A/N: Alright long note and it's more miscellanoues than anything, but thought I'd type it out, so when picking a sport for Ahsoka I knew it was going to be some form of Martial Art, but none quite fit her style the way I liked. In Star Wars there are two martial art forms mentioned, Echani used for military and special forces and Teras Kasi used against Jedi. Since Ahsoka uses a lot of quick movements and some flashier kicks, I've landed on Wushu as her martial art, which is under the umbrella of Kung Fu. Though it will be slightly different than how it actually is in real life. It will be called Wushu Akul, the rankings will be via a sash with the lightsaber colors. The rarer the lightsaber color, the higher rank is the reason for the list as follows. Beginners: Blue, Red, Green. Intermediate: green/yellow, Yellow, ice blue, Advanced: white, Purple, Orange. Black belts are separate. I did my best in describing the fighting and how a martial arts tournament works, but I've never been to one so this based on some google searches, my friend who did Karate and the Karate Kid remake in 2010.
Summary: Padme Amidala built bridges with people, especially with her 4th grade students. When new student Ahsoka joins her class, she is ready to start building a bridge to the young girl. Anakin Skywalker doesn't trust easily, especially when his little sister is involved. But he's drawn to the 4th grade teacher and willing to trust Padme with the darker battles his family is facing.
Chapter Nine
Anakin had just climbed out of the driver's seat to see Ahsoka had already run off to the entrance of this place. He would have called after her, but seeing as she was running to her team mates and teacher, he didn't say anything. It was tournament day and she was excited to get started. Over the years Ahsoka had tried about every single sport she could, the only one she stuck with and enjoyed the most had been mixed martial arts, though she had a fairly long stint in gymnastics.
When Ahsoka turned four, she had wanted to part take in the fighting all her other brothers did. While Anakin would fault her father on many, many things, something he had to admit was a positive for the man was his dedication to ensure each of his children, step sons included, knew how to defend themselves. The day Ahsoka took an interest, he spent two weeks taking her to different classes to see which one she liked best until she settled on Wushu Akul, under the Kung Fu umbrella fighting style.
Six years later, she still loved it and was a top fighter in her class. Anakin was looking forward to watching her compete today, but he couldn't fight the pit in his stomach on the chance that her father might show up. Three days and he had yet to make an appearance, it only fueled everyone's anxiety.
"You look happy," Obi Wan said coming to his brother's side.
Anakin didn't look away from Ahsoka as he answered, "What if Maul decides to show up here?"
Obi Wan spoke calmly, "Then he shows up. As much as I hate to say it, there isn't a violation of him appearing. However I don't think he'd show up here when he doesn't know about it."
That didn't make Anakin feel any better, he turned to Obi Wan then, "Her grandfather knows. I imagine the two of them have gotten reacquainted by now."
"Is our esteemed grandfather coming," Obi Wan questioned, a twinge of nervousness present on his face.
Anakin asked with a scrunched brow, his tone just barely defensive, "And why would I know that?"
Obi Wan replied, "You said grandfather knows, I didn't tell him about this-"
"Are you suggesting that I told him," Anakin interrupted, his tone angry.
"I didn't say that," Obi Wan said evenly.
Anakin narrowed his eyes at him, "For your information, no I didn't tell him about this tournament. He already had a schedule when I brought Ahsoka to see him at the end of summer as per the arrangements. But he hasn't come to the others, so why would he bother now?"
Without saying anything else, Anakin stalked off to join the twins who were waiting for them at the front entrance. Ahsoka, her teammates and teacher, had already made their way inside. A heavy breath left Obi Wan as he watched Anakin disappear into the building. He hadn't meant to aggravate his brother, but he supposed it was unavoidable given the topic.
When they had been younger, Anakin had gotten along fairly well with their mother's father. Grandfather Palpatine seemed like a good natured man, Obi Wan could remember Anakin always raving about him when they were younger. That was until he learned a bitter truth about the old man and what he had done to their mother. Because of that, Anakin's bond with the old man had broken. Obi Wan's relationship with the older man had been off before then, but the revelation made it worse. Not that it mattered much to him anyway considering he leaned more on his father's father instead.
Grandfather Duke, though they called him Dooku, had always been tough, rigid and strict, but he was also gentle and caring towards his grandsons. He even looked after the twins and Ahsoka as if they were his own. That made Obi Wan wonder if he would be arriving to this tournament, he had appeared at one other this year so it was certainly possible, but not likely. The thought of both older men made Obi Wan tense. It was times like this Obi Wan envied people who didn't have these strife's and complicated familial relationships.
"Are you ready to go in," Satine asked coming to his side, her expression showed her concern, "You alright dear?"
"I'm just fine, the early hour is getting to me is all," Obi Wan reassured her.
Satine did not appear convinced, "You may be able to spout half truths to everyone else, but not to me."
"I forget, your job is to find holes in what people say," Obi Wan remarked dryly.
"And now you are trying to redirect the conversation. What's bothering you," Satine asked, her tone soft and sharp at the same time. He hated when she did that.
Obi Wan exhaled, "Just a spat between Anakin and I. He was worried about Malachai coming, which lead to discussion of the possibility of our grandfather coming."
Satine nodded, "I see why that wouldn't be the nicest of discussions. Your family is certainly interesting to be hold."
"That must be a compliment," Obi Wan said with a smirk.
Satine gave him a small smile in return, "We better not keep them waiting. I'm excited to see Ahsoka compete."
"Coming from the pacifist," Obi Wan teased as they walked forward.
"Just because I'm a pacifist doesn't mean I don't believe in defending oneself," Satine told him. "Besides, I take a great deal of pride in knowing my future sister-in-law will be able to fight for herself."
At those words, Obi Wan's smile spread across his face and the weight he carried was lifted off him slightly. It was easy for him to get caught up in all the chaos of his life, but little things like that brought him some semblance of order and peace. It always seemed Satine knew how to remind him of those things, those sweeter parts of life when he struggled to see anything besides bitterness.
Ever since he'd met her, he'd always been overly fond of her and cherished all their time together. He knew from the start she would be his wife someday, he was certain of it. Not saying anything, Obi Wan placed a gentle kiss on Satine's cheek. The smile she gave him made his heart soar. Feeling lighter than he had in days, he kept a tight grip on her hand and the pair of them walked inside the building.
The gymnasium was rather large, though considering it was a college gym it made sense for the size. On the main floor, four square mats had been placed there with enough space for the competitors and officials to walk through and ensure that the neighboring matches wouldn't interfere with the other. Obi Wan had been to a number of these competitions over the years, whether watching his brothers or sister compete or being a competitor himself. His step father had been keen on having him and Anakin know how to defend themselves, the arrival of Rex and Cody had only strengthened that desire for all his children to know how to fight.
Obi Wan hadn't been interested in martial arts, at all if he was being honest. The only reason he participated was because Mau- Malachai had a point. Though Obi Wan wouldn't have called himself a weak child, he certainly wasn't strong and one day when Anakin had been pushed down by some other kids, Obi Wan had been virtually powerless to stop them. So Obi Wan learned to fight as well, for protection and nothing more.
The couple found their seats beside Anakin, the twins and Satine's sister, Bo, along with her nephew, Korkie. As Obi Wan took his seat, he looked around the sea of people for Ahsoka and his eyes landed on her at the edge of the mats. Her and the five other students were dressed in the red silk/satin uniform of their dojo with white accents and an embroiderled Akul over their heart.
Ahsoka stood between her teammates Trilla Kestis and Knox Wan, her excitement growing the closer time came to the opening ceremony which meant time for the competition. It was still thirty minutes away, which was forever, but still it was getting closer. The room was buzzing with competitors, judges, instructors and spectators. The ten year old glanced around to see if she could find her family members, but with the growing crowd and her needing to focus on what her instructor was saying, she didn't get the chance to spot them.
"We've already gone over the schedule for the day, you each know where you need to be and when," their instructor asked, her gaze expectant.
For the past few years Ahsoka had been going to Shilli's Dojo, where she learned Wushu Akul under the instructor Shaak Ti. A tall woman with dark skin and kind brown eyes who chose each of her students to come to this competition. While she was patient and kind, she also had a no nonsense attitude. Her fighting was brilliant, she was Ahsoka's favorite instructor.
The six students in line before her answered, "Yes Master Ti."
Master Ti nodded in approval, "I expect you to all remember. If there are any changes I will inform you. Now there is a section by the bleacher back that way. Jog over there and complete your warm up. Ahsoka you're leading them today. Be back here five minutes before the opening ceremony."
"Yes Master Ti," the students said once again.
Ahsoka stepped out of line and made her way to the front. Once she had, she started to jog over to the opening space where her teacher had pointed with her teammates behind her. Soon as they made it there, they lined up in a circle and got to work on their warm up, which consisted of running through their forms. The first time they went through them, they did it slowly, but then they would do it faster with each round.
This tournament would have Karate, Tae Kwon Do and Kung Fu competitors, it was a fairly big tournament with all ages and rankings. Ahsoka was eager to get started, she would compete in the weapons divisions and in sparring. Though she would need to be careful if she ended up competing against someone of a different martial art. For example taekwondo competitors wouldn't be allowed to punch someone in the head like a karate competitor. It could definitely lead to some advantages or disadvantages depending on the person. That didn't bother Ahsoka though, she knew the rules she had to follow and was more than ready for the sparring form of the day, it was her favorite part after all.
With their warm up over, it was time to head back to Master Ti for the opening ceremony followed by taking their places. The group started to make their way back to Master Ti, but Ahsoka stopped when she saw something, someone, out of the corner of her eye. A sharp pulse of surprise and panic went through her as she looked around a bit frantically, trying to see them again, but they weren't there. Vanished out of sight, like a ghost.
"You alright there Tano," Trilla asked with a frown.
Ahsoka nodded, she put on her best smile, "Just fine,"
Not saying anything else, Ahsoka stepped away and back in line with her team mates. Minutes later the opening ceremony began, but Ahsoka couldn't pay attention. Instead, she kept her eyes on her family who was sitting in the bleachers not too far away from here. Obi Wan was sitting by Satine and Korkie, Cody and Rex next to them with Satine's sister Bo. Anakin was sitting on the row in front of them with Ms Amidala. That was a nice a surprise, she wondered what her teacher was doing here. Ahsoka brought her focus back to the present, ready to get started.
Anakin's foul mood after talking with Obi Wan didn't last long, in fact it almost instantly went away when he spotted Padmé. It turned out that her younger niece, Pooja, would be competing at this tournament. A pleasant surprise if there ever was one. For the duration of the weapons and forms divisions, he had been seated beside Padmé, their hands in each other's ninety percent of the time and in the first divisions passed by in a blur.
The first round of the sparring division would be coming up, starting at one which was starting in roughly twenty minutes. Anakin was standing off to the side of the bleachers, taking a moment away from his family and waiting on Padmé to return from a phone call she needed to take. The time alone was a nice one for him, he could just relax for a minute.
His eyes would continue to glance off in the direction where he saw Ahsoka and her fellow team mates running through some more forms, stretching and things. The sparring division had always been his favorite part of the day, Ahsoka as well, so he knew she was more than eager to get started and he couldn't wait to see her get out there. A content sigh left Anakin then, he could ground himself in this moment and be at peace. Unfortunately, the universe didn't like him enough for that.
"She's grown up so much."
Anakin went still in his place, he turned his neck sharply to see his grandfather. Sheev Palpatine was an old man, wrinkles everywhere with silver hair. While he gave off an aura of friendliness, he wasn't someone you could call a friend. It had taken time for Anakin to see past the facade and once he had, he could never look at his grandfather as anything more than a bitter old man.
"What are you doing here," Anakin said, forcing his tone to remain even, "You weren't invited."
His grandfather only smiled sweetly, "Nonsense my boy. This tournament is open to family after all, I merely wanted to see my only granddaughter compete."
Anakin narrowed his eyes, "Considering you never showed up to the other ones, I find that hard to believe."
"Well things happen, life gets in the way," his grandfather replied tiredly, "Ahsoka needs to have her family around."
"Yeah and that doesn't include you," Anakin snapped, his temper rising.
His grandfather was calm as ever, "Now Anakin you know I did not mean it personally in trying to get custody of Ahsoka. You and Obi Wan do not need the burden of a child."
"Ahsoka isn't a burden," Anakin growled at him, his eyes alight with anger, "And she belongs with us, with me. Away from you and Malachai."
His grandfather hummed. "Yes, I did hear of Malachai's release. A girl needs her father after all."
Anakin's nostrils flared at that, "Like my mother needed you?"
"And I have regretted my wrong actions ever since," Palpatine said, his tone sincere, "That is why I have done all I can to make up for it. Ensuring you and all your siblings could make it through college."
Anakin only glared at him, "Only after the courts saw that you were hiding the funds our mother left us."
"I tell you I hadn't known the accounts. I know you do not believe me, but it was a mistake and I want to make it right," his grandfather said pleadingly.
"Leave," Anakin hissed at him, "Ahsoka is better off without you and Malachai around- he better not be here."
His grandfather frowned, "I don't know where he is, I came alone."
Anakin stepped away from him as he said, "Get out of here. Ahsoka doesn't need you."
"But does she need you," his grandfather asked, "You're still so young, taking on a child on your own is not feasible. Not to mention the toll it would it take on your mental heal-"
"Goodbye," Anakin interrupted, facing the man with a steely gaze.
Knowing there was nothing else he could say to the younger man, his grandfather muttered something that Anakin barely picked up on, but he heard enough of it for his anger and fear to spike. However before he could react, the old man had stepped out of the gym leaving Anakin alone once again, his heart pounding in anger. What did he know? The old man was just upset that he didn't get his way. Anakin was best for Ahsoka, he could care for her the way she needed to be cared, he was going to be the best guardian ever. Maul was not a good fit for Ahsoka, their grandfather wasn't good either. The only good thing to come from this interaction for Anakin was that his grandfather would support Maul. The two of them would work together, the question was just when.
"Ani," Padmé said, bringing Anakin out of his thoughts, "Anakin, are you okay? What happened?"
Anakin took a shuddering breath, "My grandfather was here. We had an unpleasant conversation."
Padmé frowned, "What did he want? Is he still here?"
"No, I sent him away," Anakin told her, he visibly swallowed, "He's on Maul's side which tells me that either he'll drop his case and support Maul, or Maul will support him."
"How can you be certain," Padmé asked, her tone worried.
"He said a girl needs her father which is a pretty pointed statement," Anakin whispered, his head spinning.
Padmé opened her mouth to say something, but her eyes flickered past him to see Ahsoka running their way. Anakin barely glanced to the side, he could see the young girl in his periphery vision. The pleading look told Padmé all she needed to know. Trying to get the worry off her face, Padmé watched as Anakin bent down just as Ahsoka was in range of them and the young girl replied by jumping on his back. Smiling brightly, Anakin caught her and spun her around.
"Hey Snips," Anakin said as he looked at her, "What brings you by?"
Ahsoka grinned, "I saw you and Ms Amidala and wanted to say hey before the next division. Ms Amidala, you'll watch me won't you?"
Padmé smiled at her, "Of course I will. You've been doing great so far."
Ahsoka's expression turned proud, "Thank you. I have a good feeling about the next rounds, I've got it."
"Just don't get cocky," Anakin said as he set her down.
"Wouldn't dream of it Skyguy," Ahsoka replied grinning.
Without another word, the young girl took off back to her group so they could take their places back at the mats.
"Anakin," Padmé said softly, "Are you going to be alright?"
Anakin exhaled slowly before answering, "I don't know."
Padmé hated feeling helpless, she wanted to help him in any way, but she found there was very little she could actually do to help him or his family. The best she could offer was to just be there for him. She wrapped her arms around his middle, offering whatever comfort she could to him in this moment. Anakin brought his arms around her as well, a soft sigh leaving him. A few more moments passed, with the two of them just holding each other. The time came for them to make their way back to their seats, Anakin didn't let go of Padmé's hand the entire walk there and she held onto him as they sat down.
He whispered to Obi Wan that he had seen their grandfather, but had sent him on his way. Obi Wan could only nod in response, his attention brought back to Ahsoka. The pair and their families watched as Ahsoka stepped onto the mat, she bowed to her opponent before taking her ready stance. The referee signaled for them to start.
Ahsoka was in the 10-13 age group, in the intermediate rank with a greenish-yellow sash. The way Wushu Akul worked for the belt system was blue, red and green were for beginners, intermediate was green-sh yellow, yellow and white, advanced was purple, orange and black. It typically took a student two years to gain a new belt in this style of fighting, but Ahsoka was a little more than an overachiever when it came to her fighting abilities. Ahsoka started at the age of four, she quickly moved up four belts in the past six years since and was on her way to moving up to a yellow belt, well yellow sash. Anakin was certain her next test would come in December.
Her first fight was over quickly, her winning three to zero. The next match she had was a bit tougher on her, but Ahsoka managed to make a come back in the end and take the win. Anakin cheered for her with his family, Padmé clapping beside him. It was Ahsoka's seventh match that something seemed to go wrong for the young girl. She had taken down the other girl from the 'rival' school to Shilli's. Ahsoka and the girl were fighting, Ahsoka effectively blocking the incoming fast attacks, her defense holding up.
The Wushu student went on the offensive, trying to shake the black clothed opponent. Anakin leaned forward on his seat as Ahsoka landed a good hit to disorient her opponent, but she left herself open. A rookie mistake. Obi Wan however saw something more than that. As a psychologist he had gotten very good at reading people, usually being able to tell what was going on with someone based on how they were presenting themselves. Since he was already fairly observant, his schooling and career had made it a sixth sense in a way.
Due to Ahsoka leaving herself open, her opponent was able to get the upper hand and take her down. The young girl landed harshly on the ground, when she didn't get up right away, the referee gestured to her opponent who now had a win. Ahsoka pushed herself off the ground, she didn't look upset, she looked frazzled.
"Something's wrong," Obi Wan said as he leaned forward so his brother could hear him.
Anakin glanced to the side, "Yeah, she got knocked down after leaving herself open like that. Rookie mistake, they happen."
Obi Wan shook his head, "No, it's more than that. Did you see the panicked look on her face? When she looked away from the mat?"
Anakin frowned, he hadn't noticed that at all. While he certainly did notice a lot of things, he wasn't quite as observant as his brother. Sure he saw her glance around, but he couldn't tell that she looked scared.
"Ahsoka may be reckless at times, but she almost never leaves herself open unless really startled," Obi Wan told him, his eyes looked at his little sister, "She saw something, or someone."
Anakin's eyes widened at what Obi Wan was implying, that Ahsoka saw their grandfather or worse, saw her father. As inconspicuously as possible, Anakin looked around to see if he could spot the old man. If he did spot him, he would drag him out of here and away from this place, away from his sister. However, he didn't see him anywhere. Padmé gripped his hand tightly, having understood what Obi Wan had been implying to Anakin. He flashed her a nervous and grateful smile.
Both their eyes went back to the mat to see Ahsoka being declared winner of this round. Ahsoka bowed to her opponent quickly, then she turned and practically ran to her instructor. The couple and Obi Wan watched with increased worry as Ahsoka spoke with her instructor, before pointing in their direction. Shaak Ti looked their way before turning her attention back to her student nodding. Ahsoka took off then, racing down the walkway to the bleachers, a moment later she was before them with a worried expression on her face.
Anakin was the first to say anything, "Hey what's wrong? You're head okay? You went down hard."
Ahsoka visibly swallowed, she looked from Anakin to Obi Wan then back to Anakin, "I thought, I saw dad and then heard him, but he's nowhere to be found. Then I saw grandfather over there." Ahsoka tilted her head to the left. "Then he was gone. They've always been friends, what if they're both here? What if they came to take me away? He can't do that, right? What if-"
"Slow down," Obi Wan said gently, "No one is taking you anywhere."
Rex spoke next, "We'll handle this little one. You just focus on the competing."
Ahsoka opened her mouth to protest, but Anakin cut her off. "No, Snips. They're right. We'll handle this, you just focus on your game. We're right here."
Ahsoka looked like she wanted to protest, but reluctantly she nodded. Seeing her father, hearing his voice earlier, had shaken her. It made her angry that she would react so scared to the idea. She wasn't some little kid anymore, she needed to stop acting like it. Ahsoka turned away from them and made her way back down the bleachers, she waited until the next round ended before she returned to her instructors side.
Cody and Rex left the stands to look around for either grandfather or their father, but came up empty handed. If they were here, they were gone now which didn't ease any of them. The fact that they came at all was a bad sign. If they showed up here, where else could they appear to? It left the entire family with an uneasy feeling. There was no sight of them, they were gone.
The tournament came to a close with Ahsoka getting second overall, the family decided to distract from the matter for now and celebrate her win and a job well done to her teammates. The large group of students with their families went out for dinner. And while Ahsoka laughed with her team mates, enjoyed her food, her family did their best to keep their spirits high for her.
But the joyous night was tainted as an odd calm settled, a storm was certainly on it's way.