Hey all, welcome to Chapter 6. Just wanted to extend a quick thank you to those who recently followed/favorited the story. It's a very good motivational boost to see people enjoying the story and I hope you continue to do so!

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Rey's feet ate the ground up, fueled by her anger and disbelief. She wasn't sure where she was going, but at this point she didn't care.

"Why would you do something like that?" She yelled, not even glancing behind her. Ben's long legs easily kept pace with her and he rose his eyebrows in mock surprise.

"Ah, silence for hours and the first thing you choose to do is yell at me? How very Dark side Miss Skywalker." Rey stopped at his words, first in shock then in even more rage as she turned on him, her finger poking hard into his chest.

"Don't you dare accuse me of exhibiting Dark side tendencies! I wasn't the one who threw a damn canteen at Finn's head!" Ben narrowed his eyes and pressed his lips together hard, gently moving Rey's finger before his own finger came up to make his point.

"First of all, it was empty."

"Like that matters!"

"Second of all, that inept bastard thought he could pry into my head." Rey shoved his hand down and glared at him.

"Must be horrible having someone invade your mind." Her voice was scathingly hot, where his went bone chillingly quiet.

"That's not fair." They locked gazes, stuck in a stalemate. Then Rey turned and kept walking, not ready to apologize. And why should she? He was being a total ass! Finn had been easy enough to read after the incident, and all he wanted to see Ben's intentions. It didn't excuse the attempted invasion of privacy, but it wasn't as bad as Ben trying to murder him with a canteen.

"Even if it was empty." She muttered to herself.

"What was that?" Ben stopped, invoking Rey's ire even further.

"I wasn't talking to you." She hissed.

"Not you." He frowned in concentration; argument forgotten for the time being. "Listen." Rey paused and heard nothing. They had to be well out of earshot from the rest of the ground squad now, so it couldn't possibly be them. What she did notice was the Dyad shuddering, only slightly at first but slowly the tremor grew.

"Ben, I don't hear anything." He glanced at her, his brows drawing as a lance of fear went through his chest.

"You can't hear those voices?" The whispers around him seemed to be growing louder as he looked back into the trees. He didn't hear Rey calling to him, his mind focused only on the ghost-like words, spinning and swirling around him and in his head.

"You cannot leave it behind."

"…Part of you..."

"You need it… She needs it… You need her… She needs you."

"Without Darkness…. THERE CAN BE NO LIGHT!"

Ben staggered back when the last voice screamed at him in his own voice, or was it someone else's? He didn't know. Shaking his head of the strange fog, he looked around and felt panic set in. Where was Rey? Had she left him behind? Looking around at the forest floor, he realized there were no flattened plants and no sign of the trail they'd blazed. Running a hand through his hair and swearing quietly over and over, he wondered how the hell they had been separated.

Rey looked around frantically.

"Ben!" She yelled, "Ben answer me!" She plead now and ran back along the trail a short distance, her breath rapid and frantic. She had only glanced away for a moment, he couldn't have gone far! Reaching out to the Dyad, she felt cold dread fill her stomach. That same static that had filled the emptiness left by his death had returned and she couldn't feel him at all. "No… Please no." Rey begged to no one, her voice catching in her throat. She couldn't believe that he would just vanish from right in front of her. He had to be alive! Then she whirled, the Dark pulling at her harder than ever. She wanted to look for Ben, but her body moved of its own volition, compelled towards the terrifying call.

At first she walked, then she began to run. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she grit her teeth, lungs screaming for air. Air seemed to rush past her, deafening her thoughts while her legs burned from exertion. Still she ran harder and harder until she broke through the trees and staggered to a stop, falling to one knee. Gulping in air, her eyes swept the area. A cliff rose up from across the clearing, fronted by a large, perfectly circular pool of water. Several small cave openings spanned the rock, and it felt oddly quiet here.

"Ben?" She called weakly, yet heard her voice echoing back to her.

"He isn't here." Rey stood and turned to face the speaker, eyes widening to see the same hooded visage she had encountered on the Death Star. Her own face stared back at her but with a cruelly canted smile. Leaping back and igniting her saber, Rey growled at her Dark reflection.

"What did you do with him? Tell me where he is!" The image melted away into nothing, leaving Rey more confused than before.

"If thou cannot embrace it, death is assured."

"The line of light and dark is heavily blurred."

"Two halves, one soul,"

"Light and Dark make it whole."

"On the knife's edge, balance the Force."

"Lest ye perish, and suffer eternal remorse…"

The voices faded away. Slowly, Rey lowered her saber and flicked the button to sheath it. Whatever that had been, that prophecy, it clearly meant her and Ben's Dyad. But, they already fought as a team, so what more could they possibly do?

"Ben… Where are you?" She wondered out loud, but only heard deafening silence in reply.

The tall man had walked for hours, the sunset a silent warning for him to make camp. All day he had fought off the voices hounding him while he searched for Rey. The only time he'd stopped was when a cryptic little poem echoed in his mind. It had come from the bond, so it must have been Rey that heard it. But why couldn't he feel her otherwise? With a sigh of relief, he dropped his pack and momentarily enjoyed the cool breeze that sent tiny fingers through his sweat soaked shirt. The tendrils of air on his lower back made him shiver slightly so he set to work getting a fire going. It would be an uncharacteristically cool night. Just his luck, he thought with a scowl.

Setting up his sleeping roll had gone quickly enough once the fire had been lit, and he sat now and picked at his bread ration. His stomach growled, but he couldn't bring himself to eat. Memories started swimming through his mind of his time under Snoke as he stared at the food. How often had he left meals untouched because the furthest thing from his mind was sustenance? Rey had dragged his tortured soul from the depths of the Dark, and then again from that great, strange nothingness he had been trapped in after dying.

"Comfortable?" His eyes snapped up at the mechanical, disembodied voice. The red cracks in his helmet almost seemed to glow under the twilight.

"You aren't real." Ben snapped back at the visage of Kylo Ren.

"Is that so? Perhaps you'd find it interesting to know that I am just as real as the fire burning before you. Yes… There. That defiant narrowing of your eyes… The temper with which you deal with traitors." Ben blinked and took a deep breath, his face setting with determination.

"Even if you are a part of who I was, you won't be a part of who I am now. Rey made sure of that." The Wraith rose and took a few steps away, as if staring at the forest was more interesting than speaking to Ben.

"Careful now. I could simply leave, and you'd never know where you went wrong when your vision of that girl comes true." Ben's attention perked up further. "Listening now?" Kylo turned to face him once again. "Your Dyad is still weak. You only embrace half of what you should, and it will bring you both to your knees. You promised to show the girl the ways of the Force." Ben stood, his hand on his lightsaber.

"I never embraced the idea of being a Sith. I wanted-"

"For it all to die. I remember what I said. That's exactly where your mind needs to be. Stop thinking of the Dark as evil, and you'll find the key to saving Rey." He'd heard enough. Ben yelled, igniting his lightsaber and swinging at the image of his old self. It faded away as if his blade was just a breeze whisking it away.

Several heartbeats passed before Ben realized he was shaking. It had to be a lie. The Dark was only trying to trick him so that he would be trapped once again, the same way it had tricked Darth Vader. Ben Solo would fight with and protect Rey, not Kylo Ren. The lightsaber softly rasped to a close in his hand before he trudged numbly back to his bedroll. No. He would never again embrace the Dark side. With that thought he wrapped his blanket around his shoulders and lay down, slipping almost immediately into a blessedly dreamless sleep.

The deep, overwhelming feeling of impending doom roused Ben. He looked around and tried to get his bearings. It was still dark, with no sign of dawn on the horizon. Quickly climbing to his feet, he drew his lightsaber to his hand and moved quickly and quietly away from his small campsite and into the thicker brush for cover. His heart hammered in his chest and he focused on keeping his breath even and quiet. A signature in the Force became clear and he nearly rolled his eyes as a stray Jungle Rancor approached, aimlessly searching for its next meal. What a joke, he thought and started to devise a plan to spook it back into the jungle so he could get some rest.

His eyes widened in shock when a huge, clawed hand slammed down on the Rancor as if it were nothing more than a little girl's doll. It screamed in terror and pain, lancing through the Force and making Ben cringe. Then it was lifted into the air, flailing uselessly. Brown eyes followed it up, and up and up until he could just make out what must have been the second monster's head. A sickening crunch ended the Rancor's screeches abruptly and blood poured through the Jungle's canopy. The thing that scared Ben the most now, was that this thing had no Force signature.

It bent lower, inspecting his campsite with disturbing sentience, its soulless eyes searching very carefully. Hunkering lower in his hiding spot, Ben ignored the now headless Rancor wrapped in the creature's hand and tried to think of what he would do if that thing found him. From his cover, he could just make out a few distinctions. Elaborate tusks curling from its lips, dead eyes and jagged teeth. He was no expert, but if he had to make a guess, he thought perhaps a Gorog. It had some similar traits to be sure, but it was just different enough. And far more intelligent.

"I can smell you, filthy human Prince." It rumbled, making him flinch. It had been a long time since anyone had called him by that title. And how did this thing know who or what he was? He stayed hidden and hoped that his scent all over the campsite was enough to throw it off. Even the ancient Sith Lords he'd learned about didn't tangle with Gorogs without great caution. His teeth grit as a furious bellow made the earth quake around him, threatening and hateful. Its fingers clenched, spattering the Rancor's body with a wet squelch, the pieces dropping to the jungle floor. The monster stalked away and allowed one long, thick leg sweep through to completely destroy Ben's campsite. The tall man waited until it felt like an hour had crept by, his body screaming for relief from the cramped position he held. Only then did he slowly move from his cover, contemplating just what the hell he should do now when he felt an all too familiar buzz in the Force.

Rey had sat awake most of the night, watching the night sky from the top of the little cliff. She would never admit it, but she had grown to hate sleeping without Ben by her side. They were both perfectly capable of taking care of themselves, and she could function just fine on her own. His call of her bluff last night was a good one though. She hated being alone, just as he did. Becoming a tittering fool who agreed with his every thought and action was never going to happen, that was for certain. She was his equal and he was hers. But despite their more than adequate ability to function separately, she still missed him terribly.

The sounds of the Jungle echoed around her, and far, far off in the distance some animal roared, sending shivers down her spine. Her eyes returned to her tiny fire, allowing it to lull her into a calm trance. She had become so engrossed in the flickering dance of the flames that she almost missed the buzz of the Force, but her eyes snapped up. Ben was crouched before her, his face pale in the moonlight and his eyes wide like a cornered animal.

"Ben!" She gasped in relief and reached out for him. The disbelief on his face was quickly followed with relief.

"Rey." The adrenaline that had seized him constricted his throat, and the word came out as a gasp. His hand went to hers… and passed through. She frowned as minor panic took over his thoughts, and she was suddenly flickering before him. How could this be happening? The Dyad shouldn't feel so…

"Weakened." Rey finished his thought. "Where are you?" She added more quickly, rising and stepping closer as if it might somehow allow them to overcome the fading strength of the bond. He shook his head.

"I can only guess. We could be whole star systems apart… Stars…" He frowned and Rey saw him look skyward. "What stars do you see Rey?" Quickly catching his plan, she tried to rattle off as many constellations and planets as she knew, her proximity to them, as well as picking out the two smaller moons of the planet. "That means we're both still on Ajan Kloss." He sighed with relief once again before glancing into the darkness of wherever he was.

"Ben, what happened to you?" His eyes returned to hers, pinning her with intense determination and a ferocity she had only seen in him a handful of times.

"Listen, there's something in the jungle. It's dangerous and it's hunting us. It has no Force signature to speak of, so you'll have to rely on your other senses. Don't try to fight it on your own." She thought about that roar from earlier and heard the deadly serious warning in Ben's voice. It made her shiver once again. "Rey." His voice softened, but the ferocity did not. "Not even the Force can keep me from finding you. I'll be there soon, I swear it." She reached out once again despite herself.

"I know." Her heart cracked when he disappeared from her sight.

Finn and the others hiked slowly through the heat and humidity, the climate taking its toll after four days of bushwhacking, river crossing, bugs and various other annoyances that left everyone irritable and exhausted. The Ex Trooper once again checked the map Rose had sent with them. Given the distance to their set coordinates and their pace, he suspected they would be slogging for another couple days and sighed. It wasn't fair to ask anyone to move any faster, and he was sure they would lynch him for making such a request at this point.

His thoughts wandered to Rey and hoped she was doing okay. As for Kylo Ben, Finn couldn't care less as his fingers touched the nasty little bruise at the edge of his forehead. The man clearly still had a temper.

"Still dealing with a headache?" Jannah asked him with a relaxed yet sympathetic smile. Finn shook his head.

"Just hoping that Rey is alright. The further we go into the jungle, the more I have a bad feeling about this." The woman nodded. Ever since they had found that first footprint, they had continued seeing more and more of them. Worse, they had discovered several dead Rancor all with huge chunks torn away or missing limbs and heads completely. She was beginning to feel that it was not them doing the tracking, but instead being tracked- No… Hunted, themselves.

Finn called for a break and everyone paused with relief in their march, downing water and rummaging in their bags. Jannah sat down on a log beside the man, taking several long pulls from her canteen.

"So, handsome. Is this what you imagined you'd be doing after defeating the First Order?" Finn's brows rose at the bold compliment and he blushed.

"Uh… W-well I. No, not really." He stuttered somewhat. It had become more difficult for him to speak to her outside of a professional manner, their easy bantering becoming strained. She was so calm and cool all the time, laid back in all her dealings, and simply beautiful.

"So what did you imagine you'd be doing?" She smiled warmly, knowing he was squirming and finding him way too cute for it. The question made him blink though.

"To be honest, I'm not really sure what I thought I'd do. The only thing I knew for sure was that I hoped Rey would teach me about the Force." Her brows rose and the playful smile slipped a bit from her face.

"You never thought about where you would end up living? Or if you would like to be with someone?" He shrugged, but his mind did wander back to Rose. Her scrappy spirit and warm demeanor had grown on him so much more since the fall of the First Order. A chuckle escaped him when he thought about her biting Hux. Actually biting him! Jannah was about to ask him what was so funny when several loud growls emerged from the trees. The hair stood up on the back of Finn's neck, the menacing sound harboring a promise of death.

"What filth dares to approach our home?" The low voice behind him demanded. Turning, Finn looked up and his eyes widened. The dead eyed monster leered down at him, mirrored by two more from around the squad. He could feel their sudden terror washing over him in waves, though they didn't move a muscle. Even Chewie's energy was beyond nervous. As discreetly as he could, Finn hit the SOS button, alerting Poe and Rose.

"Your home?" Finn managed to breathe out the words. The creature snarled at him, revealing rows of sharp, deadly teeth.

"Yes, pitiful human. Perhaps you'd like to know what the Adarogh do to intruders like you?" Finn's eyes flicked briefly to several small lizards running over and around the monster. Didn't they know they'd become lunch if they stuck around? Movement behind him drew his attention as one of the other creatures snatched up one of their squad.

"No!" Finn yelled, drawing his blaster and opening fire on the creature's hand. It barely flinched as it tore their man in half, making Finn cringe and spring into action. "RUN!" The Squad fled into the trees, some fortunate enough to evade the grasping claws while others met their death. Finn thought his heart might explode from the adrenaline and pace but he willed his legs to move faster still. Jannah was not far behind and he hoped more of their people were with him than not. The Adarogh were not very quick runners, but their strides were huge, causing the ground to quake which each step. How had such huge monsters moved so quietly among the trees? The sounds of Chewie's Bowcaster, blaster shots, screams and roars filled the air. Glancing up, Finn spotted a fallen tree suspended by vines. Firing wildly, he could only severe a few of them, his aim compromised by his speed. The monsters were gaining on them, more dying screams filling his ears. Panic, fury and blind instinct drove him to raise his hand with a yell, grasping the log as best he could with the Force and willing it to fly backwards. The toss was weak, but it slowed their pursuers slightly as they either swerved around it or paused to avoid being struck in the face with it.

Poe and Rose barreled along over the trees in the Falcon. A four day trek on foot was nothing with the ship's speed and soon Rose pointed through the window.

"Look there!" Poe's sharp eyes caught sight of the monsters rearing up out of the trees.

"That's where the tracker is pointing, too! How are we gonna get em' out of there?" Narrowing her eyes, Rose made her way out of the cockpit, heading for the guns. As soon as she was seated in the lower gunner's seat she pulled her headset on and waited until she heard Poe's headset crackle to life in her ears.

"Get me into position and I'll get them!" Poe swung the Falcon around, skimming above the trees

"Get ready!" Grip tightening, Rose watched the targeting computer carefully with sweat beading on her forehead, praying she wouldn't catch any of her friends in the high-powered blasts. As soon as she had a lock-on, she grit her teeth and fired. The Adarogh recoiled in the blast and collapsed into the trees, earning a whoop from the spunky girl.

Finn finally slowed and turned to see what was happening as the Falcon screamed overhead, drawing the Adarogh's attention. The ship wheeled and flew back around, prompting Finn to start running once again. The order didn't need to be issued twice as the squad hurried to follow him.

"There!" He panted out and pointed, "A stream! Should be big enough for Poe to lower the ramp!" Poe was two steps ahead of him after the Falcon's guns slammed into the Adarogh group and quickly hovered as close as he could to the break in the trees. Glancing back, Finn slowed and stopped. Horror rose in his chest as the monsters uncurled from the Jungle floor, only minimally injured. He saw now that they had some sort of armor in place upon their backs, almost like a tiny deflector shield. "What..?" He breathed. What were these things? He didn't linger to contemplate it and dashed the rest of the distance to the ship. Three deafening bellows spurred him along and just as Poe raised the ship, he leapt for the edge of the ramp. Rose could just see the creatures through her sights and stared in shock as they shook off the blasts and once again thundered towards her friends.

"No you DON'T!" She screamed and lit up the area in front of them, forcing them to once again halt their advance. The ship lurched then, lifting away from the trees. Finn swung precariously, nearly losing his grip before Jannah reached down and grabbed his wrists, pulling him to safety before the Falcon spun and shot off, leaving the Adarogh behind.

The birds were quiet today, leaving Ben uneasy as he traveled along. Most of his equipment had been destroyed by that thing, but at least he had his lightsaber, a blanket and some provisions. The air hung thicker than usual today and even though the insects bit at his skin, he stopped to stuff his vest and shirt into his pack. Looking up through the trees, he frowned at the dark clouds slowly rolling in. No wonder the air was so sticky, he thought with some annoyance and took a deep breath before carrying on. Rey's Force signature had become present again, but it flickered as their connection had, making him concentrate hard to follow it without veering off the trail. Within the hour, rain had begun to fall and soaked him to the bone. At least the rain was somewhat warm on this planet, but even that was little comfort as his boots became waterlogged.

He couldn't hear much, but he did begin to notice tremors through the ground. Looking over his shoulder, he saw birds flying out of the trees as something large crashed through them. Had that behemoth from last night tracked him?! He looked around quickly, the crude path fell away down a slope to his right and climbed sharply on his left. He would have to take his chances with the slope or run. Using the Force to balance his steps and give him some extra distance, he ran down the slope, sliding in the muddy patches and eventually surfed his way down the now completely muddy banks.

"Jedi!" He heard the thing bellow after him and narrowed his eyes.

"You won't catch me today, laserbrain." He snarled defiantly. The slope ended in a waterfall pool, the water rushing up like a punch to the face. Ben's outstretched hands hit the bottom almost immediately, eliciting a grunt as a sharp pain lanced through his hand and jarred his bones. Recovering his feet, he slogged to the water's edge as quickly as he could and slipped behind the cascade. Gulping in air, Ben could just make out the frustrated roars when that thing realized it had lost his trail.

An uncharacteristic darkness behind the falls drew his attention now and with one last, smug backwards glance he sidled into the mouth of a cave. How deep did the cave extended, he wondered and carefully followed the rocky wall further inside. Pressing out with his senses, he was pleasantly surprised to find it was a tunnel. Perhaps it was from a time when the water flowed differently on the planet, or something long since gone had created it but it was the first lucky break he'd had all day. Digging out his lightsaber and igniting it, he took a quick look around before examining the nagging pain in his left palm. The gash was bleeding, but a quick flex of his fingers revealed no deeper damage so he picked up Rey's energy and once again moved forward.

This had to be the way out! Rey sprinted through the wet foliage, ignoring the slap of leaves and vines against her face and arms. She sprinted and made a leap over a huge fallen tree, bursting through the treeline and stumbling to a halt. Looking around, frustration finally boiled over and Rey yelled at the sky while the rain poured down on her. This was her eighth attempt to leave this place and still she always broke through the trees back into the clearing.

"Why won't you let me leave?!" She screamed at nobody then remembered Ben's warning and immediately quieted, though her anger still seethed hotly. The Dark side pulls had been coming and going all day, and she kept catching glimpses of Dark Rey before she would turn and shake the image from her head. They were becoming more insistent and she was growing tired of pushing them away, drenched and tired as she was. She closed her eyes, suddenly longed for the warm sands of Jakku, caressing her skin and cushioning her aching body after a long day of hard work. Or better yet, for Ben's arms encircling her and pressing her close against him. She blinked her eyes open and started at the sight in front of her.

Dark Rey stood beside Kylo Ren, his haughty arrogance marring what should have been Ben's face… But there was no trace of Ben. This man's eyes were icy, lacking any softness until they turned to her darker visage.

"Ben Solo isn't here." He said coolly, a twisted smile appearing on his face. Dark Rey laughed quietly, her face more like a serpent than a human. Then she turned her face up to Kylo's and he kissed her roughly, his hands gripping her hair and yanking her head back as she dragged her nails down his neck, leaving red welts. Then their lips slowed against one another, still fierce but somehow tender. Breaking apart they looked at each other with adoration before turning to stare at her once again. The roughness of that kiss had been off putting, but so had that sudden small bloom of genuine affection and love.

"You're afraid of the Dark," She said, "But you have been shown only one pathway within it. We are not who you believe."

"We aren't Sith. We are just users of one aspect of the Force. As you are." Finished Kylo. Then they were gone.

Rey felt dizzy, and slowly began to half stumble her way into one of the caves dotting the cliffside. Once inside she silently pulled her wet clothes off. Her skin stung slightly where the foliage had continually hit her as she ran, but there was nothing she could do about it now. She was so unsure of what to make of that little scene. How could they not be Sith? Kylo Ren had done terrible things… But then, no. Because Ben had been Kylo Ren, but it didn't make him terrible and…

Her head pounded as she tried to sort out what exactly this meant for Ben or for her. She had never sought to use Dark side abilities, though she had accidentally used lightning. But did it count? She just didn't know and with a sigh, she pulled her half soggy blanket out of her pack. It would be better than nothing, so she threw it around her shoulders and settled with her back against the wall.

More voices echoed through the tunnel, difficult to ignore but possible if Ben simply focused on other things like the pain in his palm, Rey's energy and anything else that would keep him grounded and not yank him away into another vision. He came to yet another fork and swore softly, trying to feel which way was the correct one.

"What if they're both correct?" Ben's eyes locked with Rey's, except this person wasn't Rey. She stood in the opening of one passage, watching him from beneath dark lashes, her eyes traveling slowly over his body before a serpent's smile appeared on her face and she looked sidelong to the other passage. The scarred face of Kylo Ren smirked over at her and then flicked his eyes to Ben.

"I told you didn't I? That you needed to change how you think." Kylo walked around behind Ben, sizing him up carefully before he approached Dark Rey. Now she looked like his Rey, her clothes and her almost innocent expression looking up at him, but her eyes went to Kylo who stroked her cheek with a gloved hand. Ben growled.

"Rey never wanted Kylo Ren." He snapped, fists clenching tightly. At least he thought they did, but they had gone numb from the chilled air in the tunnels ages ago.

"Didn't she? How can that be when you and I are the same person?" Kylo questioned him with an arrogant smile. It made Ben shudder to realize exactly how easy he had been to hate.

"Ben…" Rey's soft voice drew his attention back to her. "If there was something Dark in me… Would you hate me?" She asked innocently, hesitantly. His brows drew imperceptibly.

"I could never hate you." He replied before he'd had a chance to think, and then Rey smirked at him as her image shifted back into Dark Rey.

"Just as I could never hate you." She told him with a wink, and then she and Kylo turned and vanished into the left tunnel.

Those last words left him in even deeper confusion. Rey had rejected the whole idea of Kylo Ren, made clear when she said she had wanted to take Ben's hand… He was exhausted, couldn't think, and everything inside him screamed to go right. Not to follow Darkness embodied. Except for the small bit of instinct in his gut that urged him to follow the left path. He growled at the walls of the tunnel and went left.

"This does not mean I embrace the dark side." He muttered and walked. He followed the path and began to wonder if this had been a mistake after all, feeling as if he would be trapped wandering the dark, winding underground until he finally died. Then his heart lifted, there was a light up ahead! Finally sheathing his lightsaber, he found he could easily follow the glow ahead of him.

Shivering violently, Rey did her best to try to light the damp tinder and wood she'd gathered. Night had fallen and taken all traces of heat with it but left the rain. It hadn't taken long for a deep chill to settle into her bones and she began to see why people cursed the wet, miserable conditions. Finally, a weak spark sputtered into a pitiful flame.

"Yes!" It was better than nothing and her spirits cheered slightly. "Now, if you just… stay…" She begged the little flame and stuck her tongue out, carefully adding more tinder and wood. Very slowly, her fire took off and she quickly arranged her wet clothes around it, hoping they would dry out at least a little. She also took some comfort in the hazy energy of Ben, it seemed much nearer than it had the night before but this place seemed to throw everything off. She didn't think he could possibly be that close, but even the glow of their Dyad felt a bit warmer, if still very weak.

A noise at the back of the cave made her freeze momentarily before she grabbed her lightsaber. Rising slowly, she wrapped the blanket around herself and did her best to tie it in place before creeping towards the sound. It was a strange shuffling, or was it a stagger? A shape emerged before her and without a thought, she yelled, swinging and igniting her lightsaber all at once. A blue glow parried her strike and then Ben's voice.

"Rey!" His yell was half indignant and half disbelief and the girl before him blinked several times, as if she too couldn't believe it. The lightsaber slipped from her hand, arms flinging around his body and crushing him in an embrace.

"Ben!" Happy tears slipped down her cheeks as he pulled her tight and they both sank to the floor in relief. "When you disappeared, I couldn't sense you and I thought…" He stroked her hair, whispering gently.

"I know." They had only been apart for two days, but it had felt like an eternity, and Ben was sure Rey would agree with his sentiment. Despite the ache in his body, he gathered her up, lightsaber and all and carried her back to the inviting little fire.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Chapter 6 complete! I hope everyone enjoyed. Thank you for your continued reading and I'm hoping to have chapter 7 up soon!

Lady Taiyou