Chapter 7 - The Worst has Finally Happened

Ash awoke in a room made of durasteel. Her vision was still black around the edges, but she could see enough. Her head and stomach killed. In front of her Xiang was propped up against a wall knocked out and Kiro leaning against a wall with his head sunk into his arms. He looked like he might have been crying. Echo was on the opposite wall of Ash.
Ash almost cried when she looked at her. Her breath was caught in her thought and she could barely move.
Her sister was a mess. There was a blaster wound on her chest about as big as Ash’s hand. Her right shoulder had turned purple. Ash guessed it was because of her arm being pulled out of its socket. Along with that, she had scrapes and bruises all over her body and there were dark circles around her eyes.
Not good, Ash thought.
Ash tried to pull herself up. She felt extremely tired and worn out, but she made it up. Along with that she still had a splitting headache. As soon as Kiro saw her flinch he ran over to her and grabbed her into his arms. He hugged her tightly while gently stroking his hand through her hair. It comforted her so much that she barely felt any pain.
“Ash…,” he whispered into her ear. “I’m saying this with all my love…learn to shut your mouth.”
Ash giggled. It was true.
Oddly, this is so romantic, she thought to herself. Maybe a little too romantic for me. Okay, enough with this…maybe…
“Are you okay?” he asked, still holding onto her.
“Ya, just a little dizzy,” she said, backed away a bit and looked up to him. “Where are we?”
“Beats me,” he said. “I was knocked out right after you where.”
“You’re a lot of help,” Ash said sarcastically. “We need to find a way out of here now that we’re with Echo,” she said.
“No chance. I’ve already tried. These walls are 10 meters think. I don’t even know how they got us in here!”
“You’re just full of good ideas aren’t you?” she said and walked over to Xiang to check his pulse. It seemed normal. She tried to shake him to wake him up and his eyes slowly opened..
“Wake up idiot!” Ash said.
His eyes remained close but his mouth opened.
“If you call me idiot…one more time…” Xiang said softly.
“Okay…my mouth is shut.”
Behind her she heard Echo mumble. She started to get up but failed.
“Echo!!” Ash said, almost in tears. “You’re alive!”
Echo kept trying to get up, but then she started to loose her balance again. Xiang flew past Ash and caught Echo as she started to fall again. Echo literally started to cry as Xiang moved his hand through her hair.
“It’s okay Echo. Everybody is here for you. You’re going to be okay,” Xiang whispered to her.
“No…no, you have to go!” Echo replied, starting to cry even harder.
“What? Echo I’m not leaving you here,” Xiang said sternly. “You don’t understand how much pain I went through just to see that you were even alive!”
“No, you and Kiro need to go,” Echo said. She turned her head to face Ash. Ash walked over and stood by her and Echo grabbed her hand.
“Ash…I’m sorry, but we have to die to save Xiang and Kiro,” Echo said quietly.
Did she just say what I think she said?
“Twin sister say what?” Ash said, shocked out of her mind.
“We have to die Ash,” Echo said.
“NO!” Ash said. Tears swelled up in her eyes. “I just found my true love.”
Kiro walked up and grabbed her other hand.
“So have I!” Echo said and relaxed back into Xiang’s arms. “You don’t think this is hard for me too?”
Ash was confused…very confused.
“Why…why did you pick me? Why do you want me to die?” Ash said quietly. She knew she sounded selfish, but she was just saying what she felt.
“Ash, if you don’t we will all be slaves to her, forever.” Echo said, quietly. She started to cry again. “Ash, do you think I want this? I balled my eyes out that you would have to die with me. But, I would rather die with you than anyone else.”
At the same time she felt touched that her sister would want to die with her, but then she also felt utterly freaked out.
Jedi aren’t afraid of death…then why am I so freaked out? Maybe I’m not just a good Jedi. I like my life…I don’t want to die. But if I have to die to save my true love…then so be it.
Ash nodded. Xiang let Echo down and Ash hugged her sister. Together they cried. Tears fell down their faces like the waterfalls on Naboo.
“You don’t need to do this,” Xiang said. “I will die for you.”
“My life would fall apart without you Xiang. There’s no way I would let you do that,” Echo said.
Kiro walked up behind Ash.
“Ash…I need you. Don’t do this,” he said slowly.
“Kiro, don’t make me feel even worse than I already do. This is my fate,” Ash said in tears.
Behind her Echo screamed and fell to the ground. By the time Ash turned around Xiang was already at her side.
“Echo, are you okay?” he asked.
“I…I…can’t move my leg,” Echo replied, shaking.
“Which one?”
“My right…”
Ash moved over to her sister and checked out her leg. Ash may not be the best healer in the room, but she knew a lot of medical knowledge.
She felt down her leg, searching for any disfigurations. When she got to below her knee she frowned.
“Yeah…she definitely has some sort of knot right there,” Ash said rubbing it. Ash could feel that that her sister was in a lot of pain.
Ash stopped rubbing it and Xiang lifted Echo back into her arms.
“Please…be okay,” he said under his breath. Ash barely heard him.
Echo smiled. “Xiang, whatever happens to me, I still and will always love you.”
Ash wanted to smile because of all the love in the air, but it was too much of a distraught moment for her to smile.
Behind them Ash heard clicking and noises. A door swung open and a woman that Ash expected to be Blaze walked in, accompanied by two other men. Kiro stared at her and pointed to where the door had been.
“Where…in the galaxy…did that door come from?” Kiro said.
“You’re stupider than you used to be,” Blaze said. “But you’re still cuter than ever. Xiang was the brains out of you two.”
“You disgust me,” Kiro said in the nastiest of voices. “How does that make you feel?”
Blaze made a face at him and then looked over to Xiang holding Echo. Ash watched the fire form in her eyes and she ran up and kicked Xiang in the knee socket. Ash was pretty sure she heard something pop and Xiang dropped Echo to the floor. She yelped and Ash ran to her side.
“Are you okay?” Ash asked her.
Echo only nodded.
Behind them Xiang pulled out a fist, but Kiro stepped up and pushed the fist back down.
“Echo is fine, just calm down,” Kiro said.
“She won’t be for long,” Blaze said with an evil smile on her face. “Boys, step away and let Echo and Ash go.”
“There’s not a chance in the world,” Kiro said and he walked over and grabbed Ash by the arm. “You’ve not touching them.”
Ash was touched by his words, but she knew that if she didn’t go, odds where that Kiro and Xiang would get the bad end of the bargain.
The two men behind Blaze came up and grabbed Echo and Ash by the arms. Ash shook away Kiro’s grip and let the guards take her.
“Let me go,” she whispered, but that wasn’t what she really wanted to say, just what came out.
I can’t leave him like this…I have to do something. It may be the last thing I ever do.
The guards pulled them behind Blaze and Ash followed Kiro’s shocked face. All the while she was trying to think of something to do that would mean the world to him.
Then…it came to her.
“WAIT!” Ash yelled. Blaze just looked at her. “We need to say goodbye, and if you don’t like it…you can just kill us all right now.”
Blaze looked angry, but then nodded to the men holding on to them and they pushed them forward.
“You have 1 minute,” Blaze said. “And don’t forget…I’m watching.”
Ash barely heard what Blaze said. She was too focused on Kiro.
Kiro ran up to meet Ash as she was literally pushed into his arms.
“Ash-“Kiro started to say, getting teary eyed, but Ash stopped him by putting a finger to his mouth.
“Don’t speak. I don’t want to hear anything. Don’t say a word. Just give me this before I die,” she said. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her. With that, they both kissed each other for the first and possibly last time. Kiro wrapped his arms around her tightly and puller her off her feet. They just stood there. His hands filled her hair and Ash found it to be one of the most unbelievable things she had ever experienced. They didn’t need to say anything…this was plenty.
Yes…finally. He’s my true love. I know it for a fact now, and even if I die, I’ll die with butterflies in my stomach.
As they kissed Ash didn’t hear anything around them. The whole world revolved around them for that short few seconds. They actually started to cry as they kissed. It was one of the most romantic, yet saddest moments in her entire life.
“I never said you could do that!” Blaze yelled. A man came up and started to grab Ash away from Kiro.
“NOO!! NO!” Ash screamed. She tried to hold on as long as she could. Tears streamed down her face and she literally choked on them. Kiro tried to hold onto her too, his arms reaching out to her as she was pulled away. Then…Ash got angry.
She elbowed the guy behind her in the stomach and he let go of her and she ran back into Kiro’s arms and laid her head in his shoulders. He wrapped his arms back around her.
“I love you so much. I realize now that what I said the other day wasn’t true at all. I never want to let you go,” Ash said.
“Ash…none of that matters. All that matters is the here and the now, and right now…is a moment to cherish for as long as we live because we both love each other, and love is stronger than death.”
Ash smiled. “That might not be too far off for me,” she said.
“Still…it’s a memory to cherish. You can’t let go of hope, even if hope gives up on you.”
Behind her she heard Blaze mumble something to the two guards. This time they both came up and dragged her behind Blaze.
“Never forget me…that’s all I ask.”
“I couldn’t if I tried,” Kiro replied.
“So glad you could join us Ash,” Blaze said in front of her. Ash could tell that Blaze didn’t like it that they kissed.
“Shut up,” Ash mumbled.
Blaze looked away from her and over to Echo and Xiang. They were hugging so tightly Ash thought they both might split into 2 pieces.
“ECHO!” Blaze barked. She paused and then snapped her fingers. The two men let go of Ash and went over to grab Echo. Echo cried and screamed as they pulled her away from Xiang. Once they finally got Echo to let go of her death grip, they brought her over and stood her by Ash. Kiro and Xiang stood next to each other.
“Goodbye friend,” Echo said, looking to Kiro. Ash was surprised. They apparently had made up since the last time she had seen them.
“Die as a hero. I know you will,” Kiro replied.
“Tell Neon that I’m proud of him, and that he will grow to be an amazing Jedi, even without my teachings.”
“Don’t worry, I will,” Kiro replied.
The guards and Blaze started to push them out towards the door.
“I will never forget you!” Xiang yelled.
“Xiang, no matter what happens…you should know that someone will always love you,” Echo replied.
They were starting to pull them farther away now, and Ash decided just to say something through the Force, knowing that Xiang would be able to sense it.
I wish I could’ve gotten to know you more, she said.
You too, he replied. I’m so sorry it had to end this way.
Ash’s face was so wet with tears now that it looked like she had just gone swimming. In front of them, a huge metal door slammed down to the floor and they were separated from Kiro and Xiang. As the metal wall hit the metal floor, she felt her heart crumble into a million pieces. She was nothing without Kiro.
This was…without a question…the worst day of her life.

You are not authorized to comment here. Your must be registered and logged in to comment