25
"Is it really you?" Obi-Wan asked, struggling to clear his clouded brain.
Qui-Gon smiled. It was the first time Obi-Wan had seen him smile, and he realized that Qui-Gon was not all coolness and judgment.
"Yes, it's really me," he said.
"Did you come to look for me?" Obi-Wan asked hopefully. He would not have asked such a blunt question, but he was too weak to puzzle out why the Jedi was here.
Atri looked quizzically at the strange man. He was tall, but not as tall as Avlo. His skin color was darker than a Galacian's and his hair went to his shoulders. He wore a dark brown robe over a creamy tunic and long brown boots. The man was different. It was the only word Atri could think of to describe him. The boy kept his curious gaze on the man as if he could divine who he was by just looking at him.
"Obi-wan," He murmured, not making much sense to Atri.
O B one? Was that some sort of number he hadn't learned of yet? There was twenty-one and thirty-one so why not Obee-one? No, that didn't make much sense. His family had jointly taught him about numbers and how they always followed a repeating pattern. 'Obee' was not a number. Maybe the man meant 'won'? Obee won? What did Obee win? Who was Obee?
"Who won?" Atri asked.
The man was strange. He continued to stare at him and Atri had been constantly reminded by Sera that staring was rude. If someone was staring at you did it give you full rights to stare back? The man also looked a little sick.
"Are you okay?" The boy asked seriously.
"Atri, don't talk to strangers." Sera tugged on his hand and led him away from the stranger.
"What's an Obee?" Atri asked, looking up at Sera.
"What?" Sera asked, looking a little preoccupied.
Shiko was getting impatient and was trying to slip out of Sera's grip and follow his father. Sera was doing her best to keep her two youngest children in line. Usually they were in agreement as to which direction they wanted to go, but not today. She sighed inwardly and hoped Avlo would be back soon.
"Shiko?" Atri called behind Sera's back at his brother. "What's an Obee?"
"What?" Shiko's face crinkled in confusion.
"That stranger said 'Obee won'. What does that mean?"
"Maybe he meant 'a bee won'."
Atri smiled at Shiko's intelligence. Of course! That was the only thing that made sense. A bee won… A bee won what? How did bees win? Was there something about bees he didn't know? Did a bee win the election?!? Tiku would be so disappointed!
Atri looked back at the stranger who hadn't moved from his spot. The stranger still looked very sick. The part that was confusing Atri the most was that he couldn't exactly feel the man. Shiko and the others were so easily understood because he could always feel if they were sad, angry, or confused. It left him slightly unnerved, but all the more curious. He pulled as far away from Sera as her arm allowed towards the stranger who still hadn't moved.
"What did the bee win?" He asked the stranger through the crowd of people.
"Obi-Wan…" He said again and Atri was finding it hard to hear him.
The stranger was as confusing as Tiku could be at times, but with far less words. He couldn't get any sort of feeling on this stranger. It was almost like someone had put something over his ears and he was relying only on his primary sense of sight. It was a little unsettling for the young boy. He didn't realize how much he relied on these feelings. He understood that strangers were harder to read than his family, but it felt that this stranger was different. He wanted to know why.
Shiko had reached the end of his patience and decided to escape his mother's clutches and look for his father himself! He slipped out of her hand and ran off into the crowd. Sera yelled after him, but the boy didn't turn back. She turned to the nearest person she could find with a pleading expression.
"Can you watch him for awhile? I have to go chase down my other son. Thanks!"
Her voice was near frantic and she didn't wait for him to answer. Precious seconds were ticking by and if she didn't chase after Shiko right now she would never find him. Atri was interested in the man anyway and Sera had noticed that Atri seemed to have a way of trusting the right people. She still had that slight fear that she left her adopted son in the hands of a kidnapper, but she pushed it away.
"Do not move from that spot Atri!" She called out behind her.
Qui-Gon Jinn couldn't find any words. It was almost if he had lost the ability to form a coherent thought. Right in front of him was the boy he had spent weeks worrying over. The Jedi had endured the guilt and the indecision. He had even pushed his own desire to find Obi-Wan that much sooner for the sake of others; on Phindar and Gala. He had spent the days trying to push away the fear in order to focus on the task at hand. He succeeded mostly. He was a Jedi after all.
Obi-Wan was looking at him curiously and Qui-Gon searched desperately for a hint of recognition. It was probably too much to ask for though. The boy had only known him for a short time. Still… If he held on to any memories it would be of the Jedi Order. It was all the boy had known after all. There was no recognition. Qui-Gon struggled with the grief that overcame him. To see such a promising padawan reduced to this… It was tragic. He had seen so much potential in Obi-Wan. The boy quite-literally glowed with it.
There was no recognition, but there was no blankness either. The boy's eyes were like that of a curious child. He smiled shyly up at the man and still regarded him with interest.
"You're different," Obi-Wan said with a smile and Qui-Gon sighed inwardly. This was going to be extremely difficult.
He kneeled down to the child's level and looked him straight in the eyes.
"What do you mean by that?" He asked neutrally, but secretly hoping that the boy felt his strong connection to the Force.
"I.. don't know," The boy answered truthfully and with a slight frown. "It's kinda like 'in-two-it-shon' but different."
He didn't want to press Obi-Wan, but he needed to know if he still possessed some minor grasp of the Force. What had Yoda told him once? Obi-Wan showed most promise in the Unifying Force. It was only when someone's mind was quiet enough could they really hear the Force speaking to them… The Jedi's eyes widened in shock. Did that mean that Obi-Wan could hear the Force all the more because his mind had been blanked?
"You think a lot," The boy commented.
"How do you know that?" The Master asked with a smile.
"Whenever people are quiet they are usually thinking; that's what Tiku told me."
"Who is Tiku?" Qui-Gon asked curiously and the boy lit up with a larger smile.
"He's really smart! He tried to teach me about a lot of stuff, but he uses too many words. They're not small words either!"
The more the boy talked the more Qui-Gon was convinced it was a completely different person. This boy was animated and child-like. He lacked the seriousness that most temple initiates possessed. Years of training and getting to know the Force… gone. He was only a child now. Qui-Gon pushed the thoughts away. Where there was the Force, there was a way.
"You're thinking again!" The boy exclaimed with a laugh.
"Don't you think?" Qui-Gon asked.
"Sometimes, when I wake up."
"Only then?"
"Nooo…" The boy rolled his eyes and studied the Jedi Master thoughtfully. "I think a lot, but when I think it, I have to say it!"
"Some people have gotten into a lot of trouble because they always say what is on their mind."
"Why?"
"Because there are some bad people in this galaxy Obi-Wan--"
Qui-Gon immediately stopped speaking after he said the boy's name. He knew it would only confuse or upset him. The boy only laughed and began to jump from foot to foot as if he was dancing on coals.
"You say funny things!" He laughed childishly again and Qui-Gon's heart clenched painfully. "What did the bee win?"
"No.." Qui-Gon tried to explain, but was cut off by the arrival of the woman and the runaway child—both looked rather annoyed.
"I can't thank you enough, sir." She gushed in relief. "This one always seems to get away from me." She glanced down at the child she held in an iron-grip.
"I'm un-pre-dict-a-ble!" The child said, pronouncing each syllable.
"And you are in big trouble!" The woman added with a slight narrowing of her eyes.
The child looked up at her with pleading eyes that could've melted the heart of the hardest of politicians, but the mother was unmoved. The Jedi Master was impressed.
"Who's your new friend Atri?" The woman asked kindly.
Atri? Who was Atri? She couldn't possibly mean Obi-Wan…
"I don't know, but he says funny things," Obi-Wan answered. "He likes to think too."
He had a name? Qui-Gon felt as if the situation was getting worse and worse. If Obi-Wan had a name then this kind woman had adopted him into her family. He must have spent weeks with them, learning about the world and himself. He swallowed hard and tried to hold on to the hope that was now dimming. What if Obi-Wan didn't want to go back to the Jedi Temple with him? What if Obi-Wan had already found his 'family'? How could he ask him to leave everything he ever knew?
"See! He's doing it again." Obi-Wan/Atri commented.
"He thinks more than Tiku does!" The young boy exclaimed.
Qui-Gon looked sharply down at the two boys. The boy's speech pattern and tone resembled Obi-Wan's tremendously. No, he corrected himself, Obi-Wan's speech mirrored the boy's. Detaching himself from the situation he noticed that Obi-Wan practically emulated the little boy. Their facial expressions, their voice, their mannerisms—they were all the same. A strange sense of familiarity came over Qui-Gon and his brow furrowed. He had seen this type of mirroring behavior before.
Guerra and Paxxi. Obi-Wan and the boy acted like brothers.
"Are you all right sir?" The woman asked.
Qui-Gon inclined his head slightly with a forced smile. He called upon the Force for tranquility and for some advice on how to proceed. He had to be forthright with these people; that he knew. Events would unfold themselves from there.
"Yes, I am fine. There is something serious I need to speak with you and your family about."
The woman eyed him suspiciously as if he were an annoying salesman or someone trying to swindle her. She grabbed Obi-Wan's hand tightly and her eyes narrowed at the man.
"I don't think we're interested," She said coldly.
Qui-Gon sighed and held out his hands placatingly.
"I assure you it concerns you greatly. You see, it's about that boy you call Atri."
The Jedi Master watched as the woman stiffened and Obi-Wan eyed him with intensity. He tried his best to look non-threatening, but the woman only took a step back with an almost panicked expression. He felt anxiety and fear rolling off the mother in waves and he felt a slight tinge of guilt. She had obviously bonded with Obi-Wan. He was probably a second son to her. Obi-Wan looked up at the woman with a concerned expression and much to Qui-Gon's surprise the boy sent waves of comfort to the distressed woman through the Force. He probably didn't realize he was doing so!
Now was his chance to catch Obi-Wan's attention. He searched for their Master and Padawan bond, but he still could not find it. It had not been severed, only lost. He looked straight at the boy and sent out a small nudge with the Force. The boy's eyes shot towards the Jedi Master in confusion.
"I've been looking for him for a long time…" Qui-Gon trailed off.
Avlo found his eldest child first. Tiku was sitting down on a bench, observing people. He was smirking uncontrollably like he had heard the funniest joke and only he was privy to it. The Hill people continued to swarm the polls and most simply stepped out of their way, gazing in shock. Tiku looked oddly pleased with himself, but Avlo had no time for his son's strange behavior.
"Tiku, get over here now!" Avlo yelled.
Tiku waved at his father in acknowledgment, infuriating the man further. The large Galacian made his way easily through the crowd to collect his son. Most scampered out of his way because of his impressive size and the enraged look in his eyes.
"Father!" Tiku exclaimed happily.
"Where is your sister?" Avlo went straight to the point and the young adult shrugged. "We're leaving, now."
"What's the rush? The polls don't close for another four hours!"
"We're leaving!" Avlo growled in a tone that left no room for dissent.
The young-adult sighed and they set off to look for Keta.
"Where would Keta go?" Avlo asked Tiku seriously.
"Do you think I'd know?" Tiku asked with a laugh.
"You're a young man. Where do all the pretty girls hang out?"
"How would I know? It's not like I see any girls much less know where they pass the time." Tiku rolled his eyes.
"Why not? You're not bad looking. Girls love that strange stuff like politics."
Tiku only rolled his eyes and shook his head at his dad's ignorance. He didn't want to get into an argument when his dad was already agitated. He didn't know anything about where girls hung out because he rarely left the farm. His dad didn't want to waste fuel on "frivolous" trips to the city, and it wasn't like there were many neighbors.
Tiku went further into the melee with his father, but there was no sign of his sister. She was fitting the role of moody teenager perfectly--much to everyone's chagrin. Usually he would be able to talk to her about anything, but now she was mad at him which made the whole situation impossible to speak of. He was trying to drop the whole Kiban matter, but it kept nagging at him. Tiku's eyes narrowed dangerously as he saw the man he had just been thinking of. He was gesticulating towards a young woman with angry and jerked motions. The woman in question happened to be his sister.
"I see Keta," Tiku said with a frown.
"Where?" Avlo asked and Tiku nodded towards his sister and the tutor.
Tiku sighed as his father growled the tutor's name and marched over to where they were talking. He knew he had no chance of stopping his father. There were two things that got Avlo angry: The Hill People and Kiban. The eldest child watched in pity as his father grabbed his daughter's arm and yanked her away from the tutor. Kiban began to follow the pair while Keta yanked her arm away and glared at Avlo. Tiku couldn't hear their conversation, but it was getting pretty close to escalating into a full scale brawl.
Avlo turned sharply towards the young adult and began to make threatening gestures. Kiban backed off slightly, but didn't stop arguing. Keta was obviously shrieking something at both of them and all Tiku could do was watch. He had an overwhelming feeling of needing to do something, but he couldn't bring himself to move. His father was acting on his angry impulses and it was going to drive Keta further away than she already was. She had already planned to run away with Kiban. This was going to seal her resolve. Tiku uttered a soft prayer and ran to the three screaming Galacians.
"I never want to see you in my house again!" Avlo roared at Kiban and the tutor sneered.
"Like I would go back to that sordid squalor you call a farm!" Kiban said viciously.
"Squalor?!?"
"It means filthy, ignorant peasant."
Avlo was about to take a swing at the tutor when his son stepped in the way and the Galacian managed to pull back in time. His mouth gaped in shock at the audacity of his son. Kiban looked oddly pleased with himself until Tiku turned towards him with a furious look.
"I would very much like privilege of watching my father beat you to a pulp, but even you do not deserve that. For some reason I cannot possibly fathom, my sister likes you. She likes you so much she considered abandoning those who love her—for you." Tiku paused and took a deep breath. "Frankly, I do not trust your intentions towards her. I think you would have used her until you found the next pretty young thing to catch your attention."
Kiban narrowed his eyes at the young adult. Tiku opened his clenched hands in an almost friendly gesture.
"You don't deserve Keta's favor. I wish to blame this on your trickery and deception, but my sister is very intelligent. I don't believe she would fall for such lies. Tell me, what makes you think you are worthy of her high opinion?"
The tutor crossed his arms, but remained silent. Keta shot Tiku a strange look. Avlo seemed to be in shock at the revelation of Keta's intention of running away. A soft sigh escaped Tiku's lips and he put his arms at his sides again.
"I don't think you are." He said simply and walked away.
There was complete silence amongst the three. Avlo looked from his daughter to Kiban and back to Keta. His anger was replaced by a look of sorrow. He took a deep shuddering breath and followed his son. Kiban looked pale, but he smiled at his pupil wanly.
"Keta," He said and proffered his hand.
She looked at it with indecision. After a long and tense moment she took a step back and ran to catch up with her family. Kiban lowered his hand and turned away with disbelief.
Atri felt waves of anxiety and sadness come from Sera, but what was most confusing was the stranger. There was something different about him, but it was something he felt vaguely familiar with. It was something that his family didn't seem to be aware of, or possess. He desperately wanted to ask the stranger what was so different, but on the other hand he didn't want to know. He was afraid. Sera was hurt by this off-worlder's words, but Atri didn't feel any bad feelings from the stranger.
"My name is Qui-Gon Jinn and that," he pointed to Atri. "Is my padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi."
Atri's eyes widened. He felt a barrage of emotions overwhelm him. This couldn't be happening, not when he had a family!
"But I'm Atri," He denied with confusion.
His face became a blank slate as he tried to sort through what was happening. He was Atri, wasn't he? It's all he remembered so it had to be! That life before… How could it truly be his if he could not recall it? He didn't know this Qui-Gon!
"Before that you were Obi-Wan Kenobi. You were—are my apprentice." Qui-Gon said softly.
The void of feeling Atri was getting from the man opened slightly and he felt intense sadness. It was only for a brief second, but it was painful. None of his family had ever had that much sadness. Atri took another step back and his blank face turned into one of fear. It was too much sadness. How could someone bear that much? Why was it only for a second? Why, why, why?
"But he's Atri!" Shiko stepped forward with an angry look. "He's my brother! You can't have him!"
"Shiko…" Sera sighed.
"But mommy, he's wrong! Tell him he's wrong!" Shiko said stubbornly.
"Mister Jinn," Atri's guardian managed to choke out. "How can I believe what you say is true?"
Before Qui-Gon could answer the three remaining members of Atri's adopted family arrived. Atri felt a strange sense of peace about the trio. It wasn't surprising. His "intuition" told him it would happen. Sera turned imploring eyes towards her husband. She expected a suspicious reaction, but instead Avlo smiled widely and patted the Jedi on the back.
"Qui-Gon Jinn! I never expected to see you again!" He laughed.
"Avlo Lundus…" The Jedi murmured.
"Crazy man! What are you doing here? I thought I left you up in the hills!" The large Galacian chortled.
Sera shot a suspicious look at her husband.
"You know this man?" She asked disbelievingly.
"I gave him a lift about a week ago. Don't know where he could possibly be going." Avlo smirked.
"I know him too," Tiku remarked. "I was in Galu and bumped into him."
Sera immediately turned suspicious eyes towards the stranger that had invaded her family's lives on multiple occasions.
"And isn't that a little convenient." She hissed at the man who took a step back in surprise.
"Sera, dear, what is this about?" Avlo asked, clearly confused.
"He's trying to take Atri from us!" Shiko shrieked.
"What?!?" Tiku exclaimed.
"He says that Atri is his 'pollywog' or something like that. He's probably been following us so he could take Atri from us!" Sera glared at Qui-Gon.
"That's ridiculous Sera. He's a Jedi Knight." Avlo explained cordially. "What does that have anything to do with Atri?"
Throughout this whole exchange Atri's eyes remained locked on Qui-Gon. Neither of them spoke, though they were the affected individuals. Obi-Wan Kenobi… That couldn't be his real name… could it? He could remember when Avlo took him to Galu every morning to try and find his parents—always to no avail. Why weren't they accepting the possibility that this Qui-Gon man could be telling the truth? But why hadn't he come sooner? Why now?
"Please let me explain," The Jedi pleaded and the family all locked eyes on him. The Jedi had to admit it was quite nerve wracking to have six pairs of eyes gazing at him intensely. He utter a soft plea to the Force and began to speak. "Thirty-four days ago, my padawan and I were on the planet Phindar. Our original mission was to oversee the elections in Gala, but we were sidetracked. . ."
Qui-Gon then explained everything that had happened in the past month; from Guerra and Paxxi to the renewing, Prince Beju, the Phindian Mali who never told Qui-Gon where Obi-Wan was, arriving on Gala with no clue that Obi-Wan was there, Kazaran and being sidetracked by his mission to the Hill People, and finally returning. He kept his voice as stoic as he could, but there were a few moments when his mask of Jedi calm had shattered to pieces and he called upon the Force for tranquility. Obi-Wan/Atri always flinched when this happened as if he could feel it. Qui-Gon desperately hoped he did.
When he finished there was complete silence. Atri's brow was furrowed and his hand was slack in Sera's. Her suspicion hadn't faltered for a second and Qui-Gon didn't blame her. She was protecting her child after all.
"I think he's lying," She said stubbornly. "Why would he let all that side-track him? If he really cared he would've went searching for him immediately!"
Qui-Gon felt pity for the woman. He could feel the desperation that was coming off of her. She was doing anything in her power to deny the truth, but was failing. By the Force, he hadn't expected anything like this. He knew that she couldn't understand why he had taken so long. She wasn't a Jedi.
"Atri?" Shiko asked.
Atri was completely lost in thought, but after a few seconds his eyes cleared and he looked at his adopted family. They were all waiting for him to say something.
"I think he's telling the truth." He said, slightly emotional. "I.. I remember the things that… hurt me before I met Avlo. I remember that name… Mali. I think he's telling the truth."
Qui-Gon felt his eyes begin to sting at the renewed boy's confirmation. It was small, but it was a start. He thanked the Force and the weight on his chest decreased slightly. He read acceptance on the faces of the family.
"But Atri's my brother! You can't take away my brother!" The smallest of the family pleaded with tears in his eyes. "Daddy, tell him he can't have him!"
The little boy began to sob and the eldest son kneeled down and took the crying boy in his arms. Avlo and his wife looked completely deflated and the daughter sort of stunned. Obi-Wan/Atri turned towards his crying brother and embraced him as well. Soon the whole family was gathered around the youngest.
"It's not fair Tiku!" The boy sobbed again. "We found him first!"
"Shhh…" Tiku soothed and locked eyes with the Jedi Knight.
It was then that Qui-Gon realized that this was probably the worst thing that could have happened. If Obi-Wan would have perished the Jedi temple would have lost a bright pupil, but they would accept it. Obi-Wan would be one with the Force. The Jedi Knight suddenly felt like an intruder who was splitting up a happy family. There was only one possible question for the situation,
"What do we do now?"
A/N: Thanks guys for bearing with me.. I truly didn't intend to take this long with this chapter, but I had writers block with another story and I have this strange system where I have to finish a chapter of my other fic before moving on to another one. Maybe it's not the best system... but it's working! I was evil with that cliffy wasn't I? Maybe it was me trying to get more reviews! evil smirk What? Even I can be greedy sometimes. I love you guys! As for the thirty-four days that Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon have been seperated... I was unsure about the actual timeframe.. but I do get a little creative liscence don't I? Thanks for continuing to read and review.