In the Shadows {2}

xxvii: Sparring Practice

Ahsoka assumed her ready stance, a smirk across her face.

"You're sure you're up for this, Skyguy? I'm not going easy on you this time."

Anakin flourished his bright blue lightsaber beside him. "You forget, Snips, that I taught you everything you know."

"Not everything."

She swung first, immediately going for his left side. He had a bad habit of favoring his good hand, which almost always meant that a series of targeted jabs would throw him off balance.

Anakin, anticipating her move, sidestepped her lightsaber and countered her attack with a blow above her head. Her lightsabers formed an "X" shape above her head as she blocked his blade and pushed him back using the force.

In a graceful arc, she leapt over to him, their lightsabers meeting above his head this time as she used the momentum to propel herself in a flip over him. It was a new move she'd been practicing since rejoining the Order, and this happened to be the first time she used it on Anakin.

He took a few steps back, recovering from the blow. "That's a new one, isn't it?" he asked, turning around with his lightsaber at the ready.

"You like it?"

"Yeah, actually," he said, swinging down over her head again. She rolled out of the way, and their sabers met in a lock.

Anakin was bigger, taller, and stronger than she was, which meant that he always overpowered her in these sorts of situations. She leaned back just enough for him to shift his weight forward. Just as he began to adjust, she fell on her back and kicked him over her head.

Before he could get up, she sprang to her feet and pointed her lightsaber at his chest.

"Gotcha!"

Anakin rolled his eyes. "Fine."

She smiled smugly as she clipped her lightsabers and extended a hand to help him up. There were few things she enjoyed more than beating Anakin Skywalker in a duel.

"I see someone's been practicing," he muttered.

"Clearly not you," she joked. He was right, though. She had been practicing more since her reinstatement to the Jedi Order. It wasn't unusual for her to wake up before the sun had risen to work out and run through her lightsaber drills. She would always end her day with at least an hour with the training remote just for good measure.

Part of the reason she trained so much was that it took her mind off of everything that had happened over the past few months. She didn't sleep well any more due to reoccurring nightmares, so it wasn't uncommon for her to go down to the training rooms in the middle of the night to clear her head.

"I'm going to go back to my quarters and shower. I recommend you do the same. You're still planning on stopping by for dinner tonight, right?"

"Stopping by? Master, I live there just as much as you do." Padme had invited a few friends over for dinner to celebrate their recent engagement. Though they were already married, Anakin and Padme thought it would be best to act like they were a new couple to avoid the Council's suspicions.

Then there was the matter of the baby. Ahsoka wasn't entirely sure that Padme had told Anakin about her pregnancy yet. Padme hadn't brought it up, and Ahsoka hadn't asked. She was sure she'd be the first one besides maybe Obi-Wan that Anakin would tell when he did find out.

Anakin laughed. "Okay, that's true." He paused a moment and gathered his things while Ahsoka took a few sips of her water. "Do you want some company on the way back to your quarters?" he asked.