Chapter 22.

He was never one to care for anything.

The last time he cared for something?

Maybe the time he spent with his father, the times he pretended to be the pilot of the falcon...That damn ship...

He absolutely adored his father when he was younger, eager for his return from whatever adventure he was on, patiently waiting for the stories his father brought with him, and the little trinkets Chewie collected for the boy. As time went on, his father's trips were longer, and longer, the number of days becoming too large to count.

And his mother... He did admit, at one point he did care for her, too. He admired the way she ruled, the way she led a rebellion no matter what situation she faced.

However, that's all she was. A leader, never a mother, at least not to him. He saw her more than his father, that much was true, but when he did see her, she was distracted with new plans and new advantages. She knew so much of war, but in his mind, so little of him. As a boy, he pictured himself growing up to become the best pilot in the galaxy, making his father proud and satisfying his mother.

Ben Solo could have achieved that, if he was given that chance.

Instead, his resentment grew to the point of no return, too much for General Leia Organa to deal with. She could not keep an eye on him, could not spare a moment apart from her war to tend to her son, to care for him tenderly and lovingly just as he had seen others do with their own kin.

No one was willing to give him a chance, to listen, to care for him. He was only a child, and to feel this at such a young age, drew only darkness into his soul, and there it grew, it's roots far too deep to simply rip away especially when his mother sat him down to explain his parents decision to send him to his Uncle Luke's academy.

They prayed and hoped that Luke's teachings would rid him of the evil that loomed, unaware that this choice only made it sprout even more.

The only one that would take the time to speak with him, to tell him of the greatness he would one day reach, was Snoke, a ruler of darkness himself.

Snoke clung to the dark that haunted Ben, sneaking in the shadows, acting as a whisper in the wind. He witnessed the young boys every action, every conversation, every feeling, and eventually took rule of that too.

To Ben Solo, Snoke was a friend, a confidant.

To Snoke, Ben was a pawn until he was able to lure him to the dark side, taking full advantage of Ben Solo's mind as he slept when Luke Skywalker peered into the young boy's mind. Snoke cast a horrific gloom into Ben's mind, letting an outright nightmare play for Luke as Ben slept.

Seeing only the images that played in Ben's head, hearing only the screams and cries in the background, Luke acted on his immediate fear and raised his lightsaber, promising to banish this darkness that consumed his nephews mind. Gaining his composure, he knew this was not the way, and in the same moment, Ben Solo's eyes flew open at the push of Snoke in his mind, his view filling with his uncle, weapon raised above him.

The young man knew right then that every word Snoke spoke was true, he was alone and his family's fear would drive them apart, afraid that his own power was too much, and they would either try to contain him or try to kill him.

And so, Ben, the son of the great Han Solo and Princess Leia, was erased from this world, and the Prince of darkness rose as Kylo Ren, and now, the Supreme Leader of the First Order.

With a shaky sigh, Kylo Ren glanced towards the bed that Rey ley upon in the med bay of the Resistance base. He carried her weightless body to the near empty room he had passed when he first searched for her, noticing the MD-15C medical droid standing still in the corner of this room.

He placed her down on the bed, his heart beating faster as the seconds ticked by.

"She's been shot. She needs help!" he yelled at the droid as it sprung to life, rolling over to Rey as it checked her breathing and ripped the small area of clothing around her wound.

Gulping hard, he glanced down to her gash, which was much deeper than he realized. He did not need the droid to confirm that Rey was not breathing, but hearing it only made his stomach tighten more.

He knew what he had to do.

Yet, he could not bring himself to do it.

He could heal her using the dark side of the force, but by doing so, could fuel her own reaction to the dark, and even if that happened, the healing would only be temporary until her body gave out.

However...

Kylo Ren paced the room, sweat rolling down his temples as his teeth clenched.

However, there was the option of using the light side... something he did not have.

His eyes moved from the ground he paced, to the girl on the bed.

Her hair was matted to her forehead, her face still soft and gentle even with sweat beaded around her brows and cheeks, a mix of dirt and blood streaking across her chin and down to her neck.

He wondered for a moment why the pilot of the other ship did this, what his motive was.

Again, Kylo debated the option of letting the girl die, his mind playing the outcome and resulting in him taking over the resistance very easily.

Part of him refused the option, and as he stared at the scavenger he had been training and now came across the galaxy to save, that part of him won.

The medical droid rolled past Kylo, going for a stitching kit.

Quickly tugging his gloves off, Kylo threw them to the side as he cursed, shutting his eyes as he opened his mind to the force, in search of his mother just as the door opened to reveal her.

Kylo's hand went straight to the lightsaber hanging at his hip, and quickly dropped, watching as Leia shut the door behind her, her eyes wide as she spotted Rey.

Rushing to her side, Leia's hand went to hold Rey's, shocked at how cold it was. Her other hand went to Rey's forehead, brushing the hair away.

Tears in her eyes, she turned to her son.

"Do something! She's slipping away!" she pleaded.

Kylo looked from Rey to Leia, his breath uneven.

"I can't...it's either a temporary fix, or..." he trailed off, his eyes on Rey.

Behind him, the medical droid waited for orders.

"Or what?" Leia asked, stepping away from the bed and closer to Kylo, who took a step back.

"Only light can save her, completely." He said, his tone low and hard.

Leia watched as his dark eyes stared at Rey. The hope that was ignited earlier during his battle with Sano, was now blazing wildly in Leia.

"I know you can see how special she is. I can feel that you care for her. You can be here for her, you can save her." She whispered, meaning every word and hoping that he felt it.

Kylo glared at his mother now, appalled that she was asking him to save the scavengers life, and a feeling of jealousy hit him just as it did when he was a child, watching his mother give love and care to all of her resistance fighters.