Bittersweet Devotion [Star Wars x Anakin Skywalker]

3.

"Uh, we had a slight weapons malfunction, but uh... everything's perfectly all right now. We're fine. We're all fine here now, thank you." "Uh, how are you?" (Winces.) - Han Solo

The first thing Rain had to come to terms with after leaving her home planet was that space was cold. She had left her new companions to converse among themselves and retreated to the other side of the ship for some privacy. Even after scavenging for blankets and wrapping herself up, she still felt the chill seep through.

Perhaps she wasn't meant for space travel. Perhaps she had made a mistake in leaving behind every comfort she had ever known. No, she wouldn't think like that. She knew she had made the right decision. Though she couldn't fully understand why, something deep inside her assured her that this was her destiny.

Rain didn't sense the presence approaching her as she stared in wonder outside the window beside her. The fantastic blur of colors was mesmerizing as the ship traveled faster than the speed of light.

"Takes a bit of getting used to, doesn't it?" Anakin's soft voice surprised Rain. She pulled her gaze away from the window to meet his eyes.

"What does?"

"Space. It's cold, right?" he smiled gently, nodding at the impressive pile of blankets she had covered herself with.

Rain returned his smile. "Yeah. I guess I wasn't exactly prepared for that."

Anakin sat down across from her, crossing his arms and glancing outside, seemingly lost in thought. "I remember my first time in space."

Rain sensed that it was a difficult topic of discussion for him and swiftly changed the subject, "Where exactly are we going?"
"Coruscant," Anakin answered, as if deep in recollection.

"Have you been there before?"

He gave her a strange smile. "Well, yes. I live there most of the time."

Rain's eyes widened, and she felt her cheeks redden in embarrassment. She hastily tried to keep the conversation going so he wouldn't notice her discomfort. "What is it like?"

"It's a lot different from Tatooine. First off, it's very cold. All the buildings are much larger and there are a lot more of them. It'll probably be easier to understand when you see it," he said, watching her confused look with an amused smile.

"Did you grow up there?" Rain asked, genuinely curious.

"No, I was actually born on Tatooine, like you," he said, smiling again. That smile.

"I was a slave as well—it's a long story, but Obi-Wan found me and took me back to Coruscant with him to begin my training. I've been training for four years now," he continued.

"Was it hard leaving your family?" Rain asked, thinking of her own family she had left behind.

He looked down sadly, and Rain immediately regretted asking. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—" She sighed. "I should just go."

"No! It's okay. I just don't like to talk about my mother, that's all. It was hard to leave her. In the end, it was really for the best," he said, pulling her back down. She nodded sympathetically.

There was a silence, not awkward, just comfortable. Both were lost in their own thoughts. Rain played with her mother's small heart pendant absentmindedly, and Anakin noticed.

"What's that?" he asked, leaning forward and reaching out to take the pendant in his hand, examining it closely.

"It was my mother's..." Rain said softly. He gave her a sympathetic smile and leaned back in his chair.