"No please spare my daughter! Please!" Kureno begged.

"She's no longer your concern!" he threw Kureno into a small compartment. "Take him to the village!"

The compartment began moving towards the village. "No! Let her go! I will come back for my daughter! You hear me. I will come back for her!"

Tohru watched from the tower as the compartment carried her father away. She broke into tears.

The beast walked back up the stairs.

"Master?" Haru asked.

"What?" he grunted.

"Since the girl is going to stay with us for some time, I was wondering if you would like to offer her a…more comfortable room?" he roared at Haru and kept walking.

Tohru turned as he came back in, "You didn't even let me say good bye. I'll never see him again. I didn't get to say good bye." Tohru kept crying.

Suddenly the beast felt guilty, "I'll show you to your room."

"My room? But…I thought-"

"You want to stay in the tower?"

"No."

"Then follow me." He turned and walked down the stairs.

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Tohru followed the beast down a long, dark hallway. The castle had been anything but comforting. The entire floor was hard stone, covered with a long red rug. The walls hung pictures of mothers and gargoyles. Statues of stone gargoyles sat near the rug and walls. The hallways were lit by dim candlelights, or had no light at all.

Beast led the way through the castle. Tohru stayed her distance, but kept up with him. He held a candle in his hands made of gold. But Tohru still lagged occasionally. As she looked at the walls, the faces of the monstrous gargoyles made her gasp in horror and race back to beast.

Beast took a quick glance when he heard her gasp. Her eyes were on the ground. A stray tear fell from her eye. He kept going, trying to think of something to do.

"Say something to her." Haru whispered.

"Huh, oh." Beast tilted his head towards Tohru, "I hope you will like it here." He turned back and saw Haru motioning for more of a conversation. "This castle is your home now, so you can go anywhere you like. Except the west wing."

Tohru couldn't help but ask, "Why am I not-"

"It's forbidden!" he yelled. He growled and continued on. Tohru fought back her tears and kept walking.

Beast turned down another hallway and stopped at the first door. He opened it for Tohru, "If there is anything you need, my servants will attend to you."

"Dinner. Invite her to dinner." Haru urged.

"you will join me for dinner. That's not a request!" he roared loudly. He slammed the door behind him

Tohru turned as the door slammed in her face to protest. She leaned against the door and broke down. She ran to the large bed in the middle of the room, threw herself onto it, and began crying. Outside her large window, the snow and wind raged.

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TBC