It's been far too long since I wrote a story about Anakin and Ahsoka that I was actually happy with, but I thoroughly enjoyed writing this. It was kind of like visiting an old friend. An old, painful friend.
1
The Room of a Thousand Fountains had been a place of many important decisions throughout the centuries.
Jedi viewed it as a calming place, where the Force was clear and the air was fresh and salt-tinged, and as such meetings were often held among it's winding paths and fountains. It had been Qui-Gon and Yoda's favourite place to converse, and somehow Obi-Wan had carried on the tradition.
He walked along a trail with Master Yoda now, a trail he'd been down many times before. He didn't yet speak, and Yoda didn't pry, for which Obi-Wan was grateful. He was thinking about what he was going to ask and what ramifications that request would have. The Force was being stubbornly silent on the issue, which was why he had come to ask Master Yoda for advice.
"As a Jedi, passing on what we have learned is a privilege," he said finally, as they continued down the trail. The artificial sun filtered through the leaves of a large tree from Dantooine, casting patterns on the ground. "But have you ever met anyone who simply wasn't suited to teach?"
Yoda's stick made a clicking sound against the worn stone as he hobbled along. He gave Obi-Wan a knowing look. "Of Skywalker, you speak."
Obi-Wan sighed. As usual, Yoda had seen right through him in seconds. "Yes Master. Anakin is reckless and young. He always says a Padawan would slow him down, but I think the responsibility would be good for him. If only he could be convinced to take on an apprentice. Right now I think just assigning a Padawan to him would be disastrous for both of them. He simply doesn't want one."
"Hmm." Yoda seemed lost deep in thought. "To answer your question, met Jedi, I have, who were not suited to take a Padawan. One of these Jedi, young Skywalker is not. Much to teach an apprentice, he has. Much to learn from one, also."
"Yes," Obi-Wan agreed. "If his headstrong nature doesn't get in the way. Anakin can be very... strong-willed at times."
That was his biggest fear- that Anakin would pass on his temper and slightly radical ideals to a young and impressionable student. In giving Anakin an apprentice, would he be doing more harm than good?
"Worry not, Master Kenobi," Yoda told him. "A youngling, I have in mind."
Obi-Wan couldn't help the frown that crossed his face. "And what of the fact that Anakin won't take an apprentice? If we send him a Padawan, he'll just send them back."
Yoda looked up at him, and there was a twinkle in his eye. "Perhaps a necessary deception, we will have to create, hmm?"
Obi-Wan reached into the Force for guidance. Previously silent, it now seemed to hum with life and approval and... something else. Something heavy, as if agreeing to help Yoda and assign a Padawan to Anakin would have great impact.
There was no darkness though, no warning. Here in the middle of the gardens, surrounded by Jedi and far from the war, the dark side seemed almost like a bad dream. It made it easier to choose.
"What did you have in mind?"
Another decision made in the Room of a Thousand Fountains. In the grand scheme of things, the choice to give Anakin Skywalker a Padawan learner seemed small and insignificant. But the echoes of that choice would ripple around the galaxy for decades to come.
2
Ahsoka Tano was small and bright and fierce and Obi-Wan immediately saw why Yoda had chosen her to be Anakin's Padawan. She was just as headstrong as he was- perhaps even more so. She was also quick to run into trouble, not afraid to speak her mind, and had a bit of a temper. In other words, she was the female version of Anakin. Obi-Wan could already feel a headache coming on, and Ahsoka had only accompanied Anakin on one mission.
He had to admit, he was surprised Anakin decided not to send her back. He'd been right in his earlier predictions- Anakin was vehemently against taking a Padawan at first, and he and Ahsoka had gotten off to a rocky start. Obi-Wan had sent them off to destroy the Separatist shield bickering, but when they regrouped later, something had changed. Anakin was kinder to the girl, less snappish, and she was no longer on the defensive.
"With training and patience, she might amount to something," Anakin had said, and Obi-Wan knew the look on his face. Anakin had taken on a new project. Except, instead of the project being a broken droid, or a junk-heap of a speeder, this was a snippy fourteen-year-old girl.
Obi-Wan just hoped Anakin understood that this girl had feelings, and he couldn't shut her off when he was annoyed.
A month after Ahsoka became Anakin's Padawan, he joined the two of them on a mission in the Core. The Republic was fighting for control of the Alsakan System, but the battle was not going well and the fleet stationed there had called for reinforcements after losing one cruiser too many. Obi-Wan volunteered to go. If he was honest with himself, his decision was made partly out of curiosity- he wanted to see how Anakin was faring with his new apprentice.
And that was how he found himself watching a space battle from afar as Anakin's squadron attacked the swarm of vulture droids and bombers. The sheer number of fighters protecting the separatist command ship were preventing Obi-Wan's cruisers from moving on the offensive and so he was forced to be patient while Anakin thinned their ranks.
He watched the blip on the screen that was Anakin's starfighter as he took out vulture droid after vulture droid. The screen didn't show him Anakin's fancy flying, but Obi-Wan had no trouble imagining the barrel rolls and loops Anakin was executing. His former Padawan liked showing off nearly as much as he liked flying itself.
Not to mention, now he had an impressionable audience.
"We're under heavy fire," came Ahsoka's worried tone through the open comms. "Are you sure there isn't a better way to destroy the command ship?"
"This is the best chance we've got," Anakin said grimly. "Just keep the droids' attention on us and not the cruisers. The sooner we can take out these fighters, the sooner Obi-Wan can take out their fleet."
"Yes, Master," Ahsoka said, but she still sounded nervous. Obi-Wan knew that this was probably only her fourth or fifth space battle. Was Anakin aware that Ahsoka wasn't as comfortable in a fighter as he was? The girl had most definitely done fighter simulation programs at the Temple, but real space battles were much different.
Anakin, I hope you know what you're doing, Obi-Wan thought, and watched the battle unfold.
For the first little while, Ahsoka held it together admirably. She followed Anakin's orders, zipping around the separatist ships and blasting apart the enemy ships. She saved a clone who was about to be torn apart by laser cannons and every once in a while she would chime in over the comms with a witty remark about Anakin's flying. Obi-Wan was forced to reconsider his earlier thoughts. Ahsoka was doing fine.
And then a vulture droid clipped her in the wing with a spray of blasterfire.
Ahsoka's fear shot blindingly through the Force. "Master-"
"I see it." Anakin's voice was tight. "Arfour, how bad is the damage?" Ahsoka's astromech whistled a report and Anakin's very presence in the Force seemed to unwind a bit. "Nothing seems critical. You alright, Snips?"
"Good to go, Skyguy," Ahsoka said, though there was a note of unease in her tone. Obi-Wan frowned. If Ahsoka lost confidence now, she would be putting herself and others at risk. This wasn't good.
Sure enough, Ahsoka's flying from that point on was hesitant and much more careful. As Obi-Wan watched the battle proceed he made a point to keep an eye on Ahsoka's fighter and he didn't like what he saw. Several times she seemed to lose her focus and unknowingly put herself in a dangerous situation and Anakin was forced to step in and help her out. Obi-Wan watched as her fighter circled around the separatist command ship with several vulture droids on her tail and his frown deepened. He hated to be right about this, but Ahsoka simply wasn't ready for a battle of this magnitude.
"Focus, Ahsoka," Anakin called over the comms as his fighter zipped toward hers again.
"I can't shake them!" Ahsoka cried, sounding frustrated. Obi-Wan lifted his comlink, ready to tell Anakin to pull her out of the battle, when Anakin spoke again, and this time his voice was softer.
"Hey. Listen to me. You can do this. You just need to focus."
"I can't."
"Yes, you can. How many fighters have you shot down so far?"
There was a pause. "Eighteen. Why?"
"Aha," came Anakin's triumphant voice. "I've got twenty-one. I'm winning."
"Since when are we keeping score?" Ahsoka sounded indignant now. "That's not fair! I didn't know!"
"War doesn't tend to be fair, my young Padawan," Anakin said. "You'd better catch up!"
"You're on," said Ahsoka eagerly. The blip on the screen that was Ahsoka's ship turned around and just like that, one of the dots that marked the enemy fighters disappeared.
Obi-Wan blinked at the screen.
What?
Anakin had noticed Ahsoka struggling and somehow, he'd found the perfect way to both calm her down and put her focus and competitive spirit to good use. He hadn't gotten upset at her for messing up. He hadn't made her sit the rest of the battle out. He had encouraged her, and then found a solution to her fear.
Exactly like a Master should.
Obi-Wan nodded to himself. He saw now what Yoda had- his concerns on whether Anakin would be a good Master or not had been for nothing. He was doing just fine.
"I've got twenty-one, Master."
"I've got twenty-three. Hang on- twenty-four."
"That one doesn't count! It flew into the hull of the ship!"
"Yeah, because I shot it down."
Obi-Wan sighed, a smile playing at his lips. The Council wouldn't approve of Anakin's teaching methods. He certainly was an unconventional Master. But why reprimand something that was obviously working?
3
Of course, not every mission could be a success. The Republic suffered loss after loss as the war dragged on, some were small, some were so significant that Coruscant felt the aftershocks. Seven months after Ahsoka became Anakin's Padawan, they, Obi-Wan, Lonare Veetan and his Padawan, Zesh were all sent to fight in the Battle of Sarrish.
To say it went badly would be an understatement.
Obi-Wan didn't remember the details of the battle. He remembered the clever ambush set up by the Separatists. He remembered leaping over clone bodies as he called for the soldiers to retreat. He remembered Zesh falling with a scream somewhere to his left. And he remembered the Force swirling with dark energy around him as the Republic army died in droves.
Later, the HoloNet would call it one of the most devastating losses the Republic had ever seen. By the time the battle was over, thousands upon thousands of clone troopers were dead and Sarrish belonged to the Separatists.
The reality of war, thought Obi-Wan, was that you simply couldn't win every fight.
This was something he didn't think Anakin had truly ever understood. He put astronomical amounts of pressure on himself to save everyone, he always had. And when he couldn't, when missions went the way Sarrish had...
Well. Obi-Wan had given up trying to get through to Anakin in the aftermath. It wasn't worth the headache. Sometimes, Anakin just needed to be alone.
He could feel Anakin's presence in the Force now all the way across the hanger, a sea of anger and guilt with undercurrents of fear. They had retreated to neutral space to tend to their wounded and file their reports, but as soon as the medical transports were loaded away from the cruisers, the fleet would return to Coruscant for a short break. There, they would get maybe a night or two to try and forget the horrors of Sarrish before they were shipped out again.
Such was the life of the soldier.
Obi-Wan was doing a headcount of the clones in the hangar when he heard Ahsoka call out.
"Master, wait!"
He didn't stop his headcount, but he kept part of his attention on Ahsoka, who was jogging up to Anakin's side. Talking to Anakin in this state was typically a bad idea, as Obi-Wan had learned very early on. What was Ahsoka doing?
Anakin didn't stop walking. "Not now, Ahsoka."
"You do this every time," Ahsoka said, almost accusingly. "Something goes wrong and you run away! It was you who taught me to never run away from a problem, and that's exactly what you're doing."
"This is different," Anakin snapped. Obi-Wan's eyes flicked to Ahsoka, who didn't even flinch. "Thousands of men, good men, are dead. It's over, Ahsoka. There's nothing to run away from."
"I know it's over," Ahsoka said, and for the first time, grief seeped into her voice. "I was there, just like you. But Master, it's not the Jedi way to run and hide from your feelings."
"I'm not hiding, Snips," said Anakin through gritted teeth. His ability to make that sound like either a fond nickname or an especially nasty insult never ceased to amaze Obi-Wan.
"You're going to go to your quarters, look over the list of the dead, and blame yourself, just like you always do," Ahsoka said in a soft, but not quite sympathetic tone. "Sounds a lot like hiding to me."
It was like a string was cut within Anakin- his shoulders slumped and the anger in the Force receded like the tide. When he looked at Ahsoka again, it was with weary eyes. "I should have seen the ambush coming. I'm only putting the blame where it belongs."
"The blame belongs with Count Dooku and Grievous," Ahsoka said fiercely. "Not with you. You did everything you could, Master."
Anakin just looked at her for a moment, like he was searching for something. Then...
"You did too, Ahsoka. Zesh's death wasn't your fault."
It was Ahsoka's turn to look stricken. "I was supposed to be watching his back. I wasn't quick enough."
"You can't save everyone," Anakin said quietly. Privately, Obi-Wan thought that was a bit hypocritical, but at the same time, it was something Ahsoka needed to hear. The two of them shared so many of the same flaws, and maybe in teaching Ahsoka to overcome hers, Anakin could overcome his own.
Ahsoka glanced away. "I know." She looked back up at Anakin and determination was written across her face again. "And you can't keep shutting yourself away every time a mission goes wrong."
Anakin raised an eyebrow. "You have a better idea?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do," Ahsoka said. She nodded to the viewport. "There's an inhabited planet down there. Neutral. There's bound to be some good diners in the spaceport."
Anakin blinked at her. "We just lost a critical battle and you want to go for supper? We have a report to give to the Council in an hour."
"C'mon Master, you said days ago that you're sick of eating ration bars," Ahsoka cajoled. "We'll be back before anyone even notices we're gone! Besides, I think it could be... good to get away for a bit."
Obi-Wan glanced away as Anakin looked around the hangar. He had abandoned his headcount for the moment, but getting caught eavesdropping would be rather embarrassing.
After a moment, his former Padawan relented. "Alright, Snips. But if we get in trouble for this..."
"It was all my idea and you had nothing to do with it," Ahsoka confirmed. Then she smiled, a real smile that was only slightly marred by her tired eyes. "We'd better go now, we don't have much time."
And Obi-Wan watched, stunned, as the two of them headed towards their starfighters.
What was it about Ahsoka? Countless times, Obi-Wan had attempted to get through to Anakin after a difficult mission and each time Anakin had turned away with a biting remark. How had the girl done it?
Anakin trusts her, he realized. He trusts her with more than his life- he trusts her with his emotions.
He'd known that Anakin was a good Master to Ahsoka. But perhaps he'd underestimated how good Ahsoka was for Anakin.
With a shake of his head, Obi-Wan resumed counting the soldiers. The sooner he got that done, the sooner he could figure out a cover story for his wayward former Padawan when he and Ahsoka were inevitably late for the Council report.
After that, it became somewhat of a regular occurrence for Anakin and Ahsoka to disappear after difficult missions, although none were ever as bad as Sarrish. Obi-Wan never said a word. If Ahsoka could get Anakin to loose the darkness that clung around him, even if just for a few hours at a time, then it was worth it.
4
Ahsoka had been Anakin's Padawan for two years and the war showed no signs of stopping. In fact, things seemed to be getting worse. More bills were passed in the Senate approving the production of more clones, Chancellor Palpatine gained more emergency power then one man had the right to hold, and the Jedi Council resorted to tactics they never would have attempted before the Clone War.
Surely faking the death of a Jedi Master to send him undercover to spy on the enemy was not the Jedi way. And yet that's exactly what they decided to do.
It had worked. Obi-Wan's death had convinced everyone, even Anakin. They'd saved the Chancellor from abduction by Count Dooku. And Obi-Wan returned to Coruscant, a hero to everyone but those who knew him best.
Things were still strained around Anakin almost two weeks later. Their conversations had been reduced to stilted comments about the war, nothing else. They didn't speak about the mission Obi-Wan had taken. Sometimes, they just didn't speak at all. When the Council gave them a mission in the outer rim, Obi-Wan wasn't sure if he should be concerned or relieved. Things had been awkward enough in the Temple, how were they supposed to fight as a team?
His concern was unfounded- Anakin was assigned to the space battle, while Obi-Wan and Ahsoka were given orders to join the ground fight. Or, well, the underground fight. The world they were trying to liberate, Drevis II, was uninhabitable on the surface, and so the Drevisians lived in a series of underground cities, all connected by long tunnels.
The tunnels threw an interesting twist into the battle, but it was a song and dance Obi-Wan had done many times before. Go in, destroy as many battle droids as possible, force the general to surrender, leave some troops to ensure peace on the planet, and leave again. This was much more Anakin's forte than his, but it was better than pretending to be a war criminal.
At least until a blast shook one of the passages, dumping thousands of tons of stone and debris on the clones and droids fighting inside.
Obi-Wan sprinted down the tunnel, hoping to outrun the rumbling of collapsing stone that was growing steadily louder behind him, but even he could see it was no use. When he shone his lightsaber in front of him he could see that he was coming up on a dead end.
He found that he was, more than anything, annoyed. Jedi were supposed to accept death when the time came, but Obi-Wan really didn't want to be killed by a cave-in on this particular day. And, if he let harm come to Ahsoka while she was under his watch, he was fairly certain that Anakin would come into the cosmic Force and kill him again.
Then he heard it. The roar behind him was fading. The cave-in was coming to a steady stop until the only thing left was an eerie silence and complete darkness.
It was over.
The sound of cascading rocks made Obi-Wan turn around, swinging his lightsaber in the direction of the noise. He breathed a sigh of relief to see Ahsoka brushing stones dust off her clothes, along with a small group of clones. Too small, a corner of his mind whispered. They had lost almost an entire squadron to the cave-in.
"Is everyone alright?" he asked, and received a collective affirmative murmur in response. Three of the clones switched on their helmet lights, further illuminating their prison.
"That was close," Ahsoka said. Sadness was evident in her tone and Obi-Wan knew she was also thinking of all the troops they had lost. He allowed himself a moment of grief before he released the feeling into the Force and centred himself once more.
"Yes, and now we face the difficult challenge of getting out of here before the Separatists can blow another tunnel," he said to the group at large. "I assume they are still jamming our transmissions, so we can't call for help. Cody, the map of the tunnels?"
"Here, General," said Cody, activating a hologram. Obi-Wan scanned the map, then pointed to a passage that cut off abruptly about 50 yards from Tadoka City.
"I believe we are here," he began. "There were several tunnels that the Drevis people started building years ago, but were never finished. They were supposed to lead into the city, before they were abandoned. Now, if we can contact the Republic, they can bring in the heavy machinery and dig their way to us."
"But sir," said one of the clones, Jiggs, if Obi-Wan remembered correctly, "the tunnel is unstable. Won't bringing in heavy machinery trigger another cave-in?"
"Not necessarily," Ahsoka said. "Remember, it took a separatist bomb for the passage to cave in the first time. Our equipment wouldn't do nearly that much damage. And if there is another cave-in, Master Kenobi and I will do our best to stop the collapse with the Force."
"Yes," Obi-Wan said. "Now, the real problem will be contacting the Republic with the Separatists jamming our transmissions. We're not going anywhere unless we can establish contact."
Ahsoka nodded. "I had an idea about that. When Master Plo was stranded in the Abregado system, with no way to contact the fleet, he used his Force connection with me to lead us to him. I think I can do the same with Master Skywalker."
Obi-Wan glanced at her. Even in the dim light of the tunnel, determination was written over her features, but that wouldn't be enough to save them this time. "That's too unreliable, I'm afraid. There's every chance Anakin wouldn't be open to the connection. We have to figure out a way to get around the Separatist's jam on our transmissions. Cody, are your men up for the challenge?"
"Yes, sir," the commander said, snapping a salute. He turned away to converse with his troops.
Ahsoka opened her mouth, but Obi-Wan held up a hand. "I know what you're going to say, Ahsoka, but the fact is, Force connections are unstable and they don't always work. I need everyone focused on solving this one problem."
Ahsoka shook her head. "Maybe in your experience, they're unstable, but Master, I know this will work."
Obi-Wan frowned at her. "I will not bet the lives of these men on Anakin's attachment to you, young one. Please just... do as I say."
Ahsoka looked like she was ready to argue, but she seemed to change her mind. "I think I see now," she said instead.
"What is that?"
"Why you thought that you could do that to him and have him understand why."
Familiar icy guilt wound it's way around Obi-Wan's ribs as he understood what Ahsoka was referring to. "That is not a conversation for here or now," he said sternly.
"No," Ahsoka murmured, looking away. "I suppose not." She sighed. "Attachment isn't something worth risking a mission over. I understand that, Master Kenobi. But Anakin doesn't think like you do, like any Jedi does. And that's why I think this will work- because I don't underestimate how much he cares about the people he's close to."
Lost for words, Obi-Wan stared at Anakin's apprentice.
"I don't underestimate him," he began, only for Ahsoka to immediately shake her head.
"I think you do," she said softly. "When you went undercover, you were counting on Anakin's reaction to fool the sniper into thinking you were dead. It worked, but you hurt him so badly by lying to him that he can't forgive you and you never saw that coming."
"Ahsoka," Obi-Wan said warningly, but the girl went on.
"He is like no other Jedi," she said. "But I trust him with my life,because the fact that he cares so much means he will always be open to the connection. Master Kenobi, just let me try-"
"Ahsoka."
Ahsoka went silent, lowering her head. Obi-Wan folded his arms and studied her for a minute, mulling her words over.
I think I see it now. Why you could do that to him and expect him to understand.
Anakin doesn't think like you do.
You never saw that coming.
No, he hadn't. And there was the problem.
It was as if a switch had been thrown in his head. He saw now, what Ahsoka meant. He had made a grievous error where his friendship with Anakin was concerned, and now the Force was showing him how to fix it. But first, he had to make it out of this blasted tunnel.
"Alright," he said, resigned. " You may try it your way. But hurry, we are running out of time."
Ahsoka breathed out a sigh of what could have been relief. "Thank you, Master Kenobi." She knelt on the ground and within moments, had sunk into deep meditation. Obi-Wan watched her a moment longer, then crossed the tunnel to help the clones with the transmission jammer.
There was work to do.
A half hour turned into forty-five minutes, which stretched into an hour. Ahsoka never even stirred. She stayed kneeling in the corner, eyes shut with a frown of concentration on her face. Obi-Wan tried not to think about the ticking clock, but it was always on the edge of his concentration. They had at most another hour before they ran out of air.
They were getting nowhere with the signal jammer. Obi-Wan instructed the clones to keep working on getting a transmission through, but he knew that their only hope now lay with Ahsoka. As the time stretched on, he had to admit that avenue wasn't looking too good either. The only other option was to dig themselves out, but they didn't have enough air left for that.
They were running out of time, oxygen and options.
And then the tunnel began to shake.
One of the clones looked up in alarm. "Another cave-in?"
"No," Ahsoka said, opening her eyes for the first time in an hour and a half. "I think-"
And before she could finish her sentence, a giant steel drill bit through the far wall, sending rocks and dirt everywhere. Everyone in the tunnel jumped to their feet, although celebration was hushed. Nobody wanted to do anything that would cause another collapse.
The drill receded and a few seconds later, Anakin jumped through the hole into the original passage.
"Everyone out, come on!" he called, and the troops all clambered through the opening, their elation palpable even without the Force. Anakin walked over to Obi-Wan and Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan couldn't help but notice the relief written on his face.
"Took you long enough," Ahsoka said in greeting.
Anakin shrugged. "Yeah, I had to make a quick stop to pick up some mining supplies, and then actually getting down here was a challenge."
"Well, next time we get trapped in a collapsed tunnel, we'll try to do it on a hospitable planet a bit closer to the surface," Obi-Wan said. "Thanks for the rescue."
Anakin looked surprised, as if he hadn't expected Obi-Wan to say something at all. Well, that had been par for the course these last two weeks. "Without Ahsoka, we never would have found you in time. It was her Force presence that let me know something was wrong and where to look."
"She is very resourceful," Obi-Wan agreed. "In fact- might I have a word with her in private?"
Anakin's eyes flicked between them before he nodded. "I'll just be up ahead. Rex'll brief you on where we are in the mission when you catch up."
Ahsoka was mature enough not to fidget while Anakin left the passage, but as soon as he was gone, she burst out, "I know I overstepped, Master, and-"
"Allow me to get a word out before you rush to conclusions," Obi-Wan said dryly. "You were not wrong about what you said before, Ahsoka. I have underestimated Anakin and I was blind as to why things have been strained between us as of late. And, I underestimated you."
"I shouldn't have said what I did," Ahsoka returned. Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. "I shouldn't have said it the way I said it," she amended.
"You and your Master were cut from the same cloth," Obi-Wan said with a shake of his head. Then he remembered what he had really pulled her aside to say. "But Ahsoka, you must be careful of attachment- both yours and Anakin's. As Jedi, it is our duty to move past such things- and to be mindful of them when they start to form."
"Yes, Master," Ahsoka said. "But this isn't attachment. It's... different."
"Is it?" asked Obi-Wan. "Anakin would and has gone to the ends of the galaxy to protect you."
"Attachment is letting feelings get in the way of our duties a Jedi," Ahsoka countered. "Master Skywalker completes his missions, no matter what. He always has."
Obi-Wan shook his head. "You have a lot of faith in him."
"He's my friend," Ahsoka said, like it was the simplest thing in the galaxy.
And for Anakin and Ahsoka, that was what it came down to. This is my friend, and I am going to keep them safe, no matter what.
Obi-Wan couldn't decide if it was foolish or inspiring. Most things related to Anakin were both.
"In any case," he said finally, "you did well today, Ahsoka. But the battle isn't over. Let's go and see what wild scheme Anakin has cooked up now."
Ahsoka smiled at him. "Right away, Master Kenobi."
She dashed through the hole in the wall and Obi-Wan followed at a much slower pace. He was going to have a lot to think about after this mission was over.
But first on the list would be a sincere apology to an old friend.
5
Obi-Wan had watched Anakin grow up, from a small boy fresh from the deserts of Tatooine, to one of the greatest warriors in the Jedi Order. He was no stranger to feeling pride over the boy he'd practically raised.
What came as a surprise was the pride he felt when he saw how far Ahsoka Tano had come since that fateful day on Christophsis.
She had grown up fast in the two and a half years he'd known her. She was no longer fearful, but confident in her own abilities. She could now control her temper, and she had honed her skills through hours upon hours of training.
There were whispers among the Jedi Masters that she would be the first one among her age group to be Knighted. Obi-Wan hadn't told Anakin, of course. Not yet. Anakin wasn't ready to be introduced to the idea of losing Ahsoka, even if just to the rank of a Jedi Knight.
Though, Obi-Wan had been wrong before.
He walked into the sparring arena one afternoon to find three familiar blades flashing furiously at the centre of the chamber. Dressed in casual training attire, Anakin and Ahsoka sparred like they did everything else- intensely and not at all seriously. He could hear them trading verbal jabs even as he crossed the chamber to work on Form III moves in the corner.
"You're getting old, Master," Ahsoka called out. "You're definitely not as fast as you used to be."
"I'm sure Master Yoda would love to know that you equate 'old' with 'slow'," Anakin replied.
"I'm sure Master Yoda would love to know that you equate 'Master Yoda' with 'old'."
"Yeah? Well, I'm about to equate my lightsaber with your kneecaps."
"That doesn't even make sens- ow!"
"You're definitely not as fast as you used to be," mimicked Anakin. He fell back into a fighting stance as Ahsoka rubbed her singed knee, then blocked as she attacked again with two lightsabers.
Obi-Wan shook his head and tried to focus on going through the movements of Soresu, but as usual, Anakin and Ahsoka were rather... distracting
"You're still leaving your left side open," Anakin noted. "If you would switch to a forward grip, it would be easier-"
"I've told you before," Ahsoka said, exasperated, "I like the reverse grip better."
"I'm just saying, the reverse grip is notorious for it's weakness in-"
"Master."
"Fine. But when you get shot because of sheer stubbornness, don't expect any sympathy from me."
"Don't worry, Anakin. I never do."
Obi-Wan swiped his own lightsaber down to the left, frowning a little.
Anakin. Since when does Ahsoka call Anakin by his first name?
The title of Master was one of respect. When Ahsoka was younger, she had often referred to Obi-Wan as 'Master Obi-Wan', and Plo Koon was still 'Master Plo.' She had no qualms about referring to Anakin by his first name in conversation to others, but she had always maintained that respect by calling Anakin 'Master' to his face.
What had changed?
Anakin didn't even seem to notice. He was already absorbed in the fight once more.
Obi-Wan decided to leave them be. He focused on his own drills, losing himself in the familiarity of them, and the next time he lifted his head, it was to watch Anakin bring Ahsoka's feet out from under her to send her crashing to the mat, then point his lightsaber at her head with a triumphant grin.
"Do you yield?"
"Okay, okay you win. Again," Ahsoka grumbled, accepting his hand up.
"I have a few pointers about your form, but other than that, you did well," Anakin told her as she dusted herself off. "Try to work on improving your left side defence for next time. I've already noticed a big improvement on your footwork from a few weeks ago."
"Got it," Ahsoka said. "Is your arm acting up? I noticed your swings seemed a little stiff at times."
Anakin stretched out the fingers on his mechanical hand. "Yeah, stupid thing. It hasn't been right since our last mission."
"Maybe you could try recalibrating the sensors in the joints," suggested Ahsoka. "That worked last time it got hit by an electricity pulse."
"Good idea, thanks, Snips."
"Anytime, Master." Ahsoka returned her lightsabers to her belt, then bowed, hands folded in front of her. Anakin smiled, a genuine smile, then returned the gesture.
"Same time tomorrow?" Ahsoka asked as they returned the mats to the side of the chambers.
"I'm afraid we're being called to Cato Neimoida, first thing in the morning," Anakin said. "But after that, I was thinking of requesting a training mission to Ragoon VI. It might be good to get away from the front lines for a while..."
Their voices trailed off as they exited the sparring chambers and Obi-Wan watched them go, revelation dawning on him.
They didn't need Ahsoka to be Knighted to see one another as equals. They already did, in every way that mattered.
It was evident in the way they acted around each other, the easy way Ahsoka had called her Master by name, down to the way they had critiqued one another's skills after their duel. Ahsoka still deferred to Anakin's authority and Anakin still held power over her, both as a General and her Master, but there was respect in the way Anakin considered Ahsoka's opinions, and Ahsoka had never been afraid to call Anakin out when she thought he was wrong about something.
He realized, then, that all of his concerns over Anakin's abilities to train a Padawan had vanished, one after the other. Anakin had been a good Master. Ahsoka had been the best possible choice as a Padawan for the unruly Knight. His worry that Anakin would grow overly attached had been for nothing as well- Anakin looked out for his apprentice, as a Master should, but he had not smothered her. He had let Ahsoka grow into her own person.
And now, Obi-Wan was confident that Anakin would be able to let her go, when the time came.
They're going to make an even better team once Ahsoka becomes a Knight.
That perhaps, was his only fear now. What havoc would those two wreak in his life once they were truly equals?
6
That worry turned out to be irrelevant as well. Two years, six months and one week and four days after Ahsoka became Anakin's Padawan, she walked out of the Temple, rejecting the Council's offer to allow her back into the Order.
Perhaps it was a testament to how badly she'd been hurt that she didn't even say goodbye.
It brought up a memory he'd long forgotten- being thirteen and attaching himself to a cause on a distant planet. He'd gotten so wrapped up in those young rebels that he let his attachment blind him to his true path, and he had left the Jedi Order to stay and help them. In the end, he realized he belonged with the Jedi Order and returned. It had taken him a while to understand how betrayed Qui-Gon had felt, but watching Anakin in the aftermath of Ahsoka's decision, he didn't think he had ever truly comprehended it until now.
Anakin walked back into the Temple after watching Ahsoka leave and he was devastated.
The Council gave him a week's leave to get his head on straight, though that wasn't the official reason. It had been Obi-Wan's idea- he wasn't sure letting Anakin onto the battlefield when he was filled with this much hurt and guilt and sorrow was a good idea. He feared for both Anakin's enemies and the clones under his command.
Part of him had been expecting Anakin to disappear during his leave, but when Obi-Wan returned to the Temple after a three-day mission, he was informed that Anakin hadn't left the Temple at all. That was unusual. But, then again, this was a rather unusual situation.
"Have you seen Anakin today?" Obi-Wan asked Yoda as the Council concluded their session, just a few hours after his return to Coruscant.
"Seen him, I have not," Yoda told him. "But, look for him in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, you should. Wisdom, he seeks, Obi-Wan. Help him, you can."
"I certainly hope that's true," Obi-Wan said, and keyed in the ground floor on the lift control panel.
The Room of a Thousand Fountains was a very large space, but Obi-Wan felt Anakin's force presence acutely as soon as he walked through the door. In the end, he followed the guilt and the sadness right to the source, and when he turned a corner, he found Anakin sitting on the bank of the waterfall pool.
His first thought as he drew near was that Anakin looked tired. His face was pale and there were dark circles under his eyes. His very frame looked weary, as is his shoulders carried a great invisible weight.
He looked the picture of a man who had lost something important, and Obi-Wan supposed that was exactly what happened.
Anakin had been prepared to lose Ahsoka to independence, but not like that. Not forever.
Obi-Wan didn't say any of what he was thinking. He merely sat down beside his former apprentice and let the sounds of a thousand fountains wash over him.
"How was Fondor?" Anakin asked after a moment. His voice was hoarse from lack of use.
"Cold," Obi-Wan returned. "How is leave? I hear you aren't exactly making the most of it."
Anakin smiled bitterly. "I know why you're here. Just say what you want to say, Obi-Wan, then leave me be."
"These are trying times, Anakin. I just want to make sure you're alright."
"I'm fine," snapped Anakin. He looked away and they settled into uneasy silence again. Obi-Wan glanced around at the winding trails that lead away from the pool, recalling all the memories he had of this room, both good and bad.
"You know," he said to Anakin. "It was here, in this room that Master Yoda and I made the decision to give you a Padawan. You were right, all those years ago. It was my idea to have you train Ahsoka."
"And look how well that turned out," Anakin said. His tone wasn't bitter, or angry. He just sounded defeated.
"Ahsoka's decision had nothing to do with you. You did everything you could to help her."
"She still left, Obi-Wan. I wasn't good enough to keep this from happening to her."
"She made her choice," Obi-Wan reminded him.
"She was selfish," Anakin said, and now he sounded angry. "She left the Jedi in the middle of the war, we need her!"
"The clone war will not be won or lost based on a single Padawan's decision," Obi-Wan said. He heard what Anakin was really saying: I need her.
"A decision that was wrong," Anakin muttered.
"Anakin," Obi-Wan began, "did you respect your Padawan?"
Anakin shot him a sideways glance. "Of course, Master."
"Then you must respect her choice as well. The way I see it, Ahsoka is not the only selfish one in this situation."
The anger drained out of Anakin again. "I... don't know what to do," he admitted.
Obi-Wan turned to face him fully. "When I first went to Master Yoda about finding a Padawan for you, I had... reservations about whether you would be able to handle one."
Anakin snorted. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."
"Let me finish. I have watched you and Ahsoka over these last few years, and not one of my worries came to pass. You rose to every challenge, every expectation and you trained her well. But now I have one more challenge for you."
Anakin looked up at that and Obi-Wan met his gaze evenly.
"Let her go, Anakin."
Anakin opened his mouth, probably to protest, but Obi-Wan kept going before he could say anything.
"You must accept that she's gone and move past it, and in time, it will get easier. I promise."
Understanding flashed in Anakin's eyes, and Obi-Wan knew they were both thinking of Qui-Gon.
"I'll... try," Anakin said, standing. Obi-Wan knew there was no point in reminding him that Jedi did not merely try. "See you later, Obi-Wan."
As Anakin made to leave, Obi-Wan's thoughts turned to Ahsoka and he found that he, too missed her. That was unexpected. Ahsoka had never been his Padawan, and he didn't have a bond with her like the one she had with Anakin.
They had grown close though, after all those missions together. Ahsoka had been a good companion throughout the war, and she had taught him a few things as well.
Like how to be a good friend. How to be an equal.
Teaching is a privilege. Pass on what you have learned.
Obi-Wan got to his feet. "One more thing."
Anakin turned around, expectant and weary.
"I'm proud of you, Anakin," Obi-Wan said, and then bowed. It was the first time he had ever bowed to Anakin before Anakin bowed to him. "Well done."
Shock echoed through the Force before it was quickly smothered, then Anakin repeated the gesture. "I- thank you, Master."
"You're welcome."
The artificial sun in the Room of A Thousand Fountains had witnessed countless important decisions. But tonight, it set on a small moment of healing.
It was enough for now.
As always, reviews are greatly appreciated. :)