"Stupid, stupid, stupid..." Luke muttered, pushing through bushes and leaves as he blindly stumbled through the forest. He wiped the tears from his face, feeling too horrible to be worthy of crying. How could he hurt Han like that..? Was he really just as terrible as the Emperor? The scene replayed in Luke's head. Han's horrified expression, the wave of energy coming from the blond's own hand, the sound of Han's skull cracking against the wall, and the blood... So much blood...
Luke felt his legs become weak, and he tripped over a patch of vines. He yelped, tumbling down a small hill. Dirt and sticks stuck to his clothes and hair, and he could taste grass that his open mouth came into contact with. After a few moments of falling, Luke's cloak stuck on a bush or something, causing the collar to choke him. He gasped as he struggled to pull himself free.
After a quick fight against the shrub, it pulled free, which threw Luke rolling into a clearing a few inches away. He stood, brushing the dirt and filth from his clothes. He could taste blood, likely because he had bit his tongue more than once on the way down. Luke rubbed his lip, only to pull his hand back and find blood.
The Jedi then examined his hands and arms. He had left his gloves in the refresher on the Falcon, which exposed the cuts from when he had shattered the mirror and the fresh ones from his fall. He sighed, pulling a twig out of his hair. Something always had to happen to him... And Luke was starting to think he deserved it.
No, he was certain he deserved it.
Luke fell to his knees, releasing a catastrophic sob. What had he done? He had ruined everything! If Han wasn't dead, then he probably hated Luke now. Leia and Chewie would probably hate him the most when they saw what he had done to Han. Luke had told so many lies the past few weeks, and now they were coming back to haunt him. He should have just listened to his father and Obi-Wan!
In trying to protect his friends, he had hurt them instead. Everyone around him always got hurt, and it was always his fault. He was so stupid! Luke gasped and coughed from crying so hard, and he swore a puddle would form around after a few minutes. Eventually, he looked up from his hands, the tears burning the cuts on his face. He crawled over to a small pond a few feet away, going to rub away the blood and dirt on his arms.
The liquid was cool against his skin, but hot against the wounds. It burned terribly, but Luke didn't mind the pain. He deserved it, after all. His friends, however, did not. He stopped, staring at his dim reflection in the water. The moon shined above Luke's head, causing his face to be shadowed. He stared into his eyes. The red and yellow orbs were still there in place of his own blue eyes.
Luke's hands trembled, and he gritted his teeth so tight that they might crack. "I hate you..." he whispered venomously at the image before him. "I hate you!" Luke swatted his hand across the water, splashing away the picture as more tears fell from his eyes. A sharp pain filled his entire head suddenly, causing him to gasp and fall backwards.
Luke landed on his back, gripping his head and pulling his hair. The pain was unbearable. He rolled side to side, gritting his teeth and yelling. What was happening now?! His vision was blurred from pain, and he could see stars. Not the ones in the sky, either. Suddenly, footsteps ran up from behind, and Luke opened his eyes just a crack to see Leia standing over him.
"Luke!" she cried, bending over to help him, but the blond pulled away. He gripped the dirt, struggling to crawl away from the horrible pain. "Luke, what happened?" Luke shook his head, even though it made the pain even worse. He got to his hands and knees, gasping and groaning with his eyes squeezed shut.
"Stay away from me, Leia!" he forced out, his voice a hiss. Leia stepped toward him again, her eyes wide with worry.
"No, Luke! I know what's going on now! Please, let us help!" Luke groaned again, pressing his forehead into the dirt. He could feel the frustration bubbling up again, but it made the pain he was feeling a million times worse.
You don't have your lightsaber, but you can still kill her. It'll be easy. That same, demonic voice sang in Luke's head, causing him to yell in anger and agony. Leia stumbled back slightly. "Go away!" Luke pleaded with his sister, gritting his teeth tighter. "It's too late for me. I'll kill you, Leia! Just like Han!" Tears rolled down the young Jedi's face once more, which didn't help the pain in the slightest. It felt like the air was pressure and pushing down on him as he breathed.
Leia felt tears run down her own face. "But Han is okay, Luke! You didn't kill him! His skull wasn't even cracked! It's just a concussion! A painful, minor concussion! There was just so much blood... That's why it looked so bad, but this isn't your fault!" Luke laughed. Part of it was out of relief that Han was even alive, but part of it was bitter and emotionless.
He pressed his forehead further into the dirt even more. "Y-Yes, it is..." he said under his breath. Then, he screamed. "EVERYTHING IS MY FAULT, LEIA! Everyone died because of ME! Now, you're all going to die...! Because.. Of... Me..." Luke's head spun, the pain increasing horrifically. Suddenly, everything went black.
Chewie held Han cradled in his arms, petting the smuggler's hair with his big furry hands just as he had the day after Han was unfrozen from carbonite. He had patched up the wound, thankful that the injury was not as bad as it appeared. Han was still a mess, though. Covered in blood and hair a mess where the white bandage was wrapped. There was a small spot of crimson on the bandage, but the bleeding appeared to be done by now.
Chewie roared comfortingly to his friend, who was still mumbling under his breath over and over again. Though the words were difficult to understand, the wookie had made out a few phrases. "Kid... Dark Side... Not your fault..." Han was obviously referring to Luke. Chewie whimpered under his breath.
He felt bad for Luke. The cub had been through so much and seemed to always blame himself when things went wrong. Chewie knew that none of this was Luke's fault, but he couldn't help but be a little angry that he had hurt Han. Then again, if Han wasn't blaming Luke, then neither should he. Nor should Luke blame himself.
"Chewie..." Well, that was a new one. Han had only been mumbling over Luke the past few minutes, but now he appeared to be including his co-pilot as well. That's when Chewie realized that Han's eyes were cracked. The hazel orbs were weakly looking up at him, and it was obvious that Han was in pain. "Chewie..." he mumbled again, and Chewie's eyes lit up.
He roared frantically, asking if the Corellian was okay. Asking if he was in too much pain. Asking if he needed more medicine. Han shook his head, though. He waved his hand dismissively. "Leia... Where's Leia..?" he asked hoarsely. Chewie explained how she had gone after Luke, which caused Han's eyes to go as wide as they could at the moment.
"Kid... I have to.. We have to... Help them." the brunet slowly pulled away from Chewie, trying to get to his feet. Chewie roared in disapproval, but Han ignored him. He hesitantly put one foot on the ground, then another. He carefully pulled himself to a standing position, and grinned slightly when he succeeded. Han put one foot forward, but when he went to move the other the same way, he stumbled to the floor.
Chewie growled in concern, jumping up and pulling Han to his feet again. He kept his hands on the pilot's shoulders so he wouldn't fall again. "I'm fine. C'mon, Chewie... We have to get to Luke and Leia.." Chewie grumbled that Han was too sick to go, but Han waved a hand his way once again. "I'm okay, Furball..! The kid needs our help, and.. So does... Leia..!"
The wookie sighed. His friend was as stubborn as ever, but he knew Han was right. However, Chewie refused to let him try to walk there himself. He lifted Han in his arms gingerly, carrying him like a small child. The smuggler rolled his eyes weakly but allowed it. Whatever got them there faster. "Alright, Fuzzball... Let's go."
With that, Chewie ran off the Falcon with Han, following his senses to find Luke and Leia.
Luke slowly sat up, rubbing his head as he did so. He was surprised to find he was no longer in pain. He felt... Normal. He felt as he had before all the temptations had begun. This was strange, but also relieving. Maybe things would be okay now!
However, the young Jedi looked around, only to see he was no longer in the forests of Endor. He raised his eyebrows, carefully standing to his feet. Examining his surroundings, Luke was startled by his new location. He was surrounded by what appeared to be a black void. This made him uneasy, for there didn't seem to be a floor beneath his feet. Just the darkness.
Luke took a small step, but his foot touched the darkness as if it were as firm as ground. After assuring himself that he would not fall into a black abyss, the blond began to walk around. Everywhere he went, there appeared to be only emptiness, though. Where was he..?
Suddenly, a deep and wicked laugh startled Luke from his thoughts. He spun around, only to see a dim light shining his way. He blinked a moment, eyes adjusting to the new light, only to see a large throne had materialized before him. Luke squinted as a gigantic figure appeared on the throne.
This creature... Felt so familiar. Like he had heard his voice and felt his presence before. Perhaps he had? Yes... Yes, Luke recalled it all now! He had seen this being in a dream! The evening he had fallen asleep sick after speaking to Han, he had had a dream he could not quite recall. That dream... He had spoken to the being in the dream.
Whatever he was, the creature continued to laugh deeply. He rested his arm on the side of his throne, bending forward as he spoke. "Welcome, young Skywalker," he growled, his voice demonic and frightening. Luke stumbled back slightly, staring up at the thing with confusion and fear. The Dark Side was horrifyingly strong with this one.
"Who... Who are you?" the young Jedi asked, continuing to back away. The creature grinned, his smile the stuff of nightmares.
"I am Supreme Leader Snoke, but you may call me... Master."
A/N: Look who actually updated quickly this time! :D Also... BOOM! THERE'S YOUR TEMPTER! You may now proceed to rage about how he needs to leave poor Luke alone. :)