"And that's why this is not correct. Your answer was creative, I'll give you that, but you mixed the two main concepts. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, I do" he answered stifling a yawn, his eyes fixed on the table.

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. "Professor Windu is an excellent person, don't you think? Your favourite professor in the university, by a mile."

"Yeah. You're right."

He hit the table lightly with the book. "Anakin!"

The student gave a start. "Geez, what now?"

"You're not listening to anything I say!"

"For God's sakes, Obi-Wan. Give me a break. What is it with you today? Of course I'm listening!"

"Oh, yes?" He nodded effusively. "Alright then, forgive me. Now that we've established that you're Mr Windu's number one fan, let's continue with the lesson."

"Yeah, let's—wait, what the hell?" Obi-Wan looked at him self-sufficiently with his arms crossed. "Alright, I may be a bit distracted, I'll give you that. But what do you want me to do? Watto had me working until twelve last night, and I had to study for my next exam when I came home and—"

"But that's just it, Anakin!" He looked at him with pleading eyes. "Why do you keep working for that exploitative tyrant?"

He gave an annoyed snort. "Easy for you to say that, when you've never been against the ropes to earn a living. Don't you think I would like to quit that kriffing job and never see that miserable's ugly face ever again? The face of my enslaver in the other life! Well, hot news to you, I would love to! So then why don't you leave, you will ask? Because I need the money, that's why!"

"Anakin, lower the volume." He closed the window of the classroom before sitting again in front of his very stubborn friend. "I told you yesterday I can help you with the money until you find a new job."

"Yeah" he said sarcastically, but at least without raising his voice this time. "And I told you that's out of the question."

"But, why? Why can't you accept my help?"

"I don't need your charity" he said firmly crossing his arms on his chest.

"My charity?" he said incredulously.

"Listen to me—"

"No, you listen. This is ridiculous! After everything we've been through, after having saved each other's lives more times than I can count, after all the hardships we had to endure in that life, are you really going to refuse my help with something as insignificant as this?"

"I—it's not that!" he defended himself. "You've always had this ability to twist words and make things look more complicated than they are."

"Then oh please, enlighten me, how would you define this situation?" Anakin opened his mouth to answer him, but Obi-Wan interrupted him. "Anakin you're my friend. My best friend! How do you think I feel when I see you so shattered that you can't even lift a finger, knowing that I could help you if you just let me?"

That did seem to appease him. His blue eyes softened and his voice adopted a conciliatory tone when he spoke. "Obi-Wan, I appreciate the fact that you want to help me. Truly, I do! But can't you see that I value my independence? I never liked to rely on others to get me out of trouble. And to accept your money, that's just... a resounding no. And I know that you couldn't care less about the money, and even if you did you would want to help me all the same. But, you know me, Obi-Wan. I was never good at accepting help... I guess I'm just too self-reliant."

"That's one word for it" he said in that tone that used to drive Anakin mad; the tone that seemed to imply that he knew better than himself.

"And, pray tell, what other word would you use?"

"You call it being self-reliant, I call it being too proud to admit that sometimes you need to accept the help of others."

"Whatever." Anakin shook his head; he was too tired to argue, let alone to fight dialectical battles with the one once known as "The Negotiator". "Anyways, I'm grateful for your help."

"But you won't accept it." It was not a question, of course. To be honest, he hadn't expected to be able to convince him. But the least he could do was trying— since his friend was too stubborn to care about himself, someone had to do it for him. If only he would let me. "It's alright. I didn't expect you to."

Anakin chuckled. "Then why do keep on insisting?"

"I guess I'm nearly as stubborn as you are."

He smiled. "Like Master, like Padawan" he said in a low whisper.

Obi-Wan, in spite of himself, let out a chuckle— Anakin had always had the inconvenient ability to make him forget the reasons why he should be angry with him. "Indeed."


It happened on a Tuesday. Anakin was at home tinkering with some machines when he received Ahsoka's anxious phone call; she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown—she had remembered everything. Anakin asked her to come over, and he explained everything to her at once, as Ahsoka was afraid she was going crazy.

"Obi-Wan" he said hurriedly when his friend picked up the phone. "Can you come over? We have a situation."

"I never liked the sound of that" he said giving a sigh. "I'm on my way."

Half an hour later, Anakin, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka were sitting on the couch of Anakin's untidy living-room. Just like the old times.

"This is..." Ahsoka started.

"Crazy" Anakin supplied.

"Disconcerting" Obi-Wan said at the same time. "Don't worry, it'll make more sense in a few days."

"So, to sum up... Yoda's force ghost, from the future, appeared to you in your dreams in the other life, and he offered you a new opportunity in this world because the Force wanted to repay you for having fulfilled the prophecy, even if before that many things went to hell and some unknown tragedy ended up happening? A tragedy that the Force wanted to prevent from happening to you, by sending you to an alternate reality because the future can't be changed?"

"Yeah, basically."

"Holy crap!" she exclaimed. "I still can't believe it. And to think that that life never existed in this universe... But then, how is it that we retain our memories? Well, they were suppressed, but you know what I mean. How is it possible that we remember, if we've been reborn in this life?"

"That's a very good question" Obi-Wan said thoughtfully. "From what Anakin's told me, Yoda said that Anakin, as well as other people from his timeline, would be reborn in another reality, and thus their memories of that life as they knew it would be suppressed, so to speak. He even mentioned the possibility of having those memories awakened, but he wasn't certain of that."

"What a surprise, coming from him" Anakin said ironically.

"Anakin, don't start again."

Ahsoka looked at them quizzically. It seemed that they'd held this conversation many times.

"Since when do you two know?"

They exchanged a look. "Just a couple of weeks."

"Two weeks? Two weeks and you didn't tell me?"

"Hey, don't look at me! It was Obi-Wan's idea."

He rolled his eyes. "You're so helpful, Anakin."

Ahsoka stifled a laugh and looked at them with a knowing look. Some things never changed.

"I'm sorry, Ahsoka, but we thought—yes, we, Anakin— we thought that it'd be best for you to remember on your own time."

"Yeah, Snips, just look at your reaction. You remembered everything yourself, and still you thought that you were losing it."

"Well, now you're going too far. But, yes, I guess... I guess I see what you mean."

"I find it funny that things in this world are different, yet similar in many aspects" Anakin said. "Like Obi-Wan being my teacher, or how much I enjoy mechanics, and Palpatine being the mayor!" He laughed. "And of course, Yoda as the director of the university... and in a weird way, in this life too, he speaks" he said imitating his voice.

Ahsoka laughed as Obi-Wan reproached him. "You were always so disrespectful." However, the former Jedi Master couldn't hide his grin of amusement.

"Oh, come on, you found it funny too."

"Hardly."

"Padmé used to find it funny" he said wistfully. "Both in this life and in the other one." He gave a sad smile. "Me and Padmé... there's another similarity."

"Oh, Anakin. I'm so sorry."

"Me too, Ahsoka. Me too." He then looked at her with enquiring eyes. "What, no surprised face? Not even a simple double-take?"

Ahsoka smiled patronizingly. "Sorry, Skyguy, subtlety was never your strong point."

"I told you, my friend" Obi-Wan said looking far too much satisfied with himself.

"Oh, come on" he groaned. "Seriously? So all of a sudden everyone knew about me and Padmé or what?"

"No, Anakin. Lucky for you, only the ones who knew you best, which happened to be me and Ahsoka. I assure you if the Council had known, they wouldn't have turned a blind eye as I did."

"So then you knew?" Ahsoka asked Obi-Wan. "I always wondered if you suspected anything. I mean, you had to suspect something for sure, what with how perceptive you are and how bad at hiding it he was." She ignored Anakin's offended "hey!"

Obi-Wan hummed. "I did suspect there was something going on, although the fact that he was married came as a surprise, to be honest."

She opened her mouth in surprise. "Married? Are you kidding me?"

Anakin looked smug. "Now, it doesn't seem I was so bad at hiding it, after all."

"Wow. Is there any other bomb you two want to drop on me? Any other untold secret from that life?"

"Oh, I'm sure there are plenty" Obi-Wan said jestingly. "I guess we'll discover them as we go."

I hope you don't. Anakin's heart ached. His secret about the Tuskens weighted on him. And it didn't make sense. Why should he feel guilty for hiding it? That had happened in another life.

That was a poor excuse, he knew. In essence, he was the same person. And, mostly, the fact itself of not daring to tell Obi-Wan made clear that it was no trifle.

And it pained him, this secret. For all the crap that this life had brought him, if there were some things that were better now than before, then the state of his and Obi-Wan's friendship was certainly one of those things. Even without taking into account the crisis in their friendship after the Rako Hardeen incident, things between them had already been strained for a while; their lack of communication and the secrets Anakin hid from him, as well as a certain lack of trust from his part, were the main things at fault.

But in this life, many of these breaches had been fixed. Obi-Wan had known about his relationship with Padmé and he never told the Council, for Force's sakes! How could he have ever distrusted the man? What more proof of his friendship do you need? And now, finally, finally, they had been able to talk openly about it, and it seemed as if a weight he hadn't been aware of had been lifted off his shoulders. Here, they were building something special,—a special friendship, they were building a special friendship— free of lies and untold secrets. And he didn't want to ruin that. That's why he was sometimes tempted to tell him about the Tuskens— no more secrets. But then again, he feared his reaction. Objectively, he knew he shouldn't mind so much about what Obi-Wan might think of him, he knew that the thought of him disappointed for something that had happened in another life shouldn't hurt so much—but for some reason, he did worry, and, Force, did that thought hurt. At that's how every time he resolved to tell him, he ultimately backed down, being left at a stalemate.

Ahsoka's voice brought him back to earth.

"I have to go now, but we're far from over. I'm going to need many talks to even begin to get used to all this."

"Of course, Ahsoka" Obi-Wan assured her. "However, and not to discourage you or anything, but we are still trying to come to terms with it ourselves."

"Yeah, especially me" Anakin said, joining the conversation. "This man over here has nerves of steel, I swear."

"I told you, that comes as a result of all the endless years trying to be the one to keep a cool head out of the two."

Ahsoka could still hear the banter when she left the apartment, and the familiarity of it all appeased her more than any talks could have done.

"She took it really well, all things considered" Obi-Wan said after a while.

"You didn't see her when I first talked to her... but, yeah. I guess it could have been worse."

Obi-Wan looked around the mess around them. "My goodness, Anakin. One would think there has been a war inside this room, judging by the state of it all."

Kriff. Anakin blushed furiously (oh, come on, not again!) and he started tidying everything up. "I didn't know I would have company!" he defended himself.

Obi-Wan, looking puzzled, let out an incredulous chuckle. "Since when do you get ashamed about me seeing your mess? That was never a problem for you."

His student raised his head to look at him thoughtfully. "Actually" he said dropping a mess of circuits and whatnot on their rightful place on the floor, "you're right. Thanks for reminding me" he finished off mockingly as he put an end to his completely out of character behaviour by letting everything remain in its original state of chaos.

"That's... not how I wanted it to go."

"Too bad, Obi-Wan" he said with a smug look as he picked up some machine and started tinkering with it. "Next time, think before you speak."

He snorted. "Like you're one to talk."

Anakin made a face and continued tinkering with his machines— rather, he appeared as if he was tinkering with his machines. In truth, he didn't know what he was doing. Obi-Wan's attentive stare was making it too hard to concentrate, and he told himself that this was solely due to the fact that Obi-Wan's critical look had always managed to annoy him. Nothing more than that.


He tried to hide how tired he was, but it was not an easy task. When Obi-Wan went to the kitchen to make some tea, Anakin took advantage of his absence to yawn without being noticed. He felt childish for being like this, but he did it for Obi-Wan's sake: he knew the man took it badly that Anakin didn't accept his money so that he could quit his current job.

He knew his friend well, and he was sure that Obi-Wan took it as if meant that Anakin didn't trust him enough or some nonsense like that, no matter how many times Anakin had assured him of the contrary.

On the surface, everything was normal between them. However, the last few days he'd noticed that Obi-Wan was more aloof; perhaps as a consequence of his being hurt by Anakin's refusal of his help. And he couldn't stand this growing distance between them. He desperately wanted to make him see that he was wrong! That he couldn't trust him more than he already did. And he knew the way to do it, but it was easier said than done.

But, as he looked distractedly at his essay, going over Obi-Wan's corrections in that sophisticated handwriting, he came to a decision. He had to tell him; there was no better way of showing his trust. And he'd wanted to do it for a long, long time. The idea of eliminating the last secret standing between them was too appealing. However, it was immensely terrifying as well. For all that he'd been once called "The Hero with No Fear", there were some situations that would never cease to make him feel like an afraid child. This was one of these situations.

But bravery didn't mean not being afraid of anything, but rather, being strong enough to face one's fears, and overcome them. The decision had been made: he was going to live up to his former alias.

When he saw Obi-Wan returning with a cup of tea in his hand, his resolve to tell him almost crumbled; but he stayed strong.

"Obi-Wan" he stood up, the nerves inside his stomach making it impossible for him to remain on his chair. "We need to talk." His friend raised one eyebrow, unsettled by Anakin's worried, and even scared countenance. "It's about my mother's death, in the other life... and what happened afterwards."

Obi-Wan sighed. "I have a bad feeling about this."

He was not the only one.


"Please say something."

Obi-Wan hadn't said a word since Anakin had finished speaking. He stood in front of the window, giving his back to him, his arms crossed on his chest.

The tickling of the clock was getting on Anakin's nerves; sometimes he thought that it had a life of its own, choosing to sound louder at the worst of times, making the already uncomfortable silence even more awkward.

"What do you want me to say?"

"Anything" he pleaded.

Obi-Wan turned around; Anakin hated how tired he looked all of a sudden.

"This is... I don't know what to say." And the fact that Obi-Wan, the master of eloquence, was at a loss of words, already bespoke of the difficulty of the situation. "Why didn't you tell me about this in the other life?"

"I guess I was afraid of your reaction."

"Afraid of my reaction?" he repeated incredulously. "Anakin! Are you aware of the gravity of what you did? I was your Master! If there was anyone you should have told this, that was me!"

"I know! I... I'm sorry" he said lamely.

"I don't— Force, Anakin, I don't want your apologies. I want to understand. I can't believe that you..."

Anakin reacted as he used to do when he felt himself cornered: anger, it always came to that. "You can't believe that I what, Obi-Wan? That I killed the bastards that caused my mother's death?"

"Revenge was not the way of the Jedi, Anakin!"

"So I guess I was supposed to sit on my hands?" He laughed ironically. "I'm sorry, but I'll leave that to you. You were always so good at that!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"If you had listened to me when I told you about my dreams in which I saw my mother dying, then none of this would have happened! But, no, all you had to give was "dreams pass in time, Anakin." It was a low blow, he knew. But right now he was too angry to be feeling guilty about it.

"You know how sorry I am about that" he answered heatedly. "I've told you countless times."

"Yes, well, then at least have the decency to not judge me for having reacted in some way, instead of being a spineless—"

"I'm not judging you!" he interrupted him. "I'm merely stating that what you did... you crossed a line, Anakin! And you know that as well as me. Why else would you have hidden this from me, if you truly believed you had done nothing wrong?" Anakin didn't have an answer for that. "You allowed yourself to be controlled by your anger. You must see that was a step towards the dark side." Anakin averted his eyes, ashamed. "And I'm not saying this to criticise you, Anakin. I'm just saying... that you should have told me. I could have helped you release your anger—"

Anakin huffed. "By meditating?"

"For instance, yes" he answered with a stern frown. "What you shouldn't have done, under any circumstance, was to swallow all those negative feelings without even trying to acknowledge the problem. Nothing good could have ever come out of this!"

Obi-Wan inhaled soundly. It was no use getting all worked up by something that hadn't even happened in this life. But something of this magnitude... Force, Anakin. And it was not only his fault, he knew. I failed you, my friend. How could I not notice any of this? He had been his Master, he should have been able to prevent this! I'm as much to blame as you.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there for you as much as I thought I was." Anakin looked at him puzzled. "Did anyone else know?"

"Padmé" he said after a while. Obi-Wan nodded; he had expected as much. She had been in Tatooine when that happened, so it was only normal that Anakin had broken down in front of her. He was glad that, at least, his friend had had someone to console him in those difficult moments.

Meanwhile, a debate was taking place inside Anakin's head. He could withhold this last truth; Obi-Wan would never know. And he had a feeling he was not going to take it well if he told him, to put it mildly. But the point of all this was to be honest with him. To show him my trust. No more secrets, wasn't that what he had resolved to do? I'm going all out, damn the consequences.

"Palpatine knew, too."

"What?" he asked incredulously. "You mean you didn't trust me with this secret— me, your own Master— but you trusted him?"

"I knew he wouldn't judge me" he defended himself, feeling his own anger starting to rise. "I couldn't say the same of you. And who do you think you are to speak to me of trust? You, who made me believe you had died just to make your plan look more credible! Are you really this hypocritical?"

Obi-Wan faltered. "That was wrong of me, I already asked for your forgiveness—"

"And I didn't accept your apologies, in case you have forgotten! And the worst thing is, after our confrontation, I was so edgy that I took it out on Padmé! My last conversation with my wife in that life was an argument because of you! Don't you dare speak to me about trust, Obi-Wan. I was under no obligation to tell you all this. I could have kept it secret, and you would have never known. And yet I decided to tell you! Because I wanted to show you my trust! And what do I get in return? Just your usual criticism, and for something that hasn't even happened in this life!"

"The Rako Hardeen incident didn't happen in this life either, yet you seem to have no problem in bringing it into this argument! But I shouldn't be surprised. No matter what life we're in, you always seem to act like a spoilt child. Did you really expect me to not react to the bomb you just dropped on me?"

"Like a child! Anakin repeated, outraged. "Go on, you can say it. Like the unbearable child you were burdened with, whom you only took as your apprentice because you promised Qui-Gon!"

"You're talking nonsense—"

"Am I? So you never used the words 'a pathetic life form' to refer to me?" Obi-Wan looked as if someone had thrown cold water on him. "I'm sure many times you wished that Qui-Gon had never found me. And, to make things worse, now you also have to put up with me being your student in this life! Poor old Obi-Wan" he said sarcastically as he took his book and put it inside his bag.

"But don't worry, you won't have to put up with me any longer" he shouted while he walked towards the hall. "I release you from your burden" he said spitefully before disappearing behind the door, exiting Obi-Wan's apartment in long strides.


He was at the beach— his refuge— waiting for the sunset. The clear sky presented a beautiful mixture of orange and blue, reflected by the crystalline water of the unusually calm sea. It was one of those rare winter days when the temperature was warm enough to allow being covered by just a few layers— a leather jacket, in his case.

It was a long walk to this part of the beach, but it was worth it. The rush of the crowded centre of town was far away from here; it seemed as if this place existed in isolation. This was the furthest end of the beach, surrounded by mountains and vegetation. To arrive to this end one had to go through a narrow passage amidst the bushes, since the path through the sand that connected it to the rest of the beach was interrupted by a vast extension of rocks. Sometimes, one could see some people here and there, especially the weekends. But for the most part, this area of the beach was lonely—and that's why Anakin used to come here when he needed to evade himself from his problems, or simply to enjoy the solitude.

He loved to walk along the shore, listening to the waves as they broke and observing the white foam that formed on the surface of the water. Now though, he was standing still, several metres from the shore, his hands on the pockets of his jeans as he looked towards the sky.

Three days had passed since their argument; three days since he last went to the classes. He had caught a cold and felt terribly ill— or that's what he'd told Ahsoka when she phoned him. In truth, the last thing he'd wanted was to go to that place— and come across him.

He was not as angry as he was hurt. And he knew it shouldn't hurt this much, which angered him even more; and so there was no way of breaking this vicious circle.

As he gazed at the waves, the sea started to dissolve, giving way to a memory from a distant past; gone but not forgotten.


A long time ago, in another reality...

"Anakin. Please, listen to me—"

"No! I have nothing to speak with you". When he turned around to shout him some more, he was at a loss of words for a moment. Obi-Wan was looking like himself again, all traces from his Rako Hardeen's appearance gone. And then the thought struck him forcefully— he's alive, thank the Force he's alive.

That didn't mean that he was going to forgive him that easily, though, nor that his anger was going to dissipate just like that. Quite the contrary; it intensified.

"I came to apologise. I know that what I did was not completely right, but you must see that it was necessary to—"

"Didn't you hear me? Leave me the fuck alone!"

"No!" Obi-Wan situated himself in front of the door, blocking the way. "Anakin, I'm sorry."

"You're sorry" he repeated mockingly. "That's not good enough, Obi-Wan. That's not kriffing good enough! You made me believe you were dead! Dead, Obi-Wan! And I don't care about your excuses, I'm sure you will twist your words to make it sound very logical, but I don't care about any of that! I thought you were dead, and you can't imagine what that—"

He couldn't finish the sentence; his voice had broken due to the emotion. How could Obi-Wan be so hard-hearted about everything? Could he not see that his actions had an effect on others? That others actually cared about his well-being? That his death would have destroyed him.

Who was he fooling? Of course Obi-Wan didn't realise about those things. It was very simple: for him, duty always came first. He would have probably understood and forgiven Anakin had their roles been reversed. Because he was not too dependent on him; because he was not so attached. And how much did Anakin hate that word.

"Anakin, please—"

"No. I don't want to hear it." He didn't even raise his voice this timehe didn't have the strength for it. "You made your decision, now deal with the consequences."

He broke away from Obi-Wan's grip on his arm and stormed out of his apartment in the Jedi temple.


Now, in another lifetime, far beyond time and space, the heart of the matter remained. Anakin was still too dependent on Obi-Wan. He still cared too much about what his friend thought of him. He hated to admit it, especially now that he was still angry, but it was the truth.

His phone rang, an obtrusive sound amidst the peace of nature. He turned it off without even checking who was calling. Probably Ahsoka; he'd been ignoring her phone calls all day.

"You shouldn't do that. It's highly impolite."

Anakin, startled, turned around abruptly, only to sigh soundly at the sight of him, dressed up in a light trench coat and with his briefcase in his hand. He must have come directly from the university.

"What are you doing here?"

He ignored his question. "It's a beautiful place, don't you think?" he said approaching him, turning his head to look at the mountains surrounding the extension of the beach. "I use to come here very often, too. The sunsets are a treat for the eyes. I'm surprised we've never come across."

"Obi-Wan" he repeated impatiently.

"I phoned you today, quite a few times in fact, but you never answered my phone calls. Ahsoka told me I could find you here. By the way, how's your cold? I must say, for someone burning up with fever, you have a very nice aspect." Anakin rolled his eyes. "Just a piece of advice: if you are going to feign a sore throat, then at least have the decency to pretend suffering from a raspy voice. Ahsoka didn't buy it for one second."

"Hasn't it occurred to you that perhaps I didn't take the trouble to make it look believable because I wanted you two to take the hint of me wanting to be left alone?" he said putting especial emphasis on the last word.

"I came to watch the sunset, just like you."

Anakin let out a mirthless laugh. "You just said you asked Ahsoka where you could find me. If you're going to lie, then at least have the decency to have a good memory."

"Both things are compatible. It is possible that I asked Ahsoka out of curiosity, but that my main reason to come here was to watch the sunset."

"Yeah, right" he replied with sarcasm. "Well, the beach is pretty long, as you can see. You can watch the sunset some other place."

"Thank you for the suggestion, but I prefer to watch it from here."

"It was not a suggestion, Obi-Wan."

He raised one eyebrow, unimpressed, the beginning of an amused smile starting to form on his face. "I have the same right as you to be here, Anakin. I'm not going anywhere. If you wish to be alone, then please, by all means."

He furrowed his brow. "Fine" he grumbled. "I'll leave." As he'd walked five steps, he turned around annoyed and crossed his arms on his chest, quite comically. "What the hell? I was here before! You leave."

"But I don't mind the company. It's you the one to seem to have a problem with it."

"I'm not in the mood for your games, Obi-Wan!" he said seriously. "Just, please, leave me alone. I won't ask you twice" he said in a tone that left no room for argument.

"Fine. I'll go."

"Thanks—"

"But after you've listened to me."

"Obi-Wan..."

"Just five minutes. That's all I'm asking. And if after that you still want me to leave, then I promise you, I will."

He stood looking at him with a grim face, his arms still crossed on his chest. "Fine. But just five minutes."

"Of course" he nodded before speaking solemnly. "I was always a man of my word."

"Whatever" he said sullenly, not sharing his amusement one bit. This is not going to be easy, thought Obi-Wan to himself.

"Anakin—"

"You have now four minutes and fifty seconds."

"Will you just—"

"Four minutes and forty five seconds now..."

"Anakin, please!"

His friend (for he liked to think they were still friends, the alternative was unbearable) must have seen something in his eyes, and he finally shut up, willing to listen to what Obi-Wan had to say— or appearing to be listening.

"There were many things I wanted to say to you, but I will go straight to the point."

"Let's hope you're better than Yoda at that."

Was that a joke? Joke or not, the familiarity of that comment gave him hope— they still could fix this.

"I must have done something terribly wrong in the other life for you to think, or even entertain the idea, that I wished Qui-Gon had never found you."

He waited for Anakin to interrupt him, but the only sound that could be heard was that of the seagulls in the sky, as well as the soft murmur of the sea. It seemed he'd finally managed to catch his friend's attention.

"I won't deny it wasn't easy at first. I had to cope with my Master's death, and at the same time I had to be strong enough for you, trying to be a proper Master to you. Now I realise how cold I must have seemed to you back then. You didn't grow in the Temple like the rest of us, it was only normal that you had more affectionate needs than other initiates. Perhaps I wasn't good enough to be your Master, or perhaps I wasn't the Master that you needed."

"No" he interrupted him. Even if he was still feeling angry, he needed to clear this out. "It's not that. You did well, Obi-Wan. I couldn't have had a better Master."

"That's so kind of you to say, but if that was true, you wouldn't have reacted like you did after your mother's death."

He shook his head. "Don't take the blame for my own faults."

"But I'm to blame as well, don't you see? I should have been a better Master. Let's be honest, Anakin. Or are you really going to deny having ever wished that I had acted any different as your Master?"

He stood silent for a while, looking at the orange sun on the horizon, his blond curls radiating golden sparkles. "No. I'm not going to deny that. We've both been wrong many times... But what I mean is that, even with all our failures, I wouldn't have had it any other way. You were the right Master for me, Obi-Wan. I never questioned that."

Obi-Wan, deeply moved, could only give a light nod. He then frowned. "By the way, about the 'pathetic life form' thing... Force, Anakin, I never knew you were listening."

He snorted sullenly. "Yeah, well, that was the point."

"No, what I mean is that— you shouldn't have taken it personally. I know, easier said than done... you were a child after all, and didn't know my sense of humour yet."

"Or lack of it."

He ignored his last comment, striving to make himself clear, having the feeling that this was important.

"It was just a joke between Qui-Gon and me. In many of our missions, he used to bring with himself all kinds of creatures... You shouldn't have taken it personally, because I never personalized on you when I said it. It was a comment made in jest, nothing more than that."

"You did distrust me at first, though" he rebuked him.

"Yes, I did. And I may have been too inconsiderate with you, I see that now." He approached his friend, vaguely aware of the rustling of the sand under his footsteps. "But I stand by what I said at the beginning of this conversation. I know we had a strained beginning, to put it mildly. But I assure you, with all my heart, that I couldn't feel more grateful, and honoured, of having been your Master" he said heatedly. "And I can't even contemplate an existence in which you were not by my side." He caught Anakin's eyes, impossibly blue under the twilight. "I appreciate the fact that you were honest with me the other day, you can't imagine how much. This life... Force, Anakin, I know how hard this life has been on you, and I'm so sorry about that. But I'm not going to let it destroy our friendship too. In fact, now we have the chance of making things better between us. No more secrets, and no more lies. No more misunderstandings." A new beginning. "And I intend to make the most of this opportunity" he said resolutely, giving him his kindest smile.

"So what do you say, Anakin? Shall we continue fighting, or do you want to start anew too?" His grey-blue eyes, clouded with apprehension, betrayed the nervousness that was hidden beneath his confident facade. "Can you forgive me for all my past mistakes?"

It took him a few seconds to realise that Anakin had closed the distance between them, engulfing him in a warm hug."Only if you forgive me." Obi-Wan dropped his suitcase, which fell on the sand with a thud, and wrapped his arms tightly around him. "Done deal" he answered after letting out a sigh of relief he hadn't known he'd been holding.

He lost track of time. He never knew for how long they stayed like that, wrapped up in each other's arms. After a while, Anakin noticed out of the corner of his eye that the sun could no longer be seen on the junction between sky and water— sometime amidst their embrace, it had hidden beneath the horizon, although the sky was still a nice mixture of orange and light blue. "We missed it" he whispered on Obi-Wan's shoulder. "I don't care" his friend answered in a soft murmur, not noticing Anakin's goosebumps at the feeling of his beard lightly tickling his neck. "In case you haven't noticed, I didn't come here to see the sunset, my very obtuse friend." Anakin chuckled. "Always so grumpy" he replied fondly, not caring a single bit about having missed the sunset either. He clang to Obi-Wan, feeling immensely grateful when his arms wrapped around him even more tightly in response— and he knew that if he could choose, he would have gladly missed all the sunsets from now on, in exchange of staying like this forever.