CHAPTER THREE

Sasami slipped, shadow-like, into the mess hall. She should have arrived with her other year-mates, but she'd been late because Ryo-oki was still acting up. The little cabbit didn't like being left in Sasami's rooms all the time, and she didn't like the fact that Sasami wasn't always with her. Still, pets were not allowed in the dorms, and Sasami had to keep her friend hidden.

Sasami entered the serving line, filling her tray with the unidentifiable, nutritious lumps that passed for food in this place. She glanced around, looking for an empty seat. Finally, she spotted the table designated for the new trainees. Seeing her, Taki lifted a hand in greeting and indicated the spot that he'd saved for her on the bench. She smiled and picked her way through the tables to join him. She sat down, pretending not to notice the way the recruits on her other side automatically slid as far away as they could go. Instead, she turned to her food.

"Blech," she commented, as she tasted the stuff on her fork. "This stuff is awful."

Taki looked at her curiously. He didn't seem to be having any problems with his meal. "It's just standard rations. I used to eat them all the time at home. Didn't you?"

Sasami thought hard for a moment. It was too late to pretend that she'd eaten the same types of food as a child, but she didn't want her friend to know that she'd had her own private cook. If he knew that, he might start asking questions about her back round that she couldn't answer truthfully. Finally, she shook her head. "No, I had homemade meals growing up. My caretakers didn't want me to eat anything that wasn't strictly monitored for content."

"Your caretakers? What happened to your parents?"

Sasami shrugged. "They weren't around most of the time. They had to work a lot."

Taki took a bite of his own food, and then asked with his mouth full, "What do your parents do for a living, Sammy?"

Again, Sasami paused to think. She couldn't really say that her parents were the rulers of one of the largest, most powerful empires in the universe, could she? "Oh, this and that. I don't think they ever really specialized in one thing," she answered evasively.

Taki shrugged, seeing that his slight friend didn't want to talk about her parents. "My parents weren't around a lot, either. They're miners, so they spent most of their time off-planet. My sisters raised me." He laughed lightly. "Well, they raised me in the sense that I was fed and clothed. As long as I didn't set anything on fire, they didn't really care what I did. I ran around wild for most of my early life."

Sasami smiled wistfully. "I envy you," she said, twirling her fork in her food. "My parents were obsessed with etiquette and propriety. I spent most of my time with tutors. I didn't often get to go outside."

Taki nodded sagely. "Ah, so that's why you came here. You were running away, weren't you?"

Sasami nodded slowly. Me and my big mouth, she thought angrily at herself. "In more ways than one," she answered simply.

Sasami focused on her food, glancing up only when the redheaded man from earlier entered the room. She nudged Taki. "What's his story?" she asked. "He seems so serious."

Taki followed her eyes, looking to see who she was referring to. "Kamadake? We don't really know much about him. He's kind of reticent." Sasami rolled her eyes. 'Reticent' was an understatement. "All I know is that he's an offworlder, and I'd guess that he's from one of the provinces of Jurai."

Sasami blinked, alarmed at the implications. "Jurai? Why do you say that?"

Taki shrugged. "He's got purple eyes. Only the people of Jurai have oddly colored eyes like that." He glanced at her, a teasing grin on his lips. "Of course, your eyes are much more strange."

Sasami blushed at Kamadake slid into an empty seat across from them. Like their response to her, the cadets around him slid away. Unlike her, though, they moved more from intimidation than fear. The redhead was frighteningly strong. Kamadake didn't seem to notice. He concentrated on his food, eyes downcast. Sasami sighed and returned to her own meal.

A few minutes later, there was a loud commotion outside the door. A trumpet flared loudly, deafening everyone within hearing range. The doors to the mess hall flew open, knocking several cadets to the floor. A young man stepped through, followed by several men in gray uniforms. Sasami watched the man curiously, intrigued by the subtle differences in his uniform as compared to her own. He still wore cadet black, but somebody had embroidered silver trim along its entire length in a skilled hand. The patterns were truly beautiful, as was the man inside the uniform. His hair was a glossy brown, and his eyes were as gray as the uniforms of his servants. His only imperfection was the arrogant scowl marring his otherwise handsome features.

"Who's that?" whispered Sasami.

Taki's face creased into a scowl of intense dislike. "That is Prince Dael. He's the future ruler of Misox. I sure pity the people when he takes over. Of course, his dad isn't much better. They're both obsessed with power and their social status. All Dael and his father want is an alliance with one of those Jurain princesses. They'd do anything to get a hold of one." He stabbed his fork viciously into one of the pinkish lumps on his plate. "I wouldn't cross him, if I were you. He has a nasty temper."

Sasami continued to watch as the angry prince sauntered into the room. Everyone that he passed nearly fell to the floor in an effort to bow to him. As the prince meandered across the room, he knocked plates of food onto the heads of the kneeling cadets as he passed. Nobody said a word to gainsay him, and they all seemed grateful that spilling food was all he'd done. The only two people who didn't bow were Sasami and Kamadake.

"Bow, Sammy, or he'll get mad!" Taki hissed as he knelt on the hard floor. Kamadake continued to eat, eyes still on his plate.

Sasami shrugged. She really didn't feel like getting her knees dirty and cramped just to appease the inflated ego of some snotty prince.

The prince didn't notice them at first, choosing instead to yell at the cooks behind the serving line. "You call this food?! I won't eat it! Get me something decent, or I'll report you to my father!" His voice, though smooth and cultured, was filled with harsh pride. Sasami didn't like him.

As the prince waited impatiently for his food, screaming at the frightened cooks all the while, one of his servants called for his attention. The prince looked at though he were about to strike the poor man, but turned instead to listen. When the man pointed to Sasami and Kamadake, the prince turned almost livid with rage. He rushed over to their table, his guards and servants following less quickly.

"Bow to me!" screamed the prince in fury. "Bow to me, or you'll be sorry!"

Sasami tried not to smirk. He sounded like a petulant child. Of course, even children have power, she mused. The prince grabbed a dagger from one of his men, pointing it at Kamadake's throat. The young man didn't react, so the prince pushed the dagger further into the redhead's skin. Finally, Kamadake stopped eating and set his fork onto the table. He lifted his eyes, and even Sasami was momentarily afraid of the look in his purple gaze. "I will not bow to you, sop. If there is a problem, I am more than willing to take it up in the combat ring. You name the place, and I will be there." Kamadake paused, letting this veiled threat sink in. "If, however, you realize that I am far stronger and better skilled than you, you can always try to kill me in my sleep. Be aware, though, that your attempts to harm me will not succeed, and I will be forced to extract revenge." His words were calm and even, and the prince backed away in sudden fear. Kamadake could and would carry out his warnings, and even the prince knew better than to mess with him.

Instead, the prince turned on Sasami. "You will bow!" he repeated, as though reiterating his statement might help him regain the face he'd just lost.

She shrugged, still having a difficult time containing her laughter. "Why?" she asked, her lips twitching alarmingly.

The prince blinked at her. "Why what?" he asked, momentarily forgetting that he still had a dagger in his hand.

"Why should I bow to you? What purpose will it serve?" she asked curiously. Although, of course, people on Jurai had bowed to her when she passed, they'd never had to humiliate themselves by groveling on the floor. She genuinely wanted to know why the people on Misox had to be on their hands and knees like animals. Was there some function that such an action served? Maybe she'd just missed it.

The prince, meanwhile, seemed to be having difficulty breathing. "Because it will make me feel better!" he screamed.

Sasami cocked her head to the side, aware that Kamadake's eyes were still on her. "Oh, well, in that case…" Sasami faced away from the prince, got onto her hands and knees, and bowed…

…to Taki.

"What are you doing?" Taki asked incredulously.

Sasami smiled and got to her feet. "He said that bowing makes people feel better. You're my best friend, so I decided to make you feel better. You certainly deserved it." She smiled again, ignoring the prince as he ranted behind her.

"You're supposed to bow to me, you fool!" he shouted.

Sasami turned back to him. "But I don't like you. Why would I want to make you feel better?" she asked innocently.

Angered beyond all ability to endure, the prince stabbed at her with his dagger. Sasami employed the skills that Mahonori had taught her, sliding around the encroaching dagger and prince to slam her fist into the small of his back. The prince collapsed, having lost all of the air in his lungs. Sasami stepped back, fully intending to return to her food. Instead, she was forced to dodge the attacks of the prince's bodyguards. She moved around them like the wind through trees, kicking here, punching there, until each man was lying on the floor, gasping.

Sasami picked her way over the bodies, seating herself calmly at the table. As she picked up her fork, Taki and the rest of the cadets slid back into their own seats. Sasami glanced around, pleased to see that some of the resentment was gone from the faces of her year-mates. They still seemed scared of her, but she could see the congratulations in their eyes. They hadn't liked the arrogant prince any more than she had.

Kamadake nodded once in respect, and then returned to his food. Somehow, that simple jerk of his head felt better than having millions of people kneel to her on Jurai.

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Training commenced shortly after the incident in the mess hall. Since Lieutenant Wyldon did not feel that the cadets were ready to begin piloting, they were forced to train physically. They ran laps, did thousands of push-ups, and demonstrated hand-eye coordination. After a while, the lieutenant made them run more laps, this time weighted down by lead carried in special shoes. Of them all, only Kamadake was able to perform to the lieutenant's satisfaction. After far too many hours, Wyldon allowed them to return to their own quarters to rest and clean themselves up. Only Sasami remained behind, having to work off her punishment from the previous day.

Sasami headed for the maintenance deck. Every sinew in her body ached, and she felt as though her head was as heavy as the lead from their weighted shoes. She dragged herself along, eager to get her punishment over with. As she entered the maintenance bay, she found herself in a very large room that closely resembled a hanger bay. The only craft in the room, however, was a large, odd-looking device that didn't look as though it could possibly fly using the fragile engines hanging in pieces from the rear. Standing on a precarious ladder by the engine was a tall, slender woman with flamboyantly pink hair. Sasami edged over to the woman, curious to see what she was doing.

The woman glanced up as she approached, and her eyes narrowed slightly. She shrugged imperceptively, and slid down from the ladder. Sasami shook the woman's hand, feeling her own flesh tingle slightly from the contact. There was something…familiar about this pink-haired mechanic, but Sasami couldn't put her finger on it. Instead, she smiled brightly. "You must be Washu. I'm Sammy. I'm supposed to work with you…?"

Washu nodded. "Ah, Cadet Sammy. I was wondering when you'd show up." She glanced at Sasami, noticing the tired look in the girl's bright eyes. "Knowing Wyldon, he's probably worked you to death. You won't be any good to me if you're exhausted." She blinked, and a small, semi- transparent keyboard appeared from thin air. Sasami watched as Washu typed furiously on the board. The princess knew that pulling computers from nowhere wasn't normal, but she felt surprisingly reassured by the action. Maybe, I'm just glad to see that I'm not the only strange one around here, she mused idly.

"There we go!" cried Washu as a little cupboard appeared by her head. Washu reached into it, pushing her arm all the way up to the shoulder, though the cupboard seemed like it could barely accommodate her hand. When she pulled her arm back it, she was holding a glass bottle filled with green liquid. She tossed the bottle to Sasami, and both the cupboard and the computer disappeared. "Drink that," she commanded. "It'll replenish your energy."

Sasami sipped gingerly at the liquid, pleased that although it wasn't exactly appetizing, it wasn't too awful, either. Surprised, she murmured, "Wow! I really do feel better!" She smiled happily at Washu, who grinned back.

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For the next three hours, Sasami handed various tools to the pink-haired woman, who kept up a steady stream of conversation. Sasami was relieved that although some of the questions came too close to home, she managed not to reveal any information about her back round. As the session ended, Washu climbed down from the ladder once more.

Sasami handed her a cloth to wipe away the grease on her hands. As she did, her fingers again brushed across Washu's. Once again, her skin began to tingle, and Sasami felt dizzy. She swayed, and Washu grabbed her sleeve in an attempt to steady the girl. Washu helped Sasami over to the ladder, where the princess perched precariously on the bottom rung.

"You okay?" asked Washu in a compassionate voice.

Sasami nodded. "I guess I'm just more tired out from training than I'd thought."

Washu stared at the aqua-haired cadet. "My energy supplement should have taken care of that," she murmured thoughtfully. "If I didn't know better, I'd have to say that you've been doing something more than just training. Have you been using any energy attacks lately?"

Sasami's head jerked up, and she stared at Washu with alarmed eyes. "No!" she protested. "Where would I learn energy attacks?"

Washu grunted. "Come on, Sammy. We both know that you're not what you appear. I heard all about that little incident in the med lab yesterday. Don't you know that using that much power will drain you for days afterwards? I am glad, though, that you managed to wound Tokima. She's been getting far too sure of herself over the centuries."

Sasami's eyes were as round as saucers. "How-how'd you know about that?" she asked in a whispery voice.

Washu shrugged. "She's my sister. I know when she's been injured. Besides," her eyes twinkled, "she asked me to patch her up, and I wouldn't. She's just a little bit mad at us both, right now."

Sasami swallowed. "She's your sister? Who is she? Who are you? Better yet, what are you?" she gasped.

Washu's smile died. "You mean that you don't know yet?" She snorted with disgust. "Let me guess. My other darling sister, Tsunami, didn't tell you what you are. She probably wanted to give you time to adjust."

Sasami pushed herself to her feet, fighting the urge to place her hands over her ears to block out Washu's words. "I'm sorry," she whispered, eyes wide, "but I have to go now."

She stumbled toward the exit, but Washu called out, "Tsunami, wait! You have to know what you are or Tokima will eat you alive!"

Sasami whirled, eyes flashing dangerously. "I'm not Tsunami! Do you hear me?! My name is Sasami! Leave me alone! All of you, including that psychotic sister of yours, can just leave me alone!"

She fled, not noticing the redheaded young man poised outside the hanger doors, a requisition pad in his hands and a startled expression on his normally impassive face.

Washu walked slowly to the door, holding her hand out for the data pad in Kamadake's hands. He blinked, confused, and handed it to the pink- haired mechanic. "Lord Wyldon wants you to check the survival gear. The new recruits are going camping in a few days."

Washu nodded absently. "Thank you, cadet." Her eyes remained on Sasami's fleeing figure, which could just be made out as the girl disappeared down the corridor. "Will she be alright, I wonder?" she murmured quietly to herself, ignoring the man beside her.

A.N.: I realize that the entire scene with the prince is a little corny, but this is just the way it came out…so get over it.