BEAUTY AND THE BO
an answer to the KYOKO'S FAIRYTALE CHALLENGE issued by Starlight Rose
Prologue
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away...
The second time His Imperial Highness Hizuri Kuon met Mogami Kyoko, she was all puffed up with maidenly indignation. Even her sopping, crumpled muddy skirts quivered with rage. Her furious shrieks assaulted his ears while he noted in absent-minded amusement that in her wrath, her resemblance to his beloved pet cockatrice, Bo, was uncanny.
The third time Hizuri Kuon met Mogami Kyoko, she performed an extremely rude gesture at him while refusing to accept his apologies and monetary compensation for his accidental -truly it was!- shove that ruined her then newly bought dress. The fact that the apologies were accompanied by barely restrained laughter aided much in her refusal. She did not realize that his hilarity did not stem from mockery, but from a mental image of his avian pet wearing her gown and facial expression while turning his beak up in haughty disdain at freshly-dug-up worms presented as an apology gift.
Kyoko thought it was a matter of principle and honour, and let Kuon knew in no uncertain terms that a person should always look in the direction where he is going and not back at their partner in conversation because if he wanted to have a conversation with said partner, he should be walking next to the latter and not in front to result in accidents that could have being avoided and a crick in the neck from all that looking back, and did he not understand that she was offended because he had laughed when he realized his bumping into her had sent her backwards into that slimy mud and ruined her happiness of wearing the new dress that she had saved for with all her heart and all three months of wages, and not merely because she was upset that her new dress was ruined?
Kuon thought she was the most adorable thing he had ever seen, and was sorry that she did not recall the very first time when they had met. He did, though. He recognized her the instant those golden eyes widen in outraged consternation from her upturned face, even amongst all that mud. He doubted anyone else could look as enchanting with black mud splattered on their faces. He had no idea how she managed it, but she just did.
Yashiro, Kuon's reluctant partner in conversation and the death of Kyoko's new gown, thought the entire incident extremely uproarious because the girl did not appear to recognize the Crown Prince at all, and as a result the Crown Prince seemed to have fallen half in love with her, just from two little encounters.
Bo thought sourly of the lovely worms his master used to bring to him, back when the stupid human was actually living in the stupid palace. He squawked crossly at the bits of lace adorning his feet and tried to edge away from the crazy human looping some sort of noose about his neck again. What fresh hell was this? He was born a proud cockatrice, not a lowly canine! A creature with legends to his name should not be subjected to such indignities!
Juliena thought wistfully of her beautiful son as she finished tying the lace ribbon into a perfect bow beneath his pet chicken's chin, careful not to look the creature straight in the eye. She missed him so, but he did say that he had to leave to find his true self, away from her darling but idiotic husband's suffocating love. Oh well, she could spoil his pet chicken in his stead if she could not have him to mother. It was the least she could do. Oh, how she missed her baby boy.
A/N: Skip Beat, 'Beauty and the Beast', and the concept of a cockatrice do not belong to me. Written in answer to Starlight Rose's challenge.
The Kyoko's Fairytale Challenge.
Rules:
1) Take a classic fairytale and adapt it for Skip Beat.
2) Because it's Kyoko's Fairytale Challenge, there must be at least one of these three: a fairy, a prince, or a princess
3) Main pairing should be Ren/Kyoko (because S.R. really can't read any other pairing).
4) Must start with Once upon a time...or A long, long time ago...and end with happily ever after.
