(12-15-15: Surprisingly, I didn't really tinker much with this chapter, it was actually in pretty good condition...from what I saw...plot wise...I did some grammar stuff, as usual, but that's about it!)
Hello guys! I am having so much fun writing this gosh hahaha. Anyway, I loved reading your reviews: please continue to review, I love hearing what your favorite parts are and your opinions on what's going on! Oh, and by the way, for my annual askers: the Reveal is coming...soon. Enjoy!
Unfortunately, Luke remained in the same comatose state for several days, and the darkness did not let up once. Anakin stayed by Luke's side since the healers noted that when Anakin left Luke's health dropped drastically. So, he remained in contact with Palpatine from the medical wing, and once or twice the chancellor came in person, paying Luke a visit and discussing with Anakin whatever he needed to at the moment. Anakin couldn't help but notice that whenever Palpatine came, Luke seemed to worsen. Eventually, Anakin had to suggest the two keep in contact only through transmissions as politely as possible. Even then Palpatine hadn't seemed too pleased, though if it helped Luke, then so be it.
Obi-Wan's departure for Utapau was fast approaching, and Anakin was beginning to think he wasn't going to be able to see the elder Jedi off. At least not if Luke didn't pull through any time soon. Now, just as the past few days, Anakin sat in the room with Luke, digging around on his datapad for any information he could find on the assassin. So far, he had been able to find several similar murders that linked back to the assassin known only as The Hunter. He still had yet to find a way to locate The Hunter, and he was starting to get irritated.
Even now, with a frustrated growl for not finding anything once again, Anakin gruffly set the datapad aside, turning his attention back to Luke once again.
There was a lull in the attack from the dark side at the moment, though Anakin knew that it would come for the youth again soon; it always did. Anakin himself had become worn and weary helping Luke last through the dark onslaught; he couldn't help but feel sorrow for the young man and what he was going through.
The dark side stirred—Anakin could feel the shift—but in his current mood, he did not feel like seeing Luke in that pained state once again. Angrily, Anakin grit his teeth, gathering his strength and will. Luke's resolve had slowly slipped away, and Anakin felt that the Jedi couldn't take another assault, even with Anakin's help. It was these thoughts mixed with Anakin reaching out towards the Force that caused him to finally have some success.
Determined to shield Luke from the wave that was preparing to descend, Anakin used his own Force Presence to cover Luke, taking the most vicious wave yet himself.
To experience the pain Luke had been enduring was far different from sensing it. Anakin gave a startled cry, buckling as the darkness fell over him and everything went dark...
Pain...so much agonizing pain. It was everywhere; screams and tortured cries, brokenhearted sobs, suffering all around him, and the feeling that his head was going to split open while his chest burned. There was no way to hide from it, no matter where Anakin turned the darkness covered him, coated his senses, robbed him of any breath, and caused him to feel as if the galaxy was crushing him. It was so overwhelming...
The darkness shifted, and Anakin suddenly gave a strangled cry as he felt as if he had caught ablaze. He could feel himself burning away with an intense heat, feel his skin bubble and blacken; it was horrendous.
Sounds floated to him through his agony. Children screaming before their cries were cut short, men and women pleading for their lives, final cries of pain as people died, and then came a familiar voice.
"You were my brother—"
"Skywalker!"
Suddenly the darkness retreated far away from Anakin, and he sensed it did not advance on Luke again for some odd reason. He gasped as the agony disappeared, the oppressive weight lifting from him. He blinked rapidly as the room came back into focus, the bright light above blinding him after such complete darkness. He realized he was on his knees, one hand clutching his head while the other gripped at his chest. The shadow of what he had just experienced loomed over him, even though it was gone. His shallow breathing was the only thing he heard for a few moments before his complete focus came back to him, at which point he realized the healer woman had her hand on Anakin's shoulder, bending down and trying to see if he was all right.
"I-I'm fine," he managed to stumble out.
"Are you sure? You appeared to be in so much pain, and you were screaming!" she told him.
Anakin was befuddled. He'd screamed? He'd probably scared several people in the process. "I'm fine now. I just...got a taste of the darkness that's been plaguing Luke this entire time when I attempted to shield him from it."
The healer frowned. "I don't know...an exposure like the one it seems you've experienced...are you sure you're all right?"
"I'm shaken, but I'm sure I will be fine," Anakin assured her in an uneven tone.
A stir from the bed kept her from arguing further and they both stilled, eyes zeroing in on the form that had remained still since Anakin had brought him here.
Without the oppression of the dark side to weigh him down, Luke's Force Signature was steadily gaining strength, as if he was racing to surface before the darkness could drag him down again.
Almost stumbling over himself on the way, Anakin scrambled to his feet and over to Luke's bed, leaning over him as he inspected the man's face closely, seeing if he would show any other sign of life.
Luke tossed his head slightly and there was a soft moan that came from him, though Anakin barely heard it.
"Luke?" he asked quietly, a hand gently going to Luke's shoulder.
Luke groaned, causing Anakin's heart to leap into his throat. That was the most response they'd had out of him at all.
"Luke," Anakin said, louder and firmer this time.
Luke's hand reached up to the arm on his shoulder and he groaned again, except this time it came out sounding like, "Father."
Anakin paused, wondering why that man was on Luke's mind now, of all times. However, he brushed it off with the simple explanation that Luke was still somewhat caught in the nightmares caused by the dark side. "Luke."
The healer leaned over Anakin's shoulder, hardly even breathing from the anticipation. For a moment, there was no response of any kind from Luke, and Anakin searched through the Force for a moment to see if he could locate any unseen advance from the dark side. Strangely enough, he could feel no dark presence anywhere now.
Anakin's attention was brought back to Luke as the Jedi's eyes slowly opened, squinting against the harshness of the bright lights after so long in utter darkness. Anakin's grip on Luke's shoulder tightened slightly as things came into focus once again for the youth. His eyes centered on Anakin and he gave a weak, grim smile.
"It's about time, don't you think?" Luke croaked.
Relief flooded through Anakin and he laughed, pulling Luke up into a bone-crushing hug. "I was beginning to think you were going to die..." he murmured, clinging to Luke.
Luke squirmed in his grip. "Careful, Anakin, careful; I'm fragile!" Luke protested quietly. However, Anakin could hear an undercurrent in Luke's voice that he couldn't quite place. With another laugh, Anakin let Luke settle back onto the bed.
"You gave us all a big scare. Do you know how many times you nearly died Luke? Or technically did in the past few days?" Anakin asked, his voice solemn.
"Quite a few times," Luke responded, closing his eyes once more from exhaustion. "I didn't miss too much, did I?"
Anakin sighed. "Obi-Wan is leaving for Utapau to engage General Grievous. Hopefully that means this war will be over soon."
Luke groaned softly, and Anakin gave him a sympathetic look. "The healers said that you would still need some time to recover after you woke up."
"Yeah, no kidding; how long?"
"Just a few days, perhaps," the healer behind Anakin said, startling him; he'd forgotten she was there. Luke grimaced.
"Fun, fun."
Anakin smiled at him. "At least your humor is still intact."
"Barely."
Anakin sobered, and the healer—feeling the shift in the mood—left the room to give them some privacy. "Do you have any idea where that...darkness came from?" Anakin asked him softly.
Luke stilled, silent for several heartbeats. "The same person who tried to have me killed."
Anakin's heart leapt into his throat once again. "You know who it was then?"
"The Sith that became Emperor in my time…I alerted him I was aware of his plans somehow and he moved to kill me before I could do any more damage to his plans."
Anakin cocked an eyebrow. "More damage? Have you been going about your own plans whenever we aren't looking?"
Luke chuckled. "You could say that."
Anakin frowned. "More stuff you can't tell me?"
Luke simply nodded and Anakin felt his annoyance flare to life once again. However, he was too tired to address it right now. "So, are we going to do anything about it?"
"I'm going to keep doing what I've been doing; I'm just going to be a lot more careful about it. Though first I have to get out of here," he pointed out.
Anakin smiled softly at him. "Well, I'm glad that you're back. Do you think you'll be fine on your own now? I was tasked with finding your...assassin."
Luke seemed to shift uncomfortably at Anakin's tone of voice when he'd said assassin, and Anakin was surprised to find himself feeling guilty; he hadn't meant to make Luke feel uncomfortable. "Sorry...I'm still getting over the fact he nearly succeeded in killing you, and on my watch, too."
Luke met Anakin's eyes with a steady gaze, one that Anakin found himself under more and more recently. It always seemed as if Luke understood Anakin's inner struggle and trying to help him come out on top. One of the things that Anakin liked about Luke the most was his ability to make Anakin be at his best and keep him in line without being rude or oppressive, like the Council tended to be. It seemed Luke wasn't fooled, and was well aware that Anakin was seeking vengeance for Luke on The Hunter.
"Just don't do anything rash, please," Luke pleaded quietly.
Anakin smiled slightly. "I won't do anything I'll regret, though I can't promise I won't do anything rash. I mean, this is me we're talking about."
Luke sighed. "Yes, yes, but still; you know what I mean."
Anakin nodded. "I'll go tell the Council that you're awake, as well as Padmé, she'll want to know, and...well, I'll spread the good news. Everyone has been worried about you."
"Then how come I only have one visitor?" Luke asked jokingly.
"You've had several while you were unconscious, don't worry."
Luke smiled. "It's nice to know I was missed."
"Of course you were...now, I need to get going. I'll be back in a little while; will you be all right until then?"
"Yes...I will."
"Good. Don't go comatose again while I'm gone," Anakin said with a small smile before he walked out of the room.
"No promises!" Luke called after him. Anakin merely chuckled.
"Again, Anakin, it's nice that you're finally able to come and visit. And good to hear that young Luke is all right as well."
Anakin was currently standing in Palpatine's office, having already made the trips to the Temple and Padmé's to tell all of them that Luke was going to be okay. It had been too long since he checked up on the person he was supposed to be protecting, and it didn't hurt he was also hoping Palpatine could answer a few of his questions.
"It is good news; I don't think he would have survived much longer had he not woken up this morning."
"Yes, it would have been...a shame, had Luke succumbed to the attack on him. Is there any news on the assassin, or his employer?" Palpatine asked. Anakin was standing behind the Chancellor, who was looking out over Coruscant with his back to Anakin. However, Anakin shifted uncomfortably at the tone of Palpatine's voice.
"Ah, yes, Chancellor. In fact, that's why I came here. I was able to find out that the assassin was one who goes by the title The Hunter, nothing else. He's killed several senators and Jedi in recent years apparently, though for some reason the Council hasn't sent anyone to hunt him down. But he's left Coruscant and I'm not quite sure where I should look to find him."
Palpatine was quiet for a moment. "Have you found anything on his employer?"
"Luke says he know exactly who sent the assassin, though he wouldn't give me a name."
Palpatine seemed to smile a little, and Anakin wasn't sure if he really had seen the sinister flash in it or if he'd imagined it. "It would seem he plans on seeking out revenge of his own if he isn't sharing that information. It reminds me a lot of someone I know..."
Anakin looked down for a moment. "I have the information I want on The Hunter and after consulting with the Council...I want to track him down, but with both you and Luke in my care I can't leave the planet, so I'm going to be working on drawing him back here. I haven't figured out how though..."
"Perhaps you should wait? When the employer finds out The Hunter was unsuccessful, perhaps he will send the monster back here to finish the job. Then, when he's returned, you can remove him from the galaxy. I'm sure that would make the Republic a much safer place; we can't afford such a highly trained assassin running free. He could end up killing someone very important and deal a heavy blow to us when we're so close to winning this war," Palpatine suggested.
Anakin agreed with Palpatine that The Hunter couldn't be allowed to live, though he also knew that he had a much different reason from Palpatine. "I don't know...he's very good at hiding his presence, and I don't want Luke getting hurt again...even now, he's still very weak, and I don't want to risk Luke."
"Anakin, my boy, I am sure that you will find a way to do what is best whenever you find this monster. To attempt to kill someone in such a harsh manner...he couldn't possibly have a soul," Palpatine said grimly as he put a hand on Anakin's shoulder.
Anakin sighed before he gave his old friend a small smile and nodded. "Thank you, Chancellor."
Palpatine returned the smile. "Now go on; I'm sure you have plenty to do. Be safe, Anakin."
Anakin bowed. "Of course, Chancellor." With that he turned and left, mulling over different plans the entire trip from the Senate Building.
Sidious watched Anakin leave, returning to his desk with a dark scowl deeply etched in his features. If Anakin hadn't shielded the pathetic boy earlier then Luke would be dead by now and he wouldn't have to be doing this. The child's survival irked Sidious, and he was sure the pathetic excuses for politicians around him had noticed his sour mood. Still, he was always sure to mask his dark mood whenever he was around his soon-to-be apprentice.
Sidious smiled at the thought. With everything that had been going on with Luke, Anakin had slipped back towards the dark side. Soon, the Jedi would be within his grasp, and the Republic would be no more.
But there were still some matters to attend to first.
Sidious used a different connection this time to be sure that the man would answer; there would be no avoiding this Sith Lord.
The Hunter answered, and when he saw that it was Sidious fear blanketed his features, and Sidious could see him physically cower. "M-m-my L-lord."
"Quit your stuttering fool! You will be punished for your failure! But not now...no, not yet; I want you to finish your job! And if you're successful...perhaps I might consider allowing you to live," Sidious sneered at him.
"I-it shall be d-done M-my Lord," the Hunter stuttered.
"It better be, this time," the Sith hissed. He cut the transmission short, going back to his desk. Now that The Hunter and Anakin were headed on a crash course towards one another, Sidious just had to sit back and wait. Anakin's anger would fester and grow, and when The Hunter made another attempt on Luke's life...Anakin would end him, slipping even closer to Sidious' waiting arms. It solved two of his problems easily; Anakin would fall further to the dark side, and The Hunter would be dead and unable to give any information that led back to Sidious. Maybe Sidious would even get lucky and The Hunter would actually finish the job this time, killing Luke as well.
The Sith Lord leaned back in his seat, smiling sinisterly. Yes...yes, this would be interesting.