Say Something

His finger brushed my cheek. My own landed on his lips with a soft touch. He had his helmet under his arm and his eyes sparkled grimly. I can't explain it-they were lively yet solemn with anticipation for what our task was.

"You ready for this?"

I sighed. My gaze was pleading. He pulled me close. Supple, small, my figure molded itself into his leather embrace. There was a curious tremor filling us both, tremulous, sparking energy and a sense of unbreakable connection...It had been written in the stars, fate, our interest, attraction, our strange, confusing affection. "No," I whispered, my lips pulling into the shape of a kiss.

He flinched. My kiss did not touch him, yet his own mouth seemed magnetized towards mine.

"After," he promised.

I understood. We were both incredibly confused-needed time-

We broke apart. He tossed me an extra helmet after helping me into the X-Wing and tried a smile.

Then we lifted off. Powering through the atmosphere, blasting into space, blasting through fate...

...

"Take everything out from out there." I was talking quietly, rapidly as possible. "And watch out for the smaller tractor beams-last time a tie fighter exploded and that was all she wrote." I paused. "And...and may the Force be with you."

"You're the one who needs it. Be careful."

"I'll do my best...I ain't brave..." I trailed off, static crackling when next he spoke. There was a loud slam and an oath.

"What?" My mind, formerly clear and composed, shot into panic.

"Nothing."

"No. What happened? Tell me!"

He groaned. "The wing's been clipped, so...I'm having trouble stayin' aloft. And you-you need to concentrate. Turn the comm. off."

"Right."

"I'm serious, damn it. Turn it off, so I don't distract you."

I closed my eyes. Locking a picture of him into my mind. The spearing, gray-brown eyes below the damp fringe of somewhat dark hair, face framed by the helmet. "You've already failed," I breathed.

He made no reply. But I could hear him muttering to himself.

I took a deep breath and resolved to focus on the task at hand. My hand curled on the silvery shaft, and the glowing red blade spiraled into its lengthy existence with a soft hiss. It hummed, thirsty for blood.

My regrets crashed back. It felt evil. That didn't quite feel logical, but it did, it really did.

I crept along, keeping to to the shadows flung by various pillars, the only illumination my blade, which brimmed with iniquity. I shuddered.

"You feel the pull."

As though one thing going wrong merited another, a frustrated curse cut to static, and my connection to him dissolved in the same moment. Fear for him, fear for me set my heart slamming against my rib cage.

Whirling, I found my lightsaber's strike halted by another saber, this one also red. A brighter, more burning red than mine, actually-mine more resembled spilt blood. "No." I ground my teeth.

"You're a creature of the dark," the apparition toyed with something like a sly smile.

"There's just enough dark in me to do the deed," I snapped. "So to some degree, your outlandish accusation stands correct."

The ghastly grin spread, gloating, goading me. The figure spread its arms wide. "The dark encompasses us all."

To be honest, I was terrified. I just wanted to close my eyes and open them and find myself on a picturesque planet-Naboo maybe-with an unscathed, certain pilot who was currently out risking his stupid neck. Maybe doing some things my guardians would never approve of...

I'm no hero, I thought. This is where I die.

I wondered if I was brave enough to die, or if I would fail and turn to the dark side in order to live.

I realized that thinking these nebulous, disjointed and utterly pointless things wasn't going to help.

Just do it.

I swung my saber. He stopped its dastardly progress with a repulsive leer painting his hideous face.

In the light his pale flesh was green, pitted and furrowed with scars seemingly black as frowns.

I always thought I would die in combat. I knew it wasn't the right path, much as the passion for a fight burned in my heart. I was too small, too afraid...

He forced me to my knees. Some part of my brain still proved functional.

"Bow to me. Join the dark side."

This is it, you need to resist. I can use the Force, I can defeat him...

I rose, suddenly calm. Some portion of me still childishly screamed in a far away star system, but the shrieks were muted and echoed dully in the rear of my consciousness. I breathed deeply, letting my eyes fall closed. Then I opened them, and it seemed light emitted from everywhere, in slanting beams invisible to all but one adjusted to the Force. I can't explain it. Hope surged within me in a cresting wave.

Somehow, I twisted back from my knees and somersaulted. His slash missed my torso by about an inch. I came up in a crouch, wisps of hair floating in my vision. The point of my lightsaber shivered. Then I launched myself upward. He parried. I lunged again and pressed his defenses. You don't know what you're doing, my dear inner pessimist was crying. Shut up, I shot back mentally. The Force will help me figure it out.

I blocked his strike and he stumbled back. My saber blade shook as it burned his flesh in a broad, long, and melted red gouge.

A loud whine erupted from his mouth. Smoke curled from the wound and I allowed myself a bitter moment of triumph.

But I was forced to jump back because I'd left an opening and his lightsaber very nearly removed my arm at the shoulder.

Panting, I surveyed my prey. He was limping slightly from an old burn on his calf. I circled him warily.

"No training, no teacher, no-" he broke himself off, shaking his hideous head. "No matter. We end this now."

I charged. He dodged and rolled, winding up on his back after tripping over some rubble. I wound up on top of him, my knee crushing his miserable manhood and may the Force be with me and the Maker too because it was damn hard.

Disgusting.

I forced that thought from my mind and focused on holding him down. His hand snagged itself in the roots of my hair, which was inconveniently tumbling out of its pins. I yelped and lifted my knee and pushed downward harder than before. It was his turn to yelp and he let me free. I stomped on his hand with my other foot and heard a satisfying crunch. The lightsaber rolled free, rolled over the edge and disappeared into the galaxy through the shattered windows. I risked a glance out. A squadron of X-Wings spiraled in to attack; a smile split my face and I recognized a specific aircraft.

"You think you've won." I whirled, my smile dissipating immediately. "This planet may be binary very soon, but I will have my revenge before."

I laughed. "Yeah, and how you gonna do that without a lightsaber?"

I attacked with renewed vigor.

Narrowing my eyes, I channeled the Force. The cut upward was vicious, strong enough to send the saber cleaving his arm in two.

Or it would have been. My fragile concentration shattered as loud, hysterical whooping emitted into my ear-the connection was restored. I gave a violent start, my hand slackening on the saber hilt and the strike wobbled and there was a slash of blinding red light and a sudden sensation of tearing agony and I found myself lying on my back with labored breath, trying to focus on fixing my gimlet eye on my killer rather than focusing on the sheer pain, but I couldn't and I tried to sit up and a piercing scream shook the air and I realized it had been elicited from me.

"Oh, dear," chortled my opponent, who had the bragging rights of beating me with my own weapon.

I felt sick and disgraced myself as near to his boots as possible in my condition. My tears blurred his pockmarked face.

Dimly, I heard a panicked voice. "What happened!? Answer me, damn it! Shit!"

I tried to look. "I think..." I mumbled, my words somewhat slurred, "There's a damn lightsaber in my side..."

"What? I can't hear!"

I repeated it with some strange degree of morbid wonderment. "There's a lightsaber in my side!"

There was more swearing. "What the hell were you thinking!"

"I don't want to die," I responded plaintively, quailing from his rage. I shook all over. "Did...did you...?"

"Yes!"

"Good..." I whispered to the cold floor.

A kick rattled my frame. I cried out. "I'm dead...Go...You can't..."

"Like hell I will." Something like steel in his voice even through the static.

My killer leaned over me. "Look at you, pretty one."

He smoothed unruly, escaped wisps of my hair off of my wet forehead; I burned with a fever. I abhorred his touch. With a slow grating, he deliberately pulled the saber out of my body. Almost gently. I cast wild eyes at the wound. It wasn't bleeding; the savage and merciless heat had seen to that. I tried to turn my head. He smirked at my contorted face, and spindly, clammy fingers entrapped my chin.

"It's only us left," he cooed. "My forces are destroyed, my storm troopers dead and my droids reduced to scrap metal. And when you die, I'll be the only life form left..."

I ignored his tedious talk. My lightsaber was somewhere. My hand writhed, fighting with the power of the Force to summon it to my grasp. I regretted choosing such a difficult weapon; its intentions were hardly pure and it fought me when I tried to destroy evil with it.

Nevertheless, my dying will proved stronger. With barely a sound, it slapped my palm and I clutched it like I clung to life.

The lethal hum filled the air. A sweet smile split my face and rounded my cheeks, the sweetest smile I could manage. One hand yanked hard on his hair. The opposite arm arched back and slashed the head from the neck.

"That's disgusting," I mumbled, as I dropped the saber and my prey staggered and crashed on top of me. His sightless, colorless, vapid eyes regarded mine dully. I fancied that mine still burned with some semblance of life. His head rested on my chest, the cut neatly cauterized. My side shrieked, the hole through my front and back gaping simultaneously.

The welcome voice in my ear had fallen silent.

"Are...are you there? I did it. Killed him," I gasped, chest heaving raggedly.

Silence. And then, "How?"

From the doorway.

Grief wrinkling his forehead and his eyes empty and grayish as he mechanically knelt by me. He still wore his helmet. From underneath a bloody scratch forked his eyebrow. I laughed hysterically. He dumped the corpse aside and gathered me close and lifted me up. My head felt heavy; it dropped and the world swung. Outside I could see myriad stars sparkling. They were refracted and broken into brilliant shards by the tears in his eyes. He was quiet as always. His silence inexorably pursued me into the blackness. "Say something..." I pleaded as the darkness of the dark side welled within me and heaved drunkenly into sight.

Hey everyone, wrote this a couple of years ago and I'm kinda curious to see what fandoms will get the most follows. It's been sitting on my phone so I thought what the hell. If anything is weird, sorry, I don't remember the technical stuff that was going on and this is just an excerpt.

Thanks for stopping by, and cheers!