Ahsoka jumped slightly, fists poised to strike before she realized it was only Anakin behind her.

"Oh good," she said, sighing. "It's one of those days."

"What?" Anakin had just joined her on the mat floor of the main gym, but people had been reacting to him that way all morning. Earlier, Yularen had had to reprimand one of the bridge crewmembers for loudly swearing in shock when Anakin had moved to stand by his chair. "Are you warmed up already?" he asked, stripping down to his long undershirt. Usually he didn't bother, but sharing a wardrobe with Obi-Wan meant that he was getting low on clean tunics.

"Yeah. You're late."

"I was on the bridge. Turns out our route was better than calculated, and we might get to Cartao sooner than we thought."

"Oh? When?"

"Sometime tonight."

"Well, at least you're back up to full speed," said Ahsoka, nodding.

He gave her a quizzical look, but refused to be sidetracked. "You stretched?"

"Just about to."

Leaving her to stretch, Anakin started his own warm-up with some easy laps around the gym. There were a few clones on the weight machines, but the mats were empty. He counted off fifteen laps and then sped up, building up to a full sprint in the next ten, the effort burning in his muscles and lungs. It seemed like forever since he'd had the chance to just be in his body, no moral dilemmas, no deadly threats — just the pure, empty joy of pushing his physical limits.

The Force sang through Anakin's veins like his own beating heart. He felt alive, charged with energy, as if he held the very pulse of the universe inside him.

Kicking off his boots, Anakin faced the length of the room. He took two quick strides and then jumped, performing a traveling front-flip, and then immediately flipping again. Back to back he did thirty-seven, covering the whole open mat space, and then did the whole thing again, this time with backflips. Adding in double- and triple-twists, he landed the last one back where he'd started and checked to see that Ahsoka was still stretching. She was, so Anakin started jumping the length of the room. It was a decently far jump, but quite doable. To add some challenge, he went for height as well as distance, leaping almost to the ceiling in a parabolic arc that took him to the other end of the mats.

When he felt more than ready, Anakin grabbed his boots and went over to roust Ahsoka.

She was relaxing in a one-armed handstand, doing the splits in the air, which was hardly a necessary part of any stretching routine.

"Done?"

"Oh, don't mind me," she said. "Don't you want to stretch?"

"Nah, I'm good. Come on, grab your 'sabers, Snips. I want to see what you've been working on lately with the shoto."

It was almost like everyone was moving in slow motion today. Ahsoka was swinging back onto her feet, when Anakin sensed a muted presence. His focus shifted, as if compelled by magnetic force. From the corner of his eye, he saw Ahsoka not-so-discreetly pump her fist.

"Good morning, Master."

"You started without me, I see," said Obi-Wan.

"I sent you a message." Anakin had been struck with mild paranoia this morning, rehashing everything said last night over and over in his mind, but he still hadn't been about to wake Obi-Wan sooner than he needed to. His restraint seemed to have been wasted; Obi-Wan looked like he had been up for hours, and had a warming cup in his hand. His shields were strong, but he held them loosely — itself an expression of control.

"I hope you don't mind that I commandeered another set of your tunics, Anakin."

How he had done that, Anakin didn't know, since his biosignature wasn't keyed to the lockpad of Anakin's door. He had to have been out and about somewhere to make the tea Anakin suspected was in his warming cup, so who knew what else he had been up to.

"All yours," said Anakin, shrugging. "We were just about to spar."

Cheerfully, Obi-Wan said, "Excellent. I am fully prepared to be entertained."

Stepping backwards toward the center of the mats, Anakin reached out with the Force and pulled his 'saber into his hand from where he'd left it with his discarded tunics. He waited expectantly, but Ahsoka didn't move from the sideline.

"What's the problem, Snips?"

"You're running at warp factor eight thousand hyper-speed," she said. "This is gonna be bad."

Bemused, Anakin looked from her to Obi-Wan, who was no help. He had taken a seat on the side, seemingly intent on watching everything like a holovid, and just took a sip of his drink, eyebrows raised.

"...But I'm always like this."

"Yeah, but some days it's... more. I'm just taking the time to savor this moment in which I have almost no bruises."

"Oh, yeah, that reminds me." Anakin changed the settings on his 'saber and then ignited it. "Low power."

Sighing, Ahsoka did the same. When she glanced ruefully at Obi-Wan, he gave her a wry grin.

"Have fun."

"Warp speed it is," said Ahsoka, and bounded onto the mats to take her position across from Anakin. When her 'sabers flared to life in her hands, she brandished the shoto in front and pulled her main blade back to angle beside her face in a variant of a Soresu guard. "Jumping right into matches, I assume?"

"Nah." Anakin rolled his shoulders, holding his 'saber casually in front of him. He extended the blue blade out to her, an invitation to spar informally, and she knocked it with her shoto in acceptance.

As soon as their blades touched, Ahsoka was leaping backwards out of range.

Clearly, she was expecting him to be aggressive right out of the gate, so for a few minutes, Anakin hung back. He followed her step for step, getting in close enough to test her defenses with brief strike combinations, and then allowing her to dodge away again. With every exchange their focus sharpened, until the Force flowed around and between them in a tight loop of intensity.

The smart thing for Ahsoka to do would be to continue her current strategy until she could tempt Anakin into impatiently overextending himself. Luckily for Anakin, Ahsoka was nearly as impatient as he was. When he got her within reach and this time she stayed to exchange a flurry of blows, double-parrying his overhead strike with both 'sabers and kicking him solidly in the chest, it was almost time.

Ahsoka didn't press the advantage, instead using the momentum of the kick to push off Anakin into a backflip. He prowled after her.

Just a little longer...

Lashing out in a sudden leap, Anakin battered at her with several overhead strikes, powerful but predictable. She didn't flee this time. Ahsoka dodged, quick movements from one side to the other, not even trying to counter, but always inside Anakin's guard. With both 'sabers, she became a sudden whirlwind, one rising as the other fell as she kept up a constant, disorienting pattern of evasion. She harried him at a blistering speed, taking full advantage of Djem So's limited mobility and forcing him to defend himself. Every time he struck at her, he had to fend off three of her lightning-quick strikes on his open side.

Anakin grinned. Now she was actually fighting.

Giving ground for a minute, Anakin kept up as they locked into a constant volley. It was like a dance, each move with its countermove, faster and faster until reaction outpaced conscious thought. The Force blurred their exchange into one single sustained note of tension. Any accidental slip, any failure to meet your opponent's next action, and the whole thing would fall apart. That was the one moment you were looking for in a duel — the one moment you tried to create.

He planted his feet.

Ahsoka was young, and agile, and powerful. Her style was taxing, but she could keep it up for ages at this pace. So, Anakin kicked it up a notch.

He sped up, adding a second blow in the space he had been using for one. Ahsoka countered, but missed her opportunity for a counterstrike. When he struck again, she dodged and went for his knee, but he was already there and she barely had time to jump back.

Now all of Anakin's attacks were multiples, unpredictably targeted and too fast to see. Head. Chest. Arms. Every time Ahsoka moved, he had anticipated her. Her 'saber and shoto whirled, but she didn't have time to launch any strikes of her own. This wasn't a good strategic place to be, so she changed tactics.

Abruptly, Ahsoka sprang.

Her jump took her halfway down the floor, but Anakin followed right on her heels. He didn't allow any space to breathe, chasing her like an unerring seeker missile. Wherever she tried to go, he was there too. Every time she would sidestep or dodge, another attack was already coming. Ahsoka didn't give an inch. Her defense never faltered, her two blades working in perfect sync. In the midst of the onslaught, Anakin spared a second to be proud of how far Ahsoka's skill had come.

Cornered under the barrage, she was still looking for opportunities to end it with a quick thrust somewhere Anakin didn't expect. Every time she struck back at him was a risk. Anakin almost got her when she flipped into an aerial over his head, trying to get behind him for a sai tok, but she ducked into a roll and barely evaded his blow.

"Watch it," he said. "Dooku would have your legs for something like that."

Popping back onto her feet, Ahsoka bared her sharp canines at him in a grin. "I'm not fighting Dooku, am I?"

She certainly was not. Anakin charged, running at her in a spinning attack that could have knocked down a wall for sheer power — but was also about as subtle as a wall. As he had hoped, Ahsoka couldn't resist jumping again. Flying over his head, she tucked to come down in another roll. In an instant, Anakin had pivoted in place and flung out his hand.

His Force push swatted her out of the air like a fly, sending Ahsoka and her 'sabers flying in different directions. Frantic and disoriented, she rolled as fast as she could, trying to find her feet and knowing that she couldn't afford to stay still on the ground for long. Ahsoka made it to her knees, but no further.

"Whoops." Anakin tagged her lightly on her back with his 'saber. "You're dead."

She flopped down bonelessly, groaning. When she sat up, she rubbed at her forehead and winced. "Well, there went that brief, glorious moment of no bruises."

"The good news is, I think Obi-Wan has water for us." Anakin called Ahsoka's scattered 'saber hilts with the Force, and handed them back to her.

There were a lot more clones in the gym now. Some were on the machines or doing some light hand-to-hand, but most of them leaned against the wall and didn't even pretend to be doing anything other than watching the show. Artoo had turned up too, and Obi-Wan had gotten water bottles from somewhere. He passed one to Ahsoka as soon as they made it back to where he stood.

"Well done, Padawan," he said.

Anakin almost dropped his 'saber. Then he realized Obi-Wan was talking to Ahsoka.

To hide whatever his face was doing, he bent down and grabbed his own bottle, murmuring a hello to Artoo. Obi-Wan had said something like that before about... who? Ferus Olin at some point, he was pretty sure. And Barriss Offee, once, during the Ansion mission.

Ahsoka had done well, of course. That was the important part.

"Thanks, Master Kenobi."

"I think we should do some tag matches next," said Anakin. He drank two swigs and then put the water down on his pile of tunics. Nothing ever tasted better than cool water during training, but the temptation was always to drink too much and get weighed down.

Ahsoka made a face. "Can't we do first blood instead?"

"Boring. Over too quickly."

"Overconfidence is a weakness, Master. I'll have you know I intend to get you back for this." She twisted to get a look at the faint burn Anakin's low-power blade had made on the back of her tunic.

"You can try," said Anakin loftily. "I'd suggest being a little more careful with the aerials. Dooku really will mess you up on those if he gets the chance. And don't get so caught up in the 'saber-work that you lose sight of the bigger Force picture."

"Right."

"Your Jar'Kai, though? Fan-kriffing-tastic."

Obi-Wan said nothing, but nodded in agreement. The light of interest in his face was obvious, and the bond hummed with the movement of his thoughts. Anakin waited for him to chime in, but when he didn't, prompted, "Don't you think, Master? You've done more Jar'Kai than I have."

"Some of the best I've ever seen. How long have you been dual wielding?"

Ahsoka squinted a little as she thought. "I got the shoto last year during the Festival of Stars. Before Mina Bonteri was assassinated. So, four-ish months?"

"Four months?"

Watching Obi-Wan's reaction, Anakin couldn't contain his smile. "She's a natural, Master."

"You're at a disadvantage using Jar'Kai against Djem So in the first place. At that speed and fluency..." He shook his head slightly. "I would have guessed you had been training for several years."

Ahsoka shifted her weight, her coloring deepening. "I mean, I do get a lot of practice. And I still lost."

"This time," said Obi-Wan, turning a sharp, calculating gaze onto Anakin.

He crossed his arms defensively, unsure what Obi-Wan was looking at. Mostly to deflect, Anakin said in his snottiest tone, "You wanna go next, Master?"

"If I said yes, would you actually spar me?"

"No," Anakin said instantly. He would like nothing better than to train with his master, but there was no way Obi-Wan was in any kind of shape to spar.

"Then don't be a tease, Anakin."

"Later!" protested Anakin, but Artoo whistled and Ahsoka was laughing.

"Yeah, Master. Don't offer what you can't deliver."

Rolling his eyes, Anakin gestured at her with his 'saber hilt. "Enough chatting. Tag matches?"

"Hang on just a minute! Master Kenobi was about to tell me how to wipe the floor with you."

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow, and then cocked his head at Anakin. With humorously exaggerated formality, he said, "Knight Skywalker, may I advise your padawan?"

"Go for it, Master."

Ahsoka shooed at him to go away, but he didn't move. He was interested himself to see what Obi-Wan would say.

"Just a couple suggestions, Padawan Tano. Your style is unique, and overall very strong. I see a lot of Ataru techniques, but your bladework is influenced more by Form V, yes?"

"Yeah, it's kind of a hybrid. I try to play to speed and agility, which are more my strengths," explained Ahsoka. "Not so much brute power. That's part of why we decided to focus on Jar'Kai. Since its main weakness is the division of strength and I'm smaller than everyone I ever fight anyway, that's no great loss. And it definitely pays big dividends in speed."

Obi-Wan made a doubtful noise. "You may be underestimating your power. Parrying Falling Avalanche strikes with one hand isn't something just any duelist could get away with. You have plenty of strength, and you're still not yet fully grown."

"Sure, but I'm never going to be able to go toe-to-toe with someone like Durge," said Ahsoka, dismissing the thought with a shrug.

Anakin could sense that Obi-Wan wasn't convinced, but he let it lie and circled back to the main point. "Regardless, your actual technique is impeccable. You get into trouble when you try to play Anakin's game instead of your own."

"That's what I was trying to avoid in the beginning! Not letting him get close enough to really hammer me."

"But is that you?" asked Obi-Wan.

"Not really," Ahsoka had to admit. "I don't actually do running away very well."

"Yes. I think I know that about you, even though we met for the first time two days ago." His tone was gently sarcastic, and Anakin grinned at Ahsoka's rueful expression. "Anakin certainly knows that. Keeping him on his toes was a good strategy— You have to fight smart, but you have to fight like you. Your reverse Shien grip, for instance."

"Yeah?"

"It gives you a natural advantage in close quarters. If you're close, Anakin doesn't have enough room to utilize his full power, either. Use your footwork to run him in circles like you were, but instead of creating so much distance, do it tight."

"Okay," she said slowly, eyes narrowed in thought. "That does get dangerous, though. Djem So is supposed to be slow, but..."

Anakin suddenly found himself being scrutinized. Both of them eyed him, Ahsoka making a vague gesture in his direction. "What? Djem So is only slow if you're slow. Just because the form doesn't involve triple gainers that doesn't mean my footwork is stagnant."

They shared a look. "Indeed," said Obi-Wan meaningfully.

"Doesn't Grievous do Djem So? I bet he's not slow."

Anakin had never met Grievous personally, but Ahsoka had dueled him many times over the years. She made a face. "I'm not sure you can call anything he does one of the classic forms. And he's a giant metal cyborg," she said, spreading her arms to encompass Grievous's size and making chopping motions. "So, yeah, he has a ton of arms and can wave lightsabers fast, but in most ways, no, he's not as fast as you. And besides, he can't even touch the Force."

The last sentence was delivered with all the casual conceit of a born Jedi, and Anakin snorted. All right, then.

"Since you probably won't have time to create an opportunity with Form IV speed like you normally would, your best tactic is to keep moving, defend, and wait for him to give you one."

Lifting his chin, Anakin said, "What if I don't?"

"You will," said Obi-Wan.

"Spoken like a true Soresu practitioner."

Ahsoka was shaking her head. "There's no way. If I do that for too long, he'll beat right through my defense, Master Kenobi."

"Will he? I saw no cracks in your defense, even at top speed."

"Are you kidding?" said Ahsoka. "He nearly nailed me like five times when we were stalemated."

"Because you kept going for desperate, sloppy attacks. You let him rattle you, instead of keeping your focus. The only holes in your defense were ones you made."

"Ouch." Anakin whistled between his teeth. "You might need some bacta for that burn, Snips."

Flicking a hand as if to brush off Anakin's comment, Obi-Wan told Ahsoka, "It's the head game. Your physical skill is there — you just have to trust yourself, and trust the Force. Your opponent will always give you a way in. If you're stronger in your head and heart, it won't matter who is physically stronger. There's always a way."

Ahsoka nodded, gaze fixed earnestly on Obi-Wan's face. Had Anakin looked at Obi-Wan like that? Like he held all the secrets of the universe? He was pretty sure he had, but he didn't think Ahsoka ever looked at him like that.

"Hey Artoo, did you get much of the match?" asked Anakin.

He beeped affirmatively.

"Can you play it back for us?"

Artoo had footage of the last half of their duel, starting right after Anakin had picked up his speed. The first time they locked up, he slowly overloaded Ahsoka until she was trapped into just defense, the way Obi-Wan had recommended. On Artoo's projected holo, she disengaged with a distance leap. The exchanges after that were visibly more haphazard and risky, and Ahsoka winced as she watched, her chagrin stinging in the Force.

"Yikes."

"Pause playback," said Obi-Wan, as if Artoo were a holotable programmed with voice commands.

Artoo froze the recording, but not without some sarcastic warbling.

"This." Obi-Wan indicated the recorded form of Anakin. On the holo, he had just followed through an overhead strike, and Ahsoka was off-balance, bending backwards to avoid his attack. "Rewind this sequence."

"Thanks, Artoo," said Anakin.

He went back eleven seconds, and they watched Ahsoka make a strike at Anakin's side. He met it with a blow of his own, three more raining down immediately after.

"Pause." Obi-Wan looked at Ahsoka. "Did you see?"

She just gave him a quizzical look. "What?"

"Watch him finish this Falling Avalanche," said Obi-Wan.

Anakin sighed. He knew where this was going.

When the recording played again, Ahsoka lit up with realization. "Ah! You over-committed, Master."

"You seemed to be a little too busy falling over to notice," he said dryly.

The corner of Obi-Wan's mouth quirked into a teasing half-smile. "That's what I like to call an opportunity."

"I get it," said Ahsoka, crossing her arms. "I was too busy falling over to notice. If I—"

Shrieking suddenly, Artoo cut her off. A second holorecording window expanded beside the first.

"What's this, buddy?" Anakin asked. He sucked in a sharp breath when two distinct figures materialized out of blue light.

It was Obi-Wan and him, 'sabers out and at the ready, circling each other in the middle of a sparring match. The background wasn't visible, but they were almost certainly in one of the private Temple practice rooms. "You're letting your frustration get the better of you, Padawan," said Obi-Wan's voice on the recording. His hair was longer, beard covering his chin— when was this? It had to be after the war had started. Artoo hadn't been with Anakin until then, but he didn't remember this—

On the holo, Anakin's face was set in a black scowl. He attacked, hammering against Obi-Wan with wide, sweeping power blows. Stepping back with each one, his master countered and gave ground.

"Calm yourself, Anakin. Focus."

Somehow, Anakin didn't think his past self was going to take that advice.

Padawan Anakin snarled and leapt forward, throwing himself headlong into another onslaught. Violent fury surged in him like a storm, and he drove forward, strike after strike in a frenzy of deadly light. Anakin's mouth was dry as he watched, barely recognizing himself. The boy on the holo seemed almost possessed, driven relentlessly by an invisible darkness. He seemed like a stranger. If Anakin were at the Temple and saw a padawan acting like that, he would think — dangerous.

He was beginning to worry that maybe he did remember this day, after all.

"Artoo..." said Anakin doubtfully. "Why are you showing us this?"

Warbling, Artoo would only say that his algorithm had flagged both of these holovids as related media. A bogus answer if Anakin had ever heard one.

As Obi-Wan's hologram figure defended himself, he only showed concern. When a gap opened in Anakin's barrage, he moved as if to set his 'saber aside and end the match, but, heedlessly, Anakin struck again. Barely getting his 'saber up in time, Obi-Wan took one more step back, and then seemed to run out of patience. Anakin's fourth strike was a Falling Avalanche, the classic Djem So overhead blow, just like he'd used on Ahsoka. And just as he had done with her, he over-committed.

In one smooth sidestep, Obi-Wan sliced Anakin's unprotected stomach in a move that would have eviscerated him in a real fight. His return to guard cracked Anakin under the chin, and a strong downward slash knocked the 'saber from Anakin's hand. His head whipped back painfully and he staggered.

Frowning, Obi-Wan extinguished his 'saber and called Anakin's fallen hilt into his hand. "Anakin—"

"I don't want to hear it!" Anakin snapped, chest heaving as he cupped his burned chin. The other two cuts had been all business, disable and disarm, but that had been a rebuke.

On the holo, Anakin could see his master's shoulders rise and fall silently. He lifted Anakin's 'saber hilt, offering it back to the padawan, but Anakin turned away.

"Keep it," he said venomously. "I don't want it."

Obi-Wan let his arm fall as Anakin walked out of the frame of the recording. Weariness lined his posture, and he looked very alone.

The holo cut off, disappearing as if it had never existed. For a moment, silence hung in the air as heavy as poisonous smoke.

Artoo beeped.

Anakin wasn't sure he could speak. His throat felt tight, and he stood with his head lowered, like he could hide or disappear if he just didn't meet anyone's eyes.

"Yikes," murmured Ahsoka again.

Sharp and brittle, Anakin laughed. She got that right.

"So... keep an eye out for that follow-through, I guess."

Ahsoka was trying to be casual, joking her way out of the tension the way they often did. When he angled just a little to see her out of the corner of his eye, Anakin's gaze caught on Obi-Wan instead. Arms crossed tightly over his stomach, his eyes never left Anakin. There was no anger in his face, none of the disappointment that Anakin had expected and feared. Instead, his expression was shadowed in concern — just like in the holo.

Anakin couldn't look away. Trapped, he felt like everything he was and everything he had been was exposed, hanging on scales for judgment. "Master—"

"You might think about returning to guard occasionally, Anakin," said Obi-Wan, glancing quickly at Ahsoka.

His master's tone was carefully light, and Anakin took a shaky breath. Not the time. Not yet. He forced himself to nod. "Yes, I am— I will, Master." He wasn't talking about 'saber technique, not really.

"Shall we find out?" Obi-Wan asked Ahsoka, raising an eyebrow, and she agreed immediately.

Anakin fled to the center of the mats.

They settled on a best out of five tag match, Ahsoka broadcasting enthusiasm with deliberate focus. This time the duel was more formal, beginning from guard position, and Ahsoka started out cautiously, ready to put Obi-Wan's strategy into action. Increasingly, though, she gained confidence and attacked with more aggression. Anakin's focus was all over the place, and she scored two tags on him before he could even really get his head in the game.

He was painfully aware of his prosthetic hand. Usually Anakin barely spared it a thought unless it needed maintenance, but now he felt its weight, and its grip on his 'saber hilt seemed wrong every time he swung. It had been a long kriffing process to adjust to it initially, frustration at having to re-learn so many things building on top of the war, his grief over his mother, and his unstable, brand-new marriage...

Ahsoka almost tagged him again, dancing away cheerfully, and Anakin tried to refocus.

If she had landed the blow, that would have been the end of the match. He would never live down allowing a shutout like that.

Anakin exhaled harshly, blowing out in the Force at the same time, and followed her. Instead of evading him, Ahsoka picked a position and met him there. Her parries were quick as a striking snake, and he had to exert himself to force any kind of opening. Trying to drive her back, Anakin struck and struck again — making sure to return to guard — but she chose a different direction each time, leaping sideways or diagonal to disrupt his technique. Ahsoka controlled the movement of the match with her Ataru footwork, but didn't launch any of her own offensives. She defended herself, and waited, and Anakin had to admit that Obi-Wan's advice was working far too well for his comfort.

He feinted, tricking her into dodging, and then pinned her down, finally getting in a tag on her shoulder — his first of the match. After that, though, Ahsoka was wary and her guard tightened still further. Djem So wasn't slow, Anakin wasn't slow, but he was beginning to feel like a Dreadnaught heavy cruiser being harried by a one-man starfighter. Every time he turned the full weight of an attack onto Ahsoka, she wasn't there anymore.

"Oh boy," she said, parrying and then flipping around to Anakin's other side. "Getting tired, Master?"

Narrowing his eyes, Anakin renewed his assault. He didn't pause, tracking every move she made like a slave-rigged ship, changing direction when she did but never stopping. Tired? As if. He let the Force dictate his rhythm, his 'saber flashing faster and faster until their entire duel blurred, action and reaction faster than thought. Their focus clashed, instinct testing instinct in a stalemate that lasted for long minutes.

Ahsoka was working for it now, hunkering down into a grim defense that gave no opportunities. He hammered her, waiting for the break he could feel was coming. It didn't matter if it took hours or days to get there. Surging with the Force, Anakin no longer saw the room or felt the time that passed as their blades danced.

Finally, as he mirrored one of Ahsoka's jumps, a shot of fierce glee burned through Anakin. He sprang past Ahsoka's side, no Ataru theatrics, no Djem So windup — just a single, focused leap. His body became a missile, and his backhand swing tagged Ahsoka's back before she could even turn.

She hissed in annoyance, immediately cartwheeling out of range, but Anakin was already coming again. When he struck, Ahsoka parried, and briefly, pure rage overwhelmed him. He saw Ahsoka's grin, fangs bared in challenge, but he saw something else too. For a moment, Anakin was standing in the dark among low huts, immersed in the deep, red burn of pain. His 'saber brandished in the flickering firelight, and his mother— his mother's last words—

"Whoa!" said Ahsoka, lunging backward. She was still grinning, and Anakin stumbled.

This was Ahsoka.

Ahsoka, his fearless padawan. They were just sparring.

Anakin froze, not about to make another move with a lit 'saber in his hand. He hadn't had flashbacks like this in so long— Why was this happening? He barely noticed when Ahsoka casually knocked past his guard and tagged his chest.

"That's a win!" Ahsoka announced, exuberant in victory. "You wanna go best two out of three?"

"This was— uh, just a warmup," said Anakin. His left hand was trembling. He clenched it into a fist.

"No way, Skyguy. This was me beating you straight up."

"Then I guess we'd better go again, huh?"

"Unless you want to call it a day," Ahsoka offered. "You know, just call it even."

Honestly, Anakin was tempted. But, no. He could be better than this. He was better than this. Glancing over at the sideline, he found Obi-Wan watching them. He looked down as soon as Anakin met his eyes, going back to what he was doing before: manipulating water bottles with the Force. Why, Anakin didn't know, but he had to smile.

Anakin wasn't going to lose it just because he'd seen one holo from the past. He had been that person in the recording — he couldn't change that — but he didn't have to be that person anymore.

Emotion, yet peace.

"One more, Snips. Best two out of three."

Sighing theatrically, Ahsoka spread her arms. "All right, if you insist."

Anakin took a deep breath.

Walking back to start again in the middle of the mats, he took a Shien guard and waited. He watched Ahsoka, and thought about the first day he met her. He had been in the middle of a battle, overwhelmed, and instead of the reinforcements he desperately needed, she had arrived. When he had been scornful and dismissive, she hadn't backed down once, getting right up in his face. Could he have done that, when he was fourteen?

Now, Anakin couldn't imagine his life without her. She deserved a master who was at least as brave as she was.

He let her guide the match. For a long time, Anakin did nothing but pull every strike and focus on being present in the moment. It was only Ahsoka across from him, working as hard as she could to try and outmaneuver him. The Force was all around them, swirling with concentration and effort, and he let it move him without throwing anything back.

His unusual approach had the side effect of throwing Ahsoka for a loop, and eventually she backed off. Eyes narrowed, she brandished her shoto at Anakin and demanded, "Why are you fighting like a Neimoidian grandmother?"

He snorted. "Are you saying you can't even beat a Neimoidian grandmother?"

"Is this a trap?"

Anakin waggled his 'saber at her invitingly. He hadn't set any trap, but either way, she wouldn't be able to help springing it. When she attacked, he parried casually, and they traded volleys back and forth for the rest of the duel. The final score was three to two in Anakin's favor.

Ahsoka called for a rematch, but it fell apart when Anakin disarmed Ahsoka and, instead of doing anything that made sense, she tackled him.

Anakin lost his own 'saber in the general brawl, and it turned into more of a wrestling match. They were both laughing when they got to their feet and picked up their lightsabers. At that point, the serious contest of the duel was over and they devolved into just messing around.

"Wait until I unleash my secret weapon on you," Ahsoka threatened.

"Do your worst!" said Anakin.

He was confused for a long second when she reached behind her lekku and pulled her padawan braid around to the front. Standing with his 'saber dipping toward the floor, he waited for the attack. And waited. And waited.

"Is something supposed to be happening?"

"Look!" she said. "On your tunic. I'm vaporizing you with my miniaturized death ray!"

Anakin looked down, seeing nothing at all until he caught sight of a tiny, moving glimmer. Squinting at her in confusion, he saw the braid in her hand, and then suddenly noticed the tiny silver bead. She was reflecting the light onto Anakin's tunic, gleefully waiting for him to notice.

Throwing his head back, Anakin laughed harder than he had in a long time. "I gave you the means to destroy me, and I didn't even know it!"

They counted that one as a tie.

"This whole day is a tie," said Ahsoka as they walked back to Obi-Wan.

"Uh, I won two matches, and you won one. How is that a tie?"

"The first one was informal! When we started counting it was one each and then a tie."

Hands on his hips, Anakin frowned down at her. "I find your arithmetic very suspect."

"It was a tie, wasn't it, Master Kenobi?" said Ahsoka, appealing to a higher authority.

Obi-Wan sat cross-legged, a pantheon of seven water bottles lined up in front of him like the pieces of some kind of strange dejarik set. "I'm not sure. I kind of lost track of where you stopped sparring and started putting on some kind of a theater performance."

Cupping her hand around her mouth, Ahsoka stage-whispered, "It was a tie."

"Apparently it was a tie, Anakin."

Anakin rolled his eyes. When Artoo whistled, offering to play it back for them again, Anakin squinted at him suspiciously. "Yeah, no thanks, buddy. I think you've helped enough for today." He still thought Artoo must have had some secondary motive in bringing up that holo from the past.

"Can I have another one of these?" asked Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan handed her one of his water bottles. "Anything else on the docket for today, Master?"

Anakin picked his comm up from his pile of tunics, and found that they had been there for a couple hours. Most of the spectating clones had gotten bored and gone on to other things while they had been standing around talking for so long, and now it was lunchtime, so the gym was nearly deserted. "No," he said, reluctant to go back to the real world, but knowing that the end of their voyage was too close to spend much more time training. "You're free, Snips. Make sure you've got the Twilight prepped—"

She held up one finger. "Listen, everything is completely under control. I got this."

"Okay, so finish my sentence." Humming doubtfully, Ahsoka opened her mouth, but before she could make up anything ridiculous, Anakin crossed his arms. "—And don't forget to meditate."

"Right, exactly." She nodded firmly, as those were the very words she had been about to say. "When do you want me to report to the bridge?"

"When you hear the hyperspace alarm."

"Got it."

She lifted her water bottle to both of them, as if in a parting salute, before turning to go.

"Seriously, make sure to meditate," he called after her.

"You make sure to meditate," Ahsoka muttered.

"Excuse me, Padawan?"

She gave him a manufactured smile, the expression as bright as she could possibly make it. "I said 'Yes, Master! Right away, Master!'"

"That's what I thought you said." Anakin narrowed his eyes and watched her leave. When he turned, he found Obi-Wan looking up at him with a wry smile. "What?"

"I like her," he said.

"I hate to admit it, but so do I."

The sarcasm came easily to Anakin's tongue, but nothing else did. He hesitated, vacillating before finally folding down to sit across from his master. There was still a little time, right? Maybe they didn't have to return to the real world right away.