I have had soooooo many plans for this chapter, but as the story went along I used some of them inside of it so I had quite a bit of fun with this. I am actually quite pleased with it, it did give me quite a bit of joy to write this. Please enjoy it and feel free to review at your will so long as I don't have to report you for flaming.

I won't bother writing the disclaimer or the summary since this is the last of this book, but overall I am overjoyed with the work I've been able to pull off with this story overall. I tried to fit it within the contexts of the seasons – I gave it my best shot. ;)

Bless you all, enjoy!

Happy Writing,

~Eliana

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Today was the day Ahsoka had been waiting for since she had arrived here – today was the day she would be leaving to return to the Jedi, intact and very much alive. Of course, it wasn't that she didn't enjoy being here... the people, oh Force the people, they made it feel so much less like torture and so much more like she belonged to a bigger family than she could have ever imagined. Through the pain, the nausea, and the overwhelming sense of dread, they had all been there, long before she could contact her master through their bond again.

She couldn't count the nights that she remembered having trouble falling asleep from pain or just feeling out of place, and someone (either Eddy or Donavan or Tocarra and even Djibourdi at one point) would always find her there, finding some way to make her smile through her own feelings and bring her back to the light through which she had always thrived. Had been a long time coming, this day... or at least that's what she tried to bolster herself with as she stood in the vacant hospital room, fiddling around with her belts since she had somehow miraculously forgotten how they worked.

Even though she was leaving, she was far from fighting strength (as Tocarra felt the need to remind her multiple times). Three weeks minimum, she had been told, she would have to work on basic strength-building and putting the muscle back on that she had lost so very quickly, and knowing Anakin it would probably be much longer than that.

Ahsoka huffed. For being a grown man, he acted more like an overly-cautious mother now that these events had taken place. She had absolutely no doubt at all that she would be stuck interning in the library or babysitting younglings during down times of the day for quite some time...and that certainly wasn't in any way the glorified return to the forces of the Republic she had wanted. She was able to stand on her own now (although a bit shakily after some time) and she could fairly easily walk to and fro to wherever she so chose within the grounds with a supervisor, and that alone was means enough for her discharge. It itself was backed by the results of the blood tests that her doctor had received two days before-hand – the tests that showed absolutely no trace of the Endrati at all, something that Ahsoka herself had believed to be impossible up until that point.

There was still much recovering to be done, she noted as she looked at her rather spindly arms, but she hadn't felt this close to the old Ahsoka than she did at this exact moment in time.

It was ironic, she realized as she glanced down at her old clothing. She had never before felt at all self-conscious, but now with her ribs pricking out from beneath her sunny orange skin and the small scars from the sores that tormented her dotting her stomach, she couldn't help but feel just the slightest twinge of embarrassment. Without much hesitation she turned on her heel and grabbed the tradition Jedi tunic that had been layed out on the bed next to her old clothes. In quick succession she changed out of one and into the other, having to admit to herself that this indeed felt much better for her – much less revealing of the tell-tale scars and still-thin body that she hid beneath it. Her master had brought the garb at one point when he visited (any piece of her home at all was more than what Ahsoka could ever ask for), but in the fluryy of surgery and medical proceedings she had albeit forgotten that the man had brought them for her. Perhaps it was time she invested in a new outfit.

Ahsoka sighed. It did feel nice to be wearing some familiar clothes once again, and even without her lightsaber, which her master had, attached to her hip, she couldn't help but revel in the feeling of joy that snuck into her when she thought of the Temple. Home.

She sunk heavily onto the mattress, knowing that she didn't have the core strength yet to hold herself up as she pulled on the light-weight boots that she was more than ready to slip onto her feet. It would be just a few minutes before her master arrived to take her home, and she wanted their next encounter to remind him that she was indeed worthy of being his apprentice. Of course by now he had force-fed her the notion that he absolutely knew she was worthy and appreciative, yet it was always the whispered after-thought in her mind when she spoke to him either through a messenger or face-to-face. She felt unworthy.

Unworthy – she shivered at the twinge that shot up her spine, halting her motions in tying her second boot to look at the empty bed behind her. That must have been how he felt.

Djibourdi was out in the gardens, the only place he felt like going now that he was more mobile. He had certainly done well in getting his feet under him in the last few days, and even she found it hard to keep up with him once he had made up his mind on where exactly he was going – at one point laughing out loud at the fact that he felt the need to be up every single tree in the gardens while Eddy tried not to panic at the fear of him plummeting to the earth. He still had far too many limits to overcome in order to come home, but that didn't mean he wasn't making progress enough to shock them all – she distinctly recalled the hour of mild panic when no one could find him after he had spend some time outside. Eddy had been watching him and let him be for five minutes, only to look up from his reading to find that the child had vanished into thin air. She, of course, knew exactly where he was, and couldn't help but laugh when she did find him.

"Ahsoka," Eddy had panted when he finally reached where she sat in a lotus position under the boughs of a great Lusina tree, "I thought you said you found him!"

"I did," she told him matter-of-factly, not even blinking at his disbelief.

The nurse gazed around for a long moment, trying to determine exactly where his charge was hiding. Finding no evidence that Ahsoka was telling the truth he looked at her again with a raised brow, planting his hands on his hips and leaning forward to talk with her again.

"Then where is he, missy?"

With a grin she didn't give him a verbal response, but with a tip of her head backward she gazed straight up into the branches of the great tree, her eyes easily spying her found friend who lay lax in its branches, his eyes shut in gentle sleep. He was hard to pick out through the orange leaves since his skin was still in the process of retaining its color, the only hint at his hiding place being the light-blue two-piece medical garb that he sported. Without it, Ahsoka was pretty sure she wouldn't have even found him there. Eddy was gaping. Togrutans were not noted for their abilities to scale trees – they were built for stealth and speed, not climbing.

"...how did he get up there?" he wondered aloud, his eyes now fixed on Djibourdi who was perfectly content in his napping place.

"Beats me," Ahsoka conceded with a shrug,bringing her head back down to rest at level and stretching her legs out with a small yawn, "but he sure has a good idea."

With a laugh the nurse sat down on the ground next to her, leaning back against the tree and closing his own eyes. He lived for days like this.

Now his bed sat empty, warming in the like of Shili's star in his absence. Undoubtedly Ahsoka was going to make her way down to the gardens to see him for the last time – the last time here, she corrected herself. The last time here. She would see him again, she had to. She set about tying her second boot tightly, moving to fold her other clothes into a neat pile on the corner of the mattress that had been her resting place for Force knew how many rotations.

Ahsoka glanced to the door when a soft knock sounded, returning the calm smile that was on the face of Donavan as he moved to stand by her bedside.

"It fits you well, child," he told her, gesturing to the Jedi robes, "They give you quite the presence."

"Not as much as they used to," she giggled, holding out her arms in a demonstration of how big they had gotten for her, "But they'll fit again."

"I know they will," was the response filled with affection as he presented her with a plastic hollow cube he had been holding, placing it on the mattress next to her and placing the folded clothing into it, "Your master will be here soon."

"I know...I wanted to say goodbye to everyone before I leave."

"I can understand that," he granted her, lowering his head to meet her eyes, "You know we will all miss you, you little cheeky bugger."

Ahsoka smiled at him, knowing in her mind that she was breaking code by latching onto his neck with her next motion but he didn't complain, instead chuckling ever so softly and returning the embrace with a tight hold. It was always an event he both dreaded and eagerly awaited with every child that came through those doors – and one that he had feared, more than once, he would never get to experience with these two. At least one was up and free, that much brought him unyielding joy.

With a sigh he pulled back away from her, keeping two hands on her shoulders to hold her eyes on his own for just a moment longer.

"Will you be a good girl for your master?" he prompted.

"Nope."

"Thatta girl. Give him heck!" he exclaimed, patting her shoulders jovially before grabbing the cube off of her bed, "Well, Eddy and Dji are out in the gardens. I do believe Tocarra should be headed that way too, now that I think about it."

With skilled hands he moved the cube into his left arm, holding his right out at an angle as he gave a playful bow.

"M'lady."

It earned him the slightest of giggles and Ahsoka accepted the offer, looping her hand into the crook of his elbow so she could walk next to him out of the room and down the halls, allotting gentle smiles to the little Togrutans who giggled and laughed around their games. Some had coloring boards, some blocks, and she could spy the occasional child curled up with a stuffed animal or two, snoozing in their beds. She felt a twinge of sadness as the pair entered the elevator.

There was a gentle tap to her ribs by Donavan's elbow, and it earned him her gaze.

"They'll go home soon," he promised her, "None of those little ones had anywhere near the amount of trouble you and Djibourdi did."

"Speaking of," she suddenly thought aloud, "What's going to happen to him?"

"Who? Djibourdi?"

"Yes," she clarified, "I know he's slowly recovering, but when he's ready...well, I think you know what I'm asking."

"I do," the nurse admitted, leading her out of the elevator once it stopped, "but I'm afraid I do not have an answer for you. His fate will be determined by your counsel – I don't know how their rules around such situations are. Should he prove himself strong enough I have no doubt that they will take him back. If not, then it seems I will have a new nephew soon enough."

Ahsoka smiled at that. She dutifully followed the adult down the sunlit hallway toward the entrance to the gardens, knowing that this would probably be her final moments within the walls of this hospital.

"I think that would be great," she told him excitedly, "He would be so happy if he stayed!"

"Just remember dear, that's not our decision to make," Don chided her, "In the end it may be his own decision and I won't tell him what's best for him."

The sliding doors retreated and gave them access to the gardens. Ahsoka had to blink through the sudden increase in light, relishing for a moment the soft breeze that accompanied the scents of the wonderful outdoors. This is why she and her friend so enjoyed being out here versus indoors in the air conditioned, stiff air that smelled strongly of cleaner and sanitizer. A sudden motion out of the corner of her eye had her spotting Tocarra, who was seated on a stone bench beneath one of the trees. In her hand she held a data pad which was absorbing most of her attention until the pair meandered closer.

"Ah! Hello there, Ahsoka," she greeted warmly, "It's good to see you up and about."

"It feels good to be able to," the padawan responded, allowing Donavan to lead her to sit next to the doctor.

"I shall return very shortly," he told them both, handing Ahsoka the cube, "I'm going to try and search out the missing wonder couple."

"Try by the miriad tree," Tocarra told him and watched him trot off before turning back to her patient, "Are you excited to go home?"

"...yeah."

"And no?"

Ahsoka shot her a look.

"Stay out of my head!" she laughed bitterly, looking to the ground, "But you're right. I'm more than ready for things to get back to normal but.. I don't know exactly."

"Allow me to try," the woman prompted, setting down the data pad on the bench next to her, "Obviously the excitement for you is to not be under constant scrutiny, for you to feel better. But If I was in your shoes, I would be a little hesitant to leave everyone behind. Obviously you have a soft spot for Eddy and Djibourdi...and I did notice that things between you two young ones haven't been what they always were before."

"He helped me more than anyone else – no offense."

"None taken," was the immediately response by the cool voice.

"He led me back to the Force, back to my master. He had been feeding me his own energy this whole time – it could've killed him," she told the adult, placing the cube of her things down onto the ground, "But he did it without hesitation. If anyone should be better and going home it should be him, not me."

"Ah, but you see there is a reason for everything," Tocarra mused aloud, "Djibourdi is obviously no fool, especially not for his age. He knew the risks of what he was doing and weighed the odds to determine that what he was doing was for the greater good of both of you. I personally can't argue with the outcome."

With fondness she looked at the young girl, grasping the smaller hand in a rare show of affection to her. She honestly couldn't argue with the fact that she was getting to watch at least one of the Jedi leave – and with her life, Ahsoka had provided her with yet more evidence that she was that much closer to solving the riddle that was Endrati, something that no one else in history had. If by this Tocarra could save even more lives then it was by all means worth the sleepless nights she had endured for the results she now had. Even more to the point, She was one of the few who, despite having her own beliefs, had confidence still in the Jedi – she owed them a life-debt from years ago, and now with Ahsoka's life being saved, she could officially call it even. Ahsoka returned the squeezing pressure on her hand without hesitation, releasing a toothy smile – one that widened all the more when she spotted Eddy and Don coming up the path toward them.

"Hello ladies," came the familiar tone, earning him one smile and a hug from Ahsoka.

This man was the one she would miss the most outside of her friend who was curiously missing from the group.

"My Ahsoka's leaving me," Eddy fake-sobbed, which was quickly corrected by his teacher's sharp smack over the back of his head.

"Oh you hush that up," she poked at him, going to stand and gesturing for Don to follow her back inside before she grabbed her data pad, "Well young one, I must get back to work. I look forward to hearing about your heroic efforts."

"I will do my best," Ahsoka promised her, and with a finally fond look both M.O.s headed back into the building.

With a dramatic sigh Eddy plopped into the spot his boss had vacated, swinging one arm around Ahsoka's shoulders so he could pull her into a bear hug. She would never forget this man, she vowed as she breathed in his scent, one that smelled so much like the great turu-grass fields that inhabited her home world. He was a rare one in these times, a person who was actually fully innocent to the atrocities of the war and had a heart of gold...she would never forget him. When he pulled back she lowered her eyes, unable to find it in herself to look him in the eye. She didn't have a choice when a small chip was placed firmly into her hand by his own, and she knew immediately what it was.

It was a contact chip – one that could be formatted to hold the contact information of any person and could be used in any form of communication device – anything from a simple wrist-comm to a holo-vid recorder. It enabled the device to call over long distances regardless of its settings...it was an expensive gadget.

"I know it is against your codes to keep contact with outsiders," the nurse suddenly became deadly serious, but I want you to know that I'm always here if you need me, or a place to stay. I have more than enough room for you if it ever came down to it – it's just me in that huge house."

Ahsoka could barely find the words to say, but she brought the chip closer to her in clenched fingers, holding it tight to her chest.

"Thank you," she told him, allowing him to lean forward to plant a firm kiss on her forehead.

"You take care of yourself, little one," he told her firmly, "And you use that if you need it. Anytime, child. Now," he stood then, brushing off his pant legs and gesturing toward the path, "Djiborudi is waiting for you down there under a miriad tree. Did you want me to come with you?"

"No," she responded, standing as well and hiding the small chip in the cube with her things, "I know how he is, he doesn't like a crowd."

"Not at all," Eddy chuckled in response, "Fine then. Down that way – I do believe he has something for you."

Ahsoka followed his gestured direction, trying to appear calm as she carefully picked her way over the leaf-covered stone pathway that led straight to a large, extremely miriad tree with its tri-colored leaflets fluttering about in the soft breeze. Surely enough, seated on a bench just beneath one of the large branches was her friend. Djibourdi, in his usual fashion, sat absolutely still and silent with his eyes closed against the breeze, an almost invisible smile on his lips as he connected deeply with the living Force around him. His hands were loosely placed on his lap, his fingertips pressed together gently. Dressed in the all-too-familiar blue two-piece hospital jumper, Ahsoka did notice the small machine clipped to the waistband of his pants. It must have had something to do with his diabetes she figured, but chose not to comment.

Overall he didn't look too bad, just off-colored skin and obviously too thin for her liking, but all in all she couldn't give too many complaints in comparison to what he had looked like not even two weeks before. It was with a sad twinge that she noted she could still see the marks from where the needles had been pushed into his neck – they would scar. He couldn't escape that but... He looked so peaceful...certainly she didn't want to disturb him, but when the amber eyes cracked open and his head turned to look at her, she felt a surge of relief hit her. At least he came out of it on his own and she didn't have to feel guilty about that.

With a slight tilt of his head he invited her closer and she complied as quietly as she could, knowing that there were probably some kind of animals hiding around him (he had that about him...he could just sit in the window of their room and birds would land on the other side, chirping incessantly). He invited her to sit by moving off to the side slightly and Ahsoka didn't hesitate to quickly take a seat next to him..but she still didn't know what to say. To her shock Djibourdi made the first move, grasping her left hand and slowly pulling it closer to his own left which remained loosely cupped around...something. That something was plopped into her hand and her fingers were closed around it by his own (his own that were much warmer, so much warmer than she had remembered).

When his hold was relinquished and the hesitant hands retreated, Ahsoka met his eyes. He held them for a long moment and then looked to her clasped hand, as did she with a decent amount of curiosity. Silently she opened her hand and raised the other to cover her open mouth at what it was that she held in her now-shaking grasp. She recalled now that she had seen Djibourdi fiddling around with something aimlessly over the past couple of days but he had never let her see exactly what it was – nor did he allow Eddy to spill the beans on what he was bringing into the room day by day with his hands slightly damp as if he had been sticking his hand in a lake. Now she saw.

Removing her hand from her lips she grasped the necklace slowly, pulling it out of her cupped hand so that she could fully view the diamond-shaped pearl that was bound by white, expertly woven kineta weed – it was a plant that was hard to find, but when it was treated, it would reflect light as this one did so easily, giving off the color of snow. Ahsoka gulped heavily.

"It's- " she lost her voice, feeling tears bite at her eyes, "Oh Force Dji, it's..."

Throwing caution to the wind she leapt into her friend, pressing their cheeks together despite his instinctive reaction of throwing his arms up and tensing against her sudden movement. Yet, to her, joy, after a moment he relaxed, not returning the embrace but allowing himself to relax enough for his forehead to press against her shoulder. It was the best he could manage against his fearfully pounding heart, and it was more than enough.

This was the one she would miss most, Ahsoka told herself as she held her friend loosely, but he was one she was absolutely sure she would see again, whether on the battle field or when she would return to Shili one day. His scent was one she committed to memory, the scent of sandlewood and koiya flowers – an odd mixture but one that accented him so well, and one that she was absolutely certain that if she happened across it again she would know it immediately.

It took her a long moment to pull back away from him, trying to stay as close to her friend as time would allow, and he hardly was ready to draw away from her. Her eyes still crusted in tears, Ahsoka brought the necklace up to her throat, latching it under her lekku with little effort. It wasn't a very long necklace, in fact it hugged her neck right above her collarbone, but it fit surprisingly well for being made free-hand.

"I promise I'll always wear it," she told him, running two fingers over it gently as if to try and feel his presence on it.

Djibourdi gave her a rare, tight-lipped smile, his eyes watching her with such an air of affection she could've sworn that he was actually being protective of her. She could feel her face darken with a slight blush, opening her mouth to speak but was interrupted by Eddy's voice that called from a distance away.

"Ahsoka!" he called out, "Your master is here!"

"Coming!" she yelled back and stood, only to hesitate.

Making a quick decision, she quickly leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on Djibourdi's cheek despite his slightly bewildered look.

"I'll see you soon," she promised him, snapping a picture in her mind of her friend as he moved one of his hands to wave goodbye.

If she didn't leave now she wouldn't later – that much she knew. So, drawing courage from within herself, she gave him one last watery smile before turning around rather quickly and trotting up the path toward her master, leaving Djibourdi where he sat beneath the ancient tree. She never knew that saying goodbye could hurt this much, and Anakin could obviously feel her despair as he calmly brushed against her mind in reassurance. Turning a corner she finally saw him as he stood talking to Eddy in front of the bench where the nurse had been sitting for the moments she had spent with her friend.

Anakin looked up at her with warm blue eyes, reaching a hand out to rest on her cloth-covered shoulder when she came up to his side. Raising an eyebrow, he moved to tap the little diamond-shaped pearl necklace, and she shrugged in response.

"I kinda like it."

"I do too, Snips. It suits you," he complimented her, "You ready to go home?"

"Lead the way, Skyguy."

"Oh! Wait!" the Jedi suddenly exclaimed, fishing around in the pockets of his robes for something for a long moment before making a sound of victory, "Aha!"

He pulled out Ahsoka's Akul-tooth headress, handing it to her to put on. Force knew he had stabbed himself in the hand too many times to keep trying to play with it, so he instead chose to let her fiddle with it before he had yet another accident. She pulled it on without incident, reveling in the feel of the teeth on her head. That was more like it. Her master produced her padawan braid from his pocket as well (how many things did he have in there?!), taking it upon himself to snap it back onto her headress, allowing himself to run it through his fingers for a long moment before he let it dangle from his padawan's head where it rightfully belonged.

"That's my girl," he told her lowly and holding her gaze before accepting the cube from Eddy, "Thank you for taking care of her, my friend."

"It was my pleasure, Master Skywalker," the nurse told him, "You take care of her."

"I always will. You watch after the little one until he comes home."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

Eddy looked to Ahsoka.

"As for you, young lady – it's been a pleasure, but I never want to see you here again."

"I'll do my best," she laughed, allowing him the joy of one last handshake before walking back into the halls next to her master, trying hard not to look back.

Cutting through the busy lobby they made it out to the landing dock and Ahsoka could easily recognize the familiar old spice-trader that she had missed far too much. She slowly took the ramp into the ship with careful steps, remembering what the therapist had told her – eyes up, breathe through you nose, don't stick your tongue out at Skyguy who thinks you're about to fall on your face (….okay, so that one was improvised). He did have that look though, he was even bent slightly in her direction as if he was ready to catch her the moment she slipped.

...this was going to be a loooooong flight back to Coruscant.

Djibourdi stayed where he had sat since Ahsoka had left, returning to his previous position and breathing deep to try and reconnect with the Force in an effort to find peace. He had successfully destroyed the Force-bond he had created between them, now he had to work on the other bond...the one he didn't make. The one he didn't want. The living Force was strong here, it gave him peace in the wake of Ahsoka's departure.

The sound of a person near his side had his eyes snapping open and darting in their direction, taking in Eddy who stood next to him.

"You'll see her again," the nurse told him, "We both know that. You've given her hope."

He had given her life.

A roar of ship engines above his head had him looking up with the brightest of smiles, a single pair of amber eyes watching the old spice-trader slowly make its way into space, taking Ahsoka home.

He had given her life.

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Thus is the end of Tribulation of the Chosen, a work in progress for quite some time. I am happy to have finished it finally, overall I am quite pleased with the outcome. Please feel free to review and PM, you know the deal. I will gather ideas for new stories as the days go on and I hope I can better myself even more with time.

Happy Writing,

~Eliana