Chapter 1 – An Invitation from the Prince
"You called, your highness?"
"Aa." The prince nodded, a smile stretched to his lips. "It's about Echizen Ryoma."
"The boy, sire?" the servant inquired. Ever since that boy had arrived, the prince seemed happier than he had been before and for some reason, the prince really like the boy despite him never meeting the boy before. What was it that made the prince like Echizen Ryoma?
"Do tell that I want him over for dinner." The prince said. "I want to discuss with him about the engagement."
"As you wish, sire." The servant said and bowed but before he could take his leave, the prince spoke.
"Oh, and give him this." The prince gave the servant a box which the said person willing took. What was in the box, he didn't know, but he had a bad feeling.
"Tell him to wear it for dinner, ne?" the prince said and still, a smile on his face. The servant boy quickly nodded and left the room. He slightly opened the box to see what was inside. Seeing what was inside, he felt sorry for the boy.
"Hey there, Bakaya! What have you got there?" a person called out to him. It was Marui. Perfect.
"It's Kirihara Akaya. And here..! Give this to Echizen Ryoma." The boy who was now known as Kirihara shoved it harshly to Marui's chest. The redhead caught it with his arms.
"What? What's this?" Marui asked, staring at the box curiously.
"The prince wants him over for dinner and he wants him to wear it." Kirihara stated, already a few meters away from him as he was walking away. Marui just stood confused and took a little peek inside the box. What he saw had made his eyes widened.
This was going to be trouble.
"EH?! YOU'RE GETTING MARRIED?!" shouted the whole Echizen family. Ryoma winced. His ears had hurt. Couldn't they just not shout so loud?
"Oh, my goodness! I can't believe it! My baby boy's all grown up!" Rinko, Ryoma's mother, said with tears of joy in her eyes. She gave her son a big hug.
"Kaa-san…" Ryoma grumbled at her sign of affection.
"I never thought that the impossible could actually be possible…" Kevin mused which Ryoma took as an insult.
"Oi, chibisuke! How could you do this to me?!" Ryoga, his older brother, said in a hurt tone. "You got married before me!"
"Gyaaaahahahahahahahaha! Oi, brat! You'd better use protection! Gaaahahahahahahahahhaha!" his baka oyaji cackled in a very mocking tone. Ryoma's eyebrow twitched.
"Ryoma…" he heard a gentle voice called out to him. He turned to the voice and saw a very handsome man whom he knew was the prince whom he was engaged to and was going to marry.
"You…" Ryoma stared at the man who smiled at him warmly but the handsome face of the prince had slowly turned into an ugly and distorted one which almost made Ryoma fell back as he backed away in fear.
"RYOMA-CHAAAAAAAAN…! LET'S GET MARRIED NOW AND HAVE LOTS AND LOTS OF KIDS…!"
"YAAAAADDDDDDDAAAAAAA…..…!" he shouted. He closed his eyes and punched the man in the face with a hard blow.
"Itai..!" he heard a familiar voice said in pain. Ryoma opened his eyes and saw the baldy whom he knew was Jackal Kuwahara who now had a red nose and a bleeding one at that.
"Oh, it's you…" Ryoma sighed in relief. It was only a nightmare.
"What's the problem with you and noses?" another voice said. He turned and saw that it was none other than Marui Bunta himself. In his hands was a box of God knows what.
"What are you guys doing here?" he questioned the both suspiciously.
"We…" Jackal said, wiping his nose as blood kept rushing out. "Were going to wake you up…"
"But," Marui said "you punched Jackal when he was about to." The redhead snickered and was given a glare from the tanned bald guy.
"Anyway," Jackal interrupted, catching Ryoma's attention. "We are here to tell you that the prince has invited you for dinner."
"Dinner? What for?" Ryoma raised a brow. So he's going to meet the prince. He's finally going to find out who was the bastard who wanted to marry him so badly. Oh, he just can't wait to give the creep a piece of his mind.
"According to Akaya, he wants to talk to you and it's about the engagement." Jackal answered. Akaya? Was it the name of the so called prince who wanted to marry him?
How plain.
"The rascal actually had me do what the prince ordered him to do!" Marui huffed. Oh, so it wasn't him. Another servant most likely.
"About the engagement? Well, you can start by telling him I don't want to." Ryoma sneered and went back to bed. Marui and Jackal sighed.
"Come on, your majesty. You have to go and meet him. It's very important…" Jackal urged him but Ryoma kept himself under the blankets.
"Your majesty, don't hide yourself. Come on. You need to go and meet the prince." Marui said and pulled the blankets off.
"What's so important meeting a prince whom I don't know wants to marry me." Ryoma asked with a scowl plastered on his face.
"Come on, your majesty. Just give it a chance." Marui urged. "I promise you that you'll be back home safe before you know it!"
"Oh, yeah? How so?" Ryoma sat up, looking amused. The other scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously. Marui did quick thinking and answered.
"Well, the prince is a very kind person! I'm sure he'll allow you to!" Hopefully, for Marui, he thought the boy would buy it.
"I'll do it." Ryoma said. "But you have to unchain me though…" the boy cocked his head to the bed post he was chained to. Marui looked to Jackal who nodded. The teen handed the box to him and took out a pair of keys from his pocket and set the boy's wrist free. Ryoma scratched his wrist. The cuff had left a mark for trying to break the bed post just as so he could break free till he got tired.
"You will be meeting him later so you have to take a bath to look presentable." Jackal said. "We will lead you to the royal bathhouse."
"Of course, we're going to stay there so you don't try to escape." Marui added. Ryoma looked baffled.
"Don't tell me you're going to watch me take a bath?!" Ryoma exclaimed. Marui's and Jackal's eyes had widened. The redhead shook his head and waved an arm frantically.
"N-No! No, your highness!" Marui protested. "We aren't going to watch you take a bath! We're just going to guard the exit!"
"Besides, your highness," Jackal said. "it is prohibited for other people to watch you, the prince's bride-to-be, in the bath except for the prince himself."
"Uh-huh…" Ryoma said and cocked a brow. What is this? Was the prince some kind of pervert? Oh, great. Was he going to marry some kind of pedophile? Does that mean his dream was some kind of warning that he'll be marrying a sick old man? No way.
"No, the prince is a man with decency." Jackal said, noticing the look Ryoma had a while ago. Ryoma thought if this Jackal guy was some kind of mind reader.
"Okay…" Ryoma nodded with arms crossed.
"Anyway, we should better go and take you to the bathhouse." Marui said. Ryoma got off the bed and went out the door that was opened for him by Jackal. The two led him the way while he followed. Looking around as he walked, there were a lot of expensive-looking decorations and servants that bowed to him as he walked past them. He paused to look at a portrait that hung on the wall of a beautiful woman with sapphire hair and a crown on her head.
"That's the queen." Jackal said as he saw that the boy stopped in his tracks, staring at the portrait.
"Really? Where is she now?" Ryoma asked and turned his head to see Jackal who bit his lip and Marui whose smile faltered. He must have asked something he shouldn't have asked. Oh, great.
"Never mind… Let's just keep going." Ryoma said and the three just continued on walking.
"The queen…" Jackal started. Ryoma looked up. "She was a very kind ruler and she was really loved by many. The town lived in peace and harmony, but that was until she got sick. Many healers came to her aid but the success rate of her living was low." Jackal paused for a moment but then continued. "They did everything they could to save her… But unfortunately, she couldn't make it… After that, the prince had stopped smiling."
"Oh…" was the only thing Ryoma could say. He didn't know what to say and the atmosphere had already gone awkward. He really shouldn't have asked.
"But…" Marui began. Ryoma turned to him and Marui looked at him with a smile. "The prince seems to be happier when you came."
"Hah?" Ryoma looked confused. Why would his arrival to this world make the prince happy? It's not like they knew each other or anything. What's he gotta do with it? Marui seemed to take his confusion for incredulity.
"Yes! It surprised us really. You were only a stranger, but the prince smiled because of you and he also seemed to know you. Perhaps you two have met before." Marui said which made Ryoma wonder. Who was this prince, anyway? He doesn't know any princes and neither has he met one. This place doesn't seem familiar either.
"I don't know really and neither do I care." Ryoma replied nonchalantly. Jackal and Marui sweat dropped at his uncaring attitude.
"But you know, marrying the prince means you could have everything you want. Fame, fortune, and everything. You should call yourself lucky, you know." Marui said but the boy didn't care.
"Why don't you marry the prince instead?" Ryoma joked making Marui blush.
"Oh, no, your majesty! I can't!" he said. "I mean, I'm not interested in marrying the prince..! I was only saying…"
"I don't get why you two people want me to marry him so much… " Ryoma sighed. He had said he didn't want to, but these two are just too stubborn.
"That's because we like you." Jackal smiled. Ryoma scoffed at that.
"I'm so loved." He said in sarcasm. He was so loved that he was handcuffed to the bed by two people who liked him. Talk about crazy.
"Anyway, your majesty, we're here." Marui said, opening the door for him. Ryoma went inside and he gaped when he saw that the bathroom was big, bigger than their bathroom, bigger than his and Kevin's apartment in America. The tub looked like a swimming pool.
Jackal chuckled at the boy's expression.
"Surprised?" he asked. Ryoma nodded, not taking his eyes off the huge bathtub. "If you were to marry the prince, you could have your own private bathroom."
"You're seriously saying that to make me marry the prince." Ryoma rolled his eyes. Jackal chuckled.
"Indeed. But I was just saying the truth." Said Jackal, smiling. Ryoma just muttered a "Che!"
"So where can I find shampoo and soap?" Ryoma asked.
"Ah, yes." said Marui. "They're over there inside the cabinet." He pointed to the left. Ryoma looked to the direction and nodded. "The clothes are here with me." He said, patting the box in Jackal's hand.
"You may leave." He said to which Marui and Jackal obliged. The two servants bowed before leaving. Ryoma locked the door and went to the cabinet. It was white and a wooden one. It looked pretty sturdy and smooth. It looked so new, it wasn't chipped, and it didn't have any dents. The frames were gold. Well, of course, the ones who live here are rich.
Ryoma opened the cabinet door and saw a whole lot of shampoos, soaps, beauty products and many others. The beauty products, he had no idea what for and who the heck uses them.
'The prince maybe?' he thought. What? Was he so ugly he wanted to be beautiful and have flawless skin? Right… That too, he didn't want to know. He took out a towel, shampoo, and soap and went headed to the swimming pool-like bathtub. He dipped a hand to the water. It was warm just like he wanted. Just perfect.
He slowly began to undress himself and tossed his clothes aside. As he took off his last piece of clothing, he went into the water. He sighed through his nose as he had felt relaxed. The warm water felt so good on his skin. Ryoma grabbed the shampoo, opened it, pour a bit on his palm, and used it on his hair. He had it on as he grabbed the soap and scrubbed it on his body. When he had finished scrubbing, he rinsed off the shampoo on his hair.
Ryoma felt like swimming which he did so. He found out that the bottom goes deeper. He swam around the bathtub, having fun. This wasn't so bad. But if he'd stay, he has to marry the prince which is a no. Even if the prince did look good, he wouldn't want to marry a guy. It was just wrong!
"I can't even imagine it…" he said to no one in particular with a tone of disgust. Two guys in love, no way. "It's just… Impossible!"
SPLAAAAAASH…!
Ryoma jumped at the sound. What was that? Could it be that someone else was in the bath? Didn't Jackal say no one was allowed to watch him? Could it be that the prince entered the bath? To join him?
'Shit…!' he cursed in his thoughts. What if he was going to molest him in the bath? He knew it! The prince was a pervert and a rapist! Ryoma was panicking inside. He thought of the only thing he could do.
He took a deep breath and hid himself down the water. He swam and had hoped that wherever he was going, he was going the right way to the exit. Like a curse from the gods, he was running out of breath. Did the gods hate him so much? Ryoma thrashed in the water and hurriedly went up for air. He gasped and coughed. He had gotten water in his nose which felt irritating but right now he didn't care.
"Who's there?!" a deep voice said. Ryoma jumped at that. His heart was pounding.
'I'm done for…!' he thought in fear. He was only 14. He's too young..! Ryoma swam fast headed to the edge of the swimming pool. He felt a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. He was turned around. He went in for a punch but another hand stopped it. Before his eyes, he saw a handsome man with tanned skin and a muscular built. He looked very mature and he had chocolate brown eyes… But screw that! The man was looking at him with a shocked expression.
"You're..." the man muttered. His grip on Ryoma's shoulder loosened.
"No one you need to know." Ryoma punched the man, hitting his nose. The man put his hands on his nose in pain.
"What the...?!" The man exclaimed. Quickly, Ryoma swam to the edge of the pool. He went up and took the towel he took from closet and wrapped it around his waist. He unlocked the door, opened it, and ran out, but he felt a pair of hands on his shoulders.
"Let me go!" he snapped and tried to punch whoever the person was but was stopped.
"Hey! Stop that!" a voice said. It was Marui's who was now covering his nose for protection.
"You could break a nose…" he said. He noticed Ryoma was panting and was looking shocked. Quickly, Marui looked worried.
"What's wrong, your highness?" he asked the poor boy.
"A pervert… in the bathhouse…" Ryoma said in between breaths. Marui looked at Jackal who shrugged.
"Let's get you changed, your majesty." Jackal suggested as the boy was only wearing a towel.
"Yeah…" Marui said and picked up the same box from before that was lying on the floor.
"Come on…" Jackal said, taking off his jacket and put it on Ryoma's shoulders to cover him. He led him back to his room. As they walked headed there, many servants looked at the boy with worry. He looked so shocked as if he faced something traumatic.
When they had reached the room, Marui closed the door and locked it without the boy noticing. Jackal let the boy sit on the bed.
"Now your majesty, since you're going to meet the prince, you are going to have to wear the clothes he picked out for you." Jackal Ryoma looked up.
"Clothes? He picked out clothes for me?" Ryoma asked cautiously. He looked at Marui who was blocking the door with the same box in his hands. Something smelled fishy.
"Don't worry, your majesty. The prince had picked on of the finest clothes there is in Rikkai. I assure you that you will definitely like it." Jackal reassured. Ryoma felt like he shouldn't trust the man. There was just something that didn't feel right at all… And it had to do something with that box.
"Your majesty…" Ryoma snapped out of his thoughts. He looked up to see Jackal who had on was what he called apologetic look. Ryoma looked at Marui who was now, to his horror, holding a pink thing he saw was a freaking corset. The box he saw was on the floor. It was open and inside was a frilly pink dress and a pair of heels.
"No way…" Ryoma whispered. Slowly, he backed away. He got off the bed and kept on backing away from the two but as he felt his back hit the wall, he looked back and saw that he was cornered. There had only been one thing Ryoma thought right at this moment.
'Oh, fuck.'
"And what happened to you?"
"Nothing really... I just slipped..." A man said with a bleeding red nose which he had been wiping with a tissue.
"You slipped..? In the bathhouse...?" a gentle voice chuckled. "Really now... That's so unlike you..."
The man's cheeks had stained red as his best friend laughed out loud. He had only thought of one thing.
'I'll get that brat for this...'
TBC…
TheBitterMoon:Finally..! Finished! Anyway, please do tell me if I have made a mistake since I usually do make a LOT. I hoped you enjoyed reading! Next up is Kami-sama, TASUKETE! chapter two~! There is no scheduled date or time where it is going to be released. It is released at anytime I, the author, feel like releasing it. Please be patient, ne? :)