As Ezra lay, his mind raced.

Kanan was a real Jedi, even though he hadn't quite admitted it yet. If Ezra stayed, he could teach him the ways of a Jedi and what makes them the defenders of the galaxy. He could learn so much from him, and clear away all these questions the boy had never been able to ask his whole life.

If he stayed.

A part of him wanted to stay. His original plans were quite specific, but he never really thought about what he wanted to do after he arrived on any nearby planet. He had had some ideas in the past, but now…

Ezra sighed.

The crew didn't seem to be in too much of a hurry to get rid of him.

They probably want to keep me around because I saved them.

Or maybe it was because he was a Jedi, and it was Kanan who wanted him to stay.

Or they all want me to stay so they can protect me.

The kid rolled over and faced the wall.

I never knew there would be so few Force sensitive people out there now, he thought. Now it's like the galaxy is the defender of the Jedi… well, some of the galaxy.

The door suddenly shifted open, startling Ezra out of his thoughts as he lay on his back and turned his head.

The Lasat, Zeb, began thudding into the room, and with a brief glance up at he boy, he let out a huff and disappeared on the bed beneath him.

There was a long, somewhat awkward silence that followed as Ezra listened to the Lasat shuffling around, searching for a comfortable position.

Another agitated sigh followed, and Zeb said, "Of course Kanan had to put you in my room."

Ezra wasn't sure how to respond, so he decided to keep quiet.

There was another shuffle.

Another stillness followed.

After looking for the right words, the kid willed up some courage and asked, "Why do you hate me?"

"I don't hate you." The response was a puzzled one.

"Then why…?

"Hmm, let's see." He could sense Zeb lift up one of his large hands as he counted with his clawed fingers. "You ruined our plans to get the crates to our ship, you allowed us to get caught and thrown in prison – "

"Allowed you?" Ezra interrupted. "I didn't know you were going to get captured!"

"Well, you shouldn't have stolen those crates from us the first place!" Zeb exclaimed.

"I knew those crates had some decent stuff in them that would have been good to sell at the black market."

The boy was now leaning over his bunk and facing toward Zeb.

"My ship would have looked nicer with the credits I had gotten from them."

"I don't care about your ship! You ruined our plan."

"Well I'm sorry!"

There was a long pause as Ezra lay back down on his back.

"I'm sorry, Zeb," he said again, calmer this time. "I just, I didn't know your mission was so important. I had no way of knowing."

The Lasat didn't respond for a long time.

The teen's mind was gathering itself up again as he tried to think of something else to say. There was something else Zeb was annoyed about, and he wanted to figure out the issue.

But nothing came to him.

It surprised him when the Lasat suddenly said, "I just don't like change."

Another pause followed. Ezra could see where this was going.

"I don't either," he responded, simply. He thought for a moment, then said, "So, you don't like me because I'm here."

"Yeah."

The kid waited.

"When Kanan mentioned you were Force sensitive or something like that, I knew he was gonna to let you come with us," Zeb explained. "I know there aren't many of you Jedi 'round anymore, so I knew Kanan wasn't gonna let this opportunity slip."

Ezra felt… strange, hearing this. He had never been wanted by anyone. He was just another Loth-rat on the streets, a thief, wanted only for petty crimes.

"I'll assume you knew that," the Lasat stated when he heard no response.

"I had a feeling," Ezra admitted. Then he said, "A lot of people don't like change. I hate it, but I've learnt to embrace it. Sure, it took me a few years to get used to, but I know what you mean."

He thought of what to say next. He wanted to be careful with his words.

"I know what happened to your people," he said as if he was treading on thin ice, "and, I know what it's like to lose those you've loved all your life."

"You don't know anything about me," Zeb growled.

"No, I don't, but I… I understand how you feel, because it changed your life." When there was no reply, the boy carefully continued. "I lost my parents to the Empire when I was seven. I've been on my own since."

Another silence.

"I had to find a way to get used to that change. The point is, since I found you guys, I've felt… a connection, like I belong here." This was harder to explain that he'd thought. "As every minute goes by on this ship, the part of me that wants to stay becomes stronger, but… then I think… do all of you want me to stay? If I'm such a nuisance, I can leave. Even Kanan can't keep me here."

Another pause.

"I just want to know if we're all on the same side here, if… you can adapt to this change in your family," said Ezra with a sigh. "I will do whatever it takes to respect you guys. I'll admit, I'm not good at it, but I can try."

"I guess change is a part of life," said Zeb at last. He sighed. "I don't want you to stay, but, having an additional Jedi is sure worth it." The teen could hear a small smile in his voice, and he smiled slightly himself with relief.

"Now, I ain't too good with all this lovey-dovey stuff so I'm gonna sleep."

"Okay."

The Lasat made another shuffling sound, then the room went quiet. A few minutes later, he began to snore, but Ezra didn't mind.

His mind was quiet enough to sleep, but it wasn't long before the door opened again and Kanan's whisper came swooping through the room.

"Ezra, I need to talk to you," he said. The boy sat up and rubbed his eyes, then quietly jumped down from his bunk and walked over to the door. The man had wandered through the door to the lounge, and as soon as the doors opened for Ezra, he nearly bumped into Kanan.

"How did you get that?" he asked, pointing down at the laser sword handle attached to the kid's belt.

"Get what?"

Kanan scooped up his weapon with ease and said, "This."

"I've told you, haven't I?" said Ezra, confused, as he walked over to the small couch around the table and sat down. He hadn't slept much but he was still tired, and he didn't know if Kanan was mad at him or not.

"Yes, you have," the Jedi said, sitting down beside the kid and placing his weapon down on the table. He'd figured that he hadn't made himself clear enough, so he brought back the conversation they had had when Ezra came on board the Ghost.

"You said you got your sword from a Jedi Temple on Lothal, right?" he asked.

Ezra nodded.

"How did you get into the Jedi Temple without a master?"

Oh… this is why he's so confused.

"Um… I don't know," the younger tried to explain. "That was three years ago."

"You can't simply open a Jedi Temple on your own! That's… not normal." Realization glazed over his face. "You're… hmm." He frowned as he thought.

Ezra stared at him, his face revealing concern and confusion.

"What do you mean?" he asked as Kanan got up and began to pace slowly.

"There's a legend," he started. "Well, there's many legends, but one in particular no one really took note of. It was a long, lost legend, a dead one."

The boy waited, then asked, "What's the legend?"

"There are legends of these beings called the Bendu. They are neither good or evil, but are instead masters of the light and the darkness." Kanan glanced at Ezra as he continued. "A Sidii Bendu, however, is said to be able to will him or her self into the darkness or the light at their own command."

"And what makes you bring this 'legend' to attention?"

"I know the Bendu are powerful beings who have a greater strength and understanding then any Jedi or Sith. The Bendu are only known to be mythical creatures, not humans."

"Woah, wait, so you're telling me that I could be a... a... Sidii Bendu?"

"I'm saying you could be."

"All because I opened a Jedi Temple on my own?"

Kanan nodded.

Ezra didn't know what to think. This was crazy talk, merely impossible. But… it did make some sense.

"Have you ever touched the Dark Side?" Kanan asked as he took a seat next to the boy again. His lightsaber was still sitting on the table.

"Yes," Ezra replied, staring at his weapon. "Yes, I have, and I hated it."

Although... it did feel somewhat amazing at the same time... He shivered and glanced at the man. "Have you?"

Kanan shifted uneasily under his gaze. "Yes, once." He looked at Ezra and added, "My master nearly lost me to the Dark Side. It… surely changed us."

It surely does that, Ezra agreed.

"Look, I understand that this is only a wild assumption," Kanan said, examining the kid beside him, "but, it could be true. You could be a Sidii Bendu."

"Then what does that make me?" said Ezra, standing up and facing the Jedi. "Does that make me evil? Good? If I'm to choose a side, where do I go?"

"Ezra," said the man, rising from his seat and taking the boy's weapon into his hand. "Being a Sidii Bendu, if you are one, doesn't change who you are or want to be. You balance the Force, you don't have a side. You're just… very powerful."

"Ever since my parents told me I was Force sensitive, all I wanted to be was a Jedi." Ezra looked at Kanan. "You're a Jedi, and I... I want you to be my master, to teach me all you know about being a Jedi."

Kanan looked a little surprised, but he had already known Ezra knew. The Force connected them, bound them together, and they couldn't deny the Force and its mystical ways.

"I'll be honoured to teach you, Ezra," said the man with a smile.

Ezra grasped his weapon and caressed it longingly. Kanan had hoped to be his master. He had seen it in his eyes since they met.

But a Sidii Bendu? A balance between the darkness and the light?

It was all just... bizarre... and crazy!

But, it made sense… and it scared him, but only a little. He was the Padawan of a real Jedi, and that was all that mattered now.