[fic] part one
title: The Fifth Trial
rating: PG
fandom: Super Junior
pairing: Zhou Mi/Kyuhyun
words: 32,136
summary: The life of a Jedi is never a simple one and Zhou Mi, alongside his unruly, new apprentice, must learn how to handle all the situations this life can throw at them. Even the unexpected ones.
notes: This is for jinjja, who inspired this and gave me a place to start, and for aisagreem who loves it like I do, and for everyone else who has ever been madly in love with Star Wars.
I'd just like to note that throughout I call Kyuhyun by his Chinese name, Kui Xian, because not only does it sound like the perfect name for a Jedi, but this is in a galaxy far far away where there is no China or Korea. Also, you will find no actual Star Wars characters lurking within this fic, and for anyone who cares, this takes place in the days of the Old Republic, long before the prequel movies.
The hum of stationary lightsaber blades filled the room as the two Jedi circled each other, slow, cautious, considering. It lasted only a moment. There was the buzzing of moving blades, and then the clash, as the strike was blocked. The blades leapt apart, and the constant humming sounded like a whistle now, as the coloured beams flashed through the air; strike, counterstrike, blow, block, attack, defend. Neither one receiving the upper hand for long enough to end it. The humming resumed again, sabers still as both Jedi considered each other, each searching for the other's weakness.
It happened almost too fast for the eye to see, then, as one blue blade swept like a storm through the air. But not quite quick enough. The parry was slow, but blocked the strike. There was a hiss as the blades met.
"You need to work on your combat skills, Zhou Mi, that was almost clumsy."
Zhou Mi, his blade still holding the block, almost smiled. With equal speed and dexterity, he worked his will through the energy of the Force that filled him, and everything around them, and before he could be countered, Force pushed his rival, making him stumble a few steps back.
"And you need to remember that there is more to a fight than combat, Shiwon."
Knowing that neither was going to triumph this day, they both disengaged the training lightsabers, bowing to each other politely, before abandoning all pretence of protocol, and began to laugh together.
"Really, Shiwon," Zhou Mi clapped a hand companionably to Shiwon's shoulder, "you should have sensed that coming. Don't let your skills with a lightsaber let you lose focus on the Force."
Shiwon made a face, suddenly bringing to mind their youngling days together. "Please, you sound like Master Oodo. Besides, you're one to lecture."
Smiling, Zhou Mi shook his head. "You still couldn't best me."
"Nor you me," Shiwon pointed out, a grin to match.
"Always a pleasure to spar with you, Shiwon," Zhou Mi said, giving Shiwon another brief, companionable pat on the shoulder, before retrieving his dark brown Jedi cloak, and using the Force to restore the training sabers to their place. "Until next time. And," his eyes sparkled with underlying mischief, "you should try to remember what it was your Master used to tell you."
"And you should practice your second form! You're getting rusty."
Shiwon's own subtle teasing was met with a laugh as Zhou Mi left the training dojo; Shiwon always did have to have the last word.
Zhou Mi had spent his entire life so far at the Jedi Temple; it was home, the only home he'd ever known, after being given to the Temple as an infant, and he had known Shiwon for just as long, being close in age. They'd grown up together. Of the other younglings who had made up their peer group, years ago, Zhou Mi and Shiwon had been the two to show the most potential and had then gone on to become the two Padawans with the most promise. Amongst their peers, Zhou Mi and Shiwon still remained unrivalled, except for each other.
From younglings, through to Padawans, and even to now as Jedi Knights, a competitive streak had run between the two. This streak had gotten them both into countless troubles with various Masters, attempting to outdo the other; it was not a looked-for trait among the Jedi, however, and although that habit had been trained out of them as they learned and matured, there still remained between them all the thrill from trying to one-up the other. And it had never happened. Even when Zhou Mi had thought he'd finally gotten the upper hand from Shiwon, his friend always seemed to gain it back. They were as balanced as night and day, one never entirely beating the other, and, they were friends.
After changing from his sparring outfit into a fresh, clean tunic, Zhou Mi made his way from the training chambers, a smile on his face; Shiwon had been right enough with his words, Zhou Mi was beginning to get a little rusty with his technique, and he made a mental note to see to it that he spent more time practising lightsaber combat. Then, when they next sparred, he would give Shiwon a surprise.
He was considering a trip to one of the Temple's rectories, having worked up a bit of an appetite after his sparring with Shiwon, when a young Padawan approached him. Zhou Mi paused, a small smile on his face; he remembered this one, a wily little thing, and had been pleased to learn when he had been made an apprentice.
"Yes, Padawan?"
"Master Zhou Mi, Master Geng has asked to see you. He's in his quarters."
"You're quick to find people, young one. Tell your Master I said so."
The Padawan bowed politely, before turning to run, and Zhou Mi could practically see the thoughts in the young boy's mind as he remembered himself and who was watching him, and Zhou Mi held back a laugh as the Padawan slowed himself to a walk befitting a Jedi. It was all too easy to remember himself at that age, and Zhou Mi wouldn't have caught himself nearly as quickly as the boy had. A habit that had been trained out of him, though, and he made his way quickly through the Temple to Master Geng's quarters, wondering why it was he had been seeked out.
Geng was already waiting for him when Zhou Mi entered, having sensed his approach. "Zhou Mi," Geng greeted him with a small smile, gesturing for Zhou Mi to sit.
"Master," said Zhou Mi, inclining his head, before taking a seat, folding his long legs lotus style in front of himself.
"Zhou Mi, no doubt you've heard of our most recent addition to the Temple?"
He studied Master Geng's face, but as usual Zhou Mi could garner nothing from his calm, ever neutral expression. And he knew already from experience that pushing out with the Force would gather him nothing either; Geng was a master at keeping such things under wraps. Zhou Mi was just going to have to wait until he was told, because he wasn't going to get any hints.
"The boy? I have heard a little, Master," he admitted.
Geng nodded. His eyes, always so steady, found Zhou Mi's, and he felt almost like a youngling again, and not the Jedi Knight that he was.
"You've expressed a desire to take on a Padawan of your own, haven't you?"
For a moment, Zhou Mi found himself wondering where this conversation was supposed to be heading, and then it hit him. He tried not to let the surprise show on his face, to school his own features into perfect neutrality, but it was a skill he'd not mastered quite as well as Master Geng. "Master, are you suggesting that this boy become my Padawan?"
"Need you ask?" There was almost - almost - a hint of humour around Geng's eyes; as both a youngling, and then an apprentice, Zhou Mi had always been told this after asking questions he knew the answers to. "He is new to both the Temple and our teachings, but you are patient, Zhou Mi, and I trust you'll be able to train him well despite this. If you want to, that is."
Zhou Mi hadn't even seen this boy, let alone met him. Did he want to take him on as an apprentice, teach him and train him? It would be a difficult task, especially with someone who hadn't been given to the Temple in infancy, and grown up around Jedi, like most of them. But then, a Jedi did not shrink from a task just because it might prove difficult. And Zhou Mi really did want to take on a Padawan. This might be a little sooner than he had been thinking, though. But as he let his mind descend through the Force, and use the training he had learnt to feel out a situation, Zhou Mi discovered that the idea didn't feel wrong.
Coming back to himself, he looked to Master Geng, and now his own gaze was steady with the determination that came with having made a decision. "I would like to take on this Padawan, Master Geng."
This time, Geng offered a real smile, and Zhou Mi had the momentary, absurd thought that there was something he wasn't being told here.
"Then you'll probably want to meet your new apprentice. Oh, and his name is Kui Xian."
Kui Xian looked sullenly around the gardens. Three standard weeks spent in the Temple, and he was no nearer to being used to this place, or really knowing where he was. And thinking that only reminded him that it was just those three weeks that separated the life he had always known, to this new life he had now. It was still too fast, too soon, to truly comprehend. Everything he had ever known, all thirteen years of his life, were nothing now. Perhaps, had he known at the time, he wouldn't have tried to cheat a Jedi, and have landed himself in this situation. If he'd even known the guy was going to turn out to be a Jedi, he thought to himself, not for the first time.
He had always been different, for as long as he could remember. Kui Xian had never known why, had never even mentioned this difference to other people, because it wasn't something that anyone else could see. But he'd felt it, every day of his life. He'd never known how to explain it, even had he wanted to anyway. It was beyond him, a feeling. A feeling that there was more, that something was right there, surrounding him, all the time. This feeling sometimes gave him moments of stunning intuition, an idea of how something was going to turn out, well in advance. Just the other day he'd avoided being knocked over by some idiot who'd lost control of their citibike, because this feeling had let him know there was danger. He'd jumped just in time.
There was more to it than that sometimes, too. Sometimes, this feeling seemed to surround everything around him, and Kui Xian could use it to influence things. Which was exactly how he ended up getting caught out.
It was harmless, really, and certainly didn't hurt the low-lives he did it to. He didn't do it a lot, and he was certainly always careful about it, but he had been using his intuition, and his ability to influence small objects, to his own advantage. Placing a bet, when knowing who or what the winning outcome was going to be, or urging dice or wheels to land on the numbers he desired. Small things, meaningless things, at first.
No more. He had been betting with a Jedi, had silently used these feelings to shift the outcome into his own favour, and the Jedi had sensed this.
Now, Kui Xian finally had a name to put to this all encompassing feeling he'd always experienced. And, despite the unwanted turn of events, for the first time in all those years, Kui Xian seemed to have found a place where he actually fit in. He wasn't different any more, because everyone here could feel this...this Force, also.
He thought back to the lessons he had been receiving over the intervening weeks, lessons with the other young learners - younglings, he thought he'd heard them called - and of the things the man who called himself Master Geng had been teaching them all, about the Force, about this constant energy and light that surrounded them all. And it was true, Kui Xian found, that if he relaxed his mind as he had been taught to do, and extended his reach through what he'd always thought of as his 'feeling', he could indeed feel the light and the energy that surrounded every living thing within the garden.
Which was one of the reasons he liked coming here so much. It was peaceful and quiet, and even alone Kui Xian didn't feel so lonely here, surrounded by what he had come to think of as the living Force.
With his mind momentarily focused on the feelings of his surroundings, Kui Xian felt the moment another presence added their own energy to the mix. A large energy, the kind that surrounded the Jedi. His ruminations interrupted, he opened his eyes and turned to face the disturbance. It was a Jedi he didn't recognise.
"I'm sorry to interrupt your meditations," the older Jedi apologised, seeming polite and sincere. "You're Kui Xian?"
He was surprised that his name was known, and it showed on Kui Xian's face. This made the Jedi laugh lightly. Kui Xian frowned, but remained silent.
It didn't appear to put the man off, however, and he dropped himself gracefully to the lush ground, long legs crossing in front of him. "I'm Zhou Mi. And I would like to take you on as my apprentice."
Kui Xian was even further surprised. "You want to take me on?" He asked, incredulous. "Why would you want to train me?" Zhou Mi raised an eyebrow at him, and Kui Xian quickly tacked on a rather half-hearted, "Master." That was one thing he had definitely learnt during his weeks at the Temple, protocol, and the correct way he was expected to address everyone.
"Why wouldn't I want to train you?" Zhou Mi countered.
He stared at Zhou Mi for a moment. Despite having found a meaning, the reason he'd lacked all his life so far, Kui Xian still had his differences from everyone else. Whilst he hadn't been there to hear the discussions of the Jedi Council about his being brought in and trained, he had known this was not the way things here usually worked, that he had proved different once again.
"Because I'm different," he finally answered, his gaze dropping to the grass beneath him.
"Your case is a little unusual, true. But perhaps that makes training you an even more interesting task?" The soft, gentle, tone of Zhou Mi's questioning made Kui Xian raise his head again. As he looked at Zhou Mi, a thought that had been like a tickle at the back of his head, small and difficult to reach, finally made itself more obvious, and he realised what it was that seemed a little different about this Jedi. He was smiling at Kui Xian.
"It's strange for the Council to have agreed to accept him in the first place, isn't it?"
"It is," Zhou Mi agreed with a nod. "I don't know the Council's reasoning behind it, but," he looked across at Shiwon, "I have talked a little with my Padawan, and I think I can venture a guess. It seems he was...using his Force-sensitivity to assure the outcomes of bets. In his favour."
Shiwon leaned back against the sofa, processing this piece of information. "And perhaps, if left to his own devices, being sensitive and untrained, could have led to more trouble?"
Zhou Mi nodded again. "That's my best guess. Technically, he's too old to be taken in for training, but taking him now, as opposed to leaving him untrained, seems the lesser of two evils. So to speak."
"But what about his family? His attachments to them?" Shiwon sounded genuinely concerned, as he regarded Zhou Mi seriously.
"It was explained to Kui Xian before he even came to the Temple, the code, and what would be expected of him. He seems to have accepted it."
"You seem very calm about all of this," Shiwon said, after a few moments of silent contemplation. "Aren't you at all concerned?"
Leaning forward, Zhou Mi began to smile. "Shiwon, I'm a Jedi, of course I'm calm." The smile still on his face, he pushed himself up from the sofa, long arms stretching briefly above his head. "Though I am concerned about being punctual. I have an appointment to keep with my Padawan. We're making a start on the first form of lightsaber combat."
"Are you sure you don't need me there with you?" Shiwon asked, a smile to match as he stood up. "Your Padawan might not learn much from you."
Zhou Mi was outright laughing now, gesturing for Shiwon to leave the room. "You should consider taking on a Padawan, too. It may deflate that large, self-assured ego of yours."
"You're just jealous."
"A Jedi does not feel jealousy, Shiwon," Zhou Mi pointed out, looking serious for all of five seconds, before breaking out into a smile again. "Please," he continued, beginning to make his way down the corridor, "get that ego seen to! It's getting too big to fit through doorways!" And as Zhou Mi made his way from the Temple dormitories, he could hear Shiwon's laughter following behind him.
"You're late," Zhou Mi said, looking up when he felt the presence of his Padawan approaching. "Did something keep you?"
Kui Xian entered the training chamber, small and empty but for the both of them, and said nothing. To be honest Zhou Mi had expected as much. Over the past few days he'd had so far with his new apprentice he'd learnt that Kui Xian was quiet, purposely so he thought, and not because of a timid nature. Stonily silent and sullen, with a defiant streak running through him. Which, he was sure, was exactly what Master Geng had failed to tell him during their meeting. But Zhou Mi hadn't expected otherwise, seeing as Kui Xian hadn't been brought up in the Temple like the others.
He was well aware of the defiant rudeness of Kui Xian's silence, not even addressing him properly, but Zhou Mi held his patience; he had a feeling that strong words and lectures were not going to work on this young one, not yet anyway.
"Alright, well you're here now, Padawan. I hope you've been practising the first form as I taught you. Here," he strode over towards his moody apprentice, handing the boy a training lightsaber. "Show me Shii-Cho. As you are," Zhou Mi added, when Kui Xian gave him a questioning look. "You can practice with the training remotes after I know you can do it."
Kui Xian did nothing, the training saber remaining disengaged in his hand, a sour glare aimed at the defenceless floor. Zhou Mi, ever patient, merely Force-summoned another training lightsaber to him, and with Kui Xian still looking away ignited the blade - weak and powered down, harmless for training purposes - and aimed a strike at the boy's right arm. Surprisingly, Kui Xian actually reacted, igniting his own training blade quick enough to block Zhou Mi's strike. It was a clumsy parry, but the correct one, and Zhou Mi was pleased that Kui Xian seemed to be taking something in at the very least.
"Clumsy. If this were a proper lightsaber and I was trying to hurt you, I could have powered through your block and taken your arm with me. Focus your mind," Zhou Mi instructed. Then, without warning, moved forward with another attack, this time aimed at Kui Xian's head. "Better," he said, his blow being properly blocked this time. "Now, run through the motions of Form I yourself. And then I may let you play against a training remote."
Disengaging his blade, Zhou Mi took a step back, levelling his apprentice with a firm look. Patience, and determination, he thought would be the way to tame this unruly learner.
Kui Xian stared back, almost to the point of rudeness, before inclining his head a fraction at Zhou Mi. "Yes, Master."
There was a swell of warmth, and Zhou Mi had to suppress a smile at what felt like his first success. The first of many, he hoped, but it wasn't going to be easy. Still, it was hard to contain his pleasure, as he watched Kui Xian go through the motions of Shii-Cho, the first form in lightsaber combat. He seemed to be taking it somewhat seriously now, though when his strikes were clumsy or his parries half-hearted Zhou Mi gave a gentle chiding.
"Stretch out to the Force," he advised patiently, after watching another clumsy sweep, "let it guide your motions. Use your feelings, and they'll show you how to move. Good, Kui Xian," he added, after seeing an obvious improvement in Kui Xian's movements. "You're getting better. Can you feel the difference, when you suspend your mind and focus with the Force?"
"A little, Master," Kui Xian admitted, finishing his last motion and turning towards Zhou Mi, almost expectantly.
Zhou Mi suppressed another smile; children, always expecting that just a little work and they were done. "Good. But a little isn't quite enough. We'll try you with a training remote now, and," Zhou Mi did smile, now, as he crossed the small length of the room, taking one of the practice helmets from its place, "see how you do when you can only rely on the Force."
Kui Xian's surprised expression was soon covered by the helmet, which came down right over his eyes. "This is stupid. How am I to do anything when I can't see?"
He clapped a hand to Kui Xian's small shoulder, sounding about as amused as he felt. "That's the point, young one. Focus on the Force, and you won't need to see." Giving no warning, Zhou Mi turned on one of the small, training remotes, and set it to the first, basic setting. It buzzed, and shot off its first plasma blast - similar to that of a blaster, but low energy, set to give only a small shock if the blast hit.
Kui Xian made a noise of surprise as that first blast found a mark, and Zhou Mi didn't even try this time to hide his smile; his apprentice couldn't see him, anyway.
Kui Xian stared at his stewed bhillen and rice with an increasingly dwindling appetite; he should have gone for gukked egg, instead. Though he didn't think a change in meal would have helped his shrinking appetite, anyway. Not today.
"Should have gone for the nerfburger."
Kui Xian looked up, surprised to see another boy - another Padawan, he noted, seeing the typical braid - about his own age sit down opposite him. He glanced around the rest of the rectory hall; there were many other tables, empty or otherwise, where the boy could have sat. Why was he sitting with Kui Xian?
"Hubba chip?" The boy gestured at his own plate of food, offering Kui Xian a smile to go with it.
"Why are you sitting here?"
The boy shrugged his shoulders. "You looked lonely. I'm Henry, by the way. Kui Xian, isn't it?"
He nodded, resigning himself to the fact that it seemed Henry wasn't going to move just yet, not until he'd finished his meal, at least.
Henry, after eating a few hubba chips, glanced up at Kui Xian again, a look of open curiosity on his face. "So, what's wrong?"
Frowning, Kui Xian retorted, "Why do you think something's wrong?" He was given a wide-eyed look of disbelief, as if Henry wasn't sure if it was a joke or not. Then, Kui Xian got it. The time he'd been at the Temple, and he still wasn't used to the fact that, obviously, everyone around him was attuned to the Force. "Nevermind. It's nothing." He dismissed the subject, and willed himself to swallow a few mouthfuls of his own food. Though, seeing Henry eat too, Kui Xian was now wishing he'd gone for the nerfburger and chips.
There was silence for awhile as they ate, Henry seeming to have sensed that Kui Xian didn't want to talk about it; he kind of appreciated that. Except, being silent meant he had to focus on his food now, instead.
Eventually, pushing away his plate, Kui Xian looked up at the other boy, and before he realised it words were spilling from his mouth. It was as if that friendly, open face was pulling them from Kui Xian, whether he really wanted to speak them or not.
"I didn't do so well today," he admitted. "Master Zhou Mi was trying to teach me how to create a Force shield. I got soaked."
It felt so embarrassing, too. Zhou Mi had explained it to him quite clearly, how to create and maintain a Force shield, and it had seemed simple enough. By creating a barrier, Kui Xian would be able to sit under the waterfall they'd been practising at and block the water, remaining completely dry in the process. In theory. He hadn't been able to do it. And, worse than that, it was supposed to be simple training.
The laughter he'd expected from Henry didn't come, and Kui Xian looked up, surprised to see that he didn't look amused, but...sympathetic. "I was soaked through for an hour straight when Master Shin taught me that."
"Can you do it now?" The look on Henry's face was answer enough, and Kui Xian frowned. "See. Even you can do it."
Zhou Mi had told him that he'd be able to do it, too, that Kui Xian just needed to focus.
"You'll be able to do it too," Henry assured him, sounding far too cheerful for Kui Xian's liking. "Hey, let's go get some puff cake. I'll tell some more stories, too."
As Henry smiled at him, Kui Xian found himself only half-reluctantly following alongside. Apparently, he'd finally found his first friend here.
Kui Xian had tried several different tricks over the past two standard weeks in an attempt to get his smiling Master to lose his patience. It seemed eternal, endless, no matter what Kui Xian did. He'd been late for training, several times, failing even to show up at all on at least three occasions, forcing Zhou Mi to come and find him. He went through the actual training even less than half-hearted - although, admittedly, he'd learnt his lesson on when to make an actual attempt, after Zhou Mi had had him thoroughly soak himself twice - and doing only the bare minimum he could get away with when he had to do something. He was often times defiant and rude, too, questioning Zhou Mi's instructions. When Kui Xian actually spoke.
And still, his Master remained patient, attempting to coax him into trying, assuring him that he would understand if he opened himself to the Force. It had become almost a game, to Kui Xian, his attempt to wipe that kindly smile from Zhou Mi's face. Kui Xian used to be good at games.
It was this he had on his mind as he made his way through the Temple, through one of the almost cavernous hallways, on his way to one of the gardens. He didn't like how small it made him feel, walking through the hallways; why did this place have to be so big?
When he saw a girl - younger than himself - walking ahead of him, probably on her way to the trainee dormitories beyond the garden, all negative thoughts were washed aside as an idea filled his mind. Kui Xian ran towards her calling out, and he spoke in a rush of fake panic when he caught up, informing her, urgently, that he'd just overheard of an imminent threat to the Temple from a dangerous band of Cossians.
"You must inform Master Geng, quickly!" He urged her, and with a hasty nod, the girl began to run in the direction of Master Geng's quarters. She hadn't even rounded the corner before Kui Xian let the grin spread across his face. There were so such things as Cossians.
Zhou Mi was, quite honestly, stunned after Master Geng finished telling him of his Padawan's little prank. "Master, I...what?" He couldn't find the words; Jedi were not meant to stumble and stutter, but Zhou Mi could not find the words. He'd known things weren't exactly going smoothly with Kui Xian, with the way his unruly apprentice liked to act up, but he'd seen the potential, and he'd thought that he'd been making some progress at bringing it to the surface.
Apparently, Zhou Mi had been wrong. Spectacularly so. Which was also not befitting a Jedi.
"Master Geng, I thought Kui Xian was doing fine, considering, but after something like this, isn't it obvious he doesn't want to be here?"
Geng raised his eyebrows, and with that look alone Zhou Mi felt as if he was being silently reprimanded. "Do you think the Council would have decided to train Kui Xian if we thought he didn't want to be?" Yes, he was being reprimanded, for questioning the Council's decision. "You're clever, Zhou Mi, resourceful, patient, and strong with the Force, but perhaps you should work on your insight? We have foreseen Kui Xian's future, so you don't need to question the Council's decision."
"Yes, Master, I did not mean to question you," Zhou Mi said quietly, inclining his head. "But I must be going wrong somewhere. I don't know what else I'm supposed to do with him."
There was silence as Geng simply looked at Zhou Mi, and he recognised that look from the Master, it was the look Geng gave when he was waiting for the answer to be realised. But Zhou Mi had already racked his mind with how to deal with Kui Xian, and he couldn't think of whatever answer it seemed Geng was waiting for.
"In difficult times, a Jedi must remain even more focused, not less. Zhou Mi, Kui Xian was not raised like most of the other Jedi and Padawan's, and perhaps it's time to stop treating him as if he was. He's not a young Padawan, he's a teenage boy."
The words seemed to click in Zhou Mi's mind, and he looked across at Geng, eyes widening a little with this realisation. "I'm going about training him in the wrong way?"
Geng gave him a slight smile. "It seems that patience and kind words aren't working on your apprentice, Zhou Mi. He's headstrong, unruly, and undisciplined, because he doesn't know any better. Perhaps it's time to tell him what his actions really make you feel."
"But Jedi aren't supposed to feel anger, Master."
"Is it anger that you feel?"
Zhou Mi could feel the answers being slowly teased from his thoughts, answers that he'd known all along for himself, but hadn't seen, and wouldn't have seen, without the gentle coaxing of Master Geng. And in a moment, everything seemed to click and fall into place, and Zhou Mi understood where it was he'd been going wrong, and what he would have to do to fix things. "No, Master, it isn't anger. I think I see the answer, now."
"Don't think, Zhou Mi, know."
He nodded. "Yes, Master Geng. Thank you."
"And Zhou Mi," Geng added, "keep in mind: nobody forced Kui Xian to come to the Temple, he made that decision for himself. At least part of him wants to be here."
With another nod, Zhou Mi rose, bowing politely to the Jedi Master, and left, a look of calm determination on his face now. He knew what he was going to do.
Zhou Mi strode through the corridors, not even needing to sink too far into the Force to sense where Kui Xian was. He knew his Padawan well enough to know instinctively that he could be found in one of the gardens. And he was right. Zhou Mi paused, dragging in a deep, steadying breath, taking a moment to pull that oh so necessary calmness over himself, and made his way over towards his Padawan.
Even with his back to Zhou Mi, Kui Xian seemed able to sense his presence, and he didn't even turn around as he called out a quiet, "Hello, Master."
It was this, more than anything else, that had begun to wear away at Zhou Mi's patience. It frustrated him endlessly. Kui Xian had all the potential, was gifted like few others he had seen in his time at the Temple, and he seemed simply unable to see this for himself. Unable, or unwilling, and Zhou Mi was beginning to find it truly difficult, getting past this block.
"Kui Xian, we have to talk." He walked around until he was facing his Padawan. He didn't sit. "Actually, I'm going to talk, and you are going to listen." Kui Xian gave him a disinterested look, and Zhou Mi added a rarely heard sternness to his tone. "You are going to listen."
Kui Xian remained silently. Good, Zhou Mi thought, a determined set to his jaw. Master Geng's words were in his mind still, and Zhou Mi kept the advice to the forefront, and he knew what he was going to say.
"I know this hasn't been easy for you, Kui Xian, and I know this is different, and that you're young, but out of everything that you are, you're not stupid. And what you did today was. It was stupid, and selfish. Jedi are selfless, we are here to defend and to protect and to serve. What you did served no one but yourself." Zhou Mi let his voice carry what he was feeling, his words not edged with the harsh heat of anger, no doubt the reaction Kui Xian was aiming for, but blunted by the coldness of disappointment.
"Are you even aware of how lucky you are? You were born with a gift, Kui Xian, a gift to see and feel and use the Force. A gift not many are actually born with. And if you could forget your pointless teenage angst for just a moment you might be able to see that. Have you not learnt anything in your time here? Did I teach you nothing?" Zhou Mi spread his hands questioningly in front of him. "There are reasons for why some things happen. The Force chose you, you did not choose it. And despite your difficult, defiant attitude, Kui Xian, you have enormous potential, there is a future here for you. I was willing to overlook your attitude in my attempt to train your potential."
The garden was silent, empty, except for them and the calm, continuous sound of Zhou Mi's voice. Kui Xian said nothing, and Zhou Mi had a feeling that his Padawan was finally taking him, and what he was saying, seriously. At least he hoped so, though he'd been wrong about things before.
He wasn't finished, though. He knew he hadn't gotten through to Kui Xian yet, and he needed to get through to him. "But you're unwilling to follow and learn," Zhou Mi continued, steady and sure of himself, of what he had to say. "More than that, you are selfish, thoughtless, and so wrapped up within your own difficulties that you don't see the ones you create for those around you. Those are not the qualities of a Jedi, and they are not the qualities I want in my Padawan."
Now, Zhou Mi had to pause and take another steadying breath. He could see the expression changing on Kui Xian's face, trying to understand what Zhou Mi was getting at.
"You refuse to see the bigger picture, and you don't appreciate the gift you've been given, and I'm not sure I want to teach someone like that, Kui Xian."
There it was, finally, a truly real response from Kui Xian, who looked honestly taken by surprise at Zhou Mi's words. His mouth opened, he started to speak, but Zhou Mi shook his head, cutting the words off before they could begin.
"You need to think about this, about what I've said, and what becoming a Jedi truly means, what it would mean to you. Meditate on it, use the Force to guide you, if you haven't shunned it entirely. But you need to think about what it is you really want, and if you're willing to work for it. Kui Xian, you either have to be here and be here completely, or you have to leave. There are no half measures here. Think long and hard on this, and come and see me only when you know for sure."
He looked at Kui Xian for a moment, just simply looked at him, before turning to leave. He paused after a step, and without turning around, said, "And perhaps you should think about why you chose to come here in the first place. That decision was yours." And with that, without looking back, Zhou Mi left, leaving Kui Xian to his thoughts. He could only hope that he'd made an impression.
Kui Xian had been thinking about things for days. Three standard, to be precise. Though in all honesty, his decision had been unconsciously made within the first hour after Zhou Mi had left him. But it had taken Kui Xian's conscious mind the remaining three days to catch up and work it all out.
He'd felt awful, since that encounter. Everything around him seemed to have dulled, dimmed with the negativity, and more than that, he just felt as if he'd done something wrong. And really, he knew that he had. His Master's words had served to give Kui Xian a verbal kick up the backside and make him realise what he'd been doing wrong. His mother had always used the same trick at home, too, pulling Kui Xian back to the surface with several, sharp words, whenever he'd behaved like that.
The biggest difference was, he expected scoldings from his mother, and he hadn't actually thought that his patient, smiling Master was capable of doing the same thing.
He'd holed himself up inside his room during the intervening days, meditating deeply on the matter. The first thing Kui Xian had realised, as he'd sunk himself down through the Force, submerging within himself and its light, was that right now, everything rang with a faint note of dischord. Wrong. It was almost like an itch, one that he couldn't locate, or reach.
He'd tried to envision, too, what life would be like if he gave this up now, renounced his decision and returned back to his family. The answer was so painfully obvious. Nothing. His life would be nothing, like it had been, if he returned to it. Everything would be as it was, and nothing would change. Here, at least, in the Temple, there was a direction for him, something for him to aim for. And apparently he even had potential. Was it really so bad, then, learning to become a Jedi?
Once he consciously made this decision, Kui Xian realised that it was, most definitely, the right one to have made. Everything just...kind of settled within him, a feeling of rightness.
Now, the only thing to do was swallow the shame at realising just what a self-absorbed child he'd been and hope that Zhou Mi was willing to give him another chance. Because, now that he'd thought about it, Kui Xian did not like the prospect of having to leave and go back to the life he used to have. There was hardly a life worth returning to, in all honesty.
He tracked down Zhou Mi to the Temple archives, the massive library that contained an uncountable collection of knowledge spanning levels and shelves upon shelves of datatapes and datacards. Zhou Mi was sitting in a quiet corner, reading something off of a datapad.
"Master?" For the first time in, perhaps ever, Kui Xian felt every one of his thirteen years, felt young.
Zhou Mi looked up, seemingly unsurprised at Kui Xian's appearance. "Ah, Kui Xian. Have you come to tell me your decision?"
And to follow with feeling all his insignificant thirteen years was also a strange sense of nervousness. He swallowed it away, and tried to focus his thoughts, and remain mindful of his feelings, as he'd been taught. "I have, Master. And, that is to say, if you're still willing to teach me, I'd like to learn."
There was a pause, and after nothing further from Kui Xian, Zhou Mi raised an eyebrow at him, clearly waiting for something else. Kui Xian almost sighed out loud.
"And, I'm sorry, Master, for the way I behaved."
Setting the datapad aside, Zhou Mi stood up, a hand coming to rest on Kui Xian's shoulder. "Apology accepted, Padawan. I hope you're truly willing to learn, because you have some catching up to do."
"Master?"
Kui Xian could almost, almost, swear there was a smile lurking just behind Zhou Mi's serious expression, waiting to come out. But that couldn't possibly be right.
"I've already taken the liberty to inform the rectory that you've volunteered yourself to help the clean up after evening meals for the next two weeks. Without the use of the Force. In that time, you'll also be mastering not only Shii-Cho, but the second form of combat, too." Now, Zhou Mi really was smiling at him, and Kui Xian could feel his heart sinking in a slow descent of defeat.
"Is there any chance that you'll also be teaching me how to get by without eating or sleeping in this time, Master?"
Zhou Mi was all out grinning by then. "That's your homework, Kui Xian."
He guessed he deserved it, really. Maybe.
"Seriously, who trained you, and how did you make it to Jedi Knight?"
"Oh shut up. I don't recall hearing you complain about my combat skills that time we were on Tomark II. Actually," Zhou Mi paused, a look of faux deep thought on his face, "if I recall correctly, you were praising my skills, when they kept you from losing a leg."
"We were young, I didn't want to upset you then."
Zhou Mi made a face, shoving at Shiwon's shoulder. "I don't know how I put up with you, you overconfident oaf."
"You'd get bored, and overconfident yourself, if I wasn't around to keep you on your toes, and you know it," Shiwon said, laughing.
As they walked from the training dojo they'd been using to spar in, Zhou Mi let out a long sigh, but there was a smile on his face as he looked over at his friend. "You're right. I just wish that I had the same effect on you."
Shiwon grinned broadly.
"Isn't your Padawan supposed to be meeting you now? What's this, Zhou Mi, you let him be late?"
Zhou Mi waved a careless hand. "He's not late," he said, a slight smile curving his lips. And, just as he expected, as they reached the corner, Kui Xian himself came around it. "He's right on time." He shot Shiwon a grin.
"Kui Xian, it's good to see you again. How's your training coming along?"
"Good, Master Choi," Kui Xian answered. "At least, I hope so. Not that my Master ever tells me so," he looked over at Zhou Mi, a slight smile playing on his lips and a look in his eyes that always meant mischief, "he's afraid compliments will inflate my ego."
"Which is overly large already," Zhou Mi cut in, though there was a smile on his own face. Turning to Shiwon, he added, "Don't let us keep you. You have an appointment of your own to keep, after all."
"Ah, yes. Don't let yourself get rusty, whilst I'm away."
Zhou Mi laughed. "You're just worried that I'll finally surpass you completely. Maybe I'll be a Master, by the time you get back!"
Shiwon made a face and said, teasingly, "Zhou Mi, how far away do you think I'm going? I won't be gone for that long!"
Zhou Mi's own amused smile faded into something just a little more serious, and he reached out, a hand coming to rest companionably on one of Shiwon's broad shoulders. "Have a safe trip, Shiwon. May the Force be with you."
There was a smile of genuine affection, as Shiwon nodded. "And with you. Try not to miss me too much whilst I'm gone."
The smile remained on Zhou Mi's face even as Shiwon went off in the other direction, away from the training chambers, whilst Kui Xian and himself made their own way back through them.
"Where's Master Choi going?"
"Oh, only to Corellia. There's a bit of a cargo dispute going on. One group insists their cargo was stolen by smugglers, and that second group insists that it's the other way around. No one can decide who's lying, so they've asked that a Jedi try to get to the bottom of the dispute." Zhou Mi glanced briefly down at his Padawan. "What do you think is really going on?"
"Both groups are smugglers," Kui Xian answered easily, without little thought. "They're either trying to double-cross each other to get out of it, or they're in on it together."
"Interesting. I'll have to ask Shiwon when he returns, and see if you're right."
Up ahead of them, Zhou Mi noticed one of Kui Xian's friends coming towards them. He wasn't the only one to spot him, either.
"Henry!" Kui Xian called out, walking ahead to meet his friend. "What are you doing now?"
A smile spread across Henry's face in return. "I've just finished saber training, I'm free for awhile now."
"Good. That's just where Master and I were heading. Want to come watch?" As if suddenly becoming aware of his Master standing behind him, Kui Xian turned to look back at Zhou Mi. "If that's alright, Master?"
There was a smile on Kui Xian's face, and a look in his eyes that Zhou Mi didn't see very often, even after all their years together. He couldn't see any reason to say no. "It's fine. And who knows," Zhou Mi continued, the slow beginnings of a smile tugging at his lips, "with Henry watching, maybe he'll be able to give you a few tips about where you go wrong."
Henry looked a picture of surprised modesty. "I don't know about that, Kui Xian is far better with a lightsaber than I am!"
"He's only teasing," said Kui Xian, his own smile widening now. "Master likes to tease. He thinks it keeps me modest, don't you, Master?" The look he shot Zhou Mi over his shoulder was just as playful as his words were.
"Who's teasing now?" His hands went to Kui Xian's shoulders, propelling him forward so that they could all start walking again. "Get moving, my young Padawan. I have many more young egos to cut down besides your own."
Many things had changed over the intervening years, since Zhou Mi had first taken Kui Xian as his Padawan. All for the better, too. In time, Kui Xian's defiance had settled down, and he had grown, matured, learnt. He still had his moments at times, questions, a differing opinion from Zhou Mi, but he was no longer fighting a one-man battle against everyone. Zhou Mi could see that over the years Kui Xian had stopped resenting his being here, and had learned to embrace it. And once he had, he had progressed in leaps and bounds, putting himself fully into the training.
The troubled teenager who had at first been difficult had since become a pleasure to teach. Most of the time. He was self-assured, confident (sometimes too much so, Zhou Mi thought) and most importantly, he was gifted. The Force was strong in him, and over the years he had learnt how to harness and control this strength. With Zhou Mi's help.
It wasn't a feeling for a Jedi to indulge in, but for a moment Zhou Mi couldn't quite hold back the surge of warmth that welled up within him; he had helped to harness that control. It brought about a feeling of satisfaction, achievement, to see all the lessons and the training and the lectures begin to bear their fruit. And it had been worth every troubling and difficult moment along the way, to see Kui Xian all grown up now.
Henry had settled himself on the observation floor above them to watch, and after Kui Xian and Zhou Mi had each retrieved a training saber, (Kui Xian Force pulling one towards himself, showing off) they were ready.
"Remember where you went wrong last time, my Padawan," Zhou Mi instructed, standing still, seemingly serene, the lightsaber still deactivated in one hand. "The Force is your ally, use it, and it will aid you. Guide-"
"Guide my motions and let me know when to move, I know, Master," Kui Xian finished for him. "I know all this. And I don't recall making a mistake last time."
Zhou Mi allowed himself a smile. "That is your mistake." And without even a hint of its coming, no tell-tale movement or signal, only the sudden, single fluid motion of his body, Zhou Mi moved towards Kui Xian, the blade of the training saber bright and buzzing as it aimed for his Padawan's head.
The reminder seemed to have had an effect, because Kui Xian was ready to block the strike, the distinctive hiss of the low-powered blades filling the room as they met. And then he pushed forward, offering strikes of his own, feigning and twisting and using the Force to flip him through the air as both of their bodies and their blades moved in a blur of constant motion to counter each other.
It was entirely different from the first time Zhou Mi recalled sparring with Kui Xian; his apprentice could not only parry the blows now, but he could move forward with his own, and he could use the Force to guide his movements. Now, he was actually good, and Zhou Mi had to work to block and counter him. It gave him another of those rushes of warmth, to see first hand the effect of years of teaching.
"Good, good," Zhou Mi said, a little out of breath as he shut down the lightsaber. "I see all those hours of practice are finally paying off."
Kui Xian, also breathing heavily, bowed his head at Zhou Mi. "But not enough, it seems. I still can't beat you."
"You don't want to 'beat me'. It isn't me you'll ever seriously have to fight, Kui Xian." Clasping a hand around Kui Xian's shoulder, Zhou Mi gave his apprentice a warm smile. "You're doing well." He didn't often give Kui Xian such open praise, but it felt like he deserved it.
As he went about setting the room back to rights, and restoring both training lightsabers to their places, Zhou Mi heard Henry come back into the room. The excited rush of conversation he heard between the two brought a smile to his face, their rush of youthful enthusiasm.
"Wow, was that Djem So you were using at the end there? I didn't know you could do that. Will you show me that one move again?"
They had just received their first, real, mission together. Not ten standard minutes ago, Zhou Mi and Kui Xian had stood before the Jedi Council as Master Geng had briefed them in where they were to go, and the object of their mission. It was exciting. Even during his years at the Temple Kui Xian had still only been offworld once, and that wasn't for a proper mission, but more for training purposes. And it hadn't been beyond the Core Worlds, either, the central systems that were closest to Coruscant. With this mission, they would be travelling further, only to the Mid Rim, but that was a lot further than he'd ever been before.
The galaxy could be described as the rings inside of a tree, not quite as circular, but the different regions expanded in similar rings. It began with the Deep Core, the very center of the galaxy, the next ring outwards contained the systems of the Core Worlds, those planets that were, for all intents and purposes, at the center of the galaxy; as those living on planets further outwards thought, the Core Worlds were better off, wealthier, and supposedly happier. Coruscant was nestled comfortably within the Core.
The following ring contained the Colonies, the first places outside of the Core to be colonised, with cultures just as established as their Core Worlds neighbors. The ring beyond that was the beginning of the rim, starting with the Inner Rim. Following that came planets of the Expansion Regions, an experiment in corporate-controlled worlds. And beyond came the Mid Rim, with the system they would be travelling to, and lastly, the systems of the Outer Rim. These planets were the furtherest from the Core, and the Republic, some so far out and remote that their entire existence was unknown to planets closer to the Core. They were beyond the protection and rule of the Republic, and essentially, on their own.
And beyond these, was the rest of the forest, unexplored, and undiscovered. Wild.
"Kui Xian, are you listening?" A hand on his shoulder brought Kui Xian to a standstill, and he realised quite suddenly that Zhou Mi had been speaking to him. It was a little embarrassing, to have gotten caught up inside his own head like that, but he acted as if he had meant to do so.
"Sorry, Master, what were you saying?"
He could all but see the desire Zhou Mi felt to roll his eyes at him. "No, of course you weren't. I was trying to tell you more about Angratha, the planet we're being sent to. You did hear that part, didn't you, back in the Council? Or were you not listening then, either?" Despite the chiding tone to his words, Kui Xian could see the smile that always seemed to lurk behind Zhou Mi's calm facade.
"I might have heard a little, Master." Likewise, Kui Xian knew his dry tone of humour wasn't missed by his Master.
"Alright, well, Angratha is inhabited by humans, and their government has torn itself into two separate factions, one following one set of beliefs, and the other, predicably, an opposing set. It hasn't evolved into all-out civil war yet, but the situation, as I'm told, is hostile. The planet has basically been split into two. As Jedi are only peacekeepers," Zhou Mi continued, his words cutting off what Kui Xian had been opening his mouth to say, "our objective is not to reconcile the situation. We're being called in because the two opposing sides of powers have agreed to a meeting to discuss a treaty. But as I said, the situation is hostile, and there have been many instances of betrayal and double-crossing already, and they've requested the aid of an outside party, one who has no investment in which way the situation might be swayed, to see that everything goes according to plan."
There was something his Master had left out though, Kui Xian could feel it, like an itch in the Force. "And they're asking for Jedi assistance," he began slowly, seeking out that itch, "because they need protection. There have been assassination attempts, haven't there? And they don't trust each other."
If the situation hadn't been a serious one, Zhou Mi might have smiled at Kui Xian's perception. As it was, he simply nodded at his Padawan. "Exactly. We're going to keep both parties safe, until they can come to an agreement."
A line formed between Kui Xian's eyebrows as he frowned. "Master, why are the Council interested in helping them? Angratha isn't a planet to concern us really, is it?"
"Whatever the state of their internal government, it's still a part of the Republic. And more than that, they've asked for our help. That's enough for the Council. And they're one of the major export planets of frozen food." This time, there was a slight smile on Zhou Mi's face.
"All the more reason to leave them to each other."
"Now now, don't let your dislike of certain foods get in the way, Padawan."
Kui Xian almost laughed at the joke, until another thought struck him, and his frown deepened as he looked up at Zhou Mi; even now, at twenty years old and fully grown, his Master was still taller than him. "Wait, you said we have to protect both parties."
One hand came to rest companionably on Kui Xian's shoulder. "Exactly. We're going to have to split up when we arrive."
A grin spread across Kui Xian's face, to mirror exactly the look on Zhou Mi's.
He stared out the transparisteel viewport, but there was nothing to see in hyperspace. They would be approaching Angratha soon. Zhou Mi was trying to convince himself that he wasn't worried. He wasn't. Not for himself, anyway. He'd had more than enough experience offworld, had taken part in far more dangerous assignments than this one. He knew his own capabilities. It was Kui Xian he was worried about. He knew he needn't be either, not really. Kui Xian was smart, skilled, and strong with the Force; Zhou Mi knew that his Padawan was more than capable of getting through this. Yet still, he couldn't quite dissipate the gnawing sense of worry within himself. He was a Jedi, he wasn't supposed to worry, not like this, but he was human too, and it was only human to feel concern for the safety of those he cared about. He cared about Kui Xian.
Taking a deep, steadying breath, Zhou Mi centred himself within the Force again, letting it fill him, wash over him, soothe him and set him back in the place he was supposed to be. It would be fine.
He turned from the viewport, feeling himself as prepared as he could be now. "Alright, we'll be there soon, so let's run through everything again." It was a little telling, that he wanted to discuss a plan they'd so thoroughly discussed already, but Zhou Mi hoped Kui Xian would see it as a desire to be prepared, and not for what it really was.
"We've 'run over it' three times now, Master. Are you becoming forgetful in your old age?" Kui Xian sent him a look, and Zhou Mi realised, quite suddenly, that there really was no hiding anything from his apprentice.
He smiled, only a little forced. "Indulge your old Master then." Kui Xian, hiding a smile, nodded a little in aquiescence. "So, we'll be landing in a neutral zone. The meeting is scheduled to take place at two past the mid point. Because of the hostile nature of the situation, we'll be splitting up immediately, you to take care of one faction, and myself the other. Our aim is to make sure both parties arrive safely at the neutral zone. Kui Xian," and here Zhou Mi lowered his voice, sounding even more serious, "no one can be trusted. The Angrathians are already suspicious of everyone, so you must ensure that every single member of your group makes it to the meeting, alive and unharmed. No one can be harmed, or the meeting will be forgotten, and we may find ourselves in the middle of an all out civil war."
"And of course, the frozen food export market will be compromised."
The smile wasn't so forced this time. "Yes, and that's our main objective."
Kui Xian was going to be fine. This would be good for him, Zhou Mi knew, first hand experience in real situations was far more effective than any amount of training he could give him. It would give Kui Xian a chance to really show his worth, too. Zhou Mi was still insisting all of these points to that gnawing part of his mind even as they pulled in for landing, twenty standard minutes later.
"Remember," Zhou Mi began, turning to Kui Xian one last time once they were back on solid, planet-ground.
"Transport every single one of them back here alive," Kui Xian finished for him. "I know, Master. I won't let you down."
And in his face, Zhou Mi could see that he was really saying I can do this, trust me.
Youthful confidence. It almost made him smile. "I know you won't." He laid a hand on Kui Xian's shoulder, fingers indulging in a brief, companionable squeeze. "See you back here in a few hours, Kui Xian."
next part
rating: PG
fandom: Super Junior
pairing: Zhou Mi/Kyuhyun
words: 32,136
summary: The life of a Jedi is never a simple one and Zhou Mi, alongside his unruly, new apprentice, must learn how to handle all the situations this life can throw at them. Even the unexpected ones.
notes: This is for jinjja, who inspired this and gave me a place to start, and for aisagreem who loves it like I do, and for everyone else who has ever been madly in love with Star Wars.
I'd just like to note that throughout I call Kyuhyun by his Chinese name, Kui Xian, because not only does it sound like the perfect name for a Jedi, but this is in a galaxy far far away where there is no China or Korea. Also, you will find no actual Star Wars characters lurking within this fic, and for anyone who cares, this takes place in the days of the Old Republic, long before the prequel movies.
The hum of stationary lightsaber blades filled the room as the two Jedi circled each other, slow, cautious, considering. It lasted only a moment. There was the buzzing of moving blades, and then the clash, as the strike was blocked. The blades leapt apart, and the constant humming sounded like a whistle now, as the coloured beams flashed through the air; strike, counterstrike, blow, block, attack, defend. Neither one receiving the upper hand for long enough to end it. The humming resumed again, sabers still as both Jedi considered each other, each searching for the other's weakness.
It happened almost too fast for the eye to see, then, as one blue blade swept like a storm through the air. But not quite quick enough. The parry was slow, but blocked the strike. There was a hiss as the blades met.
"You need to work on your combat skills, Zhou Mi, that was almost clumsy."
Zhou Mi, his blade still holding the block, almost smiled. With equal speed and dexterity, he worked his will through the energy of the Force that filled him, and everything around them, and before he could be countered, Force pushed his rival, making him stumble a few steps back.
"And you need to remember that there is more to a fight than combat, Shiwon."
Knowing that neither was going to triumph this day, they both disengaged the training lightsabers, bowing to each other politely, before abandoning all pretence of protocol, and began to laugh together.
"Really, Shiwon," Zhou Mi clapped a hand companionably to Shiwon's shoulder, "you should have sensed that coming. Don't let your skills with a lightsaber let you lose focus on the Force."
Shiwon made a face, suddenly bringing to mind their youngling days together. "Please, you sound like Master Oodo. Besides, you're one to lecture."
Smiling, Zhou Mi shook his head. "You still couldn't best me."
"Nor you me," Shiwon pointed out, a grin to match.
"Always a pleasure to spar with you, Shiwon," Zhou Mi said, giving Shiwon another brief, companionable pat on the shoulder, before retrieving his dark brown Jedi cloak, and using the Force to restore the training sabers to their place. "Until next time. And," his eyes sparkled with underlying mischief, "you should try to remember what it was your Master used to tell you."
"And you should practice your second form! You're getting rusty."
Shiwon's own subtle teasing was met with a laugh as Zhou Mi left the training dojo; Shiwon always did have to have the last word.
Zhou Mi had spent his entire life so far at the Jedi Temple; it was home, the only home he'd ever known, after being given to the Temple as an infant, and he had known Shiwon for just as long, being close in age. They'd grown up together. Of the other younglings who had made up their peer group, years ago, Zhou Mi and Shiwon had been the two to show the most potential and had then gone on to become the two Padawans with the most promise. Amongst their peers, Zhou Mi and Shiwon still remained unrivalled, except for each other.
From younglings, through to Padawans, and even to now as Jedi Knights, a competitive streak had run between the two. This streak had gotten them both into countless troubles with various Masters, attempting to outdo the other; it was not a looked-for trait among the Jedi, however, and although that habit had been trained out of them as they learned and matured, there still remained between them all the thrill from trying to one-up the other. And it had never happened. Even when Zhou Mi had thought he'd finally gotten the upper hand from Shiwon, his friend always seemed to gain it back. They were as balanced as night and day, one never entirely beating the other, and, they were friends.
After changing from his sparring outfit into a fresh, clean tunic, Zhou Mi made his way from the training chambers, a smile on his face; Shiwon had been right enough with his words, Zhou Mi was beginning to get a little rusty with his technique, and he made a mental note to see to it that he spent more time practising lightsaber combat. Then, when they next sparred, he would give Shiwon a surprise.
He was considering a trip to one of the Temple's rectories, having worked up a bit of an appetite after his sparring with Shiwon, when a young Padawan approached him. Zhou Mi paused, a small smile on his face; he remembered this one, a wily little thing, and had been pleased to learn when he had been made an apprentice.
"Yes, Padawan?"
"Master Zhou Mi, Master Geng has asked to see you. He's in his quarters."
"You're quick to find people, young one. Tell your Master I said so."
The Padawan bowed politely, before turning to run, and Zhou Mi could practically see the thoughts in the young boy's mind as he remembered himself and who was watching him, and Zhou Mi held back a laugh as the Padawan slowed himself to a walk befitting a Jedi. It was all too easy to remember himself at that age, and Zhou Mi wouldn't have caught himself nearly as quickly as the boy had. A habit that had been trained out of him, though, and he made his way quickly through the Temple to Master Geng's quarters, wondering why it was he had been seeked out.
Geng was already waiting for him when Zhou Mi entered, having sensed his approach. "Zhou Mi," Geng greeted him with a small smile, gesturing for Zhou Mi to sit.
"Master," said Zhou Mi, inclining his head, before taking a seat, folding his long legs lotus style in front of himself.
"Zhou Mi, no doubt you've heard of our most recent addition to the Temple?"
He studied Master Geng's face, but as usual Zhou Mi could garner nothing from his calm, ever neutral expression. And he knew already from experience that pushing out with the Force would gather him nothing either; Geng was a master at keeping such things under wraps. Zhou Mi was just going to have to wait until he was told, because he wasn't going to get any hints.
"The boy? I have heard a little, Master," he admitted.
Geng nodded. His eyes, always so steady, found Zhou Mi's, and he felt almost like a youngling again, and not the Jedi Knight that he was.
"You've expressed a desire to take on a Padawan of your own, haven't you?"
For a moment, Zhou Mi found himself wondering where this conversation was supposed to be heading, and then it hit him. He tried not to let the surprise show on his face, to school his own features into perfect neutrality, but it was a skill he'd not mastered quite as well as Master Geng. "Master, are you suggesting that this boy become my Padawan?"
"Need you ask?" There was almost - almost - a hint of humour around Geng's eyes; as both a youngling, and then an apprentice, Zhou Mi had always been told this after asking questions he knew the answers to. "He is new to both the Temple and our teachings, but you are patient, Zhou Mi, and I trust you'll be able to train him well despite this. If you want to, that is."
Zhou Mi hadn't even seen this boy, let alone met him. Did he want to take him on as an apprentice, teach him and train him? It would be a difficult task, especially with someone who hadn't been given to the Temple in infancy, and grown up around Jedi, like most of them. But then, a Jedi did not shrink from a task just because it might prove difficult. And Zhou Mi really did want to take on a Padawan. This might be a little sooner than he had been thinking, though. But as he let his mind descend through the Force, and use the training he had learnt to feel out a situation, Zhou Mi discovered that the idea didn't feel wrong.
Coming back to himself, he looked to Master Geng, and now his own gaze was steady with the determination that came with having made a decision. "I would like to take on this Padawan, Master Geng."
This time, Geng offered a real smile, and Zhou Mi had the momentary, absurd thought that there was something he wasn't being told here.
"Then you'll probably want to meet your new apprentice. Oh, and his name is Kui Xian."
Kui Xian looked sullenly around the gardens. Three standard weeks spent in the Temple, and he was no nearer to being used to this place, or really knowing where he was. And thinking that only reminded him that it was just those three weeks that separated the life he had always known, to this new life he had now. It was still too fast, too soon, to truly comprehend. Everything he had ever known, all thirteen years of his life, were nothing now. Perhaps, had he known at the time, he wouldn't have tried to cheat a Jedi, and have landed himself in this situation. If he'd even known the guy was going to turn out to be a Jedi, he thought to himself, not for the first time.
He had always been different, for as long as he could remember. Kui Xian had never known why, had never even mentioned this difference to other people, because it wasn't something that anyone else could see. But he'd felt it, every day of his life. He'd never known how to explain it, even had he wanted to anyway. It was beyond him, a feeling. A feeling that there was more, that something was right there, surrounding him, all the time. This feeling sometimes gave him moments of stunning intuition, an idea of how something was going to turn out, well in advance. Just the other day he'd avoided being knocked over by some idiot who'd lost control of their citibike, because this feeling had let him know there was danger. He'd jumped just in time.
There was more to it than that sometimes, too. Sometimes, this feeling seemed to surround everything around him, and Kui Xian could use it to influence things. Which was exactly how he ended up getting caught out.
It was harmless, really, and certainly didn't hurt the low-lives he did it to. He didn't do it a lot, and he was certainly always careful about it, but he had been using his intuition, and his ability to influence small objects, to his own advantage. Placing a bet, when knowing who or what the winning outcome was going to be, or urging dice or wheels to land on the numbers he desired. Small things, meaningless things, at first.
No more. He had been betting with a Jedi, had silently used these feelings to shift the outcome into his own favour, and the Jedi had sensed this.
Now, Kui Xian finally had a name to put to this all encompassing feeling he'd always experienced. And, despite the unwanted turn of events, for the first time in all those years, Kui Xian seemed to have found a place where he actually fit in. He wasn't different any more, because everyone here could feel this...this Force, also.
He thought back to the lessons he had been receiving over the intervening weeks, lessons with the other young learners - younglings, he thought he'd heard them called - and of the things the man who called himself Master Geng had been teaching them all, about the Force, about this constant energy and light that surrounded them all. And it was true, Kui Xian found, that if he relaxed his mind as he had been taught to do, and extended his reach through what he'd always thought of as his 'feeling', he could indeed feel the light and the energy that surrounded every living thing within the garden.
Which was one of the reasons he liked coming here so much. It was peaceful and quiet, and even alone Kui Xian didn't feel so lonely here, surrounded by what he had come to think of as the living Force.
With his mind momentarily focused on the feelings of his surroundings, Kui Xian felt the moment another presence added their own energy to the mix. A large energy, the kind that surrounded the Jedi. His ruminations interrupted, he opened his eyes and turned to face the disturbance. It was a Jedi he didn't recognise.
"I'm sorry to interrupt your meditations," the older Jedi apologised, seeming polite and sincere. "You're Kui Xian?"
He was surprised that his name was known, and it showed on Kui Xian's face. This made the Jedi laugh lightly. Kui Xian frowned, but remained silent.
It didn't appear to put the man off, however, and he dropped himself gracefully to the lush ground, long legs crossing in front of him. "I'm Zhou Mi. And I would like to take you on as my apprentice."
Kui Xian was even further surprised. "You want to take me on?" He asked, incredulous. "Why would you want to train me?" Zhou Mi raised an eyebrow at him, and Kui Xian quickly tacked on a rather half-hearted, "Master." That was one thing he had definitely learnt during his weeks at the Temple, protocol, and the correct way he was expected to address everyone.
"Why wouldn't I want to train you?" Zhou Mi countered.
He stared at Zhou Mi for a moment. Despite having found a meaning, the reason he'd lacked all his life so far, Kui Xian still had his differences from everyone else. Whilst he hadn't been there to hear the discussions of the Jedi Council about his being brought in and trained, he had known this was not the way things here usually worked, that he had proved different once again.
"Because I'm different," he finally answered, his gaze dropping to the grass beneath him.
"Your case is a little unusual, true. But perhaps that makes training you an even more interesting task?" The soft, gentle, tone of Zhou Mi's questioning made Kui Xian raise his head again. As he looked at Zhou Mi, a thought that had been like a tickle at the back of his head, small and difficult to reach, finally made itself more obvious, and he realised what it was that seemed a little different about this Jedi. He was smiling at Kui Xian.
"It's strange for the Council to have agreed to accept him in the first place, isn't it?"
"It is," Zhou Mi agreed with a nod. "I don't know the Council's reasoning behind it, but," he looked across at Shiwon, "I have talked a little with my Padawan, and I think I can venture a guess. It seems he was...using his Force-sensitivity to assure the outcomes of bets. In his favour."
Shiwon leaned back against the sofa, processing this piece of information. "And perhaps, if left to his own devices, being sensitive and untrained, could have led to more trouble?"
Zhou Mi nodded again. "That's my best guess. Technically, he's too old to be taken in for training, but taking him now, as opposed to leaving him untrained, seems the lesser of two evils. So to speak."
"But what about his family? His attachments to them?" Shiwon sounded genuinely concerned, as he regarded Zhou Mi seriously.
"It was explained to Kui Xian before he even came to the Temple, the code, and what would be expected of him. He seems to have accepted it."
"You seem very calm about all of this," Shiwon said, after a few moments of silent contemplation. "Aren't you at all concerned?"
Leaning forward, Zhou Mi began to smile. "Shiwon, I'm a Jedi, of course I'm calm." The smile still on his face, he pushed himself up from the sofa, long arms stretching briefly above his head. "Though I am concerned about being punctual. I have an appointment to keep with my Padawan. We're making a start on the first form of lightsaber combat."
"Are you sure you don't need me there with you?" Shiwon asked, a smile to match as he stood up. "Your Padawan might not learn much from you."
Zhou Mi was outright laughing now, gesturing for Shiwon to leave the room. "You should consider taking on a Padawan, too. It may deflate that large, self-assured ego of yours."
"You're just jealous."
"A Jedi does not feel jealousy, Shiwon," Zhou Mi pointed out, looking serious for all of five seconds, before breaking out into a smile again. "Please," he continued, beginning to make his way down the corridor, "get that ego seen to! It's getting too big to fit through doorways!" And as Zhou Mi made his way from the Temple dormitories, he could hear Shiwon's laughter following behind him.
"You're late," Zhou Mi said, looking up when he felt the presence of his Padawan approaching. "Did something keep you?"
Kui Xian entered the training chamber, small and empty but for the both of them, and said nothing. To be honest Zhou Mi had expected as much. Over the past few days he'd had so far with his new apprentice he'd learnt that Kui Xian was quiet, purposely so he thought, and not because of a timid nature. Stonily silent and sullen, with a defiant streak running through him. Which, he was sure, was exactly what Master Geng had failed to tell him during their meeting. But Zhou Mi hadn't expected otherwise, seeing as Kui Xian hadn't been brought up in the Temple like the others.
He was well aware of the defiant rudeness of Kui Xian's silence, not even addressing him properly, but Zhou Mi held his patience; he had a feeling that strong words and lectures were not going to work on this young one, not yet anyway.
"Alright, well you're here now, Padawan. I hope you've been practising the first form as I taught you. Here," he strode over towards his moody apprentice, handing the boy a training lightsaber. "Show me Shii-Cho. As you are," Zhou Mi added, when Kui Xian gave him a questioning look. "You can practice with the training remotes after I know you can do it."
Kui Xian did nothing, the training saber remaining disengaged in his hand, a sour glare aimed at the defenceless floor. Zhou Mi, ever patient, merely Force-summoned another training lightsaber to him, and with Kui Xian still looking away ignited the blade - weak and powered down, harmless for training purposes - and aimed a strike at the boy's right arm. Surprisingly, Kui Xian actually reacted, igniting his own training blade quick enough to block Zhou Mi's strike. It was a clumsy parry, but the correct one, and Zhou Mi was pleased that Kui Xian seemed to be taking something in at the very least.
"Clumsy. If this were a proper lightsaber and I was trying to hurt you, I could have powered through your block and taken your arm with me. Focus your mind," Zhou Mi instructed. Then, without warning, moved forward with another attack, this time aimed at Kui Xian's head. "Better," he said, his blow being properly blocked this time. "Now, run through the motions of Form I yourself. And then I may let you play against a training remote."
Disengaging his blade, Zhou Mi took a step back, levelling his apprentice with a firm look. Patience, and determination, he thought would be the way to tame this unruly learner.
Kui Xian stared back, almost to the point of rudeness, before inclining his head a fraction at Zhou Mi. "Yes, Master."
There was a swell of warmth, and Zhou Mi had to suppress a smile at what felt like his first success. The first of many, he hoped, but it wasn't going to be easy. Still, it was hard to contain his pleasure, as he watched Kui Xian go through the motions of Shii-Cho, the first form in lightsaber combat. He seemed to be taking it somewhat seriously now, though when his strikes were clumsy or his parries half-hearted Zhou Mi gave a gentle chiding.
"Stretch out to the Force," he advised patiently, after watching another clumsy sweep, "let it guide your motions. Use your feelings, and they'll show you how to move. Good, Kui Xian," he added, after seeing an obvious improvement in Kui Xian's movements. "You're getting better. Can you feel the difference, when you suspend your mind and focus with the Force?"
"A little, Master," Kui Xian admitted, finishing his last motion and turning towards Zhou Mi, almost expectantly.
Zhou Mi suppressed another smile; children, always expecting that just a little work and they were done. "Good. But a little isn't quite enough. We'll try you with a training remote now, and," Zhou Mi did smile, now, as he crossed the small length of the room, taking one of the practice helmets from its place, "see how you do when you can only rely on the Force."
Kui Xian's surprised expression was soon covered by the helmet, which came down right over his eyes. "This is stupid. How am I to do anything when I can't see?"
He clapped a hand to Kui Xian's small shoulder, sounding about as amused as he felt. "That's the point, young one. Focus on the Force, and you won't need to see." Giving no warning, Zhou Mi turned on one of the small, training remotes, and set it to the first, basic setting. It buzzed, and shot off its first plasma blast - similar to that of a blaster, but low energy, set to give only a small shock if the blast hit.
Kui Xian made a noise of surprise as that first blast found a mark, and Zhou Mi didn't even try this time to hide his smile; his apprentice couldn't see him, anyway.
Kui Xian stared at his stewed bhillen and rice with an increasingly dwindling appetite; he should have gone for gukked egg, instead. Though he didn't think a change in meal would have helped his shrinking appetite, anyway. Not today.
"Should have gone for the nerfburger."
Kui Xian looked up, surprised to see another boy - another Padawan, he noted, seeing the typical braid - about his own age sit down opposite him. He glanced around the rest of the rectory hall; there were many other tables, empty or otherwise, where the boy could have sat. Why was he sitting with Kui Xian?
"Hubba chip?" The boy gestured at his own plate of food, offering Kui Xian a smile to go with it.
"Why are you sitting here?"
The boy shrugged his shoulders. "You looked lonely. I'm Henry, by the way. Kui Xian, isn't it?"
He nodded, resigning himself to the fact that it seemed Henry wasn't going to move just yet, not until he'd finished his meal, at least.
Henry, after eating a few hubba chips, glanced up at Kui Xian again, a look of open curiosity on his face. "So, what's wrong?"
Frowning, Kui Xian retorted, "Why do you think something's wrong?" He was given a wide-eyed look of disbelief, as if Henry wasn't sure if it was a joke or not. Then, Kui Xian got it. The time he'd been at the Temple, and he still wasn't used to the fact that, obviously, everyone around him was attuned to the Force. "Nevermind. It's nothing." He dismissed the subject, and willed himself to swallow a few mouthfuls of his own food. Though, seeing Henry eat too, Kui Xian was now wishing he'd gone for the nerfburger and chips.
There was silence for awhile as they ate, Henry seeming to have sensed that Kui Xian didn't want to talk about it; he kind of appreciated that. Except, being silent meant he had to focus on his food now, instead.
Eventually, pushing away his plate, Kui Xian looked up at the other boy, and before he realised it words were spilling from his mouth. It was as if that friendly, open face was pulling them from Kui Xian, whether he really wanted to speak them or not.
"I didn't do so well today," he admitted. "Master Zhou Mi was trying to teach me how to create a Force shield. I got soaked."
It felt so embarrassing, too. Zhou Mi had explained it to him quite clearly, how to create and maintain a Force shield, and it had seemed simple enough. By creating a barrier, Kui Xian would be able to sit under the waterfall they'd been practising at and block the water, remaining completely dry in the process. In theory. He hadn't been able to do it. And, worse than that, it was supposed to be simple training.
The laughter he'd expected from Henry didn't come, and Kui Xian looked up, surprised to see that he didn't look amused, but...sympathetic. "I was soaked through for an hour straight when Master Shin taught me that."
"Can you do it now?" The look on Henry's face was answer enough, and Kui Xian frowned. "See. Even you can do it."
Zhou Mi had told him that he'd be able to do it, too, that Kui Xian just needed to focus.
"You'll be able to do it too," Henry assured him, sounding far too cheerful for Kui Xian's liking. "Hey, let's go get some puff cake. I'll tell some more stories, too."
As Henry smiled at him, Kui Xian found himself only half-reluctantly following alongside. Apparently, he'd finally found his first friend here.
Kui Xian had tried several different tricks over the past two standard weeks in an attempt to get his smiling Master to lose his patience. It seemed eternal, endless, no matter what Kui Xian did. He'd been late for training, several times, failing even to show up at all on at least three occasions, forcing Zhou Mi to come and find him. He went through the actual training even less than half-hearted - although, admittedly, he'd learnt his lesson on when to make an actual attempt, after Zhou Mi had had him thoroughly soak himself twice - and doing only the bare minimum he could get away with when he had to do something. He was often times defiant and rude, too, questioning Zhou Mi's instructions. When Kui Xian actually spoke.
And still, his Master remained patient, attempting to coax him into trying, assuring him that he would understand if he opened himself to the Force. It had become almost a game, to Kui Xian, his attempt to wipe that kindly smile from Zhou Mi's face. Kui Xian used to be good at games.
It was this he had on his mind as he made his way through the Temple, through one of the almost cavernous hallways, on his way to one of the gardens. He didn't like how small it made him feel, walking through the hallways; why did this place have to be so big?
When he saw a girl - younger than himself - walking ahead of him, probably on her way to the trainee dormitories beyond the garden, all negative thoughts were washed aside as an idea filled his mind. Kui Xian ran towards her calling out, and he spoke in a rush of fake panic when he caught up, informing her, urgently, that he'd just overheard of an imminent threat to the Temple from a dangerous band of Cossians.
"You must inform Master Geng, quickly!" He urged her, and with a hasty nod, the girl began to run in the direction of Master Geng's quarters. She hadn't even rounded the corner before Kui Xian let the grin spread across his face. There were so such things as Cossians.
Zhou Mi was, quite honestly, stunned after Master Geng finished telling him of his Padawan's little prank. "Master, I...what?" He couldn't find the words; Jedi were not meant to stumble and stutter, but Zhou Mi could not find the words. He'd known things weren't exactly going smoothly with Kui Xian, with the way his unruly apprentice liked to act up, but he'd seen the potential, and he'd thought that he'd been making some progress at bringing it to the surface.
Apparently, Zhou Mi had been wrong. Spectacularly so. Which was also not befitting a Jedi.
"Master Geng, I thought Kui Xian was doing fine, considering, but after something like this, isn't it obvious he doesn't want to be here?"
Geng raised his eyebrows, and with that look alone Zhou Mi felt as if he was being silently reprimanded. "Do you think the Council would have decided to train Kui Xian if we thought he didn't want to be?" Yes, he was being reprimanded, for questioning the Council's decision. "You're clever, Zhou Mi, resourceful, patient, and strong with the Force, but perhaps you should work on your insight? We have foreseen Kui Xian's future, so you don't need to question the Council's decision."
"Yes, Master, I did not mean to question you," Zhou Mi said quietly, inclining his head. "But I must be going wrong somewhere. I don't know what else I'm supposed to do with him."
There was silence as Geng simply looked at Zhou Mi, and he recognised that look from the Master, it was the look Geng gave when he was waiting for the answer to be realised. But Zhou Mi had already racked his mind with how to deal with Kui Xian, and he couldn't think of whatever answer it seemed Geng was waiting for.
"In difficult times, a Jedi must remain even more focused, not less. Zhou Mi, Kui Xian was not raised like most of the other Jedi and Padawan's, and perhaps it's time to stop treating him as if he was. He's not a young Padawan, he's a teenage boy."
The words seemed to click in Zhou Mi's mind, and he looked across at Geng, eyes widening a little with this realisation. "I'm going about training him in the wrong way?"
Geng gave him a slight smile. "It seems that patience and kind words aren't working on your apprentice, Zhou Mi. He's headstrong, unruly, and undisciplined, because he doesn't know any better. Perhaps it's time to tell him what his actions really make you feel."
"But Jedi aren't supposed to feel anger, Master."
"Is it anger that you feel?"
Zhou Mi could feel the answers being slowly teased from his thoughts, answers that he'd known all along for himself, but hadn't seen, and wouldn't have seen, without the gentle coaxing of Master Geng. And in a moment, everything seemed to click and fall into place, and Zhou Mi understood where it was he'd been going wrong, and what he would have to do to fix things. "No, Master, it isn't anger. I think I see the answer, now."
"Don't think, Zhou Mi, know."
He nodded. "Yes, Master Geng. Thank you."
"And Zhou Mi," Geng added, "keep in mind: nobody forced Kui Xian to come to the Temple, he made that decision for himself. At least part of him wants to be here."
With another nod, Zhou Mi rose, bowing politely to the Jedi Master, and left, a look of calm determination on his face now. He knew what he was going to do.
Zhou Mi strode through the corridors, not even needing to sink too far into the Force to sense where Kui Xian was. He knew his Padawan well enough to know instinctively that he could be found in one of the gardens. And he was right. Zhou Mi paused, dragging in a deep, steadying breath, taking a moment to pull that oh so necessary calmness over himself, and made his way over towards his Padawan.
Even with his back to Zhou Mi, Kui Xian seemed able to sense his presence, and he didn't even turn around as he called out a quiet, "Hello, Master."
It was this, more than anything else, that had begun to wear away at Zhou Mi's patience. It frustrated him endlessly. Kui Xian had all the potential, was gifted like few others he had seen in his time at the Temple, and he seemed simply unable to see this for himself. Unable, or unwilling, and Zhou Mi was beginning to find it truly difficult, getting past this block.
"Kui Xian, we have to talk." He walked around until he was facing his Padawan. He didn't sit. "Actually, I'm going to talk, and you are going to listen." Kui Xian gave him a disinterested look, and Zhou Mi added a rarely heard sternness to his tone. "You are going to listen."
Kui Xian remained silently. Good, Zhou Mi thought, a determined set to his jaw. Master Geng's words were in his mind still, and Zhou Mi kept the advice to the forefront, and he knew what he was going to say.
"I know this hasn't been easy for you, Kui Xian, and I know this is different, and that you're young, but out of everything that you are, you're not stupid. And what you did today was. It was stupid, and selfish. Jedi are selfless, we are here to defend and to protect and to serve. What you did served no one but yourself." Zhou Mi let his voice carry what he was feeling, his words not edged with the harsh heat of anger, no doubt the reaction Kui Xian was aiming for, but blunted by the coldness of disappointment.
"Are you even aware of how lucky you are? You were born with a gift, Kui Xian, a gift to see and feel and use the Force. A gift not many are actually born with. And if you could forget your pointless teenage angst for just a moment you might be able to see that. Have you not learnt anything in your time here? Did I teach you nothing?" Zhou Mi spread his hands questioningly in front of him. "There are reasons for why some things happen. The Force chose you, you did not choose it. And despite your difficult, defiant attitude, Kui Xian, you have enormous potential, there is a future here for you. I was willing to overlook your attitude in my attempt to train your potential."
The garden was silent, empty, except for them and the calm, continuous sound of Zhou Mi's voice. Kui Xian said nothing, and Zhou Mi had a feeling that his Padawan was finally taking him, and what he was saying, seriously. At least he hoped so, though he'd been wrong about things before.
He wasn't finished, though. He knew he hadn't gotten through to Kui Xian yet, and he needed to get through to him. "But you're unwilling to follow and learn," Zhou Mi continued, steady and sure of himself, of what he had to say. "More than that, you are selfish, thoughtless, and so wrapped up within your own difficulties that you don't see the ones you create for those around you. Those are not the qualities of a Jedi, and they are not the qualities I want in my Padawan."
Now, Zhou Mi had to pause and take another steadying breath. He could see the expression changing on Kui Xian's face, trying to understand what Zhou Mi was getting at.
"You refuse to see the bigger picture, and you don't appreciate the gift you've been given, and I'm not sure I want to teach someone like that, Kui Xian."
There it was, finally, a truly real response from Kui Xian, who looked honestly taken by surprise at Zhou Mi's words. His mouth opened, he started to speak, but Zhou Mi shook his head, cutting the words off before they could begin.
"You need to think about this, about what I've said, and what becoming a Jedi truly means, what it would mean to you. Meditate on it, use the Force to guide you, if you haven't shunned it entirely. But you need to think about what it is you really want, and if you're willing to work for it. Kui Xian, you either have to be here and be here completely, or you have to leave. There are no half measures here. Think long and hard on this, and come and see me only when you know for sure."
He looked at Kui Xian for a moment, just simply looked at him, before turning to leave. He paused after a step, and without turning around, said, "And perhaps you should think about why you chose to come here in the first place. That decision was yours." And with that, without looking back, Zhou Mi left, leaving Kui Xian to his thoughts. He could only hope that he'd made an impression.
Kui Xian had been thinking about things for days. Three standard, to be precise. Though in all honesty, his decision had been unconsciously made within the first hour after Zhou Mi had left him. But it had taken Kui Xian's conscious mind the remaining three days to catch up and work it all out.
He'd felt awful, since that encounter. Everything around him seemed to have dulled, dimmed with the negativity, and more than that, he just felt as if he'd done something wrong. And really, he knew that he had. His Master's words had served to give Kui Xian a verbal kick up the backside and make him realise what he'd been doing wrong. His mother had always used the same trick at home, too, pulling Kui Xian back to the surface with several, sharp words, whenever he'd behaved like that.
The biggest difference was, he expected scoldings from his mother, and he hadn't actually thought that his patient, smiling Master was capable of doing the same thing.
He'd holed himself up inside his room during the intervening days, meditating deeply on the matter. The first thing Kui Xian had realised, as he'd sunk himself down through the Force, submerging within himself and its light, was that right now, everything rang with a faint note of dischord. Wrong. It was almost like an itch, one that he couldn't locate, or reach.
He'd tried to envision, too, what life would be like if he gave this up now, renounced his decision and returned back to his family. The answer was so painfully obvious. Nothing. His life would be nothing, like it had been, if he returned to it. Everything would be as it was, and nothing would change. Here, at least, in the Temple, there was a direction for him, something for him to aim for. And apparently he even had potential. Was it really so bad, then, learning to become a Jedi?
Once he consciously made this decision, Kui Xian realised that it was, most definitely, the right one to have made. Everything just...kind of settled within him, a feeling of rightness.
Now, the only thing to do was swallow the shame at realising just what a self-absorbed child he'd been and hope that Zhou Mi was willing to give him another chance. Because, now that he'd thought about it, Kui Xian did not like the prospect of having to leave and go back to the life he used to have. There was hardly a life worth returning to, in all honesty.
He tracked down Zhou Mi to the Temple archives, the massive library that contained an uncountable collection of knowledge spanning levels and shelves upon shelves of datatapes and datacards. Zhou Mi was sitting in a quiet corner, reading something off of a datapad.
"Master?" For the first time in, perhaps ever, Kui Xian felt every one of his thirteen years, felt young.
Zhou Mi looked up, seemingly unsurprised at Kui Xian's appearance. "Ah, Kui Xian. Have you come to tell me your decision?"
And to follow with feeling all his insignificant thirteen years was also a strange sense of nervousness. He swallowed it away, and tried to focus his thoughts, and remain mindful of his feelings, as he'd been taught. "I have, Master. And, that is to say, if you're still willing to teach me, I'd like to learn."
There was a pause, and after nothing further from Kui Xian, Zhou Mi raised an eyebrow at him, clearly waiting for something else. Kui Xian almost sighed out loud.
"And, I'm sorry, Master, for the way I behaved."
Setting the datapad aside, Zhou Mi stood up, a hand coming to rest on Kui Xian's shoulder. "Apology accepted, Padawan. I hope you're truly willing to learn, because you have some catching up to do."
"Master?"
Kui Xian could almost, almost, swear there was a smile lurking just behind Zhou Mi's serious expression, waiting to come out. But that couldn't possibly be right.
"I've already taken the liberty to inform the rectory that you've volunteered yourself to help the clean up after evening meals for the next two weeks. Without the use of the Force. In that time, you'll also be mastering not only Shii-Cho, but the second form of combat, too." Now, Zhou Mi really was smiling at him, and Kui Xian could feel his heart sinking in a slow descent of defeat.
"Is there any chance that you'll also be teaching me how to get by without eating or sleeping in this time, Master?"
Zhou Mi was all out grinning by then. "That's your homework, Kui Xian."
He guessed he deserved it, really. Maybe.
"Seriously, who trained you, and how did you make it to Jedi Knight?"
"Oh shut up. I don't recall hearing you complain about my combat skills that time we were on Tomark II. Actually," Zhou Mi paused, a look of faux deep thought on his face, "if I recall correctly, you were praising my skills, when they kept you from losing a leg."
"We were young, I didn't want to upset you then."
Zhou Mi made a face, shoving at Shiwon's shoulder. "I don't know how I put up with you, you overconfident oaf."
"You'd get bored, and overconfident yourself, if I wasn't around to keep you on your toes, and you know it," Shiwon said, laughing.
As they walked from the training dojo they'd been using to spar in, Zhou Mi let out a long sigh, but there was a smile on his face as he looked over at his friend. "You're right. I just wish that I had the same effect on you."
Shiwon grinned broadly.
"Isn't your Padawan supposed to be meeting you now? What's this, Zhou Mi, you let him be late?"
Zhou Mi waved a careless hand. "He's not late," he said, a slight smile curving his lips. And, just as he expected, as they reached the corner, Kui Xian himself came around it. "He's right on time." He shot Shiwon a grin.
"Kui Xian, it's good to see you again. How's your training coming along?"
"Good, Master Choi," Kui Xian answered. "At least, I hope so. Not that my Master ever tells me so," he looked over at Zhou Mi, a slight smile playing on his lips and a look in his eyes that always meant mischief, "he's afraid compliments will inflate my ego."
"Which is overly large already," Zhou Mi cut in, though there was a smile on his own face. Turning to Shiwon, he added, "Don't let us keep you. You have an appointment of your own to keep, after all."
"Ah, yes. Don't let yourself get rusty, whilst I'm away."
Zhou Mi laughed. "You're just worried that I'll finally surpass you completely. Maybe I'll be a Master, by the time you get back!"
Shiwon made a face and said, teasingly, "Zhou Mi, how far away do you think I'm going? I won't be gone for that long!"
Zhou Mi's own amused smile faded into something just a little more serious, and he reached out, a hand coming to rest companionably on one of Shiwon's broad shoulders. "Have a safe trip, Shiwon. May the Force be with you."
There was a smile of genuine affection, as Shiwon nodded. "And with you. Try not to miss me too much whilst I'm gone."
The smile remained on Zhou Mi's face even as Shiwon went off in the other direction, away from the training chambers, whilst Kui Xian and himself made their own way back through them.
"Where's Master Choi going?"
"Oh, only to Corellia. There's a bit of a cargo dispute going on. One group insists their cargo was stolen by smugglers, and that second group insists that it's the other way around. No one can decide who's lying, so they've asked that a Jedi try to get to the bottom of the dispute." Zhou Mi glanced briefly down at his Padawan. "What do you think is really going on?"
"Both groups are smugglers," Kui Xian answered easily, without little thought. "They're either trying to double-cross each other to get out of it, or they're in on it together."
"Interesting. I'll have to ask Shiwon when he returns, and see if you're right."
Up ahead of them, Zhou Mi noticed one of Kui Xian's friends coming towards them. He wasn't the only one to spot him, either.
"Henry!" Kui Xian called out, walking ahead to meet his friend. "What are you doing now?"
A smile spread across Henry's face in return. "I've just finished saber training, I'm free for awhile now."
"Good. That's just where Master and I were heading. Want to come watch?" As if suddenly becoming aware of his Master standing behind him, Kui Xian turned to look back at Zhou Mi. "If that's alright, Master?"
There was a smile on Kui Xian's face, and a look in his eyes that Zhou Mi didn't see very often, even after all their years together. He couldn't see any reason to say no. "It's fine. And who knows," Zhou Mi continued, the slow beginnings of a smile tugging at his lips, "with Henry watching, maybe he'll be able to give you a few tips about where you go wrong."
Henry looked a picture of surprised modesty. "I don't know about that, Kui Xian is far better with a lightsaber than I am!"
"He's only teasing," said Kui Xian, his own smile widening now. "Master likes to tease. He thinks it keeps me modest, don't you, Master?" The look he shot Zhou Mi over his shoulder was just as playful as his words were.
"Who's teasing now?" His hands went to Kui Xian's shoulders, propelling him forward so that they could all start walking again. "Get moving, my young Padawan. I have many more young egos to cut down besides your own."
Many things had changed over the intervening years, since Zhou Mi had first taken Kui Xian as his Padawan. All for the better, too. In time, Kui Xian's defiance had settled down, and he had grown, matured, learnt. He still had his moments at times, questions, a differing opinion from Zhou Mi, but he was no longer fighting a one-man battle against everyone. Zhou Mi could see that over the years Kui Xian had stopped resenting his being here, and had learned to embrace it. And once he had, he had progressed in leaps and bounds, putting himself fully into the training.
The troubled teenager who had at first been difficult had since become a pleasure to teach. Most of the time. He was self-assured, confident (sometimes too much so, Zhou Mi thought) and most importantly, he was gifted. The Force was strong in him, and over the years he had learnt how to harness and control this strength. With Zhou Mi's help.
It wasn't a feeling for a Jedi to indulge in, but for a moment Zhou Mi couldn't quite hold back the surge of warmth that welled up within him; he had helped to harness that control. It brought about a feeling of satisfaction, achievement, to see all the lessons and the training and the lectures begin to bear their fruit. And it had been worth every troubling and difficult moment along the way, to see Kui Xian all grown up now.
Henry had settled himself on the observation floor above them to watch, and after Kui Xian and Zhou Mi had each retrieved a training saber, (Kui Xian Force pulling one towards himself, showing off) they were ready.
"Remember where you went wrong last time, my Padawan," Zhou Mi instructed, standing still, seemingly serene, the lightsaber still deactivated in one hand. "The Force is your ally, use it, and it will aid you. Guide-"
"Guide my motions and let me know when to move, I know, Master," Kui Xian finished for him. "I know all this. And I don't recall making a mistake last time."
Zhou Mi allowed himself a smile. "That is your mistake." And without even a hint of its coming, no tell-tale movement or signal, only the sudden, single fluid motion of his body, Zhou Mi moved towards Kui Xian, the blade of the training saber bright and buzzing as it aimed for his Padawan's head.
The reminder seemed to have had an effect, because Kui Xian was ready to block the strike, the distinctive hiss of the low-powered blades filling the room as they met. And then he pushed forward, offering strikes of his own, feigning and twisting and using the Force to flip him through the air as both of their bodies and their blades moved in a blur of constant motion to counter each other.
It was entirely different from the first time Zhou Mi recalled sparring with Kui Xian; his apprentice could not only parry the blows now, but he could move forward with his own, and he could use the Force to guide his movements. Now, he was actually good, and Zhou Mi had to work to block and counter him. It gave him another of those rushes of warmth, to see first hand the effect of years of teaching.
"Good, good," Zhou Mi said, a little out of breath as he shut down the lightsaber. "I see all those hours of practice are finally paying off."
Kui Xian, also breathing heavily, bowed his head at Zhou Mi. "But not enough, it seems. I still can't beat you."
"You don't want to 'beat me'. It isn't me you'll ever seriously have to fight, Kui Xian." Clasping a hand around Kui Xian's shoulder, Zhou Mi gave his apprentice a warm smile. "You're doing well." He didn't often give Kui Xian such open praise, but it felt like he deserved it.
As he went about setting the room back to rights, and restoring both training lightsabers to their places, Zhou Mi heard Henry come back into the room. The excited rush of conversation he heard between the two brought a smile to his face, their rush of youthful enthusiasm.
"Wow, was that Djem So you were using at the end there? I didn't know you could do that. Will you show me that one move again?"
They had just received their first, real, mission together. Not ten standard minutes ago, Zhou Mi and Kui Xian had stood before the Jedi Council as Master Geng had briefed them in where they were to go, and the object of their mission. It was exciting. Even during his years at the Temple Kui Xian had still only been offworld once, and that wasn't for a proper mission, but more for training purposes. And it hadn't been beyond the Core Worlds, either, the central systems that were closest to Coruscant. With this mission, they would be travelling further, only to the Mid Rim, but that was a lot further than he'd ever been before.
The galaxy could be described as the rings inside of a tree, not quite as circular, but the different regions expanded in similar rings. It began with the Deep Core, the very center of the galaxy, the next ring outwards contained the systems of the Core Worlds, those planets that were, for all intents and purposes, at the center of the galaxy; as those living on planets further outwards thought, the Core Worlds were better off, wealthier, and supposedly happier. Coruscant was nestled comfortably within the Core.
The following ring contained the Colonies, the first places outside of the Core to be colonised, with cultures just as established as their Core Worlds neighbors. The ring beyond that was the beginning of the rim, starting with the Inner Rim. Following that came planets of the Expansion Regions, an experiment in corporate-controlled worlds. And beyond came the Mid Rim, with the system they would be travelling to, and lastly, the systems of the Outer Rim. These planets were the furtherest from the Core, and the Republic, some so far out and remote that their entire existence was unknown to planets closer to the Core. They were beyond the protection and rule of the Republic, and essentially, on their own.
And beyond these, was the rest of the forest, unexplored, and undiscovered. Wild.
"Kui Xian, are you listening?" A hand on his shoulder brought Kui Xian to a standstill, and he realised quite suddenly that Zhou Mi had been speaking to him. It was a little embarrassing, to have gotten caught up inside his own head like that, but he acted as if he had meant to do so.
"Sorry, Master, what were you saying?"
He could all but see the desire Zhou Mi felt to roll his eyes at him. "No, of course you weren't. I was trying to tell you more about Angratha, the planet we're being sent to. You did hear that part, didn't you, back in the Council? Or were you not listening then, either?" Despite the chiding tone to his words, Kui Xian could see the smile that always seemed to lurk behind Zhou Mi's calm facade.
"I might have heard a little, Master." Likewise, Kui Xian knew his dry tone of humour wasn't missed by his Master.
"Alright, well, Angratha is inhabited by humans, and their government has torn itself into two separate factions, one following one set of beliefs, and the other, predicably, an opposing set. It hasn't evolved into all-out civil war yet, but the situation, as I'm told, is hostile. The planet has basically been split into two. As Jedi are only peacekeepers," Zhou Mi continued, his words cutting off what Kui Xian had been opening his mouth to say, "our objective is not to reconcile the situation. We're being called in because the two opposing sides of powers have agreed to a meeting to discuss a treaty. But as I said, the situation is hostile, and there have been many instances of betrayal and double-crossing already, and they've requested the aid of an outside party, one who has no investment in which way the situation might be swayed, to see that everything goes according to plan."
There was something his Master had left out though, Kui Xian could feel it, like an itch in the Force. "And they're asking for Jedi assistance," he began slowly, seeking out that itch, "because they need protection. There have been assassination attempts, haven't there? And they don't trust each other."
If the situation hadn't been a serious one, Zhou Mi might have smiled at Kui Xian's perception. As it was, he simply nodded at his Padawan. "Exactly. We're going to keep both parties safe, until they can come to an agreement."
A line formed between Kui Xian's eyebrows as he frowned. "Master, why are the Council interested in helping them? Angratha isn't a planet to concern us really, is it?"
"Whatever the state of their internal government, it's still a part of the Republic. And more than that, they've asked for our help. That's enough for the Council. And they're one of the major export planets of frozen food." This time, there was a slight smile on Zhou Mi's face.
"All the more reason to leave them to each other."
"Now now, don't let your dislike of certain foods get in the way, Padawan."
Kui Xian almost laughed at the joke, until another thought struck him, and his frown deepened as he looked up at Zhou Mi; even now, at twenty years old and fully grown, his Master was still taller than him. "Wait, you said we have to protect both parties."
One hand came to rest companionably on Kui Xian's shoulder. "Exactly. We're going to have to split up when we arrive."
A grin spread across Kui Xian's face, to mirror exactly the look on Zhou Mi's.
He stared out the transparisteel viewport, but there was nothing to see in hyperspace. They would be approaching Angratha soon. Zhou Mi was trying to convince himself that he wasn't worried. He wasn't. Not for himself, anyway. He'd had more than enough experience offworld, had taken part in far more dangerous assignments than this one. He knew his own capabilities. It was Kui Xian he was worried about. He knew he needn't be either, not really. Kui Xian was smart, skilled, and strong with the Force; Zhou Mi knew that his Padawan was more than capable of getting through this. Yet still, he couldn't quite dissipate the gnawing sense of worry within himself. He was a Jedi, he wasn't supposed to worry, not like this, but he was human too, and it was only human to feel concern for the safety of those he cared about. He cared about Kui Xian.
Taking a deep, steadying breath, Zhou Mi centred himself within the Force again, letting it fill him, wash over him, soothe him and set him back in the place he was supposed to be. It would be fine.
He turned from the viewport, feeling himself as prepared as he could be now. "Alright, we'll be there soon, so let's run through everything again." It was a little telling, that he wanted to discuss a plan they'd so thoroughly discussed already, but Zhou Mi hoped Kui Xian would see it as a desire to be prepared, and not for what it really was.
"We've 'run over it' three times now, Master. Are you becoming forgetful in your old age?" Kui Xian sent him a look, and Zhou Mi realised, quite suddenly, that there really was no hiding anything from his apprentice.
He smiled, only a little forced. "Indulge your old Master then." Kui Xian, hiding a smile, nodded a little in aquiescence. "So, we'll be landing in a neutral zone. The meeting is scheduled to take place at two past the mid point. Because of the hostile nature of the situation, we'll be splitting up immediately, you to take care of one faction, and myself the other. Our aim is to make sure both parties arrive safely at the neutral zone. Kui Xian," and here Zhou Mi lowered his voice, sounding even more serious, "no one can be trusted. The Angrathians are already suspicious of everyone, so you must ensure that every single member of your group makes it to the meeting, alive and unharmed. No one can be harmed, or the meeting will be forgotten, and we may find ourselves in the middle of an all out civil war."
"And of course, the frozen food export market will be compromised."
The smile wasn't so forced this time. "Yes, and that's our main objective."
Kui Xian was going to be fine. This would be good for him, Zhou Mi knew, first hand experience in real situations was far more effective than any amount of training he could give him. It would give Kui Xian a chance to really show his worth, too. Zhou Mi was still insisting all of these points to that gnawing part of his mind even as they pulled in for landing, twenty standard minutes later.
"Remember," Zhou Mi began, turning to Kui Xian one last time once they were back on solid, planet-ground.
"Transport every single one of them back here alive," Kui Xian finished for him. "I know, Master. I won't let you down."
And in his face, Zhou Mi could see that he was really saying I can do this, trust me.
Youthful confidence. It almost made him smile. "I know you won't." He laid a hand on Kui Xian's shoulder, fingers indulging in a brief, companionable squeeze. "See you back here in a few hours, Kui Xian."
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