When Kyoko turned around and saw the two figures, she smiled.
"Hello Kanae, how are you Chiori?"
Kanae did not glace at her, but continued to glare at the two idiots. Chiori, however turned and gave Kyoko a cheerful smile.
"Good morning Kyoko how are you to day."
Kyoko returned the smile.
"Just fine thank you"
Sho gaped at them "How is it that those two can still smile so brightly with this deadly aura?"
Perhaps she read his thoughts, perhaps not. In any case Chiori turned and glared at him with the poison usually reserved for a certain journal.
"I do believe that your business here is done, now leave!"
Neither idiot stayed long enough to comment. Through as the tree entered their cottage 'Do I hear laughing?' Kyoko wondered. 'Those two idiots must be making rude jokes about us' Kanea grumbled inwardly Chiori started muttering something about 'popular' and any 'cause of their looks'. Her friends knew this meant the notebook would be joining them for dinner. Then Chiori looked at Kyoko with her smile renewed "So Kyoko how was your day in town?" "I got a new book" Kyoko answered with stars in her eyes. Then the comments of the villagers came back to mind and she was brought back to earth with a slight frown "Do you think I'm…old or… plain" "You odd? Mo! Where would you get an idea like that?" Kanae asked sarcastically. "Do not forget how beautiful you were at the last fall at the harvest festival" Chiori chimed in. Kyoko blushed and started waving her hand wildly in front of her "It was only because you two dressed me up other that " she sighed "I'm plain." Chiori and kanae deadpanned 'Half the men in town stare at you and you still consider yourself plain?!' It was actually somewhat of a legend in town now ever since it happens. Up until Kyoko was 15 last fall she was known to be rather plain, kind , sweet hardworking and diligent-not to mention odd- but plain. Then at the festival her two best –and only-friends gave a beautiful dress and a makeover and appeared at the celebration looking like royalty. Even after the festival with the makeup and dress long gone, its magic remained. It was as if beauty itself could not resist Kyoko's good nature and refused to leave her. Ever since, she was known as the most beautiful girl in town. Now most of the time Kanae and Chiori looked down on pretty girls, but Koko was different. She never used her looks to get what she wanted, she always worked as hard as she could for it.. Nor did she seem uppity about it. If anything it only made her more humble, through Kanae often claimed it was simply Kyoko being her normal gullible self. "Don't you have to go to the fair tomorrow?" Kyoko asked. "Yes we just need you to get Corn and we will be all set to go." Kanae replied. Kyoko smiled at the memory of a long ago friend, and went to get her beloved pet.
"Now you will be a good boy right Corn?" he asked her beloved horse who affectionately nuzzled her cheek and was by now fastened to the cart. Corn was larger and more muscular than most horses. This was rather fortunate since in addition to carrying two girls, he also had a wagon filled with different goods to sell.
"Well, the fair is tomorrow and we better get a move on if we are to get there in time" Chiori sighed "Mo!" kanea grumbled rolling her eyes. Their merchanece was mostly Kyoko's handiwork during her spare time. And so it was decided by Kanea and chori that since Kyoko did most of the work, she would get time off o overall relax while they went to the fair. Once they tried to have her relax at the fir only to discover her helping an old woman sell fruits by lifting heavy crated. "Mo!" Kanea had said "Can you not stop working for a minute, you are going to work yourself to death" The rest journey consisted of Kyoko bowing apologizing, Kanea rolling her eyes and Chiori shaking her head. "We will be back in " "Bye Moko Bye Chiori, Bye Corn be safe" Kyoko called out, as she watched her the only friends she had, disappeared into the distance .
"We are not lost !" Chiori snapped
"Oh yes we are!" Kanea snared.
The two were currently in an unfamiliar patch of the woods and had no idea where they were. Or rather as Chiori put it; "We just, t made a wrong turn somewhere and we just have to find our way back" "WE ARE LOST!" Kanea shouted, self-control gone with the wind. "Oh look a sign, maybe it will tell us where we are." Chiori muttered ,ignoring the outburst. When they approached the sigh both deadpanned. They never heard of any of the paths on the sign. "That's it we are lost." Kanea snared through gritted teeth. "We should go this way." Chiori suggested point at a path that looked to be abandoned. The other path was not easy on the eyes either, but it looked somewhat more appealing.
Corn looked at the two paths. Dark ,creepy and foggy. Light and eerie. Dark ,creepy and foggy. Light and eerie. Naturally, he stared heading to the path with the fewest negative adjectives. "Come on Corn it's a short cut." Kanea told the frightened horse sternly. Nudging him toward the path he least wanted to go, the trio set off.
Wolves, it had to be wolves, why did it have to be wolves. Corn had been rattled enough going down the girls' chosen path "This cannot be right" Chiori had muttered, head buried in a map. "Where had you led us" Kanae had growled through it was hard to tell if the comment was directed at Corn or Chiori. Then they bumped in to a bat nest frightening Corn into a frenzy that almost resulted them going over a cliff. Corn bulked upon hearing wove showing, knocking the girls to the ground and running for the safely of home. Then the wolves had to appear.
"I . !" Kanae shrieked at Chiori as they raced through the forest, goal safely, the prize; their lives. Then the dual spotted what appeared to be an abandoned castle, with a gate. In an instant they were on the other side and rushing inside as it started to rain cats and dogs. Running to the door both failed to notice that Chiori had dropped her satchel with her rage diary in it. For a moment, the two hesitated. Then they remembered the predators behind them and stared banging on the door. Within half a second the door creaked open. Waiting a moment before cautiously stepping in, they took a moment to look around their sanctuary.
"Hello" Chiori called
Silence.
"Hello" Kanea called slightly loader with a little more annoyance in her voice
"Two girls" a candlestick cheered quietly . "One of them is bound to be the one!" "Quiet" muttered a clock next to him "not one word." 'Ren has given up on that idea and is in a pretty bad mood today' he thought.
"Excuse us, me do not mean to intrude, but we have lost our horse ad need a place to stay for the night." Chiori called. Lory looked at the pair with pity.
"Come on Yukihito have a heart." He told his companion. "Shh" Yukihito placed his hand over Lory's mouth. With a bored almost deadpanned look , Lory lifted his own hand, which so happed to be a lit candle and burned Yukihito's intervening hand. "Owww!" the clock hollered and stared to blow on his burn. Instantly Lory face morphed into a smile fitting for a host. "Why off course Mademoiselles you are both welcomed here."
"Who's there" Kanae demanded grabbing Lory without realizing that he was the source of the voice.
"Over here" Lory called. Both girls turn in what they thought was the direction of the voice. No one was there.
"Where?" Kanea asked in confusion
Chiori shrugged, equally at a loss for words. "Perhaps our imagination."
Lory gave their heads a few quick taps. When they looked at him, he smiled. "Hello"
With a gasp Kanea dropped him and backed away. Chiori stared in shock. "Forget imagination I am hallucinating."
"Well now you've done it Lory" Yukihito hopped down form the table . "Splendid!" Yukihito scoffed as he abandoned his act . "Just splendid!" 'We are doomed if the master finds out'
Chiori picked him up and started to explore his wood work. "How is this accomplished" she mused tickling his feet. "Stop that heheeheh" Yukihito giggled despite himself. Lory laughed in amusement at his expense.
Chiori was not yet done. Opening his door she played with his plenum for a bit until "Do you mind!"
"Excuse me" Chiori snapped "but this is the first time I-I" her nose twitched 'Oh-oh I feel a sneeze coming on.'
After a failed attempt to stop it, she did sneeze, fogging up Yukihito's face, who used the hands of his…face to clear an area to see.
Kanae then sniffled signing she too was on the verge of a cold.
"Oh you are soaked to the bone my dears." Lory sympathized, hands on his face with a worried expression. "Come, warm yourselves by the fire." "Thank you "the duo breathed in gratitude followed by Yukihito who was crying. "Nope, nope, nope!"
Unknown to them a figure clothed in shadows had appeared, watching them from the floor above. Eyes narrowed , fangs were bared lips curled into a snarl. 'Who dares trespass on my property.' In an instant, the shadow was gone.
Yukihito was saying "I demand you stop right there" On each word he stumbled over a stair, losing gear bits on the way down. Looking up his faced paled. "No, no, no, not the master's chair", as the two girls seated themselves on a large chair. A foot stool rushed past him barking "I'm not seeing this" he cried placing his 'hands' over his clock face. "'Hello there boy." Chiori smiled as the dog propped up their feet. A coat hanger raped the two in blankets. "What service" Kanea remarked in amazement with Chiori nodding in agreement. 'Are we going to have to pay for this' they briefly wandered, before dismissing the idea. "Alright this has gone far enough!" Yukihito declared. "I'm in charge here-" Then he was flattened by a cart zooming over him, making him face plant. 'Was I just run over?'
"How would you like a nice cup of tea miss, it will warm you two up in no time." Shoko asked them pouring each girl a cup of tea.
"No tea!" Yukihito mumbled, head still planted in the ground until he lifted it. "No tea!" He repeated more clearly, pointing a accusing finer at the culprits.
As the girls sipped their tea, one of the teacups giggled "Her long hair tickles Ms. Shoko " Maria giggled. Chiori looked at her cup as Kanea did the same to hers. Kanea's cup not used to being used scrunch his brows retain a crunch sort of noise, causing both girls chuckled. "Hello there."
Then the doors suddenly burst open.
Lory turned his head in the direction of the doors in horror.
The fire blew out , plunging the room into almost complete darkness with some hints of moonlight.
Yukihito hid under the rug.
Maria and Hiro hid behind a pale and shaking Shoko.
"Oh- Oh" Maria whispered
A dark shadow of a horned monster appeared growing larger on the back of the chai. Growing, a beast with fur standing on end entered the room.
"There a stranger here." He growled
"Ren the poor travelers were lost in the woods" Lory started but interrupted with a roar blowing out his candles.
"Master" Yukihito peeked from under the rug "I would like to say it was their fault I wanted-" But another roar sent him back under the rug shivering.
When Kanea and Chiori looked up their eyes met the eyes of a terrifying beast.
"Who are you" he growled "What are you doing here!?"
"I-we were lost in the woods…" Kanae stuttered "I'm scared I've never felt so scared before."
"You're not welcome here!" the beast snared.
"We …we are sorry." Chiori stammered. "What is this thing?"
"What are you staring at?!" he demanded. "Do they think I'm a thing to gawk at ?"
The girls could not even answer, their own fear gagging their mouths.
"So" the beast sneered "You've come to stare at the beast!"
"Please" Kanea begged 'Someone help!'
"We only wanted a place to stay" Chiori added.
"I'll give you a place to stay!"
All the enchanted objects watched in silence as their master grabbed the two girls and took them away, their pleads for mercy ignored.
I do not own skip beat(If I did those two would be planning their wedding by now) or beauty and the beast . So please do not sue me!
Also, I give a special thanks to everyone who has favorited or followed me or my story and those who had written reviews.