A/N: Chapter titles from Pet by a Perfect Circle. I really like the yin and yang thing TFA introduced for Kylo Ren and Rey and wanted to explore what that might look like in future movies. I will post every day and I think the ending is REALLY good, so please stick around!

Don't fret precious I'm here, step away from the window, and go back to sleep

The Finalizer had survived the implosion of Starkiller Base and was on its way toward the hidden base of the First Order. It was not fully manned – many soldiers had been lost in the destruction. But several key officers had survived and General Hux had given a speech to his troops to remind them that this was merely a setback and that Supreme Leader Snoke would guide them to glorious victory over the Resistance. They had, after all, destroyed the Republic with the weapon, depriving their enemies of much-needed resources. And that would prove worth the sacrifice in the ensuing battles.

Morale was generally good on the ship, and Captain Phasma surveyed her people with pride. They were decreased in numbers but not effectiveness, she thought. She mourned the loss of the others, of course, as did everyone, but she had no doubt that they would defeat the dwindling Resistance soon enough. It was with pleasure that she oversaw the repairs of their vessel, taking up double shifts herself to ensure everyone had their fair share of off-duty time to recover from both injuries and trauma.

General Hux was always on the bridge. To those whose duties took them there, he was a silent specter, staring out the windows and waiting with taut energy. It was not a short trip, and the officers found themselves on edge and wishing for some relief from his constant presence. He had failed – the great weapon they had created, that he had prized, was destroyed. And he was afraid of his reception. Though he reasoned that he had followed Leader Snoke's last order, at least thus far: bring Kylo Ren to him. He had found the wounded and defeated younger man in the woods near the base before it imploded and picked him up. And Hux was somewhat pleased to be brought before Snoke when he had been more successful than his rival. How Ren was handling this he didn't know – no one had seen him since they'd come on board.

When they arrived at the base, orbiting around the planet, Kylo Ren appeared by the shuttle bay where General Hux was waiting. An immediate audience with Snoke had been granted, and Hux shouldn't have been surprised that their leader would want to see both of them. What was surprising was the fact that Ren was doing nothing to cover up his scarred face – presumably his helmet had been lost. He was otherwise dressed as normal, while Hux was in his finest uniform. Well, the finest he'd had aboard this ship, anyway.

Neither of them spoke as they were shuttled down to the planet and escorted to the audience chamber. It had been a long time since Hux had been here, since, for security reasons, Snoke preferred to conduct interviews via hologram instead of in person. He was one of the honored few to have ever personally seen their leader. Which he considered a shame, given how much power the great man was capable of exhibiting if you were in his presence.

"Kylo Ren, General Hux, I am pleased to see you have both survived," Snoke began gravely. He was seated, watching them approach from across the large hall. They came to a stop a few meters away, and Hux stood at attention.

"Thank you, Supreme Leader," Hux said. His companion was silent still, and he wondered vaguely if his injuries had affected his vocal cords.

"Report, General," Snoke continued, and Hux dismissed irrelevant thoughts.

Clearing his throat, he stepped forward and snapped to attention again. "Losses were severe. A handful of TIE fighters and troop ships escaped the planet intact. Our remaining forces leave the Finalizer at three-fourths capacity, and no other large craft were salvaged. However, reports show that the Republic was completely destroyed and the Resistance has fled their base on D'Qar. The rest of the galaxy will see the wisdom in joining us soon enough," he stated confidently.

The scars on Snoke's face twisted into a smile. "Excellent. Good work, General. You've earned a rest. You're dismissed."

Hux pushed away his disappointment at the brevity of the interview and focused instead on the praise offered to him. It was rare enough. "Thank you, sir," he responded with a clipped bow and took his leave. As he left the room he was aware of Snoke getting to his feet to approach Kylo Ren and decided he was glad to be elsewhere during whatever their leader had planned for his disgraced protégé.

Kylo Ren stood motionless while Hux spoke and was praised. There was a twisting in his stomach that made it difficult to focus, and he put all his energy into remaining impassive and not fidgeting. Whatever happened… However their leader reacted to his failure, he would endure. And do what needed to be done to make up for it. He held onto that thought to carry him through his mentor's displeasure. His performance on Starkiller Base had been subpar and he had no doubt that Snoke could give him the guidance he needed not to fail again. There was just this interview to survive first.

Hux was dismissed and Kylo Ren felt his muscles go rigid as Snoke got to his feet and walked slowly toward him. "What are we trying to do here?" he asked very quietly while moving in a circle around his student.

"Defeat the Resistance. Bring order to the galaxy," Kylo replied stoically, without the vigor that Hux had shown earlier. His hands curled into fists at his sides in anticipation of a violent reaction.

Snoke came to a stop in front of him and looked at him carefully. "Are you unhappy with your position here?" The voice was gentle, but the threat underneath it could not be missed.

"No, Leader."

"Do you want the Resistance to succeed?"

"No, Leader."

Cocking his head to the side, Snoke examined the scar on Kylo's face. "Do you want us to find the girl?"

"Yes, Leader," Kylo answered after unflinchingly enduring the scrutiny of the physical evidence of his failure. There was no point in lying – Snoke knew what he was thinking. "She would be an extremely valuable asset," he added, defending himself when Snoke smiled patronizingly. It made him think of Hux's disparaging remarks and he clenched his teeth.

"She would indeed. But you can let me worry about that. I think we have some work to do so you'll be ready the next time you come face to face with her," Snoke assured him soothingly. "Especially if she has found Skywalker."

"Yes, Leader." The relief was almost palpable in Kylo's tone, and Snoke's expression became a little kinder.

Turning away, Snoke returned to his seat. "Get some rest. You'll need it."

"Yes, Leader," Kylo replied, and took his leave. Snoke sat back and considered how best to address this new problem.

Rey couldn't stop staring. It was Luke Skywalker. She'd heard about him and his exploits all the time – it was a story the dwellers of a desert planet had always enjoyed retelling. Almost as much as they enjoyed sharing the daring feats of a famous smuggler, but she wouldn't think about that now. Anyway, the retellings became increasingly far-fetched each iteration, so she couldn't be sure how much of what she'd heard was actually true. She wanted to ask him everything, but didn't know how. Speaking to people outside of trade transactions was not a skill at which she was particularly well-versed. Maybe that's why she'd gotten along so well with Finn – neither of them were adept at regular conversations. She hoped he'd woken up…

"So, what brings you here with my friends?" Luke asked, looking at her levelly.

The four of them – Luke, herself, R2, and Chewbacca – were seated in Luke's home, sharing a meal. After the resigned expression he'd given her, she had not been surprised when he had refused to take his lightsaber back. Instead, he'd given her a nod that seemed to indicate that she should follow him as he headed down to the Millennium Falcon. He had embraced Chewbacca and greeted R2 warmly, then invited them all in. No one had thus far mentioned the tragic events that led to him being found, but she had the impression that he knew it all anyway. So she was somewhat surprised by the question.

"I… It's a long story," she offered apologetically, uncertain of where to begin.

He smiled gently. "It always is. Take your time." Leaning back against the wall behind him, he folded his arms and waited.

Curiosity at his robotic hand and how it worked flared, but she suppressed it. There would be time later. Maybe. It was hardly appropriate now, anyway. "I am a scavenger. On Jakku. I… I met a droid, BB-8, and he was carrying the map to you. We left on the Falcon with my friend Finn, who was a Stormtrooper. He escaped the First Order and took a pilot named Poe Dameron out of their custody," she began, noticing the look of recognition on Luke's face when she mentioned Poe. "Finn and I ran into… were picked up by Han Solo and Chewbacca. They took us to Maz Kanata and I was … captured by K – by the First Order. Finn – and Han Solo and Chewbacca – rescued me." She paused, staring into the middle distance.

"And then?" Luke prompted quietly.

Rey blinked, embarrassed, and continued. "We were on the First Order's base, and the Resistance attacked. We helped, and it was destroyed. Finn was… injured. And I was sent to find you."

Glancing over at the Wookie and the droid, Luke raised an eyebrow. "Why you, Rey the scavenger?"

Taken aback by the question, she was relieved when Chewbacca answered for her, even if it made her blush a little to hear her praises.

"My lightsaber called to you?" Luke asked, directing his attention back to her.

"Yes. I mean, I guess so. That's what Maz said."

"Hmm." He seemed to stare into her and she tried not to think about how Kylo Ren had stared. This wasn't the same, of course, but most people tended to ignore her. Not look at her like she was important. "Chewie said you had already escaped when they found you. Can you tell me how you did that?"

That was a hard question to answer, and she took a moment to consider how to put it into words. "I was being questioned by Kylo Ren. He was… I don't know what it's called, but I was able to turn it back on him and see his thoughts. Just for a moment. Then he left me, and I thought I might, I don't know, be able to do something like that again. There was a guard, so I told him to free me and leave the door open. It… it took a couple of tries, but it worked."

To Rey's surprise, Luke was smiling at her when she finished. "You've had no training and you managed that? Very impressive, Rey. I can see why the Resistance would entrust you with finding me."

She thought of how touching the lightsaber had felt, of the frightening images she'd seen, and considered again that she'd much rather have no part in this. But could she really just return to Jakku to wait? Maz was right – no one was coming back for her. And she couldn't just sit by and do nothing.

"The General insisted," she offered humbly. She had suggested that other, more skilled agents of the Resistance would be a better choice, but her tentative protests had been swept aside after General Organa had heard about what she could do.

"General?" Chewbacca chimed in to answer Luke's question and the latter grew pale. "Leia?"

"Yes." His surprise and concern were strange and Rey didn't know how to respond.

"What did my sister ask you to do?" Luke asked distantly.

"To bring you home," she answered hesitantly. Luke's face looked pained and he turned away. "Please. We need you. She said… the General said you were her only hope."

A sudden hint of pain drifted into her mind and she realized after a moment that it was Luke's. His shoulders hunched and he was silent for a long time. She glanced at Chewbacca and then R2 but was unable to tell how she should proceed. Though she could understand, to an extent, the spoken language of both, the subtleties of their communication were lost on her.

"I don't think that's true anymore," Luke spoke at last, still staring out the door of his home, the pain she'd sensed evident in his voice.

Uncertain of what he meant, she kept her thoughts to herself.

"You've used the lightsaber?" When Luke faced her, she was surprised by the kind expression on his face, almost successfully masking the heartache.

She cleared her throat. "Yes, I – I had to. Finn used it first. We were trying to escape, and Kylo Ren was there, and we didn't have any weapons, so…" She trailed off.

"Both of you used it?"

He seemed so incredulous. "Yes. I was thrown back into a tree and blacked out. Finn used it to protect me. And was almost killed. When I woke up, I saw him go down. Then… Kylo Ren reached out for it and I tried that, and it came to me instead of him. I defended myself and Finn," she said a little firmly, trying not to think about the way her assailant had looked at her when she'd left him, wounded and scarred, on a dying planet.

Luke shook his head slowly. "And you won? Against Kylo Ren?"

She noticed that his voice changed, almost imperceptibly, when he mentioned the name. It was something to consider later. "He was heavily injured but I don't… I don't know how. He told me he could teach me the Force, and then I knew what it was I'd been doing with the guard and with him. And I remembered what Maz said about it, so I tried to tap into those feelings. And I guess that worked," she added with an embarrassed shrug.

There was silence while Luke processed this. "Well, I think you could benefit from having someone teach you, and it is probably time for me to go home," he said at last.

"You will teach me?" Rey asked, brightening.

He smiled at her. "I haven't taught anyone in a long time, but I would be honored to have you as a student."

Blushing, she looked away. "I'm just a scavenger," she stated quietly, wondering at the enormity of all of this. Mere days ago her biggest concern had been making a trade good enough to eat at night, and now…

"And I was just a moisture farmer. Not a very good one, either," Luke said with a self-effacing grin. "I know it's a lot to take in. Why don't we call it a day and we'll worry about the galaxy in the morning."

She smiled tentatively back and laughed when Chewbacca voiced his opinion.

Luke laughed, too – something he hadn't done in a long time. As he saw to his guests, he considered what he was getting into. Returning to Leia was easy to consider compared to the thought of teaching a girl who, though untrained, had defeated his most powerful student.