Qui-Gon's thoughts were racing. This couldn't be the same ginger haired man with the friendly eyes that would change colour every so often, who accompanied him for twelve years now. This man was the shell of a bright child. A child that had lost his Path, just as Xanatos had, a child that had shed his innocents and light by killing a defenceless creature, a child that seemingly had turned to the dark side.
At this thought the young man turned around abruptly, stormy grey eyes met midnight blue ones.
"Obi-Wan," began the long haired man and slowly approached the distraught male before him. The grey eyes followed his every move and it almost seemed as if the younger male was in some kind of trance. Qui-Gon suddenly had a bad feeling in his gut, but he ignored the whispered warnings of the Living Force and reached out to the younger Jedi, who immediately snapped out of his trance and hastily stepped away.
"Don't touch me!" he growled with a voice that didn't sound like himself at all.
"Padawan-"the older Jedi tried to soothe, but the obviously distraught man interrupted him, "Stop calling me that!"
Qui-Gon forced himself to remain calm, "But that's what you are. You are a Padawan, a learner of the Force, my apprentice!"
The younger man's eyes narrowed and Qui-Gon could have sworn he saw a tint of yellow in them.
"Am I really Master?" the last word was emphasised in a taunting manner.
Qui-Gon was taken aback by the question and it took him a moment to form a reply, "Of course you are! What makes you say such things?"
He was approaching the younger man again, but Obi-Wan just stepped further back with every step the taller man took.
"Stay away from me!" cried the young Jedi, his now blue eyes filling with tears.
"Obi-Wan, what is it Padawan mine?" Qui-Gon was greatly worried now. What was the matter with his apprentice? Something was really amiss here. Such display of emotions was so unlike his Padawan, who normally was a very controlled and balanced man. But now even the Force around the man was highly distraught and moving strangely, almost as if another Force signature had merged with Obi-Wan's.
"It's nothing," he mumbled as a reply and turned his face away from Qui-Gon.
"I can clearly see that something is bothering you, Padawan and if I am to help you, you have to tell me what it is."
A single tear rolled down the younger man's cheek and he turned back around to face his Master, but it seemed as if he actually didn't see the tall Jedi before him. His eyes were unfocused and he seemed to gaze right through the person before him.
Qui-Gon reached out to wipe away the tear, but once more Obi-Wan snapped out of his trance and literally fled from him. Only vaguely did the Jedi Master register that they were slowly moving towards the shielded entrance.
A wave of fear emitted from the young man and suddenly Qui-Gon was hit with the revelation that a battle was raging in his Padawan, a conflict that could determine his whole future.
Someone was playing with his mind. That was the only explanation Obi-Wan could find. Where did all this hate come from and why wasn't he able to release his feelings into the Force?
At first it hadn't bothered him to collect the feelings, but now they were overwhelming him and the worst part was that they were all directed at his Master and Anakin. The voice that mumbled in his mind didn't help either, "You are nothing more than an apprentice for him, a hindrance for him to train the Chosen One. Why don't you just leave him? Give him the freedom he so desperately craves for and look for another, more powerful Master!"
The voice was corrupting him, blinding him, possessing him, but he could do nothing to fight it. He was almost helpless, the fight had tired him out and then there was the blood loss, which Qui-Gon hadn't even noticed.
"No!" scolded the young man himself mentally, "Don't give that voice, whoever it might be, another reason to break my bond with my Master."
"But wouldn't that be better for all? Your Master would be happy and you could find a more suitable Master," the cold voice continued.
He forcefully shook his head to get rid of the voice and the dark presence around him and looked up, only to be met by the hurt gaze of Qui-Gon. The young Jedi suddenly felt guilt join his emotional turmoil. He hadn't wanted to hurt Qui-Gon, or had he?
The young Jedi took a slow breath and felt a tear escape his eyes. The taller man stepped forward again and reached out and Obi-Wan instinctively dodged it and walked further towards his only exit.
What the Sith was possessing him like this? His mind told him that Qui-Gon was a threat, yet his heart earned after the Master's help and guidance. But the tall Jedi stayed oblivious to Obi-Wan's cries for help through their shared bond. In fact, the older man had completely closed the bond on his side, making it impossible for Obi-Wan to reach him.
"See? Your Master is already doing everything to get rid of you. Face it boy, your Master is tired of you, he doesn't care at all about you!" the voice said in his head.
"Obi-Wan," at his Master's stern and commanding tone, Obi-Wan looked up and was able to focus, "you are going to tell me what the Sith is wrong with you!"
The voice spoke up again, "Total obedience, no freedom for you. A life as the slave of a Master who doesn't want you, is this really the life you want to live?"
"No," Obi-Wan mumbled.
"Care to repeat that?" Qui-Gon required and Obi-Wan felt the obvious irritation that radiated from the tall man.
The young man closed his eyes for a moment, before straightening himself up and looking determined in his Master's eyes.
"No!" he repeated, louder this time.
Qui-Gon looked startled for a moment, until something akin to anger rose in the man and Obi-Wan automatically fled further until his back touched the wall.
The tall man's expression turned stoic and his eyes narrowed, a sign that he was greatly annoyed or displeased and Obi-Wan had no doubt that the Jedi Master's displeasure was because of him.
For a moment it seemed as if the two males would just stand there, continuing to stare at each other until one of them would yield. But then Qui-Gon seemed to have made a decision, because with long powerful steps, he approached the younger man and this time, Obi-Wan was sure about it, he would not stop.
He desperate tried to get the young man's attention, but Obi-Wan was too far away to react to any of his calls. The Jedi Master did not dare to move, he feared that the young man would run and slip away. Yet he couldn't just stand by and watch this young child suffer, Obi-Wan was his Padawan after all, even though it looked as if the ginger haired man doubted his position.
"But why would he do that?" Qui-Gon asked himself mentally, "He hadn't been acting like this at the beginning of this mission. He started behaving this way when we exited the temple, shortly before our departure to Naboo…" It suddenly hit the older man, Obi-Wan had misinterpreted his words. "By the Force, what have I done?"
The tall Jedi cleared in his throat and said in a stern and commending voice, "Obi-Wan, are going to tell me what the Sith is wrong with you!"
The boy's eyes showed pain, before uncertainty and a hint of shock shone through them, probably due to the harsh tone. Then he turned his gaze away again and mumbled something Qui-Gon couldn't catch.
"Care to repeat that?" the older Jedi required, watching his Padawan carefully.
After a moment of silence Obi-Wan apparently found his inner centre again, because with new determination and confidence he said, "No!"
Qui-Gon was startled. His Padawan had never refused him before and now it was the older Jedi's turn to take a deep breath. He concentrated on the bond and only then did he realize that he had closed the bond. He quickly reopened it and reached for the younger man's mind, but was only met with cold and dark resistance, nether of these two belonging to the young Jedi in training. Qui-Gon suddenly knew what was happening to his apprentice, especially since the echo of a plead for help was still echoing through the bond.
Anger arose in the long haired man, which caused his young counterpart to stumble away from him, the previous braveness forgotten. Somebody was playing with Obi-Wan's mind and Qui-Gon would not allow this. With long and powerful steps he approached the slightly trembling form of the twenty-five year old.
