She recognized the emotions filling her as foreign. These were his feelings, the constant pain of fighting against oneself. She was being torn apart, though without any feelings of her own, she was able to view his emotions objectively. He was almost like two people, fiercely at odds with one another.

Master Luke reached out to lay a hand on her shoulder.

"Ben, we can't know the future. No one deserves to be punished for choices they haven't made yet," he soothed.

"But the Republic is making the same mistakes. This has happened before, we can't stay out of the—"

"Your grandfather often struggled with this as well. I know you're tired of being told that you have much in common. I know it frightens you, but we must acknowledge this and learn from the mistakes he made. Did I ever tell you that Jedi Master Yoda saw the great capacity for darkness in him very early on, and watched Anakin carefully, always seeking to keep the balance within him?"

"Yes, and we know how well that worked," she snapped.

Master Luke smiled sadly.

"There was one thing Master Yoda did that helped to balance Anakin- at least for a time. Come, walk with me."

She fell into step by his side, but glanced apprehensively toward the training field where Master Luke's other students had gathered to discuss the latest news of the Republic. There were so few, only a fraction of what they could be and already divided by ideology and politics. This new generation of Jedi was weak, and unworthy—that, she was certain of.

"When Anakin was still a young man, fresh from his days as Master Kenobi's padawan, Jedi Master Yoda noted his reckless streak. He thought long over what to do, and came up with a solution that was rather unique. He assigned a padawan to Anakin—and not just any padawan—a rebellious, headstrong little girl. I believe she was a Togruta from the planet Shili. Her name was Ahsoka."

"Ahsoka Tano… she was a hero during the Clone Wars," Rey repeated almost mechanically.

"Yes, but before that she was a mouthy, stubborn child who worried her master endlessly. You see, as Jedi we are tasked with an almost impossible goal. We are required to feel compassion for all life. For many of us, this is overwhelming and often results in confusion over whether to take sides, or to fight, or to…"Master Luke's voice trailed off as his attention was caught by a ripe, and low-hanging yashefruit dangling temptingly from the branch they were passing under. He reached up, plucked it, and handed it to her. "Sometimes, Ben, we as Jedi become so focused upon the needs of that greater good, that we forget to see those very life forms as unique and precious individuals. The care and training of a padawan can remind us to feel compassion for the individual. It can give a Jedi a new perspective and a very personal sense of purpose in the universe."

She scowled at the yashefruit before tucking it in her robe. Over the years, Master Luke had travelled throughout the known galaxy in an attempt to find Force-sensitive children to train as Jedi. His results, to her knowledge, were mediocre at best. Besides herself, he had found only four others, and none of those were young enough to come to the new academy without attachments and bias—even now, her peers were contemplating abandoning the academy, and using their subpar and underdeveloped abilities to serve the corrupt New Republic. Had Master Luke been more selective about training padawans, they would not be in this predicament.

"You're thinking of taking on a new apprentice," she guessed.

"Not exactly," Master Luke said, with the hint of a smile on his face.

They crested the hill that looked down upon the main building of the academy and stopped. A Correlian transport ship had landed on the academy's launch pad, and a woman with dark hair stood nearby, holding a little girl tightly by the wrist.

"I'm thinking of assigning you a padawan," Master Luke chuckled.

A riptide of anger coursed through her, drowning her own thoughts in Kylo Ren's violent reaction. She felt her body stiffen and her lips clamp firmly together in his last effort to stem the tide of accusations she suddenly and desperately wanted to hurl.

"Not immediately, you understand. She'll have to learn her forms and practice her meditations for a time, but I think… I think that you're ready, Ben."

She drew a deep, shuddery breath, fearful of what would come next.

"You think I'm ready?" she hissed. "Ready for what? The New Republic is full of incompetent, loud-talking fools who care more for their own ambitions then the fate of their people. They've divided, one against another—mother has to hide or risk being assassinated. We're on the brink of war, your padawans have turned on you, and you… you think I'm ready… to waste my time playing nursemaid to some Correllian toddler of no consequence? You think I'm a danger, don't you? Like Father—you think that I'm—"

"No," Master Luke interrupted, grasping her shoulder roughly. "No. My students haven't gone to the Republic yet. They are lost—full of anger and desires, but they have always been lost, each came to us with some darkness already in their hearts. They may yet find their way. This child… is different. This child in uncorrupt and innocent. Ben, I trust you so much that I chose you to protect the Force in its purest, untainted form."

She clenched her fists, while the voice in her head screamed that these were lies, all lies—that Master Luke was trying only to get rid of them, because he knew the dark thoughts they harbored.

"I won't make you do something you abhor. If you cannot teach the child, then I will do so myself, but Ben… consider it at the very least."

So saying, Master Luke clapped her once more on the shoulder, and began to descend the hill toward the woman and child. She waited a moment, attempting to smother her anger and resentment before following behind.

Upon reaching the bottom of the hill, the woman turned to face them, pulling the child around with her, and Rey's heart leapt. The small girl had been scrubbed until her cheeks were red and shiny, and her rough tunic was spotless. Her hair was carefully brushed back and pinned into three small buns, and when she made eye contact with "Ben", she dropped her eyes shyly to the ground, her small rosy face growing redder still.

Rey knew at that moment that she was looking at herself, and her eyes flew to the dark-haired woman who watched Master Luke approach with trepidation on her face.

"Ahh… so you've come," Master Luke greeted her.

The woman gave a short nod, and clutched the child tighter to her.

"You have nothing to fear. Come, walk with me. You may leave the child. My nephew will keep her safe while we talk."

Rey's mother hesitated a moment, glancing down at her child as though looking for permission, but Master Luke gave off such a peaceful and relaxed aura, that she quickly assented, glancing once in the direction of his nephew before releasing the child's arm and joining him.

In that brief moment of eye contact, Rey had undergone unimaginable anguish. She wanted to call out to her mother, to cry, to follow her, to beg her to acknowledge her child grown into a woman, but this was but a memory that she inhabited by chance, and Kylo Ren had no interest in the woman. She was dragged along by his intent, and could do nothing to stop the woman. When her mother passed out of sight with Master Luke, his attention returned to the girl—to her.

She was shy, he noted, taking a few steps closer. He had little use for a padawan that had no spirit. What was he thinking? He had little use for any padawan!

The child had cast her eyes to the ground as her mother walked away, and was taking great pains to look anywhere but at him. Were all children so quiet? He couldn't recall knowing many, not even when he was one.

"How old are you?" he demanded.

"I'm five," she murmured, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

"Five?" he scoffed. "You're small for you age- a runt, I suppose."

Her head came up, and her eyes narrowed. With her tiny hands clenched into fists at her side, she finally met his eye.

"I am not!" she insisted. "You're not very nice for your age!"

So there was some fire in the child after all. Rey felt his face twist into the smirk she had come to know so well.

"What's your name?" he asked.

What's YOUR name?" she replied.

The girl stared levelly back at him, and Rey felt a strange foreboding that she realized was not her own. There was something knowing about the child's large, clear eyes—as though she were looking not at him but into him. It made Kylo nervous.

The child's stomach growled loudly, causing her to glance away in embarrassment.

"Here," he hissed, thrusting the yashefruit Master Luke had given them into her hand.

Although the child took it from him, she held it uncertainly, studying it as though it might be poisoned. Annoyed by her reaction, he turned his back and strode purposefully away. Her younger self waited a moment before hurrying to catch up.

"Where are you going?" the girl asked.

"To meditate," he answered, "being a Jedi is very boring, you know. You spend most of your time sitting very still, and trying not to think about anything."

"The Jedi aren't boring," the girl argued. "The Jedi are heroes."

"I'm a Jedi—or very nearly one anyway, do I seem heroic to you?" he snapped.

The child pursed her lips, considering.

"You're not so bad," she said at last.

"Not so bad?" he repeated, stopping to glare down at the child by his side.

She flushed again, not meeting his eye, but in her embarrassment, she suddenly remembered the yashefruit in her hand and took a large bite of it. As she swallowed, she stole a sneaky look at him through lowered eyelashes. Rey felt his lips twitch as if he would smile.

"BEN!"

Another young girl, this one long, dark hair and wearing the same drab robes that clothed both Master Luke and herself, was quickly descending the hill towards them. Rey felt his body freeze and his fist clench. He had been expecting this—whatever it was.

"Ben, it's happened! The Nala attacked a Bov Trade Ship. The Senate is sending troops, and—"

"They have no right!" he growled.

"The Bov senator announced today that he had the support of the Jedi."

"Master Luke would never!"

"But Fyomor would—Bov is his home world, and the senator has promised him a position with—"

"A Jedi has no need for positions," he snarled.

"It isn't just Fyomor, the others are going as well. They've gone to call a transport now. Master Luke has already said he won't stop them."

"Master Luke is a fool!"

Rey cringed as his words passed their lips. Even the dark-haired girl appeared shocked by them. His anger was gathering like a storm—Rey knew what would follow. This she had seen before. She grasped at the furious and half-formed thoughts that whipped around her—The Jedi's principles were too unfocused… The Jedi were easily corrupted… Master Luke had grown weak…The Senate was corrupt, and its senators were bought and sold like trinkets… The Jedi had outlived their usefulness… They had been brought to the brink of extinction for a reason… He knew what he had to do… Snoke was right… he had been right from the beginning…

He turned to the child beside him. Her eyes were wide and frightened in her small face, and she shook her head slightly almost as if she knew his thoughts. Master Luke would learn nothing from his failed students, and would continue his pointless mission to restore the Jedi. The child was proof of that.

"Sleep," he whispered, waving his hand before her face.

The child's body slumped lifeless against his arm as the dark-haired girl gasped.

"Ben, you're not supposed to—"

"I'm through with drawing a line between dark and light. The line between right and wrong doesn't follow nearly so narrow a path," he growled as he laid the child's sleeping form gently on the ground. "Bring me to Fyomor."

As the two hurried off, Rey's consciousness spiraled into a dark, formless void of fear and anger from which there was no escape.

Rey gasped, sitting bolt upright on the bed.

The room was dark and empty, but it still smelled like him.

Her forehead throbbed, and touching it, she realized that she was sweating, and that her heart was thumping wildly in her chest. She remembered the training room—how she had crushed the life out of Yure, and how Jaila had attacked her. The wound on her shoulder still burned from Jaila's dagger.

Yure was dead, she was sure of it, and that knowledge brought with it a crushing feeling of remorse. Reaching out, she grabbed the edge of the bedside table, steadying herself as she stood, but seeing what had been laid out there, she stopped, withdrawing her hand slowly.

It was a yashefruit.

So he knew. He knew what she had seen in his head- perhaps he had shown it to her on purpose. Perhaps he wanted her to know.

Rey's hands balled into fists. Had he also killed her mother, along with Master Luke's other apprentices? Why not her? How had she ended up on Jakku—and where was he now? Was he hiding from her?

No.

She could feel him somewhere nearby. He was awake and waiting for her. Well, she would find him! She would demand that he tell her everything he knew about herself and her mother. Rey got to her feet quickly, heading for the door, but was stopped by a thought.

She shook her head slowly.

The last thing she remembered him saying was that when she woke up—she would be herself again. He was right in that the numbness was gone—seeing the face of her mother had shocked her out of it… and she did feel anger, which was, perhaps, what he intended. And now he sat somewhere waiting for her… waiting for her to come to him angry and hurt and demanding answers. Was he once again attempting to raise her emotions so that he might warp her further?

"What game are you playing at now?" she whispered to the empty room. "How does it suit your purpose to show me such things?"

Whatever his intent, she would not play into his hand. She would not be manipulated by him again. Master Luke had often warned her not to let her emotions rule her, and not to form attachments, and it was time she remembered who her true master was.

Taking a deep breath, Rey sank to the floor, folded her legs beneath her, closed her eyes, and emptied her mind to begin meditation as she had been taught.

"Rey…"

She opened her eyes at the sound of his voice to see Kylo standing over her, holding his helmet.

"I didn't hear you come in," she admitted.

"You must have questions," he said, not quite meeting her eyes.

"No."

"After… after what happened on Yavin 4, your mother took you to Jakku, I assume to hide you. I do not know where she went or why she didn't return."

"It is of no consequence now."

"I don't believe you. I've been in your head, Rey, and I know… ahhh. You're afraid, aren't you? You're afraid of becoming angry, afraid of your own power."

"No. I mean that it matters very little now. What's done is done."

He sighed and turned away, setting his helmet on the table and dropping into the chair beside it. She watched his movements carefully, noting the way he rubbed his forehead as though it pained him.

"You don't have to be afraid, Rey. I've been where you are now. I can help you. I can teach you how to control it. That was always my intention."

"Was it?" she asked. "That's why you took me from Master Luke? So that you could help me? I don't believe you. You always have only one reason— because Snoke told you to.

His eyes flashed with anger and his pale face colored at her words.

"You think Snoke told me to train you? No, scavenger. After Starkiller, Snoke wanted you dead. My orders were to hunt down you and Skywalker and kill you both. It was I who convinced him that you would prove valuable to us—and if I fail him in this, make no mistake, he will destroy you… and perhaps me as well."

"Should I feel grateful then?" she scoffed.

"Feel however you want. I didn't make this decision for your benefit."

"Yet you wanted me to see that you spared me as a child—that you cared for me a little even. Why? Why let me see that, if it doesn't matter to you how I feel?"

Still studying his reactions, she was quick to catch the slight wince her words produced, as well as the long silence that followed.

"It is better if you hate me," he finally managed, standing abruptly and reaching for his helmet.

"But I don't hate you," she said, getting to her feet much slower. "I'd like to. I've tried to all morning, but I can't…"

In reality, she had spent the morning combing over every word he'd ever said, and every gesture she remembered, and come to the conclusion that his words and actions were often times at odds. More than that, it occurred to her that he very much did not want her to hate him, and now, gambling on her suspicions, she laid a trap.

"I can't," she repeated, dropping her eyes as though the admission embarrassed her.

He stood very still for a moment, and then crossed the space between them in two steps. Rey nervously watched his boots, waiting for him to speak. When he did not, she stole a quick glance at his face.

He was staring at her, and what she saw when she met his eyes pained her a little. There was something in the dark depths of those eyes she had never thought to see there—a spark of hope.

"You can't hate me?" he repeated, his voice low.

"No," she agreed. He reached out to lightly touch the side of her cheek. Rey did not move or wince but continued to stare directly into his eyes. "I can't hate you. It's strange, but I don't feel anything toward you at all."

Kylo Ren withdrew his hand so quickly it was as though her skin had burned him.

"What did you feel when you saw your mother in that memory?" he demanded.

"Nothing," she lied. "Absolutely nothing other than recognition."

His eyebrows drew together as he let out a short angry huff. A moment later, Rey gasped and staggered backwards as her head exploded in pain. Memories flashed before her eyes. He was searching her mind for something, and he was not being gentle about it.

"Stop… it hurts," she cried.

Immediately, the pain disappeared. Still panting, she fell to her knees, gripping her head.

The door opened to reveal an acolyte who gave a short bow.

"Master Ren, your transport has arrived," he hissed.

"Good. Have the medic sent to my ship," Kylo answered.

"Master, the First Order reassigned the medic to—"

"Yes. One of the droids then. Go!" he snapped.

The apprentice bowed again and left.

"Where are you going?" Rey mumbled, still holding her head in her hands.

"I promised you sunlight. You will see that I keep my promises. We are going to Korriban."