Chapter Twenty-Two:

If hatred could kill, Kylo would be dead. Luckily for them all, he's still standing, impervious to the disgust rolling off Poe and Finn.

Rey is stuck in the middle, arms outstretched. This is not the turn of events she had hoped for. The First Order knows they are making for Ahch-To, but they still have the advantage of time on their side. They just have to be quick, get the information they need and hightail back into the hyperspace without dying. No problem.

Except...

"Even if we get it off Ahch-To in one piece with the information we need, what's going to stop Lord Big Mouth here from giving away our next destination?" Poe demands, laying forth the trouble niggling at the back of Rey's mind.

It's a big problem.

Kylo clenches a fist. There's a rippling in the air, a rage of Force reaching out.

Rey turns on him, eyes flaring. "Careful," she warns him. "Temper."

He meets her gaze with scorn, but the air relaxes, peace an uneasily won companion. "I can keep my mind shut," he says, addressing her, ignoring the others. "It won't happen again."

"And how sure are you of that?" Finn asks.

"Pretty sure," Kylo replies, casting him a stoic look.

Finn and Poe exchange a glance.

"Maybe," Rose speaks up then, drawing everyone's attention. "Maybe we should just keep our destination a secret. Rey can find out the coordinates. If Kylo doesn't know them, he can't tell them. It's simple really."

Relief wells in Rey. Trust Rose to be the clear-headed one. "Perfect. Does that satisfy everyone?"

It's remarkable how alike the three men look as they shrug with noncommittal expressions on their face. "Okay. Great. Because we're coming out of hyperspace."

#

Luke is waiting for them when they set down on the island. Rey cries out his name at the sight of him, an excited greeting. Kylo lingers a bit behind. There's something about this island that sets his nerves on end. There's a new buzzing in his ear, growing louder and insistent. It wants him to fall over. But he stays standing against it, ignoring the sharp glances coming from Finn and Poe, ignoring the way Luke keeps glancing at him over Rey's shoulder with mild sympathy.

Rose's idea to keep him ignorant is fine, but he has a better idea. He should just take off on his own. Escape to a corner of the galaxy where he doesn't have to deal with war. Solitude sounds lovely to him.

"Well, don't just stand there."

Luke's sharp tone draws him back to the moment.

Kylo grits his teeth, but he storms forward as Rey and Luke head up along a path. The others remain behind, on watcher duty.

"So, you're not haunting me anymore," he says to Luke, less of a question than a statement.

"You were unconscious for so long. Grew tired of waiting for you to wake up. Good job by the way with telling the First Order where to find you."

"You know, I was fine until I ended up with the Resistance."

"No, you were not fine. You're still not fine. And you won't be fine til this is dealt with," Luke says calmly. "That war in you might just kill you, kid."

"So I keep hearing."

"Why is that?" Rey interjects then.

"Because if he is too much of Kylo, freeing Ben could be the death of him."

Kylo grits his teeth. Even the sound of Ben's name sets his nerves on edge. He feels like he could break apart.

"Oops," Luke says. "You've got to have better control than that if you want to survive."

Kylo glowers at him. "So, where are you taking us?"

"To the mirror," Luke replies. "You'll have to pass through it to find the answers you're looking for. Though I don't think it's a good idea for you to try if a name breaks through your armour."

"I can go alone," Rey says gently.

"No," Kylo insists. "I'm stronger than I look."

"Kylo..."

He hesitates at that. "You've stopped calling me... the other thing. Are you that worried about me falling apart?"

Her eyes are conflicted, torn with concern, worn with weariness. "I'm just trying to be careful."

"Well, I'm not some fragile piece of glass. So stop it."

Silence keeps them until they reach a large hole in the ground. Dark roots spill out from it.

Luke gestures invitingly. "After you. But be careful. And quick."

Rey breathes in deep, then extends a hand to Kylo. He stares down at it hard, puzzled by it. But he takes it. And feels as he does, a different rippling of emotions through him.

Rey gasps, and he knows she feels it too. The Force binding them.

They jump, fall into a deep lake of water.

It's all darkness except for a strange glow coming from a small inlet at one end.

They swim together, strokes matched, and clamber onto the firm land.

Their reflections greet them.

"The mirror?"

She nods. "Do you remember that night last year when I told you of facing myself?"

He does remember. The night he realized how deep their bond ran, how they had touched fingers though they were galaxies apart.

"This was where it happened," she explains, though it isn't necessary. He put that together.

They step up to the reflective glass together and rest their palms against it.

At once, a figure shimmers into view before him. He recognizes him at once as Ben Solo.

"You keep saying you're strong enough, but you're not."

Pain explodes in him. He crumples to his knees, hands pressed firmly against the glass. Dark laughter echoes in his head. Hux's face flashes across his eyes.

"Ben?"

She calls him Ben. She doesn't know. "They're close now," he tells her, pulling away from the glass, panting as the agony rolls slowly away. "I can't — Go on without me."

#

"Go on without me." Rey hears his words, sees his struggle, and heeds him though her heart is torn. She has to hurry if she wants this to be done.

A dark silhouette takes shape in the mirror. Her own. She wields a red lightsaber, darkness curling out from her.

"No," Rey gasps. "No."

The Sith Rey glares back at her. "It would be so easy. To fall to the dark side. The Sith want you. Accept them and you can save the world."

"No," Rey says again. "No."

"I have seen your future. If you refuse me now, Finn will die, and Poe, and Finn. And Ben. And then you."

"That is not my future." Rey draws her own lightsaber, the blue light refracting around her.

She stabs it through the mirror.

It fractures, splintering around her, the image breaking away with it.

... rey...

The voice that calls to her is calm, gentle. It beckons her forward.

She follows it. An orb hovers in the darkness, aglow with a bluish light. As she comes closer she sees what it really is. A map.

#

Finn and Poe lean against the Millennium Falcon, their eyes on the horizon.

"Either he's going to be the death of us, or I'm going to be the death of him," Poe tells Finn in a dark voice.

Finn shivers at the intensity in the words.

"You should be a little more empathetic," Rose calls from the other side of the ship. She's keeping her eyes out on that side, waiting for danger.

"Like he was?"

"You have to be better than him."

"I already am."

The back and forth sets a headache in Finn's temple. He clutches Poe's shoulder, squeezes it tenderly. "You are. We know that."

"Then why do I hate myself?"

It's a question that remains unanswered for the moment as Chewie lets out a howling wail.

Finn turns in the direction of the Wookiee. He sees it too. Three dark ships bursting into view across the dusk sky.

AN: Some action at last, am I right ;)

Hope you're keeping well, dear readers 3