Anakin filed out of the classroom along with the other padawans on their way to complete their assignment for the day. He heard some of his classmates grumbling about having to make a rock from sediment, but Anakin understood the significance better than any of them.
He was the only padawan whose Master had just been knighted before claiming an apprentice. Anakin had witnessed Obi-Wan's Serenity of Service ceremony himself and looked forward to the day when he would join his creation to the Great Serenity Monument. It would mean that he had finally achieved his ultimate goal of becoming a Jedi Knight.
But until that time, he had much to lean, and he understood that. So, unlike the others, her rarely complained over Master Windu's assignments.
One by one the padawans silently entered Gardens, pairing up as they had been instructed and going to the early initiate sections in order to attempt to create stones and levitate them up onto the smaller structures standing about, by manipulating only the Unified Force.
Padawan Suln approached him and Anakin smiled. Without words, he agreed to the pairing. He liked Riven. She was nice to him. Nicer than any one else in the Temple.
Together, they went to a padawan section farther back for more privacy and began working quietly on the task.
Anakin actually found the assignment difficult for two reasons. One, the manipulation of the grains was tedious and time-consuming. Each minute particle had to be focused upon and manipulated to align with another. It was like putting together a microscopic puzzle. The other reason was that he hated sand. It reminded him of being a slave on Tatooine. Besides the memory of his mother, there was nothing about the place he liked.
The class hour had almost passed by the time he and Riven had jointly created a single stone, and together levitated it to the top of a towering structure. The oblong stone rocked gently after its release before it settled.
Anakin smiled at his friend, pleased they had worked so well together and completed the assignment. One of these days, he'd be creating much larger stones and setting them on the taller structures toward the back of the room. Until finally one day…
The boy's eyes darted behind them to see several pairs of padawans still at work, with Master Windu bent over one set giving a few pointers. He would have a few minutes it seemed, so he leaned over to Riven.
"I'll be right back." He whispered as he quickly jumped up and stole away past the taller senior padawan monuments. Before they left the gardens today, he had to get another look at the Great Serenity Monument and figure out where to set his own stone some day. His was definitely going to be one of the biggest ones ever, he thought excitedly.
But as he rounded a trio of columns, his feet stuttered to a stop. The boy's previous excitement evaporated, turning into mortification and then a dangerously, all-consuming jealous rage.
The sunlight gleaming from high above reflected down into the boy's face and across eyes that no longer appeared blue, but had turned an eerie shade of yellow.
Padmé sighed under the caress of Obi-Wan's hand. Not the most romantic of places she had to admit, but the distracting qualities of the sand and the stone structures faded until all she could see was the handsome Jedi Knight standing before her. Sunshine shimmered against the copper highlights in his hair, his typical blue-gray eyes transforming into a darker blue, smoldering with a need that she was determined to fulfill.
Dropping the split rock from her hand, it made a soft thudding noise as it hit the sand. Padmé stepped past the silent stone and into the welcoming embrace of Obi-Wan. Matching his need with her own, their kiss was hungry and devouring, tongues clashing and delving deeply, encircling, stroking: Hands traveling up along her back and into her long dark mane to force the kiss impossibly deeper.
The trembling began in her shoulders and then moved to her arms, which she threw around his strong neck for support. The tremors then continued along her back, hips, and knees, until it seemed as if the very ground itself was moving beneath her feet.
Padmé's eyelids flew open to meet Obi-Wan's equally surprised gaze as they both discovered that it wasn't the devastating kiss that was moving them.
Keeping her pulled tightly against him for protection now instead of passion, Obi-Wan shot his awareness out into the Force, only to discover a chilling darkness invading the gardens. He focused upon the energy ripple, uttering a gasp as his eyes beheld his apprentice standing just beyond the gateway to the Serenity of Service Monument. He thought it was Anakin, but the young boy's appearance had changed. No longer the sweet, innocent-appearing youth, Anakin's face was contorted with anger. Through the Force, Obi-Wan could see the blackened hands of the Dark Side reaching out to take the boy.
Mentally following their training bond resulted in a whiplash of hatred that stung the knight much like an energy bolt and he stumbled backward as a result, dragging Padmé along with him.
"Anakin!" He attempted to cry out, but the name was drowned out by the sudden cracking and crashing sounds all about him as one by one, the monuments in the Serenity Gardens toppled over.
A great moan issued out behind he and Padmé and they turned to see the Great Serenity of Service Monument that had stood for centuries beginning to sway.