The Princess Who Became King

Chapter 1 - Fuyo City

  At last, the iridescent glowing lights of Fuyo City (浮揚市) have come to a stop, and the red sun has risen, brightening up the city with its natural light, flowing through the window blinds of a room. Then, a ringing sound fills the room, silky and holo. A blanket shifts; a hand slowly pulls it down. Strawberry blonde hair moves about, cascading down the princess's back as he sits up. Now awake, the princess stretches out of his floating futon to start the day. He dons his jūnihitoe (十二単), piling layer upon layer of reds, greens, and yellows... 12 total. The very top layer has a pattern of broken concentric circles around a solid center circle, spangled all over the garment. After brushing his teeth, attendants come into the room to do his makeup, painting his lips a bright red, adding a bit of blush, outlining his eyebrows, brushing his blonde locks, and finishing the look with a crown. The attendants leave the princess alone to himself, sitting still and staring off into nothing.

  He sighs, stands up, and opens his window. It is morning, and the bright white and blue buildings with irimoya (入母屋) and hōgyōdzukuri (宝形造) rooftops reflect back at the sun. People rush about, entering the skyway trains, and some head to their apartments to sleep after a night of partying in the pubs. The bodies of water sitting underneath buildings are still and serene, filled with floating petals. Giant cherry blossom trees sit on little fields of grass, taken care of by the city's gardeners. A gardener hovers their hand above the ground, and hydrangeas bloom out of it. Another gardener waves their hands, and water appears from the air, splashing onto the hydrangeas. A person flies above a corner of the city on a ball of air, and puts their arms in front of them, pushing through the air and sending a gust of wind toward the city in order to ventilate it. Advertisements fill billboards plastered on buildings. Doushin (同心) walk the streets with katana on their waists, making sure their citizens don't get into any trouble. A peaceful morning. 

 Princess Kenzo (健三) has witnessed these spectacles since the day he was born, but he keeps watching them every day. He sighs to himself. "Why can't I be a part of that?" He puts his thoughts aside for a moment. He needs to go eat breakfast. Kenzo leaves his room and goes to the courtyard, entering the next building where his breakfast would be served. A bowl of rice, some salmon, fowl, and vegetables, a hearty meal. A woman walks into the room, sitting next to Kenzo. 

  "Good morning dear," Empress Ayame (菖蒲) says, "How was your sleep?" 
  "Good morning..." Kenzo says, "I slept alright."
  "Good, because you need to practice your shamisen and koto today, alright?" 

  Kenzo nods and continues eating. Once finished, Kenzo stands up and crosses the courtyard once again to head back to the main building, and walks down the corridor... 

  "Oh, you want my textbooks again? Alright weirdo, but you do know that you'll never become The Emperor with what I'm learning, right?" Crown Prince Shizo (詩三) taunts with a mischievous smile on his face.
  Kenzo sighs. "Yes Shizo, I know, but just give them to me alright? And please don't tell our father..." 
  Shizo simply chuckles and hands them over. "Whatever~ I already studied them anyways. I'm going to practice my Shadow forms now." He runs to the courtyard.

  Kenzo returns to his room, notes and textbooks in hand as he sits down on the cushion, opening the books and flipping to a page that says, "Forces." Things that are used by humans and artificial intelligence alike. Gust is the force that controls the air, quite useful for blowing your enemies away... Kenzo thinks. It's a shame he can't use any of the forces since he was prohibited from using them. Blossom and Water are used for gardening, but that's not really something he'd like to do... Flame is for military use, so he'd really like to learn it... Shadow is also good for stealth, and Luminescence... 

  Kenzo stops mid-sentence. What a nice name. He thinks, wondering how he could use such a force. "Hmm, it can be a little ball of light. Useful when it's dark." Kenzo stops for a moment and concentrates. He thinks about how bright the light was, trying to make it appear from his hands. He holds out his palms, sweat dripping down his face as a tiny sliver of light starts to form between his hands! 

  But, it was too much. He is at his limit, and his hands have given up. His head falls onto the table. Oh well... at least I tried...

  After reading a book about The Emperor and learning how he rules, Kenzo decides to have a break. He picks up his shamisen and tunes it before playing. His hand wraps around the bachi and holds it up to the strings, strumming the notes that glitter unlike any other sound made by engineers. An instrument played by a human sounds tenfold better than anything by a robot. Kenzo thinks. He continues to strum, warming up before striking the shamisen with quick agility and dexterity, creating a fast and upbeat rhythm. Kenzo smiles to himself, pleased with the melody. After practicing for a while, he puts down his shamisen and brings his koto in front of him, tying the plucks to his fingers. A beautiful lotus pattern decorates the koto, and the strings are made out of silk rather than a more durable material. The engineers of Fuyo City crafted a special type of silk that lasts longer than regular silk, just for the princess. In fact, the special silk supposedly lasts for eternity... The koto sounds a lot more serene and smooth than the robust and buzzing sound of the shamisen. He gently plucks the strings rather than strumming harshly. Kenzo's eyes slowly close, as he continues to run his fingers through the strings, immersing himself in the fleeting tranquility.

~ - ~

  At nightfall, Kenzo removes his jūnihitoe and enters his cherry blossom bath, washing his hair and body. The aroma of the cherry blossoms soothes his mind, washing away any discomfort he's had today from studying. He steps out of the bath and onto the wooden floor, where a towel immediately wraps around him to keep him warm. A blow dryer hovers through the air and blows his hair, drying it in a short amount of time. He opens his wardrobe and looks for something to wear for the night. Weary with sleep in his mind, his hand lands on a piece of fabric with the pattern of a motherboard's circuits. 

  Curious, he pulls it out and sees the kimono and andon bakama (行灯袴) his mother gave him when he turned 16. It was his coming-of-age ceremony, where he basically became a full-fledged princess. Kenzo smiles at the memory in his mind, despite how it was something he never really wanted to happen. He was grateful for his mother's gift, and even after nine years it still fits! He hasn't grown that much, so he puts it on for old-time's sake. The kimono had a transparent fade at the bottom of the sleeves that added a glazed look, and the andon bakama had cherry blossoms near the edge of the skirt with a glitched pixel pattern. Finally, the sash that tied the andon bakama to his kimono had a motherboard's circuits decorating it. Feeling confident in his look, he decides to have a stroll in the palace garden. 

  Stepping into his heeled geta, he walks around rows of rose bushes, chrysanthemums, and morning glories. Peach trees, blossoming bright pink peaches. The peach blossoms have already graced the ground, creating a beautiful arrangement too perfect to step on. But Kenzo looks at something else. 

  The city at night glows like a dazzling diamond. The white and blue buildings are now replaced with black and the windows shimmer neon cyan, purple, and pink. The skyscrapers containing multiple hardworking engineers now shine an even brighter neon cyan. People head home on the skyway trains, and those who have been sleeping are now awake. Because the palace is a little farther away from the city, Kenzo can see a view of the stars bedazzling the sky. The still bodies of water now reflect the neon buildings, the colors becoming blurred in the ripples, the petalss still floating. The city is bustling, once quiet and peaceful. Doushin patrol the city, making sure no one does crime. 

  Kenzo is once again entranced in the beauty of the city he cannot enter. He was so busy enchanted by the bright lights that he didn't notice someone creeping up behind him. When he hears footsteps and quickly turns around, it is too late. 

A bag goes over his head, and the world goes dark.