***AGE 10***
“She totally hates your guts!”
“That isn't new information. I hate her too.”
“Just climb up there and drag her down already.”
I did my best to ignore the trio of heathens as I sat comfortably in my tree of choice, twining threads of creeper vines between my fingers. It was all I could do to get away from them, at least for a short time.
They were visiting again, and of course I had been tasked with keeping them company, much to my dismay. If their presence wasn't bad enough already, the news of Sanji's tragic passing made it a complete hell. I'd really liked the meek boy, and now I'd never see him again.
“Get down here, Princess. That's not a request.” Ichiji didn't need to raise his voice for me to hear him loud and clear in the silence of the forest, but I didn't bother looking down at him.
“I thought you hated me, so why would you care about where I am or what I'm doing?” I quipped back, resting my head back against the rough bark, feeling it scratch my scalp.
“Because you belong to me, so you have to do as I say. Get down here. Now.”
He seriously did not just say that, did he?
Scowling, I finally peered over the edge, meeting his stoic, stony gaze. Just as cold as the first day I met him.
“I belong to the earth, the trees and the winds, not a jerky little prince with no soul. Leave me alone.” There was no way I was going to get out of this argument unscathed, I knew that, but rolling over for someone who rude wasn't something I was willing to do.
"Okay, you asked for i-"
"Hey, look, I caught a rabbit!" Both Ichiji and I turned our attention to Yonji, who wandered out of the brush proudly holding the hind legs of a small mammal. Not a rabbit, but a young velvet hare.
"P..Put it down! You'll hurt it!" I immediately demanded, fretting over the way it squirmed and squeaked in a panic. Ichiji glanced between me and the animal for a moment before a wicked grin spread to his face, arms folding across his chest.
"Niji, fetch her for me."
The time between hearing, let alone processing, the end of the red-head's sentence and being grabbed by the scruff was slim. How Niji had managed to climb the tall tree so quickly I had no idea, but I was completely aware that I was screwed as he jumped back down, landing flawlessly and keeping an iron grip on the back of my dress.
How did he..?! Does he have a Devil Fruit?!
Crouching down directly in front of me, Ichiji continued to smirk, his head tilting a little to the side.
"You really want him to put it down, Princess?" He asked sweetly, sickeningly, and it was so off, like he had no idea how to convey that kind of emotion, fake or not.
"Please..." I breathed out, too scared to make another demand due to my current position.
"You heard her, Yonji. Put it down." Ichiji spoke to his brother as he reached out, seizing my chin in his hand and shifting to the side so I'd have a clear view. "Slowly."
Wait.
To my horror, just as instructed, Yonji began to really put it down. Flipping the frantic creature right-side-up, he wrapped his arms around its body and began to squeeze.
Squeaks turned to agonised squeals, violently kicking legs tearing into the air searching a purchase that just simply wasn't there. The moment my throat twitched to scream, Ichiji tightened his hold on my jaw, stopping it from forming.
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GAMBIT - Vinsmoke Ichiji x Reader
Fanfiction"Most of all, I hate you because I think of you. Often. It's disgusting, and I can't stop." For twelve years, Princess Arden (Y/N) of Fell Wilds had known she was to marry Prince Vinsmoke Ichiji of the Germa Kingdom. It was her duty, to ensure the l...
