HANDSOME AND THE BEAST CH2: the Castle
I don't own Naruto, unfortunately bladibladibla!
So so far, Sasuke's bored, Itachi's NICE (wtf?) and Ororchimaru has a crush on Sasuke (like no one doesn't) Oh yea and this furry monster is sitting along in a tower somewhere
Itachi looked warily down the road they had been traveling on. This couldn't be the right way… no chance in hell… The road was dark and fog shrouded and the elder Uchiha had been to the invention fair before. The road had been nothing like that.
The horse whinnied nervously.
"Shush Uma. Easy girl." Itachi soothed the nervous beast, patting the sleek mane.
Out of nowhere, a fleet of bats flew low over the horse's head, spooking her into a wild gallop.
"WHOW GIRL! WHOW!" shouted Itachi, yanking on the reins in a desperate attempt to stop the fleeing horse.
Itachi saw trees and clearing fly past his eyes as the horse plunged on.
Suddenly, the horse stopped sharply, swinging the cart wildly and spilling the black haired man from the cart.
In a whirl of dust, the horse was gone.
"UMA! UMA!" cried Itachi into the darkness.
There was a rumble and in an instant, Itachi was soaked.
"GREAT!" he roared, pounding on the gate he had landed beside….
Wait… a gate?
Itachi turned and saw a huge iron gate looming above him… and beyond: an emmence, terrifying, gothic castle, rising like a monster from the earth.
"Oh my." Itachi gasped, staring at the building.
Just when the Uchiha thought things couldn't get worse, it did.
Itachi heard growling and turned to find four wolves glaring at him with hungry eyes.
"Oh shit." Itachi muttered, climbing to his feet. "Oh shit."
He began to rattle the gates in panic as the wolves circled him.
"LET ME IN! PLEASE SOMEONE!!" he screamed, tears welling in his eyes. He was about to be eaten by wolves… and Sasuke would be left all alone to fend for himself.
As if in a miracle, the gate swung inwards and Itachi swept inside, tripping and shouting in pain and panic as a wolf grabbed hold of his ankle.
"Let go of me!" she shouted, kicking furiously.
Finally the wolf let go, yelping as Itachi's foot came in contact with his eye.
Itachi fled into the castle, dropping his hat on the way in.
"H-hello?" Itachi gasped tentatively, wringing out his cloak as he stood in the entrance way. "I- I don't mean to intrude but I've lost my horse ….. and- and I need and place to stay for the night." Itachi heard whispers.
"Aw! C'mon we have to help him!"
"Shut up!"
"Please? He looks cold."
"No!"
"PLEEEEEEEASE??"
"Shut up!"
There was a muffled yelp and then a loud voice, "Of course Dono, you are welcome here!"
Itachi grabbed a small candle stand. "Whose there?" he asked nervously, his usual Uchiha self falling off his face, panic rising.
"Over here." Said a masculine voice from behind him.
Itachi turned, and found no one.
"This way."
Again… no onc.
Then, something hard tapped him on the back of his raven head.
Itachi twisted around to find himself face to face with the mild stare of the candle holder's middle joint.
"Hello."
"Oh my god!" yelped Itachi, dropping the candle holder.
"Oh NOW you've done it, Shikemaru! Now you've done it!" grumbled another voice and off a slender table against one of the walls jumped a small clock. Itachi rubbed his eyes and then pinched himself. Nope, he still could see two talking, walking (well hopping really) inanimate object in front of him.
Itachi reached down and picked up the clock.
"How is this accomplished?" he wondered, turning the clock upside down to look for the gears.
"Dono! Stop it! Stop it I say!" the clock suppressed his giggles as Itachi poked around, trying to find the source of the clock's life.
When Itachi opened the small glass belly of the clokck, the clock had had enough. "Dono, close that at once." And he snapped the door on Itachi's fingers.
"Ouch!" hissed the Uchiha, sucking on his fingers after he had put the clock carefully down.
Itachi then proceeded to sneeze quite loudly as shivers racked his body.
"Oh Dono, you are soaked to the bone. Come, warm yourself by the fire." Itachi tentatively followed the candle holder into the large living room of sorts.
It was MASSIVE! High vaulted ceiling, with carving crawling up the walls in graceful shapes. But everything in this room was slightly terrifying and gothic. What should have been angels over the mantle piece where a raging fire was burning were devils, their bat wings spread over their shoulders.
Itachi sat tentatively in the large armchair by the fire.
"No no no! Not in the master's chair!" sighed the clock.
"Calm yourself Choji! He hasn't been out of his tower for at least three days." Shikemaru grinned, clapping his candle stick hands together.
Immediately, a coat tree had wrapped a thick, warm blanket around Itachi and a tray, skitting down the carpet of its own accord came to a stop beside him.
"Tea Dono?" asked the plump tea kettle, smiling matronly at the eldest Uchiha.
"Oh thank you." Answered Itachi politly, taking the cup full of tea.
When Itachi pressed the glass to his lips, he felt the cup wriggling.
"His mouth tickles, Temari!" giggled the cup.
"Oh!" Itachi looked at the tiny cup in his hands. The cup has a smiling, boisterous face and two small red pain marks on either side of his mouth. "Hello."
In a sudden gust of wind, the fire flickered out.
"Everyone! Run!" Itachi heard Choji yell and in moments, he was gone… alone in the dark, gothic room.
But it only got more terrifying. Itachi heard deep, growling breaths coming from close by and the almost silent clicks of claws on marble.
"Why did you come here stranger?" snarled a voice. It was gravely and snarling, deep hatred and remorse flaring like a flame in his voice.
Itachi felt the back of the chair dip as heavy paws draped over it, he felt the hot breath of the beast. Not altogether unpleasant but still terrifying.
"I asked you why?" the voice snarled again and Itachi felt the swish of something soft against his leg. He looked down just in time to see the tips of several whitish blonde tails disappear behind the couch.
"So…" the animal stalked around so that he was facing Itachi.
Itachi saw the outline of a huge animal with a great deal of thick fur. It had to be at least nine feet tall. It was slim and sinuous yet powerful looking. Itachi could make out the outline of horns that swiveled around horse like ears in the dark. He could see the eyes clearly: two orbs of electric blue fire, hatred burning like hell fire in them. Itachi's eyes widened and he began to quake. "What are staring at?" snarled the beast and Itachi saw long fangs.
"N-Nothing!" Itachi stammered, terrified.
"You've come to stare at the beast have you?!" the beast's voice grew in volume, the growling shaking the furniture.
"No! Please! I just needed a place to stay for the night!" Itachi pleaded, thinking again of Sasuke alone.
"A place to stay?" the creature laughed cruelly. "I'll give you a place to stay." And then Itachi felt a huge claw wrap around his neck and lift him off the chair.
"No please! I have a brother! Please! He needs me!" Itachi pleaded, struggling to breath against the iron grip of the beast.
The last thing Itachi felt was the crack of stone against his skull as he was thrown in to a cell in a far tower.
Far away, Sasuke was looking at the stars, bored out of his mind as usual. Suddenly, a loud commotion awoke him from his stupor. He turned to the woods and saw Uma, her black mane flying, racing from the woods.
"Uma?" Sasuke leapt off the barn and ran to stop the horse. "Whow girl. Shhh..." Sasuke looked for Itachi, probably asleep in the back of the wagon, but found no one.
"Uma… where's Itachi?" Sasuke asked the horse. The horse whinnied nervously. "C'mon Uma. You must take me to him!"
Sasuke unhitched the draft horse from the cart and clamored onto her broad back.
"Go Uma!" he urged gently and the horse took off at a canter, taking Sasuke close and closer to where his fate would be decided.
BWAHAHA! I luv cliffhangers, don't u? Anyway, I couldn't resist putting in some cheesy lines at the end (grins stupidly)… well, if u want more, please R&R (Read and Review). Also, I need ideas for more characters so if u have thoughts, I welcome theme!