into the darkness - kylo ren / ben solo

chapter five - torn

It had been a week since Kylo and Luna had gotten back from their trip. And in that week, Kylo had been working Luna hard. He had her training all day every day, her only breaks being eight hours each night for sleep. The hard work had been paying off, though, because Luna was getting better and better. Her mind was growing stronger. Kylo had begun teaching her how to control her pyrokinesis and use it to her advantage. He even believed she would soon be ready to begin to train with her lightsaber.

Training under the infamous Kylo Ren had taught Luna a lot about patience and perseverance. She knew he wouldn't put up with any slacking off, and he had high expectations of her. Sometimes she felt that he was expecting too much of her, and that she would never be good enough for him.

Kylo had canceled their training session abruptly today. It was very odd, but Luna wasn't complaining. She got to take a nap and decided to visit Cassie, who she hadn't really seen much of this past week. Cassie had been acting rather strange lately. It seemed as though she had been avoiding Luna.

Luna made her way over and knocked on Cassie's door. Her best friend answered the door, and offered her a small smile. "Hey, Luna. I- uh, I'm kind of busy. I can't really talk right now," she said softly. She sounded sad. Luna pushed the door open and made her way into Cassie's room. "What's going on, Cass? Why have you been acting so strange?" Luna inquired as Cassie stared at her, appearing anxious.

Cassie burst into tears. It appeared that she had been holding them back for a while. Luna rushed over to her friend, holding her and cooing comforting words. "They killed them, Luna. Hux told me. They killed them all. And I just couldn't tell you. I know how much you loved our people," Cassie sobbed, burying her face in Luna's shoulder.

Luna's heart sank deep in her chest. She had been avoiding this conversation for so long that Cassie had found out on her own. And Cass had been so concerned about her that she had kept it all in. She had been bearing this burden for a week all by herself just to spare Luna any anguish. She continued to hold Cassie as sobs racked her body. Poor girl. Of course, Luna had shed her fair share of tears over the matter, but she had also been putting all of her anger and energy into training. Cassie had to deal with it all on her own.

Cassie and Luna spent the rest of the afternoon talking about everything that had happened in the week and a half they had been on Starkiller Base. Luna spent a good majority of the time complaining about her mentor. Cassie told her to give it time, that maybe he would warm up to her. But Luna didn't believe that Kylo could warm up to anyone.

Cassie also shared something that surprised Luna. She had grown close with Armitage. He visited her every day and brought her gifts, such as chocolate or flowers. This made Luna laugh. Cassie clearly had feelings for the General, but she was worried that he may not feel the same. "Cass, you dummy. He brings you gifts, and he's nice to you. You're practically married already," Luna giggled as Cassie's cheeks turned red.

Just then, a knock could be hear at the door. "Come in," Cassie called out as she and Luna got up and walked toward the door. It was none other than Hux himself. Luna gave Cass a smirk. "Luna, you've been summoned. Kylo wants to see you in his office," he said, raising an eyebrow at the two girls who were grinning at each other.

"Alright, see you two later," Luna said with a wink, leaving both Hux and Cassie flustered. She made her way to Kylo's office quickly. It was getting late, and she wanted to get to bed soon. Knowing Kylo, he'd want her to get up early tomorrow to make up for her missed training.

When she entered his office, Kylo was standing at the end of the room with his hands crossed behind his back. He was staring out the window, lost in thought. "Need me to come back later? You look a little busy," Luna offered in a singsong voice. She loved annoying him.

"Sit," he said simply, motioning toward the chair. She obeyed and stared up at him, watching him closely as he studied the snowy landscape outside.

"Um...you gonna tell me what's going on here?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. He turned to face her, and she gasped. There was a bloody gash running along one half of his face. "Kylo? What happened to you?" she murmured as she stood, walking over to him.

"You start your lightsaber training tomorrow," he replied in a gruff voice as he turned back to stare out the window. "You are not to leave the Base without me. And if you see something suspicious, you come and find me right away. Don't go wandering off on your own. Got it?"

"Kylo, what's going on...what happened to you? Did someone break into the Base?" she asked urgently. She was beginning to grow anxious. She needed more information than he was willing to give her. She hated how cold and distant her mentor could be, especially in times of need.

"For once, just listen to me," he responded, his voice getting louder. She could tell that her questioning was beginning to piss him off, but it wasn't fair for him to leave her in the dark. She was his apprentice, and he needed to trust her.

"Why did you even choose me as your apprentice if you can't talk to me about things?" Luna shouted. She was getting angry. He never treated her fairly. She felt like she was constantly begging for his attention, his approval. And she was sick and tired of it.

He turned to face her, grinning as if something was funny. "You think I wanted you? You think I chose to take a spoiled brat on as an apprentice under my own volition? You're nothing, Princess," he spoke barely above a whisper, but the hatred laced in his voice stung.

Tears began falling down her cheeks. "You know what, Kylo? Fuck you. I don't want to be here either, trust me. I'd rather die than be stuck in another training session with the man who destroyed my home," Luna sobbed.

"You think I had any control over your planet being destroyed? I was only following Snoke's orders," Kylo sighed, trying to calm himself down. He had taken it too far and lashed out at his apprentice, who was still grieving.

But it was too late. Luna had begun running. She ran as fast as she could, blinded by tears. She didn't know where she was going, she just knew she had to get as far away as she could. Most of the corridors were empty, which was abnormal for this time of night. Maybe it had something to do with what Kylo was talking about earlier. Either way, she needed a break.

She decided that the hangar would be a good place to get some fresh air without leaving the base, as Kylo had forbade her from doing. She made her way into the hangar, looking around. It was empty. Everyone must have given up on work for the night. This meant she'd be alone. She climbed up on one of the platforms and sat there, contemplating her next actions. Could she escape? Would he follow her? No, she couldn't take Cassie away from Hux. And she certainly couldn't leave her there either.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of heavy boots clanking against the metal of the platform. It must be Kylo. She rolled her eyes and turned around, preparing herself to be scolded by her master. Only to find a Mandalorian standing before her, holding a blade in his hands. Well shit. Maybe she should have listened to Kylo.