A double chime soundedthroughout the arena as Padmé looked down to watch Obi-Wan who was quickly approaching Anakin. The young woman whom Padmé had recognized from KRASH – the speederbike bar Anakin had taken her to, had gone back into the stands before Obi-Wan had reached them.
From the look on Anakin's face and the occasional elaborate hand movements Obi-Wan was making, she could tell he wasn't very happy, and then she realized with a start that she didn't have to guess about his emotions. She could feel them.
He was frustrated.
The feeling tingled along her senses and although she was frustrated herself to a certain degree, she had no doubt the emotion was not hers.
And suddenly, he turned and glanced up into the stands, located her and then focused directly on her, their eyes locking across the distance until Anakin touched his arm, breaking the spell.
But the Jedi Master merely brushed his apprentice away with his hand and turned back to look into the crowd. The moment had passed however, as Padmé was now having a conversation with Mace Windu.
For an instant, he could have sworn he felt a connection to her, similar to the training bond that he shared with his apprentice. If he didn't know any better, he would think it was the beginning of a bond of a much different type.
But that was impossible. Padmé was already bonded with Anakin – not with him.
Raising his mental shields once more, Obi-Wan returned to his seat. Anakin's final match was next, and it was his duty to be the senator's escort, no matter how confused the Force seemed to be on exactly which Jedi she was actually bonded to.
Padmé sighed in relief as Obi-Wan returned to the stands. She wasn't sure if he was going to come back or not. She didn't quite understand about this whole bonding process, but something was definitely happening between them. She was beginning to feel connected to Obi-Wan somehow. Right now, for instance, although he was looking away from her, she knew everything he was feeling.
Buried deep beneath that apparent calm and serene composure, his worry and concern were asevident to her as if they were her own.
Heavily shielded, Obi-Wan was unaware of Padmé's mental probing. Confident that his shields would protect him from any accidental invasion by either her desires or Anakin's, he turned to cast a smile her direction and then motioned to the floor below them.
"The championship match is about to begin."
Padmé returned his smile and brought her attention to the center of the arena where Anakin was bowing to a rather large, fierce-looking padawan. A Sulustan male that was at least twice the size of Anakin by height and width. The being's arms were nearly as long as Anakin's body.
"Who is that?" Padmé whispered to Obi-Wan.
"Padawan Sartel. He nearly defeated Anakin last year. This is going to be tough."
Anakin's opponent held his lightsaber down low enough so that Anakin would be able to reach it to begin the match. As soon as their 'sabers touched, the two Jedi began moving around the perimeter of the mat rather slowly, apparently sizing up one another.
Anakin was the first to go on the offensive, bending his knees and vaulting up into the air. Padmé gasped as he jumped, as he barely made it over Sartel's head, but he landed on his feet, bringing his lightsaber across in a sweeping motion. However, the swing was easily blocked by his opponent as Sartel brought his lightsaber behind his back in a maneuver that Obi-Wan recognized as one of Anakin's favorites.
The two Jedi were apparently evenly matched.
Sartel then twisted around to loom over the smaller Jedi, grinning ferally in such a way as to warn Anakin that the real battle was about to begin. The Sulustan's swings were powerful and swept across in wide arcs. Anakin successfully blocked most of them, but some, he chose to simply move out of the way.
Obi-Wan glanced to Padmé and chuckled quietly as he saw that she was biting her fingernail.
The entire crowd was silent as they watched the competition. Padmé however, gasped loudly again as a full-strength blow met Anakin's saber, knocking him off of his feet and sprawling onto his back. She quickly reached for Obi-Wan's hand, as it appeared to her that the match was about to be over.
Anakin waited patiently from his position on the floor as Sartel approached him. When the huge being raised his 'saber to strike the winning blow, Anakin turned off his lightsaber to the astonishment of many in the crowd and threw it in the direction of his opponent's head.
The hilt forcefully struck the Sulustan's narrow skull, causing him to stagger.
Anakin immediately called his lightsaber back to his hand, approached the taller apprentice, reached up and shoved lightly on his chest. Sartel toppled over backward with a thud and lay on the floor unconscious.
Anakin then simply walked over and took away the Sulustan's lightsaber.
Padmé wasn't sure what that meant until the arena erupted in applause. She turned to Obi-Wan with slight confusion written on her face.
"He won?"
Obi-Wan grinned and nodded his head. With some pride lacing his words, he answered, "That he did" right before he found his arms filled with Padmé.
"He won!" She yelled out, causing many of the surrounding observers to turn and glance their direction. But she didn't care who was watching and neither did Obi-Wan. What had initially been a natural joyous reaction was quickly escalating into something completely different, empowered by the Force.
Obi-Wan became acutely aware of every inch of his body that was in contact with Padmé's, from the slim thighs against his own, the narrow hips pressing against the rapidly growing bulge in his groin, the soft, firm breasts pressing firmly against his chest, the arms twined about his neck, and the soft, smooth skin of her bare back underneath his hands as he held her suspended. Her cheek was resting against the coarse texture of his beard, and he could feel the movement of her breath against his ear.
He released his grip and allowed her body to slowly slide down the length of his own. All of his senses were heightened, his arousal threatening, until her feet were once more touching the floor. The rapid cadence of his breathing matched her own as he peered down into her beautifully flushed face and viewed a pair of sensuously parted lips.
He had no idea why or how this was happening, but knew it was completely out of his control.
Just a few more centimeters and he could claim his prize – feel the lush moisture of her mouth against his own, test the contours of her tongue against his, and make her moan like she had done so many times in his dreams, just from his kisses alone.
There could be no sweeter sound.
Definitely much sweeter than what he was hearing now.
"Master!"
Maybe if he ignored him, he would go away.
He was almost there. He could nearly taste the essence of her,see the desire smoldering in her eyes.
"Master! We did it!"
A hand came down firmly on his shoulder from behind.
No! Obi-Wan's inner self screamed as he mustered the power to remove his hands from the satin smoothness of Padmé's skin and slowly turn to face his apprentice.
"We did it!" Anakin repeated excitedly, apparently oblivious to what he had just interrupted.
It took a moment for Obi-Wan to recover his power of speech, but he soon hugged Anakin, murmuring "congratulations" to the young man just before he felt an overwhelming wave of nausea, released his apprentice and abruptly fled the grand arena.