The Survival of Two

Salvation

Osha continued walking, turning to head towards the secluded cove where she bathed. She wanted nothing more than to duck beneath the waves, letting the lapping water wash away the feeling of his hands against her skin. Catching a glimpse of the familiar rocks, she quickened her pace, eager to let the tide envelop her mind. She pulled off her shoes before rounding a large boulder and approaching the shoreline. She had only taken a step into the surf before she caught a hint of motion in her periphery. She turned, immediately noticing Qimir. He was seated on a rock further down the shore, looking exactly as he had when she'd last seen him; his hair was tousled and she spied his crumpled shirt sitting on top of a towel beside him. He glanced up at her, and Osha felt her face redden at their momentary eye contact. She had expected, if not relied on, having time to unpack all of her feelings before seeing him again. His sudden reappearance only fanned the flames of the anger she'd grappled with on her walk, and she felt herself involuntarily drop her shoes by a flat rock and storm towards him.

"Do you make it a habit to run off on the people who trust you? Is that why you live here alone?" she accused.

He tilted his head almost imperceptibly, more of a tic than a reaction, standing to meet her as she pushed forward.

"I don't need you there while I sleep. Go back to your cot on the floor for all I care. But waking up to an empty bed, naked and alone—that I refuse to do again. Ever since you first brought me here, you've put on this charming facade, trying to convince me to follow you. You say you want my trust, my attention, my focus, fine!" She stalked closer. "I'm willing to do whatever, give whatever, to get strong enough to get my sister back. But today you asked for more—for me—and like a fool, I gave myself over. You've dulled my senses with your sweet words and gentle actions—whispers of devotion and care I now see you meant only as cheap placations." She closed the distance between them, addressing him with a murderous chill. "I won't let you do this again. I won't be blinded by the fantasy you peddle. I can see the ugliness inside of you," she spat.

"Just inside?" he questioned, staring her down.

Osha blinked, confused.

"If it's taken you this long to see my ugliness, it's no wonder you followed your master around like his pet for so many years."

"I was a child! I'd lost everything! He was all I had!"

"And after you left the Order—after you reclaimed your life—you just fell back on him for old time's sake?"

"I trusted him! He practically raised me. I never asked to get pulled back into the Jedi. That wasn't my life anymore, but I had no other choice. Unlike you, I'm not meant to go through life alone. Of course, I trusted my mentor. Of course, I trusted my friends."

"And what has that trust gotten you, aside from heartache and pain?"

"Pain at your hand, may I remind you! How many people had you killed before you left my friends dead at your feet?"

"I haven't made it a habit to count."

"Oh, so you can ignore all the innocent lives you've shattered? You—"

"No Jedi is innocent, Osha."

"She was eighteen!" she howled, the pain in her voice catching him off guard. She took a shuddering breath, pressing her fingernails into the palm of her hand, hoping to bite back the tears that stung at her eyes.

"The girl? She was a victim of the system that used her. If she wasn't felled by my blade, she would have only ended up as another nameless corpse on some other planet."

"How can you be so callous? We were just like her once."

"Can't you see that that's why she had to die!"

Osha flinched at his outburst, and she watched as something in his eyes changed. Broke. His voice softened, if only in volume, as he proceeded with the same commanding intensity.

"I would rather die by the hands of my enemy than by the trusted hands of a friend. I spared her that pain."

He quickly broke their eye contact and turned away. Osha watched the web of scars ripple across his back as he bent down to retrieve his shirt and towel.

"What happened to you?"

The words spilled from Osha's lips before she could stop herself. Her shoulders tensed in embarrassment as she dropped her gaze to the pebbled beach. She let out a quiet breath, thankful she didn't have to look him in the eye.

"Sit, Osha."

Unsure, she lowered herself onto a small boulder. Qimir turned back to face her, sitting on the same rock he'd perched on before.

"I thought the Jedi would be my salvation."