I waited for a sound. Maybe the clicking of a weapon or the automated voice of the Mandalorian, something that would tell me that they'd found us. Fear was blossoming in my heart but the sheer determination to stay with him overpowered everything else. I would fight for him, protect him with everything I had. I would die before I'd let anyone even get near him.

With our foreheads positioned against each other his breathing was about the only thing I could hear. My hands still clamped onto his face, my thumbs resting against his pulse point where I could feel his heartbeat. I could feel his force signature but it had weakened. It was but a droplet compared to the vast ocean he usually felt like.

The footsteps advanced, making him whimper softly in protest. "I'm staying." I whispered and placed a soft kiss against his forehead.

What I hadn't expected was the sound of a door opening. It ripped me from the deep concentration I'd resided in. My head shot straight in the direction of the sound, seeing a young woman glancing through the crack towards us. It was the door of a basement, a small stair connected to the alley leading down towards it. Her eyes were widened with fear and her mouth set in a thin line but still she beckoned us closer with a slight motion of her finger.

Thank you, Odin. Relief filled me as I darted for Obi Wan's arm, wrapping it around my shoulder and lifting him off the floor within a heartbeat. He let out soft sounds of protest but his eyes remained closed. Still, he walked with me, his feet shuffling over the floor.

"C'mon, we're almost there." I whispered as we descended the stairs towards the warm light that shone through the door opening. When we were near the woman opened the door further, revealing a dinner room. Candlelight cast the wooden furniture in a warm glow and the multiple plates that rested on the table told me that a family lived there.

We stepped inside, me clinging onto his arm to keep him upright, my eyes darting around for a good place to place him. The woman urged us forward, closing the door the moment we stepped inside and led us towards the living room where she pulled back the carpet to reveal a secret door a level down. "Who are you?" I asked, voice shaking. I hadn't seen anyone else here yet.

She shook her head and said something in a language I didn't understand as she opened the trapdoor. It revealed a dark chamber underneath with a workbench on the far end. "Do you have any medical supplies?" I lowered Obi Wan, helping his legs into the tiny room as I glanced at the woman. "Bandage, knife, alcohol?"

She again muttered something I couldn't make out and darted off towards the kitchen. "Bloody hell." I cursed as I gripped Obi Wan under his shoulders to lower him. He groaned and sputtered but at least he was awake, still. When his feet touched the ground he wavered, almost falling over but his hand shot out and kept him upright against the workbench.

"Lie down." I ordered as I jumped in after him, already taking off the armoured gloves. He strained to reach for the edge of the table and then slipped, almost falling forward had I not darted towards him and caught him. His weight leaned against my already aching arm, his usually fresh scent now muddy and irony.

"All right, slowly." Gripping his shoulders tightly I managed to lower him onto the table. He didn't even let out a sound as he moved. The only indignation I had of his pain was the way his face contorted and his breath hitched.

The moment he lay down my hands shot towards his tunic and tore it apart, unwrapping my makeshift bandage from around the wound only to reveal the blood still slipping out along the edges. His skin was matted with dried blood, cold to the touch.

I glanced back up at Obi Wan and for a moment our eyes connected. There, I saw that he knew how bad the situation was. It made me swallow the lump in my throat and quickly divert my gaze, for I knew I wouldn't be able to hide my rising panic. It was the last thing he could use.

When the woman entered and brought the supplies I quickly took them from her hands, examining what I had to work with. Immediately a frustrated sigh followed. No needles, no blood bags, no surgical equipment, no alcohol. Only a tub of warm water, a clean cloth, some old stitches and a kitchen knife to work with. I had worked with less before, on the middle of a battlefield, but this was different. This was him, and I couldn't lose him.

"Okay, okay." I tried not to let the panic set in as I laid all of it on the table. "Obi, -" My eyes darted his way and saw the pain that was already in them. Fuck, fuck, fuck. "I'm going to need you to stay quiet, okay?"

His eyes widened momentarily and I cursed again. He was already in terrible pain and I was only going to make it worse. "Wait, hold on." My fingers quickly undid the belt around my waist, folded it and brought the leather to his mouth. Only then did I notice the trembling of my hand. "Bite on this."

His jaw clenched but determination soon set in. Obi Wan accepted the bit and did as I told him, his eyes narrowing as he took in a deep breath. They shot towards the ceiling when the sound of another jetpack came from the alley we were previously in.

All three of us halted, anxiously looking upwards to see if they entered the house. Frozen, we waited, straining to hear even the tiniest footstep. I glanced backwards towards the woman, standing there with widened eyes, and motioned for her to leave. She nodded and quickly climbed up the ladder and closed the lid, shutting out all light and leaving us in darkness. I heard the carpet falling back down to its original place.

"Hold on." Soon my fingers ignited with flames and lit up the room. With another few motions those sparks drifted through the room and above his body, giving me complete sight of the wound. Determined, I grasped the knife and heated it with the flames to disinfect it. "Obi Wan, -" Our eyes connected. "- this is going to hurt."

He waited for a moment before he nodded, brows furrowing. It was a motion that told me to proceed, that he would stay quiet during everything. He was ready and willing. Pride swelled in my chest at that but I ignored it as I focused on the task before me.

Focus, Lyanna. I took in a deep breath. You can do this.

And so, I started.

~

He'd remained quiet. With every slice of the knife, with every careful pull on the branch that'd impaled him, he'd not even given a squeak. All he'd shown of his pain were the clenching of his fists and the hardening of his jaw, his eyes pressing shut.

It'd taken hours. The branch had grazed his spleen and hit a minor artery that'd caused him to bleed so profoundly. I'd managed to stitch it back together, but there was little I could do against the blood loss and the risk of infection here.

I sighed, my back lined up against one of the pillars holding up the house, my eyes focussed on the shallow breathing of his chest. The minute I'd finished was the minute he'd fallen into a deep slumber. I had let him rest for a few hours now but hadn't gotten any of my own.

I needed to... I needed to make sure he kept breathing, and that the Mandalorians wouldn't find our hiding place. It was but a matter of time, I knew that. But the longer I could let him recover the bigger the chance he had at... surviving.

No matter how hard I tried to lie to myself, I knew those chances were slim. He'd lost too much blood and the risk of infection was high. It was basically waiting for a bomb to explode or walking over a field filled with mines. Still, I couldn't help but wait for the first sign, the fever or rash that would undoubtedly arrive soon.

Cursing, I let my head fall back against the pillar as tears slid down my cheeks. Everything that had happened seemed to dawn on me, from our fight back at the base to the shore of the lake. The way he'd looked there while I'd been yelling at him, taking that and all the pain without even protesting. The very thought sent a shot of guilt and pain through me.

Was I the villain? "Dammit." My hand went up and ran through my hair as I lowered my head between my legs, hugging my knees against my chest and letting the sob tear through my body when it came.

Was this all my fault? If it wasn't for me, Obi Wan would've never been on that cliffside. He'd never have had to pull me from the river when he could've just saved himself instead. He would've been back at the station, planning his next mission together with Anakin.

And I, I would've been on a ship that would've taken me to another distant med station. I didn't know how that made me feel.

"He shut you out, -" My eyes widened when I heard Arthas whispering faintly. "banished you." My head shot up, eyes darting around but finding no trace of him. "He made you do this." My eyes stuck to the corner of the room, where shadows played faintly. "He chose to wreck that cliffside. If anyone is to blame, it is him."

I wiped away the tears with the back of my hand as I narrowed my eyes. Climbing onto my feet slowly, I inched towards the darkness, feeling the pull like a tether that drew me towards him. "He deserved this."

At that I halted in my steps, unsure. The pain he'd been in, I'd never wish that upon anyone. Not even after everything that had happened. "He doesn't deserve your help." My jaw clenched as I pondered, feeling the wrongness settle in my heart.

"Lyanna?" The faint muttering of his voice made me glance away from the shadows and towards him. My heart skipped a beat, happy that he'd awoken but also nervous of what was to come. His hand had fallen off the table, possibly in an attempt to reach for me. Obi Wan struggled to open his eyes and searched for me. They landed on my figure and then drifted closed again.

Uncertain about how to feel, I shifted on my feet as I glanced at him. "Lyanna, -" I saw how he'd tried to sit upright and immediately darted his way, pushing against his shoulder and forcing him down against the table.

"Stay down, Kenobi." I hissed and frowned at the sweaty feel of his skin against my palm. His forehead was matted with moisture, be it from the pain or the infection that was possibly kicking in. "Or you'll tear your stitches." He obliged, laying back down and closing his eyes as he took in a deep breath. Sighing, I pulled up a chair and sat down next to him.

"Kenobi." He repeated, muttering. Obi Wan moved his head in my direction, eyelashes fluttering as he opened them. "You only call me that when you're angry." I gritted my teeth and cast my gaze downward, avoiding his as my hands folded in my lap. He let out a deep sigh. "We need to talk."

"No shit." I hissed and flinched at the fury that I felt spiking within me. Taking a few moments to calm down, I looked everywhere but at him as I willed my breathing to even.

His gaze remained focussed on me, scanning my expression. "You lied to me." His voice sounded broken, hurt. It made me connect our gazes within a heartbeat.

"Lied?" I lowered my voice to a growl. After everything that happened, he managed to somehow make this all my fault. "Really, that's what you start with?" He flinched at my voice. "Do you have any idea what I've gone through the last few months?"

He remained silent, watching. "I've been locked up, forgotten, degraded. The moment I got off that ship was the first time I even saw damned sunlight and I knew you'd take it all away again to hide me from him. And you did, or at least tried to." Obi Wan's jaw hardened as he looked at me. "You didn't give me any choice!"

I was sick of that stare, that empty look. I wanted him to get angry, to yell at me. "Gods, Kenobi." I cursed and stood up abruptly, pacing, biting on my knuckles to keep somewhat of the fury inside. "No, I'm not doing this." I decided as I glanced back at his broken figure. "Not while you're, -" I waved towards his body. "- like this."

"Lyanna." He sighed and strained to lift himself to a sitting position. This time I didn't stop him. "You know what, or who Maul is." Obi Wan puffed and groaned until he sat upright, his hands clenched tightly around the edges of the table. "I couldn't..." He muttered, ending in a sigh. "I couldn't let him take you." He lifted his head, eyes staring straight into mine. "I couldn't lose you."

"No, you don't get to do that." I hissed as I stepped towards him, pointing furiously at his chest. "You don't get to pretend that you love or even care for me. Not after what you pulled."

Pain shot through his eyes as his mouth opened, no word managing to get past his throat. Arthas chuckled darkly from behind me, the sound echoing through the tiny room and sending shivers up my spine.

"I do, Lyanna." Obi Wan said as single strands of his matted hair fell before his eyes. "You know I do."

"He's lying." Arthas appeared in the corner of my vision; his body encompassed by shadows as his eyes flickered red. My attention, however, remained solely focussed on the one before me.

"No, you don't." I chuckled humourlessly. "You love a certain version of me." I folded my arms before my chest, eyes narrowing. "One that is perfect, one that fits your vision of who I'm meant to be, one that is filled with light and love and not even an ounce of darkness. You're in love with the doctor, not me."

His eyes widened as his eyebrows knotted together. It was evident that he didn't know how to respond to that, if it was even true. "Lyanna, you're sick." He sounded pleading.

When I scoffed disbelievingly his hand reached out for mine, one that was still covered in black plated armour. I flinched back and glared at him. He clenched his jaw but continued, nonetheless. "That darkness, it isn't all yours. It's him, it's Arthas, and he's manipulating you."

"Oh, for the love of the gods, -" I turned my back towards him and cast my gaze upward.

"Listen to him." His voice sounded ancient, deep and powerful. "He's trying to turn you against me."

"I saw his magic on your arm, his corruption. It was growing, Lyanna, and it almost took you. If I hadn't broken the cliffside, it would have."

"If you hadn't broken the cliffside we wouldn't be here right now!" I turned his way abruptly, eyes spewing fire.

"Your eyes, -" Obi Wan hissed as he set one foot on the floor. "- were silver. Your flames were grey, devoid of any colour or warmth. They were death."

I blinked several times, thunderstruck. "They were extraordinary." I felt his whisper against the side of my ear, the air whispering over my skin. Silver. What the hell did that mean? What had I turned into?

Obi Wan's muscles on his arms showed as sweat trickled down his bare chest. He stopped speaking when he'd planted his other foot on the floor to breathe, his chest heaving up and down with it. The sound was the only thing keeping me from leaning back into that darkness behind me. "If I'd let you kill Maul, Arthas would have taken you."

I gritted my teeth as I glared at him. The moment I'd stood there, I hadn't even noticed the flames nor how my power had changed. All I could see at that moment were the eyes of Maul staring back at me. I wasn't even sure what had happened, into what I had changed. All I knew was that I was still here.

"And what would be so bad about that?" I slowly growled, dragging out each word. It had his muscles tensing visibly, his fingers digging into the cold material of the table.

"Arthas has been there for me every damned moment you were not." I walked towards him slowly. "He doesn't judge me or shut me out like you do. He accepts me. I'd rather have him take me than subject myself to your judgment again."

"He's a villain." Obi Wan spoke when we came face to face, staring back unrelentingly, even as my words send daggers through his heart. "He killed people, your people, he killed you."

"In all fairness, you killed yourself." Arthas chirped in and walked closer, his shadows advancing towards us. "As for the other people, well, that's a subject for another time."

"At least he's not trying to change me." My eyes narrowed to slits.

"No, but he is corrupting you." His voice turned pleading.

"Not like he is, though." Arthas growled into my ear, suddenly sounding so close that my breath halted in my throat. "No, he's worse, isn't he?" I took in a deep breath while watching those ocean eyes, waiting for a response from me. "You know what he's doing." His fingers edged over my skin, digging into my shoulder, inching towards the left side of my chest. "So, I'm asking you, who is the real villain here?"

My eyes twitched as I sighed, lowering my head as my eyes darted towards the one behind me. Faintly I could see those red eyes staring back at me, the grin that graced his lips. Go. I ordered and watched him slip back into the shadows until those red hues were no longer visible, his grin evident the entire time until that too was swallowed by blackness.

Slowly I redirected my gaze back towards Obi Wan where he spotted the darkness slipping into my eyes. He gritted his teeth, his muscles tensing, knowing he was helpless against that power. "He's hurting you, Lyanna, you have to see that." He pleaded.

"Hurting?" I scoffed, an empty smile appearing on my lips. "Let me show you who's really hurting me, Kenobi." Stepping back, my fingers went for the belts holding my chestguard in place. They undid them and removed every piece of the armor one by one as I talked.

"I should've known what it was the first time I saw it, during my first day at Coruscant after your and your council's warm welcome." My chestguard was off before I'd even finished the sentence, leaving me in a thin, long sleeved black tunic. "Hell, I should've known the moment you left Valeria and I noticed its first traces."

In one fluent move my tunic was removed, leaving me in tight cloth straps that held my breasts in place. Above those linens an angry, deep black scar appeared on the left side of my chest that encompassed almost the entire half. It was the shape of a flame, covering the skin where my heart lay underneath.

From there currents like veins travelled all the way down to my arm, the edges looking an angry red. The blackness pulsed with every beat of my heart, the scars almost looking alive.

It had never been this bad. It had changed over time, grown bigger and then disappearing when we'd somewhat made up. Still, it stayed there, sometimes the size of a needle prick but other times as bad as it was now.

"You are the one who's hurting me, Kenobi." I pointed at the scar right above my heart as tears welled up in my eyes at seeing the disbelieving expression on his face. "This is not some trick by Arthas, this is not him. No, this is us and our corrupted bond." The tears slid down my cheeks before I could stop them. "Our love, if we can even call it that, it's been breaking me apart piece by piece ever since you left and I don't..."

My voice broke as I choked on the words, frustrated tears now falling down incessantly. "It was never Arthas." I concluded, accepting the bitter truth myself. My heart broke even further as I looked into his eyes, into the well of pain that appeared there. It looked even worse than all the physical pain he'd gone through, as far as that was even possible.

"It was you." I whispered, my voice sounding so broken that even I didn't know how I was still standing.

Obi Wan's eyes filled with tears as he looked at me, really looked at me and saw the truth before his eyes. He didn't need to glance towards the angry scar to see the pain or to know what was happening. No, the look in my eyes told him enough. He soaked it in, letting the sight be edged into his mind.

I felt completely bare, vulnerable, and it was the scariest thing I'd done in an entire lifetime. Through the broken strands, he felt that.

He couldn't stand by and watch, no, even in the weakened state he was in he managed to push himself off the table and walk towards me, hand reaching out. "Lyanna, -" He didn't manage more than 3 steps before his legs buckled and his knees caved in.

Without even thinking I'd darted forward and caught him in his fall, arms slipping underneath his shoulders as I slowly dropped him to his knees. His chin rested on my shoulder as he groaned in pain, his hands clenching into fists. The moment we were on the floor he puffed, trying to regain his breath.

"I hate this." Obi Wan sounded like he was suppressing a sob, strained. "I hate not being able to reach you." I wasn't sure if he meant physically or figuratively, but it didn't matter because he was right on both accounts.

"You shouldn't be up." I said, voice numb as I slowly pushed him to an arm's length to look at the wound. Luckily enough, it didn't seem like he'd torn his stitches. Exhaling deeply, I waited for him to catch his breath so I could move him back. It didn't matter what I'd just told or shown him for I'd slammed down that wall down again and could barely feel what was behind it anymore.

It cracked when I felt his hand encompassing mine. My eyes flew to his when he lifted it to his own heart, placing my palm against his skin there as he stared straight into my eyes. Sha'hani. My eyes widened at the gesture. I trust you with all of me.

"Please, Lyanna, you have to understand." Obi Wan pleaded. "Everything I did, everything I've done, it was to protect you."

I could've felt it if I was willing. I could've tapped into that bond, felt his intentions, the truthfulness behind his words. He'd given me permission, after all. But all I could feel was that utter betrayal and hurt he'd given me and I wasn't ready to jump back in. To risk all that again.

"I can protect myself." My hand slipped from underneath his.

Obi Wan bowed his head in defeat, his gaze diverting from mine and towards the scar on my chest. He watched those black currents running over my skin, a blackness that looked like an endless pit. "Tell me how to fix it." He pleaded.

"You can't." I lifted his arm over my shoulder without any further warning. My eyes darted towards the table. "There isn't anything left to fix."

Hiiyaaaaa

I wasn't really sure about this chapter so I waited a bit longer than usual to publish it. Hope you liked it though!