Chapter 3 – The Child

Author's Note: Anakin is the Chosen One, and I ain't going to let you forget it. He is perfectly capable of killing one moment and comforting someone the next, yes he is. Lol.

~ Amina Gila

Anakin extinguishes his lightsaber, clipping it to his belt and kneeling next to the youngling's body. Carefully, he turns her – it is definitely a girl – over onto her back, careful not to move her to abruptly lest he jar the injuries in her body. As he touches her, he reaches out with the Force, doing a quick scan of her body. Physically, she's fine other than a large gaping wound in her abdomen that is slowly killing her. She's clinging to life with a furious determination and anger, and it's a jarring reminder of himself in many ways, because she, like him, wants revenge.

Her eyes blink open at the touch, surprise and relief flickering across her face when she sees him there, and somehow, the fact that she's alive, that this child is not another one he's failed, manages to break through the haze of the Dark Side coursing through him.

Anakin doesn't recognize her, though that isn't surprising given that there must have been hundreds of younglings in the Temple. He was popular among them, and he spent time with them – mainly because they liked to track him down and beg for stories – but he never knew each and every one of them. Even if he had wanted to do so, he never had the time.

Her black hair is curly, her eyes a deep brown, her skin dark, and Anakin reaches out, touching his fingers to her forehead as he sends the Force through her more deeply, trying to see if he can do something to help her as he taps into the side of the Force he has not used since this all began. The Light comes when he calls, and he doesn't spare a moment to think about how that goes against all of the Jedi's teachings.

But then again, when he needed help, it was the Dark that answered him, that gave him strength.

From the Light, Anakin gains a welcoming embrace of peacefulness and healing which he directs into the child's body. Perhaps it is already too late for her, because he knows that she cannot get the medical attention that she needs, but he can at least try to save her, even if he is not skilled in the least with Force healing; it has always taken a level of connection and control that overwhelmed him due to his sensitivity.

This time… is different.

He gets healing energy from the Light and directs it to the child's wound, while from the Dark he gains strength and power to sustain himself. Healing is a very taxing ordeal, and he cannot afford to become weak, not now.

As both sides of the Force crash through him, he can feel the wound regenerating, closing, something that he's never been able to attain in the past. A wave of exhaustion rushes through him when he's done, and he pulls back from her, regarding her silently and blinking past the tiredness that threatens to drag him under. He needs rest almost more than he needs air to breathe, but that's not a luxury that he can afford, so he draws on the Force to continue to sustain himself for the time being.

First, he needs to get this child and himself to safety out of the Temple. Then… he will figure it out when the time arrives.

"Master Skywalker." Her voice is quiet, relieved. "You… healed me."

"I did, young one," he replies. "Who caused you such a critical injury?"

"It was a Temple Guard," she answers, and Anakin can feel her anger flare, briefly, his own following as he thinks back to – to the Council chambers and the Temple Guard who was there. Undoubtedly, it is the same person. "He came through with the clones," she explains, "And they shot some of my friends. He killed the rest of us." She glances sideways to the dead bodies lying on the floor, her grief flaring sharply into the Force though she doesn't cry. "I hid with the bodies when he left," she adds softly, "So he wouldn't come back and see I was still alive."

Anakin feels his heart twist painfully at her words, at the knowledge of how much he failed, of how much they lost. The Temple was their home, and it cuts at him to see how it's been reduced to this state, to being invaded by outsiders, it's Light damaged and destroyed.

"What do you call yourself?" he questions in an attempt to distract her mind from the horrors to which she has borne witness.

"I'm Reva," she tells him. "Reva Sevander."

Anakin inhales slowly, holding out a hand to her, to Reva, as he crouches at her side. "Then permit me to take you from the Temple, Reva. I will protect you if you allow it."

She readily takes his hand, all but clinging to him, as she stands, one hand going to her abdomen where she had been stabbed with a lightsaber; while Anakin cannot see the area, he imagines that there will be a scar there, even if it's only minor. He rises as well, feeling painfully awkward with a small child holding onto him like her life depends on it. "Of course, I'll stay with you," Reva says solemnly, staring up at him. "You saved me."

He nods to that before asking, "Does it hurt you still?"

She shakes her head, breathing deeply, testing it. "No, not anymore. It just… tingles."

Anakin genuinely has no idea if that's normal after intensive Force healing. He doesn't know of anyone who is even capable of performing a feat such as the one he did. Healing minor injuries with the Force, and even stabilizing someone or putting them in a healing trance is one thing. Entirely repairing a major abdominal stab wound? That's totally different.

"How old are you?" he wonders, looking around the hall, reaching out with the Force, checking to see if anyone is coming. No one is; they're still safe.

"Eleven," she informs him, "But I'm not a Padawan yet. No one took me."

"That is a good thing," Anakin replies solemnly, placing his other hand, the prosthetic, on her shoulder. "The frontlines are not a place for children. Come on," he continues before she can either protest being a child or how she is definitely skilled enough for warfare, "We need to keep moving if we are to escape."

Another quick scan of the Temple through the Force lets him know that there are very few Jedi still in the building. It feels empty, dark, violated.

He pushes that thought aside, mindful of the child next to him, as he gently pulls his hand from hers putting it on her shoulders and pulling her against his side – it's the best he can do, because he would very much like to shield her from the sheer violence and brutality that he unleashed, but he cannot do so right now, not while they could still be in danger from the clone patrols that are searching – as he steers her down the hall.

Reva keeps her head mostly ducked down, one hand clenched in his sleeve as they walk from the hall. She stays next to him as Anakin guides them through the Temple. It's not an aimless walk, but it is a long one, because Anakin needs answers, and he would like to collect some… personal items from his quarters before leaving for the final time. Yes, it will be a risk, but trying to make a direct break for the exit could be just as risky. Better to let the clones settle a little and think that they've eliminated everyone rather than trying to escape while they're still on high alert. It's a risk, but it's a calculated one, and the Force does not warn Anakin of any imminent dangers.

Reva doesn't let go of him until they reach his quarters, and then, she hovers right inside the closed door, looking around curiously as Anakin swiftly grabs a bag, putting in it a few items which he either needs or wants: another prosthetic, parts for it, a few unusual and custom-made tools, his model starfighter which he carefully wraps in cloth, a holodisk with holos from his life as a Jedi, a holodrive with personal things on it including some of his random engineering projects, another set of Jedi robes, Ahsoka's Padawan braid, and one of Obi-Wan's spare robes – what of it?

There are so many things that he has here, things which he wants nothing more than to take with him, but he can't do that, because he doesn't have the time or ability; he can only take what he can reasonably carry, and he knows how fortunate he is, because most of the Jedi never got this chance and some of them never will.

"Let's go," he says to Reva, hoisting the bag over his shoulder and ushering her back into the hall. It's nighttime – nearly four in the morning according to the chrono in Anakin's room – but despite it, the halls are still quite well-lit. He has always liked the nightlight in the Temple, because it always seemed so… natural. It isn't too harsh or too bright. It is a dim yet warm golden hue that always felt welcoming.

He doesn't know what he thinks about it anymore, but it's undeniably dim enough to cast shadows, making it easier for them to move stealthily through the halls.

"Where are we going now?" the child whispers to him as they pause behind another column and wait for yet another clone patrol to pass by them.

"We need answers," Anakin responds just as quietly. "We need to know who did this and the purpose behind it all." After all, if he doesn't even have that information, he won't have any way of knowing who he can trust. As it is, he still doesn't. Anyone other than fellow Jedi are suspect, no matter who they are. He forces himself to not think about how many other Jedi are even still alive; the speculating would hurt too much.

Fortunately, since he was appointed to the Council, he knows that his codes will work, so he should be able to gain access to the central control room of the Temple, a room only accessible to Council members. Going there will be a risk, but it's another one that they need to take. If they need to, they can retreat and try again later, but this is something that he must do. If he saw any other Jedi around, he could send Reva with them to safety as he himself cannot leave the Temple until all of his business here is finished.

They don't get that far, because even from a distance, Anakin can feel the cold chill of the Dark Side settling into place as someone arrives. Instantly, he locks down his shields entirely, cloaking himself in the Force so that no nearby Force sensitive can feel him, and reaching out with the Force, he wraps Reva in the same bubble of protection. Their Force signatures wrapped together this closely, he can almost feel the way she's trembling next to him as she feels the same thing that he does, his fist tightening on his sleeve as if his presence alone will protect her.

"We need to hide," Anakin decides aloud, scanning their surroundings for he has no doubts that the person he now feels is the Sith Master himself: Darth Sidious. And while he might normally take the chance of fighting, he won't do so while Reva is here with him, young and vulnerable, and while he himself is so worn out.

The best – albeit craziest – hiding spot is on a ledge atop the ceiling-high columns, though it takes them sometime to actually get up there, given how high off the floor it is. But at the same time, it means that no one will see them since no one would ever think to look. Anakin presses Reva up against the wall, lying next to her as he peers over the edge down to the hallway below. She reaches for his hand, gripping it tightly; her fingers are cold, but she says nothing, even though she's trembling.

"It will be alright," Anakin whispers despite himself. He doesn't want to make another promise to a child he will fail, but he has the Force, the Dark Side, as his ally now, even if he's currently primarily touching the Light. Having Reva here with him is… grounding somehow, and it reminds him of the good times, of the positive. He doesn't feel as dark with her present.

She ducks her head in a nod, clinging a little tighter as they hear footsteps echoing down the hall. Anakin hardly dares to breathe as he sees approaching figures, and an icy chill washes over him when he recognizes the first individual: the Temple Guard. He doesn't dare probe outwards with the Force, but from what he can sense, it's the same one who – who killed the youngling earlier, the same one who nearly killed Reva. He's followed by two clones, one of whom is Commander Fox. Opposite him, a hooded figure steps into Anakin's view, and from the way malice radiates from him, Anakin is certain that it's Darth Sidious himself.

More than anything, he wants to jump down there and kill them both, but he restrains himself because he has Reva to care for. He won't abandon her, especially not for a mere chance that he may be able to kill the Sith Master behind everything which has transpired here. He wanted answers, and it looks like he'll be getting them.

"It is done, my Lord," the Temple Guard declares, dropping to one knee. "It is all finished. The Jedi are all dead."

"Good. Very good," purrs Sidious, and Anakin nearly chokes when he hears the voice. It's so familiar and surely it can't be –

"What of Skywalker?" Sidious continues. "Did you capture him as I instructed? I have been awaiting news of his capture."

The Temple Guard hesitates, but only for a moment. "He managed to escape," he reports, still kneeling. "I had him subdued, but he embraced the Dark Side and slaughtered the clones. Many Jedi escaped the Temple because of him."

For the briefest of milliseconds, Anakin could swear that he feels… fear. Fear from Sidious. From – from – no. It's not possible. It's not.

"Find him," Sidious commands coldly. "Subdue him if you can. If you cannot, then kill him. I have no use for him if he has gone rogue."

"As you say, my Lord," the Temple Guard agrees.

"Until Skywalker is found, you shall my apprentice. Rise, Darth… Inquiere."

"I am… honored, my Master," the Temple Guard, Inquiere now, murmurs as he rises to his feet. "Your wish is my command. I will locate Skywalker."

"See that you do, my apprentice, see that you do."

Sidious turns towards the exit, and as he does, a ray of light falls on his face, illuminating it, and Anakin drops his head down for a moment to stifle a scream. He wants to give in to the Dark Side again like he did earlier. He wants to rage and slaughter as if that might be enough to get rid of the horrible burn of betrayal that is smothering him.

It was all fake then, wasn't it?

Palpatine never truly cared about him. All he wanted was Anakin's power. And it hurts. Oh, it hurts, a gaping wound ripping him open from the inside out. It hurts in a way he didn't even know he could hurt. It almost hurts more than it did when Obi-Wan betrayed him during the entire Hardeen debacle (but only almost). Palpatine was – he was Anakin's confident, his mentor, the one person he thought he could confide in about anything and everything.

And now, everything he once thought he knew has been turned on its head. Upside down. Inside out. It's – he feels wrong, used, betrayedhurtangry.

He almost jumps off the ledge, almost lunges for the Sith Master who caused all this, the Sith Master who has only ever used him. He almost lets the Dark Side back in enough to sweep away his resistance and go after the one person he thought he could always trust.

But then, he feels Reva's hand in his, her grip tightening as she feels his inner conflict. Given how he's shielding her, it makes sense that she can feel past the shields he always has up to keep others out of his head. "Master," she whispers, sounding scared, and for a moment, a brief moment, Anakin could imagine that it's another young girl next to him, seeking his guidance and support, but Ahsoka would never show her fear the way Reva is.

And he lets out a breath he didn't even realize he was holding, letting his body slump on the edge of the ledge, allowing the tension coiled in his muscles to dissipate. He cannot kill Palpatine, not yet, not when Reva is still here. He needs to get her out of here, needs to get her to safety, and until that is done, he has to wait.

Once he gets Reva out, he'll go after Palpatine, after Sidious, and when he does, he won't hold back. He will fight to kill, and he'll slaughter everyone who tries to stop him. If he takes down Sidious, he can avenge all of the Jedi who fell this day, he can avenge all the Jedi who were murdered by the Sith. He is the Chosen One. He the only one who can and should go after Palpatine to kill him, end him, end this.

"It's alright, little one," Anakin rasps, daring to speak only once the footsteps have faded from his hearing. "We are alright."

He waits a heartbeat longer before sitting up, adjusting the bag he's carrying and leaping to the floor, landing lightly. Reva jumps down after, and he slows her fall with the Force, instinctively reaching for her hand as he leads her from the Temple. There is nothing more that they can do here, and Anakin has a Sith Master to kill.

As far as he knows, there is only one safe place to which he can go, and it's the one place that he isn't ready to go.

500 Republica.

Padme.

If anyone can keep Reva safe and hidden while Anakin deals with Darth Sidious, Padme can.

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