Where It All Began

A/N This is my first story on Wattpad, so please don't criticize just for the sake of it. Constructive criticism is welcome, though.

The reign of the Empire was over. Ahsoka knew she should be happy and joyful, crying tears of joy, not sadness and despair. But how could she be happy when everyone she ever loved, every true friend she ever had was gone? Ahsoka cried, but not with joy. She cried because she was devastated. Everyone had been taken from her. Yes, she had teamed up with the Ghost crew, but they were not close to her. She was so alone, even then. Now, with nothing to fight for, and the certainty that all those she loved were truly dead, not in hiding, Ahsoka broke.

It had nearly happened when she walked away from the Jedi Order, away from him, and Obi-Wan, and all her other friends in the Republic. It had nearly happened again when she realized exactly who the spirit of Darth Vader had shared a body with. But she hadn't broken the first time because she knew her friends were safe. Safe as they could be in a wartorn galaxy, and at least alive, not dead in spirit and trapped, suffering. She hadn't broken the second time because she had realized that, while he was dead, at the time, his spirit could have been brought back. So she did just that, but Vader had killed him again.

Then his son, Luke, had brought him back for the last time. And he had died for the last time, permanently, at the young age of twenty-three, not even a fully grown human. Although, Ahsoka thought bitterly, his body was older than that, since that monster Vader stole twenty-three years from him, more, if was taken into account that he likely would have survived, physically and spiritually, much longer than he had if Vader and Sidious hadn't ruined everything. Now he was gone, Padmé was gone, Obi-Wan was gone, Riyo was gone, Lux was gone, all of her friends were. They were all dead.

And Ahsoka was at the place where it all began. Christophsis. The old battlefield was undisturbed, just as it had been twenty-seven years before, a monument to him, to Anakin Skywalker by the people of Christophsis. A monument to her master. Even the empty supply crates were still there. She was sitting right where she had stood when she first met the legendary Anakin Skywalker, The Hero With No Fear, The Warrior With No Limits, The Chosen One. She was even wearing the clothes she had worn as his Padawan, not what she had on Christophsis, those were too small now, but they still brought back memories. Everything was as it had been before. Except she was facing the other way this time. If she had been facing the same way as she had the first time, she would have noticed something. But it was too painful for her to lay eyes upon the spot where he stood.

Little did Ahsoka know that the very person she thought about stood there at that very moment, the place he had stood when she had stood where she now sat. His spirit, at least. The Force Ghost of Anakin Skywalker stood not a meter from Ahsoka. This was not an hour after his final death, before his son, Luke, could reach Endor. Obi-Wan's Force Ghost appeared the same distance behind Anakin's Force Ghost as the latter was behind Ahsoka, not far from where Obi-Wan had stood when Ahsoka had first met him and Anakin. Obi-Wan found it bittersweet to see Anakin this way. His former Padawan's Padawan was in pain, which caused Anakin pain, and the now dead young Jedi was already in great pain from his guilt, grief, the war before his death, and being exposed to all the horrors in the entire galaxy far too young. Yet, Anakin was no longer trapped in his own body, dead yet alive at the same time. Now he was himself, but tormented, not that he hadn't been in life, but he hadn't been this tormented.

Anakin, meanwhile, hated all that he had perceived as his doing in the past twenty-three years. He knew, logically, that it was the fault of the Sith that had once been tied to him, but he always blamed himself. He blamed himself for his Padawan's sadness. He thought that, if only he had been able to keep the Sith tied to him at bay, had realized earlier that Palpatine had been trying to bring it out, give it strength, he could have been there for his Padawan right then, that she wouldn't have to be so sad. If only he could have been more firm with the Council, she would have stayed, Palpatine would have failed in awakening the Sith inside him, and none of this ever would have happened.

For a while, Anakin and Obi-Wan stood, silently watching, even as Qui-Gon's spirit, invisible to the living, watched them, also feeling the bittersweet emotions that Obi-Wan did. Anakin hoped Ahsoka would look in their direction, as Force Ghosts were not to purposely make others look in their direction unless it was absolutely necessary. She did not. She only cried for everything that she had lost. Obi-Wan said sadly to Anakin, who was reaching out toward his Padawan, "We have to go, Anakin. Come." Then he held out a hand toward his former Padawan.

Anakin turned to his former master and replied, "I know, master. I just need to say goodbye. I need to speak to her one more time at least, before she too joins us." Then he turned back to his Padawan and whispered, "Goodbye, Snips..." Then the dead young Jedi walked to his former master and took his outstretched hand, and both faded fully back into the Force, following Qui-Gon's spirit, which had already fully faded back into the Force.

But Anakin saw that, at the last second, Ahsoka had stood up and turned around, her posture exactly mirroring that of herself twenty-seven years ago. And in that moment, he saw what had been there twenty-seven years ago. The clones, working on setting up weapons, himself, skeptically looking at Ahsoka, Obi-Wan, treating her like a youngling, and Ahsoka, nervously fidgeting as she met the two most famous Jedi of the Order. Then he came back to reality, and he heard and saw the Ahsoka of the present whisper, "Don't go, Skyguy..." He smiled sadly at her as he faded from her world.

Ahsoka thought she heard two familiar voices speaking to each other behind her, but it was impossible. Both Anakin and Obi-Wan were dead. But then she heard a voice that was unmistakably Anakin's, and a nickname only he called her, even though it was nothing more than a fading echo of a whisper, "Goodbye, Snips..."

Ahsoka stood up and turned around just in time to see the fading Force Ghosts of Anakin, her brother, and Obi-Wan. There could be no mistake now, the voices she heard were theirs. In that moment, she saw what had been there twenty-seven years ago. The clones, working on setting up weapons, the legendary Anakin Skywalker skeptically looking at her, the legendary Obi-Wan Kenobi, treating her like a youngling, and herself, fidgeting nervously as she met the two greatest heroes of the Republic, one of them, Anakin, the face of the Republic and the only hope of the Jedi. Then she came back to reality, and whispered, "Don't go, Skyguy..." And she meant it. Just because she knew logically that he was dead, didn't mean she didn't deny it with all her heart and wish for him to stay. Ahsoka saw him smile sadly at her in the last moments before he vanished. Life is so unfair, thought Ahsoka. She sat back down, this time facing the spot where he had once stood. Then the now not so young Togruta stared at that spot, crying, thinking on how she should never have left him, that if she hadn't, he wouldn't have lost his inner battle. And she was right.

His last words to her, and that last harrowingly sad smile echoed in her mind, haunting her. Goodbye, Snips.

A/N I wrote another, happier ending to this, so if you want me to post it, just let me know.  Also, if you liked it, please vote, and comment if you have any feedback!  And if you have a request for what I should write next, feel free to ask.  If you want me to read your stories, don't worry, I don't bite.  Thanks for reading!