A Long Time Ago, In a Galaxy Far Away

Chapter 143

The world was on fire while gunshots rang out around her. Luna was younger than she was now, a child in aposed to a teen. There was a boy Anakin had never seen before with her.

"We've got to run!!" the boy said, dragging Luna to her feet.

"But they'll see us!" she sobbed.

"I'll protect you," the boy tried to reassure her. Luna shook her head.

"No! You'll die!"

"Arty, we can't stay. We need to run!"

"Then go!!"

"I'm not leaving you!!"

"Save yourself!! All they want is me!!" Luna shouted, confusing Anakin even more. "Apollo, run!!!"

"Not without you!" Apollo yelled.

The two kids just stood for a moment in a battle of wills as the building burned around them before Luna finally folded.

"Alright," she muttered.

Apollo just nodded before leading them out of the building. They made it out just before it exploded, throwing the two of them into the air. Luna was the first of the two to scramble to her feet. She looked around the deserted lot.

"There's no one here! We're safe, Apollo!" Luna said joyously. "Did you hear me? We're safe!" She looked back at the boy, a frown gracing her features when he didn't move. "Apollo?"

She moved to her friend's motionless side. "Apollo, stop play games. This isn't funny."

Luna's voice held the tone of someone who was struggling to hold onto hope. Anakin already had a feeling that Apollo wasn't getting back up, despite the fact it just looked like the boy was sleeping.

"Apollo, wake up. We've got to go," Luna begged, shaking her friend. Apollo's head rolled to the side, revealing a toxic dart in his neck. She gasped. "No, no, no, Apollo, please wake up."

Nothing happened. Luna began to sob.

"Apollo, please!"

Anakin didn't know how long it had been before he felt a shift. A man he had never seen before appeared, his expression hard.

"There you are you worthless rat!!" he yelled, picking Luna up by the throat and slamming her into a wall that appeared from nowhere. She was back to her normal age now, struggling to claw the man's hand from her throat. "And here I thought a girl that was as much as a curse as you would have been easy to kill! Too bad people keep getting in the way. A good daughter would listen to me and stop making friends. You'll just be the reason they die."

Anakin had seen more than enough. A nice thing about dream scapes in comparison to memory scapes was that you could have actual control over what happened.

And so, taking control over Luna's nightmare was an easy feat. The man quickly disappeared, dropping Luna to the floor where Anakin was to meet her.

"You're alright, you're safe," he reassured her as he pulled her close. Luna just cried.

"No one is," she sobbed. "Not while I'm around."

"That's ridiculous." Luna shook her head.

"Death follows me. It always does. I'm a walking curse."

"Luna, accidents happen. Death doesn't follow people; it just comes when it does," Anakin told her. "And you aren't a curse, you've helped us—helped me—a million times over."

"And who says that's going to help anyone?"

"I do," he told her firmly. Luna took a shaky breath before looking up at him.

"Thank you," she told him after a moment, her age reversing one more until a child was in his arms. "Can you stay? Pleeease? I don't want him to come back."

Anakin thought for a moment, looking down at the little girl in his arms.

She probably thinks this entire thing is a dream, he thought to himself, a half attempted argument to let Luna have her privacy.

But it wasn't like he'd be getting a good night's sleep anyways. At least it'd be a little restful this way, and he might be able to find something out about Luna's ever elusive past. Also, it would prevent her nightmares, which probably wouldn't take much to come back after the previous events.

"Sure, on one condition," Anakin finally said even as he felt the silent gilt try to claim him.

"What?" she asked.

"I have a question. That man from before, he's your father, right?" Anakin asked, deciding there probably wouldn't be much harm in this one. The little girl slowly nodded, her expression falling from joy to fear. "Why did he do that?"

"He.... He says Mommy's and Apollo's deaths were my fault, and I need to be punished for it so I don't do it again." Her voice sounded far too serious and grown up for the age she was currently appearing as. She clearly believe the man.

"I'm sure it wasn't your fault," Anakin told her. Luna just shook her head, looking away from him.

"No, it was.... Just like it'll be my fault if you fall."