Me: Okay, so here it is, the idea/request/thingy is from Faesha-chan, I merely wrote it! Sorry it took so long, I was expecting it finished and up much sooner than this! But, I was having a bit of trouble with it because Purin just didn't seem to strike me "Cinderella" and I'm not that familliar with the story, but I managed! Though, the ending is a little rushed...now on with the story!
List of Characters:
Purin as - Cinderella
Tart as - Prince Charming
Ichigo as - Evil Stepsister One
Minto as - Evil Stepsister Two
Retasu as - Fairy Godmother
Pai as - Prince's Tutor
Alto(Ryou) as - Cat
Everyone else gets to be mice! XD I don't think I did that great with Ichigo as an evil stepsister, because I can't picture her being someone so...mean! But anyway, I tried!
Disclaimer: StrawberryKousagi does not own Tokyo Mew Mew nor anything related to it. StrawberryKousagi also does not own Cinderella, and neither does Disney but we won't get into that.
A story told a thousand times, changed several, and altered numerous for a younger audience. With all the tales to tell of our sweet, over-worked Cinderella, how would you like to hear the tale of a girl just as sweet, just as pretty, and thrice times cuter?
{Flashback}
"Papa, why must you go to China, na no da?" Purin asked her father.
"Because sweetie," He answered, "There are things I must do there, family matters, and they must be dealt with."
"But why?" Purin asked again, "Why can't Purin go with you, na no da?"
"Do not fear, Purin," Her father said, "You're new mommy will be hear to look after you, along with your new sisters."
Purin looked past her father and at the three girls standing a few feet behind him, they were only a few years older than she. One girl, Ichigo, had pink hair up in pigtails and was wearing a pretty gown of reds and pinks, while her sister, Minto, with blue hair up in two buns was wearing a pretty gown of blues and blacks. Purin looked back at her father, a desperate and pleading look upon her face.
He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, "I will be back before you now it."
{End flashback}
The girl sighed, tucking a few strands of her golden hair behind her ear, as she scrubbed the floor with a small sponge and a bucket of water.
"Oh Purin!" Her older stepsister, Minto, sang as she the other stepsister, Ichigo, descended the large staircase.
Purin sighed again, sitting back on her legs, and look at them, "Yes?"
"Our clothes are dirty and they must be washed. Now." Minto demanded, Ichigo giggled beside her.
"Very well," Purin said, "As soon as I'm finished with-"
"Now!" Minto snapped, hands on her hips as she leaned forward a little.
"And don't forget to do the bed linens as well." Ichigo said. With that, the two made their way for the study.
Purin tossed the sponge in the water, flinching when the suds splashed up and landed on her ragged skirt, making it wet in a few spots. She stood, pushing off her knees, and grabbed the bucket of water, beginning to lug it upstairs. Where was her father? "I'll be back before you know it" he had said, well he wasn't and hadn't been for the past several years.
She set the bucket in the wide windowsill and stared out at the open field that was her backyard, or rather, her stepmother's backyard, ever since her real mother had died and her father left all she could truly call "hers" in the mansion was the bed filled with straw she slept on and the attic she was forced to call her "bedroom", the dusty old thing, she never had the time to clean her own space for she was continuously being ordered to clean the rest of the house. Shaking her head to be rid of these known facts Purin turned and walked into Minto's room, a large room that could easily be fit for a queen, and it was always cleaned up quite nicely, not that anyone ever thanked Purin for her hard efforts in cleaning up other's messes.
Now, however, there were clothes –most of which were probably still clean- strewn all over the floor. Purin heaved a sigh and shook her head and started picking up the clothes, pulling the bed linens off the bed last. It would take at least three trips to the wash to clean everything.
"Purin." The blond gasped and spun around, startled. Her stepmother.
"Y-yes, stepmother?" Purin curtsied and stood strait again, "What is it, na no da?"
"Step saying "na no da", it's annoying," The woman said.
"Of course, na- ah, I mean, yes." The old woman always made her feel nervous and quivery inside.
"Good," The woman said, "Now, I want you to wash the windows today."
"But I've already done the windows!" Purin protested.
"Then do them again, and this time don't forget to dust the sills." That said, the woman left, waving a hand to the small girl.
It was some hours later when Purin had finally finished the windows and was almost done with the laundry. As she walked by the music room, she heard her stepmother and two elder stepsisters talking amongst themselves.
"To all the people in the Fong family," The Ichigo read from a letter, "You are invited to a royal party," The two girls giggled, "Everyone in all the land is invited for we are trying to search out a suitable young woman to marry the prince!" Ichigo and Minto squealed with excitement as their mother chuckled, amused by them.
Purin was also excited as she burst into the room, "Everyone in the land, right, na no da? So that means I can to, na no da!" She was to excited to even think about not saying her usual catchphrase.
"Ha!" Ichigo barked, "Every but you!"
"Now, now, girls," The older woman said, "The invitation does say everyone, so yes, Purin, you may go." Minto and Ichigo gawked at their mother, stunned, "On one condition."
"What is it?" Purin asked, all too eager.
"You must finish all of you chores and find something suitable to wear, this is a royal ball you might be attending." The sisters snickered and Purin's hopes vanished, there was no way she could clean the whole house and find something nice to wear, not before it was time to leave.
She worked and worked…
The hours passed…
Her hopes fading in a non-existent light…
Tart sat cross-legged in a tree as his history tutor, Pai, rambled on about whatever it was that he was reading, but it was making the young prince bored to tears. "Can't you read something interesting for once?" He asked.
"Taruto!" The teacher scolded, "Honestly, you will never learn to be a good king if you do not know your history!"
"But it is not my history!" Tart argued, "It is someone else's and I don't want to hear about it!"
Pai sighed, "Would you at least get out of the tree, child? If your father sees you up there and I'm here, I will surely be fired."
Tart snorted, "You'd just love that, wouldn't you?"
"I would certainly not," Pai said, "I have been your teacher since you were able to be taught I'd prefer to keep doing so."
Tart jumped out of the tree, landing skillfully next to Pai and looked up at him with large puppy eyes, "But why?"
Pai ignored the eyes and looked strait at him, as serious as ever, "That does not work on me, Tart, and you will not be getting out of this lesson, it is necessary and I intend to teach it to you weather you like it or not."
Tart rolled his eyes and leaned back against the tree, crossing his arms over his chest, "That's what you say about all lessons."
"That is because all lessons are important." Pai stated before he resumed his reading to aloud to the boy.
Tart rolled his head to the side, letting it hang on his shoulder, as he stared out at all he could see of the kingdom from the hill. He spotted a large mansion off in the distance, the Fon family house. He dreaded having to bear meeting the two girls that lived there, he had heard from his friend, who had met them, that they were rather ill tempered and snobby, especially the blue haired one. But he had also heard that there was another girl that lived there, around his own age, but no one had ever met her, only seen her pass a window or out sweeping the courtyard of the house.
Here I am…
Trying to find my way…
I've kissed so many frogs but I've never found a prince…
I think they lied…
I was promised much more than this…
Where's my happy-ever-after…?
Purin sang as she swept the staircase, being careful not to trip over the hem of her skirt. She gasped, jumping back a step, when Alto, the cat, ran by. He was chasing something. Again. Purin huffed and went after him.
"You let him go!" She ordered. The cat ran into a corner, hiding its catch. "I said, you let him go, you mangy thing!" She began to lightly whap the cat on the butt with the broom. Alto jerked, setting free the small, furry creature he had caught, and watched as it ran strait underneath Purin's skirt and stayed there, cowering.
"Off! Off with you!" Purin told the cat, pointing down the hall. With a hiss, the feline took off. Purin sighed, shaking her head, and knelt down to pick up the little mouse under her skirt. "There, there," She stroked its head, "Its okay now, na no da." She knew this little mouse; she had named it "Kish."
(A/N: When there's a mouse, just picture whichever TMM character it is only really tiny and dressed in a mouse costume.)
Kish hugged Purin's finger as she stood up, frightened from the cat-and-mouse chase he'd just been through.
"If you'd just stop trying to sneak cheese from the kitchen all the time," Purin told him, "This wouldn't always be happening." Kish gave her a guilty smile and squeaked.
She took the little mouse back to her room so she could return him to his friends, Keiichiro, Zakuro, Masaya, Berry, Tasuku, and Ringo. Kish jumped off her hand once he was lowered to the ground enough and ran to his buddies while Purin went to sit on her bed.
Keiichiro came up to her and sat on her knee, "What is wrong, Miss Purin?"
Though all she heard was squeaking, she spoke as though she had understood him completely, "There is a royal ball tonight, but…Stepmother says I can not go unless I were to finish all of my chores and find something nice to wear."
Keiichiro squeaked at her again, "How awful."
Purin's eyes began to water but she held back her tears. She only wished for one night of fun, one night away from her chores and such. She let out a quick and short sigh, "Well, if I plan to finish then I aught to get started." With that, she stood and walked out the door.
"I know!" Ringo said once she was gone, "While Purin-san is doing her chores, we can make her a dress to wear!"
We can do it…
We can do it…
There's really nothing to it…
The little mice worked hard on the dress as Purin worked hard at her chores. The dress was coming out quite lovely. When the girl trudged up the stairs, as tired as ever, she gasped at the sight before her, it was a beautiful, well-made orange gown.
"You did this?" She asked the mice, they squeaked at her in answer. Purin rushed to the dress, pocking and feeing it, wondering how in the world several little rodents had created it all in the same time it took her to finish her chores.
"Put it on!" Berry squeaked at her, and Purin did just that, she put on the gown and looked at herself in the mirror.
"I love it!" She picked up all of her furry little friends and nuzzled them before putting them back down and running out the door, bidding them goodbye for the night.
A beautiful gown…
A beautiful girl…
What about a beautiful night…?
Her stepsisters laughed at her, "You plan to wear this rag of a dress?" Minto insulted. "Why, it looks like it was made by blind snakes!" Ichigo laughed right along with her.
"Honestly," Ichigo said "What don't you understand about "royal ball"? You are most certainly not supposed to go looking like an over-sized orange!"
Purin clenched her fists, determined to go no matter what her stepsisters said, but they began to tear as her skirt, "This fabric is worthless!" Minto told her, Purin tried to run, but Ichigo grabbed her sleeve and ripped it.
She ran to the courtyard, crying, with an arm over her eyes to hide it. She sniffled, sitting on the stone bench, when she heard a voice.
"Do not cry, dear." She looked up to see where this soothing, melodic voice had come from and saw, right in front of her, a pretty girl with long, green braids, glasses, and wearing a long, sparkling, pale green dress.
Purin sniffled again, "Who are you, na no da?"
The girl knelt in front of her, "I am your fairy godmother," She bounced the star-shaped tip of her wand off of Purin's nose, causing the girl to flinch.
"F-fairy godmother?" Purin repeated.
"Yes," She stood up, "You may call me Retasu, and I have been called here by your weeping eyes. Now, come child, you must get ready if you wish to make it to the ball."
"But I haven't a dress, na no da!" Purin said, standing up as well, "How will I go? Certainly not in this torn thing!"
Retasu giggled, "No worries dearest!"
With a wave of her wand…
Magic was flying…
Sparkles danced with the stars…
Fairy dust played…
And a new dress was made…
Purin let out a joyous gasp when suddenly her usually disheveled hair was now in four, perfect braids, wearing a beautiful yellow gown, complete with white gloves that trailed all the way up her arms, and glass slippers. She watched as other things around her began to change.
She waved her wand yet again…
More magic in the air…
And friends transformed…
Her little mouse friend, Keiichiro, grew to become a human. He was a tall man in a suit and had a long ponytail; next a pumpkin was changed into a carriage, complete with vines as the wheels and horses to drive it.
Retasu stood directly behind Purin, "Go, Purin, have a wonderful night."
She let out a noise of excitement as she ran to the carriage, Keiichiro helped her to get in and seat before going round to the front and getting ready to steer the horses.
"Just remember," Retasu said in a warning tone, "You must return before midnight, for that is when the enchantment will wear out." Before Purin could answer, they took off, quickly heading for the castle.
Music playing in the night…
Violin…piano…
Such a beautiful melody…
Tart sat, bored, in a chair at the table specially set up for him and his family. He drummed his finger tips on the arm of the chair, awaiting something exciting to happen, yet nothing was. Suddenly, the crowd quieted and he looked up to see Pai, his tutor but positioning as an announcer for the party, was showing in a young girl. Tart sat up strait, staring at the girl. She had beautiful, golden yellow hair, tied back into four small braids, and large, golden yellow eyes, her skin was a slightly tanned color, and she was wearing a long yellow ball gown with white gloves and glass shoes.
"Who…?" Tart trailed off, staring at the girl who stood there, in the doorway, a small smile playing on her lips as she blushed in embarrassment from being announced as though she were a queen.
"Now entering," Pai announced, "Miss Purin- ah, Miss Purin." He was a little confused; didn't this girl have a last name? He shrugged it off, returning to his post by the door.
Purin spotted Ichigo and Minto over by the drinks table, "Who is that?" Minto whispered to Minto.
"I don't know," Ichigo whispered back, "But she is rather beautiful."
Purin smiled upon hearing this and next spotted the prince, staring right at her. Their eyes were locked and the young prince slid out of his chair, making his way towards her. Once he was only a few feet in front of her, he blushed, extending his hand.
"May I have this dance?" He asked.
Purin batted her eyes a few times, blushing also, "Of course, na no da…"
Everyone watched as Tart slid one hand onto the girl's waist and took her hand in his other, and thus they began to dance, swirling around the ball room, swaying, back and forth. It seemed as though everyone else just disappeared.
They had dance for what felt like a few minutes, but in reality was a few hours. The large clock on the clock tower chimed twelve times.
Purin gasped, letting go of the prince and spinning around to see that it was, in fact, midnight. "Oh no…" She breathed and darted for the door, the prince following.
"Wait!" Tart called after her, "Where are you going?"
"Purin is sorry, na no da!" Purin turned briefly to glance back at him before starting down the steps outside, "But I must go!"
"What is your name?" Tart exclaimed, still following her.
"Purin is sorry, na no da!" Purin kept running, tripping on the steps and losing a slipper, but she ignored it, continuing to run. Once she was out of sight from the prince, her dress turned back into the yellow rags they had been before and she hopped into the pumpkin carriage, panting.
"I will hold out the magic just a little longer." Purin looked up to see Retasu, her fairy godmother, sitting across from her. "But once you get home, it will all disappear." Purin sighed and nodded, staying quiet for the rest of the way.
Once they reached home, Retasu disappeared as did the pumpkin carriage and Keiichiro turned back into a mouse just as she had hopped out and ran inside. Purin rushed to her room, preparing for bed and slipping under the covers, she knew her stepmother and sisters would be home any minute, which was why the magic had only lasted until then. And so, to no surprise, Purin soon heard the front door open and close, and the sounds of her stepsisters talking amongst themselves with their mother. She let out a sigh of relief; she had made it just in time…
Tart lay in his bed, staring out the large window, who was that girl? Though it drove him crazy, he couldn't stop thinking about her. The moonlight glinted off of something in the windowsill and Tart saw the glass slipper, he had picked it up and pocketed it when she left it behind. She must have been in some hurry. Tart rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling now, he had decided just now that he would find the girl, going from house to house in the kingdom, every house with a young girl, and search for her, not stopping until her found her.
The next day, there was yet another message from the prince in the mail. But this time, Purin didn't even know about it, instead her stepmother ushered her up the stairs, insisting that she had to see Purin's room and be sure it was clean.
"See, stepmother," Purin said, "Purin's room is perfectly clean."
"Very well." As simple as that, the woman turned and left the room, closing before Purin could follow her. And then, to the little girl's horror, she heard it lock from the outside.
"Stepmother?" She called, "You've locked the door!" Then there were steps retreating down the stairs. "Stepmother?!" She screamed, beginning to pound on the door with her small fist, "No! You can't do this! No!" Purin sank to her knees, weakly hitting the only once before the tears began to flow from her eyes like tiny, thin streams. "Please…" She whispered before falling completely silent, her little mice friends looking at her sympathetically.
Downstairs, in the front room, the prince had just arrived with Pai as his escort through the kingdom while Tart tried to find the girl he'd danced with at the ball.
"I am sure you have heard why I am going round to all the houses in the area," Tart said to Minto and Ichigo.
"Yes, of course!" They both said in unison.
"So then, you understand that I would like to see every young lady in house?" Tart said.
"That would be us." Minto said, "The only two."
Tart frowned, glancing at Pai and then back at the girls, "I heard you had another young girl here, a maid."
Ichigo and Minto's smiles faltered a bit but stayed firmly in place, "No, no such a person round here." Ichigo said.
Upstairs, still locked away in her room, Purin whimpered, curled up into a tight ball and leaning against the door, he little mice friends staring at her with sympathy.
Kish looked at Tasuku, "I have an idea, follow me." He took off, crawling through a knot in the wall's molding, scurrying through the walls with Tasuku following behind him. Soon, they were at a vent in the front room. They squeezed through the metal bars and dashed towards the small end table near the staircase.
"What, exactly, are you planning?" Tasuku squeaked to Kish.
"The key is in the old woman's skirt pocket, right?" Kish said, "The key to Purin's door."
"And how do you plan to get it?" Tasuku asked.
Kish smirked, looking over at Alto, sleeping on the stairs. Tasuku followed his gaze.
"Oh no," He said, "No, no, no!"
"Oh, yes." Kish darted for the cat, leaving Tasuku behind. "Oi! Alto!" He shouted at the cat, "Come and get me!" He skidded to a stop on the step below the grey cat, sticking his tongue out at him and waving his arms up and down. Just as he had planned, the cat up, beginning to growl with narrowed eyes.
Kish spun and darted away again, this time running for Purin's stepmother. He slid under her skirt, Alto following, and causing the old woman to let out a scream, tripping, and falling onto her behind.
Tasuku, deciding to do something, saw the key fall out of her pocket and ran for it, grabbing it by the string and pulling it towards the vent. Soon, Kish appeared to help him which made much easier to carry, the lifted it and darted for the vent, sliding in and scurrying back through to walls, returning to Purin's room.
"What was that?" Minto asked.
"Are you okay, Mother?" Ichigo asked, helping her up.
"Oh, yes…that stupid cat." The woman grumbled, standing up.
"Why would the cat sudden run under your skirt?" Tart asked.
"Heaven only knows." Minto said, rolling her eyes.
"Well then, I suppose I aught to-" Tart stopped short when he saw Purin rushing down the stairs. He raised an eyebrow at Minto and Ichigo, "No other girls?"
"Eh heh." They both smiled sheepishly. Their mother, however, sneered at Purin, her back turned to the prince to he couldn't see, as she raced down the steps, coming to halt next to her stepsisters.
"Purin," She panted, "shall also, try on the slipper, na no da."
"Tis not yours, child," She stepmother said, "for you were not even at the ball."
"No, no," Tart said, "I think she was, I am sure of it."
Purin smiled, "Purin was, na no da, she managed her chores and was given a dress suitable for such an event, na no da, just as Stepmother had said to."
"Then please," Pai spoke up, "Allow the prince to see fit that your foot and the slipper are a match."
Purin curtsied, picking her dress up just a little, and held her foot out for the prince. Tart slipped it on with ease, kneeling on one knee, and he grinned, looking up at Purin.
"It is a fit," He said, "The slipper truly is yours!"
"What?!" Both Ichigo and Minto exclaimed.
"Where in the world did you find a dress, Purin?" Their mother demanded, "Did you steal from Minto? Ichigo? Who, child, for you do not have a dress any better than one of filthy rags!"
Tart stood, looking at the woman with a cold stare, "The shoe is hers and there is not a doubt in mind about it, she is, honestly, the girl I danced with at the ball."
All three girls were about to protest when Pai piped in, "Any denies will surely be ignored, and further abuse of this girl will have dire consequences."
"Abuse?" Purin's stepmother asked, "What abuse? She is the scullery maid round here and she is treated as such!"
"Nay," Pai said, "You treat this poor girl, whom is your stepdaughter, I know for a fact, worse than such."
Purin looked up at Pai, "How do you know, for a fact, that I am indeed her stepchild, na no da?"
Pai flashed her a rare smile, "I knew your father."
Purin gasped, "Father! I haven't seen him in ages, na no da!"
Pai bowed his head, "He is doing well, I assure you, and he misses you very much."
Purin smiled and Tart spoke, "Come, I will take you to the castle! We must celebrate having found you!" With that, and without allowing her speak, Tart grabbed Purin's hand and ran out the door.
Pai sighed and shook his head, "Running. So unbecoming of a prince, but he is still young." The stepmother and stepsisters stood there, the elder angered and the two sisters rather sorry that they had treated the girl so poorly.
Ten years later…
"Tar-Tar," Purin said, spinning in circles round the ball room, her arms lifted, "What color shall the baby's room be?"
Tart grinned and caught her in his arms as she spun towards him, slipping his arms around her in a ball dance like way, "Well, it 'tis a boy, so why not red? A royal color, that."
Purin giggled, running a hand over her swollen belly, "Yes, and a grand, royal thing he is as well." Tart smiled and leaned in to kiss his queen.
Me: The end! :D Hope it was okay! As I said, I had a bit of trouble with it, but overall, I think it's not to bad, though I'm kind of afraid of totally butchering it for anyone. And as I said in "Ichigo and the Six Dwarfs" -if whoever is reading this read that one-, I am willing to take in requests for other fairytales or even a rewrite of the ones I've already done with different characters, but there are a few pairings -if any in the story- that I won't do, though not that many. And soon, I should be finished with a TMM version of "Sleeping Beauty" and "Hensel and Gretel", though like with this they will probably take much longer than I expect.
Song: Cinderella by Sweetbox
Everything else I made up, eccept for the "We can do it, we can do it, there's realy nothing to it" part. That, I do believe, Disney came up with. :)
Tart: Eeew! It ended with me and Purin having a kid!
Purin: Tar-Tar! Lets have a baby, na no da! It sounds fun!
Tart: *blushing like a drunk* You don't even know what that would require!
Me: *laughing* Bye for now!