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The chatter from the ballroom was loud, loud enough to be heard from the hall, and the orchestra barely overpowered the impatient people residing inside. Indeed, today was a special day. Royals from neighboring kingdoms and nobles from all over the continent have all flocked to this one party for the sake of marrying their daughters off. And such an event only comes once every few years, when an heir turns 18.
Every face blended together, each person evoking a sense of deja vu, each dress and suit seeming more and more alike. Only a few people seemed to care enough to make an impression, one group of such being the rulers from a neighboring kingdom: the Kamishiros. Of course, they already stood out with their vibrant purple hair and their eccentric ways of dressing, but they were also known for acting quite odd. Their son was often hidden in the castle, not as a safety measure, but because he preferred to be alone in the expansive building. On the other hand, their daughter was known for being sickeningly sweet and overeager to help everyone on her frequent trips outside of the castle, doing it in such a way that could only be described as odd. Despite the obvious differences, this became the template of a Kamishiro—uncanny in one way or another.
And yet, as the unusual siblings awaited the grand entrance of the Tenma heirs, a rush of boredom overcame them. The son, Rui, swirled a drink in his hand, while his sister gazed around blankly.
“Everyone here acts far too alike,” Mafuyu, the daughter, spoke, still blankly scanning the crowd. “I don’t understand the eagerness to marry off your daughter, only to sob at the wedding over losing her.”
“Fufu, when you put it that way, of course it’d be odd,” Rui giggled, moving to take a small sip of whatever drink had been handed to him earlier. “Though, you do remember that we were specially invited to see if you could be married off, hm? Perhaps we can't judge too much.”
“Perhaps,” she agreed, and they once more went silent.
It wasn’t until the orchestra slowed to a stop, resting there for far too long, that the crowd slowly silenced themselves. With grand entrance music accompanied by a too quiet announcer, the two heirs of the Tenma throne entered. First came the youngest Tenma, a young girl named Saki. It wasn’t a secret that she wasn’t very healthy, and therefore she wasn’t directly in line to take the Tenma throne. However, as of now, she looked fine—she was perky, she bounced with each step, and she couldn’t seem to stand still. Any energy that had been sucked out of her by her illness was seemingly fully replenished. Truly, whatever doctors she had were miracle workers.
Then came the star of the show, Tenma Tsukasa. He was noticeably more dressed up than his sister, with his long blond and peach-tipped hair tied into a small ponytail that drooped over his left shoulder, and bangs combed to perfection. His complex outfit made Rui feel a bit more comfortable with his own (until, of course, he realized that unlike the man atop the stairs, his was much darker with quite the assortment of unusual colors). The outfit’s broad ruffles draped around the other prince’s shoulders elegantly, the large flowers were plastered everywhere they could while staying tasteful, and the gold accents contrasted perfectly with the pops of blue. Such an outfit could only be called as gorgeous as it was complex.
Rui hardly noticed the presence of a finger tapping his arm until it pressed hard enough to hurt. “Are you okay?” Mafuyu asked, almost blankly but with the right amount of emotion Rui was used to.
“Of course, why do you ask?” Rui tore his eyes from the prince atop the stairs to look at his sister, his mouth contorting into his typical catlike smirk.
“You were staring. What is it you saw?” Mafuyu grabbed a drink from a passing tray as she spoke.
“Nothing to worry about, I was merely watching the entrance of the prince and it seems as though I zoned out,” he chuckled after his explanation, a short and simple excuse he hid behind. Mafuyu merely stared at him for a beat, and then cautiously nodded.
“I’m going to go find Mizuki now,” Mafuyu put down her now empty cup. “Everyone will be asked to dance soon, and I’d rather have a familiar partner.”
Rui nodded. “Good luck, then. Be safe,” he smiled, essentially shooing his sister away. There was someone else he wanted to find, anyway.
Weaving through person after person, shoving his way around clusters of people, almost losing his far-too-expensive (and far-too-big) hat countless times, he gradually made his way towards the grand staircase the Tenma siblings only recently climbed down. In all honesty, he didn’t have a plan. He knew his sister would silently judge his impulsive decisions, while his best friend, Nene, would loudly judge his impulsive decisions. However, all he cared about as of now was that he wanted to see more of this overly princely-looking prince. Such an appearance made Rui feel hardly adequate as royalty himself, and yet it pulled him in more and more.
As he reached the grand staircase, he predictably failed to see the other prince. He frantically looked to each side, choosing his left and hurrying in that direction. He pushed through person after person, catching an occasional glimpse of a face he’s seen before. He came to a wall of people blocking his path forward, and it was here where his mind caught up with his body and realized that this was a horrible, horrible idea. He truly had no idea what to do, how to communicate. This ball was to find the Tenma prince a bride, not make a friend. Nonetheless, Rui found himself drawn to the bright prince and was unable to stop himself now. Though, perhaps if self control couldn't save him, the inability to find Tenma would stop him. With the realization of the fruitlessness of this excursion, he slowly weaved through the crowd once more in an attempt to get back to the table he had stood at with his sister.
Then he was bumped into.
“Ah, my apologies sir!” an overly bright blond whirled around, a peach-tipped ponytail flying off his shoulder. At the very least, his old conversation seemed to have been long finished, and Rui wasn’t interrupting. Not that it would’ve mattered, many conversations tonight left off with unsatisfying endings, but it felt nice to not intrude. “Are you alright? Did I hurt you?”
“I’m fine, your majesty,” Rui forced an easygoing smile onto his face. Up close, the other prince truly looked brighter, as though he were the sun.
The prince’s nose scrunched up in disgust for a mere fraction of a second. “Please, that’s far too formal for a prince such as myself!” he chuckled.
“Ah, nonsense! Such an important character deserves as much respect as possible,” Rui protested easily, a weird burst of confidence infecting his rationality. “But if you insist, I do not mind losing formalities, Tenma-san.”
“You imply that I’m the stubborn one? How odd for someone who refuses to respect the wishes of a future king,” the prince smugly answered, a hand finding its place upon his hip. Such an action from anyone else would’ve been annoying, but with the blond, it seemed charming. Rui briefly wondered if something was wrong with his mind. “If I must insist anything, I insist that you drop the formalities completely! Such titles don’t feel right if I must be the best king in the world!” He posed dramatically, an arm carelessly waving towards the crowd as his right hand, curled into a fist, came to rest upon his heart. He stood as if he were the most important person in the world, worthy of the applause of thousands. All Rui could think of was how he could only agree with such a sentiment; he would gladly give him the praise of thousands.
“It seems that we’re both as stubborn as we say, hm? Perhaps we should instead call it a draw, Tsukasa-kun,” he tested in an attempt to draw him out of his own head. The way the blonde’s name felt on his tongue was intoxicating; he felt like he could hear Nene gagging from the other side of the ballroom, though he couldn’t quite place why. The prince in front of him lowered his arms, moving the hand on his heart back to his hip. “Ah, but it seems I’ve forgotten a step.”
He held his right hand out, palm up, to which Tsukasa automatically placed his hand atop. His anxieties slowly showed themselves, forcing himself to rush through the gesture before the prince in front of him realized what was happening and pulled away. Pulling off his hat for a moment so as to not hit the other prince by accident, he hurried to get through it. “Kamishiro Rui. It’s a pleasure to meet you~” he smiled, bowing to touch his knuckles with his lips briefly. In a brief stint of confidence, he looked up and found the blonde’s face faintly glowing red. ’It looks good on him,’ his mind briefly supplied, and then he let go and straightened his stance.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Rui!” Tsukasa almost-shouted, worrying Rui that he may call attention to the two’s meeting. Without any fear, though, Tsukasa smiled brightly at the other boy, the faint red tint still present, albeit gradually fading. Rui thought he would go blind if he looked at that blinding smile for much longer. “Though, Kamishiro… Ah, I was told to keep an eye out for a Kamishiro Mafuyu! Would you happen to know her?”
Rui could only chuckle. “My, my, it seems that Tsukasa-kun forgot to do his research~.”
“Hey, planning a party is very hard work!” The other prince protested loudly, stomping his foot childishly. Rui giggled quietly at the little gesture.
“Ah, I merely jest! Of course such a dazzling prince would be too busy, I wouldn’t be surprised if you hardly had time to eat,” he hid his smirk behind a free hand, his arm supporting his elbow, as he spoke. “But yes, I do know her, she’s my sister.”
“Oh, that’s… awkward,” Tsukasa’s eyebrows furrowed as the reality of the situation settled in. “Hm, maybe I should do more research on my guests next time…”
“Fufufu~ Thinking about your next party already?” Rui teased, gently flicking the blonde’s forehead, then quickly retracting his hand when he realized what he had done. “I’m sure your guests would much prefer you being at this party for now.”
“Well- hmph,” he relented, going silent and pouting. Rui couldn’t deny that it was adorable on the prince. The orchestra concluded their song, transitioning into one obviously meant for the visitors to dance along with. “Ah, Rui, would you like to come dance with me?”
“Hm? Wh— huh?” Rui’s brain immediately short circuited, or whatever the neurological equivalent would be. “While I don’t see why I should refuse, I don’t understand why I of all people should be your partner.”
“Well, I don’t see why not!” Tsukasa beamed, another large smile that seemed to blind Rui once more. Rui started to get the impression that Tsukasa was naturally loud, and he was thankful that he had heard one too many explosions for it to affect him. “You’re the most interesting guest I’ve met this evening, anyways.”
With wide eyes, Rui was dragged to somewhere a bit less crowded by the blond. For a moment, the two struggled to find who should play what part, before they settled on positions and fell into a rhythm.
“Well then, what’s your sister like?” Tsukasa tried, awkwardly. The sudden lack of conversation topics worried Rui, but he shoved down his anxieties for now.
“Hm? Already going after the next Kamishiro?” Rui tilted his head to the side slightly. “I’m afraid I have to be the one to tell you that she wouldn’t be interested. She seems to be involved with… a family friend.”
He looked off to the side, where he conveniently noticed his sister dancing with Mizuki, though it seemed more akin to Mizuki dragging her around in something that only vaguely resembled a dance. It was comforting to see Mafuyu’s slight smile as they went around the ballroom. Tsukasa’s eyes followed his.
“Well, then just for researching my guests,” Tsukasa suggests, proud of his expert suggestion. The two turned a new direction in their dance, the music slowing and interrupting their rhythm. “Since I don’t need to know her for the sake of marriage with her prior engagement, then starting my research won’t hurt.”
“Ah, such a proactive prince you are!” Rui smirks. “Well, she’s a sweet girl. She enjoys music because of the emotion one can feel from a simple piece. Fufu, we are quite the artistic family in our own ways.”
“You make art?” Tsukasa’s eyes sparkled. “What do you do?”
“Ah, in a way,” he shrugged, then moved to spin Tsukasa. “It’s an inevitable part of my hobby; I make machinery, like automatons. I like giving them a nice exterior. They deserve to look nice for all the hard work they put in to do so much as move.”
“Really? That’s incredibly impressive!” Tsukasa praised, expectedly loud, and eyes sparkling with wonder. “It makes my art seem meek.”
“Oh? And what do you do?”
“I enjoy theater. Acting, in fact.”
“Really? Fufu, you do seem like an actor if I may say so.”
“Well, I must make a good impression, of course! My theatrics merely help,” Tsukasa proudly smirked.
“It seems to work, I must say. Makes you seem quite alluring,” Rui smiled, his heart beating faster as his mind flooded with regret. Did he mess up? Would the other prince avoid him? However, the blonde's face reddening made it a bit worthwhile.
“W-well, a prince such as myself must be as alluring as possible!” He seemed to rush through the sentence. If Rui was brave, he might even say he flustered the other prince, a sense of pride spreading its way throughout his thoughts at the mere idea. “Though, perhaps there’s something about princely charm. I don’t seem to be the only alluring prince here, and I’ve yet to meet more than one.”
Rui forgot how to breathe for a moment. He felt his face heat up, and it seemed as though he would trip over his or Tsukasa’s feet any moment now as they kept moving through the repetitive steps. He struggled for a moment to find words. “Fufu, how bold of you.”
“Well, with your constant teasing, I’d hoped you’d be able to take it,” Tsukasa taunted, a satisfied smirk making his face smug.
“Ah, don’t get too cocky, my prince~,” Rui leaned in as he pulled Tsukasa in closer, pushing his teasing more than normal. His heart seemed to interrupt his brain’s rationality more frequently, and it made him question his sanity. Their dance slowed to a gradual stop with the closer proximity – they could trip over each other's feet like this anyways. “We don’t need you to get a big head, hm?”
Tsukasa flushed once more, a sight that Rui couldn’t get enough of. “Ah, but I’d say that you’re the one with the big head! I’m not the one flirting with a prince of another kingdom, hm~?”
“It certainly doesn’t help my case,” Rui hoped that Tsukasa couldn’t hear how loud his heart was, or see how hot his face had been getting. “Tsukasa-kun, you were tasked with trying to marry a Kamishiro, hm?”
Tsukasa nodded. “Are you going where I think you’re going with this?”
“Indeed,” Rui smiled, it seemed to come easy to him. “How about me, Tsukasa-kun?”
The chatter surrounding them faded, the orchestra becoming an afterthought. They were in their own world now, one where they held each other close and responsibilities could wither away. Everything was forgotten in that moment where they held each other close. Rui truly felt like he was staring at a star, or maybe the sun in the midst of a clear blue sky. As he stared into the other boy’s eyes, their bright colors akin to a sunset, he truly felt himself getting lost with no way to climb out. Yet, he wasn’t even sure he wanted to. He was lost, yet his guiding hand was right in front of him. Truly, these were the only words to describe Tsukasa.
“Hm…” Tsukasa furrowed his eyebrows playfully, his red face telling Rui all he needed to know. “Take me on a date first, won't you?”
“If it means more time with you, I’d do anything,” he said easily; it scared him, to be honest. “Give me a date, time, and location and I’ll come.”
“You’ve got a deal.”
And with a small smile from Tsukasa, they both leaned in, slow and steady.