(Cont'd)

The force blast would be powerful enough to destroy Palpatine. But a quick and painless death would be too easy. Anakin needed him to suffer.

He let the orb flow over the man but pulled back before it could kill him. The blast peeled the outer most layer of the emperor's skin from his flesh and the old man wailed.

"Anakin..." he gasped. "I was always your friend... I- I- helped you, kept your secrets when you killed the Sand People... when you married against the code of the Jedi Order-"

"You call that helping me?"

Palpatine tried to stand but winced. Every part of his body ached. He reached into his robe and pulled a lightsaber. It was as red as Anakin's, but longer. "I don't want to fight you Anakin, we've always been the best of friends."

He stood and flesh peeled from his face and dropped to his feet. Anakin walked toward him, a maniacal grin spread across his face. He swung his lightsaber and the old man tried to deflect it. But Anakin back-kicked him in the face, whirled his lightsaber around once more, and lopped off the Emperor's ear.

"Yes, best of friends...I'll be sure to write in my diary about our terrible fight." Anakin back smacked the Sith Lord and rotted teeth flew from his mouth. Anakin hated those teeth. Hated when he smiled.

The man tried to blast him with Sith lightening, but Anakin deflected it with his blade. He force-pushed the emperor back, ran toward him, then lopped off his other ear.

The emperor gasped, then wailed. "Skywalker. Arrgh now you will feel my wrath, boy!"

"What was that? I didn't hear you," Anakin mocked.

The old man swung his lightsaber then thrusted it forth in a stabbing motion. The red blades smashed, the impact blowing him back a step. He released Sith lightening, but Anakin returned it with a green electrical current of his own - Emerald Lightening.

"This is what you feared, isn't it?" Anakin scowled.

The emperor buckled under the Emerald lightening. Anakin merely toyed with the old man. He could kill him easily, but wanted to play a bit longer.

"Anakin... we've been, huhhhh through so much together!" Palpatine wailed.

Anakin released the lightening, whirled his lightsaber around and lopped the man's right arm off from the shoulder down. Palpatine screamed.

"Yes, and now things seem to be falling apart."

Palpatine raced toward the bridge, lava still flowing beneath it.

"All too easy," Anakin muttered. He raised a hand and summoned the force to rock the bridge. It warbled side to side under his power. Palpatine rocked and swayed, nearly falling into the lava lake.

Anakin raised the wave, tempted to douse the man with liquid fire.

"Now you understand the power of the dark side, Anakin."

The wave fell back into the lake and the bridge ceased to sway.

"The sheer beauty and magnificence of another's suffering my friend. Slowly but surely you will destroy the last of what was good in you. I will live through your rage and shall have eternal life."

"I'm not like you," Anakin said.

"I enjoyed watching you suffer," the emperor taunted. "It was your pain that gave me unlimited power."

Anakin pulled Palpatine into a force choke, impelling him to descend the bridge.

Ribs popped and the emperor winced. "Do it!" he choked.

Anakin flashed gritted teeth at the man. A blow of the force and a major bone in the emperor's leg snapped in half. He wailed but laughed at the same time, seeming to get off on his own pain.

"Kill me! Kill us, Anakin. I'll be back, you've already seen to it."

"No," the Jedi said. He saw his son, lightsaber poised over his head, pulling back from a final death blow - and remembered.

Luke had shown him something he'd forgotten early in life – mercy.

As much as he wanted the emperor to suffer, a true test of wisdom and growth was to leave the man alive. To leave his destruction to the will of the Force.

Anakin released Palpatine, setting him at the edge of the bridge.

"I won't kill you," Anakin said. "You're already dead."

He walked away but could hear the emperor cackling...

"You haven't seen the last of me, Skywalker."

But it was the will of the force that sent a wave of lava hellfire crashing onto the bank to melt away the bridge, and an errant spark that caught the emperor's clothes and set him ablaze.

Anakin turned his back and wished he was the one without ears as the flames consumed the evil one.

He reached forth, summoning the force as he covered himself with a blue orb to protect his spirit-body from the blazing red sky of hell as it shifted to a blanket of white light...