Stuck with him. // RuiKasa Royalty x Magic User AU Fanfic

1 // A Price To Pay.

I've always been the star of the show.
Everyone looked up to me. They admired me.
But while I've been shining, my younger sister, Saki, has been suffering.
At the hospital.

It hurts to see her in such a poor state. I should be taking care of her, like any other older brother would! I cannot, though, because my parents don't care about Saki as much as they do me. I'm the heir of the Tenma kingdom. My parents see me as a bright star, but Saki as no more than a figure, a painting to look at.

Ever since she was little, she's been horribly sick. The doctors have tried multiple times to try and cure her, but there was nothing they could do. 
Despite my parents' protests, I continuously visited Saki at the hospital, bringing her flowers and sometimes her favorite snacks.

Seeing Saki smile whenever I see her.. it makes me happy.  Honestly, seeing people's smiles was the reason I wanted to be a star at all.

But lately, I've been experiencing some problems. Saki's condition has only been getting worse, and no one knows what to do. Neither did I. Until..

I was walking around the kingdom when I overheard two people talking about someone. I hid behind a nearby tree to listen in.

"Have you heard about the magic user on the outskirts of this kingdom? Apparently, he's quite the professional."

"Oh, yeah! Isn't he able to grant wishes or something like that?"

"Yeah, but the wishes also come with prices. And not necessarily in money. Some of these "prices", people can't even pay off! So, he then reverts the wish, and the magic is undone."

Magic user? On the outskirts? Granting wishes?
He might be exactly what I need.

That night, I set off to find this magic user without telling anyone.
I brought a sack of necessities with me -- water, snacks, a map of the kingdom, and a flashlight for when it gets dark.
I headed east, towards where the outskirts should be. After a few long hours of walking, it got dark. I looked up from my map to see a log cabin ahead. Aha! I've found it.
I tried to walk up to it, but I was too exhausted from the journey, and fell to my knees, blacking out. 

☆

I brewed myself a cup of tea. Ah, what a lovely day it has been. Peaceful.
I took a sip, then put the cup down and looked out my window, because I swear, I could hear faint footsteps. I looked out, and watched as someone sank to the ground, losing consciousness.

"Oh, dear.." I sighed. I walked to the front door to swing it open. I walked down and approached the stranger. I kneeled down to get a closer look at them. It was a boy around my age.. probably 18? He had blonde hair fading into pink. I feel like I've seen him before..
Ah! Of course! It's none other than Prince Tsukasa Tenma.
I wonder why he's here.. I should bring him inside.

I lifted Tsukasa up (thank goodness he was as light as a feather) and brought him inside my cozy cabin, shutting the door behind me. The lights flickered as I did so, causing me to flinch slightly.
I carried him to my spare bedroom that was just beyond the kitchen and placed him down on the bed, watching as he got comfortable.

To be honest, he looked sort of cute..
Wait, what? Rui, what are you talking about?
Snap out of it.

☆

A couple of hours later, I finally stirred awake, yawning as my surroundings came into view. Wait. Wasn't I outside when I passed out? I'm inside some sort of house..

"Ah, you're awake." I heard an unfamiliar voice say.
I turned my head in reflex to see a purple haired boy with two blue cyan streaks.
He had just set some pancakes on the table, as well as two cups of hot tea.

I stood up. "Where am I..?"
"In my cabin. I saw you lost consciousness out there, so I brought you inside." He cast me a warm grin.

"Wait, are you the.." I began as my eyes widened with realization.
"Yup. The magic user." The boy tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Speaking of which, why have you come here, Tsukasa?"
"How did you know my name?"

He let out a small chuckle. "Come on, who doesn't know your name? As far as I'm concerned, you're pretty popular around the kingdom, are you not?"

"I-I suppose that's true.."

"Anyways, why exactly are you here?" He raised an eyebrow.

I took a deep breath. "Well, to answer that question, I came to actually request a wish."

"A wish, huh? Well, then, I must warn you, wishes come with a price. And it's not specifically paid in money.. What is this wish of yours?" He crossed his arms, waiting for an answer.

"I, um, wanted to know if you can cure the illness for my younger sister, Saki. Nothing that the doctors have tried worked for her." I muttered nervously.

"Saki, is it? Oh, yes. I've heard quite a bit about her disease. Poor girl. I haven't ever cured illnesses before, but I will try. For her sake."

I felt tears coming to my eyes. "Really? Thank you so much! Erm.. what do I owe you?"

The taller boy's face turned into a smirk. "That's right, the payment. How to tell you? Uh, for curing your sister's illness, you're now stuck with me."

I froze in my tracks. "I beg your pardon?"
"You heard me. The price for me curing Saki's illness, is that you are now staying with me."
"Are you serious?.." I gasped.
"Very serious." He chuckled. "Do you accept it or not? Take your pick, Tsukasa~"

"I.. I accept." I finally replied.
"Good choice, but are you sure you can pay it off?" He teased.
"Eh? Why, you! Of course I can!" I huffed.

He chuckled once more. "I'm sure you can. I can't wait to see how you do."
He started towards the stairway, but paused and turned back to me. "Oh, and call me Rui."
He sent me a wink before going upstairs, leaving me alone in the kitchen, only me and my thoughts.

☆

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