ANOTHER AU!! Only this one takes place in med. asia... (im not very familiar with trad. customs... so the country in the story is one i made up!! So if it seems weird, or if ur like, "HEY! No asian country did/has/eats/drinks/does/believes THAT!!" well, you're right. It's my OWN country so THERE!!!)

hope ya like.

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"Make way! Make way for the princess!"

The festival stopped as if in awe as the royal platform was carried. People watched as the "delicate jade flower", as they had lovingly nicknamed her for the brilliant gleam of her eyes. She was dressed in white royal silk robes with pink and green and blue trimmings and riboons. Her poofy hair was tied tight back into a firm bun. She smiled as she waved innocently to the people around her who bowed as she passed.

Pulling her sleeve politely over her mouth, she leaned over to whisper to the old man walking along side her platform, "Mushi, might I be able to walk around and see the festival?"

"Oh no my dear, Princess," He said in his hard voice, "It is far too dangerous for one such as yourself,"

She sighed and slumped in her pillows. Her eyes difted to a group of children running with sparklers and laughing merrily. The princess was an angel to many but she was lonely and bored with her life.

She had friends... the guards and servants and teachers and scholars and exotic birds, the mages, the coy fish... honestly, she had many friends. But none of those friends could play the games she wanted or would allow her to climb trees or play with sparklers. She longed to have other children to play with.

"Can I go home?" She asked softly. Mushi looked at her, noticing the hint of sorrow in her bright eyes.

"What's the matter, Princess? Are you sick?"

"No," She sighed, huffing lightly, "Just... tired is all,"

Mushi turned to the carriers of her platform and clapped his hands. The curtain was pulled around her so she was invisible to the commoners as they made their way back home.

Sighing again, she peaked out to gaze at the children playing.

She felt an envy that burned as green as her very eyes.

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"Boy! What have I told you about being late!?"

Huey panted, standing at the door, covered in sweat. His eyes gazing directly up at the very angry , portly man hovering above him.

"I- I was just..."

"Wasting time again!" The big man shouted, "The royal family is about to sit for their evening tea and you haven't placed the almond cookies on the china yet!"

The ten year old boy wiped the presperation from his brown and headed over to the tray of cookies sitting on the oven. He hated his life. His grandfather lost himself and his brother to a tax collector and the two were sold into slavery. Huey was lucky. He ended up in the royal palace as a kitchen boy. The beatings were regular but didn't last too long. The chef was lazy and would get tired quickly.

Huey was also able to sneak into the royal training grounds and practice his swordsmanship whenever no one was around. He had a sword that he kept hidden under his very flat futon under the cellar steps.

Well, this day was almsot his last. If the chef would have found out where he had trully been, well, not only would he have lost his job, but probably a few ribs or something.

Taking the cookies and tea onto a serving tray, he carefully stepped through the mat door and into the royal dining hall. There sat the King, the queen and of course, the princess. The "Delicate Jade Flower" the name made him scoff. She wasn't delicate at all. She was a silly girl with a very winey voice.

She was a flower though. Huey secretly loved serving the tea and almond cookies just so he could stand beside her sitting form as he placed the small dishes before her. She always smelled of cherry blossums and sugar. She would give him a usual smile and mutter a very quiet, "Thank you", just low enough for only him to hear. He would look at her with his serious scowl and nod, as if telling her "You're welcome,"

But today she didn't smile. Instead, her nose wrinkled as the awful scent of sweat mixed with the dirt covering his body and she blurted out, "You smell awful," This recieved a very flustered reaction from everyone.

"Young lady, you know we don't speak at the table," Her father, the emperor snapped quickly, "Especially to a servant boy,"

The princess's eyes widened and she slumped in her cushion. She eyed the slave and gave him a look that could only mean, "I'm sorry,"

Huey didn't nod. He just tucked the tray under his arm and retreated back into the kitchen.

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"And... Left, left, forward stab, jump and kick!" Huey recited, following through each movement as if it were a strict dance pattern. His sword seemed to glisten in the moon light as he spun around and slashing it across the air it once, "HI-YEAH!" He bellowed, spinning on his heal and bringing the sword down, only to stop it in mi swing in order to prevent chopping off a very startled head.

The princess.

She let out a slight, "Eeek!" Just as the tip of the blade came to rest only a centimeter away from her nose. In her hand rested a lit candle. She was dressed in white bed clothes with no shoes. Both we surprised to see the other.

He looked at her and moved away his sword, sliding it back into it's hilt, he grudgingly bowed, inwardly cursing himself for such behavior.

"Oh it's alright!" She exclaimed hushly, "It was my fault. I shouldn't have snuck up on you like that," He stood up straight when she finished. He didn't reply, he just turned to leave. The princess took a few steps before she was ahead of him again, "That was amazing! I've never seen anyone do that before! Are you a real samurai?"

His lack of reply made her giggle, giving him a shove.

"It's okay! You can speak to me!" She told him, leaning in to whisper, "Everyone's asleep, anyway,"

Huey glanced over his shoulder and gave her a funny look, "What are you doing out here?"

"I couldn't sleep," She smiled, not missing a beat, "I like to walk around the palace grounds at night to look at the sky,"

Huey gave her another look and then shrugged, "Well, you should probably get to bed now. I have to train," No sooner had the words reached his mouth, he was already trying to walk away. Once again she cut him off before he got very far.

"Train for what?"

He huffed, "To be a samurai, like my father," Again, trying to walk away.

And again, being short stepped, "Your father was a real samurai?"

Huey glowered at her and froze, giving her his best angry look, "Look, I have to finish this before that fat ol' cook wakes up and beats me for not making breakfast before sunrise. You need to leave me alone. DO you get that, Miss Delicate Jade Flower?"

Her eyes narrowed and her hands fell hard on her hips, "My name's Jazmine,"

This took him a back. Her true name wasn't supposed to be spoken aloud. He shushed her and looked around, making sure no one was around, "Princess! You're going to get us in a LOT of trouble! Now, PLEASE, go to bed!"

She pouted and poked out her lip slightly, "Okay... If I go do you promise to play with me tomorrow night?"

"What?"

"And every night after that?"

Huey scoffed and rolled his eyes. He rubbed his tempes and looked back at the hopeful little princess. His first reaction had been to tell her of course not and send her on her own way to bed. But when his eyes fell on her... her face made his heart pause. Her big green eyes glistened gently against the glowing candle light and her face read the pure emotion of hurt. He finally started to realize how lonely and desperate she was for some form of comapnionship. Not like dying was much better than slavery, "... You have to go to bed when I tell you to, okay? And no one can know about this,"

She giggled, "So we can be friends?"

"Sure..."

She smiled brightly and gave him a big hug, minding the candle in her hand so not to burn him. Huey blushed and pushed her off gently but quickly, "Princess!! I am not aloud to touch you...! Could you imagine what would happen if someone saw...!?"

She giggled and rolled her eyes, "Whatever. Goodnight, samurai," She gave him a bow before skipping merrily off to bed. Huey rolled his eyes and held out his swiord, watching the small creature that he knew would cause him loads of trouble soon enough.

"Good night, Jazmine,"

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The two became fast friends. She would sneak out to watch him as he "trained" and he would take breaks in order to speak with her. Some days, she would hide her almond cookies in her obi during tea time and bring them out for Huey to eat during their meetings. After Huey mentioned he had never eaten anything other than rice and maybe one or two bites of fish, she soon felt compelled to smuggle him alot of her meals.

"Ya know, Jazmine," He once said, looking at the tempting food before him as she carefully unwrapped a riceball from her cloth hankerchief, "This is really nice of you... but not necessary,"

She smiled selflessly, holding out the goody in her hand for him to take, "But you need good food to keep up your strength so you can be a great samurai and save your brother, right?"

He gingerly took it and gave her a small smile, "... Right,"

He soon found he loved her. Not in a silly way he had seen young adults profess their love by hugs and kisses and hand holding. He trully loved her. He loved to hear what she had to say... even when it was something silly that made no sense. She was honest, and that was a dying quailty of the time they lived in. He wanted her to be safe. Always.

So, it was no shock that what he heard one morning while serving tea to the Emperor and the captain of the guard made his blood run a bitter cold.

"But sire... I do wish you'd reconsider," The captain said, "How can you ask that I take the life of your own daughter?"

Huey froze in his tracks, keeping himself hidden just before the door opening, holding the tray with quivering hands. He listened carefully and silently.

"You know of the prophecy," The emperor snapped hushly, but plenty loud for Huey to hear, "If she lives past her 13th year, then first famine and death will fall upon her father! Me!"

"But sire, what if the prophecy isn't about your daughter?"

"How could it not be!? Sand colored hair, jade eyes?" The emperor was infuriated by the captain's reluctance, "Now, either you get rid of her by her next birthday or I shall get rid of you,"

"Yes my liege,"

Huey gulped as he tried to force a steady look as he let himself into the throne room. He bowed respectively before approaching them. Placing the tray on the small table, he began to pour the tea slowly, his mind racing about his only friend and how her birthday was fast approaching.

He bowed himself away and exited. Gulping, he realized what he had to do.

He was going to kidnap the princess that night.

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"Jazmine...! Jazmine, wake up," Huey hissed, shaking her gently. Her eyes popped open in shock, sitting up and rubbing her eyes, she coughed once.

"Huey? What... what are you doing...?"

"No time to explain," He muttered, taking a silk cloth and placing several of her plain kimonos and obis in it, "We have to go. Now,"

She looked out her window, the full moon hung high in the sky, "Where? The training yard?"

"No. Away," He said, as he wrapped the make-shift bag around her back, "You're in danger. I can't explain now. But we have to leave tonight,"

"Huey," She said as she watched him stuff her futon with some clothes and a pillow to make the shape of her sleeping form, "You're scaring me,"

Finishing his work on her bed, he clutched his sword that was tied at his belt and gave her a deathly serious look, "Good,"

Taking her hand, he lead the young princess away. They couldn't get through the palace gates, so they climbed one of the mighty cherry blossom trees that grew in the south side of the courtyard. Just as he pulled her up to the highest branch, her eyes flew to her window where a light was shining in the room through the window from a lantern.

"I... didn't leave that on..."

Suddenly, several figures came into the room, their swords rising and coming down hard on where her bed was. Jazmine gasped and covered her mouth with her hand.

"That's why we have to get as far away from here as possible," He told her, grabbing her hand and helping her climb the tree down on the other side, making their way over the gates and onto the firm ground of free land...well... sort of. Not letting go of her hand, he pulled her along, dragging her deep into the midnight forest, the only light coming from the moon and stars above.

Strangely enough, even though she was terrified about her attempted asassiantion, she felt very safe just knowing he had a firm grip on her hand... and he would never let go.

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wow. this one's weird.

oO yeah... uh... TBC!!!!