The Final Verse, Ahsoka Tano

I'll admit it; I'm mad.

Anakin may have the brain capacity of a flying lemur bat but I'd though for sure that Obi-Wan would at least cut me some slack for getting rid of the giant bull. Nope. And as reward for my heroic service? Grounded. Seriously?

Okay, so maybe my tale of the events wasn't exactly accurate but I so totally led that thing into the lava fall. One hundred percent. Not even lieing.

Anyway, I was laying on my bed staring up at the ceiling and pondering how exactly I was going to get my revenge on a certain force-wielding guardian slash Chosen One and had settled on the idea of dunking his head in something gooey and extremely difficult to get off when I heard a knock on the door. And it was from Obi-Wan, not Anakin... bummer.

"Come in," I yell without bothering to tear my gaze away from the ceiling. I didn't need another lecture on decorum thank you very much.

Obi-Wan walked in and made sure to close the door as quietly as possible behind him; Anakin must have been downstairs.

"Hello Ahsoka," The Jedi Master greeted warmly. "How is life inside this... room?"

"Oh, life's great master," I roll my eyes sarcastically. "Although I'm thinking about expanding this place you know. Maybe knock out that window when no-ones looking-"

"Enough sarcasm, young one," Obi-Wan scolded; I thought he was supposed to appreciate my creative brain. "I'm here to tell you that Anakin, as pig-headed as he may be, has decided to lift your punishment in light of my, ah... constructive criticism of his approach to bad behaviour."

I lift my head to look at him. "Constructive criticism, huh? I'll bet he loved that."

"Yes, well, never mind the criticism," He gestured to the door. "You're free to leave. And more importantly, he wants to speak to you."

I snorted. "Uh, yeah, we're gonna have to find a way around that."

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. "You're going, like it or not. Now get out of your pyjamas and come downstairs please; your room stinks of sweaty teenagers."

"Correction: This room stinks of the sweaty teenager."

Anakin was kneeling in the middle of a small garden filled with trees and tiny pot plants; the wind seemed to freeze around him and leaves hung in the air, suspended like spiders dangling from their webs (and spiders were not cool).

"Ahsoka," I stand shock still as I'm about to knock my foot against a trunk. "Please don't disturb the tranquillity of this place. You know what tranquillity means, right?"

"Yes I know what tranquillity means," I roll my eyes. "And at the moment, it looks like you don't. I thought meditating was one of your strong suits?"

"Not with you around it isn't," He opened his eyes to glare at me in irritation. "You know, I don't think I've been able to go back to my everyday, carefree personality since you came racing into my room at the temple. There I was attempting to be civil to the people who'd 'captured' me and what happens? Bang. Youngling in the room."

"Oh yeah?" I cross my arms defiantly. "Well, if you don't want me, maybe you should send me back!"

He chuckles. "Don't tempt me, Snips. We need to talk."

The wind unfreezes then and leaves blow all across the garden. Anakin's focus must have kept them in place but now that I've showed up it's pretty obvious that his focus has been interrupted by stone cold irritation. A real confidence builder that. I can't help but wonder just how this 'student-teacher' relationship is going to work if the teacher can't stand the student and the student just really wants a milkshake and to sleep for the next thousand years because she thinks she can feel a cold coming on.

"Now... Ahsoka, look, I know this galaxy is a lot different to things back at the temple but you need to help me with this, alright? The whole... teaching someone thing and having an apprentice is very new for me. I haven't had one before."

"No-one wanted to live with you."

"Not the point... how do you feel about being here, anyway?"

I shrug. "Oh, you mean, in a strange new galaxy when my home galaxy has just been taken over by the sith and my order almost got destroyed in the process. Jeez, I don't know master, maybe a little more communication and understanding between us would go a long way but I don't know what's going on in your head when you tell me to do stuff!"

"Ahsoka, I don't know what goes on in your head twenty-four/seven. At least you get an idea of my personality... I just know that you're terrible at following instructions unless they come from someone who you respect and trust."

"I trust you!" I protested. "But all of this, being grounded... you act like a parent and that's not how apprenticeships work!"

Anakin stared at me. "A parent? That's what you think I'm acting like? Some grey haired, middle-aged man who spends his life working and never coming home to his kids because he's seeing some woman on the side?"

"..." I stare at him for a long while. "... How many father's do you have, Skyguy?"

"None, but not important," He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. "You sound a little nasally, you feeling alright?"

"Don't change the subject."

"Alright, alright, I'm sticking to the subject," Anakin takes a deep breath before looking me dead in the eyes. "Ahsoka... do you want to go back?"

My jaw drops.

"I mean I know it was just an argument and things are always like this after an argument but I'm kind of getting the feeling that you want to-"

"No!" I interrupt, making him jump. "No, I don't want to go back! I'll be killed! And besides you told me that I had to come here anyway because of the whole dimidium semino thing so this can't be avoided. And more importantly, you're my friend. Why would I want to leave because of one little argument?"

Anakin raises his eyebrows. "I just assumed that because of the-"

"Don't assume anything. Assumption is the root of all evil."

He nods slowly. "Assumption is the... wait, what? Have you been getting wiser since you got here?"

"I like to think you're rubbing off on me."

"Don't get cheesy on me Snips." He smirks.

I grin and am momentarily distracted by the leaves again, one of which blows across my eyes and demands my attention, it's golden brown and blows in a circle like a miniature whirlwind of autumn and I watch it for a few moments more before turning back to Anakin.

"So..." I hold out my hand. "Friends for life?"

He smiles and reaches out to clasp it in his own.

"You got it, Snips... friends for life."

... FIN

I'd planned to break the story up into segments anyway so I guess you deserve to see this one finished at the very least. Epilogue pending.