"Brave of you, boy," Dooku commented, voice mild. "But I would have thought you've learned your lesson."
"I am a slow learner," Anakin responded. He kept his voice level, though his stomach was completely tied into knots. He wouldn't let Dooku kill Obi-Wan. Not today. Not after losing his mother was Anakin going to lose the closest thing he had to a father. There was no chance of that happening.
"Anakin!"
Obi-Wan threw the lightsaber he was using towards him and Anakin caught it in a smooth motion. Anakin wasn't great at jar'kai, but perhaps the distraction of two lightsabers would allow Anakin to break through Dooku's guard.
It didn't really seem to help, as moments later, Dooku's lightsaber cut through the green lightsaber in Anakin's left hand. He was now left with the one that Obi-Wan was using before.
He could sense Obi-Wan in the Force, desperately trying to get up and help. The pain thrumming along their bond seemed to tell him that Obi-Wan wouldn't be able to help much, even if he somehow managed to get himself on his feet. Anakin was alone, at least until anyone else could arrive.
He moved backwards a few steps, cutting through a wire so that the lights were dimmed slightly. The distraction proved to be futile, as Dooku continued to move forward, saber at the ready.
Dooku struck again, and Anakin focused on blocking each blow evenly. Makashi was tricky; not many Jedi use it, and it relies on excellent swordsmanship with the right supplementations of the Force. Dooku was a Makashi master, and Anakin was…struggling to keep up.
Anakin wasn't completely focused. He was trying to focus, but his mind wandered between Obi-Wan, who was injured, and Padmé, who fell off their ship earlier. He didn't know if she was safe. He didn't know if she…
Dooku's lightsaber slipped past his guard and into his chest.
Anakin froze, more in shock than in pain, before the borrowed lightsaber slipped from his nerveless fingers. He shivered and stared down at his chest, at the red lightsaber buried right next to his heart. He couldn't hear anything beyond the sound of his heart thumping loudly in his ears. The Force was holding its breath, and he distantly wondered what it was waiting for.
At the corner of his vision, he could see Obi-Wan struggling to get up, his face twisted into devastating agony. Anakin had never seen him look like that, not even at Master Qui-Gon's funeral or the days that followed. Anakin shifted just slightly, and the pain slammed into him suddenly, at full force. A wretched cry ripped itself through his teeth, and as Dooku's lightsaber extinguished, Anakin fell. He could taste blood in his mouth.
Mom, he thought distantly, barely feeling the vibrations of uneven footsteps approaching him. Mom, I'm coming…
"Anakin!"
Obi-Wan struggled to his feet, vision briefly turning white as he put weight on his injured leg. He gritted his teeth as he stumbled over to Anakin with uneven steps. He knelt down, ignoring Dooku as he let out a bark of laughter.
"You failed again, Obi-Wan," his grandmaster taunted. "First your master, and now your apprentice. How does it feel?"
Obi-Wan ignored him and placed his hands over Anakin's wound. He wasn't able to heal Qui-Gon in time, but now maybe he could save Anakin…maybe.
But the Force was slipping from his grasp too quickly; he had overextended himself.
"Please," he whispered, reaching out again. There was blood dripping out of Anakin's mouth and nose, but he was still alive. That had to be enough. "He's the Chosen One; you can't…"
But the Force did nothing.
"Let him go, Obi-Wan," Dooku said solemnly. Grief, a feeling Obi-Wan was too familiar with, gripped his heart. Obi-Wan carefully placed a hand on Anakin's cheek.
"Anakin?" he whispered.
Anakin moaned softly before his eyes opened.
"I'm sorry, Master, I…"
Obi-Wan shook his head. "You've done well, Anakin," he said softly. "Just rest now; everything will be fine."
Anakin blinked and then smiled at something behind Obi-Wan. There was blood staining his teeth. "Mom?" he gasped, chest heaving slightly. "Mom, I…"
His voice faded away into nothingness and with a quiet snap, his Force presence dissipated. The second training bond that Obi-Wan ever had was broken by death. Shattered. Obi-Wan shuddered as pain shot through his mind, as fresh grief flooded his senses.
"You must understand, Obi-Wan," Dooku said, as though he was talking about the weather. "He was standing in the way of things. You must join me and together we can def—"
"No."
Obi-Wan looked up at the Sith Lord. "If you thought doing this would sway my decision, you are mistaken, Dooku," he said.
Dooku laughed again, but the sound of it was cold and unforgiving.
"There's nothing left for you, Obi-Wan," Dooku responded, eyes glittering eerily. "You've failed your Padawan, and you failed Qui-Gon. The Jedi are at the brink of destruction; this war is simply a distraction. I can help you, Obi-Wan."
Obi-Wan tried to focus on what Dooku was saying, but the raw, bleeding ends of the broken bond were quickly overwhelming him, along with the lightsaber wounds on his arm and leg. There were grey spots quickly appearing in his vision. He looked down at the cooling body before him.
"He was the Chosen One," Obi-Wan said finally. "I don't…I…"
He blinked, trying to clear his blurring vision.
"You're wrong, Dooku. I have the Force," he murmured, and then unconsciousness claimed him before he could say or think anything more.