Give Me Love

chapter thirty two

"Can anyone sense him yet?" You asked for the upteenth time, trekking along ahead of everyone.

You had to crane your head back to see Obi-Wan and Ahsoka shake their heads, focused on reaching out with the force to feel for Anakin. So far, there was no sign of him.

There was nothing but ashy, barren moonrock for miles and miles— you had been stepping over craters and kicking up dust for the past few hours, legs growing sore and feet throbbing with pain. A violent wind blew back your hair every so often, intensifying the already frigid atmosphere of the moon. Even the stars in the dark sky above seemed to blink back at you blankly.

"Anakin," you tried the com again. "Anakin, please come in."

Nothing.

"We're trying to find you, Anakin."

The thought of him all crumpled up, bleeding out in the shell of his ship urged you onward with a newfound strength.

This is not how the Chosen One would die-- you would make sure of it.

"Wait," Ahsoka called out. Your head snapped to her. "I can sense something up ahead."

You didn't wait for anymore before you were taking off, thighs burning with the effort it took to scale the mound of moonrock that hid whatever Ahsoka felt from view.

"Wait, Y/n!" Obi-Wan called out. You knew he would tell you it could be dangerous, but your pounding heart could not wait. If there was any possibility it was Anakin...

You skid to a stop on top of the mound, stomach tanking at the sight.

First there was the ship, a beaten, broken hunk of metal similar to the back half of your own. Just like you had said, the whole right wing had been torn off of his beloved interceptor, somewhere lost in space or burnt to a crisp right now.

The engine was no longer smoking, but bits and pieces of metal from the bottom were scattered in every direction for miles, no doubt evidence of the crash landing. The ground beneath it had been dug into a deep pit, pebbles of moonrock falling into the hull.

Then there was the blood.

It was dark and thick, dried in a large puddle as it reached out into the cracks of the chalky ground. Streaks of it dragged out and away, as far as you could see.

Your lungs lost all of their air, and you skid down steep embankment, scraping your bottom on the rocks as you took off into a dead sprint for the ship.

"Anakin!" you called, already knowing it would be met with silence. That blood was most definitely his, and as you got closer, you could see something you had missed before--

Footsteps.

A lot of them, if you had to guess, by the way the long, curved patterns crowded around the splatters of blood. You dropped to the ground by the biggest one, studying the outline of moondust on one of the steps. It mixed with blood, turning it a greyish-pink.

You looked up at the other three as they approached you solemnly. Ahsoka was still supporting Padmé's weight, and Obi-Wan was clutching at his arm.

"They took him," you deduced, gaze following the footsteps and the blood. It disappeared into the horizon.

Suddenly, there was a small whirring sound. Like a confused little chortle, and then a beep of surprise. All three of your heads whipped around at the sound, delighted to see a blue astromech flying out of the remains of the ship.

He whistled happily, landing upright on his legs, and then raced over to you.

"Artoo!" Ahsoka exclaimed, patting him on the head. ""How are you, buddy? Everything okay? Wire's all intact?"