Author's Note: Healing begins 😊
Chapter XVI
The rest of the day went by quickly.
After they got out of the Halls - where Ahsoka was told in no uncertain terms that she needed to start eating properly again or face a diet of nutrition paste - Obi-wan and Anakin made sure she knew where the Archives were, where she could find food, and where all their quarters were.
They left her alone in her room to rest, Anakin only finally leaving when she agreed that R2 could stay outside her door in case she needed a guide. Or to reach him quickly. Or to just have someone to talk to. Or-
"Anakin!"
"Okay, okay!"
He'd held up his hands in surrender at Obi-wan's rebuke, finally letting himself be led away.
It had only taken her a few minutes to decide that this room was entirely too similar to her room at Dooku's castle for comfort. She left within minutes to find the meditation rooms.
R2 helped her once or twice with his cheery beeps, but eventually she found them, quickly detecting which ones were occupied and which were empty. Choosing one at the farther end of the hall, she settled in, taking a deep breath before letting her mind flow free.
She didn't have a clue how long she'd been floating around outside her body, just letting the Force take her where it would… when suddenly a presence shoved its way inside her head and she heard, "Padawan!"
She snapped back into her body with such force that when her eyes flew open, she toppled right off the platform.
Ahsoka opened her eyes to see Master Yoda blinking down at her. "Master!" She exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"
"Came to see you, I did. But very far away you turned out to be."
Ahsoka made to push herself up. Unfortunately, her legs had other ideas. They gave way underneath her before she'd even gone an inch, and her back hit the meditation platform. Hard. Grunting as her wounds collided with it, she almost fell forward when the room started spinning. A three-fingered hand lightly pushed at her shoulder, helping her to rest against the platform. She tried to draw a ragged breath, but she couldn't seem to get enough air in.
"Breathe, you must, Padawan Tano. Deeply. And slowly."
She tried to follow his instructions - and subsequent demonstration - as closely as possible. It took a minute, but finally! Her breathing evened out. Perhaps she was even strong enough to stand up? Trying again, she managed it. Barely. Swaying at the top, she grabbed at the meditation platform for help.
"Like me to call someone, would you, Padawan?"
"No." She gritted her teeth as nausea tried to climb up her throat. Warriors work past the pain. Hoping for a distraction, she asked again, "Why did you come here, Master?"
He didn't answer right away, instead opting to shuffle over to the opposite platform. Taking a seat, he answered, "Came to meditate with you, I did. Perhaps too much today, you have already done, hmm?"
Ahsoka took a moment to think on her answer. The dizziness finally falling away, she climbed onto her own platform. "Master Yoda -"
He held up a hand. "To explain, no need there is. Understand I do."
She let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.
"But," he continued. "Careful, you must be. Very far your mind was, from your body. Dangerous that is. Especially, if for too long you are gone. Feel like you do now, you will."
Feeling the chastisement for what it was, she looked down, nodding her acknowledgment. As she did so though, she felt the stirrings of the unexplainable anger again.
Drawing a breath, she attempted to stamp it out. Like a vine, though, it tightened around her mind, sending tendrils of dark out to mix with the light of her soul.
"A struggle in you, I sense," Yoda said, not unkindly.
Annoyance flashed through her at the sound of his voice. She pushed it back. Memories of Yoda's patience and kindness towards her when she was a youngling flashed in front of her eyes. You can trust him. You're just being irrational. She began her tale haltingly. "When I was… with Dooku. A lot of things happened. One of those things was… a crystal. One so red it was almost black. He- he could control it so that- so that it-" Her throat tightened. "It hurt. More than… anything, really." Her eyes closed. She swallowed hard. "Or… it would whisper, in the dark. When there was nothing else to occupy my mind. Or when there was too much!" Letting out a breath, she opened her eyes, not wanting to remain in her memories any longer. The room came back into sharp focus. "I think it left something behind. Something that keeps resurfacing… well. Something that doesn't seem to like you." The last she spoke with an apologetic look at Yoda, who simply gave her one of his indecipherable smiles.
"Remedy this, we can. Be rid of the crystal's influence you want to be, hmm?"
She nodded. "Yes, Master, I do."
"Then work together, we shall. Into meditation, follow me now, Padawan."
Ahsoka followed the Grand Master's - technically he's my great-great-great-grandmaster - lead, crossing her legs and closing her eyes.
They each took a deep breath in unison. The work had begun.
Author's Note: I've always loved Master Yoda in The Clone Wars. He's always so kind, and just wants to take care of his kids😊😉
