Chapter 71 - Stronger than Before

Ash knew she hadn’t been out for long. When she finally woke up she felt groggy but her bones didn’t ache much. Her vision was a little cloudy, a few blinks fixed that.
Like so many times before, she awoke on a medical cot in a bright white medical room. It wasn’t that interesting of a scene. She looked around and saw Echo, Neon, Xiang, and Kiro sitting on seats on the far side of the room. She tried to sit up but it stung her back. Neon jumped up.
“Master!! You’re alive!” he said and ran up to her bedside.
“I realize that,” Ash said and cringed. Her whole body was starting to sting now.
“What happened after I passed out?” Ash asked. Now Kiro and Echo where by her side.
“You’re all free from Aero’s grasp. We got the neuron transmitter out of your brain. And apparently they didn’t have to shave your head because you were wearing a wig…” Echo said giggling.
“HEY!” Ash said. “It will grow back…hopefully. I’ll just have to where that wig for a while.”
“It’s okay,” Kiro said giggling. “We all still love you even though you’re temporarily bald.”
“In other news, your padawan is starting to act more and more like you everyday,” Echo said. “I can see why you picked him.”
Neon smiled at Echo.
“I take that as a compliment,” Neon said proudly.
“You should,” Xiang said. “Ash is a great Jedi.”
Ash just sat back and watched them talk. She was glad that she was appreciated.
“Thanks for helping me out guys. I was in some real trouble there for a little bit. Did anybody ever find Aero?”
“The Council sent a group to investigate the system, but Aero’s already packed up and gone. There was no sign that he was ever there,” Echo said.
“He’s an idiot,” Ash said. “The Jedi will finds him, whether it’s the Council or me. We can’t let him get away with this!”
“Right now we don’t have a choice,” Xiang said. “Almost every Jedi right now is assigned to a mission. With the Clone Wars over taking the galaxy, there not much else the Council is letting us do. It’s amazing they sent out a party to look for Aero.”
Ash sighed and tried to relax. She couldn’t stand the thought that Aero was still out there and he was still trying to have his revenge. But as far as he knew, Ash was dead. Maybe that would help them out a little bit.
“Thanks guys. I really appreciate all your help,” Ash said smiling to her friends. They all looked really happy to be away from Aero.
“Now, if you don’t mind, could I possibly talk to Kiro privately for a moment?” she asked.
Echo just smiled at her.
“Of course,” she said. “Come on guys; let’s go practice on your skills young padawan.”
“Hey, you’re not my master!” Neon said chuckling. “You can’t tell me what to do!”
“I’m your master’s sister; I believe I have some power over you!” Echo said smiling.
Echo put her hand on his shoulder and they walked out the door.
“We’ll be in the Room of a Thousand Fountains if you need us,” Echo said on their way out.
Ash and Kiro were alone again.
“Kiro,” Ash started, “about what happened. I never meant any-“he cut her off.
“Ash, you shouldn’t be the one that’s apologizing. I should. Echo explained everything. I should have never said that I didn’t love you. I know I said that I loved you when we left, but I still feel terrible that I even though about saying that.”
“That’s what I was going to ask you about,” Ash said. “Did you really mean it? After you saw me kill Echo…did you really not love me?”
Kiro paused. He looked straight into her eyes.
“I’m going to be truthful,” he said. “Once I saw you kill her…I hated you. I never wanted to see you again as long as lived. Honestly, when Echo rescued me I thought I was seeing things. But once Echo explained everything and told me that it was only way for us all to live…I took it all back. I truly…deeply, love you Ash.”
Ash smiled so big she thought her mouth might snap in half.
“I love you so much…you have no idea. But you scared me for a bit there,” Ash said.
Kiro snorted and smiled at her. He pushed the hair back away from her face.
“You’re the light that shines on a rainy day. You make me want to be a Jedi,” he said.
“Well aren’t you nice,” Ash said. “Maybe I should date you.”
“Wow, hold on to your nerfs,” Kiro said chuckling. “We still have to be Jedi.”
“I was kidding,” Ash said. “I think we can live with the fact knowing that we both love each other, just not doing anything about it. I just don’t know how long I can wait.”
“You won’t have to wait too long,” Kiro said. He pulled her face close to his and kissed her on the cheek.
By the Force!! Ash thought. Kiro moved back, and again Ash had the smile of a Nexu on her face.
“Ya know, love isn’t a competition…but I think you’ve just won,” Ash said.
“I know, I planned it that way because I’m smart like that,” Kiro replied with his lop-sided smile. He stood up and walked towards the door. “Get some rest. I’m going to go make sure that Echo isn’t going too hard on your padawan.”
“I’ll be right here waiting for you,” Ash replied, and Kiro walked out the door. Then Ash was left with her thoughts.
He just kissed me…kinda. Whatever, I may not have kissed him back, but he kissed me. This is no doubt the highlight of my life. This is the memory that I will cherish forever. He had me at ‘Hello’ and I’m not letting go.
With that, Ash laid back and went to sleep feeling the best she had ever felt. Nothing could tear her down now. She felt invincible. Nothing…not even killer microrobots…could take her down now.

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