[Ohmiya Oneshot] A vow in golden snow III
“What do you mean we’re leaving tomorrow?” Nino repeated, thunderstruck. He couldn’t believe his mother’s fickleness. “We just got here! Is this because we were just making out?”
“There has been a change in political climate.” His mother replied simply.
“But Prince Ohno wants to come too. There’s no way he’ll be able to make arrangements so quickly!”
“That scoundrel is not welcome in our country! He’s…he’s soiled my only precious son!”
“Soiled?! It was just a bit of making out!” Nino flushed.
“Regardless, you know full well and good that a relationship between you two simply won’t do.” The Queen sighed, and took on a slightly gentler tone.
“If Ohno Satoshi won’t do,” Nino trembled, his eyes fierce, “Then no one ever will. We were just making out, it’s not like we’ve taken vows!”
“Just making out? And that leads you where, Kazunari. To choose him is to end your ability to produce heirs.”
“First you’re outraged that I might have had sex, and now you’re outraged that I won’t be able to reproduce?”
“My point is that you need to think this through!”
“I just found out I loved him a few hours ago, can’t you give me some time to figure that out first?!” He turned and stormed out of his mother’s chambers. He made for the door that would lead out of the guest wing, but Adviser Matsumoto sat in a chair in front of the door reading a novel.
“Move.” Nino growled.
Adviser Matsumoto looked up, frowning. “No.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t make myself clear. I order you to move.”
“No.”
“You-“
“I believe,” the Adviser said, “that it is in your best interest to cool down. This is just a fling. You’ll get over it when we get back home.”
“What if it isn’t?” Nino asked, because he was very scared that it wasn’t just a fling. “What if this is for real?”
“Then you are going to be in a lot of pain that you’ve caused yourself.” Matsumoto said, and his sadness sounded genuine.
“You say that like it’s my fault! I didn’t ask for this. I didn’t want to feel this way about him!” Nino could have screamed for the unfairness, “I didn’t even want to go on this stupid trip!”
“But you did ask me to spread a word around. Against my better judgment, I did so.”
“What are you talking abou-“ Nino bit his tongue hard enough it nearly bled. He remembered. He suddenly felt sick to his stomach. “Tell me, Jun, tell me you didn’t tell him all of that bullshit.”
“I didn’t, no.” Matsumoto sighed again, “but I did tell Adviser Sakurai. After the way we caught you earlier, I’m fairly certain it won’t be long before he is told. I’m sorry for you, Kazunari.”
He wanted badly to cry. To rush out and find Ohno. Matsumoto wasn’t about to let him, nor was the Queen. Instead Nino laughed, bitterly. “Ah, and he’s the one who was worried I would hate him. Now he’s the one who is going to hate me.”
Adviser Sakurai hadn’t been planning on telling Prince Ohno about Prince Ninomiya’s engagement, but he couldn’t listen to Aiba’s pestering Ohno as to what the kiss was like with a good conscience.
Adviser Sakurai sent Aiba for a late night snack. He told himself he had to tell Ohno to prevent greater pain later on.
And so he related what Adviser Matsumoto had told him on the night of the first ball, about Prince Ninomiya already being madly, wildly, insanely in love with some fiancé, watching Ohno’s heart break on his face.
“If that’s true,” Ohno’s voice was so low it could scarcely be heard, “Why did he kiss me like that? Why would he let us carry on like that for so long? I…I felt….it felt like he might…. like me back.”
“I believe he does like you a lot as a friend.” Sho said, slowly, “Perhaps he was only being kind.”
Ohno quietly asked Adviser Sakurai to leave him alone for a little while. The chamberlain was out with his girlfriend at some post-ball party in town. Ohno’s chambers were absolutely empty. For this, Ohno was glad.
Until a little while later, when a knock came on his door. At first he ignored it. And sniffled into his pillows. One sort of still smelled like Nino. Or so he imagined. The bed had been made during the ball, and the sheets and pillowcases had probably been replaced. It was as if that blissful afternoon nap they shared had never even happened. Even so, he pretended, and he pressed his teary face into it.
“Oh, my poor baby.” Murmured Queen Ohno, as she sat on the edge of Ohno’s bed. She leaned over and ruffled Ohno’s hair. “Sho told me everything. You’re probably feeling very hurt and a little foolish. But I think in your heart, you know that this is for the best.”
Prince Ohno sniffled loudly, his face still in the pillow.
“Masaki brought you ice cream. Pistachio, I think. He and Sho are in the parlor. But don’t join them until you’re done crying all you need to, or else those two will start bawling too.”
Ohno sniffled again, and his voice croaked, “I love you, mom.”
“I love you too,” She kissed his hair, “my little prince.”
And so, the next day, the Ninomiya royal family departed Ohnopia Castle. Convinced that Ohno hated him, Nino didn’t ask why Ohno wasn’t at the farewell ceremony. He wrote a letter to explain himself, and gave it to Adviser Matsumoto, asking that it be sent to Ohno when they reached the first village outside of Ohnopia.
Prince Ohno watched the parade of carriages from an upper window. He saw Nino staring up at the castle before a servant asked him to enter his carriage. He wanted to go and say goodbye properly and princely. He wanted to tell Nino that despite Nino being psychotically in love with his fiancé, he was still happy to have had the chance to love Nino too. And that he had never had so much fun being a prince before and that he’d remember the days he’d spent with Nino fondly for the rest of his life. He wanted to give Nino one of his paintings, as a memento of his time in Ohnopia. He even had wrapped it nicely himself. But he lacked the nerve to ask someone to send it to Nino.
When the carriages were out of sight, Ohno returned to his room and found the wrapped painting missing. There was a note where he’d left it on the table from Adviser Sakurai, saying he’d taken the liberty to send it along after the Ninomiya procession. Ohno gave the note a small, sad smile.
After two weeks on the road, the Ninomiya royal family arrived at Miyaiya castle. Nino didn’t remember most of the trip. He slept as much as he could, and played games when he wasn’t sleeping. He didn’t talk to anyone and ignored his mother and Adviser Matsumoto the entire trip.
He missed Ohno greatly, and couldn’t help but imagine how different travel would have been with Ohno by his side.
Even upon returning home, he spoke to no one, except a servant to order that his bath be drawn and to state that he would be eating dinner alone in his rooms.
On his bed he found a strange, large wrapped package. Frowning, he pulled off the paper.
It was one of Ohno’s paintings. It was a sea scape, featuring a fishing boat. Although Nino couldn’t honestly tell any given boat from the next and Ohno’s informal, free style didn’t really make identification any easier but his instincts told him this was Captain Machida’s boat. The recognition alone made Nino bite his lip, simultaneously heartbroken and jealous. He tried not to dwell on the fact that Ohno and Machida could be out having a happy time fishing at this very moment.
But at this very moment, Ohno was not out at sea. In fact he hadn’t felt much like fishing since Nino left. He hadn’t felt like doing much of anything since Nino left.
“Hey, Prince Ohno I have some documents for you to look over regarding the construction of a new harbor on Blue Island.” Adviser Aiba came into the parlor, his arms full of scrolls and papers.
“Ugh, work.” Ohno sighed, joining Aiba in front of his desk.
“Queen Ohno says it’ll get your mind off things.” Aiba spread the documents out in front of the prince. “Although if you ask me, I don’t think it’s true.”
“Don’t think what is true?”
“Prince Ninomiya’s engagement.” Aiba said a little absently, preoccupied with smoothing out the scroll, “I have friends in Ninomiya Court. All of them say Prince Ninomiya has declined all offers of engagement he’s ever received. Apparently he once said some funny line about being married to his people so he didn’t need a wife.”
“Why,” Ohno wilted onto his chair, struck by the news, “why did you wait two weeks to tell me that?”
“I-I’m sorry, I thought you knew." Aiba gaped, horrified, "I figured Adviser Sakurai told you when he mentioned the rumor.”
Ohno massaged his temples for a moment. He didn’t want to get his hopes up, not when he had finally been able to get back to normal. Except he wasn’t back to normal, not at all. The mere thought that Nino wasn’t madly in love with some fiancé, that maybe Nino didn’t kiss him back out of kindness, but maybe because he liked Ohno too.
Decided, Ohno stood up. “How fast can a carriage be ready?”
“Prince Ninomiya…would you like to pick out a spot for that painting? You’ve been carrying it around all day.”
“That’s none of your business, Adviser Matsumoto.” Nino huffed, his arms still lovingly around his painting.
“What does it say there on the back?”
“What?” Nino turned the painting around for the first time, and saw something written along the wooden canvas frame.
I don’t know who you love but I don’t care. I love Kazu the most.
“Hey,” Nino looked up, over the canvas. “Do you know if he sent this before or after he read my letter?”
“Before. If you’ll excuse me, I have something to do.” Matsumoto began edging towards the door, suspiciously.
Nino stared at his guilty faced Adviser, incredulous. “You never sent it, did you?!”
“The Queen asked me not to. I agreed. It’s for your own good that he thinks you’re in love with someone else. It’s not like anything can come of an enduring relationship between you two.”
“I DON’T KNOW, MAYBE OUR HAPPINESS.” Nino roared, abandoning his painting (gently) to storm up to Matsumoto.
“You are both crown princes! Your duty is to your crown, not to your selfish desires!” Matsumoto stood his ground.
“Princes are people too, you idiot!” Nino shoved him hard on the chest.
“I’m a prince too, you idiot!” Matsumoto shoved even harder back. “You think I don’t know what you’re going through?”
“Then let me go to him.” Nino asked, quietly, desperately, his anger gone. “I have to explain everything to him so he doesn't hate me. Please.”
“You don’t know if this passion of yours will last. What if it’s a bitter break up? What if it ends in war? You can’t play with your country’s fate as if it were a game piece.”
Nino bowed his head, and whispered, “Please. Jun. Please, let me go.”
A long, silent moment passed. Jun sighed. “I’ll see if they’ve put your carriage away yet, and if there are any fresh horses.”
“Jun, I love you.” Nino hugged Jun.
Jun sighed again and awkwardly petted the top of Nino’s head. “It’s it bit late for that now isn’t it.”
Prince Ohno gave Queen Ohno a hug on his way out of the castle. She sent him off with an extra parcel of his favorite smoked fish, and both of her Advisers.
Prince Ninomiya left Queen Ninomiya a forged ransom note claiming that he had been captured by the Kanjani Federation, and that if she ever wanted to see her son again that she would have to join forces with Ohnotopia to stand a chance against their massive army of rangers waiting just on the other side of the Stormy Mountains.
Adviser Matsumoto told Queen Ninomiya the truth after giving the Prince’s carriage an hour head start. But to his surprise, she merely sighed, and ordered that Matsumoto follow after him, just in case he ran into trouble or danger along the way.
Exactly one week later, Prince Ohno’s carriage arrived at the small border town of Ohmiya. The town was unique in that it was split almost exactly down the middle, with each half governed by Ohnotopia, and Ninomiya Kingdom respectively.
“We should find an inn on the other side of the border crossing.” Said Sakurai, opening the window to talk to the driver of the carriage.
“If we’re at Ohmiya, that means we’re halfway there!” Aiba said to Ohno, in an attempt to be comforting.
“Yeah.” Ohno returned to staring out of the carriage window. He didn’t know if he could make it another week. He felt like he had been holding his breath ever since Aiba told him the rumor might not be true. He was afraid he’d suffocate before they even arrived at Miyaiya.
They drove on until they reached the gated border crossing.
A carriage was being processed on the Ninomiya Kingdom side of the boarder. Ohno blinked, and sighed. He wanted to see Nino so badly he was even hallucinating seeing the official Ninomiya Kingdom carriages.
Except the hallucination didn’t fade even after Ohno blinked several times and rubbed his eyes.
Ohno threw himself at the door. It wouldn’t open.
“Your highness, what are you doing?!” Sakurai gasped, trying to pull the prince back into his seat.
“It’s Nino! Nino’s out there.”
“The poor soul. He’s officially lost it.” Aiba said, sadly.
“I haven’t! Just look! He’s really out there, let me go!”
In the carriage on the Ninomiya Kingdom side of the gated border, Prince Nino was taking a royal nap when someone rudely knocked on his carriage door.
“Ugh, what is it?! Are we there yet?” Nino yelled, refusing to sit up.
“Your highness, there is something out here you would be interested in seeing.”
The amusement in Adviser Matsumoto’s voice was rare enough to lure Nino into sitting up and looking out his window. It took him several seconds longer than it should have to realize what exactly he was seeing. That is, the royal Ohno family carriage, with Ohno clearly visible from the window, apparently struggling to open the door.
Before Nino even made a conscious effort to move, he was out of his carriage. But he was halted immediately, and rudely, by an Ohnotopian border guard.
“Please remain in your carriage while your papers are being processed, sir.”
“I’m the Crown Prince of the Ninomiya Kingdom!” Nino stated, “I don’t have to put up with this!”
“Everyone has to put up with it. Especially high status foreign bodies.”
“Foreign bodies?” Nino repeated. “Did you just call me a foreign body?”
“Guard, let him through!” Ohno shouted, running over, finally free of his carriage.
“Your highness!” The guard bowed low, “I’m afraid I cannot do so, even upon your orders, until we know he is here on friendly terms.”
“Well fine then, I’ll just go over there.” Ohno made to duck under the wooden gate.
“Your highness, that could be seen as an act of war!” Adviser Sakurai had arrived and quickly pulled him back to the Ohnotopian side.
“This is ridiculous!” Nino kicked the wooden gate in frustration.
“I thought our reunion would be slightly different.” Ohno admitted, taking a seat on the gate. (“Highness, you can’t sit there-.”) But he was still so remarkably elated at simply the sight of Nino he could already return home happy.
“So did I.” Nino sat next to him on the gate, also with a much lighter heart. (“Highnesses, please don’t-“)
Less than a few inches apart from each other for the first time not only in weeks, but also since their make out session behind the tapestry, they began blushing. It didn’t help that not only were their Advisers and the crossing guards watching them, but so were all of the other people waiting to cross the border, and the local town’s people who had heard the princes were in town.
“Thank you for the painting.” Nino said at last when the atmosphere became just too heavy. “I like it a lot.”
“I didn’t know which one to give you. I know you’re not really fond of boats anymore, but that one just seemed to be the right one to give you.”
“I like it a lot. That technique you used with the blues and yellows in the water was very well done.”
“That part, no, it’s, no, I was just messing around.”
“I like the part on the back too.” Nino said, about to take Ohno’s hand, but Ohno happened to decide at that moment that he needed his hands to hide his face. “I was afraid after the way I left. After the way you let me leave, that maybe you hated me.”
“Hate you?” Ohno let his hand-shield drop a little in surprise. “How could I hate you?”
“Because of that stupid fiancé thing I told that jerk to spread around. I told him to do that just so the Ohnopian ladies wouldn’t bother asking me to dance. I also told that jerk to send you a letter explaining all of this, but that jerk decided not to.”
“I can hear you, you know.” Adviser Matsumoto grunted, just a few feet away.
“Thank god.” Ohno trembled, relief breaking all over his face. He smiled and laughed for the first time in three weeks.
“You must love me a lot to be so happy at that news.” Nino grinned, finally capturing Ohno’s hands.
“You know I love you a lot.” Ohno said, quietly, so only Nino could hear.
“You said you love me the most. Is that true? More than your country? More than Queen Ohno?”
“Do you have to make me say it out loud?” Ohno groaned, turning increasingly redder.
“Yeah I do, or I won’t believe it was you who wrote that.”
“I love you the most.” Ohno said in one fast breath, leaning over quickly to place a butterfly kiss on the side of Nino’s cheek.
“That,” Nino’s voice broke, and he turned almost as pink as Ohno, “That’s good, because I might love Satoshi the most too.”
Before Ohno could fully appreciate the confession, Nino decided to show him exactly how much he loved Ohno, with a rather passionate kiss.
“So that’s why it’s called a border crossing!” Giggled Adviser Aiba, appreciatively.
Adviser Sakurai had to put his hand over Aiba’s eyes.
Princes Ohno and Ninomiya decided to travel back to Miyaiya in order to try and win Queen Ninomiya’s favor. It turned out that the real reason Queen Ninomiya reacted so badly to the budding signs of the Princes’ relationship is that, after her marriage with King Ninomiya ended with his tragic death, she had vowed to dissuade her children from marrying for love. It was just too painful. Nino countered that the happiest he could ever remember his mother being, was back when King Ninomiya was alive. The Queen smiled, and consented, both the argument, and to their relationship.
“For the time being, at least.” The Queen concluded. “Your futures aren’t just your own you know.”
Nino and Ohno, despite the omnious warnings weren’t terribly concerned that their relationship would impact their duties to their countries. They were, after all, already rather unprincely princes. So they left their audience with the Queen feeling relieved that they had won her favor, but also rather irked that they had suffered a great deal of heart ache over the past few weeks for nothing.
They remained for a while in Miyaiya, where Ohno began his initiation into Ninomiya Kingdom culture by sampling 34 of the 1037 different hamburgers. Nino was disappointed that more hadn’t been discovered in his absence, given the amount of funding he donates to hamburger recipe research. Queen Ninomiya held several balls in Prince Ohno’s honor. The attendance by the Princes was fairly poor, as they preferred to spend their time snuggling on daybeds, playing around, and just not going to balls in general.
After a while they traveled back to Ohnopia, where Queen Ohno gave them both a very warm welcome, and, of course, a ball.
This particular ball, however, Nino decided that they should attend, and so they did. Nino had taken his mother's (and to some extent, Advisor Jun's) advice to heart and had begun to think of the future. The more he thought about it, the more certain he became of one thing.
They danced, almost as they did the very first time, just with less shock and awe about them, and more risqué hand positions.
When the ball ended however, and there was still confetti fluttering down like golden snow from the servants throwing the last of it over the balcony, Nino kneeled in front of Ohno.
Not really sure what he was doing, but always assuming that in princely matters, Nino was the model to follow, Ohno knelt too.
“Hey,” Nino chuckled, looking away embarrassed, “You’re supposed to stand for this part.”
“I am?” Ohno made to stand, but Nino stopped him.
“Nevermind, its ok like this.” Nino gathered Ohno’s hands in his, and held them. He looked into Ohno’s eyes. “Prince Ohno Satoshi. Satoshi. Starting tomorrow, you’ll be a Prince-in-law of Ninomiya Kingdom. Say yes.”
“Yes.” Ohno said, without a moment of thought. “And you’ll be the Prince-in-law of Ohnotopia.”
“It’s a deal.” Nino nodded, but before they could seal it with a kiss, Adviser Aiba who just happened to be nearby interrupted.
“You know, in Ohnotopian tradition, the Crown Prince is supposed to seal his engagement by taking his fiancé up to Honeymoon Tower and spend the night making lo-“
“Ssh!” Hissed Advisers Sakurai and Matsumoto who also happened to be near by, “Aiba don’t tell them that!”
Prince Ohno looked from Aiba to his recently declared fiancé with a blank face. “Are you busy tonight?”
It turned out that Prince Ninomiya was in fact free. Honeymoon Tower was overly decorated with a nod to the romantic with too much red and pink and floral patterning. However the bath was large and the bed was exceptionally soft.
Nino made it his goal for the evening to leave kiss marks on at least fifty percent of Ohno’s body. Nino was never very good at keeping his goals, and gave up around the twenty five percent mark.
Ohno spoiled Nino in all of the ways he knew Nino liked to be spoiled because Ohno liked to spoil Nino. With little licks, and hard strokes, and little bites and long, long, detailed kisses in between.
Ohno decided he wanted to be taken this time because Nino asked to marry him first that it only made sense. Nino decided not to argue with that kind of logic. He was tender, and gentle and loving to the point it would be embarrassing with anyone except Ohno. They melted together, and remained together that way for a very long time after.
For the official, public wedding, Prince Ohno and Prince Nino decided to have it in the border town of Ohmiya. It only made sense, as it was the most convenient for both of their families and subjects to have access to. It was a small ceremony, as far as royal standards go, just the way Nino and Ohno wanted it.
They didn't have their future entirely planned out yet, and they weren't sure if they'd inherit both Ohnotopia and Ninomiya Kingdom individually, or share the rule of just one country, or perhaps even combine the two into one big country. There were pros and cons to all of the options, and the families remained in constant debate as to how to solve the inheritence puzzle their marriage created.
For the time being, the couple decided to remain in Ohmiya. Almost entirely in order to cut back the travel time between the two countries. A small palace was built straddling the border, and in a display of humor, Nino employed the same border guard that had annoyed him so as one of their palace guards, and constantly called him many rude nicknames. After the move Prince Ohno at first had a small case of separation anxiety from his mother, but Prince Nino helped him overcome it.
After a few years, Advisers Sakurai, Aiba, and Matsumoto graduated their Adviserships, each returning to his native country as a well-rounded wise Crown Prince. Several times a year they made sure to gather in Ohmiya to visit Ohno and Nino and to play the latest version of Ailando’s board game.
Meanwhile, as the fabled ‘Town of the Married Princes,’ the town of Ohmiya grew and grew to the point it was difficult for it to function under joint government. Upon hearing this, the royal family of Ohnotopia, and the royal family of Ninomiya Kingdom gathered and decided the best course of action for the future of the city, and Princes Ohno and Nino who had come to love their growing little town.
Thence forth the town of Ohmiya was its own, independent city-state, governed cooperatively by King Ohno and King Ninomiya. In exchange, their sisters would go on to inherit the thrones of Ohnotopia and Ninomiya Kingdom, and Ohno and Nino’s appointed heir would inherit the new throne of Ohmiya. Ohno and Nino wholeheartedly agreed with the decision as they could finally do things in their own way as they had always wanted to without all the big responsibility and constraints of running a continental superpower.
They no longer worried about being unfit princes, or unfit kings. In a brand new country they were free to set their own customs and traditions, and just as free to not set any at all.
And so the Great Continent saw the birth of a new nation, nestled between Ohnotopia and the Ninomiya Kingdom. One that was small, but known across the Continent for its steak restaurants and fishing clubs and lack of formal balls. But the little country of Ohmiya became most renowned as the happily ever after home of two unprincely princes who happened to incidentally fall in love.
“There has been a change in political climate.” His mother replied simply.
“But Prince Ohno wants to come too. There’s no way he’ll be able to make arrangements so quickly!”
“That scoundrel is not welcome in our country! He’s…he’s soiled my only precious son!”
“Soiled?! It was just a bit of making out!” Nino flushed.
“Regardless, you know full well and good that a relationship between you two simply won’t do.” The Queen sighed, and took on a slightly gentler tone.
“If Ohno Satoshi won’t do,” Nino trembled, his eyes fierce, “Then no one ever will. We were just making out, it’s not like we’ve taken vows!”
“Just making out? And that leads you where, Kazunari. To choose him is to end your ability to produce heirs.”
“First you’re outraged that I might have had sex, and now you’re outraged that I won’t be able to reproduce?”
“My point is that you need to think this through!”
“I just found out I loved him a few hours ago, can’t you give me some time to figure that out first?!” He turned and stormed out of his mother’s chambers. He made for the door that would lead out of the guest wing, but Adviser Matsumoto sat in a chair in front of the door reading a novel.
“Move.” Nino growled.
Adviser Matsumoto looked up, frowning. “No.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t make myself clear. I order you to move.”
“No.”
“You-“
“I believe,” the Adviser said, “that it is in your best interest to cool down. This is just a fling. You’ll get over it when we get back home.”
“What if it isn’t?” Nino asked, because he was very scared that it wasn’t just a fling. “What if this is for real?”
“Then you are going to be in a lot of pain that you’ve caused yourself.” Matsumoto said, and his sadness sounded genuine.
“You say that like it’s my fault! I didn’t ask for this. I didn’t want to feel this way about him!” Nino could have screamed for the unfairness, “I didn’t even want to go on this stupid trip!”
“But you did ask me to spread a word around. Against my better judgment, I did so.”
“What are you talking abou-“ Nino bit his tongue hard enough it nearly bled. He remembered. He suddenly felt sick to his stomach. “Tell me, Jun, tell me you didn’t tell him all of that bullshit.”
“I didn’t, no.” Matsumoto sighed again, “but I did tell Adviser Sakurai. After the way we caught you earlier, I’m fairly certain it won’t be long before he is told. I’m sorry for you, Kazunari.”
He wanted badly to cry. To rush out and find Ohno. Matsumoto wasn’t about to let him, nor was the Queen. Instead Nino laughed, bitterly. “Ah, and he’s the one who was worried I would hate him. Now he’s the one who is going to hate me.”
Adviser Sakurai hadn’t been planning on telling Prince Ohno about Prince Ninomiya’s engagement, but he couldn’t listen to Aiba’s pestering Ohno as to what the kiss was like with a good conscience.
Adviser Sakurai sent Aiba for a late night snack. He told himself he had to tell Ohno to prevent greater pain later on.
And so he related what Adviser Matsumoto had told him on the night of the first ball, about Prince Ninomiya already being madly, wildly, insanely in love with some fiancé, watching Ohno’s heart break on his face.
“If that’s true,” Ohno’s voice was so low it could scarcely be heard, “Why did he kiss me like that? Why would he let us carry on like that for so long? I…I felt….it felt like he might…. like me back.”
“I believe he does like you a lot as a friend.” Sho said, slowly, “Perhaps he was only being kind.”
Ohno quietly asked Adviser Sakurai to leave him alone for a little while. The chamberlain was out with his girlfriend at some post-ball party in town. Ohno’s chambers were absolutely empty. For this, Ohno was glad.
Until a little while later, when a knock came on his door. At first he ignored it. And sniffled into his pillows. One sort of still smelled like Nino. Or so he imagined. The bed had been made during the ball, and the sheets and pillowcases had probably been replaced. It was as if that blissful afternoon nap they shared had never even happened. Even so, he pretended, and he pressed his teary face into it.
“Oh, my poor baby.” Murmured Queen Ohno, as she sat on the edge of Ohno’s bed. She leaned over and ruffled Ohno’s hair. “Sho told me everything. You’re probably feeling very hurt and a little foolish. But I think in your heart, you know that this is for the best.”
Prince Ohno sniffled loudly, his face still in the pillow.
“Masaki brought you ice cream. Pistachio, I think. He and Sho are in the parlor. But don’t join them until you’re done crying all you need to, or else those two will start bawling too.”
Ohno sniffled again, and his voice croaked, “I love you, mom.”
“I love you too,” She kissed his hair, “my little prince.”
And so, the next day, the Ninomiya royal family departed Ohnopia Castle. Convinced that Ohno hated him, Nino didn’t ask why Ohno wasn’t at the farewell ceremony. He wrote a letter to explain himself, and gave it to Adviser Matsumoto, asking that it be sent to Ohno when they reached the first village outside of Ohnopia.
Prince Ohno watched the parade of carriages from an upper window. He saw Nino staring up at the castle before a servant asked him to enter his carriage. He wanted to go and say goodbye properly and princely. He wanted to tell Nino that despite Nino being psychotically in love with his fiancé, he was still happy to have had the chance to love Nino too. And that he had never had so much fun being a prince before and that he’d remember the days he’d spent with Nino fondly for the rest of his life. He wanted to give Nino one of his paintings, as a memento of his time in Ohnopia. He even had wrapped it nicely himself. But he lacked the nerve to ask someone to send it to Nino.
When the carriages were out of sight, Ohno returned to his room and found the wrapped painting missing. There was a note where he’d left it on the table from Adviser Sakurai, saying he’d taken the liberty to send it along after the Ninomiya procession. Ohno gave the note a small, sad smile.
After two weeks on the road, the Ninomiya royal family arrived at Miyaiya castle. Nino didn’t remember most of the trip. He slept as much as he could, and played games when he wasn’t sleeping. He didn’t talk to anyone and ignored his mother and Adviser Matsumoto the entire trip.
He missed Ohno greatly, and couldn’t help but imagine how different travel would have been with Ohno by his side.
Even upon returning home, he spoke to no one, except a servant to order that his bath be drawn and to state that he would be eating dinner alone in his rooms.
On his bed he found a strange, large wrapped package. Frowning, he pulled off the paper.
It was one of Ohno’s paintings. It was a sea scape, featuring a fishing boat. Although Nino couldn’t honestly tell any given boat from the next and Ohno’s informal, free style didn’t really make identification any easier but his instincts told him this was Captain Machida’s boat. The recognition alone made Nino bite his lip, simultaneously heartbroken and jealous. He tried not to dwell on the fact that Ohno and Machida could be out having a happy time fishing at this very moment.
But at this very moment, Ohno was not out at sea. In fact he hadn’t felt much like fishing since Nino left. He hadn’t felt like doing much of anything since Nino left.
“Hey, Prince Ohno I have some documents for you to look over regarding the construction of a new harbor on Blue Island.” Adviser Aiba came into the parlor, his arms full of scrolls and papers.
“Ugh, work.” Ohno sighed, joining Aiba in front of his desk.
“Queen Ohno says it’ll get your mind off things.” Aiba spread the documents out in front of the prince. “Although if you ask me, I don’t think it’s true.”
“Don’t think what is true?”
“Prince Ninomiya’s engagement.” Aiba said a little absently, preoccupied with smoothing out the scroll, “I have friends in Ninomiya Court. All of them say Prince Ninomiya has declined all offers of engagement he’s ever received. Apparently he once said some funny line about being married to his people so he didn’t need a wife.”
“Why,” Ohno wilted onto his chair, struck by the news, “why did you wait two weeks to tell me that?”
“I-I’m sorry, I thought you knew." Aiba gaped, horrified, "I figured Adviser Sakurai told you when he mentioned the rumor.”
Ohno massaged his temples for a moment. He didn’t want to get his hopes up, not when he had finally been able to get back to normal. Except he wasn’t back to normal, not at all. The mere thought that Nino wasn’t madly in love with some fiancé, that maybe Nino didn’t kiss him back out of kindness, but maybe because he liked Ohno too.
Decided, Ohno stood up. “How fast can a carriage be ready?”
“Prince Ninomiya…would you like to pick out a spot for that painting? You’ve been carrying it around all day.”
“That’s none of your business, Adviser Matsumoto.” Nino huffed, his arms still lovingly around his painting.
“What does it say there on the back?”
“What?” Nino turned the painting around for the first time, and saw something written along the wooden canvas frame.
I don’t know who you love but I don’t care. I love Kazu the most.
“Hey,” Nino looked up, over the canvas. “Do you know if he sent this before or after he read my letter?”
“Before. If you’ll excuse me, I have something to do.” Matsumoto began edging towards the door, suspiciously.
Nino stared at his guilty faced Adviser, incredulous. “You never sent it, did you?!”
“The Queen asked me not to. I agreed. It’s for your own good that he thinks you’re in love with someone else. It’s not like anything can come of an enduring relationship between you two.”
“I DON’T KNOW, MAYBE OUR HAPPINESS.” Nino roared, abandoning his painting (gently) to storm up to Matsumoto.
“You are both crown princes! Your duty is to your crown, not to your selfish desires!” Matsumoto stood his ground.
“Princes are people too, you idiot!” Nino shoved him hard on the chest.
“I’m a prince too, you idiot!” Matsumoto shoved even harder back. “You think I don’t know what you’re going through?”
“Then let me go to him.” Nino asked, quietly, desperately, his anger gone. “I have to explain everything to him so he doesn't hate me. Please.”
“You don’t know if this passion of yours will last. What if it’s a bitter break up? What if it ends in war? You can’t play with your country’s fate as if it were a game piece.”
Nino bowed his head, and whispered, “Please. Jun. Please, let me go.”
A long, silent moment passed. Jun sighed. “I’ll see if they’ve put your carriage away yet, and if there are any fresh horses.”
“Jun, I love you.” Nino hugged Jun.
Jun sighed again and awkwardly petted the top of Nino’s head. “It’s it bit late for that now isn’t it.”
Prince Ohno gave Queen Ohno a hug on his way out of the castle. She sent him off with an extra parcel of his favorite smoked fish, and both of her Advisers.
Prince Ninomiya left Queen Ninomiya a forged ransom note claiming that he had been captured by the Kanjani Federation, and that if she ever wanted to see her son again that she would have to join forces with Ohnotopia to stand a chance against their massive army of rangers waiting just on the other side of the Stormy Mountains.
Adviser Matsumoto told Queen Ninomiya the truth after giving the Prince’s carriage an hour head start. But to his surprise, she merely sighed, and ordered that Matsumoto follow after him, just in case he ran into trouble or danger along the way.
Exactly one week later, Prince Ohno’s carriage arrived at the small border town of Ohmiya. The town was unique in that it was split almost exactly down the middle, with each half governed by Ohnotopia, and Ninomiya Kingdom respectively.
“We should find an inn on the other side of the border crossing.” Said Sakurai, opening the window to talk to the driver of the carriage.
“If we’re at Ohmiya, that means we’re halfway there!” Aiba said to Ohno, in an attempt to be comforting.
“Yeah.” Ohno returned to staring out of the carriage window. He didn’t know if he could make it another week. He felt like he had been holding his breath ever since Aiba told him the rumor might not be true. He was afraid he’d suffocate before they even arrived at Miyaiya.
They drove on until they reached the gated border crossing.
A carriage was being processed on the Ninomiya Kingdom side of the boarder. Ohno blinked, and sighed. He wanted to see Nino so badly he was even hallucinating seeing the official Ninomiya Kingdom carriages.
Except the hallucination didn’t fade even after Ohno blinked several times and rubbed his eyes.
Ohno threw himself at the door. It wouldn’t open.
“Your highness, what are you doing?!” Sakurai gasped, trying to pull the prince back into his seat.
“It’s Nino! Nino’s out there.”
“The poor soul. He’s officially lost it.” Aiba said, sadly.
“I haven’t! Just look! He’s really out there, let me go!”
In the carriage on the Ninomiya Kingdom side of the gated border, Prince Nino was taking a royal nap when someone rudely knocked on his carriage door.
“Ugh, what is it?! Are we there yet?” Nino yelled, refusing to sit up.
“Your highness, there is something out here you would be interested in seeing.”
The amusement in Adviser Matsumoto’s voice was rare enough to lure Nino into sitting up and looking out his window. It took him several seconds longer than it should have to realize what exactly he was seeing. That is, the royal Ohno family carriage, with Ohno clearly visible from the window, apparently struggling to open the door.
Before Nino even made a conscious effort to move, he was out of his carriage. But he was halted immediately, and rudely, by an Ohnotopian border guard.
“Please remain in your carriage while your papers are being processed, sir.”
“I’m the Crown Prince of the Ninomiya Kingdom!” Nino stated, “I don’t have to put up with this!”
“Everyone has to put up with it. Especially high status foreign bodies.”
“Foreign bodies?” Nino repeated. “Did you just call me a foreign body?”
“Guard, let him through!” Ohno shouted, running over, finally free of his carriage.
“Your highness!” The guard bowed low, “I’m afraid I cannot do so, even upon your orders, until we know he is here on friendly terms.”
“Well fine then, I’ll just go over there.” Ohno made to duck under the wooden gate.
“Your highness, that could be seen as an act of war!” Adviser Sakurai had arrived and quickly pulled him back to the Ohnotopian side.
“This is ridiculous!” Nino kicked the wooden gate in frustration.
“I thought our reunion would be slightly different.” Ohno admitted, taking a seat on the gate. (“Highness, you can’t sit there-.”) But he was still so remarkably elated at simply the sight of Nino he could already return home happy.
“So did I.” Nino sat next to him on the gate, also with a much lighter heart. (“Highnesses, please don’t-“)
Less than a few inches apart from each other for the first time not only in weeks, but also since their make out session behind the tapestry, they began blushing. It didn’t help that not only were their Advisers and the crossing guards watching them, but so were all of the other people waiting to cross the border, and the local town’s people who had heard the princes were in town.
“Thank you for the painting.” Nino said at last when the atmosphere became just too heavy. “I like it a lot.”
“I didn’t know which one to give you. I know you’re not really fond of boats anymore, but that one just seemed to be the right one to give you.”
“I like it a lot. That technique you used with the blues and yellows in the water was very well done.”
“That part, no, it’s, no, I was just messing around.”
“I like the part on the back too.” Nino said, about to take Ohno’s hand, but Ohno happened to decide at that moment that he needed his hands to hide his face. “I was afraid after the way I left. After the way you let me leave, that maybe you hated me.”
“Hate you?” Ohno let his hand-shield drop a little in surprise. “How could I hate you?”
“Because of that stupid fiancé thing I told that jerk to spread around. I told him to do that just so the Ohnopian ladies wouldn’t bother asking me to dance. I also told that jerk to send you a letter explaining all of this, but that jerk decided not to.”
“I can hear you, you know.” Adviser Matsumoto grunted, just a few feet away.
“Thank god.” Ohno trembled, relief breaking all over his face. He smiled and laughed for the first time in three weeks.
“You must love me a lot to be so happy at that news.” Nino grinned, finally capturing Ohno’s hands.
“You know I love you a lot.” Ohno said, quietly, so only Nino could hear.
“You said you love me the most. Is that true? More than your country? More than Queen Ohno?”
“Do you have to make me say it out loud?” Ohno groaned, turning increasingly redder.
“Yeah I do, or I won’t believe it was you who wrote that.”
“I love you the most.” Ohno said in one fast breath, leaning over quickly to place a butterfly kiss on the side of Nino’s cheek.
“That,” Nino’s voice broke, and he turned almost as pink as Ohno, “That’s good, because I might love Satoshi the most too.”
Before Ohno could fully appreciate the confession, Nino decided to show him exactly how much he loved Ohno, with a rather passionate kiss.
“So that’s why it’s called a border crossing!” Giggled Adviser Aiba, appreciatively.
Adviser Sakurai had to put his hand over Aiba’s eyes.
Princes Ohno and Ninomiya decided to travel back to Miyaiya in order to try and win Queen Ninomiya’s favor. It turned out that the real reason Queen Ninomiya reacted so badly to the budding signs of the Princes’ relationship is that, after her marriage with King Ninomiya ended with his tragic death, she had vowed to dissuade her children from marrying for love. It was just too painful. Nino countered that the happiest he could ever remember his mother being, was back when King Ninomiya was alive. The Queen smiled, and consented, both the argument, and to their relationship.
“For the time being, at least.” The Queen concluded. “Your futures aren’t just your own you know.”
Nino and Ohno, despite the omnious warnings weren’t terribly concerned that their relationship would impact their duties to their countries. They were, after all, already rather unprincely princes. So they left their audience with the Queen feeling relieved that they had won her favor, but also rather irked that they had suffered a great deal of heart ache over the past few weeks for nothing.
They remained for a while in Miyaiya, where Ohno began his initiation into Ninomiya Kingdom culture by sampling 34 of the 1037 different hamburgers. Nino was disappointed that more hadn’t been discovered in his absence, given the amount of funding he donates to hamburger recipe research. Queen Ninomiya held several balls in Prince Ohno’s honor. The attendance by the Princes was fairly poor, as they preferred to spend their time snuggling on daybeds, playing around, and just not going to balls in general.
After a while they traveled back to Ohnopia, where Queen Ohno gave them both a very warm welcome, and, of course, a ball.
This particular ball, however, Nino decided that they should attend, and so they did. Nino had taken his mother's (and to some extent, Advisor Jun's) advice to heart and had begun to think of the future. The more he thought about it, the more certain he became of one thing.
They danced, almost as they did the very first time, just with less shock and awe about them, and more risqué hand positions.
When the ball ended however, and there was still confetti fluttering down like golden snow from the servants throwing the last of it over the balcony, Nino kneeled in front of Ohno.
Not really sure what he was doing, but always assuming that in princely matters, Nino was the model to follow, Ohno knelt too.
“Hey,” Nino chuckled, looking away embarrassed, “You’re supposed to stand for this part.”
“I am?” Ohno made to stand, but Nino stopped him.
“Nevermind, its ok like this.” Nino gathered Ohno’s hands in his, and held them. He looked into Ohno’s eyes. “Prince Ohno Satoshi. Satoshi. Starting tomorrow, you’ll be a Prince-in-law of Ninomiya Kingdom. Say yes.”
“Yes.” Ohno said, without a moment of thought. “And you’ll be the Prince-in-law of Ohnotopia.”
“It’s a deal.” Nino nodded, but before they could seal it with a kiss, Adviser Aiba who just happened to be nearby interrupted.
“You know, in Ohnotopian tradition, the Crown Prince is supposed to seal his engagement by taking his fiancé up to Honeymoon Tower and spend the night making lo-“
“Ssh!” Hissed Advisers Sakurai and Matsumoto who also happened to be near by, “Aiba don’t tell them that!”
Prince Ohno looked from Aiba to his recently declared fiancé with a blank face. “Are you busy tonight?”
It turned out that Prince Ninomiya was in fact free. Honeymoon Tower was overly decorated with a nod to the romantic with too much red and pink and floral patterning. However the bath was large and the bed was exceptionally soft.
Nino made it his goal for the evening to leave kiss marks on at least fifty percent of Ohno’s body. Nino was never very good at keeping his goals, and gave up around the twenty five percent mark.
Ohno spoiled Nino in all of the ways he knew Nino liked to be spoiled because Ohno liked to spoil Nino. With little licks, and hard strokes, and little bites and long, long, detailed kisses in between.
Ohno decided he wanted to be taken this time because Nino asked to marry him first that it only made sense. Nino decided not to argue with that kind of logic. He was tender, and gentle and loving to the point it would be embarrassing with anyone except Ohno. They melted together, and remained together that way for a very long time after.
For the official, public wedding, Prince Ohno and Prince Nino decided to have it in the border town of Ohmiya. It only made sense, as it was the most convenient for both of their families and subjects to have access to. It was a small ceremony, as far as royal standards go, just the way Nino and Ohno wanted it.
They didn't have their future entirely planned out yet, and they weren't sure if they'd inherit both Ohnotopia and Ninomiya Kingdom individually, or share the rule of just one country, or perhaps even combine the two into one big country. There were pros and cons to all of the options, and the families remained in constant debate as to how to solve the inheritence puzzle their marriage created.
For the time being, the couple decided to remain in Ohmiya. Almost entirely in order to cut back the travel time between the two countries. A small palace was built straddling the border, and in a display of humor, Nino employed the same border guard that had annoyed him so as one of their palace guards, and constantly called him many rude nicknames. After the move Prince Ohno at first had a small case of separation anxiety from his mother, but Prince Nino helped him overcome it.
After a few years, Advisers Sakurai, Aiba, and Matsumoto graduated their Adviserships, each returning to his native country as a well-rounded wise Crown Prince. Several times a year they made sure to gather in Ohmiya to visit Ohno and Nino and to play the latest version of Ailando’s board game.
Meanwhile, as the fabled ‘Town of the Married Princes,’ the town of Ohmiya grew and grew to the point it was difficult for it to function under joint government. Upon hearing this, the royal family of Ohnotopia, and the royal family of Ninomiya Kingdom gathered and decided the best course of action for the future of the city, and Princes Ohno and Nino who had come to love their growing little town.
Thence forth the town of Ohmiya was its own, independent city-state, governed cooperatively by King Ohno and King Ninomiya. In exchange, their sisters would go on to inherit the thrones of Ohnotopia and Ninomiya Kingdom, and Ohno and Nino’s appointed heir would inherit the new throne of Ohmiya. Ohno and Nino wholeheartedly agreed with the decision as they could finally do things in their own way as they had always wanted to without all the big responsibility and constraints of running a continental superpower.
They no longer worried about being unfit princes, or unfit kings. In a brand new country they were free to set their own customs and traditions, and just as free to not set any at all.
And so the Great Continent saw the birth of a new nation, nestled between Ohnotopia and the Ninomiya Kingdom. One that was small, but known across the Continent for its steak restaurants and fishing clubs and lack of formal balls. But the little country of Ohmiya became most renowned as the happily ever after home of two unprincely princes who happened to incidentally fall in love.