Wartorn

Chapter 24 - No End In Sight

"Wait," he blurts out, stepping forwards. "Can I – can I ask you something?"

His master pauses, turning back.

"Is something wrong?" Anakin queries. "I know there is something going on you haven't told me about."

And just like that, his expression closes off again. That alone makes it obvious he's hiding something, as does the sudden downwards spiral of his presence. "It's a Council matter," he replies.

"But you've told me about those in the past," Anakin reminds. He understands there are things he can't know about, but after... after the Festival of Light, after everything, he can't stand being in the dark about things. Even if it's something he has to deal with. "If there's something I can do to help..."

"I'll tell you," Obi-Wan assures. He looks away, indecision warring on his face. "I'll explain when I get back," he offers.

The twisting uncertainty picks up again. He doesn't know why, but for some reason, it feels like they won't see each other again for a while. Anakin doesn't want to think about what that might mean – there should be no reason for that if the war's about to end. So, why...?

Anakin does his best to shake that from mind, stepping forwards to hug him. Grandmaster or no, Obi-Wan is still his master, the man who raised and cared for him. That means a lot. To him, it means everything.

Obi-Wan returns his embrace with an almost startling amount of fierceness, which only serves to further his worry. It's strange how being here can still make him feel safe and protected. He might be old enough that he no longer feels like he needs that, but it's still here, and Anakin takes every moment of it he can get.

Probably, he will never stop craving that comfort, because it's natural, and just as much, this is Obi-Wan.

His master.

They pull back at once, and Obi-Wan's hands are on his shoulders still, warm and grounding. He wishes he felt more comfortable with this when they were younger. "Sometimes," he admits, "The... choices we have to make, as Council members, with our role in the war, aren't ideal."

And that immediately sets off a million alarm bells in Anakin's mind. "What did you do?" he asks. He doesn't mean to sound worried, but he can't help it.

"I'm not only talking about the future," he replies. "It is a mistake I made, one that hurt you. It could happen again."

He doesn't want to think about that, even if it's true. Last time, Obi-Wan stabbed him. Accidentally or no, it still hurt. "Then it's something we'll have to deal with," Anakin says at length, because he doesn't know what else to offer.

Obi-Wan nods to him, and it still feels like there's more to say, but his master turns away. Really, there's always an excuse to linger, but they need to move, and there's not time.

The war will be over soon, one way or another, and Anakin doesn't know what that'll mean for the galaxy. What will it mean for the clones, who have had nothing except war for all their lives? Where will they go? What purpose will they serve? They deserve citizenship, a chance to make their own choices, but Anakin doesn't know how easy it'll be to happen.

He wants to give his boys better lives – all of them.

"Something on your mind, Skyguy?" a familiar, soft voice asks as Ahsoka steps up beside him, watching as Obi-Wan's Star Destroyer takes off.

"The war's ending," he replies. "We never much thought about... after. What will happen to the clones? To the people? The Separatist systems won't willingly rejoin the Republic. The collective, organized war effort may be ending, but something else will take its place."