Anakin swore that it was hours before Obi-Wan announced that they'd better get lunch, lest they be unable to eat anything until evening. Anakin's feet ached in a way he hadn't thought possible, as he certainly didn't feel like he'd been walking around much. He chalked that one up to the fact that he wanted to see absolutely everything possible, so he hadn't been paying attention to his body.
He felt that they'd covered at least half the planet, and though most of it had been done via air taxi or on the public airbuses, he guessed that they'd walked more in a day than he would in a week.
Not that he was complaining, because he'd been willing.
They certainly saw a lot of places, starting with the lavish Senate building and its main chamber. There must've been thousands of Senatorial hover pods, and the overall size of the room made Anakin dizzy. The carpeting in the adjoining rooms was a thick, deep red color that he was reluctant to step on, what with his dirty boots and all. The art that decorated the walls was more beautiful than anything he could've possibly imagined, the sculptures that lined the halls were lithe and delicate in their design, and everything was studded tastefully with precious gems.
Anakin almost couldn't take it. They watched several Senators prepare for the daily session and he suddenly felt so very small compared to the grand scheme of things, like a teeny-tiny grain of sand lost out in the Wastes.
If he thought the Senate was bad, however, he nearly plopped down in shock when they arrived at the shopping mall. It was over several hundred stories tall, both below and above ground, with thousands of restaurants, stores that sold anything imaginable, and more people than Anakin had been able to handle. They barely set foot in the building when Obi-Wan whisked them right back out again. Even though the Jedi told him it was because he didn't want Anakin to feel disappointed since they couldn't afford anything there, Anakin knew Obi-Wan somehow sensed his distress, and he felt immensely grateful.
Instead, they wound up shopping at several, much smaller stores, ones that clearly were avoided by the kind of people Anakin glimpsed in the mall. That place had been full of the types that covered themselves in fancy outfits and jewelry that could easily buy half of Tatooine, and honestly, it was a relief to be away from them. He and Obi-Wan could be as silly as they wanted now.
It started with Obi-Wan putting the first hat he could find on Anakin's head and quickly escalated from there, each trying to find a more outrageous hat for the other. It ended with the shopkeeper asking them to buy something or leave, as they laughed themselves to tears over some of the styles.
Anakin didn't seem to have the same knack Obi-Wan did for finding bizarre designs, which ranged from shockingly pink hats studded with exotic foliage to purple and red hats with more feathers than a real bird. He supposed it was because the Jedi had the advantage of height, which was necessary to reach the top of the racks. Anakin was limited to about the midway point, but he did his best just the same.
He prided himself upon finding the craziest hat of the day though, and the incident around it was the reason the shopkeeper put an end to their fun. Anakin found it in the back of one of the racks, his eyes lighting up upon his discovery, and he dragged it forth to place it on Obi-Wan's head like some kind of misshapen crown.
The padawan gaped at it, for it was truly the ugliest thing either of them had ever seen. It was a mix of neon yellow, orange, and green stripes, which zigzagged across the surface in jagged patterns. Opposing the stripes were bright purple circles, and dangling from the brim were little balls of fluff, dyed to match the stripe scheme. Off the top of the hat plumed a decorative bouquet of what would have been gorgeous iridescent feathers of deep blue and green, except that when paired with the hat, their beauty was utterly ruined.
"Stars, Ani," Obi-Wan exclaimed the moment the hat touched his head, goggling at himself in the mirror. "Who would buy such a thing, let alone wear it?"
The pointed clearing of a throat made them turn to see a rather large female of a species Anakin had never seen before, the exact same hat on her head. She glowered at the two of them, the pale fur that coated her body ruffling in her irritation, and Anakin gulped a little when he saw her fangs.
"I'll have you know," the female said primly, her voice surprisingly high for all her ferocity, "that this hat is the most stylish style on Coruscant, and to see you flout it so… so… falantly demonstrates a level of boorish behavior I suppose I should expect from uncultured Humans!"
"Forgive us, ma'am," Obi-Wan said quietly, removing the hat and ducking his head in a small bow. "We never meant to insult anyone."
The female blew out a heavy breath through her nose, her wide nostrils flaring and her eyes flashing. "See that this never happens again!"
And with that, she left.
Anakin hung his head a little, glancing up at Obi-Wan once she was out of sight, and he found the padawan's eyes sparkling with barely suppressed laughter. Obi-Wan quirked an eyebrow at the boy before setting the hat reverently on the counter in front of them, and Anakin worked hard to stifle his giggles.
"Hey, Obi-Wan?" Anakin asked quietly. "What does 'falantly' mean? Was she trying to insult us?"
"She meant 'flagrantly', I believe," Obi-Wan returned, rising from his chair. "And yes, she was trying to insult us, though she certainly did a very poor job of it, didn't she? She hoped to make us angry, but instead she only succeeded in making us laugh."
Anakin almost regretted doing it when they were kicked out (but not before Obi-Wan bought him a pair of welder's goggles that he'd found, which he could put to use and would serve as a way to remember the day). He somehow sensed that Obi-Wan shared his flash of guilt, but the moment their gazes met, the two erupted into uncontrollable fits of laughter and any hint of remorse was forgotten.
They did actually wind up venturing into another clothing store so that Anakin could get a set of swim clothes for his upcoming lesson (which he was both excited for and nervous about, having never seen enough water to be completely submerged in).
When they entered the small (the term being relative, of course; it was still bigger than half the houses in Mos Espa put together) toy store that stood along the street, Anakin hadn't known what to do with himself. Obi-Wan easily found the model section and picked out three kits for the two of them to work on, but Anakin couldn't bring himself to touch any of the toy speeders or spaceships, for fear they would somehow burst apart the moment he did.
They then made a relatively short stop at some kind of literature store, where Obi-Wan bought Anakin a data chip on galactic podracing, another that was sort of like a galactic atlas for tourists (which he unfortunately was), and at his request, a third on cooking. Part of him couldn't wait to get back to the Temple so he could pour through all the new reading material, but that thought was instantly set aside when they walked through the doorway of the Coruscant flight museum.
Anakin easily could've spent hours there, running (well, walking quickly, and tugging Obi-Wan behind him) from one exhibit to the next. He tried to absorb as much as he possibly could, from the demonstrations on the evolution of flight to the displays on the most modern of spacecraft, and when he'd been allowed to poke around in an older snub fighter cockpit, he swore that the day couldn't get any better.
Then Obi-Wan pointed out a pilot training simulator.
They spent an hour there alone, and only the loud protest of Anakin's stomach was finally able to force them to leave the museum. Obi-Wan listened intently to Anakin as they left, forgetting to flag down an air taxi when the boy enthusiastically retold his final flight on the simulator. Anakin's hands wove up and down and left to right, occasionally crossing each other, as he copied the wild motions of his ship in the middle of a heated battle, adding as many sound effects as he thought necessary.
Only when a cab appeared before them and they climbed in did Anakin realize that he'd forgotten all about their mysterious lunch location. He'd been meaning to pester Obi-Wan for more details, as he hadn't met anyone named 'Dex' yet, but in his overall excitement, he'd completely forgotten.
When the taxi dropped them off at a relatively rundown looking diner, which seemed woefully out of place, flanked as it was by two giant buildings, Anakin felt his curiosity spike all over again.
"Welcome, welcome!" a loud voice boomed upon their entrance, and Anakin looked around in wonder. A long bar lined with those spinning stools he enjoyed so much sat opposite a long stretch of booths that hugged the wall with the windows. Everything was either a cheerful red, a sparkling white that went unhindered by the thin layer of dirt that seemed to coat everything, or lined with silvery chrome. The seats were red, the tables were white, and everything was edged with the polished metal.
"Obi-Wan? I don't believe it! Stay right there, I'll be out in a moment!" the loud voice said, and Anakin froze as a set of swinging doors were pushed open to reveal a giant alien of a species he'd never run into before. The guy put 'burly' in a whole new light, with four heavily muscled arms and absolutely giant hands with claw-like fingers, and a heavy, stocky body frame. His face split in a grin that was more terrifying than friendly, the lights shining off the ribbed plates on his head and giving his dark brown skin a tough, leathery texture.
"Good to see you too, Dex!" Anakin heard Obi-Wan say as he stepped up to greet the alien, and Anakin's jaw dropped when the Jedi was gathered into an embrace he was sure would snap Obi-Wan's spine. The two laughed as they parted, with the alien patting (Anakin thought it looked more like pounding) Obi-Wan on the shoulder, and Anakin couldn't believe the padawan was still standing.
"What brings you round these parts, Obi-Wan? Haven't seen you or that Qui-Gon fella in months!" the alien said, and Anakin nearly shuddered when he caught a glimpse of several razor sharp teeth. "I was beginnin' to think you'd forgotten all about me!"
"The way you cook, Dex, no one could ever forget about you. Especially when they curse your name all the way to the MedCenter," Obi-Wan replied, and the alien threw his head back with a loud guffaw, his good-sized paunch jiggling with the sound.
"Well, I see all that time away hasn't dulled that tongue of yours," the alien said, grinning. "Maybe some of my special soup could slow it down. What do ya think? You up for a bowl?"
"I'll pass on that, Dex, but thank you," Obi-Wan said, holding up a hand. "Besides, it's liable to make my tongue even sharper."
"And I certainly wouldn't want that," the alien said, his grin widening, and Anakin nearly gulped when he felt the alien's small black eyes fall on him. "Well, well. Who's this, Obi-Wan? Your little brother?"
"You could say that," Obi-Wan said, winking at Anakin, who tried to smile around his unease. "Dex, this is Anakin Skywalker, who I'll be looking after for a while. Anakin, meet Dexter Jettster, able to do any trade in the galaxy, yet has settled on cooking, and an old friend of mine and my Master's."
"Hi," Anakin said, his voice deciding not to come out as loudly as he would've liked, but Dexter didn't seem to notice.
"Say, you wouldn't happen to be the same Human who won the Boonta Classic, now would ya?" Dexter asked, one of his hands coming up to stroke his chin thoughtfully, and Anakin looked up in surprise. "I seem to recall readin' somethin' about it in the news reports, just the other day. A whole lotta people lost a lot of credits because of the upset of the favorite."
"Sebulba knew I was gonna beat him eventually," Anakin said, his fear forgotten and replaced by a tiny grin of pride. "I'm Human but I've got better reflexes, and I had a better 'racer, which I built myself."
Dexter laughed again. "I thought it was you!" he said, grinning. "You're all over some of the racing channels, being hailed as the biggest surprise to come out of podracing in years. I watched some of the Classic, and didn't you stall out in the very beginning?"
"Unfortunately," Anakin said, rolling his eyes. "And then something went wrong with the engines, but I was still able to pull off a first place win!"
He felt a hand lightly touch his shoulder, and he found Obi-Wan smiling down at him. "You see, Dex, we got stuck on Tatooine during our latest mission, and if Anakin hadn't won that race to get the parts we needed, we would still be there."
"Really, now?" Dexter said, glancing from Obi-Wan to Anakin briefly. "Then you've got my thanks, Anakin, for bringing Obi-Wan back to Coruscant, even if he does complain too much about my cooking." Anakin grinned up at Obi-Wan, who rolled his eyes with a smile. "And I think something so noble deserves a reward, don't you, Obi-Wan? Lunch is on the house today, provided you tell me all about the race."
"Deal!" Anakin said happily.
"Now go take a seat; I've got to get back to the kitchen for a moment. Herm or the droid'll be around to take your orders shortly," Dexter said, turning and ambling back to the swinging doors, and Obi-Wan gestured to the rest of the diner.
"Take your pick, Ani," he said. "Where do you want to sit?"
"By a window, if you don't mind," Anakin replied. As much as he enjoyed those spinning stools, he didn't like sitting with his back to the door or where he couldn't see outside.
"Then a booth it is," Obi-Wan said, and they made their way to the nearest one. A droid zipped by the moment they sat, practically throwing a couple of menus at them as it went to serve another customer, and Anakin found himself staggered by the sheer number of choices.
"Hey, Obi-Wan?" he asked, frowning as he read over the selections. "What should I avoid?"
Obi-Wan laughed in response before reaching over and tapping an item on Anakin's menu with his finger. "Don't listen to what I said earlier, Ani," he said, still smiling. "Dex one of the best cooks out there, and though everything here is good, I think you'll like that one."
Anakin read it over, pursing his lips, but he finally inwardly shrugged and put down the menu. He'd never heard of a 'burger' before, and it did have Bantha meat in it, so it couldn't be too bad. It came with a side of frites, which he'd never heard of either, but most of the food on the menu came with that, so he decided not to worry about it.
The serving droid returned to take their orders and nearly snatched the menu from his hands once he'd finished speaking. Anakin watched it speed away, part of him wondering what its problem was, since there were only a few other people in the diner besides him and Obi-Wan. Maybe it was just programmed to be rude.
"Don't worry about her, Ani," Obi-Wan said, drawing his gaze from the droid. "She's been like that for as long as I can remember, even when Qui-Gon and I were the only ones here."
"She?" he echoed.
"Well, you wouldn't really call a droid like that a 'he', would you?" Obi-Wan said, lacing his fingers together. "Considering it looks like she's wearing a red dress and has a feminine voice chip installed…"
"Yeah, I'm glad you pointed that out," Anakin said, glancing over his shoulder at the droid, who passed on their order to the chef. "I wouldn't wanna insult her and wind up with oil in my food."
"Which has happened before, I assure you," Obi-Wan said as the droid returned, carrying a tray that held two tall, conical glasses, one filled with a pale brown substance, the other filled with a white substance. Both were topped with some kind of puffy white confection, which in turn was topped by a bright red ball, and Anakin later discovered that it was some kind of painfully sweet fruit.
"Enjoy," she said, setting the brown one before Anakin and the white one before Obi-Wan. She then wheeled away, leaving him to inspect the strange drink.
"What… what is it?" Anakin asked, taking the spoon and the straw Obi-Wan passed him as he peered at it, trying to decide if it was liquid or solid. "Can I really drink this?"
"Yes," Obi-Wan said, and Anakin saw that he rapidly consumed the fluffy white stuff with his own spoon. "It may be a little thicker than you're used to, but I'm sure you'll like it if you try it."
Shrugging to himself, he lifted the spoon and moved to copy the Jedi. He gathered a tiny bit of the fluffy stuff onto his utensil and brought it to his mouth tentatively. The substance practically melted on his tongue, and his eyes went wide; this stuff was good. It was sweeter than anything he'd ever tasted, and he looked up in wonder to find Obi-Wan smiling at him.
"Now, I never let you have any of this, understand? If Qui-Gon asks, you had a nice healthy meal," he said, dropping his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Even I'm not supposed to have this very often, and Qui-Gon will be upset because we could've easily eaten at the Temple, but I wanted you to meet Dex and I thought it would be a good end to our sight-seeing."
Anakin pantomimed sealing his lips, winking as he did so, and then went back to finishing off the white stuff. He glanced up quickly to see what he was supposed to do once he'd done so, and found that Obi-Wan was using his straw for the not-quite liquid drink portion. He moved to copy the Jedi again, now utterly curious to see if it was as sweet as he hoped, and his eyes lit up when it didn't disappoint. It was a strange texture, he decided, slightly milky, yet frozen, and he swore that his taste buds were dancing in delight.
"What's this called again?" Anakin asked, glancing up as Obi-Wan set his drink aside, clearly intending to save some of it for when the rest of their order arrived.
"A shake, I believe."
Anakin looked up, frowning. "Why'd they name it that? Do you gotta shake it to make it?"
"Possibly; I never found out. Good, though, hm?" Obi-Wan said, grinning as Anakin slurped up the last of the drink. "I probably should've told you that you're only getting one of those before you finished it."
"That's okay," Anakin said, his gaze drifting to Obi-Wan's unguarded drink, and he licked his lips to remove any possible leftovers from his own. "I'll just have water or something."
Obi-Wan quirked an eyebrow and Anakin realized that he wasn't fooling the Jedi, who moved his own shake further out of reach. Anakin huffed slightly, a little disappointed at being thwarted so easily, but then the rest of their meal arrived, and his stomach began growling loudly at the delicious smells that wafted up to his nose.
"One special and one Coruscant burger. Enjoy," the droid said and rolled away.
Anakin stared down at the food that had been placed before him, as once again he'd never seen anything like it. It reminded him of the sandwiches he'd had for lunch on the ship, but the bread was much thicker and its shape was a large circle. He leaned over, trying to inspect the layers, and only really recognized some greenery. He hesitantly identified the charred, brownish black layer as the Bantha meat, but it had been prepared in a manner he'd never seen before.
"Try it," Obi-Wan urged, and Anakin found the Jedi chomping down on his own multi-layered sandwich. His, however, Anakin easily recognized, as they made ones just like it the other day.
Sighing to himself, as Obi-Wan had been right about the shake drink, he picked up the burger sandwich, and stretching his mouth wide, took a bite.
"Hm!" Anakin murmured, chewing thoughtfully. He couldn't begin to describe the flavors that he tasted, coming across too many to name, really, but the meat had a delicious tang and he found himself liking the sandwich more with every bite.
"How'd you know I'd like this?" he asked in between bites, and watched Obi-Wan dip several thick, golden wedges Anakin figured were the mysterious frites into a red sauce he remembered as Corellian catsup.
"Jedi hunch," Obi-Wan replied, popping the frites into his mouth and chewing. "Plus it's the simplest thing on the menu, besides the Beslan soup and salad, which I assumed would leave you still hungry."
"Maybe," Anakin responded, setting the sandwich down so he could try his own frites, and to his surprise, he encountered a very familiar taste.
"Hey! These are tubers!" he exclaimed, looking up at Obi-Wan in shock, who nodded and took a bite of his own sandwich. "They don't look like the ones we had, though…"
"They've been prepared differently, but they're still the same thing," Obi-Wan said after swallowing, his eyebrows rising as he glanced at Anakin's plate. "And if you don't want them, I'll be happy to take them off your hands."
"That's okay," Anakin said, quickly reaching for the catsup. "I think I can manage."
Obi-Wan laughed a little, telling Anakin that he'd been teasing, and the two of them went back to their food.
One very satisfying meal and one detailed conversation about podracing with Dex later, Anakin found himself waving good-bye to the diner and its owner as he and Obi-Wan prepared to return to the Temple. With the various items they'd bought plus some extra dessert Dex had given them loaded into a knapsack Obi-Wan must've bought when he hadn't been paying attention, they set off down the street, intending to catch an airbus at the stop a few feet away.
"If we have time tomorrow," Anakin began as they reached the bus stop, sliding his hand into Obi-Wan's unconsciously, "I'd like to go back to the museum. I didn't get to see everything that I wanted."
"We'll see," Obi-Wan murmured, but he smiled down at Anakin. "If we have enough time, I don't see why we couldn't go back to the museum. I asked Qui-Gon when he thought the Council would see you, and he said that at the earliest, it would be tomorrow."
"Really?" Anakin asked, feeling his stomach jolt unpleasantly, and his hand tightened on Obi-Wan's. "Well, I hope it doesn't take long, so we'll have plenty of time to see more exhibits. There was a bunch I passed up seeing so I could spend more time in that simulator."
"But you had fun, which is what counts," Obi-Wan said and Anakin smiled up at him.
Just as Anakin opened his mouth to ask how much time they had left before they had to be back at the Temple, he caught something streak past in the corner of his eye. He turned his head just in time to see a group of three boys chasing something rather small and furry, and judging by the speed it was moving, the creature was terrified.
Without thinking, Anakin took off after the boys. He felt his gaze narrow on his targets, who turned down a dark, narrow alley. He heard a frightened, inhuman yelp just as he reached the shadows, and the triumphant laughter that rang out made him clench his fists. He couldn't quite see what had happened though, as the boys stood in a semi-circle, their backs to the entryway.
"HEY!" he shouted, pleased to see the boys jump about a meter, but they sneered when they saw him.
"And what do you want, runt?" the middle one said, drawing his rather pudgy frame up to its full, pathetic height, and staring down his nose at Anakin.
"Get lost before we whip you bloody," he added, and the two boys that flanked him chuckled, their faces splitting in nasty grins.
"I'm not afraid of you," he snapped as the three boys took a few steps towards him, "What happened to the creature you were chasing?"
"Why do you care?" the tallest boy said, his voice high pitched and nasally, and Anakin glared darkly at him. "'Snone of your business, little brat. Now get lost like we told ya to!"
"'Sides," the third boy jeered, "that thing was a rabid monster. It tried to bite me; it deserved what it got!"
Anakin felt part of him sink at those words, a chill settling across his soul, and in the cracks between the boys, he could see the little furry creature shiver as it huddled by the end of the alley.
Anakin didn't have to be a doctor to know that its hind legs were bent at an unnatural angle.
"It's utterly defenseless," he whispered, a strange ringing filling his ears as his gaze shifted from the creature back to the middle boy. "It wouldn't have attacked you without good reason! What'd you do to it?"
"Leave it alone, runt," the middle boy replied, starting towards him. That was when Anakin saw the thick metal pipe in the boy's hand.
He snapped.
Anakin threw himself at the middle boy, his enraged shout echoing through the alley and startling the three. He punched the fat little monster as hard as he could, knocking the both of them to the ground, and managed to wrench the pipe from the boy. He hurled it away, not caring where it landed.
He could hear the other two boys yelling as he slammed his fists against the boy beneath him, but his mind was screaming in outrage, blocking out their words.
"You're the monster!" he heard himself roar. "You're the one who deserves to be hurt, you fat, ugly, little-"
"Anakin!"
Strong hands lifted him off the boy, who had started sobbing, and he struggled against them, kicking and wiggling as a steady stream of the nastiest Huttese he could think of poured from his mouth. He screamed and cursed as the two boys snatched up their friend, blood dripping from his broken nose and beaten face, and they fled, throwing frightened glances over their shoulders as they went.
"Bastards!" he screamed, still fighting against whoever was restraining him. "Pigs! Come back here!"
-ANAKIN!-
The powerful thought made him gasp and it startled him from his tirade. His sorrow overcame his rage, and a sob tore itself from his throat. A pair of strong arms engulfed him then, pulling him against a warm body, and he shuddered, tears coursing down his cheeks.
"Hush now," someone whispered, sending little soothing waves of calm through his trembling form, and he collapsed, his anger finally burning itself out. "Calm down, Ani. You must calm down."
"Why?" he choked. "Why? They're rotten, they're evil-"
"Yes, Ani, they are," the person whispered. "They're horrible for what they did, but you still have got to calm down. You cannot let your anger, or your hate, rule you. Not now, not ever."
"Why?" he demanded. "Why? They got what they deserved, for hurting something that was defenseless!"
"And you became just like them," the person said sternly and Anakin jerked in surprise, hiccupping.
"You were trying to hurt that boy simply because he'd made you angry. And when you let your anger take over, you became what you were fighting."
"No," Anakin whispered, shaking his head. "No, I'm good. I was saving that creature-"
"Were you?" the person interrupted. "Were you really, Ani? Because to me it seemed like you lost your temper and attacked those other children."
Anakin stiffened, opening his mouth to defend himself, but the person continued before he could get a word in. "Yes, they were being cruel, and there is no excuse for their behavior, but hear me Anakin: you cannot let your own anger over the situation interfere."
He shuddered at the intensity in the words. He reached up to wipe at his eyes, but an adult's hand stopped him.
"Anakin, look at me," the person said, turning him, and he blinked through his tears until he recognized Obi-Wan.
"Do you know why you must do this?" the Jedi asked softly, his tone sending an inexplicable chill down Anakin's spine. "Do you know why Jedi can't react in anger? Why we hold our emotions in check when we act?"
Anakin sniffled, feeling a fresh wave of tears form at the expression on Obi-Wan's face; he'd never seen the padawan look so serious. Obi-Wan gripped Anakin's upper arms tightly as he knelt before the boy, their faces level and their gazes meeting briefly.
He saw Obi-Wan's eyes darken with disappointment, and a deep bitterness began to worm its way into his heart; he'd failed. He'd talked about wanting to be a Jedi for as long as he could remember, and here he was, completely destroying his chance.
"Ani?" Obi-wan asked softly, and Anakin finally shook his head in an answer. "We don't act in anger because of the great harm we could do, to both ourselves and those around us. A Jedi must always act defensively, never aggressively. It is one of the first lessons we learn."
"And I failed," Anakin whispered, hanging his head, and stiffened when Obi-Wan hugged him tightly.
"How could you possibly fail, Anakin, when no one taught you otherwise?" Obi-Wan said and the boy's body began to relax. "Tell me, do you remember that presence we sensed earlier today? When we landed?"
Anakin nodded. It had been sickening, seeming to suck the life out of the very air around him, and then he'd been so cold, colder than he ever thought possible.
"That presence belongs to a creature of the Dark Side," Obi-Wan said softly. "That's what happens to Jedi when they start acting out of anger or hate; they start using the Dark Side of the Force, instead of keeping in the Light. They become an agent of pure evil."
Anakin shivered at Obi-Wan's words, part of his mind barely registering a dim voice that echoed once silence fell between them, and he swore it sounded strangely like himself.
"Master, promise you won't let me become like the monster that killed Qui-Gon?"
Yet the phrase didn't make any sense, because Qui-Gon wasn't dead, and they hadn't encountered any real monsters, not counting the boy he'd just beat up.
Besides, how could he turn into a monster? Monsters weren't Human.
"Do you understand, Ani?" Obi-Wan asked, and he nodded, his tears drying on Obi-Wan's tunic.
"I understand," Anakin whispered, still shivering. "I promise I won't do it again; I'll work on controlling myself if it means I won't turn evil. I'm going to be a Jedi and that means no anger."
He shook his head, Obi-Wan's arms tightening around him. "No anger."
There was a powerful rush of a painful, twisting emotion that Anakin somehow knew was from Obi-Wan, and for a split-second, he thought he heard the Jedi sobbing. He pulled away, searching Obi-Wan's face, and though the Jedi's eyes gleamed in the dim light of the alley, he wasn't crying.
"You're sad," Anakin said, and somehow sensed that he'd surprised Obi-Wan. "Why?"
"It's nothing, Ani," Obi-Wan replied, his smile a pale shadow of its former self. "Just some bad memories; don't worry about it."
Obi-Wan stood then, one of his hands resting on Anakin's shoulder as he turned his gaze to the creature. "Now, let's see what we can do to help the animal you saved, all right? We can talk more about this later, if you need to."
"'Kay," Anakin said quietly. "We'll talk more later."