"Aghhh!" Rey yelled and spun, twirling her staff over her head and swinging downwards and aimed at Ben's shoulder. He deflected, catching her staff with his weapon and pushing away her blow with ease. Rey stumbled backwards.
He wielded an old piece of a power coupling Rey snatched from inside the Falcon. It was strong and sturdy, about the length of a lightsaber, minus the deadly blade.
Ben and Rey were on a sunny, flat hilltop near the ancient village. Their feet tore through the grass beneath them as they twirled and dodged each other's swings. Rey enjoyed the stinging heat that was building in her muscles because she had missed training with her staff. It was her favorite weapon to wield, but unfortunately not always lethal for serious combat.
Rey countered Ben's deflection with the other end of her staff and he blocked it again, swinging around to catch the blow.
It felt a little strange to spar with Ben like this. It was the first time they weren't actually trying to hurt - or kill - each other, yet it all felt so familiar. She knew all of his movements and he knew hers, seeing each other's intentions milliseconds before they acted. Their bond made it nearly impossible to best each other, like two moving as one.
Ben's face during combat was all too familiar to Rey. He didn't carry the same darkness and anger that he had as Kylo Ren, but his face was still just as focused and intense, eyes bright and on fire from the excitement of physical combat.
Rey tried hard to tune out her natural instinct to not hurt him. She had to have faith that he would deflect her attacks, and each time he proved her right.
However, the competitiveness in her still made her want to win, to succeed.
Rey called on the force, as she always did, to help her overcome his raw, physical strength. Without it, she would be no match for him, but she was able to channel the force into her swings, making them powerful enough to send him stumbling backwards when executing a full attack.
Rey breathed heavily, backing up and holding her staff at her thighs with both hands. Sweat began to build on her forehead and trickle down her chest. Long strands of Ben's black hair stuck to his face and neck.
Ben backed up too, eyeing her like a predator.
"You need a break?" He asked.
Rey felt a strange sting of fury build in her chest at that question. "No! What? No."
Ben grinned, crouching low and flourishing the power coupling around his body. His eyes remained locked on her, waiting for his prey's next move.
Rey frowned and called on the force, evening her breath. She ground her teeth, setting her lips into a hard line.
She inhaled suddenly, spinning to gain momentum and swinging her staff back in his direction, aiming for his side. He deflected and she quickly hopped back, dodging a quick swipe he took at her midsection.
She turned and thrust her staff forward in a stabbing motion, aiming for his stomach. He parried, turning suddenly and wacking her hard in the back with the power coupling.
Rey yelped, standing up straight and walking it out, breathing heavily. The blow stung and made her face redden with chagrin.
"Ow." She growled, glaring at him.
Ben shrugged, "Had that been a lightsaber, you'd be dead." He crouched low again, "Try harder."
Rey cocked her head to the side and gave him a 'what-the-hell-did-you-just-say-to-me' look. She lunged at him then, a tinge of annoyance fueling her strike.
She dished out several solid blows, all of which he deflected or doged. The sounds of their grunting and groaning filled the hilltop and bounced off the rock of the island.
In between a set of cadences, they paced around each other in a circle like vultures, eyes never leaving each other. Suddenly, Ben came forward hard on the offensive, driving Rey backwards, her boots scuffing through the grass below her.
Her chest was heaving now and she drew upon the force to help balance the strength of his attacks. He was a blur of black coming at her and for a brief moment she worried he may snap her beloved staff in two.
Rey focused, harnessing the force to tell her Ben's next move. She saw his step a split second before he made it, and she moved quickly the opposite way, landing a solid blow on the side of his right arm.
Ben grunted loudly and ground his jaw together, rubbing his arm.
"Ow." He said, glaring at her.
Rey shrugged and winked. "Try harder."
Ben grinned viciously, and she didn't give him time to rest as she lunged forward at him again, swinging and twirling her staff in his direction.
Suddenly, Ben parried through her next swing and unexpectedly landed yet another stinging blow on the back of her thighs. She heard him jump back and chuckle, clearly happy with his work.
Rey turned away from him, inhaling deeply through the pain. She felt pure anger uncontrollably build inside her then. She did not like being bested in combat and she knew she was better than this. She closed her eyes, latching onto the pain and harnessing it, mirroring what she had felt Ben do so many times before.
She felt the dark energy flow through her, thick and potent like lava. The feeling was familiar, but she had never accepted it like this before. She let go, and allowed the fire to ignite inside her. It burned intensely bright, ringing in her ears and radiating power and heat from her chest down to her finger tips.
I'm going to make him wish he never asked to see this.
She snapped open her eyes, witnessed her vision narrow like a hawk, and turned back to Ben to face him.
Ben was crouched to fight but raised slowly at the sight of her and his mouth parted into a small "O".
"There it is," he whispered, barely audible but she could hear him due to her heightened senses.
Something deep inside her told her not to hurt him but the anger that flowed through her screamed the opposite, and right now that voice was louder.
Rey stepped slowly towards him and he sprung back down into a defensive crouch. She felt a grin melt slowly across her face as she began to pace before him like a lioness. Her eyes were low, only seeing him as everything else blurred out of focus. Her grip on her staff tightened and she felt her knuckles whiten.
Ben took a deep breath in, then stood suddenly and attacked. He swung his weapon towards her and she caught the blow with her staff, shoving the weight of him off her with the force. Ben stumbled back, and Rey stalked closer to him, slowly.
He spun and attacked again, but she blocked, turned and counter attacked. He caught the hit, grunting from the force of it.
Rey let out a small huff of air, a breathless laugh that she had never heard before.
She stepped backwards, pivoting, and came at him with full power. Her grunts were high pitched against his low ones as they battled.
At one point in the brawl, she slapped his leg with her staff, returning the blow from earlier. Rey smiled breathlessly, pleased with herself.
Ben came at her, swinging at full force. He spun and aimed a blow straight down at the top of her head. She extended her staff above her and caught the strike. They held there for a moment, eyes locked as they waited to see who would break first.
Ben surprised her by dropping his weapon. She held her staff up, eyeing his weapon in slow motion as it fell to the grass. His hands were suddenly on her staff, grabbing the middle. Before she could react, he spun her around quickly, the world a blur for a half second. Then, he was gone, no longer in front of her.
Ben had Rey pressed up against his torso, pinned between him and her staff. Her arms were locked at her sides and he squeezed hard, using his physical strength over hers to his advantage. She could feel his chest heave against her back side, and his breath came in sharp huffs that blew tendrils of her brown hair in her face.
She wriggled trying to escape, grinding her teeth and struggling against him.
"Uh uh." Ben tutted at her. He squeezed harder.
Rey relaxed suddenly, an idea creeping up through the tendrils of the thick darkness that still flowed through her.
She turned her head towards him, tilting her head up to meet his neck. Her eyes were met with thick cords of muscle and small freckles that dotted his skin there. She breathed slowly against his soft skin, then began to softly kiss his neck, moving her tongue across his skin. With her hands pinned to her sides, she turned her right hand and grasped his upper thigh, squeezing hard.
Rey could taste the salt on his skin as she worked and she groaned slightly.
Ben froze at first then practically melted under her touch. She felt his hold soften on her staff as he exhaled as sigh, giving her just enough room to free an arm from his grasp. She pulled her arm forward and drove her elbow into his stomach, grabbing her staff, and dancing away from him.
Ben doubled over, the breath knocked out of him.
"Agh...ok...that was...the worst...possible thing you...you...could have done...in that moment." He said in between breaths, shaking his head and holding his stomach.
At the sight of him in pain, Rey shook her head and cleared the fog that riddled her. The thick lava of darkness washed away and was replaced by cool balance. She felt like herself again.
What just happened?
Rey moved a shaky hand to her lips, still tasting the salt of him. She looked at her hands then back at him, her eyes wide with confusion.
Ben slowly stood to his full height.
She dropped her staff to the ground and shook her head, frowning down at her hands.
That wasn't right.
"I shouldn't have done that." She said, shakily. "I'm sorry, that...that wasn't me."
Ben shook his head, taking a step closer to her with his hand extended, "Rey-"
"No! Please, no." She extended both hands out and backed away, begging him to come no further.
Ben stopped in his tracks, his hand lowering.
"Please, that wasn't me, I don't know...I'm so sorry, I...are you ok?" Her words were spilling out of her, "Ben, I can't control it, I-" Her voice caught in her throat, her words shaking.
Ben's eyebrows furrowed, taking another slow, careful step closer to her.
Her eyes watered, threatening to overflow, "Don't make me do that again, I don't want to hurt you again like...like that. I didn't like myself in that state, please-"
"Rey, shhh." He closed the space between them then in two giant strides, grasping her against her will and crushing her to his chest.
She surrendered and took in the scent of him, her face pressed against his chest. Sobs began to erupt out of her, tears wetting his black shirt.
"I'm sorry-"
"Rey, please stop saying that." He pulled away slightly to crane her face up to his. He grabbed her face in between his hands and forced her to look into his eyes. "I'm ok. Don't worry about me. I should be the one apologizing. I didn't mean to push you, I shouldn't have done that."
Ben shook his head as his eyes darted back and forth as they searched hers, brows furrowing in concern.
She stared up into his dark brown eyes, his black hair tumbling to frame his face like a halo.
She shook her head in between his hands and exhaled. She closed her eyes and grabbed his waist, pulling him back to her as she buried her face in his chest.