For the Love of Princess

Story Title: For the Love of Princess
Author: tashiichaan
Type: Collection of comedy and angst and lovey drabbles (which I so fail at XD)
Rating: G (because it’s loveeee~)
Genre: Humour, Angst
Word Count: 2,537 words (SEE, I SHOULD NOT EVEN CALL THIS A COLLECTION OF DRABBLES. IT SHOULD BE AN ARCHIVE OF DRABBLES.)
Summary: To watch Aiba and Hime in their everyday life, you can’t say Hime is just Aiba’s dog. She is his little princess; his everything. His world.
Notes:
1) In reality Aiba has two dogs (Hime and Uran) but I only starred Hime because I wub her name xDD
2) Yokoyama-kun mentioned in here is Yokoyama Yuu from Kanjani8, who is one of Aiba’s closest friends.
3) For a better grasp of emotions, try listening to Caramel Song while reading the later drabbles, because I did while writing them and it made me wanna cry T_T
4) SPOT OHMIYA AND SAKURAIBA!

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For the Love of Princess

01.

Aiba treated his precious dog like a princess. He even named her Hime when she was just a little doe-eyed puppy, and everyday without fail he showered her with such affection, feeding Hime her favourite dog food and adding in a generous amount of boiled chicken bits, taking her for evening walks and letting her drag him down the trail when chasing after haughty birds.

And because he loved her to bits, he wanted his little princess to look like, well, a princess too.

“Hime! Guess what I brought back from Tokyo?” Aiba remarked one day with a very mischievous grin, showing her a mysterious paper bag in his hands.

Hime was then seen trotting around dejectedly, dressed in a frilly fairy costume in all its bubblegum-pink glory, complete with protruding furry wings on the back and a stick-on plastic crown atop her head.

Hime flat-out refused to sleep in Aiba’s bed that night.

02.

It was a beautiful morning, and Aiba woke up to a very irritated bark that screamed into his ear.

“Hime! Nan da yo!” Aiba growled with a hand cupping his damaged ear. He grumpily sat up and his eyes widened at the sight of his beloved dog.

Hime was glaring at him from his bedside, with a Post-It stuck on her golden head that read in a very calm and collected scrawl, “You have been charged with a fine of your breakfast (cold soba and gyoza) for the abuse of a dog’s dignity and pride as a household royalty, by the order of the queen mother of the Aiba household.”

03.

Aiba thought showing up at the dining area of the restaurant would serve as a payback to his mom, all in the name of his amusement.

He expected some minor mayhem in screaming fangirls which would probably test his mom’s crowd control management and possibly her functional heart.

He didn’t expect to see a flurry of swishing hair and scrambling bodies and then to be mobbed by said fangirls.

“Tasukete!” Aiba yelled, just as he felt one hand grope his buttcheek.

Hime came to the rescue by walking between the women’s legs, making them squeal at the strange sensation of something warm and soft and furry against their skin, and as they glanced down, they squealed again in impossibly-high-pitched voices at the adorable sight of a Golden Retriever grinning at them.

Aiba was nowhere to be seen when they looked back up.

That night, Hime ate chicken and beef for dinner and got a massage.

04.

It’s a mystery. Whenever the rest of Arashi came to visit the Aiba family, Hime seemed to enjoy following Ohno around.

“Hime likes Riida! That’s just so wonderful!” Aiba cried out in such pride and motherly joy.

“She’s probably bored or something,” Ohno remarked casually, taking a mochi from the serving plate and munched on it nonchalantly as if it was an everyday routine to have a dog sticking so closely to him and gazing at him and his mochi so endearingly. And it didn’t help that when both Hime and Ohno were seated abreast on the tatami mat, Hime head protruded taller than Ohno.

Curiously, Ohno turned to Hime’s gleeful face and raised an eyebrow. In a natural and fluid movement, he gestured his mochi out to Hime and asked quietly, “You want a bite?”

Instead, Hime lovingly licked him messily on the face. Ohno smiled shyly in the midst of his stoning-away self while attempting to wipe the saliva off his cheek.

“Excuuuuuuuse me, coming through,” Nino said coldly as he squeezed himself purposely between Ohno and Hime, and grumpily reached out for a mochi.

“Nino, you’re ruining the happy couple’s romance there,” Jun joked, sipping his tea gracefully.

Nino grunted a scowling reply while biting an angry chunk of the mochi, edging closer to Ohno so that their shoulders and sides touched. He didn’t spare a dirty look at Hime as he slung his arm protectively around Ohno’s shoulder. Aiba could’ve sworn he saw Hime glowering back at a fiercely-loyal Nino.

05.

“Yokoyama-kun!” Aiba called out to his kouhai at the ramen shop they promised to meet up for dinner.

“You’re late! You said 8 o’clock and it’s already fifteen minutes to nine!” Yokoyama snapped, as Aiba sat down opposite of him.

“Gomen! I was busy preparing the invitation card I have for you,” Aiba reasoned, fishing out a red envelope from his bag and handed it to Yokoyama.

Puzzled, Yokoyama took the envelope and opened it, pulling out a similarly-gorgeous-red card inside that looked childishly decorated with pink hearts and balloons and rainbow confetti AND ribbons, and in the middle was a picture of two stick men holding hands with a stick dog. Glittery words of ‘YOU’RE INVITED TO A WEDDING!’ screamed out to him.

“Who’s getting married?” Yokoyama questioned cautiously, staring at Aiba’s excited expression as he opened the card.

“Me!” Aiba giggled, “Sho-chan and I are getting married, this Sunday! He wants to adopt my baby!”

Yokoyama’s jaw dropped. “You have a baby?” he whispered dangerously.

“Yup! Wanna see? She’s the most adorable thing in the world~”

Aiba got out his wallet, and ever so proudly like a glowing mother he showed Yokoyama a picture of Hime dressed in that damned pink fairy costume.

06.

Hime was the subject of extreme jealousy of all Aiba fangirls. Because she got to bathe with a naked Aiba. Numerous times. He’d randomly squeal to Hime on random evenings and coax her to bathe with him (which was unnecessary because Hime liked naked baths with Aiba very much). He’d strip stark naked and bounce into the bathtub, pulling Hime into the warm water. He’d sing loudly and unashamedly all the Arashi songs to her as he scrubbed her thick fur with such enthusiasm with his favourite Shiseido shampoo. Sometimes, he’d talk to her about his problems, to which Hime was always there to lend an ear and made Aiba feel better. Other times, he’d just sit there in the water, hugging Hime in silence, relishing the strong bond they shared and the comfort he found in her. On peevish days, he’d play water games with her and the Yellow Rubber Duck. Hime hated the Yellow Rubber Duck because Aiba always made it quack in Hime’s face.

However, Aiba’s mom forbade their baths of joy after an incident where Aiba emerged from the bathroom limping. Hime had accidentally stepped her clawed paws on Aiba’s two precious little sons.

07.

Aiba got the most shocking news when he received an unexpected call from his mother in-between shooting of Arashi no Shukudai-kun.

“Hime has been very sick lately. The vet said she has a worm growing in her intestines and needs to have it removed as soon as possible,” Aiba’s mom’s sad voice said through the earpiece.

“Is… is she okay?” Aiba murmured fearfully, his face white-washed and pale, and his eyebrows creased in worry.

“She’s in surgery now. Tachio sensei is unsure of how critical the situation is, and that the worm may have gone to the lethal stage of laying eggs. The surgery determines everything, and we’ll find out tomorrow.”

Aiba felt a horrible dread pulling the insides of his chest, and a painful clutch around his heart. He hadn’t been home for almost a month, and he had no knowledge of Hime’s deteriorating health and the suffering she was going through without him. He felt so afraid, so scared that he couldn’t bring himself to think of ever losing his Hime.

“Masaki… I think you need to come home. Hime… what if she-”

“Kaasan, don’t say it,” Aiba growled, just as he felt his vision blurred with tears. He silently scanned the studio with uncertain eyes for an answer he needed. He wanted so very much to take the next train home to Chiba, but he knew it was impossible as they were still shooting Arashi no Shukudai-kun, and the next day they had photoshoots for magazines and interviews. In the midst of his doubt, he caught his bandmates peering at him curiously, who then frowned when they realized he had on a tearful expression.

His princess needed him.

Aiba decided, and in a final tone he spoke into the phone while striding hurriedly to the dressing room, “Kaasan, I’m coming home now.”

08.

“It appears that the worm is just in his early stages of development, so we managed to extract it out without leaving any harm on Hime. She’s fine, and all she needs now is rest and plenty of food and some medicine to recuperate,” Toshio said with a smile.

Aiba’s mom choked in sobs, smiling in relief as she hugged an equally-comforted Yusuke, and Aiba’s dad shook hands with the vet to thank him for all the help. Behind them, Aiba’s lips curled into a smile of such relief as tears of joy flowed down his flawless cheeks.

“Yokatta…”

Without another bat of an eyelid at anyone else, Aiba walked past them to the living room where Hime was resting. She was placed on a bundle of futon readied just for her at a corner of the room; a thick round of gauze bandage was wrapped around her middle to protect the stitching from the surgery. She was evidently thinner and weak, but nevertheless, she had the same sparkle in her eyes which lit up every time she saw Aiba, and her tail wagged happily as he stepped into the room and silently slid the paper lattice door back.

“Hime…” Aiba called out longingly. He crossed the room and kneeled down beside the bundle of futon, droplets of his tears staining the white sheets.

“I’m so glad you’re alright,” he cried, and hugged Hime gently, careful not to press her wound too hard. He clung onto her, relishing the unconditional love he had for her ever since that tiny little puppy blindly sucked his thumb assuming it was her mother’s nipple as he carried her in his hands. He loved her so much, it almost hurt.

“I’m going to take care of you ne, Hime, until you’re strong and healthy again,” he murmured softly in determination, and then planted a kiss on her dry nose, “because you’re my hime.”

Hime replied him with a comforting lick on his cheek.

This was proof of a strong bond between a man and his best friend that none can break.

09.

Aiba’s mom was in the kitchen preparing the sushi for tonight’s dinner as well as Hime’s food and medicine, when she heard a delicate ‘woof’ and the texture of smooth fur brushing against the back of her knees. She spun around to find Hime grinning up goofily at her.

“Ah, Hime, you feel strong enough to walk around now?” Aiba’s mom remarked, returning the affectionate smile and rubbing behind Hime’s ears generously. She then noticed something white on the back of Hime’s head.

“A-re, what’s this?” she wondered audibly, picking up the white material. It was a note.

“I want chicken and minced beef or I’ll die from an overdose of processed dog food and antibiotics.”

“P.S: When is dinner ready?”

10.

Hime thought it was a treat for her speedy recovery, when Aiba skipped happily over to her while she was napping by the heater (he nearly tripped over the coffee table midway) and out of nowhere strapped on her leash and collar.

“We’re going for a walk today! You need the fresh air or you’ll grow old and fat!” Aiba commented in a suspiciously all-too-cheery voice.

Hime was more than glad to tag along for a breezy walk to the park. But it wasn’t just a simple walk to work up her heart. Aiba took a completely different route to another area and stopped short when they reached a playground unfamiliar to a very-confused Hime.

“There,” Aiba said in a hushed voice, pointing at woman seated at a bench with her back to them, with a Dalmatian sitting beside her and patiently allowing squealing kids to pat him. She turned to speak to the children, and Aiba and Hime caught a glimpse of her smiling face. A kind and friendly face.

Hime grunted at Aiba in annoyance for ruining her fun.

“Hime, don’t look at me like that, this is important!” Aiba exclaimed, and then innocently squatted down beside her as if to tell a very exclusive secret, “She’s my childhood friend named Asami, who moved away after we graduated from high school. But a few days back I bumped into her, and she said hi and we talked. She returned to Chiba to work in an accounting company. Hear that, Hime? She’s smart! And she’s pretty too…” Aiba’s voice trailed off dreamily. The twinkles in his eyes were so blinding, it was hard not to notice the obvious lovesickness spelt across his forehead. His face broke into an infectious smile full of adoration as he looked back Asami.

“Gomen ne, Hime, but I thought I’d bring you along so I won’t feel so shy approaching her. I want to talk to her again today, but I don’t know if she likes me…” Aiba explained, frowning slightly at his insecurity.

Hime suddenly tugged onto her leash hard, making Aiba jerk forward suddenly. It seemed as though Hime was trying to make a break for the playground. “Eh, what’s with you?” Aiba wondered aloud in confusion, but as he didn’t resist Hime’s pull, her unnatural strength overpowered him and he was running helplessly while being dragged by Hime sprinting like mad.

“Nanda kono yarouuuuuuuu!” Aiba yelled, and in a chaotic second he tripped over an idle rock and fell hard onto the grass, right in front of the very bench Asami was sitting on. Asami, along with the Dalmatian and the surrounding children, all stared in bewilderedness.

“Eh, Aiba-kun! Are you alright?!” Asami cried, jumping onto her feet and immediately went to a moaning Aiba lying stationary.

Aiba, who had fallen face first onto the soft ground, rolled onto his back and massaged his belly that cushioned his fall, his face contorted in pain.

“Aiba-kun? Are you hurt?” Asami repeated, kneeled down beside Aiba and had her comforting hands on his shoulder.

Noticing Asami amidst his pain, Aiba’s eyes widened and his cheeks reddened a shade darker furiously. “I’m okay… it’s my dog, I don’t know why she started chasing something invisible and I was holding her leash…” he rambled, moving his arm to the back of his head to make it look as if he were lounging on the grass.

Asami giggled lightly at Aiba’s fumble of words and his odd behaviour, and fished out a handkerchief from her pocket. “You’ve dirt all over your face,” she reprimanded playfully, gently wiping his dirty cheeks.

Aiba glanced at Hime, who stood obediently by his side with her abandoned leash left unattended. She seemed rather satisfied and proud of herself, and breathed noisily while enjoying the attention she was getting as kids started to gather around her. Aiba grinned, not because he was amused by her mischief, but because she was the most brilliant, most understanding, most compassionate dog.

Of course, Hime isn’t Aiba Masaki’s little princess for nothing.

~