Obi-Wan Kenobi—or Ben, he reminded himself—walked to the spot right outside his house, as he had for years.
Every time, without fail, he had forced himself to remember the pain, the suffering, and the misery that had overtaken him when the one true love of his life had met her untimely end at Maul's Darksaber.
As he closed his door behind him, he squinted at the twin suns of Tatooine. It never failed to occur to him that this planet was where it had all started, so many years ago.
Did he regret meeting Anakin Skywalker? Perhaps. His greatest friend, and now, greatest enemy, had been the product of this planet's harsh upbringing; its slave trade, its black market.
From what Master Yoda had indicated, this is where Anakin had begun his slow descent into the dark side of the force.
As he checked the rocky, mountainous surroundings for Tusken raiders or bandits, he lifted the hood of his robe, preferring the comforting presence of the fabric to the scalding heat of Tatooine.
He only regretted that he had so many of these days- the days of remembrance, of sadness.
Padmé had one- so did Master Windu, Fisto, Plo Koon, and so many others of the Council that had fallen to the blasters of their clones. Even Ahsoka, who he did not know for certain to be dead- had a day of remembrance.
He wondered how Cody was doing. It had taken some time, but Obi-Wan had eventually released any ill will towards him or the other clones that had so quickly turned on their Generals. In the time after the purge, the rumors of the so-called "Protocol 66" had surfaced. The inhibitor chip that had come up in Council Meetings so very long ago had caused some of what Obi-Wan had thought his closest allies to turn on his Order.
He had heard rumors that the last of the Kaminoan clones had begun to die off. He idly wondered whether Rex or Cody were still alive, like their former leaders.
As he turned the corner of his house, he stood before the small pile of Tatooinian stones, and pushed the grief that threatened to overcome him aside.
A few stones had toppled over, likely during the last sandstorm. Smiling to himself, Obi-Wan sat cross legged in the sand in front of the pile, extending the Force and manipulating the stones before him. The stones, he knew, were lifting gently off the ground and once more erecting themselves into the complex shape they had once taken.
He had always done it this way. Somehow, doing it by hand seemed wrong to him.
He opened his eyes once more, and reached into the pocket of his robe for the hologram projector. He pressed the stud once, and the familiar form of Satine was projected before him.
It was always hard, seeing her, but never being able to speak to her again. Never being able to embrace her, to take comfort in her presence, to trade sarcastic witticisms, or to simply kiss her as he had when he was a Padawan was nothing short of torture.
I will make you share my pain, Kenobi.
The monster's words had stayed with him, for a while. He had always wondered whether everything- the dissolution of the Republic, the rise of the Empire, the Jedi Purge, and the ensuing bloodshed that had gripped the galaxy directly after the Clone Wars- had been part of Maul and Opresses' nefarious plot.
But no, he told himself. This was the work of Palpatine. They had all trusted him- blindly, perhaps. They had trusted that the Supreme Chancellor was doing only what he had to in order to protect the democratic nature of the Grand Republic.
He lamented the fact that he had gone through the painful experience of changing his face, of risking his life, and earning the distrust of Anakin all those years ago, becoming Hardeen, in order to protect the good Chancellor.
In hindsight, the signs had all been there.
Kenobi brought himself back to the present; what was done was done. The Sith had swung the balance of the Force back in their favor, and the only thing he could possibly do to stop it was ensure that Anakin's children would be able to someday take back the galaxy in the name of the Jedi.
In the end, he had lost everything.
Remember, my dear Obi-Wan; I have loved you always. I always will.
Her final words had always tortured him, despite all the training he had had to eliminate his attachment to people. He had always had a gnawing feeling that this was a failure on his part. He grappled with himself for that; given time, could his love for Satine have led to the same kind of descent that Anakin's love for Padmé had?
How could something so caring, so… good be a strength to the Dark Side?
He had spent many a night meditating on this, to no effect.
Obi-Wan sighed once more carefully setting the projector in a perfectly-sized recess in the stone shrine of sorts, leaving it as more of symbol than anything else.
He knew that once what was inevitable would take place, he would never return here.
Kenobi stood, dusting off his robes. Far away, the distant sound of a laser blast and the trademark grunting sound of an enraged Tusken Raider told him that someone was nearby, and in need of hope. Judging by the dimly familiar presence he felt, his heart told him that it was indeed Luke Skywalker.
Clipping his lightsaber to his belt, he began the long trek to the nearby valley where the cries were emanating.
As he turned the corner, he looked once more at the barely visible blue hologram.
The Force was telling him that perhaps very soon, he would be seeing Satine once more. No matter how much he had desired it, the long-gone thought of Obi Wan Kenobi- not the Jedi, nor the great General- and Satine Kryze- not the Duchess- growing old together was irrevocably gone.
He was an old man now, and his time was quickly running out. Luke and Leia would become important players in the war to come, and it was his duty to ensure that they had the knowledge they needed to defeat Anakin and Palpatine.
For the first time in a long, long time, Obi Wan felt at peace.
While this isn't particularly for Obitine Week, I felt inspired to write this after watching "The Lawless" for the first time a few days ago. I've always wanted to enter the Star Wars fanfiction scene, but I've only gained confidence from watching almost the entirety of the Clone Wars.
This is my first attempt, hopefully of many, at trying my hand at Star Wars writing.
Feel free to leave feedback or criticism.
May the Force be with you.