FORCE OF NATURE ( A. SKYWALKER ) [2]

X.

Layna was pulled from her slumber when she felt a negative energy surge from the room adjacent to hers.  The brunette girl blinked her eyes as she felt the grief and anxiety radiating from Anakin's room, her dark brows furrowing together in concern. She could feel the way his heart raced, worrying about someone he particularly cared so much for - his mother, she now realized, and she simply couldn't ignore the cries pouring out of his lips.

Layna assumed that Anakin hasn't seen his mother ever since he left Tatooine to become a Jedi apprentice, and he hasn't heard from her since either. She couldn't remember a time when Anakin mentioned Shmi since they were reunited just a few weeks ago, but then again, she was too busy worrying about Padmé and fighting the growing feelings for Anakin in her heart, to ask about her.

A small gasp escaped from her lips when the memory of their voyage to Naboo resurfaced, the way Anakn's ocean colored eyes looked a tad bit darker when she asked the reason why he could not sleep like she couldn't. She remembered the way his lips formed a sad smile as he shook his head, refusing to share his worries about the girl when she already had so much on her plate. How she wished that she pressed on that time, she could have comforted him if she knew that it was about his mother. 

She pulled the covers off herself and hopped off her bed, slowly approaching the wall that separated hers and Anakin's room. She could feel the soft cries and the intense agony grow stronger with each step she took towards the wall, and breathed in sharply when she was directly in front of it. The brunette pressed her right ear against the wall, closing her eyes as she listened to Anakin's stifled sobs. Her fragile heart broke with every sob she heard from his lips, and she wished that she could comfort him despite knowing that he'd probably turn her away. Layna has known him long enough to know how he works, and he did not like showing his weakness, especially to Layna.

The cries faded soon enough, and the brunette did not miss the mumbling coming from the Padawan in the adjacent room. There was a few moments of silence, before she heard the sound of the door shutting from his room, which meant that Anakin went somewhere else. Knowing him, Layna presumed that he would go out to distract himself from the pain and the nightmares. She pulled herself away from the wall, a deep sigh escaping her lips as she turned to the entrance to her room.

At this point, she didn't even care if Anakin found out that she felt his agony and heard his cries, she knew that he needed someone more than ever. She hurriedly followed after Anakin as she exited her room, using her sensitivity to the Force to find out where he went off to. She reached out to the Force as her mind searched for Anakin's presence throughout the entire palace and she did not have to search long, as she found him in the balcony nearby and the teenage girl quickly made her way over to where he was located.

Layna slowly peeked out of the opened door, her dark eyes trained on the Padawan standing in the middle of the balcony with his arms behind his back and his eyes closed shut. Layna could see the sweat trickling down his forehead, his face contorted as he struggled to meditate under the night skies of Naboo.

She could feel the hurricane of emotions tearing him apart from the inside, as well as his determination to calm down the storm raging inside of him. She approached him hesitantly, feeling her courage dwindle as she made her way towards the blonde. But she did notice one thing as she slowly approached him - it was with every step she took towards him, the growing storm in his heart seemed to fade until it was practically almost nonexistent.

Once she was only a few feet away from Anakin, she stopped as she felt calm envelop the older boy and she felt that her presence was no longer needed, as he seemed to have taken care of himself already. She heaved out a sigh, turning to leave before she heard his soft voice call out to her. "Don't go."