Master Apprentice
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Necessary Deceit 2
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"Again."
Obi-Wan watched his young apprentice struggle with the balance beam. Set nearly three meters off the floor, the height had at first frightened Anakin. Now, after a few days' work, his fear was lessening as his balance slowly improved.
It was progress. But, Obi-Wan found himself paying less than the proper amount of attention as his mind drifted back to fragments of a recurring dream. It had first come three days ago, and had been repeated nightly since. He had been reliving - again - that dreadful time in the Theed power plant, when he had allowed himself to fall behind and been forced to watch as his beloved master fell victim to the Sith's blade. Just at the moment when Qui-Gon should have drawn his last breath, there was a voice, strong and clear, with more than a touch of heavy sadness.
"I am alive. Remember that I love you, and wait for me."
It had been Qui-Gon's voice, no question. But, Obi-Wan couldn't fathom why he had heard it. Instead of the dream ending with the terrible, painful tearing of their bond, with the awful realization that the man he loved like no other had left him, he had awakened with a glow of warmth and love filling his broken heart.
But Qui-Gon couldn't be alive. Obi-Wan had felt him die, had felt a great, impenetrable wall fall between them, cutting him off from their Force connection. Isn't that how a broken bond felt? Having never experienced one before, he could only speculate. But, he had felt the body in his arms go suddenly slack, had been unable to detect a heartbeat. A short while later, a healer had arrived and separated them. He was not allowed to see the body again until shortly before the funeral pyre.
He shook his head and made himself abandon this line of thought. He had new responsibilities now, to the boy teetering on the beam above him. Qui-Gon was dead, despite his wishful thinking.
But, the memory wouldn't stop repeating itself. And, if the first half of his master's statement didn't trouble him enough, the second half did.
"Remember that I love you - love you - love you -" The words echoed in Obi-Wan's head. "Wait for me."
Was this some sort of visitation from beyond the grave, some last contact with his dead master? If so, it made the man's passing all the more poignant. For Obi-Wan had loved Qui-Gon for years, had been in love with him, and the thought that the feelings might be returned ---
He sensed rather than saw the training room door open. Mace Windu and Master Yoda entered, slipping quietly onto the observation bench along the wall. He saw Anakin stumble and reached out quickly with the Force to steady him. He knew the boy was intimidated by the presence of the senior Jedi.
"Ignore them," he instructed softly, his words meant only for Anakin's ears. "You must learn to work with distractions. Now, begin again."
Anakin fell obediently into the kata, his movements only slightly less free than before. It was sufficient. Obi-Wan concentrated on his young apprentice, trying to catalog every weakness, every mistake. But, his mind kept drifting back to that dream voice.
"I am alive. Remember that I love you -"
A shout from Anakin tore his attention back to the present. The boy was falling. Obi-Wan reached out a hand, intending to catch him in mid-fall, but his connection to the Force seemed muted. Before he could question it, Anakin landed with a sickening thump, head first on the hardwood floor.
"Anakin!" he shouted, starting forward. Yoda was suddenly there, right in his way, even as Mace bent to scoop the limp child up into his arms.
"Take him to the healers, Mace will," Yoda said, his very presence preventing Obi-Wan from following as the dark-skinned Councilman rushed out of the room with Anakin.
"Master! I must -" He stepped around Yoda, starting for the door, but a sudden pain knifed through his head and drove him to his knees. He sagged there, panting. He knew this pain, had experienced it before, only a few days ago.
It was the agony of a broken training bond.
Anakin was -
"Sorry, I am," Yoda said as he stepped up beside Obi-Wan. A small hand settled on the knight's shoulder. "Gone he is. Not your fault this accident was. Prevent it, none of us could."
Obi-Wan couldn't stop the tears that flowed, the sob that hitched in his chest. He folded forward onto the floor, feeling Yoda's hands still on him, offering what comfort they could. It was not enough, not by far.
"Forgive me, Qui-Gon," the knight murmured almost inaudibly. "Forgive me, for I've failed you again."
Outside, on the temple's landing pad, a small ship sat with its engine idling. A dark figure hurried for it, his hood pulled up in a silent demand for privacy. In his arms, an unconscious boy, now heavily sedated, lay limply. The boarding ramp lifted and sealed, and the ship lifted off. It's destination -- Dagobah.
The End