DISCLAIMER: Sorry, I forgot it in the first chapter. I ALWAYS do that. Grrr…Either way, it's here now and it applies to the entire story. I don't own Star Wars or anything related to it.

A/N: YAY REVIEWERS! Each one that I received made me so happy. I love feedback, so please keep it up! Thank you so much.

The Al Bhed Slayer—lol I thought I was going to get FLAMED for not putting Ani with Padme. I love the two together, but I can't write them. It gets too mushy for me. I loved your story, keep updating! (shameless self promotion…I have to try that…)

FilthyMishi—It's so hard to keep the characters IN character because it doesn't seem like they HAVE any character. No offense to George Lucas, but he cannot develop characters. I can only hope Ani keeps in character…can you inform me if it starts getting OOC? Thanks.

Holly Blue Iris—don't worry, it gets happier…starting in this chapter, actually. Thanks for reviewing!

Nianko—drama queens are annoying and tough chicks make me feel silly and emotional. I'll try my best not to, but again, I need your input. Half the time I don't realize the mistakes I'm making. Thanks for reviewing!

Amanda—mwahahaha I'm excited for this story too. Thanks for reviewing, I'll try and live up to your praise, lol…

Piper331—Everyone (well, the majority of the adults) thinks that children are innocent, but I beg to differ. There are seriously some really evil little kids out there, and I decided to embody them in Sera—seemingly perfect, truthfully an awful piece of work. Thanks for the review, I appreciate it immensely.

PART ONE: BUDDING

Chapter One

Dodging people left and right, Ali sprinted down the hall. She could hear the taunting whisper: "I would cry too, if I were a piece of trash." Sera WAS a piece of trash, Ali thought vehemently. Immediately Ali rebuked the thoughts from her head—anger and hatred led to the Dark Side. The rules of the Jedi had been ground into her mind since a very young age, and it was second nature for Ali to obey them. What would she do when she was dropped out? She had no plans for her future, for she had always thought her future consisted of life as a Jedi Knight.

Ali sniffed, but then caught herself before a tear dropped. Jedi couldn't cry, either, but Ali knew she had violated that rule many a time. If she was to show emotion, it would be best to do it in the safety of her bedroom, away from the prying eyes.

"Watch out!" Someone cried loudly, and Ali looked up.

Suddenly Ali felt something very hard and very painful smack into her forehead. It was a boy. She gave a little yelp, and stumbled back, both hands covering her wound. It was throbbing and she couldn't think clearly. The smarting pain and her hurt heart combined made the threatening tears fall. Her vision went blurry, and she started to cry. Ali sank onto the ground towards the side of the hall, away from traffic, and tried to muffle her weeping with her hands.

Anakin had never made a girl cry before, and it was a most disturbing experience. Obi-Wan hadn't seen the head on collision, and kept on walking. For a moment Anakin was tempted to follow his Master, since without a leader he would surely get lost and be late. But the girl's sobs were too heart wrenching for the innocent heart of a nine year old to bear, and Anakin sat down next to her by the wall, throwing one last hopeful glance at the back of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"I'm sorry," Anakin said awkwardly. What was he supposed to do? Whenever his mother cried, a simple hug fixed the issues. But he was sure a hug to an unknown girl wouldn't be kindly received. Besides, almost every girl had cooties. Cooties were contagious. "I didn't really see you until it was too late."

His attempt at conversation was answered by a decrease in the volume of sobs, but an increase in sniffles. Obviously the girl was trying to control herself. The crying faded completely and turned into hiccups, which were literally impossible for her to control.

"My name's Anakin," Anakin offered. He tried not to laugh at the girl. In an effort to stop the hiccups, she had gulped in a deep breath and was holding it in. During this process, she was steadily turning redder and redder until he thought she might burst. "What's your name?"

"Alianne," She gasped, letting out her mouthful of air and deflating her cheeks. She inhaled, exhaled, and shyly smiled. "But you can call me-hic-Ali." The smile disappeared at the recurrence of the hiccups and she repeated the process that made her look like an overgrown tomato.

"Nice to meet you, Ali," Anakin said. His mouth twitched as she nodded agreeably at him, too absorbed in her current activities to speak. As he watched her turn from a deep red to a light purple, he couldn't hold in his amusement anymore. He laughed so hard that his sides hurt, rolling around on the ground.

Ali noticed a few Jedi Knights passing by frowning at Anakin and her disapprovingly, so she tried to hush him. But he simply wouldn't BE hushed—Anakin was practically howling in laughter. He made a funny sight—his too long hair flopping about as he thrashed, his eyes tearing up from delight. At last, the hilarity of the boy before her overwhelmed her and she began to giggle too. The giggles grew into full out chortles, and soon she was cracking up at the side of the hall of the Jedi Temple as well.

When Anakin could breathe, he began to talk. "You…looked like a…tomato when you were holding your breath," he gasped, clutching at his aching sides. She giggled.

"You looked pretty silly yourself," Ali retorted, grinning. "Like some guy who had gone insane. They were looking at you, you know. The Jedi Knights."

"Aww, let them look," Anakin replied, brushing away the comment. "What've they got against having some fun? Laughing a little?"

"A little?" Ali asked incredulously. They chuckled together. "I haven't seen you around before, Anakin. Where are you from?"

"Tatooine," Anakin replied. "I'm just joining the Jedi Order."

"How old are you?" She was genuinely interested.

"Nine and a half."

"Aren't you too old to join?" She said bluntly.

"That's what some of them said," Anakin sighed glumly. "But Qui-Gon Jinn insisted that I come. He said I was…" Here he leaned in confidentially to whisper in her ear. "The Chosen One." She nodded, eyes wide at the title. The Chosen One would bring balance to the Force—every child in the Jedi Temple knew of it. And here she was, laughing with the Chosen One like a…a friend!

"I'm behind everyone, though," He continued in a depressed tone. "I've never had any training with the force or anything like that. My mom…" He faded off, his voice miserable. Ail could tell he missed her, so she changed the subject.

"Don't worry, I'm behind everyone too. They tease me sometimes, because I'm so slow at learning." She was quiet and hurt, all readable in her sad eyes.

"Hey," Anakin whispered, hoping to bring the discussion back to happy tones. "I have an idea. Since we're both behind, you want to be behind together?"

"Like friends?" She asked, lifting her bowed head and revealing shining grey green eyes. A friend. A true one! Even one would make life so much more tolerable.

"Yeah," Anakin grinned at her. "Like friends."

A/N: Like? Hate? Please tell me! Sorry the chapter is so short, but I think it's cute—in a little kid way. I didn't have much time, leaving soon to go to a church camp. Next one should have more action, when Anakin meets Sera and the gang. Mwahahahaha…I'm excited. Please review! Flames accepted, as long as they're constructive.

p.s. is Anakin kinda in character? That's my major concern here.