Heyo, human beings from outer space!
This is the second part of "The Perfect Padawan"
Eeek! I get to watch Tales of The Jedi in a few hours! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! I'm so excited!!! I can't wait to see it!
Read on if you dare.
Anakin Skywalker was, by no possible means, the perfect master.
He knew it, Obi-Wan knew it, the Council knew it... everyone knew it, but that was okay. No one was perfect: there was always room for improval. And anyway, he was managing quite well, if he did say so himself.
Well, at first, it was a bit rough.
Ahsoka Tano, his new padawan, was inexperienced and reckless. Nothing a little training couldn't fix, though.
He also hadn't wanted a padawan at the time, believing that she'd just slow her down. Turns out she kept him on his toes more than ever!
Ahsoka was superior in all skills for her age, and she never stopped improving. After being apprenticed to him, her studies and physical capabilities began increasing five times faster than before. So, overall, Anakin must've been doing something right.
Seriously, Anakin hadn't believed there was such a thing as a perfect person, but if there was, Ahsoka Tano would be that.
She was the "dream padawan" with the attitude every master wished for in their students. She was diligent with her work and studies and even took on more responsibilities than were required of her. On top of that, Ahsoka was very independent and obedient, going above and beyond expectations without requiring much assistance.
That meant Anakin got to spend more time with Padme than he could ever dream of having, given all the secrecy and their professions. But Ahsoka was amazing and she allowed him that time. He didn't even have to talk to her or help her with homework since she was so smart!
Since their first encounter, she'd grown on him quite a bit. He found that he actually quite enjoyed the company of the girl and they made a very effective team on the battlefield.
Ahsoka was truly the perfect padawan. His perfect padawan. It made him so proud and warm on the inside.
But better yet, Ahsoka's confidence showed that she very much knew how great of a student she truly was, so he didn't even have to tell her. She would certainly get plenty of praise from her other elders, yes?
Life was just smooth sailing.
Anakin was lounging on the plush sofa in Padme's apartment one evening while watching a holo-film with his wife. He had his feet up on the table, his hands behind his head, and his wife curled up next to him. Paradise.
"Anakin," Padme peeped, peering up from her mug of tea.
"Yes, love?"
"I'm enjoying the time I have with you–"
"So am I," Anakin interrupted before she could go further. He smiled down at her, but her expression was more playfully annoyed rather than happy.
"I wasn't finished," Padme said.
"I'm sorry. Continue," Anakin urged.
"As I was saying," she drew out the word pointedly, "I'm enjoying our time together, don't get me wrong, but don't you think you're being a bit neglectful of Ahsoka?"
"Hm?"
"Ahsoka, your padawan?" Padme narrowed her eyes. "Don't you think you should spend a bit more time with her?"
"I heard you the first time," Anakin said, shifting his feet from the table to more directly face her. "Don't worry, Padme. Ahsoka's fine."
"Are you sure?" Padme asked. "You hardly spend any time with her."
"She keeps herself busy throughout the day," Anakin explained. "Even if I wanted to spend a little extra time with her, I don't know if she'd have any free time to spend with me. She seems to enjoy being busy and having things to do."
Padme looked up at him oddly for a moment. "So she never spends any time to just... be friends with anyone?"
"Not really. Ahsoka spends time with the boys, but mostly just because of her military duties. She prefers quietly doing her studies at the counter or training by herself."
"That doesn't sound right," Padme hummed.
"What do you mean?"
"Aren't Togruta a social species?" Padme asked, then took a sip of tea.
"I don't know," Anakin shrugged.
Padme nearly spit out her tea. "You don't know?! Did you learn anything about Togrutas since she became your padawan?"
"No," Anakin said. "I didn't need to. Ahsoka's very independent."
"Anakin," Padme breathed. "From what I've seen of Ahsoka, she's just as social as any other Togruta."
"Well, we have a good arrangement going, and she's doing really well," Anakin defended. "Ahsoka's different. She's an amazing padawan, Padme. I couldn't ask for anyone better, and she knows it. She's lightyears ahead of anyone else her age."
Padme offered a tiny, fond smile. "Well, I'm glad she succeeding. Just... talk to her, okay?"
"I will."
A few days passed slowly before Anakin found a chance to speak to Ahsoka. He sat down at the counter while she was working on her studies and interrupted her to ask how she was doing with her studies and training and if she needed any help. Ahsoka hastily assured him that everything was going well and she was managing fine on her own. Getting the hint that Ahsoka didn't feel like discussing anything with him at the time, Anakin left for Padme's to spend the night with her.
Things kept on going smoothly. Battle victories, Ahsoka excelling in everything she did, and plenty of time with Padme. But as more time slid by, Anakin began feeling the sinking suspicion that something was wrong.
A few days later, Anakin got a report from Ahsoka's teachers informing him that she'd failed a test. Anakin was a bit startled: Ahsoka Tano got the highest score on every test, and now she'd suddenly failed one? Anakin promised to talk to her about it. After the mission the Council was sending them on, of course.
Later that day, shortly after the battle, Rex confronted him.
The first thing that left Rex's mouth was, "Permission to speak freely, sir?"
Albeit a bit confused, Anakin replied, "Permission granted."
"Not that it's any of my business, sir, but I do believe that you aren't being a great master to your padawan."
"What?" Anakin snapped. "Why would you say that? Ahsoka's skills and studies are increasing and we're winning more battles with fewer casualties!"
Oh, how blind a Jedi could be.
"Perhaps," Rex continued cautiously, "but she's not happy, and she's not well."
"Did she get sick without me knowing?" Anakin gasped. Maybe he should keep a bit of a closer eye on her. A sick padawan was nothing good.
"No, but if things keep going as they are, she might just end up very sick," Rex said.
"What's going on?" Anakin asked. Confusion made his head spin. What in the universe was Rex talking about?
"Commander Tano's been overworking herself and now she's paying the price."
Anakin's eyes shot wide. "Why is she overworking herself? That won't do her any good."
Rex sighed. "She's overworking herself to try and impress you."
Now that was something Anakin didn't expect.
"Why would she want to impress me?" Anakin rambled. "She's already amazing and the best padawan I could ever ask for! That makes no sense! I thought she was doing so well–"
"Sir," Rex intervened. "When Commander Tano first became your padawan, you were very open about letting everyone know that you didn't want a padawan. So she thought that she'd have to work relentlessly to prove herself worthy. She thought you were going to request a new padawan if she didn't work hard enough."
Anakin didn't know what to say. "No... that's not the case at all."
"I may know that and you may know that, but she doesn't."
"What's she been doing?" Anakin asked. "How bad is it?"
"She's been skipping a lot of meals and going without sleep too often. Kix said she's hiding injuries, too. He's keeping an eye on her, says he thinks she'll collapse soon if she doesn't stop this."
"I had no idea," Anakin breathed.
"Maybe you should talk to her?" Rex suggested. It almost sounded like he was begging.
"Right."
Anakin closed his eyes. If he could sense her through the Force, he could gage how bad things were.
Anakin opened himself to the Force, letting it flow through him and reaching out to the vibrant signature of his bubbly young padawan. And as soon as he did, he almost wished he didn't.
Ahsoka's agony, frustration, and exhaustion crashed into him in nauseating, nerve-scraping waves. It brought him to his knees and Anakin had to shut it out and focus very hard on not vomiting just to keep his previous meal intact.
"Sir?" Rex said, concern lacing the word.
"Oh, Ahsoka," Anakin heaved. "How did I not notice before?!"
His own frustration fueling him with the motivation to drag himself to his feet, Anakin made a break for her quarters. He had to find her, to get to her fast, before she drowned in her emotions.
The door to her quarters was locked, so he frantically punched in a few codes to try and get it to open. A ripping scream from inside the corners leaked out from under the door and Anakin pushed himself to move faster. He overrode the lock and burst inside, finding his padawan as a shaking, sobbing mess huddled on the floor. He rushed over to her and swallowed her up in a sturdy embrace.
Ahsoka let out a squeak of surprise, and at first tried to wiggle away, but she eventually gave in to the warm hold of her master.
Oh, Ashoka. She was purely skin and bones.
"Ahsoka," Anakin whispered, just loud enough for her to hear him clearly over her cries, "I'm so sorry. I've failed you."
Ahsoka's wracking sobs gradually subsided into smaller cries of pain and shaky sniffles.
"I'm a horrible master, and you're perfect. I could never have asked for anyone better than you, Ahsoka. I'm the one who's failed, not you."
Ahsoka let out a little squeak of, "I'm sorry."
"No, no," Anakin urged. "You've done nothing wrong."
"I'm sorry," she whispered again.
"Ahsoka," Anakin said. "Ahsoka, look at me."
She kept her eyes down.
"Ahsoka," Anakin said, his voice sterner now. "Look at me."
She finally lifted her ocean-blue eyes and Anakin's heart broke at the glimmer in them.
"I failed. You are perfect."
Ahsoka's eyes filled with tears and they ran down her face again. She was broken in more ways than one and he was the one who broke her.
So he held her as she cried.
Anakin had made a fatal mistake, but never would he ever make it again.
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Word Count: 1,860
Published: October 27, 2022
I did like no proofreading on this, so sorry for all the errors! Heh, I was too excited to read through it again.
Uuuuuuughhh I can't wait to watch Tales of The Jedi... but first I have to survive dance practice... hehehhheheheheh hysterical laughing, I might not.
Requests are open, feel free to message me or make a comment if you have any ideas!
Bye, peoples!