Before We Fall (Obi-Wan Kenobi x OC)

Master and Apprentice

 Obi Wan sat behind the pilot's chair of his own ship, his face buried in his hands on the dashboard, trying to prepare himself for the journey. Nothing had ever felt more complicated, more difficult, than the mess Kaden and Obi Wan had made. If they had just held to their vows, listened to the Jedi Code, there was a chance they still could have had the luxury of one another's company.

But now, Obi Wan was hunting her for the republic. Now, the capture of Kaden was his own responsibility. It made him wince to even consider Kaden as a prisoner. First, she was taken by the separatists, forced to act upon their will against her own. Now, she was to be kept within the prisons of the Republic.

He hadn't stood up for her, fought her her case whatsoever after everything she had done for him. Obi Wan felt deep shame, his mind and heart on two different pages of the same book. He was loyal to the Jedi Order, but should he have been? He had severed his trust with Kaden, that was for sure. Should he have, when the council was so keen on the fact that Obi Wan was now questionable?

"You seem to be in quite some trouble," Anakin's voice sounded behind him, shocking Obi Wan,who abruptly jumped in his seat. "Wow, you're out of it," Anakin continued, "I thought you'd be able to sense I was coming to join you."

"My mind is a bit occupied, Anakin," Obi Wan muttered, his voice low and weakened.

"I know," Anakin sat down beside his former master, his face showing more empathy than Obi Wan had seen in a while. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Obi Wan pinched between his eyes, trying to clear his mind. Scoffing, Anakin shook his head at Obi Wan's terrible attempt to steer clear of confrontation.

"You know what."

"I have a mission to attend to."

Anakin looked at Obi Wan, his eyes scanning him. He had never seen his former master in such disarray, even in battle. Usually, hard times weren't a challenge for Obi Wan; he could hide his troubled mind in the worst of cases during a battle. "I thought you'd want to talk about it."

"I've already made a bad enough example of myself to you," Obi Wan said harshly, "I- I don't need that worse."

Anakin paused before he spoke. "You don't have to go alone-,"

"I don't have a choice. A former padawan accompanying me on a personal matter would be highly inappropriate." Obi Wan was monotone, almost as if he were trying his hardest not to convey emotion.

"Okay," Anakin sighed, turning to leave the ship, "I just wanted to let you know- I liked you and Kaden together." As he spoke, he turned to leave the ship. He didn't expect Obi Wan to acknowledge his words, or to think in the slightest way that his comment was acceptable. Anakin didn't care, he knew what Obi Wan needed was support, whether or not he was willing to accept it.

"Anakin," Obi Wan called to him lamely, Anakin stopping and turning with a raise of his brows, "Thank you."

Nodding in response, Anakin leaned against the wall. "The council informed me that Kaden fell to the dark side."

"It's not that simple," Obi Wan corrected him, though his tone wasn't exactly confident, "Her... anger caused her kyber crystal to crack during her hearing. But when I spoke with her after, when we were alone-," he trailed off, his voice only slightly unsteady.

"Got it," Anakin nodded, "Well, good luck."

Obi Wan nodded, and turned back to the controls of his ship as his former apprentice left the room. As the ship's opening shaft closed, Obi Wan took a deep breath. He focused hard, his mind calling to Kaden's force signature. "Kay-," he spoke out to her softly.

And then he felt her mind colliding with his own, the feel of her soft and comforting like being beside her again. She felt weak, her mind barely conscious, and his heart filled with worry. Obi Wan had expected Kaden to be far, but not to be hurt. Something wasn't right.

"Obi Wan," she breathed, her voice, even through her force signature, weak and muddled by her pain. "I can't-," she trailed off, delirious. All at once, Obi Wan nearly forgot about his mission, his concern taking over.

"Where are you, Kaden? Are you okay?"

"You... I'm-," her voice trailed off again, though her words otherwise had made little to no sense. Obi Wan concentrated harder, reaching out to her further.

"I'm coming to help you, you need to tell me where you are." Obi Wan's heart was racing. He could feel her pain, her deep physical pain filling her, almost intoxicating him till he felt dizzy.

"Don't."

Obi Wan was startled by her response, and as expected, it only brought him greater worry. "Why not?"

"It's a-," she tried her best to push through her words, her mind dizzy and unstable, "-trap."

"How could it be a trap?" Obi Wan waited for her to respond, but nothing came. He only felt Kadens resistance to him, trying to push his mind away. He couldn't allow it, not at a time when she felt so weak. Kaden wasn't ever admirable of the idea of Obi Wan helping her, saving her, in any way- she made that very clear in their past battles. But now, in this state of mind, Obi Wan couldn't allow her to shut him out.

Doing what he deemed necessary, Obi Wan pushed a suggestion to her, his voice clear and focused, calm through his concern. "You want to tell me where you are," he spoke to her, feeling the call caress her mind delicately, filling Kaden with mindless bliss just for a split moment, her mind needing to call back to him and obey his suggestion.

"D-dathomir," she spoke weakly. Obi Wan's chest lurched. Dathomir? Why was Kaden on Dathomir, a planet known for dark magic and sith rituals?

He tried to keep his composure, not letting his concern distract him from continuing his occupation of Kaden's mind, "Who is keeping you on Dathomir, Kaden?"

"Maul," she breathed, and after her words, Kaden's force signature weakened, indicating quite clearly to Obi Wan that she had passed out from her pain.

Obi Wan held onto Kaden for just a moment, hoping to god that the pain hadn't done too much damage to her. She had to be okay. If she wasn't- Obi Wan didn't want to think about it.

He set the coordinates he needed for Korriban, and revved his way to the skies of Coruscant.