obi-wan imagines

life before the temple

Context: You're in a friend group with Obi and other Padawans. Everyone is hanging out at the Jedi Temple, and you volunteered to help Kariss practice using the Force.

Prompt: "How do you know what being stabbed feels like?"

Themes: angst, fluff, backstory?

Word Count: 939
_________________________________________

"This is awful," I groaned.

I don't know why I agreed to let Kariss do this. Actually, that's not true. Out of all of us, she needed the most help when it came to using the Force. The pain in my stomach was borderline unbearable. It was beginning to be unclear why I had even agreed to do this in the first place. My eyes squeezed shut, trying to block out the firey sensation spreading through my torso. Hela tried to hold onto my hand -- and the gesture was comforting -- but I could tell that I was gripping her fingers too tightly for her liking.

"Oh stars, it feels like I'm being stabbed." My vision was starting to fade in and out.

"How do you know what it feels like to be stabbed?" Cal joked next to me.

I opened my eyes for a moment to meet his gaze. Obi stood next to Cal and watched with a small grin plastered on his face as I stared at our friend. Both of us knew the answer to Cal's question, but Obi waited to see my response.

"Because I've been stabbed before," I retorted, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Multiple times."

I felt the pain start to ease away. For what felt like the first time in forever, I took a deep breath in and enjoyed being able to focus without the thought of the Force-hold in the back of my mind.

Cal's obnoxious smirk faded from his face, and was quickly replaced by a confused frown. "You're serious?"

I nodded. Cal and the others were used to the luxuries of growing up in one of the safest places in the galaxy. Unlike me. Tatooine was no place to raise a child, much less abandone one there. I didn't feel like indulging Cal at the moment, even though I could barely even feel the pain anymore; Kariss must have run out of energy.

"She's dead-serious," Obi continued, keeping his tone stern. "I was there one of the times it happened."

Everyone turned to look at him. Shit, Kenobi. He knew I hated talking about my time on Tatooine, but I also knew he loved bragging on my behalf.

For a Jedi who was supposed to be humble, Obi seemed to be loving the attention everyone was giving him. As we all stared at him standing at the edge of the room, he tried to hide the smirk rising on his face. His gaze eventually wandered to me laying on the floor with my elbows propping myself up. When our eyes met, I saw hesititation and questioning in his expression. I gave him a small nod. The others might not have recognized what it meant or have seen it in the first place, but Obi did.

"Years ago, my Master and I were investigating a disturbance on Tatooine," Obi began.

My friends all leaned in, ready to here about the time Obi and I first ran into each other.

"When we were wandering through the center of Mos Eisley, we got caught in a giant crowd of people gathering in a circle. Of course, Qui-Gon didn't want to cause a scene, so we stayed to see what the commotion was about.

And there she was, right in the center of everyone. This gigantic Devarion was pacing in front of her, holding easily one of the biggest swords I had ever seen. All she had was a blasted dagger!"

I smiled watching Obi speak. His storytelling had everyone captivated, including myself. While he talked, his eyes glowed with pride and his hands moved through the air, illustrating his excitement.

"...The sword went straight through her stomach, and then he ripped it out! Before we knew what has happening, she had gotten her own dagger into his chest and he fell to the ground."

I laughed under my breath. Obi remembered that day a lot differently than I did, that was for sure.

"You really took down a Devarion with just a little dagger?" Hela asked, amazed.

I nodded.

"That's not even the whole story," Obi beamed. "A group of the Devarion's friends tried to get the jump on her.
We had to follow her on speeder bikes because she sprinted so fast down the alley that Qui-Gon and I couldn't keep up!"

"Okay, I've got questions," Cal stated doubtfully. "Like how did you get away?"

"Railing," I explained. "I pulled myself over a balcony and watched them run underneath me."

"It was that easy?" Kariss finally piped up after regaining her energy.

Obi scoffed. "If you think vaulting a seven foot jump after being stabbed is easy, then yes."

"Next question," interjected Cal. "Kenobi, why did you guys even follow her? Didn't you think she was just some troublemaking citizen?"

"My Master knew how deep of a connection she has to the Force. I don't know how he knew, all I know is she ended up here at the Temple the next day."

The room fell into a comfortable silence. No one knew everything about my past, not even Obi. I sensed they had a million other questions, but not a word was spoken. I sat comfortable on the floor and studied Kariss to make sure the training exercise hadn't affected her too much. For me, the pain was completely relieved. I stood from my spot on the floor and started to walk away from everyone. Halfway through the doorway, I paused.

"You did well, Kariss," I remarked.

Without waiting to see her response -- or anyone else's response for that matter -- I left.

_________________________________________

A/N: I'm not the biggest fan of this one, but I haven't written much lately and I needed more practice. Hopefully some of you enjoyed it!