Paths that Cross

By: Book Thief


Syaoran is the prince of the Li Kingdom. Well, he was, until his Uncle killed his family. Syaoran escaped by pure chance, and starts a rebellion at the tender age of 14. Three years later, a peasant girl named Sakura and her village is attacked, all on the orders of King Cho. Sakura escaped with a key and a weird stuffed doll. And she joins the rebellion and becomes an assassin. What could happen?


BT: Hi, my name's Book Thief. This is my fanfiction. It may take some time for me to write the second chapter though! After all, having exams every month is tiring.


Disclaimer: I don't own. Me wish though. Who doesn't?



Chapter One: The Beginning of the End

It was a beautiful night. The handsome lad that lied on the cold marble floor of the Northern Tower admitted to himself. The stars shone with incredible twinkling, the moon was full, and neither a wisp nor a tuft of dark clouds hung over the sky.

The young fourteen year old lay contentedly on the hard floor. He had left the safety of the castle, without his family knowing. He snuck out in the afternoon, during the time he was supposed to have had his riding lessons. He needed to buy Christmas presents for the family.

The young man lightly fingered the soft silk shirt he wore, and the smooth but tough leather of his pants. Then he traced the jewels of his silver crown which sat upon his head, which was cropped with unruly, but handsome brown hair. The adolescent royal grinned, and sat up to see his reflection in the polished mineral. Though it was dark, his beautiful amber eyes shone with wisdom.

He remembered his visit to the marketplace earlier that afternoon. After he had finally bough a new red ribbon for his sister Fanren, a necklace for his other sister Sheifa, some cookie shapers for Fuutie, and a new book for Feimei. He also bought a silver chain for Wei, his butler and closest companion. He also bought some very beautiful lace for his mother, Queen Yelan and a hand-made tassel which had a black jewel and a wolf print imprinted upon it for his father, King Xiao.

He left their presents in his room, except for the tassel. He brought it with him, putting the finishing touches on it and admiring his handiwork. "Father will love this!" he grinned.

The prince also remembered bumping into a pretty 14 year old girl with long light-colored hair and shiny eyes. She had apologized for bumping into him, and told him a secret in amnesty. "Tonight, the stars will protect you... it will be a great night to watch the stars!" the girl told him, a smile alighting her innocent face. "Goodbye sir!"

Syaoran knew he'd get into a lot of trouble for skipping on dinner with the family, but he could be forgiven. After all, wasn't he the royal (and only) heir to the throne? His father was an old softie, so His mother Yelan was the one to watch. She always found a new and creative punishment each time he misbehaved, like sending him to slay the lion hunting in the woods, or making him live as a peasant for a week.

Though he would never admit it, the 14 year old learnt more about life with his mother's unusual punishments. He knew that there were decent, hardworking people, just as many as there were snobby aristocrats. Not all politicians were liars, but most nobles seem to be.

He removed those disturbing thoughts from his head. Syaoran smiled and lied back to watch the stars again. Missing supper is no big deal. It's not like the worst would happen, would it?

But he didn't know that this one decision saved his life and started a destiny that wasn't meant to come.

The black sky was suddenly laced with red and orange, and the sound of trumpets sounded the whole kingdom. "What's going on around here!" Syaoran shouted as he reached the bottom floor. People carrying buckets ran past him, not recognizing the prince of the Kingdom.

One man stopped and pointed a finger at the castle. Syaoran turned and gasped. The palace was on fire! But what of his family? Did they survive? "But what has happened to King Xian?" he shouted.

The man with the bucket bowed his head. "The royal family is dead. King Chou now rules us!"

Syaoran's world ended at that moment.


BT: Hiya, so how was it? It's short, I know, but the second chapter is longer, I promise!

The next chapter will have japanese words. I'll have translations in the end!