Anakin tried his best to stay alert and centered as he established their camp site. He leveled a small piece of land enough to erect their tent and establish a small space for a possible camp fire later on. He rolled out their sleeping bags and placed their pillows as his Master would have done. Gently, he lifted Obi-wan up in his arms and placed him on his sleeping bag. Once he had shelter, Anakin gathered supplies to create a torch perimeter as he had done the previous night.
After every few minutes of work, Anakin would go check on his Master to see if there had been any change to his condition. His fever continued to burn on steadily. Anakin hoped with the cooling night air approaching, his temperature would return to normal. If it didn't, he wasn't sure what he could do to help.
After their camp had been completed, Anakin rummaged through his backpack to find his communicator. Just as he had thought, they were too far out of range to be able to send any messages off world. On a hunch, he tried to signal their transport over to their location. He couldn't make any contact with the ship. It didn't even show up on the map feed from his communicator. Feeling a pang of fear, Anakin quickly fetched his Master's data pad to look at its map. There wasn't a trace of the ship there, either.
Either the tree cover and terrain was blocking the signal or… Any number of things might have befallen their ship along with the pilot droid. Either way, Anakin was on his own with his Master injured and out of commission.
Pushing his overactive imagination aside, he calculated how long it would take him to get to the temple and back and compared it with how much daylight he had left. The results weren't promising. He would be stuck out here for another night. This time he didn't have his Master to help him through. Though his presence alone was enough to calm him slightly.
In his anxiousness, Anakin took to pacing the edge of their camp as the sun began to cast longer shadows, where it's rays peaked through the dense canopy. As darkness finally descended, he readily lit the fire and torches and positioned himself between the fire and the tent as he had the night before. Only this time instead of relaxing and resting, he waited warily with the feel of his muscles coiled tightly in dreadful expectancy. He didn't even allow himself to eat. He couldn't afford to so much as blink at the wrong time. It would only take a second of weakness for him or his Master to be detrimentally injured. And being this far away from any republic help, their chances at rescue seemed dim at best. The Jedi would be bound to send out someone to find them eventually, but Anakin feared to rely on that as their sole hope, would be to find their deaths first.
And he wasn't going to let anything happen to his Master. That meant he couldn't let anything happen to himself, either.
In the midst of the unsettling silence, Anakin heard a rustling. Immediately he jumped to his feet with his saber in hand. Only a moment later did he realize the sound came from within their tent as Obi-wan began to rustle in his sleeping bag.
The man hadn't moved since he had put him there, so this seemed to be a good sign. Anakin even allowed himself to feel relief for a moment as he entered the small dwelling to see if he was about to wake.
"Anakin," Obi-wan croaked out quietly. His voice rasped like sandpaper as the whites of his eyes glistened by the firelight.
"Master," Anakin whispered back, kneeling by his side. "Tell me what you need."
"Water," Obi-wan said with desperate thirst, his words strained with effort.
Without a word, Anakin rummaged through one of the backpacks to retrieve a canteen of water. Obi-wan held out a shaky hand for it and gripped the container tightly as he brought it to his lips and emptied it within seconds.
"Do you want more?" Anakin asked attentively.
"No, no that's fine." Obi-wan answered back, his voice smoother and more like his usual self, though still weakened by his condition. "How long have I been out?" He asked, sitting himself fully upright.
"Just a few hours. I set up camp while you were sleeping." Anakin said, omitting a portion of less than desirable information.
Obi-wan could sense it right away. "What else? Something is wrong, I can tell." He said hunching forwards and crossing his legs to sit comfortably, only wincing slightly as his injured shoulder moved.
"It's just, we have no way of getting any calls out. I can't even contact the ship. Its locator doesn't even show on the map." Anakin confessed, feeling better for having his Master be able to help him with their growing list of problems, though feeling equally guilty. He ought to have been enough on his own, he shouldn't have needed his Master so much.
"I see." Obi-wan said contemplatively. But even Anakin knew what he was going to say next. "Well, the mission still comes first. Everything else can be dealt with after."
"That's what I thought you'd say." Anakin said, feeling a dread take root in his stomach as irritation manifested with a clenched jaw and balled up fists.
"By the time morning arrives, I should be nearly at my best. We shouldn't have any problems finishing out objective tomorrow." Obi-wan said optimistically.
Anakin wished he shared his Master's sentiment. If only things would turn out so easy. But nothing on this mission so far had been simple. But he would accept his Master's direction, lacking a better idea himself, knowing quitting was not an option for a Jedi.
"If you say so, Master." Anakin said grimly.
"Have you eaten?" Obi-wan asked, examining his Padawan's pallor with concern.
"Well, no, not since last night when we made camp." Anakin confessed.
"Well why don't we heat up a couple of meal packs and then get some rest hmm?" Obi-wan suggested, pulling a hand through his sweat matted hair. "I'm beginning to feel quite famished myself, actually."
"Of course." Anakin answered dutifully. Even he was beginning to feel it was odd to be so obedient and agreeable to his Master. This might have been the longest streak yet without him earning a lecture of some other manner of reprimand. Even longer yet for how long he had gone without giving out some slight of his own.
Though with circumstances being what they were, it was hardly the time for such things. As much as Obi-wan wanted to act as if everything was well, and that nothing much had changed, everything had changed. They couldn't be caught bickering amongst themselves when they were trying to survive.
After finding a couple of meal packs, Anakin twisted the dials on both and handed one to his Master. "Here you go." He said with a small courteous smile as he sat down beside Obi-wan on his own sleeping bag.
"Thank you," Obi-wan said graciously before he tore his pack open and began to take small bites. Anakin, as always, devoured his in mere seconds before he began to dispose of the empty container.
Obi-wan paused between spoonfuls, looking as if he might say something but remaining silent.
….
Obi-wan watched as Anakin looked at him with varying degrees of concern. He hadn't been quite sure how much better he would be by the morning, but it wouldn't help matters to have Anakin's focus skewed by his attachments. Anakin had to believe he was okay, even if he wasn't.
But to be honest, even Obi-wan himself wasn't entirely sure if he was or not. His fever had come on quick, and the way it had taken him over so completely had been unforeseen and unexpected. He was young enough, and completely healthy. There was no reason he should have been so disposed. But whatever it was seemed to be on its way out now.
But still, if he was going to be on the move in the morning, he would need to get as much rest as he could. And before that, he would need to finish the rather unappetizing meal pack he held unenthusiastically in his hands.
"What's wrong Master?" Anakin finally spoke after the growing silence between them.
"Hmm?" Obi-wan asked, with his brows raised, trying as best he could to appear innocent to any accusations.
"I can tell when something is on your mind." Anakin said with conviction.
Obi-wan supposed it would be true. Out of anyone at the temple, Anakin had grown to know him better than all the other Jedi combined. Sure others knew him well enough, but no one had seen him in so many lights as Anakin had. Qui-gon had known him in the same way when Obi-wan had been his Padawan, but that time was gone and his Master along with it.
"I'm just concerned with what the creature from earlier might have been." Obi-wan said. It wasn't entirely a lie, he was indeed curious. And it was certainly a matter to be taken seriously. But Anakin couldn't know all the other worries and fears that lingered in his mind. It wouldn't do the boy any good.
"Oh. Yeah." Anakin said as he nodded his head in agreeance. "I've never seen anything like it."
"Nor have I. There was most certainly a lack of information on such creatures in the temple archives." Obi-wan said as he rested his hand on his chin.
"I wonder if anyone has encountered anything like it on other Sith planets." Anakin said inquisitively, searching through his limited pool of knowledge on the subject, hoping his Master would have additional insights.
"Well I don't know about Sith planets per say, but dark magic is known to be able to reanimate the dead. The nightsisters of Dathomir are known for such acts. There are other species who have used dead bodies as vessels to carry out their bidding via other methods. The act of reanimation is always steeped in the Dark Side of the force." Obi-wan explained.
"But none of those things would account for the creature's apparent mutations." He added, searching the air for answers.
"Are you sure the creature was mutated? Or was it just a species we haven't seen before?" Anakin asked, concerned.
Obi-wan wanted to say his Padawan was right. He wanted to put Anakin's mind at ease. But the fact of the matter was that it was highly unlikely to find an undiscovered species in this sector of the outer rim. The being in question was very close in resemblance to many well known species. It could have even been human at a time. Before something caused it to become what it was. A harrowing beast, waiting for an unsuspecting Jedi to cross it's path.
So many other questions. Questions he didn't dare voice to his Padawan. Anakin needed his rest if they were to keep on in the morning. There was still the matter of finding transport off the planet once they had accomplished their mission to begin with. None of that would be accomplished any better by sharing any concerns with Anakin.
"I suppose it's possible however unlikely. Though it remains a threat all the same." Obi-wan said carefully, not wanting to upset Anakin any more than he already was.
Obi-wan knew it was wrong to be shielding Anakin in such ways. He sensed his late Master would disapprove. Was the root of the behavior stemming from pragmatics, or attachment? Perhaps a blend of both, yet no doubt more one than the other.
"I just hope we don't run into any more of them." Anakin said as his eyes traveled to the mouth of the tent. Obi-wan could feel the anxiety swell in his aura as his mind wandered over the growing list of terrible things that could be waiting for them out in the dark.
Obi-wan more than understood the reason for such feelings, but anxiousness was hardly a useful emotion in of itself. "Don't worry. Stay in the moment. Thinking too much about what might be takes us away from what is." Obi-wan said in emulation of his late Master. Though he couldn't help but agree with the wisdom of it.
"I guess." Anakin said. Clearly he was having a difficult time taking his mind off of the matter at hand. Rightly so. It was a dire task to be on alert, vigilant of an enemy whose stealth far surpassed that of most.
Obi-wan prodded his food with the spoon he held loosely in hand. As hungry as he felt, he didn't ever think he would be eager to eat one of the bland textureless ration meal packs. Though not eating wasn't an option this time. He needed his strength.
"Well, I think i'm going to keep watch just a little bit longer before I go to sleep." Anakin said, stretching out his limbs overhead before moving to exit their small tent. "Make sure you eat that before you go back to sleep, Master." The boy said in mock chastisement.
Obi-wan smiled. "Of course."
"Just call for me if you need anything." Anakin added in a more serious tone, a sign of just how worried he was.
"I will." Obi-wan said, forcing himself to shovel a spoonful of slop into his mouth to put his Padawan's mind at ease.
Anakin gave a small relieved smile in response before he left his Master alone.
Though not a moment later, Obi-wan set his meal pack down with a heaving sigh. No need to keep up appearances while one was alone. Kenobi's expression sagged with exhaustion and distress. He needed to stay strong enough for Anakin. The boy wouldn't be able to handle the mission otherwise. It was a burden he wasn't sure he had the strength to shoulder.
Obi-wan knew Qui-gon would have never pandered to Anakin's broken sense of self worth. He would never have bolstered his over-reliance on attachments. The late Qui-gon Jinn would have said it like it was.
But that would only push Anakin further away. Obi-wan felt as if he had just discovered the key to getting him to listen at all. Reverting to his Master's tactics wouldn't produce any results. And being stranded on a Sith planet was the last place they could afford to be so divided. So far as Obi-wan could tell, reinforcing attachments was the only way to get him to listen. It made him feel like a failure and a success all at the same time.
But Obi-wan would take what he could get. Putting the subject to rest in his mind, Obi-wan stretched out his arms. For a second, he forgot about the bite wound on his shoulder. But as he moved, he quickly remembered as a pain shot through his arm. Though now it was much more manageable. Nearly better than he thought it ought to have been.
Perhaps it had healed quickly due to his habit of self healing in the field. If that was the case, after a good night's rest he would be nearly unphased by the wound entirely. It would be better that way, he didn't want to be slowed down any longer than they already had been. They had been on world long enough for Obi-wan to be ready to leave.
In an attempt to hasten the healing process, Obi-wan reached out with his cognisance, touching his shoulder with the Force as he amplified the healing tones that resonated through his body. Immediately in response, a shock wave ripped through him. It felt like the very Force energy he had employed to heal his shoulder had been twisted and turned back on him ten fold.
Not a moment later, Anakin came bursting into the tent. "Master, what's wrong?" He said, his face creased all over with worry and concern. "What happened? Are you okay?"
Obi-wan hadn't meant to, but clearly in his pain he had made some sound of distress. His lungs were still struggling to inflate again as he nodded, trying to put Anakin at ease. It was an increasingly difficult task.
"Yes, Anakin. I'm just fine." Obi-wan said, his words less convincing than he would have liked. He couldn't keep the edge of fright and pain from bleeding into his voice. He wanted to be fine, he wanted nothing more than for that to be true. Though he was beginning to understand he was anything but.
"What happened?" Anakin insisted, kneeling down beside his Master.
"Nothing. Just this blasted shoulder." Obi-wan said with irritation as his palms began to sweat with fear. He shouldn't have been afraid. For a Jedi there was no emotion, only peace. Or so he tried to tell himself.
"Oh." Anakin said in realization. "I should change the bandage, anyways. We don't want it to get infected." He said as he trifled through one of their backpacks for a med kit.
"Really I don't think that's necessary, Anakin." Obi-wan insisted adamantly. Even he didn't want to see what was brewing beneath the soiled wrapping. Anakin was the last one who needed to see whatever it was. At least for now, he needed his Padawan operating at his best.
"You don't have a say in the matter, Master." Anakin said stubbornly as he opened up the med kit, retrieving med shears to take off his Master's bandage.
"I don't want to waste supplies." Obi-wan insisted again, suddenly feeling faint and dizzy. Was he really so afraid that it was affecting him so severely? Or was it something else?
Whatever it was, Obi-wan's sudden exhaustion bled into his voice. Anakin immediately took note. "You don't sound like you feel well, Master. Why don't you lay down?"
Feeling himself grow weaker by the second, Obi-wan did as he was told. Quickly his vision grew dim, even though his eyes were wide open he couldn't see much. That same fog began to grow over his senses, drowning out everything until there was nothing left.
….
"I don't want to waste supplies." Obi-wan said stubbornly. But his voice was tinged with something different. His face had suddenly turned sheet white and his eyes began to loose focus.
Anakin tried hard to stay strong, and worked hard to not let any of his internal panic show in his words. "You don't sound like you feel well, Master. Why don't you lay down?"
Immediately Obi-wan let his body go limp on the floor of the tent as he all but collapsed, his barely eaten meal pack by his side. Anakin thought that perhaps his Master was just exhausted. It was a possibility since he had hardly eaten in the last two days. Not to mention the injury and fever he had suffered in the last few hours. He needed sustenance now more than ever if he was going to get better.
But Obi-wan had always been a picky eater. Anakin was significantly less so. Growing up as a slave, you knew to eat what you could when you could since food was never guaranteed. Another trace reminder of the different paths they had walked as younglings. The different lives they had led.
But that didn't matter now. Now his Master was on the floor, his eyes trailing off vacantly as he became unresponsive.
"Master." Anakin said, jostling the man's good shoulder. No response. "Master." He said louder, shaking the man even more fervently. Still, no response. He was still breathing, his eyes were still opened. Trained on what? He couldn't say. Most likely nothing.
Prompted to action by the rapidly deteriorating state his Master was in, Anakin took the bandage scissors in his damp trembling hands. Taking a breath to steady himself in order to not cut Obi-wan in the process he began to clip through the bottom edge of the wrapping. It made sense that whatever was wrong with his Master had to do with the wound.
Then in one sudden flash of movement with incredible near inhuman speed, Obi-wan reached over and ripped Anakin's hand away from his shoulder slicing both his own arm and his Padawan's hand in the process.
"Ow!" Anakin shouted out in surprise as he pulled his arm back against his Master's iron grip. Though even as blood began to pour out of both of their fresh injuries, Obi-wan didn't relent. Anakin's Master only clamped down harder with painful strength, making the boy's hand go numb and cold quickly causing him to lose hold of the med shears as they clattered to the ground.
Confused, Anakin looked over to meet his Master's gaze. In contrast to the glazed over stare he had exhibited only moments ago, now Obi-wan's jewel blue eyes seared into his own. There was something deep within them, something dark, angry, foreign.
It was Obi-wan looking up at him, but it wasn't. Anakin was entranced, searching deep in the man's eyes for any trace of his soul. The kindness, the tenderness that had been there. Anakin couldn't find any of it. It left him speechless as seconds passed by. Quickly his shock became replaced by a feeling that was difficult to place.
Anakin tried again to pull from his Master's grip to no avail. "Let go of me," he shouted angrily as he yanked more aggressively this time. Obi-wan snarled back at him through his teeth as the vacant darkness in his eyes became a wicked glare.
But this wasn't his Master. Obi-wan was there, but he was gone. It was just Anakin alone with whatever dark thing that bore into his soul unflinchingly with unapologetic furocity. In the depths of him, Anakin could feel a dormant violence that threatened to unleash at any given moment.
Feeling a steady panic rising in his veins, Anakin pulled against Obi-wan's hold one last time only to be pushed back. By his Master's hands or with the force, he couldn't tell. Everything happened too fast. Though in the very next instant his Master was pinning him down, now both wrists caught in a deathly firm grip.
Still those eyes bore into him. Anakin thought he could almost hear the darkness whispering from within them. It was just out of his reach. It felt like cold hands on his consciousness, archaic and otherworldly. It wrapped around him like the cold vacuum of space, composed of nothing at all, yet somehow all consuming.
"I said I don't want to waste supplies." Obi-wan said in ominous monotone as the grip on Anakin's wrists seemed to become even tighter, close to bone crushing.
The lingering panic mounted into a wave of fear that crashed against Anakin's senses as he came to the sudden realization that he was in danger. It was odd to feel such a thing at the hands of his Master; the man who had taken care of him for so long. It didn't seem real. The gravity of it pulled all the air from his lungs until he didn't think he could breathe.
The bones in his wrists creaked and flexed, nearing the point of breakage causing Anakin to writhe in pain. "Master, you're hurting me," Anakin cried out as he searched the man's eyes for a trace of Obi-wan Kenobi.
And then something stirred there, from deep within came the rise of a conflict that bled into his Master's expression. He could see Obi-wan pushing to the surface past the wall of darkness that stood before him. But still the iron grip on his wrists didn't lessen.
"Obi-wan," Anakin begged, feeling increasingly small and helpless. It was an emotion he never did well with, a feeling that was tied to too many other instances. It was a crushing well of grief that consumed him. For a moment he was that small child again, working in the slave shops of Tatooine. Ever at the mercy of others who rarely had any to spare.
But then his Master broke the surface. The eyes that had been relentlessly glaring through him were now softened with kindness and compassion. The hold on his wrists ceased as Obi-wan pulled back in alarm. Just as quickly, Anakin pushed himself upright and began to rub circulation back into his hands. It was painful, the skin of his wrists was already beginning to darken with bruises from Obi-wan's grip.
Hazed with shock, Anakin looked over to his Master. Obi-wan seemed to be frightened, even terrified. His skin was sheet white, more so than when he had gone despondent only moments ago.
Anakin saw his Master take a quick survey of him, the man's eyes widening as they fell to the growing smear of blood on his hand from where his flesh had been sliced open. "You're bleeding," he said, his voice brimming with concern as he scrambled to grab the spool of fresh wrapping that Anakin had pulled from the med kit only moments earlier.
Without a word Obi-wan lurched forwards to bandage the cut on Anakin's hand that was still bleeding profusely. Anakin pulled back instinctively. His mind was stuck in the past, a time where it had never been safe to trust anyone.
It wasn't that he didn't trust his Master, he did. But there was no way to reconcile what had just happened with his innate knowledge that Obi-wan would never have done anything to hurt him intentionally. Even his eyes had been different, feral somehow. Nothing at all like the man Anakin had grown to know.
Clearly pained by his avoidant reaction, a look of apology fell over his Master's face. "Let me bandage that for you," Obi-wan said hesitantly as he waited for Anakin to approach him instead.
Though Anakin still hesitated. It wasn't like him at all to be so frightened. However in the light of the inexplicable duality of his Master's behavior, he didn't know how else to be. It felt like everything he knew was now to be questioned, like everything was spiraling out of control. It seemed like a drastic reaction for such a seemingly small incident, but Anakin couldn't help the way he felt.
Somehow the sudden uncertainty had unearthed something that had been hidden deep inside of him for too long. It was a feeling that was roped and knotted with hundreds of memories both intrinsic and explicit. Along with those long forgotten images came a pervasive feeling of dread and unease that he had once happily left along with the feel of hot dry air and unforgiving sands of Tatooine.
But he was there again, a child of the desert. A soul pressed into service of others by birth and title. As his former self surfaced, it contended against the Jedi he had been striving to become. Every ounce of training told him he needed to let go of it all, the pain, the anger, the shame. If only he knew how. If it had been so simple he would have given it all away in an instant. Instead it seemed to be infused, interwoven into the very fabric of his being. To erase the pain would be to erase himself.
The whirlwind of heartache, shame and fear took every inch of space between his ribs, expanding and consuming every bit of self assurance and discipline. He wanted it to go away instead he was taken by the sheer overwhelming intensity of it. Anakin felt as if he had stumbled into a flash sandstorm of the most unforgiving kind. The only difference was, Anakin knew how to navigate his way to safety through a storm. This, he had no idea how to handle.
Gaining his usual confident demeanor back quickly, Obi-wan put on a more serious yet gentle face. "Come now let's have a look," he insisted. The normalcy to his words and expressions seemed to help anchor Anakin, bringing him back to the moment.
Not wanting to draw out the ordeal or make his Master feel worse than he already seemed to, Anakin reached out his injured hand towards Obi-wan who made quick work of bandaging the wound. The ritual of his Master caring for him was another cornerstone of his existence. Anakin always knew he relied far too much on his Master but didn't quite appreciate the extent of just how much until the constancy of his Master's steady demeanor had faltered, giving way to whatever darkness had taken him over for that dreadful moment. But now more than ever he began to appreciate his Master for all that he gave him. After all, Obi-wan was the only one he could ever count on, since he left Tatooine all those years ago.
"There you are," Obi-wan said warmly as he finished tucking the stray end of wrapping away. Though before he let Anakin's hand go, he studied the darkening rings around his wrists with dread.
Anakin could feel there was something he wanted to say or ask, but he kept silent. Both of them were riddled with things they didn't know how to talk about. It had to have been the cursed ground on which they stood. Obi-wan had told of Sith artifacts that were made to influence any number of things. All of which were designed to lead one into the dark, or be obliterated by it. As Anakin pondered the thought, he began to feel nearly certain that the darkness he had seen in his Master's eyes had been of Sith origin.
Breaking the silence, Obi-wan spoke quietly in a tone of caution. "Anakin," he started, trailing off as his face twisted with intense distress.
Anakin's gaze flitted towards his Master's eyes. He could see an equal measure of reservation there. Quickly averting his stare he responded in question, "Master?" Anakin nearly whispered, daring to glance up at him for mere seconds at a time. It was another reflex that called back to his days as a slave. A good slave never sustained eye contact with their Master. Although Anakin knew better than to expect such demands from Obi-wan, he felt called back to those mannerisms all the same even though he hadn't even thought about them for several years.
"I remember…" Obi-wan started off, his eyes trailing waywards in thought. "I felt faint, then everything went dark right as you were about to redress my shoulder. Then the next thing I knew I was…" Obi-wan stopped in mid sentence, too pained by the words that remained unspoken.
"I just don't understand. What happened?" Obi-wan asked Anakin as much as himself. There was a crease in the man's brow that furrowed with intense concern as his eyes searched the air before him for an answer.
"I don't know," Anakin answered, unsure. He didn't know how to put any of it into words. How could he explain the way fear gripped his heart? How all of his training had been null in an instant? How could he speak of the black abyss that taken residence inside his Master's soul? It all seemed to be too much.
"You didn't want me to change your bandage," Anakin said, keeping his eyes low. "But there was something in your eyes… It felt like you were looking right through me." Anakin confessed shamefully. He was afraid to look his Master straight on. He knew he would find pity there, and the thought disgusted him.
He could already feel the how his words had torn right through the man, as shame and terror wrapped around his shrinking aura. "I didn't… hurt you in any way, did i?" Obi-wan asked, his voice hesitant and afraid.
"Just my hands," Anakin said, slightly confused as he looked back up to his Master.
Obi-wan gave a small sigh of relief as a burden slightly lifted from his expression. Anakin couldn't make sense of it, but was glad for his Master to feel better. He knew he would never hurt him.
"I'm so sorry," Obi-wan said in earnest, his eyes searching out those of his Padawan which Anakin reluctantly reciprocated.
Not knowing what to say or how to respond, Anakin nodded.
"Anakin, I need you to listen to me." Obi-wan started in a strict and serious tone.
Anakin gave his Master his complete and full attention as his heart pounded in his chest. His palms were damp and his stomach was tied in knots. It was the weight of the unknown, the fear of what might be. He took a deep breath and tried to remain in the moment. Where it was just the two of them.
"I can't guarantee I won't blackout again. I don't know what might happen if I do. You have to promise me that if anything happens like that again, that you'll get your lightsaber and do whatever it takes to protect yourself." Obi-wan said with a look of grave importance.
His words sent a bolt of panic through Anakin's chest, erasing the prior fear and reservation. "What do you mean? I'm not going to use my lightsaber against you, Master." Anakin said, shaking his head in protest.
Instead of an answer or reprimand, Obi-wan took a breath and promptly pulled the wrapping off of his shoulder. Beneath it, he could see blackened pieces of decaying flesh where the monster had sunken into him. Dark lines spread out from the site leading across his chest and down his arm as the skin around the injury became pale and ashen.
At the sight of it, Obi-wan gasped. Anakin looked on in silent horror as a pang of desperate panic pulsed in his chest. "Whatever that creature was, it's compromised me. I have no way of knowing how I might be affected as we get closer to the temple. Or how much worse it will get with time."
Anakin blanched. "Master, we should forget the mission. We have to get you back to the temple. The healers will know what to do."
"We can't leave now, Anakin. A Jedi does not quit when things get difficult." Obi-wan insisted with a tinge of frustration. "Besides. Finishing the mission won't take much more time. Either way, we can't make contact with the ship so we will have to travel over land on the way back."
"But what if this kills you, Master? Is it really worth it?" Anakin nearly shouted as he begged for Obi-wan to listen to reason. He wasn't about to lose him.
"A Jedi would willingly lay down his life for the greater good. This is no exception." Obi-wan said stubbornly.
"Is that what you thought when Qui-gon died, too?" Anakin shouted accusingly with hot tears stinging his eyes. "Was it worth it then?"
"Anakin," Obi-wan said in a softer tone. "It won't come to that."
"You can't possibly know that." Anakin nearly snarled.
"Listen to me," Obi-wan entreated kindy. "We cannot afford to be at odds with one another in this place. Do you understand?"
"Why don't you stay here and I can go and finish the mission?" Anakin suggested in a hopeful voice as a few tears fell from the corner of his eye. "That way you don't have to worry about me getting hurt. You can stay here and get better."
"That won't work. I need you to keep an eye on me, as well. I need you to take care of me, if the Dark takes me over completely. If i'm gone, you can't let my body be a servant to the Dark Side." Obi-wan said apologetically, wincing at his words.
"No. I can't do that." Anakin cried, shaking his head fervently. "You don't even know what you're asking."
"But I do. I'm so sorry, but this is the only way. Promise me, Anakin. You've got to promise." Obi-wan said as his eyes began to gloss over as well.
"You said it wouldn't come to that." Anakin spat out angrily.
"I hope it doesn't." Obi-wan said, stifling tears with every ounce of his will.
"But you're all I have, Obi-wan," Anakin said, his voice breaking with tears. "I couldn't- Im sorry but what you're asking, I can't do it Master I can't."
Obi-wan sighed and opened his arms to hold his sobbing Padawan. Anakin cried and trembled in his Master's arms. He couldn't imagine having to hurt his Master, not even if his Master were hurting him. He didn't think he could ever turn against Obi-wan, especially with his own lightsaber. The thought of ever having to made him feel paralyzed. He supposed it was true, that attachments were weaknesses. But they could be such great strengths as well.
Without a word, Obi-wan and Anakin positioned their sleeping bags as they had the night prior, dressed down and crawled under the covers. Both of them were exhausted from the emotional and physical exertion of the day. Obi-wan held Anakin close to him as he wept, feeling a few rogue tears escape from his disciplined exterior as well.
"I'm going to put out the fire now, alright?" Obi-wan said as Anakin nestled against his chest.
"Ok," Anakin whispered as he nodded, snuggling in closer.
As darkness descended, Anakin found himself holding his breath, waiting for something horrible. He huddled in his Master's arms for comfort, feeling only slightly better.
Obi-wan reached out across the tent and pulled Anakin's lightsaber from the belt clip in his pile of clothes.
"Anakin, I want you to keep this close to you, alright?" Obi-wan spoke softly, the bass of his voice humming pleasantly against Anakin's skin.
If only what he were saying wasn't so dire. Anakin sniffled as his Master handed the saber over to him. He would take it to make Obi-wan feel better, but he could never use it against him. But for now, he would let his Master think he could.
Anakin nodded.
"Good boy." Obi-wan said tousling his hair.
"Now get some sleep."