For The Blood We Spill

Chapter 6 - The Lawless

Author's Note: I think y'all have been waiting for the next chapter, long enough, don't you? Lol. I can't promise monthly updates, but I do promise that you'll get the next chapter in May, since it's already done. :) Thank you all so much for your patience! I hope you enjoy this chapter! :D

WARNING: Self-harm, suicidal thoughts/feelings, blood, and general darkness!

~ Amina Gila

"Obi-Wan!" cries Satine in shock and horror as a blaster bolt strikes his left shoulder. Anakin's heart nearly stops, especially when Obi-Wan begins falling, his jetpack either malfunctioning or stopping because he's in too much pain to use it. This is too much like what happened before, and Anakin doesn't – can't go through it again. He can't lose Obi-Wan only months after he last thought him dead, but he can't exactly drop the Duchess either, not while he's supposed to be protecting her.

Just as Anakin is considering taking his chances at grabbing Obi-Wan physically – slowing his fall with the Force can only do so much – another armored figure swoops up, catching him mid-air. "Come on," she calls roughly. "Follow me."

Anakin doesn't without a second thought, feeling Satine's muted surprise in the Force at the woman's voice. They manage to duck into a small, enclosed area off the streets and away from the Death Watch warriors pursuing them. Once they've landed, Anakin releases Satine, grateful to be away from her. She has feelings for Obi-Wan, which automatically means that propriety dictates he keep a distance between them.

"Who are you?" Anakin asks warily as the armored woman – is she part of Death Watch? She kind of looks like it, so why is she helping them? – lays Obi-Wan down on a cot.

The woman pulls off her helmet, revealing short red hair, cut in the typical Mandalorian warrior style, and sharp, green eyes. "I am Bo-Katan Kryze," she answers, nodding to Satine.

"Korkie?" the Duchess worries.

"Is fine," Bo-Katan answers in a clipped tone as she looks down at Obi-Wan's unconscious form. "We took him out of the city."

Satine nods gratefully, hurrying forwards and hovering over Obi-Wan. "The bolt went through his shoulder," the Mandalorian – who is apparently Satine's sister? – reports. "We can put a bacta patch on it, but he needs to be evacuated. He'll never be able to fight in this condition."

Anakin can't suppress the worry rushing through him as he moves to his former master's side. His face is pale, and Anakin reaches out through the Force to probe their bond. Obi-Wan's Force signature doesn't even respond. He must be out cold. Anakin nudges him, silently urging him back to consciousness.

Satine crouches next to Obi-Wan, expression filled with fear and anxiety. She reaches up, touching his face lightly. "Obi, wake up," she whispers, and the tenderness of the gesture makes Anakin feel as if he's intruding on a private moment. He looks away, meeting Bo-Katan's eyes, and it's clear that she's feeling similarly out of place.

When he looks back, Satine is holding Obi-Wan's hand, fingers resting on his pulse. Anakin fights his instinctive urge to touch his former master as well. He knows what it's like to be worried and desperate enough to feel someone's pulse to ensure they're alive, especially after a harrowing incident. Seeing as she's not been fighting at all, he can understand why this might have shaken her as much as it has him. And then again, she, too, would have thought Obi-Wan dead during the Hardeen incident, the memory of which brings forth a violent surge of emotion, grief most prominently.

He shakes his head, pushing it aside, even as he clenches his right hand into a fist, wishing, not for the first time, that he wasn't wearing armor. He wants pain; he needs it and seeing how Satine is treating Obi-Wan... it hurts for some reason, and he can't quite understand why.