AAAAAAAND chappie 2.
:) Thanks Jedi Ani Unduli for reviewing..
"'Ara.."
She still refuses to meet his eyes, focusing on his shoulder instead. Obi Wan sighs, and releases one of her hands to reach up and cup her cheek in his hand. "'Ara.. What's wrong?"
"Nothing," comes the unsatisfactory reply. He turns her face so she would look at him. He is surprised at the pain and grief he sees there, in her eyes. On impulse, he pulls her down into his arms. She comes willingly. He hears her sniffling into his cloak. He rocks her back and forth, murmuring into her ear.
Finally, she pulls out of his embrace, just slightly, resting her forehead on his shoulder.
"'Ara.."
"Mmm?"
"You're sure you're fine?"
No answer, this time. Obi Wan peers down at her. She stares back at him with a look that could melt Hoth. He looks back unflinchingly. She drops her gaze, instead looking at her hands, folded neatly in her lap now. "No."
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asks gently. She looks up at him hesitatingly. After a long moment, she gives a short nod.
"It's Barriss.." she begins, her voice faltering. "She.."
"Yes?" he prods her, waiting.
"She's changed. For worse."
"How?"
"She doesn't talk to me anymore. She wants her old Master back. She hates me." Luminara whispers, beginning to sniffle. "She.."
"Hmm?"
"She.. She's a different person. She doesn't care anymore. She.."
"Yes?"
For the first time, Luminara looks up at him, fiercely. "She's too far gone, Obi Wan. Don't try. It'll do you no good. It didn't help me."
With that, she bolts out of the room, into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.
Obi Wan strokes his beard, thinking about what he'd just heard. From all he knows from before, the Master/Padawan pairing had been uneasy at first, but he'd never thought it'd become so bad… He decides he needed to talk to Barriss.
But when to go? He can hear Luminara crying in the next room; he doesn't want to leave her, but he needs to talk to Barriss. Finally deciding that the latter would probably give him a better idea, and his curiosity getting the better of him, he heads out the door.
Walking along the corridor, he strides to the cafeteria. He sees Barriss sitting there eating, alone, with no sign of Anakin. He wonders where his Padawan has gone; probably to play another prank. He makes a beeline for Barriss's table, and settles himself down.
He eyes the young woman sitting across from him, eating her sandwich and totally ignoring him. She's probably not in a good mood, he decides. Best to play lightly at first.
"So. Hello, Padawan Barriss," he begins cordially.
"Mmm. Master." She acknowledges, nodding her head to him, not stopping her chewing.
"Erm.." he isn't sure how to approach the subject. Diplomatical negotiations had never been his strong point; never mind relationships.
".. Speaking of Masters, where's mine?" Barriss stops eating and looks at him, eyebrows raised in suspicion.
"She's.. busy at the moment. How are you two getting along, anyway?" he attempts, somewhat lamely.
"Fine."
"You're sure?" he emphasizes the word 'sure', certain she's telling a lie.
"Sure."
He exhales; now he can only accuse her or confront her. It was either one.
"Could you come with me.. For a moment?"
She shrugs, then nods, following him into an empty classroom stacked full of desks. He shuts the door after her. He braces himself against the door for the storm that was sure to follow. "Ok.. I've heard things aren't that.. good between you and Luminara. I would like to know what's been going on."
He breaths out again, watching her the whole time. Slowly, she narrows her eyes, and points a finger at him. "You.. I don't know what you think you are, but stay out of this! This is none of your business!"
She tries to stomp past him, but he blocks her way, having anticipated her movement. With a high flip he hadn't been predicting, she somersaults backwards on a desk, lightsaber drawn and lit, ready.
He gapes as she shoots out at him with a small holdout blaster tucked into her sleeve. The bolt misses and crashed into the door, scorching a hole in the durasteel.
From this he knows that it's set on 'kill'. He dodges, jumping up and down. He leaps onto a desk behind her. She turns, just a few seconds too late. His lightsaber is out and a flash of blue as he charges for her. She slips out of the way just in time.
He runs past her and manages to stop just in time before he hits the wall. She holds her 'saber in front of her, legs settling into a back stance.
Obi Wan scrutinizes her, figuring out that she is balancing mainly on her right, back, leg. He takes a dive, rolling close to the floor. She swipes at him with her 'saber, not entirely missing him by barely an inch. Obi Wan can smell singed flesh. His singed flesh.
Suddenly furious, he leaps up and snatches the blaster from her hand. She stares at him in shock, from the blaster he is clutching, to her now empty hand. A look of fury comes over her face. Deep, dark fury. Obi Wan is suddenly afraid, no longer ruthless as before. Luminara has taught her well, he thought. Too well.
She steps forwards, suddenly very sure of herself. Her eyes glint in the dim light, flashing a blue so eerily similar to Luminara's. Obi Wan finds himself stepping back, wary. Barriss takes a step forward, matching his. "You asked for this," she hisses, raising her lightsaber for the final blow.
Obi Wan closes his eyes, shocked at how fast he is defeated. He braces himself for a red hot flash, the welcoming blue light of the Force… It doesn't come. He opens his eyes again, seeing a quick blur flash past him, countering all of Barriss's strikes, and saving his life. Barriss gasps, and reels back, but quickly recovers, her lightsaber blazing out again. The two battle, cat and mouse, wind and calm, storm and peace. He knows only one who can do this. Luminara.
His friend continues to block, her moves becoming faster and faster. Obi Wan can no longer tell which block is hers, which strike is her opponent's.
Her green lightsaber whistles merely centimetres from his face, and cuts through the air, slicing a portion of Barriss's cloak off. Her Padawan only sneers, tossing her head and counters with a jab aimed for her Master's throat. Luminara simply twists out of the way faster than Obi Wan thought possible, and responds with a whirlwind of blows that Barriss only barely manages to block.
Barriss's Force signature abruptly changes from light to dark. Her eyes take on a tint of red, narrowing in hatred and fury. Obi Wan can feel the air chilling around them, the temperature dropping by several degrees. Luminara continues to move quickly, trying to overpower her Padawan, but the dark side is stronger. She struggles to resist the dark side's pull, staying in the light. He can feel her tiring rapidly, faced by such an ante. The dark side needs less energy than the light.
As she fights, in the eye of the storm, she locks eyes with Obi Wan. "My fight," she whispers. "My sacrifice." She breaks off eye contact with him in order to parry a new set of blows. Obi Wan forces his sluggish limbs to move, trying to stand up. He still grips the blaster in his hand, his lightsaber in the other. Barriss is so intent on killing her Master, she does not notice Obi Wan creeping up behind her.
He brings the blaster down on her head, knocking her out. She crumples to the ground, lightsaber dropping from her grasp. Luminara, exhausted, almost falls beside her. Obi Wan catches her in time, lifting her gently in his arms and settling her on the ground. He kneels down beside her, checking for injuries. He notices a few curious Jedi Knights peering in through the hole Barriss burned through the door. They can sense the power of the dark side in the room, and, not before long, Obi Wan can hear the Council coming.
He senses them through the Force before he sees them; they are not shielding. Masters Yoda, Adi Gallia, and Kit Fisto burst into the room, lightsabers held aloft. When they see the battle is already over, they shut them down and step in to investigate.
"Happened, what?" Yoda demands, looking about him. "The Dark side, I sense," he accuses, squinting at Obi Wan, who gestures at the Padawan on the ground. "Barriss attacked me, but Luminara came and stopped her in time." His eyes drop to his friend, lying on the ground before him, just barely semi-conscious.
"Obi Wan?" she murmurs, her hand moving for his. He catches it, answering, "Yes?"
"Barriss.." she tries to look around for her Padawan. "Where is she?"
"Safe," he replies. Luminara gives a slight nod. Her eyes close and her hand goes limp in his.
With a sigh, Obi Wan stands up and faces the torrent of questions awaiting him.
You see that button down there?
Review svp. :D