The wind in Anakin's hair felt nice. He was slumped in the passenger side of the speeder, leaning tiredly against the back of his seat; Kenobi wasn't piloting too quickly through the Coruscanti traffic, and Anakin watched lazily as buildings slipped by. He hadn't felt the wind in so long - forget having hair for it to blow through - and he could feel his nerves calming.

He pushed the air in and out of his lungs almost greedily - it tasted so good. It was something that he was sure would be automatic in less than a day, but at that moment, he was all too aware of just what a gift it was. The smell of Coruscant had enveloped him with its motley array of food, fuel and people. Color surrounded him on all sides, and the sun was beginning to set. It was a beautiful orange red, and he couldn't take his eyes off of it.

He'd had dreams like this; dreams that Vader would never have admitted to - would have died before acknowledging … dreams of just coming back and being with Obi-Wan, of sitting with Padmé, laughing with Ahsoka. Dreams where he wasn't taking revenge on his old master (Vader had definitely had those as well), but where he was with him and all was right.

Nothing had been right after the Purge. After Order 66. A shudder ran through him, despite the warmth of the air. He could feel Kenobi glance at him (Obi-Wan had been doing it since they'd taken off), but ignored it in favor of glancing down at his body. His legs and his left arm felt alien to him; it was like they weren't his. He doubted that he would have much control over them anytime soon. He'd had to break in new legs before, and it wasn't easy. It was painful and tedious and frustrating, and the Vader in him almost wished for the suit back.

… Almost.

His prison of 20 years; the Emperor had made sure of that. Hopefully since these limbs actually had been his, it wouldn't be so painful. Anakin scowled down at his left hand, and experimentally wiggled his fingers. It felt really strange - almost as though they were disconnected from his brain. He'd had phantom pains in his lost limbs for years, and so it was almost incomprehensible to once again see the appendages in the flesh. He let out a long sigh (and wasn't that wonderful?).

He didn't deserve this.

Anakin could almost believe that he was in one of his perfect dreams. He could almost believe that everything was fake - it was too right. Of course, his shields were up as high as he could get them. He'd done it automatically soon after connecting with Obi-Wan through their bond, and he'd been blocking Sidious from the beginning - force of habit. He couldn't afford for his former master to see or feel anything untoward - Vader wanted to confront the Sith, but Anakin was gripped with terror at the very thought. He knew that Sidious had likely already picked up far too much.

Facing him head on would be foolish, in any case. No. He needed to undermine him, somehow. But his first priority was Padmé. She would not suffer for his folly ever again. He needed to keep her safe this time. The only real problem with that was that the Dark Lord already knew far too much about him at this point. Anakin wasn't sure what point of the war he'd arrived at, but it was a sure bet that Sidious already knew enough to ruin him. To ruin Padmé.

Of course, he didn't care about getting kicked out of the Order this time, or dying himself (that would be a mercy for the galaxy, wouldn't it?). He just wanted to make sure that Sidious paid for destroying his family, while keeping him from ever destroying them again. Padmé would live, and Palpatine would die. That was his goal. Beyond that, he didn't know what he would do.

Part of him wished that it had been someone else that went back in time, or that he'd been erased from existence (though that would mean Luke … his sister …). As it stood, he knew that it was time to pay for all that he'd done. He owed it to Luke, to Padmé, Ahsoka and … Keno-

And Obi-Wan.

Anakin huffed a little as he considered where he was at with all of them. Where he'd been at (he was in the past). He loved them all so much that it hurt, but there was a part of him that still found it difficult to look at Kenobi as anything other than a betrayer. For the first time in their flight, he twisted his head to look at the Jedi, and the man turned to look back. His face was dripping with emotions - almost too many for Anakin to read. Worry and anxiety, fondness and alarm, confusion and guilt … Before Anakin had the chance to pick at that last emotion, Obi-Wan's lips quirked into a thin smile. "We should be there soon, Anakin. I'm taking the lanes slowly to keep from jostling you too much."

Now Anakin was confused. It must have shown on his face (of course it did; without a mask everyone could see him) because Obi-Wan looked back at him after glancing ahead, his eyes narrowed slightly and knowingly.

"Don't think I haven't noticed that headache you're nursing over there." He turned his eyes back to the air-lane before continuing. "I'm not the only one who got some of it from you, either. There was quite a lot of backlash."

Anakin wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to say to that, and so he said nothing, just looking at the older Jedi. For years, he'd imagined killing this man. It was so strange to just be … here, sitting next to Obi-Wan as though nothing had happened. He supposed that for Obi-Wan, nothing had happened, yet. Vader didn't know what to do in this situation, and Anakin didn't feel that he was prepared for it, either. His master was looking forward again, but spared him at least two more glances within the next minute.

Anakin continued to stare. He still wasn't used to the idea that he was in the past, and as he studied the lines of the Jedi's face he had to wonder just when he'd come back to. They were clearly in the middle of the Clone Wars, but his memories of the battles had all bled together at this point (if he even bothered remembering them at all - Vader had tried for so long to squash down all of those memories …).

Wait, he'd gotten a call from Ahsoka … so he'd come back to before she left the Order. A flare of rage slammed through him before he'd even really had time to process the fact. Vader's lips turned into a scowl as he remembered the Council's decision. How Obi-Wan had done nothing but watch while Ahsoka was betrayed. How they had all watched - just as they had always done. Never interfering beyond coming to incorrect conclusions about other people and then never listening to reason.

A flaming desire to kill the other padawan (Bariss?) along with the Jedi Council lit Vader's heart, and he felt the Force ripple around him darkly. It would be so easy now; he'd killed so many of them at this point, it was all he was good for-

"Anakin?"

He turned to see Obi-Wan looking at him again, and his old bond warmed with the Jedi's touch. A light touch. Uncertainty, fear, guilt, worry, protectiveness and love. All of the emotions hit him, fizzing like sparks for a moment before Kenobi pulled back, his shields going up. Anakin felt as though he'd seen more of the man's feelings than he'd been supposed to, but was still in too much shock to do much about it. The sparks and the feelings had pulled at him, filled with enough light for him to remember Luke. Guilt slashed through him as he realized just what he'd been considering.

Vader was pushed back as Anakin felt his breath catch again. What had he been thinking? How could he save anyone? The best thing he could do for the galaxy would be to die. Perhaps even if it meant the loss of Luke … Anakin took a glance down over the side of the speeder into the depths of Coruscant. It would be so easy …

He'd hardly even considered it when the Force surrounded him like a blanket of calm, and he pulled his head back around to look at the source of the light.

"Breathe, Anakin." Obi-Wan's voice was soft - and between his constant glances to the sky-lane - his eyes were full of an emotion that Anakin couldn't quite put a name to. For a long moment, they just looked at each other, and the Force settled around Anakin with peace and patience, prompting him to at last take a shaky breath. The colors and sounds of Coruscant, so bright and vibrant before, now seemed muted under the calm in the Force. Obi-Wan turned back to the sky-lane with a sigh, then spoke, just as softly as he had before. "Anakin, I think it's long past time that I told you … I'm sorry."

The calmness could not stop the shock that tore through Vader at the words. Anakin wondered vaguely what his old mentor was apologizing for, but soon gave up as the Force swelled with guilt and … something else. His eyes were wet with tears again, and he opened his mouth to answer. Nothing came out, though Obi-Wan politely waited for far longer than was necessary before he continued.

"I know that these past months have been … hard for you." The round tones were pulled tight, and yet still managed to be as soft as before.

Vader couldn't help but snort at that; if only Kenobi knew how understated his observation truly was. He'd snorted from behind the mask before, but it was still shocking to hear it so loud and clear without it, and he saw the Jedi glance over again, his expression unreadable. His eyebrows were knit together, creasing his forehead in a way that was achingly familiar.

"Yes, I'm aware that I couldn't possibly understand how you must have felt." There was a dry and sarcastic edge to the comment, and Anakin was sure that if he knew what Obi-Wan was talking about, he'd have understood it. As it was, he merely stared incomprehensibly at the man, who had stopped glancing over. The Jedi was gripping the speeder controls far tighter than was necessary, and for a long moment, it was all Anakin could focus on. Then Obi-Wan sighed. "It was Padmé who mentioned it, actually. Reminded me of- … Qui-Gon."

Why were they talking about Qui-Gon?

Their eyes met again when Obi-Wan glanced over, and he frowned at Anakin's expression before returning to face forward. "Anakin?"

The wind was still running through Anakin's hair, and he could feel the pull of the calm in the Force around him. He was beginning to feel sleepy and comfortable - the latter being something that he hadn't felt in years, and the first something he'd ignored just as long. Obi-Wan was talking about Qui-Gon, and he didn't know why, but he knew that the Jedi seemed to expect some sort of answer.

Anakin opened his mouth, but he only managed to say, "What?"

Obi-Wan glanced at him again, his eyes lingering longer than they had before - softening as he sighed (a whisper of guilt ran through the Force). "Rest, Anakin. It can wait."

It was definitely something important to Obi-Wan, but the weight of Anakin's body and the comfort of his seat - of the Force cocooning him - kept him from pressing the man to explain. He was safe. He was tired. And he had so much work ahead of him …

I'm on a kick, I guess, which means you guys get the next chapter much more quickly than you normally would. Hopefully I can keep this up, but if I can't then I apologize.

I hope nothing about this chapter was confusing, and as always, your feedback is my lifeblood. ;)