After leaving his padawan to her thoughts, Luke made his way back to his mediation rock. The powerful storm washed over his body, while his mind rambled elsewhere. Luke was searching in the darkness for his former student. An action he had attempted many times, but failed. To his surprise, Kylo Ren's presence was near. Infact, he was...
Luke's concentration was broken by the sound of an incoming ship. As the small black craft hovered over the island, Luke raised his hand and sent the ship crashing down. A loud bang was accompanied by a bright cloud of fire. For a moment, the darkness was lit by reds, oranges, and yellows. Knowing the strength of those inside, his action would merely slow them down.
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Rey used a lot of her strength to rush up the steep pathway as fast as she could. Her heart was full of worry, for Kylo Ren's presence was not the only one she felt. She was rather certain he was accompanied by six other dark figures. Her mind created an obscure image of their menacing silhouettes.
The torrent of water had completely soaked her, which caused her loose buns to come undone as she ran. Straggles of hair traced down her face in the same fluid motions as the raindrops. Wet cloth clinged to her body.
Arriving at a patch of open greenery midway up the pathway, Rey witnessed Luke being surrounded by five dark figures. Details of their suits were masked by darkness. However, Rey noticed the reflection of the light illuminating off one's medieval style weaponry. As she readied herself to charge, Luke held his hand out and motioned her to stop.
"Find Ben!" His voice echoed loudly in her mind.
Tired feet felt heavy as she found it hard to leave behind her master in an uneven fight. Also, proceeding forward meant a one on one encounter with Kylo Ren. Quickly adrenaline kicked in, and gave her the strength to continue up the mountain. Her last site was of Luke throwing one of the masked men through the air with ease.
At last, she arrived near the top of the cliff. Kylo Ren's presence was strong. She closed her eyes and focused on him.
Suddenly, Rey's presence was made known to him. He felt her searching for him, and rushed towards her location. A heavy weight tugged at his heart. He felt danger near her. A danger he had brought. His feet barely scraped the floor, for he raced to her side ever so rapidly.
Rey felt him coming towards her from behind. She turned only to see another stalking beneath the shadows. Kylo Ren had not been the only masked man whom sought for her.
The towering fiend caught her off guard, and swung his weapon at her. The staff he wielded was similar to her own.
Reflexes were quick enough to stop his attack. The middle of her bo staff collided with the front of his.
His initial attack was merely a diversion for his second. As their staffs met, his leg flung up and delivered a harsh blow to her side.
This attack forced her body to turn and fall face forward to the ground. Her elbows and knees scraped against the rocks as she fell. Her staff flew forward away from her grasp. Disoriented for a moment, Rey drifted in the puddle of water that her body was slightly submerged in. Once reality set in, she turned to see him prepared to make his final blow.
"Ben!" Those were the final words she chose to speak before her inevitable doom.
Time seemed to slow as Kylo Ren's lightsaber pierced through the chest of Rey's assailant. The red plasma blade was extinguished following his fatal maneuver. Subsequently, the warrior fell to the ground dead.
Both their eyes were locked upon one another. Emotions soared from their reunion. Despite it only being a few months since the events that took place on Starkiller Base, it felt like a lifetime. Both had felt broken without the other, and had been crazed with anticipation for this very moment.
Being near her, felt more powerful than any dream. Fragile mind pondered about why she had called for him. Even more so, the word she had spoken was Ben, not Kylo Ren. Hearing his birth name spoken by her struck him deeply. Especially since, he had never heard her speak his name out loud.
Desire consumed his entire being. He needed to touch her in any way possible. More so, he craved to comfort her as he had in the past. Only this time, his feelings had matured to something else. A feeling he chose to remain unspoken, to both the scavenger girl and to himself. One which he hoped to eliminate. That is, if he was strong enough. It was indeed his order, his mission, and his purpose to complete his transformation into the darkness.
Kylo Ren staggered to his fallen scavenger. He roughly tugged her up. His gloved hand squeezed her forearm, and refused to allow her out of his grasp. To better secure her, he pulled his other arm around her waist. Now that she was entangled against him, he freed her arm.
His hand ventured up to pull at her jaw. Behind the mask, he observed her and checked from any injuries. The fingers that grasped her jaw moved her face from side to side. Dark eyes scanned over her intoxicating looks, and he paused to study her heart shaped lips. He had always admired her natural beauty, nearly as much as he had her strength.
Both his hands reached up to push the strings of wet hair from her face.
"Your hair down, suits you." his muffled voice broke the silence, and his hands began to venture down her arms.
His soft caress caused her body to tremble.
He paused when he noticed her blooded elbows. Moving downward, he took her hands within his own, and noticed her palms were scraped.
Feeling flustered by his intimate gesture, Rey reluctantly eased back.
With haste, his hand grasped at the small of her back. He would not let her get away so easily. If she did not desire his handling, he wanted her to express so firmly. Since he received no further objection, his hand pulled at the wet fabric that clung to her waist. The way the fabric exposed the shape of her body had caught his attention. Strong hands pulled the cloth up, and he studied the new bruise that was forming at her side, just below her ribcage. Seeing her injured brought upon feelings of distress, if only for a moment.
Having had enough of his games, Rey's arms pushed him away. She then stepped back to ensure she was out of his reach.
That would be the last time he allowed her to reject him, he thought as he was pushed out of his trance. He had come so close to the light. It's very presence had graced his skin, and filled his heart. He would have allowed it to consume him, if she had only granted him entrance. However, the goddess of light had pushed him away, and left him in disdain.
He was beneath her, and could see himself through her eyes. Through them, he saw a monster, a murderer, something that was barely even human. Kylo Ren would have bowed before her and pledged himself to her cause, had she had given him any subtle signal. All he needed was a single look of longing, but instead he got that of indifference. In his mind, indifference was worse than hate. For at least, hate was prompted by some kind of feeling or affection. She felt nothing for him, he knew that much.
Her eyes could not see the face behind the mask. She could not see the yearning in his expression, the conflict, nor did she feel his internal struggle. Simply she saw, his weapon of intimidation. His mask.
Thoughts fled to Luke, and she worried for his well being. Why else had he brought these horrifying men here? If not to eliminate Luke and herself. The fact that he came to her masked was evidence enough. She was not looking at the face of Ben Solo, but the monstrous Kylo Ren.
If anything, not seeing his face was easier. Rey could fight the masked man known as Kylo Ren. However, the face of Ben Solo was much harder. The face of the one she had kissed within a vision. Unknowingly, her memory of such a vision was received to the one facing her.
The very thought distracted him as he saw it in his own mind. He did not understand why her mind would venture to such a place. Not after the way she had pushed him away.
"I have a gift for you," words he spoke with a sigh.
His words caught her off guard just as his actions had, and she muttered, "a gift?"
Her mind could not recall a time where she had ever received a gift. Perhaps, only as a child, from the one formerly known as Ben Solo. A memory of a flower and bell flashed through her mind. They were the same pair that he had given her in their dream.
"A family heirloom," he muttered as he unfastened a lightsaber and offered it to her. "The saber belonged to your grandfather."
Tears formed in her now softened eyes. "The name…?" Those were the only two words she could muster.
"Kenobi."
Rey recognized the name from legend, just as she had the name Skywalker. Her hand reached for the lightsaber, and as she grasped it she felt his thumb trace along her own. A final attempt to sway her, no less.
"Ignite it…" he dared to say as his heart raced.
Unsure of what path to follow, Rey hesitantly ignited her saber. This gesture was the push he needed to ignite his own. He waited for her to strike first, as he had before.
Moments passed, and before she attacked, her lips mumbled, "it's easier to fight you with the mask. Much easier than looking at the face of your former self. I do not wish to look upon that face..."
In her own way, she hinted at her compassion. Her expression simply meant that she preferred the face of Ben, and did not wish to fight him. However, Kylo Ren did not read it so.
"Ben Solo no longer exists." His free hand reached up to press the release of his mask.
Soon after, he allowed it to plummet to the ground. The metal made a loud clank as it hit into the stony ground. Seeing his perfect face gave her quite a fright, for it made her suddenly feel weak.
"Even the face behind the mask is that of Kylo Ren." his voice was much colder than before.
His words caused her to charge towards him. Her style was still uniquely hers, but had gain much refinement.
Once lightsabers met, the light flung wildly within the darkness. The rain hitting their blades caused for a more beautiful site than it had within the snowflakes on Starkiller Base.
Rather than playing the defensive end this time, Kylo Ren came at her hard. He managed to push her back, and continue towards her with a wide perfect stance. The movements they made helped ease his unsettled state.
Their dance within the moonlight had a strong passion behind it, and both were getting some kind of pleasure from it.
A grin pulled across his lips every time he heard her lips expel a gasp, a moan, or a battlecry.
Both were breathing heavily as hungry eyes watched one another.
Rey was aware that Kylo Ren's new found strength triumphed her own. Also that, he was still holding back. However, his advances were close to being deadly. Another push towards darkness, and she was in trouble.
Their battle came upon the cliffside, just as it had before. Kylo Ren once again had pinned his opponent to the edge of demise.
Rey felt his presence slipping. Though her back was the one being pushed toward the edge of the cliff, he was the one falling. Their sabers collided with a fierce force. Kylo Ren was on the brink of breaking. In moments, their duel would be over, and he would be victorious.
A moment she could not let slip away, like every flash of time had up until this very second. Rey's arms felt heavy, and she could not hold him back for much longer. She needed to act now. Hands trembled as she held his saber back, while her own lightsaber was being pushed back towards herself. His strong push forward forced their body less than a few inches apart. Her eyes looked back into his dominant stare. The light of the lightsabers caused a purple reflection within his eyes. Searching deep inside of him, she stumble across a memory.
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In an instant, she was back on Starkiller Base standing in front of Han Solo on the platform, which he spent his last moments pleading with his son. Rey stood in the place of Kylo Ren, and watched through his perspective. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she knew what was to come next. She wished to look away, but was frozen in place. In that instant, she saw Han Solo press the button to ignite the lightsaber himself. A sacrifice intended to save his son. In his own mind, Ben was trapped in a paradox. To be free, Han had to die. Rather it be for good or evil. Had Ben killed his father himself, he would have gained strength and been lost in darkness for the remainder of his days. However, the loss of his father had weakened him, and ultimately led to having a greater pull towards the light. Rey was looking at the past, but soon saw a vision from the future. What she saw brought her joy, but also terrified her.
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Outside of her trance, Rey's lightsaber was nearly falling out of her hand.
Kylo Ren had eased up on his attack, and his eyes stared at her with a stunned expression.
Her eyes shot open and looked back at him with a new view. Something had changed in her. He could feel it.
"You did not kill your father… He sacrificed himself, for you… and I…" Her words broke off as she exposed a truth he meant to keep hidden. She extinguished her lightsaber and took two steps back.
Feeling rather perplexed, his heart was unsteady as he watched her. Before he could interfere, Rey pulled her arms up, like a bird spreading it's wings, and allowed herself to fall backwards off the cliff.
She had taken a leap of faith. An action that sent Kylo Ren into a panic. He reached out for her, but came up short. Without a second thought, he dropped his lightsaber, pulled off his cloak, and dived in the rough water after her.