A/N: It's a posting kind of day, so I'm updating this one a bit earlier than planned. Plus I'm really excited for this story :) Thank you guys for the follows, favorites and the reviews!

Summary: The explosion of the Sith Temple places Darth Vader and Ahsoka in a situation neither of them imagined possible. Now in an unfamiliar place that is eerily similar to Mortis, Darth Vader and Ahsoka must face the echoes of their past and work together to find their way back home.

Chapter Two: Mysterious Place 2/3

Vader could hardly believe his eyes, it had been surprise enough to find himself with his former appearance, but now several feet away from him stood a fourteen year old version of Ahsoka Tano. Her face more rounded, her markings, body and montrals were less defined than they had been. There was no difference in her appearance from the day he had met her, except her eyes. The despite the distance between them, he was close enough that he could see they were different than ones in his memory. Instead of the bright, wide and innocent eyes she had at this age, they were darker. The shade of her irises was a dark blue, the same shade she had when he fought her on Malachor not long ago.

This was the main feature that stood out to Vader, her blue eyes held no joy, hope or innocence, only pain and sorrow. He could remember watching her grow throughout the war, how everyday her bright sky blue eyes would dim and turn darker. It was interesting that as she grew older, her blue eyes would turn a shade darker. It was almost symbolic.

Vader, unsure of what else to do, stood from his kneeling position in front of the stream to look at her. She was even wearing the same outfit on the day she met him, throughout her first several months with him. The red tube top, leaving the rest of her upper body exposed while her legs were covered by the white leggings and brick colored skirt. Vader wasn't sure how to feel about this, he wasn't angry by her presence, he wasn't sad to see her, but he definitely wasn't happy. Not only did he look like his past self, but she did too.

Ahsoka only stared at him, her posture defeated and uncertain. It hurt too much to look at him, to see a living memory, but she forced herself to hold his gaze. Forced herself to see him, to see through him, that he wasn't Anakin Skywalker, but Darth Vader instead. Ahsoka's blue eyes widened when she felt something approaching at high speeds with her montrals. Her eyes darted to the source, she quickly looked to see Vader in it's path and fear gripped her heart. She parted her lips to scream, but it was too late.

Vader was thrown to the side, he crashed into the brook the water seeping into his clothes, the air forced out of his lungs as black spots filled his vision. He blinked rapidly, he sat up sharply ignoring the pain he felt in his chest and began to look for what attacked him. Straight ahead, he could see the stream, the forest on either side and on his right was Ahsoka rushing towards him.

"Get out of the water," she shouted at him.

Vader stood, but a rush of wind forced him down again and caused Ahsoka to collapse onto the wet soil on his left. Vader looked ahead to see a bat like creature, only twenty times the size of an average bat, hovering a little ways from him. The creature was completely black, it's body fur and wings dark as the night looking out of place in the sunlit forest. It's beady red eyes stared down at Vader and screeched. It dove head first in Vader's direction, out of habit he reached for his lightsaber only to find that it was no longer attached to his belt. He was instantly reminded that he was not connected to the Force and that his lightsaber was nowhere to be found. Before he knew it, the creature was mere inches away from him and about to attack, but a flash of orange changed its course.

The gargoyle bat-like creature, landed unceremoniously just before the treeline. The flash of orange, Ahsoka, crouched in her usual side lunge landing position before him, almost protectively. Ahsoka briefly glanced to see Vader/Anakin- stand, a small rush of relief washed over her when she realized he wasn't injured. The Togruta turned her attention back to the gargoyle, flashing her teeth as it rose onto its claws. The creature charged at them, the screech ringing in their ears as they dodged it's attacks.

Vader was unsure of how to take down the creature, he did not have the aid of his lightsaber which made trying to kill the beast difficult. Not being able to use the Force provided a challenge as well since he would not be able to force the creature away or get it to stand down. Burning anger seemed to pulse in his chest. Without the force, without his weapon, trapped in Anakin Skywalker's body, he was essentially powerless. There was very little he hated more than that feeling.

Ahsoka was trying to run through options on how to handle this situation. The best option was to either find a makeshift weapon and kill the beast or trap it. The creature's claw latched onto Ahsoka, she released a cry in surprise and in pain at the bat's grip. Vader saw the gargoyle prepare to take off and without thinking he lunged at the creature, the force of his kick distracting it long enough for Ahsoka to break free of its grasp. The gargoyle tried to grab her again, but Ahsoka flipped out of it's way. Side by side, Vader and Ahsoka watched the bat.

"We need a plan," Vader growled, glaring at the beast.

"You think," Ahsoka breathed out.

Vader sent her a glare, but she ignored the look. She lifted her gaze to the trees, "I have an idea."

The gargoyle lunged for them again, but both jumped out of the way, narrowly missing it's razor sharp claws. It turned to face them, showing off it's sharp teeth as it screeched again.

"I'm listening," Vader said, his eyes never leaving the creature.

Ahsoka replied, "I need you to draw it out to the water, keep it occupied."

"Why," Vader questioned, "What are you planning to do?"

"With any luck, put it in a cage," Ahsoka said with an almost hopeful look.

Vader didn't question her further, he hoped she knew what she was doing. Vader jumped to the side, shouting at the creature who in turn focused on the human man. Using her chance, Ahsoka quickly climbed the tree, briefly enjoying the feeling as she did so. Once she pulled herself in the thicket of leaves and branches, she quickly looked around for the vines she had seen flowing in the breeze. The thick green vines lay haphazardly over the branches, this brought a grin to the teen's face as she went to work.

In the meantime, Vader continued to dodge the creature's attacks. It continued to screech, trying to pounce on Vader only for him to move away at the last second. Even though he wasn't very tired, he definitely did not want to keep up this distraction for long. What was Ahsoka even doing in the tree? Vader avoided the creature's mouth as it tried to bite him. He continued to move around the creature in the stream, the bottom of his robes and shoes soaked to the brim while the rest of his attire continued to dry in the sun. Out of the corner of his eyes, Vader spotted the Togruta standing on the edge of the branch.

"Whatever you're going to do," Vader called out to her, "now would be a good time to do it."

"Hey! You overgrown bat," Ahsoka screamed, the sudden noise momentarily distracting the creature. Ahsoka waved her arms over her head frantically as she shouted, "Yeah! Up here!"

The creature shrieked and jumped up into the air, over Vader as it stretched out it's wings to catch flight. Vader watched as the creature flew towards Ahsoka, but she didn't move from the creature's path. A brief feeling of panic and worry washed over Vader, what on earth was she doing? Why hadn't she moved out of the way yet? Vader was about to shout for her to move, but right as the gargoyle was ready to attack her, she jumped out of the way. Going too fast to stop, the creature flew straight into the tree, shaking the branches rapidly and causing more leaves to float to the ground.

Ahsoka landed a little unsteadily on a lower branch, a thick green vine in her hand. For a moment, she stared at the creature through the brush, watching with sharp blues eyes, waiting for the right time to release her trap. Then, she jumped into the open air pulling the vine with her before letting it slip from her hand. The creature cried out, but the shaking of the tree top did not stop in the slightest.

The young teen fell to the watered ground with a large splash, a soft groan left her as she hadn't caught herself properly making the impact worse. Vader rushed over to her, partially to see if she was okay and partially to drag her out of here if she wasn't.

"We need to go," Vader said sternly.

Ahsoka stared at him with a look of disbelief, "Huh, that never would have crossed my mind. That trap won't hold for long."

"Then let's go," Vader hissed impatiently.

He gripped her under arm and pulled Ahsoka onto her feet. The two of them raced into the forest, leaving the shrieking beast behind. After several minutes of tireless running through the trees, Vader and Ahsoka stopped near another brook, only this one was right at the treeline. If there were anymore creatures like that, it would be best for them to stay hidden in the forest and not be exposed in the open. For the time being, they would stay near this brook until they could find another place to stay and hopefully avoid anymore beast.

Vader had not run so much in a long time, but the feeling of his burning lungs and shaking legs was a welcomed feeling. The adrenaline pumping through his entire body, washing over his mind was pleasant and reminded him of better days. He mentally kicked himself for enjoying this, he grabbed his frustration at the circumstances and held onto it. There was no room for pleasant feelings such as these. Only satisfaction for getting the job done or the twisted enjoyment of accomplishing his assignments by any means necessary.

The Sith Lord stood up a bit as he looked at Ahsoka. Her back was pressed against the tree, gasping for air with her eyes closed with her left arm wrapped around her stomach. It was still shocking to see her so young again, especially when the image of her as a grown woman was still fresh in his mind. He noticed something on her right arm, blood that wasn't his own.

Ahsoka could feel Vader's eyes on her, but she didn't dare open her eyes to look at him. She couldn't bring herself to. The sight of him brought pain to her heart, how he looked just like her master had, but his yellow eyes reminded her of the truth. He was not her master. Her master is dead, no matter how much she wished he wasn't. The only reason she opened her eyes to look at him was when she felt his presence was much closer than before. She stopped leaning against the tree in an attempt to show she wasn't intimidated.

"You're wounded," Vader said, his voice flat and devoid of emotion.

It sounded weird coming from Anakin, since his voice always showed exactly what he was feeling, no matter what. Hearing how cold Anakin sounded made shivers run up and down her spine. Anakin, Vader she reminded herself, was standing in front of her, his yellow eyes down cast. The Togruta looked down to see three gashes, crimson streaks of blood dropped all the way to her arm. After everything she had been through today, she hadn't noticed the cuts or even felt the sting. She assumed it must have happened the creature had latched onto her and the adrenaline hindered her from feeling it.

Ahsoka shrugged unconcerned about the cut, "Just some scratches."

Ahsoka knew it was a little more serious than a scratch, but she knew how to handle it. All she would need to do was wash away the blood and wrap it in cloth. Vader stepped closer to her, this instinctively caused Ahsoka to step back into the tree trunk, trying to keep the same amount of distance between them, but now she realized she had trapped herself. When they were fighting the creature before, it had been easy for Ahsoka to forget exactly who she was with. Ahsoka kept her eyes focused on Vader and for a moment, she thought she saw a flicker of hurt on Anakin's face, but she knew likely imagined it. His sith yellow eyes were practically glowing with annoyance.

"Your arm, let me see it," Vader said in a strained voice.

Ahsoka narrowed her eyes in reply, "I know how to take care of this."

"Didn't say you couldn't," Vader remarked coldly, "Show me your arm."

"No," Ahsoka knew she was pushing it, but she didn't care, "I've done this before, I can do it myself."

Anakin's face was furious, "Stop acting like a child. You require aid for that."

Ahsoka said bitterly, "I've handled worse alone. Why do you care?"

"Listen, there is no telling what other creatures are out there that we will have to fight and you will be incapable of fighting if that gets infected," Vader said barely controlling his anger and frustration, "So I will not take the chance that you tend to the wound incorrectly. I refuse to have a defenseless child in my care nor will I drag around your cold corpse. Now let me see your arm!"

Ahsoka tried to keep her face blank, but she couldn't fight the grimace that broke out on her face when his voice rose. There were very few times Anakin had actually yelled her and he never sounded this angry or cold. However this wasn't Anakin. The anger in his voice, the cold look in his eyes wasn't the man she knew and cared for. It was a stranger, someone she didn't know.

When Vader grabbed her forearm and pulled her closer to him so he could inspect her wound, she was too stunned to protest or try and move away. The more immature part of her thought about making a remark of being called a child or something about having to drag her around, but she never opened her mouth. Instead she could only stare at him as he looked at her arm. He was gentle, held her arm with great care and it was strange that someone so violent and impulsive could still be careful.

"Keep your arm up," Vader told her.

Ahsoka did as he said wordlessly, leaving her arm in the position he had held it, her upper arm away from her body. Vader bent down at the waist and tore at the grey fabric until the ripping noise filled her montrals. Curiously, she looked at the torn piece of fabric and watched in silence as he tore it in two. They didn't have any medical supplies so he was making a bandage for her.

Vader went over to the stream, he motioned for Ahsoka to follow and reluctantly, she stood behind him with her arm still up as he dipped the grey fabric into water. On the one hand she considered the irony of this situation, but the other was too worn down and defeated to focus on it. It would be better for her to follow along. He wasn't hurting her or trying to kill her for now, but she would need to remain on her guard.

"This is going to sting," Vader warned her.

Carefully he held her arm again, the feeling familiar and foreign to both of them. As gently as he could, he began to clean the cuts with the cool water. Ahsoka grimaced at the stinging sensation she felt shoot through her. Ahsoka knew she had been injured worse than this, but it still made her bit down on her tongue.

"What happened," Vader started, not looking at her, "when you woke up?"

Ahsoka glanced at Vader, "Why does it matter?"

The warning look on Vader's, well Anakin's face made Ahsoka press her lips in a firm line and want to shrink away from him. The yellow eyes made it worse. For a brief moment, Ahsoka thought he was going to scream at her, maybe even hit her for acting this way, but he didn't. He only stared at her with a hard gaze.

"We are currently in an unfamiliar place in bodies we have not seen in years," Vader growled, "I woke up and wandered until finding you. Perhaps there is something you have seen that could give us a clue as to how we got here, why and how to leave."

Ahsoka didn't say anything, she kept her mouth closed as she stared Vader. Although there was something that happened to her when she woke up, it was not something she wanted to discuss yet. Had this been her master, she would have immediately told him what she had encountered, but for now she would remain silent. She needed to gather more information, observe him more. Yet the information she had could be the only thing that kept him from trying to kill her again. Though if he wanted her dead, he wouldn't have bothered to help fight off the creature, he would have left her behind, he wouldn't be tending to her injured arm. Maybe there was a chance he still cared.

The Sith released a frustrated sigh, "Fine, stay silent. You'll talk eventually."

"What makes you so sure," Ahsoka meant to strong, but her hoarse voice didn't help her case.

Vader ignored her question and began to pull at his belt. This caused Ahsoka to wonder what he was doing, but she didn't bother to ask. A few moments of tense silence stretched between them until Vader stood up, holding something that Ahsoka couldn't see in his mechanical hand. Curiosity got the best of her.

"What is that," Ahsoka asked, her eyes on his hand.

Vader held the object in front of her, a little clear box with a needle, small scissors, pins and stitching thread. Usually while in the field there would a be a medic nearby with a bacta patch, however Ahsoka could vaguely remember Anakin having a small med kit of his own. The need for stitches had almost been completely unnecessary because of the medical advancements of their time. However she could vaguely recall Anakin lecturing her about the importance of being prepared for anything. It was amusing since he was hardly prepared for anything.

Her first instinct was to laugh, something about seeing Anakin holding a sewing kit made her want to smile and she could pretend that she wasn't in this situation. However given the circumstances, she didn't smile or laugh. Ahsoka looked back at her open wound, it was deep enough to require stitches and she knew the bleeding wouldn't subside for much longer. It was still technically bleeding, but it was no longer pooling or dripping down her arm. The pain was starting to become more prominent as it throbbed with the beat of her heart.

"Sit," Vader demanded.

His voice left no room for argument. Ahsoka narrowed her eyes at him, but took a seat on the forest floor, her eyes focused on the water to her left, looking away from Vader as he kneeled next to her. Suddenly she felt like an actual fourteen year old again, a new padawan with her new master getting ready to take on the Galaxy. It was strange to see the face of her master and know that he wasn't there anymore, the thought made her choke. Ahsoka winced when she felt the needle pierce her skin.

"When you woke up," Vader tried again as he pulled the thread through her wound, "what happened?"

Ahsoka took a chance to look at him and regretted her decision almost instantly. Now she understood what he was trying to do. When they had fought in the clones wars, Ahsoka could remember the times when she, a clone or even Anakin being injured and having to have the wound be tended to before they could get a bacta patch. Instead of allowing the injured person to focus on their wound being tended to, they would talk. It was a distraction tactic, ask them questions about something, get them to tell a story or tell them a funny story.

As long as it distracted them from the pain, it didn't matter. And as Ahsoka felt the needle and thread slide through her skin on the first cut, she realized that sitting here in silence was going emotionally and physically painful. Telling him about what she found would distract her from the injury and it would provide him with the information he wanted. Neither of them was going anywhere anytime soon, she supposed now was the time to explain what she found.

Vader noticed her staring at him, his Sith eyes met her blue eyes and for a moment, she was certain the yellow had flickered to blue. It was only for less than a heartbeat, but she would have sworn on her all the graves of Jedi lost that it happened. The flicker combined with him stitching her wound made her decided to talk.

"When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was this-this change," Ahsoka started, her eyes on the forest floor, "And I wasn't alone."