A/N: My day 5 entry for rintori week on Tumblr! I did a lot of short one-shots, but since this one is so long I decided to publish it. Now just to work on the other fics...

Sei and Sosuke are extremely out of character, and are basically jerks. That's it.

"Please! Help me, please! Anything will help me!" It was a hot day when it happened; the day that would change Nitori Aiichirou's life forever. His dirty clothes clung to his sweaty clothes and his hair stuck to his face. He was starving and weak. He couldn't afford shoes, so he sat on the side of the sand path barefoot. "Please, ma'am!" He reached out and grabbed a woman's hand. She looked rich; she was wearing a royal dancer's uniform. Her long red hair was tied up into a ponytail.

The woman scowled and snatched her hand away. "Go away, street urchin." She spat on him.

Nitori wanted to cry. It was noon, marking it the 6th hour he had spent out in the hot sun begging for food and money. Anything would have helped him, even just a piece of bread. His friend and also beggar, Momotaru, had stolen a piece of bread for the two of them, but had been caught and publicly whipped. Nitori didn't dare try to steal again once he saw the scars on Momo's back and backside.

Nitori looked around the area to see any people who might be able to give him some water. He remembered a nice young man who ran a shop, Makoto was the name. Nitori managed to get up and walk to the shop. "W-water, please." He tried to look as pitiful as he could.

The brunette who ran the shop sighed and he handed Nitori a canteen. Nitori quickly opened the holder and held it above his mouth, only for nothing to come out. "H-huh?" Nitori hit the side of the canteen to try and get a few drops of water.

"There's very little water. I'm sorry." Makoto solemnly took the canteen back. "Maybe go to the well?"

The beggar hesitated answering. "There's no water in that either."

"Oh."

Nitori could feel his stomach growling. He hadn't eaten in almost 4 days. "The king is coming soon. Maybe ask one of the henchmen who follow him around for water?" Makoto suggested. "Because the only other water source I can think of is an oasis on the outskirts of town."

The boy looked down. "Isn't the king of a young age? Younger than you, isn't he?"

Makoto nodded. "18, yes. Maybe since you're closer in age you should be able to convince his people that you need water."

"I'll try."

"Good." Makoto smiled. "I wish you and Momotaru the best of luck. It's hard getting business here during the draught. Haru is out all the time trying to find water, Nagisa is dancing at more jobs to try and get more money, and Rei is working longer hours just trying to live." He didn't want to add in the fact that Aiichirou and Momotaru are beggars.

Nitori, with an empty canister and money bag by his side, went back to his spot and sat. He would beg every person who walked by for some money and water, only to receive nothing. He gave up after two more hours of pleasing. He hugged his knees to his chest and buried his head into his knees, crying hard as his stomach growled harder. He had accepted the fact that he would die soon of starvation and thirst.

He could hear the camels before he saw them. Their hooves hit the sand loudly and the people leading them were talking loudly. People around Nitori were gasping and whispering amongst themselves quietly. Nitori looked up and hazily looked at the people making way to their little town. It was three people; one flashy young man and two young men wearing the same outfit. The two with the matching outfits led the camel that the young man sat down on. He wore a crown on the head and had dark red hair. Nitori quickly came to his senses and realized it was the king and his guards. One of the guards had red hair and the other black. He stumbled trying to get up, but he kept his bag and canteen close to his body. He waited until they passed by for him to try and persuade them to get some food, water, and money. "E-Excuse me." He spoke up to one of the guards. The red headed one looked down at him.

"What, peasant?" He sneered. When he turned, the water in his canteen splashed and the coins in his bag tinkled together. He had muscles and was well fed. Aiichirou burned with envy.

"C-can I have some of your water?" Nitori knew they had plenty of water, so a cup or two wouldn't hurt them. He held his empty canteen out and waited for a response. The black-haired guard, who was quite larger than Nitori, was on the other side of the camel and looked away. King Rin looked down at Nitori with pitiful eyes.

The guard pushed Nitori down onto the ground. "Show some respect." He hacked up a wad of spit and spat on Nitori's face. He grinned and grabbed his canteen of water. "Want some water?"

Nitori gasped and almost cried when the water was poured on him. He was soaking wet and humiliated in front of the king. He looked up through his unkempt wet bangs to see a canteen being handed down to him. "Here." Rin held a solid gold canteen out.

Nitori's hand reached for the holder when the other guard pushed him down. "Don't you dare take anything from him without showing proper respect." He eyed Nitori up and down before adding, "And you should dress yourself more proper before showing yourself. Street urchin." He hissed.

The teen angrily sighed and sat back. A small coin was thrown at him by the red headed guard. "Go buy yourself some bread." He passively-aggressively stated.

He turned around and left Nitori there to think and make a decision. The decision? Not a smart one.

"Ow! What the-?" The guard turned around and rubbed the back of his head after the coin hit him.

"I don't need your damn money. I won't take it as dishonestly as that. I may be a beggar but I have pride and self-respect." Nitori stormed over to the guard. "Just because you're bigger than me and in a higher position that me does not mean you can just bully me as much as you want. So take your damn money back and shove it up your ass for all I care." The guards and the king's eyes were wide at his boldness.

The guard swiftly hit Nitori in the face. He didn't fall down, but rather stumbled but regained his balance. "Know your place." He growled, grabbing his hair.

Nitori grinned. "Make me." Not a smart decision also.

Rin watched the fight happen and did very little to stop it. The red head, Seijuro, and the black haired guard, Sosuke, were both strong, but Nitori was fast. He would avoid them, but would sometimes get caught.

"Nitori!" A loud shriek came from the crowd that surrounded them. Momotaru came out and had a small bag filled with a few coins in his hand. "Stop! Please stop fighting!" He looked up at Rin and his eyes widened. Not only was Nitori fighting, he was fighting the King's men. "P-Please, your highness. Stop the fight. Please."

"Not yet." Rin leaned in, interested. Nitori wasn't the strongest, but would sometimes deliver a punch that would knock the two off their guard. "I want to see what this kid can do and then I'll stop."

As soon as Nitori hit the sand, Rin broke the fight up. "Stop!" He held his hand up and Sosuke, who had his leg bent back for a kick, lowered his leg. "Bring him here. You also, red." He pointed at Momotaru. Both walked hastily to the king. "I liked what I saw. Especially you." He looked at Nitori. "You have potential."

"Thanks." Nitori wiped blood from the corner of his mouth.

Rin rolled his eye. Obviously the two didn't understand what he was saying. "Would you two like to come to my castle? To recover." The two's eyes went wide and couldn't believe what he was saying. "I'm not joking. Both of you need food, water, and a bath badly. And both of you look good enough to work for me."

Nitori was hesitant about the offer. He had heard stories from the other beggars that if they were offered jobs by rich people, to turn them down and that a lot of people who had taken the job never came back. "What's the catch?" Momotaru spoke before Nitori could.

"Nothing. Just an act of kindness."

"I accept." Nitori walked forward. He looked up at Rin and with an emotionless voice said, "I've heard stories about what you rich people do to people like me. Don't you dare hurt him or me."

Rin grabbed his hand and kissed it. Nitori snatched his hand away, not wanting to accept the kiss. Sure the king was attractive, but it was a crime. "Come on Momo." He started walking towards the castle, making the guards turn the camel around.

Seijuro whispered to Sosuke, "Brat's pretty cocky."

Rin, who had overheard the two, decided to speak up. "He's interesting. He's not like the others. He just might be a good servant or guard, so both of you hush." He smiled seeing Nitori walk ahead of him.

"Red, you're taking this bath." Sosuke pointed down the large marble halls to a room. "Brat, you're down here."

Rin stood by the four and crossed his arms. "No. I want the "brat" to come with me. Red, you can go take your bath. The servants will bring you water and a meal after you clean yourself." Nitori cautiously took Rin's hand and walked to the baths.

He had to admit, the baths were nice. It was a large rectangle, very deep and hot. Rin led Nitori to the baths and sat him down on the edge. "Why are you doing this?" Nitori said as Rin helped him undress. "You're a king."

"I may be a king, but I'm also a decent human being." Rin let Nitori take his undergarments off. The red head undressed as well and sat in the bath. He shivered as the hot water pinked his skin. "Aren't you getting in?"

Nitori should have known better, but he slowly lowered his body into the water. It felt nice and he could see his natural skin color, not darkened by the dirt and sand. He used his hands to cup the water and would pour it on his back. "Come here, please." Rin motioned Nitori over to him. "Turn around." Nitori gasped quietly when a spare piece of wet cloth touched his back. "I like you. A lot. You have a lot of potential in life. Nitori, isn't it?"

The teen let him wash his back. "Nitori Aiichirou. Rin Matsuoka, I believe?"

"Yes." Rin touched his back, seeing raised skin. It was in the shape of lines and covered his back. "What happened here?" He couldn't believe how scarred his back was. "D-Did you steal something? You're so young…You're too young to be begging." His voice quivered.

Nitori laughed airily. "You want to hear the story? Of why I have those scars and why I'm begging?"

The king nodded. "Yes."

"Okay then. When my mother gave birth to me, she had died in the process. My father was very poor, and I had three older siblings, so it was hard enough just to support one person, much less five. When my eldest brother married, the dowry was so expensive we had to go three days without food just to afford it. My father never was the nicest of men, so he took his grief of my dead mother out on me." Rin's eyes widened and his head cocked to the side. "He met someone in the village one day. Our village is miles away and is very small. He told my father he's looking for slaves, preferably young, and would pay a lot of money for one. I guess you know what happened next." Nitori's fists clenched. "Every day I was whipped. For nothing. I spent most of my times chained and handcuffed, so I couldn't do anything. That's where I met Momotaru. He had been sold as well. He had two older siblings, their names he couldn't remember because he was sold when he was very young. He told me he was good at picking locks, so he would try to pick ours. He had tested it out on a spare pair of cuffs that he had stolen, and had perfected it. At night time he had undid my cuffs and I did his in return. Then we ran as far as we could. So we came here, to Iwatobi. We've been begging to survive since." He turned his head to look at Rin, who had now placed his hand on his shoulder. "Don't send us back there or to our families."

"I won't."

"Thank you." Nitori bowed his head. "You're kind for a king."

"As I said before," He splashed some of the water onto Nitori playfully. "I'm a human before I'm a king. Friends?" He held his hand out above Nitori's shoulder.

"Friends." Nitori's pink hand held Rin's and shook it.

"A job?" Nitori and Momotaru couldn't believe what they were hearing.

Rin nodded and smiled. "Nitori as a personal servant and Momotaru as a locksmith and spy. How does it sound? You get to live at the castle." Of course, everyone but the three was objecting the jobs. Sosuke and Seijuro whined about how annoying they would be, only to be told to shut up.

"I accept!" Momotaru shook Rin's hand and cheered. "Doesn't it sound great, Nitori? A job for the king!"

Nitori stared at the outstretched hand. He took it. "Taken." He grinned.

"Good." Rin looked over at the two guards. "Take them to their room."

The work was hard and exhausting, since Rin would sometimes send Nitori across the castle just for fun. It went from annoying, to like a game for the two. Rin and Nitori bathed again later the next day. They were talking about life, such as why Rin was such a young king. "My father died when I was young, so when I turned 18 I would be king. And low and behold, 18 and a king I am."

"Just don't let the power go to your head." Nitori teased. Rin rolled his eyes and splashed him.

"Oh shut up, Ai!"

The two paused.

Rin's face was red. "I-I'm sorry I didn't mean to say that!" He apologized.

Nitori thought about the nickname. "I like that." He thought it was cute. "I like it a lot."

"C-Can I call you that?"

"Yes."

Rin sighed in relief. "Oh thank goodness. I thought you were mad at me."

Nitori laughed. "I'd never be mad at you."

Eventually, the two got closer. It went from baths together to meeting after lights out for the servants in Rin's room. Rin remembered when Nitori first kissed him. It was when they hadn't seen each other for a few days because Nitori had to travel to the next town over to get items. Rin welcomed him back, Nitori hugged him happily, and he had kissed him without realizing he had done so until they broke apart. "Y-You're a good kisser." Rin told him in private, where the kiss took place.

"Thank you." Nitori looked down, embarrassed.

Rin held Nitori hand. "I-I love you." It was hard for him to say it.

"I love you too."

Both of their hearts went light from the ease. They had to be careful with their relationship, though. Nitori remembered going to the center of town and saw a public execution. It was two boys around his age, hung for being homosexual. He did not want to die along with the king. They met in secret, loving each other and embracing each other in the dungeons every night.

That was until one of the guards over heard them.

"I hate him." Sosuke hissed at Seijuro in the training room. "He's in a relationship with that little rat!"

Seijuro nodded. "We need to do something about it. The king shouldn't love someone as filthy as him." He looked around. "A thief."

"What?"

"What if he's a thief."

Sosuke looked confused. "He's not. He had no criminal record."

Seijuro grabbed a gold vase. "We'll make him one." He walked to a chest where he kept his belongings and put it in, locking the lock tightly. "Just have to wait until someone notices."

"Good riddance, street rat."

"Where is the gold vase?" Rin was hysterical. For a king it wasn't much, but to Rin it was a lot. "Sosuke! Seijuro! Have you seen it?"

Sosuke shrugged. "The last time I saw it was before that Nitori came in to clean in here." Rin didn't want to believe what he was hearing. "Maybe he took it."

Nitori and Momotaru stood to the side. Nitori's heart was racing. "W-what? I'd never steal something like that! I may be a beggar but I'm an honest person!"

"Did you steal the vase, Ai?" Rin's voice broke. He didn't want his love to be a thief.

"No!" He looked at Rin, who doubted him. "I'm no thief, please believe me!" He knew what the punishment would be if Rin didn't believe him. The two guards came closer and grabbed him. "Please! I didn't do it!" Sosuke held his hand out. "Wait, please!" He was crying hard. "I didn't do it!" Nitori tried to pry his hand away, but was frozen in fear. Seijuro drew his sword and held it on Nitori's wrist.

"I wonder how you'll do without a hand." He raised the sword. Momotaru stood to the side, horrified to watch.

Rin yelled. "Wait!" Seijuro flinched, dropping the sword to the ground. "How about a different punishment?"

Nitori almost fainted he was so scared. "Anything but that." To say it took almost all of what little energy he had left.

"A week in the dungeon." Rin ordered. Nitori bowed his head and let the two lead him into the dark area. Rin bit his lip and watched Nitori slowly walk away. "I'm so sorry." He turned away and went back to his royal duties.

Momotaru stood in the middle of the room, unable to move. He had to prove Nitori innocent.

It was the third day when Rin came to visit Aiichirou. He couldn't get inside of the cell, but he saw Nitori standing, supported by cuffs on the wall. He couldn't say anything but stared. He was pale and skinny, and was barely able to stand. Rin asked Momotaru later that night to make him a key that would fit into the lock of the cell, because the guards had been avoiding the king all day.

Rin heard the lock and he inhaled. It was cold. He walked over to Nitori. He had been given water, but not food. Nitori looked up with pitiful eyes. He looked down at the loaf of bread in his hands and smiled. "It's for you." Rin helped Nitori eat. Nitori got some energy, but was still tired and barely able to stand. "I'm not supposed to visit you, but I can't help it. I want to make sure you're okay."

Nitori couldn't answer. He was too tired and too weak to say a lot. Rin exhaled sharply. "Okay then." He walked away. The cell door was shut and Nitori looked up.

"I-I love…you." He weakly said. Rin's fists tightened and he walked away without looking at Nitori.

Because it wasn't right to love a thief, right?

Momotaru was sneaking around the castle late at night when he stumbled into the training room. It was where the guards would train heavily. The guards were out at the moment, so it was the red-head's perfect chance to rummage through their stuff. He walked around for a few minutes, staring at the equipment he had never seen before. He saw a sword sharpener, which had obviously been well used. He adjusted the pouch on his side so his picking tools stayed in place. He walked around more and came across a locked chest. It had been complicated, but Momotaru managed to unlock it. He rummaged around it; it seemed to be Seijuro's chest. There was a drawing that he came across, one of a small boy that had wavy reddish orange hair. There was writing on the back of it, but Momotaru didn't know how to read so he didn't know what it said. He still needed to ask if Nitori knew how to read. He tucked the picture into his pocket; he would have to ask Seijuro later. He lifted a small blanket up and he couldn't believe what he saw. The missing gold vase lay at the bottom of the chest. Momotaru picked it up and held it close to his body. "H-he really is innocent." Momo ran as fast as he could to the king, who was lazily sitting on his throne. "I-I found this." He held the vase out to the king.

Rin stared at it. "Where did you find this?" Momotaru didn't want to make the guards get punished, so he lied.

"In the training room. It was in a box." He didn't lie, but he didn't tell the whole truth. "Nitori didn't steal anything. Please let him out."

Rin nodded and motioned for another guard, whom Momo and Nitori had never met before, to walk down to the dungeon. Nitori was trying his hardest to keep standing, but even just adjusting his body hurt and drained the energy from him. He was hungry and thirsty. He looked up at Rin, who stood at the front of the cell, watching it being unlocked. When the guard unlocked the cuffs, all Nitori could remember before he fell and blacked out was Rin running to him.

Nitori woke up in Rin's bed later that day. His wrists were chaffed and bruised. He looked around the room after getting enough energy to get up. He looked to his side and saw a tray of food on a table. "You need to eat." Nitori didn't notice Rin in the room. He was sitting at the edge of the bed. "I-I'm sorry this happened, Ai. I should have believed you."

"They were right." Nitori said softly. "Once a beggar always a beggar." He started to eat and Rin explained everything that had happened.

"Momotaru found the vase. It fell into a box apparently and he found it while digging around. He also found a drawing and he asked Seijuro where it came from, and it turns out Seijuro's missing younger brother was him." Nitori laughed. "Surprise huh? It was a surprise to me. Not really since they looked so much alike." Rin reached out and tried to touch Nitori's hand, but flinched back.

Nitori nodded. Rin grabbed his hand lightly and stroked it with his thumb. "I'm so sorry." Rin sat next to Nitori now. "I'm sorry." He repeated. Nitori had finished eating, so he was now trying to calm Rin down as he cried into his shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Ai."

"It's okay!" Nitori was patting Rin's head. "I've had worse happen to me. It's no big deal! It's better than being pushed into camel dung." He shivered. "You're a king. Kings aren't supposed to cry. It'll just make the kingdom seem bad." Nitori laughed. Rin sniffed.

"I'm sorry…" Nitori rolled his eyes at Rin's stubbornness. He grabbed Rin by the front of his shirt and kissed him. "Hush."

Rin fell back and couldn't believe what Nitori did. "Sorry."

"Did you hear me when you came to visit me?"

Rin looked at the red bedsheets. He had heard, but refused to answer it. "Yes." He answered quietly.

"Do you return it?" Nitori whispered.

The red head rested his head against Nitori's. "Yeah."

"What are we going to do?"

"I don't know."

"It's a crime, you know." Nitori solemnly stated. He vividly remembered teens his age being whipped and killed for having a same-sex relationship.

Rin smiled. "Obviously you don't remember who I am. I'm the king, so I can change that law!"

Nitori grinned. "You're a king alright…" He rested his head on his hand. "It's been an exciting past year hasn't it? Can you believe its been about a year since we came here?"

The king shook his head. "You were so thin and weak. I had to do something." Rin started walking out. "I have to return to kingly duties." He rolled his eyes. "Rest up."

"Thank you." Nitori cheerily said.

"For what?"

"For being a great lover. And a friend. And a king. And a human being."

Rin slapped the wall, grinning wide. "Rest up, Ai. You need it. Sleep well."

Nitori buried himself in the comfy bed. "Have fun, I love you." He pulled the sheet up to his chin. Rin walked back over and kissed his head.

"Love you too, Ai."

'Who knew a beggar and a King would fall in love?' Nitori thought before he fell asleep. 'How cliché.'

A/N: Wow I didn't know it ended up being so broken up into so many parts. I listened to the Aladdin soundtrack about 23 times and wrote this for hours on end at 4 in the morning. Go me. If you want to read the other entries that I submitted, you can read them on my tumblr ( .com) under /tagged/rintoriweek. Only two days left and it's done!