Dragonsconsort: gotta love mystery ;)

Loopstagirl: yayy! Sorry for the long time in between updates and stuff, but I just started college again recently so things are a little crazy right now! But thank you- I thought the idea of Obi and Qui having a snowball fight was pretty cute 

Xaja Silversheen: I could never kill our darling Obi! I love him too much for that! And yeahh Qui-Gon spends a lot of time being introspective, time he could spend actually getting out and looking for Obi :P

ObiBettina7: yay thank you! The mysterious person will be revealed… I hope everyone likes them. The first time I wrote this story people were thrilled about how I had the person be… I hope you guys like it this time around as well!

Angel Wings- 008: I'm so glad you liked the juxtaposition (I hope that's the right word haha) of the snowball/pain scene! Thank youu!!

TheMacUnleashed: Thank you, that was exactly the effect I was going for! I'm so incredibly happy that it came through, and you enjoyed it!

Jessy85: Thank you so much for your incredibly sweet review! I was honestly a little nervous that the snowball memory/Obi pain part wouldn't come out how I wanted it to, but I'm so glad that it worked out! Your review made me so happy! 

LilBrit03: I don't know why people like me enjoy torturing Obi-Wan… he's such a sweet boy! Haha and thank youuu so much! I'm really really glad you enjoyed it!

Mirialin moon: here is the next part for you! :)

I'm sorry this took so long to get out to you guys! As I said I have my first week of classes here at college again, so things were a little hectic! I'm sorry that this is sort of a filler chapter of sorts, but I will update soon. Thank you sooo much for your reviews, everyone! 3

PART 4

The man that had spoken leaned against a side of his own cell's wall. The cold surface chilled his back, soothing the old and new scars that marred the pale skin. He had been in this place for so long that the hours had slipped into days that he had long lost track of. He had seen and heard the terrible things that the Dark Shadow, as he was called, had done to prisoners. But he had never seen any other prisoner take the pain as stoically and determinedly as the boy in the next cell did.

The man could remember the first day that the young Jedi had been dragged in. It had been during their free hour, which was a slot of time given to the prisoners once a month in which they were moved from their tiny cells into another larger room. There they were allowed to stretch their weary legs and even talk amongst themselves, though the guards always stood close by with weapons in case the fatigued prisoners tried to revolt or escape. No one besides him had even tried.

He remembered seeing the boy, but he had looked so different then than he did now. The young Jedi had been a handsome man in his late teens, with hair that had been the closest to sun the prisoners had seen in a long time. He had worn the traditional sand-colored robes of the Jedi, not the tattered remnants of the tunic that hung loosely off his body now.

He had been lean and muscular, with a grace that seemed born of a quiet yet insurmountable internal strength. It had been obvious just by watching him struggle that he did not give up easily, even when the odds were pitted firmly against him. They guards had hit him hard with their long staffs just to get him under control, and the weapon made such a sickening sound that even a few of the guards flinched. The young Jedi hadn't even winced.

It took the hooded captors a long time to break him, and he was here for many a night before the first whimper of pain escaped through his lips. He had been stronger than most thought imaginable, for all the other prisoners found themselves crying out in agony within their first few days of capture. Of course time was irrelevant to the man and his fellow prisoners- for the sun never truly shone. Day brought only a lightened darkness, and so they were always plunged in merciless shadows.

The Jedi had looked so young, and yet so strong when he had first been brought it, the man thought. The man slowly hoisted himself on his feet, and looked back over through the little hole in the wall that connected him to the Jedi. He saw the young man, and thought that he would have to find out his name for sure. He had to be wrong… how would he get himself into a place like this?

But thinking back to the day the boy was brought in, the man could not help but remember the thing that would always stick out in his mind- the boy's eyes. They had been a luminous sea-blue, and the man had almost had to shield his eyes from their brightness, so unused to light was he.

In all his lifetime, he had seen only one set of eyes that were identical to the boy's that was unconscious in the cell next to his. He could only be one person- though it was highly improbable, he tried to tell himself. But his heart did not believe in that logic, and the man always believed his heart.

The man laid down on the uncomfortable floor, and allowed his mind to race forwards in a mixture of excitement, and apprehension.

Tomorrow was their free hour, where all the prisoners were allowed some time to stretch and speak to one another. This luxury was in no way given to them out of kindness, and the temporary freedom was as much a curse as it was a blessing. They were allowed out in order to replenish their minds and bodies so that when their captor beat them later, whether it be that day or the week after, it would be even more pleasant for him.

The man closed his eyes, and thought once again to the Jedi in the cell next to him. Tomorrow he would speak to the young man, and find out who he was. And if he was who he believed, then hope would be renewed. Or it could just as easily be dashed away. This was the last thought that crossed his mind as the man slipped into an uneasy slumber.

*******

Morning came too quickly for Obi-Wan's taste. Although it was only marginally lighter in the cell than it had been a few hours ago, his instincts told him that it was day. He rolled over onto his stomach briefly, pushing himself up with shaking arms, and using the wall for support of his weakened legs. He slipped into a restless and distracted meditation as he waited for the Dark Shadow to come, as he usually did.

But Obi-Wan was surprised when someone different entered his cell. He was probably a servant to the Dark Shadow, clothed in garments of dark blue, with a thick hood covering his features. The servant grasped him roughly by the arms and dragged Obi-Wan out of the cell, bringing the young Jedi to a room he had never seen before.

There were multiple windows in this room, and Obi-Wan had to blink rapidly to accustom his eyes to the sudden glare of the light. The ground was formed of the same ruthless steel that donned his own cell, and it glinted against the glow of the sun. There was no furniture, save for a few hard boxes that some people were sitting on. The servant threw him into the room, without speaking a word, and locked the door soundly behind him.

Obi-Wan managed to catch himself by his arms, wincing as his dislocated shoulder protested painfully. He slowly brought himself up into a standing position, his body trembling slightly. When he finally raised his head, he noticed many pair of eyes on his own, taking him in with equal parts curiosity and concern. Obi-Wan noticed that there were many people in the room, though he found it too difficult to even count them all, but he saw that they all had hungered looks of desperation on their faces.

One older woman stared at him kindly, with a concern that softened her deep brown eyes. "Are you alright, boy?" she asked, eyeing him worriedly.

Obi-Wan's lips moved and words stumbled out of his mouth, his voice rougher than he had remembered it being. "Yes, ma'am," he responded, even as he wavered on his feet slightly.

The man who had watched him yesterday got to his feet quickly, abandoning the block of cement he was resting upon. He said nothing, but moved suddenly as he felt and saw the Jedi's strength dissolve.

Obi-Wan's breath suddenly came short, and he reflexively gasped. A numbness overtook every feeling, every sensation in him. His could feel the blood draining from his face, and he grew pale. The people in front of him melded together in his dizzied haze, and the difference between a person and a wall grew indistinguishable.

The man ran across the room to Obi-Wan, who was beginning to waver even more. The last thing Obi-Wan felt was unconsciousness rushing towards him, and the feel of falling into something much softer than the hard ground.

The old woman let out a little cry as she saw the young Jedi fall, but before she could blink again, a man had appeared suddenly at his side and had caught him. He carried Obi-Wan over to a clean part of the floor, and laid him down gently. The boy's chest was barely moving, and the trace of exhalation under his nose was faint.

The woman put her hand gently on Obi-Wan's chest, and tried to feel a heartbeat. It was slow, and yet in a way that it should not have been, it was steady. She noted that his ribs poked out through pale skin, and that they might be fractured, or even broken, which would attribute to his difficulty in breathing. She put her frail hand on his forehead, and the heat assailed her palm. One of the wounds on his head opened, and blood trickled down the unconscious man's forehead.

The man who had caught Obi-Wan held out his hand and caught the blood, watching it roll of his finger slowly, contemplatively. He then ran his other hand through his own dark, grubby hair. The old woman called over a younger woman who looked to be in her late twenties. The young woman bent down and put her lips to Obi-Wan's, and started breathing, following the traditional steps of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Shadows of movement and voices echoed around in Obi-Wan's head as he felt air start to circle again in his weakened lungs. He gasped as breath started to come to him again, renewing him once more. His dark eyelashes fluttered open slowly, groggily.

The man that had caught the young Jedi stepped back in surprise as he was met with the eyes he knew he could not mistake.

Obi-Wan eyes focused on the man, and he studied his face momentarily before recognition hit him head-on. His eyes widened in surprise and he could do nothing but stare for a moment. With all the strength he had in him, he pushed himself up into a sitting position, so he would not be looking up at the man from his back, The hauntingly familiar features became sharp and came into view. The raven black hair, the ice blue-eyes… the scar on his cheek.

Obi-Wan could only breathe out one word.

"Xanatos."