??????, Obi-Wan Kenobi

(Nora Viella)

"YOU have to place your foot here, and your hips, here," Obi-Wan commands, placing his soft hands on my hips, firmly directing them to the right while brushing my back with his chest. "So you have a balanced form."

Obi-Wan's hard breath against my neck rolls down the length of my body, making me shiver against him. But his hold does not falter. Not as his fingers gently linger on the curve of my waist where my exposed skin lay bare.

Biting down on the roaring in my head, I bring my arms up to the defensive stance he'd been teaching me for the past half hour, and place my foot where he'd instructed.

"How's this?" I ask, damning the Gods for how uneven my voice comes out. But I can't help the delicious heat of him behind me— so inviting against the cold ripples of wind that draft along the ocean waves and into the trees behind us. Leaning slightly into his touch, a rather solid mass pokes into my lower back.

As lighting strikes the ground, Obi-Wan quickly removes his hands from my waist. I hear swift footsteps retreat a healthy distance behind me, leaving my back cold and bare. With furrowed brows, I turn around to see him wiping away invisible sand on his cream-coloured robes.

Obi-Wan clears his throat, unable to look me in the eyes as he fumbles out, "Perfect."

He's been like this since yesterday, after the meeting about Lothal on the ship. He's been choosing his words carefully around me as if anything bad could shatter me whole. My brows furrow, "What is it?"

Obi-Wan opens his mouth but then shuts it, deciding against whatever he is going to say. He glances between me and the sand by his feet while the muscles in his jaw clench. "It's nothing," he dismisses, shaking his head as he looks back at me. "I think that's enough training for today. We've gone through all the stances and exercises."

Obi-Wan gives me a quick weak smile before walking past me, his feet sinking in the pebbly hot sand as he makes his way back towards the palm trees where our ship lies within. I hurry to catch up, falling into step alongside him. "Are you okay, Obi?"

Obi-Wan's head snaps to me as his cheeks heat with a light color. "That's a new one," he muses quietly, more to himself than anyone. "No more Master Kanubi?"

I let out a low laugh, that nickname did piss him off. "Maybe sometimes, when I'm cross with you." Obi-Wan gives me a knowing look. "Fine, when you're being too sarcastic," I smirk.

Rays of the golden sun play across his face while he lets a soft smile tug on his lips.

"You still didn't answer the question though." We walk onto the green grass; soft underneath my bare feet. The trees beside us sway with the quiet whisper of the wind as Obi-Wan stops walking. He stays still, letting the wind lightly ruffle his hair.

"I apologize if I seem... distracted," he pauses as if once again, choosing the perfect words to say. "To answer your question, yes, I'm okay."

"Well..." I hesitate, "you can always talk to me if you need someone to talk to." He parts his lips.

Maybe that was too forward?

"Well you know," I stumble, tucking my hair behind my ear, "if you ever need to get stuff off your chest with Jedi... business."

His lips twitched at the corners. "Jedi business?"

"What?" I demand, heat rising to my cheeks. "What's wrong with that?"

"It's just so... formal," He replies, moving a hand through his golden hair.

I shrug, "You are the definition of formal."

"I can agree with that. But I would say he's more elegant."

We both look back to see Anakin walking out of the forest of palm trees, an ever-present smirk playing on his face.

Obi-Wan's cheeks flush a bright pink. "I wouldn't say elegant-"

"Have you seen Cody too? No doubt about it, that man works under you." Anakin bites his lip, trying not to laugh while Obi-Wan sends him a glare.

"Cody?" I question, looking to Obi-Wan.

"It's his clone commander," Anakin answers instead. "I have a captain, his name's Rex. He's the best clone captain you'll ever find. I'm pretty sure you two would get along." Anakin winks at me.

"That's a big assumption," Obi-Wan mumbles, glaring at Anakin who walks over to Obi-Wan and slaps his hand on his right shoulder as if he were a father congratulating his son. "Right," Anakin faces me, "we are all out of food."

"What? That's not possible." Obi-Wan removes Anakin's hand from his shoulder as he looks back over at the ship.

"Well it is possible, Master, when scary reptiles sneak onto the ship and eat everything." Anakin smiles, twiddling his thumbs.

Obi-Wan glares at Anakin and starts up another lecture. This time the material covered is on being prepared for the different planets and their different climates and species.

But no food means we have to go somewhere with a direct trade route to that planet. Usually, the outer rim territories don't have that luxury. Adding to it all, we can't go into Separatist space, so it narrows it down to the big planets in the inner rim, where we aren't supposed to go.

"Well, then we have to leave as quickly as possible." Obi-Wan clenches his jaw, "This time, you'll be more prepared." He looks at Anakin and then at me beside him. His lips press together as he walks to the ship beyond the palm trees.

"Hey wait! Where are you going?" Anakin calls out to him.

"To contact the council about our problem," he calls back, having not turned his back. Anakin scoffs as Obi-Wan walks into the mass of trees.

"He's been very stiff since that meeting you guys had," I say quietly. "What happened? I thought everything was going fine?" I look over at Anakin whose lips are pressed tightly together.

"There are some things... we want to tell you but... can't," Anakin says grimly. Shadows cross his face as a cloud blocks the sun. Darkness sweeps over us and the ocean, continuing until the cloud passes and the light opens up.

"Why can't you tell me?"

Anakin's fists clench by his sides. He looks me over before giving me a small smile, "We should get back to the ship," is all he says.

Whatever it is that they are not telling me, they think I can't handle it. That I'll break down.

I look back at the ocean behind me, waves still slowly rolling onto the beach and the golden sun sparkling its rays down upon it and I wonder, furrowing my brows, then turn back around to join the two Jedi.