Ah, sorry this is sooo late. ^^;
Before you guys read the story – glares at those who scrolled away again- I need to take a moment to dedicate the rest of this story to two people. The first person is Fangirl85 who has quite suddenly become my knight in shining armor. ^^ Thanks to her, I was able to sort out so many of the kinks in this story that sort of had me stumped for a second. She's contributed quite a bit to the progress of this story, so kudos.
The second person I'm dedicating this to is starry night (I hope you're reading ^^). Sometimes life tends to want to kick my ass and beat my muse to a pulp (the old muse, anyway), so it gets hard for me to finish updating some of the stories I have while keeping up with everything that goes on in my own life. I forget sometimes that fanfiction can have a deeper meaning- not just with me, but with the readers, as well- and both you and fangril85 reminded me of that (not that smut has much meaning, right...). So thanks. :P
Aaand, that goes for all of you reviewers/readers out there. I really do appreciate your support, or your enjoyment of the stories I write, which is really the same thing. I appreciate all of your reviews, they encourage me to have a little more confidence in myself, despite my (sometimes) lack thereof. So, yeah...now I feel awkward...
You can scroll away now...
Beauty and the Beast
by Scarlet Drops of INK
::PART TWO::
'The Vampires of the Castle'
Moonlight pierced through the wooden rafters above like a sword through a body, illuminating the gargoyle statues on the large, square pillars in the dungeon. Each statue was snarling, clutching at torches with their claws as if fighting over them- as though they were real. The stone walls were filthy with grime and damp with condensation from the weather, they hardly afforded much protection from the cold wind swimming in through the glassless stone windows.
Zero had no idea how long he had been sitting on the frigid, hard floor for, but his entire body was beginning to become frozen and he was quickly loosing feeling. He rubbed his hands up and down his arms, his knees drawn up to his chest to try and retain heat. The puffs of his breath were visible in the cold, though his vision was blurry and he had been falling in and out of sleep. He wondered when the sun would show up to chase away the low temperatures of the night, but like everything else, it wasn't something he could wonder about for more than a second or two as he faded in and out of a restless sleep.
It must have been a millennium when he heard the sound of the tower's dungeon door being pushed open. Fear struck him first (fear of dying at the hands of a deranged creature) and then the warmth came suddenly like magic; thoughts of death were pushed back for the moment as the heat swarmed him like a wave. It was as if the sun had swept through the room in a flash, lighting each torch that was hanging on the dungeon walls, even being so kind as to give Zero's frozen body a swift and abrupt warm up, if only for a second.
"Get up."
Zero frowned. Forcing his eyes to open further and focus on the strange figure that seemed almost too bright- considering the fact that his eyes had more or less adjusted to the darkness of the room- the light was almost painful. A man? No. The human look alike was standing in the door way, staring down at him. He wore a black velvet cloak with burgundy satin lining, closed with a double, silver chain clasp that revealed the man's opened collared shirt and the pale skin beneath it. Just from the look of him, Zero concluded he must be a noble. The light flames from the candles on the golden candelabra he held up flickered over his solemn face; it emphasized the red eyes and fangs that appeared as the creature repeated his command for Zero to stand up.
On trembling and still frozen legs, he managed to stand up with the assistance of the cold wall behind him; but just barely. "W-who are you?"
"My name is Kain," the creature with fiery hair spoke, turning away from him. He was tall, well built and gave off the air of a wild fire- he wasn't someone Zero wanted to get near. Though, it wasn't his mere appearance that made him feel that way. "Follow me. I'll show you to your room."
"My room?" His head snapped up. Did he hear correctly? Wasn't he supposed to stay in the dungeons forever or until that beast returned to him? The red head turned back to him with a wry twist to his brows as he swept a hand through the air, gesturing to the unyielding and biting dungeon room. "You want to stay here?"
"No." Hell no. And so, on barely working legs, Zero followed the strange man-creature to his room and out of the dungeon. They walked down countless halls, even if Zero had wanted to keep track of them, his weary state wouldn't have allowed it. Statues of gargoyles and creatures of the night were displayed around every corner; paintings that should have been more captivating of beauty and wealth were depicting barrenness and solitude, of war and hatred. Gargoyles, dragons and demons, looking as if they were crawling all over the place, fangs bared and claws outstretched- they hardly looked like art. The entire place gave him the creeps, despite its obvious lavish and vast state.
Finally, when Zero felt as though he might protest at having to walk further, Kain stopped at a door, holding it open for Zero. He stepped aside and announced, "Your room."
Zero gave the red head a small nod before he stepped inside, eyeing the large room with weary and cautioned eyes. Cream colored walls painted with gold trim outlined a spacious area that could have fit Cross's orphanage and then some comfortably within its confines. Furniture he knew he would never use were aesthetically set up all over the room, giving it a rich and elaborate decour. However, there was only one thing that had managed to capture his entire attention and it was the four poster, queen sized bed with provincial blue drapes that were tied to the wooden bedposts, beckoning him like a seductress welcoming a lover in her embrace. Even if half the bed was filled with decorative pillows and the looks of the high priced fabric of the covers made him wince at the thought of dirtying it, he still wanted nothing more than to collapse over it.
This was probably the most expensive room he'd ever stepped into, even the carpet beneath his feet looked like it would cost him three life times to pay, and unlike most of the castle, this place didn't seem tainted with darkness and granite creatures that shouldn't exist. He turned to thank Kain for bringing him here, but found the other was already gone and had closed the door without even a single sound. Too weary and shaky to worry about it, Zero went straight for the bed, wondering whether it would be all right for him to sleep here, and squirming his way beneath the heavenly warm and jasmine scented coverlet.
~xXx~
"Hey, Zero..." A childish face, round with soft, baby fat skin was blocking his view as lilac eyes blinked once. Twice. Murmuring something incoherent in his semi-conscious state, the silver haired boy turned his face over the wooden log they used for pillows, facing the other side where children were still dutifully sleeping in their poorly dressed cots made from hay; they all carried the same tattered and coarse wool blankets that just barely did enough to keep them warm. Behind him, Yuuki was murmuring something to him, but he was intentionally ignoring her, eyes traveling to the window where the wooden shutters had been broken by some of the meaner kids in town who'd thrown stones inside a few nights ago. In his old home, they used to have glass pane in their windows and their beds weren't made from hay, like these. But the orphanage wasn't well off and the caretaker did all he could to help them, he always did, treating each of them with tenderness and stupid grins. Some parents didn't give their children half the love he did. His food was horrible, too, though, but he always managed to feed each of them, keeping their bellies full. Despite the food lacking in taste, it was nice to eat warm meals with all the children here- even with the caretaker, too. It was fun, Zero would admit, in its own way.
"-there's nothing wrong with you, Zero. It's okay to cry..."
Zero woke with a start, his eyes dry as he stared up at the dark canopy shadowed in dark gray above. Ghost like fingers clung through the strands of his hair, a soft voice promising him that he wasn't worthless fading into the background of his mind, followed shortly by a harsh growl that had fear crawling up inside him, desperately seeking to escape from him: And his own voice, quivering and soft: "Take me instead."
"Yuuki..."
A sudden knock at the door had Zero's gaze snapping to the entrance of the large room. There was a pause, and for a moment, Zero wondered whether it was the beast, but quickly shook that notion. If it were, wouldn't he have already barged in here? This was his castle, wasn't it? The knock came again and Zero assumed it must have been Kain instead. Since he hadn't hurt Zero in anyway and had helped him out of the dungeon, Zero felt no need to refuse him entrance- not that he was in any position to truly do so. "Come in."
When the door opened, the room was immediately filled with light. Zero slowly sat up, surprise to see, not Kain, but two other human-looking men walk in. One, with blond hair unobtrusively draped over soft red eyes, was smiling gracefully at him as he moved into the room. Behind him, a copper haired man strolled after, pushing along a wooden trolley and looking as if he were going to fall asleep on his feet. His eyes, too, Zero noted, were red. Everyone here seemed to have those kind of eyes.
"I see you've woken up," the blonde declared in a friendly and warm voice, smile still easily held in place.
And fangs, they all seemed to have those, too, he noted warily.
"Perfect. I'm Takuma Ichijou and this is Senri Shiki, it's nice to meet you Zero." Ichijou said, clapping his hands together as he looked Zero over, "I assume you rested well?"
Zero felt his cheeks heat in embarrassment. He'd never slept so well in his life and he was sure, especially after the glance towards the window showed him how dark the skies were, that he'd slept for a very long time. "I, yes...how long have I been asleep?"
Ichijou chuckled, walking around the bed towards the large window Zero had been looking at, admiring for once, the sight of glass pane windows that thankfully blocked out the cold. "Not to worry. You may rest for as long as you'd like, Zero." With those words, he swiftly yanked at the cord holding the heavy drapes open, they blocked out the view of the window quickly. Ichijou turned back to him. "I thought you might like some nice, relaxing tea and a bath."
Tea and a bath? Zero blinked as he watched the blond stroll over to the trolley where the tea was waiting to be served. If he wasn't still dreaming, Zero had remembered becoming a prisoner, so why was he being pampered? Tea and a bath, those things were foreign to Zero. Watching the blond closely, Zero found himself a bit confused. Ichijou had an air about him, something that made him seem almost prince like; yet that beast had claimed this was his castle. So was Ichijou his servant? Judging by the clothes he was wearing, Zero would have to disagree with that. Even the other one was dressed in high quality compared to his own filthy rags. He shifted uncomfortably in the bed, suddenly very uncertain.
"Shiki." The blond gestured for the brunet, who yawned and brought the trolley closer, stopping in front of Zero and Ichijou. The blond picked up the white pot on the cart and poured it into a tea cup that was nestled comfortably over its saucer.
Ichijou blinked as he watched the hot tea easily fall into the teacup- a cup with a small chip on the edge. He glanced up at Shiki who was yawning, his eyes tearing up at the gesture, his fangs open to Zero's slightly perturbed view; Ichijou frowned. "Shiki?"
"Hm?" Smoldered red eyes stared through a sleepy haze at the blond.
"Did you drop this cup?"
"Hm?" Shiki blinked then glanced down at the teacup, faintly recalling the incident when he pulled it out of the cupboard with his strength drained from sleep a few moments ago. "Mm."
Ichijou put on a kind smile, eyes disappearing behind their lids as he sighed. "Please be more careful with the teacups, Shiki. This is the hundredth one you've broken, they're like my children. Now we'll need to go and get another-"
"It's fine."
Ichijou blinked glancing at his master's guest in mild surprise. The silver haired boy reached out and caught the teacup, easily bringing it to his lips and sipping on the hot liquid. "It's good. And I really don't mind the broken cup. Yuuki always..." When the boy trailed off with a pained expression, Ichijou gave him a sympathetic smile and sat down besides him on the edge of the bed.
"You did a very brave and noble thing, sacrificing yourself for that girl."
Zero's eyes narrowed at the reminder of what he'd done and how he would never get to see her again. He'd lost her. The blond sighed besides him. "I'm sure it will all work out for the best. The master isn't a bad guy once you get to know him."
"Know him?" Zero hissed angrily. "I don't want anything to do with him."
Shiki frowned at the prisoner and sighed, glancing at Ichijou, who was smiling softly at the silver haired boy. He squashed the tingle of jealousy and yawned, breaking the silence in the room. Ichijou peeked at Shiki for a moment before patting Zero's shoulder in a comforting manner and standing up. "Don't worry, Zero. It'll be all right in the end, you'll see. Now then, I shall go and get that bath prepared."
Shiki blinked when Ichijou turned to him, beaming as he dropped both his hands onto his shoulders, his thumb subtly sliding against his neck in an intimate gesture that belied the innocent expression on the blond's face. "Will you keep our guest entertained in the meantime, Shiki."
Without waiting for a reply, Ichijou was merrily striding out of the room to fetch the hot water Rima had heated down below. Shiki watched the door close behind him and then leisurely brought his gaze back to the strange haired boy. He blinked; The boy frowned, his brows drawing together. Shiki's red gaze lowered to the cup being embraced between the human's hands and stepped forward. Leaning down a bit, he slipped his finger through the china handle, easily picking up the chipped cup that was released and bringing it up to his lips, as though he were going to drink it. Zero frowned, a bit confused by it all. Then the copper haired boy tilted his head a little, his red eyes staring at him a little unnervingly over the rim of the cup.
"Wanna see a trick?"
~xXx~
"So you seen the prisoner then?" The strawberry blond asked as she sat on the island in the middle of the kitchen, happily kicking her bare feet back and forth, her dainty fingers wrapped loosely over the edge of the counter. Her doll like, red eyes staring up at the ceiling in thought as her pig tails swayed from side to side with her movement. "It's strange, he wont lift the curse at all. Even though he does look quite beautiful. What a shame."
"Hm?" Shiki stared at her, momentarily forgetting his task of putting away the freshly washed and dried dishes. Rima Touya swung her leg up again, the petticoat beneath her black underskirt sliding down her delicate ankles- Shiki's eyes shifted higher, ignoring the indigo over skirt which was cinched up with eye hooks; higher up, past her black, velvet bodice and off the shoulder sleeves to the heart shaped face. Rima didn't seem to notice his gaze as she continued thoughtlessly. "The master should just devour him. He's a man anyway."
"What's wrong with him being a man?" Shiki mumbled, wondering if Rima was forgetting that she wasn't allowed to show her ankles like that. Ruka and Ichijou had scolded her for that plenty of times already, but she never seemed to listen. It didn't really make Shiki feel nervous or anything, though.
"Huh?" Rima gave Shiki a dumb look as she turned all her attention to him. One of her legs froze in midair before it fell back to thud against the cupboard beneath; Shiki gave her the same blank look before he turned back around to put a plate into the cabinet- it slipped from his fingers and crashed on the granite counter top. He blinked at the broken pieces of fine bone china and frowned. "Oops."
Rima hummed softly. "Better hide it before Ichijou finds out."
~xXx~
The sound of ice crackling was hidden behind the sound of the fire burning through the wood in the large fireplace as a boy like figure strode past the mantle, jerking his hands to be free of the ice that was encasing his fists and encroaching his forearms. The ice shattered only to continue as he turned abruptly and strode back in the direction he'd come from.
Fiery eyes watched the progress the youngest blond in the castle was making. He'd been pacing for so long now that Kain was starting to see the abrasions on the floor. Seeing as this was one of the master's favorite study rooms, he was about to reach out to stop his pacing cousin, when the blond suddenly stopped on his own.
Hanabusa Aidou reached inside his trouser's pocket and pulled forth a familiar round object that felt like a heavy weight in the palm of his hands. Slowly unfurling his fingers, he revealed the sight of an antique gold finished pocket watch that had belong in his family for ages. The lacy, delicate openwork cover left the inner workings visible for all to see. With a gentle thumb, Aidou caressed its cool surface like one would touch their lover's face for a final time- it was a habit he'd developed quite recently. Quickly opening the watch with a quiet click, scarlet eyes stared at the broken glass. Ghosts of the past embracing him as the steel hands that had remained very still for so long continued to refuse its natural movement.
Without warning, he abruptly snapped the cover shut and glared at the read head who was so leisurely leaning against the fireplace mantle without a care in the world. Aidou's eyes narrowed on his cousin. "I cannot believe he released her! She was perfect for him, I found her myself! How was I to know that half-witted companion of hers would come for her? I would have done away with him if I had known! Why would the master have chosen him over her?"
"Calm down, Hanabusa," Akatsuki Kain sighed. He knew Hanabusa was going to vent out sooner or later, but now that he had, he was wishing the blond would go back to pacing- even if it were a small reprieve for the moment. His cousin had always been this way: he was a genius without fail, but an overly emotional one at that. The curse weighed heavier on him than on anyone else- excluding the master of the castle, of course. However, the more their prince suffered, the harder things became for Aidou, who seemed to take on their master's burdens onto his own, as well.
"He did a noble thing," Kain praised quietly, watching the shadows from the fire play in the room, only to be shut down immediately; as expected.
"Who cares? He's of no use to us, Akatsuki!" Kain frowned at the obvious distress written all over his cousin's face. "There is no way we will be able to break the curse before the time is up!"
"Well why not?" Ichijou asked bemused, as though such a thing never once occurred to him. The other two glanced at him where he sat on the sofa with frowns, as though he should have given his question more thought before he'd spoken it. It wasn't a question of forethought, however; Ichijou simply did not understand what the problem was with their guest being male. "Who says you can't find true love between two men?"
"Are you deranged?" Aidou demanded, narrowing his sharp, ruby eyes and managing to look dangerous, despite his boyish, good looks.
Ichijou released a soft breath, his gentle eyes finding reprieve behind his eyelids for a moment. "I'm certain Zero will be an excellent match for Kaname. Who knows, he may even be able to get passed his temper."
"Don't delude yourself," Aidou sighed, loosing the strength to argue and vent. He glared into the flickering fire, which should have warmed his ever frozen body, but always failed at its goal in life; much like that of his pocket watch. He scowled. "Our time is almost up. As soon as the last petal falls, we will be lost in this darkness forever."
~xXx~
Kaien Cross stared at the young girl who was resting in bed, her brows furrowed, beads of sweat damping her face as she remained in the unconscious state she'd been in when he'd found her on the door step of the orphanage. He'd been so worried and afraid that she'd been hurt, he hadn't given much thought as to how she ended up there after having been missing for hours.
Immediately, he'd called for the town's doctor, Kaito Takamiya, to come in and check on her. Both he and his female assistant, had assured him that there was no physical damage done to her, though she seemed to be in the middle of a bad fever. It had been concluded that Yuuki must have fallen unconscious, for she was feeling unwell. She must have been distracted by something or perhaps had been searching for a place to rest for a second, before succumbing to the fever. Someone in town must have found her and picked her up, noticing she was one of the orphans in the town, and had her brought over.
Pinching the bridge of his nose and making his glasses hitch up, Kaien stared at the young girl he, by now, considered his very own, more so than any of the other children. He'd found Yuuki when she was but a child, lost in the woods, and had taken her in. A few years later, Zero had come along, and the two of them had been attached ever since. Which made this extremely difficult for him.
How was he to tell the girl he thought of as a daughter that Zero had gone missing after he'd gone to look for her? Kaien Cross wasn't a man with money, he'd done all he could just to keep these children dressed and fed. And sadly, money was the only thing that would motivate anyone aside from the orphans to go out and look for the boy. That, too, was something Kaien could not accept. The woods were dangerous for many reasons and he would not risk the life of more of his children for the sake of one...no matter how much he'd hate himself for it.
With a soft sigh, Kaien blew out the candle in his lamp and turned away. When the sun came up, Kaien would go out once again and search for the unaccounted for boy.
~xXx~
Thunder roared in the distance of the sea of dark clouds outside of his room's window. Zero sat there on the cushioned bench, watching the rain patter and drops slide down the cold pane of the window which showed him only the dreary view of the night sky. He couldn't even spot the forest that surrounded the castle, only the barren ruins of what must lie beneath it. The weather was horrible and, strangely enough, the sun never seemed to appear, as though it could not shine in this area. Not once since he'd woken up hours ago had he caught a glimpse of sunlight. The blond...what's his name...had brought his dinner (the most satisfying banquet he'd ever experienced) and left about an hour ago, asking if there was anything he needed. Apparently all he had to do was ask for something and he'd receive it. Funny, though, if he'd ask to be released, would he get that, as well? He wondered if anyone was looking for him. If Yuuki had made it back safely...
"You look tired."
Zero nearly jumped out of his skin, whirling around to gape at the blond girl whose pig tails were swinging back and forth as she walked over to his bed, dumping folded clothing onto the pillow. Cocking her head in his direction, she sighed. "I brought your night clothes. I figured you wouldn't want to sleep in those tattered rags. Sorry for not bringing you something earlier. I was tired."
"Thanks." Did that sound dry? Zero cleared his throat and stood up, eyeing the red eyed girl cautiously. "What's your name?"
"Rima," she replied with a small frown, then tilted her head a little. "Do you need something else?"
"Why is it so dark here?" he asked. Well, it wasn't in Zero's room, but outside. He nodded his head a little towards the window. "The sun hasn't even risen, though I've been told it isn't night." He had noticed it when he first arrived and even while Kain had ushered him to his room, the castle itself seemed to never be lit. The girl shrugged. "We prefer the dark. At least...no. We're just used to it."
Zero moved forward, noticing how the girl watched his every step until he sat down at the foot of the bed. "How many of you are there?"
"Seven."
"What are you?"
"Isn't it obvious?" The girl asked as she began to walk away.
"Wait!" Zero called, immediately on his feet again. "Are you saying you're...vampires? And if you are, then what about him? He doesn't look like...is he like you, as well?"
"You should change and get some rest," she suggested over her shoulder. "If there's anything else that you need, just call out for anyone. We'll hear you, no matter where we are." With that, the door to his room was shut, the quiet click sounding more like the clang of a prison cell. He sighed, falling against the comfortable bed. He'd been too riled up to think of it early, but this castle, those peopl- beings- he'd met, just who were they? Why were they here? He'd heard the rumors of a haunted castle that appeared on and off in the woods. Heard of people who'd gone missing, turning up lifeless in rivers and of horses suddenly going insane during the travels between towns through the forest. There were so many suspicious and almost ridiculous stories surrounding the woods that Zero had scoffed at them all, dismissing them for fools with overactive imaginations.
Of all those rumors, the girls like Nadeshiko and Yuuki had enjoyed those of a prince living amongst these woods, searching for his missing lover. There had also been one in particular, of a handsome prince who kidnapped women and stole their hearts to survive. None had ever mentioned a beast who lived in a castle filled with...vampires. Not that it mattered, in the end, the single, driving element those stories had in common was this: people went missing; people wound up dead. Zero wondered, as he let his eyes drift shut, when he would become another one of those rumored stories someone else like Zero would scoff at.
~xXx~
The beast glared as yet another petal fell from the glowing rose, the only damn rose in this entire area that would ever bloom and one he wished had never existed to begin with. Over the years, he'd watch petal after petal fall from its beautiful stature, witnessing as they withered into dust and vanished at the bottom of the glass case. The rose was thinning. When the last petal falls, he and all his servants, his entire castle, would remain cursed for eternity. He had been a fool to release the girl, someone who may have been his last hope to break the curse and rid him of this darkness; but because of that boy, the beast had set her free.
The room flashed as the lightning invaded the destroyed room through the balcony. Whatever glass that still stubbornly clung to the windows there did its best to shelter the room from the rain. Though there was no need, this room was beyond salvation. It was fine with the beast, he preferred it this way. After all, it was his fate to live with such tattered, distorted things. How could a beast like him be loved by anyone? How could he love anyone? Perhaps hope had lived in his heart at some point, but it had long since withered and died before the petals of that enchanted rose could.
Even if he kept that girl, she would have only feared him. Perhaps, eventually he might have let her go like the others who ran away screaming at the mere sound of his voice. She wouldn't have remembered a thing about it and she would have been home with that boy. The boy who was here because he had willingly exchanged his life for hers. What a fool, if he had been patient, he wouldn't have ended up in this situation. Dark claws brushed against the glass that encased the rose safely inside, its marking vanishing as soon as they appeared.
'Because I love her.'
A low growl emitted through his chest, rumbling with anger, much like that of the weather outside, and in a flurry of movements in the darkness of the room, he set out for the boy. It took him seconds to get to the north wing from the east wing of his castle, nothing but heavy blurs in the darkness of his nearly empty castle. There, he found the boy's room and, without bothering to slow himself, shoved the door open, the sound nothing more than a heavy swooshing sound followed by the doors hitting either side of the walls like the rampant winds of a hurricane blowing through a peasants home. More darkness- though this room seemed to have a lighter shade to it than the others- surrounded him. And yet, the sight of the boy on the bed was as clear as crystal.
With a heavy rumble in his chest, he crawled over to the boy, claws dipping into the floor from his weight, his breath the slightest bit uneven from his sprint. Reaching the bedside, he stared down at the defenseless boy, lost in a world of dreams. Silver hair was spread out against the softness of the pillow filled with feathers beneath him, his head fitting into it well and comfortably as he laid before the beast like a sacrificial lamb. Calming his rage, the beasts heavy, maroon eyes raked over the sleeping beauty. The boy was, without a doubt, attractive, he had the looks of an angel, a beauty he'd not since laid eyes upon in years; the boy was young and he was also in love. A growl seeped into the air as the beast stared upon the boy, knowing he, himself, was none of the things this boy was. He felt jealousy clawing at him and it intermingled with guilt. He had stolen away this fool's life in order to appease his volatile temperment. If not for him, this boy would have lived a happy life with that girl, but that happiness had been snatched away from him by the claws of a cruel monster.
"You beast in human clothing!" The woman screeched, eyes ablaze as she cried out in the storm, her tattered skirt and ivory colored petticoat swayed, soaked around her frozen legs as blood seeped from her heaving chest. "You fowl, vile excuse for a man; I'll see to it that you never find the happiness you desire!"
Everything went still- even the rumbles from the horrible weather had soothed to nothing more than patters of rain against the glass panes. Without a sound, the beast pulled away from the innocent boy in a silent daze before retreating and disappearing through the double doors, the shadows swirling after his form, as though affected by his mere presence in the room of a sleeping angel who ought not be touched by such hideousness. The sounds of the doors slamming shut on their own shook throughout the room.
Zero's eyes snapped open, a breathless gasp sending shudders of fear raking against the back of his neck and spine as he clutched at at his chest. The frantic thudding of his heart didn't ease as he shut his eyes, a hand coming up to rub at his face. For a moment, he'd been sure the beast was going to tear his heart from his chest...just the thought of it made him wince as he curled into himself.
Just what was this place?
Four things I didn't feel like writing up there *points to the top*
One: ::Disclaimer:: This fic isn't meant to be historically accurate. I did research (not that it's noticeable), but I'm not a historian nor do I ever plan on being one. So, if something doesn't add up, just ignore it. It's fanfiction.
Two: Also, I know that some of you...MANY of you don't like Yuuki. I get it, lately she's been getting on my nerves, too, but she's useful to the plot and if I took her out, then this story would be boring. Trust me. It would bore you so much you'd hate me. Just pretend she's...another...person? ^^;
Three: I know I said I had this written, but I suck at following plans because- well, you'll see when this monster of a one shot turned chapter story is finished. It wont be long though, not more than ten chapters- crap, I shouldn't jinx myself, I'll end up writing more... what the hell was my point? *face palm* Oh yea, nothing's written down anymore...lol My initial idea got booted out since this "one shot" has taken a life of its own.
Four: Yay, I can count~ ^^ Anyway, thanks for the patience, I know you probably hate when I disappear like this, but I need refreshing some times. I'm like...crap, I suck at similes. I'm like something you need to refill before expecting it to be at its full potential...like...a pool! Yeah, a pool! You don't want to go jumping off the deep end when its not refilled, right? Hahaha xD I can't believe I sat here for two minutes just to think of that...it doesn't even have anything to do with writing...
Thanks for reading guys, if you're nice to me, I'll work faster *hint, hint* -No seriously, I want to know what you guys are thinking of this so far. Where do you see this fic going? Can you tell which characters play which ( i gave hints, but, oh crap...Ruka's not here D:)? Did you catch the Disney movie moments or the tiny reference I made towards another Disney movie/fairy tale? Oh, btw, I know some of you are beauty and the beast fans, so do any of you know where the Disney movie takes place (like, time and location)? ^^ And please don't say your television and when your sitting in front of it. It's not witty, it's smart assery.
