Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art . . . It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival. —C. S. Lewis

Chapter Two

Anakin cursed as he dodged and deflected another barrage of blaster bolts. The ground beneath him shook with resounding blasts from canons and tanks from both sides, sending spirals of dirt and rocks into the air with each explosion. Wave after wave of battle droids marched mindlessly towards the temporary command base the clones had set up upon first setting foot on Sullust. As many as Anakin sliced, chopped, stabbed or otherwise dismantled, three more seemed to take its place.

Where do they keep coming from? Sweat dripped into his eyes as he Force pushed away a cluster of droids advancing on him.

The battle had been going well. He had routed the Separatist fleet in space while Obi-Wan had presumably taken care of the ground assault. Apparently Obi-Wan was getting old, as this did not look like the situation had been "taken care of." Anakin smirked. He would have to tease his old—emphasis on old—master about that later, once they actually finished off the remaining droids.

His attention was suddenly taken up by another influx of droids. At each blast from the advancing enemy and each cry of pain from his men, he felt himself grow angrier, his hold keeping his rage in check beginning to slip. These were his men, they were not cannon fodder for the Republic to throw uncaringly at the Separatists.

Another salvo from the battle droids forced him back, the rapid movements of his lightsaber creating a seemingly solid blue shield around himself. Not one bolt could make its way through and many found their way back to the offending droid who dared fire in the first place.

Sending one last bolt back at the droids, he jumped back behind one of the metal barricades many of the clones were using as cover. "What's the situation?" he demanded to Commander Flint, scowling as the bolts flew over their heads.

The Commander spared a brief look at the young general before turning back to his targets. "Sir! We have received word that General Kenobi is clearing his section to the north. After this morning's fighting, it appears there were some large pockets of these clankers still hanging around—that's what we are fighting right now."

Anakin grinned. Looks like Obi-Wan had taken care of most of the droids down here. Still, maybe he didn't know that yet and Anakin could get in a couple jibes about his age . . .

"Sir!" An agitated yell from one of the troopers to his left brought his attention back to the present. "We have three incoming tanks!"

Another grin snaked across Anakin's face, but this one contained something darker hidden in its depths. The blue lightsaber in his hands gave his face almost a sinister look. "Don't worry trooper, I'll take care of those kriffing clankers."

Standing, he turned and rushed toward the advancing death.

It was moments like this where he was truly alive. He didn't just use the Force, he was the Force. It flowed and ebbed through him in a might tide, doing his bidding, following his orders. Yes, he was the Chosen One, and the Force knew it. The power he held, flowing from his fingertips, summoned at his beck and call—its call was insatiable, and he was unstoppable. He took out the first tank right away, Force leaping underneath its lumbering blaster cannon and slicing the barrel off, rendering it useless.

Continuing his momentum, he pulled a grenade from his utility belt. Sliding to a stop next to the second tank, he tossed the grenade under the repulser lifts before back flipping out of range of the blast. The grenade shattered metal and machinery. The tank listed to the left before completely shuddering to a stop.

Two down, one to go.

He leapt toward the third tank, landing lightly on the front. But as he lifted his 'saber, a desperate warning resounded through the Force and a soft beeping reached his ears. He barely had an instant to register the sound of an overloading powercell.

"Oh kriff . . .!" In the split second it took to gather the Force around him in a protective buffer the world exploded.

He had a weird sensation of falling, and then blackness claimed his vision.

He seemed to be flying. Or not flying, floating. He remembered a mission he and Obi-Wan had been assigned years before the war. The planet they had traveled to possessed only half the gravity of most normal planets. Even Obi-Wan, who hated flying and was always believed in "maintaining Jedi decorum," had enjoyed himself that day after completing their negotiation as the two of them leapt through the surrounding fields, feeling as if they could fly.

General Skywalker!

He knew there was a pressing matter he should be attending to, but he liked being able to soar above the ground in the manner. He didn't have to think here, he didn't have to worry. No lives depended on him; he could just be free for a moment. . .

Anakin!

Obi-Wan? Suddenly he seemed to topple head over heels toward a black hole that opened up under him, falling and falling until he slammed into reality. His own body ached. He could feel rocks digging into his back, and kriffing hell did his head pound. Probably a concussion. Suddenly a familiar presence swept across his senses and familiar hands began ghosting over his body.

"Anakin, can you hear me?" Only someone who knew Obi-Wan as well as Anakin did would have heard the worry in his voice.

Finally pulling open his eyes, Anakin winced at the light making his head pound even more. Yes, definitely a concussion. Groaning, he turned his head to the side, catching a glimpse of his former master's face."Do you think you could not shout at me?"

Obi-Wan's face did not lose the crease between his brows. He's going to get a permanent crease there. He might even end up looking like Madame Nu. That thought caused him to snigger slightly.

At this response, Obi-Wan's concern ebbed up a notch. "Anakin, you were caught in an explosion. Please lie still until I can make sure you are alright." His hands moved to rest on Anakin's head and chest in typical healer fashion as he scanned his friend for injuries.

Anakin shifted his weight, trying to move a particularly offending rock under his back. He felt Obi-Wan gently nudge against his mental shields through their bond, and he lowered them to allow him in. He did a quick internal scan himself, feeling Obi-Wan's soothing presence mingling with his own. "I think I'm okay Master. Just a few bumps and bruises."

Obi-Wan continued for a moment more before he was satisfied. Removing his hands he sighed, leaning back on his heels and finally smiled at his former padawan. "Well, while I am usually not grateful for it, I must say thanks to that hard head of yours, I do believe you will be okay."

Pushing himself up on his elbows, Anakin shot a grin at his former master. "See? I knew you cared about me!"

But instead of the customary retort, the habitual spark of dry humor, his mentor froze. It was the barest of moments and if Anakin was not so attuned to Obi-Wan he would have missed it.

Obi-Wan recovered quickly. "Well, someone needs to be around to make sure Artoo doesn't get into trouble. I do believe that droid of yours has a loose wire somewhere." Yet his eyes shifted away from the searching ones of his former apprentice. He instead busied himself with checking Anakin's limbs for shrapnel.

Anakin did not respond, confusion fliting through his mind. He knew his former master. Obi-Wan was always ready with a retort or sharp remark when it came to Anakin. What was different this time? They were not arguing and besides, Obi-Wan was not one to hold a grudge. Suddenly, it hit him like a herd of banthas and his eyes widened in shock.

"You do!" He breathed, hardly able to believe it.

Obi-Wan shot him a glance, and then returned to checking Anakin over for injuries. "Do what?" He could do bland like no one's business. He did not earn the nickname of the Negotiator for no reason.

But Anakin did not earn the nickname of the Hero With No Fear for no reason either. He was walking on uncharted territory, but he needed to know. "You do care," he grabbed his former master's shoulder in an effort to get him to look at him. "You, Obi-Wan Kenobi, care about me."

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. "Oh don't be so dramatic Anakin, of course I care about you. One does not train a padawan without some semblance of devotion."

"No," Anakin cut him off. "That's not what I mean and you know it."

Abruptly, Obi-Wan stood up and moved away from Anakin, running his hand through his beard, his brow furrowed. "Anakin, I . . .," he began, and stopped. Taking a deep breath, he let it out again slowly. His shoulders sat ridged, a tense barrier keeping his feelings at bay.

They had stepped into unknown terrain; the forbidden territory that was emotion. Anakin could feel Obi-Wan's mental shields slam into place, locking out his humanity. Because, Force forbid the great Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi have feelings. That was too prosaic, too . . . unJedi.

But it was a lie, and Anakin hated lies. Oh, he knew the Jedi had emotion. Anakin had witnessed his master's silent suffering after the death of Qui-Gon, the way his red-rimmed eyes looked in the morning, the dull grey suffusing the normally brilliant blue. He had witnessed it in the slight slump of his shoulders when he heard the number of casualties sustained in the latest attack. Nevertheless it was locked down, pushed out, ignored or otherwise released. For the briefest of moments, Anakin felt a flare of hatred, not at Obi-Wan, but at the Order that denied emotions and turned them into something dirty, something to be despised, something one would treat like the filth on their boots.

Finally, Obi-Wan turned around and knelt in front of his friend. Taking one more breath he looked up and gazed into Anakin's eyes. "Anakin, please listen to me. Don't interrupt, as I know you are prone to do. Just let me say my piece. Can you do that?" He paused again, gathering his thoughts.

For an agonizingly long minute, Anakin simply looked at his mentor, barely allowing himself to breathe. He waited for the normal rebuff, the refusal to open, for the tightly placed mental shields to remain completely intact.

But that moment passed, and his confusion—and hope—grew. He did not know what he was going to hear, and his heart pounded inside his chest. Anakin knew how religiously his master followed the Jedi Code. When he was feeling particularly unpleasant he sometimes believed that if someone looked up "Jedi Code" they would find next to it a hologram of his former master. Despite his occasional annoyance, he did recognize that all the corrections administered from Obi-Wan concerning the Code that Anakin had resented when he was younger was only because Obi-Wan simply believed them to be true.

Yet Anakin knew he was different, being raised by a loving mother instead of by stoic Jedi did that to a person. He had tried to ignore the feelings of hurt he felt in the past when he would look to his master for praise or approval and would only receive a brisk nod or a tight smile instead. He knew it was not Obi-Wan's fault per se, but all his young self had craved was his master's approval. His resulting resentment and Obi-Wan's confusion lead to many years of a tense and difficult relationship. There would be times when days would pass without the two speaking to each other—Anakin because he believed his master just would not understand, Obi-Wan because he did not know where to begin.

However, something changed after Anakin became a knight. He had longed for that day for years, to finally be on his own, to finally be the Jedi he knew he could be—without someone around to lecture on his every failing. Yet the time came sooner than anyone had anticipated. War does that, rushing so many moments, so many lives disappearing into the dust of time. Dooku had taken Anakin's hand, and with it his childhood.

As was the tradition, all members of the council had gathered to watch as Anakin knelt before his master. He felt excitement coursing through his veins, setting his blood sparking with fire—he was soon to be set free. He looked up to Obi-Wan holding his ignited lightsaber, ready to deftly remove the symbol of his apprenticeship dangling from his scalp. Although it was for the briefest of seconds, Anakin saw a momentary lapse in his composure—an emotion he hardly ever associated with his Master flicker through his eyes; an echo of sadness.

And suddenly, for just a second, Anakin wished for time to stop. His excitement unexpectedly became confusion and not quite regret as he fully comprehended the implications of this ceremony. By becoming Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight, he was no longer Anakin Skywalker, Padawan Learner to Obi-Wan Kenobi. He hadn't minded until seeing the flicker of sadness cross his—soon to be former—master's face.

Obi-Wan cares.

So now all those memories, remembrances of laughing, of pain, of nightmares, of excitement, of fear, those moments—all spent with each other—would now be just that: memories.

Suddenly, Anakin was not so sure he was ready to give that up.

But time stops for no one and the second passed, rushing on and on as time does. A flick of the wrist, and suddenly the weight from the braid of ten years was gone. Obi-Wan held out the plait and Anakin grasped it, the finality of the act abruptly settling itself upon him. As they bowed deeply to each other, their eyes met, both still grasping the braid.

Obi-Wan smiled, azure eyes shining. As his hand released the braid, he lifted it and for the tiniest of seconds pressed it to the side of his former padawan's face.

I'm proud of you, Anakin.

With pride from his master whispering through their bond, Anakin Skywalker knew the universe had finally done something right.

The once rocky relationship had smoothed out into an easy friendship after that. Both men were now equals. Sometimes Obi-Wan forgot and lectured, and sometimes Anakin forgot and sulked. Yet deep down they both knew nothing could take away the bond that they shared.

Despite all this, there were still days Anakin doubted. Oh, he never doubted his former master's loyalty, or doubted that he cared about Anakin, but sometimes he wondered if Obi-Wan ever saw Anakin as more than just a companion, a former student with whom he worked well. Anakin loved Obi-Wan with a fierce love, as the father he never knew, as the brother he always wanted. He knew undoubtedly that Obi-Wan would die for him, but he wondered if it would be out of duty, or out of the relationship the two had built over the years. He believed deep down that Obi-Wan's loyalty to the Jedi Code would never be broken. Still, Anakin dreamed of the day that his former master would finally express what Anakin meant to him.

So he waited with baited breath for the words that would shatter his heart or make him whole.