| Title: Silent Nights (Part Four) Author: Ginger Ninja ***** The yawning white expanse was back, stretched out in front of him for all eternity. This time though, there was something else that stood out from the washed-out landscape, something that wasn't him. A dark shadow flitted around him, watching him, whispering to him. If he reached out, he could almost feel it, feel its darkness. "You saved the children." "I told you I would." The shadow stopped dead in midair, and closed in on him. "You think...this will save...you...from everything else...I have planned...for you?" "What?!" The shadow began to take a form. It enlarged and morphed into the dark outline of a woman. The shadow-woman laughed and reached out to him, stroking his cheek. "Special. That's what you are. Tell me...young one...how much do you love your Master?" "Don't you dare hurt him! You stay away from my Master!" "Who said...it would be me...who hurts him?" The shadow-woman's hand moved done from his face and onto his chest. With a snarl, she shoved into him. He didn't feel anything at first. Looking down in confusion, he saw the shadow-woman's arm reaching into his chest. As soon as he realised what was happening, the pain began to take a hold. First his chest became tight, as if someone held him in a tight embrace. The harder it became to breathe, the darker the whiteness around him became. "Fear not...little Jedi. Soon...there will be no more pain." The shadow-woman reached further into him, her entire being slowly becoming part of him. A coldness spread over his mind like a thick cloud, smothering him, threatening to take over him. /No!/ he thought in despair. /I have to fight it! I can't let it win!/ Obi-Wan Kenobi built up all the defence he could, while the invasion of his mind continued. "You. Are. Mine." The shadow-woman whispered seductively, coiling herself tightly around his mind. "Never!" he choked out. The darkness came over his eyes, removing the white landscape and changing it into a barren wasteland of death and decay. Bodies lay at his feet, piled up to his knees in some places. Screams rang out. Screams of agony, of horror, of anger, of pleading. Screams of death. "Your Master is out there somewhere Obi-Wan," the woman whispered. "Shall we find him?" ***** Qui-Gon slowly came to, hearing the bustling world around him before actually seeing it. Gradually opening his eyes, Qui-Gon instantly recognised where he was. /The infirmary. Again./ He could feel the breather mask attached to his face and Qui-Gon reached up and pulled it away. "Qui-Gon? You awake my friend?" Qui-Gon turned his head slightly and saw Mace Windu gazing at him from a chair beside the bed. There was concern in his friend's eyes. "Yes, I'm awake," Qui-Gon said, his voice croaky from the smoke. "Here," Mace said and handed Qui-Gon a mug of water which Qui-Gon drank gratefully. "The fire's been put out," Mace went on. "There were only nine casualties brought here, one of which was you. Six were released earlier. Only you, Obi-Wan and a young baby, who might be Leezal I'm not sure, are still in the healer's clutches." "Ah Master Windu it is so nice to hear you say things like that," Master Healer T'Gaz called from the doorway. "If you don't mind I'd like to see check on the patient who is in my 'clutches'," T'Gaz wiggled his fingers to emphasize his point and had an amused look on his face. "Right," Mace said, clearly embarrassed. "I'll just be...going then. Right! See you later Qui. Right, yeah." And the Councillor all but ran out of Qui-Gon's room. Qui-Gon rolled his eyes at T'Gaz and the healer chuckled. "Are we healer's really that unpopular?" Qui-Gon fixed the healer with a steady gaze. "Yes." T'Gaz sighed melodramatically. "I thought so." Qui-Gon laughed a little, a laugh that turned into a rather nasty, hacking cough. T'Gaz fussed over his patient and then pulled a bottle of some sort of liquid medication out of his robe. T'Gaz measured some out and ordered the Jedi Master to take it and Qui-Gon did so, wincing at it's vile taste as the liquid oozed down his throat, soothing it. "When can I see Obi-Wan?" Qui-Gon asked T'Gaz as he handed the empty cup back to T'Gaz. "Soon." T'Gaz said. "His back was badly burnt in the fire and we had to put him in bacta. He'll be out soon." "And the baby Leezal? I take it she's the one who's still here." "Leezal? Oh she's fine. It's amazing considering the state you and your Padawan are in. We'll be releasing her to the cr�che Master's soon." T'Gaz didn't notice Qui-Gon's troubled look and continued talking. "I feel terribly sorry for the cr�che Master's right now. Where they are going to put all those children I don't know. The fire was pretty serious. Destroyed half the cr�che apparently. I...Qui-Gon are you even listening to me?" Qui-Gon blinked and turned his eyes to T'Gaz. "Sorry what?" "Never mind," T'Gaz grumbled. "T'Gaz have you noticed anything odd about Leezal?" Qui-Gon continued. "You mean aside from the fact that she was in a burning building for a long period of time and has barely a mark on her to prove it?" T'Gaz asked with the slightest bit of sarcasm. "No, nothing what so ever. Why?" Qui-Gon frowned. "There's something about her. Something that is wrong." T'Gaz looked thoughtful. "Well I'll give her another check up before she leaves..." "No," Qui-Gon interrupted. "Something evil. Leezal is not your average child." T'Gaz gave Qui-Gon an odd look but didn't comment on how odd that statement had sounded. Instead he told Qui-Gon to get some rest and he would return to get the Jedi Master when Obi-Wan was ready for visitors. Reluctantly, Qui-Gon closed his eyes intending to simply rest them. Instead he fell fast asleep, his mind still going over the strangeness of a certain little girl's behaviour. ***** Obi-Wan could hear voices from beyond the darkness. "It won't be long now until he regains consciousness. Padawan could you go and fetch Master Jinn for me? Take a hover chair. I don't want him walking yet." "Of course Master. I shan't be long." He slowly opened his eyes, a strange haziness making everything he saw slightly distorted. Colours blended into one another and he couldn't distinguish much of anything. Blinking hard, he couldn't get the fuzziness to clear, so he closed his eyes once more. Obi-Wan sighed heavily. Why did things like this always manage to happen to him? "Padawan Kenobi? Are you awake?" Obi-Wan opened heavy eyelids and tried to make out the features of the person bending over him. He knew it wasn't Qui-Gon, his feelings told him that much. "Ah, there you are. You're not in any pain are you?" Obi-Wan wanted to say no but his throat was dry and sore and he couldn't make a sound. He resorted to shaking his head. "Good," the blurry shape informed him. "You shouldn't be with the amount of drugs we have pumping around your system. You'll feel little odd for a while but don't you worry. You just get some rest." That he could do. Obi-Wan closed his eyes again and almost instantly fell back asleep, untroubled by dreams for once but only because there was something in his head stopping them. "Don't worry little Padawan, you won't have a nightmare just yet. But soon, you'll wish you were dead." Had his Master been awake, Qui-Gon would have felt a sharp fear running through his Padawan's mind. But no one sensed Obi-Wan's agitation and his precarious situation went on, nobody aware of darkness that was progressively occupying his mind, banishing the light. ***** It was several hours later when Qui-Gon finally awoke. He was alone in the room. Reaching out to his bond with Obi-Wan, he discovered that his Padawan was peacefully sleeping. Qui-Gon was slowly sitting up as T'Gaz's apprentice Pascal came in with a hover chair. "Evening Master Jinn!" she said pleasantly. "Can I help you with anything?" "Yes, I want to go and see Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon replied, the tone of his voice indicating he wasn't going in a mood to debate. "Of course," she said. "That's why I'm here." "Pascal," Qui-Gon called to the girl. "I don't suppose you could bring me some clothes?" The young healer grinned. "You should find some in that closet by the window. Master Windu brought some along for you earlier. He must have foreseen your request." Qui-Gon raised his eyebrow in amusement and failed to quash a grin. "Indeed." Pascal left and Qui-Gon got out of his bed, glad to find his legs remained firm. He gathered his clothes and quickly dressed, only too relieved to be rid of the infirmary gown. Why did those dreadful things have a slit up the back? He closed his eyes and sighed contentedly. Pascal returned just as Qui-Gon was slipping into his robe, smiling happily to himself to be in his own clothes. Pascal caught a glimpse of the Jedi Master's content look in a window reflection and she looked away, trying to contain a giggle. It came out as a snort. Qui-Gon span around and faced the young healer. Meeting his eyes, Pascal indicated that Qui-Gon should get in the hover chair. "I can walk just fine thank you," Qui-Gon replied looking only slightly annoyed. "I'm sure you can," Pascal replied. "However let's just take it easy for now shall we?" Holding back on his grumbling, Qui-Gon sat in the chair and allowed Pascal to push him to Obi-Wan's room. T'Gaz was in there, administrating yet more drugs into the boy's system. Qui-Gon got up and walked over to his Padawan's side. "How is he?" "Oh he'll be alright," T'Gaz replied. "I've got him on some pretty strong medication so he'll be out of it for a while but you're welcome to stay." Even if he wasn't 'welcome to stay', no one would have been able to move Qui-Gon. He sat down in a chair by Obi-Wan and held the teen's hand in his own. T'Gaz and Pascal slipped out unnoticed. An hour crawled by and Qui-Gon found himself nodding off. ***** When Obi-Wan found himself waking up, it was far earlier then he should have been able to awaken. The drugs in his system were somehow being suppressed enough for him to wake up yet he could still feel no pain. The downside to this was that he was so tired he couldn't see clearly. He could sense his Master asleep next to him. Obi-Wan sat up and started to get off the bed. He had to get away from Qui-Gon. If he didn't, Obi-Wan knew he would hurt the man he thought of as a father. If he hurt his Master, Obi-Wan wouldn't be able to live with himself. Obi-Wan placed shaky feet on the ground and manoeuvred his weight on to them. His legs wobbled for a moment and Obi-Wan clung to the bed edging towards the door, step by shuffling step. Obi-Wan reached the door, realising he needed a place to go. /Of course! I can go home for now. I'll have to find another place tomorrow though./ Squinting his eyes, Obi-Wan made his way out of his infirmary room and down the hall that led out of the infirmary wing of the Temple. At times he had to duck into another room when he saw the fuzzy shape of a healer strolling round the wards, checking in on other patients. When he ducked inside one room, he heard the delighted chatter of a baby. Obi-Wan felt compelled to see the child, yet he had no idea why. Bending over the cot, he discovered that he had once again found Leezal. Obi-Wan backed away, his back hitting the wall and pain dimly flared. The drugs kept it mainly at bay. /No! Not her! I have to get away from her! That child...she's not good...she's evil.../ The shadow-woman's voice whispered to his mind. //Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan. You can't leave a little, innocent child like her alone. What terrible things might happen to her if she fell into the wrong hands...// //I AM the wrong hands!// //Oh but you aren't. Go on. Just pick her up and take her with you. I promise nothing bad will happen. But if you leave her here...// An image of the tiny baby being restrained flashed across Obi-Wan's mind. Someone was holding the little girl and she screamed out in pain. //Help her.// Obi-Wan shook his head to get rid of the hazy vision. Despite his misgivings, Obi-Wan picked Leezal up. The little girl fell silent in his arms. Obi-Wan looked down at her, only to see that she was just sleeping and not dead. Leaving the room, Obi-Wan made it safely out of the Infirmary and used his memory to make his way back to his and Qui-Gon's quarters, Leezal resting comfortably against his chest. The blurry shapes of all the different species in the Temple hallways were bizarre and gave Obi-Wan a fright. Some looked like monsters, ready to jump him and beat him and the baby. /This must have been what she meant,/ Obi-Wan thought. /These monsters are going to hurt this child because there's something wrong with her./ Obi-Wan made it to his quarters and keyed in the code that opened the door. Once inside, he shuffled over to his room where he fell onto his bed. With Leezal tucked in one arm, Obi-Wan fell asleep. //Poor deluded boy,// the shadow-woman said. //Do you really think simply *hiding* from Qui-Gon will keep him alive? You may have postponed the inevitable but believe me boy, Qui-Gon Jinn will soon be dead, as will every other Jedi in that Temple of yours.// But Obi-Wan was too tired to fight the shadow-woman or warn his Master and he fell into an uneasy rest, trapped in an unconscious state by the drugs that suddenly came back into effect. ***** Qui-Gon awoke a short time after, and was instantly alert when he discovered a bed that was without an occupant. Hurrying out, Qui-Gon spoke to the Healer's he met, asking if any of them had seen his apprentice. All gave negative answers, telling Qui-Gon Obi-Wan couldn't have possibly got up unassisted and left because of the drugs that were keeping the teen quiet for the night. Qui-Gon reached out with the Force to try and locate Obi-Wan that way. All he could sense was that Obi-Wan was fast asleep somewhere in the Temple. Qui-Gon went to the Infirmary's com system and called Mace. The council member was not amused at being disturbed so late at night but he fell silent once Qui-Gon told him what had happened. "I'll check the gardens Qui, you take Obi-Wan's regular haunts," Mace said and hung up. "We'll meet at your place in an half a standard hour." Qui-Gon went to places like the rooftops, various training rooms, and the cafeteria but to no avail. Obi-Wan was in none of these places. When the time was up, he met Mace outside his and Obi-Wan's home. "No luck?" he asked Mace. "None. I take it you had no joy either?" Mace replied. "None whatsoever," Qui-Gon replied and opened the door to his home. He and Mace stepped in. Qui-Gon stopped dead when he felt the presence of a certain elusive teenager. "Obi-Wan!" Qui-Gon rushed into his Padawan's room and stopped dead at the doorway, Mace crashing into the tall man's back. "Qui-Gon what the...?" Mace fell silent as he looked over Qui-Gon's shoulder. Obi-Wan was there, out cold on his bed with Leezal resting on his chest. The petite baby girl was sitting rigid, her hands planted on Obi-Wan's forehead. The girl's head turned around slowly and she glared side-on at Qui-Gon and Mace. Her normally clear eyes were black like the darkest night. There was a look of perpetual malevolence in her eyes. "Sith! What is wrong with her?" Mace gasped. "Get off Obi-Wan now!" Qui-Gon ordered and went to grab the child. Leezal turned away from the Jedi Master and seemed to focus even more intently upon Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan's hand went up, palm outstretched. Qui-Gon found himself unable to move. "Mace, move!" Qui-Gon yelled at his friend, anticipating what was coming next. A huge wave of Dark Force pummelled Qui-Gon, lifting him off of his feet and sending him flying backwards into Mace. Qui-Gon sat up, dazed. He was fully aware that he was crushing Mace yet he made he didn't move. Obi-Wan stood up and Leezal clambered onto his shoulders, never once letting go of his head. The teenager's eyes opened, an exact copy of Leezal's dark gaze. "Ah, there you are Master," Obi-Wan's voice was hard instead of his usual soft tone. And without another word, Obi-Wan began to approach his Master. ***End Part Four*** |
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