Master Apprentice
Archive
New Beginnings
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Rating: PG-13
Category: AU, first time
Disclaimers: I own nothing, I make no money
Spoilers: None
Summary: What if death is only the beginning?
Chapter 1
Obi-Wan sat vigil at his master's bedside. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands and tried in vain to make his exhaustion disappear. He had been in the same chair holding his master's motionless hand for the last three days, not willing to be gone when Qui-Gon woke. Much to his disappointment, there had been no change in the coma his master was held in since they had arrived back on Coruscant. The last moments he had seen those clear blue eyes were playing themselves over and over in his mind.
He had seen the shot come from the crowd, but before he realized what was happening, he saw that Qui-Gon had positioned himself between the shot and the Queen they were protecting. There had been no time to position himself correctly so that the wound would not be as bad, and Qui-Gon had taken it in the chest. The exact height of the Queen's forehead being right where his heart was situated. The flash of pain and terror that resounded across their bond was enough to force Obi-Wan out of his shock to run to his fallen master's side as the guards caught the assassin.
Obi-Wan watched as his master had trouble focusing on him and reached up a shaking hand to grab at his. Utilizing the force, Obi began to concentrate healing energy on the damage, but Qui-Gon stopped him with one word. "Sorry," he whispered. Obi-Wan began to cry as he looked into his master's face, now contorted with agony as he struggled to move.
"No," he whispered back. "Don't be sorry, Master. It'll be all right." He wished fervently that he could make himself believe that, but as he watched, Qui-Gon closed his eyes. He hadn't opened them since. It was now a week since the shooting and Qui-Gon still remained dependent on the life support machines to live. Obi-Wan had hoped that the temple healers would have more luck than the planetary healers, but so far little had changed but the location.
Sighing deeply, Obi-Wan looked up as Master Yoda stepped inside the room. "Good evening, Master." Obi-Wan offered politely. The ancient Jedi only grunted.
"Morning it is, Obi-Wan." The young man only sighed again and squeezed the cold hand he held more tightly.
"My apologies." Yoda nodded and looked about the room as if he was missing something. It was a scene Obi-Wan had gotten used to, but it still confused him greatly every time. The Jedi master would come into the room, search the stark walls and spaces and walk out again, without ever coming near the unconscious body of his former padawan. As if on cue, Yoda turned and walked back out the door. But, just as Obi-Wan was relaxing back into his chair, the master popped his head back in.
"Rest you need. Sleep you will tonight." Obi-Wan recognized the order for what it was and was too exhausted to get into any arguments.
"Yes, Master Yoda." With a firm nod, the Jedi was gone yet again. Obi-Wan prayed to the force that his master would wake before then.
He looked down at the lax face and ashen skin tone and winced. His master's face was hollowing despite the nutrients they fed to him through one of the many tubes entering him. The breathing tube was taped over the light brown mustache and slightly bluish lips were closed loosely around it. An artificial pace-maker beeped away as it kept his master's damaged heart pumping against its will. Obi-Wan was fast losing his certainty that everything was indeed going to be all right.
The healers came in later in the morning to replace the fluids that were being pumped into Qui-Gon as well as to check all the equipment. They had long ago finished with any active healing attempts and told Obi-Wan only time would tell what the outcome would be. They told him that the brain-wave activity in his master had steadily decreased since he arrived, but it was still high enough to sustain normal functioning and showed no signs of brain damage. At least not all the news was bad.
That brief spark of hope died quickly as they discovered that Qui-Gon's kidneys and liver were failing and he'd have to be put on dialysis. One piece at a time, Obi-Wan watched as his master died. He was fast losing every bit of hope. His determination to be there when Qui-Gon woke switched to that of being there until the end.
His eyes filled with tears as the healers left to inform Yoda of the changes. A sob wrenched itself from his tight control and he collapsed forward until his head lay on his master's arm. Letting go of all his hope and desire, he sobbed for his friend and master. When the last of his tears had fallen, Obi-Wan stood up and leaned over Qui-Gon's motionless face. He let his lips brush the relaxed forehead and whispered into deaf ears.
"I love you, my Master." Satisfied, Obi-Wan sat back into his chair just as Yoda arrived. For what seemed like the hundredth time, the Jedi master stood just inside the door and searched the room, ignoring both of the visible bodies. This time however, Yoda's ears stood up and what looked close to a smile passed over his lips before he waddled quickly to Qui-Gon's bedside and reached a hand up to rest over the covered abdomen. Nodding in confirmation, he turned to Obi-Wan.
"Leave now you should." he demanded. Obi-Wan's brow furrowed deeply and he shook his head in defiance.
"No. I want to be here until it's over." Obi-Wan watched as the older Jedi master simply picked him up using force power Obi-Wan could not fight and began to move him from his chair. "No!!" he screamed just as he was deposited outside the closing door. He jumped up from the ground and slammed at the door. "Let me in!" he shouted over and over as he pounded on the door. His tears started to stream down his face as several healers began to restrain him. Soon he was held immobile by too many pairs of hands that he couldn't fight anymore as he was led back to the rooms he had shared with his master. He recognized the force order to put him to sleep, and he was helpless to fight it in his exhausted state. As he drifted to sleep, he whispered his plea once more. "Please let me be there..."
Inside the isolated med room, Yoda unclipped his seldom used light saber as he stood over his former padawan's dying body. He moved the sheets and blankets down to the man's knees and he pulled the tunic up to his neck. He placed one green hand over the exposed belly and let the force guide him to the right place before he lit the saber and began to cut through the layers of muscle.
He moved with infinite care as he continued to slice through the useless liver, stomach, and intestines to find the treasure beneath. His brow was furrowed in concentration, but he broke into his equivalent of a grin when he finally saw that which he had been searching for.
Setting the saber aside for the moment, he reached in with his hands and carefully removed the precious bundle from the depths of Qui-Gon's wasted body. Holding his prize in one hand, he made the final severing cuts and backed away. He carefully cradled the shivering babe in both his arms as he moved to the door to hand it away to the waiting healers to care for.
Once the child was removed, Yoda went back to the split body of his former apprentice and proceeded to shut down the pace-maker and the breather.
He stood at the bedside as the body went into cardiac arrest and finally died. Raising the sheet, he left his padawan's body and tried not to cry as a team moved in to deal with the lifeless form. He new there was no death, yet it was still hard to watch as the body was moved to the gurney that would take it to the morgue where it would be burned. He hadn't yet thought about what he would tell the rest of the council, or the nearly hysterical padawan he had ejected. As one of the apprentice healers put the clothed child back into his arms, Yoda decided he would wait until morning to decide what to tell them.
At the moment, he had a brand new baby boy to care for. And it had been decades since he last had to deal with that type of responsibility. Though he had to admit, this was one burden he was more than happy to take. He was more contented than he could remember being in a long time as he walked the halls of the temple to his rooms with the precious bundle squirming in his arms.
Obi-Wan woke the next morning and immediately remembered being forced from the room his master had been in. He shot out of the bed and threw on a robe before running barefoot through the temple halls to get back to the med bay.
He burst through the door and startled the young girl working the desk into a near heart attack. Too worried and determined to notice her surprise, Obi-Wan continued to race down the hallways to the all too familiar room.
He burst through that door with just as much intensity, but it was empty. He looked wide eyed and panicked around the room several times before turning to run back out the door. When he did come flying out of the room, he ran straight into one of the master healers. Obi-Wan grabbed her shoulders roughly and began to shake her in his urgency.
"Where is he?" Obi demanded. The surprised master managed to remove his death grip and step away from him. She had come to recognize him and knew him to be Master Jinn's padawan, so she sighed deeply instead of responding in anger at his rough handling.
"Follow me." she sighed. Obi-Wan calmed himself and did as she commanded and followed the master. His heart skipped when she stopped in front of the door labeled "Morgue" and palmed it open. She stepped through, but Obi-Wan found himself frozen at the doorway. Tears spilled over his eye lids and down his cheeks and past his now trembling lips.
"No," he whispered in soft disbelief. When the healer turned to wait for him, he finally forced himself to step inside the door so it could slide shut behind him. The healer then walked to a gurney and removed a sheet so that Obi-Wan could see the cold and still face of his master's dead body.
On suddenly weak legs, he walked over to see for himself the blue tinged lips and feel the freezing cheeks. He barely noticed the master healer leave as he stared. He found himself strangely empty and hollow now that he faced his biggest fear. Obi-Wan remained motionless until he felt Yoda's presence. He turned to see the Jedi master watching him carefully.
"Take your trials you shall today." And he did. He took his trials and somehow managed to pass them despite the complete lack of emotion he had. Just as suddenly, he was given an assignment and swept off of Coruscant. The next time he would be back would be after five long years in the field.
Chapter 2
Obi-Wan stepped inside the temple walls and sighed in relief. It had been too long since he was last home. He understood the council's decision to keep him busy and away, since the temple was filled with so many memories of his former master. Still, being away from the other Jedi had been taxing and lonely, so he was even relieved to re-live his pain.
He had just started down the hallway to the room he had shared with Qui-Gon when he was almost bowled over by a young child. The little boy ran straight into Obi-Wan's legs before he noticed the taller Jedi. Obi stepped back a bit before catching the stumbling child. "Hold on," he chuckled.
When he looked down, Obi-Wan found himself gazing into the intense blue eyes of a brown haired little child. "I'm sorry, Sir Jedi," came the soft reply. Obi-Wan found himself speechless as he studied the young face that looked so familiar to him and yet he couldn't quite place. A slight wiggling let Obi-Wan know that the boy wanted to be released, and he watched as the child stood up to his full height.
He had light sandy brown hair and beautifully pure blue eyes set in a round baby-face like is so common among the young. His little body was strong and thin with no trace of the normal padding he had come to expect from children in the creche. His eyes seemed intensely intelligent and passionate as well as very intuitive.
"How old are you?" he heard himself ask the bemused child. A bright smile was his answer.
"I'll be five next week." the child said excitedly. Obi-Wan couldn't help but smile as well. Peace, joy, and love seemed to flow out of the boy before him. His spirit was a bright light, even among the rest of the Jedi. He was stronger in the living force than Obi-Wan thought was possible for any Jedi to be.
"And what brings you up here, little one?" At the reminder, the little boy's eyes went wide with worry.
"I'm late!" he stated. Obi-Wan reached out a hand and grabbed the child by his tunics when he turned to run again.
"You should walk in the temple halls, little one." Obi-Wan reprimanded. "Now, what are you late for?"
"Master Yoda told me to be home before supper tonight." The boy revealed as he began to walk as fast as his five year old legs could carry him. Obi-Wan chuckled and picked the child up and let him sit on his shoulder.
"Perhaps having longer legs will help you get to Yoda sooner." The boy's happy laughter eased the dark around Obi-Wan's heart as he trotted to Yoda's rooms. He had often taken the trip himself when he was younger.
When they got to the door, Obi set the boy down and watched as the child reached up to the palm lock and opened the door. Obi-Wan felt his eyebrow quirk up at that, and then he heard the ancient Jedi master's call.
"Late you are, Qui-Gon. Set the table you should." Obi-Wan knew he was in shock, but he still noticed the little boy blush, bow, and rush to the dinner table.
"Sorry, Master Yoda." he mumbled as he slipped into the kitchen to grab the dinner ware.
"For three you can set it." Obi-Wan heard the small sound of joy that escaped from the kitchen before he was able to focus his gaze on the Jedi master.
"What did you call him?" he demanded. The ancient Jedi simply grabbed hold of Obi-Wan's robe and pulled him in so that the door could shut behind him.
"Called him by his name, I did." As if that explained everything, Yoda turned and walked to the living area. He settled his tiny frame into one of the many small chairs that adorned his rooms while motioning for Obi-Wan to take a seat in the one regular sized couch. "How else would I call him?"
"I don't understand," Obi admitted. Confrontation never worked with Yoda, he never reacted well to it. Before Yoda could explain further, the little boy bounced through the kitchen with three large plates. The way he jumped about, Obi-Wan was sure the dishes would end up broken before they made it to the table. Much to his amusement, the boy didn't even falter as he set the table. When the plates were down, he ran back into the kitchen and reappeared with three glasses.
"The boy is Qui-Gon." Yoda stated as he watched Obi-Wan's eyes follow the little boy. Obi-Wan snapped his gaze back to the older Jedi.
"That's impossible. Qui-Gon's dead." Yoda shook his head as the boy ran out yet again to deposit a basket of bread and the silverware on the table.
"Qui-Gon's body is dead, yes. His mind, no." It was obvious Obi-Wan didn't understand by the look on his face. "Died Qui-Gon's body did, but his people do not always end there. Concentrate their force energy to reproduce themselves, they do. The boy Qui-Gon is. Grow up to be the master you knew, he will." Obi-Wan's mouth went suddenly dry. The little boy raced back into the room with a pan that looked larger than him and deposited it. When he was done, he ran over to Yoda's chair and plopped down on the floor next to it. Yoda reached down a hand and twined it in the boy's longish hair.
"Dinner is ready, Masters." he whispered while looking shyly up at Obi-Wan and leaning further into Yoda's chair.
"Excited you are to have Obi-Wan join us, no?" The little boy grinned widely and nodded vigorously. Yoda smiled slightly and pulled himself up. The boy stood as well, but he waited until both Yoda and Obi-Wan had stepped in front of him and moved to the table that was set rather elegantly for how quickly the boy had moved.
The dinner passed quickly as the little boy ate as fast as he moved and then raced to start the clean up. Obi-Wan had never really cared for the type of food Yoda preferred, so he did not complain when the boy pulled the plate away. The little child then pulled at Obi's hand.
"Will you stay for a while, Sir Jedi?" he asked hopefully. Obi-Wan couldn't help but smile and nod. The last thing he wanted to do was disappoint the sweet child before him. The boy grinned and pulled Obi-Wan up and drew him to the common room. He pulled him to the couch and asked him to sit before racing back to the kitchen.
Yoda joined Obi-Wan yet again. "He will remember himself?" Obi-Wan asked the master.
"He will." Yoda revealed. "When reaches the age of twenty he does. Remember all he was, he will."
"Until then?"
"Age quickly he will. Five years for us and fifteen for him. Then Qui-Gon he will be." Obi-Wan gulped and watched as the little boy brought in a tray with tea to them. He handed Yoda a mug and then walked over and offered one to Obi-Wan. When he took it, his hand brushed that of the boy. With that simple contact, a bond he had thought long dead sprung to life.
The little boy grinned at him and went to move away. Obi-Wan reached out his other hand and grasped the little wrist. The reunited bond proved beyond a doubt that the boy was in fact his Master, his Qui-Gon. "Yes, Master?" came the soft inquiry.
"Sit for a while, little one." The little boy tilted his head in silent inquiry before seating himself at Obi-Wan's feet. Mimicking Yoda's earlier actions, Obi-Wan reached down to run his fingers through the sandy hair. He continued his ministrations with the child long into the night as he talked with his master's master.
"Half asleep the child is. To bed he should go." Yoda remarked as Qui-Gon dozed against Obi-Wan's legs. "Into your care I relieve him." Obi-Wan smiled and moved the dozing boy into his arms before rising. He walked down the hall to the rooms he shared with Qui-Gon and entered them, not alone as he had feared he would have to do while he was on Coruscant, but with the very person he had thought lost forever to him.
He deposited the child on the large bed and moved to leave, but Qui-Gon sat straight up in the bed. He was suddenly wide awake and staring at Obi-Wan with fearful eyes. "Please don't leave me!" he cried. Large tears welled up in sapphire eyes and threatened to overflow. The bond they shared was becoming flooded with fear and misery. Obi-Wan sat on the bed and drew the trembling child into his arms.
"What's wrong, little one?" he murmured as he soothed the boy.
"Don't leave me!" he sobbed. "Please don't leave me." Little arms clung desperately to Obi-Wan's neck and warm salty tears stained his tunic. "Don't you want me?" he whispered miserably.
"Hush now, Qui-Gon. What in the force makes you think I do not want you? Hmm? If you would feel better, I will sleep with you tonight." The little child smiled hesitantly and moved over for Obi-Wan to slip under the covers. Obi-Wan tucked the boy into his arms and kissed the top of his head and sent him easily to sleep using the same trick his master had used on him countless times before.
The child's fear confused him until Obi-Wan remembered some of what Yoda had told him earlier that evening. "Parts of the past he will remember," Yoda had advised. "Surface emotions will that were locked inside him as his body died. Thoughts and vague impressions will remain until he remembers all he was." When Obi-Wan had inquired what kind of impressions they would be, Yoda had commented on fear and loneliness. But, Obi-Wan had found that hard to believe from the bright and shinning face he had seen all night.
Now, with drying tears on his tunic, he was forced to admit that Yoda had been more than correct in his warnings. He would have to ask if the same type of behavior had occurred every night. If so, he would have to speak to Yoda about giving more specific warnings next time. For the present, it was an unspeakable joy to simply hold close the warm body of the child his master had become. Though his memories were not yet restored, the child was so very much the man already. He couldn't wait to spend the next five years raising and training the very man who had done the same for him. By the end, maybe he would have proven that the quiet and stoic manner Qui-Gon had constantly used wasn't always the best when dealing with small children.
Chapter 3
"Qui-Gon! Get out of that tree!!" Obi-Wan shouted as he stalked through the gardens. He was heading toward one of the largest trees in the area where he could feel his charge's force signal the strongest. While he couldn't actually see the boy, he knew from the poorly shielded thoughts and tell-tale rustling of leaves that Qui-Gon was indeed hiding in the tree tops.
"Why?" came the plaintive reply. Without losing any height, a small head popped through the vegetation to look down at Obi-Wan. The long brown hair had been tied in a braid earlier in the day, but now it was mostly loose around his face. Here and there leaves and twigs stuck out of the brown silk. The little face was scratched in several places and Obi-Wan was positive that Qui-Gon had ruined yet another pair of pants. Obi-Wan was beginning to wonder how Yoda had ever managed Qui-Gon as a padawan in the first place. His energy was unbelievable. Not to mention his curiosity and penchant for locating trouble. Everyday was a new struggle to keep the child out of trouble.
"Because I said so!" Obi-Wan flushed at finding himself actually saying the phrase that had so annoyed him as a child. Qui-Gon's head only cocked a bit to the side as he waited patiently for a better answer with a half smile on his face. The boy could be so infuriating at times Obi-Wan thought to himself. "We are supposed to meet Master Yoda in half and hour and you need to get cleaned up. Now get out of that tree!"
Suddenly complacent, Qui-Gon jumped free of the branches in one swift movement. "NO!" Obi-Wan gasped, but before he could make a move either physically or forcefully, Qui-Gon manipulated the force energy around him and slowed his descent. By the time he reached the ground, he was completely force cushioned and looked innocently up into his caretaker's wide eyes. With a grunt and an exasperated sigh, Obi-Wan roughly grabbed Qui-Gon's wrist and began to drag him out of the gardens.
"How many times have I told you not to go climbing?" he demanded from the child. Little shoulders simply shrugged as azure eyes gazed up at him. "You're going to get hurt one of these days." Obi-Wan sighed.
A wide crooked grin broke out on the small face and Qui-Gon shook his head furiously. "Impossible!" he declared. "The force would never let me get hurt." The little boy looked so sure of himself that Obi-Wan was tempted to leave things as they were, but it was his job to raise and train the boy.
"Qui-Gon, you should know better than that." Obi-Wan halted long enough to open the door to their quarters and ushered the child in. "The force can protect us a lot of the time, but not even Jedi can defeat death. You cannot be irresponsible and careless all of the time. Being able to feel and use the force is a gift, you shouldn't take advantage of it so."
"Yes, Master." The small reply was muffled as Obi-Wan pulled a tattered tunic over Qui-Gon's head. With an annoyed glance at the ruined clothing, Obi-Wan threw the wad into the receptacle. He was positive that the dispensary was going to get sick of seeing him there everyday. If fact, he had long ago gotten sick of the daily trips himself. He hurried Qui-Gon into the bath that had been waiting and quickly doused his tousled hair. The boy sputtered a bit but he did not actively complain, as he knew he was already in a bit of trouble.
"Perhaps we should sign you up for the next sewing class. That way you can fix the clothes you ruin." Obi-Wan had meant it at a threat, but the boy smiled up at him and his eyes lit up.
"Really? I can take another class?" Obi-Wan laughed at the glee his charge showed and nodded.
"Absolutely! Let the teachers keep and eye on you for a few hours." A small furrow formed on Qui-Gon's forehead, but the smile remained none-the-less. "Now wash your hair and get out of there. Master Yoda's going to think we're late to everything."
"We are!" Qui-Gon called after him while he filled his small hands with the soap.
"Scratched he is," Yoda commented later that evening. Obi-Wan snorted into his glass of wine and nodded. "Always getting into trouble he was. Had him in saber training six hours a day to exhaust him I did."
Obi-Wan chuckled. "That's not a bad idea!" He shook his head ruefully and watched his padawan clear Yoda's table of the dinner dishes. "I never would have imagined Qui-Gon having this much energy. What made him change so much?"
This time Yoda snorted. "Change he did not. Put on a "Master" face, he did. When on his own he was, just as much trouble he would get in. Talked Mace into climbing the spires with him when back from Calin."
"That was three months before our last mission!" Obi-Wan exclaimed as he tried desperately not to spit his wine out. Yoda simply nodded.
"Turned the creche-ling's pool into green jello, he did as well."
"That was him!" Obi-Wan had heard the story of the pool turned into a giant jello treat, but nobody knew who had done it. The little ones had been so thrilled that by the time the creche masters came in, they had all been covered head to toe in the sticky mess as they tried to eat as much as possible of the dessert. He had never, in all of his wildest dreams, thought it had been his own silent and proper master who had been behind that joke. "What have I gotten myself into?" he mock moaned.
Yoda chuckled a bit before turning surprisingly serious, as he was prone to do. "Taken to sleeping by himself?"
"Yes. I finally got him convinced that I wasn't going to abandon him in the night. Since then, he's slept in his own bed." Yoda nodded approvingly. "Do you have any idea why he was so afraid of me abandoning him while he was fine before when he was with you?"
Yoda shook his head. "Know why, I do not. Only sensed a great deal of loneliness in him when born he was. Why he attached fear to you, I do not know."
As they finished the conversation, Qui-Gon trotted in and took his seat at Obi-Wan's feet. It had become a nightly ritual between the two of them, whether they were out or not. Qui-Gon rested himself back against his legs as soon as Obi-Wan had swept the braid up into his lap. As Obi-Wan ran his fingers through the long length and loosed it from its binding, Qui-Gon would slip into his nightly meditation. Yoda watched the pair with a faint smile before he continued to speak with Obi-Wan on how to keep the mischievous boy out of trouble.
Chapter 4
Sitting in a meeting with several other Masters, Obi-Wan waited patiently for his turn to report. Since he had a new padawan who needed to stay on the planet and in the temple, he was now responsible for teaching several classes himself. Fortunately, the Jedi had plenty of philosophers and diplomats, so Obi-Wan was able to instruct the advanced flight and engineering classes. At least they were both areas of interest for him. He had never intended to be teaching courses as he didn't feel he was all that good at teaching in the first place. But, it was simply impossible to take a seven year old child on missions.
Stifling a yawn, Obi prepared to listen in to yet another report when suddenly his spine stiffened to the point of pain. Through the bond he shared with his padawan, he felt a message of agony and confusion rip through him. Turning instantly introspective, he sought out the young mind of his former master. //Qui-Gon, what's wrong? Padawan?!// There was no conscious reply, only more terror and pain sent in sporadic bursts. //Hold on, I'm on my way.//
Without a word, he stood and ran out of the meeting leaving many bemused masters and knights in his wake. Fortunately, many of them also had or once had padawans of their own and knew that the responsibility of young lives didn't always revolve around convenient schedules.
He raced through the temple halls at a force induced speed that would hardly have been accepted in any other circumstances. The closer he got to his rooms the less he could feel through his bond with his padawan. The last bursts were so painful and mind numbing that Obi-Wan was positive his charge would be dead by the time he got to the room. He could feel the suffocating pressure on tiny lungs and burning everywhere. It was a horrible burning sensation that stole his breath away.
//I'm almost there, Padawan. Just hang on one more moment. Just hang on.// After what felt like an eternity, he finally made it to his quarters. Slamming at the palm lock, he raced into the common room.
And he promptly collapsed. The room was heavy with toxins that his Jedi senses picked up only microseconds before his body reacted to them. His eyes burned and watered in response to the toxins and his throat burned. Agony ripped through his lungs as he crawled back to the door for some blessed air. Gasping for the clean air of the hall, real panic began to settle into his soul.
Not willing to wait for a team of protected Jedi to pull his padawan out, Obi-Wan ripped a layer from his tunics and wrapped it tightly across his face. Thus prepared, he charged blindly back into the room and let the force lead him to his padawan. Close to losing hope of finding Qui-Gon alive, he finally felt a small glimmer coming from his room. Not quite understanding why the boy would not chose to go to his own larger quarters instead of Obi's bed, he hadn't thought to even search there.
Opening his eyes briefly to take in the appearance of his padawan, he felt tears spring up from some other source than the toxins. Grabbing his bundle, he stumbled hastily to the door and to the blessedly free halls. It took only a heartbeat to shut the door again to make sure no more toxins were freed from the rooms.
The general alarm had been sounded by one of the masters in Obi's meeting and he knew that it would only take a few moments before healers showed up to move his padawan. In the time he waited, Obi took in the damage that the young child had suffered. He was bleeding from every pore, every orifice. From his eyes, tears of blood flowed down his cheeks where they eventually mingled with the blood pouring from his nose and mouth.
The little chest wasn't moving at all. There were no breath sounds and no pulse to reassure the horrified master. The tiny body looked as if it had been through a war. Obi ripped the cloth from around his face and bent down to push air into the shredded lungs. At the same time, he urged the little mind to stay with him. //Hang on Qui-Gon. Stay with me, please! Don't go, just hang on.//
//???// Obi just about leapt with glee. Somewhere, his padawan was still hanging on. He was still alive, even if his young body protested that.
//There you go! Just stay with me, padawan. I can't lose you again. Please just stay with me.// As he broadcast, he continued to pump air into that torn little body.
//sorry// The thought was little more than a whisper in his mind, but Obi clung to it as if his life depended on it. Just then, the healers ran up to them and lifted the limp body onto the gurney and placed an oxygen mask over the bleeding face. Obi-Wan began to stand up, but one of the healers had stayed behind and he urged him to lay down on the second cot. Suddenly aware of his own condition, Obi obeyed. Another member of the clean-up crew stopped their progress. He leaned down and urgently asked him what he needed to know.
"What is it? What caused this?" They needed to have some sort of idea of what they were facing to fight it efficiently. He shook his head and managed to choke out the best answer he had through his raw throat.
"Kolki, a Kolki plant." That was all he could get out before being wracked with a fit of coughing and having the oxygen mask placed over his own lips. The name of the plant was all they needed for faces to pale and a few obscenities to be uttered. Then, he was being carried away off with the healers to follow his padawan.
Obi-Wan stared blankly above him as he drifted into and out of consciousness. He saw his padawan holding a small pitiful plant in his small six year old hands. The little face broken into the largest grin possible as he tended to the stick with its one leaf as carefully as his hands could manage. Sparkling blue eyes proud as a new parent when it started to thrive.
"Look Master! Look how well it's growing! All it needed was a little love, see? It's going to be big and strong just like me!" Obi-Wan laughed and swung his little charge into his arms.
"Yes, but you're not going to get big and strong if you don't eat! Come on little one, it's time to go to dinner."
He had thought something about the plant had been familiar, but it wasn't until he got the anguished message from his padawan that it all fell into place. It had been part of the natural flora of Coruscant long ago, but it was also extremely poisonous and therefore had been all but annihilated by the population. Every now and then one of the abhorrent plants showed up and caused a few deaths.
Now, his padawan's good heart was the cause of his aliment. He had tried desperately to save that little plant and in return, the plant had tried to kill him. Obi-Wan could still see his padawan's body sprawled halfway on the bed as if he couldn't quite make it. He was on his stomach, his faced turned away. Blood was pooled on the bed beneath his face and the tender skin of arms and legs was blistering. In truth, it was the scariest moment of his life. The thought he would lose Qui-Gon while training the boy was more than he could handle. He had lost the man once, he could not do it again.
Pushing back the last vestiges of his own illness and nausea, he pushed himself up and pulled the oxygen mask away. There were no healers around, and he assumed they were all far to busy with the little boy. Anxiously, he made his way to the tenuous force signal that was his padawan. The halls were empty, but more surprising, Qui-Gon's room was vacant as well.
His padawan was surrounded by countless tubes and machines that all struggled to maintain life in the corrupted body. A mask over his nose and mouth supplied both air and a bacta mist to repair the extensive damage done to the airways. Both eyes were swollen and blackened as if bruised by the unseen assailant. The heart monitor beeped away in the corner and made the scene all too familiar. It was so hard for Obi-Wan to be in the same situation once again.
Fighting tears, he went to the corner of the room, grabbed the chair, and came to sit vigil at his padawan/master's side once again. The eerie feeling of the scene was almost his undoing, but realizing that his padawan needed him to be strong, he held on to the shreds of his sanity. Soon, the gentle whirring and beeping of the machines lulled him to sleep again.
When he woke, he looked into the pale young face below him and saw frightened blue eyes looking back at him. The air tubes were stuck in his throat and taped to lips, making it impossible for the boy to speak, but Obi-Wan saw him about to try.
"Shh. Don't talk, little one. Your throat is quite sore and you need the tubes to breath. If you can, use the link." Little eyes blinked once and then that blessed mind voice sang through his head.
//Master?// Obi-Wan smiled down at the boy.
//I'm here.// The little hand tried to fight its way through miles of tubes to reach up. Carefully, Obi-Wan took hold of it in his own.
//I'm sorry, Master.// Obi-Wan shook his head and smiled sadly down at him.
//There is nothing to be sorry for, my padawan. Just get better for me, okay?// Little bluish lips smiled slightly around the air tube inside his mask.
//Yes, Master.// Obi-Wan smiled and began to pull away when the grip on his hand tightened. //Please don't leave! Don't leave me, Master!// There was real terror in the pleading voice that almost brought fresh tears to Obi's eyes.
"I'm not going anywhere, Qui-Gon. I'm just going to sit down." The blue eyes weren't convinced as they miserably searched Obi-Wan's for signs of an impending lie. "I'm not going anywhere. You need to get your sleep, little one." Gently, Obi-Wan used a mind push to force his padawan into sleep.
//You'll be here when I wake?// The sleepy question floated as if on a lazy breeze into his mind.
"I promise." Obi-Wan leaned over and brushed his lips across the sweating brow and pushed a stray lock of brownish hair away. "I won't leave."