Chapter Text
Ahsoka Tano paced back and forth in the training area of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. Anakin should be here by now; he had promised her yesterday that he would spar with her this morning, and he was always up early. So where was he?
Ahsoka stopped pacing, forcing her legs to stop moving. Instead, she grabbed her twin lightsabers. If she was going to wait for her master, she might as well do some drills in the meantime. She found a stored training drone and turned it on. It shot into the air, hissing faintly as it circled her. She ignited her twin lightsabers, pulling into a defensive position.
The droid fired the first blast, and Ahsoka blocked it easily. She knew that it would only get harder as she kept going, so she focused on conserving energy, moving in the most efficient way possible to block the coming shots. As the droid fired more blasts, Ahsoka brought her second lightsaber into play more often, using the momentum of her spins and blocks to pull her lightsabers forward. Her motions became more fluid, and she closed her eyes, feeling the Force flow around her. She was able to anticipate the training drone’s next moves, and she blocked every blast, moving throughout the space with an agility unachievable without the Force’s guide. Then, she felt a familiar presence.
Anakin.
Ahsoka opened her eyes and briefly saw Anakin leaning against the doorframe, watching her, before she had to spin away to block another blast. However, the pause gave the droid an opening, and she felt a sudden, sharp pain in her leg. She yelped, and the training drone paused, seeing that it landed a hit. Ahsoka turned the droid off, the round drone dropping into her hand before she set it down on the ground. Anakin walked over, a smirk on his face.
“You were doing great… until you got distracted.”
Ahsoka huffed. “It’s not my fault you were late. Where were you?”
Anakin hesitated for a moment before quickly saying, “I… slept in on accident. Sorry about that.”
Ahsoka frowned, but decided to let it go. “You ready to spar? I’m totally going to win this time.”
A cocky grin found its way back onto Anakin’s face. “Right.” He ignited his lightsaber. “You can try.”
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About an hour later, Anakin and Ahsoka sat on a bench, panting hard. Anakin’s hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat when he glanced at Ahsoka.
“Great job today,” he said. “You almost had me beat.” He smirked. “But not quite.”
Ahsoka pinned him with a glare. “At least I was actually on time.”
Anakin raised his hands in mock surrender. “Well, I’m sorry that I was-” His face suddenly fell. “...busy.”
Ahsoka raised an eyebrow. “I thought you said you slept in- which you never do, by the way.”
“Right. Yeah.”
Ahsoka waited for an explanation, but when none came, she sighed. “Alright then, want to go again?”
“Sure, I-”
“Anakin?”
Ahsoka whirled around in surprise as Master Kenobi strode through the door.
“Yes, Obi-Wan?” Anakin replied.
“The council has requested you for a meeting.”
“Of course. I’ll be there in a minute.”
Obi-Wan nodded, then left the room. Anakin shot Ahsoka a quick glance, shrugging as an answer to her confused expression, then followed Obi-Wan. Ahsoka sighed. After sitting there for a little longer, she found herself itching to move again. She stood up, grabbed her twin lightsabers, and turned the training drone on once again.
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That night, Ahsoka collapsed onto her sleeping pad. She had been extra fidgety, resulting in her continuous returns to the training room, but it had left her exhausted. She had also stayed up late finishing work for her various classes. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, when it hitched in her throat and her eyes flew open in surprise. She felt sadness. Not from herself, but from Anakin. Closing her eyes, she reached out slowly.
Sadness and grief were slowly leaking from Anakin’s mental shields in the pair’s Force bond as if they couldn’t hold the emotions back any longer. Ahsoka grew more concerned the more she felt his sorrow. This definitely wasn’t like Anakin. After a while of laying there and debating her options, she stood up and walked to her door.
Exiting her room into the hallway, everything was darkly lit by a small lamp every so often. As she approached Anakin’s room, the grief grew stronger. When she finally reached his door, she hesitated slightly before knocking softly. When no response came, she reached out her hand, opening the door with the Force.
Anakin was sitting at his small desk, staring at a small hologram. Upon hearing her enter the room, he quickly switched the projector off. He turned towards her, and Ahsoka was shocked to see that his eyes were red-rimmed.
“Ahsoka?” He said, voice slightly rough.
“I’m sorry, Master, but you didn’t respond when I knocked so I just…”
Anakin sighed. “You’re fine. What are you doing up at this time?”
“I should be asking you the same question.”
A smirk tugged at the corners of Anakin’s mouth. “Well, I asked first.”
Ahsoka sighed dramatically, then said, “I was finishing up some work I had from my classes. Now, what about you?”
Anakin paused, turning his head away slightly. He swiped a hand over his eyes, and Ahsoka would’ve thought he was rubbing the sleep out of his eyes if she didn’t know better.
“Are you… alright?” She asked slowly, hesitantly.
“Yeah,” Anakin replied, but his voice choked on the word. Ahsoka slowly made her way forward, keeping her eyes trained on him until she reached his desk. She gestured at the hologram projector.
“Can I…” She trailed off. Anakin nodded, not meeting her eyes, and she switched on the projector. A hologram flickered on, and sudden understanding dawned on her as she looked at the hologram.
“Your mother,” Ahsoka said softly. Anakin gave another small nod.
“Today,” he said, words hitching slightly in his throat, “was her birthday.”
There was a moment of silence in which Ahsoka tried to find something to say, but she settled for a quiet, “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Anakin replied, but a small tear escaped his eye and ran down his cheek. He scrubbed at it almost furiously, but before he could say anything, Ahsoka wrapped her arms tightly around him. She felt him stiffen in surprise before wrapping his arms around her shoulders, pulling her in closer. Time seemed to slow as they stayed there, arms wrapped around each other, until Anakin slowly pulled away.
“Sorry, I…” He said, sniffing slightly as he looked at the hologram. Ahsoka shook her head, also looking at the hologram.
“She looks kind,” she murmured. Anakin nodded.
“Kindest person I knew.”
Ahsoka glanced back at Anakin.
“She’d be really proud of who you are, Skyguy,” she said quietly. Anakin looked up, and Ahsoka saw that his eyes were tear-filled once again until he blinked them back.
“You should sleep,” he said, voice faintly shaky. “That way at least one of us will be well-rested tomorrow.”
Ahsoka nodded, slowly turning to leave his room.
“Snips?”
She turned, meeting Anakin’s gaze.
“Thanks,” he said softly. Ahsoka gave him a small smile.
“Anytime.”