-Shukaku's Room-

A pool-sized bathtub sat in the false white wood ground of Shukaku's bathroom which was just as big as his main bedroom itself. Many weeks had passed by since the fateful events that had led up to the trusting, sweet, and fluffy relationship between Hyuuga Hinata and the ichibi Shukaku. The yellow demon sat within the tub's depths, scrubbing himself clean without rubbing off his fur. On a sill, next to a candy bar-sized soap bar was Kankurou who was previously lighting the scattered sunflower scented candles lining around the room and was now pointing out places the bijuu had yet to wash. Excitement seethed around Kankurou almost as if it were an aura.

"Tonight's the big night!" the overjoyed candlestick exclaimed for the third time.

"I'm not sure if I can do this." the raccoon-dog glumly said, more to himself than to his candlestick servant. Kankurou waved that away.

"Don't be so negative!" scoffed the twenty-two year old object, "You must replace your timidness and think: Bold...and Daring!" he said this like an obnoxious, always lucky, life counselor. Even so, the ichibi' spirits rose. Shukaku got out of the tub and wrapped a large, fluffy green towel around his wet furred waist. On the outside, it may seem that he was a bit plump, but that was just the undercoat of fur that kept his body warm or cool, depending on what temperature he required at the time.

"Bold. Daring." he muttered and repeated consistently under his breath. His servants had tried making him accustomed to the human ways of drying. Unfortunately for them, with the amount of hair he had it, which was more than they ever had even before they were cursed/enchanted, shaking himself like a dog was a lot more easier and less time consuming. He did so: extinguishing many candles within a five yard vicinity.

"There will be music, romantic candlelight, of course provided by myself, and when the time is right, you shall confess your undying love because love looks not with eyes, but the mind. And you shall say to her under the diamonds of the chandelier, 'My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep; the more I give thee, the more I have, for both are infinite. And then...after she accepts your love and her love yours, you say to her with your eyes locked with her and her hands in yours, 'So long as I can breathe or I can see, so long lives your love which life gived to me."

Shukaku looked at the romantist strangely. "No." he dourly stated.

"You care for the girl, right?" asked Kankurou, already knowing the answer to that. He began to heat a rag and dried out bits of Shukaku's fur. A coat rack began fixing up its master's hair.

"More than anything."

"Well then at least say something sweet. The word 'destiny' draws in girls like a magnet!" The coat rack tapped Shukaku on the shoulder to turn around to look at the wall mirror. In his reflection he saw himself with an Elvis Presley hairdo. He shook his head. The coat rack removed the hair gel with some sort of other liquid as it dried out the hair and gave him long bangs that swayed a bit to his left and fell just above his fearsome yellow eyes. He nodded just as Baki knocked on the door and came in.

"Ahem, Hinata-sama awaits." he told the three, he left the room. Shukaku thanked the coat rack and left the bathroom to get dressed. He put on a white collared shirt and a black dress jacket over it. He tucked in a matching white hanker chief between his chest and the middle of his white shirt and slid on a pair of black dress pants with a hole in the back to put his fluffy yellow tail through. He rushed down the hallway that lead to his room and down the stairs and then left to the grand staircase leading to the main hallway. Kankurou slid down the banister just in time to see Hinata emerging from the right stairwell.

And there she was, Hinata. She saw Shukaku dressed to his best across from her on the opposite floor and smiled at him while giving a light blush, earning a smile from him in return. Dressed in a golden-honey coloured dress with fluffy, but not abundantly fluffy, sleeves that slipped past her pale shoulders. At the top of the golden ruffled bodice was a yellow bow, the same colour as the rest of the dress and meshed with her hair was a golden halo-like piece. The sparkly bodice ended in a diamond shape and from below it blossomed a poofy dress of two parts. On the top was a a very light shade of yellow, almost see through, and dashed with glitter. Underneath was a more solid gold colour. On her small feet were a pair of dazzling golden low-rise high-heels. She began to descended the staircase with grace.

Shukaku was prodded in the back by a coat hanger, he walked down the stair and met with her. He extended his left elbow to her: she wrapped her right hand around his forearm.

"Tale as old as time..." Temari sang, her purple eyes looking blissfully at the two, "true as it can be! Barely even friends, then somebody bends... unexpectedly."

The pair stopped by at the table, Hinata sitting closer to the grand staircase and Shukaku nearer to the entrance doors. Hinata ate her rice and drank some tea with her great lady-like manners: Shukaku was trying the best he could with the chopsticks again.

"Just a little change, small... to say the least. Both, a little scared. Neither one prepared— beauty and the beast."

Hinata got up from her chair and power-walked to the ichibi's side of the table and pulled him up with her, dragging him up the stairs and into the ballroom, it's great tall and wide double doors held open for the two by two suits of samurai armor shined to the boot. They glided into the room and moved into a beautiful dance sequence. A suit of armor scooped up Temari and Matsuri and carried them to the ballroom before resuming its post. In the large and circular ballroom Hinata put Shukaku's right hand just below her shoulder blade and rested her right hand in his raised left. He gulped as sweat appeared on his furry head. They began to dance in a circular motion, gracefully dancing their way counter clockwise the way it should be.

"Ever just the same! Ever a surprise!" sang Temari, Kankurou and Baki to her side, smiling to themselves. "Ever as before, ever just as sure. As the sun will rise!"

The brilliant chandelier hung above them, it's diamonds casting little lights about the room almost like a disco ball. Above that was a beautifully painted picture of bright clouds and sakura blossoms lightly sprinkling it as if they were falling to earth from the heavens. Blue birds soared across the marvelous painting as well with winged babies hiding amongst the clouds.

"Tale as old as time, tune as old as song." the small purple-eyed teapot chorused. "Bittersweet and strange, finding you can change, ...learning you were wrong." Hinata rested her pale face on Shukaku's warm chest. He looked to Kankurou and Baki in panic. Kankurou winked at him and Baki gave him a thumbs up with his mitten-like hands.

"Certain as the sun...," Temari sang, looking at the Hyuuga's beauty. "Rising in the east." "Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme. Beauty and the beast."

The human girl and bijuu could be seen at the furthest end of the vast room, the door to the outside balcony. Kankurou lowered his hands in rhythm with the music, the orchestra went down to a pianissimo pianissimo (or just pp in music) volume, the candles on the chandelier and elsewhere in the room dimmed.

"Tale, as old as time. Song...as old as rhyme. Beauty and...the beast." They walked arm in arm together outside to the moonlit patio. Beside her on the marble white table Matsuri yawned. "Off to the cupboard now Matsuri, it's past your bedtime." Kankurou gave the orchestra a final order of descendo until the last of the measure. Matsuri slid down the leg of the table that had curved it to make it easier for the young tea cup. He slipped past the doors, then curiosity grasped her soul and she peeked once more inside for one last look.

Shukaku and Hinata had adjourned to the balcony underneath the starry night sky. The raccoon-dog sighed and asked his first love, "Hinata? Are you happy here with me?" Her white eyes gazed off to the distance. After hesitating to reply she said to him without looking at him once,

"Yes."

"But...what is it?" he inquired. She despairingly looked at him.

"My father... if I could see him again, if only for just a moment. I miss him so much. I have to return a library book as well!" she exclaimed to the tanuki. The demon raccoon-dog's heart near broke in half when his face suddenly lit up.

"I think I know a way!" he said to her he, gently took her hand and led her back to his room in the West Wing. He handed her an ovular, thick, yet flat crystal like mirror to look into. "This mirror will show you anything you wish to see." he told the human girl. She gave a steadied sigh and said aloud to none in particular,

"I'd like to see my father, please." The mirror flashed brilliantly for less than a second. She squinted her Byakugan eyes and looked into the mirror after the glare faded.

Hiashi was on all four in the snow, coughing hoarsely. A thick, crimson liquid splattered out of his mouth. The old man picked himself up and walked a few more shaky steps only to fall once more in the blizzarding cold. Looking on them was the shocked and horrified expression of Hinata and the concerned expression of Shukaku. "Father. Damn it! He's sick ...he may be dying and he's all alone since Neji-sama's too preoccupied with Tenten-chan and Hanabi's busy training under Hokage-sama."

After a moment of thought the yellow demonic mammal said to the young woman without turning his head towards her, "Then...then you must go to him."

"What did you say?!" she asked in great disbelief at his words.

"I release you from this castle. You are no longer my...prisoner." he softly said to her, trying to search the right words.

"You mean that...I'm free?" He nodded.

"Yes."

"Oh, arigatogazaimasu!" she thanked him, looking into the mirror she said to her illusionary father, "Hold on, father, I'm on my way!" She was about to leave but then pushed the crystal mirror back to the beast. he shook his furry head and gently pushed it back.

"Take it with you, so you'll always have a way to look back, and remember me." he said to her, the last part sounded almost like a question. She gave him a sad smile.

"Thank you, for understanding how much he needs me." She left the room but looked back in: Shukaku's head looked down in depression. She came back in and caressed his cheek with her hand. She rushed out of the West Wing and flipped out of her dress to reveal her normal blue and white dress.

That stuff that Kankurou was telling Shukaku to do were quotes from Shakespeare, I just randomly felt like putting it in there. I didn't really want to ruin such a great song like I had all the others so sorry and too bad! Please review!