Prologue

Plot: As the Clone Wars worsen, Anakin and Aniya struggle with the aftermath of losing their Padawans. Elsewhere in the galaxy, Ahsoka and Alema search for a new path outside the Order, one which may end up leading them back to the masters' sides. Meanwhile, Qui-Gon finds himself questioning what it truly means to be a Jedi.


Author's Note: Welcome to the sequel to Clouded by the Dark Side. This covers the last part of the Clone Wars, and the many divergences in the universe really begin to show up here. ;)

~ Amina Gila


Obi-Wan Kenobi

I think, for the first time in my life, I'm beginning to understand Qui-Gon's attitude towards the Council. They mean best, I know, but they were willing to sacrifice my little sister for their own gain.

I knew she wasn't guilty, that neither her nor Ahsoka were guilty, but most of the Council suspected them anyways. I knew, subconsciously, now that I think about it, that the Council doesn't trust Anakin or Aniya, but I had never expected it to come to this.

Maybe everything could have returned to normal, but the twins lost their padawans. It should never have happened. Maybe I don't understand how they could have made the choice to leave – it feels like a betrayal – but now we have to piece together what's left of our lives.

You should have fought harder, a voice in my mind whispers. I can feel their pain acutely through our bonds, and I know I was unable to protect them from this, too. Somehow, no matter how much I love them, I never know what to do, what they need.

Anakin is still staring straight ahead, seeming a little too out of it to notice anything in his surroundings. I look between him and Aniya, where the three of us sit on the floor in front of the couch. She pale and completely still and seems to be half-asleep leaning against my shoulder.

Neither of them are doing well, and I don't know what to do about it. This isn't something I've ever had to deal with before. I've never mourned someone close to me before, especially not when they left by choice. It was their padawans, their little sisters who they were practically raising who left, after all. I haven't fully accepted the implications of it myself, of how when the twins leave for the war again, they'll be going alone.

"How are they?" Qui-Gon asks quietly, entering the room.

"I don't know." I wish I did. They haven't really said a word, and that honestly is making me even more worried. I can't gauge their condition if they're not talking.

Qui-Gon nods in acknowledgement, the concern clear in his eyes as he crosses the room, moving to sit down across from us. "I heard what happened," he relates.

"I tried to convince them to let Alema stay with Aniya. They wouldn't listen," I reply quietly, though even if I did talk loudly, I'm not sure if the twins would even notice. They don't seem present.

I get why the Council was worried about Aniya not being able to handle a padawan after everything that happened, but their reaction definitely worsened it. If not for that decision, the padawans may never have left. After what the Council did with throwing out Aniya and Ahsoka, things wouldn't get back to normal, but at least it would be something I'd somewhat have an idea how to deal with. At least I'd be able to help the twins, instead of watching as they... presumably, have a complete mental breakdown I have no idea how to stop.

"Anakin," Qui-Gon calls, finally addressing him.

My former padawan seems to blink himself out of whatever haze he was in. "What?" he asks, though his voice still sounds... distant.

"Are you hungry?" he asks, and Anakin mutely shakes his head. Qui-Gon glances at me, though it's not as if I have an answer of what to do more than him. Even dealing with their grief after their mother died was far easier than this. "Then you should sleep, both of you," he instructs. "The galaxy won't stop moving."

"It should," Aniya mutters, stirring. She pushes herself up, though there's something vacant in her eyes. They're grayer than their normal bright blue. "My child's life was just ruined."

No one has anything to say to that. I can't begin to relate to how she's feeling, I can't even imagine it. Anakin had been considering leaving the Order when he was thirteen, but that was different in every way. It's not something I can imagine, because leaving family is too against everything that makes Anakin, Anakin. He'd never do it, and neither would Aniya.

"Or you can stay here right now, if you'd rather," I offer finally, when neither of them seems to have any intention of moving to get up.

Anakin shifts his position in response, snuggling closer to me, and Aniya remains silent, still leaning against my shoulder. Well, it appears they're planning to take up my offer. It's better than nothing, and it's about the most I can ask. We can deal with the fallout in the morning.

**w**

Anakin Skywalker

"What do you mean they're gone?!" Jaufre exclaims with disbelief. "How could they be gone? Why?"

"I don't know." My voice betrays how exhausted I feel, and I wish I could answer him those very same questions. In theory, I can understand it... for Alema, at least. Even so, I can't imagine abandoning my life and my duty, for any personal reason, no matter what it is. I've wanted to, yes, but I never could. If being a Jedi allows me to help people, that's the only thing that matters.

"They were going to give Alema a new master," Aniya snaps. I've never seen my sister so angry before, and it scares me. The Council wasn't wrong when they said she's become unbalanced. Darkness is swirling around her now; she's full of pain and betrayal and so much rage. I fear what it will take now, for her to snap entirely. "She wouldn't stand for it. They've lost faith in the Order. I have, too."

"Then why are you staying?" he asks.

My answer is immediate. "Because if we left, then what? I can't abandon my men. I can't abandon the galaxy to its fate during a war. I won't."

"Yes, I understand that," Padme sighs, "Duty always comes first, even now."

I nod, looking away. Sometimes, I wish things were different. I just want my family, to learn what it means to live a life of peace. I can't imagine such a thing though. Our masters may have been very reluctant to take us on missions until we were about thirteen, but we still did go occasionally, and I simply cannot begin to imagine a life that isn't surrounded by constant violence.

"We're on a short leave time," Aniya adds, with a voice of steel, "But I don't know for how long. The war is getting worse, and we're needed on the front lines."

"I take it you'll be staying here until you leave?" Padme asks.

"Where else would we go?" I don't want to go back to the Temple right now. I don't think I – either of us – will ever be able to look at the building and call it 'home' the same way we once used to, before the war, before... everything.

It was hard enough even moving to leave Obi-Wan's apartment and walk through the halls, all the while knowing that Ahsoka and Alema are gone. That... our only duties here now are for the war, because we don't have padawans to train anymore.

It hurts far more than words could describe, and I know it's a pain that won't fade for a long time, if it ever does.

**w**

Aniya Skywalker

It's still raining out like it has been the entire day when Anakin and I head for the Chancellor's office. I never realized until now that any betrayal could cut this deep, that any betrayal could so totally destroy what I've believed in my entire life. The Council threw out me and Ahsoka, as though we hadn't spent our entire lives dedicated to being Jedi, and then they decide to take Alema from me. What was it, a way of continuing to rub in my face that they still don't fully trust us?

I don't know how to go on like this. I can't accept that I'll probably never see my little sisters again. And... I can understand in principle why they would want to leave, but actually in practice... It wasn't just the Order they walked away from.

It was us. They walked away without looking back, and I can't believe we won't go back to the Temple sometime and see them waiting for us.

"Chancellor," Anakin greets as we approach his desk.

"Anakin, Aniya, I'm glad you were able to find the time to come," Palpatine says. He stands, circling around his desk and walking over to us.

"We're on leave after what happened," I explain.

"So I heard," he murmurs sympathetically, "I was not expecting your padawans to make a decision like this."

"I understand why they did," Anakin admits, gaze downcast.

"It's the Council's fault!" I blurt out, unable to control my anger anymore.

"Yes, their most recent actions have been very disturbing to me," he replies, "It's evident that they don't trust you, even after everything you've done for them and the Republic. The least they could have done is actually look into the evidence instead automatically assuming your guilt." He turns to face us again. "I knew were not guilty. That's why I excused myself from the proceedings."

And it hurts, because the Chancellor trusts me – us – so much more than the Council ever did. It means more to me than I could say, that at least someone still believes in us, other than our masters.

"Thank you, Your Excellency," I murmur. It reminds me again of how it took me a very long time to gain trust in him. Now, I can't help but think that maybe it was because of how I was so used to being wary of people, because of our childhood. The Chancellor is a wealthy man of power, and it's always those we knew well to avoid at any cost.

"After their most recent actions, it greatly concerns me to consider what grave mistakes they could make in the future," Palpatine declares gravely.

That, I couldn't agree with more. It's exactly what I've been fearing. If the Council could stoop to such a level, they could do anything to anyone for any reason and call it "for the greater good". They would think it was fine, too.

Even when we walk through the Temple halls, I can't help but feel like we don't even belong here anymore. Something... shattered between us and the Jedi, and I don't think it's something that can ever be repaired.

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