"Why did you reach out to me?" She asked him, eyebrows furrowing lightly as she waited for an answer. It was strange speaking to him after so long, and part of her still wondered why she hadn't alerted anyone. "Because I knew you wouldn't hang up on me as soon as you heard my voice," he replied, his voice calm. It was the first time in nearly a year that she heard from him, surprised he was still alive. Kylo Ren had deserted the First Order and ever since the Star Killer base had been destroyed, he was actively researched by both the Resistance and the First Order. He'd vanished without a word, like a shadow disappearing in the night. Rey couldn't believe he reached out to her first. "I trust you're smart enough to not tell anyone about my coordinates," Kylo's voice continued through the speaker of the comm. "I was just curious. Wanted to know what was up with you, after all this time." "You were curious?" She scoffed, rolling her eyes. The last time she saw him was right after he plunged his blade through his own father's chest. They'd battled; him, the master of the Knights of Ren, and her, just a scavenger girl from Jakku. She was lucky she came out of the duel alive, most likely thanks to the wound Chewie had left in his side with his crossbow. She could remember his words, as their lightsabers clashed against one another. "You need a teacher!" He'd said. "I can show you the ways of the Force!" Even though the temptation was strong, Rey had pushed him away and minutes later, left him bleeding in the snow as she left the snowy forest accompanied by Chewbacca.
It hadn't been a week since Rey had landed on Kashyyyk, following the coordinates that accompanied their last conversation. She had left the Resistance's Alpha Base on a pretend mission only to end up on the Wookiee planet by herself, not knowing what truly drove her to him. Kylo Ren was a Commander of the First Order, or at least, he used to be. She knew that he belonged to the Dark Side; both Luke and Leia had spoken about him a lot. Who he was, who he used to be. What had driven Ben Solo to rebel against his Master and slaughter his fellow Padawan.
"There's too much Vader in him," General Organa had told Rey. "I still believe there's good in him."The scavenger struggled to believe her; she had seen him murder his own father, after all. If there was any Light left in Kylo Ren, it was hidden deeply inside him. During the year after the explosion of Star Killer, Rey had trained beside Luke Skywalker, who taught her the ancient ways of the Jedi. She wasn't a Knight, yet, but she was learning quickly, Luke had realized. Still, it was still hard for the girl to stop feeling angry about many things; her parents leaving her, Kylo Ren murdering Han Solo. Anger was an emotion reserved for the Sith, Master Luke had told her many times.
"There is no emotion, there is peace. Remember this, Rey." He said every time she started getting impatient about her apprenticeship.
And even though Rey repeated the Jedi Code to herself every night before she fell asleep, she dreamt about Kylo Ren more than she wanted to admit. Ever since the day she had been taken onto his ship, she couldn't stop thinking about the tall man. "Don't be afraid, I feel it too." He had told her. What did he mean by that, exactly? Rey didn't know.
She didn't know many things, such as the climate on Kashyyyk. Not even an hour after landing, she was met with a tall man clad in all black. Hidden by the shadows of the trees, it took Rey a few seconds before making out his features and suddenly, she recognized him. He had dark brown eyes and full lips, his face framed by black curls. "Kylo Ren," she breathed, reaching for the lightsaber hooked to her belt. "You won't be needing that," he said, his tone nonchalant as he moved closer, stepping over the large roots of the trees surrounding them. "They say you deserted. The First Order is looking for you." Rey frowned, stepping back a bit as he moved closer. He was tall, just like she remembered, and his clothes, slightly tighter than the ones he was wearing on the Star Killer base, were hugging his lanky frame nicely. Kylo Ren was an attractive man, but a bad one. And just like she remembered, it was hard to guess what he was thinking. Ever since their encounter on the Finalizer, Rey's mind was often occupied with thoughts of him. When she spoke about it to Luke, he'd explained that when Kylo had tried to get the map from her mind, he had to pour some of his energy into her and when she resisted, she did the same to him.
"It's some kind of connection," Luke had told her. "Bonds like this fade over time if you don't feed them. You need not to worry about it, young Padawan."
Still, she was worried, because when Kylo moved closer, she could feel the waves his power made in the Force. Her signature felt like the gentle ripples a pebble made in the water. His was a ravaging tsunami. "You've grown," he said, his voice soft as he joined his hands behind his back, watching her intently. "Why have you come, Rey?"
As much as Rey hated Kylo Ren for everything he had done, she felt her stomach twist in knots as he said her name. She opened her mouth and found herself speechless when she realized the truth.
She had no idea what the hell she was doing here.
