Breathing Ashes

Chapter 4 - Injured

Author's Note: Warning: Abusive relationships and mentions of suicide.

~ Tirana Sorki

Vader stumbles back, thrown off-balance. His respirator is damaged; he knows it immediately, from how it isn't drawing in air the same way it should be, especially not when he's trying to fight.

"Anakin!" he hears his master yell. Vader tries to push himself up again, to keep fighting – it doesn't matter, because it's not as though anything worse could happen to him – but stops when he sees his master shove back his opponent and turn around, unleashing a blinding blast of Force lightning on the Grand Inquisitor.

Something in him stills entirely when he sees it. He hasn't seen lightning for the past years unless it was being used on him, and this isn't, but it doesn't stop the senseless panic from tearing him apart. The Third Sister comes at him again, and Vader blocks her with the Force, throwing her backwards across the hall, without even looking at her.

Obi-Wan doesn't stop. He has this look in his eyes, the burning desire for vengeance, and it's the same look he had on Mustafar, when – when –

"Stand down," he orders sharply. "Tarkin is not the Emperor by law. A-Vader is your superior, not him."

The remainder of the proceedings are lost through a haze of fear. It's worse when he already can't breathe properly. The Inquisitors fighting them are dead, save the Grand Inquisitor, who is unconscious, and the Third Sister, who escaped. They will search the rest of the fortress to find her, not that it's of much significance.

The Fifth Brother changed his mind about fighting against them as soon as he realized it was a fight he would lose. Obi-Wan seems less than impressed with his excuses, but he accepts it anyway, at least outwardly, probably because doing otherwise would be a waste of resources.

The rest of the stormtroopers reluctantly stand down, because there is no real objection to Obi-Wan's point. Not that many of them are left standing, anyway. It's unlikely that it's safe here, but there's little they can do about that right now.

"Leave us, all of you," Obi-Wan orders, turning back to Vader. His presence is still burning with a barely suppressed fury, and Vader's not sure if it's directed at him or not. He doesn't want to know, either. This wasn't how it was supposed to end. If anything, he was supposed to die, not... this.

It couldn't be worse than it already is, Vader tries to remind himself. It doesn't really help.

"Why," he demands, "Why did you let him do this?"

He knows it was intentional. Of course, he does. Even as Anakin, he could never lie to Obi-Wan, and he has no idea how to begin explaining it. He doesn't even understand this all-consuming fear himself, let alone how to talk about it to another. And Vader doesn't want to be alone with Obi-Wan right now, not at all, but at least it will mean no one else is around to see whatever is about to happen.

"Was losing you once not enough?"

He doesn't know what to do or say, except his vision is blurring over and he's not sure if it's more from fear or lack of oxygen. "It wasn't – for you," he rasps.

"Lay down," Obi-Wan orders, approaching him. He seems no less angry than he was moments ago, but it's perhaps more... latent now. "We can fix this together."

He really, really doesn't want his master to touch him right now, but Vader does as he asks, anyway. There's an odd throbbing in his chest but it's hard to tell if it's anything unusual – it always hurts.

"I did all of this to get you back," his master continues, kneeling next to him, "And I almost lost you again. Why? Tell me why." There's an acid to his tone that wasn't there moments ago.