The Prince's Princess (22/?)
Title: The Prince's Princess
Author: ai_ai_gasa2
Pairing: Lots! Takanoo and some Hikabu, a bit of Ariokamoto, and Chiitaro~
Rating: Probably, overall, PG-13. But they're all individually really safe. Like PG or something.
Genre: Romance, Fluff, very AU.
Summary: The Queen of the South Kingdom died of a sickness quite early on in life. The King never remarried, but did adopt 5 sons. Many years later, it is time now for his children to begin looking for wives, and the King also decides to adopt a daughter, planning a matchmaking ball for her in advance. But the adoption process is delayed... And Prince Inoo has no choice but to step in and play the princes in his to-be-sister's place.
A/N: I'm sorry (these things always start with an apology, sorry about that. :/ I just did it again. >.<) that the complete number of chapters is still a question mark. For those who are wondering, I'll fix that as soon as I am able--I had to do some chapter shuffling due to formatting issues. Thank you for reading; I hope you like this chapter!
mso-bidi-font-family:Kartika;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> It was actually quite easy to wake up the next morning, his nerves on edge as he thought about what he was about to do. Chinen was up with them, surprisingly, helping them pack up the food Mrs. Nakajima had prepared. Once that was done, he grabbed Inoo’s arm and tugged.
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> “Can I show you something real quick?” He asked. After a bit of thought, Hikaru answered
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> “Fine. But only if it’s really quick.”
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> With a nod, Chinen rushed off, the others following him to Daiki’s room. He opened the door quietly.
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> Keito was sitting against the wall, asleep, Daiki in his lap. Inoo knew enough about Daiki to see that his brother had been crying, still, probably until he had fallen asleep. But their entwined hands and the way Daiki’s head was nestled in Keito’s neck suggested that they had made some sort of amends.
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> “I think they’ll be fine.” Chinen whispered, quickly shutting the door. Once they were in the hallway, Chii began talking again as they made their way back downstairs and outside.
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> “At first, when I walked over, they were talking so quietly I couldn’t hear. But then Daiki suddenly yelled ‘How do you expect me to suddenly trust you, to believe you? We’re about to have a war and it’s his fault.’ And Keito said something back-I couldn’t hear him again-then Daiki got quiet again, but I could hear him:
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> ‘How can you be so calm right now?’ And then… Keito said…
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> ‘I’m not calm. You call this calm?! How can I be calm?!?’ It was so scary, because he yelled the last two sentences.”
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> That surprised everybody. None of them had heard Keito raise his voice to above a maybe-louder-than-a-mumble. It sounded terrifying.
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> “And then Keito kept talking… ‘Maybe you didn’t get past the fact that on that letter is my last name. I didn’t know anything about this. It’s my dad’s name on that paper, not mine. And do you think that it doesn’t affect me? You’ve never had a dad, so you don’t get this’-that part made Daiki mad-‘but I don’t want him to get a death sentence. He’ll probably get hung for his crimes, and what’d you think that’ll do to my mom? I’m going to lose my father, maybe my mother-at least emotionally, probably my place here, everybody’s trust, and the most important thing in my life. You. And I didn’t do anything to earn it.’ That’s when Daiki started crying again.” Chinen informed them further. “Keito didn’t know how to convince him, so he just told Daiki he had a choice. Believe him or not believe him. They did more talking, a little more arguing, and then… Well, you could tell what choice Daiki made. It’ll take a while, but I think they’ll be fine.”
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> They had reached the stables, their horses all packed up and ready to go for them. They hadn’t woken up the King, despite the man telling him to-the less people awake, the less suspicion there would be about their activities.
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> “Bye everyone.” Chinen prompted them all for hugs, each getting on their horse one by one, Chii saying
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> “Make sure you tell Ryu-chan I love him. A lot. ‘K?”
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> They all nodded, and just like that, they were off. They rode hard, going till late and waking up early, making it to Tomone in 2 days. They slept where they had stayed, having little time to reminisce before surrendering to exhaustion. That’s when Hikaru and Yamada suggested that they start traveling at night and sleeping during the day, because who knows what might happen if guards catch them passing through. Inoo honestly felt that it would be more suspicious for them to be caught sneaking around at night than during the day, but was a bit too tired to complain, so he let them do as they wanted. As long as they got there, it didn’t matter how.
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> “What should we do? Do we just go in, or…?” Inoo asked, looking at Yamada and Hikaru. His brothers were staring up at the castle, something Inoo had been doing until recently. They’d made it in four days, just as Yabu and his father had.
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> Finally, Hikaru shook his head.
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> “It would be kinda weird for us to go in in the middle of the night, wouldn’t it? We should wait, at least until the sun rises.”
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> “And we should get some sleep.” Yamada put in, making sure his horse was comfortable before making himself a nest out of his saddlebags and blankets. He had no problem falling asleep, the others following his example. Inoo couldn’t however, for the life of him, drift off. Too anxious. He knew that Hikaru, who was on the ground next to him, looking up at the stars, was being kept awake for the same reason.
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> “Don’t get me wrong,” Hikaru began “I’m excited, I can’t wait to see him, but… I haven’t even thought about what to say… Or do…”
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> Inoo nodded, knowing that despite the darkness, Hikaru had seen the motion, showing he’d heard and understood. “Maybe you should let Yabu do something first. Act off him. That’d be easiest.”
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> Hikaru nodded back. “What about you?” He asked.
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> “I don’t know… What if Takaki thinks that we’re the guilty ones?” He voiced his fear, closing his eyes for a moment. “I don’t think I could…” Takaki looking at him, the same way Yabu had glared at Hikaru, eyes full of betrayal, the cold voice. “Don’t touch me.”
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> “Maybe he realizes that the love of his life would never do something to hurt his brother, and doesn’t blame you at all.” Inoo knew Hikaru was trying to cheer him up with the ‘love of his life’ remark. “I bet he thinks we’re innocent. I mean, it really doesn’t make much sense, and…. Yabu believes in us, so…”
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> “Does he really? He’d seemed so sure.” Inoo feigned curiosity, an unbidden yawn escaping his lips, wondering if Hikaru would tell him about what happened in the stables at home.
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> “Nah. He was just really scared.” Hikaru yawned back. “Too worried to know what else to think. I mean, if I was him then I wouldn’t believe what I said to me either.”
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> It took Inoo a few moments for the sentence to process and actually make sense, telling Inoo that he was definitely tired.
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> “Yeah, but Rensuke is Takaki’s blood brother. If Yabu was that worried, then wouldn’t it make sense for Takaki to be more so?”
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> “Kota frets too much about everything, and Takaki doesn’t seem to strike me as the worrying type. I’m sure you’ll be fine. We’ll all be fine. And we should get some sleep. Hey, think about it this way,” Inoo looked over to see a small smile on Hikaru’s face. “With the evidence we have, Ayaki’ll be arrested. You definitely don’t need to worry about them getting married now.” Hikaru rolled slightly, and after one more yawn, was quiet.
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> Inoo snuggled down into his bedding a bit. Hikaru was right. Though he felt guilty about it, he couldn’t help but grin at the thought, closing his eyes contentedly. His fantasy soon led into a dream, finally drifting off as distant church bells tolled to the city that it was 3 o’clock.
Author: ai_ai_gasa2
Pairing: Lots! Takanoo and some Hikabu, a bit of Ariokamoto, and Chiitaro~
Rating: Probably, overall, PG-13. But they're all individually really safe. Like PG or something.
Genre: Romance, Fluff, very AU.
Summary: The Queen of the South Kingdom died of a sickness quite early on in life. The King never remarried, but did adopt 5 sons. Many years later, it is time now for his children to begin looking for wives, and the King also decides to adopt a daughter, planning a matchmaking ball for her in advance. But the adoption process is delayed... And Prince Inoo has no choice but to step in and play the princes in his to-be-sister's place.
A/N: I'm sorry (these things always start with an apology, sorry about that. :/ I just did it again. >.<) that the complete number of chapters is still a question mark. For those who are wondering, I'll fix that as soon as I am able--I had to do some chapter shuffling due to formatting issues. Thank you for reading; I hope you like this chapter!
mso-bidi-font-family:Kartika;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> It was actually quite easy to wake up the next morning, his nerves on edge as he thought about what he was about to do. Chinen was up with them, surprisingly, helping them pack up the food Mrs. Nakajima had prepared. Once that was done, he grabbed Inoo’s arm and tugged.
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> “Can I show you something real quick?” He asked. After a bit of thought, Hikaru answered
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> “Fine. But only if it’s really quick.”
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> With a nod, Chinen rushed off, the others following him to Daiki’s room. He opened the door quietly.
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> Keito was sitting against the wall, asleep, Daiki in his lap. Inoo knew enough about Daiki to see that his brother had been crying, still, probably until he had fallen asleep. But their entwined hands and the way Daiki’s head was nestled in Keito’s neck suggested that they had made some sort of amends.
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> “I think they’ll be fine.” Chinen whispered, quickly shutting the door. Once they were in the hallway, Chii began talking again as they made their way back downstairs and outside.
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> “At first, when I walked over, they were talking so quietly I couldn’t hear. But then Daiki suddenly yelled ‘How do you expect me to suddenly trust you, to believe you? We’re about to have a war and it’s his fault.’ And Keito said something back-I couldn’t hear him again-then Daiki got quiet again, but I could hear him:
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> ‘How can you be so calm right now?’ And then… Keito said…
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> ‘I’m not calm. You call this calm?! How can I be calm?!?’ It was so scary, because he yelled the last two sentences.”
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> That surprised everybody. None of them had heard Keito raise his voice to above a maybe-louder-than-a-mumble. It sounded terrifying.
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> “And then Keito kept talking… ‘Maybe you didn’t get past the fact that on that letter is my last name. I didn’t know anything about this. It’s my dad’s name on that paper, not mine. And do you think that it doesn’t affect me? You’ve never had a dad, so you don’t get this’-that part made Daiki mad-‘but I don’t want him to get a death sentence. He’ll probably get hung for his crimes, and what’d you think that’ll do to my mom? I’m going to lose my father, maybe my mother-at least emotionally, probably my place here, everybody’s trust, and the most important thing in my life. You. And I didn’t do anything to earn it.’ That’s when Daiki started crying again.” Chinen informed them further. “Keito didn’t know how to convince him, so he just told Daiki he had a choice. Believe him or not believe him. They did more talking, a little more arguing, and then… Well, you could tell what choice Daiki made. It’ll take a while, but I think they’ll be fine.”
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> They had reached the stables, their horses all packed up and ready to go for them. They hadn’t woken up the King, despite the man telling him to-the less people awake, the less suspicion there would be about their activities.
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> “Bye everyone.” Chinen prompted them all for hugs, each getting on their horse one by one, Chii saying
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> “Make sure you tell Ryu-chan I love him. A lot. ‘K?”
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> They all nodded, and just like that, they were off. They rode hard, going till late and waking up early, making it to Tomone in 2 days. They slept where they had stayed, having little time to reminisce before surrendering to exhaustion. That’s when Hikaru and Yamada suggested that they start traveling at night and sleeping during the day, because who knows what might happen if guards catch them passing through. Inoo honestly felt that it would be more suspicious for them to be caught sneaking around at night than during the day, but was a bit too tired to complain, so he let them do as they wanted. As long as they got there, it didn’t matter how.
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> “What should we do? Do we just go in, or…?” Inoo asked, looking at Yamada and Hikaru. His brothers were staring up at the castle, something Inoo had been doing until recently. They’d made it in four days, just as Yabu and his father had.
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> Finally, Hikaru shook his head.
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> “It would be kinda weird for us to go in in the middle of the night, wouldn’t it? We should wait, at least until the sun rises.”
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> “And we should get some sleep.” Yamada put in, making sure his horse was comfortable before making himself a nest out of his saddlebags and blankets. He had no problem falling asleep, the others following his example. Inoo couldn’t however, for the life of him, drift off. Too anxious. He knew that Hikaru, who was on the ground next to him, looking up at the stars, was being kept awake for the same reason.
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> “Don’t get me wrong,” Hikaru began “I’m excited, I can’t wait to see him, but… I haven’t even thought about what to say… Or do…”
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> Inoo nodded, knowing that despite the darkness, Hikaru had seen the motion, showing he’d heard and understood. “Maybe you should let Yabu do something first. Act off him. That’d be easiest.”
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> Hikaru nodded back. “What about you?” He asked.
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> “I don’t know… What if Takaki thinks that we’re the guilty ones?” He voiced his fear, closing his eyes for a moment. “I don’t think I could…” Takaki looking at him, the same way Yabu had glared at Hikaru, eyes full of betrayal, the cold voice. “Don’t touch me.”
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> “Maybe he realizes that the love of his life would never do something to hurt his brother, and doesn’t blame you at all.” Inoo knew Hikaru was trying to cheer him up with the ‘love of his life’ remark. “I bet he thinks we’re innocent. I mean, it really doesn’t make much sense, and…. Yabu believes in us, so…”
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> “Does he really? He’d seemed so sure.” Inoo feigned curiosity, an unbidden yawn escaping his lips, wondering if Hikaru would tell him about what happened in the stables at home.
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> “Nah. He was just really scared.” Hikaru yawned back. “Too worried to know what else to think. I mean, if I was him then I wouldn’t believe what I said to me either.”
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> It took Inoo a few moments for the sentence to process and actually make sense, telling Inoo that he was definitely tired.
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> “Yeah, but Rensuke is Takaki’s blood brother. If Yabu was that worried, then wouldn’t it make sense for Takaki to be more so?”
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> “Kota frets too much about everything, and Takaki doesn’t seem to strike me as the worrying type. I’m sure you’ll be fine. We’ll all be fine. And we should get some sleep. Hey, think about it this way,” Inoo looked over to see a small smile on Hikaru’s face. “With the evidence we have, Ayaki’ll be arrested. You definitely don’t need to worry about them getting married now.” Hikaru rolled slightly, and after one more yawn, was quiet.
mso-bidi-font-weight:bold"> Inoo snuggled down into his bedding a bit. Hikaru was right. Though he felt guilty about it, he couldn’t help but grin at the thought, closing his eyes contentedly. His fantasy soon led into a dream, finally drifting off as distant church bells tolled to the city that it was 3 o’clock.