STAR WARS: EPISODE VII - THE LAST JEDI (with a better story)

Five - The Cave

"It seems this is becoming a habit." Kylo says.

"Let's hope not." Rey says coldly.

Kylo looks down. "...I could help you, you know."

"I don't want your help." Rey says.

"Why can't you see, that I don't want to be your enemy?" Kylo asks.

"Why can't you see, that I don't want to be your friend!?" Rey retorts.

Kylo sighes, and starts to lower himself back down, but winces. Rey tilts her head.

"You're...injured?"

"I have been..." Kylo pauses. "...training."

The droid begins to treat one of Kylo's burns, causing Kylo to wince again.

"Training? Seems more like torture." She shakes her head. "Not that I care. Whatever happened you probably deserved it."

Kylo doesn't say anything at first. "...actually, its what I didn't do."

Rey hesitates.

"...something that Snoke wanted you to do?"

Kylo remains silent.

Rey squints and looks to the side. "Something about...Leia?"

Kylo swallows.

Realization dawns on Rey's face. "Did he want you to kill your mother?"

Kylo closes his eyes, brow twitching in frustration.

"And you...couldn't do it." Rey says with shock.

"I should have." Kylo spits. "I should have been stronger."

"And that's why you're in pain!?" Rey exclaims. "Because Snoke hurt you when you wouldn't do it? When you wouldn't kill your own mom!?"

"...yes."

Rey sits back, aghast.

"I wouldn't expect you to understand..." Kylo says.

"You're right, I don't! You don't want to do these things, so why? Why do you feel like you have to do all of this!? Just to get stronger!?"

Kylo considers this for some time.

"...do you know what the galaxy was like after the Empire fell?"

She doesn't reply, and seems to take that as an answer.

"It was chaos. The New Republic took decades to get a modicum of the order that the Empire once had. Even after that things were never the same. Slavery was rampant. Worlds struggled to survive without the support of a strong central government. Some systems thrived while others crumbled. Through all of this my mother tried to hold the galaxy together. I grew up hearing about what fools the people in the Senate were, even if she didn't put it that way. That's because my mother didn't understand. She didn't see it for what it was. Rot. Rot that had infected the whole galaxy. She wanted to believe so much that the Empire she'd fought so hard to destroy was wrong, that she failed to see that the system she created was much worse. Only the First Order can fix this galaxy, and bring back justice. Yes we get our hands dirty. But the Rebellion did that for years, just as the Resistance does it now."

Rey shakes her head. "Its not...its not worth destroying yourself over."

Kylo Ren shrugs. "Maybe. But what else can I do?"

"You could stop this! You don't have to use the dark side to save the galaxy!"

"Are you sure about that? You can't tell me that you don't feel it? The power, the absolute certainty that comes from the dark."