Title: A Trace of Vader
Author: DragonWraith
Author's Note: All right, you guys and gals have total permission to murder me now for messing around with Ami's universe! But there had to be some darkness there, ne?

Needless to say, Anakin was frustrated. In all his time under Watto, he doubted he had ever had so many bruises. The training lightsaber Obi-Wan had provided him with was out of balance with the rest of his body; he kept on dropping it on his foot.

Then there was the fact that Obi-Wan made him run up a wall. Anakin had seen the other apprentices do it as if it were nothing. He wished he could claim the same.

"Come on, Anakin! Are you ready to continue?"

Anakin groaned and lifted himself on his feet reluctantly, wishing he could shut Obi-Wan's persistent – annoying – voice out of his head. "Can't we quit for the night?" he grumped.

Obi-Wan stared at him. "I thought you wanted to be a Jedi."

"There's a difference between wanting to be a Jedi, and killing myself to be one."

"Anakin."

"Yes, sir," Anakin muttered absentmindedly.

"Master."

"Yes, Master," Anakin ground out.

Obi-Wan could sense the anger now swirling through Anakin. How could he dampen that anger? With a sigh, he recalled back his own apprenticeship. Qui-Gon's answer to everything had been a good workout and meditations. Somewhere in the back of his head, Obi-Wan doubted Anakin would respond positively to that.

Master Yoda's way of releasing anger was to sit them down and discuss the matter. Obi-Wan debated with himself about that before deciding no. Anakin hated the weekly lectures the Council forced him to attend.

As if sensing his train of thought, Anakin spoke up. "What, Obi-Wan? No 'fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, blah blah,' today?"

The mockery of Yoda turned Obi-Wan's blood cold. He turned on his apprentice angrily. "Anakin," he started, anger flashing in his eyes and along his training bond with Anakin.

"Anger leads to the Dark Side, Master," Anakin sang out.

Obi-Wan wheeled back around and took deep breaths. "That will be enough, Anakin," he said sternly. "You will do the exercise again." He turned and met Anakin's defiant glare. The power of the Force filled the room as Obi-Wan willed his power to work against Anakin's.

A few moments later, Anakin looked away. "I'm sorry," he muttered, picking up his lightsaber again. He ran through the pattern again.

Obi-Wan watched and thought.

Part of him was happy that he had won. But what really defined winning? Anakin was still angry and now was harboring resentment towards him for – using the Force against his own Padawan.

Obi-Wan sighed heavily. He had been doing a lot more sighing ever since he had been burdened with an apprentice. Anakin completed the routine again and stopped.

"We're done for the day, Anakin," Obi-Wan said. "You did well."

Anakin gratefully deactivated the training lightsaber and walked into the changing rooms. The confrontation with Obi-Wan had unnerved him. Only ancient customs had made Anakin obey Obi-Wan.

But the truth was: Obi-Wan was really too young to teach him, Anakin decided. There was so much of the Force that Obi-Wan refused to show him. But one person had offered to do so . . .

Anakin smiled. A few minutes later, he was outside the Jedi Temple and walking as fast as he could towards the Supreme Chancellor's office. Yes, Palpatine would show him the way now. Obi-Wan was merely a tool to train him – and tools had to be disposed somewhere along the line to power.

And Anakin did want to be the most powerful Jedi.

The End