Spoilers: Still no new spoilers, though, as always, major spoilers for the events in Ep. III.

Disclaimer: It's not mine, but I'm still not giving Anakin back.

A/N: I hope you enjoy this chapter, and of course, please let me know what you think!

Slipping Into Darkness

Chapter 8

"No!" Anakin called again, his voice cracked with emotion. His vision was coming to life before his eyes, and he was powerless to stop it. Anakin simply crumpled to his knees. "No…" he said again.

The Sith was unbelievably fast. Anakin watched as Agen Kolar was struck down, then as Saesee Tiin fell victim to Sidious' blade. After a few more moments, Kit Fisto was gone as well. Only Mace Windu remained, caught up in the furious battle.

Anakin lost track of time watching as the two duelists parried and blocked. Eventually, Mace Windu seemed to gain the upper hand, forcing Sidious into a corner. Yet, the Sith appeared unconcerned.

Sidious smiled wickedly, no longer attempting to hide his true nature. He looked over at Anakin.

"You see, Jedi?" he hissed at Mace Windu. "Your precious Chosen One is mine. He is lost to you."

"Skywalker is not your concern, Sidious," the Jedi Master said, refusing to react to the obvious taunt. "I am."

As if to prove his point, he thrust his purple blade forward nearly hitting the Dark Lord in the leg. The Sith simply laughed.

"Do you honestly believe that I fear you?" Sidious asked. His laughter increased until it seemed to fill every corner of the office. "Pitiful Jedi."

Suddenly, in a movement so fast that it was barely visible, the Sith struck. His blade cut deeply into the Jedi Master's left arm. Startled and in pain, Mace Windu lost his grip on his saber.

In one smooth motion, Sidious deactivated his own lightsaber and slipped it into the folds of his cloak. Then he reached a hand towards the dropped saber and crushed it using the Force. Mace Windu's shock registered on his face causing Sidious to laugh yet again.

"No, Jedi, I am not afraid of you. Rather it is you who should fear me."

With that, Sidious raised his hands, and Anakin could feel the Dark Side rise in response to its master's call. Mace Windu stood his ground, refusing to back down even against such impossible odds. But as the Force lightning flashed from Sidious' fingertips the Jedi Master was thrown against wall, a startled cry of pain escaping him.

Still, Anakin watched, unable to move, unable to stop what he knew was coming.

"You are weak, Jedi," the Sith continued. "You have lost."

The Dark Lord punctuated each taunt with another surge of lightning. Anakin could sense that Mace Windu was trying to block the blasts with Force shields, but the Sith was too powerful for the already weakened Jedi. Mace Windu's presence was beginning to fade.

"Once you are dead," the Sith said, preparing for what he obviously intended to be the fatal blow, "the Chosen One will pledge his loyalty to me."

In that instant, time seemed to stand still for Anakin. Sidious's words echoed in his mind: The Chosen one will pledge his loyalty to me…

Would he? Even after the horror of his vision, would he still join Palpatine? What frightened Anakin the most was that he wasn't sure.

He wanted to believe Palpatine. He wanted to believe that he was incapable of doing all of the things he had seen in the vision. He wanted to believe that the vision had not been the future, but rather part of some scheme by the Jedi Council. He wanted to believe that he could never hurt Padmé.

However, no matter how hard he tried, Anakin couldn't deny the truth. The darkness that he carried within himself was very real, and Palpatine wanted him to use it. If he did, then that darkness would engulf everything and everyone he loved. But now, he had a chance to stop that from happening. So, he would.

As sparks began to appear between the Dark Lord's fingers, Anakin reached deep within himself, and with all his power, he used the Force to push the Sith Lord away from Mace Windu. Caught by surprise, Sidious flew far into the depths of the office. In the momentary quiet that followed, Anakin forced himself to stand and moved over to Mace Windu. The Jedi Master was unconscious and his breathing was shallow, but he was alive.

"Foolish boy!"

Anakin's head snapped up as he heard Palpatine's growl.

"I offered you more power than you can possibly imagine, the power to shape the galaxy like clay in your hands…and yet, you refused me." Palpatine rose to his feet, and straightened his dark robes. "You have chosen weakness over strength, and now, you will pay for your mistake."

Before Anakin could react, a Force wall as solid as stone slammed into him and sent him crashing into the window overlooking the city. Pain swept through Anakin as he heard the window crack from the force of the blow. He dropped to the floor, still on his feet, but dazed.

"Now, experience the full power of the Dark Side."

In the next instant, the large ebony desk in front of Anakin lifted from the floor and sailed towards him. He managed to bring up his saber just in time and cleaved the desk in two. Its severed halves flew past Anakin on both sides, missing him by mere centimeters, then they continued on to shatter the already fractured window.

Wind streamed into office from the newly formed opening, causing Anakin's Jedi robes to billow about him. Wishing to leave the vulnerable position the gap had now created, he stepped further into the office. Sidious allowed him to do so, choosing not to attack, but rather to circle him as a predator circles its prey. Anakin kept his saber in the guard position, unsure if he should take the offensive for fear of a trick.

After what seemed an eternity, the Dark Lord chose to move, his crimson saber blazing. Each series of attacks was blindingly fast, and Anakin, who had always considered himself to be the best swordsman at the Temple, found that he was hard-pressed to meet the blows. But as the fight continued, he realized that the Sith was simply testing him, toying with him, and his rage built like thunderclouds before a storm. With each parry, Anakin became more determined to gain the upper hand.

Moving as fast as the Dark Lord, Anakin lunged forward to strike at the Sith's flank. Palpatine dodged agilely, then used his momentum to turn his blade and block the blow the young Jedi had meant for his back. In response, Anakin spun his own saber in a deadly arc, aiming for Palpatine's head. But again, the Sith had anticipated the movement. Sparks flew as Anakin's sapphire blade met Palpatine's ruby one, and the deadly battle continued.

But as Anakin moved to raise his sword once more, he felt something shift within the Force. In an instant, the presence of the Dark Side had grown.

Apparently sensing Anakin's reaction to the change, the Dark Lord smiled cruelly. That's when Anakin understood: Sidious had been holding back. Any other thoughts were interrupted as Anakin had to focus fully on his defense. He parried a blow aimed at his leg, only to find another coming at his arm. He had barely a split second to react.

Yet, with every move, the Sith seemed to gain strength. Anakin tried to call on the Force, but it slipped through his grasp. In the confines of the room, the Dark Side had become so overpowering, so intense, that it swallowed any light that tried to enter it. But at the same time, Anakin could feel the darkness calling to him, inviting him to savor its power. He tried to ignore the longing he felt to walk in the shadows, to embrace the fury of the Dark Side as he had in his vision.

He knew that by entering that darkness, he would drag everyone he loved along with him. So, he refused to listen to the voice of the abyss. However, the battle in his soul was matched by the one he now fought against the Sith Lord, and the distraction of his inner conflict was all that Palpatine needed.

As Anakin parried a particularly vicious blow, he felt a warning come through the Force. He turned, but he was unable to stop the lamp that was aimed for his head. The impact left him dizzy. Then, another warning. He spun and managed to stop an airborn comm-screen from hitting his back. The Dark Side swirled in the room, and soon, all of Anakin's focus was on avoiding or destroying the improvised projectiles.

In moments, Anakin was exhausted, bruised and bloody from the attack. Yet, Palpatine continued his onslaught. Sensing his opportunity, the Sith lifted his blade and swung it at the young Jedi, while at the same time he brought the Fore to bear. Anakin twisted to block the chair Sidious had just thrown, and in that instant, he felt the crimson blade thrust through his right shoulder.

Anakin cried out and the Dark Lord smiled. Still in agony, Anakin never sensed the massive black vase Sidious had moved with the Force. It struck him from behind, its large, ebony shards embedding themselves in his back. The young Jedi stumbled, dropping his saber and falling to his knees. He tried to stand, but the shards felt like a dozen knives, digging farther into him with each movement.

Sidious laughed a booming laugh that seemed to fill the air and cut into Anakin's very soul. Darkness itself was laughing at him.

"Ah," Sidious said, looking down at the bent figure, "I knew you would kneel before me. This is how it should be. This is how it was meant to be."

"Sidious…" Anakin growled.

But before he could speak, Anakin felt invisible fingers tighten around his throat.

TBC

A/N: Since I don't want to keep everyone waiting, the next post will be up on Friday. After that, I will return to posting on Mondays and Thursdays.

Thank you everyone who has reviewed, your feedback has been incredibly kind, and greatly appreciated.

For anyone who hasn't reviewed yet…

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Happy Thanksgiving! :)

Ani-maniac494