Chapter 31.

A few days later, Rey was wandering the docking stations where the Millennium Falcon was resting, and alongside it, Chewie sat on the dirt as he turned a broken compressor around in his furry hands.

Rey smiled to herself as she admired her loyal friend, feeling a quick prick of sadness poke at her heart as she remembered the moment that tore him apart.

Sighing, Rey made her way over towards him a small smile playing on her lips as she heard the whizzing of a robot quickly approach from behind her. Looking down, her smile widened when she saw BB-8 rolling at her side, greeting her.

Somehow, this little machine knew of the weight that lay on her shoulders, and Rey was comforted by the knowledge for a reason she was unsure of.

Chewie stood on his large feet, roaring his own greeting to Rey, who now stood in front of him. He ruffled her hair, and told her he missed seeing her face, making Rey grin even more.

"I'm sorry, Chewie. I've been training endlessly." Rey said, glancing down to the new, purple bruise she was spotting on her arm, thanks to Flora. They had been training all day, testing out new strikes and throwing daggers at wooden planks, anything to help the cause.

Chewie nodded eagerly, understanding fully well how committed she was to her job.

Nervously, Rey glanced from the ground, to his face, and back down to BB-8.

"Well, I need your help, Chewie. Now more than ever." Rey said, almost whispering the request. BB-8 whistled his surprise, and scooted closer to hear Chewie's response.

For a moment, Rey was unsure what he would say, or if he even understood that she was asking a favor of him.

What shocked her though, was the way Chewie did not hesitate to reply with full loyalty and understanding, telling her that he would do anything for her, adding that he would also do anything for Ben.

Rey instantly froze, and her eyes shot up to Chewie's.

At that moment, it dawned on her that she never gave much attention to the relationship Chewie and Ben had before he gave himself to the dark side, and to Rey, the fact that Chewie knew they were doing this mission for Ben, gave all the answers Rey needed.

To Chewie, this was still his best friend's son, his partner's family, and for Han, Chewie would always be dedicated to bringing Ben back, for both Han and for Leia. To him, Ben would always be the hope that Han died for, the hope that would save the galaxy from the impending war that was coming their way.

Realizing that she was staring at this point, tears threatening to spill over, Rey blinked them away as she turned around to look up at the sky, BB-8 positioned himself at her side once more, and Chewie threw a heavy arm over her shoulders and joined the pair.

Behind them, Flora and Kai approached and took a place besides BB-8, glancing towards Rey, and to the pink, purple sky that surrounded them.

"Sky watching?" Kai asked, boredom already dripping from her usual bubbly tone.

Her tone made Rey chuckle, admiring how Kai never hid how she truly felt.

Chewie roared a humorous growl, telling her to watch the attitude, which made all three girls laugh.

Settling down, Rey peered up at Chewie and gave his arm a small nudge as she spoke. "Chewie has agreed to help us, to help Ben."

Flora and Kai's heads turned to Chewie quickly, surprised just as Rey was when he agreed. Chewie nodded and shrugged, loving the attention.

"Wow...Well, that's awesome. At least we have a quick getaway." Flora muttered.

The last bit caught Rey's attention, and she moved to stand in front of the twins, eyes wide with curiosity.

"Do you really think we will need it? If things get ... out of hand." Rey asked.

Flora thought for a moment before answering, glancing from the sky and back to Rey.

"We are talking about Cinnon'Ra, and the Knights of Ren. We will need a quick getaway, no doubt about it." Flora said, looking Rey in the eye now.

Rey nodded. "What will the Challenge day be like there?"

Kai shook her head at whatever though flew to her mind before she spoke. "It's a celebration, an all out celebration. They celebrate the death of the old and birth of the new. At the end of the day, it's about war and death."

"And food, and women, and music... a feast for killers. It's sickening." Flora added.

From beside Rey, Chewie mumbled in agreement.

Sighing, Rey turned her back to the group, and BB-8 beeped out a single worded suggestion, catching Rey's attention. Glancing away, she thought about it, wondering which way they could take this. Coming to a conclusion, she grinned and knelt down to the round bot, patting it's head.

"Yes, that could work."

Standing, Rey eagerly turned to Kai and Flora. "Go get Tally, the seamstress. We need a disguise, and I think I have one that could work!"

The group stared at one another, a small smile playing on each of their faces.

( X )

Later that day, the group said their farewells and went their separate ways to prepare for their trip. Rey, who was slowly making her way back to her room on sore feet, was too busy thinking to make any sense of much else.

Yes, she was surely nervous, more nervous than she wanted to admit. She understood what a big chance her friends were taking to accompany her to Cinnon'Ra to, hopefully, put an end to the Knights of Ren and ensure that Ben took his place as Supreme Leader.

The whole idea made her nauseous, the idea of good and bad sides made it worse.

"What is it?" A heavy tone called from behind her. Rey quickly turned, coming face to face with the man that was currently on her mind. She cursed herself for being so distracted that she did not feel the bond connect.

Rey struggled to hide the gasp as she froze, only able to move her eyes up to his dark face. His hair was tousled, and she could tell he had been running his gloved hands through it.

He was studying her now, searching her face, and she realized, her thoughts. Coming back to her sense, Rey glared at him, making no impact on Kylo.

"Well?" he asked again, his tone more stern than before. It amazed Rey how he felt so comfortable just demanding anything he wanted, and it dawned on her that no one ever refused him before she came along.

That fact made Rey smile, and Kylo arched a brown, his mouth in a thin line.

"Just a headache." Rey said, brushing his questions away. She turned her back to him and continued walking to her room, Kylo following her at a slow pace.

Once in her room, Rey let Kylo walk past her and closed the door behind him, making sure to lock it. The absolute last thing she wanted was to be interrupted. The pit of Rey's stomach fell when she realized this may be the last time they see each other before the Challenge Day.

She watched him as he clasped his hands behind his back, standing tall as he stared off into the distance in his own world, wondering what he could be looking at on the other side of the bond.

Biting her lip, Rey glanced to the floor and then to the small pile of books in the corner of her room, spotting the last book she was studying, part of the jedi texts she took from Ach-To.

Kylo turned to face her, feeling out of place at the sudden connection the force bond had made after he had finished dressing. It was not expected, but he had been doing a lot of thinking, and planning, as of late. His thoughts had just come to Rey when they connected.

Facing her now, he was able to really look at her, from her brown, wispy hair, to her bruised and over worked arms, down the muddy and torn up shoes she wore.

To him, this was the Rey he respected above all.

Rey cleared her throat under his gaze, feeling her stomach turn from something that resembled excitement. It made her blush, and her cheeks warmed.

She decided to break the silence, and spoke first. "How's training going?" she asked.

Kylo's face gave no hint to what he thought or felt, and this, Rey was very used to.

"Small talk." He scoffed. Rey rolled her eyes in return, walking to her books and bending down to pick up the one she was reading.

Looking down at the book, she saw it was turned to the page that had words written in symbols no one was able to translate, even Kylo. Rey traced a single finger over the curves and sharp edges, admiring the ink that had burrowed into the page, desperately looking for any clue to what it said, and still, came up with nothing.

Sighing, Rey met Kylo's gaze again, his own eyes flickering up to her from the book. His thoughts, too, were on the odd signs he was not able to make out on the page.

Forgetting the book, they locked eyes, both Kylo and Rey felt a brief, yet very strong wave of discomfort hit them, bouncing off of each other.

The overwhelming sense that a goodbye was coming made Rey's eyes burn with tears, but she was determined to not let them spill. Instead, she blinked them away furiously, trying to hide the frown her lips were forming into.

Kylo's eyes drifted away, his face still. For some reason, the fact he had no emotion displayed on his face gave Rey the feeling that he was going through the same struggle.

Stepping closer to him, Rey peered at him, admiring how his black hair fell into his face, as if shielding him. Timidly, she moved her hand to brush it away, uncaring what he would say or feel about it. However, before her hand met its target, he reached up and caught her hand, softly holding it midair.

His eyes met hers, and for a moment, she felt how uncertain he truly was about the challenge day, even leaving at all. Rey wanted so badly to convince him to refuse it, to beg him to join her side, to forget all else that beckoned him to the dark side. Yet, she knew it would make no difference.

In the end, he was doing this for her, and she was doing this for him.

They give the other's hand a soft squeeze, and silently said their goodbyes.

For the quickest second, Rey let her block down to allow her mind to speak to his, refusing to speak any more than she already had out of fear that she may get emotional.

'Soon.' Her mind whispered to his, and Kylo gave a single, soft nod.

In the blink of an eye, the force bond disconnected, leaving Rey alone in her chambers, aching with anticipation for her next meeting with Kylo, knowing in the next week they will be face to face, one full year since the battle on Crait.

Looking down to the book in her hand, her index finger bookmarked the page she previously was admiring. Opening it once more, a single tear fell to the page that held the unknown symbol, and Rey wondered if she would ever find out what it meant, and if Kylo would ever forgive her for what she was planning to do in Cinnon'Ra.