God this planet is hot. I suppose this is a given, considering that most of Mustafar is made of molten rock. But still, with all the shielding they have up in this place you'd think there would be some decent temperature control.

A ship is coming. I can barely see it coming in off the horizon. Its silver plating reflects the light of the lava beneath, a ship from Naboo no doubt about it.

Which means she' here. But that doesn't explain the presence of the Jedi master that I sense stowed away in the storage compartments.

Has he come to beg for his life? Or maybe he has realized that the Jedi were corrupt and arrogant, and needed to be destroyed. Maybe he has come to plead with me that I allow him to join me.

Either that, or he has come to meet his death.

As soon as the ship is safely on the platform my wife comes running out to meet me. She should be more careful, not stress herself in her condition.

"Anakin."

Feeling her in my arms is so relaxing. I almost forget that my traitorous master is on that ship somewhere. The smell of her hair is distracting, such a difference compared to the sulfur that wafts up from the lava below. Before this moment of tranquility can continue she starts rambling on and on at me, about the Jedi being destroyed, and people telling her I killed the younglings.

Stupid woman. If she's just here to harp on me then she should have stayed on Coruscant. What kind of wife would turn her back on her husband like this?

"Put her down Anakin!"

What? Padme is hanging in the air a few inches, clutching her throat as tears run down her face. I'm choking her. Releasing the Force hold she is thrown back but I don't care. How? How could I be choking her? I don't...I don't remember doing it. What's going on?

"You turned her against me. You turned them all against me!"

Now its just us. Wherever Padme went I don't seem to care anymore. Obi-Wan is here, and is looking at me like I'm a little boy again. Stop it. I don't like you looking at me like that.

"Anakin. It's not too late. I know you are an apprentice to Palpatine now but together we can stop him. Stop him before this whole thing gets out of control."

Does he hear himself? I'm Darth Vader now. He's talking about stopping my master. He really thinks he can change my mind, doesn't he?

"My master has told me to exterminate the Jedi. I believe you are one of the only ones we missed," I get a good grip on my lightsaber and flick it on, the blue blade seeming too bright against the sky of this dark planet.

He sighs and retreives his weapon as well. He doesn't even bother proclaiming that he doesn't want this.

"How does this end Anakin? Will you be willing to make the killing blow?"

Old fool thinks he can predict me. Like we had practiced it we clash together in tandem. I suppose we have been practicing for this moment, ever since he took me as his padawan.

Our movements are smooth, no time wasted recovering footing as I chase him across the platform. He won't be pushed off though. I know it. Plus, I want to feel my blade buried in his chest.

I barely manage to block an attack of his at my head. Something distracted me. The thoughts of stabbing him in the chest. Somehow, that wasn't all I wanted from him. What would make me think like that? But I can't worry over things like this while dueling a Jedi Master. His talents are more than even I would have expected, and now I'm losing ground to his careful blows, sneaking in around my more powerful swings.

I notice that he's herding me farther from the buildings. Perhaps my good and honest master is hoping to push me off the bridge if I make a mistake. I'd love to see him use the dark side of the Force to defeat me. It might be worth death to see such a lovely sight.

As we break apart from the heat of our crossed sabers I reach out and grab his neck in my mechanical hand. He tries to bring his blade up to fend me off, but I block it with my own. I push down harder around his throat and lean over him, trying to get our blades closer to his skin. He is bent back painfully towards the ground, and as I bend over him I feel some strange memory flit across the back of my mind.

He must have sensed my moment of indecision and kicks me over him, using the momentum to roll up and continue the battle. There is a different look in his eyes now. Before there was rage, and aggression. But now he just looks like a typical Jedi in battle, sad and bored and greater than thou.

"Fuck you Kenobi. Quit pretending that you aren't enjoying this. I know you are."

He looks surprised this time, and I rush him again, trying to use pure force to get him to move back outside. My concentration is better than his, and there are more things outside which can distract him.

Something seems different as we step out onto the thin bridge that stretches from the main complex to the mining platform. Its definately hotter than earlier. The shields must have been damaged by our attacks. He has been backing up and losing ground, but now he spins around and charges me full speed, nearly knocking me back. But I clamp down on his wrist with my metallic first and he winces. Ha. Stupid Jedi forgets who he is dealing with.

Before we can continue though I feel a surge of heat and look to my right, Obi-Wan senses it too and his eyes follow mine. There is an enormous wave of magma heading straight for the platform. I kick him in the knee, bringing him down just long enough for me to run past. Killing him now would be too easy, but I wouldn't want to risk still standing on the bridge when the lava hits it.

He's on my tail and as I see the safety of the overhang approach I start to turn around. A blast of Force pushes me face first into the warm metal. Then a body is pressed against mine and a hand is wrapped around mine, holding my saber flat against the wall.

"Cheap shot Kenobi. I thought you had more honor in a fight than this."

I struggle, trying to keep my eyes on his blade and freeing mine at the same time. Then his dissapears in a sputter of blue light. What is he thinking? He returns it to his belt and uses his other hand to keep my arm immobile against the wall. I can feel his whole body against mine, and his hands are hot and sweaty on my skin. Whose sweat is it that I feel?

"Do you remember now Anakin? Does this seem at all familiar?"

Yes. NO. He's just trying to trick me. He'll kill me as soon as he gets the chance.

The platform we are on shudders and creaks with its death throes, and Obi-Wan presses even harder against me. What is he thinking? Craning my neck as far to the side as I can, I see that he isn't looking at me anymore, instead watching the pieces of hot rock and splashes of magma that fly in a storm outside our small shelter.

He's blocking me from the lava.

He's still trying to save me.

"It won't work. I will kill you."

When he pulls close to me one last time, I can feel his beard scratch along the back of my neck.

"I don't think you will..."

"...be able to escape this battle station."

The elderly man in front of me is peaceful and serene. Even more so than I remember him to be.

"I know Darth. I didn't come here to defeat you. I came to rescue someone. And help my new padawan."

That word, it seems like a lifetime since I've heard it. Of course, with only a miniscule amount of Jedi left in the universe its not surprising.

"So old man, you took on a new apprentice? What are you teaching him, how to hobble around and look wise?"

Finally, a reaction. He is smirking at me. Now that expression I remember from all the times Anakin took pleasure in drawing it out from his master. Not that I can see the enjoyment in such a thing.

"Are you jealous Anakin? Now that you've been replaced."

Twenty years ago the use of that name would have thrown me. It would have given Obi-Wan that split second of time he would need to defeat me in battle. But its been a long time, and I know who I am. What I am.

"Is that why you took a new apprentice? Convince me to give up my empire to go back to you out of jealousy."

More alarms sound across the Death Star and I see a troop of storm troopers arrive. Before they raise their blasters into position I stop them with the flick of my hand.

"No one interferes. The Jedi is mine. Go take care of the intruders."

"Yes Lord Vader."

They run off towards the hanger, their armor clanking in an amusing harmony. Obi-wan watches them leave, mildly interested. Most likely worried about the small boarding party he brought here with him. He said he was here to rescue someone.

"I'll assume that your new padawan in the one causing all the trouble on this station. Who were you trying to rescue?"

The Kenobi grin makes a triumphant return. But with a brush of the force across his mind I know who it is. Who else would he be here to save other than the princess.

"Its not nice to pry into other people's thoughts, Anakin."

Something about that condescending voice is enough to make me draw my lightsaber. But I give the weak old fool a second to pull his lightly off his belt and ignite it as well.

"I am neither weak nor old nor a fool."

"Now who's invading people's thoughts?"

We are alone in a corridor, and there is mass chaos inside my battle station. But frankly, nothing matters but him. Nothing ever has.

It would have surprised me that we still attack on exactly the same heart beat as we always have, if I wasn't so caught up in seeing my old master fighting. He looks so old as he carefully taps my saber with his. Trying to get me to attack and leave myself open. How could the legendary General Kenobi be reduced to this?

I know for a fact now that I will win this fight. My body may be old, but its the machine that keeps me alive that also fights for me. When I tire of this game I can kill him easily.

"Then why am I still alive?"

"This is getting old."

Before I can continue I hear blaster fire coming from the hangar. The group of stowaways he's protecting have reached their ship. If the storm troopers have allowed them this far they won't be able to stop them from taking off. I can feel that the Force is unusually strong with one of them, no doubt Kenobi's new pupil.

His blue blade taps against mine and I look in his eyes, seeing a spark of amusement there. What he finds so funny about his death is beyond me. He must know that now he is between me and the intruders on my ship. Our game is over.

"If you strike me down, I'll become more powerful than you could possibly imagine."

"Bargaining for your life? That hardly seems like something a Jedi would do in his last moments."

"No Anakin," He turns his lightsaber off and stands, his chin held high and dropping his defenses completely. Suddenly, I feel it. That Force signature. Its familar somehow. Before I can figure out what it is, something else begins to mask it until it is normal again.

"Who is he?"

Obi-Wan just smiles. Had I been the man I used to be, I might have found it endearing. Or, if the muddled visions I have left from Anakin are true, even attractive.

There is a strange emptiness as my lightsaber cuts through his rotting Jedi robes. Somewhere, a familiar voice cries out.

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The end.

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:Sniff: its over. for anyone who has been reading this, and made it to the final chapter, please please leave me a review. I want to know what people thought of it, since it was very different from my usual style of writing. I know that this review won't make me update this fic since its already over, but please, these are always the most important reviews to me.

Its been a fun ride. I hope you all enjoyed it too. Oh, and anyone wondering about the chronological order of the story, it goes like this. (a #.5 means the second part of that chapter, after the time shift )

1.5

4

6.5

3

2

7

5.5

8

1

2.5

3.5

8.5

5

6

7.5

4.5