A/N: Here, have another super-original Beauty and the Beast AU! Based on the dance scene, and the scenes surrounding it.

~ Certain As The Sun ~

"Tonight's the night!" Kairi sang. The clinking of her metal frame as she climbed up onto the tub-side stool was chipper and hopeful. "Oof," she grunted, hopping closer to Riku in the bath. She'd changed her candles from white to pink, probably a rose-scent, Riku duly noticed. An indication of the special occasion, and maybe, her expectations.

Riku swallowed slowly. "I… I'm not sure I can do this," he said. He let himself slip further into the bubble bath, his silver mane encircling his head as it hit the water.

"You don't have time to be timid!" she said, her blue-violet eyes wide in excitement. A coat rack servant poured a bucket of water over Riku's head, clearing the bubbles and causing him to sputter. "You must be bold – daring!" She grinned as she watched, gesturing with her metal, candle-ended arms.

But Riku frowned. "Bold… daring," he muttered. When Kairi nodded encouragingly, he sat up, straightening up like he had confidence. He tried to imagine himself, suit-clad, tall, long hair tied back neatly, offering his hand to Sora to dance.

Perfect. Except the part he was a beast.

Water splashed over the sides of the tub as he stood. The cold air gave him a chill even despite his thick fur. Like a dog he shook the water off, unperturbed by Kairi's presence only a foot or so away. "Hey!" she laughed. Riku looked over his shoulder; he'd put out her three flames.

With just a breath, they roared back to life. With a stressed huff, Riku walked to the wardrobe; she followed, her base thumping against the ground. "There will be music. Romantic candlelight – provided myself – and when the time is right, you confess your love!"

He stopped rubbing a towel against his head to his arms instead, absently nodding to her words. That was the impromptu plan – formed yesterday.

"You have a ballroom!?" Sora said, standing abruptly in excitement. His chair scraped across the library floor. Riku had mentioned the room as he watched Sora pretend to read, his blue eyes hopping between the same spot on the page of his book and him. "Like, from the fairy tales? With dances, and parties, and fancy chandeliers? That kind of ballroom?"

It was clear what Sora read. Riku, trained in hiding his rows of sharp teeth, concealed his smile behind 'Hamlet' in his hands. "Just the same," he affirmed, gently placing his book on the table.

Sora leaned forward excitedly, hands braced on the table. His beige tunic, loose and baggy (because it used to belong to a younger, human Riku), revealed his honey tan skin across his upper chest and collar bones. Riku forced himself to look away.

"That is amazing! What don't you have, Riku?" the brunet said. He raised his arms like he had a dance partner, though they were awkward and misplaced, and swayed to imaginary music.

Just one thing, Riku thought, forgetting not to smile as he stared at Sora.

"We used to hold balls every year," Kairi chimed in, propped on a shelf away from the very flammable books. Her expression was one of remembering. "Citizens all across the kingdom would come, dancing the night away."

Sora paused his dancing, hands dropping from the air. "Every year? Huh, I don't remember that," he said, tilting his head, "Strange."

Riku and Kairi met eyes. Well, of course he didn't remember. That was part of the spell.

"We could hold a ball," Riku said, before he thought it through, "just us… If you wanted." He winced when he finished; after all, who would want–

Sora gasped. "Really?" he said, smile brighter than any flame and eyes holding all the stars. As if Riku could do anything but nod at that. Kairi giggled from her perch. "Since it's just us – we could do it tomorrow? Tomorrow night?"

His eagerness – it made the castle seem so much warmer.

Kairi answered for him: "I don't see why not! Riku, put me on the tray – I have to tell the rest of the castle!"

Later that night, Kairi and a pessimistic Roxas convinced him that the dance was his only chance.

"Yes, I–" Riku looked up into the mirror, and saw the beast in the reflection, and remembered who he was again. "No," he blanched, "No, I can't."

Kairi groaned, exasperated by the lapse. "C'mon, Riku, – you care about Sora, don't you?"

"More than anything," Riku admitted, glad for his fur to hide his hot cheeks. Just in case, though, he kept his eyes away from the mirror. The coat rack servant from before arrived with scissors, ready to do something with his long silver locks. Kairi nodded to it, and it began snipping and curling his hair. Riku tried not to feel anxious about that, with everything else making him anxious already.

"Well, you need to tell him!" she said, crossing her candle arms. "Don't worry about doing this for us, Ri, do this for you."

He hated that. "I don't deserve that," he argued back.

She scoffed. "Yes, you do."

Out of the two of them, she was more stubborn – so he didn't continue. And then the coat rack backed away, and Riku turned to Kairi for her approval.

"Viola!" she said, her anger just as fickle as her flames, "You look so…" The way her voice trailed created a panic in his chest. "So…"

He turned to the mirror only to immediately scowl. He already had ears like a wolf – why had the coat rack styled his hair into mouse ears? "Stupid," he finished. Immediately he set about taking out the ribbons and curls, paws ripping them out.

"Not! What I was going to say," she cried, though Riku knew even if she wasn't going to say it, she had been thinking it. "Stop, stop, stop – let him do it."

The coat rack returned. "Just, put it how it was," he growled.

"You'll look princely in your coat, don't worry–"

And then, from the doorway, entered a ticking and ticked-off Roxas. "Sora's waiting in the foyer, your highness. Don't screw this up."

Kairi glared at him. "He won't. Don't make this worse."

Roxas rolled his eyes, but relented. He pointed at his chest – at the clock face, the hour hand leaning toward six. "Time's of the essence," he said.

"I know," Riku replied, for once not in the mood to fight with the ornery clock. The door clicked closed behind him.

"Don't listen to him," the candelabra said soothingly. Riku slid his arms through his coat's arms, and began buttoning it closed. Until his claws proved that task impossible, and again the coat rack had to come to the rescue.

Riku grunted, but Kairi continued, "Listen, okay, if you can't do this for you, do it for Sora." Her smile was sweet and sincere. Riku exhaled, swiping a paw through his hair before he gave Kairi a small grin in return.

That, he thought, that he could do.

"Riku," Sora called from the top of the stairs. Riku stopped fretting over his cufflinks in time to catch Sora's grin, wide but soft somehow as he stepped slowly down the stairs. He radiated gold; as if matching his eternal sunshine, his outfit was almost entirely gold and soft yellows in intricate patterns, only the undershirt and the inner folds of his pantaloons white. His hand trailed the stair railing, watching Riku watch him.

Riku found himself at the bridge where the two sets of stairs met, as if he had floated down them. "You look great!" Sora said, rocking on his heels as he looked up and down. He appreciated the sentiment, even though it had to be a lie.

"You befit royalty," Riku replied sincerely. Tilting his head as he gazed down at the brunet, he so quickly forgot to refrain from smiling. "Though I see you had just as much luck with your hair as I did with mine," he said, chuckling, eyeing the unruly chocolate brown tufts of hair.

Sora combed through it, laughing carelessly. "Well, I'm a peasant – what's your excuse?"

"Being a monster," he said without hesitation.

It earned him a slap on the arm; through his thick coat and thicker fur, he barely felt it. "You know that's not true," Sora chided sweetly.

Riku nodded falsely; he didn't want to waste another second on his curse. It had wasted enough of his time already. So he bowed, and then held his elbow out in offering.

Sora took it before Riku said anything, giggling. "Is this how the bourgeois do it?" He straightened his posture, puffing out his chest.

"The prideful ones," Riku said, stare pointed but in jest. "Come, I bet dinner is waiting."

It was, but it couldn't match Sora's impatience. He dragged Riku to the dining hall, their arms interlocked and his hand firm and sure on Riku's paw the whole way. He ate quickly, talking in between gulps of soup. And then, in his erratic, enthused disposition, he stood and rushed across the table to Riku again. He barely put his napkin down before Sora grabbed both paws again.

"Come on, show me the ballroom!" he said when Riku showed hesitance.

"It's only been the first course," Riku said, more out of surprise than anything else.

The brunet shrugged. "It's your castle; you can do what you want, right? Let's go!"

Well, it was hard to argue with that. He allowed himself to be pulled up, and again, dragged away by Sora. Before they left the room, he heard the distinct laughter of Kairi, who undoubtably found endless amusement in the way Sora was able to commandeer the prince.

"It's even more beautiful than I thought," Sora breathlessly said, eyes roaming the expanse of the huge ballroom. With slow steps he tilted his head up, in awe of the cherub paintings above.

"It is," Riku replied, eyes never straying from the guest of honor to their ball of two. Out of the corner of his vision, he saw Kairi place herself amongst the other candelabras lined around niches high in the walls. He wasn't sure if it provided more or less comfort.

They met in the middle, and music began playing above the columns. Despite all of Roxas's vitriol, he must have talked Demyx and the rest of the orchestra into playing. Out of everything, this seemed to make Sora nervous, rubbing the back of his head and chuckling sheepishly.

For reasons beyond Riku's comprehension, Sora's flustered fidgeting emboldened him. In his best bow, he asked, "May I have this dance?" God, he wished he were human for this.

Sora placed his hand in the outstretched paw, biting his lip and cheeks rosy. Riku wanted to laugh, but didn't want to embarrass him – so he opted to tease instead. "Or, did you want to lead?" he asked, lifting the hand to pull Sora a little closer.

The brunet almost tripped just from the soft pull. "I could – I could lead," Sora affirmed. Closer, their height difference was exacerbated; the top of Sora's head just reached Riku's shoulders. They stood, Riku watching Sora try to guess how to dance.

"Where do I put my hands?" he asked, hands hovering on Riku's shoulders, waist, and arms.

Riku snorted. "Here," he said, guiding Sora's hand, "and here."

"Oh," the brunet aptly replied. Now it was their size difference that was cause for trouble; Sora's arm wasn't long enough to reach the dip of Riku's back, so he settled right above the hip. He turned bright red holding Riku, the beast prince. Riku was too busy taming the fluttering in his stomach to tease him about it.

They stood there, still. It was apparent Sora was thinking about foot movement by the way he interchanged tapping the floor with his heels and toes.

"Okay, you win," Sora finally said, grin wide, "You can lead. And you'll have to teach me how to dance."

Riku chuckled softly. "That," he replied, taking one of Sora's floundering hands, "That I can do." He hovered a hand over Sora's waist, not convinced anyone would want claws so close to ribs.

But Sora quickly pulled the paw to his side, drawing nearer. Riku's fur bristled at the touch – it was as pleasant as it was foreign. Sora looked up at him strangely, hopeful and open and – and like Riku wasn't a monster. The chandelier glittered in his eyes. Suddenly, the prince knew why they hung crystals on the ceiling.

When air decided to acquaint itself with Riku's lungs again, he said, "You just kind of… follow where I take you." It wouldn't pass among the nobility, but they weren't here to judge. This was just between the two of them.

"Okay," Sora said. He relaxed into the beast's hold. In small steps, Riku led them around the room, swaying to the swell and lull of the orchestral music.

"Is it weird?" the brunet asked after a minute or so of comfortable silence and clumsy shuffling feet and paws.

"What is?" Riku leaned to the side to show Sora how to do it, and then drew them back together. Sora copied him with only a small step on Riku's toes.

"Dancing with a man," he said, eyes to the side, "I mean, princes dance with princesses, right?"

Riku didn't mean to laugh, but he did. "What makes you think I'm a prince?"

"Don't be coy, I figured it out." His cocksure grin made Riku's knees weak.

"Did you?" Riku smirked. Sora smirked back, "Yeah, I heard the teacup call you prince."

"Behold my kingdom," the beast commented in return, "A cursed castle, and one rose."

"And one prisoner," Sora said brightly. Riku didn't know how to reply, so instead he spun him. His dizzy giggle almost made Riku forget their circumstance.

"It's not weird," the once-silveret decided on. "I'd rather dance with you than any of them."

Sora's laughter was a song. "Even though," more giggling, "Even though I keep stepping on your feet?" He did it again, on purpose, to prove his point.

"Even so." Riku returned the point by lifting him and pivoting them in a new direction. When Sora's feet returned to the ground, he stumbled a little but quickly regained posture, laughing.

"Something about you, I don't know…" Sora said after a half-dip.

"Hmm?" Riku kept getting lost in the way Sora's hair flowed with every turn and dip, like the leaves swirling in the wind in autumn. He hadn't seen the seasons change in years. Yet Sora was everything but winter. He was life.

"It's like… I feel like I've known you all my life?"

For just a brief, moment, Riku could hear the village children laughing, could smell the baguettes on the tray, could see the spring dandelion seeds painting the dirt on the ground of a poor provincial town.

And the cursed prince swallowed. "I… I don't know." Sora probably didn't remember a shy, prideful silver-haired boy who snuck out of his castle every chance he got.

But suddenly, his chest was warm. He looked down, and there Sora was, resting his head softly on his big, beastly chest. "Maybe it's just Stockholm syndrome," he teased, winking. Then he sighed, melting into Riku's coat.

It was all he could do to keep dancing. He couldn't hear the music over his own heart beating in his ears. He looked up to gain some semblance of earth – and caught Kairi giving him a full candles-up. He tried to smile back but he only felt half his face comply.

"Sora, I…" They finally slowed, and the brunet looked up in curiosity. This time, Riku successfully grinned with grace. "There's more I want to show you," he said, arms outstretched toward a set of beautiful glass doors, surrounded by high ceiling glass windows. Through the glass the purple night sky was displayed in full glory, more stars peeking at them as they approached.

When they stepped onto the balcony, Sora twirled a couple times before sitting on the bench overlooking the gardens, the forest, and somewhere beyond, their little town. "Ah," he sighed, fingers bobbing to the rhythm of the music inside, faintly pouring from the cracked door, "that was fun." He pat the spot next to him, so Riku sat, too. Awkwardly.

Riku cleared his throat. "Sora, are you…?"

The brunet leaned back, resting his head against Riku's thick shoulder. The beast prince wondered if he would ever get used to the touch of another, or if it would always make his heart soar among the clouds.

"Am I what?" Sora asked.

"Are you… happy here, with me?" He swept his claws this through mane, a strange dread filling his gut. He was as scared of the question as he was of the answer.

"What? Yeah, I mean…" Sora tilted his head to the side, overlooking beyond the forest. He sighed.

"What is it?"

Sora was silent for a moment. Somehow, that made it worse – he was anything but quiet. "Oh, you know…" he said slowly, turning back, "what happens once I read all your books?" He elbowed Riku in the side.

"You can't read most of them anyway… peasant," he tried to joke back.

"Royal brat," Sora replied, their gaze meeting. His smile didn't spread past his lips.

Riku saw it in his eyes. "You miss them. Tidus, Selphie. Donald, goofy."

"Ahah… is it that obvious?"

Riku looked to the village, licking his lips absently in thought. An idea struck him when his tongue his fang. Maleficent left more than a flower.

"There is a way – for you to see them."

Not too long ago, Riku had forbade Sora entry to the West Wing. Not too long ago, Riku had chased Sora from his own room – overcome with fear and shame, he had cursed the curious, oh-so-familiar peasant and his childlike wonder. Now, he welcomed it, treasured it, even. With wide eyes, the brunet peered into the glass encasing a deep red rose; it always seemed more lively with Sora near. Riku wouldn't question it if his very presence emanated light and life.

"Why are we here?" Sora asked finally. Riku procured a jewel-encrusted mirror from a nearby drawer and presented it to him. His eyes fell on it carefully, as if afraid he'd break it.

But Riku insisted he take it from his paws. "This mirror will show you anything, anything you wish to see. You just have to ask."

In awe, Sora accepted it. "I'd like…" he swallowed, glancing to Riku for reassurance, "I'd like to see Donald and Goofy, err… please?"

The mirror shone brilliantly like the sun were behind it, and Sora turned his head instinctually. But the magic quickly settled. Riku observed Sora's face for a reaction as he turned back, bringing the mirror closer to his face. He knit his eyebrows together, eyes flitting across the mirror's surface.

"Oh no," Sora gasped, and Riku felt his stomach twist. "The village! It's– it's caught fire! Donald and Goofy are trying to tame it but–"

Sora should be there, Riku thought first. The small town was his home – not this crumbling castle. He gazed at the rose, how little petals remained. He thought about what he owed Kairi, Roxas, Lea – all those he damned with his selfishness.

"Don't worry about doing this for us, Ri, do this for you."

"Listen, okay, if you can't do this for you, do it for Sora."

For Sora.

"Then… then you must go, go save the village."

Sora whirled from his rapt observation of the events within the mirror, grabbing Riku's arm frantically. "What did you say?"

"I release you," Riku said. Somehow, it was the prince that felt liberated, like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. But what settled in its place– could a beast cry? "You are no longer my prisoner."

"What– what are you saying, Riku? You mean… I'm free?"

"Yes," was all he could say. His throat, though mighty, felt constricted.

"Thank you," Sora said in complete amazement. "Oh my god, thank you!" He looked back at the mirror. "I must go, before it's all ash, I– here." He tried to place the mirror in Riku's claws, but the beast pushed it back.

"Take it with you…" he looked down, away, "so you'll always have a way to look back," like he would ever want to, "and… remember me."

Sora's gentle but strong fingers nestled into the soft fur on Riku's cheek, cupping it. Riku leaned into the touch. "Thank you for for understanding how much they need me," Sora said. Even despite the panic, his smile was sincere and sweet gazing into Riku's face. He opened his mouth to say something else, but closed it and dropped his hand. Through his coat and fur, Riku felt a chill that settled into his very bones.

And then he left. Like a shooting star, burning bright, soaring across the castle and the gardens and into the forest, taking all the warmth and all the prince's dreams with him.

"Where is Sora going?" Kairi cried, her frenzied metallic hops across the floor echoing in the utterly empty room. "And what of the wolves? It's dangerous!"

"He has his sword," Riku muttered, unable to look at his lifelong friend.

"You… you gave it back?" she asked, bewildered.

Roxas hissed from beside her. "He let him go."

"He wouldn't–"

The prince didn't have to look to feel Roxas's piercing gaze into his back. "When you love someone, you let them go," the clock said.

When the beast moved not an inch, Kairi gasped quietly. "Oh, Riku."

"My only regret," Riku said carefully, trying to keep his voice level, swallowing, "is that I could not do the same for all of you."

And Maleficent's cruelest trick – despite his heart full of love for those who cared for him, his family, and Sora, who showed him that, within the tempered glass casing–

Another petal fell.

A/N: AMBITIOUSSKYCHILD DARED ME TO WRITE THIS AND I AINT NO BITCH.

Thanks for reading! If you liked this fic, on Ao3 there's a really good Beauty and the Beast chaptered fic in the works called Roses and Rhymes by spaceoddly. I'm not entirely satisfied with how this turned out but, it was a good exercise in writing a short oneshot & analyzing my style when I'm not overthinking every sentence. Anyway.

Comment if you liked? Or scream at me on tumblr? My handle is astraia-writes :)