Part one of a two-part prompt fill. Enjoy!

Bant listens to him stumble through a possible explanation as to the connection between him and the Cerasi girl. She knows what it is before he does, which doesn't surprise her. He would never suspect such a thing, Code-follower that he is.

"You loved her."

That shuts him up. He blinks at her then and she expects his face to redden soon after. She expects more stuttering and a swift denial, because love is attachment and attachment is forbidden for Jedi, and he is a Jedi.

But there is no blushing and no stuttering. Suddenly she is the speechless one. Bant stares into soft blue eyes that have grown old in only a few weeks' time, and marvels at the fact that they are growing wet with what are clearly unshed tears.

But Obi doesn't cry. He hates it when others see him cry. He only nods once and looks away, swallowing hard. "I suppose I did."

Bant blinks again. A few times. Then, not knowing what else to do, she scoots closer and hugs him. Normally, he would stiffen up and bear it simply for her sake, but this time he sags slightly and lets her hold him up.

***oo***

Bruck Chun falls, in both senses of the word. He is corrupted first by a man smothered in bitterness and hatred, twisted into a tool and nothing more. Then he falls from the cliff.

Their cliff. Obi-wan will never think of it as anything else ever again. The Room of a Thousand Fountains will forever be scarred by the memory of a white-haired boy plummeting to his death.

When Qui-gon finds him, he is sobbing quietly. "Obi-wan… it isn't your fault…"

When he is incriminated for Bruck's death and put on trial, he makes no objections, but his master intercedes yet again. "It isn't Obi-wan's fault…"

When they are back at the Temple, away from the courts and away from all other distractions, living or otherwise, Qui-gon tries one more time. "It isn't your fault – "

Obi-wan shakes his head. "It's not that I didn't stop him from falling to the rocks. It's that we even ended up there in the first place."

"Padawan."

"I didn't see him until he was hanging on by just his fingers." He glances at Qui-gon, notices the grieved look in his master's eyes, and then looks away again. "It was just Bruck and Obi-wan at the top. Just two twelve-year-olds trying to make sense of things… and then we did, right before he… fell."

"You didn't kill him, Obi-wan."

"No… but I didn't help him either, and neither did anyone else."

***oo***

Tahl Uvain's forest-colored eyes widen when she opens her door. The young Kenobi boy stands respectfully before her, hands folded into opposite sleeves, face somehow composed despite the turmoil she senses in him. "Obi-wan. What is it, child?"

"Master needs help."

His reply is measured and cautious and she understands it perfectly. Qui-gon is a proud, proud man, and she is grateful that his padawan has the guts to do what he cannot. She is shrugging into her robes even as she asks the boy another question. "What did he do this time?"

The look on the boy's face freezes her in place. This must be truly disastrous. "Nothing. Xanatos killed himself in front of us."

Force, the kid is still in shock. It's the only explanation she has for how composed he seems. What must Qui-gon be like if his padawan is this messed up? "Okay, Obi-wan. Okay. Let's go."

It is only after she helps her stubborn chosski of a friend that she is allowed to help his equally stubborn padawan. The foolish boy stands firm in the face of her obvious concern. "Help him first, master. Please."

"Obi-wan…" She lets a warning note slip into her voice.

He only offers a tiny, shaky, impossible smile. "I can wait."

***oo***

Padawan Kenobi enters the High Council Chamber bearing the rank of Padawan and leaves it shouldering the weight and responsibility of a newly-appointed Knight. A knight with a padawan of his own.

Well.

Some things deserve the heaviest and lengthiest of sighs and he graces the moment with one of his best. It doesn't take him long to reach his quarters. Jinn/Kenobi. It's what the placard says and he quickly lowers his eyes before entering with a much softer sigh. A shaggy-haired boy greets him from his seat on the floor. Obi-wan doesn't remember what either of them say to each other, only that it takes him a mere two minutes to get Anakin tucked into his bed and even less to throw himself unceremoniously on top of his own.

He sighs into the covers.

I will train the boy.

He hadn't given the Council any other option to consider. Before he surrenders to the sweet pull of slumber, he is surprised to discover that he isn't sorry. Neither is he ashamed.

***oo***

"Now remember, Anakin, where are you supposed to walk?"

"You don't have to remind me every time."

Obi-wan tosses a dubious look at his young charge. "Perhaps I'll stop reminding you when you decide to remember."

Anakin frowns, the expression drawing his brows together and causing his blue eyes to narrow. On such a boyish face, it is almost cute, but Obi-wan only ever mentions that when the padawan decides to turn discussions into the most irritating of arguments. "I know where I'm supposed to walk."

Obi-wan turns away so that the boy doesn't catch his smirk. "Very well. Feel free to demonstrate your knowledge on our way to the cafeteria."

It is hardly unexpected when Anakin deems this advice a complete waste of breath. While Obi-wan does his best I-am-a-calm-and-collected-and-completely-under-control-of-my-horrendously-unruly-padawan-Jedi-master impression, his horrendously unruly padawan buzzes around the corridors with all of the restraint of a krayt dragon in search of a mate. The young knight is entirely aware that every last Jedi they pass is throwing scandalized glances in his direction, but he serenely ignores them.

When they reach the cafeteria, Anakin's face lights up with delight. "Master they made my favorite dessert!"

Obi-wan nods. "Mm, yes. I see that. Unfortunately, it only contains sugar and nothing else. You'll burn right through that."

"… um, what?"

He only nods again, surveying the limited buffet. His eyes latch onto a tray fully loaded with rolls that are speckled with greenish lumps. Feeling entirely too pleased with himself, Obi-wan orders a plate of four of them and a glass of milk. "Here. Since you've decided to run around like a one-man herd of blitzed banthas instead of maintaining control of yourself like a proper Jedi padawan, you obviously need something that will replenish your energy. These have plenty of carbs and I'm sure whatever vegetable they've stuffed in them has some good nutrients as well."

Anakin stares at him in muted horror. "But I don't like these."

Obi-wan shrugs. "Certain hobbies require sacrifices or, in this case, they can carry consequences. Besides, that's what the large glass of milk is for."

The adorable frown returns, but it has no effect whatsoever on the young master. He only smirks as he orders something much tastier than bland veggie rolls. "You're quite cute when you do that."

***oo***

"Well, congratulations, I suppose."

Garen wears the cocky, sarcastic grin that he reserves only for this particular man. "Gee thanks, Master Kenobi. Your exuberance at my wonderful achievement leaves me soo uplifted."

Obi-wan frowns. "Just be careful, you arrogant twit."

"I will, you stunted wookiee. Seriously. What's with the hair and the beard and just… all of this." The taller Jedi gestures vaguely at his friend's face with a semi-disgusted look.

Obi-wan smirks, not even remotely offended. "Seriously, Garen. I am happy for you, but I'll still worry."

"Force, Kenobi, you sound so old," the newly-graduated ace says, rolling his eyes. "I'll be fine… and no," he asserts, cutting the pessimistic fool off before he can say it. "There will be no mention of any bad feelings around me, understand? Any pilot worth his salt can't afford to be thinking about such things."

Obi-wan wisely remains silent, but his expected smirk is tinged with just a hint of irritation.

They both know his bad feelings are nothing to laugh at.

***oo***

It is well into evening when Knight Kenobi catches Cin right as he's closing the Academy dojo. "Obi-wan! What brings you here this hour?" The young knight looks serious and Cin stops what he's doing to give the man his full attention.

"Master, I have a favor to ask, if you're willing."

Cin nods, smiling a little. "Of course."

"I would like some tutoring in Soresu. I've begun studying it on my own, but there are always things that are learned best from an observer or a teacher…"

"Yes, yes, but why Soresu?" Cin is confused. "You've mastered Ataru. Surely some limited Soresu would complement it well, but you're already proficient in that as it is…"

"I intend to master it, Master Drallig," Kenobi says, voice firm and unyielding. "I believe Ataru incorporated into Soresu would better serve my purposes. The opposite lends itself to recklessness…"

Cin cocks his head to the side, smiling a little. "From a certain point of view, and yet some would say it leads to swift victories."

Kenobi's answering smile is a tad haunted. "Or unnecessary defeats."

Both smiles disappear and Cin is left studying the other man with newfound respect. "What, if I may ask, is your purpose for this change?"

The haunted edge dims a little as Kenobi's eyes are suddenly lit with a fire that Cin had thought dead at Qui-gon's funeral. "I have a padawan and I intend to train him, see him knighted, and eventually serve side by side with him as an equal."

The word brother flashes into Cin's mind and he smiles inwardly.

"Victory is an honorable goal that I still intend to keep," the knight continues. "Especially in service to the Light, but for the sake of my padawan, I also intend to survive."

***oo***

The Senator falls from the gunship, hits the sand and rolls. Obi-wan sees it, as does the young man standing close by. He can tell she'll be fine. Maybe a bit bruised and achy, but fine nonetheless.

"Put the ship down!"

The cry catches him off guard and it takes him a moment to react. When he looks at Anakin's face, his gut twists and he suddenly hates himself for what he has to say. "Don't let your personal feelings get in the way!"

Right?

Right?

The argument continues for a short minute. Long enough for Obi-wan to convince the youth that Padme would have continued had their positions been reversed. Long enough for him to see what Senator Amidala is beginning to mean to this young man. Long enough for Obi-wan to remember another beautiful woman hiding tenacious stubbornness beneath an elegant, yet sharp-witted disposition. One he would have left the Order for had she only asked.

He still would, if it came down to it.

Anakin looks betrayed and he has to turn away.

I'm sorry, padawan.

***oo***

The Count defeats them both. Effortlessly. Sure, he puts up a brief fight and Anakin lasts maybe half a minute longer, but in the end they both lie in a pathetic pile of limbs on the ground. Only seven and a half, to be precise. The rest of his padawan's arm is somewhere else.

Is this it?

Master Yoda arrives and they both survive. While Anakin is recovering in the Healer's Ward, Obi-wan makes his way to the Academy dojo. Luckily, the younglings are in the middle of a basic round of Shii-Cho katas and Obi-wan takes the opportunity to politely catch Cin's attention. The battlemaster walks over with a question on his face.

Obi-wan skewers him with a determined look. "I'm not good enough yet."

It takes only a second for the older man to catch up. "Obi-wan… you've mastered the form already. What more would you like me to –"

"With respect, master," Obi-wan says, "gaining mastery does not mean I am without flaws."

Cin snorts at this. He eyes the knight in front of him. "No one is ever without flaws no matter how hard or how long they work at something. This applies to everyone and everything." When Obi-wan says nothing, but just continues to stare, Cin sighs. "What happened?"

The answer he receives is short, but sufficient. "Dooku."

A resigned, understanding look replaces Cin's exasperation and he nods. "I see."

Obi-wan manages to convince the man to continue to provide counsel and critique where his bladework is concerned, but when he leaves, it's with a slight shake of the head and a stutter in his step. Alone in the corridor once more, he takes a moment to steady himself against the wall.

I see, he'd said.

Do you? He'd wanted to ask and almost had, but he hadn't wanted to scare the younglings. News of Geonosis had yet to reach Cin, it seemed.

Do you see what he's done? What he's started? Who he's become?

It is only a week later that Obi-wan receives orders to be tested for something called PTSD. Anakin is told to come too. His padawan laughs it off in a show of false bravado.

Obi-wan wants to laugh too, but for an entirely different reason. They are shown into separate rooms and when the healer comes in to begin her assessment, he looks her directly in the eyes and gives her a small smile. "I can save you the time, if you'd like."

She quirks a brow at him and shoots him a stern frown. "Master Kenobi, do not attempt to dissuade me from completing this assessment. Not only is it required, but most of the Jedi who were present on Geonosis have tested positive –"

Obi-wan closes his eyes and rubs his temples. "I've had nightmares since I was twelve, I don't sleep much, my reflexes have been honed to an unusual degree, and most anyone who knows me at all will tell you that I only have a sense of humor to deter what would surely be a horrid case of depression." When the resulting silence lasts longer than usual, he opens his eyes. The healer is staring at him with wide eyes. He offers her a sideways, off-kilter smile. "As I said, let's not waste time."

This jolts her into action. "Right. Okay. Well, thank you for your honesty, Master Kenobi." She clears her throat and reaches for a datapad, busying herself with filling out the necessary documentation. Frowning, she pauses. "Do you not take medications to help you sleep, and why is there no record of a visit to the mind-healers?"

At this, Obi-wan's expression turns grim and his eyes flash with disapproval. "I've managed just fine for some time, now. One more incident isn't going to change that."

The healer displays her disagreement through the narrowing of her eyes and the ways she squares herself up. "I would strongly recommend –"

"I'm sure you would." His voice has grown clipped and he simply doesn't care. "The Force is my ally, and it is enough."

Despite her obvious objection to his stubbornness, she is a Jedi and she has nothing to say to that.

He is a Jedi too, but she doesn't need to know that Jedi mantras and supposed truths like the one he just uttered have a gazillion flaws. He would know. He's had almost two decades to think them over.

Yes, I suffer from tragic experiences. Who doesn't? And yet…

"Master? I tested positive. Is something wrong with me?"

He pins Anakin in place with his eyes. "There are plenty of things wrong with the entire galaxy, Anakin. Neither you nor I are an exception. What matters is how we choose to deal with what's wrong."

His padawan nods. "So those nights when we can't sleep…"

Obi-wan smiles at the fact that the boy knows his own master sleeps about as well as he does. "Meditation comes first. Tea and caf come second, and then maybe I'll get the cards out."

Anakin's grin is tinged with relief and oozing with mischief. "Sabacc isn't a proper Jedi practice, master."

"No, it's not," Obi-wan agrees. "So let's not speak of it in public."

"Okay."

Yes. Okay.

Things will be okay.