Ani's P.O.V.

~Five Years Later~

"Good, very good," Luke speaks up while pacing back and forth, his gaze is intently on the light of our sabers, "Calm your senses and use the force to feel one another's actions..."

I steady my stance and hold my light saber against the one Ben's using. He's pushing his light saber from above, he's a foot taller than me so he has no other way than to push down from above. We're gripping our swords hard as we try to overpower the other. I do as I'm told and calm my breathing and mind so I can sense Ben's next move. Feeling his foot slip to the side a hair, I then push hard with my light saber and flip back. He stumbles back slightly from the abrupt force just as I swing my saber at one of his sides. He blocks it instantly and I spin it to hit the other side of him, but he quickly blocks it again.

Within seconds, my saber rapidly goes back and forth, aimed at his sides to which he continues to block. We stay in this dance of ours until he raises his light saber above his head and straight down at me. I have to kneel and put my light saber above my head to block it. The sound of the sabers against one another is loud above my head. He pushes down with more force and I know at that minute he could win just because of his physical strength. Before he applies more muscle and before I could move my hand to use the force on him Master Skywalker claps his hands announce, "Amazing... At ease, both of you."

We both quickly pull back and shield our light sabers, I let out a tired breath and Ben does the same. He offers me a smile before helping me up from my kneeling stance. Once we're both up in standing positions, we turn to face Luke. He nods at us smiling proudly and I can't help but do the same knowing Ben and I have come a long way to duel like that without either of us actually getting hurt. Nodding to both of us, Luke declares, "You both are doing outstandingly well for your age. I can see that it won't take long now for you both to Master saber combat."

Ben and I nod in thanks and glance at one another before looking back at Luke as he continues.

"After lunch, I think we should run through a few mind tricks-"

"Uncle, I..." Ben speaks up quickly as I send him an impatient expression. Before Luke can tell us what he has planned for us this afternoon, Ben reveals what he and I rehearsed to say earlier this morning, "Since my father is coming back tonight, I was hoping Ani and I could finish up training earlier today."

"Hm... I see." Luke mumbles as he peers between us, he takes a step closer to us and urges innocently, "What shall you do until he arrives then?"

"We- I wanted to go the lake and back before my father returned," Ben explains nervously, which makes me smile and suggest myself to our Master, "We could practice force lifting on the rocks at the lake."

"I see." Luke nods his head slowly, and he turns around to the table with stacks of force using books. Ben and I don't know it, but the only reason he turned his back to us is to hide the smile on his face from us seeing it. Walking to the table Luke then speaks up to us slowly, "Well, I don't see why not... as long as Leia knows your whereabouts... And your back before Han gets here-"

"Thanks, Uncle!"

"Thank you, Master!" I repeat, just after Ben does, we grin at one another with pure joy. We don't let him finish what he's saying before turning around and running to the Jedi Temple's doors. I wave my hand out and use the force to grab my bag as we run toward the doors. Ben uses his hand to open the doors with the force himself and just as we are out the doors we can hear Luke call out to us, "Don't forget your reading tonight, though!"

"I wouldn't dream of it!"

Ben calls out to him and it causes me to giggle from knowing Ben probably won't once his dad gets back. I sling my bag around my shoulder as we run across the grass field. When I notice Ben getting ahead of me I shove him and sprint harder. This only makes him snort and grab the bag on my back. I feel a harsh tub by him on my bag causing me to fall back; I hit the ground with a thud. Sitting up, I see Ben running ahead of me, growling I stand back up and run after him. He's a foot ahead of me when I notice his mother walking with C-3PO. She looks at us suspiciously as we pass them, putting her hand on her hips Leia calls out to us, "Where do you two think you're going?"

"To the lake! Luke gave us the okay- Hey!" Ben answers his mom when I surprise him by jumping onto his back. His hands go underneath my knees as my arms wrap around his neck for support. He glances at me in confusion on why he's holding me now, but all I do is grin and point out, "We'll get there faster! Now, let's go!"

"Fine..." Ben groans like he's annoyed but gets a better grip on me as he runs again, suggesting mockingly, "I'm going to tell Luke you need to work out more in the mornings."

"It's not my fault I have shorter legs than you-"

"Ben!" Leia scoffs as she watches us running further away from her as if she's not there, "What about your father and Chewy?!"

"We'll be back before they arrive! Don't worry!" I shout to her and laugh while holding onto Ben tighter, "Come on, run faster! Chewy's way better than you."

Ben lets out a huff while shaking his head, but listens to me and picks up the pace. I know I weigh nothing to him, Luke has him lifting three times the weights I do. Ben's dark long hair whacks me as he runs, and I'm forced to move my head above his. I feel much taller on his back, but that's only because he's grown two feet taller since we've met while I've only grown a few inches. Han says it's in Ben's genes and he probably will keep growing, but I hope he's wrong. I don't enjoy being the shortest out of everyone, especially since it's Ben's go-to subject to mess with me on. Looking above Ben's head only makes me want to be taller even more.

Peering around, I see the huts Luke, Ben and I sleep in every night. I can also see in the distance the ship Leia arrived on a month ago. She, Han, and Chewy don't live on Yavin 4 like us three because of their missions, but they visit every chance they get. As Ben runs, I can also see a patch of flowers growing on the outskirts of our home, theirs a stick with my father's helmet on top of it in front of the flowers. It was five years ago when I planted the flowers there on my father's gravel. Ben was the one to put the helmet there on the stick for me. Glancing away from the grave, I see Ben and I heading into the forest which lets me know we're getting close to the lake.

These five years could have been hard on me if it wasn't for Ben and his family. They took me in as one of theirs, none of them ever acted like I wasn't one of them. Leia would always bring me a new dress when she visited and fixed up my hair every day she stayed. Chew taught Ben and me how to play a game called chess on the Falcon. Han when he visited always helped us get better at shooting a blaster because he knew Luke wouldn't teach us. Luke also welcomed me greatly. In the beginning, we would trade stories about Obi-Wan. However, Ben Solo was the one who has done the most to make me feel a part of this family. I couldn't ask for a better friend than him, I couldn't ask for a better partner for our training than him.

"Ani, I can sense you're overthinking." Ben blurts out in front of me and I realize I have been since I caught sight of my father's grave. Leaning my head against the top of his, I sigh and speak up in an apologizing voice, "We passed by my father's grave..."

"Hey," Ben slows down his speed and glances back at me, "He's proud of you. Your parents and grandparents are proud, Ani, don't forget that."

"You think?"

"I know. I can feel it, Anakia." Ben smiles at me and jogs faster, "And am I ever wrong?"

"Well..." I murmur with a smirk as I point out innocently, "You thought I was an angel when I got here- Ah!"

Ben bends over rapidly, causing me to flip over and hit the ground in front of him.

"I said that once when I was eleven." Ben grumbles as he peers down at me, "When will you stop reminding me?"

"When you stop reacting that way." I grin just as he grabs my arms to pull me up. From how easily he pulls me up makes me feel light as a feather. Once I'm on my feet, I look around and see the blue lake just a few yards away from us. He shuffles toward it tiredly from all the running but I follow him feeling relaxed from the break of not having to do anything while he did all the jogging. One glance at him I could tell he's annoyed that I brought up what he said as a child and I roll my eyes and reason with him, "Don't be mad at me, Leia was the one who told me."

"I still can't believe she told you." Ben shakes his head as we get closer to the water, "... And I can't believe you still bring it up."

"Oh, come on." I laugh, shrugging lightly as I turn around to walk backward so we're facing each other as we head to the lake, "Don't get your light saber in a twist. I liked it when I found out, it made me laugh and that was the first time I really laughed since..."

"I get it." Ben smiles softly at me before mumbling like he didn't want to say it, "I guess... You can keep reminding me."

"You guess..." I giggle before turning around and walking faster to the lake as I add lightly, "Like you could stop me from saying it."

"Oh, I could." Ben snorts and jogs up beside me as I reach the lake, "... But I won't. For now, I'll just..."

"Ben!"

I screech as I feel myself being lifted into the air by the force. I look behind me and see Ben still on the ground, laughing at the sight of me. With a flick of his fingers, I'm thrown immediately into the lake. I am a few feet underwater from how hard I dropped into the lake and I have to swim up quickly to breathe. When my head pops out, I gasp for air and spin around until I find Ben laughing his ass off at the edge of the lake. I glare at him before swimming up to the shore; I storm onto land, my attire utterly soaked. Once my feet are on land I run after Ben, to which he runs away still cracking up. He glances back at me with a wide grin teases, "You can't be mad, Ani. I thought all angels could fly."

"So that's how you want to play?" My eyes go wide as he uses what I tease him about against me. Pushing my wet hair out of my face, I lift a rock with the force and declare, "I'll show you what an angel can do then..."

"Ani, come on." Ben puts his hands up in surrender as he tries not to laugh at me any more than he already has, "You will not throw a boulder at me."

The two of us stand yards away from one another now. One completely dry and one completely soaked. Ben still is trying not to laugh through his smile, it's only when I smirk and raise an eyebrow that his smile drops. With the boulder still in the air Ben sprints away again yelling, "Ani, I'm sorry! I was only joking!"

"Tell that to my drenched tunic."

"Ani, don't do- Ani... Stop- Ani!"