Chapter 2: Homecoming

The starship silently docked by the Jedi Temple and the entire Jedi Council disembarked. Following suit were two figures, a blond boy and a taller young man with spiky red-gold hair. Even and untrained eye would see that they both looked tired, sad and a bit forlorn.

"Where are we going?" Anakin asked, "Are we going to stay in your apartment? I mean, the one you shared with Master Qui-Gon?"

"I don't know, actually," the older one answered. "I have taken it for granted, but I believe I will have to get a confirmation. Would you like us to stay there?"

"I think so," Anakin bit his lower lip, "if you want to, I mean. It's your home. And it was Master Qui-Gon's, so if we stay maybe it won't feel so lonely?"

Obi-Wan nodded in agreement. It would be torture to see Qui-Gon's things again knowing that he would never return, that he never would hear the familiar baritone voice again or smell the Master's favorite freshly brewed sapir tea in the morning. Again the Force forsaken lump formed in his throat and he had to swallow to get his feelings under control again. He couldn't, wouldn't, break down and cry - at least not when Anakin was present. He would be every bit the Jedi Master he didn't feel like being. Not yet. Maybe never.

He had been so deep in thoughts that he didn't notice the almost unnatural silence in the entrance hall when the huge doors had closed behind them. The Temple was never a really noisy place but a low humming of voices could always be heard beneath the high ceilings. The Temple never slept, not even when most of it's inhabitants did.

Now it was depressively, eerily silent.

Yet it wasn't empty. As Obi-Wan followed the Council Members indoors he could see small groups which had gathered in the hall. Stray by-passers cast him curious glances and he felt like something that had been dragged in by a kitling. It made him wonder if he somehow had forgotten to dress in leggings this morning, but a discreet glance down toward his boots confirmed that every possible part of the Jedi attire was in place.

Then the whispering started. At first he couldn't hear the words, it was only a silent humming coming from many throats. Then he heard the most repeated word in the conversations: "Sithkiller."

For a moment he felt like the air was squeezed out of his lungs and he could hardly breathe. Sithkiller… A title he'd never ever wanted to have. It would for always remind him of the horrendous battle and the sickening feeling when he saw his Master fall, pierced by a red lightsaber. Then he straightened his back.

I have to act like I didn't hear that. I cannot respond to it whatsoever. They will forget. They will talk of the 'Sithkiller' for some days and then they will stop. At least I hope so. Let's take first things first, Anakin and I will need a place to stay, so let us get that matter settled.

"Anakin?"

"Yes. I mean, yes Master."

"Follow me. We'll go down into the lower levels to the depot and ask for the gear you need. They will also be able to assign us accommodation, be it our…mine…Qui-Gon's and mine old or a new one."

"Yes, Master."

The depot was just as quiet, just as chilly and just as scary as it had been when Obi-Wan came back from Bandomeer as Qui-Gon Jinn's new Padawan. He had been so scared then. Scared that his new status would be a fraud and that he would wake in his bunk in the cabin on Bandomeer again. Scared that Qui-Gon would realize that he was wrong and reject him as his Padawan again when things had settled down. For the first months he had been so terribly scared.

There is no emotion, there is peace.

Despite the old jedi code he could feel some of the same fear emanating from Anakin.

"What if he doesn't want me?"

And this time there was no Tahl around to make the new Master-Padawan pair feel comfortable with each other, no Tahl to rebuke the Master and no Tahl to soothe the Padawan. He simply had to do the job himself.

"Padawan Kenobi, what do you want?"

The brusque voice from the Master of the Depot broke his train of thoughts.

"Actually I…," he began, but he never managed to finish the sentence before a younger voice chimed in.

"He's not a Padawan. He's a Master. He's my Master. And we want a place to stay…"

"Hush, Anakin," he said and laid a hand gently on Anakin's shoulder, "I apologize for my Padawan's behavior, Master Chacl. But it is correct what he says, we really would appreciate to be assigned quarters and he will need a full padawan gear."

Master Chacl gaped.

"You are…what happened?"

"I am. Master Jinn was…killed on our last mission. And I have been granted the task of mentoring young Anakin Skywalker. I guess that makes me a…Master, sort of."

The Master of Depot nodded silently.

"Very well, Master Kenobi, I will find a standard set of gear for your Padawan and then we'll see if we can find accommodation for you. Do you have any wishes?"

"I..we…Would it be possible for us to stay in Master Jinn's and mine apartment?"

Obi-Wan had not intended to sound so praying, but even he could hear the silent hope emanating from his own voice.

Master Chacl just disappeared into the inner sanctum of his depot. A few minutes later he came back with a huge pile of clothing, most of it in a size fitting a nine year old human, but on the top lay a brown robe of Obi-Wan's own size and a 3D printed sign proudly stating: "Kenobi/Skywalker".

"I hope I got the boy's name right," he said calmly, "and I couldn't avoid noticing that your robe has seen better days Master Kenobi. By the way, you have been assigned the old Jinn/Kenobi apartment."

In a daze Obi-Wan left the depot with Anakin (and a huge pile of clothing and bed linen) in tow. They had always assumed that the day Master Chacl freely gave out anything would be the day the Galaxy ceased to exist. And he had actually got a new robe without even asking for it, far less requesting it.

Now he felt slightly scared too…

The apartment was silently awaiting them. Obi-Wan hesitated for a moment before he put his hand on the opening mechanism and the door slid open. He was home, and yet not… Home had been with his Master, not with this young boy with sandy hair by his side. That just wasn't home. A sting of shame struck him and he turned to Anakin, hoping fervently he had managed to shield his emotions so well that the boy didn't perceive them.

Instead he turned towards Anakin: "Welcome to your new home, Anakin."

They both stepped into the small hall. Both man and boy with mixed emotions, coming from the same source. Last time Anakin had been here he'd hoped he one day would get back with Qui-Gon Jinn as his Master, the last time Obi-Wan had been here there had been this tension between him and his Master after the near repudiation of himself Qui-Gon had uttered in the Council Chamber.

For a moment he stood silent, reining in his immediate wish to run into his own room, close the door behind him and cry until there were no tears left. He couldn't. Partly because he needed to be strong for Anakin, or at least give an outward expression of being strong, and partly because…his room wasn't his any more. Or, would cease to be in a few minutes. It would be Anakin's, and, Force forbid, he had to be the intruder in Qui-Gon's room. For a moment it felt almost like blasphemy.

"Anakin, we have work to do. I want you to have the bedroom to the right, the one you slept in before we…were sent to Naboo. Can you please remove all the stuff you find in the closet and take it out into the hall, and I will do the same with what's in Qui-Gon's room?"

And with that Master and Padawan went to work.

A Jedi truly possess very few belongings so one hour later both bedrooms were emptied. And the hall was full of various clothing and other gear. Plus some of Obi-Wan's meticulously put together models of spaceships.

"These are wizard, Master. Can I keep some of them? I mean, If you want them yourself I understand but a Master cannot have spaceship models all over the place, can he? I mean, can you?"

For the first time in something that felt like an eternity Obi-Wan burst out with laughter.

"No, I guess I cannot. Feel free to pick those you want. But we need to get a cleanbot to clean the rooms before we move in again."

He grabbed the comm link and requested a cleanbot to come and clean the two bedrooms in the Kenobi/Skywalker quarters.

"What do you say, Anakin. I believe we have earned mid-day meal by now. Shall we go down to the refectory and grab a bite while the bot is doing it's work? "

Anakin nodded eagerly. Truth be spoken, he was really hungry by now.

Side by side the two stepped out of their apartment and set course for the refectory.

The refectory was usually a noisy place at this time of the day, but in the very same moment as Obi-Wan and Anakin entered the room and lined up in the queue before the counter the noise gradually died, and numerous pair of eyes turned towards them.

The whispering began again.

"Kenobi…"

"Sithkiller…"

"The boy has become his apprentice though he's way too old."

"He's the first one to kill a sith in a millennium.

"Pretend you don't hear them," Obi-Wan muttered to Anakin. "We're the news of the day, but it will soon fade."

Anakin just nodded. He wanted to scream out towards all the whispering voices: "You don't know anything. My Master killed the Sith after Qui-Gon was dead and I know I'm too old for this but Qui-Gon picked me and I will become a Jedi and I will make Obi-Wan proud."

But instead he pursed his lips tightly together and pretended they were slave traders on the market.

After several long, excruciating minutes they both had their trays loaded and they set off for the nearest empty table. As soon as they had seated, the noise level increased again.

"I assure you, Anakin, neither of us have grown four ears and 12 eyes… They will stop gossiping in some days," Obi-Wan tried to calm the rebellious feelings emanating from his Padawan, "and the first thing we must begin training is how you can shield your emotions. I believe every Jedi in the room perceived your emotions when we were lined up there."

"Oh…," Anakin mumbled, mouth full with spicy grainbread. Then he swallowed. "I'm sorry, Obi-Wan. I just didn't like them staring at us like that."

"I know," Obi-Wan sighed, "I know. I don't like it either, but I assume we will have to get used to it for the nearest future."

They polished off their plates and returned to their quarters as quick as they could.

Both bedrooms were clean and shiny and they decided to move in before they called it a day. It was with a heavy heart Obi-Wan collected Qui-Gon's remaining clothes into sacs to carry them back to the depot for cleaning and possible re-use by some other tall Master. He knew it was the only sensible thing to do, but somehow this simple task felt even more final than Qui-Gon's funeral pyre had been.

"We need to carry Qui-Gon's clothes down to the depot, " he sighed. "I assume we can do that at once. I will need to go through his other things when I'm settled and get rid of what's not useful anymore."

And with that they left quarters - again.

For the remaining part of the evening they were settling in in their respective rooms. Anakin busied himself with decorating the room with the chosen model spaceships while Obi-Wan was rummaging through Qui-Gon's belongings. Every now and then his heart contracted in pain when he recognized a drawing or small item he had given his Master for the Winter Festival.

Let it go. A Jedi craves nothing from the past and these were given to Qui-Gon. They are not mine to keep.

Then he saw it. It was a hologram taken on his 14th life day. He was standing between Qui-Gon and Tahl, all three of them looking almost ridiculously happy. The picture was taken outside Didi Oddo's place in Coco Town and he remembered that Qui-Gon had invited both him and Tahl there for a life day meal. When the picture was taken he had been so full that he barely managed to smile.

Silently he picked up the picture and placed it in the shelf. Blast the Jedi's attachment rule, he needed it. Just as much as he needed the black riverstone lined with red veins.

The room across the hall had become suspiciously quiet, and he rose to peek in. Anakin had collapsed on the bed, snoring softly, totally exhausted by the day's events. Carefully Obi-Wan took his boots off. Brushing teeth and wearing sleeping clothes would have to wait for another day. Softly Obi-Wan draped the blanked over the sleeping boy and returned to his own room.

Only minutes later he was dressed in his own sleep pants and covered by the new blankets in his new room, and with a black riverstone clenched in his right fist. Somehow it felt comforting.