our broken promises ~ a.skywalker

Chapter 28: Florrum's Pirates

KORA WALKED INTO THE BRIDGE OF ANAKIN'S MAIN VENATOR, THE RESOLUTE, WITH CAL RIGHT BY HER SIDE. She instantly spotted Ahsoka and Anakin, talking to Mace Windu over a transmission. She would be lying if she said she wasn't feeling awkward. Would Anakin remember anything from that night? Did he wake up in her room with no recollection of how he arrived?

But she continued walking forward with a neutral expression on her face.

"I see General Knight has arrived," Mace pointed out. Ahsoka and Anakin turned their heads toward Kora and Cal, the latter's eyes widening slightly with panic. Ahsoka, on the other hand, appeared thrilled. "Well, give Master Kenobi my best, and May the Force be with you." And with that, Windu's figure disappeared.

Ahsoka exasperatedly folded her arms, "About time you two got here! Anakin has been absolutely miserable lately. Three days ago he was so grumpy and had this terrible headache and now he's all anxious!"

Anakin's eyes locked onto Kora's, a silent exchange passing between them. They both knew why he had been so grumpy that day, but they tacitly agreed not to provide any context to the curious padawans. At least she supposed he remembered enough of that night, but which parts specifically remained a tantalizing mystery.

Kora, trying to maintain a composed exterior, chose to deflect Ahsoka's comment about Anakin's mood with a grin. "Miss me, Skywalker?" She shrugged her shoulders and decided to push his buttons a bit. Besides, it was the least she could do after dragging him back to the Temple three nights ago. "It hasn't been that long."

He scoffed in mock annoyance, a well-practiced mask of nonchalance slipping into place as his lips curled into a wry smile that contrasted his true feelings. "Yeah right," he retorted, his voice carrying a hint of playfulness, "And I'm not miserable, Snips, just worried about Obi-Wan." Anakin couldn't help but feel a sense of unease as he tried too hard to get a read on Kora. Was she mad at him for overstepping boundaries, annoyed at his recent behavior, or perhaps genuinely happy to see him again? He had no clue.

Yes, he was trying to keep his distance (keyword: trying) but he didn't want her to be mad at him.

Kora furrowed her eyebrows, taking a step closer to the holo-table. She leaned her body on it, "What happened to Master Kenobi? Is he alright?"

"We inhaled some poisonous gas on Vanqor a few hours ago — Obi-Wan more than I — so the medi-droids recommend bed rest for today. Overall he's fine, but that means it'll just be you and me on Florrum," Anakin explained, his voice carrying a hint of awkwardness. He subconsciously rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous gesture that didn't escape Kora's attention.

Ahsoka and Cal seemed to pick up on that as well. What was so bad about the two of them alone on a mission together?

She hadn't seen that coming. Kora hadn't been entirely alone on a mission since they were back on the Separatist ship months ago, and they both knew how that trip went. "Oh," she pursed her lips, momentarily lost in her thoughts. As she looked directly at Anakin, her gaze unintentionally lingered a moment longer than it should have.

For just that brief moment, she found herself back on the Separatist ship, memories of their daring rescue mission flooding her mind. It was that mission where she had thrown herself onto him to save Senator Amidala. As she glanced at his hair, which had grown significantly longer since Geonosis, Kora couldn't help the intrusive memory reappearing: the sensation of her hand running through his sandy hair. It was one of those memories that had lingered, etched into her mind, one she had replayed more times than she cared to admit.

Wait, what?

Kora's train of thought hit a sudden roadblock as she felt her own denial resurface. No, she didn't want to remember that moment. In fact, she had spent these past few months trying to forget it. She wanted that memory gone.