Sadly I own neither Star Wars or Naruto. The ownership of Star Wars is held in the palm of our Disney Overlords, while the ownership of Naruto falls to the legend himself, Masashi Kishimoto.

[A/N]:

Hello, I'm back after so, so many months of absence. Did anyone miss me? Don't worry, I heard every answer, and I missed you all as well. (Wipes tear). Today I'm going back and fixing some issues I had with the development of characters in my story. The events that took place in chapters 1, 2, and 3 are all the same, but the dialogue has been tweaked to fix issues that were pointed out in comments. Characters were taking directions I didn't like, so I needed to mitigate the damage before I got too deep into the story. Worry not your pretty little heads, there is a new chapter today. Chapters 2 and 3 are going to be combined into a single chapter. So, if you read chapter 2, know you are getting a two-for-one. Your welcome. Chapter 3 is a new chapter, and hopefully it is to everyone's enjoyment! I put a lot of time into these chapters, re-reading over and over to try and make it somewhat... readable. If you are going to spend your time reading it, why shouldn't I put the effort to make it... decent? Meh, I find my writing is trash, but if even one person enjoys it, that's enough for me. Enough of my ramblings, no one cares and 99% of you skipped over this note anyway.

Much love - Axvo

Star Wars: A Hope Reborn

The Force is an endless mystery. These years of exploration have opened the wider Galaxy to me in ways I could never have imagined, and with each new world visited a new secret of the Force is found… Weeks have gone by now and I've felt a pull from the Force, as if someone calls to me. Master Shan and Darth Marr mentioned the concept of a dyad, but I've never encountered someone so naturally attuned to the Force… so how was the connection made? When I reach out to capture the identity of this anomaly, it runs through my palms like an intangible liquid. Just who are you?

Fox Paw System Log: 4921

33 ABY

SW:AHR

A wasteland spread underneath the low orange glow of the planet's sun, sand dunes stretching in all directions. A never ending expanse of infinitesimally small rocks sparkled underneath the harsh heat provided from above. Once a planet of amazing beauty, a planet that many loved and inhabited, had now fallen into ruin over a millennia ago, following a series of unknown and cryptic circumstances lost to legends amongst locals. The planet of Jakku now ignites only feelings of dread for those unlucky enough to reside on its Force forsaken surface.

Among the dunes in the sea of sand rested the carcasses of AT-ATs, Star Destroyers, fighters, and even some freighters that had once held large cargo supplies. These were the remaining remnants of the Battle of Jakku (the climatic battle between the Galactic Empire and the New Republic), which are now used for scavenging. The massive corpses of durasteel littered large portions of the planetary surface, bringing with their desecrated remains the seemingly never-ending business of dismantling their remains.

One such scavenger was making her way out of the confines of a downed AT-AT, her brown hair covered fully by a light-colored cloth, the same color as the clothes wrapping around her body that helped protect her pale skin from the unforgivingly harsh ultra-violet rays. Hazel eyes glared at the desert in frustration, the feelings of discontent flowing through her, drew out a desire to be something more, something better than what she currently was.

This young woman's name is Rey. No matter how harsh her reality may be, she has always held onto a modicum of hope that she was destined to get off this sandy rock, to explore the vast universe she stares longingly at during the night, and, perhaps, find a hint at what happened to her missing parents that abandoned her to this hellscape

Leaned against the door was her only means of protection: a salvaged quarterstaff. For some reason, after discovering it in the wreckage of the AT-AT, she found herself drawn to the strange weapon, finding it easy to practice and hone her skills in. Late night activities for her consisted of stargazing, flight simulators, learning various languages from the computer systems she harvested from the husk of a downed starfighter, or swinging said previously mentioned quarterstaff for hours on end until her body screamed bloody murder—lest the few calories she was able to ascertain for her body to function that day go to complete waste. It didn't matter, there was never enough food for her, so she pushed herself fiercely regardless of the consequences.

A strange sensation passed through her as she climbed onto her self-made, clunky 'speeder' (if she could even permit herself to call it such), echoing through her, it felt as if someone called out to her in nothing but a whisper, "I can see you…" The words were so soft and quiet that when she tried reaching out for the sensation again, it vanished into an ephemeral obscurity. This was not the first occurrence of said sensation, it had been happening continually over the years; it would find her when she was in her darkest moments, nudging her to continue on and patiently wait for its arrival. Shrugging of the bizarre event, she fired up the engine, shooting off towards the scattered remains of a downed Star Destroyer to hopefully (she was not waiting with bated breath) salvage valuable components to feed her aching stomach.

SW:AHR

Inside the meditation room aboard an ancient Old Republic Defender starship sat a young man alone. A pair of sparkling blue eyes snapped open, attentively taking in his surroundings. A calm visage was present on the resident, but dancing behind his eyes was a mischief that was nigh immeasurable.

"Sir, do you have a planet in mind for our next destination?" The robotic tenor of the ship's protocol droid asked the man. The man in question had been mediating for days in complete isolation, no movement of his eyes, no fidgeting—complete, absolute stillness and serenity. The only indication he was even alive being the breath that passed through his nostrils and the heartbeat picked up by the droid's sensors.

"Set a course for Jakku, Cs," a smile graced the man's face. "It seems I was able to find what I've been searching for… I look forward to our meeting…. Rey…"

The end of his statement was said with a softness the protocol droid had never heard before. After the years he'd spent under his master, the droid had experienced numerous emotions ranging all across the board from his master, but the look of excitement and… happiness were emotions the protocol droid could not recall from its data banks for many, many days.

"My estimations put us at Jakku in around 3 hours from our current position. Excuse me while I go input the coordinates into the navigator, sir."

"Thank you, Cs. Your work is always appreciated."

All the man received in return was a robotic head tilt as the protocol droid exited the meditation chamber.

SW:AHR

Something was off.

After searching for several hours inside of the Star Destroyer, the feeling from earlier returned. Except this time it was thousands of times more powerful, shooting an electric charge through her skin.

Something was coming.

The walk to her parked speeder was one filled with hesitation, the feeling was unnerving. What made it so unnerving is she felt drawn to leave the Star Destroyer, to find out what the source of this mysterious feeling was. Her hand tremored slightly from the tension building inside of her. As she began to pack her bag on the back of her ride, it arrived.

A shadow cast over her, spreading across the ground, the formation of the shadow indicated clearly this was no cloud above her, but a spaceship instead. The loud engine increased in volume as it lowered down to the earth, setting itself down in a cloud of dust around a 100 meters west of her bike. The ship was impressive to her eyes, the paint was shining and new, orange in color with accents of crimson and green throughout. Patterns of swirls and leaves surrounded the decal of what was the maw of a giant vulpine creature Rey had never seen before. Slit, blood-colored eyes stared down at her menacingly, nine-tails behind it's back stretched over the top of the hull in an almost protective manner, and inside of the monster's mouth was a swirling ball of purple energy that screamed destructiveness. The ship was intimidating to say the least, however, Rey felt no fear, only a burning curiosity to see who the new arrival was.

A snap and hiss was heard as the ship's exit bridge was extended from the bottom of the hull, the door behind opening slowly. She made out the figure in the distance, he was walking directly to her. The man was wearing light green robes with a hood pulled over his head, the front of the robes were exposed to show he was wearing a strange metallic armor colored a light orange color that held on the center a silver plate several inches in both length and width with the same leaf symbol embedded on the ship's hull, and attached to his waste was a strange cylindrical object she'd never seen before… but she knew rumors and word of mouth, so the possibilities of what the object was were rather small. No, Rey was sure. But he couldn't be a….

"Ahoy there!" a booming, friendly voice called out to her, it held a soft but low tone that exuded friendliness. Friendly individuals were an anomaly on the surface of a planet like Jakku, trusting anyone with what appears to be amiable intentions often leads to one's own demise. Or having your hard work stolen from you. Rey thought in frustration at the memories of the starship she repaired, and then subsequently had hijacked by the fellow scavengers that assisted her. For some reason those instincts seemed… different in this situation.

The stranger grabbed his hood and pulled it back, revealing shoulder-length blonde locks that, while hanging smoothly down, seemed to also spike in odd directions with no rhyme or reason. The man had cutting azure eyes that seemed to perceive what others cannot. A smooth jaw that had a warm smile joined on his lips, and the strangest part of his appearance was the odd marks dashing across his cheeks. Glancing up she noticed a distinct similarity between the marks on his face and the whiskers on the savage face adorning the ship.

"Um. Hello?" Rey's voice came out uncertain. What the hell am I supposed to say?

"Out here scavenging, huh?"

"Yeah…"

"Dangerous work. There are all sorts of nasty surprises inside those old Star Destroyers… if you don't have the right expertise."

A feeling of defiant anger rushed through Rey as she frostily said, "There aren't many options on this dust basket, and I guess you could say I'm an expert."

"You have a point there. My home had a desert, but almost an entire planet covered in one? Not exactly an appealing place for building a vacation home, if you ask me," a small smile played on his lips as he gazed out at the endless dunes.

"So, what do you want?" Rey asked, trying to sound calm, but she could hear it now, his voice was the voice.

"A conversation."

"A… Conversation…"

"Yeah. How about we get out this sun and talk on my ship?"

Rey gave the ship a wary glance, eyes pooling with suspicion as she turned her attention back to the stranger.

"And why would I get on your ship? I don't even know who you are."

"Oh, well I'm Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki. Pleased to meet you."

He held out his gloved hand to her with an amicable smile on his face. Rey took his hand stiffly, still unsure how she felt, but she felt compelled to go with this man.

"Rey. Just Rey."

"A lovely name. Well, now we know each other. Will you join me on my ship? You're guaranteed a warm meal at the very least."

The moment a meal was mentioned, her stomach betrayed her and gave off a low rumble, leaving her staring at the ground in frustration.

"Fine, fine. I'm right behind you."

SW:AHR

The cafeteria area on the ship was kept tidy and every inch of the metal still seemed brand new. A protocol droid came out with two steaming bowls of a rich smelling noodle-soup dish Rey had no familiarity with. A fork was placed down next to the bowl by the droid as it excused itself.

"Thanks, Cs." Naruto said.

"That droid looks… really old."

"That's because C9-58-JE is… Cs, how old are you again? I always forget," the end was asked in a loud booming voice.

The droid said over the intercom, "I believe I was commissioned on Coruscant in 4045 BBY, sir."

Rey choked on the odd noodle dish she'd started scarfing down. It was easily the greatest thing her tongue had ever tasted, nearly coming to tears at the clandestine feeling the dish gave her. It's rich aroma matched the taste perfectly, and it was the first non-ration meal her lips had ever been graced with. Now, she was struggling to not suffocate on the foreign delicacy as she came to terms with a five thousand year old droid still operating and in almost perfect condition.

"What kind of ship is this?…" she asked meekly.

"Oh, this old girl? It's a Correlian Defender."

"And… I assume this was in commission during the same time frame as Cs."

"Yup. She was used by Jedi during the Old Republic era."

"This is a Jedi starship?" Rey's astounded voice echoed around the room.

"Bet your pretty ass it is. Found and maintained her myself for years now. Was pretty rough around the edges at first on the exterior, but everything inside somehow kept in tact well. Probably has to do with where she was stuck on my home planet."

"And your home planet is?"

"Nowhere nearby… So far away I doubt I'll ever return… nothing I'll miss anyway."

"Did it have a name?"

"Sadly no… It was deep in the unknown regions, the star system our planet revolved around had magnetars on its outer edges that made hyperspace travel virtually impossible unless you left the planet at very specific intervals in the stellar revolution. So, suffice it to say, my people went undiscovered by the greater galaxy."

"Then how'd this ship get there?"

"I was getting there. Jeez, you're an inquisitive one," he teased lightly, causing her to flush in embarrassment. She really wasn't used to someone being so open to answer her questions and in such a friendly manner, and, in consequence, making her forgo any pretense of hesitation that she had earlier. "After a war ravaged my planet, I went on a personal journey around the world. One day, when I was searching the ruins of an old temple… ice unimaginably thick covered the temple, meaning it had gone undiscovered. No one other than myself could have made the trip, the frigid temperatures would a one way ticket to death for anyone else. When exploring, the floor of the temple collapsed under my feet, leading to a part of the temple that somehow escaped the ice. It was a hangar built by Jedi Master Satele Shan, well, I guess she wasn't a Jedi by the time she was there, but she was in exile watching over the spirit of one Darth Marr. From what I was informed, she got lost in the unknown regions before her comms were obliterated by one of the magnetars. Somehow, by some obscene stroke of luck, she managed to land in the mountains of my planet where she built the temple I found this ship inside of."

"A Jedi and Sith… is that how you got the lightsaber? And how lucky do you have to be to 'stumble' across something like that?"

"Yeah, you could call them teachers of mine. And no, I had to make this baby from scratch," he said while patting the cylinder on his hip. "My luck has always been something mystical in proportion. Ask Cs, he probably has logs of some of my grander escapades."

"Personal Log 3021: Master Uzumaki decided to take matters into his own hands in his customary Maverick fashion (again) today. He suddenly believed he needed to disrupt a supply chain to a fleet of Finalizers of the First Order that very moment. His mission was a success. When retreating from the location, the fleet showed up; this ended up beginning a game of chasing a ghost for weeks on end, further eating into the First Order' supplies. He would lead them into dangerous hyperlanes, making use of connecting lanes to confuse the navigators of other ships to fall into his traps. Consequentially, this lead to a bounty of 10 million credits being placed on master's head without them having even a name or description of his person, only images and scans of his ship." The mechanical voice from the intercom spoke.

"Eavesdropping now, Cs?"

"Are you going to brush over that like it's nothing?"

Naruto gave her a glance and shrugged nonchalantly.

"Even if they find me, they'll only meet their doom," a dangerous glint appeared in his eyes. "Don't think that because this ship is old it can't do things unimaginable. I've done several personal customizations over the years that give this ship a unique arsenal of weapons you won't find anywhere in the galaxy. Anywhere."

A moment. An instant, it felt like one second his burning sapphirine gaze morphed into slits with hints of red, and then the next it was gone. Except the fire in his eyes remained strong, exuding unshakeable confidence in himself through his gaze alone.

"So why did you want to talk to me? I somehow doubt it's to show me ancient tech."

He chuckled and continued, "No, no it isn't… Earlier today… did you feel anything?"

His question rang around the room in her dull ears. Would he think she's crazy if she told him about the voice? It's not normal for people to hear voices, is it? She tried to drag any memories about those topics, but her interactions with others was limited to when she made her way into the outpost to sell scrap, so she could think of nothing useful pertaining to the question, and, in turn, was vexed at her ignorance.

"I… I heard a voice. It said, 'I'll see you soon'."

"And would you believe me if I said I was that voice?"

"Normally, I'd call you crazy and jump off this tub… But… Yeah, I do believe it was you."

"Tell me, Rey, what do you know about the Force?"

"That magic crap the Jedi use?"

He snickered, "Yeah, that Jedi magic crap."

'This girl reminds me of a younger you.'

'You and me both.'

"Just that it lets them do… stuff."

"Yeah, you could say it lets them do… stuff. Or did anyway. The Jedi are gone now."

"The First Order saw to that," Rey spat with disdain laced in her words, directed fully towards the empiric force controlling the lives of trillions around the galaxy.

"The Jedi doomed themselves when Luke Skywalker built his Jedi temple on Yavin 4. An admirable goal, but that planet is infested with deep roots to the dark side, it was tainted after the Sith's extermination of the Massassi that once inhabited it; trying to train Jedi on such a planet is like trying to plant food in this desert sand: an act of utter futility."

"Yeah, none of that made sense… but isn't Luke Skywalker, you know, a hero?"

"Undoubtedly. A man of great honor; a man that brought his own father back to the light; a man that tore down the galactic empire with the help of the rebel forces. Truly a hero. Still, no matter the individual be it sex, race, or species, even hero's have flaws…. And the dark side is a taint, he allowed the taint to enter him by living on Yavin 4… Which inevitably lead to him creating what he feared most, and his one of his own family no less."

"And what's that?"

"A Sith." the word was forced from his lips, she could feel the animosity he held toward the Sith. She'd only heard rumors about their dark deeds… nothing about how they utilized the Force. "A man of Luke's caliber wouldn't be able to forgive himself for being the catalyst for such a failure, and now lives to forget what it was he brought forth."

"How do you know all this? And didn't you say just a minute ago that a Sith was one of your teachers?"

He snorted at the idea, lips curling in contempt, "Darth Marr taught me many things, but you must know your enemy in order to face them. He knew it was impossible for me to be a Sith, my past is rife with blackened anguish, but it's a rather long story that isn't for present. Nonetheless, you could say my brand of using the Force falls more in line with the Grey Jedi, who believe for true balance to be had you must embrace both sides. While I don't let hate, anger, or jealousy rule me, I do know how to empower myself with emotions, even of the sinister variety."

"You seem to think highly of yourself." the statement was said in a teasing manner.

He shrugged and responded, "When you're a badass like me, you can comment."

His words got a shared laugh from the pair as they took a moment to relax.

"Sooooo. Why I wanted to meet you… You see… The Force called me to you… it whispered that you needed me… that if I failed to find you… things would get worse… much worse." the hesitation in his speech took her by surprise. Before he'd been so sure, now he seemed… vulnerable?

"And did the Force tell you what to do when we met?"

He shook his head, "I have a hunch as to what it is, but it's a rather unusual. I would say its the first time it has occurred in many, many years."

"And what is it?"

"A Force dyad. Something a Master and Apprentice of the Sith's rule of two search for often, it connects the individuals through the Force, allowing for shared thoughts and emotions…"

"So you want to be my Master, how do you even know I'm capable of using the Force?"

"The dyad wouldn't exist otherwise, trust me, it would be impossible. Like I said, I'm no Sith, so the choice is yours if you want to learn from me or not. Your connection to the Force is strong, stronger than either of my former Masters; you have nothing to lose, but everything to gain," he studied her closely for a minute before reaching his hand out with his palm facing upwards to her. "Let me give you a little taste of what the Force is like, just grab my hand and close your eyes."

Rey reached out hesitantly, her fingers curled around his while she closed her eyes, and, suddenly, she felt it, not just his presence in the Force, which seemed to burn like the molten core of a star, but everything across the planet. She could feel Unkar Plutt in the Niima Outpost, all the scavengers searching through the wasteland, the tiny microscopic organisms in the sand, and even the planet itself, which seemed to be an entity all unto its own. It burst further, until she realized she could feel across a vast swath of the galaxy. To put it simply, it was an overwhelming feeling, but so much more beautiful than words could do proper justice. She felt tears beginning to fall down her cheeks. And then she felt it, it was close and felt vile, a revolting being soaked in anger, hate, and filled with desire for revenge. She pulled her hand back and was breathing heavily, until she felt him touch her forehead with his finger and a wave of calm washed over her.

"What… was that?"

"Not what, but who. A bastard of a man. If he crosses my path, he'll regret it." his voice wasn't angry or harsh, in fact, it was rather calm and collected, as if he were merely stating the chores he had left to mark off before proclaiming a day well spent.

"What do I do?"

"Wait here. They'll be here shortly."

A feeling of trepidation passed through Rey's veins. Closing her eyes and breathing deeply, she reached to the Force again, for the bright light that was Naruto. When she grabbed on, she felt the sense of purpose and drive he had in this moment, the feeling of protectiveness he was emitting soothed her worried thoughts.

When he felt her reach out in the Force, he reached back and calmed her fearful mind.

"Do not worry, Madame, Master is an exceptional warrior. Even in all the records I have of the Old Republic Jedi, not a single one comes close to the strength Master Naruto possesses. You're safe with him." The voice of Cs spoke over the intercom.

"Thank you, Cs… Thank you."

"If you go to the holoterminal, Madame, I can project the events occurring outside."

SW:AHR

Naruto stood in front of his ship, the Fox Paw, arms crossed over his chest, gaze directed upwards toward the approaching Upsilon-Class Command Shuttle, dregs of the dark side flowing freely from it. Gritting his teeth hard, he seethed at the approaching Shuttle. He could destroy it here and now, but he wanted to see this bastard face-to-face. The desire to remove the shit stain's head from his shoulders burned in him. It wasn't anger or rage, it was righteous vindication for the actions this disgusting man had committed. Today would be where he paid for his revolting acts.

Can a man already broken be further pulverized?

As it landed in front of him, he felt the Force spike, the man aboard attempting to push his anger and fear out at Naruto.

Trying to get me to sweat, fuck face. Nice try.

Naruto kept his emotions in check, waiting for the troops to exit the ship.

The bridge lowered menacingly to the ground. The collective noise of troopers marching in unison met his ears as they exited the ship and made two lines for their leader to walk through, displaying their reverence by facing stoically in his direction. Naruto stared contemptuously at the soldiers.

The noise of a light metallic breathing met his sensitive ears as a man dressed in black robes and armor left the ship. His figure was tall, shoulders wide, he attempted to strike a menacing image. The mask he wore was meant to be imposing to his enemies, bring fear into their hearts.

Not Naruto, all he saw was a bitch wearing a tin can on his head.

"You will hand over the BB unit with the location of Luke Skywalker… or die." The man's modulated voice rang out.

"Shit, there's a droid on this planet with coordinates to Skywalker? Wouldn't know anything about that, tin head."

The soldiers snapped their weapons in his direction, showing their intent to exterminate him for his lack of deference.

"You would be wise to not lie to me. I can make your life very difficult."

"Doesn't matter, Ben. You're not leaving hear unscathed."

The man stopped, the face behind his mask crawled with distaste, "Do not use that name in my presence."

"Wow. Daddy issues or something?"

A snap and hiss was the response he got as the man ignited his lightsaber. The black handle was long and had a strange style to it: it had three crimson beams emitted, two small ones that made a guard in the style of a sword (a rather lethal guard for the user. Is he an idiot or something?) and a single long beam of plasma made the main blade.

Naruto unhooked his lightsaber from his hip, snapping it to life as the plasma shot forth. The plasma itself was two-layered: the inner core was a vibrant orange and the outer coat was a much darker crimson than the blade of his adversary.

"Ready to die, Ben solo?"

"My name is Kylo Ren, there is no Ben Solo."

"Keep telling yourself that, you Darth Vader wannabe."

Kylo roared in anger, letting it fuel his power as he shot forth in a burst of speed, sending his lightsaber down at his opponent in an aggressive and powerful move.

"Djem So? You really are a Darth Vader wannabe, Force save me."

"I'll relish in cutting out that wretched tongue of yours."

"You're welcome to try… bitch."

The fight blistered into action, their blades meeting continuously in a fierce battle of masterful footwork and swordplay. Kylo began to realize that this man was utilizing the Vaapad style, feeding of his dark side feelings to enforce the power behind his blows. This didn't bode well.

Naruto felt like this fight was going nowhere. He was barely utilizing the force or his chakra to enhance himself, relying on his physical prowess in his Vaapad form to beat down the arrogant fool.

Kylo's aggression was becoming a furtive onslaught, using his Form V to push himself fully into a furious storm of fluid strikes, slashes, and jabs, never staying still for even a moment. All was for naught, as every time he thought he saw an opening, the strength of his blows were absorbed into his opponent in seamlessly smooth counters.

Was he… Losing? No, it wasn't possible! He would surpass his grandfather, he would bring the First Order to the forefront of the Galaxy that was his to control and lead. Any and all in his path were merely stones to step across in his quest for dominance. How could this nobody be matching him so easily?

Kylo's body was beginning to grow exhausted, the constant use of the force to enhance himself over the past several minutes of battle were taking their toll as his opponent's Vaapad form rapidly drained him of strength. And his opponent wasn't breaking a sweat, if anything he seemed bored by the look in his eyes.

Deciding to change his tactics, Kylo reached out his off hand to Force choke his opponent. The moment Naruto felt the surge in the Force, he batted away his enemy's control as if it was only a youngling attempting to use the Force against a Master. Lightsabers it is, then. Growled Kylo in his head.

As their sabers met in the center and their gazes locked, Kylo stared into the cold blue eyes of the insulting blonde bastard; what he saw shook him. He foresaw his imminent death playing over and over again in those eyes. A death that would be anything but pretty. His entire body shook in fear for the first time since his Sith training; this fear was not forced in order to cultivate his dark side; this fear was one born from the reality that if he didn't flee now, all his dreams would vanish in a cloud of dust. A sign of weakness in front of his own men was completely unacceptable under any circumstances… Snoke would be enraged at such a failure…

Toil was permeating from every pore in Kylo, Naruto could almost taste the fear that was building inside the scum. Channeling a small bit of Force into his Vaapad form, it began to drain the last of Kylo's strength; his blows were becoming softer and softer, the muscles in his arms began to feel as if they were sifting through viscous carbonite, and his focus waned.

The smallest showing of this weakness was what Naruto sought the entire fight; he was the conductor, his lightsaber his baton, and Kylo his precious orchestra he lead with confidence and purpose.

Kylo let forth a bellow that stretched for miles across the sandy ocean, the cry of a wounded animal that realized the trap had been sprung.

Rey, who was watching the duel unfold through the holoterminal, heard the shout through the thick sheets of metal covering the ship, pounding into her brain, draining her soul of all positive feelings, and sinking her into the endless void of darkness. Moments after, with a shout of his own that dwarfed Kylo's, she heard the roar of Naruto, except this one was the roar of a true beast, and it didn't transmit the negative emotions Kylo's had. No, his roar cradled hope, love, and courage. The darkness that had manifested flooded away, leaving her heart light and calm. A peace washed over her that she had never known existed.

The retaliating shout Kylo received stunned him, his entire body began to scream in pain as the contrasting shout debilitated his body from Naruto's raw positive emotions. This is no Jedi technique. Excruciating, unending, mind-numbing anguish coursed through the cells of Kylo's body; every time he found a little reprieve, the emanating light struck again and again.

"Stop. Please, stop..." Kylo's once proud voice that came from his mask now sounded like that of a wounded child begging for forgiveness for the wrongs they've committed to their parents. He fell to his knees in abject acceptance.

"Hmm. Did you stop when you were killing innocents, when you killed your brother and sister Jedis? Children, mothers, fathers, uncles, aunts, you have no limitation on who you would cause pain to. What makes you think I'll stop your own pain? This pain you feel now, it is the pain of retribution. The vengeance of the wronged."

Footsteps could be heard digging into the sand as Kylo tried dragging his writhing body in a futile attempt to escape his fate; memories coursing through his mind of the mistakes he'd made, regrets he held, the counter to certain decisions he could have made that would have guided him down a path not soaked in destruction and blood. A shadow loomed over his prone figure, the sense of dread washed over in full effect again, the blonde's hand grabbed onto his mask and pulled him up with little effort.

Fear could not be seen the through black visor, it annoyed Naruto staring into the stupid piece of metal, so he elegantly slashed a perfect 'x' over the mask, cutting clean through but not making the slightest contact with Kylo's skin. The metal creaked and, with a light Force push, snapped apart at the front, exposing the scarred face of Ben Solo. His eyes bore into Naruto, screaming at him with hate and rage, calling for the blonde's head to be put on a plaque for him to enjoy any time he found the fancy.

"Pretty boys and their scars, all of you disgust me. Tell me something, Ben… do you fear death?" The voice that spoke to him was no longer the aloof tone Naruto had before, but now resembled that of a demon calling for the souls of its victims.

"Mercy… please…"

"Perhaps… Hmm… I can feel it inside of you, the fact that the darkness isn't fully apart of your being. You Skywalkers are connected to the Force in ways that surprise even me… Fine. You can live."

Relief flooded Kylo's system, that he would live another day to search for vengeance against this bastard, to kill his old master and uncle, and achieve all his desires brought great reprieve to his aching body. That relief was stunted when he heard the sound of the stranger's lightsaber sing through the air and cut through all his troops in the blink of an eye, every single cauterized head falling to the ground along with the bodies in a heap of singeing corpses. His attention then went to his Command Shuttle. Naruto's outstretched hand curled into a viscous fist. The entire body of the ship began to crunch and whine from being condensed. The ship went from being a massive hulk to turning into a ball the size of a TIE fighter. Further and further Naruto forced it down until it was the size of a speeder, and finally with a massive push of Force it condensed to the size of a small marble. Tiny specks of sweat dripped from Naruto's head, but his breathing was controlled and normal, as if the effort it took was no more than a light jog on a warm day. Pulling the tiny, floating piece of metal towards him, it hovered directly over his finger. Taking a glance down at the wide-eyed Ben, he tensed his muscles as he wound up to throw the tiny pebble, flinging it at the broken down Star Destroyer. The moment the ball impacted, a sound resounded for miles across the desert as the Star Destroyer's ceiling collapsed in the center under the incredibly dense mass of what was once the Shuttle, cutting the gargantuan ship directly through the middle as the screeches of metal collapsing and snapping chimed throughout the region.

Naruto turned his attention back to Ben, a smile promising pain directed at the Sith before he said, "If you're my enemy when our paths cross next, nothing will save you from my wrath, little Benny."

Thrusting out his fist towards Ben's face, he knocked the piece of shit out and turned around, immediately taking notice of Rey's astounded gaze as she stood at the foot of his ship's bridge. He sent her a wink and walked by, climbing back into his ship he called over his shoulder, "We've got a droid to save before it gets itself into trouble."

"Seriously? A droid?"

"Of course! You'll find I do enjoy jokes and pranks, but this isn't something I would joke about. The droid has sensitive intel we cannot allow falling into the hands of the First Order."

"What information?"

"A little birdie told me it has the location of old man Luke stored inside."

"Skywalker?"

"The one and only. Come on, I have a feeling we'll need to get to the Niima Outpost right away."

"A feeling?"

"The Force calls us there. Try reaching out yourself again, you'll feel it."

And so Rey did, it was a difficult process, but she could feel a string pulling the both of them to the Niima Outpost, but there were two other strings that lead away from the Outpost in the same direction.

"Good job, my cute little Apprentice."

He set a hand on her head and messed with her now exposed braids to calm her mind. For some reason, even after years of lack of human contact, the small gesture left Rey feeling comforted for the first time since her parents disappeared.

SW:AHR

Niima Outpost, the singular spaceport on the planet of Jakku, an outpost designed specifically for scavenging the remains of ships and walkers that littered the planet's surface. It was started by Niima the Hutt to capitalize on this booming market. Now the planet's entire economy was based around this market. The outpost was fairly small, a large circular frame of wired fence surrounded the perimeter, a red-metallic sniper's den hovered over the only entrance to the outpost, canvas tents were scattered around the inside, and a large building was found in the city's (the word city is perhaps inappropriate, it barely meets the standards of a small village) center where scrappers would take their finds to trade to the Crolute, Unkar Plutt, a trader infamous on Jakku for shorting on scrap.

"What a shit hole."

Naruto's quiet words didn't fall on deaf ears.

"You can say that again. This place doesn't hold very many fond memories for me."

Naruto glanced at his companion. A storm brewed behind her eyes as she vehemently stared at the Outpost. Eyelids fluttered closed as she took deep, tranquil breaths to try evacuating the toil the Outpost brought her internally. A hand gripped her shoulder in a gentle effort to help alleviate the pain churning in her, she turned to see a concerned looking Naruto.

"I can take care of things down there by myself if you want. Once that little BB unit shows up, we can get off this miserable rock… This isn't your home anymore—if you want."

The words impacted Rey like she was ran over by a Rancor.

"Thank you, Naruto..."

"Don't mention it."

"Okay…"

"Now, you want to stay here or join me on this little excursion?"

What should she do? Fear wasn't stopping her from going outside, rather the comfort this ship brought her. Every inch of it felt as if it were sending calming thoughts to her mind, allowing years of repressed feelings to finally wash through, cleansing parts of her soul she was never aware could be so bitter.

"I… think I'll stay here. It'll give me a chance to explore the ship."

Naruto nodded his head in understanding and began to disembark from the Fox Paw. Being out under the exposed sun again made Naruto smile, he's always cherished the beauty of a nice day. The land may be a sight for sore eyes, but the feeling remained all the same no matter the sun one's exposed to. Well…. As long as the sun is at hospitable temperatures.

"If I were a BB unit stuck in this cesspool, where would I go?" Naruto mused to himself aloud.

SW:AHR

Droid unit BB-8 was not having a pleasant day. In fact, if one were to understand the strange and incalculable feelings the common droid experiences, they would find this droid in question was frustrated, binary expletives were escaping its round body, and it struggled with the net pulling it along. Its master, Poe, had been captured by soldiers of the First Order, letting his trusted droid friend escape their clutches. Connection to humanoid species are often not a priority for droids, but BB was having a hard time coming to terms with its current situation. The only directive it had was getting the coordinates it stored to the rebel forces. Such an easy task for this small, rolling droid.

The droid found itself captured by a Teedo scavenger several hours after wandering the forsaken wasteland. Stuck inside a net, being dragged into the unfamiliar Niima Outpost, the droid let out a loud series of complaints in binary that only resulted in the Teedo stunning it with its quarterstaff to stop the annoying disturbance.

Undoubtedly a bad day for this little BB unit.

"Excuse me, would that happen to be a BB unit?"

The Teedo glared down at the human through the visor on its head, wondering what this freak could want with this droid. A nod was given.

"Fantastic. How about we strike a deal? You walk away with 10,000 imperial credits, I walk away with the droid, and no questions are asked. Sound like a fair trade?"

Fair?! That was bloody robbery at its finest; it only enticed the Teedo further, turning away such a generous offer would be tantamount to idiocy. Within moments the net holding the droid was cut as the Teedo leaned over its cybernetic luggabeast with a hand held out, displaying their datapad.

"This will be completely anonymous, so don't worry about any unwanted attention being garnered for such a choice."

The blonde haired stranger began typing rapidly on the display. A few moments later he handed it back to the Teedo and only received a grunt of affirmation before it turned around to leave the Outpost.

"Hey there, little guy. Having a rough day?

The series of whoops and beeps he got in response brought boisterous laughter from the droid's savior.

"Yeah, that sounds like some real shit. Follow me to my ship, maybe we can figure out where your master ended up."

SW:AHR

Poe Dameron awoke to find his face stuffed into the surface of scorching hot sand. Where was I? What had I been doing? The thoughts channeled through his mind, a fog covering his memories of how he ended up sprawled out on this dune several hundred meters from the flaming corpse of an Imperial TIE fighter.

So thirsty, where the hell can a guy get some water out here?

Images of all the various sources of hydration passed through his mind, enticing him into a senseless lull while he tried to gather his chaotic thoughts.

The loud roar of a spaceship's engine could be heard from the west. Scrambling up to the top of the dune to peer out over the horizon, Poe was met with the face of a giant, angry creature painted onto the ship that was approaching. Poe was many things, and a talented pilot was one of them, so he knew the workings of thousands of different ships, how they ran, what their movement capabilities were, fuel consumption for certain maneuvers—it kept streaming into his mind in an endless torture. Hands slammed into the side of his head as the information came back to him, a small part of who he was returning to his conscious mind.

A defender? Seriously? How does anyone still have one of those bad boys in operation?

Falling onto his ass, he stared up in awe at the archaic vessel, fascinated to see the many similarities it held to modern ships. The influence was apparent, but this ship had a style Poe really liked—the decal especially.

The loud noise of the bridge lowering brought Poe's attention fully onto who was going to exit the ship. Friend or foe? He had no means of self-defense, so he prayed to who-knows-what that they would be a friend. A robed figure exited the hull, placing a hand on his hood to remove it, it was pulled back to reveal a young human male with shoulder-length, spiked blonde hair and blue eyes.

"Commander Poe Dameron?"

An astromech followed the trail of the strange man; it was a strange looking unit, white with orange accents and it's semicircular head was rested atop a large rolling ball. Poe stared at it and pieces began to fall into place: the orders from Leia Organa to find Lor San Tekka with the coordinates to Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, where he subsequently found himself a prisoner to the first order, the torture the man known as Kylo Ren forced upon him, escaping with the traitorous storm trooper he had given the name 'Finn' to…

"BB! You're okay!"

Poe had known BB for years now, the various adventures they had gotten up to while working to bring victory to the New Republic flashed through him; he was elated to see his droid friend made it out of after their botched escape from Tuanul. Not only did that mean the mission was a success, they were both also able to make it out relatively unscathed.

"Little guy almost got itself sold for scrap by some random Teedo, buuuut I managed to convince them to part ways for a fee. Hope you know that Kylo Ren is looking for your unit… Don't worry, he's a little… incapacitated at the moment." The glint in the newcomer's eyes told Poe all he needed to know.

That begged the question, who was this individual and how were they able to take on a well-trained Sith? Then it clicked into place, this ship was a Defender those were only used by Jedi Knights and Masters of the Old Republic, did that mean?…

"Are you a Jedi?" The curiousity in Poe's voice was clear to Naruto's ears, not that it was surprising, Jedi were nearly extinct after the fall of the temple on Yavin 4.

"Am I a… Jedi? No, definitely not. Force-sensitive? Sure. Jedi? No. The Jedis days are over, they've failed the galaxy over and over in their quest to prove the light is right."

Poe's laughter at the stupid joke brought a smile to Naruto's face. Least he has a sense of humor.

'Yes, and you know so much about humor.'

'Stuff it.'

The barking howls of laughter pulsating through his mind strewed a look of annoyance across his face.

"You look dreadful, want some water?"

"Please, I'm dying out here."

Poe's now savior waved a hand for him to follow along.

While walking up the ramp, Poe's mind finally realized an important detail he'd been forgetting. Finn! Turning around quickly, he could see the smoking TIE fighter with ease, squinting his eyes he was barely able to make out the obvious track marks left by his accomplice's escape from the downed fighter.

He wandered off? What the hell… He saved me from that hell. What should I do? Will this guy help me find him?

Sensing the conflicting feelings battling for supremacy in Poe, Naruto turned and followed his gaze to the track marks.

"Friend of yours get lost?"

"You could say that…"

"We can pick him up before leaving. What do you military guys say? No man left behind?"

They looked at each other, grinning madly. The galaxy was in for a treat placing these two men together. Both were born from doing what they felt was right and fighting the good fight, they may not share the same backstory, yet the comradery the two felt binding them was almost instinctual.

'The Force works in mysterious ways. Isn't that right, Kurama?'

'Shut up, I'm trying to nap.'

'Lazy feline.'

'Get in here and say that to my face so I can beat the shit out of you!'

'How about… no?"

'Pussy.'

'Says the giant feline.'

Quickly shutting off the connection he shared with his old friend to preemptively ignore the screams of rage, Naruto couldn't help the wicked smile of victory he had on his lips. Messing with Kurama never gets old.

"Sooooooo…. How'd you manage to get your hands on a four thousand year old ship?"

"Oh, you know, a little of this, a little of that."

Poe gave a frustrated huff at the obvious deflection, he was sure the story was quite the tale; his determination to find out the details only grew in size.

When they made it inside and Naruto showed him to the cockpit, they found a disheveled Rey going through the systems, trying to figure out what the ship had been modified with, and what sort of weaponry he had on board. After failing to figure out where the flight simulator was, she'd decided to familiarize herself with the workings of the ship instead. She was so absorbed in her own little world that she failed to notice Naruto and Poe's arrival.

Naruto motioned with his finger to his lips for Poe to stay quiet as he leaned down and whispered quietly in her ear, "You like what I've done with this bad boy?"

Rey jumped out of her skin and knocked her head against one of the overhanging consoles, grimacing in pain she gave him a look that would wither lesser men, but Naruto acted as if he didn't even notice her annoyance.

"How the hell did you install a Hyperdrive at Class 0.3 on this fossil?"

"A little bit of magic touch in conjunction with an ass load of hours of trial and error."

"0.3?! Are you smoking spice or something, lady? I've been around the galactic bend, and, trust me, nothing is that fast," Poe's declaration was met with Naruto sending him a dry look that said 'Oh really?' and Rey merely pointed at the terminal she had been examining previously. Turning to look at the screen, Poe's eyes widened in shock when he looked at the specifications of the ship… oh boy. Who was this guy? How had he never heard of someone with a ship like this? They would stick out like a sore thumb. Wouldn't they?

"We can go over how amazing my ship is later. Rey, you can fly this time, but I'm going to be the one making the Hyperjump, you can practice deep space flight later… Right now, we have that to avoid." Naruto pointed out the viewing window towards the sky, where an Imperial Finalizer floated menacingly above the planet, situated close enough in proximity to the inhabitants that without much effort they could turn them into a pile of dust, should the First Order decide to get trigger happy.

Both Rey and Poe felt as if ice cold water had been poured over them. Of course they knew the Finalizer was up there, how could they not? Their flames of excitement were doused instantly, allowing them a moment of clarity, realizing exactly how much of a shit storm would be caused if they were captured.

"Cs, start up the main engines in preparation for our Hyperjump."

"Right away, sir."

SW:AHB

FN-2187 – no – Finn, that was his name now, not a sequence of letters and numbers to dissolve his lack of individuality, rather a name that he can be proud of, given to him by his first… friend? He felt Poe had been his friend, now that he was gone, though, what should he do? Finding that BB unit was important, he knew that, but the desert heat was beginning to fry his insides, and his mind was clouded by the severe heat exhaustion. The storm trooper armor he had been wearing long since discarded at the wreckage site, all he felt now was the ever-encompassing heat of the desert beginning to strip the final vestiges of life left in his ragged corporeal form.

Suddenly, as if the cries of his soul were heard by some unspecified divine entity, the sound of a starship met his ears. Fear coursed through Finn at the possibility of the First Order having located him. Seeing as there wasn't a possibility of hiding his presence, he steeled himself for the imminent arrival that could potentially carry his demise.

Luckily that was not what took place. On the contrary, this arrival was of a different variety. Finn's vision had long since blurred, so he had to blink several times at the bizarre ship he was examining to confirm he had not lost his mind in this hellish landscape.

Finn struggled to see the smiling and waving form of Poe as he descended the starship. Poe rushed to Finn's side, pulling the ex-trooper's arm over his own shoulder to relieve him, and hurriedly dragged him onto the ship.

"Sorry, I'd be a little gentler with you if we weren't trying to hightail it out of here."

All Finn could do was bob his head dumbly, his faculties were struggling to keep up with the rapid movement; he was simply glad that Finn had saved him. The cacophony of emotions this sent through his body thrilled him after being so accustomed to merely acting as a drone that would point and shoot at whatever target his superior set him on. A trained dog always with a task he needed to complete. Freedom was finally within sight; the beauty of the formerly ephemeral idea brought new energy to his weary and aching body, giving him a hope he could barely comprehend; he was glad to have survived long enough to experience this new and foreign stirring of emotions coalescing through him.

"Cs, get the med bay ready right away!" Finn barely made out the words as a new voice entered his auditory system. The world was beginning to spin as he felt his mind shut down, finally able to find reprieve with his saviors.

"And he's out."

"No, really? I wouldn't have noticed from the way he's snoring on your arm. Here let me help."

Naruto waved his hand, Finn began to float as his body fell into a horizontal position. With another gesture, the collapsed Finn began to float towards the medical bay.. Images of the foul torture techniques of Kylo Ren flashed through Poe's mind that would have broken normal men. Not Poe, he refused to lose himself to some mystic nonsense that he hardly understood, his quest for bringing freedom to the galaxy would nor falter that easily. Poe was weary of Force users, but he needed to place his trust in this newcomer, there were no other options.

"We'll let Cs take care of him. Take position on one of the turrets, we'll need someone manning them in the event they send fighters after us… Wouldn't it be amazing if they didn't send fighters?"

Being pulled from his inner musings, all Poe could manage was a sarcastic snort at such a preposterous idea.

Quickly making his way back into the cockpit, Naruto began to flip switches and type away onto his terminal to ensure everything was in working order.

"Engines at full capacity, weapons loaded, shields on, and cloaking devices activating… now," Naruto listed off the details in rapid succession. "And we're off!"

The ship began to hover in the air as it vertically shifted to the sky, engines roared as they rapidly ascended in the opposite direction of the Finalizer.

Rey stared at the diminishing ground, the home she'd spent her entire life on was vanishing before her eyes. Excitement rushed through her, coupled with healthy dose of anxiety at her unknown future. Her feelings were shouting through the Force at Naruto. He took a glance at his new friend, a gentle smile playing on his lips. Placing his palm on her own trembling hand, she jumped slightly before turning her attention to Naruto. The look of reassurance, and serene feelings he sent through the Force, grounded her from the anxiety gnawing away at her insides, allowing the excitement to become her dominant emotion that cleansed her.

"Sir, it seems we have 9 TIE fighters on our trail."

"Thanks Cs," switching the comlink over to Poe, he barked out, "Poe, we've got 9 fighters coming rapidly from the east-southeast, be ready."

"On it."

The sounds of Naruto's enhanced lasers blowing away the approaching enemy was a symphony to his ears.

"Shit these lasers are fantastic! Let me guess, more of your handiwork?"

"Hmm. Something like that."

Rey gave him an exasperated look at his continually evasive personality, she'd unravel his past, now that she was his apprentice he would eventually loosen his guarded ways. At least she hoped he would.

"All fighters down."

"Perfect. Everyone prepare for Hyperspace. We're making the jump in: 3… 2… 1!"

All conscious passengers were thrust into the backs of their seats as the ship broke into its jump. And so our journey finally begins. A few stragglers came along, but the future should only be more interesting.