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[neverjedi]

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[justasmallfry]

Anakin nodded and asked, "Are you gonna stay for dinner?"

[neverjedi]

"I am going to stay all night to make sure you eat and you and your mom stay safe. I'll leave once she's awake and had something to eat in the morning."

He let Anakin go and gave him a very gentle push. "Come help me put food together, please."

[justasmallfry]

Anakin got up when prompted. He felt better knowing that his mom would be okay and that Obi-Wan would stay the night to keep helping.

This just made him all the more resolved to figure out how to find their slave chips.

“Okay,” he didn’t sound his usually bright and happy self, but he sounded at least sure of what was going on.

“After dinner I can show you how far along Threepio is.”

[neverjedi]

Overall, Obi-Wan was pretty good at staying out of trouble - even with an owner as volatile as Sebulba. Not perfect, he certainly got his share of being physically rebuked and just plain used as a punching bag. He did, however, usually manage to avoid anything bad enough to be a problem - or anything that was overly visible.

No one was good enough to avoid indefinitely. Not even Obi-Wan and particularly not with that particular owner.

He didn't want to alarm anyone, least of all Anakin and Shmi, but the need for help overrode that. He was badly sunburned, dehydrated, one eye was swollen nearly shut and his lower face was a mask of dried blood from his nose and split lip. His ribs on one side were absolutely black and blue, making breathing hell.

He still knocked politely at the door and waited for an answer.

[justasmallfry]

Anakin was working in the kitchen area with his mother, making food, when they heard the knock at the door. The raps were polite, but they echoed oddly in Anakin’s ears, like time had slowed down and they pierced right to his heart.

It all felt… wrong.

His hands were clean, while his mother’s were covered in flour.

He nodded when she asked him to get the door.

Answering the door didn’t feel wrong, in fact, Anakin felt an overwhelming panic that he should open that door as fast as possible, but every step towards the door something was telling him things were very, very wrong.

When he opened the door, he saw exactly what was wrong.

“Mom!” he shouted back.

Shmi rushed to the door in an instant, what flour she couldn’t wipe off ignored, and helped Obi-Wan inside and to the bed.

“Anakin,” she said, much more calmly than he felt. “Get some rags and one of our rationed bottles of water.”

And while Anakin did that, Shmi started questioning Obi-Wan about what happened, what needed to be addressed.

[neverjedi]

"It looks a lot worse than it is," he said, steadily. How much that was actually saying, was debatable given how bad it looked. Still the truth, though.

He closed his eyes for a moment, took some deep breaths and did not bother to explain what had happened since it didn't really matter, anyway. "I can get cleaned up later, but I really need water; I'm sorry." There was a ration situation, he'd be as sparing as he could but he was both burned and dehydrated and far more than broken ribs and even bad bruises or worse, that was the threat that could be deadly here. Those were the things he couldn't try to use the Force to correct.

"And some company would be a good idea for a little while." Company meaning he thought Anakin could help, maybe, but he wasn't explaining that just trying to talk and breathe. He didn't have to try for calm, though. He was actually calm.

[justasmallfry]

Anakin rushed up with the bottle and rag.

"He can have the whole bottle, right mom?" Anakin was already handing both over.

"Of course he can," and she looked pointedly at Obi-Wan. "Whatever you need is ours to give, really."

And she looked back at Anakin before Obi-Wan could try to argue. "Ani, go get the air cooling unit." It was solar powered and salvaged from many different parts so it was weak at best, but Obi-Wan was sunburned on all parts they could see and dehydrated and probably dangerously close to heat stroke.

"Okay," Anakin said and rushed off to his room to drag out an air cooling unit.

She didn't like just leaving the blood, but if it wasn't the worst then it's what they had to do. They had a limited supply of water, no med kit. She could wash and mend his clothes when ready, provide some food when it was done cooking. But as slaves, they had very little to give.

"Drink slowly, you'll upset your stomach."

"Here?" Anakin had dragged out the unit and placed it close to the bed. When Shmi nodded, he turned it on.

And then Shmi asked, "Is there anything else we can get you?"

[neverjedi]

Limited supply of water was why he was leaving the blood. He could get rid of it without the water when his skin could stand more scrubbing or, more likely, sonics. For now he was just going to have to look gruesome.

He opened the water and took a couple of slow drinks so he didn't upset his stomach and resisted the urge to recoil from the cooler air. It was just the result of his burned skin being so hot and would feel good very shortly. That it wasn't powerful worked in his benefit for now, though.

"Thank you," he said, sincerely and quietly, but with some strain showing. "I can... take care of the worst of this myself, but I need somewhere safe and I would much rather not be alone while I do so. I need someone to wake me if someone comes looking for me, and before they find me."

[justasmallfry]

Shmi and Anakin understood all too well what Obi-Wan wanted. And it was really, besides the water, the best thing they could do for him.

Shmi nodded and said, "I'll be in the kitchen. I'll keep an eye on the door." And then she stood to return to making dinner.

Anakin had been completely diverted from making food. Which was saying a lot.

He stayed by Obi-Wan, chewing on his lip. He really wanted to help but he didn't know what else he could do.

[neverjedi]

He gave Shmi a slightly long look and equally slight nod. It was meant as more thanks, which he could only help she understood.

Once she was gone and Anakin was still standing there, looking - very young, actually, he held his hand out. "Come here." He wanted to explain what he was doing before he did it; he didn't want to scare Anakin.

[justasmallfry]

Anakin had seen enough in his life by now that he wasn't afraid of blood or injuries. But he wasn't afraid he might hurt Obi-Wan more. So his approach was cautious.

"Is there something I can do to help you?"

[neverjedi]

"Maybe. But first I want to explain a couple of things so it doesn't seem so strange. Then we can figure out how you can help." If he Anakin still wanted to. "Sit down beside me while I drink some more water, please."

[justasmallfry]

Anakin pulled himself up on the bed to sit by Obi-Wan. He really wished he could do something, but so far in their lessons Anakin hadn't been able to do any healing. He hated feeling useless like this, when someone he cared about was hurt.

"Do you want more water? You can have mine if you need it."

[neverjedi]

"No." He can't quite manage smiling more but he does manage another drink of water. "I just want you to understand that I might look and... feel pretty strange and maybe scary. I'll be really deeply asleep and maybe hard to wake up and feel further away than I am. But I'm okay."

[justasmallfry]

“Oh,” Anakin said, but he was clearly processing this.

After a moment, “Why?”

[neverjedi]

"Because some of my ribs are broken too, and I need to fix that. That means putting all my attention on it and that means I won't be very aware of anything else." Simple wording intentionally. He knew Anakin was super intelligent but he also knew Anakin had a huge heart and a lot of feelings.

[justasmallfry]

This worried Anakin more, it showed on his face. That sounded worse than a broken nose.

"Can I help?"

[neverjedi]

"Yes."

Not with the actual healing, but he could help. "Can you sit beside me while I lay down and breathe with me for a little while?" It'd work as a focal point for him and it would maybe also help Anakin.

[justasmallfry]

"You mean like in our lessons?" Anakin asked.

[neverjedi]

"Just like our lessons, but this time a little different from me. Like I said, I will probably feel further away. That's a good thing, though." He really wants Anakin to be okay. And not panicked by feeling him... drop away.

[justasmallfry]

"Okay," Anakin said, driven mostly because he really desperately wanted to help Obi-Wan get better.

"I can do that." He nodded this time, just to drive home how much he wanted to do this.

[neverjedi]

"Okay." He knew he still looked terrible. Felt horrible in fact, though cooling off was helping. He took another drink from the bottle, tightened the lid carefully and then laid down as gingerly as he could without showing too much pain on his face.

Once he was down he held his hand out and closed his eyes.

[justasmallfry]

"Okay, Obi-Wan. I'll be here when you wake up." And Anakin had every intention of doing that.

He placed his hand in Obi-Wan's and started the breathing exercises Obi-Wan had taught him. He felt the connection between him and Obi-Wan, and him and his mom. And even something with the machinery around him. And he felt that connection with Obi-Wan change. He tried not to let it worry him - this is what Obi-Wan said would happen - he just tried to focus on the breathing exercise.

[neverjedi]

"Thank you, Anakin."

He closed his eyes and focused on his own breathing but also Anakin's presence until he was sure Anakin was okay. Then he used that light connection and turned the meditative trance to something deeper.

Once he let it happen his mind and body pretty much took over. He'd lost a lot of skills as a slave but healing? He'd gotten much better at. His focus turned deeply inward, his breathing slowed way down and his pulse followed. His awareness of anything around him faded to near nothing and all his attention and focus turned to healing those broken ribs to the point of at least being stable.

It was quite a few hours and at some point he rolled over onto his (uninjured) side and slid from healing to just sleeping.

[justasmallfry]

Life passed like it always did in Mos Espa. Pilots came and went and the jobs did. Slaves were bought and sold. The races happened regularly. Anakin was getting rather good at them by now. He'd yet to finish first, but more often than not, he did that by design. He rarely crashed anymore, and he aimed for second place to let Sebulba have his glory so Obi-Wan wouldn't suffer more. Watto knew never to bet on Anakin, at least not winning. So Watto wasn't angry either.

Though Watto did get angry when his racer got damaged, like last race. Sebulba was feeling sadistic that day and made it his goal to just force everyone out of the race. It was one of those rare times when Anakin didn't finish - he didn't crash, he'd stopped the racer in time before it did something like blow up. But Sebulba had damaged one of the engines and it was out until Watto could get the part to have Anakin fix it.

Anakin had been bummed that he couldn't race for a while. He was still not finished on his own racer.

But soon...

Before soon arrived, however, someone - or rather three people and a droid did.

Anakin would remember that day forever.

Because Padme was the most beautiful person he'd ever seen. He was nine, but his crush was instantaneous. He'd hoped Watto would haggle with the older man she was with longer just so he could talk with her more.

And when they left, it was hard for him to focus on what Watto was saying, at least until his slave master got to the point where he let Anakin go for the afternoon. Anakin didn't know the reason, but he didn't question it.

It was with a light heart that he left to head home, along the way stopping to see the other slaves he'd made a point to usually see in his free time. Obi-Wan was out, now, and he was a bit worried because the talk in the town was that there was storm on the horizon. He hoped Obi-Wan, wherever he was at, would make it back to his quarters safely.

Anakin wasn't far from home when he ran into Padme's group again- Jar Jar was lucky that Anakin had helped him first, because he sort of went mind-fuzzy when Padme joined up again.

And he almost missed it!

That flash of metal when Qui-Gon's poncho moved to the side. Because of the fuzziness in his head it took Anakin a moment to put the image all together. An actual Jedi, here in Mos Espa. He knew what they were based on the talk of the pilots and what little Obi-Wan confirmed. He couldn't believe his luck.

Without hesitation - and Anakin would have offered even if Padme wasn't there and Qui-Gon wasn't a secret Jedi. All he knew was that they needed help, they couldn't make it back to their ship before the sandstorm arrived, and he had a home near by. Of course he offered them shelter.

"Mom!" he called when he burst through the door, excitement rolling off of him in waves. "I brought some people with me, they needed help 'cause they couldn't make it back to their ship before the storm got here! Oh! Obi-Wan, you're here, too!" Oh, good, it was good to know his friend wasn't out in the storm.