Between the Shadows

Chapter 6 - In The End

What they're about to do doesn't truly start to sink in until Anakin's following Yoda, Windu, Obi-Wan, and a couple other Jedi Masters into Palpatine's office. He's sitting behind his desk, the perfect picture of calm, the way he always has. Anakin wouldn't believe anything was amiss if he could get the recording out of his head.

Palpatine killed someone. He saw it with his own eyes but all he can remember is the times he took care of him, remembering the feel of his hand on his shoulder as helped him when no one else would. Was all of that fake? He thought Palpatine was the one person who wasn't using him but he was wrong, wasn't he?

"In the name of the Galactic Senate of the Republic, you are under arrest," Windu says, igniting his lightsaber.

"Are you threatening me?" he asks mildly.

"Over, your reign is. Surrender now," Yoda warns.

Palpatine stands and for a moment Anakin thinks he's going to surrender but then a massive Force wave slams into them and Palpatine Force-leaps across the room, towards the door. He nearly makes it except Yoda flings him away from it with the Force, jumping in front of him.

Palpatine pulls lightsabers out of his sleeves, attacking them.

Anakin needs to join in too. That's what he's supposed to be doing. Not just standing here pathetically. Stopping the Sith is his purpose. It's the only reason the Jedi ever wanted him and now that he's here he doesn't know how he can do it.

He's angry that Palpatine betrayed everything and he can see clearly now that he's a Sith form how he's fighting. He tries to let himself focus on that instead of the betrayal and sheer lostness eating him out. It's not until Palpatine nearly takes Obi-Wan's head off that it snaps him into motion and he scrambles to join the others in the fight.

He can only fight with one arm considering that his left arm is still healing. Kix is going to kill him.

Assuming he gets out of this fight alive in the first place.

The fight is lost in a blur of lightsabers and falling bodies as Palpatine kills several of the other Jedi. Anakin knows that he has to stop him. Doesn't make it any easier to attack someone he cares for so much.

He still doesn't want him hurt.

Has no idea what that says about him.

Especially not because there's only four of them left standing now and he doesn't know how much longer they'll be able to hold out against the Sith. Sidious unleashes a blast of lightning on Yoda suddenly and he's thrown into Windu. A Force shove flings Anakin across the room into Obi-Wan before he turns away, for his communications.

No.

No.

He has to get up, has to stop him. Anakin tries to rip the device away with the Force but a sharp pressure snakes around his neck, cutting off his breathing.

He can't –

Breathe.

Can't anything.

He struggles to break free but the pressure is nearly tight enough to break his neck and he can't focus enough to stop Sidious even if that's pathetic and –

"Execute Order 66," filters in from far away.

Obi-Wan and Windu lunge for Sidious then as Anakin finally gathers the Force to him and hurls Sidious across the room, but it's already too late. Anakin falls to the floor, gasping for air.