Hi again everyone! Hope you're doing okay! Not much to talk about this time, given it's only been four days (update speed so far kind of shows how much procrastination is going on. Love you guys of course and hate to say this, but I need to change that HAHA). I won't hold you guys for too much longer, I'll save it for the end notes!

Here's one for Ahsoka! Enjoy!

FOUR - Ignorance, Yet Knowledge

Ahsoka and Rex circled each other again, fists held high and waiting to strike. Ahsoka scanned her eyes over Rex's form, but it was perfect as always and left her no openings to take advantage of. She knew he was doing the same thing.

Normally, sparring with Rex was full of laughter and snarky remarks when good hits were placed, but Ahsoka couldn't afford the distraction right now. Fighting as her younger self meant that the lean muscle she had gained from years of training was gone, and though she still knew how to work around an opponent with a larger muscle mass, Rex's slightly slower speed was no longer something she could use. Like Ahsoka, he was countering every move she made before she even made it, much to her chagrin.

Rex made the first move this time. Ahsoka darted away at the subtle tense of Rex's upper body, and was well out of the way when his fist swung out. She used her momentum to drop and spin, swiping a foot behind his knees to take him down, but it was predictable, and Rex's footwork was deft and precise. She retracted her leg before he could use it to unbalance her, and was on her feet just in time to throw up a quick flurry of blocks and counterattacks to the jabs flying towards her face and ribs.

Force, Rex wasn't holding back, and each impact rattled her bones in her arms. Knowing she wouldn't be able to keep it up for long, she grabbed onto his upper arm and used it as leverage to get both her feet up, kicking him in the chest and sending them both flying away in opposite directions. She flipped up quickly, and charged forward, hoping to catch Rex still on the floor, but he was already up, so she wrapped her arms around his torso and swung her body weight to the side, throwing them both off balance and sending them crashing to the floor.

Upperhand, upperhand, upperhand, Ahsoka chanted frantically in her mind as they rolled, fighting for the top. It was a risk, bringing the fight to the ground, and she'd pay for it if she couldn't lock him in or get back up quick enough. There was no way she could wrestle with him and win. She came out on top for a split second, and sent a fist to his face. He moved his head with the motion to slow the impact like she had expected, and she came up with her knee pressed to his temple to keep his head to the side. But when his leg came up, swift and with deadly force, Ahsoka was forced to shift to avoid the hit. The kick grazed her ribs, and she grunted with the force of even that.

Then he was on top, working quickly to restrict her limbs. He already had her arms locked, so she swung a leg up above his shoulder and around his neck, forcing him to either push to the side or have his air cut off. She didn't let him choose, and jerked her thigh to the ground, taking his mass with it.

He landed on his side, and Ahsoka made quick work of him, one knee against his neck, another on the small of his back, and an arm twisted behind him. She tapped the back of his head in the perfect spot they both knew would knock him out if she delivered a swift blow. He groaned in defeat, and she grinned.

"I win again," she taunted. Rex made a sound of amused annoyance and reached behind him with his free hand to smack the knee keeping him down.

"Let me up," he grunted. Laughing, she loosened her hold on him and helped him to his feet.

Delightful cheering came from the sidelines, and they turned to see Fives and Echo pumping their fists in the air with glee. Cody, who they had just picked up along with Obi-wan, was standing beside them and had his arms crossed in front of him looking pleased. Ahsoka caught the smirk he was sending to Rex, and she looked back, half with mirth and half with apology. Beaten by a "padawan." He wouldn't be living it down anytime soon.

Ahsoka, though still catching her breath, was buzzing with adrenaline. That felt good, being able to let loose and not have to hold back on each other. Ahsoka had won two out of three rounds, but she knew that if they went for a fourth, his stamina would long outlast hers.

"Hey boys!" She called out, joining them on the sidelines.

"Commander, that was insane!" Echo exclaimed, eyes wide and grinning. "When did that happen?"

"You sure you're not the one fresh out of ARC training sir?" Fives added, elbowing Echo's side who grabbed his arm in excitement.

"Aww no," Ahsoka laughed, wiping the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. "I heard you boys had all the fun without us."

"Not to worry Commander! There'll be plenty of fun when we-" Cody quickly interrupted Fives with a clearing of his throat. Fives suddenly looked sheepish. Never being able to lie even implicitly to save his life, he rubbed the back of his neck, words turning into stutters. "Er… I mean… now that we're back!"

Ahsoka smiled to hide her frown. That was right, she wasn't assigned to the mission on Lola Sayu. Not that it stopped her of course, nor would it stop her this time.

"Looking forward to it Fives! That's if the Captain doesn't end up hogging all of your time." She cast Rex a sly look, who huffed back at her, looking just as exhausted as she felt. If it were just the two of them, he might even have shoved her. Oh well. She guessed it would have been out of character.

"If they've got off time," he told them, crossing his arms in front of him. "ARC or not, you'll remember that all troopers onboard the Resolute pull their weight."

"As if we could forget the KP trauma," Fives grumbled softly.

"You only get KP when you ask for it, Fives," Rex said back.

Cody turned to Ahsoka. "Speaking of off time, General Skywalker and General Kenobi have got some now, and they were looking for you last I checked."

Ahsoka nodded, glancing over at Rex who had unnoticeably tensed up. It'll be fine, she told him with her eyes, tapping the comms on his arm softly. If I need you, I'll comm. Rex nodded.

"Best not to keep them waiting then Commander," he said out loud dismissively, as nothing was wrong. Cody and the ARCs didn't seem to notice anything strange. "Thanks for the spar."

"Well, I'll catch up with you boys later then." She waved at them, heading towards the door. "Not too much fun without me, remember!"

"Never!" Fives called out.

"Bye Commander!" Echo waved back.

Ahsoka smiled to herself, shaking her head. Don't get her wrong, the Ghost Crew was great fun, their hectic dynamic never failing to bring a bout of nostalgia. But nothing compared to this. Past, present or future, she'd always have a special place in her heart for her boys.

As it turned out, Anakin and Obi-wan were looking for her to join their meditation session. She shouldn't have been surprised, given the constant disapproval Obi-wan used to voice out at Anakin's lack of teaching in that aspect. Everytime the 501st and 212th were together, he always made a point to force the two of them down to meditate. This wasn't any different, and neither was Anakin's whinging.

"... just don't see how this is going to help us win the war."

Ahsoka entered Anakin's quarters just in time to hear Obi-wan sigh. Her two masters were sitting cross legged on the floor on their meditation mats, a third one laid out for her. She held her hands behind her back to turn her comms on and off in a way that made the green lights flash in a sequence to Rex. A language commonly used on rebel stealth missions after the empire adopted the republic hand signals.

Meditation, it read.

She couldn't see the flashes he sent back, but she could feel the vibration on her forearm. Affirmative.

"You say that every time, Anakin, and the answer hasn't changed." Obi-wan's eyes were still closed. "It's good practice for Jedi to meditate. If you're not planning to do it, at least teach Ahsoka."

"Well, Ahsoka doesn't want to either." Anakin looked up when Ahsoka complied, sitting cross legged on her mat. "Right Snips?"

"Best not to fight him on it, master," she said back to him. She still hadn't gotten used to both of her masters' presence after so long. As much as she missed them, she was slightly more on edge around them than with the men, knowing what she did. Obi-wan's eyes cracked open to send a pleased look over to Ahsoka.

"Huh… maybe you did teach her something."

"What, subordination?" Anakin scoffed jokingly. "I didn't teach her that."

"You're getting distracted," Obi-wan looked back at Anakin with a frown, before closing his eyes again, the creases in his forehead disappearing.

Anakin shot a knowing smirk Ahsoka's way before falling silent and shutting his eyes in an attempt to imitate his master. As usual, he wasn't succeeding.

Ahsoka… well…

Over the years, she had learnt to master meditation. Awareness of her thoughts, and of her surroundings became a pivotal skill for any surviving jedi. Strong mind shields kept them away from detection, after all, and that only came from diligent self-awareness and sentience.

She had found the ability to meditate in any situation she found herself in, had moved beyond hindrances like distraction that she faced as a padawan. Rebel base, after all, was no Jedi Temple, and she had to make do. There was never silence, between constant drill alarms and hurrying footsteps of crews passing, their thoughts always echoing back some degree of paranoia. She learnt to meditate without the guidance of a master, without the lack of stimulation, and definitely without her meditation mat. So this? This shouldn't have been a problem.

Except that it was. Ahsoka couldn't even find herself able to close her eyes. Because kriff, her master was loud. Not in a physical sense, but in a way that was so much worse. In a way that she feared.

Anakin's thoughts were very much out in the open, but they weren't dissipating as they should have been if he was releasing them into the force. They were running wild, his focus being passed to each thought one by one, but never truly letting go. There were a few that were more easily read. Surface thoughts.

Worry for the upcoming mission, desire to be a good master for her, annoyance at the council after a recent disagreement...

… but then he delved into the deeper ones, and with those came hints of dangerous passion and agony.

Padme… his slavery…

… and the deeper he spiralled, the more his presence started to resemble...

… I couldn't save my mother...

"Anakin," Obi-wan chided, breaking her out of her horror. "I can practically hear your thoughts." Ahsoka was shocked at how casually he said it, like it wasn't anything new. Had Anakin always been like this?

"Sorry," Anakin said lightly, as if he wasn't on the path to losing himself. But his thoughts did quieten down. Still not released, but suppressed.

Why hadn't Obi-wan ever said anything? Done anything? Maybe he wasn't as sensitive to the thoughts as she was, didn't practice the paranoid habit of sensing the intentions of those around him like she did. That must have been it, because she knew that Obi-wan would never have ignored this if he knew. But then that brought up the question of exactly how ignorant the Jedi had become of the dark side.

Is he beyond saving? She didn't want to believe it, because why was she here if that was the case? Is it too late? Ahsoka, for all her trust in the force, now better understood Rex's hesitance from yesterday. What if this was too big for them?

"You too Ahsoka. Be mindful of your emotions."

...Oh

Luckily Obi-wan and Anakin's eyes were still closed, because Ahsoka, now snapped out of her thoughts, was sure her lekku had turned dark with embarrassment. Of course, she should have known that nothing, not even age and experience, made you safe from a lecture from Obi-wan.

Comforted by the familiarity, and finding her mental balance, Ahsoka allowed herself to sink into her usual meditative trance.

Is he beyond saving? She asked herself again, only this time she released the question into the force. The force will set things right, even if he is.

Is it too late? Trust in the force.

One by one, the thoughts that swirled her mind lay to rest. Her sudden bout of emotion gave way to a sense of peace, the initial shock of her ignorance towards her master's pain dissipated, and in its wake lay profound and pivotal knowledge. Passion dissolved around her to reveal serenity. Chaos morphed into harmony.

She breathed.

Death, yet there is the force.

First ever fighting scene! Yes? No? I'm no expert, I honestly don't know what I'm doing.

Do the chapters feel a little short for you? Moving too slow? Too fast? Let me know what you think, I think it's a little hard for me to tell being the one writing and reading. Waking up one day, it feels a certain way and the next its the opposite. Thanks for the lovely comments too everyone! Feedback as always lovelies.

See you for 5!