A/N: Thank you all for your faves, reviews and follows!

Enjoy!

Chapter 21

A date with Tetsuya

…

Kise couldn't sleep at all.

He sat up in his bed and looked at the clock mounted on the wall. It wasn't even midnight yet. Earlier today, the other Ryouta had crossed over with Hakase, but when he wanted to go to Earth for a brief moment to meet his parents, he was denied. It's been so long since he'd last seen his family and friends, and it ached his heart to see that they were so close, but yet...

"I hate the time difference of this place..." Kise groaned out as he lied back down in his bed. He still found it hard to adjust given that there were less hours in a day than Earth but far more minutes in an hour than Earth. Doing his calculations, the time now would be close to mid-morning in Japan.

"I wonder what Mom and Papacchi are doing? I wonder how that manga ended..." Kise silently prayed that his counterpart kept his deal because if he didn't, by the hook or the crook, he'll find a way to haul Ryouta's ass back here.

Just then, he heard a knock on his window. Getting up, he headed over and drew back the curtain only stare on into Ryouji's grinning face.

"Ryouta~" the older blond sang as he entered Kise's room.

"Hi. Why aren't you sleeping?" Kise asked.

"Why aren't you?" Ryouji countered with a smirk. He then added, "You know, the pillar is still there. According to Hakase-san, it should be open for another day before it closes." the Second Prince beamed. "Now let's go!"

Kise's eyes widened, "Are you serious?!"

"I would be pretty pissed and sad too if I wanted to see my parents and was told I couldn't. Just get your ass back here for Tetsuya. If you ever stand her up, Kuroko-san and her brothers, not to mention her mother will skin you alive."

"Okay!" Kise chirped. He then followed Ryouji out the window and the boy carried him on his stepping stone to the Prince's former room. Sliding the windows open, the two boys made it safely, the pillar connecting the two worlds was still bright as ever.

"Now go." Ryouji said with an encouraging push.

"Of course!" Kise bolted through the pillar while Ryouji lazily sat back in a chair, awaiting his return.

xxxx

The sun sneaked in through the window, illuminating the dark room. As it hit Hakase's face, his eyes fluttered open and he sat up straight. He winced a little, given that his body felt extremely sore and exhausted. His eyes then caught Ryouta, sitting on a chair at his bedside. The blond seemed to be fast asleep, but his position seemed to be extremely uncomfortable.

"Ryouta. Ryouta." Hakase said as he shook him awake. "Oi." Still, there was no response from the blond. He didn't even stir. Twitching with impatience, Hakase slapped Ryouta across his cheek, sending the blond prince flying across the room.

"What?!" Ryouta snapped up and rubbed his cheek. "Who ―" he broke off as he saw Hakase staring at his trembling hand in shock.

"What..." Hakase said in complete surprise. "...how did I…?"

"Mahiro!" Ryouta screeched as he lunged for the boy, totally forgetting about the slap. Tears were streaming down his cheeks and they weren't at all comical. "I thought I lost you!" he sobbed as he embraced him tightly. "I was so worried." his voice softened with care.

Hakase couldn't believe his ears nor his eyes. The violent, scary and tempestuous Prince was actually crying over the fact that he thought that Hakase wasn't going to be alright.

I guess he does have a heart, after all. Hakase thought with a chuckle. "I'm fine, Your Highness."

"But you scared me!" Ryouta shouted, still bawling his eyes out. "I thought...I thought..."

"Alright, alright." Hakase said as he rolled his eyes. "I get it." But then his voice took on a serious tone. "Now what have you done to me, you bastard?"

"I didn't do anything." Ryouta quipped. "I didn't know that Mana would have seeped out. Plus, it's Ryou-nii and Ji-nii's fault! They were the ones who troubled the magic circles back home!"

"Either way, the Kise family is at fault." Hakase deadpanned. "What am I going to tell my parents!? How am I going to get married in the future!? How am I going to live?!"

Ryouta grandly flipped his hair and smirked, "I've got all those instances covered."

"How so?" the raven-haired boy said between gritted teeth.

"Well, I planned to get Ryouta over here to prove to your parents that another world exists. In terms of marriage, you can always marry me. In terms of living, all you have to do is carry on like normal."

Hakase twitched with rage. "Are you hearing yourself?! Me? Marry you? You want to die, don't you?!"

Ryouta pouted and looked like a kicked puppy. "I'm hurt. Aren't you my housewife?"

But before Hakase could say anything more to the Prince, they heard a stumbling and clattering coming from the adjoining room. Then, the door opened, revealing Kise, fully clothed in his pyjamas. Brown eyes met with blue and in that instance, Kise flew to Hakase, embracing him in a hug.

"Mahirocchi!" he squealed. "I have so many things to tell you!"

"I have so many things to tell you!" Hakase chuckled. "The Prince and Kaijou are quite the entertaining bunch, you know?"

Kise let out a gasp. "Do tell!" he grinned. But then he released the raven-haired boy, and his face dropped. "It'll have to wait because I have a date with Tetsuya tomorrow and it's past my bedtime. I just came to see Mom and Papacchi."

"Okay, they're downstairs." Ryouta said, interrupting them. "Now shoo."

"Mahirocchi is my best friend. Don't tell me to shoo." Kise snapped.

"But he's my housewife. Now, move." Ryouta's eyes were burning with jealousy.

"Oi, oi," Hakase said, "I didn't agree to any of this. Don't start a fight now."

Kise hummed while he skipped to the door. "Mahirocchi~I never knew you got the quite the jealous boyfriend here~" he said in a sing-song voice, he only gave the boy a mischievous look before heading downstairs. Sadly, he didn't see the look of rage and annoyance on Hakase's face. However, Kise was so eager to see them that he basically ran down the staircase and into the living room.

"Mom! Papacchi!" he screeched and lunged for the two. The three crashed onto the floor with a loud thud, tears of joy running down his cheeks.

What?! Ryou!?" both parents shouted. "What are you doing?!"

"It's me Papacchi!" Kise said as he caught them both in a bone crushing embrace. "I've missed you so much."

"You...you're...killing…me...us..." Ryouhei managed to wheeze out.

Coming back to his senses, Kise gasped, "I'm sorry! I still have a hard time adjusting to my own strength!"

"But really, are you…Ryou? As in...my ball of sunshine?" Ritsuko asked. "Is it really you?"

"Yup!" Kise perked.

So, without hitch, Kise rattled off everything that he's been through so far in Kaijou. He spoke about how he's now able to use magic and has "super strength and speed". He spoke about the advanced technology there and how mind-blowing it is, he talked about Ryouji and Ryouma and how similar yet different they were from his sisters. But, he never forgot to tell his father about his date with Tetsuya. It was on this subject that he spent the most time, as he belted out his heart-felt pain during the prior days when he tried to talk to her but Taiga and Shigehiro stopped him, and how she shattered his heart when she said that she didn't like him that way…

Kise left no stone unturned.

After he was done, his jaws hurt as he'd never spoken that much before in his life. But when he told Ryouhei and Ritsuko that he'd stay in Sekai but visit often, they both threw a fit.

"Why?" Ryouhei asked after he had cooled down. "This is your home. Your entire life is here! Are you an idiot?!"

Kise had turned away his head at this point, looking a bit heartbroken. "I know. If the Prince wasn't such an asshole, then I would have come back." he said. "But, I knew that if I had chosen to come back, he'd fight me, and I don't want to die." he then added, "Plus, Kurokocchi is a female in that world! I couldn't let her get away from me!"

Ritsuko laughed. "The things men do for love. Your father was the same."

"Ritsu! At least you weren't in a different world!" Ryouhei countered. He turned to Ryouta. "Are you sure about this? That place doesn't even have basketball, or anime or anything for that matter! All they do is get up and fight Bakemono all day long! Are you sure you want to live in a world like that?"

"As long as the bastard keeps his promise, then I'll be good." Kise then grinned. "But as the Third Prince, the King said I have some leeway, so I've got many ideas in mind."

"A promise is comfort to a fool!" Ryouhei continued, grabbing him in his shoulders. "Don't you know that?"

"Honey, calm down." Ritsuko started. "I think the Prince will keep it. The only thing I'm worried about is his temper." she sighed.

"Hmm..." Kise hummed. "Everyone did say that he takes after his father, so that's to be expected." At this, Ritsuko and Kise glanced in Ryouhei's direction, the blond man simply huffed and folded his arms.

"I do not have a temper." he mumbled in denial.

"Maybe not now, but back in the day, you did." Ritsuko laughed.

Not wanting to dwell on that topic, Kise then asked about how they've been holding up with the Prince now under their care. Of course, Ryouhei and Ritsuko both agreed that it was stressful, especially the first week of his arrival. Finding food that his taste buds could tolerate was not an easy task. But there were times when it was cute. They told Kise about the Prince and Kaijou's adventures at Fuji Q highland amusement park, they told him about how Kasamatsu is the only one (apart from Hakase) who can calm down the raging Prince and how the interaction between Kaijou and the blond boy was extremely amusing. But seeing how the clock was ticking, Kise decided to cut their meeting short and head back for his date.

"She's so cute, Papacchi!" Kise shrieked. He even took out his phone, and showed his parents Tetsuya. Of course, his mother broke out in girlish shrieks upon seeing the light-blue haired female, Ryouhei commenting that falling for cute girls runs deep in the family.

"So when can we meet her?" Ritsuko asked as they walked back to Kise's former room.

"Hmm...as soon as Prince stabilizes the gateway." he responded. "That way, I won't have to worry about her being trapped over here or something. Her dad will kill me."

"What're you talking about?" Ryouta piped up as they entered the room. Hakase rose an eyebrow as well.

"He's going on a date. And the girl is extremely cute!" Ritsuko grinned.

"Oh. He's getting married to her, you know?" Ryouta said with a smirk, sending the two parents and Hakase into a frenzy. He knew that the "girl" is none other than Tetsuya.

"EEHH?!"

Kise tried his best to shush the Prince but failed miserably.

"But, their wedding date is like sixty-four years from now, though. Unless you two go over to the Kingdom, you won't live to see it." the Prince deadpanned. "Let alone your grandchildren."

"EEHH?!" Came the next screech, although Kise was involved in this one as well.

"Sixty-four years!? What?!" the other blond boy shouted. "You're lying to me aren't you!?"

"No. Although you're legally an adult at one hundred and twenty one, you can get married or whatever at age eighty. Treat it as though it's equivalent to turning sixteen over here." Ryouta said.

Kise collapsed onto his butt, tears threatening to fall. "That means, Mom, Papacchi, Onee-chan, Reiko-nee, Kousuke, Koumei, Senpai and the team won't get to see my wedding? Or anything?"

Ryouta walked over to him and rubbed his back. "Of course they can you idiot." he grinned. "Either you haul them over to the Kingdom, or you shove liquid Mana down their throats over here. I can help you if you want. I've gotten attached to them too."

"And what about their families? It's pretty awful when your friends and everyone are ageing and dying and you're still young and fresh."

"That's fucking bullshit." the Prince cursed. "Humans like to live long, so if they get the opportunity I'm sure they'll take it." he added, "But I'm sure I can figure out a way to change the entire country if you keep bitching. That way, everyone will live until four hundred."

"For someone so smart, I'm surprised that you actually suggested something so stupid." Kise sighed. "You can't turn the entire country into Ningen! Do you have any idea of the pressure Japan may face?!" He screeched. "Or the ostracism they may encounter because the rest of the world thinks they're monsters or freaks!?"

Ryouta sighed. "Fine. We'll transport the entire country into Sekai then. We have a lot of ocean space. That way, no one can bitch about anything. Or better yet, I can destroy any country that dares to treat Japan as such. I'll probably have to take over the entire world."

Hakase karate chopped the boy on his head. "As of now, I'm cutting down your manga and anime intake! These ideas are stemming from them!"

"No!" Ryouta whined. "Don't do this to me, Mahiro~! They are my life!"

Kise dragged a hand over his face. "Mom, Papacchi, I'm going back. Prince's idiocy will drive me up the wall."

Prince Ryouta twitched with rage. For some reason, being called stupid by his other self was extremely insulting.

Ritsuko caught Kise and pulled him into an embrace, followed by Ryouhei. "Please, come back. Everyday. We miss you, you know?" Ritsuko was almost tearing up. "Make sure you're eating properly, all your vitamins and vegetables, get your right amount of calcium so your bones don't break. Make sure you're using the right moisturizer and shampoo for your hair; take care of your skin too, don't let it turn out flaky and old." she added, "Why can't you just return home and forget that place?" Here, she broke out in tears, Kise almost tearing up as well.

"Ryou..." Ryouhei started, but he stopped abruptly. He didn't know what to say his son, except for him to stay here. He didn't want him to leave, without his protection in a world where one slip means he'll never see Kise again. "...just listen to your mother."

"Un!" the blond beamed and was released from their grip. "I'll see you soon!" he then looked at the Prince. "Take care of everyone and get this thing up and running soon!"

Ryouta laughed. "Naturally. I'm going to be the best and greatest Japanese that ever walked this planet. You can count on me."

Kise scoffed. "Make sure. Because I'll have your head."

With one last wave, Kise stepped through the portal.

xxxx

In Tetsuya's room, Shinya, Shigehiro and Mitsuhiro were busy rummaging through the girl's closet, looking for something for her to wear. Although Tetsuya had picked out something, they complained that it was too casual, too simple. Meanwhile, Yukio and Shun were organizing her make-up set, Taiga was busy doing Tetsuya's nails.

"You can wear this!" Mitsuhiro shrieked. She held up a white off-the-shoulder mini-dress with a thin, silky green bow at the left of the waist.

"Oh no. If she wears that, she'll come back pregnant." Shigehiro retorted. "Can't trust a Kise, remember?"

"Come on guys, this one isn't so bad. No need to be so cautious." Shun chuckled. But she walked towards the trio, "How about you let Yukio and I choose her outfit?"

"That's right," Yukio piped up, making her way to the closet after Shun. "Single ladies like you lot won't know what to pick out. You can do her make-up." she grinned.

Shinya, Mitsuhiro and Shigehiro turned red with embarrassment. Taiga only ignored that statement. "So what if we're single!?" they screeched indignantly.

"By the way, what are you doing here, Yukio-senpai?" Taiga asked, painting Tetsuya's nails. "Didn't you have a date with Yoshitaka-senpai today?"

Yukio sighed. "We did, but Teppei is finally being discharged today, so Riko wanted company." She then mumbled, "And I was looking forward to today too."

The girls present let out joyous screams at Yukio's comment and expressions. The dark-haired girl turned her face away to hide the blush but the others caught it anyway.

"I'm pretty sure he'll make it up to you." Shigehiro teased. "I mean, it's Yoshitaka-senpai after all."

"Ano...it's nice that you're all teasing Yukio-senpai, but my date will be here in a couple of minutes and you're all still choosing my outfit." Tetsuya sighed. "I would have finished already."

"Let's get cracking, Shun!" Yukio screeched.

"Roger!"

The two girls picked and refused, mixed and matched until they finally decided on an outfit. With a grin, they exited the closet and neatly placed Tetsuya's clothes on her bed.

"You'll kill him with this for sure." Shinya said with a smile. "I think instead of enjoying the date, he'll be struggling with all his willpower to keep his hands off you."

"Shinya-senpai!" Tetsuya shouted with a blush. "This is the first date! No such thing will happen!"

"Whatever you say, Blue. Whatever you say." She smirked.

"Now that that's done, get dressed so that we can do your hair and make-up!" Mitsuhiro urged. "Time is of the essence!"

Tetsuya groaned.

…

Kise arrived at Tetsuya's house an entire thirty minutes before the actual time he was supposed to. He exited from the car and walked to up to the two storey house, pressing the doorbell. He prayed that Hikaru was home and not her brothers, because thinking back on what Ryouta told him, Tetsuya's brothers are supposed to be barbaric. He can't handle that.

The front door swung open and who stood there left Kise frozen. No matter how many times he's seen her, he just couldn't help but cringe. It wasn't that Hayakawa Mitsuhiro was ugly (in fact, she was beautiful), but for the life of him, Kise is constantly thinking about his Senpai from Earth. It's as the saying goes, they were world's apart, she didn't even have Hayakawa's trademark eyebrows or incomprehensible speech.

"Ryouta! You're here early!" she said, looking a bit distressed. She then looked away from Kise inside the house as if someone else was there. "Is Tetsuya ready yet?!"

Kise held his ears. At least she was as loud as Hayakawa.

"In a minute!" Kise heard another shout. It was another female, but he doesn't remember who the voice belonged to. Mitsuhiro then invited him in and he sat in the white sofa in the living room. A couple minutes later (girls and their bad timing), Tetsuya arrived with Taiga and Shigehiro behind her.

She wore a red off-the-shoulder blouse tucked into blue skinny jeans which hugged her skin dearly. On her feet were red Converse, matching her blouse and jewellery. Her long blue hair was caught up in a bun, with two side bangs framing her small face. Seeing her, Kise gaped.

Stay strong Ryouta! Stay strong! He thought to prevent himself from grabbing her into an embrace. Kise hugged himself, trying his best to control himself. If it wasn't for the existence of magic, Kise would have already swept her off her feet and smother her to death. The girls present could see right through him, and smirked at each other.

"Hello, Ryouta-kun." Tetsuya greeted in her usual manner, Kise seeing no difference from Kurokocchi back on Earth.

"He-he-hello," he managed to voice out.

Shigehiro snickered. "Cat's got your tongue, right?"

"No! She's just really beautiful!" Kise defended, although it didn't really make a difference.

Taiga then ushered the two out, whispering death threats into Kise's ears that should anything happen to Tetsuya, he'll experience serious bodily damage. Saluting his understanding, he followed Tetsuya to the parked car. While he was being threatened, she had already walked on ahead.

…

The drive to the Aquarium was strangely quiet.

Kise, for once, didn't know what to say to Tetsuya and the light-blue haired girl didn't mind the silence either. She was contently reading a novel she pulled from her spatial ring. He let out a groan as for someone of his chatty nature, he couldn't find something to say to her. It's probably because Jin was the driver and not someone who knew about his situation.

About an hour and a half later, they arrived at the Aquarium, Kise and Tetsuya getting out quickly. The blond male took in sight the building structure ―a four storey of steel reinforced concrete. A giant marble statue of a marine creature (Kise didn't know what it was, but thought it was a whale) greeted them at the front entrance. Excited, Kise pulled out a phone and took a selfie with Tetsuya after which he asked a random security guard to take their picture.

After passing the sculpture, they entered through the "Umi" Gate, Kise in awe at the view of the ocean before them. He took what seemed to be countless pictures, selfies with Tetsuya included. The small girl didn't mind, in fact, she was actually taking in the sight that was a "happy Ryouta". Although Kise wasn't the Ryouta she knew, it was nice seeing him smiling genuinely. The Third Prince hardly ever did that due to varying circumstances. But there was one thing she noticed as they passed by the restaurant. There were far too many security officers and police in the area. She knew they were here for Kise.

After all, the Prince was attacked in his bedroom, and this blond was almost killed on his field trip. The Self-Defence Force seems to be not taking any risks these days. Reaching the escalator nestled in the corner of the area, they went downwards, where the tanks were. Pulling out a map, Kise navigated their way to the main attraction ―the "Beautiful Sea".

Passing through the reception, Kise and Tetsuya received something that resembled brooch in the shape of an aquatic creature. Pinning it on their clothes they then passed through the sliding double doors where they stumbled upon a large area with numerous people. Some sat by the tank and watched the marine animals swim around, others sat a further distance chatting and eating or lazing around.

However, Kise and Tetsuya (along with others) were led to the opposite direction by the guide and entered through another door. What happened next left Kise gaping. It looked ―felt like they were inside the tank. While Kise could feel the slipperiness of the water, he wasn't getting wet. Just then, a creature swam across their path, brushing against the blond. He jumped in fright and let out a shriek, Tetsuya beside him was cracking up with laughter.

"I take it aquariums in your world aren't like this."

"Not even close." Kise mumbled. "All we do is stand at tanks and look at the fishes through the acrylic glass."

Tetsuya frowned, "How boring."

"Just to be clear, this isn't a simulation or anything, right?"

Tetsuya laughed at the blond's expression. "No it's not." she chuckled. "See these brooches? They actually prevent us from getting wet, and attacked."

"But what if they fail?"

"You'll be automatically teleported out."

"But what if that doesn't work?"

"You drown."

Kise gasped but quickly, Tetsuya reassured him. "I was joking!" she waved her hand in dismissal. "These brooches can't fail because they are constantly maintained."

"Oh." Kise nodded. But getting back to the task at hand, Kise drank in the sight all around him, and to say that he was in awe was an understatement. The sight was absolutely breathtaking. He was surrounded by cobalt blue water and with every step he took, the white sand crunched under his feet. Dazzling arrays of "fishes" swam above him, their scales varying different colours ―red, green, white, yellow…

Every now and then, Kise would let out shrieks and screams whenever the creatures passed by too close. Tetsuya cracked with laughter each time, Kise's facial expressions were hilariously priceless.

The aquatic creatures were somewhat different from that of Earth ―there was one that seemed like a manta ray but its body was covered with black and white stripes, there was another creature that seemed...odd. It reminded Kise of what a tiger would be like if it had been a fish.

After leaving the "Beautiful Sea", the couple then headed to "Coral Forest", another tank with only corals and couple fishes that live there. This tank was a reef and for as far as the eye could see, coral reefs stretched upwards like trees, the "fishes" present darted to and fro busily. Once again, Kise took pictures here, squealing with excitement.

As the day continued on, the duo visited the exhibition tanks ―all seventy-seven of them, Kise taking so many pictures that at one point, Takeo became irritated. They visited the different "Deep Sea" tanks, where as its name suggests was the recreation of the deep sea. It was like another world for Kise, this one seeming even more mysterious than dry land.

In the midst of their exploration, they stopped by the café to grab a snack before moving off again. They visited the "touch pool" where due to the structure of the tank, they were able to freely touch the marine creatures without having to go inside the tank like previous. Next they headed outdoors to a gigantic pool for the "Iruka Show" which was reminiscent of Dolphin Show back on Earth.

Of course, thanks to the brooches, they didn't wet but due to Kise's excitement, he nearly feel over into the pool. At this, a lot of officers dashed to his aid, frightening the living daylights out of not only Kise, but everyone present. It was almost as though they had arrived out of nowhere.

But all through this, Kise never released Tetsuya's hand as he didn't want to lose her. Her presence was just as weak as Kuroko's on Earth and the blond felt that he'd break out in hysterics should she disappear from his sight.

Just before they left, Kise and Tetsuya went to the restaurant for something to eat. There, Kise chatted with Tetsuya, the small light-blue haired girl enjoying every moment of it. Kise was quite the talker and quite comical when needed to be. But before they knew it, it was time to leave, as Jin had arrived and was waiting by the front entrance.

...

When Kise reached back home, he was tired. He dropped himself onto his bed, heaving out a sigh. He never knew visiting the Aquarium would have been so exhausting, but definitely, he made a mental note to bring Hakase there as well. It was just too awesome! He then turned onto his back when he heard a ruckus coming from outside. Scurrying to his window, he saw Ryouji with another guy, practising their water magic. He was tall with shoulder length brown hair with the front fringe pinned backwards and emerald green eyes.

Kise has encountered the guy couple times around school, and apparently he and Ryouta have this awful Senpai-Kouhai relationship that always starts with them arguing. If he remembers correctly, the Senpai's name was Kakihara Seung Jae. Of course, with a Christian name like that, no one calls him "Seung Jae". It's either "Jae" or "Sung" or just plain, normal "Kakihara".

In the entire school Seung Jae was the best Water Mage, being able to whip out dangerous grand magic without the aid of magic circles. He was a cool Senpai in Kise's eyes, and wondered why he and Ryouta were on bad terms. But then again, it's the Third Prince. Most of the school and he were on bad terms ―either some girls hated him for not responding to their love confessions or love letters, some guys hated him for capturing all the girls' hearts, others hated him for being in first place in all his classes and the list goes on.

Getting bored, Kise returned to his bed in hopes of sleeping but with the constant racket of his brother and schoolmate, he failed miserably.

"Might as well I join them." he sighed as he climbed through his window. "Ryouji! I'm coming!" he screamed as he floated down towards them with his Wind Magic.

Seung Jae smirked. "The more the merrier."

Thank you for reading! Don't forget to leave a review! The Aquarium used is modelled off a real life one in Japan called "Okinawa Churaumi".