Obi-Wan tried not to run, as he left Anakin in the meditation garden. As soon as he was around the corner, his pace quickened, and he headed for the nearest exit. Obi-Wan had to get out of the Temple, and he had to get out now. He lost himself quickly in the ever-bustling crowds of Coruscant, letting the abundance of the living Force hide his roiling feelings.

He had been hoping that Anakin would not bring Qui-Gon up during the conversation. He had been hoping that getting rid of that final link to his old Master would be the ultimate step in banishing the darkness that he had fought so hard to conceal these past four years.

The pyre-side conversation with the bodiless entity haunted his dreams. To counter them, he had tried to regain his former innocence and passion for his chosen vocation. He even went so far as to convince himself that training Anakin had been his own choice and not a duty thrust upon an unwilling, grieving young man.

It had been working, until today, when Anakin had to remind him of Master Qui-Gon. Four years of hard-won control was instantly threatened by the mere mention of the man. Too many memories were uprooted; memories that led to unpleasant images, unpleasant conversations.

Unpleasant voices.

I am a Jedi. I am grounded in the light...

(Sure you are, kid. But really, what makes the Light so powerful, as to be fully independent from the Dark? How can you say that you are grounded in the Light and are in complete balance, when Light is only half of the equation? Without Darkness, there can be no Light.)

That's right! Obi-Wan paused in his aimless wandering. He let the crowds drift him to the nearest lookout point on this level. He braced himself on the railing, gazing down into the air-traffic, but not really seeing anything. We are taught that natural balance is order over chaos, peace over emotion, serenity over passion...but how can I uphold the Jedi Code if I am not passionate about it? How can I defend it if I am not zealous for it?

(Exactly! How do you know that your aversion to the Dark side is not due to the indoctrination you received as a child? Maybe the Jedi are keeping you from discovering that they're incomplete - that you are incomplete - and are unable to be reconciled to the truth?)

What had the voice told him so many years ago? That he could be great? He believed it then. Hell, he believed it now. But he had thought to change how he could prove that greatness.

(You were wrong, Obi-Wan. You cannot prove your greatness by training Anakin to the best of your ability. You need to prove it by becoming whole, once more. Embrace the Dark side for what it is: the other half of your soul.)

The other half of my soul; I didn't even know it had been missing until I was confronted with the Dark side. It was so easy to tap into.

(And you were able to step out of it just as easily. Think of it, Obi-Wan! You have gained your footing and grounding in the Light. You now have the means with which to delve into the darker studies of the Force and achieve what all Jedi merely dream of.)

Total Balance.

(Total Balance.)

It seemed as if a glowing pathway was suddenly blazing before him. Obi-Wan could see the trail he needed to follow and that trail began in the Jedi Temple Archives. Jocosta Nu could help him find the oldest histories and Obi-Wan would be the one to study them and learn how to be Sith, as well as Jedi.