Chapter Nine
"Keep your focus now, Noaa'lan," K'aashi yelled to his friend over the hot white clash of blue against green that echoed through the hall as their lightsaber duel picked up speed.
K'aashi sensed his friend's absent-mindedness, and he knew that neither he nor Noaa'lan wanted to lose an arm. Or worse.
"Stop," Said Cel'aanaeus calmly. "You boys are going to kill each other."
Noaa'lan disengaged his blade, and bent over; his chest was heaving from the effort. K'aashi, also breathing heavily, was leaning against a pillar with his eyes closed. Following his friend's cues, Noaa'lan tapped into the force to revive himself.
"What in the name of the dark side happened there, Noaa'lan? You're just not yourself today," K'aashi commented in between gasps.
Noaa'lan brushed his shaggy brown bangs out of his eyes, and shook his head. "I'm not quite sure. I'm just out of it."
"Well, lets be 'out of it' at the back of the line, shall we?" K'aashi asked with a smile.
Noaa'lan clipped his lightsaber onto his belt and joined K'aashi, who was seated at the back of the great hall.
"Man, I know what's wrong! Something happened last night, between you and J'aa'nalia T'naa'lichi, am I right?" Asked K'aashi.
"Lower your voice!" Hissed Noaa'lan. "I. . .I'm not sure whether something happened last night or not. Either way, I'm dead!"
"Ok. Slow down. First, what happened?" Asked K'aashi.
"Well, I helped her sneak out of the Academy, so she could see her family. You know that part, right?"
"Right. So, what happened?" K'aashi asked, leaning in eagerly.
"Well, her old man actually THANKED me for bringing her home! I guess he must have missed her not being there. So, maybe J'aa'nalia took that to mean that he wasn't so pissed off at the Narundis anymore, because, when she said goodbye to me, she, um, well . . ." said Noaa'lan, hesitating.
"Well, what?"
"She kissed me." He blurted out, his cheeks flushing bright red.
"What the darkness!!? What kind of kiss was it? Where did she kiss you?" Asked K'aashi with intense interest.
"Well . . .I'm not sure--"
"Oh, like the Sith, you're not sure!! You know damn well what it meant!" Snapped K'aashi.
"OK! She kissed me, on the lips! And worse, I liked it. What's much worse is that she liked it as well, and her father sure won't appreciate me kissing his daughter, no matter how much his attitudes about the Narundis have improved in the past few years!!"
"Well," K'aashi said slyly, "what R'aa'nlan T'naa'lichi doesn't know won't hurt him, am I right?"
"K'aashi, I'm pretty sure that J'aa'nalia isn't the kind of person to tell, but he is able to see that she has feelings for me--"
"Noaa'lan, how can you be so sure of that? She's really good at lying, and so are you! I've seen how the two of you work together! You guys managed to lie your way out of the Academy last night! That's pretty good, I'd say!!" Said K'aashi.
"I . . .I don't think it would work with a jedi master like R'aa'nlan T'naa'lichi. He's on the same level with my father, and you KNOW that I can't lie to him!" Stammered Noaa'lan.
"Well, stay away from him and you won't have to deal with it!" Warned K'aashi.
Noaa'lan nodded somberly. The line was getting shorter, and K'aashi grabbed his lightsaber off his belt.
"I'm gonna' beat you this time, Noaa'lan," Said K'aashi with a confident smile.
"Not if I don't kick your butt first!!" Noaa'lan muttered defiantly.
"Noaa'lan, K'aashi, be careful and attentive when you duel this time. I will stop you if you get distracted," Cel'aanaeus said softly.
Both teenagers nodded, and then assumed fighting stance. Their blades ignited, and then clashed in a firestorm of white-hot electricity. K'aashi sliced out with his blade, and Noaa'lan quickly moved to counter it. At that very moment, K'aashi moved a little too far with his front foot. Taking the advantage, Noaa'lan quickly kicked out, and made K'aashi's knees buckle. He pinned K'aashi to the floor with his blade.
"Point, Narundi," Said Cel'aanaeus. The king seemed satisfied that his son had regained his composure. He quietly got up and exited the room.
Noaa'lan and K'aashi were to the point where the sheer exhilaration of the workout was an enjoyable experience. They laughed and joked like nobody else was in the room. Noaa'lan felt himself relax. His mind calmed down, and stopped focusing on his worries. His connections to the force became strong and clear, and he had an easy advantage over his friend.
Cel'aanaeus re-entered the great hall, followed by an all-too-familiar slender, blond girl. J'aa'nalia looked like an angel in her long, silvery cloak. For a split second Noaa'lan just stared in awe at how beautiful she was . . .
Intense pain seared through Noaa'lan's side, and he heard K'aashi yelp in surprise. He fell to the ground, cursing, and clutching his side.
"Man, I'm so sorry, Noaa'lan!! I should have seen it coming!!" Cried K'aashi. "You lost your concentration again, huh?"
"Of course I lost it, K'aashi!! What do you think, I wanted to get cut!?" Yelled Noaa'lan in pain.
He tapped into the force to heal his wounded side. 'Ah, it's not that bad. It barely broke the surface,' Thought Noaa'lan with certainty.
Then, he felt a small hand on top of his own, and he could sense that J'aa'nie had joined in the effort to heal his side.
"J'aa'nie, you don't have to do that, you know," He whispered as his eyes met hers.
"Ssssh, of course I do. You're hurt, Noaa'lan. Let me help you," She said softly.
Noaa'lan stopped protesting, and he could feel his side rapidly improving as they worked together. Before long, J'aa'nalia took his hand away from his side.
"All better. We make a great team, don't we?" She said, in her whisper-soft voice.
"That we do," Noaa'lan agreed as he looked at his unscathed side. In his peripheral vision he could see K'aashi smirk and roll his eyes.
"Ah, yes, quite a formidable one. That's not unexpected with two people who are as strong in the force as you two," Cel'aanaeus said with a smile. "As I was just about to announce, before my son went and got himself cut up, we have a new student in our combat skills class. Gentlemen, I'd like you to meet J'aa'nalia T'naa'lichi."
"Hiya," Said K'aashi with a smile, elbowing his friend.
"Ow, man, cut that out! My side still hurts!" Noaa'lan whispered through his clenched teeth.
"Oops, sorry," Said K'aashi. "She seems to be staring at you now, Noaa'lan. I don't think that there's a chance in the universe that she doesn't have the hots for you, and everyone here, including your old man, can see it! So much for keeping things a secret!"
Noaa'lan groaned and held his head in his hand. He couldn't believe that he could be so stupid as the fall for J'aa'nie!
"Remind me to tell you what color I want my burial shroud to be, K'aashi," Whispered Noaa'lan, "because once R'aa'nlan finds out about J'aa'nalia and me, AND HE WILL, I'm going to be cleaved in half with a G'aanha!!"
"Whoa, you don't have to reciprocate her feelings, you know! I mean, you're not in love with her . . .Are you?" Whispered K'aashi, looking suspiciously at his friend.
His father had always told him not to lie to him, but most of all, Noaa'lan had been instructed never to lie to himself. He couldn't lie, and say that his heart didn't jump, and his lips didn't curve up into a smile, or that time didn't seem to stand still for him each time he laid eyes on her radiant beauty. He just couldn't. He looked sadly at his best friend, and gave a slow nod of surrender.
"Aw MAN! You are!? I hate to say it, because I'm your friend, but you are one big FLAMING IDIOT, Noaa'lan!! She's beautiful, but she's practically suicide to you!!" K'aashi hissed.
"Who is? What's wrong, Noaa'lan? You look sad," Said J'aa'nalia.
"My side still hurts," Noaa'lan said truthfully.
"Oh, let me help you," She said, reaching out and putting her hand on his side. Her fingers were like ice against his skin, and he jumped up from the cold.
"Your fingers are cold . . ." Noaa'lan said as he held her hands in his. Their eyes met in a deeply powerful gaze. As he stared deeply into her mind, he saw the brave, unprejudiced young woman that had stolen his heart. She was willing to risk everything, including her family, to be with him. He finally understood. For a split second, he knew that this was the way it was meant to be . . .
"Noaa'lan, J'aa'nie, would you two please step up for sparring. Noaa'lan, are you sure that you're up to this?" Asked his father with a knowing smile.
'Up to what?' thought Noaa'lan. 'Dueling? What was it that I was doing before she came?"
"Uhhh. . .not really. My side still hurts a bit," said Noaa'lan, lying just a little. He couldn't concentrate long enough to fight J'aa'nie. That he knew for a fact.
"All right," Cel'aanaeus said, looking curiously at his son. "K'aashi, do you want to step up and take this one?"
"With pleasure," K'aashi said with a smug smile, as he sauntered into the fighting ring. "J'aa'nie, just to show you I'm a nice guy, I won't be too hard on you, because you're just a freshman."
J'aa'nalia unclasped her silver cloak and discarded it at the edge of the ring. She removed her intricately carved weapon from her belt, and gave K'aashi an icy stare.
"If I needed you to go easy on me, then I wouldn't be in this class, now would I, K'aashi? If you do, then I will beat you. Plain and simple." She said bluntly.
K'aashi raised his eyebrows in surprise at the sweet, innocent blond girl who just challenged him.
"All right, then. Lets go!!!" K'aashi yelled, igniting his blade. J'aa'nalia quickly moved to counter with her own blue blade. "Lets see what you're made of, J'aa'nalia T'naa'lichi!!"
The two of them fought fiercely, but J'aa'nalia clearly had the upper hand from the beginning. She moved deftly, never wasting any movements or energy, and her quick, precise style sent K'aashi scrambling. Before long, both K'aashi and his pride came crashing to the floor.
"Point, T'naa'lichi," Cel'aanaeus called out as he moved over to stand next to his son. "Very good, J'aa'nalia! You fight very much like your father, if I remember correctly. He was very efficient."
"Thanks. He taught me all he knew," J'aa'nalia said softly.
"She's really GOOD!" Noaa'lan exclaimed under his breath.
"I know," replied his father. "That's why I wanted you to fight her. When you're fighting your best, you're a good match for her."
Noaa'lan turned to watch K'aashi tumble to the ground as J'aa'nalia delivered a hard kick to his stomach. K'aashi picked himself off the cold stone floor with a groan, doubled over from pain. He shook his head in disbelief.
"No more! I've gotten my butt kicked enough for today, thank you!" Gasped K'aashi.
"On that note, everybody is dismissed. This period is almost over anyway," announced Cel'aanaeus.
Noaa'lan reached out and slapped his friend on the back. K'aashi gave a weary sigh.
"Don't sweat it! Everybody gets beaten down by a girl sometime. I'm sure that next class, it'll be my turn!" He said with a smile.
"You're just saying that to be nice. I'm sure you're going to do pretty well against her." K'aashi replied.
"Yeah, if I could only concentrate when I see her, then I might stand a chance!" Noaa'lan muttered. "However, that doesn't seem to be something I can do."
"It should be," said a calm voice, and Noaa'lan turned around to face his father. "Noaa'lan, I understand why you're smitten with her. She's a beautiful, kind, and talented girl, but you have to realize that falling for her is dangerous!"
"That's what I've been trying to tell him all along! See, Noaa'lan, your father's right! You have to forget about her!" Insisted K'aashi.
"Uh, there's just one problem with that. I'm her senior guide, because you ASSIGNED me to her, and I don't want to be a jerk and ditch her. That's just what she'd expect a Narundi to do!" Noaa'lan exclaimed.
"Oh, has being a Narundi suddenly become synonymous with not caring about people? Noaa'lan, we took her in when her father couldn't afford to teach her anymore!" Cel'aanaeus said sternly. "You won't be doing her a disservice by refusing to be her guide. Tell her you're busy!"
"No, father. I can handle it. K'aashi, tell him I'll be able to deal with her!" Noaa'lan cried in desperation.
"I don't know, Noaa'lan. I DID cut your side open while you just stood there and ogled her!" K'aashi said as he bit his lip, trying not to laugh. Noaa'lan glared at him for not coming to his rescue.
"Noaa'lan, you've made it very obvious that you're dedicated to clearing the Narundi name, and showing her that you're a good friend, but you're standing next to a very deep abyss, and if you fall in love with her, you're as good as gone!" Exclaimed Cel'aanaeus.
"I'm grateful that you care so much about what happens to me, but I can fend for myself! I promise you that I won't let my feelings for her get in the way!" Noaa'lan said softly.
"Make sure that you don't," said Cel'aanaeus, with his lips pressed into a firm, straight line. He pulled his jedi cloak up over his head, and, after giving his son a stern look, he exited the room.
"Oh damn, I'm screwed!" Noaa'lan exclaimed as he banged his head against the wall.
"You can't do it, can you?" Asked K'aashi. "I did sense a very strong connection there between the two of you."
"It's strong, K'aashi. Too strong! I can't think of anything else but her! It's affecting my attention span!" Noaa'lan whined.
"Hey, you know what I just thought of!? This is just like D'aanea and Patrl'aan, minus the two of you being cousins! Talk about your forbidden love! Your families have some feud going on! Someday, Professor S'aahai's anal-retentive descendants are going to be teaching their classes "Noaa'lan and J'aa'nalia" as a part of N'aanwarian Literature!" Cried K'aashi, doubling over from laughter.
"Hey, if all turns out the way that you planned, then HIS descendants will be YOUR descendants!" Noaa'lan pointed out with a smirk.
"Well, no kids of mine are going to be teaching N'aanwarian Lit!" K'aashi said firmly, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Then there's no way you'll ever get to fulfill that particular fantasy! Plus, I don't want to be murdered by my relatives, like D'aanea and Patrl'aan were. I like my throat when it's not slit!!" Laughed Noaa'lan.
"Your relatives aren't the ones you should be worried about, my friend," K'aashi said.
"Tell me something I don't know," Noaa'lan muttered as he and K'aashi exited out into the endless din of the hallway.
There, he found J'aa'nie waiting for him.
"Hi guys," she said with a bright smile. "Noaa'lan, are you ready to take me to my next class?"
"Sure. K'aashi, I'll see you later, OK?"
"Sure thing, buddy. Don't be late again to S'aahai's class!" K'aashi said with a grin.
"Don't worry, I won't," Noaa'lan laughed, and he took J'aa'nalia by the hand and led her down the hall.
"This place is just so huge! I don't think I'll ever be able to find my way around it!" J'aa'nie exclaimed.
"Yeah, it takes a while, but you'll get the hang of it after a couple of weeks." Noaa'lan said reassuringly.
As the two of them wound their way through the small openings in the halls between different clusters of people, J'aa'nalia gave Noaa'lan's hand a gentle squeeze. He looked back to see her smiling at him, and her hazel eyes sparkled so that they made the dim hallway brighter. Noaa'lan beamed back at her and returned the squeeze.
"Noaa'lan, um, can I ask you a question?" J'aa'nalia whispered once they had gotten away from the crowd.
"Sure, J'aa'nie. Shoot."
"About last night . . .uh . . .did it . . .mean anything to you?" She asked earnestly, her eyes gazing up into his.
He wanted to say "of course" and "it meant everything", but all he could do was stare into her eyes. The same feelings that he felt each time he saw her swept over him like wildfire, and his hand reached up to touch her cheek. He leaned over and softly kissed her.
"My my, Mr. Narundi, maybe you don't remember the rule that states that there are NO public signs of affection in this school!" Boomed Professor S'aahai. "Plus, I wouldn't want to have to give you another detention, which is what I will do if you're late to my class again!"
J'aa'nalia smiled at Noaa'lan as the professor walked away.
"Don't worry, Noaa'lan. He's just a stiff." She said with a giggle.
"Well, he is right about him giving me a detention, so I'll have to see you later." Noaa'lan said, smiling warmly at her.
"All right," said J'aa'nie, and she kissed him swiftly on the cheek, and then entered her classroom.
Noaa'lan walked on air down the hall, forgetting about how stupid he really was for falling for her. All he could think about was her.
"Keep your focus now, Noaa'lan," K'aashi yelled to his friend over the hot white clash of blue against green that echoed through the hall as their lightsaber duel picked up speed.
K'aashi sensed his friend's absent-mindedness, and he knew that neither he nor Noaa'lan wanted to lose an arm. Or worse.
"Stop," Said Cel'aanaeus calmly. "You boys are going to kill each other."
Noaa'lan disengaged his blade, and bent over; his chest was heaving from the effort. K'aashi, also breathing heavily, was leaning against a pillar with his eyes closed. Following his friend's cues, Noaa'lan tapped into the force to revive himself.
"What in the name of the dark side happened there, Noaa'lan? You're just not yourself today," K'aashi commented in between gasps.
Noaa'lan brushed his shaggy brown bangs out of his eyes, and shook his head. "I'm not quite sure. I'm just out of it."
"Well, lets be 'out of it' at the back of the line, shall we?" K'aashi asked with a smile.
Noaa'lan clipped his lightsaber onto his belt and joined K'aashi, who was seated at the back of the great hall.
"Man, I know what's wrong! Something happened last night, between you and J'aa'nalia T'naa'lichi, am I right?" Asked K'aashi.
"Lower your voice!" Hissed Noaa'lan. "I. . .I'm not sure whether something happened last night or not. Either way, I'm dead!"
"Ok. Slow down. First, what happened?" Asked K'aashi.
"Well, I helped her sneak out of the Academy, so she could see her family. You know that part, right?"
"Right. So, what happened?" K'aashi asked, leaning in eagerly.
"Well, her old man actually THANKED me for bringing her home! I guess he must have missed her not being there. So, maybe J'aa'nalia took that to mean that he wasn't so pissed off at the Narundis anymore, because, when she said goodbye to me, she, um, well . . ." said Noaa'lan, hesitating.
"Well, what?"
"She kissed me." He blurted out, his cheeks flushing bright red.
"What the darkness!!? What kind of kiss was it? Where did she kiss you?" Asked K'aashi with intense interest.
"Well . . .I'm not sure--"
"Oh, like the Sith, you're not sure!! You know damn well what it meant!" Snapped K'aashi.
"OK! She kissed me, on the lips! And worse, I liked it. What's much worse is that she liked it as well, and her father sure won't appreciate me kissing his daughter, no matter how much his attitudes about the Narundis have improved in the past few years!!"
"Well," K'aashi said slyly, "what R'aa'nlan T'naa'lichi doesn't know won't hurt him, am I right?"
"K'aashi, I'm pretty sure that J'aa'nalia isn't the kind of person to tell, but he is able to see that she has feelings for me--"
"Noaa'lan, how can you be so sure of that? She's really good at lying, and so are you! I've seen how the two of you work together! You guys managed to lie your way out of the Academy last night! That's pretty good, I'd say!!" Said K'aashi.
"I . . .I don't think it would work with a jedi master like R'aa'nlan T'naa'lichi. He's on the same level with my father, and you KNOW that I can't lie to him!" Stammered Noaa'lan.
"Well, stay away from him and you won't have to deal with it!" Warned K'aashi.
Noaa'lan nodded somberly. The line was getting shorter, and K'aashi grabbed his lightsaber off his belt.
"I'm gonna' beat you this time, Noaa'lan," Said K'aashi with a confident smile.
"Not if I don't kick your butt first!!" Noaa'lan muttered defiantly.
"Noaa'lan, K'aashi, be careful and attentive when you duel this time. I will stop you if you get distracted," Cel'aanaeus said softly.
Both teenagers nodded, and then assumed fighting stance. Their blades ignited, and then clashed in a firestorm of white-hot electricity. K'aashi sliced out with his blade, and Noaa'lan quickly moved to counter it. At that very moment, K'aashi moved a little too far with his front foot. Taking the advantage, Noaa'lan quickly kicked out, and made K'aashi's knees buckle. He pinned K'aashi to the floor with his blade.
"Point, Narundi," Said Cel'aanaeus. The king seemed satisfied that his son had regained his composure. He quietly got up and exited the room.
Noaa'lan and K'aashi were to the point where the sheer exhilaration of the workout was an enjoyable experience. They laughed and joked like nobody else was in the room. Noaa'lan felt himself relax. His mind calmed down, and stopped focusing on his worries. His connections to the force became strong and clear, and he had an easy advantage over his friend.
Cel'aanaeus re-entered the great hall, followed by an all-too-familiar slender, blond girl. J'aa'nalia looked like an angel in her long, silvery cloak. For a split second Noaa'lan just stared in awe at how beautiful she was . . .
Intense pain seared through Noaa'lan's side, and he heard K'aashi yelp in surprise. He fell to the ground, cursing, and clutching his side.
"Man, I'm so sorry, Noaa'lan!! I should have seen it coming!!" Cried K'aashi. "You lost your concentration again, huh?"
"Of course I lost it, K'aashi!! What do you think, I wanted to get cut!?" Yelled Noaa'lan in pain.
He tapped into the force to heal his wounded side. 'Ah, it's not that bad. It barely broke the surface,' Thought Noaa'lan with certainty.
Then, he felt a small hand on top of his own, and he could sense that J'aa'nie had joined in the effort to heal his side.
"J'aa'nie, you don't have to do that, you know," He whispered as his eyes met hers.
"Ssssh, of course I do. You're hurt, Noaa'lan. Let me help you," She said softly.
Noaa'lan stopped protesting, and he could feel his side rapidly improving as they worked together. Before long, J'aa'nalia took his hand away from his side.
"All better. We make a great team, don't we?" She said, in her whisper-soft voice.
"That we do," Noaa'lan agreed as he looked at his unscathed side. In his peripheral vision he could see K'aashi smirk and roll his eyes.
"Ah, yes, quite a formidable one. That's not unexpected with two people who are as strong in the force as you two," Cel'aanaeus said with a smile. "As I was just about to announce, before my son went and got himself cut up, we have a new student in our combat skills class. Gentlemen, I'd like you to meet J'aa'nalia T'naa'lichi."
"Hiya," Said K'aashi with a smile, elbowing his friend.
"Ow, man, cut that out! My side still hurts!" Noaa'lan whispered through his clenched teeth.
"Oops, sorry," Said K'aashi. "She seems to be staring at you now, Noaa'lan. I don't think that there's a chance in the universe that she doesn't have the hots for you, and everyone here, including your old man, can see it! So much for keeping things a secret!"
Noaa'lan groaned and held his head in his hand. He couldn't believe that he could be so stupid as the fall for J'aa'nie!
"Remind me to tell you what color I want my burial shroud to be, K'aashi," Whispered Noaa'lan, "because once R'aa'nlan finds out about J'aa'nalia and me, AND HE WILL, I'm going to be cleaved in half with a G'aanha!!"
"Whoa, you don't have to reciprocate her feelings, you know! I mean, you're not in love with her . . .Are you?" Whispered K'aashi, looking suspiciously at his friend.
His father had always told him not to lie to him, but most of all, Noaa'lan had been instructed never to lie to himself. He couldn't lie, and say that his heart didn't jump, and his lips didn't curve up into a smile, or that time didn't seem to stand still for him each time he laid eyes on her radiant beauty. He just couldn't. He looked sadly at his best friend, and gave a slow nod of surrender.
"Aw MAN! You are!? I hate to say it, because I'm your friend, but you are one big FLAMING IDIOT, Noaa'lan!! She's beautiful, but she's practically suicide to you!!" K'aashi hissed.
"Who is? What's wrong, Noaa'lan? You look sad," Said J'aa'nalia.
"My side still hurts," Noaa'lan said truthfully.
"Oh, let me help you," She said, reaching out and putting her hand on his side. Her fingers were like ice against his skin, and he jumped up from the cold.
"Your fingers are cold . . ." Noaa'lan said as he held her hands in his. Their eyes met in a deeply powerful gaze. As he stared deeply into her mind, he saw the brave, unprejudiced young woman that had stolen his heart. She was willing to risk everything, including her family, to be with him. He finally understood. For a split second, he knew that this was the way it was meant to be . . .
"Noaa'lan, J'aa'nie, would you two please step up for sparring. Noaa'lan, are you sure that you're up to this?" Asked his father with a knowing smile.
'Up to what?' thought Noaa'lan. 'Dueling? What was it that I was doing before she came?"
"Uhhh. . .not really. My side still hurts a bit," said Noaa'lan, lying just a little. He couldn't concentrate long enough to fight J'aa'nie. That he knew for a fact.
"All right," Cel'aanaeus said, looking curiously at his son. "K'aashi, do you want to step up and take this one?"
"With pleasure," K'aashi said with a smug smile, as he sauntered into the fighting ring. "J'aa'nie, just to show you I'm a nice guy, I won't be too hard on you, because you're just a freshman."
J'aa'nalia unclasped her silver cloak and discarded it at the edge of the ring. She removed her intricately carved weapon from her belt, and gave K'aashi an icy stare.
"If I needed you to go easy on me, then I wouldn't be in this class, now would I, K'aashi? If you do, then I will beat you. Plain and simple." She said bluntly.
K'aashi raised his eyebrows in surprise at the sweet, innocent blond girl who just challenged him.
"All right, then. Lets go!!!" K'aashi yelled, igniting his blade. J'aa'nalia quickly moved to counter with her own blue blade. "Lets see what you're made of, J'aa'nalia T'naa'lichi!!"
The two of them fought fiercely, but J'aa'nalia clearly had the upper hand from the beginning. She moved deftly, never wasting any movements or energy, and her quick, precise style sent K'aashi scrambling. Before long, both K'aashi and his pride came crashing to the floor.
"Point, T'naa'lichi," Cel'aanaeus called out as he moved over to stand next to his son. "Very good, J'aa'nalia! You fight very much like your father, if I remember correctly. He was very efficient."
"Thanks. He taught me all he knew," J'aa'nalia said softly.
"She's really GOOD!" Noaa'lan exclaimed under his breath.
"I know," replied his father. "That's why I wanted you to fight her. When you're fighting your best, you're a good match for her."
Noaa'lan turned to watch K'aashi tumble to the ground as J'aa'nalia delivered a hard kick to his stomach. K'aashi picked himself off the cold stone floor with a groan, doubled over from pain. He shook his head in disbelief.
"No more! I've gotten my butt kicked enough for today, thank you!" Gasped K'aashi.
"On that note, everybody is dismissed. This period is almost over anyway," announced Cel'aanaeus.
Noaa'lan reached out and slapped his friend on the back. K'aashi gave a weary sigh.
"Don't sweat it! Everybody gets beaten down by a girl sometime. I'm sure that next class, it'll be my turn!" He said with a smile.
"You're just saying that to be nice. I'm sure you're going to do pretty well against her." K'aashi replied.
"Yeah, if I could only concentrate when I see her, then I might stand a chance!" Noaa'lan muttered. "However, that doesn't seem to be something I can do."
"It should be," said a calm voice, and Noaa'lan turned around to face his father. "Noaa'lan, I understand why you're smitten with her. She's a beautiful, kind, and talented girl, but you have to realize that falling for her is dangerous!"
"That's what I've been trying to tell him all along! See, Noaa'lan, your father's right! You have to forget about her!" Insisted K'aashi.
"Uh, there's just one problem with that. I'm her senior guide, because you ASSIGNED me to her, and I don't want to be a jerk and ditch her. That's just what she'd expect a Narundi to do!" Noaa'lan exclaimed.
"Oh, has being a Narundi suddenly become synonymous with not caring about people? Noaa'lan, we took her in when her father couldn't afford to teach her anymore!" Cel'aanaeus said sternly. "You won't be doing her a disservice by refusing to be her guide. Tell her you're busy!"
"No, father. I can handle it. K'aashi, tell him I'll be able to deal with her!" Noaa'lan cried in desperation.
"I don't know, Noaa'lan. I DID cut your side open while you just stood there and ogled her!" K'aashi said as he bit his lip, trying not to laugh. Noaa'lan glared at him for not coming to his rescue.
"Noaa'lan, you've made it very obvious that you're dedicated to clearing the Narundi name, and showing her that you're a good friend, but you're standing next to a very deep abyss, and if you fall in love with her, you're as good as gone!" Exclaimed Cel'aanaeus.
"I'm grateful that you care so much about what happens to me, but I can fend for myself! I promise you that I won't let my feelings for her get in the way!" Noaa'lan said softly.
"Make sure that you don't," said Cel'aanaeus, with his lips pressed into a firm, straight line. He pulled his jedi cloak up over his head, and, after giving his son a stern look, he exited the room.
"Oh damn, I'm screwed!" Noaa'lan exclaimed as he banged his head against the wall.
"You can't do it, can you?" Asked K'aashi. "I did sense a very strong connection there between the two of you."
"It's strong, K'aashi. Too strong! I can't think of anything else but her! It's affecting my attention span!" Noaa'lan whined.
"Hey, you know what I just thought of!? This is just like D'aanea and Patrl'aan, minus the two of you being cousins! Talk about your forbidden love! Your families have some feud going on! Someday, Professor S'aahai's anal-retentive descendants are going to be teaching their classes "Noaa'lan and J'aa'nalia" as a part of N'aanwarian Literature!" Cried K'aashi, doubling over from laughter.
"Hey, if all turns out the way that you planned, then HIS descendants will be YOUR descendants!" Noaa'lan pointed out with a smirk.
"Well, no kids of mine are going to be teaching N'aanwarian Lit!" K'aashi said firmly, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Then there's no way you'll ever get to fulfill that particular fantasy! Plus, I don't want to be murdered by my relatives, like D'aanea and Patrl'aan were. I like my throat when it's not slit!!" Laughed Noaa'lan.
"Your relatives aren't the ones you should be worried about, my friend," K'aashi said.
"Tell me something I don't know," Noaa'lan muttered as he and K'aashi exited out into the endless din of the hallway.
There, he found J'aa'nie waiting for him.
"Hi guys," she said with a bright smile. "Noaa'lan, are you ready to take me to my next class?"
"Sure. K'aashi, I'll see you later, OK?"
"Sure thing, buddy. Don't be late again to S'aahai's class!" K'aashi said with a grin.
"Don't worry, I won't," Noaa'lan laughed, and he took J'aa'nalia by the hand and led her down the hall.
"This place is just so huge! I don't think I'll ever be able to find my way around it!" J'aa'nie exclaimed.
"Yeah, it takes a while, but you'll get the hang of it after a couple of weeks." Noaa'lan said reassuringly.
As the two of them wound their way through the small openings in the halls between different clusters of people, J'aa'nalia gave Noaa'lan's hand a gentle squeeze. He looked back to see her smiling at him, and her hazel eyes sparkled so that they made the dim hallway brighter. Noaa'lan beamed back at her and returned the squeeze.
"Noaa'lan, um, can I ask you a question?" J'aa'nalia whispered once they had gotten away from the crowd.
"Sure, J'aa'nie. Shoot."
"About last night . . .uh . . .did it . . .mean anything to you?" She asked earnestly, her eyes gazing up into his.
He wanted to say "of course" and "it meant everything", but all he could do was stare into her eyes. The same feelings that he felt each time he saw her swept over him like wildfire, and his hand reached up to touch her cheek. He leaned over and softly kissed her.
"My my, Mr. Narundi, maybe you don't remember the rule that states that there are NO public signs of affection in this school!" Boomed Professor S'aahai. "Plus, I wouldn't want to have to give you another detention, which is what I will do if you're late to my class again!"
J'aa'nalia smiled at Noaa'lan as the professor walked away.
"Don't worry, Noaa'lan. He's just a stiff." She said with a giggle.
"Well, he is right about him giving me a detention, so I'll have to see you later." Noaa'lan said, smiling warmly at her.
"All right," said J'aa'nie, and she kissed him swiftly on the cheek, and then entered her classroom.
Noaa'lan walked on air down the hall, forgetting about how stupid he really was for falling for her. All he could think about was her.
