The World on the other Side

No one could prepare for what was about to happen, no one could even foresee it as they went about their lives. Life was simple in Ginza, Tokyo with the advances in technology and medicine helped pave a new life for people who lived in this city and all around the world. Long since the days where one used a horse to travel the lands, or held a sword to defend themselves. It was the era of industrialization, human life seemed to just advance on from the starting inventions like guns and cars. However, things would take a direct change when a mysterious gate suddenly appeared in the center of town. People stood there in shock and wonder, traffic seemed to stop as people moved closer having no idea what this was, was it some sort of hologram? An event to get rid of the mundane cycle of life that seemed to hit everyone at some point.
While people began to move towards it is when the gate suddenly glowed brightly, people screamed in shock just when the sound of men yelling, hooves stomping onto the hard pavement and then the roars of some strange flying beasts came rushing from the structure. The people would gasp and suddenly turned as the men wielded swords and other almost barbaric weapons, cutting down fleeing people who were unarmed and unable to even defend themselves against the invading army. It seemed to have happened all so fast as the bodies piled up and the army took control of the gate. The flying creatures turned out to be some sort of dragon, ripping down drones and helicopters attempting to blast through the line of armored men. Snipers where stopped ‘dead’ as people in robes casted strange abilities sending the bullets back to their origin killing the snipers before they could even have a chance to protect themselves.
Everything was in chaos now, no one could make heads or tails of what was happening and it was not long till the invading army began to round up survivors chaining them up and basically stripping them of anything they deemed dangerous. That was how Hanako found herself, a thick collar around her neck with her hands chained in some barbaric handcuff chained to a telephone pole with several others. To her this was like a dream, or some sort of stage for a movie but nothing she did could wake herself up from all this. Was this truly real? The city around her was slowly being destroyed and the army and police seemed unable to fight back…being crushed and killed beneath the might of this strange force from another dimension.
~~~~~
All that happened 3 months ago she thought as she sat in a prison cell, the convicts where either killed or switched sides given the opportunity to fight for a greater cause while those captured where thrown into the cells, she sat in the corner of her small cell wearing nothing but rags, bruises covered her body from beatings she got when she had attempted to escape with a few other prisoners…she looked over towards the door as she tensed up, in the last month she had watched strangers from the other side of the gate come…taking women and children and what appeared to be some sort of currency exchanged between the soldiers. She had guessed her fears earlier on, they were being sold as more of the city and country where being over taken by these outsiders.

She slowly stood up from her spot as she moved to the door, peeking through the slit in the door where food came through, her blonde hair a bit matted and dirty while her blue eyes scanned. Was she to be next? Sold to some person she couldn’t even understand? Though her head began to speed up as she saw two figures coming towards her cell as she quickly moved back, looking around she had to hide…she wasn’t going to let them take her. She would quickly find a pipe she had managed to find from when an actual convict lived here and she hide it behind her back, gulping and watching the door…if she hit the guard she could just possibly escape…she wasn’t going to let them sell her!

The footsteps stopped just outside her door as keys rattling could be heard before the doors opened and two guards entered speaking a foreign language pointing at her before they stiffened up straight as another set of footsteps could be heard as a smaller figure entered the room. He looked to be no older than 10 or 11 with dark skin and long dark black hair that currently was in a thick braid down his back and shining bright blue eyes. He had on white robes with golden tassles and fixtures upon them and had his hands in his sleeves folded across his front. One of the guards then went to unshackle her before he suddenly found himself on the ground unconscious as the other guard reacted and pulled his blade as the small boy suddenly held up his hand as the guard stopped and sheathed his blade as he turned to the woman as he began speaking in her native tongue "Hello, can you understand what I am saying? If you understand please lower your pipe, I am not here to cause harm. I am Prince Alibaba, and you'll be leaving this prison cell with me."he said smiling

She could hear the footsteps getting louder and louder, her grip on the pipe tightening and she was ready to swing just as the doors opened her heart jumping into her throat but she couldn't let fear stop her she had to escape from this hell. However, it would seem her plan would be stopped just as her eyes caught sight of a smaller figure and then the guards dropped to the ground she was in shock, unable to process what just happened till her attention snapped towards the 'child?

Her eyes went to the smaller figure, and her grip on the pipe loosened as he seemed to know she had it then again her arms where behind her back showing she had something, not really subtle on that. However, she would soon hear familiar words as she stared at him while he spoke to her and she nodded her head "ye...yes I can but...." she paused as he said she would be leaving with him and she would speak quickly "wait...why? where you going to tak me" she wasn't going to just trust some...child this was reality there was no way a child could do any of this..

"Uhhh...what is the best way to say this....I needed a new hand maiden, and you have the same blue eyes as me. In this kingdom blue eyes are a symbol of power and magic and it's a rare trait. I was the only one of my siblings to be born with our parents blue eyes..you also have blue eyes, so you must be special, everyone else is dark haired and dark eyed...commonfolk. So because I saw your eyes I know you must be powerful, So I would like for you to be my personal assistant at my castle...unless you have grown accustomed to sitting in a cell and getting beaten up by guards, in which case I can easily pick another person ro join me."Alibaba said as he lowered his hand and smiled "Besides, thanks to my magic, I'm the only one here that can speak your funny language"

Hanako stood there looking at him as she was rather unsure about all of this, blue eyes meant power? She hadn't heard of anything like that, hell half the time blue eyes usually meant that you where prone to cancer or far more sensitive to light that caused them to have some major eye issues, but power? She was not even sure but as he brought up that he could just find another she would step up "no its...its been awhile since I've heard someone talk like me, I've slightly picked up on your language but its just bits and pieces"

Still could she do this? Leave with this strange boy that knew her language? She stepped a bit closer and would then slid the pipe from behind your back "you...you sure your not doing this just to take advantage of the situation?" she asked as the pipe began to loosen from her fingers, however just as she said that the sound of shouts could be heard, didn't seem they had the time to chit chat like this. She would let the pipe drop onto the mattress as she spoke "I'm Hanako and the funny language is called Japanese"

"Excellent, I take it then that you are planning on joining me?"he said with a smile "Welcome to the service of the royal family"he said waving a finger in the air as all of her shackles unlocked and popped off as he then turned stepping over the sleeping guards as the others in the hallway stopped seeing him "P-prince Alibaba..we hadn't realized you were the special guest they informed us about..how can..."

Alibaba began walking towards them as they braced the walls head bowed respectfully as Alibaba spoke "That woman is now my personal assistant and speaks with the tongue of myself and by extension the king. Get her cleaned, bathed, properly tended to, clothed, geared and fed. My carriage leaves in the morning and I want her completely ready to go. The gold for her purchase has already been delievered. Please treat Ms. Hanako with respect, good help is so hard to find these days."he said with one final smile back at her before turning the corner and leaving the prison block

Hanako would nod her head towards him, it wasn't like she had to much of a choice it was either go with him or stay here and wait for some old pervert to take her and do...gods knows what. A shudder rippled down her spine just at the thought however, a sigh of relief left her once she felt the shackles drop from her wrists and neck causing her to rub at them, slightly raw from grinding against steel and flesh though she glanced at him "Thank you..." she stated as she would go to walk out with him till she saw the guards.

She was a bit scared, as the men ran up ready to kill someone till they saw it was someone of obvious rank making them all bow quickly. Though she just stood there listening there was that strange language again, but with what ever he said she did catch her name as she nodded her head looking at him. "Um....thank you..." she said after him, as she watched the child round the corner. The guards would stand there a bit scared before one stood up "you come with me" he barked she jumped but at least she knew some what or got the idea of what he wanted as she moved up towards him and she was lead to another area of the prison.

It was almost like a dream she thought as she rested in the baths with a heavy sigh, her wounds had been treated with a strange ointment that took the pain away quickly, her measurements taken so that she could be dressed properly and she was even given fresh food. Though now the bath was what felt the best as she sunk into it, her blonde hair twisted onto her head and she let the bath oils soothe her flesh. "i have to be dreaming..." she muttered, her blue eyes opening some.

"Not quite a dream"came a familiar voice as Alibaba appeared in the doorway to the bath "But an extremely lucky circumstance for you."he said calmly shaking his head "The woman who raised my recently fell ill and passed away, so I need someone else to help me tend to my day to day functions. An assistant. But being a royal maiden is actually quite a prestigious job, man commonfolk girls dream of someday being able to walk among the palace halls and serve the Benevolent King"he told her "Since you've gotten here, how much of this country's history have you been able to pick up?"he asked curiously

She was just about to get out of the bath to go ahead and start getting dressed when she heard his voice, she would glance behind her causing her to take a second till she would jump and would try and cover herself up. "Didn't anyone ever tell you to knock?!" she stated quickly, her cheeks turning red as she used the bath walls to try and hide herself. "and I'm not....common in my world you don't worry or dream about being a hand maiden, a lawyer, doctor, or movie star is more what you dream about" she said quickly.

Man what was with this kid..didn't he know it wasn't polite to interrupt a girls bath specially when the girl was still naked? Her cheeks where flushed but it would have been a lot worse if he was an adult but he was just a kid. Though to answer his question she sighed, "not much, I've been kept in that cell for 3 months I don't even know if my family is alive or not.."

"I'm an 107 year old Prince. Nobody tells me anything. And you're just taking a bath, I'm sure to see you nude many more times and you me as well. But that isn't important. But what's a lawyer....and what's a movie and how does it capture stars?"he asked her blinking "You japanese have some interesting words that's for sure. However to answer your question, if they were anywhere within 5 miles of where you were abducted then they are dead. Those buildings were burned to the ground during the bombing by your government. Since that battle the two kingdoms have been in talks to prevent further war and chaos but negotiations are going to take a while at this pace. Both nations are conflicted over the best policies and practices to deal with one another due to such a difference in culture, and language barriers. So far I am one of the few people who can speak Japanese so many of my magical reserved is sapped spending all day translating"he told her "It makes growing this body extremely difficult, hence my currently small stature. As magic grows over time so will my body once more. One of the benefits of having the blessed blue eyes of Barcyl. Eternal life...well...so they say anyway but many have died regardless of longevity"

She blinked when he said he was over 107 years, and she would stair at him "you are kidding...you...you look like your damn near 10!" she stated and thus she started to shrink a bit more in the tub, if he was as old as he claimed then she was letting some....old pervert oggle her body! Which caused her cheeks to turn that much redder, "and as for those jobs, a laywer is someone who defends the people in court, understanding the laws and making sure that their 'client' who they are defending is given their best chance within the structure of the laws placed....and a movie is like watching a play but I guess you'd call it a mirror, any time you want...a movie star is the actor or performer in that so not really catching stars...just...we call them stars cause they always are glammed up like jewels....wait...why am I explaining this to you while im naked in the damn tub!" she yelled.

She was soon picking up a soap bottle ready to throw it at him, "now get out!! I'm still naked and ...and I don't need some...perverted kid watching me bath!"

"But that's the thing..I'm only 107 years old, my next sibling in age is already over 400. By your japanese standards I'm no older than 10...even though I'm considered a prodigy people still act like I'm a baby. My body and mind have no correlation but people don't even care."he fumed pouting "Hurry up, we have a lot to go over...like how you should never let anyone hear you threaten me, unless you fear for your life."he said turning and walking out

"Well if you want to be treated like an adult act like one!" she yelled at him glaring, and would sigh heavily as she waited till he was gone, shaking her head "what have i gotten myself into.." she muttered.

Hanako though did soon leave the bathroom, dressed in a simple outfit but baring his symbol upon the left side breast of the dress. She pulled at the fabric some, it felt almost like cotton but softer but not quiet silk for it was far to durable. "Strange material..." she muttered, as she finished with her hair, two braids hanging down on either side of her face while the rest of it flowed behind her. Simple but if she wanted she could always tie the braids back behind her head into a half pony tail that is if she needed to work on something. Though once she was properly dressed another person walked up to her, not saying anything as they just motioned for her to follow. Hanako did and she was soon being lead to a rather impressive study, "woah...." she stated in shock.

Alibaba was currently sitting on a large pillow as he motioned for her to join him "This land has a nickname called Barcyl's Garden. Barcyl the Divine created this land for himself to live upon. From the fruits of his Earth he created a wife, and bore many blue eyed children with immense abilities, calling him his Disciples to spread his power and influence. However he knew that eventual inbreeding would weaken his children and his magic. Thus he created the Gate in order to allow new inhabitants to enter his sacred lands. These inhabitants met with the first Disciples and eventually integrated their ways of life and bore children. Those as time amd generations passed as more people came through the gate of different races and species the magic to protect the kingdom began to spread and weaken. Now those born with blue eyes, those descended of the first Disciples, hold status, nobility and wield a greater form of magic than the commonfolk, those born without the blessed blue eyes"he told her as they drank tea "A brief history lesson for all the different types of creatures and things you've seen here and probably didnt understand. Myself my father is an elf and my mother is a Disciple. The trait is much more recessive when it is women who are Disciple born,which is why it took my parents 7 tries to have a child with the gift"

She was in awe at the room, that she barely heard anthing he was saying but she did attempt to pay attention. Her eyes fell to him as he explained and she would raise a brow "so...your telling me that the whole lets kill a ton of people, enslave them, beat them, so on is just a natural thing?" she stated coldly as she sat there, "we where living in peace without your...god and there where countless of our own religions in our world granted...none come with a backstory like yours" she stated as she sat there.

Though she looked at the tea and then to him, his blue eyes seemed to be on hers and she looked away "Look I really don't have anything special about me..im...grateful that you got me out of that cell but...I don't have any magic no one in my world does"

"That is how nations are built. The Japanese enslaved millions across Asia in the Shoguns quest for global domination...I may have come across a Japanese history book or two during my translations. When the gate opens whenever it decides to open, the location, time in history and the species of those people are completely unknown. And not every journey through the gate is met with peace. Imagine if a Japanese citizen would have discovered the gate first and stumbled across and gotten eaten by a dragon. Your world would not know how to react and with your advanced technologies you could completely destroy our way of life as though we never existed. It was a matter of who got through the gate first, this time it was us. Next time, who knows?"he said shrugging "But I am fully aware that no one in your world knows magic...that you know of. But I am not expecting you to produce something special, I simply freed someone from a cell"he said

He was full of himself and seemed to know a lot more of the situation than she did, but she would sigh heavily and lean back looking around the room again then back to him. "You have a point but..." she shook her head, there wasn't any point to arguing to question what happened happened, there was nothing she could do to stop it from happening and the nightmare she had to never exist. Though when he said he simply freed her, she would laugh "ya...freed and made into a personal maid...if your expecting me to clean up after you I don't even do that for my little brother..."

"For someone who just got freed from a place where they were about to sell you off as a prostitute across the see you think you'd be more grateful to your savior. But if you dont wish to do the simple tasks I give you then I will contact the Lord and arrange my own deal for your services...willing or not"he said simply taking another drink"You say what you will and wont do, but realistically you have no power to negotiate. Clean up after a prince or get raped by a Pig Lord. Your call"he said looking at her

Her blue eyes narrowed at him, he really was unlike any child she had run into before but he did say he was well close to 200 give or take 50 years from that. She sighed heavily, and would soon speak "sorry...this is just a lot to take in, just an hour ago I couldn't even barely understand anyone, now I'm talking to someone who some how can...im sold to them like some common item and being told they are a 'god' of sorts...sorry if I'm a bit defiant right now..."

Hanako though brushed some of her hair back, then looked at him "so what exactly do you want me to do for you? just so I can prepare myself now and you don't have to hear me complain."

"Yeah but your defiance can cost you in the presence of the wrong people. You have to understand, none of my siblings, the other crowned princes or princesses have the power of the blue eyes. This magic is also a ward against the evil forces that threaten us just outside the domains of the kingdom in the Badlands. Should my parents have died before my death, then this nation would have been doomed and should those who live in the shadows have access to the gate, your world is doomed too."he said as a grave look came over his usual cheerful self "As such the people of these lands hold me in high esteem...to offer protection...I'm more of a symbol of the prevention of the apocolypse because for hundreds of years we were on end with no successful true heir."he told her "So if people hear you not being nice..they may get a little...prickly towards you...I don't mind it though, you talk to me like I'm a real person and not some....sacred mantra or something. Right now I don't need you to do anything. From time to time I may need your help in translation, or for you to drop something off for me. The position of my handmaiden is actually held in high esteem...you'd be one of the highest ranking commonfolk in the land...so you wont have to worry about anyone harming you..and should a peace treaty come, then you will have leverage to negotiate your way home. You aren't my captive, you're my assistant"

"No I understand the whole thing it's just hard to grasp we havnt had an emperor or anyone like that since like the meji-era for us. Who knows how long for the rest of the world considering Japan isn't the only nation in my world." She said simply as she then looked at the tea he had offered her earlier and would finally reach out to take a drink.

"As for what my rank is now I'll try and mind my tongue but if you start acting like an idiot I might just hit you upside he head." She winked clearly playing and not really meaning she would do it. "So is there anything I should start learning about and also can I call you something other than Prince and....your full name cause your name reminds me of a movie and I really don't need to start singing the song that goes with it..."

"Another of those movie things hm? You may call me Ali in private, but it must be Prince Ali or Prince Alibaba in public. Just dont call me Blessed One. I hate that nickname."he said "But to start with we simply need you to learn about our languagex customs and culture if you are going to be useful as my assistant"he said waving his fingers as a book flew across the room to rest on the small table between them "Read this in your spare time. The first few chapters are all about learning our language"

The moment he had said 'prince ali' she would hold back laughter, as best she could as the song began to play in her head. She couldn't tell him there was a song in her word that sang about him but she nodded her head to his preference of names "Ali it is then...if you want you can just call me Hana then."

Hanako said giving him before the book came flying towards her, she held out her hands catching it and then opened it up, strangely the words where in Japanese so that helped as she then looked at him. "Not sure how much I can promise I'll learn" she said flipping through the pages till she got to where she couldn't read it anymore. "your language is far from any I've seen its...kinda cool."

"From what your Prime Minister has said, we have a dialect that is older than edo dialect in Kyoto."he said "He said it's a dead language in your time. The equivalent of Latin...whatever that means" Ali said as he refilled his tea cup "We live in a mich simpler time, so the morals and values of yours may not always necessarily apply here. Keep that in mind in your day to day dealings. We are not as civil and well mannered as the japanese"

"That I can probably understand, you might enjoy some of the museums that we have back home. It helps show our history so that we can be thankful for what our ancestors did for us." she said flipping through the pages still then glanced at him, "If I treat it like traditional japan such as back in the edo period or even meji, I should be able to fit in just fine...though its been awhile since I wore a kimono."

She watched him as he poured his tea and she would smirk, "for instance if this was either those times, I'd be pouring the tea...Ali-sama" she winked with a grin. "you know I could just call you that...to us that means Lord Ali or even Prince so its not really insulting and it then helps show that japan has historic cultures of tradition and etiquette as well"