Obi Wan had been hesitant to allow Anakin to see Luke. After all, the reason the twins were separated was to keep them away from their father. However, circumstances had obviously changed. The tall man with fiery eyes who was controlled by his fear was as dead as the Anakin Skywalker that had first been trained, and the Sith Lord that he'd become. Now all that Obi Wan saw was the slumped figure of a man who desperately needed a reason to continue. It was the light in Anakin's eyes when he found he had a son that convinced him. The light that took over those sullen features and the need – he'd never seen a need like that in Anakin's eyes. As a young man, he'd been independent, wanting to be able to spread his wings and fly. Now, the wing was crippled and he needed a crutch to stand on. That crutch would be his kids.
Besides, if Obi Wan didn't show him, he knew that Anakin would go by himself and there was no stopping him short of a lightsaber to the chest or a quick decapitation. He knew better than to doubt Anakin's powers, though. Lightsaber or not, he was strong. The force was still strong with him. It was this that had Obi Wan wondering if it was still true that Anakin would bring balance to the force. That was something he had to remember to bring up with Yoda…as well as a few other points that were on his mind.
Two hooded figures stood on the cliffs, hidden behind rocks - a black cloak and a brown one with a visible height difference. The scene before them was one similar to what Obi Wan saw on other days. A group of children gathering, more than likely to play or waste time after chores and such were done. It was a group of four or five so far, though there were others coming – according to Obi Wan, who often watched the children in play as they ran along the dirt and sand, on the rocks or behind and around them. They declared themselves supreme rulers, sometime. Mock wars declared, or their imaginations ran wild with the idea of a Clone War. It was only history to them, an epic battle that took place before they could remember. Before the empire that they had grown up knowing. What was history to them was reality to the two hooded figures standing back and watching quietly.
Anakin felt his son before he laid eyes upon him. He wasn't in sight yet. It started with almost a twisting in his stomach, his heart then began to race in anticipation as he felt his son. Swallowing hard, he could feel his body tense as the seconds that passed seemed to drag on for minutes. A hand fell on his shoulder and he knew it was that of Obi Wan, having been able to sense Anakin's anxiousness. Anakin tightened his fists, feeling them become clammy and rubbing them against the side of the cloak that hid him. His eyes darted along the children, one coming from the north, another jogging in from the south east. It was a few seconds before a blonde head ran in from the west. Anakin's heart nearly jumped into his throat. It was him. He didn't have to ask, he knew. And if he wanted any confirmation, it came with the squeeze of Obi Wan's hand on his shoulder.
Anakin started to turn around, wanting to walk down into the cliffs and meet his son. He was stopped by Obi Wan's other hand, that came against his chest to stop him. With a furrowed brow, he looked up at his master to see what was wrong – why had he been stopped.
"Talk to Owen first, Anakin," came the calm reply. "He is all Luke has known, he does not know you."
Defeated in realization that Obi Wan was right, he just slouched and stepped back, taking a seat against a rock as his elbows became propped against his knees, watching the scene before him of children playing. Walking up to a nine year old boy and claiming to be his father probably wasn't the most ideal way to introduce himself to his son. If anything, it might frighten the child – who believed his father, well, who didn't know what to believe of his father. Hell, the child probably thought that his father was dead. Anakin ran his hand back through his hair, pushing back the hood as he watched the blonde head running amongst his friends, who were separating. His brow furrowed as he watched the children play, wondering what they were doing.
One child turned towards a rock, covering his head in his arms as the others all scattered away, faint giggles could be heard. The boy with his head hidden was counting out loud. Anakin raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Obi Wan with a clearly confused expression. Obi Wan, catching the look, couldn't help but laugh softly.
"It's a child's game, they all hide and that one there," he pointed to the one counting, "will search for them."
Obi Wan had been watching the children for a long time. Shaking his head, Anakin just continued to watch, wondering where his son had gone. He could feel his presence nearby, but he was out of eye sight. What he did hear, though, was faint giggles from the children before silencing as the counting child quickly looked away from the rock and began to survey his surroundings curiously. Anakin could spot two of the children, who had hidden (not very well) behind a couple of large boulders in the distance. He just sat back and watched in amusement.
The children had dispersed a few hours later, Anakin and Obi Wan heading back to the humble home of the older Jedi. Tomorrow, it was decided, Anakin would venture to the home of his step brother. It was the reason he could not sleep that night. Images of the floppy haired blonde boy ran through his mind and he couldn't help but smile. It had been the first time he'd been truly happy in nine years. He had nothing to be grateful or happy about – until now. It was the first time that he could feel his heart beat for something other than sadness. The first time that he truly felt something other than regret.
His eyes closed. He wished for sleep to come. He wanted the time to pass even further. The sooner it ended, the sooner morning would come and the closer that he'd be to seeing his son. There was an odd sense of excitement – but a lingering nervousness that clenched in his gut. He was going to meet his son. It was a hard concept to grasp. He wasn't sure how the scenario would go – how he was going to react. How would a nine year old boy react to the knowledge that whatever he thought to be true of his father was nothing but a lie? Better yet, what if he knew the truth and would be ashamed of Anakin. He hadn't even met the boy, yet he was already dreading the idea of displeasing him. If Anakin was this anxious to please before he even knew the boy, he wasn't sure what he'd be going through when he actually got to meet him.
His heart felt as though it was in his throat, his hands clammy as they clenched into fists, hidden beneath the long sleeves of the robes as he fell behind Obi Wan. His hood was up, while his former master remained free from it. It was a habit, more than anything - to keep the hood up, hidden away from the world around him. He felt almost naked without it. He felt exposed to the world and he didn't want to be. He saw himself as an empty shell – nothing that should be shown to the world. He considered himself too weak to deal with the world as he once had and found his own little sanctuary within the hood and cloak that covered his body whenever he ventured among others.
Anakin's stomach churned as they neared the home of his step brother, seeing the young boy out beside his uncle – both unaware of their presence. Though not for long. When Owen looked up and saw the two, his hand moved to Luke's shoulder protectively as he stepped in front of the boy – almost as though he was wondering what the infamous Ben Kenobi was doing there. No one heard or saw him very often, and here he was. Of course, Owen knew the true identity of Ben Kenobi, which gave him only more of a reason to fear the arrival. What could he want? Obi Wan hadn't ventured there for quite some time, even though Owen was aware that he was keeping an eye on the young Skywalker.
"Owen," Obi Wan greeted when he ventured close enough, then gave a slight nod towards the boy. "Luke."
Luke – who seemed eager to peek out from behind his uncle, nodded in return and then peered up at the cloaked man behind Ben. Anakin was watching him quietly, holding back a faint smile before his gaze returned to his step brother. He watched the man's curious expression.
"Ben," the greeting was replied by Owen as he gave a light nod towards Anakin. "Who's your friend?"
Obi Wan hesitated – unsure of what to say. He knew that the name 'Anakin' would surely ring some bells with Luke. Looking over at his former padawan, he waited to see what Anakin would do – if anything at all.
Anakin did. Slowly, a hand rose and he pushed the hood down off of his hair. His eyes rested on Owen and he stayed silent. He studied his step brother's expression, it was one of momentary confusion and suddenly shock upon realization of who it was that was standing in front of him. His hand tightened on Luke's arm and he gently stood further in front of the boy to cover his view.
"Luke, go see if your aunt needs help."
Anakin looked down at the boy who was gazing up at him with wide, curious eyes. The boy didn't move at first, just staring up at Anakin in wonderment. There was something about Anakin that terrified and excited the boy. He was a stranger, but Anakin could feel the boy, feel what he was feeling. The lingering notice of unexplainable recognition that ran through his tiny body. The force was strong with him; Anakin could feel it as well. He just met the young boy's gaze, his own softening upon seeing him up close. He could feel his own heart pounding as he gazed upon his son. Owen gently pushed Luke towards the house and the boy walked backwards a few steps, not able to remove his eyes from the stranger that stood before him.
Watching his son walk backwards, Anakin wondered if Luke could feel something…anything. He knew he must, the boy looked stunned, shocked almost at the entire situation before him. Whether it was the stranger or what he felt because of the stranger, Luke was unable to tear his eyes away from Anakin. It was only till he almost stumbled that Luke turned around and all Anakin saw then was the blonde figure running off back towards the house. He looked down at the ground, holding back a faint smile. It was Owen's voice that tore him from his happy bliss.
"What's he doing here, Ben?"