His fingers are tightly clenched into a fist upon the arm rests of his throne. He tries to search out into the force again and is met with more static.

Where was she?

The last time he laid eyes upon her, she glared at him with anger- and a hint of something more. There was always that hint of something more in her glance. A hint that acted as a beacon to his soul. It had been ten days after the battle of Crait, but not ten days since their last chat (if it could be called that). Everyday since the battle he found himself randomly feeling everything around him go silent as his eyes caught hers in different activities, but always the same look in her eyes as she stared him down.

The first five meetings she had refused to say anything. He couldn't be sure if it was due to her being surrounded by the few remaining rebels, scrunched up on the old garbage heap of a ship- the Millennial Falcon. Or was it that she was still angry over him offering her the galaxy, turning down both the offer and the man behind it.

She could stare at him with those angry eyes all she liked, he had no issue meeting her stare and sending a loathing stare right back. Loathe towards himself or her, he still wasn't quite sure.

The sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth meeting went differently, though they all followed the same pattern.

"You really crave power that much that you would destroy the chance of your own happiness?" Rey asked him, the start to every conversation they had recently. Eyes angry, mouth titled downward and fingers tightly holding her hips.

"You really think that your pathetic resistance will do anything to help the galaxy? It's their fault that it is destroyed in the first place." He would fire back and then her eyes would shift from anger to disappointment before the connection shut off.

The tenth meeting was a whole other beast.

Silence reached his ears, he commanded Hux stop whimpering in his throne room and leave, and raised his gaze to meet hers.

To be met with her body wrapped only in a towel and her face framed by wet locks.

She shrieked before a blush rose all the way from her cheeks down to her chest.

He wondered what other areas the rose tint affected.

"Stop looking at me!" She hissed, wrapping the towel around her tighter.

"I.. I'm not!" The viperous response left his lips as he turned his gaze towards a corner in his throne room. He could feel his face heat, and rage quicken his blood. His pulse thrummed loudly in his ears as he took a steadying breath to mentally escape the situation.

"Ugh, this bond can just end right now!" Rey exclaimed before letting out a shout. He looked back at her and she was grasping her elbow with one hand, face even redder than before. He could feel her ire through the bond and realized she was annoyed not only with him, but whatever object she just bumped into.

"Rey-" His lips started to shift a miniscule amount upwards, a force that he vehemently tried to ignore and stop.

Suddenly she was gone.

It had been another five days since he had laid eyes on her, and when he reached out with his mind he couldn't feel the tendrils of her signature in response.

Panic unlike anything he ever faced before surfaced again for the billionth time in the past few days.

Why couldn't he feel her? Was she okay? Was she alive? If her soul was to leave this plane he would undoubtedly feel it, wouldn't he?

Running a hand through his black hair, he pushed it out of his face while gripping it harder than necessary and pulling.

To suddenly release it as Hux strode into his line of sight.

"Supreme Leader, I have a gift for you." Hux smirked up at him, like he was already at the punchline of a joke only he knew.

He really hated the sniveling rat.

"Hux, lets see it then, so you can leave my sight." Kylo responded, so far unpleased with this nuisance.

Suddenly, a storm trooper entered the room, dragging behind them a girl.

His blood froze as he shut down all emotion on his face and turned back to face Hux. Hux who was now grinning.

"We found the scavenger a few days ago, bloodied up in a wreck. Seemed to have hit her head pretty hard based on the blood. I gave her to Demos to have some fun with her and see if he could get anything out of her but it appears she no longer has any memory of herself. Quite a pity though-" A gasp cut off Hux's tale as he struggled to get in air.

Kylo stood arm outstretched with a murderous look on his face. Angrily tossing his arm to the side, Hux flew ten feet in the air before slamming into the wall which made a resounding crack. Hux bonelessly slid to the floor, finally quiet for good.

The storm trooper holding the girl up raised his head in alarm. Kylo threw him backwards with a violent flick of his wrist, sending him out of the throne room and slamming the doors closed in his wake.

No longer being held up, she fell to the floor and Kylo rushed forward to gather her into his arms. He gently grabbed her, mindful of the fact that almost every inch of her visible skin was colored with blues and purples. Her brown eyes gazed up at him, no longer a hint of anything there, and heavy with fear and distrust. Eyes that were surrounded by purple circles that matched the coloring on her cheekbones. Lips torn and bleeding, and hair that was once again down, but that looked as lifeless as her.

"Rey?"