Between Two Suns

Chapter 3 (Sweetheart.)

"You are no better than when you were twelve!" Luke ranted, pacing back and forth.

It had been a good, long while since Luke started scolding Ben for almost projecting himself to Rey, something he never even meant to do in the first place. The force that whirled within him seemed to reach out at the sight of her, and she easily latched on, feeling his presence close by, almost desperate for it.

Even though he felt good about knowing that she was alive and safe, there was denying that he felt a sense of sorrow and disbelief along with it.

The sight of her was surprising; Her hair was half down, similar to the way she'd had it when she arrived on his ship, when they'd killed Snoke... And her soft features looked tired and restless, as if she'd been crying for days on end without any sleep.

Ben's eyes had softened as he studied her, and all he had wanted to do was gather her in his arms, and protect her from whatever caused her to be so distraught. The instinct alone felt strange to him, having never felt the urge to comfort and protect anyone or anything so intensely.

But it was Rey... It was always Rey. She was the one that turned the tables, that introduced the idea to his mind that maybe he is capable of changing, and of accomplishing great things by doing good...

She even admitted... She wanted to take his hand... Ben's hand.

So many countless nights he had thought of her refusing him, that day in the throne room haunting his dreams. He'd felt it so vividly; They were meant to be side by side. He'd seen it.

Rey's constant refusal of this left him mad and rageful, taking it out on the people around him. And after everything, even with the monster he was, she saw a side of him worth saving, worth wanting...

Even after her admission, the side of him that is Kylo Ren, tried to tear those thoughts of bliss and hope away, to kill the light that seemed to be rising within him and banish it forever.

He was at war with himself, and always had been, with no one at his side...

The darkness began to roll back into his veins as he looked out over the hectic sea that surrounded the death star...

And that's when he had shown up.

Han... His father.

Though their relationship was distant at times, and rather rocky, Han always defended his son, and was always willing to fight for him, not against him.

Kylo Ren saw this as a weakness in Han, and as a key to the pathway for Ben. And because of that potential of being saved, of truly living, Kylo killed the only thing left that Ben looked up to.

Even now, in this world between, the memories haunt him and tune Luke's ranting out, which the older man started to noticed.

Luke sensed the tension rolling in, a darker version of what previously stood here, more chaotic and dangerous to introduce to this land. Stepping forward timidly, Luke pulled the force around them, and created a shield from the dark thoughts that Ben was beginning to have, about Han he realized.

The Jedi Master looked to the ground and let out a slow, sad sigh.

"He would do it all over again, you know."

Ben, who was standing with his back to Luke, scoffed into the wind as he cursed his thoughts for being loud, still trying to regain control over the force within him, which was wild and erratic and furthering its attempts to heal.

Though it was erratic, it seemed to calm another storm within Ben at the mention of Han, comforting him with a blanket of security and soothing companionship, though all he had here was Luke, at the moment.