Redemption

Shadow

"This place is strange, Morai," Ahsoka said as she walked towards the dark, triangular doorway. "I'm trying to get out of this temple somehow by walking deeper inside..."

Morai peered at her tentatively.

Ahsoka sighed. "Yeah, I know this is the only way to go, but I'd really prefer it if we were going up instead of down."

Morai hooted expectantly.

"Alright, alright, I'm going. Come on." Morai flew over to perch herself on Ahsoka's shoulder.

The doorway led to even more steps, spiraling down as far as the eye could see. Ahsoka took them one at a time, knowing full well that she could easily jump past a few of the spirals. But she needed this time to think, to clear her head. To try and process exactly how Ezra had saved her.

Over the years, Ahsoka had learned to trust the Force to guide her down her destined path.

But how is the Force supposed to explain this?

Force-sensitives often had visions of the future. Ahsoka had them too, that was how she knew she had to stay behind and fight as the Ghost crew escaped.

So it should stand to reason that it works both ways.

Still though, Ahsoka wasn't quite satisfied with that simple explanation. But she was alive. And tired. In the span of twenty-four hours, she'd fought her former master, time-traveled, fought the Emperor, time-traveled back, and now she had to find a way out of the temple.

Ezra had looked so different. His hair was shorter and his eyes held so much pain. He was living in a future that had yet to come for Ahsoka. A future where Kanan was dead. Ahsoka had known him in passing, back at the temple on Coruscant. Kanan had told her how revered she was: the Padawan of Anakin Skywalker, the one everyone looked up to.

Ahsoka didn't feel much like a role model as she finally reached the bottom of the stairs. A true role model would have been able to save their master.

The stairs had led to a room illuminated by a hole in the ceiling. One Ahsoka could probably fit through. The only problem was that said hole was right above the middle of a pond.

The water was clear, turquoise, and relatively shallow.

I can jump that from the water... maybe.

So Ahsoka waded into the pond. It wasn't too cold, but Ahsoka didn't want to stay in the water any longer than she had to. It was up to her waist by the time she reached the center of the pool. Ahsoka looked up at the light shining through the ceiling, preparing to jump. The water would surely weigh her down so she had to do a stronger jump than normal.

"Maybe Ezra should have just let you die."

Ahsoka whipped around, searching for whoever that voice belonged to.

"What kind of a Jedi lets their master turn to the Dark Side?"

"I'm not a Jedi. Show yourself."

A figure shimmered into existence before her. It was...

Me?

It was, in fact, Ahsoka. Ahsoka with darker clothes and piercing yellow eyes.

"So you're my Dark Side counterpart then?" Ahsoka asked, unimpressed.

"I don't know if counterpart is the right word for it. I embody your repressed emotions," Not Ahsoka clarified.

"I don't have any repressed emotions."

"Oh don't you?" The figure smirked and started circling her. The water didn't seem to slow it down at all. Ahsoka managed to stay still, but kept her eyes on its every move.

"How could you let Anakin turn? How could you leave him when he needed you most?"

"No... that's not..."

"You could have stopped the rise of the Empire, you could have prevented all of this! But you ran away, like a coward."

"You don't understand - " Ahsoka started.

"Is that so? I can sense your guilt, your sorrow, your regret. I know everything about you, Ahsoka Tano. I even know the worst of you, what you're most ashamed of."

It was behind her now.

"You think you deserved to be killed by his hand," it whispered in her ear.

Ahsoka squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, trying to get the weird vision to dissipate.

"That's not true!" Ahsoka cried.

"Ooh, I seemed to have struck a nerve," it taunted.

"Just leave me alone!"

"No can do, my dear. You can't escape your own cognition." It paused for a moment. "Why do you always push everyone away?"

Ahsoka didn't know what she expected but it certainly wasn't that. She frowned.

"You didn't kiss Kaeden all those years ago even though you so desperately wanted to. Instead, you ran away. The Ghost crew would have welcomed you, incorporated you into their little family. But you ran away then too. What is the matter with you?"

"Kaeden got captured because of me. Anakin - Vader and the inquisitors almost killed Kanan and Ezra because they wanted me. Everyone around me could die just by being my friend."

"Are you so certain about that? Kanan got himself killed without any help from you."

That was low.

"What is it you want?" Ahsoka asked, desperate for the exchange's end.

"Oh, nothing, really. I'm just here to force you to confront yourself. This temple really brings out the worst in all of us," it said casually.

Ahsoka paused. Everything the shadow had said was correct, but she didn't want to admit it.

Maybe that's how I get out of here.

Ahsoka took a shuddering breath.

"You're right. I'm probably better off dead. It's what I deserve for abandoning Anakin...it was my fault he turned. I knew he would be here, I knew I couldn't defeat him." Ahsoka blinked tears from her eyes before continuing.

"The overwhelming guilt was too much. I couldn't live with myself. So I tried to go out in a blaze of glory, saving those I wished I could be closer too. I didn't think they cared about me... but Ezra still saved me. I owe him my life. I promised I would find him. I will. And you are not standing in my way."

Ahsoka defiantly met the shadow's yellow gaze. To her surprise, it's features softened and it gave her a small smile before closing its eyes and fading away.

Ahsoka sighed.

"I've had enough of this temple."

Morai was looking down at her from the hole in the ceiling. Ahsoka jumped.