Prince\'s Pet

 Part 9

On the way to the training grounds, Peaz tried to copy me by crawling after his Highness. I giggled inside at her efforts, knowing that she'd get tired pretty fast if she kept going like that.

Although I move on hands and knees when I follow my Prince, I don't crawl. I actually fly just a tiny bit above the ground, as high as I can get while wearing ki restrainers. It's easy to miss just by looking, but it saves me a lot of exhaustion.

I had to admit, though, Peaz was stubborn. She didn't stand until we reached the training arena. She was trying to dash ahead of me to open the door again, but this time I reached it first. My Prince covered a smile at our show of competition, which I almost missed as he brushed his gloved hand over my spikes.

Peaz glared, having noticed the small smug smile I was unable to keep from my lips. I turned back to my Prince, hiding my face from her view so she wouldn't see my suppressed snickers when I realized she hadn't made any move to crawl again.

My Prince unclipped my lead and left Peaz and I sitting on a bench by the wall while he went to one of the gravity trainers to warm up. I glanced around the room, wondering who else was here, when I spotted Plum sparring with a first class soldier. I grinned, recognizing the smirk on my friend's face; he was holding back. A lot.

That poor first class doesn't know what he's in for.

I watched as Plum slammed into the floor again and again, gasping and yelping as he took his opponent's blows. The soldier was too caught up in his own advantage that he failed to notice the lack of bruises on Plum's skin. The first class cocked his fist for a finishing punch, aiming for Plum's head as he knelt on the floor, head bowed. A split second before the fist made contact, Plum's image wavered.

"What the--?!" yelped the soldier. He drew back, cradling his wrist, having connected head-on with Plum's abdomen. At the last second, the third-class guard had sprung to his feet and powered up, making what was meant to be a finishing blow hurt less than a child's touch.

I grinned, turning away, not needing to watch any further to know the outcome of the spar. Directing my attention to Peaz, I found her doing one-handed push-ups beside the bench.

"434, 435, 436," she counted. I shrugged, looking back at Plum to see him walking towards us with a towel over his hair. I smiled, waving.

"Hey, Korn," he said as he approached. He glanced over at Peaz, and then arched an eyebrow at me. "New friend?" he questioned.

I hesitated just long enough to be noticeable before nodding my reply. "Yes, this is Peaz, Peaz Greene."

Plum gave me a sharp, knowing look. "Pleased to meet you, Peaz. I'm Plum Seid, his Highness's former bodyguard."

Peaz flipped over and sat up in a cross-legged position. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance," she replied formally. I raised an eyebrow, confused, but Plum understood. He pulled off the towel, allowing his spikes to spring back into place.

"No need to be formal with me," he assured her. I realized that, having been exercising while he sparred, Peaz hadn't seen his hair, and must have mistaken him for a first class; a reasonable assumption, given his former job description.

"Oh. Hi, then," Peaz replied, grinning a bit sheepishly.

Maybe if she talks to Plum, she might warm to me.

Hey, lil author's note here. My updates have caught up to my writing, so I'll only be adding a new chapter every other day from now on.

--Falcon