Disclaimer: Star Wars belongs to an old American man with a grey beard. I possess none of those qualities.
A/N: Oh, I am on a roll! Igot THREE chapters up in one week, which is a serious record for me. It's all because of you awesome reviewers…Thank you all so much. For the rest of you—please, please, PLEASE read and review!
Filthy Mushi: Hey, guess what? ANOTHER FAST UPDATE, mwahaha…seriously, this is like, the best I have ever been at updating quickly. I think it's cuz of nerves from volleyball, and writing takes me away to another world, and helps me to just ease off a bit. lol, thank you so much for your consistent reviews, they are greatly appreciated. About Lyra growing old so quickly—idk, I wanted her to umm…(spoiler) die before the end of the story, so that Anakin could be there to comfort Ali, and thus I decided to make Windites age more quickly than the average human being. Once again, thanks for the review!
Allied to Darkness: lol yeah, I know it was kind of unexpected and out there, but it actually happened to a friend of mine who does fencing. She wasn't knocked out—just knocked to the floor. She was telling me about it, and I thought it was so hilarious that I decided to put it in here. Hey, what happened to updating EB II?
Audra Laudarque: double checks to see if I spelled that right, then cheers lol that is true—their relationship seems kind of superficial. At first, I really liked them two (Anakin and Padme) together, but now that I have him with Ali, I can't picture him with anyone else. Thanks for reviewing!
MissRyss03: lol would that not SUCK? It actually happened to a friend of mine who does fencing (well, she wasn't knocked out, but she was knocked off balance). Thanks for reviewing!
Kitty-Kat26: Another fast update, just for you mwahahahaha! Thanks for the support, it means so much to me.
Fell Dragon: Hey, did you get my review? Did ya? Did ya? Did ya? I didn't sign in, being a lazy bum, but I did review it! Lol I know the whole knocked out by boobs thing is kinda weird, but hey, so is my sense of humor. Hehehe, thanks for reviewing, I appreciate it so much!
SEMI- IMPORTANT A/N: I know you're all probably sick of me talking by now, but one last warning—major fluff ahead. If you don't like it, then don't read it.
PART ONE: BUDDING
Chapter Nine
About twenty minutes into class, Anakin was getting seriously worried about his friend. She was one of those rare teenagers who valued punctuality. What could've happened to delay her so?
Master Yen-Sui was droning on and on about the abnormally boring history of the Jedi Order when the door to his classroom burst open to review the missing person. She looked disheveled and strands of hair were loose from her typical ponytail, like she had been running. But she was here.
Anakin straightened himself from his slouched position to get a better view of his friend. Damn, he had missed her. He grinned as their gazes locked. She looked almost exactly like he had remembered—slender, tall, and poised. Her hair was still that unbelievable shade of red, and her eyes still that unearthly green. The two combined gave her an almost eerie, otherworldly aura. It had amazed him, that throughout all his travels with Master Kenobi, he had never found a girl to rival Ali's looks. She was truly unforgettable.
Ali beamed back at her friend, elated that he was back. He looked almost exactly as she had remembered, but he seemed to have grown even more, and his skin was tanner, and his sandy locks longer. Obviously he and Obi-Wan had more important tasks on their mind than simply maintaining some Padawan haircut. He still had those eyes, so clear and crystal blue, and that smile. Well, smirk. That grin upon his familiar face made her heart light up, a feeling which she had almost forgotten in his absence.
Hey, A familiar voice greeted inside her mind. You're late. Why?
I know it, She answered back. The explanation is long and quite frankly, not something I'd like to repeat. You'd make fun of me forever.
All the more reason for me to try and get it out of you, Anakin replied teasingly. Tell me.
"Padawan Tyri," Master Jen-Sui called harshly from the front of the room, where he had been so rudely interrupted from his lecture. "This is your fifth tardy, is it not?"
Ali cringed visibly, the excitement of seeing Ani again momentarily forgotten. "Ummm…"
"Yes or no?" The stern man ordered.
"Yes, it is, Master Jen-Sui," Ali replied, regaining her composure and standing up straight, face forward, again. Her smooth Jedi face slid into place. "And I apologize, but you see, I have an explanation for it. I was delayed in the dueling room this morning due to--"
"Do you have an excuse paper with you?" Jen-Sui demanded brusquely.
"Ummm…no," Ali answered sheepishly. "But you see, I have--"
"I suppose you have an explanation for that too?" The man said mockingly. "Well, Padawan Tyri, I have had enough of you and your explanations. An extra essay for tonight, to be written on the origin of the Sith. I want it to be twenty inches long, standard parchment. Due tomorrow. And your tardy will be reported to Master Lyra. Hopefully she will find some way to discipline you, and perhaps then you will stop disrupting the class. And if you are late yet again, I will personally walk you to Master Windu's office. Am I clear?"
"As highly polished glass, sir," Ali answered meekly. A few snickers followed her statement, but the class quickly quieted under Jen-Sui's cold stare.
"Good, Padawan Tyri. You may take that seat in the front corner." Inside, Ali winced again. That seat was always open because of the excess spit that Jen-Sui omitted whenever he lectured. It always tended to fly in that direction.
Outwardly, the girl obediently walked to her seat, head high, and sat. She took out her textbook and opened it to the appropriate page.
Have fun sitting there, Anakin chuckled inside her head. I heard he ate fish this morning. She could clearly see his blonde head out of the corner of her eye a few seats over. He looked like he was going to have a seizure—his face was red and his mouth scrunched up from restraining his laughter.
For lack of a better insult, shut up, Ali thought spoke. She heard a low chuckle emit from Anakin's seat. Just as she turned to shoot him a death glare, a stray bit of spittle hit her cheek. Ali tried to repress the shudder of disgust that came automatically. It did smell like fish.
So anyway, why were you late? Anakin asked once he regained his ability to breathe regularly.
I told you already. I was delayed in a practice duel with Sera. Ali replied smoothly. Hopefully he wouldn't suspect there was more to the story.
You're not telling me the whole story, Anakin thought grinned. Ali could feel the smirk through their connection without having to look at him. You forget—I can read your thoughts. I know you too well, Alianne Tyri. Just tell me, Ali. It can't be all that bad.
She chanced a glance in his direction. He was staring at her with those eyes, so sad and hurt that she didn't trust him. She sighed in resignation. She could never hold out against his persistency for long.
Okay, so Sera and I were dueling in the practice room alright? And no one really was there, Master Lyra was in the fresher, and we simply had different opinions on something, so we decided to spar about it. Could thoughts sound nonchalant? Because if they could, that was exactly what Ali was aiming for.
Different opinions? Anakin asked, amused. With you and Sera, that's the understatement of the century. Anyway, go on.
Well, we were fighting, and I ducked to avoid a blow, and then she just kinda came closer and we collided. Ali said simply. She bit her lip inwardly, hoping he wouldn't read too deep into it.
Wait, so you guys hit heads? Anakin asked, confused.
Shit. He was reading deep into it. Umm…not exactly, Ali replied warily.
So what happened? He inquired curiously.
Well…I guess her…and my head…and they were bouncing, and I was level, and she came closer, and it just kinda happened, and then I don't remember much but I do recall waking up in the nurse's room. Ali explained. There was a silence, a huge tense one. She could practically feel the gears turning in Anakin's head, spinning rapidly as he tried to decode her rant.
So wait...she hit you? With her…? And knocked you out? Anakin said, asking for confirmation. Ali did not reply, but when he looked over at her he saw that she had skipped right past red and had turned maroon. It did not compliment her hair.
The truth hit him then. It was true—Alianne Tyri was twenty minutes late to class because she had been knocked out in a duel by Sera's breasts. Seeing his friend's shockingly bright blush only made the whole situation more hilarious.
He burst out laughing, right as Master Jen-Sui was describing the noble but tragic death of Master Firen, who sacrificed his very being and soul to save the Jedi Temple from incoming intruders.
SHUT UP! Ali screeched in thought speak. It isn't funny. It was quite painful, actually.
This only increased the volume of Anakin's laughing. Now he was positively howling, all to the shock and anger of a very offended Master Jen-Sui. Jen-Sui was an aging old man, accustomed to the old days when elders were paid proper respect and when youngsters listened and obeyed with awe at their words. He scowled—Jen-Sui did not appreciate Anakin interrupting the lesson, especially during the heartrending tale of Master Firen.
Finally Anakin had to stop to gasp for breath, and he sent Ali a final thought. Quite…painful…And then he was sniggering again, so loudly that other students behind him even started to chuckle. Laughter is, after all, contagious. See it my way, Ali. Just picture it. You ducking and Sera… BOUNCING…towards you and then the 'quite painful' collision and you were…knocked out…by…her…BREASTS!
Ali felt her lips twitch in amusement. Hell, it must've been hilarious to watch. She felt her smile widen despite herself wishing it wouldn't, and seeing Anakin cracking up, and seeing Master Jen-Sui's disapproving expression, pushed her over the edge. She began to chortle, and then to giggle, and the volume increased until she was full out laughing with Anakin.
The other students, being somewhat rational, had seen the death glares Jen-Sui was sending them and remained silent. The only two who were making any noise in the room now were Ali and Anakin.
"BOTH OF YOU!" Jen-Sui shouted, infuriated at their antics. Almost immediately their laughter stopped. "You have showed me utter disrespect, and not to mention what you have done to Master Firen! He gave his life for this Order which has taken you in, and you disgrace his memory so? I will not tolerate such insolence any longer. Go, now, to Master Windu's office. The Dean of Students will know what to do. I wash my hands of the two of you, Padawan Tyri and Padawan Skywalker. I am most deeply disappointed, and I am sure that your masters will be too!"
The old man's nostrils flared in anger and he pointed violently towards the door. Meekly, the two Padawans in question packed up their books and submitted to the orders. They walked together, slowly, dignified, towards the door. Then, right as they were about to exit, Anakin had to say it. He had to.
Quite…painful…He thought spoke.
"OUT!" Jen-Sui screamed, spittle spraying and flying everywhere. The entire front row of his glance winced and jerked backwards, trying to avoid the worst of the eruption. He stalked, each footstep an echoing stomp, and slammed the door behind the two Padawans.
They broke out into laughter again, collapsing against each other in the hallway.
"Ow!" Anakin yelped for what seemed like the tenth time. He quickly withdrew his hand from the prickly bush and examined his thumb. A dot of red blood was quickly welling up on it. Swearing fluently, Anakin raised the injured digit to his mouth and sucked on it gently.
"Watch your language, Ani," Alianne scolded absentmindedly from a few feet over. She slowly removed her hand from the prickly bush and dropped the berries she had gathered into the bucket she was holding. Anakin scowled—while Ali's bucket was almost full, his was still pitifully lacking.
"It's easy for you to say, you haven't even gotten a scratch!" Anakin complained. And it was true—his friend's hands were immaculate, still that beautiful, pure, slightly tan shade of skin she always was. "Besides, what right does Master Windu have to make us do this?" Ali rolled her eyes. Anakin always had trouble accepting the authority of others.
Their punishment was to pick Yualta berries for Herbal Medication class. Yualta berries, when mashed into a paste and applied upon wounds, acted as a sort of anesthetic antibacterial ointment. It washed wounds of infection, and at the same time produced a pleasant, tingling sensation that would help ease the pain. These very useful little red berries, were, however, not simple to get. Although they grew easily in many terrains and climates, these berries were always located in the center of a very prickly bush. Yualta bushes were rumored to be alive, and to be the protectors of their valuable fruit. They guarded the berries ferociously, pricking those who tried to grab them away.
"Ow!" Anakin cried again, nursing to another wound. He looked over jealously at Ali, who was cheerfully removing berries from the surprisingly calm and harmless Yualta bush. "How are you doing that?"
"Oh, it's this bush I have," Ali explained with a smile. "It's being so nice and cooperative."
"Let me try!" Anakin cried excitedly, reaching over and inside Ali's bush. "OW!" A branch shifted in the wind to come down and slap Anakin's hand, leaving a long, red scrape.
"It's not the bush," Anakin grumbled, examining the cut which was now bleeding. "It's because you're Nature Girl." Ali gave a little shrug—what could she say? She was an Elemental.
"There, I'm done," Ali said after about five minutes. Anakin looked up at his friend with a somewhat exasperated, somewhat bitter expression in his eyes. He tried to move, very slowly, past the prickles of a bush, but his attempt at patience failed again, resulting in another cut to add to the many.
"Here, let me show you how," Ali sighed, grinning at her friend's short temper. He hadn't changed a bit. She knelt down next to Anakin and, placing her small hand over his, gently guided it inside a small opening in the bush.
"You have to slow, and gentle," Ali explained, her eyes still focused on not getting the two of them cut. "And if you rush it…well, you know what happens." She looked up with a grin at her best friend, to see an expression in his eyes that she had never seen before. It made her heart feel queer and beat harder inside her chest. Her smile faltered and faded, and suddenly she became aware of how very close they were, and how very warm it was, and how very tall and well built he had become.
And his eyes! Oh, were they always that blue? She could drown in those captivating sapphire pools, get lost in them forever, if she didn't look away now. Her breath caught in her throat.
"And then," Ali said, looking down and breaking their gaze. She was rather glad she had, actually, or she might've done something stupid. "You simply remove the berry. See?" She directed their hands back out of the bush, and then dropped his like a hot potato. The moment was gone, shattered, broken. But its memory remained, to be played again and again in each participant's mind, and to be puzzled over.
There was a pause, in which Anakin slowly opened his hand to reveal, in the palm of it, a few berries. He dropped them in his bucket, and met Ali's gaze with his own. She was smiling again, but it wasn't the same genuine smile. There was almost a pleading in her grin, begging him to pretend nothing had happened, nothing was different. Well, he'd play along for a while.
"So you never told me about Wyrn," Ali said, trying to initiate some conversation and to rid the air between them from that curious feeling. She reached inside a bush and started to remove more berries, dropping them into Anakin's bucket absentmindedly.
"Oh yeah," Anakin grinned, rising to the bait. "There's so much I have to tell you…"
A/N: YES, ANOTHER CHAPTER IS UP! Hey, guys, I really want to reach 100 reviews. I've never done that before, and if you could please contribute your part (lol, a.k.a. review) then I would appreciate it so much. It would make me feel so happy and loved and warm and fuzzy inside. So please, if you've gone through all this trouble to read this fanfiction, review it. PLEASE!
P.S. This is my longest chapter. Ever. Please review it? PLEASE!