Chapter 21: It's Not Easy

Kanan wouldn't tell Ezra where they were going, no matter how many times the teen asked.

"Why won't you just tell me?" Ezra asked.

"Kid, asking twenty times is not going to make me tell you." Kanan said.

"What if I asked you twenty-one times?" Ezra asked in amusement.

"It's supposed to be a surprise Ezra." Kanan sighed.

"All right," Ezra said before slumping in his seat.

Kanan rolled his eyes at his charge's actions before turning on the radio. It only took about a minute before Ezra to start singing softly with it, and Kanan decided to be nice this time and not turn the radio off.

Kanan finally pulled up to their destination: the graveyard.

"What are we doing here?" Ezra asked.

"I told you yesterday." Kanan said. "If you were feeling better we could honor your parents." Kanan pulled out the flower steak from the bag.

Ezra stared at it before gently taking it from Kanan's hands. "It's beautiful." He had some tears in his eyes, "I know they would love it."

Kanan gave Ezra a soft smile, "Do you know where they are?"

Ezra shook his head, he never wanted to come here before.

"We'll find them." Kanan said. They started to search the graveyard for the headstones that marked where Ezra's parents laid to rest.

It took a few minutes but eventually they found it. Two grave stones right next to each other, each baring the same date of death; which happened to be eight years ago exactly. The names near the top read Mira Bridger and Ephraim Bridger. Kanan looked to the right and saw what looked like a head stone had recently been removed. He guessed this was Ezra's. Fulcrum did mention that they thought he had died too, but after finding out he was alive, she must have called the city and told them to remove it.

Ezra placed the flower heart steak in between the two graves.

Kanan placed a comforting hand on his charge's shoulder.

Ezra drew in a shaky breath, before he started to sing, "I can't stand to fly, I'm not that naïve. I'm just out to find, the better part of me. I'm more than a bird, I'm more than a plane, I'm more than some pretty face beside a train. And it's not easy to be me."

There was a short pause in which Ezra seemed to be holding back his tears, "I wish that I could cry, fall upon my knees. Find a way to lie, bout a home I'll never see. It may sound absurd but don't be naïve: even heroes have the right to bleed. I may be disturbed but won't you concede: even heroes have the right to dream? And it's not easy to be me."

Kanan listened to Ezra sing his song, it was so beautiful and touching.

Ezra continued, " Up, up and away, away from me. Well it's all right, you can all sleep sound tonight. I'm not crazy or anything. I can't stand to fly, I'm not that naïve. Men weren't meant to ride with clouds between their knees. I'm only a man in a silly red sheet, digging for kryptonite on this one way street. Only a man in a funny red sheet, looking for special things inside of me. Inside of me, inside of me, yeah. Inside of me, inside of me. I'm only a man in a funny red sheet, I'm only a man looking for a dream. I'm only a man in a funny red sheet, and it's not easy, it's not easy to be me."

"What song was that?" Kanan asked, once he knew the song was over.

"It's called 'Superman,' by Five for Fighting." Ezra explained. "It was their favorite song." Tears started streaming down his face. Kanan pulled him into a hug. "I miss them so much."

"It's alright to miss them," Kanan said.

"It hasn't been easy to live without them." Ezra said.

"It never is easy to live without someone you cared about." Kanan comforted.

"Have you ever lost someone?" Ezra asked, looking up.

"I never knew my parents, and I bounced from foster home to foster home." Kanan said. "My last foster mother was a woman by the name of Depa Billaba."

"You mentioned her before." Ezra remembered.

"I never told you she died though." Kanan said. "She was my partner on the police force, but on a drug bust she was killed." He looked down and saw that Ezra had a slightly guilty look, like he was sorry that he asked such a personal question. "I saw her as a mother, it was a few months ago, so I was quite a bit, actually, a lot older than you." Ezra buried his face into Kanan's chest. "No one as young as you should have had to go through that Ezra."

Ezra pulled out of the hug before turning to face his parents' graves. "I wish you could still be here with me. It hasn't been easy these past eight years, but I finally found someone who cares." He took a quick glance at Kanan. "He's already done so much in only five days, actually closer to four days and an evening."

Kanan smiled sadly at the scene, it was sad, watching the boy talk to his parents who have been dead for the past eight years, but touching to know what Ezra really thought.

"I'll try to make you proud." Ezra choked out.

Kanan took a step forward, placing a hand on Ezra's shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of him."

They stood in silence for about another minute.

"Ready to go home?" Kanan asked.

"Yeah," Ezra looked at Kanan. Home, such a simple word, yet Ezra was deprived from ever using it for eight years, not having a place to call home. But now, with Kanan, he did. "Let's go home."

As they were walking back to the car, Ezra stopped and hugged Kanan, "Thank you."

"It was nothing kid," Kanan smiled.

"Not for this," Ezra said but quickly added, "Not that I'm not grateful for this." He took a breath, "Thank you, for giving me a chance, for getting to know me."

Kanan looked down and saw tears, tears of joy, flowing from Ezra's eyes.

Ezra smiled, "I always wanted someone to know who I am

The End

36,684 words roughly and 21 chapters, wow, that was a long one. Also like 112 pages in a word document. And it took me nearly six months to write, I think that makes it the longest time wise fanfiction I have ever written. I mean I wrote and started 15 other stories while I was writing this too. Like DANG!

Now don't get your knickers in a twist let me explain some things, I'm ending this story here because the title no longer works, as Ezra explained in the end, Kanan understands who he is now so I obviously can't have like however many more chapters after this because of it. Also the summary doesn't really fit anymore (it kind of stopped fitting at like chapter 10 but whatever.) But don't you worry at all because there is a sequel coming soon. It will probably be called, "You're Finding Things That You Did Know," but I'll let you know when I have it posted. (Brownie points if you can figure out what this title and the title of the sequel have in common.)

And because some of you made suggestions I'm letting you know that they may appear in the sequel.

Like with this story nearing the end, I'll try to update the sequel on a regular basis, and try to update: "A Second Childhood" whenever I find time and such.

But that is all for now, this is hadesgirl015 (ravenclaw-rebel3390) signing off for now.