Beauty and the Beast: Naruto Style
Prologue: Once upon a time
Once upon a time in the Land of Fire there lived a young prince in a shining castle. The prince had everything his heart could desire, but he was selfish, spoiled, and cruel. One day a wizened old woman appeared at the castle, and requested sanctuary from the storm that raged outside. In return for shelter she offered the gift of a single red rose.
But the prince sneered at the gift and refused the woman because of her haggard appearance. The woman warned him not to judge others for their appearances, because true beauty was to be found within, and again offered the rose. But the Prince refused her.
With his refusal the old woman's ugliness melted away into a beautiful enchantress before his very eyes. Frightened the prince tried to apologize. But it was too late. The Enchantress could see that there was no love in his heart. As punishment she transformed the young Prince into a monstrous beast. She then transformed the Castle and all that dwelled within so that they could serve him. Ashamed at his monstrous appearance the beast concealed himself inside the castle with a magic mirror as his only link to the outside world.
As a final gift she left behind the rose he had turned down. The rose was a magic rose, and would continue to bloom until his twenty first birthday. If in that time he could find someone to love, and who would love him in return before the last petal fell. The spell would be broken. But if not he would remain a beast forever.
As the years passed the prince fell into despair; for who could ever learn to love a monster.