Cyare (A Rexsoka SWTCW Fanfic)

78

Rex's eyes fluttered open to stare at the unfamiliar ceiling above him. He turned his head slightly to glance at a chrono on the wall. Sleeping with Ahsoka had him used to jedi times. It was nearly seven in the morning. Oh, the days when he used to be up at a brisk five thirty. He looked down to see Ahsoka spread out on top of him like a living blanket. There was a clatter from the other room and a long string of oaths in a familiar, grating voice that momentarily made Rex freeze.

Then he remembered. Ahsoka's arrest, following her out of the sewer shaft, recruiting Ventress to give them a place to stay and access to her communications terminal. Ahsoka calling Barriss then healing his ankle until he made her stop. He rolled it a little, testing it. He winced as a bruised ache stabbed up his leg. Ok. No running for him. He could almost hear the scolding Kix would give him.

He tested Ahsoka's mind, feeling how deeply she was asleep. Usually she would be awake at the first movement from Rex or the first noise around her, but she was so exhausted physically and emotionally that it was unlikely she would wake up if he picked her up and spun her by her heels. Wiggling out from under her and sitting up, he stretched his stiff limbs out with a grimace as half his joints snapped and popped. There was a dark smear on his arm from using it as a pillow.

Ventress stumbled out of what he assumed was a bedroom, rubbing at her eyes groggily. There was a small trickle of blood from just above her temple. Rex moved slightly and she jumped, having forgotten they were there. One of her red blades was swinging at his neck before either of them could think. Only Rex's reflexes had his own golden blade blocking hers before she could decapitate him.

They froze like that, locking eyes and trying to process what had happened. Rex nodded at Ahsoka curled up next to him.

"You might want to put that away before she wakes up and sees you trying to kill me." He said mildly. Ventress blinked and extinguished her blade. Rex relaxed slightly in relief before doing the same.

"You have a lightsaber." She said, walking over to the sad excuse for the kitchen and dumping powdered caf in a machine before turning it on. Rex tightened his grip on the hilt of his blade before opening his hand to look at it.

"So I do." He replied.

"Who'd you kill for it?" Ventress asked, glancing over her shoulder. She wiped at the blood on her head distractedly. Rex gritted his teeth.

"Hondo Onaka." He said at last. "He captured me and Ahsoka. I took it from his body. Ahsoka taught me how to use it."

Ventress tilted her head, eyes coming unfocused. Rex tightened his mental shields, making her lips twitch into a semblance of a smile.

"You're lying." She said. Rex shrugged.

"Of course I am. I've seen you kill too many people I care about to tell to the truth." He said flatly. She actually laughed this time, getting up and pouring two cups of caf when the machine beeped. She passed one to him, and he took it gratefully. He examined the surface of the liquid and ran his finger around the rim of the cup, just in case. It came up clean.

Ventress chuckled a little. "It'll do me no good to poison you. I need my name cleared as much as she needs hers." Rex shrugged.

"You blew up the life support of a republic cruiser with over a five hundred non combatants on it and about two hundred wounded from the horror show that was Umbara." Rex's mouth twisted around the name of that vile place. Surprisingly, Ventress closed her eyes and sat back as well.

"As much as I wish I could say that that bombing was supposed to be only superficial and a distraction, I can't. I was ordered to take out the hyperdrive. I took it out. I was commanded to take out communications. I took them out. The life support was not my goal. It got caught in the blast and nearly blew up the whole ship. I was commended for that."