Passing On Knowledge

By Serena

A/N: This was a Christmas fic-gift for Alley_Skywalker on the theForce . net's Fanfic boards. I really liked writing it because I usually write the brotherhood relationship between Anakin and Obi-Wan, not the master/padawan or father/son.

Disc: Don't own!

Obi-Wan Kenobi had a bad feeling about this.

About five minutes ago, his Padawan had flashed past him down the hall top speed, sprinting to wherever he was going. Obi-Wan, startled, had called out to him, but Anakin had completely ignored his calls and disappeared around the corner.

He was supposed to have been in class, Obi-Wan thought, puzzled. Lightsaber training, actually. Determined to discover what the problem was, he strode towards Anakin's classroom. As he neared the doorway, the teacher, Master Luminara, saw him and slowed her pace.

"Master Kenobi," she greeted with a graceful nod. "How fortunate you have arrived."

"Master Luminara," said Obi-Wan with a small frown, "Was I imagining things, or did I just see my Padawan fly down the hall as if a Nexu were after him?"

Luminara sighed and nodded. "I'm afraid so." She took a step closer and added in a low voice: "Anakin has been having difficulty in this class."

"Difficulty?" How odd. Anakin was excelling in all of his classes – and lightsaber training was his absolute favorite. Obi-Wan didn't know what to make of this disturbing news. "How so?"

"Nothing academic," Luminara assured him. "As a matter of fact, that's part of the problem. He is excelling, already half a semester ahead of the other students. And because of that… well, you know children." She gave him an apologetic look.

Obi-Wan nodded in understanding. "They're jealous of him."

"I'm afraid so. There are several older students in particular who pick on him. I punish them when I hear their remarks to Anakin, but he doesn't respond well."

"What kind of remarks?" Obi-Wan inquired.

"Mostly about his origins," Luminara explained with a sad, displeased note to her pleasant voice. "I punish them continually, but boys will still be boys, I'm afraid."

Obi-Wan nodded wearily. He remembered his younger days – and not all of them with fondness. But no matter how much the Masters taught the younglings the ways of the Force, children, especially boys, were still children – they could be cruel, emotional, and bullying.

"If you would like me to speak to Anakin, perhaps I can," Luminara said. "I don't know where he's run off to."

Obi-Wan was silent for a moment. "I think I do," he said finally. "But please, don't trouble yourself, Master Luminara. I'll find him." He gave her a small smile and bowed. "Thank you for your assistance."

"You're welcome, Master Kenobi."

Obi-Wan turned and made his way in Anakin's direction. He knew exactly where Anakin had gone. Soon after Anakin had come to live in the Temple, he'd found a little spot where he could be alone – mostly, Obi-Wan suspected, to think about his mother… or a certain Queen of Naboo. Probably both.

The spot was a sunny little corner in the Temple gardens, a lush area that Obi-Wan knew Anakin was attracted to because the sunlight reminded him of his sunny Tatooine home, but the lush, green plants reminded him of Naboo.

It didn't take him long to reach the spot. He inhaled and exhaled deeply as he crept around the plants until he found Anakin curled up against a large rock. His head, lit up by the sun, was down, and his knees were pressed up against his chest.

"Anakin," said Obi-Wan quietly.

Anakin wouldn't look him. He barely moved. "Go away," the boy mumbled.

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. "Anakin, please come out."

"No."

"Padawan," Obi-Wan said more sternly, "stop sulking and come out of there immediately."

"No."

Obi-Wan struggled for a moment with how to deal with his increasingly moody Padawan. The boy's shifts in temper were aggravating, to say the least. But he knew it was part of growing up. Anakin couldn't help it… for the most part. Well, maybe some part.

Finally, he sighed and said more gently, "Anakin, I know how horrible boys can be. But in the long run, they do not matter. You must move on and ignore them."

"Easy for you to say," muttered Anakin.

Obi-Wan folded his arms over his chest. "It is. I used to be bullied when I was your age."

Anakin didn't speak for a moment. "Really?"

"Really. Quite often, actually." Obi-Wan hesitated, then walked off the stone path and pushed through the vegetation until he reached Anakin. He stared down at his Padawan for a second before sitting down beside him. Anakin still hadn't looked at him. "Qui-Gon used to tell me that boys who were bigger and stronger and I wanted me to know how much bigger and stronger they were. They abused their power. But, he told me, even though it might not have been the conventional Jedi method, if I wanted to stop being pushed around, I had to push back."

Anakin sniffed. He picked at his tunic. "Did you?"

"I did." Obi-Wan smiled. "I remember the first time it happened. Three boys started to bully me. But I stood my ground. And when one of them pushed me, I hit him right in the nose."

Anakin's head flew up, and he gazed up at his teacher with wide blue eyes. "You did?"

Obi-Wan grinned, despite himself. "I did."

"What happened?" Anakin demanded eagerly. "Did they beat you up?"

"Not exactly," Obi-Wan said, amused. "The boy who pushed me started to cry. The other two ran away."

Anakin grinned. But then, his eyes dulled, and he returned to his moody self. He looked down again. "But I can't do that."

"It would not be the Jedi way, no," Obi-Wan agreed.

"Plus, I'm too small," Anakin muttered. "They'd beat me to shreds. They're two years older than I am."

"Size doesn't always matter," Obi-Wan said. "There are other ways."

"Stupid ways," Anakin grumbled.

Obi-Wan frowned and observed his Padawan carefully. Thinking of what to say next, he remained quiet for the following few minutes.

"Anakin," he suddenly, "do you know what Qui-Gon said to me when I first made my lightsaber?"

Anakin slowly shook his head but didn't look up.

Obi-Wan unhooked his lightsaber from his belt and held it in his hand. "He said: 'Obi-Wan, this weapon is your life. Remember that.'" Obi-Wan gazed down at his Padawan with a sudden tenderness. "Anakin, I'm telling you this now as Qui-Gon told me because I want you to remember not just what you are, but who you are. You are not what those boys say you are. You are a Jedi. And you always will be." He smiled down at Anakin and put a hand on the boy's shoulder.

Anakin slowly looked up at Obi-Wan with sad eyes. "They're still gonna make fun of me. And Master Luminara would kill me if I tried to beat them up."

Obi-Wan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps. But as I said, there are other ways to defeat a bully."

"How?"

Obi-Wan suddenly smiled. "Brains, Anakin. You must outsmart them."

"I don't know how."

"That's why I'm going to help you. But only if you'll return to class and promise not to run off again." Obi-Wan held out a hand. "Deal?"

Anakin suddenly gave him a small smile and shook his hand. "Deal."

The next day, Obi-Wan came by Luminara's classroom as the session was coming to an end. When the doors slid open, he waited until some of the giggling students had passed by before entering the room.

Luminara smiled gently. "Obi-Wan. Good to see you."

"You as well." Obi-Wan looked around for his Padawan. Anakin was tinkering away on a practice lightsaber, happily absorbed in his work. "Well, this is a change."

"Yes," Luminara said, sounding amused. "I suspect because of what happened in class today."

Obi-Wan raised a curious eyebrow. "Oh?"

Luminara nodded, fighting back a smile. "There was an… accident. Some crystal power liquid exploded onto a few of Anakin's classmates. As a result, they were covered in blue, yellow, green, and orange liquid. I'm afraid it will be a while before it wears off. Speaking of which…" She turned away from him and called: "Boys, it's time to go. Return to your masters."

Obi-Wan looked on in growing humor as three boys trudged out of the 'fresher and past him out the door. Their hair, faces, and clothes were splattered with several bright colors. Not one of them looked at Anakin.

"How interesting," Obi-Wan said casually.

"Yes," Luminara replied. "Quite. They will recover. But I think they learned their lesson not to get to close to the liquid. One never knows how it will react." She shot a glance to Anakin. "But of course, I will expect accidents such as this not to occur on a daily basis."

Anakin looked up suddenly and shook his head enthusiastically.

Luminara shot Obi-Wan a small smile. "Good. I bid you good-afternoon, Master Kenobi. Anakin." She excused herself and left the room.

Obi-Wan turned to his Padawan, who was cleaning up his work. "Are you ready to leave, Anakin?"

"Sure am, Master!" Anakin replied, beaming up at him. He tossed everything into his backpack, hoisted it over his shoulder, and jogged up to Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan placed a hand on Anakin's shoulder and patted it once. "Good. Because I believe Dex would like us to visit him today."

Anakin grinned. "All right!" And he ran out of the room. "I'll race you to the speeder, Master!"

Obi-Wan followed him with a smile.

Good for you, Anakin, Obi-Wan thought, pleased. Good for you.

END

Reviews are appreciated. :)

- Serena