Kylo Ren slumped against the gray stone wall in a pool of his own blood, which gleamed in a sharp contrast to the rough dirt below him. His hitched breath escaped in small puffs, appearing as clouds of white in the freezing air of the cave.

This wasn't how he wanted to die.

He hadn't imagined himself leaving the physical world in some great blaze of glory, not like he had as a child. After hours of listening to tales of his father's spontaneous, dangerous smuggling runs and his mother's diplomatic missions to war-torn worlds with life-threatening military encounters, young Ben Solo was certain he'd be killed in a battle against the Empire (even though they had been dismantled by the time he was old enough to even think about these things), perhaps after destroying the Star Destroyer carrying Lord Sidious. Or maybe he'd lay down his life to save refugees evacuating a planet run by pirates or a corrupt government.

He never thought he'd be bleeding out in a dark cave, alone, hundreds of meters below the surface, from something as stupid as slipping and being impaled by a stalagmite. The sudden crushing weight of his body had caused the stone structure to snap in half, and he had crashed to the floor, screaming out in pain.

No one could hear him.

Of course he had insisted that he search for the kyber crystals on his own, rather than accept the help of the stormtroopers like Hux had suggested. He was so stuck on his high-and-mighty idea that the presence of a non-force-wielder would somehow taint the crystals that it had gotten him killed, or at least pretty close to it. He had instructed them to return to the ship, and not to disturb him until the next day. He set out with his climbing gear by himself.

He had managed to drag himself to the wall, howling as blood and chunks of flesh slithered across the floor with him. He placed his hands across his abdomen, trying in vain to keep his innards where they were supposed to be.

Delirious from blood loss, Kylo studied his own lightsaber, which he held in his hand, turning it over and judging the rough construction, weighing it in his hand, knowing that with one swift shift of his blade he would be able to end his pain. And yet he couldn't.

There was one last person he had to see before he died.

Gathering the lasts dregs of strength, he searched for her, grasping at the loose tendrils of her memory, allowing tears to stream down his face as he called her name, desperation tearing at the edges of his words.

He was tired. So tired.

A sense of hopelessness consumed him, and he cried out, both in pain and sorrow, feeling as if his heart was being torn apart as his torso had been. Did she not feel his pain the way he felt hers? Had she erased him from her mind so thoroughly had she didn't even recognize the sound of his voice? He clasped each hand around the stone in his stomach and started to pull at it, some sort of animal noise ripping at his throat as the blood poured more readily from his wound, and he removed the slab with one final heave. He exhaled, the corners of his vision going blurry, the excruciating pain in his middle numbing as he felt his body start to shut down.

The air around him warmed, and he couldn't help but smile as he heard the scraping of boots across dirt as she hurried to him, and dropped to her knees at his side. "You came." He whispered, unable to produce anything louder than that. His throat was raw from his shrieks of agony.

"I didn't forget about you." Rey's voice shook, her face wet with tears. "I couldn't. You meant too much to me." Sobs wracked her body, and she buried her face in his shoulder, holding him as tightly as she could, rocking him slowly, gently. She ignored the blood at soaked through her arm wraps and painted her skin.

"I'm sorry." When she didn't react, Kylo tried again, louder this time, fighting against the coughs that brought up blood. "I'm sorry for everything. For my father, for Luke, for—"

He was interrupted as she placed her lips on his, urgently, passionately, softly, somehow all at the same time. "I love you. I always have." Her eyes shone in earnest, and she placed a hand on his cheek, tears flowing freely. "You deserved so much better, Ben. And I'm sorry you were deprived the happiness you should have had."

"You came." He repeated, entranced by the halo of pure light that formed around her head as he gazed up at her, his eyes unfocused and glazed. "Rey, I—" he choked on the rising blood in his mouth, and she watched in horror as streams of red poured down his lips and chin. "I love you, too."

Her screams of anguish echoed around the cave as his body went limp in his arms. She felt as if her soul had been ripped to shreds and then released into the vacuum of space to have all the oxygen strangled out of it. Tears like a waterfall cascaded down her cheeks as she held him close, feeling his flesh already begin to turn cold. The chill of death surrounded her.

She was tempted to let it take her away.

"I'm so sorry." Rey wept, hiccupping and coughing as she struggled to breathe. His amber eyes stared at the ceiling, blank and unseeing. She raised a hand to close his eyelids, and gasped in shock as his body began to fade, slowly, until all that remained was his cloak, lightsaber, and an inch-deep puddle of his blood. She gathered his cape in her arms and wrapped in around her, inhaling his scent, feeling something like peace wash over her. "Goodbye, Ben. I'll see you around, I guess."

A/N: so there was some weirdo glitchy thing going on w this piece like a bunch of random text that almost looked like coding was all funky so sorry abt that i hope you enjoy this version better cos you can actually read it