Rey awoke in a breathless stupor. Kylo Ren had kissed her, and she had kissed him back. She touched her fingertips to her lips, surprised to find the warmth of his lips barely lingering. It had been a dream, it wasn't real. It couldn't be real, but it felt incredibly real, remarkably real. She felt something stirring in her chest at the memory of him, of the way he looked at her. He saw her, not her power in the force for once. His hands on her face had felt familiar, had felt right. But he was so wrong. He was darkness, she was light. He was older, more experienced, and she, well she was almost ten years younger and free. The constraints of reality hadn't crushed her yet. Years of waiting for a family that never came hadn't killed her spirit like years of anger had suppressed his. She had been right; Ben was still in there. She just had to keep chipping away until he was free from the cage of darkness that had surrounded his soul.
Kylo Ren sighed and opened his eyes. He had kissed her, and he wanted to do it again. With the touch of their lips, memories had flooded back to him. Memories of what seemed like another life, Ben's life. He had seen a young girl, a Padawan child with three small buns. Rey. He had seen her. He had known her, back in the days when Kylo Ren was just a single dark thought in a colorful mind. Rey had always been his biggest fan, the young girl had followed him everywhere, had looked up to him, had needed him when no one else cared. Now, he needed her. Their connection in their youth had been strong. He had loved her like no one else in the Jedi Academy; she was his Rey of sunshine. Wherever he went, she had followed, confident that she would be up to the challenges he would face. She never wanted him to feel alone, but he had left her alone. He had left her on that waste planet of Jakku, had left her to be tormented by visions of the family she awaited yet never had. It was all his fault. He had spared her, and now his past was entwined in his future. This will never do. He needed to hate her, but how? She had listened to him, she had actually cared. She had brought color into his world, and she had taken it with her when she left. What if they could be together? What if they were meant to be together? What if. Those two little words had the ability to destroy it all.
Rey had been awake for hours now; it had been mentally exhausting to hide her secret from Master Luke. All she wanted to do was tell him about Ben and see if he could make any sense of it, but she didn't know how he would take to the idea of her meeting with her enemy in her dreams. So instead, she repressed the memory every time it threatened to bubble up to the surface. She was sitting in front of a fire with Master Luke. Today was the day he was to teach her how to use the Jedi power of farsight.
"The purpose of farsight is so you can see what is going on in different parts of the galaxy without leaving where you are. It is incredibly useful to keep up to date, but fairly useless when it comes to being involved in the events. No matter where you choose to go, just remember that they cannot see, feel, or hear you. Understand?" Luke asked her. She nodded in response.
"Good. Now, you must begin as if you are meditating. Once you reach a state of peace, visualize what you want to see. If it's a person you seek, create a strong mental image of them. If it's a place, feel as though you are there, feel the heat of the sun if it's a desert or the cutting cold if it's a place like Hoth. Keep in the moment and focus on what's happening or you're apt to lose it and come spiraling back. Try it."
Rey closed her eyes and decided to see what Ben was up to. She focused hard on his face, on the scar from the wound she inflicted, of the depth of his eyes. She thought of his black robes and how his cape swirled behind him as he walked. Suddenly, her image of him became muddled as scenery was added. Then, just as quickly as the haze had descended, it was gone and her image was crystal clear. He was standing with his back toward her. He was so close she could have reached out and touched him. She turned to take in her surroundings. She appeared to be in a practice arena for combat skills. Targets littered the arena; she could smell the smoky singed aroma of the destroyed targets. She turned back to watch Ben. He lifted his lightsaber and prepared to strike at one of the few remaining targets. Wow, she felt sorry for whoever had to clean up the mess when he was done. She watched him, poised to strike the target, his movements were so fluid, and she could see his muscles rippling with the movement under his tight shirt. It was then that she noticed that his cloak and helmet had been thrown off to the side.
Kylo Ren was prepared to strike, his lightsaber was about to come down on the target, dismantling it from the pole it was attached to, but then he felt something. Her. His back stiffened and he shut his lightsaber off. There was no one there, physically, but he could feel her. He smirked.
"So your lesson in farsight has paid off, I see. Although I don't understand why you would want to spy on me," he told her.
Rey froze. He isn't supposed to know that I'm here, Master Luke said as much, she thought. He turned and looked right at the spot where she was standing. He slowly, languidly, crossed over to her and reached his hand out. His hand stopped inches from her face. He dropped his hand and she saw it curl into a fist.
"I don't know why I knew you were here. Realistically, I shouldn't. Even force sensitive beings shouldn't sense anything is different when someone far sees them, but I did," he said. Rey exhaled the breath that she didn't realize she had been holding.
"I would greatly appreciate it if you wouldn't spy on me in the future, and I give you my word that I won't spy on you," he said through gritted teeth. She couldn't believe her ears. Was this a dream? Was he being nice?
"Wow, he almost sounds like a gentleman," she muttered.
"And you can almost pass as a lady," he countered.
"You heard that?" She gasped.
"Unfortunately."
"How?"
"I already told you, I don't know. Apparently when it comes to you, all the rules don't apply," he muttered. In more ways than one, he silently added. This girl messed with his head in a way that frightened him, and what was worse, his head wasn't the only organ she messed with. It seemed like his whole body reacted to her. Even now it irked him that he couldn't see her, couldn't touch her.
"You're still here," he growled. He couldn't stand it anymore; he had to get rid of her. He turned his lightsaber on and charged full force at the target behind her. If he were lucky, the sudden movement and her shock would be enough to send her away.
Rey's eyes widened at the sight of him running towards her. He would've cut her in two. Her heart started to race and she began to panic. Her panic was just enough to cause her to lose focus and be sent tumbling back to her reality. She opened her eyes to see the concerned face of Luke staring at her.
"Padawan, what did you see?" He inquired. She took a second to catch her breath before she told him of the adventure her mind had just gone on.
