![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Title: Bind
Fandom: MMPR/Star Wars
Pairings: Aisha Campbell/Ahsoka Tano, background Billy/Cestria
Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Power Rangers or Star Wars. Neither is my toy box and I'm merely playing.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Aisha POV. Aisha finds herself feeling another person in her head and sets out to find out who they are and what they need.
A/N: Written for Jen425 for![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
chocolateboxcomm. This mostly takes place in the Power Rangers world and follows Aisha as she figures out her bond to Ahsoka. It's starts just post Time Force.
Bind:
There’s an aching loneliness in the back of Aisha’s head. She’s grateful she knows what it feels like to share head-space with a whole team, it’s easier to recognize that the feeling isn’t hers. Despite that, the grief still leaves her breathless. She tries to send love and brightness back.
There’s shock, then caution that shifts into concern. Aisha concentrates on how safe she feels. This only makes the concern grow. Aisha tries to reiterate that she’s safe since clearly the person she’s feeling isn’t. Be safe she tries to tell the person. She’s not sure the message really gets through, but the concern isn’t as sharp. The grief is still a gaping well of sadness. Aisha wishes she could wrap her arms around this person and hug them.
Who can she go to for help? What mentors can she contact? Zordon’s dead. Aisha allows herself to pause and take a deep breath. It’s been years, but she still misses his wisdom. She calls Kim. After briefly catching up Kim asks, “What’s wrong?”
“I…” Aisha sighs and breaks off. She doesn’t know how to start. “Do you know where the current team is?”
“Silver hills, I think. Something to do with time travel and I think they won.”
“So probably no chance of a mentor,” Aisha grumbles.
“We could ask Tommy, he and Adam are trying to keep up on these things.”
“Are you saying Adam might know where I can find a mentor?” Aisha asks. “He hasn’t tried to do anything stupidly brave in years, but…”
“You don’t need to go talk sense into Adam,” Kim reassures.
Aisha makes an unconvinced noise. “I’m supposed to only have to worry about Rocky’s impulse control, not Adam’s.”
“He hasn’t tried to morph in years,” Kim reminds.
“I’m not going to let him forget what he did,” Aisha says firmly.
“You’re right. Me either,” Kim agrees. “Still doesn’t tell me why you need a mentor.”
“You know that feeling of being connected to each other when we’re driving a Megazord together?”
“Yeah,” Kim says drawing the word out slowly.
Great now Kim is worried.
“I’m having that, but it’s not someone I know. Maybe it’s a future teammate and the morphing grid is being wacky?” Aisha finishes.
Kim goes silent for a moment. Finally she says, “That sucks. What do they feel like?”
“Sad. Lonely,” Aisha tells her. “Probably the way Adam was feeling before he did something monumentally stupid.”
“That’s why you’re bringing that up.”
“Yeah, probably,” Aisha concedes.
“Okay. I don’t think the Mirinoi team had a mentor. Lightspeed Rescue was kinda military. If you need to travel anywhere I’m sure the Astro Rangers would help. Maybe Dimitria?”
Aisha groans. “You’ve heard what they said about her. Am I going to get advice or a bunch of questions?”
“I think Justin said it took her moment to figure out how they learned things,” Kim points out pragmatically.
“I’d almost rather ask Divatox, but if Dimitria is my only option I guess that’s what I got.”
“There’s always Rita,” Kim says.
Rita reminds Aisha that she’s not trying to get involved in ranger affairs and suggests Gosei.
“What if we can’t get him back to sleep and then he’s not available for the team he’s waiting for?” Aisha worries. She doesn’t want to deprive a future team of their mentor.
Kim frowns down at her fries. The three of them decided to meet at the Surf Spot. Rita frowns at both of them before raising her eyebrows and admitting, “That’s a good point and I’d rather not work with him. I’m not doing this alone.”
“This?” Kim asks.
Rita takes a sip of her milkshake, then studies Aisha for a moment. “This isn’t the morphing grid physically manifesting itself and needing a repair, this is something else”.
“Saying this is ‘something else’ doesn’t tell me much,” Aisha prods.
“Which is why you sought me out and not Dimitria,” Rita points out.
Aisha nods and eats a fry. This is starting to feel like it’s going nowhere fast.
Rita continues, “You’ve definitely bonded with someone and they’re defiantly a warrior for the light, but the place they are is very entrench in darkness and I’m trying very much to stay away from that kind of temptation. Do you have any free time coming up? Could you travel?”
“I graduate at the end of the week, then have two weeks to myself before I start work,” Aisha informs her.
“Would you be comfortable with Delphine?” Rita asks. “She liked your team. I’m sure if she knew it was you she’d be willing to assist us.”
“I thought you didn’t want to get involved in ranger affairs,” Kim teases, voice going low since there are several people eating near them.
“I’m not convinced this is,” Rita reveals. She takes another sip of her milkshake as she studies Aisha.
“I’d be comfortable with Delphine. Do you think the Astros would be okay with taking us?”
“You’re going to get to see Billy, I’m super jealous,” Kim puts in.
“Are you free?” Rita asks. “Come visit. T.J. owes me a favor, they’ll help.”
“That’s a story I want,” Kim informs Rita. Aisha agrees.
Rita laughs, then shakes her head. “I helped by faking some information that his team went to investigate, but there was no enemy and a spa instead. That whole team needed a break. So now he owes me.”
“I heard T.J. is a good strategist, but now I know his team is lucky to have him,” Kim says wistfully. Aisha laughs, feeling more at ease now that she knows she has a plan. She tries to push the feeling of camaraderie and hope through the bond she’s feeling with the other person. The sadness is still there, but there’s hope too and determination.
Thankfully the time goes by quickly and then the three of them are aboard the Astro’s newest Megaship on their way to Aquitar. Zhane and Andros approach her as she reading a book in the galley.
“Do you need to learn shielding?” Zhane asks.
Andros folds his hands together, then stares down at them.
“Shielding?” Aisha frowns. “I want to find out more about this person, not push them away.”
“You need to maintain yourself and not be overwhelmed by them,” Andros explains softly.
Aisha sets her book down, bristling slightly, but stills when she sees the slope of Andros’ shoulders and the concern on his face. She gives Zhane a worried look, he responds with a tight smile.
“This is difficult for you,” she comments trying for empathy and worrying she’s coming off too neutral.
“The team is connected through the morphers, there’s always a bit of a mental link. I know when they’re in danger, protecting them is part of my job as a sixth, but I always kept myself a bit private from everyone else,” Zhane informs her.
Andros glances at Zhane and squares his shoulders with a sigh. “He didn’t always. None of us did, then KO-35 was invaded and we had to.”
Andros keeps his gaze steady on Zhane, who reaches out and squeezes his shoulder. The Zhane turns back to her. “It’s not something you want to try to learn to do mid-battle, even if you been taught several techniques.”
Aisha looks back and forth between them. They have a stable team now and she’d known they’d had a team before T.J., Cassie, Ashley, and Carlos had found Andros, but now she can see how much the loss of their original team still weighs on them. Despite that pain they’re still trying to offer their advice, their help, so she doesn’t have to experience the same thing.
“Thank you,” Aisha concedes. She spends the majority of the trip to Aquitar learning how mental shields work. She’s grateful after. It’s tiring, but she’s sure it’ll be useful later on.
Delphine meets them when they land and shows them where they’ll be staying. It’s late. As they head to bed Aisha thanks Kim for coming with her. Kim hugs her close and kisses her cheek. “What are best friends for? Besides you get to spend the day doing mysterious morphing grid I don’t even know and I get to explore Aquitar. I’m excited and hope you get time to see the sights too.”
Aisha laughs. “I’m still grateful you’re here.”
“I hope you figure out what’s going on.”
Breakfast the next morning is pleasant, but briefer than Aisha would’ve liked. Kim, Cestria, and Billy have a transport scheduled while Delphine and Rita want to get an early start.
“This will likely take more than one attempt and give me a headache,” Rita explains.
“You want to use our time wisely, but give yourself time to recover,” Aisha acknowledges.
Rita studies her for a moment and Aisha doesn’t fidget, lets her look. Rita sighs. “This may be exhausting for you as well.”
“Take time to recover as well,” Delphine advises. “We’re going to help you as much as we can, but you’re going to have to do the bulk of the work.”
Aisha nods.
“I can’t do this for you,” Rita tells her. “Like I said before this person is in a place entrenched in darkness. I can’t risk touching it. I can lend you strength and energy and help talk you through what you need to do, but this is your journey.”
“Don’t put yourself at risk,” Aisha agrees, then frowns. “Am I at risk from this darkness?”
“We’re here to make sure that doesn’t happen,” Delphine reassures. “That’s one of the reasons Rita wanted my help.”
“You’re a passionate person,” Rita says. “But you don’t let your passions rule you. You let them give you focus, but you keep the larger picture in mind and try to do what’s the best for the most people. If the darkness tempts you acknowledge it, but let it go, don’t focus on it or embrace it. Everyone has moments of…”
Rita pauses as if searching for the right word.
“Moments, yeah,” Aisha agrees, wanting to reassure Rita that she understands.
“Don’t let it rule you. Don’t let it become your entire identity. I let it become my entire identity,” Rita advises.
Aisha nods. “Thank you. You know you wouldn’t make a bad mentor.”
Rita laughs. “That would be an entire headache I don’t even want to contemplate.”
They have her meditate. They have her relax and then focus on the feeling of the bond she’s sharing with the other person. The first thing Aisha really becomes aware of is the darkness of the other reality and it is defiantly a different reality. Aisha’s been thrown into enough pocket dimensions and other universes to know what this feels like. This isn’t her world. The woman she’s feeling is full of light, is a warrior for the light like Aisha. She doing her best to help fight the darkness, but it’s overwhelming and she’s sad. Their feelings flow more easily between them. It takes an effort to send thoughts, but Aisha finally has a name: Ahsoka.
It takes three days to figure all this information out, three exhausting days, but the bond between them is strong now. She barely gets time with Kim, Billy, or their Aquitian friends.
“She’s not a future teammate,” Aisha tells Kim the night before they’re supposed to leave. “I’m going to end up traveling to her world.”
“I’d like this better if she was coming here,” Kim grouches. “It sounds like her world needs more heroes. What do we do to help you?”
“Spar. Train. Learn. Don’t get a cat, I was really looking forward to adopting a cat after I got my budget planned out.”
Kim hugs her close. “Maybe they’ll have cats there.”
“Maybe.”
“I’m going to move back in with my parents. I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be here, but it wouldn’t be fair to make them responsible for cleaning out an apartment. I don’t know what to tell them.”
“Tell them you’re a Power Ranger and you’ve got another mission. They won’t like not seeing you, but maybe you can visit or come back.”
“I don’t know if I’ll be coming back,” Aisha admits. It’s the first time she’s admitted this, even to herself.
“Rocky and Adam won’t like that. I don’t like it either.”
“Ahsoka needs my help,” Aisha tells her firmly. “And apparently I should know how to use a sword and a blaster.”
“You already know how to use a blaster,” Kim points out.
“I should probably see if another ranger has one I can practice with,” Aisha sighs.
“We’ll find someone,” Kim says. “Beside we have some time with the Astro rangers, you can at least practice on the ship.”
“Having you and the other rangers to help me plan is going to help so much,” Aisha sighs.
Finding rangers that have a blaster she can practice with turned out to be the easy part. Telling her parents turns out to be the hard part. Finding fencing lessons that fit in with her schedule isn’t difficult, but it’s not seamless either. The two rangers from the last team, Eric and Wes, both know how to fence and they find a place where it’s easy to meet and practice. Aisha sorts through her things and makes herself a bag with some clothes and other essentials that she hopes will be nearby when it’s time to leave. Through it all Ahsoka is a steady presence and they pass reassurances back and forth. Talking is more difficult and exhausting so they don’t try often.
Then, when she’s out hiking with Tanya, she stops feeling Ahsoka. She has to sit down so her legs don’t give out from under her. Tanya drops down near her. “What happened?”
“I don’t…” Aisha starts as she looks up and stops as she sees an opening in the rocks behind Tanya. She feels herself drawn to that opening. Aisha laughs. “I sent you on a journey and now you’re here to see me off.”
Tanya turns to follow Aisha’s gaze. “All I see are rocks.”
“I don’t think you’re supposed to go with me,” Aisha points out, then breathes a steady breath as she can feel Ahsoka again. Her presence is faint and exhausted. Aisha stands up and dusts herself off, then adjusts her hiking pack. “At least I have my bag, good shoes, and a few extra supplies.”
“I’ll tell everyone,” Tanya reassures, then pulls her into a hug.
“Thank you.”
Tanya pulls back, nodding. Then she opens a pouch of her backpack and pulls out a crystal.
“Part of our Zeo crystal,” Tanya explains as she places it in Aisha’s hand. Aisha tries not to cry as her fingers close around it. She doesn’t know what to say. They hug one more time. Aisha puts the small shard of Zeo crystal into a pouch in her backpack then heads towards the opening she sees in the rocks.
It’s similar to passing through a portal and Aisha takes a moment to shake off the feeling of displacement as she tries to take in the enormous dark place she’s suddenly found herself in. There’s a flare of brightness so familiar by now it makes Aisha ache and she rushes over.
She knows Ahsoka is a Togruta, even has a bit of a mental picture that Ahsoka sent her, but she isn’t prepared for how beautiful Ahsoka is, even weak and exhausted and needing help. Ahsoka blinks at her and the feeling is reflected back. Ahsoka feels the same. Oh. Aisha swallows. She’s not quite prepared for this. A new friend, a teammate, that she is prepared for, but this feeling of awe and want and…Aisha is grateful that she knows how to shield herself, knows how to ferret out what are her feelings and what are Ahsoka’s feelings or she would be overwhelmed right now, especially with both their feelings being so similar. Underneath it all there is an ‘oh it’s you’ and ‘finally’ that ring through her.
Aisha drops to her knees by Ahsoka and helps her sit up.
“I’m here,” she reassures.
Ahsoka breathes a sigh of relief and leans in to press their foreheads together.
Fandom: MMPR/Star Wars
Pairings: Aisha Campbell/Ahsoka Tano, background Billy/Cestria
Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Power Rangers or Star Wars. Neither is my toy box and I'm merely playing.
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Aisha POV. Aisha finds herself feeling another person in her head and sets out to find out who they are and what they need.
A/N: Written for Jen425 for
chocolateboxcomm. This mostly takes place in the Power Rangers world and follows Aisha as she figures out her bond to Ahsoka. It's starts just post Time Force.Bind:
There’s an aching loneliness in the back of Aisha’s head. She’s grateful she knows what it feels like to share head-space with a whole team, it’s easier to recognize that the feeling isn’t hers. Despite that, the grief still leaves her breathless. She tries to send love and brightness back.
There’s shock, then caution that shifts into concern. Aisha concentrates on how safe she feels. This only makes the concern grow. Aisha tries to reiterate that she’s safe since clearly the person she’s feeling isn’t. Be safe she tries to tell the person. She’s not sure the message really gets through, but the concern isn’t as sharp. The grief is still a gaping well of sadness. Aisha wishes she could wrap her arms around this person and hug them.
Who can she go to for help? What mentors can she contact? Zordon’s dead. Aisha allows herself to pause and take a deep breath. It’s been years, but she still misses his wisdom. She calls Kim. After briefly catching up Kim asks, “What’s wrong?”
“I…” Aisha sighs and breaks off. She doesn’t know how to start. “Do you know where the current team is?”
“Silver hills, I think. Something to do with time travel and I think they won.”
“So probably no chance of a mentor,” Aisha grumbles.
“We could ask Tommy, he and Adam are trying to keep up on these things.”
“Are you saying Adam might know where I can find a mentor?” Aisha asks. “He hasn’t tried to do anything stupidly brave in years, but…”
“You don’t need to go talk sense into Adam,” Kim reassures.
Aisha makes an unconvinced noise. “I’m supposed to only have to worry about Rocky’s impulse control, not Adam’s.”
“He hasn’t tried to morph in years,” Kim reminds.
“I’m not going to let him forget what he did,” Aisha says firmly.
“You’re right. Me either,” Kim agrees. “Still doesn’t tell me why you need a mentor.”
“You know that feeling of being connected to each other when we’re driving a Megazord together?”
“Yeah,” Kim says drawing the word out slowly.
Great now Kim is worried.
“I’m having that, but it’s not someone I know. Maybe it’s a future teammate and the morphing grid is being wacky?” Aisha finishes.
Kim goes silent for a moment. Finally she says, “That sucks. What do they feel like?”
“Sad. Lonely,” Aisha tells her. “Probably the way Adam was feeling before he did something monumentally stupid.”
“That’s why you’re bringing that up.”
“Yeah, probably,” Aisha concedes.
“Okay. I don’t think the Mirinoi team had a mentor. Lightspeed Rescue was kinda military. If you need to travel anywhere I’m sure the Astro Rangers would help. Maybe Dimitria?”
Aisha groans. “You’ve heard what they said about her. Am I going to get advice or a bunch of questions?”
“I think Justin said it took her moment to figure out how they learned things,” Kim points out pragmatically.
“I’d almost rather ask Divatox, but if Dimitria is my only option I guess that’s what I got.”
“There’s always Rita,” Kim says.
Rita reminds Aisha that she’s not trying to get involved in ranger affairs and suggests Gosei.
“What if we can’t get him back to sleep and then he’s not available for the team he’s waiting for?” Aisha worries. She doesn’t want to deprive a future team of their mentor.
Kim frowns down at her fries. The three of them decided to meet at the Surf Spot. Rita frowns at both of them before raising her eyebrows and admitting, “That’s a good point and I’d rather not work with him. I’m not doing this alone.”
“This?” Kim asks.
Rita takes a sip of her milkshake, then studies Aisha for a moment. “This isn’t the morphing grid physically manifesting itself and needing a repair, this is something else”.
“Saying this is ‘something else’ doesn’t tell me much,” Aisha prods.
“Which is why you sought me out and not Dimitria,” Rita points out.
Aisha nods and eats a fry. This is starting to feel like it’s going nowhere fast.
Rita continues, “You’ve definitely bonded with someone and they’re defiantly a warrior for the light, but the place they are is very entrench in darkness and I’m trying very much to stay away from that kind of temptation. Do you have any free time coming up? Could you travel?”
“I graduate at the end of the week, then have two weeks to myself before I start work,” Aisha informs her.
“Would you be comfortable with Delphine?” Rita asks. “She liked your team. I’m sure if she knew it was you she’d be willing to assist us.”
“I thought you didn’t want to get involved in ranger affairs,” Kim teases, voice going low since there are several people eating near them.
“I’m not convinced this is,” Rita reveals. She takes another sip of her milkshake as she studies Aisha.
“I’d be comfortable with Delphine. Do you think the Astros would be okay with taking us?”
“You’re going to get to see Billy, I’m super jealous,” Kim puts in.
“Are you free?” Rita asks. “Come visit. T.J. owes me a favor, they’ll help.”
“That’s a story I want,” Kim informs Rita. Aisha agrees.
Rita laughs, then shakes her head. “I helped by faking some information that his team went to investigate, but there was no enemy and a spa instead. That whole team needed a break. So now he owes me.”
“I heard T.J. is a good strategist, but now I know his team is lucky to have him,” Kim says wistfully. Aisha laughs, feeling more at ease now that she knows she has a plan. She tries to push the feeling of camaraderie and hope through the bond she’s feeling with the other person. The sadness is still there, but there’s hope too and determination.
Thankfully the time goes by quickly and then the three of them are aboard the Astro’s newest Megaship on their way to Aquitar. Zhane and Andros approach her as she reading a book in the galley.
“Do you need to learn shielding?” Zhane asks.
Andros folds his hands together, then stares down at them.
“Shielding?” Aisha frowns. “I want to find out more about this person, not push them away.”
“You need to maintain yourself and not be overwhelmed by them,” Andros explains softly.
Aisha sets her book down, bristling slightly, but stills when she sees the slope of Andros’ shoulders and the concern on his face. She gives Zhane a worried look, he responds with a tight smile.
“This is difficult for you,” she comments trying for empathy and worrying she’s coming off too neutral.
“The team is connected through the morphers, there’s always a bit of a mental link. I know when they’re in danger, protecting them is part of my job as a sixth, but I always kept myself a bit private from everyone else,” Zhane informs her.
Andros glances at Zhane and squares his shoulders with a sigh. “He didn’t always. None of us did, then KO-35 was invaded and we had to.”
Andros keeps his gaze steady on Zhane, who reaches out and squeezes his shoulder. The Zhane turns back to her. “It’s not something you want to try to learn to do mid-battle, even if you been taught several techniques.”
Aisha looks back and forth between them. They have a stable team now and she’d known they’d had a team before T.J., Cassie, Ashley, and Carlos had found Andros, but now she can see how much the loss of their original team still weighs on them. Despite that pain they’re still trying to offer their advice, their help, so she doesn’t have to experience the same thing.
“Thank you,” Aisha concedes. She spends the majority of the trip to Aquitar learning how mental shields work. She’s grateful after. It’s tiring, but she’s sure it’ll be useful later on.
Delphine meets them when they land and shows them where they’ll be staying. It’s late. As they head to bed Aisha thanks Kim for coming with her. Kim hugs her close and kisses her cheek. “What are best friends for? Besides you get to spend the day doing mysterious morphing grid I don’t even know and I get to explore Aquitar. I’m excited and hope you get time to see the sights too.”
Aisha laughs. “I’m still grateful you’re here.”
“I hope you figure out what’s going on.”
Breakfast the next morning is pleasant, but briefer than Aisha would’ve liked. Kim, Cestria, and Billy have a transport scheduled while Delphine and Rita want to get an early start.
“This will likely take more than one attempt and give me a headache,” Rita explains.
“You want to use our time wisely, but give yourself time to recover,” Aisha acknowledges.
Rita studies her for a moment and Aisha doesn’t fidget, lets her look. Rita sighs. “This may be exhausting for you as well.”
“Take time to recover as well,” Delphine advises. “We’re going to help you as much as we can, but you’re going to have to do the bulk of the work.”
Aisha nods.
“I can’t do this for you,” Rita tells her. “Like I said before this person is in a place entrenched in darkness. I can’t risk touching it. I can lend you strength and energy and help talk you through what you need to do, but this is your journey.”
“Don’t put yourself at risk,” Aisha agrees, then frowns. “Am I at risk from this darkness?”
“We’re here to make sure that doesn’t happen,” Delphine reassures. “That’s one of the reasons Rita wanted my help.”
“You’re a passionate person,” Rita says. “But you don’t let your passions rule you. You let them give you focus, but you keep the larger picture in mind and try to do what’s the best for the most people. If the darkness tempts you acknowledge it, but let it go, don’t focus on it or embrace it. Everyone has moments of…”
Rita pauses as if searching for the right word.
“Moments, yeah,” Aisha agrees, wanting to reassure Rita that she understands.
“Don’t let it rule you. Don’t let it become your entire identity. I let it become my entire identity,” Rita advises.
Aisha nods. “Thank you. You know you wouldn’t make a bad mentor.”
Rita laughs. “That would be an entire headache I don’t even want to contemplate.”
They have her meditate. They have her relax and then focus on the feeling of the bond she’s sharing with the other person. The first thing Aisha really becomes aware of is the darkness of the other reality and it is defiantly a different reality. Aisha’s been thrown into enough pocket dimensions and other universes to know what this feels like. This isn’t her world. The woman she’s feeling is full of light, is a warrior for the light like Aisha. She doing her best to help fight the darkness, but it’s overwhelming and she’s sad. Their feelings flow more easily between them. It takes an effort to send thoughts, but Aisha finally has a name: Ahsoka.
It takes three days to figure all this information out, three exhausting days, but the bond between them is strong now. She barely gets time with Kim, Billy, or their Aquitian friends.
“She’s not a future teammate,” Aisha tells Kim the night before they’re supposed to leave. “I’m going to end up traveling to her world.”
“I’d like this better if she was coming here,” Kim grouches. “It sounds like her world needs more heroes. What do we do to help you?”
“Spar. Train. Learn. Don’t get a cat, I was really looking forward to adopting a cat after I got my budget planned out.”
Kim hugs her close. “Maybe they’ll have cats there.”
“Maybe.”
“I’m going to move back in with my parents. I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be here, but it wouldn’t be fair to make them responsible for cleaning out an apartment. I don’t know what to tell them.”
“Tell them you’re a Power Ranger and you’ve got another mission. They won’t like not seeing you, but maybe you can visit or come back.”
“I don’t know if I’ll be coming back,” Aisha admits. It’s the first time she’s admitted this, even to herself.
“Rocky and Adam won’t like that. I don’t like it either.”
“Ahsoka needs my help,” Aisha tells her firmly. “And apparently I should know how to use a sword and a blaster.”
“You already know how to use a blaster,” Kim points out.
“I should probably see if another ranger has one I can practice with,” Aisha sighs.
“We’ll find someone,” Kim says. “Beside we have some time with the Astro rangers, you can at least practice on the ship.”
“Having you and the other rangers to help me plan is going to help so much,” Aisha sighs.
Finding rangers that have a blaster she can practice with turned out to be the easy part. Telling her parents turns out to be the hard part. Finding fencing lessons that fit in with her schedule isn’t difficult, but it’s not seamless either. The two rangers from the last team, Eric and Wes, both know how to fence and they find a place where it’s easy to meet and practice. Aisha sorts through her things and makes herself a bag with some clothes and other essentials that she hopes will be nearby when it’s time to leave. Through it all Ahsoka is a steady presence and they pass reassurances back and forth. Talking is more difficult and exhausting so they don’t try often.
Then, when she’s out hiking with Tanya, she stops feeling Ahsoka. She has to sit down so her legs don’t give out from under her. Tanya drops down near her. “What happened?”
“I don’t…” Aisha starts as she looks up and stops as she sees an opening in the rocks behind Tanya. She feels herself drawn to that opening. Aisha laughs. “I sent you on a journey and now you’re here to see me off.”
Tanya turns to follow Aisha’s gaze. “All I see are rocks.”
“I don’t think you’re supposed to go with me,” Aisha points out, then breathes a steady breath as she can feel Ahsoka again. Her presence is faint and exhausted. Aisha stands up and dusts herself off, then adjusts her hiking pack. “At least I have my bag, good shoes, and a few extra supplies.”
“I’ll tell everyone,” Tanya reassures, then pulls her into a hug.
“Thank you.”
Tanya pulls back, nodding. Then she opens a pouch of her backpack and pulls out a crystal.
“Part of our Zeo crystal,” Tanya explains as she places it in Aisha’s hand. Aisha tries not to cry as her fingers close around it. She doesn’t know what to say. They hug one more time. Aisha puts the small shard of Zeo crystal into a pouch in her backpack then heads towards the opening she sees in the rocks.
It’s similar to passing through a portal and Aisha takes a moment to shake off the feeling of displacement as she tries to take in the enormous dark place she’s suddenly found herself in. There’s a flare of brightness so familiar by now it makes Aisha ache and she rushes over.
She knows Ahsoka is a Togruta, even has a bit of a mental picture that Ahsoka sent her, but she isn’t prepared for how beautiful Ahsoka is, even weak and exhausted and needing help. Ahsoka blinks at her and the feeling is reflected back. Ahsoka feels the same. Oh. Aisha swallows. She’s not quite prepared for this. A new friend, a teammate, that she is prepared for, but this feeling of awe and want and…Aisha is grateful that she knows how to shield herself, knows how to ferret out what are her feelings and what are Ahsoka’s feelings or she would be overwhelmed right now, especially with both their feelings being so similar. Underneath it all there is an ‘oh it’s you’ and ‘finally’ that ring through her.
Aisha drops to her knees by Ahsoka and helps her sit up.
“I’m here,” she reassures.
Ahsoka breathes a sigh of relief and leans in to press their foreheads together.