Star Wars the Clone Wars - One shots

Brain Invaders

Geonosis was a very long experience.

The battle itself had been swift, though intense. Even when Ahsoka was buried under the rubble of the destroyed droid factory for almost an hour, it only felt like a few minutes.

It didn't even feel like she or Barriss had a wink of sleep before they were deployed on a medical frigate that was unknowingly infected with brain-invading parasite worms.

Defending herself against the infected clones and a blood-thirsty Barriss felt rather blurry when she tried to look back on it. Master Fisto explained that it was expected considering the state she was in when he found her.

It was only when Ahsoka woke up in a medcot, freezing cold, that time seemed to slow down.

The medical staff were very strict that she could only be discharged once her core temperature returned to normal, and that took three days alone.

However, it did give her an excuse to have hot chocolate multiple times a day.

Then, as she was collecting her things to leave for the Resolute, Ahsoka felt like she'd run out of oxygen and fainted right into Anakin's arms.

It became apparent that the hypothermia had caused her to have an abnormal heart rhythm which caused everyone to panic and she was immediately transported to the Halls of Healing to be monitored.

This made Anakin particularly unbearable, he almost saw red when Master Che explained that the arrhythmia might last the rest of her life. Ahsoka was too exhausted to care at that moment.

So, as Barriss was discharged and had returned to all her normal activities, Ahsoka was stuck in bed and subject to tests at every time of day and night.

Anakin stayed as much as he could, and she had other visitors which she appreciated, but she remained painfully bored for the whole week.

When Master Che permitted her to return to her quarters, she could've cried.

In reality, the following weeks were torturous.

Anakin hovered, refused to let her train, and even sent Obi-Wan to babysit her when he was absent. Otherwise, he only left her side when she was in classes.

She supposed her Master was only in overprotective mode because she had suffered more near-death experiences in one week, than in her whole life.

His eyes watched her stand from the sofa, though she doubted he was actually reading from the datapad in his hand.

"I'm going to bed," she said, to which he nodded and began to put away his things. "You don't have to go too."

"I'm pretty tired," he said, brushing her off. "Too many late nights."

Too many late nights worrying.

He wasn't lying. Everyone could tell that Anakin was suffering. Whilst she was in the medbay, he refused to leave even to shower and change his clothes. It took Obi-Wan four days to convince him to shave.

They headed into their respective rooms, though Anakin had started leaving his door open in the night- just in case.

Despite the exhaustion of her body and mind, Ahsoka was finding it difficult to sleep. She hadn't told anyone, out of fear they would prescribe her pills that would leave her groggy and unable to remain alert.

For now, she was just coping with the insomnia, the relentless nights stretching before her like unexplored areas of the galaxy.

Sleep had become an elusive phantom that danced at the edge of her consciousness, just out of reach, leaving her to organise and sore the inky depths of her thoughts, questioning if she could've done anything differently.