Darkness Within

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A/N: I'm a visual person, so I drew this up back when I started planning out these chapters to visualize my OC's! This chapter is very heavily focused on Kira but is pretty important to help set up what is coming in later chapters.

Metal trays clank together in the back of the kitchen and ring out to the rest of the cafeteria mixing with the sound of voices holding friendly conversation. Kira keeps her head down and her hood pulled over her face as she collects food from the lines, trying to be discreet about being somewhere she clearly doesn't belong.

"This is the last place I expected to see you, Princess," a familiar voice says behind her and she turns to look over her shoulder at him, just to be disappointed that he is still wearing his helmet unlike the rest of the troopers that are already sitting.

"7781?" She whispers, peering up into the holes of his mask.

"Does anyone else call you Princess?" He counters and she smiles, the gesture that he has his own personal nickname making her giddy. A lieutenant walks by a little too close and he stands up straighter, clearing his throat before switching into a professional tone. "I've been tasked with escorting you to a table on your visit to our cafeteria if you'll follow me?" He gestures with his free hand and she follows happily, reveling in the fact that her plan to find him has so far worked.

While they walk, she looks around at everyone at the tables in their uniforms, their heads free of their helmets that rest on the tables next to their trays of food. The humanization of these intimidating masked figures is strange to her and she can't help but stare at them, noting the diverse levels of ethnicities and genders scattered throughout the large room, many of them clearly not much older than she is herself.

Settling at a table in the far corner where there are multiple open tables she watches him sit down across from her, moving stiffly in his constricting uniform. Butterflies form in her stomach as he reaches up and grabs his helmet to remove it, his fingers pausing at the bottom lip of the white metal. "Do I have your permission to remove this?"

"You don't need to ask me, but yes."

"Actually I do need to ask you," he points out and pulls the helmet off, revealing his face to her again for the first time since the gala. She had forgotten how attractive she found him and despite the fact that his hair isn't styled like it had been that evening and his face is red where the helmet rubs, she still feels her cheeks get hot as he looks up at her and smiles.

"So, are you going to tell me why you're down here?" He asks as he begins cutting the overcooked food on his tray that Kira has no interest in eating.

"Maybe when you tell me a name I can call you besides your impersonal designation," Kira counters and waits for him to respond.

He pauses for a second and stabs at another piece on his plate before looking up at her. "Not here," he mutters, his expression having changed.

"Why not?" She whispers recognizing the hesitation and cautiousness in him.

"It's not safe," he explains, not offering any more information to her and shoving another bite into his mouth.

"Why?" She presses and leans forward.

"Just trust me," he looks up at her, his expression that of warning cueing that she needs to back down.

"Okay, then when?" She asks calmly.

"How do you feel about sneaking out?"

"Ha!" Kira laughs and sits back up, grabbing her utensils to begin cutting the food. "I'm a professional when it comes to that."