Across the Stars ~Anakin Skywalker~

03

I run all the way to my room, dropping onto my bed and burying my face in my hands, allowing my emotions to overcome me. I just kissed the man who is protecting me from an assassin, and I don't understand what came over me. At the same time, I can't deny the fact that I actually enjoyed it. Immensely. At first, I don't really register that someone is trying to soothe me, but then I hear a familiar voice whisper in my ear. "It's okay, Duna. No one ever has to find out about the kiss," he whispers. "That doesn't change the fact that it never should have happened in the first place," I reply bitterly. I hear Anakin stand up, so I look up at him. "Duna, I know that we didn't exactly start out on the best terms, but -" he says before I stop him. "Stop. Just... stop. We can't let that kiss become more. We can't be in a relationship. After all, you're a Jedi, and I'm a senator," I say, and he gives me a smirk that I find really annoying at present. "Will you please stop smirking?" I ask him through my teeth. "Not until you admit that you enjoyed the kiss," he says casually. "Well, that's not going to happen, so I guess you'll just be stuck smirking like a dope forever," I say, hoping that he doesn't pick up on the hint of playfulness in my tone. "You wouldn't subject me to such a fate," he says. "Try me," I reply with absolutely no hint of playfulness. "I have ways of getting you to admit that you liked the kiss," he says, still smirking at me. "Then why don't you - Aah! Put me down, now!" I squeal as he suddenly grabs me by my waist and lifting me over his head. "Not until you admit it!" He says. "Ugh! You're such a child!" I yell at him, but he just laughs. "Fine, I enjoyed the kiss. Will you please put me down now?" I ask him kindly. "As you wish, milady," he says, putting me back down on my bed. "Thank you, Ani," I say, then slap my hand over my mouth. "Did you just call me Ani?" He asks. "Maybe... what's it to you?" I ask. "I liked it when you called me Ani just now. I thought it was sweet," he says. "Well, then you're welcome," I say. "You know, only my mother used to call me Ani, back when I was a slave on Tatooine," he says, and I let out a gasp. "You were a slave?" I ask, and he proceeds to tell me the story of how he was freed from slavery by a Jedi named Qui-Gon Jinn.

"You know, you're a pretty good friend, Ani," I say at lunch. "I could say the same about you, Duna," he replies with a smile. "Oh, you dork!" I say, gently ruffling his hair. "You are such a goofball," he replies, making me blush. "But I'm your goofball, Ani," I say. "Seriously? I thought you didn't want to live a lie by being in a relationship with me," he says. "We can be friends, and I can still be your goofball. We don't have to be dating for me to be your goofball," I say, gently laying my hand on his cheek. "I suppose you have a point there," he says with a slight nod.

That night, I could hear Anakin tossing and turning in the other room, as if he were having a nightmare. After that, I hear footsteps heading in the direction of my porch, so I get out of my bed and go out to check on Anakin. When I find him, he's leaning against the railing, staring out at the river. "Are you alright?" I ask him softly. "I'm sorry I woke you, milady," he says calmly, apparently trying to avoid my question. "It's fine. I was having trouble sleeping as well," I say. "How did you know that I was having a hard time sleeping?" He asks me. "I could hear you tossing and turning. Your bedroom is right next to mine," I say, stifling a yawn. "I know. I didn't think that I was being that loud," he replies, placing his hand on top of mine on top of the railing. "Anakin, please don't shut me out. Let me help you," I say, carefully leaning against his side.

"I'm haunted by it," he says after a few moments silence. "You're haunted by what?" I ask him. "The kiss that you never should've given me," he says calmly, and I look at him. "I know that's not the only thing that's bothering you," I say. "I had a dream about my mother. She was dying, but I don't know where she was in my dream," he says. "It doesn't matter where she is. It was just a dream," I say, trying to help him feel better. "That's the problem, Duna. I've been dreaming about her for the past few days, and each time, the dream is different, like I have a window into her life or something. If I'm seeing something that might happen in the future, I can't just sit around and do nothing about it," he says in a frustrated voice. "Listen, why don't we get some sleep, then we can start looking for your mother in the morning," I say. "I'm afraid of going back to sleep. I'm scared that I'll have another dream about my mother," he says with a haunting look in his eyes, and I come up with a potential solution. "If you think it'll help you sleep better, you could always sleep with me in my room," I offer. "I don't know... I think it could help, but I don't know if it's the best idea, considering our views on relationships," he says. "Oh please, Anakin. It's just sleeping in the same bed. It's not like we're going to do anything besides that," I say. "Fair enough. I'll be with you in a minute," he says, and I take that as my cue to return to my bedroom. I've just curled up in my blankets to sleep, as I saw on my datapad that it was supposed to get cold fairly quickly, and I wanted to keep warm. I look up when Anakin comes in, then I pull the blankets back on the opposite side of my bed so he can get in. Once he's comfortable, I bid him good night and turn off the lights.

In the morning, I put on one of my warmest dresses and get my ship warmed up to leave when Anakin gets up. I decide to have breakfast while I wait for Anakin to get up, and he joins me just as I finish eating. "Morning, Duna," he says. "Morning, sleepyhead," I say. He smiles and gets something to eat and sits down. "The ship should be ready pretty soon. I thought you'd like to know that," I say kindly. "Cool. I'll be done eating pretty soon," he says, and I nod in acknowledgment before heading out to check on the ship. A few minutes later, he joins me, and we set off for Tatooine to start looking for his mother.

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Enjoy this new chapter! I'm not sure what inspired me to come back to writing this story, but I'm glad that I did. Bye for now!