A/N: 'K' Raven is Eeth's second padawan. His first was Lakhri and there are individual stories involving him too, we'll post those in sequence.

Again, thanks everyone for your comments and reviews, it's appreciated!

The next couple of days went by without incident. Kade performed well at all his classes and duties, although at night his thoughts returned to the elderly Jedi who had pulled him from saber practice that day. 'To become a Jedi you must first achieve harmony with the Force, and simply wanting to win every fight will only prevent you from achieving this,' he had said, and deep down, Kade knew he was right.

It was Wednesday afternoon, the third day and almost down to the last hour when Kade finally made his way to Master Zaryth's quarters to make his apology. He wasn't afraid of finding more trouble, but at the same time he was nervous.

Eeth had informed Drex that he had ordered Kaden to apologise before the next lesson, so Drex knew - or at least hoped - that the boy would come sometime before Wednesday afternoon. Kaden would really have to be rather dumb to disobey Eeth any further, and he had not struck Drex as particularly stupid. Troubled, yes, but not stupid. In any case, Drex was not in a hurry. If their pairing was Force-willed, which he believed, then it was eventually going to happen. It was going to happen if and when both of them were ready. Drex was, but whether Kaden was, he did not know.

Kaden spoke into the door comm, a bit surprised to find the man was home and not already at Eeth's class. It wasn't that he didn't want to apologise, and it certainly wasn't because he didn't want to see Drex again, it was more because he wanted time to bolster his courage for the possibility of disappointment.

Drex was not going to assist Eeth this time; the one time he had done so had fulfilled its purpose. He had thus started the day slowly. After a lengthy meditation, he had had a spartan breakfast and just cleared away the dishes when his visitor arrived. Opening the door, he found Kaden standing in front of it.

"Initiate Kaden," he said, bowing politely. "Do come in."

Kaden nodded and entered when asked to. He knew he was supposed to apologise for disobeying, but apologies were not his top priority right now, nor had they been since parting with the older Jedi three days ago.

He followed the Hrakian master into his tidy common room, noting that everything in here had a place and was in it. He offered a curt bow, took a deep breath and started talking. Force, he was no good at talking. "I meditated on what you said and I understand…. I always have, but, it's hard," he said, faltering slightly, and looked down, forcing his hands to still by his sides. "I'm meant to be a Jedi, I feel it, yet I'm starting to believe that my feelings are wrong," he admitted to the floor. He stopped short of adding, 'because what master in his right mind would take on a padawan with my issues?' if only because saying as much might mean he would have to start focusing on them.

Apologies were not Drex's top priority either, although he was going to make sure that one was offered before their meeting was over; after all, orders were orders. Not right now, however. He reached out a hand and slowly, a little searchingly found Kaden's cheek, caressing it briefly.

"I think not," he said softly. "You are meant to be a Jedi, but you will need a lot of guidance to reach that goal. Above all, you will need the determination to conquer your ambitions, your aggression and your fears. You will have to free yourself from the desire to prove yourself. That will be a liberating experience, but, like you said, it is hard. Very hard. You have to really want it. Do you?"

"Yes," he answered honestly, although he was beginning to think that it was too late for him. Not that this was something he would say aloud as he had been told many times that such things were not up to him; the Force would decide. Drex's touch had felt soothing, not that he was ready to admit he still wanted comfort in such juvenile ways, much to K'Mi's annoyance; he was thirteen and far too old, he had told himself. But did he want it, did he want to listen to Drex? Yeah, he did. "Why did you come to help Master Koth?" the boy asked, beginning to piece things together himself but wanting confirmation.

Drex paused for a moment, considering how to reply to that question. He settled for honesty. Kade struck him as a person who would appreciate honesty and could deal with it.

"Because Master Koth thought that you are in dire need of a master to guide you," he said. "And he thought that I might be that person. This is not something he or I would ever impose on you, though. If it does not feel right to you, be honest with yourself and me. It is your choice. And it is not a choice you need to make right now either. If you have doubts, take your time. If you would like to get to know me better through joint meditations or lessons, tell me and I will arrange for it."

Generally, Kade was quite difficult to surprise although if the last few weeks were anything to go by that was fast changing. He stared at the man for the longest time, fighting the urge to fidget in light of what he had just heard. "So, Knight Shekkaf? and," he hesitated for a moment, "Master Jin-Dai…. The same?" he questioned; the boy was a realist after all, and did not imagine for a second that Eeth would have gone to such lengths for an almost thirteen-year-old initiate who was about to flunk out of the Order.

"To be honest, I was his first choice, but I thought myself too old," Drex replied with a small smile. "So he brought in others. After his first two attempts had not worked out, he asked me again; in fact, I understand that Master Jin-Dai specifically recommended me, too."

Growing more solemn, he put a hand on Kade's shoulder and guided him to one of the armchairs, sitting down opposite him.

"The Order values its children highly," he told Kade. "You are worth the effort any time. And if you don't think the two of us will be a good match, don't believe for a moment that Master Koth will stop searching."

Again Kade was surprised, both by hearing the level of Eeth's commitment, and the recommendation Jin-Dai had given. "When we meditated, I felt your presence clearer than any I have ever sensed."

The boy shifted slightly in his seat.

"Would you let me show you?" he asked, because this was something the boy couldn't explain with words.

Drex's smile broadened.

"Sure," he agreed. He did not really need showing; he had felt the same, and he knew much more clearly than Kaden what it meant. Still, it was important for the boy to go this road at his own pace.

Drex held out his hand towards Kaden.

"Take my hand and link with me," he said gently. Skin contact often made it easier for children to establish a connection with specific persons.

Nodding, Kade took Drex's hand, his olive complexion contrasting with the Hrakian's golden hue. He closed his eyes and focused on the place in the Force that was peaceful to him, then reached out to brush the older man's conscience. It felt as if two pieces of a puzzle were coming together, it just fit. Kade's smile grew a little as he hadn't been sure if what he'd felt the first time was real or just something his mind made up out of desperation. It would appear it was not.

Drex did nothing much, he just allowed it to happen - at least up to the point where they were actually about to form a training bond. He had to actively prevent this from happening, so naturally did it come. He felt it would be unfair towards Kaden to let this go too far, though; it would amount to making the boy his padawan without any active decision on his part, and that was hardly a good start to years of teamwork.

He ended the meditation after a while and gently withdrew his hand.

"What do you think?" he asked quietly.

"I think that I would like to meditate with you more often," he replied, his eyes opening to once again take in the room around them. That had been like nothing he had experienced before, their connection had been absolute and, well, they had connected through the Force in a way Kade had never experienced before. "What do you think?" he questioned, curious to know what Drex had to say.

"I think the Force means for us to meditate together a lot more often," Drex replied, smiling. "As master and padawan. What do you think about that?"

"That you're right," he looked from Drex to his hands in an effort at deflecting the smile on his face.

Drex's smile broadened for a moment, but he quickly became more solemn.

"It's a big commitment to make," he told Kade. "And I don't want you to make such a commitment rashly and to regret it later. I might not be the type of master you have always been dreaming of. If you choose to train with me, little time will be devoted to honing your considerable sparring skills; I will pay much closer attention to advancing your connection to the Force, your knowledge and your wisdom. Sparring will be more of a reward for achievements in those areas, not an end in itself. I think this type of training is what you need, at least if your goal is to become a Jedi Knight, but it might not be what you want, and it will definitely not always be fun. I am no Eeth Koth in terms of strictness, but neither am I prepared to compromise on the standards I hold my padawans to. I will be happy to accept you as my padawan learner, but I want you to be fully aware of what that would involve before you make that commitment. If you like, I could call your crèche master and ask her to excuse you from your lessons and other obligations for today, so we can spend the day together. I will return you to the crèche tonight, and you take the night, or as long as you need, to make up your mind. Would that be alright?"

The boy looked at his hands, then back up again. "Yes. I'm meant to be a Jedi, I've always felt it was right just as you feel right. If you say I need to put my connection with the Force, knowledge and wisdom above lightsaber training to achieve my goal, then I'll do that."

Kade wasn't sure what to make of all that Drex had said, it was a lot to take in. Drex felt right to him in the Force but he didn't understand why the man would not want to continue honing his lightsaber skills. This was his strongest point, after all, so why wouldn't he want to continue improving on that? On the up side hearing that he wasn't strict made Kade smile a little; Eeth was strict, his crèche master was strict, so it seemed only fair to him that if he was expected to trade in his saber for a meditation mat and some data pads, he caught a break somewhere.

Given that Drex was making sure he had the full picture, Kade extended him the same courtesy. "I am not always good," he confessed solemnly. "Sometimes I lose my temper, sometimes I don't tidy my room until the last minute and sometimes I lie about having completed chores so I have more time to do the things I want. Sometimes I feel anger and strong emotions not suitable for a Jedi, and I don't always do as I'm told," he blurted, feeling as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders; these were his failings and if Drex still wanted him as a padawan after hearing them, then there was no doubt in the boy's mind he was meant to be his master.

Drex smiled at him.

"I also see that you are a very honest person," he said. "And that is a good quality. I was not expecting you to be without failings; after all, I saw some of them firsthand the day before yesterday. Now, make no mistake. I might not be as intimidating as Master Koth or Master Windu, but I will still consistently call you to task for any act of disobedience or violation of the rules, whether they be Temple rules or the rules I set for you. How else will you learn? Incidentally, advancing your wisdom is not necessarily achieved by data pads and homework, though those will be part of your padawanhood, too, of course. Getting to know life outside the Temple, the good and the bad, and reflecting your experiences will be an important part of your education. And there will come a time when you will become the accomplished fighter you're able to be. After you have learned to control your emotions to some degree, not before. And now, I think I should excuse you from Master Koth's lesson before the man thinks you're skipping it."

"As if I would skip it," he snorted, the noise uncharacteristic of him. Then again after the paddling he'd received last time, maybe it wasn't such a far fetched idea. He thought about all that Drex had said, and he had said a lot of things that hit home. Kade wasn't the sort of boy to exploit a lenient master, or was he? He didn't know! He hoped that he wasn't that sort of person but if history was anything to go by he tended to do things on the fly, without much thought to the outcome. Then there was hearing that he would have to master his emotions before becoming an accomplished fighter, that was worrisome. What if he couldn't? Would he remain at the same skill level with his weapon until he did?

Drex rose and went to the comm unit. The ease of his movements did not betray the fact that he was blind; he had been living in this apartment for a long time and knew every inch of it. Drex called both Eeth and Kade's crèche master and informed them that the initiate was spending the day with him. None of them would ask questions; doubtlessly, they knew what was going on.

"What rules do you intend to set for me?" he asked when Drex had returned to his chair. The man didn't strike him as the strict type, but then again the concept could mean something different to every master.

"Most of the rules will be the same you are accustomed to from the crèche," Drex said. "Obedience, honesty, respectful behaviour; that kind of thing. I will expect you to apply yourself to all tasks that you are set, whether you find them easy and enjoyable or dull and hard. I might set up specific rules when I get to know you better. I will try to be clear about my expectations, and I will never punish you for transgressing rules that you did not know were in place. You strike me as a person who values fairness, and so do I."

Kaden nodded. This was nothing he had not heard before although he did wonder about what specific rules might come into play once he got to know him. Instead of pursuing that line of question, he began pondering the rest of their day. "What happens if we get to the end of today and you decide that you still want me as your padawan? How does that work?" he asked glancing around the small apartment. Did Drex even have another bed in here?

Drex had no doubt that Kade was going to end up as his padawan. However, he thought that their relationship was going to be off to a better start if it felt like a conscious and deliberate decision on both their parts, and such a decision could not be made on the spur of the moment, however much the will of the Force was clear.

"We're going to talk about that when our decision is made," Drex said kindly. "Tomorrow morning. Important decisions should be slept on, and this is possibly the most important decision you are ever going to make in your life."

He didn't think he needed to sleep on it but neither was he going to argue, especially after the other day. This reminded him of Eeth's instructions and he took a moment to bolster some courage. "I apologise for disobeying you. It's not my place to question you," the boy said quietly. He didn't want there to be anything bad hanging between them, especially not today.

"Thank you, Kaden," Drex said softly. "Apology accepted."

With the apology out of the way Kade felt lighter still, he wanted Drex's approval and receiving it was like a reward in itself.

Drex rose from his chair.

"Come on, let me show you a place that is special to me," he said.