I got inspiration from reading other author's books! Credits to SWTCApplePie and @/plutosmoon on Tumblr for the headcanon.

***

In the entire history of the Jedi Order, Anakin was sure that there had never been a worse case of mortifying humiliation. Being given a seat on the Jedi High Council, and not receiving the title of Master? It was outrageous. It was unfair. Besides, he had been personally appointed by the Supreme Chancellor. No other Jedi had even come close to receiving that honor. Speaking of Palpatine, Anakin's mood quickly spiraled. The man he had trusted, confided in ever since he arrived, had been the very villain the Order had been looking for. A Sith Lord. The Sith Lord.

The Knight sat quietly on his Council seat, staring blankly into the distance, watching the rapidly setting Coruscanti sun. He still couldn't wrap his head around the cruelty of the situation. Palpatine was the one pulling the strings on the puppet; he was the one who had caused and still caused, to this day, millions of deaths to keep himself in power. He was the one who had pushed the Senate in favor of executing Ahsoka. They'd nearly succeeded. Everything the Chancellor had ever promised Anakin was a lie. He'd sworn that Padmé could be saved.

But Padmé...

She was so close to her due date; the baby would come any day now. Anakin couldn't risk losing either of them. He couldn't afford to lose anybody else he loved. Those promises were just so enticing.

There is almost a one hundred percent chance that he's lying! The logical part of his brain argued heatedly.

But I can't let Padmé die! His illogical side countered.

Palpatine has complicated ulterior motives that you shouldn't meddle in! Once your first wrong move is made, all hell breaks loose.

(A/N: I wanted to write, "Palpatine is a manipulative little shit-")

Anakin didn't notice it, but as his mental war raged on, a lone tear dripped down his face. If he'd looked at his reflection, he would've seen flickers of yellow dancing in his eyes. The decision between his logic-based conscience and emotionally-driven desire finally relented, as one side came out victorious.

He was going to see the Chancellor.

***

Upon arriving at the Palpatine's office, however, Anakin was greeted by a sight he would never forget. Mace Windu was the only Jedi out of the original four who remained, glowering at the vicious Sith as he blocked the relentless Force lightning.

Both sensed his arrival.

"Anakin, it is what I feared!" Palpatine whimpered, pouncing on the opportunity as he played himself as a weak, powerless old man. "The Jedi are taking over!"

"Skywalker, don't listen to him! He's too dangerous to be kept alive!" Mace shouted back, amethyst blade quivering under the sheer strength of the Sith Lightning.

Anakin's thoughts launched themselves once more into a heated debate, running thousands of miles per second as his previous state of mental conflict clashed violently within him. The Chancellor didn't really care for him; he was simply a tool in Palpatine's lust for power. It was a hard slap to his already bruised face. On the other hand, the promise of being able to save his Angel from certain death was too great to avoid.

"He must live! He will stand trial before the Senate for his crimes." Anakin yelled back.

"He is a Sith Lord! The Senate has undoubtedly already been brainwashed by his manipulation and he needs to die!" Mace roared. He trudged forward, fully intent on killing Palpatine. As the Jedi Master was about to deliver the killing blow, another blade joined the fray. A luminescent blue enveloped the Chancellor's office, accompanied by a low hum as Anakin screamed, "NO!"

"Anakin, stop!"

Skywalker's eyes widened in shock. Windu and Palpatine's eyes shot sparks at one another before turning their heads to the source of the sound.

Ahsoka Tano stood in the doorway, deep cerulean eyes glittering with shock. "What were you thinking?"

"I- I-" Anakin probed his mind for a logical explanation – any logical explanation. He could not find one.

"It doesn't longer matter," she answered, striding towards him. The Togruta was well aware of the marriage between her old master and Senator Amidala. She knew that Anakin saw the Chancellor as a father figure and often confided in him.

Palpatine was a clever man, she knew. Whichever dark deed Anakin had almost committed was the result of his now distorted view of the Jedi Order, daunting dreams of Padmé dying in childbirth and other seeds of the dark side sowed in him. Ahsoka knew that each death of those he loved pushed him further down the road of no return. Qui-Gon. His mother. He would do anything to keep Padmé safe, even if it meant turning the Dark Side for unreliable advice. It all made sense. This was Sidious's ingenious plan all along; to deem Anakin as his new Sith apprentice. Every time Palpatine gave the Chosen One advice, he was half a step closer to succeeding.

"Close your eyes, Anakin," she urged, placing a hand over them to stop him from seeing the triggering sight before them. His mind was in a state of hysteria; disheveled thoughts pounding through his head. "Breathe." 

Anakin's grip on his lightsaber loosened before it fell to the ground, a reverberating clatter echoing through the office. Skywalker felt his sister send gentle waves of tranquility through their Force bond.

"That's it," Ahsoka encouraged, "you're doing great." Then, she sent Mace a nod look over Anakin's head. "Do it," she seemed to say. With a newfound spark of hope, Windu pushed on.

With her help, Anakin blurred out his violent surroundings. He focused on all of his deepest memories with those he loved.

Meeting Qui-Gon.
Meeting Padmé.
Winning the Podrace.
Leaving Tatooine.
Becoming Obi-Wan's apprentice.
He and his Angel's first kiss.
Marriage proposal.
Becoming a fully-fledged Jedi Knight.
Meeting Ahsoka.
Becoming her best friend.
The Order's betrayal.
Her departure.
Padmé's pregnancy announcement.

He couldn't ask for a better group of close friends. Anakin's stiff posture relaxed as he held onto Ahsoka, his Light that kept him from falling from the ways of the Jedi he held dear.

The Togruta, meanwhile, rested her chin on the top of his head while watching the deadly duel between Palpatine and Windu play out. To her excitement, the Jedi Master seemed to be winning. Disillusioned as she was with the Order, Ahsoka firmly believed that the secretive reign of the Sith needed to end. The Togruta observed each Force user's fighting style.

Sidious seemed to believe he had the advantage. With his never-ending fury, he lashed out at the leader of the Jedi Order with violent bolts of Force lightning. He didn't think he needed a lightsaber to win this fight. It was over for Windu -- or so he believed.

Palpatine, however, had underestimated Windu's rage, nor did he realize the form the Master had mastered. In Sidious's eagerness to defeat the Jedi, he paid little attention to his opponent's fighting style. So confident that his Force lightning would overpower him, Palpatine did not realize that Mace used Form VII, Juyo. Also known as Vaapad, Form VII treaded precariously on the thin line between the Light and the Dark, often harnessing the Dark Side and returning it to the user.

Mace knew he had to end this. If it were any other outcome, the Sith would wreak havoc across the galaxy. He focused the immense amount of Dark Side energy Sidious shed -- namely, the powerful bolts of Force lightning -- back at him.

Deflecting Force lightening?

An idea suddenly came to mind. Instead of letting the lightning course through his hands, to the lightsaber and back, what if it hit someplace more vulnerable? Say, his heart? A devilish smirk that hasn't been seen on Mace Windu's face for decades showed. The Jedi Master anticipated Sidious's next blow and-

Just as the lightning clashed against his vivd purple blade, Mace angled it downwards ever-so-slightly, striking Palpatine right on his heart.

The Sith Lord's heinous yellow eyes bulged out of his head. He'd been so drunk on the feeling of unlimited power, that he had not foreseen the change in game-play. His own power backfired, electrocuting him right where he was weakest. Just before Sidious's eyes rolled back, he stared at Mace in surprise.

I did it. I killed Sidious.

For good measure, when Windu made sure that the Sith was well and truly dead, he plunged his amethyst blade into his heart, leaving a gaping, sizzling hole.

The Jedi Master breathed heavily. He'd just finished a Sith Lord. He needed to inspect the damage. As he turned to leave, however, he caugh sight of former Padawan Tano, keeping Skywalker sane, whispering comforting words into his ear.

Ahsoka must have felt him look at her. The fight was over. The immense relief shone on her face. The largest threat to the security of the galaxy had just been elimnated. She had never liked the dark-skinned Master, but what he'd just done earned her begrudging respect. The Togruta sent a small, tired smile towards Mace, who returned it.

Before exiting the room, Windu turned around. "Thank you for playing a large part in the safety of the galaxy... Ahsoka."

***

Anakin found Ahsoka standing on the balcony of their old shared dorm, gazing at the lovely Coruscant view with a wistful look in her breathtaking blue eyes. She had undoubtedly felt his presence approach but made no remark. As he leaned his forearms against the railing next to her, neither said a word, simply enjoying the other's company.

"So you're leaving?" Anakin asked softly after a while, melancholy weaved into his voice. He was already dreading the answer. "Again?"

Ahsoka turned away, her final moments in the Order flashing before her eyes.

"They're asking you back, Ahsoka... I'm asking you back."

"I'm sorry Master... but I'm not coming back.

***

"Ahsoka! Ahsoka, wait, I need to talk to you!... Why, are you doing this?"

"The Council didn't trust me. So how can I trust myself?"

"What about me? I believed in you, I stood by you!"

"I know you believe in me Anakin, and I'm grateful for that. But this isn't about you. I can't stay here any longer... not now."

"The Jedi Order is your life! You can't just throw it away like this! Ahsoka, you are making a mistake."

"Maybe. But I need to sort this out on my own. Without the Council... and without you."

"I understand... more than you realize. I understand, wanting to walk away from the Order."

"I know."

***

She couldn't look him in the eyes. She'd hurt him once; she couldn't bear to hurt him again. "I- I am," she answered quietly, voice cracking. "I have to."

"After all that you've done for us? For me?"

"You're the closest person I have to family here," she said softly, "but it-it's not that simple. I love you Anakin, I truly do, but I can't stay here. Not anymore."

"You don't know what happened to us the last time you left," he pleaded. "There are people who care for you! Master Plo, the 501st... me? Please don't leave us again, Ahsoka. We are your family."

"You don't understand, Anakin," she choked out. "I- I can't stay here. The Jedi Order is no longer my home. And besides... Once everything returns to normal, you won't need me, Skyguy."

Anakin's heart clenched violently at the use of his old nickname. He looked down, in a desperate attempt to hide his sorrow, to hide his own tears.

The Togruta turned away from her mentor slowly, feeling her heart shatter more with every step she took as she walked away from her dear friend. As she sunk deeper into her memories thoughts, one that permanently etched in her mind resurfaced. This was all awfully familiar to her.

Too familiar.

She'd walked down these very steps that fateful day many years ago, but this time, Anakin did not follow. Ahsoka Tano felt another more beam of light in his heart fade, consumed by darkness.

***

HAPPY MAY THE FOURTH!
- jazzy 💙🤍🧡