Hey everyone! This is a sweet little oneshot to celebrate the debut of the Star Wars Rebels premiere!
I feel so sad, cuz I don't get to see it! DX no one give me spoilers! If, after the series starts, the characters seem OOC, then that's why! Because I can't see the darn series until it's on Netflix! Also, I write family-ish things, which means I portray the characters as slightly softer XD
This can be viewed as a standalone, or a continuation of my other SW:R fics! All depends on the readers view point, I guess XD
Disclaimer's on my profile, and I adore reviews, so please review if you can!
Please enjoy reading!
Kanan sat in his room, deep in meditation. His legs were numb, unused to this after years without practice. But it was necessary now, he had to call upon his training from over a decade ago. It was difficult, having to constantly be reminded of what had once been before he Empire, but it was worth it.
Anything for him. Anything for his Padawan.
He thought back to when he had first encountered Ezra, how the teen had stolen what Kanan and the crew had just taken from the Empire. At the time, Kanan was confused, as he'd chased the youngling through the streets. He should have been angry at the child, furious even!...But he hadn't been. He found himself following the teen, not for the precious cargo he'd stollen, but instead to watch him.
Ezra had been an enigma. He'd made Kanan's mind stir with thoughts of the past he'd tried so hard to forget, and it confused the man to no end, that he simply had to know why.
And then the teen had followed them onto the Ghost, showing a childish curiosity that almost no youngling showed any more in such dark times. And when he and the others had confronted the teen, Kanan had thought the youth would be terrified of them, surely having heard the rumors that he Imperials had spread about Rebels...But Ezra hadn't looked at them with fear, but instead with, of all things, interest and excitement.
Kanan was now ashamed, for back then, he had treated Ezra as a liability, Zeb had even attempted to frighten the teen with meaningless threats. Yet he still hadn't feared them. If anything, the youngling had seemed to be encouraged, and explored the ship as though it were something amazing, as if it was a giant starship instead of a medium-sized shuttle.
Then, later on, the teen had bravely stood up to the Empire. To this day, Kanan could remember seeing Ezra's bright sapphire eyes, glowing fiercely, determination making them seem to spark with blue electricity as he faced the Empire alongside him and the others.
Kanan smiled to himself, reminiscing on how he'd visited Ezra's home after their mission to save the Wookies. He'd offered to show him how to control his abilities, to let him be part of the Rebels, part of a family. He remembered letting Ezra hold his lightsaber, the teen's hesitant gaze flickering over the weapon, nimble fingers feeling along the metal cylinder...
The familiar hiss of a saber suddenly filled the air as Ezra activated the weapon. Both Kanan and the teen jumped at the sound, but the youth managed to hold onto the weapon, even through his surprise as a blade of vibrant, glowing blue sprung from the hilt in his hands.
Kanan smiled slightly while Ezra admired the graceful weapon.
The awe on his Padawan's face was something he would never forget.
He hadn't understood the bond between a Master and their student when he'd been younger. Of course he'd been a Padawan himself, but he had very little time with his teacher before order 66 had occurred.
Now though, with Ezra, he understood. It wasn't easy for either of them: Kanan had lost all those who's been close to him, and Ezra- well, Ezra hadn't really even had anyone To care for him or to lose.
They'd passed the many hurdles their destinies had thrown at them. While Ezra had gotten Kanan to stop pushing away the memories of his past, Kanan had likewise shown Ezra how to place trust in others.
Kanan's head dipped lower slightly as he remembered how his young friend had first gotten him to face the past, two weeks after he first joined the crew...
"Did you like Courascant?"
Kanan looked up from the datapad he was reading, confused by Ezra's question.
"What?"
The teen, who sat across the mess hall table from him, shifted so that his elbows were propped up on the table, his chin resting in his hands.
"Courascant." The youth repeated, eyes on his new teacher. "I heard Jedi used to live there."
Kanan's lips pressed into a thin, grim line as he looked back to the datapad in his hands. He did his best to remain patient with the curious teen, besides, Ezra didn't know how much Kanan disliked talking about his past.
"It doesn't really matter anymore."
The Jedi saw the teen frown from the corner of his eye.
"C'mon, I've never been anywhere aside from Lothal. Tell me about Courascant!" He insisted.
Kanan felt annoyance spark at the back of his mind.
"Ezra, I really need to finish reading over this report."
The youth rolled his eyes, standing and moving over, peering at the datapad.
"It's nothing but how the mission when we freed those Wookies went. You were there, why would you need to read about it?" He sighed dramatically, slumping against Kanan's side. "You told me that you'd help me understand stuff!"
Kanan rolled his eyes, though allowed Ezra to lean against his arm.
"I meant I'd help you understand how to use the force, not the entire universe."
"Why can't you just tell me?" The teen demanded, frustrated.
With a frown, Kanan stepped away, fixing Ezra with an angry look.
"Look, kid. My past is something I'd prefer to forget, so drop it!" He snapped.
The youth recoiled slightly, as though struck, his innocent eyes showing hurt...Then, instead of backing down...He straightened right back up and looked back at him challengingly.
"You think you're the only one who wants to forget stuff?" He demanded, making Kanan blink with surprise. "My parents dissapeared, probably abandoned me, don't you think I'd like to forget that?! There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about them though, and so I face my past."
The teen crossed his arms, looking unimpressed.
"Maybe it's about time you face yours."
Kanan watched as the youth went to the mess hall door, which opened with a hiss. Ezra went to step out-
"Wait."
The teen froze, then turned back to his mentor.
"Yeah?"
For a moment, the man hesitated, then finally turned his green-blue eyes away from the floor to meet Ezra's piercing gaze (Blast, it seemed like the kid could see straight into his soul).
"Courascant...Was like the center of the galaxy, it always seemed like to me. Level upon level of buildings, streets...It was always crowded."
Ezra perked up, interested as he shuffled over a few paces towards Kanan.
"You could find almost any species there: Nemoidian, Twi'lek, Zabrak..." Kanan smiled as bitter-sweet memories, long ago pushed down, resurfaced. "Whenever I meditated, I could feel every life force, and it...It was amazing."
The Jedi saw the eager smile on Ezra's face, and it prompted him to continue. And so, for the next two hours, they both sat in the mess hall, Kanan telling Ezra about the galaxy before the Empire ruled.
And for the first time...Kanan,found his memories didn't bother him anymore.
Kanan remembered how his heart had silently rejoiced, finally free of the burden it had carried for so many long years.
His mind then turned to how he had gotten Ezra to learn trust, and grimaced. It had been quite the ordeal. It had happened on Ezra's third official mission with them...
Kanan breathed a heavy sigh as he managed to finish off the last storm trooper that had followed him, Zeb, Sabine and Ezra into the docking bay where the Ghost waited.
"Everyone on the ship!" Kanan barked, turning to run toward the Ghost. He could feel Ezra's presence, right on his heels.
Getting firm footing on the boarding ramp, Kanan turned to ensure Ezra was keeping up.
Then he'd seen the trooper enter the docking bay, seen the blaster lift and aim. Kanan opened his mouth, desperately trying to warn the teen.
The sound of a shot.
Ezra's scream of pain would haunt Kanan's nightmare.
The teen stumbled then fell with a thud, clutching the gaping wound in his shoulder.
Kanan felt a blinding rage, he yelled out in anger, and the trooper was thrown through the air.
The Jedi ignored the fallen trooper and fierce anger he had just felt, running to where Ezra lay. The teen held his bleeding should, teeth grit to try and hold back the sounds of pain that tried to escape him.
He gathered the fallen youngling in his arms and stood, wincing when a short cry of pain left Ezra's lips. Kanan murmured assurances under his breath as he hurried into the Ghost.
Ignoring the lurch that the ship gave as it took off, Kanan ran to the medbay, cradling his young friend close to his chest.
Once reaching the small medbay, he lay Ezra down on one of the medical tables with the greatest of care, brushing sweat-soaked strands of raven hair away from the teen's pained face. He then moved to Ezra's shoulder, gently prying the youngling's hand away from the half cauterized wound.
Not too much bloodloss. If he hurried, then Ezra would be alright.
"I'll stitch this up." He told the youth. "You'll be alright."
He was surprised when Ezra grabbed blindly at his hand.
"N-no..!" The teen gasped. "No stitches!"
Kanan looked at his Padawan, confused.
"What? Why-..."
He then saw the look in the teen's eyes. Wariness, fear...
"You don't know if you can trust me...!" The man murmured, shock and slight sadness in his voice."
Guilt flashed through Ezra's eyes.
"I w-want to, r-really! I just..."
A moment of silence, then determination sparked within Kana's eyes. He took one of the youngling's hands in both of his own, squeezing it supportively.
"I know you're scared, Ezra. I get it. I understand. But I swear, I want to only help. Let me do this and I'll do whatever I've gotta do to earn your trust."
Hesitance flashed across the teen's expresive face.
"Please, Padawan." Kanan begged quietly. "Just place a little belief in me, and I won't let you down."
Observant eyes of the brightest sapphire examined the Jedi's face. Finally, Ezra nodded, a small, pained smile curling at his lips.
"O...Okay."
It had taken time for that nasty wound to heal, but that one, horrible incident had first established the bond of trust between them.
Kanan was torn from his thoughts when the sound of knuckles rapping against the metal door of his room resounded. And he'd know the presence that he sensed outside the door anywhere by now. Kanan opened his eyes, turning his head to look at the door.
"What's up, kid?"
A moment of silence, then the door opened. Ezra stepped in, a grin on his face.
"Hera wanted me to tell you we're about half an hour from a trade station. She and I are gonna stock up on some supplies. Need anything?"
Kanan didn't reply right away, looking over his Padawan, eyes halting for a second on the Padawan braid that rested on the side of his head. Then turning to the teen'a newest weapon: a lightsaber.
Yes, as, that dangerous side trip to the long hidden caves on Hoth had been worth it...
Three and a half hours. It had been that long since he and Ezra had split up, the teen going to search for the crystal he required to build his lightsaber.
Every Jedi learned a lesson that was important for them when they retrieved their crystal. He wondered, for a moment, what Ezra's lesson would be.
The sound of running footsteps echoed through the cavern in which Kanan waited, and the man looked up. Relief filled him as he saw Ezra running towards him, a wide, beaming smile on his face as he clutched something to his chest as though it were a feeat treasure. Kanan stood, grinning.
"What took you? Did you get lost?" He teased, though it was obviously playful, meaning no offense to the teen.
Ezra ignored him, skidding across the ice and to a halt before Kanan. The teen's slightly labored breaths fogged in the chilly air. As he beamed, he held up his right fist.
"I found it!"
Kanan chuckled, taking the younglings hand in his own and carefully prying it open. A scrap of cloth was wadded up, resting in Ezra's palm. Unfolding the cloth, Kanan found a small crystal. It pulsed softly with power, and radiated Ezra's signature, showing that the crystal had bonded to him. Green-blue eyes turned up, finding Ezra looking at him with painful hope.
Kanan smile, nodding.
"That's definitely a crystal." He confirmed.
Ezra gave an excited whoop, punching the air with his free hand. Kanan laughed, turning towards the cavern's exit.
"C'mon, let's get outta here."
The young teen eagerly followed him, sticking close to the man's side, holding his crystal protectively to his chest.
As they walked, Kanan glanced down at Ezra.
"So, what did you learn you were retrieving your crystal?"
Ezra hesitated, then his smile turned into a soft grin.
"Well...I learned I don't have to be scared of my strength in the force."
Kanan halted abruptly, looking at his student in shock.
"What?"
Ezra glanced away sheepishly.
"W-Well...Ever since I learned that I could use the Force and that I was strong in it and all...I've been kinda nervous to use it."
Kanan's own expression softened.
"And now?"
The teen smiled up at him.
"Now I'm not scared anymore."
"Master? Hellloooo?"
Abandoning his thoughts, Kanan smiled, shaking his head.
"No, I'm good. Thanks anyway."
The teen shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
"Alright, suit yourself. See you later, Master."
And without another word, young Ezra left, whistling to himself.
Kanan grinned, shaking his head. He then sighed to himself. Back to meditating.
But anything for his Padawan. Anything for his family, for he one he saw almost as his son.
Anything for Ezra.