61. Fairytale

From the street you could see a figure standing on the balcony, leaning on the railing, staring at the setting sun.  His glasses glinted in the light, but even from there one could tell who it was. The way his ink black hair shifted in the summer wind and he stared longingly into the sun…

Uryuu felt himself sigh as he watched the last splotches of red and orange disappear from the sky. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to turn around and walk back inside. He didn’t feel like facing his father; not yet.

The orange lingers in the clouds just a little longer and reminds him of… him.

He tried to push away the memories but they dredged themselves up whether he wanted them to or not.


He was standing alone in the crowd.

Everywhere lights illuminated the floor, ribbons hung on every inch of the room. Girls wore elaborate gowns, twirling all around him. Their dates twirled then back, wearing expensive suits.

Instead, Uryuu wore a simple black suit. He couldn’t afford more. It was why he had no friends, this prejudice they held for poor people. He had earned a scholarship into this prestigious school by working hard; he couldn’t afford it.

Uryuu was watching one in particular that had always caught his eye. Flaming orange hair, the exact color of the fruit by that name and brown eyes that were overflowing with kindness. He was dancing with a pretty girl who was much shorter than himself with beautiful black hair the same shade as his own.

When he stopped, Uryuu watched him make his way through the crowd towards him. He felt his heart pound oddly in his chest. What was he supposed to do now?

“Hello.” He had said.

Little did Uryuu know… he was Romeo.


Uryuu pushed back the memory of the rest of the dance, not wanting to remember how he had been dragged away by his other friends, particularly the redhead who had approached him later on, threatening him to stay away from them. He wasn’t part of their ‘group’. He didn’t belong.

But that didn’t stop them


Pebble’s hit his window and at once Uryuu knew who it was. He sat up in his bed and rushed to the window. Of course, standing on the ground was the same boy. He was concentrating intensely on aiming just perfectly so that he hit the glass window just right. Uryuu couldn’t help but smile a bit at that.

He opened the glass door, rushing to his balcony, peering over the edge.

“Ichigo!” He said loudly as he could without attracting attention to himself in the dark. The boy looked up, smiling widely.

“Come on!”

“Where?”

“I don’t know, anywhere!”

“Uryuu!” Uryuu swung around to see his father standing in the doorway, looking as angry as he usually did. Except now he had a reason. Uryuu cowered down, waiting for whatever was going to happen to happen. “Get away from your balcony and go to bed.”

But Uryuu didn’t intend to listen. He pushed past him, running down the stairs to the stairs at the front of the house where his father caught up to him. “Stop. Stay away from him!!”

Uryuu froze in place, staring at how close he was to his Romeo.

Ichigo moved to meet him, holding out his hand but was stopped by his father’s personal guards.

“Ichigo!” He shouted, reaching for his hand, held back by both the weight of his father’s words and his own guilt in disobeying them. He took another step and then fell onto his face, tears steaming down his face. “Please, don’t go.” He cried, as he watched Ichigo turn and walk away, his eyes confused and hurt.

When the guards finally let him past, Uryuu touched his face, his perfect cheeks, his lips, his arms.

Uryuu stared longingly at him, resting his hands on his arms. “My Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone.” He whispered.

“I'll be waiting; all there's left to do is run.” Ichigo replied, touching his lip with his first two fingers then placing them on Uryuu’s own lips. He smiled and turned, walking away with that same smile on his lips.

Uryuu felt his lips, smiling again for a small time. Then he frowned again as he skipped in his memories to the happier one he knew was coming.

Uryuu knew he shouldn’t. But he did.

He snuck into the garden behind his house to meet him. More of a small forest of flowers it was, than a real forest. Uryuu carried a small lantern as his source of light. He moved across the forest until he saw a glimpse of the gorgeous hair he was looking for. He laid down his lantern, meeting Ichigo in the middle of the garden by the fountain. He embraced him, hugging him tightly. Then he laid his forehead on Ichigo’s breathing in the wonderful scent that always followed him. Just the way he was was enough for Uryuu. Ichigo took his hands, smiling.

They don’t say a word because if they’re found, they’re dead. So instead they close their eyes and imagine they’re not in the close-minded town the used to be in. They escape reality, and for just a second, they’re all alone together.

“I have to leave.”

Uryuu opened his eyes, looking at the other man. He had his eyes closed still, his smile gone. “What?”

“…I’m sorry.”

Uryuu didn’t stop the tears. “Please, don’t go…”

He untwined their hands, taking a step away. “I’m sorry.” He placed his hand on Uryuu’s cheek, then pulled him in. He kissed his lips softly, then turned and left.

Uryuu felt tears prick his eyes as he remembered that time. He wiped them away angrily, skipping the parts he didn’t want to remember;

Wondering when he would return. Crying at night. Wishing they would stop trying to tell him how to feel. Their love was wrong; he knew that but he didn’t care.

“Don’t be afraid, we’ll make it out of this mess.”


That had been what the card on the bouquet of flowers had said. He had kept the card inside his breast pocket, but his father had thrown the flowers into the fire.

That was three months ago.

Uryuu didn’t know what to think anymore. He felt the tears stream down his cheeks again. He was beginning to lose faith. What if he didn’t come back? He would be alone forever. Should he just give in? Should he just marry the girl his father wanted him to marry? Her hair was almost right… He could pretend it was him.

“Giving up on me?”

Uryuu swung around, wiping his eyes without thinking.

There stood his Romeo. He smiled widely, embracing him.

"My Romeo, save me… I've been feeling so alone. I keep waiting for you but you never come. Is this in my head? I don't know what to think-"

“Don’t worry, I’m here.” He replied, smiling.

Uryuu smiled now. “I know.”