(CW: Not anything too drastic. Some anxious thoughts and that's about it.)
(Flashback)
(three years later)
In all fairness it was understandable why Kai was so worried about Ozan, but it really hadn't been needed. Despite the dramatic experience that had led to Ozan's injury, he survived and barely walked with a limp now. She should have known that a simple explosion was not enough to take out the tough fighter that her adopted father was.
They'd managed to get him to a medical station and with a bacta soaks, he had been fine two weeks later. It had cost them a pretty penny, not nearly as good a favor as Rayfe would have liked, but it was good enough for them. They were all used to just surviving. Luxury, and things always working out just wasn't their style.
Two months later they were back on their familiar grind of finding their targets and eliminating them or turning them in and Kai had to admit she was comfortable. Her life was comfortable.
Three months after that was the first time Rayfe had tried to hold her hand, and she had let him. That made him very happy, just that small thing and Kai always used it to tease him. It was also around this time that Ozan started automatically shopping for food and supplies for Rayfe as well. He said it was because he was part of the crew. He just expected him to put in work as well. If he didn't bring in his share, and do his part on the missions, he would buy his own food. But Kai knew gruff yet affectionate care when she saw it.
Two and a half months after that, he had kissed her, and they hadn't talked about it for another month. Finally, Ozan's griping about the uncomfortable air of the ship made them talk about it, and after a long discussion, and communication of feelings, something difficult for the both of them, they had decided that perhaps a relationship was a feasible option.
So, they had been in a relationship for two years plus some months and Kai basked in the feeling of being complete with her small family.
She had Ozan and A-6 and now she had Rayfe. And her heart seemed to heal just the slightest bit more every day.
Of course, she missed her mother more than words could describe but she had Ozan, a strong and steady influence in her life. Someone that made her feel safe, and protected, but someone who always encouraged her to cling to what her mom had taught her. He said it's what his wife would have said. That's what he told her. Every time. He was there for her, more than anyone in his position would have been. Sometimes she forgot he bought her, that they didn't just run into each other and decide become a family.
And then she had Rafye. He was someone who made her laugh, and made her feel like she was attractive and wanted and she was constantly grateful for that. She had someone who felt like a best friend, someone she could have adventures with, someone she trusted with her life. She felt like she had found her other half, the person that completed her.
Currently they were on a mission in the lower levels of Coruscant, to capture the branch leader a spice cartel that had caused chaos to the surrounding areas. They had the unfortunate need to avoid the local forces at the same time, because the local police force didn't see the difference between a cartel leader and a bounty hunter.
Rayfe was in his usual spot of observance from upper building ledges, his broader frame surprisingly lithe on the edges.
Kai took to the rooftops, while Ozan scoured the ground. They were hot on the man's trail, only off by approximately half a block, but they were confident they could capture him and evade capture themselves.
Kai jumped off the top of one building and rolled to a stand and kept running, her gun swinging against her hip and leg. She pressed her comm and talked into it, barely winded. "Ozan, I can't see his path. I know where he is. Do you have a visual?"
A message popped up on her comm from Rayfe at the same time. - Nearby police forces-.
Kriffing-, how were they going to avoid that? They could go around, but that would take too long and the man would gain his own ground and lose them in the streets. "And now there's the police to deal with. What's your call?"
"I'll join you up top. Avoid detection, but follow him. He couldn't have gotten far. Both of you keep watch." He responded. She saw him take a turn to scale the building and she couldn't help but warn him.
"You've got police really close to that direction." His grumble made her very aware that he already knew that and she chuckled while adjusting her blaster as she jogged. They were nearly there. They almost had their money, and then they could get out of here.
Meanwhile, in the direction she had warned him about, two people were having a late-night conversation.
"What are you doing when you get off shift tonight?" Karya asked as she looked at her fellow officer.
Jaz shrugged and kicked a can, watching it clatter down the street. "I'm not sure. Probably hang out with the kids and my wife. Maybe go out to eat. We haven't done that in a long time. You need to get out too. You hang out at home too much. Skip the holonet for one night."
Karya scoffed. "Oh whatever, you're just saying that because—" She was about to continue when she saw two faint shadows of figures on the roof. Probably some local ruffians, but that was still illegal activity. And stopping illegal activity was her job.
"Hey you!" she called. "Stop!" Of course, they didn't, in fact they sped up, but she had to say it anyway.
Jaz's head jerked up and his eyes widened. "What, do we have someone?"
She nodded. "Yes! Let's go!" She began running for their individual speeders. "Disorderly conduct, maybe more. We need to follow them. Call back up from a few streets over!" She hopped on her speeder and the lights began flashing. "Well cut them off at the square."
Kai stopped jogging and looked down at Ozan, and spoke into her comm. They'd been running but now the authorities were after them, making this a thousand times more complicated. "What do we do? Do we keep chasing him or do we run? We need to get out of here, but there's sirens from both directions."
Ozan shook his head. "You and Rayfe need to circle back around to the ship." He into an alley and shook his head. "You need to go now."
Kai glared in his direction and completely abandoned the mission when he said those words, which she would berate herself for later. She'd never done that before. She hopped down off the building and stormed over to him, acutely aware that the sirens were getting louder. "We need to leave?" She grabbed onto his arm and tried to pull him but he didn't budge.
She heard Rayfe running up behind her and she looked behind her in surprise. How had he gotten down so fast? That didn't matter. She glared at Ozan for a moment and shook her head.
"And where are you going to be? You're going to come with us." She commanded, and he looked at her fondly for a moment before answering and removing her hand from his arm.
"I'll be the distraction. They can't chase us in two different directions. Not in their group like that. It's the best option."
She looked at him for a moment. A distraction. He'd never used that tactic before. He….no, he wouldn't. He wouldn't dare to that to her.
She narrowed her eyes, hearing Rayfe's breathing next to her and she could feel his eyes on her. "You're going to give yourself up, aren't you? You want to be a distraction, so you get caught and we don't." She accused him and he sighed and nodded before straightening his jacket and his scarf.
The sirens were only a couple blocks away now, and she knew they only had a few moments left.
"Yes. I am. I have lived a good life, and you are still young, my daughter. You need to stay out and free. Please, go. Let me do this for you." He instructed her, and his eyes sparkled down at her, their depths full of kindness and wisdom.
She shook her head, her lip trembling as her eyes began to burn. "N-no, I can't lose you. I can't lose you too. Not again…" She whispered, her chest aching as if someone was stabbing it. She couldn't lose Ozan. It had hurt so much when she'd lost her mother, and she knew she couldn't do it again.
Ozan didn't reply, but all he did was put a gentle hand on her shoulder and tip her chin up with his other hand.
"You take care of my ship while I'm in, ok?" Ozan said gently, holding her shoulder as she worked in vain to keep the tears off her face. "Trust me, I'll be fine. I need a break anyway. I'm getting tired. I could use the rest."
They both tried their hardest to ignore the sounds of sirens heralding the approach of the authorities. If Ozan was caught, here on Coruscant, the lower levels, he'd be put straight into their main prison, but he was ok with that. How could he be ok with that?
He said it would be a rest, but she knew it was unlikely he would be out very soon. There had to be a way. Perhaps she could strike a deal with someone, and break him out.
But unfortunately, she knew what he was meaning right now. He wanted himself to get caught to save her, no matter the cost to him.
"But I need you. I'm not ready to do this on my own." She cried, and he pulled her close, and spoke into her ear as he gave her a firm hug.
"Use your pain to fuel your ambition, my dear. Survive. I don't want you to get caught." He kissed her forehead, and gently shoved her in the direction they had their ship. "Now go." He said gruffly and she stumbled away shooting him one last look.
Take care of my ship. I'll be fine.
The words echoed through her head as the whine of the engine became all she could hear.
She felt Rayfe wrap a hand around her arm and he dragged her into an alley and they ran the opposite direction. She had tear streaming down her face and she felt her chest throb as they ran. They managed to get to a subway that led them to the level their ship was parked on and as soon as they got in the ship she sank to the floor and let out a loud sob covering her ears.
Rayfe closed the hatch and as he did so, his mind spun. He hadn't known Ozan for very long, but from the time he had known him, he felt lucky. He was a kind and generous man who had not only saved his life, but given him somewhere to belong for the first time in a very long time. He gave him somewhere to belong after a lifetime of being alone. It was if Ozan understood what that was like.
And that man had just sacrificed himself for Kai. For his daughter.
He heard her sobs echo through the cargo bay and he set the doors to ring an alarm in case anyone attempted to open them.
He picked her up from off the floor and walked into their small kitchen that had a table and wrap-around bench and he put her down and slid in next to her and held her to him, soothing her in a low voice, with various phrases in his native tongue.
"How could it have gone…. s-so wrong?" She cried, her tears garbling her speech. She clung to his shirt as she fought for breath. "We were supposed to g-get the target and our money…"
He shrugged and gently smoothed his hand over her hair and pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. He left his lips there and mumbled into her hair. "I'm not sure, my love. Not every mission can go perfectly to plan." He tried to tell her and he felt her tense up and she shook her head angrily.
"Why'd they have to take him? I should have been more aware, I should have known that there would be police there. Then maybe we would have avoided all of this." She ranted, and Rayfe made a sound of exasperation and pulled her away so he could look at her, tear streaked face and all.
"Stop this, now." He said, his accent thick due to the intense emotion he was feeling. "What happened was not your fault, and it will do nothing to follow that train of thought. Ozan sacrificed himself for you. His daughter." He knew what had happened to Kai's mother and he knew that pain. He couldn't image going through it again, and he didn't know what else to do, except be there for her.
Kai sagged into his side again and sniffled. "It hurts so much. It's so much like losing my mom again, but different somehow." She whispered, the action of speaking normally too painful.
Rayfe gently stroked her cheek with his thumb. "My heart, it's going to be alright. I know it hurts, and I understand, but you and I are going to get through this, together, do you understand?" His dark brown eyes stared down at her as he held her face in his hands.
She nodded, her blue eyes shimmering in the light, puffy from crying. "Yeah, I do." She surrendered herself into his arms and into his touch and let herself feel the pain, hoping one day it wouldn't hurt quite so much.
With Ozan gone, the missions took on a completely different feeling. They were more on the fly, less sure, less steady. Kai hadn't realized how the years of knowledge Ozan had had played a role in their mission and what their intel was like. It felt like they were being thrown on the wind sometimes, but they managed. They brought in credits and stayed fed, fueled and clothed and so she knew she couldn't complain.
But stars, she missed Ozan. She missed his gruff presence, his kind demeanor. She missed the way he wanted his caf piping hot with lots of sugar, or how he was constantly misplacing his comm device.
There was part of her that hoped he never found out about their worst mistake, but she knew it was inevitable. He'd had that droid longer than her.
A-6 had been destroyed. It was during a mission and they thought they had gained enough distance but she had miscalculated and a well-placed RPG had reduced the droid she'd cared for for so long, into scrap metal. She had stared at his twisted pieces of metal until Rayfe had dragged her away again.
That had nearly taken Kai down a second time. She felt like she was losing everything and she had to hold onto Rayfe desperately, with everything she had. If she didn't she thought was going to slip.
How long until she lost the ship? Until she lost Rayfe? The anxiety and unknown was driving her crazy, and she didn't know what to do.
But she had a focus now.
And it was because they had a mission.
And this was no ordinary mission. This was the mission that Ozan had never let her take, never even let her think about accepting.
They were going after Viya's crew, and this time, to avenge her mother, Kai was going to make sure that she finished the job.
