Chapter 3

Her fingers got lost in his luscious, dark locks and he froze.

It had been years since last he had been touched in such a manner. He wanted to stop himself from experiencing the feeling of warmness that was rapidly spreading throughout his body. He brought his eyes to hers, anger pulsing hotly in his veins.

How dare she! Who did she think she was to attempt such a move? Had she no idea of what he was capable of? Had her survival instinct diminished since their fight against Snoke's minions?

Thoughts of punishing her and making her beg for his forgiveness entered his mind and he welcomed them. His mind was already working fast coming up with various ways of best to torture her, both physically and mentally. Her parents abandoning her was an obvious taunt but he wanted to hurt her physically also. Show her exactly what he had endured all these years in silence. Show her why attempting such a move was the worst idea possible.

Yet at the same time, something stopped him from making such thoughts a reality. He was more angry at his reaction to her movement than what she had done. He should have recoiled at the contact, chastised her and severed their connection altogether.

Instead, he had frozen like a humanoid on his first flight.

He brought his gaze down to hers slowly.

You shouldn't have done this, he said allowing all the malice to seep through. Do you wish to die?

Her expression was one of pure innocence, like a child who has stolen a candy for the first time. She knew what she had done was wrong yet the sweetness of the dessert was too strong for her to ignore. If he had been oblivious to the energy that pulsed between them before, he was most definitely aware of it now.

Kylo Ren had no idea how many millions - or billions even - of light years separated them but he could feel her energy on his skin. He could smell her sweet fragrance a mix of earth, leather, dust and a fruit he had tasted but once in his life - peach? The memory of the event left him with bittersweet feelings but Rey was literally a ray of sunshine and pureness in his darkness. Her presence warmed the coldest parts of his heart and he was terrified. The dark side no longer called to him as strongly as before, its influence less severe. There had been a time when he had allowed himself to be consumed by it and had rejoiced. It had promised him great power, it had promised him independence and most of all it had promised him constant presence and no betrayal. The dark side of the force needed him more than he needed it, his connection with it as strong as his current connection with Rey.

Rey...

She was still standing before him with no fear in her eyes like the first time, he had seen her. Like the first time, he had reached to her mind and she had faced him like an equal opponent with a confidence he had not expected. He had been doubting himself throughout his life and there she was, a scavenger, a nothing able to push her will to him and fight against him with a raw energy he had never experienced before. She was inexperienced but that did not stop her from attacking him both mentally and physically. This did not stop her from picking up the lightsaber that day in the snow and stand before someone with years of training.

Now, she stood before him with equal passion but something in her expression had changed. First, it had been contempt, disgust and hate. Later this had turned to curiosity, a sense of challenge. Then accomplishment until she saw him as an equal, a confidant. It was when both had let their shields down that they began to understand one another. They had realised they were both alone and their connection was a dream, an opportunity to better understand the enemy. Upon learning the truth, her emotions had changed to pity and hope and those were emotions he wished had never sprouted within her.

What were the emotions in her eyes now, in her uneven breathing, the quick beating of her heart, the sweat forming on her brow? Adrenaline? Was she preparing to fight against him? Maybe fear. Maybe she had finally realised the position she was in, but no. Rey was never afraid. Even when Luke had stood before him, she had not been afraid for his life. She had not given up on her master but she knew he had made his choice and that involving herself would be useless.

Do you have a death wish?, he repeated and grabbed her left hand forcefully removing it from his brow and holding it mid-air.

If you wanted me dead you would have done it already, she replied and faced him with a spark in her eyes.

His brows creased. Are you not afraid I will tempt you to the dark side? That this is the only reason I am keeping you alive?

Her cocky expression surprised him. He had thought of her as innocent but he had to remind himself she was also a scavenger who in order to survive must not have always used pure means of behaviour. Is that what you tell yourself at nights?

His next course of action surprised both of them. He pushed Rey against the sink with force, his body against her and saw the pipe burst. Water fell on them with force, making their clothing material translucent in a matter of seconds.

Rey was still facing him but her cheeks had flamed.

Is this making you uncomfortable, Last Jedi? he asked caustically, remembering the humiliation and pain he had felt after her rejection. He had offered her the universe and she had still denied him. Her rejection had hurt more than expected. It had taken years since he had last opened himself up to someone and last time he had been betrayed. To offer her the power and the command, to show her that he trusted her above everyone else and wanted her to be his equal and his partner was the ultimate honour.

Never before had he been attracted as strongly to a female. His close encounters were non-existent though the matter had never bothered him much. In part, he knew it was because he craved the mental connection in order to be able to have the physical and in addition he had not been ready to lay himself before a female when other matters were of higher import.

As such he had never questioned if his physical appearance was seen as attractive but since Rey had seen him emerge from his bath chambers he was more aware of his body and how it might have appeared to her.

He shouldn't have worried.

Rey was struggling to keep her gaze on his face and he gave her a half smile.

He had to remind himself he did not care for her and that this was just a game. He was a master manipulator and he was barely manipulating her with the aim of bringing her to the dark side of the force. The fact that she was an attractive female helped him with his plans but he would have taken the same choice had she been a male or a less attractive female. As long as the force was strong with them, that was.

Her hand still held firmly in his grasp he brought it to his mouth and lay a featherlike kiss on it. The girl held her breath, his reaction the same.

Is physical contact with me what you crave? he asked her and laughed, humorlessly.

The spark of denial was back in her gaze.

Not like this, she allowed.

He pulled back. Do you wish to touch me when I am angry? In pain? When I am weak? In pity?

Kylo was insulted more by what she had implied than anything else she had done.

Though he had no control over their connection he felt it falter. He heard a voice from Rey's side and the image of her wavered. A knock on the door forced them apart and before he knew it, she was gone.

He recoiled, stared down at his hand as if it had connected with fire and fell on his knees, dumbfounded. A strong mixture of emotions beat within him and he let out a strong shout, picking up his lightsabre, examining it closely as if it was a snake then throwing it on the ground again. He clenched and unclenched his fists before finally settling on the lightsabre Rey had picked before. It had been in his top cupboard not because it was his primary choice of weapon but because he was still in the process of building it.

When he had still been Ben and under the guidance of Skywalker he had come upon the scrolls by accident. In them, detailed explanations existed on how to best create such a weapon, what materials to use and how to control the force, how to wield it and which length was appropriate for each built. He had never thought to put his knowledge to use till the day he joined Snoke and was in need of a new weapon. He had spent countless hours building his lightsabre, making the length just right and then finally using it to kill. It would be a lie to say he had never been burnt from its edge but he healed fast and his enemies and followers both soon began to fear him.

Kylo gazed upon the lightsabre Rey had touched. Had she felt a connection to it? Had she known?

He had begun building the new lightsabre after first coming upon Rey. He had thought of it as coincidence and additionally it was a good way to distract himself from the thoughts of the war. Building a new lightsaber was a slow process and had still been unable to light it. He was as surprised as Rey when the sword had glowed in the dark after her contact with it as if it recognised her as its master.

He picked it up and examined it carefully. Rey's energy was still present on it. He tried to make it come to life but he failed.

More annoyed than he wanted to admit he threw it on the ground again and picked his own weapon which obeyed to his command instantly. The red illuminated in the dark and he began fighting his imaginary enemies, practising the movies engraved on him since birth. Hot slashes of energy exploded within the closed space and explosions were common. Yet, he rejoiced at the destruction. Darkness was seeping inside his mind, nodding its head in approval at his movements so he continued unleashing everything that had been kept inside, torturing him, confusing him.

The darkness was at the back of his mind, an old friend and when he looked down at his hand black smoke was rising from them. Unafraid he heard Snoke's voice in his mind as clear as the water running down mountains peaks. He knew of course that his voice was a memory. Snoke was dead by his hand and would remain so until the end of time.

You have made contact with her, have you not? the voice asked him in the same way it had done so in real life when Snoke had been alive and he had known about his connection with Rey.

Kylo remembered then, his feelings of anguish, humiliation and embarrassment at finding out his master knew of the bond. Until that point, it had been something neither one of them could control and both wanted to get rid of. At that moment though, the moment they had connected they had seen each others' futures and pasts, fleeting images of both but enough to create a whole picture. Their bond had been an innocent creation and as deep as his connection to the force.

And Snoke had known.

He had laughed at him.

You think this was all a coincidence? No. This is an opportunity and you shall bring young Rey to us. To kill or control, I care not as long as she is no longer bonded to the light side of the force.

Kylo Ren was ashamed to admit he had agreed and tried as much as he could to alter his feelings during their meetings as to seem more innocent, more torn. Not that he had to try a lot in that department. He was already torn as it was and Rey had boarded a vessel delivering herself to them, putting her ultimate trust in him.

He may have done much and more things that he oftentimes regretted but killing Snoke and allowing Rey to escape was not one of them. Their bond was strong and Rey would eventually join him even if she didn't know it herself yet. He was a master manipulator and he would use all means necessary if needed.

When he met with General Lux he was calm and collected despite the dark smoke rising from his gloves. The man stared at it intently as did the rest of the stormtroopers but made no mention of it.

"How is our search coming along?"

General Lux gulped and pointed at the nearest pilot, an alien from unknown beginnings. "Captain Gillen has made it his top priority to detect them and he is confident he has found a lead"

The force seeped from within him in hot waves and like dark tentacles surrounded the captain who gasped for air.

"I have confidence you will locate them soon" Kylo Ren whispered as he examined the thoughts of the man and felt the fear bouncing around to the rest of the crew. "How does the rest of our search fair? Have the citizens of Mon Cala agreed to serve us?"

His crew was silent and he took in a deep breath of air, unwillingly allowing more smoke to rise from his skin. He needed only seconds before his Astro projection was present in the throne room of the oceanic planet.

The leader of the planet was the first to approach him.

"I am the Supreme Leader. I demand you place your allegiance with me. In turn, I shall provide safety and peace. I do not think I need to mention what would happen should you side with the resistance or form your own little army?"

There was a slight pause and Kylo only had to use the force slightly to make the alien kneel with the rest following him instantly.

"All hail the new supreme leader, Kylo Ren! We will serve you until the end of our days!"

When he returned back to his chambers, Kylo could feel the remnants of victory in the atmosphere. Only when he saw the unfinished lightsaber he paused. He wrapped it in a strong metal which had been extracted from planet Maridun. Then he opened a hatcher and let the weapon float into space. It would stop only upon finding its owner and this could take anywhere between a few milliseconds or a hundred light years.

Kylo watched it fly away into the galaxy and for a second wished he could be aboard the metal box also, with his sole purpose being finding Rey.