AN: Wow, I waited a long time to update. Sorry...I've been busy, and I didn't actually know what was 'slipping' when Ahsoka got injured. But I got it figured out so enjoy. I'm working on the one-shot, it's not done yet...but I think it's coming. Not only did I manage to have trouble on this fic, but the other one...

As for this one: Enjoy!

Anakin sat alone, playing with his robotic arm nervously. No one was here yet; the battle still raged outside. Horror and terror rang out with every scream, every shot. Anakin should be out there, helping. But he couldn't, not now anyway. His Padawan had yet to awaken, but her pain screamed out, with a touch of confusion. The confusion mystified Anakin. And something was eating at him.

The MagnaGuard. Ahsoka had extra sensory due to her Togrutan background, making her hearing and vision uncannily good. So, even if a Jedi couldn't sense droids in the Force, why she hadn't known of the MagnaGuard's existence - the Force made her unknowing quite clear - left Anakin deep in thought. In his thoughts, he also found a huge bit of unease. Something in Ahsoka's fearless Force signature, something felt off - or missing.

"General Skywalker?" It was a the med droid, and if it was possible, Anakin would have said it sounded nervous. He glanced at the box of metal, fear rolling off of him in waves. What had happened? "She'll be all right, your apprentice, I mean. But..." He trailed off, almost as if lost in thought. Anakin knew something was up.

"But?" He prompted, feeling a sharp flash of impatience. Surely the droid knew that Ahsoka was just any girl, she was his girl, his child. It felt that way many of the times, or perhaps that they weren't father-daughter, master-apprentice, but a cheerful brother-sister relationship. It was ironic how, if Padme and he ever wanted a child, he would've had plenty of experience with this insolent, disobedient girl.

"But, that is, provided her body recovers from the sudden shock. She can't hear as of right now. Her body couldn't cope with the montral injury and she blacked out. I assume her hearing had been fading slowly since the injury, because I spoke to her briefly when she woke up, and the cause of the shoulder injury normally would have been detected..." The med droid rambled on, chatting nervously of Ahsoka's other injuries and a fever she had, but Anakin didn't notice. That's what had slipped; that's why none of her attention had been on the the MagnaGuard. His blue eyes were locked on her door, wishing she would walk out, laughing and joking. Hearing.

"Will she recover her hearing?" Anakin asked, still not looking at the med droid. Her hearing. How? How could he have done that? Allowed it to happen? Anakin knew she was exhausted, not a hundred percent okay. And yet, he failed miserably in protecting her.

"She may yet retain it. A Togruta uses their lekku to hear, so provided that we can fix them without too much stress inflicted upon the patient. She is a predator, not prey, General Skywalker. This may be hard for her." Anakin's fingers unclenched slowly as he struggled to release the bubbling anger. He knew his apprentice better than any stupid droid. Yes, she was a predator. He saw it in her on a daily basis, the way her lips would lift in a snarl, the way she charged so fearlessly. But fearless - that was the key. Ahsoka would be fearless as always, fighting to come back to him. She always bounced back. And if the droid's right? Anakin couldn't let that be true.

"Can I see her?" Anakin asked, already standing. If that droid said no, it would be one twisted hunk of scrap metal. The med droid backed away, almost as if sensing Anakin's hatred towards it. So stunned it couldn't speak, it nodded, not that Anakin noticed. He was already there, looking at her.

Ahsoka, to put it frankly, was a mess. She was on her side because of the back and shoulder injuries, so Anakin had full view of the damage done. Ahsoka's face was paler than the lightest Togruta's skin, her lekku's blue stripes flushed to the a faint blue. Her bandaged montral sent little zaps of electrical pain through the Force in rhythm, a steady stattaco informing Anakin of her distress. Her shoulder was bruised and swollen, and her back had a deep red gash. Cringing, Anakin took one of Ahsoka's hands and cupped it in his own. He trailed a finger down an orange cheek, and she shivered ever so slightly. She was so warm, her unusually cool skin burning. But he could feel that she had been comforted, at least. Maybe if Anakin could keep her stress down...his heart leaped.

"Snips," He whispered into the Force, praying that Ahsoka's mind shield wasn't up. He pried, just the faintest bit, and what he found surprised him. Ahsoka's voice saying sarcastically, "You forgot me." And Obi-Wan's: You were my brother! And his own: I hate you! Surprised, he let go. Who? When? This was the dream that Ahsoka had dreamed, wasn't it? Anakin hadn't seen anything, but now he had to get her awake. Never mind the hatred or the betrayal, not yet. Not until Ahsoka told him.

If he didn't, her distress may ruin her chance. "Ahsoka! Snips!" He called through the Force. He could hear his voice echoing, but then it entered her mind. Grasping her hand as though it were a lifeline, he screamed, "Wake up!" She stirred, whimpering. "Come to me, Padawan, come to me."

You forget me.

You were my brother.

I hate you!

There were only words in Ahsoka's troubled sleep, but words were enough to send her heart racing and sweat to stream off of her forehead and dribble off of her chin. It was a relief when they left her, but they left so mockingly, screaming that they'd be back. Then, Ahsoka realized what chased them off. Her Master was calling, his deep voice scaring them. Relieved, Ahsoka snuggled back down, but her mind wasn't right. Something was off.

The world was muffled, the only sounds empty and static-like. A buzzing near her head created more pain, but underneath it, her master's voice screaming through the Force. In her murky world, Ahsoka wanted him to pull her away from the haze, but she was simply to tired. "Not now, Master." She tried to say, not through the Force, but through her lips. Something was wrong. Suddenly awake, Ahsoka shot up bolt right, and promptly screamed from the protesting of her shoulder.

But she couldn't hear her scream, couldn't hear her voice. Panicked, she looked around. A med droid sat nearby, busily moving about her. But normally Ahsoka could feel a droid's movement, though she could not ever feel the droid itself. Stricken, she looked at the starched white walls, everything. A hand, soothing and gentle as...well, definitely not her strong master's, rubbed her good shoulder. The other screamed out, burning fiercer than ever. Biting her lip, Ahsoka glanced up at Anakin.

"Master?" She said, still able to speak. She leaned against his hand, her blue eyes heavy from the fear. Ahsoka had to fight, she had to. This couldn't take her, or her hearing. "What happened? To my headtails?"

He spoke into the Force, and Ahsoka could feel a small edge of anger as he struggled to keep it down. She knew why; she hadn't paid heed to his warning. "Snips, you got burnt pretty bad, and electrocuted by a MagnaGuard because of it. Your hearing can come back, but you have to relax. Sh, little 'un." Anakin said. Ahsoka could see his lips moving, barely showing his teeth.

But for the predator to lose how she hunted, for Ahsoka to lose this...it felt like someone had snatched up half of the Force and carried it off. A shiver traveled down her aching spine and she eased herself back down. She couldn't push down her fear, no matter how hard she tried. I need to. For my Master. For myself. I can't fail now, I have to watch him so I can prevent those dreams from being real!

Ahsoka could never truly hide, her master being the Chosen One, and so now he picked up her feelings. She looked shamefully at him, her pale lekku picking up some fainter, vivider color. But his words surprised her. The Hero with No Fear's words made Ahsoka stare, surprise springing off of her hurting body, eating the fear.

"I understand."

A black cloaked figure stared into the night. If his eyes held hardness or even pain Ahsoka wouldn't know, for they too were concealed. His pain flowed into a never ending river of hatred, bubbling like lava. The stars shone brilliantly, never aware of their fate. The galaxy, at the brink of death, rejoiced for liberty's failure. Well, almost everyone did. Some ran off, though, away from the robotic man's evil power.

But not everyone. Some would fight. Would the tiny Togruta, parsecs away? The Togruta looked almost unfamiliar, pale and severely under weight, her arm bandaged roughly. She was sick, that much was obvious.

Good question. It seemed so complicated, a million knots tied together in her chest. Warnings and cautions, rebukes and commands strengthened those knots. This droid like man seemed familiar, seemed to reach out to her and stop her. And yet, her predator background had her tensed up, ready to strike.

Visions changed. A blue blade, held at her throat trembled with regret. Her hand flew to the side, Force racing through her blood...fear, anger, sorrow, surprise restricted her movements some, but she wouldn't let that stop her...

Ahsoka screamed upon waking. She shivered furiously at the lack of hearing, the lack of physical sense, but at least she didn't feel so bad now. She could feel the larger movements made by the med droid, even if they only seemed like tiny flutters. Anakin was asleep in a chair beside her, looking distressed. Ahsoka searched what she could feel: Fear, and the distress was for her. He knew that she was having a nightmare.

A nightmare that was blacker than night, bleaker than any fate she'd imagined for the Republic. She stared at her master for a moment longer, thinking, her mind switching thoughts quickly. Her orange hand reached out and touched the stiff shoulder, "Master." She whispered, even though she couldn't hear she knew her voice was too soft for him to awaken. "I will protect you. I promise."

Promise sealed, Ahsoka laid back down, feeling things stir in the Force, Obi-Wan's Force signature, serene and tranquil, Rex's calm, commanding one, and her master's, blindingly reckless. Full, a never ending net of futures. And one could be the wrong one selected. The pain in her mind was suddenly more brilliant than her montral's. There were too many futures, to many turns. And she could never be waiting in front of every single one.

Well, I hope you like it. Like I said, busy and I had trouble finding something that would work.