Hi this is my FIRST time of posting a story up sooo sorry if I keep making mistakes :DD

" Poised, delicate as a flower, reflect before you act… this shall bring your family honor." Ping finished, swishing the brush back and blowing his arm to dry the words currently written to remind him what to say when he got to the match maker, which was kind of like cheating, yes, but it was the only way to bring his family honor.

He could go to war to bring family honor…though there was one preventing him.

Lifting up his thin sheet shirt he glared at the most beautiful tattoo, blue swirls blossoming and curving itself into a magnificent flower, but the truth about the tattoo was far from beautiful, maybe more hideous than hideous.

In the ancient times witch crafters were used for wars and breeding, wars because they could attack using spells, breeding because the witch crafters could breed no matter what gender.
Everything was at peace until a foolish witch crafter fell in love with the opposing side and fighting with them, course he was caught and sadly sentenced to death.

The emperor was outraged and made a law that from then on, no witch crafter would go to war and was only allowed to "breed".

Suddenly the rooster crowed, snapping Ping out of his glaring.

" Oh gods, I forgot about the chores!" he cried, thrashing his way out of his bed, " little brother, where are you?"

A slight "ruff" was heard and the cutest little dog trotted next to him.

" Little brother, please help me with the chores" Ping pleaded, tying a fishing rod to the dog and added a sack full of grain for the chooks, tied a bone at the front of the rod at just the right height for the dog to see but not reach.

"Ruff ruff!" the dog barked, snapping at the bone and did a poor attempt of jumping because of the sack full of grain, and ran out the open door leaving a trail of chicken feed.

ooooOOoooo

Fa zu knelt down to stick an incense down, " please ancestors, help Ping bring honor to our family." Fa zu prayed out loud in the temple where the ancestors were.

Suddenly the dog ran through and left a trail of chicken feed behind… along with a few pecking chickens.

"Please!" Fa zu prayed harder, standing up to leave for the daily morning basis.

" good morning Father." Ping cheerfully said, pouring tea in a tea cup but ended up falling to the ground and smashing into pieces.

"don't worry, I have a spare ." he added.

"Ping?! Aren't you supposed to be getting to…" Fa zu started to ask but was cut off by Ping.

" Remember, the doctor said to drink at least three cups of tea in the morning and night."

"Ping you're suppose to be getting ready!" Fa zu manage to but in.

Ping sighed, " yes, well father wish me luck!" Ping said quickly running to retrieve his horse.

oooOOOooo

"Ohhhh what is taking Ping so Long?!" Fa Li sighed in frustration, pacing around and murmuring prayers

for luck to the ancestors.

"How lucky can they get? They are already dead!" grandma Fa pointed out and held out a wooden cage containing a cricket inside.

"this is your chance to prove yourself lucky cricket!" grandma Fa said, covering her eyes and walked out across the street.

" Grandma nOOOOOO!" Fa Li cried out seeing all the people crashing together trying to avoid hitting the crazy grandma.

Fortunately Grandma Fa came out safe and Ping had just arrived ridding bare back on his horse.

"Where have you been? You should have been here earlier!" Fa Li cried out, pushing Ping to the dreaded 'dressmaker's' store while grandma took hold of the horse saying " this Crickets a lucky one!"

The dressmaker came hustling out and stared at Ping.

" this is what you give me? Well I've seen worse." She retorted pulling wheat out of Ping's black hair and stripped him of his clothes, pushing him in a tub… full of cold water.

" God this isssssss coldsssssss." Ping cried out shivering.

"it could've been warmer if you'd have arrived early." Fa Li stated grabbing his left arm to clean and noticed the words on his arm, "Ping…" Fa Li sighed, "what is this?"

"Just a reminder in case I… y'know… forget." Ping trailed off, clearly guilty.

Fa Li shook her head and started to clean his other arm wearily.

After that , Ping was made to sit down they did his hair into a "pretty hairdo", then they put him in a kimono tightening the shash around the waist and with the final touch added make up to his face.

" Oh you look pretty!" the assistant of the dress maker squealed, showing him his powder white face with touches of black on his eye line and red on his lips with one of the mirrors, Ping frowned and twirled a strand of hair down, and smiled at the result.

Suddenly grandma Fa appeared holding something in her arms, " come here for a second Ping?" she asked, so ping shifted forward a bit.

"an apple for your health" Grandma Fa said shoving an apple in his mouth, "beads of jade for beauty." She tied the jade necklace around his neck, " add a cricket, just for luck." She finished, tucking the cage holding the "lucky" cricket in the shash.

"Now quick!" Fa Li cried, giving him the umbrella and shoving him out the door where all the girls and witch crafters were, lining up and waiting for their names to get called out, Ping just barely made it when the match maker came out to call the names, " Fa Ping."

"Present!" Ping quickly called out.

" Speaking without permission." The matchmaker replied, crossing out something from her clipboard.

"Opps, sorry." Ping muttered quickly following her inside.

"Who spit in her bean curd?" Grandma Fa whispered to Fa Li who silently agreed

OooOOOooo

" Waist is too slim, bad for son boring." The matchmaker muttered to herself, writing notes down as she examined Ping like he was some kind of fascinating animal that came from the heavens or something.

Suddenly the "lucky" cricket jumped out of the cage and tried to escape, Ping, seeing this, quickly grabbed the cricket and tried to shove it in the cage.

" Recite the passage for honor." The matchmaker ordered looking up, Ping quickly shoved the cricket in his mouth and covered his mouth with his fan, spitting it out.

" Poised, graceful, delicate like a lily and snack… I mean, reflect before you act, this shall bring your family honor." Ping read from his arm and smiled innocently at her, she glared at him suspicious and whipped the fan while holding his arm.

Staring at the sides of the fan she nodded, satisfied that there was no words on the fan and gave ping his fan back while letting him go with her hand covered in ink.

"Pour the tea. To please your future in laws you must show a sense of dignity and poise." The matchmaker said, sliding her fingers around her mouth smearing ink every where.

Ping finally noticed he was not pouring the tea in the cup and quickly focused on pouring the tea in cup, then handed the tea to her.

The matchmaker breathed in deeply and Ping noticed that the cricket was in the tea, leaning forward he tried to take it out of her hands, " let me repour your tea" he "timidly" asked.

"Silence!" the matchmaker roared at Ping, course, he didn't listen and kept on pulling the tea from the her.

"Please give… it … to meeeee" Ping grunted and his hand slipped, making the matchmaker fall back and the tea spilt all over her.

"Why you clumsy …" she started to yell when suddenly the cricket jumped inside her shawl.

"Arrrrrhhhhggg!" she yelled, " GET IT OUT! GET IT OUT!" She started to jump and slipped, landing straight on the still luke hot coal.

While she was still screaming, Ping grabbed his fan and tried to blow out the fire, only to make it worse.

The Matchmaker smashed outside, " PUT IT OUT!" she screamed, trying to put the fire out, flapping her arms around.

Ping used the only thing he could find that was wet and poured it over her, fortunately the fire was put, unfortunately what Ping used to put out the fire was hot tea.

Ping gave the teapot back to the matchmaker and bowed, quickly returning to his mother and Grandma's side.

" YOU are a DISGRACE!" the matchmaker yelled at Ping, " You may LOOK like a bride but you'll never be able to bring you or your Family honor!" She then stomped back inside her house.

OooOOOooo

Fa Zu walked out to greet Ping with a smile, only to find Ping hiding behind his horse, giving his Father all the answers.

Ping led his horse to his grazing point and left Kahn to do his business, going slowly to the temple and wiping his make up along the way.

Suddenly sounds of the drums rang and shouts were heard, " quick come out everyone! It's the emperor's council!"

Ping quickly ran to the front door to go see what was happening, but was stopped by his father.

" Ping stay here." His father ordered, he then walked out side not noticing Grandma Fa pointing to roof slyly to Ping.

"The Huns have invaded china!" Chi Fu announce,(one of the emperor's council) earning horrified gasps from the people from the street and Ping, who had climb up the roof to see what was going on.

" The emperors orders that every man from a family shall go to war, except witchcrafts." Chi Fu added, his face showing clear disgust at the witchcrafts, making Ping's blood boil with hatred, either way Chi Fu was the least of his worries.

Ping stared as Chi Fu called out the last names of each family and how each family had to accept the scroll with pride and honor, "The Fa family." Chi Fu called out.

Ping didn't know what to do when he saw his father walking/limping to Chi Fu but to run to his father, stopping him.

" Please sir, my father has already fought the war bravely." Ping pleaded to Chi Fu, who looked at him with disgust, " Silence!" Chi Fu roared, earning a flinch from Ping.

" You will tell your Witchcraft son to hold his tongue in a man's presence!" Chi Fu said handing the scroll to Fa Zu whom accepted the scroll.

" You dishonor me Ping." Fa Zu said, sauntering back inside the house without his walking stick and leaving Ping to trudge after him.

OooOOOooo

The room was silent as Ping poured the tea for Grandma Fa, Fa Li, herself and Fa Zu.

Ping was very uncomfortable with the silence and it was all she could do but not explode whenever her mother and Grandma would avoid her eye contact.

Finally Ping exploded, " There are plenty of young men to fight for china!" Ping yelled, slamming the teapot down.

" It is a honor to protect my country and family." Fa Zu calmly responded, "so you'll DIE for Honor." Ping stated, crossing his arms.

" I'm doing what is right, I know where my place is, it is time you learn yours." Fa Zu harshly replied.

Ping didn't know what to do but to run outside where the rain would most likely hide his tears, ' why?'

He thought to himself, ' why cant I do anything right?' quickly sitting underneath the dragon statue and huddling in a tight protective ball of misery.

From where he was, Ping could see a clear view of his mother and father's bedroom window and as he stared at the shadows of Fa Zu saying goodnight to Fa Li who just merely shook her head and sadly flitted away, his father then blew out the candle.

Suddenly an idea struck Ping, it was a crazy idea, but it was an idea and right now what was happening was a crazy thing itself.

soo review... PLEASE?