"How many?"

Anakin glanced at his Padawan, barely suppressing a smile. They rarely played this game now. The length of the war had slowly whittled away any playfulness that survived the never-ending battles. But sometimes they came back to it anyway. It was familiar, and a reminder that they weren't just a general and a commander. They were master and padawan. And they were friends.

Anakin paused pretending to think hard. "Must've been 102, Snips," he said smugly.

Ahsoka scowled. "You must've counted wrong," she grumbled as she stalked away to check on Rex and the men.

Anakin laughed as he followed behind her. "Look, I may have failed every politics class at the temple, but I did alright at math, you know?"

Ahsoka rolled her eyes. "You failed politics? Wow, what a shock. You're so diplomatic."

Anakin playfully shoved his apprentice. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm great at negotiations."

"Master the only I've ever seen you 'negotiate' successfully is the price of that Bilbringi pie we bought from that old lady on the street." She grinned. "And I'm pretty sure the only reason she gave such a good price is because she thought you were cute."

Anakin looked horrified. "The lady was ancient. She would've been a better match for Yoda than me."

Ahsoka wrinkled her nose. "Ew. Not an image I needed. Anyway she tried to pinch your butt when we walked away."

Rex, who they'd finally managed to reach, frowned upon hearing the tail-end of the conversation. "Sir? Who pinched whose butt?"

"Are we talking about Senator Amidala again?" came a distant voice from the barracks.

Before Anakin could retaliate against his troops' ill-founded gossip, Obi-Wan strolled up next to the small group. Ahsoka shifted uncomfortably as she immediately felt her master's good humor vanish and his shoulders tense. Things had been…cold since Obi-Wan had come back from the dead. The Council had given them all a rare, but brief, respite following the Rako Hardeen debacle. She knew Anakin had purposefully avoided his former master during their time in the temple, preferring to spar with Ahsoka or slip off into Coruscant's night. Though she knew Obi-Wan also had a flurry of work and meetings to catch up on, she suspected he had found additional ways to avoid bumping into Anakin.

For her part, she wasn't mad at Obi-Wan. Not exactly. She did understand why he did it, and being Temple-raised, she forgave the necessities of duty before attachment far easier than her master. But then again, she knew that the false shooting would have happened with or without her present. It wasn't her reaction that the Council was depending on to sell their charade.

And that was where her uneasiness refused to settle. Because every time she looked at Obi-Wan, she felt Anakin's despair and grief all over again. Felt the cold silence that settled in their hearts in those days following the funeral. Felt the pain that had driven Anakin so relentlessly in their search for Hardeen. And the pain that had tripled upon realizing his old master's betrayal. Upon realizing how he'd been used. Ahsoka could forgive Obi-Wan and the council for her pain, but she wasn't sure she could for Anakin's.

However, the demands of war had thrown the three Jedi onto the battlefield together once more, and Ahsoka was determined to make sure that her little family made it through this. Turning her attention back to the Jedi Master she gave her report. "Our field's all clear of Seppies, Master Kenobi." Her face hardened. "Fourteen dead. Twenty-seven injured."

Obi-Wan nodded grimly. "Thank you, Ahsoka." He turned to his former apprentice. Ahsoka couldn't be sure, but she might've sworn that the man had braced himself and had tightened his mental shields ever so slightly. "Anakin?"

Anakin glared at the older man before giving his report. "Field clear. Nine dead. Twenty-two injured."

Obi-Wan sighed. "Very well. Make sure the dead are removed and the injured taken care of."

"We've already started," snapped Anakin. "Me and Ahsoka got clean-up covered. You're free to report to the Council," he said, nearly spitting the last word out. "It's what you do best," he mumbled as he starting walking back to the field.

"Anakin-" started Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka didn't know whether to give her master a hug to comfort him or a slap for bringing Hardeen up at this time. "Anakin, please, we can talk-" Obi-Wan stopped as he caught sight of the stain on Anakin's robes. "Anakin, you're bleeding. Are you hurt?"

Anakin glanced down at the red stain on his tunic. "It's just some scratches from the shrapnel," he said and returned to his errand. Ahsoka caught a faint 'Why do you even care?' floating through the force, though she chose to ignore it.

Obi-Wan frowned. "Anakin, you need to report to Kix to make sure it's nothing more serious."

Before Anakin could escalate the argument, Ahsoka cut in. "Come on, Master. Even if it's nothing serious, at least you'll stop dropping blood everywhere. You'll ruin my new carpets," she teased, though the red stain had her worried as well.

Anakin rolled his eyes at his Padawan, though she could sense his hostility had diminished. "Yeah, yeah alright Snips. Wouldn't want to ruin your décor after all."

Together, master and apprentice made their way to the medical tent. Though Anakin didn't spare a second glance at his old master, Ahsoka turned briefly to catch Obi-Wan's eye, mouthing 'Sorry.' Obi-Wan gave her a small smile, nodding his thanks. She nodded in return and tried to ignore the relief and guilt she had felt slip through Master Kenobi's shields.

She sighed. She didn't want her family to get hurt again.

"THE TEAM: BETTER THAN EVER AS GENERAL KENOBI COMES BACK FROM THE DEAD AND INTO THE FRAY"

"KENOBI AND SKYWALKER TRIUMPH AGAIN"

"AN IMMOVABLE OBJECT AND AN UNSTOPPABLE FORCE: KENOBI AND SKYWALKER PROVE THE REPUBLIC'S MOST VALUED GENERALS"

"KENOBI AND SKYWALKER: THE UNBREAKABLE TEAM"

He flicked through the headlines, blood boiling each time Kenobi's stoic face adorned the newspages of the Holonet. The public couldn't get enough of him. Kenobi. Hero. Negotiator. Savior.

But it wasn't just him, was it? Kenobi and Skywalker. It seemed like a chant, an invocation that evoked images of power, justice, and hope. He studied the hundreds of pictures that paraded through the news sites. Kenobi and Skywalker fighting back to back. Kenobi and Skywalker receiving the thanks of some diplomat. Even a rare shot of Kenobi and Skywalker sharing a laugh on the battlefield.

Skywalker. He scanned the pages of Holonet, easily digging up information on the Republic's most famous Jedi. An inhuman pilot. A brave warrior. An unmatched strategist.

And Kenobi's own apprentice.

The Sith grinned darkly as he remembered the pleasure he had felt when he had run that Jedi Master through with his lightsaber all those years ago on Naboo. And the rush of dark delightful pain and hatred that had emanated from the man's apprentice, Kenobi.

Maul knew. Kenobi may seem like the perfect Jedi, but he knew that the man cared far too deeply. He loved too deeply for a Jedi, especially when it came to those around him. And if the man had loved his own Master so deeply, how much would he care for his own apprentice, someone he must have raised and protected for years.

Maul smiled, setting the datapad down. Killing Kenobi's master had nearly pushed the man over the edge all those years ago.

Killing his Padawan would destroy him completely.

Hi! So I usually write on the shorter, fluffier side of things, but I hope this will be a longer, angstier fic (with plenty of humor still!) Thanks for reading, your feedback is appreciated!