Yo! T-Bear here and I'm really excited to get this story up and going.
This story is based on the film version of Beauty and the Beast (Disney version) but as the story continues many aspects from the original written fairy tale published by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve (La Belle et la Bête) will come to surface.
I hope you all enjoy this story as much as I did writting it.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story.
Ballad For A Scarecrow
By Thermophile57
A long time ago, there once lived a young prince who lived in a grand mansion on the outskirts of the famous village of Konoha. Although he had everything his heart desired and more the prince was spoiled, selfish and unkind to others.
One winter's night, an old, crippled woman came to the castle and offered him a single bloody red rose in return for a few simple minutes of shelter away from the cold blizzard outside.
Repulsed by her crippled and foul appearance, the prince sneered at her offer and turned the old woman away. She warned him not to be deceived by appearances for beauty is found within and when he sent her off a second time, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal the beautiful witch named Tsunade.
The prince tried to apologize when he realized who she was but it was too late for she had seen that there was not a sliver of love in his heart and as punishment she turned him into a twisted monster and placed a powerful spell on the castle and all who lived there.
Ashamed of his monstrous form, the beast concealed himself inside his castle with an enchanted sword as his only window to the outside world.
The rose she had offered was truly an enchanted rose that would bloom until his 22nd year. If he could learn to love another and earn their love in return by the time the last petal fell, he would be turned back to his real form.
If not, he would be doomed to remain in his monstrous form for all time.
"There's a hole in my bucket, dear Liza. Dear Liza, there's a…" Humming the rest of rest of the little tune in his head, the blond tested the stallion's other stirrup and nodded in satisfaction as he found it to be tight enough.
Another young man came up to the blond, waiting patiently and quietly for the other to notice his presence. When the blond finally looked back and spotted, he grinned and gave up his attention from the horse to his friend, "thanks again for having me over, Gaara."
"I was the one who invited you. I should be the one to say thanks, Naruto." The younger man watched as Naruto picked up his bag from the ground and slung it over his shoulder, the ever-present smile having yet to fade.
"It was nothing. You should come over to Konoha some time. I bet Iruka would love to see you again! Everyone can't wait to see you again!" the green-eyed boy's lips twitched upward at Naruto's kind request and the mention of the blond's older 'brother'.
"I think I will."
With that satisfying response, the blue-eyed, boy climbed onto the back of his horse and trotted towards the gates.
"You better! I'll be waiting!" A last grin was given and Gaara raised a hand in wave as Naruto disappeared in the distance.
The smile didn't fade for a long while until one thing was beginning to become apparent as he made his way home, nothing looked familiar.
He watched as trees and shrubs grew thinner and thinner, thinking to himself that he didn't remember the way to Konoha being this…dead.
Stopping his horse with a pull of the reigns, Naruto gave everything around him a good, long look before concluding sadly that he was indeed lost.
"Great," he grumbled to his agitated horse as he rubbed his face in defeat. "Iruka'll kill me if I'm late again."
Naruto's eyes widened. At the thought of his brother's fury, he dug his heels quickly into the horse's side but the horse whinnied abruptly and stood on his back legs, causing the blond to fall off into the dry, brittle leaves bellow. With a cry of confusion, Naruto jumped back to his feet to start yelling complaints at the animal but stopped short when he saw a pair of glowing, yellow eyes regarding them from the bushes.
Frozen in fear, Naruto was jolted out of his cold state when his horse gave a final whinny before he turned tail and ran, grasping in vain at the reigns before the horse disappeared into the thicket of dead trees and turning towards the oncoming predator. He stared at the dark, powerful creature in front of him for a few moments, calculating if the beast could harm him, and fled after the horse in sheer fright when he realized the beast was out to kill.
Adrenaline coursed through the young man's veins as he rushed away from the wolf, glancing back to see the animal was still on the dirt road, watching him run before throwing his head back and howling. At the sound of the call to its brethren, another howl echoed in the distance, accompanied by even more that sent fear rushing through Naruto's whole body, pushing him forward through the forest. He tripped over his own feet and roots that bulged out of the ground but caught himself before he hit and kept running, terror keeping him going until he stumbled one last time and fell…
Down a steep hill.
He flipped and cartwheeled until he slammed into solid, flat ground that knocked the air out of his lungs, sending him into fits of coughing to catch his breath. The teen laid there for a few moment before reality came crashing back down with the sounds of more howling, getting nearer by the second. He jolted up and stared at the ridge above him, shaking in horror and alarm at what was to come. Scraping his nails in dread, the blond snapped his head to the ground when he found that it wasn't dirt he was sitting on but stone, a cobblestone road to be exact.
Whipping his head to the left he found that it wasn't a road but a driveway, one that lead to the grandest house he had ever seen.
But he had no time to waste, observing houses. The wolves howled triumphantly, Naruto saw, at the top of the ridge and the young man scrambled up, speeding off towards the iron gate that stood proud as a symbol of hope in front of him. Crashing into the gate, Naruto pulled at the latch with panic-riddled hands that shook with feverish glee and equal amounts of fear until he finally tugged open the heavy gate door and slung inside to slam the door shut with all his body weight. He backed up just in time for the wolves to snap angrily at him from between the bars.
Laughing with delirious relief, the sixteen-year old plopped down onto the hard cobblestones and watched as the beasts stopped snapping at him to sit down with an unnerving calm.
But Naruto couldn't care less that they were waiting for him to come out. He was safe now and even had a place to stay. He grinned at the thought and looked back at the amazing castle, taking in its tall, dark tower and sprawling yards that went as far as the eye could see on either side of the so-called home, a fence bordering said lawn of brown grass.
For some reason or another, the boy seemed to neglect the fact that there were no lights on indoors or other signs of life for that matter and snuck over to the front door, pausing to knock politely before earning no response and pushing open the door.
Little did he know just how much his life and the lives of people of those closest to him would change with that one reckless decision.
The sun was slowly starting to set beyond the horizon and Iruka bit his lip, worry beginning to bubble inside him, wondering if he should stay at home and wait or go out in search of his little brother. Knowing Naruto, the boy had probably taken a wrong turn somewhere and ended up in another village.
Although, that was the very thought that kept Iruka at home, waiting. He knew Naruto wouldn't stop somewhere without letting him know first, reliable however unpredictable he may be. That's why Iruka turned around on the hill with a sigh and headed for their little house that sat just at the base of the bluff.
When Iruka came through the back door to his and his adopted brother's home, he couldn't help but feel lonely with Naruto gone. Shaking off the feeling, determined not to be anxious, he snatched his favorite song book off its shelf and sat down at the piano in their small living room. It had been his mother's and she taught him everything she knew about playing it before she died when he was little.
He flipped to his favorite piece and was just about to begin when the doorbell rang. He sighed again went to open it.
"Why, Iruka. What a pleasant surprise..." Mizuki said slyly when Iruka found him on the stoop. Raising an eyebrow, the teacher stared at the man with a frown.
"If I do recall," Iruka said as he smoothed his hand distractedly across the wood of the doorway. "This is my house, unless I'm mistaken."
A hearty laugh cut the air as the taller man pushed past Iruka into said home, flopping down into the chair by the piano. He rubbed nonexistent tears out of his eyes as Iruka quickly went to the piano and close the latch over the keys, taking precaution in case the unpredictable, older man should accidentally damage it. The taller man said with low conviction as he plucked the song book of the piano, "you are a riot, Ruka."
"I told you not to call me that." Iruka seized the papers and went over to his bag by the door as Mizuki shrugged and followed him.
"That's what I like about you, Ruru." the man went on as Iruka sighed frustrated for the third time that day and tried to shimmy the book into the bag. "You're funny and cute and you have the most amazing sense of style."
The brunet scoffed at the line stood up just as Mizuki came behind him. The white-haired man went on, "that's why I think you'll make the perfect spouse for me."
"What?!" Iruka spun around as the older man cornered him against the door. The brunet flustered for a few moments at the sudden proposal, "I-I'm sorry, Mizuki, but..."
"But I'm just going to have to bear you?" the taller man smirked and Iruka frowned.
"No, because I'm not going to marry you." Iruka snapped and Mizuki glowered.
"That's not a very funny joke, Iruka."
"That's because it wasn't a joke." the brunet pushed open the door behind him and grabbed the other man, pulling him out of the house by his fancy necktie and throwing the man into the bushes that lined the steps to the door.
"Dumbass," the brunet hissed to himself as he slammed the door shut, locked it and grabbed his bag, stomping over to the back door again. He refused to stay inside, cornered, when Mizuki was somewhere outside his home, prowling around and waiting for a chance to pounce on him.
Iruka found himself trudging through the leaves towards the Sand village in search for his brainless brother, wanting to do anything else than stay at home with that creep of a town's-most-eligible-bachelor. The winds were high and Iruka moved quickly until he came to a fork in the road.
He knew he had to go left but... Naruto had probably thought it was a shortcut and was wandering aimlessly in the woods. The brunet marked forward determinedly through the trees and snow until a shadowy figure crept up from beyond the trees into the darkening sky. The brunet was so focused on getting to what appeared to be a mansion, he didn't even see the slope until his feet met air and he slid down the bank on his back.
As he slid his shirt rode up his back and, when he finally stopped tumbling, he felt his back flare up with pain that felt as if someone had set a torch against his back.
With a groan of pain, he sat up in a daze and was faced with the grandest mansion he had ever seen. It was more of a castle than a mansion and it was surrounded by a gate at least twenty feet tall that wrapped around the front yard of dead grass into the woods on either side of the castle.
At the sound of heavy steps, Iruka scrambled to his feet, the pain forgotten, and spun around to find a familiar face coming towards him from the trees.
"Kyuubi!" the horse bucked his head in recognition of its own name and the young man grasped its reigns, biting his lip as worry flared in him once more, the pain on his back disappearing from his mind. If here was Naruto's horse, then where was Naruto? Iruka turned back to the castle as Kyuubi stepped towards in, tugging Iruka with him as if to indicate something.
Iruka looked to the mansion and sighed. There was only one place Naruto could be.
"Naruto?" the brunet called as he crept down the hollows halls, searching for the blond. He had knocked on the main door only to find that it was open and was now scouring the seemingly abandoned home, looking for that familiar, cheery face he knew so well.
The dark halls weren't full of dust and cobwebs like one would expect but the shadows and feeling that someone was watching him that filled them were enough to put Iruka on edge.
He called and called but there was no answer until he came to a narrow stairwell at the end of the main hall that curled upward. "Naruto?"
"Iruka?" Said young man jumped in relief when he heard Naruto's bright-eyed voice coming from the top of the stairs. He sprinted up the many steps to find a dark hallway lined on each side with doors, only a tiny amount of light poked through the little windows in the doors but there was a spot of light that shone down from a hole in the ceiling, creating a circle of light in the middle of the hall. The voice called his name again and a face appeared in one of the door windows.
"Naruto!" Iruka dashed to the door and bent down onto one knee to be face-to-face with the boy, relief washing through him. "I was so worried about! Are you alright?"
"There's no time for that! You have to get out of here, Iruka, or he'll catch you too!" the boy grasped his hands through the cold bars and spoke quickly, in hushed tones that spoke leagues of fear as well as the urgent look on his face.
"What are you talking about-?" Iruka started, interrupted by a voice that sent chills down his spine.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" It demanded from the shadows in a low, gruff tone that could kill if it wanted to. Naruto cried out from his cell in terror, bringing the shakes to Iruka's fingers in fright from both shock and alarm as the young man slowly turned to face the monster.
The thing was shrouded in darkness but its sharp, red eyes were very visible in the dark, looking down upon Iruka from its lofty height with a fury that sent more shivers down Iruka's spine. The young brunet was stuck in their hypnotic gaze, unable to break free until the sound of Naruto's panicked breaths hits his ears and his gaze flickered away to the floor to regain his nerves before standing, hoping to get higher ground to seem more intimidating.
"I-," Iruka's eyes met the beast's again and lost his words once more in their spellbinding regard before blinking again. "I'm Naruto's brother."
"Well, then it would be my pleasure to inform you that your….brother," the creature spat out, his eyes never leaving Iruka's, "is currently serving out his punishment for trespassing on my land."
"But!" the brunet glanced back at Naruto for confirmation, the blond nodding sadly, "but he's just a kid! He didn't know what he was doing!"
"Well, maybe he should of thought about it before! You're lucky I'm not going to keep you here as well. Now leave!" the eyes disappeared and shuffling noises were heard, telling them that the master of the castle was going back down the stairs.
"Just go, Iruka," Naruto pleaded his brother, hoping that the brunet would leave and maybe even go get help, he didn't care what Iruka did as long as he got away to safety. "Please,"
But Iruka had been thinking of the opposite entirely, biting his lip so that he almost shed blood and calling after the beast, "wait!"
The thing paused just before the stairs and its ruby eyes turned back to Iruka, cold and as hard as before with another look Iruka believed to be curiosity in them as he waited for Iruka to continue. Swallowing passed the lump in his throat, Iruka proposed, "Take me in his place."
"No! Iruka! You can't!" Naruto grasped the bars of the door but he knew that his efforts were in vain when Iruka ignored his pleas and stepped into the light coming from the hole above.
The castle's master seemed surprised, his crimson eyes widening as the cold in them disappeared for a moment in wonder only to be replaced by suspicion in the next, "you would take his place?"
"Of course," after that was said without hesitation, the monster came forward a few feet, just until the edge of the light so that Iruka saw that the thing had the outline of a man with what seemed like a hat placed upon his head.
"You'd stay here, my prisoner until a time I deem worthy?" there was a pause from Iruka this time but it wasn't in hesitation. Curiosity took over instead, moving him to give the request,
"Come into the light."
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