I am quite officially sick. Sore throat, blocked nose, fever, everything. My head's been hurting like insane lately as well - but hey, I'm glad I wrote this chapter beforehand. Another thing - I created a playlist for this story on YouTube, if you would like to listen to it. Just go to my channel, which is actually linked on my profile. Check under my playlists and you should find it.


CD Three.

"I don't like school. In fact, I kind of hate it. Because most of the time, the teachers think it's more important to know what x is equivalent to and why plants have water transported upwards and the Age of Western European Exploration than teaching kids to be nice to each other and to accept differences and question authority. It's kind of odd, too – we have history and English classes that make us read stories and texts about famous people questioning the authority of others – to be open-minded – but nah, none of the teachers like that. Kind of sketchy, if you ask me.

But Mr. Kenobi, your class was something else. And in a good way, too."

Of course, the class was different. Obi-Wan was the only teacher who believed that knowledge came from more than textbooks and documents, even though he was something of a bookworm himself. He was the only teacher who actually encouraged students to go out and explore what could possibly be out there – as long as they kept clear and open minds.

And Anakin knew that because he had Obi-Wan as a teacher, too.

And Obi-Wan was probably the only teacher Anakin ever had who bothered to listen to him when all of the other teachers thought he was some crazy kid with his head in the clouds.

"You were always around, you know. You were the only one who stayed in the office after hours. You actually liked teaching, which I kind of found funny, because the majority of teachers in this fucking school only teach because they need a job. You can tell. Don't give me that look, I know you are – don't even deny it." If this was under a different circumstance, Anakin would have laughed – because he knew exactly what look Ahsoka was describing. Whenever a student – or a different teacher – said something questionable, Obi-Wan would either tilt his head and raise his eyebrows – or he would just glance over at the person and throw on his best unimpressed look. Both expressions were filled with just the right amount of sarcasm and subtle annoyance. (Anakin knew those looks because he was usually on the receiving end. Over time, he had memorized every single gesture and detail in Obi-Wan's gestures.)

"But I'm not here to talk about other teachers. Yet. I'm talking about you, Mr. Kenobi, the English teacher who allowed us to debate whether or not Holden in The Catcher in the Rye really hated life or actually hated adults. Hey! I just realized that that's pretty fitting – don't you think?

Did Holden hate life or did he hate adults?

Answer: I think he hated both.

Hold on, hold on, hold on! I've got an explanation for it!"

Anakin remembered Obi-Wan teaching The Catcher in the Rye. He also remembered Ahsoka remaining quiet during all of the lessons, especially so because the rumors were still circulating around her. Anakin would always look over at Ahsoka – wonder what exactly she was thinking, because she never seemed that she was paying attention.

She was.

"Because yes, Mr. Kenobi, though Holden loved his little sister and his little brother and loved the merry-go-rounds and didn't move away from the rain, I think he hated both. Everyone's a phony, compared to him. He hates that in life, everyone grows up. Everything ends to him. That life pressures people into growing up too fast – remember? That's why he was so angry at Sally when she said there would be oodles of time left to do all the things Holden wanted to do. Because life was turning people into something that they weren't.

Oh, well. It made more sense in my head."

Anakin understood it. Only he didn't know why Ahsoka was rambling about The Catcher in the Rye right now.

"Sorry. Am I driving everyone crazy? You're probably all telling me to get on with it. Stop being so melodramatic. But I'm afraid these are my own words, and I'm allowed to say whatever I want to. And I don't think I'm too sorry about that.

But anyways.

Mr. Kenobi, you were the one who told us to question authority.

So.

Why couldn't you say anything when the teachers and the principal called me to the room? Why couldn't you say shit for me when I needed it?"

This was…hitting too close to home.

"Now, before everyone starts arguing and debating – no, I'm not calling Mr. Kenobi a hypocrite. Because there are hundreds of factors and variables that went into this name. This was your job, Mr. Kenobi. You liked teaching. You should hold onto that…even if it meant letting some student go. And knowing the kind of person you are, Mr. Kenobi, I think that's going to haunt you without even my words to follow you around.

But why am I still here?"

Yes, why are you still talking about him? Anakin thought, clutching the corner of Ahsoka's desk. He looked down at a doodle on the side of the desk – ironically enough, a picture of a stick-figure and a speech bubble that read, 'I hate life!' Judging by the handwriting, it wasn't Ahsoka's. But Anakin wondered if the girl had seen that same doodle everyday – what did she think of it? Did she think of it as a reminder? A taunt? Something that mirrored her own thoughts?

Anakin felt a shiver run up his spine.

"I'm still here because I watched you throughout the entire meeting, Mr. Kenobi. You didn't say a single word. And I knew – I knew – from the way you held yourself, from the way your eyes kept flicking over to me, from the way you looked at your fellow teachers and the principal, that you hated being there with every fiber of your being. You wanted to burst out of the room. I knew that. And I knew that you wanted to say something. I saw that in the tightness of your jaw.

I'm almost sorry I decided to put your name on this list, Mr. Kenobi. Because I honestly think that if we could go back, you would have said something or at least tried to get me out of there.

But I don't think we can go back. Sorry. Unless some genius invents a time machine, we're not ever going back."

Anakin let his head fall to the desk. I'm sorry, too, Ahsoka, he thought to himself. Obi-Wan wasn't the only one who didn't speak up.

xXx

Anakin's phone rang. He startled, paused the CD, and reached into his pocket to fish out his phone. His heart was pounding – what if it was actually Obi-Wan? What would he say then? ("Hi, Obi-Wan – I'm just listening to a disappeared girl's CDs. You know, and I'm on the one where she's talking about you? Yeah. I'm on that one. What do you wanna do later tonight? Go out for Chinese food? Yeah. Totally starving after hearing this girl talk." Ha. Fucking. Ha.)

But instead, he found himself looking down at an unknown number. Honestly, he had enough surprises for today.

He pressed accept anyways.

"Hello?"

"Er, hi, Mr. Skywalker."

Anakin frowned. The voice was deep – but judging by the way he was addressed, the person definitely wasn't older than him…was this person a student? How did he even get his number? "Who is this?" he asked, standing up. He ignored the sharp shriek of the desk scraping against the floor.

"I'm Rex, sir. I'm a friend of Ahsoka Tano's. I know that you've got the CDs, sir."

Anakin went cold. He felt his fingers numb over as he clutched the phone tighter. "You know that I have the CDs," he said quietly. "So? What now?"

There was a silence. Then, the boy – Rex – asked almost patiently, "Which CD are you on, sir? Which person are you listening about?" Anakin felt his heart plunge into his stomach. He closed his eyes and responded, "I'm listening to Obi-Wan's. I'm in the middle of it. Why?"

"Because Ahsoka Tano instructed me to visit everyone who's on the CD that's about to be his."

Anakin took some time to digest that. "You mean to say that I'm next?" he asked.

"I'm standing outside of the school right now, sir. I'll meet you there." The click that followed told Anakin that Rex had hung up the phone. Anakin stared down at the Discman – at his phone – around the classroom. He slowly packed up his things and walked out. And though his Discman was paused, he was beginning to see the school even without Ahsoka's words.

This was what she saw. This was what she felt.

Anakin even stopped by the office where the teachers gathered after school. He knew that office all too well – the posters and letters and post-cards hanging above some desks – coffee cups and water bottles scattered on others – and some papers placed around in stacks. Textbooks littering the corner of the room. Anakin was always supposed to clean them up, but he never found the time to.

Ahsoka had stood at the center of the room when she was brought in. The teachers were gathered around her. There were some police officers around.

There were so many people around, just to accuse a confused and falsely-accused sixteen year old.

Anakin felt something hot well up behind his eyes. Dammit.

He was next.

In less than who knew how long, he was going to know what exactly he did that compelled Ahsoka to leave.

He turned and left the school.

xXx

A tall, muscular looking boy with close-cropped, dyed blond hair was waiting for Anakin outside the school, just as he had said over the phone call. Rex gave a small nod to Anakin – and without another word, the two were walking off the school grounds. "I've been watching the school – I live right across from here," Rex explained quietly as Anakin pulled out the Discman.

"How do you know who to look for?" Anakin asked, looking down at the pavement. "Are you also on the CDs?"

They both skidded to a stop. Rex turned to look at Anakin, his face solemn and serious, which struck the man odd, since Rex was younger than him and still looked older in the shadows. "No, sir," Rex replied gravely. "I am not on the CDs." Anakin frowned. "Then how do you know –"

"I told you, sir – Ahsoka Tano and I came to an agreement. And frankly, sir, after all the bullshit that was thrown at her, it was the least I could do." Rex's words were unfailingly sharp and cool – and though they stung, Anakin couldn't help but to feel some admiration. Then, Anakin found the courage to ask, "Have you by any chance…listened to the CDs yourself?"

It was hard to read Rex's expression when he replied, "Yes, sir. I have."

Anakin pressed his lips together. Rex, at this point, almost looked sympathetic. "I'm sorry, sir," he said at last. "But you're going to want to listen to the rest of those CDs. It's…the last one, too. It ends with you."

"I kind of wonder how you feel now, Mr. Kenobi. If you look over at my empty desk and think about where I possibly am or what I possibly felt when you couldn't say anything. I just feel bad for you. That's all I feel. I feel bad that you didn't get to fight against the authority that trapped you. I feel bad that you were dragged to watch one of your students have fingers jabbed at you.

I heard you before the mock-trial occurred, you know. I heard you before I was pushed in. That's right, listeners – I was shoved in. I was shoved in like I was a common criminal. Isn't it odd how that works? The other teachers who I thought at least had some sort of respect or affection for me turned out to be nothing but stone-cold, fake-faced people. And I was waiting to come to the realization that you were just like them, Mr. Kenobi.

But I heard you.

'I still can't believe we're doing this,' you were saying. 'Don't you think this is unfair? She's a young girl – it can't be her. She's never taken a computer programming class in her life. She's never been seen consorting with dangerous people. She's never cut class – she's never asked for trouble.' And then a different voice – the principal's – replied, 'But the evidence says otherwise. She was found with the same laptop that was used to hack into our security systems.'

That laptop was yours, Barriss. Which you planted in my locker. And then you tipped off the security guards of our lovely school to do a random locker-check. But you know what you did.

Anyways. Mr. Kenobi, you argued, 'There has to be a different way to prove her guilty. It just doesn't seem like her.'

'You'd be surprised how easily adolescents can deceive people, Mr. Kenobi.'

Give me a fucking break."

Anakin remembered that conversation. Obi-Wan had spoken in a calm, measured tone, keeping himself at a distance – but he knew that his friend was struggling. He could see the signs everywhere. And then Anakin had said something, too – he remembered muttering that this entire ordeal was stupid and childish. Only Obi-Wan shot him a warning look.

Anakin wished that he had ignored that warning look.

"Those words gave me hope when I was shoved in, you know. For a second, I allowed myself to believe that maybe, there was still a small chance for me. But then, Mr. Kenobi, you did something extremely odd. You didn't say anything.

I guess it's the principal's fault.

But he's not in these CDs, because I don't trust him to carry out my words. So I suppose he's worse than the whole group of you. Strange.

You could have outed, Mr. Kenobi. You could have said something more. You didn't. I understand that." Anakin could hear Ahsoka breathing heavily through her mouth. Anakin could picture her now – sitting on a bed, sitting in a desk in her bedroom, recording these CDs.

"So I guess this is my way of telling you that next time, say something. Don't hold back. And for God's sake, get out. You're not like the rest of them."

The CD came to a stop. Anakin undid his earbuds and turned to Rex, who looked back up. "It's done, isn't it?" he asked. Anakin nodded his head once. Rex paused at the sidewalk. "We should go somewhere else," he replied. "Does the café downtown sound good to you?" Anakin blinked. "Why?" he asked, puzzled.

"Because I've been doing it to everyone else on the CDs. Even that Bane freak. Didn't really carry out much of a conversation, but it was enough." Rex replied. He looked at Anakin. "And with all due respect, sir, I think you need it."

xXx

Anakin got a coffee. He didn't touch it until he asked, "How long did you know Ahsoka?"

"Since we were in middle school," Rex replied immediately. "She was the new kid. We got on pretty quick. I was supposed to show her around the school." Anakin tried to remember Ahsoka's words – You should have seen me in middle school. Rex was looking out the window. "Nice kid. She still is, if you can imagine that."

"I can," Anakin found himself saying. Rex turned to look at the older man. His stare was questioning – almost challenging. "Well," he said, picking up his own cup, "I hope you still believe that once you hear what she has to say to you."

Anakin cast his eyes at his coffee cup. "She left these CDs for a reason," he replied quietly. "She left them so we would understand why she left. Those people she named – Bane, Barriss…Obi-Wan. Me." He looked back up. "She had a right to name us. If I did something that she saw as one more reason to leave, then I'll listen. I should. I have to."

Rex lifted an eyebrow. "You know, Mr. Skywalker," he replied, "I was never really your student. I had a different English teacher, and you were never a student teacher to me. But Ahsoka did mention you a few times." Anakin stared. "Really?" he asked, unsure how he felt over that. He hardly knew Ahsoka – and Ahsoka hardly knew him.

At least, that's what he thought.

"She thought your last name was funny. Our codename for you was Skyguy." Rex's eyes were shining a little from amusement – and Anakin's flustered look probably made the experience all the more humorous. And for a second, Anakin felt that it was so ridiculous that he, too, felt like laughing. "Really," he repeated. "Well…isn't that…that doesn't even sound like a good name. It's like something you'd find in a…comic book for five year-olds."

Rex shrugged his shoulders. "We still used it. Trust me, it'll grow onto you."

"I'm going to give her a nickname, then. See if she likes it."

"Trust me, sir, she'd find it just as amusing."

Anakin paused. "Did she really talk about me?" he asked.

"Yeah. She thought you were curious. She found you funny. I think she kind of looked up to you, which I always told her was weird, because you two never really talked – but you know, the day before she left…she told me about a conversation she had with you. You didn't know she was leaving, either." Rex replied quietly.

Anakin had to take a few minutes to digest what Rex was saying. And then the memory shot through him like a lightning bolt. He had talked to her. Once. On the steps that led up to the school. He hadn't said much – but now that he thought of it…

"Oh."

Rex nodded. "Oh is right," he murmured. He nodded down at the CD – the last one, with a neat number 4 pressed against the plastic. "We're going to be walking around with that in your CD player over there. Finish up your coffee – we'll leave soon."


A/N - I've always just been fascinated with Obi's role in the entire bombing arc. I actually remember feeling really bad for him, but also got saddened by the way he was throughout those episodes - because you could tell that he didn't want to be around, but the Council dragged him down to press charges against Ahsoka.

And I also forgot to tell you guys this - I've recently reached over 300 favorites/followers on my user, and to celebrate, I decided to do my very first fanfic giveaway. There's more information and restrictions on certain fictions, but basically, if you would like to enter, just shoot me a PM. And I don't know why I kept saying this story was five chapters - it's actually four. I didn't notice I said that until my brother pointed it out to me one night. (Thanks, brother dear.)

Reviews are great, constructive criticism is alright (but for goodness' sake, on the actual content, not my opinion on something) but flames are not.