Chapter Text
“Master, I have a bad feeling about this negotiation with the Trade Federation,” said Obi-wan who paced aimlessly as his Master, Qui-gon, looked at his Padawan with a humorless smile creeping up on his face.
“You need to relax, my young Padawan,” chuckled Qui-gon as he smoothed down his long, brown beard that was tinted with hints of gray.
Obi-wan gave an insufferable huff before they both sensed a disturbance in the Force, igniting their sabers, and covering their mouths as the room they were in slowly filled with toxic gas.
‘Told you, Master,’ said Obi-wan in exasperation into their training bond while Qui-gon responded with a hearty laugh into their bond, ‘When are you not right, Padawan mine.’
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The two escaped to Naboo, but met an unlikely ally in the form of a Gungan named Jar Jar Binks. With Jar Jar being an outcast (or in Obi-wan’s perspective, another pathetic lifeform his Master adopted), they were able to traversed through the waterways from Otoh Gunga to the palace of Theed to travel to Coruscant with the Queen of Naboo on her Nabooian starship.
However, passing through the blockade of the Trade Federation damaged the Queen of Naboo’s starship which forced Obi-wan to find an Outer Rim planet called Tatooine for repairs.
Obi-wan was forced to stay behind by his Master to fix what he could on the Queen of Naboo’s starship, but chided his Master to not bring back another pathetic lifeform.
“No promises, Padawan,” smirked Qui-gon who ruffled Obi-wan’s short, cropped, auburn hair much to Obi-wan’s disgruntled pout.
Qui-gon soon left with the Queen of Naboo’s handmaiden named Padme, Jar Jar, and an R2 unit favored by the Queen of Naboo who rescued them in the skirmish between the Trade Federation.
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To say Obi-wan wasn’t surprised is an understatement. His Master made him analyze a blood sample of a desert native named Anakin Skywalker whose Midichlorian count was higher than even Master Yoda’s. Then his Master kept claiming Anakin was the ‘Chosen One’, the young boy to fulfill the ancient prophecy of bringing balance to the Force. Then his Master made Obi-wan want to bang his head against a console because he betted the starship of the Queen of Naboo for the hyperdrive they needed as well as for the freedom of desert child to possibly train.
Sometimes Obi-wan wished he gone to the AgriCorps, but then again, he wouldn’t get the chance to meet this mysterious child, a manifestation of the Force itself.
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When Qui-gon and Anakin barely escape the Force-user wielding a blood-red saber into the starship of the Queen of Naboo, Obi-wan was finally able to take a gander at the 9-year old desert child his Master took a chance on in a pod-race by betting the Nabooian starship of the Queen from Naboo.
Obi-wan gazed intently at Anakin; he was wearing faded, dirtied-by-sand, light brown tunics and sported short, blonde hair with azure eyes.
‘Another pathetic lifeform…’ groaned Obi-wan internally before his Master gave an elevated brow of ‘I heard that, Padawan mine’.
Obi-wan then refocused his mind-set to be welcoming before kneeling in front of Anakin and introducing himself while offering his hand in invitation, “Hello Anakin, I’m Obi-wan Kenobi, Padawan to Master Qui-gon Jinn.” Anakin took the proffered hand and shook it with a shy smile, “Nice to meet you, Obi-wan.”
Obi-wan chuckled heartily while turning his attention to Anakin’s batch of blonde curls before complimenting Anakin, “I admire your hair, Anakin.”
Anakin gave a blank stare before replying in a presumptuous tone, “You have a blonde fetish, don’t you, Obi-wan?”
Qui-gon could have sworn he heard a vein pop from his Padawan’s forehead.
‘Pathetic lifeform indeed!’ grumbled Obi-wan internally before projecting a calm façade and presenting a forced grin of passivity towards Anakin.
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To say that Obi-wan didn’t have some pity on Anakin was another understatement. When he checked on Anakin, he was shivering in his sleep due to not being used to the coldness of space. Obi-wan took off his outer robe and placed it on Anakin who immediately curled around the robe and mumbled a ‘Thank you, Obi.’ which caused Obi-wan to curl his lips into a small smile and scratch Anakin’s scalp, enjoying the blonde curls between his fingers before leaving Anakin to return to his room.
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No amount of Jedi training could have prepared Obi-wan for the tumultuous days ahead. First, his Master wanted to train Anakin against the Council’s decision, ushering Obi-wan to take the Trials even though he believed in his heart he wasn’t ready, but didn’t question Qui-gon’s judgement. Then there was a battle between the Naboo natives and the Trade Federation in which Obi-wan could not save his Master from the Sith known as Darth Maul and had to reluctantly promise his dying Master that he would train the ‘Chosen One’. Lastly, Obi-wan had to fight tooth and nail to be granted permission to train Anakin, making him too young to be a newly knighted Jedi Knight with a Padawan of his own, but he had to fulfill the dying wish of his Master.
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When Obi-wan and Anakin were forced to attend the celebration from the Battle of Naboo, Obi-wan’s Padawan braid was already cut (by Master Yoda, his great-grandmaster) and Anakin’s blonde hair was shorn to the Padawan cut along with a newly formed braid branding his right ear.
Obi-wan smiled bitterly when he saw Anakin interacting with Padme (the real Queen of Naboo) and the newly appointed Supreme Chancellor of the Republic at the celebration, but knew he had to be strong, not just for Anakin but for himself as well.