Nebulous

Chapter 7 - Far Away

Author's Note: Anakin-Maul bonding. :)

~ Amina Gila

Maul doesn't quite know what to think of all this, but right now, he's just relieved that they have Anakin back, after so long. They haven't been apart nearly as long as they knew each other, but still, it's been so long since he last had his padawan at his side. But now, he's... admittedly worried that Anakin may have been more influenced by the Sith than he thought.

Of course, Anakin's always wanted to help people, but something about this is... Obi-Wan obviously hurt him. And he knows what Sith are, so why does he seem so attached to him? At the same time, it's clear Obi-Wan does care for him on some twisted level, if how he was fighting the Sith Master is anything to go by – even if he obviously has his own purposes for what he was doing.

"I can re-braid your hair now," Maul comments.

"Can you?" Anakin asks, perking up.

He nods, and they move to the 'fresher. He did this for him once before, braiding the padawan braid, then helping him cut the rest. It's weird seeing as he's never done anything with hair before – since he doesn't have any of his own – but still.

"Can you tell me what happened?" he requests, as he works.

Anakin shifts, crossing his arms – he hasn't seemed this uncomfortable around Maul since after he first came to the Temple, and he doesn't like it. What has the Sith been telling him?

"He – he took me to his master, but then, he came back and took me out. He said he – he wanted to teach me the Dark Side. And he said he didn't want to leave me with Plagueis. He thought if he took me back to the Jedi, his master would still find me."

Maul can't help the derisive noise that escapes him. "If he truly believed that, then why did he send you back now?"

Anakin hesitates, for a moment again. "He's scared, I think."

"... Scared?"

Anakin shifts, turning so he can look up at him, even if he doesn't meet his eyes – he never does that, for some reason. Maul's hands momentarily pause on trying to finish up with his hair. "He said the Jedi would – would hurt him. Would they?"

"The Council would... likely have imprisoned him, yes," Maul concedes, "We have little reason to trust him."

"But he just wanted our help."

"He is the one who killed Qui-Gon." And that, Maul can never forget.

Anakin's face falls, and somehow that hurts. "I know," he whispers, "But he – he said he was given orders. He's not a slave, but I think it's close."

Oh. Well... Maul pauses, considering. It's not that he doesn't trust the boy's judgment, but he's been gone so long, he could easily have been... brainwashed. Still, one thing is obvious. "You miss him, don't you?" he asks, trying to keep his tone gentle.

"I – yes." He's mildly surprised at the bluntness, but the boy's always been... honest like that. Unless it's about something he thinks he'll be beaten for. "I don't understand why this is wrong. Why are the Jedi and Sith fighting?"

Maul sighs, quietly. "You showing him... compassion is not wrong." He moves to crouch in front of him, so they're at eye level. He hates how his own words make it feel like he's betraying Qui-Gon. It's the truth. It's just that he has something personal against the Sith that could never change, but he knows he can't let those feelings interfere with his duty as a Jedi. That's easier said than done, though. "In the past, the Sith fought and massacred the Jedi. They have been trying to destroy us for millennia."