When You Come Home

-32-

"So ... how have things been?" Obi-Wan tried for conversation, but Anakin wasn't interested. A question like that needed more time and effort than the whole world had to give, and Anakin had none of said time and refused to provide said effort. If Obi-Wan cared, he would make time, not ask the question in passing.

So instead, he ignored Obi-Wan's question entirely. "Where are we going?" They had escaped the docks, skirting around the edges of town and using the quietest roads to avoid the war-torn sectors. The sounds of bombers and cries of soldiers rang through the darkness, disturbing the night. But the hope of the Mandalorian people still burned staunchly in the lanterns and lights strung around the whole city. They had not given up yet, and Anakin knew that he and his troop would fight until victory was achieved. That, of course, assumed he could get away from Obi-Wan. He held nothing but regret for calling for his brother's aid. All he had wanted was information, not help. So far, he had received none of the former and too much of the latter. He had decided it better to strike out on his own. He wouldn't endanger Ahsoka, and he wouldn't work with Obi-Wan. He couldn't.

A sudden noise spooked him, and he jumped, hand flying to his holster. His fingers grasped thin air. He had left camp without his gun.

Obi-Wan also flinched, snatching a small knife from his hoodie pocket.

"I knew you were armed," Anakin crowed, smug despite the circumstances.

His brother cast him an exasperated look before scanning the shadows for the source. Out of the flickering lanterns and faint starlight one of the shadows emerged, stretching into the tiny, sleek body of a small cat. Her tail was up and her green eyes bright as she cocked her head at them. A pink tongue appeared as she meowed curiously before trotting up to Anakin and rubbing around his legs. He wasted no time in scooping her into his arms, burying his face in her side. "Hi, Leia," he murmured into her fur, a fifteen-year-old boy again. "What are you doing here, girl?"

She chirruped, rubbing his cheek and purring loudly. Wise, owlish eyes blinked at him before her ears pricked forwards and she looked back in the direction she had come.

"Omega!" The panting call of none other than Ahsoka preceded the exhausted teen bursting from the shadows. She froze when she saw the two boys, her blue eyes flickering between a mix of emotions. Omega wriggled free of Anakin's grasp, landing on the ground with a plop and running to Ahsoka with her tail up. The teen picked her up, scratching her head as she cooed praises.

"I knew you were up to something!" she giggled. "You're such a smart cat."

"Wait, did you say her name was Leia?" Obi-Wan interrupted unhelpfully, looking at Anakin with a confused frown.

"It doesn't matter," he snapped, glaring at Ahsoka. "What are you doing here?"

"Omega found you!" she answered brightly. "She's such a smart —"

"Yeah, I know, you said it before. We're not even close to camp, though," he pointed out. "Camp is a hundred yards —"

"Ninety-one metres," Obi-Wan interjected innocently. "By Coruscanti measuring. You always did stick with Tatooine's standard."

"What does it matter?!" Anakin exploded. "What I'm saying is that Omega wandered an awfully long way from home to find us."

"Oh, we were looking for you."

"And you just happened to stumble across our exact location, even though I was this far away from camp?"