The Force Betrayed: Cal Kestis x OC

20.

As Sakana traveled further into the cave and became closer to Cal, she reached an opening that led down a smooth, twisting decline. For a moment she thought that she might have gotten herself turned around, but as she started going down the slope, a fiery orange blot in the snow caught her eye.

Cal.

"Cal!" She called out to him as she started to jog down the path, careful not to trip on the slippery ice. The closer she got, the more dire her situation became as she realized that Cal didn't seem conscious.

Her jog became a sprint as she continued to run towards him, throwing all hesitation and caution to the wind. BD-1 perked up as he noticed Sakana running towards their friend, his little feet jumping up and down in worried excitement.

"Cal!" she shouted at him again, nearly tearing her outer robes off so she could wrap them around him. They were waterproof, insulating, and thick, and she hoped that her own warmth would be enough to wake him up.

Her bare shoulders formed goosebumps at the sudden coldness and her whole body began to violently shiver, making it hard to concentrate. Despite this, she kneeled in front of Cal and took his face into her hands, her eyes staring at his cold, blue lips.

"Cal, wake up," she pleaded, examining his whole face. She gently slapped his cheeks as she tried to get his blood flowing again, and after a few gentle taps, his eyes began to flutter open.

"Sakana...?" he asked, her pale skin and hair making it hard for him to distinguish her features against the snow.

"Cal," she sighed in relief, letting go of his face. As he sat up he slowly regained consciousness and took in his surroundings, suddenly realizing that Sakana had given him her outer robes to keep him warm.

"Your robes..." he trailed off as he stared at them, appreciating her kindness.

"I didn't think you were breathing," she blurted out, thankful for the cloud of condensation that formed around his mouth as he spoke.

His eyes fell on her shivering, bare shoulders, and worry gripped at his own chest. "Sakana, you're going to freeze," he shivered, stretching the fabric away from himself. "Come on, there's plenty of room, we can share it."

Sakana hesitated for just a moment as she stared at the open fabric, not sure if he was being serious. She had forgotten her reservations in her panic just moments ago, but Cal was completely calm and sober, his gentle eyes inviting her to his warmth.

She took her place at his side and huddled close to him as she wrapped the fabric around the left side of her body, grateful for the protection of her outer robes again. It was a slightly tight fit and Sakana had to awkwardly hold her head away from Cal's, prompting her to note how comfortably it might have fit against his shoulder.

"Did you find your crystal?" Sakana asked, her head just barely turned in his direction.

"Yeah," Cal said, holding out his hand so she could see the broken purple crystal.

"What happened to it?" she asked, getting the courage to look at him. She had forgotten for a moment just how close he was, and the sadness of his downturned eyebrows tugged at her heart.

"I don't know," he sighed, looking forward. "Maybe it's not my crystal."

"Wait," she said, shaking her head. "Just because it's broken doesn't mean it won't work, right? Giving up so easily...it's not like you, Cal," she smiled. "You're stronger than that."

"You're...right," he said, unable to fight the grin that formed on his lips. "I'm sure I can modify something."

Sakana looked at him again, not expecting to be met with direct eye contact. Unsure if it was because of the cold or Cal's close gaze, her cheeks blushed.