Chapter 1

Push and Pull

"Hey! Lanfan! I wana go on a walk!"

The female bodygaurd next to the Xingese Emperor sighed. "Very well, Young Master. Let me go and prepare my weapons."

Ling whooped as Lanfan walked out of his chambers.

"Lets go to the gardens, Lanfan," Ling said grabing ahold of her hand and draging her away towards the place the palace gardens where. Lanfan was imideatly gratefull for her mask that held her blushing face. Only when they reatched the pond did he release her hand. For a while, he just stood, looking at the pond. Then, after a long silence, Ling turned to Lanfan with a smile.

Her face grew more hot, "M-my lord?"

"How do you feel about a swim," he asked micvosly. Before her honned reflexes could react, Ling had pushed her into the pond. With a shriek and a splash, she went in.

When she resurfaced, Ling was pointing a finger at her laughing. Quickly, Lanfan grabbed his arm and yanked. Ling yelped, surprised, as he went in. She couldn't help but laugh as he resurfaced. "Oh, you're going to get it now," he growled playfully.

Lanfan expeced the jump and was able to move to the side easily. Laughing again, he jumped at her. They continued this for a while. Him jumping at her, and her dodging. Soon, they where near the deep part. One time, Ling jumped at her and didn't resurface.

She grew worried, "Young Lord?! Where-" There was a yaking at her ankles and she was pulled down. Acting on instint, she pulled out a kuni... Then she reased that it was Ling who had pulled her ankles.

Ling laughed at her when they resurfaced, "Ha-ha-ha-ha! You should see your face!"

"Young Master," she scolded, "Please do not do that again!" Without thinking, she hugged him. "Don't scare me like that." After a moment, Ling hugged her back.

"I promise. I won't."

They stayed like that until Lanfan realised what she was doing. She pulled back, red as a tomato. "I-I'm sorry, young lord, please forgiv-"

"There is nothing to forgive," he said gently. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Ling begain to swim away, saying, "Come on, lets get out before we get hypothermia."

"What's you're favorite part of your day, Lan?"

Lanfan smiled a bit at her old nickname, "I don't know, My lord."

"Well, my favorite thing is meal time!" Lanfan sighed. She had been expecting that. Ling tipped his head at her, "Something wrong? You don't like my awnser? 'Cause I can change it!"

"It's not that my lord," she said, "I expeced that you would say that."

"You realy know me well," he said chuckilng.

For a while, they where like that. Gazing out at the pond as the sun started to set. Lanfan realised how late it was when the sun slipped below the horizion. Standing up she said, "You should return, My lord, it is gettitng late."

" 'kay," he said, "Lets go." He stood up and walked away with Lanfan close behind. When the palace came into view, Lanfan tensed. Ling noticed her. "What's wrong? Are you alright?" Without so much as a word, she threw a kunai at the tree close to them. The 'tree' let out a groan and fell to the ground. Dead.

"Very good, Lanfan," he said smiling at her. "Come on, we can send someone to get the body later." Bowing, the bodygaurd turned to him. As she stood up straight, there was a pressure on her back. Ling gasped when she fell to the ground. "LANFAN!"

Apparently, the assassion was not completely dead. He had chucked a throwing knife at Lanfan's exposed back. Without a moments hesitation, Ling strode over to assassion and severed his head from his body. He dropped his sword and ran to the gaurd on the ground. "Lanfan!" Carefully, he picked her up and ran to the palace as fast as he could.