Something of A Thing
It's become something of a thing. Wherever they go, whenever they encounter opposing forces, Rey and Kylo Ren end up locked in battle, but the only ones suffering are the ones who try to interfere. Rey develops an eye twitch when asked about it, and Kylo routinely destroys a room whenever it's mentioned within his hearing. Eventually, their allies learn to just keep a wide berth lest they end up a casualty of what both Rey and Kylo insist is an enemy encounter.
"Supreme Leader, sir, might I ask, if it pleases you, to perhaps not kill our storm troopers in battle anymore?"
"Perhaps, it would please me if they would learn to not interfere." Kylo grated out, willing himself not to use the Force to send General Hux to his knees in pain.
"As you wish." Hux sighed. There was no hope for it. Their new Supreme Leader was an idiot.
Hux found himself shoved hard face first into a wall.
"I can still read your thoughts, you know."
Hux groaned. "I beg your forgiveness, Supreme Leader."
Rey blinked as she watched the stormtrooper vault through the air at the wave of Kylo's hand. Right into the beam of his own blaster bolt, which was on a collision course with Rey herself.
"What are you even doing?" she asked.
"I won't tolerate interference. If anyone is to kill you, it will be me."
Rey thrust her saber blade toward him. "You won't be killing me today."
He smirked. "We'll see."
Rey was treating a burn on her arm caused by Kylo Ren's lightsaber. She really hated that unstable thing and it's stupid side vents. The side vent was the reason she sported a new burn that would most likely scar. She was refusing to treat it with anything more than a simple bacta patch. She glared at everyone who suggested the medical bay.
She was startled by a clearing throat. "Rey, I mean this in the nicest way possible, but could you possibly stop using the Force to shove me and Finn into each other during battle. It's going to get one or both of us killed."
Poe Dameron. Rey liked Poe well enough, but she was not in the mood to have this conversation right this moment. "I'll consider it."
Poe rolled his eyes. "Seriously, Rey. What was that about?"
"Saving your lives?"
It was another battle on another maker foresaken planet, and it was Kylo Ren's turn to watch in disbelief as Rey waved a hand outward, at the two men pointing blasters at his head. They knocked hard into each other, both losing their blasters in the process.
"And what was that, little Scavenger?"
"Turnabout is fair play. If anyone is to kill you, it will be me."
His grin was positively devious. "I knew I liked something about you, Scavenger."
"Stop calling me that!" Rey shouted.
He turned his saber, the heat from the side vent scorching her arm. Rey fell back with a scream. "You bastard!"
"Fair is fair, Jedi."
"Sir, the Resistance is said to be nearing Hoth. Should we pursue?"
Kylo pursed his lips. "Not yet. Let them think themselves safe."
"Does this have anything to do with your ongoing battle with the Scavenger girl?"
Hux walked a dangerously thin line. If Kylo Ren thought for one instant there was another General in his employ that was half as competent he would strike him where he stood. As it was, he pulled his saber, lighting it instantly and slashing through the table he had previously been seated at.
Hux made a hasty exit. Whatever was going on between those two needed to be sorted and soon. Hux was really getting tired of the tantrums that followed any mention of the girl.
Leia Organa knew the rumors going around about her son and Rey and their unique fighting at every encounter. While she still feared one would kill the other someday, she had hope for the time being. As long as they were still protecting one another from their own side during these fights of theirs, she had hope.
Just what that hope was for she wasn't sure, but it was hope nonetheless.
"General? Ma'am?"
It was Finn, the former stormtrooper who followed Rey loyally. "I'm worried about Rey." he said after she turned to him.
"I wouldn't be." Leia smiled. "If anyone can handle themselves, it's her."
"Yeah, that's why I'm worried. She beat Ren before on Starkiller without any training. So why do they fight to stalemates now? Ten battles on ten different moons and planets and neither has done more than leave a quick to heal burn on the other. It doesn't make sense."
Leia hid her grin. "Not to us, perhaps. Think of it this way, as long as they aren't killing each other we still have a chance to live to fight another day."
Finn huffed. That wasn't the sort of reassurance he was hoping for.
"Too much of your fathers heart, not nearly enough of his charm."
Kylo Ren blinked. No fucking way.
"Not to worry my boy. You'll sort it out soon enough."
"Grandfather?"
Anakin Skywalker stood before him, smiling like a fool. Of all the times for his grandfather to finally speak to him, it had to be now, as he was plotting to overthrow the resistance and maybe take Rey hostage for his trophy.
Or let her escape again along with her little band of rebels. He would figure that out later. He was awfully fond of their little fights.
"Charm, my boy. If you wish to woo the Lady, you're going to have to do something other than fight with her."
He cringed. "I am not attempting to woo her. She is my enemy. I will kill her."
"The boy does protest too much, I think."
Anakin faded from view with that, leaving Kylo Ren with the disturbing thought of wooing Rey.
"God dammit Rey! I've asked you not to do that!" Poe shouted, scrambling for his blaster as he disentangled himself from Finn yet again.
"Then stop trying to shoot him in the head!"
"He's the enemy. We're supposed to want to shoot the enemy." Poe shouted back, firing at stormtroopers.
Kylo waved a hand and those stromtroopers were suddenly much farther away, scrambling to right themselves.
"What is with you two!?" Finn shouted.
Kylo narrowed his eyes at the boy. He flicked his fingers and Finn and Poe were farther away as well.
"Now, where were we?" he drawled, looking back to Rey. "Ah, is this the part where you swear you will kill me? Or is it my turn to say that?"
Rey paused, considering then parried with her blade against his. "Think it's my turn." She made a half-hearted stab, but he easily deflected it.
"I think, my little Scavenger, that maybe we ought to find a new threat. It's clear neither of us intend to follow through."
Rey was caught off guard at this honesty. "No, I will. One day, I will."
"Little liar." he breathed, his lips twisted in a delighted smile, before he swung his blade, knocking her blade out of her hand and in the commotion of her scrambling for her blade, he called a retreat.
Rey stared after him, wondering at the new turn of events.
"Rey, you can't keep doing this."
Finn. Again. The same speech, the same questions. Rey didn't have answers for him. She didn't even know what exactly was going on, just that she wasn't ready to kill him yet, and apparently he wasn't really ready to kill her either.
And after their last battle, where he'd actually admitted he wouldn't kill her while calling her out on her inability to kill him, well… she was more unsure than ever. If she wasn't going to kill him, then just what was she to do with him?
That, she did not have a definitive answer to. They'd been fighting each other for so long now that the idea of anything other than preparing to kill each other was a completely foreign concept.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Finn."
But Finn saw the twitch in the corner of her eye, and knew. He knew that nothing at all good would come of any of this. He firmed his resolve to shoot Kylo Ren on sight next time, before either Force user was able to deflect him.
As it happened, it wasn't Finn who shot Kylo Ren. It was Poe and it was completely on accident. And worse, he'd actually felt bad about it, despite the whooping cheer that went up. It hadn't been a fatal shot by any means, but it had been enough to definitely injure the man. He'd dropped his lightsaber and everything. Poe was distraught though, because Rey was looking completely lost as she dropped her own saber and went to kneel beside her enemy.
Enemy. That's why Kylo Ren was to all the Resistance, except Rey, it seemed because Rey was looking awfully worried about her supposed enemy, and she was touching his face so gently, asking him if he was okay so softly.
It was a disturbing sight.
Worse yet, Rey looked at him, a seething sort of anger burning in her eyes. "I didn't mean to!" He yelped as she advanced on him.
"Why couldn't you just stay out of it?" she demanded.
Poe backed up a few steps. She was in a towering fury. He did not understand this thing between Kylo Ren and Rey and he didn't think he wanted to.
"It's become something of a thing, hasn't it?" Leia asked, sighing over her brandy. Poe, now sporting a bruise beneath his left eye grunted in agreement.
"She popped you in the eye for shooting my son?" Leia asked, with a heavy sigh.
"She sure did." Poe let out his own sigh. "I miss the days when shooting at the damned enemy was the protocol."
Leia smiled grimly. "Perhaps all is not lost yet then."
Poe shook his head. He was sick of cryptic bullshit and he was sick of letting the leader of the enemy army go free. Kylo Ren and Rey needed to sort out this shit between them. From now on, Poe was making sure he was on the other side of the damn battle entirely. He wasn't getting another black eye because he shot the enemy again.
It was Rey who was injured this time and this time, there was no wondering as to the nature of Rey and Kylo Ren's unique encounters, if anyone had been left wondering, that is.
Kylo Ren lost it right there on the battle field. He took out stormtroopers, his own Commanders and anyone within a ten foot radius, enemy or ally, in his anger and remorse. Rey was hurt badly. She'd taken a stormtroopers blaster bolt right to the left side of her stomach, and it had shot clear through. There was so much blood and Ren was screaming.
His rage, his anger, his remorse and his regret came pouring out for all to witness. His eyes were wild, his grip on the injured girl tight and Poe Dameron thought "Finally."
Notes: I wrote this months ago, in bits and pieces, after Leia popped up in my head saying the very title. It was a fun little exercise and I've got a few other pieces half started that I'm working on. I may even add to this eventually, but for now, this is complete.