Ezra's Rule

He stood in the middle of the gently waving plains. In front of him, roughly carved into a large stone spire, was a name. He dropped his eyes to a collection of wild flowers standing between him and the rock. Their blue petals a sharp contrast to the dull colors of the plains.

"It's called a 'forget-me-not,'" she explained, as she twisted and turned the makeshift pot in a vain effort to find the best position. "And it's my favorite flower."

He stared at the lone blue flower in the pile of dirt. It looked kind of pathetic to him, all tiny and dried out, and he'd never thought she would like anything so –so girly.

"Um…Why?"

"Lots of reasons I guess," she answered with a shrug. "I like the meaning, I like the way they look, but I love the color."

She lifted the small pot and held it by his face.

"The same color as your eyes when you smile, and that is something I never want to forget." She smiled at him, a true from the bottom of the heart smile he'd only seen a couple of times.

His knees hit the ground and he stroked the soft petals. He'd thought it was a stupid reason to like a flower at the time, but now. . .

'Our eyes,' he thought, swallowing the lump in his throat. 'The same color as our eyes.'

Drops of water slid down his face and landed on the flowers.

"It always rains when I come here," he muttered hoarsely.

He sat there until the sun set behind him and cast his shadow over the flowers. He sighed and stood up. He brushed his hand over the name wishing he'd done a better job, but it was legible which was the best he'd able to do, blinded by tears as he'd been.

"Ezra." Kanan's voice, heavy with impatience and tinged with the slightest hint of concern, sounded over the comlink at his waist. "Ezra, you're half an hour late! If you're not back here in the next 15 minutes, you'll be spending the next week doing target practice with Zeb. As the target!"

"Coming," Ezra replied and shoved the comlink in his pocket not wanting to hear from anyone right now. It wasn't their fault; they didn't know he came here, and he certainly wasn't planning on telling them. But he was definitely leaving his comlink behind next time. He sighed and headed back in the direction of the Ghost, his new home, and the crew, his new. . . family?

The thought caused a confusing circle of painful yet not unpleasant feelings. Family. He liked the idea, craved it, but could he risk losing it all over again?

Long forgotten words echoed through his head.

"It might seem like a lot of rules, but you're my - my family and, I'm gonna keep you safe the only way I know how. So just follow the rules and spare me the heart ache, ok?"

He paused and spun back around.

"New rule," he declared pointing at the stone. "No one else! No one else is allowed to die or leave! Got it?"

Breathing hard, he turned back and dashed away. His heart hurt, but it also felt lighter. Behind him a faint, a barely there figure watched him leave. A true, from the bottom of the heart smile making her eyes glow the same color as the flowers at her feet.

"Got it, Mi Cielo."