Dreams

Chapter 27.

Anakin's POV

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I ran. I didn't know where I was going, but I ran. I knew where I wasn't going: I wasn't going back inside. I wasn't going back to the pain, the mistrust, the doubt, the fear. I wasn't going back –ever? I didn't know. 

I fled down the stairs, ignoring the ache of my bruised leg, heading from the Jedi Temple. I could hear people behind me, calling after me, shouting for me, chasing me. But I didn't stop. Maybe I should have, but I didn't.

I sped through the streets of Coruscant, ducking down alleys and dodging away from people and speeders. Then my protesting leg finally won out, and I jarred it at the wrong angle. Pain shot up my left ankle and tightened around my calf, causing me to stumble and crumple to the ground. I gritted my teeth as I tried to stand again, feeling my heart racing as I heard sirens and voices behind me. They were gaining on me, and very soon they'd catch up to me ....

Then I felt someone grabbing my arm and dragging me down a side street. They pulled me into an abandoned warehouse with enough holes to rival Swiss cheese, clapping their hand over my mouth as they did so.

Something – whether real or imagined, I didn't know – stopped me from struggling, instead willing me to relax and trust the hands that held me.

Neither me nor the other person dared breathe as the sirens wailed past the warehouse and faded down the street. But they didn't come back.

The person behind let out a sigh of relief and slid their hand off my mouth, stepping back. I turned to see who it was, and my heart nearly stopped. Waves of icy numbness washed over me, like the frigid swells of a stormy ocean, and settled on my chest, like a lake that was freezing over. Emotions tried to crack through the ice, but they only ended in a confused mist drifting across the surface, a mere whisper of emotions.

The seventeen-year-old Togruta in front of me folded her arms as she cocked her head slightly, her orange face quirked in a small, sad smile. She adjusted her weight onto one hip, slouching a little on her blue boots, accented with strips of white. A fitted tunic of dark blue, also decorated with white lines, matched the darker blue leggings she wore, suited comfortably to her slender figure. "Hello, Master," she greeted me quietly. "It's been a while."

I was stunned. Words, thoughts, and phrases evaded me as I stood with my former padawan in front of me. She was older and taller, more mature, more beautiful. But she was still herself. "Ah-ahsoka," I stammered, "I'm so happy to see you! How are you? Are you okay?"

She smiled a little, readjusting her weight again. "I'm fine." Then she frowned and cast a cautious glanced out one of the broken windows. "Why are they chasing you? What's going on?"

I tried to pull my spinning head out of the clouds and think rationally, but my mind felt like it was exploding. Everything that had just been happening seemed to be crumbling my world around me, and now Ahsoka was here. I was overjoyed but perplexed. I didn't know what to think, how to act, or what to say.

Sitting down stiffly on a dusty crate, I relaxed slightly as I stretched my aching leg out, easing the pressure on it. "The Jedi are wondering if I blew those bombs," I said wearily. Then I added, figuring she would need some more context, "I don't know if you're aware, but the Jedi Temple has been bombed a couple of times."

She stiffened but nodded, arms still tightly crossed against her chest. "I know. I ... yeah, I know."

The way she said it caused me to frown. Then my eyes widened as memories smashed into my mind.

A gentle hand was resting on mine, with another on my chest, but whoever was next to me didn't speak.

The first bomb had just blown, but I wasn't badly injured. 

My heart leapt into my mouth. Something – or someone – hung close by, hovering in the shadows, lingering, waiting. But they didn't approach. The Force flickered and curled around us, as though attempting to usher the hidden person out from the darkness.

But they never came.

The realization hit me – hard: Ahsoka was there. She broke my fall. That's why I wasn't injured very much.

I blinked, looking at my former padawan. "You were there, weren't you?" I asked quietly. "You were close when the first bomb exploded. You stopped me from getting hurt."

She gazed out into the street, her blue eyes filled with a memory. She nodded silently.

"What about the second bomb? Were you there for that one, too?" I managed the questions, but my whole world felt like it had turned into a starship stuck in a twirling spiral.

Again, she nodded, her eyes flicking to me. "I think I hit you a bit harder the second time." Kneeling beside me, she reached out to me, then hesitated, watching me. When I didn't flinch, she continued, carefully running her fingers along my right side.

I gasped softly and curled slightly when pain grumbled in my side, nipping at my ribs. She retracted her hand quickly, watching my face. I placed my hand on my side, grimacing. "Don't worry," I said through gritted teeth. "I think they're just a little broken."

Her lips pursed dubiously, eyeing me suspiciously, though I detected a hint of the old twinkle returning. "Just like old times, Master? You only have a few broken ribs. That's all." She smirked slightly, then grew serious again. "I'm sorry about that. I was trying to stop you from getting too seriously injured, but I didn't have much time to judge the distance."

"No, it's fine," I responded vaguely, reeling from the fact that my former apprentice had been right next to me and I didn't even know it. "Why are you here, Snips?"

She sighed, sitting back on her calves. "I thought something was wrong. I could sense the bombs before they blew, and I came to try and defuse them. I was too late, but I was able to prevent you from getting too many injuries. And there's something else ...," she muttered, half to herself, frowning. She glanced up at me. "Have you sensed it? Something's happening."

I didn't meet her eye. "I'm not sure. I've been a bit preoccupied recently."

"Preoccupied?" she prompted suspiciously, and I felt the Force gathering around her, though I couldn't pick if it was from fear or something else.

"Yes, preoccupied," I snapped, sensing a crackle in the Force. That power from earlier returned, filling me with a cold, raw strength. But I suppressed it, sighing heavily. "I'm sorry, Ahsoka. I don't mean to be rude, it's just ...," I trailed off when I glanced up briefly. I did a double-take when I saw her face. She was leaning back, away from me, and watching me with an affronted expression on her face.

"Anakin," she started slowly, "you ...."

"I, what?" I asked, utterly confused.

She looked me up and down quickly. "What were you thinking about?"

I frowned, feeling that power building inside me again, spreading through my veins like wildfire. I was about to answer when she clenched her fists uneasily.

"There it is again," she said cautiously. "Anakin, I sense the Dark Side ... in you."

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She senses the Dark Side in Anakin too? But that's what Obi-Wan thought! That's really not so good. What's she going to do? :/

And, um, Ahsoka's baaackk!!!! Yay!! Did anyone see that coming? Who's happy to see her? Coz I'm happy to see her. :) She's a sweetie, and she's, like, super sensible. This could be really good for Anakin! :)

Wow, we're at 400 reads! Thanks you so much, and thanks for reading, voting, and commenting! I really appreciate it ^.^