A Long Time Ago, In a Galaxy Far Away

Chapter 37

Anakin had followed Luna home from school like he had originally planned to do. He still disagreed with Obi-Wan, but Anakin knew that there was no swaying his old master. However, Anakin began to get a bad feeling, more so than what he had been sensing throughout the past day, as Luna and he neared the house.

When Luna had stopped walking a few yards from the fence line, Anakin had taken the time to get closer. He could tell that the house had been broken into.

"That's not good," Anakin couldn't help but mutter to himself. He could sense that there were still people in the house. His worry increased when Luna began to continue walking to the house despite the waves of fear Anakin could sense from her.

Anakin quickly wondered why she'd even think about doing that. Before he could even think about trying to use the Force to at least persuade her to stop, he heard a bang and felt a warning flare from the Force.

He managed to see something fly right by where Luna had previously been. Anakin would have smiled at the fact that she had sensed the Force enough to avoid getting hit by whatever it was if it weren't for the fact he could sense that Luna was about to be in even more danger. He quickly continued toward where she was, still in the shadows.

Luna started sprinting towards where Anakin was right was people started pouring out of her house. Right as she made it to him, Anakin felt another warning flare through the Force as something hit Luna's right leg. She fell, but Anakin, deciding that there wasn't much of a point staying hidden now, grabbed her and pulled her behind a house that he had been hiding in the shadows of previously. He could sense it was empty as a plan quickly formed in his mind.

Luna began to try to get out of his grip and screamed, causing Anakin to quickly cover her mouth.

"Luna, it's me," Anakin hissed. Luna stopped struggling almost immediately, and he could sense her instantly relaxing along with her mental shields disappearing completely. "Come on," Anakin muttered as he began to pull her along.

Luna winced as her leg was moved and she was forced to put weight on it. She put a hand on the side of the house as Anakin pulled her along, biting down a whimper. They got to the back of the house, and, before she fully knew what was happening, Anakin had picked her up and Force jumped onto the roof before setting her back down as he fiddled with a window. It didn't take long for it to open.

Anakin helped her inside before closing the window and locking it. They were silent for a moment as the men began to search around the house.

"Are you alright?" he asked once he had decided they were safe for the time being.

"All things considered, yes," Luna muttered as she slid down the wall into a sitting position, dropping her backpack to the side. The shock from getting hit by the bullet was starting to wear off, but that just meant that the pain was coming in full force. They were in the attic of the house.

"Who are those people?"

"Part of a gang, first time I've seen them though," Luna replied. Anakin could sense truth to her words, but also the fact she was hiding something.

"You're bleeding," Anakin said, noticing her leg wound.

"It's fine-ahh!" Luna yelled as Anakin touched it before slamming a hand over her mouth. A moment of silence was given to see if anyone heard. It didn't appear so.

"What did they get you with?" he asked, being more careful as he pulled up her leggings and inspected the wound.

"They shot me with a gun. You have blasters and lasers, we have guns and bullets.... Is there an exit wound?" Luna asked as she tried to get a look without moving her leg.

"Exit wound?"

"A bullet is practically a metal ball," Luna explained as she tried to see if there was a possibility that it had gone through her leg, as squeamish as the thought made her feel. It didn't look like it. "Great, looks like it's still in my leg."

"How do you suppose to get it out?" Anakin asked.

"Uh....hospital?" Luna said, but it sounded more like a question. She really did not want to process what had just happened, let alone explain it, and while Anakin was with her, she could try to forget reality for a little while.

A reality where she would have to explain to both herself and others that someone had nearly killed her. While kill may not have been the intent, she was fairly sure getting shot at qualified.

"You don't sound too sure about that," Anakin muttered.

"Well, I mean, they're still outside, and the first place they'll check when they give up will probably be the hospital and the police department," Luna reasoned, remembering some of the late night shows she'd sometimes watch. She figured that they had to be somewhat accurate.

Anakin nodded, agreeing with her logic.

"I'll be right back," he said before going down the the second floor. Luna nearly called out for him to stay, but she held her tongue, knowing that people were still outside.

It didn't keep her from panicking though. She figured Anakin sensed it, because he was back pretty quickly.

Once she saw what he had with him, she got a fairly good idea of what his plan was.

"This is going to feel great," Luna mutter sarcastically as she tried to think of anything besides what was about to happen.

Anakin didn't comment as he began to feel for the bullet through the Force. Once he found it, he carefully manipulated it as to pull it back out the way it came in.

Luna stifled a scream when the bullet begin to move as her leg seemed to shriek at her in pain. Her eyes began to tear up as she tried to keep herself from voicing her pain.

Anakin, sensing this, pulled the bullet the rest of the way out with a quick jurk from the Force which gained such a high pitched shriek from Luna that he could barely hear it.

"Sorry," he said.

"It's fine," Luna managed to say, her voice weak from pain. Anakin didn't reply as he began to wrap the wound with bandages he had found when he did a quick search of the house. "So, what were you doing around here in the first place?" Luna asked after a few seconds, trying to distract herself.

"Just doing some things," he replied, vaguely.

"You were watching me," Luna said. It wasn't a question. She waited a few seconds before asking, "Are they gone yet?"

"No," Anakin replied as he once again checked up on those outside of the house through the Force, "but I think they will be gone soon."

Luna nodded. "What then?"

"Well, you're coming with me and then we can figure out what to do," Anakin said. Maybe now he could convince Obi-Wan to bring Luna with them. Either way it was obvious she wasn't safe. If Anakin hadn't been following her so closely, he may not have been able to do anything, especially since the weapons were so different. That didn't mean he wouldn't have tried, but he doubted that it would have turned out too well.

"Alright."

"I'll be back in a bit," Anakin said before heading back down stairs to listen in on what the gang was planning.

"No," Luna said immediately as she grabbed his arm. She didn't want to be left alone.

"I'll be back, I just want to find out what their planning. Don't worry," Anakin assured her, locking his azul eyes with her midnight blue ones. "Trust me."

Luna slowly nodded. He would come back. She trusted him. She was safe up here for now. Luna let go of his arm. Anakin smiled reassuringly at her before going back down stairs.

Luna's emotions were in a jumble as where her thoughts. She did not want to think about what was happening. Unfortunately, being she was now alone and her leg had settled down to a somewhat consistent throbbing, she didn't really have anything to distract herself from it. She could have died, or worse. Would have, if Anakin hadn't been around.

Or worse, what would have happened?

What would her father have done to her?