THE HUNT

Five

I see Vicrul first.

He's crouched over who I assume to be Marinda, holding her tight to his chest. Both Ap'lek and Cardo stand around him, fighting off several Resistance soldiers at once as he weeps over his lover's corpse.

Then I see Kylo.

My own lover is tightly engaged with the Jedi girl, seeming to forget the world around him. I flinch as four Resistance X-Wing fighters skim closely overhead.

"Kylo!" I shout. He doesn't turn, kicking the girl in the stomach. She falls backwards, but recovers quickly. I grit my teeth, drawing my swords.

I cut my way through the fight, hardly taking my gaze away from Kylo. He holds his own, as I'd expect, but anxiety still tears at my chest.

Please don't die, please don't die.

Eventually, she's my next victim. She's so absorbed into the fight, that she doesn't hear me behind her. Neither she nor Kylo acknowledge me, but I'm able to overhear their conversation. 

"You don't have to do this, Ben." She pleads, stepping out of his lightsaber's path. 

"You killed my knight." He growls. 

"You have others!" She swings the weapon at him, and he stops it with his own, teeth gritted. 

"They're mine!" He snaps. 

"You don't actually care, Ben!" She kicks his knee in, and he crumples. "You don't care about anyone!" She lifts her saber, and I lunge forward, forcing my sword through her back. 

I don't stop pushing until the handle presses against her skin. 

She gasps, and the lightsaber falls from her hand. Kylo rises, eyes dangerously dark as he grabs her face with one hand. 

"There's a difference between caring for family and caring for enemies, Rey." He grits, releasing her and looking to me. "Good work, Hunter." He taps the end of the blade, which pokes through her stomach. She shudders, and I press my foot against her back, pushing her off my sword. She collapses into the muddy ground, breathing hard. 

Then Kylo falls to a knee, fingers curling into the damp soil. 

"Not here." I grab his arm, pulling at him. "Finish your fight. Show your troops that you're stronger than this." 

"I'm not." He whispers, looking up at me with red eyes. "I can't finish."

"You have to." I manage to get him to his feet, and he draws his weapon. "Do it for her." 

He nods, lifting his saber to strike the whimpering girl one last time the way she was ready to do to him. 

"Rey!" A voice crashes through the field, and I shove myself behind Kylo, taking the piercing pain of the blaster shot aimed at him. My bulletproof clothing protecting my stomach from much injury other than a nasty bruise I know will lurk underneath my clothing for some time. I crouch over with a pained sound loosing from my lips.

"Hunter!" Kylo drops to his knees beside me as I regain my breath. 

"I'm fine." I wheeze. "Bulletproof, remember?" He sighs, standing. 

"Yeah." He rolls his hands into fists. "Bulletproof." Glancing down, he bites the corner of his lip. "You're going to the med wing the moment we get back to check for internal bleeding." He orders before looking up. His expression turns dark, and he lifts a hand. Ice chills in my blood as both the Resistance fighters and the stormtroopers freeze, seemingly encased in stone. 

"Kylo-"

"The Jedi is dead." He states, voice carrying. Then he quiets his words, not glancing down at me. "Go through and cut a few of them down, Hunter." He tells me, voice shaking. I nod, stepping towards the nearest Resistance fighter. I look into his face, his trembling lips and wide eyes frantically searching for an escape. He's young, probably no older than me. 

Kylo lets him drop the moment my sword releases from his flesh. I do the same to a young woman, and then an older man. 

"That's enough, Hunter." Kylo says into my head. "It'll get them scrambling."

I can take them all down, Kylo. I grip my swords tighter, cutting them across another soldier. 

"I can't hold them any longer." His voice is strained. "Come here." I sigh, sheathing my weapons as I stride back to where Kylo stands, arm still outstretched. 

Once I reach his side, I see Vicrul stand from the other side of the field. He lifts his masked gaze to Kylo and I. Kylo nods, and Vicrul bends down to gather Marinda in his arms. Ap'lek and Cardo push their way through the frozen battle, clearing a path for the solemn knight as he trudges back to the Night Buzzard. Bazzra waits at the edge, and I can feel her fury from here. 

Kylo drops his hand, and I move to hold him up as he stumbles, nearly falling. Once the Resistance soldiers gather themselves, they flee. 

Cowards. 

The blood-soaked field empties quickly until all that is left are stormtroopers and corpses. 

"Kylo, we have to go." I whisper. He nods, and I echo the movement. "Okay, come on." I let him lean on my shoulder as we make our way over the bodies. My heart pounds as our soldiers part for us, lifting closed fists to their chests in respect. 

I'd be in awe, too. I am. He silenced a battlefield with a gesture, froze hundreds of people for several minutes. 

I knew he was powerful, but this? This is power on a different level. 

"Don't." He mutters. 

"I'm not doing anything." I whisper.

"Don't- don't think like that." 

"Kylo-"

"Hunter, I've spent my whole life with the people I care about fearing my power." He stumbles again, and I grip his arms, holding him up. "I- I couldn't stand it if you were afraid, too." I swallow thickly as we continue, nearing the ship. 

"I'm not afraid of you, Kylo." I lift my chin in a brief nod to Kuruk, who stands beside the ramp. "I respect you. That's not fear." I wince as he falls again. 

"T- the stormtroopers." He mutters. "They're watching. They know I'm weak." I breathe out through my nose, gesturing for Kuruk to come help. 

"You single-handedly halted an active battlefield, Ky." I whisper. "You killed the Jedi. You are anything but weak." 

He stops, falling to his knees. I try to pull him up again, but he shakes his head, waving me away. 

"I- I killed her?" He wheezes, looking up at me with wide eyes. I kneel beside him. 

"No. But to them you did." He looks back, scrambling to stand. "Kylo!" I try to help him, but he shoves me off gently. 

"Need to... help her." He mutters before falling over.