Serendipity

Chapter X

"And I miss the way you make me feel and it's real; we watched the sun set over the castle on the hill."

~
Rey opened the bathroom door. The steam burst through the doorway, scented with Kylo's pine shampoo. Kylo had already woken up. He stood with his back facing Rey, tying his belt around his waist.
"Oh, you're awake. How're you feeling?" Rey asked, walking to his wardrobe and taking out a silk cloak.
Kylo turned to see Rey wrapping herself up in his clothes. They absolutely engulfed her and she looked adorable.
"What?" She laughed; spinning to show Kylo her body. He couldn't say anything. He was speechless. Kylo couldn't believe that Rey was his.
"Nothing." He shrugged. In his eyes, she was perfect. Rey giggled as she walked up to him, wrapping her arms around his neck as best she could from her tip toes. Kylo wrapped his arms around her waist and met her forehead with his, mirroring Rey's big grin.
"Dark side royalty now, huh?" He smirked. Rey playfully shrugged in response. In her head, she thought she made the right choice. In her heart, she still held on to the possibility of bringing Kylo back to the Light, for Leia and Han's sake, and for the Galaxy's sake. But she needed to let the past die. Right?
"...Do you remember someone named Koyi?" Rey asked.
It must've hit a nerve. Kylo's grip on Rey loosened, causing her to drop from his eye level.
"You've met her, I suppose?" He blurted, sitting down on the edge of his bed while bringing Rey closer. She nodded in response. Kylo looked up at the ceiling and sighed.
"Koyi," he hesitated. "was my friend back when I was training to be a Jedi. I don't remember how she came to be at the Jedi temple; Koyi is not Force-sensitive. But we'd grown close over my training period."
Rey listened closely and paid attention to the details Kylo was giving her. The part about asking him if Koyi had ever been associated with the First Order was lodged in her throat.
"Has she- I mean, well- is she-" Rey stuttered.
'Come on, just spit it out!' She thought.
"Has she ever been associated with the First Order?" Rey forced out. Kylo tilted his head.
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"I met her at the Resistance base, you know? And I could've sworn I saw the Order's emblem on her arm." Rey explained, gripping Kylo's shoulders. He held his breath.
"A long time ago, Koyi had gone missing for a while. Un- Skywalker had his suspicions, but he never openly discussed them with anybody outside of the Padawan council."
[Fourteen Years Ago (17 ABY)]
"Ben! Where are you?" Koyi called. "Ben!"
She walked all around the forest, unable to find her friend. As Koyi exited the forest, she noticed Skywalker talking to the young boy. She growled in annoyance after having wasted half an hour looking for that crazy lunatic. She walked closer, only to eavesdrop instead of talking to them.
"Look, kid... I don't know what to tell ya. I don't like the idea either, but I want Rey to be able to survive on her own just in case something happens to me. I'm getting old." Skywalker argued.
"She is ten! Let me go with her! She won't last a day on her own! I couldn't even last four when I did this!" Ben pleaded.
"Ben, please. She is much stronger than you think she is." Luke said, trying to calm down the angry boy.
"No! She'll be all alone! Rey will-" Luke cut him off.
"It's only for a week. Seven days. She will be fine. I promise to check in on her, if that will get you to stop screaming."
Ben's blood boiled. How could Master let Rey be all alone? And especially for a week? He hated that word. Alone.
Koyi curled her fists. Ben never insisted on coming with her on her survival trip. Just because she wasn't Force-sensitive didn't make her anything less than that clumsy, wannabe ten year old. Why was she so special to Ben?
Skywalker left Ben to let his nerves calm down. He was definitely in no mindset to reason with. Luke decided he might as well inform Rey of her trip.
"Hey, Ben! What's wrong?" Koyi asked, as if she didn't just listen in on his previous conversation.
"It's just- Rey's only ten and Master Luke has decided that she's going on her survival trip already and I mean, she's only trained with the Padawans for a year, and we've all been here since we were five." Ben complained, holding his head in his hands. "It just doesn't make sense."
"Well, maybe it's good she's going to learn how to survive at a young age?" Koyi said, trying to make Ben see the other side to the argument. But he had already made up his mind.
"What is with you? Whenever it's about Rey, you always seem to be so rude about her. What's up with that, Koyi?" Ben snapped.
"I just- I just don't like her! You're always with her, and you're never with me anymore!" Koyi cried, stomping her feet on the grass.
"We always invite you to do stuff with us, but you never want to join!" Ben said, pulling at his hair.
"That's 'cause I want to do it with you! I miss when it used to be just the two of us! You just started avoiding me after Rey came here." Koyi whispered, but loud enough for Ben to hear.
"Have you not noticed? I don't belong to you. You don't belong to me. Besides, it's not like we were gonna get married. Look around! There are no other Padawans even close to my age! We're the only double-digit non-teenagers here, Koyi. Jaxon and Tula, and the other kids, they're almost already eighteen and twenty! Kit and Oliver and Felice! They're seven!" Ben argued, tears forming in his eyes. He didn't mean to yell, but the feelings he kept inside of him started to leak.
Koyi knew for she was correct about her suspicions. Ben didn't like her. He liked Rey. From a mile away, you could hear the breaking of her heart. What happened to Ben and Koyi; Koyi and Ben?
"No, she's too far already. Snoke already turned her heart. It's probably not helping with the fact that Ben no longer really spends time with her." Skywalker sighed, shaking his head and running his hand through his dark brown hair.
"Well, then what can we do?" Oola asked desperately. No way in hell would she lose her younger sister to that wrinkly, ancient pillock.
"I don't really think there is something we can do." Luke replied, hating that answer.
"So we just have to live with the fact she is now aligned with the Order? What's she to become, the next Darth Vader?" Oola snapped, before realizing what she said. "Oh, excuse my blathering, Master Luke."
"We shouldn't focus on those negative thoughts. We can only wait and see how this will play out." He replied.
"But why did Snoke choose Koyi? She's not a Force-sensitive. What good would a regular person do for him?" Primos, a young seventeen year old, asked blatantly.
"As we all discussed before, Snoke is willing to do anything to turn Ben. Even if it means turning or destroying anything or anyone he loves, Force user or not." Jaxon explained.
"Ohh, god. I-I can't anymore." Oola's delicate voice broke under the pressure of tears.
Luke held his face. He and the council knew what would become of Koyi.
"We can only hope for the best." Jaxon concluded.
"Master Skywalker!" The great wooden doors burst open, followed by a little Padawan girl.
"Aayla, what's the matter?" Luke shot up from his chair to the side of the panting girl.
"It's Rey and Koyi! They're fighting!" Aayla cried.
Luke looked back at the council. They were all standing, listening to Aayla's words. Oh shit.
The story ended with silence. Rey processed his words, forming them into a conclusion. She was just jealous. Who wouldn't be? Your best friend of who knows how many years just randomly starts spending time with another girl. Koyi only missed him. Her jealousy made her a perfect subject Snoke could use to his wicked advantage.
"I'm glad you told me." Rey whispered. She let go of Kylo, sighing.
He nodded and strapped his lightsaber to his hilt. Kylo leaned down to Rey's height and kissed her. He grabbed his cape and walked out of the doors while attaching it to his shoulders.
~
"Supreme Leader Snoke, she is Dark from what Ren has mentioned." Hux said.
Snoke chuckled.
"Supreme Leader?" The pale man asked, confused.
"Don't you see, Armitage? She is not Dark. She is simply in love with the boy; only telling him what he wants to hear. She wishes to return to the Rebellion. She wishes to return to the Rebellion with Kylo Ren." Snoke explained through his laughs.
"We- I me- Um-" Hux couldn't say anything.
"Open your damn eyes, Armitage." Snoke snapped.
"There is no peace. She cannot return with Kylo Ren and expect peace. This is a war that will never end. This is a war that will continue until the First Order is destroyed or until we rule the Galaxy and rid it of the filth it holds." He growled, slumping back into his throne.
"Y-yes. Forgive me, Supreme Leader." Hux bowed.
"Get out of my sight." Snoke waved him away.
Hux kept his head down as he walked out of the dark room. His shoulder collided into another one. Kylo Ren. Hux sneered.
He walked then knelt in front of Snoke. Ren bowed his head down to avoid eye contact with the ancient man.
"You wanted to see me?" He whispered in his low and desolate voice.
"You know, she does not actually mean she is Dark, Ren. I believe your compassion for the rat has clouded your sense of moral judgement." Snoke's voice rumbled.
"She is no rat. She is First Order aligned. Rey is not Light nor Grey." Kylo said, raising his furious eyes to Snoke's.
"You are being foolish, boy. Her head might say something, but her heart will never turn. Not even if I suck the Light out of her again. She will never be fully Dark." Snoke sighed, pinching his nose in annoyance at the boy's arrogance. Kylo's eyes flicked back and forth from Snoke to the floor. This couldn't be true, could it?
"Believe what you want. But she will be your very disappointing fall if you don't destroy her." Snoke said, regretting his saying of Rey being a good companion for his protégée. The girl would not annihilate all that he had created.
Kylo gulped and furrowed his brow. Was Snoke really telling the truth? With a flick of his cape, Kylo got up and walked out of the room; his heavy footsteps echoing behind him. These consistent meetings were beginning to bug the shit out of him. It's not like they were long or anything. Kylo would always walk out when they were only a few minutes in.
All kinds of thoughts scrambled in his mind. Was she telling the truth? Is she just trying to convince me to convert back to the Light? Did she lie when she said she loved me? The thought sickened him. He shook his head as if it would rattle the ideas out of it. But they lingered.
Rey had gotten properly dressed when Kylo left, dark grey leggings with a matching black halter top, still keeping the cloak around her body. She had a slight spring in her step, constantly smelling the cloak, unable to satisfy her need of pine and leather.
You could feel her joy from anywhere on the ship. But then again, she felt conflicted. Ben Solo was still alive, surely. But why dwell on the past? Her smile faded. Her parents. Rey knew they weren't coming back. But she always hoped they would.
She held on so tightly before to the high possibility they'd come back. But they never did. They never came back for her. Rey forgave them, whoever they were. But a part of her knew she didn't. But that was then. This is now.
The Light and Dark would never rest until the other was destroyed. If the Dark destroyed a piece of the Light, it'd grow back twice as large; vice versa. This would be a war that could never end. That would never end.
Rey turned a corner and walked into Hux. She stumbled backwards, rubbing her red nose. He curled his lips in a form of disgust.
"Watch where you're going." He said.
Rey was taken aback. He didn't include a snide remark or an insult. Hux moved his arms from behind him to the side of him. For once, he walked casually instead of his upright and professional strut.
She walked past an empty room, something catching her eye. The window. Rey shrugged; she hadn't seen it in a while. As she sat on the ledge, the stars greeted her again, meeting her eyes with the same amount of wonder. Rey rested her head on her arms, sinking into the distant galaxy.
Right now would be about comfort and relaxation. She gazed into the stars, just relaxing her tense shoulders and sighed. IF Kylo was brought back to the Light, that would definitely be an advantage to getting rid of the First Order. But since Rey's now Dark, what does that mean for the Resistance? Would she be able to fight against her former friends and peers? Abso-fucking-lutely no. And that was her weakness.