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Author	Topic: The Killing Shard-Anakin/Obi-Wan post AOTC AU-Conclusion 11.4 & Cover Art 11.24
LuvEwan Registered: Mar '02	Date Posted: 7/26/05 8:26pm Subject: The Killing Shard-Anakin/Obi-Wan post AOTC AU-Conclusion 11.4 & Cover Art 11.24 - Date Edited: 11/23/05 9:31pm (13 edits total) Edited By: LuvEwan
	PG Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Lucas. There is no solace now, for he has taken a good light, and allowed it to harden over bitter years. He sharpened the shard that will kill him. Note: This storyline is the result of a wonderful bunny posted by The_Clone_of_Maul in The Plot Bunny Thread. I took the bunny under my sock name, but decided just to post under my normal one. I am immensely grateful to be able to work from Clone's idea. It will be posted in four or five installments. Part One (()) ‘When your mind is a mess so is mine I can’t sleep Because it hurts when I think when my thoughts aren’t at peace. Know that if I knew all of the answers I would not hold them from you Know all of the things that I know Because we told each other there is no other way’-Jack Johnson (()) For a moment, he thought it was a stranger standing there by the door. Anakin did not recognize the clothes, for the palette was not Jedi, was not the creamy earth hues, but darkest blue melting gradually into black. The shirt was long, with billowing sleeves and open slightly at the chest. The leggings fit closely around the form, and the boots were buffed leather. The collared jacket was held in noticeably pale hands—hands that trembled as they grasped. He blinked as the fog of disbelief swarmed his vision. He certainly didn’t want to think this was happening. Of all the ridiculous, senseless things to be occurring, here, in his own quarters, in the Jedi Temple…and worst of all, for this travesty to be centering around the one person who was ever-civil, unfailingly serene. Anakin knew why his Master had exchanged his tunics for civilian garb, and why he had slipped wordlessly to the door while the Jedi populace slept around him. Fortunately, Anakin could not easily join in the communal slumber. When he closed his eyes, too many snapped open, bright and wide and accusing, in his mind. So often that was his Light, the strobe that illuminated things he wished never to see. A pair of those eyes, once a polished azure, currently a swollen gray, flickered over to him. Something passed across their landscape as they regarded the apprentice. It was fast and silent, but it told Anakin everything he needed to know. Obi-Wan had not moved on. He was clinging to shreds of blood-soaked fabric, the reflection of mournful flames still scorched in the hidden corners of his mind. The older man didn’t say anything. He stood, the street jacket hanging from his fingers, expressionless. Anakin glanced away. He looked at the rooms, awash in the deadening of midnight, and was assaulted by the memory of how it had been before. There had been laughter before. There had been an air of calmness emanating from this man, and so Anakin had found an unshakeable center in this place, where the tumult of his life would ebb, if only for a little while. Now, the quarters felt stale. He hated being here, despite the fact that it was a haven for them both. When they were here, they were away from the constant uproar of the war, the raspy whispers of Separatist activity. But Anakin knew their rooms were rife with the claw marks of his Master’s impatience, and any stay here, no matter how brief, mired him deeper in misery. Obi-Wan was not content with stillness. He wasn’t content with anything anymore. All of this swirled within Anakin, and then he looked at Obi-Wan again. His chest was suddenly bound, and every breath was painfully won. “Master, where are you going?” A foolish question to pose, since he knew the answer the moment he heard the quiet, wraith-like footsteps move across the apartment. “Out,” Came the brisk, clipped response, “I won’t be gone long.” Desperation pushed the next words from the Padawan, “Can I go with you?” He asked. “No, Anakin. It’s late and we have a full schedule tomorrow.” Obi-Wan replied; injecting a hint of authority into an otherwise soft, weary voice. After a few seconds, he started to slide his arm into the leather sleeve. “Then you shouldn’t be leaving either, Master.” Obi-Wan paused. A crease was etched between his brows. “It’s different for me. Besides, as I mentioned, I won’t be gone long.” “Unless you don’t come back at all,” Anakin blurted. He didn’t care how helpless he must have sounded, his entire being and well of energy was devoted to keeping that door shut. Obi-Wan’s smile was small. “We risk that chance each time we leave the Temple, Padawan. It’s something to be accepted, not feared.” “But I am afraid.” The young Jedi whispered, taking a step closer, swallowing the sharp stone that had lodged itself in his throat. “I’m afraid for you, Master.” “Fear is not the Jedi way.” Obi-Wan said. Anakin inhaled carefully, “Since when have you cared about the Jedi way? Lately you haven’t found the Code very important” As expected, there was no rebuke, not even a flash of anger or irritation. “The Code is my life, Anakin.” It used to be. Anakin lowered his head. “Master, you know this isn’t right. This isn’t the Code.” Obi-Wan’s eyes were on his face, but slightly out of focus. There was something fixed in the distance, and it had entranced the man, taken the spirit from his step, mangled the tranquility in his gaze. “It’s for the best.” He murmured. Dismayed and bewildered, Anakin closed the short gap between them, resting his hands on leather-clad shoulders. “Master, what are you saying? How can it be for the best if it destroys you?” Obi-Wan compressed his lips. “My duty comes before my welfare.” Then, after watching the spark of hurt briefly transform his Padawan’s face, he added, “I’ll be fine.” “Fine?” Anakin balked. Biting hard on the inside flesh of his mouth, staring into level, resolved eyes, the rage and terror came to him a rush, and before he could stop himself he was violently shoving down the cold silk neckline. What was revealed was a puckered patch of flesh a shade darker than the area surrounding it, webbed over Obi-Wan’s chest…right over his heart. “You weren’t fine last time, were you?!” The hasty action was successful, in that it finally forced a visible reaction from Obi-Wan. The skin on his face paled and tightened, and he grabbed the fabric from Anakin’s hand, concealing the large scar behind the voluminous sheet of blue again. “Anakin, I was…unbalanced then. He caught me off guard. That is not the case now.” “Master, you know you can’t be balanced when you’re dealing with that monster.” His hand moved tenderly from shoulder to arm, “I don’t blame you for it. What he did…he should pay for it. But you can’t be the one to make him. Your emotions will—“ Obi-Wan held up a hand, breaking the physical contact between them. “My emotions are apart from this, Padawan.” “How can they be?” Anakin wondered, “How can they be when he killed Master Qui-Gon?” He was nearly swept away by the anguished deluge that surged forth in the Force, and in clouded slate eyes. Since Geonosis, the utterance of that beloved name had been strictly forbidden. Ghosts thrived everywhere, but were never spoken of. But it didn’t need to be said aloud. The slain Jedi possessed the whole of Obi-Wan’s heart, even the stitched-up skin above it. A palsy-ridden hand lifted, to rest absently over the aging wound. “Several reliable sources have reported that he will be in attendance at a low-key gathering in the lower levels. Hardly anyone will be there.” Abruptly, despairing eyes were kindling a rare brightness, but it was tainted light. Obi-Wan’s exuberance was desperate and single-minded. “This is the chance the Order has been waiting for, Anakin. Tonight, it can be finished.” “Or you’ll be finished,” Anakin countered. He studied his Master, waiting with battered hope for the man to blink and be free of his haze, to be the Obi-Wan Kenobi who abhorred vigilante justice and knew nothing of personal vendettas. But the seconds fell away without change. “Master, if something is to be done tonight, it should be handled by the Jedi or the Senate.” “I am a Jedi, Anakin.” Obi-Wan pointed out, “And the Jedi serve the Senate.” “This obsessive crusade isn’t the work of either.” The protégé huffed out a heavy breath. “You nearly died that day.” I saw you, your life attached to monitors, that red slash across you. He remembered that dismal period, existing only in the doorway of the hospital room where he could watch his teacher, surrounded by the constant hover of a dozen physicians. Everywhere else, he had been dream walking, and was unaware of his surroundings, not even aware of Padme. Then, the head doctor had approached him, mouth a chiseled, straight line. He had told Anakin that Obi-Wan was alive due entirely to the machines and surgeons. There had been no fight in him, no desire to cling to his life. And Anakin had felt his world crush to ash beneath him. If Obi-Wan had not possessed the natural drive of survival, it meant that he did not care about those things he would leave behind. Obi-Wan was willing to die for this. He was prepared to abandon Anakin to fulfill his newfound bloodlust. “What if you….” Anakin had to stop and gather himself, “What if you don’t make it this time? What if he kills you?” For the slightest instance, Obi-Wan was not a Master. He was the fresh-faced apprentice with a braid trailing from his ear and devastation shattering the blue-green mosaic of his young, burdened eyes. “Perhaps that was meant to happen in the first place.” Anakin’s mouth began to quiver. “What? You mean on Naboo?” I knew it. I knew it. “So you’re saying you weren’t meant to be my Master?” His own hands were restless now. “Have you even considered me in these secret plans you made?” “Of course I have. That’s why I told you to stay here.” “But I won’t.” Anakin shook his head. “I won’t just sit here while you’re risking your life for this.” Obi-Wan carefully took a breath. When he spoke, he did so slowly, as if Anakin were nine years old again, and he was delivering one of his little sermons. “Anakin, after tonight, he will disappear again. There are so many supporters of the Separatists, more every day. He has an infinite number of places to hide in his cowardice.” His fingers clenched around Anakin’s wrist, then let go, “This could be my last chance.” “And it could be mine, too. My last chance to save you from this. Please, Master, stay here with me. We could go to the salle and spar, or visit the Gardens, we could—“ “Anakin, you cannot understand this. I have to go. It would be worse not to.” Obi-Wan turned and started towards the door. Anakin bolted ahead of him, placing himself between his mentor and the portal to self-inflicted destruction. “No, Master,” He unclipped his commlink and held it up, distinct warning in his eyes, “I could contact the Council right now and tell them your intentions. There’d be a hundred Jedi blocking you before you could get out.” Fresh lines carved into the weathered countenance. Obi-Wan crossed his arms. “Let us forget that you are directly breaking the rules you must follow as my Padawan. What you are doing is preventing me from stopping a dangerous creature. This horned beast is responsible for a universe-spanning war. Killing him would leave the Separatists powerless and without a leader. You are allowing him to continue to prosper through the death of innocents.” Anakin, however, was unwavering. “I don’t care about him. The Jedi will take him out. What I care about is you, Master. You’re not yourself anymore. You hardly sleep or eat. You never talk, to me or anyone else. Don’t you see that killing him would be giving in to the Dark? Would Master Qui-Gon want that? Would you want that?” He gently took hold of Obi-Wan’s elbows, “I don’t want that. I want it to be how it was before Geonosis. Please, Master.” Obi-Wan’s eyes shifted from his pleading apprentice to the door—then back to Anakin. “I…I’m…tired.” That was enough. Anakin had not been expecting more. With shivery relief, he walked into the living area, leading his Master by the arm. (()) -----signature----- What Light Breaks-AU Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon Anakin angst (collaboration with Spiritweaver) http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/29979222/p1/?0 You want an Obi-Wan epic? We've got it right here.
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dianethx Registered: Mar '02	Date Posted: 7/26/05 8:31pm Subject: RE: The Killing Shard-Post AOTC AU-Part One 7.26 - Date Edited: 7/26/05 8:42pm (1 edits total) Edited By: dianethx
	I knew it! I knew you were the Negotiator after your last story was done. LOL. Good one, LE. Fooled me for quite a while. Will be back as soon as I read your story. Okay, meesa back. Lovely language as always but I think you are trying to use more everyday words in order to tell the story. Working on your writing style, perhaps? Still lovely as ever but with slight differences. I loved the way Anakin stood up to Obi-Wan even though he knew that Obi-Wan would get mad at him. I wonder that Obi-Wan didn't really want Anakin to stop him since he wasn't that sneaky about leaving. I am suspicious of Obi-Wan being tired. Is Anakin going to fall for it? Good job. Looking forward to seeing where you are going with this. -----signature----- Betrayal - http://boards.theforce.net/s/b1/10935143 updated 11/2/09 jedidas3's Master Merlin - Diplomatic Immunity - http://boards.theforce.net/nswff/b10808/30459852
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Erin_21 Registered: May '05	Date Posted: 7/26/05 8:33pm Subject: RE: The Killing Shard-Post AOTC AU-Part One 7.26
	Wow!!!!!!! what's this??? what ever it is I love it already!!, are you writing more?? wow!!!, totally scary in a strange sort of way!!!, just... be well and take care. -----signature----- Mónica_O "Create with your life a Masterpiece" "Human roses may fade but they never die" "Never drive (or fly ^^) faster than your Guardian Angel can fly" "I'm not the reader I should be, I want more!!" http://monicaop.livejournal.com/
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VadersMistress Registered: Apr '04	Date Posted: 7/26/05 10:32pm Subject: RE: The Killing Shard-Post AOTC AU-Part One 7.26
	LE, that was wonderful! I hope Anakin can save Obi-Wan from himself. His inner demons may get the best of him, but I hope Obi-Wan is strong. Now Anakin has to care for Obi-Wan the way Obi-Wan cared for him! I really hope there isn't a battle like in RotS. Please let Obi-Wan live. Please let Anakin live. Please let Obi-Wan live. Please let Anakin live. I am very suspicious of you right now... Is he really tired? Will he die defeating this beast if/when he fights him? Will Anakin die? Will things ever be the same or at least normal between the two of them again? Please update soon! -----signature----- Harry Potter > Twilight Would I rather be feared or loved? Um... Easy, both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me. Persia pwns your face.
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solojones Registered: Sep '00	Date Posted: 7/27/05 2:28am Subject: RE: The Killing Shard-Post AOTC AU-Part One 7.26
	LE! Hooray Man, once again, reading the way you write just astounds me. There are a lot of people with good concepts, good characterisations, but you manage to capture those things as well as doing it with absolutely wonderful language. I especially adored the "swallowing the sharp stone rising in his throat" bit. You just must think like a writer. It's all so vivid. This little bit of story has made me giddy for more. How I do love the Obi-Wan angst Like the others, I'm interested in seeing where you take this story from here. And oh so happy to see you writing something for us to enjoy If you haven't seen Arrested Development, you've made a huge mistake. --Watch the season premiere Wednesday Sept. 14th on Fox!-- -----signature----- 6 x 9 = 42 Proud member of the Colbert Nation My short films: http://www.youtube.com/solojones1138
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VaderLVR64 Title: Manager Emeritus Registered: Feb '04	Date Posted: 7/27/05 4:36am Subject: RE: The Killing Shard-Post AOTC AU-Part One 7.26
	Whoa! [face_shocked] Now you've got me thirsty for more! Obi-Wan as the impulsive one! And Anakin as the voice of reason? I love it! More, please, more! -----signature----- R.I.P John, Alex, Jason, and Christian Never forgotten Soldiers' Angels http://soldiersangels.org/ 2114 soldiers waiting for someone to care
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ithesock Registered: Mar '05	Date Posted: 7/27/05 6:00am Subject: RE: The Killing Shard-Post AOTC AU-Part One 7.26
	Bravo, LE . I'm so in love with the Obi-Wan/Anakin picture you've created: such lovely angst, and so heart-rending...loved Obi-Wan in this, as well as Anakin, who's <gasp> telling his Master to be calm and collected! I can't wait for the next parts...<prays LE will post soon...> And...welcome back, with a bang! Heh. -----signature----- Fields of Elysia (JA): http://boards.theforce.net/Before_the_Saga/b10475/20100957/?140 - 10/8 Epistles to a Master (JA, AU): http://boards.theforce.net/Before_the_Saga/b10475/20479680/?25 Lore-Master to Seven
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Master_Noi Registered: Sep '04	Date Posted: 7/27/05 7:25am Subject: RE: The Killing Shard-Post AOTC AU-Part One 7.26
	I agree that it is quite a reversal of roles there. I am also suspicious of Obi-Wan being tired. -----signature----- For Such a Time as This ( 01/17/09) A Shrouded Path (03/21/09)
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CherryLightsaber Registered: Mar '05	Date Posted: 7/27/05 8:33am Subject: RE: The Killing Shard-Post AOTC AU-Part One 7.26
	Ooooh, yay! I wanted that bunny, but you beat me to it. But I know you would do it better than me! I can't wait to see how Maul comes into the picture, since I am a Sith Lover. I am also suspicious of Obi-Wan being tired. Same here. -----signature----- Blarghity blargh. Minute Mayhem: UDC 4 - http://boards.theforce.net/t/b1/30249825 Transcending Chains - http://boards.theforce.net/t/b1/29645545
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rhonderoo Title: Former Head Admin Registered: Aug '02	Date Posted: 7/27/05 11:59am Subject: RE: The Killing Shard-Post AOTC AU-Part One 7.26
	This was wonderful, as always! I loved the dialogue and how you somehow kept both of their core characterization, even in a flipped universe where Anakin is the reasonable one, and Obi-Wan is one full of pain. Bravo!! I somehow don't think Obi-Wan is "tired". And welcome back! -----signature----- DT421 FYI: You don't deal with me. I deal with you. Damned right the Jedi's fire has gone out of the universe. I was the bad-ass Class C extinguisher who snuffed them. - @darthvader (Darth Vader on Twitter)
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Opal Registered: Nov '03	Date Posted: 7/27/05 4:52pm Subject: RE: The Killing Shard-Post AOTC AU-Part One 7.26
	A new LE fic? I'm in.
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PadawanKitara Registered: Dec '01	Date Posted: 7/28/05 7:18pm Subject: RE: The Killing Shard-Post AOTC AU-Part One 7.26
	Wheee- a new LE fic -----signature----- Courtier of the Royal Order of Shambling Dufi We are Dufi...Resistance is Futile! UCLA BRUINS
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JOINME Registered: Jul '05	Date Posted: 7/28/05 7:29pm Subject: RE: The Killing Shard-Post AOTC AU-Part One 7.26
	wow, this is fascinating! especially how the title ties in, the killing shard, it seems ominous as if something very bad is going to happen... eeek! lol...this is so well written.... I want more! more! can't wait.... -----signature----- President of the Sal Vinz Club Proud Master of Padmay_Skywalker Sith Padawan of the supreme JMT, He's taking over the galaxy and I'm gonna inherit all
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LuvEwan Registered: Mar '02	Date Posted: 7/29/05 10:13pm Subject: RE: The Killing Shard-Post AOTC AU-Part One 7.26 - Date Edited: 7/29/05 10:19pm (3 edits total) Edited By: LuvEwan
	diane My style is different with this one, yeah. I don't know why, but it feels strange writing it. Must be all the Anakin. Thank you, as always, for reading. Erin_21 There'll be much more, I hope. Thank you for reading. VM Now, now, where the heck do you get the idea I'd kill anyone? I've never killed Obi-W--shut up. sj Obi-Wan angst? Get out of town! Little do you know the next chapter involves lots of lollipops and plenty of rainbows. Anakin and Obi-Wan skip around the mapehole, curl each other's hair, etc. Thank you for the kind words. VL Are you saying Anakin isn't usually responsible? Thank you for reading. ithesock Seeing your name come up for a review is a compliment in itself. Thank you. Noi Why so suspicious of Obi? What's he done to you? CherryLightsaber Thanks for reading. rhonderoo Who says Anakin will continue to be the reasonable one? opal I'm glad. PK Weee, a review from PK! JOINME Thanks for reading! Part Two (()) ‘If you see the answer, now’s the time to say All I want, all I want is to get you down and pray.’-J.C. Fogerty (()) The visitor stood in a shaft of white light, and, because he was standing there within it, the light was no longer gentle or illuminating. It was the strip of moon shed to fall across a predator, feverish fire-glow sweating down a twisted face. It was the slanted blaze of nightmare. Obi-Wan blinked. Even through the crackling azure that swarmed around him, there was no mistaking who it was. He couldn’t claim perfect memory; in the three decades of his life, countless faces dissipated into thin mist. But this visage, further sharpened by pouring luster…he would never mistake it for anyone else. His body was turned slowly away, caught in the constant, circling pattern of the binding equipment. But still, he saw. A yellow-eyed mongrel of shadow and blood, with thick stump-horns that looked as if they shoved themselves up from beneath the skull, splitting bone and flesh in the uprooting. This was NOT Naboo. It couldn’t be. He—he remembered the ten years between that battle and here, the emerging battle on Geonosis. Oh—oh…he remembered bidding farewell to his apprentice as separate missions divided then. His recollections stretched back further, and in them he found thousands of days where he was a Knight, struggling through the constant hindrance of self-doubt, always with his student beside him. But here stood breathing proof that he was neither a Knight nor a Master. He was a very young man again, trapped behind an electric screen, while his mentor’s murderer flashed him a toothy grin. No. No. Sense cried out, trying to be heard above his pounding heart, telling him that this depraved fiend had tumbled down into darkness ten years ago. Rationality informed Obi-Wan that he had watched an emerald blade sweep through midsection, had seen the hellish eyes widen with shock, then dull with pain and realization. When he walked out of the cauldron that was the Theed Palace, he had been alone. Qui-Gon was dead. And so was his killer. That was how it was. He should know. It was still the first thought drilled into his mind when he woke. A trick. Yes, that’s what it was. He was Jedi Kenobi, the Sith Slayer. That was common knowledge. The figure standing so patiently before him was an intricate fabrication, a formless lump of flesh manipulated to resemble the long-dead Zabrak in order to confuse him, to rob him of mental equilibrium now, when he was so close to uncovering the secrets of the clones. Hells, perhaps this was a clone. If that were true, if he really believed it, then the bile beginning to film his throat was unwarranted. Obi-Wan swallowed as he came back around to where the other stood. And from the mouth, stained black, came a slow, rasping string of words. “You have prospered in the Order. From my observances over the years, you have a sterling reputation.” Obi-Wan studied the demonic mask of jagged lines. He had never heard the Sith speak, had only briefly heard the grunt that followed the lethal wounding. The tone floated to him, deceptively small and soft, like gray smoke rising from embers. “Over the years?” Despite his mounting apprehension, the Knight was spurred to laughter, “From what I remember, you’ve been dead for ten.” The curling smile revealed a row of dingy teeth. “Indeed, Kenobi. From what you remember.” “I felt your death in the Force.” The smile expanded with distinct glee. “What you felt was your teacher’s ebbing life. You must have been very close to him. He completely absorbed your consciousness. Naturally you thought I was dead.” The supposed Sith stepped closer, the light running over and away from him. He stopped a breath’s width from the buzzing gate of the Jedi’s prison. “After all, I was cut in two, and thrown down that core as though I were refuse being tossed into a disposal.” A fitting description. But he wouldn’t waste time or energy in exchanging barbs with this pretender. “I killed the Sith on Naboo.” He stated confidently. “And I killed Qui-Gon Jinn.” Obi-Wan flinched, hating that his back was turned to the abomination. “Don’t you speak his name. This ruse will gain you and your cause nothing.” “But I believe there is much to be gained here, Kenobi.” The creature’s grin sparkled in his voice, “Specifically, you.” “My loyalty is to the Jedi and the Republic. I will not bend to the will of extremists.” The rotation poised him before the Sith once more. The dark-robed form shrugged. With a wave of his hand, the irritating cycle was halted, and Obi-Wan was still. The corrupted light glistened in conflagrating eyes. “Some things do not bend on their own. They must be made to. I was scraped from the bottom of that generator core, half-mad from the pain. Only my top half was salvageable. The rest is cold metal.” He lifted his black tunics, showing where flesh fused to silver in a gristly line, “You see, I am always cold, Kenobi.” Obi-Wan stared into the face, becoming engrossed as he had that awful day. But it isn’t him. It can’t be him. “Yet, there was a spot of warmth and comfort as I recovered. While I labored to move false limbs, I envisioned you in the moment you understood that he was gone. I came to accept that the loss of my body was worth it, for I was able to accomplish a great thing.” “You’ve accomplished nothing,” Obi-Wan spat, “And you won’t. Not here. Not through me.” “I am the head of the Separatist movement, Kenobi. I think I’ve done something.” The Sith smirked, “And I have you contained behind a wall—again. I remember watching you fume, your ridiculously innocent face contorted with shock and rage. Yes, I remember your rage, Kenobi. You are the pacifist, the ideal of your people, but I know the truth.” He peered up smugly at the suspended Knight, “You reached for the Darkness then. You used it to save yourself, to try to save your Master.” Obi-Wan’s eyes flitted from the damning face. The sensation of extending himself to the twisted side of the Force, touching that frozen expanse of empty energy and lust, had been impossible to forget. It had given him a burst of momentum, but soon he pushed it away with weary disgust. “But I didn’t use it to win.” “Ah,” The Sith crossed his arms, “And, as it turns out, you didn’t win at all.” (()) “Here, Master.” Obi-Wan was startled by the quiet voice. He had been sitting on the couch, face gratefully buried in his palms. When he looked up, his vision was filled with Anakin. The young man was standing a short distance from him; the fingers of one hand curled around two mug handles, the other hand balancing a plate of bland, white crackers. Obi-Wan’s guts ground together with unhappy foresight. It seemed that wherever he turned, his protégé was already there, brandishing food and encouragement. But there was very little that Obi-Wan could coax into his system. He subsisted on the barest level of sustenance, taking scant bites from nauseatingly full plates, hoping that the topic would be left without remark. But Anakin always said something. Tonight, those dark eyes quickly captured the soft, sad glint of perpetual concern. “Here,” He repeated, motioning at the mug with a jerk of his head, “Take it.” Refusal would have only worsened the melancholy sheen. Obi-Wan accepted the steaming beverage, but did not lift it to his lips. Instead, he sat back down, and cradled the mug between endlessly cool hands. “Thank you,” He murmured. Anakin slouched onto the cushion beside him, and placed the crackers in between he and Obi-Wan. He took a sip of the fresh sapir brew. It was a strong taste, for a long while he had avoided it like the Serricia stomach virus, but he reasoned that if he partook of a drink, his Master might be more apt to. “You should try it, Master. It’s really good tonight.” He said, swallowing. Obi-Wan gazed down into the swirling mahogany depths, but no desire was conjured by the familiar sight. His eyes remained there. Soon, he felt the pressure of a hand against his shoulder. “Master,” Anakin began, wishing the man would turn to him, instead of making him feel like he was being punished. “I couldn’t…I couldn’t just let you go.” Obi-Wan’s fingers tightened around the warm mug. “I know,” He whispered. And the curtain dropped between them, the one stitched and hung in the aftermath of Geonosis. But perhaps, Anakin thought, it had been crafted before then. Perhaps that wall of soft silence had existed since their first day together as Master and apprentice, for it had been so quickly slid into place, as though moved there by accustomed hands. He could remember when he was smaller, sneaking into his Master’s quarters early in the morning, leaping on the bed like he used to, when the bed was his mother’s and the morning was a sweltering burn outside the window. On Coruscant, the dawn was pale. Most of the time, Obi-Wan would come awake all at once, and his young face would brighten with amusement. Anakin would jump from corner to corner, chattering endlessly, while wrapped in the certainty of his teacher’s fondness. But there were mornings when his rambunctious behavior was not met with tender-eyed amusement. Every now and then, he would bounce onto the mound of sheets and blankets, waiting with breathless anticipation for Obi-Wan’s reaction—and Obi-Wan would stir and sit up, wiping the hours of rest from his face. Then he would look at Anakin—look at him the same way he had before the death of Qui-Gon Jinn, when Anakin was the wedge between Master and Padawan, the dusty-haired stowaway from Tatooine. It lasted merely a flash, soon Obi-Wan would smile and become his Master again, but those seconds lived much longer in Anakin’s mind. Anakin had hoped that with the passing of years and further development of their relationship, Obi-Wan would permanently lose that cool gaze. It happened less now…but it still happened. And yet, he knew he was the person Obi-Wan was closest to. There was rarely a day that went by that they were not together, or they did not speak to each other. When their confrontation with the Sith had left his Master on the threshold of death, Anakin had been the only one allowed access to his bedside, had been the one to hold the limp, broken body and whisper fervent prayers in a deaf ear. And Anakin had been alone in that icy, sterile room when Obi-Wan finally emerged from unconsciousness, to gaze up from wearily shadowed sockets at his apprentice. Obi-Wan had looked at him, barren of the affection and intimacy of their ten-year apprenticeship. At that crucial moment, with the man at last returned to cognizance, Anakin’s Master had looked at him with wordless accusation. Without moving his lips, Obi-Wan had informed Anakin that he was always the unwanted burden left over from Qui-Gon Jinn. And that was what Anakin heard now, from the sight of his Master’s bowed back. “It’s going to get cold.” Obi-Wan sighed, finally pressing his uninterested mouth to the mug’s rim. He took a shallow drink, and in the thin stream tasted the bittersweet memories of how daybreak had once been for him. He would slip from the covers and pad carefully into the kitchen. After a few minutes, he would bring his Master a tray of sapir and bread, finding the man wherever he had wandered to in the wee light, offering him the humble breakfast along with a tentative smile. Now, it seemed a betrayal of his slain teacher for the warm liquid to be snaking down his throat. He was sitting here, drinking Qui-Gon’s favorite tea, while his murderer was vulnerable and tantalizingly close. Suddenly he couldn’t stand it; he sat the mug down with a hollow clink and returned his face to the shadows of his hands. His fingers pressed into his forehead. “Master, do you want a cracker?” The charade was over. He couldn’t attempt it any longer. “No.” Anakin lowered his eyes, thinking as he frowned. “Do you want something else?” He asked hopefully, “Something more?” More? Obi-Wan felt his heart churn with ache. “Yes.” He murmured absently. With a tinge of excitement, “Muja? Or a bowl of stew? I bet the cafeteria—“ “Anakin,” Obi-Wan interrupted, laying his hand on the younger man’s knee, “I’m not hungry. I already ate evening meal.” “You did? I didn’t see you.” Anakin was unconvinced. In the last months, his Master had become proficient in evasions and half-truths. He would tell Anakin he slept fine, even as his eyes were shot through with spidery red veins and encircled by dark smudges. When the Padawan could see his Master drift from the moment, and lock himself in isolation, the man would insist he had been paying close attention. And when Obi-Wan was preparing to assassinate a political leader, he told Anakin he was ‘going out’. “I do exist when you’re not in the room, Padawan.” Obi-Wan informed him with the pale ghost of a smile. Anakin couldn’t help but think that it was another of his Master’s minute deceptions. (()) Ack! Stupid formatting. -----signature----- What Light Breaks-AU Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon Anakin angst (collaboration with Spiritweaver) http://boards.theforce.net/the_saga/b10476/29979222/p1/?0 You want an Obi-Wan epic? We've got it right here.
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JOINME Registered: Jul '05	Date Posted: 7/29/05 10:25pm Subject: RE: The Killing Shard-Post AOTC AU-Part Two 7.30 - Date Edited: 7/30/05 12:49am (1 edits total) Edited By: JOINME
	yay! an update! omg...the 'reunion' with darth maul....was so scary and haunting! but that is so original and cool! he was made into a sort of darth vader..maybe the prototype for the later darth vader suit.. awesome stuff! I feel very afraid for Obi.... Anakin is so sweet! with the crackers and everything..ha ha... Hmmm. I think Obi-Wan is going to try and do everything to kill maul. Uh oh. I think he's letting his emotions cloud his judgement... shakes finger lol. I love the way you write! I want more...more...more... pleaaase PM me if you can when you update. if you cant, ill try to keep an eager eye out for the next one. LOVE AND PEACE! -----signature----- President of the Sal Vinz Club Proud Master of Padmay_Skywalker Sith Padawan of the supreme JMT, He's taking over the galaxy and I'm gonna inherit all
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PadawanKitara Registered: Dec '01	Date Posted: 7/29/05 10:31pm Subject: RE: The Killing Shard-Post AOTC AU-Part Two 7.30
	Oh you wicked girl! I was ready to scream that it was just poor Obi-Wan's imagination, but then you had to bring him back to life! AHHhhhhhh -----signature----- Courtier of the Royal Order of Shambling Dufi We are Dufi...Resistance is Futile! UCLA BRUINS
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