Hey guys! Here's part two! Same TW as before

Ahsoka somehow managed to masterfully avoid Obi-Wan for the entire journey back to Coruscant. It wasn't too hard to do, considering he was busy running a flagship and the younglings were begging for a full tour. Before they left the hanger, he'd asked her alone if she was alright, to which she said she was fine.

It's not like Hondo was successful in selling her, after all.

She got a bit nervous on the landing platform on Coruscant. The younglings were collected by Master Yoda in a speeder, so her Grandmaster offered Ahsoka to travel with him. She smiled at the offer, internally dreading the conversation that was inevitably approaching.

"What did Hondo want with you, young one?" Obi-Wan asked, deciding to breach the subject the moment they stepped out of the speeder at the Temple, his eyes implying that he had some guesses in mind.

"He wanted to sell me," she answered simply, as if it weren't her life they were discussing, "Hondo thought a businessman would pay highly for the service of a Jedi."

"For a Jedi like you, yes." Obi-Wan said, and though he was too polite to say it, Ahsoka knew exactly what he meant. She let out a sigh as they walked into the building. The corridor looked like it could've gone on for miles. "I've seen the way he treats the women around him, Ahsoka."

She only hummed, unsure of how to respond.

A hand touching her shoulder brought Ahsoka out of her thoughts- memories of dirty fingernails and the stench of alcohol flickering past before she saw it was only Obi-Wan.

"You said you were knocked unconscious; it would be best to go to the medbay to make sure you weren't violated in any way."

Obi-Wan's careful tone and sad eyes made the implications of his suggestion clear. Ahsoka remembered the bruises that marred her skin when she first woke up, the tears in her leggings and the ache of her muscles. Obi-Wan voicing her worst fears out loud was almost too much to handle.

She shook her head, "I'm okay- I just want to sleep."

Her Grandmaster gave her a look halfway between sympathy and frustration, "I'll make it an order, Ahsoka. I'd hate for you to be hurt and not be seen to until it's too late."

She clenched her fists, trying to tell herself that he couldn't force her to do anything, but she knew that Master Obi-Wan could easily tell the Healers that she was refusing treatment, and there would be no way to escape them then.

"I'm fine," she tried again, attempting to walk on the other side of the corridor but Obi-Wan was faster and caught her arm.

"Ahsoka, come now." A horrible feeling stirred in her gut as he tried to pull her along. "You're as bad as Anakin."

"No!" She dug her heels in, fight or flight instinct overpowering any sense of rational thinking as she tried to tug her arm from his grasp.

His grip just got tighter, "Ahsoka-"

"No, Master!" She choked on a sob as she leant away from him, her eyes stinging with tears. With a jerk, she tore her arm away, stumbling backwards in the process.

Obi-Wan looked at her with wide eyes, and she couldn't decide if he was angry with her defiance or shocked by it. Anakin was the one who had a hard time persuading Ahsoka to do things, but she'd never usually say 'no' to her Grandmaster.

"Please…" Force, why was she begging? Suddenly, the air felt like smoke, too thick to breathe in normally. Ahsoka backed away, staring at Obi-Wan as he stood frozen in place. Was he going to yell at her? Hit her? Tell her that she was being a pathetic bitch and-

"My dear," her breath hitched, Hondo's voice echoing Obi-Wan's words even though he used a soft tone. "What's wrong? Do you want me to call Anakin?"

"No! I just-" She pressed the heels of her palms against her eyes, heaving a sob. Her skin felt hot, like she had been set alight, and Obi-Wan was watching her burn. She had to turn away from her Grandmaster, so ashamed to be falling apart.

"You stood by when Bane said those things about me," she said, her voice wavering on every word. She looked up at the Temple she called home, the one place was supposed to mean safety suddenly making her feel afraid. "When he said he couldn't wait to get his hands on me, you just watched."

A tear slid down her cheek, closely followed by a second. Shuddering, Ahsoka looked over her shoulder. Obi-Wan looked like somebody had ripped the ground from beneath his feet, paralysed in shock.

"H-How could you let him say those things about me?"

Without another word, Ahsoka fled, leaving Obi-Wan to question why he never stood up for the girl who he had always sworn to protect.

It hurt.

Everything hurt.

After her fight- situation- with Obi-Wan, Ahsoka couldn't shake the intrusive feeling of dirt on her skin.

Which alone, wasn't an unusual feeling after battle, especially after this one since Grievous had roughly thrown her onto the ground multiple times during their duel. But usually, she could get the yucky feeling to go away with a shower.

It's just that this- this time it was different.

Really different.

This time, she'd ran to her fresher sink, shakily turning on the faucet as she cursed under her breath. She furiously scrubbed her hands together under burning hot water for what felt like hours, desperate to make the invisible grime go away.

"It's not real," She tried to convince herself as her skin turned red and raw, but she just wanted to feel clean again. Hell, why couldn't she just feel clean again?

You're only imagining things, Soka, it's okay.

But it didn't feel okay.

It felt like her whole body was caked in dirt, head to toe. It felt like she was in someone else's disgusting skin, and she couldn't escape, she couldn't, as many times as she washed her hands in the hot basin.

And no amount of soapy water in the galaxy could rid her body from the shameful bruises that covered her.

She tried not to look at them. They were dark, and angry, and they scared her- really scared her, to the point where she had to clutch the edge of the basin several times, willing herself not to puke.

"It's fine," She muttered to herself. "You did a lot of fighting out there, t-that's the only reason- kriff- the bruises aren't from the pirates, they can't be. They just can't be, that doesn't make any sense." She rambled, voice trembling with uncertainty.

The bruises were hand shaped. They were restraint marks.

Grievous's metallic claws couldn't have left marks like that, and neither could Hondo's electro-staff from their fight on the Crucible.

"Just being paranoid, you're just- there's nothing to…" Her words trailed off and she shook her head, a low whine escaping her throat.

She turned off the faucet, tears pricking her eyes.

She imagined what Rex would do if he were there. He would take her red, aching hands into his own and usher her away from the sink, telling her that she was obviously hurting herself and he wouldn't stand for it.

'I know you're scared of the pirates,' He would say, and she would mutter that she was more frightened by her own body, and how she could keep living in it if something had happened to her.

But he wasn't there, and nor would he probably even want to help her after she'd pushed him away in the aftermath of her last panic attack.

She was alone.

Alone in a body that she didn't feel she even belonged in anymore.

Ahsoka dried her hands off with a towel, letting herself slump up against the fresher door as tears spilled down her cheeks and her chest heaved ruthlessly.

She needed this to be over.

"Ahsoka, are you done in there?"

The girl jumped, not expecting Anakin to have found her so soon. She should've known that Anakin would check for her in her quarters first.

Wiping her cheeks of any dried tears, Ahsoka stood and opened the door, avoiding Anakin's eyes as she walked over to her bed. The tension was so heavy in the air, Ahsoka thought it might break her back. She'd been dreading speaking to Anakin since she arrived at her quarters.

He spoke when she was seated on the edge of her bed, "Good to see you're back, Snips."

"Good to be back, Master," she replied quietly, staring at a faint stain on the floor where a post-Zygerria panic attack had caused her to spill some tea. The mug had been blue, and Ahsoka knew she shouldn't have thought about that too much, but she couldn't help herself.

"Obi-Wan's worried about you." Anakin said, his voice closer than before but still soft.

"I know."

"Ahsoka," Anakin said shortly, walking over to where she sat. Ahsoka couldn't help but tense up- her heart rate picking up as he towered over her.

He must've noticed that she shrunk back, as the concern on his side of their bond melted into pure horror, and he sat down heavily beside her. He prodded her shields, a silent plea for her to explain why she couldn't speak to him or Obi-Wan without backing away. Ahsoka only closed herself off even further.

"Can you talk to me, please?" He said after several minutes, his voice so much softer than she anticipated. "I'd like to think we trust each other with anything."

She sighed. Anakin genuinely sounded like he was hurting because she was hurting. There wasn't any point in withholding the truth. He'd find out eventually.

"I don't want to see the Healers," Ahsoka started, cutting straight to the point as she stared at the ground, "because I'm afraid they'll find out that I might've been raped whilst I was unconscious."

Silence dawned quickly in the room, the sharp inhale of Anakin's breath being the only sound. Ahsoka held her breath, tracing the bruises on her arms with her eyes. They weren't as mottled now, though her fight with Grievous was bound to leave new ones.

She didn't know how long they sat there, her words going stale in the air. Gently, she probed their bond, not yet having the courage to look up at him. His shields were up tight, but at her insistence, she felt Anakin turn his head to her.

"Please," she whispered, begging him, "don't make me go to the medbay."

Anakin sighed, flexing his fingers like he wanted to physically console her but was thinking better of it, "I won't force you."

She nodded, pulsing appreciation towards him. She was never ecstatic to go to the medbay on the Resolute, and Anakin always had a hard time convincing her, but she'd eventually cave. Now, he could tell it was pushing her boundaries, and she had no doubt he was just as terrified of what they might find out as she was.

"I've told the Council time and time again that we should sever our ties with Hondo and his gang." Anakin said, almost like he was trying to make some light humour. "Hopefully, after he's attacked a ship full of younglings and threatened to sell a Padawan on for slavery, they'll listen to me for once."

"That'll make a change." She allowed herself to smile, "I've gotten used to it."

Anakin's light tone dropped to one that was far more serious, "What do you mean?"

Ahsoka grimaced, wrapping her arms around her middle as she rose from the edge of her bed, "The way people see me."

She walked across her small room, moving to the window. She cracked it open, letting a gentle breeze enter the room. After being gone for several days, the air of her quarters was stale and stuffy.

The Begonia Rex on her windowsill was starting to wilt, so she meticulously poured some water onto the soil from a glass she kept nearby. The houseplant with fiery red leaves had been a gift from Obi-Wan, a 'thank you' for taking care of Anakin when he faked his death.

She sighed to herself. Anakin was yet to reply. She wondered what he was going to say, and found herself worrying how he would react. Would he brush her off like he had before? Would he tell her she was overreacting?

She heard him inhale slowly before speaking, "Ahsoka, I don't understand-"

Ahsoka turned from the window, all calmness and composure leaving her body in an instant, like a switch flipped in her brain. Rage gripped her and refused to let go, "You will never understand, Master."

"Dammit, Ahsoka!" She physically jumped when he cursed, Anakin standing as well. His brow furrowed as she stared at him with wide eyes, "You never used to be like this!"

What had started as a sombre conversation was now escalating into a well-rehearsed screaming match which both Padawan and Master were familiar with. They both knew it never solved anything. Everyone said they were too alike for their own good, both headstrong and rash.

And yet, even though Ahsoka knew how this song and dance would end, that didn't stop her from defending herself.

"Because I was young!" She seethed back, taking a daring step closer to her Master, "I was young and stupid and thought that I was overreacting every damn time someone laid their hands on me!"

Anakin rolled his eyes like a cocky youngling not getting their way, "Ahsoka, you should've told me if someone was making you feel uncomfortable. I could've dealt with them!"

He moved closer, challenging her, "You keep making a big deal out of everything; there's no need to get in such a state over this!"

She went cold with fury.

"You don't know what it's like, Master," she argued., only to be cut off when Anakin raised a hand.

"In case you haven't noticed, Snips, we're fighting an intergalactic war, and there are millions of people across the galaxy who have it a lot harder than you or I!" He dared to come closer.

"Anakin, no!" She lifted her hands in defence, splaying them against his chest in a clear warning to back off. Anakin glowered at her, eyes narrowed as he glanced at her trembling arms.

She refused to feel like the crazy one.

"Ahsoka-"

"I was told by Tuk'ata, when he had me pinned to a wall on Umbara, one hand over my mouth and the other fumbling for my belt, that some of the other men might not have as much self-control as he had."

She dropped her arms, feeling stupid that her instincts told her that he could've been a threat but also telling herself that she had a right to protect her boundaries. She couldn't even look at Anakin.

"Coric caught him before anything could happen, and he must've told Rex. That's why Tuk'ata was transferred." She clutched her lightsabers to stop her hands from shaking, "I had to stand there, and hear the pair of you gush about how good of a soldier he was."

Finally, she lifted her gaze. Anakin looked like something deep in his chest had snapped, a pained grimace on his face.

"You said he was amazing."

"I didn't know." He said quietly, "I'm sorry, Ahsoka."

Ahsoka wanted to stop there, apologise, and move on. Her problems were her own, and she didn't need her Master to step in to defend her. He was right, others had it way worse than she did.

A smaller, braver, more courageous, and angry part of her wanted him to know everything.

She sucked in a breath, "You've always said that just because I'm a Togruta, it doesn't give the men any right to feel entitled to me, but did you ever tell the men that?"

His jaw tensed, "I didn't think I had to."

She shook her head, feeling disappointed. He had always promised to protect her.

"I opened my bond to you," she whispered, her voice cracking slightly. "I- I've seen so much since I became your Padawan, and no battlefield will ever scare me more than when I was held against that wall."

Anakin reached up a hand to rub the back of his head, "I… don't know what to say. If you had told me earlier, I would've-"

"Would've what? Killed him? Choked him with the Force?" She clawed her temples, the entire room spinning before her eyes. "This isn't about you, Master!"

His fantasies of revenge were nothing but selfish. It was to calm the raging swarm of anger in him, not to actually help her. And she was tired of him putting his feelings above her own. No, she was fucking exhausted of it!

She pointed a finger at him, "You're not the one who has to wake up every day knowing there are people in the galaxy who want to violate you! Hondo and his gang laughed when he said I looked pretty when I cried!"

"Ahsoka, calm down," he ordered, though it was half-hearted. "You're letting your emotions take control-"

"What do you expect me to do?" Her voice raised to a yell, eyes stinging as tears built up on her lashes, "Should I just pretend it doesn't bother me when the Council told me absolutely-fucking-nothing about my role of a pleasure slave for the stupid Zygerria mission?"

She heaved a breath, her lungs feeling like they were constricted in her chest, "Should I just nod and smile? The Council just sent me there, expecting me to know what to do; I bet they thought it would come naturally to a Togruta like me. They thought I would be a more convincing slave than you or Obi-Wan or Rex. Why me?"

Anakin just stared at her, and she lost it. The dam broke, "Tell me why, Master!"

He winced as she shouted, and for a moment, all Ahsoka was aware of was the heavy throb of her own heart in her head.

"Ahsoka," when he spoke, his voice was deathly calm, "I'm not going to have a screaming match with you about this. Now, we can either have a proper conversation or I'll return later when you've calmed down."

Her fists clenched, the drywall to her right suddenly seeming like a tempting place to punch straight through to the brick.

"No."

He actually choked on a breath, "Excuse me?"

Her throat went tight. Ahsoka was so angry that her knees were shaking, and a younger version of herself would've immediately broken down into tears and begged for forgiveness, tirelessly apologising for yelling.

"You will not leave until you've heard what I've had to say, and you will not tell me how to conduct myself." She said, keeping her voice even but still strong. Anakin stared at her, long and hard. "T-This is my room, Master, so my rules."

She took a painstakingly deep breath, "My rules."

She expected him to shout, to start retelling the old-as-time lecture about Padawans having respect for their Masters. What she didn't expect was for Anakin to use the Force to move her chair that was tucked under her desk, pulling it out for him to sit down on.

He looked up at her after that, his eyes glassy. Ahsoka couldn't find the words. She was standing, and he was sitting. It was an exchange of power, her Master was passing the lead to her. He was granting her his respect, his attention.

"Tell me why the Council wanted me to play the role of the slave." She asked quietly.

This time, Anakin answered, matching her tone, "Because you are a young, female Togruta who they knew the Zygerrians would find visually appealing."

She felt her back hit the wall, her mouth parting as her world shattered around her. Even her Master, the man who told her that she would become a great Knight and General one day, could not see past her skin.

"N-Not because they thought I could handle it," she said, her voice hoarse as she started to slide down the wall, her gaze transfixed on Anakin as his frown deepened. "They wanted me to go because I looked the part, and that was the only reason."

"Ahsoka, no," Anakin's face fell as he stood up, "That's not what I meant. You were the best person for the job."

"But it was my species and gender that granted me a place on that mission, right? That's what you thought of first. That- That's what everyone thinks of me first, just another Togruta, not a Jedi Commander."

She felt a tear run down her cheek as her bottom hit the floor, "If the Zygerrians weren't so obsessed with Togrutas, Barriss would've been the Padawan they chose."

Anakin said nothing, realising his mistake. Their bond was flooded with guilt and regret and hurt. Ahsoka took her lightsaber off her belt, and held it in an open palm. She stared at the weapon she'd built all those years ago, the first of her group travelling to Illum to have it completed. One of the boys tugged on her lekku for that.

"No matter what I do or say," She threw her saber in a flash of anger. Anakin watched it skim past his knee, hitting the edge of her bed and managing to chip out a piece of the wooden frame. "I'll always be seen first as a young, fucking female Togruta!"

It landed underneath her bed, rolling out of sight.

Drawing her knees to her chest, Ahsoka buried her face in her palms, allowing a strangled sob to tear up her throat. The tears were impossible to stop, falling one after another in salty paths down her cheeks. Her nails were pressing against her montrals, digging in to make crescent shaped indents but she didn't care.

"I wish I could be someone else," she whispered between sobs.

She felt the air move as Anakin sat next to her, also leaning against the wall. Something cool tapped her forearm, a quick glance confirming it was her lightsaber. Anakin's eyes were full of sadness as she took the weapon, placing it on the floor beside her instead of onto her belt once more.

"Can I hold you?" He asked gently, something he'd never said before. On the rare occasion they did embrace, Anakin never felt the need to ask.

Resting her forehead on her knees, Ahsoka took some steadying breaths. "Not r-right now," she said through her tremors, "Sorry."

"It's okay," he replied instantly, "That's why I checked first."

She heard him suck in a breath, "Look, Ahsoka, I know that one apology can't fix this, but you need to know that I'm sorry- about everything."

She nodded, not bothering to reply. Part of her wanted to protest and say it wasn't all his fault, and the other part of her just wanted to sleep this heaviness off.

"This has been killing you, hasn't it?" Anakin mumbled, sympathy bleeding in his voice, "I can feel it through the Force… you're broken."

"I feel broken," she admitted quietly, "Empty, trapped in a body that isn't mine." She shuddered, curling herself tighter, "It's- it's like hell, never knowing where the next attack is going to come from. I know that n-next time, I might not be so lucky."

Besides her, Anakin breathed evenly. She could tell he was trying to squash his anger and regret behind his shields, not wanting to project those feelings towards her when she was in this fragile state.

"We can't control who we are or how other people see us," he said gently, "but we can control how we see ourselves, and that's the most important thing."

A broken laugh escaped her and Ahsoka wiped her wet eyes, "Did Obi-Wan say that?"

"Yeah," he admitted, a blush rising on his cheeks before he grew serious again. "After I came to the Temple, I struggled to accept who I was. As someone who lived in slavery for nine years, I thought that was all I would ever be and treated as. I had to learn to see myself as something different; a Jedi, a friend to Obi-Wan, a teacher to one of the fiercest Padawans in the Order."

That got a smile out of her, and she could tell Anakin was beaming at that.

"It was hard, I won't lie to you," he continued, "for a while, I thought that improving my self-worth would mean abandoning my past. I started to tell myself that little Ani on Tatooine had never even existed. I thought that even referring to myself as a slave was detrimental to my healing."

Ahsoka listened intently, even turning her head against her knees to watch her Master. He never talked about his past, especially not in a life lesson like this. She appreciated it. It was a lot more productive than Anakin just tirelessly apologising and threatening to kill anyone who'd ever wronged her.

"Obi-Wan encouraged me to think about my mother. He asked me if I saw her as a slave, or as a person. Obviously, I thought she was the greatest thing since sliced bread, but I still knew that she was a slave." Anakin looked over at her, "Just because a lot of scumbags see Togruta women as a means to an end, doesn't mean you have to see yourself that way, and that doesn't make you any less of a Togruta than the next."

She nodded, understanding entirely. He'd given her a lot to think about. She'd probably be stuck in meditation for a week trying to wrap her head around it.

"Did that help?" He asked, eyes scanning her face.

"Yes," she didn't lie, "Thank you, Master."

"Don't mention it," he flashed a quick grin, "Now, I've drawn up a little plan in my head for what to do next, assuming you still don't want to go to medical?"

She chewed her lip, "No, I don't. I- I'm about ninety percent sure nothing actually happened to me. Hondo just likes to bluff."

Anakin nodded, "Okay, I trust your instincts. If you change your mind, just let me know." He stood to his feet then, his left knee cracking from an old injury. "Are you hurt at all? I can speak to Master Che about just checking you over, or Kix, if you'd prefer?"

Her heart throbbed fondly of her Master, and Ahsoka shook her head, "Just bumps and bruises; I'll be okay."

"That's alright," the protest she was expecting never came as Anakin reached out a hand. Ahsoka took it to pull herself up, clipping her lightsaber to her belt, "I think you should shower, get into some clean clothes. Whilst you do, I'm gonna have a little chat with the Council."

Her eyes widened, "You don't have to-"

He raised a hand, "This is non-negotiable. I'm making sure you get some time off, a Mind Healer if possible, and I also want to give them a piece of my mind about the Zygerria mission and a certain band of Weequay pirates."

Anakin gave her a sincere look, "I'm not going to get the Council on your back, Snips. I'll make it perfectly clear that we're taking this at your own pace."

"O-Okay," she smiled, feeling a little surer of herself.

"When you're done in the fresher, I recommend doing something relaxing," he suggested gently, "Whether that's running through lightsaber forms, or meditation, I don't mind. Just do something to give your mind a break, or else you'll give yourself burnout from the emotional stress."

Ahsoka nodded, already focusing on the fastest route to the training rooms. She appreciated how lenient Anakin was being, letting her take the lead wherever possible. She knew he wouldn't be this accommodating if she hadn't told him how she was feeling.

"Do you want anything, or anyone, in particular?" He asked kindly, "I'm happy to stay with you, or I can make myself busy whilst you process this, it's entirely up to you."

Again, there weren't any underlying motives behind his words. Ahsoka could tell he was trying his best to make her feel comfortable, to feel in control.

"I think I'd like to be alone for a bit," she admitted, expecting his face to fall but it never did. Anakin just nodded. "Although later, can we maybe go for a drive?"

His face split apart with a grin, "Of course, Snips. That sounds like a good idea."

"Master," she said before he turned around for the door, "Thank you."

He dipped his head, "You're welcome, Padawan-mine."

As he left, Ahsoka realised that she could breathe a little easier now. The weight on her shoulders didn't seem quite so heavy.

Thank you all so much for reading. Love you lots! Stay tuned for the epilogue coming soon!