Chapter Text
The boiling magma at Anakin’s feet was almost as hot as the fiery rage burning inside him. There was still a small part of his mind that was conscious of what he had done. That was aware of Padme’s body lying where he’d left her. There was a part of him that regretted the things that he had done.
None of it mattered right now. Not when the man who had trained him, raised him and loved him stood before him as an enemy.
Anakin was a traitor. Anakin was a Sith. That was true, wasn’t it? That’s what they called him. That’s what everyone thought. They didn’t see how damaging the Jedi were. They didn’t see the truth.
Lost, Obi-Wan called him. How could he not see what the Jedi had done to the Galaxy?
“This is the end for you my master,” Anakin said with as much calm as he could muster.
Lightsabers clashed together. Anakin could feel the heat radiating off them. He could see the hurt in Obi-Wan’s eyes. It made Anakin sick.
Obi-Wan jumped away and all Anakin could think was ‘coward’.
He didn’t speak, however, just watching Obi-Wan find his bearings on the bank he’d settled on.
“It’s over, Anakin,” Obi-Wan said, out of breath. “I have the high ground.”
“You underestimate my power,” Anakin hissed, feeling his anger rumbling in his gut again.
“Don’t try it.”
Anakin’s head tilted slightly to the side as he furrowed his eyebrows, taking in Obi-Wan’s slightly nervous expression. What was the man expecting him to try? Certainly he did not think Anakin was stupid enough to attempt a jump over his head?
The thought had crossed his mind. But Obi-Wan’s open stance and complete vulnerability at that moment made Anakin rethink his strategy just a little.
Why try and get past Obi-Wan when he could just bring Obi-Wan to him?
With a quick smirk and a gentle flick of his wrist, he pulled Obi-Wan down to him as he stepped onto the shore.
Obi-Wan made the softest gasp as he collided with Anakin’s chest, the blue lightsaber protruding from the small of his back. Obi-Wan’s lightsaber slipped from his fingers and rolled down into the lava.
Anakin pressed his lips to Obi-Wan’s ear and whispered just loud enough to be heard above the explosions.
“You should have listened.”
Obi-Wan found enough strength in his failing body to tilt his head back. His eyes met Anakin’s and there was so much sadness there that it shocked Anakin into silence.
“I loved you.” He breathed, a thin line of blood trailing down his chin.
Anakin felt something stir inside him. He felt the urge to scream his hatred at his master. He felt the emptiness of knowing he had lost someone he had cared so much about.
He didn’t speak any of the hatred or anger that he wanted to. He couldn’t bring himself to do that. No matter what Obi-Wan had done, he had raised Anakin with love. And as he died, he deserved to at least feel like it had meant something.
“I know,” Anakin spoke softly as he lifted Obi-Wan into his arms and walked slowly up the shore, letting Obi-Wan’s head fall against his shoulder.
The trip back to Padme’s ship felt longer than it should have. Obi-Wan got heavier and heavier in Anakin’s arms as the reality of what he had done sank in.
Anakin had murdered children. He had killed Jedi. He may have killed the woman he loved… He held the body of master. He could not convince himself it was worth it.
He laid Obi-Wan’s body on one of the beds in Padme’s ship before going back onto the platform to lift her into his arms. She felt so tiny and light compared Obi-Wan. Anakin swallowed back a burst of emotions he thought he could control.
Her breathing was shallow but it was there and it was enough to calm Anakin down. He laid her in the other bed, covering her with a blanket as he moved to the cockpit and took off. The silence in the ship was almost deafening.
Hours passed. Anakin was flying nowhere. He didn’t have the right mindset to go and see his new master yet. He needed to calm himself down.
He put the ship on autopilot and walked back into the sleeping quarters. He leaned against the wall beside Padme’s cot and looked across the small hallway to Obi-Wan’s still form.
He would be cold by now.
Anakin swallowed the sudden urge to cry. He shouldn’t care. Obi-Wan betrayed him. He was going to kill Anakin. It was justified. Anakin hadn’t done anything wrong.
A memory bubbled to the surface. He remembered the last time Obi-Wan had died. He remembered holding his body in his arms. He remembered his funeral. He remembered being so… angry. So revenge driven. Had he cared about Obi-Wan so much that he had gone so far out of his way to track down the man who’d killed him? A man that, in the end, had turned out to be Obi-Wan himself.
Anakin closed his eyes. He had been so angry with Obi-Wan after that. He had been more angry with the order. How could they not tell him? How could they let him keep believing that the man he loved was dead?
Anakin’s eyes snapped open. Loved? Had Anakin loved Obi-Wan? There was definitely some feelings towards the man that Anakin had long since battled down. How could the order put a small child with such a caring man and expect him to not grow attached?
Anakin covered his face with his hands. He was going in circles. His memories of Obi-Wan felt… tampered with. His feelings for Obi-Wan felt stripped away.
“Ani?”
Anakin jumped at the soft voice from beside him. Padme looked up at him from her space on the cot. Her voice was a little raw but otherwise she seemed fine.
She looked a little scared but the obvious affection in her eyes was winning the fight in her mind.
Anakin forced a small smile onto his lips.
“Don’t worry. You’re safe now.”
Padme frowned, tilting her head to the side. “What do you mean?”
Her head turned slowly, as if drawn to the other person in the room. Her eyes widened and she gasped, hand moving to cover her mouth.
“Anakin!” she cried as she climbed unsteadily out of bed. “What have you done?”
Anakin watched as she ran to Obi-Wan’s bedside, falling to her knees and touching his face gently.
All emotion slipped from Anakin’s face as he could feel the anger seeping back into his veins. All thoughts of love from before were forgotten as the all consuming fury settled in.
He turned away from the scene and walked back toward the cockpit.
“What I had to do.” He said in reply as the doors slid shut behind him, the soft sound of Padme’s crying cut off with a final click.