Hey guys! I'm super happy right now, because I got a few more reviews. To
be completely honest, I've never submitted a fanfiction at one in the
morning and woken up to find I had three reviews.
Lordpink - Katsuya: Wufei was the clock, Trowa was the candlestick, and Quatre was the teacup. Wuffers was old Cogsworth because he's the most wound up and strict of all of them. Trowa was the candlestick because there was no one else to be the candlestick, and because (I think) in the show Trowa's from France. Quatre wasn't the candlestick because in the movie Lumier is all... well, he's just very not Quatre-ish. Quatre was the teacup, because the teacup is cute and innocent. Heehee. There you go- that's my logic for it.
Rashalla Entalio: I'm glad you like it so far! And yes, Trowa's personality doesn't really match up with that of Lumier, but it can't all be exactly like the movie, can it? Besides, I think I can make it work for him. Quatre makes an adorable Chip in my mind, which is why I put him as such. The truth is, I was originally considering making poor Quat the teapot! XD
Raven Deathstar: Thankies for the kind words!
Now, on with the fic!!
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Duo wandered down the hallways, getting the creepy feeling that the many suits of armour lined up along the walls were watching him. He shuddered, then turned a cornering into a huge ballroom. It was apparent to him just how long it had lain unused; when he walked to the middle and looked back, he could see his own footprints in the dust. Glancing up, he noticed that what must have once been a gloriously stunning chandelier was covered in grime and cobwebs. He sneezed and decided not to stay there amid all that dust, lest it get into his lungs, or (more importantly) his hair. The boy glanced around for another way out, not wanting to go back the way he came, and laid eyes on a huge flight of steps. He went over to it and bounded up the dusty staircase three steps at a time, making his way up it quickly, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
When he got to the top, he grabbed ahold of the round wooden banner and spun himself around on it, laughing lightly as the force of his own momentum sent him sprawling. The truth was, he was only looking for something to help him forget how terrible this place was, or how unfair and unkind the owner was. Getting up off the floor, he did a leapfrog onto the lengthy banister that went down the side of the steps, and slid down it with a loud whoop. When Duo neared the end, he suddenly noticed the large ornamental piece at the bottom. Preferring a broken limb to a re-enactment of the nutcracker, he launched himself off to the side, rolling down the last few steps, laughing loudly the entire way. He looked like he was having the time of his life, but it was only an act to keep his mind away from reality. Duo twisted around to have a good look at his rear, which was coated in dust and grime from sliding down the banister and acting like a giant wiping cloth.
"Eewwwww!" He declared, standing up and brushing the filth off his bottom with as much dignity as he could muster, taking a look around with the paranoid notion that someone might have seen him acting so stupid. It was then that he saw the rustle of green fabric and fur, darting back into the shadows and running away from where it had been watching Duo's strange behaviour. "Hey!" the boy shouted, still wiping off his trousers with one hand and waving the other. "Wait!" The ran up the steps and grabbed the banister at the top, using the propulsion to launch himself along the corridor that the Beast had retreated to, his chestnut lock of hair waving about behind him like the tail of a kite. He wasn't sure why he was chasing the Beast, but decided it must have been an impulse to let him know how rude it was to spy on people. He ran after his quickly disappearing host, following him down several corridors he'd never been down and up and down the odd staircase. When the fruitless chase went on longer than Duo's aching legs could bear, he sat down on a step and panted heavily, glaring up at the glimpse of paw that went around a corner and vanished. "Fine!" He shouted angrily between his laboured breathing, "Be a coward then!" There was a sudden crash of footsteps that drew swiftly near, and Duo cringed.
"What did you call me??" The beast roared, his voice booming through the entire castle. His violet-eyed captive crossed his arms, not nearly as daunted as he should have been.
"You heard me! I called you a coward. Why are you running from me??" He replied defiantly, his dislike for the beast growing.
"I'm not! I'm trying to get rid of you! I just want to be alone!" The creature snarled, bringing his face right up to Duo's and baring his teeth, trying to get his point across.
"Yeah??" Duo yelled with just as much anger, startling the Beast, "Well I just want to go home and see my Uncle!"
"Then go!"
"I can't, remember?? You made me promise to stay here forever!"
"Then break your promise! I don't care, go ahead and leave!!"
"I can't!"
"What do you mean, you can't?"
"I'm not some stupid person that makes a promise that they don't intend to keep! I'm Duo Maxwell, and I may run, and I may hide, but I never, ever lie!" The Beast was taken aback at this. Unable to think of a reply to something so morally right, he huffed and turned around, climbing back up the steps and storming off into a dark hallway. Duo followed, not done venting his frustrations just yet, but found a heavy paw quickly stopped him.
"Stop. Following. Me." He beast snarled through gritted teeth, grasping the boy's shoulder so tightly that it began to bruise. Duo winced in pain, and fell to his knees when he was released. The Beast continued on into the hallway and didn't once look back. A door was slammed shut, and then a silence surrounded the area that frightened Duo more than the Beast himself did. He just sat there, clutching his bruised shoulder and staring back hatefully at the door at then end of the corridor. He had no idea how long he remained in that place, snarling at someone that wasn't even there, but after a long while heard a sort of clinking that suggested one of the peculiar castle servants was coming his way.
"There you are!" A light, worried tone came from behind him, but Duo didn't bother turning around. "Are you okay?" There was a pause, and then, "You're hurt!" Whatever it was exclaimed, as though he knew that Duo was in pain and wasn't just guessing. A little teacup hopped into the boy's line of sight and tried in vain to meet his gaze to figure out what exactly was wrong. At length, Duo looked up and spoke.
"Where does that door lead?" The teacup glanced at said door, and its eyes widened.
"That's the west wing, but we're not allowed up there. Come on, let's get you to your room; I can ask someone to bring you up a snack, or some tea, or-"
"I'm not hungry." Duo pouted, slowly getting up and releasing his shoulder. He thought about this, and then admitted he might be a little hungry. After the miniature speech he'd just given the Beast, he couldn't fib about his appetite without feeling terribly guilty. The teacup glanced up at him, and shuffled a bit.
"You wouldn't mind... carrying me, would you? Only, it's dreadfully far from here to the kitchen, and there are so many steps, and it's a nightmare being so small." Duo looked down at the little teacup, and smiled genuinely for the first time since he'd come to the castle.
"Alright," he said, stooping over to pick him up in the palm of his hand, "since I guess you must be kinda tired already from coming all this way just to find me." He began to walk back in the way he remembered having come from, asking the odd direction from the little teacup to make sure he didn't get lost. After passing through the ballroom and then the dining room, Duo knew where he was again and set the teacup down outside the kitchen. He scratched the back of his head, then glanced down at the cup.
"So uh... I'm going up to my room now. Thanks, uh...?"
"Quatre." The cup finished for him with a gentle smile.
"Thanks, Quatre. Name's Duo. Nice to meet you. I'd shake your hand, but..." They both laughed lightly, but the little teacup knew he wasn't as happy as he made himself out to be. Quatre decided against pointing this out just yet, and said goodbye as Duo excused himself up to his room.
The Beast sat on the railing of his balcony, one leg thrown over the edge and swaying slightly. A deep, soulful sigh escaped his lips, and he glanced down at the ugly, brutal paws that used to be the fair hands of a prince. He knew he'd hurt that boy, and he grit his fangs angrily for it, staring out over the expanse of his property. Why had he even tried to hope that he could make friends with him? Who would want to be the friend of a monster? The leaves in the forest were beginning to turn golden brown, and soon autumn would arrive. In less than a year, the transformation would be permanent, and he would never be normal again. Heero moaned softly in frustration, burying his horrible face in his horrible paws, wishing for the third time that day that he'd wake up and find it had all just been a horrible dream.
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A week later, Duo had finally resigned himself to the fact that he'd be stuck in the castle forever, and decided to make the best of it. He figured that the Beast must have some kind of good inside, since he hadn't left him to just rot in the dungeon. With that in mind, he set out one morning to befriend him. He pulled a maroon sweater on overtop his old green tunic, one of the few things he had left to remind him of the little village he'd left behind, and then pried open the door as quietly as he could. He poked his head out the door and glanced from left to right, then tiptoed down the stairs. Too late he heard the rustle of fabric behind him, and cringed when a harsh voice came from behind him.
"What are you doing?" The tone was monotonous at best, but Duo was convinced that there was curiosity hidden in there somewhere, and perhaps even a pinch of amusement. He turned around to face the Beast, a guilty grin plastered on his face despite his disappointment at being found out.
"I was going outside." He replied honestly, skirting around the reason in case he got the chance to concoct his surprise later that day.
"You weren't trying to leave, were you?" The Beast asked blatantly, an eyebrow raised slightly at the implication that Duo might be going back on his word.
"No!" The boy declared defensively, crossing his arms. "I most certainly was not! I'm offended you'd doubt my honesty!" The Beast only grunted at that, and went off to the kitchen to pilfer some food and take it off to eat alone. Duo frowned and stared after him, muttering when he knew the creature was out of hearing range. "What is with him?" When not even the creepy suits of armour offered him an answer, he simply shrugged and went out to the front entrance. He pried open the ridiculously large door and went outside, glad he'd thought to wear an extra layer. It was getting chilly again outside, and he realised sadly that it was around the time when the farmers would gather the russet apples from their orchards.
Duo wandered around a bit outside before realising all the front gardens were dead, and found his way to the back. He sat on the old fountain that he could see from his bedroom window, wondering what it looked like when it was working. He let his eyes wander around a bit before finally spotting what he'd come out to find- a tiny patch of marigolds that had just somehow survived as long as they did. He stood up again and made his way over to them, picking three of them and leaving behind the others that had begun to wither. Smiling a bit now that he had what he'd come outside for, Duo bounced back into the castle. He went into the kitchen and snagged a glass, filling it with water and then plunking the flowers into it. The joy a doing something nice for someone else was written on Duo's face as he brought the glass out to the dining room and set it down in the middle of the oversized table. Drawn to the sudden movement and bustle in the kitchen and from the opening and closing of the front door, the Beast slunk in on all fours, eyeing Duo suspiciously.
"What are you up to?" He snarled, rising up to get a look at what his prisoner-by-mistake had put on the table. Before he could say anything, however, the Beast caught sight of the flowers and erupted in a furious roar. Duo backed up nervously, glancing shamefully at the flowers as if they'd transformed into a dirty book with lewd pictures.
"You're not allergic or something, are you?" He asked fearfully, reaching out to take the innocent marigolds. The Beast roared again, swatting the glass with a heavy paw so hard that it flew across the room and smashed against the wall, the makeshift vase splintering into hundreds of tiny pieces. He turned on Duo furiously, baring his fangs and snarling.
"Don't ever bring flowers into my castle! Get rid of them!" Duo backed away even farther, remembering only too well how pain always resulted from bodily contact with the Beast.
"I was just trying-"
"I don't care! I hate flowers!" The boy's face hardened, and logic suddenly left him, replaced by ire.
"Now wait just a minute! Why are you yelling at me? I didn't know!"
"It's your fault! You brought them in!" He shouted wrathfully, taking a step towards Duo, who didn't back away.
"Ooohhh, I see! So it's MY fault for trying to do something NICE for a complete ASSHOLE that trapped me in his God-dammed castle and completely ruined my life!" Duo had completely snapped, and he picked up the marigolds at his feet and flung them at the Beast's face. "Well you know what?? Screw my promise! I'm sick of you yelling at me for everything I do, as if my life isn't bad enough! I'm leaving!" With that, Duo turned around and stormed out of the castle, not really thinking about the long walk, the cold, or the wolves in the forest. Right about then, the only thing on his mind was getting away from that...that...monster!
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Well, that ends chapter three! Thanks for all the reviews, guys, I'm glad to see I'm not just wasting my time writing this. I've got a little treat for you, too. I've drawn a picture of the scene where Heero/The Beast comes racing back down the steps and snarls at Duo, and goes "What did you call me??" RAWR! XD You can find the link on my profile.
Lordpink - Katsuya: Wufei was the clock, Trowa was the candlestick, and Quatre was the teacup. Wuffers was old Cogsworth because he's the most wound up and strict of all of them. Trowa was the candlestick because there was no one else to be the candlestick, and because (I think) in the show Trowa's from France. Quatre wasn't the candlestick because in the movie Lumier is all... well, he's just very not Quatre-ish. Quatre was the teacup, because the teacup is cute and innocent. Heehee. There you go- that's my logic for it.
Rashalla Entalio: I'm glad you like it so far! And yes, Trowa's personality doesn't really match up with that of Lumier, but it can't all be exactly like the movie, can it? Besides, I think I can make it work for him. Quatre makes an adorable Chip in my mind, which is why I put him as such. The truth is, I was originally considering making poor Quat the teapot! XD
Raven Deathstar: Thankies for the kind words!
Now, on with the fic!!
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Duo wandered down the hallways, getting the creepy feeling that the many suits of armour lined up along the walls were watching him. He shuddered, then turned a cornering into a huge ballroom. It was apparent to him just how long it had lain unused; when he walked to the middle and looked back, he could see his own footprints in the dust. Glancing up, he noticed that what must have once been a gloriously stunning chandelier was covered in grime and cobwebs. He sneezed and decided not to stay there amid all that dust, lest it get into his lungs, or (more importantly) his hair. The boy glanced around for another way out, not wanting to go back the way he came, and laid eyes on a huge flight of steps. He went over to it and bounded up the dusty staircase three steps at a time, making his way up it quickly, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
When he got to the top, he grabbed ahold of the round wooden banner and spun himself around on it, laughing lightly as the force of his own momentum sent him sprawling. The truth was, he was only looking for something to help him forget how terrible this place was, or how unfair and unkind the owner was. Getting up off the floor, he did a leapfrog onto the lengthy banister that went down the side of the steps, and slid down it with a loud whoop. When Duo neared the end, he suddenly noticed the large ornamental piece at the bottom. Preferring a broken limb to a re-enactment of the nutcracker, he launched himself off to the side, rolling down the last few steps, laughing loudly the entire way. He looked like he was having the time of his life, but it was only an act to keep his mind away from reality. Duo twisted around to have a good look at his rear, which was coated in dust and grime from sliding down the banister and acting like a giant wiping cloth.
"Eewwwww!" He declared, standing up and brushing the filth off his bottom with as much dignity as he could muster, taking a look around with the paranoid notion that someone might have seen him acting so stupid. It was then that he saw the rustle of green fabric and fur, darting back into the shadows and running away from where it had been watching Duo's strange behaviour. "Hey!" the boy shouted, still wiping off his trousers with one hand and waving the other. "Wait!" The ran up the steps and grabbed the banister at the top, using the propulsion to launch himself along the corridor that the Beast had retreated to, his chestnut lock of hair waving about behind him like the tail of a kite. He wasn't sure why he was chasing the Beast, but decided it must have been an impulse to let him know how rude it was to spy on people. He ran after his quickly disappearing host, following him down several corridors he'd never been down and up and down the odd staircase. When the fruitless chase went on longer than Duo's aching legs could bear, he sat down on a step and panted heavily, glaring up at the glimpse of paw that went around a corner and vanished. "Fine!" He shouted angrily between his laboured breathing, "Be a coward then!" There was a sudden crash of footsteps that drew swiftly near, and Duo cringed.
"What did you call me??" The beast roared, his voice booming through the entire castle. His violet-eyed captive crossed his arms, not nearly as daunted as he should have been.
"You heard me! I called you a coward. Why are you running from me??" He replied defiantly, his dislike for the beast growing.
"I'm not! I'm trying to get rid of you! I just want to be alone!" The creature snarled, bringing his face right up to Duo's and baring his teeth, trying to get his point across.
"Yeah??" Duo yelled with just as much anger, startling the Beast, "Well I just want to go home and see my Uncle!"
"Then go!"
"I can't, remember?? You made me promise to stay here forever!"
"Then break your promise! I don't care, go ahead and leave!!"
"I can't!"
"What do you mean, you can't?"
"I'm not some stupid person that makes a promise that they don't intend to keep! I'm Duo Maxwell, and I may run, and I may hide, but I never, ever lie!" The Beast was taken aback at this. Unable to think of a reply to something so morally right, he huffed and turned around, climbing back up the steps and storming off into a dark hallway. Duo followed, not done venting his frustrations just yet, but found a heavy paw quickly stopped him.
"Stop. Following. Me." He beast snarled through gritted teeth, grasping the boy's shoulder so tightly that it began to bruise. Duo winced in pain, and fell to his knees when he was released. The Beast continued on into the hallway and didn't once look back. A door was slammed shut, and then a silence surrounded the area that frightened Duo more than the Beast himself did. He just sat there, clutching his bruised shoulder and staring back hatefully at the door at then end of the corridor. He had no idea how long he remained in that place, snarling at someone that wasn't even there, but after a long while heard a sort of clinking that suggested one of the peculiar castle servants was coming his way.
"There you are!" A light, worried tone came from behind him, but Duo didn't bother turning around. "Are you okay?" There was a pause, and then, "You're hurt!" Whatever it was exclaimed, as though he knew that Duo was in pain and wasn't just guessing. A little teacup hopped into the boy's line of sight and tried in vain to meet his gaze to figure out what exactly was wrong. At length, Duo looked up and spoke.
"Where does that door lead?" The teacup glanced at said door, and its eyes widened.
"That's the west wing, but we're not allowed up there. Come on, let's get you to your room; I can ask someone to bring you up a snack, or some tea, or-"
"I'm not hungry." Duo pouted, slowly getting up and releasing his shoulder. He thought about this, and then admitted he might be a little hungry. After the miniature speech he'd just given the Beast, he couldn't fib about his appetite without feeling terribly guilty. The teacup glanced up at him, and shuffled a bit.
"You wouldn't mind... carrying me, would you? Only, it's dreadfully far from here to the kitchen, and there are so many steps, and it's a nightmare being so small." Duo looked down at the little teacup, and smiled genuinely for the first time since he'd come to the castle.
"Alright," he said, stooping over to pick him up in the palm of his hand, "since I guess you must be kinda tired already from coming all this way just to find me." He began to walk back in the way he remembered having come from, asking the odd direction from the little teacup to make sure he didn't get lost. After passing through the ballroom and then the dining room, Duo knew where he was again and set the teacup down outside the kitchen. He scratched the back of his head, then glanced down at the cup.
"So uh... I'm going up to my room now. Thanks, uh...?"
"Quatre." The cup finished for him with a gentle smile.
"Thanks, Quatre. Name's Duo. Nice to meet you. I'd shake your hand, but..." They both laughed lightly, but the little teacup knew he wasn't as happy as he made himself out to be. Quatre decided against pointing this out just yet, and said goodbye as Duo excused himself up to his room.
The Beast sat on the railing of his balcony, one leg thrown over the edge and swaying slightly. A deep, soulful sigh escaped his lips, and he glanced down at the ugly, brutal paws that used to be the fair hands of a prince. He knew he'd hurt that boy, and he grit his fangs angrily for it, staring out over the expanse of his property. Why had he even tried to hope that he could make friends with him? Who would want to be the friend of a monster? The leaves in the forest were beginning to turn golden brown, and soon autumn would arrive. In less than a year, the transformation would be permanent, and he would never be normal again. Heero moaned softly in frustration, burying his horrible face in his horrible paws, wishing for the third time that day that he'd wake up and find it had all just been a horrible dream.
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A week later, Duo had finally resigned himself to the fact that he'd be stuck in the castle forever, and decided to make the best of it. He figured that the Beast must have some kind of good inside, since he hadn't left him to just rot in the dungeon. With that in mind, he set out one morning to befriend him. He pulled a maroon sweater on overtop his old green tunic, one of the few things he had left to remind him of the little village he'd left behind, and then pried open the door as quietly as he could. He poked his head out the door and glanced from left to right, then tiptoed down the stairs. Too late he heard the rustle of fabric behind him, and cringed when a harsh voice came from behind him.
"What are you doing?" The tone was monotonous at best, but Duo was convinced that there was curiosity hidden in there somewhere, and perhaps even a pinch of amusement. He turned around to face the Beast, a guilty grin plastered on his face despite his disappointment at being found out.
"I was going outside." He replied honestly, skirting around the reason in case he got the chance to concoct his surprise later that day.
"You weren't trying to leave, were you?" The Beast asked blatantly, an eyebrow raised slightly at the implication that Duo might be going back on his word.
"No!" The boy declared defensively, crossing his arms. "I most certainly was not! I'm offended you'd doubt my honesty!" The Beast only grunted at that, and went off to the kitchen to pilfer some food and take it off to eat alone. Duo frowned and stared after him, muttering when he knew the creature was out of hearing range. "What is with him?" When not even the creepy suits of armour offered him an answer, he simply shrugged and went out to the front entrance. He pried open the ridiculously large door and went outside, glad he'd thought to wear an extra layer. It was getting chilly again outside, and he realised sadly that it was around the time when the farmers would gather the russet apples from their orchards.
Duo wandered around a bit outside before realising all the front gardens were dead, and found his way to the back. He sat on the old fountain that he could see from his bedroom window, wondering what it looked like when it was working. He let his eyes wander around a bit before finally spotting what he'd come out to find- a tiny patch of marigolds that had just somehow survived as long as they did. He stood up again and made his way over to them, picking three of them and leaving behind the others that had begun to wither. Smiling a bit now that he had what he'd come outside for, Duo bounced back into the castle. He went into the kitchen and snagged a glass, filling it with water and then plunking the flowers into it. The joy a doing something nice for someone else was written on Duo's face as he brought the glass out to the dining room and set it down in the middle of the oversized table. Drawn to the sudden movement and bustle in the kitchen and from the opening and closing of the front door, the Beast slunk in on all fours, eyeing Duo suspiciously.
"What are you up to?" He snarled, rising up to get a look at what his prisoner-by-mistake had put on the table. Before he could say anything, however, the Beast caught sight of the flowers and erupted in a furious roar. Duo backed up nervously, glancing shamefully at the flowers as if they'd transformed into a dirty book with lewd pictures.
"You're not allergic or something, are you?" He asked fearfully, reaching out to take the innocent marigolds. The Beast roared again, swatting the glass with a heavy paw so hard that it flew across the room and smashed against the wall, the makeshift vase splintering into hundreds of tiny pieces. He turned on Duo furiously, baring his fangs and snarling.
"Don't ever bring flowers into my castle! Get rid of them!" Duo backed away even farther, remembering only too well how pain always resulted from bodily contact with the Beast.
"I was just trying-"
"I don't care! I hate flowers!" The boy's face hardened, and logic suddenly left him, replaced by ire.
"Now wait just a minute! Why are you yelling at me? I didn't know!"
"It's your fault! You brought them in!" He shouted wrathfully, taking a step towards Duo, who didn't back away.
"Ooohhh, I see! So it's MY fault for trying to do something NICE for a complete ASSHOLE that trapped me in his God-dammed castle and completely ruined my life!" Duo had completely snapped, and he picked up the marigolds at his feet and flung them at the Beast's face. "Well you know what?? Screw my promise! I'm sick of you yelling at me for everything I do, as if my life isn't bad enough! I'm leaving!" With that, Duo turned around and stormed out of the castle, not really thinking about the long walk, the cold, or the wolves in the forest. Right about then, the only thing on his mind was getting away from that...that...monster!
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Well, that ends chapter three! Thanks for all the reviews, guys, I'm glad to see I'm not just wasting my time writing this. I've got a little treat for you, too. I've drawn a picture of the scene where Heero/The Beast comes racing back down the steps and snarls at Duo, and goes "What did you call me??" RAWR! XD You can find the link on my profile.