A/N: Loosely based off of Beauty and the Beast and something else that I can't remember at the moment. Don't own (obviously). Enjoy.

Demyx would be the first to admit that it was all his fault; he shouldn't have decided to walk to the next town by himself when it was so close to dusk. Despite the fact that night had never been a good time for travel and that the people of the kingdom believed the shadows to come alive at night and take those traveling to the castle by the road, Demyx had not taken heed and had insisted upon leaving as soon as possible which was much closer to night than anyone would have liked.

As it was, Demyx has always believed that the stories were just that; stories, but when night fell and he found himself alone on the silent path he began to wonder and imagine. The shadows on the road moved and swayed towards him in the moonlight and the creatures howling in the forest were calling for his blood. In order to stave off these demons of the night he thought about the lantern in his pack and how far away the next village was in comparison to his own, but the more Demyx thought the darker the world around him grew and the less safe it was for him to remain.

The blonde resigned himself to moving onward, towards the next village and away from the safety of his cottage and the warmth of his fire, wondering for the millionth time why he thought it was a good idea to leave so late.

And then it happened. There was little preamble, the clichéd snapping of a twig and a low growl before Demyx was being pushed to the ground, a weight at his neck and lower back, immobilizing him.

"We couldn't just have you step off a moment and start over, say, with introductions?"

The thing growled and pressed him further into the dusty road.

"Or not."

The beasts grip eased up a tad as it's body shook, emitting an odd growl that was both choppy as well as low. Demyx, despite hating to do dirty work himself, has never been one to accept the idea of being helpless so when the weight lightened slightly Demyx made use of the slight opening, knocking the creature off of him, rolling to a crouch, and taking off into the woods as fast as possibly.

It was obvious that the thing behind him had not expected anything of the sort to happen for it took a moment to regain its bearings before bounding off the path after Demyx. Both beings crashed through the forest, winding around trees and staying away from clearings until breath didn't come easily and everything around them looked the same.

Luckily for Demyx, through the trees salvation came. It appeared in the form of a castle; impossibly large and mostly dark save for one window. He weened resolve from the sight and with it the energy to push forward until he hit the large doors. He banged on them furiously, desperately calling out to anyone inside. And when no one came his mind raced, the growling and rustling coming from the woods behind him making his heart beat faster.

Sending a prayer up to whatever twisted deity there was Demyx pushed at the door that mercifully swung open under the pressure. He slammed it shut behind him and searched for a lock. Unable to find one the blonde stepped further into the foyer, calling out to gain the attention of whoever was in this castle while looking for something to barricade them in and the creature out.

A resounding groan echoed through the entryway, signifying the opening of the doors. Demyx turned slowly until the sight of the beast greeted him. "I demand that you leave at once." He called out, trying to puff up his chest and look bigger than he was. He was sure that someone had told him that if you acted like you were bigger and more fierce then an animal will believe it.

If it could, Demyx swore the monster was giving him an incredulous look as it took a moment that it shouldn't have to shut the door.

"You are not welcome in this castle." Demyx tried again, standing his ground.

"Oh?"

Blue eyes widened, barely able to conceive that the being before him could speak. "Yeah..." his mouth felt dry.

The beast made the same rumbling growl that he had on the road, his body rolling as its lips peeled back in what appeared to be a facsimile of a smile. "There's only one problem with that." It padded forward, following Demyx back until the blondes back hit the wall. "It's my castle."

It certainly wasn't one of Demyx's better ideas, traveling to the next town close to dusk, of that he was sure now.

-Reiver