Obi-Wan stood in front of the mirror, smoothing his unruly hair into a semblance of normalcy. Vanity led to the Dark Side, but that was no excuse for not being well-groomed. Ten year old Anakin perched on the edge of his Master's bed, swinging his legs back and forth. Finally, overcome by curiousity and boredom, he hopped off and joined Obi-Wan at the mirror. The youngster poked through the nick-nacks on Obi-Wan's dressing table. The older Jedi barely glanced at his Padawan, saying simply, "Be careful."
"I will. I won't break anything, I promise."
Obi-Wan grunted slightly at that. Satisfied with his appearance, he turned to go. When he saw the object that his Padawan was holding, he paused.
"What is this?" Anakin asked.
"It's a music box," Obi-Wan answered with a hint of sadness in his voice.
"Nisk-rah says music boxes are for girls."
Obi-Wan quirked an eyebrow at the boy. "Oh?"
Realizing he may have made a judgment error, Anakin squirmed. "But, um, I don't think so."
Obi-Wan smiled faintly. "Well, that's good. I'm sure Master Qui-Gon wouldn't have wanted to be considered 'girly'."
"This was Qui-Gon's?" Anakin asked.
"Mm hmm."
"But I thought you shipped all of his personal stuff back to his family after..." He left it hanging. Less than a year after the Master's death, it was still a painful topic for the two.
"Not all of it, Ani. I kept a few things that I knew he would want me to have."
"Oh," Anakin said softly, picking the box up with great care. The light from the window flickered across its mirrored surface, creating a wash of brilliant colors. Obi-Wan watched his Padawan's wonderment with a faint smile and his mind wandered.
~*~*~
"A music box, Master? What's so special about a music box?" Obi-Wan's voice nearly cracked with incredulity.
"Padawan, you should learn to appreciate more than the political side of the cultures we visit. They have much to offer," Qui-Gon answered.
Obi-Wan tried not to roll his eyes. Qui-Gon was in 'teacher mode' and that usually led to Obi-Wan being given extra lessons to bring him closer to the Living Force.
"Besides," Qui-Gon continued, undetered, "I like it."
"But it's not even decorated with real jewels, Master."
"It doesn't matter - in fact, if it was, I couldn't buy it, could I?"
Obi-Wan sighed. He was following his Master through the market place of Naw'Yun, a city where the two Jedi had recently settled a dispute involving the building of a roadway through the spiritual lands of the indigenous peoples. The negotiations had gone better than they had hoped and Obi-Wan and his Master had an extra day to spend in relaxation, before they had to return to the sprawling metroplex of Coruscant.
Qui-Gon slid his personal credit chip from his sleeve, and handed it to the clerk. She smiled up at him, her teeth pointy and her short hair dark and spiky.
"It's a pretty box, isn't it?" she said pleasantly.
"Yes, it is," Qui-Gon answered, smiling in return.
Obi-Wan repressed a groan. For some reason that he could not fathom, women (and some men) from all over the galaxy - regardless of species - seemed to find his Master attractive. Obi-Wan knew his Master enjoyed the attention - he just knew it. Qui-Gon would never admit to it, but Obi-Wan knew. Oh yes, he knew.
They lingered at the booth a few moments longer. Obi-Wan tuned out the flirtatious banter between his Master and the woman, instead letting his attention wander over the beings in the marketplace. The people of Naw'Yun were fairly asthetically pleasing to his eye - not like some of the repitilian cultures that they'd visited recently...
Later, on the transport back, Obi-Wan watched his Master unwrap the box. It *was* pretty, he admitted. Maybe just a little.
"Padawan, what did you think of the clerk's story about the box?"
"Story?" Obi-Wan echoed, stupidly.
"Obi-Wan, you were standing right there. Did you not hear her? Perhaps we need to have your ears checked when we get back to the Temple." /Or perhaps you only have selective hearing loss/ he added to himself.
"Um, well, it was loud in the market place. I was distracted."
"Oh?" Qui-Gon quirked an eyebrow.
Obi-Wan decided a change in the topic was necessary, so he took the initiative and said, "Tell me the story."
"It wasn't much of a narrative. It was more a description. She described the box as a focal point. I think you should use it in your meditations. Think of the movement of light, the angles and cuts of the glass."
Obi-Wan tried not to sigh and nearly succeeded. "Yes, Master."
For weeks afterwards, Obi-Wan used the music box in his meditations. He grew utterly familiar with its every millimeter. The Padawan began to despise it. He didn't understand why Qui-Gon made him sit and stare at it day after day after day.
One afternoon, he was sitting on the floor in the main room and he became so vexed with the little box that he picked it up and hurled it towards the wall. A moment before it struck the wall, it stopped midair. Obi-Wan turned to face his Master, cheeks flaming in mortification.
Qui-Gon stood, arms crossed, face impassive. He gestured subtly and the box dropped softly onto the floor.
"You seem... disturbed, Padawan," he said softly.
Obi-Wan gritted his teeth. "I. Do. Not. Like. The. Box."
"All right, Obi-Wan."
"That's it? 'All right'?"
"Yes," Qui-Gon said, the corners of his eyes crinkling faintly. "You never have to see the box again." He strode over to where the box lay on the floor and bent to retrieve it. He walked into his room and set the box in a drawer of his bedside table. Returning to the living room, he said simply, "When you are ready to see the box again, you will know. Until then, you are forbidden to see it."
"Forbidden?"
"Yes, forbidden. It obviously angers you and anger leads to the Dark Side. I don't want you anywhere near it until you feel you are ready."
Obi-Wan suddenly felt cheated. He wasn't sure what Qui-Gon was insinuating, but he secretly thought that his Master was making fun of him.
~*~*~
"Master Obi-Wan? Are you okay?" Obi-Wan was vaguely aware of something tugging on his sleeve. Startled out of his reverie, he looked down at Anakin.
"Yes, Ani, I'm fine. I was just thinking about something that happened a long time ago."
"Were you thinking about Master Qui-Gon?"
"Yes."
"Oh." Anakin paused, thoughtful. "And about the box?"
"Yes, and about the box," Obi-Wan answered with a faint smile.
"Is it a special box?"
Obi-Wan chuckled lightly. "In a manner of speaking."
"Will you tell me about it? Or is this one of those things you'll tell me when I'm older?"
Obi-Wan's chuckled broadened to laughter at that.
"Yes, Ani, I'll tell you about the box." He seated
himself cross-legged on the floor and gestured for
Anakin to join him. "It all started with a trip to
Naw'Yun to negotiate the building of a roadway..."