Disclaimer I do not own the 12 kingdoms, Fuyumi Ono does.

"The Kingdom of Han had recently lost its King and the whole land was in turmoil as is all kingdoms without its anchor. The former King lost the way when he lost the will to fight his weakness and went mad. He started to banish the people who were in his view, ugly and it got worse the past last few years to the point he was executing his citizens. Then his Kirin, Hanrin fell ill to the sitsudou and King Han made the decision to climb Hohzan and relinquish his title and thus Hanrin was freed from the vain King and saved from sitsudou. She and the Vain King had ruled for a little over 300 years and now it was up to Hanrin to find her new master. But to do that she would have to travel all the way to Wa. This is their story."

Chapter One: A Day Different From The Rest

My life SUCKS! Thought a girl with brownish black hair who's name is Nicole. She had just left her house to get away from her parents who were fighting again. Their favorite subjects to fight over were the affair, jobs, money, me, moving to Japan again, and me. This time it was about her, their voices got so loud that she couldn't cover it with her favorite tunes but it didn't work. So she headed out to her favorite hangout, the swing in the local park. She liked the local park because it was quite and people rarely visited it so she was free to listen to her music without getting interrupted or so she thought.

She sat on her favorite swing, it had a yellow seat. Yellow is such a happy color, thought Nicole and she sighed, it used to be her Mother's favorite color back in the good old days. She popped in headphone and selected the track Kind & Generous by Natalie Merchant on her Creative Zen, and started to listen. When she finished listening to the first verse she started to swing. Higher and higher she got until she felt as if she was in the sky, she then closed her eyes and suddenly she was in her favorite day dream. When the track finished she opened her eyes and stopped pumping her legs to slow her swing so she could change the track and stay balanced enough not fall off the moving swing. She changed the track to Chijou No Seiza. Just as she began to pump her legs again a sudden wind blew from behind her, it smelled of sea brine, which stopped her from pumping. Why does the air smell like I am near the ocean but I am actually an hour's car drive from the nearest salt water body, she thought. So she twisted in her swing as she looked behind her.

#Change of view

A beautiful but strangely dressed woman (like she from came from ancient China) with hair of gold standing behind the next swing. She had kind features but her blues eyes contained a hint of fun like she enjoyed playing jokes. Right now the woman's eyes were scrutinizing her, then the expression changed to a look that would you have said the woman figured out something. So I turned my Creative Zen off, stopped the swing, and walked towards.

She then knelt and bowed deeply and said, "At last I have finally found you," This stopped me in my tracks and I stared at her.

I suddenly found it hard to talk but I finally squeaked out, "Who are you? What do you want? Why?"



She said with a voice that was very joyful, "I am Hanrin, the Taiho of Han." Well, she answered one of my questions.

Then Hanrin stood up, walked over to me and then prostrated her self on the ground near me and grabbed my feet. "By the Mandate of Heaven, I swear to always to obey, never to abandon; I swear my loyalty with this oath. Do you accept my promise?"

So she swearing her friendship, if I accept I will have a new friend even if she is a bit strange, but since I lack friends in my new country I will accept who wants to be my friend because I am lonely. If I don't accept she will be offended, and I don't want to do that. That decided me, "I accept."

I watched as Hanrin lifted my right foot to her forehead and I felt something rushing through my veins, temporary freezing my insides until I my sight darken for a minute. I blinked and it was over. I watched Hanrin stand up. "What happened?" I asked.

"You died and became immortal"

"Huh?"

"Kagezan, the sword." Hanrin ordered and a hand pushed a sword into the air and Hanrin accepted it, it reminded me of a painting I saw where the lady of the lake accepted the sword back from Arthur. "This is yours."

I took the sword and said the only thing I could think of in a situation like this, "Thank you but I don't know how to use a sword. This is for you." I handed her a ring made of glass I got from pike place market in Seattle, off my finger.

Hanrin blushed and took the ring and placed it on one of her fingers. "Thank you. As for the fact that you can't use a sword I can change that fact. In fact I will lend you my Hinman, Sofu." A purple jellyfish blob with a face appeared from her shadow and bound my arms together and it entered my body. "Sofu has attached. He is also there for you protection. This is an azure jewel it has the abilities to heal you and ward off fatigue." She clasped the necklace with a blue jewel around my neck, while I was still numb with shock.

AN: What will happen now? Review. No flames. The more reviews I get the faster I update.