DISCLAIMER: I wish.

A/N: AHHH! I'm so excited, I received so much feedback that I'm seriously considering ending every single chapter in a cliffhanger…lol jkjk, thank you so much though, for reviewing.

Filthy Mushi—I'm sorry, I guess it was unclear about their ages and stuff. Right now, they're still little kids. Anakin's 9 and Ali's 8. I'm going to do a break to when they're older, though. That's part two. Thanks for the compliments and review—I'll try and live up to them.

Piper331—lol read on…read on…thanks for reviewing, I appreciate it.

The Al Bhed Slayer—I decided not to ruin things for EB, although I've heard the song before…I can't wait, you have to keep updating your story! Lol about the fluff thing—I tend to be a romantic deep down, so yeah, future chapters will be quite mushy. Mwahahahaha, I'm excited.

Legolover—awww, thanks! I'm glad it's not your run of the mill Ani/OC story. I didn't want Ali to be another Anakin hating, all powerful Jedi OC that I've read about in so many different stories, and I'm glad you think it's unique.

Amanda—you'll seriously have to read and find out, mwahahahahaha…

Nianko—yeah, it would be really horrible to not let her lift the feather, but would you put it past me? You'll have to read and find out, lol. Sorry about the lack of updates—I'm trying, it's just…idk, sometimes I'm in a writing mood and otherwise I'm not. If you review (Which you have done faithfully, thank you), I might be in writing moods more often : ). Jkjk, thanks for the input. And please don't kill me.

Cellar Door Rock—I always thought Anakin was a really cute little kid, and I decided to bring him back to his roots. I'm glad you liked, thanks for the review!

Time is a waste of life—Doesn't it go the other way around? Life is a waste of time? Ah well, I'm glad you liked it, I appreciate your review.

MissRyss03—lol I didn't mean for it to come out as Alien, more like Ali—Anne. And then you say them together. I never even considered the Alien aspect—I mean, it was all planned…all planned….lol thanks for the review! I'm so glad you liked it.

KittyKat26—lol don't worry, I'm not stopping there! You just gotta keep reading. ; )

Arein--Awww, you don't like Padme? WHY? I LOVED the Ani/Padme relationship…yes, she will be in the story. The other questions will be answered in time…lol thanks for the review, I'm so glad you liked it.

PART ONE: BUDDING

Chapter Four

Almost three months later

Jedi Temple

Coruscant

It was almost odd, how it developed. It developed on that day, actually. The day that Ali lifted the feather, the day that she showed her first real adeptness with the Force. Through their closeness, through their strong bond, Anakin Skywalker and Alianne Tyri formed a bond, a sort of telepathic connection, between their minds. Normally such a link was limited only to Master and Padawan relationships, but for some inexplicable reason, one existed between them. Perhaps it was the deep friendship that they shared. Perhaps it was the understanding that linked them. Perhaps it was the intense care that they each felt for the other. Maybe it was all three.

She could still remember the passionate joy she felt when the feather had lifted. She could still recall the grin that stretched across her friend's face, and the scowl that had darkened Sera's. Most of all, Ali remembered the feeling of being one with the Force—the peace, the tranquility, the calm and belonging that came with it. She had felt it before, in small pangs. These normally came when she was outside, however, mingling with Nature—whether it be lying in the grass, or climbing in the trees with the breeze in her hair, or simply sitting with her ankles in the lake. And never had the feeling of serenity been more overwhelming than when she had lifted that feather.

In the three months that had followed, Ali had felt many such incidents. She had improved exponentially—it was amazing how fast she was growing. Her progress was also an enigma in the Jedi Temple. How had Useless, Talentless Ali made such a complete turnaround? Speculations were audible all over the building, and despite a variety of answers to the mystery, one was most popular. Anakin Skywalker. His support gave her confidence a boost. It was common knowledge that the two were inseparable, best friends, and some (mostly girls) weren't fond of the fact. After all, it was also known that Sera had a crush on Anakin—which made him the most sought after youngling in the Jedi Temple. Sera—now there was a trendsetter. Gossip called her the prettiest, most popular, most skilled, and coolest Jedi female.

Ali, however, was ascending the ladder of talent rapidly. Although not quite at the top yet, she had already mastered using the Force to block the shots of training droids when blindfolded, was quickly learning how to perform mind tricks, and had almost perfected the Force pull and push. No one grudged her her progress, however. She earned it through hours of extra practice and meditation, just as she slowly earned the respect of her peers. Yes, life had truly improved for Alianne Tyri.

But right now? Ali was nervous. It was pure, untainted anxiety that abided in her stomach—she could practically feel it writhe. It felt like snakes, twisting and turning the lunch she had eaten hours earlier. It was the only emotion she could register. On second thought, she was hot as well. Ali shifted the lightsaber to her left hand and wiped her sweaty palm on her right thigh. The last thing she wanted was for her weapon to slip.

It was Padawan season. Jedi Masters would be looking for Padawans during this month, and probably the following two. After that, the unlucky ones who were too old and hadn't been picked would be dropped. Sent home. Failed. They would never become a Jedi Knight; never continue their dream of becoming a savior, a Guardian of Peace and of the People. And Ali was so scared that she might become one of those unlucky few. The teachers, the Knights, the Masters—they were all so accustomed to her failure, so used to her history of being incompetent, that they might think these last four months a fluke. Or they might not even have noticed her improvement. She needed more time to build up her credibility as a skilled youngling, to build up her potential. And time was exactly what she didn't have. Most of the time, if you reached nine or ten without being accepted as a Padawan, you were doomed. And Ali's birthday was coming up.

Right now, she was in a sparring session against one of Sera's talented girl friends, Kyla. Kyla was very, very good. If it were just another practice round, Ali wouldn't think anything of it. She'd try her best, and if that wasn't good enough—well, there was next time. But today? Today there were probably ten Jedi Masters sitting in the unusually large crowd of onlookers, searching the court for a prospective Padawan. And Ali desperately wanted to be the prospective Padawan they considered taking.

I'm so nervous, Ali thought-spoke.

You'll be fine, came Anakin's soothing reply. Someone's bound to pick you. Don't' worry about it—you've improved so much, they have to have noticed it. Nothing to be nervous about, okay?

Yeah, that's easy to say when you have a Master guaranteed already, Ali thought scoffed. She hoped sarcasm could travel through the link they shared. Master Kenobi might as well have a TAKEN: ANAKIN SKYWALKER sign stamped across his forehead in big bold letters. She heard him chuckled slightly, even through her nerves. The sound of Ani's laugh had been embedded into her mind. She was about to laugh to…but then the referee marched importantly into the ring. We're about to start! Oh, Ani…wish me luck.

You don't need it, but may the Force be with you, came his reply. She could practically feel him grinning. His confidence in her boosted her own self esteem.

She bowed to Kyla and then backed away, igniting the practice lightsaber and holding it in the 'guard' position. Ali was not a fan of offensive tactics—that was more Anakin, her usual sparring buddy, oriented. And thus Ali waited for Kyla's attack.

Sera's friend did indeed attack, faking a thrust to the right, and then stopping and lunging left. Ali dodged it, jumping to avoid getting cut. Kyla stepped in further, spinning in a whirl of long brown hair that whipped Ali's face. She swung to the left, stabbed towards the middle, and kept attacking. Each blow packed power behind it, and Ali found herself staggering from the weight. Kyla spun and twirled, aggressively striking again and again. Defensive tactics were not working well on this girl, who never seemed to run out of energy.

Twice Kyla almost succeeded in injuring Ali, and once grazed Ali's upper arm with the tip of her lightsaber. The crowd hissed in sympathy at the cut, which, although not shallow, stung like hell. Relying on her own senses wouldn't win Ali the battle. Reaching through the Force, she felt rather than saw Kyla's intentions. She twisted and turned, to the left, to the right, she ducked a vicious swipe, and so on. Each time the girl attacked, Ali had a premonition of where and when it would happen.

After about ten or fifteen minutes, which seemed like forever, no one seemed to gain an advantage. Ali pushed a lock of hair out of her eyes and tugged the sweaty strand behind her ear. Both still wielding their weapons warily, Ali and Kyla circled around the court, refusing to look away from each other in case of an attack.

Perhaps it was time to take a little action of her own. She was desperate for this win, and maybe her powers could help her out here. Ali concentrated with her whole being, and pulled on her connection with Nature. Her bond with the outdoors was like a bunch of little vines, intricately intertwined and traced throughout her body. If she grabbed at the right bundle, she would get the right response. If she pulled too lightly, she would fail. If she pulled too hard, however, things could turn out of control. It was a risk—but how badly did she want to be a Jedi? To be a Padawan? To win?

She felt her eyelids close in her focus and she breathed in. Inside her mind she tugged at the strand of air with all her might, heaving and straining against the resistance Nature made when it was messed with. She gathered all the air she had successfully won in her tug of war with the elements and contained it inside her mind for her control. She needed more—while Kyla was still tired and pacing. She continued her game, pulling as hard as she could until the store of air inside her was adequate.

And then she let it all out—in a forceful gust of wind that she aimed directly for Kyla's lightsaber. She used her mind and willed it into a funnel, with the end at Kyla's hand, which was loosely gripping her weapon. Ali threw her hand out, fingers pointing towards her opponent, and the air followed, flowing through her arm's veins and out through the tips of her fingers. A satisfying whoosh ensued, and Ali felt the mental strain of battling with Nature leave her pounding head.

Kyla gasped upon impact. Out of all the things she was expecting, a self conjured wind wasn't one. It hit her hand, knocking her lightsaber out of her unsuspecting grip, and the weapon skidded across the court floor, coming to a screeching halt. Ali was next to Kyla in an instant, her lightsaber pointed directly at Kyla's throat and only inches away.

"Surrender," Ali whispered, meeting the other girl's astonished stare.

There was a huge silence, tense with surprise and shock. Then, slowly, beginning with Anakin, a smattering of applause started around the room. The clapping grew in volume, echoing in the court, until Ali thought her heart might burst. She had won! In front of everyone, against a very worthy opponent.

"Shake hands!" The referee was screaming over the tumult. Ali obliged, smiling briefly into Kyla's face. Kyla smiled back—unsure if she ought to befriend Sera's rival.

"Good job," Ali said in a friendly tone.

"Thanks," Kyla whispered hesitantly. "You too." There was a brief moment where the whole Sera conflict dissipated—they were simply both Jedi Knight wanna-bes, with common interests and common goals. Then, Sera's voice called for her friend, and Kyla broke away, running back to the old world.

Ali stood there, in the middle of the court, staring after Kyla. Perhaps…perhaps there were decent people in that gang after all. Then the fight, and the battle with Nature, caught up with her and she gasped for breath. She was exhausted, but she had won. She had won! Fatigue made her stagger, and her mind felt the dues that followed messing with Nature. Collapsing was an option she was seriously considering right then.

She felt a tug on her red ponytail, and turned wearily around to see Anakin, his bright blue eyes shining with happiness. No words were needed between the friends—she simply smiled, worn out by her match. He smiled back, and hugged her briefly.

Good job. He thought spoke, beaming proudly at the girl whose improvement was off the charts. You were awesome. I like the wind thing, especially.

"I don't," She replied, sharper than she intended to. "If I had to resort to using my special powers to win, that means I'm not good enough." At Anakin's hurt expression, she softened.

Sorry, She thought apologetically. I'm just really tired…I didn't mean to snap. "I just have to practice more," She sighed, and pushed some stray strands of her red hair out of her face.

"I'll practice with you," Anakin replied easily, forgiving his friend for her bad mood instantly. "We'll get better together, okay?" She nodded and they shared a grin again.

About fifteen feet away, the Jedi Knight Lyra smiled at the small exchange the two friends shared. It told her almost everything she needed to know.

A/N: I think this was my longest chapter yet. From now on, the story will be jumping through time—stopping at important incidents—until ten years later, when they're 18 and 19—ish. PLEASE REVIEW! I've never written action before, and I don't know if I described things well enough…SO PLEASSEEEE!

P.S. Anakin still in character?