The battle between master and apprentice destroyed almost the entire room they were in. Dooku had achieved what he desired; Obi-Wan was falling completely to the dark side. He had finally corrupted the purest of the Jedi. He would see to it that the Chosen One was finished.
Anakin felt tired. Between saving Satine and using the Force to see the future, he had expended too much energy, and his master had never been an easy opponent.
"Master, please react," Anakin said, blocking an attack from Obi-Wan by kicking him in the stomach to knock him back, but he landed gracefully and agilely on his feet.
"You cannot defeat me, Anakin," Obi-Wan smiled. "You should never have deceived me."
"I haven't deceived you, Master. Duchess Satine only loves you. Where did you get such an idea?" Anakin asked, confused. Him and Satine?
"Don't lie, Anakin. I know she prefers you, but I will destroy the Sith. I will destroy the Chosen One," Obi-Wan said, attacking Anakin with such force that he nearly knocked him down. "What's wrong, Anakin? Are you out of breath?"
"A little, maybe," Anakin admitted, running away to catch his breath.
"You can't run from me, Anakin," Obi-Wan said, running after him.
"I never run from a good fight, Master," Anakin said, attacking again. "I just wanted to breathe."
"This might be the last time you do," Obi-Wan said.
"Oh, please, I'm snapping out of it," Anakin said wearily. "I promise I'll never let him forget this. I'll make sure he remembers it even in his dreams," Anakin said, smiling. Not even the worst of battles could take away his characteristic, somewhat twisted sense of humor.
"I promise I'll never let him forget this, Master." "You won't live to see it," Obi-Wan said.
"Ani!" Padmé cried, and just as Anakin looked, Obi-Wan almost reached her arm.
"This isn't a good time, angel," Anakin said. "Find Dooku," he said, looking at Ahsoka and her children.
"This isn't a good time, angel," Anakin said. "Find Dooku," he said, looking at Ahsoka and her children.
"Master, will you be alright?" Ahsoka asked, hesitating, unsure whether or not to intervene.
"Just go after him," he shouted angrily, and they did so hesitantly. Could Anakin handle Obi-Wan?
Padmé ran to check on Satine, who was waking up.
"Obi!" Satine cried, horrified at what was happening.
"Don't get distracted, Anakin," Obi-Wan reprimanded, attacking again.
"What?" "Where did your habit of talking while we were training go?" Anakin asked.
"Silence," Obi-Wan said, grabbing him tightly by the neck. Anakin hadn't seen that coming.
"Ani, no!" Padmé cried as she saw Obi-Wan trying to strike him with his lightsaber, and Anakin could barely hold him back.
"Don't come, angel," Anakin said. He couldn't defeat Obi-Wan. "Take care of the twins, Ahsoka," he said.
"Obi, stop!" Satine screamed in horror, clinging to Padmé to keep from falling as she saw Obi-Wan strike Anakin in the leg and throw him to the ground without letting go. Padmé searched everywhere for a weapon; she had to stop him. When, despite what Anakin said, she tried to approach, Anakin used the Force to push her away. He couldn't risk her; if someone was going to die, it would be him.
Obi-Wan used the Force to pin Anakin to the ground; it was impossible to fight him without energy. The dark side was powerful within Obi-Wan. Then Obi-Wan disarmed Anakin and raised his lightsaber to deliver the final blow, until he felt Satine's arms encircle his waist.
"Obi, stop," she said, crying. "It's Anakin, he's your padawan, you've known him since he was a child," Satine pleaded.
Perhaps it was Satine's tearful voice, perhaps it was Padmé's horrified gaze, or perhaps it was Anakin's frightened face awaiting the inevitable end. Then he remembered Qui-Gon entrusting that 10-year-old boy to him, to be his padawan, to guide him, to help him fulfill his difficult destiny. He remembered the nights he would find Anakin crying in the temple gardens, missing his mother, and how he would hold him until he calmed down. He remembered how that little boy would follow him everywhere and always risk his life to save him. He remembered his recklessness and the days when he was just a teenager and the other Padawans at the temple would tease him for his humble origins and for having been a slave, jealous of Anakin's power. He remembered the endless conversations about keeping his emotions in check, about not letting himself be carried away, and now it was he who was failing Anakin, trying to kill him for having been seduced by the dark side.
"Master, please," Anakin said as the air in his lungs began to fail him.
Tears fell from Obi-Wan's eyes.
"I have failed you, Anakin, I have failed you," he said, deactivating and dropping his lightsaber, falling to his knees before the young man on the ground.
Anakin took a breath, filling his lungs again. That had been close, too close. He saw Satine back away from her master, fearful. It had been risky to embrace him like that. Padmé ran to Anakin and threw herself into his arms, checking if he was alright. Then she let go.
"Master," Anakin said, approaching him and taking his lightsaber, but Obi-Wan didn't raise his head.
"What have I done, Anakin?" she asked, looking at him with tears in her eyes. Then she looked at Satine, who was watching him with fear.
"Everything's alright now," Anakin smiled, offering her a hand to help her up. "Everything's alright now," he smiled.
"Satine, I—" Obi-Wan said, unsure how to address her. "I'm so sorry. I hurt you," he said, horrified.
"It wasn't your fault," Satine said, but when he reached for her hand, she pulled away.
"I'm so sorry," Obi-Wan said, lowering his gaze.
Satine and Padmé left, just as Ahsoka, Mara, Luke, and Leia returned with Master Yoda and Master Windu.
"Have you found Dooku?" Anakin asked.
"He's escaped. Dooku has," Master Yoda said.
"Are you alright, Father?" Luke asked, worried.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Anakin joked.
Obi-Wan was guarded by all the Jedi Masters until they were certain that no trace of the dark side remained in him. Satine was treated again in the medical wing, but she was much better; luckily, Obi-Wan hadn't hurt her.
Padmé was in her room with Anakin, who had just finished showering.
"Angel, I'm fine, it's nothing," Anakin complained.
"You're hurt," Padmé said, making him sit on the bed. "Let me take care of that," she said, treating a wound on his shoulder.
"As you command, my lady," Anakin smiled, realizing he wouldn't win by arguing with her.
"You should accept help from others someday," Padmé said, sitting on his lap as she tended to the wound on his shoulder. "Obi-Wan could have killed you."
"I knew he wouldn't," Anakin smiled, but he wasn't so sure. For a moment, he thought he was going to die.
"By the way, I'll take care of the twins and Ahsoka, Jedi Master," Padmé joked, and Anakin laughed.
"Perhaps you can't do it right now," Anakin smiled boldly. Padmé looked at him, confused, as he pulled her down onto the bed.
"Oh, really? Not even when you're hurt and tired do you stop, Ani?" she teased, blushing.
"Never," Anakin smiled, kissing her.
Obi-Wan was talking with the Jedi Council Masters. He wanted to resign his seat on the Council for having allowed himself to fall to the dark side.
"You must not renounce this counsel," Yoda said gravely. "You have vanquished the dark side."
"But Master, I was one blow away from killing my own Padawan," Obi-Wan said. "I was one blow away from killing my betrothed."
"The dark side seduced you, but you managed to overcome it, Obi-Wan," Mace Windu said. "Few return once they have fallen to the dark side."
"I will never be able to forgive myself," Obi-Wan said, leaving the room. He had to see Satine.
He walked to Satine's quarters, urgently needing to beg her forgiveness, but the sight he saw froze him.
"Ahsoka, I'm fine," Satine said as Anakin's Padawan applied a healing ointment to her neck.
"Ahsoka, I'm fine," Satine said as Anakin's Padawan applied a healing ointment to her neck." "She's not, Duchess," Mara said, gently holding Satine's hair.
"Duchess," Leia said, "This will fade faster if you let us help you," the young Skywalker insisted.
"Alright, just help me make it invisible," Satine pleaded sadly. "Obi would never forgive himself if he saw it."
Obi-Wan felt sick. Horrible marks he had inflicted covered Satine's neck. She would never forgive him, and he could never forgive himself. He would never let the dark side seduce him again. He ran away. He needed to breathe, he needed to clear his mind.
He ran into the woods and fell to his knees, weeping bitterly, until a familiar presence alerted him.
"You have made a mistake, my young Padawan," said Qui-Gon's voice. "Yet you have managed to pass this test."
"Master," said Obi-Wan, observing the ghost of Qui-Gon's strength in all its splendor. "I have failed you, Master," Obi-Wan wept.
"You haven't, Obi-Wan," said Qui-Gon. "You have become a great Jedi, and I am proud of you."
"But I allowed myself to be seduced by the dark side," Obi-Wan repeated.
"My master, he used you, he lied to you, he took advantage of your love for the Duchess, but you have learned your lesson, Obi-Wan, and you have redeemed yourself," said Qui-Gon. "Now they need you well, they need your strength."
"Anakin, he is the Chosen One, Master. You were right," said Obi-Wan.
"And you must help him on his mission. You know his future, and they have averted it. They must be strong," said Qui-Gon.
Obi-Wan spoke with his master for several minutes until he disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared.
He ran to find Satine and found her talking to Bail Organa, who was returning to Alderaan.
"I'll leave you two," said Bail, and Satine stepped back nervously.
"Obi," she said, looking at him.
"I'm so sorry," said Obi-Wan, embracing her. At first, she seemed to resist, but then she threw herself into his arms. "I hurt you, Satine. I believed lies."
"You're alright now, my dear," Satine smiled, kissing him briefly on the cheek. "Everything is alright now."
"No, this isn't alright," said Obi-Wan, taking the enormous collar that covered her neck and removing it. Satine looked away. "I did this. I'll never be able to forgive myself."
"You're alright now. I know you would never have done it willingly," Satine smiled. "You should apologize to Anakin. You almost killed him," she murmured.
"I'll go and do it right away," said Obi-Wan, but Satine stopped him.
"Perhaps this isn't the best time," said Satine, smiling.
"I must," said Obi-Wan.
"He's with Padmé," said Satine. And Obi-Wan didn't seem to understand. "Most likely, oh, you know," she said, tired of his lack of understanding.
"Oh," Obi-Wan said, blushing.
Obi-Wan and Satine talked about what had happened on Geonosis, about how it had led him to the dark side. Obi-Wan used the Force to sense his son, to make sure he was alright, and then he wept over Satine's still-flat stomach as he begged for forgiveness again and again.
What they didn't know was that two days away, an Imperial fleet was advancing toward Dantooine, led by Governor Tarkin. There were several Imperial cruisers, destined to destroy the rebel base on Dantooine. The Emperor had learned of its location thanks to Dooku. The Emperor knew that his former apprentice was using him to destroy the rebels. He knew that Dooku was no longer his ally and that he had given him that information only to clear his own path, but it was still useful information. With the rebels and the Jedi out of the picture, confronting Dooku and the rest of the Separatists would not be a problem. Furthermore, he would manage to destroy Skywalker's traitorous wife. He would make her suffer when he found her; she would pay for having deceived the great Emperor.