Anakin stood. The fact that he couldn't be with Padme only made him madder. As it always did.
He felt his lightsaber glowing bright red in his hand and wondered how it got there. He walked toward the darkened path and cut through the vines with his weapon. "Be weary Emperor, for I am coming," he commanded.
In the force he felt a presence. Then he heard a lightsaber buzzing. He walked forth into the cave and found no light – but complete and utter darkness.
A purplish glow in the shadows reached his eyes, and suddenly, it blazed toward him in a fury of whirring hot light.
He deflected it and felt a wind as the figure blew into a darkened tree-top.
Anakin adjusted his eyes and could now see into the blackness, the face of Mace Windu. A nightmare walking, blazing, furrowing out of the tree toward him and "Crack!" a boot smashing into Anakin's stunned face.
Anakin flipped backward, swung his weapon forcing Mace to jump over it as he nearly took off his leg. This time, there was no element of surprise. Mace didn't get the chance to fight back when Anakin took his arm that horrible day, but now, he would show the "chosen one" what would have happened had his senses not been fully occupied by the Sith Lord Darth Sidious.
Anakin advanced, lightsaber swinging toward Mace Windu in a rage. But the Master returned the gesture, unleashing all of Vaapad's dark fury upon him. .
Mace grabbed Anakin by the collar of his dark leather lapel, pulled him close then sent an elbow smashing into his face.
Anakin gave him a head butt and a knee to the chest, then force-pushed him back, but Mace bounced from the wood of a nearby tree and back-flipped over him. A sabering contest against Mace Windu was pretty much a loss, even against a master of Djem So. Vaapad harnessed the dark side and they stood in the blackness of it with only their sabers for light. Dark brown eyes challenged dark blue. Anakin called upon the force. In a fury of monumental proportions he drew himself into in a mountainous blue orb of powerful sonar energy and blasted the Master into oblivion.
Anakin felt the force flowing through him -- and powerful it was. His hands trembled, the red beam too unsteady to even hold in a defensive stance. He heard Mace Windu's boots as they slammed onto the ground and knew the Master landed on his feet.
Suddenly, a fist moved through the darkness and connected with Anakin's face. The red lightsaber left his hand and at once, fell into Mace Windu's. He stood before him, purple lightsaber in his right, red in his left.
To Anakin, his options were clear. He'd gone easy on Mace Windu – after all, he betrayed him so many years ago. But if he continued to block his way, he'd send more than a sonar blast this time.
But instead of pursuing the battle, Mace tossed the red lightsaber back to Anakin.
He caught it.
"Now you will finish what you started," Mace ordered. And like a bat into the blackness of night, he was gone.
What did he mean?
And this time, the force whispered again: To finish what you started and balance the force.
It was then that Anakin finally understood what he needed to do.