Today had been wearying to say the least. By the time the ship had arrived back at Coruscant, he wanted nothing more than to peel off the sweaty robes he wore, bathe and sleep.

He was optimistic however. He had always been taught that the Light can only be known in the presence of true darkness and in the moment he had lost Qui Gon, the world may as well have been pitch black. He had given over much of his meditation to questions. He wondered why the Jedi were not allowed to form attachments; surely it was his love that Qui Gon that kept him here, to defeat the Dark Side of the Force. What else had kept him from simply taking himself from this world when the light left his master's eyes. He was reminded then; Anakin.

Now, lying here amongst soft sheets, he knew himself to be selfish. He was no longer a boy, his family were the Jedi order and Qui Gon had been the only loss he had ever known. It hurt his heart when he knew that such a young child had just left his family and his home to be taken under the care of strangers. Strangers who did not love him or care for him; who saw him as a vital piece of a very elaborate chess game.

He had taken the boy to the rooms they were both to share; watched him clean his teeth and gestured to the room where he would now sleep. Who was he but the strange man who had taken him from his mother? How could a child understand that he was no longer suppose to love and would never again be loved? Obi Wan realised then that life is hard and he loved Qui Gon enough to be glad he no longer had to suffer it all.

He heard the voice of uncertainty and sadness in his mind saying 'Master' and his heart ached. Upon hearing it again, however, he realised the voice was not from his own thoughts. He sat up, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the dark. The boy stood at the foot of his bed, looking small and wary.

Obi Wan imagined he ought to scold the boy and send him away, to demonstrate that obedience was key. Perhaps he could be kinder and take him back to his room and bid him goodnight. But he did neither of these things. Instead he slipped from under the covers, knelt in front of the boy and pulled him into a hug.

"M'sorry," he heard and felt the boy mumble into his shoulder. His hand gently held his head, the soft hair that would soon be cut into a Padawan braid.

"It's alright," he said softly. "It's alright to be sad."

Anakin pulled back a little but Obi Wan still kept his hands on his shoulders.

"Are Jedi ever sad?"

Obi Wan could only vaguely remember a time when he hadn't been.

"When it is necessary," he said diplomatically. "But we learn to control our emotions."

"Is being lonely an emotion," Anakin asked with an innocence that startled Obi Wan for a moment. He started to lose feeling in his legs from kneeling this way and so he moved to sit on the bed, inviting the boy to sit beside him.

"It fades with time."

"Are you sad that you have to train me?"

"No, Anakin. I'm very glad, in fact, I'm honoured. You will be a very powerful Jedi."

"Oh."

"You sound displeased," Obi Wan laughed, perplexed by this little creature. He simply shrugged and then yawned heavily. Obi Wan was about to suggest his return to bed when the boy started to bury himself amongst the sheets twisted at the bottom of the bed. It only took a moment before faint sounds of snuffling could be heard.

Watching for a moment, Obi Wan took a moment to decide what kind of mentor that he would be to the child. He told himself that if it was in the child's nature to love then it would be counter intuitive to go against this and so he should play it to their advantage. He was lying to himself though. In truth, he wanted the boy to love him and to give Anakin the love that Qui Gon had given him. Because after all these years, many battles and much meditation, Obi Wan had come to one conclusion.

Loneliness, although something we feel, is not an emotion. It is as when you feel the heat of the sun or the water in your hand. And just as with the sun, too much can burn. As with water, too much and you will drown.