Anakin awoke still screaming for help. He was shaking, and tears were streaking down his face. Padme and Obi-Wan appeared suddenly before him. He was still half submerged in the dream, and was shocked to see Padme. Or Obi-Wan, for that matter. He could feel Vader's anger burning inside him. An anger caused by Anakin regaining control of his concious mind. Anakin was afraid. He could feel Vader's certainty that he would gain control, and Anakin knew it was true. He couldn't hold on much longer. In a state of confusion, he turned to Padme and whispered in a horrified voice," He said you were going to die. You can't die, Padme!"
"I'm not planning on dying any time soon, Anakin. Besides, as long as you're here, I know I will be safe," Padme replied soothingly. However, to Padme and Obi-Wan's surprise, this made Anakin panic even more.
More tears came as he choked out," I don't know how much longer I'm going to be here! He's taking over. And he's killing me."
"Who is he?" Obi-Wan asked carefully.
"He's...He's...Darth Vader...me...my dark side," Anakin replied shakily. He was hesitant to say that he was Darth Vader, because that made everything that happened real. And true. Which was not what Anakin wanted.
"What happened to you, Anakin?" Obi-Wan questioned gently," You passed out, then you were twitching and muttering in your sleep."
"I...It must have all been in my head...but that room, those people, were so real!" Anakin cried in confusion," I was surrounded by Sith, and completely helpless. They told me I would die, and I was Darth Vader. Darth Vader wanted...wants...to take over. I managed to stand and defy them, but they tortured me. I lost the strength to fight. They bound me in chains in shoved me into a small, run down closet. I screamed for help, and woke up here. I think it was my spirit they first tried to kill, then captured. So Vader could control my body. I need help. With every breath I take my spirit grows weaker, and his stronger."
Padme and Obi-Wan were both at a loss for words. Padme reached over and hugged him closely, while rubbing his back, trying to get him to relax. She kissed him, then told him, in a calming tone," Everything is going to be okay, Ani. Just be strong for a little bit longer."
It was nearly dawn by the time Anakin had calmed down enough to eat. He stayed huddled between Padme and Obi-Wan, finding a strange comfort there. He was with the woman he loved and the man he regarded as a close friend and father figure. As long as he stayed there, nothing could go wrong. Or so he thought. Soon he would discover just how wrong he was, when the Jedi came. And they were getting closer.
Obi-Wan could sense the nearing Jedi Masters. He told Anakin and Padme to split up and hide. Padme ran in the direction the Jedi were coming from, hoping to find a spot to hide and watch them. Obi-Wan told Anakin to go back into the hole first. Anakin crawled to the back of the hole, and Obi-Wan sat near the front, where they could watch but be more difficult to find. They could almost hear the footsteps drawing nearer to their hiding place. They could certainly sense the nearing presences.
Anakin looked nervously at Obi-Wan, and said, in a barely audible whisper," What if they find us. Or Padme?"
"We'll deal with that if it happens," Obi-Wan whispered back," just relax, and try not to create a large Force presence."
Somewhere to the right of them, where Padme had fled and the Jedi were coming, came a scream. Anakin attempting to jump to his feet at once, but suceeded only in raising himself a few centimeters and banging his head against the wall with a dull thud. His head was swimming for a moment before he regained control. He faced Obi-Wan and urgently whispered," They got Padme!"
Obi-Wan had to hold Anakin back as the young man attempted to shove him out of the way to rush to the aide of the woman. He sternly ordered, though still in a whisper, that Anakin stay where he was. Even if Padme was captured, they wouldn't harm her. Besides, she may have told them a lie to protect the men, and rushing out would make her sacrifice in vain. Anakin glared at Obi-Wan, but respected his orders, and sat down again. Obi-Wan noticed Anakin's tension through the Force, as well as the clue given by the younger man's fidgeting. Anakin knelt near the exit to the rocky hole, watching for the Jedi, and to confirm his suspicions that they had Padme.
Finally, the Jedi passed, a prisoner amongst them. It was Padme. Her wrists were bound, and she was surrounded by a military squadron. Anakin tried to help, to get up, anything but just sit there. Obi-Wan restrained Anakin as long as he could. The longer Anakin was held back, the more angry he became. Once the search party left their line of vision, Obi-Wan could hold Anakin back no longer. Anakin sprang up, activating his lightsaber. He pointed it at Obi-Wan, who had no choice but to once again draw his weapon against his friend in self defense. Anakin glared at Obi-Wan and spat bitterly," I could have saved her! You're always holding me back! Now she's gone, because of you. They could kill her! No doubt Palpatine has informed the Trade Federation of this, and they probably have a bounty hunter waiting to assasinate her! How could you do that?"
"I had to, Anakin. They won't hurt her. But if they captured you, you would have been executed. I couldn't allow that," Obi-Wan replied rationally.
"Do not call me Anakin! He died when they took Padme. By letting her go, you allowed his spirit to give up, to die. Anakin Skywalker is dead. Darth Vader is born. Oh, how long I have looked forward to this!" Vader cried as he attacked Obi-Wan. The entire fight was a blur to both men. Vader attacked with all the anger and hate he possessed. Obi-Wan defended himself, frequently calling for Anakin to come back. But he never did. Not until the end, when Vader had Obi-Wan pinned against the floor, lightsaber to his throat. Anakin returned for a moment, and warned Obi-Wan that the next time they met, it would be the end of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Then he ran down the cave and left.
The noise from the battle of course attracted the attention of the search party. Mace Windu and Yoda led the way back down the cave, where they found Obi-Wan laying on the ground, clearly in shock, and covered in small battle wounds. Mace helped Obi-Wan to his feet and asked," What happened?"
"He saw you take her, and lost it. I held him back as long as I could, trying to keep him from doing something he would regret. He turned on me," Obi-Wan replied in a tone of disbelief. He continued," Earlier he passed out. He woke up screaming for help. He spoke of his dark side, Darth Vader, trying to take over. He defied the Sith, and was viciously attacked. Then he was locked in a closet, unable to move. He screamed for help. Later he said he couldn't hold on much longer. When we fought, he said Anakin was dead, and he was Vader."
"Bad for everyone, this is," Yoda put in. He had been listening, and was deeply concerned," trained him, we should not have."
"We will put all efforts into capturing Vader. He will not escape," Mace Windu reassured Obi-Wan. Inside, Obi-Wan was thinking, This Vader will pay for killing Anakin, the boy I trained. I will destroy him. If it is at all possible, I will bring Anakin back. He cannot be dead. Perhaps he has been overpowered by the hate and anger of Vader. But he will return, and Vader will pay.
Now everyone will regret what they have done to me, Vader thought cruelly as he lifted the ship into space. He would join Palpatine, and the Jedi would pay. Especially Obi-Wan Kenobi. He was no longer Anakin Skywalker. No longer did he have to control his anger or vengeful feelings. Yes, the Jedi would pay, indeed...