Book 1: Love Amidst War

Chapter IV

Ahsoka walked through the halls of the Kamino facilities along with her friend Aden, who had been seeming a bit distant lately. Ever since Aden had left for Kamino from the temple, he seemed more and more cold, like he was trying his best not to show or give any kind of emotion. She was worried about her friend, especially after Obi-Wan had told her about his small breakdown in the training room less than a week prior. As Ahsoka rounded a corner, she saw Aden standing in the corner, flipping through holo-channels on his communications device. She walked over to him, and he looked up at her.

" Hey Aden! How are ya doing? " Ahsoka asked, looking at her friend. He didn't even look up at her but just shot out a simple and dry " I'm fine " while continuing to flip through the various channels. Ahsoka sighed a bit as she watched him for a moment.

" Do you maybe want to have a sparring session? It's been a while since I've had a chance to beat you yet again. " Ahsoka teased, which grabbed Aden's attention. He rolled his eyes a bit, and Ahsoka knew a spar would grab his attention with ease.

" If I remember correctly, I'm currently 31-18 with you, am I not, Padawan Tano? " Aden asked, shooting her a smug look.

" I- Well- Ya see- I was tired- and than I- well- Than their was a light in my eye- " Ahsoka kept stuttering before shooting him a glare, which got a light laugh out of Aden.

" Alright let's go, I'm excited to beat you for the sixth time in a row. " Aden said, walking past her. Ahsoka rolled her eyes and followed after him, the both of them making their way towards the training rooms. Upon entering the training room, they both activated their lightsabers and took their stances. Ahsoka immediately recognized the change from Form III to Form V, since her Master often used it during combat. She was interested to see where this was going, and before she could react, Aden quickly spun forward, his saber swinging towards her. She deflected it and spun the opposite way as he completed his spin, their emerald and sapphire blades colliding into a saber-lock. Aden pushed the offensive again, pushing her back enough to break the lock, before using a quick spin of the blade to slash downward. Ahsoka deflected it and swung her blade, which he deflected back. She spun to regain her footing as he advanced, switching from quick strikes to powerful blows. Ahsoka soun sideways and Aden blocked, forcing him down to one knee. He quickly swerved his blade to the side and spun off the ground, forcing her forward. She landed but managed to catch herself, rolling forward before he could bring his blade down. He ran forward as she stood back up and smacked his blade against hers with as much strength as he could, causing it to fly from her hand. He than lowered his blue blade at her neck, and smirked.

" Looks like it's 32-18 now. " Aden said, chuckling. Ahsoka just grumbled under her breath as Aden switched his lightsaber off and Ahsoka pulled hers back to her hand. Aden smiled before looking away. He loved being around her but it also killed him inside at the same time. He was ready to leave the Order for her, but he didn't want to take the risk of her losing her chance at being a Jedi Knight or Master. He looked back over at Ahsoka who was mumbling to herself still, and he just chuckled.

" Let me guess, you weren't trying still? " Aden asked playfully, drawing a glare from his friend again.

" Oh whatever, I just felt bad so I've been letting you win. " Ahsoka said sarcastically. Aden rolled his eyes as he made his way out of the training room, with Ahsoka following him.

" So Aden, do you want to talk about what's been bothering you? " Ahsoka asked as they walked. Aden suddenly stopped walking and his face went from a smile to a stressed frown.

" It's... Nothing. Just the war... " Aden lied, looking away from Ahsoka. Ahsoka could tell he wasn't telling the truth, so she walked over to stand in front of him.

" Aden Voss, tell me what's wrong! It's not like you to hide stuff from me. " Ahsoka said, her voice full of concern. Aden wanted so badly to just blurt out his feelings for her, but he held himself back.

" It's really nothing Ahsoka... I just... I'm stressed by the war... Seeing all the death and destruction was a lot to take in. " Aden said, still avoiding eye contact. He wasn't necessarily lying, but he wasn't giving her the whole truth. Ahsoka pulled his face so that he'd look at her, and his eyes were a pale gray-blue, instead of the bright Sapphire they always were. Ahsoka looked kind of upset that he wouldn't tell her, and she let go of his face.

" Aden, you're either going to tell me what's going on, or I'm going to drag you over to Obi-Wan and Anakin. " Ahsoka said. Aden sighed in defeat, looking at her.

" Come with me to my room... I don't want to talk about it with people around. " Aden said, looking away...