Disclaimer: George owns the whole of Star Wars. Why couldn't I been born
twenty-five years earlier? I could be the one who invented it!!! =P
A/N: Just a note to Darth Taq. Reviews pretty much boost my non-existent ego. And it helps see if my story really is good or am I just fooling myself. =P. I'll try not to beg for more reviews. But I'll be glad if you do.
To Mich: Sorry about the sticking out of tongue. It's a habit. =P. See? =P. Ahgh! Ok. I'm stopping, I'm stopping. =P
**************************************************************************** ********* Anakin. Anakin..
Anakin turned his around, trying to locate the sweet voice that spoke his name. An image formed in his mind. A small, vulnerable brown-haired senator, with the sweetest brown eyes ever. Padmé.
"Where are you? Come back!" He shouted as the voice and image faded away, covered by a growing dark shadow. "No! No! Padmé!"
"Anakin. Anakin. Wake up." Obi-wan shook his friend hard. Anakin opened his deep blue eyes suddenly, startling Obi-wan. "Sheesh, Anakin. I have a weak heart," Obi-wan teased, as he sat beside Anakin. His eyes studied his old padawan. Anakin looked positively terrified. His eyes were filled with pain and a quiet but burning anger. His forehead was filled with beads of pespiration and his soft blond curls has fallen down his forehead. "Are you all right?"
"I must go to her, Obi-wan. She suffers so. I must go to her soon. Darth Sidious is torturing her. I can feel it. The pain is unbearable."
"You must maintain control Anakin. Remember all you have learnt throughout the years. Padmé is a strong woman. You must be strong for her too," Obi- wan adviced. They both turned to look at a sudden series of beeping from R- 4. Even before C-3PO could translate, the two wise Jedi Knights stood up, and got ready for landing.
***
"Well, well. It seems that your Jedi Skywalker has arrived," Padmé heard the now familiar sing-song voice. "A little slower than expected, but he's here." Through her slips between consciousness and unconsciousness, Padmé could see, through her glazed eyes, a black shadowy man. A man that looked small and weak, but could command tremendous power. As her mind tried to understand the news, her heart had already been beating in panic. She could feel him, closer with each step.
"Anakin," she gasped.
"Yes, young Skywalker has arrived." Sidious unlocked the chains that held her to the wet wall, and Padmé collasped onto the floor, having lost all her strength through the days of intense torture. As if appearing out of the blue, two of the Sith followers carried her out of the door, with Sidious leading. Padmé cried in pain with each step, as their hands cut through her wounds. She left a trail of blood behind her.
***
"Anakin. We must be careful. This seems a little too easy," Obi-wan cautioned, as they entered yet another empty room.
"Yes. I have the same feeling. It's too easy. It's as though Palp-, Sidious wants us to enter. I fear an ambush, master." He turned quizically, as his master feared to respond. Obi-wan was gone. Anakin's eyebrows raised up, and his alert level rose to a height he never thought was possible. Obi-wan couldn't have disappeared from behind him. He would have felt it. "Master? Obi-wan? Obi-wan!"
"Don't bother. Master Kenobi is safe, for the time being," a soft, sing- song voice cackled from behind. Anakin turned sharply.
"Sidious!" He fought the urge to rush forward with his lightsabar, but instead took control of his feelings. He clenched his fist and tried to meditate, when he heard a cry of pain from next to Sidious. Padmé.
As Anakin laid eyes on his beloved, his anger rose greatly. It took Anakin all the will power and self control he had from training over the years to not brutally destroy Sidious. But he knew he had to have patience. As he took another look at Padmé, his heart seemed to break into pieces.
Padmé's luscious brown hair was stuck to her face, and it was filled with dried blood. Her face had been beaten so badly; her eyes was swollen and her left eye was bleeding. Her nose looked broken. Her face had swelled up to that of what the Earthlings call, a frog. Her clothes were tattered and torn, and showed off more scars on her body, some still fresh and bleeding.
"What do you want Darth Sidious?" Anakin shouted, his hands clenching so tight that his nails dug into the flesh of his palm, drawing blood.
"I want a trade," was the reply. Sidious nodded and his followers dropped Padmé onto a chair, seeming oblivious to her muffled cry of pain as she bit her lips. They strapped her around the chair with soft metal rod.
"What trade?" Anakin asked cautiously, his eyes alert and sharp. Although he seemed to be looking at Padmé, he used the force to allow him to see and feel any movement from Sidious.
"You." Anakin looked surprised, and he tilted his head with a quizzical snort. Sidious merely smile, his cold, hard smile. "You can laugh all you want young Skywalker. I've mae my offer. If you join the dark side and submit to me, you can sit on my right hand and rule the empire with me. If you embrace your fear, your anger and submit to me totally, I'll free the girl."
"And my master?"
"Obi-wan will have to stay. But the girl gets to live," Sidious tempted, as he casually sat on the chair next to Padmé. Anakin looked over at Padmé; she had once again fell into unconsciousness. His eyes hardened as he felt himself being pulled into two different directions. Suddenly, he seemed to hear Mace Windu's voice, loud and clear in his mind.
"Don't turn evil, Anakin, for your sake and for the galaxy's sake."
Anakin made his decision. He looked at the unconscious, broken figure strapped to the chair. "Sidious, I will join you."
Sidious gave a booming laugh and walked towards Anakin. "I knew you would see things my way, Ani." He wrapped his arms around Anakin in a bear hug, when suddenly he doubled over, in pain. Anakin pulled out his blue lightsabar from Sidious' stomach, not even wincing as the guts fell out.
"Over my dead body, Sidious. I will never join the dark side. You think too little of me." He stabbed Sidious again, this time in his heart, ending his misery. He wanted to torture Sidious, but he knew that he could not allow his feelings and actions to get out of control. He smiled slightly at the dead body, before deactivating his lightsabar. "By the way, only one person can call me Ani, and that's obviously not you."
He looked up tenderly at the broken girl, and gently undo her straps, trying to minimise the pain. With his strong arms, he scooped her up gently, and held her effortlessly. "You're be all right," he whispered.
***
It's been days since he returned to Coruscant. After his battle with Sidious, he had called for backup. The other Sith followers were dealt with and Obi-wan was found, injured, but alive.
Padmé however, was another matter. She was still in a coma, and even the Jedi healers felt the worse for her. Each day, Anakin would visit her in the spacious room, and just sit there, holding her hand, begging her to wake up. Nothing could make him leave her for even the slightest moment. Every night, he would walk back to his quarters, heavy-hearted, his eyes filled with intense pain. Not even his old padawan, Carl, or his recovering ex-master, Obi-wan, could cheer him up.
This day was no different. He walked into the room, and took a breath, before smiling bravely. He sat on his usual chair and took her limp, pale hand.
"I'm waiting for you, wherever you are. I'll also be there waiting," he whispered. "Wake up, please."
***
A/N: I'm ending the chapter here. wahaha. I'm thinking of putting this as the last chapter. Or should I continue? Give me your suggestions. I know I promised I won't give an ultimatum on the reviews, but do review. thanks.
A/N: Just a note to Darth Taq. Reviews pretty much boost my non-existent ego. And it helps see if my story really is good or am I just fooling myself. =P. I'll try not to beg for more reviews. But I'll be glad if you do.
To Mich: Sorry about the sticking out of tongue. It's a habit. =P. See? =P. Ahgh! Ok. I'm stopping, I'm stopping. =P
**************************************************************************** ********* Anakin. Anakin..
Anakin turned his around, trying to locate the sweet voice that spoke his name. An image formed in his mind. A small, vulnerable brown-haired senator, with the sweetest brown eyes ever. Padmé.
"Where are you? Come back!" He shouted as the voice and image faded away, covered by a growing dark shadow. "No! No! Padmé!"
"Anakin. Anakin. Wake up." Obi-wan shook his friend hard. Anakin opened his deep blue eyes suddenly, startling Obi-wan. "Sheesh, Anakin. I have a weak heart," Obi-wan teased, as he sat beside Anakin. His eyes studied his old padawan. Anakin looked positively terrified. His eyes were filled with pain and a quiet but burning anger. His forehead was filled with beads of pespiration and his soft blond curls has fallen down his forehead. "Are you all right?"
"I must go to her, Obi-wan. She suffers so. I must go to her soon. Darth Sidious is torturing her. I can feel it. The pain is unbearable."
"You must maintain control Anakin. Remember all you have learnt throughout the years. Padmé is a strong woman. You must be strong for her too," Obi- wan adviced. They both turned to look at a sudden series of beeping from R- 4. Even before C-3PO could translate, the two wise Jedi Knights stood up, and got ready for landing.
***
"Well, well. It seems that your Jedi Skywalker has arrived," Padmé heard the now familiar sing-song voice. "A little slower than expected, but he's here." Through her slips between consciousness and unconsciousness, Padmé could see, through her glazed eyes, a black shadowy man. A man that looked small and weak, but could command tremendous power. As her mind tried to understand the news, her heart had already been beating in panic. She could feel him, closer with each step.
"Anakin," she gasped.
"Yes, young Skywalker has arrived." Sidious unlocked the chains that held her to the wet wall, and Padmé collasped onto the floor, having lost all her strength through the days of intense torture. As if appearing out of the blue, two of the Sith followers carried her out of the door, with Sidious leading. Padmé cried in pain with each step, as their hands cut through her wounds. She left a trail of blood behind her.
***
"Anakin. We must be careful. This seems a little too easy," Obi-wan cautioned, as they entered yet another empty room.
"Yes. I have the same feeling. It's too easy. It's as though Palp-, Sidious wants us to enter. I fear an ambush, master." He turned quizically, as his master feared to respond. Obi-wan was gone. Anakin's eyebrows raised up, and his alert level rose to a height he never thought was possible. Obi-wan couldn't have disappeared from behind him. He would have felt it. "Master? Obi-wan? Obi-wan!"
"Don't bother. Master Kenobi is safe, for the time being," a soft, sing- song voice cackled from behind. Anakin turned sharply.
"Sidious!" He fought the urge to rush forward with his lightsabar, but instead took control of his feelings. He clenched his fist and tried to meditate, when he heard a cry of pain from next to Sidious. Padmé.
As Anakin laid eyes on his beloved, his anger rose greatly. It took Anakin all the will power and self control he had from training over the years to not brutally destroy Sidious. But he knew he had to have patience. As he took another look at Padmé, his heart seemed to break into pieces.
Padmé's luscious brown hair was stuck to her face, and it was filled with dried blood. Her face had been beaten so badly; her eyes was swollen and her left eye was bleeding. Her nose looked broken. Her face had swelled up to that of what the Earthlings call, a frog. Her clothes were tattered and torn, and showed off more scars on her body, some still fresh and bleeding.
"What do you want Darth Sidious?" Anakin shouted, his hands clenching so tight that his nails dug into the flesh of his palm, drawing blood.
"I want a trade," was the reply. Sidious nodded and his followers dropped Padmé onto a chair, seeming oblivious to her muffled cry of pain as she bit her lips. They strapped her around the chair with soft metal rod.
"What trade?" Anakin asked cautiously, his eyes alert and sharp. Although he seemed to be looking at Padmé, he used the force to allow him to see and feel any movement from Sidious.
"You." Anakin looked surprised, and he tilted his head with a quizzical snort. Sidious merely smile, his cold, hard smile. "You can laugh all you want young Skywalker. I've mae my offer. If you join the dark side and submit to me, you can sit on my right hand and rule the empire with me. If you embrace your fear, your anger and submit to me totally, I'll free the girl."
"And my master?"
"Obi-wan will have to stay. But the girl gets to live," Sidious tempted, as he casually sat on the chair next to Padmé. Anakin looked over at Padmé; she had once again fell into unconsciousness. His eyes hardened as he felt himself being pulled into two different directions. Suddenly, he seemed to hear Mace Windu's voice, loud and clear in his mind.
"Don't turn evil, Anakin, for your sake and for the galaxy's sake."
Anakin made his decision. He looked at the unconscious, broken figure strapped to the chair. "Sidious, I will join you."
Sidious gave a booming laugh and walked towards Anakin. "I knew you would see things my way, Ani." He wrapped his arms around Anakin in a bear hug, when suddenly he doubled over, in pain. Anakin pulled out his blue lightsabar from Sidious' stomach, not even wincing as the guts fell out.
"Over my dead body, Sidious. I will never join the dark side. You think too little of me." He stabbed Sidious again, this time in his heart, ending his misery. He wanted to torture Sidious, but he knew that he could not allow his feelings and actions to get out of control. He smiled slightly at the dead body, before deactivating his lightsabar. "By the way, only one person can call me Ani, and that's obviously not you."
He looked up tenderly at the broken girl, and gently undo her straps, trying to minimise the pain. With his strong arms, he scooped her up gently, and held her effortlessly. "You're be all right," he whispered.
***
It's been days since he returned to Coruscant. After his battle with Sidious, he had called for backup. The other Sith followers were dealt with and Obi-wan was found, injured, but alive.
Padmé however, was another matter. She was still in a coma, and even the Jedi healers felt the worse for her. Each day, Anakin would visit her in the spacious room, and just sit there, holding her hand, begging her to wake up. Nothing could make him leave her for even the slightest moment. Every night, he would walk back to his quarters, heavy-hearted, his eyes filled with intense pain. Not even his old padawan, Carl, or his recovering ex-master, Obi-wan, could cheer him up.
This day was no different. He walked into the room, and took a breath, before smiling bravely. He sat on his usual chair and took her limp, pale hand.
"I'm waiting for you, wherever you are. I'll also be there waiting," he whispered. "Wake up, please."
***
A/N: I'm ending the chapter here. wahaha. I'm thinking of putting this as the last chapter. Or should I continue? Give me your suggestions. I know I promised I won't give an ultimatum on the reviews, but do review. thanks.