Author's Note: Hmmm…a Shugo Chara chaptered story this time?
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Day One.
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"M-My Queen…I sincerely apologize…the moonlit diamond has been stolen…"
The elegant woman in her beautiful clothes merely shrugged.
"It was of no importance. It was quite a nuisance actually, and I am truthfully glad it is no longer in my palace."
The servant bowed and left the throne room.
The prince, standing outside the doors, listened to his parents' conversation.
"Ikuto is coming of age. We must find a proper bride for him soon." His mother said, sighing.
"That is a task that will prove difficult. He shows no interest in women." His father replied.
"Such a troublesome son, honestly. He's never anywhere else aside from his room."
"Then arrange a marriage."
"I will have to, if he doesn't show any interest in someone within the rest of the year."
Tired of hearing of love and marriages and anything prince-related, he returned to his room, his only place of peace.
Slipping out of his own elaborate robes, silk shirts and pants, he changed into a more…commoner-looking outfit; a black collared shirt with silver crosses and blue lining and black pants with two straps on each leg.
"Yoru."
"I'm here, nya…"
The prince's cat shugo chara floated to its owner from the bed, rubbing its eyes sleepily.
Ikuto was already slipping on a black wig and sunglasses to hide is midnight blue hair and eyes, as well as some black shoes. Too much black probably, but it was a color that would help him blend into the night.
"Are we going to get some taiyaki, nya?!" Yoru said excitedly, for taiyaki was a 'commoner's food' that his parents would never allow him to eat. Though truthfully, they probably didn't know it even existed.
"Why not."
Yoru cheered, and they both slipped out the window and into the darkness.
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During these walks he took, he had discovered things about his kingdom he had never known before.
He lived in the palace, full of everything he needed and wanted. Areas of what his parents ruled, however, had nearly nothing. Poverty.
Dropping by the taiyaki stand as always when he went out, the man who owned the stand smiled in recognition.
"Heya, come to visit, eh? How many will it be today?"
"Four," Ikuto told him, handing him the money. "Chocolate filled."
"Yannow, I've noticed ya seem kinda wealthy, so I'll tell ya that ya shouldn't be hangin' round these parts. Theives, yannow."
Ikuto shrugged. "I wander. I'm a stray cat on the inside, after all."
The taiyaki man laughed. "Then I'll assume you're good at escapin', too."
The prince didn't respond, and the man laughed again, working to make the pastry.
As Ikuto waited, he looked around. Obviously, no one recognized him because of his disguise. In addition, a filthy rich prince would have no business in a run-down place like this.
"The town's been doin' better recen'ly." The taiyaki man told him.
"Really? Better business?" the prince asked, not too curious.
"Nah. Folks who've money to act'lly spend spend it on other things than what we sell here. It's tha girl thief."
"Thief?" the prince was interested now.
"Yah. Steals from the palace, I hear. Bloody 'mazin' at wot she does. Girlie's never been caught."
Ikuto inwardly smiled, thinking of all the things that had been stolen from his parents, but had been dubbed worthless or useless to them.
"Modest girl, tho'," the taiyaki man continued. " 'Parently only steals the stuff the king'n'queen don't want or need. Kindhearted, really." He handed Ikuto a brown paper bag. "Here ya go, four fresh chocolate-filled taiyaki."
Taking the bag, Ikuto placed coin on the counter. "Thanks, pops. I learned something interesting today. Consider it tip for the taiyaki." He started walking.
The man laughed and called after him, "Name's Gen Takehashi!"
Ikuto merely waved with the back of his hand as he disappeared into the night.
Gen took a cloth and wiped the counter down, and picked up the coin his last customer for the night had given him. He had almost forgotten about it. Tips were rare, and usually ranged from a 50 yen coin or 100 yen.
However, this mysterious person who visited rarely had given him a 10,000 yen coin. That was way more than what he could made in two months, or even longer.
Sighing, he tucked the coin away. Ikuto was too far away already for him to chase, and it was purposely given to him. Smiling and chuckling, he muttered a light insult. "Filthy rich brat. Who is he, the prince?" Laughing at his own joke, he closed down the stand for today.
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"Ikuto!!" his mother screeched when she saw him in his 'commoner's clothes', eating 'commoner's food'. "Where have you been sneaking off to?!"
"Wherever I please. Isn't that was princes do, mother?"
His response was sarcastic and he made his way to his room easily in the black clothes instead of the colorful, layered elaborate ones that gave him a more princely appearance. The Queen had trouble moving as quick as he could with all her petticoats and layers and whatever else she wore, and thus was unable to catch her son before he slipped back into his room and locked the door.
"Shit."
He heard someone curse, and it was obviously not Yoru or himself.
Turning around, a girl clad in a black suit seemed to be in the process of escaping out his window. She had long, black hair and liquid honey-gold eyes…
She jumped and fled before he could say anything.
A few minutes after her escape, he smirked too himself.
She would be back. He was sure of it. That girl thief, huh?
Girlie's never been caught, He remembered Gen saying.
Chuckling to himself, his midnight blue eyes showed mischief.
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And so a mouse found its way
Into the home of a cat.
Thus,
Let of the game of Cat and Mouse…
Begin.
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Writer's End Notes: I had originally planned to make it a one shot….but I got lazy and it'd be one hell of a long oneshot to fit everything I wanted into it…D:
Ah, well, first Shugo Chara chaptered story. First time for everything, right? 8D
Oh, and taiyaki is that fish-pastry thing, right? The one filled with an or chocolate or something? Please correct me if I'm wrong...^^;;