Qui-Gon opens his eyes, hearing loud retching nearby. Swiftly, he sits up and looks to his left, checking where his padawan should be fast asleep. Instead, he finds an empty sleeping bag thrown hastily to the side. Without much thought, he scrambles to his feet.

He grabs a dim lantern and pushes himself out of the tent. He searches for his missing padawan, fear somewhat clouding his thoughts. He freezes, spotting him just a few feet around the corner. Yet another round of gags begins, making Qui-Gon's own stomach churn. His back is to him, so Qui-Gon can't see much besides him leaning over. "Obi-Wan?" He calls out, cautiously stepping towards him.

After heaving up all that was in his stomach, he wipes his mouth with the sleeve of his robe. Hands now resting on his knees, Obi-Wan softly pants. "I'm sorry, Master. I didn't mean to wake you." He says with a slight tremble in his voice.

"Are you okay?"

Obi-Wan is silent. He doesn't know what to say. What has just happened is so new and terrifying. Does he bring it up? He has only known Qui-Gon for a few years, their bond just starting to form. He's not sure he's quite ready to tackle this new problem with him.

The only conversations currently being made are between the crickets around them. A few bugs begin to flutter to the lantern in Qui-Gon's hand. He resists the urge to shoo them away. After all, they're not harmful. They're just annoying.

He takes another step to his padawan. "Are you sick? Was it something you ate that made your stomach upset?"

"No." Obi-Wan breathes with a shake of his head.

Qui-Gon pauses for a moment. Obi-Wan must be lying. Though they haven't been together long, his padawan has become known for avoiding injuries and illnesses. Qui-Gon has always assumed that it has something to do with Obi-Wan wanting to prove that he's strong, that he can handle himself. It's never been proven of course, but it's a solid guess. Every time it happens, Qui-Gon explains to him that injuries are not signs of weakness. Yet the cycle just begins again the next time.

"If you are sick, it's nothing to be ashamed of, my padawan." He begins. He takes another step forward. This time, the smell makes him cringe. He's not sure how long Obi-Wan's been out here emptying his stomach. But it smells terrible and he's sure the taste is unbearable for Obi-Wan. "Why don't we go back to bed and I'll find you something to settle your stomach?"

"No," Obi-Wan argues, his shoulders tensing. "I'm not sick and I don't want to go back to bed."

This is different. Usually, Obi-Wan agrees. He never admits that he's sick, but he allows Qui-Gon to treat him. "What has happened, Obi-Wan?" He cautiously asks.

Again, Obi-Wan remains silent.

Qui-Gon lets out a soft sigh, sagging his shoulders. He doesn't want this fight, not now. The dew from the wet grass is soaking his socks. The bugs around the lantern are tickling his hand. The smell is overwhelming and he's plain tired. Obi-Wan's silent treatment is just the tipping point. "Please, Obi-Wan. Face me and let's talk about this."

When he eventually turns, Qui-Gon notices his trembling hands. Obi-Wan tries to tuck them into his robes, but he's too slow. His bloodshot eyes make Qui-Gon's stomach drop and he's a lot more worried now than before. He's lost for words for a moment before asking, "What's wrong?"

Obi-Wan seems to choke on his words. "I had a nightmare."

"A nightmare?" He repeats.

The sixteen-year-old nods. His bites on his lower lip, clearing trying to hold in his emotions. Qui-Gon can feel the fear and sadness radiating off of the boy. Whatever he dreamt must have spooked him good. "It was just a nightmare, Obi-Wan. You know it can't hurt you."

"But this one was so real." He exclaims, his eyes wide. He starts to stutter, trying to find the right words. "It was so real. It was like I was really there."

"Was it a vision?" Qui-Gon asks, now intrigued.

"It was like that," Obi-Wan says. "But I wasn't meditating. And usually, when I meditate, it's never that clear. Back at the Temple, it was just shapes and colors and sometimes feelings. Tonight, it was so clear."

"What did you see?"

His padawan takes a deep breath, his body seeming to shiver. "I don't want to talk about it. It scares me." He confesses.

"It is only a vision. There's nothing to be afraid of." He insists. Using his free hand, he grabs onto Obi-Wan's shoulder. He gives it a reassuring squeeze, hoping to transfer some of his calmness to the boy.

But it's blocked by his mask of fear.

He tries again. "Obi-Wan, please. I must know in order to help you."

Obi-Wan gulps, slowly nodding his head. His master is right. He needs to know his vision. "In my vision, I saw this beam of red light. It was a lightsaber, only it was different than ours." He starts. He begins to fidget his fingers together, a nervous twitch of his. "I felt this great darkness surrounding whoever was holding it. The next thing I saw was the blade going through you."

Tears well in his eyes and he tries to wipe them away before Qui-Gon can see. He doesn't want his master to think he's soft, but this scares him. "You died. You were killed and I just stood there watching and screaming. You were dead!" He cries out.

"I'm right here, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon says. He gives him a soft smile, hoping that somehow he can calm his nerves. "Everything is okay. What you saw might not come true. The future is always in motion."

"But I saw it so vividly." Obi-Wan insists. "What am I supposed to do? How can I stop this from happening?"

"There is nothing we can do at the moment," Qui-Gon says. The sentence doesn't bring Obi-Wan any comfort. "Let's go lie down. I'll give you some sweet bread we bought from the market to calm your stomach."

"I can't even think about eating." Obi-Wan frowns, looking over his shoulder to where he just threw up his supper.

"I promise, everything will turn out alright. Your vision will pass in time." Qui-Gon says, getting his attention again. He leads Obi-Wan back to their tent, leaving footsteps in the wet grass. After making sure that Obi-Wan is comfortable in the tent again, he offers him some sweet bread. And even though Qui-Gon is exhausted, he stays up with his padawan for the rest of the night, assuring him that he is still very much alive and won't be leaving him any time soon.

xxx

Obi-Wan removes the hood from his head. "I have a bad feeling about this." He confesses, looking around the room.

"I don't sense anything."

"It's not about the mission, Master." Obi-Wan answers, slightly furrowing his eyebrows. "It's something. . . elsewhere, elusive."

"Don't center on your anxieties, Obi-Wan. Keep your concentration here and now, where it belongs." Qui-Gon advises. Though he knows that he should listen, it doesn't feel right. What he senses feels like something from a dream. The darkness that looms in the future reminds him of a vision he had long ago. 

xxx

Anakin groans, rubbing his eyes. He looks to his left, expecting to see his master snoring softly beside him. Instead, he's talking in his sleep. Anakin is about to grab his pillow and smack him with it, but then he sees his master's face. It's furrowed, either in deep thought or fear.

"Anakin." He whispers, his voice so afraid.

Anakin feels his heart skip a beat. What? Why is he in Obi-Wan's dream?

"Anakin." He repeats, louder this time. He starts to stir. Anakin watches, realizing that Obi-Wan is trapped in some nightmare. The stress from this war must be starting to get to him. Anakin has been nightmares too many times to count. He needs to get him out of there. He needs to relieve him of this horror. 

"Obi-Wan," Anakin says, lightly shaking him. He glances around, hoping that he doesn't wake anyone else up. It's been a long couple of days. They need their rest too.

Obi-Wan doesn't wake. Instead, it seems to cause him more pain. "What have you done? Where are you?" he asks, his breathing increasing.

"Obi-Wan, wake up," Anakin demands, shaking him harder. He has never seen anything like this happen to his master. Obi-Wan is not a heavy sleeper. This should wake him up. A shift in turbulence is typically enough to wake him from slumber. 

"Come back. Come back." Obi-Wan insists, his head twisting side to side quickly. He is so deep in his dream that Anakin starts to worry that he won't be able to get him out. 

"Master, please!" He exclaims. Taking both hands, he grabs onto Obi-Wan's shoulders and shakes.

Obi-Wan gasps, his eyes wide open. He reaches out, holding Anakin's face. He's still here. His eyes are still their usual blue. He isn't injured. He's looks shaken but is okay. Most importantly though, Obi-Wan can still sense that he has his pure heart inside.

"It's okay. I'm right here." Anakin says, breaking the silence. He can feel Obi-Wan trembling as he watches his eyes trace his face. What he's searching for, Anakin has no clue. He grabs Obi-Wan's hands, gently squeezing them before returning them to him.

Obi-Wan lightly pants, closing his eyes. He holds his hand to his chest, feeling his heart pounding wildly. Everything is okay. Nothing has happened. Anakin is still here, safe and sound. "I'm sorry. It was just a vision." He softly apologizes. 

"It must have been bad." Anakin quietly says. He rests on his knees, watching Obi-Wan collect himself. Growing up in the Temple, he heard his fellow peers talking about their masters and their visions. Most of them never had anything too exciting to recount. Few talked about their masters getting worked up and lost in their visions for so long that they feared they would never return.

Anakin has never had that issue until tonight. He looks at his master again, noticing how pale he is now. "Obi-Wan, are you alright?" 

Obi-Wan leans over, throwing up just to the side of them. Anakin flinches, pinching his eyes shut. He wishes he could have been warned earlier. That wasn't exactly a sight he wanted to see or hear. "Sorry." He says after wiping his mouth. "I couldn't stop it."

Anakin is quiet. He looks around, surprised no one else has woke up. The clones are still snoring away. Ahsoka is even still asleep to his right. How did she sleep through that? Didn't she feel the fear and sadness coming from Obi-Wan? Anakin is sure that's what woke him.

"We should probably move our sleeping location. I don't really want to sleep next to my own vomit." Obi-Wan says, scrunching his nose in disgust. Shakily, he starts to rise from his mat. His legs tremble, making it difficult for him to stand.

"Master, what are you doing?" Anakin asks, watching him in shock. He helps him sit back down, shaking his head. "You're sick. Stay down. I'll move us."

"I'm alright. It was just a vision." Obi-Wan argues. He rubs his temple, feeling a headache coming on. He wishes he could forget what he just saw. Of course, nothing could ever remove that horrible scene from his mind. He could feel the darkness and intense heat around them. The crazed look in those familiar eyes is enough to keep him awake for the rest of the night.

"A bad vision. You've never gotten physically ill from them." Anakin scoffs. He stands up and starts to drag his mat to the other side of Ahsoka. He glances at her, making sure that his padawan is still sound asleep. 

"Once. But it was a long time ago." Obi-Wan softly admits.

Anakin's interest peaks. "Really? You never told me about it." He says. Obi-Wan doesn't say much about himself or what life was like before Anakin came along. There have been stories here and there, mostly involving Qui-Gon because Anakin begged to know. Obi-Wan has just never been one to talk about himself, which some people would find humbling.

Anakin has always found it mysterious and somewhat annoying. He should be allowed to know what Obi-Wan used to be like at his age, right? He's sure there must be a few stories that would show that his master has not always been one for following the rules.

Obi-Wan shakes his head, looking at his hands. "I don't like to. I didn't know better at the time. I should have listened to it. But I didn't and I wasn't able to prevent what happened."

Anakin walks over, grabbing the bottom of Obi-Wan's mat. He starts to drag it through the dirt, pulling him to the other side of his mat. Obi-Wan gives him a nod of thanks. He's grateful he didn't have to make a fool of himself moving his mat.

Anakin lay down on his mat, his attention on his master. He has a feeling Obi-Wan won't be getting any more sleep tonight. He might as well stay up with him. It's the least he can do. "What was your vision tonight?"

"Anakin, I don't want to talk about it." Obi-Wan sighs. He runs his fingers through his hair, trying to calm himself. All of it was so vivid. His stomach starts to ache again at the thought of what he saw. Fire, the smell of burning flesh, the feeling of his heart shattering. He saw two blue blades positioned against each other, the feeling of power and anger almost suffocating.

And there was a terrible feeling that Anakin was there. That something horrible had happened to his best friend. He had gone somewhere that Obi-Wan couldn't reach. He couldn't pull him back from wherever he was. The cloud of darkness rested around him and Obi-Wan couldn't place where it came from.

Anakin, sensing his master's fear and worry decided to change the subject. "You said you got sick one other time." He says, slightly changing the subject. "You've never told me about it. What was it like?"

Obi-Wan sighs, sagging his shoulders. He starts to protest, but Anakin cuts him off. "Come on. I know you won't be able to fall asleep anyway and I won't let you dodge it that easily. Might as well fess up what happened."

Obi-Wan gives him a soft chuckle. "You are persistent, I'll give you that." He goes into the story, explaining what happened that night with Qui-Gon and his vision. He talks about how it was his vision of Maul and Qui-Gon's unnecessary death. If he had listened to that vision, he could have stopped it from happening.

"Qui-Gon's death isn't your fault," Anakin says, sitting up. "You were, what? Like 16?"

"Around that age I suppose."

"That's about how old Ahsoka is," Anakin says, pointing to his still sleeping padawan. "If she was to have a vision of you dying, do you expect her to be able to prevent it?"

"No, of course not."

"Then why do you think Qui-Gon expected it of you?" Anakin asks. Obi-Wan is silent, bowing his head in thought. Anakin leans forward, catching his attention. "Don't beat yourself up over this. That wasn't your fault. This vision won't be either. I'm sure it will pass in time."

"One can hope." Obi-Wan softly replies, the memory of his latest vision flashing in his mind.

Anakin smiles, lightly hitting his master's shoulder. Obi-Wan looks up, watching him. "And if this vision does come true, you have me this time. Together, we'll stop whatever your vision showed you." He declares, proudly placing his hands on his hips.

Obi-Wan returns the smile with a soft chuckle. Yes, he did feel Anakin in his vision. He was there with him. He could never mistake his Force signature, not even in a vision. Together, they would get through what he saw if it ever comes true. "We do make a pretty good team."

"A great team." Anakin corrects. He gets a playful scolding from Obi-Wan, explaining that they should be more humble. There are many great Jedi pairs fighting out there. Anakin doesn't mind the scolding, letting him ramble. It seems that the vision from earlier has left and his cautiously optimistic master is back. Everything is back to normal, just as it always will be.

And that's all that matters to him.

~~~~~~~~~~