Chapter 28
By the time evening fell on Yavin 4, Rey had built her light-staff with Ben's assistance using parts from the temple. She knew she would have normally found the temple fascinating despite the devastating damage from fires that burned during Ben's last departure. However, her thoughts were so full of what might happen when she and Ben went to the First Order that she could barely think.
Ben had noticed, of course. "You don't have to come," he said as they entered his ship for the evening. "I can still request a shuttle and leave without you."
"I'm going," Rey insisted. Of this, she had no doubt. Somewhere between her fear of abandonment and her desire to support him she had decided she would never leave his side again. It was embarrassing to know her fears still ruled any part of her heart, but they were the truth of her. She might always be afraid.
Ben gazed at her and went back down the ramp. "Come on."
"What?" Rey said, following him back outside.
"There's no room inside for a proper battle," Ben said. At the bottom of the ramp, he unclipped his lightsaber and turned it on. The red, unstable beam cut through the darkness, and Rey felt a sense of deja vu as she recalled both their battle in the woods on Starkiller Base and her vision of him with the knights.
Rey frowned at him. "Why are we battling?"
"Consider it a lesson."
"I don't need lessons in how to handle a staff while fighting, even if it's got lightsabers built in," Rey countered.
Ben stared at her, and the red of the lightsaber reflected in his eyes.
Rey imagined, for a moment, that he was wielding a yellow lightsaber made from his new Kyber crystal instead. Though he was in denial, she had no doubt what the crystal meant. It was time for him to be reborn again. She wondered if he would reclaim his birth name or choose yet a new name when he did it.
"Your shields are up, but you're obviously distracted. I find that combat helps me let go of the distractions. Perhaps it will help you too. Furthermore, I would enjoy crossing blades with you. Please."
Rey smirked at that. Well, since he asked nicely… She unclipped her own lightsaber and turned it on. Twin blades of blue erupted from either end of the hilt. She smiled, knowing that this lightsaber was fully hers.
Ben came at her swiftly from below, Rey blocked with the bottom half of her lightsaber, and so they began. Red met blue and blue met red, over and over in the darkness of the night, until Rey's thoughts cleared of everything but the man she loved before her and the colors between them. Rey lost herself to time until Ben caught her blade between the blade and crossguard of his and pulled her closer to him.
"Feel better?" he asked her.
Rey watched the red and blue lights reflect in the sweat gathered on his face. One bead rolled down, and Rey wondered what it would taste like.
"You look like you want to kiss me," Ben said quietly.
"I do want to kiss you," Rey admitted.
Ben smiled at her and leaned in to kiss her forehead. "Let's go inside for that," he said. He untangled his lightsaber, deactivated it, and went up the ramp.
Rey copied him and followed, though her nerves tingled with the awareness that they were going into the ship with the plan of kissing. All their other kisses had been spontaneous things in the moment. Would this time be different? How would they start? Where would they stop?
Once inside, Ben put away his lightsaber, withdrew Growlie from his pocket, and poured out some food and water in two small bowls for the little bird. Rey had forgotten the porg had been on him throughout the day, though he had let Growlie loose to flutter around them several times. Ben turned to face her and opened his arms. "Well?"
Rey blushed and stayed near the ramp, though she did close it. "Well what?"
"You know what," he said. He met her eyes, lowered his gaze to her lips for a few seconds, and then looked back.
Rey didn't move. She was used to acting on instinct, not plans.
Ben walked up to her, removed her lightsaber for her, and set it aside. "May I kiss you?"
"Yes," Rey said.
Ben closed in gently, watching her face until their lips met, and then she closed her eyes and let herself focus on the sensations of his soft lips against hers. It was not as intense as some of their earlier kisses, but it felt right for this moment, and she felt her body and soul relax with the safe intimacy. His arms wrapped around her back gently, and she wrapped her own around his neck. When their lips parted, she leaned her face against his chest.
"I never want to leave you," she said.
"I know," Ben said. "I don't know what we'll be facing tomorrow. The knights… I don't actually know them well at all. Snoke had me recruit them and perform their initial training, but then I was Snoke's apprentice and they were not. Though I have learned to trust their efficiency, I have not spent as much time with them as I should."
"What are their names?" Rey asked, figuring that she may as well know what he did know.
Ben shrugged. "I know them as Banto, Hama-Ki, Jun-Pon, Teva, Rypo, and Nighwitch. My second-in-command, Banto, was a street lord on Coruscant when I found him. There's no telling what his real name is, but he went by Banto there too. Hama-Ki also kept the name she had before. She's an older woman who served in the Senate during the Old Republic. She had no interest in the Sith or the Jedi, but she wanted to help the First Order."
He paused to inhale and exhale deeply. "Teva also did not change names. He was a mercenary. I'm not sure he's not now. He follows orders well, but he never showed much interest in the First Order's ideals or the foundation of the Knights. Rypo and Nighwitch are both new names. You met Rypo. She's loyal to the First Order and the knighthood faith. Nighwitch is the same, though she does not specialize in mental invasion like Rypo does."
Rey shook her head. It was a lot of names all at once. "So Rypo and Teva were the ones who abducted Rose, right?"
Ben nodded. "Under Banto's orders, no doubt. I don't know what they're expecting. The knights are used to working independently of me. I'm really not sure what to expect."
"How powerful are they?" Rey asked.
Ben shrugged. "In a straight-up battle, you and I could take the team of them out easily. There's a reason Snoke left them to my management instead of taking them on himself. Rypo has no physical prowess. The others have little ability to manipulate minds. Hama-Ki actually specializes in healing with what little power she has. Their best fighter is Teva, and even he has not won in combat against me without cheating."
Rey frowned. "But you're afraid of them."
"I left them in charge of the First Order. They could bring the fleet down on us before we ever make it back, and I'm an outsider to them. I don't even know why they would keep me around. Even without the whole business with the investigation regarding you, I would be concerned."
Rey wanted to calm his fears, but anything she could say would be empty assurances. She knew nothing of his relationship with the knights beyond what he told her, and she had no reason to believe they cared for him as she did.
"I want you around, and I will be with you when you face them," Rey said.
Ben kissed the top of her head. "Thank you." He paused and leaned back far enough to look Rey in the eyes. "If I may, I would like to keep you in my arms tonight." He gazed at her. "May I?"
Rey bit her lip. The thought of what this might lead to made her nervous, but she knew he would not push her into anything she didn't want to do. "You may."
"Thank you," he said again, and they kissed again.
I'm back! Sorry about the long break. A lot happened on my end, and I realized I needed a break from this fanfiction. Amusingly, I started and completed two other Reylo fics in the interim. One's a pure farce, and the other's my first M-rated fic. Anyway, I'm back to working on Cup of Sugar, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Please let me know what you think!
