Chapter 6 - Moving On

"I'm sorry Obi-Wan."

"Why didn't you tell me? This is my life."

Qui-Gon looked up from the floor and rested a hand on a young boy. "...says he can see it."

"Well he's wrong." Obi-Wan said.

"I was right about Padme wasn't I Obi-Wan?"

The next scene in the dream woke Obi-Wan up from his sleep, though when he opened his eyes he couldn't remember a thing.

It was early morning according to the amount of sunlight coming in from infront of the waterfall and that was when Obi-Wan started to be aware of his surroundings. The air was muggy from all the rain the night before and of course from the fall itself, and there was a pleasent, comforting feeling snuggling up on his right. He looked down and saw Padme there, she looked peacefull and angelic as the broken sunlight hit her hair, bringing out her natural highlights. Obi-Wan came to a conclusion just then; Padme was beautiful. He wondered why he never noticed it before, her eyes were a warm brown color and her lips full and kissable.

The last thought seemed to start a chain reaction in his mind. He thought of kissing Padme and then saw her smiling afterwards. So lost in his thoughts he didn't notice Padme staring up at him, watching as a smile crept on his face. "Thinking about something good?"

Obi-Wan looked down and stole a glance at her lips. "You might say that."

"Well, lets get moving while everyone is in a good mood."

"Get moving?" Obi-Wan asked when she stood up making him shiver.

"We have to find a city, some kind of town. Then maybe we can look for our masters."

Obi-Wan sighed mentally, he felt Qui-Gon's Force signature cut off from him after the explosion. His master was dead and he was sure Hiacho was too.

"Padme."

"You're wrong. They have to be alive."

He saw her try to keep her composure and didn't press the matter. Gathering the sack and their make-shift bed Obi-Wan lead the way out of the cave and into the woods.

"Are you sure you can make it Qui-Gon?" Hiacho asked when only after a few minutes of walking the other master needed to sit.

"I don't know, why don't you go get help and I'll wait here." He said, nursing his leg.

"And when I find our apprentices I'll just tell Obi-Wan I left his master behind. Come on, I'll have a blue lightsaber through my heart."

Qui-Gon laughed a little at this and shook his head. "He may be passionate about certain things but he's not hostile."

The two masters sat in silence for a while before they felt the urge to press on. It felt as though someone was following them.

"Obi-Wan we've been walking for hours. Maybe we should rest a while." Padme said looking at the sun. It was high in the sky, 'must be around lunch time' she thought 'and my stomach agrees.'

"Okay, we'll rest here for a minute but we have to keep going, something's bothering me." He said and handed some fruit to Padme.

"What is it? Did you hurt yourself and not tell me? Obi-Wan."

"No it's not that." He said and got in a meditative stance. Closing his eyes he blocked everything out and felt the life around him. The trees were calm, there were birds flying overhead of them, and Padme's life Force seemed to pulse through him, it was warm and inviting and he breathed it in. Suddenly there was a darkness behind them, human shaped and deadly. He opened his eyes quickly and he saw Padme looking around, she felt it too.

"Obi-Wan?"

He was still. "We have to go, move slowly."

She cleaned up and put the sack over her shoulders, her hand brushing her lightsaber for a sence of security. Then she looked at Obi-Wan, his eyes locking with hers instantly.

"Run." He said and they did.

Both Padme and Obi-Wan felt their stalkers follow but from a resonable distance. The jedi reached out with their sences to jump over logs, holes, and moss covered rocks. They had put about five miles between them and the others before they to the chance to stop.

Obi-Wan looked around and took the sack from Padme. She went forward.

"Where are you going?"

"I feel something."

Obi-Wan set his face in determination. His head was bothering him a little and when he stood he noticed some fog around his feet.

"Padme, wait."

She stopped and saw the look in his eyes, it was different. "What's wrong?"

"I feel." he fell to the ground.

"Obi-Wan!"

She got on her knees and rolled him on his back. "Obi-Wan, talk to me. Please." She was starting to panic. Stopping she took a breath and centered herself. "Obi-Wan, don't leave me alone." Padme knew she couldn't stop, what she felt was most likely a city, and Obi-Wan needed medical attention.

Using the Force she pulled him from the ground and half carried half dragged him closer to her destination. Then she felt them again, the people following them. Panic started to rise again but she kept it under control. Doing her best, she cloaked the both of them in the Force and kept moving forward.

"We have to be almost there Qui-Gon." Hiacho said, feeling the edge of civilization. "Then we can get your leg looked at."

"My leg is fine."

Hiacho stopped and looked at him with a skeptical eye. "Sure."

"This is not helping." Qui-Gon said and hit a tree. "This isn't helping us find them."

Hiacho knew what Qui-Gon was thinking, what he was feeling, it wasn't just their lives, it was the fate of the whole galaxy.

TBC