Author's Note: My other stories are suffering from my writer's block, and I'm hoping that this oneshot will jump start my creativity again. Come one, oneshot. Work your magic! Also, reviews are always appreciated.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Star Wars universe. If I did...well, I'd be rich (but probably writing fan fiction anyway).
Author's Note2: I do own the characters Dsaldi Rueha and Teref Secsa. Using these characters without permission is prohibited. Always Redeemed
It starts off as a simple match between Master and Padawan. It always does.
"Anakin, do you want to spar with me?" I'm hesitant to ask him because part of me knows the result. This always ends the same. Why do I torment myself? Why do I pray for a better outcome when I know how this will end? Even still, I ask.
"Sure, Master." His response comes naturally, and he is light of heart. He is young, and he does not seem to remember the millions of other times we have sparred together. He always forgets, my young Padawan.
We both discard our Jedi cloaks and head towards the sparring rooms. Once there, Anakin nearly runs to see his best friends, Dsaldi and Teref. Dsaldi is a girl of about average height with light skin, and she has light brown hair with blue streaks running through it. She's becoming a young woman, and I know that it terrifies her male Master. Teref is a tall boy – but not nearly as tall as Anakin – and has a darker complexion than most in the Temple. He has chosen to spike his hair just as Anakin has, and he is becoming as much of a man as Anakin. They are all fourteen, headstrong, and rebellious.
"Anakin, are we going to spar?" I call to him, reminding him of our reason for being here. Anakin quickly says good-bye to his friends and comes back towards me.
"Ready when you are, Master."
He picks up his practice saber, and I do the same. In perfect synchronization, we ignite the sabers. His is a blue one, matching his eyes. I have a green saber in my hand. We both twirl the sabers once or twice, testing that they are functioning and have equilibrium. He takes a fighting stance and prepares to spar.
"Patience. You know that this is not how to start a match." I chuckle as he groans and disengages his lightsaber. I also press the ignition button to turn my saber off.
"Please, Master. This is tedious. Can we begin?"
"As you wish, my young Padawan." I approach him, and we bow to one another. We both take two steps back and ignite our sabers again. I can tell that he thinks this entire act is ridiculous, but he will one day learn that he must follow protocol.
I take a defensive stance, and it just in time. Anakin immediately launches into a series of swift blows as he jumps into offensive mode. He relishes in the fact that he has briefly caught me off guard as I struggle to keep up with his maddening series of slashes. Even though he shocks me with his unusual tactics, I parry every one of his blows.
Anakin grows tired, and he briefly backs away from me. We slowly walk in a circle, and I make sure not to take my eyes off my apprentice. He is ruthless when it comes to winning a match, and he lets me know it. Outside these matches, I am his Master and confident. Inside them, I become his enemy. As much as I try to keep these sparring sessions friendly, I realize that he will never see them as anything but battles.
We are still circling one another when I launch into my attack. I slash at him, but he seems to know what I'm thinking. Even though our bond is so strong, I thought I could shut him out for something as simple as a sparring match. I guess Anakin knows more about me and the Force than I thought.
I know that Anakin is becoming exhausted, but he masks it well. If I didn't know any better, I would think that he was thriving off of his mistakes. His heavy breathing seems to be of no consequence to him, and he barely notices the sweat pouring down his face. I launch into another attack, and Anakin struggles to keep up with my increasing pace. I'm testing him, seeing just how much he can face at once.
He grows frustrated with this match. He's losing, and we both know it. I warn him – not once, but twice – to control his emotions, but he tunes me out. Anakin takes a wrong step, and he falls down on one knee. I use the leverage that my height gives me, and I bring my practice saber down toward him.
This infuriates him more, and I warn him again. "Anakin, control your emotions."
This sends him over the edge. He regains his footing as he thrusts powerfully, sending me backwards in a quick movement. He begins to slash quickly at me, using anger as his ally. He gains momentum, and his saber becomes a blue streak before my eyes. He slams his saber against mine, and he puts all of his weight into the blow. The sheer force of the thrust pushes me down to my knees. He slashes as my thigh, the practice saber burning badly enough to prevent me from standing on it again.
"Anakin!" My cry goes unheard as Anakin seeks to annihilate me. He does not care that this is a practice match. His eyes have become a dark blue, and they are nearly black with the exhilaration of winning.
Just as I am about to surrender in hopes that he will withdraw, I notice a new blue saber block Anakin's. I watch as Teref steps between us, and he pushes Anakin back. Anakin growls at this, and launches into a new attack at his friend. He slashes away at his new opponent, and I am amazed at how quickly the tables have turned.
"Anakin, what the hell are you doing?" Teref shouts at him as he quickly parries the onslaught that is Anakin's attack. Teref is asking a question that all of us are desperate to know. What is Anakin doing?
"I could have beaten him! For once, Teref, I could have won against him!" Anakin growls his answer as he somehow increases his pace. He slashes at Teref's shoulder, and the practice saber leaves a small burn mark as it slashes through Teref's sleeve. I can see that there is a small abrasion on the Padawan's arm, but Teref ignores it.
"Anakin, calm down!" Teref tries to talk sense into his friend, but Anakin is having none of it. He has been denied what could have been his greatest achievement. It does not matter that he would have won in an unfair fight. He would have won, and that is all that is important to him.
I am still on my knees, and I cannot find the strength to get up. I should be stopping this match, but I cannot until I find a source of strength. I would need to beat Anakin to stop him, and it pains me to realize this.
I glance over towards the side of the practice room. Dsaldi is stressed by the turn of events. I see her look to me and then to her two friends. She does not know what to do. How can she let this battle continue? How can she stop it?
The other Masters and Padawans have disappeared. They had left sometime before Anakin's fight, and I realize that there are only four people in this room. Dsaldi's Master and Teref's Master have probably thought that I could handle the three apprentices. No one would have predicted this. Why am I so powerless to stop Anakin?
Teref and Anakin are still fighting when Dsaldi finally decides to intercede. In a daring move, she leaves her lightsaber at her hip. She signals to Teref, and he steps away from Anakin. Before my Padawan can attack, Dsaldi steps in front of him.
"Anakin, don't!" She screams at him, and she briefly stops his attacks.
"Step out of the way, Dsaldi!"
"No."
"STEP OUT OF THE WAY!!!" Anakin side-steps her and begins to launch into another attack against Teref. Dsaldi steps in front of Anakin again, but her timing is off. Instead of catching him in time, she steps in front of him as he brings down his saber. He can't stop the blow, and Teref doesn't have the time to block it. I know that there is no way that I can stop this in time.
Anakin somehow finds enough sense to change the blows direction and force. His saber grazes Dsaldi's cheek and her chest. She falls down. Immediately, Teref disengages his saber and catches her. He cradles her in his arms, and he picks her up.
Anakin falls to his knees in remorse, but remorse is not enough to undo his actions. He has betrayed Teref and harmed Dsaldi. How could he do this?
I find enough strength to limp towards the three Padawans. Teref looks at me, knowing that he should wait for my orders. Tears are streaming down his cheeks, and Dsaldi is crying into his shoulder. Neither is crying from physical wounds; it is the Anakin's betrayal that has hurt them.
"Teref, take Dsaldi to the med center. See that she is treated for and then have your own burn checked."
"Master Kenobi, your leg…"
"I will be fine. Now go." I watch as Teref runs with Dsaldi in his arms. As they disappear from sight, I turn to my apprentice.
Anakin is staring down at his hands, suddenly realizing that they wield a dangerous power. He is beginning to see just how out of control he became. He looks up at me, and I see that he is unsure as to how he did this.
"Master…" He tries to reason with me, but I will not hear of it.
"You will go before the Council, and they will decide your punishment. You used anger and hate, and I fear you delved into the Dark Side."
"Master, I…" He looks up at me with an innocent expression, and I am not sure what to do. Anakin is not a monster. He is a child. He did not mean to do this.
"Anakin, we need to find Master Yoda. He will call an immediate Council meaning."
"Master, I am…" He can't spit the words out. He's too shocked. He can't think logically.
"Come." I turn away from him, and I walk out the door. I am not being rational enough to council him, and I am not sure that what else to do. Anakin follows me as we walk the Temple halls to Master Yoda's room. As we approach his door, Anakin turns to me.
"Master, I am sorry." His walls collapse, and I pull him into a hug. He cries into my shoulder, and I know that he feels extreme remorse. He never meant to hurt anyone. This was supposed to be a practice sparring match for fun, and nothing more.
It starts off as a simple match between Master and Padawan. It always does. But today it ends differently. Today Anakin has seen the Dark Side and betrayed his dearest friends.
A part of me knows that a Dark Side will be forever a part of him. A part of me knows that this betrayal will not be his last. A part of me knows that Dsaldi will not be the last innocent victim of his rage. A part of me knows all this things.
Yet somehow, as Anakin cries into my shoulder, I forgive him for everything. He will still have to face the Council, but I forgive him in my heart. A part of me will never see Anakin as a monster. Just as he will always be the Chosen One, he will always be little Ani in my eyes. And for some unknown reason, that redeems him in my eyes.
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