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Rey sat cross-legged on the floor, trying desperately to meditate.
Reach out... what do you see? Kept replaying in her mind.
But... she couldn't see anything.
She couldn't see hope. No light, no balance. Nothing.
A whirl of chaos and destruction began to unfold. She felt the darkness rising in the air.
But there was a strange comfort that came with it...
The death, the destruction, the smell of burnt flesh that had been rended with the blade of her (now broken) lightsaber stung in her nostrils — filling her lungs with the incapacitating thrill of obliterating her enemies.
And everything went quiet.
Rey opened her eyes, and she saw... Ben.
He was cloaked in a dark robe, he looked nicer than when she saw him last.
But... he looked... tired.
Dark circles framed his eyes and he looked shades paler than before.
Ruling must've become too much for him.
There he was, on his knees, meditating.
He looked startled when he opened his eyes and saw Rey, but she couldn't imagine why. He initiated this connection, didn't he?
"What do you want?" She asked, instinctively scooting back.
He looked at her quizzically, letting out a small huff of breath that resembled some sort of laugh.
Rey felt self-conscious now.
It had been months since the last time they'd seen each other. Months since they'd fought... together.
She did a quick mental check of her appearance, making sure she was presentable.
Her hair was done up in the three buns that she wore in her days on Jakku, and she was clothed in an outfit not unlike the one she wore on the Supremacy.
Ben's dark, yet warm, soft eyes searched her as if he was looking for answers to the deepest, most unknown questions.
"I was just meditating. The Force... it must be connecting us again somehow." He shrugged.
Rey had to lock her eyes in place to keep herself from rolling them.
"It's been a while." Ben stated dryly. He straightened his posture, his bones seeming to crack back in place when he did.
Rey kept a serious, unmoving stare.
"Really? I haven't noticed." She snapped. She then caught herself, biting her tongue.
His eyes saddened a bit.
"You're the one who closed the door, remember?" He said gently, but with firmness. "I asked you to join me."
"Ben, you were going down a path I couldn't follow." She began. "I saw your future. You and I, we were on the same side."
"I saw the same thing. We could've ruled together--"
"Rule? No! No, the galaxy needs freedom."
"The galaxy needs order. And I'm going to bring order and restore balance. Whether you're with me or not, I will bring balance to the Force. I'm there's not a damn thing you can do to stop me." He concluded. He said it in the odd way that he always did when he was correcting her. He was never harsh or brash, he was never cruel, always gentle as if he was a teacher guiding a student. He almost said those words with... love.
Rey shifted. The air was tense and thick, yet it was thin and cold. A chill ran down her spine as Kylo removed his glove, and patiently held out his hand.
She looked down at his hand, and back into his eyes.
"I don't want to do this alone, Rey."
She was lost. She was truly lost. She just wanted this war to end. Everyone she cared for was dying in futile attempts to stop the First Order. The Resistance was down to a mere dozen people. They could not afford to keep up the fight for much longer.
Ben's eyes were desperate, they pleaded with her to just make all the pain stop. For it all to disappear and melt away as if it never existed.
"Please?" He uttered, barely above a whisper.
Guilt and shame pooled in Rey's stomach. The familiarity of this gesture sickened her, yet it piqued her interest.
Her mind wandered back to the time over the fire when she confided in him, telling her how lonely she felt.
You're not alone. Her mind echoed.
When they fought together, when they fought against each other, both love and hate resided in the barrier that Rey was putting up.
You're still holding on. Just let go.
Let go.
"No tricks this time?" Rey asked, tears streaking her beautiful face.
Ben took his non-extended hand and wiped her tears. A quiet gasp escaped her lips as he performed the tender gesture.
"No tricks. I promise." He assured. He was telling the truth.
As she slowly moved her hand toward his, there was an electricity that they could both sense.
A little bit of light, a little bit of darkness in the both of them.
They could, and they would, bring balance to the Force.
So this time, she took his hand.