He paced the large dark room, irritation growing with each agitated step. "When will they let me outa' here? I've got to hunt, I've got to fight. I don't need to be grounded for such trivial things." he muttered as he stopped his pacing, only to stare out the window. "Great, another commoner's gotten onto the castle grounds!" he growled as he went to the door and walked out.

He'd sensed the presence of someone out in the courtyard. So, out of pure boredom, he decided it was as good a day as any to execute someone.

So, he pulled open the doors leading from his study, and walked briskly towards the spiral staircase that would lead him the courtyard, from the tower.

"Stop right there you-" he was cut off. Not by words, but by what he saw in front of him.

Right there, before his very eyes, stood the most beautiful creature in the universe. She stood about 3 ½ feet tall, about 4 years old. A year younger than himself. Her dark maroon hair seeming to flow over her shoulders with the wind. She stared at him, her dark emerald eyes boring holes into his own icy blue eyes. Her pale complexion consisted of what he believed was the softest, fairest skin any mere mortal could ever bare. His mouth watered, his throat however, was as dry as a desert.

"Oh dear, I'm quite sorry! It's just that, these grounds are so large, that I got lost, looking for my pet bat. I couldn't, for the life of me, tell you where the town stops, and this courtyard begins." even her voice was soft and melodic.

As soon as he'd stopped daydreaming of the girl, he was confronted by a small dark winged creature that resembled a bat.

"This is Maki, he's who I was looking for, when I got lost." she squeaked happily as she hugged the bat close to her chest.

By this time, he couldn't bare another minute of not knowing her name. So, as he knelt down in front of her, he took her small palm in his and, with one quick peck, he introduced himself. "Ah, such a fair maiden. Hello, my name is Ichiro, and what might yours be hmm?"

At first, she looked quite startled, but then, as she snapped out of her confusion, she answered quite comfortably "Hello Ichiro, my name is Ichigo. It was quite a pleasure meeting you today." as she said this, she turned and started to walk away. But, as she did so, he reached out and, in one quick movement, recaptured her palm.

"Please, fair maiden, if you'd like, I could walk you home. On the way, we can stop and I can treat you to a thank you snack from the bakery." his eyes, usually cold and dark, were lighting up noticeably, and, you could pretty much feel the warmth they gave off towards the girl.

"Your Highness, your mother and father have grounded you from the outside. They say you need to study, and study you will! Now, tell this peasant goodbye, you can kill her later."

"Pai, you are in the presence of divinity! Don't you see that there is such a fair maiden standing before you. Maybe you should go study for a while. And, while you're at it, you can learn some manners!" he exclaimed irritably. It was then that he'd noticed that Ichigo was pulling her hand from his.

"I'm truly sorry. But, Ichiro, you must study, and become a great person in life. Besides, if your parents habe asked so kindly for you to stay inside and study, you should respect their wishes." even though she looked stern and serious, she'd kept her voice soft and sweet.

He looked disappointed that she had taken his advisor's side and not his. Yet, he saw why she'd said to do so. True, his goal in life WAS to become a great leader, and true, studying would only help him. But, why should he care what his nut job parents think? "Fine! For you, my fair maiden, I will do anything. But, when will I see you again? And, where can I find you?"

As a response, instead of telling him anything, she leaned over and softly pecked his lips with hers.

"Good luck in studying. Make me proud! Ok?" and, with that, she turned and ran back in the direction of the town.

Little did he know, it wouldn't be a while till he saw her again.

Ok, Tomahawk 3.0, this goes out to you, cause you kept asking me to put Ichigo with Deep Blue. And yes, Ichiro later on takes on the name Deep Blue. Maybe not in the series, but in my fic it does.