Obi-wan had been injured before, but this time was different. The ricochet had penetrated rather deeply into his stomach and he knew that it had gone all the way through him. He was sure there was a scorch mark on the wall behind him that his now limp body covered as he sat on the floor.

This was a dire situation that Obi-wan found himself in at the moment.

Anakin leaned over him and his eyes were desperate. Obi-wan knew that he had to stay calm, for Anakin's sake.

"Master," Anakin said kneeling down in front of his master.

Obi-wan shook his head, unsure of words that might come from his mouth at the moment. He just had to let the pain wash over him, as the waves came further and further apart. It was a sign that he might not have that much time left. Finally he felt he could speak.

"Anakin," he said, his voice a whisper that he had to force to be heard. "Listen to me."

When Qui-gon Jinn had been killed, Obi-wan had mere seconds with him. There was so little that the man could tell him, but Obi-wan didn't want it to be that way for Anakin. The boy had so much heartache in his life already, this would just be another layer around his heart which would cause it to harden.

Obi-wan owed him some stolen moments before he went.

"Yes master," Anakin said resting his hand against the wall behind Obi-wan's head and listening carefully.

"You are enough," Obi-wan started and licked his lips trying to make sure that he would have enough energy to tell Anakin what he wanted to say. "You don't have to be perfect, you only have to be you."

Cryptic, it might be, but Obi-wan knew that Anakin was sometimes plagued by the fact that many believed him to be the Chosen One. That was a hard mantel for anyone to carry and especially a child who felt that he was always out of place, no matter where he was in life.

"I would never trade time that we have shared for anything else. I was very discouraged when I first took you as a padawan. Perhaps I was too wrapped in my own sorrow to truly see that you were a blessing from the force," Obi-wan continued. "You kept me alive. You kept me putting one foot in front of the other and gave me a reason to trust the force again."

The tears had started to run down Anakin's face, but Obi-wan couldn't let himself get emotional about the situation. He had to be strong and make sure that Anakin would be okay. He wanted him to be in a better place than he had been when Qui-gon had died. There would be sorrow, but he didn't want any regret to pepper it.

"Don't be tempted," Obi-wan said, his voice a little stronger, but still very soft. "That is the easy way out and you know you are better than that. Don't let them sell you something that will swallow you whole."

The dark side had always been something Anakin had contended with. Obi-wan didn't want to pretend anymore that he didn't see it. He wanted to make sure that Anakin knew it was okay to have the darkness linger outside your door, but you should never invite it inside.

"You are my son, my brother, my rival and my life," Obi-wan finally said after a short pause. "I would hope that you would be able to call me father and brother. I hoped that we would get to spend more time together here."

Obi-wan never had feared his fate. The force knew all things and it knew what his destiny was to be in the galaxy. It also knew what the destiny of Anakin was at that very moment. The boy found things hard to accept. He was sure that he wouldn't want to let Obi-wan go, but it was the force that was beckoning to the master now and not the student.

His hand reached up and clasped the front of Anakin's tunic, desperately clinging to something that was still of this world and not of the world which was beckoning to him from across the great divide of living and beyond. Although his body no longer wanted to function, his mind balked at the idea of leaving Anakin here alone.

What would happen to his charge? Who would take of this boy and nurture him the way Obi-wan had over the years? He worried for Anakin's soul.

"I'm so proud of you Anakin," Obi-wan finally said his voice faltering. It was the first sign of how his body was failing. He could see from the look on Anakin's face that it wouldn't be much longer.

"I'm at peace," Obi-wan said trying to muster a small smile. "I love you son,"

With his final breath, Obi-wan was sure that he had told Anakin everything that he had wished he had heard from his master. He had given of his soul, which was all he had ever wanted to do for Anakin.