The Unseen

Alternate/Bonus Scenes

Chapter 7 – Alternate Scene (in which Ahsoka actually reacts to what Obi-Wan did to Anakin on Mustafar)

Livid isn't even a strong enough word to describe how Ahsoka feels as her mind returns back to her own body. She's furious at Sidious for the way he's treated Anakin, but she's also angry at Obi-Wan. How could he? How could he?! She would never leave someone – even her worst enemy – to suffer in such a manner. It was wrong, cruel, inhumane. Never did she think Obi-Wan to be capable of something so monstrous.

"How could you?" screeches the enraged Togruta, leaping across the room and tackling Obi-Wan to the floor with all of the predatory agility which her species possesses. Logically, she knows that her anger is only being magnified by the Dark Side nexus on Mustafar, but it's not enough to make her calm herself. She doesn't want to be calm right now. "How could you do that to him?"

Obi-Wan makes a wordless exclamation of surprise as she slams him into the durasteel, pinning him down bodily, her hands on his shoulders, fingers digging in painfully. She wants to shake him, but she can't, not while they're in this position. Behind her, she hears Vader stirring, though she doesn't take the time to look back at him. She rather doubts that he would stab her in the back. "Ahsoka, calm down," protests the Jedi Master, trying to tug her hands free.

"No!" she yells pushing down harder on his body and glaring at him. She is absolutely being petty now, and she knows it. He doesn't have the proper leverage to pull away from her. "What is wrong with you? How you do that to anyone much less Anakin?!"

"You think I don't regret it?" Obi-Wan demands sharply, voice breaking. Raw pain flashes across his face. Another time, Ahsoka would do everything in her power to calm him. Now, all she can feel is the echoes of the pain – both physical and emotional – and heart-wrenching betrayal that Anakin had felt at that moment. "You think I haven't wished with every fiber of my being that I had done something differently? I didn't want to hurt him, but I couldn't kill him either. There's never been a moment where it hasn't haunted me."

Ahsoka outright growls at him, her predatory nature coming out in full force. She won't stoop to his level. She won't hurt him just because she can. She won't enjoy it. That doesn't mean she won't express exactly how she feels. "You disgust me. They called you the Negotiator, but I guess it was nothing more than – than a lie. You couldn't even talk to him when it mattered most!" She'll probably regret her words later, and they'll have to talk about it or interacting will become a bit awkward. Besides, they have a common goal in mind: helping Anakin.

Obi-Wan doesn't protest, doesn't argue her words. "I know." It's all he says.

Ahsoka scowls before rolling off him, letting him sit up. Not even two seconds later, Vader pulls his lightsaber on Obi-Wan. Get in line, she thinks hysterically, because both of them are furious at the Jedi Master, and it will definitely take time for them to sort out everything which has transpired between them. Obi-Wan, of course, blocks Vader's lightsaber with his own, and Ahsoka sighs, settling back to watch. She doesn't think that Vader will actually hurt Obi-Wan, but if he does, she'll intervene then. For now, it's probably best to let him lash out so he can let go of whatever emotions are fueling him.

***

Chapter 8 – Bonus Scene (in which Obi-Wan realizes exactly what he did wrong when raising Anakin)

As Vader – Anakin – breaks down in Obi-Wan's arms, he lets himself think. He lets himself reflect. For so long, he tried to understand where and how things went wrong. It never made sense to him, because he thought he had done everything he could to help Anakin, and sometimes, he wondered bitterly if the fault actually lay with his former Padawan. Now, after seeing inside Anakin's mind, after seeing his innermost thoughts and feelings during some of the events which shaped his life, Obi-Wan knows that's not the case.

Anakin truly and sincerely felt that he could not trust Obi-Wan. He was unable to turn to him to help when he needed it, fearing rejection and dismissal. It's difficult to look at the past from a detached perspective, trying to seek out where mistakes were made. The most obvious mistake, Obi-Wan realizes, is that he – and the other Jedi – always tried to treat Anakin like one of them. They always erroneously expected him to fit him, becoming upset when he didn't.

In retrospect, it should have been obvious. Anakin was never raised at the Temple like the other Jedi. He was raised by a loving mother, and he only knew how to be a slave. How could he possibly have "fit in" when his past was so different from that of the other Jedi? None of them ever had a parent. They were never possessions. They never were left to the whims of a cruel master who could beat and starve them at will. Obi-Wan has never truly been able to relate to Anakin for that reason, and he supposes that he was unable to understand why Anakin couldn't simply "let go" of his past.

He never did let go, that much is now obvious, and Obi-Wan is finally seeing how badly he failed Anakin. It wasn't until he was in Anakin's mind, seeing the memories playing out, that he was able to get a sense of the underlying struggles, the things with which Anakin has long struggled. After so many years, Obi-Wan thinks that he finally has answers. He thinks he finally understand what went wrong, and guilt and horror swamp him at the realization. It should never have happened. Everything that happened, everything, was a result of his inability to properly understand Anakin, and it's not his fault in that he was inadequately prepared for someone with as many traumas as Anakin had and has, but at the same time, he should have pushed for more open communication. He should have listened.

For so long, Obi-Wan has maintained that he would have listened and helped Anakin if he had been willing to open up, but he was deluding himself. He's long tried to make Anakin into the person and Jedi he thought he should be, irrespective of Anakin's past and traumas. And he never even realized that he was doing it. No one ever told him he was doing it, and he can only wonder why. Did they even realize? Or is that how the Council felt he should behave? Did they really think that trying to force Anakin to become someone he could never be was the best solution? How did they not realize that Anakin could never change his inner self to adapt to what the Jedi callously demanded from him?

All this pain could have been avoided had Obi-Wan worked to accept the person Anakin was, regardless of what he wanted to be or what he chose. It's not too late. It can't be. He tightens his grip on Anakin, blinking away his own tears as he silently vows to do differently, to do better. Never again will he try to make Anakin become someone he can't be. From now on, he'll learn to listen. He'll learn how to be more accepting, because at the end of the day, they aren't the same person. What Anakin needs might not be the same thing that he needs and vice versa.

I'm sorry, Anakin, he thinks desperately, knowing that he can't say the words, not just yet. Vader isn't ready to hear them, but he will be at some point, and then, Obi-Wan will have to tell him everything, difficult though it will be. Whenever they do talk, it will hurt them both, though it will also bring healing. The cost is more than worth it. I'm so sorry. I love you still, even now, even if I shouldn't.

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