Chapter 4 ~*~

Anakin and Amalia made it their goal to meet every night, knowing that Amalia was strong enough to sense any trouble with Padme and Anakin was, well, aggressive enough to scare away trouble.

"So, have you ever been in love?" Anakin asked. "Or are you going to tell me that a true Jedi shouldn't love?"

"I think you're just asking me this so you can gloat about you and Padme again." Amalia said as they walked the streets of Coruscant.

"I'm not going to gloat." He said with a grin. "Honestly."

"Well, I think a Jedi should be allowed to love. It's a powerful emotion Anakin. An emotion that leads to happiness, granted there's nothing wrong with your love life…" Amalia said, looking at the buildings.

"You're not answering the other part of my question Amalia." Anakin said, poking her side.

"Alright!" She said, giving him a slight push with her mind. "His name was Eli Wessen, he had gray eyes and dark brown hair." Anakin rolled his eyes. "You wanted to know, so I'll tell you the full story, deal with it Ani. We grew up here at the centre, and he was a bit of an ass wipe when we were young Padawan being taught by Yoda. I made it my job to be better than him. We competed a lot, until we were about twelve or thirteen when we received our private trainers, we didn't see each other often after that."

"So what happened?" Anakin asked.

"Well when we were seventeen we both stayed at Coruscant for long periods of time, training intensively for the trials." Amalia said. "Something changed with him, he was humble and sweet. I think it was his Jedi Master, whipped him into shape." Anakin grinned. "We dated secretly, and during vacation time he would take me to his home planet of Corellia and we would jump planets using his ship. When we both turned eighteen, he promised me that when we both became Knights he told me we would go around the galaxy to find my family."

"What happened?" Anakin asked.

"He was captured on his ship when he was passing by Kessel. I could feel him struggle before they put him in chains. For three months I couldn't sleep, because when I did I saw his face in agony, he would send thoughts to me telling me that I shouldn't rescue him because they would only capture me as well. He told me that he was going to die before I got there, that he wanted me to remember him as a handsome Jedi. Eventually his messages stopped, and I couldn't sense him anymore. I was too weak, and didn't want to hear his agony." Amalia said, stopping on the sidewalk.

"I went to Geonosis later the week I realized his death feeling tired and not ready to fight. But I surprised myself, turns out your presence mister, helped me a lot there." Amalia continued.

"Do you think you can fall in love again with one of the other Jedi?" Anakin asked.

"Well you heard what Yoda said." Amalia replied. "I'm sleepy…I promised Master Windu we'd have a duel on the roof in the morning. He'll kick my ass." Amalia said, and she and Anakin turned around and went home.

~*~

Amalia ran to the roof early that morning. With Yoda's urging, Anakin brought up several of the young Padawan to watch the duel. "Don't rush Amalia. It's only an informal duel."

"Sorry Master Windu." Amalia said, shaking herself to loosen her muscles.

Anakin sent her a thought. "Amalia sucks." Amalia sent a more obscene thought back to Anakin, and he grinned and laughed, looking stupid because no one talked.

"Are you ready?" Master Windu asked.

"Yes, actually, I am." Amalia said, removing her cloak to show her skintight uniform bodysuit. Mace Windu charged at her and she deftly blocked his saber from cutting her side. He slashed and she parried with almost equal strength and speed.

"See how she blocks his lightsaber so quickly?" Anakin said. "That's what will happen to you young Padawan. You'll learn to feel the Force flowing through you, sometimes you won't even notice, it'll become second nature."

"Excuse me, Master Skywalker, can we have lightsaber duels?" One of the smallest of the Padawan asked.

"No, only Master Yoda can tell you whether or not you are ready. If you fight with a lightsaber too haphazardly, you may end up having to get a new arm, like I did, or a new hand, like Amalia has." Anakin said.

"Look! Her lightsaber's going to fall off of the building!" Another Padawan yelled.

Anakin was sitting back, knowing that Amalia would bring it back to her. "She wasn't gonna let it drop you bucket head." Another replied.

"Hey…no name calling." Amalia said, careening past them.

After ten more minutes of endless sparring, Mace Windu finally called a halt. "Well, you fight harder now than ever Amalia, that's a good improvement for when the Republic will call us to fight in the wars. I'll be going now. Anakin you and Amalia take these Padawan back to Yoda. I'm sure he'll want to hear what they have to say."

Amalia walked towards them, sore and sweating. Her robe flew onto her shoulders. "You were really great out there Master Jett-Aulie." A Twi'lek child said.

"It's Skywalker. Anakin and I are twins." Amalia said, smiling at the little boy.

"Master Skywalker, you and your brother should fight." Another said.

"It's not fighting, it's a duel." Anakin said. "Fighting makes it sound evil. We practice so that we can get stronger, and that when we actually do have to use our lightsabers, we know how to feel for the attack."

A crashed speeder was heading toward them, Anakin and Amalia both sensed it and with their lightning fast Jedi reflexes, they spun around and managed to land the ship gently onto the pad. "Come on, there'll be falling debris. We don't want our future Jedi Knights to get hurt now do we?" Amalia said, scurrying the children away.

~*~

"Enjoy it you did?" Yoda asked the children. "A powerful warrior with and without the sword is our precious Amalia."

"And Anakin." Anakin grinned.

"And our other Master Skywalker." Yoda said, smiling at them.

"Master Yoda, can a Jedi fight without using a lightsaber?" A tall Padawan asked.

"Ask them you will." Yoda said, limping towards them. "Experienced are they in battle, not like Master Yoda."

Amalia laughed. "If we're experienced in battle Master Yoda, what does that say for you?" She used the Force to playfully levitate the little green Jedi. His eyes grew wide as she levitated him to his seat.

"Give them not ideas for which to use." Yoda said in his 'old-man' chuckle. "One day, floating I will be in the hallways." Anakin began to laugh. "Funny is the thought Anakin?"

"Of course Master Yoda. It's like seeing your former trainer zooming through the hallways." Anakin replied.

"But yes, little Padawan, a Jedi can fight without using a lightsaber. A Jedi can use the Force to push," Amalia answered, using the Force to gently knock Anakin towards the wall. "or to levitate."

"Hey, you are not levitating me missy." Anakin said, getting ahead of her. He made the children laugh by sometimes jerking her up and down a bit.

"My young Padawan, say thank you to our visitors." Yoda said. Anakin let go of Amalia and she fell from her spot on the ceiling straight onto her bum.

"You're gonna get it now Anakin." Amalia grinned as the children laughed hysterically.

~*~

Anakin and Amalia were running through the halls like little children themselves. She ran faster than he did, but he swerved constantly to avoid her. "Anakin stop! You're going to bump into someone!"

Sure enough, he crashed into Padme who was with Chancellor Palpatine. "Ani? Amalia? What are you two doing?" Padme asked with a slightly amused grin.

Amalia jerkily lifted Anakin off the floor with the Force, as she caught her breath. "I was trying to catch Anakin so that he'll pay for dropping me on my rear when he levitated me."

"I didn't mean it. Yoda started talking." Anakin said, defensively. She put up another invisible barrier sensing he would try to hug her. So she found her humor when he eagerly went to hug her and fell to the floor.

"Alright, now we're even." Amalia replied.