Abril: Holy moly, I didn't think the last chapter was going to hit you guys that hard, I'm sorry. *hands tissues and hot chocolate around* Now, that's much better. Once you're finished with this chapter there'll be more tissues and chocolate to go around. Ya'll are gonna need them if your reaction to the last chapter was anything to go by.

Also, I did some illustrations of 3 scenes from the story, you can find them on my Tumbler (the-red-butterfly) if you type LSDITB I'm sure you can find it.

Jango didn't think himself to be a very emotional man -no really, he wasn't- but Obi-wan just sparked something in him that made it seem like he enjoyed having heart-to-hearts and crying every other day. The Mando likes to tell himself that the kid needs it and it has nothing to do with him. And he'll keep telling himself that. No matter how much better he feels afterwards.

Right now though, he really wishes there was more room inside The Fury, which is already pretty decently sized in his opinion; so he can find a corner secluded enough to let out some of his own emotions privately. Shouldering the kid's emotional distress on top of his own mess is taking a bit of a toll on Jango; maybe the Jetiise were onto something when Obi-wan said that thing about the community raising all the younglings.

·~·~·~·

Obi-wan is napping on the copilot chair by Jango's side. He'd been dozing for a while before the man finally scoffed at him and threw his jacket on the teen. A slit of blue gray gazed at him under tired lids and the boy had offered a sleepy smirk in return. He dozed off again not long after.

Since then Jango has been staring at the console for a long time, weighing what options he has. Should he just take a spacelane to Coruscant or actually comm the temple to let them know he's coming? He sighs, frustrated with himself, feeling his postponing of the inevitable in everything he doesn't do.

He glances at the kid, calm and restful for the first time in so long. He needs to man up and do what's good for Obi-wan now, he'll still… he'll still have a few days more with the teen…

Jango closes his eyes, feeling a wave of emotion rise up in him. He wipes at the corner of his eye and prepares to set the coordinates of Coruscant into the ship.

"No." Before he can make the jump into hyperspace a birdlike hand stops him, fingers on his wrist. The Mandalorian looks up at the beady, waking eyes of the ginger.

"What is it, Red?" He asks, confused, thinking the boy is still half asleep.

"Don't do it, not yet. I don't think… it's not the right time," his eyes are a little glassy and unfocused, they gaze toward the white dotted black past the cockpit window.

"Not the right time?" Jango looks at him weirdly. Obi-wan had been destroying himself from the inside from the want of going back home for weeks now, and he says this?

"I just have a…" Obi-wan cuts himself off, his eyes refocusing; he takes his hand away from Jango's wrist and looks down a little before looking back up. "It's just a feeling," he says quietly.

The man's eyes soften. The last time the teen had a feeling Jango had not listened.

"Well, then I guess that means it's not the right time." And as simple as that, the man turns off the navigation system.

Obi-wan looks at him bright eyed, a smile gracing his lips.

"Not planning to repeat the same mistake twice," he says as he leans back, a calm smile settling on Jango. "Out of curiosity," he says after a stretch of companionable silence,'' do you know why? When you get these feelings I mean. I just wonder about it because you looked so eager to go back home." He swallows at the word and hopes the teen doesn't notice.

"I don't always know what the feelings are about, generally I can tell if it's something bad or wrong, it's pretty evident. It's like something inside of me is screaming danger but I don't necessarily know about what. If the danger is very close maybe I'll have a sense of direction, like if someone were to point a blaster at me. But- when you went after the bounty for that Twi'lek the only thing I could tell was that something wasn't going to be okay. And sometimes that's hard, even when there are other Jedi around you. Knowing something bad will happen is not very helpful because being a Jedi leads you into trouble often enough. It can be annoyingly unspecific.

"But sometimes it's just the feeling, like… Like right now the Force was telling me it isn't the right time to return; it will come soon, but it isn't now." He looks at Jango to seek for confirmation that anything that he said made sense at all. The man looks pensively at his own hands.

"What is it like? The Force," Jango's eyes bare into his with honest curiosity and their usual, quiet intensity. The question should surprise Obi-wan, but it doesn't, and that also is no surprise.

It's the Jetiis turn to be silent as he thinks about the question. It is strange indeed, trying to describe something so integral to his life and how he experiences the world. But Obi-wan is unfortunately very well equipped to answer this query, knowing intimately what it feels to go without.

"It… it's everything. The Force is everything. It's you and me and the space between us, and it's connection, we are all connected through the Force. You and me, even The Fury in some ways. It is the thread that keeps us together, and through it, we are all one and the same… It feels like being more, like being with others at the same time. Being as in… existing," Obi-wan laughs softly. "That must all sound like some convoluted madness to you," he says in good cheer.

That is precisely what it sounds like to Jango, but he believes the teen, so he smiles.

"The real illusion is to think we are separate," the ginger says quietly to himself, an old teaching or saying of his people Jango thinks.

The thought comforts him, knowing in some weird way, even once he's far away from Obi-wan, to the Jetii in some strange way they'll remain as one through the Force.

·~·~·~·

Jango works on cleaning his blasters with meticulous precision while the boy stands upside down on his hands. He feels like he shouldn't be surprised anymore but it still baffles him what these sentients can do, these incredible feats of the Jetiise. Obi-wan's been calmly "standing" in place for 20 minutes now, he looks a little winded and with good reason. Jango would probably not last 3 minutes, even if he tried really, really hard.

The Mando had once tried to make Red explain how he could get winded from a spar but not from standing on his head like a lunatic. The Jetii had obnoxiously answered 'when I'm upside down my mind is not being distracted by other things, I can channel the Force better.' Or perhaps he'd not been obnoxious at all and that was just Jango trying to make himself feel better.

"Jagno," the redhead says, blue gray eyes snapping open. He tilts himself backwards and with a graceful move rights himself up. There's an odd look on his face, but the man recognizes it, the teen's listening to the Force. "It's time now," he says, a light smile on his lips.

And Jango knows, he can feel it in the air what this is about, but he still has to ask, for his own sake if nothing else.

"Time for what?" The Mandalorian could almost make himself believe his words are genuine in their lack of knowledge.

"For going home," the gingers' eyes focus on him, happy, "to the temple."

The Mandalorian exhales quietly as he does his best to not make it sound like the heavy sigh it wants to be. 'It's time,' he echoes Obi-wan sourly in the privacy of his mind. He takes a small moment to push away his dark thoughts and content himself to witness the teen's shining happiness. It will have to be enough for him.

·~·~·~·

Red is sleeping.

Jango braces himself, he thought doing this might be better while Obi-wan slept as he feared it could get… ugly, all things considered. He doesn't want to subject the kid to that.

The comm of the Order is pretty public, so it takes him no time at all to find it and contact the line. He doesn't have to wait very long.

"You're comming Jedi order, this is Padawan Naila speaking, how can I help you? I'm here to serve." The voice is cheery and earnest, and Jango scrunches up his nose in distaste at her words 'I am here to serve,' but shakes his head back into the situation at hand.

"This is…" he cuts himself off immediately, he probably shouldn't introduce himself. "I need to be patched through with a member of the council," he says instead.

"Oh, sure thing, which council would that be? Oh! The green council was expecting a call from the Zeltros' ecological expert, is that you sir?"

"No, I em… The High Jedi Council, Padawan Naila." Silence greets his request.

"Who is this? I'm sorry sir, but only people with the proper clearance or codes may have a direct line with the council," her voice is a little wary now, but her pleasantness remains the same. "But if there's anything else I may-"

'Enough,' Jango fumes to himself.

"I have information on the whereabouts of Obi-wan…" He stops abruptly and thinks, 'shit, what's the kid's last name?'

There's a heavy pause on the line.

"Padawan Kenobi? Obi-wan Kenobi?" She asks, sounding breathless.

"That is correct," he says having no idea if that's correct at all but he sincerely doubts the Order has two Obi-wan's missing at the same time.

"I… I'll do my best to patch you through as quick as I can, please sir, don't leave the comm line." Jango sighs in relief and waits for the Padawan to the sound of... chimes? Ethereal glass sounds? He has no idea, but it's annoying and he's 98% sure the Jedi must use whatever this osik is for their meditations. He takes a steadying breath and places his no krak face on.

A few minutes go by when the blue light of a holo projection illuminates his face, setting his frown even deeper. Well, the Jetii are sorely lacking in the manners department if they don't even warn him before turning the voice call into a holo one. He says nothing in recognition of the Jetii before him, Mace Windu.

"Jango Fett," says the black Korun with an impassive frown of his own.

"That's right," the Mandalorian answers coolly, not knowing why he's starting this conversation already being difficult. Well, he does know, but that's not the point.

"This is… a surprise to be sure, I was not expecting you when I was informed someone had commed with information on the missing Padawan Kenobi."

Jango says nothing and the Jetii narrows his eyes.

"I would urge you to tread this conversation lightly. Our young are precious to us and whatever this is," he emphasizes with gravitas, "it's better be-"

"I have the boy with me on my ship." Jango knows, he knows he's being purposely antagonistic but he can't seem to stop himself. He knows how his words sound, they sound like a threat. He doesn't need to do this right now, it's not going to help at all.

"Fett," says the Jetii like his name is a curse. "There are a lot of people out there who care very deeply for that boy. I should warn you that if anything befalls young Kenobi your life will soon become outrageously difficult. It would be beneficial for everyone if we could take our charge from you unharmed."

The threat is thinly veiled, barely so, but Jango is glad now. Maybe this is why he didn't stop, he needed to know Obi-wan was truly cared for by the Jetii. It would've killed him to just leave the teen there, not knowing. It doesn't matter how much the boy defends the Order if his views of it were skewed from the beginning.

"There's no need for that, Master Jetii, I'll be taking the boy myself back to Coruscant. Our ETA is approximately one week," he says civilly enough. The Korun has a face like carved stone, but Jango can almost tell he's caught him off guard. As if they hadn't just been preparing for war on both ends.

"That is… most kind of you," Windu answers, his eyes still searching for what sort of trap this could be. An uncomfortable silence grows between them and it makes Jango's skin prickle with the thought that he's being studied by a Jetii.

"However, it would put me at great ease if I could see Padawan Kenobi for myself. It's been more than two years of relentless searching since he was last seen by the Order and we are most anxious about his well-being. I hope you understand our hesitance."

"That is fair," Jango concedes with a nod, "I will comm you tomorrow though, Obi-wan is sleeping and I'd hate to wake him up he…." He stops himself for the words feel too personal to say out loud. After a breath though, he finishes the thought. "He has a hard time sleeping some days."

After a moment the Jetii nods in return.

"Very well. If you wouldn't mind my asking, where did you find Padawan Kenobi? Our search has been extensive and his location has somehow eluded us in spite of our best efforts."

"I…" 'To be honest, I found him on accident,' he wants to say but cleans his throat a bit, "found him in a Death Watch camp. Tied to a pen like an animal." Jango doesn't know if he says that to dig in the metaphorical knife of blame or because of genuine heartache. Either way, Mace Windu looks pained at the information but after a moment he composes himself.

"I see." Restraint, the trademark of the Jetii, but there's always more to that restraint, he'd learned that from observing Obi-wan often enough. "Please, call this comm line as soon as Kenobi is up and able." Jango gets a ping from a text message with a code line. "We are very eager for his return."

"Noted. Jango out." He hangs up without waiting for the other, eager to be away from that face and conversation.

Krak, kriffing oisking krak, he's going to the Jetii Temple. Kriff.

Jango covers his face with a hand, he needs to go to sleep, but he's not sure sleep will come to him. Obi-wan will be gone. His quiet, smart ass, field mouse, will be gone, and he's going to do the going himself.

He's going to the house of the Jetiise.

·~·~·~·

When Jango tells Obi-wan he talked with the Korun Master at breakfast his face lights up.

"Master Windu?" He asks with good cheer and the man nods.

"They've… they've been looking for you Red," he feels the need to say, even if his face remains neutral and unchanged.

"Oh," the boy exhales a breath and his eyes get a little misty, an array of emotions crosses his face. "Oh Force, my Master must be so worried." And it's like something dawns on him, like the thought is finally setting in. "it's… it's been two years… I've been gone for more than two years. They must've been so worried," he exhales shakily.

Jango nods to him, he has to agree. For all accounts and purposes, this will seem like a miracle to the Jetiise. After two years a child returned as if from the dead.

"Are you excited?" The Mando wills himself to smile for Obi-wan's sake.

"So, so very much," his Coruscanti accent gets thick with emotion. Jango sets his hand on the teen's shoulder and squeezes bitter-sweetly, happy for Obi-wan.

"You're going home," he says in soft comfort.

"I'm going home," Red smiles, eyes glassy with unshed tears but luminous.

·~·~·~·

They call the Temple after breakfast, the answer is almost immediate. The blue holo of Jedi Master Mace Windu materializes.

"Master Windu!" Obi-wan exclaims enthusiastically and gives a low, respectful bow to the man, who returns it in a shallower form.

"Obi-wan," there's a fondness there that Jango hadn't heard before. The Korums eyes are soft as he looks upon the redhead. "I cannot express to you what a great joy it is to see you well. Are you well?" He ads immediately.

"Yes, Master," he nods with a flustered smile "I… I wasn't… for a while." He steps slightly to the side, a motion that invites the Mandalorian to step forward, he does, though a little reluctantly. "But then Jango found me and well…" he chuckles, "he rescued me."

Jango looks fondly at the kid, he wants to clap him in the back but won't do so in front of the Jetii.

"Jango Fett, Master, rescuing a Jedi, can you believe it?" The happy incredulousness colors his voice beautifully. The ginger is looking at the Mando as he says this, his face like he's holding in a laugh, there's wonder in there too.

There's an odd moment between the three of them. A disbelieving yet incredibly relieved look paints Windu's face as well. Jango chuckles softly, just as Obi-wan laughs. A crinkle appears at the corners of the Master Jedi's eyes, it betrays his humor.

"Who wouldn't rescue you with a face like that, you look like a tooka kit," the words slip from Jango without his permission and Obi-wan straightens up in indignation but he just laughs more.

"It truly is a wondrous galaxy that we live in, Padawan Kenobi," Mace Windu says fondly. " The Temple awaits your return eagerly, young one."

"I can't wait to return to it, Master."

The teen's happiness is almost blinding.

·~·~·~·

Jango fiddles with the navigation system of The Fury, they're two days away from Coruscant. They are so close, so close, so very close. Obi-wan's heart beats inside his chest in a constant state of elation. If he thinks about it too long, he might start crying again. He curls up a little tighter on the copilot seat, legs up and body slightly turned towards the left.

The ginger looks at Jango, contemplating him as the man remains absorbed in his task. A different feeling pools in his chest as he commits the Mando's features to memory. There's a slight curl to his dark hair and a softness to his feature that is hard to see past the strong masculinity and dangerous air that he carries. His softness is betrayed by his distraction in the task. Obi-wan finds this somewhat comforting.

The feeling in his chest persists until there's a small slant of sadness in the teen's eyes. He takes in a breath and holds it in, a lump in his throat made up of words. And then… then he lets go of the air and rests his cheek against the fabric of the seat. He says nothing.

Obi-wan smiles to himself, bittersweet, and closes his eyes to the odd happening of pleasant dreams.

·~·~·~·

Coruscant: giant, metal, alive. They glide slowly down as The Fury enters the planet's atmosphere. The teen's eyes are as big as plates at the sight before them, his lips pull up at the edges.

"It's ugly," Jango states, he's never liked the sight of cities packed full of edifices all piled over one another, much less this metal-covered nightmare that pretends to be a planet.

"It's not for everyone," Red smiles with a knowing look beside him.

Jango breathes in casually; tension rises up in him the closer they get to the temple. He doesn't want to be here for so very many reasons; Jetii being the age-old enemies of Mandalorians and his experiences with them at this point are the least of those reasons. At his side Obi-wan releases a shaky sigh when white towers and a pyramid come into view, glittering gold against the lowering sun.

The Temple of the Jetii.

"Sunsets are always best in Coruscant," Red breaths out, enthralled by the sight. "It's beautiful."

The teen takes a moment away from the possibly religious experience he's having to look at Jango. He tilts his head slightly to the side, curiously; the man can almost feel his eyes peering at his insides in the uncomfortable way he's grown accustomed to. Knowing. It's not… as uncomfortable anymore.

"Would you let me help you?"

For a moment Jango's not really sure what the boy means, but then the ginger offers his palm up to him. He's never seen the kid so steady, back straight and sure. It gladdens him as much as it makes him grieve, goodbye is so close now. He knows what Obi-wan means.

The man sighs in defeat but smiles at the other.

"Sure, why not?" Jango slaps his brown hand onto the teen's pale one.

After a moment of stillness, he feels a wave of calm pass through him. It soothes his anxieties and tension and every little thing that has him on edge right now. Not all at once though, slowly and quietly, like breathing in and out, in and out. And he's breathing in and out at the rhythm of the kid, his kid, almost unknowingly.

In his mind for a spec of time, he can see gently lapping waves at the edge of a sea, they are not his, he knows he's never seen this beach before.

Jango breathes out.

"That's a neat trick you've got there," the Mandalorian says after a while. He feels… calm. Steady. His worries have not gone anywhere, which is a surprise to him, he thought… He always thought the Jetii made their emotions disappear up into the air. But his worries are there, they're just not overwhelming his senses anymore; his mind is clear.

"It wouldn't work you know, with any other random person," Obi-wan tells him.

The Temple is now towering over them.

Jango thinks it looms like a threat.

Obi-wan thinks it's like the cover of a well-worn cloak over him.

"Well, at least not with the limited experience I have. I'm sure more experienced masters can do these kinds of things with ease. But you trust me, you let me in, that's why it works so well."

"You've done this a lot," Jango states and gives a light squeeze to the kid's hand before letting go.

"Well…" he looks down for a second, thoughtful, "it's nice to know your friends can soothe your night fears away," he answers for a clear yes.

Through the windshield they can see there's a party waiting for them at the docking bay. Jango takes in a steadying breath and pushes to the back of his mind what's about to happen here. He takes a last look at Obi-wan's happy face and faintly freckled cheeks and commits it to memory.

·~·~·~·

There's a man running through the temple as if there are Sith of legend pursuing him like hungry demons.

'Stupid. Stupid. Stupid,' he thinks deprecatingly. How had he been so stupid as to park in the wrong landing bay?

His long brown hair flies behind him, he's so distracted or rather, too focused on the thought of the person inside his mind that he keeps shouldering against fellow Jedi.

Oh, but it's not like he knew where they would land now, is it? It's not like he knew. And he's arrived just in time. Barely so. And Mace had just commed him about the unrecognized ship approaching the temple, it was too late to take off again by then. He just wished he'd known.

The tall man runs. He's so close now. He's so close.

·~·~·~·

The Fury has not even touched the landing platform before Obi-wan is unbuckling himself and bolting from his seat like a shooting star.

"Wait! Kriff!" Jango shouts. He can already tell what the boy will do before Obi-wan even knows it himself. He goes down hard to prevent Red from jumping out of a moving ship and the metal of The Fury croaks and grunts. The Mandalorian hurries to shut off all the systems before he runs to catch up with the teen.

The ginger stands in wait, the ramp moving too slowly for him apparently because he dashes off before it opens completely just as Jango hurries to the cargo hold. He catches a glimpse of long coppery hair disappearing from view. He swallows and breathes in again, slowly.

"Here goes nothing," he mumbles, marching on.

·~·~·~·

Waiting for him are an assortment of people headed by Masters Yoda, Windu, Tahl and Koon. But his eyes search among his family and friends, where… Where is Qui-gon? Where is his master? His heart hurts for a moment, he can't believe he still has to wait more time to see- But then he feels it. A tug in the force. He raises his eyes towards the door to the temple. And he's there. Rushing to Obi-wan.

It's Qui-gon.

The teen exhales a shaky breath and runs towards the man. He wants to say something, shout anything, but there are no words in his mouth. Tears glide from the corner of his eyes as he feels the overwhelming sense of home all around him. They meet halfway, Obi-wan barreling into Qui-gon's chest but it doesn't matter. In the Force, their exhilarating emotions paint everything with light. Obi-wan feels the remnants of a dream peek in his memory, halls so bright things blur around the edges.

"Master," the ginger sobs into the man's shoulder, his feet dangle in the air, he's not touching the floor, and he can't believe how tall his master still is and that he's doing this in front of so many council members. He laughs at the absurdity and it's wet and ugly and Qui-gon's cloak is snotty and disgusting. But it doesn't matter.

"Oh, my boy, my boy, my dear heart, my wonderful boy," Master Qui-gon says, struggling to draw breath. "I can't believe you're here, Obi-wan," his Master hugs him even tighter. The ginger notes his own shoulder is similarly wet with tears.

"Me neither," the teen laughs and cries and chokes on the clashing sentiments.

There is an unceremonious babble of words exchanged between the two with barely much meaning being discerned from them. And it doesn't really matter at all. They are both here, home, together.

"Enough old man, it's my turn," Quinlan's head pops into Obi-wan's blurry view. His friend's eyes are red but he's got a hard stare on his face; he only does that when he's trying not to cry, Obi-wan knows. Further away from him are even more of his friends being restrained by their masters so they won't overwhelm him. Obi-wan is pretty kriffing overwhelmed already, but he doesn't care either way. They're here, and real, and he himself is here.

"Go away brat, my turn is not done until the end of the next decade," Qui-gon sobs with a laugh and scoops Obi-wan even higher into his arms and away from the floor and the Kriffar.

The ginger laughs delighted though he's red with embarrassment.

"The decade's over, let go!" Shouts Bant who unexpectedly tugs Obi-wan out and away from his master's embrace with a forceful pull.

"Oomph!" They lose their breath as they crash to the ground, Obi-wan splatting over his friend- who he has a small moment to realize has more body muscle than he currently does, which had never happened before.

Before they know it, Obi-wan and Bant are being dogpiled. First by an over-eager Quinlan, then Reeft and Garen. Even proper, quiet, Luminara throws herself to the floor beside them, her gentle face streaked with tears and smiling. She brushes his hair back tenderly and he can't help but cry even harder. He can feel them, he can touch them, but more importantly, he can feel them in his mind too. Where emptiness had consumed him for so, so long, even after the collar had been removed, there is now light and connection and love. He'd been alone in the Force for so long he'd forgotten what it felt like. He'd forgotten what it felt like not being alone. Knowing everything was connected in the Force yet having no one reach out to him.

His happiness is too much, so much that the weight of his reality turns it into sadness and his sobs turn dark. He feels too much.

"Stop," he wishes quietly. "Please stop."

Time blurs a bit for him until he's more out of his body than in it. When he recovers his sense of awareness and self, he's not particularly sure how long he's been like this. Obi-wan blinks a couple of times and finds that he's no longer surrounded by his friends, they now stand at a respectful distance with guilty looks on their faces for the unintended discomfort they caused him. Before him his master kneels and whispers in his ear.

"It's okay dear heart, take a breath, tell me what's wrong."

"It's too much," Obi-wan repeats. His hands are shaking. When he looks up at Qui-Gon he can see understanding in his Master's eyes. Jedi, especially when they share close bonds, don't always need words to say things. Sometimes understanding just comes from out of their subtle connections. A knot untightens inside the ginger's chest because he does not have to find the words to explain what's going on, not when it's so hard to even draw breath in the first palace.

Weathered dark blue eyes close as Qui-gon places a hand on the ginger's brow. It's the first time Obi-wan notices the clothes his Master is wearing; they're travel clothes, and they look worn and dirty. He looks fresh out of a ship from a long mission.

An invisible blanket sets upon Obi-wan in the Force and the buzzing inside his mind and the prickling of his skin quiet down with Qui-gon's presence surrounding him completely. Obi-wan can breathe again. And think. He can think clearly again now. He squeezes his master's hand in thanks and conveys with his eyes what he needs to say. Qui-gon understands and nods, such has always been their way, distance and time have not changed that.

The ginger dashes up from the floor and away.

The intensity of Jango's stare becomes more apparent the closer Obi-wan comes to him. He's as tense as a bow about to snap, keeping a careful eye on his surroundings as he speaks in quiet and short answers with the present council members. When Obi-wan reaches him, Jango's brown eyes soften and he smiles, some amount of tension leaving him when he sees the ginger is no longer in distress. The Mandalorian seems happy enough for the teen all things considered.

"Masters," Obi-wan bows respectfully but Yoda quickly intercedes.

"A hug to you Grandmaster, you shall give. Worried for you, we have all been."

Obi-wan kneels with practiced ease, he's so much taller than the last time he saw Master Yoda. Before he knows it his Grandmaster is giving him as fierce a hug as his small body allows him. The feeling of the small master through the Force renews the tears in the boy's eyes, it is comfort beyond measure, care and a steadfast presence like no other he's ever felt.

"Glad I am, to have you here, safe," Yoda lets go and caresses a careful, clawed hand on his freckled cheek. There is a subtle sheen of moisture in his green eyes.

"I'm glad to be here master," Obi-wan smiles like a sun through his tears.

The ginger stands up and looks at Jango, eager to say and do so many things. But whatever words are in his mouth dry up in an instant with the Mandalorian's next statement.

"I'll be going now."

"W- what?" Obi-wan stumbles, dumbfounded.

What?

"I'm going now," Jango repeats. As if the teen hadn't heard him the first time. He says it so flippantly and normally. As if leaving Obi-wan here was just a business transaction.

"You can't go," the boy protests against the absurd notion before he can figure out what's coming out of his mouth. His face is having a hard time deciding whether anger or distress is the appropriate response.

Jango side-eyes the members of the council and shifts in his place. Then sighs.

"You're home now, Red," the man shrugs. As if that relates in any way to the current situation. More to the point, who even is this man? This stoic man without emotion in his eyes.

He feels the gentle brush of a steady Force presence and distantly registers the Council members giving them space.

"I- so soon?" Obi-wan fumbles for something to say, neither his anger nor distress doing anything helpful for him at the moment.

"That's right," Jango nods and takes a small step back.

"Wait," Obi-wan takes a larger step toward the man. "You-" But there's nothing he can think to say. There's nothing in his mind he can grip for and Jango's eyes are so very blank. He shudders out the breath with which he hoped to say something meaningful towards the Mandalorian, anything at all to stop whatever was happening right now.

"Jango-" he croaks in lieu of anything else.

The Mandalorian sighs, and there it is! There in the softening of his eyes is Jango.

For a very strange, though small moment, Obi-wan had felt as if perhaps, all this time he had imagined a different Jango than the one who actually was. For one terrifying moment, he'd thought he'd fooled himself into seeing kindness, again, where there was none at all. And then Obi-wan sees more as the slight haze of desperation clears from his eyes.

Jango, just like him, doesn't know what to say or do either.

The Mandalorian extends his hand at the boy.

"Ret'urcye mhi," Jango says sincerely.

·~·~·~·

"Ret'urcye mhi." For the second time in too short a time, Obi-wan does not reach for his hand. He looks at Jango distrustfully, at his hand with some measure of disgust or betrayal. Instead, this time it is he that takes a step back from the man. It hurts for a moment, but resolve comes into the Mandalorians' brown eyes as he looks intently at the ginger.

"Oh, come here you stubborn bastard," Jango says as he grabs Obi-wan by the shirt and pulls him into a fierce hug.

"Stubborn bastard? Stubborn bastard?" The ginger asks with wet incredulity, tears threatening to fall again. "What about you then?! What does that make you?" And there is fury there in his voice. Good. Jango needs to know that the quiet fire of Obi-wan will still be there once he's gone.

"Obi-wan," and at this the teen stills. There is strength in the man's voice, but the way he says the Jetii's name is soft. Jango rests the side of his face against the soft hair of the boy and squeezes him a bit more.

The teen's breath stutters in and then the Mandalorian, this source of light when he had none at all, leans down and places his lips close to the ginger's ear.

"I'm going to tell you something," Jango says with a quiet breath. Obi-wan makes a conscious effort to let go of his turbulent feelings and clear his mind. He can tell… this is very important to Jango. "You might not know its significance now, at least I think you won't, but… I want to give this to you, for when you do know. So you may keep this with you."

Obi-wan holds tightly to the back of the Mandalorian's clothes, waiting, attentive. And in that brief moment the ginger notices the oddity of this. Jango's not wearing his helmet or most of his armour. He's got some pieces on, his blaster and his gear belt sure, but that's all. Obi-wan's so used to seeing him like this, unarmored, vulnerable, that he never stopped to think of it as strange. Jango Fett, Mandalorian and bounty hunter, without his armour at the door of the Jedi Temple. Without protection amongst Jedi.

The man breathes in.

"Ni kyr'tayl gai sa'ad," Jango says to his ear, his words are quiet enough to be private but strong enough to sound like a promise. "ner ad." He lets go of the embrace and steps back. Jango can see the puzzlement on the teen's face; the Jetii seems to understand the words but he does not truly know the weight of them. But Jango can see in his pale freckled face that some of the meaning comes through. The boy knows this is important.

As if pulled from his chest, Obi-wan is compelled to say something as well. His blue gray eyes don't let go of his.

"The real illusion… is to think we are separate," the Jetii says.

Jango closes his eyes and nods solemnly, pain panging in his heart like there's a hand squeezing there. He opens his eyes and nods one more time, strongly now. Without further fanfare he turns his back to the house of the Jetii and walks back to The Fury.

"Wait!" Obi-wan's hand shoots out lightning fast and grabs at his wrist in a tight grip. When Jango turns to look at him, the ginger's eyes are bluer than he's ever seen them before, big and pleading. "Stay, please. Come inside, I- I can show you around. You- you can help me tell our tale. I-" he smiles shakily, struggling to find a suitable reason or excuse that'll make him stay. Jango's heart aches. Our tale, our tale. "I'm sure it's going to be hard for me to tell on my own-"

"Red-" Jango sighs tiredly and the flimsy smile falls.

"Just a while, just- Just stay for a day!" The Mandalorian starts trying to pull away from the teen's grip, but gently. The boy holds on tighter. "A night! Ah- a an hour, less! Whatever you want. Just don't go yet."

"You can't have it both ways kid," Jango almost hisses incredulously.

"Why not?" Obi-wan spits, fire in his eyes and it has to make the Mando wonder where this boy had been throughout their whole journey. Headstrong and demanding things from him. Desperate times indeed…

"Aren't you Jetii supposed to be all about letting go?" The Mandalorian asks, covering his face with his free hand and rubbing at his tired features.

"This is not letting go. This is- This is you wanting to walk away, because- because… Old pain and- and wounds that could never heal. You're the one who can't let go. And- I'm not saying you should! Just- Well- you- You're letting go for the wrong reasons!"

Jango makes a conscious decision to ignore everything the boy just said about his pain and why he's doing this. He chooses an easier route.

"We're just different people Obi-wan, you know this," he lets him down gently as he would a small child. Then he takes the teen's wrist and pries it off his own a little more forcefully. "And you can't have it both ways."

Tears fall from his blue gray eyes. It's like he just destroyed something inside the teen. Jango's own eyes are burning, but this is for the best.

"You…" Obi-wan's voice cracks as he tries to speak once more. The Mando is already balancing back, his boots are ready to return to The Fury. Ready to go back to his home and far away from this wretched place. "Jango…"

And the ginger's quiet voice stops the man in his step because… Obi-wan says his name just like Jango had said the boy's. Full of significance, steady and soft.

"You don't have to let go of me," Obi-wan says simply, eyes sad. In them, the man can see the depth of the boy, there is wisdom there that frightens him, understanding of who the Mando is as a person. "Will you stay?" He asks one last time and takes the man's tan hand in his own.

Jango scoffs out a laugh, pierced right through his very center. He feels the heat of the fading sun on his face and he turns away from Obi-wan's understanding face to look at the horizon. The star is just on its last minutes, the height of the Jedi Temple graces them with more light time than would be otherwise possible in a monstrous metropolis like this one. The sky is streaked with saturated oranges and deep purples and soft pinks sprawled here and there. Grace hidden within a violent world of color.

Jango smiles ruefully at the horizon. The boy is right. Sunsets are quite beautiful in Coruscant.

He sighs and looks back at Obi-wan.

"Okay."

Mando'a:

· Osik: Dung, shit

· Ret'urcye mhi: Goodbye - lit. Maybe we'll meet again.

· Ni kyr'tayl gai sa'ad: Adoption vow, lit. I know your name as my child.

· Ner ad: My child

Abril: TA-DA! C'est fini!

I struggled SO BAD to decide what Jango would do at the end, if he'd go inside or not (which for as small as it seems, to me it made a huge difference). I couldn't decide what ending to choose until not so long ago, it's actually the reason why I originally intended to do 3 different endings for this story XD Boy has it been a long journey.

LSD FIC NEWS:

There WILL more entries to this story, 3 one-shots that will FOR SURE be posted that connect with LSD. The one with Satine is in the finishing stages, I imagine I'll be posting that shortly. So, if you want to be updated on those follow me or keep an eye open (:

There's a possible sequel though I'm not sure if it's worthy of pursuing, I'm still debating on that. It would take place like 5 years after this and have way more Qui-gon (which I know not everyone's a fan of). I dunno what to do yet, would you guys be interested in that?

But for now, I think I'm in need of a break from this universe to focus on my Merlin fic that I've been working on for a while (It's very self-indulgent, and if anyones' into Merlin and Avengers, I would really appreciate a read. IT'S BETTER THAN IT SOUNDS I SWEAR.).

But to be honest, there's a lot of things I should be focusing on, my poor unfinished Frozen stories, or my Firefly AU, or that series of one-shots I wrote about Obi-wan, Beru and Owen, or, you know, just ANY of my multiple wips….

(,,,,,: I'm fine I swear.

Please, please, please let me know what you think of the story (,: I've never done anything so big and ambitious, this was all new territory for me. I'm like… quite proud of myself (,: