Anakin Skywalker had a shadow and he hated it.
It was some kid scarily good at suppressing his Force and sneaking through shadows. Anakin scarcely caught sight of him but he could always feel him watching with those judging and knowing eyes.
In the few glimpses Anakin had caught of him he was a tiny thing with shaggy bright red haired, padawan braid tucked behind his ear, reaching down to his shoulder. He always wore his initiate robes, bundled up in them, those jaded green eyes glaring at Anakin over the neckline of his robes.
He told a few people about his little stalker.
Chancellor Palpatine chuckled.
Ahsoka guffawed.
Padmé giggled.
Rex snickered.
And Obi-Wan laughed.
None of them took him seriously and honestly if someone tried to do the same he wouldn't take them very seriously ever.
"An admirer, perhaps?" Palpatine suggested.
"Maybe he's studying you to make sure he doesn't grow up to be like you?" Ahsoka joked.
"Have you got yourself a little fan?" Padmé teased.
"I mean you are the Hero Without Fear," Rex shrugged, "Wouldn't be a surprise to me if younglings dare each other to get close to you."
"Younglings are curious," Obi-Wan rationalized, "You certainly were."
These were all valid explanations but...not one felt right. The way the boy followed Anakin around, the way he stalked and studied him. It was all predatory. Anakin felt...frigid fear seep into his bones every time he could feel that gaze on him.
. .
Anakin had tried to confront the boy a great many times but every time Anakin made it apparent he knew he was there the boy suddenly wasn't. And whenever Anakin would come upon the boy in passing at the temple the moment he'd step towards him the boy would vanish. Finally there came a time when Anakin was unalone when encountering the boy.
He was with another youngling which meant he wouldn't be able to just slip away. Anakin was pretty sure the other boy was of Mace's lineage? He wasn't certain though...
"There!" Anakin jabbed a finger at the boy, "Him! That's the kid!"
The boy turned, looking the picture of innocence. He pointed at himself with big, adorable, deceptive green eyes.
"Oh my Force," The other boy looked to him in awe, "That's General Skywalker..." He excitedly shook Anakin's stalker.
"General," The redhead called innocently, "Is something the matter?"
Anakin impulsively stomped over to the boys.
"Anakin," Obi-Wan's tone was one of warning.
"Why the kriff do you keep stalking me, kid?" He demanded.
"Stalking?" The redhead looked confused and startled and hurt. He cocked his head to the side, tears pricking in his eyes.
This little faker! Anakin was almost impressed by his acting.
"Anakin!" Obi-Wan hissed.
"Are you accusing my Padawan of something, Skywalker?" A cool voice sounded as a familiar man rounded a corner, approaching the group.
Quinlan Vos' perpetually lax expression was uncharcteristically hard, eyes cold.
"I may have known you since you were a kid but if you're bothering my Padawan I won't hesitate to put you on your ass, Chosen One or otherwise."
Anakin floundered.
"I, um, nevermind," He squinted at the redhead who maintained his composure and innocent façade, "I must've been mistaken...apologies, initiate," He dipped his head in apology.
"Oh, that's alright, sir!" The boy chirped.
Anakin grit his teeth and turned swiftly, Obi-Wan looking to him, unamused, as they walked off. Those eyes...Anakin could still feel those eyes burning into him. Anakin spared a glance behind him to see Quinlan sheepishly apologizing for him before beginning to regale the two boys with a story. The brunette was deeply enraptured in the story but the other boy had his gaze on Anakin. No one was paying attention to him then save for Anakin...so his lips twitched into a condescending smirk, green eyes shining with malice and mischief.
Anakin exhaled sharply, annoyance growing. At least now he had a lead of sorts...the boy was Quinlan's Padawan.
. .
Anakin managed to get some information out of Obi-Wan about the boy.
"His name is Cal Kestis," Obi-Wan informed him, "He's...a special case."
"Like me special or prodigy special?" Anakin wondered.
"Neither," Obi-Wan said, "He did not join the Order late nor is he particularly exceptional compared to his peers. He is special in that he has psychometry."
"Psychometry?" Anakin repeated, tone rising at the end indicating his curiosity.
"Anakin, honestly, do you not remember any of our lessons?" Obi-Wan teased, "Psychometry is a rare ability in which certain individuals can divine information about the past from an object."
"Oh, right," Anakin nodded, "Quinlan can do that too, right?"
"Yes, which is why Cal was made his Padawan."
"He's a bit young, no?"
"He's twelve right now, so yes a bit young," Obi-Wan nodded, "He was meant to become Jaro Topal's Padawan and receive additional lessons with Quinlan but there was a disturbance in the Force and Master Yoda decided Quinlan would be a better permanent master."
"What kind of disturbance?" Anakin frowned.
"Psychometry is an ability of which we know frighteningly little," Obi-Wan sighed, "The only ones who can truly comprehend it are those who have it and sadly in the history of the Jedi those with psychometry often have fractured minds."
"You mean in the past it was mostly them who fell?" Anakin surmised.
"Sometimes," Obi-Wan sighed, "But they fell in others ways too, their minds would fracture under the weight of the pass and many just simply ceased. I don't know what happened to Cal to push forward the timeline of him becoming a Padawan or what brought about the change in his Master, I don't even know if Yoda truly knows but...he seems to be stable under Quinlan's tutorage."
Anakin nodded. Obi-Wan left not long after that, Anakin alone with his thoughts. He wondered...just what could Cal have seen to have resulted in him being so relentless in his observation of him.
Anakin slowly became able to ignore Cal...until Obi-Wan died.
. .
Anakin had just finished attending Obi-Wan's funeral. The sorrow of everyone's Force was all encompassing. The sobs of Satine perpetually played in his ears. The touches of his beloved wife felt a thousand worlds away.
The worst of it...was Ahsoka. He caught her so often looking to her hands...hands Obi-Wan's life had slipped through. He couldn't even console her, couldn't combat her guilt with assurances that it truly wasn't her fault he was so angry at his loss. He was so wrapped up in his own grief and tragedy she had no one to turn to but Plo, which was fine, of course but she shouldn't been able to turn to him, he failed her, he wasn't there for her.
Anakin was so wrapped up in agony and anger...and then he felt Cal.
He had never felt the boy's Force before, he always kept his Force to himself. He kept it locked up tight in his heart. But now though...his Force was reaching out to Anakin.
Anakin flinched as Cal's Force washed over him. His Force felt warm and comforting. Which Anakin hated, he didn't want comfort. Cal's Force felt perfectly balanced with plenty of Light and Dark in equal measure. Anakin didn't pay that any mind though, all he could focus on...was that Cal's Force felt nothing.
Emotion could be conveyed in one's Force and in Cal's...there was nothing. No grief for Obi-Wan, no anger, no sadness, there wasn't even a hint that he felt something for Obi-Wan's death.
That caused Anakin to snap.
He grabbed Cal by the forearm, dragging him into an abandoned classroom, throwing him a few paces away. The boy went stumbling backward.
"How dare you!" Anakin snarled, eyes wild, rage palpable, "How dare you continue messing with me when that just happened! I lost him and you don't care in the slightest!"
He could only imagine how this looked to an outsider, a Jedi Knight towering over a child and screaming at them. He was sure if someone walked in Cal could plaster a terrified look on his face and Anakin's life could probably be over. In the moment though, he was so upset he couldn't stop shouting.
"You're nothing you hear? Just a stupid little kid!" Anakin was seething, chest rising and falling, eyes blown wide, "Well?!" He snarled.
"There you are," Cal breathed. His eyes were darkening by the second with hatred, "I've been looking for you..." His lips slowly twitched into a smirk, "Couldn't hide your true self forever..."
"Wh...what?" Anakin faltered, anger draining out of him, replaced with confusion, "What're you talking about?"
"I'm talking about what you're meant to become," Cal said coolly, "The only thing you could ever become."
"The Chosen One?" Anakin asked, "Some Chosen One I am," He scoffed, "Can't protect the ones I love..."
"Sure, the Chosen One, that's definitely what I'm talking about," Cal sneered.
"What am I missing here?" Anakin growled.
Cal studied him long and hard, "Where'd he go?" He grumbled under his breath, "Where's that darkness in you, Skywalker?"
Anakin's frown deepened even more.
"Um, Master?" Ahsoka called, popping her head into the room, "Everything okay in here?" His padawan asked, "Your Force's are going...crazy."
"Your Master should learn to See," Cal ignored Anakin completely, looking past him to Ahsoka.
"See?" Anakin asked.
"What in particular should we look into more?" Ahsoka straightened, eyes attentive.
"Hey, wait, are you just ignoring me now?" Anakin put his hands on his hips.
"What happened to Obi-Wan, look closer," Cal said bluntly, "I thought I saw Him," Cal finally looked back to Anakin, "But this is just a son missing his father, boring," He clicked his tongue, Anakin looking offended and confused, "And not at all what I need from you."
He huffed and strode past a confused Anakin and Ahsoka.
"What the kark just happened?" Anakin scoffed in confusion.
"If Cal says to look further into what happened to Obi-Wan's d-death," She stumbled over the words, "I say we do just that."
"You trust him that easily?" Anakin asked, "I didn't even know you knew Cal," He squinted at her.
"Of course I know him," She hummed, "Before his disturbance he and Caleb would come watch me train and sometimes I'd observe their training and give some tips their masters didn't appreciate. And then after his disturbance he's kinda done a lot."
"A lot?" Anakin wondered.
"Well yeah," Ahsoka nodded, "He wanted to help when I was abducted by the Trandoshans so he went to the spot of my abduction and had a vision of who took us. From there I guess he and his master questioned Bossk and he informed them of what moons that particular Trandoshan family typically had their hunts in. That meant you guys were in the area so when our message went out you guys were quick enough to save Kalifa! Um, oh!" She lit up as she remembered something, "Cal ran into, literally, that Krell guy."
"I remember him," Anakin jolted, "The council investigated him and found evidence he wanted to betray the order and serve Dooku."
"Yeah but they only started their investigation because Cal saw a Force Echo of Krell intentionally sacrificing the lives of his troopers so he reported his suspicions to the council."
"Force Echo?"
"'s what Cal calls his psychometry visions," Ahsoka explained, "He and Quinlan also went on a mission together divining the truth of what happened to the enslaved Togruta's thus beginning our assault on Zygeria and freeing my people," She smiled happily.
"So if Cal says there's something more to Obi-Wan's death...?"
"That means there's something more," Ahsoka said confidently.
Yeah, turns out that something was that Obi-Wan wasn't dead at all.
Anakin was beyond relieved but was angry now for a whole new reason. Obi-Wan and the council hadn't trusted him with the truth so he was angry at that, he was angry at himself for not sensing the deception, resolving to keep a look out for similar plots in the future and he was even angry at the chancellor for being a public figure whose life was perpetually at risk because it led to Anakin's master's fabricated death.
. .
Knowing now how much Cal had done for others before he began to see his touch and influence everywhere.
When Ahsoka was suddenly plagued by nightmares of Echo and the Force guided her to Skako Minor, the Padawan and her Master (and a rambunctious team called the Bad Batch) finding and saving their friend he suspected Cal.
When the witch's of Dathomir reached out to them seeking their assistance with an imminent threat of Grievous lording over them Anakin suspected Cal.
When they went to Onderon Cal followed, his first joint mission with them. When the sister of Saw and friend of Ahsoka (Anakin always refused to even acknowledge Lux) plummeted through the air and a familiar Force cushioned her and lowered her safely to the bottom of the cliff Anakin didn't suspect Cal because it was all out in the open.
When Darth Maul and the Death Watch he had come to rule took over Mandalore and the Senate came to a quick decision to send aid, thus being able to send dozens of troops, promptly saving the duchess' life...Anakin suspected Cal.
When one of the munitions experts who worked in the temple went missing and his wife became the prime suspect and an investigation began in which it was discovered she and Barriss Offee were in cahoots to bomb the temple...Anakin suspected Cal.
Right before Anakin, Ahsoka and the 501st were set to retake a space station in Ringo Vinda's orbit one of his troopers, Tup, was called away for a checkup. When in the checkup they discovered the chip in his head to modify his behavior to make sure he'd be less violent than Jango Fett was damaged (the doctors theorizes friendly fire was high due to its damage and promptly fixed it)...Anakin suspected Cal.
When a highly classified location called Tantiss was discovered, headed by a disgraced officer of the science corps was discovered Anakin suspected Cal.
And when evidence came to light (including a testimonial from the Darth Maul) that Chancellor Palpatine was in league with the Separatists and in fact led them as a Sith Lord...Anakin couldn't help but suspect Cal.
Anakin didn't know how Cal possibly could've been involved with many of these things, honestly he didn't believe he was involved with most of them it was just a feeling he couldn't shake. Plus the secret smirks the boy constantly sent his way didn't help Anakin stop suspecting him.
. .
Today was the best day of Anakin Skywalker's life.
He had told Obi-Wan, Ahsoka, Plo (he didn't want to ask Ahsoka to keep this secret from her father figure any longer) and Rex he was married to Padmé and got a lot of faux surprise back. She said she got similar reactions when telling her senator friends.
Ahsoka passed her knight trial which they celebrated.
With Ahsoka becoming a knight Anakin was granted the rank of Master and was given a seat on the council.
After a night of celebrating his and Ahsoka's achievements with Obi-Wan, Rex, Plo, Bail, Breha and Mon (with the rest of the council crashing their party all of them saying things along the lines of "yeah we all knew you were with Padmé" or "wait, you were trying to keep it a secret?" also crashing the party was Cal and the friend he was seemingly attached at the hip to: Caleb) Padmé clinked her glass of water and announced she was pregnant.
Anakin just about fainted, swaying and almost falling into Obi-Wan's arms. He was too busy whispering sweet nothings to Cody to notice, though, Quinlan thankfully righting Anakin.
"Padmé!" He gushed, rushing to her and pulling her into his arms, hugging her fiercely and spinning her.
"Any guesses as to what it is?" Padmé giggled, "Oh, Chosen One?"
"I may have gotten better at peering into the Force," 'thanks to Cal' went unsaid, "But I don't think I'm that good."
"Any guesses?" Padmé called to the members of their party.
People began calling out guesses and placing bets...and then Cal stepped forward and everyone knew he was about to declare exactly what they would be having.
"Twins," He declared, "A boy and a girl."
"Tw-twins?" Anakin did faint that time, stirring to fond laughter and affectionate eyes.
Anakin suspected he had Cal to thank for all of this...
. .
Cal still followed Anakin often, still kept a weary eye on him, making certain something in Anakin never came out and honesty...it didn't bother Anakin anymore.
He remembered more and more of Mortis as time past...he faintly remembered a vision of a possible future where he fell, he remember how he did fall on that planet. He wondered if Cal had seen that in a Force Echo, maybe he bumped into him once when the boy was invisible to him and he Saw?
If Cal had seen what he became on that planet...Anakin found he didn't mind. In fact if the boy had taken it upon himself to study Anakin and ensure that darkness never came out again he was almost kinda flattered.
Things were good. Things were so good. The world was balance...Anakin was balanced. And more than that? He was really happy.
Anakin Skywalker had a shadow and he wouldn't want things any other way.
Notes:I COULD CRY IM SO UPSET WITH HOW THIS TURNED OUT I DEFINITELY WANTED TO FLESH IT OUT A LOT MORE AND I'LL DEF BE COMING BACK TO THIS FIC TO WRITE MORE (PROB FROM CAL'S POV)
A lot happens off screen in this fic like Cal making sure all the chips are removed from the clones before making his move on Palpatine, etc.
I totally fell in love with this idea and will be rewriting or adding more to this but yeah I just got so inspired and BRO I LOVE THIS FIC SO MUCH
PLS LET US TALK ABOUT IT MORE I WANNA BE EVEN MORE INSPIRED PLS ASK QUESTIONS OR WHATEVER (i have it all planned out sobs i just need to write it now)
I did wanna apologize for any mistakes I didn't get to edit it sobs so yeah anyways i hope you enjoyed this!