"It sounds almost like a storybook . . ."
Vivi had just finished her story of the Beast and the mansion, of the curse and the friendly servants, and of course with many reassurances that the Beast had not once tried to harm her, and in fact had been very kind.
"But there are—" Cobra cut himself off with a hacking cough. "—Many strange things in the world, so . . . I suppose that is not too far-fetched."
"Don't strain yourself," Vivi murmured, feeling his forehead. "Your fever's barely gone down, father."
She shivered in the cold air. "I'm going to get our rags to cover you more."
When she returned with the cloths, she laid them gently over the blankets Cobra was already covered by.
"Are you hungry?" she asked softly. "I can make soup."
He shook his head.
"You should have water, at least," she said. She left the room, got a cup, and scooped up some snow from outside (for surely the well was frozen over). She found matches in the kitchen, struck one, and held it under the cup until the snow had melted.
Vivi brought the cool water back to her father. He gratefully sipped it and sat back on the blankets.
"Father, there's something I must tell you," she murmured. "But it should wait until you are well."
Cobra looked at her curiously and nodded.
"Please get some sleep," she said. "I'll come back to check on you soon."
He nodded again and closed his eyes.
A week passed, and then another one. Cobra finally recovered from his illness and Vivi once again became used to smaller meals, smaller rooms, and colder air.
The morning after the full moon, when Vivi and Cobra shared small slices of bread for breakfast (purchased the day before in the market), Vivi looked at him and said, "Father?"
"Yes?" Cobra said, swallowing his piece quickly.
"I'm sorry, but I must return to the mansion today," Vivi murmured. "When I left, I promised I would come back when the moon was full. And since the Madame let me go to take care of you, and you are well now . . ."
Though she was sad to leave her father all alone again, a part of her wished to see the mansion's residents again, especially the Beast.
Cobra stared at her. "Return . . . ? No, no, please . . . don't go . . ."
He sounded so heartbroken that Vivi felt another twinge of sorrow.
"Father, I promised," she murmured.
"Vivi, please stay," he begged, bowing his head. "You've only just returned, and I cannot bear to lose you again! What if I am never to see you again?"
He looked at her desperately and she hesitated.
"I suppose . . ." she murmured. "Perhaps . . . I should stay . . . for a little longer, at least, in case you have a relapse."
Cobra smiled in relief. "Thank you . . . my sweet Vivi . . ."
He stood and hugged her.
And so a full month passed, and another one. Though Vivi's heart was heavy with sorrow at the thought of never seeing the Beast again, with each passing day it became harder and harder to return, and the guilt in her stomach grew and grew.
"Where is she?!"
Sanji and Usopp cowered as the Beast angrily stomped around her room.
"She promised," the Beast hissed, practically tearing out her fur. "She PROMISED!"
"Begging your pardon," Usopp squeaked, "but perhaps Madame Vivi has a, well, a very good reason for not returning?"
The Beast picked up the silver mirror and said, "Show me Vivi!"
The surface shimmered. When the image appeared, the Beast's expression was first relieved, and then angry.
"Is this a good reason?!" she yelled, showing the image to her servants. Vivi was sitting in a chair, reading a book with a forlorn expression.
"I can't BELIEVE this!" the Beast yelled. She leaned back and hurled the mirror at the wall, where it shattered into a thousand pieces. "I thought she—!"
She sat hard on the ground. "I thought . . . she loved me, too."
Sanji nervously hopped towards her. "Madame," he whispered, "I'm so sorry . . ."
"Leave me be," the Beast said in a broken voice, turning away.
Sanji obediently backed away. "Of course. Shall I summon you for supper?"
"No. I don't want to eat tonight."
Sanji bowed. "Very . . . very well. Usopp, let's go."
They hopped out of the room. Brook was waiting outside and used his odd coat-hanger arm to shut the door.
"I supposed it didn't go well," he murmured.
"Hardly," Usopp said softly. "She's very distressed."
"She wishes to be left alone for a while," Sanji explained. "I suppose we should take residence in Madame Vivi's—in the guest room for the time being. I don't fancy several trips up and down those stairs."
Brook and Usopp nodded.
"Mama?"
Robin glanced at Chopper. "Yes?"
"When's Madame Vivi coming back?" he asked. "I miss her."
Robin smiled sadly. "We don't know," she murmured.
"I want her to come back," Luffy said sadly. He had managed to hop out of the fireplace room and get up on the counter with Robin, Chopper, and Zoro.
"Well, we've been furniture for five years now," Zoro muttered. "A while longer won't kill us."
Luffy sighed.
When the snow began to melt into patches, Vivi and Cobra were cleaning their home when they heard a voice say, "Madame Vivi!"
They looked around. Vivi set down the cloth and hurried to the doorway. She looked around and frowned when she saw no one.
"Madame Vivi!" the voice said again, and Vivi looked down in surprise to see none other than Sanji.
"Monsieur Sanji!" she exclaimed, kneeling. Cobra came around the corner and was startled to find his daughter talking to a candelabra.
"Thank . . . goodness," Sanji gasped. "It was . . . quite a chore . . . getting here . . . with no legs . . . and without . . . knowing exactly . . . where you lived . . ."
He took several quick, deep breaths and straightened himself.
"Ah, this must be your father," he said, looking behind Vivi. "It's nice to meet you, Monsieur . . . ?"
"C-Cobra," Cobra said.
"A pleasure—but what am I doing, there's no time for that!" Sanji exclaimed suddenly. "Madame Vivi—!"
"Monsieur Sanji, I'm sorry—"
"Forgive me, Madame Vivi, but there's not a moment to spare," Sanji said hurriedly. "You must return to the mansion at once! The Beast is terribly ill!"
"What?" Vivi whispered.
"She has refused to eat or drink hardly anything for weeks," Sanji exclaimed, "and she is too weak to rise from her bed! She only asks to see you!"
"I will go," Vivi said immediately. She turned. "Father—"
Cobra knelt next to her and hugged her briefly. "I'm sorry I made you break your word," he murmured. "I hope—I hope I will see you again."
"Mm," she murmured, squeezing him back. She picked Sanji up.
"Let's go."
Vivi ran with Sanji in hand the whole way to the mansion. When she reached the front door, she had to stop for a minute to catch her breath.
"Are you alright?" Sanji asked concernedly. "It's quite a ways here."
"I'm fine," Vivi said firmly. She opened the front door and slammed it shut behind her as she made for the staircase.
"She's in her chamber?" she asked Sanji quickly. When he nodded, she hurried down the corridor and flung open the door.
The room's curtains were dusty and closed, and it seemed that they had been that way for a very long time. Across the way, the vanity's mirror was smashed, as it had been for years. The magic mirror was in pieces next to it.
To her surprise, all of the servants were there except for Franky. It could not have been easy for them to climb the stairs.
"Madame Vivi!" they exclaimed as one.
"You actually came," Zoro grunted in surprise.
Luffy nudged him. "Told you she would."
"It's good to see you all again," Vivi said hurriedly. She set Sanji down and turned to the magnificent four-poster which the Beast lay on, breathing faintly.
"Madame," she cried, her heart twinging, and she flew to her bedside, kneeling and placing her hands on the Beast's chest. Her heartbeat was thankfully present.
"Please open your eyes," she whispered, tears forming in her own. "Please, Madame, please . . ."
The Beast's eyes slowly slid open and she turned to stare at Vivi.
"You . . . came back," she said weakly. "You're . . . here."
Vivi bit her lip, holding back a sob. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry I did not keep my word. I must be most loathsome in your eyes, someone who cannot keep a simple promise—"
"No," the Beast whispered. "I . . . forgive you. You're . . . here now."
She took in a shaky breath. "I feel . . . that I may die soon."
Vivi could not stop herself from crying, "No!"
"Please . . . listen," the Beast murmured. "I . . . wanted to tell you . . ."
Vivi waited, taking the Beast's paw in her hands.
"You're . . . so beautiful," the Beast whispered. "And so kind . . . you are beautiful . . . every inch of your being is. Vivi . . . I love you. I . . ." she breathed in. "I love you. I have . . . for a long time . . ."
Vivi stared at her in shock as she breathed in and out shallowly.
"But . . . I know . . . my appearance is . . . hideous, so . . . you must not . . . return my feelings," the Beast murmured, tears leaking from her eyes. "I . . . only wanted you . . . to know."
"You're wrong!"
Vivi bit her trembling lip as the Beast stared at her in confusion.
"I . . ." Vivi swallowed as she started to cry. "I . . . Madame, I love you, too. I love you . . . I don't care what you look like . . . I love you!"
She bent her head and began to sob. "Don't leave . . . !"
For a moment, nothing happened. But then—
Vivi looked up in surprise when the air above the Beast began shining like a magic spell. Above the servants, the same thing happened.
The shimmering air, glowing bright yellow now, descended upon the Beast and the servants, obscuring them from view. Vivi backed away nervously.
Before her eyes, she saw the silhouettes of the servants shift and grow into human shapes—and the Beast's form was shrinking to something more delicate—
At last the mist faded. Vivi gasped and stared at the group who used to be furniture. Several people were standing around and blinking and turning their arms over as if they could not quite believe what was happening.
"The curse . . . it's lifted!" someone who must have been Sanji exclaimed. He was of average height, with pale skin, blond hair which covered his left eye, an odd eyebrow which curled into a spiral at the end, and a blue shirt and baggy dark pants.
"Oh, this is wonderful," a woman who could only be Robin murmured. She seemed to be of Indian descent, with lovely dark skin, shiny black hair, and beautiful diamond-shaped eyes. She wore a traditional butler's suit.
"Yes! Hands!" Luffy (of course, it must have been Luffy) cried happily. He wore a vest over a baggy shirt and pants, and had a straw hat perched upon his head of black hair. He was olive-skinned and underneath his left eye was a jagged scar.
"Nice," a green-haired man muttered, examining his tan, callused hands. This must have been Zoro. He wore dirty overalls and had bare feet.
"Oh, thank goodness, I no longer have a cuckoo inside my chest," said someone who could only be Usopp. His nose was unusually long, his skin was dark, his hair was black and loosely curled, and he wore a traditional maid's outfit.
"Mama, we're back to normal!" a boy (Chopper) exclaimed, hugging her tightly as he cried. His skin was only a shade lighter than his mother's, his hair was dark like her's, and for whatever reason, his nose was blue. He wore shorts and a nice shirt.
"Why, I thought I would never see my hands again . . . then again, I have no eyes to see with!" a very tall skeleton exclaimed. This had to be Brook. He wore a fancy suit of all black and a top hat perched upon his large afro. His bones were shiny white, and his skull had a small crack on the side.
As the servants cheered amongst themselves, sharing long-overdue hugs and dances, Vivi gasped and turned to the bed.
Upon the pillow rested a woman's head. Her skin, though pale from starvation, was smooth and lovely, and her hair was a brilliant orange and hung to the middle of her back in faint waves. Her face was heart-shaped and her beautiful eyes, which lay open and surprised, were like copper. Her nose was small and her lips were pink.
The woman who had formerly been the Beast sat up slowly, keeping herself covered with the comforter, and her servants' cheers died down as they hurried over to her bed.
"Madame, it's over at last!" Usopp exclaimed. "We're all . . . we're all human again!"
She slowly examined her hands. "It's . . . finally over," she murmured, and her voice was clear, no longer with the guttural growl it'd had in her previous form.
"Oh, Vivi!" she exclaimed suddenly with a smile, turning to her blue-haired companion, and the women shared an embrace.
"You've done it," she whispered. "You've broken the curse . . . thank you . . . !"
"How?" Vivi said, happy but confused.
"Back then," Brook said formally, "the enchantress said that the curse could only be broken if our Dame could love someone and be loved in return. And since you both have confessed, well . . . !"
"What a beautiful way to break a spell," Vivi murmured. She looked around at the servants with a smile as she held onto the former Beast tightly. "It's wonderful to see you all . . . properly."
They nodded with grins.
"Madame," Vivi said, withdrawing, "won't you tell me your name? I cannot continue calling you 'Beast.'"
"Of course," she murmured. "My name is Nami."
"Nami," Vivi said softly. "Nami . . . what a lovely name."
Nami smiled before suddenly wincing and falling back down, her eyes fluttering.
"Still dying," she whispered.
"Oh—oh, dear," Vivi said frantically. "Nami, please, stay with us—" she glanced at the servants. "Monsieur Sanji, Chopper—?"
"Right away, Madame!" Sanji exclaimed. He rolled up his sleeves and ran out of the room as Chopper trotted over to check on Nami.
"FINALLY!" someone yelled as they burst into the room. This must have been Franky. He stood nearly as tall as Brook. His blue hair was styled upwards. His skin was tan and he wore nothing but a rough denim shirt and a Speedo (which he would later tell Vivi the name of). His nose was made of metal. His left hand and forearm and his entire right arm were made entirely of metal, as well as his right foot and his left foot and shin, giving him the appearance of being part robot.
"Papa!" Chopper exclaimed, looking up with a grin.
"Yo!" Franky exclaimed, raising a robotic hand. "Hey, Madame Vivi, you're back! I mean, of course you are, how else could the curse have been broken?"
"Yes," Vivi said, startled by his appearance. Her eyes widened. "Are those . . . metal?"
"Yeah," Franky said casually. "I told you I don't look like a normal human. No one in my time would look twice at this, but I know it's super-weird in this time."
"Does everyone look like that in the future?" Vivi asked, trying to imagine a time where everyone walks around with robot parts.
"A few people, mostly me," Franky said. "Long story short, I got hit by a train and had my limbs and nose replaced. Cost a fortune."
"A train—?"
"I'll explain later." Franky ran forward and swept Robin up in his metal arms, swooping her low to the ground and kissing her.
"Missed you, babe," he said happily.
"It's good to see you, too," she said, giggling.
Vivi smiled nervously and glanced at Nami, lying on the bed, half-awake.
Then her eyes widened.
"YOU'RE A SKELETON!" she screamed, pointing at Brook.
"Did you just notice?" Usopp asked quietly as he tried to help get Luffy off of Zoro.
"I only just realized," she said, eyeing Brook nervously.
The musician chuckled. "No worries, Madame Vivi. If you're curious . . . many years ago, I was cursed to wander this Earth even after death. My flesh has long since fallen away . . . but I can still play my viola with grace!"
"I . . . see," Vivi said. "My goodness . . . you and Monsieur Franky haven't had very good luck with magic in your lives."
"Nope," Franky muttered.
Brook chuckled. "Life and death."
"I wanna go run around," Luffy said, stretching. "Zoro, Usopp, let's go!"
"I do need to stretch my legs," Zoro muttered.
"Oh, fine," Usopp agreed. "Chopper, can you handle this?"
Chopper nodded. "She's going to be okay," he said. "She just needs food."
As the three stooges ran out of the room, Franky came up to the bed and knelt next to Chopper and Vivi.
"Okay, what do you do to feed someone who hasn't eaten in forever?" he asked.
"Feed them very light foods in very small amounts," Chopper said promptly. "Otherwise their body will reject the food and make them even sicker."
"Good," Franky said in approval. He hugged his son. "God, I've missed you guys!"
Chopper smiled. "Your . . . compliment doesn't make me happy!"
He hugged his father back.
"Anyway, Sanji knows the thing about the food, and hopefully he'll be back soon," Franky said. "I'm gonna take Robin on a little walk outside. God knows we need it."
Chopper nodded and waved goodbye as his parents walked out of the room, hand-in-hand.
"Madame Vivi, are you going, too?" he asked.
Vivi shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere until Nami's well again," she said firmly.
From the bed came a weak chuckle, and Vivi looked at Nami in surprise.
"You . . . don't have to do that," Nami said in amusement. "I'll be well soon enough anyway."
"I won't leave your side until you are healthy," Vivi said, taking Nami's hand in her own. "I could not stand it if you died now, when we only just confessed. We've hardly spent any time together as . . . as a couple."
Nami smiled. "Stop that . . . stop making me . . . love you even more."
Vivi bowed her head with an embarrassed smile. Chopper cleared his throat.
"Madame Nami, please save your strength," he whispered. "Don't talk unless you have to."
"Don't you . . . order me around," Nami murmured, but she stopped talking nonetheless.
"I suppose we have much to discuss once you are well," Vivi said, squeezing her love's hand. Nami nodded, her eyes now closed.
One more chapter! Stay tuned!