'La Belle Et la Bête'
Chapter 3

Ichigo looked back at the bookshelf. 'What was
on top of it?' She thought and the next thing she knew she was climbing up
the ladder again.
xxx

Kashino wasn't paying attention to anything and then he noticed Ichigo wasn't next to
him anymore. He looked around, about to call her name when he saw her going up the ladder again.

"What are you doing Amano!?" Ichigo heard him call to her. She lost her balance again but she regained it after a while. A sigh escaped her lips before she answered Kashino.
"There's something up on top of this bookshelf and I have to see what it is."

"You're going to fall and this time I won't catch you!" Yelled Kashino 'Total lie' he thought in the back of his head.
"I'll be alright just a little further….aaaaaand…GOT IT! WOOOOOOO-IMF!" She yelled as
she was falling…again. Kashino caught her…again "Ow, that hurt," Ichigo started
as she got up. "Kashino you're a liar, you said you weren't going to save me." But then she smiled. "Joking, thank you, Kashino."

Kashino looked at Ichigo. She should really stop joking. But as long as she was safe he was fine and sighed in relief.
xxx

Ichigo remembered the…thing she grabbed. Apparently it was a book that was shining
pink. She started looking for the book. When she was falling the book fell out of her hand.

Kashino was a little shaken and something hard was pressing on his back. He got up to see
what it was. It was…a book? How did it get behind him like that? He looked at Ichigo. She looked like she was looking for something.
"Amano what are you looking for?" Ichigo looked up from where she was looking to Kashino.
She was about to answer went she noticed what was in his hand. "That!" She yelled out running toward Kashino.
xxx

"That!"
Ichigo yelled and then started charging at Kashino. Then she took the book from
his hand. Kashino was confused. "This is the thing I've been trying to get from
the top of the bookshelf." "Yes."

As Ichigo said that Kashino got a weird look on his face. "So let me get this straight
you risked your life for a…a…book." At this Ichigo became angry, why was he so
worried, it didn't make sense. But she didn't want to start fighting since he,
in fact was helping her and she was desperate for help. So she just said "Looks
like it." To be on the safe side.
xxx

Ichigo looked at the cover of the book, then after a few seconds of just
looking at her he just couldn't stay mad at her.
xxx

Ichigo stared at the cover confused, and she just gave up and decided to ask Kashino.
"Kashino, what does this mean…'La….Bel….le….'" It seemed like Kashino knew she
wouldn't say it correctly so he took the book and said the title. "'La Belle Et la Bête'," he said without even hesitating. "It means 'Beauty and the Beast.' You know, the fairytale."
Ichigo looked even more confused. "You've never heard of 'Beauty and the Beast?" Ichigo just shook her head 'no.'

At this point Ichigo felt like a dork, but to her relief Kashino didn't make fun of her
he just said. "Well, I guess you can use this book for your essay, it's French
and it's a children's book so it shouldn't be too hard for even the stupidest of bakas."
Ichigo glared at him but quickly turned that glare into a blank face. She didn't want
to start anything since they've already got the book she was going to read.
She didn't have to make things more complicated, the sooner she finishes the sooner she can go back to practicing. (She still had trouble with making chocolate mousse .)
xxx

Kashino took Ichigo's arm (notice not hand) and led her to the beanbag chairs at the end of the library. After a few steps he realized something that didn't occur to him before. 'He. Ichigo. Alone. In big
library. Alone…' He tried to shake the thought knowing it would lead him nowhere anyways…but still he felt a little blush crawling onto him fair skin.

Once they got to the beanbag chairs they got two of them and placed them next to each
other. Kashino sat down and so did Ichigo.

Ichigo started to read the book. Kashino watched Ichigo while she stumbled though words and asked what that means and how to say this word.
Kashino didn't mind this really, he actually wanted her to ask him for this kind of
help more often. She was so beautiful and he wished she was his, but she liked
Henri-sensei.

At that thought he felt angry. Henri-sensei didn't know how lucky he was that a girl like Ichigo admired him so much. He always wanted to call her Ichigo but was too shy to do it. Then he noticed how close she was and he had a sudden urge to hold her hand, he almost did but the remarkable happened.
xxx

Ichigo was stumbling on more words. 'I don't understand any of this...uh why does French have to be so hard.' Ichigo was about to ask another question when the book started to glow pink…again and the
next thing she noticed is that she wasn't in the library anymore she was in front of a…..house?

'It's a strange looking house if ask me.' Ichigo thought looking at it sideways. Then
she noticed she wasn't alone.
xxx

Kashino looked around he wasn't in the library anymore, he was in front of a…cottage? 'Never mind the cottage where is Ichigo?' Kashino thought looking for her.

Then he noticed her about 4 feet away looking at the cottage.
He grabbed her wrist and she turned. "Kashino!" she said as if she just noticed he was
there. "Where are we?" She asked in almost panic.

"I don't know." Was all he could say.
xxx

Ichigo was relieved when she saw Kashino but then panicked. "Where are we?" She asked
hoping he didn't notice the worry in her voice.

"You are in my story, thank you for coming I hardly ever get visitors." Said a voice from
behind them.

It was….a little girl, looked no more than 9 maybe 8 years old.

"Who are you?" Kashino asked the little girl.

"I'm the story, and you picked me up and visited me, and I'm sorry but I can't let you leave, it's hardly ever I get visitors."
"You have got to be kidding me, there has to be a way out of here." Kashino said starting to
worry but didn't let his voice show it.

"Well there is one way out," She stopped to giggle.
"You have to follow the character till the end of this story and then answer the questions I give you in the end and you, (she pointed to Ichigo) will be the one to answer the questions at the end."

'Why me?' She wined in her head. "Oh and just so you, (looking at Ichigo) won't get lost I'll have you stick together."
The… story said some weird words and pointed at Ichigo and Kashino and all of a sudden a chain appeared on Ichigo's left wrist and Kashino's right wrist.

"Well good luck." The story said and then disappeared with a giggle, leaving the two handcuffed alone to enjoy the story.