LordDarthYoda - I think the thing with Anakin is that he's always going to be an outsider. He's just different. He didn't grow up in the Temple, he's absurdly powerful and I think he'd get special treatment as well. It's only kind of natural that it rubs the rest of the Jedi the wrong way. Sure, they'll go on missions with him, but I never got the impression that Anakin has a lot of friends inside the Jedi Order. It's just him, Obi-wan, Padme and Palpatine - which is part of the reason he was manipulated so easily, he basically cares about those 3 people and his mother. It's a tiny list.

SpeechBubbleMe- Anakin is pretty much a killjoy, and he'll pretty much always be a killjoy if I'm writing him...I just...don't like him that much. I always thought the idea of the...twenty-four or twenty five year old Obi-wan taking Anakin as his Padawan was a hilariously bad idea. Like Obi-wan just had his Master die, but now he is going to train the chosen one? It's a bit...crazy. I think eventually, Obi does find out how to best train Anakin, but he hasn't figured it out quite yet.

Guest - Thanks! I don't really use a lot of canon characters, because I always feel inadequate writing Obi-wan or Anakin. I feel better and more confident as a writer now, so I'm happy to include them when I think I can make them do something interesting. As you said, Obi-wan and Anakin are certainly 'elite' Jedi, while Nara, Tyra, Sascha and the gang are average to above average - and there's a huge difference between that.

Arctec - Sorry, cliffhangers suck! Thanks for your review, they are always appreciated.

Lime-lensed Lord- Yes, Obi-wan's existence is basically a tragedy. Everyone he has ever loved of befriended dies. He's forced to horribly maim his own apprentice. The love of his life dies in his arms. The dude basically got the short end of the stick in his life.

Nuada Silverhand- Good news on the Dooku front, as I think we'll be seeing more of him :). You got the timeline right, regarding the age of the Jedi. I think there is a couple of natural ending points, but as long as people are reading, I'll have the motivation to keep this story going. Exploring the Clone Wars does open a lot of narrative possibilities.

Sourmilk- Damn, I knew I should have fit in a good 'high ground' joke in there. I think the thing with Sascha is that he's pretty much accepted that he's not the best Jedi...but losing to a kid when he's basically a young man is galling. And don't count out Obi-wan, he's a bit more clever than he seems in this chapter ;).

A/N - Sorry for the cliffhanger in the last chapter, they are rather lame, but unfortunately necessary in this case. I try to shy away from them, but sometimes...they are the best way to end a chapter. And to make it up for it, we have a very cool character popping up in this next chapter...

As always, Please enjoy the next chapter.

Chapter 19: The Blind Can See

For a second, Sascha Whitestar couldn't believe what he had seen. Had Anakin really just slashed Nara across the face with his lightsaber? Across her eyes? Yes, it was a training lightsaber, so it only burned...but if he had burned Nara's eyes...

Sascha's first thought should have probably been to pick up and throw his lightsaber straight through the heart of Anakin Skywalker, but Nara's health was more important than revenge. He and Eida rushed to Nara's side as the Togruta rolled on the ground, clutching her face. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw, Tyra, Doro and Trig rushing to handle Anakin Skywalker.

"I can't see," shouted Nara, through tears of pain. "I can't see!"

Sascha's heart was in his throat. But he forced himself to stay calm. He grabbed Nara's hand, "I'm here Nara, I'm here. Just stay calm."

But Nara wasn't calm, she continued to thrash around in agony. She relinquished his hand and brought it back to her face, her eyes. He didn't want to look at the damage that was caused. Lightsaber plus sensitive eyes equaled damaged. He didn't want to know how bad it was, because he wanted to remain calm.

"Sascha," barked Eida, entering emergency healer mode, "I need you to control her. Calm her, if you can."

"Tyra, Aalya," he yelled, "Help me with Nara. Help me control her."

Obi-wan appeared at their side, "We need to get her to the Halls of Healing, right now."

"No time!" yelled Eida. "I'm the healer here. Everyone grab a limb and hold her down." Between Tyra, Obi-wan, himself and Aalya, they managed to pin the thrashing Togruta down slightly. Eida continued issuing orders, "Sascha. I need you to calm her in the Force. I'm only going to get this one chance to put the bacta drops into her eyes. If I don't get it right, the cut will cauterize completely and she'll be blind for sure."

"I'll calm her," he said, trying not to think of the stakes of this moment.

"Quickly, please," replied Eida.

Sascha reached into the Force, finding his connection with Nara immediately. He started sending her calming thoughts through the Force. Memories of just them hanging out and having fun. Memories of the peaceful times, the calm times. While his thoughts always threatened to be dragged into the potentially horrifying present, he refused to let himself be distracted. Nara needed him to be strong right now. So he was.

He kept so focused on sending positive messages through the Force to Nara, that he didn't even realize that it was over. All he saw was Obi-wan picking up Nara and sprinting for the exit, Eida Nascal in tow just behind him.

In the sparring room there was now only Tyra, Aalya and himself. And silence.

"Did that really just happen?" Aalya asked no one in particular.

"Apparently," he said.

Sascha stared at the ceiling. This day had gone from 'fun' to 'nightmare' in about two seconds. "What happened to Anakin?" he asked.

"Doro and Trig escorted him out," answered Aalya. "I think he was in shock."

"Some chosen one he is," Sascha said.

Tyra bounced to her feet, "Come on, lets go see if we can get an update on Nara's health."

Tyra Harker paced in the waiting room in the Halls of Healing. While the pastel colored walls were supposed to promote calmness and serenity, the effect was kind of lost on her. She was completely enraged by what had happened. And she had commanded Sascha not to let her out of his sight until she was sufficiently calm. Which, at this rate was going to be never.

"Tyra, calm down," said Sascha. "If Eida thinks she'll be fine. Then she'll be fine. Eida's not wrong very often."

Eida Nascal had briefly conveyed the message to them that Nara's eyesight was probably going to recover, thanks no doubt to her quick actions. Then the Carthasian had disappeared back into the operating room. There was still more work to be done on Nara, apparently.

"How are you so calm about this, Sascha?"

"I'm not," he admitted, holding his arms out. "I just know that its beyond my control."

"Nara might have been blinded by that stupid, idiotic kid! I should kill him, I should rip him limb from limb. I should..."

"Probably be quiet," said Sascha, putting some steel into his voice. "Unless you want to get kicked out of the waiting room and warned about a disciplinary hearing for threatening another apprentice."

"I don't want to be quiet. I want Anakin Skywalker's head on a platter."

Sascha shook his head at her, as if she was some sort of stupid child.

"What? Why aren't you angry, Sascha?"

Sascha continued to shake his head disapprovingly at her, "You know what your problem is, Tyra? You care too much. You don't detach. I care, a lot, about Nara. But you are blind with rage right now. Tell me, which emotion is more productive? My calm, or your anger?"

"You're just going to accept that your best friend might have just been blinded in a friendly sparring match?"

"I accept that things happen, some of which are terrible."

"Then you are too detached," she threw back.

Sascha answered placidly, his eyes searching out hers, "What's the point of me getting angry, Tyra? Can I turn back time? No. Anger burns itself out. It's a useless emotion that just consumes. I can't do anything, all I can do is stay calm for my friend. So I am."

"Then why are you here in the waiting room, when you admit you can do nothing?" she asked, exasperated.

He glanced up at her, "I'm not here for her. I'm here for you."

That response shamed Tyra Harker so hard that all the anger she had been carrying just seemed to flush away in an instant. Her knees went weak and she managed to slide into a chair beside Sascha, "Oh," she managed to say.

Sascha gently put a hand on her shoulder, "I know Nara's going to be fine. Or maybe she won't. I can do no more. But my other best friend needs me right now."

Tyra ran a hand through her hair, "I'm a mess, aren't I?"

"You are a very endearing mess," Sascha replied.

"Hah."

"If you wanted to help Nara, you could help me with something."

"What's that?" she asked.

"You could help me finding good comedy programs for her. Nara likes comedians, and Togruta comedy. That type of humor flummoxes me, but she'll want something to listen to while she's recovering. The work would go twice as fast if you helped me."

Tyra barked a laugh, "You're a great friend, you know that?"

"Yes, I do," Sascha replied with mirth in his eyes.

"What would you do if that was me that got hurt instead of Nara."

Sascha smirked, "I'd stay with you day and night, because I'm Sascha Whitestar, and you are Tyra Harker and our strength knows no bounds."

Tyra checked to see if her heart fluttered. It didn't. If that statement didn't get her heart fluttering again, maybe she was over Sascha. Huzzah, she thought with a slight pang of regret, "That's the most romantic thing you've ever said."

"Incorrect," said Sascha. "I once told you that I loved you."

Tyra's eyes widened slightly, "You went there."

Sascha shrugged somewhat uncomfortably, and stood, "It's foolish to ignore the past, so I never try to do so. Come on, Tyra, lets go find some comedies for a temporarily blind Togruta to watch."

Tyra stood, "Right behind you, Sascha."

Nara Nalto couldn't see.

For the moment at least.

She hadn't seen anything with her own two eyes since Anakin Skywalker had slashed her across the eyes with his lightsaber. But, after a surgical procedure that had done right here in the Halls of Healing, she had been assured that she would see again. Thankfully. Right now there was some sort of device on her head right now that kept her eyes coated in a thin layer of bacta. It probably looked horrendous on her. She was happy that she couldn't see it.

Yet in some sense of the word, she still could see. Her Montrals, which were the hollow horns on top of her head, gave her a sort of passive echolocation that kind of worked as a sort of way that she could see. It was an awkward way to 'see' though, because she could only vaguely sense the shape and size of things. Still, it was better than nothing, better than being completely blind. To be fair, when you had the Force, it was hard to ever to truly be considered to be blind.

The first person that she had talked to, outside of the healers, had been a contrite seeming Anakin Skywalker, who had apologized for his actions. Nara had accepted his apology, feeling like there was nothing else that she could do. She could pout, she supposed. But to what end? Maybe she could have asked to punch him in the face? As satisfying as that thought seemed, it didn't exactly seem like it would improve her mood for very long.

Following Anakin had come her friends. Tyra and Sascha had brought the best gift of all, a lengthy playlist of comedies that wouldn't require her vision to find hilarious. She had good friends. Nara thought she would miss them when they left her side, but she knew that although they were physically not there, that she was still in their thoughts. That was enough.

Her last visitor of the day was the one she was least looking forward to. Pushing through her curtain, was someone roughly the size and shape of Obi-wan Kenobi. Though she couldn't see, she still could use the Force, and Obi-wan's signature in the Force was pretty obvious. The young Jedi Knight was rather powerful, after all.

"Greetings, Master Kenobi," she said preemptively.

Hearing his name, clearly startled the nervous young man, "How did you...?"

"I have the Force still," she pointed out.

"Ah. Yes. Of course." Obi-wan paused, "May I sit?"

Nara waved a hand towards what she thought was some sort of chair beside her bed, "Help yourself."

Obi-wan seemed pensive, ill at ease. Nara didn't know him well, or at all, really, but she sensed that he was having a rather bad day. "I wanted to think you for accepting Anakin's apology, I know he feels terrible," he said.

"No he doesn't," she interrupted. "He's sorry because I got hurt. He's not sorry for the actions that caused it. No Padawan or Initiate would have ever been that reckless, Master Kenobi. We were taught from the time we trained with sticks to treat our lightsaber like it was a deadly weapon. It was ingrained in us. And yet, Anakin slashed me across the face with his lightsaber. Even if he missed my eyes, and went across my forehead, it would have been insanely reckless. But he wasn't upset about that, he's upset because he hurt me. Master Kenobi, I was once considered to be rather reckless, but I would have never, ever done something like that."

"I'm not sure I agree with your diagnosis."

Nara shrugged and crossed her arms across her chest, "Guess I'm not the only one who can't see."

That comment stung Obi-wan, she could tell, "Anakin is abrasive, but he is not malicious."

Nara touched her forehead with her hand, "You don't even see what you are doing, do you? Anakin lashed out because he was annoyed that he couldn't beat me in what he felt was an appropriate timeframe. You've put so much pressure on the kid that he feels like he has to be spectacular in every moment of his life. So when he is flummoxed by a Padawan he thinks he's supposed to be better than...of course he lashes out and takes risks that others wouldn't take."

Obi-wan sighed, "He is a difficult apprentice," he admitted. "Headstrong and arrogant, but also insecure at times. He's difficult to manage."

"He needs friends," Nara said, not unkindly. "You've made his life be about training and fulfilling the impossibility of being the 'Chosen One,' whatever that is."

"I didn't think I was coming in here to be lectured on teaching my Padawan," said Obi-wan, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Maybe you needed it," she said, regretting it almost as soon as the words were out of her mouth. "Sorry," she said.

"I think if anyone has a right to say anything at the moment, it's you," Obi-wan said, vaguely amused.

"When is the disciplinary hearing going to be?" she asked. Whenever there was an incident like this that involved Padawans (or sometimes even Knights), a council of three Masters was convened to investigate the incident and award punishments as necessary. Punishments tended to be on the light side (it was considered enough of a punishment to be even in front of a committee in the first place) but it was a necessary thing to maintain order within the Jedi Order.

"There isn't going to be a disciplinary hearing," said Obi-wan.

That made her sit up straight in her bed, "Excuse me?! How could there not be a disciplinary hearing? I was nearly blinded!" Nara was getting really annoyed now. She knew that Anakin was being held up by some as the 'Chosen One,' but that shouldn't mean that he was except from the normal things that happened to a Jedi.

"Anakin's reputation..."

"His reputation is important," she interrupted and then snorted loudly. "I suppose if the chosen one is going around and blinding Padawans that is probably bad for those who see him as the next Jedi Grand Master in training."

"I understand that you are upset," replied Obi-wan, who was beginning to lose a bit of his trademark charm and calm, "But this decision was made with Anakin's best interest in mind."

"And so I'm chopped vegetables in this scenario? Worth nothing?" she retorted.

"No," said Obi-wan. "That is not how this was decided. Anakin will pay his penance, but given his...celebrity within our order, it is best that this incident remains private."

Nara would have rolled her eyes, but that reaction was something that she was not able to do at the moment, so she had to express her displeasure in words, "So Anakin can learn that he is immune from punishment, boy that is a great lesson to teach your young and impressionable apprentice," she said sarcastically.

"I can assure you that Anakin will be disciplined," Master Kenobi said sternly.

Nara decided that it was a good idea to bite her tongue at this point. There really was no point at arguing further. She decided that she would change the topic, "You planned this, didn't you?"

"Planned what?"

"Oh, come on! You get everyone together to play a game and then have Anakin just drop in on us during the afternoon. This was all a set up." Nara stopped short of saying that he had expected something bad to happen, only because it sounded needlessly cruel after something bad had happened.

"Was it so obvious?"

"I mean...no, but Tyra knew right away that you'd probably show up with Anakin later. Only thing I don't get is...what is the next part to this plan? I assume that you could foresee something roughly like this happening."

Obi-wan seemed to hesitate, "You are being released tomorrow, yes?"

"Yup," she answered, "I need to wear this thing for the next week few days, but I'm physically fine, beyond the whole...unable to see thing."

"Would you be available in the afternoon tomorrow for some sparring?"

Nara laughed loudly, then realized that Obi-wan was serious. "I mean...I guess so. I could use some work on using the Force to sense my opponent in combat. I have one question though."

"Okay."

"What do I get in return?" she asked.

"I wasn't aware that the Jedi Order operated on a system of providing favors," said Obi-wan.

"It doesn't. And yet you owe me. I assume that you want me to keep quiet about this whole incident, so you want something and I want something." Nara smiled, "Let's be Jedi and negotiate."

There was a long pause and then Obi-wan finally answered, "What do you want?"

"I want you to put in a good word for me and my friends with the Jedi Council or whoever makes the decisions about being promoted. Tell them that we will soon be ready to take the trials and become Jedi Knights."

Obi-wan sighed, "I don't think you realize this, but I'm just a Jedi Knight. I can speak to those that make the decisions to promote Padawans, but I cannot guarantee that they will listen."

"They will," she said confidently. "You are Obi-wan Kenobi. Your words carry weight."

"Sometimes I wish they did not," Obi-wan sighed. "Very well, I will hold up my end of the bargain if you do yours."

"You can count on me," Master Kenobi, she replied, very pleased with herself.

Later on that night, after laughing herself stupid at some of the comedy programs that Tyra and Sascha had picked out for her, she figured that it was just about time to meditate and then just pack it in for the night when she sensed that the Twi'lek healer Vokara Chevwas approaching her little room.

Nara leaned back in her bed, "Hello, Master Che."

"Padawan Nalto. How are you feeling?" Right down to business, as always. Master Che took her job seriously.

"I'm feeling okay," she replied.

"Good. I actually have a favour to ask you."

"A favor," she repeated dryly. She threw her hands up, "Sure, why not?"

"Thank you," said Master Che. "I'll just show Ahsoka in."

"What...what do you want me to do?"

"You'll see," Master Che replied enigmatically.

Nara shook her head. This had been a strange day. Maybe it was fitting to cap it off with something strange as well. Nara sensed the return of the Jedi Healer along with another presence. Her Montrals quickly detected that the other presence was a Togruta, and a young one at that.

"Ahsoka Tano, meet Padawan Nara Nalto."

"What happened to her?" asked the young voice of Ahsoka.

"I stared at the sun for too long," Nara replied sarcastically, deciding that the real answer was far too traumatic to tell a young Jedi. Judging by her voice and her size, Nara pegged her at about age seven or eight.

"Are you going to be okay?"

"She'll be fine," replied the healer. "I'm just going to check on some of my other patients, why don't you have a talk with Padawan Nalto?"

"Okay," replied Ahsoka, clearly a bit disappointed. Nara didn't take it personally.

Nara patted the side of her bed, "Hi, little one. Why don't you join me."

Ahsoka seemed to hesitate before hopping up on the end of her bed, "I like your Montrals," she said. "They have nice markings."

For whatever reason, that little compliment really made Nara's day. "Thank you. I'd compliment yours...but..."

"Yeah," said Ahsoka. "It's hard when you are blind." Nara enthusiastically bounced up onto her bed and lay on her back, staring at the ceiling.

Nara laughed, "Why are you in the Halls of Healing, little one?"

"It's my time for my Montralia," Ahsoka said proudly.

"Oh...oh," she said.

Togruta, when they were born, had very small Montrals, ones that didn't give them the passive echolocation that it gave to mature Togruta. Throughout their adolescence, they grew to a more normal size. The only problem was that for the echolocation to be 'activated' a Togruta's brain had to temporarily rewire itself, connecting the senses of the Montrals to the brain. This was, to say the least, a physically traumatic experience and extraordinarily painful. Thus, for this to be accomplished, a Togruta went into a semi-coma during which time their brains were able to reconfigure themselves to use the newly formed Montrals. To make sure that young Togruta didn't fall into a coma randomly, a day before the time Togruta was due to undergo her Montralia, they would get electric shocks sent through their nervous system, which told them that it was time to find a safe place to chill out for a while (preferably while being guarded by their parents or loved ones).

While it was theoretically possible for a Togruta to remain conscious during the entire ordeal, and there had been a handful of famous instances throughout history, it was expected for a modern Togruta to be placed into a controlled coma until their mini evolution was complete. It was a right of passage, an important moment in a Togruta's life, one where they stopped being a child.

Nara herself had once proudly told her teachers that she would try to remain conscious during her Montralia, only for her to give up on that idea when the first electric shocks went through her nervous system. Nara Nalto was brave, but she wasn't stupid.

"So are you here so that you can be put into a coma?" asked Nara. "I can tell you all about the process, if you want."

Nara sensed the young Togruta hesitate. "I'm going to stay awake through my Montralia," Ahsoka declared.

"Why?" Nara asked.

"To prove that I'm strong!" Ahsoka declared confidently.

Ah, the hubris of youth, "Why would staying awake through your Montralia prove you are strong?"

"Because no one does it," said Ahsoka, as if it was the most obvious thing in the galaxy.

Nara paused for a moment, trying to figure out where she wanted to take this conversation. Master Che clearly wanted her to talk Ahsoka into voluntarily accepting to being put into a coma, and Nara was trying to figure out the best way of doing just that. "Being strong isn't about doing what no one else can do," she said. "Part of being strong is being strong enough to admit that others may know better than you. Pride always comes before the fall."

"Everyone says I'm strong in the Force," said Ahsoka. "I want to prove them right. I'm strong enough to do what everyone else says is impossible. That's the Jedi way."

"The Jedi way also involves listening to elder Jedi," Nara pointed out.

"Yeah," admitted Nara, her voice childlike and innocent, "But none of them are Togruta. Besides, if I don't push myself, I'll never find out how strong I am!"

Nara was finding that Ahsoka was even more headstrong then she had been at her age. Which was saying something. And she couldn't quite figure out how to talk to a younger version of herself. It was time for another tactic, "Do you think you are stronger than me?" she asked.

"Well...I mean..."

"I listened to the advice of the healers and was put into a coma so I could undergo my Montralia. And you know why?"

"Why?"

"Because although I wanted to be strong, I didn't want to be selfish," she said. "I made life easier for the healers, because otherwise they'd have to keep an eye on me for an entire day, when their time could be better spent doing something else. I also don't think that the healers would appreciate having a Togruta that was shrieking in pain in the Halls of Healing for the entire day."

"I...don't want to be selfish," admitted Ahsoka. "But can't they..."

"No. Don't ask for others to accommodate for you when you know you are wrong." Nara put a bit more snap into her voice then she intended, so she immediately softened her tone. "But I do know one way you can get stronger."

"How?" asked Ahsoka eagerly.

"You can train with me. I think I'll be at the Temple awhile, and I'd like to do some teaching. Of course teaching a fellow Togruta simply makes sense. And as a former Apprentice Tournament winner, you know you are getting a good teacher."

"And you can teach me how to use my Montrals," said Ahsoka excitedly. Nara could feel and kind of make out that the young girl was almost bouncing on the end of her bed in excitement.

"There's not that much to teach," Nara said, laughing. "They just kind of...work. It'll be weird for a little bit, but you'll get used to it quickly. It's mostly helpful for seeing in the dark."

"That's so astral," exclaimed Ahsoka.

"But I'll only help you if you listen to the healers, okay?"

Ahsoka seemed to pause, "But you'll help me become strong?"

"I'll teach you everything I know, little one," Nara replied.

"Astral," declared Ahsoka. "Do you have any stories of adventures you've been on? I'd love to hear some stories."

"Only if you promise me that you'll go right to Master Che afterwards," she said sternly.

"I promise."

Nara smiled to herself, "Okay, lets start with a fun one. Let me tell you the story of how I won the Apprentice Tournament and found myself a best friend, all at once."

Nara could almost picture Ahsoka's eyes lighting up, "I bet you had to beat many tough competitors."

Nara smiled, "I'll tell you about my first round opponent..."

After Nara completed her story to Ahsoka (who paid rapt attention the whole time, though she did interrupt the story a lot), the young Togruta went back to the healer and submitted to her care. Afterwards, Master Che came back to her room.

"Thank you for doing that," said the Twi'lek healer. "That Ahsoka Tano...she'll be causing me trouble for years to come, I think."

"She's strong in the Force. Very strong," Nara observed.

"She carries it well," said the healer, "Better than some Padawans that have been anointed as the 'next big thing'" she said pointedly.

"I've noticed," she replied dryly.

"She's a special one," the Twi'lek repeated distantly. "Anyways, she was saying that you agreed to help teach her?"

"Two headstrong Togruta training together, what could go wrong?"