The mission to Zygerria had taken a lot out of everyone.

Master Kenobi and Rex were practically collapsing by the time they made it to the cruiser, and if it weren't for Cody's quick reactions, Obi-Wan would've smacked his nose on the floor by tripping over his own feet. Seeing the usually steady Jedi so disorientated made Ahsoka feel uneasy about what he had gone through on Kadavo.

Cody hadn't hesitated, swooping his arm around his General's waist to heave him to medical. He glanced over at Ahsoka, "Bring Rex, will you."

Ahsoka nodded sharply, hurrying Rex along. He was more balanced on his feet, but she could feel the pain and anger radiating off his Force-signature. There were bruises under his eyes, one pupil blown and bloody. He couldn't quite meet her eyes, but she saw him looking at the colonists squished into the hanger, some shouting whilst others weeping. Some bodies were too still.

Ahsoka didn't know what the Captain was thinking. She could hardly keep her own thoughts together. What had happened in the past few days was almost unbelievable- it felt like a fever dream.

"I haven't seen Skywalker yet." Kix mentioned after Rex and Obi-Wan were hauled off to be submerged in bacta.

"You know what he's like," Cody said with a shrug, worry still evident on his face as he walked away from his brother and beloved General. "He'll show up eventually."

"He better," Kix threatened, stalking away to deal with the rest of the injured. There were so many hurt, it felt nauseating to be stood inside the medbay.

"There's still a logistical nightmare to solve," Ahsoka added on her Master's defence, walking away with Cody at her side. "All those colonists need to be returned to Kiros, or what's left of it."

"The Wolfpack can handle most of that," Cody said, laying a warm hand on her shoulder. "You did good, kid, but it's time to get some rest."

Ahsoka smiled, hiding how uncomfortable she felt to be touched by him, even though it was only Cody. She could still feel Atai's claws on her skin. There were tender bruises under her lekku from where he grabbed her, pushing her down until she couldn't breathe, and tears sprung from her eyes and-

She tuned the memories out for now, swallowing hard. Cody was still talking, the hand that was on her shoulder now by his side. Had he noticed? He was a very observant clone. Yet, his face betrayed nothing. He wasn't even looking at her.

Ahsoka allowed herself to be present, anything to pretend what had happened to her wasn't real. She extended her senses to Obi-Wan and Rex, feeling them at peace was a great relief, even if there was lingering anger from Rex. Anakin was next. The last time she saw him was in the hanger, speaking to Master Plo. Then, he mentioned having a quick shower and visiting the bridge before joining her.

Her commlink beeped then, startling Ahsoka from her thoughts and cutting Cody off mid-sentence.

"Tano here."

"Commander." Yuleran's voice replied, all prim and proper. "Are you with General Skywalker? He's late for his briefing with the Council and ignoring his comm."

A frown found its way onto her face. It wasn't like Anakin to skive off meetings, no matter how much he complained about them. "I haven't seen him in almost an hour. I'll track him down."

"Good. Yuleran out."

Ahsoka sighed, putting her comm down. "Last week, I was looking for missing colonists. Now, it's my Master who's missing."

Cody smiled at that, a rare break in his seriousness. "I suggest you start with his quarters."

Ahsoka pressed in the code for Anakin's quarters, stepping inside once the door opened with a hiss. It was dark beyond the desk light being on. There was the usual clutter that seemed to accompany her Master wherever he went. Despite only being on the ship for a few hours, there was mess everywhere.

Her eyes were drawn to her slave outfit, which she thought she had left on Zygerria after he rescued her from the cage hanging over the city. Ahsoka's frown deepened as she lifted the material, surprised to see it ripped in several places. Why had Anakin taken it?

The light shining under the fresher door was a clear sign as to her Master's whereabouts.

Ahsoka left the torn outfit on the desk, next to his lightsaber, and rapped her knuckles on the door, forgetting that they were still sore from fighting Atai.

"Master?"

Nothing.

Ahsoka pressed her montral to the door, listening. She couldn't hear the fresher running, only the tap, and she swore she could hear Anakin's heavy breathing.

"Anakin," she knocked again, "Is everything okay? You're late for the briefing."

He was probably just drying off or getting changed.

The tap switched off.

"Snips." She heard him say, so quietly that she had to strain to hear. "Can you help me?"

"Help you?" She repeated, wondering what in the universe he needed her to do.

"I can't-" there was a rasp to his voice, like he was trying to get the words out. "I can't do it alone."

Worry furrowed deep in Ahsoka's core. "I'm gonna open the door, okay?"

She hit the release, prepared for the worst. Was he badly hurt and nobody realised? What if he was bleeding out? Ahsoka burst inside, heart pounding in her chest.

Anakin was sat in front of the sink on a stool. There was no gaping wound, no burns like she had seen on Obi-Wan's back, no anger projecting across their bond. In fact, her Master felt unusually quiet in the Force, like someone had put his brighter-than-the-sun presence into a black bag.

His head was dipped. Only then did Ahsoka notice he was naked beside a towel wrapped around his hips. She had never seen him so exposed, he looked vulnerable without his dark robes and lightsaber on his belt. Beneath, he was spindly, small, and pale. Her eyes went to his prosthetic, and she realised she had never seen him without his glove on.

"Anakin?" She whispered, afraid to move any closer.

"I'm sorry," he replied in an equally low tone, still not looking at her. "I tried to do it myself- I swear, but I couldn't do it."

"Do what?"

He brought his hands up his head, wrapping his curls into his fists. Ahsoka swallowed hard. She wished Obi-Wan was here, he was always good with Anakin when he wasn't himself. But her Grandmaster wasn't there, and she was the one who Anakin had asked for help.

"Showering," Anakin admitted, "I can't do it- can't make myself do it."

Taking a deep breath, Ahsoka stepped closer, the door sliding shut behind her.

This was her Master, and as much as it was his job to look after her, she had to look after him too.

"What do you need me to do?"

He was silent for a moment longer, obviously trying to steady himself. Anakin was usually chaotic and impulsive, spontaneous in every way. Now, he was being deliberate and slow.

"Can you wash my back for me?" He asked in a quiet voice, embarrassment flushing the tips of his ears. "I-I'm sorry to ask, but I should- no, I need to look presentable. I'm all sweaty and gross."

"I know that feeling," Ahsoka muttered, hoping to ease the tone. Anakin just inhaled sharply. "Sure, I can. I've had worse requests than cleaning someone's back."

"I shouldn't expect you to," he shook his head, his grip on his hair loosening slightly.

"None of that, Master," Ahsoka chastised lightly, stripping her gloves.

She stepped around him to check the temperature of the water in the sink. It was nice and hot, smelling slightly of standard soap that they were given on cruisers, the type that made your skin dry out. He had obviously tried to use the actual fresher but given up and came to the sink instead.

Soaking the flannel in the water and wringing it out, Ahsoka returned to stand behind him, "Okay, let's get this over and- oh, ouch!"

Anakin went tense. There were scratch marks down his back, covering his shoulder blades in angry, raised lines. They were clearly from someone's nails, and only one person had been that close to Anakin in the past few days…

"I didn't want anyone to know," Anakin breathed, and it sounded like he was trying not to cry. "Please, don't tell anyone."

Ahsoka blinked, reaching out to touch one of the marks but stopping herself before she got too close. They were a minor injury, they wouldn't even scar, and yet Anakin could likely feel the irritation of them rubbing against his tunic with every movement.

A constant reminder of her.

"Anakin, this is…" she was lost for words, "this is bad, this is…"

This was assault.

And if Anakin couldn't stop the Queen from dragging her nails into his skin, then what else did she do?

"I'm sorry," he repeated, tears bleeding into his words.

Putting the flannel down, Ahsoka moved to the side and crouched next to her Master.

"Anakin," she said softly, "Can you look at me, please?"

Slowly, he lifted his head. His hands lowered to his lap, like he didn't know what to do with them.

His eyes were bloodshot, teary, and his cheeks flushed. There was redness around his lips, like he had been rubbing his mouth with his sleeve constantly.

Likely to get rid of the sensation.

"You are not to blame." She told him firmly, holding his eyes. She surrounded his closed off presence with love and support. "Do you understand me?"

He stared back at her, resolve in his eyes. "I sent you there, Ahsoka."

"The Council sent us there," she said, hoping to drill that in. "This wasn't your fault."

"I'll never let the Council send another Padawan there."

Now it made sense why he had torn the dress. He didn't want it to be worn again, not by her or anybody else.

Her comm beeped from her glove. Ahsoka stood and checked it. "It's Cody, hang on."

"What's the situation, Tano?" Cody asked when she answered his call, "Yuleran's getting antsy."

"Can you fill in?" She glanced at Anakin, who was staring at himself in the mirror, as if he was in a trance. "I've found him, but he's not exactly ready to face the Council."

"Sure, though they'll want to hear from a Jedi soon."

"Tell Master Yoda that I'll give an update when I can." It would have to do for now. The Council should understand that they were all busy.

"Do you need medics?"

Ahsoka shook her head, "No, I can handle it."

"You know my frequency."

The call ended, and Ahsoka sighed. She soaked the flannel again, the water now lukewarm. The hot water probably would've hurt against the scratches anyway. She stood behind Anakin, noticing that he had rested his head on the edge of the sink.

Hopefully, after he got some food and sleep, he would feel more like himself, though she knew it would take longer for his heart to heal.

"Brace yourself," she warned, before starting to gently wipe the flannel over his back in small motions. Besides a slight quiver of his shoulders, Anakin composed himself remarkably. They were quiet as she washed his back, stopping every few wipes to rinse out the cloth.

"I told her no," Anakin said, breaking the silence. "I want someone to know that."

"I know you did." She said, believing him wholeheartedly. Anakin would never let someone take advantage of him like that willingly. "You had a lot of lives resting on your ability to keep her subdued."

Ahsoka wondered if now was a good time to tell Anakin about her own experience of Zygerria, but figured he would ask in his own time. She didn't want to dampen the mood anymore.

"I'm almost done," she promised, wringing out the flannel again.

Anakin hummed in response, his muscles still tight. Apparently, having someone else touch him was uncomfortable, even when it was his trusted Padawan. Ahsoka didn't blame him, as she remembered how she felt when Cody touched her shoulder in the corridor.

When she was finished, Ahsoka drained the sink. Grit and grime clung to the sides of the basin but were easily swirled away with some cold water. She took a fluffy towel and wrapped in around Anakin's back, figuring that rubbing would only aggravate the scratches. They looked less angry and raised now.

"Thank you," Anakin said, lifting his head off the edge of the sink. He pinched the bridge of his nose, "You're a good kid, I- you know you didn't have to do that for me."

"I wanted to," she assured him, putting her gloves back on. "Do you need anything else?"

"I'll be okay," he said, and she wasn't sure if she believed him. "I just gotta shave and get dressed. I'll be on the bridge soon."

He touched his jaw where a few days' worths of stubble had grown in, but then pulled his hand away suddenly. Ahsoka pursed her lips but didn't comment.

"I'll check on you in half an hour, if I don't see you before then."

"Fine."

There was the old Anakin.

Ahsoka hid her smile as she stepped out of the fresher but was pulled to a stop by Anakin grasping her wrist. The grip was triggering, but she focused on her Master.

"You won't tell anyone, will you?"

She should really. Obi-Wan needed to know, and Kix most likely should as well, but she knew she had secrets of her own that she would want Anakin to keep.

"No," she gently pulled her wrist from his grasp. "Take care of yourself, Skyguy. I'll see you on the bridge."

She heard him murmur as she crossed his room, "Thank you, Snips."