Disclaimer: I've screwed up literally every single translation of "It does not belong to me". So yeah, that idea didn't turn out so well. Back to the old "it ain't mine."
A/N: ARGGGHHH I'M SO SORRY FOR THE LACK OF UPDATES! School just ate up my life. Ahhh I feel so bad. You guys were awesome about reviewing, though. THANK YOU SO MUCH! I appreciate every single comment and compliment and constructive criticism I received. It really means so much to me. Thank you once again, and keep it up!
PART ONE: BUDDING
Chapter Fourteen
"Padawan?" A voice called hesitantly from the doorway, stopping her from her frantic activities. Ali turned around from stuffing last minute objects (such as an extra towel and toothbrush) into her luggage case to face her Master.
"Yes, Master?" Ali inquired politely. Lyra did not seem too happy today—she wore a tense, uncomfortable expression upon her face and would not return Ali's small smile.
"There is something I need to talk to you about," Lyra said solemnly. The Windite glided stiffly into her Padawan's bedroom and sat upon the bed. Ali followed suit. That tone meant serious business.
"What is it, Master?" Ali prompted after a taut silence fell between the two.
"Are you sure, Padawan, that you are…ready to go on this mission?" Lyra asked slowly, seeming to think over each word as she said it.
"Yes, of course I'm sure!" Ali replied hotly. This was exactly why Ali had been avoiding her Master for the past few days—she was certain a lecture would appear with Lyra's presence. Slowly, over the days that had passed, Ali had managed to convince herself it wasn't entirely her fault. After all, Sera had been taunting her! Yes, she rose to the bait, and yes, that emotion was wrong—but Sera had started it! Why did the blame always fall to her?
"Well, I want you to be very, very careful then," Lyra continued. "Stay out of trouble and don't go looking for conflicts. If one finds you, make sure you team up with another Padawan to fight."
"You don't think I can handle it alone, Master?" Ali said incredulously. Seeing Lyra's cautious, unreadable appearance was absolutely infuriating! Her own Master doubted her skills.
"Just don't let what happened during the tournament happen again, Padawan." Here the Windite's tone was distinctly stern and lecturing.
"You don't trust me," Ali whispered in shock. Lyra shifted uncomfortably.
"I don't want you to get hurt."
"Have you discussed this with the Jedi Council, Master?" Ali asked quietly, ignoring her Master's last comment.
"Yes, I have, Padawan. They believe you deserve another chance."
"Then why can't you accept their judging? Why can't you allow me to make up for past mistakes?" Ali cried, standing up now in her passionate hurt.
"Because, Padawan, I know you better than the Jedi Masters do! Now is not the time to send you off on a mission of your own, without guidance from me! And, especially after the tournament's display, I do not think you are ready!" Lyra matched Ali's voice in intensity, and yet not in volume.
Ali was speechless. This cut stung worse than all the injuries she'd suffered in her training years combined. Her own Master did not trust her! Sensing her hurt, Lyra sighed, and her facial expression softened.
The Windite spoke again, her voice urgent, sincere, and yet still quite subdued. "You're too sure of yourself, Padawan. You haven't matured yet, at least not emotionally. Your physical talents and sword fighting skill may very well rank among the best, but if you cannot control your temper, then it is all in vain. I stand against you going on this mission, but once again, I know you too well. You're stubborn and rash, Ali. If you must go, I cannot stop you. But be very, very careful."
And with that said, Lyra calmly picked herself up and walked to the door, exiting from Ali's room and leaving behind the softest breeze.
Anakin couldn't keep the smile off his face. He and his team of Jedi Padawans were half an hour away from leaving on their own mission (in which he was captain), and he had Obi-Wan's blessing and approval to lead it! This was indeed a happy day.
He noticed that Ali's door was still slightly ajar, and knocked on it slightly before opening it all the way. His friend's back was to him, and she was busy muttering to herself as she ran about stuffing materials into a bag.
"Stubborn and rash?" Ali murmured heatedly. "After all these years, she still thinks I'm stubborn and rash?"
"Who does?" Anakin asked, smiling. The redhead spun around to see her best friend, leaning casually against the doorframe. His arms were folded and his legs crossed, giving him a very lounging sort of bored look. He quirked an eyebrow at his friend as she groaned and refused to answer.
"You should've knocked," Ali said, ignoring his question completely.
"I did, but you didn't hear me. Need help with that?" For now Ali had tried to close her luggage bag, pushing all the contents in irritably as she tried to rapidly zip it up.
"Yes, please," She answered distractedly. He came over and helped her shove down all her belongings, leaving her hands free to zip close the bag triumphantly.
"Ali, we're only going to be there for two and a half days," Anakin said with amusement, motioning at the oversized baggage. "This is enough to last you a week."
"I know, but I just kept thinking—how embarrassing would it be to have to ask the Senator to buy you an extra pair of underwear because you forgot to pack enough? And soon that rule carried over to everything else, and I found myself packing spares for toothbrushes, towels, and so on down the line. And I just couldn't bear to take it out of my bag because I knew if I did, I would regret it later."
Anakin laughed out loud. "You, Alianne Tyri, are an entity unto yourself. Do you need help carrying that?" For now the slim girl was struggling to heave the huge suitcase up off her bed, and was wobbling slightly as she carried it towards the door.
"Yes, please," she panted, smiling ruefully at him.
"What's in here?" He asked in surprise, half teasing, half serious, as he picked up the heavy load. "Did you feel that it'd be too embarrassing to ask the Senator for a set of bricks, too, and decide to bring your own?"
"Shut up and walk," She laughed. He grinned back at her, and the two proceeded to make their way to their ship. All thoughts of rash actions and stubbornness faded from their minds.
The four Padawans had gathered, loaded their luggage, received last minute repetitions of rules, warnings, regulations, and instructions, and then took off. All five were trained in piloting, so each Padawan paired up with one or two buddies and took a two hour shift of flying. The journey would take about six hours, so one pair would have to go twice.
It was Ali's break right now, which meant that her teammate, Anakin, would also be off. Both were feeling rather hungry, seeing as how they missed lunch, and decided to visit the plane's kitchens to grab a bite to eat.
The plane was not a particularly spacious one. The kitchens, however, were even smaller. It was like a very cramped closet, with a small freezer shoved into one side and a countertop and sink lined up on the far end of the wall. Ali walked in right as Anakin had shifted to the counter, preparing for himself something to eat.
"Hello," Anakin said, his voice muffled from the food inside it. She wrinkled her nose and proceeded to pull open the freezer door.
"That's disgusting, Ani," She murmured absentmindedly. He flashed her a cheeky grin. "Is there anything edible in this contraption?" Anakin didn't answer but instead diverted his attentions back to his food.
She was still looking through the freezer when the speakers blared. The voice of Kyla came on overhead.
"Hang on, Alianne and Anakin, we're experiencing a bit of turbulence here."
No sooner had this warning been issued when the entire bloody kitchen began to shake. Pots and pans hanging up on the walls clattered together noisily, and suddenly, without warning, the whole ship tilted forwards precariously. Random kitchen utensils unhooked themselves from their location and came clashing down onto the kitchen floor. Ali immediately lost her balance, tried desperately to grab at the freezer door, missed, and wiped out on the tiles. Anakin gave a small yelp and then slid off his seat on the countertop, landing right on top of Ali and knocking the wind out of her.
As quickly as it had started, the ship righted itself. "Sorry!" The magnified voice of Kyla declared.
But the two occupants of the kitchen, one lying atop of the other, had not heard her apology. Ali became acutely aware of how incredibly close Anakin's face was to hers, and she discovered that the intensity in those blue eyes had definitely increased. She could feel his warm breath, which sounded rather ragged, and the effect had upon her heartbeat was alarming. She knew that her cheeks were flaming, probably a brilliant shade to match her hair. Ali didn't blush often, but this seemed a just case for it.
"Sorry," Anakin said quickly. "Sorry, sorry, sorry." He picked himself off the floor rapidly, before he did something stupid and hormonal. Being so close to Ali had given him a very good view of her features— captivating, radiant green eyes, those seven freckles that he so adored that lightly dusted her nose, and soft, full, gorgeous lips. Her lips had been slightly parted from surprise, giving him a powerful desire to—no. He would NOT let himself think that way.
"It's fine," Ali muttered, still, to her absolute dismay, blushing.
The two resorted to eating their lunches in silence, an awkward tautness palpable in the air. At last, Anakin managed to wolf down the remainder of his food in a remarkably little amount of time (had he even chewed?) and he bolted out of there in a speed that would probably rival that at which they were traveling.
"Stupid tiny kitchens," Ali mumbled, when she was absolutely certain that he was out of hearing range and that her heart rate was back to normal.
A/N: YAY ANOTHER CHAPTER UP! This one was kinda useless fluff, but the next one will have more action. And other stuff too…mwhahahaha! PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! PLEASE? I stayed up late to write this.