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When Anakin opened his eyes, the sight before him was something he hadn't expected at all, not since a long time anyway. The sky was bright blue, the clouds were soft looking and he could hear birds whistling and flying about, free as ever. Something he hadn't felt in a long, long time.
It was also surprisingly easier to breathe, somehow. He could smell the scent of trees, the grass he seemed to be laying on, and where he expected his black suit to greet him when he glanced at his arms, he was instead met with a black sleeve and his hand, back to how it was. Untouched, without any burns, as if it had never been cut off all these years ago.
Was he, back to normal? He sat up, looking at his other arm, his chest, his legs, as much as he could see, and everything was how it was. Well, back to how it was before he was burned on Mustafar and became trapped in that suit for what felt like an eternity.
He was, well, young again.
The thoughts brought him back to painful memories, fighting with Obi-Wan— the look of anguish and sadness on his face deeply embedded in his mind, the feeling of his entire body burning off in flames, waking up in pain as medical droids worked on him, and then being put in that suit, the suffocating feeling of it and the pain it took to move and take a breath as the emperor talked to him. After that, the days felt all the same, pain, anger, hate, all the time.
He closed his eyes tightly as he fought to push the memories away and took a deep breath, focusing on the feeling to finally be able to take a breath without any pain.
Wherever he was, Anakin could guess that it was his salvation. He didn't think he ever deserved it, not since he first killed all those people as a jedi and kept going when he joined the sith.
He suddenly remembered his son, Luke, being there with him up until his death. He felt content, having been able to look at him with his own eyes, and not being alone as he took his last breath and closed his eyes. He felt pangs of regret hit his chest as he thought of his daughter Leia, and how he destroyed the planet she was from, right in front of her. He knew very well that after that, even after learning that he was her father, she wouldn't want anything to do with him.
Still, he had wished to see her alongside her brother, just to imagine for a second what could have been if Padme and him had raised the twins back in her hometown, next to the garden.
But it never happened.
Anakin looked around him, the place desert of anyone but the inhabitants of nature and decided to try and stand up to see if he could find anyone about.
Well, if anyone was even there. This whole thing, whatever it could be called— afterlife, maybe, could be his own personal thing. He didn't really think he would prefer that, though. After years and years of solitude, all he needed was warmth again. Seeing the ones he loved.
It felt odd again, being able to stand up and move without, again, any pain, but most of all, without the weight of the suit. He took in the moment again, enjoying this new freedom that had been given back to him for some very strange reason.
As he took another breath and decided to get going in search of something, his eyes fell on a familiar figure. At first, he thought his mind was playing tricks on him, that it couldn't be real, just some hallucinations or some god-given vision, because Obi-Wan himself was standing across from him, looking like the day they left each other after their last fight, when he broke his mask open, and it just couldn't be possible.
“You know, I was beginning to think you weren't going to show up. It took you long enough, Anakin.” Obi-Wan spoke out, and the sound of his name still felt odd to hear. The last person to call him by that name was Luke, and he had firmly reprimanded him as he told him that this name didn't mean anything to him anymore. And, to hear it from Obi-Wan, his old friend and master, made him feel something.
“Hello, master." Anakin uttered out quietly, feeling like a child all of a sudden. Obi-Wan was right there with him, like the old times, and he just felt so hopeless and ridden with sadness at his sight. There was so much to say, so much to apologize for, and he didn't know where and how to even begin.
Obi-Wan gave him a warm smile as he walked down to meet him and stopped just a few feet away as he took Anakin in again, his eyes roaming around his face like a father looking at his child. “It's good to see you again. I've missed… I've missed all of this.”
Even as Obi-Wan kept his smile on his face, like nothing happened, like nothing was wrong, Anakin's eyes welled up with tears which quickly began to roll down his face before he could stop himself. He felt extremely ashamed, both at crying in front of him, and for everything that happened, and it wasn't long before Obi-Wan broke off the distance between them and wrapped his arms around his back, like a father comforting his child.
“Oh, Anakin. It's alright.” Obi-Wan rubbed his hand over his back as he attempted to comfort him, but Anakin still couldn't help but continue crying as everything came crashing down on him all at once. "I felt guilty enough for everything, back then. You told me that… you weren't my failure, remember? So please, listen to me when I tell you that I am not mad anymore, and neither should you.”
"But… I, master…" Anakin took heavy breaths as he attempted to calm down from the rush of emotions that overtook him, focusing on the feeling of Obi-Wan’s arms trapping him in a safe and warm embrace. But, no matter what, he couldn't help but think of the inevitable.
Back when he was known as Vader, he had been the one to kill him with his lightsaber, back on that ship. He hadn't felt any remorse, nothing, but pure rage and hatred. Now, he felt as worse as anyone could have ever felt. “I killed you. It's… it's all my fault. I… I'm sorry, I'm sorry.” Anakin was taken on by another sob that resonated through his entire body, the pain of this doomed day burning his heart.
Obi-Wan sighed before stepping back to look at Anakin in the eyes once more, his smile still present on his face as he kept his hands by his shoulders. Anakin couldn't understand how Obi-Wan hadn't beat the hell out of Anakin when he saw him, it just didn't make sense. He should be yelling at him, not comforting him and smiling like nothing bad— no, horrible— happened. “We've both hurt each other in so many different ways over the years, Anakin. We cannot keep fueling that hate forever, now is the time to learn to try and forgive each other as best as we can, don't you agree?”
“How could you? I don't… I've done unforgivable things. I still hate myself for them. I regret so many things.” Anakin hung his head down as he shakily exhaled, feeling too ashamed to look in his master's eyes. “I don't even… I don't understand why I'm even here, let alone why I'm here with you.”
“Anakin, look at me. Please.” Obi-Wan pleaded, and it took great effort for Anakin to find the courage to look him in the eyes again. “By saving your son from the emperor, you have redeemed yourself and restored the link that you once had with the light side of the force. That is why you have come here in the afterlife, and ended up by my side. Do not worry any further, while it may not change anything, we can change how our future will be, my dear friend.”
Anakin nodded as he fought back the urge to cry again, too afraid to not be able to stop anymore if he started. “I just… I don't know if I'll ever deserve your forgiveness."
"Well, we can start by opening up our hearts to each other first, just like we used to do, back when you were my young and dear padawan.” Obi-Wan lifted his hand to rest on Anakin's head as he ruffled his hair in a playful manner. “Then, from there, we shall see what will happen. In time, you shall learn to see what it's like to feel forgiveness and accept it again. Is that alright with you?”
“Yes, master." Anakin tried to form what he hoped was a somehow acceptable smile, but if he guessed, it probably looked like he was pouting while fighting back tears.
“You know that you can call me Obi-Wan, right?"
“It's habit, sir." Anakin said.
Obi-Wan huffed out a laugh, “Alright, I won't break away your habit then. We should get going, there are quite a lot of things to see around here. After all, I've been there for a while already."
“Lead the way, master." Anakin let himself be led by Obi-Wan as he put a hand on his shoulder, and the two of them walked away from the spot where their reunion took place.