The Spark Of Hope And Fire

The Throne Room

     "I know what I have to do."

    He tried to convey to her through his eyes the resolve he now had. It wasn't a new resolve. Rather, one that had finally presented itself an opportunity, after decades of torture. He hoped she understood. He hoped she knew. He would not hurt her. Not now. Not ever.  Snoke had hurt him so much. And now Snoke was hurting Rey. Kylo had to stop him. Rey was right. He would not bow before Snoke. Not anymore. With a small flick of his fingers, the glowing blue blade dissected Kylo Ren's dark master- his ruthless, wicked tormenter- The Supreme Leader Snoke.

      A huge surge of power and relief came over Kylo Ren as he heard the sound of the grotesque, wicked man's torso fall to the floor with a sick thud. Yet,  he couldn't take his eyes away from Rey's awestruck gaze. There were so many questions in them. But the guards were activating their weapons and assuming their stances. There was no time for communication. It's not over yet. Kylo Ren and Rey braced for battle.
     "She's fighting. She's standing with me," Kylo thought to himself. "I knew the connection we had was real. I knew the vision was true!  It couldn't have been just a manipulation from Snoke. It's more than that. Much more. She's amazing." He caught the blue saber with his left hand, activating it, and dropped the red-clad soldier to the floor.
"She just saved my life."
   
        A few moments later, the once immaculate throne room was now in shambles. Snoke, and his mysterious guards were scattered across the floor. Various sized heaps of flaming curtain dotted across the shiny black permacrete. The long red drapes that surrounded the room were nothing more than singed shreds.  The leftovers of weapons, and the red praetorian armor scattered throughout the room sizzled and sparked with unspent electricity. Kylo stood before his master's body in shocked silence.
       Snoke was dead. That voice- those nasty fingers- rifling through his head, leaving streaks of disgust, no more. The silence was deafening. As strong as his desire to kill the detestable man was, he never got to a point in his thought process to consider the aftermath. Snoke was the closest thing Kylo Ren felt he had to a belonging all his life. 
      "What do I do now?" He questioned internally. Kylo's uncertainty grew. "I have nothing now. Everything I've tried so hard to accomplish has become pointless. He was my only true link to the dark side. To where I belong."
      "Ben?"
      Rey. She's still here. She stood with me. She kept her promise, that she would help me. And I promised her she was not alone. I'm keeping that promise.
     Kylo braced himself. Fighting was something he could do easily. And even killing Leader Snoke was easy, comparatively speaking. But expressing his deepest emotions, betraying and exposing a weakness, was something else entirely. But he had to do it. He made her a promise. He couldn't just let her go. He began his plea...

         "… Join me ... please. "

    There had been a loud, blinding flash of energy. Something had blown both of them backward, away from the object of their battle of will. Rey sat up, her head reeling from the ache of blunt force trauma.  She caught sight of a blue glint from the corner of her eye, and twisted over to pick it up.  She didn't realize until now that the lightsaber had split in two. She had to find the rest of the saber, thinking she might somehow be able to fix it. She gingerly stood up, noticing Kylo Ren's motionless body just a few paces away. Rey spotted the other half of the now broken lightsaber, laying next to the unconscious man.  

     Rey was angry. She replayed in her head the events that had just taken place. After what he just did, what they accomplished together, he chose the dark side. He chose gaining power over doing what was right. How could he ask her to come to the dark side to rule with him?
      "Ben Solo really is gone." She thought to herself. "I was wrong. I was so stupid! Master Luke was right. I should've listened. How could I have been so foolish to think I could turn him!?"

        She knelt down to where the other half of the saber lay, just inches from Kylo's shoulder. She couldn't help noticing the peace he seemed to have on is face. She could tell he was alive, as his breath was causing a mist to appear on the polished black floor. The urge to touch him nearly overwhelmed her as she reached for the second half of the lightsaber. His hair was draped over part of his face, laying the wrong way from how he usually had it. The urge kept telling her to put it right. To fix his hair for him. But it was her compassion that got her into this mess to begin with. She bitterly stifled the urge, grabbed the remains of the lightsaber, and hurriedly searched for a way out. She found Snoke's escape shuttle, and made launch. Escaping without notice, she set the coordinates for the rendezvous point where Chewbacca was waiting in the Falcon.  
      More thoughts swam through Rey's head as she left."The force bond. Was it really Snoke? Did he just use Ben to get to me? No! I saw Ben! I know it; I felt his conflict! When we touched hands, that was Ben. I know it was."