Let the Past Die

Rey stormed away from Luke, fuming after realizing what he said about the Caretakers being "raided" was a joke. She was furious with him for taking a serious matter like that in jest. She walked until she was far away from the village as the sun dipped below the horizon and night began to fall.

"The legend of Luke Skywalker that you hate so much? I believed in it," Rey remembered what she had said to Luke. "I was wrong." She shook slightly in anger and disappointment. She thought Luke would provide answers for her, would help guide her. Then she shuddered again, but not because of her anger. Goosebumps rose on her arm when she felt his all too familiar presence.

"I'd rather not do this now." She said, staring at the ground.

"Yeah, me too" came his reply. She continued staring at the ground for a moment before turning to face him.

"Why did you hate your fath-" she stopped short when she lifted her gaze. Kylo turned to face her, without a shirt on, his bare chest on full display. Rey's eyes widened for a moment as she glanced at his toned muscles and his fair skin glistening with sweat, along with the angry red scar that trailed down from his face to his collarbone. She cleared her throat and quickly looked away, cheeks reddening from embarrassment. Kylo watched her churning expressions in amusement.

Still refusing to look at him directly, Rey said in exasperation, "Do you have something, a cowl or something you could put on?" Kylo ignored her and instead stepped closer, making Rey more flustered. She closed her eyes to avoid looking at him and shook her head in an attempt to clear it. Rey opened her eyes and looked directly at his face, determined to avoid staring at his chest and abs. "Why did you hate your father? Give me an honest answer!" She said forcefully. To her dismay, Kylo only continued to step closer to her.

Continuing with angry tears in her eyes, she shouted, "You had a father who loved you! Who gave a damn about you!" Tears were spilling out onto her cheeks now as she bit back an angry sob.

"I didn't hate him." Kylo's response surprised her.

So she asked, "Then why?" She took a shuddering breath as she tried unsuccessfully to steady her voice.

"Why what?" Kylo responded. She paused, a chill running down her spine. She looked at him as another tear fell from her eyes. He knew full well what she was talking about so she didn't answer. She couldn't answer.

"Why what?" He asked again a little more forcefully. "Say it."

She closed her eyes for a moment before painfully saying, "Why did you…" she trailed off as her voice broke. Rey took another shaky breath before continuing. "Why did you kill him?" She gasped as another sob wracked from her body unwillingly. She lifted her tear-filled gaze to his eyes that surprisingly held a faint softness to them. "I don't understand."

"No?" he replied somberly. "Your parents threw you away like garbage."

"They didn't!" Rey protested.

"They did." he continued. "But you can't stop needing them." His gaze bore straight into hers. "It's your greatest weakness. Looking for them everywhere." Rey looked slightly taken aback and began to protest. "In Han Solo," Kylo continued and then his expression soured slightly. "And now in Skywalker." Rey stared at him in despair as she continued to cry. Kylo's expression softened slightly at the sight of her tears. "Did he tell you what happened that night?"

Rey was surprised at the sudden change of subject but quickly composed her self and shot back angrily, "Yes." She glared at him, her anger returning. Kylo studied her face for a moment.

Then he shook his head and said, "No. He had sensed my power. As he senses yours." His voice lowered and he said, "He feared it." His mind was suddenly thrust back into his younger self, into Ben Solo, as the memory took over. He had been asleep when a humming sound woke him. He blinked in confusion and looked over his shoulder to see Luke, his master, his uncle standing over him with a green lightsaber ignited. A determined and fierce look was in Luke's eyes. Ben startled as he stared at his mentor in confusion and fear. Luke raised his lightsaber and Ben panicked, calling his lightsaber to him and igniting it to intercept Luke's blow. He was scared and in desperation, he reached out his hand and collapsed the room on top of his uncle.

Rey stared at him in shock and disbelief. She blinked and shook her head as she said, "Liar." But she saw no sign of deception in his eyes. Only pain and anger. He stepped toward her again, making it so that they were only inches apart.

He stared at her before saying, "Let the past die." His gaze haunted her. "Kill it, if you have to. That's the only way to become what you were meant to be."

The pair locked eyes for a few moments. Rey was surprised that Kylo was no longer bothering to hide his pain from her. She could see it in his eyes, his sorrow, his conflict, his torment as he barely held his composure by a thread. Kylo could see that she didn't want to believe him, but she knew deep down he wasn't lying. Her anger aimed at Skywalker was lessening, but so was her anger towards him. He could see her conflict in her eyes as well.

The two held their gazes for a few seconds longer before the whistling of the wind and the crashing of the waves returned to Rey's ears. She blinked sharply and when she opened her eyes, Kylo was gone. She shuddered as she took in his words. She slowly turned around and her mind drifted to the dark place that she had stumbled upon during her meditation. The dark place that held answers for her. She felt drawn to it as she walked on wobbly legs, wondering if Kylo really had been telling the truth. But she suspected that she already knew the answer deep down inside of her. She pushed her doubt down deeper as she walked down the stone steps.