Hello everyone! I hope you will like this story! I'm gonna try and make it kinda crazy and such at times, so don't freak out XXD

MySelf: just got back from a very fun vacation! Man, it was awesome! Well, except for the part we fell asleep and got burned from over-stay under the sun… anyway, hope you will like. The idea is a simple one, really, but what more can you expect of work the lazy bum is taking care of?

I: hey! Yer helping writing this too!

Me *happily* : actually, it's the first combined work of the three of us!

MySelf *sigh* : whatever. Lets get it over with. We own nothing of GA I hope it was clear enough. And now…

Do enjoy! ^_^

Summary:

We've all heard countless storied about the brave and handsome prince who save the poor, captive princess and they live Happily-ever-After... but what happens when a pretty, lively and adventure-loving princess, who was forced into marriage, decides to escape with the help of Witch and go on a journey to find the answer to the most important question?

Chapter one- Once Upon A Time

The kingdom of Sakura was a beautiful place, a place where great mysterious forces peacefully existed side by side with the normal everyday routine. It was particularly magical, and the landscape was green and nice to look at.

A certain individual, though, had some problem seeing the beauty viewed from her window. She was too upset and angry.

Mikan Sakura, the princess of Sakura kingdom, was expecting to celebrate her sixteenth birthday in a month. She was ecstatic with anticipation and won't stop nagging to her parents, the king and the queen, to tell her what her present will be.

Every year, her parents will prepare the most amazing gift for her, and like every year, she tried to find out what it might be beforehand. So after a lot of begging, persuading and puppy-eyes, they gave in and told her.

And what do you think this present was? A vacation? A diamond necklace? No, friends. Her present was pretty much the most hideous thing they could possibly give.

On her sixteenth birthday, princess Mikan was to get engaged.

Hazel eyes watched out the window from her room in the palace. It was so unfair! Why does she have to already get engaged? Traitors!

"Mom knows fairy well I want to fall in love before getting married! It was she, after all, who always told me all those fairytales about the knight in shining armor going to save the beautiful princess, falling in love and getting married! Why can't I have it too?" she whined to no one in particular. "I don't care anymore! This is my life! If they think they can just do whatever they want, than so will I!"

With this new determination in mind, the princess started to make her plans….

XxX

"Hohoho, my sweet, sweet potion! Doodelee dee doodlee dum! Lets do some interesting motion… hmm can't think of a way to continue…" a blue-haired young girl wearing dark robe and mixing something in a big cooking-like pot was happily singing to herself, when a knock on the door to the round stone room where she worked was heard.

"Hai hai!" she called with this same happy tone, never stopping mixing.

"Ano…" hesitating voice was heard behind her. She turned around to see a young girl around her age pushing back her robe's hood. "Hmm… sorry to intrude…" no doubt, the strange song she heard kind of disturbed her.

"Ho, do come in! No need to fear! I won't bite… yet," the blue-haired girl exclaimed, smiling.

"A-are you Witch?" the stranger asked, stuttering a bit.

"Witch? Do I look like Witch to you?" she narrowed her eyes.

"Ah… yes?"

"Me! Looks like Witch! Did you hear! She thinks I'm Witch! Do I really look like Witch?" she got all hyped up, and then bore with her gaze into the other girl's eyes.

"Eh… yes?"

"Hohoho! You hear! You hear! I'm Witch! Yay~"

"So you are not Witch?" the visitor demanded, confused by the girl's weird behavior.

"Hmm? Well…"

"Can't the two of you shut up? You're giving me a headache," a new voice disturbed their conversation. The grateful visitor turned to look at the new girl coming down stone stairs she hadn't noticed before.

More stairs? I nearly died from exhaustion when I climbed up this tower!

"Oh, morning Hotaru-sama! We have a visitor!" the girl beamed. "And, she said I'm Witch!"

The girl called Hotaru glared at the too hyper girl, silencing her effectively.

"Ignore her. She is just a plain alchemistic- and unfortunately, my assistance. I'm Witch." The raven-haired, amethysts-eyed girl turned to the visitor. "And you, if I'm not mistaking, are princess Mikan."

"How did you know!" called perplexed Mikan.

"Baka, you are the princess- everyone in this kingdom knows how you look like." Hotaru answered with unchanging face.

"Oh… right… anyway, so you're called Hotaru-chan! Please Hotaru, help me!" she ran to the stoic girl and held her hands, pleading with her best puppy eyes. The next thing she knew, she was laying against the opposite cold wall, dazed. "wha-"

"That was my Baka-strike. I'm Witch, and you better remember that." Hotaru warned.

"Hotaru you meanieeee!" Mikan looked at her, hurt. "Whhaaa!" she whined, her big eyes watering.

"Damn. Will you please stop? My head hurts."

"But you were soo mean to me!" Mikan cried.

"Fine. Whatever. Just tell me why you are here," Hotaru sighed and sat on a chair that appeared out of the wall when she pushed some spot on it.

"Wow! So cool Hotaru-chan! No wonder you are Witch!" Mikan exclaimed, forgetting her previous treatment, and running up to Hotaru. The later shot her a warning glance, but the princess just smiled brightly. Hotaru sighed as if in defeat.

"Well, baka-Hime, what is it you wanted from Witch?' she asked again, signaling her assistant to go and bring her some water.

"Who is that assistant of yours? She is weird!" Mikan ignored her question.

"Her name is Nonoko Ogasawara. She is a noble who decided to leave her home to become alchemistic." Witch explained in a pained voice.

"Whoa, that's amazing!" Mikan called, clinging to Hotaru's arm, earning a cold, warning glare.

"Will you be so kind as to leave my arm alone?" the stoic beautiful girl demanded.

"But Hotaruuuu~" Mikan's voice pleaded. "Ne, ne Hotaru-chan, I really need your help!" the princess was known for her hyped-up personality and her inability to sit quiet and focused on one subject for long, and so Hotaru didn't seem surprised by her demeanor.

Witch sighed again in exhaustion. "I got it already. If you won't tell me why, though, I wouldn't be able to help." She repeated. "and if you won't leave my arm, I will strike you again." She told her kingdom's princess with straight face.

"Hotaru-chan! Don't be so mea-" and once again, our unfortunate princess found herself flat on her back across the room from the bored-looking Witch.

Mikan was about to speak again when Nonoko returned with a glass of water which she gave Hotaru along with a box full of howalons, then she got out of the room again. Mikan's mouth instantly watered. "Ho-ta-ru-chan~" she called with a dreamy look on her face.

Hotaru observed her for a moment before throwing one piece of howalon into her mouth and distancing the box from the star-eyed girl. "You are not getting any," she stated calmly. Mikan gave her her best pleading puppy-eyed look. "Stop making those ugly faces, baka." Witch said coolly. "Not gonna work, anyway."

"Demo demo… Hotaru! I won't tell you why I came here if you won't share! You know, they say One who Eat alone Dies alone- especially if its howalons we are talking about!" she declared and pouted.

Hotaru stared at her for a moment and Mikan began to hope, when the raved-haired got up from her sit- glass and box in hands- and turned to leave the room. "At least if I die alone I will get some highly desired quiet. And, it's not if I really care why you are here as long as you leave."

Mikan threw herself at her last hope for freedom's feet, clinging to her forcefully. "No! Hotaru-chan! You can't leave me! Please!" she turned her crying eyes up toward Witch.

There was a moment of silence before Hotaru slowly sat back and gestured for Mikan to sit in front of her- on the floor, May I add. And lets not forget, Mikan is a princess- and shoving the box of the sweet delicious candy in between them.

The grateful princess happily obeyed and took a piece of the candy in her delicate fair hand.

"So you see, Hotaru-chan, my parents- and let me tell you, they are horrible traitors who would sell their only daughter!- decided that as a gift they gonna get me a fiancé!" she got heated up as she told her about her hideous situation, her cheeks puffed with stuffed candy. "So I figured, if they can decide whatever they want, then so can I!" she stated proudly. "Therefore, I came here to see you, the famous Witch, and ask you to cast a spell on me!"

Hotaru just sat quietly for a while, looking at the angry then determined then excited princess. She sure is amusing to look at, she thought absently. Out loud she said, "You really are a baka. Did you even think about what spell exactly should I cast? Did you consider your parents' reaction?"

Mikan wasn't taken aback by her hursh tone. "I thought about it. At first I thought maybe an enchanted sleep would do, but then I figured, why not make the best out of it? So I decided to ask you to cast a spell that will allow me to roam freely without anyone recognizing who I am- a spell which can change my appearance!" she called happily, proud of her smart solution. "And about my parents- who cares how they will react. I'm sure they won't even care! Ha! They were about to engage me to some fatty old man and throw me away, anyway!" she declared dramatically, stuffing her mouth with howalons again.

Hotaru considered her words carefully. Well, it sounded interesting, at least. And the princess will owe her a favor- meaning that soon after the runaway girl will get caught, Hotaru will be even richer than she already was.

Her eyes shining with the thought of the gold and expensive stones she would get, Hotaru spoke at last. "It will cost you. A lot."

"Of course! Then is that means you will help me?" Hotaru nodded. "Yay! Thanks Hotaru-chan!" Mikan jumped at her again, hugging her.

"Stop it, baka. And there is one more condition." She gave Mikan a serious look. "You have to come back in exactly a month- on your birthday- or a terrible curse shall befall you." She told her. "The spell I will use will make people who know what your face looks like to see them as someone else's, and will prevent those who don't from finding out who you are. When the spell expires, though, they will all remember who you really were." Mikan nodded, concentrating hard as to not miss any word. "But there is a catch. If you won't return here- or to where I am- before midnight on the end of your birthday, I won't be able to safely end the spell- which is a very powerful one- and a curse will befall you. A horrible fate. Are we clear?"

Mikan frowned in thought, totally ignoring the threatening words. Raising her hand as if asking for permission to speak, she said, "But, if I come back and the spell will end, my parents will find me!"

Hotaru regarded her tiredly. "If by the time you come back you do still want to leave, I shall help you once again." She reassured her, massaging her temples.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Doesn't matter. It's witches' business. I'm Witch, you're not; you won't understand."

Mikan nodded, trying to look as if she got it all. "It won't be a problem even for a baka like you to understand once you find the answer, though. Well, that is- if you are not too lost a case than to figure the answer."

"Huh? What answer? Did you ask anything?" Mikan was sure she got everything she was told. Did she miss it? She made a confused face.

"Again, it's a witches' thing. The question and its answer are for me to know and for you to find out- for now, at least."

The princess sighed and shrugged. Witchcraft and spell-casting was sure a complicated business.

I: Yay! Done with chap one~

MySelf: I'm tired. And hungry. Not necessarily in that order…

Me: and we still need to finish unpacking… it's so sad we are such lunatics we come back from vacation and start writing almost immediately…

I: yea! So I really hope people will read and review! Unless you want MySelf to eat you…

MySelf: and now MySelf gonna look for something edible…