"Staring off into space?"

The sudden presence behind him startled Ezra so much he jumped. He twisted back around to see Master Skywalker standing behind him. The slightest of grins was playing about his mouth.

He closed his eyes and tried to slow his heart rate before responding. "Yeah, I just...didn't realize you were there. Sorry, did I miss you telling me something?"

"No, but you caught air just then," he commented, raising an eyebrow. "I saw you here alone. Is it alright if I join you?"

"Sure," Ezra invited him, and Anakin sat down beside the Padawan. The two Jedi looked out over the base, hiding in the long shadows of the hills. The day was just starting to warm up.

Anakin didn't say anything at first. There was a lot on his mind and a lot he wanted to say, but he had a feeling Ezra did too, and he didn't want to press him. Right after Order 66, there had been a period of months where Obi-Wan had avoided speaking his mind. He had coaxed him out of it, and through that, Anakin learned that silence was the easiest way to encourage someone to open up. If it could work on Obi-Wan, Anakin hoped it would work on Ezra too.

He kept his stare forward, not putting any pressure on the teenager. Resting his chin on his forearms propped on his knees, Anakin kept silent, making no effort to make conversation. Ezra was looking at him. He could feel it.

"Going into that temple was a mistake, wasn't it?"

There we go. Anakin turned to look at him, and he could see the shame that had washed over his face. He wasn't surprised. Ezra was probably blaming himself for what happened to Kanan.

He sighed before answering. "Maybe going to Malachor at all was a mistake."

"What? But...Master Yoda told us to go. Why would he do that if it was a mistake?"

"Ezra," he began, making sure to keep his voice soft. "Yoda isn't a Jedi. Not anymore."

Shock and confusion crossed the Padawan's face, as Anakin was afraid it would. He looked forward again, remembering the last day he had ever been in the Coruscant Jedi temple. "There weren't many survivors after Order 66. Most of them went into hiding as Kanan did, but Yoda came back to the temple to fight off the clone troopers. When the battle was over, he abandoned his lightsaber and renounced the Jedi Way."

In his mind, he could still hear the small lightsaber clatter as it hit the ground. Even worse, he could still see the horror on Obi-Wan's face when he realized what Yoda was doing. It was quite similar to the expression Ezra had at the moment. "What? Why did he...I don't understand."

"I never asked him why," Anakin admitted. "I haven't seen him since that day. I wasn't even sure he was still alive until you told me. Do you remember when you showed me your lightsaber for the first time?"

"I...yeah, and I told you I got the crystal from Yoda," he remembered, narrowed his brow as he concentrated. "You seemed confused at first. Is this why?"

Nodding, Anakin looked back at Ezra, his face hardening. "I didn't understand why Yoda would give you a crystal when he wasn't a Jedi. I didn't even realize he could because I thought in his exile, he had cut himself off from the Force. No one else had heard from him before or since the day you saw him in the temple."

"But Kanan spoke with him too, the first time," objected Ezra, trying to make sense of what Anakin was saying. "Did he not know about Yoda?"

"Not from what he told me."

Ezra let his gaze drop as the information processed. Anakin didn't try to rush him. It was a hard pill to swallow. He sat in silence again, waiting for Ezra to be ready before he tried to change the subject.

It took a minute, but he soon connected the dots as to what Anakin was saying. "...so, you think because Yoda told me to go to Malachor... that it was a mistake?"

"I don't see why he wanted you, or any of us, to go," he explained. "By leaving the Order, he gave up his authority as Grandmaster of the Jedi. He can say whatever he wants, but he can't order a Jedi to do anything." Anakin hesitated, but in the end, he spoke his mind. "I haven't trusted Yoda since he gave up on the Jedi, and everything that happened on Malachor only gives me another reason not to."

Thinking furiously, Ezra tried to think of a reason, any reason, that Yoda would have sent him-them to Malachor. "Right before he told me, I told him that we had decided to win over the Empire by fighting."

Anakin nodded, preventing his thoughts from showing on his face. Of course. The Padawan wants to fight, so Yoda sends them straight into the thick of battle without thinking about the repercussions. I wonder where I've seen that before?

He didn't leave Ezra hanging without a response, though. Knowing what Ezra just told him, what had happened on Malachor was not his fault; it was Yoda's. "I don't believe Yoda's response to you was the right one. The two of us have different schools of thought."

They were harsh words, but they were honest ones. He didn't hide his true opinion from Ezra, and he seemed to realize this. "I guess not every Jedi...or ex-Jedi...thinks the same way."

"You don't have to agree with me, Ezra," Anakin assured him. "It's an opinion. Sometimes teachers will demonstrate how to do something right, and sometimes they'll teach you how to do something wrong."

"Hey, I don't exactly think Malachor was a good idea either," Ezra said defensively. "My lightsaber got destroyed, my master was blinded, and I saw more of the Dark Side there than I've ever seen in my life. How is that good?"

"Even bad things have their place in the galaxy," he said quietly. "We wouldn't appreciate the day so much if we didn't miss it during the night."

Anakin could tell Ezra was getting tired of the philosophy lecture. He watched him hang his head before mumbling, "Why couldn't the galaxy just...be good?"

He grinned slightly before responding. "Well, that's our job, isn't it? To be the good we want to see in the world?"

Slowly, he saw Ezra nod and breathe out. It was a heavy burden to bear, the responsibility of morality, but Ezra could understand it even at fifteen. If they didn't fight for what was right, no one would. They were Jedi. They were supposed to be the embodiment of justice and peace. Peace was a bit of a stretch within the Rebellion, but justice was less so. Maybe their idea of justice didn't agree with the Empire, but that was the point. That was why they were here.

Turning back to look at the base, Anakin watched as more rebels got up for the day. Doubtless, Commander Sato would start doling out missions soon. Now that the mess from Malachor was more or less over, Fulcrum would probably be sent out for intel. The only problem was that Anakin's cover was more or less blown. He needed to see if the council had responded to his report yet.

Beside him, Ezra piped up again. "Speaking of my lightsaber...what am I supposed to do now? I left the pieces on Malachor. I can't get them back."

"Then you'll need another kyber crystal," Anakin told him, looking over again and letting one leg straighten out on the ground. "Do you already hear one calling to you?"

"Calling?"

"Crystals sing to those they belong to in the Force. When Yoda gave you your first crystal, do you remember hearing something?"

After a moment, Ezra nodded. "I did, but I haven't heard anything like that yet."

Anakin didn't think he would. It had only been a day or so, and Ezra hadn't been focused on finding a new crystal. "Keep your ears open. If you hear a crystal calling to you, let Kanan or I know. We can help you get close to it, but naturally occurring crystals will usually take you on a journey. They won't just appear."

"Then shouldn't I start looking now? I don't even know where to find one."

"Don't rush yourself, Ezra," Anakin warned him, shaking his head. "Kyber crystals sing to specific people only. If you take the wrong crystal, you won't be able to use it. Wait until you hear your crystal's song."

"I don't have time to wait," Ezra insisted, standing up and gesturing to the rebel base. "Hera and the others are going to get orders any minute now, and without Kanan able to fight, I should be with them! I don't have a weapon anymore."

Slow down, kid, he thought, but he didn't dare say it out loud. Telling a teenager to slow down was about as effective as telling a rancor to stop making turds. Anakin couldn't condone rushing the crystal finding process, but he could help Ezra through his impatience. Just a nudge in the right direction would be enough for now. "Don't underestimate your master," he advised, looking up at Ezra. "He may be blind, but he will find his way again. I'm sure of it."

Anakin's belief seemed to give the Padawan hope, but it only lasted for a moment. "The Rebellion will give our crew missions before then. While he's still recovering, I should be out there helping the others."

Nodding, Anakin grinned internally. That's more like it. Standing up, only then did he begin to offer an alternative.

Reaching behind his back, he spoke slowly. "It's only a temporary solution, but I have an idea." He held out a lightsaber, but not the one that hung on his belt. It was one of the white ones he had used when fighting the Inquisitors on Takobo.

Ezra's eyes widened when he realized what he was holding. "Ar-are you sure?"

"It's not going to be comfortable to use," the Jedi Master warned. "Someone you don't know made this lightsaber, so it won't feel as natural in your hands. Until you hear your crystal, though, it's the only other option I can give you."

He reached out hesitantly for it as if he might break this one too. When Ezra's fingers brushed the metal hilt, something like a vision flashed before his eyes. He saw blue eyes staring at him, eyes he didn't recognize. Recoiling, he withdrew his hand.

"Like I said," Master Skywalker reminded him, "It won't feel natural."

Though Ezra understood his warning better now, he was desperate for a weapon. He held it again, and this time the eyes didn't appear. Picking it up, he grasped the lightsaber tightly in his hand. "It's heavier than mine," he noted.

"That's because it's older," explained Master Skywalker. "The crystal in that lightsaber was first used twenty-four years ago. The crystal carries memories of its users, and the more memories it holds, the heavier it feels."

"And you're sure I can use it?" Ezra asked one more time, gingerly holding the lightsaber with both hands.

"Just try not to break this one, yeah?" he suggested, joking around a bit. "When you find your crystal, I'll ask for it back, but if I don't see you, then Kanan can hold onto it. Until then, it should work for the time being."

Ezra's communicator crackled to life. "We have a mission, people," Hera alerted the crew, disrupting the conversation between the Jedi. "We're back on supply runs. I need everyone on the Ghost in five minutes."

"Right on time, too," Master Skywalker commented. "Better get moving."

"Thank you, Master Skywalker," Ezra told him, holding the lightsaber close to his chest. "I'll take care of it, I promise."

Anakin nodded as the Padawan ran off towards the base with Ahsoka's lightsaber in hand. Not that Ezra knew it was hers, as he had neglected to say as much. It hardly made a difference though, Ezra had never known Ahsoka.

He teased Ezra about breaking the lightsaber, but in actuality, he wasn't worried at all. Ezra didn't need to concern himself with taking care of the lightsaber. If anything, the lightsaber would take care of him.

When he was out of earshot, Anakin looked up to the sky. Time to see if his theory was right. "Hey, Snips? You there?"

Once again, a warm wind brushed past his face. Grinning, Anakin rejoiced at the return of his friend. Ahsoka may be dead, but she was not gone, not by a long shot.

"Can you keep an eye on him? Just until Kanan's back on his feet?"

Her wind wrapped around his hand before flying off his fingertips. It was as if she was lifting the task out of his hands and holding it in her own.

Anakin's smile grew wider. He no longer trusted Yoda, but his faith in Ahsoka never waned. Even from beyond the grave, she still had his back...in a way. "I owe you one... again," he told her, and he could almost see her rolling her eyes at him.

As he said, the lightsaber would take care of Ezra.