're expecting the same etiquette the Jedi bestow then what the Hell do you take me for?"

Obi Wan blinked and sat up a little, perplexed. "…So you do admit that the Jedi are better, in manner if nothing else."

Maul paused, narrowing his eyes. "They are seen as more noble, are they not? Should I expect you to be the cynical fool you're behaving as?"

"I could ask you the same question."

"And my answer would be yes."

"Why?"

"Because I would expect better from a Jedi than I would from a Sith and as should you, do you not understand this?" Maul turned up a palm incredulously as though he were explaining something so universally known and simple.

"I thought that expectations were presumptuous, or so you say." Obi Wan reminded. He had finally pinned Maul, he could at last predict him. At least, that was what he thought until he realized that his last statement was met by a smirk rather than anger…

Maul was eying him with some odd look that Obi Wan couldn't quite grasp, but if he could call it anything, he might call it smugness…it made him uncomfortable. "Perhaps I was not wrong about you..."

Obi Wan rose up a little, studying Maul warily. "Oh?"

"…Perhaps you are different from the other Jedi. That impudent streak in you, I wonder just how far it could stretch."

"You're impressed by my impudence." He returned blankly. "I suppose that's high praise from one who specializes in it."

"You have a rebellious spirit. And yet, you shackle it to the Jedi." Maul looked him over before lying back down.

"I see, so I should have chosen the path of the Sith." Obi Wan nodded and leaned back as well.

"No—" Maul answered and paused as though trying to find more to say.

"No?" Obi Wan questioned curiously.

"…Must one be chosen over the other?" Maul muttered back. "Or is freedom so incomprehensible to you?"

Obi Wan looked down briefly as he considered Maul's words, stopping short at a certain thought. Freedom? "…Maul…" he began as he creased his brow. "…If I might ask, in all honesty and without intruding upon your morals…" No, it was a foolish thing to ask. Any man right about his head would know the answer to such things. You did not implore evil to explain to you its motive, and you did not expect a sense of conscience from a Sith Lord. And yet, he was compelled. "…do you regret your place among the Sith? In any way?"

Shadows seemed to gather closer under the pressing silence that had wedged itself between them. Maul said nothing.