You guys get a slightly longer one today, lucky you. I apologise in advance for the delay in any posts, I am not a particularly productive writer at the best of times, and have really only managed to produce this due to holidays. The rest of this story is mostly written however, and you should have the last two chapters coming along shortly - provided I can finish them to any satisfaction.
Please read and revew - it is salt to my butter and cherries to my cheesecake
Best fishes
Mylirial.
44 BBY
The thrum of the training sabers forms a foundation in the junior padawan dojo. Today the rounded room has been set up to allow one on one duelling over several raised platforms and climbing frames.
Obi-wan gives a short bow to the aged Klatooinian Master leaning against the outer wall. Master Lo's padawan Saufi is a Balosar roughly the same age as Anakin, and the two masters watch their respective padawans engage in an intense, and extremely physical duel.
Anakin is acquitting himself well, tremendously well against an opponent who learned the basics of Form I at the age of 4. It is impossible not to feel an – albeit dampened- sense of pride at how far his padawan has come in four years. He tries to dampen the thought, surely it is unworthy of a Jedi master, but he has not been a master long enough to maintain his serenity. or indeed to stop the warmth of his pride lap the edges of their bond.
Anakin, alerted in the Force, spares them a brief look, and the grin he gives his master is the most brazen a fourteen-year-old boy can muster. Obi-Wan manages to keep his composure, and merely raises an eyebrow, and the grin is punctuated by renewed ferocity as the boy chases his opponent over one of the larger frames. Neither boy has reached their full height or strength, and their slight forms allow them great agility, but Saufi has not been running from slavers his whole life, and soon finds himself backed into a corner, wedged between the wall a plasteel box several feet above the ground and about 6 square feet deep.
Saufi crouches low, his eyes flicking left and right, judging distance and height. Anakin paces carefully, staring down his opponent, teeth bared. Both boys are breathing heavily. He does not allow the other to regain his breath for long. A short clash of sabers and Saufi, in a moment of quick thinking, has sought refuge on the box itself.
Master Lo lets his breath out through his teeth. Obi-Wan's eyebrows quirk. Saufi now has the benefit of elevation, and Anakin will find it hard to attack even from such a small variation. He leans forward again, curious to see how his padawan will wriggle his way out of this predicament.
Saufi inclines his head and gives a wide armed salute to his opponent, though his comment is lost amid the noise of other battles. Anakin merely continues his careful pacing, looking up at the taunting adolescent. He has little time before Saufi will use the advantage to rain down on him from above.
Obi-Wan sees his stance change infinitesimally, his knee turning in, and foot moving ever so slightly towards the other as he braces himself. Obi-wan is suddenly standing quite straight, sees movement as Master Lo mirrors his own tense pose, realising what the boys are going to attempt.
Padawan Saufi is better trained than the temples oldest acolyte, his ability to adjust better honed, so his feet leave the ground only half a second after Anakin's.
Anakin tucks his feet into his chest, neatly turning into a somersault to carry him up and over, to land behind Saufi. It would have been surprisingly well executed, but both padawans have misjudged the distance, and over propelled themselves with the Force. Saufi's jump is open, his back arched to twists over his opponent's head. Instead, the boys collide in mid-air, arms and legs akimbo, and crash into the ground below. Obi wan is already moving as he sees his padawan land unevenly on his shoulders, and he hears Anakin's head make impact with the polished wooden floor.
Master Lo runs to help his padawan to his feet, a flare of pain from the boy echoes around the room. Saufi has landed on open his hand awkwardly, and whimpers has he cradles his right arm with his.
There is no anger in Master Lo's voice; mishaps are common amongst padawans, treated as innocent accidents, and a good master turns every accident into a lesson. It seems that Padawan Saufi will learn his lesson well, once his visit to the healers has mended his broken wrist.
Obi-wan finds it hard to be so serene as he crouches beside his briefly inert padawan, checking his head for damage. That particular jump is haunted by memories of a black hole and wide, flaming red eyes. Anakin opens his eyes and looks up. He groans.
"Master, my head." His eyes roll back.
Anakin sits on the low cot in the healer's ward, his head leaning on his hand. He looks up briefly as Obi-Wan walks out of the consultation room, before returning his gaze to examine the white marble like surface. Obi-Wan takes a seat next to his padawan and takes a breath. His prolonged silence is unnerving the boy.
"Padawan Saufi will be fine, and the Master Che has released us, but we're to return if you feel the urge to sleep in the next three hours."
Anakin continues to study his reflection, but there is a wry note when he speaks. "If Saufi hadn't run into me that jump would have been wicked, Master."
Obi-Wan studies his own hands for a few moments. He is in no mood to respond with his usual dry wit. It has been a 12 month since he last caught his padawan duelling training droids painted suspiciously to match the fierce features of a Zabrak warrior, but he fears that despite his warnings, this latest incident is a continuation.
"It was a very foolish thing to attempt Padawan," He says quietly.
Anakin is stilled by this remark, and he knows that it has hit the boys soft, often hidden underbelly. Anakin looks down, chewing his lip. Something ugly creeps over their bond, settling like dark fog.
Obi-Wan sighs, then turns and kneels before his padawan. It will not be long before he is outstripped by the youth in height, but he retains the advantage while ever Anakin is sitting down.
"It's what you did." Anakin does not cry anymore, but he is hurt, and nowadays his hurt becomes anger all too quickly. The dark fog threatens to become a thunder cloud, erupting behind the boys angry eyes as he looks at his master.
Obi-Wan sighs, placing hand on the boys shoulder, schooling his tone into gentleness. It takes effort, "Any saber master worth their salt will tell you that to attempt an aerial over an armed opponent's head at any height is liable to get you impaled."
"I just thought," Anakin breaks the gaze and looks down again, "I've seen you do it enough times in the holovid, and it worked for you so…Look I just wanted to try."
Precedent go to hells, that blasted security footage was going to be the death of him, he ought to have made sure it was destroyed the first time he heard of it. Obi-Wan passes a hand over his brow. "Anakin, what I did…was also foolish." He grips Anakin's shoulder tighter, "Listen to me. That footage is of one moment Anakin, one moment in which not jumping meant certain death, and jumping meant probable death. it shouldn't have worked. I think if …he hadn't been so surprised, I wouldn't have…" he trails off. What would have happened if Maul hadn't been surprised, if Qui-Gon hadn't been lying, dying, right out of his eyesight?
Fire, raging, He feels cold. The black maw devours him.
Release.
Anakin is looking at him now, the sullenness in his face touched by concern from the brief distress he has sensed running along their bond. Anakin is too attuned for one so young. Obi-Wan takes his hand from the boy's shoulder and braces himself with it on the plasteel bench.
"Padawan don't take one foolish moment as your example. Do not attempt that move again, for my sake."
Anakin gnaws his lip again, but a personal appeal has always worked better than giving orders. "Yes master," He says quietly.
The thing between them moves off, slinking off their bond to hide in the darkness again.
Anakin looks up, fully now, and gives his master a grin.
"It would have worked if Saufi hadn't jumped too."
Obi-Wan pushes his concern down, and tries not to let it cross their bond. He brushes imaginary dust off his padawan's knee and gives what he hopes is a reassuring smile.
"Come, you owe Saufi an apology for his broken wrist."
Anakin's face falls in outrage, "But Master it wasn't my fault! He ran into me!"
Obi-Wan tows his recalcitrant padawan out of the healing ward, good-naturedly arguing all the way to Master Lo's quarters.
He has always hated that footage.