[DISCONTINUED]Pride and Apple Juice (Part 2 of Apple Pies Tell No Lies)

Crisp (light, with a hint of honey)

     It is a truth universally acknowledged that a young shinigami prince of the new king and queen must be in want of a wife. It was the talk of the kingdom of what creature Prince Crisp would choose. Would it be shinigami? Human? Boy? Girl? No affiliated gender? All of those questions littered the shinigami realm in spurts throughout the prince's life. In all reality, Crisp wanted to fall in love just as his parents did. The perfect couple proved how there could be no boundaries when it comes to love. The shinigami told him of his father and late "aunt's" defeat of the old tyranus king and the dissipation of most of the false rules he had applied to their race. His father was a hero fueled by his love for Crisp's mother. That was how he was able to discover his previous human life. Love had shown him the truth.

     Ryuk and his lover had been crowned rulers of the shinigami realm and had a son. What no one had known was that the children of shinigami start off human; when they die, they become shinigami. Furthermore, shinigami could only produce males. This phenomenon had the kingdom in chaos, but this would only bring the two realms of human and shinigami together at last.

And that is why there was a riot at the newly installed gates of the "palace."

"Sir, you must tell them something. Shinigami are asking for answers. Is the prince going to live in the human realm or will he continue to live up here and never become a shinigami?"

Crisp watched his father as he pondered over his advisor's words. Ryuk sat humbly on a simple chair and his wife on his lap. They had always sat like this when they were together. Crisp could never remember a time when they hadn't.

King Ryuk slowly sat up from his pondering position and gazed at his son.

"Crisp, I have a theory you must work out with me."

Crisp raised his eyebrow. "Okay?"

Ryuk's wife glanced at him before continuing her husband's sentence.

"Since you are half shinigami, things are going to be...difficult for you soon," she tried to say gently.

"I'm seventeen years old!" Crisp burst, "you think I haven't heard the rumors?" He calmed for a moment. "Where am I to go?"

     Ryuk sighed and rubbed his forehead. "That went well." His wife placed her hand on his as she spoke to Crisp. "I think...we think it would be good for you to spend time in the human realm. However, there is a small possibility that you might possess the power of the Death Note." Crisp wrinkled his nose in confusion. "But those are for shinigami. No human can see you unless they...oh." His mother smiled sadly. "The other thing is the obvious: when you die you become shinigami. You can and will get hurt in the human realm. Emotionally and physically. Even though people may not see you doesn't give you the excuse of trying to walk in front of a car and surviving." Crisp's mischievous bright eyes dimmed quickly in disappointment. "And even though you will want to," Ryuk added, "don't prank people. You'll have more fun with that once you become full shinigami."

     Crisp's mother laughed at the similarities between her son and her husband. The two males responded to her laughter with sparkles in their eyes. When the Queen was happy, everyone was happy. She sighed as she brushed aside fake tears. "Okay, okay, boys, but I would like to request something of you, Crisp." She leaned toward him and said in a playful voice, "If you like someone and you think they're the one, go for them. Fight for them. If they really are who you think they are, they will be thrilled to learn about you being shinigami. I just know it."

Crisp's face lit up like Rudolph's nose and his parents laughed.

"Anyways, I have a gift for you. Just in case you're more shinigami than human," Ryuk replied with a wink.