*Aure's POV*
I was in a gunship full of clones, sitting next to the pilot with three more gunships following our lead. My hands and legs were shaking as a result of my nervousness; we were heading to Utapau and I would meet him again, after three weeks without seeing and talking to each other. Obi-Wan had received Master Yoda's message and he had thanked us for the help, telling us that he would wait for my arrival. As soon as we had received the message, I said goodbye to Master Yoda, the chief of the Wookiees and Chewbacca.
I thought about everything that could go wrong, not just in battle, but also between Obi-Wan and me. I was afraid that I wouldn't be strong enough, that I would weep in front of him, making myself look ridiculous. I still loved him so much and I couldn't get him out of my mind; it isn't easy to forget a person like Obi-Wan. He was always so nice, calm, helpful and caring... So beautiful from the outside and also the inside. I did miss him a lot. However, I was also very angry with him because he had hurted me, he had broken my heart, but I couldn't hate him; how could I?
The closer we got to the planet, the more nervous I got. It didn't take long for us to arrive to Utapau. We landed on a deserted area where nothing but rocks was to be seen. The clones and I had been walking for some time when we heard battle noises coming from not too far. We ran towards the origin of the sounds until we reached the battle, which was going on near a rocky mountain. Clones were fighting against droids; even big monsters were part of the battle, but Obi-Wan was no where to be seen. The clones that were fighting seemed to be struggling.
"Get ready, guys! This should be fun..." I told the clones while I charged my favorite blaster smirking.
The clones nodded and got ready to join the battle. As soon as I said "Go!", the large clone army that I had led there charged against the droids. I shot, sliced, slayeed, exploded, destroyed every droid that I could until there was none left. I looked around once the fight had finished, looking for Obi-Wan and wishing that he was alright. Commander Cody, with his helmet off, approached me to thank us.
"You're welcome, Cody..." I said still looking around. "Where is general Kenobi?"
Cody couldn't answer because a huge sound of big feet stamping on the ground behind me approached. I turned around to see Obi-Wan riding a huge lizard. I looked away from him before he dismounted the beast, fearing that I would embarrass myself, and I stood behing Commander Cody, hoping that the man I loved wouldn't see me.
"Another successful batle!" Obi-Wan exclaimed cheerfully and I could almost hear him smile. Without even looking at him, I could imagine how his blue eyes were sparkling, just like they always did when he won a fight. "Miss Sinder." He greeted me once he was close enough.
His voice was serious, proffesional. 'Miss Sinder'... I wasn't 'Aure' or 'darling' anymore. I was just his coworker, an aquaitance, one more soldier in this war; nothing more. I finally gathered some courage and dared to look at him after taking a deep breath; I had to raise my head a little bit to see his face properly, due to the height difference between us.
"Hello, Master Kenobi." I said quietly, still avoiding his eyes.
I noticed he had a small wound on his forehead and a light bruise on his right cheek, very close to that small mole I had always adored. The wound wasn't bleeding much, but it needed to be healed.
"We are so fortunate that you have arrived just in time. Otherwise, I don't think we would have been able to slay all those droids." He told me.
"The Republic needed us here. We did what we had to do." I replied. He nodded.
Something about his voice and the way he looked at me made me believe that he had already got over me, that he didn't love me anymore. He sounded so... Distant to me. His eyes were cold, he didn't look at me the way someone would look at an old lover. This just made me angrier than I already was... And sadder. Had he forgotten what we had already? Wasn't I a part of his heart as he still was of mine?
"Okay, guys, it's time to have some rest!" Obi-Wan announced and the clones smiled in content. "Except you." He added pointing at a group of ten cones, whose smiles disappeared causing Obi-Wan to laugh. "You stay on guard. Make sure no droids are coming."
"Sir, yes, sir!" The ten clones exclaimed and left, while the rest sat down on the floor and prepared their tents.
Meanwhile, I walked to the strange lizard that Obi-Wan, who was following me, had ridden.
"What's this?" I asked curiously, but Obi-Wan seemed to be offended by the question.
He frowned and replied: "This is a she and her name is Boga."
I was also offended by that reply. Why was he acting like that to me? "Well, I am sorry, Master Jedi. I didn't know I could hurt her feelings..." I replied bitterly, clearly talking at the same time about what had happened three weeks before.
Obi-Wan sighed. "Please, don't say that, Aure... I didn-"
"It's Miss Sinder to you." I interrupted before leaving him to set up my own tent.
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*Obi-Wan's POV*
I tried to get some sleep that night, but my mind wouldn't stop going back to Aure. She was really angry because of what I had done to her and I understood that, I deserved it. I knew how she felt and I wouldn't blame her for feeling that way. The truth is that I missed what we had. I missed our long conversations, looking at the stars of the night sky together while we held hands, telling her how much I loved her and hearing her voice whispering it back. Her coming back to my life so soon didn't make things any easier... I tried to act distant to her, to pretend that I was fine and her presence didn't affect me, but there was no success; she was still the most important person in my life.
As sleep wouldn't come, I decided to leave my tent to have some fresh air. I sat down on the grass and looked up at the dark sky. There were some clouds, but the stars could be seen. Looking at the stars reminded me of one conversation Aure and I had the previous year.
We were sitting on my balcony's floor, hand in hand, my arm wrapped around her waist, looking at the night sky, as usual. We were silent, each other's company was enough to enjoy the night. Then, Aure said something that surprised me greatly. "I don't think I'd be able to live if I lost you."
Did she mean losing me in war? Losing me as her lover? What ever she meant, I didn't know exactly, but I decided to reply with a nervous chuckle and a squeeze of her hand. "Don't say that. You don't need me to live."
She rested her head on my shoulder, like she would always do when she was getting tired. "You're right, but I wouldn't be the same person without you."
Aure was actually a different person. Since she had arrived to Utapau, she hadn't smiled, not even once. Plus, something in her eyes had changed, I could see it; her eyes showed what she felt, and it was nothing positive.
After that, I didn't know what to say, so I just kissed her temple lightly and caressed her hair. I wanted to tell her that she wouldn't lose me, but that would have been a promise.
And thank the Force I didn't promise her, because I would have been lying. She did lose me and I lost her, all because of that decision that I knew had to be made. I remembered what I told her before leaving her: You will forget me one day. Yes, Aure would forget me, but I wouldn't forget her and what we had.
That's when I felt her presence; she was getting nearer to where I was. She wasn't Force sensitive, but I could always feel her when she was close enough. I smiled slightly.
"I didn't know you were on guard tonight." I heard that voice I knew very well behind me.
"I'm not on guard. I simply couldn't sleep." I replied, turning around to see her beautiful face. I had always loved the way her pale skin glowed under the moonlight.
"I couldn't sleep either." She admitted, still standing there in front of me.
"Why don't you join me then?" I offered, looking back at the stars.
"We shouldn't, Obi..." As soon as she realized what she had called me, she corrected herself. "...Obi-Wan."
Aure was right, we shouldn't. The stars made us remember moments we shared together.
"As you wish, Miss Sinder." I said, emphasizing the last two words, making clear that I was disappointed at the way she had talked to me earlier.
She sighed at my tone. "Listen, I'm sorry for my behavior earlier. I shouldn't have talked to you like that... I- I just..." She hesitated. "I feel so many emotions right now."
"I know." I replied with no hesitation.
A long silence followed, but it was comfortable; 13 years before, when we met, silent moments were awkward and embarrassing, but not anymore; they were nice moments of peace now.
Instead of leaving, Aure walked closer to me and ended up sitting down next to me, back to back.
"I miss Azha." She said, causing me to smile. I also missed the little blond girl. I wondered how was her training going; would she find a master soon?
"I miss her too." I said, unconsciously bringing my hand to one of my many pockets, where I kept the drawing that Azha had made for me. I took it to every mission I went to.
"I'm sure she misses you too. She admires you so much..." This statement only made me smile even more. I knew Aure was smiling, for the first time since she had come, but I didn't dare to look at her smile. I feared that I wouldn't be strong enough to stop myself from kissing her if I saw her smile. Aure stood up again. "We shouldn't be talking alone, late at night, looking at the stars. It- It won't make things easier for me." She turned her back to me.
"You're right. We must avoid this kind of situations." I agreed, although my heart told me to beg her to stay.
Aure smiled kindly at me and I fought the urge to kiss her right then and there. "Good night, Master Kenobi."
"Good night, darling." I didn't even notice what I had just called her until I saw her expression change to a stern one. It just felt so natural to call her 'darling' after saying good night, as I always used to do.
Aure turned around to leave me alone with my thoughts and worries. I had a bad feeling about this mission, like something bad was going to happen soon, but I decided to ignore it. I was surely imagining things.
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~ Hello there!
Finally a new chapter!
I'm so excited and nervous
about the following chapters!
Exams are coming to an end,
so I should be able to update more often again :')
Thanks for reading!
Comment your thoughts and opinions
& may the Force be with y'all! ~
D.Xx