Cyare (A Rexsoka SWTCW Fanfic)

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Rex slid off the top of the ship behind Ahsoka at it's second docking, the seedy level of 1313. Ahsoka landed lightly on the cat walk below them and moved out of the way. Rex slid down and hit the metal floor and crumpling slightly as his foot hit the floor and pain lanced through him. He grabbed at it with an agonized gasp. Ahsoka was at his side in an instant, worry spiking through her force signature.

"What happened?" She asked. Rex gave a weak snort.

"Was chasing a certain togruta when she decided to drop eight feet into a sewer pipe. Naturally, I followed and landed weird on the way down." He mumbled. Ahsoka hunched her shoulders slightly.

"I could-"

"No. You need your strength. Don't you dare." He growled, standing on his good leg. Ahsoka scanned the area and found a little alleyway out of commonplace sight with some crates stacked up against a wall. She slid her arms around Rex's ribs and lead him over to the crates. He protested her helping him at first, but eventually consented to leaning on her. Gently at first, then more as they walked. His ankle throbbed at the strain.

It was only about fifty yards away, but he was glad for the break when they got there. He sat on one of the crates and gingerly took off his boot. Ahsoka knelt in front of him and peeled off his sock, her sensitive nose wrinkling at the stench of sewer water and sweaty feet.

In the time they had spent on top of the ship, his ankle and the top of his foot had turned an unpleasant dark reddish purple and swelled up to the point getting his boot off was a struggle at first. Ahsoka had him twist and flex his foot, observing his grimaces and twitches.

"It's not broken as far as I can tell. A nasty sprain, but nothing too bad. Do you still carry gauze in your boot? I want to wrap it up." She asked, looking up at him. Rex nodded and pulled a small roll of gauze from the back of his other boot and handed it to her. She carefully wrapped his ankle, making sure not to cut off circulation.

She helped him slip his sock and boot on before sitting next to him. Rex wrapped an arm around her and she huddled next to him. They sat like that for a second before Ahsoka straightened.

"They'll be after us. We need to either hide or move, maybe both. We'll also need to find a communications terminal. I need to contact somebody from the temple." She said, standing. Rex nodded, then sagged slightly.

"But we have no money, and my backpack is in your rooms at the temple." He pointed out. "They don't include 'what to do when your wife is framed for murder and you defect from the military in favor of helping her' in our flash training."

Ahsoka smiled and pulled a pouch off her belt. "Been saving my change for a while. I have about two hundred credits in here, so that'll get us somewhere."

Rex smiled. "Ahsoka, have I ever told you that I love you?" He asked. Ahsoka brushed a kiss against his lips.

"A couple times. Don't use my name, though. They'll probably release our names and pictures on the holonet." She said, smiling. Rex's brow furrowed. Names were important, especially to clones.

"What do you want me to call you, then?" He asked. Ahsoka thought for a second.

"Ahzli." She said after a moment or two. Rex repeated the name, feeling the word roll clumsily off his tongue in place of the smoothness of her given name.

"And my name?" He asked. Ahsoka shook her head.

"Rex is common enough that most people would think nothing of it." She replied, then moved to cup the side of his face gently. "And I know how much your name means to you." Her thumb ran along the ridge of his cheekbone.

"She's a jedi, Captain. They're not allowed to care." Fox's words echoed through his mind. Rex mentally slapped himself. She was his kriffing wife. Of course she cared about him. She cared enough to learn what was important to him and what made him so unique from the five million copies running around the galaxy.

Ahsoka glanced around again, looking over her shoulder like only somebody who'd been in the military could. "Stay here, and remove your most distinguishing armor. Pauldron, kama, anything that makes you look like anything more than another clone. I'll be back, ok?" She instructed. Rex nodded and began fidgeting with the clasps on his pauldron.

Ahsoka slipped down the dirty alley, looking for her quarry. She found what, or rather, who she was looking for. A doped up twi-lek draped over a crate, the blue skin around her mouth stained spice red. Ahsoka shook her awake, and easily dodged a clumsy slap from the poor thing.

"Wahya want?" Slurred the girl in a heavy huttese accent. Ahsoka, being careful not to show her how much money she had, held out about ten credits.

"I'll make you a trade. Say... this money for your cloak and backpack?" She asked she spotted the remains of a burnt out fire on the ground. "And some of your charcoal."

The twi stared at the money before snatching it up. She threw the filthy garment and bag at Ahsoka. The latter picked them up and took a couple small pieces of charcoal. She retreated back to where her husband was removing pieces of his armor. He was in just the basic plating now, save for his utility belt. His kama, rank pauldron, and most of the extra pouches and bags that accompanied him lay in a neat pile, his helmet resting on top.

He looked up at her as she returned, and seemed surprised at what she had. "Did you get those out of a dumpster?" He asked. Ahsoka shook her head, throwing the dirty cloak over her shoulders.

"No, a spicy tail head." She grimaced, passing him the bag. He packed his excess armor into it, and noticed the black lumps in her hands.

"What's that for?" He asked. Ahsoka tightened her grip so the lumps turned into powder beneath her fingers.

"Your hair and my markings." She said. Rex frowned as she poured some of the dust out onto the top of the metal crate. She rubbed the remaining stuff on her hands. "Hold still." She commanded, running her blackened hands through his close cropped hair. It wasn't the best dye job, but it worked.

She scooped up the remaining powder and wished she had a mirror as she rubbed it across her cheeks and forehead, as well as streaking it down the exposed tips of her montrals and lekku.

Rex chuckled to himself softly. "You look like a smoke grenade went off in your palm." He said. Ahsoka rolled her eyes.

"I know, but now it's harder to see my face." She pointed out. Rex shrugged.

"So it is, Ahzli." He used her fake name. "And now?" He asked. Ahsoka set her jaw.

"We get away from here, find a communications terminal." She said. Rex frowned.

"Who are you calling; An-er... your master?" He guessed.

Ahsoka shook her head. "Offee. She'll be able to help." Rex nodded and started to stand, his weight on his good leg.

"Ok then. Let's go."

Ahsoka started to make her way to the mouth of they alleyway when a dark figure dropped down from above her. Twin red sabers flashed and Ahsoka instinctively drew her own.

"Well well well. What do we have here?" Ventress cackled.