Healing Hurts (Anakin Skywalker)

Chapter 3

A distraction.

A mirage.

That's what she was.

It's just a dream, Anakin. A result of an overactive imagination.

Anakin knew deep down that Obi-Wan was wrong. After all - he had seen these dreams his entire life. He felt when she was happy, or sad, or scared. He felt connected to her, like the force was nudging him toward her with each and every dream he had. It was like a tugging sensation, occasionally paired with a sense of urgency. No, need.

He knew that he needed her. Maybe it was the intrigue and mystery surrounding her that was driving his feelings toward her. Or maybe it was a sign. Of what? He had no idea.

All that Anakin knew for sure was that something was wrong with her, and that Obi-Wan did not believe him. He wasn't sure what he expected, though. Obi-Wan had been the same way when he was having dreams of his mother's misery, nightmares that ate through him like nothing he'd ever felt before. Luckily, he had been able to arrive just in time to save her from death. It was a long recovery - one he was sure that she was still experiencing - but she had lived. The healer the Lars' had called upon had told them all that one more day could have been the end for her.

One day.

And Anakin feared for the girl he saw in his dreams. She was real, unlike what Obi-Wan had told him, and she was suffering. The mystery was why? She appeared mostly alright in his dreams - occasionally laying in odd positions (feet above the head? Who does that?) or seeming oddly flushed. But she was not injured. Oftentimes when she was alone, he felt an immense wave of cold wash over him. Sadness. Fear. Anger. But she never mentioned it. She never spoke of it to anyone around her.

And then the flushed cheeks began to turn bright red.

When she wore shorts, he noticed her kneecaps were often red at times. And then the bags under her eyes grew darker and seemed to be more sunken.

And then there were times where he saw her cry. Sometimes she was holding on to her legs, knees, or wrists tightly, rubbing them as if they were in pain.

He hated those dreams.

He noticed that she stayed home more often than before, rarely going out with friends and relatives as often as she used to. She was much more withdrawn - even from her own family. Anakin noticed that she and her father seemed to have grown apart and their conversations being few and far between.

And then a few months down the line, Anakin saw her using a cane for the first time. She limped heavily with each step, but Anakin couldn't spot a reason. She didn't have any cuts, scrapes, or incisions. There were no bandages or braces or casts. She didn't appear injured, and yet there she was - drawing in a sharp breath every few steps, trying to see through the tears in her eyes.

This continued on for a year.

Anakin wouldn't dare admit it to anyone, but he was struggling. Between the consistent dreams that continuously became heavier and heavier, training a padawan, and fighting in a war, Anakin was quickly reaching a breaking point. He knew it, Obi-Wan knew it.

He hadn't told Obi-Wan any more about his dreams of the girl. The only people he felt comfortable telling about the girl were Padme and Chancellor Palpitine. At least those two seemed to believe him. The chancellor was able to comfort him, saying that the force may eventually see that the two are side by side. He seemed to ignore the girl's struggles that Anakin described to him.

Padme, on the other hand, told Anakin that perhaps the girl would find help. Or that perhaps help would find her. Anakin gave the senator a knowing smirk as she uttered those words, knowing that the senator was hinting for him to track the girl down while he was off world - that perhaps she would be on one of the planets he was deployed to for missions. Anakin agreed, but then thought back to his old master's words - a distraction.