Ree sat on the floor in the middle of the training area, legs crossed. Kylo paced around her in a circle. "Now, I want you to relax," Kylo explained and Ree closed her eyes. "Good now breathe in." Ree followed instructions, "and when you breathe out, open your eyes and you'll be on Ilum." She did as she was instructed and when Ree opened her eyes she was hit by a snow storm.
Quickly Ree rose up from the now icy ground. The wind was strong and loud. Luckily for her the cold couldn't affect her at all since it was just an illusion. "This is amazing." Ree said, she couldn't believe that Kylo's force vision trick actually had worked.
"I know." Kylo's voice echoed from the sky. "Do you see the mountains in the distance?"
"Yes! Is that where the Kyber Crystals are?" Ree had been given a pile of old dusty books about the art of lightsabers which she had gone through in one night. This was her forte after all, engineering and mechanics.
"Exactly. You'll find a cave in one of the mountains. That will be your home while you're there," Kylo instructed and suddenly the vision changed environment.
Ree now stood in a one-room cave. There was a hay bed on the ground, a woodworking table equipped with all sorts of tools and a fireplace in the middle of the room which lit it all up. "Cozy, right?" Kylo's voice echoed.
"Bigger than my room here." Kylo chuckled which made Ree smile. His chuckle was like music to Ree's ears, it was dark but light-hearted. "Where to next?"
"Anywhere that you want. We're done for the day anyway." While Ree was exploring the cave, Kylo explored her face. He had stopped pacing around her and instead knelt down right in front of her. His eyes went over every single detail. Oh, how he wished her eyes were open so he could stare into those icy blue orbs.
"Uhm, I don't know." Ree laughed awkwardly which made Kylo smile. He could imagine her brushing her neck as she always did when she was feeling nervous or awkward.
"What about your home planet?" As Kylo spoke he slowly moved his hand up to Ree's cheek. "Corellia, right?" Kylo's hand was now so close to her skin that he could feel the warmth radiating off from it. He wanted so dearly to cup her face. To touch it. He'd never dare to actually do it. But toying with the idea was certainly entertaining.
"Uhm... yeah." Ree cleared her throat. "I'd rather not go there."
"Why?" Kylo had noticed how her expression went from joyful and curious to pained and hurt and he slowly lowered his hand.
"It's a horrible place. On Corellia, you only look out for yourself. Either you work in one of the factories, constructing starships or you steal. I chose the former." Speaking of her home planet brought up painful memories. The smell of burning coal, the constant sound of hammers hitting steel, unbearable heat from the giant fire, days that started at dawn and ended at dusk and never-ending hunger. "If the First Order hadn't recruited me, then I'd still be stuck in that hell hole I call home. The First Order saved me." Kylo remained silent, he didn't know the First Order had such an impact on Ree's life. Since Kylo kept his mouth shut Ree continued, "I learned everything I know about mechanics there. So maybe I should in some way be grateful but I still hate every single part of that planet."
"There must have been something you enjoyed on that planet." Kylo finally broke out of his trance and surprised Ree with his optimism.
"Well, there was one place..." Ree said with a half-hearted smile.
"Describe it to me and I will take you there." Kylo was desperate to make Ree smile again. He felt this weird connection to her, when she was sad, he was sad and when she was happy, he was happy.
"My favourite place in the whole galaxy. It's just outside Coronet City. In the part of the forest that has not been mowed down yet. A meadow with white lilies and red poppies, covered in a flowery smell. It was a rare smell on Corellia, everything mostly smelt of petrol. The trees around the meadow helped block out the sound from the factories and in the spring, you could hear the newborn birds chirp. I often went there and just laid in the wet grass, looking up at the clouds floating by. I never took anyone there. I was the only one who knew about that place. Until now." How such a trivial thing could feel like the world most secretive secret. And to share it with Kylo, meant a lot.
"I promise to carry that secret into my grave." They both chuckled in unison.
"Good," Ree smiled back and Kylo couldn't help himself. He ungloved his hand and reached out for a blond lock. Being so cautious not to alert her. It seemed as if he succeeded in his stealthiness since Ree's eyes remained closed and her happy expression still plastered on.
The vision of the cave slowly morphed into the place that Ree had just described. Ree was at a loss for words. A single tear rolled down Ree's cheek, Kylo hoped it was a tear of happiness. "So, what do you think?" Ree laughed as another tear fell down her cheek, she thought it was sweet how he had to ask to make sure.
"It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!" Suddenly a hand touched Ree's cheek and wiped away her tear. Ree's brain couldn't comprehend what was happening, was the Commander of the Knight of Ren actually cupping her cheek? Kylo couldn't either comprehend what was happening. Out of nowhere, he had gained the confidence to do what he just minutes ago had feared. His brain was still saying no but his racing heart was telling him otherwise.
"Good, I'm glad you liked it." Kylo took it as a good sign that Ree didn't slap him or anything, so he rolled with it. He retorted his hand and stood up from his place in front of Ree and stopped the vision.
Ree's favourite place slowly faded out and the real world faded in, revealing a tall man with black raven locks towering above her. "I-" Ree started but Kylo interrupted her.
"I'll see you tomorrow at practice." Kylo's voice was unusually soft. He turned on his heel and walked out of the training area before Ree could even answer.
"Bye..." Ree's response was barely a whisper. She moved her hand up to her cheek, cupping it just as Kylo had done while thinking about her lie. She told Kylo the vision was the most beautiful thing she's ever seen, it wasn't. The most beautiful thing she's ever seen was the one who created it.
---
Hux seemed to have let Ree go for now. Instead of snarky comments and stares when they passed each other in the hall, Hux had retorted to ignoring her completely. She didn't complain though. She might be lonely and always looking for conversation but she would rather spend the rest of eternity alone than having to talk to the General for five minutes.
Those in the cafeteria who once were mocking her now and then ran away in terror had also turned to the tactic of ignoring her. Not making contact if absolutely necessary. Even the cafeteria lady seemed to be in on it but Ree kept reminding her of what Kylo had told her that time when he found her crying in the hallway. "They aren't treating you as a freak but as their superior."
"Miss Keelor?" Snoke's booming voice pulled Ree out of her thought spiral. She would often go down the rabbit hole that was her mind when it was quiet, lonely and miserable. Or like in this case, when she was bored out of her mind.
"Uh yes?" Ree quickly stood at attention and fixated her gaze on the gigantic hologram in front of her.
"Were you paying attention to a single word that I just said?" Snoke sighed.
"Of course, Supreme Leader!" Ree nodded enthusiastically, trying to make Snoke believe her lie.
"Well then, please repeat to me the process of bending the Kyber crystal to your will." Ree brushed her neck and lowered her gaze. Snoke took her silence as a sign that she couldn't do it. "I'm starting to lose my patience with you, Keelor." Ree swallowed hard, as she usually does when she is meeting with the Supreme Leader.
"Please forgive me, Supreme Leader. My mind has been clouded with a lot of thoughts lately." Snoke was very manipulating, he could make even the most powerful person beg for his approval, just look at General Hux and Kylo Ren. And now, Ree.
"I see." Snoke pondered the issue in his mind for a while before continuing, "then this trip to Ilum might be just what you need, to clear your head. Instead of leaving in threes days, you are to leave first thing tomorrow." Ree was devastated, she was not mentally nor physically ready yet but she couldn't protest the Supreme Leader's command.
"Yes, Supreme Leader." Ree kept her tone low though all she wanted was to scream in his face.
"Go, make your final preparations." Ree nodded respectfully and rushed out of the conference room.
---
"What was so urgent?!" Kylo rushed into the training area and Ree spun around to face her teacher. Ree was surprised to see him in his mask but he took it off when he realised that they were alone. "I was in the middle of a meeting when-" Ree cut him off.
"I met Snoke earlier. He's decided to move my departure to tomorrow." Kylo's jaw dropped, he knew just as well as Ree that she was not ready.
"What are we waiting for then? Let's start training."
"But didn't you have a meeting?" Ree asked worried that she interrupted something important.
"It can wait. This is more important" A sigh of relief mixed with a grateful gaze was Ree response.
She really needed this extra session, to nail the technique. They did their normal fighting, strategy planning, force training, mental preparation and other things that would help Ree on her trip to Ilum. They decided to end the session with some old fashioned fistfight.
Ree threw a jab at Kylo's right cheek but he blocked it and instead went with a counter jab which ree avoided. Kylo's strength was his physical advantage but Ree wasn't that far behind thanks to all the heavy lifting she's done. With agility and quick reflexes managed Ree to duck a lot of Kylo's punches and also return those punches. At the end of the day, Kylo had much better technique and more experience which showed in the final blow. Kylo kicked her in the stomach, making her fall on her back, Ree never had any good balance. Instead of going down without even a small victory, Ree managed during her fall to sweep the leg which Kylo was supporting himself on. Making the Master of the Knights of Ren also fall. What Ree couldn't predict is that he would fall forward, landing on her.
Kylo was able to not crush Ree by landing with the palm of his hands on each side of Ree's face. Although they ended up in a rather awkward position. Kylo, pinning Ree down against the floor with their noses barely touching each other. They were so close, Ree could feel the warmth of every breath Kylo took and smell the sweat radiating off of him. He looked into her icy blue orbs trying to see her next move while she looked into his dark brown and tried to do the same.
They stayed like that for what felt like an eternity, breathing in the breaths that the other one breathed out. You could cut the tension with a knife. Ree's deepest desire right now was to close the space between them right now. To feel her hands tangled in the black jungle that was Kylo's hair.
Kylo's brows knit together, having never been in this kind of situation before. Any kind of confidence he had before was lost the moment he melted away in the ice-blue oceans of her eyes. Do something! Kylo yelled mentally at himself and he did. He pushed himself off Ree and rushed out of the training area. How he wished he was wearing his mask right now so it could cover the fact that his cheeks were as red as two tomatoes.