A True Love's Kiss (Sekaiichi Hatsukoi fanfic)

The Man I Used To Be

Ritsu laid snugly on his bed, lost in one of his books. Lately, books are the only thing that could keep him together. Like a tight ribbon on a present preventing anyone from opening it and taking a peek at the contents inside. Yet inside there's nothing. Only a deep void of absence. Oddly enough Ritsu felt absolutely nothing inside, like something was taken away deep within him.

He always thought it might have something to do with his mother's death but to him it feels like something more than that. What could be even bigger and more beautiful than a mother's love for their child? He did not seem to fathom such a thing for he felt like he has betrayed his mother's hard work of raising him. Ritsu makes it up by maintaining the only connection he'd ever have to his deceased mother, books.

Books brought him knowledge, love, and the capability to forget his troubles. He also felt there was another reason but his brain hurts every time he tries to remember, so he stopped trying long ago to recall. Yet it felt important nonetheless.

There's a knock on his door and Ritsu being the most comfortable person ever, simply yelled for them to open the door. After all he's been bed ridden from a cold for the past few days. Now a cold might have been a little far fetched but Ritsu has been avoiding his princely duties for quite sometime. So much so that he may be mistaken for a princess instead, he really should get a haircut.

"Your majesty" bows a tall guard armed with silver tinted armor. A helmet covering his face and identity. Ritsu never bothered to remember all the guards' names, he tried once but eventually gave up as he lost track of them. They come and go and sometimes never come back at all. The life of a guard is quite tragic, they should be given more credit than they are given.

There was something about this particular guard that had him on high alert. Like bright flashing warning lights went off in his brain, telling him to be cautious around the guard. Ritsu decided to discard the absurd idea for now but there was that sense of danger hidden beneath his skin.

"Yes what is the problem?" Ritsu sits up further in bed, book now laying on his lap.

"The King has asked me to personally escort you out for a walk. The weather is nice and he declares you have been cooped up far too long in your room" The guard states flashing a smile that sent shivers down Ritsu's spine.

While it is certain Ritsu has spent a lot of time in his room, it is still odd that the King has personally sent someone to escort him. Perhaps his time has come. Maybe the King has finally found the opportunity to get rid of Ritsu. It was bound to happen, Ritsu has overheard the King plotting for years, his careless mistake for leaving the door ajar when a very curious fifteen year old Ritsu easily sneaked in to listen in on his conversation with some mirror.

At first Ritsu thought Yokozowa might have lost a few screws and was taking the first step towards insanity, but at a closer inspection he was really talking to a mirror! Some sort of witchery magic for sure. Ritsu was almost caught eavesdropping that day. Thank the lord for secret passages, and the fact that he's the only one that knows about them. His father had built them in case of an emergency and the only ones that knew about them were him, Ritsu, and Ritsu's mother. They both took the secret to their graves and now Ritsu is the only one who knows about them, which is convenient.

Ritsu snapped out of his trance as he heard the clearing of a throat.

"Um yeah sure um would you mind stepping out for a bit? I want to change into some proper attire first" Ritsu asks hastily.

As soon has he mentioned that the guard excused himself and closed the door. Ritsu got off of the bed quickly and grabbed his "outing bag." In reality it was a bag with a few clothes and some food. It was enough to last him for at least two days. He headed towards his bookshelf scanning the spines for a particular book. He spotted the battered gray spine and turned the book so he could make out the title. "All One Needs To Know To Survive in the Wild" was the title of said book; in it contained what kinds of greenery was safe to eat, how to make a fire and the likes as well as a touch on the magical aspects of elixirs and potions. If Ritsu could manage to escape that book would certainly be his best asset. Who said reading was a waste of time?

Finally, he headed towards his vanity and pulled out an outfit to wear. It consisted of a brown robe in which he could hide his head with the hood, some trousers, and a royal blue shirt. He would have to ditch the shirt later as it had the kingdom's crest on it as well as the fact that it would make him stand out. He tied his black boots and debated on carrying his bow and arrow with him. He wasn't the best at fighting with a sword, Ritsu always preferred the bow since he was faster with it as well as his aim was almost perfect. In the end, he decided to hide it among his robe. It stuck out like a sore thumb at first but if he kept the bag at his side it would certainly hide it. If anything he could just make up a tale about needing extra protection. For extra precautions, Ritsu hid a small dagger in his left boot.

Finally done, he took a deep breath and stared at his reflection in the mirror. He touched the ends of his hair and noticed that it is way too long and way too noticeable. He started braiding his hair to the side leaving about a 2 inch gap before starting the braid, making it easier for him to cut it later. He stared one last time at the man he used to be as he will have to change who he was in order to survive and one day come back to reclaim his kingdom. He needed to protect his people.

With one last look he said goodbye to his ghost and opened the door that may lead to his potential death.