Disclaimer: NOT MINE! (Characters aren't, anyway.)

Aladdin was not expecting anything out of the ordinary that day.

He was not expecting to get caught by the most inattentive stall owner at the marketplace. He was not expecting to have to outrun the guards for a stupid apple. He didn't think that they would be so utterly stupid as to continue to run straight ahead while he ducked into an alleyway. And, most importantly, Aladdin did not, in a million years, ever suspect him. It was either a very chance encounter, or fate. Years later, Aladdin would decide to lean towards the latter. For the moment, though, he had a thin, angular, and for that matter, frightened young man to deal with.

"You've gotta help me!" he cried desperately, clutching Aladdin by the arm holes of his vest. "If Master finds me, he's gonna flog me until I can't stand on my own two legs...And that's if I'm lucky! Trust me, I am not a lucky man!" He shook Aladdin back and forth in pure fear.

"Ok, first of all, calm down." Aladdin pried the strange boy off of him. "Secondly, you're a runaway slave?"

There was a slight pause.

"Runaway slave…heh…see, there's a problem with that…it sounds illegal. I…prefer the term…freedom reclaimer…?"

"Thirdly, is your master looking for you?" Aladdin asked, as that was crucial to his plan.

"Not yet. But he will be. He will be soon!"

Unfortunately, this particular shout caught the attention of someone nearby. And that someone nearby happened to be a guard. The two young men gave each other a look of mutual I need to get outta here or else I'm screwed before running as fast as they could in the direction away from the guard. Proper introductions could wait until the threat was out of sight.

It may have been three or four miles before they finally were able to stop underneath some abandoned buildings and breath. It may have been fifty. Aladdin didn't really care, and neither did the strange young man. So long the threat was out of sight, they were happy.

"So…I don't think…I told you…my name." Aladdin said, speaking between breaths. "I'm…Aladdin."

"Kuzco." The strange young man said. Aladdin blinked, looking up at him.

"You're…not from…around here…are you?"

There was a slight pause as Kuzco regained his breath. "I'm a freedom reclaimer. Did you really think I was from around here?"

Aladdin nodded. "Fair point. So, where are you from?"

"West." Kuzco thought for a moment. "Far west. Like 'I'm-from-across-the-ocean' west."

Aladdin blinked. And blinked again. "Um…what's an ocean?"

"You mean, you don't know?" Kuzco asked. Aladdin shook his head. "Alright, well…picture a lake, bigger than any you've ever seen-"

"What's a lake?"

Kuzco stared at him flatly. "My name is Kuzco. Kuz-co. Don't you think that speaks for itself?"

"Yeah, that does stand out." Aladdin looked over him, suddenly getting an idea. "But…you don't…"

"Huh?"

Aladdin walked around him, muttering to himself. "Pants are patchy and baggy…skin's the same shade as mine…hair should be shorter…"

"What's this about my hair?" Kuzco put a hand up to his hair, holding it possessively.

"You need a vest, of some sort." Aladdin was once again face-to-face with Kuzco. "But I think I can make it work. You could look like…you know…like you live on the streets too. You could be my brother…I got it! Raj! I'll call you Raj!"

"Hold it!" Kuzco's eyes narrowed. "I appreciate the thought, but I don't want to give up my hair. And I certainly don't want to give up my name!"

"You won't give up your name. You'll just say it's Raj to anyone who isn't me!" Aladdin defended. "And what's the big deal with your hair? I'm not getting rid of all of it, just making it shorter."

Kuzco looked down. "It's all I have left…from before."

Aladdin had a fairly good idea of what Kuzco meant, and shot him a look of sympathy. "Let me ask you something. Is your haircut enough of an identifier that your master would be able it was you in a crowd?"

Kuzco thought a minute, then nodded sadly.

"Then if you really want to be successful in running…I mean, reclaiming your freedom," he amended when he noticed Kuzco's pointed look. Seesh, if looks could kill… "You need to get rid of anything your master could use to recognize you…within reason. Hair included."

Kuzco bit his lip, then something occurred to him. "Alright, so I cut my hair. But here's a question, mister smarty-pants. What am I going to cut it with?"

"You keep broken glass in your…place?" Kuzco asked, ducking into the entrance. Aladdin, admittedly, did not have much. Kuzco was pretty sure that blanket on the ground, directly in front of the window, was his bed.

"Yeah. I have to keep my hair short, so someone doesn't confuse me, for…you know…a 'freedom reclaimer.'" Aladdin was picking up a piece of glass as he said this. "This ought to be sharp enough. Alright, now turn around."

Kuzco bit his lip, but nodded and obeyed. Aladdin walked over, gathering the boys hair into a small ponytail, and cutting it along the base.

"There. You'll blend in now." Aladdin said, walking over to the window and making sure there was no one underneath before scattering the hair to fall in the street below.

"Except for a vest," Kuzco pointed out quickly. Aladdin quickly got a red vest out from under a pillow and tossed it to Kuzco.

"Here. Take it."

Kuzco's eyed widened. "You're…you're giving it…to me?"

Aladdin looked at Kuzco and grinned. "You're not a slave anymore, right? Consider it a gift for your very first freedom day."

Kuzco smiled, and slipped it on. "Thanks."

"No problem, Raj." Aladdin walked over and clapped him on the shoulder. "So, how long have you been free?"

"Um, since noon. Today."

Aladdin looked out. The sun was setting. "Well, a few hours is better than some, but I take it you'd rather be free for the rest of your life." Kuzco nodded. "Well, why not stick around? No offence, but being a slave is different from being-"

"A street rat?"

Aladdin gave a glare of his own. "I was going to say in poverty."

Kuzco produced a nervous little smile, and ran his hair through his newly-cut hair. "Heh. Sorry."

Aladdin rolled his eyes. "We've got a looooong way to go."