[one-shot] Arashi; A dream is a wish (Your heart makes)
Fandom: Arashi
Title: A dream is a wish (Your heart makes)
Pairings: Matsumoto Jun x Sakurai Sho, Ninomiya Kazunari x Ohno Satoshi (of course, Aiba is also in it ^^)
Genre: AU, fantasy, angst, romance, some fluff (after all, it's a fairy tale...)
Rating: PG
Summary: "Have faith in your dreams and, someday, your rainbow will come smiling through."
Notes: I was watching Disney's Cinderella and, since it has always been one of my favorite tales, I just couldn't stop thinking about making an Arashi/Sakumoto version. Five days later, I finished writing this and beat my personal record :D. It follows quite faithfully the story as told in the movie, at least in the order of the events, though my muse merrily started to change things from the Ball scene. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it ♥
And I couldn't finish this painfully long preamble without saying thank you to all the friends who were there before/after/during the writing of this fic: anafase, ginger001, cypros and cry1baby ^^ Thank you very much for all the feedback, the corrections and, above all, the support! ;)
Additional note: I know, I know, you're here for the read, but just in case you'd like to listen to music meanwhile, here are some pieces that inspired me while I was writing:
#1 - For the beginning and some other parts.
#2 - For when the fairy appears.
#3 - For the Ball and the ending.
“Have faith in your dreams and, someday,
your rainbow will come smiling through.”
nce upon a time, in a faraway kingdom, lived an innocent, lovely little boy, whose name was Jun. He lost his father at a very early age and he was raised only by his mother until she married another man. Unfortunately for little Jun, his stepfather, a very wealthy and powerful man, even though he treated his mother like a queen, felt no sympathy whatsoever for her son, and never lost an occasion to show that he despised him.
Despite this, for some time, Jun lived happily in the company of his mother, her new husband and the two daughters he brought with him. However, this happiness ended the day his mother succumbed to a terrible illness that took her life away in only a few days.
Since Jun’s mother was no longer in this world and he had nobody else to protect him, his stepfather disowned him and took everything away from him without any difficulty. Therefore, Jun, who was still a young boy, lost the fortune of his family and the house his father had built. And, to make things even worse, he was forced to work as a servant if he didn’t want to leave the place. He was ordered to do the most unpleasant chores everyday and he was usually covered in dust and ash. His sisters, for who he did almost everything, would always call him “Junnosuke.”
Even so, Jun never stopped hoping and dreaming. He was sure that, if he worked hard enough, someday he would be able to recover all his possessions and live happily again. Every day, he would get up early, dress himself with the ragged, soiled clothes of which consisted his single outfit, go to feed the animals in the yard, and then prepare breakfast for his stepfather and his daughters, who would usually complain that it took too long for him to bring it, even if it was there a few seconds after they rang the bell.
The morning of the day his life finally changed, Jun was being punished. Their silly cat had crossed his way as usual, and made him spill almost an entire jug of milk. Jun didn’t hate cats, even when he had reasons to hate at least this one, but he never managed to be on good terms with it, and this was the last straw. To teach the animal a lesson, Jun had emptied a bucket of water on it. However, in addition to the cat itself, his stepfather also got angry at him.
When he was busy cleaning the big, tall windows in the drawing room for the second time in less than a week, he heard the bell ringing. He hurried to open the door and, at the other side, he found an official from the Royal Guard, who was holding a piece of parchment for him. The only thing the man said was that it was a message from the Palace. Jun took it carefully and said thank you with a smile before closing the door. His heart started racing with excitement.
A message from the Palace! What could it be?
***
Ever since he had been old enough, the King had been anxious to see his son married, so that he would have a ready successor when the moment came. But Prince Sho, no matter how much his father insisted, wouldn’t even consider it. He was too busy travelling to other kingdoms and shutting himself away in his study to pay attention to that issue. Of course, he planned to marry and give grandchildren to his old father someday. But the day that would happen hadn’t come just yet.
Unwilling to accept his son’s idealistic, romantic way of thinking, the King made a plan, helped by the rest of the court. To welcome Prince Sho when he came back from his most recent trip, they would have a ball in his honor. This ball would be attended by members of every noble house in the kingdom. That would force Prince Sho to meet many young men and, of course, women around his age. Among them, hopefully, he might find someone likeable who will finally make him settle down and take the throne.
And thus, as the date approached, invitations were sent throughout the kingdom.
***
Struggling to hold the impulse of reading the message that had just arrived, Jun ran to the room where his stepfather and his daughters were practicing singing. The old man frowned when his lesson was interrupted, but his expression changed once he noticed the seal in the piece of parchment his servant was holding.
Almost at the same time, the two girls ran towards Jun, screaming and pushing each other.
“Give me that, Junnosuke!” the eldest roared.
“No, it’s mine!” the other one screeched.
Jun wordlessly watched their contorted faces turning red from both the fight and the excitement, until their father snatched the message from his hands and started reading it out loud.
“Dearest members of every noble household of the kingdom.” He paused and gave a serious look to the girls, who immediately stopped muttering and simply stared at him with sparkling eyes. “You are cordially invited to the Royal Ball in Prince Sho’s honor that is to be held tonight in Palace.”
The last part of the message couldn’t be heard because of the screams that, louder than earlier, filled the room.
“I’m going to dance with Prince Sho!” the youngest sister exclaimed. “Oh, no!” She threw up her hands in horror. “What am I going to wear? All of my dresses are too ordinary!”
“Mine too!” the other one cried. “This is such a tragedy! He won’t even look at me!”
They both turned to their father.
“Dear Father, please buy us some new dresses to wear tonight!” they asked him in unison.
“Calm down, my little flowers, you will…”
“Excuse me, sir,” Jun interrupted him. The opportunity was worth the glare he received as a response. He put his trembling hands behind his back, gulped, and spoke as clearly as the lump in his throat allowed him to. “It says ‘members of every noble household’ in the message. I think that includes me too, so I would like to attend the Ball as well. Could I?”
“Of course not!” the sisters exclaimed at the same time.
“Don’t let this dirty Junnosuke go, Father!” the youngest added.
“That’s right!” her sister backed her. “He will only tarnish the name of this house with that horrible appearance of his!”
Every time Jun asked permission to go out or do something that meant other people would meet him, they used this excuse to convince their father. However, this wasn’t the true reason why they opposed it. In fact, what they feared was that Jun’s astonishing, natural beauty would make him the center of everybody’s attention.
In the span of only a few years, he had turned from a little ungraceful boy, an ugly duckling, to an incredibly handsome young man, with a pale, smooth skin, like the pure white feathers of a swan, and big, bright dark hazel eyes framed by locks of beautiful chestnut hair.
“Oh, well, I don’t see why I wouldn’t give you permission,” his stepfather answered.
His daughters pouted. Jun’s lips were forming the first syllable of ‘thank you’ when he spoke again.
“But only if you dress up properly and manage to finish today’s chores before it’s time to go,” he grinned maliciously.
Jun understood what that meant before he added, “you can start by taking down and washing the curtains in every room-“
“But sir, I did that some days ago already,” Jun complained.
“-just do it again! And then, go to the library, take all the books from their shelves, clean them, and put them back in their place.”
“That would take two days at least!”
“Do it! And then you can get ready and go to the Ball.”
Jun lowered his head resignedly and decided to comply with his orders. He left the room followed by the falsely sympathetic looks of his stepfamily, and closed the door.
***
“That sounds like a big chance!” one of Jun’s only friends, a tiny mouse named Nino, told him when he heard the news.
“Yes!” Jun’s other friend and Nino’s inseparable partner, Ohno, said. “Maybe you will find someone who can help make your dreams come true!”
Jun nodded and smiled sweetly, taking two more pieces of cheese out of the pocket in his apron. It was good to have someone who could understand his emotions and share his excitement about the Ball. He stood up from the corner where he had crouched down to talk to his friends, and walked towards his wardrobe.
“But first, I have some things to do,” he explained, opening it wide. “I must find a proper outfit for tonight.”
He took out an old black suit he had inherited from his late father, and spread it out on his bed. It looked very smart, but was a bit outdated. Jun observed it for a while, reflecting on what changes he could make on it to improve it, when one of the three bells hanging on the wall rang.
“Junnosuke! The curtains!” a voice could be heard from downstairs.
Jun sighed and walked towards the door, sharing a sad look with his friends.
“I guess I should do the other things first.”
Once he was out of the room, Nino jumped into the bed and examined the suit closely, first lifting one of the sleeves of the jacket. Ohno gave him a confused look from the floor.
“What are you doing, Nino?” he asked, scratching his nose and pulling one of his long whiskers, which made him sneeze.
“We must help poor Jun,” Nino said, crossing his arms and squinting to think.
“How?”
“By getting his outfit ready before he comes back!” Nino smiled.
They called their friends, the other mice in the house, and together they started looking for materials to turn the old suit into a new one. Nino found some shiny yellow cloth in the stables, while Ohno picked up a bright blue dress one of the girls had just thrown away in a fit of rage. One of their friends got an old hat that could look nice as an accessory.
“Okay, so we just need to sew a bit of yellow in here-” Nino said, already cutting his cloth.
“Why not blue?” Ohno suggested, putting a part of the dress over the suit to see how it looked. “I think it looks better.”
“No,” Nino shook his head determinedly after pondering the option for barely two seconds. “Yellow is better.”
“It’s too bright…”
“It’s not. It will look great on Jun.”
“I don’t-”
“Yellow, Ohno. Trust me.”
Ohno shrugged and went obediently to help cutting the yellow cloth.
“Listen, we should use some blue as well.” He couldn’t help insisting once again, and had to dodge an annoyed look from Nino. “Just in some parts.”
Nino sat down, took off his hat and ran a hand across his forehead.
“Well then, fine,” he finally agreed. “But let’s get started now.”
***
The carriage that was to drive Jun’s stepfather and his daughters to the Ball had just arrived. Jun’s heart sank as he saw it coming from one of the windows in the second floor of the house. He forced himself to go and tell them, unable to hide his sadness this time.
“Oh, if you say you are almost finished with everything I ordered you, why aren’t you getting ready to go yet?” his father asked with feigned innocence.
“Because I don’t want to go anymore,” Jun declared, eyes fixed on the floor.
He wouldn’t manage to get his suit ready in time for the Ball, anyway.
“Ah, is that so? What a pity,” the man replied, but the sound of the girls snickering behind him made his tone less convincing. “Perhaps there will be another ball you can go to.”
Jun gave a hint of a bitter smile, and turned around. “Good night.”
He went back into his room and walked towards the window without turning the lights on. In the distance, on top of a hill, the Palace was shining with beautiful lights. Jun leaned his elbows on the sill and let out a sigh.
“It’ll be boring anyway,” he told himself in a loud voice. “Full of annoying young girls like these two, and their boring parents, talking about uninteresting, stupid things.” He snorted. “And meeting new people, and dancing, and having fun…”
A light turned on suddenly, startling him. He turned around and found Ohno and Nino on his bedside table, sitting down next to each other and holding hands while they munched the little cheese they had left. They pointed at the bed, where Jun’s newly transformed suit lay.
“Wow, this is amazing!” he admired it with eyes wide open.
He took it and stood in front of the mirror to see how it looked on him. Nino and Ohno had done a great work. He smiled at them and the mice exchanged triumphant looks.
“Thank you so much, my dear friends!”
“Come on, put it on and go to the Ball!” Nino jumped excitedly.
“Yes! Hurry up!” Ohno seconded him.
Jun nodded and did as they said. In the end, they had used the same amount of yellow and blue; the suit looked nothing like it was before. In those bright colors mixed in such an uncommon fashion, Jun looked as if had come from another world, a place even further than the stars. If this mysterious outfit didn’t make people turn their heads at him, nothing else would.
The carriage was about to leave when Jun walked out of the hall. His stepsisters -whose outfits were so badly combined one couldn’t even decide which one was worse- froze on their way out and turned to contemplate him with stupefied expressions, incapable of believing how gorgeous he was and very jealous of him.
“Please wait for me,” he smirked, rushing towards them.
“Oh, that is a very interesting outfit,” his stepfather stopped him. “I wonder where you got it from.”
“I made it myself,” Jun replied, a determined look on his eyes.
The youngest of the girls covered her mouth with a hand and ran to grab Jun by his sleeve, shaking his arm violently.
“How dare you, Junnosuke!” she yelled indignantly. “What did you do to my precious dress?”
Jun, as he didn’t know what his friends had done, didn’t have any response for that.
“He’s just a vulgar thief!” the other girl accused him. “Father, we can’t bring a thief with us to the Ball!”
“You are right, my little flowers,” their father said, not trying to hide the pleasure on his face. “We made a deal and he tried to deceive us.” He clicked his fingers. “Let’s go without him.”
“No! Wait!” Jun ran towards them as they climbed into the carriage, but was stopped by a bucket of murky horse water that was thrown over his head.
Soaking from head to toe in his now ruined outfit, he watched the carriage vanishing through the sinuous path that led to the Palace, and, with it, the dream he had cherished for so long.
***
Jun went straight to the kitchen and sat down on a stool next to the stove. He put his head in his hands, defeated and disappointed. What had he done to deserve that? He had never complained about anything, not once, and this one time there was something he really wanted, he couldn’t have it. Things couldn’t be less fair for him.
Ohno and Nino watched him without knowing how to comfort him. They only observed the serious expression on his face, outlined by the yellowish glow of the ashes of the dying fire, and shared his silence.
“This is it,” he muttered in a broken voice. “There is nothing else to do. Things will never change.”
He buried his face on his hands again, and began to shake lightly.
“I’ve lost everything,” he sobbed.
As he cried, the room was filled with flickering, tiny green sparkles. They ended up turning into a young boy more or less around Jun’s age, who stood next to him. Ohno and Nino moved nearer to have a closer look.
“No, you haven’t,” he spoke, patting Jun’s shoulder.
“Yes, I have nothing,” Jun insisted, not lifting his head.
“You still have your smile,” the boy said, crouching down in front of him and taking his hands. “If you couldn’t smile anymore, I wouldn’t be here.” Jun stared at him, puzzled. “Always smile and something good will definitely happen to you.”
He made Jun stand up and wiped the trails left by the tears under his eyes.
“Much better. Now I can help you,” he smiled, searching for something in his pockets. “Huh? Huh? Where is my wand now? I swear it was here last time…”
“Wait, does this mean you are…?” Jun arched his eyebrows.
“Your fairy godfather, yes. You can call me Aiba,” he said, taking off his cloak to have a look inside.
“But… you don’t look much older than me…”
“Don’t judge fairies on their appearance. We don’t age like humans. Ah!” he exclaimed, as a long white stick fell to the floor. “Here it is!”
Jun gave a step back when Aiba held his wand in front of him.
“Now, the magic words,” the fairy said, clearing his throat afterwards. “Biri… Biri-biri, Bari-Bari, Boo!”
In that moment, nothing happened.
“Huh?” Aiba frowned. “Why isn’t it working? Biri, Bori, Bari, Boo!” he insisted, but the wand didn’t work that time either. “Come on!”
He started shaking it frantically, getting more and more frustrated every time his words failed, until, finally, some green sparkles came out of its tip. One of them fell just between Ohno and Nino.
“Hey, isn’t that dangerous?” Ohno complained, although he hadn’t moved an inch to avoid it, unlike Nino.
“Okay, this is the real take,” Aiba announced. “So, what you need is… a pumpkin.”
“A pumpkin?” Jun asked, amused.
“Exactly, like that one!” Aiba replied, pointing his wand at the vegetable garden outside the window.
He said the magical words right on his first try and, when the sparkles hit the pumpkin, it started growing until it was as big as a carriage. The roots turned into its wheels, and a door and two small windows appeared on the side.
“That was awesome!” Jun clapped his hands.
“Thank you,” Aiba bowed, turning slightly red. “Next… that cat!”
Before Jun could say anything about his stepfather’s cat and how it wouldn’t be a very good idea to do anything to it, the animal was already flying through the window and turning into a horse Aiba attached into the carriage.
“And last…”
Aiba looked around the room until his eyes stopped on Ohno and Nino. The latter had just grabbed his friend’s shirt and was dragging him away with him when the sparkles hit them.
“These mice will be your driver and your footman.”
Aiba crossed his arms with satisfaction as they both became human.
“Okay, you’re set to go,” he declared, pushing Jun outside. Jun opened his mouth, but Aiba didn’t let him speak. “No, no, don’t say anything now, there’s no time. You don’t want to miss the Ball.”
“But what about this outfit?” Jun asked, pointing at his stained clothes.
“Oh, don’t worry, you’re stunning,” Aiba smiled. But then, he realized. “Oh my! What is that you are wearing? You need new clothes!”
Aiba approached Jun and quickly took his measures using his wand. When he proceeded to cast the spell, Jun shut his eyes tightly; he wasn’t sure of what would come out of such a peculiar fairy godfather’s mind.
However, he found he was dressed in quite a smart outfit, a bit showy as well. He wore dark purple satin-like trousers, perfectly tightened around his waist by a wide golden belt, and a red jacket of the same material, decorated with black patterns. There was nothing under the jacket, so his skin was exposed in some parts.
“And one last thing,” Aiba added.
With another flick of his wand, a shiny, white satin stole appeared around Jun’s neck.
“You look fantastic,” Ohno praised Jun, who smiled shyly. “This is even better than the one we designed.”
“No, it isn’t,” Nino answered him back in a whisper.
As a mirror, Jun used the water of a fountain there was in the garden. He looked so different from his usual self it was hard to recognize his reflection at first. It thrilled him to think he would arrive at the Palace dressed like this.
“Oh, but remember,” Aiba told him in a serious tone. “This will only last for tonight.”
“I know, I know,” Jun nodded, still admiring his new clothes.
“What I mean is that, after the clock strikes twelve, at midnight, all this will disappear,” Aiba explained, “and things will be again as they were before. Do you understand?”
“Yes, of course,” Jun nodded again, not saddened in the least. “But even like that, I’m sure I will enjoy it very much.”
“I’m glad,” Aiba said, hugging him. “And now go, or you won’t make it!”
Nino and Ohno were already on the front part of the carriage and, as soon as Aiba had shoved Jun inside, they left.
***
Everything Prince Sho needed after being away from home so long was some peace. And yet, there he was, in the middle of a Ball in his honor, surrounded by people who he hadn’t met ever before and he was not interested in anyway. They only made unremarkable comments about topics he didn’t care about, and he was already tired of smiling politely at them and nodding every time they asked for his approval.
He could feel his father’s eyes fixed on him from across the room, carefully supervising his social interactions while he took care of his own. He thought his son didn’t know about his intentions, but this trick was already too old and too predictable for Sho to fall for it. There was nobody between those walls that could ever call his attention. He knew that from the moment he had come inside the hall.
Seeing that it wouldn’t have an end unless he put it himself, he was searching for a way to leave without hurting his guests’ feelings, when he noticed someone new. It was a young man, and without a doubt the most beautiful person Prince Sho had ever seen. If he hadn’t known only people from his kingdom had been invited, he would have sworn he came from another one. A prince like him, or maybe a duke, or a count. In any case, he had just arrived, because if he had been there earlier the prince would have never talked to anybody else.
Without even excusing himself, he jumped up from his chair and walked directly towards him. The young man, who had been too busy admiring the exquisite marble walls and the precious tapestries on them, didn’t notice his presence until he was right in front of him.
“Good evening,” Prince Sho said, stretching his hand delicately.
“Good evening,” was the young man’s reply, followed with a smile as bright as the moon.
Prince Sho offered him a chair at an empty table and took a seat next to him. He didn’t realize he was staring intently at him until the man shifted uneasily. He blinked, slightly awkward as well, and they both laughed.
“Please forgive me,” the prince apologized. “I couldn’t help it.”
The man shook his head, embarrassed, and immediately changed the topic.
“This is such a nice ball,” he said, really meaning it.
“Yes. And it has only started now.”
The longer the time they spent together, away from the rest of the guests, the more looks darted in their direction. The King was very annoyed at how his son had forgotten there were other people apart from that strange young man, but could do nothing for the moment.
Meanwhile, two girls and their father were making guesses at who that person was.
“He is extremely handsome,” the eldest sister said. “Do you think he’s a wealthy man?”
“Of course, he must have a title,” the other one replied. “A grand one.”
“Don’t you see he is a prince?” their father intervened. “Prince Sho has obviously met him before. They must be good friends. Why else would he treat him with such fondness?”
***
Jun was utterly fascinated by the graceful hands of the man he had met for the first time barely a couple of hours ago. His eyes didn’t miss a single movement of those long, elegant fingers, softly caressing the piano keys and creating a wonderful melody that was delicate as silk. The sound echoed on the walls of the empty room and came back to his ears as a distinctive vibration. Towards the end, he closed his eyes and leaned on the side of the instrument, keeping his breath in time to the music.
They had left the hall without further ado, when the man told him he had something to show him. Gently, he had taken Jun’s hand and led him through the numerous corridors and rooms of the Palace, which he knew surprisingly well, until they arrived to the music hall. Since then, he had been playing the piano for Jun.
It was very comfortable to be around him. They could talk about various subjects and never end, and, at the same time, just remain silent and enjoy each other’s presence like this. Jun felt that their souls were very similar.
He lifted his head and observed his profile by the candlelight. His features were round and soft, with full, inviting lips, and eyes… Oh, how incredible his eyes were. He had such an intense look that Jun was sure he had pierced through his skin and his body; he had been looking right at his heart the entire night. But that, even though at first he had been taken aback by such an intensity, that was what had touched him, what made him fall in love with him.
The way that man’s words came out not only from his lips, but also from his hands and his eyes, and it was always perfect.
***
If that was love, why hadn’t he started looking for it earlier? Before that night, what did he do? How could he find any passion in life, without love?
Prince Sho wondered this as he breathlessly gazed at the man who had now turned into the love of his life. They were at his private library, browsing through his books. He had already captivated him when he said he enjoyed reading the most, but after seeing how lovingly he picked up the books, how carefully he ran his finger through the spines to read the titles, and how tenderly he turned over the pages, he could declare he was, without any doubts, perfect.
In that moment, he decided that he would only be happy if he was next to him forever. And he could sense this desire wasn’t only his.
Their feelings were so deep, so sincere, so desperate and so mutually clear neither of them hesitated; the prince got up and leaned across the table, using his hand to lift the man’s face and, for the umpteenth time that night, getting lost in his extraordinary beauty. The man tilted his head upwards, offering his lips for him to kiss. Prince Sho savored the moment, the instant in which his happiness would be complete, while they slowly moved closer and closer.
And then, the clock struck twelve.
***
Reality downed on Jun painfully as the bells tolled. He suddenly remembered that this was meant to be the first and also the last night; that tomorrow this would be a dream and this marvelous man a memory he would never be able to erase from his mind. And that was how things had to be.
One, two. He stood up and, sparing him such a terrible word as “goodbye”, he ran away.
Three, four, five. He ran with all his might down the corridor.
Six, seven, eight. Down the stairs and towards the entrance.
Nine, ten. The distant sound of his voice froze him momentarily.
Eleven. Upon descending the last flight of stairs that separated him from the cold night air, he dropped his stole.
Twelve. The spell broke, and Jun ran into the forest.
***
He vanished as unexpectedly as he came. He was leaving nothing behind; no reasons, no promises, not even a name to search him by.
Prince Sho ran after him, begging for him to wait, to stay, to say something. However, when he finally had made him stop if only for a second, people came out of the big hall and stood in his way. They bombarded him with questions, where he had gone, who he was, why he was more important than the rest.
And then, the last stroke.
Afraid that it would be too late, he walked outside, to the stairs where he had seen him for the last time. There, lying on the last steps, fluttering lightly because of the wind, he found his stole, the single evidence of that man’s existence.
Prince Sho held it carefully in his hands and swore he would find him.
***
Dressed again in the dirty clothes he wore before Aiba cast the spell, Jun sat in the darkness of the woods. He watched the rest of the guests leave the Palace in their own carriages, running over the pieces of the pumpkin that minutes ago was a splendid carriage itself.
There was a rustling sound in some bushes nearby, and his friends, Nino and Ohno, who were mice again, walked towards him, panting.
“I’m so sorry I didn’t wait for you,” he said, looking at the stars with a melancholic expression. “I was so happy I forgot about everything. He is such a special person, so warm and kind… I bet not even the prince is as amazing as him,” he turned his head and looked at his friends. “Where are your clothes?”
“Mmm, we…” Ohno started to explain.
“We lost them,” Nino said after elbowing him. “So did you have fun at Palace?”
“Yes. Much more than I expected to. Thank you,” Jun smiled. One of the stars in the sky seemed to blink. “And to you too, of course. Thank you very much, Aiba.”
***
Several days later, Jun’s life had gone back to how it was before the Ball. No, it wasn’t exactly the same, because now he had some precious memories that helped him cope with anything. Just thinking of them, he was able to smile more than ever.
Little did he know, as he hummed the melodies he had listened to that night while feeding the chicken in the yard, that his story hadn’t still come to an end.
“Jun!” his stepfather called him from one of the upper windows. “Junnosuke! Come here!”
“Yes, sir,” Jun replied, heading inside the house. “What is it?”
“Prepare breakfast for my daughters,” he ordered him. “I’ll wake them up.”
Jun nodded and, when he passed by him to go to the kitchen, he noticed that his stepfather wasn’t as composed as usual; in fact, he looked pretty nervous, and his voice had slightly faltered when he spoke. Had something bad happened?
He did as he had been ordered and carried the food upstairs in a tray. As he approached the room of one of the girls, he could hear their voices inside. He stopped next to it and listened.
“Is that true, Father?”
“Yes, a good friend told me this morning. He said that Prince Sho has been looking for a certain person since the day after the Ball took place, and he has already been to most parts of the kingdom. He might be coming to our house this very afternoon.”
“And how is that of interest to us?” Jun recognized the annoying voice of the youngest of his stepsisters. “He spent all night talking to that mysterious man. It’s probably him he’s looking for.”
Mysterious man? For some reason, that made Jun’s heart skip a beat.
“Shh, let me explain you everything first,” their father spoke again. “Apparently, we were wrong. That man wasn’t anybody Prince Sho knew. That was actually the first time he met him. He doesn’t even know his name.” He made a little pause. “All he has from him is a white stole he forgot.”
A white stole! The white stole he was wearing! The man he loved was no less than Prince Sho himself! And he was searching for him! Jun was so shocked the tray slipped out of his hands and the plates and cups on it crashed into the floor.
“Ah, this clumsy boy!” his stepfather complained, opening the door. “Pick that up, quickly!”
Jun picked up the pieces one by one, which gave him enough time to listen to the rest of the conversation.
“Prince Sho says he has something very important to offer to that person,” the man continued.
“Oh, what is it, Father?” the eldest of the sisters asked, her excitement growing.
“Nobody knows. But I have a plan. And if it goes well, who knows…” He sat on an armchair and crossed his legs triumphantly. “Maybe one of you could end up getting married to him.”
Jun had to hold his laugh as the girls shrieked and ran to their father’s arms. Poor girls, they didn’t really know how far that was from happening.
“Keep calm, my little flowers,” the man told them, standing up again. “For that, you’ll have to do as I say. As you know, this person Prince Sho is in search of is a man.” His daughters grumbled. “But here is what I’ve thought: first, you will disguise yourselves as men and, right after the Prince has decided which of you he wants, you will tell him that you lied and that, in fact, you are not a man, but a woman.”
This time, Jun couldn’t help laughing, and coughed in an attempt to hide it. It was true that his stepsisters, with their lack of grace and refinement, could easily pass as men. But they would never fool the Prince with such a silly trick.
“That sounds like a good idea, Father!” the eldest sister said. “I’ll do anything to get married to Prince Sho!”
“That’s right!” her sister jumped up from her seat. “This is my opportunity to get him! Junnosuke! Bring us some clothes we can wear! We have to get ready!”
“Yes, and I need to get ready as well,” Jun muttered to himself before heading out of the room.
Unfortunately, his stepfather had heard him. He had also been observing his strangely lively behavior, and, since he could remember some features of the Prince’s friend’s face, this was enough for him to finally confirm that Jun was the person Prince Sho was after. Knowing that, of course, he wouldn’t let him do as he pleased. So, later that day, when Jun went into his room to tell his friends the good news, he took the opportunity to lock him in.
Just then, the Prince arrived.
***
With every house he visited in vain, Prince Sho’s desperation grew.
There were only a few houses left. He had to live in one of those. He arrived in front of the first, got off his horse and walked towards the door. He had barely knocked on it once when it opened. Inside, there was a tall man smiling suspiciously.
“Come in, dear Majesty,” he welcomed him, shaking his hand enthusiastically. “To what do I owe the pleasure of having you in my humble house?”
“You must definitely have heard of this, but I’m looking for someone I met at the Ball,” the prince began to explain. “It’s a man, about my age or a bit younger, and he was wearing this,” he told him, showing him the white stole.
“Oh, let’s ask my little flo…” He cleared his throat to cover his mistake. “I mean, my sons, and see which of them this lovely item belongs to.”
His sons, both of whom bore little resemblance to who he had expected to see, and had the same horrible haircut and wore clothes too big for them, came down the stairs at a very slow pace, blatantly trying to appeal to him.
“My little boys,” their father spoke to them, “does this elegant stole belong to any of you?”
“Oh my God!” the one who looked the oldest said in a loud, high-pitched voice. “I have been looking for that! It is certainly mine!”
He reached his hand to take the stole from the prince’s hands, but he held on to it.
“He won’t give it to you, because it’s mine!” the other boy, whose voice was even more high-pitched, screamed.
“Boys, remember your manners,” their father told them. “I know you are nervous because you were dying to be reunited with His Majesty, but…”
“Don’t worry, sir, I was going to leave anyway,” Prince Sho said. “Thank you very much, and have a good evening.”
A loud noise could be heard from upstairs.
“Are you sure, Your Majesty?” the man followed him to the door, blocking his way. “Perhaps if they try it on…”
“It would look horrible on them,” a familiar voice said.
***
“Please open the door! Don’t leave me here!” Jun yelled, banging his fists on the door. He heard a horse stopping in front of the main entrance, and knew it was the prince. “Let me see him! Please!”
He pressed his back against the door and slid down, trembling with rage. They had no right. They had no right whatsoever to do this to him, on top of everything they had already done. He had to do something.
Nino and Ohno were next to him, also trying to think of a way to break out. Suddenly, Nino had an idea. He grabbed Ohno by his shirt, as usual, and dragged him to a hole there was in the wall.
“Where are you going?” Jun asked.
“We’ll steal the key from your stepfather and bring it here,” Nino explained, while Ohno threw a surprised look his way.
“There’s no time for that,” Jun answered. Then he looked at the hole they were going to escape through and had a better idea. “But I know what to do now.”
He walked to the other side of the room and took a chair that was next to his bed. He held it in the air, its legs pointing to the door, and ran in its direction with all his might. He bounced back and almost fell to the floor, but there was a small crack left on the wood. He kept on doing the same until he finally broke the door and could go out.
His heart racing with emotion, he hurried downstairs and found the prince was about to leave. However, just when he heard Jun’s voice, he turned around and looked at him with eyes wide open, as if he couldn’t believe he was there.
“Oh, don’t mind him. He’s only a servant…” Jun’s stepfather started to say, but he was ignored.
Jun walked across the hall, every step faster than the previous. The disguised girls stood in the middle, but then the prince pushed them away and closed his arms tight around Jun’s body.
“I thought I had to live without you,” Jun whispered, holding him back.
The sisters gasped and clenched their fists at him, upset and disgruntled.
“Don’t touch him with your dirty hands, Junnosuke!” they yelled. “Leave him alone! He’s ours!”
“Shut up!” the Prince screamed. “You are so annoying.”
He took out a large piece of parchment and showed it to them. “This is a Royal Warrant by which you two,” he looked at the girls, who were about to burst into tears, “and you, sir, as well,” and then at their father, who raised his eyebrows in disbelief, “are to leave this house and its surrounding land and never return.”
To see his stepfather and his daughters leave after that shocked Jun as much as it had shocked them to be thrown out by the Prince himself. He couldn’t believe that everything that once belonged to his family was back in his hands and, above all, that it was all thanks to the person he loved the most in the world, who loved him back so much he had searched for him without a rest.
***
“You never told me the main character of your story was a servant,” Prince Sho reproached him, gently placing the stole around his neck.
“I didn’t want you to laugh at me,” Jun replied, smiling shyly. “I shouldn’t have even told you in the first place.”
“Why not? I wouldn’t have been able to help you otherwise,” the Prince said.
“I would have followed you wherever you went to,” Jun assured him.
“Well, sadly, this is all I can give you,” was the prince’s response, “since I am not the Prince anymore.”
“How is that?”
“I gave the throne to my younger sister,” the former prince confessed. “She is more focused on it than I ever was, anyway. That Royal Warrant was the last thing the King conferred me. And now I can’t go back to the Palace.”
“You could stay here…”
“Yes?”
“I wouldn’t let you go even if you wanted to,” Jun said half-jokingly.
The former prince laughed before suddenly taking Jun’s hand in his. They looked at each other in silence, and slowly leaned in for a kiss.
“Wow! Look at this!” someone interrupted them.
They both looked around, startled, to see Ohno and Nino standing in front of them.
“We’re human again!” Nino said, examining his hands. “We were spying on you, and then your stole fell over us and this happened!”
“Why were you spying on us?” Jun frowned at him.
Nino ignored him and wrapped his arms around Ohno, who was busy trying his new nose. Then he craned his neck and gave him a quick peck on the lips.
“Oops, sorry,” he apologized when he saw Jun glaring at him. “Let’s go.”
He tried to drag Ohno as he used to, but since now he was heavier it didn’t work. Instead, they just linked their arms and walked out merrily.
“Oh… what should I call you, if it’s not Prince Sho?” Jun asked once they were gone.
“Just call me Sho,” he laughed lightly.
“Sho.” Jun pronounced it in a soft voice.
“You know mine, but I still don’t know your name…” Sho told him.
“Jun.”
“Such a charming name,” Sho whispered, cupping his cheek with a hand. “Jun.”
And then, just as the clock struck twelve, they locked lips and promised to live happily ever after.
THE END
Thanks for reading~
Title: A dream is a wish (Your heart makes)
Pairings: Matsumoto Jun x Sakurai Sho, Ninomiya Kazunari x Ohno Satoshi (of course, Aiba is also in it ^^)
Genre: AU, fantasy, angst, romance, some fluff (after all, it's a fairy tale...)
Rating: PG
Summary: "Have faith in your dreams and, someday, your rainbow will come smiling through."
Notes: I was watching Disney's Cinderella and, since it has always been one of my favorite tales, I just couldn't stop thinking about making an Arashi/Sakumoto version. Five days later, I finished writing this and beat my personal record :D. It follows quite faithfully the story as told in the movie, at least in the order of the events, though my muse merrily started to change things from the Ball scene. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it ♥
And I couldn't finish this painfully long preamble without saying thank you to all the friends who were there before/after/during the writing of this fic: anafase, ginger001, cypros and cry1baby ^^ Thank you very much for all the feedback, the corrections and, above all, the support! ;)
Additional note: I know, I know, you're here for the read, but just in case you'd like to listen to music meanwhile, here are some pieces that inspired me while I was writing:
#1 - For the beginning and some other parts.
#2 - For when the fairy appears.
#3 - For the Ball and the ending.
“Have faith in your dreams and, someday,
your rainbow will come smiling through.”
nce upon a time, in a faraway kingdom, lived an innocent, lovely little boy, whose name was Jun. He lost his father at a very early age and he was raised only by his mother until she married another man. Unfortunately for little Jun, his stepfather, a very wealthy and powerful man, even though he treated his mother like a queen, felt no sympathy whatsoever for her son, and never lost an occasion to show that he despised him.
Despite this, for some time, Jun lived happily in the company of his mother, her new husband and the two daughters he brought with him. However, this happiness ended the day his mother succumbed to a terrible illness that took her life away in only a few days.
Since Jun’s mother was no longer in this world and he had nobody else to protect him, his stepfather disowned him and took everything away from him without any difficulty. Therefore, Jun, who was still a young boy, lost the fortune of his family and the house his father had built. And, to make things even worse, he was forced to work as a servant if he didn’t want to leave the place. He was ordered to do the most unpleasant chores everyday and he was usually covered in dust and ash. His sisters, for who he did almost everything, would always call him “Junnosuke.”
Even so, Jun never stopped hoping and dreaming. He was sure that, if he worked hard enough, someday he would be able to recover all his possessions and live happily again. Every day, he would get up early, dress himself with the ragged, soiled clothes of which consisted his single outfit, go to feed the animals in the yard, and then prepare breakfast for his stepfather and his daughters, who would usually complain that it took too long for him to bring it, even if it was there a few seconds after they rang the bell.
The morning of the day his life finally changed, Jun was being punished. Their silly cat had crossed his way as usual, and made him spill almost an entire jug of milk. Jun didn’t hate cats, even when he had reasons to hate at least this one, but he never managed to be on good terms with it, and this was the last straw. To teach the animal a lesson, Jun had emptied a bucket of water on it. However, in addition to the cat itself, his stepfather also got angry at him.
When he was busy cleaning the big, tall windows in the drawing room for the second time in less than a week, he heard the bell ringing. He hurried to open the door and, at the other side, he found an official from the Royal Guard, who was holding a piece of parchment for him. The only thing the man said was that it was a message from the Palace. Jun took it carefully and said thank you with a smile before closing the door. His heart started racing with excitement.
A message from the Palace! What could it be?
***
Ever since he had been old enough, the King had been anxious to see his son married, so that he would have a ready successor when the moment came. But Prince Sho, no matter how much his father insisted, wouldn’t even consider it. He was too busy travelling to other kingdoms and shutting himself away in his study to pay attention to that issue. Of course, he planned to marry and give grandchildren to his old father someday. But the day that would happen hadn’t come just yet.
Unwilling to accept his son’s idealistic, romantic way of thinking, the King made a plan, helped by the rest of the court. To welcome Prince Sho when he came back from his most recent trip, they would have a ball in his honor. This ball would be attended by members of every noble house in the kingdom. That would force Prince Sho to meet many young men and, of course, women around his age. Among them, hopefully, he might find someone likeable who will finally make him settle down and take the throne.
And thus, as the date approached, invitations were sent throughout the kingdom.
***
Struggling to hold the impulse of reading the message that had just arrived, Jun ran to the room where his stepfather and his daughters were practicing singing. The old man frowned when his lesson was interrupted, but his expression changed once he noticed the seal in the piece of parchment his servant was holding.
Almost at the same time, the two girls ran towards Jun, screaming and pushing each other.
“Give me that, Junnosuke!” the eldest roared.
“No, it’s mine!” the other one screeched.
Jun wordlessly watched their contorted faces turning red from both the fight and the excitement, until their father snatched the message from his hands and started reading it out loud.
“Dearest members of every noble household of the kingdom.” He paused and gave a serious look to the girls, who immediately stopped muttering and simply stared at him with sparkling eyes. “You are cordially invited to the Royal Ball in Prince Sho’s honor that is to be held tonight in Palace.”
The last part of the message couldn’t be heard because of the screams that, louder than earlier, filled the room.
“I’m going to dance with Prince Sho!” the youngest sister exclaimed. “Oh, no!” She threw up her hands in horror. “What am I going to wear? All of my dresses are too ordinary!”
“Mine too!” the other one cried. “This is such a tragedy! He won’t even look at me!”
They both turned to their father.
“Dear Father, please buy us some new dresses to wear tonight!” they asked him in unison.
“Calm down, my little flowers, you will…”
“Excuse me, sir,” Jun interrupted him. The opportunity was worth the glare he received as a response. He put his trembling hands behind his back, gulped, and spoke as clearly as the lump in his throat allowed him to. “It says ‘members of every noble household’ in the message. I think that includes me too, so I would like to attend the Ball as well. Could I?”
“Of course not!” the sisters exclaimed at the same time.
“Don’t let this dirty Junnosuke go, Father!” the youngest added.
“That’s right!” her sister backed her. “He will only tarnish the name of this house with that horrible appearance of his!”
Every time Jun asked permission to go out or do something that meant other people would meet him, they used this excuse to convince their father. However, this wasn’t the true reason why they opposed it. In fact, what they feared was that Jun’s astonishing, natural beauty would make him the center of everybody’s attention.
In the span of only a few years, he had turned from a little ungraceful boy, an ugly duckling, to an incredibly handsome young man, with a pale, smooth skin, like the pure white feathers of a swan, and big, bright dark hazel eyes framed by locks of beautiful chestnut hair.
“Oh, well, I don’t see why I wouldn’t give you permission,” his stepfather answered.
His daughters pouted. Jun’s lips were forming the first syllable of ‘thank you’ when he spoke again.
“But only if you dress up properly and manage to finish today’s chores before it’s time to go,” he grinned maliciously.
Jun understood what that meant before he added, “you can start by taking down and washing the curtains in every room-“
“But sir, I did that some days ago already,” Jun complained.
“-just do it again! And then, go to the library, take all the books from their shelves, clean them, and put them back in their place.”
“That would take two days at least!”
“Do it! And then you can get ready and go to the Ball.”
Jun lowered his head resignedly and decided to comply with his orders. He left the room followed by the falsely sympathetic looks of his stepfamily, and closed the door.
***
“That sounds like a big chance!” one of Jun’s only friends, a tiny mouse named Nino, told him when he heard the news.
“Yes!” Jun’s other friend and Nino’s inseparable partner, Ohno, said. “Maybe you will find someone who can help make your dreams come true!”
Jun nodded and smiled sweetly, taking two more pieces of cheese out of the pocket in his apron. It was good to have someone who could understand his emotions and share his excitement about the Ball. He stood up from the corner where he had crouched down to talk to his friends, and walked towards his wardrobe.
“But first, I have some things to do,” he explained, opening it wide. “I must find a proper outfit for tonight.”
He took out an old black suit he had inherited from his late father, and spread it out on his bed. It looked very smart, but was a bit outdated. Jun observed it for a while, reflecting on what changes he could make on it to improve it, when one of the three bells hanging on the wall rang.
“Junnosuke! The curtains!” a voice could be heard from downstairs.
Jun sighed and walked towards the door, sharing a sad look with his friends.
“I guess I should do the other things first.”
Once he was out of the room, Nino jumped into the bed and examined the suit closely, first lifting one of the sleeves of the jacket. Ohno gave him a confused look from the floor.
“What are you doing, Nino?” he asked, scratching his nose and pulling one of his long whiskers, which made him sneeze.
“We must help poor Jun,” Nino said, crossing his arms and squinting to think.
“How?”
“By getting his outfit ready before he comes back!” Nino smiled.
They called their friends, the other mice in the house, and together they started looking for materials to turn the old suit into a new one. Nino found some shiny yellow cloth in the stables, while Ohno picked up a bright blue dress one of the girls had just thrown away in a fit of rage. One of their friends got an old hat that could look nice as an accessory.
“Okay, so we just need to sew a bit of yellow in here-” Nino said, already cutting his cloth.
“Why not blue?” Ohno suggested, putting a part of the dress over the suit to see how it looked. “I think it looks better.”
“No,” Nino shook his head determinedly after pondering the option for barely two seconds. “Yellow is better.”
“It’s too bright…”
“It’s not. It will look great on Jun.”
“I don’t-”
“Yellow, Ohno. Trust me.”
Ohno shrugged and went obediently to help cutting the yellow cloth.
“Listen, we should use some blue as well.” He couldn’t help insisting once again, and had to dodge an annoyed look from Nino. “Just in some parts.”
Nino sat down, took off his hat and ran a hand across his forehead.
“Well then, fine,” he finally agreed. “But let’s get started now.”
***
The carriage that was to drive Jun’s stepfather and his daughters to the Ball had just arrived. Jun’s heart sank as he saw it coming from one of the windows in the second floor of the house. He forced himself to go and tell them, unable to hide his sadness this time.
“Oh, if you say you are almost finished with everything I ordered you, why aren’t you getting ready to go yet?” his father asked with feigned innocence.
“Because I don’t want to go anymore,” Jun declared, eyes fixed on the floor.
He wouldn’t manage to get his suit ready in time for the Ball, anyway.
“Ah, is that so? What a pity,” the man replied, but the sound of the girls snickering behind him made his tone less convincing. “Perhaps there will be another ball you can go to.”
Jun gave a hint of a bitter smile, and turned around. “Good night.”
He went back into his room and walked towards the window without turning the lights on. In the distance, on top of a hill, the Palace was shining with beautiful lights. Jun leaned his elbows on the sill and let out a sigh.
“It’ll be boring anyway,” he told himself in a loud voice. “Full of annoying young girls like these two, and their boring parents, talking about uninteresting, stupid things.” He snorted. “And meeting new people, and dancing, and having fun…”
A light turned on suddenly, startling him. He turned around and found Ohno and Nino on his bedside table, sitting down next to each other and holding hands while they munched the little cheese they had left. They pointed at the bed, where Jun’s newly transformed suit lay.
“Wow, this is amazing!” he admired it with eyes wide open.
He took it and stood in front of the mirror to see how it looked on him. Nino and Ohno had done a great work. He smiled at them and the mice exchanged triumphant looks.
“Thank you so much, my dear friends!”
“Come on, put it on and go to the Ball!” Nino jumped excitedly.
“Yes! Hurry up!” Ohno seconded him.
Jun nodded and did as they said. In the end, they had used the same amount of yellow and blue; the suit looked nothing like it was before. In those bright colors mixed in such an uncommon fashion, Jun looked as if had come from another world, a place even further than the stars. If this mysterious outfit didn’t make people turn their heads at him, nothing else would.
The carriage was about to leave when Jun walked out of the hall. His stepsisters -whose outfits were so badly combined one couldn’t even decide which one was worse- froze on their way out and turned to contemplate him with stupefied expressions, incapable of believing how gorgeous he was and very jealous of him.
“Please wait for me,” he smirked, rushing towards them.
“Oh, that is a very interesting outfit,” his stepfather stopped him. “I wonder where you got it from.”
“I made it myself,” Jun replied, a determined look on his eyes.
The youngest of the girls covered her mouth with a hand and ran to grab Jun by his sleeve, shaking his arm violently.
“How dare you, Junnosuke!” she yelled indignantly. “What did you do to my precious dress?”
Jun, as he didn’t know what his friends had done, didn’t have any response for that.
“He’s just a vulgar thief!” the other girl accused him. “Father, we can’t bring a thief with us to the Ball!”
“You are right, my little flowers,” their father said, not trying to hide the pleasure on his face. “We made a deal and he tried to deceive us.” He clicked his fingers. “Let’s go without him.”
“No! Wait!” Jun ran towards them as they climbed into the carriage, but was stopped by a bucket of murky horse water that was thrown over his head.
Soaking from head to toe in his now ruined outfit, he watched the carriage vanishing through the sinuous path that led to the Palace, and, with it, the dream he had cherished for so long.
***
Jun went straight to the kitchen and sat down on a stool next to the stove. He put his head in his hands, defeated and disappointed. What had he done to deserve that? He had never complained about anything, not once, and this one time there was something he really wanted, he couldn’t have it. Things couldn’t be less fair for him.
Ohno and Nino watched him without knowing how to comfort him. They only observed the serious expression on his face, outlined by the yellowish glow of the ashes of the dying fire, and shared his silence.
“This is it,” he muttered in a broken voice. “There is nothing else to do. Things will never change.”
He buried his face on his hands again, and began to shake lightly.
“I’ve lost everything,” he sobbed.
As he cried, the room was filled with flickering, tiny green sparkles. They ended up turning into a young boy more or less around Jun’s age, who stood next to him. Ohno and Nino moved nearer to have a closer look.
“No, you haven’t,” he spoke, patting Jun’s shoulder.
“Yes, I have nothing,” Jun insisted, not lifting his head.
“You still have your smile,” the boy said, crouching down in front of him and taking his hands. “If you couldn’t smile anymore, I wouldn’t be here.” Jun stared at him, puzzled. “Always smile and something good will definitely happen to you.”
He made Jun stand up and wiped the trails left by the tears under his eyes.
“Much better. Now I can help you,” he smiled, searching for something in his pockets. “Huh? Huh? Where is my wand now? I swear it was here last time…”
“Wait, does this mean you are…?” Jun arched his eyebrows.
“Your fairy godfather, yes. You can call me Aiba,” he said, taking off his cloak to have a look inside.
“But… you don’t look much older than me…”
“Don’t judge fairies on their appearance. We don’t age like humans. Ah!” he exclaimed, as a long white stick fell to the floor. “Here it is!”
Jun gave a step back when Aiba held his wand in front of him.
“Now, the magic words,” the fairy said, clearing his throat afterwards. “Biri… Biri-biri, Bari-Bari, Boo!”
In that moment, nothing happened.
“Huh?” Aiba frowned. “Why isn’t it working? Biri, Bori, Bari, Boo!” he insisted, but the wand didn’t work that time either. “Come on!”
He started shaking it frantically, getting more and more frustrated every time his words failed, until, finally, some green sparkles came out of its tip. One of them fell just between Ohno and Nino.
“Hey, isn’t that dangerous?” Ohno complained, although he hadn’t moved an inch to avoid it, unlike Nino.
“Okay, this is the real take,” Aiba announced. “So, what you need is… a pumpkin.”
“A pumpkin?” Jun asked, amused.
“Exactly, like that one!” Aiba replied, pointing his wand at the vegetable garden outside the window.
He said the magical words right on his first try and, when the sparkles hit the pumpkin, it started growing until it was as big as a carriage. The roots turned into its wheels, and a door and two small windows appeared on the side.
“That was awesome!” Jun clapped his hands.
“Thank you,” Aiba bowed, turning slightly red. “Next… that cat!”
Before Jun could say anything about his stepfather’s cat and how it wouldn’t be a very good idea to do anything to it, the animal was already flying through the window and turning into a horse Aiba attached into the carriage.
“And last…”
Aiba looked around the room until his eyes stopped on Ohno and Nino. The latter had just grabbed his friend’s shirt and was dragging him away with him when the sparkles hit them.
“These mice will be your driver and your footman.”
Aiba crossed his arms with satisfaction as they both became human.
“Okay, you’re set to go,” he declared, pushing Jun outside. Jun opened his mouth, but Aiba didn’t let him speak. “No, no, don’t say anything now, there’s no time. You don’t want to miss the Ball.”
“But what about this outfit?” Jun asked, pointing at his stained clothes.
“Oh, don’t worry, you’re stunning,” Aiba smiled. But then, he realized. “Oh my! What is that you are wearing? You need new clothes!”
Aiba approached Jun and quickly took his measures using his wand. When he proceeded to cast the spell, Jun shut his eyes tightly; he wasn’t sure of what would come out of such a peculiar fairy godfather’s mind.
However, he found he was dressed in quite a smart outfit, a bit showy as well. He wore dark purple satin-like trousers, perfectly tightened around his waist by a wide golden belt, and a red jacket of the same material, decorated with black patterns. There was nothing under the jacket, so his skin was exposed in some parts.
“And one last thing,” Aiba added.
With another flick of his wand, a shiny, white satin stole appeared around Jun’s neck.
“You look fantastic,” Ohno praised Jun, who smiled shyly. “This is even better than the one we designed.”
“No, it isn’t,” Nino answered him back in a whisper.
As a mirror, Jun used the water of a fountain there was in the garden. He looked so different from his usual self it was hard to recognize his reflection at first. It thrilled him to think he would arrive at the Palace dressed like this.
“Oh, but remember,” Aiba told him in a serious tone. “This will only last for tonight.”
“I know, I know,” Jun nodded, still admiring his new clothes.
“What I mean is that, after the clock strikes twelve, at midnight, all this will disappear,” Aiba explained, “and things will be again as they were before. Do you understand?”
“Yes, of course,” Jun nodded again, not saddened in the least. “But even like that, I’m sure I will enjoy it very much.”
“I’m glad,” Aiba said, hugging him. “And now go, or you won’t make it!”
Nino and Ohno were already on the front part of the carriage and, as soon as Aiba had shoved Jun inside, they left.
***
Everything Prince Sho needed after being away from home so long was some peace. And yet, there he was, in the middle of a Ball in his honor, surrounded by people who he hadn’t met ever before and he was not interested in anyway. They only made unremarkable comments about topics he didn’t care about, and he was already tired of smiling politely at them and nodding every time they asked for his approval.
He could feel his father’s eyes fixed on him from across the room, carefully supervising his social interactions while he took care of his own. He thought his son didn’t know about his intentions, but this trick was already too old and too predictable for Sho to fall for it. There was nobody between those walls that could ever call his attention. He knew that from the moment he had come inside the hall.
Seeing that it wouldn’t have an end unless he put it himself, he was searching for a way to leave without hurting his guests’ feelings, when he noticed someone new. It was a young man, and without a doubt the most beautiful person Prince Sho had ever seen. If he hadn’t known only people from his kingdom had been invited, he would have sworn he came from another one. A prince like him, or maybe a duke, or a count. In any case, he had just arrived, because if he had been there earlier the prince would have never talked to anybody else.
Without even excusing himself, he jumped up from his chair and walked directly towards him. The young man, who had been too busy admiring the exquisite marble walls and the precious tapestries on them, didn’t notice his presence until he was right in front of him.
“Good evening,” Prince Sho said, stretching his hand delicately.
“Good evening,” was the young man’s reply, followed with a smile as bright as the moon.
Prince Sho offered him a chair at an empty table and took a seat next to him. He didn’t realize he was staring intently at him until the man shifted uneasily. He blinked, slightly awkward as well, and they both laughed.
“Please forgive me,” the prince apologized. “I couldn’t help it.”
The man shook his head, embarrassed, and immediately changed the topic.
“This is such a nice ball,” he said, really meaning it.
“Yes. And it has only started now.”
The longer the time they spent together, away from the rest of the guests, the more looks darted in their direction. The King was very annoyed at how his son had forgotten there were other people apart from that strange young man, but could do nothing for the moment.
Meanwhile, two girls and their father were making guesses at who that person was.
“He is extremely handsome,” the eldest sister said. “Do you think he’s a wealthy man?”
“Of course, he must have a title,” the other one replied. “A grand one.”
“Don’t you see he is a prince?” their father intervened. “Prince Sho has obviously met him before. They must be good friends. Why else would he treat him with such fondness?”
***
Jun was utterly fascinated by the graceful hands of the man he had met for the first time barely a couple of hours ago. His eyes didn’t miss a single movement of those long, elegant fingers, softly caressing the piano keys and creating a wonderful melody that was delicate as silk. The sound echoed on the walls of the empty room and came back to his ears as a distinctive vibration. Towards the end, he closed his eyes and leaned on the side of the instrument, keeping his breath in time to the music.
They had left the hall without further ado, when the man told him he had something to show him. Gently, he had taken Jun’s hand and led him through the numerous corridors and rooms of the Palace, which he knew surprisingly well, until they arrived to the music hall. Since then, he had been playing the piano for Jun.
It was very comfortable to be around him. They could talk about various subjects and never end, and, at the same time, just remain silent and enjoy each other’s presence like this. Jun felt that their souls were very similar.
He lifted his head and observed his profile by the candlelight. His features were round and soft, with full, inviting lips, and eyes… Oh, how incredible his eyes were. He had such an intense look that Jun was sure he had pierced through his skin and his body; he had been looking right at his heart the entire night. But that, even though at first he had been taken aback by such an intensity, that was what had touched him, what made him fall in love with him.
The way that man’s words came out not only from his lips, but also from his hands and his eyes, and it was always perfect.
***
If that was love, why hadn’t he started looking for it earlier? Before that night, what did he do? How could he find any passion in life, without love?
Prince Sho wondered this as he breathlessly gazed at the man who had now turned into the love of his life. They were at his private library, browsing through his books. He had already captivated him when he said he enjoyed reading the most, but after seeing how lovingly he picked up the books, how carefully he ran his finger through the spines to read the titles, and how tenderly he turned over the pages, he could declare he was, without any doubts, perfect.
In that moment, he decided that he would only be happy if he was next to him forever. And he could sense this desire wasn’t only his.
Their feelings were so deep, so sincere, so desperate and so mutually clear neither of them hesitated; the prince got up and leaned across the table, using his hand to lift the man’s face and, for the umpteenth time that night, getting lost in his extraordinary beauty. The man tilted his head upwards, offering his lips for him to kiss. Prince Sho savored the moment, the instant in which his happiness would be complete, while they slowly moved closer and closer.
And then, the clock struck twelve.
***
Reality downed on Jun painfully as the bells tolled. He suddenly remembered that this was meant to be the first and also the last night; that tomorrow this would be a dream and this marvelous man a memory he would never be able to erase from his mind. And that was how things had to be.
One, two. He stood up and, sparing him such a terrible word as “goodbye”, he ran away.
Three, four, five. He ran with all his might down the corridor.
Six, seven, eight. Down the stairs and towards the entrance.
Nine, ten. The distant sound of his voice froze him momentarily.
Eleven. Upon descending the last flight of stairs that separated him from the cold night air, he dropped his stole.
Twelve. The spell broke, and Jun ran into the forest.
***
He vanished as unexpectedly as he came. He was leaving nothing behind; no reasons, no promises, not even a name to search him by.
Prince Sho ran after him, begging for him to wait, to stay, to say something. However, when he finally had made him stop if only for a second, people came out of the big hall and stood in his way. They bombarded him with questions, where he had gone, who he was, why he was more important than the rest.
And then, the last stroke.
Afraid that it would be too late, he walked outside, to the stairs where he had seen him for the last time. There, lying on the last steps, fluttering lightly because of the wind, he found his stole, the single evidence of that man’s existence.
Prince Sho held it carefully in his hands and swore he would find him.
***
Dressed again in the dirty clothes he wore before Aiba cast the spell, Jun sat in the darkness of the woods. He watched the rest of the guests leave the Palace in their own carriages, running over the pieces of the pumpkin that minutes ago was a splendid carriage itself.
There was a rustling sound in some bushes nearby, and his friends, Nino and Ohno, who were mice again, walked towards him, panting.
“I’m so sorry I didn’t wait for you,” he said, looking at the stars with a melancholic expression. “I was so happy I forgot about everything. He is such a special person, so warm and kind… I bet not even the prince is as amazing as him,” he turned his head and looked at his friends. “Where are your clothes?”
“Mmm, we…” Ohno started to explain.
“We lost them,” Nino said after elbowing him. “So did you have fun at Palace?”
“Yes. Much more than I expected to. Thank you,” Jun smiled. One of the stars in the sky seemed to blink. “And to you too, of course. Thank you very much, Aiba.”
***
Several days later, Jun’s life had gone back to how it was before the Ball. No, it wasn’t exactly the same, because now he had some precious memories that helped him cope with anything. Just thinking of them, he was able to smile more than ever.
Little did he know, as he hummed the melodies he had listened to that night while feeding the chicken in the yard, that his story hadn’t still come to an end.
“Jun!” his stepfather called him from one of the upper windows. “Junnosuke! Come here!”
“Yes, sir,” Jun replied, heading inside the house. “What is it?”
“Prepare breakfast for my daughters,” he ordered him. “I’ll wake them up.”
Jun nodded and, when he passed by him to go to the kitchen, he noticed that his stepfather wasn’t as composed as usual; in fact, he looked pretty nervous, and his voice had slightly faltered when he spoke. Had something bad happened?
He did as he had been ordered and carried the food upstairs in a tray. As he approached the room of one of the girls, he could hear their voices inside. He stopped next to it and listened.
“Is that true, Father?”
“Yes, a good friend told me this morning. He said that Prince Sho has been looking for a certain person since the day after the Ball took place, and he has already been to most parts of the kingdom. He might be coming to our house this very afternoon.”
“And how is that of interest to us?” Jun recognized the annoying voice of the youngest of his stepsisters. “He spent all night talking to that mysterious man. It’s probably him he’s looking for.”
Mysterious man? For some reason, that made Jun’s heart skip a beat.
“Shh, let me explain you everything first,” their father spoke again. “Apparently, we were wrong. That man wasn’t anybody Prince Sho knew. That was actually the first time he met him. He doesn’t even know his name.” He made a little pause. “All he has from him is a white stole he forgot.”
A white stole! The white stole he was wearing! The man he loved was no less than Prince Sho himself! And he was searching for him! Jun was so shocked the tray slipped out of his hands and the plates and cups on it crashed into the floor.
“Ah, this clumsy boy!” his stepfather complained, opening the door. “Pick that up, quickly!”
Jun picked up the pieces one by one, which gave him enough time to listen to the rest of the conversation.
“Prince Sho says he has something very important to offer to that person,” the man continued.
“Oh, what is it, Father?” the eldest of the sisters asked, her excitement growing.
“Nobody knows. But I have a plan. And if it goes well, who knows…” He sat on an armchair and crossed his legs triumphantly. “Maybe one of you could end up getting married to him.”
Jun had to hold his laugh as the girls shrieked and ran to their father’s arms. Poor girls, they didn’t really know how far that was from happening.
“Keep calm, my little flowers,” the man told them, standing up again. “For that, you’ll have to do as I say. As you know, this person Prince Sho is in search of is a man.” His daughters grumbled. “But here is what I’ve thought: first, you will disguise yourselves as men and, right after the Prince has decided which of you he wants, you will tell him that you lied and that, in fact, you are not a man, but a woman.”
This time, Jun couldn’t help laughing, and coughed in an attempt to hide it. It was true that his stepsisters, with their lack of grace and refinement, could easily pass as men. But they would never fool the Prince with such a silly trick.
“That sounds like a good idea, Father!” the eldest sister said. “I’ll do anything to get married to Prince Sho!”
“That’s right!” her sister jumped up from her seat. “This is my opportunity to get him! Junnosuke! Bring us some clothes we can wear! We have to get ready!”
“Yes, and I need to get ready as well,” Jun muttered to himself before heading out of the room.
Unfortunately, his stepfather had heard him. He had also been observing his strangely lively behavior, and, since he could remember some features of the Prince’s friend’s face, this was enough for him to finally confirm that Jun was the person Prince Sho was after. Knowing that, of course, he wouldn’t let him do as he pleased. So, later that day, when Jun went into his room to tell his friends the good news, he took the opportunity to lock him in.
Just then, the Prince arrived.
***
With every house he visited in vain, Prince Sho’s desperation grew.
There were only a few houses left. He had to live in one of those. He arrived in front of the first, got off his horse and walked towards the door. He had barely knocked on it once when it opened. Inside, there was a tall man smiling suspiciously.
“Come in, dear Majesty,” he welcomed him, shaking his hand enthusiastically. “To what do I owe the pleasure of having you in my humble house?”
“You must definitely have heard of this, but I’m looking for someone I met at the Ball,” the prince began to explain. “It’s a man, about my age or a bit younger, and he was wearing this,” he told him, showing him the white stole.
“Oh, let’s ask my little flo…” He cleared his throat to cover his mistake. “I mean, my sons, and see which of them this lovely item belongs to.”
His sons, both of whom bore little resemblance to who he had expected to see, and had the same horrible haircut and wore clothes too big for them, came down the stairs at a very slow pace, blatantly trying to appeal to him.
“My little boys,” their father spoke to them, “does this elegant stole belong to any of you?”
“Oh my God!” the one who looked the oldest said in a loud, high-pitched voice. “I have been looking for that! It is certainly mine!”
He reached his hand to take the stole from the prince’s hands, but he held on to it.
“He won’t give it to you, because it’s mine!” the other boy, whose voice was even more high-pitched, screamed.
“Boys, remember your manners,” their father told them. “I know you are nervous because you were dying to be reunited with His Majesty, but…”
“Don’t worry, sir, I was going to leave anyway,” Prince Sho said. “Thank you very much, and have a good evening.”
A loud noise could be heard from upstairs.
“Are you sure, Your Majesty?” the man followed him to the door, blocking his way. “Perhaps if they try it on…”
“It would look horrible on them,” a familiar voice said.
***
“Please open the door! Don’t leave me here!” Jun yelled, banging his fists on the door. He heard a horse stopping in front of the main entrance, and knew it was the prince. “Let me see him! Please!”
He pressed his back against the door and slid down, trembling with rage. They had no right. They had no right whatsoever to do this to him, on top of everything they had already done. He had to do something.
Nino and Ohno were next to him, also trying to think of a way to break out. Suddenly, Nino had an idea. He grabbed Ohno by his shirt, as usual, and dragged him to a hole there was in the wall.
“Where are you going?” Jun asked.
“We’ll steal the key from your stepfather and bring it here,” Nino explained, while Ohno threw a surprised look his way.
“There’s no time for that,” Jun answered. Then he looked at the hole they were going to escape through and had a better idea. “But I know what to do now.”
He walked to the other side of the room and took a chair that was next to his bed. He held it in the air, its legs pointing to the door, and ran in its direction with all his might. He bounced back and almost fell to the floor, but there was a small crack left on the wood. He kept on doing the same until he finally broke the door and could go out.
His heart racing with emotion, he hurried downstairs and found the prince was about to leave. However, just when he heard Jun’s voice, he turned around and looked at him with eyes wide open, as if he couldn’t believe he was there.
“Oh, don’t mind him. He’s only a servant…” Jun’s stepfather started to say, but he was ignored.
Jun walked across the hall, every step faster than the previous. The disguised girls stood in the middle, but then the prince pushed them away and closed his arms tight around Jun’s body.
“I thought I had to live without you,” Jun whispered, holding him back.
The sisters gasped and clenched their fists at him, upset and disgruntled.
“Don’t touch him with your dirty hands, Junnosuke!” they yelled. “Leave him alone! He’s ours!”
“Shut up!” the Prince screamed. “You are so annoying.”
He took out a large piece of parchment and showed it to them. “This is a Royal Warrant by which you two,” he looked at the girls, who were about to burst into tears, “and you, sir, as well,” and then at their father, who raised his eyebrows in disbelief, “are to leave this house and its surrounding land and never return.”
To see his stepfather and his daughters leave after that shocked Jun as much as it had shocked them to be thrown out by the Prince himself. He couldn’t believe that everything that once belonged to his family was back in his hands and, above all, that it was all thanks to the person he loved the most in the world, who loved him back so much he had searched for him without a rest.
***
“You never told me the main character of your story was a servant,” Prince Sho reproached him, gently placing the stole around his neck.
“I didn’t want you to laugh at me,” Jun replied, smiling shyly. “I shouldn’t have even told you in the first place.”
“Why not? I wouldn’t have been able to help you otherwise,” the Prince said.
“I would have followed you wherever you went to,” Jun assured him.
“Well, sadly, this is all I can give you,” was the prince’s response, “since I am not the Prince anymore.”
“How is that?”
“I gave the throne to my younger sister,” the former prince confessed. “She is more focused on it than I ever was, anyway. That Royal Warrant was the last thing the King conferred me. And now I can’t go back to the Palace.”
“You could stay here…”
“Yes?”
“I wouldn’t let you go even if you wanted to,” Jun said half-jokingly.
The former prince laughed before suddenly taking Jun’s hand in his. They looked at each other in silence, and slowly leaned in for a kiss.
“Wow! Look at this!” someone interrupted them.
They both looked around, startled, to see Ohno and Nino standing in front of them.
“We’re human again!” Nino said, examining his hands. “We were spying on you, and then your stole fell over us and this happened!”
“Why were you spying on us?” Jun frowned at him.
Nino ignored him and wrapped his arms around Ohno, who was busy trying his new nose. Then he craned his neck and gave him a quick peck on the lips.
“Oops, sorry,” he apologized when he saw Jun glaring at him. “Let’s go.”
He tried to drag Ohno as he used to, but since now he was heavier it didn’t work. Instead, they just linked their arms and walked out merrily.
“Oh… what should I call you, if it’s not Prince Sho?” Jun asked once they were gone.
“Just call me Sho,” he laughed lightly.
“Sho.” Jun pronounced it in a soft voice.
“You know mine, but I still don’t know your name…” Sho told him.
“Jun.”
“Such a charming name,” Sho whispered, cupping his cheek with a hand. “Jun.”
And then, just as the clock struck twelve, they locked lips and promised to live happily ever after.
THE END
Thanks for reading~