Okay so a few comments I've gotten.
Can you post everyday since you already have the chapters written?- No. I'm sorry. Truthfully, I love this story and I can't believe I've actually posted it, let alone come to an ending. So I'm going to try and make this entire thing last a bit longer than it would take for me to post every day.
I'd like you all to know that I post quicker than most stories. I post every other day with the rare exception, so I'm sorry. I know you're all impatient. I understand. I've read fanfiction. But I'll post when I post.
Chapter 25
Ahsoka POV
Anakin found out. Of course he did. When everyone was back on the cruiser he questioned the crew well enough for them to give up Ahsoka. She couldn't blame them either. The General could offer consequences for those who didn't talk. So when Anakin approached Ahsoka on her way to the cafeteria, she knew exactly what he was going to say.
"You disobeyed my orders," he cornered her by a wall.
"Yes I did." There was no denying it. She might as well take the screaming from her Master. He'd yell at her for a bit then it'd be okay. Ahsoka considered playing the 'but I was tortured,' card for some sympathy.
"Are you okay?"
This was strange. It seemed that Anakin had skipped over the yelling part and went straight to being sympathetic. Ahsoka wasn't going to argue, this was a gift. She was just curious why.
"Yeah I'm fine." As if waiting for the word fine to come out of her mouth she started a coughing fit. Ahsoka hunched over and coughed into her arm. With her other arm she grabbed her lightsaber off her belt and fumbled with it. She was just about to open it and get her inhaler out when it was taken from her hand.
Anakin looked panicked as he tried to open her lightsaber (which he didn't even know how to do) and get her inhaler out. Meanwhile Ahsoka was still coughing and it was getting harder to breathe.
She snatched the weapon from her master's hand and skillfully opened it. When she got her inhaler out Ahsoka took a few puffs of it.
Meanwhile Anakin seemed to be questioning her, "Have you had your weekly shot?"
Ahsoka nodded and took another puff.
"Have you had your Ectohazmith treatment this month?"
She nodded again and put the inhaler back in her lightsaber, then her lightsaber back on her belt. When she felt calm enough again she glared at her master. "What the hell was that?"
"You were having trouble opening it," he explained simply.
"I was doing fine," she spat.
"You weren't. Are you sure that you've had your weekly shot. I can check with the medical bay-"
"Stop it!" Ahsoka screamed.
Anakin froze in his place. His eyes were wide, but not with anger. He was just curious as to what he said wrong. Ahsoka knew that it wasn't his fault, but at that moment she was too angry to care.
"I am fine! You have been treating me like a six year old for the past month and I've had to put up with that. Okay, you're just looking out for me. I get that. But this is going over the line! I have dealt with my condition myself, for as long as I've had it. I do not need you to help me!"
"Ahsoka-"
"No! Don't do that. I'm not done." Ahsoka demanded. "I kept my disease a secret from you so that this wouldn't happen. I don't want to be treated like I can't look out for myself. It's fine that you want to help, but you don't need to and I don't want you to. I want everything to be the same between us. I want to take care of my Ectohazmith myself and keep it a secret from as many people as I can. Can you please respect that?"
Anakin's face fell as he began to understand. Ahsoka just wanted to be normal. He could relate to that. "I'm sorry."
Ahsoka let out a breath and nodded. "It's okay. I'm sorry I yelled. I was kind of in the moment."
"You're right though. You have this under control and all I'm doing is pestering you. I understand that you don't want everyone to know, and I shouldn't have tried to take control. I just don't want anything to happen to you… I couldn't save you the first time."
The young girl frowned. "You couldn't have done anything to save me. It wasn't your fault. It just happened."
"So we're good?"
She smiled, "we're good."
Ahsoka continued off to the cafeteria and behind her she heard Anakin remember how he was originally going to yell at her when the conversation started. "Wait, weren't- you still went down to the planet when I told you not to!"
The young girl laughed and quickened her pace. "I can't hear you!" She yelled back over her shoulder and kept walking.
A few hours later Anakin came back to give Ahsoka the stern reprimanding she knew was coming. He met her in the main conference room where she was hiding out in.
"You went down to the planet when I told you not to." Anakin didn't bother sitting down. He did better at castigating her that way.
She tried to argue her point, "but your squadron lost the bombs."
"But I told you not to go down to the planet," he insisted. "And I'm trying really hard to be mad at you when I'm not that mad. So why don't we settle this with you and me walking out of here and if anyone asks, I yelled at you for not following orders."
"Alright," Ahsoka smiled up at her master. At times like this, she remembered why she liked him so much.
"Don't smile," Anakin asserted.
Ahsoka wiped the smile off her face and turned it into a toothless grin. Her master couldn't object to that.
Anakin POV
About a week later Anakin was given another mission. It was another small one but still, he wondered what he was going to do with Ahsoka. She would insist on coming along like last time, only this time she would want to actually be in the mission, not just monitoring coms.
He considered not telling her about it but he knew that wouldn't work. She'd find out somehow; she always did.
He was confused and decided to consult his former master. Obi-Wan may have something to say on the topic.
"You should let her join the mission," Obi-Wan said to his former Padawan.
Anakin suddenly regretted his decision to confer with Obi-Wan. He didn't seek him out looking for his real judgment. Anakin just wanted someone to agree with him that Ahsoka shouldn't be in the field. Obviously that wasn't the case.
The Jedi Knight straightened up in his chair. "But Obi-Wan- she can't. She's still recovering."
Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows. "She got a clean bill of health from Dr. Reed a few weeks ago. All they told her was to take things slow. Obviously she's ready to back into the field."
"She isn't ready though. More rest never hurt anyone and that's what she needs," Anakin insisted.
Obi-Wan only sighed and looked at his former Padawan. "Anakin, it seems that it is you that isn't ready to let her back into the field. You don't want to risk losing her again so you're trying to keep her out."
"I am not."
"You are though. You're pushing her out of action because you don't want to risk her getting hurt again. It's okay. She and I feel the same way about you, but that doesn't keep you out of trouble. If you keep Ahsoka out she'll find her own way into missions and those will be more reckless than if you just let her in."
Anakin hated that he was right.
"I'm going on another mission later on today." Anakin announced to his Padawan. The two of them were in the library. The Jedi Knight realized that his Padawan did spend most of her time in here.
"And yes you can come too," he said even before she could ask.
At this she was shocked. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was gaping open. "Really?"
"Yes," Anakin tried to speak as though it were nothing when in reality it was difficult for him to willingly put his Padawan in harm's way again.
Ahsoka smiled up at her Master. "Well then, when do we leave?"
Ahsoka POV
When her master told her she could join the upcoming mission she knew there would be cautions and he would have conditions. She just didn't know they would be such strict conditions.
"I don't need a babysitter Master," Ahsoka complained. She knew it was going to get her nowhere. Anakin's mind was set. Still she had to try.
He didn't even bother turning to her as he responded. "I don't care. You'll do what I say."
"I'm sure Rex doesn't want to babysit me either."
"Too bad."
Being babysat by Rex and in the field was still better than not being in the field. Rex understood that Ahsoka didn't want him to be her caretaker and Ahsoka understood he didn't want to have to babysit her. They were in agreement.
She wouldn't do anything completely reckless and try to get away. In return Rex would give her some space. He still stayed by her side most of the time though. Rex was afraid of Anakin and what the general would do to him if he found out he let Ahsoka on a lose leash. And believe it or not he was still cautious about the Commander's condition. She'd been tortured for a long time.
Ahsoka understood Rex's concerns and didn't do anything wild. Another reason for her tranquility was that she really was still recovering. She was well enough to be in the field, but she was still getting used to walking on her legs again and using her partially mechanical hand.
Rex's squadron was just heading back to the ship when they were ambushed. They weren't attacked by droids though, no the droids were all destroyed. The mission was over with.
They were ambushed by some species that inhabited the planet. They were ravenous looking creatures and they were ready to attack.
"Damn uninhabited planets!" Rex cursed as the troop ran to cover.
The squadron found cover behind a few large rocks. Shots were fired and the creatures started going down. Ahsoka got out there and drew her lightsaber. She took down 3 of the monsters and then went back to cover.
Ahsoka fell down beside a shooting Rex. She would still have been fighting if she weren't in pain. Instead she was clutching her aching hand. And it wasn't her mechanical hand. It was her other one; it was the right one.
The young girl was worried. She didn't want to take off her other glove and see the damage. What could be wrong with her hand? This was supposed to be the one hand that was fine. Why wasn't it acting like such?
"Are you alright Commander?" Rex asked in the middle of a reload.
"Fine," She held her hand and tried to stop the pain. Rex seemed hesitant but accepted her answer and went back to his attack.
Ahsoka just told herself that she had to make it back to the ship. Everything would be fine is she could hold out until then. She just had to make it back to the ship.
It was hard, but she did. Ahsoka made it back to the ship. She kept telling herself that she wasn't going to lose it on a mission. She would not do that. She was stronger than that and her hand could wait. She could push through the pain, even though with every passing moment it became more insistent.
Back on the ship the first thing Anakin did was give a victory speech. The entire time Ahsoka was just waiting for it to be over. Her hand started to hurt more and more and she needed to talk to her Master.
She didn't even realize when he was done talking and the group dismissed because she was too focused on what her eyes were seeing. She had pulled off her glove and was now looking at the hand that was causing her the pain. Her eyes widened at the sight.
Anakin POV
Anakin walked up to his Padawan that was balanced against the back wall. She didn't leave with everyone else after he congratulated them on how the mission went, so she must have wanted to talk to him.
"Hey Snips what-" He froze when he saw what her eyes were focused on.
Anakin looked at his Padawan's hand. Her fingertips were turning black and so were her veins that ran up to her wrist. Whatever was happening, it wasn't good.
The Jedi Knight saw the young girl look up at him. Her eyes were full of different emotions, one of which he recognized as fear. He watched as the black in her veins stretched farther than her wrist. They started to stretch up her lower arm now.
Anakin didn't understand. His Padawan was supposed to be fine.
A/N- Since I didn't post yesterday, I'll post tomorrow as well for you all. So there's something you can look forward to. And you all should know that I'm supposed to be doing homework but instead I'm posting this for you. -Saraphine
