Again thank you so so much for all the review, favs, and follows! This started out as just a one-shot, but all the encouragement has made me want to write more! :)

"Ouch!"

Rey had received another shock from the Marksman-H training droid. Master Luke had explained that training with the droid would help her to rely on the force, and strengthen her abilities in lightsaber combat. At current, the only thing she had succeeded in doing was destroying one of the droids on accident, and getting more shocks than she would like.

"Concentrate Rey." Luke's voice came from the darkness. The helmet that covered her eyes was extremely cumbersome and irritating. Rey tried to clear her mind, feeling the flow of the force around her. She could sense the droid floating just to the left of her, getting ready to fire. She quickly put up her lightsaber to block, and received another shock. She let out an exasperated groan. How had she managed to defeat Kylo in a dual only weeks ago, and yet now she somehow couldn't manage to conquer a child's training tool?

"Rey, you have to trust in the force. Feel it around you, let it guide you. I know this is hard. You're used to relying on your eyes." Luke was a reassuring teacher, and very patient.

"Your stance is wrong. You're leaving yourself open." Came Kylo's voice unexpectedly. Perfect.

Another failed block.

"You're thinking to much." Kylo sighed.

"You stay out of it!" Rey all but yelled in her head; teeth clenched hard, half in anger, and half because she didn't want to accidentally speak to him out loud.

"Only trying to help." She could practically feel him smirking.

"Don't you have villages to slaughter or something?" Her anger was rising by the second.

"Not currently." He attempted to sound bored, but there was a moody undertone to his voice. "You're about to get shocked again."

Blocked.

Rey sighed in relief.

"Better." Came Kylo and Luke's voices at the same time.

"Be quiet!" She hissed just under her breath.

"What was that?" Luke asked.

"Oh, umm, nothing sorry!" Damn him.

"That's enough for today I think." Luke's voice was tired. Rey knew training her reminded him too much of training all the jedi he'd lost. It brought up a lot of painful memories.

"He's being too easy on you." As Rey took the helmet off, she wasn't expecting to see the physical manifestation of Kylo standing beside Luke. The image was beyond jarring. That new development to their mental connection had been the hardest to get used to. She tried to avoid looking at him as much as possible.

"You did good today Rey. You're making progress." Despite Luke's words, Rey felt disappointment bubbling up within her. Maybe she was being too hard on herself, but she felt like she should be much further along by now. She blamed it on him.

"Thank you Master." Rey gave Luke a weak smile, before the jedi turned and walked away, leaving Rey alone with Kylo in the stone ruins of the temple.

"Like I said, he isn't pushing you hard enough. If you were training with a dueling-droid I think you would see more progr—"

"Was our last duel not enough for you? Would you like me to kill you next time we meet?" Rey laughed harshly. Kylo's eyebrow quirked, amused at her words.

"You could try. Based on your performance today, I doubt you'd succeed."

"Gods! You know I'll never side with you! Why do you care?" The question went beyond the training. He hadn't initiated communication for the most part, save a few nights that he had kept her nightmares at bay; and days like today. She could always feel him. He was always there, his emotions running high and easily sensed. At best he was comforting without meaning to be. At worst he was a pain in her ass. Why hadn't he tried use their connection to his advantage?

"I just want to make sure it's a fair fight." His tone was joking, but his eyes were burning with something she couldn't quite place. She turned away from the intensity of his gaze, staring out to the sea. She could still feel his eyes on her. Rey considered telling him to go bother someone else, but figured every moment spent with her was one he wasn't spending indulging his darker side.

A heavy silence fell between them.

"Growing up on Jakku, I never would have thought this much water even existed." She kept her eyes on the horizon, taking a seat on a fallen stone.

"No, I would imagine water was quite the commodity in the desert." Rey gave a small huff. She could remember the hours she slaved for a little bit of water, and barely enough food to stave off the weakness. She refused to look at him. When he wore the mask it was easier, he seemed less human. She understood why he wore it. His face was a sea of emotion that he either couldn't, or didn't bother trying to contain at all. His face gave too many things away. The burning intensity of his eyes were unlike anything she had seen.

"You're thinking of your family." It wasn't a question, he knew already. Flashes of the little girl came to both of their minds.

"Why else would you leave a child on a planet like that, unless you wanted them to die?" In her time spent away from home, Rey had grown bitter. On Jakku she spent every day hoping her family would return. She waited endlessly, knowing one day she would see them again. What a fool she'd been. She looked at him then, but he seemed to be looking right through her.

"Maybe, for whatever reason, they believed leaving you on Jakku was the only way for you to live." His response surprised her. Was he actually attempting to make her feel better?

"What could have been so bad?" Her voice was desperate, cracking. So many years alone. So many wasted hopes. She was trying hard to hold back her emotions, but he felt them anyway. Her eyes pleading with him to answer something he couldn't. His gaze softened slightly. He took a step towards her.

"Rey-"

Chewbacca had called out, interrupting the tense moment between them. Rey stood quickly, peering behind a column to see the Wookie not far away.

"I'm coming!" She turned back around to find she was alone.

Rey was more confused than ever about Kylo's intentions. He had done so many horrible things, and yet, he was capable of soft moments. She had seen the little boy in his head. She wondered how that Ben Solo became the monster Kylo Ren. "If he really is a monster." She shook the thought out of her head quickly, afraid he would hear. He was a monster, she knew that, she had seen it. Despite this, she could still feel doubt creeping in.

Kylo Ren was anxious. His connection with Rey had only been an annoyance, until now. The more time he spent with her, the more he could feel the light seep into him. This connection would become detrimental to his destiny. Nothing could stop him from seeing his grandfather's vision come to fruition. He would finally bring balance to the galaxy. This girl would ruin everything. She could never find out his secrets.