®The Witch and the Beast is the propierty of Hiroshi Noda and Kousuke Satake

Broken

"What... just happened?

Guideau examined her hands with a mixture of confusion, bewilderment and anger. Her eyes were fixed on her palms, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

She turned her head suddenly, her lips drawn back in a snarl, fangs visible against her lower lip.

Ashaf's expression was unreadable. He stood still, the cigarette dangling from his mouth as he stared at her in silence.

Guideau stood. It was like watching a monster about to leap and devour its prey. Her silky hair brushed against her skin in a soft, almost imperceptible sweep, then settled still on her shoulder.

"You swore this would break the curse," she said, half whispering, half growling. Ashaf had never heard such a tone in her voice before.

"You promised", she hissed, her voice cracking with the desperation of the burden on her. "Aren't you supposed to be an expert in magical matters?"

Each word brought her a step closer. The floor cracked beneath her footsteps.

Ashaf watched her, the forgotten cigarette still between his lips.

She was only inches away. She could smell the bitter smoke, the soft scent of soap, feel the beating of his heart through his pulse. One step more and her hair could brush his jaw. She wanted to tear his throat out.

Ashaf could feel her rage, the intensity of it threatening to rip apart the very air around them. He felt his magical defences rise instinctively in response.

"And yet once again I'm stuck in this cursed body! Forever!"

Her mouth barely moved. It was like a deep guttural growl resonating from deep within her chest and not from her vocal chords. Were it not for his strength and training in magic, he would have been swept away by the sheer force of the beast's rage.

"You know the rules," he said in a low murmur. The cigarette now rested at his feet.

"A kiss from a prince or some shit like that -"

"A true love kiss," he murmured, lowering his gaze to hers. His lashes were as black as midnight and dared not betray the pained blue of his eyes. He raised his hand hesitantly, inches from her face.

"And you said you loved me," she spat sharply, raising her chin to meet his eyes. Her chest brushed against his frame.

"I do. But you don't love me," he said, dropping his hand.

Guideau's eyes narrowed in understanding. She stepped back, the anger within her beginning to subside, replaced by a sudden wave of despair. She had foolishly thought she had finally understood love.

"You're right," she whispered, her voice filled with an unreadable tone as she clenched her fist. "I don't know if I love you."

Ashaf looked away and lit a cigarette. "I'm sorry, Guideau," he said softly, his voice tinged with regret. "I wanted nothing more than to see you regain your own body." He turned away and began to work on the damaged slats of the coffin.

Guideau watched him work, and a wave of unfamiliar emotion surged in her. She had allowed herself to believe that her thoughts about him had grown into something more, when deep down she knew that her motivations had been driven by a desire to break the curse. She had used him, and so the kiss hadn't broken the curse, any more than kissing a witch could work permanently.

"I should have known it wouldn't work," she muttered to herself, crossing her arms defensively.

Ashaf turned to her, his face filled with understanding. "It's not your fault," he said matter-of-factly. "Love is a choice. Something we can choose to give, but not control when it arises."

His eyes shone with a light full of meaning. Guideau sensed that he was talking about himself.

"And now what?", she asked defiantly, looking away.

"The usual," he smiled, securing the coffin to his back. "You follow orders. And I'll give you a witch."

The beast looked up at him with a mixture of ease and admiration. She mimicked him, baring her fangs in that grin she always wore at the mention of that word.

"And you give me a witch"

So... the idea of this duo trying and failing at Method #3 crossed my mind. I have this headcanon that method #3 works temporarily like "kissing a witch" when one of the parts isn't in love with the other. My idea for this resolution is that Ashaf and Guideau kissed in an attempt to break the curse, but since she doesn't love him *yet*, it didn't work.

Not that I enjoy writing about the unrequited love between them. I ship them so hard! It's just that I couldn't resist writing it out.

PS: I sent support a request for a category for The witch and the beast. Haven't seen any changes in the site thus far, so I'm posting on misc. anime/manga

PS:: Kind anonymous review from the previous two stories: Thanks for your kind words and support. Here you have some more! I too hope more authors join this trainwreck and give us more Guideau/Ashaf