Kylo felt like a coward tucking tail and running because of a girl. Ok, more or less, because of a girl. More likely it was because he didn't want to loose his already wavering control around her. He had to be free from the sight of her because every second she goaded his temper that control weakened further.

The brittle state of his restraint had him fleeing from the temptation of taking everything from her that his Darkness encouraged of him. How easy it would have been to Force peel layer after layer off of her until she were bare before him. Set her on her back and show her just how much trouble her mouth and those curious wide eyes could get her in. Kylo shook his head to clear his thoughts for the third consecutive time since he'd left her and her doe eyes standing in the center of her room.

More and more lately she'd looked at him like she wanted him to push her, to test her limits, but she had no concept of just how weak his restraint was becoming, how close to the line he was always walking around her; teetering really. He was not a practiced man in the ways of self restraint. It's not exactly encouraged by the Dark side.

And now she was here. He simply couldn't get over that. Months of chasing her down and he finally has her here on his Finalizer and only one level below himself. He'd issued that on purpose of course. He didn't trust himself so close. Even when he tried to keep their connection quiet she'd accidentally crept in and out of his head... and for months! Even while Luke was around to help seal her mind off from him they'd accidentally found their way into each others minds.

Nothing stopped them now. Nothing kept them from spilling into one another. Their bond was going to grow and it was going to be torturous, he was sure of it and he didn't want to be too close when it became overwhelming because he was sure it would.

But other things were changing too. And quickly. The tide was rising and it brought forth a new curiosity in his little Scavenger. He could see it glittering back at him through those wild hazel eyes. She was looking at him in a new way. Always watching him in anticipation of his next move towards her. Somehow Kylo knew that had been of his doing. Even without a single lesson in the ways of seducing a female his instincts were somehow keen to this. He supposed he should thank his father for that, all the years he'd watched him chase his mother around, trying to make up for one thing or another.  Kylo's natural response to Rey, his natural advances, were finally starting to weigh on her and here secluded from those who would look down on her for her curiosity, he was certain that curiosity would bloom. It just needed a little more time to take root and grow.

The problem now is that they weren't under the protective shield of the island or practically secluded in a way that they had the privacy to push and test their bond and strength together. Here they had to be careful. Kylo knew how his power rose with his temper. He knew how he lashed out but it wasn't because of his lack of control. Sure he looked like a man child running around slashing things up but often he housed so much power and his emotions would spike so high, he had no other way to release it or the aggression the mixture of his Primal instincts and Darkness brought about in him. Rey was only just beginning to really toy with her powers and Kylo was certain that Luke had discouraged her from using the Force without his supervision, ultimately that would hurt her more then help.

She was a raw power house that he knew with training and practice could easily match his skill. And she had no idea. She had no clue how easily her hot headed reactions could get tangled up with the power that flowed freely through her and the more they tested that power, the harder it was going to become to control. He was confident he could help her with this. She'd already displayed way more control then he ever had. Hoth, he'd only just started making better decisions about how to vent his frustrations when that power or his emotions erupted.

His biggest task ahead was securing her trust. Really securing her trust. She needed to listen to him whether she was thinking clearly or not. Both of their survival was on the line and she may very well be to stubborn, or to naive to see it. Either way it didn't matter, he was going to teach her restraint and discipline one hard lesson at a time, if hats what it took.

Trust; trust had to come first.

A dip of his chin to the two stormtroopers ahead and there was a nod between them followed by movement to open the doors to the duel holding cell which he had moved his Resistance guests into before he'd left the ship to retrieve Rey. Kylo keyed a code into the wall panel at the entrance and a tiny light flickered on behind him. A port slid open in the wall and he plucked a floating holo disc from the space before activating its live feed and punching in the digits that would link it to the holo com and projector to Rey's room.

Alarmed, Poe shot up from his position along the prison cot and Chewie, waving off the disturbance in a half sleep, grunted something intangible.

"And so he returns." Poe drawled through his sleep slurred speech. "No worries Darth Jr., it's not like we've been here just waiting for you or anything..." He rubbed his eyes but no amount of time lag or exhaustion was going to keep him from poking at the likes of Kylo Ren whenever he could.

Kylo ignored the sarcastic drip of the pilots words, his eyes instead scanning the empty trays of food on his half of the wall secured table. Not even a scrap of food remained, clearly captivity hadn't bothered the pilot. A head tilt to the left revealed something completely different about his companion though. Four full trays of food remained completely untouched. A sharp barb of pain coiled tight in his chest. He couldn't help but stare at the Wookiee sympathetically. His fist balled at his side and he clenched but it wasn't in anger so much as hurt. His family was suffering and it was undeniably his fault.

"He's eaten nothing?" Kylo hadn't meant to let the question or the concern that came with it slip between his lips but it had just the same.

To the right of him Poe shuffled forward and Ren's head snapped in his direction as though he'd just remembered he was still there. The pilot was eyeing him curiously, like a puzzle missing too many pieces to get the full picture but he was trying his best anyway.

Doing his best to correct his first response, Ren shrugged. "Wasteful." He stated coldly.

Poe's head tilted to one side but he said nothing of what he was thinking. It was smart that he kept his mouth shut and before he had the chance to change his mind Ren activated the live stream to Rey's room. He stiffened knowing she'd be on the other end. The visual would be one sided but it didn't stop him from wondering what she was doing. Kriff, it had only been minuets since he'd left her and that was already his first thought. What was she doing? Where was she at in the room?

Poe nodded cautiously at the floating recorder. "What's this about?"

Kylo turned his masked face to the unit. "Trust." He clipped.

The faceless mask remained locked in the direction of the recorder and the girl on the other end stared back for what felt like a very long heartbeat, her breath held securely in her suddenly tight chest. She was still on the floor in the spot that he left her gaping at him. She knew Poe and Chewie were behind him, but she couldn't tear her face away from his mask. All the hate she had for that thing and she still couldn't look away.

"We putting on a show now? Who's on the other end?" Poe asked almost disdainfully. Then his voice raised a few octaves. "Is that Rey?" Ren stepped out of view and Poe read this as all the confirmation he needed. His nerves snapped like an abused string on a tightly wound instrument and he felt the painful vibrations ripple from his core out to his fingertips. Dark brows rose with Poe's worry and he quickly stepped forward into the monitors view. "Rey- Rey, it's gonna be ok. We're gonna get you outta here."

Poe was rushing the screen and the suddenly frantic pace of the room brought the Wookiee behind him climbing to his feet. He was mewling and growling into the air behind his friend, making it hard to hear as Poe spit off a medley of questions. Even over the noise Rey was able to get the gist. Something about if she was ok? If he'd hurt her?

She took to her feet in an instant, her eyes darting around the holo image that had appeared out of a beam shot down through the ceiling to project almost precisely centered to where she still sat.

"I'm ok. I'm fine." She began. Relief brought intense emotions rushing forward and tears were quick to fill her eyes. They were already running down her face, even as her cheeks lifted in the reassuring smile she directed at her friends.

"Save the false promises and touching reassurances for next time; the feedback is one sided." As calloused as his battle hardened hands, Ren's voice came from somewhere out of the projectors field of view.

The disc projecting the holo feed was momentarily blocked by a blur of solid white armor. The holo disc repositioned and Rey watched as her friends in the custody of several armed stormtroopers, were led out of the room. Poe kept trying to peek back but the troopers holding his arms tugged him forward.

"You'll have enough provisions to last you two days, I suggest you use them wisely." Again Ren's vocoded baritone came from off screen.

"Provisions?" Poe questioned.

"You'll only be in the pod for a few hours before you land but I'm guessing you'll wait it out a few before contacting your General to collect you."

Rey watched as they entered a small hanger, possibly a personal landing bay for someone higher up in...

"...Kylo."

The sudden yet obvious realization of who's personal transport station they were using to deploy from hit Rey hard in her stunned face and she let her surprise and relief ring through their bond. She instantly understood the meaning behind the single word he'd spoken to her when the holo feed first flickered to life.

Trust.

He'd said her friends would be released unharmed when they arrived on his ship together and he'd kept his word, again.

Rey suddenly had the most incredible urge to touch him. Not like she'd been curious about earlier, there was nothing sexual or experimentive about this desire. She was grateful beyond words. Thankful and appreciative. She wanted to console and comfort him because she knew this was going against something he firmly believed in. In his eyes her friends were still the enemy and he was letting them go for her.

His mind was a turbulent ocean of emotions and thoughts, fears and doubts and when her surprised voice touched its choppy surface it left no more then a singular ripple along the waves of that massive body of chaos. But from that tiny interference rang a crescendo of soothing ripples pooling out from the first. Pulsing rings that echoed his name in her voice smoothed the violent hands of those pulling waves and the internal conflict that always left him angry and exhausted quieted. For just a few fleeting seconds where her voice ran through his mind and her gratitude flooded him with her light— Kylo found a moment of brief peace and in turn it was him that felt gratitude for her appreciation.

It was rare moments like this, with her in his mind, with no resistance between them, no warring light or Dark, no Resistance or First Order pitting them on opposite sides, where Kylo almost felt normal; almost felt... good. The genuine response of her sincere appreciation made him want to hand her the stars. He wanted to do whatever he could to elicit this response from her over and over again, but first things first.

Ren stopped ahead of the group and the stormtroopers followed suit halting the two prisoners a few feet back from their Commander. Again he removed his hand from its leather casing and his palm activated the panel that opened the port to the pod.

Poe pulled his arm free from the trooper to his right. "Well that's not the Falcon." He stated rhetorically.

Ren's shoulders stiffened with tension and the sweet peace he'd had for only a moment was consumed by the savage swells of the ever growing waves again. Anger at the reminder of his father rocked the peaceful tide that had languidly lapped at the feet of his content Darkness before they rose again and with them the familiar feeling of a rage once assuaged.

"That ship," He started hostilely, his fingers curling into his palms again. He rotated his head, rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck to relieve the building tension that accompanied his burdening guilt. "Is no longer your concern." He finished bitterly. His voice, on the edge of his nerves, trembled slightly. Kylo motioned towards the pod and the troopers shoved the two prisoners forward.

Poe turned again to the floating unit at his back. With his hands still secured by the metal shackled around his wrists, he motioned with his chin. "And her?"

"Neither is she." Ren answered tersely.

Poe's eyes narrowed and Chewie practically growled.

"You can't just keep her here!" Poe pulled against the troopers who dragged him by his arms. Chewie tossed the troopers aside in packs, two from each arm.

Kylo stepped into view as he responded to the Wookiee's angry growls of disapproval. He lifted his hand out in front of him and his furry uncle gently lifted from the ground. Chewie turned back in Kylo's direction, his arms flailing angrily through the air even with his hands still locked together. He hated when Ben used the Force on him and it was worse when the young man did so under the name of Kylo Ren. He whined and Kylo gently set him down inside the small transport pod. The Wookiee planted his feet and grunted at the man he loved as a boy.

"Easy fur ball. I'm trying not to hurt you." Kylo admitted with no thought of the endearment that came with his words. He cleared his throat and any emotion left in it before turning back to the pilot. "We both know there's no making Rey do anything she doesn't want to. I'm not keeping her anywhere she isn't already choosing to stay." Kylo was careful with how he spoke to the man across from him. It was easy to bait him but now was not the time for games and Ren chose to navigate through this situation with predetermined caution.

In all honesty he really just wanted to Force shove the pilot inside and ship him off with out another word. The longer he was around the more risky this whole thing became. Kylo opened his right hand and the shackles around Poe's wrists released with a click that echoed through the small bay. They fell to the floor drowning out the first sound with the high pitched clatter of clinking of metal against metal. The pilot rubbed at his wrists and Ren held something out to him. For a moment the man just stared back at his mask. Growing impatient Kylo flung the secured package at the Resistance fighters chest. Poe caught it with a light thud and his face flew back up to the Commander of the First Order.

"What's this then?" He questioned disdainfully.

"Keys to the Wookiee's cuffs, a com link to reach your General with, and a beacon for you to signal your rescue party." Kylo stepped back out of the monitors range.

"Keys... why not just do the Force thing with the cuffs?" Poe motioned to Chewie.

Ren scoffed. "You've never pissed off a Wookiee have you?"

Poe's head fell to one side and he took the shot. It was a low blow and a direct hit and Kylo hadn't even seen it coming.

"I mean, I didn't kill his unarmed, best friend right in front of him in cold blood, so no, no I haven't. Yeah I guess I can see why—"

The amount of Force with which Ren slammed the pilot into the pod was easily enough to knock him unconscious and judging by the silence after the hit, that's exactly what he'd done. He may have even heard a faint popping sound, a possible break or more likely, a fracture... but this was a best case scenario for the arrogant man. He was lucky Ren hadn't reached for his Lightsaber.

Against his own selfish wishes his right hand shot out and he Force ripped a med bot from the charging link in the wall to his left then tossed it in after the pilot. He slammed his fist against the button that would seal the sounds of the now angrily howling Wookiee within, closed behind the thick and thankfully, soundproof door. Let him deal with the smart mouthed pilot because if Ren didn't need him in one piece, he'd be sending him home in multiple shuttles just for the amusement it would bring him.

Kylo rotated his gaze towards the floating disc. The little green light that told him Rey was still watching from the other end repeatedly flashed, mocking him with every blinking flicker that cast against his mask in blinding emerald flares. He was sure it was reflecting back into the holo image on the other side, probably casting the same green hue over her as it was him.

In a spontaneous moment of weakness his saber struck to life and he slashed through the device that allowed her to further monitor his actions. He felt the alarm of his startling outburst through her end. A large dose of adrenaline and worry spiked through Rey causing her heart to race in her chest.

Kylo could almost feel the pump of the organ through their bond. He swore it was the rush of her blood through his ears causing him to go deaf... certainly not his own.

He expected her to give him a tongue lashing. Expected some kind of reprimanding tone in her voice when next he heard it, but there wasn't. It was much worse then that.

"Kylo..." her voice through their bond was soft, careful; And full of a pity that made him sick to his stomach.

He shut his mind off to her then. He couldn't deal with anything else tonight. He was done with it all. The pain of his wracking guilt, the poisoning lust that clouded his vision whenever she was present and now the pity with which she had for him... he didn't deserve pity, he deserved punishment!

His lightsaber still blazed in his clenched fist and he longed to destroy something much larger then that of the now cleaved in two disc that was sputtering in a melted mess of flickering wires on the deck at his feet. He wanted to destroy something massive. To at least run his screaming blade down the walls until they bled steel tears of molten metal.

"Launch it!" Ren sneered but not one of his troopers moved.

Kylo grabbed for the nearest soldier with his Force and the man flew through the air in the direction of his hissing crossguard blade, stopping a mere few inches from the sparking plasma. "Launch-it!" He clipped through clenched teeth. The trooper nodded fervently and Ren dropped him to his feet. He stumbled but quickly gathered himself enough to carry out his orders with no further delay.

Ren begrudgingly disengaged his lightsaber before he gave into the desire to go on a destructive rampage. Instead he turned on his heels and marched off in the direction of his personal quarters, pausing only for a brief moment to watch as the small shuttle was spit through the density shield that kept the rest of the room from being sucked out into space when the bay hatch opened. He was glad the two were off of his ship. Another second longer and he'd only be sending one back to his mother alive. Even as the shuttle faded into the overwhelming blackness of space around it, the idea tempted him.

He left the troopers behind. Left the small launch bay and the destroyed monitoring device where it lay in ruin and fled the scene once more. If he couldn't destroy something... then he had two other options. As pent up as he was Kylo really didn't have the last shred of discipline needed to ensure that once he got there he wouldn't just destroy the training room and everything in it, so he'd cut a path to his personal quarters instead.

Perhaps he could melt the tension from his body under the hot pulse of a shower, maybe he'd even try to sleep tonight... maybe.

Smashing his hand into the gel that would gain him access to his room Ren was left bewildered by the haze with which he moved through the massive base to get here. He didn't remember the steps he took or the halls he moved through. Lost so deep in his own head he almost continued right past his own door. And now that he was here, there was something else to contend with. Something he recognized just beyond the access port.

The muscles in his jaw clenched shut and he ground his teeth in frustration. Almost silently the door slid open and Ren stepped through only to halt just on the other side still so close that he felt the air move behind him when the room sealed shut once more.

"Master," His third clenched her fists at her side as she took to one knee before him. "I've been waiting."

*....I've got no words. But if you do please share them, let me know what you think 🤔 about anything really. You know I love the feedback and chatter 😘*

     Happy New Years my Darlings 🎆🎉🎇🎊

-DarkGuardian-