Anakin rubbed Ahsoka's upper back as she threw up into the toilet. "It's just your nerves, Snips." he spoke soothingly as she slowly leaned back.
"I guess. Oh, that came out of nowhere." she sucked in air.
"You think you'll be alright?" Anakin asked, helping her to her feet.
"Yeah." Ahsoka answered, as Anakin helped her back into the co-pilot's seat of their ship, "I'll be ok."
"Good, because we're almost there." Anakin sat beside Ahsoka, looking down at the holomap on the ship's dashboard.
As Coruscant came into view, Ahsoka took a deep breath. "We haven't been back here in a while, huh?" she laughed shakily.
Anakin sighed in response, "Hopefully, it's the last time."
"Yeah. I hear you."
Anakin took hold of the ship's controls as it entered Coruscant's atmosphere. He steered it over the city below until he reached the Senate building, where he lowered the vessel onto a landing zone.
"State your business." a Clone Trooper's voice came over the radio, "Respond or we will open fire."
"We're here to see the Emperor." Anakin replied.
"He doesn't have any appointments scheduled for today. Take your ship elsewhere or we will open--"
Ashoka turned the radio off. "Boring conversation anyway." she remarked as she jumped out of her chair. Anakin lowered the ship's ramp and they both hurried outside.
"Stop!" a Coruscant Guard rushed out of the Senate building, followed by half a dozen more.
As Ahsoka activated her lightsaber, they opened fire on her. She deflected each of their shots away, before throwing her weapon at them, cutting each of their blasters in two. Anakin waved his hand, knocking the Clone Troopers into each other with the Force. They each fell to the ground, unconscious.
Ahsoka sheathed her lightsaber, as her and Anakin made their way inside.
They walked slowly through the building, pushing any advancing Clone Troopers into walls or out windows. As they walked, the frightened Senators ran passed them.
And then they reached Palpatine's office. Ahsoka gripped her hilt, before forcing the door open.
Palpatine's chair was facing away from the two ex-Jedi, turned towards a long window.
Anakin was the first to ignite his lightsaber. Ahsoka followed suit.
Palpatine slowly turned in his chair. Ahsoka squinted at the sight of his deformed face.
"Lord Vader, Lady Tano." he greeted in an unusually warm tone, "I take you aren't here to discuss politics. Are you going to kill me?"
"We would certainly like to." Ahsoka responded.
"Before we begin," Palpatine stood from his chair, "Allow me to try and change your minds. The Republic was corrupt - they searched only for the betterment of the Inner Rim, while leaving the Mid and Outer Rim to rot."
"What do you want, then?" Anakin asked.
"I've already told you. Peace. And peace cannot be achieved without cruelty. I must crush any threat to the galaxy's security. Others call that line of thought evil, but I call it merciful." Palpatine explained.
"You'd wage an endless war with that kind of rule." Ahsoka countered, "As long as there are oppressors, there will be rebels."
"It is not a flawless ideology, but it is an effective one." Palpatine admitted. When he noticed no shift in either of the two former Jedi, he sighed, "Very well then."
Palpatine threw himself at Ahsoka, lightsaber drawn. Anakin stepped in front of her, deflecting Palpatine's attack, as Ahsoka struck with her own lightsaber. Palpatine jumped backwards, firing Force Lightning at his attackers.
This time, Ahsoka moved in front of Anakin, blocking the Force Lightning, sending it shooting off into the far wall.
Anakin threw his blade at Palpatine. The Sith side-stepped the projectile, only for Anakin to run forward and land a left hook on his face. Palpatine stumbled backwards as Anakin pulled his lightsaber back into his hand.
Before Anakin could strike Palpatine down, the Emperor fired a concentrated blast of Force Lightning into Anakin's face, momentarily blinding him.
If not for Ahsoka grabbing his attention with a swift jab, Palatine would've killed Anakin. Ahsoka kept slashing with her lightsaber, with Palpatine blocking or dodging each of her hits.
Their fight brought them over to the window. Palpatine pushed Ahsoka to the ground with the Force. Her hilt rolled just out of reach.
Anakin blinked the spots out of his eyes, seeing Palpatine standing over Ahsoka, weapon raised. "No!" he called, charging at Palpatine. He tackled the Sith, sending them both through the window and down to the city below. Ahsoka climbed to her feet, grabbing her lightsaber. She leaned out of the window, watching as Anakin and Palpatine landed on a passing speeder. Their lightsabers clashed as they jumped from speeder to speeder.
Ahsoka braced herself... then jumped after Anakin. As she fell, she raised her lightsaber, ready to strike Palpatine. She landed on a speeder, just as Anakin jumped towards her.
"Oh hey. How was the trip down?" he joked.
"Not really the time." Ahsoka braced.
Palpatine launched himself at the two ex-Jedi. The Sith swung at Ahsoka, but she blocked.
Anakin didn't attack with his lightsaber this time. Instead, he kicked Palpatine in the side with enough power to send him flying through a nearby window and into another office inside the Senate building. His lightsaber dropped to the ground below.
Ahsoka skipped after Palpatine, jumping through the shattered window. The Sith tried to rise to his feet, gasping for air. He fell back down, exhausted.
"I, uh..." Padmé Amidala shot up from her desk, "I'll leave you three alone."
The Senator hurried out of the room as Anakin joined his partner, wiping beads of sweat from his forehead.
"I surrender!" Palpatine shouted, slowly crawling away from them, "I-If you kill me, the Jedi will rise to power once more! I know you hate them as much as I do. J-Join me and we will wipe them out together!"
Anakin and Ahsoka exchanged looks. "I believe you are the Chosen One." Ahsoka smirked, stepping away.
Anakin turned his attention to Palpatine. "No! Anakin, you know I'm right! Don't do this, son!"
Anakin sliced downward with his blue blade. Ahsoka grimaced, slightly turning her head away.
"No one-liner?" Ahsoka asked, looking up at Anakin, "I'm disappointed."
Anakin shrugged, "It's not good to force it."
Ahsoka pulled him into a tight hug. "Is that it, then?" she breathed.
"Yeah. It's over." he whispered, stroking her lekku.
Ahsoka slowly let go. "Let's get out of here." she shuddered, "Did you really have to cut him in half?"
"Sorry." Anakin chuckled.
"Why Tatooine?" Ahsoka dropped into the co-pilot's seat beside Anakin, "I always thought you hated sand."
"I don't know." Anakin said as he lifted the ship off of the landing zone, turning it away from the Senate building, then taking off, "I suppose it's just somewhere familiar to start off. And I've got family there - my stepbrother and his wife."
"Oh, right. Don't they do a lot of farming on Tatooine?"
"Moisture farming." Anakin explained as he broke through Coruscant's atmosphere and jumped to lightspeed, "So nomanual labour."
"Ok." Ahsoka nodded, "I'd like to give it a try."
Anakin smiled at her, "Thanks, Snips."
Ahsoka rose from her chair, walking around behind Anakin, before wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pushing her face against the back of his neck. She sighed against his skin.
Anakin chuckled, "That tickles."
"Hold still." Ahsoka laughed as she snipped Anakin's long hair with a pair of scissors, "Stop moving, or I'll end up cutting off your ear."
"On purpose?" Anakin smirked.
"If you keep moving." Ahsoka teased.
"Fine." Anakin sighed, before trying his best to stay still.
The two were inside a bedroom at the bottom of a large cylindrical pit that Anakin had carved into the desert floor with the Force. They'd also moved in some furniture that Ahsoka had bought from Mos Eisly. It was for starting to feel like home.
Their Jedi uniforms were nowhere to be seen; now they were wearing light robes - white for Ahsoka and light cream for Anakin.
"I've got a surprise for you." Anakin spoke as Ahsoka drew the scissors away from his hair.
"And I've got one for you - I'm done." Ahsoka said, stepping away to admire her handiwork, "Maybe hairdressing isn't the job for me."
"As long as it's shorter, it doesn't matter how it looks." Anakin ran his hand over the back of his head, using the Force to brush the locks of his hair off of the floor and into a nearby bin.
"Huh... it kinda looks like it did when we first met." Ahsoka commented, "Uh anyway, what's this surprise of yours?"
"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you."
"Just tell me." Ahsoka sighed, "Or you can say goodbye to your ear."
"Fine." Anakin climbed to his feet, moving the chair into the corner, "C'mon."
Ahsoka followed him outside, then into their kitchen. Anakin crouched down, opened a cupboard, and reached inside. "I was gonna give it to you for Lifeday." Anakin stood, turning to Ahsoka, "But having it a week early won't hurt."
Ahsoka looked down at the golden lightsaber hilt in Anakin's hands. "That's Palpatine's." she gasped.
"No, now it's yours." Anakin handed it to her, "Give it a try."
Ahsoka ignited the lightsaber and a short silver blade extended from the emitter. "A new shoto?" she smiled, reaching to clip it to her belt, before remembering that she wasn't wearing a belt anymore, "I'll put it with our others. Thanks."
As Ahsoka placed the hilt on the counter, Anakin lead forward, planting a kiss on her neck, "Do you like it?"
"I love it. How'd you make it white?" Ahsoka asked as she held Anakin.
"I just fixed the red crystal that Palpatine was using. You could probably make it green to match your other one if you want." Anakin explained.
"No, I'll leave it." Ahsoka said, "It looks good."
"Oh, that's a coincidence. So do you." Anakin smirked.
Ahsoka chuckled, before kissing him. "I'm gonna put this away before I forget about it." Ahsoka grabbed the hilt, breaking away from Anakin. Anakin watched her skip back to their bedroom, smiling to himself.