A/N: I always loved Luke's relationship with Obi-Wan and there was no way that it would vanish with reincarnation. I really love the idea of their roles being reversed.
It had been three days since Alecew viewed the records and Anakin last saw the boy. He had given him space to think and hadn't gone to visit. Alecew had kept away from most of the Jedi with Master Nat Skywalker being the only one in the temple he spoke to since discovering the truth. With the teen hardly eating it looked like Anakin would have to face his fear and deal with the consequences of his past actions.
The look on Alecews' face when he enters is enough to stop him in his tracks. Often Anakin had wondered how Obi-Wan had taken the news of his betrayal. But his master had been an adult not a boy watching his friend with dread. Their bond had been silent for three days after Alecew had shielded his mind making his emotional state even more shocking. Anakin doubted things had been this bad when he had been absent.
"Alecew." His voice cracked half way into the name.
"Don't talk to me."
"Be mad with me if you must but don't starve yourself." Anakin unconsciously took a step forward making the teen recoil at his approach.
"Like you care."
"I do. Through two lives you've been my best friend--"
"Some friend." Alecew bit his lip and looked away. Eyes welling the boy shook his head in a silent denial. "You murdered countless and destroyed everything you believed in!"
"Yes I did." Taking another step Anakin took a deep breath wondering if this was the calm before the storm.
"You killed me." The youth whispered.
"I...I did." There was no denying it or making excuses for his actions. "I let myself be consumed by hate."
"You got off easily."
Anakins' mouth fell open at the statement, Obi-Wan had blamed himself and in his arrogance Vader had misdirected blame onto his master. Seeing a younger version of Obi-Wan glaring at him and wishing he suffered more took his breath away.
"Perhaps." Around them the force trembled as their emotions started to get the better of them.
"Don't get any closer!"
"You have nothing to fear from me. I'm not the man I once was." A sense of deja vu came over Anakin as he gazed at the boy. He wasn't reminded of Obi-Wan though his memory of Padme begging him to come back to her replayed. Why would he be thinking of her in this situation?
"Yes you are!" Tears streamed down Alecews' face even as he threw Anakin back with a force push.
"I won't hurt you!"
"How many believed that before you struck them down?!"
The air was thick with fear and Anakin knew all too well that fear led to making poor choices. Sure enough display glass shuddered, cracked and shattered. Jagged shards flew in the air as Alecew tried to escape. They were more or less evenly matched in strength in the force. Anakin didn't feel like testing his might and let the glass scrape the side of his face as he drew closer. Just when he was a breath away for Alecew a lightsaber ignited. The blue blades' tip was pointed directly at his throat.
"Are you going to kill me?" He probably should have sounded more concerned about his own life. In a strange way it felt oddly poetic to die this way.
"Don't make me." The hand shook but the blade still didn't find it's mark.
"Why are you afraid, Alecew?"
"You won't let me go," the teen hissed, "even if we weren't be hunting down or forced to be here...you'd never let me be free of you. Would you?"
For a moment Anakin ponders the question wondering why that would scare him. At first Anakins' sure that if pressed he would let Alecew go if that's what he truly wanted. He's learned his lesson from clinging too hard to Padme. Yet this answer rings false the more he thinks about it. Without Alecew his life would no longer have any meaning in this strange time. Alecew knows that just as he knows that for better or for worse he'll always be linked to Anakin Skywalker. Darth Vader. His former Padawan, friend and brother-in-arms. His murderer. For Obi-Wan it wouldn't be something he'd think twice on especially after Luke redeemed him. For Alecew it's an unthinkable burden.
The blade vanishes as a shudder passes through the youth, he hasn't passed the threshold to the darkside yet but it's close. Holding him close Anakin helps him ease away from the maelstrom of fear.
Re: As Long as It's You 7/?
It had been three days since Alecew viewed the records and Anakin last saw the boy. He had given him space to think and hadn't gone to visit. Alecew had kept away from most of the Jedi with Master Nat Skywalker being the only one in the temple he spoke to since discovering the truth. With the teen hardly eating it looked like Anakin would have to face his fear and deal with the consequences of his past actions.
The look on Alecews' face when he enters is enough to stop him in his tracks. Often Anakin had wondered how Obi-Wan had taken the news of his betrayal. But his master had been an adult not a boy watching his friend with dread. Their bond had been silent for three days after Alecew had shielded his mind making his emotional state even more shocking. Anakin doubted things had been this bad when he had been absent.
"Alecew." His voice cracked half way into the name.
"Don't talk to me."
"Be mad with me if you must but don't starve yourself." Anakin unconsciously took a step forward making the teen recoil at his approach.
"Like you care."
"I do. Through two lives you've been my best friend--"
"Some friend." Alecew bit his lip and looked away. Eyes welling the boy shook his head in a silent denial. "You murdered countless and destroyed everything you believed in!"
"Yes I did." Taking another step Anakin took a deep breath wondering if this was the calm before the storm.
"You killed me." The youth whispered.
"I...I did." There was no denying it or making excuses for his actions. "I let myself be consumed by hate."
"You got off easily."
Anakins' mouth fell open at the statement, Obi-Wan had blamed himself and in his arrogance Vader had misdirected blame onto his master. Seeing a younger version of Obi-Wan glaring at him and wishing he suffered more took his breath away.
"Perhaps." Around them the force trembled as their emotions started to get the better of them.
"Don't get any closer!"
"You have nothing to fear from me. I'm not the man I once was." A sense of deja vu came over Anakin as he gazed at the boy. He wasn't reminded of Obi-Wan though his memory of Padme begging him to come back to her replayed. Why would he be thinking of her in this situation?
"Yes you are!" Tears streamed down Alecews' face even as he threw Anakin back with a force push.
"I won't hurt you!"
"How many believed that before you struck them down?!"
The air was thick with fear and Anakin knew all too well that fear led to making poor choices. Sure enough display glass shuddered, cracked and shattered. Jagged shards flew in the air as Alecew tried to escape. They were more or less evenly matched in strength in the force. Anakin didn't feel like testing his might and let the glass scrape the side of his face as he drew closer. Just when he was a breath away for Alecew a lightsaber ignited. The blue blades' tip was pointed directly at his throat.
"Are you going to kill me?" He probably should have sounded more concerned about his own life. In a strange way it felt oddly poetic to die this way.
"Don't make me." The hand shook but the blade still didn't find it's mark.
"Why are you afraid, Alecew?"
"You won't let me go," the teen hissed, "even if we weren't be hunting down or forced to be here...you'd never let me be free of you. Would you?"
For a moment Anakin ponders the question wondering why that would scare him. At first Anakins' sure that if pressed he would let Alecew go if that's what he truly wanted. He's learned his lesson from clinging too hard to Padme. Yet this answer rings false the more he thinks about it. Without Alecew his life would no longer have any meaning in this strange time. Alecew knows that just as he knows that for better or for worse he'll always be linked to Anakin Skywalker. Darth Vader. His former Padawan, friend and brother-in-arms. His murderer. For Obi-Wan it wouldn't be something he'd think twice on especially after Luke redeemed him. For Alecew it's an unthinkable burden.
The blade vanishes as a shudder passes through the youth, he hasn't passed the threshold to the darkside yet but it's close. Holding him close Anakin helps him ease away from the maelstrom of fear.