They all woke to the cries of porgs early the next morning, ringing like bells around the island. A normal occurrence on Ach-To. As was the curse Rey groaned when they interrupted her sleep. These days, she knew better than to simply ignore it. No matter how much she wanted to. Master Luke would come marching in to wake her back up each time she tried.

The porg from last night, still snoozing away on the other bench, rolled onto its back. Its feathered belly rose and fell in peaceful sleep. With envious eyes, Rey grabbed her bag and towel. There were no freshers on the island. No way of getting clean unless you bathed in the ocean like the caretakers. Fortunately, they had told Luke of a waterfall within the island's caves. Spewing clean, crystal water into a large pool that made the cavern walls glimmer. Known only to those who know where it is. Thanks to Luke, Rey happened to be one of those few.

With a loud yawn and her eyes squinting against the morning sun, she made her journey down another flight of steps. They curved down and around the island, leading her to a path that split in two. To her left, a grove of trees grew within two rocky walls. To her right, another path of stairs led her closer to the crashing waves below. With a skip, she went right. Sprinting down the stone steps, she breathed in the smell of salt from the ocean. Wind blew her loose hair into her face. She reached the bottom and rounded the corner with a grin, excited for the day's lesson.

She froze.

Kylo Ren sat on a rock outside the cavern entrance, a gray towel draped across his right shoulder. He had a leather-bound book in one big hand and a clump of grass in the other. A look of concentration furrowed his brow. Rey took a step back, thinking of fleeing back up the trail, but the twig that snapped under her foot betrayed her. He looked up at the sound, his face lighting up at the sight of her. He ripped the clump of grass out of the ground.

Still dressed in black from head to toe, he had swapped his cape and tunic for a simple shirt. The short sleeves looked tight around his arms. Rey was surprised they didn't rip when he stood up. "Hi," he closed the tattered text with care.

"Hello," Rey answered timidly, hugging her towel to her chest. All at once, she became aware of the sleepy mess on her head. Her disheveled clothes. The gunk she'd forgotten to scrape out of her eyes.

Why should I care what I look like to him? She thought to herself. She didn't remember ever feeling this flustered around Luke in the mornings. The old man always looked worse, anyway. Yet, there was something different now that his nephew was here. Something she didn't quite understand.

She tore her eyes away from his gaze, clearing her throat. "Are you – Are you waiting - ?"

"For Luke," he nodded. "He should be out soon. He's been in there for a damn hour. Listen…"

They kept quiet. From inside, Luke's raspy voice echoed off the cavern walls, singing a cheery melody Rey recognized in an instant. After all the talk he'd spewed about the Jedi religion and refusing to be a resistance hero again, there he was. Singing the resistance fight song. She knew the old Luke was still in there somewhere.

"Does she still sing it?" Kylo asked Rey, scratching the back of his head. "My mother."

Rey read the worry in his eyes and knew what he really meant to ask. "She does. I got word from my friends she survived the explosion. She's in recovery. Unconscious, but she should be fine."

He pressed his lips together to hide the relief she felt coursing through him. Relief with hints of guilt. Kylo Ren, fearsome darksider, deeply cared for his mother. No matter how hard he tried to hide it.

Rey suppressed a laugh. "The sunrise looks beautiful. Don't you think?" She nodded to the sky behind him where the glowing sun was slowly making its way up past the clouds. He turned his head to look, and Rey quickly combed the knots out of her loose hair.

"Yeah. Yeah, I suppose it is," he said, turning back to look at her instead. He smiled. "But I've seen prettier."

Her heart fluttered like mad. He was only a few steps away, and against her better judgment, she found herself wishing he were closer. The way he was looking at her... It made her curious.

Stop it, she checked herself. A Jedi controls their emotions. Especially around an enemy.

She nodded at the book in his hand, avoiding his eyes. "I wouldn't have pegged you for a reader. What's that? Sith philosophy?"

"A history of the island, actually. From the caretaker's collection."

Her face bloomed red. "Oh. Right."

"Wiping out the resistance isn't my only past-time, you know. If you bothered to know me, you'd see."

"I know everything I need to know about you," she said.

"You do?" he took a step forward. "Ah, you do." Rey gulped, watching him come closer, doing nothing to stop him. "So, what else is there to do on this boring forsaken island? Talk to you?"

"If you're lucky," she replied. "It would be the highlight of your day."

"I don't doubt it," he said, inches away now. So close, she could reach out and touch his hand. His hair. His face.

She raised a brow, looking up into his needy eyes. "Or maybe not. According to you, I'm nothing but a scavenger."

"No," he shook his head, his tone gentle. "You're more than that."

His gaze moved back and forth between her eyes and lips. Rey's insides twisted in nervous knots the closer he got. She wondered if he felt it too.

"Rey."

She jumped back from Kylo at once. Luke, hair still damp from his bath, frowned at her from the cavern entrance. "Rey, go on ahead," he nodded towards the inside. "I need to speak to Ben for a moment."

She didn't hesitate to obey and avoided Luke's eyes as she walked past him. Once she turned into the cavern's mouth, she stopped. Her back against the cave wall, she listened.

"What did I tell you about staying away from her?" She heard Luke demand.

"It's an island," Kylo replied. "There are only so many places I can go. It isn't my fault if we run into each other."

"She's a nice girl," Luke said. "She's already susceptible to the dark because of her past. We don't need it getting worse because of your influence."

Kylo remained silent. But the feeling of rage and hurt boiling his blood overwhelmed Rey. Luke's words made him feel like a rotten disease. When he finally spoke again, his deep voice was quiet. "That's her decision. Not yours."

"I mean it, Ben!" Luke thundered. "Keep away from her."

She listened for more but no sound other than Luke's grumbling as he walked away reached her ears. Frowning, she carried on inside. The sound of her steps bounced off the walls.

She wondered how many times Luke had spoken to his nephew that way. How many times he'd been made to feel like a devil. The more he hears it, the more he believes it, she thought as she stripped away her clothes, dipping her foot into the pool's clear water. Warm. Just right. She grabbed a bar of soap from her bag and walked in further, until the water touched her breasts. Until the water falling from above showered the top of her head. Sunlight shined through the cracks up top, and Rey loved the way it turned the pool a whole rainbow of colors.

After dressing and tying up her hair in her usual buns, she made her way out of the cavern. To her delight, Kylo was still there waiting when she walked out. But the happy smile from before was gone. His gloomy eyes merely glanced at her and he shut his book, walking into the cave without a word.