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A/N Okay, early update bc I'm not sure if i can update on Sat/Sun pacific time (if I do have time, you still get another update(s) so yay!), though just saying, I only actually need a day/two to do chapters of this book, but I just don't post them, because what's the fun in that? i was poetic. who knew?

But be warned. I am the Queen of cliffhangers, though I'm being nice here, no cliffhangers. The last paragraph will leave you with a warm bubbly feeling, or a cold one with chills crawling up your spine...

Anyways, enjoy.

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(Part One of the Chapter Begins: Song -- Fear the Fever -- Digital Daggers)

"Do not call me that." Rika could feel him all the way from where she was standing, with her back turned. His hatred.

Hatred for the Resistance, his parents, the Light, the Jedi, Master Luke. Hatred for her.

"That is your name, Ben." She replies, testing the waters. Turning around slowly so that she could block Rey's frame entirely. Instead of what she thought, hoped she might see, when she turned, what faced her was a mask. A mask as black and unforgiving and cold as the blackened heart of the person that wore it.

However, when the masked person spoke again, she somehow believed that there was still warmth in him. "Give me the girl, Ri, I don't want to hurt you." His voice was softened. "Come with me, I don't want to fight you."

For a slight moment, Rika's limbs almost moved to its on record until she rooted them to the ground firmly. "No." She replies. "No."

"I don't want to hurt you." He repeats. She laughed.

"Don't you think it's a bit too late to say that now, Ben?"

"Then you leave me no choice." She could almost see the hatred on his face from inside the mask.

"She is not yours, nor is she an object. And she will most definitely not be your plaything." Rika says evenly, igniting the glowing blade of her own lightsaber. "No, I will not give her to you." She sways lightly on her feet, the pain was starting to catch up.

"Of course you won't." His voice mocks her from inside the mask. "I know now why Luke Skywalker left you and didn't come back. He left you because you never knew what was good for you! They all did!"

She hissed through her teeth, about to raise her lightsaber. But she forced herself to stop. Anger turns to hatred. Hatred turns to Darkness. Anger and hatred leads to Darkness. She repeats to herself inside her head. So instead, she closed her eyes, gritting as she tried to ignore the pain. When she opened her eyes, her gaze burned with bold defiance. She draped it over the hate and anger, letting it quench the fire that was madness and cruelty, and turning it into a flame of warmth and comfort, a flame that banished the ice and hatred of the Dark.

"No." She says. She will not let another that she cared fall to the Darkness. "No." She says, drawing her features tight, and gripped her lightsaber tighter, praying her body would be as strong as her voice. "No," she says.

"Never."

Let the battle began.

(Part One Ends)

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(Part Two of Chapter Begins: Song -- Seventeen -- Alessia Cara)

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Han Solo stared at Leia Organa. "You're here." He says hoarsely.

She smiled lightly. "I am." That was all the couple had to say before Leia flung herself into his embrace. "You know," she whispers. "I always hated watching you leave every time."

She could feel the vibration of his chest as he laughed. "I know," he mummers back. "That's why I did it; so you'd miss me."

The peaceful serenity was broken when an anguished voice cried out. "Rey!"

Han snapped his head towards the direction. "Rika!" He breathed while Leia gave him confused looks. He started towards that direction but Chewie was already up and running, with Finn catching up as best as he could.

They were back a minute later with Chewie carrying a limp mess and bloody mess in his arms. Leia gasped. "Is that--". Han nodded solemnly.

He walked up to the girl. "Rika," he says gently. "Rika, can you hear me?" But she just kept on moaning.

"Rey! No, Ben! Please! I can't! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Rika cried out hoarsely. "Please! Don't! I'm sorry!"

"Rika." Han says.

She blinked her eyes open then looked sheepish. "Was I talking in my sleep again?" She asks, groaning as she got up from of the arms of Chewie. That seemed to snap Leia out of her trance.

"What, no!" Leia protested as Rika tried to stand on her legs. "You got shot and lost too much blood! Stay down!"

"What the hel--", Rika looked confused for a second until she realized who the woman in front of her was. "Leia?!" Her mouth was wide open. "What are you doing here?"

Leia scowled. "What am I doing here? What are you doing here? Do you know what you've put me through? What you put me and everyone else that cared and loved you through when you disappeared?" She couldn't say the word dead. "Leriana Aurelia Tillisk, you better have a good explanation on where you've been and why you haven't come back." Then Leia started crying when she could no longer put up the angry facade.

Rika was shocked. She pulled the older woman into a hug. Never in her years has she ever seen her guardian shed a tear, much less break out into full blown crying. She had expected to be yelled at, to be scolded, but this was so much more worse. "Oh Leia." Rika burst into tears too. "I'm sorry." She said. "I was trying to protect you. I'm sorry." She was cut off by her own sobs.

The moment was abruptly broken when Han said, annoyed. "Are you Your Worships done with being mushy and stuff? Good, 'cause we got to go."

Leia rolled her eyes. "You just always have to ruin the moment Han? Not even five minutes back and you're already back to being annoying."

Rika laughed. there's the bickering couple again. "Feeling left out, scruffy looking old geezer?" She teased. "Annoyed that Leia's spending more time with me than you?"

Han rolled his eyes. Then narrowed them. "Who you callin' scruffy looking? And I am not an old geezer!"

Leia rolled her eyes, then she frowned. "He's going to be there, you know." She says thoughtfully, glancing sideways at Rika.

Han snorts. "Now who's ruining the moment?" He asks sarcastically, Leia hits him on the arm and the three of them burst out laughing again.

For Rika, this would unknowingly be the first of many things given back to her.

But neither did she know that it would also be the start of another round of unfortunate chain of events, sacrifices and reckless heroic choices that she would commit to.

(Part Two of Chapter Ends)

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See? Told y'all. Dunno. What do you think happens next?

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