Halo
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A/N-thank you for the kind reviews on this story!
Chapter Two-Hero
Kylo licked his dry lips and tried to sit up again but knew he would faint when his stomach gave out. It felt like his innards were being replaced by some kind of black hole. Then nausea crept from his abdomen to his head and the world went black. He fell back with a stifled groan.
"What's happening to me?" He asked hoarsely.
"You've been running a fever for days." Rey wet a cloth and began to dab at the perspiration forming on his skin. "You're still very weak."
Kylo lost the colour from his face. It was as if his heart had suddenly stopped beating and all the blood had run down into his boots. He tried to focus his gaze on the girl's face while she hovered over him. Gods, she was even prettier up close. He stared up at her, feeling slightly delirious as she continued to dab at his hot skin.
"Are you an angel?" He gasped.
The girl's cheeks flushed slightly as she shook her head. "No. I'm just Rey."
"Just Rey." Kylo mumbled as his eyesight blurred, but not because tears were welling up. Everything became fuzzy; then he saw nothing at all. His consciousness was floating through an empty space filled with a thick static. Throughout the inky space his heartbeats pounded loudly, echoing in his ears. Feeling in his body drained away until finally all was black.
Away to the west the sun was sinking into a violet sea of light. There lay the mighty desert, brown, barren, desolate—the desert with its dreaded sand storms. Rey shivered slightly in the sudden drop in temperature. A muffled groan came from inside the walker and she sighed heavily. Kyben must have regained consciousness again. Tiredly she crept back inside to check on him.
Night had robbed her of the daytime colours. Ahead of her Kyben appeared no more than a silhouette, Rey only had his fluid black out-line from which to guess his emotions. Right now, he seemed relaxed, and that could only mean a good thing. Perhaps by morning he would have recovered enough for her to take him to Niima Outpost. What he did from there was up to him.
"How are you feeling?" She asked solicitously as she kept a discreet distance.
"Like I've got kriffing hangover." Kylo swore as he rubbed the back of his skull in a vain attempt to ease the intense ache. "How long have I been here?"
Rey flushed again, not amused by his foul language. "Too long." She countered irritably. "And you're welcome by the way."
"For what?" Kylo was genuinely confused by her veiled sarcasm.
Rey just stared at him in disbelief, utterly despairing at his lack of manners. His stomach growled, sounding extra loud in the ensuing silence. He squirmed with embarrassment as he tried to silence the grumbling. "Are you hungry, Kyben?" She asked, her expression remaining deadpan as she secretly enjoyed his discomfiture.
Kylo found himself salivating at the prospect of food. His stomach rumbled again and he covered it with his hand. He suddenly realised how famished he was. Gnawing hunger clawed at his empty stomach as he nodded eagerly.
Rey turned away from him as she ignored her own empty stomach. The hunger was ever-present; from dawn to dusk it gnawed at her. Food was her constant obsession; she couldn't look at an animal or plant and not wonder if it was edible. She didn't care if food was tasty or varied, just that it could stave off the pains a while. She was down to her last portion of food. She had intended to save it for the morning, thinking that it would fuel her long enough to go on another scavenging expedition. Looking at it longingly, she decided to let Kyben have it. He was weak and would need his strength for the long journey to Niima Outpost in the morning. Reluctantly she began to prepare the slim pickings. When she passed it to Kyben, he practically snatched it out of her hands.
Angered by his rudeness she watched in stony silence as he gobbled the whole lot down. He didn't even offer to share. It was very clear he was a spoiled prince and had probably never known a day's hunger before now. The sooner he was gone the better. Rey suddenly couldn't bear to be in the same space as him. She grabbed her poncho and stepped outside. The cool dry air hit her skin as soon as her soft boots sank into the sand. She raised her head and looked up at the sky. In every direction was a star, should she fly into the galaxy any way would be the right way. She tilted her head, gazing upward, eyes more open than they can be in the fullness of day, not looking at one star, yet somehow seeing them all at once. It was breathtakingly beautiful, and left her feeling momentarily sad as she wondered if her parents were looking at the same stars, thinking about their lost daughter.
"Why aren't you eating anything?"
Kyben's hoarse voice coming from behind, startled Rey. She tensed, turning her head to frown in his direction. "I'll eat tomorrow." She said tetchily. "I see you're able to stand."
Kylo's eyes widened slightly at the irritated tone in her voice. She was very moody. He had only asked a simple question. He rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to tie his jumbled thoughts together. His memory of what happened was hazy at best. He had come out to question her, but in the sour mood she was in, she would probably just jump down his throat. Eating had made him feel a little better, but he was still weak. His legs wobbled as he tried to remain upright, but he was soon forced to lower himself to the ground when they threatened to give out.
Rey watched him with little sympathy. "I'll take you to Niima Outpost in the morning, Kyben. You should be able to make your own way from there." She said as the tense silence stretched out between them.
Weariness crept over Kylo as he fought to keep his eyes open. "Why do you keep calling me Kyben?" He asked gruffly as he scooped sand into the palm of his hand and let the fine grains trickle between his fingers.
"Isn't that your name?"
"No."
"You said it was."
"No, I didn't."
Rey cast him an irritated glance. He really was rude and obnoxious. He had showed no gratitude whatsoever for all the effort and all the sacrifices she had made tending to him in his hour of need. As far as she was concerned morning couldn't come fast enough so she could be rid of his company. "It's not my fault I got it wrong. You were hardly coherent at the time when I asked you."
Kylo looked up at her from his sitting position. Her hazel eyes were a melt of autumn tones. Freckles, light, delicate; sprinkled softly on her sun-kissed cheeks. Soft waves of brown hair framed her heart shaped face. She was a Goddess, a blooming flower amongst the dry desert sands. He was captivated by her, utterly intrigued. And he hadn't felt that way about anyone or anything ever. If he told her who he really was, he could already envision that precious light in her pretty eyes morphing into one of fear as she looked at him like a monster. It was a look he'd seen in countless eyes during his lifetime.
"My name is B…Ben." He stumbled over his name.
Rey studied him curiously. He was a mass of contradiction. No longer acting the spoiled prince, his whole demeanour had changed. He now seemed rather shy; the apology clear in his eyes as he gazed up at her. Rey's compassionate nature decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.
"Hello, Ben. I'm Rey." She held out her hand toward him.
A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he reached up to take her hand. As soon as their fingertips brushed a slight tingle ran underneath their skin. It was as though someone had attached a live wire to each of their nerves, like an electrical current pulsing between them.
Rey snatched her hand back and cradled it against her stomach. "What was that?" She demanded.
Kylo's mouth dropped open as he stared up at her in fascination. His senses had been so dulled because of his illness that he hadn't even been aware of the Force surrounding her. It was strong, pulsating. It took him a few minutes to gather his wits. "You're strong with the Force."
Rey looked at him like he was crazy. "I have no idea what you're talking about." She turned away from him and ducked her head in the low doorway of the walker as she went back inside.
Kylo climbed unsteadily to his feet. His face paled as his blood sugar dipped. He was seconds from passing out. He called Rey's name, but by the time she came back out he had already fainted.
Kylo's skin was glistening and the nape of his neck damp the next time he woke up. He dragged himself into a sitting position, the heat from the cruel desert sun stealing his breath. One glance around the walker's interior told him that he was alone. Rey was gone. She wouldn't have abandoned him, would she? He wouldn't be surprised, it was a regular pattern in his life, starting with his own parents. He scowled, annoyed at himself for dredging up the memory of Han and Leia. It was this cursed heat. It was driving him crazy. He turned to find a bowl of lukewarm water placed next to him as well as a small portion of something he assumed was food. Rey must have left it there before she went out.
Stripping off his black tunic, Kylo pulled his weary body into a kneeling position and began to splash water on his face. It cooled his feverish skin a little and he relaxed. Washing down the rest of his upper torso as best he could with the limited amount of water, he settled back down and picked up the inedible looking food. He sniffed it, grimacing as he shovelled it into his mouth. It was as tasteless as the poor offerings from the day before and did little to satisfy his raging hunger.
Even the small effort of washing had tuckered him out. Kylo sighed and leaned back against the wall as he took his first good look at the place Rey called home. The first thing he noticed inside the walker was a computer display from an old BTL-A4 Y-wing assault starfighter/bomber that Rey had acquired, which she used to learn alien languages, study the schematics of Republic and Imperial star ships, and run flight simulations in order to hone her skills as a pilot. Her ability to understand alien languages, including the binary language of droids, helped her when off-worlders came to Niima Outpost.
Kylo had no idea that two such off-worlders were Wookiees, who regaled her with the stories of the famed Wookiee smuggler-turned-Rebel fighter Chewbacca. She learned of Chewbacca's exploits, as well as those of his friend and fellow smuggler Han Solo. Kylo crawled over to the computer and switched it on. He pulled up an array of schematics. Rey had clearly been studying them to learn how ships worked. An important part of her survival on Jakku. As he flipped through the schematics, he recognized almost all of the Republic and Imperial vessels that could be found in the Graveyard. He was impressed at the depth of Rey's research on the vessels, including what roles they played in combat, the types of weapons they were armed with, their models and classes, and how many crew members each one had.
Flicking through all the information the computer held, Kylo realised that Rey from Jakku was not just a simple scavenger. He was amazed at the wealth of information she had gathered through her limited resources. After a while he shut the computer down and stretched his aching limbs. He had no idea how much time had passed. Surely, she would be back soon? He didn't really think she had just run off and left him, not after going to so much trouble to keep him alive.
His curious gaze landed on the wall opposite the computer terminal. It was filled with scratches to mark the passage of time. He wondered what it all meant. Underneath the scratches were etched a number of words. He froze when he saw the name Kyben etched there as well as the word Finalizer and others he didn't want to think about right now. From some distance away he heard the sound of a speeder. The ache intensified inside his head as he clambered onto his feet and crawled his way outside to see if it was Rey. The heat of the mid-day sun shimmered in front of him and scorched his eyeballs. He quickly shielded his eyes with his hand and backed into the walker, seeking shade.
After his eyes became attuned to the bright light, he could see it was indeed Rey returning. She was hovering low over her speeder, the nets on either side heavy with scavenged parts. Kylo kept his gaze trained on her as she approached. He thought she seemed kind of agitated and it caused a sliver of unease to ripple down his spine. It didn't take her long to reach him. She left the speeder running, the infernal black smoke coming from the exhaust choking the air.
"Good, you're awake." Rey said breathlessly as she removed her goggles and stared at him anxiously. "We've got a problem."
"What?" Kylo asked in alarm.
"I've just come from Niima Outpost. I was taking these parts to Plutt to trade but found it swarming with stormtroopers. The First Order is here, Ben." Rey's cheeks were flushed as she spoke. "I overheard them questioning Plutt. They're looking for some Resistance pilot or something. He escaped and they tracked him here." She gushed, her hazel eyes shining brightly. "That pilot is you, isn't it, Ben? Why didn't you just tell me you were part of the Resistance. It all makes sense to me now. This is amazing. You're a hero."
A/N-thanks for reading!