Aspiration

Qui-Gon only caught him doing it once. He'd come home early from teaching an advanced meditation class and entered their quarters quietly, deep in thought. Spit-shined boots were neatly arranged by the door, a half-empty tea cup sat abandoned on the table, and what looked like Bocce homework was strewn across the floor under the window. But where was Obi-Wan?

Normally, he would've called out to his student without a second thought. But a strong feeling urged him not to, that he would do well to stay silent. And Qui-Gon Jinn listened to strong feelings.

Standing nearly two meters tall, stealth had never been his area of expertise. Qui-Gon stepped out of his boots, strengthened his shielding, and crept across the common area. There was an undercurrent of anticipation, but no unease, so it was unlikely that his charge was planning a prank on him.

There were two other rooms, as well as their shared fresher. The latter and Obi-Wan's bedroom door were both closed, making Qui-Gon pause. The Jedi Master had never thought he'd need to lock his door, especially in his own quarters, but he'd also never imagined that his padawan might go looking through his things.

He pressed his back to the wall, and slid along it as slowly as he could until he could just barely see around the corner and into the room.

Obi-Wan was standing by his closet and had one of Qui-Gon's robes wrapped around him. The massive garment pooled onto the floor, the sleeves so long- Obi-Wan had to keep pushing them back. It practically swallowed the boy.

Reaching out into the Force, Qui-Gon tried to gauge his apprentice's state of mind. Obi-Wan was standing on his tip toes, shoulders back, stretching as tall as he could. Ambition, determination, and excitement surged through his student. He drew his saber and held it in a challenge position, as if facing down some invisible opponent. The Force crackled within the room, all energy and adrenaline.

All Padawans dreamed of becoming a Jedi Knight. Obi-Wan, it seemed, was no exception. But Qui-Gon sensed no ego, no superiority in him. Only joy- thoughts of exploration and adventure.

You'll grow into it eventually, little one.

Qui-Gon withdrew from the door, sneaking back to the entryway so he could "return" and check on how his student was coming with his homework. Maybe pause to make a pot of tea before he put his bag in his room. After all, he was older and could get so easily distracted. It was easy to miss something.

Blanket

"Masterrrrr. It's too colddd."

"Anakin, don't whine. It's unbecoming for a Jedi."

Obi-Wan smothered his amusement as his padawan folded his hands behind his back and spoke with all the grace of a Corellian dignitary… and with a slight impression of his own Core World accent.

"Master, it is far too cold in this transport. I formally request that the thermo-regulators be adjusted so we all avoid freezing to death."

He crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow expectantly, as if to say: there, happy now?

Obi-Wan was doing one last check of the ship's systems before bed. He knew the autopilot was fine, knew it would be another 18 hours before they left hyperspace, but old habits die hard. Especially habits Qui-Gon drilled into him. So he had another few moments of stalling before he turned to address his grumpy apprentice.

"Anakin. You know that Pantorans are used to a cold climate. I know you dislike the cold, but you must focus on our mission. As their escorts, it's our job to make them as comfortable as possible."

"By making ourselves un-comfortable?!"

It took over two decades of training for Obi-Wan not to sigh outwardly. With a flourish, he took off his own cloak and wrapped it around the boy's shoulders. It was much too big for the twelve year old, but he didn't seem to mind. In fact, Anakin pulled the edges of the cloak tighter around him and burrowed into it. Immediately the pressure on their training bond relaxed as Anakin exhaled heavily.

"Better?"

He nodded, pulling the giant hood over his head, effectively vanishing within the fabric. "Thanks Master."

"You're welcome, Ani." He said, warmly. Obi-Wan was glad Anakin had covered his eyes, so he wouldn't see his Master silently laughing, since his apprentice now greatly resembled a Jawa. Instead, he turned the boy around and nudged him towards their quarters.

"C'mon, meditation, and then to bed. Tomorrow's a long day. And don't even think about hoarding the blankets."

"But Masterrrrrr!"

Reassurance

Anakin's posture fell as soon as he signed off with the Council. The battle hadn't gone well; difficult terrain and an ambush from buried droids had resulted in significant casualties. 'Course, in Anakin's opinion, any casualties were significant; but in the REpublic's "big picture", one dead clone with an assigned number didn't mean much.

But for the 501st- one fallen brother with a name and a laugh and a beating heart meant a great deal. A transport wouldn't be picking them up until morning, so the division was assembling a funeral pyre to honor their vode.

Looking around, he spotted Ahsoka off by herself, tucked under a rocky overhang. That's not normal. The men considered Ahsoka one of their own, even more so than Anakin. She was their little sister, their vod'ika, and she would typically be right in the middle of whatever they were doing, when she wasn't trailing after him.

He made his way over and crouched down to her level. "Hey Snips."

"Hey Master." She mumbled, staring down at her shoes instead of him.

Anakin ducked to sit next to her, barely able to sit up without hunching in the small space. He reached out through their bond, only to find a stone wall, and… guilt?... swirling around his padawan.

"Ahsoka." He kept his voice soft, knowing her hearing was always hyper-sensitive after battle. "Don't hold this by yourself, let me help."

He watched her hesitate, watched the wheels turning in her head as she considered his offer. Finally, she uncurled herself and held out her hand. They were both covered in blood, blood that had recently dried. Anakin forced himself to appear calm as he took her hand and squeezed tight.

In an instant, their bond opened and he was flooded with images. Ahsoka dragging a fallen clone away from the line of fire, deeper into the woods. She yanked off his helmet- it was Tugger. One of her friends.

She pressed her hands to a blaster wound in his chest, but the blood continued to seep out and stain the soil around them. Desperate, she poured her own life force into him, a healing technique that drained her energy, but it wasn't enough. Ultimately, all she could do was hold him tightly until his eyes fluttered shut.

Anakin felt like he was drowning in the guilt his padawan had immersed herself in. She'd had to leave Tugger there to rejoin the battle, and hadn't been able to go with Rex to retrieve the body to be honored.

Anakin opened his eyes and wrapped an arm around Ahsoka, letting her take shelter under the folds of his cloak.

"M'sorry." she managed, clutching tight to the edges of the fabric with shaking hands, trying to ground herself in his presence. He was still alive, at least. At least.

"You did everything you could, Ahsoka. And it wasn't your fault, okay? Do you understand me, Padawan?"

The formal title broke her out of her trance and she looked up at him, actually seeing him for the first time.

"I understand. But… is it okay if I don't believe it yet?"

Anakin sighed, wrapping their bond in acceptance and love just as he wrapped his cloak more securely around them. It was Obi-Wan's actually, one he'd lost, and it was large enough to keep both of them safe, if only for a moment.

"Yeah, kiddo. That's okay."

Hey, guess who isn't dead? No, but in all seriousness, I ended up taking a break from posting. Turns out undiagnosed ADHD can take a real toll on your life, and I've barely managed to make it through college. But I'm a Senior now, I'm all set to graduate, and I feel better than ever. So many of you have left lovely comments, and I want to keep writing for y'all. You're all so sweet, and it inspired me to continue this story. Have a wonderful day- and May the Force be with You.