Three weeks. That's how long Luke had been sick. He had been unable to stand hardly at all since the first day, and he hadn't improved in the slightest. While that was frightening to say the least, it wasn't anywhere near as terrifying as the fact that none of the Medcenter doctors could find what was wrong with him.

Of course, this had the whole galaxy in a panic. Luke Skywalker, one of the leading members of the Rebellion, was deathly ill! Even if the rebellion had ended well over a year ago, this was still a terrible occurance. People from all over space loved young Skywalker, and the thought of him being so sick was devastating.

But while this did trouble the rest of the galaxy, it didn't even come close to worrying them as much as it did Luke's friends. Han and Leia were the most concerned. They sat outside his room at the Medcenter constantly, dreading any news that may come. Leia was pregnant. Only a few months, but she still was. Either way, she didn't bother to leave for home no matter how much morning sickness she would get.

Although Leia was deeply concerned about her brother, she wasn't anywhere near as worried as her husband Han was. The blond had been like the Corellian's little brother, and he couldn't stand to lose someone else he cared about so much. He and his wife both dreaded what may come for their friend, and the angst of the scenario was truly exhausting.

After a few days of being in the Medcenter and there being no luck in finding what was wrong with him, Luke was sent home. Han and Leia tended to him on the Millennium Falcon, trying their best to keep him healthy. Well, as healthy as he could get at the moment. Alas, no matter how hard they tried, Luke would not recover. Actually, the young Jedi only got worse.

Finally, one day, Han and Chewie were lazily flying the Falcon around a nearby planet. Luke was doing exceedingly bad that day, so Leia was constantly watching him as he lay covered and shivering on the couch near the Sabacc table. The blond seemed so weak and vulnerable as he laid there.

Luke's skin was ghostly pale, and his normally bright blue eyes were now so very dim and hollow. He vomited regularly, and constantly ran a temperature. Not to mention he was always cold. It was like the time he had the flu, yet only hundreds of times worse. It wasn't even the flu from what they could tell, but they couldn't really tell anything.

After Luke threw up for the fifth time that day, Han entered the main hold of the Falcon to see Leia trying to feed him something she had cooked for lunch earlier. No matter how hard she pressed, Luke still refused to eat. "I'll... just puke.. more..." he mumbled, weakly trying to push Leia's hand away.

The princess pursed her lips, her eyes flickering with concern. If Luke didn't eat or drink often, he'd become dehydrated. That would only worsen his condition. Han watched sadly a moment before walking over. He placed a hand on the blond's shoulder, gently squeezing it.

"Kid, you gotta eat somethin'." the smuggler chided. Luke only shook his head. The young Jedi pulled away, curling up on his side and shivering harshly under the blankets. Leia and Han shared a worried glance. The two sat beside their friend; Leia rubbing Luke's back softly and Han gently petting the latter's hair.

They didn't do much anymore. Normally the trio would spend the evening playing Sabacc or another activity, but since Luke had been sick, he hadn't really been up for anything. It was saddening to watch the light vanish from his eyes and the joyous smile fade from his lips, but yet they had to endure it. Although, while he was exhausted, Luke never truly seemed upset. Sure, he was clearly sore and not feeling well, but the blond still seemed to have some optimism left in him.

After several hours of silence, Han paced the floor of the main hold. Leia sat next to Luke, holding her enlarged belly as she looked ready to fall asleep. Suddenly, from beneath the blankets, Luke's form shifted. Leia peeked out of her eye and glanced at him as the man slowly tried to push himself up. Han stopped pacing and watched them.

"L.. Leia..." Luke whispered hoarsely. The princess turned to her brother, placing a hand on his shoulder as he sat up.

"Yes, Luke?" she answered. "What's wrong? Do you need some more medicine?" Luke shook his head in response, coughing harshly a moment later. He looked down at his pale hands, flipping them over.

"I... Can we go watch... the sunset?" he muttered. Leia raised her eyebrows, shooting a confused look at Han. She turned back to her brother, watching him questioningly. Leia squeezed Luke's shoulder.

"Um... Of course. Han can land us on the closest planet and then we-" but Luke cut his sister off.

"No... I mean on.. Tatooine. On the sand dunes..." he confirmed. Leia and Han both raised their eyebrows in shock. Tatooine? Surely he wasn't serious. It was already late on Tatooine, and the desert planet was quite a distance away from their current location. They would never make it!

"K-Kid," Han stuttered. "we can't make it there tonight. It's already late. By the time we got there both suns would be at the horizon or past it. Maybe tomorrow night." but Luke shook his head as heavily as he could manage.

"N-No... It has to be tonight." the Jedi whispered. Leia and Han felt a shiver run down their spines. The certainty in Luke's voice was so clear that it terrified the couple. What did he mean it had to be tonight? They didn't know, but Han couldn't refuse. If the kid said it had to be tonight, then it had to be tonight.

Han nodded at his friend before turning and marching towards the cockpit, ignoring Leia's startled expression. "Chewie! Set us up for hyperdrive and send us to the Tatoo system. And do it now!" he demanded. The wookie didn't hesitate to follow Solo's orders immediately. Han was using a tone that stated "Do what I say without any questions or else we're gonna have trouble", and Chewie knew when the smuggler did that, that he better just listen.

It took quite a few minutes longer than Han's liking, but eventually, they had reached the Tatoo system. In the distance, he could see the form of Tatooine gradually approaching them. In a few more minutes, the Millennium Falcon would be landing on the barren planet.

Han wouldn't land near the city like he normally would, however. Although that was a safer idea considering it was flat land he could stop on, Luke had wanted to watch the sunset on the sand dunes. There were flat areas around the dunes, but it was still rather risky. Leia and Luke didn't disagree, the latter because he very well didn't have the energy to do so, and Leia because although Han's ideas were all rather insane, they usually seemed to work out in the end.

Han and Chewie flew around a few moments, scanning the area for a large enough place to land. At last, they found one between two rather small dunes. Nearby, there was one very large hill of sand. A perfect place to watch the sunset. They had made it just in time, too. The first of the two suns' face was gradually leaning in, almost close enough to kiss the horizon.

Once they had landed, Leia was working to wrap Luke up in blankets so he could go out, but the blond waved a hand dismissively at his sister. "It's hot here.. No need..." he mumbled. However, even though Han and Leia were sweating bullets, Luke was still ice cold. Rather than Tatooine, the young Jedi felt as if he were on Hoth.

Leia seemed hesitant to let Luke go without covers, but she agreed to her brother's plea. Han entered the main hold, hands in his pockets. Even though they were hidden behind the dark fabric, Leia could see the Corellian drumming his fingers anxiously. "Kid, you ready to go?" he asked, his voice not anywhere near sounding it's regular tone. Luke nodded, stumbling over weakly. The kid could barely walk.

Leia walked over as well, but Han grabbed her by the shoulders fondly. "Don't tell me you aren't allowing me to come." the princess stated, crossing her arms across her chest. Han attempted his crooked smile, but no matter how hard he tried, the smuggler found that he couldn't. Instead, he just sighed and hugged his wife, resting his chin on top of Leia's head.

"You better stay here, sweetheart. I don't wanna work ya too hard. Chewie will stay, too. We'll be right back." Han soothed, brushing her hair back. After a moment, Leia reluctantly agreed. Han pulled away and walked over to Luke, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Well, we ain't got all afternoon, do we, kid?" he joked half-heartedly. Luke smiled and nodded before limping towards the door.

Han glanced back at Leia once more before following his friend off the Falcon. As soon as his face was exposed to the hot dry air outside, Han stumbled before adjusting to the heat. Though Luke was moving rather slowly, he was still quite a distance from Han already. The brunet ran to catch up with his friend.

"Slow down a bit, kid." Han chided nervously. Luke nodded, but still continued to walk as hastily as he could. When the pair reached the sand dune they would climb, the blond slowed his pace a little, but only because the dune was steep and difficult to navigate. At one point, Luke stumbled and almost fell face first into the sand, but Han was right there to steady him.

"Maybe we should go back." The Corellian had said, but Luke had refused. They continued their climb. Finally, after what seemed like a torturous forever, Han and Luke reached the top of the sand dune. They stopped, staring as the first sun slowly sank behind the horizon.

The sky was a brilliant mixture of orange, blue, and purple. It was absolutely stunning as the desert seemed to reflect like a sea of sand. The flat land was calm, but the dunes appeared as a raging storm at sea. Both friends watched in awe.

After a moment, Han shook his head, snapping out of his daze. He turned to Luke, who was watching with the happiest look on his face. The light of the sunset reflected in his tired eyes, making his blue orbs appear to have suns of their own. Han couldn't help but smile, suddenly seeming to forget that his little brother was sick.

It was almost as if things were the same. Luke was still the optimistic kid from Tatooine who had maybe too much positivity in himself for his own good, and Han was the tough smuggler from Corellia who had learned to love. That is the way it was.

That is the way it had always been.

"It's beautiful." Luke said, still staring out at the sunset. "Han," Han tilted his head, ready to hear whatever his friend had to say. Luke didn't speak again, but his legs were wobbling as his lips moved to form some word. Suddenly, the kid's eyes rolled back as he slowly fell backwards. Han's eyes widened.

"Luke!" the brunet shouted, catching Luke as he fell. Han collapsed to his knees, cradling the blond in his arms. "Kid, what's wrong?!" Luke didn't respond. "Force, what do I do?!" panic was rising within Han. He didn't know what to do! Han could treat the flu, but this was beyond his knowledge. He started to stand, going to rush Luke back to the Falcon, but stopped when the kid let out a weak cough.

"Han..." he whispered, reaching for Han's jacket. Han grabbed his hand, laying it back down. He didn't want Luke to waste his energy.

"Yeah, what is it? What's wrong?" the smuggler asked frantically, his voice cloaked with anxiety. Luke cracked his eyes enough to make the blue in them visible.

"Sor...ry I could... couldn't stick a...round..." Han's eyes widened, and he pulled Luke closer. He tried to scowl, but it came out more of a grimace.

"Don't talk like that! I'm gonna get ya back to the Falcon, Leia's gonna get some medicine, and everything's gonna be fine. You hear me?" he was forceful. He wasn't asking Luke to hold on, he was demanding that he stayed. Because if Luke was gone... Han shook off the thought. "Don't just stay cause I'm askin' you to, do it because you have to! The galaxy needs ya, kid!" Leia and I need you... He thought.

Luke shook his head lightly. "Sorry.. Han..." Han could feel tears glistening in his eyes, which was a big deal. Han never cried unless he was truly heartbroken. Well... He was indeed that. "Tell Leia... I love her.." Han nodded, squeezing his eyes shut to stop tears. "And Han..." he looked back at the kid. "I love you, too. You're like my brother..." And the dam broke.

A steady stream of tears poured from Han's eyes, and he didn't bother to wipe them away as they dripped onto Luke's shirt. "I love you, too, kid." he said through the tears. Luke smiled, his eyes still cracked. He gently shut them, letting his head roll to the side steadily. With a very weak inhale, Luke released his final soft breath.

A gentle last breath... Gentle just like Luke's voice, gentle just like his hug, and gentle just like his heart. Han's eyes widened, allowing more tears to roll down his cheeks. "K-Kid?" he asked, praying for a response. When nothing was said, Han felt his shoulders shake furiously. "Luke..?" he whimpered, slowly leaning forward from the horrible ache in his heart. "Luke..." Han sobbed into Luke's chest, still cradling his little brother.

The sunset was over, and the light had gone out for good.

A/N: Have some feels! I regret nothing! Okay... I regret quite a bit. *sobs into laptop* Here's some duck-tape if you need to mend a broken heart. Yeah... I had to do that, too... Why did I write this?