Anakin's eyes flew open. 

His head pounded and his vision was hazy. Then the events of the past few hours hit him. The call, meeting the Son, the premonitions-

The premonitions.

All this time, it was him who would bring nothing but pain and suffering to the galaxy. The galaxy he worked so hard to save. 

He was the one who choked Padmé. 

He was the one who killed the owner of that voice. She'd trusted him. And he betrayed her. 

He was the one who murdered those younglings. 

He was despicable. 

Liquid fire burned in his veins, blinded by a hatred so raw, so powerful, so addicting. He had to make good use of it. He had to make sure nobody got hurt because of him.

The sparkle of flames inside him burned white. 

Yes, Skywalker, use your newfound hatred. Can't you see? The Jedi abandoned you. 

The pieces in his mind finally formed the entire picture. The Jedi must've abandoned me when all I've been is loyal. What else would have turned against them? Screw the Order, they deserve this. 

Anakin got up, eyes blazing. "What is our first task, my ally?"

The Son grinned, an unhinged smile stretching his face. "In order for this partnership to work, my friend, we must start afresh, and to do that, you need to remove any trace of your past... which includes your companions."

He nodded, entranced. "It will be done."

***

Back at the starship, Ahsoka found traces of Anakin's work. He had been working on a loose circuit board before disappearing, taking their speeder with him. That's really unlike him, she thought. Sure, he's brash and thinks more with his lightsaber than with his head, but he'd never leave us without a message. It must have been something dire, I do hope he's alright.

Ahsoka got to work, continuing to repair the loose circuit board her Master had been working on before he'd up and left so abruptly. An hour later, she'd finished hotwiring the circuits and upgraded some parts of the ship that desperately needed attention. Glancing up, she realized that dusk had fallen and the sun was beginning to set. Still no trace of Anakin. Where is Obi-Wan when I need him? He was most likely still resting. After all, the aging Jedi Master was often the one who required more rest than his other two lively companions. With that in mind, Ahsoka went inside to check on the rest of the ship.

***

Rap rap rap.

"Master Kenobi?"

Silence ensued before the door slid open, revealing a weary but alert Obi-Wan Kenobi. "Hello there Ahsoka," he greeted. "Is there anything you need?"

"I'm worried about Anakin, Master," Ahsoka answered honestly. "He was working on the ship before he vanished. He took our speeder and left without leaving a note or us. Do you know where he went?"

"No, I haven't seen him either," Kenobi replied. Anakin was like a brother to him. He didn't know how he would fill the gaping void in his life if Skywalker disappeared.

"I hope he-" Ahsoka's eyes widened. "Did you feel that?"

"Yes, I did... We'd best get ready to fight." Obi-Wan had definitely felt the dark presence. Worse, beneath the smoldering darkness, it felt familiar. He knew that Force Signature. 

Anakin.

***

Ahsoka stood her ground next to Obi-Wan. She felt the hardly concealed anxiety rippling off of the usually calm Jedi Master in waves.

If one of the best Masters in the Order was nervous, where did that leave her?

There was no time left to think. The speeder came to an abrupt stop and the hooded figure hopped off it, stalking toward them. Its Force signature felt familiar... and then it dawned on her.

No!

Her suspicions were proven correct.

Anakin held her gaze. His gorgeous ocean-blue eyes instead had become a sickening shade of red.

"I don't want to fight you, Anakin," Obi-Wan said evenly. "But why would you do this?"

"I've been given a mission," he snarled, ignoring Kenobi's question. "The first step is erasing my past, starting with you." Beneath the scarlet of his eyes, a flash of blue broke through that neither Obi-Wan nor Ahsoka missed.

Nonetheless, Anakin was gone, consumed by hatred. But she clung to what hope she had left. Ahsoka had seen his unwillingness to betray them, the unwillingness to take their lives with his blade, no matter how brief. It was enough to provide hope that her beloved Master was still in there somewhere, as his Light fought his Dark. His light was Anakin Skywalker: kind, fierce, compassionate, and loyal to the end. His dark was powerful, angry, and bitter, barely a shell of the person she knew him to be. 

But there was no choice. Ahsoka ignited her lightsabers for combat, Obi-Wan following suit.

***

Four luminescent blades ignited at once, accompanying its owners into battle.

Yet battle as they would, only Fate knew the final outcome. Only Fate which one of them would lose fighting for their friend.

The Dark Side fuelled Anakin's anger, and he drew upon it as an energy reserve. But Ahsoka was tiring, and he knew it. He just needed to be patient and he could win. Her Force-enhanced acrobatics and aggressive fighting drained her immensely; her strikes were weakening. Her parries were no longer sharp, and her attacks were no longer dangerous and calculated. Her strength was failing, and they both knew it.

Obi-Wan wouldn't be of any help- he'd snapped his old Master's wrists with a single thought as he dueled his former apprentice. 

His soon-to-be late apprentice. 

"Anakin..." Ahsoka finally choked out. She'd raised her lightsaber a millisecond too late — a fatal miscalculation. She hadn't been able to block Anakin's aggressive attack and her shoto had been too far.

A sizzling hole loomed where her heart should've been. 

She fell to her knees, clutching the wound. "Where... have you gone?" She asked hoarsely. "What- what have you... become...?" Skywalker's piercing glare softened.

His premonition. That familiar voice, belonging to the one who had died by his hand... it had been Ahsoka.

He'd paid The Son a visit so that he could save the ones he loved, save the galaxy from falling into turmoil. Instead, he had fatally wounded his best friend, his little sister... his Snips. The fire within Anakin disappeared, tears falling from his eyes as they slowly transitioned from red to their natural blue. 

He brought Ahsoka into his arms, a desperate sob escaping his throat. "Snips," he gasped, pressing his forehead against hers, "I- I'm so sorry. For- for everything,"

Ahsoka smiled weakly. "It's... okay, Master."

"I failed you," Anakin muttered. "I failed to protect you! I... I've failed everyone. You, Obi-Wan, the Order. I'm so sorry, 'Soka... I- you had so much before you! And I cut it short! I failed you as your Master... and your best friend."

"No, Anakin, please... please listen to me. You... have done- so much for me. I hope you know how thankful I am for everything you've done for me, M- Master. Thank you so much," Ahsoka whispered brokenly.

Anakin could feel Ahsoka's Force signature beginning to fade. He couldn't say anything else. There wasn't anything else to say.

"Of course Snips," he croaked, watching helplessly as Ahsoka's eyes began to close. "Just know... that your memory will be honored, remembered." Her chest fell and she smiled at him one last time. "Your legacy lives on," he whispered. 

He closed her eyes.

***

A/N: I felt like writing a really sad one-shot because of a sudden burst of creativity so here you go! I personally think that this isn't that far off from the Mortis scene; it definitely could've happened. There won't be any more depressing ones like this anytime soon, the next one-shot will be a fun one. Hope you enjoyed!

- Jazzy

edited