V.E.: Wait, am I starting this right after I finished another update? I mean, I usually give myself at least a day or two to cool down and thank any reviewers before I start any other projects. Well…wow, I must really want to write this chapter.

(Thinks about for a few moments.) Yeah, I really do. I've been wanting to do this chapter, as well as the inevitable confrontation of Luke and Ahsoka vs Vader, since I began this story. Over two years ago now. When I start these stories, I have a general outline of how I want them to go, but I never know how long it will take me to write it. Simply put, life hits you in highs and lows.

Still, I'm grateful that you guys have stuck with me for this long so I guess it is only fair that I do this best to finish this story. Although, I will probably never write in this fandom ever again.

Roll chapter then!

Quote: "Human beings, we have dark sides; we have dark issues in our lives. To progress anywhere in life, you have to face your demons."- John Noble

As a Jedi, you were meant to be prepared for anything. Ahsoka had certainly found herself in her share of unexpected situations, which seemed to only have gone up a few levels when she had been transported to the future. Nonetheless, the former Jedi Padawan had thought she had addressed whatever had come her way rather well given what she had gone through.

But now, she felt like her brain had stopped functioning, that her eyes and ears truly were playing tricks on her. Because there was no way that what she was seeing was actually there. And yet, she knew it to be true.

Standing right there, in the middle of that dark cave and the source of the Dark Side that she had felt so strongly, was herself.

Not a clone or a mirror image to her present appearance, but rather her past self. This Ahsoka Tano was a dead ringer to how she had looked when she first came to the future, how she had been back during the Clone Wars. She was a little shorter in height as were her montrals, her old burgundy outfit looking a lot more comfortable and familiar than the pilot outfit she was wearing. There was no beaded Padawan braid hanging down, but the twin light sabers were right there at her sides.

But at the same time, there was something off. Her face, head tails, and montrals had thin tendrils of black showing which also appeared at other places her skin was showing; most notably around her lips and eyes. Speaking of which, they weren't the calm blue orbs she was used to seeing in mirrors, but rather a burning orange-ish yellow that seemed to blaze uncontrollably, almost like mad. And her expression….

She was pretty she had never been through something that would make her look like that.

It reminded her eerily like Mortis and yet she got the feeling that this was going to be much, much worse.

"Ahsoka" rolled her eyes, a look between boredom and annoyance replacing what had been there before.

"Oh joy, the silent treatment. I deserve better than that, don't I?"

Then her eyes sparked with something not quite sane as she seemed vastly amused by something.

"Or rather, don't you?"

With that, the darker version of Ahsoka laughed, showing herself to also be the source of the dark girlish laughter. Finally, Ahsoka spoke.

"How…?"

That seemed to please the other Togruta as she addressed the other "her."

"Oh good, she finally speaks! About time, I was really starting to get impatient, but you'd know all about that."

Ahsoka shook her head, trying to get her muddled thoughts straight as she asked the other.

"Who…. what are you?"

"Ahsoka" smiled, gesturing wildly like a little demented circus clown as she spoke.

"Oh, come on, you should know by now. It's me! Or rather, it's you. You remember Mortis, don't you?"

She 'pretended' to just remember as she stared at her other self.

"Oh wait, you don't. Funny, how death does that."

Ahsoka's mind was scrambling, asking as she gestured to the darker version of herself.

"What does Mortis have to do with…. you?"

"Don't you remember what Daughter said before you came to this time? How her power was transferred to save your life?"

As a matter of fact, she did though she hadn't really ever had the chance to ask about the details. The last thing she remembered about being captured by Son was the weird dizziness of her head before passing out. The next thing she knew, she had woken up in Anakin's arms; her Master and Obi Wan's worried and relieved faces before their attention had turned to Father's despondence as he knelt Daughter's lifeless body, no longer glowing like the godlike being she used to be.

"Yes, what about it?"

Yellowish orange eyes blazed as the other Ahsoka sauntered towards her with malicious smirk.

"You know, I could tell you, but I get the feeling it'd be much better if I showed you."

As she got closer, Ahsoka's instinctively took a few steps back, but that didn't deter her. Just as they stood face to face, the "other" Ahsoka made one of her hands like a claw and made the motion as if the scratch her other's face, but just as Ahsoka was about to shut her eyes and brace for the impact, the darker half's hand changed to just one finger pointing at her and lightly poked the middle of her forehead.

And then everything in her mind exploded with the images and sounds, the memories overwhelming her as the dark cave faded away.

"You are MINE, NOW."

"Are you…. proud of me, Master?"

"Snap out of it, this isn't you Ahsoka!"

"Isn't it? I feel more like myself than I ever have!"

"Then you will be forced to kill me!"

"Getting ahead of yourself, Snips?"

"Two Jedi. Finally, a challenge."

"Yes, we cut her free!"

"Where did you get that?! Give it to me!"

"You will stop this!"

"You mean nothing to me, anymore."

"I am sorry Father, I did not know how else to stop him."

"Ahsoka, no."

"Thank you, your usefulness has come to an end."

And with the memory of Son's touch releasing her from both his control and life, Ahsoka was back in the dark underground once more, gasping for breath and eyes wide in disbelief.

"I….no way…."

Her darker self smiled in satisfaction, backing up a bit as she went on to explain.

"Oh yes. Back on Mortis, Son opened your eyes and brought you under his control. After that, you fought both your Master and Obi Wan. Even after he has perished, a mark of his power remained within you. Even with Daughter's power, it lingers still."

Ahsoka looked at her, fear and disbelief in her eyes.

"All this time…. I've been carrying that inside me…. carrying you?"

The darker half merely smiled.

"Bingo."

"Why didn't Master Anakin or Obi Wan tell me about this?"

That prompted a demented laugh out of "her."

"Oh please, when have those two ever trusted you?"

That got Ahsoka's eyes blazing.

"They trusted me!"

"To hold your own in battle, occasionally and even then they still treated you like a child. But with real secrets? Oh, they never did. Take Padme and Anakin, for example."

Ahsoka bit her lip, that little secret still stinging long after the two were gone.

"You were his Padawan, and he still didn't tell you about it. Guess he didn't trust you not to go running to the Council, even after all you'd been through. Padme probably thought the same and you thought of her as a sister!"

"They…"

Ahsoka's voice faltered, her body language closing up as doubt played across her face.

"And let's not forget Obi Wan. Exactly, how much did he tell you before dumping Luke on you?"

As much she wanted to tell that darker half of herself otherwise, all Ahsoka could do was stay silent. Force knows, how many times she had been wondering about this stuff to herself.

"Not to mention the truth he kept from you about your beloved Master."

That brought Ahsoka out of silence as she stared down the fully real shadow.

"What do you mean? What happened to Anakin?"

That made the other Ahsoka chuckle darkly.

"You'll find out soon enough."

Before Ahsoka could press further, the other her changed the subject as she began to walk in a circle around her.

"Though if you think about it, their distrust in you was nothing compared to the utter lack of confidence in you by the Council. You wised up to that though, that's why you left isn't it?"

"I left because I needed to think on my own! I couldn't trust myself!"

"Ahsoka's" voice rose as she practically yelled at her.

"LIAR! The Council hung you out to dry, throwing you to the Senate! Face it, it didn't matter to them if you were guilty or not, all that mattered was their reputation. And when the truth was found out, what did they say? That it was our great trial, our problem to see through! No apology, no recognition of what THEY had done, just saying that we could come back to the Order THEY expelled us from! The Jedi Order was our life and what did that mean to them? NOTHING!"

Ahsoka could only watch as her shadow started circling again, noticing how she angrier she was getting and how much the Dark Side seemed to get stronger as well as the use of pronouns. Then the shadow chuckled darkly.

"Oh, I wonder how they dealt with Barriss. I hope it wasn't by firing squad, too quick if you ask me. Sure hope it was painful."

Ahsoka looked at the other her with wide eyes.

"Why would you say that; I would never want her to…"

"Oh, even after she betrayed us? She didn't even look at us in that Court Room!"

That shut her up as the darker half went on.

"If you think about it, what has trust gotten us? Anakin, Obi Wan, Barriss, the Council; they all betrayed us! Of all people, VENTRESS was probably the only we worked with who was completely honest with us. I guess that lesson rubbed off on us though."

Her face was confused, getting over how her mind seemed to be at war with each other in the physical plane.

"What do you mean by that?!"

"Why, Luke and the others of course. I mean, how much have you really told them?"

"It's personal and they know that, they all have stuff like that so they understand!"

"Really?"

That tone "she" used made Ahsoka, all throughout this conversation it felt like she wasn't really thinking straight. This trial truly felt like it, a battle between two sides of herself and the scary part was, she didn't really know which side was going to win.

"Ahsoka's" smile turned utterly malicious as she finally stopped and looked her other dead in the eye.

"I wonder what Luke would say when he finds out who your former Master really was. But really, it's completely understandable you wouldn't trust Luke with how much stronger he is than you. Of course, you envy him. And you fear him."

That got Ahsoka boiling, though she tried to not give into her anger. It felt like she had less control by the second, the presence of the Dark Side gnawing at her mind.

"I do not fear him! Luke is my student, my friend, I trust him with my life!"

Her other self's eyes lit up at that.

"But you do envy him! All those years you spent at the temple, and he's already surpassed you! No matter what you threw at him, he took to it so easily! To be a teacher means to fear and envy your student, because you know they will surpass you!"

Ahsoka felt something dawn on her mind and quickly responded.

"That's not the way of the Jedi, that's the way of the Sith!"

"Ahsoka" smirked.

"Are they truly that different? After all, we'll show them soon enough."

"What are you talking about?"

"You have the power to show them all! You can feel it, can't you? The Son's power waking up within you. With his power as well as Daughter's, you can become more powerful than anyone. Yoda, Vader, the Emperor…they would be nothing compared to you! You could show them all; destroy them and claim the galaxy as your own!"

The other Ahsoka's eyes burned orange and yellow, glowing as a haze seemed to come over Ahsoka's mind, and she held out a hand to her enticingly.

"All need to do, is give in."

Ahsoka looked at hand, her voice practically a whisper.

"Power…"

The shadow self's voice crooned in anticipation.

"Yes, our destiny awaits us."

Ahsoka's hand slowly reached out towards her other self.

"Strength…"

"Yes, we will finally be strong!"

At that, Ahsoka's hand stopped in midair, directly above her dark side's own.

For the first time, the other's voice was not angry, malicious, or taunting, but rather confused.

"What?"

The whispering grew into a sure voice as the hand retracted itself.

"But…. I've always been strong…"

How else would she have been able to make it this far? Through training in the Temple, fighting in the Clone Wars, being a part of the Rebellion; she'd always been strong. She didn't fall to the Dark Side for power then and she wasn't going to fall right now. She had people counting on her, Luke was waiting for her right now to get back to him.

More than that, she knew what the Force was telling her to do.

She smirked at her dark side's confusion.

"Sorry, but I don't need your help or Son's power. So why don't you get out of here?"

That seemed to infuriate "her," her voice becoming a mixture of her own and something darker.

"You little….do you really think you have a chance without me?!"

"Yes, now LEAVE."

The darker half's hand became like a claw as she moved to grab the Togruta's neck.

"You insolent fool!"

Just as she was going to grab it, Ahsoka's hand caught her, holding the claw like hand at a safe distance. The darker half struggled while Ahsoka looked her dead in the eye.

"You may be a part of me, something I may never be able to fully get rid of, but you do not…define me! You do not…. control me! NOW… GET….OUT…OF MY…. HEAD!"

The dark Ahsoka pounced towards her, yelling as she tackled the Togruta to the ground before the body disappeared, engulfing her in what appeared to be dark clouds. For a moment, the clouds encircled her before dissipating. Just before they left complete, the voice of Son echoed through the cavern and her mind.

"You will regret this dearly, child."

And just like that, the majority of the Dark Side's presence seemed to leave the cavern, though traces still lingered. For a minute or two, the Togruta lay there with her eyes closed and her body still. Then the balls of light appeared once again and came down to her, Daughter's voice rousing her.

"Ahsoka….it is done. Come back now, Ahsoka."

With that the former deity's words calming her, Ahsoka stirred and sat herself up.

Daughter's voice echoed once more, her satisfaction evident.

"You have faced yourself and triumphed. You passed The Trial of Spirit brilliantly, Ahsoka."

Still shaken up, Ahsoka spoke quietly.

"All that time, I've been carrying that."

"Yes, but Son's remaining power will never take hold of you now. Though that mark will still be within you, it should never trouble you like that again."

"Back on Mortis, a vision of the future me said that I had the seeds of the Dark Side within me. Master Luminara also noticed. I just didn't expect it to be that strong."

"Everyone has the capability to give into the Dark Side, just as any being can turn to the Light. But you knew there was that chance and in so doing, you did not follow the folly of some of the greatest Jedi Masters."

Ahsoka responded, slowly picking herself off the ground and dusting herself off.

"That's hard to believe. So, am I ready to face Master Yoda again?"

The balls of light swirled before floating over and out the opening where Ahsoka had come in.

"Yes, you are ready now. Follow the lights, they will lead you to him and your student."

Ahsoka took a deep breath, finally feeling a little clam, as she walked back to the entrance. It took a little time to maneuver her way through the vines back up then it had been to drop down into the cave, but the Togruta eventually managed to get back up.

The outside didn't seem to have changed that much as her eyes brightened at seeing the little balls of light by her lightsabers untouched. She sprinted over in which the balls of light went ahead of her, strapping them back to her side.

"Right where I left you."

Just as she was finished though, a low rumble was heard in the air. About a few seconds later, the heavens opened up and began pouring, thunder heard rumbling in the background.

Ahsoka sighed as her body became drenched in a matter of seconds.

"Oh, come on."

Still, she turned to where the little balls of light were hovering and began to make her way over.

"Well, lead on again, I guess."

Ahsoka had seen more than her fair share of unusual dwellings, almost as much as different types of dangerous situations. As a Jedi, she was taught what mattered when it came to dwellings was not the physical appearance, but she had to admit the thing in front of her certainly made her do a double take on how someone could live in there.

It was a small hut, that seemed to be constructed inside the base of a tree (through what type of tree Ahsoka couldn't tell). There were circular holes to serve as windows and light streaming out to show that someone was living there. It looked rather small, something that would cramp someone about her size. She didn't want to think how Chewbacca could possibly get it.

Then again, it's probably perfect for Master Yoda.

The rain seemed to dying off (or at least drenching) as she got closer to the house (to which the little balls of light disappeared, having guided her to her destination). Once she got close enough, R2-D2 came up the side, beeping merrily at seeing the Togruta and rolling over.

She bent down to give the droid a little hug.

"Hey there, Artooie."

R2 seemed very pleased to see her again.

She turned her head towards the unusual hut.

"I guess Luke's already in there."

The silver blue droid beeped in confirmation, sounding both relieved at her presence and annoyed at what he had gone through which got the Togruta looking at him in confusion.

"Geez, I'm almost afraid to ask."

A very familiar voice called form inside.

"Hey R2, what's the all racket out there about?"

It wasn't too long before Luke came out to see her, his eyes lighting up in relief as he went to hug her in the drenching rain.

"You're safe! I was worried when I couldn't feel you earlier, but then it was back."

She patted him on the back.

"I said I'd be back, didn't I?"

They pulled back a little, the two of them standing in the rain and thunder. Then Luke's expression turned dry.

"You could have warned me."

"You've met Master Yoda, I see."

"Yes I did, you really could have warned me."

Ahsoka rolled her eyes at the blonde haired young man good-naturedly.

"Oh come on, it could not have been that bad."

His frankly dry look said otherwise when a very old and familiar interrupted.

"This, what is? This who you spoke of is, hmm?"

The two broke apart to see the old Jedi Master in the small doorway. Unlike any of the other people she had seen in the future, Yoda didn't seem to have changed at all. The little green alien Jedi Master looked exactly as he did the last time she saw him in the Council's room other than a few more wrinkles. He stood there with his cane, looking curious.

But his expression changed to utter disbelief when his eyes saw exactly who had accompanied Luke to Dagobah.

Luke spoke then, a little taken aback at the change in the Jedi Master's expression.

"Yes, this is…."

Ahsoka laid a hand on his shoulder.

"It's all right Luke, Yoda remembers every Jedi he helped train as younglings and I was one of them."

She took her hand of then and slowly walked over to Yoda. For a minute, she just stood there, as if the two weren't sure what to say to each after all these years.

Then, Ahsoka knelt to Yoda's level, bowing her head low as she finally spoke.

"Master Yoda, it is good to see you again. I know it must be strange for me to be looking so young and I swear I'll tell you full story later, but…. I just want you to know I'm sorry! I'm sorry for leaving everyone! If I had been there, I…."

Ahsoka was cut off then as the green Jedi Master wrapped his arms around her, drawing her into a tight hug. Just as she processed what had just happened, she felt him shaking and the noises coming out of his mouth…

Master Yoda was crying, mixing with the rain that was drenching her body.

"Ahsoka…. Ahsoka…"

"Master Yoda, you don't have to…."

He cut her off then.

"No, it is you who have not to. I who must apologize, is it. Too blind to see what was truly important, we were. Have died, you would because of it. Failed you, the Council did…. failed you, I did. So sorry, I am Ahsoka."

Ahsoka gave him a squeeze.

"Master Yoda…. it's okay."

The old Jedi Master didn't say anything, merely hugging her as if to reassure

Luke looked between them and then back up at the rain before speaking to them.

"Umm, I know this is a really nice moment, but do you think we could finish it up inside, out of the rain?"

R2 beeped in agreement.

V.E.: Made it before my online class starts. Great.

…..I was very conflicted while writing this chapter.

Back when I wrote Blue Eyes Cinderella (my first real story, if I think about it), I really didn't like doing terrible things to a character I liked. And now here I am. I thought about it and I realized the difference. There it was to showcase how terrible the bullies were. Here, the pain has a point, a lesson if you want to call it. In order for Ahsoka to come to her own conclusions and move forward, I had to hit her where it hurts. Doesn't make any more pleasant, but I really had to think about that scene in the cave and what should come up.

Anyway, I may not update for a while, but I hope to update one of my stories before I head back to campus.

Next time, we'll get to Vader and the Emperor's…. chat.

Please review and I hope I'll see you next time!