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The former-Chancellor-now-Emperor was the Sith lord Darth Sidious that they had been looking for the whole time.
Obi-Wan had let Anakin get close to the menace ever since he was a small boy.
Anakin was assigned to keep watch over the Chancellor when Order 66 commenced.
Those realizations had initially caused Obi-Wan to become physically ill. Each time they came back to the forefront of his mind, a wave of nausea crept in and would nearly render him immobile.
Yoda told him to return to the Temple whilst the grandmaster would attempt to deactivate Order 66 from the Emperor’s office in the Senate building. Allegedly the fiend was not there, but Yoda warned Obi-Wan to be on his guard, for Sidious could have been at the Temple as well.
And, perhaps Anakin.
Obi-Wan would be lying to himself if he thought Anakin incapable of Falling to the dark. His anger and love tended to get confused in heated situations, and that was a dangerous line to blur. He certainly would be at his most vulnerable now, seeing as he was left alone at the end of the war without Obi-Wan himself there to support him… who knew what kinds of manipulation Sidious could use to his own advantage to sway Anakin to his side?
No matter what state Obi-Wan found his Padawan in, though, he would bring him back.
To do that, he would need some help. The only other Force-sensitive that Obi-Wan could trust with this sort of thing would be Ahsoka, hence why he contacted her as soon as possible.
He knew she survived—he could feel it. She learned too well from Obi-Wan and Anakin to not have survived.
Obi-Wan prayed Anakin could keep that streak alive for himself.
After what felt like hours, Obi-Wan was able to disable the signal in the archives. Though, he felt that his task was not yet complete.
He needed to know what happened to Anakin.
He could have fallen along with the other Jedi masters in the Chancellor’s office, or he could have Fallen and led an attack on the Temple in order to do Sidious’ bidding. Whatever the case, if anything happened to his Padawan at the Temple, he felt that he had a right to know. The Jedi were practically extinct, now, so there was no one left to really scold him for indulging in his attachment to Anakin.
(Oh Force, was Obi-Wan attached to Anakin… he just never wanted to admit it.)
His palms were sweating as he skimmed through the footage the archives had available. The clone troopers (the 501st, and didn’t that terrify him) marched on the Temple, gunning down Jedi Masters, Knights, Padawans, and younglings alike. Not even the younglings survived…
Well, some did. Another angle of the footage showed a lightsaber deflecting blaster bolts outside of the Council chambers. The blue blade arced back and forth in ways that no other Jedi’s lightsaber had in all the recordings Obi-Wan had just seen. Perhaps that was why this particular Jedi did not fall like the others had.
There was a lull in the fight and the lightsaber deactivated. The figure turned just slightly, removing its hood and Obi-Wan instantly recognized the mess of golden-brown hair that had grown too long, always getting in your face, Anakin—
“Anakin,” Obi-Wan whispered shakily.
He watched, frozen, as Anakin outstretched his gloved hand into the Council Chambers and seven or eight younglings materialized behind him and they all raced down the corridor. Anakin made them all hold hands, and he grabbed the eldest’s hand and dragged them through twists and turns of hallways that the children had probably never even seen before.
Obi-Wan watched the corresponding footage to follow along with them. Finally, they happened upon the secret elevator that only Council members were authorized to use. Obi-Wan hadn’t even gotten the chance to show it to Anakin yet, but of course he already knew about it. Who knew how many times the boy had used it himself when he was not supposed to.
An alternate view of the area showed more clone troopers advancing down the corridor, along with a figure in a black cloak that in the holo-recording looked like an inky black mass consuming the hallway. Anakin seemed to have sensed their approach, ushering all of the children into the small elevator with greater haste. The younglings clamored in protest, but Anakin hushed them.
Obi-Wan increased the volume on the recording.
“I cannot go with you, young ones.”
“But, Master Skywalker, we need you!” one child said.
“You will be alright. I’ve contacted Senator Organa on a secured channel, he will be waiting for you at the private landing pad that this elevator leads to. No clone troopers will reach you, I will see to it.”
“How can you be certain?” asked another.
Anakin huffed a laugh. “They have made me angry… they have made the Force angry. But I am… trying not to let it cloud my judgment. What is clear to me is that you must escape. So go! And may the Force be with you.”
The younglings each responded with a chorus of “And also with you, Master.”
Anakin then closed the door to the elevator just in time as clone troopers rounded the bend in the hallway, blasters shooting carelessly all about. Anakin ignited his lightsaber once more and deflected the blaster bolts expertly. He made it look easy, and one would think it took no effort if not for the stern, concentrated look on his face that Obi-Wan had grown to become fond of over the years. As a little boy, he had that same look when dismantling droids or attempting to boil water and steep tea for Obi-Wan, and he could not be prouder to have been able to watch that look evolve to fit the powerful and passionate warrior Anakin was today.
If he lost him like everyone else he had ever loved… well, Obi-Wan was certain that he could not survive that pain again. And losing Anakin would be infinitely worse than anything he dared call agonizing in the past. Anakin was his other half, his charge, his responsibility. He was the one person that never, under any circumstance could Obi-Wan ever lose.
He pushed the thoughts away, trying his best to pay close attention to the holo-recording.
Once all the clones were dealt with, the figure in black reached Anakin’s position and all at once everything made sense. It was Sidious, but he did not instantly attack Anakin as the clones did. No, he opened his arms wide and laughed.
“You align yourself with the Jedi? I must admit I am rather shocked.”
“No,” said Anakin.
Obi-Wan’s heart sank, but Anakin was not finished speaking.
“I choose the Force, and it is not its will that all these innocent people be slaughtered by brainwashed slaves!”
Palpatine snarled. “So, you would choose death.”
“Either way, you would have Anakin Skywalker die. I would rather stay dead than become another one of your slaves.”
“It is futile, my boy,” Sidious said, and Anakin visibly and audibly flinched. “One way or another, I will have my apprentice. And I will become Emperor of this galaxy, and worlds will fall at my feet. Your wife could be saved from the death you and I have foreseen… and your family would be spared from my wrath. All you have to do is join me.”
Obi-Wan waited with bated breath to see what Anakin would do. He'd had a feeling that Padmé and Anakin were very much involved, but it came as a shock to him that she was pregnant. But really, when was Anakin ever one to follow the rules?
The boy looked utterly distraught, like he was about to cry, and Obi-Wan had to remind himself that this had already happened. He missed his chance to help his brother and now he could be anywhere.
(Even dead—)
“You will not leave this temple,” Anakin said shakily, breath hitching. “The grave of the Jedi will be the grave of the Sith, as balance demands.”
Palpatine laughed again. “We will see how long that pathetic notion of yours lasts, Vader.”
Anakin flinched again, and then the two were locked in combat. The duel was frightening, for both adversaries were ruthless and held nothing back. Sidious had both Sith lightning and a lightsaber at his disposal, but Anakin had some sort of ethereal presence surrounding him that even Obi-Wan could see through the holo-recording.
But all of this was pointless to focus on because as mesmerizing as the duel was, Obi-Wan realized at last that Anakin was probably still in the Temple.
He shut off the footage, and instead reached out into the Force to see if he could sense Anakin.
Instantly, he was bombarded with his Padawan’s Force signature and it was full of agony and shame and fear. It brought tears to Obi-Wan’s eyes, and it had him running like a madman through the halls of the archives and back to the main floor of the Temple.
He was so focused on his goal, on gaining access to the archive footage to find Anakin that he could not sense his Padawan was in the very same building as him. Qui-Gon always cautioned Obi-Wan for centering on his anxieties and not truly experience the moment as the Force intended, and it seemed almost nothing had changed in that regard (his fear for his Padawan certainly had him feeling as though he was no older than 25 again). If that blasted flaw cost him the time necessary to save Anakin’s life…
A chill sparked through him, and he shivered. He pushed the thoughts away again, this time trapping them behind red ray-shields of denial that would not hold for long… but they would hold. They had to.
Anakin had to.
He kept running, using his Padawan’s signature like a homing beacon. The more he paid attention to it, the more resolve, acceptance, and love he felt pulsing through their bond and throughout the entire temple. It soon overcame the slimy dark presence that existed in the back of his mind, but even still he was frightened. The intrusive thoughts threatened to break free of their prison, and as each one rammed against his weakening will, he put more of his energy into sprinting.
He tried not to feel Anakin’s presence weaken, tried not to feel it curl reflexively in on itself as it sustained blow after blow. His lungs felt like they might burst, and it was not because of the running.
Obi-Wan projected his own presence out in attempts to get Anakin’s attention and gain a better sense of where exactly his Padawan was. He found that he was talking with Ahsoka somewhere near the residential area of the Temple, but the dark presence was not too far away from them.
(Of course they had to be on the opposite side of the Temple as the archives.)
He focused himself in on his running once more, not daring to ponder how exhausted Anakin must have been from fighting Sidious for more than twenty-four hours straight. It should not have been possible, but given all the stunts Anakin had pulled off these last few years during the war Obi-Wan should not have been all that surprised. He couldn’t be bothered to smother the swell of pride blooming in his chest for Anakin’s resilience.
But he would still need help, and Obi-Wan was prepared to give him that.
Force, why did Anakin have to grow up so fast? It seemed like only yesterday he was helping him memorize the basic alphabet for his studies, and now he had to help him defeat one of the worst Sith lords the galaxy had seen in recorded history? And he’d let that same little boy talk alone with a monster for over ten years, being manipulated and groomed—
He steeled himself again, knowing that vomiting would only hinder him in reaching Anakin as soon as possible.
Finally, after what felt like hours of even more running he was almost at the “lobby” of the residential area and tried to survey where Anakin and Ahsoka could be.
As a result, he could feel his Padawan’s pain seeping past his shields and felt him resist the urge to sob.
(Obi-Wan in turn felt like weeping.)
He could feel the last few words exchanged between him and Ahsoka:
“—you will always be in danger…”
“I can live with that.”
Anakin, he stopped running to project down their bond. He wanted to let him know that he was going to help him, to protect him, and never leave his side another day again. That he loved him—
Before he could express this, he felt fierce love and protectiveness explode down his end of their bond. It was as good a confirmation as any that Anakin understood what Obi-Wan always meant to tell him, what every hand on the shoulder and pat on the back and even rarer hug had meant.
“I can’t.” Obi-Wan could hear him say to Ahsoka.
At that point the Force and Anakin seemed to meld together, becoming one entity. For any other Jedi, this would have made them become one with the Force instantly (or, essentially die instantly). Anakin obviously was no ordinary Jedi, but with however many serious injuries he sustained he should not have been able to call upon the Force in such a way.
Obi-Wan snapped out of his reverie, making ready to run once more and made it only a few paces before Ahsoka turned the corner and ran into him.
She quickly slipped out of his grasp and down onto the floor, sputtering and sobbing at his feet. He fell to his knees before her, trying to see if she had sustained any injuries from an encounter with Sidious or a stray clone-trooper or any number of things that could have gone wrong since they split up. He knew Anakin would never forgive him if he did not protect her.
“What is it? Are you hurt?”
She sobbed again, avoiding his eyes. “It’s-it’s Anakin. He told us to go, he’s leaving… he’s hurt Obi-Wan, he’s going to—”
Die.
“No.” He did not mean to cut her off, but the idea that Anakin might die… it left him with some indescribable pain and fear that he would never accept and release into the Force. He could not lose Anakin. He would not lose him. Never him.
But he was going to… he could feel it in the Force and in the way the Temple shook beneath their feet. He could sense it happening as they spoke.
“No, no, he can’t—”
The Force (or Anakin, he could not tell anymore) cut him off by screaming, forcing him to wince. The ceiling crashed down upon them, and he moved to protect Ahsoka by covering her head with his arms and chest. It left himself vulnerable, but some sad part of him would have rather been crushed by debris than face what was sure to be something worse than death.
It turned out to be unnecessary. Somehow, Anakin protected them from any debris. The Temple settled, and there was a perfect circle around them that remained untouched except for dust.
Obi-Wan then did something very un-Jedi like.
He rushed past Ahsoka and sprinted after the fading Force presence that had protected them.
“Master!” she yelled after him. He knew she would be alright, and he did not turn back for he also knew from experience that she wouldn’t be too far behind him.
He hurdled over large pieces of debris, even carelessly casting them aside using the Force if they were in his way. His desperation knew no limits, and he was at the point where every obstacle he tossed out of the way caused him to almost break into sobs as opposed to leaving a grunt of exertion for his efforts.
Finally, finally, he found him.
Anakin was slumped against a wall, looking more like a corpse than a human being. He would have hated that, he would want to be seen as a person, even in death—
But he was not dead.
“Anakin—” Obi-Wan crashed to his knees beside him and reached out to him, but he stopped his arm a few inches from Anakin’s face. There was no part of him that wasn’t burned, bloody, or beaten. He feared that touching him might make things worse. But how could he help or heal him if he couldn’t make contact? He would just have to risk it…
“S’okay, ‘biwan, can’t feel—” he had to swallow, but it didn’t help him much, “feel it ‘nymore…”
That couldn’t be a good sign.
Obi-Wan didn’t dwell on the implications of Anakin’s statement because at least he was speaking, and that was a good sign. He surged forward, taking Anakin completely in his arms so that he was not leaning against the collapsed wall anymore, instead leaning against Obi-Wan’s chest.
“Anakin…”
He spent so much time trying to reach him, but now he could not figure out the right words to say to him. How the hell could he express just how proud and yet frightened he was for Anakin?
Why was it so damn hard to say that he loved him?
“I… I almost did it… join—woulda joined ‘im…” Anakin slurred, and took a breath to let out a sob. Obi-Wan’s heart shattered at the sound and held his Padawan closer. “Failed you… ‘m so sorry, ‘biwan, so sorry…” he trailed off, his words petering out into little hitches of breath that indicated he was weeping.
“No, Anakin,” Obi-Wan said sternly. He found that at the sound of Anakin’s tears, the floodgates barricading all his emotions and fears and things he meant to say for the past thirteen years could finally open. “No. I am so proud of you. Words won’t be enough to explain how enormously proud you have made me every day you have been by my side.”
Obi-Wan leaned down, turning Anakin’s bruised face towards his own and brushed the boy’s hair back in the same way he used to when he was young. Well, younger. He was painfully reminded just of how much life Anakin had left to live, and how he was still Obi-Wan’s child.
He looked Anakin in the eye, though one was swollen shut and the other was so unfocused Obi-Wan had to jostle him to make sure he didn’t slip away. It made him realize just how close Anakin was to death already.
He would have to accept it. He knew that. But that did not mean he wanted to.
Anakin’s breath hitched again in his arms, and Obi-Wan’s tears burned familiar tracks into his own cheeks at the sound.
“I love you, Anakin. You are my brother, my child. You are my family, and I’m so sorry I never told you—”
“Love you too, Obi…” Anakin choked out. “Love you s’much… had t’ protect you…”
He seemed almost guilty, and searching their bond Obi-Wan could see why.
He felt guilty for dying, for leaving his loved ones behind in a way he would have hated to lose anyone else. He knew the alternative would have been worse and would have hurt them more, but to him, there was nothing worse than death. His own was always easier.
Obi-Wan shook his head, letting himself smile warmly. “I know, Anakin. I know. But you did it. You saved us. Now, let me save you for once.” He settled his hand on Anakin’s chest, ready to reach into the Force and beg it to take him instead.
(It would not work, not after the Chosen One had fulfilled his destiny.)
Anakin nuzzled into Obi-Wan’s embrace, and then focused his good eye to meet his Master’s gaze. It was electric, sent shivers down his spine.
“No,” he said simply.
Obi-Wan’s face crumpled, and he lowered his head to rest against Anakin’s.
“Please!” he sobbed. “Please don’t leave me…”
It was selfish to play on Anakin’s guilt, but Obi-Wan did not think he could survive living without him. Having any part of Anakin was better than having none at all. He knew that everyone became one with the Force after death—he had been through the grieving process before with Qui-Gon, Satine, and countless others. But through all of that, he had never truly been alone. He’d always had this bright little star, warm in the Force beside him. He naïvely thought his star would always be there.
But he had a destiny that had been written long ago, and in one way or another it would always rip him away from Obi-Wan Kenobi.
“Love you…” Anakin whispered again, his Force presence unraveling. Obi-Wan desperately grasped onto the last tethers of their bond, keeping Anakin there through sheer will.
“I love you too, my Padawan… I love you more than anything.”
Warmth bloomed through the last string holding their bond together, and Anakin smiled as best he could.
And then the Force took him.
Obi-Wan’s world shattered into a million pieces, but at the same time he felt somewhat detached from it all. He held Anakin’s now lifeless frame in his arms, letting the pain blow through him in a harsh wind.
He could not believe it.
He sobbed and whimpered as the grief pierced him like a cold stone dagger in his heart. His limbs shook with the effort of holding Anakin, from the shock, from his sprinting, from losing his Anakin…
He sat there, stroking Anakin’s blood-soaked hair and weeping to himself. He did not care for the passage of time, and certainly did not seek any comfort in the Force. All he could find anywhere was pain, and it had him curling in on himself and Anakin.
It was not long until Ahsoka found him. He thought he would not notice her presence at all, but the opposite was true. So much of Anakin lived in her, and his presence echoed around her as if to say “I’m still with you”.
It would not be enough right then, and would not be for some time. But the most important thing was that he wasn’t alone in his grief, in this pain. Perhaps his was far more poignant and devastating, but in some odd way it was as if Anakin was offering him a lifeline from beyond.
It would take time, but eventually Obi-Wan would see Anakin in his children, see Anakin in Ahsoka, and see Anakin in himself. It was then that Anakin would reach out through the Force, communing with him and appearing before him with Master Qui-Gon.
But again, that would take time.
In the present moment, all he could do was mourn both solemnly and loudly. He and Ahsoka both knew there was more work to be done, a whole galaxy to rebuild. But in this same moment, all they did was let themselves breathe.
And that was enough.