A/N: Guys, I'm super excited for this fic and I really hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I am enjoying writing it. Before anyone starts, yes this will end up being a Reylo fic and yes I totally ship them. If you don't approve of this ship, then this probably isn't the fic you want to read. It will be rated T for now, but who knows what will happen later ;) Enjoy!

"A riddle:

It cannot be seen, cannot be felt,

Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt.

It lies behind stars and under hills,

And empty holes it fills.

It comes first and follows after,

Ends life, kills laughter.

The answer:

Darkness."

- Bilbo Baggins, The Hobbit

Rey sat under a willow tree, her eyes closed and her breathing steady. The six-year-old padawan was desperately trying to clear her mind, so she could lift the pebbles at her feet. Her only issue was the noise that kept drifting through the tree's branches, distracting her meditation. The young girl took a deep breath and tried, once again, to focus her thoughts on lifting the pebbles. Her eyes closed, and, not long after, she felt energy flowing rapidly through her. Eyes flying open, Rey let out a sound jubilation as she saw the smooth stones hovering at varying heights around her. She concentrated her energy further, causing the rocks to start spinning around her head.

No sooner had she thought that being a Jedi might not be so hard, then a loud crashing filled her ears. Rey cried out in pain as one of the stones hit her in the forehead. She leapt up from the ground and pushed through the branches, looking for the source of the noise.

A loud, masculine roar came from behind Rey, and she whirled around so fast her head spun. Crouched at the bottom of the wall of the makeshift Jedi Academy, was Luke's oldest padawan, his nephew, and Rey's best friend, Ben Solo. His long, dark hair was hanging in front of his face and curling at the nape of his neck from sweat. As Rey slowly approached her friend, he sensed her presence and his eyes snapped up to meet hers. Rey almost stumbled back at the intense ferocity and untamed rage in the dark eyes that connected with hers. She was not used to seeing such hatred in Ben's eyes, let alone have it directed at her.

This boy was nine years older than her, and he possessed incredible strength physically and in the Force. He could easily kill her if he wanted to, but Rey wasn't afraid of him and tried keep faith in him as she cautiously approached him. Rey clasped her hands behind her and rocked back on her heels.

"Why are you angry," the girl innocently asked. Ben's pure rage seemed to have calmed somewhat at the sight of his friend and had turned into an intense annoyance, which still ended up directed at the nearest person, which happened to be Rey.

"Get lost," the fifteen year-old snapped. "I don't need some kid poking around in my business."

Rey bit her lip, trying hard to keep from letting him see he was hurting her feelings. "Ben?" she queried quietly. Ben's brows furrowed, but Rey could see the armor he had attempted to build slipping. His voice was gentler when he spoke again.

"Please, Rey," he begged. "You need to get away from me." His head fell to rest on his knees. The young padawan was tense, and Rey could sense that he was more saddened than angry. She slowly slid to her knees in front of Ben. Holding her breath, Rey reached out and grabbed one of the boy's large hands and clasped it between her two small ones.

"Ben," she began, "what's wrong? I can help." Ben looked up at her again, and Rey was shocked to see tears staining his cheeks. A wry chuckle escaped from between Ben's lips.

"That's a nice thought, kid, but I don't think there's anything you can do." He sighed. "I don't think there's anything anyone can do." Rey's eyebrows furrowed and she grasped Ben's hand tighter.

"That's not true, Benjamin Anakin Solo." Ben's eyebrows shot up at Rey's use of his full name. "You know I can help, but you just don't want me to. You want to pout and be mysterious and moody. Well, I'm not going to let you." She sought his gaze with her own. When Ben's dark eyes met her hazel ones, their Force signatures merged. Fear, anger, and self hatred washed over Rey in an almost suffocating wave of emotions. You must do it, Kylo Ren. You know you must. The voice that echoed through Rey's mind was not Ben's, but she delved deeper looking for answers. She saw an image of Ben meditating, pieces of different metals and a cracked red crystal coming together in front of him to create … a lightsaber?

"Enough." The word pounded into her head as she heard it in the physical world and as it echoed across her bond with Ben. She was violently thrown from his mind, and Rey cried out in protest. "Enough," Ben repeated. "You must promise me, Rey, never to look inside my mind again." His grip on her wrist tightened painfully, and it was only then that she realized he had been gripping them at all. "Promise me," he yelled.

Tears stung Rey's eyes. "You're hurting me, Ben," she yelled back. Ben immediately let go and stumbled back, putting as much distance as he could between them. She could feel his regret through their bond, when it suddenly vanished. Hazel eyes widened, desperately searching for answers in black ones. "Did you just close our bond," she demanded.

Ben turned his face away, throwing it into shadow. "It's for your safety, Rey. Please understand that." His voice dropped, and it was almost as if he wasn't talking to Rey anymore. "You must understand that." Loud screams yanked them both out of their daze. A group of younglings came running around the corner throwing a ball back and forth. As they passed the pair of apprentices, Ben noticeably flinched. It wasn't until they were out of sight that Rey spoke again.

"Ben, you can't close this bond. It's too precious to be turned on and off like a tap." The wind blowing through the trees and the distant yelling of the younglings was all that could be heard. Rey felt Ben's apology before he said it as their connection was opened again. "Thank you." Ben was leaning against the wall again, and Rey shifted so that she was sitting next to him. He gazed down at her and gave a small chuckle, reaching out to ruffle her short hair.

"Sometime I forget how young you are. You are too wise for your age." Rey grinned playfully back at him.

"Not nearly as wise as you," she stated simply. What there had been of a smile on Ben's face disappeared at Rey's statement, along with all the light in his eyes. He shut his eyes, and Rey rested her head on his shoulder, trying to offer some comfort. His body lost some of its tension at the contact, but his eyes remained squeezed shut. Rey closed her eyes as well, deciding to stay and comfort her friend as long as was necessary, even if that meant sleeping out here.

"I'm not wise, kid," he argued. "Not by a long shot." Rey sought out his hand with hers, and, when she found it, she grasped it as though she would never let go.

"Yes, you are," she said. Sighing through her nose, the small girl relaxed onto the forearm of her friend. "You may not always make the right decisions to start with," Ben's muscles tightened, "but," she continued, "you always come around at the end." As Ben relaxed again, the two sat there for an indeterminable amount of time, leaning on each other and knowing the other would keep them up. Rey was almost asleep, and her mind was empty when she heard an almost imperceptible, quiet thought.

I wish you didn't have so much faith in me. When Rey would wake up late the next morning in her own bed and have to rush to pull on her training clothes and tie her hair up, she would not remember that thought. Even the conversation would only be remembered as a dream she could barely grasp, and that was the way Ben Solo wanted it to be.

That was the way he needed it to be.

A/N: As always, feedback is greatly appreciated. Let me know if this is something that you guys like, because if there isn't interest in it, I probably won't continue it.