Signature Bonds - Star Wars TCW

Chapter 24

This is a slightly more filler-y chapter dealing with Ahsoka's coping with the situation. I imagine it would be quite life-shaking if you had to watch someone get very seriously injured in front of you, so it's kind of essential. (And Anakin/Ahsoka centered!)

Enjoy!

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Ahsoka peered at the holo-clock as if she were hunting it.

Tick. Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

She glared at its numbers.

20:59

Tick.

She stared at the clock in anticipation.

Tock.

Still 20:59.

Tick.

She willed the numbers to change.

Tock.

21:00

Ahsoka leaped up from her position balanced on her hands and legs in a back-bend. Gosh, that hurt. But, if she was ever going to be able to get stronger, maybe she'd have to endure pain.

She sighed, stretching her sore orange arms out, trying to relieve the pain slightly, before giving up the futile attempt and staring off into the room. Ahsoka had been a bit unbalanced- both figuratively and literally- and she was told that she had to try to calm down. If that meant using her energy up, and fixing her actual balancing problem during that, then she supposed it would be fine.

Ahsoka flopped onto her back, letting out a huff. She stared at the ceiling of the room, knowing that this was a totally unproductive way to spend her time.

Moments later, she heard the door open and she didn't bother to look over from her spot, instead remaining staring up at the ceiling.

"Ahsoka?"

"Here," she called halfheartedly, carelessly tossing her hand into the air before allowing it to fall back onto the mat. Chuckles sounded through the room before she heard a 'plop' and a heavy sigh as someone landed next to her on the mat.

"What are you doing this time?"

"Oh, you know, counting ceiling tiles."

Moments of silence passed before she heard a response.

"And this is productive how?"

She let out a hallow laugh.

"I don't think it's supposed to be, unless they need to renovate the ceiling and they need to know how many tiles are on it."

"Oh? And how many are there?"

"Exactly 267.5. They have a whole bunch of half tiles everywhere."

Minutes of silence passed this time, and Ahsoka was starting to wonder why Anakin had finally come to visit her.

"I wanted to show you something."

Ahsoka sat up before sliding over to Anakin's side. What could he have possibly wanted to show her? It's not like they were ever alone for long; there wasn't much he could really show her.

"What did you do this time?"

"This time? Why do you always assume that I've done something?"

Ahsoka tapped his nose.

"I'm not answering that. Now why is your hand red?"

Anakin immediately went to cover it up causing Ahsoka to growl and grab it harshly. He hissed in pain and Ahsoka had to bite back one of her own when she could feel the burning pain in his hand. He tried to wrestle his hand back, but she held on until he finally stopped struggling.

"What did you do!" She groaned, cupping his hand and uncurling it gently.

"Ah- it's really not-ow- anything important-Ow!" Ahsoka glared at him, touching it and trying to lessen the pain via their bond. She could feel relief slipping into his force signature, and she smiled before dropping his hand and gently hugging him.

"You really should stop questioning it, Snips. You could get run through with a lightsaber." Ahsoka froze in his hold before sliding back and grabbing his shoulders.

"You. Got. A. Lightsaber?"

"Uh, I've had it for a while now. Actually, only a week, but still, I thought you would know."

"Yeah. So why did you come in here in the first place?"

"To show you the lightsaber."

"But you just-"

"Yes, but I know you still want to see it."

Ahsoka pouted before looking over to him.

"You know me too well. But seriously, can I please see it?" She begged, looking up at him with sky blue tooka-pup eyes. He smiled and carefully slid it off of his belt, cradling it in his hands as she stared at it.

After minutes of staring at it, she looked up at him with innocent eyes.

"And why did the council trust you with it?"

"Ahsoka!"

---

After a continued argument in which Ahsoka decided that he should NOT have been given a lightsaber, only for him to point out that he saved her with the very lightsaber she was claiming should not have been given to him. That resulted in the girl's montrals turning about five shades darker, and that resulted in him teasing her about it, which in turn caused her to come to a very huge conclusion.

"You're fourteen now."

"Yep."

Ahsoka stared at him before a guilty look came on her face.

"I'm sorry."

Anakin raised an eyebrow and snorted.

"You're sorry that I turned fourteen? Thanks for the confidence."

Ahsoka didn't answer to his playful remark, causing the boy to look over to her with slight concern.

"What's wrong?"

She simply sighed, her normally happy aura turning sad. Ahsoka didn't dare look up at him as she answered.

"I forgot."

"So?"

"So? I literally forgot your birthday! That doesn't bother you at all?"

He didn't speak for a while, and Ahsoka's stomach dropped. She really had hurt him, even if he didn't admit it.

"Not really."

Her head whipped up to face him, her mouth slightly gaping.

"Why not? It would bother me if you forgot."

He laughed, draping an arm over her shoulders.

"That's why I'm the Chosen One. I don't forget."

She jabbed him in the side with her elbow, glaring playfully at him.

"Oh stop it, Anakin!" He just grinned, pulling her closer to his side. Moments later, a huge yawn resounded from the togruta, and Anakin let a contented smile slip onto his face.

"Well, it's midnight, and we're arguing about birthdays. How about going to sleep so you can actually defend yourself in training tomorrow?"

He didn't get an answer, and he looked down to see that the orange girl was already asleep. His grin widened and he picked her up, careful not to disturb her sleep, and walked back to his and Master Kenobi's dorm room.

Yep, she was coming back around after that youngling's trouble.

And he had completely forgotten to tell her that the youngling had woken up that day; the day when some mysterious stranger had appeared at the door before making it into the med-bay.

Anakin looked down to the girl in his arms and could feel his heart melting. Now that he thought about it, he couldn't remember much of life without Ahsoka there, and realized that she probably couldn't remember any of her life before she limped into the room his nine-year-old self had been occupying.

He had come to a stop in front of a bed in the dorm, and he gently set her down on it, disarming her of her boots and gloves before removing his own and sliding in next to her. He wrapped an arm around her before yawning and letting his eyes drift shut.

Goodnight Ahsoka.

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Thanks for reading this, albeit a bit late.

Comment? Read?

-FlamingStarbird