Asakura Chronicles
Three days later, in a room inside the Courscant hospital...
"Get out of here" Anakin growled at Tom, while he lays back on the hospital bed and wore a white robe. While Tom, wearing his coat and the plastic that covered his left arm, was on the end of the bed with his feet on the mattress and a sandwich in his hands. He eats his lunch while spilling crumbs on the blanket and stares back at Anakin as he bends his knees, with the same facial expression which was one of the many things why Anakin can't stand look of the young Jedi. It was the face that mocked his abilities as a Jedi
"Mmmmmmm... no" Tom replied, increasing the Jedi Knights rage.
"Why not?!"
"Why? Hmmm... good question. Uhhhhh... I forget" He said, showing a small, yet evil grin, taunting his hospitalized victim
"If you got nothing else to do in here besides annoy us, I suggest you leave" said Ahsoka, who was on a hospital bed next to Anakin's bed and is wearing the same white hospital robe her master is wearing. And she was just annoyed by Tom's presence than Anakin is.
"Ah! Now I remember! I want to check on how you guys were doing since the both of you mean soooo much to me, so I came to give you a little love and care!" Tom replied, ignoring Ahsoka's reply/threat
"Shut up! Like we'll believe that!" Anakin grabbed Tom's attention, making his smile immediately fade
"How can you say such a thing? Your hurting my feelings"
"Feelings? Your kidding right? If you really did care, then you would've come to help us while we were getting killed at the park"
"But I did"
"Yeah? Then why are we in this condition?!" Anakin said, raising his voice
"You know, I never asked you two to help me so the only ones who should to be blamed here are you two"
"But you still..."
"Are you done whining Anakin? I didn't come all this way just to listen to someone who doesn't know his place, complaining that he and his padawan needs saving. Honestly, your acting like a child" Tom spoke in a more serious tone
"If there's anything is to blame for your and Ahsoka's injuries, then it's your lack of abilities and self confidence which you clearly gave up on the last second. It's absolutely shameful. That's the kind of attitude you expect from children"
Anakin knew he was right and the lowered expression on his face was proof enough for that. At the very end of the battle against the imposter's, he was just about to give up. But they were saved by Tom, someone they hardly even know and didn't ask for his help. And what's worse, they learned that the ones that they were fighting were droids. Droids! They were going to be defeated what they usually beat during a regular bases. Tom was right. The only ones that should be blamed for unable to easily defeat two droids and get this much damage from them not to mention get saved by Tom, without even asking for his help, were themselves. But that's not the reason why Anakin treated him that way. The real reason is that because even though he saved their lives and are still here today to speak about it, is that he still can't trust him. Or is it because, he doesn't want to trust him?"
"So why are you really here? I doubt you came just to lecture us" Anakin asked, almost sounding embarrassed.
"Well since we're being truthful, I came to discuss about the imposter situation and what we learned so far about it. But right now, I'm waiting for someone from the Galactic Senate to come here and discuss the situation, someone the council can trust and talk with the other politicians about what's happened recently. Now that we know what we're dealing and have proof to clear the Jedi Order's name, it's best to..."
"WHAT THE...?!" Tom stopped himself to look at Padme holding a bouquet of flowers and has her mouth opened, pointing her finger at the floor which is covered with broken glass.
"P-Padme? What's up?" Anakin asked with a dumbfounded expression, looking at the even more surprised Padme.
"What do you mean "what's up"? Why's there a huge hole on the window?! It's a mess in here!" Padme replied, pointing at the noticeable, large hole on the hospital window where gust of chilling air enters the room.
"Oh! How long has that been there? We haven't noticed it till now" Ahsoka said.
"Actually, that was my fault. I couldn't find a way to open it so I had to make an opening. And luckily for me, the room is sound proof, not to mention that you two were sound asleep, so you didn't even bother waking up when I smashed the window" Tom explained, rubbing the back of his head and smiled innocently.
"You couldn't enter here like a normal person!" Anakin stated.
"But then, the hospital staff wouldn't let me eat my lunch here"
"Is that all?! And you call us children!"
"Don't compare me with someone like you! That's like an insult. I'm not some reckless, self centered fool who would do anything to prove himself that he's better than everyone. Even if that means getting his own padawan involved in something as futile like what happened a few days. Or maybe when you two went after Hardeen and risked Ahsoka's jedi career. Your right. A child is so above someone like you. Monster is more like it" Tom said coldly
Suddenly, he then used his Jedi instincts to tilt his head to his right, dodging a flying vase which smashes into pieces when it slammed into the hospital wall. Tom took his eye off of Anakin and to the smashed vase when two strong hands were tightly wrapped around his neck, choking him
As Ahsoka and Padme became shocked in horror and surprised, Anakin gave a beastly, angry look, showing his grinding teeth, while Tom just gives him the same cold, emotionless stare as usual
"Master! Let go of him! Your going to kill him if you keeping choking him like that!" Ahsoka pleaded, reaching out of her bed and grabbed Anakin's arms to stop him.
"That's exactly what I'm going to do Ahsoka! I had enough of this guy's wisecracking about us, calling us idiots and talking like he's better than us! I don't care if he is some prodigy the council thinks of! Just because he saved us does not give him the right to treat us like we're garbage!" Anakin yelled back, still tightening his grip on the boy's neck
"But this is wrong!"
"I said shut up!"
"Interesting..."
Anakin and Ahsoka ceased arguing to look at Tom, still giving Anakin the same cold look.
"Your getting mad and worked up over something one person said's to you? Seriously, that's just pathetic. Most people would ignore things when someone said's some negative things about them. It's not because it's right thing to do but because it's the sensible thing to do. Hmm... I wonder... how would Master Qui Gon would've act in the very same situation your in? I think you already know the answer" Tom said, angering Anakin when he mentioned Qui Gon while Ahsoka was stunned, remembering a part of her past, hearing herself say something.
"Having another fit Tom?"
"Stay out of this Ahsoka. Let go of my arm and walk away"
"Hmm, I wonder how Master Qui Gon would've act in the very same situation your in. You know the answer"
"Again? Why? Why am I having these visions? And what do they have to do Tom? Did I... once..."
"Don't ever... don't ever say his name like you knew him! You don't know anything about Master Qui Gon so why don't you shut your mouth!" Anakin yelled back when Tom managed to let out a small chuckle and looked up at the ceiling.
"He did everything he could to make sure Obi Wan didn't take the same path his former padawan took, took in someone as lowly as me into the temple, raised me and taught me the ways of the Force and gambled everything on you, believing that you are the Chosen One and died believing in that one thing. Believe me Anakin, I know more about Qui Gon Jinn than you know. And I know he wouldn't let anything get the best of him"
"He would keep moving forward and ignore what others think of him. He never looked back. And your telling me that he would let something like this get the best of him, get angry and start choking me to death?! Him?! A member of the Jedi Council?! Your telling me that's the sort of person he was?! Letting one person get the better of him and become something he's not?! There's a reason why he never let that happen and it's right there! On Ahsoka's face! He never wanted to let the people he knew and loved see him become something they can't even recognize!" Tom yelled back at him, making Anakin grasp his words. He looked at Ahsoka's face and noticed that tears were on her face
"Was she... really crying? Was it really true what he said?"
"A-Anakin... p-please..."
Anakin turned his attention to Padme, whose holding on tightly onto the bouquet of flowers, getting drowned by her tear's, dripping off her face.
"Please stop. Seeing you like this... in this much pain and agony... I couldn't take it. Just please... please stop"
Seeing the despair and sadness in Padme's eyes, Anakin realized his error, releasing Tom's throat, just as Padme wished it. He felt relieved when the redness on Padme's and Ahsoka's faces from crying so much faded.
"Now listen Anakin..." Tom said, grabbing Anakin's attention again
"Whatever reasons you have for hating or despising me, you better get over it. Because right now, it's not just these two that need you to get your act together. Both the Jedi Order and the Republic and as much as I hate to admit it, I need you to help us to get through this crises. Until this little imposter problem is solved, you're stuck with me and I'm going to make sure that the decision that Qui Gon made about you being the Chosen One was right. So whether you want me to or not, I can't allow you to become something your not either"