Chapter 5

The first lesson from Luke was enlightening, confusing, and shocking all at once. Rey was able to understand what the Force was and how she was able to connect with it. She was confused by her pull to the dark cave on the island. But the thing that struck Rey the most was that Luke Skywalker, Master of the Jedi, had shut himself off completely from the Force. She couldn't understand why he would do that when the galaxy was in peril.
To take her mind off of the thoughts running through her mind from the lesson, Rey went to practice with her quarterstaff. It always felt so comfortable in her hands and she knew how to fight with it without needing to put all of her focus into it. But she became distracted when she felt that same twinge in the Force that she had belt when she found Kylo Ren in her hut. Turning with her quarterstaff grasped in hand, she shoved it towards Kylo's face with a menacing look on her face. Or, with a face she tried to make menacing. Kylo stood still looking from Rey's eyes to her quarterstaff then back into her eyes. She didn't waver as he slowly stepped towards her.
"If you're trying to become a better fighter, why not practice with something you haven't already mastered," he asked. "I don't need your help. I'm doing just fine without you," she replied as she lowered her quarterstaff. Rey couldn't help but have her interest peaked by what he was insinuating. Is he trying to mentor me? she wondered to herself. "I can see that," Kylo went on, not taking his eyes off of her. "But what if your opponent has something that can cut through your quarterstaff like paper? What will you do?" He continued stepping towards her without hesitation now that the quarterstaff was out of his way.
"I'll just use my blaster," Rey quickly shot back, trying to get back to the practice at hand. She turned her back on him as she dropped her quarterstaff and pulled out her blaster and shot some rounds off into the open ocean, just to prove her point. Without turning, Rey could feel Kylo stepping closer to her but found herself not telling him to stay where he was. There was a part of her that wanted him to continue, even if she had planned on not listening to his advice or teachings. "If you are to protect yourself, you need to be well-versed in many weapons. That will make you stronger than you could possibly imagine," Kylo spoke as he stepped up right behind her, his breath tickling Rey's ear and making her shudder in excitement. Kylo smiled at the way he made Rey respond and continued moving closer to her still. "Pick up that lightsaber, Rey. Brandish it and use its power the way you are able to with your quarterstaff."
Rey reached out and grabbed the lightsaber from her bag and turned it on, the familiar vroom resounding everywhere around them. She stared at the ancient weapon in her grasp and stuck it out in front of her, facing off against the rock that stood before her. Without disturbing her, Kylo placed his hand on top of hers and held the lightsaber with her. Both of them breathed in deeply.
"Feel the power of the saber as it pulses through you. That is the same energy that surrounds us in the Force. When the two energies become one, you will be unstoppable against any opponent," Kylo whispered. He let go of her hand and stepped back behind her to give her space. Rey instantly wanted his hand to be grasped around hers again as she felt the cold wind embrace it instead of his warmth. She inhaled deeply before facing off against the rock in front of her. Rey could feel her power grow as her confidence grew with each slash and thrust of the lightsaber. As he watched her with the lightsaber, Kylo felt a surge of pride and fought to hide his smile in case Rey caught sight of it. Rey finished the lightsaber sequence by slashing the blade clean through the rock. She watched as it slid off the rocky cliff and into the ocean below. Kylo watched as she turned to face him with a huge grin on her face. She stared at the lightsaber in her hand for a moment longer before shutting it down and placing it back in her back. Then she turned back to face Kylo, still with a big smile on her face. Kylo's heart thumped loudly against his chest to the point where he thought Rey would be able to hear it. He nodded his approval at her performance with the lightsaber, which made Rey's heart jump.
"How did...how did that feel?" he asked, stepping towards her. Her smile was something else and he always wanted to help keep it on her face.
"Wonderful," Rey responded as she looked up into Kylo's face. She loved how tall he was and saw that his eyes were smiling at her. Their faces leaned closer together until their lips almost touched, Kylo's arm wrapping around Rey's waist pulling her closer to him…
"Rey! It's time for lesson two!" Luke called out to Rey. Her eyes flashed open and Kylo was no longer in front of her. She shook herself and made her way back up the steps to meet Luke. But as she walked, she could still feel Kylo's arm as if it was wrapped around her. Lightyears away, Kylo's eyes opened and he felt sadness creep through him as the connection ended. He was so close to kissing her and showing her how much he cared about her and it was ripped away from him. As he walked back to his quarters, Kylo anxiously waited for their next connection when he would express everything he felt about her now that he saw she felt the same way about him.