Anakin Skywalker and Ashoka Tano's Secret Love Affair

Chapter Three: The Force of Denial

It had been nearly a day since the fateful encounter. Ahsoka couldn't escape the gnawing tension that lingered between her and Anakin. The kiss, the unspoken words—they weighed heavily on her. She had returned to her training, tried to meditate, but every thought seemed to return to him. How could something so simple, a brief moment of contact, feel so heavy? Ahsoka had always believed in the Jedi Code, in the importance of self-control and discipline, but now it seemed like a distant ideal. She had given herself over to the moment, allowed her emotions to carry her away, and now, the consequences of that moment stretched out before her, impossible to ignore.

Anakin had been distant too, but she could sense his presence, his conflict. Their paths were becoming increasingly difficult to separate, like two entwined threads they couldn't unravel without tearing something precious apart. Neither of them had spoken of what happened. It was as if the world had forced them into silence, as if the Jedi Order itself were holding them captive in its rigid expectations. The code they swore to uphold, the unspoken boundaries between master and Padawan, between Jedi and Jedi—it had all been blurred. Was it possible to continue as they were? To fight side by side in this endless war while carrying the weight of unspoken feelings?

The war was never far from their minds, but neither was the growing connection between them. And in the midst of all of it, they both knew there was no easy answer. No way to simply wish it away.

A day later, Ahsoka found herself in the middle of another war campaign. The familiar hum of engines and the clamor of battle reports filled the air as the clone troopers around her prepared for their next engagement. But just as her mind started to wander again, a sharp chime pierced the air, bringing her attention back to the present.

Her comms device buzzed and, despite herself, Ahsoka felt her heart leap as she saw the name on the display.

It was Anakin.

She hesitated before answering, forcing her voice to remain steady. "Ahsoka here," she said, trying to keep the tightness from her chest.

"Ahsoka," Anakin's voice came through, calm but laced with urgency. "Get to the hangar. The Council's given us a mission. It's time to intercept Count Dooku. Obi-Wan, you, and me. I'll explain more when you get there."

Ahsoka's breath caught in her throat at the mention of Dooku. The mission was critical, of course, but beyond that, the thought of facing Anakin after their last encounter unsettled her. What did this mean for them? Could they continue to fight side by side when everything between them felt... different?

"I'm on my way," she replied quickly, trying to push her emotions down, trying to focus on the mission ahead.

The hangar was a whirlwind of activity when Ahsoka arrived. Clone troopers rushed to ready their ships, tech crews moved with precision, and briefings were being issued. The air crackled with the sense of urgency that always accompanied a high-stakes mission.

She spotted Obi-Wan standing by one of the starfighters, calmly reviewing the details of the mission. His ever-present composure seemed like an anchor in the chaos, a stark contrast to the turmoil Ahsoka felt inside.

"Ahsoka," Obi-Wan greeted her with a small, reassuring smile. "I trust you're ready for this mission. We need to move quickly. The Separatists are making their play, and we can't afford to lose them again."

Ahsoka nodded, swallowing the tightness in her throat. "Of course, Master Kenobi. I'm ready."

But it wasn't Obi-Wan that made her heart race. It was Anakin.

Ahsoka's heart quickened as she stepped into the hangar, the familiar hum of activity surrounding her. Ships were being prepped, clone troopers were gearing up, and the technicians were moving with practiced efficiency. But amidst all the controlled chaos, her eyes naturally drifted to him.

Anakin.

He stood there, focused on his ship, running his fingers over the sleek surface with a level of care that was almost intimate. She had seen him like this a thousand times before—always intense, always absorbed in the task at hand. But today, something felt different. The sight of him stirred a deep ache inside her that she hadn't expected, an emotional pull she couldn't name but couldn't escape either.

Her eyes followed his every movement, watching the way his broad shoulders tensed as he moved, the way his fingers gripped the hull of his ship just a little too tightly. There was something about the way he carried himself now—a quiet tension in his posture, as if he were bracing against an unseen storm. His presence, so familiar and yet so distant, drew her in, almost like a magnetic force she couldn't resist, no matter how much she tried to push it away.

The silence between them in the past day—since that fleeting, unexpected kiss—still hung like a weight in the air. She hadn't realized how much she had missed him until she saw him again, standing there, so close yet so far. The tension in the hangar, with its bustling noise and urgency, couldn't drown out the thrum of longing in her chest. It was a quiet, insistent ache, gnawing at her from the inside, reminding her of everything they couldn't say, everything they couldn't be.

She had spent the last twenty-four hours trying to suppress it, trying to focus on the mission, on the war. But here he was, right in front of her, and all she could think about was the way his presence seemed to fill the space around them, like a force that was both comforting and excruciating. The way the familiar warmth of his energy intertwined with hers, making her feel connected in ways she wasn't sure were wise. It was almost like there was a conversation between them in the Force—one unspoken but undeniable, a silent plea for something more, something they both knew they couldn't have.

She caught herself staring at him, eyes tracing the sharp line of his jaw, the faint stubble on his chin, the way his eyes seemed clouded with thoughts he was keeping hidden. It made her want to reach out to him, to ask if he was okay, to offer comfort in the way she always had. But the words never came. How could she ask that? How could she show that she was worried for him, that she was feeling more than the usual concern for a fellow Jedi? The Code weighed heavily on her now, reminding her that these feelings—this yearning—were forbidden.

And yet, she couldn't help it. She couldn't ignore the quiet pull in her chest every time their eyes met, every time he looked at her as if he were seeing something more than just his Padawan. Ahsoka knew he had always cared for her—she could feel it in the way he protected her, in the moments when he let his guard down around her. But now, it was something different, something deeper, something she couldn't quite define.

Ahsoka's pulse quickened as she finally broke her gaze, turning away as though the intensity of her longing might betray her too clearly. She busied herself with checking her equipment, anything to occupy her hands and mind, but the weight of his presence remained.

She could hear the subtle shift of his movements behind her, could feel the heat of his gaze on her back. The moment lingered between them, a silent conversation she wasn't sure she could keep pretending wasn't happening. He was so close, and yet so far, standing there, a presence that she could almost reach out and touch—but not quite.

Ahsoka swallowed, forcing herself to concentrate. The mission, she reminded herself. Focus on the mission. The war needed them. They needed to be more than just Jedi—more than the connection between a master and a Padawan. They needed to be soldiers, to put aside whatever else was pulling at them, to fight for something greater than their own complicated emotions.

But it was hard. So hard.

With a deep breath, Ahsoka turned back around, forcing a neutral expression onto her face, even as her heart hammered in her chest. She nodded toward Obi-Wan as he spoke, but her mind kept drifting back to Anakin, to the way he held himself with quiet intensity, as though every movement was calculated to maintain some kind of distance, to keep her from reading too deeply into him.

As much as she wanted to ignore it, as much as she tried to dismiss the connection they shared, the pull between them was undeniable. It was like gravity itself, drawing them together, making it impossible to pretend that everything was still as it once was.

And in that moment, Ahsoka understood something. The war wasn't the only battle she would face. No, the real battle was right here, in the space between them, in the unspoken tension that had always been simmering beneath the surface.

And now, as they prepared to take on Dooku once more, that tension had only grown stronger.

When Anakin finally turned toward her, his eyes locked onto hers with an intensity that made her breath catch. The look in his gaze—so conflicted, so raw—spoke volumes, though no words were exchanged. In that fleeting moment, Ahsoka knew that the kiss had been a turning point for both of them. It had altered something deep within them, something that neither of them could easily walk away from.

"Ready for another round, Ahsoka?" Anakin's voice was warm, the usual familiarity there, but it was laced with an edge she couldn't quite place. Was it uncertainty? Or was it something else, something she didn't want to acknowledge?

She nodded, her throat tight. "Always….Master"

But the words felt hollow in the face of everything that passed between them—the weight of the past day, the unspoken emotions hanging in the air. There was so much more she wanted to say to him, so much more she wanted to understand. But for now, the only thing that mattered was the mission, and the unspoken promise that, no matter what, they would fight together. For the Republic. For each other.

And yet, as she climbed into her ship and powered it up, the longing in her heart remained, a quiet ache that wouldn't go away. She wasn't sure if she could fight it any longer.

Moments later, they were climbing into their ships, the pre-launch checklists rattling off in their earpieces as Obi-Wan's calm command filled the air.

"Stay close. We're going to need to coordinate everything if we're going to take Dooku down."

Ahsoka watched as Obi-Wan led the way, his ship smoothly lifting off, followed closely by Anakin's, a blur of movement as it shot into the sky. She hesitated for a moment, her eyes tracking his silhouette in the cockpit before powering up her own ship and joining the flight.

The cold vastness of space greeted them as they broke free of the atmosphere. The stars blinked like distant fires, their silent beauty only serving to highlight the chaos of the war unfolding below.

"Ahsoka," Anakin's voice crackled through the comm, pulling her from her thoughts. "I need you on the left flank. Obi-Wan and I will take the right. We'll engage Dooku's droid forces and take out the shield generators. You focus on disabling the flagship."

Ahsoka's pulse quickened at the mention of the flagship. She adjusted her controls, preparing herself for the oncoming battle. "Understood. I'll be in position."

She followed behind them, trying to shake the tightness in her chest. Focus. Do the job. The war comes first. But the connection between her and Anakin—the pull in the Force—was undeniable. It thrummed beneath her skin, urging her to stay attuned to him, to his every move. She pushed the feeling away, reminding herself again: She was here to do her duty.

The battle began almost immediately. Ahsoka's heart raced as she maneuvered her ship, dodging blaster fire from the enemy droid starfighters. The hum of her engines was drowned out by the sound of chaos, explosions and the crackle of blaster bolts filling the air. She felt the familiar rush of combat, the sharp focus that came with each dogfight. But even in the midst of the fray, her attention kept flickering back to Anakin, her eyes tracking his movements as he sliced through droid fighters with almost reckless abandon.

Something was off.

Anakin was faster than usual, yes. His ship moved with an almost unnatural speed, cutting through the enemy ranks with precision. But there was something desperate about his actions, an underlying recklessness that unsettled her. He was pushing himself too hard. It wasn't like him.

"Ahsoka!" Anakin's voice cut through her thoughts, his tone sharp and commanding. "Take the left flank! I'll clear the right."

Ahsoka felt the sharp pull of instinct to ignore him. She couldn't afford to focus on him—not while he was acting so erratically. Something was wrong with him, she could feel it in the Force. The swirling turbulence of his emotions—anger, fear, confusion—was bleeding through. But there was no time to dwell on it. They had a job to do.

With a quick nod to herself, she adjusted her course and engaged the droid starfighters with precision, weaving through the battle like a blade through air. Her thoughts sharpened, and she focused entirely on the mission. There would be time to figure out what was wrong later. For now, she couldn't let anything distract her.

"Obi-Wan," she said through the comm, her voice strained but steady. "Anakin's taking risks. Something's wrong."

Obi-Wan's voice came through, calm and reassuring, but with a hint of concern. "He's always been like this, Ahsoka. Let him be. He's not a child anymore."

But there was a note of worry in Obi-Wan's voice that she didn't miss. Even he wasn't convinced. And that only deepened Ahsoka's concern.

Suddenly, a massive explosion flared from Anakin's direction. Her heart stopped. "Anakin!" she shouted, her voice full of panic.

There was no response. Ahsoka's breath caught as she checked her sensors, her fingers trembling over the controls. She searched frantically, the seconds stretching out like hours. Then—there it was. A flicker. His ship. He was still alive.

"Ahsoka," Anakin's voice crackled through the comm, faint and distant. "I'm fine. Don't worry."

She exhaled in relief, though the tension in her chest didn't fade. His voice lacked the usual confidence, and she could feel it—the fracture in his presence, the way his connection to the Force wobbled, as if something deep within him had shifted.

Before she could respond, Obi-Wan's voice came through, now more urgent than before. "We're nearing the flagship. Prepare to disable the shields."

Ahsoka nodded sharply, her pulse still racing. She refocused, reminding herself of the task at hand. Finish the mission. But even as she adjusted her course toward the flagship, she couldn't shake the feeling of dread. The real battle wasn't the one against Dooku's forces—it was the one that was happening between her and Anakin.

The distance between them had never felt so vast.

The battle continued, the clash of starfighters intensifying as they neared the heart of the enemy fleet. Obi-Wan led the charge, his ship moving with precise, measured strikes. Ahsoka followed, her hands steady on the controls as she fought her way through the remaining droid fighters. She disabled several ships in quick succession, her focus unwavering, but still, her mind kept returning to Anakin, to the hollowed-out presence she felt from him.

They were almost there. The flagship loomed large in the distance, the final challenge in their mission. The shields were weakening, and with them, the Separatist fleet's final line of defense.

But even as the tide of battle turned in their favor, Ahsoka couldn't shake the feeling that something else was coming—something that would change everything.

They had reached a turning point. And now, there was no turning back.

To be continued...