It was a shadowed figure, hooded and making his way quietly through the streets. Obi Wan stood back, observing and wondering if it was who he thought. He could sense him, feel his presence and yet he kept himself hidden. It was the exchange with the drunken man that secured his thoughts. He walked closer, seeing the man come to a halt, body doubling slightly as though he'd been punched in the stomach. This gave Obi Wan time…he walked up behind the figure, a hand falling to his shoulder as he gently began to turn him – though Anakin seemed to have beaten him to it, spinning around to face the man.

Obi Wan nearly jerked back as he saw the man that stood before him – it was Anakin, but not the one he knew. He was pale, he looked tired and worked and the sadness radiating off of him was nothing short of depressing. He'd been around him only mere moments and he was amazed that Anakin hadn't thrown himself off a cliff with this feeling. But what caught Obi Wan's attention the most was his eyes. Those eyes that once radiated with passion and then with anger at another point, now simply gazed upon him…lifeless. It was overwhelming – to stand before someone whom, in his mind, had been brought back to the dead. Though it wasn't the same person – it was a shadow, the hollow outer layer of a man he once knew. As he studied his former padawan's appearance, he couldn't help but notice that his gaze was being met right back and the younger man's eyes remained on him – as it had from the moment he'd been turned around.

Anakin was the first to speak. It was quiet, his voice deep and tortured, the word he whispered was both in desperation and relief.

"Master."

Anakin stood before his former master – still taller though his slumped posture and slouched shoulders had him standing a few inches beneath his normal height. He watched his master, trying to read him, to figure out what the man was thinking as he studied the remains of his former pupil. He could tell that being called 'master' had caught Obi Wan off guard, for his gaze jerked up to meet Anakin's eyes, his brow furrowed in confusion. It was only under the direct gaze that Anakin's eyes shifted down to the ground, resting between them as he took in the brown robe Obi Wan wore - much like his days as a Jedi. He hadn't changed, only grown older with the years that passed. Unlike Anakin, his hood was down – he was free to go as he pleased. Anakin ran in fear, in hiding.

The initial feeling of relief upon seeing his master was quickly overcome with panic and fear. What would happen now? Their last meeting had not been parted on pleasant terms, instead a battle that ended with Obi Wan rushing to save his wife and him pausing in fear before escaping prior to the emperor's arrival. Though Obi Wan did not know this – he was not aware of what had happened to his padawan who had last been seen floating on a rock in the middle of the lava – glad that he had not made a move to attack when Obi Wan had the high ground. Anakin had stayed, screaming out hatred towards his master to cover up his own confusion. His eyes glared in rage to hold back the tears that threatened to fall as he looked up at his master on the molten platform. That hadn't been the best departure.

Anakin took a step back – unsure of what was to happen now. Who would he be turned to? The emperor or the Jedi's? Neither would receive him very well. It was Obi Wan's next move that caught him off guard. The man stepped closer to him, his hand reaching out and resting against his shoulder and turning him before leading him down the street.

"Come," he said, explaining further with only, "We need a transport out of here."

Anakin had been able to let his hood down, studying his surroundings as he stood awkward in the home of his former master, taking in the way he lived now…outside the rules of the Jedi Council. He lived alone, it was obvious. Part of him had expected him to have broken from the laws, to love, to have a life…to feel what Anakin had felt with Padme. But no, he hadn't.

"Do you plan on standing there all night?"

The sound of Obi Wan's voice snapped him to reality and Anakin looked up at the man who stood before him, an eyebrow raised at Anakin's current situation. He wasn't sure what it had been that got Obi Wan to so easily trust him. Though, it was obvious there was a certain sense of caution around him. His master had his arms folded over his chest and Anakin was sure that it was so he could withdraw a lightsaber if necessary. Anakin didn't want to fight, he had no desire to. He was exhausted, emotionally more than physically. One hand reached inside the hooded robe he wore, withdrawing a lightsaber and dropping it on the ground before his master. It was his way of giving in, of letting Obi Wan know that he was not planning on pulling anything.

Seemingly shocked by this, Obi Wan looked down at the weapon and then the man that stood before him. Cautiously, he kneeled and took the lightsaber, putting it in his clock with the other as he watched Anakin. What did Obi Wan want? Anakin's tortured soul beat himself more to try and figure it out, to read into the longings and desires of his master. He didn't know, he couldn't know.

"I'm sorry," he finally broke, not only physically and emotionally, but his voice as the words escaped. "I'm sorry, Obi Wan." The sob that formed in his throat finally escaped and the next time he looked up at Obi Wan, the tears were trailing down his cheek, his expression that of none other than complete and utter defeat. He'd been a beaten man, beaten by himself into nothing. He just needed to say it – as pointless as it may be, he needed to apologize to Obi Wan. He was still here to hear his apology, but Padme was not. The images of her desperate expression, begging him not to do this lingered in his mind and haunted his thoughts both conscious and in his sleep. The memory was never-ending, just like his pain.