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The first time it happened, he feared he was losing his mind, that the pain and the guilt had finally undone him.
She couldn't be there. Not after everything he had lived through, and yet, she stood before him.
So real. Her smile, those eyes.
“Hello, Ben,” she said, watching him with a playful smile, clearly amused by his reaction.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, incredulous, reaching out his hand to touch her.
“You need me.”
Dawn came with a bittersweet taste. He was certain it wouldn’t happen again, and yet, the room felt even emptier without her.
The second time it happened, he allowed himself to enjoy her presence, just for a moment. To be with her, even if only briefly.
Even if she was nothing more than an illusion crafted by his own mind.
“I miss you, cyar’ika,” he whispered.
“I’m waiting for you,” This time it was she who tried to touch him.
He thought the dreams would fade with time, but they didn’t.
They became a part of him, so much so that he missed them when they didn’t come.
They became part of what saved him in exile.
He had never been ready to let her go. And the truth was, he never did.
Sometimes he would wake up feeling the warmth of her body beside his.
Sometimes her sharp remarks echoed so vividly in his mind, it felt as if her presence still lingered
If she had rejected him, like she was supposed to, his life might have been easier.
She could have lived to see her world thrive, to witness the fruit of all her years of service to her people.
Death wouldn’t have found her so soon.
If she were still alive would she have followed him to this forgotten corner of the galaxy?
Part of him wanted to believe that she would, that they could find the happiness they had rejected when they were young.
He no longer had an order … Mandalore had fallen.
But the Jedi in him recoiled at the thought, chastising him for his selfishness.
To bring her here would be to condemn her to a miserable existence ,just so he wouldn't have to face the loneliness alone.
He loved her, and that scared him. He thought his feelings for her were dead until he saw her again. Just a few moments in her presence were enough to make his self-control falter.
He loved her, and it was a truth the Force itself showed him with overwhelming clarity.
He, who had never questioned the rules, broke them without hesitation the moment she asked for his help.
He loved her so deeply, he would have left behind the only life he had ever known.
“We have many bad memories, Obi-Wan.” She was right, most of their memories were filled with pain, wounds, and blood, but they were together, and that was enough.
They never had enough time, he couldn't tell her he loved her one last time.
When she died, a part of him went with her.
He was never the same again, regret became his closest companion.
For years, he lied to himself.
But if he ever longed for anything... “ Her”
But she was always with him, and he had chosen it that way. From the moment he set foot on Tatooine, he became “ Ben”
The name she had given him, the one they used only in private. Something that belonged to them alone.
He had always been hers… and he always would be.
Though they had only shared brief moments together in life, his heart had always belonged to her.
He would wait patiently until his time came. And if the Force was merciful, he would ask for a chance at a life with her.
A quiet life, where they could love one another without hiding, a life where they could finally have what this one had denied them.
That night, he waited quietly, until she appeared once more.
"What are you thinking about?" she asked, watching him from the entrance of the cave.
"You, cyar’ika."