Disclaimer: Ghost Hunt does not belong to me. Neither does the fairytale 'The Frog Prince' by the Brothers Grimm.
A/N: I haven't written a Ghost Hunt fic in forever and I've never done a parody before. So here you have it: a parody of the fairytale 'The Frog Prince' by the Brothers Grimm, Ghost Hunt style. Also, this is by far the longest one-shot I've ever written. wipes sweat off brow Tell me what you think of it, ne?
Italics denote thoughts.
oOo
Long, long ago, in the small, independent kingdom of Shibuya nestled among rolling green hills, there once lived a handsome young prince by the name of Shibuya Kazuya.
The young prince was a fair prince; literally, as his pale flawless skin rivaled even that of the fairest maiden's. That coupled with his short, dark hair and bright blue eyes made him look almost ethereal. Rumors have it that he was actually descended from elves and that he had elfin blood running through his veins.
Contrary to popular belief, the young prince wasn't just another pretty face with beautiful eyes. Gifted with an incredibly high IQ, he was already an acclaimed scholar as well as a voice of authority on a vast number of subjects at the tender age of 15. This amazing intellect of his was surpassed only by his good looks.
However, no one is ever perfect, not even the young prince. He had a flaw, a flaw so great that it inevitably led to his downfall.
Knowing himself to be both the smartest and the most handsome throughout his little kingdom, Prince Shibuya Kazuya soon developed a narcissistic attitude. His remarks were more often than not condescending and surrounding him was always a better-than-thou aura. The dark-haired prince held no respect for any other except himself.
The servants he employed did their very best to stay out of his way in a bid to minimize coming into contact with him. The unfortunate few who just had to face him every day found the experience to be so traumatizing that they were often seen going in and out of the therapist's office. In the entire kingdom, only one could handle the young prince with being affected and that was his advisor, a tall, taciturn man by the name of Lin Koujo.
The older he grew, the more narcissistic the young prince became. However, his life changed entirely in the summer of his 16th year.
A sorceress from another land happened to be travelling through his kingdom. She was none other than the Sorceress Madoka. His high and mighty behavior coupled with the way he treated his servants quickly became known to her. She were greatly offended, to say the least and therefore decided to teach the prince a lesson by casting a spell on him.
In a flash of blinding purple light, the prince's pale flawless skin was replaced by wet skin the color of rotting algae and his beautiful blue eyes became a pair of large bulbous eyes of an undetermined color. When he opened his mouth, gone was the charming tenor every maiden melted at. Instead, all that came out was a harsh, raspy croak.
Prince Shibuya Kazuya is now a frog.
A very ugly frog.
oOo
Situated just beside the kingdom of Shibuya was the small kingdom of Taniyama. In it lived a young princess by the name of Mai who, unfortunately, was an orphan. Her parents, the King and the Queen passed away due to a freak accident when she was only eight.
Because Princess Mai had been too young to rule a kingdom on her own at that time, all official duties were given over to the Prime Minister Takigawa Houshou. Besides that, Prime Minister Takigawa and his wife Ayako were also appointed as the guardians of Princess Mai until the day she takes over the Taniyama throne at the age of 21.
Princess Mai, as how everyone fondly addresses her, was rather petite with short, wavy brown hair and large cinnamon eyes. Everyone knew her as a happy-go-lucky and a very kind-hearted girl. Unlike most of royal blood, she did not mind mingling with commoners. In fact, she had many friends among the servants who worked in the castle.
All in all, Princess Mai was beloved by her people. Every year on her birthday, lavish, three-day long festivals were held in the kingdom's capital in her honor and the people showered the young princess with beautiful gifts.
However, something that happened during the summer of her 16th year changed her life entirely.
One sunny afternoon, Princess Mai found herself wandering around the large garden behind the castle. The meeting with a potential suitor, a handsome but extremely boring young prince from a kingdom whose name she had forgotten, had not gone well, to put it mildly.
Was it her fault that she found everything else more interesting than the prince who only knew how to talk about his pet goldfish in a tone that would've put her History tutor to shame? Now, why had she agreed to a meeting with him again? Oh yes, Ayako had conned her into it, that's right. Mai made a mental note to get back at Ayako for putting her through that meeting.
Her aimless wandering brought her to the edge the forest that was the natural boundary between the kingdom of Taniyama and the kingdom of Shibuya. Without a second thought, Mai walked down the well-trodden path that led into the forest.
The winding path brought her an old disused well half-filled with water. Rumors have it that it had the ability to grant wishes, one only had to throw in a coin and make a wish. How much of it was true she had no idea but there was no harm in trying, right?
Fumbling around in her pocket, she finally managed to extract a solitary silver coin. Clasping it tightly in her hands, Mai closed her eyes and said the very first thing that came into her mind.
"Please, let me meet a handsome and smart but not boring prince."
The coin fell into the water with a soft plop. Mai watched as it disappeared beneath the dark waters and idly wondered how an old stone well could grant a person's wish.
Cinnamon colored eyes watched the surface of the water for any sort of reaction, like the water turning pink or something, just to prove that the well really had extraordinary powers. But, to her utmost disappointment, nothing happened. Mai stood watching the well for five whole minutes before giving up and deciding that it was time to head back to the castle.
"Huh, guess I shouldn't have believed in those rumors," she muttered to herself.
Mai turned and started to walk away from the well. She had barely taken two steps when a hoarse voice stopped her.
"Idiot."
Mai spun around so fast that her short brown locks whipped her face.
There was no one there except for an ugly looking frog sitting on the well. Mai blinked twice and wondered if she was hearing things. Well, there's no way a frog could have spoken, right?
"Ah … hehe … I must be too tired. Yes, that must be it. I shall just go back to my room now and have a nap," she said out loud to no one in particular, a hint of nervousness in her voice.
"This well must be defective anyway since I clearly asked for a prince but it gave me a frog instead."
"Idiot."
"Y-You can talk," she whispered, incredulity evident in her voice. "I've never seen a talking frog before."
"Hn."
If he could, the frog would have rolled his eyes but seeing as he couldn't (actually he had never tried), he settled for a shake of his head. Talk about stating the obvious.
From his own conclusion, the girl wasn't very bright despite her being dressed like a royal. Then again, most royals were rather dumb; he had yet to meet one that measured up to himself intelligence wise.
Mai continued staring hard at the frog before her. This was the first time she had ever laid eyes on such an ugly frog that could speak, not that she had seen any talking frogs before, ugly or otherwise. But then again, there were many things in this world (as well as not in this world) that she had never before seen so she supposed that there's always a first for everything.
"It's rude to stare although I must admit that you've got good taste."
Mai was at a loss for words. This was not just a talking frog. It was a very narcissistic talking frog!
"That's it!" she exclaimed. "I'm going to call you Narcissistic Naru-chan!"
The frog looked at her with something akin to shock on his face.
"Where did you hear that name?" he asked sharply.
"I-I made it up myself," said Mai.
"Hn," Naru-chan croaked.
After a long pause filled with more staring on Mai's part, Naru-chan said, "Do you often go around throwing coins into wells?"
Mai's eyes widened at the sudden, off the wall question.
"Huh?"
"This," the frog said, holding up something round, silver and shiny in his webbed hands, "you threw this thing into my well."
"Er … yeah … I did …"
"It disturbed my peace; something very hard to get around here and very valuable I assure you. Also, it very nearly hit me on the head so you have inadvertently caused me a fair amount of emotional trauma there. You may choose to pay me back for the loss –"
"WHAT?! That's just crazy! Wh-Why should I pay you back for something like that?"
Naru-chan, the frog, looked at her coolly. Well, as coolly as a frog can get, that is.
"You are royalty are you not?"
Mai nodded slowly. "Yes, I'm Princess Taniyama Mai."
"The heir to the Taniyama throne," Naru-chan said knowingly. "So Princess Mai, you're not going to compensate me are you?"
Mai gulped. The way the little animal looked at her with its large bulbous eyes was rather intimidating. She had a sinking feeling that she couldn't say no.
"How much will suffice?" she squeaked. A frog wouldn't want for a lot, right? But then again, this hardly seemed like an ordinary frog.
"Three things."
Mai nodded to show that she was listening carefully, her fingers grasping the hem of her skirt tightly.
"First, I want you to bring me back to the castle with you and let me eat from your plate. Second, I want to drink the best green tea that you have in your kingdom from your cup. Third, I want to sleep in your bed."
"That's all?" asked Mai curiously. "Don't you want diamonds or pearls or sapphires?"
"I have no use for trinkets," the frog said simply in a bored tone.
Mai secretly heaved a sigh of relief. She was under the impression that the little frog wanted the kingdom or something.
"I promise to give you everything that you want, Naru-chan!"
As soon as those words left her pink lips, a voice calling out her name could be heard in the distance.
"Oh, that must be Ayako. She must've been looking all over for me. I'M COMING, AYAKO!" said Mai, running off towards the voice, conveniently forgetting about the frog that she had just made a promise to.
At Mai's loud shout, Naru had reflexively closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the young princess was nowhere to be seen.
"Idiot," he said to himself as he leaped onto the earth. Now he'd have to go all the way to the castle just because some silly air-headed princess had neglected to bring him along.
oOo
Three days after the incident, Mai sat at the round dining table blissfully partaking in the delicious food the castle's chefs had prepared for their dinner.
Just as she was about to pick up another piece of thinly sliced fish, a knock sounded on the door. Beside her both Takigawa and Ayako looked at one another in surprise. Seldom were they interrupted during mealtimes.
"Come in," called out Takigawa.
The door opened to reveal the castle's head butler, an old man with a head of grey hair by the name of Tamura.
"My apologies Princess Mai, Prime Minister Takigawa and First Lady Ayako for disturbing your dinner."
"What is it, Tamura-san?" asked Takigawa.
"Erm … some … one … wanted to see Princess Mai urgently," he said hesitatingly, as if unsure of himself.
Mai's eyes widened.
"Me?"
"Who is it, Tamura-san?" Ayako asked, curious that anyone would be looking for Mai at this time of the day.
With a flourish that belied years of practice, the old butler produced from behind him something that at the first glance looked like a dark green and brown lump.
"Greetings, Princess," a voice heavy with sarcasm croaked out.
The room was so silent that one could literally hear a pin drop. Mai was doing a rather good impression of a goldfish while both Takigawa and Ayako stared at the frog with eyes as wide as saucers.
"I'm sure you still remember me and the promise you made, Princess Mai."
Mai opened her mouth to speak but no words came. Ayako looked from Mai to the frog and then back to Mai again.
Takigawa finally pulled himself together and asked, "What is the … frog … talking about, Mai-chan? What promise?"
"I, er, you see-"
"You must be Prime Minister Takigawa," interrupted Naru.
Takigawa could only nod soundlessly when addressed by the frog.
"Your kingdom's princess is the one responsible for putting me through trauma when she threw a coin into my well. As compensation, she has promised me three things and I'm here to collect them."
"And pray tell, what did Mai-chan promise you, Frog-san?" asked Ayako, crossing her fingers under the table to prevent the worst.
"First, she promised to bring me back to the castle, which she didn't by the way, and let me eat from her plate. Second, she promised to let me drink the best green tea in the kingdom from her cup and third, she promised to let me sleep in her bed."
Ayako blinked twice.
"That's all?" she asked.
"Hn."
Takigawa furrowed his brow. The way the frog spoke reminded him of someone, but for the life of him, he couldn't recall the name of the one who spoke in such a self-assured way.
But for now, it is back to the matter at hand.
They had no reason to refuse the frog's demands for they were pretty reasonable. Takigawa could count on one hand the number of men who would have demanded so much more than just good food, drink and a place to sleep if they, like the frog, had known of Mai's royal status.
Despite being only an amphibian, the frog was rather honorable so, there was nothing they, or rather, Mai, could do except be just as honorable and keep her promise.
"Well … since she did promise you, I guess Mai-chan must uphold her promises," said Takigawa at long last.
Beside him Ayako nodded, much to Mai's horror.
"But … But –"
"Are you going to refuse, Princess?" asked Naru smoothly. Well, as smoothly as he could with a voice rougher than a piece of sandpaper, that is.
Takigawa turned to the teenage princess and in a stern voice he seldom used, asked, "Mai, you did make a promise and we taught you never to break your promise no matter what, didn't we?"
Mai hung her head. It was her own fault actually. She didn't think that the frog was serious when he asked for those things and now that she thought about it, she wasn't that keen on sharing her things with an ugly old frog.
Wouldn't it be nice if Naru-chan were to be a handsome prince instead of a frog? thought Mai to herself.
"Since we're in the midst of dinner, Frog-san, you are welcome to join us. Please place Frog-san down on the table, Tamura-san. Thank you," said Takigawa.
Having placed the frog on the smooth oak table, Tamura the butler gave a bow and left the room, shaking his head in slight bewilderment for this was by far the strangest thing he had ever seen in all his 59 years.
"Er … let's continue our meal, shall we?" announced Takigawa in a bid to break the uneasy silence around the dining table.
"Er … yeah. I mean, sure. Mai eat your vegetables. They're good for you," said Ayako.
Naru the ugly, green and brown frog crept towards Mai, settling his body down just before her plate. The brown-haired princess ignored him the best she could, quickly eating her vegetables like nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
Naru cleared his throat with a rough croak.
"Perhaps some food, Mai?" he asked sarcastically.
"Hey! Since when am I on a first-name basis with you?"
"You started it when you called me Naru. Mai, food."
"Of course, Naru," she forced out through gritted teeth.
Mai glared at him and pushed most of the vegetables (it was the perfect time to get rid of the stuff that she didn't like) to the edge of her plate before going back to eating (and ignoring Naru).
"I hope you choke on them," she muttered under her breath.
"Naru? Why the name Naru, Mai-chan?" asked Ayako curiously.
"It's short for narcissist because he's so narcissistic even though he's only a frog," Mai replied.
"I need the food cut into smaller pieces, Princess. In case you haven't noticed, they're too large in size to fit into my mouth whole despite the fact that they seem to fit into yours just fine."
If looks could kill, Naru would've been dead a hundred times over by now.
Argh! That … that devil of a frog! He just implied that I have a big mouth! Stupid Naru! Stupid, stupid Naru!
Viciously, Mai shredded the food into tiny bits while pretending that it was Naru and not a piece of aubergine currently being massacred under her knife.
Naru, on the other hand, calmly extended his long, pink tongue to grab the nearest piece of vegetable before dropping it into his wide-open mouth.
Mai promptly lost her appetite after that little display. Her stomach felt as if it was going to flip upside down and do a couple of cartwheels around the room.
Perhaps some hot tea will calm it, she thought, reaching out for her cup.
She had barely taken her cup in her hand when Naru's ear-grating croak reached her once more.
"Mai, tea."
Mai was sorely tempted to empty the entire cup over his ugly head. But at a glance from Takigawa, she grudgingly held the cup to Naru's lips, watching in unveiled disgust as he slurped down the tea.
Note to self, make sure the servants dispose of everything Naru used.
The minute Naru was done drinking, Mai slammed the cup down upon the table and hurriedly stood up.
"I'm done. Thanks for the meal. I'll be up in my room," she said. And with that she dashed away to seek the relative safety of her bedroom.
oOo
Mai stood up from her bed and stretched. A glance at the clock on her bedside table told her that it was well past her usual bedtime. Putting the book she was reading away, she quickly got ready for bed. It wouldn't do for a princess to wake up with dark circles under her eyes in the morning.
She was about to switch off the lights when a knock sounded on her door. Furrowing her brow, she wondered who would come to her room at this time of the day.
A young servant girl stood at her door and in her hands was Naru the frog.
"Ano … I'm sorry for disturbing you, Princess Mai but this frog here wanted to come to your room. He said it was urgent."
Mai glared at the frog sitting in the outstretched palms of the girl. He was looking far too smug for his own good.
"Ano … Princess Mai? Erm … where should I put him?"
"Well … you can just put him down on the floor, it doesn't matter. Thank you, Ayame."
"You're welcome," the girl Ayame said, happy that Mai knew her name. "Goodnight, Princess Mai."
"Goodnight to you too, Ayame," said Mai before shutting the door (and hoping that Naru got caught in the process). It was entirely too bad that he didn't.
Large, observant eyes surveyed the room, taking in every little detail. It was markedly different from his room back at his parents' castle.
Although roughly about the same size, this room was decidedly feminine with pastel colors being the room's main color scheme. Everything inside, from the large king-sized bed to the pattern on the cream wallpaper, seemed to scream 'Mai!' and oddly enough, he felt more comfortable here than he had ever been in his own room.
It must be because I have been in the well for far too long, thought Naru to himself.
His thoughts scattered when he heard Mai's voice.
"You're not really going to sleep on my bed are you, Naru?" she asked.
"Of course I am, Mai. You promised me that, remember?" he said, hopping over to the bed.
This time, Mai let out a groan while mumbling something incomprehensible to herself. She watched, unable to do anything as Naru made a giant leap from the floor to her bed and settled himself on her favorite pillow.
"Turn off the lights, Mai."
Why? Why? Why?! What have I done to deserve this? Please, please let this be just a bad dream, she prayed as she gave her arm a hard pinch.
"OW!"
"This is far from a dream, Mai," said Naru, his voice just the slightest bit amused.
Stupid idiot is laughing at me!
"Oh, shut up," she grumbled before switching the lights off and plunging them into darkness.
Gingerly, Mai crawled into bed, careful to put as much distance as possible between herself and Naru. The little frog scoffed mentally at this. Mai, the air-headed, loud voiced but rather cute princess, was treating him as if he was a leper.
And somewhere in his little froggy heart, it hurt.
oOo
Warm sunlight streamed into the bedroom through the crack in the curtain. Groggily, Mai rubbed her still-drowsy eyes with the back of her hand before cracking them open slowly.
Only to come eyeball-to-eyeball with a pair of large, hideous eyes that seemed to be bulging out of their sockets.
"KYAA!"
Naru was about to tell her to shut up but no sooner had he opened his mouth than he found himself sailing through the air in what he supposed was a perfectly parabolic curve. Before he could figure out what on earth was happening, his head hit the wall with a muffled thud and he slid to the floor unconscious.
Mai pressed a hand to her wildly thumping heart. She had forgotten for a moment there that she was sharing her bed with a frog, and a very ugly one at that.
Eww …to wake up and see such repulsive looking eyes staring at me …
Mai shuddered at that thought. It was then that it occurred to her that Naru had not said anything about being flung off the bed in such a manner. In fact, there wasn't so much as a squeak (if he could squeak, that is) from said frog.
Mai glanced over to the floor and felt the blood in her veins run cold.
Naru the frog was lying just beside the wall, face-down and motionless.
"Oh no! Naru!" she cried, scrambling off the bed in a jiffy.
Gently, Mai turned Naru over, feeling absolutely horrible and fearing for the worst. His large eyes were closed, shut tightly to the world. Had she accidentally killed him?
"Hey, Naru, wake up," she said, shaking the frog's body lightly. He didn't move.
"Don't scare me, Naru. I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. Y-You frightened me just now. I'm sorry. Naru, please wake up," she pleaded in a small voice.
Naru didn't even twitch, his eyes remained just as tightly shut as before.
Oh, no! What have I done?
Hurriedly she rushed to the door and flung it open, calling out, "A vet! I need a vet now!"
A maid popped her head out from one of the rooms opposite hers and asked curiously, "A vet? Do you mean a doctor, Princess Mai?"
"No no no! A vet! I need a vet! Please, fetch a vet here now!"
Noticing the harried expression on her face, the maid nodded and quickly ran off in search of a vet; the puzzled expression on her face belied her confusion at having to fetch a vet, of all people, this early in the morning.
Half an hour later (it felt like an eternity to Mai), the vet, a large man with ruddy cheeks and a mop of unruly black hair, arrived with a large black and obviously overstuffed bag in his hand.
"Good morning, Princess Mai. How may I be of service?"
"Please, can you save him?" asked Mai, holding up Naru in her arms gently.
The vet furrowed his brow, his bushy eyebrows coming together to meet in the center.
Taking the limp frog from her and laying it down on the bed, he asked, "What happened to the little fella?"
"W-Well, I-I woke up and he was staring at me … so I got scared and I flipped the pillow over and then he got thrown off and hit the wall, I think, and then he was like this. Is-Is he dead?"
The vet silently and efficiently gave Naru a quick check-up, and shook his head.
Mai gasped and felt tears forming in her eyes.
"All his vitals are working just fine. In fact, his heart is beating very strongly. So I'm guessing he's just passed out for a moment. Don't worry Princess, he'll be up and jumping in no time."
Mai smiled a watery smile at the vet. "Thank you so much!"
"You're welcome, Princess. Why not wake the little guy up sooner with a kiss from the princess? Who knows, a handsome prince might appear!" he said with a wink.
Fair cheeks turned slightly pink as the vet made his way out of the room with a hearty chuckle.
oOo
Turning onto her side, Mai looked at the little frog sleeping on the pillow beside her. Silvery moonlight that came in through the half-drawn curtains seemed to cast an almost eerie glow on Naru, making him look like some misshapen object.
Mai let out a soft sigh. Naru still lay unconscious even though an entire day had gone by and despite the vet's constant reassurances that he most certainly isn't dead, Mai couldn't help but feel that she had somehow snatched his life away.
Slowly, Mai propped herself up on her elbow and leaned over Naru's prone form. Cinnamon brown eyes gazed at the frog's face.
"You know Naru, now that I've taken a good look at your face; you actually don't look that ugly. It just, you know, takes some getting used to," she whispered.
"I hope you wake up soon, Naru. I really do. If you wake up in the morning, I promise I'll let you do whatever you want and be as sarcastic to me however much you like, okay? "
There was no indication that Naru heard anything she said and Mai let out another sigh. Carefully, she covered his body with her quilt; it could get pretty chilly in the night at times and she didn't want him to catch a cold.
"I'll see you in the morning, okay? Goodnight, Naru," said Mai quietly. Closing her eyes, she dropped a tender kiss on the frog's face. "Sweet dreams."
The brown haired teenage princess settled back into her own pillow and soon fell into a dreamless sleep.
oOo
A loud, incessant ringing woke Mai up from her slumber and groggily, she reached a hand out to silence it before turning over on her side and going back to sleep immediately. Subconsciously, she noted something moving beside her.
Naru!
Quickly she snapped open her eyes. Unfortunately (or was it fortunately?), there was no little green-and-brown frog to be seen anywhere.
Instead, lying asleep where Naru the frog supposedly lay the night before was a young man who looked to be about her age.
Handsome could not even begin to describe him.
Dark hair tousled by sleep brushed a face with pale skin and striking features. Surprised brown eyes swept downwards to roam over strong, broad shoulders and a pale yet well-defined chest not quite covered by her pale lilac quilt. Beyond that …
… well, let's not be so adventurous this early in the morning, shall we?
Mai, bless her, only remembered how to breathe at the very last second although her eyes remained fixed on the sleeping boy's face.
He's so beautiful, thought Mai.
"It's rude to stare, even though the person is sleeping although I must say again, you have good taste."
Ocean blue eyes looked coolly into large, cinnamon brown ones as he said that.
"Wh-Wha- … Y-You … Naru?" she asked tentatively.
"Prince Shibuya Kazuya, Princess," he replied. "It would appear that I have regained my human form."
Did he just say what she thinks he did? Mai reached a hand up to her cheek and pinched. Hard.
"OW!"
He did. So the frog is actually a handsome prince from a neighboring kingdom.
"Idiot," muttered Naru, sitting up in bed. The quilt slid lower to pool around his hips, revealing even more of him to Mai's innocent eyes.
"GET OUT OF MY BED AND PUT SOME CLOTHES ON YOU PERVERT!" she yelled.
With a smirk and a raised eyebrow, Naru was about to comply when Mai stopped him.
"WAIT! O-On second thoughts, you stay here, under the covers. I'll go find you some clothes," stammered Mai before rushing away, her face at least one shade redder than it should have been.
oOo
"Here," said Mai, dumping a pile of clothes on the bed before quickly turning her back on Naru. "I sneaked them out of the ironing pile. Don't worry, they belong to Takigawa."
"Hn."
"You're welcome," said Mai sarcastically.
Naru raised an eyebrow at her tone but said nothing. He didn't think that the simple-minded girl was capable of being sarcastic.
Mai stood staring at the pattern on her cream wallpaper, random thoughts about Naru floating around in her mind.
How can a frog change into a man? What happened to him anyway? Did he do something bad to someone and that someone turned him into a frog? Hmph, serves that narcissistic idiot right.
What caused him to become human once more, I wonder. Could it be … no no no.
Mai hurriedly shook her head and tried to force down the rising blush in her cheeks. No way could it have happened because of that. Kami, this is becoming more and more like some sort of fairytale.
As if reading her mind, Naru said, "A sorceress by the name of Madoka, cast a spell upon me when I was 16. You can turn around now, it feels like I'm talking to the wall, not that there's much of a difference."
"Why you-" sputtered Mai, spinning around with every intention of giving him a piece of her mind. But the sight of a shirtless Naru sent all her thoughts flying out the proverbial window.
"Why aren't you wearing a shirt?" she finally managed to ask.
"It's not black," stated Naru, holding up the long-sleeved shirt Mai had gotten for him.
"And that's all you're getting, you picky idiot. I'm not going to go through all that trouble again just because you don't wear white. Do you have any idea how hard it was to have to sneak in to the laundry area and sneak back out again without getting caught?"
Naru, bless him, grudgingly pulled on the slightly large shirt and Mai smirked.
"So, why did the sorceress cast a spell on you? I bet it was because you were too narcissistic."
The expression on Naru's face soured as Mai's innocent comment hit home. The brown haired princess couldn't resist laughing as she plopped down on the bed.
"I was right! You really were too narcissistic," she exclaimed. Naru glared at her but she only smiled.
"How did you end up in the well then?"
"Madoka happened to be passing through the area and decided that I should do some repenting in the well until someone came along to break the spell. No one was stupid enough to come, except for you of course, and that's how I ended up living in the well for a year," he said with a scowl.
"Huh, I'll bet you didn't do much repenting then," remarked Mai, slightly miffed at the 'stupid' comment. "Wait, does that mean the spell is broken now?"
"Hn."
"How did it happen? I mean, one day you're a frog and the next, you're back to being a human again. That's pretty weird."
Naru smirked and said, "You kissed me, Mai."
"WHAT? You've got to be kidding me! That was … That was just a goodnight kiss! Don't these kind of spells need to be broken by a true love's kiss or something?"
"It's very simple, Mai. You love me," replied Naru with another smirk and more than a hint of arrogance in his voice.
Mai groaned and buried her head in a nearby pillow. He was way more narcissistic now than when he was an amphibian. Suddenly, she wished that he'd remain a frog.
"What are you going to do now, Naru?"
"Idiot. Return to Shibuya, of course."
And that was exactly what he did.
After a lengthy explanation to both Takigawa and Ayako, a limousine was prepared for the young prince who left immediately after an early dinner. An official messenger had been sent to the kingdom of Shibuya earlier on to inform the King and Queen that their lost prince was returning home after having gone missing for more than a year.
Mai watched as the sleek black limousine disappeared into the horizon.
"Feels good now that he's out of your hair, doesn't it, Mai-chan?" asked Takigawa jokingly.
The young princess didn't answer, being too caught up in her own thoughts to even hear the question posed.
"Mai?"
"Huh?"
"Are you alright? I asked if you are happy now that Naru-chan's gone."
"O-Of course. Boy, am I glad to be rid of that self-centered narcissist," she said with a nervous laugh before spinning around and entering the castle once more.
He didn't even say goodbye.
Behind her, Takigawa and Ayako exchanged knowing looks.
Alone in the moving vehicle, Naru let out a silent sigh as he glanced out the window. He had not said his goodbyes to Mai, only to the Prime Minister and his wife. He couldn't bring himself to say goodbye to the pretty brown eyed princess for reasons unknown even to himself.
Mai …
Somewhere in his now human heart, he felt as if he had left more than just his memories of being a frog behind in the kingdom of Taniyama.
oOo
Autumn had come and gone; and it was now mid-winter. Pure white snow covered every imaginable surface and the castle grounds looked, for all appearances, like a surreal winter wonderland.
Mai glanced out the window where the weak rays of the sun shone upon the snow-covered garden. How she longed to be able to go out there and make snowmen like a child once more. However, because of a nasty cold, she was now cooped up in her room with nothing to do except read.
She let out a sigh and turned back to the book in her hands. Five seconds later, her eyes found themselves gazing upon the garden outside once more.
If I bundle myself up warmly, a short walk outside wouldn't hurt, right?
Faster than a flash of lightning, Mai dove into her closet and pulled out the thickest mittens, the warmest scarf and the heaviest overcoat before donning them. Taking a quick peek at the corridor outside her room to make sure that Ayako wasn't in sight, she dashed off at high speed towards the garden.
The cold air outside nipped at her nose, turning it redder than Rudolph's but she didn't care. She was finally able to breathe in some fresh winter air.
"This is just wonderful," said Mai out loud as she skipped along a snow covered path, leaving imprints of her boots behind in the soft snow.
"Idiot."
Mai stood rooted to the spot. It was a voice she didn't think she'd ever hear again. I'm not hallucinating am I?
"Turn around, it feels like I'm talking to the wall, not that there's much of a difference."
There was no mistaking it. Only one man was capable of sounding like that.
"NARU!" she exclaimed, spinning around so fast that her brown locks whipped at her pink face.
Standing there dressed in a black trench coat over a black shirt and a pair of black trousers with a deep purple scarf around his neck was the one man she dreamt of every night. Without a second thought, she ran to him and threw her arms around his neck, her face buried in the crook of his scarf covered neck.
Naru smiled into her hair as he held the young woman who frequented his dreams every night without fail in his arms.
"Idiot, of course it's me," he said tenderly, teasingly.
Mai let out a 'hmph' and detached herself from him.
"You're still as narcissistic as ever, I see," she said.
Naru only smiled and wordlessly removed the scarf from his neck before winding it carefully around hers.
"What are you doing, Naru?" she asked curiously. "Won't you be cold?"
"You're starting to shiver, Mai. Besides, I can't have my bride still sick during the wedding now can I?"
She blinked large cinnamon colored eyes at him in confusion. "What?"
"You, Princess Taniyama Mai, are going to marry me, Prince Shibuya Kazuya, at a wedding ceremony in two weeks' time," he stated.
"B-But I didn't agree to marry you!"
"I know. But you won't refuse either," was his all-too smug reply.
"And why wouldn't I?" she challenged.
"Because you love me, Mai," he said, pressing his forehead to hers and holding her petite body close to him.
Mai couldn't help the smile that formed.
"Narcissist," she said softly.
"That's why you love me."
With that, he captured her cold lips with his, slowly warming her from the inside out with his kiss.
oOo
Two weeks later, a grand celebration was held in the kingdom of Shibuya in honor of the marriage between the kingdom's prince and Princess Mai of the Taniyama kingdom.
Everyone in the kingdom attended, along with a large number of those from the kingdom of Tanimya. Even the sorceress Madoka turned up to give the new couple her blessings, much to Naru's displeasure despite his agreeing with his young wife that were it not for Madoka, they would never have met.
And so, like how all fairytales end, the prince and his princess lived happily ever after.
-- THE END –
oOo
A/N: Thank you for reading!