Even the Dark Side Can't Take Our Memories

Chapter 6 - Kissing in the Rain

When being utilized for their intended use, the ship Adonis was in and the ship Ahsoka and Barriss were in were a part of the same fleet, and so Ahsoka and Barris had the ability to track Adonis's ship. They speeded after him across the galaxy and through hyperspace, until Adonis finally soared into the atmosphere of Kamino. Ahsoka and Barriss glanced at each other in confusion.

"If he was just on his way to Kamino, why would he be sneaking out like that?" Ahsoka wondered aloud. Barriss was too lost in thought to reply.

They settled their ship down a few landing pads away from Adonis's ship and leapt across the pads until they were crouching down behind his starfighter. They hurried between piles of crates and the shadows, following Adonis into one of the buildings of Tipoca City. Ahsoka was having trouble focusing on Adonis; whenever she glanced over at her Mirialan accomplice, she would get lost in Barriss's shimmering, deep blue eyes.

"Ahsoka... don't you think the clones might be a bit... ah... confused to see two Jedi Padawans alone on Kamino?" Barriss asked worriedly.

"Good point... erm... hm... we didn't think this out very well." Barriss thought for a moment... she looked so wise when she was lost in her thoughts.

Ahsoka slapped herself internally; she could not be having these thoughts. For a while now, she'd been trying to convince herself that she was just admiring her incredible Padawan friend, but she was quite sure her feelings for Barriss were more than that. A Jedi like her could not be having feelings of such attachment like this.

"Okay. I've got a plan." Ahsoka straightened up apprehensively; while she had been reprimanding herself for having romantic feelings, Barriss had been coming up with a strategic plan to catch a potential Separatist spy. Though something like this would typically make Ahsoka feel jealous and petty, in this case, it just made her admire Barriss even more.

"We can sneak into the barracks of clone cadets through the air vents, and steal two sets of cadet armory. Then, we..." Ahsoka loved the way Barriss's eyes twinkled and her hands waved around while she was talking about her passions...

Before the Togruta knew what was going on, she and Barriss were jumping up into an air vent. How had this little adventure gone from Ahsoka trying to convince Barriss to join her, to Barriss leading the mission?

The two Padawans slid along the air vent, and finally hopped down into a clone cadet barrack. They quietly grabbed two sets of cadet armor and slipped the armor on over their clothes. Ahsoka yanked her eyes away from Barriss as the Mirialan absentmindedly tugged on the armor. Why was she feeling these things? Ahsoka shook her head as if trying to shake the forbidden thoughts from her mind. Barriss looked at her questioningly but didn't say anything as they hopped back up into the vent.

After crawling along until reaching the next vent cover, Barriss and Ahsoka leapt down into the corridor below. Ahsoka tried to tug her helmet over her lekkus but was having an extremely hard time of it.

"Here." Barriss took the helmet from Ahsoka's hands and carefully slid it over Ahsoka's lekkus. Ahsoka shivered, but in a good way.

Ahsoka and Barris slid along the corridor walls, stealthily searching for Adonis. "Sh. I think I hear something." The Padawans stopped outside of a white, circular room.

"...planning to stop the blockade," a voice was saying. Ahsoka and Barriss looked at each other with wide eyes.

"Count Dooku will be pleased to hear this, trooper," said the slow, smooth voice of a Kaminoan. Ahsoka clapped a hand over her mouth.

"We have to do something!" Barriss whispered. Ahsoka nodded. The two girls slowly drew their lightsabers.

When Adonis stepped surreptitiously from the room, Ahsoka and Barriss leapt into the center of the corridor, their lightsabers shining. Adonis stepped back in shock, and immediately drew his gun and started firing at them. The girls fired back masterfully, but Adonis was a skilled shooter. Ahsoka and Barriss glanced at each other in fear when Adonis called for reinforcements on his comlink. Any clone troopers that came to help Adonis wouldn't know of his wrongdoings and would be on his side, and possibly even report to the Jedi that two clone cadets on Kamino had lightsabers, and were battling the other clones with them.

"We have to retreat!" Ahsoka cried. Barriss was indecisive for a moment, and that was the moment that surrendered them.

They were surrounded by clones. Even through the cadet helmet on Barriss's head, Ahsoka could tell that Barriss was scared; after being surrounded by battle droids on Ryloth and almost dying, Ahsoka could see why Barriss would have some trauma about being surrounded.

"Hey. Bair. It's okay," Ahsoka said. Barriss nodded, but a bit too vigorously than was natural. Ahsoka took a deep breath; she had to get Barriss to safety without harming any clones. It was obvious that Barriss was bordering on a breakdown. "Barriss," Ahsoka said. "Just - follow me." Barriss nodded again. Ahsoka pulled out a smoke bomb and threw it down the hall.

"Bomb!" one of the clones shouted. Half of them ran off to disable the bomb, under the impression that it was a real one. Ahsoka set off the smoke before they could reach it.

"Come on!" She grabbed Barriss's hand in hers and dragged her down the hall until they finally got out of the building. In the pouring rain of Kamino, the girls both tugged off their helmets and shook out their lekkus and hair. Ahsoka looked up at Barriss's still-scared face, her lips slightly parted. Ahsoka carefully set her helmet on the ground and stepped closer to Barriss, taking her hands in hers.

"Bair, are you alright?" Barriss sniffed and gave a small smile.

"I - I think. I'm sorry, Ahsoka. I almost sacrificed the-" She stopped talking abruptly with a little gasp as Ahsoka reached up and wiped the mix of tears and raindrops off of Barriss's cheeks with her thumb. Both of them were breathing hard, and the rain poured down on their red faces.

"Ahsoka, I-"

"Shhh." Barriss's full lips looked so inviting, as she stared at Ahsoka with wide, innocent eyes... those eyes... Ahsoka stopped herself mid-thought. What am I doing? She quickly pulled away from Barriss, her cheeks reddening... how could something so wrong and forbidden feel so perfect? Before Ahsoka could have another internal battle with herself about morals and the Jedi code, Barriss grabbed Ahsoka's fingers and tugged Ahsoka around to face her. Barriss was leaning in... Ahsoka felt as if a force was pushing her lips forward as well... a force inside of her... the Force...

Their apprehensively open lips met, and both Padawans gasped as a fire of love and longing exploded between them. Barriss's soft lips caressed Ahsoka's own, and all thoughts of Jedi and consequences flew from Ahsoka's mind. All that mattered was here, now, and Barriss... Barriss's lips, her eyes, her lips, her hair, her lips... Ahsoka was frantically trying to make up for all the time she'd spent without Barriss, all the time she'd spent trying to convince herself that all she wanted of Barriss was a friendship.

The girls finally pulled apart, and laughed, wiping the rain from each other's faces. Ahsoka didn't know why they were laughing, but the Padawans couldn't seem to stop giggling and grinning. Ahsoka just felt... giddy. Barriss tugged on Ahsoka's lekku, and Ahsoka blushed and smiled. She leaned in and gave Barriss another peck on the lips; Barriss gave one back, and they kept at it like this for about ten more kisses, giggling all the while.

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