Star Wars the Clone Wars - One shots

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It had been another long day of training.

Anakin had been determined for Ahsoka to block more than twenty hits in the centre of the clone circle. She'd only managed to defend herself from ten hits before getting knocked to the ground unconscious the day before.

When Anakin had a goal for her, he was relentless in getting her to achieve said ambition.

So, they had trained into the night.

It was late when they finished, and she could still only deflect eighteen bolts until Jesse once again managed to blindside her. She had been trying to keep count of how many times she had been stunned today, but she lost count after fifteen.

Ahsoka let out a soft groan as she came back from the edge of unconsciousness. Her arms and legs felt like dead weights attached to her body, and it was like a gundark was dancing the tarantella on her skull.

No pain, no gain. That was what Anakin always told her.

"We're done for the day, Snips," she heard her Master say as she blinked groggily. "Don't push yourself."

"I... carry on... please," she begged, though all she really wanted was to have a hot bath and sleep off the heaviness that came with being repeatedly stunned over and over.

"No can do, kiddo," Anakin huffed, his mechanical arm wrapping around her shoulders to haul her into a sitting position. The hanger lights were dimmed, the clones long gone. "Your blood sugar's too low."

Ahsoka grumbled, though she appreciated that Anakin watched her blood sugar levels when she couldn't. He had her continuous glucose monitor synced to his commlink, and it alerted him whenever the levels were too high or too low.

It was a bit of a lifesaver at times.

"It's my fault," Anakin said, passing her a handful of glucose sweets that every member of the 501st carried at all times. "I didn't stop the session for dinner. Kix warned me, but I didn't think it would go so low so quickly."

Ahsoka sucked on the candies, grimacing at the overly sweet taste. "I haven't had a hypo in a long time. It wasn't your fault."

"You also haven't done training like this in a long time," Anakin replied, "Maybe we should take it easy for a few days. What did you have for lunch?"

She winced, "A salad."

"There you go," Anakin sighed, "You know you can't last a training session on just rodent food."

"I was with Senator Chuchi," she complained, as if that justified her poor decision. "I had some bread on the side."

When they were on battles, it was easy. The GAR catered to her, providing rations where the carbohydrates had been counted precisely to keep her blood sugar levels stable with the long-acting insulin that she took in the morning.

She didn't have to think about it too much. The clone medics and her Master could tell just by looking at her if she needed more insulin or glucose.

When she was at the Temple, it was more difficult. Her schedule was full between reports, briefings, and her classes. Anakin wasn't around as often, and she was so swamped with work that she often forgot to eat as well as she should.

"Come on, little one," Anakin gripped her bicep to help her stand once she'd finished the sweets. She still felt a little dizzy, but it was better than when she first woke up. "I've got some leftovers in the fridge from when I went out with a friend. You can have that before bed."

"M'kay, Master."

She knew exactly what 'friend' he was referring to.

Less than an hour later, Ahsoka was tucked to Anakin's side as he flipped through the HoloNet channels, trying to find something that could hold his attention longer than a few seconds at a time.

The events of the evening were clearly playing on his mind, as he constantly checked her blood sugar levels on his commlink every few minutes as if they would somehow drop again in an instant.

Now she had eaten a hearty meal and was resting, Ahsoka could finally feel the aches and pains setting in. Anakin had filled up her hot water bottle and placed it against her lower back which was sore from constantly falling onto it.

She had even taken painkillers, which was a testament to how much the day's session had taken out of her.

Despite her aching limbs from a long day of training, Ahsoka felt completely at ease with her Master's arm wrapped around her shoulders. She was just about to drift off when she heard the door slide open, a familiar presence entering their quarters.

Obi-Wan walked into the living area, his cloak on which implied he had just been out.

"Hello, Master," Anakin said, "Ever heard of knocking?"

"What's this I hear about you having the clones fire stun bolts at Ahsoka for hours on end?"

Anakin sat up straighter, flicking off the HoloNet. "It's my new training technique. If she can handle the clones, then she can handle anything else with a blaster. It's a better simulation than those stupid floating droids."

"I know you have some unorthodox training methods, Anakin, but isn't that a stretch too far?"

"Hardly, Master. Her focus has increased, as has her agility. She's more in tune with the clones, which will help when we're next deployed."

Ahsoka had to admit that Anakin's validation of her progress made her feel fuzzy inside. She knew that he was proud of her, but he rarely praised her so openly.

She lifted her head off his shoulder, "You should come along and watch sometime, Master Kenobi."

"Maybe I ought to," he replied, sitting down in the armchair across from the sofa. "Make sure your Master isn't permanently damaging his student by repeatedly knocking her unconscious."

"He's doing fine," she quickly jumped to Anakin's defence, "He checks on me all the time. It's almost coddling behaviour, to be honest."

Anakin nudged her, a playful smirk on his lips. "Don't act like you don't enjoy being coddled, young one."

She shrunk back into the sofa, letting out an exaggerated yawn, "Whatever, Skyguy."

She closed her eyes, leaning into his side. She knew she should sleep in her bed, or else her muscles would be stiff in the morning. She didn't bother moving though, trusting Anakin to carry her to bed after he and Obi-Wan drank a cup of tea and mulled over the events of the day.

Deep down, she really did like feeling cared for.