Saga "And Into the Black." (Obi-Wan, Anakin, post-TPM) UPDATED 1/14/04 (Thanks, LE!)

Title: And Into the Black

Timeline: post-TPM, without following the JQ
Characters: Obi-Wan, Anakin, Qui-Gon, OC

Summary: Obi-Wan and matters of importance. The first story in a series called Kinesis, ultimately AU, though this stands in with canon.

Out of the blue and into the black.
You pay for this, but they give you that
And once you?re gone, you can?t come back
When you?re out of the blue and into the black.

-Neil Young

Chapter One: Within a Dream
(part one)

?All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.?
-Edgar Allan Poe

It was just past 2300, and Obi-Wan was sitting in the armchair in front of a holovid?s running credits with his mind on Anakin. His apprentice was making a habit of coming home late, and sooner or later, they were going to have to sit down and talk about it. Obi-Wan was not looking forward to that confrontation. He and Anakin had rubbed against each other ever since Qui-Gon's death--but after a period of calm had set in, they had grown closer--but now, Anakin was getting touchier. Growing changes, Obi-Wan supposed, and it couldn't be helped, but that didn't make things easier for either of them.

Obi-Wan glanced at the illuminated chrono panel on the wall and sighed. He had to stay up until Anakin got home. That was the responsible thing to do, undoubtedly--though why he was being responsible in his quarters instead of being responsible by tracking Anakin down and giving him a ten minute lecture was beyond him. Hazards of the Force, though. He could feel that nothing was wrong but an apparent sugar-induced headache, and that made for irritation rather than worry.

?I will stay awake,? he said out loud, even though he could already feel his eyelids start to close. It felt like sand had been poured in his wide-eyed expression through the long, vapid drama, and sleep's tide was washing in. ?Have to stay awake,? but by now, even his voice was tired, it was broken in two by a moaning yawn. Jedi willpower did not, apparently, cover the bounds of staying up for twenty-four hours, without the added power of adrenaline or even caffeine. The thought of caffeine reminded him that there were powers even greater than the Force when it came to staying up late.

?Liquid energy,? Obi-Wan mumbled, the syllables sounding mushy. He rose shakily, tossing the spare blanket off onto the floor. Just one more thing to pick up in the morning, or, if all else failed, to make Anakin pick up in the morning along with everything else as some kind of punishment for being late... again. He padded across the floor, avoiding the spare objects scattered about more by memory than the Force.

The chilled caf was in a metal pitcher inside the cold-keep, and Obi-Wan lifted it out with fumbling fingers, his hand looping carefully around the back to find the blunt, misshapen handle. As always, it gave him a pleasant, nostalgic tingling. He had shaped the pitcher himself in a brief, impulsive metalworking class, and it bulged in all the wrong places, but it was his, absolutely, one of the few things he could lay claim to. He had brought it home to Qui-Gon with a smile and Qui-Gon had looked at it with the loving eyes of a Master and not mentioned the nearly endless list of flaws.

With a sigh that was equal halves grief and memory, he closed the cold-keep and made his way to the counter, his socked feet making muffled shuffling sounds on the kitchen floor. He poured half-a-glassful and stared numbly at the swirling brown drink for a moment, almost forgetting why he had poured it. When he remembered, he gulped it down sheepishly and stood there, waiting for the almost-instant effects of the caffeine-charged liquid to kick in.

There was no kicking.

Obi-Wan slumped forward, his elbows on the counter and his head in his hands, nearly knocking over the pitcher in the gesture. He needed sleep, this was a fact that he couldn?t really deny. But Anakin was late, and he had to do it, even if he knew he was safe, he had to stay up and see Anakin into his

 

This one was very odd, almost as if Obi-Wan's sense of what is real is completely off-kilter. I liked it very much, especially the scars at the end and the unsettling dream sequence. Looking forward to more....

 

HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-RAAAAAAYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!! ANOTHER ANI/OBI STORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LUV U!!!!!!!! UR THE BEST!!!!!! AND THAT WAS A GREAT START! Scars? From what? Eeeeeeeeeeek!!!! And why does this story sound like an Ani/Obi angsty one? I LOVE THOSE!!!!

 

very eerie

 

Okay, I agree with Dianethx that it was slightly creepy (as all the stuff I've read by you in the last week has been), but this rocked!

 

The stuff of prophecy ALWAYS feels weird to me - and I assume that's what our hero was being subjected to - prophecy in all its symbolic strangeness.

Very intriguing, Lady - could become addictive quickly, I think. You know, of course, that I have absolutely NO time to get hooked on a new series. I'm already a hopeless addict - and you're feeding my addiction like a coke dealer. Shame on you! And don't you dare stop!

Oh, and BTW - I don't say this to many people - being the possessive, compulsive, psychotic that I am - but I think you got Obi's character exactly right - which is always a pleasure to read.

CYN

 

Wow. I'm very glad I found this.

Great job so far, L_M. Wonderful look into Obi-Wan and the strange occurences he's dealing with within his mind...and then his body. [face_shocked]

Can't wait for more.

 

Can I pick which cardboard cut-out I get for replying?

Can't wait for the next part.

 

This is a great story. I look forward to more.

 

dianethx--Yes, Obi-Wan's sense of reality is going to get increasingly off-kilter for a while--look for growing signs of paranoia. Don't worry, though, I haven't made Our Hero insane... technically.

diamond_pony2002--Thanks! Yes, there will be angst between Anakin and Obi-Wan, since they have such different viewpoints about everything--and part of this story is about how they start to build a connection, but it isn't the main plot.

PadawanKitara--Thanks. I enjoy being eerie.

DarthIshtar--Oh, so you've read my creepier stories! Yes--this isn't going to be as depressing, but it is going to have... weirdness. Of several different types.

CYNICAL21--Yes, Obi-Wan's dreams are prophetic, and sometimes otherworldly--I'm afraid I'm going to get over my head on the symbolic part, but I'm definitely trying to give them layers. I think it's perverse that I love being compared to a coke dealer, but I do, so I hope you continue having that opinion! And wow--to hear that I got Obi-Wan's character right is always a relief... but to hear it from you is an honor.

LuvEwan--I'm glad you found it too! Most of Obi-Wan's strange occurences will be in his own mind for now, but later they'll become more external--and infinitely more dangerous.

clark1016--Sure! Whatever cut-out you want.

CrystalKenobi--Thank you. More's right here!

Thank you all for your feedback--I always get nervous when I'm starting a new story, and it's reassuring to hear that I have readers. You all deserve thanks.

And, with that, onto Obi-Wan:

----------------------------

Chapter One: Dream Within a Dream
(continued)


He could feel the strange feeling of many hands touching him, picking him up off the ground. The hands were gentle and almost soothing, just being touched felt better than lying there alone. He wondered when he?d switched to that mentality. Before, it had been better to be alone. Better to be alone because the pain of losing Qui-Gon was more intense that way, and he could throw all of his emotions against the wall and surrender to inky black meditation where his thoughts no longer mattered. Among others, things mattered. People talked, as the old saying went, but more importantly, people asked. They wanted to know how he was doing, how he was coping, and hands and voices would press against him, trying to get him out of his skin.

Yes, far safer to be alone. Preferably in the dark.

But these hands were different. They were safe and they didn?t hit or press, they just carried him, and he floated on that easy support. Love? Yes, there was certainly love, but nothing inappropriate. It was as platonic as touching his shoulder or a bear-hug. But whoever these people were, they loved him, so Obi-Wan relaxed and let himself be carried by the crowd, who, for better or worse, had chosen to trust him.

It was so soft and good that he almost drew himself out of the almost trance-like silence to thank them for this, for carrying him.

Shh, a voice said. Just sleep.

So he did.

**

Obi-Wan carefully added the teabags to the steaming pot, and turned around to see if Anakin was being sullen or not. Often, after his little escapades, he was frustrated and edgy?sometimes with himself for staying out, sometimes with Obi-Wan for not stopping him, sometimes just at not knowing what to say the mornings afterwards. Fortunately, this morning, his apprentice didn?t seem too inclined to pout. Relieved, Obi-Wan placed a dish of jelly in front of him. Anakin, his hair a little mussed, smiled.

?Toast?? he asked, his mouth already full of porridge. A moist ring of blue milk clung to his upper lip and made Obi-Wan?s fingers twitch, wanting to wipe it off.

?Already in the works,? he answered.

Assured by Anakin?s quick return to slurping down his porridge, Obi-Wan turned his hands over and saw that the small white lines were still there. The analytical part of his m

 

Whoa. That was so freaky! That dream was....whoa!

 

Wow, that was tense, L_M! [face_shocked]

The argument between Obi-Wan and Anakin was so realistic. Anakin trying to be a little defensive and prideful, simultaneously hurting Obi-Wan with his words. ?I guess you chose the wrong life for me, Master,? Anakin said, ?if you hate the idea of me dying so much.? I actually cringed when I read that. What a thing to say to him!

The dreams are so harrowing and well-described. Just the right mixture of confusion and Obi-Wan's characteristic rationality warring with each other. Great post! This is fantastic.

 

I wanted to smack Anakin for his atitude, then I got creeped by the dream and forgot all about annoying Ani.

 

Well if you wanted to spook me you did. Those dreams are spooky.

 

diamond_pony2002--Thanks! There will be plenty of dreams.

LuvEwan--I'm glad the argument seemed realistic--I was trying not to make Anakin appear too much like a brat--I just want him to be like a ten-year-old. And the dreams--good to see I can get that right, too!

PadawanKitara--Well, he is ten. Sometimes he is going to be annoying, but in this chapter, there isn't much arguing. All is well... temporarily...

CrystalKenobi--I spooked you? Cool!

All right, in this post, we get brotherly/parental Obi-Wan, a bad omen, and the word "beardhood." Enjoy!

------------------------------

Chapter Two: Sick of Shadows
(part one)

?I am half sick of shadows,? said
The Lady of Shallot

-Alfred Lord Tennyson



On the thirty-second morning of waking from bad dreams, Obi-Wan saw a spider-web in the corner of his room, made of thousands of glistening strands. It was a soft, pastel blue, not the color of a normal web, and for a bare instant, he wondered if it could be one of Anakin?s rare pranks. But that would have been impossible. It looked too perfect for that?every strand shimmering in the dawn light that was filtered through his window, and a waving slightly as the air was pumped inside.

And then, as he reached his hand towards it, it was gone in a flicker.

?What?? he said aloud, startled by its sudden disappearance. ?It was just?? He waved his hand where it had been, and felt his finger sink into a silky wetness in the air. As he pulled them back, the tendons in them twitched spasmodically, clutching together, tapping against the long scar. It was a long few minutes before they ceased and lay still on his blanketed knee.

This was different. This was strange. Not that strangeness was in anyway unusual anymore. The last dream?he dismissed the web from his mind as he reached across his bed and found his leather journal by memory and wrote in it carefully the details of that night?s dream. They were becoming increasingly detailed, he could remember that much, but when he woke up, it was harder to remember exactly what had happened. There was sensory overload?too much pressing on his synapses. Electrical current had been stifled.

Oh, he wished there was going to be a mission. A mission would have distracting elements to pull him out of his night voyages. A mission would put something in his mind other than multicolored dreams of things he couldn?t understand.

Things he couldn?t understand?and that was the problem. It wouldn?t be as bad if it were simply dreams, just firings from his subconscious that were ironic, or amusing, or even in anyway related to the worries and happenings of the day. But they weren?t dreams. He couldn?t shake the impression that they weren?t just dreams. They were?

Messages?

Right, you?re a Seer now, part of him whispered sarcastically. Soon you?ll have prophecies written out and special recognition by the Council. They?ll see to it. What do you say, Knight Kenobi? And on the month?s mark, there shall be a vanishing blue spider web hanging in the corner of your bedroom, and it shall be a sign of?

?Things to come,? Obi-Wan said. ?A sign of things to come.?

He shivered and his hands twitched just a centimeter more on the soft blanket. Maybe his hands were going to become as separate from the rest of him as his mind. Might be a welcome thing, too, because if nothing was going to make sense, than Obi-Wan would settle for nothing making sense openly.

He looked at his notes, in his plain, curtailed handwriting standing on it black ink on ancient vanilla paper (such an antiquity).

Fire. Fire was coming out of the scars again. Qui-Gon and a man with a shadowed face and blueness coming out of his mouth when he spoke. He said, ?You lead, he will follow. Because you are the one they chose.?

Obi-Wan closed his eyes, and got out of bed. Someone had to make the tea. Someone had to pretend that things were normal.

T

 

AT least there is one constant in Obi_wan's life. Hungry growing boy.

 

Obiwan go ahead and tickle Anakin. It might make a difference in the future.

 

I just stumbled onto this thread, heyla all!

You can almost cut the tension between Ani and Obi with a knife, it's that thick. I feel so sorry for Obi, having to deal with that on top of those dreams he's having.

Ani is being so annoying! Can't he cut Obi a little slack? You can't go from being the apprentice to being the master in one day, or even one year without some bumps in the road. Obi is trying so hard, and Ani doesn't even seem to care.

 

Well, I've always loved your macabre style L_M and this story doesn't fail to disappoint.

Don?t you see? I?m not going to jump, Master. I?m going to fly. Talk about the adage about children growing wings!

Is Anakin ten? He's a bit too horrid in respect to his characterisation in TPM.

 

Obi-Wan go ahead and tickle Anakin. It might make a difference in the future.

Yes - how can you cut down your own master in "A New Hope" when you remember the tickle war?!

Excellent new chapter, and I'm beginning to love this story, Moony. Been so long since I read a decent story, thanks for introduction me to the wonders.



tf

 

This is really getting good! Uh oh! Sugar? Look out Obi!

 

PadawanKitara--Yes, Anakin's a wild one, isn't he? More eating in this part... much to Obi-Wan's dismay.

CrystalKenobi--Yes... If only there had been more tickling!

Thalia_Nox--Welcome! I'm trying to layer the tension between the two of them, and I'm glad you could pick up on it. There's some good and bad history between Obi-Wan and Anakin--and I'm not trying to make Ani appear annoying... just ten, and a little tempremental.

leia_naberrie--Glad to have you! at the phrase "macabre style." I have the soul of a dark-fic writer, don't I?... Like I said to Thalia, I'm trying to balance Anakin's dark and light sides, so sometimes he's up, and sometimes he's down. In this post, he's fun to be around--but like anyone, he's three-dimensional, with multiple facets.

TheFallen--*tackles Celt* Great! *does little dance* I'm so happy that you like the story! And that would be an AU for you--Vader getting ready to chop down Obi-Wan, when he suddenly thinks, "But he tickled me!" And then they hug.

diamond_pony2002--Thanks. And yes, Obi-Wan needs to look out for himself, but not because of Anakin's sugar high.

---------------------------------


Chapter Two: Sick of Shadows
(part two)


They were at a newer café called Day?s Birth?the sort of place that Obi-Wan heartily approved of, since they served decent meals on clean plates, and you could never get ale with breakfast. He and Anakin selected a tiny, wobbling table near the glass front of the restaurant, and sat down, Anakin?s face gravitating immediately to the view. Obi-Wan congratulated himself on the selection?even after months of being on Coruscant, Anakin was still apt to turn around and stare in wonderment at all of the buildings, caught by surprise at the sight of such civilization.

Obi-Wan unfolded a crisp, laminated menu and ran his finger down the list of selections. A pretty brunette came up to him, smiling, order pad stuck out at the ready. She gave him a neat little nod once she noticed Anakin, as if approving of the boy?s presence.

?I?m Delene, sir, your server for this morning. What can I do you for??

Obi-Wan ordered chomna to drink?he?d had it in the Temple dining hall a few times and the rich, slightly fruit-and-cream blend was becoming his favorite?and then apologized. ?I don?t know the rest, yet,? he said, smiling. Delene nodded in assurance.

?I?ll just be back in a minute for your breakfast orders,? she said. ?And you, kiddo??

Anakin, jerked out of his reverie, looked startled and glanced hastily at his menu, scanning quickly over the selections. ?Milk?? he asked hesitantly, with a slight look in Obi-Wan?s direction.

Obi-Wan nodded.

?Right, then,? Delene said. ?One chomna and one large milk, got it. Be back in a minute, okay??

?Thank you,? Obi-Wan said, and when she left, he turned his attention fully to Anakin. ?You weren?t looking outside. You were looking at someone?s reflection.?

?What? How did you figure that out?? Anakin sputtered.

Obi-Wan smiled. ?Jedi intuition, my young apprentice?and no one stares that fixedly in one spot when there?s a whole world to look out at. Now, who were you looking at? Who caught your eye??

Anakin looked around cautiously and then lowered his voice as he leaned closer, excitement turning his face pink. ?That man in the corner. He keeps watching you.? Excitement mounted in his voice, and his eyes gleamed. The tempo of Anakin?s voice sped up as he continued. ?Every time he takes a drink or if he thinks that you?re not looking, he stares!? Anakin grinned. ?What are we going to do??

?I?m going to see if you?re right,? Obi-Wan said quietly.

Obi-Wan leaned back and casually sent his eyes over the rest of the café-goers. Most of them remained in animated conversation with the members of their table, and the ones that were seated alone directed most of their attention to their meals, or gazed out of the windows. Quite

 

Ack! I think I missed a post! [face_shocked]

Well, on the bright side, now I have two to read.

 

Wow that was good. I am curious about Delene was she really sick or is there more than meets the eye. I look forward to finding out what Obiwan has seen.

 

Aww! Obikin mush!!!!!!! sorta. I like that post!!!