"𝙄𝙩 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙘𝙧𝙪𝙚𝙡 𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨."

I waited outside the Chancellor's office and I felt the room grow dark. Anakin stormed through the door and he looked like he had something on his mind. He kept walking and I ran to his side.

"Hey! Where're you rushing off to?"

"To stop the man who killed my master," Anakin said through his teeth.

My eyes widened in shock. Anakin wasn't supposed to go after Hardeen. That man was actually Obi-Wan in disguise and he had an assignment. Anakin chasing after him would like only ruin the plan the Council had set in motion.

"Do you even know where this guy is?" I asked him, wondering what could've possibly motivated Anakin to get riled up like this.

"The Chancellor just told me Hardeen's location. I'm going after him," Anakin answered with venom in his voice.

I frowned hearing that this information came from Palpatine. "Anakin, you shouldn't be listening to the Chancellor, you're supposed to follow the Council's decision," I crossed my arms in disapproval.

"Well I'm not going to just sit here while Obi-Wan's killer is on the loose!" Anakin countered and the scar over his eye suddenly looked more ominous. "I'm taking the Chancellor's tip," he said and turned away, heading out.

I frowned hard. I hated that Anakin was so close to the Chancellor. While Obi-Wan's distaste for Palpatine had rubbed off on me, I had my own reasons for disliking him.

"Yeah, listen to the Chancellor and let everything go to shit just like you let happen on Umbara," I spat.

Anakin stopped in his tracks and whirled around to face me. "That was not my fault and you know that," he said walking closer to me. "The Chancellor called me back to Coruscant. I didn't know what was going to happen afterwards."

"Then maybe you shouldn't have listened to the Chancellor in the first place," I snapped and turned around as the memories of what had happened on Umbara resurfaced. Of all the battles I'd been through, that was the hardest one to push out of my mind. My hands trembled as I remembered shooting my own friends. The bodies that surrounded me latched onto my mind.

"Sil..." Anakin said softly and put a hand on my shoulder, but I shrugged it off.

"You weren't there, Anakin," I bit my lip to hold back a sob. "It was so, so horrible. I had no idea such terrible things could happen," I broke and let the tears spill.

Anakin turned me around and pulled me into his arms. The flood of emotions that left me was a relief. I hadn't cried since even before the war and I finally reached my breaking point. I clutched tightly to Anakin's robes. I needed his comfort now more than I ever did. He ran a hand through my hair and I relished the feeling of it. I pulled away and wiped my face with the end of my sleeves.

"I am so sorry, Sil," Anakin sighed. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you and the guys."

I shook my head in protest, knowing he had to his follow orders just like I had to follow mine. "It's not your fault, Anakin," I said looking up at him tearfully. "But... please don't dedicate all of yourself to the Chancellor. You know these kinds of people have their own agendas too. They don't have the same priorities we do," I sniffed.

"The Chancellor is important to me, Sil, and I am going to bring justice for Obi-Wan," Anakin stated and looked at me deeply. "I have to go."

I nodded knowing I couldn't change his mind. He sighed and took in my beaten posture. Out of some impulse, Anakin pressed a quick kiss to my forehead. He offered a small smile before leaving the building. My face grew warm. I grinned to myself and thought about what just happened. Each day, Anakin seemed to have a greater and greater effect on me. I wondered if he felt the same.

***

Anakin and Ahsoka left to find 'Hardeen' in secret, not just because of Obi-Wan's murder, but he was also in league with the people in a plot to kill the Chancellor.

The two of them had returned to the Jedi Temple and reported to the Council after their encounter with 'Hardeen' and the bounty hunters. Anakin rubbed his temple as he left the room. He took a seat in the common room and I sat down next to him.

"Obi-Wan is alive and the Council decided that now was a good time to let me know," Anakin sighed dragging his fingers down his face.

I sat quietly hearing his statement. It seemed that the Council had finally told Anakin about his master's secret assignment.

My lack of responsiveness to Anakin's revelation pricked at his suspicion. He turned his head to look at me.

"Did you know?"

"Yeah, I did," I said not meeting his eyes. I played with my fingers, not really sure what I could say to diffuse the frustration I sensed rising in Anakin. I couldn't blame him. He had mourned for his master and I spent the entire night to comfort him. Why wouldn't he be mad?

Anakin did nothing. He just stared at me in silence and I felt even worse for keeping the secret from him.

"I'm sorry, Anakin," I said. "It was wrong for me not to tell you about Obi-Wan."

"It's not your fault," he said sighing and his hand neared mine. "You have your orders, I have mine."

I nodded slowly and watched as his fingers inched closer to mine. I felt myself heating up as our hands made contact. The sight of my hand in his brought a smile to my face.

"I hate following orders," Anakin whispered as if someone might listen.

I laughed at his words. "Everyone knows you do."