Chapter Text
Another base on a ship with a name that ended with the letters, 'er'. Same location when he looked out towards the blackness of space before him. Current thoughts of wondering what had gone wrong. Everything was going so well. He offered so much and didn't even hold back on his emotions during that scene. Them against the galaxy. Gave the option of ruling the universe, together, but no.
She, Rey, didn't want all that. Still wanted to go back to that pitiful Resistance with her precious friends. The fact that she had left him there alone in the throne room made him madder than a stinging horde of small vicious insects. She dare leave him? Kylo Ren, the most powerful leader in the First Order! The action that she had did a year ago made no sense to him at all. It frustrated him to no end. She was just a nobody and let Rey had thought she had a place in that rag tag team of misfits.
Still, when he was alone, his thoughts went straight towards the scavenger. Their bond was weaker due to Snoke's demise by his hand but Kylo could still sense her through the Force. Too bad she could as well and put a mental wall between them as soon as she was aware that the link wasn't broken just yet. There were days that he tried going through but those times weren't very successful. At some point, he stopped trying. Obliviously, she didn't want to see him unless it was on a battlefield. Such a shame, that Rey. She should of had been by his side. Fate or the Force didn't always work in anyone's favor.
'Just what could it had been? Did I shout too much? Was it about the comment about her parents? I told her that she meant a lot to me. I even begged. I can't believe I did that. Feared leader in the Order. Ruthless and merciless, becoming a bleeding heart for some girl....'.
Normally, he would be met with silence because he didn't speak these words. More like they were screaming and shouting in his mind constantly. So when an unfamiliar voice spoke throughout the abandoned hallway, he did a double take. The line was quite an odd thing to say, especially with such a monotone voice. SAND. Alright, so the phrase was sand. What about it? Was it something about the desert planet of Jakku that Rey was from and spent most of her painful memories by living there? That's the only thing Kylo could piece together by the ghostly comment that he had just heard. Maybe his mind was playing tricks on him. Yes, that was the issue.
YOU DIDN"T TELL HER THAT YOU DON'T LIKE SAND.
Kylo couldn't tell where the voice would be coming from but he shot a look anyway. How was that going to help with anything? What type of garbage advice was that supposed to be? And just why did he have to tell Rey that? A magical word or something along those lines? He's calling bullshit right now. He would had just gone back to looking outside of the window in the space near him again but something, more like the Force called him back towards those lines that were spoken to him. This time, the line was different.
TELL HER THAT SHE'S NOT LIKE THAT. THAT SHE'S MORE COMFORTABLE AND CALM WHEN YOU ARE NEAR HER.
But he did! He did say that she meant the galaxy to him. Of course, Kylo had brought up her parents and telling her to let go of the past. None of that should had mattered. He meant it when he said, 'you have no place in this story. you are nothing, but not to ME'. Okay, the delivery could had some work done and he should had not shouted at her that much. However, that was a complete and honest confession from him. How could Rey not see that?
I DIDN'T KNOW MY GRANDSON COULD SCREW UP SO BADLY. EVEN I AM NOT THAT MORONIC. MUST BE THE SOLO IN HIM.
What? Did he just hear that right? Ignoring the Solo bit, he was more interested in the first part. Grandson? No, it couldn't be. He remembers tales of a voice box modulator not someone with such a nonthreatening demeanor with no emotion. Flat. Also, this voice was younger. No way that this was the legendary Darth Vader speaking to him from some ghost voice from the Force.
Unless, this was, er, what was Vader's original name again? Anakin? That sounded right. Anakin Skywalker. There wasn't too much info about him before his turn to the dark side. Not like his mother would had known her own father before the wars. Those years were a complete mystery and he rather not focus on that too much. Just the reason why he should listen to this younger version of his hero.
He didn't get the chance since the whisper had now gone silent but he's sure that the Force won't leave him alone until he speaks to Rey. Sighing into his hand, he went to his room. Even if the hallways were abandoned, they were still too open and someone was bound to hear him talking to himself or an invisible person. Last time he did this, there were a unlucky few that witnessed his little talks. They were expertly dealt with.
Settling down onto the edge of his bed, he tried to open the bond, once more time. Half hoping that she wouldn't have the wall up this time. Yeah right. This was Rey that he was thinking about. He wasn't going to hold his breath.
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3 am. That's what time it was in the zone of the Resistance's location. A young woman is snuggled into a pair of sheets, laying in a bed, in her own room. They all were on some unknown or uncharted planet, trying to escape the clutches of the First Order. How they were able to get rooms and a place to rest was considerably lucky concerning the circumstances. However, they would want to get as much sleep as they could and that was the reason why the scavenger, Rey, was catching some shut eye.
This was also the time where the Jedi, still in training, had her mind walls the weakest. The reason? There was no attempts from the leader of the First Order trying to access her and her mind with the Force bond they both shared together. Perhaps this is when Kylo had also choose to sleep? Bah! Why in the hell was she even thinking about him? Who cares about the why in the long run. She just was glad that she could breathe a little better around this time. Mind shields were still too much for her to keep around at all times.
So she's not expecting the loud knocks against the wall at this time of night. They just wouldn't quit and were quite persistence. Well, Rey wasn't going to lower the wall anytime soon, as she stubbornly turns in her bed and pulls the sheets above her head. But the noises wouldn't cease and it was getting harder to fall back asleep. Irritated and pissed that her rest was being so rudely interrupted by a goth prince who looked like he didn't wash his hair for weeks on end, Rey decided to see what the hell he wanted. Being sleepy made her judgement a little too tipped but she's sure that it would just be her that Kylo would see and nothing else.
Lowering the mind wall, she sits up a little and fixes her sleeping tunic. All at once, she can feel the presence next to her. Well, next to her bed appeared his own. That was strange. Rey pictured him being ready to fight her and growling, quite angry. Yet, here he was, hunched over on his bed and looking towards the floor. Still wearing the all black ensemble though. That didn't change. Probably had multiple outfits of the same thing.
He didn't notice her right away so Rey coughed into her hand to get his attention. As he looked up and at her, the scavenger was the first one to shoot questions.
"What do you want? I am trying to sleep, unlike a nerfherder as such as yourself". She could see him visibly flinch at her comment. Well, he so rudely woke her up. Of course she would be flinging curse words and unflattering things. Rey was tired and wanted to just go back to sleep.
"I just wanted to tell you something". His voice was calm, trying not to upset her as she already was. However, nothing was easy.
"Tell me something? You mean you woke me up in the middle of the kriffing night just because you wanted to tell me something utterly unimportant? Sorry but this isn't a soundboard". There was angry vibes rolling off her in spades. Beyond irritated, Rey was completely livid. She almost felt like putting back the wall until he called out and scooted closer to the edge of his bed.
"Just listen to me. I promise to go away again and leave you alone at night". Okay, that wasn't what Rey wanted to hear but if it meant that Kylo wouldn't bother her when she was catching some sleep. She crossed her arms and looked at him, waiting for him to continue.
"Alright. Say it and then get out of here". Okay, this was it. Finally, he was going to say the line and everything would be right again. She would choose him and, and.....
"I don't like sand. It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere. But not you. You're like a desert cactus." Everything just froze on the spot as they both looked at each other. Kylo hopeful and Rey quite shocked at the oddly placed confession. Did she hear him right? He didn't like sand? Was Kylo pulling a prank on her or was she more tired than she let on? Rey just kept staring at him, mouth open and eyes wide.
"You're comparing me to a kriffing cactus? Ben, are you drunk? Have you lost your already bleak mind?". Now it was Kylo's turn to stare at her. Usually he would had only stared at her for using his real name, the one he discarded long ago but this was because she thought he was drunk or crazy. Which wasn't true. Well, the voice from his grandfather could be used in the latter sense but that wasn't the point.
"No! I mean, not entirely. I meant what I said though. Flowers still bloom on the cactus even if it's surrounded by irritating sand. That's what you mean to me. I just wanted to let you know that, no matter what happens. There's still time for that offer. It still stands". Of course, that true chance had sailed away when she had shut the Falcon door on him but he still had hope.
Too tired to start an argument with the other across from her on why that wouldn't work, Rey just nodded.
"That's not going to change my mind but I'll remember that. Just improve your analogies. Comparing anyone to a prickly plant is not going to score you points towards their affection. Good night". And with that she put the mind wall back up, clearly done with their little conversation and went back to sleep. And true to the promise, he didn't try to contact her again in the night.
Hopefully, their next encounter didn't involve a fight in a place that had sand.
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END