Again displaying his lack of fear, Obi-Wan turned his back to Vader. His gaze returned to the place where Qui-Gon had died so many years ago. Where an obedient padawan had doomed an entire galaxy with a simple promise.
"Why did everyone have to die?" The words had been spoken even before the thought had completely formed in the Jedi's mind. The anger quickly rose with every word as he continued, "How did the Naboo and the Gungan wrong you? What did they do to deserve death?" The fury bled away the instant he spun about to face his former apprentice.
Anger would not be allowed to possess him–destroy him–as it had Anakin.
The immovable ebony mask offered no answers to the Jedi's questions.
The silence took its toll.
Steeling himself, the Jedi spoke evenly, "What happened to you, Anakin?"
An infuriated howl echoed off the walls as Vader rushed forward. A leather bound gauntlet drew into a mighty fist and slammed into the side of Obi-Wan's head sending him crumbling to the floor.
"Skywalker is dead," Vader harshly replied but his steady breathing never altered as he lorded above the downed Jedi.
Fire laced through his skull threatening to wash the ginger haired man into a sea of black. His body moved with little coordination as he forced himself to rise from the floor. His right eye burned and watered from the tooth-rattling blow that could easily have shattered his cheekbone. Thick red flowed over flesh where the skin had split upon impact. He could feel the thick liquid washing through his beard and down the side of his neck. Carefully steadying himself, he turned to face the now fuzzy image of the armored figure. Not yet ready to give in, Obi-Wan carried on, "Anakin Skywalker was a kind–"
Once more the powerful fist connected with the side of Obi-Wan's head. A startled oomph escaped him the instant he crashed into the stone floor sending gray powder swirling about.
"You will not speak that name again," Vader warned. Red glistened against the black of his knuckles.
"You knew that Padmé was not here. There was no reason for this genocide," the Jedi sputtered as he picked himself up off the ground again and planted his feet firmly on the blood-splashed floor. "Was the death of innocents and the destruction of Theed to punish her?"
Vader drew his arm back to strike his former master once more.
"Padmé loved you," he implored to the part of Anakin he hoped remained. "Still loves you." He struggled to clear his vision of the blur. "Is this how you repay her? You destroy her home and the people she dedicated her life to protect?"
The black fist flew forward but the Jedi refused the physical manifestation of Vader's rage and shifted out of the way suffering only a slight breeze as the fist flew passed.
Little mercy found its way into Obi-Wan's words, "By destroying the Jedi, this how you repay Qui-Gon? What happened to your dreams, Anakin?"
______________________
Anamnesis:
The decking underfoot bucked as if bent on shaking the unwanted occupants free of its wounded form. Obi-Wan clutched the shattered remains of the protective fencing as the platform writhed and turned up on its side as it tore at its failing supports.
A suspension cable exploded under the strain whipping across the deck. Unable to duck out of the way of the jagged end, it whipped across Anakin's left arm and back leaving a bloody trail where it met flesh. His wail was deafening against the clatter of the crumbling walkway.
A large section of a connecting catwalk ripped free of the platform and smashed through the already damaged Borimai glass. The twisting steel quickly followed a rain of blue shards tumbling into the Senate chamber below. Jagged edges along the glass' gaping wound were like great teeth of some carnivorous beast waiting to swallow the two Force users whole.
Grunting from the exertion, Anakin struggled to hold on even as his blood slicked the surface. Rivets beneath him started to pull free of their settings. He cried out as his grip was lost and slid over the rough plating, barely able to catch himself before being pitched over the side. Reddened fingers fought desperately to hold on.
"Anakin!" Obi-Wan called out, shifting just enough to be able to stare down over the twisted platform to where his padawan desperately clung. His heart lurched at the sight. "Hang on," he managed even as his gaze fell to the red stripe across the youth's back and arm where he had been struck with the flailing wire.
Knowing they would both be dead soon if they did not seek safety away from the platform, he released his protective hold of the rail and allowed himself to slide down the slanted deck daring to get close to the man that had sworn to kill him only moments earlier. Reaching out, he said, "Give me your hand."
Air caught in the Jedi's lungs as the younger man hesitated. He would not let Anakin fall.
Bright blue eyes flicked from the offered help to the long drop he was about to take. An intense fire lit the depths and then with a reluctant nod, he obeyed.
Obi-Wan leaned forward, muscles straining as he wrapped his hand around Anakin's wrist pulling him back onto the relative safety of the platform even as it began to shift again. A cruel snap filled the air as another cable broke and smashed into the floor just centimeters from where Obi-Wan was anchored. He jerked back to avoid the backlash but missed the snap-hiss of Anakin's saber.
The Jedi howled as the glowing azure blade grazed his side. He struggled to get away, to find clearance to defend against the unwarranted attack but Anakin would not release his grip.
The younger man barked, "It will never be enough!"