Author's Note: Thank you for your awesome reviews and excitement! I really felt more confident about this story after reading your comments and I'm relieved that Ringo-01 liked it. Although, I'm not sure about this first chapter. Believe me, I tried my fucking best to keep the characters in character and I think I fucking failed so forgive me. *slumps against a wall* Also, please expect some grammatical lapses in this chapter. My dear beta-reader, Keadeblue264, is having problems connecting to the internet these days, so it might take us time to post a beta'ed version of this chapter. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Sooooo... *sighs nervously* I'm gonna shut up now, sit in a damn corner and let you guys read. I hope you will enjoy this first chapter and please tell me what you think.^^

Thank you to: OrdinaryKyuu / Ringo-01 / TheJiminy / DEMONIC BLACK MAGIC / SwannTurner / Myra Cifer / Forbidden . Kawaii . Chan / OfeliaWolf / Megumi Kei / Yaoilover729 / TheLPaddict and to everyone who added this in their alerts and faves. I love you, guys! 3

Credit to Grimm-SemeXIchi-Uke for the title of this chapter. Thanks so much, Kieran.^^

Beta Reader: the ever amazing Keadeblue264.

Warnings: The usual amount of yaoi, bad language, grammar slips and possible- no, not possible, there IS OOCness so consider yourself warned.

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach and the manga where this story is based from.

Chapter One:

Man in the Moonlight

Ichigo's chocolate brown eyes faltered for a second to stare at the pristine white tiles that decorated the floor, as if he was fascinated by how the shiny ceramic glinted beautifully against the blaring fluorescent lights that hung on the ceiling, dread overflowing in his chest and poisoning what little sanity and hope he had left as his mind slowly processed what the doctor had just said.

"Kurosaki-kun, are you alright?" A soft voice fluttered in his ears, concern thick in the gentle baritone that his father's doctor possessed.

His eyes quickly shot back up to gaze at the beautiful, middle-aged woman in front of him, seeing worry gleam in the female's gray saucers as she stared back at him. He blinked, mentally shook himself out of his shock and pulled himself together. "Y-yes. I'm sorry, Unohana-sensei." He responded with a forced smile, acid burning down his throat as those fake words slipped past his lips. He wasn't okay. His mind was screaming. His heart was aching in misery, in fear and hopelessness and yet, he couldn't show it, show that he was hurting and panicking and bleeding. "I'm alright. Don't worry." He assured once more, hoping that he sounded convincing.

Unohana let out a small sigh and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know this is too hard to take right now, Kurosaki-kun, but we don't have time. Your father needs to have an operation in three days before his situation worsens."

"I understand. I'll try my best to get the money needed for the operation." He quickly replied as his mind struggled to think on how he would even do that. He was stuck in a corner, helpless, weak, but still, he kept his strong facade and looked reassuringly at the kind physician in front of him. It was so damn hard to stay strong when everything seemed to gratingly crumble inside you.

The female doctor smiled apologetically, her hand squeezing his shoulder in a mild attempt of comfort. "I hope I can do something more to help you, Kurosaki-kun."

He took a deep breath, tried his best to contain everything that was threatening to burst deep inside of him and rewarded the kind woman with an grateful smile. "Please don't say that, sensei. You're already doing everything you can to help my old man. My sisters and I are truly thankful for that."

The doctor just smiled and squeezed his shoulder one last time before taking her leave to attend to another patient.

He released a deep sigh as he watched the physician vanish from his field of vision. Then, he slowly turned around and faced the door that led to his father's room, his teeth chewing worriedly on his bottom lip. The doctor had already warned that his father might need an operation soon, but he didn't expect that they would need to do it this early. He wasn't prepared to shoulder the expenses. He hadn't even started saving up for it yet and he had no idea how to even gather the monetary resource for it.

Taking a very deep breath, he closed his eyes and tried to calm down, tried to gather positive thoughts to drown the pessimistic voices that screamed inside his head and plagued his heart. He needed to find a way to get the money in three days, but what was he supposed to do? Even if he tried to get more part-time jobs or take extra hours working, he was certain that it wouldn't be enough. He needed a huge amount of money and his small jobs wouldn't get him that immediately. He brought a hand to his head and roughly combed his hair with his fingers as his brain throbbed painfully against his skull.

What am I going to do?

Where the hell am I going to get one million yen?

"Wow. This is just beautiful."

Ichigo fought the urge to blush and opted to scratch the back of his head to hide his embarrassment as his boss beamed over the beautiful bouquet he had just made. "It's nothing much, really." He shot back in a strained voice as he scowled at the woman beside him, hoping that his boss would just shut up and tell him to deliver the damn flowers. Not that he didn't appreciate the praises and compliments, but being a guy and all, he wasn't really proud to let people know that he had skill in flower arranging. As far as he knew, only women had the ability to excel in such a field.

Isane, a tall woman with short, messy, silver hair and gray eyes just ignored his statement and continued to marvel at his creation. Although he was slightly getting pissed, he couldn't blame his boss for feeling and acting that way. Even he, himself, couldn't believe that he could make flowers even more beautiful by simply arranging them. That, and because he was already used to the woman's outbursts and fangirling over him. He had been working at Hell's Butterfly for more than six months now and had been a constant victim of his female employer's adoration and compliments ever since he made his first bouquet.

He began to scowl at his boss and quickly, yet carefully, took the beautiful flower arrangement in his arms. "I better get these flowers away from you before you melt them with your malicious stare." He barked and walked away from the tall woman, who was now boring holes through his back with a small pout on her lips.

"You're so mean, Kurosaki-kun! It's not my fault that I can't stop staring at them!" Isane complained with a small pout on her lips.

He just smirked and took the car keys that were lying on the counter and strode towards the back door. He was about to get out of the shop when alarm bells started ringing off in his head. He hurriedly ran back to the counter and looked for Isane, who was now busying herself by shifting through the receipts and order slips that were scattered on the table.

Taking a quick, short breath, he slowly approached the woman and spoke. "Uh, Isane-san?"

Isane cocked her head to the side and looked at him, her gray eyes wide in wonder. "Did you forget something, Kurosaki-kun?"

"No. I'm just wondering if I could work for a few more hours on weekends." He replied. He was hoping that he could take a few more hours in the flower shop on weekends since it was his only available time left. He could find another part-time job, but he preferred to do a job he was already familiar with.

The woman's reaction didn't change. If anything, the look of wonder on her face had only increased. "Why?"

He shifted his weight from his other foot and tried to look straight at his employer. "I just need it." He quietly replied.

Wide, gray eyes regarded him for a moment, before those silver orbs began to glaze with sorry. "I'm sorry, Kurosaki-kun, but I think I can't afford to pay for those extra hours for now." She said apologetically.

A sharp ache stabbed in his chest at the answer he got. He was really hoping that Isane-san would accept his request, but he also understood why the kind woman couldn't. It wasn't peak season for flowers, after all, and sales had been normal, if not lower this month. He should have had expected the rejection. It looked like he had no other choice but to find another part-time job. He swallowed the sigh that threatened to slip out of his throat and smiled at Isane. "It's okay, Isane-san."

"Did something happen, Kurosaki-kun?" Isane quickly asked, as if she suddenly knew he had a big problem. His boss didn't really know much about him, except that he was forced to drop out of school last year and needed to work for his father and sisters. He tried not to share too much about his personal life, even though he knew that Isane was a kind person and she could be trusted.

As much as he wanted to answer that yes, something did happen, that he needed help and he needed a huge amount of money that would be impossible for him to achieve in three days, he stopped himself from voicing out his real emotions and shook his head instead. "No. Nothing. I just wanted to work a few more hours and earn extra money, that's all." He lied and gave his boss a wide smile. "Thanks, Isane-san." He said and hurriedly went out of the shop, his hands trembling as he slipped inside the van and laid the bouquet of flowers on the passenger seat.

"Shit." He groaned in distress as he leaned his forehead on the stirring wheel.

Ichigo was even more depressed after his shift at the flower shop. He really hoped that he could get a few more hours on weekends but unfortunately, things didn't go as he had expected. On the other hand, Isane probably felt his downcast aura after he got back from making his delivery and said that she would ask some of her friends and contacts for any job openings that they might have, a little ray of hope that somehow made him feel better.

After his shift at Hell's Butterfly, he grabbed a sandwich and a can of juice from a convenience store as he went to his next job at The Vaizard's Pub, a bar located at downtown Karakura which was open from 2:00 in the afternoon until 12:00 midnight. He had been working as a bartender there for three months and he felt lucky to get the job since the bar was famous for people who wanted a warm and relaxing ambiance, thus it was not usually crowded, and some of the patrons usually gave him tips.

His shift started peacefully, as always, with the light hum of the LCD television echoing through the walls of the silent establishment. There were only three customers so far, a group of three men seated around one of the tables in the corner, immersed in what seemed to be a serious conversation. A smile slowly made its way on his lips as he appreciated the relaxing environment. It was moments like this that made him truly appreciate his job here.

As he started his task of wiping the glasses he had just rinsed, two people suddenly emerged from the door located behind the bar. The woman nonchalantly walked around the bar to sit on one of the stools in front of him and watched the blasting television behind him while the other person approached him and slapped him hard on the back, a gesture that he was already used to.

"How's it going, Ichigo?" Shinji Hirako, a thin man with straight, blond hair greeted with his usually toothy grin.

He fought the urge to chuck the glass he was holding down his throat and glared at his boss. Yes, the tall, lanky man in front of him was unfortunately his boss, the owner of this wonderful place and a man who liked to slap his back. A lot. "I swear I'm going to puke my lungs out one of these days if you keep doing that." He coldly responded and focused his attention on the glass he was cleaning.

Shinji just grinned and looked around the bar, checking if there was something off, making sure that everything was alright in his cozy, little paradise. The blond man took a deep breath and let out a sigh of satisfaction. "I have this strong feeling that business is going to be great today."

"Isn't it always great?" Hiyori, a short woman with blonde, messy hair tied in short pigtails, retorted lazily as she continued to fix her attention on the television. Despite her small height, her guts were as big as an ogre and her temper was as short as a dynamite's fuse. She also owned The Vaizard's Pub, since she was Shinji's girlfriend, believe it or not.

"I know and I owe it all to this man." His boss tapped him on the shoulder again and grinned teasingly at him. "Ever since we had Ichigo here, business started to get better. I'm starting to think that maybe you're our lucky charm, Ichigo."

Auburn eyes rolled in irritation. He really hated it when people kept touching him or when people said he was lucky. His father was sick and needed to undergo an operation in three days, his younger sisters were struggling between studying, working and taking care of their father in the hospital, he was broke as hell, so how could he be fucking lucky? "Will you quit hitting me? For fuck's sake, I'm your bartender not your punching bag!" He hissed as he threw icicles at his boss who seemed unaffected by his outburst.

"Don't get mad, Ichigo. I'm just teasing ya." Shinji replied with a small chuckle then finally left, causing Ichigo to sigh in relief. The thin man walked around the bar and sat on the stool beside his girlfriend, who cruelly hit him in the head with her sandals because he bumped into her and she almost fell from her seat.

Ichigo laughed at the abuse that his male boss had suffered, feeling a bit triumphant that he had somehow managed to get his revenge through Hiyori. Shinji rubbed the back of his head and glared at his bartender.

The bar fell silent again, the only sound that could be heard was from the television, which was now showing a flash report, and from the distant voices of their customers across the room. Ichigo didn't watch the news on TV but he heard what the modulated voice of the reporter had said. She said something about a prince from a small country in the Mediterranean currently visiting Japan to find a fiancée.

When he arrived at the Seireitei International Hotel, a famous five-star hotel where he worked as a bellhop, he found most of the employees running around the halls in a hurry, as if there was a fire and they were running for their lives. He didn't know what the commotion was but he wasn't interested to find out. He just wanted to do his job, go home, crash on his bed so he could finally get his usual three hours of sleep.

He carried on to the employees' locker rooms, changed into his black and red uniform and dumped his belongings in his locker. He was in the middle of tying his black leather shoes when a co-worker entered the room and slumped against the locker beside his. "You look drained, Hanatarou." He casually commented as he finished tying the shoe laces on one of his shoes.

The young man in front of him sighed, stress and exhaustion evident in his huge, droopy eyes. "Getting in here was a battlefield, Kurosaki-kun. I was pushed and shoved around like some rag doll." Hanatarou began to complain. "I almost fell on my face and no one even helped me! I don't know why they're all so worried about our current guest."

His ears perked up in curiosity. "Why? Do we have a VIP today?"

"It's not just a VIP, Kurosaki-kun. We have a prince in the hotel tonight. I heard he'll be staying here until tomorrow afternoon."

"A prince?"

Hanatarou pushed himself off of his locker and fished his key out his jeans' pocket as he nodded in response. "Yeah. Didn't you watch the news today? They said he's here to look for a fiancée. A royal prince from a small country in the Mediterranean. I'm sure a lot of people, especially women, want to see him." The other man answered once more as he opened his locker. "Well, I can't blame them since he's a prince and I heard he's very good looking..."

His co-worker's continuous rambling suddenly faded from his ears as he lost interest in the subject. So what if they had an important guest in the hotel? It wasn't as if that important person could help him solve his problem. He quickly finished tying his shoes and stood up from the bench he was sitting on. With a bored tone, he bid farewell to his still rambling co-worker.

Three messages were waiting for him to be opened on his cellphone when Ichigo held the piece of device during his fifteen minute break. He closed his locker as he pressed the necessary keys to unlock his phone's keypad and opened the messages.

Usually, most employees would stay in the locker rooms to sit and rest, some went out of the hotel to smoke, while the others would go to the employees' canteen and grab a bite. As for him, he chose to be alone during those fifteen minutes and these past few weeks, he had discovered a very nice place where he could relax and clear his head. With his phone still held in his hand and as his thumb scrolled down on the first message he received, he went out of the locker rooms and allowed his feet to bring him to his secret place.

The first message he opened was from Isane-san, who had informed him that a friend of hers who worked in a small law firm was looking for a messenger. That little news brought a huge grin on his face and he instantly felt that a tiny bit of the heavy weight he was carrying on his shoulders were lifted. He quickly typed a simple 'thank you', ended the message with a usual smiley and sent his reply.

The next message he opened next was from his younger sister, Karin.

I talked to Unohana-sensei today. Ichi-nii, why didn't you tell me?

A strangled moan involuntary escaped his throat. He knew Karin was probably upset. Her sister really hated it when he tried to keep things from her and her twin, Yuzu. He was sure the young girl would treat him to a very cold death glare when they saw each other tomorrow morning. But could they blame him for keeping things from them? Her sisters were only sixteen. They should be concentrating on their studies and enjoying their teenage life. They shouldn't be worrying about financial problems. They should just let him shoulder all that shit even though he had to admit that it was really hard to suddenly drop out of school and work so he could support his family. He was about to choose the 'Reply' option in the menu but stopped himself. Karin was probably studying at this hour and he didn't want to disturb her. It would be better to just talk to her about their father's operation tomorrow.

Then, he opened the third message and let out an exasperated sigh when he saw who it came from. The message was from his best friend, Renji, whom he hadn't seen for a long time since he was busy with work. With a heavy heart, he opened the message and wasn't surprised to read its content.

Keigo's place, 7:00, tomorrow. It's his birthday. Send me a message if you can attend. I really hope you can, stupid strawberry. We haven't seen you in ages.

With a slow shake of his head, he deleted the message, plans of replying to it buried deeply in his head. As much as he wanted to spend time and hang out with his friends, which he hadn't done ever since he dropped out, he knew he couldn't. He needed to focus on his work and even though it was rude of him to ignore his friends' messages, he thought it would be better if they'd just think that he was really too busy to even type a short reply. He didn't want them to ask him how he was doing, or to offer him any kind of help because he didn't like people worrying over him.

As he continued to press some random keys on his phone, his feet brought him in front of a big door, wherein a big 'No entry. Temporarily closed due to renovation' sign was hung. He shoved his phone inside his pants' pocket and ignored the warning in front of him and pushed the heavy door open. As always, it was unlocked and just like yesterday evening, and the nights before that, he felt a strong wave of relief embrace him as he entered.

The room was a large indoor pool area that was closed to the customers because the management was planning to have it renovated. He thought it was rubbish to have this place fixed because it was already perfect. The extravagant room had this huge rectangular pool in the center, which was surrounded by deck chairs, round tables and reclining seats. Unfortunately, the magnificent pool needed to be drained of water and had been empty ever since it was closed. But what made the place really perfect for him was the glass roof that covered the entire area. He could clearly see the bright, yellow moon and the silver stars that decorated the dark sky, a sight that he had always loved.

He continued his quiet stroll towards the pool, his chest gently thumping against his ribcage as peace and solitude slowly washed over him, happiness filling up his maimed heart, healing all wounds and injuries it had suffered, as he was about to reach his little piece of heaven. He was excited to get inside the empty pool, lie down on the cold tile and relax as he watched the beautiful sight above him, let the majestic moon and sparkling stars take his worries away even if it was only for ten minutes. But his anticipation tumbled in an instant when he saw something that he didn't usually see in that place.

There, in the empty pit of the pool, in his usual spot was a man who was lying on his back with his arms under his head and was staring at the beautiful vision behind the glass roof. He looked at the stranger for a few more moments, watching him, taking note that the man wasn't wearing an employee's uniform but a black, tailored suit. It seemed that the man was oblivious of his presence, causing disappointment to stab painfully at his chest. With a sharp intake of breath and a dangerous scowl on his face, he walked over to the edge of the pool and conjured of ways to mentally torture or kill this person who had stolen his heaven. "Oi." He coldly muttered. He didn't care who this person was, whether he was a fellow employee or a guest or an official, he just wanted him out of this place or let him know how he had ruined his evening.

The man shifted a bit then slowly stood up, his hair glinting against the bright light of the moon and it was then that he realized that the stranger had blue hair, a mop of messy, glorious, aquamarine hair. The stranger turned around to look at him, deep cobalt orbs piercing right through him, drowning him in those deep pools of blue. As the moon continued to bestow its light upon the mysterious man, he was treated to the sight of a face that you could only see in a dream... in one's deepest fantasies... in a fairy tale.

The man before him looked like a handsome prince.

He swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry as his mind turned into mush, unable to think coherent thoughts. He was amazed, fascinated, yet at the same time, intimidated by the beautiful stranger in the empty pool. He was probably staring. He was well aware of that, if the slow arch of those cerulean brows that translated to 'What the hell are you looking at?' was any indication, but he was unable to break free from the spell those mysterious orbs had held. He was a prisoner, a victim of those hypnotizing and mesmerizing saucers.

"Who are you?" The mysterious creature asked, his voice as deep as a bottomless pit, yet at the same time, it was touched with this beautiful tone that Ichigo thought could only belong to a magical being.

He remained unmoving, rooted to the spot, looking like the biggest idiot of all time as another realization hit him. The man was obviously a foreigner and yet he had just spoken Japanese. What the hell? He closed his eyes and shook his head, snapping himself out of the deep trance that beguiled him. He remembered that he was supposed to feel angry, annoyed because this handsome being had destroyed his evening. He started scowling at him. "I should be the one asking you that!" He bravely barked. "If you're a guest, then you're not supposed to be here."

The blue-haired trespasser raised a skeptical eyebrow at him, those perfect blue eyes looking at him from head to foot. "I don't think you are either. The sign outside clearly said that this place is restricted to everyone, even for employees like you." He replied in an equally sarcastic tone.

Ichigo blinked, grudgingly realizing that the foreigner had a point. Still, he kept his scowl and jumped down from the edge of the pool to glare at the other man in eye level. "Whatever. This is my place and you stole my fucking spot."

Thin, perfect lips suddenly lined up in a sadistic grin, perfect features devoid of any kind of fear from his brash attitude. "So you own this place? I thought the Kuchiki's own this hotel."

His heart suddenly thudded wildly against his chest at the mention of the family that truly owned this special place, his heaven, his paradise. So, the mysterious guy was not just a guest but probably a close acquaintance of the owners too? Well, fuck this. "So, what if I don't? I always go here during this time of the night and you're ruining my fucking fifteen minute break!" He shot back annoyingly. He should care that this person seemed to personally know the CEO, but at that time, he just didn't care. He was pissed and tired and all he wanted was to have his ten minutes of freedom, but now he couldn't do that because of this beautiful creature that destroyed his evening. Why was he so unlucky?

The man just looked at him for a couple of seconds, as if he was surprised by his defiance.

Ichigo hoped he had scared him, but there was no such emotion on the stranger's face; there was only surprise, fascination and... amusement. What the hell?

Those perfect lips curved up in a smile once more, but this time it was in delight. For some reason, the man was entertained by his expression of anger. "I'm sorry. I didn't know that this place is important for you. If I had known, I wouldn't have barged in." The trespasser said, the longest response he had ever uttered in two minutes, which made Ichigo feel mesmerized. He didn't know why, but this man's voice was just... calming to listen to.

With awkwardness suddenly prickling at the back of his neck, Ichigo quickly looked away and stared at the tiled floor. He suddenly felt uncomfortable, scared of looking at the man in front of him. For some holy fucking reason, the mysterious creature was making his heart beat faster and faster. "I-it's okay. I guess." He mumbled, surprised that the man in front of him was actually civil enough to apologize... although he really didn't have to because he was right in the first place. Ichigo was just a mere employee in this hotel and he didn't own anything, even this peaceful and beautiful place.

Silence began to creep between them, which made Ichigo even more nervous. What the hell happened to him? Where did his anger and guts go? Why did he suddenly become this muzzy mess after hearing the stranger's voice, after seeing his gorgeous smile? Last time he checked, he didn't find handsome foreigners to his liking. So, what the fuck was happening to him? He was straight, for fuck's sake.

He fought the urge to fidget from where he stood and continued to stare at the tiled floor, wondering as to what was he going to do, what was he going to say to this mysterious, beautiful person who had invaded his little piece of Eden. Said person, didn't move as well and if he would direct his gaze back up to that handsome face, he knew he would be staring into those deep pools of blue again.

Staying calm and still was becoming even more difficult as the seconds ticked. Ichigo knew he had to say something, anything to break this silence between them because if his instinct was right, the blue-haired creature was also waiting for him to say something. He silently inhaled, pulled himself together and slowly lifted his gaze. "So, why are you here?" He casually asked, hoping that his voice didn't sound shaky or nervous, a poor attempt in making small talk. He was so lame.

The foreigner smirked and gracefully dropped his head back to look at the starry sky above them. "I just wanted to be in a quiet place." He answered, his deep voice tainted with solemnity.

Ichigo blinked. "Is it noisy in your room?" He stupidly asked. As far as he knew, the rooms in their hotel were soundproof, so what was this guy talking about?

"No, it's actually very quiet."

That simple response made him blink again. He just didn't understand what this person was trying to say, but he had a feeling that the handsome stranger was probably going through something and needed a place where he could feel free... just like him. He could somehow see it in his eyes and how he spoke. Frankly speaking, now that he paid more attention to him, he was emanating this heavy aura of misery, loneliness around him. "Are you alright? You don't look so good and... you sound as if the entire world is on your shoulders." He prodded, hoping that he didn't sound too curious.

The blue-haired stranger chuckled. "I do feel that way." He replied without tearing his deep gaze from the heavens then sighed. "My family wants me to marry someone I haven't even met."

Ichigo gawked.

What?

This man was about to get married?

Well... he didn't really have to be surprised about that since the stranger was the most handsome man he had ever seen in his life and surely there must be hundreds of women waiting and wanting him to be their husband. But strangely, he felt a little sad and disappointed about that fact. He closed his mouth and gathered his scattered wits again. "W-why would they want you to do that?"

The foreigner tore his gaze away from the sky and looked at him, his cobalt eyes glazed with this profound quantity of sadness and confusion. "Because I'm a prince and it's my responsibility."

Prince?

He gasped and gaped at the beautiful man again.

Did he just say he was a prince?

Ichigo would've liked to think that he heard the foreigner wrong, that his ears was just deceiving him, but there was no hint of lie or jest in the other man's smooth face. So, the man was serious? Really? As if a bomb had suddenly exploded in his head and blasted his brains all over the empty pool, he finally remembered that certain guest Hanatarou had mentioned to him a while ago.

Wait a minute.

Was it possible that this man was...

He looked at the man before him from head to foot again.

Oh fuck.

The handsome man, who called himself as a prince, slowly grinned, amusement evident in his gorgeous face.

"Y-you're that prince?" Ichigo asked stupidly.

The prince smirked. "Yeah, I think I am."

He slowly took a deep breath and composed himself. "Shit. I'm so sorry. I... didn't know." He mumbled as he rubbed his forehead with the palm of his hand. "Fuck." He continued to mutter. He should have known. The man did look like a prince. He had an aura of a prince. He acted like royalty. He was fucking glowing. Seriously, how the fuck could he not know? His entire body shivered as thoughts of what this important person could do to him. The prince might tell the management about his constant visits to this restricted place and complain of his rudeness. He would lose his job, then he would have to find another job and he would have a harder time in getting the money he needed for his father's operation.

He was doomed.

Fucked.

Ruined.

Damn it.

"I'm really, really sorry." He apologized once more.

"Don't be."

That made him look up at the prince in an instant, his auburn eyes wide in wonder and surprise.

"I'm actually glad and relieved that you didn't know. It has been a fucking long time since someone cursed me or treated me as a normal person and it felt good." The prince said with a wicked grin, his aura suddenly changing into that of a more normal person.

His eyes widened even more at the sudden shift in the prince's personality. And did he just hear the dignified prince say the fucking F-word? What the hell was happening?

"Now, stop giving me that face and pretend that I'm just an ordinary person, will you?" He heard the prince ask, his tone imploring, demanding.

He straightened and decided to stop looking like an idiot. Seriously, he was making a fool out of himself in front of this gorgeous human being because he was so beautiful and he was a prince and he definitely didn't want to be thought of as an idiot by such a person. So, the man in front of him was actually their very important guest and he had screamed and demanded him to leave this place. So frigging what? If the prince liked to be treated that way, then he should comply. After all, if you were going to look at things in a wider perspective, the only difference that they had with each other was their social status. The guy in front of him was a prince while he was just a commoner, but they were both human beings who felt emotions and bled when wounded. Somehow, he understood why the prince had reacted that way. He let out a small cough to clear his throat and attempted to look straight at the man in front of him. "Okay. If you say so."

The prince let out another smirk and gazed at the sky again, as if he was in love with the vision of that vast darkness adorned with shimmering stars and the big, full moon above. "As I was saying, it's my responsibility to get married to whoever it is that they would choose. I have no idea who this person is. I don't even fucking know if they're female or male."

"Male?" Ichigo interjected, surprised from what he had just heard. He knew that some countries accepted same-sex marriage but he had never heard of a prince or any other royalty being married to a person who had the same gender. That was just really shocking. He began to wonder what kind of kingdom the prince came from.

"Gender is not important in my country." The prince quickly replied and let out a bitter laugh. "And it doesn't care about what I think and feel as well. I should just obey because it's my fucking responsibility... as the next king."

Ichigo only stayed quiet, clueless as to what he should say or what he should do. It was really strange to hear such things coming from a person who people thought had everything. To marry someone you didn't even know, someone you didn't even love... For him, that was as good as signing a death wish, as good as killing yourself or choosing hell over heaven. Why? Why was life cruel for such a beautiful creature like him? Even though he had just met this man, even though he had a higher status than him, he lived in a different world, he felt the prince's pain, and for a moment, he wished he could do something to make him feel better. But what could he do? He was just an ordinary person who had his own share of problems as well. He couldn't even fix his own life. He let out a soft sigh and fought the urge to approach the other man. He just continued to watch as the prince continued to silently converse with the sky and the celestial bodies that held onto it.

He didn't know how long they had stayed like that, how many minutes had passed as he gazed at the epitome of beauty in front of him while the object of his eyes and thoughts kept on looking at the sky. The spell was only broken when the prince suddenly moved, looked at him and grinned. "I guess I better go now. They must already be looking for me." He simply said then began walking towards the steps located at the corner of the pool.

Surely, this would be the first and last time that Ichigo would see the prince. Even though he felt a little sad that the prince would be going back to his world, wearing his fake mask to satisfy his people, he knew he didn't have the right to stop him. Taking a deep breath instead, he spoke in a voice that was filled with optimism and hope. "Oi!"

The prince stopped in his steps and turned around, treating him to a piercing gaze that only those blue eyes could deliver. But instead of feeling mesmerized or hypnotized by them, he grinned and showed off his gutsy attitude that he had when he first saw the prince. "It must be really hellish to be in your position right now, but don't worry. For someone like you, I'm sure they will choose a wonderful person."

The prince blinked at him, was once again surprised by his statement and reaction. Then, as if realizing that this normal person was right, he slowly nodded and gave a serene smile, a smile that made Ichigo's heart stop. "You're right." He softly replied before turning his back on him and continuing his ascension up the steps, onto the edge of the pool and out of that place.

Ichigo remained motionless from his position, a smile still present on his lips as his mind swirled with beautiful thoughts and his heart throbbed in glee. Never in his wildest dreams had he ever imagined that he would meet a real prince, even though it was from a country he hadn't even heard of. He felt lucky and really happy that he got a chance of a lifetime, but the harsh fact that he would never see him again painfully stabbed at his chest.

Author's Note: And this is the part where you will all kill me. YAY! Kill my plot bunnies if this chapter sucked. No, seriously. Kill them. If not, then please feel free to feed them with your reviews and comments.

Frankly speaking, I am very, VERY nervous with this chapter and how people will think of it. *sighs* I really, really hope you liked it, or at least my dear Ringo-01 liked it. *crosses her fingers*

EDIT: So an anon reviewer called me an idiot for the amount I wrote for Isshin's operation, LOL. To that anon, thanks for pointing that out and I apologize for the mistake. When I thought of the amount that Ichigo would need, I converted yen to my country's currency, not in dollars, so yeah. I know I'm an idiot. I'm sorry if I caused confusion. XD