Beauty and the Demon

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and Walt Disney definitely do not belong to me. Any people, ideas, quotes, etc. all belong to their respectful owners; I am simply borrowing them for my own pleasure.

A/N: I tried my best to match up the characters from both series as accurately as I could according to personality and situations, etc. Please bear with me if they are slightly OOC, as I am trying to merge the two totally different stories together somehow. ^^; I also wanted to say that although I love Kouga, he's gonna have to be the bad guy in this story. =0( (He fits in with Gaston better than any one else does.) Sorrie to those Kouga-lovers out there, but I'm suffering, too, you know. And lastly, I haven't decided when this story will take place, yet. However, it does take place in a semi-small town near the forest or woods area, just like in the Disney movie.

I. Prisoner of the Mansion (revised)

            "Grandpa!.. Grandpa, are you okay?" Kagome Higurashi asked, slightly worried. She had just stepped in the basement when apparently, something had gone wrong with her grandfather's invention again, and there had been a small explosion from it. She bent down to inspect his condition from under his newest creation.

            "Yes yes, I'm fine, dear. Just another minor setback, that's all. Don't worry, I'll have this thing fixed in no time!" An old man with white, thinning hair and a full beard and mustache rolled out from under the contraption and searched around for some tools. "How was your day today?"

            "Oh, you know, the same as usual. I went to the archery club to practice," Kagome smiled and ran her fingers along her bow. It was given to her by her mother.

            "Ahh, and did the townspeople cause you any trouble this time?"

            "Fortunately, no. I was bothered by Kouga on the way home, though. AGAIN." She rolled her eyes.

            "Kouga? What's wrong with Kouga?" Grandpa wondered, obviously oblivious to his granddaughter's feelings for the man.

            "Oh, nothing. I just don't think he's the right one for me." She sat down on a nearby chair. "That.. that wolf man is rude and conceited.. and he always calls me his woman! I barely even know him and yet he acts like he owns me. Ugh!" She threw her hands up in frustration.

            "I'm sure he's just quite fond of you," Grandpa replied from under the machine.

Kagome, who was playing with the tip of one of her arrows, suddenly stood up and went over to him. "Grandpa, do you think I'm odd?"

            "Odd? What do you mean? Who gave you that idea?"

            She sighed. It's just that whenever I go into town, everyone looks at me funny just because I choose to do archery instead of something more… well, girly. Like painting or reading, even. Blech! Who would sit around and READ all day?" She walked over to the window and watched the sun slowly dip below the horizon in the distance. "Grandpa, it's just that I think I'm different from everyone else. I want something more in life. I don't want to just stay here and live in this small town forever. I want to get out more, do different things, go on an adventure!" She danced around the room to emphasize her point. "I wish someone would just understand me for once." She stood next to the machine again, with her bow in her hands, slowly rubbing the smooth and polished wood. "Is that too much to ask, Grandpa?"

            He chuckled. "Why, no, child. That is exactly the reason why I became an inventor. To make something in my life that made it feel worthwhile. Someday, when I die, I want the satisfaction of knowing that I made the most of my life." He pushed a switch on the machine and listened to it hum to life, then smiled and turned to his granddaughter. "That's why-"

            "Grandpa! Oh my gosh, Grandpa, it's working!!" Kagome began to laugh with joy and hugged him tightly. "Now you'll be able to make it to the fair, if you leave right away!"

            He stood there, somewhat shocked. "You're right! Hah HA! Quickly, prepare Felipe for the trip, girl!" He instantly switched off the device and started to wrap a large tarp over it.

Kagome ran outside and brought out their horse from the stable to the front of the house. It was a beautiful, white horse, with short, clipped hair and nice, straight hair on its tail and neck. She strapped on the saddle and the necessary garments for her grandfather's trip.

            "Felipe, where have you taken us?" Grandpa asked and waited for the horse to respond. All it did was "neigh" and shake it mane of thick hair in acknowledgment. "You've gotten us lost, boy! C'mon, let's go this way," he said, pointing in the direction of the darker part of the woods. Although the horse disagreed, it was persuaded by its master to take the "shortcut." Before they could even realize it, fog had started to creep around them and cover the path completely. Both had no idea where they were headed. As if out of nowhere, Grandpa began to hear strange noises coming from all around him. What is that? It almost sounds like.. Suddenly, Felipe reared up, causing Grandpa to fall off. He galloped off into the distance, obviously frightened at what he heard.

"FELIPE!" Grandpa yelled. "Oh no…" A dozen pairs of pure yellow and black eyes surrounded the old man, inching closer by the second. Grandpa got up quickly and ran as fast as he could into the woods. "Someone help me, please! I need help!!" He ran faster and faster, glancing over his shoulder just to see the growling and barking wolves chase after him. "HELP!!!" He cried, just before his blue hat fell off his head and he slipped and began rolling down a hill. "Ahhh!" Pain racked his body at every possible joint. He lifted his head slowly and noticed metal bars in front of him. A house! Oh, thank God! He jumped up and made it inside the gates before the wolves could make it through. "Na na na na na!" He laughed softly and walked towards the house. Except it wasn't a house, he noticed, but a mansion. It was huge! The whole exterior was made of stones and bricks, darkened with age and covered in several places with vines. This place definitely doesn't look welcoming at all…

Cautiously opening the massive double doors at the entrance, Grandpa stepped inside and called, "Excuse me! I'm sorry to intrude but I got lost in the woods. My horse ran off without me and, well.. I need a place to sleep tonight." He quietly closed the doors and stepped inside the enormous room. Nobody seemed to be around, but then again, it was so dark, he could barely tell. "I'm really sorry, but if I could just spend one night here, I will leave as soon as the sun rises…." Still no sign of a light switch or people anywhere.

But, because curiosity was getting the best of him, Grandpa began to slowly approach the stairway in the middle of the room. He didn't get very far, however, before he saw a pair of bloodshot eyes appear right in front of him. "Oh my, hello." Grandpa's heart skipped a beat at the look of pure anger in this person's eyes. "Uh, I was just.. uh…" A clawed hand suddenly grabbed his shirt roughly and began to drag him up the steps. "Hey! What are you doing?!" He heard a loud rumbling noise that greatly resembled a growl and immediately shut up. Kagome.. was his last conscious thought, as his head abruptly hit a stair harshly, and he was knocked out cold.