Manipulation (Kylo x Reader)

Chapter 1 - Wandering Years

Four years ago...

I watched Mama and Papa fly away, waving. I sent them my feelings, my love, my appreciation. I knew they felt it. They always did. I smiled to myself as their ship became a dot in my vision. I was ready.

I heard my name, awkward on the human's lips.

I'd only met a handful of humans, one of which is my mother, of course. As a result of my mixed blood, my blue skin is a shade paler than my father's and the rest of the Chiss. Not by much, but enough. My dark, shiny, blue-black hair was long; it fell past my shoulder blades in soft waves. I had my mom's frame, but my father's height. I was only a half a head shorter than him, and I loved it. My red-purple eyes were unique, a mixture of my mom's deep blue ones and my papa's bright red ones. I didn't know if my excellent eyesight was from my Chiss lineage or my force sensitivity. Possibly a bit of both, Mama would tell me. But between my height and my razor-sharp senses, I saw everything. And it drove me. I loved having knowledge. That was one thing the Jedi got right, in my opinion.

I watched the ship for a moment longer before finally turning to see who had spoken. This wasn't the same man I'd seen in my mother's memories. It was—but it wasn't. He had aged, and yet, his soul was even older. He thought he held the weight of the galaxy on his shoulders. I remembered the memories I'd stolen from Mama. This man—though much younger—had helped my parents destroy the old Empire. But more than that, he'd watched his own father die. His father, once a great Jedi, but a Sith at the time of his death.

My heart ached for this man, and on instinct, I reached out through the force and sent calm reassurance through him. A subtle confidence that would rush over him slowly, and before he knows it, the heavy weight of the galaxy will lift.

Most people didn't notice my subtle infiltrations. But apparently, Luke wasn't most people. His eyes went wide, and he stared at me for a beat too long.

"What was that?" he finally asked, his voice laced with the same shock I could feel inside him.

"I don't have a name for it, sir."

"Well, what do you think it is?" I cocked my head at him, feeling much like my father.

I wasn't a liar, and knew this man deserved my honesty, anyway. "Manipulation, sir." Again, his surprise was palpable.

"You were trying to manipulate me then?"

I shrugged. "Sort of. Though, my intentions were altruistic. May I ask what you felt, sir?"

"Calm." He continued to stare at me for what felt like an eternity. To my surprise, he didn't continue the conversation. He turned and headed toward the center of the little village.

Something was wrong, I realized as we approached the group of young people in the village square. Somebody was in pain, but no one appeared to be injured. There were almost a dozen young men and women of various species, all of them in conversation. When the first head turned, I felt her curiosity. Within moments, the feeling of curiosity had overpowered the one painful soul I'd heard as everyone turned to watch us approach.

I tried to look at each face in front of me, but the sunlight was almost gone, the dim light of torches creating confusing shadows. Since I couldn't see them well with my eyes, I reached out, trying to feel their souls. It was difficult with so many, but shortly, my mental eyes found the source of my discomfort.

Great. Another worthless boot licker for my uncle to obsess over.

The thought hadn't been my own, but it had been as clear as if it were. I blinked repeatedly, struggling to understand what I'd just heard. I tried to shake the shock away as Skywalker introduced me. I nodded politely at the hellos, but my eyes stopped on one young man. He appeared to be my age, tall, dark, and brooding.