Media: Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Timeline: Mid-season three before "Heroes on Both Sides"

Genres: Action, Coming-of-age, Friendship, Hurt/comfort, Science fiction, War, Whump

Summary: After a near disastrous duel with Asaj Ventress, Anakin Skywalker realizes his Padawan is advancing and needs an upgrade in duel combat.

Notes: The characters have gone through their wardrobe changes, but Ahsoka does not have her shoto lightsaber yet as you have probably guessed. Oh, and Merry Christmas!

Green and blue lightsabers clashed with red, creating a spray of white sparks. Locked in a duel two against one, the assassin cackled despite the odds. Even against the Jedi Order's finest, she always managed to hold her own. Regardless, she would prefer more even odds.

Asaj Ventress pushed against the saber lock. The two Jedi stumbled back a step, giving her just enough time to gain some distance. She used that second to breathe. The duel was dragging out longer than she'd like. As she had grown stronger with time, so have they.

Anakin Skywalker struck first, cutting her respite short. She blocked his strike, then thrust her second blade into his exposed torso. The Jedi Knight dodged and her blow went wide.

Discouraged by Skywalker's boundless energy, Ventress was consoled by the drops slipping down his face. A bead of sweat followed the jagged path of the scar by his eye. She was proud of that scar. It may not be a limb like her Master took from him and was nothing compared to his life, but it was a constant reminder that she had nearly bested him. It gave her courage every time they met.

She crossed her blades, catching Skywalker's overhead strike. He pressured his lightsaber closer, and her trembling arms resisted. Ventress sensed a presence behind her. She shoved Skywalker's lightsaber to the side and freed one weapon to block Tano's green blade. The Padawan bared her sharp teeth, her lekkus slick with perspiration.

Ahsoka Tano had excelled over the years. She was taller now, stronger. Training with the Chosen One made her a better duelist, she'll give the whelp that. However, Ventress refused to be intimidated by a mere child

Ventress swiped her blade low at Tano's legs while raising her other blade high to block Skywalker's attack. There was never a day she was not grateful to have been taught dual combat by both her mentors. The Togruta flipped over the red lightsaber and Ventress used both blades to attack the Jedi Knight. Skywalker countered every strike. The assassin whirled around and caught Tano's blow with both her lightsabers.

They were too powerful together. She needed to separate the two if she was to be victorious.

The sounds of the battle were far away. She could barely hear the blaster fire over the clashing of their lightsabers. Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano had chased her far from the fight, cornering her against a cliffside. She intended to use that to her advantage before the Jedi could.

Ventress blocked Skywalker's weapon, leaving his torso exposed. She delivered a powerful kick to his midsection and swung one blade under Tano's, sending her off balance.

Skywalker doubled over, but attempted to recover quickly. Ventress pushed out with the Force and the Chosen One tumbled over the cliff, followed by the screams of his apprentice.

Ventress' dark lips curled into a nasty smile. She turned to the distraught Padawan, rotating her wrists to show off her twin lightsabers to the Youngling's one.

"Don't cry, little Padawan," she sneered. "You will soon join him."

* * *

"Master!" Ahsoka screamed as her mentor disappeared over the edge. She had been too slow. She was supposed to watch his back. She had failed him.

She recklessly ignored the gloating assassin, scrambling to the cliffside to peer over. A dark and empty abyss greeted her. Grief and guilt washed over the Padawan as she sat back on her heels, tears threatening to spill.

"Don't cry, little Padawan. You will soon join him."

Ahsoka turned quickly, catching Ventress' threatening display of her twin lightsabers. The young Togruta rose to her feet and gripped her hilt with both hands tightly. The tears in her eyes dried and her heart hammered against her chest. Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth, sealing away any overconfident quips she would have spat at the assassin in her early Padawan days. She had grown and matured greatly since then, but she knew she was still no match for Dooku's protégé.

Ventress approached slowly, dragging the tips of her lightsaber into the rock. Her chin was raised high with a confident sneer on her tattooed face. The Nightsister knew Ahsoka was vulnerable without her master. This had been her plan, to separate them and take them down one at a time because they were too powerful together. Ahsoka wished Rex was with her or would rush in to the rescue with the boys in tow at the last second. She could still hear the noise of battle miles away that kept the 501st and its captain occupied. She was on her own.

"You may as well surrender, Youngling," Ventress cackled. Ahsoka stepped to the right, forcing Ventress to circle around with her so that her back wasn't to the cold, black abyss that had claimed her master. "Your death will be more merciful if you do."

"Unlike you, my master taught me to never run away from a fight," Ahsoka growled, baring her sharp teeth. "So I'll honor his final wishes and defeat you."

Rather than appearing threatened, Ventress' smile only widened. The assassin charged in a blur of red, gray, and purple, her lightsabers swinging wildly. Ahsoka rushed to meet her, clashing blades in a resounding spray of white sparks. Immediately afterward, the Padawan found herself retreating to Ventress' flurry of attacks as she struggled to block two lightsabers to her one. Although they crossed paths multiple times over the years, Ahsoka has never been victorious over the assassin. Ventress had only escaped when another Jedi appeared to aid Ahsoka and outnumber her. The instance where Ventress escaped with Viceroy Gunnray still stung.

Ahsoka leaned on her acrobatics to dodge more strikes. She stopped losing ground, but the flips and jumps drained whatever energy she had left.

As she rolled underneath Ventress' lightsaber and stopped behind the assassin, a silver glint caught her eye. Reflecting the light of the moon, Ankin's lightsaber teetered dangerously by the cliff's edge where he had dropped it before succumbing to his plunge. Desperately, Ahsoka called the lightsaber to her and it soared into her waiting palm. The metal smacked hard against her flesh, but Ahsoka ignore the bruising pain and switched on the blade with a snap hiss. The brilliant blue illuminated the battlefield more powerfully than her own lightsaber.

Ahsoka crossed the green and blue blades over her shoulders, just barely deflecting Ventress' swipe at her exposed back. Ahsoka whirled around and brandished the two blades in front of her. She held them tightly in the traditional forwards grip. While she favored the Shien grip, her training in dual combat was somewhat lacking. She had some basics training from her Initiate days, so she reverted to that despite the awkwardness. Anakin's lightsaber was heavy and bulky in her hand. The too long, blue blade noticeably dipped compared to her green.

Ventress paused and raised an unimpressed eye-marking. Then she shook her head and sighed in mock sympathy. "It's a shame your master neglected to teach you how to wield twin lightsabers." She rotated her own to show off. "Then at least you would die with some dignity."

Ventress charged and drove both blades onto Ahsoka's green. The weakness in her left hand failed her as the green blade was pushed into the ground. Just barely managing not to drop it, Ahsoka remembered Anakin's lightsaber and began to swing it down. Ventress blocked it and kicked Ahsoka's exposed stomach. Her body slammed against the rocky ground and the starry sky above spun for a moment. The flash of red triggered Ahsoka's instincts just in time to cross the blades and catch Ventress' before she sliced her head off.

Ahsoka grunted with effort as the crimson red light slowly inched closer to her face. With a cry, Ahsoka shoved the assassin's blade aside and rolled away, jumping to her feet.

While her opponent was off balance, Ahsoka pushed her attack and stole the offensive. She swung and thrust and twisted in what began as choppy and uncoordinated but slowly resembled a graceful dance. Anakin's lightsaber became more comfortable in her hand and seeing Ventress on the defensive gave her confidence. Something still felt off, but the ease in which she picked up the dual combat surprised Ahsoka.

It seemed to surprise Ventress as well. The cruel sneer had been replaced by blank shock. Beads of sweat dripped down the Nightsister's face. A growl of frustration escaped her lips.

She blocked the blue blade and with the twist of her wrist, sent the heavier lightsaber flying out of Ahsoka's hand. Startled, Ahsoka barely had any time to react when Ventress slammed both blades onto Ahsoka's lightsaber in her left hand, knocking it out of her grip.

There was a flash of red and Ahsoka screamed. She collapsed onto the ground, her chest and shoulders in burning agony. The smell of burnt flesh made her dizzy and her stomach nauseous.

The Nightsister towered over the wounded Padawan, breathing heavily.

"You fought well, Padawan," Ventress begrudgingly admitted. If it weren't for the pain and confusion, Ahsoka would have been surprised by the compliment.

Ventress raised her lightsabers. Ahsoka closed her eyes and let her body fall limp against the cold, hard ground.

I'm sorry, Master. I failed.

* * *

Anakin was falling.

One moment he was standing on sturdy ground facing Dooku's assassin with his Padawan. The next, he was weightless. Cold wind blew his hair wildly and chilled his skin.

Regaining lucidness, Anakin scrambled for his grappling hook on his belt. Holding it in a death grip, he aimed it towards the rocky wall and fired. The line went taunt and nearly yanked his shoulder out of its socket as he slammed against the cliff face. Anakin gritted his teeth against the pain as he reattached the grapple to his belt and found handholds.

He inched his way up the cliff face as fast as he could till he reached the spike anchored into the rock. He worked it out before firing it again closer to the top where he had fallen. Then he continued his climb carefully yet hurriedly. Ahsoka was alone and, while she had come far in her training, Ventress was too powerful for her.

The sound of clashing lightsabers echoed down to him, growing louder as he got closer. For now, it sounded like Ahsoka was holding her own. Pride surged within him, but it did little to replace his worry.

At last, his robotic hand found purchase on the edge. With what little strength remained, Anakin hauled himself up so he could peer above and see the fight.

Ahsoka was weilding his lightsaber in her right hand with her own in her left. She looked rather awkward, but had managed to put Ventress on defense and was gaining ground against the assassin away from the cliff's end. Anakin allowed himself a second to ogle in surprise. He knew Ahsoka had briefly brushed with dual combat as a Youngling, but they had never tested it out in her apprenticeship. He had been focusing on teaching her other lightsaber forms between fighting the war. From what he was seeing right now, Ahsoka was a prime candidate for dual combat.

His own lightsaber flying out of Ahsoka's hand snapped him out of his stupor. Then Ahsoka's green blade fell from her grip and Anakin didn't have time to shout a warning before Ventress' lightsaber slashed at his surprised Padawan.

Ahsoka's scream made Anakin freeze as a bone-chilling cold washed over him. In helpless shock, he watched his apprentice crumple to the ground with the victorious assassin standing over her. Ventress didn't seem cocky or gloating as she normally is. He would almost describe her as begrudgingly impressed. That didn't stop her from lifting her weapons to finish Ahsoka off.

Anakin scrambled over the edge and pushed out with the Force. Ventress screeched as she flew back. The Jedi Knight ran forwards, calling his lightsaber to him, before standing protectively over his fallen Padawan.

"Don't you dare touch her," he roared dangerously. His blue blade emphasized his scar and furious expression.

Ventress stepped back, poorly masking the fear on her face.

Before Anakin could do anything, he heard the familiar screech of a Vulture Droid incoming. Ventress launched herself in the air and the Vulture Droid dipped to catch her. She was gone before the Jedi could move.

Grimly, Anakin powered down his lightsaber. The aches of the duel and climb caught up with him as he collapsed onto his knees beside his Padawan.

"Ahsoka?" he called gently, gathering her cold, small frame in his arms and lap. "Can you hear me? Say something, please."

Her eyelashes fluttered and a groan escaped her lips. "Skyguy? Are we dead?"

Anakin chuckled in relief. "No, Snips. We're alive. You did so good. I'm very proud of you."

Ahsoka shook her head, tears pooling in her blue eyes. "I failed. I didn't watch your back. You fell."

Then it was Anakin's turn to shake his head, heart aching. "No, Ahsoka. I failed you. You shouldn't have had to fight Ventress on your own. And I failed to teach you what you needed to avoid getting hurt."

Speaking of which, Anakin examined the damage done to his Padawan. A nearly straight line starting at her right shoulder ran black and open across her chest to her right shoulder. Thankfully, it had missed her lekkus and wasn't deep enough to hit her heart. While Anakin was grateful the damage was not fatal or disabling, the injury still filled him with guilt.

The Jedi general opened his com link and raised it to his lips. "Rex, this is Skywalker. If you can hear me, Ventress has escaped. I'm sending you our location. As soon as you're able, send a gunship and send Kix or Coric to us. Skywalker out."

* * *

Ahsoka found her master already waiting for her in the brightly lit dojo. He stood in the center of the room holding a wooden box.

He turned to her with a smile and waited until she was standing before him.

"What's the verdict?"

Since the cut had been deep yet not fatal and was treated properly almost right away, Ahsoka was released from the Healing Halls after only a few hours. It had needed some stitches here and there and she couldn't flex her shoulders without feeling pain. White bandages wrapped around her shoulders and chest all the way to her back from her collarbone and ending above her breasts. All three lekkus scratched against them and it made it difficult to move her arms.

"I'm off duty and no physical training for at least a week, maybe two if I strain myself," Ahsoka reported with disdain.

Anakin nodded. "All right. No combat training for a week. If we must, we'll stick to Force and philosophy lessons, but I'm hoping you would spend your week off resting." At Ahsoka's scowl, Anakin added, "Then once you're healed, we can start your new lightsaber drills."

He presented the case to her and opened it. Resting inside a black cushion was a silver hilt that was almost identical to Ahsoka's except much smaller. Intrigued, Ahsoka carefully lifted it out of the box and weighed it in her hand. It was light and fit her grip perfectly.

She looked at her master for permission. He inclined his head to urge her on. Ahsoka angled the hilt so as not to hit herself or Anakin and powered on the lightsaber. A yellow-green blade punched out from the hilt, small yet mighty.

"This is a shoto blade," Anakin explained. "It's a shorter blade used for twin-bladed combat such as Jar'Kai. It will give you an edge against opponents like General Grevious and Assaj Ventress by having a shoto to defend and using your main to attack."

Ahsoka powered down the lightsaber and Anakin closed the box.

"Ahsoka, I don't want you to think I'm giving you a second lightsaber because I think you are incapable," Anakin continued softly. "I want to train you in Jar'Kai because I see your improvement and I think you are ready for a challenge. I saw you fight with two lightsabers against Ventress and, while you have to practice, I think you will be a natural at wielding two lightsabers... after you're healed."

Ahsoka shifted the shoto hilt to her left hand and grabbed her main hilt in her right. She weighed them in her grip in imagined herself in battle with both. She could already feel how her power and speed will double with twin blades. It will take some practice, but Ahsoka was determined to master them.

Returning her main blade to her belt, Ahsoka tapped her fist still holding the weapon against her palm and bowed, ignoring how the action made her wound twinge. "Thank you, Master."

She felt him bow in the same manner. "You're welcome, my Padawan."