Chapter 13: Lessons

"Watch your ribs! You always leave yourself open to quick rib attacks. You would be dead in a matter of seconds." Moments ago he sent a swift kick to my ribs knocking the wind out of me. Now he is just circling around me as I sit on my knees catching my breath. There is sweat just dripping down our faces. His hair clinging to his forehead. Hes wearing only a long sleeve black shirt and his normal black pants and boots. Never removing his gloves. Its actually quite distracting because with his cloak and mask he would look much different. We have been in the training room for hours. Its located somewhere near the belly of the ship. A very large round room with a soft dark floor made of some material that seems to absorb my falls. If it wasnt for that im sure I would have a few broken bones by now. The dark red walls made from the same material as the floor. Kylo told me this morning while eating breakfast that this room is the Knights favorite training room. He made sure to warn me that it allows him to attack me better without actually hurting me. But I was sure his idea of hurting me was much different then what I think him hurting me would be. And now that we are here he is not holding back.

His electroblade training sword is humming in my ear. "Death by decapitation", he says from behind me holding his blade almost touching my neck. These weapons are made especially for training purposes, they may look like lightsabers but they are not deadly. They hurt like a son of a bitch when you get hit by one. Sending shock waves through that part of the body momentarily paralyzing it. Its less painful than whatever Huxs men used on me, but I still dont like it. "Do you not value your life. Fight like you have something to fight for! Get angry!" I use this moment to swing my leg out around in a perfect circle on the floor catching under Kylos feet sending him to the ground. I somersault backwards and I end up right next to him, hes laying down almost shocked. Thats the first time I have been able to bring him to the floor. I draw my electroblade and hold it up close to his face, hovering over his neck, nearly inches away from his jugular.

"Your dead." I quickly stand up allowing him to get back into his defense position. "I dont need anger to fuel me like you do." I say through my teeth, and I have to admit, this man does have a very good form. I try copying the way he positions his feet but the way he handles the electroblade is no match for me. I just cant seem to get the hang of this thing, it doesnt feel right in my hands. Almost... unbalanced. Hes ready to attack, I see him twitch his left foot and thats his clear indicator that hes going to shift position and charge. Using what he told me about the force, and using it to sense your opponents movement before they do it, I know he is about to sprint and charge my left side and without warning he closes the gap between us, but not fast enough because im able to duck away from his attack and hit him with the hilt of the blade right into his rib.

"Ouch!" He huffs and grabs at his side. "You are fast, I will give you that padawan."

"Thank you master." The last word rolls off my tounge, I hate it.

"Ill make you a deal. Every hit you get on me, I will answer one question you have. Only one per hit so choose wisely. Thats if you can even get another hit on me." His eyes are light, almost playful.

"Hmm, Deal." I charge at him with no warning and our blades comes crashing together, sending sparks above our heads. We engage in vigorously slashing our blades again and again, I refuse to allow a hit through. Trying to make sure im protecting my ribs as much as I can. I channel the force again and push him back a step, then two steps, then three steps till hes back up against the wall. He throws out his hand and send me flying to the other side of the room, I slide across the floor till my back is now against the wall. He charges but I roll out from under him and swing my blade just right and get him perfectly along the back. Sending him to the floor, he hunches over and lets out a loud moan. "Question One, why can you block me out and I cant block you?"

Hes still hunched over on the floor waiting for feeling to come tingle back into his spine. He picks himself off the ground and turns towards me. "That was a surprise. Very well done padawan." He positions himself again on the offence position ready to attack. "Because I am much stronger than you. With the proper training we can strengthen this bond and soon I wont be able to block you out. I dont like that very much, but it will come useful when we are in battle. You, fighting for the First Order." He lunges for me, I quickly meet his blade above my head.

"I. Will. Never. Fight. For. You." I say in between our blades striking against eachother. White sparks lightly falling from each contact point. Im not letting him get another hit in, my body is already soar and raw.

"We'll see", he says and he sends me to the ground with one kick to my thigh and comes down on my other leg with the electroblade.

"Arrrrrggg," I cringe at the pain and lay sprawled out on the ground. Kylo is standing over me just glaring down. He looks angry now.

Monster

"That I am, but your leaving yourself open to it. Protect every part of your body, or you will be leaving battle with less than four limbs. If you even leave at all." He turns and walks to the other side of the room. Retracts the blade and clips it to his pants. "I will allow you to try and get a hit on me, without my blade. Because that is only a tool. A lightsaber can be the most powerful tool there is in the Galaxy but you might not always have access to it. Watch me."

This is going to be to easy.

Hes just standing motionless on the other side of the circle and staring at me, grinning... waiting. As soon as I go to charge he lowers himself to the ground and puts both hands flat on the sides of him, closes his eyes and lowers his head. I feel the force around me shift. The ground ripples towards me, the waves reach my feet and send a bone chilling shock through my whole body causing me to scream out and sends me strait to my knees. The pain doesnt subside, instead it increases sending me even closer to the floor till im on my back crying out.

"Stop! Stop! Please Stop!" And it stops. When I open my eyes, hes standing over me. "What... was.. that" I say between gasps. My body still not allowing me to move. I wish I knew about that back on Curuscant.

"There are powers that you can access, that you cant even imagine. Imagine if you mastered them all. You cant even begin to understand the control you can have. All you have to do is WANT it bad enough, I can show you things a jedi can only dream of. They are all so weak, they dont see the good these types of abilities bring. The order it can bring." Hes angry, I feel it. "You have so much potential, and yet you are still bent around the fact that im a monster. Yes, im a monster but do you really think you can go back to your friends now and then face me at some point and take me down? Who would train you? Your very unstable."

Im still laying on the ground trying to bring feeling back to my body. "What makes you think that I wont allow you to train me and then turn against you and kill you? I will know all your secrets."

'Because your not dumb'

My brows crease, You dont know a thing about me! I didnt not just call myself dumb, did I?

"Your right. But I know enough that you know I will kill you before I let you kill me." Hes still very angry. I get up from the floor, my limbs dont feel like jelly anymore. He ignites his electroblade and I get strait into my stance and start slashing my blade as furiously as I can against his, trying to read every movement and I manage to stay about a millisecond ahead of him not letting him get to my ribs or back. Its like training with yourself, someone being able to read your body language and feel your movement before you make them. It does make for interesting fighting. I cant seem to break through until I notice his leg is out to far and with the slightest movement of my hand I push him back just far enough to land a hard slash of the blade to his calf. He goes strait down.

"Im getting better at that one." I say examining my hand.

"Fuck." He sprays through his teeth.

"Question Two", I stand and straiten my shoulders. Proud of myself for landing a second hit. "Why did you kill your father? Why did you kill Luke? Why do you have this vendetta against your entire blood line? Against your own mother? The leader of the Resistance! Why would you turn to this, make me into YOU?!" Im starting to yell. I dont understand this person. He can be so kind. He saved my life, it might be for his own personal gain. But I rather die at the hands of the King of Knights than of the King of the Underworld.

His eyes burn into mine and he shoots me back against the farthest wall. His hand stretched out and invisible hands start choking me but my body is frozen. "Thats more than one question. You better watch your tone with me scavenger. I am your Master, you need to remember that." He lets me go and I slouch to the ground. He starts walking towards me, I feel his anger. I dont fear him anymore as much as everyone does. I am of value after all, he isnt going to kill me yet. "I killed my father because he was weak and foolish. What purpose in this galaxy did he serve. He stole from people, he was a traitor, a smuggler. Ripping off anyone who stood in his way of money. He signed a death warrant a long time ago. Im just glad he lived long enough to let me be the one who did it."

My thoughts trail back to when Han Solo offered me a job.

"You're offering me a job?" "I'm considering it" The memory made me smile alittle. First time anyone ever offered me a real job.

"He would of gotten you killed eventually. Dont dwell on it. You did not know him like I did."

"Your right, I didnt have a father to get to know. But he seems like he would of been a good one to have. I wouldnt have killed him!" Im sitting on the ground with my back against the wall.

"If you want to ask me anymore questions you are going to have to hit me again"

I get up and charge at him with everything I have, striking him over and over with as much power and strength that I conger up. Im trying to summon the force around me but my attention is to drawn on trying to get another hit but he leaves me no space. Not even leaving me enough room to push him back with my hand. He lands a hit to my shoulder that send my electroblade flying across the room. I stomp off grabbing my shoulder. Cursing under my breath in languages im sure he doesnt understand.

"That was harsh", I manage to say. And for a moment I know his attention is elsewhere. I wish I could easily read his thoughts. He doesnt look happy.

"I want to try something else", he says a few minutes later as im rolling my shoulder trying to bring feeling back faster. "Sit down."

So I do as im told and sit in my favorite lotus position in the center of the room. He slowly takes off his gloves and sets them on the ground next to him. He sits across from me mimicking me and he brings his attention to my hands.

"Give them to me. We are going to try opening up the bond more." So I do what he says and I set my hands in his in the middle of our knees. My hands are so little compared to his. He closes his hands around mine. His eyes close and he starts slowly breathing. I follow his actions and slow my breathing. "Clear your mind."

"Kind of hard when your always in there", I say rolling my eyes even though they are closed. He lets out a long breath trying to focus. I feel it, it starts as a tingle but it grows by the second swallowing my body. Its a mix of so many emotions at once. Fear, anger, lust, anguish, need, rage, completeness, and power. Its overwhelming, making my heart flutter. And then I see it. Images that flash in front of me. There are hundreds of bodies laying on the ground. Ripped to pieces. Men, women, children all dead. All I see is red. I hear a heartbeat racing out of control just pounding in my ears. There are screams, blood wrenching screams. And in the distance I see 6 black statues looking men. All tall and broad with different masks, different types of cloaks, and all have a different type of weapons all staring right at me.

I spring my eyes open and hes just looking at me, "Did you do that!? Did you feel that!? What happened!? What was that!"

"You wanted to know what I feel. You want us to open the connection like this. Your gonna regret it, but you wont stop trying to pry into my thoughts. You keep asking why you cant just get into my mind. Well there are things you dont need to see. I only allow you to see what I want you to. I cant keep all of you out. I always feel what you feel. At least for now I can somewhat block you from certain things on my end. I am not as weak as I was when I first interrogated you. I was caught off guard then." He gets up, puts his gloves on and grabs his cloak and mask from the floor near the door. "We are done for today. LH-2013 will take you back to my room. There is dinner waiting for you. Ill be back later I have something I need to take care of. If you try anything stupid I will be forced to kill LH-2013. You dont want that do you? Im not leaving the ship so if you need anything..." He points to his head, "Just ask. Ill leave it open for the time being". He puts his mask on and leaves. A Silver Stormtropper appears and proceeds to lead me back to the room. Im so hungry and I dont care that I have so many unanswered questions. I guess they can wait till later. Unnaturally, there in the back of my mind, I can hear and feel the faintest of heartbeats that wasnt there before.

'The bond has strengthened' As if hes reassuring me. Its his heartbeat.

**Now that their bond has strengthened there will be such growth in these two. I wonder what they will accomplish... ;) -SSL **