It had been building; this feeling inside him. It was unfamiliar and fragile and yet, because it was unlike anything else he had ever felt, it was powerful. He didn't know what to call it, even as he looked in to the solid clear eyes that first ignited the spark within him.
"You don't have to do this."
Kylo stood firmly to the spot, silently clutching to the familiar Darkness within.
"I feel the conflict in you. It's tearing you apart."
He had heard her speak so often in his dreams and through their Bond that it had become soothing to him. Kylo's resolve was breaking and his breaths came in short, quick succession.
"Ben." She breathed.
Startled, he looked at her as she turned towards him, her eyes bearing in to his.
"When we touched hands, I saw your future. Just the shape of it but solid and clear. You will not bow before Snoke. You'll turn."
She was close to him now and the Force rippled between them. For the first time in over a decade, Kylo felt vulnerable and his hands began to shake as the spark within him grew. Her eyes softened as she spoke and Kylo could feel her warm breath on his lips.
"I'll help you. I saw it."
Suddenly, the Dark Side pooled around him.
"I saw something too," He spoke softly, feeling the Darkness snake back into his heart, "because of what I saw, I know, when the moment comes you will be the one to turn. You'll stand with me."
Kylo felt a surge of power and pushed forward, knowing the words he was about to speak would solidify the scavenger's place at his side.
"Rey. I know who your parents are."
The young woman backed away slowly as the lift doors opened and blood-red walls rose up to meet them. Supreme Leader Snoke sat in a throne at the far end of the room, emanating the Dark Side in heavy, suffocating waves.
I've done it, he thought to himself. I've delivered the scavenger to Lord Snoke.
However, the pride that he expected to feel at his accomplishment did not come. He watched as the Supreme Leader toyed with the young Jedi, a demented smile stretching across his scarred face, and Kylo felt anger rising within him. Anger like he had never felt before. He had been tortured, beaten, and mentally broken by this creature to the point of unwavering loyalty and never once felt such hatred.
A guttural scream ripped through the air and jarred him from his thoughts. Rey was kneeling before him with her arms bound behind her back. Her eyes were wide, almost pleading with him as he picked up his cross-hilt lightsaber.
"I know what to do." He said with resolve, never taking his eyes off the woman in front of him.
"Ben."
The carnage around them was impressive as guards lay strewn across the great room, each one missing limbs and smoking lightly. The hum of their lightsabers echoed in their shared Bond as they stared at one another, breathing heavily. Kylo could feel the Light in him growing ever stronger with each passing second and that indescribable, unfamiliar feeling bloomed in his chest once again.
Rey was the first to sheathe her saber, the pale blue blade powering down in her worn hands. Kylo watched her closely and took a tentative step towards her. Her response was immediate. She charged him, a cry escaping her lips and tears streaming down her cheeks. Kylo dropped his saber and enveloped her in his arms, relief washing over him. He held her, this woman who had somehow touched him more deeply than any other creature he had encountered.
Rey broke away just enough to look up at him.
"Why can I still feel your emotions? Our Bond… shouldn't it have ended with Snoke's influence?"
The Knight shook his head and felt himself trembling, "I don't know. I can't explain it either."
The Jedi seemed to come to her senses and she began to back away from him, fear etched onto her angelic face.
"Wait." The word sounded more desperate than he had intended. He cleared his throat and began removing his thick, black gloves. Rey watched him intently as he reached out to her.
"Please. Don't be afraid." He whispered. Kylo watched as Rey moved towards him again, hesitantly wrapping her tiny hands around his. The Bond reared to life more vibrantly than it ever had before. He could feel her affinity for the Light as deeply as he did his own towards the Dark, the adrenaline still pushing violently through her veins, her heart somehow beating in sync with his. He looked in her eyes and saw the wanting there; the pull that he, himself, had been feeling since their first encounter on the Starkiller Base.
He kissed her. Tasting her lips and breathing in her scent. He knew through the Bond that she wanted it too and this was confirmed by the way she gasped and immediately tangled her fingers through his hair. Something swelled within him. It was that emotion that he could not name. The one that was always just out of reach. His mind raced with the intoxicating being that was Rey, reading her mind, feeling her body lean into his, her need to have his hands on her, and then, suddenly, he heard Rey's melodic voice in his mind to give that emotion a name.
Hope.
Heat pooled behind his eyes and he could feel the tears spilling onto his broken cheeks, mixing with blood and ash before they fell onto the face of the woman in his arms.
An ear-shattering crack split the air between them and the two Force users were thrown apart to opposite sides of the massive room.
Kylo was quick to recover as the Starship began to break apart around them.
"Rey!" His voice was hoarse and filled with fear.
Sparks rained down in sheets, dancing around the Jedi as she rolled to her side with a screamed.
Pain. Indescribable pain. Her ribcage had been shattered and her breaths were shallow and labored. The dark Knight willed the Force around him as he limped to her side, ignoring whatever injuries he, himself, had sustained.
"Rey. C'mon, we have got to leave now. The ship is breaking apart. Contact that walking carpet and tell him to meet us at hangar bay 83 with the engines running and the ramp down."
She did as she was told as Kylo used the Force to bring her to her feet.
"Can you walk?" She nodded weakly and cried out as he placed her arm gingerly around his neck.
"Hang in there. It's not far from here." He noticed through the Bond that she could barely concentrate enough to place one foot in front of the other, let alone deflect any possible blaster fire. The two sabers flew into the Knight's outstretched hand at his command and they quickly made their way to the door that Kylo knew would lead to Snoke's personal shuttle bay.
As the door came into view, so did the sliced body of the former Supreme Leader. Kylo froze, staring unblinkingly as dark thoughts shrouded his mind. Rey's face turned to meet his with a questioning look.
"What are you doing?" she managed through gritted teeth. "He's dead, Ben, let's go."
Kylo barely noticed as she attempted to take another step forward. He could not move.
"Rey. Do you know what this means?"
He could feel the Force within her trying to surge forth and help her think clearly but she was too broken to draw on its strength. Darkness was filling him with thoughts of greed and power. Ultimate power.
"Snoke is dead. I killed him, which means that I can replace him as Supreme Leader and have you at my side. We can bend the galaxy to our will and make it anything that we want." Panic was dripping off the Jedi in rivulets and Kylo could vaguely feel her trying to push her influence back into his heart.
"No. Ben… Ben this isn't right. You must come with me. We will find Luke and he-"
"LUKE. He never cared for me and he doesn't care for you either." He spat, letting the Dark consume him again. This was who he was, who Luke had made him. "Talk about hubris, the man only cared to be known for reviving the Jedi Order and allowing the Light to thrive amongst the stars. He knew that my mother feared me even as a child, so he took me in and tried to smother it."
"Your mother loves you, and she wants you home!" She screamed, and the dark Knight dropped her to the floor with a growl.
"YOU KNOW NOTHING OF MY MOTHER AND WHAT SHE WANTS!" Rey was thrown back against the wall with a thud as the Force came down hard on her. The Knight felt the blood drain from his face as he realized what he had done. Just then, the room sprang to life with blaster fire. General Hux had entered with at least 30 Stormtroopers flanking him. The ginger haired man began shouting orders and commanding the troopers forward at a brisk pace.
The door behind Rey had been pried opened to reveal an angry Wookie with his bowcastor at the ready. There was a loud, bellowing cry as Chewie looked down at the Jedi crumpled next to the door frame and a beam of plasma hit Kylo squarely in the right shoulder and sent him soaring backwards. Rey's horrified eyes were the last thing he saw before the shadows took him.
