"Again. One." Akya blocked high. "Two." Akya blocked left, horizontal. "Three." She blocked low. "Four." She blocked right. "Five." She blocked center, making sure her angles were good.
"Again," her master commanded. "Faster. One." High. "Two." Left. "Three." Low. "Four." Right. "Five." Center. "One. Two. Three. Four. Five." They did these forms in circles around one of the sparring rooms. Obi-Wan was very persistent that she should master the Soresu form, and though she was proficient in most lightsaber forms (being that she'd had so much time to practice them), Obi-Wan wanted her to know this one best. According to him, "defense is the best offense," and she should always be ready to defend herself rather than attack.
Now, Akya no longer needed him to repeat the numbers for each form, as the routine was ingrained in her head. He was smiling now, and looked rather proud. They did this routine three more times before Obi-Wan said, "and, rest."
Akya retracted her lightsaber blade and her master did the same, still grinning. He clasped it back onto his belt.
"You did very well, Akya."
"Thank you, Master."
"You know, I think you may be ready—"
Akya knew what he was going to say. "Are we going to spar?" she interrupted.
"Well, I wanted to ask if you thought you were ready, but—"
"I'm ready." Akya was smiling, close to jumping from excitement. She'd never truly sparred with her master, only done routines like the ones they just did where their lightsabers clashed in an organized manner.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Akya."
"I'm not, Master. I'm ready. I want to do this."
"Alright," he nodded. "But don't get discouraged if you lose, Akya. Failure is a part of learning."
"I won't."
"Very well. Then yes, we can spar."
"Thank you, thank you!" she said cheerfully. She stepped back into the center of the sparring floor and her master followed her, taking his lightsaber back off his belt.
"Ready positions," he said, igniting his blade. While he took to Form III, Akya readied herself with Form I, a more offensive take. They locked eyes, and Obi-Wan knew she was ready. Akya threw the first strike and Obi-Wan deflected easily. She pulled back, which gave her master room to attack, which he did swiftly and smoothly, missing Akya by just a moment. Akya went forward with another attack, this time targeting his left side, which was lesser guarded. They fought for about three minutes before Obi-Wan's skill overcame the young Padawan and she fell to the ground— her saber was still ignited, but she wasn't quick enough to counter her master's attack, and she looked back up to find Obi-Wan's blue blade just inches from her face. She was defeated.
Obi-Wan smiled at her, and she half-smiled back. He retracted his blade and she did the same. He then reached out a hand for her to take and helped her back onto her feet. "You did well," he told her.
"I want to go again."
His expression turned solemn. "Akya, I don't want you to become obsessed with this victory."
"I don't want to be victorious," she told him, going back to where she stood when they'd begun their spar the first time. "I want to be your equal. It may not happen today, and it may not happen tomorrow. But I do not strive to be better than you, Master, I strive to be just as good."
Obi-Wan smiled again. "Very well," he said. "Then we go again."
After two more sparring matches, Akya was defeated a total of three times, and both of them needed a rest. The second lasted just as long as the first, but by the third, Akya had identified patterns in Obi-Wan's methods, and was able to counter his attacks for a few minutes longer before she was met with a blade in her face once again.
"You're a fast learner, Akya. That's something to be proud of. And I can sense the Force flowing through you during your attacks. Your abilities are quite a sight to behold." He passed Akya a water bottle from the closet, then opened one of his own. They then sat on the bench while Akya unwrapped the fabric she put around her hands for training that day.
"Thank you, Master."
"I'm very proud of you."
Akya smiled at him. In some ways, he was a father to her, and she took pride in the fact that she was perhaps a better Padawan than Anakin had been. Obi-Wan enjoyed watching her fight, whether it be with training remotes, sparring droids, or even himself. He was very proud of how far she had come. Though Akya had extensive knowledge of lightsaber fighting techniques before she became a Padawan, more than most, Obi-Wan's demonstrations and teachings have furthered her abilities greatly, and she was very glad to have him as a teacher. He believed in her abilities very strongly, and that was more than she could say for most people. Belief was something she appreciated.
"Obi-Wan?" she said, after a few moments of silence. She'd taken off the fabrics wrap around her hands and folded it neatly beside her. The master and Padawan rested on a bench on the right wall of the wide sparring room. "Can I ask you a... weird question?"
Obi-Wan took a drink of his water. "Ask away," he told her.
Akya looked down at her lap. "Have you ever been in love?"
Obi-Wan turned to face her. "Why do you want to know this?"
"I'm just... curious," she said to him, only half-lying. "Have you?"
Obi-Wan turned away from her, looking out into the wide sparring room. "I was," he nodded. "Once."
Akya tilted her head. "Really?"
"It was a very long time ago," he said. "I was a Padawan then, perhaps a couple years older than you are now. But my duties were here, with the Order, and she had her own duties, as well. We needed to separate for our own good."
"What did it feel like?" she asked.
Obi-Wan sighed. "Like nothing I'd ever felt before," he said. "But it was overwhelming. I felt as if I were in paradise, as if I could be in bliss for eternity, and nothing would stand in our way. But when duty calls, you must answer. Love is powerful, but it can also be used as a weapon. Most often, against you."
"How did you... how did you know you were in love?"
"I don't know," Obi-Wan shook his head. "When you know you would do anything for someone, when you feel like your life would be empty without them, that's how you know. That's what it feels like. But you must be careful, Akya. Feelings can betray you. What you think is undying love may just as well be a trick of the moment."
"I understand, Master."
"Do not let love for one person overpower the love you have for everything else. You may love, but you must love all things as equals."
Akya nodded.
"Why did you want to know all this?"
"I suppose I've just never experienced love like that— true, romantic love, I mean. I wanted to know what it felt like." She played with her fingernails instead of looking him in the eyes.
"Be wary of your feelings. I know that we are human, and that our hearts do what they will, but we must use our minds and be careful about these things. Love too strong means fear of loss."
"Yes, Master."
"Alright," he said, standing. "I think that's enough lessons for one day." Akya stood as well. He patted her back twice and smiled. "Let's get something to eat, then get some rest."
"I agree," she smiled. They walked together out of the sparring room, and down the hall.
a.n.:
snow day for me today so I'm bored. which means new chapter for you guys!
master and padawan my loves. they're so perfect they're so father daughter. and akya falling in love!! is she gonna tell anakin or is she gonna keep it to herself as to not form attachment? i know the answer but you guys have to guess
obi-wan telling akya about satine is my happiness. this is such a nice moment for them. i feel like in a lot of anakin fics the main character develops a relationship with anakin but never really has one with obi-wan or ahsoka or any clones so i really wanted to incorporate that star warsiness in here.
ily, don't forget to vote!
molly