'ello, peoples of the earth!

So, I have obviously survived the SATs and gotten the printer fixed. Yaaaaay! And now I've parked myself in the kitchen with a glass of tea and have gone to my happy place. Lord knows I need time in my happy place.

ALL THE REVIEWS. Whoa, doods! Y'all are awesome sauce! So today I'm thanking Zenkid100, Maleficent-darkgoodwitch2416, katierosefun, Hands of Destiny, Lux's Sister, CaylithTheGolden, Guest, and Ember12345 for reviewing. GUYS. What the heck!? Thank you!

Thank you guys sooooo much for your patience. So, after that wait, I now present Chapter 4 of Style. Hope y'all enjoy! :)

Depa, Caleb and Kira ended up finding a small cave a little ways away from the river. There were plenty of trees surrounding the area and the cave was relatively dry, so there the trio decided to make their campsite. Depa set off in search of some firewood, leaving Caleb and Kira to set up camp.

Once both teenagers had taken a drink of water, Caleb untied the supply bundle and made a face. "I hate ration bars," he lamented.

Kira sighed. "I do, too, but it's better than getting sick from eating something poisonous. So there's not a lot we can do about that."

"That doesn't mean I have to like it."

"You could at least keep your complaints to yourself."

"You try living off ration bars for days on end."

"I've eaten nothing but for weeks, Master Dume."

Depa appeared in the mouth of the cave, her arms full of wood. A slightly smoky smell emanating from the wood hinted that the Master may have had to use her lightsaber to cut some wood off the trees. "Is everything all right in here?" she asked, one eyebrow raised.

Kira ducked her head to hide her blush, guessing she and Caleb had raised their voices a little too loudly and Depa had heard most of the argument. "Everything's fine, Master Billaba," she mumbled, embarrassed.

Depa glanced at Caleb, who merely grinned back. Shaking her head, Depa knelt to pile the wood just inside the mouth of the cave. "Caleb, come and help me start a fire."

Caleb acquiesced to Depa's request and went to stand by his Master, leaving Kira to sort through the supplies. There were a few ration bars, a small medical kit, and two boxes of protein cubes. Kira guessed that all this had been taken from the shuttle's emergency stash.

Voices drifted towards Kira from the mouth of the cave, and she looked up to see Caleb fanning the flames of a small but promising fire. Suddenly feeling rather chilly, she headed over to join Depa and Caleb.

The three stood in silence for a few moments, allowing the warmth from the flames to dry their damp clothing, until Depa spoke. "I will take first watch. Then it will be Caleb's turn, and after that, Kira can stand guard. Understood?"

"Yes, Master," Caleb responded.

Kira simply nodded in response. The heat was beginning to make her feel rather tired.

Depa looked up. "Perhaps you two should go ahead and get some rest," she suggested firmly. "We most likely have a long walk ahead of us tomorrow."

Caleb tried to protest. "Master, I'm not -" A yawn interrupted him.

Depa raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I believe it's time for you two to get to sleep."

Caleb didn't try to protest again. Instead, he turned to gather up his robe to use as a pillow. Kira slipped out of Depa's robe and offered it to the Master. "I think this belongs to you, Master."

Depa smiled and laid a hand on Kira's shoulder. "Thank you, Padawan. Try to get some sleep, alright? You took quite the beating earlier."

"I will, Master Billaba." Kira pulled off her own robe and rolled it into a ball. Placing it on the ground near the fire, she laid on the ground and tucked the makeshift pillow under her head. By this time, Caleb was lying next to the fire as well. His eyes fluttered closed without much tossing and turning, silently telling Kira how tired her fellow Padawan really was, despite his protests.

Sleep well, Caleb, she thought before drifting off to sleep herself. Caleb wasn't the only one who was exhausted.

About six hours later, Kira was sitting cross-legged just outside the mouth of the cave. She glanced up at the sky, appreciating the loss of cloud cover. Spaces between the foliage above allowed Kira to enjoy a relatively clear view of the stars.

A shift in the Force prompted Kira to look up. She scanned the jungle view in front of her, wary of any unfriendly creatures hiding in the darkness. Satisfied there was no danger, she relaxed and leaned against the cave wall.

Gravel crunched behind Kira before Caleb sat down next to her. They were both silent for a moment before Kira spoke. "You should be asleep."

Caleb shrugged. "Couldn't sleep."

Kira glanced at the boy. "Nightmares?"

Caleb shook his head. "No. I couldn't fall asleep, period."

Kira edged a little farther away from Caleb. He'd decided to sit so close to her that their arms were touching, and it made her feel uncomfortable. She didn't think her Master would be too pleased, either. "Then maybe you should try again," she said, looking away. "I'll alert you and Master Billaba if there's a problem." She turned back to face the jungle.

Caleb didn't move. Kira could feel his eyes on her and was embarrassed to find that her face was heating up. Hoping he would go lay back down, she didn't say a word to acknowledge his presence.

Kira's attempt to ignore Caleb came to an abrupt end when he gently grasped her wrist, which Kira had noticed he'd been doing a lot lately. She bit her lip when his thumb began to run along the lines on her palm, his fingers following and entwining themselves with her fingers. "Quit thinking," he said. "You're thinking way too much."

"I have good reason to do so," Kira snapped, yanking her hand away and burying it in the folds of her tunic. "Go back to bed, Caleb."

Kira didn't look Caleb's way, but she knew when he had left her by the rustling of fabric and crunch of gravel on the cave floor as he made his way back to his place by the remains of the fire, which had died a little while before. Only when she was certain that he'd settled down did she turn to look at him.

Caleb was lying on his side, his back facing Kira. One arm was tucked under his head. To all outward appearances, Caleb looked as if he'd never gotten up and had been sleeping soundly all night. Kira knew that wasn't the case.

Sighing softly, Kira turned back around to face the jungle. She bit her lip as she replayed what had just happened in her head. She'd panicked, she realized. Caleb's actions had gone against the rules of attachment, rules that, like any Jedi tradition, Kira held in high regard, but perhaps she'd reacted too quickly. Perhaps she should've heard him out and asked for an explanation.

She had a feeling, though, that she wouldn't have liked that explanation.

Kira groaned quietly, placing her head in her hands. As a Padawan, she shouldn't even be dwelling on this. What she should do was forget what had happened, move on, and hope Caleb would do the same.

So why didn't she want to forget? Why did she feel so conflicted?

Kira wished she could talk to Obi-Wan. However, she knew exactly what her Master would do if she told him she was feeling conflicted about Caleb. He'd remind her that attachment was forbidden in the Order and tell her that she shouldn't spend so much time with Caleb anymore. He might even speak to Depa on the matter; Kira wouldn't put it past her Master, who was always quite thorough.

And if there was one thing Kira didn't want to happen, she didn't want to be cut off from Caleb completely. True, she was now slightly wary of him, but he was still her friend.

Kira sighed once more and focused her attention back on the stars in the sky. She would deal with the situation in the morning.

At 0400, Depa woke to take Kira's place as sentry, saying that Kira looked rather tired. The Padawan didn't argue and obediently went back to her place by the remains of the fire. To her relief, Caleb was not awake, and she gratefully tucked her arm under her head and went to sleep.

However, two hours later when Depa woke both Padawans, Kira felt as if she had gotten no rest at all. When the Master claimed to have news, however, Kira did her best to pretend not to be sleepy and listen to Depa's words.

"I checked the horizon this morning when the sun came up," the Master reported. "The smoke has grown fainter, but it is still there. We'll need to hurry if we want to keep up."

"How close are we, do you think?" Caleb asked.

"A good, long walk," Depa answered.

Caleb groaned. "Master, that doesn't answer my question."

"Oh, come now, Caleb," Depa said. "A little exercise never hurt anyone. Besides, you must learn to stop complaining. It certainly isn't becoming for one your age."

Caleb scowled before turning to gather up the supplies. Kira knelt beside him to help. Neither of them spoke as they worked to complete their task, something that Kira was grateful for. She wasn't sure how well she'd handle a mention of the night before.

"Is that everything?" Depa asked from her spot near the ashes, checking her utility belt. Kira smiled to herself, happy that she wasn't the only one that double checked and triple checked her belt.

"Yeah, I think that's it." Caleb tied up the bundle and slung it over his shoulder.

"Not so fast, Master Dume." Kira took the bundle of supplies out of Caleb's grasp and gripped the knot tightly. "You carried it yesterday. Now it's my turn."

Caleb tried to take it back. "Seriously, Kira, I've got it -"

"Caleb, why won't you just accept the help that is offered to you?" Depa stood near the cave opening, arms crossed over her chest. "Kira's right. You carried the supplies for a good while yesterday."

Muttering to himself, Caleb reluctantly released his hold on the bundle. "Sorry, Master."

Depa shook her head. "Come along now, you two. Best we get started, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes, Master Billaba," Kira answered. Caleb just nodded to his Master and took off, sprinting out of the cave and towards the edge of the jungle.

Depa raised an eyebrow. "Do you intend to be our scout for the day, Caleb?" she asked.

"Is that alright?" Caleb asked, seeming to remember who was in charge.

Kira was fairly sure she detected some amusement in Depa's Force signature as the Master answered. "Yes, Caleb. That's fine."

Caleb sent a grin the girls' way before disappearing into the jungle depths. Depa shook her head. "Always on the move, that one," she said.

"You're telling me," Kira agreed, shifting the weight of the supplies to her other side.

Depa chuckled. "Let's get going before he gets too far ahead of us," she suggested.

Kira smiled. "I'm right behind you, Master Billaba."

Have I gotten y'all tearing up yet? I think somebody reading this is probably gonna send me one long email berating me for this chapter. Ehehehehehe...

Kira: I'm still mad.

Me: Meh. You're always mad at me.

Kira: Yeah, but this time I'm really mad.

Caleb: Aw, come on. It's not that bad.

Kira: Easy for you to say. You're always breaking the rules. -_-

Caleb: Says the girl who can't live a little.

Kira: The rudeness of a rule breaker!

Caleb: The uptightness of a goody-goody!

Me: ...is anyone else finding this familiar?

Kira and Caleb: NO.

Me: ...okay then. Kira, will it help me get back in your good graces if I let you pick the song?

Kira: Maybe.

Me: *hands over tablet*

Tablet: I know, you know that I'm not telling the truth, I know, you know, they just don't have any proof...

Me: Don't forget to vote for the saga's name, you guys! The poll will be open until Style is completed, so you still have time. All rightie, Caleb, your turn to do the review notice.

Caleb: Do I have to?

Me: Yup.

Caleb: Review if you liked it, hated it, or wanted to light it up and watch it burn. Thanks.

Me: You forgot to say please. -_-

Caleb: Who cares?

Kira: I care!

Caleb: I don't!

Me: *facepalm* And they're at it again. Thanks for clicking in, everybody, and may the Force be with you. Now can somebody please help me out with these terrors?

Caleb: Why can't you just -

Kira: Because I'm not a reckless, arrogant -

Me: On second thought, I'd rather you not see this side of them. Bye, guys. *waves*