I'm (Not) Broken

Chapter Nine

     "Obi-Wan doesn't even know."
     Anakin let out a puff of air at the admission.
     "So you /aren't/ him."
     Not-Obi-Wan shook his head.
     "I'm not. I'm... a piece of him."
     "What did you do to him?"
     Not-Obi-Wan rolled his eyes.
     "I didn't do anything. I am the victim, not the aggressor."
     "You're using his body and /you're/ the victim?"
     "Anakin, I am him! So are all the others. We weren't strong enough to handle our circumstances. So we broke."
     Anakin lowered his blade and stopped circling. He stalked forward and made to grab Obi-Wan's face. The older man's Force signature shifted, and his bloody hand gripped Anakin's and twisted, sending Anakin to the floor.
     Obi-Wan backed away quickly, raising his hands. He frowned at the blood on his left hand and roughly wiped it on his robes. Anakin scrambled to his feet, and Obi-Wan smiled softly, trying to calm the boy.
     "Whoa, hey, Anakin, calm down. Silas said we can introduce ourselves now. I'm Gabriel. You call call me Gabe, if you want."
     Anakin was clearly overwhelmed. He looked panicked, on the verge of running for it.
     "So anyway," Gabe continued, "I'm 17 and I've been 17 for 19 years, so I'm kinda like your younger older brother, if you think about it. I'm really good at sports and sparring and stuff. And I'm really strong."
     Anakin stared, blinking as though trying to wake up. He spoke lowly, quietly.
     "Where's my Obi-Wan?"
     Gabriel scratched the back of his neck, thinking.
     "Well... Obi-Wan is the Core, so technically we're all your Obi-Wan, but... he's asleep right now. There's this really comfy couch in our head that he actually rests on."
     Gabriel tapped his head.
     "In here."
     Anakin was trying to calm himself, taking in slow, rattling breaths and never letting his eyes leave Gabe.
     "I want Obi-Wan back. Now."