Once he felt a bit better and the hangover started to wear off, he decided to do some lightsaber practice. Later, he'd have to meet his Master there anyway. The training droid was programmed by himself, simulating the fighting style of Darth Maul, the Sith Lord that had been killed by Obi-Wan Kenobi on Naboo, shortly after he had been found on Tatooine. Anakin took a final strike and cut the droid in half. He was still panting when he caught up on just a few words that one Padawan was whispering into the ear of another..."slave"..."emotions" Before they knew what happened, he pulled their lightsabers out of their belts with the force, ignited them still floating in the air and caught them, then pointed them at the terrorized boys. "Which emotion are YOU feeling right now, huh?"

The Rodian and the young Zabrak were paralyzed and just stared at Anakin with widened eyes. Something then gently but firmly pulled the sabers out of Anakin's hands, had them hover in the air for a second and turned them off. Three padawans gazed at a hooded figure that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. It was Kenshin, an unimpressed expression on his face and a cold, commanding aura waving off of him. Anakin wondered how long he had been there watching. The two Padawan took their lightsabers back and quickly stepped back, bringing a safer distance between themselves and their hot-tempered age mate. Anakin was harder to impress, but even he wondered how someone as young as Kenshin could eradiate so much authority.

"Your self control needs work" Kenshin spoke calmly "And you two...".addressing the two Padawan who looked like they'd turned into pillars of salt "talking behind someone's back, do you think this is a sign of strength? You're dismissed!"

"Yeyyyes, Master" The two stuttered and quickly disappeared.

"Enough of them droids" Kenshin turned back to Anakin and dropped his cloak. Anakin liked what was about to happen. Master Atal had never sparred with him, he had despised violence in any form and considered the basic training more than enough. If not with training droids, Anakin had always practiced with fellow Padawans or sometimes one of the knights - duels he would often win, unless he sparred with Master Windu. He had a natural talent, so his skills were remarkable. During the few missions he had been taken on, there never had been much fighting involved. Being the scholar that he was, Master Atal had emphasized on diplomacy and culture studies. He was curious to see how good of a duelist his new master would be. Anakin took a moment to assess his new adversary. Outwardly, he looked a bit grim, but calm, even a bit bored. He tried to read his emotions – but again he couldn't sense anything.

Kenshin was, Anakin estimated, a whole 15 centimetres shorter than himself, but a lot more muscular, probably outweighing him by a fair bit. Much to his displeasure, at 17 he still had the lanky stature of a teenager, but his height – standing nearly 1.9m tall - could maybe give him an advantage over his shorter opponent. And a muscle-bound body didn't necessarily mean a good duelist, it could also make someone slow.

The little spectacle before had attracted a few viewers, and some more Jedi passing the training area now stopped to watch. Anakin had a reputation to be amazing with a lightsaber and many people liked watching him train.

Although not scared, Anakin suddenly felt a hint of doubt in himself. Where did this strange sensation come from all of a sudden? It was new and he didn't like it. Kenshin made a slight, elegant bow signalling that the match would begin.

The first attack came so fast that it nearly caught Anakin off guard. Stupid he scolded himself. Engaged in a series of rapid strikes, he barely could compose himself. But he wouldn't give in that easily. He hadn't been defeated in a long time and he didn't plan on it this time either. Kenshin's style was unusual. Anakin couldn't really tell what it was. He didn't run around a whole lot, but his blade moved with mind-blowing speed and precision. No matter how much energy Anakin put into the fight, his opponent's defence was impenetrable. Like a wall. As the duel went on, Anakin felt how he was getting tired. As much as it angered him, he felt some satisfaction to have found a worthy opponent. His content didn't last long and was abruptly ended by his lightsaber escaping his grip.

„I see you have started training your new Padawan already" a deep voice said.

„Master Windu" Kenshin nodded to greet him. Something then sparked in his eyes "A match?"

„Why not. A welcome opportunity to practice my skills" Windu said with a sharp, almost threatening undertone, glaring at Kenshin. Anakin stepped aside to watch. This promised to be interesting. Mace Windu, having created Vaapad, the most challenging and dangerous form of lightsaber fighting, hadn't gotten defeated in years. A few times, Anakin had tried to learn it, but even for him it proved an immense challenge and Windu refused to teach him. He didn't know of any Jedi truly mastering form seven, apart from Windu himself and one of his former students, Depa Billaba. His new Master was about to get his things handed to him. Windu gave the impression of predator about to go in for the kill. He always had a serious attitude about him, but right now something about the look in his eyes was downright frightening. Anakin wondered if Kenshin sensed it, too, but he seemed perfectly unimpressed. Nothing revealed what was going on in his mind. That would change in a few moments, Anakin was sure of it. Against Windu, nobody stood a chance.

Kenshin again made a polite bow to greet his opponent. After that, the spectators saw nothing but a glowing blurr, the fighters moving at a speed not humanly thought possible, even for Jedi. Kenshin effortlessly parried and blocked attack after attack. Despite his horrifying power and speed, Windu didn't gain much. They briefly stopped, trotting around each other for a moment. Anakin saw how Kenshin slightly smiled, as if he truly enjoyed the challenge. Then it was all a blurr again. The few times he could glimpse his Master's face, he saw serenity. Amusement, even. This was not the same opponent he had just sparred against. This was by far more powerful, faster, more aggressive. Yet, he had a feeling that Kenshin was still…..holding back. Before he knew it, Windu was sent flying onto his back, disarmed.

The small group of spectators gasped. Nobody had beaten Windu in a duel in many years!

„Thank you Master Windu, it was an honour."

„The honour is all mine, Master Kano" Windu put the training saber back and walked away. Anakin could see how the tall, dark-skinned man, usually known for his cold composure, was struggling to conceal his anger about having lost the match.

„Come, the Council gave us a mission. We have a work to do" Kenshin said.

As his Padawan and him left the dojo, Kenshin wasn't sure if he should feel amused or irritated about everything that had happened in the last two days. Yoda had summoned him back to Coruscant - rather been begging him to come back. A task that the old grandmaster said he deemed only him fit for, but without letting on more. Kenshin hated the urban world. Since his promotion ceremony to the rank of master three years ago, he hadn't set a foot onto the planet, not until Yoda's urging request.

Thanks to some minor incident on Florum, he had arrived barely in time for the council meeting and it was only in the council chamber, that he learned his new task was to train an apprentice! And not just any apprentice.

He had heard about Anakin Skywalker and the prophecy - who hadn't - although he didn't put much stock in prophecies, nor rumours. He had also heard about Skywalker's previous master's death. What the blazes had Yoda been thinking to choose him of all people! It would never have come to his own mind to take a Padawan – him, a teacher? Let alone for a student who was apparently shaken by trauma – a childhood in slavery and loosing his master only recently. After the council meeting, Yoda and Windu had given him a short briefing about the teenager. At the occasion of which he had tried to refuse the assignment, but Yoda insisted. Kenshin's reluctance was met with grim silence on Windu's side, and another attempt at encouragement from Yoda.

By the few who knew him, as a Padawan, Kenshin had been regarded as a prodigy. At least before they had understood what he was capable of and had started to fear or despise him. One of youngest Jedi in the history of the Jedi Order to achieve the rank of master. His connection to the Force was exceptionally strong. His abilities might very well have made him one of the best investigators the Order had, powerful and skilled well beyond his years – although he'd never have chosen such praising words for himself. But he was exactly that – an investigator, a spy, a loner who preferred working on his own. While he did have friends, he chose carefully whom he trusted. He also knew that, despite being respected for his skills and accomplishments, he was a controversial figure among the Jedi to say the least, especially for Mace Windu. All in all, not an apt teacher for a Padawan.

So why had they chosen him? To top it off, he was just 6 years older than the apprentice he was now supposed to take care of. He tried to remember what it was like to be 17. By that time, he had already lost the woman who had been like a mother to him. Had he only been faster, better, he could have saved her. By that time, he had also lost...her. Araya. His soul mate. He had told her not to go, that she would get captured. She had gone for it anyway – without giving anyone notice. By the time he had found out where they had taken her, it had been too late. She had died in his arms. By 17, he had already been a full fledged Jedi Knight who didn't have anything left to fear nor to loose. Could his path compare to Skywalker's? Probably not. He did appreciate Yoda, but right now, he wished the green troll to all seven Corellian hells.

Thinking about it, yes, it was very much like Yoda to do it like that – assign him with a Padawan without a warning and without a chance to bail out. All he could do now was give his best to live up to the challenge and hope that the old grandmaster knew what he was doing. So far, it had been...interesting. Not only that his new Padawan had been less than thrilled about being reassigned, his first act as his Master had been to drag the boy - wasted, drunk and in big trouble - out of a place he definitely should not have been in. Although he did understand the intriguing nature of Coruscant's underworld. Only to find him in another incident the very next day. Anakin seemed to be struggling hard, with everything. But how – or if - he could help him...well, he'd have to find out.

"What did that guy say that made you snap like that? You need to learn to hold your shit together" Kenshin said at last.

"Not that again. Everyone is giving me that lecture every day, this is getting old! If I had a credit for every time someone told me to control my emotions, I could buy an entire Venator class star destroyer by now"

"Which tells me that either you don't listen or they didn't teach you well. People mocking you are either scared, weak or jealous - or all three things combined. It's not about you. It's about themselves. Don't give them that power."

Anakin sceptically glanced at him. Admittedly, his master had stood up for him. Nobody had ever done that before, not since Qui-Gon. He tried to make sense of the explanation that had just been given to him. Wasn't that the same old story again, just told differently? Someone ordering him to control himself?

"What do you mean, Master?"

"I understand that what they said must have been hurtful. Feeling the emotion is not a bad thing – but, letting that emotion have power over you, to not even question it, that is absolutely a bad thing. To blindly answer aggression with aggression is not the Jedi way"

"And you always have it under control of course"

"Sometimes" he replied flatly.

"What's our mission about?"

"Two archaeologists on Vanqor have discovered a dungeon, possibly containing a holocron. We're supposed to analyse the situation, pick the holocron up if there is one and bring it, along with the archaeologists, back to Coruscant"

"Boring!"

"We'll see. Before we leave, we'll be tracking down some information about it in the archives"

"Didn't they provide briefings or a documentation? Why do we have to do that?"

"The excavation subject is a temple from a pre-mirialan era. I'll collect data about temple and building structures. On your part, please do a short resumé on planetary climate, flora, and fauna"

"Sounds like an elaborate load of theory to just retrieve a holocron"

His only answer was a stern look.

"When are we leaving, Master?"

"In two days. When we're at the temple, we'll meet for training sessions twice a day, the first at 7 in the morning, the second one at 5 in the afternoon."

"Master, that's a packed schedule"

"You'll manage" Kenshin said drily "Could you even fly a Venator class?"

"I can fly anything!"

"And you're humble, too. Get to work. I want the information by tomorrow night."