KEYnote: To the people complaining about the unfairness of emotional outbursts, clearly your family is quieter than mine and you've never listened to someone remorse and bitch-out the absentee father, who probably didn't orphan you to become a mass murderer ;) However unfair it is to Anakin, it's also unfair to think that Luke wouldn't have a lot of expectations about the man who was supposed to be his father.
Chapter 15 - Blood
Anakin was both struggling with the time travel and having a son that was nearly his own age.
In fact, it was mostly Luke that bothered him, because Obi-Wan, despite all the changes, Anakin finally had an explanation for those changes. After all, from a certain point of view, Obi-Wan could have perceived the future in a vision of sorts.
Even if time travelling back twenty years into your younger self was a bit more than a version, it still was in essence, a possible future.
Luke, on the other hand… Luke was a piece of Padme, a piece of Obi-Wan, and a piece of his mother.
Anakin had always believed that nothing good could come from Tatooine, Luke was a testament to the opposite. He was… everything Anakin wasn't.
As far as he could tell Luke was a natural Jedi.
A natural, when everything but power had come with painstaking effort for Anakin.
Power that Luke also had the potential.
This wasn't even accounting for the whole Sith Lord, mass murdering, failing in every possible way imaginable that Anakin was having to come to terms with.
He really had two options if he wanted to put their words together as truth, either he had fallen victim to Palpatine and Dark Side or he had chosen to be a monster.
Neither of the options were acceptable in his mind.
Luckily, the person he could blame for it all was killable once they got him out of office.
That something in him riggled in shame for falling into Palpatine's honeyed poison, that a Sith Lord had manipulated from the dawn of his freedom so now he couldn't even fully trust his own mind, his own emotions, or his heart…
He couldn't trust himself.
Obi-Wan and he were on better terms than they had been since… well, sadly, they were probably on the best of terms than they ever had been. Regardless, Anakin could still read the shadows haunting the Duke of Mandalore.
His Master didn't trust him, not completely, and that would take years to mend.
Years it would take to untangle the webs Palpatine had chained them in.
He entered the training room, Luke, his son (still weird) was sitting between Ahsoka and Appo on a bench. Rex was leaning against the wall, catching up with all of them, and from the smiles on their faces, Anakin knew that the friendships between them would be the sort to last a lifetime or two.
Luke noticed him first, his smile falling, and Anakin felt like a monster.
He had just found out he was going to be a dad which had been the greatest joy. But by a twist of fate; he already was a father.
He was already a disappointment.
I hope your daughter doesn't end up like I did.
Force help him, Anakin didn't know how to deal with this. Could he be held accountable for things he hadn't done yet? Yet things he had been cable of?
As if in answer, Obi-Wan came up behind him, patting his back, "Ah, my lazy Padawans, you are aware this is a training room, no?"
And then, Anakin had to do a double-take as he saw Obi-Wan's face, all of his face.
"You finally shaved your beard!?"
He looked like a completely different person.
Obi-Wan winked at him, "Satine wished me to, but don't get used to it." Before he spoke through their bond, Luke has already forgiven you, Anakin. I think he was capable of forgiving Darth Vader. The words he said to you were that of a boy who had never known his father in addition to his for care of me. He meant you no lasting harm.
Anakin took in a steadying breath. Supposedly, he didn't have a father, but he still thought it was a polite lie his mother told.
He had never wanted to poke at that, but if he had been confronted with his father, after all these years…
Yeah, he would have been pissed too, no matter the excuse short of being sold off to another slaver, and if he had ever hurt his mother, well then…
Patricide wouldn't have been off the table.
But Luke?
Luke was a different sort, his face lit up at seeing Obi-Wan comfortably at his side as he stood.
Luke turned to offer his hand to Ahsoka.
Ahsoka grinned shaking her head and stretching her legs out, "I want to see you and Anakin spar, Cadet Skywalker."
Luke sniffed, raising his chin as he said grandly, "It's Viscount Kenobi."
Ahsoka sniggered at him and he grinned in turn.
Oh, they were so smitten with each other.
Anakin exchanged a look with Obi-Wan.
From the evil glint in his Master's gaze, they were on the same page.
"Ah, so that's what you two were up to last night, huh Snips?" Anakin teased, "Recounting the past?"
Ahsoka flushed, "I- we were just talking- I mean," she swallowed, "I'm not the one who got married in secret, Mr. Naboo."
Anakin didn't quite know how to respond to that.
Luke managed to change the subject fluidly, "Did you really want to spare, Anakin?"
He was relieved that Luke didn't address him as father, even if it was true, Luke might have a sister in their yet unborn daughter, but Anakin would never be able to assume the role as Luke's dad, no matter the truth of it spelled in their blood.
Anakin nodded, "Sure, just don't get your hopes up that you will be much of a challenge, you are a new Padawan after all."
Luke smiled at him sweetly, "Of course not."
He flicked his gaze to Obi-Wan and Anakin whispered through their connection, He's your son.
Obi-Wan gave a bow and went to take Luke's spot beside Ahsoka.
Anakin turned to Luke and they bowed to each other at the waist, before their blades ignited.
Luke, thankfully, didn't take Obi-Wan's taunting pose, just a simple frontal guard.
Soresu.
Not unexpected, but a part of Anakin was jealous.
Ahsoka used Form IV instead of his own form. Obi-Wan teaching someone in the Form he was the acknowledged Master of, must have been so much easier.
Of course, that wasn't really what was holding Anakin's focus, "Pink?"
Luke glared, "Orange."
Anakin smirked, "Still on the red spectrum, kid." He turned his gaze to Obi-Wan for a brief second to say some quip, but then Luke did something un-Soresu like; Luke pressed the attack.
Sithspit, the kid was fast, fast like Ahsoka and nearly as nimble.
But not half so aggressive.
It wasn't hard to keep Luke off him, but it wasn't uninteresting either.
Obi-Wan must have taught him some Form I, but he appeared to know mostly Form III which wasn't typical of any of the people, Sith or Jedi, that Anakin ever fought before.
Additionally, as Soresu wasn't designed for pressing the attack, Luke was improving in truly interesting ways.
It should have been easy to knock Luke back, but the little Kenobi was letting the Force guide him, which was honestly distracting.
Aside from the events of Mortis, Anakin had never fought someone who was his match pound for midi-chlorian.
Was this how others felt fighting him?
As they parried with each other, Anakin felt as if they were clearing the air between, unspoken issues raised and dealt with. He was glad, he wished all his issues could be solved with a spar.
But soon Anakin found an opening and he was pointed at Luke's throat.
Anakin smiled at him, "Not bad."
"Again," Obi-Wan said, "Anakin, quit holding back. Teach him something."
Anakin rolled his eyes, "Fine." He met Luke's gaze, "Blame him for this."
Luke said nothing, his gaze focused.
Huh, he might be the only one in their lineage who didn't seem inclined to talk during a spar.
Well, maybe Qui-Gon hadn't, Anakin would have to ask Obi-Wan about that though to be sure.
This time, Anakin didn't hold back. If Obi-Wan said to wipe the floor with his newest Padawan, who was he to argue?
But it wasn't as easy as the first match, Luke was far more skilled in defence, and his adaptations proved quite the challenge.
Yes, Luke was using Soresu, but he was far from mastering it and as he had nothing else to fall back on, he just, well, blocked, skittered out of the way with practicality rather than finesse. Anakin found that he couldn't predict anything, nowhere Luke would defend nor where he would drop back.
Anakin was distracted by the humming of the Force this close to the kid. Luke's presence in the Force outshining the glare of pink and blue.
He couldn't deny that Luke was good, better than good, really. Also, he had the feeling that Luke was getting better with every parry, more sure of himself, more sure of what Anakin would do.
Anakin was about done with it, he wasn't going to let Luke show him up in front of Ahsoka and Obi-Wan.
But Anakin was watching Luke's face as he moved to begin a fury of strikes.
He saw Luke's 'oh' of surprise as some knowledge in his head clicked into place.
Anakin found a foot in his instep, and Luke took his saber from his hand as Anakin twisted back to keep from being maimed.
His heart was racing as he found his own saber and a glare of pink, the same hue as the setting suns of Tatooine, at his throat.
This was a move Obi-Wan had used on him more than once, a move he must have taught specifically to Luke for him to be able to execute the motion so gracefully.
Appo let out a whistle as Luke extinguished the blades, bowed then tossed Anakin back his saber.
Anakin was so ready for round three as Ahsoka and Rex began to joke about the 'younger' generations.
But Obi-Wan was already stepping forward, Luke was bubbling with excitement.
Luke reminded Anakin of… no one, Luke was just Luke. Untainted optimism and earnest intent.
"Can we-" Luke began.
But Obi-Wan shook his head, "Anakin won't let you pull that trick twice and they are due to return to Coruscant soon. And I would like to see if Anakin is as good as I remember him being."
Anakin scoffed, "We aren't going to have time for one of our sparring matches."
Obi-Wan won most duels by flitting around the room until Anakin eventually grew tired or sloppy.
Obi-Wan, however, shook his head, "You won't last that long."
Anakin raised his brow, rarely didn't his Master ever sound quite that certain, "Oh, really? Something I missed."
Obi-Wan nodded, "Twenty years of my being trapped in the desert with little else to do but practice."
Anakin felt a chill go down his spine as he reassessed the man he thought he knew so well.
Obi-Wan looked the same, aside from being in Mandalorian armour, oh, and having no beard which made him look a decade younger.
But Obi-Wan wasn't younger, he was in his mid-fifties. They were no longer within a decade of each other. He was a full thirty something years older than Anakin now. As Padme had said, Obi-Wan was actually old enough to have been his father now.
Anakin bowed to him even as he said, "Alright, old man, show me what you got."
Luke went back to stand with Rex by Ahsoka's other side.
Anakin was on edge, he didn't know what to expect, and that nervous energy pushed him forward as Obi-Wan held his saber up and back.
A false opening.
Anakin expected the parry and was careful not to leave himself open as he pressed with more surety, more strength, not worrying that he would accidentally hurt Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan was not stronger than him within the Force, but Obi-Wan was a Master Jedi, proving that being centred in oneself was infinitely more important than how much raw power one could wield.
It felt as if Obi-Wan was leading him around by the nose, and Anakin was careful not to lose his temper, that would be handing his Master the victory.
When he realized just how impossible Obi-Wan's guard was to get passed, he fell back a bit, hoping to lure his Master in turn, to put the old man on the offensive.
Which Obi-Wan, uncharacteristically, took full advantage of. Suddenly, Anakin felt as if he was fighting Dooku as he brought his blade around again and again in defence, stepping back, almost running backwards.
Obi-Wan wasn't using more strength, but strength didn't necessarily matter when a saber blade could slice through bone and flesh with a brush of pressure.
No, Obi-Wan used speed that was blurring, Anakin could do nothing but defend and retreat. There was no opening, no window of chance.
Obi-Wan brought the butt of his saber slamming into Anakin's knuckles that held his own hilt, he had been a fraction of a breath too slow to avoid it.
For the second time in as many minutes, Anakin found two saber blades on either side of his throat by a Kenobi.
Someone swore.
The fight had hardly lasted a minute, and Obi-Wan had been playing with him. Had that been a real fight, Obi-Wan could and would have executed him.
Staring into the blue eyes, Anakin saw what had broken in his old Master.
Yes, Obi-Wan still had hope, still loved, still lived, but the man who would hold back from a killing blow out of nobility had died with the Jedi Order.
Given a second chance, Obi-Wan Kenobi would go down in blood before he let history repeat itself.
Ahsoka's voice broke the tension, "And that's what you get when you make a Jedi Master into a Mandalorian."
All the clones present, including High General Rex and Marshall Commander Cody, found that statement outrageously funny.
oOo
Anakin felt much less guilty about leaving Ahsoka on Mandalore, not with her and Luke lost in their own company.
"I'm glad Ahsoka won't see the rest of this war," Anakin said as they walked back to their ship.
Obi-Wan sighed, "She may still, this war isn't ending any time soon. I do believe it was the just thing to align ourselves against the Hutts, or any slave empire for that matter. However…" He sighed, "The Sith are good at hiding." He looked at Rex, "Do not let the Order let off pressure on Palpatine, continue to investigate him. Do not give him space to devise a new plan."
Rex nodded, "After what he did to my brothers and I, never."
Anakin shook his head, "We have the advantage."
Obi-Wan looked off into the distance, "This war is not over. It may take a few more years."
Anakin felt shocked, "You must be joking, we-"
"We have the armours, but we have no control over either political fraction. Dooku's move against the Republic was ingenious. The war had lost popularity… but now? Even if we could declare peace between us and Dooku now, it is more than likely the war downsize yet multiple systems civil war."
"How is that different from what we have been doing?"
"This war was started to preserve the Republic, but now that the Republic is all but fallen, now that the heart of us has been attacked. This war is now personal. The desire for revenge is hard to reason with, Anakin."
"But the Jedi have the army."
"There are enough mercenaries to contend with us and the Zukarians, while the Republic had no centralized army, do not believe that there are no war minded, private militaries among the Republic systems."
Anakin was annoyed by this, "So why haven't they helped us?"
"Because," Rex said, "better it be nameless, faceless, meaningless clones die for them. We are no better than droids to most of the Republic."
Anakin sighed, "People are awful."
Obi-Wan nodded, "But we still have the keys to win, just do not delude yourself into thinking that it all goes away if we simply destroy the Sith."
Padme caught up to them then, "Ah, I see your farewells are as cheery as ever."
They stopped at the platform, and Obi-Wan bent to kiss her cheek, "Keep yourself and that baby of yours safe for me, Lady Skywalker."
She beamed up at him, "I will."
Anakin grinned, "Do you have any plans for more children, Master?"
"Aside from the tens of thousands, you adopted," Rex quipped.
Obi-Wan nodded, "Satine said she might have problems conceiving, but she would like to try."
"Do you want a baby?" Padme asked him.
Obi-Wan paused before answering, "Yes, but we've agreed to wait until after the war. I'm not sure I could…" his voice trailed off and he looked away.
Padme hugged him, and Obi-Wan hugged her back, when they pulled back, he said, "May the Force ever be with you."
"And with you," she said back, "And thank you, Obi-Wan, for everything you did for Luke."
Obi-Wan smiled, "He has been my joy."
Anakin hugged the man, "Thank you, Master."
Obi-Wan's hold was almost crushing, "Do not be afraid, Padawan. We are together this time around."
AN: I had to separate this chapter, forgive its shortness. Thoughts, reactions, or feedback, pretty please?