Two Halfs of One Warrior • Obikin/Vaderwan One-Shots

Immortal and Divine

• Summary: In which Obi-Wan and Anakin fall to the dark side and swear their allegiances to Sidious and Dooku. Obi-Wan hates the boy he blames his master's death for, and he hates and hates and hates. But for the strangest reason that boy grows into a man, and never wavers in his allegiance to a Sith he might have called master.

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All men's souls are immortal, but the souls of the righteous are immortal and divine. -Socrates

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"You cannot be serious," Darth Themis snarled.

Count Dooku glanced dispassionately from the tomb laid in his lap and were he any less dignified, an eye roll would have followed. "Quite serious," he drawled, dragging a long, bony finger along faded ink. "The boy requires further instruction that he resists from his own master. And he has always taken such a shine to you," he added, a certain gleefulness edging his polished accent.

"A shine?" He bit, baring his teeth. "Sidious has wanted him to take my place since he was a child, and we both know Vader is eager to please."

Dooku looked remarkably unconcerned as he steepled his fingers, even when he shamelessly proclaimed Themis as his favorite. He was his grand apprentice and adopted apprentice after all.

"Eager to please he is but given a choice it would not be to Sidious. Honestly, Themis, I have taught you better than this. Spare the cretin a breath of regard and he would swear himself to you."

Themis gritted his teeth and felt the black, oily tendrils of familiar hatred curl behind his ribs. Vader had taken everything from him, the Jedi, his master, the light, the future. Any self reflection bore the naked truth, that Anakin Skywalker had been a child, that Qui-Gon made his own choices, and he did too. But without blame directed at Vader there was only one other place for it, himself. The darkness allowed in his soul so many years ago did not like that, it fed on sharp edged disgust and loathing for Vader, fed off derision and his own sense of justice.

It did not matter that Vader had looked at him with the same adoring blue eyes his entire life. That his cruelty that only grew as he did in the darkside did not deter Vader following him around like an abused loth cat. But he knew Sidious's influence and the even deeper truth, that he groomed Vader to kill him and take his rightful place as the true Sith apprentice to the great Lord.

Vader's unwanted loyalty was false, nothing more than a dedicated lie for what he truly wanted, power.

Dooku sighed at his expression and closed the book. "It would do you greatly to listen to me for once in your miserable life, apprentice of mine. Vader will accompany you to seek the artifact, if nothing more than to widen the distance between he and Sidious' claws."

His jaw ached from the words bitten back and choked down, but he felt long used to boiling in his hatred. "A romp across the Outer Rim hardly constitutes the presence of two Siths, Master."

Dooku did roll his eyes then and stood from his armchair by the fire. His study looked a setting befit of a nobleman or studious grandfather except for the war prizes of Jedi sabers mounted above the fireplace. "Your loathing for the welp has long been noted, my apprentice, and I share in your disgust. But do not let your hatred cloud your foresight, Vader would do us far more harm under the full influence of Sidious. You are wiser than this, Themis. If you can garner his loyalty, think of the weapon we will possess."

He despised thinking of Vader and strategy together, of the many chess movements that may accumulate in their victory, over not just the Republic but the far more important threat of Sidious. And though Vader rankled him, for the master he stole and his ceaseless ambition that manifested in overshadowing Themis, his loathing did not obscure the kernel of truth he kept hidden deep within himself. That Vader was strong, and that if he wished to rid the galaxy of Sidious then he needed him.