AN: This fic has been on livejournal for forever but I've just been reminded that I haven't uploaded it here yet. I'm sorry to everyone for that. Ahahahaha…. Whoops?
Disclaimer: I don't own either Tsubasa or Beauty and the Beast. This is merely my adaptation of the two.
Knock
The rain beat heavily against the windows of the castle in a soothing rhythm. There was a fire crackling merrily in the hearth, the only source of light in the room. Seishirou gazed in the direction of that light from his position at the window sill. On the sofa in front of that hearth Perfection itself lay in sleep. Elegant. Adorable. Beautiful. His.
Subaru, the castle's young chamberlain drifted in dreams, oblivious to being watched. He shifted ever so slightly in his sleep. Long lashes fluttered against pale cheeks. "Seishirou-san," he sighed softly. Seishirou grinned like a cat slurping up the last canary feather. Adorable indeed.
It was rare that Seishirou was able to appreciate his treasure this way. The boy was simply far too shy. His sister Hokuto, though supportive, was so pushy that she sometimes did more harm than good the way she would push them together at every possible opportunity. If Subaru wasn't so cute when he was flustered Seishirou might have been inclined to do something about it.
Seishirou leaned back, relishing in the feeling of the cold glass through his shirt. Nothing else mattered in that quiet sleep castle but the slumbering angel that Seishirou could watch over in peace.
Knock
"Here we are my lady, my finest creation. It is for your divine lips alone! Not even the prince himself is worthy of this delicacy." Watanuki twirled and set the dish on the table with a flourish.
"Oi." Watanuki whirled around, the world already washed in red. Doumeki was staring at him impassively from across the room. "What are you doing?"
"What am I doing? What are you doing here, you ogre? Fiend!" Watanuki seemed oblivious to the way his screeching echoed about the kitchen.
"There's no one here," Doumeki observed, unfazed. Watanuki shrieked and brandished a spatula at the other young man.
"I know that you fool! What do you think I am, crazy?"
"Do you really want me to answer that?" Doumeki said and shoved his fingers in his ears in preparation for an onslaught that never came. It seemed that Watanuki had either realized that he might be waking the castle or he ran out of energy. Instead, Watanuki fumed quietly, staring daggers at Doumeki.
"What do you even want?" Watanuki demanded, voice low. A tinge of hurt hemmed the edges of his voice. Doumeki took his fingers out of his ears and gazed steadily at the other young man. "Did you just come here to mock me?"
"It smelled good," Doumeki shrugged. "I wondered what it was." The simplicity of the statement baffled Watanuki. The guard had just followed his nose? Could it really be that simple? He felt the colour rising to his cheeks as he thought of what Doumeki had walked in to find. Quickly, to hide his embarrassment, Watanuki dropped the plate unceremoniously in front of the spot on the counter next to where Doumeki was standing.
"It's new. Find out for yourself what it is." Doumeki's eyes widened a little, the stony mask cracking ever so slightly to show the surprise underneath. Gingerly, so as not to startle the other boy, Doumeki reached for the fork. "You'd better like it. I wasn't kidding when I said it was my best." Watanuki turned away from the softening of Doumeki's eyes, hoping that the burning in his cheeks wasn't as obvious as he felt it was.
Knock
Fujitaka set his cup down onto its saucer with a soft clink. He slowly turned the delicate page of the ancient manuscript on his lap. His eyes, however, were on his son who was perched rather precariously on the top rungs of the ladder. Syaoran had only one hand on the ladder and was leaning out as far as he could to reach for a book that was just too far for the ladder to swing to on its track. But Syaoran was a very determined boy. His fingers brushed the spine of the book he was reaching for.
Syaoran pursed his lips and his eyebrows furrowed. He took his foot off the ladder and shuffled the hand and foot that were still on the ladder until they were right next to the arm of the ladder. Using the raised leg for balance, Syaoran managed to lean out those few necessary centimeters to get a hold of the book. Elated, he pulled the book off the shelf… and promptly found himself atop the pile of cushions that Fujitaka had thoughtfully placed beneath the ladder.
Fujitaka reached down to help Syaoran up. Syaoran instead put the book in his father's outstretched hands and scrambled up himself. Fujitaka sighed as Syaoran dusted himself off. "Really Syaoran, you should have let me get it for you." Puzzled, Syaoran blinked at him.
"But I should be able to do this kind of thing by myself," Syaoran said. "I'm sorry I made you worry."
Fujitaka handed him the book and smiled. "Don't apologize for something like that. It's not wrong to try to be more independent. You're a teenager, it's what they do. But, Syaoran?"
"Yes Father?"
"Try not to grow up too fast."
Knock
Souma ran her fingers feather-soft against the alabaster skin of her lover's back. Kendappa shivered and sighed happily, still caught up in the afterglow. Her black hair fanned over them both, keeping them warm in the chill of the stable. The soothing rhythm of the rain was beginning to lull her into a peaceful sleep.
Souma simply let her lover drift. It was lovely to see the bard let herself go this way. She grinned at the thought of the sight she had been greeted with upon her return from her nightly patrol. She had entered the stables to find a thoroughly drenched Kendappa there to greet her, white shift clinging to her skin and a spark in her eyes that would not be denied.
The Captain of the guard held her minstrel close and smiled at the perfection of the night. She had seen nothing on her patrol; the castle and its inhabitants were safe. There was a sleeping angel resting her beautiful head against Souma's chest. With the knowledge that all was right with the world, Souma closed her eyes and joined her Love in dreamland.
Knock
"Ohohohohohoho!! My dear, you look simply ravishing!" Hokuto trilled gaily as Umi whirled about the room enjoying her new outfit. She stopped in the center of the room and struck a pose, laughing at her own foolishness. Umi's outfit was a long, sleek version of the standard maid uniform. The top was slim fitting, in true black with long sleeves that ended in white French cuffs with pale gold buttons that matched her long, blue hair. The bottom half of the dress fell in loose folds to just below the knee. As Umi turned quickly to strike another pose it swirled in the air, seeming to float ever so slightly before falling softly against her long slim legs. The bleached white apron had a dizzying pattern embroidered down the left side until the waist where it spread across the skirt at a gradual angle. The characters for her name were woven subtly into the pattern in the bottom left corner. White gloves and a simple black ribbon that pulled her hair away from her face and bangs accentuated the look.
"Beautiful work Hokuto-sama!" Fuu exclaimed, clapping her hands. She adjusted her glasses and smiled sweetly. Her dress was a more classic take on the uniform. The skirt belled to the knee and the shoulders were slightly puffed. The French cuffs were still there, and a white collar was added. Fuu also wore white gloves but instead of glittering heels and bare legs, white stocking met comfortable pumps. There was lace on Fuu's head band. The pattern on her apron was small flowers that complimented the characters of her name rather than disguising them.
When the chamberlain's twin sister had insisted that she be the one to revamp the uniforms of the servants around the castle the maids had happily agreed to be the first to receive her special treatment. It seemed they had not been mistaken in doing so. Each outfit complimented not just the appearance of each girl but their personalities as well. Now there was only one reveal left.
Nervously, Hikaru stepped out of the walk in closet into the larger room of Hokuto's chambers. There was only one way to describe how she looked.
"Cute!" Umi squealed and pulled the smaller girl into a tight embrace. Hikaru turned red and though it was getting a bit difficult to breathe she did not struggle. At last Umi let go of Hikaru so that she could get a look at the uniform. Hikaru tried in vain to smooth her skirt but the ruffles made it virtually impossible. She did manage to straighten her little cap though. Fuu reached out and lovingly adjusted the giant bow that held Hikaru's apron in place. Hokuto had apparently never met a girl with so much spunk that was this cute. Though it was not her usual work, she was obviously playing to both with this ensemble.
Giggling, the three maids took each other's hands and bowed to Hokuto. "Thank you, my lady, for all your hard work," Fuu said, speaking for all of them.
"Any time, girls," Hokuto said warmly. "I'm glad you like them because tomorrow you are showing them off to everybody! Ohohohoho!"
Knock
Lantis stood a little straighter in his post as a couple of nobles turned down the corridor. One was Fay D. Flowright who was visiting the castle to make use of the Prince's extensive library. The other was a knight by the name of Eagle Vision. He had accompanied Fay to protect the scholar on his journey. He had stayed for Lantis.
Eagle said something in a low voice that Lantis could not hear to Fay, causing the other to push his red glasses up his nose and smirk lightly. Eagle tossed his head and winked at Lantis as he passed. Fay chuckled softly and shook his head. Then, just like that, they were gone. Lantis sighed and leaned back against the stone wall. This was becoming a repeat occurrence and Lantis was beginning to suspect these little chance meetings were planned. But then, would that be such a bad thing?
Knock
Kurogane, the prince of this sleepy castle, wandered the corridors alone this night. Here and there he could hear the whisperings of those still awake, lost in worlds of their own. During the day, this place was bursting with life and people rushed about living their lives together. But on nights like these a warm net of security would descend on the castle holding all in peaceful slumber, save for small pockets of life. It was beautiful and serene, yet something unnamed was missing somehow. Kurogane felt it deep within him but could not identify the source.
Eagle and Fay descended the staircase before him, presumably on their way to the guest chambers. Eagle bowed respectfully and continued on his way. Fay, however, remained where he seemed to hesitate with something and his omnipresent smile faltered. There was wariness in his eyes and stiffness in his shoulders that was at odds with his usual graceful ease. Something was wrong. Kurogane, unused to such behaviour from the young scholar, stood silently waiting to see what Fay would do.
After a moment Fay shook his head and the smile was back, though with a new diamond-edged quality. "Be careful, Kuro-tan," Fay said softly as he passed. "I sense danger ahead. Best watch yourself."
Kurogane whirled to face Fay with his hand on the hilt of his sword, but Fay and Eagle were already continuing down the hallway. They were speaking in hushed voices and their faces were grave yet without hint of calculation. In that case Fay's words were not a threat. The scholar was trying to warn him of something, but what? The damn fool's words could not have been more cryptic if he had tried.
Shaking his head in frustration, Kurogane continued his late night wanderings. As he passed the main foyer there was a loud knock at the door.
Kurogane stared at the door, his senses on high alert.
Seven times the door knocked and no one else answered. No one would be trying to come to the castle so late at night and in such weather without good reason. But someone should have let them enter in that case and given them care for the cold. What had happened to the guards at the door? And where the hell was Souma for that matter? Then there was the matter of Fay's warning. Was this what he had been trying to tell Kurogane about?
Well, obviously no one else was going to let the visitor in, so Kurogane might as well. For the sake of diplomacy, Kurogane did not draw his sword, but his every nerve and fiber of muscle was primed for a fight. The last thing that anyone in this castle needed was to find their Prince dead in the foyer, assassinated for his stupidity. Kurogane pulled the great lock and opened the door.
"Good evening Prince," the stranger said with a dangerous smile. "Are you going to invite me in?" Kurogane's eyes narrowed but he stepped aside and allowed the visitor to pass.
"Who are you and what do you want?" Kurogane demanded, more wary than ever. The man made his skin crawl.
"Direct and to the point as always," the man said as he pulled down his hood. "No matter what world you make your way in, you never seem to learn politeness." He turned to face Kurogane and smirked. The light reflected off his monocle with an eerie glow. "Well, no matter. I have something that I need you to do."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Something unfamiliar settled itself at the bottom of Kurogane's belly. A lesser man could have identified it as fear.
The stranger chuckled and shook his head. "I need you to watch over something for me. Ah, but not as you are now, oh no." The stranger pulled an orb from beneath his great cloak. The orb glowed softly but Kurogane could not see clearly what it contained.
The visitor held the ball aloft and blinding light burst forth from within. Kurogane grimaced and tried to block out the light with his hand. Then, suddenly, he fell to the ground in agony, his every nerve on fire. He tried to get up and attack the sorcerer but he could not move properly. He was changing; bones growing, skin stretching. There was a rearranging occurring that made even his own body seem alien to him. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, it was over.
Through the haze of pain, Kurogane tried once again to rise to his feet. But the magician stood over him, sword against his now serpentine neck. "Protect this magic," he ordered, "from any who would try and take it. Destroy them. Eventually a group will come for the feather with one who is a mirror of yourself, and two you know well. A young woman will be traveling with them. Kill the men but spare the girl. This is meant for her. Do that, and the curse shall be lifted."
The evil man turned and slashed at the air with his sword. It seemed as though the very universe was rent open with his attack. The man turned back to Kurogane enough that he could see the reflection off the man's monocle. "Fail me," the man said, "and I shall leave you a monster forever. Not even death shall release you." With that he was gone.
At last, Kurogane was able to stagger to his feet. His movements were clumsy and uncoordinated as his body did not respond as he desired. Everything was bulky, elongated, and lacking its usual grace. Leaning heavily against the wall, Kurogane caught his reflection in the window. His howl of despair reverberated through the castle for a very long time.
AN: I hope you enjoyed it. This fic seems to be taking more effort than usual, I hope that it's showing. I figured it was time I did a genuine multichap for Tsubasa and here we are! Read and review as always my darling readers!