Author's Note: This is my first attempt at slash fiction.
Please humor me. Tuüra, Arrí-S'a, and Kula are all
my own attempts at creating characters, and belong to me. The
foreign language (I made it up, but it really exists) is
present, with appropriate translations (sorry, it's not
Huttese). Betaing was not completed, so all mistakes are due to
my accursed spellchecker and my own idiocy.
Archive: Master/Apprentice, SWAL, anywhere else if you want it.
Pairings: Qui-Gon/Obi-Wan (eventually), Tuüra/Arrí
(my own characters)
Disclaimer: Star Wars and everything else all belong to George
Lucas. I'm not making any money off this. Don't bother suing
me, I'm not worth getting in trouble with the FBI. I'm just
playing with his toys, I promise to put them back where I found
them. Hopefully in the same shape, but...
Rating: NC-17, I think...
Spoilers: None, except for TPM if you really don't know who
Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon are.
Summary: Obi-wan and an original character Tuüra find a
threat to the Jedi.
Warnings: Smut between two aliens, insulting references to the
Jedi Council.
Category: AU, umm... angst, smut, non Q/O, there is a plot in
there (I'm not sure).
Part 1: Im Eguah - The Finding
"Why are we doing this again? Please do remind me," Obi-Wan
Kenobi whined. "Because you have to see this thing that we've
found! Besides, you're much more able to talk to your Master
about something that you aren't directly involved in the
finding thereof. And I doubt that you will object terribly to
speaking with Qui-Gon." his friend, Tuüra Lï'i,
laughed, while pulling him down a hallway of the Jedi Temple.
Obi-Wan blushed, picking up her tease towards his attachment to
his Master.
"This isn't any of your Dark Side stuff is it?" he asked
suspiciously, not quite trusting her. Tuüra was a mainly
Light Side Force user, but would use the Dark Side if she felt
like it, depending upon the situation. She frightened many of
the Jedi and was rejected from most social circles. The only
reason the Jedi Council allowed her to train at the Temple was
if left to her own devices, she would turn to the dark side,
and they couldn't allow such power as she was capable of to
fall to evil. She, as a child, had managed to teach herself a
great many things of using the Force, and when they had found
her, she was an indiscriminate Dark Side user, protecting
herself in the depths of Coruscant with anger and hatred.
Obi-Wan felt a slight tinge of regret from her mind, and then
pushed it aside. She dealt with herself as it was, even as
Master Yoda had taken her as his Padawan. He felt bad for
rubbing it in, but she had no compunctions about using her
anger, however controlled, to destroy a threat. He was supposed
to help be a good influence on her, but she more often turned
to be a bad influence on him. Even so, he still valued her as a
friend.
Tuüra snorted and replied, "No way! It has more to do with
you Light Side users, especially your dear Master, Qui-Gon."
Obi-Wan flushed again, trying to ignore her taunts about his
Master. She touched her mind to his, probing carefully, then
poked through his weak shields he had hastily erected towards
her, and her tinkling, melodic giggling filled his mind. She
gestured mentally towards a treasure trove of romance in his
mind, all concerning Qui-Gon Jinn's relationship to Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan smirked at her impetuous invasion of his mind, and
batted her away as he slammed down more shields.
//Oh, please, Obi-Wan, don't even try. You do need more work on
shielding. I'm surprised you haven't broadcast your love for
Qui-Gon at him already. Tsk tsk.// She laughed at his lack of
control. He hung his head in pretended shame. "You didn't need
to do that. You already knew that I had a crush on Master Jinn,
and that I love him," he shot at her. "Temper, temper! You want
the entire Jedi Temple to know that; the way you're
broadcasting it?" she smirked innocently at him. Obi-wan
nodded, clamping down on his emotions.
His face reddened as she pulled him into a lift going to the
lowest levels of Coruscant. "Hmph, you can't imagine how hard
this is! I love him, I want to tell him; but it's against the
Code, somehow, I'm sure of it. Whenever we're close together I
struggle not to touch him, not to let him know what I feel for
him! It's horrible, keeping something so deep and true locked
away," Obi-Wan lamented sadly, letting his self-pity overcome
him.
"I can't imagine having such problems with Yoda, really," his
companion smirked in amusement. "I would be seriously concerned
if you did, t'jahed," He sighed, drawing a giggle from her
ready lips. She was truly a very happy person to be about;
always laughing and full of joy, but her Dark Side powers
belittled that joyous nature in seconds. "Indeed, t'jahed," she
replied, pleasantly surprised as he used her most-used
language's word for 'dearest friend'.
Tuüra decided to see how far she could push him, and
murmured to herself, "Actually, now that I think about Master
Yoda..." She trailed off, seeming deep in thought. He glanced
at her in pretended fear, and then his curiosity overcame his
control. "You don't..." he gasped, staring into her iridescent
silver eyes. She broke up laughing. "You almost believed me,
didn't you? No, please, think about it...Me...YODA? Not likely,
Obi-Wan. I respect him, adore him as a teacher, but not in the
way that you adore Master Jinn," she calmed him, returning to a
serious nature.
"No one feels for their Master what I feel about mine," he
moaned, leaning against the wall of the lift. "You'll work it
out, Obi-Wan. I know you will. I know you will someday be at
peace with your heart," she said quietly, her voice calm and
detached, no hint of sarcasm or laughter hidden in it. He
noticed her tone carefully. "Tuüra, did you see a vision?"
he asked, suddenly truly curious. She had great skill with
visions; really, it seemed that she was good at everything
compared to him. She nodded, staring at the door as the lift
slid to a stop along the shaft.
"Although I am very amused that Master Jinn hasn't picked up on
your emotions," she giggled, returning to normal. "So you've
said. Can Yoda still break through your shields, oh
impenetrable omnipotent Tuüra?" he joked, pretending
deference to her as though she were a goddess.
"He's beginning to have trouble with it. Seriously though, do
you want some help with shielding? It would do you good for
now, since you're obviously not talking to Master Jinn about
it," she offered. Obi-Wan refused, and snapped back, "You brag
too much. It's not my skill, Master Qui-Gon would've helped me
more with it if it was."
"Just being friendly, really," she sighed, and began to drag
him through a crowded corridor to another lift. "How deep is
this place?" he asked. He felt her sense about for a second,
then Tuüra replied, "Not far from here. Horizontal lift
though, not vertical. We're about forty levels within the
substructure."
"Forty! And we're still pretty much next to the Jedi Temple?"
he gasped. "Fairly so. But the entire Temple is completely
sealed off here. Shielded too, so if your darling Master was
next to this wall, he could neither hear nor sense you.
Obi-wan, you're not going to get in much trouble. And I think
that the trouble is worth it anyway," she reassured him,
feeling without even thinking his guilt at leaving the Temple,
and fear of punishment.
"I hope so," Obi-Wan moaned, trying not to contemplate any
repercussions that he would endure. He wasn't going to be gone
for very long, it was during his free time, where he
could leave the Temple if he wanted, but he still wasn't
certain if Master Qui-Gon would approve. Tuüra, sensing
his thoughts, shook her head and sent the lift sliding to the
area she wanted to go to.
"Are we meeting someone?" Obi-Wan asked, curious. The lift
softly stopped, and she nodded. The doors opened and he
followed her into a darker, more menacing part of the city.
"Something's not right here..." he whispered to her, urging
mentally to her that they should go back. "It's the Dark Side.
It's controlled here, because I know who it is and why they are
using it. Do you doubt me?" Tuüra queried, peering into
his face.
"Yes, Tuüra. I don't like it. The Dark Side is strong
here," Obi-Wan stated, calming himself. "Don't worry, it'll be
gone soon. At least you'll know what it is the next time you
feel it then," she smiled brightly, bringing one point of
optimism into her approach. Obi-Wan nodded, accepting her Dark
Side powers, and replied, "I still don't like it. No matter
what you say, I just don't like it at all."
"Understandable. You grew up being taught that it was horrid.
It can be controlled, you know," she glanced at him,
twirling her finger around her short braid. Then she giggled,
"You should hear the arguments that Yoda and I have about it."
That brought a smirk to his face, and he tugged at her braid
with the Force.
They were the same age, but since Tuüra was discovered
late, and was decidedly too strong to be left untrained, she
had submitted to five years at the Temple learning the ways of
the Jedi. Only then had Yoda taken her as his Padawan. Her
short, black hair was cut in the Padawan style, as she had
disdained the exception offered to her, and her braid was short
and tight, with only a few beads on it that marked the
accomplishments of a Padawan.
"Yeah, Obi-Wan, so it's shorter than yours. Don't pull on it,"
she protested. She glanced around the area with her mind and
her eyes, not even thinking about it, and Obi-Wan felt a tug of
jealousy at her abilities. She smiled, and pulled her hooded
shirt over her eyes. Obi-Wan followed her as she walked to a
dark corner, to crouch and catch a little boy in her arms.
"Lï'ili jashan!" the boy, a small Zabrak, cried, embracing
Tuüra as best he could. "Kulari jashan! You little imp!
Where's your brother, huh?" Tuüra snatched the chubby
little horned child into her arms. "Arrí-S'ari jashan?
He's coming. He wouldn't run," Kula laughed scornfully,
disdaining his brother despite the respectful address he gave
him. Obi-Wan felt the emotions around him, and found that the
little Zabrak, Kula, adored Tuüra like a sister and she
equally him. He sensed deeper emotions from Tuüra for this
Arrí-S'a.
Kula looked at Obi-Wan, and asked inoffensively as only a child
can get away with, "Who's he?" Tuüra winced, wrinkling her
nose at Kula's breath and chided, "What did I say about
brushing your teeth, Kula? As for him, he is my friend,
Kenobili jashan." She let Kula go as a darker, hooded figure
approached them.
"Ah, Lï'ili jashan. I see that Kula spat his bad breath
into your face?" the shadowy figure spoke, joy emanating from
him, along with...love? Obi-Wan sensed it being reciprocated
from his friend, and his heart contracted with longing for such
from his Master. "Yes, why? Is my skin melting off now?"
Tuüra joked, placing a pouting Kula on the ground. "Not
yet, anyway," Arrí-S'a smirked, his horns glinting in
the dim light. Tuüra smiled, and stepped into his
welcoming embrace, leaning in to kiss him deeply.
They separated after a moment; Obi-Wan having respectfully
turned his eyes away as Kula tugged at his brother's pants in
irritation. He smiled at the little child's impatience, knowing
it all too well from himself. Tuüra then introduced
Obi-Wan, "Arrí-S'a, this is my friend, Kenobili jashan."
Obi-Wan bowed to the Zabrak briefly, and his bow was returned.
Arrí-S'a glared quickly at Tuüra and he muttered,
"I wish that you would not read my mind."
Tuüra merely giggled, and Arrí-S'a sighed, sliding
his arm around her waist. "So he is Jedi too?" She nodded, and
hugged him briefly. "I missed you, Arrí," she whispered
sadly, using the most abbreviated version of his name, and
thus, the most intimate. Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows mentally,
not letting anything show on his face. //So...they are
lovers.//
Obi-Wan carefully sensed around him. Kula was innocent enough,
having no sense of the Force, but Arrí-S'a was darkened
by controlled past uses of the Dark Side. He knew it from
sensing similar from Tuüra. Obi-Wan also sensed jealousy
emanating from Arrí-S'a towards himself, and protective
emotions towards Tuüra.
"I brought Kenobili, so he can see, and maybe understand it
better than we have so far. You have to explain it to him
though, because I have to go catch Kula," Tuüra watched
Kula disappear around the dark corner of a hallway that Obi-Wan
wouldn't have guessed existed, because it was so dark. She
mentally smirked at Obi-Wan, //He will understand that you
aren't interested in me if you talk, t'jahed. And I do
need to catch Kula.// He nodded mentally at her, and sensed her
sending another message to her lover before darting after Kula.
"This is what we think; it's some sort of relic or something.
Tuüra got caught in it once, and since then we have been
afraid of it. She and Kula found it in a slag heap, obviously
put there because no one wanted it to be found, but...oh well,"
Arrí-S'a explained as he guided Obi-Wan down the
passage. Obi-Wan sensed no lying and no shielding in the young
Zabrak's mind, and asked quietly, "It may be easier if I watch
your memory of finding it. Will you agree?" Arrí-S'a
stopped in the hall, and nodded imperceptibly. "It does not
bother me. I shall concentrate on the memory for you to see,"
he agreed, and let Obi-Wan place his hands on the Zabrak's
horned head.
Obi-Wan slipped carefully into Arrí-S'a's mind, mindful
of any Zabrak customs that should be observed, and found the
memory that Arrí-S'a had focused on. Obi-Wan watched as
Kula and Tuüra found the object, then brought it back to a
room, where Obi-Wan guessed that the Zabraks lived. He saw
Tuüra playing with it, then fall to the side. He felt the
remembered pain and fear of Arrí-S'a as he had pulled
the thing away from Tuüra, and his relief as she awoke
again.
The object itself hadn't seemed like much, merely a black pole
of about one meter's length, with a small point on the other
end. Tuüra had touched the point and fallen. He was then
shown another memory where Arrí-S'a touched the point,
and felt cut off from what small Force powers he had. It wasn't
as large a shock for him as it was for Tuüra, who was
practically using the Force like she used her other senses:
without thinking. Obi-Wan withdrew from Arrí-S'a.
"Thank you, Arrí-S'ari jashan. Please, I would like to
see this thing before it hurts anyone," Obi-Wan suggested,
letting the Zabrak, now trusting him, lead him into the dark
passage. Arrí-S'a felt comfortable in the dark, Obi-Wan
could sense it, then remembered that Zabraks saw as well in the
dark as they did in the light. He gave up, and closed his eyes,
using the Force to understand where he was going and what was
around him.
Arrí-S'a led Obi-Wan to a door deep in the passage, and
opened it to reveal a dimly lit apartment. It was the same
apartment as I the memory, and Tuüra was there, playing
with Kula. At the sight of Obi-wan, no, rather,
Arrí-S'a, she grinned, and bent down to Kula's ear.
"Kulari, show Kenobili jashan what we found. Be careful, and
call me if you need help. Don't walk in, but call," she warned,
and let Kula lead Obi-Wan into another room.
Tuüra then smiled at Arrí-S'a, and walked with him
into another room of the small apartment. This one was neater
than the first, a small pallet lying in the corner. There was
no need for lights, the Zabrak saw fine without them, and the
Jedi didn't even need eyes. Arrí-S'a pulled Tuüra
against him, and kissed her thoroughly.
Obi-Wan followed the young boy into the next room, and Kula
proudly pointed to a black pole lying on the ground. "I found
it with Lï'ili jashan. She and Arrí-S'ari jashan
don't want me to touch it. It hurt them, she was hurt badly, I
think," Kula scratched his horned head, and continued. "You
should see what happens, I don't know what's with it. It
doesn't hurt me," Kula gestured against to it. Obi-wan nodded
gratefully, and sensed Kula sit down behind him, curious.
Obi-Wan looked the pole over, then examined it with the Force.
There were many parts inside, all metal wires and chips,
leading to a focal point at the pointed tip. He recoiled, then
forced himself to release his fear and touch the tip. He
reached out, and bit his lip, deciding whether to suffer or
not. He pressed his hand against the point.
Tuüra pulled Arrí-S'a against her in the other
room, their lips meeting and holding as he slid his tongue into
her mouth. She clutched at his back desperately trying not to
moan as he kissed her neck, careful not to poke her with his
horns. She stroked one horn and he sighed against her
collarbone, before moving lower, sliding her Jedi robes aside.
Tuüra flipped Arrí-S'a onto his back, and sucked at
his chest, covering him with kisses. They loved each other
deeply, would die for each other in truth, and she merely was
expressing it. She reached his organ, and licked at it
carefully, savoring the groan he let loose from his mouth. He
was longer but thinner than a human, and so she relaxed her
throat, and went down as far as she could without choking. He
let her for a few moments, then pushed her away, kissing her
again.
Tuüra lay beneath her lover, gasping as he pushed himself
deep within her body. It was a dance completed many times,
coupling with a small mental connection that was worth the
world to them both. The dark room seemed to twist around them,
neither caring what was real or not but each other, and she
screamed out in pleasure as he collapsed onto her chest,
breathing her name repeatedly.
Obi-Wan fell back, cut off from life. He felt like parts of
himself had been cut off, destroyed, and that he was no longer
living. He couldn't sense the things around him; he didn't know
where anything was without looking. He hadn't realized how
dependent he was upon the Force. He felt so disoriented and
alone, no pulsing throb of life around him at all. He yanked
his hand away.
//So it stops the Force. It has to be a weapon, but for whom?
Jedi wouldn't use it, most citizens wouldn't think about
hurting Jedi...// Obi-Wan reasoned, then smacked himself across
the forehead. "How many people actually like the Jedi?" he
grimaced, remembering the attempts on his life that he had
shared with his Master. Obi-Wan stopped that train of thought
right there, not allowing himself to progress any farther. He
knew only too well what it would lead to. He should get
Tuüra and bring it back to the Temple. //Yeah, the
Temple...Master Qui-Gon may well kill me for this!// he
realized, trying to ignore the usually strict Temple rules
about going out alone and late at night.
Tuüra lay back on the pallet, Arrí-S'a lying above
her silvery form. Even her skin was tinted dark with strands of
silver flowing through it. She stared into his red and black
eyes as he gazed into her silver eyes. "Arrí, empalah
qua turo," she breathed in his own language. It meant 'I love
you' in the deepest sense of the love. "Tuüra, empalah
tün ulah qua turo," he replied, smiling, and she giggled.
He had said that he loved her and wanted her. "Lüs
armatwó!" she laughed. Not now.
Arrí-S'a leaned up over her, and sighed upwards, as if
to some God above, "Ulah, farmah, empalah...urbáya,
urgyä?" Wanting, needing, loving...same, yes? Tuüra
shook her head in amusement at him, and replied, "Lüs
urbáya, quon ulme almí." Not the same, they are
different. She lay her head against his pale, white skin, and
nipped his neck. He growled at her, and she laughed, pulling
him down to kiss her again.
Obi-wan knocked at the other room, knowing and sensing the
binding love inside, and keeping his distance because of it.
Tuüra moaned, and he heard Arrí-S'a growl at her,
and within a minute she had opened the door for him. "Have you
found anything?" she asked, ignoring her lover lounging nude on
the pallet behind her. Obi-Wan swallowed at the sight of the
naked Zabrak, averted his eyes, and answered, "It's a weapon
for use against Jedi. I think we should bring it to the Temple
and give it to the Council or something."
Tuüra nodded, as if already having guessed his response,
"I'll talk to Master Yoda about it. Let's get it carefully and
leave-" then she gasped. "Tuüra!" Obi-Wan blurted,
catching her as she fell, then feeling a shock wave through the
Force, shaking him down to his heart. Arrí-S'a ran up
and clapped his hand over Obi-Wan's mouth, pulling him and Kula
into the room with him, and locking the doors.
It was a wave of hatred and anger, of suffering so great it
could only pull more into it, never subsiding, that was
sweeping over them. "Tur quel imleyah!" Arrí-S'a snarled
quietly, clasping Tuüra's unconscious body against his
own. Kula translated quickly for Obi-Wan, "He says that He is
returning!"
Part 2: Im Ilyah - The Failing
"Who's he?" Obi-Wan Kenobi whispered through clenched teeth, a
wave of controlled terror and fear washing through him. It was
a dark cloud passing over them, he could only hope for it to
leave faster. Arrí-S'a clamped his hand firmly over
Obi-Wan's mouth, and dragged him into the corner with
Tuüra's unconscious body and himself. Obi-Wan shuddered as
imagined beings who could have produced such pain and suffering
flitted through his mind.
The hatred flowing over him was enough to shatter worlds. It
hurt just to be near it. He hoped that it wasn't focused on
them, that the evil hadn't decided to end their lives.
Obi-Wan's hand strayed to his light-saber hilt, ready to fight
if need be. He was afraid for his life. The pure wave of
suffering that ran over him like swarms of insects crawling on
his body had caused Tuüra to pass out, and if he wasn't
careful, himself also. He released his fear into the Force,
letting the clean, good side struggle through the evil waves
around him to shield himself and the others as best he could.
It wasn't much power that choked it's way through the dark
black Force drawn around him, but it was all he could manage.
Mercifully, the pain subsided after five minutes of complete
terror, and Arrí-S'a released Obi-Wan. "I'm sorry,
Kenobili jashan. I needed to protect you. Tuüra would
never forgive me if I didn't," Arrí-S'a apologized.
Obi-Wan nodded. He reached out with the Force tentatively, and
found only evil to have contaminated the area. It was thick
with poison, and Obi-Wan felt like he was drowning in it.
Arrí-S'a was shaking Tuüra awake gently when
Obi-Wan sensed the evil's source. It was a being, somewhat
human, but completely enveloped in the Dark Side. Its very
mental signature was sickening, and his stomach turned at the
sense of such evil. True, the room had stunk of the Dark Side
before, but now it reeked and the mental stench was
overwhelming.
Tuüra came to in her lover's arms, and Obi-Wan could sense
them comforting each other through their Force bond. She kissed
Arrí-S'a again, then got up shakily. //It came again.
This time he was closer. We have to leave, or else be found
out. We'll be safe in the Temple,// she ordered Obi-Wan
mentally, eyes flashing silver fire. //What about Kula and
Arrí-S'a?// he asked, concerned about her more than
them, knowing that she would be disturbed easily if they were
hurt.
"They can take care of themselves well enough, Jedi,"
Tuüra snapped. Obi-Wan sensed the Dark Side rising in her
through her fear, and tried to stop her. "The Dark Side, we've
suffered enough, fear can only lead to suffering, Tuüra!"
he tried to reason. She glared at him, but controlled her
powers carefully. "It can be controlled, Obi-Wan, thank
you. Now trust me, and we must go. Grab whatever that thing is,
but carefully, and we must leave," she snarled, and Obi-wan
left to take the pole.
"T'jahed Arrí, t'mulahn Arrí, empalah tün
ulah qua turo," Tuüra wept into Arrí-S'a's chest.
Friend, lover Arrí, I love and want you. He embraced her
body and mind with his, and sadly wept, "Tranah qua turo,
t'mulahn Tuüra." I shall cry for you, beloved. She let the
tears fall down her face, and kissed him deeply, one last time.
//When will I see you again?!// She cried out into the Force,
sobbing for her lover. "Kurel qua kryah, tün quan kuro qua
inchyah," Arrí-S'a whispered. You must go and I must
miss you. "Urgyä, t'mulahn. Qua kuro inchyah," she
accepted. Yes, my love, I will miss you also.
She kissed him again, then reached for Obi-Wan's mind. "Hurry
up!" she yelled, relieved only as Obi-Wan carried the pole
carefully. "Good luck, be safe," Arrí-S'a wished them as
he gathered up a few belongings in the room, preparing to move.
"May the Force be with you," Obi-wan answered automatically,
and then was dragged out of the room by Tuüra.
"What was that thing?" He gasped as they ran to the lift. "A
Sith. I've felt it before, but now I'm sure. It's a Sith
warrior or something. And I think we stole his toy," she
gestured towards the pole. "This is a Sith weapon?" he squealed
in shock. "You have got to control yourself. Calm down,
Obi-Wan, freaking out isn't going to get us anywhere. We need
to tell the Council, I think. I'll take the thing as soon as we
enter the building-aww!" she complained, pouting. //Padawan,
where you are?// Yoda's voice exploded in her mind, after she
had shielded herself before.
"Let me guess...Yoda?" Obi-Wan smirked at her as the lift
opened. She nodded, frowning. //Padawan, here you must come! A
disturbance in the Force there has been!// Yoda commanded.
Tuüra picked her Jedi comlink out of her tunic and flicked
it on. "Yes, Master, I know. I may have some answers for it,"
she said calmly, not letting her fear and anguish at losing
Arrí-S'a bleed into her voice.
Obi-wan marveled at her control. She was almost as good as
Master Qui-Gon in that respect. "Answers have you? You not the
cause of it were?" Yoda's voice questioned. Obi-Wan felt the
barely veiled discipline underneath his tone. "No, Master, I
was not. But I may know what was. Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi can
help also, he is with me," Tuüra smiled, thankful that she
was not the problem this time.
Obi-Wan, however, groaned. He didn't want to let Master Qui-Gon
know that he had almost come in contact with a Sith! He felt
like it had contaminated him. //Oh, please, Obi-Wan. He's not
going to go after you anyway,// Obi-Wan scolded himself for
thinking about it. How could he even think about Qui-Gon again
after what had just happened? Surely there were more important
things than his own hormones.
//Padawan, Obi-Wan, where are you?// Master Jinn's mental voice
flowed like water into Obi-Wan's head. //Oh no! What if he
overheard me?// Obi-Wan choked to himself, and forced himself
to be calm, locking down shields around the rampant part of his
mind that was entertaining notions of Qui-Gon again. //Yes,
Master?// he answered demurely, trying to be still. //I asked
you where you were,// Qui-Gon repeated.
Obi-Wan could've hit himself. He'd been too busy concentrating
on his own emotions that he'd missed the question. //I'm with
Tuüra Lï'i, we're on our way to the Temple.
Master...// he delayed on that last word. He knew what he
wanted to say, but the word just seemed to stick to his tongue
like sweet honey, dripping on and on...
//Yes, Padawan?// Qui-Gon prompted. Obi-Wan felt like he had
heard confusion in his Master's voice, but doubted it, and
ignored the idea as an idle part of his mind spinning
fantasies. //The disturbance...we felt it too, where we were.
Very strongly. It may...it may be a Sith, that's what
Tuüra thinks. And we have some sort of weapon that she
discovered,// Obi-Wan spilled everything out mentally.
//A Sith? There have been no mentions or even fluctuations that
resembled this one in over three centuries. But it might
explain it. What about this weapon?// Qui-Gon pondered,
thoughtfulness permeating his calm connection to his Padawan.
//If you touch the point it cuts you off from the Force,
Master. It knocked Tuüra out until she was pulled away,//
Obi-Wan stated as calmly as he could. The lift door opened, and
Tuüra pulled him off to the next lift, this one going into
the Jedi Temple.
She keyed the password in, and the lift drew them up into the
depths of the Temple, towards the rooms that she shared with
Yoda. "Obi-Wan, go find Master Jinn. I think we'll need him for
this, since he is your Master," Tuüra advised.
Obi-Wan nodded, and answered lowly, "Tuüra, I am
quite aware that he is my Master." She flashed a quick
semblance of her winning smile at him as the lift opened, and
teased, "Just wanted to make sure you knew it!"
Obi-wan rolled his eyes as he ordered the lift to his Master's
quarters. He still felt nervous about the older man, and today,
with his mental defenses broken down by the suffering and by
Tuüra's explorations, he felt even worse. He didn't want
to broadcast his love for Qui-Gon to his Master, for fear of
rejection and the consequences. Padawans were not encouraged to
have many relationships, in case it would distract them from
their training. And certainly a relationship with their Master
was out of the question. Obi-Wan knew it had happened before,
but he doubted that he would be another such case of a dream
come true. For all his wishes, Qui-Gon wasn't about to sweep
him up in his arms and kiss him senseless.
The idea made Obi-Wan smile, though. He slammed down the
shields tightly again, hoping that Qui-Gon hadn't heard any of
his previous thoughts, and entered their shared quarters.
Qui-Gon looked up from the desk as Obi-Wan entered, and raised
his eyebrows at his Padawan's flustered appearance.
Obi-wan gazed at his Master, trying not to grin inanely in joy
from just being with him. The silence between them was
uncomfortably loud, and Obi-Wan sought to break it. Qui-Gon
beat him to it. "Obi-Wan, what happened down there?" He asked
quietly. Obi-Wan relaxed into the Force, letting his fears go,
and concentrating on what was important: his memories.
"Tuüra and I were going down to the lower levels of
Coruscant, Master. She said that she had something to show me,"
Obi-Wan began nervously. He wanted just to simply show his
Master his memories, but that would entail his Master learning
about his love. Obi-Wan didn't want to risk his Master's
respect and teaching.
"You went to the lower levels? You know that you aren't
supposed to go farther down than you can access the Temple,"
Master Jinn frowned, then gestured for Obi-Wan to continue. He
cleared his throat, omitting what Tuüra had teased him
about constantly, and returned to the story, "Yes, Master. She
took us to a small apartment, I don't know the level, I'd say
very low...level 67 perhaps? Anyway-" Master Qui-Gon cut him
off there. "Us? Who else was with you? No other Dark Side
users, I hope?" Qui-Gon asked, his eyes tearing through
Obi-Wan's. Or at least it felt like the were.
Obi-Wan cleared his mind again, trying not to simply reach out
and kiss the older man, and nodded. "Tuüra's lover, and
her lover's little brother were there also, Master. The older
brother was not strong at all with the Force, but used the Dark
Side with great control. Like Tuüra does. I suspect that
she taught him enough to defend himself, and holds a connection
through the Force with her, Master," Obi-Wan admitted.
"Hmm. Yoda will have to know of this, if he doesn't already.
Padawan, go on," Master Jinn waved his hand, and Obi-Wan
finished. "She showed me this pole, which she now has, that
disconnects you from the Force when you touch the point of it,
Master. She fainted when she touched it by accident. I touched
it also, but it didn't make me black out...It's very
disturbing, Master, not to feel the Force. I didn't realize how
much we rely on it for daily life," Obi-Wan looked up at Master
Jinn, staring over the face deep in concentration before him.
He adored Master Jinn. He loved him, Obi-Wan could admit it. He
just could never have him. The older man felt nothing like this
towards his Padawan, and Obi-Wan was too shy and afraid of
rejection to speak to his Master about it. He longed to smooth
the frown that Qui-Gon wore so often, to make his Master's eyes
glisten with laughter, to cause the tiny crinkles at the
corners that his Master had when he was amused. And his
Master's lips, so often locked into a tight line of thought...
Obi-wan stopped himself. He didn't need any of this leaking
from his faulty shielding to his Master. It would only make a
bad situation worse. He halted his mind from doing anything
with the idea of love in them, and focused on sensing his
Master's emotions and mood.
Qui-Gon smiled mentally in amusement at his apprentice. No
matter how hard Obi-Wan tried to shield himself, he still
wasn't able to and at least a few of his thoughts were always
leaking to his Master. He knew the boy's emotions for him, and
had accepted them before as a form of hero worship, simply the
idolizing of his Master. But now he wasn't so sure.
True, Qui-Gon sensed the usual adoration and infatuation he had
gotten used to about two years before, but now there was a
deeper, richer emotion that sometimes leaked through, although
it was shielded more tightly than any of the others. It made
him more curious, but he would not probe into his Padawan's
mind without his permission.
Qui-Gon then turned his introspective gaze on himself. He
wasn't so innocent of these emotions either. What his Padawan
was feeling, he knew very well. He felt it often, but
controlled it better. He had locked that specific emotion deep
within himself that he often didn't know it was there, or
towards whom it was directed. He was now dealing more and more
with this certain emotion, as it would break out of its prison
and come to haunt him. More often than not, it was at the sight
of his apprentice.
Qui-Gon banished the thought of him having reciprocal feelings
for his Padawan to the darkest recesses of his mind. It was bad
enough that his Padawan desired him, which he felt was strictly
against the Jedi Code. Their relationship didn't need him
returning the dangerous emotions. The emotions that would
dictate a lack of control for him.
Qui-Gon pulled himself from his thoughts, and focused on the
task at hand. "What about this disturbance, Padawan?" he asked
gently, breaking what he feared had been a lengthy silence. "We
were in the apartment, and this huge wave of hatred and
suffering...pure pain, Master, just seemed to roll over us,
lasting for about five minutes. Tuüra passed out, and I
was in severe pain. The little brother was unaffected, as he
had no Force sensitivity, but Tuüra's lover was affected.
Her lover said that 'He had returned'. After the pain had
passed, we darted back here, and her lover and his brother
disappeared. They seemed to have left for good from where they
were, Master," Obi-Wan obliged, and watched his Master's
expression.
Obi-Wan knew that Tuüra was giving a similar story, if
more endowed with detail about her lover, to Master Yoda. His
own Master's face creased in thought and then Qui-Gon spoke.
"We felt similar here. A wave of pain flowed around the Temple,
causing some very strong Force users to pass out, and hurting
the rest of us. The children here are frightened to death, and
some refuse to go out of their quarters. What is amazing, is
that the wave managed to pass through the shielding of the
building entire," Master Jinn mused.
Farther up in the building, Tuüra sat on the floor before
her Master. "Gone there, you should not have. But now, gone you
have, and so more you know. The Council about this must decide.
Need we your boyfriend also, he much knows," Yoda thought
aloud, his voice and grammatical structure endearing. "Yes, my
Master. Should I find him?" Tuüra asked calmly. Yoda
nodded. "Careful you must be. Take Padawan Kenobi also, he you
lover has met, and his Master with him go. The Council, and I,
your loss do not need," he advised. A grin spread helplessly
across her face with excitement, and she dashed out the door,
yelling over her shoulder, "Yes, Master! I won't fail you!"
Obi-Wan looked up at his Master as the communications panel
rang in their shared room. "Master Yoda!" Obi-Wan gasped,
surprised to receive a call from the respected Jedi Master.
"Master Jinn, Padawan Kenobi, Tuüra to you I have sent.
You go with her must, to her lover find. Padawan Kenobi, you
this boy have met, and Master Jinn, you must them protect. The
Council when you return shall meet. May the Force be with you,"
Yoda ordered calmly to the two seated figures, then ended the
communications.
"Obi-Wan, is her lover human?" Qui-Gon asked, suddenly curious.
"No, Master, Zabrak. Tuüra knows the language," Obi-wan
supplied, searching his brain for any last bits of information
before they left. "Hmm...he uses the Dark Side, I am guessing?"
Master Jinn queried. Obi-Wan nodded mutely, recognizing the
presence racing down to their room as Tuüra. He smiled at
her friendly mental signature, and her first communications.
//OBI-WAN! We have to find Arrí!// she screamed in his
mind. Obi-Wan winced, and nearly crashed into her as she used
the frame of their door to slow herself. "Master Jinn," she
bowed respectfully, before grabbing Obi-Wan's hand and pulling
him along down the hallway. //Arrí is likely to be in
grave danger, come on, Obi-Wan!// she pleaded with him
for speed as they approached the lift.
//Young Padawan Lï'i, is it truly dangerous that we must
rush so?// Qui-Gon's mental voice penetrated their combined
thoughts. The Master was very surprised at Tuüra's skill
and strength, but controlled that emotion as he did all others.
She was only a Padawan for two years, with barely a few inches
of braid down the side of her thin neck, and most Padawans
could not talk mentally with their Masters at that point. But
Tuüra spoke mentally to Obi-Wan, and he suspected, could
to himself also, and she barely knew him.
//It is imperative, Master Jinn. Arrí-S'ari jashan has
been hunted by this presence that we all felt today. It was the
closest in a long time today. I don't want him to be hurt,//
Tuüra moaned mentally, programming the lift to take them
to the apartment as quickly as possible. //Understood Padawan
Lï'i. We shall hurry,// Qui-Gon assured her, resting his
hand on the hilt of his light-saber.
Obi-wan noticed the gesture, and felt the reassuring weight of
his own against his thigh. //Yeah, yeah, I have one too, aren't
I special?// Tuüra giggled sarcastically, then focused
again on her connection with Arrí-S'a. Obi-Wan chuckled
at her joke, and Qui-Gon rolled his eyes. Babysitting two
teenagers on an important mission, and even worse, having to
work with them to find another teenager was not going to be
easy.
Tuüra smirked as she sensed Master Jinn's disapproval at
her antics, and however she wanted to vex him further she did
not, if only for Obi-Wan's sake. He had wept enough to her
about how controlled and unreadable the man was, and wish as
she might to break open that shell and relieve Obi-Wan of his
pain, she would not. She smiled, and sensed that Qui-Gon did
not even know that she could read his thoughts and slip under
his shields as if they were not even there. She grinned at the
thought of telling the Master that she knew exactly what he was
thinking, and imagining the expression on his face. It was a
pleasant diversion from the near constant worry and pain she
felt.
Obi-Wan sensed the direction of Tuüra's thoughts, by her
own admission, she had let him touch her mind, and he
suppressed a grin of his own. He had wondered what it would be
like just to shock his Master, to get a reaction from his
damnably calm composure. He sighed to himself, ignoring the
fantasies that cropped up in his mind. They were silently
mocking companions for him, reminders of what he did not and
could not have in life, only in his dreams. Tuüra smiled
at him sympathetically, and whispered mentally //Aww, poor
little boy, lost in love for someone he can't have. Or can
he...?//
Obi-Wan frowned at her. //Don't tease me. The focus is on your
lover, Tuüra, not on my pathetic love life,// he sneered
at her joke. She had that mystical quality again, and replied
quietly, a silent brush against his mind, //I'm not so sure
about that.//
Obi-Wan shrugged at her strange words, dismissing them as a
foolish dream, and he too concentrated on the mental signature
from his memory. The lift stopped, and Tuüra stated
quietly, "They went this way. I can sense their residual fear
and worry. They will have gone lower into Coruscant, maybe even
to the very bottom of it all. We must hurry, the thing was
pursuing them." She was perfectly calm and focused, a dead look
of horror flickering across her face. She knew something that
the two Jedi did not, but she was not sharing.
Qui-Gon sighed and followed the two Jedi Padawans into another
lift, guiding this one as deep as it would go. Obi-Wan could
sense Arrí-S'a here, and the faint presence of Kula. The
fear of the young man had sunk into the walls, a psychic
imprint for anyone to follow. Qui-Gon picked up the emotional
residue, and matched the signatures of the minds to the ones he
had picked up before, from Tuüra's mind.
Qui-Gon wondered why Tuüra had a similar mental signature
to her lover. //Perhaps they are closely bonded through the
Force? Or perhaps from lack of experience with it, I have
picked up a Dark Side imprint and decided that they are all
alike,// Qui-Gon pondered, tracing the Dark signatures of the
boy.
"Arrí! T'mulahn!" Tuüra cried out suddenly, clawing
at the wall. Qui-Gon felt a new wave of pain and suffering wash
over the group, stronger than it had been before in the Temple.
Tuüra whimpered, crawling into a corner from fear, then
she blocked out all her use of the Light Side and stood up
painfully. Her hair began to crackle and her eyes darkened. She
was in agony, but was blocking it out by using the Force. But
it was the Dark Side of the Force.
Obi-Wan stared at his friend. She burned with Dark Side pain
and fear energy, it nearly rippling off her skin. "Do not
discipline me. I understand what I'm doing. He has found
Arrí. We are close enough. Master Jinn, will you and
your apprentice accompany me to the deathbed of my lover, and
help me to kill his murderer if necessary?" Tuüra asked
calmly, her rage controlled. The pain was increasing, and
Obi-Wan guessed that Tuüra was using her powers to numb
herself to it, and produce some of it herself. Obi-Wan could
feel the spark of her life dimming slowly, the Dark Side
corroding her ability to live.
Qui-Gon blinked in surprise, the emotion quickly controlled and
thrust into the Force. //She is going to die, and she knows it.
She wants us to help avenge her lover. To give in to anger and
the Dark Side? Never. But to help conquer an evil...yes,//
Qui-Gon decided shakily. He reached out to his apprentice.
//Padawan, will you do this for revenge, or to destroy evil?
You must make your decision based upon which choice you make,//
Qui-Gon proposed. //I will destroy evil, Master. There is only
peace,// Obi-Wan answered serenely, a perfect Jedi mask of calm
slipping over his face.
"Good. You shall help me, for whatever reasons you choose to
say. It is the action now that counts. I shall fight first, but
be ready to fight the minute we stop," Tuüra advised.
Qui-Gon felt his authority usurped, but realized that this was
her territory, her battle, and she had asked them if they would
join her. They had had a choice, and now she was in charge.
Tuüra braced against the lift's stop, then threw the doors
open with her mind. Obi-Wan chased her as she ran down a
corridor, towards the distinct sounds of fighting and
screaming. Tuüra sneered at herself, and let her feet
release the ground, flying through the air to the battle.
Qui-Gon approached hurriedly after his Padawan and Tuüra.
He ran faster at the thought of his Padawan being in danger,
not stopping to question his protectiveness. His light-saber
flew to his hand, and he entered the dark passageway. He sensed
the battle going on as he entered, and ducked to avoid some
threat in the pitch dark.
Obi-Wan reached out with the Force, trying not to be strangled
by his Dark friend, and sensed the sides. Arrí-S'a lay
dying on the ground in the corner from lightsaber wounds. Kula
was screaming in fear for his brother. And the source of the
pain and suffering was in the center, circling with Tuüra.
"Xanatos!" The name ripped itself from Qui-Gon's throat. He
knew that his former apprentice had become evil, but he hadn't
suspected he had turned this far from the Light. He was
now a sinkhole of hatred, burning everything. The room crackled
with electricity, and purple lightning was running across
Tuüra's body.
Tuüra growled. "Jedi, stay back. This is our fight
only," she snarled softly, and Obi-Wan retreated into the
corridor they had emerged from. //I will protect you for now.
If I fall, kill him and me.// she whispered quietly into
Obi-Wan's mind, trying not to hurt him with the Dark Side. He
could sense Xanatos smile evilly as he drew his light-saber.
Tuüra could feel nothing but rage and hate. This person in
front of her had killed her love. She would avenge him. Her
heart was bleeding, cracked open at the sense of her lover's
death blow. She would win this, and avenge his death. Nothing
else mattered, not past or future, only the absolute present,
where she must kill this man.
"You hate me. Kill me," he mocked, sarcasm weighing heavily in
his tone. "You do not know, t'jaran," she snarled menacingly,
letting her anger rule her. She had called him her enemy in all
senses of the word. She ignited her light-saber, and placed it
sideways in the air. "That's not a good Jedi beginning stance,"
her enemy derided. "Not for a normal light-saber," she grunted,
and pressed the second button on her blade.
Xanatos was surprised to see the amber double-bladed sword, and
the girl lit up with it's light behind it. Qui-Gon was
watching, Xanatos could sense his old Master's presence.
Xanatos lit his own light-saber, a sickly green hue, and placed
it in the usual sparring position. He began, and struck down
with his blade.
Obi-Wan could do little more than watch the two Dark powers
duel. It was mesmerizing, the strength and pain that each was
in to even start fighting. He had never seen such a
concentration of the Dark Side, and although he longed to
simply run from it, the intense agony that was pressed into
every corner of the area from the two combatants, he could not
tear his eyes away.
Tuüra laughed at Xanatos, dueling easily with his one
blade, and searing his clothing with the other, unaccounted
blade. He wasn't used to fighting on both sides, and she had
the advantage. She pressed it, becoming lax in her defense, and
pushed him against the wall, locking down his blade with hers.
She pressed the other blade towards his neck, baring her teeth
in rage at him.
Qui-Gon was simply watching the duel, his own fear released
into the Force a long time ago. Obi-Wan was paralyzed by his
own terror, and Qui-Gon couldn't blame him. This was far beyond
what a Master was expected withstand, much less a Padawan for
only five years. He felt Obi-Wan quiver in horror as Tuüra
pressed up to kill, and gathered his Padawan into his arms. He
unconsciously started soothing Obi-Wan, kissing his hair and
stroking his tensed muscles as he watched the battle.
Tuüra focused her energy towards the helpless Xanatos. She
pinned him tightly, inching her blade closer to his neck, then
she released her rage on him. All of the fire and lightning
that had been burning her insides out before now surged into
him. Xanatos choked, dropping his blade, and he strangled from
the fire. The purple lightning raced over his prone form,
greedily consuming him, until he lay merely as a pile of ashes
and emotional residue of agony at her feet.
Obi-Wan suddenly realized he was in his Master's embrace as
Tuüra slumped to her knees near the ashes. She
extinguished both ends of her blade, and turned off Xanatos'
light-saber on the ground. She stared blankly at the ashes, her
eyes dulling and glazing over, the vivacious spark that had
resided there dimming and finally put out. Obi-Wan moaned
incoherently, and darted over to her side, his eye wide with
the fear of losing her.
Qui-Gon sensed Tuüra's life force flickering, and walked
over to her as Obi-Wan held her unresponsive form. She got up
with him, and muttered, slurring her words, "Thank you.
Obi-Wan...take me to Arrí." Obi-Wan nodded, scared by
her deadening visage, and guided her gently to her lover's
side.
She stopped in mid pace, then looked at Obi-Wan. "Obi-Wan
Kenobi...you were wrong. He does love you," she whispered
harshly, her voice rasping in the dark room. Obi-Wan's breath
caught in his throat, and he heard Qui-Gon gasp lightly. It
didn't matter right now, there would be more time later.
Obi-Wan guided Tuüra to her lover's side. "T'mulahn, turo
qua ilyah. Turo quan Ursá," she moaned, and lay her head
across his cauterized chest. He was cold and dead to Obi-Wan's
tentative mental touch. She looked up at her friend. "T'jahed,
turo qua ilyah urbáya. Kurel quan imtyah. Turel quel
empalah. Tün quel tur qua empalah. T'jahed...kuro
armatwó iyebah," she hissed in Zabrak. Then she slumped
to the floor, over her lover's body.
Kula began crying, weeping instead of screaming. "Turo tranah!
Uro Ursá!" he wailed. I must cry, I am utterly alone
now. Obi-Wan pressed his arm gently, and asked, "What did she
say?" Kula nodded, and stammered sadly, "She called you friend,
and said that she had failed you. She asked for your
forgiveness. She said 'you love him, and...he loves you'. Then
she said that she was dead."
Obi-Wan nodded, and wondered how she had known about Qui-Gon.
He didn't want to think about if it was true or not, just her
loss was painful enough. He didn't want to think about how he
would deal with Qui-Gon now. "How did she fail me? I failed
her! I couldn't save her!" Obi-Wan howled to the ceiling. His
eyes streamed with tears, small rivers, flowing down his
sculpted cheeks. "I failed her," he muttered, all the anguish
possible finding it's way into his voice.
Part 3: Im Oblah - The Losing
"Obi-Wan."
"No, Master."
"Obi-Wan!" Qui-Gon's voiced echoed in the small apartment. "I
don't want to hear any rationalizations, Master. I could only
stand by and watch, but I didn't think to save her," Qui-Gon's
stubborn apprentice glared at him.
"Obi-Wan, there was no way you could have saved her," Qui-Gon
sighed. Ever since they had gotten back from the battle,
Obi-Wan had internalized the pain, and blamed himself for his
friend's death. "Yes I could have! I should have acted! But I
was too afraid and..." Obi-Wan's voice broke. His throat felt
clogged up, swelling as tears filed his eyes.
"Obi-Wan, she knew she was going to die back in the lift. Her
Dark Side enhanced rage was killing her then. You felt it. She
knew that she was going to die, and you could not have stopped
her then. She didn't want you to be in danger, so she did not
allow you to battle," Qui-Gon reasoned. He had led his weeping
apprentice away from the bodies as he had called for help, for
a team to come down and take care of the bodies. And Kula, the
poor child had been devastated by his brother's death. The Jedi
had sent him to a healer, then gave him to surrogate Jedi
parents.
"She, she...why did she die? It should have been me! She had
love, and someone who loved her in her life, she knew the
meaning of life in just that emotion. But I have neither,"
Obi-Wan gasped for breath, his throat swollen with tears.
Qui-Gon felt his own heart break with those words.
"She knew life. Perhaps she died so that you could know it
also, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon suggested softly to his Padawan.
Obi-Wan only began to cry more, and Qui-Gon could do naught but
wrap his arms around his apprentice, and try to comfort him.
His Padawan buried his head in Qui-Gon's shoulder, and his
Master's breath caught in his throat. //Now is not the time or
the place,// Qui-Gon reprimanded himself, and tried to merely
help his apprentice with the grief.
"Shit." Obi-Wan muttered. Qui-Gon looked at his apprentice, and
asked, "What?" "She did not die so that I could know love. She
said that she had failed me in that. She died for her own
love," Obi-Wan sobbed. //Why am I pushing him away, when he is
so near?// Obi-Wan wailed mentally.
"She didn't fail you, Padawan. She may have felt like she had,
but she didn't fail you," Qui-Gon replied calmly. Obi-Wan,
angry with himself for his own lack of control, stared at his
Master, serene and focused. //Perfect Jedi,// Obi-Wan moaned in
his mind, knowing that he wasn't presenting the same calm.
"Like I said. Shit," Obi-Wan stood, glaring at everything and
nothing in particular. He stalked through the door into his own
quarters.
//I'm the one who failed him,// Qui-Gon sighed, preparing
himself for sleep. Obi-Wan's grief had turned to anger, which
would only dissipate with time. Perhaps a night of sleep, calm
and deep, would help him now more than any soothing words his
Master could give. //I didn't tell him, and I failed him,//
Qui-Gon turned the blame on himself. //But tell him what? That
I love him? I can't tell him that!//
Qui-Gon cast a wishful look at the doorway that Obi-Wan had
disappeared through, and lay back on his bed, trying to find
solace in slumber. //Why can't I? It is against the
Code...so? Who am I to be concerned with the Code? I ignore it
most of the time anyway. Why should I bring it into this?//
Qui-Gon stared at the ceiling, thinking. He muttered aloud,
"Because it could destroy his training, that's why. He's worked
too hard for me to take that from him with my own desires."
Obi-Wan stood hidden at the doorway. He couldn't read his
Master's thoughts, but he could hear the words. //What could
destroy my training?// Obi-Wan asked himself, then returned to
his own bed, musing over the words.
Obi-Wan awoke in the morning, and stumbled mindlessly to the
refresher, staggering in and turning it on. The sonic waves
vibrated off his skin, and he stepped out again, trying to
clear his mind and wake up. Then he heard the voices.
Qui-Gon was arguing with Master Yoda in the main room. Obi-Wan
listened for a minute, waiting to be acknowledged, and
overheard his Master's plea. "Please, Master Yoda, she
was a Jedi, stronger than many here. And you would deny
her a Jedi funeral?"
Yoda nodded, and replied calmly, authority echoing in her
voice, "The Dark Side she used, therefore a Jedi she was not.
Her last act of the Dark Side was." Qui-Gon shook his head
vehemently, and disagreed, "But she did it for love! It doesn't
matter what side she used in that last battle, Master Yoda, she
did it for the love of Arrí-S'ari jashan!" Yoda met
Qui-Gon's eyes through the holo-comm, and shook his head
finally. "True this may be, but a Jedi funeral she shall not
have. And you, Master Qui-Gon, are you to of love speak? Mind
you your Padawan." Qui-Gon hung his head, and murmured his
assent as Yoda cut off the link.
"Master?" Obi-Wan ventured shyly, stepping into the room.
"Obi-Wan!" Qui-Gon looked up in surprise. He had been so
focused on Yoda's refusal that he had not noticed his
apprentice's presence. Obi-Wan was confused at Qui-Gon's shock.
Yoda had just referred to his presence in the room, and Qui-Gon
had accepted that warning, but then was surprised to find
Obi-Wan there. The Padawan calmed himself, setting that thought
aside until later. "Tuüra will not have a Jedi funeral?"
Obi-Wan questioned, sadness seeping from every pore of his
skin.
Qui-Gon shook his head. "The Council has decided. She used the
Dark Side, and died because of it. They will not give her a
funeral. She will be cremated," Qui-Gon admitted. "She worked
so hard, she was so perfect a Jedi Padawan as possible, and
that little foray into the Dark cost her that honor?" Obi-Wan
gasped, sitting down in disbelief.
"That little foray cost her life, Padawan. Yoda is correct in
his judgement. We cannot see her as a person, but as a Padawan,
and in that she failed. We are Jedi first, then humans.
Remember that, Padawan...it still takes me by surprise,"
Qui-Gon sighed, grief seeping into his voice. //Is he all
right? His control seems to have disappeared!// Obi-Wan
questioned, confused by his Master showing emotion.
"Master, what did Master Yoda mean that you should mind me?"
Obi-Wan asked. He was truly confused. As much as he might wish,
Qui-Gon could never love him. And so even while Yoda's words
offered hope, he knew that they could not be.
Qui-Gon had feared that question. Yoda knew about his love for
Obi-Wan, and had previously advised him not to say anything at
all or hint at it. He did not know how the boy felt. //No, he's
not a boy, and you should know it,// Qui-Gon scolded himself.
"Master?" Obi-Wan repeated. Qui-Gon had not responded to his
question at all. He was deep in thought, and Obi-Wan wondered
if he had even heard him.
//He wants to know. He should know,// Qui-Gon rationalized. He
did not want to admit it, but he loved Obi-Wan. He could
not admit it, or so he had hoped. He trusted Obi-Wan with his
heart. He just did not trust himself.
Obi-Wan had been trying to get his Master's attention for about
three minutes. He was frustrated that Qui-Gon had removed
himself from his Padawan. Obi-Wan wanted to scream mentally to
get his attention, do something. He smirked wickedly as
he got an idea.
Obi-Wan lowered his mental shields, and probed into his
Master's mind. It was tightly closed off, as usual. Obi-Wan
knew he would either make or break the relationship now, but
he'd dreamed of this for so long. And it just might wake
Qui-Gon up, if nothing else. //There is nothing else!//
he reminded himself angrily, and leaned forward.
Qui-Gon was startled out of his reverie by Obi-Wan's lips on
his. Obi-Wan drew away, blushing. "I'm sorry, Master, I- I
needed to get your attention..." Obi-Wan mumbled, running a
nervous hand through his hair. "And, well, um, nothing else was
working, so..." Obi-Wan continued, his face reddening even
farther.
Qui-Gon quickly dipped into his Padawan's mind. It was the
first time there had been no shields whatsoever, and he could
see and feel Obi-Wan's presence, strong and proud within. Then
he found the source of Obi-Wan's discomfort. A wave of emotion
passed through him, as he jerked back into his own mind.
"Love!" Qui-Gon gasped, staring at Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan realized
what he had just done, drew back, and began babbling, "I'm
sorry, Master! I didn't mean to offend-" He was cut off by
Qui-Gon's finger against his lips. "Shh, calm down, Obi-Wan.
Control your emotions," Qui-Gon soothed his frantic apprentice,
sliding an arm around him, careful. He didn't want to break the
precious trust that Obi-Wan had given him.
Qui-Gon lowered his own shields, and called to Obi-Wan by their
link. //Obi-Wan,// he commanded. Obi-Wan's presence brushed
against his mind, and then retracted. "You, you, you..."
Obi-Wan breathed, unable to finish his sentence. "-Love you. As
you love me," Qui-Gon finished for him.
Obi-Wan stared at his Master, holding him gently. //He said it.
He said he loved me. He wouldn't lie, not to comfort me...//
Obi-Wan's doubts pressed in. "Obi-Wan, you have no need to
doubt my words. Would you care if I showed you?" Qui-Gon asked,
his eyebrow arching in challenge. Obi-Wan smiled as he saw the
tease, and nodded.
A tingling mental giggle sounded from the purple figure
watching the two Jedi below. She knew neither of them could
sense nor hear her unless she wanted them too. She spiraled
upwards in unconfined joy, laughing in elation until she
remembered the last thing she wanted to do. "Yoda, come here,
oh doubtful Master..." she grinned.
Qui-Gon looked up from Obi-Wan's chest. "Don't stop, please,
Master," Obi-Wan protested. "Did you hear something?" Qui-Gon
asked quietly, returning his mouth to the delightful nipple he
had been sucking before. "Sort of, Master. I didn't recognize
it," Obi-Wan replied as calmly as he could, his voice shaking.
"I remember it well. It would've been the sound of
Yoda...screaming," Qui-Gon chuckled, and continued expressing
his fascination with Obi-Wan's chest.
Archive 