Unbounded : A Reylo Story

Trust

Kylo's breath left him as he watched Rey tumble to the ground. He began to run towards her as Senna and the rest of the troopers marched passed him and after Marius. It wasn't until he got close to her that he felt his heart collapse. She was smaller, her bones jutting out roughly in places that were never there. Her cheeks had hallowed out and dark bags had formed under her eyes. Her once short hair was now longer and knotted, dirt and twigs stuck to it from her fall. Her eyes nearly killed him. They looked so tired with a faint spark of recognition that it was him standing before her. He couldn't bring himself to move any closer even though his whole body burned just to reach out and touch her. He watched painfully as she took small steps towards him and then she shot herself into his embrace, grabbing a hold of him and burying her face into his chest. Without a second thought, his arms wrapped around her carefully, making sure not to add any pressure to her already frail body. All the rage he felt within the past hours faded away at that very moment. He breathed into her ear softly.

"Your safe now. I won't let you go."

He felt her nod slightly against his chest.

After a moment, he felt her release her grip and pulled her head back to meet his gaze. She was still breathing heavy.

"I'm glad you came, Ben." As his name left her lips, Kylo felt Rey's weight give in as she began to lose consciousness.

Before she could drop to the ground Kylo slipped one of his arms under her knees and the other under her neck, lifting her up and cradling her to his chest. He looked down at her, her head resting against him.

The darkness of vengeance began to flood back into his mind as he made his way to the ship. His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden sound of footsteps coming from behind him.

"Sir, the men have lost sight of Marius, should we pursue him further?" Senna questioned.

"Yes. Capture Marius but don't kill him, I need him alive. And don’t let your personal feelings get the better of you." Kylo threw over his shoulder.

"Understood Sir.”

If it was a long walk back to the ship, Kylo didn't notice. What he did notice was that Rey would mumble as she slept and her body would tense up at random. The relief he felt when he was finally able to lay her down on the medic bed was almost a like a breath of fresh air. With a snap of his fingers the droids began to work dutifully, taking care not to jostle Rey too much as they assessed her. As each article of clothing was removed more and more of her injuries were exposed. Wounds that had healed, wounds that were still healing, and fresh wounds that were caked with dried blood made Kylo's chest heave in anguish. He looked away from her frail body, a heavy feeling settling into his stomach.

"Supreme Leader, the medical evaluation is complete."

"Tell me." He responded, returning his gaze back to her.

"Her scrapes and wounds are minor, they will heal. The biggest concern is she is extremely malnourished, has a concussion from a fall and a severe wound on her back."

"Show me the wound."

The droids carefully turned her over on her stomach and began cutting away at her tunic, exposing her back to him.