This fanfic is set after the events of The Last Jedi. Enjoy!

A Sky of Troubles

'Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires.' - William Shakespeare

Chapter 1

'But we need the last piece and somehow you convinced the droid to show it you…' The baritone voice stops.

I wrestle once more against the cold restraints and the even colder tone in his words.

'You… A scavenger.'

His venom drips onto my tongue and creeps into my heart. I can't look at him, but I see him in my mind's eye as clear as day. I can never escape him.

'You know I can take whatever I want.' He leans forward, his face inches away from mine. I sense this rather than see it; smelling the leather and sweat, but also a lingering musk and mix of spice – an engine before take-off.

'Then take it,' I reply sharply, not eager to drag this torture out longer than necessary. I scrunch my eyes up tighter and brace for the pain. Guided by instinct, I hold my breath.

The sound of his lonely breathing deepens and seems to reverberate in the cell around us, but he doesn't touch me.

Not being able to stand the suspense, I open my eyes a fraction and catch a glimmer of sadness and confusion on his scowling face. He doesn't seem to be directing it at me though…

He meets my eyes and the scowl becomes a smirk. It's the closest I've even seen to a smile since… since… that night.

'It's no fun if you're going to give in that easily.' He turns and walks away, my metal restraints click and my hand reaches for him as he melts into the darkness.

'Don't. Don't leave me.'

Covered in sweat, with itching eyes, Rey clawed the scrap of pillow beneath her head. Two strobes of light filtered in through the dusty glass of her stone room. The lowest spot of sunshine told her that the second sun was high and that she had overslept again.

Rolling onto her back and pushing her palms onto her flushed face, she wondered again why she couldn't escape her memories of Kylo, even in her dreams. But it was not the memories that she was most concerned with; the link between them remained constant, even after Snoke's death, and it was only growing stronger between the pair.

Unable to control her dreams any more than the burning weather outside, Rey stood up and doused her face in the now-warm water beside her bed. Why did I want him to stay? He's not my family. I have no family. They've all left me. After an extra dowsing for good measure, she threw on her outer clothes and quickly left her quarters.

Outside in the yard, the Resistance, or what was left of it after the escape from Crait, was installing defences around the perimeter and manning the look-out posts. They had managed to light speed in the Millennium Falcon to a planet (or rather a moon) called Concordia, but Rey knew that these were just temporary measures, a child's toys, in the eyes of Kylo and the First Order.

She was exhausted. Constantly using the force to create a barrier in her mind against him had left her mentally and physically exhausted. She didn't even have time to consider any emotional drain.

'General Organa,' Rey called, approaching the elegant, older woman who still wore her grey cloak despite the oppressing humidity.

'I've told you, call me Leia.' The general put her hand to Rey's shoulder, a motherly gesture, which Rey still didn't trust.

'Ma'am, I seriously think that we should move to the Wild Space beyond the Outer Rim. There are planets out there uninhabited by anyone. The First Order could track us here or if someone told them… well then, we would be no better off here than during our stand on Crait!' Rey didn't share the dread that she was the one that might reveal their whereabouts. Kylo was still far too close to her and could even possibly see their base right now – though she couldn't sense his presence.

'My dear, we are the final spark, the light in the darkness. If we relocate into the Wild Space, how will we be able to reach our allies? We cannot beat the First Order alone.' She must have noticed the doubting expression on Rey's face because she once more rested her hand on Rey's shoulder and continued. 'Now I know that you're worried, but let's put that energy to good use. Commander Dameron has a mission for you. You'll find him in the shipyard.' General Organa's hand moved onto Rey's back and pushed her in the direction of the tunnel.

This moon was full of old mines, abandoned long ago. Many of these, in the more deserted areas, had been used by the rebels of old, but now remained eerily dark and hollow. Rey couldn't help but feel a peculiar kinship with these lonely hollows, continuing on their journeys, hoping to find the light, but not knowing where to go once the light was found. She fearlessly stepped into the darkness.

In his chambers, Kylo poured himself a whiskey and took a hard gulp. It burned down his throat and took his mind away from… other things. It was not quite as strong as the Corellian bottle at the back of his cupboard, but then again he still needed to keep his senses sharp.

Since becoming the Supreme Leader, Kylo had felt the effects of his actions on Crait keenly. He knew that he had leapt into action without any thought. He knew that he alone was responsible for allowing the scum to escape.

And now once again I've been betrayed and deserted by someone I care for. Cared for.

Did I even care for her?

No. I simply wanted her power. We could have built a better world together.

We could still build that world, with her by my side. Once her 'friends' are destroyed, she will have no-where else to turn.

He once again tested their bond, the thread between him and her that stretched across the vast space and sky. She was not there. He couldn't reach her. Sinking down into a chair, he turned the light off with a slight flick of a finger and drowned himself in the darkness and drink.

It had been less than two weeks since he had last physically seen her: closing the door on him and flying away in Solo's ship. Rey had looked at him with hatred, but also fear - the same look he had seen on Skywalker's face all those years ago.

He knew he shouldn't spare her. She deserved to die along with the filth that she had chosen - chosen over him. Why should he ever hope for anyone to understand his vision? Understand his power? Understand him?

The hollow, empty earth.

Cold stone and forgotten passages.

Echoes. Footsteps. Breathing.

Where was he? Darkness surrounded him. Dark and dense and soundless. The hum of the engines was gone. The flickering of lights had vanished. He was finally alone.

'Who's there? Finn?' A voice in the darkness.

She had felt completely isolated beneath the cold ground, as though nobody else existed. Rey had let her guard down. She reached out with the force, and saw him in the gloom.

'Who's Finn?'

The voice sent tremors to the depths of her stomach.

'Is it that Stormtrooper?' He spat, as though the words had soured in his mouth.

'H-how did you find me? Get away from me!' Rey thrust out her hand and pushed him mentally from her. She couldn't even bring herself to look at him. She didn't trust herself.

Kylo didn't budge. He cocked his head to the side and raised one flawlessly black eyebrow. 'Do you think I wanted to find you?' He looked around the mine, but the small torch in Rey's palm only lit a few feet around them. 'I will discover your rebel base, and decimate your puny Resistance. I have no desire to be in this pit with you any longer than necessary.'

His words were venom, and so familiar. Rey kept a straight face and looked deeper into the tunnel. She wouldn't indulge this child and his inflated ego. She stayed silent.

'I didn't choose to be here,' he exasperated. 'All I remember is feeling lon—' He stopped himself. 'You know how this works. We cannot choose when and where!' His anger seethed inside. She was the enemy; he needed to be careful.

Rey had finally drawn her eyes to his. She had seen self-doubt and a void of loneliness, and then in the next moment, it was gone, wrapped in rage. But she saw it. She had. Hadn't she? All those months ago when she had touched his hand across the fire pit, outstretched and searching for someone to talk to, she had felt the conflict and aching inside him. No. That was before he had tried to kill me. He hates me, as much as I hate him... Yet I reached out to him too. We worked together to defeat Snoke. He saved me… but he killed his father!

'How could you…' Rey tore her eyes away from his. She couldn't lose herself again.

'How could I what?' He took a step towards her, now making out the freckles on her skin and the blonde highlights bleached by sunlight. They glinted in the orange glow and then he noticed her fingers twitching at her lightsabre's hilt. He looked back at her accusingly. 'You left me.'

She inhaled sharply. 'You gave me no choice. You wanted to run away. You wanted to destroy my friends.' Her voice rose in a cacophony that threatened to collapse the earth and trap them in the eternal darkness. Then in a whisper, with her lightsabre now in her shaking hand and her thumb hovering over the activation plate, 'Did you even consider what I wanted?'

This question gave him pause. Why should he consider what she wanted? Why should he even consider her? She had left him in the rubble and debris of the ship and not even given him a second thought. But could she have maybe, possibly, wanted to stay with him?His hand travelled across the space between them to stay her hand on the lightsabre's hilt. 'What did you want?' he asked.

Rey's wide eyes darted to her hand now covered by his. She could feel the warmth radiating through his glove. How could she feel him? How could he be this warm and have a heart so cold? What did she want? Could he sense it? Could he feel her? If he focussed on her, could he know that she longed for his hand to stay exactly where it was? She pulled her eyes away from his hand, up along his chest and to his questioning frown and searching eyes. There was no malice, no fury, just simple longing. What do you want from me? Is it me you really want? Her eyes begged for answers and her heart had always driven her: convincing her not to sell a droid that could have kept her fed for months, persuading her to hear out a murderer who was lonely on one cold night, making her wait for parents who had long abandoned her… She was done with listening to her heart. Only her mind could save her now. He doesn't want me. He just wants my power.

Rey's thumb activated the sabre and green light flooded the two shocked faces in the empty cavern.

The luminescent blade pierced through his chest.

Kylo saw the animal snarl and let go of its claws. He relinquished his hold. He was back in his dark room, an empty glass of whisky in his hand and a deadly burning in his chest.