Title: Everything In Its Time (Part 3/??)
By sidewinder (sidewinder@fanfiction.net)
Please see Part 1 of
this story for full headers, disclaimers, etc.
***!!!BIG LAST CHANCE WARNING!!! ***
*** ***
*** The following fiction involves an ***
*** UNDER-18 Obi-Wan in sexual situations ***
*** with his master. If the idea of such ***
*** subject matter disturbs you, you are ***
*** hereby advised to look no further. ***
*** YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. ***
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
Z'Enbarr was a world I created for another
story some time ago that I realized would
serve my purposes quite well here as well.
The two stories are not, however, in any way
related.
* * * *
PART 3
* * * *
As their transport ship cleared
Rainin's atmosphere, Obi-Wan glanced over at
Qui-Gon and asked, "Shall I set course for
Coruscant, Master?"
"No, for Z'Enbarr. We're going to spend a
few days there before going back home."
Obi-Wan searched his memory as instructed
the navigational computer to find a course
to this destination. "Z'Enbarr...isn't there
an old Jedi temple on that world?"
"And not much else, yes. It's a very
beautiful place--not just old, but ancient.
Legend tells that one of the first Jedi
knights found this world. He loved it so
much that he remained there for the rest of
his life."
"...And when he died, he gave his spirit to
the planet's living Force, merging with it
so he could remain its guardian forever,"
Obi-Wan finished, now remembering the old
story from his childhood. "Is there really
any truth to that?"
"Every legend has some measure of truth to
it, Padawan. In any case, I believe I
promised you we would begin your new
training exercises after this mission was
completed. I think Z'Enbarr will provide a
more conducive atmosphere for that than
Coruscant. I've contacted the Council to
inform them of our plans, so we are not
expected back with any great urgency."
"I see," Obi-Wan answered, trying to sound
nonchalant even as his heart skipped a beat.
It had been hard enough keeping his
concentration focused on their mission the
past few days, knowing what lay ahead when
it was finished if Qui-Gon kept his word--
and Obi-Wan had had no reason to believe he
wouldn't. During those days, sharing a bed
with Qui-Gon--something he'd taken for
granted for several years now--had become
almost more than he could bear in his
anticipation. The thought that soon they
might lie together in a completely more
intimate fashion had kept him awake late
into the night--and spending an increased
amount of time in the relative privacy
of the bathroom to relieve his building...
anxiety.
"You do wish to proceed with this, don't
you, Padawan?" Qui-Gon questioned. "If you
do not feel ready--"
"No, I am ready, Master." *Force, more than
ready. Ready to burst, I think, if I have to
wait much longer.*
"Good. I would not have made these plans if
I did not think you were, but I want to be
sure you are certain."
Obi-Wan nodded and said, "I am." After a
pause, "The flight will take twelve-point-
two hours, Master."
"Very well. That should be time enough for
me to finish our report to the Council on
the resolution to the situation on Rainin."
The flight passed uneventfully
and with minimal conversation. Qui-Gon
busied himself working on their report, then
gave it to Obi-Wan to read through to see if
he had anything to add. Obi-Wan always
appreciated that his master asked for his
input on their reports, but he found his
concentration wavering quite a bit from the
datapad before him. He was much more
interested in what challenges he might have
to face over the next few days than the ones
they'd already met on their last mission.
* * *
Obi-Wan brought the transport down for a landing
at a tiny spaceport not far from the
temple grounds. There were only two other
settlements on the world--research
installations according to the ship's
computer--and they were located on the
opposite side of the planet, far away from
the Jedi retreat. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan were
greeted by a human who appeared to be the
only person manning the port. He had
apparently been informed to expect them and
was eager to offer assistance.
"I'll give you a ride over to the temple,"
he said, indicating his small hovercraft.
"You *can* walk it, but it'd be past dark
before you get there, and the path's a
little tricky in some parts."
Qui-Gon accepted the offer and soon enough
they were speeding over lush green and brown
terrain that was about as different from the
overbuilt industrial landscape of Coruscant
as Obi-Wan could imagine. The young Jedi
could sense immediately that this was an
unusual place, incredibly strong in the
Force. He could feel the charge in the air,
like a prickling sensation down the back of
his neck and spine. The temple was visible
ahead of them, a bright spire of white
rising high above the trees and low hills
they skimmed over. As they drew nearer, the
wild vegetation turned into expansive,
beautiful gardens, so vast Obi-Wan was
certain it would take many days to explore
them all. The white spire was at the center
of the gardens and surrounded by a circle of
smaller, low buildings constructed of stone
and wood.
They put down in the courtyard before one of
these buildings and the man told them, "You
need a pick-up to get back to your ship
anytime, you just give me a call--571.9 on
your comm unit'll reach me."
Qui-Gon thanked him while Obi-Wan stepped
out of the craft and took a look around.
"It's beautiful here, Master," Obi-Wan
observed. "And there is certainly something
in the air here. I can't quite describe it."
"It's a lovely place," Qui-Gon agreed. "Now,
let's make our presence known and see about
settling in."
It didn't take long to locate Master Roan,
the current administrator at the temple.
They were welcomed and shown to simple but
comfortable quarters in one of the buildings
on the courtyard. A brief walk led them to
the common dining area, where they had a
light dinner and met with the handful of
other Jedi currently visiting or residing at
the temple.
Dinner was followed by meditation back in
their quarters, during which they adjusted
their body cycles to that of the planet. It
was a necessary skill Obi-Wan had learned
from Qui-Gon early on in his apprenticeship.
Considering how much of their lives were
spent traveling between worlds, on planets
with varying cycles of day and night, being
able to function properly without the
difficulties of time-disorientation was an
important sill to master. When Obi-Wan came out
of his light trance, he yawned and stretched
lazily, feeling ready for a very good
night's sleep...
...unless Qui-Gon had other things in mind,
he thought to himself with hopeful
expectation.
But that didn't seem to be the case, Obi-Wan
found soon enough, and with a small amount
of disappointment. They settled into a
familiar embrace in their unfamiliar bed,
but nothing more than that. Qui-Gon's hand
rested lightly on the back of Obi-Wan's
neck, soothing him to sleep with the light
caressing touch of his fingers. Yet before
he could drift off completely, he heard his
master whisper softly, as if he didn't want
to wake him if already asleep, "Obi-Wan?"
"Yes, Master?"
"I want you to know something, before the
situation between us...changes. And it will--
it is inevitable, when two people go forward
on the path we will soon begin to explore. I
want to make sure you know just how much you
have come to mean to me in our short years
together. I know we didn't exactly get off
to the best start...in fact I cringe today
to think of the damn stubborn fool I was,
the way I treated you. I want you to know, I
have never regretted taking you as my
padawan. You brought light back into my life
that I thought I had no right to anymore. I
love you dearly for that, and for so much
more...For just being you, Obi-Wan."
Obi-Wan was too stunned to know how to
respond--to even remember to *breathe*,
until stars began flickering in front of his
eyes--ones that glistened slightly from the
tears building, clouding his vision.
Inhaling a shaky breath and blinking the
moisture away, he could not find his voice,
could not tell Qui-Gon just how much those
words meant to him. All that came out was an
incoherent, strangled sound as he hugged
himself more tightly against his master.
*I love you so much, Master...why can't I
say it?*
"You just did, Padawan," Qui-Gon assured
him, kissing him lightly on the forehead.
Obi-Wan blinked in confusion. Had Qui-Gon
just heard his thoughts? "How--?"
"Tomorrow. We'll talk about it some more
tomorrow," Qui-Gon assured him, and Obi-Wan
slowly drifted off to sleep, a smile
lingering on his lips as he kept hearing his
master's words echoing through his mind.
* * *
Obi-Wan awakened the next morning feeling
well rested. He stretched out slowly,
allowing his legs and arms to rub against
his master's warm body as he did so. The
touch sent tiny shivers of anticipation
through him, but he tried to clamp down on
that response for now.
*Soon enough,* he told himself, though he
still allowed himself one more full body
stretch before slipping off Qui-Gon's body.
The elder Jedi was still sound asleep. Obi-
Wan indulged in what had become a guilty
pleasure in recent times, simply watching
his master sleep. He had always struck Obi-
Wan as so regal, so very dignified in his
appearance: the long hair, the carefully
trimmed beard and moustache--his master's
one vanity. Obi-Wan studied the
lines in the corners of Qui-Gon's eyes
and across his forehead, which did not quite
fade away even as he slept. His eyes
lingered over Qui-Gon nose, badly healed
from a break sometime long before Obi-Wan
had known him. He'd never learned the story
behind that injury, nor why Qui-Gon had not
had it surgically repaired, something which
would have been so simple to do. Not that
Obi-Wan didn't find the small imperfection
strangely endearing--it was just another
mystery, one of many Qui-Gon kept from his
padawan.
Obi-Wan wondered, when precisely had this
face changed from one he merely admired to
one which stirred such feelings of desire
within him? When had he begun to notice the
fullness of Qui-Gon's lips, and imagine what
it would be like to kiss them? And Qui-Gon's
words to him last night only had made that
desire worse, almost unbearable in the soft
light of morning. The Force-bond between
them suddenly felt incomplete as it had
never felt before. Obi-Wan needed *more*.
The bond needed more, a physical anchor to
channel the increasingly intense emotions
between them...
Obi-Wan reached out cautiously, fingertips
hovering just over Qui-Gon's lips, aching to
touch them. But then he drew his fingers
back quickly when he sensed Qui-Gon
beginning to stir and settled back down
against his chest. Moments later Qui-Gon
shifted, brought his hand up against Obi-
Wan's back to caress it gently. Obi-Wan had
to fight the strange urge to purr at the
touch, to arch into it and demand more, but
instead he settled for a soft sigh.
"Sleep well, Padawan?"
"Mmm...yes, Master."
"Are you eager to explore the gardens? They
are particularly beautiful in the morning
light."
*The gardens are not what I'm anxious to
explore, Master,* he almost answered, but he
got the hint that was what Qui-Gon intended
for them to do so he really shouldn't
complain.
//Patience, Obi-Wan.//
The sound of that voice so clear in his mind
startled him, and he recalled how last night
it seemed as if Qui-Gon had read his mind as
well. "How did you do that?" he asked, not
sure he liked the idea that his master was
suddenly privy to his private thoughts.
Sensing each others emotions was nothing
new, but hearing such thoughts with this
clarity certainly was.
"Another change in our bond--full
telepathy," Qui-Gon confirmed. "We'll have
to work on building up your mental shields
over the next few days. Don't worry--I
haven't been probing your mind for your
every secret," Qui-Gon reassured him, though
with a smile he added, "It's just that
you've been broadcasting some of your
thoughts quite loudly and I couldn't help
but overhear them."
Obi-Wan felt himself turning bright red,
wondering what precisely Qui-Gon had
"overheard" and how long *this* development
had been taking place before his master had
decided to let him in on it.
Shielding. Yes, that sounded like one mental
discipline he was going to make sure to
learn quickly and with as much efficiency as
he could.
* * *
They only encountered a few Agricorps
workers on their walk through the gardens,
who nodded and spoke soft greetings to them
but otherwise left the Jedi alone. The
temple grounds were incredibly lovely,
and the air so filled with the heavy scent
of exotic flowers and fruits it was almost
intoxicating. As they walked along, Qui-Gon
stopped to collect samples of many of the
different fruits for them to sample, making
for a satisfying if rather sweet (and
sticky) breakfast.
Pausing at the bank of a small stream, Qui-
Gon decided they should conduct their
morning meditation exercises there. When
completed, he then guided Obi-Wan through
the basic steps of constructing mental
shields that would keep his stray thoughts
from being overheard by his master. They
practiced sending and blocking at varying
levels of intensity for nearly an hour,
until the effort was starting to give
Obi-Wan a slight headache.
"Enough for now," Qui-Gon decided when he
sensed Obi-Wan's discomfort. "It will get
much easier with a little more practice. I
know it seems very strange right now, but
the ability to communicate directly through
thought alone can be a valuable tool in many
situations."
"I'm sure it is. I always thought you and
Master Yoda were having some interesting
conversations in Council meetings the rest
of us were not hearing," Obi-Wan commented
with a grin. "I thought it was a skill that
came with time and training."
"The most powerful Jedi can learn to read
the thoughts of nearly all individuals. But
it is generally a talent limited to
master/apprentice pairs or lifebonded Jedi."
They sat quietly for a while, relaxing in
the shade offered by the trees around them
and listening only to the gentle rippling of
running water. Obi-Wan stood up and
stretched, and walked over to the stream to
test the waters with his hand. It felt
pleasantly cool, and he cupped a small
amount between his hands to splash on his
face.
"The stream feeds into a lake that's not far
from here, if you feel up for a short hike
and then a swim," Qui-Gon suggested.
Obi-Wan thought that sounded like a nice
idea. His anxiousness over what other
activities were to take place on this trip
were--for the moment at least--forgotten,
chased away by the simple pleasure of
spending the day with his master. A day with
no real responsibilities, no wars to avert,
no long, boring negotiations to attend.
"Let's go then. A swim sounds wonderful,"
Obi-Wan agreed.
Especially as he realized they'd have to
go swimming wearing nothing but their
birthday suits, as they had not
brought any bathing attire with them.
And a naked and wet Qui-Gon Jinn was not
something Obi-Wan was about to raise any
objections to.
* * * * * * *
Go on to part 4
sidewinder@fanfiction.net