Title: A tale of Kurosaki Ichigo, the crown prince of Karakura Kingdom.
A/N: It's just a tale; don't expect a serious character development.
Disclaimer: Don't own a thing. Sadly.
Once upon a time there lived a mighty king and a beautiful queen, and they had three children. The firstborn son was named Ichigo, and his two little sisters were named Yuzu and Karin. The kingdom was prosperous, and the royal family was very happy.
One day, the king called his son to the throne room and said:
"Ichigo! You are the crown prince of Karakura Kingdom, and you are seventeen. When I was your age, I already met your mother."
"So what?" the prince asked.
"So it is time for you to look for a bride, you moron!" the king proclaimed.
"I don't wanna, you dumb old man," the prince retorted respectfully.
"Well, too bad!" the king said. "It is your duty as a future king to have a bride. When you inherit the throne, you shall have a son, an heir. Therefore you shall marry. And you know perfectly well... Royal marriages are made of convenience."
"Whatever," the prince said. "I shall marry only the person I love. You married mother because you loved her, right?"
"True," the king agreed. "I was lucky. And I want you to be lucky as well. As your king and your father, I want you to be happy; I will not force you to marry a girl you don't like. But you need to have a bride, son, I know you understand that."
The prince sighed.
"Yeah, I understand."
"Good!" the king exclaimed. "So, here is my suggestion. We invite a lot of lovely princesses, hold the ball and make a secret test. You look if you like some lady, and your mother and I look if the lady is appropriate. If she is, we'll approve your choice; if she isn't... well, we'll see what we can do."
The prince was not really amused by the king's idea, but what were his options? He had to agree.
The arrangements for the ball took a whole week, but it was worth it. The biggest room in the palace was decorated with beautiful flowers and colourful lights; the most skilled musicians and sirenic singers were invited; the cooks were to make delectable dishes. And, of course, there were ladies. Oh, the ladies! The very beauteous of the noblest young women came from all over the world; their beauty was so incredible that all the lights and flowers in the ball room faded in comparison. Every single maiden was gorgeous.
But the more ladies arrived to the palace, the more sore the prince felt. It wasn't that he was scared of them or didn't like them; he just felt forced. It was the worst: our brave prince hated to feel constrained or helpless, and that was exactly as he felt. But not only was he brave, he was also reasonable and responsible. He understood his duty to protect the kingdom's future, and he was ready to do all that was needed of him.
The day the ball was to be held, the queen came to the prince's room.
"I see you're troubled, Ichigo," she said. "Speak your mind."
"I'm not sure it would be wise, mother," the prince answered.
"Since when do you care to be wise?" the queen asked with a soft smile. "Come on, dear, I'm your mother. You can tell me anything."
The prince hesitated, then lowered his head and said:
"It's about tonight's ball. I'm... nervous. I'm only seventeen, who has a fiancée in seventeen? I know I'm a prince and I have duties, but it just... doesn't feel right."
The queen smiled again.
"I see. But there's no need for you to be anxious. Do as your heart tells you to, and it'll be fine. I promise. Besides, having a bride doesn't mean you have to marry her the very second you choose her. I was younger than you when I met your father, but we married only several years later."
"But what if I don't want to marry at all?" the prince asked.
"Why?" the queen wondered.
The prince didn't know how to explain her what he felt.
"I don't know. I think... I am... I might be... What I mean is... May be, I'm just not that type of man. Not a family type, that is."
The queen saw her son was ashamed of his own words. She hugged him and said:
"Don't worry, child. Your parents will love you whatever the type of man you may be."
"That's not what you think," the prince uttered.
"As you say," the queen said and pulled away. "Now then, shall we call your servant to help you with your festive clothes?"
"I can deal with my clothes myself, mother," the prince said. "Kon will only mess it up."
"All right. Then come down to the ball room when you're ready."
The queen left, and the prince started to change his clothes, still thinking about the upcoming ball with vexation.
Finally, the evening came, and the ball started. The prince was introduced to many fair maidens; he even danced with a few of them, but it was all in vain – none of those ladies attracted the prince enough, and none was asked for another dance. Soon the prince got bored and went out to the balcony for some fresh air.
The balcony wasn't as empty as prince expected, though. There stood Sir Tatsuki, the first female knight in the Karakura kingdom's history (also Ichigo's distant cousin), and a beautiful princess with a tender blush on her lovely face.
"Your hair looks so wonderful, lady Orihime," Sir Tatsuki was saying. "Shining and vivid, and it smells like honey."
"Why, you're too kind," the princess was replying.
The prince smiled at them. He had no desire to interrupt, so he walked back to the ball room. As soon as he stepped out of the doorway, one of the princesses he had danced with, beautiful raven-haired lady Rukia, run to him.
"Here you are!" she exclaimed. "Quickly, come with me. I want you to meet someone."
"I hope it's not your stone-faced brother," the prince said. "He gave me a glare when I asked you to dance. Creep."
"No, my good brother is discussing something with Renji, our guard. Don't worry, as long as you're a gentleman, they won't kill you."
"Then who is it you want me to meet?" the prince asked in confusion. "I guess I know everybody in this palace. I live here, and I was introduced almost to all of the guests... "
"That's right, almost," lady Rukia said. "There still are some interesting people. The one I'm talking about... I'm sure you'll find that person most unusual. Come on! Don't be a wuss and follow me."
"Why, you little..."
"Come on!"
So the prince followed lady Rukia. They went down the staircase, and after a few doors and corridors ended up in the garden. Lady Rukia pointed at the marble gazebo beside the pond.
"Go there," she said. "And don't be afraid. It's a monk."
"What?" the prince gasped in surprise. "You want me to meet a monk?"
"Just go, you chicken!" lady Rukia said and pushed prince in the gazebo's direction.
"I don't like this one minute," the prince said. Yet he went where lady Rukia had pointed, while lady Rukia herself returned to the ball room.
In the gazebo there was a thin figure in a white robe. It was quite dark, so the prince couldn't discern the person's face; all he could see was that the person was very pale, almost as pale as his pure white clothes.
"Hello?" the prince hailed, a little confused.
"Greetings, stranger," the person said, confronting the prince. His voice was deep and soft, yet lively and young; the prince liked it immediately.
"I am prince Ichigo," he said. "What is your name, good fellow?"
The person sighed.
"If only I could remember," he said. "You see, sweet prince, I am cursed. An evil sorcerer sealed away my memories. All I can remember is the moment I've been cursed. Though, one kind abbot allows me to live in the monastery; he calls me Ametatsu."
"This is a very sad story," the prince said. "It must be terrible to live not knowing who you are. Is there any way to lift the curse?"
"Yes... The sorcerer said it could only be lifted by a man who once was as lost and confused as I was; a man of the same nature, yet very different from me; a man of a pure heart with genuine feelings. I don't know what that means."
The prince smiled.
"You don't know what 'genuine feelings' means? Well, that's a shame," he said. "Do you want me to show you?"
"I'm not sure what you're talking about..." the other man said.
"Close your eyes," the prince asked.
As soon as the young man obeyed, the prince took his hand and kissed him gently on the cheek.
"This is genuine," he said. "Now, about the feelings part... It is you who must tell me. What do you feel?"
"I am confused," the youth said. "I'm standing on the ground, yet I feel like I'm flying high in the sky. The air is cool, yet I feel warm. It is dark, yet I feel like everything is shining in sunlight. What is it? I've never felt like this before."
"It is genuine feeling. Warm, decent, simple feeling," the prince said. "It is called love."
And he kissed the young man again, this time on the lips. The young man kissed the prince back; but all of a sudden a light flashed, the youth passed out, and a tall man with snow-white hair appeared out of nowhere.
"You there!" the tall man said, pointing at the prince who held his beloved in his arms. "What are you doing with my son? I cursed him for a reason, you know!"
"What?" the prince exclaimed. "You are the sorcerer... you cursed your own son? You truly are evil!"
"I did it for his own good!" the sorcerer retorted. "Uryu is cursed not by me but by his own filth. I locked the memories of his ignominy and sent him to his grandfather's monastery; I hoped he would chasten his twisted nature! But look at him... Even more filthy than ever."
Those words afflicted the prince.
"How could a father be so mean?" he asked. "You turned your back at your son only because he was different? It is you who is twisted and filthy, then!"
The sorcerer laughed.
"Foolish boy!" he said. "What do you think your father will say when he'll find out? Do you think he'll be happy?"
"He wouldn't curse me, no matter what me preferences are," the prince uttered.
Yet again the sorcerer laughed.
"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure... You shall be a king one day, and you shall need an heir. My son can not provide you that. You will have to leave him for a woman, or else your kingdom is doomed. So step away from my son, prince. I can not allow you to hurt him. Even though his nature is sick and twisted, I still want him to be happy. He lives happily in the monastery studying and praying. He doesn't need any love, especially not yours. Leave him."
"It is not your decision," the prince said. "I love this man, and I will never leave him, kingdom be damned. I have two sisters, after all. Karin can be a good queen."
The sorcerer gaped.
"You're ready to renounce the crown for the sake of being with my son? This is incredibly stupid!"
"I've told you, it is not for you to decide," the prince replied. "Wake him up and return him his memories! He can say for himself what he wants."
"Very well," the sorcerer said. "Let's have it your way."
He clapped his hands, and the youth in the prince's arms shivered and opened his eyes.
"What... Oh!" he exclaimed. "I can remember! My name... my name is Ishida Uryu, and... Ah! What is that man doing here?"
"That man is your father, you ungrateful little brat!" the sorcerer said. "Well, if you have your memories back, tell me... no, tell that man beside you: what life do you want? Do you want to be the prince's lover? A favourite in the king's court, with no hope and no future? Or do you want your life in the monastery back?"
The youth was silent. And the prince said:
"Stay with me. There is hope and future for us. Once I become a king, I shall marry you, and I don't care if you're a guy. When we need an heir, we'll choose one of my sisters' children. Or we can give the throne to Karin and leave Karakura Kingdom to seek our happiness elsewhere... Please, stay with me. I love you."
"And I love you," the answer was.
The sorcerer snorted.
"Fine! I shall leave you to your misery. Farewell!"
And he disappeared in a flash of light.
The prince and his beloved smiled at each other and went to the palace. They stood in front of the king and the queen, and the prince said:
"Mother, father! You held the ball tonight for me to find a person I could love. And I've found that person. It is this young man, Ishida Uryu. I love him with all my heart."
The king was awed.
"Do you mean you're in love... with a man?" he asked.
"I am," the prince confirmed. "And there would be no happiness for me without that man."
"Well, this is unexpected!" the king said. "You can not have a child with another man, certainly you understand that?"
"Of course I do," the prince answered. "But we'll find some way to bring an heir. His father is a sorcerer, after all."
"Oh! I see," the king said. "Well then, no problem. What do you think, honey?"
"I think it's wonderful that our son has finally fallen in love," the queen said. "I hoped he would find a girl, though... But, as it is said, love cannot be forced. Let's be glad for him."
"So be it!" the king proclaimed.
And so the sorcerer's son became the prince's rightful fiancé. And one day they got married and adopted one of lady Yuzu's and her husband Sir Jinta's children.
And they lived happily ever after.