The Broken Ones | REYLO [Complete]

8. Sleeping With The Enemy

--KYLO REN--

My fight with Skywalker and the scavenger is more a test of power and will than a fight. There's more watching and calculating than anything, as if we're all measuring each other up. It was a curious thing for a short while, but I'm growing tired of my old Master and his games. The problem is, he knows me better than I care to admit. He knows how I fight, which makes my every move predictable. That's how I know he's holding back and letting me have the upper hand.

Rey observes our movements closely. She attempts to mirror Skywalker's practiced motions but is held back by her wounded leg. I can tell she's trying to ignore it, but the flashes of pain in her eyes betray her. I should have cut deeper.

My momentary distraction allows Skywalker to briefly gain the upper hand. We're almost nose-to-nose and I sneer at him. "You've lost your touch, old man."

"And you've lost your way, my dear nephew." He shoves away and moves to strike, but I block him before he can land a blow. "Come to your senses, Ben. This isn't you."

Rage flows through my veins and fuels the swing of my saber that brings the Jedi to his knees. He's still holding back. He could've blocked me. Rey runs toward me with a shout, blue blade held high above her head. It takes nothing to send her stumbling back and hold her in place as I hover the red tip of my lightsaber in front of her Master's face.

"The Empire was full of nonbelievers." I crouch in front of Skywalker after kicking his deactivated saber out of reach. "The First Order, however..." the edge of my blade drops a bit, grazing his neck. He doesn't make any sound, but I can see the flash of pain in his old, tired eyes. "We aren't afraid of the Force. My Master and I will take it where none have dared to go before. We will use the Force in ways no one thought possible! The galaxy will bow before us, and we will finish what my grandfather started."

Skywalker smiles sadly and reaches toward me. I flinch and stand, pulling out of his reach. He has no hold over me now.

"This isn't you, Ben."

"Enough!" I've run out of patience. It's time to do what I came to do. I swing my lightsaber in front of my former Master, but he doesn't react. He simply stares at me with something akin to pity. Rey whines pitifully, begging for mercy I won't offer. "You're not worth another moment of my time, Skywalker. I have no use for you." My saber arcs around and down in a brilliant circle of red sparks, then stops as Rey screams in agony. Not hers, not mine, not his. The sound doesn't bother me, but the pain that explodes behind my eyes blinds and deafens me.

Luke jumps to his feet and summons his weapon with the Force. He signals to someone behind me, and suddenly we're surrounded by unpolished soldiers in makeshift armor. Rey stands before me, eyes blazing with unrestrained fury and hatred, hands outstretched toward my throbbing skull. It's not like last time. She knows what she's doing this time, and the pain is immense. Her stance changes and one hand moves down. I'm on my knees now, hands pinned to the ground behind me. I taste blood in my mouth, from where I'm not sure, but it gets stronger with each passing second.

The scavenger hisses in pain and her body trembles. Her Master reaches for her, concerned. "Rey, are you sure you can-"

"I'm fine!" She yells through gritted teeth, taking a step toward me. I grin up at her through the red haze clouding my vision.

"Are...you...sure?" I grit out. She clenches her jaw and moves her hands and my entire world explodes. I faintly hear someone screaming, the sound muffled as if traveling through water, and realize it's my voice I'm hearing. The desert scum is stronger than I anticipated.

"I wanted to kill you," Rey growls, surprisingly intimidating for such a small thing, "but someone has other plans for you." She's directly in front of me now and raises her hands to my temples before I can react. The sudden contact sends me back to the first time we connected, when I had her on Starkiller base, when I saw her and she saw me. It's not entirely unpleasant this time. There's a darkness in her now that I wasn't able to see before. I reach out to investigate but she cuts me out with a sharp twist of the Force in my mind.