The Beginning of A New Friendship

   Joseph, who had always been an introverted kid, was proud of himself that day for making a new friend. As soon as he reached the castle, he submitted the crystal and ran straight to his father's chamber. 

   "Father, you wouldn't believe that today, I made a friend while I was on my mission," Joseph cried with excitement.

   "Whoa! My little prince is all grown up now. What a development I see!" King Lucifer ruffled Joseph's hair, "So, who is this new friend that you made today? Do you know who he is and what his name is? What rank angel is he?"

   "No, father! He isn't an angel even though he really looks like one." The king looked a little tense after knowing the little friend wasn't an angel, "Then who is it?"

   "He is the prince of the demon realm. His name is Theodore," After a long pause, he spoke again, "Father? Is it bad to be friends with a demon?" Joseph asked in a low voice.

   King Lucifer was relieved hearing it was the prince of the demon realm, "No, my son! There's no problem with having a demon as a friend. I'm glad that you met the prince. Actually, King Asmodeus of the demon realm and I, are best friends as well. I hope you two will get along well like your fathers."

   After hearing this from the King, Joseph was happy knowing that his father approved of his friendship despite being an angel and a demon.

   "Excuse me, father! You have to come with me. It seems like there's a little dispute in the Divine land between an angel and a demon," Nathan bowed his head towards King Lucifer. "Oh, our little prince is here as well! How are your missions going, little brother?" Nathan ruffled Joseph's hair.

   "I've been doing okay with the missions," Joseph replied. He was very curious about what the dispute was that too between the demons and angels.

   "Okay, son. I'll be ready in a few minutes. You can go. I'll be there in a while," The king was serious.

   As Nathan went outside, Joseph became curious and asked, "Father, what is this dispute about? Can I come with you? I want to know about it too."

   "No! You can't tag along with us, but I can tell you what it is about. Between the two realms, a deal was made. Angels and demons were allowed to create friendship, but anything beyond that is a sin. But some angels and demons fall in love with each other and try to fight the system. And this is another case of some girl and boy who are an angel and a demon. I was relieved when you told me that you befriended the prince of the demon realm and not some female demon," King Lucifer finished explaining. Joseph was too dumbfounded to reply anything so, he stood there in complete silence.

   "Sometimes, they even become two fools in love. They think that if they cannot go against the system, it is better to be turned into a fallen angel or a fallen demon. Being turned into one of those is the biggest curse for any angels or demons. Turning into one is nothing more than stupidity. So, you should remember that doing anything like that is just foolish. Do not ever do anything to be turned into one. Got it?" The king warned him.

   "Yes, I got it," Joseph replied, "But, isn't it good for them in the human realm after becoming a fallen angel or a demon?" Joseph was curious.

   "No, it is not," the king slightly raised his voice, "There is more to there than just living as a human. You are not big enough to know about that. Just focus on your training and missions. You have to be a prince that is worthy of the throne. You should always keep this in your mind, Joseph. Do not ever fall for a female demon. I have to go now. You should eat something and then go to sleep. You must be tired because of the mission," the king went out of the chamber.

   Joseph did not know why but hearing about this rule made him upset. He questioned, if it was okay to be friends, then why was it a sin to be in love? Wasn't friendship the base on a good relationship? Joseph was confused after hearing about the rules. Why were those rules made? Why were they not allowed to love the one they wanted? Did belonging from a different realm really matter? Joseph had a lot of thoughts going on inside his head.

   But, he remembered he and Theodore were of same gender so, these things wouldn't even matter to them. It wasn't like he was going to fall in love with Theodore. So, it didn't matter much. All he thought was about meeting Theodore the next day. Joseph was a shy kid. He was unable to open up to anyone but was fond of Theodore at their first meeting. He was pleased that his father didn't have complaints about him being friends with a demon. That night he couldn't sleep properly. He was excited to meet Theodore.

   The next day, Theodore waited for Joseph by the plum tree where they had first encountered each other. They had promised each other to meet by the plum tree the day before. So, Theodore was by the plum tree waiting for him.

   Suddenly a hand crept up in front of his eyes which made him panic. So, he tried to bring out his horns, but he was unable to do because he was on the Divine land. So, he grabbed the hands that covered his eyes and tackled the person to the ground.

   "Ouch! It's me, Joseph. Please stop! You are hurting me," Joseph mourned in pain. Theodore stopped in his tracks. It took a moment for him to realize what exactly was happening. Theodore was on top of Joseph, straddling the arms above Joseph's head. Theodore was baffled. But, after coming to the realization, he felt a tingling sensation in his stomach, and his cheeks started to heat up.

   "Oh, I am sorry! You suddenly came and covered my eyes, and I thought somebody was trying to harm me so, I attacked," Theodore apologized.

   "It's fine. Though you hurt my wrists a little bit. You sure are strong. You know it is good to keep up your guard every time," Joseph rubbed his wrists.

   Eyeing those injured wrists, he took them in his hands and caressed them. "I am very sorry. My intention was never to hurt you. I just got into my defensive mode. I'm really sorry," Theodore bowed his head.

   "No, silly. It's okay. These will heal in a matter of some days. I'm a tough guy after all," Joseph said with a proud grin. At his cute gesture, Theodore was unable to hide his infamous boxy smile.

   Then, Theodore tore a small part of the shirt that he was wearing. He dipped it in the spring water and then tied it around the wrist where Joseph was hurt, "I know this will not be much of a help, but it will help to soothe the burns. Again, very sorry, my angel. I should have been more careful," he kissed those wrists. Joseph blushed at this gesture. He had tints of pink across his cheeks which made Theodore tease him even more, "You may not know, but despite wearing eyeliner, your eyes still look big and innocent. You truly look like an angel," Theodore emphasized the last two words.

   Joseph was unknown to flirting. He barely had any close friends so, this was very extreme for him. Joseph was blushing like mad and didn't know how to react. All he could do was stare at the ground and blush like crazy. Joseph was speechless. So, Theodore spoke again, "Did I cross my limits? Are you uncomfortable with me calling you an angel? If you are, then I will just call you by your name."

   "No, it's okay. You can call me that. I don't have any problem with it. It's just that I've never had any close friends so, I don't know how to react," Joseph said, meeting his eyes.

   "You don't have any friends? How is that possible? How can someone so pretty be lonely?" Theodore was surprised.

   "No, it's not that I'm lonely or that I don't have friends. I do have friends, but they aren't as close as we are. I stay in my castle most of the time. My big brother trains me and helps me with my studies. Also, many kids my age feel uncomfortable being friends with the prince, you know?" Theodore was baffled after hearing what Joseph said. But he was still happy that he was able to be the only close friend Joseph had.

   "Those kids are bad. They are missing out on such a beautiful friendship from you. I'm glad we met and became close. I'm glad to be your only close friend. It makes me feel like I'm lucky," Theodore expressed what was in his heart.

   "I'm lucky to have you as my close friends as well," Joseph replied instantly.

   The plum tree under which those two were standing had tiny buds grown. It seemed like the spring was near. The spring, which brought warmth everywhere, had started to bring warmth to both of their hearts. It was the indication of their friendship.

   Yuki was observing everything. He was overwhelmed and had a fond smile on him. "Will this spring last forever?" Yuki thought, "The white flower of this plum tree resembles hopes, beauty, and perseverance. Will their life be as beautiful as this flower that is being nourished? Or will these two make a beautiful flower bloom on their new journey?"

   The beginning of a new friendship was also the beginning of a new story. Some types of friends were meant to stay as they were. While some became more than that.

   What would the relationship between Theodore and Joseph end as? Would it end as some normal friendship or, would it bloom into something beautiful and magical? The question was yet to be answered because the story had just begun. Only time would be able to define the relationship these two were going to have.