Hello, my wonderful readers. Taking a short break from 'Little Firefly' to give you another project I have been working on. I had actually been thinking about doing this for a while now-since I have loved 'Beauty and the Beast' since I was really little and Bleach is probably one of my favorite anime- but never really got a chance to work on it, but now that I've had a little bit of time, I decided to give it a whirl. I'm actually very proud with how this turned out and I hope you will like it, too.

Disclaimer: Other than Kurenai, my OC, I own NOTHING! 'Beauty and the Beast' belongs to Disney and Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo!

Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young prince lived in a shining castle. Although he had everything his heart could desire, he was spoiled, selfish, and unkind. In addition, there was a darker, far crueler side to the young prince's personality. His subjects suggested that it was a demon, for the prince would violently, uncontrollably, and unmercifully murder anyone for the slightest transgression.

But then, one cold winter's night, an old beggar woman came to the castle, offering a single black rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away. She warned him, however, not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within. When he dismissed her again, this time threatening to kill her should she ask again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress.

The prince tried to apologize, but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love in his heart, and the demon that resided in him would soon be his undoing. As punishment, she transformed him, bringing out the demon that resided within him, and gave it power that was completely out of his control, and then she placed a powerful spell on the castle and all who lived there. Ashamed of this monstrous form, the prince used the last shred of his will to seal himself within the very confines of his castle, to further prevent anyone from ever being harmed. A magic mirror was his only window to the outside world. The rose the old woman had offered was truly enchanted rose which would bloom until the prince's twenty-first year. If he could learn to love another and earn her love in return, and conquer this demon within by the time the last petal fell, the spell would be broken; if not, he would be doomed to remain in his demonic form for all time. As the years passed, he fell into despair and lost all hope, for who could learn to love a demonic beast?

Kurenai Abarai sighed as she stepped out of her tiny home. The sun shone on her face and seemed to turn her long, bright crimson locks almost gold. She twirled the wicker basket in her hand as she walked along to the tiny village. It wasn't much, when one got down to it, but both she and her brother had called this village 'home' for the past three years. It was a stereotypical little village; there was a baker, and a blacksmith, and a local tavern… nothing special, except for the bookshop. That little store was Kurenai's favorite place, next to her own home; she could sit there for hours and let her mind devour book after book.

She had left her home just as the sun was rising, so the village was getting ready to wake up. Kurenai shook her head; this was just like the day before. The citizens of the village seemed to have a routine all set up. They rose at the same time and did the same routine everyday.

Little town, it's a quiet village, she sang. If there was one thing that was truly girly about the tomboyish and imaginative Kurenai, it was her soft, soprano voice.

Everyday like the one before.

Little town, full of little people,

Waking up to say…

Suddenly, like Kurenai expected, there were quite a few people who looked out their windows to bid her good morning.

There goes the baker

With his tray, like always

The same old bread

And rolls to sell…

Every morning just the same

Since the morning that we came

To this poor, provincial town…

"Good morning, Kurenai." the baker said as she passed.

"Good morning, sir." Kurenai addressed.

"And where are you off to this morning?"

"The bookshop." Kurenai answered. "I just read this wonderful story about a beanstalk and an ogre, and…"

"That's nice, dear." the baker interrupted, immediately uninterested. Kurenai shrugged off his ignorance and moved along as he called into his shop for more bread.

"Look, there she goes," a woman said to her friend.

"That girl is strange, no question." the other agreed.

"So dazed and distracted, can't you tell?" a third interjected.

"Never part of any crowd." another woman murmured as Kurenai passed her.

"'Cause her head's up on some cloud." said a barber who probably should've been paying more attention to his work.

"No denying she's a funny girl, that Kurenai." a small gaggle of older women said.

Kurenai smiled as she finally reached her destination after ignoring all of the idle chatter. People asked about family and wives, the former causing a shopkeeper some trouble. A woman holding six small children was clamoring for eggs, and a man was telling a shopkeeper that something was too expensive.

The small shop, with its smell of paper, was an absolute thrill to Kurenai. Izuru Kira, the young man who owned the shop, was so kind to her and always had a smile on his face when she came to his shop.

"Ah, Kurenai," he greeted warmly.

"Good morning." she greeted with the same warmth. "I came to return the book I finished."

"Finished?" he asked as he handed it to her. "Already?"

"Oh, I couldn't put it down." Kurenai said, climbing the ladder to scan the shelves. "Have you gotten anything new?"

"Not since yesterday." he answered with a mild laugh.

"That's alright. I'll borrow… this one." she replied, pulling a dark-blue-bound book from its place on the shelf.

"That one? But you've read it twice." he said.

"Well it's my favorite," Kurenai answered, pulling the ladder down the row of books until she stopped it. "Far off places, daring swordfights, magic spells," she listed as she got off of the ladder and danced around whimsically, "and a prince in disguise!" Izuru smiled and shook his head.

"If you like it all that much, then it's yours." he insisted. Now it was Kurenai's turn to be startled.

"But… Kira-san…" she protested.

"I insist." he said, leading her to the door.

"Oh, well thank you. Thank you very much." she said jovially. With a final nod toward the shopkeeper, she opened her book and began to read as she walked away. She failed to notice the men that had been watching her since she had entered the shop and were now watching her walk away.

"Look there she goes," one of the men said, resting his chin on his closed fist.

"That girl is so peculiar." another said as he watched her dreamily.

"I wonder if she's feeling well." the third chirped.

Kurenai didn't seem to mind the stares she was getting as she walked with her book held up to her face. A woman who was dumping a pail of water down into the gutter beneath the window noticed her. "With a dreamy, far-off look," she murmured as she watched the young woman pass below. Two men watched as Kurenai pushed up a sign over head that kept water flowing from the gutter from splashing her and her 'new' book, all without looking away from her current page. They shook their heads.

"And her nose stuck in a book." one of them commented.

"What a puzzle to the rest of us is Kurenai…" a group of people murmured amongst themselves.

"Oh, isn't this amazing," Kurenai murmured to herself as she sat down at a nearby fountain. Curious sheep had come up to see what the strange human girl was holding. She looked at a ewe and held the page over for her to see. "It's my favorite part, because… well, take a look. See, this is where she meets Prince Charming," At that moment, the sheep bit off a corner of her book, which she forgave. "But see, she won't discover that it's him until about Chapter Three." She went back to her book as she took off, with the shepherd appearing to shoo the sheep away from the fountain.

"Now it's no wonder that her name means 'crimson'." a lady trying on hats in a shop stated. "Her red hair has no parallel." she said to the shop-keeper.

"Yet behind that fair façade," the shopkeeper, a notorious gossip, stated, "I'm afraid she's rather odd, very different from the rest of us…"

"She's nothing like the rest of us." a man said.

"So different from the rest of us is Kurenai." a bunch of men whispered as the mentioned girl passed, walking over a wagon and giving a poor man a rather nice concussion. Over head, a flock of geese passed, until their formation was ruined by a large spiked ball on a chain that hit the leader. Underway, a small boy with brown hair- the bangs of which were tied into an awkward ponytail at the front of his head- attempted to catch the newly killed creature, only to miss by quite a few feet. Hoping no one had seen, he picked up the animal and stuffed it into a burlap sack and then rushed over to where an overweight man waited in the shade. He had just finished reeling in the giant spiked ball when his little sidekick rushed in.

"You were terrific, Omaeda-san." the young boy named Rin said. "You're the best fighter in the entire village."

"I know." Omaeda said, attempting- and failing- to be cool about it. His voice sounded a little too enthusiastic, as well as a little too smug.

"No beast stands a chance against you, or any girl for that matter." Rin said.

"That's true enough, Rin, but I've got my sights set on that one." he said, pointing to Kurenai, who was walking away.

"The mechanic's sister?" Rin asked incredulously.

"Yeah, she's totally the lucky girl whose gonna be my blushing bride."

"But she-!" Rin interjected.

"She's the most beautiful girl in town."

"Yeah, but she-!" Rin tried again.

"That makes her more than good enough for me, the best, even." His gaze shifted dangerously on Rin. "Don't I deserve the best?"

"Well, of course, but-!" Poor Rin never got to finish his sentence.

"From the moment I met her- saw her- I said she's gorgeous and I fell. In this town, she's the only one good enough for me, so I'm gonna woo and marry Kurenai."

Now, it was a well known fact that Marechiyo Omaeda had been after Kurenai Abarai for years. Many people thought that she was insane for not accepting to be with him. He may not have been the smartest or most handsome pick of the litter, but he was rich- correction, his family was rich. The Abarais got by with what they had, but how could Kurenai say no to something that could help her and her brother so much? Many of the young women of the village would have been happy to marry for the Omaeda family's vast wealth. So when Marechiyo Omaeda marched past them, they all pretended to be interested. Some even glared at Kurenai for being so 'selfish,' not that she noticed.

As Kurenai headed back the way she came, the market began to open up, and people were hustling and bustling. Kurenai continued without a care in the world. Omaeda struggled because of his massive size to get through the crowd, and started yelling like an angry bull for people to move. Kurenai didn't seem to notice.

There must be more

Than this provincial life… she sang to herself.

"Just watch, Kurenai," Omaeda said aloud. "I'm gonna make you my wife."

The people all seemed to look at her as she passed.

"Look there she goes, a girl who's strange but special," a woman said to her husband.

"Indeed, a must peculiar little onna." he said with a nod of agreement.

"It's a pity and a sin." a man said.

"She doesn't quite fit in." a woman next to him said.

"She really is a funny girl." another woman said.

"A beauty, but a funny girl." a man replied. Omaeda had had enough of the crowd at this point and decided to take a shortcut, fumbling over the roof of a house.

"She's just a funny girl, that Kurenai." a man said.

Kurenai, having thought she had heard her name, turned to find the villagers going about their usual business. With a nonchalant shrug, she went on her way back to her house. She ignored Omaeda as he appeared in front of her and kept walking.

"Good morning, Kurenai." he said, thinking she hadn't seen him.

"Konnichiwa, Omaeda-san." she sighed. It was about that time of day, when Marechiyo Omaeda would come along just to annoy her with countless reasons as to why she should accept his proposal. Most of the time, the reasons consisted of him…, him, more about him, and his wealth. Never mind her happiness, or the fact that she didn't want a domestic life just yet. No it was just about what he wanted; it was always about what other people wanted. She was snapped out of her thought process when Omaeda pulled the book from her hands. "Omaeda, may I have my book back, please?" she asked, resisting the urge to punch him in the face. At this point, Omaeda was holding the book by its front cover and letting the pages fall.

"How can you read this? There's no pictures!"

"Some people- you know those people you fear, who are actually capable of rational thought- use their imaginations." she replied, crossing her arms. Omaeda looked at her.

"Kurenai, it's about time you got your head out of these books and paid attention to more important things," he said, tossing the book into a nearby mud puddle. Kurenai made a move to try and retrieve it, but Omaeda stood in her way, smiling at her. "Like me…" Kurenai shook her head, pushed him to the side and picked the book up from the mud. "The whole town's talking about it. It's not right for a woman to read. Soon she starts getting ideas and… thinking." he said, visibly wincing.

Kurenai scoffed and used a corner of her apron to wipe the cover of her book off. "Omaeda, you are positively primeval." she said. 'Let him figure that one out.' she thought with a wide smile to herself.

"Why thank you, Kurenai." he replied proudly, clapping her on the shoulder.

"In one ear and out the other…" she murmured with a roll of her eyes.

"Why don't we go back to my place? I can show you all of my hunting trophies and my family's jewelry—."

"Maybe some other time." she answered, not that he was listening, much to her annoyance.

"What's wrong with her?" one of the other young women of the village said.

"She's crazy!" another one exclaimed.

"He's so rich, how can she say no?" a third one asked incredulously.

"Please, Omaeda-san," Kurenai said in one last attempt to shake him, "I really have to get back to my brother. Goodbye." she said with as much politeness as she could muster.

"That crazy idiot needs all the help he can get." Rin commented, causing both him and Omaeda to laugh.

"Don't talk about my brother that way!" Kurenai chastised angrily.

"Yeah, don't talk about her brother that way!" Omaeda chastised, hitting Rin on the head.

"My brother's not crazy! He's a genius!" she exclaimed. Of course, no sooner did she say that, a loud explosion resounded from her house. This caused Omaeda and Rin to break into a fit of laughter. Kurenai ran to her house; she would decide how to deal with Omaeda and Rin later. Right now she had to check on Renji. As she approached the yard, Kenpachi, her big black dog bounded up to the house. He must've been sleeping in the shade of his favorite tree again and heard the explosion. His good ear- the one that didn't have half of it missing, was laying back flat with concern. She looked up and saw thick, gray smoke leaking from the cellar doors. "Stay here, Kenpachi." she said as she yanked open the cellar doors. She heard coughing through the smoke and cautiously treaded down the stairs.

"Renji?" she asked, coughing out the smoke. It was starting to burn her eyes, and she blinked through it more than once.

"How in the hell did that happen?" he asked. "Piece of crap…" A few moments later, he was holding his foot in pain, having attempted to kick the device he was currently trying to work on. It was one of his own inventions. It could collect any type of light and turn it into a beam of concentrated light, creating a powerful laser. Unfortunately for Renji, it was a very tricky piece of equipment. The laser was rather testy, and half of the time it didn't even work at all.

"Are you alright, Renji?" Kurenai asked concernedly.

"I'm about ready to send this hunk of metal to the scrap heap!" he said, glaring at it.

"You always say that." Kurenai said with a laugh and a shake of her head.

"I mean it this time, Kurenai! I will never get that bone-headed laser to work."

"Yes you will, and you'll win first prize at that fair tomorrow."

"Uh-huh. You're just saying that." he scoffed.

"No I'm not." she insisted. "You'll win first prize at the fair and finally people will take you seriously as an inventor."

"So you really think so?"

"Haven't I always, moron?"

Renji smiled, having his confidence returned. "Well then, what're we waiting for? At this rate, I'll have this hunk of metal fixed in no time! Hand me that dog-legged clincher, would ya?" At the word 'dog' Kenpachi came down and sat near the hearth. He knew that as soon as Kurenai gave her brother the tool, she'd sit by the fireplace and he could nap in his favorite place: directly at her feet. Kenpachi had only been with the Abarai siblings for a few months, but had already become fiercely loyal to the younger sibling. At first Renji wouldn't let him in the house, but Kurenai couldn't resist feeding the poor, injured and starving dog her scraps of food. When winter came along, she pleaded with her brother to let the dog stay. Eventually even the older brother couldn't deny that the household was happier with the dog around. It also meant that he didn't have to worry about Kurenai being protected; Kenpachi did that just fine, despite his missing eye. Kurenai insisted that she liked the fact that the dog wasn't perfect, that his wounds gave him character.

"So," Renji began as Kurenai handed him the desired tool, "how did things go in town today?"

Kurenai bit her lip. "I got a new book." she said, trying to be optimistic. She paused before asking her next question. "Renji, do you think I'm odd?"

There was a long pause before Renji looked up from the laser-device, arching a tattooed brow. "Where'd you get an idea like that?" he asked.

"I guess…" she began, and then sighed, sitting on the hearth. "I guess it's because I'm really not sure if I fit in here. There's really no one I can talk to." Feeling pity for his mistress, Kenpachi laid his head at her feet. Kurenai gave him a sad smile and reached down to pet him gently.

"What about that Omaeda guy?" Renji suggested as he went back to work. "He seems interested."
"Yeah," she replied with a snort, "he's interested alright, and rude, and conceited. Renji, he's definitely not the one for me…" she sighed, cupping her chin in both hands. "Maybe… maybe everyone's right. Maybe I am being too selfish…" Renji stopped what he was doing and looked at his baby sister. He couldn't stand to see her looking so down on herself. He reached over to rub a soothing hand on her shoulder. She smiled in appreciation; the siblings only had each other left in their family. It had been just the two of them for a long time. "I just… I want to make them proud." she said.

"You already do, Kurenai." Renji said softly.

"How so?" she asked.

"By taking care of your idiot of a big brother, that's how." he said with a wide grin. Kurenai rolled her eyes.

"Lord knows you need it, Renji Abarai." she deadpanned. Renji laughed, even when it seemed the joke was at his expense.

"Hey, don't you worry." he said. "This invention's gonna be the start of a new life for us. In fact, I think it's time for a test run." He put on his goggles and pulled the lever for the device a part of the way. The machine jerked and jumped to life. Kenpachi barked at it, forcing Kurenai to hold him back by the scruff of his neck. Suddenly a laser formed, burning a hole into the center of the cellar wall.

"It works." Kurenai breathed.

"It does?" Renji asked. The laser intensified decimally, creating a larger hole in the wall. "It does!"

"You did it!" she exclaimed, jumping up to kiss her brother on the cheek. "You really did it!"

"Get Mercury ready, Kurenai! I'm off to that fair!" Renji stated, although he was interrupted as Kenpachi decided to celebrate by jumping on him, actually knocking him backwards so that he could lick his master's face.

Haha, so far so good, my dear readers. I apologize if any of the character changes confused you. I saw Renji right away as being the 'Maurice' character, but I thought it would be better if they were siblings instead. It is also more of a coincidence that the dog's name is Kenpachi. Either than that, I will update this, soon, and for those of you who read my story 'Little Firefly', I apologize for the wait, but I am still going to update soon on that, as well. Until then my readers, I bid you adieu.