Good Luck:

With the siren still wailing away in the background and reminding her of an impending jump to a place she couldn't go back to yet, Ahsoka couldn't stay wrapped around her Master any longer than half a minute or so. But the hug had been so nice while it lasted, even better than the first one. With every minute that she spent in Anakin's presence, the more it felt like they had never parted.

It was the best therapy for her soul she could ask for. Her bond with Anakin told her that he was feeling the same.

Nevertheless, she stepped backwards anyway. Duty called.

Anakin gave her a rueful smile, no words necessary between them as they both felt that pull of unconditional heroism that they were inevitably drawn towards over and over again. He dragged in a deep, slightly shuddering inhale and then glanced down at the box in his gloved right hand as if he'd nearly forgotten about it. His rueful smile deepened and he crinkled his amused eyes at her as he held up the box again. "If you're going to face Maul, you'll need these."

And just like that, it was like time had been rewound to five minutes ago; before the sirens had started and Obi-Wan had dashed in to ruin her dream of fighting with her Master again in a noble cause that actually meant something, unlike some of the pointless battles that they'd suffered through over the years.

Her fingers gently touched the lid of the box again. She focused on the beautiful song of her crystals again. Anakin held his breath again.

But there was no Rex or his brothers holding theirs.

They were gone already, Rex's strong Force presence getting further and further away. She pushed her sudden reawareness of Rex and the sorrow of only getting to see him for a minute to the back of her mind with determination. She'd dwell on that later, instead focusing on the moment.

With Anakin's anticipation at her reaction flooding their bond and reminding her of a trembling puppy who was being sooooooo good but desperately wanted to jump and bounce and bark and wriggle with joy, she opened the box.

And there they were, looking exactly as she remembered them, if decidedly cleaner. The lingering waste residue of Coruscant's sewer systems had been scrubbed off of her main lightsabre and both gleamed with the high shine of well loved metal.

Force, I missed these. Granted, fighting without them has certainly been an interesting learning experience, but it will be so nice to have them again.

She reached in and picked them up almost reverently, the joyous song in her mind increasing in volume almost loud enough to drown out the siren for a few moments before the crystals settled down again. They felt so right in her hands, like missing appendages that had been magically returned. She couldn't stop looking at them.

"I took care of them," Anakin said proudly. "They're good as new."

Okay, she could. Ahsoka looked up at him, smiling in thanks and amusement. I bet you have. You never could resist tinkering with anything mechanical that you could get your hands on.

Sensing the gist of the thought, he smirked a smidge.

She turned them on and nearly laughed out loud. Why am I not surprised?

Her formerly green lightsabres were blue. Very very blue.

The only way he could have done that to them would be if he'd kept them with him for the entire time she'd been gone, sleeping with them beside his own under his pillow and everything, thus changing the base colour of the crystals to one that reflected his incredibly brave personality.

Ahsoka shot her Master a look of half-hearted admonishment for messing with the colour of her crystals. (It was actually very sweet that he'd missed her so much that he'd slept with her lightsabres and made her love him all the more.)

He smirked back. "Maybe a little better."

A little better, my ass. They're blue! It'll take me hours and hours of dedicated meditating to turn them green again, you arse, and you kriffing well know it!

Anakin laughed in her mind, still picking up the gist of her more enthusiastic thoughts because their bond was that open right now.

Ignoring him for a moment, she gave them an experimental twirl. It felt so good to have them back in her hands, to use the muscles that she'd kept fit for just this moment with practice sticks. (Bo and Ursa had enjoyed helping her train a little too much.) But the sticks couldn't even compare to how perfect it felt to wield her lightsabres again.

"You Capture Maul, I'll take care of Grievous," he said with utter confidence in their abilities as she was reconnecting with her sabres. "With any luck, this will all be over soon." And maybe we can finally live normal lives again, the thought hung unsaid on the air between them, but it didn't need to be; the hope had always been there. So much so that they'd talked about it for hours and hours in the past, dreaming of the day that the war would end.

But what is normal for me now? she thought as she hung her lightsabres on the hooks placed just for them on the hips of her armoured skirt that Bo had had made for her. (Which she absolutely adored. Beskar armour was so light and beautiful and made a laughingstock of the plastoid that she had never been able to stand the dead feel of, which was why she'd never worn true armour before, unlike Anakin and Obi-Wan. The closest she'd come was the heavy leather of her vambraces and tall boots and the light armorweave material of her dress that she'd unfortunately outgrown and then reluctantly sold for much needed credits not long after leaving the Order.)

And what is normal for Anakin? Is he going to leave the Order too or continue his semi-secret relationship with Padmè indefinitely?

I guess we'll find out eventually. Hopefully sooner than later. And if I'm lucky, my new life will include Anakin and Rex in it somehow.

Luck. Now there's a concept the Jedi aren't supposed to believe in. She almost snorted at that ridiculous thought and looked up at Anakin. "Master Kenobi always said there's no such thing as luck."

He did snort, almost inaudibly, but it was there. "Good thing I taught you otherwise."

They shared a look of complete understanding before the stupid, insistent sirens reminded them yet again that time was not on their side. As usual.

With a sigh and one last mental hug down their bond, he turned to leave.

The gravity of the situations they were both walking into suddenly hit her. What if I never see him again? What if one of us doesn't survive our respective battles?

Oh Force! Don't even think that way, Ahsoka!

But just in case... "Anakin!" she called before he could get all the way through the door. He turned back, looking at her questioningly. And maybe a little hopefully, even though they both knew there wasn't time for another real hug goodbye (the Venator could jump to hyperspace at any moment, trapping her on the ship). Her wayward feet almost ran her to him anyway before she forced them to stay still. "Good luck." Please don't die, Master. I love you.

His mouth quirked up as he caught her thoughts again and his signature lit up significantly. "Love you too, Snips," she heard clearly in her mind in a way they generally didn't use to communicate by unless one of them was in serious trouble. But they were just so attuned to each other right now, their signatures clinging in a very unJedi-like way that most of the Council would probably faint over, that she was sure they could have entire mental conversations for hours without tiring if they'd wanted to. As he turned away, he sent her one more thought. "You're not allowed to die either, just saying."

Ahsoka smiled to herself, basking in the love flooding their bond.

The door closed behind him, separating them for who knew how long, and her smile faded a bit at the symbolism that she really didn't want to contemplate. But then it quickly returned as her senses were freed from the bright Force storm that was Anakin Skywalker to focus on other things again. Like the approaching Force signature of a certain clone.

Rex! He's back!

How?

Oh. Obi-Wan.

Thank you, Grandmaster.