Chapter 13
"Then you know what happened? You know he challenged me, I tried to stop him, and that he put out my eyes with Sith lightning."
Obi Wan had sensed Anakin had been in danger, and that he was no longer the evil one, but they did not know this. They were very upset. "You mean, you're blind?"
Anakin shook his head sadly, a tear falling from each of his still lovely but useless eyes."I wanted to stop him, so he stopped me. I can't fly, I can't fight, I can't find him. I can't see."
"Don't give up so easily, Anakin." Obi Wan said, trying to sound encouraging, but he couldn't get over the twist of events that had taken place.. "How could Luke do this? Who knows what else he may do"
Anakin nodded at the force figure. "That's exactly what I was thinking. But unfortunately, I am in no condition to stop him. You'll have to do it yourselves." They smiled. They were dead, that was quite a handicap itself. But Anakin pointed out, and they knew, that because they were ghosts they would be capable of more than an ordinary human, even one with the force. They could use this ability to help.
"I am sorry about your eyesight, Anakin." Obi Wan said sympathetically. "That was one thing I never took from you."
Anakin gave a weak smile. "That is ONE thing you didn't take, you took most of me though. You know, Obi Wan, for years I hated you for what you did to me at Mustafar. Not so much that you turned on me, I'm sure you felt that was the right thing based on your training. It was HOW you did it. You chopped me to pieces, and left me to burn, painfully burn...why didn't you just kill me?"
Obi Wan lowered his head. "You were a Sith, but I couldn't. I left it to the will of the force. It decided you should live."
"Live, and in such pain and agony. I hated you, I blamed you..."
"You got your revenge, you killed me."
Yes, he had killed him, and he had wanted to kill him. He had bragged of it, took joy in it. He was actually embarrassed by all that now. Yet still that wasn't the end. "And you both sent my own son to kill me."
"You were evil, you had turned to the dark side. You had to be stopped."
"Obi Wan, did I ever tell you why I turned to the dark side? I wish I had, you would have been able to help me. It was Padme, I was having visions of her death, I asked Master Yoda and he.."
Yoda remembered this all too well. "Told you to let go, I did, told you not to mourn. Do that, you could not."
"Palpatine promised me her life, he claimed if I learned the ways of the dark side, I could save her."
"Oh, Anakin," Obi Wan exclaimed. "I had no idea, even in all this time. I wish you had told me. Together, we could have defeated him. You do know he was lying to you, to get you on his side?"
"Yes, I do, you cannot possibly understand how much I regret my decision. I should have thought more deeply into it, searched my feelings more, I knew better..I was so young and full of myself..."
"You will get no arguments from me on that. But no one could have told you, you had to find it out for yourself."
"I did, but at what cost? I lost everything. Believe me, Obi Wan, I have suffered for what I have done, and I would do anything to make things right."
While there was no more exchange in words on this, they both felt something. Had they both not been right, and both wrong? Had they both not been victorious, and defeated? Things had come full circle, despite everything, and they were once again on the same side, fighting for the same cause. Finally, so now were they both not avenged? All the hatred stored over the years finally faded, and they made their peace.
Obi Wan looked at Anakin from head to foot. He had already noticed that he had been healed, and looked like his old self again. He knew that inside as well, he WAS his old self, the old Anakin again.
"I see your have quite recovered from the lava. I think that's wonderful, I really do. I'm happy for you." Obi Wan was sincere.
Anakin believed him. "I was happy too, until my son turned to the dark side and blinded me. Now everything's wrong again. Help me, old friend, I need you."
"I will help" he spoke in earnest trust. He could totally sense Anakin's change, and true desire to stop Luke. His blue glowy image layed its hand on Anakin's right shoulder. "Kenobi and Skywalker, together again. How about it?" He asked.
"I will try." Anakin spoke in a brave though cracking voice, his poor blinded eyes staring blankly away. He knew he was now useless in a fight but was willing to help any way he could. "Obi Wan, there is something else I must know. If you and Yoda are able to come back, how do you know Sidious can't come back too?"
"No, no, Anakin, the Sith cannot possibly, because they do not have the compassion and love to achieve what we have."
"That is good." Anakin nodded. "But now my last hope, that perhaps Luke was possessed by Sidious and not by the dark side of his own accord, is gone. I know he must be stopped."
Anakin's voice was full of unexpected compassion as he directed his request to the force spirits. "Please, don't harm him. As much as I hate him for blinding me, I don't want him destroyed."
This even more proof that Anakin had changed. He no longer hated Obi Wan, and he couldn't hate Luke, even though he had been so evil and put out his eyes. Where was the vicious, angry, man who wanted to strike out maliciously? He had every reason to want his revenge on Luke, yet was pleading for his life! Obi Wan sensed the dark side had completely left Anakin, yet he worried about Luke. He paused a moment, considering what Anakin had said about Luke. His voice was somber.
"He has become a very great threat."
Those were the same words he had spoken to Padme years ago about Anakin. Now it was their son. He would do what he must, though he hoped it would not end badly.
Anakin was chilled by those words. "I'm coming with you both." He announced. "If I can see the two of you through the force, as long as you walk ahead of me, I will be able to at least see which way to go. You will literally light my way."
Obi Wan looked at Yoda, and Yoda back at Obi Wan. They whispered something between themselves, unheard by Anakin. "This eternal power we have, yes, but interfere with human destiny, we must not." Yoda said quietly. Obi Wan strongly disagreed. "We have the power to save countless humans, and other beings if we act now. Through Luke, the force is out there trying to change human destiny. We are of the force as well. We failed before, when the Emperor took over, we will not fail now. And Yoda, we can also use our power for good now, for our friend, I think it's important." Yoda shook his head, he didn't know if he agreed. But Obi Wan was sure. Anakin wondered what it all meant.
"I won't be much use to you blind, but know that you have my support and any help I am able to give. I am with you all the way." Anakin said, his voice almost breaking again, but tried to joke: "I just can't seem to keep myself all together at one time, can I?"
"Always losing things, aren't you, Anakin? Just like your lightsaber, how many times did I find it for you when I was training you?"
Anakin remembered that, and wanted to laugh, but he was not in the mood to be jovial. Still, the shared memories between he and Obi Wan had showed that the ice had melted on their old differences.
"I lose...everything that means anything to me, I always have. Please, don't let me lose Luke."
Obi Wan looked at Anakin in a way he never had before. He was not only remorseful, he was completely humble, he was actually pitiful. "Anakin, come to me." He said at last. "You will come with us. I am going to help you." Anakin stepped cautiously forward. He had admitted to answering to that name, not Vader. He had shown himself to have turned completely from the dark side. He and Obi Wan had forgiven each other. Anakin had totally redeemed himself to Obi Wan and Yoda, and now Obi Wan was going to redeem himself to Anakin.