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— OUTER RIM TERRITORIES
⠀⠀⠀ THE WIND GENTLY BLEW THE SAND FROM DUNES TO DUNES. It was a quiet night on Tatooine. Away from the civilisation while being located in the Outer Rim — pleasant contrast of the galaxy.
Padmé Amidala and Anakin Skywalker had been staying on the desert world for a week now as Anakin was in search for his mother, Shmi. The searches seemed useless and Padmé began to worry even more, wishing to flee Naboo where she was to be protected by the young Jedi Padawan. The Jedi code forbade any attachments, but despite it all, the two grew closer and made attempts to hide the secret affair, knowing that one day it will come out to the crust.
Anakin was asleep in the room the two shared at the Beru's household — a moisture farm. His long eyelashes gently touched his cheekbones, his hair in tact due to the hairstyle he wore but the Padawan braid was not made and was a simple lock now. Padmé watched the boy with adoration, his chest slowly rising in falling as he rested, one hand holding the Senator by her shoulder and the other on his abdomen which was covered by a thin brown blanket.
"Oh, Ani," she whispered softly, barely audible as she pressed a lingering kiss on his forehead. She felt him stir and she pulled away immediately, eyes fixed on his eyelids which now stopped moving, meaning he was not dreaming anymore. She froze for a moment, stopping all of her movements to see what Anakin was to do.
He turned to the side, facing her now as his big hands made their way to her waist, pulling her closer to him, embracing her as his face was now buried in the crook of her neck. He relaxed a bit and released a soft sigh, breathing in her scent shortly after. Padmé hesitantly placed her hands around his neck and forearm, moving into him herself as his warmth was far more pleasant than the temperature of Tatooine.
She loved him, but was afraid to say so as he is a Jedi and she is a Senator of Naboo and this mission of his was purely diplomatic, despite that neither of them avoided falling in love. Padmé studied his face a bit longer, fingers played with his spiky hair at his neck as his hold of her tightened and he finally remained still. The Senator smiled and let herself close her eyes, letting sleep finally take over her. That was two days ago, two days since Anakin left.
It was early in the morning when she started feeling rather pyretic, the uncomfortable temperature caused her to open her heavy eyelids and she was met with an empty bed. Anakin must have went back to search of his mother so she got up and went to prepare herself. Pulling out a simple pale blue piece with a turquoise poncho she brought from Naboo, suitable for the weather here, she changed into it and hanged her night robe on the chair beside the bed. She made her hair into a simple style — half up and half down, twist braid.
Making her way to the kitchen, she was met with an empty room and saw on the corner of her eye Anakin's speeder above her, meaning he had returned, thus she went to prepare breakfast for him. Finding simple Tatooine reddish, she boiled it quickly and poured blue Bantha's milk in a cup. Taking the tray, she heard a sound from one of the work rooms and proceeded to go there, taking the tray with her. As she approached it, she was met with stressed Anakin near old monitors.
"I brought you something," she gently said, "Are you hungry?"
"The shift broke," he did not answer the question, "life seems so much simpler when you're fixing things," he glanced at her as he continued to fix the shift of the monitor.
She didn't comment as she was unaware of mechanics like he was and placed the tray on the table on the side, approaching Anakin.
Anakin averted his attention from the woman and spoke once again, "I'm good at fixing things, always was, but I couldn't," he paused, "why'd she have to die? Why couldn't I save her? I know I could have," he began to raise his voice, tears already threatening to come out.
Shmi died. Padmé should've known better when she saw how stressed and grievous Anakin was, "sometimes there are things no one can fix, you're not all powerful—"
"Well I should be," he cut her off, "someday I will be — I will be the most powerful Jedi ever," he declared, stepping away from the monitor, "I promise you, I will even learn to stop people from dying,"
"Anakin," she called as he walked to the wall.
"It's all Obi Wan's fault, he's jealous — he's holding be back!" Anakin turns around and throws a bolt he was using to fix the shift at the wall, causing Padmé to flinch lightly.
"What's wrong Ani?" Her soft voice said which prevented Anakin from raging further.
"I—" he turned back to the wall and paused, "I killed them, I killed them all — they're dead, every single one of them and not just the men," he turned around, tears in his burning eyes, "but the women and the children too — they're like animals and I slaughtered them like animals — I hate them!"
He now was before her and as soon as he finished speaking, he fell to the floor, sitting with his back to the shifter. Anakin was in a temper, he knew it was wrong and yet he felt such way.
"To be angry is to be human," Padmé calmly stated, attempting to make Anakin feel better, notwithstanding that the Jedi code forbid the feeling of anger. She was disappointed in him for what he had done, but she understood why he did what he had.
"I'm a Jedi," he looked up at her, his features softening upon seeing her gentle face and the eyes filled with nothing but devotion and concern for him, "I know I'm better than this," tears came back and his face fell to his hands.
Without thinking, Padmé put her hands around him, pulling him into her soothing embrace as he gently cried into her shoulder now, hands wrapped tightly around her as if his whole life was dependent on the woman. It reminded her of the night two days ago — the embrace. But she was aware he did not remember the events and thus continued to rub her hands around his shoulders and playing with the short hairs behind on his neck.
