Prologue:

Philia Kingdom

"Thankyou for this, Edel. Are you sure it's not too much trouble?" the worn woman relinquished the bundle of life into the mint-haired woman's arms.

"I am sure, my lady. What I don't understand is why you also request I care for the human's baby." Both women cast their gaze to a sleeping baby in the arms of a dead woman.

"Because," replied the queen of demons, "her mother was a valued spy for us. And because the baby is unique; her eyes are the colour of blood, but her hair is like charcoal. She has every feature of a demoness... and yet her mother and father were both human. I wish you to investigate this. Besides, she will make a good companion for my daughter; the only being in the world with hair like wild fire. A child of hope deserves a sister so unique; thus, if anyone is to resent them or be in awe of them, they will always have each other. Don't you think? My husband and I brought into this world peace between the peoples, however strained. And now I have borne a beacon of hope; even if she is not the one, I will leave this place believing there is a good future. Edel, you will be sure to protect both of them. Rue, and Ahiru. Promise me."

The other woman paused, her eyes straying from the pallid face of her queen to the two princesses, who would be raised as peasants. "Yes my lady. I swear it on pain of death. Be at peace."

And she was.

Chapter One: To Be Demon Kind

Port Sixteen, Gidia, Philia Kingdom. 15 Years Later.

A young man, barely 16 stood on the docks, examining the figures boarding the large sailing ship. The ship was owned by pirates, and was christened 'Eleki', but it was not this that interested him about the ship. To be blunt, he was completely uninterested in the ship, and reluctant to be boarding it, but it was not his choice to make; it was the young demoness beside him who had insisted they take this ship, all the way to the Hidden Kingom; so named because no demon had set foot in it for just over fourteen years, and when they had tried, they had not returned. The humans were brutal.

Narrowing eyes the colour of broken green bottles, and just as sharp, he turned back to the shorter figure, cloaked in the colours of midnight. "We must take this journey?" he confirmed for what must have been the tenth time that day alone.

She didn't reply, merely nodded, and rose a thin eyebrow in question. He knew what she was asking, 'why do you care?' and 'is it safe to move yet?' Both of which, he did not like to answer. The first because he didn't understand himself, and the second because it meant they would be taking the steps towards no return. He hated that. "Alright. Stay close to me, remember? These wharves are not safe."

She knew that. She had been told all there was to be told before she accepted this task, this impossible, ridiculously suicidal task. Her reason for accepting being as simple as that the man she loved had asked her to do it. Her Prince. They stopped at the top of the gangway, where another man stood studying them closely. "And you are?" he asked, though they could make out none of his features in the night's embrace.

"Prince Mytho sent us here," the man replied, "And I have permission to carry this weapon," he added, seeing that the guard at the door had already turned his gaze to the sheithed sword at his side.

"Very well. Your names; I can't let just anyone pass. You understand."

"Fakir," he answered again tersely, "And the Lady Ahiru."

Wind whistled through the air, and the man stepped out into a patch of moonlight. "I do not recommend you take this ship then, my friends. There is a storm brewing; and this ship is bound for the Hidden Kingdom. It is only for humans, and those demons who have lost their minds."

"Or possess no fear," Ahiru asserted from Fakir's side, "As I do not. This Sir Knight will go where I will go. He fears even less than I do." She was lying, and both Fakir and she knew it; there was much she feared. And Fakir - she did not know what it was that scared him, but she knew he saw it ahead, should they board this ship. Their last chance to back out was escaping them; as well it should. They had agreed to do it, whether they were scared or not. "Please," she fumbled, unable to finish her demands. Lying was never her forté; and though it was not Fakir's either, he sighed, and turned to the man.

"Prince Mytho sent us," he repeated, "End of story." The other man swallowed, hearing the obvious frustration in the skilled knight's voice. To anger this man was a bad move; especially, he thought, recalling the gossip his sister (who worked in the castle) would pass to him, when it involved either Prince Mytho or Lady Ahiru. He had special attatchment to both demons, for whatever reason - it did not seem that Ahiru and Fakir were particularly close, as a matter of fact, he'd never seen two people stand so close and yet be so distant from each other before. Nor was the Lady extraordinarily attractive; there were prettier demonesses, and a great number fully willing to be Fakir's woman. But he pushed it aside; his loyalty to the girl may not even have a thing to do with feelings; it could quite conceivably simply be because Mytho had ordered he protect her.

"Yes sir," he finally said, and backed into the shadows, providing an open path for the two nervous figures, who slipped through into the confines of the danger-bound ship. Once they reached their peeling door labelled '108: Luxury', Lady Ahiru remained at the door as Fakir faded into the dark inside, seeking of soft, swift feet for intruders. Not that anyone could possibly know that he and his charge had even left the castle. He shuddered, considering the rumours Edel would spread with delight once they left; it would be just like her, he thought; Ahiru's darling mother.

"You can come in," he muttered and she followed into the darkness, only at ease when the door was shut, the lights were on, and she was comfortably seated on the single bed.

Wait.

Single. Single bed. One bed only.

And two people; male. Female. She flushed very faintly, and groaned; she would bet Fakir would either be all knightly and gentlemanly as he occasionally was, and offer to sleep on the floor (if, she thought with a scowl, he slept at all) or he would be a grouch, and just to spite her, he would take the bed and kick her onto the floor, whether she was his charge or not. She anxiously peered up at him, her bangs concealing her eyes, and wondered what he would make of the situation.

He slumped in the cushiony chair in the corner. Oh. She really ought to have noticed that, she supposed, but she excused herself; she was petrified, for this boat really only did take a demon to their death. It frightened her how many demons had boarded the boat; did so many find life so unbearable? Or were they all fearless, as she was not?

"Fakir?" she questioned, peeking over her shoulder at him. He opened one tired eye, and even then he seemed to glare at her. They had never been good friends, and the best thing they did was argue - nevertheless, they always seemed to be the ones to advise each other, always able to see what exactly was the problem with the other. And so now, when she was scared, she was only a little surprised that she turned to Fakir for a hint of comfort. Even his scowl was comforting, just because it was normal, and perhaps showed he wasn't afraid like she was. "Fakir... do you think we'll be safe?"

He hesitated; he never bothered to lie to her, he never thought she was worth the time, but he was tempted on this occassion. "I... think we'll live, yes," he said at last, "But that doesn't necessarily mean we won't get hurt. The Hidden Kingdom is very different to Philia, and when we are there, I must stress that you really do stick with me at all times. It's essential." At her startled expression, he went on, "It's nothing to do with you; I promised Mytho I would be your bodyguard, and that's all there is to it; I'm just intent on keeping my promise, and even then..." he trailed off, closing his eye again, "even then, sometimes I don't know if I can be bothered."

His words stung her, really. She didn't hate Fakir, she never had, only grew irritated by him (with good reason too). But it almost sounded as if he didn't care whether she lived or died, and that hurt. However, she did not prolong the conversation, instead releasing her hair orange hair from its tight braight, and flopping back on the pillows. The silence seemed suffocating, so she tried desperately to concentrate on the sounds of water lapping at the sides of Eleki, and knew when it was that the ship began to move; though it didn't prepare her for the unusual movement it made. Her head swum a little, but she didn't feel sick; she didn't think it was possible, the way she moved on land being more likely to make her ill than this gentle rocking sensation.

She heard a roll of thunder in the distance, and quivered; she didn't like storms, and she knew that being at sea during a storm was truly dangerous. Slowly, shakingly, she tugged the covers up and over her, curling into a tight ball, and squeezing her eyes shut. 'I wish Fakir would speak,' she thought, 'because then, I wouldn't be able to hear the storm...'

"Are you scared of storms?" his voice broke the silence, and she almost scowled; how could she have wished him to speak? Now he would tease her. But another clap of thunder frightened her enough that she simply jumped a little, and scurried further beneath the blankets. "Aw," he grumbled, "I really should have known you'd be scared."

"QUACK!" she screamed when the ship shook violently. He grimaced and stepped over to the bed, sitting on the end.

"Alright, here's the deal. If I help you get through this, we never, ever repeat it, understood?" he growled menacingly, but she couldn't answer, her eyes wide as she stared at him. That he would even offer stunned her into silence. "I'll take that as a yes," he muttered, and sat up beside her, leaning his head against the backboard. "Ok - first of all, this isn't even a big storm, so it isn't going to damage the ship - if it does, only very minorly. The crew will have to work a bit harder, and we'll all have to be patient and still, but we are not going to get hurt." His voice was gruff, annoyed and maybe a little embarrassed, but for the most part, it was still soothing for Ahiru.

"We... really are safe?" she whimpered pathetically, and he rolled his eyes, let out an irritated huff, and grabbed one of her hands; the action surprised her, but she didn't say anything as he squeezed it slightly, and closed his eyes.

"Yes. We really are." No more was said after that, and although Ahiru was interested in someone else entirely, the feel of Fakir's hand over her's, relaxed her, and she focused on it. It almost made her think they were friends, but she shook the thought off before it could really take root; if Fakir cold read her thoughts, he would murder her for it, bodyguard of not.

Sleep came easy after that, though.

For her, at least; Fakir did not feel comfortable sleeping on this journey. Every shadow that moved had to be closely observed, in case it were a threat to Ahiru. He mentally cursed his obediance to Mytho; how could Mytho have expected that either Ahiru or he would be happy spending this much time together? Ever since they had met, they had fought albeit because Fakir had instantly disliked her and decided he would not accept her offered friendship. He could always remember their childhood; the way Ahiru and her sister Rue would trail around after Mytho like devoted puppies, all while Mytho himself was a lost child himself. It had been his natural instinct to keep them away from Mytho, whether for their own good or Mytho's he never could work out; but while he had easily been able to distract Ahiru with taunts and pranks, and immature insults, Rue had never been swayed, stealing Mytho away to 'secret places' whenever Fakir was busy fussing over Ahiru. It was impossible to seperate her from him, and so he supposed it was inevitable that someday Mytho would choose her as his princess.

And he had done so too.

Sighing, the dark haired demon turned his head to look down at the now sleeping member of court. How he had hated her, how he still wished Mytho had never dumped him with her. Yet here he was comforting her during a storm. After a time, he wondered just what she could be dreaming about, with such a peaceful, happy expression on her freckled visage.

It was Summer, the air was slightly difficult to breathe in, people were sticking to the furniture, and children were entirely unphazed by the weather, as often children are. Two tiny young girls, no more than five it was certain, dashed across the courtyard, screaming wildly in delight as they chased each other.

The faster had vivid red hair, and excited sapphire blue eyes, while the faintly more exhausted of the two had hair the colour of ashes, and eyes like drops of blood. Both were very pretty, even at such a young age. "Rue-chan!" cheered the former, using the cute nicknames their mother had taught them, names she knew came from the Hidden Kingdom, where demons must never ever go. "Rue-chan, you'll never catch me like that!"

"I," puff, "will," puff, "too! Ahiru-chan! Slow down please!"

But neither was willing to give in as they raced around and around the grounds, until Ahiru crashed head first into a boy of approximately the same age as they were. "Oof! Sorry, sorry, I'm so sorry!" she wailed, squeezing her eyes tightly closed, and scrambling to her feet. The boy remained on the ground, peering up at her wonderingly. "Uh..." she trailed off, captivated by his gorgeous amber gaze.

"Mytho!" another voice called out, and as Rue stepped hesitantly up beside her sister, a second boy came into view; he had thick black hair bound in a little ponytail at the nape of his neck, and wide green eyes. "What happened!?" he cried upon seeing his friend on the ground, "Did they...?"

"No," replied the white haired boy so softly they almost missed it, "It was an accident. Fakir, don't be cross with them, please?" Fakir glared at the two girls for a moment, and Ahiru, out of habit decided to introduce herself; something their mother said was essential to forming any kind of companionship.

"Uhm... I am Ahiru, and this is Rue... it's a pleasure to meet you," she stuttered, unnerved by Fakir's cold stare. He frightened her, and she wasn't sure she wanted to know him at all. Rue, too, seemed a little upset by it, but had more composure than her younger sister, straightening, and returning the look.

"I'm Mytho," said the boy on the ground, "And this is Fakir. Please don't be upset by him, he means well."

"Idiot," grumbled the green-eyed boy, and he added, "We have no intentions of associating with either of you." He bent down, grabbed Mytho's wrist, and dragged him away, not sparing either of them a glance.

"Such a meanie," Ahiru grumbled, but Rue tapped her shoulder, and mumbled something she barely heard.

"Um... Mytho seems nice... I want to play with him too." Ahiru smiled, and nodded; it would be tricky to get Mytho away from the nasty jerk, but they were sure they could do it. And Ahiru, being the sweet person she was, said that Rue could play with him first, because the other girl would have to distract Fakir.

(...)

Ahiru woke with a start, unfamiliar surroundings causing her to wonder just what had happened to her. She was quick to remember when she felt something very warm leave her hand, and it grew cold; she was on a ship christened the Eleki, and bound for the Hidden Kingdom. The only company she had was... groggily, she turned her head and looked at a rather disgruntled young man with black hair and piercing green eyes. "You're finally awake," he grunted, rising from the bed, and flopping down on the chair he had originally been seated. She sighed, fully used to Fakir's manners, and peeped out the porthole; it was still dark out, but the storm had ceased, and she was glad. Fakir must have held her hand the whole night, and she was faintly grateful, though she would never admit it. Their history consisted of hatred, anger, and irritation, with plenty of arguements to communicate this to the other. To thank the other would be like admitting defeat.

"It's... really quiet now, huh?" she murmured conversationally. She had just dreamt of the day she met Fakir and Mytho; how rude her companion had been, even then when he was so young. She still could not remember what it was she might have done wrong to invoke his hatred. She doubted very much that the man would even comment upon her remark, and she was right; he just stared moodily at the wall above her head. "Do you ever start a conversation Fakir?"

"No, Lady Ahiru. I don't. I just sit here and waste my time," he replied sarcastically, gazing upon her with that look you give a very stupid child.

"I've told you never to call me Lady Ahiru.I hate it. In exchange, I don't call you Sir Fakir; what is so hard about calling me by name!?" she spat, irrationally angry with him; perhaps it was just because she'd woken up feeling the frustration from her dream.

"Nothing. I do it to annoy you." She was about to retort, when she realised it was just about dawn; had Fakir even slept? Her eyes narrowed in concern; the idiot never seemed to sleep, and he did so even less when he was on edge. She may have disliked him a good deal, but she wasn't an entirely heartless being; she still cared about Fakir, even if he did not do her the same courtesy.

"Fakir... have you not slept tonight?" she couldn't keep the anxious note out of her voice, and he was a little surprised to hear it. She looked a touch upset with him too, and for some reason it bothered him that she gave a damn.

"No. I wasn't," he yawned, "tired." Ahiru glared at him, recognising the obvious lie.

"How are you supposed to take care of me if you won't take care of yourself?" she asked, crawling to the end of her bed, and reaching out, "You should go to sleep. You know Mytho would say the same thing if he was here, right?"

He snorted. "And just what will you do with yourself as I while away the hours?"

"Explore the ship, probably," she answered, shrugging, but finding the idea very appealing.

"Then no."

"Why not!? You know, you've got no right to call me an idiot if you refuse to sleep! If someone did make an attempt on my life, you'd be too tired to defend me," she insisted, her eyes flashing furiously, her tousled hair falling loosely about her shoulders.

"Right - as if anyone would want to kill you Ahiru!" he snarled, and though under regular circumstances, Ahiru would have sat back and taunted him because he'd let slip and referred to her as just Ahiru the way she liked, she was stressed and scared about their destination, and the sting in his comment was painful. She visibly recoiled, and stiffened in her bed.

"Ok."

Her opponent froze, shocked by her submission; it was the way he and she always had been; constantly bickering and arguing, and never ever finishing it. "W-what?"

"I said ok," she reiterated, rising fluidly (most unlike her) to her feet, and taking a brush from her little bag, running it through her hair and braiding it in swift motions, "So I'm not very important. So, no one really cares about my existance. That's ok. But," she continued, whirling around, azure eyes swirling with hurt and exasperation, "At least I am not completely heartless! Jerk!" she dashed for the door, yanking it open, and closing it behind her with a reverberating 'BANG'.

"Ahiru!" Fakir yelled out at her receding footsteps, "You can't just wander around on this ship - damnit!" he added, leaping to his feet, barely sparing a moment to make sure his sword was secured to his waist, before following after her. Tired he may be, but he always had energy where she was concerned.

(...)

Kura: -coughs- ahem, so... yeah, there IS a very good explanation for why I am writing this but...

... I can't think of it yet. I know I have other committments, and I keep writing new stories, and it must drive people crazy BUT. I just... can't...help myself!

You see, I was sitting at home at like, 3am, with the portable DVD player right in front of my nose, and I wasn't tired yet, but I didn't feel like watching... what was I watching at the time? Oh yeah, pokémon. Anyway, I didn't feel like it, so I whacked on Princess Tutu and... got re-obsessed. Again. Also, I had been trying to come up with a normal type story; you know, no magic and stuff? Reality? Yeah. Just for a change. And I came out with demons and a bodyguard and pirates... -coughs again- sorry. Anyway, stupid things happened to my computer, I was watching Princess Tutu, the character I made up was pretty much Fakir with blonde hair, so I said 'screw it', and wrote this.

Happy?

I know. It's not a good explanation, but it IS the truth. Will I finish it? Maybe. Do I know why they're going to the Hidden Kingdom? Absolutely not. What I can say is: 1) next chapter includes Pike and Lillie, a bit of Rue and Mytho back home in Philia, Gold Crown Town, and another familiar face whose name I shan't include yet.

2) I know some people describe Fakir's hair as green, but when I first saw it, I saw it as black and besides:

3) An explanation for what the difference between humans and demons is to be given next chapter, but very breifly; humans have the same colour eyes and hair, while demons have two different ones. eg: Ahiru has red hair and blue eyes. If she was human, she'd have blue hair and blue eyes, or red hair and orangey-red eyes.

4) Ahiru is the only person in this AU with red hair - neither demon nor human has it.

5) due to lack of characters in PT with the same hair and eye colour, there will probably be a few OC's, please forgive.

and 6) I am giving you this little snippet of next chapter, just to see if you like it; it may not stay exactly as is though. Anyway, it's a flashback of Fakir's, and um... yes, he did just push her into the pond/fountain thing... lol.

"Why'd you push me in!?" she spluttered, water dripping from the tips of her hair, her blue eyes hardening like steel.

"Your name means duck. I was just putting you back where you belong," he sneered, not unnerved by her change in countenance. His eyes widened however when she shot forwards and yanked him into the pond with her.

"Huh! Don't look at me like that. If I am a duck, then you're pond scum, and you belong in here too!" she snapped, getting to her feet, and storming away; the effect tarnished by the squelching sound her wet shoes made on the ground. Fakir bared his teeth and growled. How dare she! She'd even had the nerve to... to insult him! Clenching his fists, he too scrambled out of the fountain, and forgot about seeking Mytho, stalking, as it happened, right past a startled and slightly amused Mytho and Rue, both of whom found the sight of him incredibly funny.

"Stupid little..." he grumbled as he passed, "I'll get her for that!"

"Ooh," Rue giggled when he was out of earshot, "I wonder what Ahiru did to him! She doesn't usually act like that... he must have made her really mad."

Mytho smiled faintly, and murmured, "I wonder what Fakir plans to do in revenge. He doesn't often get attacked." Both children burst out in fits of laughter, and carried on playing as they had before.

(...)

Fakir was still plotting his next course of action when he stomped into his house, and didn't realise Charon was home. "Fakir!" his father figure exclaimed, "What on Earth happened to you?"

Needing to vent to someone, he began to shout and whine about the moronic evil little girl who hung around the castle, and how she pushed him into the fountain. Charon found it hard to believe any child would have the courage to push the boy at all, as he had seen the way others his age and whimpered around him. To be honest, it saddened him that the prince was his only friend. But at the moment, he was too thoroughly delighted to think of such things. He could bet Fakir had somehow provoked the girl into doing it, and resolved to find out her side of the story too. "And what is her name?" he interrupted the never ending tirade.

They're about... Ahiru: 6, Fakir: 7. Tell me if they're too unrealistic... I know Fakir as a child was adorably sweet and all but I wanted to kind of... make it like this. Whatever, opinions appreciated! Or... well, reviews, same difference. Til next time, sayonara minna-san!