Shining Golden Sun:
I do not own Skip Beat or Beauty and the Beast, but I do own the ideas.
Also italics are thoughts and songs are centered.
A girl of some 17 years of age strolled down the stairs of a small cottage. Kyoko was a rather cute girl. Through most said she was rather plain, through any claimed that when light from the sun or moon hit her just right she looked rather beautiful. She was humming as she gently swung her basket until she was singing softly, but clearly.
"Little town,
It's a quiet village
Ev'ry day
Like the one before
Little town
Full of little people
Waking up to say":
As if on cue the villagers began greeting each other
"Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour!"
With a slight half- hearted smile, Kyoko sighed and continued to sing as people passed her
"There goes the baker with his tray, like always
The same old bread and rolls to sell
Ev'ry morning just the same
Since the morning that we came
To this poor provincial town"
Walking past the bakery, the baker called out in greeting. "Good Morning, Kyoko!"
Kyoko turned with a smile on her face. "Good morning Sir," she replied cheerfully
"And where are you off to, today?" he inquired
Kyoko went off in to la-la land, sparkles flying around her and glowing brightly.
"The bookshop. I just finished the most wonderful story about a fairy prince and a-"
By now the backer had lost interest "That's nice. Marie! The baguettes! Hurry up! He clapped his hands for empathizes, Kyoko completely forgotten.
Kyoko simply shrugged and went on her way." As she passed various townsfolk looked up and began gossiping about her as Kyoko began to stare at nothing in particular, lost in her daydream. "I wonder if there are fairies around. I bet they look so cute and graceful and lovely" she thought happily. A few women whispered to each other behind their hands.
"Look there she goes that girl is strange, no question
Dazed and distracted, can't you tell?"
A barber watched her go by, accidently cutting off half of his customer's mustache as he added.
"Never part of any crowd."
A man passing by commented
"'Cause her head's up on some cloud."
Kyoko found a free ride in the form of the back of a passing wagon and hopped on.
All the townsfolk spoke in unison
"No denying she's a funny girl that Kyoko"
The driver of the wagon called out to a passing young lady
"Bonjour!" To which the girl called back
"Good day!"
The driver of the wagon
How is your fam'ly?
A pretty young woman greeted the butcher
"Bonjour!
The butcher leaned toward her with hearts in his eyes.
"Good day!"
"How is your wife?"
The girl giggled and asked him as his wife appeared behind him and gave him a 'thunk' on the head.
A mother with around half a dozen children, all under the age of seven, gasped as she tried to control her children.
"I need six eggs!"
A middle age husband protested a price increase on pottery.
"That's too expensive!"
Kyoko leaped of the wagon with a graceful spin as she continued
"There must be more than this provincial life!"
As she entered the store, a bell rang alerting the bookkeeper of her presence. When he saw his most loyal customer he smiled genuinely
"Ah, Kyoko."
Kyoko quickly bowed "Good morning, sir. I've come to return the book I borrowed."
The owner grinned at her "Finished already?" he asked.
Kyoko smiled earnestly
"Oh, I couldn't put it down. Have you got anything new?" she asked browsing through the books
The bookkeeper gave a chuckle as put the book away. "Not since yesterday."
Kyoko laughed. "That's all right. I'll borrow . . . . . this one!" she told him, selecting a book and handing it to him.
The bookkeeper took a peak at the cover. "That one? But you've read it twice!" he exclaimed amusement in his voice.
Kyoko smiled brightly at him from her place on the ladder "Well, it's my favorite! Far off places, daring swordfights, magic spells, a prince in disguise"
The book shop owner smiled at her. Kyoko was his favorite customer. He lent her book and she always insisted on helping him in return. He was old and it was hard to find a friend like her these days. Suddenly he had an idea of how to repay all her kindness to hm.
"If you like it all that much, it's yours!" he told her.
Kyoko stared at his with the expression of someone being offered a priceless treasure for free.
"But sir! I could never do that! I would not want to be a burden on you!" she protested.
The shop owner interrupted with a smile.
"I insist." He told her ending the matter with a slight wave of his hand.
Kyoko was immediately bowed to her friend "Thank you! Thank you very much!"
Three men who had been staring at her through to window to admire her beauty quickly diverted their attention as she walked through the door. Once she was out of ear shot they all chanted with other joining in for their last line.
Look there she goes that girl is so peculiar
I wonder if she's feeling well
With a dreamy, far-off look
And her nose stuck in a book
What a puzzle to the rest of us is Kyoko
Kyoko sighed happily, as she seated herself on the edge of a large fountain surrounded by sheep. A local woman doing laundry shot Kyoko an annoyed look as she gather her laundry and with her nose in the air strutted of. 'That girl, what she needs is a husband, not a book and a few useless daydreams' But Kyoko oblivious to her neighbors' attitude.
Oh, isn't this amazing?
It's my fav'rite part because - you'll see
Here's where she meets Prince Charming
But she won't discover that it's him
'Til chapter three!"
She giggled to herself 'Reminds me of Prince Corn' she thought. 'I wonder if I will ever see him again'
A plump woman in a hat and wig shop was trying on hats. Unsatisfied, she threw it off, revealing a bald head went through a few more hats before settling on a long brimmed sunhat. Throughout all this she too sang her thoughts.
Now it's no wonder that that her name means mirror.
Her looks have got no parallel
The owner of the shop offered her a mirror while adding in his own two cents.
"But behind that fair facade
I'm afraid she's rather odd"
"Very diff'rent from the rest of us"
Once again the people of the town joined their voices in harmony.
"She's nothing like the rest of us
Yes, diff'rent from the rest of us is Kyoko!"
A tall darken hair man rushed forward with a sack, presumably with more game.
"I got it Sho!" he called reaching out with the sack, only completely. Quickly he stuffed the bird into the sack and rushed to where a tall blond haired man with a smoking gun stood.
Wow! You didn't miss a shot, Sho!
You're the greatest hunter in the whole world!
Sho just smirked. I know. He relied nose it the air. 'I'm perfect do you honestly expect me to be second best/'
Kajima resisted rolling his eyes honestly he hated kissing up to this brat, but he was new to the area and get to close to girls…
"No beast alive stands a chance against you.
And no girl, for that matter." He praised keeping up with the charade.
Sho's smirk grew even wider
"It's true, Kajima .
And I've got my sights set on that one."
At the words 'that one' he pointed at Kyoko already buried deep her book
Kajima gaped at him "The 'Love Me number one' girl?"
Sho continued as if he couldn't hear his companion doubts voice.
"She's the one - the lucky girl I'm going to marry."
Kijima tried to interrupt "But she's-"
Shotora ignored him "Mine."
Kijima tried again "I know, but-"
Shotora stared at Kijima in a rather threatening manner
"That makes her the best. And don't I deserve the best?"
'Oh, oh' Kijima thought and quickly told him "Of course you do!"
Sho by this time had completely forgotten Kijima and was watching Kyoko…and singing.
Kijima, rather relived thought 'My fangirl base has been saved'
"Right from the moment when I met her, saw her
I said she's gorgeous and I fell"
He started staring at himself in a pot in a nearby vendor admiring his reflection.
"Here in town there's only she
Who is beautiful as me
So I'm making plans to woo and marry Kyoko"
Right at the word 'Plan' Kyoko had disappeared from sight and was looking back and forth for her till he spotted her down the street heading toward the more crowed part of town. As he stormed over to her with a determined look on his face, three girls watched in utter fascination. Gushing and swooning they cried out.
"Look there
He goes
Isn't he dreamy?
Sho Fuwa
Oh he's so cool!
Be still my heart
I'm hardly breathing
He's such a tall, dark, strong and handsome brute!"
On the word 'brute' all three fainted.
"Bonjour!" one woman called out to a neighbor.
Shotora called out, trying to keep his temper in check.
"Pardon me"
A man called to his drinking buddy.
"Good day"
An elderly woman called out.
"Mais oui!"
"You call this bacon?"
A third woman demanded.
"What lovely grapes!"
A young wife admired.
"Some cheese"
A man ordered from a cheese vendor.
"Ten yards!"
A mother told a cloth merchant who happily accepted the money and handed her the material.
The man continued on his order of cheese.
"one pound"
"'scuse me!"
Shotora tried to move through the crowed, but to no success.
The cheese merchant told his customer.
"I'll get the knife"
Shotora continued to try to push his way through the crowed.
"Please let me through!"
One woman was protesting about the state of bread.
"This bread-"
Another wife was complaining about some fish.
"Those fish-"
The earlier woman finished.
"-it's stale!"
The second woman also concluded her grievance.
"-they smell!"
Both merchants objected to their customers' criticism
"Madame's mistaken."
Both women started to give in
"Well, maybe so"
All around Kyoko people were wishing each other.
"Good morning!
Oh, good morning!"
Kyoko spun around; book in hand with arms spread eagle
There must be more than this provincial life!
Shotora stood in the middle of the crowed and declared with a finger in the air
"Just watch,
I'm going to make Belle my wife!"
Suddenly everyone leaned in o look at Kyoko blocking his path. After trying for several minutes to get through, he settles on climbing over the roof to get to her.
As one the people of the town sang;
"Look there she goes
The girl is strange but special
A most peculiar mad'moiselle!"
The women called out in pity.
"It's a pity and a sin"
The men voiced their own thoughts.
"She doesn't quite fit in"
Once again the townsfolk showed off their sync powers as they sang
"'Cause she really is a funny girl
A beauty but a funny girl
She really is a funny girl
That Kyoko!"
Kyoko looked up. 'Did I just hear singing?' she wondered looking behind her. However, by this time everyone had returned to their business goes to and from the street. Shrugging, Kyoko went back to reading until a figure loomed over her. Kyoko looked up and scowled. It was Sho. "Good morning Shotora" she nodded coolly in his direction, attempting to go pass by him. Sho did not even try to get to for the way. Instead he grabbed her book and started to roughly flip through the pictures with it on its side. "Shotora give me back my book." Kyoko demanded "How can you read this there are no pictures" "Well some people use their imagination, you idiot" she replied, muttering the last part. "Kyoko it is time you get your head out of these books and focus on more important things" Shotora said throwing the book behind and as Kyoko reached for it he blocked her path and continued. "Like me." While Kyoko finally succeed in retrieving her book, he pointed at himself to emphasize 'me'. The three fangirl who ha recovered from their earlier fainting sighed. "The whole town is talking about it; it is not right for a woman to read." Shotora continued. Then with a grimace he added "Soon she starts thinking, getting ideas." With a roll of her eyes she cleaned her book and smirked "Shotora you are positively primeval." Shotora laughed. "Why, thank you Kyoko" She rolled her eyes "Just how stupid is this guy" "How about we go to the tavern and look at all my trophies" he invited guiding her to the tavern, but she ducked and escaped his grasp. I'm sorry Shotora but I can't" The trio of fangirls gaped at her.
"What?! Exclaimed Erika
"She's crazy" declared Rikio
"He's gorgeous" sighed Mimori
"I have to go back home and cook dinner for my friends since it my turn" she replied coldly.
"So you went from being a housekeeper to Sho to those 'Love me girls'" Kijima sneered
"Don't talk about my friends that way." Kyoko shot back him "Why did you have to mention that"
"Why, because you realize how plain you really are when you think of them?"
Just as Kyoko opened her mouth to give a nasty retort 'BOOM' the door exploded and two demonic figures emerged.
Author's Note
A special thanks to PunK-ChIc for all the help those helpful tips.