Painful Lessons

by Queen of Randomness

Pairing:OMC/Obi

Rating-NC-17 for child abuse and rape (not graphic)…I was obviously in a very, very bad mood when I wrote this one.

Warnings: Rape (not very graphic), child abuse, mental abuse, physical abuse, and a novice author. Its an AU.

Status:Finished and mostly betaed

Archive:Go ahead

Email:booknfun@hotmail.com

Feedback:Please.

Disclaimer: I am the Goddess of the Universe I own everything In it..I've been dethroned AGAIN!? BY WHO! Stupid Lawyers. George Lucas owns them.

Notes: I consider it complete with a possible sequel in the distant future. It got heavily edited for content and then put back together again. It was betaed at one point but hasn't since the new changes. Many thanks to You Shan Feng who betad for me. This is the first time I posted a fic on this list be gentle.

Summary: Qui Gon was not Obi-Wan's first master. His first master was a monster. Qui Gon has to put Obi-Wan back together again.

Still with me?

To the story

*Mind speak*

/personal thoughts/

Painful Lessons

by Queen of Randomness

"Master Hethin have you made your choice for your next apprentice?" Mace Windu asked. Windu was a part of the Jedi Council. Master Hethin's last apprentice just graduated last year. Windu personally did not like Hethin. He has also heard disturbing stories about Hethin and how he treated his apprentices. No one was able to give any evidence however to prove anything. Windu rarely leaped without thoroughly checking first.

Hethin simply smiled. /Oh so we want to try again. You are an idiot Windu. / "I am going to choose that new boy Kenobi." Kenobi had just arrived at the temple a week ago at ten years old. He was an older student originally he had been slated to go to Agricorps but they decided to give him a chance. Obi-Wan was still adjusting to his environment.

"Excellent let me know how it goes between you two." /Damn why can't he choose someone that's been here for a while. /

Three months later . . .

"You are too slow Padawan." Hethin said dangerously. Obi-Wan instinctively flinched. His new master was seriously displeased by his lack of speed and height. Obi-Wan was terrified of the other Masters. Hethin told him about that if the other Masters did not think he was good enough they would have him killed. Hethin also said that the only way to get in touch with the force is through pain, hardship, and suffering.

Hethin watched as his Padawan flinched. An evil grin split across his face. He had this boy's complete devotion. After all he was the only thing standing between him and the homicidal Masters. This was the true way to teach. "I want you to report to my room for punishment later. Cut down your dinner by half as well. Understood?"

"Yes Master." Obi-Wan put the training equipment away. Hethin would punish him later for his lack of speed and ability. Sometimes he wondered if there was any way of pleasing a Jedi Master. Just as he was about to report to Hethin a very familiar Jedi walked into the training room. It was Master Jinn he was also the maverick of the Jedi Order. Hethin said that he had killed a five Padawans just last month. Holding his emotions in check Obi-Wan scampered out of the room.

At dinner Obi-Wan was barely able to stand and walk without showing pain. Master Hethin had beaten him very badly this time. He said that next time he would use the electric whip rather than the riding crop. Over time the punishments were going to get longer and harder to take until Obi-wan was perfect.

Until the day he was perfect came Obi-Wan would have to pretend everything was fine. Seeing a knot of people he knew Obi-Wan moved towards them rather than sitting alone. After all misery did love company. As he sat down with his group of friends he noticed their excitement. Laura, Steve, and Bant were all talking enthusiastically about a Jedi Competition coming up that weekend. He set his tray down and joined in the conversation. To nearly anyone else he seemed to be just fine.

Except for Mace Windu. He was watching young Kenobi like a hawk. His master was now starting to show signs that he was touched by the dark side. Usually Masters that go insane abuse their apprentices. So far there was no visible distress but Windu knew better. There were many ways of hiding pain and abuse.

Qui Gon Jinn was nearby as well. He too had heard the disturbing rumors about Master Hethin. He had also seen bruises on Hethin's apprentice. Nothing to really point a finger at. Obi-Wan could have gotten the bruises from anywhere. Still time would tell the truth of the matter.

Four years later . . .

Obi-Wan was biting back his screams as his master punished him for his latest infraction. Obi-Wan had to be perfect and getting a B minus in Astrophysics was far from perfect. By now Obi-Wan had to agree. Thankfully this was a relatively minor infraction.

Earlier that afternoon Obi-Wan had been wrenched from his meditations by his Master. Before he could recover himself Hethin snarled quietly, "Only A's pass. This is unacceptable Padawan. Only those that are perfect live. Your disobediance will be dealt with immediately." Obi-Wan steeled himself for what was to come. He quietly rose from the floor and moved into his room. Removing his shirt Obi-Wan put his hands against the wall and assumed the punishment position. Legs spread head bowed down hands against the wall. He would not move until Hethin ordered it. The door opened and then closed.

There was a singing before the electro whip hit his exposed back making his nerve endings alite with fire and pain. It took a very long time for Obi-Wan to learn to be perfectly silent for this. Today time slowly slid by with the constant singing of the whip. Ages later it came to a stop. "On the bed." Hethin ordered. Mechanically Obi-Wan straightened and laid face down on the bed. He always hated this part. Hethin believed that while pain is a great teacher humiliation kept the lesson learned. Obi-Wan was already deeply in trance while Hethin raped his body. His mind was too far away for Hethin to touch the rape left no impact. It stopped having an impact many years ago.

When Hethin finally left Obi Wan let himself out of the deep trance he was in and let his mind wander on what was going on in the Temple lately. Just yesterday one of the other padawans had died. They claimed it was a deadly fever. But Hethin knew differently. He showed Obi-Wan medical records recording the girl's death at the hands of her master displeased about her lack of ability.

Obi-Wan swore that next time he would get the A in Astrophysics and would please his master no matter what it took. Master Jinn and Windu were starting to get suspicious of Obi-Wan's façade of perfection. They were starting to see the padawan's failures and difficulties. He would have to try harder to please them.

Elsewhere at the same time...

Yoda was talking with his old friends Windu and Jinn. Hethin was definitely turning to the dark side and they needed to do something about it and fast. "Take padawan you will Qui Gon." Yoda said certainly. "Windu will confront Hethin."

Qui Gon simply nodded. Maybe they could save the apprentice before it was too late. Obi-Wan was a very promising student in his academic studies. He was also very far ahead with his lessons in the Force. He was also the most dedicated person in the Temple.

"We send Hethin to Dantax. Windu goes with him. Then inform apprentice of the change." Windu was looking a little pale as was Jinn. Breaking up a Master-Apprentice bond rarely happened and was very difficult to accomplish.

"We should have done something long ago." QUi Gon remorked.

"We should have done something the moment we suspected something. I hesitated this could be disaserous." Windu remarked sadly.

"Fault not yours alone. Plenty to go around." Yoda reflected.

The next day Hethin and Windu were sent out on an emergency mission to Dantax. When Obi-Wan heard he breathed a sigh of relief. The next day he was told that his master was not coming back. Master Jinn would be taking control over his training from here on in.

Obi-Wan hid his fear. Master Jinn was the most exacting of all of the Jedi Masters. Hethin told him that he was lucky. He was relatively easy going compared to Jinn or Windu. Swallowing his fear Obi-Wan packed up his things and moved his things into his new room in Master Jinn's apartment inside the temple.

Thankfully Master Jinn was not home yet. It gave Obi-Wan time to adjust to his new surroundings. Hethin's quarters were always dark and slightly cold. It had taken a lot of adjustment to get used to them. Master Jinn's quarters were very bright and at a nice warm temperature. He vaguely wondered if his new master was going to want dinner tonight or if he had other plans. Just to be sure Obi-Wan prepare something and placed it in the auto reheat. Obi-Wan then went on to the balcony and began his afternoon meditation.

"He moved in today." Qui Gon said quietly over his cup of tea. Yoda nodded. The moment Hethin and Windu had been alone Hethin struck. Windu just barely escaped with his life. When Windu returned to the Temple the healers examined Hethin's body. To their estimation Hethin had been a Sith for over ten years. How in the hell no one noticed until recently Yoda refused to speculate on. Hethin's former students were being recalled to the Temple to be examined and healed if necessary. Soon the Jedi Council would know for sure how much damage Hethin managed to do.

"Good. Move slowly with apprentice. Unknown how much he knows about Hethin and how much he was affected by it." Yoda said tiredly. It was times like these he felt his 650 years. Qui Gon nodded and left his former master to his contemplations.

As Qui Gon approached his rooms he felt a familiar jingle in the Force. His new padawan was meditating apparently. This might be good. The sooner things returned to normal the better things would be in the long run.

By the time he got to the door Obi-Wan had felt his new master's presence and stopped his meditations prematurely. Qui Gon was entering the door as Obi-Wan was getting up. Smiling slightly at the young man's nervousness he said, "Do not let me interrupt you. Finish your meditations." Obi-Wan simply nodded and returned to the floor of the balcony. Qui Gon recognized the meditation Obi-Wan was doing. By the fifth cycle he should be able to enter his student's mind and see if the link area was damaged due to Hethin's death or dark power.

He was therefore shocked to find no evidence of any links in Obi- Wan's mind. Not even the remnants of a temporary link or weak bond. This disturbed the Jedi Master greatly. A master and apprentice always bonded even if it was the weakest bond. This never happened. The only other impression Qui Gon was able to get was that while a little disturbed his student was not Sith nor did he have any great potential to become Sith. He needed to talk to Master Yoda.

When Obi-Wan came out of his meditation Qui Gon was not in the apartment anymore. A simple note said that he had been called away and would be back soon. It also told him to not wait for him and eat dinner. They would start his training tomorrow.

"Are you absolutely sure Master Jinn?" asked Master Ret. Jinn went before the council with this bit of disturbing news. For a padawan to exist with his master without a bond was supposedly impossible.

"I am very sure. He has never bonded and certainly never had a master-apprentice bond." Jinn reaffirmed looking only at the troubled looking Yoda. "He was not turned by the dark side either." That made Windu sigh in relief the last thing the council needed was another Dark Jedi.

"Be patient with him you will. Go slowly. We find out from others how Hethin acted." Yoda said. "Go to him now."

With a lot on his mind Jinn returned to is apartment. He found that dinner was made and awaiting him in the auto reheat. His padawan had already turned in for the night. Tomorrow would be soon enough to start getting the answers he sought.

Qui Gon in the past had been accused of being too chipper in the morning. He was also told that his morning was other people's middle of the night. Therefore he was surprised to find his padawan up, dressed, and cooking breakfast. All of this before Qui Gon managed to get his morning shower. When he got out of the shower his padawan had already eaten breakfast and was meditating on the balcony.

An hour later with no more excuses Obi-Wan got up from his position to face his new master's demands. Jinn set down the book he had been reading and gestured for his padawan to take a seat. "Tell me how you and Hethin usually trained during the day."

Surprised Obi-Wan took a moment to respond. Didn't all masters train the same way? "Breakfast at 4 followed immediately by deep meditation. After meditation gravity practice until 6. At six unarmed force blocked combat until 8. At eight I start classes. In between classes I was told to meditate only. At 2 is noonmeal. 2:30 is saber practice until 5. At five kata training until dinner. After dinner another deep meditation. After meditation homework and then sleep." He left out punishment time, which had come between homework and sleep. No doubt that would be moved.

Qui Gon had been shocked by the schedule Obi-Wan had to go by. No padawan or knight could do so much without burning out or collapsing of exhaustion. No wonder he was so far ahead in his studies he was always training and in school. At no time was Obi-Wan allowed to just relax which was important in order to truly concentrate on deep force tasks. But no each meditation time was supposed to be a deep meditation.

"That schedule will change immediately." Qui Gon said, "Light meditation after breakfast and dinner is permitted. You will only train and meditate when I am there to supervise."

"What am I supposed to do with the extra time?" Obi-Wan asked hesitantly. What could be in store for him now? More punishment time?

The fact that Obi-Wan had to ask what to do with his free time alerted Qui Gon to the training mistakes Hethin made. Or was it truly mistakes? He wondered darkly for a moment. "Do your homework and relax."

Relax? Will Master Jinn train him at all he wondered? One step at a time he reminded himself. "Very well Master."

The rest of the morning was spent in various martial art forms. This area had clearly been neglected in his training. Obi-Wan knew next to nothing about any of the forms. Qui Gon was not surprised to find him a very fast learner. At one he released his padawan until five. At five they would meet in the training rooms for practice.

For the first week his padawan was jumpy and nervous. All meals were cooked for him and the apartment was always clean. All laundry was done and anything Qui Gon asked for was done quickly no matter how trivial it was. The report was in from other Hethin trainees. It took a lot of time and support but the healers managed to get the whole story.

Apparently soon after his trials Hethin must have turned because all of his students had the same story. Some had started immediately others were more gradual in their training using fear. Hethin was a firm believer of teaching through iron fist tactics. Tales of pain, humiliation, and fear were very common. Apparently between homework and sleep had been an hour block of time when the padawan would have been punished for infractions during the day.

To make matters worse he would punish them during the day as well. In the very beginning he would warn a youngster against telling how he trained them. He claimed that imperfection was punishable by death. He also claimed that he by far was the easiest on his students. Then he told his padawans that all the other padawan's who died were killed because they were imperfect.

All of them would be in therapy for long periods of time. Now the Jedi Council wanted to know how badly he treated Obi-Wan. Qui Gon Jinn was hesitant to force Obi-Wan to talk to the healers. How Hethin managed to mask the injuries he inflicted no one could figure out.

Then Qui Gon suddenly realized the real reason for all of the meditations. They were healing meditations to speed the recovery from punishment times. Surely after two weeks most of the injuries were gone. However he did forbid any deep meditations without himself present. He then sucked in his breath. If there are injuries then they must by close to festering by now if he did not treat them.

Enough skirting the issue Qui Gon thought as he went in search of his padawan. He found him returning from some errand outside of the Temple. "Come with me." He simply said.

The only thing Obi-Wan could think was that it was time for him to be punished. He followed Qui Gon up to the apartment. Thank the maker he had gotten more antibiotic cream.

Once in the apartment Qui Gon said, "Let's talk about punishments shall we?" He then watched as his padawan unconsciously prepared himself for the ordeal ahead. Obi-Wan put his bag in his room. He reemerged without his shirt. He closed the curtains and braced himself against the wall. He did this without saying a word or even questioning his master's intentions.

Qui Gon simply stared he understood now. He saw his padawan's back for the first time. The scarring was horrific. There were signs of the riding crop, cat o' nine tails, electro whip, and cattle prods. There was also what looked distinctly like a lightsaber burn. Some of the wounds were still open and in need of medical attention.

"Did Hethin ever allow you to get medical attention for your injuries?" Qui Gon asked already knowing the answer.

Obi-Wan was startled out of his half trance. Wasn't punishment time supposed to be silent? Answer before he gets mad you idiot Obi-Wan screamed at himself. "No any injuries I got were deserved for being slow or inadequate." Any moment now the whip's singing slashes were going to come down.

"Get your shirt back on. I want you checked by the infirmary." Qui Gon said. So much made sense now about his padawan.

Alarmed Obi-Wan suddenly turned around and begged, "Please, don't make me. I can prove it to you I am more than fit. I don't want to leave the Temple." Anyone who went to the infirmary either died there or was sent away.

Seeing the genuine fear in his padawan's eyes made Qui Gon ask, "Why are you afraid to go seek medical help Obi-Wan?" Only concern showed in his clear blue eyes while panic flashed in the ocean depths of his student's.

"They'll send me away." He simply said he did not mention that they might just kill him.

Shock then anger flashed through Qui Gon's eyes. "Get your shirt on Padawan. You have my promise that you will never be sent away for any reason. I swear by everything that I hold in honor." He had no choice either way. If his Master wanted him to go to the infirmary then he would go there whether he truly wanted to be there or not.

Five half healed ribs, internal bleeding, untreated fractures in his arm and ankle, malnutrition, recent dehydration, broken and torn ligaments, and infected wounds was just the beginning. The healers dumped Obi-Wan into Bacta he wouldn't reemerge for at least four days. Confident that his padawan would recovery he went to the council chambers and told him what he saw. He also told him the promise he made. Yoda immediately backed it up. This was a Jedi matter no others need to be affected. The Jedi took care of its own no matter what occurred.

Four days later Obi-Wan woke up to see Yoda perched on his legs. His mental shields had been down and Yoda was examining his memories. The fact that they bothered to heal him said that they wouldn't hurt him. Obi-Wan wondered exactly how much Hethin lied to him.

"Ignore Hethin's training you must. Pay attention to new Master's only. Understand Padawan." Yoda said once he was through searching the younger man's mind.

Yoda's word was law in the Temple. Obi-Wan would have to be insane to argue. "Yes Master Yoda."

"Good. Master will be here soon. Take you back home he will. Start your training soon." Home the temple was still his home. Relieved Obi-Wan allowed himself to go into a deep undreaming sleep. When Obi- Wan next awoke it was to see his master silently contemplating him.

"Time to return to our rooms Padawan." Qui Gon said. Yoda had told him the extensiveness of the damage done to Obi-Wan by Hethin. The first thing he would do was iniate a strong bond with his padawan.

"Master Jinn please report to the Council Chambers at once." Rising from where he was meditating Jinn quietly left his quarters. His apprentice was studying for his last final in his room.

Walking across the campus Qui-Gon contemplated his biggest problem to date. His Padawan of about two weeks and still unbonded to his master. How do you unlearn a lifetime's worth of abuse and neglect?

Striding into the Council Chambers he saw immediately it was an informal meeting. The table was out and everyone's chair was surrounding it. Windu spoke up first, "Well the healers have a theory as to how Hethin got away with being a Sith for so long." pausing to pick up a data pad, "Two colors of the force are acceptable at the Academy White and Gray. White is pure unfiltered force. Gray is natural force that comes from plants, animals, and nature in general. If you superimpose a veil of white over a black center it will appear gray. While Hethin was training he was pegged as a Gray Jedi. When he turned to the dark side he was nearly exposed by his former master. His master died under suspicious circumstances in a flyer crash. He took his first Padawan shortly after. Her name was Aria and was classified as a White Jedi. He suppressed his own signature and superimposed hers over his own giving the immediate illusion of being still a Gray Jedi. When he was away he would use the signatures of anyone else around him or simply let it drop altogether."

"That sounds ridiculous. Something a third grader would think of. However it's probably going to be the only explanation." Qui-Gon responded tiredly. "I still haven't gotten him to bond. I've been thinking of bringing him to Denilian Prime."

"Good idea you both can relax and work on his issues. Don't bother to continue his training until he finishes bonding." Windu cautioned. Young Kenobi must bond and unlearn everything he learned under Hethin.

"Understood."

"Leave immediately after he finishes his finals you will. Get him away from scene of crime you have to. Make him forget even if only for a day Hethin's torture you must. When trusts you he will bond." Yoda interjected.

Qui-Gon bowed out of the Chamber and left to make arrangements to Denilian Prime. Denilian Prime was the Jedi vacation planet. The local inhabitants were a gentle cat species that liked the Jedi and gave whatever assistance they could to them. They had a good reputation for counseling the troubled and wounded Jedi that came to them. Most Jedi came back renewed and on their way to recovery.

After finishing his arrangements he went to the supply room for new cloths for the trip. Once they got off the shuttle at Denilian Prime their Jedi Robes would be removed not to be put on again until they returned to the Academy.

Denilian Prime two days later...

"Master what are we doing here? There hasn't been conflict on this planet for nearly 570 years. What could the problem be?" Obi-Wan inquired.

"The problem is that the Council feels it necessary for us to go on a vacation." Qui-Gon looked at his apprentice. He looked decidedly uncomfortable in the civilian cloths given to him.

"Ah, that explains it then. So what will I be doing while you're taking a vacation. Am I to attend classes locally?" Hethin had told him that Padawan's never got vacations or time off. It was a sign of weakness and complacency. But he was supposed to be forgetting everything that Hethin told him. On the other hand he never saw padawans taking vacations.

"I said 'us' Obi-Wan. They want us both to rest." And bond but he didn't need to know that. Suddenly the ship began to buck and shudder. Every light in the cockpit lit up. Every bell and whistle began to make itself heard. A small explosion rippled from the engine room. Emergency systems immediately dumped the core before it could blow up the entire ship. Obi-Wan wrestled with the controls. Qui-Gon immediately let Space Control know of the problem. His Padawan had a higher flying license and more airtime. There was little he could do but continue trying to lock down systems and make preparations for an emergency landing. There would be no way they could make it to the airport on the more populated Northern continent. Then the shuttle's control stick erupted in electrical flames. Obi-Wan was knocked unconscious. Before Qui-Gon could assist him the shuttle crashed into a large lake. Shaking off the shock Qui- Gon grabbed Obi-Wan two survival packs and went out the cockpit window that shattered at some point in the drama of the crash.

Reaching the shore he placed his still unconscious student on a large flat rock and swam back to the wreck. He made four more trips to get items out of the downed shuttlecraft. He talked to the Denilian officials. It would take one week to get help to them. There were no known poisonous plants or animals in the region. They also informed him of naturally formed caves nearby that they could take shelter in. The rescue team would find them no matter where they went.

Qui-Gon gently picked up his Padawan and made his way to the nearest mountain. Survival 101 said that where there are mountains there is usually shelter of some sort. He should know. He teaches the class whenever he stayed for any length of time at the Academy.

He found a nice roomy cave without another occupant. He put Obi-Wan down and put his own jacket under the young man's head. It was only a short walk from the lake. In about two hours everything he salvaged from the shuttle was in the cave. Obi-Wan had slipped from unconsciousness to a natural sleep. Qui-Gon placed a portable shield at the cave's entrance and created a door to keep curious animals from investigating their new neighbors. Qui-Gon then collected some rocks and used a blaster to heat them being careful not to shatter them. Shelter and warmth taken care of it was time to attend to his Padawan's wounds.

Second-degree electrical burn all over his hands. Qui-Gon looked at through the shuttles large medical pack. He found Bacta Bandages. The bandages would completely cover both hands and once activated they would become gel on the inside to start the healing process but would become as hard as rocks on the outside to protect the area from further injury. Qui- Gon carefully wrapped both hands in the bandages and activated them. A thought struck him suddenly. 'Obi-Wan will not be able to use his hands at all while the bandages are on. Only a healer has the ability to take the bandages off again. Maybe I can build some trust with my apprentice and start laying the foundations for a bond. If a week of complete trust in another person won't convince him its safe then nothing would.'

Looking over his handy work Qui-Gon decided to start simple. 'He'll be hungry when he finally wakes up. Maybe some stew would be in order.' Taking the remote for the portable shield Qui-Gon went hunting. Finding a small squirrel type creature he gently dispatched it. Unfortunate but necessary. They only had enough food for about three days. Hunting, fishing, and gathering will become staples. Qui- Gon also saw on his way back to the cave some vegetables he could identify as edible.

Deeper inside the cave Qui-Gon found potable water. He got out a large collapsible pot and filled it with the water. Seeing that the stones were getting cold he reheated them. Setting up the large collapse pot over the now reheated stones. As the water slowly began to boil he placed the meat of the animal inside to slowly simmer. After a much quicker preparation of vegetables the stew was covered and the rocks heated once more. Dinner would be served in about an hour.

As the stew was labeled as finished Obi-Wan began to stir. Heavy weight on his arms registered but only dimly. The smell of the stew was much more alluring. Waking up he saw the Bacta bandages, "Master, why are my hands bandaged?" He could remember very little of the crash. When had he injured himself?

"Electrical burns Padawan. The Bacta bandages will begin the healing process until we can get you to the hospital. The stew is ready. I'll help you eat." He picked up a bowl and spoon and ladled some stew into the bowl. Obi-Wan by this time had gotten himself into a sitting position. He quickly realized that he was going to be of no help in feeding himself.

"I don't know how I can help you master with my hands bandaged like this. I also can't seem to find the force. Everything feels fuzzy." A useless padawan. Obi-Wan felt a wave of self-loathing roll through him.

"You also hit your head pretty hard when the shuttle hit the lake. I'm not surprised everything is a bit fuzzy. Don't try and fight for healing. Let it slowly come to you and heal your wounds. Besides it's a master's duty to see to the well-being and health of his padawan. It is my joy to help you." The streptazine probably didn't help either Qui-Gon mused to himself. It was the most devious thing he ever did as a master. For the head wound to prevent complications two drugs were recommended streptazine and citrotazine. Citrotazine is safe for force welders to use because it does not muddy the connection with the force. Streptazine did interfere with the force and lasted for about four-five days before allowing a force user full access to their abilities. Bonds, Bonding, and bonding initiation were not affected by either drug. They had both on hand. He would ask his Padawan's forgiveness later, when they were fully bonded as Master-Pupil. To see his Padawan finally be forced to trust him no matter how little a thing it was was a great breakthrough compared to a few weeks ago. Obi-Wan made a motion to object and Qui-Gon saw an opportunity to put some stew in his student.

So it went for three more days. Qui-Gon became his student's hands. At first it was embarrassing and awkward for Obi-Wan but gradually he began to accept it and his iron strong reflective shields began to weaken. He began to visibly trust his master more. Qui-Gon got to see an Obi-Wan that had been suppressed and stifled for many years. The real Obi-Wan was bright, curious, and had a very dry slightly sarcastic sense of humor. Every new fact allowed for a little more of the massive shield to fall. That morning while helping Obi-Wan to wash his hair Qui-Gon felt a small tendril of the force gently snake out. AS the tendril came out the reflective mind shield fell down. His padawan was finally asking to bond. It was non-verbal, unplanned, and a complete surprise to Qui-Gon. However he was not going to look a gift Bantha in the mouth. While rinsing Obi-Wan's hair they finished the bond. It was a weak training level bond. But it was now something to build on. Looking at his Padawan's mindscape Qui-Gon realized that the battle for his Padawan had just begun the ghosts were strong and the memories were poisonous. A deeper darker secret loomed over the horizon. It was so dark that Qui-Gon couldn't see what it started as. It was going to be their most formidable enemy.

END