All the Colours of the Rainbow

Grey

"Why are the clouds grey, Master?" Anakin questioned Obi-Wan innocently.

In a rare display of simple curiosity, free from his constant moodiness, the sixteen-year-old had surprised Obi-Wan. Instead of, "Why do we have be on this freezing planet?" or "I wanted to train katas, not go on this boring mission," came an almost normal sounding question. If he was honest, Obi-Wan himself didn't want to go on this mission — to check out some "unusual activity" the nervy locals had been observing far out in the ocean of the watery planet, Aquius. But they were under the protection of the Republic, and the Jedi couldn't say no to helping them just because they didn't feel like getting wet. Their destination — a random location above the middle of the sea — required them to travel by boat — by boat — and, as they had sustained more than a light sprinkle from the splash-back, Obi-Wan was far from pleased. He was usually the patient one in their duo, too. He seemed to have used up all of his patience, probably on his angsty, unpredictable padawan. He couldn't wait for the teen years to be over.

"It's probably going to rain, Anakin," he responded tiredly. "When clouds gather, it means that —"

"I know what it means," Anakin interrupted hotly. "I do actually stay awake for most of my classes. But why are those clouds grey?" He pointed to the sky, but if he was frank, Obi-Wan didn't so much as glance.

"It'll just be rain, padawan. Did you pack your waterproof layer?"

"Yes, Master," he responded grumpily.

Obi-Wan sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face before returning to the rudder. He couldn't seem to do anything right anymore.

They motored along in silence for a while, broken only by the soft splashing of water and rhythmic lapping of waves. They navigated their way through grey waters, covered by grey clouds, and shrouded in grey fog. It wasn't very cheery. Anakin shuffled. Obi-Wan kept his gaze fixed to the horizon. Anakin shuffled again. A raindrop splatted on Obi-Wan's nose.

"See, what did I tell you?" Obi-Wan started, finally sparing a look at Anakin. He had seen many a foul look from his padawan across the years, but even he was taken aback by the dark expression souring his features. "It's just a bit of rain, Anakin. Don't look so upset!"

"I wasn't talking about those clouds," he said huffily, his Jedi cloak wrapped tight around his lanky frame.

"What were you talking about, then?" Obi-Wan asked as patiently as he could manage. He stretched towards the pack under Anakin's bench seat. His fingers scraped the edge of the bag, but he was just too far away to reach it. "Could you pass me ...?"

Anakin nudged it to him with his foot, his gaze set over Obi-Wan's shoulder. That in itself was odd: Anakin, though irritable and rash, always jumped at the chance to help someone else, going out of his way to make their lives even a tiny bit easier. Instead, he had left Obi-Wan to reach across, nearly falling off his own bench to grab his rainproof layer.

"Don't let me stop your sight-seeing," Obi-Wan tried not to retort, but it certainly came out indignant. He pulled it out, awkwardly balancing one hand on the rudder and the other wrestling with not only his, but also Anakin's. The boy hated being cold, but as he had yet to get over his fascination with water, he at least didn't mind getting wet. Still, Obi-Wan didn't want Anakin getting hypothermia. Contrary to what his padawan might say, he did actually care about him.

Obi-Wan offered Anakin his layer, having successfully untangled it. He didn't take it. "Do you want this or not?" Obi-Wan tried not to sound exasperated. "What is so interesting about those clouds? It's just rain, Anakin!"

Despite his best efforts, he was swept away on a whirlwind memory, one of darker times that somehow seemed brighter than nowadays.

"Anakin, stop!" Obi-Wan laughed, shielding himself from the spray of water his ten-year-old was splashing on him.