I've read a lot of theories that Ilum is the planet Snoke used to build Starkiller Base, but after comparing the two planets I really don't think that is the case. Ilum was practically uninhabitable and completely icy while Starkiller is snowy with rock formations and trees. Don't take my word on this, it's just the conclusion I have come to. Enjoy.

Rey gawked at Kylo Ren, not bothering to hide her surprise, "Build my own lightsaber? How? With what? I already have one."

"No," replied Kylo, not taking his eyes off his controls, "You had the Skywalker lightsaber. The saber that belonged to my uncle and his father before him. You are not a Skywalker and don't deserve it."

Rey crossed her arms stubbornly over her chest, "I deserve it more than you."

"It is my birthright," he growled.

"If you are saying that because Darth Vader is your grandfather then you are wrong."

Kylo spun around to face her. She couldn't see his face behind the mask but knew his eyes had darkened with anger.

"Would you mind clarifying that statement," he requested through gritted teeth. His clear frustration towards her made Rey's blood boil.

"That lightsaber did not belong to Darth Vader."

"Oh? Then who did it belong to?" sarcasm laced his staticky voice and Rey did not appreciate it.

"It belonged to Anakin Skywalker."

"They were the same person."

"No," she emphasized, "They were not. Anakin was a Jedi Knight, one of the strongest to ever live. Darth Vader was a murderous villain who brought terror to the galaxy. They might have been the same man but not the same person. If you're trying to convince me that that saber belonged to a man bathed in despair and darkness then you're right, it doesn't belong to me. I don't want anything to do with Darth Vader."

Kylo's fist clenched in frustration. He was sick and tired of always arguing with her. The last thing he needed was another one of her conversations regarding ethics and the light. He raised his other hand, pointing at Rey accusingly, "We could debate about this all the way to Ilum, but I will not be lectured by my apprentice about the moral standing of my grandfather." He slammed his fist on the panel, startling Rey a bit, "Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader are the same person. His morality does not matter. Whether you like it or not, that lightsaber does belong to me, and I don't want to hear another word out of you regarding it." He then spun around, focusing on the passing stars. Rey huffed loudly, looking the opposite way.

The man could be so infuriating.

You're not much better, she thought to herself. She shook the thought away, He's being ridiculous! I don't need another saber. He's being a child! Believing he has to preserve his grandfather's legacy when NO ONE WANTS HIM TO! EVERYONE HATED VADER!

And does everyone hate Ben Solo?

Most everyone, she pouted childishly to herself. Her practicality shot back.

Not Kylo Ren. Ben Solo.

Rey paused, unprepared for her own thought. As indiscreetly as possible, Rey glanced over her shoulder, looking at her new master. Kylo didn't seem to notice her staring at him. He continued to watch the stars pass in the blink of an eye. She reached out through the bond, finding that the anger that had previously been there was no longer present.

This was probably the most composed she had ever seen him. No anger. No fear. No regret.

He was just there, in front of her.

He seemed like a completely different person.

I like him this way.

Rey squeezed her arms, turning away from him again. She hated herself for letting the thought cross her mind, but at the same time she was disappointed in herself. She had made up her mind last night that she would try to see the good in Ben Solo rather than let Kylo Ren warp her view of him. In her arrogance and pride she allowed Kylo to take the reigns and force Ben farther inside himself. There was no one to blame but her. Whether she liked it or not, she would have to be the one to take those steps to bring Ben Solo out of Kylo Ren.

"We're coming out of hyperspace," he muttered a few minutes later. Rey watched the ship drop out of hyper speed, coming to a sudden stop in front of a planet.

Rey's mouth dropped in shock.

Huge craters covered the ice planet's surface. Debris from what appeared to be the planets crust floated around the planet like dust. What was once probably a beautiful, icy sanctuary was now left a hollow skeleton.

"What happened here?" Rey questioned, sitting up in her seat.

"Before the Empire," he replied, prepping for landing procedures on his console, "The Jedi Order considered this a sacred place. They would take their younglings into the caves of this world to find kyber crystals, the power source for lightsabers. When the order was destroyed, Emperor Palpatine had the crystals mined and extracted to power the Death Star. This is what was left."

"That's terrible," Rey murmured, placing a hand against the glass. Kylo nodded softly. Despite what most believed, Kylo took no pride in the destruction of planets. He was against the creation of Starkiller from the beginning. As a child his mother had told him the tragedy of Alderaan, her home planet, and while he and his mother no longer held the same views, he did believe the destruction of entire planets was unnecessary and brutal.

"If the Emperor mined out all the crystals then how am I supposed to find one to construct a lightsaber?" said Rey.

"This planet was the closest to our coordinates that I knew once had crystals. If there are none then we shall move on, but if there are, then the Force will aid you in finding one." Kylo turned to face Rey. She hesitantly looked back, still worried he was angry at her. Kylo recognized this and sighed. He knew he had been too hard on her. It was going to take time for the two of them to reach equal terms with one another. He would have to do better controlling his irritation.

"This is your first lesson Rey. Trust that the Force will lead you to what you seek."

Rey didn't respond, instead choosing to stare out the window again. He hoped at the very least that if she didn't trust him she would trust the Force.

She would need to if she were to survive.

Kylo piloted the ship down to the planet's surface. Rey stared at it in wonder. While all the craters and abandoned Imperial equipment were eyesores, the planet's white surface captivated Rey. Her only other experience with snow and ice had been Starkiller Base.

I wonder if I'll ever enjoy ice's beauty without some military power being involved.

The ship hovered slowly down to the ground, shaking the icy dust free from the surface. The ship settled with a jerk which didn't bother its occupants. Rey waited for the dust to clear to get a better view of what stood outside.

She gaped at the large structure that stood before them. It appeared to be an entrance of some sort built into the mountainside. It was mostly destroyed, large chunks of ice laying around it.

Kylo Ren stood from his seat without a word, strolling into the cabin of the shuttle. Rey scrunched her eyebrows in confusion before following after him.

She found him on the far side of the shuttle, opening one of the boxes the maintenance workers put onboard. He pulled out something large and furry. Without turning around, he chucked it at Rey who barely caught it.

"What-?"

"Put that on. You'll need it."

Rey held it out in front of her. It was a fur coat with a black sash around the waist. In the pocket she found three ration bars.

"Catch," he called. Rey looked up just in time to grab a small communication device. She eyed it in confusion.

"What is this for?" she asked. Kylo grabbed the other box, forcing it open.

"You'll need that should you run into trouble," was his reply.

She blinked, "are you not coming with me?" Kylo shook his head.

"Building a lightsaber is a sacred tradition. Younglings would go in alone when they came of age." He glanced over his shoulder, eyes meeting hers through his helmet, "You should be able to handle this on your own. You are what, twenty?"

"Nineteen," Rey corrected. Kylo shrugged, "I was close enough. You'll be fine in there."

"Then why give me a communicator at all?"

Kylo stood, walking back into the cockpit. A second or two passed before the ramp clamps released and the ramp lowered itself down. Rey shivered involuntarily, rubbing her arms to generate heat. Kylo exited the cockpit and sat down by the boxes again.

"No more questions. You'll have to go soon before the sun sets. If there are any crystals in there you will feel it. It shouldn't be hard for you. You were a scavenger after all."

Rey pouted, "You know, being called a scavenger isn't exactly a complement." Rey pulled the coat on, wrapping it tightly around herself and descended down the ramp. She didn't know he was smirking behind his helmet.

The ice crunched under feet quietly. Rey made her way towards the broken entrance of the cave. It was rather difficult with all the boulders in the way. She slipped once trying to climb, banging her knee. She bit back a curse, hoping Kylo didn't see her blunder. Ignoring the pain, she found a way in and slipped through with ease.

Rey gasped upon seeing the inside. She was in what appeared to be a temple. Most of it was destroyed, but she couldn't help imagining what it looked like in it's prime.

She spotted a small opening on the far side of the room. Rey made her way to the entrance, glancing inside apprehensively. It was dark which made Rey nervous. Kylo didn't give her a light source and she didn't have the Skywalker lightsaber anymore. She looked around the room, hoping the imperials left something behind she could use. A small drill sat a few meters away. Rey walked over, searching around the machine. A satchel hung off the side of it and Rey grabbed it. She found a small hand-held lamp inside along with one battery pack She hoped it had enough juice to last a few hours. She quickly switched out the batteries and pressed the power button, fingers crossed. She laughed happily when it flickered on.

Rey carefully entered the cave, hand steadying herself against the wall. The longer she was in there she discovered, the more she hated it. It was darker than she anticipated, the only light being that of her lamp that reflected off the ice's shiny surface. Cold air blew through every once in a while, causing Rey to shudder.

The worse part was the silence. She was used to being quiet. Back on Jakku she would spend hours inside old Star Destroyers alone with nobody but herself. But she was used to that kind of silence. In those moments she could think to herself, allow her imagination to wander as she performed her tasks. Here it was different. All she could think about was the kyber crystal so her mind was hyper aware of how horrifyingly silent it was.

She wandered for what felt like hours. She ran into several large cervices, created by the Empire during their mining and had to find different ways around. Rey reached out through the Force on multiple occasions, trying to feel for a crystal, but received no answer.

She was half tempted to contact Kylo, if to at least have someone to talk to. He would probably berate her for using the communicator for a dumb reason. She pushed the idea to the back of her head to be considered later.

A couple more hours passed with no luck. Rey's body was feeling weak. She had eaten her last ration bar ages ago but was still hungry. Her knees shook under her from the cold and from the walking. Rey sucked in a shaky breath, leaning up against the wall. She slid down, hugging herself tightly. She needed a break.

She placed the lamp in front of her, holding her hands in front of it for a small bit of warmth.

"I-I h-hate ice pl-lanets," she whispered. She glanced down the way she came previously. It was probably almost sunset. She would have to head back to the command shuttle. Rey hoped she would be able to find her way back.

"If y-younglings c-could do i-it, t-then you c-can R-Rey," she told herself. Her eyelids started to feel heavy. She knew it was a terrible time to drift off to sleep, but it was so hard to resist. Her eyes shut completely.

Suddenly a familiar sensation resonated through her, warming her insides. She found the will to open her eyes and was welcomed to the sight of Kylo Ren.

He sat directly in front of her in a meditative position. His helmet was gone, his eyes were closed and he didn't acknowledge her presence. She wondered if he even knew she was there. She took that moment to take in his face, since she saw it so rarely. It appeared that he had received extra medical attention on his scar. It had been stitched up leaving a thin line from his forehead down his neck. His black hair fell lightly over his eyes and Rey wanted to brush it back a bit. The thought startled Rey so she decided to break the silence.

"Is this going to b-be a p-permanent thing?" she questioned softly. Kylo inhaled a deep breathe, eyes still closed.

"I actually tried looking it up in The Ravenous archives while on my mission."

Rey, she gave him a shaky smile, "And are you g-going to t-tell me about this m-mission of y-yours?" He opened her eyes but did not answer her query. Rey shrugged, "Can't h-help it. I'm c-curious."

"You're cold," he stated dryly. Rey let her head tilt to the side. He clicked his tongue, "Right. That was dumb of me to say."

"W-What did you f-find? About t-the bond I mean," she whispered. Kylo watched her trembled from the cold, pity in his eyes. He had a feeling it would be a bad idea sending her into the caves. She wasn't used to such frigid climates. He sent his feelings of regret through the bond so she would know. Rey sucked in a shaky breath, not prepared for his empathy.

"There wasn't very much," he said, "at least nothing that pertained to our situation."

"Are you going to ask Snoke about it?" She did not stutter. She wanted him to know how serious her question was. Rey had no idea what Snoke would do if he knew about such a bond between them. It had the potential to be dangerous. He straightened his back.

"No. He doesn't need to know."

Rey visibly relaxed upon hearing that. The thought of that terrible man knowing about something so personal was nerve-racking. Kylo sensed her alleviation but said nothing. Knowing her, she would get all embarrassed.

"W-What were you doing before t-the bond a-activated?" she asked curiously. She wondered what he had been doing to pass the time while she was gone.

"That is a secret," was his reply. Rey's eyebrows scrunched together and she could have sworn the corners of his lips turned up for a split second.

"Should I b-be concerned?"

"No, but I'm still not going to tell you." Rey bit the inside of her mouth. She could try reading his mind, taking the information from him, but she didn't want to. He swore he wouldn't read her mind if she didn't read his. So far, he had held true to that promise and she would do the same. She was actually surprised he had.

"I really thought you would have tried to read my thoughts by now," she muttered softly. His face held an expression Rey could not place. He looked down at his hands, resting on his knees. He bit his lip, a gesture Rey found herself smiling at. His eyes met hers once again.

"I guess you don't know me as well as you think." Rey blinked slowly, her past regret taking hold of her heart. She allowed him to feel it through the bond. His shoulders went ridged and she knew she had surprised him.

"I think you're right."

His eyes widened a small fraction at her confession. As he opened his mouth to reply, Rey heard something echo through the corridor. Her head shot in that direction, her previous weariness vanishing. She jumped to her feet in an instant.

"Rey? What's happening?" he asked, his tone once again serious. Rey didn't respond, listening carefully. The sound of ice hitting the floor echoed through the chamber, followed by a light crunch.

She wasn't alone.

"Rey!" Kylo called out to her, but the connection broke off. Kylo's last expression being one of concern. Without another thought, Rey went sprinting into the opposite direction. Her feet slid against the icy floor. She started panting, out of tiredness and fear. She didn't know what was behind her but she was weaponless and had to get far away.

She ran through another corridor, her hands reaching out to steady herself. Her sides ached but she pressed forward.

She ran face to face with a wall of solid ice. There was no way around it. She would have to go back. Turning around to go back the way she came, Rey jumped when a loud crackling sound came from the corridor behind her. She panted loudly. Her pursuer was right behind her. There was nowhere to go. Rey stared at the path ahead of her where the next path intersected. The crackling grew louder with each passing second. Rey wondered if she had something she could use to throw at her follower. She felt nothing in her pockets and had foolishly left her lamp behind. The sound of footsteps on the ice could be heard. She could see a light reflecting off the surface of the floor. Her heart stopped.

The light was red.

From behind the corridor stepped Kylo Ren. He was wearing his helmet once more, along with the cowl he had back on Starkiller Base. Rey stepped backwards, her foot sliding a bit as she did.

"Kylo?" she questioned. He said nothing. He marched forward purposefully. Rey's eyes widened, memories of Takodana flooding her mind. He lifted his lightsaber.

"Ben!"

The lightsaber came down swiftly. Rey dodged it just barely. Without a moments hesitation she sprinted past him.

That's not him, she thought. Kylo had been talking to her just prior to her encounter and she really doubted he was trying to trick her, it must be a projection. A hallucination of some sort.

Whatever it was it was closing behind her fast. She turned down another path. If she could find her way back to the command shuttle then the real Kylo could help her. She just had to find her way back.

That might not be an option, she could hear the imposters boots echoing through the halls as he ran. Her heartrate continued to increase in total panic. She was running out of time.

She entered a small cavern. Imperial equipment was scattered all across the floor. One large drill leaned up against the wall, holding up the entry way.

Trust the Force.

Rey bit her lip, recalling Kylo's instructions. She turned to face the entry way she came through. Throwing her hands forward, she reached out through the Force. Her eyes closed tight, Rey could hear the imposter closing in fast. The drill against the wall began to creek. It trembled under the pressure of the Force. Kylo Ren appeared in the entry way. Her eyes snapping open, Rey threw her arms downward, the drill falling with them.

The cavern around her began to shake. Rey fell down to her knees from the shock. Chunks of ice fell from the entry way, on top of the hallucination of Kylo Ren. However, it did not stop there. More and more pieces of ice fell dangerously close to Rey. Pulling herself off the floor, she threw herself into the hall just as the ice destroyed the cavern.

Rey steadied herself onto her elbows, her body aching from the fall. She gasped, running a hand through the hair that had fallen from her buns. She glanced back at what was left of the cavern. It was completely filled with ice boulders. Her hallucination could not have survived. A sigh of relief slipped past her lips.

Suddenly, a faint glow resonated behind Rey. Frozen in place, Rey didn't know if the light was another illusion. She clenched her fists. She wouldn't know if it was safe if she didn't look. Hesitantly, Rey cast a glance over her shoulder.


Kylo kicked a boulder hard, knocking it from its spot and splitting it in half. He climbed over it, running down the next corridor.

"Rey!" he called out, his breath visible because of the temperature. He was in such a hurry to find Rey after their bond severed he didn't even bother putting his mask back on. The minute he saw her fearful expression he knew something was wrong and ran to the caves.

He only hoped he wasn't too late.

She can take care of herself, he kept trying to remind himself, but it did little to calm his nerves. She had no weapons and if she was in the presence of something hostile-

"Rey!" he called out again. He heard a rock roll on the ground several feet away. His hand flew to his hip where his lightsaber was. He gripped it tightly, waiting for the right moment.

His grip released when Rey rounded the corner.

She was trembling furiously, her feet stepping unevenly on the frozen floor. She mis-stepped and went falling. Without a second thought Kylo rushed to her, catching her before she hit the ground. He lowered her to the ground gently. He ran his hands up and down her arms hoping to warm her a bit.

"What happened? What attacked you?" he demanded. He could hear her teeth chattering. Kylo held her closer on instinct.

"A-A h-hallucination," she muttered, "I t-took c-care of i-it."

"I need to get you out of here," Kylo breathed out, "Forget this. We'll find a different planet to get the crystal." To his surprise Rey shook her head. Rey brought a shaky hand to the inside of her coat. She reached in and slowly brought her closed fist back out. She opened her fist and Kylo gasped.

Sitting in the center of her palm was a kyber crystal, and from it a brilliant white light emanated.

"I-I did it," she said smiling. Kylo's eyes shifted back to hers. Through them she could tell how pleased he was with her work. She didn't think she would see anything more satisfying coming from Kylo. She was proven wrong a moment later when he smiled at her. A true smile, full of pride.

"Yes, you did, my apprentice."

Kylo slipped his arms under her legs, hoisting her up into the air. Rey didn't argue with him. She was too tired to care, and in truth didn't mind. He was nice and warm. She laid her head against his chest, right where his heart was. It's peaceful rhythm lulled Rey into a powerful slumber. Kylo shook his head when he heard her soft snoring, but didn't try to wake her. He looked down at the crystal resting in her hand. He would tell her later what it meant to have such a unique crystal, but for the time being, he would let her sleep.

She earned it.

WOW, that one was the longest by far! I hope you can all forgive me for being a little behind schedule. Tests! What can you do, right? Leave a comment! Favorite! Follow! Have a fabulous day!