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My Aikani

by Susan Anthony (LdyGossamer@aol.com)

Opening his eyes, Obi-Wan waited for the disorientation to pass. His sight was blurry, his mind was fuzzy and his head felt like someone was using it as a drum section. Slowly, he closed his eyes again and drew in a deep breath, trying to focus on assessing his situation. After a few moments, he gave a long sigh when he realized his situation was caged, collared and from the cool air he felt against his skin, naked. He opened his eyes again and groaned. How did he keep ending up in these situations?

His arms were held aloft by two floating wrist clamps. His legs were similarly encumbered and clamped to the floor. Normally, when he found himself in such restraints, he was also locked in some dank jail cell, his master close at hand and already working to find an escape plan. The room he found himself in this time, however, could be considered nothing less than luxurious which was somehow more worrisome than being held in a jail cell somewhere. And his master was nowhere to be found.

Obi-Wan turned his head around, hoping to loosen the heavy ache in his neck. As he took stock of his body, he was grateful to find that he didn't seem to be injured in any way other than the deep ache that seemed to extend from the top of his head to his toenails.

Carefully, he tested the wrist binders holding him up, jerking on them to see if there was any movement but they were steady as rock, appearing to have been clamped onto the air molecules around them. The binders on his ankles were the same, completely immobile.

The padawan grumbled under his breath. At least the bindings weren't uncomfortable. The Force restricting collar, on the other hand, was vastly uncomfortable and kept him from reaching out with his mind to find his master.

Closing his eyes again, the young Jedi tried to focus on his most recent memories. The last thing he remembered was breakfast on Osrica after having settled some land disputes. Qui-Gon was in an excellent mood and had actually complimented his padawan's developing negotiation skills. Then they had parted as his master had some last minute protocols to complete and Obi-Wan went to put their luggage aboard the passenger liner Qui-Gon had secured for their transport. There the apprentice's memory stopped abruptly.

Suddenly the worry that had been hanging in the back of his mind burst forth and Obi-Wan reached for the bond he shared with his master only to find nothing there. Frantically, he searched his mind for the missing link. Even with the damn collar around his neck, he should still feel something!

Over the past five years, his bond with Qui-Gon hadn't developed as much as Obi-Wan had hoped but he still relied on it to connect him to his master. That it was gone made him worry that something had happened to Qui-Gon. His own predicament became completely unimportant as he struggled in his bonds and sent out a mental wail.

QUI-GON!

"Don't worry, Obi-Wan, your master is unharmed," a smooth tenor voice answered his mental scream and jerked the padawan's attention to a figure he hadn't seen in four years. The man seated before him was casually sipping from an ornate goblet and watching him with a steady, ice-blue gaze. "However, he is far out of reach and unable to hear you even if you weren't being restrained."

"Xanatos!" the padawan snapped in disbelief. "You're dead!"

Obi-Wan wished he could call the words back the moment they passed his lips. Obviously, the man wasn't dead and could he have said anything more stupid? Xanatos seemed to echo the sentiment as he quirked a sleek black eyebrow at Obi-Wan's words.

"Where is Qui-Gon!" Obi-Wan demanded instead.

Xanatos leaned back into his chair and studied the depths of his goblet. "I imagine he's back on Coruscant by now. Probably roaring at the Council to find his padawan right now, by the Sith hells, or he'll huff and puff and blow the Temple down."

Obi-Wan pressed his lips together angrily at his enemy's flippant reply. He tried to keep that anger at the forefront of his thoughts rather than think about the amazed relief that had blossomed at discovering this man alive.

"If you think you can goad him into a trap by coming after me...." The padawan began hotly but Xanatos merely waved his hand with a chuckle.

"Don't trouble yourself with that thought, my Obi," he said as he set his goblet on the table beside his chair. "There were no clues for him to follow which is why he's rampaging through the Temple right now. I actually had nothing to do with your retrieval from Master Jinn so there was nothing from me to find." He gave the apprentice an intense, level look before he smiled. "Qui-Gon will not be finding you any time soon and when you do finally meet him again, I have every faith that you'll just tell him to piss off."

Obi-Wan blinked for a moment before he focused on not thinking about the bad feeling that had just flowed over him.

"Why am I here?" he asked, rather bravely, he thought. If Xanatos hadn't taken him to lure Qui-Gon into a trap then why had he bothered with kidnapping Obi-Wan? The only reason he could think of was for vengeance against Xanatos' former master which, of course, would require Obi-Wan's long and painful death - not something to look forward to.

Xanatos' lips quirked. "Is vengeance the only reason you think someone might want to acquire you, Obi-Wan?" he asked as his eyes roved appreciatively down the padawan's body.

The younger man flushed hotly. With his disorientation accompanied by his bewildered amazement at Xanatos' very alive presence, Obi-Wan had forgotten that he was unclothed and hanging in mid-air on display.

"Stay out of my head!" he ground out, helplessly embarrassed and hoping that his captor wasn't reading all his thoughts. Xanatos' frank appraisal of his body made him remember other things he had forgotten - purposefully forgotten - things that a proper Jedi padawan ought not to be thinking about his master's enemy.

Xanatos merely stood and walked soundlessly across the room to stand before his prisoner. He reached out to take the younger man's chin and looked calmly into his captive's eyes.

"I will do as I please, Obi-Wan," he said, his touch gentle though his tone was hard. The padawan stiffened in surprise at the touch and tried to pull away but Xanatos held his chin firmly. "As to the reason you are here, you were never meant to be a Jedi. From before your birth, you were promised to me, to my House, and it is time you took your proper place."

Obi-Wan stared at him, trying to sort out his reply while he crushed the feelings aroused by Xanatos' words, feelings of...something he wasn't going to examine too closely.

"I was in my proper place, beside my Master!" Obi-Wan finally snapped, his green eyes narrow. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm going to be a Jedi."

"No you're not," came the reply as Xanatos caressed his chin again before he dropped his hand and stepped back to lean against the arm of a nearby couch, though he was still close enough to hear the padawan grind his teeth.

"You can't keep me chained up all the time, Xanatos," Obi-Wan seethed. "I will get free and return to the Temple!"

Xanatos leaned forward to run a light hand down Obi-Wan's chest, carefully avoiding contact with anything but the padawan's smooth skin. His lips stretched into a half-smile at the padawan's sharp inhalation and slight shiver.

"As tempting as it would be to leave you like this, I must admit you're right, Obi-Wan," he sighed as he leaned back and studied his captive again. "I suppose you need to know that the Jedi have been searching for you - obviously unsuccessfully - for five weeks."

"Five weeks!" the padawan shouted. "I don't remember five weeks!"

"Of course, you don't," Xanatos replied calmly. "You were held in thermal stasis for the majority of that time. You had quite a ways to travel, after all."

Obi-Wan stared at him. "Where the fuck are we, Xanatos!" he finally demanded hotly.

"Tch tch, language, Obi-Wan," the man before him chirped, holding up an admonishing hand. "You'd think the Temple would teach better manners."

"I don't give a flying free fu-" the padawan snarled until Xanatos caught his chin again. He held Obi-Wan's green eyes with his hard blue gaze.

"I said watch your language, Obi-Wan." When the youth tried to continue his rant, Xanatos said quietly, "I can always gag you."

Obi-Wan snapped his mouth shut. One thing he was sure of was that Xanatos would follow through with a threat.

"Now, would you care to rephrase that question?" the older man asked, his tone gentle again though his blue eyes gleamed with amusement at the apprentice's sullen glare.

"Why was I in stasis for five weeks?" Obi-Wan asked in an exaggerated polite tone.

"As I said, you had a ways to travel."

"I don't feel any effects," the teenager pointed out.

Xanatos' tilted his head questioningly. "Head ache? Body ache? Muscle pain and stiffness?"

Obi-Wan blinked. "Nothing that would account for five weeks of being in stasis."

"The Tai are a very advanced race," Xanatos replied as he reached out to place his hand over the padawan's heart. "You should have told me of your discomfort, Obi-Wan," he chided as the apprentice felt the influx of the healing Force. "Our hosts said the effects would be gone by the time you awoke."

Obi-Wan inhaled in surprise as he felt his captor's Force healing touch wash over the aching spaces in his body and leave behind a soothing glow. Even after the healing was done, however, Xanatos' hand remained on the apprentice's chest, absently caressing the smooth skin there.

"Better?" the former Jedi asked, holding Obi-Wan's eyes.

"Yes," the padawan croaked, his voice shaking as he pulled his gaze away from his captor. This wasn't happening. This was not happening! Xanatos didn't want him. He only wanted Obi-Wan for vengeance against Qui-Gon no matter what he said.

After a moment, the padawan cleared his throat and tried to ignore Xanatos' caressing touch. He should be hating this, damn it! And maybe if he told himself that enough, he would believe it.

"Who are the Tai?" he inquired, hoping his voice would not tremble. He tried to add some anger to his tone. "Are they are the ones who kidnapped me?"

"I actually prefer the term retrieved as you weren't supposed to be with the Jedi," Xanatos replied with a final caress before he reluctantly pulled his hand away from Obi-Wan's skin. "And yes, the Tai - technologically very advanced, culturally a bit backward - did rescue you. Once you understand them, however, their society is very logical. If they wanted, I think they could very well take over the Republic but they prefer to keep a low profile."

The padawan ignored Xanatos' first sentence completely. "If they don't like to get involved with the Republic, why did they kidnap me? Don't they know the Jedi are backed by the Republic?"

"They owed me a very large favor," Xanatos replied. "And all I wanted to redeem it was one Obi-Wan Kenobi, lately of the Jedi Temple of Coruscant, Jedi padawan to one Master Qui-Gon Jinn. So the Tai, being a very meticulous species, set out to retrieve said padawan and deliver him to me with certain requested improvements. All done with little fuss or bother to anyone."

"Except to me," the padawan pointed out. Xanatos didn't reply to Obi-Wan's words. He waited. Obi-Wan took a deep breath and asked himself if he really wanted to question Xanatos further. Finally, he glanced up at the man studying him so intently. "What do you mean, improvements?" he asked warily.

Xanatos smiled slightly. "One improvement I didn't even have to ask for," he replied as he moved around Obi-Wan and stood just behind him. The padawan stiffened and then shivered as he felt the soft pads of the man's fingertips tracing up his spine. "The Tai think much of a person's hair. They say, in a man's hair resides his life, his wisdom, his past, his future. They were appalled that anyone would cut their hair so short - that they would be required to do so by their own teacher."

The gentle fingers came to rest just at the nape of Obi-Wan's neck and the young man concentrated hard on breathing calmly. Then he felt a slight tug in his hair followed by a large mass of silk falling down his back. Stunned silent, he turned his head quickly. From the corner of his eye, he could see Xanatos holding two fistfuls of thick, russet hair, smiling gently as he rubbed the silken locks against his own cheek.

"Once it was grown out, the Tai made much of the color of your hair, my Obi-Wan," Xanatos finally said as he let the hair fall from his fingers, tickling against the padawan's lower back. Carefully, the man caught a fistful of silk and swung it over Obi-Wan's shoulder so he could see the gleaming color of the hair which now hung down to his waist. Xanatos then stepped close behind him and reached around gently to stroke the shining tendrils against Obi-Wan's lower abdomen.

Obi-Wan inhaled sharply at the sensation of Xanatos molded against his back while his fingers caressed his hair. He tried very hard to concentrate on his last mission to Arctica and the frostbite he had almost suffered. He also tried not to think about the silky mane of hair pressed against his back by Xanatos' hard body.

"They asked me if I'd give you to them."

The words didn't make much sense to the padawan who was trying very hard not to respond to Xanatos' sensual touches. It was difficult not to respond though, as Obi-Wan had long wondered in his most secret thoughts what such touches from the former Jedi might feel like. Now he found himself caught in the Moment, trying to savor Xanatos' touches and yet push them away at the same time. Somewhere outside the Moment, he knew inevitably he would have to stand against Qui-Gon Jinn's enemy and he could not let his own untrustworthy feelings for the man interfere with his duty.

"W-what?" he finally stammered when he realized Xanatos had spoken and seemed to be waiting for a response.

"The Tai," Xanatos said softly in his ear. "They want to keep you. Until I explained the significance of this."

Obi-Wan felt Xanatos' fingertips touch him just to the right of his obviously hardening shaft. Then the gentle hand moved away, slowly skimming across his hipbone and around onto his back. The man's fingers lingered on his lower back for a long minute, moving purposefully as though they were tracing a pattern, before the touch continued around his left hip, almost coming to a stop just to the left of the apprentice's hardening erection. Then Xanatos was pressed against him again, breathing in his ear as the fingers moved down over shockingly smooth skin before slowly...oh so slowly...moving up the warm hardness to the very tip of Obi-Wan's shaft where they lingered.

"Xanatos!" The padawan's harsh cry came out somewhere between a plea to continue and a demand to stop. Xanatos merely moved those gentle fingers down the shaft again and then skimmed the smooth, sensitive skin surrounding Obi-Wan's manhood with an approving hum.

"Yes, smooth so you can see the colors," the man sighed as he cupped the hard shaft and balls while he stroked the smooth skin surrounding them.

Obi-Wan leaned into his hand for only a moment. "I don't understand!" he gasped. "What do you mean colors? And why did they...they...." The red heat of arousal on his face was joined by a flush of embarrassment that Xanatos easily felt.

"Shhh, my Obi-Wan, no one has touched you but me," Xanatos said in a reassuring tone as he stroked that smooth skin again. He sighed as Obi-Wan's back pressed into his body. "The Tai made it so the only hair on your body would be the beautiful hair on your head."

"They...they...." Obi-Wan was having a hard time comprehending what Xanatos was saying as the man's hand touched him so skillfully. He didn't want to think about what Xanatos just said anyway. "What colors?" he finally gasped.

"The *Aikani* markings, my Obi-Wan," Xanatos whispered as both hands came to rest on his hipbones, caressing the warm skin with his palms. "They are so beautiful on you, my *Aikani*. I knew they would be."

"M-markings? You marked me?" He was shivering now under Xanatos' touch but a true anger was beginning to surface.

"Black and purple for the House of Chiyari," Xanatos murmured almost dreamily, moving his fingers along a pattern Obi-Wan couldn't see. "Blue and silver for the Clan of Kin-Obi."

"You marked me?" Obi-Wan demanded, his anger finally overcoming his rising desire. Xanatos froze behind him and carefully withdrew his touch. A moment later, he circled around to stand before the angry padawan. His face was faintly flushed and his blue eyes were dark with emotions as he met Obi-Wan's furious gaze.

"Yes," he replied.

"Permanent markings?"

"Drawn at the molecular level."

"Damn you, Xanatos!" Obi-Wan screamed. "What gives you the right to mark my body?"

"You are my *Aikani*, Obi-Wan," the tall man replied calmly. "You were promised to me by your parents before you were born."

"That's impossible! I never knew my parents!" the padawan yelled back at that impassive face. "They were killed in a war on Opaula. That's where the Jedi found me."

Xanatos' expression was suddenly angry as he stepped forward. Obi-Wan couldn't help but flinch back from that expression as the man raised his hands. But all he did was gently touch the sides of the teenager's face.

"Obi-Wan, you were not found by the Jedi on Opaula," the taller man stated angrily, without a doubt in his tone. "You were born to the clan of Kin-Obi on the planet Telos. And you do have a family - a large and prominent family - that is alive and well."

"You're lying!" Obi-Wan raged as he jerked away from Xanatos' touch. "You're trying to turn me against the Jedi!"

"The Jedi stole you from your family, Obi-Wan!" Xanatos insisted. "Your clan did not give you up willingly!"

"I don't believe you!" the padawan stated baldly. "The Order doesn't take children from unwilling families!"

"Listen to this then, Padawan Kenobi," the dark-haired man said, suddenly speaking quietly as he leaned close. "You think the Jedi do not search for Force sensitives on Telos because of my Turning, do you not? That's what Qui-Gon told you when you asked, wasn't it?"

"What of it?" Obi-Wan came as close to a sneer as it was possible for him to manage. "After what happened with you, I'm not surprised."

Xanatos' eyes narrowed. "It wasn't because of me, Obi-Wan," he stated. "It was because of you that the Jedi are not allowed - by a Senate restriction - to search there."

"The Senate would never deny the Jedi the right to search for children on any planet," the apprentice responded hotly. "It's a part of the membership agreement with the Republic."

"Check the Senate records then," Xanatos said, his tone suddenly mild as he leaned back. "24946.07.12, an official complaint was lodged against the Jedi Temple by the planetary government of Telos. The complaint concerned the removal of one Benjamin Kin-Obi by a Jedi retrieval team from his clan homesite."

"I don't believe you, Xanatos," Obi-Wan said again, his tone as calm as his captor's. But with the Force collar keeping the padawan from shielding his thoughts, Obi-Wan was sure the former Jedi could sense the younger man's growing worry that what he had been told all his life just might not be what was the complete truth.

"The family matriarch testified before the Senate that she had personally informed the Jedi that they could not have the child, that Benjamin was promised in an important House alliance," Xanatos continued, not taking his eyes from Obi-Wan's face. "The Jedi testified that they had been given approval, that Master Jedi Qui-Gon Jinn had been given approval by the Heir of House Chiyari with whom the alliance was forged."

Obi-Wan froze with a hot denial instantly on his lips. Xanatos merely leaned close again. His ice-blue eyes were hard and angry.

"Needless to say, I had given no such approval nor was I even aware that you had been taken. I only found out when I returned with Qui-Gon to Telos for a visit to my young *Aikani*. Imagine my surprise when I found out that Qui-Gon had given him over to the Jedi to train using my name and rank."

"Qui-Gon would never do such a thing," Obi-Wan denied furiously. "He wouldn't!"

"The Senate ended up siding with the Jedi Temple," Xanatos continued, not acknowledging the younger man's words, "as Benjamin had already been indoctrinated into the crèche. The people of Telos were outraged and demanded in compensation that the Temple never be allowed to search their planet for Force potentials again. The Jedi had disrupted a very sensitive and important alliance and they couldn't be trusted to not do it again should they so desire a child. The Jedi fought that measure because Telos has always been a rich source of Force sensitives but Telos was determined and an amendment to their charter with the Republic was established. The only one of its kind in the Senate."

Obi-Wan stared at Xanatos, his green eyes wide and disbelieving. He opened and closed his mouth once before he finally began, "I don't believe...."

"Check the Senate archives then," Xanatos interrupted him flatly. "The Tai can provide you with a direct link even from here."

"I can't very well do that trussed up like this, now can I?" the padawan growled back and Xanatos looked a little surprised by the thought.

He studied his captive for a long moment placing the image in his memory. "No, I don't suppose you can," he said regretfully and waved his hand. The locks binding Obi-Wan's ankles to the floor clicked, releasing the younger man's legs. The binders then disappeared into the floor, allowing the Jedi's feet to settle firmly. Xanatos then stepped up to his captive.

"I'm going to release you, Obi-Wan. For your information, this room is completely shielded and the door allows only the Tai or me entrance and exit at the moment." Xanatos tilted his head for a long moment before he sighed. "Should you still manage to get out of this room, however, I ask that you promise not to harm or even threaten any of the Tai."

"And why should I worry about your allies?" Obi-Wan asked, not even considering a lie to get his wrists free.

"Because the Tai are an innocent race and very few in number," Xanatos explained slowly, his eyes hard. "They are also rather fragile." The taller man stepped closer to the padawan. "I demand your promise in this Obi-Wan," Xanatos said. "Otherwise, I'll leave you hanging there until you're old enough to vote."

"I am old enough to vote!" the apprentice snapped.

Xanatos chuckled softly. "Not on Telos. The age of majority is twenty-three and while it would pain me greatly to leave you hanging for the next six years, I would do so." Xanatos reached out to lift Obi-Wan's chin and hold his eyes. "I know if you make a promise not to harm or frighten the Tai, you will hold to it."

"Dammit Xanatos!" Obi-Wan ground his teeth in frustration. Considering he was likely on a Tai vessel, it would be difficult to get off it without possibly harming some of the crew.

"Your promise, Kin-Obi," the dark-hair man demanded softly.

The apprentice expelled a hard breath. "All right!" he said ungraciously. Xanatos nodded and stepped back, waving his hand again.

Obi-Wan felt the locks click in the two devices that held his hand immobile before his suddenly heavy arms dropped to his sides. A moment later, they began to tingle uncomfortably. He rubbed his wrists gingerly as he glared up at the man standing so still a few feet away.

"The commports are over there," Xanatos finally said, gesturing off to the left.

"I want some clothes," Obi-Wan announced through clenched teeth.

Xanatos studied him for a moment, as if deciding just how much more the youth could take when he turned and moved towards another doorway.

"This way," he said before he reached the door and it opened silently. Obi-Wan stalked behind him, willing his sensitized body into obedience as he went. The odd sensation of hair flowing down his back didn't help.

The doorway he followed Xanatos through led to the older man's bedroom and the padawan stopped sharply in the doorway. He glared at the huge bed that took up one third of the space in the room before he transferred his angry gaze to the man poking about in an open closet.

"Just the thing," he said as he turned to the bed and laid down a pair of black pants, a dark blue tunic and underclothes.

"I don't think we're the same size, Xanatos," the padawan ground out as he walked over to finger the fine fabric of the shirt before he dropped it. "Where are my clothes. My uniform?"

"These are yours, Obi-Wan," came his captor's reply along with a soft caress on his cheek. The Jedi jerked away with a hard glare.

"What do you mean, they're mine?" he demanded.

"They were made for you," Xanatos answered. "As much as I appreciate the view, I don't think you want to flounce around naked as a crècheling."

Obi-Wan stared up at his captor, green eyes wide and now truly worried. This bothered him more than anything else Xanatos had done.

"You can't keep me, Xanatos," the Jedi said in a suddenly unsteady tone. "I am not a pet to be clothed and fed and watered."

"No, you are not my pet, Obi-Wan," the man agreed and Obi-Wan noticed Xanatos' lack of response to his first statement. He prepared to push the issue when he caught a glance of himself in a mirror across the room.

Without another word, Obi-Wan turned away from Xanatos and moved across the room to stand before the reflection there. He could hardly recognize the Jedi padawan he had last seen on Osrica.

Long, thick, hair cascaded down his back, curling slightly just above his waist. It was a deep russet color that he would never have imagined and he couldn't help but grab a handful of the silky stuff. He couldn't believe this mane of hair was attached to his head and he yanked to be certain he wasn't dreaming. The jolt of pain at his scalp assured him he was not.

He turned his attention on the markings then, and found not only did he have a ring of markings around his hips but around his throat as well. The thick Force collar obscured most of the design but he could clearly see the marking arrow down to a point just at the center of his chest.

He silently turned his eyes to the rich and colorful markings winding around hips. The design was woven in a band, flowing from a complex pattern adorning the now smooth skin surrounding his genitals, around his hips and meeting in another design just at the small of his back. His fingers absently traced the markings along his hips. He could feel no difference in the texture of the skin at all. It was as if he had been born with the markings of a Telosian *Aikani*.

He looked up at a movement in the mirror and found Xanatos standing just behind him. He met the man's blue eyes in the mirror.

"You had no right to do this, Xanatos Chiyari!" he finally said in a hard tone.

"Yes, I did," Xanatos returned in a similar tone.

Obi-Wan whirled to face him, his eyes wide and angry. "Dammit, Xanatos! What do you want from me?" he yelled.

The man's hands were suddenly gripping his shoulders and Xanatos leaned down to hold his eyes with a hungry gaze.

"What do I want from you?" he echoed Obi-Wan's question harshly. "I want to take you home, Obi-Wan. I want to take you back to your family. And when you come of age, I want you to take your place at my side as you were meant to."

The Jedi apprentice reached up to grip his captor's arms. "What I'm meant to be is a Jedi!" he snapped back.

"No, you're not."

"Besides, I have no family!" Obi-Wan insisted.

"And if you did?" Xanatos asked, his voice suddenly soft. "If you had solid proof that your family lived and wanted you and that you were not willingly given to the Jedi, what would you do then, Obi-Wan?"

"I...." Obi-Wan's voice faded as he stared into Xanatos' eyes. He wanted desperately to look away. He didn't want to consider what the man was saying.

Xanatos shook him slightly. "Would you deny the truth?" the man asked intently.

"I would never...!"

"Would you deny your family?"

"Stop." The word was a whisper as Obi-Wan closed his eyes against Xanatos' hard gaze. "Just stop. Please."

The apprentice felt Xanatos' hands tighten for a moment before he felt the man's fingers loosen and fall away. But not before he felt a caress along the markings on his chest.

"Dress, Obi-Wan," Xanatos instructed gently and the youth opened his eyes to find a compassionate blue gaze on his face. "It's almost time for dinner and the Tai are compulsively punctual."

"I'm not very hungry," the young man said, his throat tight.

"Dress anyway. You might find you have an appetite once the food arrives," Xanatos replied as he moved to stand by the door. He leaned against the frame and waited.

"You're going to watch?" the youth asked tiredly. Xanatos' eyebrow angled upward and Obi-Wan sighed as he looked down. "Right. I suppose it's a moot point."

He moved over to the bed and dressed quickly, trying not to feel Xanatos' eyes on his body. It was a useless effort, however, and he sighed as he finally tucked the shirt into his pants. The clothes were quite comfortable and fit him perfectly. The only problem now was what to do with all his hair.

"Do you have a tie?" he asked, trying to hold his hair back from his face. It kept getting away from his hands. "Maybe two ties?"

"Leave it for now," Xanatos instructed. "You need to get used to its weight."

"Why? I'm just going to cut it the minute I can get near some sheers."

There was a flash of anger that crossed the older man's face but he only said, "I'll help you braid it after dinner."

Obi-Wan finally pushed all his hair behind his shoulders and then looked at Xanatos carefully as he fingered the collar around his neck.

"Are you going to take this off?" he asked.

"Yes."

Obi-Wan was surprised. "When?" he asked in a hopeful tone.

"Not now," came the reply, followed immediately by a chuckle. "Don't pout, Obi-Wan, it doesn't become you."

"I'm not pouting," the youth stated firmly as he stamped across the room and swept past Xanatos out the door. "I just want the damn thing off."

Obi-Wan would have continued but he came to an immediate halt at the sight of the two beings settling a tray of various foods on a table near the door. They stilled as well, giving him a startled look.

Tall and willowy, the pair wore vivid colors and each had long, flowing hair, one with a shade of yellow and one of darkest brown. They each had a look of translucence about them that Obi-Wan had never seen in a sentient before. They did, indeed, seem delicate though as they glanced at each other and then back to him, he noted that they both seemed extremely interested in a rather intense way. It was almost with relief that Obi-Wan felt Xanatos' hands fall on his shoulders.

"Thank you, Miori, Yisimi," Xanatos said from behind him and Obi-Wan didn't resist as the older man pulled him back against his body. "You are punctual as always."

The pair carefully bowed and then eyed Obi-Wan again. "We are happy to help you, Ianados," the blond one replied. "The return of our children is a debt we can hardly repay."

The darker Tai nodded slowly. "We are glad to have helped in this small way. It is with joy that we see the youngling up and about."

"He awoke this afternoon as you said he would, Miori," Xanatos replied, his fingers briefly caressing the column of Obi-Wan's throat.

"He is quite lovely to look at," Miori noted thoughtfully. "And respectful to his elders."

Xanatos snorted at the Tai's last comment and Obi-Wan reacted with an elbow to his ribs. His captor merely grunted.

"He still needs a bit of training," Xanatos explained at the Tai's surprised looks. "But he is young. And hungry."

"Yes, your pardon Ianados," Yisimi said before he moved gracefully toward the door, followed by Miori. The dark-haired Tai gave Obi-Wan a final look before the door closed behind them.

Obi-Wan immediately jerked away from Xanatos' grasp and turned to glare at the older man. "Training?" he asked hotly.

Xanatos replied by rubbing his ribcage where Obi-Wan's elbow had landed. "Dinner?"

"I told you, I'm not hungry!" the youth stated flatly just as the smell of their dinner wafted past his nose. The scent was delicious and his previously quiet stomach rumbled loudly. Obi-Wan looked down at it in surprise. Xanatos just chuckled softly.

"It has been weeks since your last solid food, Obi-Wan," the man noted as he walked past his companion and seated himself at the table. "You need to eat." He gestured towards the seat opposite him and then began to distribute the food between them. Obi-Wan took another appreciative sniff before he moved to sit down in the chair indicated by Xanatos.

"I don't recognize any of this," he said, picking up a fork and poking at a few of the things on his plate.

"Try it, Obi," Xanatos said as he picked up his eating utensils. "As a padawan, I know you've eaten worse. Everything here is good and more importantly, nutritious. Just eat slowly."

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. "Yes, Crèche-Master," he said sarcastically before he tried one of the dishes Xanatos had piled on his plate. "Why did they call you Ianados?" he asked distractedly as he poked at the food before him.

Xanatos leaned with back with a fond smile. "They don't like the letter 'x' and they say my name feels better to speak that way." Obi-Wan gave him a wary look, wondering if the older man was teasing him. Xanatos just shrugged. "They though your name was very lyrical so they didn't feel the need to change it."

The padawan glanced down without a response, idly taking a bite of the food on his plate. He was glad to find it was very good and Xan hadn't just been teasing him about it. For the next few minutes, he devoted himself to eating and was quite surprised to suddenly find his plate empty.

"Would you like some more?" Xanatos asked, his lips quirking slightly as he watched the youth consider.

"No, thank you," he finally said as he leaned back and eyed his dinner companion. "Xanatos?"

The man glanced up curiously from considering his wineglass.

"Did you...break my bond with Master Qui-Gon?" the youth asked hesitantly.

"No," Xanatos answered seriously. "It was gone by the time you arrived here."

Obi-Wan considered that for a long minute. "Then did the Tai...?" His voice trailed off as Xanatos shook his head.

"They didn't do anything to your bond, Obi-Wan. They wouldn't know how."

The apprentice worried at his lower lip before he met Xanatos' eyes again. "Then what happened to it?" he asked warily. "Why can't I feel the bond?"

Xanatos toyed with his wineglass again before he answered. "I believe it faded, Obi-Wan," he finally said. "There was no trace of it when I checked after you got here nor any evidence of a traumatic break."

Obi-Wan stared at him in disbelief. "But...but it was a bond - a training bond! It shouldn't have just faded."

"No, it shouldn't have," Xanatos answered quietly.

"Why would it fade?"

"Various reasons," Xanatos replied. "The most likely I think would be that it was not strong enough to survive weeks of thermal stasis."

The padawan looked at Xanatos, the expression on his face unreadable. "It should have."

"Yes, it should have," Xanatos answered. He turned his blue eyes to Obi-Wan. "But there is nothing in your mind to even show there was a training bond there." He tapped his wineglass thoughtfully. "When I...Turned from Qui-Gon on Telos, I ripped my training bond out myself. It hurt like bloody hell. But I was so angry and felt so betrayed by him that I didn't even stop to consider anything else. Even now, I can feel the scar it left behind."

Obi-Wan was silent, trying to imagine what it would have been like to feel so angry and betrayed that he would Turn. He had always wondered about this dark-haired man, wondering why he had Turned away from the Jedi and the light.

"Are you of the Dark, Xanatos?" the youth asked, feeling uncomfortable about asking the question but he wanted to know what the man would say.

Xanatos looked at him, his blue eyes filled with things Obi-Wan couldn't possibly hope to understand.

"I am a man of ambition, Obi-Wan," he finally said. "I wish to forward the interests of myself and my House. That is my responsibility to Chiyari. I can be ruthless when it comes to getting what I want and I reward those who aid me. My people are loyal to me, my family supports me, my House is flourishing. That is what is important to me. If that makes me Darkened in the eyes of the Jedi because I no longer wanted to walk their path, then so be it."

Obi-Wan had to look away from the intensity of Xanatos' eyes. He fingered his fork for a long moment before he suddenly stood. "I want to see those Senate records now." Xanatos set his glass down on the table and rose silently, leading the way over to the complex computer system that the Tai had loaned him for the duration of his stay with them. He pulled out the chair and indicated that the padawan be seated.

"As I said, the Tai are very technologically advanced. I have already integrated some of their tech into my own systems on Telos. You may log in using your name, Obi-Wan, and the password aikani." Obi-Wan turned to look briefly up at his captor but said nothing before he turned back to the keyboard.

"Once you enter the network, you will recognize the layout as I have set it up for you. It is similar to the Coruscant network. You will be able to access anything in the Senate records even things with top secret, restricted access. You will be untraceable. If you wish, you can download files into a directory marked Obi-Wan. You may also get into the Temple records from here. Anything from initiate records to Council-sealed files will open for you."

The apprentice looked up at him in amazement. "How is this not traceable? What have the Tai used this information for?"

"The Tai don't realize the use for this particular technology," Xanatos replied as he leaned against the computer port. "I accidentally found its use when I was trying to trace you and found that I could go undetected anywhere the Coruscant net had access to. You can imagine how delighted I was."

Obi-Wan studied the computer before him as if it were poisonous. "How do I know what I'm looking at is actually the Coruscant network and not something you put together?" he asked, trying to maintain his suspicions as long as possible.

"Check anything you like, Obi-Wan," the man replied easily. "Check things I would have absolutely no interest in. And while you're doing that, I'm going to take a shower."

The padawan looked up at him sharply and Xanatos shrugged. "You can't go anywhere." He reached out to tap the collar still snug around the apprentice's neck. "I have the only key for this. I also have your promise not to harm or terrorize any of the Tai. And I want to take a shower. I suggest you spend your time wisely," he finished, pointing at the computer. "I'll be back in a little while."

Xanatos sauntered across the room in the direction of his bedroom door and disappeared. Obi-Wan stared at the door where his captor had vanished and the turned to glare across the room at the door leading out into the ship. After a long moment and a deep sigh, the padawan turned back to the keyboard.

He stared at the complex keyboard. It was one with symbols, letters, numbers and various signals but it was one he was familiar with. Still he hesitated, not wanting to find out that Xanatos was right, that everything he'd been told about his early life was a lie. Surely, Qui-Gon wouldn't lie to him. Surely.

Then his fingers were moving over the keyboard with practiced ease and he was suddenly in the Coruscant Network.