Anakin was excited. He and his Master were going on a mission together with Master Dooku and Obi-Wan. Anakin had been on one mission before with Qui-Gon. It had been a good time. He and Qui-Gon had got along so well and Anakin had already learned very much during the three weeks as Qui-Gon's Padawan. Still, Qui-Gon was a Master and there were certain things Masters did not understand and there were several words Qui-Gon did not allow him to use in his presence. It would be nice having someone aroudn who was Anakin's age. Anakin was curious to know what Obi-Wan's training and first mission had been like. Needless to say that he was thrilled to meet Master Dooku.
Dooku and Obi-Wan were already waiting on the landing platform when Anakin and his Master arrived.
"Well, hello my former Master," Qui-Gon exuberantly greeted Dooku. "It's wonderful that we'll go on missions together again, isn't it?"
Master Dooku nodded slowly but he did not return Qui-Gon's wide smile. "It's a pleasure to see you again. May I present you my Padawan? This is Obi-Wan Kenobi."
"Hello, Padawan Kenobi," Qui-Gon said good-naturedly. "How are you? How's your training going?"
Obi-Wan smiled timidly and bowed. "I'm fine. Thank you very much, Master Jinn."
"Great." Qui-Gon placed his hand on Anakin's shoulders and shoved him towards Master Dooku. "And this is my Padawan Anakin Skywalker."
Anakin bowed a tad nervous. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Master Dooku," he said respectfully. He hoped it was the right thing to say towards Master Dooku.
Master Dooku inclined his head a little bit. "The pleasure is all mine," he said politely but he still did not smile.
The next days, Anakin learned that Master Dooku was always like that: He never smiled, never joked and he never laughed. He was never annoyed, never angry and, of course, never rude. He was just always strict and very dignified. Anakin thought he was endlessly cool.
ooooooo
Obi-Wan was glad Master Jinn and Anakin accompanied them on this mission. It was nice to spend time with them. Of course, Obi-Wan liked his Master very much but sometimes Master Dooku seemed to be too above everything, too Jedi Master for him. Being around Anakin and Master Jinn was easier and felt more natural. He hoped this mission would be better than the last one. He had made mistake after mistake and each day he was terrified Dooku might change his opinion and dump him as his Padawan. Fortunately, Master Dooku was a very mighty Master and he had somehow managed to save the mission but, normally, a Master and a Padawan were not supposed to work together like that. Master Dooku had never shown his annoyance at Obi-Wan's stupid behaviour - he had just always calmly pointed out Obi-Wan's mistakes to him and told him how to make it better next time. Obi-Wan had sworn to himself he would be better next time. He was training very hard in every free minute. Like now. Their Masters had left for an interview with the political leaders of Chandrila. Obi-Wan had gone to the beautiful lake nearby and practised moving objects with the Force. Here he felt good and he was centred in the Force. No one was around to examine him critically; it was just him and the lake and the Force. Lifting the big stone and directing it with the Force was almost easy. He slowly let the stone fly around himself in a circle. That was when things suddenly started getting out of hand. The stone's speed increased and it flew in circles around Obi-Wan again and again. Obi-Wan was slightly panicking. That stone was big enough to crash him if it landed on his head! Just what was wrong?! He was not doing anything at all! Anxiously, he tried to stop the stone with the Force but its speed only increased. He put his arms above his head, trying to protect himself. Next moment, the stone crashed into the water with a big splash. Obi-Wan was splattered with a few drops. Feeling haunted, he wanted to flee but then he heard a soft cackle. He whirled around and recognised Anakin standing only a few feet away.
"Anakin, what the -" Words failed Obi-Wan in his relief and fury.
"That was amazing, wasn't it?" Anakin giggled.
"You could have smashed me!" Obi-Wan said angrily. "That stone was big enough to make mud out of me!"
"Don't worry, I had everything under control," Anakin reassured him in his usual arrogance.
"But what if something had distracted you and you had dropped the stone!" Obi-Wan said exasperatedly.
"Jedi don't deal in what-ifs," Anakin retorted.
"And Jedi don't use the Force so unnecessarily," Obi-Wan countered.
"Alright, I won't tell your Master and you won't tell my Master. Deal?" Anakin suggested as if it was a fair offer.
"Just forget about it, I will not lie to my Master," Obi-Wan said sourly.
"Anyway, what's it like to have Dooku as your Master? Has he already taught you much? What was your mission like?"
"It was...okay, I guess." Obi-Wan was a bit unsure how to explain his relationship towards his Master to Anakin. "So... What is Master Jinn like?" Maybe Anakin had had similar experience and thus could understand Obi-Wan's situation.
"He's great," Anakin said enthusiastically. "I've learned so much from him - you know, that thing with the stone, I couldn't have done it without Qui-Gon's teachings. And he can be fun sometimes. It's almost as if we are friends. He's already been to so many planets and he's done loads of things. Our mission was so cool! You know, being off Coruscant for the first time, it was so amazing! We were on Gala and that's such a lovely planet. Hey, you still haven't told me what your mission was like. Anyway, we were on Gala and they had a problem with the legal heir to the throne there. Qui-Gon went into the mountains to look for the heir and he let me stay in the palace to do some investigation. It made me feel so...good because that's the great thing about Qui-Gon: he just trusts you and I never expected he'd allow me to do it on my own. I mean, it was a great responsibility..."
And so it went on and on. Anakin's tales did not help cheer Obi-Wan up, quite the contrary. Any plans of ever entrusting Anakin with his problems were forgotten immediately. Learning of Anakin's success only made Obi-Wan's wrongdoings in his mission look twice as bad. When Anakin reached the point where he excessively retold how he had successfully won a swords duel against someone else (Obi-Wan had not paid attention to who it was that Anakin had fought with), Obi-Wan had had enough.
"I think I should meditate now," he said curtly, interrupting the part where Anakin's opponent had almost chopped Anakin's head off and Anakin had done some heroic stunt to avoid it. Obi-Wan turned to leave but Anakin simply followed him.
"You still haven't told me about your mission. Where did you go? And what did you do?"
"I already told you I want to meditate now," Obi-Wan insisted.
"Ah." Anakin threw him a knowing glance. "Something went wrong on your mission, right?"
"That's none of your business," Obi-Wan retorted, angry that Anakin had touched the sore spot.
Anakin grinned superiorly. "And you did not have success as I had. Oh, did you do something clumsy-oafy, Oafy-Wan?"
"Just shut up." Fuming, Obi-Wan set off with long strides.
"Hey, hasn't your Master taught you anything?" Anakin shouted after him. "Master Qui-Gon forbids me to use such rude language!"
Obi-Wan did not care what Master Qui-Gon forbade. In his mind, he went over all the swearwords he knew for Anakin. Back in their spaceship, he settled down and tried to meditate and let go of his anger. It did not work. He felt Anakin's presence in the Force nearby and Obi-Wan could never meditate properly if Anakin was close. When he felt Anakin's powers in the Force, he became always depressed and sometimes even angry. Another reason was that, when they had been younger, Anakin had always tried to chop off Obi-Wan's braid during his meditation and that was why Obi-Wan had never been able to relax if he knew Anakin was in the same room. Of course, Anakin had not done a new attempt for many years now, but there was always a tiny rest of fear left inside Obi-Wan.
ooooooo
Anakin woke up early in the morning. Today was his thirteenth birthday. He was too excited to stay longer in bed. When a Padawan turned thirteen, they would get a very special gift from their Master. The thirteenth birthday marked the day when childhood was finally over. Anakin could not wait to find out what Qui-Gon had for him. He would have liked to storm into his Master's room and wake him up...
Being the conscientious Padawan Anakin was, he did not do any such thing, of course. Instead, he did some meditation and prepared breakfast for him and Qui-Gon. It was Obi-Wan's thirteenth birthday too. Anakin was curious what Master Dooku would give his apprentice as a present. He just hoped it was not going to be a lightsaber because if Obi-Wan got a lightsaber and Anakin got only... Anakin sighed. He should not think like that. But he could not help it. He thought Obi-Wan was already lucky enough that he had got Dooku as his Master and the king of Maleevis as his father and he did not deserve any great present now as well. Anakin had a present for Obi-Wan too. Nothing special, just a box of ripe-pips, a fruit the children on Gala liked to eat as sweets. But Anakin had decided he would only give it to Obi-Wan if Obi-Wan's present was not as good as Anakin's.
"Good morning, Padawan." Qui-Gon entered the little on-board kitchen and yawned loudly.
"Good morning, Master," Anakin replied. His heartbeat sped up. Would Qui-Gon give it to him now?
But Qui-Gon did not give anything to him. He just sat down, poured himself a cup of tea and rubbed his tired face. "The negotiations yesterday took so long... Must've been the most boring meeting I've ever been to. I feel like... one of Master Yoda's stews."
Anakin's face fell. He had never thought about the possibility that Qui-Gon could have simply forgotten his birthday. On the other hand, why should Qui-Gon know that today was his thirteenth birthday?
Qui-Gon sipped a bit of his tea. "Mmm... That's certainly the best thing about Padawans. If you feel terrible in the morning, they'll make you a nice breakfast. Thank you, Anakin."
"You're welcome, Master," Anakin said quietly and stared in his own cup of tea.
"Is there something wrong, Padawan?" Qui-Gon asked concerned.
Anakin silently shook his head.
"Well, it's very obvious that something is bothering you. Won't you tell me?"
Qui-Gon seemed sincerely concerned. Actually, Qui-Gon was always nice. So maybe he simply did not know today was Anakin's birthday and he certainly wanted to know when his Padawan's birthday was so he could give him a nice present. Anakin decided to tell him. "Master, um, today is my thirteenth birthday and I, well... It's not like I want to blame you or anything, it's obvious you didn't know that. And, well, you asked me what's wrong and... that's it."
"Oh. You worry too much, my dear Padawan." Qui-Gon sounded slightly amused. "What gives you the idea I didn't know today was your thirteenth birthday? I just wanted to wait until I'm fully awake because I wanted to say something more intelligent... But since you insist... Happy birthday, Anakin Skywalker. It's good to have you as my Padawan. And here's your birthday present. I hope you like it." Qui-Gon reached inside a pocket of his cloak, pulled out a little object and laid it on the table in front of Anakin. "And you should learn to control your impatience." The lecture had been spoken in a serious tone but Qui-Gon's eyes twinkled with amusement.
Anakin's mood changed immediately. "Thank you, Master," he said, beaming like crazy. "I'm sorry I suggested you had forgotten..." He picked up his present. It was a rock. It was nicely curved and it was as if it was glowing. You could not see it glowing, there was just a soft prickling sensation where it touched Anakin's fingertips. Anakin caressed the rock with his fingertips, enjoying the warm feeling. "It's Force-sensitive, isn't it?"
Qui-Gon smiled proudly at him. "Yes, it is. I didn't expect you to sense it so quickly. I found it when I was a little boy and I've kept it with me since then. It has always brought me luck."
"Luck?" Anakin grinned. "And I always thought Jedi don't believe in luck."
"Well, you could say it brought me the Force. It used to comfort me when the situation was desperate."
Anakin blinked a tear away. He certainly could not wish for a better present. Never before had he got something like that. It was much better than a lightsaber because this little rock showed him that Qui-Gon really cared for him. "Thank you very much, Master. That's really a precious present. I'll take good care for it."
ooooooo
Obi-Wan did not know what he had expected. He certainly did not expect Master Dooku to throw him a big birthday party. And he did not expect some great present. But he had hoped his Master would at least acknowledge his birthday and congratulate him and maybe say something pompous. However, when Master Dooku and Master Jinn had left in the afternoon to participate in the negotiations again, he had given up hope.
He had wandered off to the lake again and now he was staring sadly at its blank surface. Another day, he would have enjoyed the peace of this place, the sunrays glittering on the water, the aromatic smell of moss and the soft breeze on his skin. Not today. Today he was only disappointed. Was this how his life as a Padawan was going to be? It had only been four weeks but he already felt he was not the right apprentice for Master Dooku. Dooku deserved someone better and Obi-Wan needed someone who was...different.
Naturally, Anakin Skywalker had to show up again just now. He always was there when Obi-Wan did not want him there.
"Hey, happy birthday," Anakin said cheerfully but Obi-Wan was sure he saw a little sneer on Anakin's face.
"The same to you," Obi-Wan replied warily.
"So? What did you get?" Anakin asked the question.
"What did you get?" Obi-Wan retorted. He hated it. Why did it always have to be this rivalry? Who was the better swordsman, who had the better Master, who had got the better birthday present...
Anakin pulled out something from his tunic and showed it to Obi-Wan.
"That's a rock," Obi-Wan diagnosed.
Anakin laughed. "Yes, it is."
"Your Master gave you a rock for your birthday?! Oh dear, I would be worried if my Master gave me a rock. It could mean he wants you to commit suicide with it." Ridiculing Anakin's present was Obi-Wan's only chance to draw off the attention from his own lack of a present. Seeing that Anakin had not got something special and making Anakin feel bad, helped a bit to forget about his own misery. Or they could at least suffer together.
ooooooo
"Don't be stupid," Anakin said, torn between being amused or annoyed by Obi-Wan. "It's not just any rock. It's Force-sensitive."
"Sure," Obi-Wan said sneeringly.
"Yes, it is." Anakin said. He was definitely annoyed know.
"You know what? I think you haven't got anything from your Master and then you've just picked up a simple rock anywhere and now you're trying to make me believe it's Force-sensitive so you can show off with it."
"You know what? I think it's you who has not got any present from your Master and now you're jealous because I got something great." Anakin saw immediately he had hit a nerve.
Obi-Wan's face was an angry mask now. "I'm certainly not jealous because of a stupid rock," he said defiantly. "And I know you didn't get a present either. You just found that stupid rock and now you're making up stories."
"Well, then try if it's Force-sensitive." Anakin self-confidently handed Obi-Wan the rock.
Obi-Wan turned the rock around in his hands, glaring at it as if he wanted it to fall to dust. Then he looked defiantly up at Anakin. "Okay, so Master Jinn gave it to you but he probably had simply forgotten today was your birthday," he said nastily, "and so he took the nearest rock and told you it's - wow - Force-sensitive. It's not Force-sensitive, I'm sorry to say so but I can't feel anything."
"That's probably because you're so caught up being jealous of me!" Anakin said furiously. "I know you're not as strong in the Force as I am. And you know why? Because you can't cope with the fact that I'm stronger than you and that I got a present and you didn't."
Obi-Wan gave him a dark look. "So this is what you think of me?" he said softly, smirking slightly. "Okay, there's an easy way to test if your rock is Force-sensitive." And with that, Obi-Wan threw the rock - Anakin's birthday present, his precious present from his Master, the rock that Qui-Gon had kept with him for many years and that had comforted him when the situation had been desperate - into the lake.
Anakin gaped. He lunged forward - but there was nothing he could do to prevent it. The rock unspectacularly sank into the water's depths with a little glugg. "No!" he cried. "No, you didn't - How dare you! You're going to pay for that!" He jumped forward and pushed Obi-Wan into the water.
"Hey, are you mad?!" Obi-Wan tried to get out of the water again but Anakin did not let him and pushed him back.
"I hate you!" Anakin screamed, angry tears in his eyes. Why could Obi-Wan not allow him to be happy? Why did he have to ruin each of Anakin's happy moments? Why did he have to take his own misery out on Anakin? "You're such a mean asshole!" Anakin jumped into the water too and shoved Obi-Wan backwards. Obi-Wan tried to break free from his grip but Anakin was the stronger one. Then Obi-Wan stumbled backwards and they both landed with a loud splash in the water. Anakin ducked Obi-Wan underwater. Next moment, he got a painful kick into his stomach. He hissed in pain and loosened his grip on Obi-Wan for a moment. Spluttering, Obi-Wan surfaced again.
"Stop that!" he screamed at Anakin and made to dash off. Anakin lunged forward and threw himself on top of Obi-Wan. "Let me go!" Obi-Wan yelled, panic evident in his voice. "Will you let me go!"
But Anakin did not let him go. He grabbed Obi-Wan's head and pushed it under water again. Obi-Wan struggled and kicked - in vain. Although Anakin got several more painful kicks, he did not let go of Obi-Wan. There was only a loud rushing in his ears. He wanted to be in control of Obi-Wan, he wanted him to be at his mercy and, most of all, he wanted to make Obi-Wan suffer for what he had done to Anakin. Anakin had never felt so strong before. He pushed Obi-Wan's head deeper and deeper, enjoying Obi-Wan's every desperate resistance.
Suddenly the struggling stopped. It took Anakin some time to realise it. The body under him had gone unusually limb. The rushing in his ears stopped and was replaced by something else: Fear. He should not have overreacted like that. He should not have ducked Obi-Wan for so long. Anakin finally let go of him. But Obi-Wan did not emerge on the surface again to yell at Anakin for being such a complete idiot. His unmoving body simply floated in the water, his Jedi cloak and braid wavering around him, making everything look surrealistic and eerie. Anakin's heartbeat quickened. He grabbed Obi-Wan's collar and hauled him up again.
"Obi-Wan!" Anakin yelled at him. But Obi-Wan did not answer. His eyes were open but they were unfocussed and unmoving. "Stop this! This is not funny!" Anakin screamed desperately. "Come on, get out of the water!" He still did not get any answer. Choking back his tears, Anakin pulled the lifeless body out of the water. Obi-Wan was suddenly so heavy, his Jedi cloak and tunic soaked with water. Anakin laid Obi-Wan's body on the soft moss on the edge and tried desperately to shake him awake. "Obi-Wan! Obi-Wan! Come on, wake up! Don't do this to me! Obi-Wan!" Obi-Wan's lips were blue, his face had a slight purplish colour and it looked oddly swelled. But worst of all were his eyes. They were bulging in their holes, the pupils rolled up. They displayed one single emotion: Utter terror. Anakin shook Obi-Wan, hit him and screamed and shrieked his name again and again.
Suddenly, Obi-Wan coughed and spluttered and jerked up. It gave Anakin the shock of his life. "Obi-Wan!" he shouted in relief and pulled him into a sitting position. Obi-Wan spit a wave of water and coughed again and again. "Are you alright? Are you okay?" Anakin tightly grabbed his wet tunic and shook him roughly. "Say something! Are you alright?"
After some more coughing and spitting, Obi-Wan rose on his trembling feet. "You're a madman," he told Anakin and then he ran away.