Author's Note: Welp, I decided to write this, because I was wondering how Ahsoka found out about Anakin's prosthetic arm. :) This is canon-compliant. :D
~ Amina Gila
It's not her fault that she screamed. No one ever told her that her master lost an arm, and she never thought she would find out like this. Or, when Ahsoka learns that Anakin has a prosthetic arm.
In retrospect, it should have been obvious, and Ahsoka feels stupid for not realizing sooner.
She has only been a Padawan for a month – not quite, at this point, but it's close – and the battle is going on longer than anticipated. Everyone is exhausted, worn out, especially Ahsoka, who is still accustoming herself to extended battles. She deflects yet another blaster bolt into what feels like the millionth battle droid, deactivating it. It falls, and she pauses, breathing heavily, wiping sweat from her forehead.
Her master is moving far slower than usual near her; he glances sideways, concern in his expression. "You okay, Snips?" he questions above the blasterfire. "This is the last of them."
"I'm fine, Master," she promises, springing forwards into the fray again. Normally, she would be fine, but she's not at her best, and her muscles are aching from so much extended use. Anakin flips forwards, planting himself between her and a series of blaster bolts which might have ended her life. He deflects most of them, but one hits the lower part of his right arm.
He flinches, and Ahsoka could swear that there's sparks flying. Without missing a beat, he switches his lightsaber to his left hand, plunging the blade into the center of a super battle droid before Force pushing it backwards. It flies into six battle droids, and they crash to the ground, smoking.
"Skyguy!" she exclaims, worried.
"Don't worry about me," Anakin replies, punctuating each word with a deflected blaster bolt. "I'm fine."
She watches him for a moment before determining that he isn't going to collapse from the injury he must have sustained, so she returns her focus to the droids. Her master is right. This is the last of them, and then, they can finally rest.
Anakin had gone to his quarters instead of the medbay upon returning to the Star Destroyer which has landed on the planet near the Republic base. After having her own injuries tended to, Ahsoka goes to find her master, fully intending to chide him for neglecting himself. She enters the code, and the door slides open. Anakin is sitting at a work bench, the sleeve of his right arm pulled up to reveal metal. Parts and wires dangle all around as Anakin digs through his toolkit with his left hand.
Ahsoka lets out a shriek of surprise, mingled with alarm, because his arm is metal. Her master starts, dropping the tool in his hands and muttering a curse under his breath as he hastily yanks his sleeve down to cover the arm. "Calm down, Snips," he admonishes, waving a hand and closing the door to his cabin behind her. "There's no need to cause a scene."
"You have a prosthetic?!" she exclaims, voice high-pitched with shock. She has always known, of course, on an intellectual level that her master is a human, a sapient being not so different from herself. But she and the other Padawans her age all looked up to him because he was – and still is – called the Chosen One. It's odd to see his humanity, to learn that he is not the all-perfect hero she had envisioned.
And honestly, Ahsoka can't say why it shocks her so much that he has a prosthetic. Probably because it's proof that he failed once, and the cost was high. It makes him less of a hero and more of a person. That's a good thing, she supposes, but she's still completely mind blown at her discovery. And wait. Why did no one tell her about this earlier?
Anakin gives her a flat look, exhaling as he slowly pulls up his sleeve again, revealing the black and gold arm beneath. "Yes, Ahsoka, I have a prosthetic," he replies, managing to sound both exasperated and exhausted at once. Now that she looks closer, Ahsoka can see the damage to it where the blaster bolt hit.
"Oh," she realizes, feeling stupid when she remembers the way his arm sparked. She had thought it a trick of her imagination, or something else entirely, but it all makes sense now. "How did that happen?"
He tenses, the fingers of his remaining organic hand clenching. "It was on Geonosis," he tells her succinctly. "I fought Count Dooku along with Obi-Wan. We nearly died. Master Yoda saved us. Dooku took my arm there." His voice is flat, level, but she can sense the anger – and fear? – simmering just beneath the surface. Their bond might not be very strong as of yet, but Anakin shines extremely brightly in the Force. He tends to project his emotions, Ahsoka has noticed, and she often has to shield herself if he's feeling things strongly.
She can't even begin to imagine what it would like to lose a limb in such a manner, and now that she thinks about it, she has always seen him wearing his leather gloves; she thought it was simply a fashion choice. Maybe it is, but the glove, at least the one on his right hand, serves a dual role: covering the hand and protecting it.
Tentatively, she takes a few steps closer, curiosity getting the better of her. She wants to examine the limb, and she has so many questions about it, though she's aware that they will likely be rather unwelcome. It seems like a sensitive subject for her master, something which she can... understand, to a degree, even if she can't relate. "Do you... need any help?" she inquires hesitantly. It's a new feeling for her; she's never had to be cautious in the presence of her master. He always seems so distant and untouchable.
Anakin pushes something across the workbench, and it makes a loud noise in the sudden silence. "It's not necessary," he says at last. Somehow, she thinks he would rather she leave, but he doesn't want to say so. She doesn't want to leave though; she wants to stay here for a bit longer to see if she can unravel more of the person her master is.
"Okay." She leans on the edge of the workbench, staring down at the mess in front of her, at least it looks like a mess. "What does it feel like?"
"Do you want to touch it and find out?" he asks, dryly.
She doesn't think she manages to hide how much she lights up at the question, reaching out a tad too eagerly to touch the cool metal. The golden, electrostatic fingers are smooth and cool, much unlike a human hand would be. "Can you feel that?" Ahsoka wonders as she laces her fingers with his.
He moves his hand, though the fingers seem slow to respond, squeezing her hand lightly. "Yes." He sounds amused, and when he looks up at her, she can see a sparkle in his blue eyes. Whatever thoughts – or worries – he might have been having about her seeing his arm like this have obviously been allayed by her reaction. "I can feel pressure, anyways," he adds.
"It's cool," she comments, leaning closer to marvel at the intricate and elaborate piece of engineering. Ahsoka is well aware that Anakin enjoys tinkering with machines, and she's seen some of his handiwork before. She'll never cease to be impressed at how skilled he is. "Why didn't you tell me about it earlier?"
Anakin chuckles a bit sheepishly. "I honestly forget," he admits, turning his hand over. "I've gotten so used to it..." He trails off with a shrug. "It still hurts sometimes though."
Ahsoka looks up from the prosthetic, noticing how her master is suddenly focusing on his arm – looking anywhere but at her. A part of her wonders if he even meant to say that. "Right now?" she questions.
He sighs quietly. "It's normal," he explains. "It takes time for the brain to adjust to... not having a normal human limb. The neural interface in the prosthetic is different. The brain doesn't... simply adapt to it overnight."
Ahsoka winces. "Are you sure I can't help you, Skyguy?" She doesn't want to think about the pain her master is in, possibly frequently.
Anakin makes a thoughtful expression, though it seems teasing, so she expects his answer. "Well..." he answers slowly, dragging out the word. "I'm sure you can do something, at least." He smirks up at her, lifting a few of the tools with the Force. "If nothing else this will prove to be a learning experience for you, Snips, so watch and learn."
Ahsoka rolls her eyes, but obediently scoots closer to him. Anakin always has to have the last word, doesn't he?
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