𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐘 - DIN DJARIN

Chapter 10: The Hunt

chapter 10: the hunt •••

A week later, you're still shaken up by the supernatural abilities of the child you and Din are protecting. It seems inconceivable to you that a creature so tiny could use nothing but some strange energy and its little claws to completely heal a wound so deep and painful—in just a few brief moments. Your mind flashes back to immediately after the event had occurred, when Din had let the child continue its weary state of sleeping stowed away on his old bed.

"Are you all right?" Din had asked you. He'd sat down right next to where you were still frozen, your back leaning against the cold wall of the Razor Crest. His modulated voice had failed to hide his concern, and you knew that your gaze refusing to meet his only made him worry further.

"I'm fine," you assured him, your gaze piercing the bare part of your leg that was exposed by the cut in your pants. A wave of embarrassment had flooded over you at the random presence of healed skin on your thigh, and you didn't have another change of clothes on hand. Plus, you hadn't been able to stop thinking about the child. "But is he okay?"

"He'll be fine," Din reassured you, gingerly resting one of his gloved hands over yours that had started messing with the fringing edge of your torn pants. That action had gotten you to finally look over at him, where you saw his visor watching you intently. "This happened last time, too. It just... tires him out, I think."

You had shaken your head in utter disbelief, still trying to process everything. This revealed a whole new side to this child you were protecting. If it truly possessed powers as potent as that, you couldn't fathom how much blood could be shed over it. "Din, have you ever worried that we're in way over our heads right now?"

Din gave you a nod. "All the time." He had then sighed, his visor falling to your hands as he watched his thumb continually brush over the back of your hand. "But I know what we're doing is right." He had paused, as if he were processing his thoughts. "That's why I hesitated when I first brought him in. I knew what he was capable of, and that they must've known, too... and I couldn't stand the thought of them hurting and manipulating him." His voice had become thick with honest emotion. "He saved my life. I owed it to him to save his, too."

You had felt your heart soften immensely for Din, and you'd let your free hand come around to brush over the part of his helmet where his cheek would likely lay. His visor had looked back up at you. "You know what people are willing to do for this kind of power, Din. We live in a twisted galaxy."

"I know." Din's voice had been full of strain. "I've seen it." His last words where just above a whisper and sounded as if he'd seethed them through tensely gritted teeth. "But I won't let that happen to him." His free hand then reached forward to brush a piece of your hair behind your ear. "Or you."

You'd given him a small smile, dropping your hand from his helmet to take a hold of his hand before he had a chance to bring it away from you. Your hand forced his onto your cheek, where you closed your eyes as you melted into the gloved touch. "Thank you." The words of honest gratitude had fallen from your lips in the most delicate of manners. When you reopened your eyes, you looked straight into his visor, wishing you could see his eyes yet hoping he could still see the severity you held in yours. "I wish I could take away everything you've had to see."

Din had run his thumb over your cheek in a comforting manner. "You already help much more than you'll ever know."

You'd smiled again at that, glad to know that you were at least making some kind of difference in his personal struggles. You broke the trance you'd had with his visor by looking down at your other hand, still seeing it rest on your exposed thigh with Din's other hand covering yours. In an embarrassed manner, you slid your hand off it, causing Din to bring both of his hands back to himself. He seemed surprised by your shy action at first, but soon understood.