Archive of Our Own

Soulmates always had the other's name on their wrist. There was just one problem. It was not always the right name. It was whatever the person identified as their name at the time, even if deep down they preferred something else. 

The name on the wrist would change when they identified their name as something else. Usually, that was whatever they were called the most even if it was not their most preferred term of address. 

If they had a family name, a last name, those usually stayed the same, though not always. 

Most people, if their names changed, it was changing nicknames. Many outgrew the childhood nicknames they had grown up with, after all. 

But that was it. It was just nickname to name or other nickname, and not much else. 

Most of the time, names stayed the same no matter what.

But sometimes... some people went through many names, to the confusion of their poor soulmate.

.

Obi-Wan was two the first time the name on his wrist changed. He didn't know what it had said originally, but now it just read 'Boy' and it stayed that way until he was five.

Then it changed to Jon for a few months. Then it was Slave. 

He showed the crechemasters, and he got some extra classes with some masters over the following years. If he ever met his soulmate, his soulmate would need him to be able to understand his past. Being a slave was not easy, and being soulmate to someone recovering from trauma wasn't easy at all.

When Obi-Wan was six, it changed again to Brat. Then a few months later it was Quin. Then it was back to Boy.

He wondered what the actual name of his soulmate was. Who was his soulmate? Why did he feel like something had gone wrong? His soulmate should be here, in the Temple with him, and yet... 

Over the next three years, Obi-Wan saw the name change from Boy to Slave to Brat to Jon to Nexu to Slave again to Quin to Caspian to Brat to Slave. 

When Obi-Wan was nine, he stopped checking so much. It was hard to keep track of the names changing, and he wasn't even sure what his soulmate's name really was. It hurt seeing his soulmate be called Slave again and again.

But he knew that was what his soulmate was called most, what he most considered his name, and it was horrifying. 

In the meantime, at nine, Obi-Wan was struggling with his temper. He didn't have many friends, and instead found himself the target of bullies. Especially after they noticed that the name on his wrist kept changing. They thought it was funny that his soulmate's name was 'Slave.' They thought it was funny whenever his soulmate's name changed to something different, especially Brat and Boy.

Obi-Wan tried to contain his temper. He wanted to be a Jedi, and he needed to control his emotions. But they never seemed to let up when adults were not around, and they kept bringing his soulmate in on this.

His soulmate he knew had to be going through a rough time, living a rough life. And these bullies thought it was funny. Something to laugh at.

Obi-Wan was a troublemaker. He did his best, doing average in most classes, and above average in two. He worked hard at maintaining his grades, and learning more. But he struggled and he didn't know why. 

He pulled away from his friends. They didn't understand, and he just kept getting them in trouble too. They were fast approaching eleven, the years they would be eligible to become padawans. And he was not going to jeopardize their chances of getting noticed.

 After all, troublemakers didn't get very far in getting masters interested in them. 

When Obi-Wan was eleven, he started doing his best, working harder than ever before. He didn't care who he got as a master, as long as the Force said they were compatible, and he had one at all. He was supposed to be a Jedi after all. 

He learned the best routes to avoid the most bullying. He optimized his studying so that he was getting as much in a day as possible. He stopped playing. He was focused on becoming a Jedi.

It wasn't good enough. No one gave him a second look. 

The bullying was worse when the bullies caught him out. 

Obi-Wan cried himself to sleep most nights. He didn't know what to do. He tried listening to the Force, but it wasn't giving him anything beyond certainty that he would be a Jedi Knight. He tried meditating more often, but that just made it easier for the bullies to find him.

Then came the Incident. 

Obi-Wan hadn't been planning on attending the festival; celebrating new beginnings. He hadn't had a new beginning in a while. Many celebrated starting their padawanships in the previous years.

Obi-Wan had nothing. He didn't have anything new. So he instead planned on spending it holed up in the Archives reading up on as much as possible. If nothing else, he could start preparing for life in the Corps, even if the Force kept insisting that was not the life for him. 

If that was the case, why did everyone reject him? Why was there no good advice on how to get a master? He was already doing those things. He hadn't lost his temper in months, no matter how bad the bullies had gotten. Well, he'd lost it a few times, but never where he was caught, and certainly not around masters he hoped would take him on.

He knew that most initiates were taken on after twelve rather than when they were eleven, though it varied quite a bit. He knew he wasn't even twelve yet, and things would look up. But... so many masters had viewed him training, had visited his classes, looked at him and shook their heads before leaving. He wasn't what they were looking for. He was unwanted.

Obi-Wan focused on reading about philosophy and how it had changed over the years, even as Master Yoda didn't really change all that much. It was kind of fascinating, if difficult to understand. 

The book disappeared into the hands of a bully. The one who had it out for him the most. Bruck Chun.

"Took us forever to find you. You should be at the festival Oafy-Wan."

Obi-Wan closed his eyes and took in a deep breath as he'd practiced and practiced. "I have no new beginnings to celebrate, and no one to celebrate. I decided it was better to keep myself away."

"Because you know you're pathetic!" 

"Yes, because I know I'm pathetic," Obi-Wan agreed. 

Bruck was taken aback by the agreement. "You're so annoying. Why can't you just go be a slave like your soulmate?"

Obi-Wan stiffened and let out a breath. "No one asks for a life of slavery," he informed Bruck with annoyance.

"Still life would be so much better than without you Oafy-Wan."

"Yet you're here bothering me instead of enjoying the celebration."

Bruck destroyed the book.

The rest of the confrontation was a blur when Obi-Wan thought back. 

Seeing a book from the Archives destroyed, something he knew he would be in trouble for, broke his control completely. He had been holding back so much for so long, without any real idea on if he was doing the letting go thing right. 

He attacked Bruck angrily and a fight ensued. He was beyond words, he was so furious. He never used the Force; Obi-Wan didn't use the Force much at all normally. He didn't want it to be an instinct if he lost his temper. He didn't want to put himself more at risk of using the Dark side.

When Obi-Wan came to awareness as several masters separated him from the others, he became aware of how sore he was- it had gone from a one on one fight to a six on one fight at some point. And he saw the mess they had made of the area. 

He knew he was in deep trouble. There went any chance of convincing a master to take him on. He sat where they left him, cradling his really sore arm and looked at his wrist.

Slave. 

His soulmate's name was Slave again. It had been a few months since he last looked, so he wasn't sure when that happened.

Obi-Wan sniffled and tried not to cry. He couldn't be a Jedi. He had hoped that being a Jedi would allow him to save his soulmate. He wanted his soulmate to be happy and safe.

How could he rescue slaves and find his soulmate if he wasn't a Jedi?

The masters kept giving him disappointed looks. He ignored them. He was deep in trouble, and he knew it. He shouldn't have lost his temper like that. He shouldn't have... this was al his fault. 

He was a troublemaker and that was all he would ever be. 

He watched everyone fuss over the bullies, who were all obviously injured with broken bones and cuts. Obi-Wan was just bruised. Even his arm was just a bruise (it was broken, though he hadn't realized it at the time). 

Obi-Wan was not going to be a Jedi. And... he couldn't handle the consequences of his actions. He had tried so hard for months and now it was all ruined. 

He was moving, running before he knew it.

It wasn't until he was out in Coruscant that he realized what he had done. 

Obi-Wan wiped his eyes and took in a deep breath and let it out. It was getting late. He needed to find a place to sleep and he could figure things out in the morning.

It wasn't long before he realized that he may have made a mistake. He didn't have any money, and he was just a youngling. No one would take him seriously. 

But he couldn't go back to all that disappointment. Where it didn't matter how hard he'd tried. He'd done something wrong, and the bullies would get off like they'd done nothing wrong at all. Maybe if they'd get in trouble for provoking him and destroying the book he would have gone back. But he knew they would never. 

Obi-Wan ended up sleeping in an alleyway that night. 

When he woke up, his fingers were tingling and didn't want to move. His arm was purple and puffy. 

He poked at it a few times and then ended up leaving it. 

Today he had to make plans. He started wandering, thinking and looking for a way to get breakfast. He didn't realize how far from the Temple he was, nor did he realize that he'd started wandering into the lower levels.

He didn't make it very far before someone grabbed him and sedated him. 

.

Quinlan stared at the youngling brought in to be a new slave for his latest master. He looked up. 

"Kitten, he was taken off the streets of Coruscant. He is not used to being a slave. You will ensure that he knows the rules. Got it?"

Quinlan nodded, dropping his gaze. 

"Good. He was kept sedated the whole trip, so expect some confusion."

Quinlan nodded again. He was left alone in his room with the new youngling.

He hesitated then dragged the youngling over to bed and, with some effort, got him onto the bed. 

Then he waited. 

Quinlan knew his name was Quinlan, or Quin. But he hardly ever told people his real name these days. It wasn't like the masters ever cared. They preferred Slave or Boy or Brat and sometimes other names or nicknames.

He had been through so many masters since his grandparents sold him after murdering his parents. He still remembered that day vividly. The one thing he was grateful for was that they had grabbed him before he could touch his mom's necklace. That would have gone terribly with his psychometry.

Quinlan had been through many owners who called him many things depending on their mood. Usually they started out calling him Slave, then moved to Boy or Brat, then some sort of name or nickname.

This master was the strangest. He was actually sort of nice, and made sure Quinlan was well fed. The room wasn't a cupboard, and the bed wasn't too small. He still expected Quinlan to do chores, but not much else, which was a relief. Some masters expected a lot more than just chores. 

Quinlan shuddered at those memories. 

He wondered how his master got this this one. He had weird connections all over, though. And he did say Coruscant. 

Quinlan hadn't been to Coruscant. It was too busy, and slaves weren't allowed in the Republic, anyways, so it would have been difficult for any of his masters to take a slave there.

And yet Quinlan was on a little known Republic planet anyways. But slavery was known here, and no one spoke of it to outsiders. Slaves were assumed to be servants if nothing was said, especially since most here were well treated. 

Well, from what Quinlan understood. He'd only been on this planet since his current master, one of the members of the advisory council, bought him a few months ago. 

It was only recently his master started calling him Kitten instead of Slave. Quinlan kind of liked it. It was better than Boy or Brat. 

Quinlan wondered what his master wanted with a youngling off of Coruscant. He knew why his master wanted him; he was a Kiffar and he had psychometry which had many uses. One of his chores was to sort through mail to be sure there was nothing that was too bad in the pile. 

The youngling stirred.

Quinlan jumped and moved to sit nearby, curious. He'd never seen a human with such red hair, or a near human for that matter. And he'd never had a master who let him interact with someone near his age before. They were always many years older or many years younger, and never shared a space with him. 

And anyways, the other kid probably needed someone to explain what was going on... and Quinlan was ordered to make sure he understood. 

Obi-Wan felt groggy. His mouth tasted funny. His head hurt. His arm hurt. What happened? He opened his eyes and frowned. That was not any ceiling in the Temple. 

He went to sit up and found a cast on his arm. He stared at it, and all the memories came rushing back. He'd screwed up and rather than taking ownership of it, he ran away... and now.... where was he? His last memory was someone grabbing him and covering his mouth before there was a sharp pain in his neck. 

"Hi." 

Obi-Wan sat up and looked. There was another kid there. He was unfamiliar. And there was... was that a collar around his neck? Obi-Wan became aware of a weight around his own neck and went to tug at it.

"I wouldn't do that. It'll shock you." 

"O-oh. Who are you? Where are we?"

The other kid named the planet. "M-Our master calls me Kitten."

Obi-Wan stared at him. "M-master? What's going on?" he asked shakily. 

Kitten sighed. "We're slaves. He said they got you off Coruscant? I guess that means you don't know anything about this life."

"I... I've heard some things..." Obi-Wan said slowly. "But... What does being a slave entail?" He rubbed his eyes when they burned with tears. 

"Well... it means we gotta be careful. Even the best masters have our lives in their hands. Some masters are really mean and you can't step out of line at all. Others are merciful, as long as you do your chores. Our master..." Kitten bit his lip as he considered the best way to explain it. "Well. He's nicer than most, but he's kind of weird about his rules so we gotta be careful and obey."

Obi-Wan nodded slowly. "Okay... I'm not very good at listening."

"I wasn't either," Kitten admitted. "I'm Kiffar, we're not like most of the galaxy and tend to be chaotic. But I learned." He shuddered at the memory of how he learned. 

"Oh. I'm sorry," Obi-Wan offered.

"That's life." Kitten shrugged. "You'll learn too."

"I don't want to," Obi-Wan whispered. 

"I know. No one ever wants to learn."

Obi-Wan wiped his eyes. "Um. So what's the daily schedule like?"

Kitten gave him an impressed look. "You adapt fast. We spend our time in here unless we're let out. Breakfast is delivered at 0800. Oh, right, it's a 28 hour clock here. At 0900 we'll be let out for chores. Mostly cleaning, we'll get a list. I have to sort through the mail 'cause of my psychometry to be sure there's nothing malicious. At 1300 we'll go eat in the kitchens, then at 1400 our master usually wants me to sit with him. Since he put you with me, I guess he wants you to do that too. And we just... stay with him through dinner and do what he says. Sometimes that means playing games, sometimes that means doing things for him. Or just sitting and... looking pretty. Sometimes he hosts important dinners and I have to serve him. Sometimes he lets me eat with him. And then we're back in here at 2200. He usually doesn't need me to do anything after that... it gets boring but at least I can get sleep. Some masters didn't allow more than six hours."

Obi-Wan nodded along, trying not to get overwhelmed. He didn't want to get into trouble. He wasn't sure if he could escape, but not getting in trouble would make thinking about escape easier. 

"Okay, I think I got it," he said after a moment. "I'll... I'll do my best to learn."

Kitten gave him a smile. "Great! Then there will be no problems."

Obi-Wan nodded and looked down. It was then he realized that his wrist was covered and he couldn't see his soulmate's name. He reached for it.

Kitten stopped him. "They don't want us to know our soulmates. Looking gets you in trouble and they'll know, they always know. I've seen the punishments slaves can get for looking." He shuddered. There was a reason he'd never dared look, no matter how curious he was.

Obi-Wan froze. His soulmate, if he ever met his soulmate at this point, wouldn't know his name. And... he couldn't know his soulmate's name anymore either. Whatever he was going by. 

He put his hand over his wrist and sighed. "Okay. You might need to remind me a few more times... I'm used to being able to glance at it at anytime."

Kitten nodded. "I can do that. How old are you?"

"I turn twelve in a few weeks," Obi-Wan said quietly. 

"Oh. I think I'm thirteen? Maybe fourteen? I'm not sure. So we're close in age."

Obi-Wan half smiled. "So we are..." He paused. "You said you're Kiffar but you don't have..." He gestured at his face.

Kitten winced. "I was sold by my grandparents when I was four. I was too young for the tattoos."

"Oh. Sorry."

"Facts of my life." Kitten sighed. 

"...why haven't you asked me my name?"

"Names don't last here. Your name is yours to keep. I barely remember mine, but the few times I even used the shortened version, it got turned against me. So now I'm whatever my master needs me to be. And I'm sure he'll come up with something for you. So for now... you can be nameless."

Obi-Wan nodded slowly. That explained the changing names a bit... the question was, did his soulmate use his name at any point? It could be Jon, Caspian, or Quin, or it could be something entirely different. 

"Alright... final question for now... what time is it?" Obi-Wan asked quietly. 

"It's 2400. We have twelve hours to breakfast."

"Oh. That's a lot of time..." Obi-Wan bit his lip nervously.

Kitten nodded. "I have some books you could read? And I think we might be able to get some games if we ask tomorrow. And you should shower."

"Oh. Yeah." Obi-Wan looked at the cast on his arm. "Pretty sure I'm not supposed to get this cast wet, though."

"No, that's one of the water proof ones, but I suppose you'll need a little help getting clean?"

Obi-Wan grimaced. "Probably," he admitted reluctantly. "Can you help?

"Yeah, I should be able to help you out."

"Cool." Obi-Wan fell silent. 

Later, as Kitten was settling to sleep, Obi-Wan sat up on the bed they were sharing. 

"What are you doing?" Kitten asked sleepily.

"Meditating. It's something I was taught young and I'm used to doing it at least once a day, though usually I do that in the morning. And well. I just woke up, I'm not sure I'll have an easy time sleeping, and it'll be easier to sleep if I meditate first."

"Oh. What's meditating like?" Kitten asked, propping himself up a little.

"It's... peaceful. Like nothing can get to you. You can think about everything and nothing and let all your problems flow away to bother you another day."

"Teach me some time?"

"Oh. Sure." Obi-Wan smiled. At least that was one Jedi thing he wasn't losing. 

Kitten fell asleep.

Obi-Wan closed his eyes and meditated. Oddly, the Force was still saying he would be a Jedi. Obi-Wan didn't see how. But he had to have faith. And anyways, he didn't know how this would go. He didn't know anything about the situation beyond what Kitten had told him.

And he was only eleven, not even twelve yet. Maybe things would turn around.

He wanted to believe the Force, but he didn't see how it was possible anymore. He had gotten into major trouble, run away, and now he was a slave. How could he ever be a Jedi? He let out a breath. 

The Force danced around him as he meditated and insisted he would be a Jedi, but right now he was right where he was supposed to be.

Obi-Wan opened his eyes and yawned at the end of his meditation session. That was oddly reassuring. He really did need to have faith that the Force was right, no matter how things seemed to be going wrong for him.

He laid down next to Kitten and closed his eyes. He hoped the first day wouldn't be a disaster.

.

Obi-Wan woke to the alarm and blinked slowly a few times. He... was being cuddled? 

Kitten groaned and shut off the alarm. Then he sat up and stretched. He paused. "Morning... sorry should have warned you I'm a cuddler. I... do better with a lot of touch 'cause I'm Kiffar but well. Slave. Can't always get it." He shrugged.

"Morning..." Obi-Wan yawned as he sat up. He stretched carefully. He felt... settled. Meditation had been good and stuck then.

It wasn't long before their breakfast arrived.

Obi-Wan stared at it before he started eating. Oatmeal wasn't the worst sort of breakfast one could have. A little bland but filling. And the juice was welcome.

After they were done eating, Kitten went to the drawers and tossed clothes at him. "Here. You'll want to wear these. Hopefully they get you some that fit you. You're a little smaller than me."

"Not by much," Obi-Wan mumbled as he took the clothes to go change. It was a little alarming, actually. Obi-Wan was a little on the smaller side for his age, and Kitten wasn't much bigger. Probably because of being a slave but still. He was two years older than Obi-Wan and not much taller, and skinnier.

Obi-Wan struggled to get the strange clothes on. They were simple, showed a bit more skin than he was used to, and not exactly working with his broken arm. 

Kitten stepped over and helped him once he was dressed. He had already pulled his hair back.

Just as he finished, the door opened. It was time. 

Obi-Wan followed Kitten's lead, keeping his head down, following directions, and getting straight to work once given a list of chores.

Kitten showed him how to do the chores, all the cleaning and everything. 

Obi-Wan did his best. It wasn't like what was expected of him  in the Temple, but he did know how to work hard. He put it to good use. 

Lunch was... strange. They were not the only slaves eating, but no one was talking. They barely even blinked at seeing Obi-Wan, like a new person was no big deal. Maybe it wasn't, to them. 

There was some time after lunch was over so Obi-Wan followed Kitten in cleaning up their plates and helping the kitchen staff clean up from lunch.

Then Kitten led him out to meet their master while the other slaves went their separate ways.

"There you are." The master stopped in front of them. He lifted Obi-Wan's chin and tilted his face from side to side. 

"Very pretty. You look Stewjoni."

Obi-Wan bit his lip and nodded hesitantly. 

"Perfect. Come." 

Obi-Wan fell into step with Kitten and followed. So far not that bad but... still. It was nerve-wracking. He didn't know what to expect. What had he gotten into? 

He was directed to sit next to Kitten on cushions on the floor near his desk.

He was working.

Obi-Wan was kind of bored, but he sat there anyways. He let his mind wander and did his best not to even fidget. Was this what every day was going to be like? He really really didn't like being bored. It was painful.

Kitten sat there quietly, staring at the floor with practiced ease, though he too, was very bored.

Obi-Wan mimicked his position and listened to the conversations that started up whenever their master made a call. 

The first time their master reached over and patted his head, Obi-Wan froze, hardly daring to breathe. That was unexpected and he did not like it at all.

He then patted Kitten on the head and returned to his work. 

Obi-Wan relaxed a little after that. At least it hadn't lasted long at all. But it was still... it was still strange. Obi-Wan did not like strangers touching him but... he had to hold back. He had to control himself. He couldn't let this get to him. He couldn't get in trouble. Not so soon. 

After a few hours, they were led to a meeting room. Kitten led Obi-Wan to stand by the other slaves there, and they spent the meeting waiting on their master, and bringing him everything he needed quickly. 

Obi-Wan started getting used to his little touches. They were uncomfortable, but nowhere near too handsy. For now. 

Kitten didn't react to any of it, just kept his head down and did his job.

Obi-Wan listened to the meeting. It was fascinating, really. Like doing one of his diplomacy classes in person or something. He thought of ways to handle the situation. He didn't think they would work but it would make things easier. He didn't say a word though. He didn't dare speak out of turn.

The meeting came to an end, and it was time for dinner. Obi-Wan followed Kitten to get their master's food and drinks for the evening. 

There was a cushion on either side of his chair. Obi-Wan saw Kitten kneeling and hurried to do the same on the other side.

Their master was hosting. He was talking to everyone, waving his hands around. 

Obi-Wan kept an eye on Kitten to be sure he was doing the right thing. The first time the master offered Kitten a forkful of food, Obi-Wan was surprised. 

Kitten was not and took the bite quickly. 

This meant that Obi-Wan was able to react appropriately when the forked popped up in front of his face. He took the bite quickly and chewed. It was actually pretty good. 

Throughout the meal, they were offered bites of food sporadically. 

It was a little humiliating, when Obi-Wan let himself think about it. It was like they were being offered table scraps. Like they were nothing more than pets.

But then, they were slaves. To their master... they probably were a lot more like pets than anything. 

At the end of dinner, Obi-Wan was surprised when the master wrapped his arm around Obi-Wan. 

"Look at my new slave! He's just like a puppy, already well trained and obedient." The master paused and looked down at Obi-Wan. He pet Obi-Wan's hair. "Yes, just like a puppy. Now go along with Kitten, Puppy."

Obi-Wan blinked and nodded, quickly following Kitten to the door.

Kitten led him to the master's suite. "He gave you a name already."

"...I guess he did." Obi-Wan thought about it. Puppy, his name was Puppy. That was what he had to respond to. That was what everyone here would know him by. 

"He took months to give me mine. Only got it a few days ago." 

"Oh." 

"But it makes sense. If he's making us a pair, he'd want a name that goes with Kitten. And apparently you made it easy to figure it out. I was harder."

"I guess that makes sense." Obi-Wan was still adjusting to the ways of thinking around here. It was... strange. He would have to get used to it eventually.

Kitten showed him how to prepare the bath. 

"Why are we preparing a bath?" Obi-Wan asked nervously. 

Kitten sighed. "He's a social person. He doesn't like to bathe alone."

"...Every night?" Obi-Wan asked with a sinking feeling. 

"Every night," Kitten confirmed. He finished up pouring in the soaps in the rather large bath. Then he started stripping and folded his clothes neatly. 

Obi-Wan clumsily followed, needing some help getting the clothes off and folded. 

Then Kitten got into the bath and turned off the water. He helped Obi-Wan in. 

"Does... does anything happen besides a bath?" Obi-Wan asked nervously.

Kitten looked surprised, then understanding. "Oh... right you didn't grow up with this stuff, Puppy. Yes, it does. It's not as bad as it could be. He's really gentle and doesn't actually go as far as others do."

"Oh..." Obi-Wan closed his eyes and sunk in the water a little. He took in a few deep breaths. "That's why he was interested in if I was Stewjoni, huh?"

"Partially, he's always interested in the differences between near humans. I'm not even human, Kiffar are completely separate."

"Oh. But... that helps."

"Yeah. Kiffar are just as interesting to slavers. That's why I'm used to it. If I were just a human, it wouldn't have been a thing because I wouldn't have gone to masters interested in me for that reason."

"Oh..." Obi-Wan closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. "How can you be used to... being violated?"

"It... it's always hard," Kitten admitted. "But it's something that's going to happen, and there's no point in fighting it. So I let them do what they want and cry later. And this really isn't as bad as some masters."

"Okay... but I've never... I've never experienced any of that before." Obi-Wan tried to control his breathing. 

"I'm sorry... I'll help you later. For now... just... don't fight him. He could hurt you."

"I won't fight," Obi-Wan promised. He shivered despite the warm water. He wasn't looking forward to this. It was also alarming just how bad Kitten had it that this day  was better than most. Obi-Wan had known slavery was bad. He had known that there was difficulty to adjust to a normal life, especially when one was a slave from a young age. He just hadn't expected... this.

Their master entered.

.

Puppy sat on bed, arms wrapped around his legs as he thought about the bath. How often the master called him Puppy. Puppy really was his name now, and he just had to get used to it.

Kitten joined him and wrapped an arm around him. "I'm here."

Puppy leaned in. He let out a shaky breath. "If that's what not bad and gentle is like, I don't want to know what it's like when it's worse."

"Yeah, you don't," Kitten agreed. "I'm sorry that you had to learn what it's like."

"It's okay. I... I can learn to handle it. Just need to take some time to adjust, is all."

Kitten nodded. "Let me know if you need anything."

"Still want to learn how to meditate?"

"Yeah, I'd like that."

"Then how about I teach you?"

"Right now?"

"Yeah, I could use the distraction and I'm not sure I can fully meditate right now."

"Great!" Kitten sat up and grinned. "Where do we start?"

.

It had been several months. 

Puppy had settled into the life. It wasn't absolutely terrible, but he knew that if he ever escaped he'd have a hard time adjusting back to any sort of normal life. 

He still had faith that the Force was right. He would be a Jedi. But he had no clue how that would happen and part of him refused to believe it until he was free. If he ever got free.

He had no idea how to escape. There didn't seem to be any good way to escape this situation.

At least he had Kitten. Kitten was a sweetheart, who genuinely cared about everyone. He had little ways of helping others that toed the line but nothing that the master would catch. 

Kitten was eager to learn, and listened to all of Puppy's knowledge with enthusiasm and questions. 

They meditated together all the time. Kitten was quickly picking it up and was pleased with his own progress.

One day, when they'd both had a good meditation session, they opened their eyes to find that they were both floating. 

Kitten freaked out. Puppy reassured him that it was okay. It just meant that he had the Force. 

Which led to Puppy admitting to having some Jedi training before he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

He stared teaching Kitten all he knew, because training in how to control the Force and emotions was very important. And it was a good way to make sure he remembered. 

Then came the day that things changed. 

Their master called them to his office before lunch. 

They stood and waited as normal.

"Later today we will be going to a meeting. There will be Republic representatives there. They are not to know we have slaves. You are servants. Heads up, smiles, and normal behavior."

Both nodded. This wasn't the first time. Puppy had fumbled a little the first time but thankfully, the Republic representative didn't blink. One of the ones who could accept a little slavery. 

They arrived at the meeting and quickly joined the other servants in serving their 'bosses'.

Puppy hadn't looked around at the Republic people. He couldn't shake the training that he was not to look anyone but a fellow slave in the eye. 

Partway through the meeting he felt a familiar greeting in the Force. He stiffened, but didn't look up as he tentatively returned the greeting in the Force. 

He was met with horror and sympathy, and a promise to get him out as soon as possible. 

He protested. He was not leaving Kitten behind. He shared a memory of Kitten floating and got understanding. 

He relaxed. Good.

Kitten was nice, and he was not leaving his friend behind.

They played their parts normally.

But something had gone wrong. 

And their master was very rough and angry that night. After he dragged them to the punishment room.

Kitten was sobbing as soon as they entered. 

Puppy barely kept his composure, but ended up breaking down after just a few lashes. 

From what their master said, some of the Republic representatives had commented on their ages, and then they didn't exactly respond well when asked questions later. They acted in a way that was suspicious.

After further abuse, they were dragged back to their room. 

Puppy dragged himself to Kitten and hugged him tightly.

Kitten was still sobbing, still making promises of being good.

Puppy started rocking him. He hurt and he had never had so much and things happen to him before. He was crying too. 

But Kitten needed him more. He'd never seen Kitten shed a single tear before. Seeing him sobbing... that was alarming. And Puppy was going to do his best to help him.

.

A few days later, they were still recovering but doing their chores as normal. 

There was a commotion at the door. 

Kitten gasped as the collars shocked them. "We gotta go to our room, that's what that means. They'll stop when we're there."

Puppy just nodded and grabbed his hand to help him stay steady. They were both still recovering from injuries after all. 

Both of them let out sighs of relief when their collars stopped shocking them. 

"How does that work?" Puppy asked Kitten.

"I think he has the collars set to several different boundaries, and he just switched it to our rooms. He only did it once before you got there. It's just a way to get us out of sight before something happens, I think."

"Ah... well.. we're out of the way. How are you?"

"I'm okay. Still sore. And glad for a break." Kitten flopped onto the bed.

Puppy joined him and groaned at how good it felt to slow down and stop. Every part of him was still aching from that punishment. Which he preferred not to think about or it would send him into a break down.

They hadn't even really done anything wrong, just fumbled when someone asked them a tricky question they weren't prepared for. 

It was a bit more than an hour later that anything changed. 

The door opened. 

They sat up. 

Puppy started crying. The word 'master' caught in his throat as he rushed into the arms of Jedi Master Plo Koon. With him was Shaak Ti. 

Plo hugged him and projected soothing calm and safe in the Force. After a moment he removed the collar, then checked him for anything else that needed to be removed. 

"Can I go home?"

"Of course you can, Obi-Wan." 

Obi-Wan sobbed and clung to Plo. 

Kitten looked between Plo and Puppy, then up at the togruta that was approaching him. He sensed... the same thing he sensed with Puppy. The Force. 

"Are you a Jedi?" he whispered, then covered his mouth in horror of speaking at all.

He was surprised by her gentle touch. "I am. What is your name?" she asked, projecting calm to Kitten. 

"Kitten." 

"Is that your actual name, or just the name you've been given while you are here?"

Kitten hesitated. "...just the name I was given..."

"Can we have your real name? We might be able to find your family."

Kitten bit his lip then nodded. "Quinlan... Quinlan Vos." It felt weird saying his own name again. But it also felt... nice.

"Nice to meet you, Quinlan." She gently removed his collar. "Now, let's get you and Obi-Wan out of here and check on your injuries."

Quinlan looked up at her, astonished. "I'm free?"

"Yes, you are."

Quinlan burst into tears. He was dimly aware of her comforting him, and of her carrying him out. But he was too emotional to think too much about it. A decade as a slave... and he was finally free.

Eventually he found himself on the Jedi's ship as they took care of his injuries and Obi-Wan's. 

Obi-Wan smiled at him. "That's Jedi Master Plo Koon, and Jedi Master Shaak Ti. They're both on the Jedi High Council."

"Oh..." Quinlan blinked, then he looked at them again. "...weren't they at the meeting a few days ago?"

"We were. We recognized Obi-Wan and knew that something was going on. I am sorry we were not able to move faster as we had to make sure some investigation was done first."

"It's okay..." Quinlan said, a bit dazed. He was free. No matter how many times he repeated that word to himself, it didn't make sense. He had not been free for so long, and now he was. 

And so was Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan was a nice name. 

"I noticed you reacted to my Force presence," Shaak stated gently. 

"Oh. Yeah. Pu-Um. Obi-Wan taught me meditation and realized I can use the Force after we were both floating once," Quinlan explained awkwardly. 

Shaak nodded. "What do you think of meditation?"

Quinlan lit up. "It's wonderful! I can actually feel calm and at peace while meditating and it makes it so much easier for a bit afterwards to deal with well. Slavery. And I have never felt that way before!" 

Shaak smiled. "That's good." 

She continued to ask him gentle probing questions. She was looking to see how he handled his emotions, if he was open to learning better ways to cope, and all around, would he be able to go from slave to Jedi.

This left Obi-Wan alone with Plo. 

Plo drew him close. "When you ran off, Jocasta insisted on checking the recordings. She said you weren't a violent initiate, and that you had always been quiet and polite."

"Okay..."

"We saw Initiate Chun show up and bother you, then when you did not give him the response he wanted, he tore up the book. That was when you attacked him."

Obi-Wan looked down. "I lost my temper... I don't really remember the fight until I was pulled away," he admitted softly.

"Why did you run away?"

Obi-Wan pulled away and wrapped his arms around his knees, ignoring the pain. He'd gotten used to it.

"'cause I was gonna be in trouble for losing my temper again. No matter how hard I try I always lose it. And..." Obi-Wan sniffed and wiped his eyes. "Who would want a padawan who went crazy like that?"

"I see... I am sorry, Obi-Wan. It seems that we failed you."

"What?" Obi-Wan looked up, confused. 

"They were punished. Jocasta would accept nothing less after Initiate Chun destroyed that book. And they deserved it. They wanted you to fight back. One of them confessed to this not being the first time they've done it." 

Obi-Wan stared at him.

"When looking into the matter, we found that despite the bullying continued, you had not been caught and in trouble for months. You have been holding your temper well."

Obi-Wan blinked a few times, even more confused.

"If I, or many of the masters who were there that night had been around for the previous incidents, we would have handled them differently. I was appalled to see how little support you had been given previously. You did not deserve that, Obi-Wan. You deserved quite a bit more help with your temper, and in dealing with bullies intent on provoking you to losing it."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "But I'm not a padawan any master wants!" 

"Just because you are not right for them does not mean that there is anything wrong with you. It is not your fault that they cannot handle a preteen's anger. It is not your fault that they were not willing to look beyond how you appear."

"Oh." Obi-Wan bit his lip. "Are you saying that m-m," he kept trying to say master but had to give up. "Yoda handled it wrong?"

"No, I am not. His advice is always sound, if a bit confusing, particularly to younglings. He did not see how it was affecting you, and he did not realize how bad the bullying was. I think he would have helped you more if he had."

"Oh." Obi-Wan continued biting his lip. "So... I'm still in trouble?"

"No. You ran away for understandable reasons after being under pressure for a long time. And you have suffered quite the ordeal since. You will be seeing a mind healer, and living separately from the creche for a while as you adjust back to the Temple. You might not move back, if you find a master."

Obi-Wan nodded. "Okay. And... when I turn thirteen?"

"You will be staying put."

"What?"

"Obi-Wan, the Corps are meant for those who do not have the aptitude in some way to keep up with the lifestyle and expectations of a Jedi Knight. It is not for those who cannot find a master, though most assume that if you do not find a master by thirteen you will never. I sense that one day you will be a great Jedi Knight. I am not going to take that chance away from you, nor will I let anyone do that. No matter what you do."

Obi-Wan tried not to cry. 

Plo wrapped his arms around Obi-Wan and gently rocked him.

Quinlan approached, a bit shell shocked, but growing more excited by the minute. "Guess what!"

"What?" Obi-Wan asked, smiling to see his friend so happy.

"I'm gonna be a Jedi too!" 

Obi-Wan beamed. "Really?"

"It'll most likely be a trial period at first to be certain, but I see no reason why he will not pass easily."

"That's great!" Obi-Wan paused then turned to Quinlan. "My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Quinlan smiled. "My name is Quinlan Vos."

Obi-Wan had a moment; Quinlan? Like Quin? Which was one of the names his soulmate went by a few times? No, couldn't be. Could it? No, that'd be crazy.

"I'm glad you get to come home with me, Quinlan!" Obi-Wan grinned. 

Quinlan grinned back. 

They chattered about the Temple, and classes. Obi-Wan was happily telling Quinlan everything about growing up there, though he kept stumbling over the word 'master'.

Plo and Shaak observed. When they had realized Obi-Wan was one of the 'servants' they were alarmed. When he and Quinlan fumbled their answers, darting scared looks at their master... they knew that everyone was lying.There were no servants, just slaves.

It had taken a few days to pull what they need together, and now Obi-Wan, and his new friend would be going home.

"Did Obi-Wan tell you why he ran away?" Shaak asked. It was the one concern everyone had. Running away from problems was a poor way of handling them.

"He had been in trouble before, and the others had not been. They had made a mess of that corner of the archives. He had been dealing with bullying for years, had been trying to do well enough to get a master's attention since he turned eleven. He knew he was going to be in trouble when he saw the destruction and how hurt the other initiates were. He decided that no master was going to want him now. What would be the point in staying?"

"Oh... yes, from his point of view, it wouldn't seem worth it. I take it he thought he was on the fast track to the Corps."

"He did." Plo sighed. "We shall have to keep an eye on him. I am not sure I convinced him that he does not have to worry about that."

Shaak nodded. "It has been a while since I've seen an initiate where the Force has been so insistent... save for Quinlan."

"Ah, yes I see it now. He will be a good Jedi, despite all that he has been through."

"When are we leaving?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Soon," Shaak responded. "There were two other Jedi with us, and we are waiting for them. The other Republic representatives will be cleaning up for a few days, but our part is just about done."

"Oh. Okay." Obi-Wan resumed talking and cuddling with Quinlan. They were quite adorable together.

.

As soon as the two Jedi were on board, they took off. They quietly conversed with Plo and Shaak for a bit.

Quinlan kept staring at one. He seemed really familiar. He couldn't be that Jedi his parents liked, could he? ...Was he around because he knew Quinlan was a Jedi? Was it really Tholme?

"This is Obi-Wan Kenobi and-"

"Tholme!" Quinlan cried, jumping at the very surprised Jedi.

Tholme stared at the youngling. Kiffar, about fourteen... "Quinlan?" He whispered as he hugged him.

Quinlan nodded. "Yeah... yeah, it's me!" 

"We didn't know what happened to you, Bran and Erin were furious."

Quinlan sniffed at the reminder of his good grandparents. "The other grandparents sold me after killing my parents."

"Oh, I'm so sorry." Tholme hugged Quinlan tighter. He looked up at the other Jedi. "You know I was in the Kiffu sector for a while. While there, I met Quinlan and his parents. I knew he was Force sensitive and his parents and I were still debating the merits of him being a Jedi or just learning the basics when they were murdered and he disappeared."

"You will contact his family?" Shaak asked.

"I will. They'll want to see him, and make sure he gets the Clan tattoos now that he is older, but I think they'll let him make his own choice on what he wants to do."

"I want to be a Jedi," Quinlan mumbled into Tholme's chest. "I want to help people."

Tholme smiled. "Then that's what you'll do. For now... I think you need to spend some time healing."

Quinlan nodded.

Obi-Wan watched curiously, happy for his friend. It was good that Quinlan would get to see his family again, and that he found someone he knew. 

He focused on Quinlan because there was a strange pull towards the other master. The Force was telling him to look, to pay attention. 

But Obi-Wan recognized Qui-Gon Jinn. He was one of the masters he had tried approaching upon recommendation to try that. It had not ended well. It was the one rejection that had really put doubt in Obi-Wan on if he could be a Jedi. 

So, as much as he wanted to listen to the Force, Obi-Wan was not ready to look at Qui-Gon. He was not ready to face that stern face again, who told him he was much too angry. He'd rather focus on how happy Quinlan was now. He'd never seen his friend so happy.

After a while, Quinlan rejoined Obi-Wan and cuddled with him.

"I never... being a slave was all I really knew... My memories mostly started with my parents' murder, though I had some flashes before that. And now... I don't have that. It's... strange."

"Is there something you want to do?" Obi-Wan asked. 

"I... I've always wanted to see my soulmate's name. I've never dared look. What about your soulmate?" 

Obi-Wan looked away. "I... I'd rather not talk about it right now." He ran a finger over his wrist without looking.

"Why?"

"Names are tied to soulmarks. The name a person considers their name is what's on the soulmark and... I can't bare to see that right now."

Quinlan stared at him in confusion.

Obi-Wan sighed. "Slave, Boy, and Brat were the most common, ever since I can remember," he said quietly.

Quinlan's eyes widened. "Oh. I'm sorry. I never... I never knew names were so important. Maybe that's why slaves were never allowed their real names..."

"Most likely, makes it much harder to find a soulmate when their name isn't really a name or it changes every few months."

Quinlan nodded. "I'm going to look."

"Alright." 

Quinlan closed his eyes and lifted his wrist. He opened one eye, grinned at the letters on his wrist, then opened his eyes fully and gaped. 

Obi-Wan Kenobi. 

"Obi-Wan? Can you take a look at your name? Please?" Quinlan asked shakily without taking his eyes off the name. "I... I'm curious as to what it says right now."

Obi-Wan sighed. If it hadn't been Quinlan he wouldn't have given in. He lifted his wrist and braced himself. But... it was a real name this time.

Quinlan Vos.

Obi-Wan gasped. He turned to Quinlan and showed him, leaning over to stare at Quinlan's wrist. 

"We're soulmates!" Quinlan laughed.

Obi-Wan beamed and hugged him. "We're soulmates! We have to tell them that changes things but we're soulmates! And we're free, and we're going to be Jedi!"

Quinlan hugged back, excited. He had always wondered what having a soulmate would be like... and now he knew. It was someone who complemented him, who knew him without needing much explained. They had always just clicked, like they knew each other for years, despite it being only a few months.

"This is the best news in the world," Quinlan whispered.

Obi-Wan nodded. "The absolute best," he agreed, cuddling. 

They were content with just that knowledge. They had no idea what was coming their way.

Tholme took on Quinlan as his Padawan as soon as Quinlan was cleared.

 Seeing Obi-Wan in the aftermath of slavery, having never gone Dark despite how much he had suffered made Qui-Gon actually consider how good a Jedi Obi-Wan could be. He had a temper, yes, but he never used the Force with it. And he heard what that slave master had done to the two younglings as a punishment, and what he did on a normal day. 

Even before seeing a mind healer, Obi-Wan seemed to be dealing with it rather well. He was not letting the experience get to him much, beyond a difficulty saying the word 'master'. 

He stuck around and helped Obi-Wan transition back to life in the Temple. It took him an embarrassingly long time to realize why Obi-Wan barely looked at him. Why would Obi-Wan look at the master that thoroughly rejected almost a year ago? 

Then, just a few months after Quinlan became a padawan, Qui-Gon found himself asking Obi-Wan, with everything all ready for a Padawan. He hadn't consciously made the choice until the words were already out of his mouth. 

But it was right. Obi-Wan was meant to be his padawan, just as Obi-Wan and Quinlan were meant to be soulmates. 

And they would do wondrous things in the future.