*sighs heavily* My, my, I do have a talent for procrastinating, don't I? Well, as I've said before, this story hasn't been a priority, but that I've finally finished Little One, I devoted some time to this. I've already got ideas for the next chapter, so the next update might actually be soon!

In the hundreds of years that Kita had been around she had learned many lessons. She had learned to never let her emotions get the best of her, to always show compassion to others, to never try and outwit Master Yoda (it would end quite painfully if she did), to always embarrass the Council Members whenever she got a chance… but if there was one lesson she thought she had learned it was this one.

Kita flinched as she stumbled down a set of stairs heading towards the Halls of Healing. Beside her walked a young Mirialan initiate who dragged her feet in despair.

"I'm so sorry, Kita," she mumbled, her voice trembling.

Kita sighed and then flinched again. It's not your fault, Barriss. Just don't try it again.

"Yes, ma'am," Barriss practically sobbed. Kita sighed again.

As the two walked down the hallway (with Kita continually twitching), Kita sensed a familiar presence and smiled. Her tail wagged and she instructed Barriss to stay while she went ahead. Kita rushed into another corridor and caught sight of Qui-Gon and his Padawan learner, Obi-Wan.

Qui-Gon, being more intuitive with the living Force, sensed Kita immediately and turned to greet her with a smile. His smile of kindness quickly morphed into thorough amusement when he got a good look at Kita, who grew confused at his expression. Obi-Wan sensed her presence shortly after and turned to look, his eyes widening as he raised his eyebrows.

There was a third person in their party who Kita had never seen. He was a child, probably around nine or ten, and he looked extremely overwhelmed. However, what caught Kita's attention was that he seemed to notice her before Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had, and the boy was now laughing his head off.

What's so… Kita began to ask when she saw her reflection in a window behind the three. She sighed for a third time.

"Kita, what in the blazes happened to you?" Obi-Wan asked.

Kita's fur was naturally thick and fluffy, but she had always kept it well groomed. On this day, however, all of her fur stood on edge, making her look like a puffball that had just been rubbed against a carpet and therefore electrically charged.

"She stuck her tail in a power conduit," Barriss answered as she came over and bowed.

Kita growled irritably. The young boy laughed all the more.

Yes, yes, laugh it up… if this little youngling here hadn't been about to stick her finger in it I wouldn't have interfered! Kita snapped.

"But I dropped my favorite toy in there!" Barriss protested, upset.

"And being the nice dog that you are, you had to retrieve the toy for her." Obi-Wan sighed heavily while Qui-Gon simply smirked even more.

I didn't realize the conduit was on! Kita snapped.

"I suppose you can teach on old dog new tricks," Qui-Gon commented, making Kita growl even more.

Trying desperately to change the subject, Kita asked, Who's the puppy?

The boy, who had stopped laughing a while ago to gaze at Kita in amazement, suddenly grew indignant. "I'm not a puppy!"

Kita flinched, caught off guard. She normally had to direct her attention to a youngling for them to hear her; it took a few years to simply pick up her thoughts as the adults did. How did that boy hear her… and how was it that she didn't know him? She knew all the Jedi in the Temple.

"This is Anakin Skywalker," Qui-Gon introduced him. Anakin still looked annoyed and crossed his arms.

Kita chuckled at the boy's actions. I'm sorry, Anakin. I normally call younglings puppies… I'm sure you can imagine it's natural for me.

Anakin looked confused. "Is that what you call your younglings?"

"Anakin, Kita's a dog," Obi-Wan stated a little too exasperatedly. "Of course she calls younglings puppies."

"Oh," Anakin clasped his hands behind his back and looked down, blushing. "Sorry… I've never seen a dog before."

Kita sent a gentle Force swat at Obi-Wan, who flinched and threw a glare in her direction. She then looked at Anakin once more. It's okay, little one. If you've never seen a dog before then it's perfectly sound that you wouldn't know any better. What clan are you in?

Anakin looked at Kita in confusion.

"I'm… not in a clan… I think?" he replied.

"Anakin's new around here," Qui-Gon piped in. Obi-Wan looked annoyed. "But we have to go to the Council now, I'm afraid. Perhaps we'll see you later, Kita, in a less… frazzled state?"

Huffing irritably, Kita turned her back on the three and stormed off, sensing Qui-Gon's endless amusement at her appearance. Barriss once more began trudging along behind her.

Half an hour of humiliating explanation at the Halls of Healing passed by and Kita was given a clean bill of health while Barriss was scolded by her minder and returned to her clan. Kita wandered aimlessly before sensing the familiar presence of the new boy, following its trail all the way to the chamber just outside of the council room.

Kita was about to say hello when the boy turned around and smiled nervously at her. She gave a nervous smile in return; he knew she was coming though she had perfected walking without making a sound. Who was this puppy?

"Hi… Kita?" he cocked his head to the side, trying to remember her name.

Kita nodded. Yes, my name's Kita. And you're Anakin, right?

Anakin nodded. Then he squinted his eyes at her and her heart skipped a beat as she heard his voice echo in her head. Can you hear me? Boo!

What the—?! How had he done that?!

Anakin laughed at her shocked expression. "I figured if I tried to talk to you like you talked to me it would be better! Did you hear me? Did you hear me?"

Yes, little one, I heard you… Kita muttered.

His laughter became excited and Anakin closed his eyes, furrowing his brow and balling his fists in concentration. Kita sat down, cocking her head to the side and watching his silly gesture. What are you doing, little pup?

Anakin opened his eyes and looked a little crestfallen. "Oh… you didn't hear it?"

Hear what?

"I was trying to tell you a joke in your head," he answered.

Kita barked out a laugh. You certainly are a bold little one. Do you even have any Jedi training?

"No…" Anakin shook his head. "But hopefully I'll start being trained!"

Kita's amusement vanished like a candle being snuffed out. Poor little puppy… he obviously didn't know about the age limit the Temple had. He was far too old to become a Jedi now. Though that did beg the question as to why he was here; was he part of the mission from which Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had just returned?

Anakin's eyes sparkled an instant and he seemed to be reading her mind, making Kita a little uneasy. His mirth vanished. "I'm not going to be trained, am I?"

What makes you think that? She replied, trying to stay calm. This boy was more intuitive than even Qui-Gon, who was unusually connected with the living Force.

"Just a feeling," Anakin mumbled sadly before turning away. "I guess I'm going back to Tatooine… maybe I can help Mom!"

Mom? Oh dear… this boy knew his mother? He definitely wasn't going to be trained. Kita did feel sorry for the poor boy… Tatooine was a long way to come to just be rejected… though, really, what did Qui-Gon expect? Surely this was not the reason the boy was here… he had to be related to the mission somehow.

Well you never know, Kita said just to cheer Anakin up. Then she wagged her tail cheerfully. I'm sure Qui-Gon brought you here for a good reason. I have to go now, little pup, but it was very nice to meet you.

Anakin turned slightly to look at her, and in that moment he somehow seemed older than he was. His eyes held no childlike mirth or innocence in them, and he looked at her distrustfully as if he had heard false kindness before. Nevertheless, his words were polite. "Goodbye, Kita. It was very nice to meet you too."

Kita wasn't sure what to make of his behavior, but his words ended the conversation, and so she turned and left. She had to look after a group of younglings, anyway, but she couldn't shake that last image of the strange boy for quite a while.

Kita laughed as she watched the puppies play. Many Padawans got together and were guiding the younger ones around in a little game. The Padawans were singing and playing instruments while some of the Knights created a little Force illusion to amuse the initiates. She was tapping a drum with her tail as they played.

As Kita played and enjoyed watching the younglings squeal in delight, she sensed something and looked to the entrance to the playroom. There she saw the boy from before—Anakin—peeking in with awe on his face. His eyes were aglow as he watched them play… it was almost as if he had never seen it before.

Looking at Anakin made Kita sad. The last time she had seen him he was being escorted around by Qui-Gon, but Qui-Gon was dead now. Kita hadn't attended the funeral since it was on Naboo; she figured any non-Jedi would think it odd that a dog was attending. The thought of it tore at her heart. She hadn't expected Obi-Wan to become knighted so suddenly though, and then immediately take on Anakin as a Padawan. She hadn't seen much of either person since, but from what she could see they were off to a very rough start.

From what Kita had surmised, Anakin came from a background of slavery. She often saw him since when he was being scolded as if he were expecting to be whipped, and the thought of it suddenly made him defiant against whoever was scolding him. This then led to him getting into even more trouble, and it just spiraled down from there. Kita wasn't quite sure how she could help the situation; Anakin seemed to be reluctant to trust anyone, and she suspected she might have damaged his trust after lying to him about being accepted to the Order.

As the Padawans switched to a different song that had its own little dance moves to it, the initiates began to dance too and the Knights watched and laughed. Anakin's eyes widened in amazement. It seemed that this much fun and amusement was a novelty to him. The sight of it made Kita's heart ache.

Walking over to him, Kita asked, Do you want to play too?

Anakin jumped, not having noticed Kita since he was too enchanted by the scene. Then he scrunched up his nose. "The Padawans are just leading the younger ones. I'm a Padawan, so I shouldn't be dancing that silly stuff."

Kita let out an amused snort. You're a proud little puppy, aren't you?

Anakin puffed out his chest and tried to make himself look taller. "I'm a Jedi."

Where's your Master? Kita asked.

Anakin's confidence immediately deflated. "He's in our quarters."

Curious, Kita cocked her head to the side. Why do you look upset?

Anakin flinched and looked away, trying to hide his emotions and failing miserably. Something was obviously bothering him. Kita waited patiently, but when he continued to ignore her, she finally prompted, Did something bad happen in classes today?

Ah, there it was. Anakin immediately blushed and turned even farther away.

You can tell me. I won't get mad at you. Kita said encouragingly.

"Promise?" Anakin muttered.

Kita sat and nodded, wagging her tail. Promise.

Anakin sighed heavily. "I got into a fight."

Kita jumped. That was a bit more than she expected. Why did you do that?

"Because the boy said I cheated,"

This was a problem that Kita had been noticing lately. Anakin had only been with the Order for a month and he was running into a lot of problems with his fellow students. Everyone else his age was an initiate, so he was ahead of them in status, but he was far behind in education, and this caused a great amount of friction.

You didn't cheat, then, I hope? Kita questioned gently.

Anakin glared at her, his anger flaring. "Of course I didn't cheat! Why does everybody think I'm the one doing something wrong when something doesn't go their way?"

Kita flinched. She wasn't used to dealing with younglings his age with such a temper. It was more common in the moody teenagers than in someone who should be a bit more innocent.

Trying to reassure him, Kita walked a little closer, wagging her tail slightly. It's okay, little puppy. I know you're going through a really hard time right now, but it'll get better. Just try to be patient. Does your Master know about this?

And there it was. Anakin practically shriveled at the mention of Obi-Wan. He was hiding from him.

Kita wanted so desperately to fix this problem like she fixed so many others, but this was one wound that only time could fix. Obi-Wan was still in mourning over the loss of Qui-Gon, and Kita had a sneaking suspicion that it was Qui-Gon's wish and not Obi-Wan's that Anakin be trained, so the entire situation was far too complicated to be solved with a simple conversation. Kita would, however, talk to Obi-Wan.

Well don't you worry, puppy, Kita reassured him. I'm sure your Master won't be too angry.

"He's really not too bad, I guess," Anakin shrugged. "At least he hasn't hit me."

Kita blanched. Anakin, Obi-Wan would never hit you.

"He won't?" Anakin looked at her, surprised.

She couldn't believe she was hearing this. Did he not bring this up with Obi-Wan? Of course not, Anakin! You're not a slave anymore, little puppy, and you'll never be treated like one again.

"Why do I call him Master?"

It's out of respect. Kita immediately explained. It's like calling him Teacher.

Anakin gazed at her intently, and he seemed to understand her meaning. He still looked reluctant to go to his Master, though.

I tell you what, Anakin. Kita said, making a decision. You stay here with the younglings—no, don't look all upset; you can be like the other Padawans and lead the dance rather than be in the group.

"But I don't know any dances!" Anakin protested.

You don't know any songs or dances from home? Kita cocked her head to the side.

Anakin paused and thought about it before his eyes suddenly lit up. "Well, I do know one…"

Kita smiled and nodded and then returned to the group of Jedi. Everybody listen up – Anakin's going to teach you a new dance!

The young initiates looked excited at the prospect, but the Padawans seemed a little unsure… at least those who were around Anakin's age. The older ones understood what Kita was going for and encouraged Anakin to approach. The Knights looked curiously at Kita before going along with the plan. Anakin immediately began to meekly sing a little tune in Huttese, and the children grew excited, so Anakin led them in a little dance.

"Calanua natalita donya nai,

Nopali chuna diyna danai.

Ashika nokataba silno naba!

Nokutaba, nokutaba, nala anya!

Calanua natalita donya nai!"

As Anakin taught them the song and led them in the dance, Kita departed, going straight to Obi-Wan. She found him sitting in his apartment, meditating. He sensed her approach and opened his eyes, giving her a querying look.

"Kita," he acknowledged, his tone holding slight bewilderment. "What are you doing here?"

I came to talk to you about Anakin, Kita explained as she sat in front of the young Knight.

Obi-Wan immediately stiffened. "Did he get into trouble?"

Kita snorted, half in amusement and half in sadness. Anakin obviously had embedded himself into Obi-Wan's mind as quite the troublemaker. It was understandable, though; the boy was quite talented at causing trouble. Yes, he did… but I just wanted to talk about you and him in general.

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Well… I know you're going through a very hard time, Obi-Wan, Kita began. I really do understand that. You're not the only one who misses Qui-Gon, after all…

Obi-Wan and Kita both shared a brief moment of silence as pain washed over both of them at the thought of Qui-Gon, but Kita continued a little later. But Anakin needs you, Obi-Wan. He needs a mentor. He needs a Master. Force, I'd even go so far as to say he needs a father.

"No one here has fathers and mothers, Kita," Obi-Wan immediately said. "That goes directly against the rule of non-attachment."

Kita rolled her eyes. Honestly, Obi-Wan, I thought we had gone over this when you and Siri were having issues years ago. Remember that?

Obi-Wan blushed and looked away.

Jedi cannot make attachments in the sense that they cannot allow their emotions to guide their decisions. They must rely on reason and logic; if faced between saving a planet and saving a loved one, the planet must come first. Kita explained. That is the rule of non-attachment. However, Jedi make attachments every day – Padawans are attached to Masters, initiates to each other, etc. You loved Qui-Gon, and you can't deny that.

"Don't ask me to love Anakin," Obi-Wan suddenly said. "I took him on as a promise to Qui-Gon, not as an attempt to find a child. I have to be a good teacher for him, but… I just don't feel ready, Kita. I'm not ready."

Obi-Wan's voice cracked as the stress of his situation came out, and Kita felt sorry for him. Obi-Wan… you know what you need? A break. How about you and I—

"No, Kita," Obi-Wan shook his head, and Kita felt her heart sink. "I can't go on any more silly little adventures with you. I'm not a youngling anymore… I'm not even a Padawan anymore. I have responsibilities as a Knight now. I have a Padawan of my own."

Obi-Wan, just please remember this, Kita stressed. Remember that while you may be Anakin's teacher, you're also his father figure, just like any other Master and Padawan. You have to be his father, Obi-Wan. You may not understand that now, but some day you will. Okay?

Obi-Wan sighed heavily, exasperated with her explanation, but he acknowledged her nonetheless. "I'll remember, Kita."

Not as silly as the others, but then again, with poor Anakin rarely anything is actually light-hearted. More Ani, Kita, and Obi to follow! Review, please. :)