REYLOOOOOOOOOOOO FOR THE WIN. (I’m SO excited for TLJ).
Ayato avoids Supreme Leader Eto the next day. She’ll read his mind and see that he’s fallen more in love with the lowly scavenger Hinami.
General Takizawa, however, notices a bruise on Ayato’s neck and can’t resist a whistle.
“Shut up,” Ayato growls.
“Why?” Takizawa is ready to tattle at any minute.
“Because otherwise I’ll make sure you have to face Hinami in a battle,” Ayato snaps.
“That would only occur if you switched sides.” Takizawa gasps. “Is that the plan? Can I tell Eto?”
“I hate you.”
“I hate you, too.” Takizawa sighs. “Which is why I feel obliged to tell you HInami has been summoned by Supreme Leader Eto.”
Ayato freezes. “You’re lying.”
“Nope.”
Ayato shoves Takizawa out of the way and dashes towards Eto’s throne room.
He shoves open the door, terrified. He can take the blame. He can.
“So he appears.” Eto cackles. She has Hinami frozen from the force. “Your reports of her loyalty were sorely dishonest.”
“She’s not a spy.” Ayato’s heart twists to see Hina staring desperately in his direction. She can’t quite move her eyes to his.
“But neither does she want the dark side of the force,” Eto says.
Hinami meets Ayato’s eyes, breaking the force for a second. And he hears her thoughts in his. I don’t want her dark side. Her side abused you even more than the Jedi, and I refuse to bow to it.
Ayato flinches. More than the Jedi? No, Eto is the one who comforted him when Uncle Yomo abandoned him as a lost cause.
And yet…and yet, HInami wants him. Hinami of neither light nor dark.
Perhaps he can master the Grey Jedi apart from Eto. With Hina, who was strong enough to move her eyes when Eto force-bound her.
Ayato stretches out his hand towards her.
“What are you doing?” Eto barks.
“Choosing, as you always wanted.” Ayato watches Hinami slowly extend her hand towards him. Eto gasps.
Light and dark shoots between their fingers, emanating from both of them. The room quakes. Ayato and HInami tumble to the floor, free from Eto’s bind.
“Let’s go!” Hinami yells, clamoring to her feet. She grabs Ayato’s hand and flees the still-shaking room.
“I don’t know what’s happening!” Ayato yells.
“Me either. Find us a ship; I’ll fly us out.”
Ayato’s heart turns. Arata was a pilot too. He should fly them out, not her.
They rush to the docks fighter jets. No stormtroopers pay attention, because Eto has yet to announce their treason.
An alarm blares.
“Fuck,” Ayato hisses, yanking loose the ties to the fighter jet.
“You.”
Ayato whirls around to see Takizawa standing there.
Ayato holds up his hand to freeze him.
“Wait!” Hinami steps forward. “Eto brainwashed you, too! You were a child! Come with us!”
Takizawa hesitates. Finally, he shakes his head. But when he speaks, he whispers, “I saw nothing.”
And then he steps out of their way.
“If Eto lets us go, she has a plan,” Hinami says quietly as she speeds out of their station.
Ayato swallows. “We’ll be ready. Together.”
They smile at each other.