The Force Betrayed: Cal Kestis x OC

8.

Eight Months Before Present-Day

Sakana had been temporarily forced into the Shadowlands by the Empire; they had begun to drill into the roots of some of the Wroshyr trees in an attempt to collect their precious sap. The sounds of the drills made her sick to her stomach and vibrated through the whole forest, making it impossible to concentrate.

At least here she could meditate in peace and hopefully get further into the journal. Something about her mother's relationship to Master Kenobi was rubbing her the wrong way, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Perhaps it was the fact that her mother had failed to mention that she ever knew him so intimately; she had mentioned the great Jedi Master before but it had mostly been in passing.

She pulled the journal out of her pocket as usual and placed it on the soft, grassy bed of flowers in front of her. Closing her eyes, she focused on the journal's strap and pulled it open.

A darkness fell over Sakana as the image finalized in front of her. Similar to before, the entry was of her mother asleep in her bed on Coruscant, seemingly in the middle of a nightmare.

Her theory was confirmed when her mother suddenly awoke and bolted upright, her hair a mess and her face covered in a thin layer of sweat. Sakana could feel her mother's panic in her own heart, and she suddenly wished she could comfort her.

There was a quiet knock at Eryyyn's door and she turned her head towards the sound. She slowly got out of bed and walked towards the door, not caring to put on something more proper first.

Of course, when she opened it, Obi-Wan was standing in the doorway, his eyebrows creased together in a worried expression.

"What are you doing here?" she asked breathlessly.

"I felt a disturbance," he replied, his voice equally as uneasy.

Eryyyn stared up at him longingly as if she was silently pleading with him to do something. She couldn't utter a word, though, and eventually she stepped away from the door so that Obi-Wan could let himself in as if it was something he'd done a hundred times before.

She climbed back into bed almost immediately, but Obi-Wan hesitated. She patted the empty area of the bed next to her and said quietly, "Come lay down."

"I'm not sure I should..." he trailed off, his face blushing red.

"You came here for a reason, didn't you?" Eryyyn smiled gently, and Sakana could feel the tension easing from her mother. "I won't tell anyone."

She was so immersed in the scene unfolding in front of her that she didn't even process what was going on. Obi-Wan's face broke into a quick smile at Eryyyn's words, and they were somehow convincing enough. In what felt like slow-motion for Sakana, Obi-Wan crawled into bed next to Eryyyn.

She laid her head on Obi-Wan's chest and he didn't try to stop her. His hand fell naturally onto her hair as he played with it, and her eyes closed as the relaxation only his touch could give her settled in.

"Stay," she whispered, the sound of her voice so quiet Sakana could barely hear it.

Obi-Wan was silent for a few seconds as he struggled to find the right words. After some deliberation, they never came, and he whispered a quiet "okay," in response instead.

The image faded out and a familiar azure hue filled Sakana's vision as the next entry became visible. The usual two figures appeared, and Sakana waited impatiently as they materialized. She hadn't begun to process what exactly was happening in front of her and the implications it had.

The pair were standing against the railing of the balcony again, facing each other.

"I have another meeting with the Council, I can't go now," her mother said, her arms crossed as she looked up at Obi-Wan. He was incredibly close to Eryyyn, using his height to lean over her.