Author's note: this chapter has been edited to erase grammar and spelling mistakes

~ 16 ~

Showdown

- Often, the first person holding you back is you -

Darth Sidious's holographic image flickered to life in the dimly lit chamber, casting eerie blue light on the austere surroundings. His voice, low and commanding, echoed off the walls as he addressed his apprentice.

"I must seriously inquire, my Lord! I understand the need to eliminate said individual, but this is a task for bounty hunters or mercenaries, not for a Lord of the Sith!" The apprentice's voice, tinged with apprehension, reverberated in response.

"I will forgive you your insolence and explain," Sidious replied, his tone tightening. "The target is a powerful Jedi, possibly more powerful than we think! This mission is to be carried out with the utmost secrecy. I cannot trust just anyone with it. The Jedi is in possession of something very precious to me, and he must be removed so I can obtain it."

The apprentice nodded reluctantly, sensing the gravity of his master's words.

"Very well then, I will trust your judgment," he conceded.

"Good!" Sidious's hologram leaned forward slightly, eyes gleaming with hidden intentions. "Do not reveal yourself. Use your assassin or a disguise if you must, but do not let yourself be identified. Remember, I need the boy to live. Your target is the Jedi Master—a human male of short stature, with long, black hair, wielding a purple lightsaber and a curved metal sword. You will easily recognize him. I will arrange for him to have notice of the boy's haywire mission so he will rush in to save his apprentice. See to it that the Jedi perishes!"

"Consider it done, my Master!" The apprentice's voice carried determination as the holographic image faded, leaving the chamber in a profound silence.

As Anakin Skywalker approached Chancellor Palpatine's opulent office, he anticipated the usual warm welcome. A server droid had a drink of hot chocolate ready - an indulgence he had grown to cherish since his early days when he had first arrived on Coruscant.

The Jedi Temple had never offered such small luxuries, focusing instead on ascetic nourishment meant to sustain rather than delight.

To his surprise, Chancellor Palpatine did not greet him with his customary open arms. Instead, the older man sat behind his desk, his usually serene expression replaced by one of concern and gravity. He held a steaming cup of hot chocolate, a rare sight as he seldom indulged in such pleasures himself.

"Anakin," Palpatine's voice was somber as he gestured for the young Jedi to take a seat. "Thank you for coming so promptly."

Anakin took note of the Chancellor's demeanor, sensing something was amiss. This was the first time he had seen Palpatine display anything other than the calm confidence of a seasoned politician.

"What a pleasure to be in your presence again, my son. Thank you for following my call so quickly!" Palpatine's tone was unusually warm, yet beneath it, Anakin detected an undercurrent of urgency.

"Of course, your Excellency," Anakin replied respectfully.

"Anakin..." Palpatine's voice grew serious. "Today I have called for you because I need your help. Your help in a matter in which I cannot trust anybody, except you!"

Anakin's brows furrowed slightly, his concern growing. "Whatever it is, your Excellency, I will of course do everything in my power to provide my support."

"I know, Anakin, and powerful you are!" Palpatine nodded approvingly. "What we speak about now must stay between the two of us. No one, especially not the Jedi, must learn of what I am about to tell you."

Anakin nodded in agreement, his senses now fully attuned to the seriousness of the situation.

Palpatine proceeded to divulge a tale of his past dealings with a slaver's ring on Naboo, when he had still been but a young senator representing his homeworld; , a story that resonated deeply with Anakin, reminding him of his beloved Padmé and the injustices of his own childhood. He had worked hard to put a stop to their activities, but senatorial processes were oh so slow while the slavers stole more and more children off Naboo and its neighbouring worlds. Those children were to never be seen again, leaving their families grieving. Palpatine now reported how he had decided to resort to more effective, quicker means. The issue being – he broke several republic laws doing so. The Chancellor's voice trembled slightly as he explained the dire consequences of a political opponent obtaining proof of his illegal actions.

Anakin's mind raced as he processed the Chancellor's plea. Palpatine, his mentor and fatherly figure, faced ruin, and Anakin felt a surge of protectiveness and loyalty toward the man who had shown him kindness and support when others had doubted him. Not only was the Chancellor the only true friend and supporter he had, he was a good man and the only one in a position of such power who had a true and pure desire to change the galaxy for the better.

"I can easily move about and sneak out of the temple without anyone taking notice, so the Jedi won't have to know" Anakin offered, determination hardening his features. "But I will need a transport to accomplish this mission."

"Which I am not sure how to provide. Whatever action I would take would be traced down to me" Palpatine replied with sorrow.

"My Master has a ship which is equipped with stealth shields and flight code jammers. With that, one can go pretty much anywhere flying under the radar." Anakin said.

"Oh, no, we cannot possibly have your Master know about this. I have no doubts he is trustworthy, but.."

"Maybe there is a way so my Master doesn't need to know..." Anakin pondered.

"Anakin," Palpatine's voice wavered with uncertainty. "I would make you lie for me. I'm not sure if I can ask you to do this. Do you really think it could work?"

Anakin met the Chancellor's gaze squarely, his resolve unshakable. "Chancellor, you did what you had to do. You don't deserve to be punished for it. You can trust me, your Excellency."

Palpatine's expression softened with relief, gratitude shining in his eyes. "Anakin, my son, what would I do without you? I cannot express how grateful I am for your help in this matter."

Back at the temple, he searched for Kenshin. He hadn't talked to him in quite a while – the healers had ordered Kenshin to remain in a prolonged time of recovery, so for the time being, Quinlan Vos was still the one overseeing his Jedi training. And Kenshin being Kenshin, he never talked to anyone when he didn't have to.

At least, Quinlan was currently not on planet, which made the story Anakin had come up with somewhat plausible.

"Hey, Master" he greeted him. Kenshin gave him a sceptical look.

"What do you need?"

"Who says I need something? Maybe I just wanna check in, see how you're doing?"

"Cut the crap, I know that look on your face."

"Well…you're right. I need your help."

"That's what I thought! What kind of help are we talking about?"

Anakin glanced around to ensure they were alone. "I need to borrow your ship—the Kage, the one with the stealth equipment."

Kenshin took a step back and crossed his arms. "The Kage – and what do you need it for? I doubt it's for going droid part shopping in Mos Espa!"

"It's Master Vos…"Anakin took a deep breath. "He needs my help with a covert mission in the Outer Rim, something delicate. He specifically requested that I use a ship with stealth capabilities – your ship!"

"Why didn't he reach out to me directly if he needed the ship?" Kenshin raised an eyebrow.

"He was only able to get one last message out before he wouldhave blown his cover. He couldn't comm anyone else, and he said not yet to inform the Council, otherwise his network of informants would be in danger, too. That's why I'm talking to you, Master."

"What did he get himself into, again! That guy is worse than I am!" Kenshin shook his head, worry etched across his features.

"He needs my assistance. Please, let me help him! I know I can do it!"

"I don't …..."Kenshin paused and at last said "I don't doubt you can. Then take the ship. Promise me you'll be careful. And if anything goes wrong, you contact me immediately. Understood?"

„Understood, Master! and… what I said a few days ago, it wasn't right. I'm sorry! You're still healing and I haven't done anything but make your life harder. I'm sorry"

Kenshin gave him a slightly dubious look but then said "I haven't been at my best either."

Without an official assignment, Anakin would need a justification to leave Coruscant by himself so Kenshin even went as far as filing a document pretending to send his apprentice on an errand. Not once did he question the truthfulness of the story Anakin told him nor the fact that his student provided suspiciously few details.

A few hours later, Kenshin made his way to the refectory, to try and get some food down, when he caught sight of a familiar figure entering the hall. His heart skipped a beat. It was Quinlan, looking none the worse for wear after what was supposed to be a long mission away from Coruscant.

"Quin!" he called out "What are you doing here, and where's Anakin?"

"Hey K-dog, hello to you, too! I've just returned from a mission. It wrapped up faster than expected. Why do you look like you've seen a Moraband ghost serpent?"

"I thought you were out of comm range and on a covert mission. I... I loaned my ship to Anakin. He said you needed his help and specifically asked for the Kage with its stealth capabilities."

Vos looked puzzled. "I never sent such a request, Kenshin. Anakin and I haven't communicated since I left. What's going on?"

"This blasted bastard!" Kenshin cursed and ran off, leaving a very confused Quinlan in the refectory. Unbeknownst to anyone but himself, there was a coded frequency over which the Kage was traceable, even when the stealth shields were active. He had implemented the coding in case he'd ever get separated from his ship and needed to reconnect with it.

Within minutes, his astromech Roku had tracked the Kage's location not far from Coruscant, and Kenshin jumped aboard the first unoccupied starfighter available in the hangar. He should have sensed something was off. He had shut everything out for too long. The nightmares and visions had been so painful. At a loss as to how to progress in his quest and how to find the third fragment of the dangerous Nanta artifact, he had felt so much frustration. His inability to handle Anakin, and Anakin's objection to his solution—to pass him on to another Master better suited for the task—had compounded his stress. Then there was the physical agony from the slowly healing injuries that still caused him daily pain. It had all accumulated to an unbearable load, eating away at what little sanity he still had. It was easier to just feel nothing, so he had closed himself off from the Force.

Anakin had lied to him, for reasons he didn't know. Obliging his senses to open up to the Force again, he sensed Anakin was in danger. Betrayal or not, he only hoped he wouldn't be too late this time.

Intruding into the luxurious space yacht, the coordinates of which Palpatine had provided, had been ridiculously easy.

It was stationed in a low orbit above the urban planet, and secretly boarding it, Anakin met no resistance and found systems that were easy to hack. It was a large space yacht built for luxury, not security. A youngling could have overridden the hangar bay entry codes. He set the Kage down but left the stealth shields activated just to be sure. The hangar and surrounding corridors were void of personnel. Anakin would have expected at least a few maintenance droids. Soon, he found what he was sent for on the ship's spacious bridge, which was also oddly empty. To expedite matters, he wiped everything in the systems and then used his lightsaber to reduce the physical forms of the data disk to ashes. "That was so easy it wasn't even fun," Anakin thought, but he was very pleased with himself nonetheless. Even Kenshin couldn't have done it better. But Kenshin wouldn't have let himself get caught, he then thought in shameful shock as he sensed a presence behind him. He turned and saw a tall, slender figure with a bald head and greyish skin who ignited a blazing red lightsaber.

"You're trespassing, Skywalker."

Ventress! Anakin promised himself, with great resolve, that this time, he would show her what he was made of. "And you're in my way, you mud-colored harpy. No wonder I could smell you from a parsec away; you still have the funk of your swamp on you."

In place of an answer, Ventress attacked. His powers and skills had grown significantly since the last time he had met her. A fierce battle unfolded, and he gave her hell. But she was Ventress, frighteningly proficient in the use of the dark side, and finally, she gained the upper hand. She laughed as she sensed Anakin's fear rising within him. It was clear now: the Padawan was losing the fight. Ventress cheered as her red blade sliced through and cut the Jedi apprentice's lightsaber hilt in two. The Dathomiri paused to savor her triumph. Then she lifted her blade and swung it down.

A black shadow bolted across the room, and a glowing purple beam stopped the red lightsaber only centimeters from Anakin's throat. Anakin blinked. Had Windu come to his rescue? No, the shadow was far shorter than the tall Korun and stood shorter even than Ventress. There was only one other Jedi wielding a purple blade, a Jedi who should have been on bed rest instead of going toe to toe with the most powerful assassin in the known galaxy. And a small squadron of six heavily armed droids now marched into the chamber. Magna guards. Highly capable battle droids that often served as bodyguards and posed a threat even to most Jedi. Anakin tried to come to his Master's aid, but without a weapon, there was not much he could do against the opponents they were facing. His attempt at crushing a Magna guard with the Force ended with himself smashed against the next wall, breaking one of his legs and at least two ribs.

"That's it," he thought. It could only be a matter of moments before Kenshin would be finished. Watching his Master die would be the reward for having rushed into this himself, for not having trusted Kenshin and asked for his or Quinlan's help.

Kenshin was a Jedi, but before that, he was a swordsman. An art deeply instilled in the essence of their culture, the Hogosha, the warrior monks of his homeworld, had trained him in the ways of the sword since his second life day, and even if he hadn't been Force-sensitive, he'd have made for a remarkable fighter. He was a young man but already had over twenty years of practice in these martial arts ingrained into his instincts. In a fight, everything else ceased to exist for him. He became the sword. He became lethal force. The fight against multiple opponents was merely one of the skills he had been taught since he had been very young. Ventress was ferocious, fast, and dangerous, but her power was not a match for the vicious rage the Jedi unleashed against her. He had drawn his second blade, a curved sword like she had never seen before. And she didn't see much of it before her world went black and she was sent into the nirvana of unconsciousness. The Magna guards didn't fare any better. Soon after, the scene looked like the horrific battlefield it was. All the droids were turned to scrap metal, Ventress lay unconscious in a corner, and only Kenshin was still standing, bleeding from several cuts but standing.

"With this display of utter incompetence by my underlings, it seems I have to complete this task myself," a clipped voice said from the shadows. A tall, hooded figure appeared, dressed in aristocratic attire in brown colors, and Anakin could catch a glimpse of a well-trimmed grey beard from beneath the hood, although the rest of the face remained hidden. It was a male voice this time. The Padawan was at a complete loss as to who this could be. Was this Palpatine's political enemy? Groaning loudly from pain, he struggled onto his working leg and charged. A short burst of Force lightning stopped him, and he passed out.

The human male looked surprisingly young, not that much older than his apprentice, and along with a purple lightsaber, he wielded a metal sword with a curved blade. Just like Sidious had described him. A strange weapon for a Jedi, but obviously effective. He had made impressively short work of the entire squad of Magna guards as well as the assassin whom he had thought to be quite skilled. Certainly, the man was now panting heavily and bleeding from several wounds, but demolishing this setup of attackers was no easy feat. Sidious was apparently right. The Jedi Master was powerful, and he would have to deal with this himself. He brought his crimson lightsaber to life and engaged him. He fought defensively at first to observe his opponent and evaluate the best tactics. The Jedi's movements were of a precision and speed he had never seen before. They appeared to follow an intricate, complex pattern, only that there was no pattern. It wasn't the traditional style of Vaapad, but it had the erratic, vicious nature of Vaapad. He had to work impeccably just to keep up his defense. Never had he seen a Jedi, no, not anyone, fight like this, dancing in the Force to a lethal, frightening rhythm. It was chaos, yet order. It was escalation, yet controlled with total mastery. Passionate heat, yet cold precision. For a moment, he marveled at what he witnessed, like admiring an exquisite piece of art, and nearly forgot that it was himself placed at the business ends of his opponent's weapons. He had let his focus slip for nearly a split second while the Jedi's rising wave of fury reached a dangerous height, threatening to swallow the nature of his being at the core. He scolded himself and snapped back. Just in time, the dark side followed his call. Time slowed down, and he parried blow after blow. There, finally! There was a barely noticeable gap in his enemy's near-impenetrable defense. He thrust his blade into the Jedi's torso and promptly got shoved back. He suppressed a hearty curse! Missing his attack, he had merely wounded the other man and not hit the vital organs he had aimed for. Attack, parry, attack, parry—annoyingly quickly, the Jedi had regained his composure, and the deadly exchange of blows continued. There, again! A tiny gap in the tight web of blows, and he stunned him with a punch to his chin—a brute move he had to resort to compared to his otherwise spotless, elegant form—then sliced his hellish red blade twice across the other man's abdomen and face. The Jedi dodged and narrowly avoided the full length of the blade, suffering deep cuts instead of being sliced in half. The assault added another long cut to his face where Ventress had left a first. Blood was now everywhere. Lightsaber wounds didn't bleed, but the hits the Magna guards had landed did. The Jedi was becoming more and more winded, certainly, but how was he still standing? Furious, he summoned and concentrated as much Force energy as he could muster and hurled him through the duraglass window separating the bridge from the ship's elegant dining hall. It shattered into a million pieces. Now, at last, his opponent's body remained motionless, covered with the debris. Only one hand, dripping wet from its own blood, stuck out. Carefully, he stepped closer. Was the Jedi finally dead? None too soon! He realized how his own forces had drained by now, far too quickly. The fight had cost him much! He stopped to look at the immense amount of destruction that had occurred within such a short amount of time. The Force sent him a faint warning, but too late. The attack was too well concealed. A stream of black Force lightning hit him; he could barely bring up his blade for defense. The Force was singing with violence and rage. Fear. This was no Jedi, this was a monster! For the first time in many, many years, he stared into a cold, black abyss of fear. He instantly knew this would be the end of him; there was only one way. Using the Force, he flung the hatch of an escape pod open, jumped in, and fled.

Arduously, Kenshin struggled to get up on all fours. Anakin was unconscious but alive, and he summoned the last bit of strength he had and dragged his Padawan to the hangar.

His vision blurred already. Force knew how many bones he had broken, there was too much pain to distinguish where it was coming from. The Kage was still there and systems were set to operational mode. Roku had found and re-taken control of it. Such a good droid. He collapsed to the floor once he had pulled Anakin and himself on board. Roku emitted a series of concerned beeps, and got to work as he realized Kenshin wouldn't answer him anymore. The starship launched out of the hangar gate into space. And then finally, the world went dark and finally, everything went quiet. Anakin moaned, regained consciousness for a moment, and opened his eyes. Blood. So much blood. Everything was covered in blood. There was blood on the floor of the cockpit, on Roku who was now piloting the ship and Kenshin's tunic was soaked with it. His face was coloured red and so was his hand that still was clasped around his lightsaber hilt. Was he dead? Anakin couldn't tell. His Master had saved him. "I'm so, so sorry" he muttered in tears and fainted again.

It wasn't wrong to say that Kenshin had a tendency to be ill-tempered, and Anakin wasn't the textbook picture of Jedi composure either. Their initial months together had seen their fair share of friction between Master and Padawan. The apprentice didn't enjoy fighting with the older Jedi, but that's what it always came to. Kenshin would seemingly never agree with what Anakin thought or wanted. At least he got an honest reaction, at least his teacher had cared enough to even bother arguing with him.

Kenshin was a mess and an idiot. Still, now that Anakin thought about it, he had been the first Jedi to accept him for who he was, and honestly care about him. The first not to be intimidated or reject him because of his emotions, and the first not to be impressed by his status as the Chosen One. The only Jedi not to be frigid and cold. The only one who had given him honesty, instead of confusing rules and hypocrisy.

Kenshin could have become the friend he so desperately wanted. And Anakin – he had lied to him, in order to climb up the ladder faster and attain the power and status he thought was owed to him. There was no way to deny it, he had lied, he had blown it. Remorse haunted his thoughts and dreams.

The first thing he saw when he woke up was Kyle's face. He was happy to see his friend, but couldn't explain to himself why Kyle would sit next to his bed while he slept. Then it hit him. He was in the medbay.

"Kriff" he cried out."Where's Kenshin? Is he alright?"

Master Che swiftly appeared by his side and pushed him back onto the bed. They kept him restrained, his broken limbs in bacta casts, for a week before he was allowed to get up. No-one would say a word about Kenshin. Finding his Master was the first thing he did once he was allowed to stand up and walk. When he finally saw him, it was a painful sight.

Anakin observed his Master's body floating in the bacta tank. A red coloured indent on his chest that had its matching wound on his back where the lightsaber had pierced through his upper body. It was a miracle this blow hadn't destroyed essential organs which would have killed him instantly. The already scarred torso was adorned by two more long, wide cuts across his entire abdomen. Finally, two long, parallel streaks that went down the entire left side of his face. By miracle they hadn't gone deep enough to hurt the eye.

Not visible to the naked eye were countless broken bones and Force knew how much internal damage Kenshin had suffered when he had been thrust through the duraglass structure.

The Council, of course, had asked questions. Lucky for him, Palpatine had stepped in. He had miraculously appeared at the temple the moment the two Jedi Masters came to see Anakin and confessed to Windu and Yoda to have asked Anakin for a favour, to run a simple errand for him. Not such an otherworldly unusual thing for Padawans to be tasked with, only that Palpatine had not thought of notifying the Council of using Anakin's help. A simple error on Palpatine's side. Never in all moons and stars had Palpatine expected for Anakin's transport to get ambushed by what must have been separatist forces, let alone Force wielding assassins. He expressed his greatest regrets a thousand times before the entire High Council. It was a story that was not too far from the truth, Anakin thought and he was more than glad how the Chancellor had gotten him out of the ordeal. He would never have known what to tell the Council, without breaking his promise of secrecy he had given to Palpatine.

And what would he tell Kenshin, once he'd wake up? If he'd wake up. They kept him in the bacta tank for a long time, until the already slow healing progress came to a halt, and then transferred him to an acclimatised and sterile medical chamber. Master Che didn't say it, but it was clear, even to Anakin, that they prepared for Kenshin to die. He came every day, speaking to his unconscious Master, begging him to wake up, begging him to come back.

Another day, and another trip to the healers ward, to the section where Kenshin's bed was set up. He refused to give up hope, straightened himself and wanted to step in when he was stopped by one of Master Che's colleagues, a pale blue Nautolan with kind eyes. He gave her a confused look. "What's wrong? Can't I go see him today?" The Nautolan's expression was cryptic. Anakin's heart dropped. What was happening? Kenshin couldn't die, he wouldn't allow him to!

She gave him a sad smile. "Your Master woke up this morning. He's able to talk and seems comparatively well given the circumstances. We're actually positive he'll make a full recovery."

"But that's great news!" Anakins eyes lit up and he wanted to charge into the room, to get again stopped by the healer.

"I'm very sorry, but I can't let you in!"

"Why not? What's going on?"

The healer was searching for the right words, and finally decided to say the blatant truth.

"He explicitely stated he doesn't want to see you."

"What? But...I'm his Padawan!"

"I wish I could tell you something different. He didn't specify any reasons. Only that we should not allow you to visit. I don't understand it myself. His first words were him asking if you were alright. We wanted to inform and summon you immediately, but he demanded that you were strictly denied access. I'm sorry! I have to respect his wish."

It didn't make sense to him, but no matter what, neither the Nautolan, nor the other healers, including Madame Che herself, would let him in. He tried a few more times to see his Master but was denied access every time. They wouldn't even tell him how Kenshin's recovery was progressing.

Quinlan was the only one who would at least give him updates that his Master was getting better. The Kiffar had put his off-planet missions on hold and stayed at the temple for the time being to take care of Anakin's training, even though no official arrangement had been made. Now that he thought of it, one thing about Vos kept nagging Anakin's mind. Quinlan had the rare skill of psychometry and after some research in the archives, he learned that wielders of psychometry could not only see graphic images, but also feel emotions that had passed through the being who had touched an object last. He remembered the night when he had brought that peculiar box to Kenshin's quarters and how Quinlan had insisted that him, Anakin, picked up the two items to put them back into the box and get them out of there.

"Quinlan, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, Go ahead!"

"I read that when you touch an object, you can not only see things but also feel what the last person felt who touched something. When those feelings were very strong, it can even be dangerous."

"That's true. Why are you mentioning it, what do you want to know?"

"When you came to help Kenshin after he had this...reaction after seeing his old lightsaber. I noticed that you did everything to avoid touching the lightsaber, you had me pick it up and put back in the box!" Anakin inquired."I didn't think of it back then, but now I can't help but wonder why. Why would you not touch it?"

Quinlan glanced at Anakin and then shook his head.

"Oh no! No way, kid...that's something...no way, we won't be going there! Forget it!"

"Quin, tell me! If I'm to train with him and serve him as his student, need to understand my Master, I'm his Padawan!"

Vos remained silent.

"I want to help Kenshin, but how can I help when I never understand him and when I never learn what happened to him?"

Vos still sat there like a statue.

"Please! He means something to me!" That wasn't even a lie. Quinlan winced, squeezed his eyes shut and shied away from Anakin's glance.

"Fine" he said at last. "After his Master died...and Kenshin was brought to the temple...the very night he and the other survivors of the mission arrived, I happened to be up there, on the terrace, with a friend. We just met to have a drink. Then this little guy was suddenly there, he was obviously oblivious that anyone else was there with him. He took his lightsaber...and... ignited it, and then my friend, Makiri, he suddenly jumped. I saw his hands firmly clasped around the boy's hands, drawing the blade away from him and shutting it off. The kid had tried to kill himself! Had Makiri not sensed and stopped him, he would have sliced himself in half with his own weapon! That's how I met Kenshin. You imagine a 13 year old kid, terrified beyond reason, trying to take his own life? He didn't speak Basic back then..kriff, he didn't speak at all. It was much later that I learned why he had made that choice. That lightsaber? That was the very one he used to try and end it!".

"WHAT?"

Quinlan glared at Anakin.

"Now you know. This is all I will tell you and if ever any word about this gets to Kenshin or anyone else, I swear to the Force I will make you regret it!"

The Kiffar's posture and tone didn't leave any doubts that he meant it. So Anakin didn't bring the subject up again and kept his thoughts to himself.

*****Coruscant, Jedi temple, a few weeks later

Late at night, Anakin walked through the corridors and heard a soft noise coming from one of the dojos. Strolling around at unusual times of the day had become a habit. He usually had his own nighttime agendas that no one had questioned for weeks. Quinlan was even more lenient than Kenshin had been. Since he had been barred from seeing his Master in the healers' wing, he hadn't seen him nor received any news for weeks. Out of curiosity, he went to see who would choose the middle of the night to practice in the dojo. A short humanoid performed incredibly precise and fast katas in the dark. The footwork seemed slightly out of rhythm, the only flaw in the otherwise perfect smoothness of his motions. The face was covered, as he practiced with a blindfold over his eyes. But there was only one being in the entire Jedi Order who could move with such speed and yet such frightening precision. The intricate motions of the blade stopped, and he turned to Anakin as he removed the blindfold.

The corridors and halls were only faintly illuminated during the night. From what he could see in the twilight, Kenshin looked much healthier than the last time Anakin had seen him. He had regained most of his muscle and moved almost with his former predatory grace. Only as he came closer did Anakin see he was limping and looked worn and tired. The large, double scar running down his left cheek, from above his eyebrow down to his jaw—courtesy of Asajj Ventress and her unknown companion—hinted at the devastating battle he had barely survived. And the fury in his eyes as Kenshin shot him a sithly glare. Without a word, the Nantoan attempted to walk past Anakin, but the Padawan stepped into his way.

Anakin asked himself what he had expected. He felt uneasy, and yes, scared as well, as he stood face to face with his Master again. Kenshin was shielding himself so Anakin couldn't sense his emotions or thoughts. He was icily silent, but his eyes spoke a thousand words of deception, betrayal, and sadness.

"I gave orders for you to stay away from me," Kenshin said and stopped. A menacing sense of anger wafted off of him.

"I am sorry, Master. I understand you're angry. Please, hear me out," Anakin pleaded, even though he didn't yet know what to say.

"You haven't seen me angry yet." He didn't raise his voice; he didn't have to. The tone was enough to make the blood in Anakin's veins freeze.

"You have lied to me. You have insulted and disrespected me a great deal during the time you were my student, and you know what? That didn't matter. In the end, I understood your pain, your reasons. But betrayal? Dishonesty? That is the one thing I cannot and will not forgive. You, Anakin Skywalker, are dead to me!"

Irritation surged within the teenager. Yes, he had lied and made a mistake, but was this a reason to be cast away like this, without a chance to explain himself? After all, he had just wanted to help the Chancellor, his dearest friend. He had no way of knowing what consequences it would have. Anakin being Anakin, his emotions rose to a crushing wave carrying him away, any remnants of composure or control blown to the wind.

"What I did was wrong. But to give up on me like that? You make it very easy for yourself. Maybe it is true after all, that you're a coward, and jealous! And they call you a Master!" Anakin spat, his voice now full of disdain.

The next thing he knew, a Force push knocked him off his feet, and he heard the deep snap-hiss of a lightsaber. It was not a training blade. The room was cast into an eerie, purple light. Quickly, he picked himself up.

All of a sudden, he felt cold, a sense of threat washed over him. He thought he saw a purple glow in his teacher's eyes. Would Kenshin really hurt him? On more than one occasion, the Jedi Master had thrown himself into harm's way to protect him and save his life, with no regard for his own safety. With a deep whizz, the blade died back into the hilt as Kenshin shut it off.

"This is how you talk to me now? With your lightsaber?"

Kenshin remained silent, he just glared at Anakin.

"In so many ways, I'm ahead of everyone, but nobody sees it. Everyone's just holding me back. Especially you. You're overly critical, you never listen, you don't understand. Nobody understands! It's not fair! I'm grown up now, I'm not a child any longer! Do you have any idea what it was like to grow up a slave? What I had to go through? Then they brought me here, took me from my mother, and here, everyone hated me! Nobody saw how hard I worked, how hard I tried, nobody would ever even look! How do you want me to be honest when nobody ever trusts me?"

"Your focus determines your reality! Qui-Gon Jinn's words, not mine. Listen to him if I am such a pain to you. I believe you're the one who doesn't see. Do you think you're the only one who struggles? The world doesn't revolve around you! STOP whining like a child, Anakin! You said you're not a child anymore. It's time for you to own your mistakes, to own your weaknesses. Stop making excuses, stop always making someone else responsible. You're the one in charge, and you're the one who needs to take control over himself!"

"Own my mistakes? You of all people are talking about self-control? You tried to kill yourself because you couldn't handle what you were dealt, and you preach about control! You're pathetic, Master!"

Kenshin's eyes narrowed just enough for Anakin to realize he had gone too far. Way too far. He shouldn't have said that. He should not have said that!

You're just an angry, pathetic little slave boy. The words rang loudly in Kenshin's mind, but he didn't speak them. A painful moment and the malicious temptation had passed. He knew too well how deep words could cut, and he had to be bigger than that.

"You're quite mistaken! I wonder who told you about it. Sniffing through someone's past and using their mistakes to justify your own weaknesses—that's what's pathetic. The only thing holding you back is your arrogance—not me, not the Council—and the only person holding you back, Anakin, is you!"

Kenshin walked out.

***Coruscant, roof of an abandoned industrial complex, the next day

The Kiffar with his yellow marking took a bottle of saké. A kind of liquor originating from Nanta, Kenshin's homeworld. Since it was such a remote backwater planet, it was hard to get, but Quinlan had all sorts of connections. He filled two cups, handing one to his shorter, black haired companion. Physically, he was finally healed and what Madame Che and her team had accomplished was nothing short of a miracle. It must have been the will of the Force for Kenshin not to die yet, since even with treatment by the best healers in the galaxy, no one understood how he had survived the condition he had been in. It didn't mean that he was well again. There still was persisting aches, residual damage that would most probably never completely recover. That, however, was only a small issue compared to the visions and nightmares that still plagued him. A few days after Quinlan had found him on the terrace of the temple roofs, he had confided in him about the torments that came over him. He still claimed he had not intended to harm himself, but Quinlan knew better. What he didn't know was how to talk sense into his friend. Where his body was on the mend, the mind was not, not at all, and Kenshin refused support. He sat down next to him. Wrapped and huddled in his cloak, Kenshin resembled a beaten dog rather than the imposing Jedi Master that he actually was. Quin took a sip and broke the silence.

"You've saved my life more times than I can count on two hands and there is little I wouldn't do for you. Accept my help. Or, Force, talk to Yoda."

"Yoda of all people!"

Quinlan scolded himself, he should have known the name would trigger all sorts of feelings in his friend, but not insight.

"Yeah, true, Yoda may not be the best choice..."he searched for words. "Blast it, Kenshin, you're letting that shit fuck you up. You didn't even think for a second about what I said to you on that terrace? I meant it! I sense so much agony and darkness in you, it scares even me! "

As a reaction, Kenshin raised his shields again and what little of his emotions and Force signature had been visible to Quinlan, became completely concealed again.

"HE LIED TO ME!" Kenshin burst out at last. "I thought I could trust him, I thought he was...I thought I was capable of training him."

"Kenshin, this is not about him! Anakin is as much of a mess as you are, I'll give you that much. You two are actually more alike than you realize! But in the end he's just a naïve, well-meaning boy who made a mistake and who just wanted to help. This is about you, and you're the most stubborn head of a bantha I have ever seen. The past is the past. Hating yourself won't bring anyone back! You're more than capable of training Anakin, if only you followed what you preach! Get over yourself! But again, this isn't about him. You, we, have a job to do. There is so much we don't know, but if anything of what you saw and told me comes to pass, it'll be one hell of a job. We need you, and you can't shut everyone out. You're not the first dealing with painful visions. Let someone help you!"

"Like they helped Sifo Dyas? I have found reports. Classified ones, of the kind that were not meant to be found, for a good reason. They weren't pretty."

"Maybe the Council doesn't want to understand, but you are not alone. There are Jedi who believe and trust you! There is Aayla and me. Kenobi is a bit stiff, but he isn't that bad of a guy either. I'll walk whatever part of the path you want with you. But for Force's sake! You have to get your shit together!"

"I don't know if I can."

Anakin's nights were sleepless more often than not. It always felt so frighteningly real. This couldn't be mere dreams. He had had several nightmares since they started months ago, but they had never been as intense or as frequent as now. For about a week or so, they would come every night. The morning approached as he tried to stop shaking from another terrifying dream and he heard someone knocking at the door to his room. He opened and was faced with pair of dark brown eyes that were as grim as they looked tired.

„We ware assigned to protect Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo during her current stay in Coruscant. There has been an attempt on her life. Get your weapon and come" he commanded.

A feeling of shock ran down Anakin's spine. Padmé! Hearing her name was like a strike of lightning. What did that mean? An attempt on her life? She was a senator now, and back on Coruscant? Who was trying to kill her, and why? He didn't get time to digest all of this, he had to hurry to follow Kenshin who was already heading down the corridor towards the hangars.

„You look tired." Anakin was surprised by the concerned tone in Kenshin's voice, as he had finally caught up. Was his master trying to play nice after having shut him out for weeks? He deeply wished to re-conciliate, but it didn't change the fact that at the same time he felt so hurt, he was angry and he would make sure his master would feel it.

„Says the one who looks like a ship wreck" he snapped as a response.

Kenshin ignored him and he immediately regretted the harshness of his words. Maybe this wasn't the best approach.

"Master.." he said sheepishly

"You can stop calling me that. Once we're done with this job, I will no longer be your Master"

"Wait a minute …. What?"

"I have requested for you to be reassigned. The Council scheduled my request to be confirmed after we finish this task. They just couldn't find anyone else available to do it."

"You did WHAT? You wouldn't even dream of discussing this with me before?"

"There was nothing to discuss!" He firmly stated in a tone that accepted no talking back.

Anakin felt like someone had punched him in the gut, and hard. The shock was so sudden and deep that he didn't find words.

They didn't talk until they reached the elevator to the senator's quarters. It had been a short speeder trip to the political district, yet it seemed to take an eternity to Anakin. He also became more and more nervous about Padmé, and the life he knew had just turned upside down. He had lost his first master and was now refused by his second. How could Kenshin do that! How could he do that to him! What hurt the most was: He felt like it was not Kenshin who had failed as a master. It was him who had failed as a padawan. He side-glanced to his soon to be former mentor. As always, he couldn't sense or read anything in him. Only his stare being colder than usual revealed that Kenshin wasn't overjoyed either.

In the elevator, Anakin began to sweating

„What are your nervous about?" his master finally asked.

The nerve! Asking that question after what he had said? Anakin was very close to just punch him in the face.

„None of your damn business that I knew of!" he retorted.

„Watch your manners!" Kenshin said sharply „You may not be under my authority for much longer, but I do not accept disrespectful behaviour. Is that understood!" He turned away."What have I become" he then said. "A glorified babysitter for some random politician! The Jedi Order really is going downhill." he complained.

"She's not just 'some random senator'" Anakin spat and shot Kenshin a lethal scowl.

"I am aware of her background" the Master replied coolly.

Before Anakin could give a snippy retort, they had arrived. The elevator doors opened.