Bittersweet Devotion [Star Wars x Anakin Skywalker] (editing)

2.

"Would somebody get this big walking carpet out of my way?!" - Leia Skywalker

Rain wanders through a dimly lit hallway, the further she walks the more the darkness begins to feel thick against her throat and she grips it frantically as she struggles to breathe. She collapses against the cool floor as her mother's voice travels down the shadowy corridor, the sound of it bringing a sharp pain to Rain's chest.

The girl rises shakily to her feet with no thoughts other than to reach her mother. A sound that is doubtlessly her father screaming in pain reaches her ears a few moments later and suddenly all she can do is run.

"Mother! Father! Where are you?" she screams down the emptiness but there is no reply. She continues to fight her way through the darkness that seems to want to consume her but when she finally reaches her parents, it's far too late.

All that's left are their cold, unmoving bodies. A matching blaster shot in each of their chests. But there's something different this time. As the girl stalks closer to the two bodies she stares, frozen in place as the two bodies merge into one person, one face that she knows all too well. It's the face of her adopted father, Renbry.

Rain barely has time to register her own shock as her tear soaked eyes are drawn to the open window above them where a shadowy figure remains, as if stuck in place. 

The same faceless figure that has haunted her dreams for nearly six years. The memory of her parents killer, the one who escaped. Before she can think to launch herself at them, the floor falls out from underneath her feet and Atherain wakes with a start.

Sucking in a deep breath, she opens her eyes to the familiar sight of her shared room with Myreil. Her parents may be long dead, but she fears their last night alive will continue to taunt her in her memories for as long as she may live. 

A commotion from the hanger stops Rain's grim thoughts in their tracks. She hastily shoves her legs into some pants and slips a clean shirt over her head as she rushes towards the noise. 

Rain turns the corner just in time to see a bright red blaster shot pierce through her adopted fathers chest. His body falls to the floor with a sickening noise, beside the body of Linlea.

The girl watches in horror as her new nightmare plays out right before her eyes. The night of her parents death seemed to be playing out once again, but this time her adopted father takes the place of her birth parents. 

An instinct buried deep inside of her erupts to the surface as she rushes to Renbry's side and faces his attacker. She pulls a discarded rusty pipe from the floor of the garage and brandishes her makeshift weapon with a yell. 

The human in front of her sneers at her in contempt. A quick once over tells her that he must be a customer who was either unsatisfied with Renbry's work or simply unwilling to pay. Growing up on a harsh planet such as this meant that Rain was not unfamiliar with criminals like this man, but none had ever harmed her family before.

Before the man could take a shot at her she was launching herself at him, aiming the pipe at his head. However Rain is much smaller and weaker than him and he easily evades her attack and pushes her hard in the chest. Her feet betray her and she falls onto her back with a thud. 

The young girl scrambles to her feet and she raises the pipe again but before she could make another move the sound of two sets of footsteps catches the attention of both parties. Miri and Linlea must have arrived home and heard the commotion.