Episode III

The Gathering Light

It is a time of monumental change on

the planet Earth, where the five friends and

allies of the Republic find themselves. Padme

Amidala has taken on the quirk One For All, her

First step towards becoming the new Symbol

Of Peace

But it is the discovery made by Obi Wan Kenobi

that truly shakes all the travelers thought they

knew of the planet. For the Jedi Master has found

Eri, the sole Earth-born Force User on the planet

Now under the protection of the Jedi, Eri finds

herself at the premiere hero school, safe

at last…

Anakin thundered down the halls of UA, not even bothering to apologize to anyone who had to leap out of his way.

"Skyguy!" Ahsoka called out, still dressed in her school uniform. Anakin moved past her, not even bothering to stop, and Ahsoka let out an annoyed grunt. She began to hurry along with him but went at more of a controlled jog, forcing Anakin to slow down a bit. He shot a glare at her but Ahsoka had been around him enough, and even before that had just enough attitude, not to be phased by that look and after a moment he let out a sigh of frustration. "You willing to listen now?"

Anakin let out a huff, still using his long legs to cover as much distance as he could. Ahsoka was the only student still lingering about but he noticed several UA staff, including one tall muscular woman with blond hair, watching them. He paid none of them any heed, focused instead getting to the Nurse's office. "How is Padme?"

"I'm fine."

Anakin stopped short then turned around to face to face the tall blonde, blinking as she smirked at him, arms folded over her chest.

"…Padme?"

"Hey Ani," she got out before Anakin wrapped her in his arms, giving her a hug. "Ani!" she scolded as he moved to twirl her… only to stumble a bit and then bop his head into her own. He let go of her at once and Padme winced, watching as he rubbed his cheek. "Yeah, there's a bit more of me," she commented, gesturing at her new muscular form.

"That's gonna… wow." He looked her up and down, taking her all in. "It's weird not to look down at you," he said, staring her right in the eye. She was as tall as he was, a truly massive change.

"I can go down to how I used to look," she told him. "I've tried it out… I'm a bit more muscular no matter what but I don't tower over half the people I meet or have arms and legs like tree trunks." She paused, looking down at Ahsoka. "Though I do enjoy it now… I get why Jedi like to loom."

"Believe me, I can't wait for a growth spurt that lets me do that," Ahsoka said with a smirk.

"Let me-" Padme began, ready to release her heroic form, only for Anakin to suddenly sweep her into a kiss, his hands roaming along her muscular form. "Ani!" she gasped when he broke off. "Ahsoka is watching."

"Snips, go play hopscotch or something," Anakin said lustfully, his fingers gliding along Padme's abs.

"First, what? Second, ugh," the Padawan said in disgust.

"Ani…" Padme warned again and finally Anakin let her go with a pout. "Later," she promised.

He grinned at that before his smile fall, looking about. "What is going on? You said I needed to get here, that there was an attack…"

"There was," Padme said before quickly adding, "I'm fine. All Might and I… well…" She gestured at herself again only to slap away Anakin's hand when he moved to touch her once more. "Focus, Ani!" she said in exasperation.

"Right… right." He shook his head. "Casualties?"

"Some," Padme admitted. "Some group attacked us, a whole bunch of villains. Some reporters were hurt, a couple killed. But it could have been a lot worse. That's why I'm still looking like this… All Might brought a few people here and I'm on official business."

"It happens," Anakin said softly, not referring to the 'official business' part of her comment. "You can't blame yourself."

Padme and Ahsoka shot him a look of disbelief.

"…I don't brood," he said defensively. "Okay, so… if everything is settled and okay why call me down here? Ahsoka's message made it sound like there was some emergency."

"There… kind of is…"

~MC~MC~MC~

"Master."

"Hmmm?"

Anakin tried again when Obi Wan didn't look at him. "Master."

"Yes Anakin?" Obi Wan said, distracted.

"So, I think-"

"No no, my dear," Obi Wan said, reaching out and taking a block, setting it down next to the rest. "See, this one should be the base. Much too big to set on the other ones. Try it now."

The little girl sitting on the floor with Anakin's master nodded and began to stack the blocks up. It was… admittedly rather adorable how she stuck her pink little tongue out in concentration, focusing on settling a block down on top of the one Obi Wan had chosen for the base.

"Master," Anakin said slowly, "I know in our galaxy it was the norm but on Earth you can't go kidnapping children." He paused. "Honestly, saying that out loud I don't think it should have been the norm for the Jedi either."

"I didn't kidnap her, Anakin," Obi Wan said, selecting another block and beginning his own tower like it was the most natural thing in the world. "And the Jedi don't kidnap children. You weren't kidnapped."

"No, Qui-Gon just won me in a podrace."

"Yes he… wait, what?" Obi Wan snapped his head around, staring at him. "He what!?"

"Won me in a podrace. I've told you this."

"…no, you did not!" Obi Wan exclaimed with a curse. "I thought he did some deed for Watto and he freed you… wait, why didn't Qui-Gon free your mother…"

"If we ever see him again we can ask," Anakin huffed.

~MC~MC~MC~

In the Force Qui-Gon shuddered

~MC~MC~MC ~

Anakin got back to the point at hand. "When I left this morning you did NOT have a toddler."

The little girl frowned at him before splaying out one hand and then extending the index finger on her other hand.

"See, she's six," Obi Wan said. "Not a toddler at all." He smiled at the child who flashed a bright smile before she went back to her blocks.

"Unless Nemuri's quirk allows her to birth babies really quick I think this is a child you found and kidnapped, master."

"My quirk can do a lot of things," Nemuri said from the corner of the room, where she was in a hospital bed watching the entire scene before her with amusement, "but that isn't one of them Skywalker."

"Then I stand by the kidnapping."

"I didn't kidnap Eri, Anakin," Obi Wan said, finally looking back at him. "I found her."

"And took. We need to focus on that last part!" Anakin exclaimed only to wince when Eri at once cringed at his raised voice.

"Anakin!" Obi Wan said firmly, at once moving to lift Eri up, cradling her in his arms. "Please don't raise your voice around Eri."

"Sorry," he said only to shake his head. "And I am sorry but Obi Wan you kidnapped a child. We need to get her back to-"

"Don't," Obi Wan said rather darkly, much to Anakin's surprise. Obi Wan stared at him for a moment before looking at Eri. "I think it's time for Nemuri to take a nap, don't you agree?"

"Yes Master," Eri said with a nod, though Anakin saw that she had begun to smack her lips together and blink.

"Why don't you keep an eye on her while I talk with Anakin, okay? And when she gets up we'll get something to eat and you can ask him all the questions you want, okay?"

"'kay," Eri said as Obi Wan walked over to a bemused Nemuri, who held out her arms and took the rapidly dozing child, letting her snuggle in close.

"I mean you too, my dear," Obi Wan told Nemuri. "You need to rest as well."

"I'd argue but-" Nemuri let out a yawn. "Don't think that you can keep coddling me though, Kenobi."

"Perish the thought," Obi Wan teased before, in a move that was utterly mind blowing to Anakin when it came to his stuffy old master, he tenderly reached out and stroked Nemuri's hair. The heroine smiled before settling on the bed, Eri curled up against her, and Obi Wan walked over to Anakin, guiding him out of the room.

"Wow," Anakin whispered before they stepped out of the room.

"What?"

"For you that was basically making out."

"Please Anakin," Obi Wan said. "Nemuri is a friend."

"Yeah and Padme is just a 'pal' of mine," Anakin snarked. "Just two buddies that get naked all the time."

"Anakin…"

"Master, at some point the two of us are going to have a long talk about your inability to read people."

"And what does that mean?"

"It means there are signals and there is "Hi Obi Wan, it's me Nemuri, watching me put my ankles behind my head while wearing no clothing, that give you any ideas?"."

"Anakin!" Obi Wan said, absolutely scandalized.

"Oh calm down you old woman," Anakin teased. "Its not different than Ventress. I swear if you had just offered to sleep with her she'd have turned from the Dark Side."

"I don't think I like you being so open about such things," Obi Wan complained.

"Nemuri though? She's good for you. When she gets healed up take her on a date. I can lend you some books on intercourse so you know what to do." He had… well, after his wedding night he'd done a lot of studying on the matter and Earth had even more literature on how to make it pleasurable for both parties and last more than 20 seconds. "There is one that Padme really likes-"

"I have been with women before Anakin," Obi Wan said. "Jedi are allowed to engage in such acts. It is merely attachment-"

Anakin made the 'talkie talkie talkie' motion with his hand, one of the many Earth gestures he'd come to love ever since learning about them. "Yeah yeah yeah. Can we talk about the child you kidnapped?"

"I didn't kidnap her, Anakin!" Obi Wan said in frustration. "She doesn't have a home." He paused. "Or rather one I would allow any child to go back to."

That sobered Anakin up.

"What happened?" he asked, looking through the glass at Eri and Nemuri fast asleep.

"We found her being chased by a man who claimed to want to return her home. The fear I sensed off of her Anakin… it was terrible."

"…that's not all, is it?"

Obi Wan rubbed his beard. "That hospital gown wasn't one we gave her. She was wearing that Anakin. The bandages too. Shuzenji tried to do a few tests on her and the sight of a needle…"

Anakin swallowed at that. "Whoever had her… was torturing her?" Obi Wan barely nodded and Anakin was quiet for a while. "The Hutts… they weren't good masters. But even Gardulla wouldn't consider torturing a child. There was no point in it, even if they misbehaved. Just damaged the slave they would become." His brow furrowed, eyes narrowed. "Where is the bastard?"

"Dead," Obi Wan said simply. "Crushed when the building we were next to collapsed during the attack Padme was a part of."

Anakin nodded, taking a moment to release his anger into the force, his Master not commenting. Since their arrival to Earth Anakin had gotten better about letting go of his anger; Hound Dog's sessions had been a massive benefit to him. In a world where there were so many powers and he could see just how hatred could twist people into something rather dark it had gotten easier to learn how to release his anger rather than store it within his-

"She is Force Sensitive."

THAT startled Anakin.

"What?" He looked at the little girl. "Obi Wan… she can't be. I would have-"

"She has the strongest shields I've ever found," Obi Wan said. "I don't know if it is related to her quirk or if her strength in the Force is connected to shielding but until she uses the Force she appears to be completely Null."

"But you-"

"She helped me brace an entire building." He paused before turning, placing a hand on Anakin's shoulder and the young man felt the older Jedi lowering his shields.

Anakin closed his eyes and focused on the training bond that still existed between him and his master. In his mind it was like a fuel line, solid but also able to bend and move, not breaking if twisted even slightly. He followed it from his own mind to Obi Wan's and saw other bonds… many of them sadly dark and wispy due to the distance between his Master and those that he had made connections with. There were small ones for Padme, Rex, and the staff of UA. He saw one that seemed to be growing even as he watched it and nearly broke out of his examination when he realized it belonged to Nemuri. There was one for Ahsoka that was a half formed training bond, which made sense since Anakin and Obi Wan at this point basically co-trained Ahsoka.

And then… just as thick as his own… there was one for Eri.

The moment he touched it a cord of pure white light suddenly rocketed into Anakin's very being and he gasped as he felt the little girl connect to his own mindscape. Not a training bond but rather a sibling bond; he'd heard of knights who had had the same master having sibling bonds but never-

"You see?" Obi Wan said, drawing him out of his examination.

Anakin nodded, taking a moment to center himself. He prodded the bond that had just formed between him and Eri and got flashes of contentment and peace… but only because before that was pain and fright.

"I know," Obi Wan whispered. "I felt the same way."

"Master," Anakin whispered, "what I'm feeling… it makes me wish I was a Sith so I could have an excuse-"

"The same," Obi Wan said to Anakin's shook. He whipped around to stare at his master, wondering if he'd heard him wrong. "Anakin… I understand where you are coming from, I truly do. But… we can't give in to that anger. Not for the sake of the world or even ourselves… but for those that depend on us." He waved his hand towards Eri's sleeping form. "Do you think she would be comfortable if she saw me use my lightsaber to take apart the ones that tortured her?"

"Hmmm," Anakin said, folding his arms over his chest. "No…" He thought of Padme and how she would react if she saw him do such a thing. He had nearly lost her after he'd killed the Tuskens… he had seen the terror in her eyes even as she tried to comfort him. If he did something like that again she wouldn't be able to follow him.

Anakin shuddered and reached out for Eri's bond again, feeling her light chase away the darkness that had begun to grow in his mind.

He smiled slightly. "She's a cute little bug, isn't she?"

"And one that is going to need a lot of help," Obi Wan said. "She has a quirk, Anakin."

"She isn't just Force Sensitive?"

"No and her quirk is… powerful." At Anakin's raised eyebrow Obi Wan sighed. "Its called 'Rewind', or at least that is what Nedzu has decided to label it. It allows her to, well, rewind something."

"How clever," Anakin said dryly.

Obi Wan though didn't smile. "Properly used… it might be one of the most important quirks ever created."

"How do you figure?"

"Anakin… it's entirely possible she could have healed All Might."

THAT made Anakin start. When Padme had revealed the truth to him about the Number 1 Hero Anakin had been sworn to secrecy… and then Padme had promptly gone to Obi Wan, knowing Anakin needed someone other than her that was in on the secret, lest her blurt it out to Ahsoka or Rex. Obi Wan had studied All Might's injuries with Anakin as he'd worked to create his synth organs and knew the damage that had been done.

"I don't know if she could have reattached your hand had she been there right after your duel with Dooku…" Obi Wan said slowly.

Normally Anakin would have made a joke about how his new hand was so much better, having all sorts of add ons and additions that his flesh and blood hand didn't. But this time he didn't, as he was far too stunned by Obi Wan's admission to make jokes.

"That's… wow," Anakin said slowly.

"Yes… but therein lies the problem," Obi Wan said. "You know well Anakin that having power and being able to master said power are two different things."

Anakin winced at that. He remembered well his early training, where trying to levitate small objects had resulted in him giving them a bit too much oompf and turned them into projectiles. He honestly would have needed a new hand sooner if Obi Wan hadn't been there to tackle him out of the way when his summoning of a ball turned it into a slug rocketing towards him.

"I haven't dug too far, out of respect for her, but I've gotten snippets of memories. I believe that when her quirk first began to appear she… might have killed someone."

"How… how could she do that though?" Anakin said. "You are rewinding something…" His eyes widened. "Unless she rewound someone back so far-"

"They never existed," Obi Wan said. "Or were reduced to genetic slime. Yes." He glanced at Anakin out of the corner of his eye. "Its okay though… the Force will warn me if such a thing happens."

"And we have another option!" Nedzu declared, popping out of Anakin's jacket, much to his surprise.

"HOW DO YOU GET IN THERE?!" Anakin exclaimed as the principal happily wiggled his way free and landed on the ground beside them. "Force, its like dealing with a furry Master Yoda…" He began to pat himself down, making sure that there weren't any other principals hiding in his clothing.

"While there isn't much we can do about the Force and will need to rely upon you for that UA is the premiere school for Quirk training and thus the perfect place for Young Eri to learn how to use her quirk." Nedzu easily leapt onto a chair so he could stare into the room. "Aizawa's quirk will be perfect for canceling out her quirk should it go wild. And of course Recovery Girl will be there to help anyone that might get hurt during her training." He turned and smiled at Obi Wan and Anakin. "But that isn't actually why I am here. See, Anakin was quite right… you did technically kidnap her."

"I-"

"Yes yes, it is a very good thing that you took her away from that situation. Believe me-" Something… dark… flashed in Nedzu's eyes and both Force Users felt like they had been bathed in cold Hutt Slime, "-I know something about being experimented on." At once Nedzu was chirper again. "So I am delighted you were able to save your daughter from that, Kenobi. We just need to get the paperwork filled out and records created."

"I appreciate any help you…" Obi Wan trailed off as he caught onto what Nedzu had said. "Wait… daughter?"

"Why yes!" Nedzu said happily. "Kenobi Eri… it has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

"Principal Nedzu," Obi Wan said quickly, "Eri isn't my daughter… she will be my Padawan when she comes of age."

"Yes, I remember our talks about that. You wait till a Force User is around 10 or so on average to make them a padawan learner. Eri though will have several years to wait for that. But I'm afraid the government doesn't recognize 'padawan learner' as a legal status. But daughter? That is easily handled!"

Anakin watched, rather amused, as Obi Wan began to plead with the Principal in a decidedly non-Obi Wan way. "There must be a better option… a ward of the school or-"

"Oh, I considered that," Nedzu stated. "But that would mean having to reveal WHY young Eri is a ward of the school and the less people that know about her being here, the better. From what you have learned the people that held her are not the kind that will take her disappearance lightly and will want to find her again… such a powerful quirk! And if they learn she has the Force? No… we must keep this between ourselves. And the best way to hide her is to make her someone else. Eri is a common enough name so no one will think much of that. And as your daughter it will explain her being at UA."

"But… but…" Obi Wan sputtered. "Daughter? Why not… cousin?"

"We can't claim another lost cousin who has the same quirk," Nedzu stated. "If you had been a touch older or Miss Tano younger I would have insisted she be your daughter. It is questionable enough that you and Anakin share a quirk with his cousin. Another won't do and before you ask saying Eri is Ahsoka's sister won't do. No, she has been too clear she is an only child. No… it must be by blood and it must be more direct. It can't be your sister… we already established you and Anakin are only children, adopted by the same man. People will wonder at a third and so young. They will want to know where her father is. No… this is safer."

"We'll need to change her look," Anakin said, rubbing his chin. "Cut her hair… obviously get her new clothing. Padme will help with that. Obi Wan will have to come, father/daughter bonding."

"Anakin!" Obi Wan exclaimed.

"Come now, Master, don't you want to get a mani/pedi with your kid?"

"I don't know what that is," Obi Wan groused.

Nedzu smiled. "Yes! A wonderful idea, Anakin. Hmmm… perhaps you can help me with this. We need a good reason why she didn't come with you five when you first arrived…"

"She was staying with family until we were settled," Anakin reasoned. He suddenly paused. "Principal Nedzu… was there ever a time where Nemuri wasn't active for a few months."

"Why yes. She got injured during a large battle with The Screaming Loons… a terrible name, I agree, but they were a dangerous gang. She couldn't patrol for several months… oh. Oh! And the timeline actually DOES work rather well…"

"Anakin…" Obi Wan said slowly.

"Do you think she'd agree?" Anakin asked.

"Why, I think she would!" Nedzu said. "Especially knowing it would protect Eri."

"Anakin…" Obi Wan tried again.

"We'll have to get the timelines right…"

"No," obi Wan said firmly. "No. We are not going to-"

~MC~MC~MC~

"So I'm an uncle?!" Hizashi exclaimed happily, staring at Eri who was cradled in Nemuri's arms.

"Honorary," the heroine Midnight stated, cuddling her 'daughter'.

"So six years back when you were injured… the story is you were actually pregnant?"

"Yup," Nemuri stated. "Obi Wan and I agreed to raise her in private but with him joining UA and Eri getting older we decided it was time to come clean about our relationship…"

Obi Wan held his head in his hands.