𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐃 | Snips & Skyguy Oneshots

Happiest Year

A/N: I've received some really amazing ideas from you guys and I may just write all of them IF the squad (anxiety_banana, FulcrumLives, randomwriter2007, Ahsoka_Fan12, and probably more) don't murder me.

Please don't, because this isn't just angst- it's a good mix between fluff and angst. Promise.

Also, note that Ahsoka was only Anakin's Padawan for one year in this one-shot. Now, where were we?

***

Contrary to popular belief, Darth Vader was not heartless. He could be cruel, but the suffering he's gone through, the pain he was submitted to, and the loss of his loved ones had pushed him too far down the road of no return. Barely anybody remembered who he once was.

Anakin Skywalker, hero of the Clone Wars.

Anakin Skywalker... he was my master. He was powerful; rarely lost a battle. But what surprised people was how kind he was. He cared deeply for those he loved and looked out for them until the end.

His bond with his former Padawan had snapped years ago. Ahsoka was the living embodiment of the Light Side; it was not surprising their connection severed as he fell further and further down into the Dark. But that day, when Anakin's little sister told her story, he'd heard her. He'd heard it loud and clear.

She didn't know her brother was still there, lingering amongst Vader's seas of Darkness.

How could she?

Anakin couldn't tell her he was pleading with the Force for guidance.

How could he?

Nobody knew that Vader still retained countless memories of the times when he had been Anakin. Nobody knew that he constantly received vivid flashbacks of his past life, the most powerful ones constantly reminding him of what he had done.

Ahsoka. Obi-Wan. His mother. Qui-Gon. Padmé.

He'd failed them. He'd failed them all.

The Jedi Order was in ruins. His friendships were in tatters.

Nobody cared for the small part of Anakin Skywalker that has lost its way.

Anakin, however, held tightly onto whatever parts of his past that remained.

Ironic.

His memories were the only thing that remained of the golden times.

Yet, out of all his memories, one, in particular, stuck out to him the most. One about his beloved Padawan, Ahsoka. In the short year that they'd been together, she had quickly become like a daughter to him. They shared many common interests, but the snarky Togruta's most admirable quality was her kindness. Ahsoka had always been willing to go the extra mile for those she loved, no matter what.

It had been a year since his daughter's heart-breaking departure from the Order. Anakin had been shattered, his soul had been torn into millions of irreparable pieces. One year ago today, he had celebrated his birthday with Ahsoka. Today marked the passing of another year. Another year without her. He didn't expect anybody to know, much less do anything about it.

The Knight was quickly proven wrong. His commlink went off. "Skywalker here," he answered, not expecting anything major.

His heart swelled at what he saw next.

A hologram of his Snips, his snarky apprentice, flashed on.

"Hi, Skyguy," Ahsoka said. She smiled at him. "If you're seeing this, then I must've edited the correct parts of a holo-transmitter. Happy birthday."

Anakin felt a few pieces of his shattered heart tape themselves back together.

"Although I'm no longer part of the Order, that doesn't mean I can't thank you for all that you've done for me this past year. So, I wanted to sing you a song as a final parting gift, most importantly, as a thank-you."

He smiled, not caring for the tears welling in his eyes.

Her hand reached for something out of view. When it returned, she held an elegant mahogany wood guitar. She looked down.

Her left hand found their positions on the fingerboard. "I'm really on the ropes this time." Her right thumb gently strummed the strings. "I've been fighting all my life for you."

He found himself singing alongside her. "I never should have said goodbye. But maybe that's what stupid people do."

"Cuz you gave me peace, and I wasted it." Her soft vibrato decorated the melody while her fingers played the harmony. "I'm here to admit... that you are my best friend."

Tears slipped down his cheeks as he heard her edited lyrics.

"Oh, I had to leave. And I find myself on my knees again."

"Askin'," she sang, "for nothin',"

"Thank you for the happiest year of my life. Thank you for the happiest year of my life, ooh."

Anakin watched his Ahsoka quietly, enjoying her beautiful voice.

"Don't think I could forgive myself. I'm sorry for the way that I left you. And I cannot come back anymore. But you know, I really miss you, too."

Oh, how he missed her.

"Yeah, we made each other whole," the soft guitar chords added the melancholic feel of the song. "And we knew it. I'm here to admit, that you are my best friend."

"Oh, but, I had to leave... And I find myself on my knees again."

He hastily wiped his face clean of emotion. He wanted to tell her how much she was missed.

"Thank you for the happiest year of my life, oh. Thank you for the happiest year of my life, ooh.So wake me up when they build that time machine. I want to go back, wake me up when you were right beside me."

Anakin found himself on his knees, face shining with tear streaks.

"Cause I really love you, ooh. Thank you for the happiest year of my life. Thank you for the happiest year of my life, ooooh. Thank you for the happiest year of my life, yeah. Thank you for the happiest year of my life... Anakin, thank you for the happiest year of my life."

Ahsoka finished singing her cadence. As the guitar levitated from her lap, she looked back up, regret clearly painted on her expression. Her hand raised slowly, inching towards him. Her smile was everything. She loves him, just as much as he loves her. "Happy birthday, Skyguy. May the Force be With You."

His hand found hers, intertwining their fingers. They were finally together again -- until his sister's hologram faded away. She was but a figment of the past.

Anakin stared out the window of his chambers. Ahsoka's hologram had faded, just like he had. It had indeed been the happiest year of his life.

***

A/N: Not gonna lie, I loved writing this, because it was the perfect mix between fluff and angst. I think I'll do fluff next. Maybe. Probably. We'll see. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

- Jazzy