Wayward [Kylo Ren]

IV

IV

Kaida was relieved, and a bit shocked, when a pair of Stormtroopers—more like a flock of them, there were so many—removed her from her contraption and transported her to another cell, one of which had no contraption, but an uncomfortable-looking cot and a door. They shoved her inside. She was also surprised that she wasn't handcuffed.

She paced inside of her new home. The old one felt bigger, this one felt more cramped. She felt disconnected from the outdoors. She missed the sun, the rain, clouds, daytime, nighttime, all of it. You never realize just how important something means to you until it's taken from you.

She'd thought that a long time ago, too, but nature had not been taken from her; Ben Solo had.

~*~

"Come on, Kai!" Ben encouraged her as she rolled along the floor, feeling the sting from the practice saber he held. "We aren't learning anything if you don't get up!"

Someone's eager today, Kaida thought as she got on all fours. Her practice saber cut into the floor, leaving black marks. Ben got into a defensive position, egging her on with a look. She slowly moved on him, practice saber protective in front of her. She never wanted to make the first move; she always wanted her opponent to strike first.

Apparently, Ben felt the need to use the same method. It frustrated her a bit.

Fed up, Kaida abandoned her method, gunning for Ben, her ponytail flapping behind her. She pushed off the ground, and with a little help from the Force, flipped in the air, over Ben's head, to come down and strike him from behind. But Ben Solo was attentive, and his practice saber met hers when she landed on her feet. The two sabers sizzled and hissed as they fought for control of the match.

"Fancy move, but not effective," Ben taunted her.

Frowning, Kaida kicked out at Ben's shins, connecting. She saw him buckle, and she swung her practice saber at him, the movements almost too fast for him to comprehend. She had him on the run; he kept backing, jumping away. When he literally catapulted himself backwards, Kaida launched herself into the air. Both practice sabers connected midair, but so did their bodies.

The two fell unceremoniously hard onto the floor, practice sabers singeing their clothes and stinging their bodies. The sabers fell out of the Padawans' hands and shut off as they rolled away from their owners. Kaida felt small shocks in her chest, and she saw Ben on his side.

"You like to go extreme, don't you, Kai?" Ben teased her.

Kaida smiled. He certainly wasn't hurt too badly. "You were retreating. I wasn't going to let you back out so easily. What kind of a fighter would that make you?"

"In your eyes, I'm assuming not one at all." Ben chuckled, adjusting to sit on the floor. Kaida was already on her feet, walking towards her practice saber. Instead, she watched as it launched itself off the floor, nearly smacking her in the face, as it went past her. She turned to find it, and Ben's saber, in both of his hands.

"Lazy," Kaida quipped to her partner in training.

"No, it's smart. You just weren't thinking."

Rolling her eyes, Kaida reached out with the Force to retrieve her practice blade. It started for her, but then it stopped, being pulled on by Ben's use of the Force. Kaida's mouth pursed.