Maul thrashed through vines and trees like a hot knife through butter, swearing under his breath as he did so. In reality, he knew it was not the Togruta's fault she'd seen that. His anger didn't care either way, it only cared that she'd seen him in such a pitiful state. Maul's pride had taken a massive blow, and his relationship with his accomplice had now become much more intimate- a secret only known to his brother had now been shared.

Why did the Force show her that? To spite me for my wrongdoings? Maul mused bitterly, slashing away at the vegetation. If it were anyone else who discovered his secret, he'd killed them on the spot. Damn her, Maul cursed. None of his options fared well. He couldn't stay, out of sheer disgust for her pity towards him. He wouldn't allow it. Worst of all, he couldn't leave her. Logically, it would be the best option, but the thought of leaving made his body scream out against it. Damn her to hell, he cursed again.

It became painfully obvious to him that Ahsoka was special, not only objectively speaking, but special to him personally. He was absolutely and thoroughly infatuated with her, and no longer trying to deceive himself. I wanted to tell her everything, everything except that memory. Maul slashed through a tree and let out a wail full of frustration.

Maul was not only upset by her seeing his innermost thoughts, but also at his own vision- one he would never share with Ahsoka, which gave him even more reason to distance himself from her. He lied for the first time to her. In his vision, he found her again on Tatooine. Only this time, she carried a small squalling child in her arms, cooing and consoling its high pitched cries. It was pink skinned, with blue eyes like hers. The vision was brief before he shut himself off from the Force, refusing to see more. So, she's destined to be a mother… How 'Jedi way' of her, he thought bitterly. To Maul, he felt that the Force had insulted him twice- once from embarrassment, and once from envy. Of what he was envious of, he tried to shut out of his mind. Am I really so stupid and selfish to expect the child to have horns and red skin? The Togruta is disgusted by me, a monster in her very words, half of a man who couldn't even offer her the joy of holding a child… She is my accomplice in destroying Sidious, nothing more, and here I am yearning for her like an adolescent, he scolded himself harshly, feeling disgusted. She deserves so much more than myself.

Eventually, Maul tired of slashing through the forest and of his own thoughts. It had been two sleepless nights of smoldering rage, and he'd finally hit a wall. Maul set up a small fire and laid beside it, watching the stars and moons above. He waited irritably in his own limbo, torn between staying away and being beside the Togruta. I must not give and return, she will seek me out herself- and when she does, it will be interesting to hear what she has to say, he decided. Maul closed his eyes, but sleep did not come to him that night.

xxx

"His ship is still here, but I haven't had any contact with him," Ahsoka explained tiredly to Master Yoda. It had been three days since he'd stalked off into the woods, and she'd hadn't heard or seen any sign of him since. The previous night, she'd even searched for him in the Force, but found nothing but the vague rage which was typical of Maul. He was clearly shielding himself from her, and she did not push the bond further.

"If he wanted to leave permanently, he would have gone by now- but he made it clear he did not want me to seek him out." Maul was extra clear of that, she thought to herself. Whether or not it was a warning to keep her away or a genuine promise, she was determined to find out. She worried about Maul- not so much physically, as she was confident he could defend himself from anything, but worried in other ways. If he doesn't want to leave, and he doesn't want me to find him, what the hell am I supposed to do? Stay in limbo forever?

"Odd his behavior is, conflict I sense," said Yoda.

"Me too… I have to see him," she decided reluctantly.

"No, Ahsoka. Dangerous this is. His ship you must take and return to Tatooine; finish Maul myself I will."

"No! We agreed not to harm one another, I will not allow you to kill him!" Ahsoka cried hastily.

"Your destiny belongs on Tatooine, Mauls is not."

"I do not belong on Tatooine wasting away while the galaxy is tormented by Sidious and Anakin!"

"Important your role is, yet you do not see," Yoda scolded her. Ahsoka scoffed exasperatedly.

"Master, you confuse me."

"Ahsoka, a mission there is on Tatooine. Confidential it is, from Maul this information must be kept. Vital to the galaxy this is," Yoda confided in her vaguely. Ahsoka looked at him in curiosity, wondering what was so important. Is he talking about my plan with Rex? No, he would not be so worried about telling me more information if so.

"Please tell me, and I will do as you wish. This secret is safe with me. I must help in restoring balance to the Force."

"Leave Maul you must. Through the bond will this be compromised. Kill him we must if I am to tell you."

"I will not leave or kill Maul," Ahsoka gritted firmly. Yoda's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Then to Tatooine you must never go again."

"I must see Rex again," she protested.

"Then kill Maul you must."

"No, I will not murder him, especially not now," she gritted out firmly. Yoda and Ahsoka had reached an impasse, one that would not be mediated.

"Attached you have grown," he noted. Ahsoka did not argue, and only bowed her head as an answer to Yoda's accusation.

"There is good in him, I believe."

"Good, or only the appearance of good?" Yoda countered. Ahsoka shook her head, unsure herself for certain, but something in her confirmed it.

"I believe there is good in him," she repeated finally. "I have to see him." Ahsoka said her goodbyes to Yoda, and quickly made her way out into the swamps. Surely he's cooled down enough by now, she hoped, although knowing Maul, this was unlikely. She could still sense his negativity in the Force, and followed it as it grew stronger. I'm getting closer with every step. How should I talk to him? As Ahsoka walked, she thought carefully about how she would reconcile with Maul.

Several minutes passed until she spotted him meditating in a clearing. He looked peaceful, but his Force signature proved otherwise. Surely he knows I'm here. Ahsoka padded out into the opening of the field, her footsteps growing louder and louder. Maul's hearts beat rapidly. He was excited that she'd come, yet tense with anticipation, and conflicted over his anger towards the situation.

"Maul," Ahsoka murmured quietly, announcing herself- which was obsolete, as Maul sensed her presence from the campsite. He sensed her everywhere and all the time in fact, and painfully so.

"Leave," he growled viciously.

"I can't leave you out here any longer."

"I disagree."

"If you don't plan to leave, and don't want to speak to me about it, what am I supposed to do with myself? Are we going to stay on Dagobah for the rest of eternity?" Why are you so stubborn? She thought, hoping it reached him. If it did, he gave no sign.

"Since you seem to push every boundary I set before you, I'll give you one last reminder- If you take another step towards me, it'll be the last thing you do," snarled Maul, his amber eyes piercing into her blue ones. He might kill me for this, she thought. Ahsoka glared back at him defiantly, and took the biggest step she could towards him.

"We never dueled like we planned the night Yoda arrived," she noted, avoiding the subject of the vision altogether. Maul's red saber thrummed from its sheath, his eyes narrowing.

"Very well," he growled.

"I don't want to fight you to the death," Ahsoka started, drawing her lightsaber, "But it's more exciting than being cooped up with Master Yoda for three days straight."

"May the afterlife be ever so exciting," he hissed, lunging forward and crashing his red saber against hers. Ahsoka's feet slid backwards from the sheer force of it, but she held on strongly. I'm weaker than when we last battled, she thought. Uh oh. Meanwhile, Maul slashed viciously at her. Ahsoka deflected each blow, but knew gaining the offensive position would prove difficult. He pushed her back several feet, where she flipped backwards onto a tree limb nearby. Are we dueling, or is he really going to kill me?

"Retreating so soon?" he taunted her, slashing into the base of the trunk.

"No, I'm not leaving this clearing without you," Ahsoka said firmly, leaping down from the tree and parrying his blow. She caught him off guard, and flung him several feet backwards. Maul growled, and quickly met her next move. His anger was boiling over. Anger at Sidious. Anger at Obi Wan. Anger at his decade in exile. Angry at his brother's murder. Angry at Ahsoka, for her knowing, and for her lie to help him in the past.

"What do you want from me?" snapped Maul, his eyes piercing into hers.

"I want to go back to how it was, and continue our mission in defeating Sidious. Isn't that what you want too?" Ahsoka replied hastily before slipping underneath Maul's legs and standing behind him in a defensive stance.

"Yes, but your intrusions and your pity were not part of the bargain," he snapped, landing a heavy blow against her saber. Good, he's talking about it- progress from him leaving immediately. Ahsoka dug her feet into the mud as he pushed her back.

"I would never intrude on or pity you," Ahsoka replied sincerely.

"Liar!" Maul seethed, striking at her even harder.

"I'm not!" Ahsoka yelled at him. At this point, Maul had grown tired of dueling. His rage had reached a pinnacle. He savagely struck at her saber, flinging it several feet away from her. In the same stroke, he kicked the wind out of Ahsoka's lungs and force choked her into the air. He held her painfully tight but not hard enough to where she was suffocating. Ahsoka yelped, and clawed futilely at her throat.

"Maul… stop!" she choked.

"Look me in the eyes and tell me you speak the truth," Maul snarled. He pulled her closer until her face was mere inches away from his. Ahsoka did so, eyeing him deeply. She could feel his exhale on her face, and feel the heat radiating off his body.

"I would never pity you," she croaked, tears beginning to well in her eyes. She grabbed his hand gently, waves of warmth and light flowing through her and into his cesspool of rage. I'm crushing her windpipe and she gives me her hand like this. I truly am quite the monster, he thought bitterly to himself. He suddenly felt ashamed, his anger reducing to a low simmer. Maul's grip on her loosened, but still held her firmly. Her feet met the ground, her eyes gazing into his burning ones. Maul looked like a dog that had been kicked, looking back at her like he was awaiting another blow. Only she knew it would never come, at least not from her.

"Never," she gasped, his grip slipping from her even more.

"Why should I believe you? You've lied to me before, the night I asked you to help me. That night."

"I never lied."

"A lie about lying? Tsk tsk, Lady Tano," he bit out sarcastically.

"I never lied," repeated Ahsoka. She could tell this had been on his mind for quite some time, stewing quietly until the moment arose where he could confront her without repercussions.

"You promised to join me, and then refused me. Why?"

"My promise was true, I was going to help you until you threatened Anakin," she explained. "I never lied to you, and that's why I'm with you now." Maul's grip slipped completely, the pair staring back at each other in trepidation. He seemed soothed by that answer, but still tense altogether.

"Why did you ask me to let you die before we captured you?" she asked tentatively. Maul's eyes welled, and he looked away from her bashfully.

"Do you think a monster like me would have any reason to live anymore if my revenge was taken from me? After what I experienced, after all that was taken from me? Do you not see that your help is vital to the meaning of my existence in throwing down my master?"

"You are not a monster, you never were supposed to be... I refuse to believe that is the only meaning to your life," Ahsoka choked, her eyes tearing up with sympathy. "I am so sorry." Maul reigned in his tears, silently listening to her but avoiding eye contact.

"I… I only wish I could have helped you, is all. I wish you never had to experience… any of that," Ahsoka replied as tactfully as she could. Maul's eyes burned into her.

"You can help me now, by never speaking again of what transpired. You can help me by killing my master, who sensed full well where I was and left me to rot. You can help me now by giving me the revenge I so rightfully deserve," Maul breathed raggedly.

"I will help you," she whispered, holding out her hand to him. Maul looked at her in painfully serenity, holding out his hand to her as they did on Mandalore. This time, he knew she was not lying. Her hand felt small and warm in his, and a part of him longed to hold that hand for the rest of his life.

"Thank you," he breathed. Ahsoka smiled back at him.

"Well, now that you're done trying to kill me, can we get back to camp? I'm sure you're starving. Do Zabraks have two stomachs as well?" she joked lightheartedly.

"I wasn't even trying to kill you," Maul retorted, ignoring her other comment.

"Sure, keep telling yourself that."

"I will the next time I crush your windpipe."

"You wouldn't dare. Well, on second thought, remind me to cover my throat the second Sidious dies," laughed Ahsoka.

"Oh, how I'd love to choke you out before then if it would shut you up."

"Whatever you say, Maul," Ahsoka teased. She felt the irritation bubbling inside him, and quickly put a hand in his as they walked back to camp. The gesture made Maul's hearts skip a beat, and he tried his best to shield the satisfaction from her the best he could.

"Just let go when we get to Yoda's, I don't want him getting any ideas" she muttered.

"People will say we're in love,"(1) Maul added sarcastically.

"Gross," Ahsoka muttered, but her lekku flushed a slight shade of purple.

Silence of the Lambs reference.

Hope everyone is enjoying it; I'm currently down with potential Covid so updates may be overly frequent or nonexistent over the next week or so. Planning on friendship, a chance encounter with Vader, some jealousy, reuniting with Rex, and eventual smut in near future. Stay tuned!