A returning Echo

Chapter Twenty One

Just a little note, I use the name "Uma" in here, which is the word for leader in Quechua, the language of the Quechua peoples who (primarily) live in the Peruvian Andes!

You woke up to blinding lights and a breathing mask on your face. You laid still for a second, regaining your senses and allowing yourself to process everything. Once you realized where you were, you ripped the mask off and sat up abruptly.

"AHHHH! KARK!" You yelled, tears coming to your eyes as the pain of your movement engulfed you. You sucked in a harsh breath and winced at the increased pain it brought.

Echo immediately woke up to your yell and relief flooded him as he realized you were finally awake, before he panicked over your shouts.

"Woah, take it easy, y/n," he said while reaching over and trying to get you to lay back down.

"I'm fine!" You snapped, pushing his hand away from you. You looked at him in a glare before you realized what you'd done, and your face immediately fell apologetic.

"Sorry," you said quickly, noticing his hurt expression. "I just...it only briefly hurt."

His eyebrows came together slightly as if he was questioning whether to believe you or not before he sat back down in his chair.

"What happened to me?" You asked, bringing a sore arm up and placing your hand on your head. "The last thing I remember is being on a ledge and fighting droids when a cannon blast hit."

"That's essentially it," Echo shrugged. "After the blast hit, you fell to the ground and were knocked unconscious. Sans saw it happen and ran over to you. He immediately got you on a ship with Aid and a pilot took you back to the venator. Your admiral then sent you back here on a medical transport. You were in critical condition when you arrived, y/n. If they wouldn't have brought you back right away..." he trailed off, looking down at his hands in his lap.

"Hey," you said, "I'm alright, aren't I?"

He looked up at you and gave you a sad smile.

"I guess, considering the alternative. You're lucky you don't have more broken bones. Just a broken rib and arm. I don't know how it's possible, from how Sans described the fall."

"Maybe something to do with the force?" You suggested. "It's likely that I tried to at least slow my fall before I hit the ground, so maybe the impact wasn't that bad?"

"That might make sense, but I'm not an expert on the force, so I couldn't tell ya."

He was quiet for a moment, and you could see him holding back tears. He fidgeted with his fingers before speaking again.

"I almost lost you, y/n," he muttered.

"But you didn't, now come over here," you said, patting the bed beside you.

He looked up at you before crawling onto the bed next to you. He gently pulled you into him and laid down, not wanting to ever let go.

"Please," he muttered, "be more careful out there. I can't go through something like this again. I was scared out of my mind. I love you so much, y/n."

You snuggled closer into him, trying to bring him comfort. You wanted to reassure him that you weren't going anywhere, that it would always be you and him, always by each other's sides.

"I promise I'll try to be safer, but I'm not going to stop fighting, if that's what you want." You knew deep down that's what he really wanted, but you would never leave the war while you could still fight. It wasn't an option.

"But you have to promise to be safer as well," you said looking up at him. He held your gaze for a second before responding.

"I will," he said before he gently leaned down and your lips met. The kiss was full of passion and fear and relief. You felt every emotion that he had felt while you were unconscious flow from him. It hurt you to know how much pain he had been in. No one deserved to feel that way, especially not someone who had been through as much as him or any other clone. He had lost so many brothers already, and the last thing you wanted was to be the next person for him to lose.