Brother

Brother

By Serena Kenobi

Kenobi.

He is here.

My old Master, friend, and mentor.

My old brother.

The Great Negotiator, the Great General Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Master is here.

And I will kill him.

- - -

I had felt his presence, his blasted Force-presence as soon as I had observed the smuggler's vessel. It was the unmistakable, reeking of persistent Light presence that I had not felt in so many years.

As I strode down the corridors, my lightsaber clenched firmly in my iron grasp, my dark thoughts grew even darker as I was pulled from my present state of mind into my darkest memories. The memories that had been pushed, shoved deep into my mind until now.

He had called me his brother.

"You were my brother, Anakin. I loved you!"

Lies! I fumed. They had all been lies. He hadn't loved me; he hadn't cared for me. I was a burden to him, an irritating obligation that had been thrust onto his inexperienced shoulders when his master had died.

I was the last promise to a dying man.

Feeling the presence of my old master draw closer than ever, I slowed my gait to a steady but determined walk and reached out further into the Force, trying to locate his exact presence.

I didn't have too far to look, as he was standing not more than ten yards away from me. From his weathered face and white hair, I could immediately tell that wherever he had been had not been kind to him. He deserved all that he got, of course, but it suddenly struck me at how old Obi-Wan Kenobi looked. I barely recognized him.

I pushed those mindless thoughts back and ignited my lightsaber. He did the same, his calm, that blasted calm blue gaze fixed right on me. I could tell he had prepared himself for this. But I had not. Once again, I had the disadvantage.

"Obi-Wan," I said, feeling the anger rise in my chest. "We meet again at last."

Obi-Wan gazed back at me. "Vader," he coolly acknowledged. "It has been some time since I saw you last."

Was that… pain I detected in his eyes? No matter. He would pay.

"When I saw you last, you had left me to burn in the fires of Mustafar," I hissed, the anger quickly blooming into a pure rage. "This time, it will be different. You will not win this time!"

Obi-Wan's eyes flickered of sadness. "I am not here to win, Anakin," he said heavily.

"Then why are you here?" I demanded coldly, moving closer. "To finally see what I've become? To mock my present state?"

"I'm not here to mock you, Anakin."

"Don't call me that!" I growled, and lashed out at him with my lightsaber, the crimson blade I had adopted meeting his own clear blue. I continued my ferocious attacks, driving him furiously back into the corridor, and with my superior strength, I was managing to overpower him. But I hadn't forgotten that he was still the best defensive swordsman in the Order.

"You should not have come back," I accused angrily, my rage turning into a dark, deep hatred as I thought of the past.

"I had to. You know I did."

I growled low in my throat and attacked him again, our lightsabers swirling around in an intricate dance, blood mixing with light. He made no movement to do the same but stood there in a ready stance, his lightsaber held in front of him warily.

"I thought I was your brother," I sneered mockingly. "You called me your brother, Kenobi."

Obi-Wan's face drew into a painful expression. "You were, Ana… Vader. You were my brother."

"Oh, yes, and you loved me, too, is that right?" I barked. "Don't lie to me, Obi-Wan, I know the lies of the Jedi! You lied to me!"

Obi-Wan's voice had dropped nearly to a whisper. "I did love you. But it was your choice to turn to the dark side. It was your decision."

That only made me angrier, and I raised my lightsaber over my head and brought it down with a crushing force onto his. He nearly stumbled from the impact but managed to stay upright.

"You took her from me," I said bitterly, my voice rising. "You took her from me! You took everything from me!" I swung my lightsaber around and continued my attack on him, spewing out my feelings as I did so. "You took my wife, my child, my body! It's all your fault!" I roared, raising my hand and Force-pushing Obi-Wan back into a wall.

He slumped to the ground but slowly rose to his feet, gasping for breath. Age must have caught up with him. But I was in no mood for pity.

"I have waited a long time for this moment," I seethed, "the moment when the great Obi-Wan Kenobi was brought to his knees. When you left, I was but the apprentice. Now, I am the master."

He eyed me sadly. "Only a master of evil, Darth."

"I will do what I must," I hissed, taking another step toward him. "Isn't that what you said before you decided to abandon me? Leave me to burn?"