*A/N: Sorry for the over-cheesiness of this story… if you don't like extremely cheesy/somewhat cliché romance (with a once-upon-a-time theme), do not read… just a warning… I wrote this when I was daydreaming about a prince & princess story and I kinda wanted a sweet romance between the characters… haha… o_o;; and I thought it would be sweet if it were about Ikuto and Amu :3 –but, another warning, they kind of fall in love really quickly, 'cause it's just supposed to be a sweet, short love story :P, so, sorry about that, if you prefer a little character development o-o;; It's really, really short… T_T;;*

-oh, and I don't own the characters, though they really lack their original qualities… from Shugo Chara! which belongs to Peach-Pit :3

A Silly, (Hopefully) Cute Love Story

Once upon a time, there lived a handsome prince in a kingdom neighboring that of the beautiful Princess Amu. Prince Ikuto was his name… One day, Ikuto happened upon the forest that lined and marked the free territory between the two kingdoms. In the midst of the trees and wildlife, Ikuto spotted the princess, and knowing who she was (as royalty and all), he quietly approached her and formally greeted her with a bow and a kiss on the hand. Amu, surprised, smiled shyly at him and greeted him equally as formally, curtsying first and then blowing a kiss into his hands, as was the custom of the two kingdoms; he caught the air kiss gladly and tentatively looked at her.

Equally curious and eager, Amu looked into his eyes and saw his kind heart, love for his family, love for music (he was carrying his violin case on his back, after all), and way with animals (particularly cats ;)). She immediately took a liking to what she could see. Ikuto saw her gentle nature, kindheartedness, love for her family, and high-spirited attitude as part of her being, and, also captivated, began polite conversation with the young lady. The two of them talked for several hours about their kingdoms' state of affairs, what they would do as rulers, and other such talk reserved for royalty. However, towards the last hour, they talked a bit about themselves:

Ikuto looked thoughtfully at Amu and asked, "What's your favorite thing to do?"

Amu whispered, "I like to make art."

"Why are you whispering?"

"My parents do not approve… They believe doing such things is just for artists and all and is a waste of time. I, however, secretly spend some time out in this forest painting, and I even have a little cabin with my work. In fact, I was just on my way there… Would you like to come with me and see?" She said the last part excitedly.

"Of course! I'd love to see your work… I'm sure it's lovely. Just like you…" He murmured the last part, half to himself.

"What's that?"

Ikuto, startled, quickly said, "Nothing, nothing! Let's just go see your artwork, please. I, too, love music the way you do art, though my parents support me, with my father, King Aruto, being a talented violinist and all..."

Smiling brightly at this confession, Amu took his hand without thinking and ran to the little cabin at the northern end of the woods. Ikuto blushed at this gesture, and when they reached the cabin, gently squeezed her hand to get her attention (for her to notice what she was doing! :)). She turned around and faced Ikuto, saw that she was holding his hand, exclaimed, "Oops," and then let go.

Amu said, "I'm so sorry! Please excuse my rudeness, I didn't realize…"

Ikuto hastily replied, "No, no problem at all. Actually…" He took her hand and placed her right palm on his right palm and covered her right hand with his right hand. Thinking to himself, he rummaged in his pocket and found what he was looking for—a golden yellow flute he had found in the music room of his castle. Flipping her hand over, he gently placed the flute in her hand and closed her fingers over it. "I'm giving this to you… to commemorate this day."

Blushing bright pink, but also beaming with happiness, Amu gladly accepted the flute and said, "Thank you so, so much! It's beautiful," then sighed with delight. "But… what is it that you wanted to commemorate?"

Ikuto hesitantly said, "To commemorate the day I properly met you…"

Amu shyly looked at him and said, "I will remember this day forever… and I will take excellent care of your flute. Every time I see it, I will be reminded of you."

Just then, a trumpet could be heard, signaling the twelfth hour (noon) and also the start of the royal luncheon. Ikuto, disappointed that their time together was cut short, brought Amu's hand up to his lips for another kiss and looked up at her. She, too, shared his disappointment in having to leave her new love. After a few moments in that position, Ikuto lowered Amu's hand and turned around, gently leading her to his own castle. Amu, unsure of what to do, gave his arm a little tug, causing him to turn his head to look at her, though he did not stop.

"Where are we going?" Amu asked uncertainly.

"To my home, to introduce you to my parents," Ikuto replied, a determined look in his eyes. "I want to show them the girl I fell in love with and wish to marry, if she, too, loves me and agrees."

At this bold statement, Amu's face turned crimson, and she softly said, "Of course I will marry you, if your parents will have me… I… Though we just met, I… I love you." With this, both the prince and princess blushed and smiled widely, and softly squeezing each other's hands, they ran to tell King Aruto and Queen Souko the good news.

:) The End.

*A/N: It kinda jumped from them falling in love to them getting engaged... ._.;; haha, sorry, it's probably out of both their characters… but it's what the both of them are thinking on the inside! And, we all know that Ikuto is a really sweet guy, after all… :3 And Amu is captivated by him, too… I mean, who wouldn't be? ;) oh, and they never got to see Amu's artwork... o-o; but they'll go there after their engagement is known! :) Oh, and please let me know if you liked it or if you have suggestions on improving the story.*

*Edited. I took out some unnecessary commas and changed a little bit of it for grammar. If you see any specific mistake that I still missed, please let me know. Thanks.*