Slow, thick raindrops splattered against Kylo's face as he swung his lightsaber at the droid. The blade smashed against the shield surrounding the unit, and it let out a squeal as it shuffled away. The droid's feeble attempts to fight back had quickly devolved into sheer avoidance from the purple blade, but it could not go far. Kylo stalked toward it and slashed in a rapid series of movements, relishing the feel of his muscles straining and pulling through the familiar movements.
His hair quickly dampened as the rain grew heavy, and the corner of his mind told him he should take shelter in the new training spaces of the finished portion of the Jedi school. Instead, he continued to spin his lightsaber in all directions, letting his frustration power each blow.
Eventually, the droid flashed a red light and gave three monotone bleeps. Kylo watched it shuffle away to the building, where he knew other droids were charging. He had lost count of the droids he had subjected to his lightsaber, but he took it as a small victory that he had only destroyed two.
The rain thoroughly soaked his dark, sleeveless shirt, and it clung to his body as his sides expanded rapidly. His lungs sucked greedily for the oxygen his muscles demanded. His arm trembled slightly with the onset of fatigue as he clutched his humming lightsaber, but his mind urged him to continue. To do anything to take his mind off Eeth.
"Need a sparring partner, Master?"
Kylo swiped his hand through his hair to push the wet locks from his face to see Sonzy. The rain pelted the Togruta's striped montrals, and the faded white paint that decorated his orange skin wrinkled as he squinted up at Kylo through the rain. His new green lightsaber ignited in his small hand.
He studied the Padawan carefully. For a moment, he thought he could not sense Sonzy's emotions until he realized they aligned with his own feelings of betrayal and fury. He dipped his head once and caught the Padawan's lightsaber with his own as it raced toward his shoulder.
Sonzy allowed their blades to spark against each other. "Should we use practice sabers?"
"I already broke one."
The Togruta grinned, and Kylo twisted his lightsaber. He took a step back and swept his blade at Sonzy's arm. Their sabers struck in a flurry of sparks and hissed in the rain, and Kylo's mind began to focus solely on the Padawan's movements as he looked for ways past his student's defenses.
Sonzy usually favored a conservative approach designed to save energy until his opponent grew weary, which had caused him to beat Jessika on more than one occasion – a feat the female Padawan was still upset about. The unusual aggression in each stroke of Sonzy's blade as they danced around each other in the rain almost threw Kylo off.
His muscles ached with every movement, and he began to regret the hours he had spent tormenting the practice droids. Sonzy's eyes darted over his body, and Kylo knew the Padawan could sense his fatigue. A look of determination crossed Sonzy's orange-skinned face, and he renewed his efforts. The green blade deliberately focused toward Kylo's left shoulder, where the healing burn poked out from under his shirt. Kylo thanked the stars that he stood nearly a foot taller than the Togruta for he had trouble lifting his arm past his shoulder.
He kept his lightsaber low to defend himself and ducked to the side to avoid another strike. Sonzy overextended his arm as his momentum carried him, and Kylo slammed the butt of his hilt against the Padawan's inner elbow. Sonzy's foot slipped on the wet duracrete as he stumbled backwards, and Kylo's free hand shot out to grab the Togruta's arm before he fell.
Both blades deactivated as they panted next to each other. Lightning flashed overhead. Each breath pulled in droplets of water, and a shiver ran down Kylo's back. "We should get back to the Dameron's."
They walked in silence toward Kylo's borrowed airspeeder, and he ran the power sequence as they settled into the two seats. Thunder rumbled in the air as Kylo eased the speeder into the traffic of Coruscant. The rain beat against his face, and he silently cursed Poe for not owning any airspeeders with full covers.
Sonzy shifted in his seat and picked at his wet clothes. He stared at the passing buildings, and Kylo barely caught his words over the rain as he whispered, "Why did he do it?"
"It's not your fault." Kylo turned the speeder around a corner. He knew Sonzy had looked up to Eeth, and the Zabrak had disappeared before anyone had a chance to question him. "It's mine for not seeing it."
Sonzy's head turned sharply to face Kylo. "If it's not my fault, then it's not yours either. He got hurt in the fire; none of us saw it coming." He huffed a breath and fingered his lightsaber. "I can't believe I helped him find his new crystal."
Kylo chewed his lower lip for a moment, a habit he was beginning to fall into since the fire. "I don't believe he was working on his own. Remember the attacker at my wedding?"
"You think Eeth…?"
Kylo slowed the speeder and flicked a switch to engage the landing gear as they approached Poe's house. "We only told those who were there that we were having it early."
The feeling of betrayal washed through the Force from Sonzy, and Kylo sighed as he lowered the speeder into an empty space between one of Poe's collectable TIE fighters and a shuttle that looked battered on the outside.
Their clothing dripped against the floor as they entered the sitting room, and Kylo pushed his wet hair out of his face as he heard a gasp. "Sonzy!"
The three female Padawans surrounded the Togruta. "We didn't know where you went!"
Kaydel smacked Sonzy's shoulder and bumped her lightsaber as her hands went to her hips. "Rey went looking for you."
Kylo froze and glanced out into the rain as he realized he could not sense his wife close. The cloud-covered sky quickly darkened as Coruscant's only sun set, and a disturbance raced through the Force. Unless they were on a tropical planet, Rey hated rain and the chill it gave her. He shivered in his wet clothes as his heart began pounding in his chest. "When did she leave?"
Jessika seemed to sense his rising panic, and she glanced at the chronometer on the wall. "Maybe twenty minutes ago."
He took two steps toward the door but stopped as an all-too-familiar voice rang out in the room. "Ren."
Kylo closed his eyes for a moment and crossed his arms over his chest as he turned to face Kilnetel. The Twi'lek smiled innocently at him from where she stood with Arian in her arms. One of her green head tails draped over her shoulder to contrast with her black outfit. The child gave a soft whimper and squirmed in her hold. He suddenly wished the Senator was a training droid so that he could hack his lightsaber through her.
"Why are you here with him?" He struggled to keep his voice calm as he stalked to Kilnetel.
The Senator allowed him to take Arian, and her hand lingered on his bare arm for longer than appropriate. Kylo shifted uncomfortably in his wet clothes and held Arian close to his chest, determined to keep the child away from the disturbing woman. He felt the Force ease in the air around him as Arian clutched at his wet shirt with small fists.
Poe burst into the room and scowled at the Twi'lek's back as he gave Kylo a hopeless shrug. The pilot held up a communicator and mouthed Rey's name.
"I was visiting the younglings, and Master Skywalker mentioned little Arian missed you." Kilnetel's eyes wandered over Kylo's face. "I offered to take him here."
Kylo had not wanted to strangle someone with his bare hands since Hux had been imprisoned years before. The small Force-sensitive in his arms kept him from lunging at Kilnetel, and the little political training his mother had once given him forced him to keep his voice down, although a dangerous edge crept into it as his eyes focused on Arian. "Tell me, Senator, what world do you represent?"
Kilnetel's large green eyes flashed, and she tugged at the end of her shirt that fit tightly to her slim torso. "Ryloth, in the Outer Rim."
"Forgive me, Senator, for I have never visited your home planet." Kylo kept his expression impassive as he met Kilnetel's gaze evenly. "On Ryloth, do Twi'leks commonly invade the home of a married man?"
The green of the Senator's cheeks lightened, and she tossed her head tail over her shoulder. "On Ryloth, we commonly acknowledge the beauty of our females and appreciate the allure of warriors."
"Should I be offended that you don't appreciate my allure?"
Kylo shifted to hold Arian in one arm, and his free one wrapped around Rey's wet shoulder to pull her close. His wife held her saberstaff loosely in her hand. "I mean, I am better than my husband with a lightsaber."
Kilnetel's eyes lingered on the Jedi's arm around Rey, and Kylo could not sense the Senator's emotions through the Force. "From what I saw last week, you're both well matched."
Jessika stepped next to Kylo and glanced at her father for a moment. "I think my masters mean to ask you to leave." Her fingers traced the cross-guarded hilt at her hip. "I hope you understand that the Jedi Order is dealing with… certain issues right now."
The Senator smiled down at Jessika as if she were a child like Arian. "If your masters wish me to leave, they should not have a youngling speak for them."
Poe stepped forward at this and flashed a charming smile. "It is late, Senator Kilnetel. I do ask that you do not get lost on your way back home in this rain."
The woman appraised Poe for a moment. "Good night, General Dameron. Master Ren." She swept out into the rain with a last look at Kylo.
Rey shivered next to Kylo, and Jessika took Arian from him as he wrapped both arms around his wife. He kissed her forehead lightly as he tried to allow his heat to help Rey.
Poe cleared his throat behind Kylo. "As adorable as you two are, would you stop dripping on my floor?"
AN: Our Twi'lek Senator is just a smidge creepy, yes? Thank you all for your comments of support!