AN: I kind of wanted to make this chapter a bit more carefree than the last few...Ahsoka's been through a lot. And besides, I didn't really want to make her seem out of character, because even though she has grown up some in season three, she still is Ahsoka - too optimistic, a bit overconfident, has a bit of temper - and I didn't think I was getting into that good enough, more of this dream-engulfed version. So, if you have any criticism towards her, I don't mind knowing.
Please read my last fic, "Thank You, Master." :)
Ahsoka let her full weight fall against the doorway as she watched her master work on her starfighter. Not that it needed work, that maybe he needed something to escape from. Ahsoka let out a breath, knowing that Anakin knew she was there, and knew she was uneasy. They both were - the dreams had drained of strength, but the last on...it left her head heavy with exaustion, her eyes scratchy as thought there were pockets of sand in them. She blinked, trying to clear her vision, "Hey, Skyguy."
"Snips." Anakin's voice was muffled, but when he glanced at her, Ahsoka could practically taste his concern. His blue eyes were cloudy with the troublesome worry, his messy brown hair sticking up slightly. Grease smeared his pale skin, and he looked far more tired than she felt. "If I can just get this last part..." He scooted back under the ship, banging his head and giving a curse and a loud, "Ow!" Ahsoka had to refrain from snorting at him, but she knew what he was doing. He wanted to fix her dreams, her problems. He couldn't though, so he went to do something that he could fix - her starfighter. 'Her' was an emphasis, that was for sure. Ahsoka knelt beside him, wishing she could fix something at this point, too.
He rolled back to her and smiled, "How ya doing?" Ahsoka made a face at him, crossing her arms, as if to imply, How do you think? I'm not dead, so that's good, don't cha think? Anakin apparently had another idea in his mind, because he asked, "No voices?"
Ahsoka shook her head, "Not one." she confirmed, and then she blurted out, quick as the thought entered her mind, "Unless you count yours and mine." She frowned at herself. Anakin had always tried to teach her to keep her mouth shut at least some of the times, but apparently that wasn't going to work at this moment. He gave her a dirty look that obviously meant, Watch it.
"Well..." Anakin started to say, but when his Commlink buzzed he grabbed it. Ahsoka couldn't help but notice that his blue eyes never left her, as though she was going to sink into convulsions any minute now with no hope of ever return. "Master Kenobi?" Anakin said, breaking Ahsoka's line of thought. He wasn't letting her hear the conversation, or see the image, but Ahsoka knew something was up, "Yes...No, I don't think so, I mean not right now...Yes, Master, I know..." He glanced at Ahsoka, "Well, we've been having some problems...no, not bad. Maybe a little, but I...why?" Ahsoka grinned. Listening to half the conversation was almost better than listening to all of it, except he was talking about her, "...Fine, I'm coming. Bye." He put the Comm away, glancing at Ahsoka.
Ahsoka widened her eyes, prompting him to speak "Snips, the Council wants to talk to me, and I'm getting the feeling it isn't good, so I'm going. You're going to be all right?" That normally would provoke a heated reaction, but even Ahsoka was pondering that. The voice was oddly demanding her attention...Ahsoka didn't want to pay it any mind.
Ahsoka rolled her eyes, "I'm not a youngling, Master. I'm perfectly capable of remaining here and discovering what damage you did to my starfighter. If it's gonna go crazy on me, after all, I should know." The brought a smile to her face, a gentle curve of her lips accompanied by a smug look. Her arms crossed and she gave that cocky, overconfident look that became a trademark. Anakin sighed in such a way that made it sound as if he were saying, All right, Snips. Behave yourself. He walked away without saying a word. He wasn't mad, Ahsoka knew that; he wouldn't give in.
"I always behave myself!" Ahsoka called after disappearing figure. For her own benefit, she muttered to herself, "I just have a different definition than you."
Obi-Wan was not a happy man. He glared at his apprentice, who groaned a bit when he saw Obi-Wan, "Save me," He had muttered to himself. Obi-Wan ignored that comment - he would have entirely ignored Anakin given the chance. But it would be hard to do so right now, because he had to say something. "So, when are we talking to the Council?" Anakin asked, oblivious to the reason Obi-Wan had called him down to his quarters.
"We're not." Obi-Wan answered, letting disgust seep into his tone. "Anakin, do you really think I'm that stupid - that I didn't feel you and your apprentice's distress last night? Or perhaps you should tell me your that oblivious, hm?"
"You sound like Yoda." Anakin muttered to himself, still barely paying attention to Obi-Wan. The Jedi Master could see his former apprentice ducking the question - he didn't really think Obi-Wan was that stupid, he just didn't want to discuss it. Obi-Wan glared at Anakin until he looked up and met Obi-Wan's gray eyes, "It was a nightmare." He admitted, "Maybe a premonition...I don't know, Obi-Wan. It worries me - I've never seen her so upset and beside herself like this."
Obi-Wan looked at him with a look that made Anakin nearly shrink back. Obi-Wan was good at that; making the listener feel as though he were so small...but one person he could never manage that trick on was, in fact, Ahsoka. The Togruta child acted as though she were Wookie-sized. "I'll take the Yoda part as a compliment, I suppose. What are her dreams about? Who are they centered around?" Anakin shot Obi-Wan a look that prompted the Jedi Master to continue, "Herself, Padme, some Jedi, or you?"
Anakin gave his former master a disgusted look, trying not to focus too much on Padme. It had been too long, "Like I didn't ask. Of course I did, but she didn't give me a specific answer. The galaxy was affected, not just one person." Anakin said, fiddling with his lightsaber as he lost himself in some train of thought. Only parts of the nightmare could he see, and most of that was blocked by Ahsoka's wild fit. "Some black man. Master, I'm not so concerned about who was in the dreams, yet. Ahsoka's been having them for awhile, but her reaction wasn't very typical. She woke up, but she was yelling at me to let her go, that something wouldn't so something...she was trying to leap up and fight it, whatever it was. I've got bruises to show." Anakin said, wincing. His chest hurt - however small Ahsoka was, she met up for it with her strength.
"So you had to restrain her?" Obi-Wan sounded a touch surprised, "What made her stop? Or it stop?" The term 'it' was becoming too much for Anakin. It wasn't just an 'it', it was something big, a turning point for everybody, but since he didn't know what it was, he couldn't correct Obi-Wan. All he knew was that some voice was taunting her, whether a vision or not attached to it, even in her wakened state.
"I don't really know. I told her she was a good Jedi, and she would be a good Jedi. She just stopped, then fell asleep. I stayed with her, though." Of course he stayed with her. It felt like a job, like Anakin had suddenly become her parent, or as it usually really felt, older brother - somebody for her to tease who would fight back playfully. Anakin had a feeling that past friends hadn't always fooled around with her, even if Ahsoka would fool around. It was her way of saying, "Hey! I'm here! Listen to me!"
Obi-Wan stared out at the millions of star dotting the forever black sky, "That's...odd." He started to open his mouth as though he was going to say more, but suddenly Ahsoka skidded into his quarters without bothering to knock. She flashed him a quick smile, no sign of any nightmares, and didn't pay any mind to his disproving stare.
"Skyguy, Master Kenobi." She said quickly, words mingling as she spoke so fast Anakin had to work to differentiate them, "First, you told me you were talking to the Council, and you weren't, so you lied...who are you telling to behave? Second, because you were so busy catching up on 'old times', I spoke with them and had to bring you this message; we're - or you guys - (She shot a pointed gaze at her Master) - are going Tythe. Separatists have taken over, as in completely taken over." Anakin stared at her in disbelief. He hadn't felt anything odd or marred in the Force, but certainly he should have. "The Council wants to talk to you." She added, "And I'm gonna go practice my lightsaber moves due to lack of battle practice." Another blue-eyed penetrating stare was directed at Anakin, even though she knew that in some cases, he might be right.
She seemed like she didn't care, but Anakin knew she did. She just knew that she shouldn't be there, at least this time. And besides, she knew what was happening, and knew that the Council and Anakin didn't get along. Or never would.
Sidious scowled to himself. A single figure stood in his way of Anakin's completion to the dark side, and that was the very annoying, optimistic Togruta apprentice. He needed to create a diversion for her, and it couldn't have worked better.
He had felt her distress - her screams, and eventually, her fight from Anakin. Perhaps she would try to kill him, and he, in turn, would murder her. It seemed a bit far-fetched, even to Palpatine, but to the Sith, anything was possible. After all, he was Chancellor of the Republic.
The Voice was his. Not the dreams, he didn't influence those too much. He paid no mind to what her mind thought until it started blocking Anakin's path. He had too many reasons to remain light. If only he could get Ahsoka away from him, make her run in fear. The fact was coming all too slowing to him; Ahsoka was much, much more stubborn than he thought.
And Anakin. He needed to form a plan - a plan that would allow Dooku to die. The Jedi were almost ready, Anakin was almost ready; the Clone Wars would end. At long last there would be peace.
The Republic will fall. And he knew how.
"Count Dooku - order Greivous to attack Coruscant." Sidious could practically feel the surprise rise in the old man's body, but he dismissed it. "You will come back after the battle and I will explain...Skywalker is ready." And that was enough. Dooku knew. The triangle of an Empire was nearly complete.