-Chapter 1-

The man in the midnight cloak

"Prince Koutarou, everyone is awaiting your arrival." the tall brunette guard called from outside the room.
"I know! I know Oikawa! You don't have to be so naggy, I'll be there in a few minutes!" the young prince yelled back. "I just have to get my robe on!" Bokuto strided out of his sleeping quarters, his grey and black hair lightly parted to the right, covering his golden eyes. He wore a yellow and white robe decked with small golden emblems that slightly resembled owl eyes. He was greeted by the tall brunette and another man with spiky dark hair.
"Hello Oikawa, Hajime." he turned to the two guards, "I'm ready for the festival." The two guards looked at each other and nodded. They started walking down the corridor, Bokuto following behind. They arrived at a portrait of the king and queen with a small black haired boy on the queen's lap. The window directly across from it let the soft orange of the sun in, snow falling lightly on the window. "I can't wait for that to be me in the king's position." Bokuto mumbled to himself, starry eyed at the thought.

"You can only become king after you find a princess to marry, Prince Koutarou." Oikawa taunted the prince. "Maybe you'll find your special someone today at the festival. You never know, could be a fair maiden awaiting you down the hall."

"Don't be rude Oikawa, I'm sure our prince will find someone eventually that will make him happy one day." the shorter guard shot the brunette a troublesome look. "And watch your mouth Oikawa, you shouldn't insult our prince so casually. He may not be the best prince-"

"Hey! I heard that Hajime!" Bokuto interjected, "I may not be the brightest but I can still hear perfectly well."

"I wasn't finished Your Highness, but we must hurry to the festival, you're already late. Everyone is waiting for your arrival." the two guards hurriedly walked to the ballroom with the prince trudging along behind them. They arrived soon after, everyone was enjoying themselves, dancing, drinking, mingling. The king and queen were sitting in thrones near the back of the room, watching everyone enjoy themselves. When they saw Bokuto arrive, they immediately got everyone's attention.

The queen stood up and started to speak, "Everyone! I'd like you to give our son, and beloved prince Bokuto, a warm welcome!" Everyone welcomed him as he walked down the steps to the main area. Greeting and shaking his hand as he walked towards his parents. He nervously tried to avoid as much contact as possible and get to his parents. He always hated crowded areas and a lot of people. He may be royalty but he doesn't enjoy parties with a bunch of strangers.

"Moooom, why'd you have to do that? You know I hate crowds." the young prince pouted. He sat next to his parents the entire night, he didn't want to socialize with anyone. He knew he wouldn't be able to find anyone out there, no one would be able to deal with his constant mood swings and whining. Despite the fact that he hates crowds and lots of people, he loves being the center of attention, but only with a small group of people.

His guards saw that he was bored and decided to approach him. "Hey Prince Koutarou, would you like to take a walk around the castle grounds? The sun is about to set, it'd be a wonderful sight to see." Hajime suggested to the bored prince. His face suddenly lit up at the sudden suggestion. "Yes! That sounds wonderful Hajime!" he excitedly jumped up and followed them to the courtyard. The snow was was falling slowly, making it seem like the boys had dandruff spread through their hair. Bokuto looked up and smiled so bright the setting sun was jealous. The two guards looked at each other then back at their gleeful prince. He started to take off his robe and handed it to Hajime, he began to run around and catch stray snowflakes with his mouth. Soon after Oikawa realized the guests were starting to leave and the moon was shining over them.

"Iwa-chan, I think we should get Koutarou back to his quarters. It's getting late." Oikawa said to the other guard, watching their prince goof off in the snow. "Prince Koutarou, it's getting late, we must escort you back to your room now." Hajime exclaimed to Bokuto, who was now lying down in the snow. "We really must get you back Prince, it is getting late." Hajime persisted, this time Bokuto heard him and bounced up. He skipped towards them, grabbed his robe and followed behind. They finally approached his door after numerous turns and staircases. The guards stood outside while the grey haired prince walked into his sleeping quarters.

It wasn't until he had closed the door that he had realized the figure looming over his dresser, the window wide open and the curtains blowing softly with the night breeze. The figure wore a cloak as dark as the midnight sky, covering his head and face, only leaving his grey eyes visible. He took what looked to be a medallion off of Bokuto's dresser and then vanished without a trace. Bokuto too stunned and dumbfounded to call for guards, watched as his medallion had been stolen by a low life thief. But then he realized the medallion wasn't the only thing that he had stolen. The masked thief had stolen his heart.