"Ani!?"
"Is that you?" Padme' asked quietly.
"Are you an Angel?" Anakin replied answering her question with a smile lighting up his lifeless blue eyes remembering the first time he had met Padme' knowing this would tell her who he is.
"Hello Ani" Padme' said remembering those words from all those years ago when he was a sweet nine-year old slave boy she laughed, which brought a smile to Anakin's face.
Obi-Wan looked in shock, this was the boy that had been kidnapped that Master Qui-Gon had insisted upon finding but failing that had been kidnapped by the Sith and what about the lightsaber on his belt? Obi-Wan thought.
Shia looked at the young man, she had heard from Master Obi-Wan that he had been kidnapped by the Sith and he was strong in the Force.
The Council Members all had the same thought, this was the Boy Qui-Gon had been determined to find eleven years ago and failed, yet here he stood with a lightsaber at his belt and obviously injured and suffering from malnutrition, What had Qui-Gon found so important about this young boy? He had been captured by the Sith, how had he escaped? Or had he escaped? Was this a Sith game? What about the lightsaber at his belt? Hopefully, it could shed some light on the situation.
Padme' walked up and touched his arm to which he jerked away from not letting her touch him.
And everyone in the room thought "What happened to him?"
Anakin tired realizing it would be useless to hide his Force presence anymore, released the shields he had put around his Force Signature hiding it.
All the Force Sensitives in the Room where surprised by his Force signature, it was powerful and had no little darkness, just much pain and suffering and fearfulness.
"Are you Anakin Skywalker?" Master Windu asked still amazed by his Force signature.
"Yes, sir I am" Anakin replied still fearful.
"Your lightsaber like to see it I would" Master Yoda said wondering what it would say about him and if his Force signature was truthful.
Anakin walked up to Yoda looking at him wondering what species he was and why he talked so weird, then he handed his lightsaber to him shaking scared of what they would do to him.
Yoda took the lightsaber in his hand studying it noticing how well made it was, when he ignited the blade everyone looked at it before he quickly extinguished it everyone shaken by the blade color which was very surprising considering his Force signature, his Force signature said someone who was light sided yet frightened, but his lightsaber said Dark Side user all over it.
Anakin noticing their reaction grew even more fearful, he had just escaped the Sith, he did not want to be taken by the Jedi when he was finally free.
"A dark side user, are you?" Yoda questioned looking at the frightened young man, wondering how he could be a dark side user when there was no anger or hate in his Force Signature and how it could be so blindingly light if he was a dark side user? No dark side user they had ever heard of could make a Force signature this light sided and empty of hate and anger.
"No, Sidious and Tyrannus made me train with it" Anakin replied hoping they would believe him.
"Who is this Sidious and Tyrannus, you speak of?" Qui-Gon questioned.
"Sidious is they Sith Lord and Tyrannus became his apprentice after Maul was killed" Anakin replied, they had better believe me, because I am not lying, Anakin thought.
"You're saying Maul was a Sith apprentice to this Sidious?" Shaak Ti questioned making sure to use a calm voice to try and soothe him.
"Yes" Anakin replied still frightened and worried.
"And you didn't make the lightsaber?" Stass Allie asked believing him, there was little way that a Dark Side user could make their signature so light sided.
"I made the lightsaber; Sidious used his anger to make the crystal bleed and turn red" Anakin replied.
"And why didn't you make the lightsaber crystal turn red?" Kit Fisto questioned.
"I did not want to, My mother would not approve and I knew it, Sidious didn't like it, I got extra punishment that day and every day for a year before he finally made it himself" Anakin said.
"And he taught you to use the dark side?" Plo Koon said querying not thinking that he had with his blinding white signature.
"No, until I embraced the dark side he refused to teach me, so all I know about the Force is what I've taught myself when he was away" Anakin said stating the facts as they were knowing he shouldn't try to hide anything, doing that would only make them trust him less.
"And what have you taught yourself?" Saesee Tiin asked.
"Precognition, Force push and pull, Force Cloak, hiding my presence, sensing others and their emotions, Force speed, and Meditation" Anakin replied shakily tired.
"Proof, have you, that use the Force you can?" Yoda questioned wondering, because it was practically impossible to learn to use the Force without outside instruction.
Anakin without outstretching his hands used the Force to pull every Jedi lightsaber of their belt igniting them within distance so they could grab them also lifting up his blade but not igniting it knowing they did not like it's color.
"Does that answer your question?" Anakin said his voice full of humor.
"With no outside instruction?" Kit Fisto asked suitably impressed with his skill, with his signature smile taking a liking to the boy and his humor.
"I had to if I ever wanted to escape from Sidious" Anakin said simply.
"Like something to eat, you would, hmm" Yoda said noticing how skinny and malnourished he was.
"Please" Anakin replied to Master Yoda trying to be calm but not achieving it.
"Knight Nind, for this young man, food you should get" Yoda ordered."
"Yes, Master Yoda" Shia said as she bowed to the Council and hurried away to obey Master Yoda.
"Want to sit you do?" Yoda said, "Sit down you can" Yoda could tell he was tired.
"Thank you, Master Yoda" Anakin said hearing what Shia called him, as he slid onto the floor cross legged.
"What do you remember of Sidious and Tyrannus?" Master Windu asked.
"Sidious is the Master, he's very powerful, he didn't come to the Temple very much though, it was mostly Tyrannus who came to the Temple, so I assume Sidious secret identity has a job that takes up a lot of time, he only shared part of his plans with me, all I know is that he plans to overthrow the Republic and wipe out the Jedi" Anakin replied hating Sidious and what he knew of his masterplan.
"How plan he to wipe out the Jedi?" Yoda asked wondering how one could hope to wipe out the Jedi Order.
"I don't know he never told me much, until I turned the dark side, he protected his plan" Anakin said understanding the ingenious thinking of Sidious.
"A wise move by the Lord of the Sith that was, to protect his plan, till your fall to your dark side complete it was" Yoda replied knowing this Sith Lord had obviously been planning for a long time.
"Helpful this information you have brought to us is" Master Yoda stated.
They fell into silence everyone contemplating what they had learned as Anakin wondered what the Jedi would do to him, this silence was interrupted when Shia returned.
"Here is the food you requested" Shia said as she bowed to the Jedi High Council and approached Anakin to give it to him, but before she could even move the tray floated to his lap.
Anakin using the Force pulled the tray to him, it was soup and a piece of bread, Anakin trying to be polite said "Thank You" before giving up and devouring his soup and bread at alarming speed.
Anakin sensed everyone watching him as he ate his third bowl of soup and he looked up and said "What? I am hungry."
"When was the last time you ate?" Padme' asked worried by the speed he was eating.
"About a week ago" Anakin said not seeming bothered by that fact at all, and he was not, he generally went about two weeks without food at a time and then good eat when Sidious or Tyrannus was at the Temple.
"You don't seem like that bothers you much?" Mace Windu said questioning why?
"Because it's normal, I am used to it by now" Anakin stated.
"You should go to the Halls of Healing" Padme' said.
"I don't want to" Anakin retorted.
"Well then I'll just have to go get your mother" Padme' replied.
"Fine, I'm coming" Anakin said knowing he was not going to win this argument.
xXx
Padme' was horrified by what Ani had gone through, she had seen what had happened at the Halls of Healing, they had discovered also underneath all those scars he had five broken ribs improperly healed bones throughout his body and some other injuries as well.
Padme' was heading to Anakin's room, she had just recieved word from the Council that she could take Anakin to see his mother on Naboo and she couldn't wait to surprise him.
