Traitors
chapter two
"From this day forward, all Jedi are to be known as traitors! All of them have conspired against the Republic save two – Skywalker and Kenobi who have proven themselves loyal despite the Jedi's treacherous teachings! They will lead the Army against the Jedi Rebellion and any who oppose us! No one – not even the Separatists – will be able to withstand the full might of the Empire!"
"What do we do now?"
It seemed to be the top question in everyone's minds lately ever since the announcement that the Republic would be transformed into an Empire with much cheers and applause to Bail Organa's horror. Palpatine would be leading the Empire although it was not official yet. It might as well have been. Judging from the wild cheers and roars of approval from thousands of representatives, there was hardly any need for an election. Palpatine would win – there was simply no contest.
It was like waking up and realizing that it was simply too late to do anything. There had been calls for a motion to be entered but it was as good as useless. There was no stopping Palpatine. They were already losing. Members who had written their names on the Delegation of the Two Thousand were getting arrested even as they sat there in shocked silence. Fang Zar had been dragged off. Tundra Dowmeia had been arrested. Soon, others would follow.
"Has anybody seen Padmé?" Bail asked after a moment of silence whereby no one had tasted their drinks.
Padmé would know what to do. She was a clever person who could look through any problem and figure out the best solution. They needed Padmé now. He had not seen her since she disappeared soon after the announcement, giving him advice.
Mon Mothma who was looking pale and rather sick shook her head.
"Padmé did not return to her apartment, according to her servants. She has not been seen since the Senate meeting."
Bail sighed, rubbing his temples. He had no idea if Padmé was all right or if she had been arrested for her involvement in such activities as Palpatine would rightly term as "conspiracies against the State". If she had been arrested, none of them would be safe.
"Padmé advised me and all of us to simply vote for Palpatine to avoid getting arrested," he finally voiced out.
Immediately there were roars of disagreement and calls for them to fight back against the transformation. Bail waited until the voices had quieted down enough for his voice to be heard.
"After much thought and consideration, I am forced to agree," he said uncomfortably. "Palpatine will arrest all those who oppose his rule and all those who did not vote for him. Anybody who has had their names on the Delegation of the Two Thousand would be considered enemies of state. I seriously doubt that Palpatine will show any form of mercy. He has firmly shown that he would hunt down every so-called traitor against the Republic and against the Empire."
"But what would that achieve?" protested Giddean Danu. "By allowing Palpatine to step up and remove all powers from the Senate would be like admitting defeat!"
"We are already defeated here," answered Bail as patiently as he could. "We cannot openly oppose him and hope to win or remain alive. Palpatine has the support of the majority of the Senate and he has the Army to back his power. Padmé advised us to remain low and to work against the Empire from underground."
"That could take more than twenty years," considered Bana Breemu.
"Yes, it could but there is hardly any choice in the matter. Palpatine is too strong – he has obviously been planning for this for years. We are too unprepared. We can't face him now. Perhaps, when we gather enough support we might have a fighting chance against him."
"What of the Jedi?" Mon Mothma asked. "Can they be of any help?"
"I cannot judge where the Jedi stand anymore but I do not believe that all of them are traitors. Palpatine bears a grudge against them. Even as we speak, there might be Jedi dying," said Bail, sighing. "However, there is still a chance a few of them might have escaped and it would be useful to get them."
"Why don't we contact Skywalker and Kenobi?" suggested Bana Breemu. "Palpatine singled them out – they might still be alive and willing to help us."
"But they might be involved with Palpatine taking over the Senate," Giddean Danu pointed out. "That might be the real reason why Palpatine spared them."
"I do not believe for a second that is the case," Chi Eekway spoke immediately. "Skywalker might be hot-headed and stubborn but I do not believe he would willingly help the fall of the Republic. Kenobi would be the last person I would suspect to align himself with Palpatine."
"I believe that's true," agreed Mon Mothma. "I do not believe that pair would aid the fall of the Republic. Skywalker believes in democracy and Kenobi more so."
"But still doesn't Skywalker's close friendship with Palpatine warrants more suspicion?" asked Giddean Danu who seemed reluctant to get off the case. "If anything, Palpatine might be manipulating Skywalker."
"Skywalker friendship with Palpatine has been quite controversial," agreed Bail. "But I doubt if we would ever know Palpatine's true intent of earning Skywalker's trust. I do not believe Skywalker would willingly aid Palpatine in the fall of the Republic but yes, we have to treat him with caution."
"Then of Kenobi?"
"My trust in him has never been questionable," answered Bail and no one protested.
Then and there a messenger burst into the room giving others quite a scare for they feared that somehow the knowledge of the meeting might have been leaked to Palpatine.
"I'm sorry for interrupting but I thought this was important," the messenger hastily explained himself.
"What's the message?" Bail asked pointedly.
"It has been all over the HoloNet and all the news," the messenger answered quickly. "The Jedi Temple has been invaded and all of the occupants eradicated."
There was an uproar of chaos in the room. Senators turned to each other speaking in disbelief and confusion. There were yells of anger and of refusals to believe. Bail, despite the sheer weight of the news, somehow managed to make his way to the balcony. It had to be true. Smoke was rising from the Jedi Temple, curling like a long, black python in the air. Never in the history of the Jedi had the walls of the temple been breached. It was a day for strange, sudden happenings.
"How -"
"What should we do now?"
"Did anyone –"
"Who had done it?"
"This is the end!"
Bail whirled around, angry at whomever who had shouted that.
"Quiet!" he shouted and the room fell silent. "This is not the end! We can still fight this! Just…just because the Jedi have fallen…" His voice cracked slightly as his mind tried to process the thought that seemed unbelievable. "…does not mean we can't win. We simply have to be more careful. We have to plan how to overthrow Palpatine."
"Does anybody know who could possibly have done this?" called on Mon Mothma, her face showed no information although her voice betrayed what she really felt.
Senators looked at each other as if the other knew who could possibly have done this. The messenger hesitated before speaking up.
"There were rumors – not confirmed yet – that the person who led the troopers into the temple was…" he trailed off.
"Who was it?" Mon Mothma pressed on.
The messenger took a deep breath then spoke.
"They said…they said it was Anakin Skywalker," he finished.
No one spoke for a minute. Chi Eekway slumped on the couch, unable to believe what she was really hearing. All of them looked pale at the information. Bail could not trust himself to speak. His voice was lost somewhere between all the confusion. It just went from a situation of little hope to a hopeless situation.
"How could this be possible?" asked Bana Breemu, more to herself.
"Anything's possible," replied Giddean Danu dully but even though he had been right, there was no victory in his guess. "Skywalker has aligned himself with Palpatine."
"He could have been manipulated."
They all heard the statement and tried to force themselves to believe because the other prospect that he willingly joined Palpatine to bring down the Republic and the Jedi Order just was not that hopeful at all. However, the prospect was dim. Manipulated or not, having Skywalker on the other side would be like facing an adversary with an infinite number of troops all equipped with the latest technology so technically it was not impossible, it was merely very, very difficult.
Despite everything, they had firmly believed that Anakin Skywalker was the Chosen One as the HoloNet had portrayed him or at least, the Hero With No Fear. They had read about his amazing abilities – his sheer ability to somehow boldly and rashly achieve a mission due to his incomparable powers. There had been some truth to the claim that Anakin could have been the Chosen One. It was a belief they held to, as unconsciously as they did, that Anakin Skywalker would win the war and that he among all of the Jedi would be the last one to fall.
It was eerily ironic how everything turned out.
Bail Organa had to clench his fists to prevent them from shaking. He had met Skywalker a few times and even though the Jedi Knight had shown himself to be arrogant and rather rebellious, not once had he thought that Skywalker would ever willingly destroy something he was tasked to protect. It just did not sum up. It did not feel right or seem right. It was just not possible.
But a few days ago, if someone had claimed that Palpatine would turn the Republic into an Empire he himself would control, he would not think it was possible. And exactly that had happened.
It was a day of revelations and none of them looked prospective.
"Bail, what should we do?" asked Mon Mothma finally.
She looked exhausted, stunned. There had been so much to process in such a short amount of time.
"We will follow what Padmé said," he answered finally. "All of us with vote for Palpatine and then we will lay low so as to avoid any arrest. We will have to work against him in secret."
"And the Jedi?" asked Bana Breemu tentatively.
"If Skywalker…truly is working with Palpatine," Bail said slowly. "Any Jedi would be in danger. I will send a ship looking for any Jedi that might have survived the order for them to be killed. There is still hope that a few of them are alive."
"I never thought I would ever live to see the day where the Republic would fall with little hope to revive it," Mon Mothma said.
"No, Mon, neither did I," said Bail softly.
Obi-Wan Kenobi had an unexplainable feeling of having knocked his head against a durasteel wall when he finally woke up. He blinked the discomfort away at the startling sight of lights, feeling a headache was to come next. Twisting his head left and right to relief the tension in his neck, he had come to a most important conclusion.
He was not on Utapau or anywhere near the planet. In fact he seemed to be on another planet in a rather luxuriously furnished room that was not his. He did not recognize the ornate decorations on the ceilings to belong to anywhere in the Jedi Temple. The colors of the room were too rich – red, dark brown and black – and were considered rather unsuitable for the Jedi Temple. There was a heavy, ostentatious atmosphere to the room that was somehow making him rather dizzy.
He sat up, swinging his legs that still felt as if they were sleeping over the edge of the bed, causing the smooth, red satin sheets to shift about. He could feel himself getting dizzy from the simple movement as if he had just woken up after a crash when Anakin was driving. Except that Anakin was not driving and there had not been a crash.
He vaguely remembered being told there was a transmission from the Jedi Council – something particularly urgent although he could not really remember what it was. There was something about Mace then Anakin then something else… He was extremely disturbed by the unexpected loss of memory. Sure, he was old except not that old until he forgot important stuff he had just been told.
Well, if he happened to wake up on the same day, that is.
Looking out of the window, frowning, he squinted his eyes again just to be sure what he was looking at. It was the Senate building and of course, there was only one planet with such a Senate building.
He was on Coruscant. Somehow, while he had been lingering in unconsciousness, he had been brought to Coruscant for some purpose that still eluded him. He hoped that there was a good explanation for this and that he had not somehow managed to land himself into quicksand because he did not think that he would ever live it down when Anakin came to rescue him.
There was a sharp stab of pain in his chest at the thought of his former Padawan. He had missed Anakin. Between all of the crazy missions, the Jedi Council and the war, he hardly had time to see Anakin at all. The moments he had with Anakin seemed to have happened galaxies ago.
He had to remind himself that Anakin was not with him for the Utapau mission and probably had no idea if he landed into a mess. He did not like the Council's decision to make Anakin remain behind because he had a feeling that something was really wrong. He had not liked how close Anakin and Palpatine had become. He was not entirely blind to see that Palpatine had replaced him to be Anakin's closest confidant. He did not like Palpatine worming his way into Anakin's trust, sometimes causing Obi-Wan and Anakin to fight over petty things that did not really matter. There was something about the Chancellor that seemed rather disturbing.
Forcing the thoughts of Anakin out of his mind for a later time when he was not stuck in a predicament, he concentrated on how he ended up in the situation and what he was going to do about it. Details of how he was brought here were rather hazy. His brain was still quite muzzled up. He had to admit that he really had no idea why he was here or how he got here and therefore had no inkling on what he had to do.
The door to the room slid open with a hiss and he immediately tensed up in case of any sudden attacks. He relaxed, however, when he realized he was looking into the face of Anakin Skywalker who seemed so utterly relieved to see him that he wondered momentarily if he had somehow escaped death again.
"Obi-Wan," Anakin sighed in relief, rushing forward. "Are you all right?"
Obi-Wan looked questioningly at the concern on Anakin's face and in his voice. Anakin looked pale and sickly. He looked as if he never had enough sleep or was under an immense load of stress but was utterly more concern for Obi-Wan's well-being.
"I'm fine," Obi-Wan answered, looking confused when Anakin reached out a hand to touch a bump on his head gently, "although I've definitely felt better. I've a headache and I have no idea how I got here."
"As long as you're fine, I'm happy," said Anakin who pulled Obi-Wan close to him and rested his head between Obi-Wan neck and shoulder. "I was so worried…"
Obi-Wan was alarmed by the sudden show of affection although he did not pull away. He simply let Anakin bury his head there, brushing his lips lightly on the exposed skin between Obi-Wan's neck and shoulder. Anakin pulled him closer when Obi-Wan did not push him away, holding him tightly.
Now Obi-Wan was worried. Anakin was shaking slightly as he gripped him so tightly as if he feared that Obi-Wan would disappear if he let go. He reached up a hand to run his fingers through Anakin's hair in a comforting way.
Anakin pulled back slightly and Obi-Wan realized that there were tears in Anakin's eyes and an unusual amount of fear. Before Obi-Wan could ask what was wrong, Anakin raised a hand to trace Obi-Wan's lips gently and Obi-Wan fell silent. Anakin's touch was light and experimental and Obi-Wan suddenly realized the intimacy of the moment.
Someone cleared his or her throat and Obi-Wan looked up to see Palpatine standing at the doorway, looking worse for wear. He was startled to the Chancellor looking quite horrid and even more when he realized that he had witnessed whatever that happened between Anakin and him – whatever it was.
"Chancellor, I…"
Whatever Obi-Wan wanted to say simply died on his lips. Anakin, however, tensed slightly causing Obi-Wan to look worriedly at him.
"I am relieved to see you well, General Kenobi," said Palpatine in a voice that had no form of concern.
"I thank you for delivering him back safely, sir," said Anakin stiffly if not coldly.
"I have kept my end of the bargain," said Palpatine pointedly. "Now, it is up to you."
"I will succeed."
"I hope that you would for Kenobi's sake."
Obi-Wan felt rather lost in the conversation and was feeling rather uncomfortable to be in the Chancellor's presence. He tried standing up but inevitably failed when he became too dizzy. Anakin caught him before he collapsed to the ground, looking worriedly at his condition.
"I…ah…thank you for your hospitality, Chancellor," said Obi-Wan as pleasantly as he could. "However, I believe I would have to report to the Jedi Council as soon as possible on recent matters."
Palpatine looked at him with a haughty smile on his face.
"I do not think that would be necessary," he spoke sharply.
He turned to Anakin who seemed to be struggling to withhold his anger.
"I believe Skywalker would update you on the recent happenings," he said before turning around. "And I expect both of you to be there for dinner."
The door slid close after Palpatine and Obi-Wan turned to his former Padawan, who was gritting his teeth angrily, more confused than before.
"Anakin, what's –"
Anakin, however, stood up and walked over to the tall windows giving a beautiful view over the city, contemplating in silence.
"Anakin, exactly what happened? Why is the Chancellor –" Obi-Wan began exasperatedly.
"He's no longer the Chancellor," Anakin interrupted shortly.
Obi-Wan was bewildered.
"What do you mean? Was he voted off?" asked Obi-Wan, puzzled.
Anakin turned around and Obi-Wan saw the dark look on Anakin's face. He looked really tired as if he was going to collapse from exhaustion at any second.
"No…the Republic's changed…"
"Anakin, don't leave me in the dark. I need to know what happened while I was gone," said Obi-Wan seriously.
Anakin chuckled darkly, shaking his head as he looked out of the window.
"A lot of things happened while you were gone, Obi-Wan – a whole lot."
"How much can there be? I wasn't gone for that long."
"You'll be surprised, Obi-Wan."
"Anakin, I never took you to be a person who loved riddles so would you please stop acting like Master Yoda?"
Anakin did not even crack a smile. He turned to face Obi-Wan, a serious expression on his face.
"Obi-Wan, promise me one thing," he said softly.
"Anakin –"
"Obi-Wan, promise me that you won't hate me that much!"
Obi-Wan stared at Anakin in bewilderment. Anakin seemed agitated as if scared Obi-Wan would not agree. He could never hate Anakin-it was just not in his being. Anakin would be the last person he would hate.
"Of course, Anakin, I could never hate you," he answered truthfully.
Anakin sighed and let his shoulders sag.
"Palpatine's a Sith Lord," he said in a monotonous voice.
Obi-Wan felt like choking. He had not been expecting that – no one had been expecting that. To think that the Republic had been in the hands of such a monster was simply…unthinkable.
"But – how – we have to tell the Council!" he finally managed to say when he regained his voice.
"There isn't any Council, not anymore," Anakin said dully.
Obi-Wan was stunned. Of all the things, that was more unbelievable. He wanted to collapse. He wanted Anakin to smile then finally say that it was all a joke. He wanted to wake up and realize that it had been a dream cooked up after falling into some hellish hole on Hoth. But Anakin did not do any of that and Obi-Wan realized it was not a dream.
"You have to listen to me," said Anakin seriously with a severity in his voice Obi-Wan had never heard before. "A lot of things happened while you were gone."
'A hell lot,' thought Obi-Wan.
"Palpatine's a Sith Lord," Anakin repeated.
"How do you know that?" Obi-Wan asked suddenly.
"He told me."
"He told you that he was a Sith Lord?" Obi-Wan asked in disbelief.
"Yes," Anakin answered impatiently.
Obi-Wan fell silent, trying to process everything while not losing his breath at the same time.
"He choreographed the entire war," Anakin continued.
Obi-Wan felt shocked and realized he was starting to shake uncontrollably. The entire war had been a plot – it had been nothing more than a plot. Hundreds – if not thousands – of lives had been lost. Obi-Wan could feel the anger prick inside him.
"It was meant to be nothing more than a way to weaken the Jedi."
Obi-Wan could feel his blood turning to ice at a temperature close to absolute zero. Now, as Anakin told him this, he could feel everything becoming clear – he realized that everything was starting to make sense.
The cloud over the Force had been Palpatine's and to think that Anakin and he had gone through hell to save him. He realized that most probably Palpatine himself had arranged the entire kidnapping episode. There was also a nagging voice in his mind that Palpatine might have succeeded because from the beginning of the war there had not been enough Jedi around. By spreading the Jedi – thinning them all around the universe – it made them weaker, more defenseless. Obi-Wan realized the true horror of the situation and how they had failed to realize it.
"Sidious gave an order a few days ago for Order Sixty-Six to be executed."
Obi-Wan felt as if a hole just appeared beneath him and he was falling faster and faster.
"Order Sixty-Six…the order is to eliminate all Jedi…"
Obi-Wan felt that at that moment it was appropriate for him to die. He closed his eyes, trying to reach out through the Force for the presence of the hundreds of Jedi in the universe in an attempt to prove Anakin wrong. There was nothing. Everything was dark – too dim. He realized as he had to force his lungs to take in air, that most if not all of the Jedi were dead.
"…all Jedi are considered traitors to the Republic and all those who ally with them…"
The entire situation was twisted out of shape until the truth became lies and lies could somehow become truths.
"…Palpatine announced that the Republic would be turned into an Empire…"
Obi-Wan felt sick – felt so undeniably useless that he could not have foreseen the events that had led to the change. A Republic changed into an Empire? It was the end of democracy – it was the end of free choice.
"…many of the Senators have voted for him. He will announce himself Emperor in a few days…"
Couldn't the politicians get at least one thing right? Obi-Wan felt like cursing. Didn't they know they were giving up their free will?
"Wait," interrupted Obi-Wan, frowning. "If the order was to eliminate all Jedi…why are we still alive?"
Anakin looked nervous and rather uncomfortable. He slumped down beside Obi-Wan, sighing.
"We are the only two Jedi free from the treason charges," he explained slowly. "Palpatine…Palpatine…"
"Anakin, I doubt he would free us from treason charges because he likes us – you, maybe, me? Definitely not."
"Palpatine asked me to become his apprentice," Anakin said quickly.
Obi-Wan stared at Anakin for a moment hoping that it was all a joke. When it became apparent that it was not a joke, he let the full meaning of the words sink in.
"WHAT?"
"Palpatine asked me to become his apprentice in exchange for saving Padmé's life and to spare yours from Order Sixty-Six," Anakin continued, avoiding Obi-Wan's face.
Obi-Wan could feel it coming. He knew with that sickly sense of foreboding that Anakin…Anakin accepted the offer. Anakin had been a person too consumed by his own emotions. He was far too sentimental – too attached to certain things and people but a Sith?
"I accepted," Anakin said, answering the unasked question.
Obi-Wan could not really believe him. He could barely understand how surreal the situation had become. Hundreds of mistakes, ignorance of what had been right in front of his eyes, Palpatine seeking Anakin's trust…everything came up to the inevitable.
"Anakin, have you realized what have you done?" Obi-Wan asked quietly.
"Yes, I know what I have done. I've…I've killed people…"
"Anakin…"
Obi-Wan was speechless to find that the man he trusted the most-the person closest to his heart was the person he had been trained to kill. It was like waking up into a nightmare and everything was just plain bad.
'Anakin couldn't be…no…he can't…'
Obi-Wan felt as if he was floating in space with no particular direction where to go – no destination. He had no idea what to do – what to believe. Everything was so messed up – so bloody impossible to believe.
"Have you seen the state of the Jedi Temple, Obi-Wan?" asked Anakin softly, still not looking at him. "It's in ruins, Obi-Wan. All the younglings and all the Padawans are dead."
"No…no…that's not possible..." Obi-Wan choked on tears threatening to fall.
He squeezed his eyes shut, praying that he would simply die at that moment. He did not want to hear it from Anakin's lips. He did not want to imagine all the things Anakin might have done – all the lives Anakin might have destroyed.
"It is possible – anything's possible. I lead the clone troopers to storm the temple. The first one – the Gate Master – died by my hand. Then one Jedi fell after another. It was so easy, Obi-Wan…"
"We promised their families…we promised their parents that they were going to be safe…"
"I killed dozens of younglings. You should have seen the fear on their faces. Cin Drallig and Shaak Ti did not even put up much of a fight…"
Obi-Wan realized that Anakin was talking about the Jedi – the family he had grew up with – being literally destroyed by Anakin's hands. He was more than horrified. He could not believe that he was sitting here with his best friend who was telling him quite calmly about all the murders he had committed.
"Sidious is going to tear down the Jedi Temple so that not even a trace of the Jedi would be left."
"How could you, Anakin?"
Anakin watched Obi-Wan with an unreadable expression on his face.
"Anakin, how could you?" Obi-Wan screamed, wanting nothing more than to reach over and strangle the man he loved dearly and try to convince himself that he was an imposter that Anakin was not a Sith and that he was still alive.
"I could because I did," answered Anakin. "My new name is Darth Vader."
Vader.
Vader.
Vader.
Vader…
The name imprinted itself into Obi-Wan's memory forever. The man seating beside him was Vader, Lord of the Sith. He did not think he would ever forget.
He looked wildly around for his lightsaber to simply strike down the monster right in front of him before any feeling of remorse, of hesitation – of guilt could drown him.
"Your lightsaber has been taken away, Obi-Wan," said Anakin quietly. "Sidious took it to prevent you from using it."
"I trusted you, Anakin…"
"I know."
"The Jedi trusted you…"
"They were wrong to do so."
"I don't understand…"
"I hoped that you would, Obi-Wan," said Anakin, turning to face him with tears in his eyes. "I really hoped that you would."
"Why?"
Obi-Wan felt the pain of betrayal worming his way from his heart. The pain blinded his mind so much so that he couldn't think properly.
"I wanted to save Padmé, Obi-Wan, and the Jedi wouldn't help – wouldn't understand. I wanted to go to you for help but you were so busy with your work and the Council that I couldn't."
Obi-Wan did not know if he should feel hurt that Anakin thought so lowly of him. Maybe he had not reassured Anakin enough that he could come to him with his problems. Maybe the whole thing was his entire fault.
"Then Palpatine gave me a solution. He said that the Force could help save Padmé from death. She was dying, Obi-Wan, and I couldn't do anything to help her."
"No one can save everybody," Obi-Wan said dully, knowing that he had repeated that over a hundred times.
"Don't tell me that!" shouted Anakin angrily, grabbing the front of Obi-Wan's shirt. "I will save Padmé as I will save you! I'll make sure she will live! I'll make sure you will live!"
"For what, Anakin? For your own selfish needs? Why would anyone want to live in the universe you and Sidious created?" challenged Obi-Wan, anger filling his veins.
"Because…because…"
"Because of what?"
"Because I can't survive without the both of you – Anakin Skywalker can't. It is Anakin Skywalker who loves Padmé and you – not Vader."
Anakin touched Obi-Wan's face with such gentleness that the anger in his evaporated. He reached up his hand hesitantly to wipe away the tears falling on Anakin's cheeks.
"If Padmé and you die, Anakin won't exist anymore. Vader will win and he can't be allowed to win," Anakin said softly. "I need you to stay alive for Anakin. I need to find a way to save Padmé for Anakin."
It seemed rather bizarre to Obi-Wan that Anakin was talking about himself as a separate person. He could feel the truth in Anakin's words. He understood the severity of the situation. He knew that allowing Vader to take over would mean that the entire thing was lost. As long as a bit of Anakin remained there was still hope.
"Padmé has been transported to a safe place but you…you're not safe yet."
Obi-Wan waited patiently as Anakin pressed his own forehead against his, sighing quietly at the comfort of the touch. Obi-Wan could taste the saltiness of Anakin's own tears. He did not pull away when Anakin pressed his lips gently against Obi-Wan's – not like a kiss but rather a soothing touch. Obi-Wan closed his eyes when neither of them moved to deepen it.
"The only way you can stay alive is if you join the Sith," Anakin murmured and Obi-Wan felt rather than heard the words.
Obi-Wan tried not to care about those words – about how despairing the situation had become.
Instead, he let Anakin wrap his arms around his waist and pull him closer. Instead, he let Anakin trace his lips over his neck, sending tingling sensations through his body. Instead, he let Anakin's soothing touch make him forget.