When Paths Collide

Prologue

Author's Note: Welcome to the sequel to Clouded by the Dark Side. This covers the last part of the Clone Wars, and the many divergences in the universe really begin to show up here. ;)

~ Amina Gila

Obi-Wan Kenobi

I think, for the first time in my life, I'm beginning to understand Qui-Gon's attitude towards the Council. They mean best, I know, but they were willing to sacrifice my little sister for their own gain.

I knew she wasn't guilty, that neither her nor Ahsoka were guilty, but most of the Council suspected them anyways. I knew, subconsciously, now that I think about it, that the Council doesn't trust Anakin or Aniya, but I had never expected it to come to this.

Maybe everything could have returned to normal, but the twins lost their padawans. It should never have happened. Maybe I don't understand how they could have made the choice to leave – it feels like a betrayal – but now we have to piece together what's left of our lives.

You should have fought harder, a voice in my mind whispers. I can feel their pain acutely through our bonds, and I know I was unable to protect them from this, too. Somehow, no matter how much I love them, I never know what to do, what they need.

Anakin is still staring straight ahead, seeming a little too out of it to notice anything in his surroundings. I look between him and Aniya, where the three of us sit on the floor in front of the couch. She pale and completely still and seems to be half-asleep leaning against my shoulder.

Neither of them are doing well, and I don't know what to do about it. This isn't something I've ever had to deal with before. I've never mourned someone close to me before, especially not when they left by choice. It was their padawans, their little sisters who they were practically raising who left, after all. I haven't fully accepted the implications of it myself, of how when the twins leave for the war again, they'll be going alone.

"How are they?" Qui-Gon asks quietly, entering the room.

"I don't know." I wish I did. They haven't really said a word, and that honestly is making me even more worried. I can't gauge their condition if they're not talking.

Qui-Gon nods in acknowledgement, the concern clear in his eyes as he crosses the room, moving to sit down across from us. "I heard what happened," he relates.

"I tried to convince them to let Alema stay with Aniya. They wouldn't listen," I reply quietly, though even if I did talk loudly, I'm not sure if the twins would even notice. They don't seem present.

I get why the Council was worried about Aniya not being able to handle a padawan after everything that happened, but their reaction definitely worsened it. If not for that decision, the padawans may never have left. After what the Council did with throwing out Aniya and Ahsoka, things wouldn't get back to normal, but at least it would be something I'd somewhat have an idea how to deal with. At least I'd be able to help the twins, instead of watching as they... presumably, have a complete mental breakdown I have no idea how to stop.

"Anakin," Qui-Gon calls, finally addressing him.

My former padawan seems to blink himself out of whatever haze he was in. "What?" he asks, though his voice still sounds... distant.

"Are you hungry?" he asks, and Anakin mutely shakes his head. Qui-Gon glances at me, though it's not as if I have an answer of what to do more than him. Even dealing with their grief after their mother died was far easier than this. "Then you should sleep, both of you," he instructs. "The galaxy won't stop moving."

"It should," Aniya mutters, stirring. She pushes herself up, though there's something vacant in her eyes. They're grayer than their normal bright blue. "My child's life was just ruined."