A/N: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, added and followed our story so far. It's nice to hear that people like what we write.

To the Guest reviewer: This is a collaboration of works from two authors that was written as a POV roleplay. We appreciate you picking that up! We're working on melding the parts together to make it flow better, but we won't be able to remove the changes in POV altogether. However, some of the subsequent installations, which we will upload in due course, have been written as a story from the outset.

Chapter Four

As the next few days passed, Kade gradually began losing his smile. By the time Eeth's next class came around and Jin-Dai had still not requested a meeting with him, the boy was sporting a glower. Sure, he had known deep down that there was no connection with the slender, graceful woman beyond the one that consisted of her being one hell of a sparring partner, but he wished that it could have been enough. The last spark of hope was that she would approach him in this lesson. However, when Eeth entered their training room with an elderly man instead of Jin-Dai, Kaden's heart sank, and he fought to control his frustration at being overlooked yet again

"I'm still not convinced that this is in the child's best interest," Drex had told Eeth on the com, two days earlier. "But if you are absolutely adamant that I am the best remaining option, so be it. I will have a look at him or her and see what the Force tells me."

"The way I have done it with the last two persons I tried is to take them to my class as a co-tutor," Eeth explained to Drex. "That way, the purpose of all this wasn't obvious and the risk of raising false hopes was lower, although I am not entirely sure that this worked out in Jin-Dai's case. In any case, it is less of a commitment than a one-on-one meeting."

"True," Drex agreed. "When's your next class, then?"

"On Monday at nine," Eeth replied.

"I'll be there," Drex promised.

This time, Eeth wanted to introduce the initiates to performing coordinated attacks. After the usual warm-up, he formed one group of three, which included the comparatively stronger padawans Kaden, Drebin and Thiska, and one group of four. The group of three was to go against himself first, the other against Drex. They were going to switch later.

"Now, the most important thing I want to see from you is an effort to work together," he told the group while they stretched. "Look what your partners are doing. Create open spaces for your partners. Draw your opponent away from them when they are under pressure, but withdraw as soon as one of your partners is in a better position. Master Zaryth and I will give you suggestions while we fight."

After attacking the warm-up with his usual gusto, Kaden tried to keep his attention on what Eeth was instructing them to do, but his mind kept wandering. What if he never got a chance? There was no way he would last at the AgriCorps he just wasn't cut out for that sort of work, and why, when he felt it was his destiny to become a Jedi, was the Force not working with him? It was with that thought that he glanced up; if he didn't start paying attention he'd have to wing it which wasn't something he liked to do during a saber class as he missed out on too many opportunities to get the upper hand. As Eeth explained, Kade shot the occasional curious glance at the golden-skinned man Eeth had enlisted. How anyone that old could still fight was beyond him; surely this would be too much for the guy? But he kept those thoughts to himself.

There was simply no hiding the grin that crept across his face when it was announced that he would be facing off against Eeth because, despite the fact that he had ended up on his ass last time, he liked the challenge and didn't have to hold back. He was the first to his feet when Eeth gave the order to begin, although his attention was once again wandering to the old man who was now facing off against four of his classmates; he was curious, although wasn't entirely sure why.

"Kade-den, anyone home?" Drebin teased, earning himself a shove from the boy as he bought his attention back to the moment, the others had their weapons at the ready and his face flushed with embarrassment as he pulled his lightsaber from his belt. He wasn't in the mood to take crap, to be scolded or to be told what to do or how to act. His eyes narrowed as the yellow blade buzzed to life in his hands; he wanted this fight, no, he needed this fight!

Eeth immediately felt that Kade was in that kind of mood again; the mood where he was bent on fighting, where he felt downright dangerous.

He dodged Kade's first attack and deflected Drebin's, then spun around to meet Thiska.

"Drebin, you need to get back up quicker," he said without looking behind.

Meanwhile, Drex was defending himself against the four initiates at his usual calm, unhurried pace, deftly and with the ease of someone who had had decades of practice. He was still in good physical shape and it showed. Not one for flashy manoeuvres, he nevertheless knew exactly what he was doing and was good at it. And while he was doing it, he still had the time to give advice to the four youngsters he was working with, none of whom struck him as the type of child Eeth had described. That whirlwind who was having a go at Eeth, though, was a different matter. He felt strong to Drex, but troubled. He was going to take a closer look at him later, when Eeth and he switched teams.

Ordinarily, having his attacks batted aside so casually would grate on Kaden's last nerve. Fortunately for him he was becoming well used to being outclassed by Eeth in such a manner, and his temper only flared mildly in comparison. He wanted to forget the others and focus on Eeth, however, knew from experience that to do anything other than what the man ordered was to buy himself trouble, so he was careful to add in a few side steps and backflips while blocking to allow the others a chance. When Drebin hit the floor, Kade took the opportunity to 'guard' by driving forward with a fierce attack designed to knock him flat. He was not holding back at all.

Eeth did not expect Kade to hold back, not when the boy was fighting against him, rather than another initiate. He did not go easy on Kade either, however; the boy's ferocious attacks were blocked quite forcefully. Eeth did not find fault with Kade's sparring style, as such; but there was still something underlying the initiate's fierceness that set him on edge.

After about fifteen minutes, he signalled for the initiates to cease their attack. He wanted to discuss a few strategic issues and then switch groups with Drex.

Kade had given it his all and fought the Jedi master as best he could. He was feeling invigorated, not in the same way as fighting with Jin-Dai, but still it had been exactly the sort of fight he was looking for today.

Alright, so this was going to be interesting, he thought, meeting the aged Jedi with an optimistically curious expression. Drex did not look particularly out of breath, and he appeared to have held his own, not that he'd had much of an opportunity to watch while he was busy attacking Eeth. When the Drex gave the command to begin, Kade was on him in a heartbeat, leaving the others little choice but to flank him. He came in hard and fast with a combination of attacks similar to those he had used against Eeth, but not exactly the same as he was quite certain Drex was not using Ataru.

Drex raised his eyebrows at the ferocity of Kade's attack.

"You might want to coordinate with your team mates, instead of forcing them to rush after you," he commented, neatly flipping out of harm's way and leaving Kade far out, compared to Drebin and Thiska. He resumed his ready stance and met the attacks of the other two deftly and without hurry.

"It's hardly my fault if they can't keep up," he shot back neutrally, although found he was smiling slightly as the man flipped from his attack. Kade was after him in a heartbeat. There was something about this old coot that he just couldn't put his finger on; the man never seemed to be looking at his opponent, at least not with his eyes, it was a little unsettling... Fortunately for him, the split second's hesitation this took to process had not cost him, and he was soon back in the fray. Of course he allowed the others to attack as he had been instructed, he just wasn't so good at backing off once he got started. He just kept finding different openings and couldn't let them pass! He channelled all his frustration at having been passed over, yet again, at his pending birthday and the disappointed look that was sure to be on K'Mi's face when he was sent to the Agricorps; his certainty that he was meant to be a Jedi proved once and for all to be no more than wishful thinking. This thought, coupled with a powerful side strike, made for a devastating attack, or it would have been had he not been against a master of considerable skill. He had a plan, though. He wasn't going to the AgriCorps, he was going to continue training without guidance, go out on his own and become a fallen padawan vigilante, cleaning up the scum in the seediest of places. Again, the pain at being forced to give up his dream of becoming a Jedi funnelled into his attacks.

Drex could not read Kade's thoughts, but he could sense some of the feelings that went into his attacks, and what he sensed wasn't pretty. After a short while, he raised his hand, calling for the group to stop.

"Initiate," he told Kade firmly, but not unkindly, "it might not be your fault that your teammates can't keep up, but if you're told to work with them, you need to adapt to their pace. More importantly, you're not following the flow of the Force, but your own emotions. Kneel and meditate for a while. Focus on the Force patterns of the fight through your meditation. When you feel that you have calmed down and are attuned to the Force, we will try this again."

Kade stopped immediately, albeit reluctantly, and stared at the man's strangely 'off' line of sight. Meditate? He wanted him to meditate! "But I don't need to meditate on the Force patterns of this fight, I know how to fight," he protested, raising his saber and wanting to pick up where they left off.

"Initiate, when I tell you to meditate, you will meditate," Drex said mildly. Although the words were the same Eeth might have used, the tone of voice was much softer. Nevertheless, there was something about his posture that said clearly he was not going to back off. He was merely standing there, waiting for Kade to comply.

Eeth, for his part, noticed what was going on, but refrained from butting in just yet; he was going to let Drex deal with this unless Kade went into open rebellion.

Open rebellion was certainly what Kaden wanted to launch into here. He shot the man a mutinous glower; he only had six months left to train and Drex was sending him off to meditate! He had to choke down his anger at the perceived injustice but did so. Sloppily. With a roll of his eyes the initiate waved the man off, he did not want to waste his time doing this and the way he stormed off towards the side of the room conveyed as much. He kicked at the wall in frustration, then slumped onto the floor; it wasn't fair. The longer he sat there the more agitated he became. He couldn't concentrate with the sounds of everyone else fighting in the background, he just wanted to get back into the action, not sit on the sidelines meditating like some out of control youngling.

Drex ignored the little outburst for the moment, and so did Eeth; both figured that as long as Kade did as he was told, it was not worth raising a fuss about it. He might calm down during meditation, and if not, they could still comment on it later.

It became apparent fairly soon, however, that there could be no question of Kade calming down. The longer his class fought, the more agitated Kade became. Drex called for a stop once again and Eeth immediately did the same with his own group.

"I'll take care of Kaden," Drex told Eeth quietly. "You keep the group busy."

Eeth nodded and immediately split the group up again, with five initiates going against himself and Lyle; he would work with rotating partners. This gave the children no chance to follow the talk Drex was having with Kade; Eeth made sure they had to stay focussed on the fight or would be knocked down.

Drex, for his part, felt responsible for Kaden in a way that was telling in itself, and he knew it. With an internal sigh he crossed over to where the boy was kneeling and fidgeting, and knelt opposite him.

"Initiate, I told you to meditate, but that's not what you're doing," he told him softly. "Are you unwilling or unable to follow my instructions?"

Despite sensing the elderly Jedi's approach, Kade tried to make like he neither noticed nor cared about being singled out. "Both," he replied stoically, not looking up to face the man.

"I see," Drex said calmly. "In that case, I think we should address the issue in private, someplace where you are not distracted by the fight. Come with me."

He rose from his kneeling position and beckoned for Kaden to follow.

"I don't want to," he said in exasperation. "I want to get back into my class. I only have this class three times a week." These were more words than Kade said to most, but for some reason he felt compelled to explain himself.

"You sound like a three-year-old throwing a tantrum, you know," Drex remarked. "You need to focus on what's important. The fight isn't important. Your wishes aren't important. Your connection with the Force is what's important, and if you're having a hard time finding it in this classroom, then you need to leave the classroom. You can go by yourself, right now. If you don't, I will make you. Either way, you're leaving this gym."

"I have no problem with my connection to the Force," Kaden shot back while getting to his feet and glowering at the man. The air around him went static, prickling the fine body hairs on his neck as it had often done lately when he thought about his future or became agitated. He was not trading Eeth's saber class for meditation 101. Period.

Eeth had noticed what was going on, and he signalled for the group to pause for a moment, striding over to where Drex and Kade were standing.

"I've got it, Eeth," Drex said quietly.

"No doubt," Eeth said evenly, glowering at Kade. "Nevertheless, I do not tolerate disobedience in my classes. I see you have things to discuss with Master Zaryth. Report to me after class when you are done, and I will explain to you what kind of behaviour I expect from my students. Once again, and possibly more thoroughly than the last time, since you seem to have forgotten."

"I will make sure he is present," Drex told Eeth. "Now excuse us for a moment."

With surprising strength for a man his age, he lifted Kade up and dumped him over his shoulder like a sack of flour, then made for the exit.

Kade was too busy glowering at Drex to notice Eeth's approach, so when the Zabrak started chewing him out over his behaviour he actually felt a little startled. Hell no, he thought, having no intention of attending that meeting, although before he had a chance to voice his protests, Kade found himself picked up and carried from the gym. The air was forced out of him in a gasp as his stomach made contact with a hard, broad shoulder. This was not happening, it just wasn't!

Both Lyle and Drebin had to cover their mouths to stifle laughter, while Rezek smiled as if something had just clicked into place for him. The rest of the class watched on wide-eyed and were simply glad that it wasn't them being hauled from class in such a fashion.

Meanwhile, Kade's face burned with shame as he was carried past his peers, although he remained limp and compliant; you did not physically resist a Jedi master, not even his temper would allow him to be that disrespectful, despite the verbal tirade he was capable of at times. When they exited the gym and had relative privacy, he started up with the protesting. "Let me down, now, I mean it!" he demanded, although the words came out in breathy gasps thanks to his uncomfortable position.

"You will stop giving me orders," Drex said in a rather matter-of-fact tone of voice. He said no more than that, refraining from giving any further explanations or pointing to the obvious fact that Kade had brought this upon himself. He merely continued carrying the boy - and he did not quite let on how heavy Kade was on him - to the nearest meditation garden which was thankfully – but predictably, at this time of the day– deserted.

Scowling, but unwilling to enter a debate, the boy simply lay limp and allowed himself to be carried, although truth be told he was surprised this old coot could actually pull it off as he was almost thirteen now and no light weight.

Having reached a relative secluded spot in the garden, Drex put Kaden down and pointed at the ground.

"Kneel," he told the boy.

When he had been placed on his feet, Kaden immediately turned his back, but there was something in the man's tone that had him turning to face him once again. "Kneel?" he queried, his expression neutral.

"Kneel," Drex repeated, still in that tone of voice that was entirely calm, but somehow indicated he would brook no objection. He knelt down himself on the soft grass, his finger still pointed at the spot opposite him.

It was on the tip of his tongue to say no, and then bolt for crèche, but he'd end up doing this every day for a month if K'Mi ever caught wind of such defiance. He huffed in resignation, dropped to his knees, his arms folded and a clear: 'well, what now' expression on his face.

"Now close your eyes, meditate, try to clear your thoughts and find some peace of mind," Drex said calmly. "You have been taught how to do this, I trust. If you need help, I am here. You may link with me if that makes things easier for you. We're staying here for as long as it takes for you to get a handle on all that aggression. It is only getting in your way."

"I'm not aggressive! And, I CAN'T BELIEVE you're making me miss out on one of the few saber lessons I have left, for this," the boy complained, his tone uncharacteristically childish as he swiped a fist at the ground impatiently.

Drex did not reply to that. He simply continued to wait silently, his impassive face pointed at the boy although his eyes could not see him.

Kaden leveled the man with his most intimidating glare, but it seemed to have no effect. He frowned and suddenly turned to check behind him as he noticed Drex was not looking at him, but past him. Just as he was about to risk a closer look Drex closed his eyes, and Kade sat back on his heels. This sucked! Being the stubborn boy that he was, he decided that if he was being forced into missing out on saber practice, then he was going to take his time and miss out on it all together, Eeth's requested meeting to boot.

He took his time obtaining an acceptable level of focus. That said, it was actually hard given he was so angry at being benched from Eeth's class, and it was a good half an hour before he managed to do as he was told. Strangely, he noticed he could sense this particular Jedi master clearer than anyone else he had meditated with or around before, and as he began releasing his emotions into the Force as K'Mi had taught him, he wondered what it would be like to actually link with the man. Feeling less like he was about to explode, Kade reached out with the Force and briefly touched the Jedi's subconscious with his own.

Drex was a patient man, and he was not in a hurry. He knew that it was only possible to maintain a tantrum for so long; it would subside eventually. When Kaden finally calmed down, it did not take him long to reach out to Drex, and Drex responded readily, opening his Force presence to Kaden and sending him a brief surge of approval through the Force. He felt drawn to the boy in a way he had only experienced a few times before; it was becoming quite obvious to him that Eeth's instincts had been right.

Having nothing to compare it to, the kid did his best not to express his surprise at how easy it had been to sense Drex through the Force. He smiled in spite of himself at sensing the brief surge of approval, and by the time he opened his eyes, he wasn't sure what to say, so, as was typical for him, he said nothing.

"This is what's important, initiate," Drex told the boy quietly. "You have told me that you want your sparring class, but I don't believe that's what you really want. What you really want is to become a Jedi. And in order to become a Jedi, you need to achieve harmony with the Force. All that ambition to win your fights is only preventing you from accomplishing that. I would like you to think about that. If you feel that you understand what I am saying, come and seek me out - later today, next week or next month, it doesn't matter. I'm master Drex Zaryth; your crèche master will be able to tell you where to find me. And now let's get back to the training room. The lesson should be about over now, and Master Eeth is doubtlessly waiting for you."

How Drex knew that he felt so strongly about becoming a Jedi, Kade did not know. However, he hid his shock well and simply nodded; he had been told similar things by his crèche master although it somehow felt more serious coming from this man.

He rose as Drex did, feeling far calmer, albeit far more confused. What the Force had just happened? His thoughts trailed off as he looked into sightless eyes. "Class is finished," he stated in an effort to remain nonchalant.

"I'm sure that Master Eeth will be waiting for us," Drex said mildly, leading Kade back to the gym.

"Doubtlessly," he huffed under his breath. Inwardly however, he didn't care if the supreme chancellor himself was waiting, there was no way he wanted to go back into that room, that said neither was he planning on being carried back which he was quite certain would happen if he tried getting out of it.

What he saw when entering was truly amazing. For a moment the boy forgot the potentially precarious position he was about to endure and just watched in awe. Eeth's kata was flawless, not to mention one he had never even seen before, let alone attempted.

Eeth was making use of the time he had to spend waiting for Kaden. He was running through an advanced kata so fast that he was practically a blur; and yet, his movements had nothing hectic, frantic or aggressive about them. They projected serenity.

"This is the state of mind you need to achieve," Drex told Kade. "When you have done so, prowess with a saber will come on its own. I'll leave you with Master Koth, and I will notify your crèche master of your delay. May the Force be with you, Initiate Kaden."

He gave the boy a brief smile and left.

"And with you, Master," Kaden replied, offering the man a slight bow as he turned to leave.

He stood there for a while longer just watching. It did not occur to him to make a break for the door as this would mean missing out on seeing Eeth finish his kata. That all changed however, as the last move was landed and he started striding towards him...