Okay, so, here we go. It's my first multi-chaptered slash fic, so we'll see how it goes. Bear with me.

Any construtive criticism would be appreciated. Anything aside from canon-related stuff, that is. I was very careful considering how closely I would follow canon, so I'd appreciate it if you would just take it as it is. =]

Thanks, and I hope you enjoy it.


"… Very good," Master Zhar said, nodding and smiling at his young apprentice. "All right, Bastila, that's enough for today. Run along and play."

"Thank you, Master!" a six-year-old Bastila cried, jumping down off of her chair and racing out of the training room. She darted through the crowds of people, heading to the docking bay. Her favorite tree was there, looming over the entrance to the Enclave like a guard.

Bastila went and sat against the trunk of the tree, watching the people milling around in the docking bay. One of the older Padawans, a young man named Malak, headed over to Bastila. He looked excited.

"Bastila, did you hear? There's a new apprentice coming today! Master Vrook said that she's about our age! Maybe we can play with her some time!"

Bastila shrugged, looking up at the sky as a flock of birds flew past.

"Malak? Where are you?" a Master called from inside the Enclave.

Malak groaned, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "I have to go," he muttered. "But maybe I'll get to see the new girl later." He seemed to perk up at the thought, smiling and waving at Bastila before running off into the Enclave.

After an hour or so, a large ship docked. Throngs of people disembarked the vessel, most heading for the shuttle to the plains. Others were Jedi, returning from diplomatic missions on Coruscant. But then, as the majority of the people left, a small girl stepped out of the ship.

The girl didn't appear to be much older than Bastila herself, yet she moved with the grace of an adult. The new girl looked around the docking bay warily, watching everyone. Her cheeks were wet with tears, her eyes cloudy with emotional pain.

A Jedi Master came out of the Enclave and led the new girl in, but Bastila stayed behind. She stayed in the docking bay, climbing the lone tree and perching in the branches high above everyone else. Her curiosity was outweighed by a strange feeling in her chest.

A part of her was relieved the next day when she found that the new girl wasn't in any of her educational classes, but the other part of her wondered why. She didn't give the matter too much thought, immersed in her training.

Years passed, with Bastila only seeing the other girl, whom she now knew as Revan Turmen, every once in a great while. She was happy, having not received anything from her spoiled brat of a mother or done anything wrong in her training. Her potential was amazing and she became one of the best Padawans the Enclave had ever seen.

Then suddenly, the day Bastila turned 15, she received a small parcel in the inter-planet mail. It was her mother's handwriting on the box, cramped to fit in on the small surface. Bastila took one look at it, stuffed the box into her robes, and excused herself from her meal. She quickly headed out to the plains, making a valiant effort to fight off tears.

The moment she was out of the Jedi courtyard, she broke into a run. Bastila ran as far as she could, as hard as she could. When she reached the end of the Jedi controlled area, she turned and started back, stopping halfway back and collapsing to the ground. She began gasping for breath, her lungs and legs burning. Tears finally fell from her eyes, her chest aching as though her heart might fall out. Bastila wrapped her arms around herself and cried, lying in the grass.

It couldn't have been more than ten minutes that Bastila cried, but she suddenly heard footsteps. Bastila wiped her eyes on her sleeves and looked up to see who was coming after her. Something in her gut tightened when she saw Revan standing near her, looking worried.

Bastila sat up quickly, wiping her cheeks and resting her hands in her lap. "What?" she asked quietly, her voice sounding a little more harsh than she had meant it to.

"I… I saw you run out here alone, and I thought you might need some help or something," Revan murmured. She looked genuinely concerned; her striking green eyes were full of worry. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I guess," Bastila replied miserably. She sniffled softly, hating how pitiful she sounded. After a moment, she chanced a glance at Revan. The other teen was still standing there, looking helpless. "You're Revan," Bastila said softly, for lack of anything else to say.

Revan nodded slowly, settling herself down on the grass at Bastila's side, still maintaining a comfortable distance between them. "Yeah, I am. And you're Bastila, right?"

Bastila nodded, pulling up a few blades of grass and shredding them. Having finally met Revan, she didn't know what to say. It made her even less comfortable knowing that Revan had seen her crying. She reached into her pocket and touched the box from her mother, fighting off a fresh wave of tears. "Hey, Revan?" she asked before she even knew what she was doing. "Have you ever hated someone for ruining your life, even though you weren't supposed to?"

Revan glanced over at Bastila thoughtfully. "Yeah."

Bastila nodded, looking up and out across the plains. She sighed finally, her head drooping again. "Me too."

Revan was silent for a moment. "I'm an orphan," she began, tucking her knees to her chest and staring at the grass in front of her feet. "A Mandalorian raid came, and my mom told me to hide out in the backyard. I did, and when all the shooting stopped, my house was burned to the ground, and my parents were dead. I hated the Mandalorians for a while, but finally, I just gave up. It wasn't worth it; I can't do anything to stop them, anyway. I'm just one person."

Bastila turned and looked over at the girl beside her, surprised at the revelation. "I'm sorry," she murmured, not knowing what else to say.

Revan shrugged, sitting up a little straighter. "Me too." She lapsed into silence again, her face not showing pain or anything similar to it. She didn't look like she expected a story in return, but Bastila grit her teeth and opened her mouth anyway, deciding that it was the least she could do.

"My mom just sent me here to get rid of me," Bastila mumbled darkly. "I don't think she ever really loved me. My dad was a treasure hunter, and she loved sending him out to find things. I was just extra luggage, basically. My mom couldn't have gotten me here fast enough when she found out I could be a Jedi."

Revan frowned. "You hate your mom?"

Bastila nodded curtly, absently shredding more grass.

"Aw, Bastila, that's not right. If it wasn't for your mom, you wouldn't be here."

"Isn't that what I just said?" Bastila asked softly, drawing a deep breath to calm herself.

Revan sighed. "That's not what I meant. Your mom loved you enough to bring you into this life, didn't she? You just gotta let go of that hate. It's not good for you to hold onto that," she finished.

"You mean I'll fall to the dark side."

"No," Revan replied, getting to her feet. "I don't mean that at all. I don't think you can fall that easy. But it'll eat you up inside, make you miserable." She brushed herself off. "You seem like you're too good a person to be miserable, anyway."

Bastila looked up at Revan thoughtfully. She felt her anger toward her mother lessen a little. "Thanks," she mumbled, suddenly wishing she'd gotten to know Revan earlier.

"I love your accent," Revan said suddenly, grinning. "It's just so…"

"Strange? Different? Irritating-but-you-don't-want-to-say it?" Bastila asked, counting off on her fingers sarcastically. She knew most people found her accent a little hard to understand, something that she found annoying.

"No," Revan murmured, confusion on her face as she frowned. "I personally think it's adorable," she grinned. "But I guess you could say it's very exotic."

"Is that good or bad?" Bastila asked sullenly, wrapping her arms around her knees.

"It's perfect," Revan told her, smiling. "Where are you from?"

"Talravin," Bastila replied, her mood lifting a little. "And… thank you. I mean it."

Revan nodded. "No problem." She was silent for a moment, finally looking back down at Bastila. "So, are you going to stay out here all night, or do you plan on coming in soon?"

Bastila shrugged. "I'm not sure. Why?"

Revan looked a little embarrassed all of a sudden. "Well, I don't know, really. I mean, I've been wanting to get to know you since I heard one of the Masters talking about you. They said you were one of the most intelligent Padawans they've had, and that you could be a real role model. I've… well, I just wanted to get to know you."

Bastila blushed a soft pink. She hadn't realized that the Masters were praising her like that. "I…" She fingered the box in her pocket again. "I think I'll just stay out here a little longer."

Revan nodded slowly, turning and starting to head away. "Hey, Bastila?"

"Hm?"

"Don't skip dinner today, okay? It's not good for you. Besides, crying'll drain you out, and eating something helps you feel better." Revan glanced back at Bastila, something akin to concern in her eyes.

Bastila was surprised. She didn't know that anyone had noticed her skip the occasional meal. "I… All right."

Revan nodded, looking a little happier. "Good." She turned and walked back toward the Enclave, leaving Bastila alone on the plains, feeling a little better.

Bastila pulled the box out of her pocket and stared down at it. After a long moment she opened it, surprised to find a necklace inside. The long titanium chain glittered in the sunlight, the small pendant that held a stone that matched her eyes sparkled as well.

Bastila stared at it, a dull anger burning in the back of her skull. She set the necklace back inside the box, grabbing the note that had come with it. "Dear Bastila," she read aloud, her voice shaking. "I'm sorry that I've let us grow so far apart. I will try to come and visit you some time soon, if I can tear your father away from this new planet. I love you, my daughter."

Bastila stared at the last line of the note, tears filling her eyes. She couldn't help but think that her mother just wrote the note for show. Bastila stuffed the note back into the box and shoved it back into her robe pocket.

She sat out on the plains for a little while longer, fighting wave after wave of emotion. When she was finally semi-calm, Bastila got up and headed back to the Enclave, taking her time. Remembering Revan's request, she headed toward the cafeteria, surprised to find it mostly empty. She'd apparently spent more time on the plains than she had thought. It was nearly eight in the evening, standard time. Bastila frowned to herself, grabbing something to eat and heading to her dorm.