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─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.───

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.───

I keep Anakin held close to the front of my body, arms wrapped around his shoulders as we wait for Queen Amidala to board her ship first. After being dismissed by the Council, myself, and Anakin the Jedi, we returned to Naboo's senatorial landing platform. Qui-Gon had thought it best for us Skywalkers to tag along for the journey seeing we were still under his care. My brother was absent-mindedly fiddling with my shirt sleeve as the traffic passed below us, the wind floating around us as I affectionately kissed the top of his head.

"We're not old, ya know," I hear him mumble into my arms. I smile sadly and hug him closer, "I just don't think it's fair, Ambs...just cause' of our age...it just isn't fair, you know," my smile fades. I tighten my arms around him more. I recall the near-on expression of anger upon Anakin's face in the Council room. Of course, it had taken me aback. I had expected him to be upset, but him being angry? Something that hadn't occurred to me.

"Well, little bro, sometimes that's how life works. We might accept it as fair in time, but we'll move on and accept our fate. That's how it has to be. But look how far we've come, Ani. We're on Coruscant, for kriffing's sake. That's pretty incredible. We're the luckiest boys alive. So let's not blame ourselves and be thankful for what Qui-Gon did with the Council," I ducked my head down to tell him as he leaned his head against my chest, the annoying little pout still on his face.

"But aren't you sad about too?"

"Yeah, of course, I'm a little bummed out about it," I nod, gazing out across the brilliant lights of the city planet at night. I pondered what to say next, "But like any good Jedi, I keep my emotions locked tight. You're right about one thing, though. I lied too much to myself and Mom when I never said I wanted to become a Jedi anymore. I still do. I've dreamed of being one. Yeah, what the Council said hurt. But as they said, our fate is still yet to be determined, so let's leave it as maybe for an answer. All we can do right now is hope."

After a short silence, Anakin now craned his head back to gaze up at me with raised brows, "Do you think the Council is mad with Qui-Gon?"

"Probably," I voiced in thought, pausing before I continued, rocking us side to side. Shaking my hair away from my face and head and moving downward to gaze at my brother, "Maybe they aren't used to having such a request brought to them. Our situation is just something unexpected. So cheer up, okay," I now grin cheekily at him, ruffling his hair, "Things will work themselves out."

"But they think we're dangerous."

"Then we'll have to prove to them how wrong they are, huh?"

We grinned at one another, and I gave Anakin's hair another ruffle as he pretended to hate it, trying to shove my hand away; I pulled him back into me and lovingly kissed the top of his head. My grin disappeared as I looked back out across the dark skies of Coruscant. We were adventuring to another planet, our second, to be precise, but the day's excitement had long since drained. Then droid R2-D2 comes rolling up beside me joyously, beeping with a smile. I gave him a gentle pat on his dome before whizzing content from my touch.

"It's not disrespectful, Master. It's the truth," I hear the voice of Obi-Wan utter, turning myself and Anakin to see him and Qui-Gon approach us from the ship.

"From your point of view," Qui-Gon responds to him.

"Both the boys are dangerous. They all sense it. Why can't you?"

"Their fate is uncertain...they aren't dangerous. The Council will decide their futures. That should be good enough for you; now get on board," I see Obi-Wan turn away, uttering something silently to himself, but I couldn't make it out; briefly peering down, I noticed a guilty look on Anakin's face as he moved towards Qui-Gon. Now peering back up, I watched Obi-Wan still walking away, crossing my arms in front of me. My brother was speaking to the older Jedi, still looking somewhat troubled, but I wasn't paying much attention to the conversation. With that, I slipped away and went up the ship's ramp.

To my relief, the air was a tad warmer inside than that of Coruscant at night. Although I hated to admit it, I still felt a little cold. My nose felt a little blocked due to the temperature, and not getting sick, thankfully. With a sniff, I bring my sleeve to my nose, dabbing the moisture away from underneath. Suddenly the smell of old sweat and sand wafted up my nose, now wrinkling up in disgust, realising how bad my clothes must smell. No amount of cleaning could ever get rid of the years of wear and tear. I'd need to get better clothes at some point.

Not long after, my brother and Qui-Gon came aboard, Anakin chatting to him excitedly about going to Naboo. Qui-Gon hurries him along to the cockpit, smiling gently as they pass me, to which I return. I now moved away from the entrance letting the crew enter.

My brother's voice is now fading away from the cockpit. Obi-Wan was now entering my thoughts as I stood there, knowing he was right. I'd have to distance myself from Anakin and eventually let him be in the world alone if we were to become Jedi. Now was the best time to start. We're used to being stuck together like glue and couldn't spend more than a week apart unless I had to do a few errands a few towns over for Watto. We used to keep one reassured and comforted that everything wasn't as wrong as it seemed, as we only had each other.

As the ship set off to Naboo, I wandered down its corridors until I came across the dining hall where I had part of my first journey to Coruscant. On the other side of the door, I could hear the low humming of a lightsaber my second time hearing it. Peaking my head around the doorway, the sight of Obi-Wan in his all-white Jedi robes stood right in the centre of the room; tables moved to one side. His stance was defensive. I could feel the energy of his blue lightsaber crackling off it as he grasped its hilt. Then, in a blink of an eye, Obi began to bend and twirl the blade with perfect ease with a warbled hum. He moved upon his feet like a feather dancing in the wind fighting his pretend enemy. The movement of his blade was sharp and precise, flying toward something. I lean against the opening with my hip arms folded, somewhat lost in a trance by Obi-Wan's movements.

I watched as Obi-Wan turned on his toes, feet falling apart and landing firmly on the ground. His arms were tight against his chest, elbows bent. The horizontal blue of his blade showed a bead of sweat sliding down his nose between his eyes that were now directly on me. I know I've been caught, but don't bother to move.

"That was very impressive," I offer warmly. Obi-Wan turned to lower his arms and feet together, lightsaber still ignited, pointing at the floor. He gives me an appreciative nod. I moved away from the doorframe and wandered into the room rather casually, "Must take a great deal of time to learn."

"It takes many years of practice," he replied, twirling his blade in a few rotations of his wrist, leaving my eyes following the trails of blue it left behind, "The simplest of movements takes total focus and fineness. A lightsaber is far more civilised than, let's say, a blaster gun," his raised blade a few feet between us as I now stood before him the blade held horizontally. I could feel the energy of it vibrating in my chest, my skin dancing all over. Never had I felt anything so powerful before that; simultaneously, I felt calm.

"Oh, definitely more elegant than a blaster," I agree with Obi-Wan.

He turns his back to me, twirling his sabre around a few times, curving it around at the front of his chest, behind his back and to the side. A part of me thought he was showing off or trying to prove my point about a lightsaber's elegance. But, on the other hand, he must have been practising his manoeuvres before I had interrupted him. I gently pull off a few loose threads on my already frayed tunic sleeve. I also remembered the hurt in Obi-Wan's eyes when we had stood in the Council room and how tight my chest had felt from his gaze. Now sitting down at a table, I just sat there in silence, watching him train, but there was tension in the air that neither one of us wanted to accept.

"What your Master said to the Council...about Anakin and me being his Padawans..." I ease in with a gentle tone. Obi-Wan suddenly stopped whilst mid-swing but said nothing because the silence spoke what couldn't be expressed. I rotated my head towards Obi, his face blank, "Look, I didn't even know Qui-Gon was going to suggest it to the Council, but I do get that he means a great deal to you, and I don't want to take him away from you ever. Believe me; I've been away from the woman who raised me since birth for two days now and...I miss her," my voice began to thicken just thinking of my mother, "Your Master cares for you, Obi-Wan, as he cares for you, don't take what Qui-Gon suggested to the Council in vain something tells me he believes you have what it takes to complete whatever these trails are. But if...if Anakin I get taken on for training with the Jedi Order...I'll make sure Qui-Gon remains as your Master."

Obi-Wan now gently lowers the lightsaber and turns to look at me, his composure fading away, brows knitted together, and lips pursed in his eyes, taking me in from where I sat some feet away. He now nodded to me with a thankful expression, "I appreciate your view on the matter and that you wanted to address it," with a caring smile, I got up and headed towards the door, wanting to see what else I could find on this ship before arriving on Naboo, "You're more than welcome to stay I don't mind," my smile becomes more lopsided as I glance over my shoulder at Obi-Wan.

"I uh appreciate the invitation, but I think I'll leave you to your training don't want my emotions clouding up the place when you need to focus. Besides, I've got a lot on my mind right now, but thanks anyway, Obi-Wan," I glide out of the room with a slight smile on my lips subtle shrug off my shoulders.

If they had time, I spoke to whoever crossed my path for the rest of the journey. Even Anakin, in his excitement, described to me all about midi-chlorins from what Qui-Gon had explained to him. A microscopic organism within our cells produces life and gives us knowledge of the Force. Qui-Gon had watched our conversation with an amused twinkle in his eye; he would nod if Anakin said something correctly and offer me a wink when Anakin had pronounced something or explained it wrong. But I hug him and kiss the top of his head. Thanks for telling me about it.

Another thing to be discussed was what happened when we got to Naboo. Queen Amidala was going to seek help from the Gungans. A difficult task considering when I found out Jar-Jar had been banished from his city, and he had to return to plead for an audience.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.───

Once we finally landed on Naboo, Jar-Jar had been sent to Otoh Gunga along with that Obi-Wan so that we would rejoin them at the lake where the city was. I hardly listened to half the conversation as I slowly walked down the exit ramp. The sight that greeted my eyes was breathtaking. Tall brown trunks with dainty branches gently swaying with foliage encircled the ship. As a young man from Tatooine, I was surrounded by luscious, beautiful green trees for the first time. A gentle breeze ruffles the leaves, making them softy rustle, and I can't help but smile. Taking in a breath, the scent of the air was crisp and sweet, not hot and dry like on Tatooine. I breathe out in disbelief now, standing on the bottom of the ramp; I can see many types of trees with either thick trunks or massive leaves, some as tall as the buildings on Coruscant with spindly greenery. Until now, I never really thought about what trees would look like, but they were the most incredible things I had ever seen.

Gazing down at my feet, I breathed it, and beyond it were green blades of grass sprouting up out of soft brown soil that was almost soft and pristine that I wouldn't dare step on. Yet I'm tempted to feel it on my feet to graze my fingertips and palms through it. With another deep breath, I step on the grass and let out a small, breathy laugh. The ground beneath my feet was solid. The grass gave way, bending and crumpling under me; the taller grasses, more yellow-green wispy on top, brushed against my legs. With a few quick steps forward, I dropped to my knees, skimming my fingers gently through the grass. It felt satiny and cool against my skin, pinching a blade between my fingers. I tugged, and it gently snapped. I twirled it before my eyes and then brought it to my nose. The scent of its freshness was something new to me. A hand lands on my shoulder, and I see Qui-Gon hovering over me with a kind smile before leaving.

I didn't realise Obi-Wan had been looking at me from the ramp with a gentle smile as my fingers now touched a grass seedhead. I couldn't stop feeling what was around me-now getting to my feet, grinning like a madman, not caring if the knees of my trousers were stained. Anakin came rushing towards me excitedly, being less cautious about our surroundings than I had.

Pulling him up into my arms, pointing out the tree line to him, "Look at those Ani, aren't they incredible," I take him towards the closest low-hanging branch letting our fingers dance over bark and leaves.

"Wow..." my brother whispers, stroking a waxy leaf. I looked as he tipped his head back to gauge the length of the tree. Then, noticing his eyes sparkling with awe made me feel warm inside, "They're huge..."

"Yeah," I nod, giving Anakin a soft smile. Closing my eyes for a moment, I let my ears absorb the ambient sounds of the forest. Rustling leaves whooshing in the breeze was a remarkable sound I had never heard before. Some unknown critters sang delicately off in the distance as if the Galaxy was singing. Opening my eyes again, I finally angle myself to gaze at Anakin with a grin as he still peers up at the swaying green canopy of leaves above, "Well, lil'bro, at least that's two planets ticked off your very long list; still got a whole Galaxy yet to explore Ani!"

"And now you've seen an actual forest!" he yelled before wiggling around still in my arms to face me, his blue eyes wide as saucers, "Just like you always talked about!"

"Well, not everything," I chuckled, setting Anakin down and playfully ruffling his blonde hair, only trying but failing to bat my hand away. A throat clears from behind us, and we turn to find Obi-Wan, his hands hidden inside the massive sleeves of his robe.

"Just thought I'd let you know we'll be migrating towards Otoh Gunga Qui-Gon will be leading us," Obi gestured towards the treeline.

Like a rocket, my brother took off, "Anakin be careful!" I called after him pleading but knew well enough he would ignore me anyway. I rolled my eyes but continued to smile.

I now face Obi-Wan offering my arm forward in a kind gesture and insisting, "Shall we."

Now falling into step beside each other, Obi-Wan and I began to walk in a comfortable silence through the forest. I can hear Anakin up ahead joyously chatting away, and he had been for the last few minutes. Obi-Wan clears his throat; as his head turns a fraction toward me.

"I feel that you and I didn't start on the best of terms," he tells me affirmingly.

Glancing over at him with a raised eyebrow, I said yes, things with us had gotten off to a shaky start. So I thought, to begin with, he was full of himself, blunt, unyielding and arrogant, but I've caught glimpses of another side of him.

"Yeah, you could say that."

"So I'd like to suggest that if you agree with our first meeting being an utter mess, we start things over with a clean slate."

I stop to stare at Obi-Wan, failing, unsure what to say as he comes to a standstill beside me to see a somewhat hopeful expression on his face. Not his typical emotionless mask. There's a twinge at the back of my head as the air changes around me, something that tickles my stomach. It was the guilt that he was feeling. My eyes widen, realising I've again read Obi-Wan's emotions. He seemed to have noticed that he let them slip and cleared his throat, head inclined toward me.

"Ambrose, I know that when we first met, I judged you hastily. But, my emotions improved, and I chose not to look past them," he admits a little bashfully. A smile crawls onto my face, just like Obi-Wan's gentle voice. It reassures me as I stare at my dirty boots, and my stomach flips. Maybe he was right. We did screw things up the first time.

"Your right. I judged you before I knew you and fed off the tension around us. So basically, it blew up in both our faces, so I agree we should start fresh."

A small smile crept upon Obi-Wan's face, and he held his hand out to me, fingers extended in a warm gesture. A gesture that would cement starting our acquaintanceship off fresh. Our palms met, sending a spark through me as I wrapped my fingers around the bottom of his hand. We shake hands and let go to continue through the forest.

"Now that we've started with a clean slate, as it were, I'd like to thank you again for the kindness of your words when we were on the Queen's ship," he brings up to me, but I casually shrug my shoulders bring my hand down to open my bag digging around for a hair tie. As I put my hair into a messy knot atop my head, I wondered what made Obi-Wan want to start things over. Of course, doing spurred him, but I won't question it further.

"You don't need to thank me," I scoffed, trying to brush it off, "If there's something on my mind, I'll tell you how it is like I know how much Qui-Gon cares for you as if he were your father like does for his son and would do anything to keep you safe from any kind of pain."

We continue in a growing yet calming silence, following behind the group. I'd absentmindedly let my fingers brush along the trunks of trees as we went, sometimes letting leaves press between them, taking in each new sensation I came across. Instead of the sand, I'm used to, there's soft soil underneath my feet. Yet I didn't realise at first until I did that Obi-Wan was watching me with interest, his eyebrows knitting together. But I try to ignore him whilst trying not to trip over roots or significant bits of wood. Now looking over at him, our gazes meet as if I were asking a question that never left my lips.

"I find your reactions to this forest quite enchanting. It's like you never knew what the sky was before today," Obi-Wan started to imply, coming off as insulting to me at first and ending off playful at the end, "You've seen two suns and sand most of your life. So I imagine it's a lot to take in."

"I've dreamed of coming to a planet like this and just have to pinch myself right now at how beautiful it is," I confess adoringly, eyes bright as the grin on my face, "I have never seen so much green or so many colours before. But the one thing I'm looking forward to...is seeing an ocean...something that's rather hard to come by on Tatooine."

"So there's no form of water on Tatooine at all?" Obi-Wan asked, and shake my head in response.

"Water is precious to those on Tatooine, but we use moisture farms which draw in moisture from the air. I imagine what a large amount of water would look like or glide through. I...I must sound crazy to you. Especially for someone who's seen forests and oceans before," I bow my head, feeling my cheeks warm in embarrassment from my somewhat childlike behaviour.

Obi-Wan shakes his head, not bothered about it in the slightest, and ever the gentleman holds his hand to me as he climbs up on a rather large fallen tree. I take it without question, liking how it feels as I clamber up the side, my toes digging into prominent ridges of bark, some falling off to the ground below. Keeping my balance in check on its width, I still held Obi-Wan's hand until I had to let go, which I didn't want to but had to. It must have been the enormous tree I had caught a glimpse of, yet possibly hundreds of years old or more.

"I find the way you look at things rather enlightening yet refreshing. Someone like myself and others takes things like forests and oceans for granted yet fail to see their true beauty as you do. Let ourselves open up and see it all through your eyes..." He pauses to slide down the edge of the tree and holds his arms out, ready to catch me. I jump down. My hands clamped down on his shoulders, digging into the rough fabric of his robe. His hands firmly holding my waist to steady my landing, "....is most truly captivating."

At that moment, our gazes remained fixed, getting lost in one another's eyes. I recall how I used to get scolded for saying such fancy words to others. I had been a slave for most of my life, and such things as dreams were something we weren't allowed to have. It suddenly made me feel rather exposed, having voiced my thoughts to a young man I hardly knew. Yet it seemed Obi-Wan offered no judgment despite his calm composure. It was as if he told me it was okay to think as I do and that he enjoyed how I viewed the world. Some air hitched in my throat, caught off guard by his silent compliment.

"Ambrose, Obi-Wan, we can't afford you falling behind. Keep up. We still have far to go," Qui-Gon calls back.

Startling myself and Obi-Wan apart, he quickly took his hands away from my waist, leaving me stung and his shoulders instead and seeing Qui-Gon briefly smile over his shoulder at us. Pretending to clean myself off, I cleared my throat and strode forwards, toe bumping into a rock, almost stumbling but quickly recovered once again, clearing my throat and walking with Obi-Wan at my side. I now sense our conversation has reached its end after it got interrupted. It wasn't an awkward silence but a more pleasant one as I continued to observe my new surroundings. At some point, I had plucked a flower from its stalk. Admiring it, I tucked it behind my ear and into my hair to keep it in place, not caring what I looked like. But the other thing was that Obi-Wan had been watching me the entire time, yet I did not notice he was. There is nothing but peace with the current state of things. But soon, that peace would shatter, and some negotiations would occur. I hope it will all benefit us in the long term.