Protecting the heart of a killing machine

Chapter 1

Life. It could be cruel and painful. And it could also be over in a minute. I thought this as I watched as the squirrel past my site from where I was crouched in the midst of the long grass. It's soft red fur, catching the sunlight, didn't better its chances of surviving the rest of the day. Not when squirrels had become Ling's newest favourite meal.

I quickly threw my kunai at the small creature and watched as it got caught in the head. Right between the creature's eyes. I walked over and collected its body as a prize for my early wake up for my emperor. I quickly began running back to the empire that was the palace of Xing. The palace it's self was huge. It was stationed in the heart of Xing with the fifty clans surrounding it. In 1917 the previous Xing emperor died and left the throne to his 12th son Ling Yao, the Yao clan's beloved prince. Moving swiftly through the cobbled streets of the capital I ran past streets of schools, shops and markets. It was once a place where I had only visited once, maybe twice, a year with my grandfather before I had travelled to Amestris with my lord and grandfather, Fu. Now I am to call this place home. It became customary after Ling moved into the palace that his trusted bodyguard followed.

I pulled my mask above my face as I got nearer to my destination. It was only a rumour that Ling's bodyguard was a female, in the castle with only few members of the servants that served Emperor Yao knowing the truth behind the mask. This was more people than I would have liked but due to maids not knocking before they entered rooms my gender became knowledge for them as well. I entered the gates with 3 squirrels swinging from my white belt and one in my hand. I easily scaled the gates before they even began to move and fled for the kitchen. I dropped them off through the kitchen's window and heard the kitchen staff commenting on my fresh deposits.

"So I guess we're cooking squirrels today" I faintly heard the head chef say. Ling will be in for a treat.

I knew all too well that I was receiving daggers from behind as they were once again being showed up by a simple bodyguard of their ruler. I was trying to be modest though. I never wanted to cause this effect. It's only because of Ling's liking of wild squirrels did I actually go and hunt them.

As I continued to run I ran past in the courtyard near mine and Ling's rooms. Two fish lived there in the courtyard, two fish that I liked to watch when I had the chance to take a peaceful moment's rest. But that moment was not one of those times. I then continued to run and jumped into a window to get to my room before my Lord woke up. I never want to miss a moment of Ling's life because I wasn't at his side.

Protecting him.

I had to remind myself that.

I took in my surroundings and noticed them as odd. It only took me a moment to realise that I had jumped through the wrong window. It wasn't the different colours on the walls or the extravagant size of the place that gave it away that this was not where I should be. It was the pile of clothes and the naked young lord that lay in his bed, blanket barely covering places my eyes had never seen before. I felt myself blush majorly behind my mask and was thankful that Ling was still asleep. I looked at him.

A smile on his face meant he was having a good dream. I remembered seeing him frown sometimes when we used to camp out in Amestris. Sometimes he'd even wake up sad which was very rare for the young lord. He rarely ever frowned. And his arms tightly wrapped around that pillow meant...I stopped my trail of thought. I wondered how long it would take the young lord to start thinking about girls again after he finally came to the throne. I guessed it would take longer but not because Ling couldn't get a girl. He could get any girl. Rich. Poor. Anyone of them would be lucky to have him. I'm just lucky to be in his presence.

Whilst I was getting caught up in thought I suddenly noticed Ling starting to stir in his sleep, turning and pushing the pillow away revealing his toned chest. I quickly fled to the window. With only half of my body remaining in his room, I quickly looked back to see him rub his eyes. I then slung my body around and jumped though my own window and fell on to my bed. I removed my mask and sighed in relief. I laid there until I heard a knock on the wall from the other side. A smile emerged on my face as I got up and knocked in return on the wall. I went back to the window and propped myself up out of the window. There smiling back was my lord, Ling Yao.

"Morning! I thought I heard you but I whilst sure if it was the maid or not" He said with his smile panted fully on his face, the sign of dribble not really noticeable but I still smiled at it.

"Morning young master" I said as I nodded in response to him.

"I'm off to breakfast and wondered if you'd like to join me?" he asked.

"Young lord, It would be a pleasure to join you" I replied to him.

"Ok see you in a bit Lan Fan, just need to get changed" he said as he smiled and waved his goodbye. "But before I go. Lan Fan, high five!" He shouted and held his hand out. I responded in smacking my hand into his and he whooped. I made him happy. That makes me happy. Before I had the chance to pull my hand away Ling slotted his fingers between mine and made it look as though we were holding hands. "Your hands have got softer Lan Fan" he said making me blush in his prescence. But before I could cherrish this moment he un-ravelled them and went back to his own window and yelled "See you in a minute!"

After hearing those words I returned back into my room. I looked in the mirror. Facing me was a dark haired eighteen year old girl with black orbs for eyes in a suit that remained too baggy for her body. Baggy was good though. It hid my gender that was obvious if clothes were skin tight. I never really took my looks into consideration. They were just natural. I've never wanted to change them, not essentially. I have never wanted to turn into something that made other girls envious. That would just get in the way of my job. Besides my closeness to Ling was already enough to make people hate me. Why would I need more?

"You look beautiful Lan Fan" a voice said. I turned immediatly and seen Ling standing in my doorway. Does no one in this palace knock before they enter?!

"Young Lord!" I said trying to hide that I was caught off guard and put my mask over my face. I watched as he came closer to me and watched as the light emerged brighter as he pulled the mask off my face.

"Lan Fan I learnt a thing or two from greed from his time in my body. What I should do and what I shouldn't. But most importantly I learnt two things." he said as he twizzled a lost hair from my hair bun. "Now I don't lie. You really are beautiful Lan Fan" He said as he stood taller than me. His presence so close to my body made my face red. I tried to fight back the emotions but his face so close made it impossible. "And the other was-" he got cut off when a maid who had came through the same doorway coughed loudly. We both parted quickly from each other and I put my mask back on.

"So breakfast?"

I nodded and followed him out past the maid who's eyes followed us, I could feel them especially on me.

That night in the castle I had a nightmare. In it there was blood splattered streets, death seemed to pry at every corner and a child, a girl I had once known, lay dead in the streets. Fire seemed to dash from one building to another; people's homes, businesses and lives were being burnt to the ground. It was as if I could feel all the pain aching from the country itself. I looked around and seen that I could in fact recognise the place, it's layout was familiar but it couldn't be. It was my home. The Yao clan. And the worst part was that above it all was my master, Ling, the one in charge of the horror. I felt like screaming.

"Lan Fan!" A voice shouted at me as I woke from the darkness. My eyes opened to see Ling hovering over me, his eyes open in shock. Little did I know that tears were actually falling from my dark eyes.

"My Lord?" I asked as he picked me up, it was then that I noticed that I had fallen out of bed. But that wasn't the thing I was worried about. "Why are you in my room?" I asked quietly as he put me down on my small bed and he then sat on the edge of it, facing me.

"You were screaming, Lan Fan. It sounded as though you were in pain" He replied as his eyes diverted from mine. I hoped I didn't wake him, but of course I knew the answer was that I had.

"I'm sorry I woke-"

"What was it about? I know you were having a nightmare" He confronted quickly to me.

"It was… nothing… just a bad dream my Lord" I said as I got up to face him. He looked at me and as he did so I followed the same observation. One arm was shivering and had a layer of goosebumps and one arm missing, replaced by a automail one. How pathetic I must have looked to him. He moved closer to me and leant forward and kissed me on the forehead. I now allowed myself to blush as he did this but I didn't stop him. He then looked into my eyes and gave a weak smile.

"Ok Lan Fan" He said as he got a hold of my automail hand and held it close to him. I felt as though I was going to burst into tears yet again. But I couldn't. Not in front of my ruler. So I decided to try a smile.

Just as I began to return his smile he leant back in and kissed me on the lips. My head was spinning madly and I timidly kissed him back. This shocked him but he continued in pleasure. After precious moments had left us we parted a little and stared at each, our noses still touching and our foreheads together. "Lan Fan I think I will have to stay in your room tonight, in case you have any more nightmares"

My eyes went huge which made Ling laugh to himself. "But my lord, it wouldn't be right and-" I started till Ling's lips met mine he was good at kissing. His lips were soft and I'd be dammed if this was his first kiss. I shuttered. It probably wasn't. But this kiss lasted longer than the first one. It was sweeter.

We parted and Ling breathed out the words "-it's… nothing… to be worried… about. I will be returning the favours that you have done for me all your life, by guarding you for once"