The Edge of the Universe

XVII

2 weeks later

Obi-wan's POV

I talked to Master Yoda about Anakin's weird connection thing that he had with Dooku since I knew it could mean nothing good. Anakin usually brushed off these things and within the two weeks that we had been back he hadn't seen Yoda even though he said he was going to. 

"Call Skywalker, you must. Come here, you must ask him," Yoda said.

I nodded and called him on the transmission and I waited for a while before he finally answered.

"Skywalker," he said.

"Anakin, Yoda would like to speak to you about the weird connection between Dooku and yourself. Can you come to his apartment?" I asked.

"Uh, yeah. I'll be there in a few minutes," he replied.

He ended the transmission and Yoda and I waited in silence for a little bit until the door opened and Anakin appeared. I noticed that his hair had grown longer in the past year and a half and he was quite tall now, how did I not notice this? 

"Sorry it took a while Masters," Anakin said bowing slightly.

"Take a seat, young Skywalker,"

Anakin sat in the chair next to mine and I was surprised to see he had his emotions in check and well hidden behind his shields. Of course, Master Yoda might be able to see past them but I would never know.

"Hmm, a powerful Jedi, you are, Skywalker, stronger, you are becoming. Unpredictable, your power is. Your Great-Grandmaster, Dooku is, that is the reason you have the connection, a connection, with me, you also have, your Great-Great-Grandmaster, I am. A connection, down the line, you have," Yoda explained.

"Wait, are you saying I have a connection with all my Grand Master and Great-Grandmasters?" Anakin asked frowning.

"Only the ones you've met," Yoda added.

"What about Qui Gon? Anakin met him when he was 9 but Qui Gon died, does he still have a connection with him?" I asked Yoda.

"Hm, a connection with Qui Gon, Skywalker has, to see and talk with him, is unknown. Try it, you should not. Dangerous, it could be," 

"I can sort of feel Qui Gon's presence, it's not there but it kind of is? Like when I first met him on Tatooine he felt very trustworthy and optimistic and when I focus on his force bond I sort of feel those same things," Anakin explained.

I looked at Yoda who was thinking and had the smallest look of confusion on his face.

"Wary, we must be, dangerous, it could be. Careful, you must be Young Skywalker," Yoda warned once again.

Anakin nodded and Yoda stared at Anakin for a few seconds before frowning and looking away.

"You may go now, Young Skywalker," Yoda said.

"Thank you, Master Yoda," Anakin said standing up and bowing his head before leaving the room.

The door slid shut behind him and Yoda shook his head.

"The dark side, I sense, in your former apprentice," Yoda declared.

"You mean he's turned to the dark side?" I asked with horror.

"No, Young Skywalker's future, clouded by the dark side, it is,"

"In him or the people around him?" 

"Both. Wary you must be, keep him from the dark side, you must. Keep a close watch on him, you must," Yoda said gravely.

I swallowed a lump in my throat and nodded before looking at the door where Anakin had just left through.

"Troubled you are," Yoda stated.

"I feel as though Anakin's trust has been shaken, I don't know why but on Kamino he was staring off into space and when I reached out with the force something felt different. It felt as if he couldn't trust anyone. He's become more reserved with me as well, he always has his shields up and his presence feels, different now," I explained.

"A strong connection, you have with your Padawan. Attachment, almost. A Jedi Knight he is now, but, let him go, you still haven't," Yoda replied, "The hardest thing, letting go of your Padawan, is. Harder, when you don't expect it, easier it is, do it earlier you must,"

"What do you mean it's harder to let go when you don't expect it?" I asked.

"Ahsoka left the order she did, Count Dooku turned to the dark side, he did. Unexpected both of them were, hard for the master to accept the loss," Yoda explained, "Letting go, hard it is for the people in this training line. Let Dooku go, I did not, Dooku did not let Qui Gon go, turned to the dark side, Dooku did instead. Qui Gon did not let you go, died before he could. Skywalker, did not let his Padawan go until after she was gone. Let Skywalker go, you still have not. Clouded, Skywalker's future is, unpredictable, hurt, you may become, if you do not let go," 

I sighed and looked down at the ground, I knew that in my heart, I never truly let Anakin go. After he was knighted the war had broken out and I requested that Anakin and I work together for a few missions and eventually Windu began pairing us together more because we worked well together and if the Council wanted Anakin to go on a mission by himself or with someone else I always made up some excuse so I could go and the Council usually bought it. I kept putting it off saying that it was just a coincidence that Anakin and I were paired together but in reality, I was scared to let Anakin go. 

"Gradually, you must do it, close friends, you will still remain but not as close as you are now," Yoda said, "If you don't, lose him, you might, hurt you will be, hurt can lead to the dark side,"

"I understand, thank you Master," I said standing up and bowing.

I left Yoda's apartment with my head whirling, I kept praying that no Jedi noticed I had never let Anakin go but this whole time Yoda would've known. Other Masters let their Padawans go and don't see them for a while but occasionally meet up for a mission once in a while or see each other in the tower but Anakin and I were constantly together for missions and in the Jedi Temple. 

When the war started the responsible thing would've been to let Anakin go but instead I held on and prayed that no one noticed. I don't even think Anakin noticed and just went along with it, but as the war continues there's a higher chance of one of us not returning and I'd rather say goodbye for a little bit and see each other occasionally then lose him forever. But the hard part of letting him go, was starting...