AUTHOR'S NOTE: Please see note at end of chapter.

Ahsoka walked away from UA wishing that the final exam had been… more.

So much more.

She had passed. Her and Shoji had managed to defeat Present Mic. The young Jedi padawan wouldn't claim it was easy, of course; it had been a very difficult fight, one filled with a lot of close calls. Present Mic may have made himself appear to be a 'crowing cock', as some of the students were want to claim, or a celebrity who got by with his radio show more than his hero work, but Ahsoka had gone into the exam knowing that was a lie. Hizashi had been one of the first people she and the rest of her group ('my family' her mind whispered) had encountered on Earth and he had been just as much a help as Aizawa and Nemuri.

He hadn't come at them merely screaming. No… he had been smarter than that. He had used his voice to blast himself about the battle field, both disorienting her and Shoji as well as moving himself quickly away from them. He knew, even with his hand to hand training, that close battle wasn't his strongest aspect. While his voice could be devastating up close if one were able to get to his side or behind him they would be able to harm him. So he had done all he could to move himself around the battle field and prevent them from doing that. In the end it had taken the two of them boxing him in for the students to slip the cuffs on him before they had gone after the second part of the exam, in this case it being Aizawa. He had been playing the role of grumpy curmudgeon that refused to leave his home. A role he played well.

She knew that there were plenty of things she could learn from the exam that would help her later on in life. She had made mistakes that Shoji had been able to correct for, a reminder that even though she had the Force that didn't make her perfect. Sometimes it was easy to forget that, even with UA. She had nearly taken out Aizawa in her frustrations that he wouldn't leave his house until Shoji had rightfully pointed out that with the villain apprehended there was no reason to leave. The police, if the situation were real, would be able to step in and issue him a ticket for causing problems for heroes though most likely it would have only been a small fine, if any at all.

Still, she had passed. She had gotten a strong score (tied with Bakugo's, much to his irritation). Ahsoka should be rather pleased.

And yet…

"What's the matter?" Uraraka asked from beside her, Izuku to her left. "We did it! Everyone passed!"

Izuku nodded in agreement. "According to the records I went over usually the Heroics Class has at least 2 students fail the Final Exam. So for everyone to make it through is a big deal."

"I know," Ahsoka said, not surprised that Izuku had gained access to such records. He loved everything about UA, to the point that she was honestly surprised he hadn't made his trooper armor colors be the school colors. "And I know I am just… being silly I guess. But I wish I had another crack at it."

"Why?" Uraraka asked. "I mean, you even got the bonus points! That's pretty darn good!"

"Were you trying to race the others?" Izuku asked. "Because if you were then I don't think you should be so glum. Honestly each match was so different from one another that it would be really hard to do a proper race." He began to tick off the points. "I mean, first you have each teacher. Their quirks are so wildly different and that is going to lend itself to how long a match runs. And then randomizing the partners… I get that its supposed to teach us how to work with people we normally don't work with, because sometimes a hero can't pick who they have to deal with, but it also means that some teams are going to be overpowered. Like, if they had put Todoroki in with Kaachan they could have easily been done in a few minutes. But Bakugo with Tokoyami would be really hard because the explosions would have created light that would have hurt Dark Shadow. Then-"

"Izuku," Ahsoka said, doing her best to remain calm. Her friend would be the first to admit that sometimes he needed someone to tell him to shut up because otherwise he would ramble on for hours on end about everything that popped in his head.

She didn't like to do it… most times. Other times she didn't mind at all telling him to knock it off because even Master Yoda would have begged Izuku to stop explaining to her how Hawks' air speed should be calculated based on how many coconuts he was holding.

"So what's the problem then?" Uraraka asked her. "I mean… like I said, you did a great job."

"I know!" Ahsoka said with a huff as they left through the gate, thankful that this time they were able to do so without having to wait for the security system to clear any reporters or the like; after the Hosu event some reporters had tried to get interviews with Izuku, Uraraka, Aoyama, and Iida for being there. Uraraka in particular had been very popular due to her helping Mirko take down a Nomu. So the school had set up a system that would push reporters out of the way when students came by… quite literally. The pushers looked like a set of paws and would shove the reporters across the street, all the while apologizing in a way that made clear they weren't actually apologizing. "I know," she said softly. "That's the problem."

"O…kay?" Izuku said slowly.

"I know its insane!" Ahsoka complained. "I know it is! But I kept thinking that maybe… maybe this would be it. The thing that puts everything into place and sets things right."

"I don't understand," Uraraka said.

"Neither do I," Ahsoka admitted.

Ever since the Sports Festival Ahsoka had felt… off. It was like the artificial gravity generators in her ship had malfunctioned; they still worked but the pull was slightly too much. Or maybe she felt like she was being tugged gently to the right when it should have been straight down. No one else noticed but she DID. She noticed and it was driving her insane. The internship with Nedzu had shown her that she didn't need to be on the front line where all the action was happening but that didn't mean that she felt better afterwards. No. She had still felt like things were off. That she wasn't functioning the way she should. And then the Final Exam… she knew it was silly but she had been quietly hoping that maybe it would help right the ship. Get her back to the stable footing she wanted.

But it hadn't.

'I don't know what to do,' she thought to herself. 'Ever since I touched the Dark Side I've felt out of balance. And I just… I just don't know what I am going to do to get things back to the way they were.'

Another part of her whispered that was the problem though. It sounded like Master Yoda.

'Learn from the past, we can. Foolish it is to forget the past, for learn much we can. Time, it can save. Lessons it gives, aid us they can. But to it, return? No…no. Never return, can we, to that which has come and gone. Over, its time is, and a lesson now it can only serve.'

'I've been stuck in that moment,' she thought to herself as she finally parted from her friends, managing a smile, a wave, and a promise that she would contact them later that night to make sure they knew she was fine. 'At first it was second guessing myself, and then it was worrying about second guessing myself. And now…'

Ahsoka let out a sigh.

She had a feeling she knew the answer.

It was what led her to entering her apartment and sitting down next to Anakin, who was going over some of his psychology books. Her master was going to be a doctor… and he was going to be a great one. And that filled her with such pride.

"Snips?" Anakin said, at once setting his book down and closing the laptop that had some kind of document on it, she wasn't for sure what it was. "What's going on?"

She should have known, even with her shielding, that he would have sensed something was off with her.

"Master… I know you can't help me because you are my master and my guardian and you don't have your degree even if you could but…" She shook her head, knowing she was rambling.

"Ahsoka?"

"…I think I might have depression," she said softly.

~MC~MC~MC~

All For One was not pleased.

When he had begun his first campaign into villainy he had, despite what some like that big blond buffoon All Might would claim, shown restraint. He had set his sights on Japan and Japan alone, wishing to perfect his masterpiece there before even trying to take on any other countries. As tempting as it was to set his sights on the likes of China, Korea, or the United States he had learned well from the Emperors of old… and their errors. All three, even as Japan had moved to become something more than a haven for warlords that hungered for territory, would never truly trust the Japanese. And as such they would always be searching for any reason to come at them.

Besides, one must master one instrument before they tried another. Must sell out one concert hall before attempting to move on to a more famed one. That was the way these things simply were and All For One had known that with patience eventually he would reshape the entire world to his image.

As such when he did set his sights on things outside of his normal domain, past the ocean and onto the lands east and west of Japan, it was always with great caution. And only when the need was great.

And now… a great need had been TAKEN from him.

"You are… sure Doctor?" he said slowly, giving the man one more chance to admit that he was functioning under shaky data.

But he had known there was no chance of that and the Doctor's next words confirmed it. "I am. Mr. Guzman is dead."

All For One gripped the armrests of his throne so hard he could feel the steel under the plush soft padding begin to groan in protest. "I was under the impression that he was under careful observation. That our associates were doing all they could to keep him protected."

Orlando Guzman had been born with a unique quirk: he could swap body parts. With just a touch he could, without any pain to one of his victims, pull out any part of them and place them in his own body while giving up something of himself. As such he had become very popular on the black market for those looking for organs. One simply needed to tell him what you needed and give him a list of candidates who matches what was desired and he would be able to take them from them. The organs or body parts were never rejected, for something in the transfer made them recognize their new host as their master.

Usually he would give away one of the unneeded organs when he went to claim a needed liver or the like. Humans had developed several redundant body parts, after all. Someone in the hospital would happily give away their appendix or their wisdom teeth for a new heart or set of lungs. What was a pinkie toe if you could have an entire arm returned to you? And because of the alterations to the body parts when transferred it would be near impossible for anyone to ever realize you had a new stomach or pancreas that didn't originally belong to you.

The uses for All For One were numerous.

'With that Quirk the process of making the Nomu would be child's play,' he thought. 'I would be able to gain what the Doctor needed to make them whole. The Nomu are brilliant creations but their fatal flaw is how monstrous they look. Even with Mutation Quirks being the norm in our world people still will not trust someone that looks too grotesque.'

It was something he and the Doctor were pushing to the side for now. They wanted to perfect the Nomu in terms of powers and stability and control before they even considered things like looks. They had discussed such things, of course; even All For One could dream fanciful dreams. Being able to create Nomu that looked like government officials, for example. Or replace his enemies so that they would function like sleeper agents, waiting for his command before they would turn against their 'allies'.

'And, of course, there is the matter of my own body,' he thought. He didn't reach up and touch his scarred face. That would be far too dramatic and needless. But he did think of his lost senses. He had managed to make up for the loss of smell with a quirk that allowed skin to sense the different chemicals and particles in the air, so he could 'sniff' through his hands. As for hearing that had been a simple quirk that detected the vibrations in the air and allowed him to register them as sounds, understanding at once what they meant. Honestly the one he had taken that quirk from hadn't truly minded, believing themselves to be quirkless due to it doing what someone with hearing did naturally.

But sight… sight had proven FAR trickier. He had a few different quirks in mind for that but Mr. Guzman's quirk? It would have fixed everything up.

'I could have seen if skin itself was able to be taken,' he thought. 'Swap this scarred tissue that remains as a reminder of my failure against All Might for something fresh and smooth. I could have experimented with my quirks in new and unusual ways, ways the world have never considered. That quirk… it is a physical version of my own wonderous Quirk. It was MEANT for me.'

The only reason he hadn't taken the man right there was because there were plenty of people in the United States that wanted Mr. Guzman to keep doing his business. All For One couldn't risk snatching him and thus ensuring a war with the power players in America… not at this point in the concert. So he had placed guards to monitor Mr. Guzman, waiting for the right moment when he could collect the man and claim his quirk.

He felt a flash of anger.

'And it was stolen from me,' he thought darkly before turning his head towards the Doctor. "What happened?"

"He had been contacted by someone seeking to have him obtain a new kidney. That is one of the easier organs to obtain, as you can imagine. Many of his targets don't even realize they have lost a kidney and gained a tooth or a bit of extra bone. It might take years before they ever learn the truth and he is long gone by then. And of course many doctors might assume it is the nature of their quirk; a tragic and unforeseen mutation."

"I am aware of that," All For One said smoothly. He had of course studied carefully Mr. Guzman and considered all that his quirk might be able to do. "So then, it was this person that contacted him who killed him?"

"No," the Doctor said. "And it wasn't his target either. They had no idea that they were going to be subjected to his quirk."

"Then who was it?"

The Doctor grew quiet.

That… wasn't like him.

"It was," the man finally said, "one of the guards we placed on him."

All For One wondered if his sound sensing quirk was acting up.

"One… of our guards you say? You are sure?"

"Not someone disguising themselves or the like," the Doctor stated.

All For One sat stiffer in his seat. "Who?"

"…Killwhip."

He had expected it to be Blunderbust. Or Lady Slide. But Killwhip? All For One had PERSONALLY seen to giving Killwhip their secondary quirk, the one that allowed them to control their deadly whip fingers without feeling any pain or risk of having their fingers hacked off. Their steel skin was a gift from him and Killwhip had rewarded that gift, as was proper, with complete and utter loyalty. He had considered keeping Killwhip in Japan, once they had secured Guzman and brought him to All For One. Young Tomura was in desperate need of allies that could serve as his generals and commanders in the war that was to come. His… attempts… at building himself up an inner circle hadn't been that impressive to All For One at all and Killwhip would serve well as someone that could push him to do better.

So… hearing that Killwhip had turned traitor…

"What happened?" he managed to get out. His voice didn't tremble or break, as that would be unfitting for a man such as himself, but it wasn't as solid as he would have normally liked.

"Mr. Guzman was making his way towards the target when Killwhip…"

"…yes?"

"He just killed him."

"He… just killed him."

The Doctor nodded. "Strangled him and then commanded the Nomu we had provided him to slaughter the rest of his team. They fought back, of course, but Killwhip ignored everything they were doing to him. Lady Slide was the only survivor… she was gravely injured and if she were in Japan I would suggest subjecting her to the Nomu process so she didn't go to waste."

All For One ignored that; the Doctor was always wanting to bring in more people to be turned into Nomu but All For One kept him on a short leash, knowing that too many disappearances would not do them well at all. The effort to either get Lady Slide to Japan or the Doctor to America wouldn't be worth it.

Thus, when he didn't say a word, the Doctor pressed on. "Well, according to her even as they shot him, stabbed him, and tore off his limbs he didn't react. He just kept going. She said it was very much like the Nomu itself. She only managed to survive by playing dead… which is when Killwhip did the most concerning thing."

"And that is?"

"He ordered the Nomu to kill him."

If he still had eyes that functioned they would have widened at that bold comment.

"It… wasn't a clean death," the Doctor said, as if that was any consolidation for the entire messy affair.

"Then he wasn't himself," All For One stated. "He wouldn't command such a thing… Killwhip wasn't a martyr for some grand cause." He didn't know how to feel about that. On one hand it meant the man hadn't betrayed him. But on the other hand it meant that someone had managed to not only learn of his plans… but take one of his loyal pieces and turn them against him in such a way that not only robbed All For One of his prize but the piece itself.

That… was concerning.

He didn't even bother to tell the Doctor to leave; the man just knew the time for conversation was over. No… All For One merely sat back and thought about everything.

'For a while now there has been some force nipping at my heels,' he thought. 'Some hidden enemy that has decided that they wish to steal the spotlight from me just as I reach the end of my magnum opus.' He had seen it in recruiting failing to meet his goals. In allies of his suddenly being unwilling to aid him like they once had. The secret places of the world where no hero tread suddenly trembled that there was another Apex Predator.

That… wouldn't do.

'And now this. This insult. I will not let it stand. I refuse to. I will find out who did this and I will tear them from the ground, root and stem. They will learn that there is only one Demon Lord… and it is All For One.'

~MC~MC~MC~

"Hmmm… how very interesting…"

Cody looked over at Hondo. Seris and his brothers were down in the hold of the frigate they had… liberated… performing some sort of religious ceremony. Per their religious beliefs no one outside of their family could watch them during such moments and thus Cody had been left with Hondo. Which was both a blessing and a curse. On one hand Hondo was entertaining. He reminded Cody of some of his brothers, to be honest. How they would tell tall tales and would egg people on with lies just to see if they would react. Seris was far too serious, Savage too intense, and Feral, while the most personable of the three, had a vicious side of him that made any jesting and jokes take on too sharp of a tone.

But on the other hand… Hondo was Hondo.

The man could be like a rash sometimes.

"What is it?" Cody asked as he moved to stand at the control panel.

"We are being followed."

"We are?" Cody asked, startled. He looked at the readouts, trying to see if he could figure out just what Hondo was seeing. Because none of the sensors were showing anything that would make him believe that they were being chased by someone.

Hondo chuckled. "Oh, no system will tell you flat out we are being followed. But the signs are there. Little ones that when put together reveal the picture." The damnable captain chose not to elaborate on that because of course he didn't. "Yet it is a curious thing because they are also leaving clues they are there."

"I don't understand."

"There are hints that only someone such as myself, skilled in such matters, would notice. But there are also ones that are a bit more… obvious. And they are clearly being left for someone to notice. They don't want to openly chase us but they want to hint that they are there. Why would you do that, Commander?"

Cody considered that. "You wanted someone to know you were following them but… weren't a threat." His brow furrowed at that before he found himself saying something he'd never expected to say. "Hondo… do you feel like taking a risk?"

Hondo let out a sharp laugh at that. "Oh, we are corrupting you, Commander, we are corrupting you!" He waved at the panel and Cody took a seat next to him. "What are you thinking?"

"Something very much unexpected," Cody said… before opening up the comm units. "Attention unknown ship. We know you are following us. State your reasons now."

"Well… that was far bolder than I was expecting," Hondo said. "More like a hammer than a knife… I like it!"

"Attention unknown ship," Cody's own voice repeated back. "We know you are following us. State your reasons now."

Hondo frowned at that. "A verbal echo?"

"Perhaps," Cody said though that didn't sound right. He reached down and touched the comm unit again. "Unknown ship, we have detected you. Please reveal your reasons for following us."

He let go and there was a slight pause. "Unknown ship, we've detected you. Please reveal your reasons for following us."

"Perhaps they are blocking you," Hondo suggested. "Trying to make it seem like they aren't there and it is just bouncing back."

"No… something isn't right," Cody said, narrowing his eyes. "Unknown ship, we will be forced to take drastic actions if you do not reveal at once who you are."

"Unknown ship, we'll be forced to take drastic actions if you do not-"

"We will," Cody said, cutting off the voice that he now KNEW wasn't his own. "Not 'we'll'. So… which one of my brothers are you, exactly?"

"…who do ya think?" the voice said, the tone changing ever so slightly but enough that at once Cody knew who it was, even if he hadn't heard from them in a while.

"Can I assume that Waxer is also with you, Boil?"

"And a few others," Boil replied. "Don't worry, its not the entire 212."

"Who are they?" Hondo asked.

"Old friends," Cody stated. "Waxer and Boil are members of the 212, my… well, it was my command, before I went AWOL." He shook his head; even though he was doing this to find the general it never had sat right with him how he'd left. It wasn't right, to just run off as he had.

It made him think of Cut, the Clone who had decided to abandon the Republic out of a desire to have a life of peace. When Rex had told him about Cut, Cody hadn't been able to hide his disgust. They were trained to ensure that billions of people got to live free lives and Cut had decided to selfishly risk them all in the name of three? How could he EVER think of doing that? How could any of his brothers?

'And now I've done the same thing,' he thought to himself. 'How will the General react when he finds out that I abandoned the 212th?' Suddenly all he had done, all his actions since meeting Seris, made Cody sick to his stomach. Yet… he also felt relief that his brothers were there, to finally see to it that he faced judgement for his actions. To be punished for tossing away his honor and forsaking his duty.

"Boil… Waxer…" Cody said. "Of all our brothers… I am glad it is you two that will be bringing me in."

"uh…" Waxer said.

"I only ask that you allow the men that are with me to go on their way in peace," Cody stated. "I know it doesn't justify my actions but they are doing good work."

"Sir," Boil tried to say.

Cody pressed on. "General Kenobi is out there and I allowed my desires to see him brought home safe and sound cloud my judgement. I forgot who I was and what my mission in life is and it caused me to act in a way unbefitting any clone, no matter their rank. As such-"

"Commander!" another voice cut in and Cody dimly realized that it was Fives, the Clone trooper that he and Rex had encountered on their final solo mission together. The Clone Trooper that Rex had personally reported he was endorsing for ARC Trooper training. He had never gotten that chance, having died ('disappeared' his mind whispered to him) before he could. Cody had honored his friend's choice by moving Fives and his batchmate Echo to the 501st. "Commander… we aren't here to arrest you."

"…I don't understand," Cody said.

"Well, would be pretty hypocritical of us if we did-" Waxer said only for there to be some shuffling and some noises over the line and then a new voice chimed in.

"Sir? Can we dock? I think you'll understand better if we're face to face."

Cody was pretty sure that he was hearing Echo, which didn't surprise him considering that he and Fives were the last of their batch; batchmates tended to stick together, after all.

"…sure," Cody said.

~One Hour Later~

"Now sir," Waxer said with a grin, "you can't get upset with us for this. After all… we were only following you example."

They had landed on a desert moon that had been close by and were currently standing in the shifting purple sands. Seris had quietly accepted the diversion from their mission while Savage had glowered at the interruption, clearly displeased. Feral, for his part, thought it all rather amazing and had been the only one of the brothers to shake Fives, Boil and Echo's hands. He couldn't shake Waxer's as his hands were full. Hondo was utterly delighted by the entire thing and Cody was sure that the pirate was ready to burst into laughter. But he didn't see the funny side in anything that was going on. Not in the slightest.

Cody glowered at the man before looking down at the little Twi'lek girl that Waxer was holding upon his hip.

"Explain," he said slowly. "How did she get here?"

"Well, from the way I understand it," Waxer said, "when a mommy and a daddy love each other very much-"

Boil shot his batchmate a glower before turning to Cody. "The War has calmed down, sir, and we were mostly on mop up duty. We got sent to Ryloth shortly after you disappeared… still hadn't gotten a new commander yet and there was talks of folding us into another company, much like what they were considering with the 501st. So we were already looking at being separated."

"Separated?" Cody asked.

Waxer spoke up. "Chancellor is doing it, sir. Claims he isn't but Echo found the proof of it. He thinks that the clones are too close to their batchmates so he wants to break up the companies. Even suggesting we rotate companies every few months."

"That's… insanity," Cody whispered. Everyone knew that the reason why you kept batchmates together was because they understood how to fight alongside one another. They made the most effective teams. It was the same reason that clones tended to stick with the same Jedi: the understanding that came from the familiar. 'Mixing them up like that… it's a recipe for disaster!'

"The Jedi aren't liking it one bit and are fighting the Chancellor on it," Fives stated. "Honestly, word going around is that he's lost his mind. Can't handle that the war is still going on. Its driven him mad."

"Oh," Seris said smoothly, "he was already quite mad. But this has nothing to do with insanity."

Cody glanced at him but Seris merely smiled at him and remained silent and the former commander was forced to just move on. "That still doesn't explain-"

"Numa," Waxer said, holding the little Twi'lik close. "Her name is Numa and she is ours."

Boil nodded, placing a hand on Waxer's shoulder. "We found her the first time-"

"I remember your reports," Cody said. "You did good on that mission." He had been utterly proud of the two and General Kenobi had practically glowed as he had complimented them.

"Well, we left her with family but they couldn't care for her properly," Waxer stated. "They had three of their own and Ryloth suffered greatly thanks to the Seppies. When we saw her and she ran to us…" He gave a shrug and Numa responded by snuggling up to him and giving a yawn that… well, even Cody was man enough to admit that it was adorable.

"We had to leave after that," Boil stated.

"Why?" Feral said, tilting his had in confusion.

"Because they are clones," Seris said dryly. "And it would hurt the republic if they were treated like people. If they had something to care for other than winning their battles they might not risk it all."

Cody wanted to argue against that point but, quite honestly, he knew that Seris was right.

So instead he asked, "How did you find me?"

"Us," Echo said, raising his hand like he was back in basic training, having to deal with the annoying instructors that the Kaminoians brought in to teach them non-battlefield skills. "Fives and I… we already thought something was wrong with what happened with General Skywalker and the rest. Didn't sit right. We began to look into it and discovered the energy read outs from when General Skywalker disappeared-"

"Which I assume you know about Sir, since your flight path is leading right towards the last one to appear," Fives stated and Cody gave him a slight nod.

"And we decided to look into it. Encountered Boil and Waxer sneaking out of Ryloth with Numa and decided to have them join up." Echo paused. "Can I assume that means that you are also on the trail of these energy readings?"

"We are," Seris said. "And I would suggest we pool our resources. Clearly you know much about this… perhaps more than we do. It will only work out better if you aid us."

"Got nothing better to do," Waxer joked.

Cody moved over to Seris and Feral hurried over to the four other clones, chattering excitedly while Savage stalked over to Hondo to discuss their current path. "And what is your real reason for inviting them along?" he whispered.

"I think you should realize by now that what took Kenobi is far bigger than all of us. Powerful forces wish to keep him hidden; we are close to finding him, I can feel it." He stressed the second to last word. Feel. Cody wasn't for sure why but that had the hairs standing up on the back of his neck. "We can no risk him realizing what we are doing."

Cody nodded, not mentioning the slip of the tongue.

'Him…' Cody thought quietly.

~MC~MC~MC~

AUTHOR'S NOTE:…yeah, I grew to hate the Exam arc.

It was fun when I started but it just kept going… and going… and going. And I'll admit it: I hit a wall trying to figure out Ahsoka's. So yeah, I admit it: I bailed. I decided to make it a plot point that it was normal and average (and this will build towards Ahsoka's arc) but I just be DONE with the damn thing.

Sorry for all those that wanted to see it… I had nothing. Literally nothing.

And now we move on to the fun stuff.