Title: Cinderhitomi
By: Queen Beryl
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Okay, here's the synopsis: It's basically a Cinderella story, only with a slight twist. Of course, Cinderella is portrayed by Hitomi and Van is the Prince Charming. (Who makes up these names, anyway?) One-shot. Please review!!!
Suddenly, the clock struck twelve. Midnight. Hitomi knew she had to get out of there. If the prince were to find out she was just another peasant girl, she would be so disappointed. Come to think of it, so would he.
"I'm sorry, I must be going!" Hitomi gathered up her beautiful skirts and rushed through the ballroom, her very short, light brown hair not exactly flowing behind her. The clock was already on its sixth chime, and Hitomi didn't have a moment to lose. She had to escape before she completely changed back. She could feel some of the magic slipping from her, as though it belonged only in the magical garden, from which she fled, and the ballroom, from which she was now fleeing.
"Wait!" Prince Van, the dashingly handsome black-haired prince, called after the beauty. "Please, don't go! I-I don't even know your name!" He followed after her as quickly as he could. The lords and ladies, especially the ladies, kept getting in his way. Prince Van wondered what he did wrong. Had he said something to offend her? Had that beautiful and passionate kiss they just shared made her shy away? What could it be?
Hitomi rushed outside where the air was brisk and cool. Hitomi wondered how it could chill up so quickly. In the garden she was warm and the night was beautiful. The stars and moon were so bright and lovely... but now it was icy. Not unusual for an autumn ball, but not fair. Standing at the top of the stairs, Hitomi's emerald eyes searched the area for her carriage. Off to one side she spotted a smashed pumpkin and a few mice scurrying away from it. Figures, that would happen to her. The clock tower's deep chimes were already striking number nine, and Hitomi flew down the white stone steps. She did notice her shoe come off, but she didn't have time to even think about getting it back. If Prince Van caught up with her and the clock finished chiming, she would be in such an embarrassing predicament. She pictured the look on his face when she walked in the door. She almost stopped, but forced herself onward, and sighed, smiling. He was indeed charming and wonderful and handsome and... Hitomi thought for a moment. And... she was in love with him. But after one night? How can that be?
"Wait! Where are you?!" Van cried desperately, finally exiting the palace. His deep maroon eyes searched everywhere. He couldn't let her go. He wouldn't! He'd follow her! But which way did she go? It didn't matter, he'd follow her anywhere. He charged off the steps and stopped suddenly, almost falling down the rest of the way. He saw something very delicate and clearish. He stooped to pick it up. A shoe! A semi-glass slipper! It must be hers! He held the slipper lovingly in his hands and looked at it. The bottom half that she stood on was made of glass while the top was made of silk trimmed in white fur. It was elegant... just like the woman who disappeared... the woman he loved. Love? After one night? Not even a full night! She had only arrived less than two hours before. The last chime of the clock sounded, signaling midnight. He realized he wouldn't find her tonight, in the dark. He might as well return to the palace and prepare for searching for the beautiful angel tomorrow.
Hitomi limped up to her front door, one leather shoe on her left foot, the other was bare. She was dressed in a long brown skirt and large cream colored shirt. All of her lovely make-up and finery were gone. She was left as she was before. Hitomi. Just plain Cinderhitomi as her two stepsisters loved to call her. She rested her hand on the doorknob for a moment, thinking. She shook her head and entered the house. She went to her small room that was attached to the kitchen and found her other pair of shoes. They were hand-me-downs from her eldest stepsister, but they fit almost right. They would be fine for now. They were nothing compared to the downright gorgeous slippers that she wore to the ball, but Hitomi would never complain. She sat down next to the fire in the kitchen that was, surprisingly, still ablaze. Her eyes glazed over, remembering. After about twenty minutes she could hear somebody coming up the walkway. Hitomi's heart pounded violently in her chest. What if it was him? She thought for a brief moment before her fair face fell. How would he know where to look for her? She quickly went to the door and opened it to find her stepmother and stepsisters standing there in their finest gowns and jewelry.
"It's about time you came to the door, Hitomi." The older woman raised a well-manicured eyebrow. Jeweled pins and ribbons held up her long black locks. Her cold gray eyes searched Hitomi with distaste. "Well, stepdaughter, are you just going to stand there or are you going to let us come in and rest?"
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Stepmother." Hitomi bowed slightly and pulled the door open even wider. The three women entered and gave their purses and shawls and other such accessories to Hitomi to take care of. Hitomi quickly set them on a table where they would be out of the way and brought in three cups of tea and a teapot on a platter for the "tired" ladies.
"We had such a time!" The eldest stepsister sighed heavily. "I was on my feet all evening! I danced with Prince Van at least three times!" She curled a strand of blonde hair with her finger and smiled, as though remembering.
"Three times, Millerna?" The youngest stepsister asked, eyebrows skyrocketing.
"Of course, didn't you, Merle?" Millerna's blue eyes held a certain lying mystery that was quite interesting. Only Merle caught it and nodded.
"I only thought it was about five, like me." Merle crossed her legs in a sophisticated manner and started taking her short light red hair down from the ribbons and bows.
"Perhaps I was mistaken.... We danced so much I lost count, really." Millerna grinned and sat back, still managing to maintain good posture.
"It sounds delightful," Hitomi commented politely. She knew the truth, and it was so hard to keep from bursting out into peals of laughter. "Was he... charming?"
"As charming as a prince could ever be." Merle leaned forward, forgetting posture, and her bluish eyes lit up excitedly. "He was so strong and handsome... I just..." Her voice drifted off as she sighed. Hitomi had to look away to keep from laughing. Merle only danced with him for about two minutes and Millerna was next in line until Hitomi walked in the door, preventing the prince from seeing anyone else at all.
"Isn't that right, Mother?" Millerna asked, smiling.
"Of course it is! Why do you ask me if it's right? Do you two not know yourselves? I could have sworn, though, that it was well over five times apiece." The older woman sipped her tea slowly.
"And did you know everyone?" Hitomi ventured, wondering if they knew anything about her being there.
"There were so many people, it was hard to say." Merle put in, coming out of her reverie.
"I knew all of them, of course. All except..." Millerna thought for a moment.
"Except?" Hitomi prodded.
"There was this one Princess Somebody that I didn't know.... I don't think anyone knew who she was." Hitomi's stepmother finished for her daughter.
"That's right." Millerna nodded in agreement.
"That's tragic. Did she get an opportunity to dance with Prince Van at all?" Hitomi prodded.
"I wasn't really paying attention to her." Hitomi's stepmother said airily. Hitomi smiled, knowing full well that her stepmother paid a lot of attention to her.
"Oh." Was all Hitomi could say.
"And what were you doing while we were gone?" Merle asked, sounding almost interested.
"I just busied myself with cleaning, and I was wondering what it would be like to actually dance with the Prince of Fanelia." Hitomi smiled, secretly knowing.
"You couldn't possibly imagine what it was like." Millerna and Merle stated together.
"There, now, we're all tired. Let's go to bed." Stepmother commanded, arising from her half-finished tea.
"But I didn't get any tea yet!" Merle exclaimed.
"We'll bring it with us. Honestly, Merle!" Millerna sniffed and picked up the tray as they headed up the stairs to their respective rooms.
"Prince Van of Fanelia... I think I love you." Hitomi smiled as she walked into the kitchen and opened another door that lead to her small, very small, room. She laid down on the bed, not bothering to change, and sobbed herself to sleep. When would she ever see him? She loved him, but to what purpose? She could never let him know.
Morning came bright and early. Too early for Hitomi, but not early enough for Van. He leapt up from his bed, where he had laid down only ten minutes before. He had wandered around the palace after everyone had left about 12:30 that morning. He paced his room until there was practically a worn area on the carpet.
"Today I'll find her for sure!" Van stated as he thrust his bedroom door open. He stepped back startled. Allen stood there, his fist lifted, about to knock.
"Prince Van, did you get any sleep at all?" Allen asked, lowering his hand. His blonde hair was held back in a very loose ponytail and his blue eyes were worried.
"No." Van stated bluntly. He didn't feel tired at all. All he felt was... was...
"... love." Allen smiled.
"What?" Van asked, coming out of his thoughts.
"I said you look as though you're in love. Don't tell me it was that enchanting girl you couldn't take your eyes off last night. It her, isn't it? You two looked lovely together." Allen nodded approvingly.
"You know who she is?" Van asked excitedly. Allen, Van's trusted friend and knight, knew everybody.
"I told you a hundred times last night. No. I should have known earlier that you were enamored with her. I wondered why you kept asking me that question."
"I have to find her. And you're going to help me, right?"
"Of course, Van, but how are we supposed to find her? How do you know who she is?"
"I have this." Van pulled the semi-glass slipper from his back pocket and proffered it to Allen.
"You stole her dancing shoe? That's not very gallant."
"No, no. She left it behind when she ran out. I thought I told you that."
"Nope. You didn't really tell me all the details of your time with her." Allen shrugged. "So you intend to...?"
"Try this on the foot of every woman in the kingdom until I find one that fits."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Allen raised an eyebrow, a frown on his face.
"What's wrong with it?"
"Well, I'm sure that of all the women in Fanelia this mystery girl isn't the only one who wears that size shoe."
"You're right." Van admitted, frowning himself. How could he be so stupid? Of course there was someone else with their feet the same size as hers! That would be his luck, wouldn't it?
"But we can still try it. It won't hurt." Allen tried to lift his friend's spirits.
"All right. We'll do that right now! Let's go, Allen!" Van rushed past his companion and down the hallway. Allen sighed, shaking his head, and going after Van.
"He is so in love with that girl.... I really hope he finds her."
"Cinderhitomi!!" Millerna's voice rang up through the house. Hitomi groaned and sat up, her hair plastered to her face.
"Coming!" She croaked out after a few attempts. She prodded the dead fire with an iron rod and started it up again. She climbed the stairs and entered Millerna's room after knocking and gaining admittance.
"I need my breakfast! Toast, two eggs, and a glass of warm milk. Got that?"
"Yes." Hitomi nodded and exited the room. She went downstairs to make breakfast for the household. She knew what everyone wanted. It was always the same: toast, two eggs, and a glass of milk. And if they were out of milk, tea would do just fine. They were all so alike; Hitomi was the only really different one. Hitomi sighed and sat down when the milk was put over the fire. Her thoughts drifted back to the previous evening. After some time she noticed the smell of something burning.
"The eggs!" Hitomi cried, taking them off the heat and putting them on a plate. She was just barely in time. They were a bit darker than usual, but still edible. She finished with the breakfasts and set them on three trays and started toward the stairs. She delivered the food, waking up Merle who threw a pillow at her, almost knocking over the last tray. She gave her stepmother the last tray and left the room; she ran down the stairs and started cleaning up the mess.
"This is the last house, Van." Allen stated wearily. They had searched all of Fanelia for this maiden. So far, eleven other girls had fit into the shoe. They were all waiting back at the palace for Van to decide if any of them were, in fact, his true love.
"What if she isn't here?" Van asked, a frown on his face. He unconsciously rotated the slipper in his hand.
"Then she's one of the other girls that are at the palace right now!" Allen said happily. Finally, it would all be over.
"I don't think any of them are her."
"How can you know?"
"They don't make me feel like she made me feel last night." Van smiled as he became warm all over, starting from his heart. It was like a comforting blanket spread across him while he slumbered. He shook his head and blushed slightly as he realized Allen was watching him.
"Obviously." He smiled and proceeded to the front door of the large house. He knocked and made Van put the slipper back on the cushion he carried.
"May I help you, Your Majesty?" A woman of about forty stood, or actually bowed, before the two gentlemen.
"We would like to see all the ladies of the house, please, Madam." Allen stated as the woman stepped aside to let them in.
"Absolutely. Merle! Millerna! Come down stairs this moment, please!" The woman said as she turned around, only to find her daughters already lined up a few feet from her. She closed the door and smiled. "Now, what is it that Your Majesty would like with the women of the house?"
"I would like them to try on this slipper." Van stated, looking at the two daughters. Neither of them sparked anything in him. Although the seemingly younger one with red hair looked vaguely familiar.
"Of course, Your Highness." The woman bowed. "Millerna, come forward." The older-looking blonde did as she was told. She batted her eyelashes at Van and tried on the slipper. It was at least two sizes too small.
"Merle, dear, you now." Merle, the redhead, stepped forward and tried on the slipper. For a moment it appeared to fit, but her foot just disappeared into it. Ridiculous.
"Are there any others in the house?" Allen asked, picking up the slipper again, and handing it to Van. Van turned around, his back to the small crowd.
"Nobody, sir, but- Your Majesty!" The woman stopped, looking at Prince Van. He had picked up a glass vase and cut his hand quite deep.
"I'm fine. Let's go, Allen." Van looked at his hand.
"Please, go into the kitchen and get washed up at least. I'm terribly sorry about that." The woman bobbed her head. Van walked through a hallway and met a dead-end. He was about to go back when he saw a door on his left. He opened it to find a darker room. There was a stove, sink, small table, one chair, and a large fireplace. This must be the kitchen. He stepped inside when he heard a slight scuffle to his right. He looked over to see the backside of a person.
"Excuse me?" He asked politely, holding up his injured hand to about chest-height. The figure stood up straight and stiffened for a moment, turned, and revealed a lovely servant girl. For a moment, Van's heart caught in his throat.
"May I help you?" She asked almost indifferently, as though she had seen royalty every day of her life.
"I've cut my hand, and I-" Van started. The girl walked over and looked at the cut. She pulled Van to the sink and washed his palm carefully. She then handed him a clean dishtowel and laid it carefully on top to soak up some of the water and blood. She walked over to a cabinet and procured a bandage wrap. She proceeded to carefully administer to his wound.
"Thank you, Miss." Van smiled when it was all finished.
"You're welcome, Sire." Hitomi smiled. For a moment, Van recognized the smile.
"Would you try this slipper on for me?" Van asked politely, pulling it from his back pocket with his uninjured hand.
"It won't fit."
"What?" Van asked, bemused. She hadn't already tried it on, had she?
"I said, it won't fit."
"I heard you."
"Then why did you ask what I said?" Hitomi raised an eyebrow.
"Because-" Van paused, holding back his temper by closing his eyes. He waited a moment then reopened them. "What to you mean it won't fit?"
"The magic wore off." Hitomi said simply.
"The ma- what?"
"The magic. It only lasted until midnight."
"But if the one was you, then your foot would still be the same size."
"No. It wouldn't."
"But I love the girl that fits into this shoe!" Van exclaimed, irritated. This was the last house, and he still wasn't sure if any of the eleven at the castle were the same girl from last night.
"Why?" Came the simple question from the simple girl in front of Van.
"Why what?"
"Why do you love the girl that fits into that slipper?" Why did he? Because she made his heart beat faster than it was supposed to? Because she was gorgeous and enchanting and... everything else? Because she was the only one he truly loved?
"Because... I had a wonderful time last night, and the girl that fits into this slipper made that happen. She left without a name, an address, anything."
"But why make her fit into the slipper?"
"Excuse me?" Van was caught off guard. He wasn't making anyone fit into the blasted shoe. The one who already fit into it was his true love. The girl Van was going to marry.
"Why do you want the one who can fit into the slipper? Why can't you make the slipper fit onto the girl you love?" Hitomi's voice was calm as a soft summer's day. Van paused for a moment, thinking. She had a point. He opened his mouth to speak, but she started again.
"Society... it makes you conform to their rules and regulations. Why not throw the book out the window and say you'll do it your own way? Why must you make the girl you already love for her personality, her beauty, her whatever... why make her fit the shoe? What if she had both her feet chopped off? Would she still be the girl you loved? Or would you desert her because she didn't fit your shoe?" Hitomi poked at the fire with the rod and used the rod to lean on. Van set the slipper on the table in front of him and sat down in the only chair in the room, thinking deeply.
"I would still love her-"
"Why?"
"Because I didn't fall in love with her for her feet. It was her eyes, her hair, her touch, her kiss, her smile, her thoughts, her dreams, her essence, her... everything. I fell in love with her because she was the woman I've thought about, dreamt about, loved completely, ever since I could do such things. She's her own person. I didn't make her fit the shoe. She wore it."
"But the magic wore off at midnight. Of course things wouldn't be exactly the same, would they? She could be short and fat with warts and boils. Would you love her then? The magic changed her appearance so she was something desirable."
"Even though she may have changed on the outside, she's still the same within." Van defended. Somehow this conversation, the tones more specifically, sounded familiar.
"Exactly my point, Prince Van. She could be anyone. Anyone. Would you still love her because of her personality?"
"Yes, because she's somebody I could talk to. She's somebody who means something."
"How could you know after less than two hours?" Hitomi inquired, pulling another chair out of the darkened shadows of the large kitchen. She set it close to the fire, about diagonal from Van's seat, and sat down.
"I just... know. There's that feeling I get when I'm around her...."
"What if that was the magic too?" Hitomi leaned back, studying Van intently.
"No. It was what I felt here." He put his injured hand over his heart. He thought for a moment, about to say something, but he was interrupted again.
"So to you, she would still be beautiful, even though she could be a commoner, or a thief, or hideously altered?"
"Yes, because I love her. Not for what she should be, but for what she is. She..." Van paused, making sure he was really ready to say what he was about to... what he really felt. "She doesn't have to fit the slipper. I can make another slipper that will fit her foot. She doesn't have to conform to or for me. I love her for who she is, and it doesn't matter what the magic did to her. I guess the only real reason for the magic was to allow me to get to notice her. Because I really don't think I would have noticed a servant in a cream colored top, cinder ashes on her face, or dirty hands. But... I would now. I would because I know that even though the slipper doesn't fit her, it doesn't have to." Van was looking at Hitomi intently the whole time. At the end, Hitomi's eyes watered up and silent soft tears slid down her cheeks, leaving clean paths as the went. Van arose from his chair and knelt in front of Hitomi. He smiled up at her.
"You finally understand." Hitomi smiled. "The slipper wouldn't fit me because I couldn't. You wouldn't let me, and I refused to conform." Van raised a hand to Hitomi's cheek and wiped the tears away, leaving smug marks.
"You're beautiful when you're you." Van smiled and clapped his hands around Hitomi's. "I didn't see because I didn't want to see. But now I do. You're beautiful and even though you don't fit into the slipper, I love you. I want you to marry me."
"But you've only known me for less than two hours." Hitomi looked at him. They both stood up, Van's hands still holding Hitomi's dirty ones.
"We've been talking more in here, too. Besides, I feel as though I've known you forever. There's just one thing."
"What is that, Prince Van?"
"I still don't know your name." He grinned, caressing her cheek with his injured hand that hadn't really hurt since she touched it.
"Hitomi."
"Hitomi," Van tried it out. "I like the sound of that.... Queen Hitomi of Fanelia." Van leaned in to kiss her. The kiss was the same from last night. Of course, he already knew it would be. After a moment he pulled Hitomi out of the dark kitchen toward where the others were probably missing him, leaving the semi-glass slipper behind.
THE END
*Cries* Okay, what did you guys think about that? I, for one, happened to like it because... it was a typical romance story, and I love those ones. (Yep, I'm a certified sucker for romance and fluff!) Two things, though. While writing this I had Roger's and Hemmerstein's Cinderella (Yes, the one with Brandy and Whoopi Goldberg) in my head, so if there are parts similar to the movie, well, there really should be because I based it kind of off that one. The other part, especially the end about conforming to the slipper was completely inspired by a story I read in the 7th grade. I don't know the name of it or who it's by, but if any one knows, PLEASE TELL ME! It's killing me! Of course the dialogue is different because I'm so many years from 7th grade, but oh well. Please review and tell me what you think! I love comments!