Rey plunged her feet into the cool stream she was sitting at and sighed. After a long training session, relaxing in a secluded area of the jungle was just what she needed. She laid back on the ground, staring up at the tree branches stretching above her. She still found herself amazed at even just the smallest amount of green found on the leaves all around her. She closed her eyes, just listening to all the nature around her and thought about today's training.

Leia had given her Luke's old journals, in which he had written the things he had learned over the years. In particular, Leia wanted Rey to study a section on Force ghosts, and channeling the energy of Jedi passed. She wouldn't tell Rey why it was so important for her to learn about this right now, but she had an idea. Rey had watched Leia closely in the year since her brother had become one with the Force. Leia was becoming more and more tired, and Rey worried that Leia wouldn't be able to continue much longer. If Rey wasn't finished being trained before Leia was gone, the only other person in the galaxy that could teach her was Kylo Ren.

No, his name is Ben. Rey thought. She was so conflicted about him. Their bond had not lessened since he had killed Snoke. If anything, it had gotten stronger. The bond had shown them each other quite often, and it wasn't always at opportune moments. She had once appeared to him while he was in a training session with his Knights of Ren. She had gained a little pleasure at how seeing her had thrown him off. She couldn't say if she liked that he then had to regain the upper hand in his training, or if it was because of something else.

Sometimes when their bond connected them, they'd just sit in silence and it wasn't wholly uncomfortable. Most of the time, however, they would talk. She had learned early on in these times that if she avoided mentioning Leia or Luke's name, the conversation could almost qualify as pleasant. They would talk about her training, a ship she was repairing, or occasionally about her time on Jakku. Trying to ask him about his own childhood was like detonating a bomb on herself unless he brought it up first, and she didn't want to know anything about his life as the Supreme Leader.

As she lay on the jungle floor, she felt a warmth come over her and the sound around her seemed to fade out and back in. The telltale signs that Ben was now there. She didn't open her eyes, preferring to hold onto the silence for a moment longer. She couldn't hear his footsteps, but she felt the space beside her shift and knew that he had sat down next to her. She opened one of her eyes and turned her head to look at him. He sat with his legs crossed and his back straight as a board, but he was looking down at her with a curious expression on his face.

After the events on Crait, when their bond would connect them, Ben had only seemed to know anger. She suspected that he was quite angry at her for refusing to join him. She hadn't entirely understood then. She had known almost nothing of his life before being trained by Luke. Leia had once confided in her the many regrets she had when it came to the way she had raised her only son. Rey could only imagine just how alone and unloved Ben must have felt his whole life.

It had all come to a head when Ben had appeared to her with his waves of white hot rage rolling off of him as usual. Rey had had an unsuccessful training day and dealing with his spite was not on her plan for the evening. She had screamed her apology at him, for not taking his hand, and told him that he couldn't hold it over her head any longer. Her outburst had shocked him, she saw, but he disappeared before he could respond. After that, she mostly saw curiosity from him.

"How was your training today?" Ben spoke first.

Rey closed her eye again and straightened her head. At least he didn't seem to be frustrated today. The First Order officers must have done well to keep from angering him.

"Not entirely unsuccessful, but you know that physical training comes more easily to me than the mental training." She replied.

"What were you trying to do?"

She could hear the tension in his voice. He knew about Luke's journals, and she had even shared them with him once before. Occasionally, he would share extra information with her. She briefly wondered if he tried to help in a way to eventually tempt her to join him once more. Rey banished the thought quickly. She still believed that Ben Solo would come to her. One day.

"There's a section of the journals which details communicating with Force ghosts, and channeling their energy. Apparently, it is imperative that I learn this soon. I have no idea why, but it's not working as of yet anyways." Rey responded, letting some of her frustration come out in her voice.

Ben hummed in acknowledgement. "It seems that Force ghosts only appear when they want to."

Rey opened her eyes and looked up at him again. "That's right. You have tried to contact Vader in the past, haven't you? It wasn't successful either?"

"Yes, I tried. Every single day for years. It wasn't successful when I reached out through the Force. I would hear his wisdom when he decided to share it though." Ben revealed.

"You would hear it? In your head, then? Did he ever manifest himself to you?" Rey sat up, more curious now.

Ben cleared his throat. "No. He didn't."

"Do you still call to him?" Rey couldn't help asking.

Sensing Ben's discomfort, Rey moved on, knowing full well that the new topic could also cause issues. She watched the flowing stream in front of her.

"Anyways, the journal is pretty vague about it, so I don't know how I can be expected to master something which I know nothing about and no one can tell me about either." She rolled her eyes.

Ben gave a small, cruel smirk. "I could say that I should have warned you, but-"

"Yes, yes, I know. Luke was a disappointment, just as you told me he would be. Rather than trying to remedy his mistake, he let it fester by martyring himself on Ahch-to." She mimicked Luke's words to her. "'It's time for the Jedi to die.'" Rey scoffed. "If he hadn't run from his problems, this entire thing might be different."

Ben was silent in thought for a moment. "Rey, this may seem like a stretch, but-" He paused. "It's entirely possible that had he not been standing over me that night, you might not have ever left Jakku."

"Are you saying that I should be grateful that he contemplated killing you? That he put the last nail in the coffin of your days in the Light?" Rey asked, shocked that he would imply such a thing.

Ben snorted. "When did you become so dramatic? All I'm saying, is that maybe things happen for a reason."

Rey quieted at this. She wondered if that's how he felt about their bond too. He had told her months ago that he was looking for how Snoke had created this metaphorical rope that tied them together. At the time, he had wanted to set said rope on fire, destroying their connection.

"Are you still searching for the source of his power?" She knew that he knew what she was really asking. She pulled her feet towards her body so that they could dry off before putting her boots back on.

"Yes. I'm getting close, I believe." He paused, and Rey looked up at him. He stared at her for a long moment before continuing. "I don't know what I will do when I find my answer, though."

Rey didn't respond, but she looked at the water once more. After a moment of silence, Ben spoke again.

"I know what you'll say, but the offer still stands. I can teach you more than some hazy writings from an old hermit can. And we could find Snoke's source together." He sounded almost hopeful, yet she could sense his fear of rejection once more.

Rey hesitated before responding. "General Organa has been training me as well. I haven't just been learning from the journals."

Ben looked confused for a moment before sneering at her. "She has no true knowledge of the Force. She won't be able to teach you everything you need to know. Eventually, you'll ask for my help. One day, you'll ask me to teach you."

And then he was gone. Rey dropped her head into her hands. Yes, Ben Solo confused her greatly.