It was confirmed.

Palpatine was alive.

He had his suspicions... The dark voice that seemed to haunt his nightmares often showed up... He knew Snoke's bored, aggressive tone far too well to know it wasn't him.

No.

This was greater... This was something else...

Over the past year, he hunted for him, following the energy and force signature that seemed to dissipate every time he got too close, as if the ghost of this darker evil was playing a game with him, testing him learning his strategy.

He should have known...

Clenching his jaw, Kylo Ren sat completely still in the pilot's seat of the Silencer as he stared off into nothingness beyond the stars.

He had a few choices...

He could go back to the First Order and oversee he training of his troops, a job that he originally left Hux in charge of... Though the General's combat skills would be nothing for the Sith that awaited them...

No... That was ruled out... His guardship, even with the Knights of Ren, wouldn't be able to beat him, no matter the number.

Choice two, rally allies from the First Order investors... His numbers would go up beyond the thousands of which he already had in men...

Kylo's eyes squint briefly as he tries to play the outcome in his head.

With a frustrated exhale through his flared nostrils, he tosses the idea out of his mind.

There would be only one way to defeat his grandfather's Sith Master, and it all pointed to the Force.

And what did the Force tell him?

Silence filled his ears as he sat, his mind brushing against the Force that came to him so naturally. Part of him wanted to find the man himself, to test his power and strength of his saber against the old brute, yet there was a soft, freckled glow in the galaxy that denied him this.

Instinctively, his jaw flexed again as her face came to his mind, her gentle frown and creased brow making another appearance yet again.

It had been a little over a year since the battle on Crait, and her face still came to his mind daily.

At first, he was angry. Undeniably furious at her rejection, and the way she reached for him... As if to take his hand...

The memory creates a distant, dark cloud over his mind, though he blinks it away as he thinks more on it, just as he had over the past few months.

They both asked too much of the other, to leave their chosen side and do something that their teachings and beliefs were against, and in that, they stung one another when they objected.

Even now, sitting alone as he thought of ways to defeat the biggest Darksider of them all, he wondered where he'd be if Snoke had never gotten inside of his mind, if maybe he had lived his life under Skywalker's teachings, if maybe his and the Scavenger's paths would still cross...

He'd never know, and it was foolish to sit and dwell.

'Let the past die.' his mind echoed. 'Kill it, if you have to.'

And that, he did. He killed Snoke atop his throne, a throne that Kylo now calls his own, and by murdering his own Master, he released his own form of freedom, and with it, torment.

The Force Bond was believed to have died with Snoke, but when he felt her presence on Crait, watching as she closed the door of his Father's ship, he knew it was just another lie from Snoke.

Where the torment truly laid was in the way Rey's mind would brush against his, so close to him, yet so far. His mind would block her, sometimes against its will as he teetered with his own feelings, eventually pushing her out to focus on ruling.

But it never felt right.

Even on his busiest days, when he would nearly go the whole time without thinking of her and her curious, determined eyes, he could feel her energy run past his mind, a quick reminder that she was there, that she couldn't possibly be forgotten.

And at times, it angered him.

The Bond only connected them several times since Crait, each time caught him more off guard than the last, the only time he had intentionally opened it was when he had been truly fed up with feeling her there, unable to see her and express his anger for her rejection...

Though when it connected, every drop of venom left his voice and the hardness in his face drifted away as he met her wide eyes, his own gaze falling to her barely parted lips as she peered up at him.

She studied him quickly, her eyes sweeping across his features as if...

As if she was making sure he was okay.

It nearly made his blood boil with annoyance, and it would have, if he hadn't been studying her for the same reason.

Just as quickly as it had activated, she closed it shut, revealing that she was getting stronger with the Force, honing her skills and making them each her own.

Sitting back in his seat, he rested his elbow on the armchair as his gloved hand stroked his chin.

She must be getting even stronger than...It's been a while...

No doubt she's gotten even stronger with the Force since then, just as he has.

An awakening within the Force sparked a new order in himself, he sensed that much. Emotions he hadn't felt in so long erupted in his heart and mind; regret, turmoil, sorrow.

And it all occurred after that Force Bond with her, the Scavenger.

He felt as though he had looked at her for the first time, as if everything wasn't so black and white.

The once supposed Monster that is the Supreme Leader of the First Order, began to humanize himself.

He grieved for his Father, a man he once idolized only to strike him down out of fear and anger, a mix that created the lust for power he'd been blind to.

Since the awakening, everything changed, starting with how he chose to rule the galaxy.

One by one, he freed the slaves and child workers across many, many stars, ending a continued torment that so many people were put through by the hand of the previous leader. Deserted planets took on the construction for new homes and cities paid for by the funds of the First Order, funds that had once gone towards weaponizing each individual.

And then, when it came to Jakku, he oversaw every change himself, starting with the detainment of Unkar Plutt, deciding that death would be far too quick and painless for the blob.

Beneath his order, Unkar was forced to sit in the scorching hiss of the sun as First Order troopers assisted with building new homes and water systems for the residents, creating jobs and an actual stable homelife for the people there.

Jakku was now a thriving planet, and he did it all for her...

Often times, he wondered if she knew.

It was only one of the things he'd done with her in mind, but it was one of his proudest.

Glancing to the black floor of his ship, Kylo couldn't remember the last time he felt truly proud of himself that did not include the girl.

His gaze turned back to the stars with a determined glint.

The cause benefited them both, saying that it would save both their lives, and he was sure she'd undoubtedly think of the lives of her friends.

He blinked, slow and deliberate.

There's no going back now, and there was certainly no going forward without her help.

He'd read up on all he could of the story about Senator Palpatine, and his rise to become Darth Sidious, the Master of Darth Vader.

The tales alone made his blood run cold.

Before he could question himself, his eyes shut as his energy delved into the Force, intertwining itself around the life within it, reaching out to her just enough to scan her signature from the stars he was floating in.

… As if they'd become one... He felt the same heat on her cheeks, and made out the trickle of sweat rolling down her neck... Beads of sand hissed across itself in the wind...

He could almost place it... It wasn't Jakku... No...

It was... Tatooine?

At the discovery, his eyes shot open just as he felt the familiar hum of the Force surrounding him, buzzing to life as his gaze fell to her.

She stood over him, crouching just enough to study his closed eyes, inches away from his face.

The curious yet heated look in her eyes told him that she was unprepared for this, but she could feel him so vividly... Looking for her.

He made sure to not let his surprise creep on his face, instead applying the usual hard, bored look he mustered up for the meetings he had with the First Order.

Sensing it, her eyes squinted at him, as if she tried to break his invisible mask across the Bond, and when it didn't work, she stood up straight, looking around his surroundings just as sand appeared around her feet.

His eyes never left her face, and under his scrutiny, she turned her attention back to him, making it a point to show him she was not afraid of his gaze.

"Why are you looking for me?" She asked, her tone light, yet demanding.

Hearing her for the first time in quite a while made his mind stumble briefly before he squared his shoulders.

"I need to speak with you." He said, his own tone equally assertive.

Her chin rose in the air, and it made her features stand out even more, and he noticed how her efforts with training worked in her favor. Freckles still dusted across her nose, and her chestnut colored hair was styled in a new way, though she still sported the three signature buns.

The attire she now wore fit her nearly too perfectly, the belt at her waist outlining the curves he'd often dreamt of. The white of her outfit looked heavenly against her tanned skin, and thankfully, her voice broke him out of the trance he was beginning to fall into, his eyes begging for a better glance at the way her top dipped.

"You're talking to me now." She challenged, watching his face intently.

He shook his head slowly, his eyes boring into hers. With the way her shoulders squared and how she tried to stand tall, he could tell she got the picture, though she didn't like it.

She glared at him. "If you come here, I'll kill you." The girl tried.

For the first time in a very long while, the corner of his mouth twitched with a smirk at her courage.

"We'll see." He answered, calling her bluff.

In the quickest of glances, he watched as her gaze trailed along the faded scar across his face, and he was instantly hit with a warm feeling of desire, though he was unsure who it came from.

Before he could properly gauge it, she recovered and shot him another glare before the Bond severed, leaving him alone in his dark ship amongst the stars.

His chest fell heavily, feeling as though he had been holding his breath the entire time.

His mind was immediately brought back to the task at hand, and the evil that hid itself in the black corners of the galaxy.

This time, there was no room for error, and no room for rejection.

Setting the course, Kylo Ren made his way to Rey on Tatooine.

( X )

The following day, Rey sat in the middle of the bleak desert, surrounding herself by hot wind and yellow sand, a home away from home.

She found that these days, the harsh sun and git of sand was the only thing that allowed her to truly meditate, to calm the whispers that prodded her mind.

It had been so overwhelmingly hectic the past few days, quieting one voice only to have another appear.

Thankfully, she was allowed a few days away from the Resistance in order to get back on track, though the 'few days' turned into a couple of months.

It had started after their first Bond since Crait, when she had so much to say on how selfish he'd been, and how sorry she actually was. However, her own words flitted away when their eyes met, and she felt that no amount of words could compare to the look they gave each other.

And even though she felt the awakening within the Force, namely Ben, it also awoke something dark, as if the small gleam of light they made together was enough to set off the harshest cast of darkness.

That's when it started.

When she speculated that both her and Ben's care and forgiveness for one another gave the right push for a darker power to rise.

It was the only thing she could make sense of, and after struggling to read the Ancient Jedi textbooks, she proudly repaired her lightsaber, as if that alone could guard her from the whispers that beckoned her at night.

It would happen so suddenly, at times when she thought it would settle finally, they'd start back up

She couldn't always make out what they said, though there were lines that always made its way into her head, repeating over and over like a mantra.

'Kill, Kira, kill... Do what must be done... Do not hesitate... Show no mercy...'

The sickly, deep voice cackled and disappeared, coming in and out of her mind like a ghost.

Often times, she'd think of Ben, and only then did the whispers shy away, as if they were scared, hissing as they flinched away to the mute corners of her mind.

Rey wouldn't deny it.

It scared her, scared her so much that she had to leave her friends and the home within the Resistance that she had comfortably made, on the search for answers she wasn't sure she could find.

The only comfort she got out of it all was that she was no longer a danger to her friends as she slowly lost her mind to the voices, training day in and day out, building up her own block to push away the darkness that began to shove its way in.

Meditation helped, and through it, she felt herself called to Tatooine, though she was unsure why.

Claiming an abandoned hut for all her own, Rey would visit it sometimes to clean herself up before heading back out to train, becoming one with herself as she grew within the Force.

'...Show no mercy...'

When she felt herself dwelling on the words, that's when she knew to break the trance.

If the whispers sat too long, she'd begin to feel dizzy, and flashes of memories that were not her own would fly through her mind, until one day, she realized they weren't memories, but of a life in the future, a path she had not crossed yet.

When the whispers won, and the visions came, her world would go quiet, and Rey knew it then.

This being in her mind, this dark orb that had no face, was spying on her mind and visions.

From that day on, she dedicated herself to meditation, determined to be stronger than the whispers, a turn that the voice had not anticipated.

And yesterday, when she was hard at work in the desert with her eyes shut closed as she focused on the energy around her, trying her best to pinpoint what had brought her to this planet, she felt him.

Her eyes opened wide as the Bond formed him to her view.

It had been so long since she seen him, or even felt him this way, but there was no mistaking his signature as she felt him looking for her.

Briefly, she wondered if today would be the day he'd finally come to kill her.

Just as quickly as the thought entered her mind, it fell away.

If he was going to kill her, she thought, he wouldn't have done all that he has, including what he did for Jakku.

So many familiar faces were shown grinning from ear to ear on all the holopads across the galaxy, happy with the new work and homes that were being built for them, and the water systems that graced the dry, sunken planet.

Another line stated that Unkar Plutt had been detained, and forced to watch the changes as they were built day in and day out.

She wondered from time to time, selfishly, if he had done it for her.

Would he really make her watch all of that, just to kill her in a desert on another planet?

Standing over him now, she studied his features as he sat in a pilot's seat with his eyes closed. She noticed how his black, messy hair was longer, curtaining his angular, imperfect face.

And the scar... The scar she'd given him... had faded just barely, and it baffled her as to why he wouldn't have it mended or properly healed since he had all the tools for it, including the Force.

She admitted to herself that she was proud of it though... a Scavenger at heart, leaving her mark and staking her claim.

She blinked slowly at the thought, surprised to have had it in the first place before she focused back on his face. He seemed... intent...meditative... determined... And then she realized that he was...it in the first place before she focused back on his face. He seemed... intent...meditative... determined... And then she realized that he was...

Looking for her.

Even now, the next day, it still caught her off guard after the year of silence the Bond endured. There were times when her mind would be pressed against the hardened door of his, backed up against as the whispers refused to let up. year of silence the Bond endured. There were times when her mind would be pressed against the hardened door of his, backed up against as the whispers refused to let up.

During those times, the voices would stop, but she knew her constant brush from her mind to his was aggravating him in the beginning, and after what appeared to be an awakening, she vowed to not run to his mind for comfort or sanctuary.

So, when he opened the Bond in search of her, she was taken aback, still on the defensive side since she wasn't sure what he needed to speak about, but she was sure it was important.

In fact, during one of the few visions she had seen, he'd been barreling towards her in his screeching Tie Silencer, and she let the Force guide her across the top, just as she was going to do now.

He was already here, she could feel him as if he was standing directly next to her, though he was miles and miles away.

She inhaled deeply, and just as she did, the whispers appeared briefly.

'...Kill...'

Her shoulders squared and her eyes narrowed as his Silencer appeared, and with a quick, single shove, Rey knocked the voices back away from her mind as she gripped her lightsaber, pointing it downward as she watched his ship grow closer.

Her mouth twitched with a hint of a smirk, knowing that he was going to call her bluff, that she wouldn't really kill him. She had to say it though, to test his reaction, and he didn't disappoint.

He knew she'd never be able to kill him, and she knew deep down that he'd never be able to kill her.

It was a dangerous game to play, which is why they both chose to sit out for as long as they did.

As his ship grew closer, Rey's eyes narrowed at him, as if she could see through the clear window and directly into his eyes from so far away.

She felt him accelerate, the sand moving this way and that as he got closer to his mark, and at that moment, she ignited her lightsaber, the blue hue of it reflecting off the grains of sand at her feet.

Turning, she braced herself to start the run, looking over her shoulder to gauge the distance before she ran.

Rey replayed the vision once again, and eventually felt it in the Force instead when the right moment to jump was just as he approached. The adrenaline rushed through her veins as she jumped, turning her body midair right above his Silencer when he rushed past her, just as in control of the situation as she

She spun once more before landing on her feet, her saber still ignited at her side as she huffed a hard breath, turning to watch his ship come to a stop, never taking her eyes off of him as he exited the Silencer.

His movements were steady and deliberate, each footstep heavier than the last as he made his way to her.

She stood in her place, watching, observing, unbelieving that he was here in the flesh before her.

He stopped walking a few feet away from her, his cape waving in the wind as they stared at one another, longing and ferocity mingling with one another in their eyes.

The Bond seemed to stutter over itself, overcome by the emotions both Kylo and Rey were feeling, each of them unsure of who was feeling what.

Frustration, anxiety, longing, desire... Sorrow, love, guilt, security...

Everything flew by all at once, and it was becoming so overwhelming...

She just wanted to be closer to him...

Lightsaber still ignited, she took a step to him, and his hand immediately flew to his own saber clipped at his hip.

Before she could realize it was in response to her own stance and drawn weapon, Rey 's eyes narrowed at him as her own grip tightened, causing his eyes to narrow at her in return.

It was no longer a quick visit, no longer a playful test

They were both eager to see where the other stood in the Force, to test the other's new abilities and strengths, to seek out their weaknesses.

They met in the middle of the desert, Rey's lightsaber slamming down against his, which he ignited just in time. He held his weapon with one hand, blocking her mid strike before pushing her back with the Force. With a flick of his wrist, he sent her to her knee before driving his saber down, just as Rey rolled away and got back to her feet.

Using her fast advantage, Rey quickly swung at him three times, each hit one after the other, her quick jabs too fast for his heavy reflexes until he found an opening in her fourth swing and caught her wrists, dropping his own lightsaber against the sand as he held her arms above her, walking her backwards as she struggled.

His muscle was too much this time, the proof of his hardwork and even harder training over the past year, and he overpowered her easily as her back pushed against a large boulder.

Kylo Ren crushed her wrist against the rock until she was forced to drop her own saber as she hissed at him, both of their chests rising and falling with their heavy breaths.

Their eyes met again, focusing on one another in real time as their emotions slowly settled, the thrill of the fight humming in the Bond.

It was the first time Kylo could really see her now, and his eyes scanned every inch of her face as he held her there against the boulder, the sweet scent of her breath surrounding his senses as he focused on her, and she on him.

Her arms gave a quick shove, yet he only tightened his hold, his eyes quickly narrowing at her, testing both her and himself. Her breathing was still heavy, the rise and fall of her chest against his did not escape his notice in the slightest.

As he studied her intently, watching her hazel eyes flicker with curiosity at his proximity, he found himself slowly, painfully slowly, drawing closer to her, enveloped by her scent and gaze.

Rey's brows furrowed slightly as she watched him, her lips parting, watching as his gaze drifted down to her mouth, eyeing the movement.

He felt as though he were under a spell... Captivated by Rey... The Jedi warrior that was nothing but pure light and strength, the same being that caused such chaos throughout the galaxy in only a small amount of time...

His eyes were still set on her parted, pink mouth, and bent to her, his lips just brushing hers, her taste already on his mouth...

In the blink of an eye, his hold was broken, and in the next instant, he found himself pinned against the boulder, though her arms stayed at her sides, and his were outstretched along the solid, large rock, held by her Force as she studied him, her brows furrowed even more.

Kylo clenched his jaw in irritation from the desire that flooded him, and he was just about to curse himself until he saw that way that Rey was studying his own mouth.

Her eyes gleamed with curiosity and desire, though she was extremely timid, and seemed like she was still defensive.

And when she took a step closer to him, her chest pressed against his slowly, his breathing stilled as he watched her through hooded lids.

Rey never came close to taking her eyes off of his as her face grew closer to him, even when she hesitated to move to her tip toes in order to reach his lips.

Their eyes remained opened and hard on one another as her lips slowly pecked his, and he felt her reaching out for his thoughts, wondering if she was doing it right, daring him to stop her.

He wouldn't be able to answer her or stop her anyway, far too distracted with how soft her lips were, and how eager he was for more as he moved to bend down and catch her lips with his, though her Force restraint on him tightened.

Kylo thought it was perfectly Rey, just how in control she wanted to be in this, how curious she was and eager to learn all at the same time. It excited him to no end, and the mix of the thrill and the timid way she pressed her lips to him again, made his eyes slowly close as she softly kissed him.

When Rey moved away, he gulped hard, his Adam's apple bobbing high as his jaw tightened, his eyes opening to meet hers, still watching him for his reaction.

She peered up at him, and he looked down at her, reminding her of the heated way he watched her in the elevator the day they defeated Snoke. The intense look alone made her stomach warm, just as it had the day before when she caught sight of his scar...

At the thought of it, her eyes trailed down along the mark, admiring the cut she'd branded him with.

At the fleeing thought and warm sensation reaching towards him from the bond, there was no mistaking the desire she had felt, and it, at first, made his mind stumble before it landed on the encouragement he needed.

With a clenched fist, he tore his arms from her Force hold, her eyes going wide as she took a quick step backwards, though his arms shot out to catch her, one hand gently pulling her towards him from the back of her neck, the other landing at her hip.

Rey crashed against his body as he bent down to capture her lips with his, and this time, it was Rey's eyes that closed first, the warm kiss catching her off guard as she hesitantly melted to him.

Her cheeks flared with heat at the contact, his mouth much more confident and hungrier than hers had been on him.

He knew what he was doing, and it was intoxicating to her.

His kiss was truly gentle at first, giving her what she needed; comfort, security, calmness.

It wasn't long before it turned into a deep hunger when she let out a small moan as she relaxed into him. The sound vibrated through him, shooting straight to his tightening pants beneath his tunic as he held her close, her own arms slowly finding a resting point at his shoulders as she unknowingly deepened the kiss.

"Rey..." He breathed before his gloved fingers worked into her hair. She gasped at the sensation, the stroke of his fingers massaging her scalp, and as her lips parted just enough, his tongue skimmed her bottom lip, trying his best not to scare her away, and to also satisfy his deep and growing hunger for more of her.

At the sound of her name, her mind was pulled into a dark abyss, knowing already that she was going to see a vision, cursing all the stars in the galaxy that it was happening now.

Her body went still, her eyes opening, though she was now standing in a reddened forest, surrounded by fog and the sounds of war in the distance.

"I'll come back for you, sweetheart." A voice whispered to her, but this whisper created security rather than fear. "I promise."

Behind it all, in the back of her vision, the dark, haunting voice cackled before it disappeared.

Crashing back to reality, Rey found herself being held in Kylo's arms, his hand cupping her cheek as he watched her with a concerned look and furrowed brows

"Rey?" He asked, searching both her face and mind. She heard his aggravated grunt in her thoughts as he encountered her block.

She swallowed hard as she replayed the vision, the same voice coming back to her, finally able to pinpoint it.

Rey stared at him, her mouth forming into a small frown as she tried to make sense of it. "It was you..." she muttered.

She heard this same voice back on Takodana when she first touched the lightsaber in Maz's basement...

"It was you all along." She muttered, watching his face, as it could reveal more than what she already knew.

With her heart beating rapidly, she stepped out of his arms, grabbed her saber, and made her way back to her home.

Kylo Ren watched her go, confused and out of breath for a number of reasons, but there was no doubt in his mind that he felt a looming, dark presence in Rey's head before her thoughts went white.

Whatever was going on, he'd find out.

With that, he followed Rey

( x )

Author's Notes:

:D Yay for Reylo! And the trailer! And for Star Wars! And for all the things!

Hope you all liked, thank you for reading. Reviews will help determine if I continue this, so please leave some love!

In the mean time, go check out my other Reylo writing! (Tremble For My Beloved - a Reylo smut-one shot) + (Steady On. - 62 chapters deep and all the Reyloness you need!)

Also, check me out Tumblr! VirtualReylo

Thanks again!