01. teddy bear; doll

Almaz saw it while walking around in a foreign Netherworld's amusement park; an oversized Prinny plush doll almost as tall as he was and about twice as wide. He stood over at the shooting stand, pondering about whether or not he should try the shooting game for 200HL to win the plush for Princess Sapphire. A Gunslinger running the shooting stand chewed on some bubble gum, blowing a large pink sphere as she watched him with a rather bored expression on her face. While Almaz was still coming to a decision, the bubble popped with an obnoxious smack near Almaz's face, causing him to jump.

"You bettah pay up or git out," the Gunslinger said, cracking the gum with excessively loud pops. "There're other people waitin' in line."

The Gunslinger gestured towards the crowds of demons that were behind Almaz. Almaz turned to look, swallowed nervously, before saying, "S-Sure, I'll have a go for 200HL please."

"Hand it over."

Almaz fished in his pocket for a 200HL piece, then handed it over to the Gunslinger. She took the money and handed him a gun. "Y'know the drill. Shoot the target in the middle. If you hit it three times in a row, you get a prize."

"Ah, right!" Almaz said, trying to line up the scope with the target. He fired once, and the bullet grazed the outer edge of the target ring. The Gunslinger merely raised a brow at Almaz, to which Almaz laughed nervously. "Er, I'm not used to handling guns, and…I wasn't expecting it to be a real gun."

"Shell out another 200 if you wanna keep playin'," the Gunslinger said, to which Almaz handed out another 200HL. Maybe Almaz was a sucker for handing out more HL like candy, but Almaz just had a feeling that Sapphire would adore the stuffed Prinny doll. He imagined her eyes lighting up when Almaz would hand her the doll-and maybe she would give him a kiss on a cheek for being thoughtful. Almaz blushed at the thought, before he tried to focus his concentration on the target once more.

"You might wanna keep both eyes open, sport," the Gunslinger remarked as Almaz lined up the target and scope again, winking one eye. "'Course I can shoot eight plates in a row with my eyes closed, but that's beside the point. Amateurs like you need to keep both eyes open, 'less you wanna shoot yerself in the foot."

Almaz made sure to keep both eyes open, though his aim was only marginally improved. The Gunslinger leaned back in her chair, chewing and cracking her gum the entire time. He'd missed the target again, and he paid another 200 HL to keep on playing. As Almaz kept shooting and handing more HL, he finally hit the bullseye once. "H-Hey! I did it!"

"Yer gettin' bettah," the Gunslinger said, patting a fat sack of money beside her.

Almaz lined up the scope and target, and he managed to get two more bullseyes in succession. The Gunslinger nodded in acknowledgment towards Almaz, before she lazily waved a hand towards the various stuffed prizes. "Pick yer prize. As an added bonus, ye get one colorful peep."

"Gee, thanks," Almaz said, taking marshmallow chick from the Gunslinger, before he pointed to the giant Prinny doll hanging overhead. "I want that one, please."

The Gunslinger rose from her chair, taking the giant Prinny doll and handing it to Almaz. Almaz found himself grinning from ear to ear-he managed to win a prize for his beloved Princess! He knew it was something that she would treasure with her heart, as the Princess had a special soft spot for cute things…and during his time in the Netherworld, Almaz thought that Prinnies were kind of cute, even though they were the souls of hardened criminals. The giant Prinny doll even came with a red scarf-was this a popular item among the Netherworld?-and Almaz hefted it over his shoulder and began to walk home.

His pockets were sadly slimmer than before, but the Princess's smile would make it well worth it. Once Almaz made his way to the comfortable little home that he and Sapphire shared, he called cheerily, "P-Princess, I'm home!"

"Welcome home, Almaz," Sapphire said, her green eyes sparkling with adoration towards him. "Oh? What do you have there?"

"Um, I got this at an amusement park, and I thought that you would really like it, y'know, because you like cute things," Almaz said, blushing a little and stammering out his words. Sapphire and Almaz recently moved in together, though Almaz couldn't help but think this was all a dream. "So uh, do you like it?"

"Hm…" Sapphire said, cocking her head to the side a little, putting a finger to her lip. "Does it come with explosives inside? You know that a Prinny wouldn't be a Prinny if their insides didn't go 'boom' and burn everything around them to a crisp within a five meter radius!"

"Er, no," Almaz said while slumping forward a little. Honestly, Almaz loved Sapphire, but sometimes her sadistic side was a little too much. No, no, he shouldn't think like that, she simply had a different way of expressing herself, that's all. "It's just a stuffed doll that you get at a carnival. They don't come with explosives…unless if things are different in the Netherworld, or something…"

"Just kidding!" Sapphire said, poking Almaz in the chest before she took the giant Prinny plush doll in her arms and twirling around with it. "It's absolutely adorable!"

Almaz smiled while he watched his Princess hug the plush doll close to her. Sometimes the Princess could be adorable herself in her unguarded moments, when she allowed her feminine side to come through. This innocent, smiling girl was a sharp contrast to the deadly warrior princess that single-handedly defended her country by herself, but that's what Almaz loved about her. He loved the strong, independent Sapphire, along with the Sapphire whose eyes would light up when she saw something cute and squeal at its utter adorableness. He loved the smiling Sapphire who stared at him with love in her eyes as she proclaimed "I do" when they exchanged wedding vows.

While Almaz was thinking, he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist. Sapphire snuggled against him, her head resting upon his shoulder. "That Prinny doll was so cute…but I think that you're more huggable~"

Almaz blushed, before a soft smile settled on his lips. "You always will be my beloved Princess."