Chapter 2: The Archives

You tilted your head, trying to determine if Centax-2, one of Coruscant's moons, was now directly overhead. You had spent the evening in the temple gardens, waiting for something you knew didn't matter. There was no denying it now: the moon had reached the zenith of your planet. That meant, midnight. Or, two years.

It had been two years since Ahsoka had walked up the ship ramp, into her life as a Padawan. 736 rotations, if anyone was counting. Not that you were, of course...

You tried not to think about it too obsessively, not anymore. But at one point, you had. Every sunrise since the day Ahsoka left, you waited for the day she would come back. Only recently had you begun to accept that maybe she never would.

You were fifteen now. That made you the oldest youngling in the Jedi temple. That also made you the laughing stock of quite a few of the younger younglings. It didn't matter how many times you won the youngling dueling tournaments. It didn't matter you had passed every test that was part of your curriculum. It didn't even seem to matter that you had been patient without a complaint. You knew you deserved to be a Padawan by now. You could probably beat half of the Padawans deployed now throughout the galaxy. And yet, your name had never been called. The Council just still didn't trust you. Specifically, it seemed Master Windu didn't trust you.

So, no Master. No assignment.

You took a deep breath. You knew better than to allow your frustration to build up inside you. You walked quickly back to your quarters, entered, and pulled up the side of your mattress. Taking the power jammer from Ilum, now long dead, you etched a seven hundred and thirty sixth tally mark onto your wall. Then, you spent some time meditating, something you had starting doing a lot more since Ahsoka left. You tried to reach out to her in the force, but just couldn't find her. Again. Eventually you drifted off to sleep...

...only to be jolted awake by your blaring alarm. You didn't realize how late you had meditated. You got approximately four minutes of sleep. Groaning, you rolled out of bed. You envied the Jedi who could go to the mess hall for a cup of caf in the morning. Unfortunately, no drinks were allowed where you were going. You could feel your body begging for caffeine, but instead you directed your feet in the opposite direction of the mess hall, towards the temple archives.

Rows and rows of shelves filled with books seemed to go on endlessly, starting from the central rotunda where old Master Jocasta Nu was seated. The Jedi Archives were massive—vaults packed full of history books from millennia of Jedi. You had spent the past two years assisting Master Nu, cataloging everything from 500 year-old agricultural treaties to differences between the management philosophies of the thirteenth and fourteenth grand masters of the Kamparas Jedi Temple. And despite this, you had the suspicion that you had hardly scratched the surface understanding what was contained here.

Master Nu was wise, mystical, old, but unfortunately also pretty boring. You knew it should be an honor to be able to serve this with her, when other younglings would die for the opportunity to get out of the classroom. She was kind, respected you, trained you how to research, and taught you more about the Jedi way than you learned in class. You learned discipline, and learned to value the power of a strong mind. But it wasn't what you had dreamed about when you first arrived at the temple.

You wanted to be out there, saving the galaxy, fighting alongside the greatest Jedi masters, fighting alongside...Ahsoka. You shook your head to snap out of it. Today's assignment was more reorganization. Master Fisto had come in, searching for a book, and left a pile of about 700 of them on the floor. He had done you the favor of roughly sorting them by title. Unfortunately, the library sorted them by author.

You closed your eyes, trying to recreate the feeling of her hands in yours. Your fingers longed to brush against her warm, soft skin...instead, it brushed against the thick layer of dust of the old book you were holding.

You stood up, heading towards the bathroom to wash your hands.

At least, you thought, the Archives were quiet. Safe. And predictable. Every day was just like the last. And tomorrow would almost definitely be just like today.

You sighed. Ahsoka was anything but predictable. You gave yourself a light punch in the arm.

Stop letting your thoughts lead back to her, (y/n). You're supposed to be getting over her! You need to listen more to Master Yoda and learn to LET. GO.

She had truly vanished into the war, and you did your best not to resent her for it. After she left, you sent a message every day. Sometimes they were long, and sometimes they were short. You longed just to hear her voice, or read her writing, or something. But, there was nothing. She never replied. You knew you should stop trying, but you still knew you would send a message that evening. You were holding out hope for something you now realized likely will never come.

Maybe she'd outgrown you. She was out in the galaxy now, being a hero. Maybe she had cool, new friends, and didn't have any need for a no-good youngling like you. Maybe she had found someone which she looked at the way she used to look at you. Somehow who she might...feel something stronger than friendship for. Like you had for her. Whatever the reason, she was gone.

So, you buried your feelings in work, pretending not to care when someone mentioned her name in passing. You wondered if she was dead, although you heard just enough chatter to make you know that she was alive. It would almost be easier that way, knowing she wasn't just ignoring you.

You heard the doors to the archives hum open as you turned on the sink.

"You are to report here every morning until further notice," you heard Master Nu say from a distance. "You will help my assistant and I with continuing to document all of the collection here in the archives."

There was a pause. You felt her before you heard her voice.

Familiar. Confident. Warm. Stronger than you remember.

"With respect, Master, I've spent the last two years out on the battlefield. This will be easy."

You froze. You didn't need to look to know who it was.

Ahsoka.

She was here.

You stood rooted to the spot, your hands starting to steam under the sink's hot water. It had been so long. You had spent months imagining this exact moment, and now...you felt like you couldn't move. You kept listening instead.

"Careful, Padawan. You must learn patience from the knowledge contained in these halls." Master Nu continued as she explained the technical aspects of the role. She mentioned a youngling helping out, but didn't say your name. Just: "He's helpful. Bright."

You heard Ahsoka's breath hitch. You stepped back into the shadows between shelves, your heart thundering in your chest.Not today!you thought.I'm not ready!

From your hiding spot behind a row of Outer Rim system textbooks, you watched as Ahsoka Tano entered the labyrinth of shelves and books in the library. She was older now, like you. Her montrals stood taller. Her lekku reached down a little farther on her chest. Her clothes were different—lighter, practical, sporty. Her lightsaber rested at her hip. A braid of leather hung from the back of one of her montrals. But, her eyes. Her eyes were the same, beautiful blue worlds of emotions that you remembered dearly. It was her.

She paused near a shelf of scrolls from three hundred years ago, studying their layout, and rolling her eyes. Her presence in the Force pulsed, strong and centered than when she was a youngling. You could feel it now without even trying. You also felt her frustration with her current predicament. But, you also felt a longing you didn't recognize in her from your youngling years, a longing for something she couldn't have. You channeled into the force. It wasn't something, it wassomeone.

She still hadn't seen you, as you spied on her through the rows of books. Part of you didn't want her to, not like this. You were still a youngling, assigned to work in the library, while she was out there on the front lines fighting for peace in the galaxy. You could sense how much she had changed. Matured. But you—you were the same as you were two years ago. It was embarrassing.

You looked back up—Ahsoka vanished. You starting looking around between the shelves, trying to find her again. You barely had time to react before you felt someone's presence behind you.

You were tackled hard, your right shoulder slamming against the smooth marble floor, as your attacker pushed your chest to the ground.

"Who are you? What do you—"

You turned your head back, and your eyes locked. Ahsoka. Real. Here. You saw the sudden wave of emotions crash through her eyes—recognition, and, confusion. Her face turns beet red, her lekku twitched slightly, and you felt her hands stiffen, frozen while pinning your shoulders to the ground.

She was breathing hard. So were you.

Then, her expression changed. The shock gave way to...rage.

"You," she breathed. Her voice trembled with emotion. You tried to speak, but she cut you off with a shove to your chest.

"Where have youbeen?!"

Her voice was louder than it should be, echoing off the endless archive walls.

"Why didn't you message me? Why didn't you try to find me?! You— you just vanished!"

You pushed yourself up on your elbows, your words caught in your throat. "Ahsoka—"

She shoved your shoulder again. "That's Commander Tano to you, youngling," she spat. "You think this was easy for me?! After everything we went through together?!" Her voice cracked. "I waited. Every day I waited for to hear something from you. Anything. Every time I came back to the temple I looked for you, just to find your quarters empty. I reached out every day, and never once did you even have the heart to respond." She shook her head. "Do you know how stupid I felt? Fighting in a war while wondering why my best friend didn't care enough to even say hello?"

You pushed her off you and sat up, shouting: "I did."

Ahsoka froze. "What?"

You stood up, facing her. You wiped the dust from the floor off your robes. "My quarters were moved when I got assigned to archive duty. And I messaged you. Every. Single. Day. For the last two years. I even logged the dates."

Ahsoka stared at you in disbelief. Her eyes narrowed. "No. You're lying. I would have seen. I checked. I kept checking."

Your chest tightened. "Then maybe—maybe someone blocked them. But I never stopped thinking that you could come back. I never stopped waiting."

"I thought you gave up on me, " she said, her voice wavering. You could hear her pain over her anger now.

You hesitantly stepped towards her. "I thought you gave up on me."

"I tried to sense you through the Force," she snapped. "I couldn't feel anything. Everything was clouded. It was like you were gone."

"I couldn't feel you, either," you whisper.

For a long moment, neither of you spoke. She stood there, trembling, her arms wrapped around chest. You felt the anger and frustration fading, replaced by something else. Hurt and...regret.

Finally, Ahsoka spoke. "I cried, you know," she mumbled. "More times than I'll ever admit. Even to my Master. I tried so hard to let you go, but I just...couldn't. I've never been able to let go of our friendship. I'm already failing as a Jedi."

"You're not failing," you reply, your heart beating fast. "I couldn't let go of you either."

She looked into your eyes, her beautiful blue orbs full of unspoken emotion. You sat there, absorbing everything about her. So much changed. She had changed. And you missed it. You wanted to tell her how you feel, you wanted to tell her everything that was left unsaid in your head the last two years. But before you could open your mouth—

"Padawan Tano! (y/n)!"

Master Nu's voice cuts through the moment like a lightsaber. You both snap your heads around. Master Nu walks toward you with her usual slow pace, peering over the pile of displaced books from where Ahsoka had tackled you. "I expect library assignments to take precedence over dramatics. Don't make me regret pairing the two of you, together," she said, with what you can detect was a glint of an understanding smile.

Ahsoka opened her mouth to argue, but you nudged her lightly. "Yes, Master Nu. Sorry!" you said.

She glanced at you, her eyes still filled with emotion. Then, she nodded. "Fine."

The two of you started piling the books back onto the shelves without a word, the tension hanging thick in the air. Despite everything you had said, so much remained unspoken. You couldn't help but wonder—will things ever go back to how they were before? Or has the time broken down the friendship into just some awkward interactions, temporary until she went back to her normal Padawan duties?

The rest of the afternoon passed slowly—every moment feeling excruciating, with a deafening silence clinging to the walls of the archives. You and Ahsoka worked in tandem but never quite together. She stayed near the upper shelves, while you continued cataloguing in the lower shelves. The air between you buzzed with the energy of what was left unsaid, still charged from your earlier confrontation. Every so often, you glanced up at her. And every time, she was already looking at you.

Neither of you spoke.

Master Nu passed by occasionally, checking your work, and giving you more tasks that needed to be done. You nodded mindlessly at all the right times—your mind was on Ahsoka.

Finally, when the sun began to set, Master Nu dismissed the two of you for the night. You walked towards the center rotunda of the library, and wished Master Nu a good night. The moment the library doors closed behind Master Nu, you sensed Ahsoka behind you. Waiting.

Her eyes were puffy and red, and there were bags underneath them. She was clearly tired, and looked like she had been crying Her arms were crossed, but her posture wasn't defensive like it was earlier. You knew she wasn't here to fight.

You gestured to a long table and bench against the window of the archives, and she walked to it, as you followed cautiously. She sat down, her blue eyes shining in the dim light. You joined her. The silence stretched again.

Finally, after a little while: "Well, that work is a lot more tiring than I thought it would be," she joked, with a half-hearted chuckle.

You couldn't hold back your feelings any longer. "I wanted to tell you everything," you said, your eyes searching the floor, not daring to meet hers. "But after a while... I convinced myself you didn't want to hear it."

Ahsoka frowned. "Why would you think that?"

You swallowed hard. "Because I never heard from you. And when I tried to sense you through the force...it felt like I was reaching into fog. I thought maybe that you didn't care about me anymore."

Her voice came quieter. "Of course I cared. It felt the same for me. I thought maybe I had lost my connection to you."

You shook your head slowly. "You didn't. You never did. I wanted to reach you so badly it hurt."

She stared at you for a long moment.

"I checked for messages every chance I could," she said. "The Council taught us not to get attached. That it would make us weak. I tried to tell myself you were fine, that we were just on different paths, and it was the will of the force. But the silence was peaceful...it was empty."

You finally looked up, gazing into her steady blue eyes. "I hated it, Ahsoka," you admitted. "I hated being stuck here while you were out there risking your life. I hated being left behind."

Her expression softened. Her anger had melted away, replaced by something subtler. Grief. "I never wanted to leave you behind," she said.

You nodded. "But you did."

A beat of silence passed. "(y/n), that's unfair. I didn't have a choice."

You sighed. "I know. I'm sorry. I just felt so helpless here, knowing I couldn't protect you if you needed it."

Suddenly, you saw some of the charisma that you knew her for. "Protect me? If anything, you would've slowed me down from all the times I would have to save you," she said, with a smug smile.

You laughed. It had been a while since you laughed so authentically. Ahsoka leaned back, looking up at the high, domed ceiling above the archives. The stars of the galaxy map shimmered faintly, rotating in slow motion. Her eyes were filled with stars, reflecting the light from above.

"Well, you want to know what happened?" she asked.

You nodded. "Everything."

Ahsoka dived into her many stories of adventures throughout the galaxy in the last couple years. She started at Christophsis, explaining how adamant he was about not having a Padawan. How awkward she was at first, but how she had earned the trust of the clones and Anakin through repeated tests and trials.

"I called him Skyguy," she said with a crooked grin. "Just to annoy him."

You smirked. "Leave it to you to annoy your own master."

"You know, he had a nickname for me too. Said I was too snippy. He called me 'Snips'. It always made me think about someone else who had said that to me before," she added, her eyes gazing into yours. You felt your cheeks burning up.

She walked you through her battles, from Teth to Ryloth to on board the Separatist ship Malevolence. You listened, completely fascinated, as she described near-death escapes, and the many ship she crashed with Master Skywalker. She told you about the pressure of commanding soldiers that were older than her.

"I didn't think I could handle it," she said. "But I Master Skywalker taught me not to show fear, even if I felt it. Not in front of them."

You noticed something new in Ahsoka's eyes—a certain gravity that she didn't have before. They still had that same fiery passion, but were tempered by something heavier...loss. She talked about the clones in her battalion which were lost during the war, about how they had sacrificed their own lives to save hers. She talked about facing off against the legendary Separatist General Grievous, a name you knew from your studies. She talked about his four lightsabers, taken from fallen Jedi...you shivered. It sounded oddly familiar, but you couldn't place it. You listened to her with rapt attention, admiring the way her eyes sparkled as she talked. Then, she talked about the growing unease she felt about the war.

"Being a Padawan isn't what I thought it'd be," she said quietly. "It's lonely and it's difficult. There's so much destruction...and death. I thought we were supposed to be keepers of the peace. But I feel like all I've been is a solider. Sometimes," she said, her voice now almost a whisper, "I wondered if I was becoming someone I wouldn't recognize."

You wanted to reach across the table and take her hand, but you held back. "You're still you," you said instead. "You've changed a lot, in a good way, but you never stopped being Ahsoka."

Ahsoka looked at you. You noticed the intensity of her gaze, like she was searching your eyes for something.

"And you're still (y/n). But you're different too, y'know. You've grown."

You shrugged. "Not as different as I want to be. I'm still a youngling. Still waiting."

"At least...you waited long enough for me to find you. That matters. To me."

You gave her a small smile. "At least something good came from it. I hoped that if I waited long enough, maybe you'd come back."

"I didn't know what I was coming back to. But I wanted it to be you."

Another silence followed. But this time, it felt like the tension had been loosened. Instead, you felt the warm feeling in your chest you remembered from your times together as younglings.

"You want to pick up where we left off?" she asked.

You hesitated. "To be honest, I don't know if we can."

"Then let's start over."

You tilted your head. "How?"

She leaned forward slightly, smirking. "Hi, I'm Ahsoka Tano. I was assigned to archive duty for being reckless out in the battlefield. Again."

You grinned. "Pleasure to meet you, Commander Tano," you said, mocking a salute.

"Ahsoka is fine," she said with a smile and an eye roll, shaking her head.

"You got it, Snips. I'm Sparky. I get the great honor of being stuck on library duty."

You held out a hand. She took it. You treasured the feeling of her fingers meeting yours, familiar and warm, the force pulsing through the two of you. Whatever else had changed, this hadn't. You realized you were holding on a little too long, and quickly let go with a shy smile.

Later, as you walked together down the long hall out of the archives, you almost told Ahsoka the feelings you were storing in your heart. You wanted to tell her how much you missed her. How it had kept you awake at night. How you had replayed every memory of your time together over and over in your head until her deep blue eyes were ingrained into your mind.

But just as you opened your mouth to speak, a pair of maintenance workers rounded the corner. Then, you realized, you were outside of Ahsoka's quarters.

You swallowed the words.

"See you tomorrow?" she asked with a yawn, leaning in her doorway.

You nodded. "First one to the archives wins."

She grinned. "You're on."

And for the first time in two years, your heart felt just a little bit lighter.

The next morning, you woke up earlier than you usually do.

Not because you had to—your duties in the Archives didn't start until later in the morning—but because your mind had been racing all night. After everything you and Ahsoka had said the night before, you couldn't stop thinking about her. About how close she'd felt, but how far she still seemed. You had thought it would feel like coming home, but instead, it felt like standing a door that you weren't sure you should knock on.

When you arrived at the Archives, the hall was still dim as the sun had not even risen yet. It was mostly silent other than the beeps of the occasional droid wheeling by. You typed in your access code and stepped through the sliding doors, expecting more silence.

Instead, you heard humming. You instantly recognized who was making the sweet sound. Ahsoka sat cross-legged at one of the data terminals, a half-eaten ration bar in one hand and an old dusty book in the other. She didn't look up as you approached.

"Took you long enough," she said, not even glancing your way.

You blinked, surprised. "How did you beat me here?"

"I am a Jedi Padawan. We're known for discipline."

You squinted. "Well, Padawan, if you're so disciplined, then you should know there's no food allowed in the library." Using the force, you quickly grabbed the ration bar from her hand and chomped down on it.

Ahsoka bolted up, and lunged for you. The two of you tussled playfully on the ground of the archives for a few moments, eventually accidentally breaking the rest of the ration bar in half. You both sat up, panting, finishing off your halves of the bar. A huge smile was spread across her face.

"Not bad, youngling," she said, trying to pretend that she wasn't out of breath.

You winked. "The great Commander Tano...taken down by a youngling...what would your troopers think?"

She punched you hard on your arm.

"Ow, that hurt!" you yelped.

"Sorry Sparky, but you deserved that one." She gave you a wicked smile. You found yourself melting into her eyes, before she sat back up and got back to work.

Upon arrival, Master Nu, as usual, handed out your assignments immediately. Ahsoka was tasked with reorganizing the temple floor schematics to be sorted by the era they were built, while you were assigned to translating ancient Jedi texts recovered from some random planet in the Outer Rim.

The moment that Master Nu disappeared into the rows of shelves, Ahsoka rolled her eyes.

"More busywork," she muttered. "Is that all you do around here?"

"She did say you were here to learn patience, oh Master Jedi of discipline," you jested.

She gave you a glare that could have vaporized you on the spot.

Despite how badly you wanted to spend time with her, you got to work. Or at least, you tried to.

You found yourself constantly glancing back at her from your spot at a data terminal. You began to notice the little details. The way the patterns over her eyes furrowed when she focused. The way she tapped her fingers against the datapad in rhythm with whatever tune she was playing in her head. The way her lekku would sway and flow as she moved her head.

You knew you had to say something. You needed to tell her that..that...well, you didn't know. None of your training had prepared you to describe the emotions you were feeling. But you knew you had to try. Yet, every time you started to open your mouth, a distraction would appear with perfect timing. First, it was a malfunctioning protocol droid, sending curse words echoing through the archives. Second, it was Master Secura, looking for a scroll that, it turned out, had been lost for centuries. Then, a security alert in the temple over a misplaced lightsaber, which a Padawan had accidentally left in the mess hall.

The moment never came. The silence between the two of you became more and more imposing, making you even more nervous to say anything. By the time the sun was at its highest overhead, you and Ahsoka were working side by side, binding some old texts together. You thought back to the droid, about how in step the two of you had been with one another. Today was not like that. You kept bumping into each other, dropping things, and messing up different steps. It seemed like your teamwork had just completely vanished.

You were brushing the binding of the book with glue, and then pushed the edges of the pages together to get them to stick in a bundle. Only, you pressed down in the wrong place, and accidentally glued your hands to the book. She laughed gently, and reached over to help you. She spoke without looking at you.

"You ever think we changed too much to go back?"

You paused. "What do you mean?"

She frowned, grabbing your wrist with one hand, and the book with the other. "I mean...you and me. The war made me grow up faster than I wanted to. I feel it every day. And you've spent so long here...it's like we grew up without each other."

You nodded sadly. "Maybe. But I don't think that means we can't find our way again."

"Even if we're not the same younglings we used to be?"

You met her eyes. "If anything, because we're not."

She stared at you, something unreadable flickering behind her gaze. Then she looked away. "Maybe. I don't know."

The rest of the afternoon passed with a quiet tension. You continued to work side by side with a friendly banter. Ahsoka even teased you when you accidentally hammered your hand instead of the book binding.

But, despite that, you could feel that something wasn't like before. Before she left. Part of you couldn't help but notice how much she'd changed. She moved more deliberately now, with a certain grace. Her stance was always balanced, even when she wasn't paying attention, as if she was always anticipating a fight. Her voice was stronger, yet, kind. She carried herself like a true warrior. Like a true Jedi.

And you? Well, you were still just a boy working in the library. Despite how often you tried to console yourself by telling yourself you still had time and were just catching up, you knew that the distance between you and Ahsoka was growing wider and wider.

At the end of the day, Master Nu dismissed you both with a few last minute comments about the importance of backing up backup records. When she finished, Ahsoka quickly made towards the door, you following closely behind.

After leaving the archives, you turned to walk back to your quarters.

"Hey," she said.

You stopped. She had turned back to you. "Tomorrow...meet me in the gardens for a bit. After our shift. Just to talk. Like the old times."

Your heart jumped, although you did your best to play it cool. "Yeah," you said, trying to keep your voice emotionless. "I'd like that."

She gave you a smile and rolled your eyes. You realized how red your cheeks probably were. But it didn't matter. For the first time that day, the connection between you and Ahsoka felt real again. Like maybe, just maybe, you were both still finding your way back to something worth holding on to.

The next day, things felt different. You knew things between the two of you weren't quite fixed yet, but the tension between the two of you seemed to have given way to...hope.

You arrived at the archives even earlier today, but Ahsoka was already at the front desk, leaning lazily against the front with a steaming mug of caf in her hand.

"Late again," she said, sipping it like she owned the place.

You raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Last time I checked, hot drinks weren't permitted in the archives, Snips."

"Sparky, what Master Nu doesn't know won't hurt her," she responded matter-o -factly.

You grinned. "Well, maybe it will once she does her daily check of the security cameras," you said, gesturing the camera pointing right at Ahsoka.

She blinked, turned, and groaned. You laughed. Today was better. You felt more comfortable around her today, like the bond between you was growing again.

Today, Master Nu had real work for you both. There was a minor issue with the external security system in the temple earlier that morning, so Master Nu, in her anxiety, had you sweep the lesser-used sections to make sure nothing looked out of place. She gave you and Ahsoka a list of sections which hadn't even been inventoried in over a decade. Master Nu herself would go into the holocron vault, as Padawans and younglings weren't allowed.

Today, you felt like you and Ahsoka were much more in sync with each other. You weren't just working beside her today, you were working with her.

"So let me get this straight," Ahsoka said, unrolling a massive star chart and pinning down a corner with her datapad, "this artist spent 15 years painting this...and then died the next day?"

You nodded. "Yep, they say the moment he set down his brush, he passed. Worst part is, he mixed up the order of most of the star systems, so it really doesn't make much sense."

"That's tragic."

"Master Nu says it's poetic."

Ahsoka rolled her eyes. "Master Nu needs to spend some time outside of this library and do something fun for a change. And, from the sound of you, it seems like you do too."

You snorted in laughter. "Is that a date then?" you called out before thinking. You wanted to hit yourself for your stupidity. Ahsoka, however, had scaled one of the shelves, and was looking out over the section of the archives you were in. She didn't seem to have heard you.

"Be careful up there!" you called.

"Why? Afraid I'll fall?"

"No. Afraid you'll get distracted and reorganize the whole shelf by color again."

She gave you a mock gasp. "That shelf looked amazing!"

"It was already in alphabetical order! It took me almost two hours to fix it."

You argued back and forth like that for half an hour, and it didn't feel forced at all. Today, everything felt easy. Familiar.

Later, you found yourselves in the force philosophy section of the archives. The shelves reached up and arched over, creating a room in the middle, shielded from all the outside sounds, with golden light flowing in from the window. You looked at her, standing in the middle of the light, and your mouth dropped. You never noticed how beautiful she was before. The way the blue and white stripes complimented the white markings on her face. The way her eyes searched everything they saw, sharing their blue beauty with all she looked at. The way her lips twitched into a smile when she looked at you. She had caught you staring.

"Hey, Sparky," she said with a smirk. Maybe you were just imaging it, but there was a hint of a flirt in the tone of her voice.

You looked up. Then, she looked away, out the window, and let out a deep sigh.

"I was scared, you know."

You set down the books you were holding.

"When I was out there, I wasn't just scared of dying. I was scared of forgetting who I was. And every time I reminded myself of who I was, well, I thought about you. My favorite version of Ahsoka is the person I am when I'm around you."

Your heart leapt. She continued. "Sometimes I'd have dreams of us talking. Not even about anything serious. Just...in the gardens. Like it used to be. And I'd wake up and it would hurt because it wasn't real anymore."

You heart beat faster. She had dreamed about you too.

"I had those dreams too, Ahsoka."

She looked deep into your eyes, and for a long moment, neither of you said anything.

Then she smiled, just a little.

"(y/n)?"

"Yeah?"

"I bet you still snore. It was so loud when we were heading to Ilum," she said with a devilish grin.

Classic Ahsoka. Always trying to pull a fast one.You huffed. "You snore. Louder than I do.."

"Liar. That was you."

"I guess we'll have to agree to disagree," you said, crossing your arms.

She put her hands on her hips. "Are you calling your commanding officer a liar?"

You grinned, and the very last of the lingering awkwardness fell away.

The next few hours went by in a blur. You and Ahsoka continued to work through the remote parts of the archives, finding, as usual, nothing out of place. You noticed a small brown box sitting on a high shelf out of the corner of your eye. Out of curiosity, you climbed up, took the box, and opened it. All of the sudden, a spurt of mud shot out of it, covering nearly all of your robes and your face

Ahsoka laughed so hard she fell over. "That's an old school Jedi stylus case - I learned about those when I was little. They booby trapped them so their classmates wouldn't steal." She looked at you, covered in mud, and decided to take pity. "Come on, Sparky, let's get you cleaned up. I don't want to have to start calling you Muddy."

She took you to the sinks near the front of the library, helping you wash the mud off your clothes. She took a step back to laugh at you. When she did, you punched your arm through the air, causing the mud on your sleeve to fly onto her. She gave you a furious glare. "Hey! Watch it!" she yelled, before slinging mud back at you. The room became a mess of mud everywhere. You and Ahsoka sat on the floor, side by side, both dying of laughter. You looked into her eyes, and she met them. You both smiled.

"Better get back to work, Snips. We don't want Master Nu to make us work overtime."

Somewhere between scrubbing spores off her lekku and slinging a last little ball of mud at you, she bumped your shoulder lightly.

"You know, this doesn't suck as much as I thought it would."

"Yeah," you said. "It really doesn't."

By the time the two of you returned to the less travelled sections, the Sun was beginning to set.

"We should really get working. Master Nu will come by any minute now, and she'll want us to finish our sweep," you said, glancing around for any sign of her.

Ahsoka lingered at the end of the row of books you were in. "You still up for tonight? The gardens?"

You nodded. "Wouldn't miss it."

She gave you a look then—one that wasn't teasing. One that looked like, well, love. Although, you were sure you were misinterpreting it. Jedi can't love. And Ahsoka is a great Jedi. But, for the first time in years, you didn't feel like a a castaway. You felt like someone who mattered.

You were halfway through repairing a damaged translator in the lower east quadrant when, all of the sudden, you felt a ripple in the force coming from the inner sections of the library. It was faint, but unmistakable. Across the aisle, Ahsoka froze, her eyes narrowing as she stood up. She had felt it too. You locked eyes, and without speaking, you both moved.

All of a sudden, the alarms started blaring in the temple. The speaker system began to play out the robotic voice of a security droid:

"Security breach detected. Lower vault systems compromised. All personnel should clear the lower west wing of the Jedi temple."

You, and Ahsoka, were in the lower west wing of the temple.

Ahsoka tapped her comm link, frowning. "Master Nu was headed to the vaults hours ago, and now she's not responding. We need to find her before we leave."

You were already running. Ahsoka followed, her footsteps echoing behind you.

When you reached the corridor leading to the vault, you stopped just outside the reinforced entrance. The door was sealed tight, the lock activated. Only Jedi Masters had permission to enter. But...something just seemed off.

Ahsoka scanned the panel and frowned. "There's no way in. Something is wrong, though."

You looked down the branching hallways behind you. "Let's split up. We need to find Master Nu. You go right, and I'll go left."

She hesitated, then nodded. "Just like on Ilum. Be careful, Sparky. Call me if anything feels off," she said, motioning to her comm link.

You turned and ran down the adjacent corridor, following the path randomly to wherever the force took you. You ended up in the artifact storage wing of the library, your footsteps reverberating loudly through the warehouse-sized rooms. You closed your eyes, trying to see if you could detect anyone. You felt someone. They were hurt.

You ran into the room to your right, and there, just beside a desk, an old woman was slumped against the wall.

"Master Nu!"

You dropped to your knees beside her. Her robes were torn, there were cuts all down her arms, and she had a black eye. She was breathing shallowly.

She opened her eyes, and recognizing you, rasped faintly. "Intruder...she was too strong...took my lightsaber...shape...shifter..."

She fell back against the wall. You put your fingers to her neck, and detected a pulse. She was just unconscious. You laid her gently onto the ground. Then, your stomach twisted. A shapeshifter. You activated your comm link, trying to call Ahsoka, but all you got was static. The signal was jammed. You raced back through the rooms and halls you had come from, passing the door to the vault, in the direction Ahsoka went. Then, you heard it. Master Nu's voice, coming from the room ahead.

"Padawan Tano, this section requires complete reorganization. Please look at how I organized this section."

Ahsoka! She was with the shapeshifter. Your heart beat so fast you thought you might break a rib. You crashed through the doors of the room just in time to see the figure of Master Nu step behind Ahsoka, who was hunched over looking at a collection of books. The imposter's hand dropped to the lightsaber on their belt.

"You know," she said calmly, "the Council never did appreciate how much knowledge the old Masters buried down here. Such a shame."

Ahsoka turned, sensing something, but it was too late. The false Master Nu ignited a blue blade, and brought it crashing down on Ahsoka.

You didn't think, you moved. With every ounce of strength in your legs, you lunged forward and brought your lightsaber blade up just in time to catch the blue saber less than an inch from Ahsoka's chest.

You felt the stress of the impact in your arms, but held firm. Ahsoka gasped behind you, and stumbled over. "Master Nu, what are you doing?" she shouted.

You pushed the shapeshifter back using the force. "It's an shapeshifter, Ahsoka!" you shouted, holding out your hand. She grabbed it quickly and you pulled her up. She ignited her lightsaber, glowing green against your face, while your (y/c) blade reflected in your eyes.

The shapeshifter scrambled to her feet. "I was so close to my first Jedi kill," she snarled.

You gritted your teeth. "You never had a chance against a powerful Jedi like her."

The shapeshifter let out a yell and dived at you, swinging Master Nu's blue blade wildly. This time, Ahsoka was ready. She sparred with the shapeshifter, blocking the shapeshifter's attacks with her green saber, all while leaping around nimbly. The shapeshifter turned and blocked her swing, but you attacked from the other side. The two of you moved together, instinctively in sync. You had always trained against Ahsoka. But with her, you felt like you could defeat anything. You could sense her next move. Every step, every breath.

You forced the shapeshifter back through the archive aisle, knocking over towers of scrolls, scattering them all over the floor. The shapeshifter cut the leg of a tall shelf with her saber, and turned to run. Ahsoka leaped over the falling shelf to the very top of it, and then brought her lightsaber down hard on her attacker. The shapeshifter managed to block, barely, as you hopped over the now fallen shelf, raising your saber. The shapeshifter's foot shot out, catching your hip and taking you to the ground, as you felt the breath knocked out of you. "(y/n)!" Ahsoka shouted as she lunged forward, but the shapeshifter caught her saber in a lock.

"You Jedi are always so dramatic."

You coughed, staggered to your feet, and closed your eyes. You felt the force flowing around you like never before, pulsing through you, centering you. You held out your hands, and focused. The shelf in front of Ahsoka and the shapeshifter lurched forward, knocking the shapeshifter to the ground and pinning her by her legs. You looked up to see Ahsoka standing completely unscathed, her arm in front of her eyes, bracing for the impact of the shelf. You had brought the shelf down perfectly, with her standing in the gap between two shelves.

You ignited your blade, pointing it at the shapeshifter. Her face seemed to twist, and then the form of Master Nu vanished, replaced by an ugly looking alien of a species you didn't recognize.

She snarled at you and Ahsoka, her eyes glancing quickly between you.

"You're lucky, child. Your friend here was seconds from being my first trophy. You won't be so lucky next time."

"I've heard that one before," you said, confidently. "Who are you? What do you want?" you pressed.

"I'll never tell you," the shapeshifter spat.

"Then, perhaps you'll tell the Jedi Council,", Ahsoka added in, standing beside you.

You looked at her, her vivid blue eyes holding your gaze. You didn't need to use the force to see what emotions were in her eyes...admiration, care, and...longing.

You brought the shapeshifter, bound, grumpy, and silent, to the Jedi Council chamber of judgement. You looked up at the Masters, sitting in high chairs, surrounding you, Ahsoka, and the handcuffed shapeshifter on all sides. Master Nu was recovering in the medical bay, and the temple guards were doing a final sweep of the archives. The only thing that was missing was a singular, Jedi holocron.

As the Council questioned the shapeshifter, it was clear she hadn't been working alone. She was the distraction, set up by her own bounty hunter. The mastermind was a name unfamiliar to you...Cad Bane. And he was long gone by now. The shapeshifter revealed he had entered through the vents, and managed to take the holocron. You felt frustrated. You thought you had brought the criminal to justice, only to find, the real crime was taking place behind the vault door you ignored. But, without doing that, Ahsoka could have been hurt, or worse...There was no sense in questioning your actions. You did what you thought was right at the time, and everyone you cared about was okay.

The Council commended you and Ahsoka for your brave actions. Even so, there was something heavier in the air as you walked out of the Council chamber together. Ahsoka turned to you as the doors to the chamber closed behind you.

"You saved my life. Again."

"You would've done the same."

She hesitated, then smiled shyly. "You really are different from anyone I've ever met. In a good way, of course."

You looked at her. "So are you."

Then she bumped your shoulder. "Come on, Sparky. Let's go check on Master Nu."

And together, you walked through the temple, Ahsoka back at your side. No matter what was coming, as long as you were together, you were ready.

The moon had risen high in the sky by the time you and Ahsoka made it to the garden. The other Jedi Padawans and younglings had made you tell the story again and again, and you were getting pretty exhausted of telling it again and again. It had already been a long enough day. The Council had told you that you would be summoned late this evening, so you and Ahsoka were biding time until then.

You sat on the edge of the garden fountain, the familiar splashing of the water distracting your mind. Ahsoka sat beside you, one knee drawn up, her arms wrapped loosely around it. She gazed out over the horizon with an unreadable expression. Something about the moment felt fragile.

"They want me and Master Skywalker to go after him," she said quietly. "Master Plo says there's a lead on Raxus. It might be nothing, but...if it is him, we can't let him get away with that holocron."

You stared at your reflection in the surface of the fountain, watching as it rippled in tiny, slow waves. "So you're leaving. Again."

She didn't answer right away. "I don't want to."

You turned to look at her. Her jaw was clenched tight, her eyes stormy and watery. "I hated being away from you," she said. "I was always thinking about you out there. Hoping you were doing okay."

"I thought about you ever day," you told her sincerely.

She gave you a faint smile at that, then looked away again. "I don't want this to be like last time. I don't want that same silence and waiting...I want us to try harder to keep finding each other."

You nodded slowly. "We won't let that happen. We're not younglings anymore, we're both Jedi."

She gave a small, amused laughed. "Almost."

You raised an eyebrow. "Pretty confident, aren't you?"

"I can feel it in the force. When you go before the Council, it will be different this time."

You smiled, but the weight of her words still lingered in your mind. Feeling a rush of bravery, you reached over, gently grabbing her hand in yours. She didn't pull away.

"Wherever you go, Ahsoka...I'll be here."

She looked into your eyes. Her eyes...every time, you were just astonished of how much emotion she could hold in those sparkling blue orbs.

"Just don't disappear on me again."

You squeezed her hand. "Never. I promise."

This was the moment to tell her how you feel. You realized that it didn't matter if it was forbidden by the Jedi code, you couldn't deny the way she made you feel. She had to know. You opened your mouth to speak. "Ahsoka—"

The comm link on your wrist beeped loudly. The Council was summoning you.

Ahsoka stood up and let out a deep breath. "Guess it's time."

You stood up too, your heart beating faster and faster. And together with Ahsoka, you walked back into the Temple.

You took in your surroundings as you walked through the temple. The late night Jedi knights returning, laughing, from the mess hall. The others, deep in their studies, reading in different nooks and crevices throughout the temple. The bugs flying towards the lights outside the windows. The great, arched, marble hallways. You had walked these hallways for years, waiting, waiting, and waiting. You watched others come and go. Now, you felt, it was finally your time.

Ahsoka stood beside you. She hadn't said much, but just her presence was steadying you. She finally broke the silence. "You okay?"

You exhaled sharply. "I think so. I'm trying not to get my hopes up."

"You earned this," she said reassuringly. You looked at her. She smiled.

"You have saved my life again and again, you captured a shapeshifter which broke into the temple and attacked you with a lightsaber, all the while staying calm under pressure. There are Jedi Knights who don't handle their first fights as well. You were almost as good as me in my first fight," she joked with a wink, trying to lighten your mood.

"Still doesn't feel like enough for Master Windu," you replied, grimly.

She laughed. "Then it sounds like you're ready."

The doors behind you slid open with soft swooshing sound. You turned to see Master Obi-Wan Kenobi standing in the doorway, his arms folded in his usual thoughtful posture. "They're ready for you now," he said.

You exchanged a glance with Ahsoka. She placed her hand on your shoulder. "Go."

You stepped into the Jedi Council chamber. The circular room was quiet. The seats of the Masters formed a ring around the center, where a single pad stood waiting. You stepped onto it, your heart pounding.

Master Yoda, Master Windu, Master Plo Koon, Master Shaak Ti, Master Ki-Adi Mundi, Master Kit Fisto, and many more masters, some of which you didn't even know, were seated around you. Master Kenobi sat down with them near the door.

It was Yoda who spoke first.

"Much strength in you, there is. Not just in skill. In spirit. The mark of a strong Jedi, it is."

"The events in the archives required calm, clarity, and cooperation in the face of adversity," Master Mundi added. "You demonstrated all three."

Master Plo leaned forward. "And most importantly—you placed others above yourself. You risked your life to protect a fellow Jedi without hesitation."

"Out of compassion or attachment, the council does not know," Master Windu chimed in, giving you what looked like a knowing, spiteful stare. "However, the Council has decided to promote you to a Padawan learner. This will be a great step in your journey that will require you to continue to grow in the image of a Jedi. It is a hard path that will require you to learn to let go of your emotions. That is why, your Master will be..."

Your heart sank. Master Windu, your master?

"Myself-"

"Master Windu, with all due respect," Master Kenobi said, stepping forward. "Padawan (l/n) has shown patience where others would have demanded recognition. He has chosen quiet service over the last several years, instead of chasing glory. I think it is appropriate for him to get experience now in real life, outside of the temple. I therefore see no better alternative than to take him on as my own Padawan."

Master Windu scowled, but before he could speak, Master Yoda spoke. "Destined, it is, in the force, Master Kenobi. (l/n) shall be assigned as your Padawan. Treat him well."

Your heart soared. You respected no one else in the temple like Master Kenobi. You couldn't wait to start learning from him. And, you realized, that meant you would get to start spending a lot more time with Ahsoka, as Masters Kenobi and Skywalker were almost always paired together.

"(y/n)," Master Kenobi said, addressing you. He removed a small item from his belt—a simple cord of leather, bound with a single crystal bead at the center. "If you accept, I would be honored to take you as my Padawan."

Time seemed to stand still. You bowed to him immediately, managing to steady your voice despite the excitement brewing in your chest.

"I accept, Master Kenobi."

He stepped forward, fastening the braid to the your hair behind your ear. And just like that, all the years of hard work and sacrifice were worth it. You were a Padawan.

The Council dismissed you shortly after, though not without a few parting words. Master Yoda gave you a nod and a quiet chuckle. Plo Koon touched your shoulder gently. Even Windu's stern gaze seemed, for a moment, approving.

You stepped out of the chamber into the hall—and found Ahsoka waiting. She was leaning against the opposite wall, arms crossed, but when she saw your braid, her entire face lit up.

"So?" she asked, trying to sound casual. "Did they make you head archivist?"

You grinned. "No. Just a Jedi Padawan."

She let out a short laugh, then stepped forward and flicked the braid lightly. "It suits you, Sparky."

You looked at her, your heart beating so fast it felt like it was going to explode.

"You were right, you know," you said. "We did change."

"Yeah," she said. "We did. But I think that change helped us find each other."

You nodded in agreement. You stood there, facing each other, now both Padawans. You weren't behind her anymore, no, you were walking with her. You wanted to tell her what you had been trying to tell her for days, but, something about the moment just didn't feel right.

"So what happens now?" you asked instead.

She smirked. "Now? We get back to work. Master Kenobi and Skyguy will have us fighting for our lives this time tomorrow."

"Together?"

"Maybe not always. But I'll find a way."

You smiled. For the first time since she had left the temple all those years ago, you knew this wasn't goodbye anymore. It was the beginning.

Author's Note: Thank you all so much for reading this story! This chapter and the last have both been 9k words each, so it's been a lot of effort into writing these, and there are many more to come! Please favorite the story, leave a review, and follow! It is a great inspiration to keep writing! Your suggestions are always welcome as well :)

You can also follow me on Wattpad, SWAhsoka :))