Sitting in the cold rain of Kamino with his robe tucked tightly around both himself and his precious cargo, Anakin let out a deep sigh. “You know, if Qui-Gon saw us, he’d be scolding us.” He stated a tad wryly as the rain continued to pound down on them.

Obi-Wan had wanted to experience a proper rain storm.

The regulated climate of Coruscant wasn’t quite the same thing and the rain ‘season’ of the room of a Thousand gardens wasn’t either.

Anakin just didn’t have it in him to deny his padawan and he still loved rain, a childhood on a desert planet had made him treasure rain and water and to sit in the rain…

Well, he did that quite a bit actually as a child once he became a padawan and old enough to leave on missions.

Giggling slightly, Obi-Wan simply leaned back into Anakin. “But he’s not hereeee.” He singsonged, lighting up with pleasure when Anakin chuckled quietly.

Honestly, Anakin wasn’t being a fool about it either. He had insisted Obi-Wan sit in his lap, had brought out a small kneeling chair, which elevated them up from the cold and wet platform and had brought his robe, keeping it wrapped around both to keep the rain out, since Anakin’s preferred robe was weaved of mixed fabric to keep rain and wind out but keep heat inside.

So while they were getting somewhat wet, they weren’t soaking, despite sitting already for a good half hour.

He was also very aware that several clones had already peeked out at them and the exasperation from Rex mingled with the shinies of Kamino’s bewilderment.

After all, you had to be crazy to stay out in a downpour on Kamino, right?

Anakin didn’t mind, Obi-Wan a warm form in his lap and against his chest, his head resting on the boy’s forehead.

After his conversation with Padme, he needed the soothing quiet.

It wasn’t that he was… angry directly.

Not anymore.

Or throwing a tantrum, regardless what others would say.

He knew his wife wasn’t all powerful, had seen it often.

But when he begged her to help Ahsoka… begged even Palpatine…

He tightened his grip around the small body in his lap, swallowing thickly only to smile shakily when he felt a small, saber callused hand wrap around his wrist, thumb rubbing at the jut of his wrist.

His padawan, balm to his soul, be it tormented or simply distressed.

He quietly pressed a kiss to the top of Obi-Wan’s head and settled again.

Padme’s call last night had been hard, neither had yelled, despite both having reasons for it, maybe Padme more than him but Anakin was simply tired. And questioning what he had done at the start of the war.

Marrying her…

‘It was a pipe dream, wasn’t it.’ He thought wistfully, tilting his head to look up at the dark sky as the rain continued slamming down on them. A pipe dream to marry his angel and think he could keep her forever, a pipe dream to think he could also be a Jedi.

Just like freeing everyone from slavery would be a pipe dream.

That hurt.

He still wanted to free Tatooine but he wasn’t a little boy anymore, he knew more now, saw more… understood more.

As long as there were people who wanted power, they would subjugate others. And the galaxy had been creative in how to keep that power.

The scar of where his detonator was once implanted ached with phantom pain at the thought and he had to grit his teeth for a few moments and just breath through it.

‘Mom knew,’ He thought wistfully. ‘She knew it was just a pipe dream but indulged me. I was just a kid…’ Anakin rocked Obi-Wan slightly, feeling him squeeze his wrist again. Shmi had been smart, even if she had not been educated like a freeman would have been. She knew the expanse of the hutt empire.

She had seen the darkness of what slavery was and the shipping of power, weapons, drugs and bodies.

But she had been a good mother, indulged Anakin’s wishes, tried to foster hope… and when she had the chance to see him free, to see him of to something better, to rain and greenery… she hadn’t hesitated.

She wanted Anakin to be what their last name were.

Skywalker… it was a presumptuous last name for a slave, the implications of it…

Many slavers had watched them with narrowed eyes and slaves with both anger and hope.

‘But I did walk the sky, didn’t I… mother never made it, but I did. I flew through space, no shackle to my wrists or ankles and was free,’ Anakin smiled a tad more at that thought. ‘And I can teach others to walk the sky… and… maybe I can’t end slavery or free Tatooine… free mother… but I can free as many as possible and be better than I was.’

That was a good idea, a good feeling.

He hoped he could do it.

Anakin wanted to be better than he was before. Both Ahsoka and Obi-Wan made him better people… he had to be better for them.

Because just as Anakin had learned from Shmi Skywalker, they would learn from him.

‘…I have to be an example for them. I want to be a good example. Please Force, I want to be better for them.’ Anakin breathed deeply, letting out a soft noise of surprise as the rain abruptly ceased, a small ray of sun peeking through the clouds.

Symbolic?

Maybe… or just weather pattern.

Still, Obi-Wan’s little disappointed noise had him chuckling, squeezing his padawan tightly to his chest as he squirmed in protest.