Author's Note: This chapter was really fun to write because I hate The Son with a passion. Enjoy!

Chapter Six: Journey Home, Child

Ahsoka stared at the old moister farmer in confusion for a long moment as she tried to make sense out of what Lars was telling her. "Are you telling me Earon is a real world?!"

Anakin gave Ahsoka a disappointed look as he fought through the pain that rapidly began to build within his body. "We read about The Ones in classes at the temple as Padawans. Did we not? Those were considered to be pure myth and turned out to be…"

"…painfully real." Ahsoka whispered as she shivered and her face grew a few shades paler at the mere thought of that accursed place." She looked at her ailing Anakin and remembered how terrified and helpless he felt to her through The Force after his encounter with The Son. The Father may have wiped Anakin's mind of the encounter as best as he could, but her mind remained intact, if damaged by the strength of The Son's influence. Ahsoka remembered every horrid and twisted emotion from Anakin at that time and vowed to herself never to let Anakin plummet to the depths of despair and trauma she had on Mortis.

"The data pad has the coordinates embedded in it." Anakin said quietly as Owen moved to run inside and retrieve the pad.

Ahsoka shook her head. "Beru, would you get the pad and give it to R2?" The young woman then turned to Owen. "Help me take Anakin aboard, please."

Owen looked at her in confusion. To him, Anakin was clearly in pain, but it didn't seem bad enough to warrant carrying him onto the Aether.

"Trust me."

"Snips, I-"

Ahsoka shook her head. "I can feel your agony." She growled. "You'd pass out as soon as you tried to move." The Togruta glared at her ailing former master, silently daring him to challenge her again.

Owen fought not to laugh at the exchange but couldn't keep a small smile from his face as he picked up Anakin by his feet while Ahsoka held Anakin under his armpits. The resulting position Anakin found himself in proved to be quite undignified position as his step-brother and friend? Comrade?…took him aboard. Anakin shook his head, in too much pain to continue the line of thought, and passed out into the bliss of unconsciousness even with the slight motion of his head.

With a growl, Ahsoka augmented her strength slightly with The Force to compensate for Anakin's now limp body and had Owen set him down on the lower right bunk in the ship's small sleeping area. Under a strange compulsion, Ahsoka pulled the cover over Anakin, turned, and walked out.

Owen, Lars, and Beru all gave Ahsoka a worried look as she met them at the bottom of the Aether's ramp.

Beru's expression quickly changed to a smirk at the sight of Ahsoka as if she knew some juicy secret but remained silent for the time being.

Lars nodded to Ahsoka and reached to shake her hand. "Take care of him." Lars said gently as he let go after a moment. "If you happen to come this way again, stop by please." Lars sighed. "I know Anakin hates this world, but we will always be here if either of you need us."

Ahsoka nodded, pleased with the old man's kindness. "I'll see if I can talk Anakin into it."

Owen and Beru walked up next. The man looked at the Togruta with a slight nervousness. Owen looked her in the eyes. "Keep him safe, Ahsoka, and make sure he gets better." Owen chuckled and shook his head. "I want to know about the race at Boonta Eve. How did he manage to win? Shmi never told me how."

Ahsoka laughed softly. "I'll be sure to ask when he feels up to it."

Beru walked up to Ahsoka and squeezed her hand lightly. "This may not be the same, but when Owen was attacked and almost killed by Raiders after Shmi passed, I lost my mind for a few weeks while he recovered. Owen came back to me though, and Anakin will come back to you. You just need a little hope and patience." Beru handed Ahsoka the tablet with coordinates to Anakin's paternal homeworld. "Now, go make him better." She finished with a brave smile as she wiped a tear away because of the horrifying memory.

In the darkness between memory and the forgotten, Anakin's mind skated for a moment before it coalesced on a strange path in the void until Anakin looked around the alien space. There was nothing around him but windows and arcing straight paths that intersected at random intervals. Anakin looked down one path at a window and shivered as he saw himself and the 501st march up the steps of the temple with he in a black robe with pain and fear in his tainted eyes. The look on the man's face -his own face- shocked Anakin to the core and sent the young Force User reeling.

From somewhere behind him, Anakin felt someone land and tensed. "I know who you are!" Anakin growled. "I won't become him!"

"Are you so certain of that, boy?"

Anakin froze. "I…I know that voice." In the depths of his mind, Anakin remembered the voice of his father and turned in nervous anticipation to see a biped with jagged black scales all over his body. The being's long tail moved as he walked closer to Anakin and scraped the path as he walked. One other thing of note from this stranger were large wings as they flapped in the void before they wrapped around the man in a cloak-like fashion.

Once the being settled on the path, he spoke with a small smile. "Hello, my son."

Anakin stared for a long moment. "Why are you…?" Anakin felt tears roll down his face. "Where are you?"

The man put a hand on his son's shoulder. "All will be answered in time, Anakin." The man gave him a reptilian smile. "For now, know you are in a place Dragons call Yggdrasil."

Anakin could only stare in shock at his father. "I can't!" Anakin growled in anger. "What if Ahsoka…"

Anakin's father actually laughed. "You don't know much about love or Dragons. Do you, boy?"

Anakin glared at the man. "Why are you here?!"

Anakin's father sighed, "My name is Nicholai." The black-scaled biped said before he walked in front of Anakin and continued, "Bonded of Shmi Skywalker, and I have been waiting for this time because I want to get to know you and help you adapt to life as a Dragon before you wake in the ship."

Anakin shivered as a view of Mortis appeared before him. The former Jedi felt old rage roll through him. In that rage, Anakin felt his body morph and change. He looked at Nicholai. Then, he looked at the Son in the window and growled. "I hate him."

"Use your anger," Nicholai said calmly. "However, don't lose yourself in it. Anchor yourself in a spot of peace within your mind as the anger flows over and through you."

Anakin focused and lifted into the air of the void as the anger flowed out of him and relieved a strange pressure in his chest as he stared at the image of The Son. With a beat of his new wings, Anakin floated around the area. He felt the icy grip of of the Dark Side as he flew, its cold power begging for release as Anakin's mind stayed fixed on thoughts of The Fanged God. "You are a phantom created by The Son to control me!"

Nicholai's eyes glowed bright red with dangerous rage. "Don't throw me in the lot with those exiled extremists!" Nicholai tackled his son and sent him crashing into a lighted path. As they impacted, the path flexed and bounced a little but showed no visible damage. "You still fight like a Human." Nicholai admonished with a sour look on his face and a sigh.

"Thanks for the tip," Anakin said with a smirk before he struck hard enough with the still alien limb of his tail to knock the stronger Dragon off him and get to his feet. Anakin could feel his anger beginning to rise at being beaten so easily. The young Dragon reached for his saber. "I don't have time for this!"

Nicholai gave a soft growl of irritation. "Your rage gives you power, but it also blinds you." Nicholai shook his head. "The Sith ignore this fact to their peril. The Jedi poison themselves with the Ashla to the point of equal blindness with the Sith. The darkness can blind as easily as light."

Anakin stared and his eyes grew wide as he made the connection. "The Sith use The Force as if it is a ball of molten metal in forges-hot, shapeless, destructive, hard to control, and harmful. In contrast, the Jedi use The Force in a 'cold' state- fixed, rigid, and mechanical."

"You're learning." Nicholai said with a nod of approval . "If what you just said is true, where is Balance?"

Anakin closed his eyes and began to fight hand-to-hand with his father, his movements less stilted than before as the young Dragon let his instincts guide him while Anakin moved. As Anakin lifted into the air once more and began to dogfight with the elder Dragon, he answered. "Rage needs the tempering of healthy love to be used properly."

Nicolai nodded and folded his wings. "Walk with me, hatchling."

Anakin followed and folded his wings like a cloak. "Why did you call me 'hatchling'?"

A new window met the father and son. In it, Anakin saw a younger Obi-Wan as he waited on the wrong side of the red fields between he and his teacher as Maul stood and walked back and fourth in front of Qui-Gon. For a few tense moments, Qui-Gon held his own. Then, Maul fought dirty and struck while the master was disoriented. Anakin growled softly to himself but was shocked to see his usually calm former master fly into a rage towards Maul. There was something different about Obi-Wan's anger compared to the Sith, however: control.

"You are still a hatchling in your skill and knowledge, my son. Through no fault of your own, The Jedi stunted your growth." Nicholai waved his hand as the window froze and nodded in approval of Obi-Wan. "Even your former teacher tasted Balance for a moment but sadly slipped back into the droid state of a Jedi."

"Why?" Anakin asked, honestly curious about his former teacher's state in the eyes of his kin.

"The core of his Balance lies in Mandalore, but he doesn't see it."

"Duchess Satine Kryes…"

Nicholai nodded and looked at his feet, clearly troubled by Obi-Wan's actions. "Help him if you can."

"That could be difficult."

"That's not the hard part, Anakin." The elder Dragon said calmly. "You can't control others." The male shook his head in sadness. "The hard part will be when you come home, son." He sighed. "You must protect her, and Balance is much harder to keep in the heat of combat. Keep your Fulcrum in the front of your mind, my son."

Anakin woke up slowly in a disoriented fog as the connection to Yggdrasil faded. His body felt heavier, stronger. Anakin slowly became aware of the bed he was on, felt an odd and painful sensation under him, and clinched his jaw before he sat up and gingerly folded his aching wings around his upper body in a much more comfortable position. With another groan of discomfort, Anakin slowly rose to his feet and went to find Ahsoka.

The Togruta former Jedi couldn't stop pacing as the Aether stabilized in hyperspace. "Anakin's out cold for only Force knows how long." She muttered. "This is just like when a part of the 501st, Anakin, and I were stranded on that unknown world." She sighed and shook her head. "Only now, I'm alone and scared." Her mind raced and the woman's body felt on edge and full of energy as if Ahsoka was moments away from facing a horde of clankers. The plus side to battle energy like this lay in the fact she could burn through it by cutting droids down as fast as possible. Now, Ahsoka had no such outlet. With little else to occupy her rolling mind, Ahsoka sat and began to meditate.

Ahsoka… A voice plied her mind for entry. It called again. Ahsoka, why?

Something stirred Ahsoka to answer. This something was hard to pin down. It felt like a knot woven into her Force Signature itself. Who are you?

Why did you let Anakin leave with you? The stranger's voice asked. Now, not only will he be doomed, but you shall see your own death as well. The voice continued. He did not tell you of what he is to become. Out of the mist in her mind, Ahsoka saw an older version of herself materialize and walk as it continued to speak. You will cause nothing but harm to Anakin and yourself if you continue. The older Ahsoka sneered. The Chosen One must remain alone or suffer. You must see it!

Before Ahsoka could throw up mental barriers, The Son's red eyes pierced through Ahsoka's mind as the Force User screamed in equal parts terror and pain.

Anakin stumbled as he felt stabbing pain race through his mind. With a hissing growl, Anakin got back to his feet and sent a wave of energy through The Force towards Ahsoka. Anakin smirked as he felt The Son recoil in stunned disbelief. Then, Anakin charged for Ahsoka's position on the ship. Once he found her, Anakin knelt and gently placed his clawed hands on the woman's temples and closed his eyes, letting his wrath roll through Ahsoka's mind with the precision of an expert sniper. Ahsoka's body trembled violently as the surge of Dragon's Rage found the source of its irritation.

Deep in Ahsoka's mind, the Togruta knelt, chained to the floor of a Zygarrian coliseum. In front of her, The Son stood gloating, his hubris as strong as ever. On the far side of Ahsoka, Anakin stood with his saber at his side. His eyes seemed to give the impression of durasteel. However, his expression didn't draw Ahsoka's attention. No, it was his eyes; they glowed fluorescent purple such that the eyes grabbed her and wouldn't let go. In that moment, Ahsoka felt security and peace replace fear and worry as she waited for Anakin to break her free from the torment of The Son.

Anakin shook his head as he stared at The Son. The young Dragon couldn't help a smirk as he lifted his head to look The Son in the eyes. Anakin felt no fear of The Son as he had on Mortis. Anakin thought of his father reaction to The Son and now viewed his adversary as more of an annoyance than a true threat. Anakin looked at The Son and felt power surge through him.

"Draw your weapon. Strike me down and free your precious Padawan!"

Anakin did nothing. He only stood there like a statue, Anakin's eyes fixed, not on his opponent but Ahsoka. The power within rolled and tossed, but Anakin held firm as he just stood there. The flow of the fight changed the instant The Son growled and moved to strike Ahsoka, however. In a flash, Anakin appeared over The Fanged God. Though Anakin stood over him in such a way to leave the white- and red-faced being's limbs visibly free, movement proved impossible.

"(ON YOUR KNEES!)" Anakin roared.

The Son's face clinched in primal defiance. His form bucked and undulated violently as the being tried to access his Gargoyle form to break Anakin's demand. Gradually The Son bowed himself low before Anakin with his lips locked in a snarl, compelled to keep his head down and his knees bent in front of Anakin.

"How can you do this?!" The Son railed in narcissistic resistance. "I AM THE DARK SIDE! I AM THE BOGAN!"

Anakin shook his head as Ahsoka snapped her chains with a grunt, her eyes glowing an intense blue as she did so. The Son looked in abject terror and began to shake as Ahsoka stood and walked over to Anakin.

"Without fear or anger in your victims, you hold no power." Anakin admonished sadly. "You are so deeply corrupted by the Dark Side; you've nearly become one with it."

The Son saw a red light appear and vanish to leave something on the young Togruta's neck as she stood near Anakin and, in that moment, understood how the apprentice could be so powerful with no easy explanation. The Son stared in shock as not Anakin but Ahsoka lifted her hand. The chains that formerly held her now obeyed her and bound The Son in permanent submission.

As Anakin and Ahsoka roused from their mental battle, the Aether's destination alert began to sound. Both made their way to the viewport and pilot seats at the front of the ship and were astounded by the sight. Two equally green and vibrant worlds orbited what appeared to be a small stone structure incased in a dome and surrounded by a green field, like an island in space.

"(Unidentified vessel,)" a growl came over the Aether's comm system. "(Proceed to the Castle where you will be issued a docking visa and be vetted for passage to Earon or Earto.)"

"(Acknowledged. Stand by.)" Anakin gave a wary look to Ahsoka as they approached the island between the two worlds. "Are you ready, Snips?"

Ahsoka squeezed Anakin's hand and flashed him a brave smile. "You're stuck with me, Skyguy."

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