Fever Dream
"Snips, you look terrible."
The sky was gray, rain threatening to spill out of the numerous extremely heavy clouds as Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan made their way through the forest back to their ship. This mission had gone on for much longer than anticipated, and from day one Anakin could tell that his Padawan definitely was not in top condition. She was extremely proud and stubborn, though, so the young Jedi Master decided not to say anything to her. If she told him on her own, there was a higher chance that she would do as he said and take some rest willingly. But, if she didn't, he would just have to force her to stay off the field for a day or two. That was only if she was sick, however. Perhaps she wasn't even ill, he mused. Maybe she had just been really, really tired for two days. But now, as they made their way through the tree-filled area, Anakin could tell that was just wishful thinking.
"I'm fine, Master. I promise." Ahsoka mumbled. Her lekku were flushed a dark blue, her eyes were clouded with fever and her face was beaded with cold sweat, and yet she still denied that she was feeling poorly. Anakin made a huffy noise in response, wishing that his Padawan would admit when she wasn't doing well. He remembered pulling the same thing she was when he was younger, and it had never turned out well.
But there was no time for musing now. They had to get back to the ship as quickly as they could and get back home. Their mission had been a success, but they needed to go before the native beings began lashing out. He had a good idea that they would not take advantage of the ending of their temporary peace treaty, but one could never be sure. The Jedi and Clone Troopers were only granted permission to stay for three days, and, now, the third of those days was dipping precariously into double digit hours. At nearly eight pm, they had four hours to get off of the planet before it was considered legal for the native species to attack. And so, Ahsoka and Anakin needed to hurry back. With Ahsoka moving at the speed she was currently, however, they would never be back in time.
"Ahsoka. If you're sick, you need to tell me."
The Togruta in question turned to look at Anakin, trying to make a truly offended and rude expression, but only succeeding in causing herself to look confused and, of course, sick.
"I told you. I'm fine. Please don't bring it up again..." Ahsoka mumbled pointedly, rubbing her watery eyes with the back of her hand so she could see clearly. Anakin needed her to admit she wasn't okay, so then maybe he could assist her or carry her and get them back quicker. There was no way they would make it at this pace.
"If you're so fine, why don't we spar? Right here, right now. C'mon, Snips, it'll only take a few minutes, and it'd be good to work on your technique over rocky terrain."
He wanted to see if she would deny the inconvenient idea and admit her illness, but to no avail. Anakin could practically feel his new Padawan pale, then watched her turn around slowly. He tried to look into her thoughts, but every single shield she could possibly possess was blocking him.
"Why don't we?" She said tiredly, putting on her toughest expression. Clumsily, she reached for her lightsaber and flicked it on. Anakin could admit, he should have thought this through a little better. Of course she'd say yes. She was as stubborn as he was. Sighing, the older man retrieved his own saber and positioned himself across from his apprentice, hoping as much as he could that her thoughts would be coherent enough for her to avoid slicing through him.
Within three minutes of beginning, Ahsoka had been taken off guard. She tripped over her own two feet, clumsily trying to right herself but ending up falling hard into the dry, filthy dirt. Anakin could see her holding a hand to her head for support as if she was dizzy, but the young girl stood anyways, brushing herself off.
"Looks like you won, master." She said softly, forcing herself to offer a small smile. The older man, however, could only see the pain behind it. He was thoroughly concerned; if she overworked herself, then she may suffer longer and more intensely than she normally would. But, she would just have to realize she needed to rest on her own or it would have no affect. If he told her, she would just be as stubborn and snarky as ever, and would probably tell him that she was fine and that he needed to stop worrying so much. And, so, Anakin decided to wait until she came to her senses and take a day off. Then he would give her a huge "I told you so".
No matter how much she tried to tell herself she was fine, Ahsoka's physical health was only deteriorating. She supposed it began after she visited the youngling quarters a few days ago, but she could never be sure. The smaller younglings always carried some sort of illness, probably incubated on their sticky little had ignored their griminess and had been within close proximity with more than half of them, and only when she left did she realize that might not have been the best idea. Even with her carelessness, though, there was no way of pinpointing where it came from. It could have been the other morning's rations; maybe they were expired. Or perhaps it was the strange drink that had been left in her tent the day before the actual mission began. It was left with a note claiming that it was meant to ease her apparent nervousness, signed with the scratchy cursive of her master. Either way, the day this mission was set to begin, the young Togruta had woken up with a piercing headache and a rolling stomach. Of course, she as a Jedi would need to ignore that. She had a job to get done, after all. She got up and pulled herself out of bed like a champion, trying to forget about the pain that flooded her head as she stood.
That had been two days ago. Now, as Ahsoka walked with her master through the large forest before them, she was trying her best to keep up the strong facade. She had fought skillfully among Jedi Masters and the clone army, and had spoken in a calm, tactful manner when forming an agreement with the species that called this planet home after they began to question the original agreement from the day before. She had remained perfectly useful, though she could admit she was a bit slow, throughout the whole mission. It wasn't her fault she didn't know how much longer she could stay alert.
If she could only make it a few more hours... If she could make it back to the ship, and survive the long flight home, she could collapse in her bed and sleep until next week. Nothing was planned for the next few days that she knew of, and so she could take advantage of her off days by making herself well again. Sleep could cure anything, even whatever in the Force's name this was.
Yeah. She would just sleep.
It was eight thirty pm when the first clap of thunder let them know that a storm was on its way. Shortly, the loud noise was accompanied with a few large droplets of water falling from the clouds. Somehow, Ahsoka didn't react to the sudden noise, and that was another sign that something was seriously wrong. Anakin shared living quarters with his young Padawan; he knew how worked up she got over storms even though she tried desperately to hide it. She did a fairly decent job, but even then Anakin could tell that whenever a storm arose, she was petrified. She was an extremely fierce warrior, but, when it came to nature's natural conditions she didn't seem to be able to cope. He supposed it was the sound of thunder; many other people that had been through war had trouble with the sound, and, if anyone should be affected by the war, it would be his incredibly young and reckless Padawan. But now, as the rain was beginning to pour and thunder was ripping through the atmosphere every two minutes, Ahsoka hadn't reacted. At all.
The two had managed to exit the forest and were now on a long, dry path along a rocky cliff. The change from nothing but trees to no trees at all was gradual, and neither Padawan nor Master had noticed their departure from the forest until they felt the freezing cold drops of rain begin to fall upon them.
"Snips, are you alright?" Anakin called behind him. The response was silence. Turning around to face his Padawan, he was finally able to see how her eyelids were now drooping and how her body shook with every step. She looked, to put it simply, like death itself.
"Ahsoka. Talk to me." He tried again. Recognition flooded into her clouded eyes and she immediately straightened and blinked a few times.
"Yes, Master?" She tried, trying to act as if there was no problem at all.
"You're sick, Ahsoka. I can tell just by looking at you. There is no way you can make it back to base without some help." Anakin wiped some rain off of his cheek as he said this, the back of his mind worried about the severity of the oncoming storm.
"I am not, master. I feel absolutely fine. You really shouldn't worry that much about me."
"You need to stop lying to me, Ahsoka. A Padawan should not lie to her Master, no matter the circumstances." After that, Anakin could feel the waves of anger floating off of Ahsoka's being. She huffed and glared at him, and then made the disrespectful decision to walk away. She crossed her arms and stomped unsteadily, making sure her shoulders angrily shoved Anakin as she moved past him. That was it. Anakin couldn't take her sass any more today, not when she looked so sick. He grabbed her shoulder forcefully and spun her around, not missing the way her face paled to a very sickly color.
"Ahsoka Nilou Tano, you will tell me right now what is bothering you, or we will not move from this spot. We're not going back until you tell me what's wrong and let me help you. Am I clear?"
And with that, the Togruta before him doubled over and projectile vomited onto his pants and tunic. Tears welled in her eyes immediately and she clasped her hands over her messy mouth.
"Master, I-I'm so sorry, I promise I didn't mean to, I just-" Anakin didn't miss the sickness in her face that cut Ahsoka off as she held a hand over her mouth and squinched her eyes shut. She breathed heavily for a moment before continuing. "It was an accident, I swear. I am so, so sorry, I just.." Tears dripped down her face as she sniffed and tried hurriedly to wipe them away, and Anakin immediately felt sorry for her. She just looked so... Pitiful. And small.
"Hey, hey, no, don't sweat it, Snips. Every Padawan pukes on their Master at least once. The way I see it, it's kind of a right of passage." He said with a small laugh as he examined his now filthy robes. There was no way this was coming out.
Ahsoka buried her head in her hands, a loud groan coming from her as she did so. The two stood in silence a moment, Ahsoka simply breathing and trying to calm herself. After a while she looked up, a completely weak and young look on her face.
"Master?" Anakin looked up at the sudden sound, hearing defeat in his apprentice's voice. "...I don't think I feel good."
It took every single bit of Anakin's willpower not to burst into laughter. The girl before him looked horrendous, with her lekku strips dark and her body shaking with fever. Her face on top of that, its color a very dangerous shade of greyish orange, was a dead give away. Not to mention that he was currently covered in her vomit. Of course she wasn't feeling well.
Anakin quickly became serious, however, realizing what a predicament they were in. His Padawan was extremely ill and was in no condition to make the ten mile trek back to the ship, and the rain was falling harder. In fact, by this point there was a steady downpour causing a sheet of rain that neither could see through. Thunder ripped through the atmosphere, followed shortly by a bright flash of lightning. Ahsoka noticed this time, her already trembling form shying closer to Anakin subconsciously. The older man, thankful that the rain was beginning to wash the vomit from his clothing, pulled his apprentice close and let her lean heavily on him.
"Come on. We need to get you out of this rain."
Anakin could feel her head nod, and moved rather quickly to push her into a taller position so he could help her walk. The sudden movement was not appreciated, however, as Ahsoka's head began to reel. She emitted a strangled moan and leaned heavily on Anakin, squinching her eyes shut and breathing heavily. He really shouldn't have let her come on this mission. The rain was coming harder now, if that was possible, splashing over them in cold droplets and causing them to shiver. Ahsoka already was shivering, of course, and Anakin could only imagine how miserable this must be for her.
After a moment, Ahsoka regained her balance and straightened shakily, her legs deciding that today just wasn't the day to cooperate with her. Her master noticed this, and, taking pity on his friend, Anakin lifted her into her arms.
She must've been really sick, he thought. She didn't even protest. She was burning to the touch, he noticed, her temperature extremely high for even a human, let alone a Togruta. Anakin couldn't help but to grow even more concerned.
"Now, don't get used to this, Snips. I can't be your own personal Bantha forever." He laughed through his worry, earning a tiny smile in response.
"You got it, Skyguy." She mumbled, her eyes hazy and only half lidded. She looked absolutely dreadful.
"You can try to sleep, okay? I mean.. I know it's hard. It's pouring rain and you're, like, in motion. But at least try." Anakin had barely gotten the words out before he noticed that his Padawan's eyes had drifted shut and she was curled in against his chest, her breathing even and her expression soft. Perfect.
She was afraid. It was dark, and raining, and cold, and she was afraid. Looking around, she noticed that she actually was not walking on her own. She was being forcefully held by her Master, who didn't notice that anything was wrong.
Why doesn't he sense anything? She thought, the feeling of dread in the back of her mind intensifying. Something was terribly wrong, but she couldn't tell what it was. Her mind flashed in an abundance of white light, and within seconds she was staring into a single, cold, sickly yellow eye, and someone was screaming.
Ahsoka woke in a cold sweat, her eyes opening and her breathing heavy as she tried not to cause a scene. She looked around, not recognizing her surroundings. She was in a cave. A fire partially illuminated the small area, and about ten feet away from where she was lying rain poured down in front of the cave's mouth. The sky had darkened significantly, and Ahsoka couldn't help but wonder how long she had been asleep. Everything looked extremely calm; perhaps her nightmare had been simply that - a nightmare. She wasn't extremely shaken; maybe that meant that everything was okay. Trying to push the memory from her mind, she lifted her head, trying to ignore the searing pain that shot through it, and looked up to see that she was positioned directly next to her master, her head resting on his knee. He was currently dressed only in his underclothing (His tunic and very thin pants), and was drying his outer robes over the fire. Ahsoka realized sheepishly that this must've been because of her, and the memories of the day began flooding back to her.
"Oh, you're up." Anakin said, his voice imitating cheeriness. Ahsoka could tell that wasn't his real mood, though. He sounded almost worried, but why would he be worried? Had her nightmare been that apparent?
Ahsoka started to sit up, but was hit suddenly with an agonizing wave of nausea. Oh. That was why.
"How're you feeling, Snips?"
She tried to give a thumbs up, but her body betrayed her and soon she was shakily moving as quickly as she could to the mouth of the cave before she lost the battle and vomited.
"Oh, Ahsoka.." Anakin sighed, and moved again to awkwardly pet his Padawan's lekku. She needed some comfort, but in all honesty Anakin wished it could be someone else to provide it. He was never good with this kind of stuff.
"I can take care of myself..." The Togruta muttered in an annoyed tone as she pulled back, her breathing extremely heavy. Her face had returned to the deathly grey color of before, and her lekku stripes were so dark they were nearly black. She looked dreadful, with her eyes half lidded and her mouth gaping with the effort of breathing.
"Don't be like that, Snips," Anakin said absently, not really hearing what she had said as he was focused more right now on the darkness of Ahsoka's lekku and trying to see into her thoughts rather than comforting her. With the effort of sickness, Ahsoka had unknowingly let her walls slowly slip down. Anakin could read her entire thought process if he wanted to, but he decided that today he'd be polite.
"Why would you think you're a disappointment?" He mumbled, and immediately the walls shot back up. Ahsoka's cloudy eyes widened and she shook her head.
"I-I, I don't, Master, I-" She stumbled, her eyes continuously looking to the ground for support, as if it would write her a detailed message on how to handle this conversation if only she stared at it long enough.
"Yes, you do." Anakin affirmed, his expression stern as he looked concernedly at his Padawan. "Ahsoka, do you really think that little of me? Just because you're new, or young, doesn't mean I don't want you. Why would you think that?"
"No one else did..." The girl mumbled, taking this moment to wipe her mouth with the back of her hand.
"What was that?"
Ahsoka glared the best she could through ill eyes, and sighed. Her lekku would surely have darkened more, Anakin noted, if that had been possible.
"I said, no one else did. Why would you?" The young girl spat, her head reeling slightly with effort. She looked into Anakin's eyes only to be met with anger. Immediately she faltered, her eyes looking back to her feet and her voice shaking. "I-I have to try non-stop, I can't... I can't disappoint you like I did everyone else. I know you didn't want me."
Anakin stopped. He wanted to tell his young Padawan that she was wrong, and that of course he had wanted her, but he couldn't lie. It was true. He hadn't wanted a Padawan, but it wasn't specific to just her. He just didn't want to be a teacher. But all that had changed as soon as he met Ahsoka. She was just like him - of course, he hated her at first. She could rival anyone in sass levels, and her ambition made her incredibly reckless. However, after sharing living space with her for a month, and training with her daily, and going on mission after mission with her by his side, Anakin had learned that he really didn't know how he functioned when he wasn't mentoring her. She kept him rounded, much like Obi-Wan and Padme. Before he could say anything, though, she continued.
"I was the last in my class to get a master." She said softly, her hoarse voice trying its best to be strong as tears gathered in her eyes. She looked about five years old, and Anakin could tell she probably wasn't well enough to be having this serious of a conversation right now. She continued anyways. "I was too brash, or too reckless, or too young. No one really wanted me. All the other younglings hated me, too, because I was ahead of them in their studies. They called names and put me down, but I didn't really care because I knew they were all going to be working under me one day." She smiled sadly a little, then broke to cough before continuing. "But then, when everyone was slowly getting picked off to become Padawan, I just... Wasn't. Usually everyone gets a master by 13. You're supposed to have a master by 13. And I didn't, and the only reason they gave me to you was because I was pitiful. You didn't even want one, so I don't see why they decided to surprise you with me, but they did, and you hated me. Just like everyone else..." The young Togruta's voice trailed off and she sighed. Tears were spilling over her eyelids now, but she wiped them away quickly. She really didn't feel much better than earlier, but at least her stomach had settled enough for her to get this pressing conversation out of the way, even if she was crying. At least for now.
"When I was a Padawan, Obi-Wan tried to send me back."
"What?" Ahsoka looked confused, which Anakin supposed was better than hurt. He went on.
"He tried to send me back. After Qui-Gon died, he just didn't know how to cope, and he had just been knighted himself. He didn't know how to care for a Padawan at all. But you know what?" Ahsoka's eyes told him to continue. "He kept me. And even though he was overwhelmed, and hated my annoying a*s, he kept me, and he learned to love me. And now we're best friends and he totally doesn't care that I sometimes steal his food." Ahsoka let out a tiny laugh, a strangled and hoarse noise coming from her ill throat, but a content noise all the same. Anakin smiled, too. "He went to the council and asked if they could take me and train me as a youngling with the others, and Master Yoda was all like, 'Get over your big ego, you can.'" He had done a horrendous impression of the ancient master, and was sure he would be punished if anyone found out about it, but it was what his Padawan needed. He was laughing now, and so was she, all signs of her previous tears gone. "There is no way I'd want to send you back now. Even if you are a grade A sass master." His Padawan smiled up at him, but within moments her smile had faltered and warm tears had come into her eyes again.
"Wh-what's wrong? Whatever I did, blame R2, not me." Anakin said, hoping to get a laugh from Ahsoka, but only receiving a moan. Much to his surprise, she leaned onto his chest as her shoulders began to shake, her breathing hot against his thin shirt.
"I feel so sick.." She mumbled, letting the tears come without a struggle. Anakin wanted to comfort her, he really did, but he had no clue what to do. And so he turned to humor.
"Yeah, you look terrible. Like, absolutely terrible. Maybe even as bad as Obi-Wan when I take him flying." He smiled, awkwardly petting her back. She laughed quietly as she elbowed him, and he could sense that she was mostly at ease. That was odd; he had never felt that around her. Usually she was guarded; hiding her insecurity in bravado and trying to prove herself. But now, she simply was. She wasn't hiding her sickness, wasn't acting too strong or annoyed, wasn't acting like everything was fine when it wasn't. She was acting sick, and scared, and cold, and tired, like any fourteen year old would in this situation. To Anakin, that was enough to know that he had done his job right.
"Hey, Snips, once we get out of this, what do you say to spending a few days relaxing? No missions, no training, no nothing," He felt her warm head give a tiny nod, and looked down to see her wet eyes close. "But you have to promise to spend a few days in the med bay." There was a small, sleepy sigh, and Anakin laughed. When she found out she had promised in her sleep to go to the med bay for more than a day, she would not be happy.
The storm had only gotten worse. Rain was pouring, and thunder was rolling, and Ahsoka had slept through the entire thing. Anakin was growing increasingly worried with every shade darker her lekku grew as her forehead reached the point where it was scalding to the touch. She looked more and more distressed as time went on, and he knew she'd soon be waking simply from the pure discomfort of it all. Never one for studying medicine, Anakin had absolutely no clue what was wrong with her, how he could make it better, or if it would even be possible to make it back to the ship with her in this condition. It's not like they could stay here forever. For one, Rex and the troops had no idea where they were, and on top of that the native species would soon be angry with their stalled departure. He couldn't fight another battle so soon. Well, he could, but he didn't want to.
Surely it was around midnight there. That was four hours after they were supposed to begin the trek back to Coruscont, and he wondered how their troops back at base were holding up. He hoped that their delay hadn't caused too much trouble, but in all honestly he doubted that everything was still fine. Then again, he probably shouldn't think like that, as his Padawan really shouldn't travel right now. No point in thinking of the worst if there was no way to fix it. Said Togruta stirred, her body shivering slightly and a tiny uncomfortable groan coming from her lips.
'Speak of the devil', he thought. He supposed that was cruel, but he really did not want to deal with sickness again right now. He had no idea how to. But, his fears were put at ease as Ahsoka curled in on herself even more and let herself fall into a deeper sleep. He let out a sigh of relief and lay down himself, figuring that he really should try and get some sleep if they were to try and make it back tomorrow.
The open field was yellow as heat lightning flashed in the distance. She could make out their ship about a mile away, but for some reason, they were not moving towards it. Almost immediately she realized that she was standing on her own, and that her head was reeling in pain. She felt like vomiting, but for some reason, she was fighting it. Something important must have been happening. She turned behind her to see that Anakin, too, was standing at the ready with his lightsaber drawn. He looked fierce, and Ahsoka immediately felt afraid.
Anakin awoke a few hours later to the sound of heavy breathing. He sat up, yawning slightly, and groggily looked around. Towards the mouth of the cave her could make out the still falling rain, a few distant flashes of lightning, and his apprentice sitting and leaning heavily on her outstretched arms. Sighing and hoping that she had just decided to take an evening breather (Yes, at three in the morning. It was plausible) rather than something serious, he walked slowly to her and kneeled at her side, placing a hand on her back. She jumped a little, then shivered at the warmth, but she refused to look up at him.
"Hey, Snips. You okay?" His question was met with a shaky intake of breath before his Padawan's shoulders twitched and she gagged slightly, not letting herself give in to her sickness. It took Anakin a moment to realize what she was doing, and then he noted that she looked rather silly trying to stay unchangingly strong through this. But that was his Padawan - stubborn to the end.
"Hey, look at me." He said softly, taking her face and turning it towards him.
"'m not sick.." She mumbled, her clouded eyes not meeting Anakin's. The older man snorted.
"Yeah, and I'm the king of Hoth." He smiled, then continued on in a more serious manner. "There's no way you can hold out like this. It's just a little puke, kid. I say get it over with, you'll feel better."
"You won't judge me?" Ahsoka mumbled, looking pitiful.
"Didn't we already have this conversation? Of course not, Snips."
Within seconds, Ahsoka's shoulders hitched again, and she doubled over and allowed herself to be sick. Anakin cringed, then put an awkward hand on her lekku and petted softly. Except, it wouldn't stop. She doubled again, heaving and gagging, everything left in her stomach and then some being expelled off of the small cliff outside of their temporary dwelling. She leaned back to catch her breath as she emitted a strange choking noise mixed with her extremely harsh breathing.
"You oka-" Anakin was cut off as she heaved again, and he could tell simply from looking at her that Ahsoka was in terrible pain. Tears were coming freely as she sobbed and coughed, and soon she was just dry heaving without anything left to come up.
"'m okay, I'm okay," She mumbled, trying as hard as she possibly could to catch her breath.
"That was some champion mileage there." Anakin joked to keep her at ease as he looked at her sunken face. He lifted her hand and pinched between her thumb a forefinger, frowning as the color took longer than expected to come back. He was in a war, of course he had been trained to check for dehydration. And she was definitely dehydrated. Anakin moved away from Ahsoka quickly, checking her cantine only to see that it was empty. He went to his own and, deciding it would be just to sacrifice just a little bit of water, he pressed it to her lips. She took in the water and then pulled away and spat it back on to the ground. It didn't take a medic droid to know something was seriously wrong.
"Ahsoka, when did you start feeling badly?" Anakin asked sternly, keeping a steady hand on his Padawan's back as she tried to catch her breath.
"'don't know. I guess maybe it was the other day, after... After you gave me that tea. Before the real mission started." The Togruta mumbled, her eyes closed as she leaned into Anakin's touch.
"Snips, hate to break it to you, but I never gave you anything." The Jedi Master was now becoming even more concerned. If she had received tea from someone, there was no telling what was in it. Especially if they had masked themselves as him.
"Yeah you did, it was by my tent with a... A note." Ahsoka put a hand to her face and sighed into it, wishing she could just sleep for three days to let this sickness pass.
"I didn't. Someone must have forged my name..." Anakin's eyes were wide with worry now. Who had done this? "Ahsoka, we need to get you to a medic. Fast."
Why didn't I realize it sooner? He scolded himself internally, beginning to panic. All of the signs of poisoning were there. Why did I not picked up on it?
And suddenly Ahsoka was quiet and was writhing in pain, her eyes shut as tightly as possible, and her mouth emitting tiny, strangled sounds as she thrashed.
"You brought this hardship." A harsh voice said vehemently, and Ahsoka could practically hear its slimy tongue tracing its chapped lips with vigor. "You're the reason for the death; for the pain."
Ahsoka turned quickly, following the sound of the voice but not able to place its source. She turned in circles, her expression fierce and her head throbbing with pain. Whatever was happening, it did not have a good end.
"Who are you and what do you want?" Ahsoka said fiercely, narrowing her eyes at the darkness.
"Do you enjoy battle?" The voice said, laced with false sweetness. The sound made Ahsoka's skin crawl.
"Who are you?" She repeated with more force, continuing her dance of trying to find the source of the voice.
"You do enjoy it; I can tell. I always wondered about the Jedi... About whether they really did care about the common people." It paused, as if thinking, and Ahsoka was suddenly disoriented, not sure where to look now that there was no sound to follow. Within seconds, her arms were bound and a faceless, humanoid creature had appeared extremely close to her. Its face was mere centimeters from hers, and yet, she still couldn't make out any features.
"I know now that they do not. Do you like suffering?" It continued as its hand darted to Ahsoka's throat. She instantly felt her airways closing, and she sputtered and thrashed, trying to break free. "That is very good, my dear, because now you may experience that too. Just. Like. Us." The hand around her neck tightened, the world turned black, and Ahsoka was falling.
The Togruta's eyes opened quickly and without warning, and she abruptly began gasping for breath.
"Ahsoka, Ahsoka shhh, don't panic, you're okay," Anakin instantly tried to soothe, his voice stern and worried. Ahsoka took in an astounding amount of air, and immediately doubled, stomach acid being expelled harshly from her being, soon coupled with splashes of rust red blood. She coughed as she retched, and within minutes she was trying once more to catch her breath.
"Master-" She tried, coughing harshly before continuing, "Master, something's wrong. I-I saw someone, I-" She stopped and breathed, her frantic eyes beginning to calm as she found herself in her surroundings. It was alright; she was safe, she was with her Master, she wasn't in that dark place any more. There was no voice, but, she soon realized, would there be one? If her visions were correct, how could she fight in this state? Anakin immediately picked up on the dread filling his apprentice, and took a very risky move in his opinion and pulling her into a tight hug.
"It's alright to be scared, Snips." He said, holding her close how Obi-Wan had once held him, and how his mother had before that. He wiped at her eyes with his hand carefully, startled when he pulled his hand back stained with red. Noticing the touch, she looked up at him, and he saw her eyes to be bloodshot and dripping, blood mixed in with her tears. If they didn't hurry, he feared she would be gone before nightfall the next evening.
"C'mon. We need to get going." Anakin took off his cloak and wrapped it around his confused apprentice, then wrapped her tighter in her own cloak and hoisted her into his arms. He carefully moved out of the cave, stomping out the subtle remains of their fire on the way out.
Ahsoka wasn't even protesting at this point. Though she hadn't been the whole day before, the continuance in the lack of sassiness and snarky comments caused Anakin's worry to skyrocket. He had to get her help, even if it was the last thing he did. He was nearly positive that bile and blood were coating his arm where Ahsoka's head rested, but he could not have cared any less. They were on their way now, and hopefully soon everything would be okay.
The sun should have risen by now, but, alas, though the rain had ceased, clouds still covered the sky. It wasn't dark, but it wasn't quite light, either, and for that Anakin was happy. If the sun had decided to shine, it would have been much more strenuous to carry Ahsoka through it. Heat was never very pleasant. Sleep had caused the Togruta's body to become slack and heavy, her eyes shut loosely as Anakin moved as fast as he could. He could see the ship; they were so close; maybe two or three miles away on completely flat grasslands. He would jokingly tell Ahsoka later of how hard he had worked and how lazy she had been, just to lighten the mood and see her smile. Or maybe he would tell her that if she had been in his place, she totally couldn't handle it. Starting a light-hearted argument with her always cheered her up, and now that the time when he could was in sight, he was beginning to ease his worry.
"You." He heard, a gruff voice sounding from nowhere in particular. Immediately he swiveled, trying to place the sound. "You are Jedi."
"Yes, we are. And who might you be?" Anakin said with venom in his voice, continuously turning to try and find the source of this voice.
"I am no one. But you, my friend, you are everyone."
The voice was soft, but not too soft, its grainy undertones allowing it to be heard across the silent atmosphere.
"What do you mean? Show yourself." Anakin spat, standing still as he felt Ahsoka squirm in discomfort from the movement. Poor thing, he thought. She could probably sense the uneasiness in his mind.
The next few seconds happened in a blur. Anakin felt something shock his back; his arms dropped, Ahsoka falling to the ground. He fell, hearing his apprentice's startled shriek as she, too, hit the ground, and then his world went black.
Her eyes shot open with the sudden impact of hitting the dirt ground. She gasped in pain, her head spinning and her breath coming in short gasps from the fall. Where was she?
Ahsoka sat up as quickly as possible, ignoring the blood dripping from her mouth and eyes, and tried to look around. Something was not right, but she couldn't quite place what.
"Why are you not dead?" The voice was so gruff, so frightening, and immediately she recognized it. That voice, it was from her dream. And with that, she realized it wasn't a dream at all- it was a force vision.
She hoisted herself up onto two legs, albeit shakily, and turned to the voice, gasping inwardly when she saw a dark figure positioned over Anakin's unconscious body. It had his lightsaber in its hands, poised perfectly to stab through Anakin's chest in one swift motion. He was staring right at her, his musky yellow eyes meeting her own blurry vision.
"That poison. You should be long gone by now, Jedi."
"Wh...what poison?" She mumbled, barely keeping her thoughts together.
"Oh, had you not put two and two together, youngling? You were stupid enough to trust a simple label with your precious master's name. I thought Jedi were supposed to be bright? Obviously not the case." He smirked, his smile tilting up on one side.
"I am no fool." She growled to the best of her ability, weakly drawing her saber.
"Oh, aren't you? You brought this war. You all did." The smirk had changed to an angry grimace, and his grip on the lightsaber had changed so it was pointed ever so slightly at Ahsoka. "Do you enjoy battle?" He said in false sweetness, the voice causing Ahsoka's skin begin to crawl. Just like before. Her breathing became heavy once more, her eyes squinted as she tried to see through the thin layer of red tinted film that had settled over them.
"No." She said softly, her arms wobbly, "No, this is not.. No." She couldn't let the vision come true. She didn't know how it ended.
"'No' what, youngling?" All false sweetness thrown to the side, the man spat at Ahsoka, drawing close to her face in one swift motion.
"I don't think I should grace you with a response." The Togruta glared at him, baring her fangs slightly to show him that she could be a threat.
"Oh, no matter. You won't last much longer." He drew Anakin's saber quickly, but Ahsoka was quicker even in her weakened state. She groaned slightly with the exertion, her head throbbing and stomach feeling ready to launch itself and all other existing organs out of her mouth at the next rest stop. She pushed through it, however, for her master. For her friend.
Without the grace and precision of her normal fighting, Ahsoka pushed the man's saber away, holding her breath in hopes that it would be enough force to keep him off of her.
"My family; they are dead now." The man shouted, and Ahsoka was able to see that tears had formed in his eyes as he glared at her. "This war, it brought famine, and death. I watched them - my wife, my children, my brother - I watched them cry and wither with hunger and thirst until one day, they were no more. One day it was only myself. And do you know who brought that famine, that war?" The Togruta was using all of her strength now to keep his saber away from her face, "You. You Jedi and your cruisers," He flipped the saber from under Ahsoka's quicker than she could think, the blade grazing her skirt as she fought hard to block it. "And your clones," She struggled to block another swift movement, "The droids! You killed my family, and now, I shall kill you!" Her head swam in dizziness as his blade moved fast, grazing her many times as she tried harder than ever before to keep herself and her Master safe. She could barely even tell what was happening anymore; they were moving with incredible speed, and she was nearly positive her eyes had welled with tears at the pain her body was feeling. She was not okay, but maybe, in the end, he would be less okay, and she could go home.
Or maybe just die. Her mind supplied. She felt startled at first, but then she felt overcome with peace. The idea of death felt so cozy and welcome to her poison-ridden mind. Death or home, that's what she wanted. Either way, she could be taken out of this horrible pain, this horrible fight. Her movements were slacking now as her thoughts became fuzzy and her mind slipped, and she had been caught by the saber many more times. She was beginning to give up when he impaired vision caught sight of Anakin beside her, his hand-to-hand combat skills coming in handy as he won his lightsaber back. That recovery gave Ahsoka the will to go on, or to at least try a little longer. And so they fought side by side, trying not to kill this man, who was surprisingly skilled for a simple citizen with only a single blaster, but to protect themselves. He soon fell, injured and unfit to go on in battle, and Ahsoka felt okay again. She felt warm, and peaceful, and ready. Ready for what, she did not know, but she heard a single shout as her knees gave out and she allowed herself to fall to the ground.
"Ahsoka!"
When her eyes opened, they were met with the florescent lights and the clean, sterile smell of the med bay. She hated the medbay, but she supposed it was better than...She couldn't even remember. Better than something, she supposed.
"Ahsoka." She turned her head weakly to see Anakin, his hand wrapped around her own and his face welcoming and soft. "It's okay, don't panic. How are you feeling?"
The Padawan thought for a moment, allowing herself to collect her feelings.
"Like I might vomit." She retorted, some of her sass seeping through her illness.
"Yeah, that happens. Just be glad I convinced them to let you ride out the remaining side affects the natural way instead of giving you a laxative." He laughed ever so slightly, and she did, too.
"Thank you for helping me." She mumbled, sitting up in a tiny way.
"Thank me? No, thank you Snips. You saved my life." Anakin smiled again, never letting go of her hand. "Maybe now we can call it even for you puking on me and then me carrying you ten miles?"
"You take care of me instead of making me stay in this gross hospital room and we got a deal."
With that smile, and that nod, Ahsoka knew everything would be okay. Her master was there for her, and he always would be. No matter what.