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Sleep

By: The Hat Potato

"Damn it!" Kylo Ren screamed as he punched the wall beside him. The same wall that Rey had seemed to be on just seconds before. His hand shot out to his lightsaber on a nightstand nearby and willed it to come to him. Before he could think about what he was doing, he had imprinted a large X on that cursed wall.

His face still stung and his anger only grew. How dare she? She deserved nothing. She was nothing. And yet, she, a lowly scavenger, had just denied him. She thought much too highly of herself. This girl, who had started as trash, had now been thrown into a life of power and importance. She didn't know how to handle herself. She didn't know how to respect others. She had to be taught. He would have to teach her. That was the only way she woul- His dramatic inner monologue was rudely interrupted by an abrupt knocking at his door.

"Master Ren? Sir? General Hux requests your presence in the meeting about the housing project." called an extremely nervous stormtrooper. Sighing along with an audible grunt of wrath, Kylo grabbed his mask and placed it on his head, hiding the expression of fury and disappointment that his face wore. With that, he opened his door into the cold, metal world beyond.

He glared at the stormtrooper and stated, "Fix that wall," before walking stiffly down the hall to whatever boring meeting Hux was requiring him to attend.

This place was stupid. Moreover, the people he was forced to associate with were stupid. What good would he be listening to a meeting about housing on the ships? Did he look like an interior decorator? He should be constantly working - constantly searching - to find Luke Skywalker… and that godforsaken girl.

The meeting dragged on for an unholy amount of time. Kylo silently refused to pay any attention, though he rarely did anyway. He could not remove her from his mind. She sat on his brain like acid, slowly wearing down his sanity.

"Ren… REN!" Hux finally shouted at him, trying desperately to earn his attention. Kylo was snapped out of his state of sulking. Hux, pleased that he had caught his superior's mind wandering, set out to make him look like a fool, "Your thoughts, Sir?"

Kylo could not take it any longer. He refused to be looked down on by yet another person who was inferior to him. He stood and his hand shot out to the direction of Hux's neck. At once, the red head's face began to match the color of his hair.

"I think," Kylo began cynically, "that it is about time for this meeting to be over."

A choking Hux could just barely nod his approval before Kylo finally let up his torment.

"Do not summon me again tonight," he left as a threat as he stalked out of the room.

Sleep would not come easy for him tonight. It hardly ever did, but now he had even more to think over; to obsess over. What angered him the most was the fact that, at first, she had not resisted. Her body and mind had responded to him almost immediately. No fight was put up. He was almost sure that she had wanted him just as much. Maybe he shouldn't have gone that far. Maybe it was too much too soon. But that's what she didn't understand. Despite the fact that she had only just felt something towards him, he had been feeling, dreaming, and craving her since the moment he first saw her. He just needed to clear his head… to get a good night's sleep. Or at least that's what he told himself as he finally drifted off.

xxxxx

Rey felt dead. The culmination of physical, emotional, and mental stress had finally reached its breaking point in her body. Days had gone by since her last encounter with Kylo, and she was thankful for the fact that she did not need to fully address that at the moment. She was so tired. She hadn't gotten out of bed in days from sheer exhaustion. Her head pounded against her skull and her nose ran wild. She curled up once more under her piles of blankets.

Kylo could sense the connection just as it began to form. All of his anger and bitterness returned to him in a wave of hatred. He needed to yell at her. He didn't care if it made her hate him. He didn't care if it would end all chance of a further relationship. He could not control the pent up fury and frustration that begged him for release.

As soon as the connection fully solidified, he could tell something was wrong with her. She was sick. Her eyebrows furrowed and her hand flew to her head. She would figure out the source of the pain in seconds. All thoughts of yelling at this innocent girl were gone. In their place were thoughts of care and concern. Her eyes cracked open.

She let out a soft groan, "Ben?" Why'd she have to use that name? Something about her calling him by his old name, from a life that seemed eternities ago, made him even more curious about her strength and nerve. She herself was not sure what she was supposed to call him or why she went with Ben. Maybe it was an act of defiance, or maybe it was a way to remind him of the light.

Ben knew he had to be gentle. "Are you okay?" he asked, testing the waters of conversation.

Slowly, she began to nod, "I'm just sick. I'll be alright in a day or two." Ben could tell how tired she was by the way her words mumbled together as though she was already falling back asleep. The fact that she felt safe enough to fall asleep in front of him made him smile a little. Or it was a testament to how sick she truly was. But, either way, she was just so beautiful. Her soft brown hair gently caressed the sides of her face, neck, and shoulders. Her thick eyelashes were now batted shut in sleep. Her features relaxed in a sign of peace.

What was more practically interesting, in Ben's opinion, was how her mind opened up. He took the opportunity gratefully. He was in desperate need to know her thoughts on their encounter. It was slowly but surely driving him crazy. He could see the two of them in her mind. She was… confused. Confused about her feelings towards him. She didn't understand why she would feel drawn to her enemy like that. With time, he intended to show her why. Eagerly, he began to push a little harder, hungry to learn more. However, even in her state of sleep, she seemed to be pushing him away.

That's when Kylo saw something of even greater value flash through her thoughts. Her location. She had been living on a remote jungle planet called Ahch-To. The island he had seen in their first interrogation flickered back in his mind. It all made sense. This was it. This was perfect. Now he could have Luke Skywalker and Rey.

He waited patiently for the connection to end, simply watching the girl he was about to betray. Finally, he confidently walked out of the room and strode to the main control center.

"We need ships en route to Ahch-To. I found them," he declared, a bit more smugly than necessary.

The End