AN: Do you like slow burn stories? ME TOO! Let's get this puppy started.

Chapter 8: Homecoming

The next few days, everyone in the Jedi Temple, from the younglings to the High Council, was asking the same question:

What do you do with a Padawan that has slain a Sith Lord?

Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon had been found by a rescue team sent by Padmé not long after the fateful duel had ended. The battle had been won, and the young Queen took no time at all in making certain the people she cared for were safe. The Council had been contacted, and by the time the rescue team had dragged the Jedi to the palace, a medical shuttle was ready to expedite them back to Coruscant.

The two Jedi were both laid out on beds in the medbay, both of them flitting in and out of consciousness as they were treated. A nervous Anakin Skywalker spent his time on the ship fretting over the badly wounded Qui-Gon, and looking in awe at the four lightsabers that were collected at the scene.

News traveled faster than the ship, and by the time Obi-Wan returned to the Temple, he was already a legend. He exited the shuttle gripping the edge of the floating medical bed Qui-Gon was in, and within minutes he was set upon by Jedi Master Luminara, who wasted no time in wrapping her arms around him.

"Are you alright?" She asked, blue eyes concerned, and the Padawan nodded. She started to lead him away, but his hand was closed tightly on Qui-Gon's bed. "Obi-Wan, please."

"I'm not leaving him."

"He will be fine. There is nothing you can do for him right now." Kenobi was resolute and did not move. Luminara sighed. "Please, we need to get you somewhere private. The Council wants to see you."

"I don't want to see them."

The Master sighed, looking at the tired young man, and she stood closer to him. "They are already beginning to stare, Padawan." His blue eyes snapped up, looking around the hall, and sure enough, there were Jedi everywhere. A large group of curious younglings, small groups of Initiates, his fellow Padawans, even Knights and the odd Master ware all standing around, whispering excitedly and pointing at him. He could feel himself blush up to his ears, and Luminara's plan seemed like a great one. He reluctantly let go of Qui-Gon's stretcher, and stumbled, the Mirialan Master catching him.

"Are you hurt?"

"No, just...exhausted." She nodded and put his arm around her shoulder, and he grabbed her tightly, using her for balance as they went away from the prying eyes. They slowly made their way through the halls, Kenobi shuffling his feet and stumbling occasionally, the Jedi that they passed stopping and staring as they went.

"...they're certainly nosey."

"Can you blame them?"

"I think so, yes." Luminara smiled, but said nothing. The surroundings were not terribly familiar to him. "This is not the way to the Council Chambers."

"No, it's not." She came to a door, laid her hand on the console and it hissed open. The Master led him inside a large, but sparse room, and walked him to the bed, helping him sit down upon it. The Padawan looked confused, and she softly said, "My rooms, Kenobi."

His eyebrow arched, and he smirked softly. "I do hope you're ready to deal with the scandal that's sure to come from this."

"Well, if you're clearly well enough to make a fool of yourself, perhaps you should be seeing the Council after all."

Obi-Wan flopped on to the bed dramatically. "No, Master, I think I'm fading..." Luminara chuckled softly and sat on the bed next to him.

"Do you understand what you've done?"

"Made an inappropriate sexual joke?"

"You killed a Sith Lord, Obi-Wan."

"I know, I was there."

She gripped his shoulder with a long fingered hand. "Qui-Gon, a Jedi Master, failed to kill him and you, his Padawan, not only saved his life, but killed a Sith in single combat." She felt the young man tremble slightly. "You're the first Jedi to kill a Sith in over a thousand years, Kenobi. That's why they're all looking at you, you've become famous in an instant."

"Word sure does travel fast..."

"The Naboo officials sent us the security footage. The Council has reviewed it several times. And you know how word spreads around you Padawans."

Kenobi laughed at that. "We do like to gossip." He groaned and pushed himself up to a sitting position next to the Master. "Will Qui-Gon be alright?"

"He survived the trip. I suspect so."

Obi-Wan sighed softly, his shoulders slumping in complete exhaustion. "...really, Luminara, the Council wants to see me, and you brought me to your room instead. If they're talking this much about what happened on Naboo, think how much they're going to talk about this."

"I somehow think a dead Sith Lord will overshadow their completely false romantic scenario." She stood and pulled the blankets up over him. "I want you to rest. I'll go talk to the Council and tell them you are here."

"I don't want to see them."

Luminara smiled softly. "You must, but I don't think it will be now. The Council has much to discuss. They may be too busy for even you, Obi-Wan."

"I hope so."

"I'll be back soon. Do try to rest, please. You need to replenish your energy." The Master left the room, and as silence filled the room, weariness overwhelmed the Padawan. He was more drained than he had though, and his attempts to connect with the Force were wholly unsuccessful, the energy flowing from it a mere trickle instead of the rich stream he usually felt.

Alone with his thoughts at last, Obi-Wan finally had a chance to contemplate all that had happened. The fight with the Sith Lord was illuminating, and he finally understood what was happening. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge, after all, and Kenobi felt grounded and secure in his conclusions. He had been feeling the Dark Side, had been very sensitive to it, and his focus on the pulsating chill had only made him more attuned to it. But still, the Dark Side unbalanced him, weakened him, prevented his focus by dividing his attention between the task at hand and resisting the turbulent emotions within him.

Then he fought the Sith, and in his desperation, he let the Dark Side in.

Embracing the Dark Side balanced him and connected him to the Force in a way he didn't know was possible. His anger and rage gave him focus, much like calm and serenity gave him focus before. He didn't feel corrupted, or wrong, he felt alive. Without surrendering to his emotions, he and Qui-Gon would both be dead. There was nothing to regret; power was available to him, and he reached out and took it, balanced within it, felt the Force swell within him and pulse with raw power.

This did not comply with the Code. Obi-Wan ran his hand over his face, groaning softly. Luminara had seen the security footage, but she said nothing about the fight, not really. Did she not see what fueled that fight? The Council must have seen it, sensed what was going on. He was going to be thrown out of the Order for this. On the other hand, the Jedi in the Temple were in awe of him, and Luminara said that the slaying of the Sith Lord had made him famous. Surely the attitude would be different if the Jedi Masters condemned him for the use of the Dark Side.

Did the Council not know? Was it at all possible that even the greatest Jedi in the Order couldn't tell what had happened? Could they not see the difference between being lost in the Dark Side and lost in the Light? Obi-Wan needed to see the footage. It was beginning to appear that focus just looked like focus, no matter the origins. It was possible that the origin of the Force driving the combatants could not be discerned over a video feed, and if it could, it was also possible that the overwhelming power of the Dark Side could cloud the Council's ability to see where it was coming from. And if that was the case...

It seemed likely to Obi-Wan that the Dark Side wasn't what the Jedi said it was. The Jedi Council could be wrong.

Kenobi felt relief wash over him, and as his body relaxed, he slipped into unconsciousness.


It was early afternoon when Obi-Wan awoke, the sun casting red shadows around Master Luminara's room. He breathed deeply, felt the Force flow through him, and he smiled, sitting up with ease; his muscles were a bit sore, but he felt shockingly well-rested, his connection with the Force fully re-established. He closed his blue eyes and focused on his displeasure with his Master, the anger at the situation with Anakin, and he felt the cold creep into his mind as the darkness swelled within him. With a small smirk, he banished the rage behind his tight defenses, and the dark abated. That connection was secure as well. He would have to explore this further at a later date. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.

There was a clean change of robes folded neatly at the foot of the bed, and it suddenly felt like forever since he was clean. He couldn't get out of his robes fast enough, the sweat and dirt of Naboo and the fight with the Sith clinging to him and suddenly oppressive. He stripped out of them as quickly as he could on the way to the shower.

He took his time, savoring the hot water as it took any remaining weariness out of him. He stood there long after he was done washing, letting the water run over him as he felt that, finally, his mission was over. It was nearly an hour later that he emerged and dressed in the fresh robes smiling at the softness of them. Comfort had not been a part of his life for quite some time, and Kenobi was going to damn well enjoy it while he could. And on that note, he was absolutely famished.

Obi-Wan placed his hand on the console and the door slid open, and he ran right into Jedi Master Quinlan Vos, who seemed surprised for just a moment before his mouth curled up into a devious smirk. The Padawan openly rolled his eyes.

"Kenobi!"

"Master Quinlan..."

"I was looking for Luminara." His brown eyes flashed mischievously. "Is she...decent?"

"No."

Those brown eyes laughed. "Tch, that's too bad now, isn't it?"

Obi-Wan crossed his arms. "What do you want."

"Well, I wanted to see Luminara, but quite frankly, you're far more interesting, Kenobi."

The Padawan frowned. Quinlan Vos was famous in his own right among the Jedi Masters for two very specific things. The first was his gift in psychometry, an exceptionally rare Force ability that allowed him to see the history of an object simply by touching it, a trait Obi-Wan greatly admired. The second was his reputation for bending rules, a trait that the Padawan had no patience for. It was this same trait in his own Master that he disliked, but he respected Qui-Gon, despite the rift between them. He did not respect Quinlan Vos. How the renegade Master managed to train a remarkable Padawan in the form of Aayla Secura, Obi-Wan would never know.

"Look, I'm really hungry, so-"

"Of course you are! You've been out for two days!"

"...what."

Quinlan shrugged, smirking at the young man's shock. "We did try to wake you, but the Force would have none of it and kept you."

"Kriffing Sith Hells. The Council was looking for me the day I arrived from Coruscant!"

"I know!" Vos laughed, clapping a large hand on the boy's shoulder. "They are so mad!"

Obi-Wan went tearing down the corridor, the Master's laughter echoing after him. He pushed the hunger from his mind as he entered the elevator and punched the button, rapidly tapping his foot as he waited for the lift to take him to the Council Chamber. When the elevator stopped, he rushed out and, without announcing himself or knocking, he threw open the heavy doors of the High Council with the Force and dashed into the room, breathing heavily as the eyes of all twelve Masters turned to him.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi," Mace Windu drawled, leaning back in his chair. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you, I had a lovely coma." He threw his braid over his shoulder and quickly bowed to the Masters, and they silently acknowledged him. "I apologize. I meant to come sooner, but-"

Master Yoda held up a hand, and the Padawan was silenced. "Much to discuss, we have, Obi–Wan."

Kenobi bowed his head. "Yes, I imagine we do." His mental defenses were in place, all his fears hidden safely behind them. He hoped...

"First and foremost," Master Plo Koon said softly. "Your Master Qui-Gon recovers. He hasn't come to yet, but he will be back to full health in time."

"That's...a great relief. I'm glad to hear it." His blue eyes fell to the ground, looking intently at the intricate mosaic of the floor. "I am eager to return to my training. The battle on Naboo illuminated my weaknesses."

The Jedi Masters looked at one another, some of them whispering quietly, too softly for Kenobi to hear, and he observed them carefully, his suspicions rising. "We were going to ask you about that," Mace started, leaning forward to look intently at the boy. "But we have reviewed the security footage many times. And," he growled, "despite our best efforts, there isn't a datapad in the entire Temple that doesn't have a copy of the fight."

Plo Koon's deep chuckled echoed in his respirator. "We simply do not know what to do with you, Kenobi. So young, and already a legend."

Obi-Wan looked up at the Masters, looked through the Force and found them...pleased? Impressed? Proud. No, it was all these things. They didn't sense it. He could scarcely believe it. The Master's didn't know. "I want to see."

"Difficult for you, it may be," Yoda cautioned, but Kenobi shook his head. "No, I need to see. Please, Masters." The Jedi looked to Yoda, and he silently nodded, and Obi-Wan looked to one of the walls where the footage was projected. He watched the Sith's attention snap away from Qui-Gon in that critical moment, going to pace before the energy barrier, and when it flicked off, the tempest was released, and Kenobi held his breath as he watched. It was...breathtaking, the fight swift and ferocious, the young Jedi aggressive and athletic, the blue lightsaber a blur as it repeatedly struck at the Sith.

He had been so worried before about what it looked like, given what had actually happened, but that fear was put to rest as he watched the image of himself ending the Sith menace. He thought the Masters would see the Dark Side fueling him, but all Obi-Wan saw in this was the focus of a Jedi.

"I didn't think...I mean, I knew, but..."

"The first Jedi to kill a Sith in over a thousand years," Mace mused softly. "You are a credit to the Jedi, Kenobi."

Yoda stood, slowly shuffling to the middle of the chamber to stand before Obi-Wan. "Confer on you the level of Jedi Knight, the Council does."

Blue eyes shot to the diminutive Master, shock and fear gripping him. "Excuse me?" He looked around as the Masters stood, and he quickly shook his head. "Me? Knight? What about the Trials?!"

"Kenobi, you killed a Lord of the Sith," Mace said forcefully. "Nothing in the Trials will come even close to that. To do what you have done requires one to be so in tune with the Force, only a true Jedi Knight could achieve it."

"...I-I'm not ready!"

"If you're not ready to be a Knight, nobody is."

He was afraid. He was exploring unknown territories of the Force, forbidden territories, and now he would have to do it alone. Who are you kidding, Kenobi, he chided himself. You were always going to do this alone. Qui-Gon doesn't stand behind you. He kneeled, bowing his head. "Masters, thank you. I will not let you down."

Yoda laid a hand on Kenobi's head and cut his braid, putting it in the new Knight's hand, and Obi-Wan smiled softly. This was what he wanted, after all. All his life, this was what he wanted.

"Now, as for what you will be doing next," Mace said, amused as he brought Kenobi a stack of papers. "These are all the Initiates that have written you begging to be taken as your Padawan."

"...you have got to be kidding."

Mace smirked. "As I said, Kenobi. Every datapad."

He flipped through the stack, quickly reading a few of the requests before he put the papers on the ground. "This is insane. I can't teach anyone."

"You are a Knight now, Obi-Wan. You will teach."

"I was just knighted. What makes anyone think I'm ready to have a Padawan!"

"Well, that security footage has a lot of people convinced."

Obi-Wan huffed and reached for his braid, only to remember that it was in his hand, cut from him. He'd have to develop a new nervous habit. "Masters, I still have much to learn. I think rushing into taking on a Padawan is...unwise. Hasty. I believe patience is necessary in this matter."

Yoda nodded. "Agree with you, I do, Obi-Wan. So much pain Qui-Gon would be spared, if not so fast he had run. More slowly, you must proceed."

Obi-Wan bowed his head. "I will, Master Yoda."

"What then will you do?" the ancient Master asked, and Kenobi knew just what to do.

"The man I killed was Sith, but there are always two, a Master and an Apprentice. That can't have been the Master. We need to seek out the other Sith Lord before more start cropping up."

The Masters whispered their agreement. "We have been discussing that as well," Mace said strongly, and the other Masters fell silent. "We have gathered everything we know about all of this. Jocasta Nu has everything compiled in the library."

"I want this mission, Masters," Obi-Wan said swiftly. "I need to see this through. Please, let me find the Sith."

"You just got back from a mission, Obi-Wan."

"And now I need another." He twisted his cut braid in his hand. "Let me put what I know to good use. If I won't have a Padawan, staying here seems a waste when there is work to be done." The Masters whispered among themselves for a time, and Obi-Wan shifted from foot to foot, his heart beating in excitement. He needed this. Chasing the Sith would be a good way to get away from Qui-Gon, who he still felt had cast him aside. Now that he was a knight, it seemed Anakin would get the training that Qui-Gon wanted to give him. The very thought made Obi-Wan seethe. He couldn't be here to see that, he couldn't...

"Agree with you, the Council does," Yoda finally said, and Kenobi grinned broadly.

"Thank you, Masters! I will not let you down."

"All of our information is in the library," Mace said as he eased back into his chair. "We'll send word that you're to have access to all of it."

"May the Force be with you, Obi-Wan Kenobi."

The Knight bowed and left the chamber, rode the elevator down in silence, and when he started toward the library, his chest puffed with pride. Him, a Knight. It was all he ever wanted. He couldn't keep the grin off his face as he strode down the halls, a singular thought running through his head.

I am definitely going to grow a beard.