The Broken Ones | REYLO [Complete]

13. Know Your Enemy

--REY--

I decide to keep my new lightsaber hidden from Luke until we reach our temporary base. I'm not ashamed of it, I just don't want him questioning me about where I got the crystal, or how I even learned how to configure a lightsaber without training. He also doesn't need to know I acted somewhat civilized toward my enemy. Or that my hostility toward said enemy appears to be diminishing by the day.

I haven't seen him at all in the five days since he helped me build my lightsaber. We're still aboard the cruiser, still looking for a new planet to call home. We've made several stops, refueling the cruiser and checking more old Rebel bases than I thought even existed. Still, nothing seems to suit Leia. She knows almost immediately that "this one just won't do."

Kylo Ren and I are staying on opposite ends of the cruiser. He is in quarters near his mother, likely so she can keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't try anything stupid. I, on the other hand, am with the soldiers in the working quarters. No more than cramped closets with small cots on the floor, these rooms were designed for the crew of the cruiser. No comfort, only the necessities. I like them.

To say that we haven't been together, however, would be a lie. Our force bond has never been stronger, much to our dismay. I can't sleep without seeing the bloody idiot in my dreams. Anytime we're both asleep or meditating at the same time, we stay connected during the entirety of our rest. The location is always the same: a planet, similar to the one called Naboo, but even more beautiful. Ren calls in Yavin 4. The planet on which Poe told me he was born and raised.

At first we argued and insulted each other constantly. Now, we know it's pointless. Fighting makes us more tired, which in turn makes our time together last longer. So, we have resorted to sitting in silence while staring one another down. It doesn't accomplish anything, but neither does a conversation.

This time he's waiting for me, a peaceful and non-threatening expression on his face. I'm more concerned about that than I would've been if he was scowling or throwing a tantrum.

"Rey?"

"What?"

He pauses. "Why are you so drawn to the Dark Side?"

"Excuse me? I don't see how that is any of your concern."

"Just answer the question." There's a hint of impatience in his voice, but no malice.

"I'm not 'drawn to the Dark Side' or tempted in any way," I explain. "I'm simply not inclined to follow rules that prevent me from going after what I want."

"So you disagree with the Jedi code, then?"

I shake my head quickly. "No. I just think it's a bit extreme. There's no gray area where the Force is concerned. Why can't there be some neutral middle ground that incorporates values from both sides?"

He nods in agreement. "It's almost inhuman, the expectations they put on Jedi. How are you supposed to suppress so much of what makes us who we are?"

"And then if you break one rule or refuse to follow another, you're branded a traitor and hunted like a Sith," I add.

"Exactly!" His eyes are bright with excitement, and there's a sense of peace and contentment about him. Like someone finally understands him. "All I want is to be able to use the Force my way. No more good or evil, just me. It's time for all of that ancient history to end. Those institutions are outdated and irrelevant now. It's time to let the past die."

Suddenly his words don't seem so crazy. Maybe all this time he was just looking for someone to see the world the way he does.

"The war between good and evil will never end, whether it's between the Sith and Jedi, the Resistance and the First Order, or something we've never encountered before. It will always be there." He steps closer to me, and I don't step back. I want to hear what he has to say. "But Rey, you and I? We are above that. We don't have to be involved in the war. We can rule the galaxy from the background, without taking sides. Let them fight their own battles."