Hi! My school is out right now, so I'm planning on updating this somewhat consistently. I doubt that anybody would, but please don't interpret this as Anisoka. It's meant to be strictly platonic. :)

Ahsoka? Are you there? Anakin prodded at Ahsoka's shields. There was no reply. At least, he thought, she hadn't severed their bond when she left. But she might as well have.

Please answer me.

He was met with nothing but silence. It had been almost 6 months since Ahsoka left, and still, Anakin found himself calling out to her. He hadn't heard a word from her since her departure. At least he knew that she was still alive.

Anakin's comlink beeped.

"Skywalker."

"Anakin, we're ready for you." Obi Wan's smooth voice sounded throughout the cockpit of the Twilight. "Do try not to crash this time." Anakin couldn't help but let out a small chuckle at Obi Wan's humorous tone.

"I'll do my best." He responded.

They had been assigned to Shili to combat what seemed to be the early stages of a rebellion. There was a growing distrust of the Republic, and while nothing had happened yet, they wanted to stop the possible rebellion before it began. There had even been rumors that Dooku was involved. The planet had been with the republic since the beginning of the war and was an important ally. The mines on Shili produced almost a large percentage of the metal used in the republic starships. It also happened to be the homeworld of his old apprentice.

Anakin began to descend, enjoying the feeling of weightlessness as he brought the ship down at a speed Obi-Wan would not approve of. Anakin glanced over at the empty seat beside him, and suddenly the Twilight felt unbearably empty.

After all this time, Anakin still found traces of his ex-padawan everywhere he went. The floors of the Twilight had been cleaned and sanitized hundreds of times since Ahsoka's departure, but he swore that he could still see her footsteps. Even the air felt different when she wasn't beside him.

The temple was riddled with her. He couldn't bear to clean out her old room, nevermind move out of their shared apartment. His temple bed had remained untouched ever since Ahsoka left. Instead, he would spend the night with Padme whenever he was on Coruscant. But even in his Wife's apartment, he couldn't escape the memories.

And now, he was on a mission to Ahsoka's home planet. The force must have a twisted sense of humor.

Who knows, Anakin thought bitterly. Maybe I'll find Ahsoka's birth family and then

we can all miss her together.

He pulled up sharply, lowering the Twilight into the primary shipyard of Shili's capital city. He shut off the engines, casting one last longing glance at the empty seat beside him before standing up and walking briskly away from the cockpit. He needed to get away.

When Anakin set foot onto Shili, the first thing he noticed was the sand. He wrinkled his nose in irritation as the toe of his boot sank into the rough, coarse material. He could already tell that he'd be brushing sand off his robes for weeks.

A hot desert breeze blew his hair away from his face. Ahsoka would scold him if she knew how long he had been growing it out. A few years ago, she had kept insisting that he cut his hair. Eventually, she had given up, and he'd grown it out even longer just to spite her.

Skyguy, when are you going to fix that? She had said, gesturing vaguely at his head.

What? He had said. My hair?

Yeah. She absentmindedly played with the buckles on her gloves, completely oblivious to the fact that such a question might be offensive.

What's wrong with it?

It's hair. Hair's weird.

Would you rather I was bald? He asked incredulously.

No, Ahsoka had said, wrinkling her nose at the thought. I guess not.

Anakin shook his head, trying to rid himself of the memory.

This mission was going to be the death of him.

Obi-Wan was waiting for Anakin at the capitol building, looking thoughtfully out at the city. However much this planet displeased him, Anakin had to admit that it was a beautiful sight. The capitol had been built atop a large mesa that overlooked the entire city. The orange light of the setting sun gleamed onto the brilliant metal skyscrapers around the mesa, and cast a warm glow onto the desert trees and grasses as the paved roads and government buildings gave way to dirt paths and small wooden huts. The capitol building itself was built out of marble, the pale stone providing a stark contrast to the sand.

Obi-wan had been here for nearly a week, supposedly exercising his famous diplomacy skills. However, as tensions had risen, the republic saw fit to send a second delegate. After all, the two of them were a legendary team. Although, in all honesty, Anakin found himself to be absolutely useless when it came to politics or diplomacy. He much preferred to leave the talking to Padme or Obi-Wan while he did the shooting. Although he supposed that such measures were not uncalled for when dealing with a rebellion.

"Hello, master," Anakin said, standing a few yards away from his companion.

The Negotiator stood at the precipice, facing away from him.

"Anakin, I assume you managed not to crash this time?" He said. Anakin could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Come on, that was one time!"

Obi-Wan turned to face him, a sly smile on his face as suspected. "Of course."

"So," Anakin said as he and Obi-Wan began walking towards the capitol. "What's the situation?"

"There has still been no action yet. But, seeing as tensions are high, it may be wise to take preventative measures against a terrorist attack. However, the High Commissary has concerns about legitimizing the threat or frightening the people." Obi-Wan responded.

Anakin nodded. "I think that we need to do something. We can't risk the government appearing weak or complacent." They walked through the entrance of the capitol building and into the foyer. Two grand staircases flanked the room, framing a large fountain in the center of the great hall. A dozen or so Togruta men and women were bustling around the foyer, clutching stacks of paper and pocketbooks. They were no doubt in a hurry to finish their work and return home before the sun completely set.

"I agree," Obi-Wan said. "I believe that the Cabinet is in our favor as well. There is to be a vote on the matter first thing tomorrow morning; I do not doubt that the High Commissary will choose to take action."

"Do you think that Dooku is involved?" Anakin asked, following Obi-Wan up the large staircase on the left.

"I wouldn't be surprised. Not only is Shili an important ally, but they also have a lot of political influence. It is an ideal target." Obi-Wan led him up another flight of stairs and into a much smaller but no less grand hallway. They walked in comfortable silence, both lost in their thoughts.

Anakin, for one, was thinking about Dooku. It would, Anakin supposed, make sense if he was trying to influence the republic in this way. But it didn't seem like a thing that Dooku would do. He'd always been fairly straightforward in his plans of attack, never passing up an opportunity to demonstrate his power. To Anakin's knowledge, the only time Dooku had tried to get inside the republic was when Obi-Wan went undercover. But even that had been somebody else's plan. Anakin wondered if Dooku was simply sponsoring a separatist leader who was stationed on Shili.

Obi-Wan stopped in front of a glossy wood door.

"This is where we'll be staying for now. I have some matters to attend to, I should return within the hour."

"I'll see you later," Anakin said, walking through the door and observing the apartment. Apparently, Obi-Wan had been living here all this time. But it didn't look like it. His old master was able to live in the same place for years without it looking like anybody had lived there at all. It seemed kind of sad to Anakin. He didn't understand how somewhere like that could ever feel like home.

He and Ahsoka's room at the temple had been in horrible conditions for years before Obi-Wan had convinced them to clean it. Even after that, it was mediocre at best.

Anakin cursed his treacherous brain for thinking of her again. He couldn't even go a half-hour without missing her. All he wanted to do was ignore the empty place where she used to be. He knew it was unhealthy to run from his problems, but he didn't care. After all, that was what she had done, wasn't it?

So he would keep sprinting as fast as he could, going from one end of the galaxy to the other on missions, trying desperately to outrun the fact that she was gone. And that nothing would ever be the same.

Anakin took a shaky breath and sat down on the sofa. He should meditate, or go through his katas, but he didn't feel like it. He picked at his fingernails. Suddenly, he was filled with irritation. There was sand under his fingernails. How was that even possible? He hadn't even touched the sand!

He groaned, lifting himself from the couch and walking towards the fresher. He turned on the faucet and grabbed the soap, muttering under his breath about how much he hated the ridiculous substance. He washed and dried his hands, but it didn't come out. He sighed, resigning himself to a lifetime of sand. He lifted a hand to his face to brush his hair away from his eyes. That's when he smelled it.

Raala bark. From the rainforests of Shili.

Master, look! This says it's from Shili! Ahsoka said, presenting the bar of soap to him. They had been walking back from Dex's diner, celebrating the first anniversary of her apprenticeship when Anakin had gotten an 'emergency' call from Padme and they had stopped at a cosmetics store to pick up an 'important' product for her.

Ahsoka held the bar of soap to her nose and breathed in deeply, her eyes lighting up with wonder. It occurred to Anakin that she had probably never smelt soap that wasn't military-grade or the bland temple soap.

We can get it if you want. He had offered.

Really?

I don't see why not. It is a special day, after all.

She grinned up at him. You're the best, Skyguy.

Anakin made a choked noise and yanked the faucet back on, rubbing his hands as hard as he could, scratching them, trying to rid them of the smell. But it was still there. He caught sight of himself in the mirror; his frantic eyes lined with bags. He looked psychotic. A madman who was trying to wash away a memory. He turned off the water.

He tried to stop them. He really did. But the tears came anyway. He sobbed into his hands, breathing in the smell. He could almost hear her laugh. He could almost remember what it felt like to hold her.

He breathed in as hard as he could, grasping on to the memory. The smell filled his nose and brought a new wave of loneliness. It shook him to his core.

Raala bark.

And sand.

I miss you, Ahsoka. He called out to her in the force. He let out another sob. I miss you so much.

She didn't answer.