AhsokaGrangerSnips tysm for requesting this I'm so excited to make myself sad about it

Why us? Ahsoka thought to herself as she kneeled on the ground, barely ten feet away from the cliff that one of them would inevitably have to jump off of. Why would they send us?

But she knows exactly why- it's painfully obvious as she tilts her head to the side, taking in the sight of Anakin, his fists clenched as he glares at nothing and no one in particular.

It had to be them because they're the ones who care too much.

About the clones.

About their family.

About each other.

Both of them care when they know they're not supposed to, but they can't help it. They're so alike that it hurts to think about the fact that one of them must die in order to save everything.

A small price to pay for the sake of the whole galaxy.

Selfishly, they both think of what would happen if they don't follow the rules that the cloaked figure had given them. If they both walk away from Vormir together.

They both know that they can't.

"What you seek lies in front of you. As does what you fear," the cloaked man spoke.

"The stone's down there," Ahsoka stated confidently, her eyes focused on the space at the bottom of the drop. It's far down- easily enough to kill someone.

She doesn't like where this is going.

"For one of you," the man continues. "For the other..."

Anakin steps forward, inhaling slightly as he sees the height that they are at.

"In order to take the stone, you must lose that which you love. An everlasting exchange. A soul... for a soul."

The words are echoing in both of their minds as Anakin begins to pace back and forth, muttering about how this man is probably making it up.

Ahsoka can't bear to make eye contact with him. She'd just gotten him back, how could the universe be so cruel as to split them apart again?

She had been the only one able to get through to him after he became a killer as the result of Padme, Luke, and Leia's disappearance after the snap. The twins were barely even a year old, and they had already been taken from him.

Ahsoka feared what would happen once she was taken from him too.

'Once', not 'if', she thinks to herself.

Because it had to be her. 

She would rather it be her.

She refuses to let Anakin die.

Ahsoka assures him that it has to be true. All the evidence points toward it. He knows it, and so does she.

One of them will not be leaving this place.

There is no sound other than the frequent breeze that blows Anakin's hair over his face. Ahsoka's eyes bore into the ground.

She knows that he won't let it be her.

After all the horrible things that he's done to avenge his family, she knows that he wants it to be him.

She knows that he's the one who deserves it.

But that doesn't matter to her. She isn't going to let him die.

"Whatever it takes," she whispers, unsure if it's to herself or to Anakin.

"Whatever it takes," he echoes. Ahsoka's eyes find his. He knows that she wants to sacrifice herself.

She knows that he won't let her go without a fight.

"If we don't get that stone... billions of people are going to stay dead," she reminds him.

Anakin's breaths are light and fast as he stares into her eyes, brows furrowed. He turns away from her.

"Then I guess we both know who it's gotta be," he says, his throat tight.

"I guess we do," Ahsoka repeats.

Anakin's gaze is quick to find her gloved hand, pressing his palm up against hers as he squeezes it tightly.

Ahsoka covers their clasped hands with her other one, both of them raising their eyes from their entwined hands to look each other in the eye.

This is the end, and they both know it.

The pain in Ahsoka's face is enough for Anakin to speak again.

"I'm starting to think that we mean different people here, Ahsoka." 

He wants it to be him.

He needs it to be him.

"The last five years I've been trying to do one thing- get to right here. That's all it's been about. Bringing everybody back," she says, leaning closer to him with each sentence to emphasize the importance.

"Oh, don't you get all decent on me now," Anakin all but spits back, his eyes never blinking.

"What, you think I wanna do it? I'm tryna save your life, you idiot," she insists.

"Yeah, well I don't want you to. Because, I- Ahsoka, you know what I've done. You know what I've become." His voice is hard, yet soft. Low, not even a whisper.

He nods his head, sadly smiling down at her.

She's close enough to see the tears in his eyes, to hear the way his voice catches in his throat as he speaks to her.

"I don't judge people on their worst mistakes," she answers, swallowing down her own tears because this is no time for crying.

Anakin's eyes flick down to their hands once again. He can feel her shaking as they both stare into each other again.

"Maybe you should."

"You didn't." Ahsoka blinks, pretending that she doesn't feel the tear that drops down her cheek against her will.

Anakin knows she's referring to the way that she had walked away from the order- from him. She knows that he had been right as he pleaded with her on those steps all those years ago, that it had been a mistake.

"You're a pain in my ass, you know that?"

Ahsoka nods, holding his gaze for a moment before she lets her eyes close, leaning forward to gently press her forehead against his.

Anakin meets her in the middle, closing his eyes as well as they breathe together, leaning against one another. He can feel her shuddering breaths on his face, and he knows she can feel his as well.

And it's just them for a moment.

An 'us' that will soon become a 'her', Anakin thinks to himself. 

Because she's his best friend.

Because she's all he has left.

Because he's not going to let her die.

Anakin is the first to pull away.

"Okay," he states, watching her eyes open. "You win."

And with that, he smirks, kicking her legs out from underneath her, pinning her to the ground.

"Tell my family I love them," he says, turning his head toward the cliff.

Ahsoka is quick to tackle him right back, shoving him to the rocky surface, her ignited lightsaber pointed at his neck.

"Tell them yourself," she replies, shoving the blade into his robotic arm. The force of it electrocutes him for a few seconds.

A few seconds which Ahsoka uses to her advantage, running frantically towards the cliff.

But Anakin is fast, shoving a rock into her path with the force, causing her to trip and stumble to the ground.

Anakin heaves himself up, sprinting towards the ledge. His eyes lock on hers for a moment, before he refocuses his attention.

And he jumps.

But Ahsoka is close behind him.

She latches herself onto him as they both begin to fall, hooking the end of her grappling hook to his belt as she shoots it to the surface.

They slam into the wall, and Ahsoka slips, holding onto Anakin by just his metal hand.

"Damn you," he mutters, realizing what she's done.

Ahsoka stares up at him, her fingers already slipping from his grasp as the wire tightens with their combined weight. Anakin reaches for her other hand, knowing that it's useless.

Only one of them is making it out of here. 

They lock eyes, swinging for a few moments.

"Let me go," she says softly, her tone gentle, calm. Anakin's tears drip onto her face as she hangs below him.

"No, please, no," he whispers back, shaking his head.

"It's okay," Ahsoka speaks reassuringly, like a mother to her upset child. Her voice cracks, and she's not even sure if Anakin can hear it.

His iron grip only strengthens.

"Please-"

But before he can get another sentence out, Ahsoka is swinging herself back, kicking off of the wall.

The strength of the kick sends her flying from his grasp.

And she is falling as Anakin screams, turning his head frantically, searching for some way to save her.

But as soon as he looks down, she is already lying there, sprawled out on the cold stone.

Dead.

Anakin sobs.

THIS MADE ME CRY TO WRITE CUZ THIS SCENE BREAKS MY HEART EVERY TIME I WATCH IT.

(dialogue is not original, this is a rewrite from avengers endgame)

Alrighty, have a good night and- ah, you know the drill by now.