CHAPTER 2. UNSETTLED.

Hurrying through the halls, Kylo Ren stopped the first droid he saw. "Bring me black robes for a woman," he ordered. The droid paused, beeping confusedly at him, so he sighed. "Follow me." He led it back to his rooms, where he found Rey's sweaty, stained clothes strewn on the floor. The droid looked from him to the clothes, then beeped again.

"No, I am not going to hand them to you!" he hissed. "Pick them up yourself!" Beeping various obscenities, the droid did so, inspecting the clothing, then folding it and stuffing it into its belly. "Use those measurements," Kylo Ren commanded. "But make them look like mine. Black. And hurry!"

The droid beeped at him again, then sped off. Kylo Ren watched it go, hoping that it would return before Rey finished her shower.

But he needn't have worried. The droid returned shortly with an entire wardrobe of women's black robes, which it promptly laid on the bed before disappearing once again. And then Kylo Ren waited. And waited. And waited. Rey was taking an inordinate amount of time in the shower! The vague worry that she was, indeed, trying to drown herself flitted across his mind; however, he quickly dismissed it. If she really were trying to kill himself, he would have felt her intentions reverberating through the Force.

Snoke's plan was ridiculous. When they had met in dreams, he had seen her intentions. She meant what she said: she came to learn, not to sabotage. Snoke was taking this entire game of "good cop, bad cop" entirely too far. But he had a part to play. After all, he could not defy the Supreme Leader. It was a lonely life he had chosen, but it was his. Perhaps he hadn't made the wisest decisions, but he had burned his past: there was nothing for him to do but continue forward, destroying as he went. His grandfather would have been proud.

Finally he heard her turn off the water. "Shut your eyes!" she called. "I'm coming out!"

He snorted at her preoccupation with propriety, though he did still turn away. "There are clean clothes for you on the bed," he said, averting his eyes so he wouldn't catch a glimpse of her. Sharing these cramped quarters was going to take a little getting used to, but he could tolerate it. After all, it would place him in her life. She had come willingly, but she must still have some reservations; it was his job to present himself as an ally. Perhaps Snoke was cleverer than he thought. What else could his Supreme Leader be plotting, then? He doubtless had some plan for Rey…

"Okay, I'm ready!" the girl in question called, jarring him from his thoughts. "You can look now."

He'd think about Snoke later. Turning around, Kylo Ren looked her over, noting that the droid had done its job well. Rey looked nice in the dark tunic. It accentuated the curve of her waist, slimmed her shoulders, and brought out the dark chocolate color of her eyes. He could get used to this. He opened his mouth, ready to pay her a compliment; however, she interrupted him. "Do you have any hair ties?"

Thankfully, he didn't even have to think about how to answer that question. "Of course not," he replied brusquely. "Why would you even think that?"

"Well, I mean, you do sorta have long hair," she answered, gesturing vaguely at his head.

"My hair is not that long," he ground out. "Definitely not long enough to require a hair tie." Perhaps sharing quarters with her would be worse than he thought. "But I can get you some."

"Thanks. I don't feel like myself without them."

He left the room, irritated for some reason. But when he returned a couple seconds later, hair ties in his grasp, his face was calm and composed. He would pay her a compliment. He had to win her trust. The Supreme Leader had ordered him to.

"Here you go," he said smoothly, passing her the hair ties. Immediately she began to tie her hair up in those ridiculous three buns, but he stopped her by placing a hand on her wrist. "I like how you look with your hair loose," he said, forcing as much sincerity as he could into his voice.

She looked up at him with wide eyes. "Really?"

"Really," he replied.

"Then I'll keep that in mind," she said, brushing off his hand and continuing to make the three little buns down the back of her head. For a split-second his courteous persona slipped and the impotent rage bubbling inside him shone through — for how dare this girl just dismiss him — but then he regained control. And thank goodness he did. After putting up her hair far faster than was really humanly possible, she looked up at him and said, "So, now what do I do?"

"Learn," was his dry answer. "Isn't that what you're here for?"

"I know that," she huffed. "But what's my status?"

Ah, her status aboard the ship. How was he going to explain that one to her? "You're somewhat of a prisoner," he began. "But only somewhat. You're supposed to be near me at all times, and if you try to defy the First Order, you will be severely punished. You might even die."

"Really?" she asked. "I would have thought that your 'Supreme Leader' would have wanted another pawn."

"He has me," Kylo Ren answered tersely. "He has no need for you, especially now that Skywalker has cast you out. The Supreme Leader originally wished to leave you confused, but it was I who persuaded him to take another pupil."

"And he believed you?"

"I swore on my life to keep you from sabotaging us."

"Oh." She leant back, looking a little perturbed, and he was grateful for that. Although Snoke certainly wouldn't kill him, it would certainly bode ill for their budding relationship if she seemed eager to kill him. Furthermore, while Snoke could certainly pretend to punish him behind closed doors, he had a feeling his Master would want to make her understand just how much pain he was going through because of her, and he would be tortured in the Throne Room. Yes, it was best for him that she seemed perturbed.

"The First Order is currently searching the galaxy for the Resistance. When we find them, we shall annihilate them. But this ship is only doing a routine sweep of the Outer Rim; when you arrived, we were already beginning our return journey to the capital. There, you shall train under me."

She nodded. "Your own mother," she said softly, searching his eyes. She was likely looking for sorrow, pity, or regret, but Kylo Ren knew she would find none; however, she didn't seem upset when she continued speaking. Rather, she just seemed sad. "I've met General Organa. Your mother is a brave woman."

"She's not my mother," he spat, turning away from her. Normally he would not deign a statement such as that with any response whatsoever, but for some reason he didn't want this conversation to end. "She leads the Resistance, and you would do well to forget your previous rebel alliances. You are part of the First Order now. Any attachment to the Resistance will only bring you pain. After all, Snoke can sense our emotions."

"He can?" Rey yelped, her eyes going wide.

"He can," Kylo Ren answered grimly. She had come, and she hadn't even realized the full power of the Sith… she was falling headlong from heaven into her personal hell, but it wasn't his job to save her. Rather, he was the devil meant to urge her onwards. The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth, but he soldiered onward. "It's getting late. Tomorrow morning we'll be back in the capital — you know, you were very lucky to find us here. I don't often do routine sweeps of the Outer Rim."

"I know," she muttered, "but it was in my dreams. I saw you here, set against the stars, with your hand outstretched. You said you would train me. So I came."

"That's a lot of faith to place in dreams."

"It is," she replied. "But Luke told me to trust my dreams. He said it was the Force speaking to me."

Scowling, Kylo Ren said angrily, "Forget that old Jedi. Skywalker is the past, and he will die with it. Now get in bed. Lights out in two minutes."

She frowned but did as he said; it wasn't until after he'd lain there in the dark, listening to her breathing which told him that she was still quite awake, that he began to feel guilty for snapping at her. Rolling over, he placed a hand on her bare shoulder and said softly, "I'm sorry, Rey. I wasn't actually mad at you. Luke and I have a… complicated past." He sighed. "But I am here for you, just like in your dreams. I will guide you through the darkness."

She didn't reply, but he hadn't expected her too, so he rolled back over. And as he drifted off into sleep, he realized that he didn't know if his last words to her were really a lie or not. He was coming to like this woman who'd appeared out of nowhere with such incredible power in the Force. His Master would never approve, but Kylo Ren was prepared to go behind his Master's back… the thought unsettled him, and he spent that night in an uneasy slumber.

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A/N: Thank you Daronwyk for beta-ing! And thank you to the Guest reviewer. You'll find out who Rey's related to soon enough... *evil smile*