Chapter Six

Noaa'lan sat quietly across from his best friend at the lunch table. K'aashi just stared aimlessly into space. A smirk crossed Noaa'lan's face as he realized that K'aashi could be thinking of only one thing.

"What are you thinking of, K'aashi? You're not normally this reserved," he commented.

"Aaaahh, I'm just thinking about that paper we have to write," K'aashi said.

Noaa'lan let out a snort, and then took a long sip from his drink.

"Liar. I can see right though you, K'aashi. You know you can't lie to me. You're thinking about S'aalia, right?" Noaa'lan said with a smile.

"Guilty as charged. I asked her to the dance, you know," replied K'aashi.

"What dance?" asked Noaa'lan with a confused look on his face.

"Man, until today you really were quite naive about social events! You didn't even pay any attention to picking up chicks, or where the best parties were!! Noaa'lan, I'm starting to get ashamed to call you my best buddy!! We're just totally opposite!!" cried K'aashi.

"K'aashi, who even said that I started caring about girls today??"

"Like you said, I can see right through you. You like Ms. T'naa'lichi. I know it. You're stupid to fall in love with her, but I know you're thinking about it. We might make a lover out of you yet!!" proclaimed K'aashi.

"Ha!! I told you, K'aashi. I'm here for one reason, and one reason only! I'm here to become a jedi master!" hissed Noaa'lan. "Speaking of which, what did you think about today's lesson??"

"Hmmm. Advanced energy absorption. You know, that's not my forte. If that little blast of energy was too tough to handle, then I bet I'd have a lot of trouble warding off a full blast from a dark-sider," said K'aashi.

"K'aashi, you know as well as I do that there are ways to get around your weaknesses. You're very good at telekenisis. You can deflect the blast before it gets to you," Noaa'lan said after finishing a mouthful of his sandwich.

"Speak for yourself! You can do just about anything! The Narundis have almost unlimited power! No wonder they've got this huge dynasty that spans almost a hundred generations!" K'aashi whined.

"Yeah, yeah. You can complain about my family all you want, but I don't control my lineage," groaned Noaa'lan.

"What, are you saying that you would have rather not been born the crown prince of a huge, powerful dynasty?" asked K'aashi.

"It's a big responsability, one that involves being forced to do things that maybe I'm not interested in, like control an entire galaxy, and to marry," he said.

"Whoa. Tell me you're not interested in finding a wife, Noaa'lan," K'aashi said with a shocked look on his face.

"When I say marriage, I mean an arranged marriage. I don't want to get forced into marrying the "suitor" that my parents choose. After all, the suitor that my grandfather chose for my father really messed up things between him and his best friend! If there weren't arranged marriages in this family, then I could date J'aa'nalia, no problem!" Noaa'lan complained, rambling on.

"Or you could marry her. Noaa'lan, I've got great faith in you!" joked K'aashi.

"Shut up, K'aashi!!" said Noaa'lan with a scowl. He threw a piece of his dessert at his friend. "Rub it in, why don't you, you raving h'aaliki- bat!!!"

"At least she's nobility! Your father wouldn't allow you to associate yourself with anyone who wasn't of noble birth," K'aashi teased.

"You're not of noble birth, and he lets me associate with you, doesn't he??" stated Noaa'lan.

"You know what I mean. A suitor. She'd have to be of noble birth to be allowed to marry you. Even your mother was a princess. No wonder she ended up marrying your father instead of Raan'lan T'naa'lichi. It's all about power and money in this galaxy," said K'aashi bluntly.

"Ahh, wherever there are creatures that can reason, the evils of power struggles and money will reign supreme even over the strongest dynasty," Noaa'lan said with conviction.

"Amen to that! I'll be happy just as long as I can buy cool stuff. Did you hear that they have that new holographic novel?"

"No way! They finally have issue #37 of the Chathnar Chronicles out!!? I've been waiting for that all summer!! Where did you see it!?!" asked Noaa'lan excitedly.

"I got it at Holoworld. I have it right here in my bag-" said K'aashi with a grin.

"Give it to me!! I want to see the cover!!" exclaimed Noaa'lan.

"No way! Get your own, Noaa'lan. Man, you crown princes just expect everybody to bow to your will!! You're just so conceited!! Jeez!!" K'aashi said sarcastically as he handed Noaa'lan the book.

"Wow, that is some great artwork on the cover. I think that's R'aahana's best one yet!! He's just the greatest, don't you think??" said Noaa'lan.

"You know, I pay more attention to what's in the book, generally," K'aashi said dryly.

"I was just getting to that!! So, what's this story about, Space Pirates? The Sith?? Smugglers?" asked Noaa'lan.

"No, it's about these two Jedi Masters who get sent on a mission from Chathnar to rescue this beautiful princess and her handmaiden from the clutches of a Sith Magician. I didn't get very far, though," said K'aashi.

"Too busy cramming in all of your summer reading that you neglected to do until yesterday??" asked Noaa'lan with a smirk.

"I guess you could say that. I just can't get over the fact that S'aalia is the niece of the "Stiff Professor"!! It just really bugs me!! I can't believe that that family is human!! You'd think that they were android or something, with the way that S'aahai lacks emotions!!" K'aashi said while seething.

"Easy, my friend. She seems human enough. If you can come across to her as something other than a crazy woman-hunter, then you might actually have a chance with her!!" Noaa'lan laughed.

"I'm not that bad, am I?? No, this year, you're going to see a new K'aashi. I'm going to behave myself, just you wait!!"

"This will last all of ten seconds, until the next girl comes walking by," Noaa'lan muttered.

"I heard that," K'aashi said as he gave his friend a good whack on the arm.

Noaa'lan burst out laughing, as his friend continued to wail on him. Then, he heard the sound of a tray being set down beside him.

"Can I sit here, Noaa'lan?" asked J'aa'nalia in a soft voice.

"Sure you can, if you don't mind two teenage boys talking about stupid stuff," Noaa'lan replied.

"What makes you think it's stupid stuff?? I happen to take my girl- watching very seriously!!" K'aashi said with a hurt expression on his face.

"Oooh, so who's the lucky girl that K'aashi's in love with?" asked J'aa'nalia with a smile.

"The question isn't "Who is the lucky girl?", it's "Who isn't the lucky girl", J'aa'nalia," Noaa'lan said, chuckling to himself.

J'aa'nalia gave him a sweet giggle and a smile that could brighten anybody's day. For an instant, Noaa'lan was just stunned, and he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

"You know, my friends and family call me "J'aa'nie". You guys can call me that, if you like," said said.

"Sure thing, J'aa'nie. Hey, listen, Noaa'lan. We've gotta' go, because our next class is all the way across campus, and you don't want to get another detention, do you??"

"Uh. . .no, no I don't," Noaa'lan said as he quickly snapped out of his haze. "Bye, J'aa'nie. I'll see you later. Next class, all right??"

"Yeah. Bye, Noaa'lan," she said with a soft smile.

Noaa'lan walked away with a smile on his face and a spring in his step. K'aashi could barely keep up with his pace.

"Slow down, Noaa'lan! If you're not in love with her, I'll eat my hat!!" K'aashi yelled.

"Sorry, K'aashi. I guess I just got carried away by the moment. She's just so cute!!" Noaa'lan said wistfully.

"Noaa'lan, that kind of cute is called "dangerous", as in "Raa'nlan T'naa'lichi cuts off your head if he sees you with his daughter" dangerous. I'd suggest that you stay away." K'aashi warned.

"If I recall, you were thinking about dating her just this morning, weren't you, K'aashi?" Noaa'lan said, raising his eyebrows at his best friend.

"Well now, I'm not a Narundi, am I?" K'aashi said matter-of-factly.

"No, you're not," Noaa'lan said glumly. He sighed quietly to himself as he walked down to his locker. His ancestry was beginning to cause more problems for him than it was worth. He knew what most people did not. Being a Narundi wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. However, Noaa'lan was stubborn, and he wasn't about to give up his quest for love, just because of some stupid feud. Narundi or not, he would find a way to be with J'aa'nie.