Hi guys! It's been a whole day! O.O I think I'll be writing this story pretty quickly since I spent three hours in attendance school today and one of the things I did was write the plot for each chapter. AND I FINISHED.

Hope you like this story so far ^^

Recap:

I noticed her tense. She looked at me seriously and said, "In exchange for their freedom, the prince of that damn country…he…you have to marry him."

It took me a few moments for my brain to process that.

"I…I have to…" the words couldn't even pass my lips. This was news. This was very big news. "There must be some other way!" at this point, I had to sit down again. "And I'm only seventeen!"

"I know, honey. I'll try to find a way. I won't let you marry some stranger from a stupid, unknown country. Tsumugu and Ami were taken in because Ami accidentally hit one of the royal pets as they were touring the palace. It's the stupidest thing I ever heard. They should have locked the animal up, if anything."

"But…but if I don't…" I swallowed the lump that was forming in my throat. "If I don't marry him…then dad and Ami…they won't be free! They could do anything since they were arrested in their land!"

"I don't think Japan will allow that to happen. I have someone trying to fix this whole thing up right now."

"I don't think that would happen, either. I mean, come on, they shouldn't have had their pets roaming around during a tour in the first place!"

"Yes, they are a scary strict country. But since they are not even on the map, and I wonder why, they must be very weak, so I'm sure we'll win."

Even though I heard those relieving words, I still couldn't help but worry. I decided I was going to keep this a secret from Rima when I see her the next morning.

I remembered to set my alarm, so I woke up at my usual time. My mom already went to work and left me a note saying that she couldn't make breakfast. After I got ready, Rima came over and thought I was joking again when I told her that we had to buy some breakfast on the way.

"You can't use the same joke twice in a row, Amu," she said as she took her shoes off. "It just doesn't work that way."

I didn't say anything as I watched her walk into the kitchen. I heard her let out a sad sigh.

We bought sweet bread as we walked towards school. I kept thinking about this foreign prince.

"Why does it have to be me? Why wasn't it Ami? Why marriage, of all things?"

"Amu, what's wrong? You're doing your weird thinking face." Rima looked at me worriedly, and I knew she was dying to know what happened last night, but decided to wait for me to bring it up.

"N-Nothing! Just…thinking about Tadase, you know?"

"Well, it isn't really the truth, but I really should start thinking about this, too."

"I see…" she was obviously not convinced as she continued looking straight ahead.

There was an unsettling silence between us. I couldn't keep it in anymore, so I clutched my bag strap and let out the words I've been dying to tell my best friend.

"So last night when my mom came home early, she told me that my dad and Ami were arrested because Ami apparently accidentally hit one of the royal pets. They are coming home safe and sound today, but the only way to ensure that they will be free is… is if I marry the prince."

Rima blinked twice, unsure what to say. I could see that she thought I was joking, but at the same time, she believed me.

"Amu…marriage? Over some pampered pet?"

"My mom told me that Japan would not allow that to happen."

"But Amu…you never know…"

Before we reached the school gates Rima asked, "So do you know what he looks like? The prince?"

"…No, actually. I'm wondering that myself."

"If it so happens that Japan can't do anything about it, you can't get married anyways since you're seventeen."

"I don't think that would stop them from waiting a few more months…or what if they take me back to their country? What if girls there get married at sixteen? Rima, I don't know what I'll do! What if he's way older than me, fat, and bald?!"

"So what are we talking about over here?"

Rima and I almost jumped out of our skins. We turned around and were face to face with Kukai. Besides him was Tadase.

"Morning!" he chimed as he flashed his smile my direction. I smiled back.

"We were just…yeah. We were having a random conversation," said Rima, not knowing what else to say.

"Good enough for me!" said Kukai as he grinned. "Oh hey, Nagihiko and Yaya are here!"

I turned around and saw the said two coming our way. Rima ran up to Nagi and embraced him, which in turn caused head to turn their way. Some girls giggled, some stared in jealousy, while some quickly looked away to give them privacy.

I turned around and accidentally locked eyes with Tadase. He was blushing, and I knew I was blushing as well. Kukai's grin became larger when he saw what was going on, but I was the first to break eye contact.

"W-We should probably start heading in. The bell with ring any minute now…"

I quickly made my way inside, put on my indoor shoes as fast as possible, and then rushed to class before one of my friends caught up to me.

Unfortunately…I noticed a lot of people staring at me.

"So, are you two finally going out?" questioned an underclassman with a smug smile. Some people started whispering, and I could make one thing out loud and clear.

"Miss Cool and Spicy and the beautiful prince?"

My face turned red. To avoid further humiliation, I giggled nervously and scurried away like a frightened animal.

"Great! Just great!"

I took shelter at my desk in the corner and sighed. There were some kids filing in and murmuring when they saw me. I rested my head on my desk and groaned softly.

"This is going to be a very long day."

"Amu?" Nagihiko was next to me.

I sat up and said, "You were right. The whole school knows, dammit. I don't even know my own feelings and they all already think we're dating."

"Can you blame them? You two have been close for a long time, and a lot of people already knew that Tadase likes you."

I looked away. I wondered if Rima told Nagi about what happened last night.

The bell rang and Nagihiko went to his seat near the front. He turned around and gave me a reassuring thumbs up.

The teacher came in; we stood up, bowed, and then sat down. He started going over some English words, and I tried my best to pay attention to what he was saying. I crossed my fingers and hope he wouldn't pick on me because I was really bad at English and I didn't want to embarrass myself anymore. Thankfully, he didn't pick me.

At lunch, I headed down to the cafeteria with Nagihiko. I wasn't going to run away this time. The thought of me running away seemed best since I was still getting stared at, especially when I sat down at the table across from Tadase.

He smiled kindly at me, though I knew he wanted to turn away as much as I did. He was just too nice to do that, which made me happy.

I looked over at Rima, hoping she understood that what I told her earlier was a complete secret, and if she told anyone, then she was dead.

Rima gave me a nod.

I wasn't sure if she meant that nod for me and Tadase or if she meant she understood.

Lunch went pretty well. Yaya started freaking out because Kukai stole her sweets and even ate some, Rima and Nagi were cuddling and laughing, and Tadase and I were talking about normal stuff, and it seemed as though we forgot about his feelings for a moment.

When we stopped talking and just sat there, looking at each other, we finally remembered and looked away.

"S-Sorry…" I heard him mumble.

"I have to use the restroom. I'll see you guys after school, I guess, since lunch should be over pretty soon." I got up and took my tray with me as I left my friends sitting there, watching me walk away. I knew they engaged into a conversation about me after I left, just because they're like that and I don't blame them.

After putting my tray away, I headed upstairs. My phone vibrated in my skirt pocket. My mom sent me a message saying that dad and Ami were finally home, and she got off work early because of it. I smiled in relief, but then frowned when I remembered the deal. That I had to marry the prince.

"Damn. I'm being set up with this guy and I don't even know his name. This is crazy. Am I really awake?"

I tripped up the stairs.

"Defiantly awake. Joy."

I stepped into a stall in the bathroom and just stood there. I didn't even have to go. I just needed somewhere to hide for a bit, I guess.

"I wish the prince would notice me! I mean, I am in his class."

Two girls entered the bathroom. I kept still as I listened in on their conversation.

"Well…there really isn't much hope now. Tadase and Amu have known each other since fifth grade, and I also heard he's had a crush on her since then that just grew as the years went on. It's really romantic and cute in my opinion."

"I know…you're right," the girl sighed sorrowfully. "I want a boyfriend like that…"

As they were leaving, they carried on to a different subject. I unlocked my stall and opened it slowly. It made a sick creaking noise. I walked up to the mirror and looked at myself.

"Tadase liked me since fifth grade…that was when I wanted him to be my boyfriend, but eventually…I'm just not thinking the same anymore. How could Tadase like me for so long and not move on to another girl?"

I left the bathroom and started making my way back into the classroom. I ignored the stares and comments, but I heard something that caught my attention.

"Did you hear? There is a new student that just transferred here this morning! My friend saw him! She told me he was so hot. She also said that he looks foreign, but speaks perfect Japanese"

I turned to look at two underclassmen leaning against the wall by the large windows.

"Foreign?" I wondered out loud. When they noticed me, I blushed and walked away.

"A new foreign student…as far as I know, we don't have any of those…what if this foreign student is…what if he's…"

I stopped myself from thinking any further and laughed inwardly.

"Of course not."

Nagihiko was already back in the room. He was leaning against one of the front desks and was laughing at something with another classmate. When he saw me, he immediately came over.

"Oh no! Rima told him, didn't she?!"

"Take long enough in the bathroom?"

I blinked a couple time. "What?"

Nagihiko laughed. "Hey, I heard that there was a new student who just transferred here today. I also heard he is foreign! This is going to be cool. We don't have any foreign students here."

"Oh, right! I heard that too!" I bit my lip nervously, and Nagi noticed.

"Amu?"

"What?"

"What's up?"

The bell rang. I looked around as students started going to their assigned seats. I looked at Nagi apologetically and took hurried over to my own seat. When I looked back at Nagi, he was already sitting.

We all waited for the teacher to come back into the room. I was expecting Nagihiko to turn around and look at me, but he didn't.

My phone vibrated and I pulled it out. An advantage of being in the back corner is that you can pull your phone out and only risk being seen by one person other than the teacher, but the teacher wouldn't notice that easily if you're very discreet about it.

When I read the message from my mom, I almost broke down in tears. She said that Japan couldn't do anything about our situation, since that country somehow held more power than us.

I looked up and noticed Nagi looking over at me. I quickly looked away and wiped my eyes.

The teacher finally came in, and I quickly stuffed my phone into my pocket. I got up with the rest of the class, bowed, and then sat back down.

"It's your homeroom teacher that should be the one doing this, but she asked me to do this instead." Our math teacher smiled cheerfully as she looked around the room. "I'm sure you've all heard that there has been a new, foreign student that is now attending our school. We asked him if he wanted to start fresh tomorrow so that he could attend homeroom, but he insisted that he should start now."

The sliding door opened. Students started whispering as the male figure entered the room. His body was tall and lean. He also had dark, shaggy hair and deep blue eyes.

"Wow…"

"This is Tsukiyomi Ikuto. He came from Freeden, a place unknown to many of us," said the teacher seriously, but you could tell she was enchanted by Ikuto's looks. I didn't blame her. I'm sure none of the girls in the room did.

Ikuto's eyes scanned the room, as if he was searching for something. I felt the urge to sink into my chair, so I did so, to the point where I couldn't see past everyone's heads.

I heard him sigh disappointedly. "My name is Tsukiyomi Ikuto. It is a pleasure to meet you all."

His voice sent shivers up my spine. It was deep, rich, and the way he spoke made him seem proper.

Because of that, I dropped the pencil I was holding in my hand. I silently swore and reached my hand out for it, but it was too far. I extended my leg out and pushed the pencil back towards me. When I sat up straight and looked at Ikuto, his eyes were locked on mine.

A smirk appeared on his face as he advanced towards me with his hands in his pockets. Everyone looked confused as they watched him walk. He seemed calm, like he knew what he was doing, but I couldn't help but notice that the closer he got to me, the harder I blushed.

He finally reached me. What he did next shocked everyone. He knelt down on one knee, took my hand and asked, "Hinamori Amu. Will you marry me?"

Yay! I love proposals!

Oh jeez...imagine if you were in that class. You'd be all like, "...what the fuck just happened...?" XD

Anywho~ please review! I love hearing comments from my readers! And, um, yes! Favorite if you so wish to!