Author's note: this chapter has been edited to erase some grammar and spelling mistakes

~ 7 ~

Of warriors and peacekeepers

- It is better to be a warrior in a garden, than a gardener in a war -

"It's ok, Madame Nu. They're with me," a voice with a strange accent said. Kenshin stepped out from between the bookshelves, the two boys as relieved as they were surprised to see him.

"Oh, hello, Master Kano. I didn't realize you were still here, as late as it is. Next time, please alert me when you bring Padawans in here. And why is there not only yours but also..."

"My apologies, Madame Nu. We were about to leave," he interrupted smoothly. "We lost track of time while studying Valtorian history holocrons. In fact, wasn't it you who wrote an elaborate essay on this subject a few years ago?"

"I did indeed. I'm surprised and flattered you even heard about it. Why don't you come back tomorrow, and I can tell you everything there is to know?"

"That would be very generous, Madame Nu. I'll gladly accept this offer," he said with a slight bow, even managing a small smile.

"Have a good night, Master Kano, and see you tomorrow!"

Finally dismissed, the three left the vault as quickly as they could.

"Didn't know you could be so charming, Master. Are you really interested in Valtorian history?" a bewildered Anakin asked. Valtorian history, of all things... he couldn't imagine anything more boring.

"Force, no! I just said that to divert her attention from the two of you. I happen to know it's one of her pet projects. Care to enlighten me about your operation? After all, I'll have to endure a very long, very interesting lecture by Madame Nu tomorrow, thanks to you."

"About time you received one instead of just giving them," Anakin scoffed.

"Watch your mouth, or I might find a way to make you regret your manners."

"I got in by..."

"I know how you got in; I'm not stupid. What were you doing in there?"

Kyle chimed in, "I forgot my lightsaber in there when my Master and I were studying a holocron earlier today. I was ashamed that I'd been so stupid and didn't dare to tell her, and..."

"And I offered to help him retrieve it. It was my idea," Anakin interjected. "Master, whatever you do, Kyle is not to blame. I am! It's all true; we're not lying, Master!"

Kenshin pensively looked at the two friends and finally said, "I would know if you had lied. Good night."

Only after the young Master had left them did Kyle dare to speak again. "What was that? He lets us off the hook just like that? He's not going to say anything?"

"I don't think he will. Not that I understand him, but stuff like that doesn't seem to bother him. For now, I'm just glad he got us out of Nu's claws."

The afternoon's lessons finished, a small group of Padawan accompanied Anakin to the dojo, in hopes of witnessing another spectacle to watch. They were not disappointed. Anakin had been supposed to meet his master here a good half hour ago, but time was ever fleeting and obviously, Kenshin had found another way to pass the time. He was giving two of the Jedi Order's best duellists, Mace Windu, allied with Siri Tachi, a very hard time. Kyle, Tesha, and another girl named Trys, a friend of Kyle, decided to watch the action.

Tesha couldn't stop staring at Anakin's new Master. What she saw amazed her a great deal—fierce dark eyes sparkling from behind wild strands of hair as he spun and blocked attacks from his two opponents, his blade moving effortlessly and with frightening precision. Like Mace Windu, Tachi was a renowned lightsaber duelist, yet they both struggled to hold their own against the Nantoan Jedi.

Kyle gave her a gentle nudge to her ribs with his elbow. "Stop staring, Tesha! Or do you have a crush on him like every other female Padawan at the temple?"

"What? Nah, I think he's creepy!" Tesha protested.

"Scary? Why that? I think he's handsome," Trys said, making Kyle and Anakin roll their eyes. Anakin didn't know Tesha very well. She was the Padawan of a knight named Ranakos Mata and two years older than himself. Ranakos was a tall, quiet person. One of the few people who talked even less than Kenshin, although he was probably a lot more sympathetic than his own Master.

"The way he moves and fights... You know what he reminds me of? A vornskr. Or a doashim," Tesha then said.

"What in the blazes is a doashim?" Kyle asked.

"A species of predator on Ryloth. Lightning fast, really strong, really dangerous monsters. The Twi'leks say they're demons. My Master and I saw one when we were there; I've never been so scared in my entire life!" She shook her headin disbelief. "I've never seen anyone fight like that!"

Suddenly, Kenshin was nowhere to be seen. None of the four Padawans could figure out where he had disappeared to. A split second later, Anakin found himself locked in a tight clinch, the blade of a training saber held to his throat.

"One should be careful when being around a demon."

"Master!" Anakin complained. "Is that the Jedi way, to ambush one's Padawan?"

Kenshin released him. "I'm not creepy. You're not aware enough of your surroundings."

Kyle was grinning, and Tesha's face turned red.

"I'm sorry for calling you a doashim, Master Kano," she stammered, visibly embarrassed.

"I've been called worse," he replied flatly. "Actually, I take it as a compliment," he said to the girl and then turned back to his apprentice. "You're late, Anakin! Again."

"Sorry, Master. You know, Master Kenobi's negotiation classes take forever, especially when he goes on and on about the importance of..."

"I do hope your lightsaber skills are better than your excuses, because those are pretty damn weak!"

Anakin protested while he clumsily dodged and barely avoided a series of blows directed at him.

"More focus, less talking!"

Kenshin summoned a second training saber into his hands, barely giving Anakin time to activate his own weapon, and now attacked his Padawan with two blades.

"Master, that's not fair, you wielding two lightsabers and me only one!"

"Once you leave those Temple walls, no fight will ever be fair! But as you wish," Kenshin said and dropped both weapons.

"What are you doing?"

"Showing you that one can fight even with the odds against them," he replied and assumed a combat stance. "What are you waiting for? Attack!" he yelled.

The teenager was now still armed with one lightsaber and Kenshin with nothing. It's not like I didn't know he's a lunatic, Anakin thought. Before he knew it, his lightsaber got kicked out of his hand, and he himself was sent flying to the ground. What followed was a fast-paced, weaponless combat session with the two fighting dirty and ruthlessly, sweat running off both Jedi's faces.

"Are they training or are they trying to kill each other?" Tesha asked. The three friends kept watching Anakin's training session with both amazement and amusement. Granted, most Padawans would do individual training sessions with their Masters, on top of common classes or practices among themselves. Nothing seemed as brutal, though, as what Anakin was put through by Kenshin.

"It's hard to tell with these two," Kyle replied.

"I like how he's roasting Skywalker's ass, though. Anakin could use some being put in place once in a while."

No matter what he did, Anakin couldn't gain the upper hand. In a way, he started to enjoy the fast-paced, challenging combat sessions. Never winning, however—it was so frustrating, every time. A voice interrupted them.

"Your way of training Skywalker involves a lot of violence, Master Kano. Your method is, so to say, not very traditional!" Luminara Unduli stepped closer as she spoke, her face the picture of disapprobation.

"Interesting opinion, Master Unduli. Unfortunately, we find a lot of violence and darkness in the galaxy that eventually we will have to defend ourselves against. I intend my student to be ready when the day comes."

"Relying on brutal combat techniques instead of a pure, composed connection to the Force, that is not the Jedi way. You seem to be lacking it. We are peacekeepers, not warriors!"

"On my homeworld, they say it is better to be a warrior in a garden, than a gardener in a war."

"Your unbecoming attachment to whatever planet you call 'home' aside – and home, for a Jedi, should only ever be the Jedi temple – that planet seems a rather uncivilized world!"

"Despising what you don't understand—is that the Jedi way, Luminara? I think not." Kenshin met Unduli's gaze with defiant, smoldering eyes. She opened her mouth to counter, but then decided otherwise and in lieu of a reply, just shook her head disapprovingly and stormed off.

Anakin quickly looked to the side so nobody would see him grin. The ever-so-eloquent and revered Master Unduli, picture-perfect Jedi, had just gotten burned. He didn't have any particular issues with her, but her conservative, ever-so-perfect demeanor could be annoying.

"By the Force, that woman wouldn't find her lightsaber if her life depended on it. Because it's stuck up her ass." Kenshin commented, now equally shaking his head.

"Master! You did not just say that!" Anakin grinned, now unapologetically.

"You heard me!"

"She doesn't seem to approve of your methods..."

"The ways of combat taught at the Temple originate from a time when there was no threat. This is unfortunately not the case anymore, but some, like Luminara, still live in that world."

"What's that supposed to mean, Master?"

"There is more going on than the Council is willing to acknowledge." he said solemnly.

Having left his apprentice with these words, Kenshin spent the following hours in a quiet corner in the archives, analyzing the findings from Vanqor over and over again. Studying the holocron was unnerving. He had translated the words by now, but their meaning didn't make any sense. Frustrated, he left the archives sooner than planned. Anakin and some fellow Padawans lingered in the corridor after a class had ended. From behind a column, Kenshin observed them. Picking up on the moods among the teenagers, he sensed some admired Anakin. Some feared him, some were jealous, and some downright despised him. Apart from one girl and Kyle—who seemed to be his closest friend—nobody genuinely liked him. And certainly, nobody understood him.

Anakin, he realized, was lonely and longed for people to connect and bond with. What had it been like for himself when he was a Padawan? He hadn't had many friends either, but that had been because he preferred to keep to himself. He had come to the Temple only after his first Master's death, when he was already 13. He had been, in some way, scared of other people. Scared of trusting and opening up. Honestly, he still was. Even his relationship with Yoda, who had become his Master after Fay had gotten killed, had been respectful, even affectionate to a point—but he had never allowed a true bond to form with the old Grandmaster. Relationships and social interactions still were something he was uncomfortable with. Yoda knew that—one of the reasons why Kenshin didn't understand his former Master's decision. Gruesome chases in horrible, dangerous places, Sith assassins, mercenaries, the galaxy's most dangerous bounty hunters—he could handle that any day, but a Padawan? Someone he had to form an actual connection with, someone he had to be a mentor for? How was he supposed to do that, especially with someone like Anakin?

Everything in the boy's mind was in tight knots. While Kenshin wasn't able to precisely read thoughts, Anakin's presence in the Force and many of his thoughts were loud, brightly displayed. Anakin always seemed restless and in turmoil, passionate, insecure yet arrogant. His arrogance was one of his most prominent traits; he didn't seem to respect anyone or anything much, for that matter. Learning self-confidence and proper self-judgment was not an easy feat, especially for someone who didn't even recognize that they lacked it.

It wasn't that he didn't like Anakin—in fact, he sort of did. But he had no idea how to be the mentor and friend the boy needed. The idea of forming a bond with his Padawan scared him. Not only because Anakin was demanding and intense in everything. Kenshin knew how much losing someone he felt close to would hurt. He had experienced it too often before. He didn't want to feel that again.

"Master, this is frustrating. YOU are frustrating. No matter what I do, I can't ever best you in a duel. Why am I even training?" Anakin ranted, panting heavily and kicking his feet. Another one-on-one training session, another defeat.

"You complain about the Jedi holding you back. Now that I push you to get better, you complain again. Do you make sense to yourself? Because you certainly make no sense to me. Calm down."

"Calm down, calm down, that's all I ever hear."

"Believe in yourself! You have what it takes! You need to see it, and then you'll also be able to calm down!"

"Easy for someone who has no weaknesses," Anakin exclaimed frustratedly.

"I have more flaws and weaknesses than you can imagine. The difference between you and me? I have looked myself in the eyes. I struggle with many things, but I have confronted myself with every single one of them. Facing all that you fear is the only way to free you from yourself."

"You don't know what it is. You were never a slave!"

"That again! That doesn't have anything to do with you now. Who you were does not define who you are!"

Anakin launched himself anew against his Master, only to meet an impenetrable defense and violent attacks. Kenshin showed no mercy, not in his fighting nor in his corrections of his Padawan in between. By the end of the session, Anakin had still not seen any success. He was morosely listening to Kenshin's lecture as they left the dojo.

"I point out a flaw, and instead of thinking about it, you take it personally, getting upset. Being confronted with a weakness is painful, yes. What do you choose? Avoid discomfort by concealing your flaw with anger and denial, or will you choose the strength to accept it and put in the work to overcome it?"

Anakin didn't want to answer. He was tired and frustrated and stormed off, not even granting Kenshin a word of goodbye. Later that night, Kyle suggested going to Dex's, which was a more than welcome distraction to forget the frustration, and he joined his friend and Tesha strolling out of the Temple in the early evening hours.

It was cold and nasty outside, yet the street was crowded. Anakin saw how Kyle bumped into a hooded figure as both turned towards the door to Dex's diner. "After you," the figure said and gallantly held open the door for Tesha, Kyle, and him before walking in.

The three Padawans, as well as the polite stranger, lifted their hoods, and Anakin's eyes widened as their eyes met, recognizing the person underneath the cloak.

"Kriff! Uhm, I mean…hello, Master."

Kenshin simply nodded as a way of greeting. If his Master was surprised to see him here, he didn't show it. Instead, he turned to Dex, who came to greet them from behind the counter.

"Ah, so many of my Jedi friends... have a seat; I'll be with y'all in a minute," and Dex waved them all towards a table. A waitress approached and asked Kenshin, "The usual?"

"Yes, please," he answered with a grateful smile and took a seat. "And what can I get you guys? What about some jawa juice?" the waitress addressed the Padawans.

"Yeah, some jawa juice would be nice."

"Uhm, I'm sorry, Master Kano... are you going to tell...?" Tesha asked with pleading eyes. Kenshin absently stared out of the window. "No. If that were the only off-limits thing you guys did, you'd be the most obedient Padawans in the history of the Jedi Order. Which, at least for one of you, I know is not the case!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Master!" Anakin said.

"And I don't know where you get your delusions from, laserbrain."

"Nerfherder," Anakin muttered under his breath.

"There you are. I didn't realize you'd bring company," an amused, female voice said. A human woman, who appeared to be in her late twenties and sported long curly brown hair, curiously eyed the three Padawans she clearly hadn't expected to be there. Anakin was intrigued – his Master had friends?

"Hello, Kyra. Me neither, they brought themselves. It seems Dex's is still a popular place for Padawans to hang out. Meet Kyra, an old friend of mine, and the best specialist for ancient runes alive!"

"I'm Tesha."

"Kyle."

"Anakin."

"You don't mind your young friends listening?" She inquired.

"Do you?"

"Not at all. Now, show me what you've got," Kyra said, and sat down. Kenshin reached into a pocket and pulled out a triangle-shaped artifact. "I found this on Vanqor. The runes on it, however, don't correspond to anything known in the Temple archives. None of the Jedi linguists nor the archaeologists from the site could identify them."

"Hmm, at first glance, it doesn't look like anything I've ever seen either. The material is interesting, too."

"Chemical analysis is on the way, but no results yet."

"Where exactly did you find it?"

"A dungeon in a pre-Mirialan temple. It was on the ground as if it had been dropped there accidentally. Can't say if it sat there for days or centuries. Probably centuries, from the dust it was covered with."

"Let me take pictures of that thing. I'll compare it to the rune codes I have at the institute." Kyra took photographs from several angles and examined it once more before giving it back to Kenshin. "I'll get back to you as soon as I have something. However, I'd say you owe me a pint of jawa juice!" she said, smiling.

"If that's all it takes."

"You didn't tell me you have an apprentice now. Didn't you say you'd never have a Padawan? Funny enough they trusted you with one."

"The Jedi Council has developed a weird sense of humor," Kenshin said drily.

"Which one of the three is it?" Kyra looked at the three Padawans. "Anakin, it's you, right?" she then asked.

"Why, yes, how did you know?" Anakin replied.

"You both give off the same sense of mischief," she laughed.