Fading

Chapter 10 - Sidious

Author's Note: Warnings are at the end, as always. :)

~ Amina Gila

Obi-Wan was nearby when he hears Anakin calling him. He also sensed Sidious the moment he exited hyperspace. "I sense it, too," Obi-Wan replies, "We need to go. Now."

Anakin is midway putting his arm back on, looking none too happy about how he didn't have time to finish cleaning it. "What will we do?" Obi-Wan can clearly see his fear. Anakin is scared, and he doesn't know what it's for. What did Anakin see? Sidious is dangerous, but not as much as Vader was.

"We will fight."

"Master, you know what this could mean," Anakin says, fear burning in his eyes.

Obi-Wan's first thought is how he's afraid Anakin will... be lost again. Of how much he fears Vader will return and... He can't imagine losing Anakin again, even if part of his mind is whispering that he may already have. "I do."

"What if he is the only way to restore peace?" Anakin asks, expression pained.

"I can't believe that," Obi-Wan replies firmly, "You should know better than that, too."

Anakin looks away, nodding. He doesn't say anything, instead picking up his glove and pulling it back on.

They don't say anything else, instead heading back to their cave.

He knew this was coming, but Obi-Wan still isn't prepared for it. He knows Sidious will do everything possible to turn Anakin again, but he can't deny being afraid it might work. That could potentially doom the entire galaxy. Anakin reaches over, taking his hand. "I'm not going anywhere, Master," he says softly, "I promise. We won't be... taken apart again."

His heart twists painfully. There's nothing he can say to that. He wants to say he believes it, but he can't. He can't trust that, because he lost Anakin before and if he did again, it would shatter him entirely. But either way, this is still a battle that must be fought. And he doesn't trust that he knows where Anakin's loyalties lie.

He doesn't. He can't lie to himself about that anymore. None of this makes sense, and he'll need time to meditate on it later, assuming they both make it out of this alive.

"Don't make a promise you can't keep," he says instead, moving towards the entrance.

Anakin stops behind him, shifting on his feet. "I won't fail you again, Obi-Wan." He sounds hurt and desperate at once.

He doesn't really know what to say to that. How could he? "We should go elsewhere," he says instead, "If Sidious finds the twins..."

"He won't," Anakin replies, "I won't let him."

In some ways, it's that fire that scares him, because for all that it was always a part of Anakin, it's also what led to... where they are now. It makes him think of Vader again, but he tries to force it aside – he doesn't have time to get lost in thinking of the future. They have to kill Sidious. If they can. "We won't be able to stay here any longer regardless," Obi-Wan concedes. Hopefully, they won't need to.

He'd fought Sidious briefly with Windu, and he was powerful, though. He can only hope that with Anakin here, it will be enough. (He can only hope he knows where Anakin's loyalties lie. He doesn't know that, though. Not with certainty.) He tries to ignore the traitorous, ridiculous part of his mind that whispers maybe it was all a trick, because he should have sensed deception if there was any.

And he didn't.

Besides, Anakin could never pull off an act like that when Obi-Wan knows him so well – even if it has been a long time.