AN: I may have a slight Tumblr addiction. Don't send help. This is a one shot based on a post by boredjaegerpilot.
Branches whipped at Rey's face as she ran. Her body was more than used to exertion, but she did not have experience dodging trees and branches as she ran. The scratches stung her skin, but she paid no attention to them as she focused on getting as much distance between herself and her pursuer. The all-too-familiar sounds of Kylo Ren's unstable lightsaber crackled behind her as he cut through the obstacles in his path.
Rey leaned against the trunk of a tree as she caught her breath. She clutched her lightsaber in her right hand but kept its bright blue blade sheathed. The fading sunlight cast long shadows through the trees that Rey found difficult to see through, and she did not want to give Ren the advantage of easily finding her with the beacon of light her saber created. She did not know the terrain well enough to find somewhere to wait for Luke to return from his trip to Tatooine. Rey knew he had to face him.
If she was honest with herself, she would acknowledge the inkling of fear she harbored toward facing Kylo Ren in battle again. Sure, she defeated him on the Starkiller, but there had been that voice. The strong desire to kill him. The whisper of the Dark Side. She was not a fearful woman by nature, but the call to the Dark terrified her, especially with Luke's stories of Dark Jedi.
The heavy footsteps sounded closer, and Rey jumped out from behind the tree, igniting her lightsaber as she swung it out to the side. The crackling red blade caught on hers and shoved her backwards. Ren raised his lightsaber and began a quick succession of blows. Rey's arms vibrated as she blocked each attack. Ren's aggression and raw power prevented her from turning to the offensive, and Rey was forced to take several steps backward to keep his wild swings from cutting through her body. Fighting him was nothing like sparring with Luke.
She ducked under a high swipe of his blade and brought her own upwards. Their lightsabers locked together, and Rey's gaze focused on the slit in the dark mask in front of her. She could imagine his furious and desperate expression the last time their sabers had locked, but before she could act on the impulse to speak, his leg shot out and hooked around her knee. She toppled backwards and went tumbling down an incline behind her.
Rey felt the lightsaber slip out of her grip as she struggled to find something to catch onto to stop her fall. Her hands scraped against branches and twigs, and sharp agony rose up in her leg. Her cry of pain cut short as unbearable cold suddenly enveloped her body. She thrashed in the water and gasped in a futile attempt for air, all of her Force training forgotten as she sank further into the water.
Kylo Ren stood at the edge of the short cliff, staring at the faint ripples that were the only indication that someone had broken through the surface only moments before. His lightsaber vibrated reassuringly in his hand, and he knew once she resurfaced, he could finally be free of her. The girl who made him doubt his mission, who made the Supreme Leader doubt in his abilities.
A full minute passed, and Ren grew impatient. What was taking so long? Couldn't the girl swim? The sun had finally set, and the glow coming off his lightsaber blade could not cast a penetrating enough light to see into the depths of the lake. He decided that she must be moving further down the waterline to avoid his planned attack.
A stream of bubbles broke through the surface, and a cold chill ran down Ren's spine as the realization hit him. The girl was a scavenger from Jakku. A planet notably lacking in any large bodies of water. Before his rational mind could tell him to stop, his thumbs were fumbling for the latch on either side of his helmet. The mouthpiece hissed as it released from his face, and he threw the dark mask to the ground. There was no time to pull off any more of his clothes; the girl had been under the water for nearly two minutes. The crossguarded lightsaber hilt dropped next to the discarded mask, and Ren leapt into the water.
The cold nearly shocked him into paralysis, and his heavy clothes weighed down on his body. He blinked open his eyes and drew on the Force to give him strength. He sensed her like a beacon of light on the bottom of the lake, and he swam downwards. Ren's gloved fingers brushed over her abdomen, and he wrapped an arm around her waist. The pouch around her waist weighed them both down, and he fought for several long moments to unbuckle it. His lungs screamed for air, and he pushed off from the sandy floor to propel them upwards. Exhaustion pulled at his muscles as he kicked his legs.
Ren's head broke the water's surface, and he gasped greedily for the cool night air. His black hair matted to his face and over his eyes as he supported the girl – Rey, a voice in the back of his mind whispered. She did not move, and he held her up in the water with one arm. His free hand rose, and her wet body ascended into the air and over the short cliff she had fallen down. He climbed up after her as he sucked in as much air as possible and knelt beside the scavenger. She lay unnaturally still, her thin clothes clinging to her motionless chest.
Ren had no medical training beyond patching up cuts and burns on his own body, but he had seen medics in the field work on injured Stormtroopers and officers. He tilted her head back and pressed his lips to hers, breathing air into her open mouth. Panic clouded his vision as she did not respond. He should just let her die. His conscious was clear; he had not directly killed her, and he had tried to save her. But something tugged within him, nudging him to save the girl before him.
His hand hovered over her chest, and he let himself imagine the water that was inevitably trapped in her lungs. He slowly moved his hand up over her throat, and a stream of water followed his command out of Rey's mouth. He pressed his lips to hers again, breathing air into her cleared lungs. She shuddered underneath him, and her brown eyes shot open. Her hands weakly shoved at his chest, and he immediately pulled away, forcing the feel of her soft lips out of his mind.
Rey coughed and sputtered for several long moments, her body spasming as her lungs rid themselves of excess water. A breeze brushed over them, and Ren was suddenly aware of the cold air as he shivered in his wet clothes.
He hauled himself to his feet and walked a few steps away to retrieve his helmet and lightsaber. He reached for the tracking device hidden within his belt and let out a string of curses as he realized the water had damaged it beyond repair. The communicator hidden under his left sleeve likewise did not work. He threw both devices against the ground, watching them shatter with a mix of satisfaction and annoyance.
He returned to Rey, and she stared up at him mistrustfully. He could not help his eyes run over her lean body and the way her soaked clothes clung to her curves, and he covered his action with a scowl. "You're welcome."
A visible shiver ran through Rey's body, and she wrapped her arms around her torso. "What's your play? You could've let me die."
Ren shrugged and stood over her, letting his natural height loom over her. Water dripped from his wet hair and blew against his face as the wind picked up around them. He needed to get back to his shuttle before hypothermia set in with the cold air. Rey's face was already becoming abnormally pale.
"It won't mean a thing if we don't get inside and dry." He placed his lightsaber at his hip, knowing the weapon could handle some of the wet of his clothes, and tucked his helmet under his arm as he took several long strides toward the slope Rey had fallen down. He turned as she did not follow and rolled his eyes. "I obviously won't kill you."
Rey pulled herself to her feet and leaned her body against a nearby tree. She shook her head minutely, and Ren suddenly sensed pain through the Force. His eyes dropped down, and he noticed her right leg bore none of her weight. His own actions confused him as he moved back to her and reached to support her.
An angry scowl crossed her face, and she held up her hand, shoving him weakly back with the Force. "Don't you dare touch me. I can handle myself. If you're not going to kill me, you might as well leave."
Rage boiled up in Ren's chest as the Force caused him to stagger backwards. His hand unconsciously moved to grab his lightsaber hilt. He was about to activate the red blade when Rey took a step forward and promptly fell to the ground in a wet heap. Her quick breaths came through gritted teeth, and the sight of her blue lips caused Ren to pause and place his lightsaber back at his hip.
Ren grabbed her arm and pulled it over his shoulder with unnecessary force and began to pull her to the trees. He had to stoop so that her good leg could touch the ground. She weakly pushed at his side, but her strength was all but gone from her near drowning. Instead, she grumbled softly, "I thought I told you not to touch me."
He let out a long sigh and forced down the urge to shove her to the ground and let her die from the cold and wet. "Did you never learn proper manners on that backwater planet you crawled out of? I saved your life, you ungrateful scavenger."
Rey fell silent at his biting words, and he felt her shivering mirror his own. His shuttle was too far away to walk at their slow pace before sickness set into both of them. Ren ignited his saber and raised it to cast light on their surroundings. At the sight of his blade, Rey suddenly jerked against him. "Where's my lightsaber?"
Ren shrugged slightly and pulled Rey toward a formation of rocks that formed a shallow cave. He ducked underneath the rocks and let Rey slide to the ground against the back of the primitive shelter. "Probably wherever you dropped it."
He raised his free hand and pulled several branches toward him with the Force. They piled up gently near Rey, and Ren pressed his lightsaber against the middle of the pile. The saber hissed and sparked as it touched the wood, and a fire burst forth within the branches.
His wet clothes were becoming uncomfortable, and he pulled off his thick black belt before he began peeling off the layers of his black clothing and laying them by the heat of the fire. He stood in his boots and trousers as Rey's tired voice cut through the silence. "What in the galaxy are you doing?"
Ren frowned and sat down next to the fire, keeping a distance between them. "Drying my clothes."
He slipped off his boots and placed them next to the fire, deciding to leave his trousers on in favor of keeping both of them comfortable. His shivering subsided as the fire did its job, and he felt his exhaustion catch up to him. Ren leaned against the wall of rocks and closed his eyes, running a hand through his wet hair. Snoke had been right. He did feel compassion for the girl. For Rey. It was the only explanation for his moment of insanity when he recklessly dove into the lake after her.
Well shit. How was he going to explain this to the Supreme Leader? Hux always told him he needed to think through his actions before he did them. It irritated him that the smug general was likely right in this case.
A shiver ran through his body, but he could not decide if it was from the cold or his thoughts. He glanced at Rey and saw her body shivering in her still wet clothes. He pulled her closer without thinking - yet again - to share his warmth, and she curled instinctively against him.
He stared at the fire, intentionally avoiding looking at the girl – the woman – next to him as he heard a soft whisper, "Thank you."