When Light Meets Dark - A Reylo Romance

Jigsaw Pieces

"Oh no. Don't smile. You'll kill me. I stop breathing when you smile."

~Tessa Dare, A Lady of Persuasion

Rey 

The sun was rising. Through the gaps in the curtain I could feel it's warm fingers reaching through and gently stroking my face. I opened my eyes slightly and the light pierced through my eyelids, forcing them open. Once I was fully awake I stretched for while and then realised that the bed was empty. Kylo must've decided to let me sleep, I thought to myself.

I was in a daze, and although I'd just woken up I still felt exhausted. The trip from Sullust to Akiva had been a long one and for the first part of the journey Kylo and I just sat and talked, and then at some point I must've drifted off because I only had vague memories of him lifting me up, probably to carry me to bed on the ship. I wondered how he had even had the strength to carry me, he'd seemed so exhausted himself. The decision to come to Akiva hadn't been a difficult one to make. We were used to it, and Kylo felt that he needed a place to regain his strength. On the ship we'd talked about avenging his mother's death, although only briefly and without much of a plan except that we would train here together.

When we'd arrived I'd instantly been overcome by a feeling of familiarity. Akiva wasn't home, but the memories it held were ones that I never wanted to let go of. The outpost hadn't changed much since we'd left, although the vines had extended their reach covering most of the windows like spindly green fingers. When I walked into my old room the first thing I'd noticed was my shawl. It was draped across the bed, the red patterns on the fabric slightly dulled by the layers of dust that had collected on it over time. Despite this, I'd picked it up with both hands and held it to my chest. I'd stood there like that until Kylo had found me, and let me know that he'd brought the things out of the ship. I'd spent the night in his room.

Now he was nowhere to be seen, although I could feel his presence nearby. I stretched again and stood to my feet, rubbing my eyes sleepily. The sun was now quite high up in the sky and I could hear the chatter of birds overhead in the trees. I walked over to a chair where there was a large sack of my things. I hesitated, and then pulled out my regular clothes instead of a pair of one of my Resistance uniforms. It seemed more appropriate for the occasion.

Outside the ground was soft and damp with dead leaves and I tramped through them, until I reached the clearing. As expected, Kylo was there. He had his lightsaber gripped tightly between his two hands and pointed and twirled it as he practised different strokes. I stood and watched for a while, noticing the grace with which he moved. He seemed so calm and balanced and I didn't want to interrupt him, but soon enough he turned around and saw me.

"Oh don't stop now." I said. "I was starting to enjoy myself."

Kylo grinned. It had been a long time since I'd seen him smile and just the look on his face warmed my heart.

"You know we're really supposed to be training together." he said, and after several huge strides he had made his way over and was standing in front of me. 

"I know." I said with a smile, then I added "I don't think I even remember how to hold a lightsaber properly."

Kylo stretched out his hand and reached for my lightsaber, which I hadn't noticed had been sitting quietly on a nearby tree stump. It slid into his hand easily, and he handed it to me with a curious look in his eyes. "Let's see what you remember." he said, then he took a step back and extended his the red blade with a whoosh.

My lightaber felt unusually heavy in my palm but nevertheless I wrapped my fingers around it with determination. We faced each other, blades pointed forward slightly, waiting for the other person to make the first move. The problem was that I could read his thoughts just as easily as he could read mine. So we circled for a while, the only noise coming from our soft footsteps on the vegetation beneath. I stared at Kylo, whose eyes looked back at me intently. They were like crystals, framed by his dark hair which hung around his face in tresses.