Balance

Summary: Light and dark. Good and evil. Love and hate. Neither of them knew exactly where they stood.

Author's Note: Oh, wow! I cannot believe the response that I have gotten to this story. It is actually quite overwhelming. I'm really excited that all of you out there seem to really enjoy this. I really appreciate all of the lovely reviews that you all have given me.

Today was hard! All I wanted to do was get back to this story. Alas, grading papers and creating lesson plans took precedence. However, every single time I had a thought for this story, I had to write it down. I really cannot wait for the major plot points to take off.

A special thank you to my amazing reviewers: DXRULES103, julamei, Jedi Kay-Kenobi, Tomas284, aei fyragh, sheepzus, ForeverDelighted, TheKatieBugg, shloop, cat, bluejustice13, omgitsalexmarie, Vader'sMistress, Tiara of Sapphires, Neurotic-Isopod, Guest, sherald92, Nity, The-Splatoon-Rook 64, RihLightd, and LillianC1. Seriously, your response is what made me want to get another chapter so quick!

Here are some quick responses:

Julamei: I'm glad you were hoping for some of that – because it's right here in this chapter! I like the idea of switching off – after all, this fic is called Balance for a reason. It's an important, running theme!

TheKatieBugg: I feel the same way, so don't worry! I am going to take my time with those two. Also, there are so many more relationships that I also am planning to explore. Luke/Rey and Luke/Kylo for one! Not to mention dealing with was implied Rey/Finn throughout the whole movie! I want to do the universe justice, and that means focusing on a LOT more than just romance (even though that will be a main theme).

Chapter Two: Hide and Seek

Rey woke up the next morning to the gentle wind kissing the sides of her cheeks. Blinking slowly, she let her eyes adjust to the incoming daylight. She must have dozed off at some point in the evening, after her conversation with the Jedi. Although she was sleeping on the cold, rocky ground, Rey had to admit that it was probably the best night's sleep that she had gotten in a while. The nightmares, his face, did not creep into her dreams. Instead, she was at peace. She had to wonder if it was this place that calmed her nerves.

Somewhere, in the distance, Rey could hear a flock of birds. The sound of the animals brought her back to reality. She had no time for dreaming; she still had a mission to complete. Her eyes searched the immediate area for any sign of Skywalker. But the old man was nowhere to be found.

Just great, she groaned inwardly, what a damn coward.

Rey had believed that she really had reached out to some part of the old man and had convinced him to return with her. He did not doubt her logic once, and did not refute any of her points. And, yet, he seemed scared to go back and face the people from his past. Rey still did not yet the full story of the Jedi's past; from what she could piece together, he blamed himself for what happened to Ren, and by extension, Han Solo. He refused to own up to it. And yet he is the only one in the galaxy that can save us all.

"What a load of Gungan shit," She said out loud, to no one in particular. She did not want to let the Resistance down, but there was no way that she could get the cowardly old man to come back with her. He was too busy wallowing in his own failures to even try and make up for them. Rey shook her head, mumbling incoherently to herself. She began to pack up her makeshift campsite, determined to make it off of the island today.

It was not that she wanted to leave this mystical place. But she had people who were counting on her to return. Finn was counting on her to return. Rey smiled at the thought of the former Stormtrooper. The last she had seen him, he was still unconscious and healing from his injuries. She had hoped that he would be awake upon her arrival, and on his way to a full recovery.

Rey fixed her hair, trying it out of her face so the wind would not whip it around as she made her way down the mountain. She was determined to return to the Resistance, with or without Luke Skywalker.

Rey found that walking down from the mountain top proved to be just as difficult as the trek up. She was constantly tripping, stumbling over missed steps or hidden rocks. After her most recent misstep, Rey found herself having to rest and to tend to a shallow cut on her shoulder. She wrapped the wound, cursing herself for being so damn clumsy. As a scavenger, she had learned to be agile. Navigating the inner workings of broken down ships was all in a day's work for her. And yet, here she was, tripping like a child over some damn rocks.

You must trust yourself. Rey could hear a voice coming from the back of her head. The voice did not belong to her, and yet it sounded so familiar. And yet, Rey could not put her finger on it. Trust your instincts.

Rey sighed heavily. She had never normally been the type of person to listen to the voices in her head. She knew some people on Jakku who often did that, and it led to more trouble than Rey thought it could be worse. And yet, this time it was different. This voice was familiar, and comforting, and wise. Rey trusted it.

Trust yourself.

Getting up, Rey set back on her path down the mountain. She watched her feet, being extra careful not to catch her foot on any of the rocks. With her eyes on her own two feet, it was too late when she realized that she collided directly with an ancient ruin. She let out a frustrated grunt that echoed through the remains of the hidden Jedi temple.

You must trust yourself, Rey.

Rey sighed, louder this time. She did trust herself. How could she not?

Well, here goes nothing, Rey thought to herself as she shut her eyes. She felt absolutely ridiculous. But she concentrated on the area around her anyway. After a few long moments of silence, Rey picked up her foot. And then she began walking.

With her eyes closed, Rey walked down the mountain. She concentrated on the feelings around her, veering left or right when the moment felt right. She sensed when something was obstructing her path, and when she was in the clear. Rey could not help but smile. It was true, she felt ridiculous. But she also felt empowered, and in control.

Rey finally opened her eyes when she felt her feet hit the rocky sand. She smiled to herself; she had actually made it! Still smiling, she made her way over to the Falcon.

After boarding the ship, Rey found herself looking for her companion. She could feel that he was on board. But he was not alone.

Skywalker is here.

Rey smiled to herself; perhaps she should not have doubted him after all.

He wanted her.

No, it was not romantic. He did not have the capacity in him to be romantic; romance was a sure sign of weakness. And he was not weak, like his father was. He could not show affection, or love. Love is what cost people their power. That was not a part of him, nor was it his legacy. But, he wanted her by his side nonetheless. He wanted to possess her. To own her soul, her spirit. To turn the light in her dark.

To show the other side that it could not win.

Kylo Ren was not the kind of man to sit by and just let things happen. Ever since his childhood, he took what he wanted. He was a go-getter, of sorts. He did not let anything, even family, stand in the way of what he wanted. He crushed anything that stood in his way. He was powerful, and not defeated easily.

He could have killed her.

He just didn't want to.

He knew it was true. The last time her met her, he was the stronger one. He was the one who had been trained, he was the one who was more powerful. It was not an even match, despite what his master or critics had to say about it. If he had really wanted to, he could have crushed her. Easily.

And yet, she needed to realize her power, to taste what it was like to overpower someone. To hunger for the power. She needed to embrace it on her own before he could even hope of possessing her.

Yes, Kylo Ren could have killed the girl. But she was much more useful to him alive.

For most of his life, he had been too good for everyone around him. He was more powerful, more special, than his mother and father. His father was no one, a smuggler who got lucky most of the time. His mother was force-sensitive, yes. But she was still no match for him. She was weak, and ran from her legacy as the heir of Vader. She left it up to her son to carry out that task. Even Luke Skywalker was no match for him. His compassion, his righteousness, made him weak.

For most of his life, Kylo Ren was without an equal.

And yet, this girl was someone who could put up a fight with no training. He could only imagine her after she had some formal training with someone as skilled as he was. Ren smiled to himself; there was so much that he could teach her. He could show her all there was to know about the Force. He could be the one to help her to come into her own power. He could be her master.

Absentmindedly, he touched scar she had given him. He smiled as he thought about her gift to him. When he could finally get her to come with him, to the dark, they would be a match that no one could rival.

The click of his boots hitting the cold floor of the ship was the only sound in the otherwise silent hall. Low ranking members of the First Order knew to keep their distance from the master of the Knights of Ren. He was not one they wanted to cross, and therefore easily parted ways as he was making his way to speak with the Supreme Leader.

The Supreme Leader would want an update. When Ren knelt before his master after the fall of Starkiller Base, he congratulated his apprentice on fulfilling his mission of getting the girl to use the Force. He realized the necessity of losing the battle for the sake of the war. But his master was also impatient, and would want results soon enough.

As Ren made his way in to the chamber, he was displeased to find that General Hux was already there. Hux, who challenged Ren at every opportunity, would do anything to undermine the Knight. It was well known that the Supreme Leader's two most loyal servants hated one another. Ren only hoped that bringing the girl to the dark would serve to push Hux from the equation all together.

"What news of the girl?" The Supreme Leader's voice boomed in the otherwise empty chamber.

Ren breathed in, "I have sought out her presence. But she is beyond where I can sense."

"That is not good enough," His master's voice cut through the cold air sharply, "Every moment she is out there is a moment out of our influence. A moment with the light."

Ren nodded his head once. At night, he often tried to sense her, to reach out to her. Anything to call out to her, tempt her to him. But that was not something that he would admit to his master, especially in front of the insipid General Hux.

"I, perhaps, have some intelligence that may alleviate the situation," Hux chimed in, his voice smug in the air. "Our sensors have picked up the Millennium Falcon. Intelligence suggests that the girl and Wookiee are the pilots of the ship now. I have already launched our best pilots in pursuit. They have been instructed to take the girl as a prisoner, Supreme Leader."

Ren could not deny the pleasure that was evident in his master's voice. Ren was glad for his helmet; the look of displeasure on his face was hidden by the mask. He was supposed to be the one to bring her to the dark, not Hux. "Supreme Leader, with your leave, I will join in the pursuit of the girl."

The figure in front of them nodded, "Very well. You are dismissed,"

Ren nodded to his master, before turning on his heel and taking his leave.

Kylo Ren took the lead in the pursuit of the girl and her ship. No, not her ship. His father's ship. Growing up, he would hear tales of the Millennium Falcon, completing difficult feats and getting his father, mother and uncle out of danger. He knew the tales of how fast and reliable this ship was. But the Falcon would not outrun Kylo Ren.

He would take what belonged to him.

His fleet of pilots found the Falcon easily enough. Initially, he ordered his pilots to hold back before attacking. He wanted to reach out and sense the girl. To feel her, and to get inside of her pretty little head. He reached out to her, willing her to come to him. And yet, as he did, he could sense another presence on the Millennium Falcon that he had not expected.

Luke Skywalker was there.

Immediately, Rey knew that something was not right. One moment, she had been getting a lesson in flying from the great Luke Skywalker. She had not known that the Jedi had also been one of the Rebel Alliance's best pilots. Already, Rey knew that there was so much that she could learn from the man. But, suddenly, she felt something that she could only describe as a shift. As if cold hands were reaching out to her, wanting to grab her.

It was him.

Almost every night since she had met Kylo Ren, she had nightmares about him. Often enough, they could have been pleasant dreams. Holding hands with someone on the beach. Feeling a hand brush on her bare shoulder as she felt the cool island waters lightly mist her freckled face. Yet they turned nightmares because they were all about him. And now, she could feel him. He was nearby, and there was no doubt that he already knew she was there.

She looked to Luke, her eyes wide with panic. The old man could sense Ren's presence nearby as well. Immediately, the tone changed from a lighthearted flying lesson to something much more sinister.

The old man said what they were both thinking, "It is not the right time. We must get out of here."

Author's Note: Well, there ya go! Chapter 2 is up! To be honest, I must have written Ren's section of this chapter about six different times. Sometimes he was coming off as too evil, and other times as just too whiny. I hope he isn't too OOC. I actually think he has the potential to be a great complex character and I really want to do him justice.

As always, let me know what you think!