Chapter 4: Brand New Day

A/N - I was originally just going to have a small blurb that there is a chunk of dialogue from Chapter 13: The Jedi in this chapter. And then this chapter got a little out of control, clocking in at around 60 pages. So I made the decision to split this chapter into two separate ones. Since I split them, there hopefully won't be a big gap between chapter postings like there was this time. The second half is basically done, after some tweaks, I am hoping to post it next week sometime. Also, with the recent season finale, I have to also add that for the purposes of this story, we are just going to go with Din being his first name and not his last… Anyway, I hope you enjoy this next installment. I have appreciated your follows, favorites, comments, and messages.

PS: I have gone and edited the 3 previous chapters to fix some things for grammar/clarity. I have no beta so I'm just doing the best I can.

Kai couldn't keep her eyes or hands off her wrists. Her wrists and ankles which had previously been bound with gold shackles that showed her slave status were now bare.

She was free.

Kai lay wide awake, staring at the metal ceiling of the small sleeping quarters she was in. She took great pleasure in how smooth her wrists and ankles were when she ran her hands along them. She had been unable to shut her mind off from the events of the previous day and found herself replaying the moment her first shackle fell to the ground on a constant loop.

After the emotional events back in the cave, the Mandalorian had gone silent, but then again, Kai's head had been buzzing too much to say anything at the time either. Once they had returned back to the ship, she had received strict instructions from the Mandalorian to rest, and then he had, once again, given up his cot for her despite her protests. She had honestly tried to take his advice of sleep, but she was too wired. At some point in her futile attempt to find some sleep, Kai had halfway convinced herself that if she went to sleep now then, she would wake back up in her former nightmare of a life. That only added to adrenaline-fueled anxiety, that made sleep impossible.

From her time in the Empire, she recalled overhearing a Storm Trooper one evening in the dining hall telling stories of the Mandalorians that had sent shivers down her spine. To think that she had found a savior in one seemed almost unbelievable.

Kai let out a sigh and tried to reposition herself on the cot in hopes of being able to unwind. From her current position, she had a view of the Child whose powers she now possibly possessed.

One moment she had been a slave, forced to undergo some kind of doomed medical trial. The next moment, she was traveling with a Mandalorian and his adorable companion that was going to be trained as a Jedi. Her life had definitely taken an unexpected turn. Now that unexpected turn led to an almost endless amount of possibilities.

What if the Jedi didn't take her to help her learn how to control whatever had been done to her? Where would she go? Even more alarming, what if they did take her?

There were so many options to consider, and Kai felt as if she was going to start vibrating if she stayed in this tiny closet-turned-sleeping quarters for even another minute.

Finally giving in and accepting that sleep would not come soon, Kai scooted to the edge of the cot, taking care not to disturb the Kid asleep in the hammock above her. She checked on the sleeping baby once she was up, making sure she hadn't disturbed him. The Child was deep in a peaceful slumber and completely unaware of his new roommate's excited and anxious thoughts.

Once up from the small sleep cubby, she slowly walked a lap around the cargo hold.

With the exception of some storage containers, the cargo bay had been barren, lacking any personal belongings or decorations. Nothing to give her any guesses as to the man behind the armor. The Mandalorian had turned out to be an odd combination of protective of those he cared for, a little scary, and yet surprisingly caring. Even for a stranger that he had just met days ago. Kai just hoped that there would be something she could do to repay the man for everything he had done for her. Something that didn't involve her embarrassing herself again.

Kai rubbed at her wrists, smiling at the feeling of nothing there. The Mandalorian really had no idea how much everything he had done meant to her.

Her nervous pacing had come to a stop in front of the rings that led up to the control room. Kai stared at the metal steps with determination and just a dash of apprehension. Feeling slightly braver than she probably should have, she climbed the rings to the control room. The door was open, giving her a view of the Mandalorian at the helm. With a nervous gulp, Kai gave three quick knocks to the metal frame to announce her presence.

"I'm clothed this time," Kai said awkwardly when the Mandalorian didn't immediately turn around or acknowledge her in any way. She tried not to get too nervous as several long seconds passed with no response. Just when Kai was about to abandon her half-thought-out plan of giving the Mandalorian her thanks and going back down to the cargo hold, the man's voice stopped her.

"Kairavi, you don't need an invitation," the Mandalorian finally said, relieving her of any further embarrassment. "You can come in."

Kai shuffled into the small control room and took a look around the small confined space before taking a seat in the extra passenger chair. The Mandalorian didn't move from his position at the helm of the ship, making Kai feel slightly nervous again. She tucked her legs up on the chair and rested her chin on the top of her knees.

"I couldn't sleep," she explained with a shrug and wrapped the cloak around her body. The petals of the nightshade flower she had gotten back at that bizarre outpost tickled her chin. Kai fumbled with one of the petals absently. She had incorporated it into the pin that Cara had given her to keep the Mandalorian's old cloak closed. The flower gave her rather plain wardrobe a small pop of color which she enjoyed.

The Mandalorian continued flying the small craft without giving her so much of a glance. The silence didn't bother her though. Or, at least she tried to not let it bother her.

"I promise I won't be annoying. I just didn't want to be alone," Kai said, resting her cheek on her knee. She watched the stars streak by them while they hurtled in hyperdrive to their destination to reunite the Mandalorian's companion with the Jedi.

Her gaze moved to the back of the Mandalorian's helmet. She found it confusing that this man was so adamant about turning his small companion over to complete strangers. It was clear that the two had such a close connection. She felt the connection through the small bond she had developed with the Kid, and it was just obvious when she looked at how the Mandalorian acted with his ward. Even though she couldn't skim the Mandalorain's mind as she could kind of feel the Kid's thoughts or emotions, it didn't take much for Kai to learn that they had a father-son type relationship. She imagined it must be difficult for them to have that kind of connection knowing they would have to part.

Kai exhaled a short breath at the thought. The future that lay before them would certainly be interesting. She was determined to help the Mandalorian by giving him as much information as she could on the Empire and finding some other way to repay him before they parted. With it just being the two of them in the small cabin, Kai supposed it had been as good of an opportunity as any to try and thank the man again.

"Thank you," Kai said and was surprised to hear the Mandalorian's deeper voice thanking her at the same time.

She scrunched her face at the surprise revelation that he was actually thanking her and tried to come up with a possible reason for him to be doing so.

"For what?" Kai frowned, not understanding. What in the universe could she have done to warrant any kind of gratitude, especially after what he had already done for her?

The Mandalorian pressed a couple of buttons on the console in front of him before spinning his chair around to face her.

"For being able to stop those guys when I couldn't. They would have taken the Kid back there if it wasn't for you," he explained. "And your powers," he added on.

"Oh, that? Of course. It was nothing," she waved him off.

And it was nothing. She still didn't exactly know how she had been able to use those powers. It was more like one minute she was scared, and the next this warm feeling had taken over. When she had been using her new powers it felt more like Kairavi was taking somewhat of a backseat in her own mind. When it was over, there were a few minutes of disorientation as Kai came back in control again. Regardless, it was the least she could do for the two of them.

"It wasn't nothing," he argued. "You came through in a big way."

Even though Kai couldn't see his face, she couldn't help but soften slightly at the sincerity in the man's voice.

"Of course," Kai nodded to the armored man. "I can tell you two have a deep connection. I'm glad I was able to help. Honestly," she paused, thinking with a frown, "I'm really not sure how I did it. With the powers," she explained. "It just sort of happened," she shrugged. "How's the arm?" Kairavi asked, ready to change the subject from her.

The Mandalorian raised said hand up for Kai to see. She watched the arm, hand, and fingers holding steady for several moments with no signs of any lingering tremors remaining from the intense electrical shock the man had gotten just hours ago. Kai gave him a nod of approval at his recovery.

"What were you trying to thank me for?" he asked her, sounding genuinely confused.

"You can't possibly be serious?" Kai asked him, raising her arms to show him her new, shackle-free wrists.

"Kairavi, you don't have to thank me for that," the Mandalorian tried to argue with her. "I would have done it back on Nevarro if I would have known about them."

"Well, still-"

"If you try and thank me one more time-" the Mandalorian half-heartedly threatened.

"Well, I still appreciate the gesture," Kai cut him off. "You'd be surprised how many people have had that opportunity over the years and never went through with it."

The Mandalorian gave her a small nod but remained silent. Kai thought that would be the end of the conversation, but the man didn't appear to be turning back around to the helm.

"There is no question about it, you clearly have some of the Kid's powers," the Mandalorian started, crossing his arms across his chest. "If we find this Jedi, I would imagine they will be able to help you learn how to use your new powers too. You'll likely be leaving with the Kid tomorrow."

So much for getting the topic of conversation off of her. But still, Kai did think it would be nice to be able to actually talk to someone about it. And the Mandalorian was clearly offering…

Kai shook her head in disbelief, "I think it's crazy," she said, giving in.

"Why would it be crazy? Your powers are the same. If they want him, why wouldn't they want you?"

"No, it's just the fact that this is even a possibility," Kai corrected him, still shaking her head. "The fact that we are even sitting here discussing me being trained as a Jedi…" she trailed off at a loss for words, letting a puff of air escape.

The slight tilt of the man's helmet had been the only answer she had got.

Kai slid her feet to the floor and looked curiously at the man in front of her.

"No, I mean take me," she reiterated with an incredulous sigh. "I'm a no-one. I'm so much of a no-one that I was a slave for most of my life. I mean, I've always heard the stories of the Jedi but had never imagined becoming one, even when I was a kid. Do you still get to be a Jedi if you were created in a lab?" she asked curiously, feeling the beginnings of excitement beginning to simmer in her gut. "Or do you think it is something more sacred than that?" her voice turned quiet, almost conspiratory. "Like, the universe has a list of names written on some fancy scroll or text, and if your name isn't in there, then it's just too bad," she finished with an air of exasperation and flung an arm out dramatically.

That had gotten a chuckle from the Mandalorian, and she felt her grin widen, feeling somewhat accomplished that she had been able to get a laugh from the metal man in front of her.

"Either way," Kairavi continued with a shrug, "it seems like a lot to ask of anyone. Especially someone so young," she brought the point back around to the Kid who the Mandalorian would be leaving behind.

"He will be with his people," the Mandalorian told her. His voice had become slightly monotone like he had rehearsed that line like some kind of mantra he had had to tell himself. It made Kai wonder how much of what he had been saying he really believed.

"Besides," he had continued, "when a Mandalorian comes into contact with a Foundling they have two options - to reunite their Foundlings with their own people or to take them as their own. We are duty-bound to not abandon children. I will reunite the Kid with his own people."

Kairavi had tilted her head at that information, giving him a questioning look, "Was that how you had come to be a Mandalorian? Because you were a Foundling?"

The Mandalorian nodded, "I was a Foundling until I became of age and I took the creed," he had explained simply. "This is the way."

"So you haven't always," she had tapered off and raised an arm up and down between them, vaguely pointing to his armor.

"No," he chuckled softly. "Once I had accepted the creed, I haven't removed my helmet for any living person."

"Wow. That's just, I don't know. Wow." Kairavi furrowed her brow at the revelation.

Kai wondered how his psyche handled that at a young age. She could commiserate with him. The loss of human contact. The loss of relationships. How difficult it must have been for him to truly form connections with others. When she was a slave (how amazing it was to think of that in the past tense), she had been unable to make real connections to the people around her. Coming from a childhood where her mother had been an overly affectionate person, losing that contact had been hard on Kai after her mother had passed.

Even now, after watching the Mandalorian with his Foundling, Kai could tell how difficult losing him would be for the man.

Kai stayed quiet for a few more minutes, gathering the nerve to ask a question that had been on her mind.

"Can I know your name? Or is that a secret too?"

She could see the moment his shoulders had tensed ever so slightly. Kai stayed quiet and let the man work out his answer. She didn't want to push him. She wasn't sure what other rules he followed, and the last thing Kai wanted to do was offend the man that had already done so much for her.

"It's okay if it is. A secret that is," Kairavi stumbled out quickly, not wanting to come off as rude. "Just instead of calling you Sir, or Mandalorian, or-r Tin Man, or Hey you, I just thought I could use your actual name." Kai could feel her cheeks heating up slightly, giving away her embarrassment. The stoic helmet staring back at her did nothing to ease her discomfort either.

Quick to fill in the silence, Kai continued on, unable to stop her babbling, and all hopes of her not coming across as awkward left her. "And, you don't owe me an explanation if you don't want to tell me. But if it is a secret, you should know I'm also really good at keeping secrets. But also, you don't know me, you don't have to tell me anything-"

"It's Din. Din Djarin," he had finally interrupted her rambles and Kai had sagged into her seat in relief at getting an answer.

"Hi, Din, call me Kai," she had told him, offering her hand for him to shake. "People that saved my life, and almost burn my limbs off trying to remove my shackles got to call me Kai."

The Mando- Din, had let out another chuckle, "Kai," he had agreed with a nod, returning her shake. "And I didn't almost burn off your limbs," he clarified.

She smiled and her face had turned a soft pink at his answer, and she felt tears begin to well in her eyes. The unexpected emotions that came with the nickname had honestly surprised her.

"Sorry, it's just, I haven't heard someone call me that in so long," she waved off his concern and straightened herself slightly, pushing her long hair back behind her. "I promise I don't normally cry this much either," she had tried to defend herself. "My head is just kind of disoriented right now."

"What did they call you when you were…" he petered off, apparently at a loss at what to call her previous life.

"A slave?" she offered flatly. Din seemed to flinch slightly at the statement but eventually gave a nod.

"Well, let's see, there was Girl, or Hey You, or That Girl With the Hair. Surprisingly, General Graven actually respected my given name. He was a terrible person, but the only owner that did that. However, my official name, for record-keeping purposes I guess was BW-23."

"Intimate," Din deadpanned and she let out a snort in return. "I prefer Kai," he said quietly.

Kai felt a smile slip at his words. She preferred it too. She hadn't heard herself be referred to by anything other than Kairavi or worse since she was a child. It was nice to have someone who called her Kai again.

"Thank you, Din Djarin," Kai had told him sincerely, and Din gave her a nod with his helmet in return.

"I owe you my life," she told him seriously.

There was a small pause where the Mandalorian tensed and shook his head at her. "You don't owe anyone your life. Not anymore."

His voice had been quiet, but Kai had heard the slightest tinge of darkness creep into his voice.

Kai just nodded back.

"A little bit ago, when I was rambling like an idiot, and couldn't stop… You were having some sort of serious emotional turmoil trying to decide if you should tell me your name or not, right? Because otherwise, you would have stopped me from making myself from sounding borderline unhinged, right?"

The helmet stared blankly at her, and Kai found her eyes narrowing at the man.

Din shrugged his shoulders, "I was impressed with how many words you get in under a minute," the man said. "It was the most I've heard you talk."

Kai rolled her eyes, at the Mandalorian but couldn't stay mad at him. Thankfully, he didn't seem to mind her quirks.

The Mandalorian turned back toward the main console, leaving Kai back with her own thoughts.

"Is it okay if I stay up here for a bit?" she asked, still not feeling the least bit tired. "I'll be quiet."

Din nodded. He had been mid-button pressing when he paused and turned back to look back at Kai. "How much flying experience have you had?"

Kai felt her eyebrows raise on their own accord. "Like flying a ship?" she asked, pointing at the center console for even further clarification. "Basically zero," she answered and was a little wary as to why he was asking her.

"Well, if you're going to be with us for a bit, you might as well learn some basics."

"Really?" she questioned, feeling her eyebrows raise even higher, up into her hairline. She could care less that he could easily pick up on the eagerness that had crept into her voice. She'd always been interested in flying but had never been given the opportunity. Slaves that could fly were slaves that could escape.

"Come on, it's quiet out right now." He stood up and motioned for her to take his seat. Kai looked at him dumbfounded for a moment, and he waved his arm again. The second time spurred her into action and she had eagerly jumped into his recently vacated seat.

"We're on autopilot since we're in hyperdrive at the moment," Din started and Kai felt her shoulders fall in disappointment. "But," he continued, obviously sensing her disappointment, "that will give you more time to learn where everything is."

"Fine," she grumbled.

"Don't worry, you'll be flying like a pro in no time," Din told her, clearly amused by her excitement.

Din punched in a couple of commands in his wrist panel to open the cargo door of the Razor Crest. He had just left the decimated, oppressed village and the Magistrate. Din was glad that he had left Kai and the Kid behind on the ship. Those two didn't need to be a part of any more darkness, not when they were so close to getting to the end of this current chapter of their lives.

He was also thankful that Kai hadn't ended all of their chapters early with her atrocious piloting skills. Of course, he had to remind himself that it was only her first attempt, and with practice, she would probably get better. The real question was, would he let her take a second attempt?

The door opened and landed on the ground with a small thud. He stayed on the ground and paused at the site before him. Kai was sitting with her legs crossed, her long, wavy hair just barely hit the metal flooring. The Kid was also sitting, looking up at Kai, with his much shorter legs doing their best to mimic hers. Just when Din was about to get concerned over the silence, he caught what was holding the two's interest - the small Beskar gear shift was hovering in the air between his two companions.

"What did I say about that?" Din asked, slight exasperation seeping through his voice as he stalked up the ramp.

His voice clearly startled the two and their game of concentration, causing the metal ball to fall to the floor. Kai and the Kid looked up at him with equal looks of surprise.

Kai frowned at the scolding and shot the Kid a look. "You said it was fine!" she whispered quietly.

The Kid's only response was to look up at him with alert ears and large eyes.

Din shook his head at the two, finding it difficult to stay angry at them. He grabbed the metal ball from the floor when it rolled to his boot. "You two couldn't find anything else to play with to occupy your time?"

"Well, in our defense, we did find some of your explosives in that box there," Kai paused to point at one of the containers behind her. "So when he suggested the tiny innocuous ball, I thought that was the safer option. But if you want, we can go back to the explosives," she finished, picking up the Kid and nodding toward the container in question.

"Have you always been this sarcastic?" Din asked.

Kai just shrugged, but he could see a distinct sparkle in her eyes that hadn't been there before.

"Good to see your self-preservation instincts are better with explosives than your piloting," Din shot back with an equal level of sarcasm.

"Hey! That asteroid came out of nowhere!" she argued back.

"You mean the asteroid that I warned you about when I was trying to show you it to you on the scope?"

Kai let out an exasperated sigh. "Any luck?" she asked to change the subject. The Kid was still in her arms, but his attention was directed at the metal ball that Din now possessed.

Din nodded. Unfortunately, he also got a little more than he bargained for with the Magistrate. "Yes, but we need to get a move on. We have some ground to cover before it gets dark."

Kai and the Kid shared a silent look with each other before turning back to him.

"Alright, let's go," Kai said with a small shrug of her shoulders before taking off on her own toward the woods.

Din shook his head at the new, confident Kairavi that had emerged. He pocketed the metal ball since there was no time to put it back where it belonged, and took off after the other two. Din caught up to his two companions and moved to take the lead, holding his blaster at the ready. The three of them trekked out into the barren forest of Corvus to continue their search for the mysterious Jedi.

"I like what they've done with the place," Kai quipped as she ducked under a fallen tree.

"It's the Magistrate," Din had explained. "They have completely devoured the planet's resources. I wouldn't think there is anything left, but they still seemed to be determined in continuing until they have drained the planet of everything. The people of this planet are living in fear of them. None of the villagers would even talk to me. The only person that would speak with me was one of the guards and that was after he realized I was a bounty hunter."

Kai paused and tilted her head to stare at him, "You didn't seriously take a job in the middle of us trying to find this Jedi that you've been so determined in getting to?" she asked, and the disbelief in her voice was hard to miss.

"Actually, the Jedi is our target," Din told her, pausing to help Kai climb over a large tree trunk that had toppled over, blocking their path. "Our Jedi has been making life difficult for the Magistrate recently."

The Kid, who was still being held by Kai, made his own round of grumbling noises, and Din looked back at him as they carried on through the decimated forest and saw that the Kid's attention was directed towards Kai.

"What's he saying?" Din asked Kai to translate for the Kid.

"He is still upset about the metal ball and knows that you have it in the front pocket of your utility belt. I am upset because you took a job to kill a Jedi that you are supposed to give the Kid to."

"I've actually never had dealings with a Jedi before," Din told Kai, trying to distract her from her incorrect assumptions. "Besides, I wasn't going-" Din stopped his explanation and brought them to a halt in the forest. He had sworn he had heard footsteps behind them and listened intently while trying to scan the nearby surroundings.

"What?" Kai asked, but he held up a hand in her direction to quiet her. Kai looked around the forest with him, trying to figure out what he was looking for.

"False alarm," Din finally told her. "I thought I heard something behind us."

The group moved to continue their travels toward the coordinates that Din had for the Jedi when screaming had come from behind them.

Din moved quickly to put himself between the attacker's ambush and his companions. Their attacker was fast and especially well-trained. Her ability to move from the ground and then change to catapult herself from a tree with little delay would be more impressive if he wasn't on the receiving end of her attack. It was when Din had caught a glimpse of the woman's lightsaber that he finally put the pieces together.

"Ahsoka Tano!" he yelled, his loud voice echoing through the forest.

The name made the woman stop her assault on him. She looked between him and his two companions behind him with a cautious expression.

"Bo-Katan sent me," he told her, glad that she had at least seemed willing to hear him out. "We need to talk."

"I hope you're here about him," Ahsoka commented, nodding her head at the Kid that was still in the safety of Kai's arms.

Kai grasped the Kid a little tighter and looked at the Togruta Jedi suspiciously.

"Actually, I'm here about both of them," he told her.

She raised her eyebrows in surprise at the statement and gave a second assessing look at Kai. Din looked back to his companions and saw them both staring at the Jedi with equal looks of apprehension.

"They need your help."

Din paced while Ahsoka and the Kid stared at each other. Kai was sitting on a tree stump and he could feel her eyes glaring holes through his armor, but he couldn't manage to stay still. This was the moment that he had been waiting for since taking custody of the Kid.

Night had fallen, and Ahsoka had started a small fire in a clearing where they decided to set up camp for the evening. He had briefly given Ahsoka the run down on how he had stumbled across his two companions. Ahsoka had then taken the Kid and placed him on a large rock in the clearing and moved to sit across for him. The two had been locked in some silent conversation since, and it was eating at Din to not know what was going on between the two of them.

"Just sit down," Kai whispered when he passed by her again, wrapping herself up a little tighter in his old cloak.

Din didn't answer, instead, he pivoted and headed back the other way, ignoring Kai's sigh.

The Kid let out a series of babbles that grabbed her and Din's attention.

"Can you understand him too?" Din asked Ahsoka after it appeared that the two were no longer deep in meditation or communication.

Ahsoka nodded to Din and looked back at Kai suspiciously. "In a way. Grogu and I can feel each other's thoughts."

"Grogu?" Din questioned. "Did you know his name was Grogu?" he asked, turning to look at Kai.

Kai answered back with a shrug, "I thought you knew already."

"How?" he asked her dumbfounded. "All I did was call him Kid."

"I just assumed it was like a nickname or something. I've known you for like two days. How was I supposed to know?"

"Grogu," Din said, looking back to the Kid and getting an answering cooing noise in response. Din chuckled at that.

"He was raised at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant," Ahsoka told them. "Many masters trained him over the years. At the end of the Clone Wars when the Empire rose to power, he was hidden. Someone took him from the Temple. Then his memory becomes… dark. He was lost. Alone," she told them sadly.

Kai got up from her tree stump behind them abruptly and walked away from their campsite without a word.

Din was surprised to watch Kai stomp away, but wasn't ready to leave the Kid - Grogu, he corrected himself alone with this Jedi just yet.

"Kai!" he called after her, but she kept going.

Ahsoka started back up, oblivious to Kai's absence. "I've only known one other being like this. A wise Jedi master named Yoda."

Grogu made a cooing noise again, and Din could see that he was also looking past him and Ahsoka to see where his new friend had gone.

"Can he still wield the Force?" Ahsoka asked him.

"You mean his powers?" Din clarified.

Ahsoka nodded, "The Force is what gives him his powers. It is an energy field created by all living things. To wield it takes a great deal of training and discipline."

"I've seen both of them do things I cannot explain. My task was to bring him to the Jedi."

"The Jedi order fell a long time ago," Ahsoka told him, and Din detected a bitter undercurrent to her words.

"So did the Empire, yet it still hunts him and will be hunting her too. They need your help," he reminded her, hoping to redirect her to the task at hand.

Ahsoka sighed, and Din thought she was going to turn him down.

"Let him sleep. I'll test him in the morning," Ahsoka finally said much to Din's relief.

Din saw that the Kid had already almost fallen asleep on the rock he had been sitting on while he had been talking with Ahsoka.

"I can watch him if you need to go," Ahsoka told him, nodding to the direction that Kai had run off to.

They had come this far to find her, so Din decided to let the Jedi watch the Kid while he went to find Kai. It hadn't escaped his notice that Ahsoka had not mentioned helping Kai either, and he had to tell himself to focus on one thing at a time, for now.

Din nodded and took off in the same direction that Kai had gone. Thankfully, she hadn't gone too far, just out of the immediate vision of their camp. Her pale blonde hair reflected the moonlight like a beacon, making it easier to find her in the darkened woods. He slowed his pace down and headed to the large tree she was leaning against with her back turned to him.

"What's wrong?" Din asked once he had made it just behind her. When she didn't turn around immediately, he became concerned. "Kai?" he had whispered to her, gently grabbing her elbow to help get her attention.

She sighed and pulled her arm from his grasp and turned around to face him. He saw tears in her eyes, reflecting the moonlight, and she had wiped one away while pulling her cloak around her in a protective manner.

"I thought we were over the crying?" he tried to joke, but Kai just rolled her eyes at him, letting the joke fall flat.

"I didn't mean to pry," Kai started, wiping the tears out of both eyes. "We'd just been sitting there for a while, and you were pacing obsessively, and my mind just wandered… Then, all of a sudden, I was pulled into seeing what he was showing Ahsoka. I didn't mean to pry," she defended herself as if Din was going to be upset at her for something she couldn't control. "It just sort of happened, and I couldn't stop it."

Din looked back to where the other two were at the campfire. When he looked back at Kai, her large eyes were staring up at his helmet, tears still present, reflecting her green eyes back at him.

"He's been through so much," Kai breathed out. "Dark doesn't even begin to cover it."

"That's why we're here, Kai," he told her. He moved to lean against a nearby, smaller tree. He had no idea what the Kid had gone through before him, but now that the Kid had been in his care, Din had done whatever had been in his power to make sure his ward was safe. There was just one last task to complete. "We came here for the Jedi to help him," he reminded her.

Kai nodded but hadn't said anything else. A strong breeze had blown through the trees, and Kai had to wrap herself up against the chill that the night had brought.

"Come on," he had prodded her, "let's go back to the fire," he instructed, pushing off from the tree.

Kai didn't immediately move to go with him, and he tilted his helmet, in a silent question for her to elaborate.

"How are you so sure this is the right thing to do? Bringing him back to the Jedi?" she asked.

Din didn't understand why she was questioning him on his reasons for this. He had already explained to her why the Kid had to go back with the Jedi. He had even told her that he thought she should go with the Jedi.

"I understand that you are trying to reunite him with his people, I do, but..." she had faded off but hadn't continued to elaborate.

"But?" he had asked, prodding her to continue.

"But, he was with the Jedi from the beginning, and look where that got him," Kai had pointed out.

"The Jedi have been through -"

"Yeah, I saw firsthand what they went through, through his eyes," Kai pointed out. "He was terrified and has been since. Grogu has been on the run and in hiding for basically our entire… lives?" she paused for a beat, staring at him, likely trying to guess how old Din was.

Din didn't give her any indication of how close she was or wasn't, but her statement did make him take pause. He hadn't considered it from that perspective.

She gave him an approving smile, "And then you came along," Kai continued without missing another beat. "The fear that he felt from his memory and during his exile was washed away by you. He has been happy and able to be a kid again in the weeks and months that you've had him. I've only known the two of you for a couple of days, and while I can't feel your emotions and thoughts like I can him, your actions speak even louder."

Din sighed, "The life I lead is no place for him. And with the Empire on the hunt for him, he needs to be with the Jedi. They will be able to protect him better than I could," he told her honestly. "And don't forget they will be on the hunt for you as well when they discover you survived and have his powers," he reminded her.

Kai had held her hands up in defeat, "All I'm saying is I haven't felt that kind of fear and anxiety coming from Grogu until we met her," she told him, nudging her head towards the campsite where Grogu and Ahsoka were. "You are probably right, and this is the right thing to do for Grogu. But it doesn't mean you have to push him away so quickly, especially when he has finally been able to be happy. And I know that the entire Empire was after him like right now and everything but… I don't know… Just maybe let him make that decision?"

Din shook his head, "He is a child. I have been tasked with keeping the Kid safe and reuniting him with his own. This is his best option."

"Okay," Kai said quietly, but Din could see she still had something else to say so he gave her a moment to get her thoughts together. "Then, instead, maybe let him enjoy the time that he has left with you, I guess is all I'm trying to say."

"Okay," Din agreed quickly, and judging by the smile that had formed on Kai's face, he may have jumped to that answer a little too fast. "But the Jedi are the Kid's - Grogu's," he corrected himself, "best option."

"Fine," Kai had begrudgingly agreed.

"And since I'm taking your advice, you are going to take mine," he told Kai with a point, and whatever smile had formed, dropped immediately. "You're going to talk to Ahsoka. At the very least, you need help from someone who isn't using my ship parts as toys."

"You're kind of bossy," she told him with a smirk.

Kai finally shoved off the tree she had been leaning against since Din found her, and they started their trek back to the campsite. Din found himself slowing down to match his pace to Kai's slower one. He hadn't been sure if she had been having difficulties seeing in the dark, or just dragging her feet to avoid dealing with the Jedi and finally getting answers for herself. He decided it didn't matter right then. They had plenty of time before sunrise, and there were worse people to spend time with.

Din found it a little surprising that he had seemed to have managed to get along with this stranger whom he had only met days ago. After having only the Kid as a sole source of conversation, it had been nice talking to another adult who wasn't out for some ulterior motive. In fact, the more she had come out of her shell, he had found her strangely easy to talk to. Even with her tendencies to ramble and all.

"And just so you know," Din started, breaking their silence, "I remember hearing of the battle, and how the Jedis were almost wiped out. I was just taken in as a Foundling. It happened around the same time my home planet was destroyed," he told her, pausing to hold back some branches out of Kai's way for her to walk under.

Kai stopped and looked up at him with a curious look on her face.

"You were not so subtly trying to ask my age earlier," he reminded her. "So, the Kid hasn't been on the run for my entire life anyway. Just most of it," he filled her in.

Kai raised one of her eyebrows slightly, and he could see her try to restrain a smirk. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was in the presence of an Elder," she teased him, and her smile lost its battle to stay away.

Din tilted his head and let the branches drop, watching as they narrowly missed Kai's head.

"Hey!" she yelled at him, but any true anger was masked by poorly contained laughter.

Din detoured around the mass of fallen branches and heard Kai's shorter, quicker footsteps following behind them. Once they made it back on the trail, he slowed down to allow her to catch back up with him. Once Kai did catch up with him, she gave him a tame bump with her shoulder. Din smiled and returned the gesture, earning an answering smile from Kairavi in return.

They walked the rest of the way to the campsite in companionable silence.

The two paused just on the edge of the small clearing where they had set up camp. The edge of the light from the fire just barely reached them and flames did a dance across Kai's hair and his armor. Ahsoka appeared to be meditating in front of the fire, and the Kid was asleep on the rock where Din had left him. Without speaking, Din and Kai moved to flank him on either side of the rock.

Kai propped herself up on Grogu's rock and pulled the cloak tight around her, taking care not to disturb the Kid. Din didn't take the more relaxed approach, instead choosing to stay alert for the evening, so the group wouldn't be surprised by any potential ambushes.

In the quiet of the evening, Din thought back on what Kai had said about sending Grogu back to the Jedi.

Without giving himself away by moving his helmet, his gaze fell on Ahsoka. Maybe he should be more cautious with her. At least until she had proven herself. He owed at least that much to the Kid.

Not for the first time, he found himself thankful for the full armor that covered him from head to toe. It gave him the chance to hide his true reactions while remaining stoic on the outside. The Kid had wormed his way in, he admitted that readily. He could even admit to himself that if both the Kid and Kai left him tomorrow to go with Ahsoka, he'd be a little… lost. But that didn't matter. This is the way. Once again, he had to remind himself that they didn't need to experience any more darkness. They would find their own paths and he would get back to his.