Chapter 12

Ancient temple ruins of Bakkah

Over the last week spent on this baron planet, both Kylo and myself had started to appreciate each other's presence more and more. The close proximity we had been forced to grow accustomed to was likely what caused the inevitable bond. The bitter rowing had become almost non-existent and allowed us to co-exist in harmony.

Lightsaber combat did not come as easy to me as the mind element of my training, but my stubbornness prevented me from giving in. I knew that I wasn't as physically strong as Kylo, but was able to use my agility to my advantage. After 7 days of intense training, I found myself capable of holding back Kylo for quite a while before he would finally overpower me. He had obviously had years more of practise, and his experience shone through whenever we fought.

We were both in the middle of one of our longest and most tiring fights. Both of our lightsabers constantly clashed with each other, making blue and red sparks fly about everywhere. I lunged towards Kylo, but he swiftly ducked and held his lightsaber up towards my neck. I looked down at the closeness of the red flame in fear.

"I win again Ana. You're showing some signs of improvement at least," Kylo teased.

He removed the saber from my neck and returned it to his side. I rolled my eyes at his smugness, but a small smile of amusement still managed to creep onto my face. I released the breath I hadn't realized I was holding and positioned my stance to resume the battle.

"You want to go again?"

"Sure," I confidently replied.

I didn't let my growing fatigue bother me as we continued from where we had left off. The need to prove my strength to Kylo was what kept me going. I wanted him to know that I wasn't the same meek girl he knew all of those years. It worried me that I was so desperate for approval from someone like him.

I let my sprightly form aid me in defending Kylo's skilled moves. He became the dominant one, always remaining on the offensive. My flexibility allowed me to avoid the red flame of his saber, but Kylo was still able to get close enough to keep me on edge.

My arms began to grow weak from the relentless battering of Kylo's saber. I let out an involuntary growl as I fought against the tiredness of my body, unwilling to surrender. As I rose my saber in an attempt to overrule Kylo, my legs unexpectedly gave in from underneath me. Kylo had already lunged towards me, leading me to watch in horror as he failed to stop the momentum of his action.

The saber collided with my hip, searing straight through my skin. I screamed in pure agony as I finally hit the floor. My hand went to my side and was instantly soaked in the blood of my wound. I was mortified by the gory sight in front of me. Kylo immediately lowered himself to me and put pressure on the gash in an attempt to slow the bleeding. I cried out in pain as the crippling wound took hold of my body.

"Ana, I'm sorry! This wasn't supposed to happen! You're going to be ok; I'm not going to lose you!"

I stared at him with with tears pooling in my eyes. It was rapidly becoming more difficult to focus on what Kylo was saying as the blood drained from me. I tried my best to murmur a reply and calm him, but couldn't find the strength to speak. Kylo noticed my vastly deteriorating condition and hauled my body up, carrying me bridal style.

I felt him begin to sprint as he lifted me and willed my eyes to stay open, not wanting to lose myself to the unpredictable darkness. For once, I saw his face light up with emotion. It was the first time he hadn't tried to hide away his feelings with a blank expression. The dread in his eyes was undeniable as he watched me fade away in his arms.

But this wasn't the first time this had happened. The only difference was, back on Chandrila he had wanted to cause me harm. I remembered vividly the look of rage as he let me fall to pieces in front of him. The way he looked now couldn't be any more different than the event that day.

His speed meant that our journey back was a brief one. The door to our house was demolished as he slammed his way through it. I was gently placed onto the table by Kylo before he hurriedly located the emergency medical supplies. I noticed my breathing begin to slow and my limbs become numb. My eyelids felt heavy and started to lower, tempting me to join the blackness which was now swirling around me.

"Ana stay with me! That's an order!" Kylo bellowed.

I used my last bit of strength to squeeze his hand for comfort. Kylo used the force to jolt my body awake and boost my adrenaline. I observed him pick up a device and position it against my wound. Suddenly, a laser shot from it and towards the gash. A sharp pain ripped through me and led me to let out a sickening scream.

The discomfort was intolerable and made me wish for my life to end. At that moment, I was ready to embrace oblivion in order to escape the harsh agony of reality. The ray of light had caused the wound to seal, leaving me with a crimson scar and bloodstained skin. Kylo was too focused to notice my distress as he continued to clean up the wound.

By the end of my excruciating ordeal, I had experienced more pain that the rest of my short lifetime altogether. I was dangerously low on blood, so was made to take a heavy dose of iron replenishment supplements. Kylo had managed to transport my body to my bed without too much of a struggle and left me to rest.

Once he thought I was asleep, I heard the frustrated cries he let out over what had happened. The sound of his fist colliding with the wall frequently shocked me out of my slumber. My inability to reassure him left Kylo spiraling into a frenzy of guilt. It was out of character for him to care like this, especially after all the previous occasions he had injured me.

Today had been a turning point for him. It was evident how hard it had hit him. It irritated me that I couldn't move my aching body. Instead, I was left powerless and unable to stop Kylo from possibly destroying everything in his path with anger.

I slipped in and out of consciousness for what felt like hours. My hazy state meant that I had no sense of time whatsoever. The only idea I had was from the dimming light that was being cast through the window. I watched the sun slowly get swallowed up and the moon begin to rise. I counted the thousands of stars which were illuminating the sky, and wondered about the stability of the rest of the galaxy now we had no contact with anyone.

I lay there helpless, whilst galaxies battled each other in catastrophic wars. Thousands of rebels died everyday by fighting for the resistance, and I had been closer than ever to joining them today. Fortunately for me, Kylo had access to the best medical supplies in the universe, so was able to bring me back from the brink of death.

It would only be a few days until I would fully recover. My blood was already quickly replacing the masses I had lost. The pills I had taken would only speed up that process. The only reminder I would ever be left with would be the large scar which stretched from my hip to the middle of my abdomen. It didn't bother me, my body was already covered in them from countless clashes on Bakkah.

If anything, it had caused more of an effect on Kylo than it had on me.