"… The Heartless have great fear of the Keyblade…" It kills us so easily, why wouldn't we fear it?

"The Heartless enter through the Keyhole and do something to the world's core…" "In the end, it disappears." Who's to say that isn't the natural end of things? To return to the darkness from whence it all came…

"The Heartless? Those without hearts…" What of those with hearts? How many of them are not more Heartless than we?

"The darkness in people's hearts, that's what attracts them." It's the part we recognize as ourselves, of course we are attracted to it.

"Tied to the darkness... Soon to be completely eclipsed." What is an eclipse if not the shadow the precious light leaves behind? Not enemies to be faced but reflections of one another?

"And there is darkness within every heart…" To have darkness to have lived… to have felt anger, sadness, sorrow and pain. Is it not human to have darkness?

"One who knows nothing can understand nothing."

Is it not more ignorant to believe you know everything, therefore can understand everything? Is your hubris so high?

Kuro awakens standing on his feet. Disorientated, as though he were on a teetering ship that came to an abrupt stop. His eyes fixed to the spines of several shelves of books that fade in from the black. Specifically Salegg volumes four, five and six. Kuro's hand reaches out to trace the edge of the book's spine, feeling the print of the letters bolted against the leather cover. A shot of remembrance echoes through him. He's been here before.

"Tell me the story again!" A young voice said aloud with great excitement. It's the giggle and the laugh that turns the Heartless' eyes toward the stairwell, coming upon the sight of an older woman. Her hair was grey, her eyes pulled to a near close, and her face covered in wrinkles. Her face sagged and her smile hidden beneath the flaps of her cheeks. Kuro recalled the scene from Sora's own interwoven memory with Kairi's, this woman was Kairi's grandmother, who was sitting down in the library back on Hollow Bastion. Seated before her on the rug is a small Kairi, in a simple white dress adorned with orange, blue and silver flowers. Kairi gave her grandmother undivided attention, ready to listen to her story.

"Long ago, people lived in peace, bathed in the warmth of light. Everyone loved the light. Then people began to fight over it." The older woman began, her hands held tightly in her lap as she recalled the story she has told hundreds of times over.

"It was the light that made man draw first blood, by your own admission." Kuro approached the old woman from this distant memory, and crouched down in ofront of her, meeting her milky eyed gaze as she continued to talk through him to her granddaughter. Though from the angle, it appeared that she was speaking directly to the Heartless, if not averting her gaze by just a tad. "Your precious light is what sparked out that initial Darkness."

"They wanted to keep it for themselves. And darkness was born in their hearts. The darkness spread, swallowing the light and many people's hearts." The Older Woman nodded with a solemn look on her face and a sullen glint in her eyes. The pair heard a gasp and Kairi's hands clapped to her cheeks. Utterly stunned and surprised. Kuro couldn't help but smile at such a cute little reaction. "It covered everything, and the world disappeared."

"Is that not the natural conclusion, then?" Kuro inquired aloud and with a pointed tone, even if he knew that that woman could never answer his call. He flexed and tightened his fist as he stared at the older woman. "If light is the beginning and darkness the end, how is the darkness to blame? Does one blame the moon for when the sun sets?"

The old woman's eyes adjust slightly as her vision tracks with the small pubescent Kairi that began to steady herself up onto her feet. Kuro glanced over his shoulder, seeing the small Kairi stretching out her arms and legs. He began recalling the day Kairi had arrived following the meteor shower that fateful night. Kuro knew now, it meant that her home world had fallen to darkness. He still recalled begging his mother to drive him and Riku to go meet the mayor's new ward, ready to make a new friend.

"But the true light sleeps, deep within the darkness… Even in the deepest darkness, there will always be a light to guide you." She stated, her hand reached out and punctuated the good notioned statement by tapping Kairi on her forehead with her pruny dainty fingers, whereas Kuro could have sworn that she purposely pressed her hand towards his heart. Kuro's heart. Sora's heart.

"Sora." Kuro whispered softly, his voice echoing and his lips curling to a defeated smile. It didn't matter when and where it happened. It seemed to always trace back to him. Always back to him. "That's my light, my true light, right? The one who will always guide me?"

"Believe in the light, and the darkness will never defeat you. Your heart will shine with its power and push the darkness away." The old woman reached out, Kuro hobbling over to the side so as to not have a pair of wrinkled hands pierce through his transparent body. The older woman took hold of Kairi's hands, tenderly squeezing her granddaughter's hands. Kairi met her grandmother's stare and let out a soft hum of simple happiness. "Do you understand, Kairi?"

Kuro smiled softly at the cute sight, turning to walk away from the scene just as Sora had done before. However, that is when he felt a sudden tug that kept his heel stuck to the floor, and heard a series of heels click against the marble floor above them. Kuro's eyes darted to the spiraling stairwell that led to the second level of the library. The Heartless' focus was drawn to the sound of a pair of men that came walking down the stairs. One of the pair stops at the top of the stairs, the sun beaming through the windows bathing him in light, hiding his features in its incandescent glow. The other, with more sure and steady stomps of his feet, continued to walk down the stairs.

"Mother, must you tell that story time and time again? Kairi must be getting tired of it. She already is grounded for running away from you and nearly eaten by ferocious beasts. Don't bore her to death as well." The voice was deep and powerful, befitting a man of his position. However there was a sense of humor to the tone of his voice, one that punctuated his statement with a short and brief chuckle. Kuro saw an older man begin to walk towards the pair of grandmother and daughter, appearing no older than fifty years old. His blonde hair swept back with a darker blonde goatee and a pair of fiery orange eyes. The old man's skin was fair, his wrinkles resting along his cheeks and forehead beginning to creep. Kairi's eyes bloomed open, her lips pulled to a huge smile and her laughter echoing in the halls. Kuro's stood baffled, he could have sworn he heard that voice before. Though this one felt warm, unlike the cold distant and logical one he recalled. It sounds just like Di-

"Daddy!" Kairi shouted, jumping into the blonde haired man's arms. Kissing his cheeks and giggling. "Daddy! I missed you!"

"There's my girl! There's my sweetheart!" The man shouted gleefully, raising the child and tossing her up into the air. Her hang time increases with every throw and her laughter's volume grows with it. "I missed you, too. I could hardly focus on my work, I missed you so much! How are you, my darling? Having fun with Grandma?"

"Ansem!" The grandmother shouted, waddling over to him and giving him a swat on the arm. Ansem laughed it off, his eyes wincing at the sting of the strike. "You're too old to be tossing her around like that. What if she falls?"

"Ansem?" Kuro's heart fell into his stomach, his eyes glancing over at the man, the King of Hollow Bastion, whose research and hunger for knowledge would not only damn this world but countless others. The one who would tempt Riku to the Darkness, who would then possess the young man's body. The one who will become the Heartless that will be Kuro's only other connection to the kind of Heartless that he was. That man… was Kairi's father?

"Mother," Ansem rolled his eyes with a melodramatic tone, huffing in annoyance as he presented the young girl to his mom. "I am allowed to play with my daughter. She's having so much fun, can't you hear her? I'm sure the stars can!"

Kuro saw the light that was held in this man's eyes, feeling a vague warmth that resonated in his chest of a similar father sharing the intense love for their child. Rowan for Jessie, this Ansem for Kairi. Kuro's heart aches at the thought that this loving father for now, who would soon lose his daughter to the very Darkness he was experimenting on. Kuro's heart broke knowing that Kairi will eventually be adopted by the mayor and be arriving to Destiny Islands fairly soon, losing her family, her world and her life here. Kuro's eyes focused on the warmth and joy held in Ansem's face. He would soon fall to darkness and ruin countless worlds with his Heartless. To know that this apparently loving father could hold such darkness, it made Kuro wonder how he could have fallen from grace so tragically.

"Daddy, can I and Ienzo go get some ice cream? I promise I won't run off this time! Please?" Kairi asked, giggling and nodding her head already in anticipation for the inevitable yes. Ansem chuckled, brushing his nose with his daughter's and smiling brilliantly. "Please, please, please?"

"As long as we can get my favorite." Ansem grinned from ear to ear as he met his daughter's stare. Kairi agreed with a hard hug, squeezing his neck tight. "Deal?"

"Deal!" She shouted. She giggled and bonked her head into her father's, continuing to laugh.

"Let's go get the little scientist at once. Mother, tell the chefs to prepare dinner for my apprentices and the royal family for when we return in the next hour. Excuse me, Xehanort?" Ansem's amber shaded eyes turned towards the man at the top of the stairwell, who heard his master's call and began to walk down the steps to meet him and his daughter. The light no longer obscured the man's features as he joined the king at the bottom of the stairs. "Do you wish to have some Sea Salt Ice Cream? I will be buying."

"I am fine, Master Ansem." The man known as Xehanort stated, his voice preceding his form. Once he stepped out of the light, Kuro could see his face. Xehanort's expression is flat and without any measure of emotion, his tone of voice even leveled and chilling. Kuro felt his blood chill and his heart sank into his stomach when he came face to face with this apprentice. Silver hair, dark tanned skin, a pair of eyes as gold as any Heartless'. The man was broad and built powerfully, standing a full shoulders and head taller than Kuro.

If Kuro had shaved his beard, grown a few extra inches and held a more muted eye color, he could have sworn he walked into a mirror. This Xehanort could appear to be an older brother or even a young father to Kuro. Xehanort glanced over at Kairi in Ansem's arms, his stare focused on the future Princess of Heart and his lips curling to a simple and one could see as gentle smile. "However, don't let me impede on your fun. Go and have your ice cream, little Princess…"

Kuro's eyes shifted to see the emotion that the apprentice held, and that's when he felt it. That pulsing, echoing, sinking darkness that there was no escape from. The kind of darkness that Judge Frollo held only briefly, the kind of darkness that he felt in Razputin. Xehanort's lips held that smile in a frozen image of superiority and disdain.

Kuro's eyes refocused, the man's hair shifted slightly and his skin grew a few shades darker. Resembling the very same Seeker of Darkness that he had met back in Hollow Bastion. The same one that possessed Riku. The same one that tried to bring him to heel and under his control. The very same that would be killed by Sora.

Kuro's sights blurred into the darkness that emiantes off of the apprentice, a fast creeping realization springing to the forefront. This memory didn't belong to Kairi. This one… this one belonged to the Seeker of Darkness. The memory of Kairi's must've connected to the lingering memories from the hivemind attempt by the Seeker of Darkness so long ago. Kuro's eyes glanced over at the Ansem that held his little daughter, then to the Xehanort that held unending darkness.

Whoever this Xehanort was… he would surely become the Seeker of Darkness. The similarities were too much of a coincidence to be unrelated. Why he would take his master's name would be an unanswered mystery. Perhaps one that Kuro may never have answered.

Then the scraping sound ceramic on stone etching across the inner walls of his skull and sending thundering waves through his spine as the world reverberates in tune with the sound and-

Beast's Castle

The Parlor

Day 122

Kuro is awoken by the sound of porcelain clinking against the stone floor. He wakes up to the first thing he sees is the mouth of the hearth. The sight of the charred black logs with the flickering orange and red flames struggling to keep their fire burning within the wood.

His sights drifted away from the dying hearted flames to the sound that had sprung him awake, seeing an ornate teapot slowly meander across the surface towards him. Alongside her is a small cup, with a chipped edge.

"Hello, my dear." A kind elderly voice said aloud, Kuro's eyes darting to the entrance of the parlor with the intention to address its owner. But she didn't walk through the doors. Kuro's brows raised before his eyes squinted and he examined the room. "Down here. I'm Mrs. Pots."

Kuro's sights darted to the teapot and cup, whose smile was gleaming and shined throughout the room. Kuro's lips curled into a soft surprised expression, cocking his head to the side as he looked at the pair of talking teaware. He's fought beasts of unnatural origin. He's eaten hearts and travels to distant worlds through corridors of inky darkness. Talking utensils were not the strangest thing he's ever seen.

"Hello, there." Kuro mumbled, throwing his feet over the edge of the couch he was resting on and feeling a sharp and piercing pain arise from the right side of his abdomen and along its exit wound along the Heartless lower back. The movement of his body in a quick direction offered only a painful reminder of the damage that he sustained from the battle. From the way he angled his torso, he swore he felt it tear up on the northern point of the wound. "Shit."

"Language, young man." Mrs Potts corrected, with a stern and motherly tone. The conviction in her voice made Kuro sit a little straighter and talk more confidently. Not wanting to mumble or talk under his breath while speaking to her. "No harsh language like that in this castle."

"Yes, ma'am. Sorry." Kuro said with a nod, glancing over at her small teacup son as he awaits to be filled. The teapot pours a cup of hot coffee into Chip and awaits to be served to Kuro. Kuro takes up the cup and smiles. "Thank you."

He sips on the black coffee, feeling the cup squirm and giggle as they are drunk out of. Mrs. Potts narrows her eyes and glances over at Chip.

"His mustache tickles!" He explained with a grin, Kuro chuckling with him before throwing his head back and taking the coffee down in a single swig. The bitter, harsh taste warming his chest and mellowing his senses. He gently lays the cup down, making sure to not let it even hover above the ground before letting go.

"That was delicious. Thanks." Kuro mumbled as he hesitantly stood up and walked over to the fireplace. Passing by his messenger back as he walked, he reached in and took out a swirling red bottle. His teeth sank into the cork and popped it off, spitting it into the hearth to be devoured by the flames. He sipped his drink, waiting for the restoration to take hold.

Despite the taste of cherries and strawberries, the relief never came. His abdomen still ached and the charred over wound still refused to heal. Kuro's orange eyes shifted to start glaring at the now dry wrap around his stomach. Cursing under his breath to avoid offending the teapot again. It must be a Heartless reaction to the damage being done by a weapon constructed purely of light, the Keyblade. It had to be. He has healed from gunshot wounds, bolts of thunder, stabbings, slashing, and animal attacks. He wanted to take another sip to try and see if it would relieve the pain slightly. Instead, in his irritation, he chucked the remainder of the drink into the logs. The glass shattering and making the Heartless laugh at the noise. His hands reach out after to be warmed by the dying heat before glancing over at the teaware. His orange eyes reflected the light of the fire. "Where am I, Mrs. Potts?"

"In the master's castle. You were dragged in from the cold to safety." Mrs. Potts said, bouncing over to the Heartless with that same smile on her face. "You were very brave. You saved Belle and helped our master against those vile monsters in the forests. She's raved about it all morning. She said that you were undeterred and unafraid. I, as one of the master's closest confidants. want to extend our collective gratitude for protecting them."

"You're welcome… I didn't know the Beast held a castle of his own." Kuro whispered, eyes focused still on the small licks of flames that lingered in the blackened logs of the fireplace. Kuro rakes through Sora's memories and not once did he recall Beast mentioning that he had a castle of his own back on his homeworld. Granted, there wasn't a lot of small talk between Riku stealing the Keyblade, fighting up through Hollow Bastion's halls and eventually doing battle with Maleficent. Both as an evil fae and as a devilish dragon. When the worlds returned from the abyss they were casted into and the order of the Realm reestablished, Beast and Belle returned to this home of theirs just the same as everyone else. Kuro glanced over at Mrs. Potts and nudged his head about, before turning his attention to the door. "Where is your master and Belle? I need to talk to them."

"If there is justice in the world, both would be resting. I believe the master is currently retired to his room. It's been a slog of months since the world has come back." The teapot stated, her voice low and strumming a depressing tune. As though the weight of the world rested on her small handles. "The creatures of the dark have been besieging our home nonstop, and the master has been on high alert and on the offensive for sometimes weeks at a time. I believe he's retired to the West Wing."

"It's been a trying few months for both of us it seems. Poor Beast…" Kuro mumbled as he let out a short sigh. While Beast should be left to recover, Belle still went out in the woods by herself and nearly got herself killed. Kuro's eyes turned towards the teapot and glanced her over with a look of curiosity. "I've met a few animated objects in my travels. They were servants of a wizard… but I don't think your master is one to be casting spells."

Kuro heard the teapot sigh, the weight of this question apparently weighing heavy upon her.

"There was this one night, one cold winter's night, a poor tired woman came to the castle and asked for shelter. All she could offer him was a single rose in return from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, The master was… he turned the poor woman away." Kuro's eyes squinted as the teapot spoke, lingering on every word of her story as she recounted the events of that fateful night to him.

"The woman then revealed herself to be this sorceress. The master tried to apologize for his behavior… but it was too late. She transformed us into the forms you see before you now and she turned him into… well you've seen him." Mrs. Potts spoke gently and in a low, forlorn manner. As though she were replaying the very events of that night again in her mind. She let out a short breath of disbelief as she hung her spout in shame. "If the master can learn to love, and earn love in return, before the last petal falls, the spell will be broken. We will all return to being human again. If not, he would be doomed to remain in his state for the rest of his life, and we shall remain as teapots, clocks and candelabras."

"I'm so sorry." Kuro whispered, his voice sweet and melancholy. He couldn't imagine the weight of the responsibility that the Beast held on his shoulders. Carrying the responsibility for not just himself but all those who serve under him. Added to his relationship with Belle and the constant pressure of the Heartless in this world, no wonder he was stressed. Kuro knew very little of this world and would like to have the Beast rest for as long as he could. There was one other person who might be able to help him anyway. "Where's Belle then?"

"In the kitchen. If'n you follow me, I'll take you to her." Mrs. Potts said as her frown broke away to reveal a motherly smile, her spouted raised and the life in her voice climbing. She began to hobble towards the kitchen, the Heartless in tow. Kuro grabbed his messenger back off of a nearby counter and settled the strap along his torso as he walked. His hand rested over his aching side as he walked. He would just have to heal the old fashioned way. "She's preparing a special treat for the master."

Beast's Castle

The Kitchen

Belle must've reread the recipe three times over, making sure to not mess up as she had only so much of the planet's essence on hand and she needed to get it right the first time. After grounding the sage and the essence into a fine powder, she took the hot kettle and poured it over the mixture, then taking a small whisk to finely dissolve the concoction into the water.

Once properly mixed, Belle poured it all into a small pot, covered it and placed it above the fire. She immediately fed logs to the fire underneath the pot and stoked the flames with a fire poker.

She could smell the sage and the essence mingling in the heat of the kettle and fill the room with its tantalizing aroma. The scents shifted and changed as she breathed it in, becoming the most perfect and refreshing flavor she could taste in the air. Belle took in a deep sigh, the mixture bringing to mind the wafting smell of freshly baked bread, the subtle scent of a new book with fine printed pages, and the familiar odor of her favorite meal, which was her father's homemade soup he cooked up when she was young. She took a mitt and opened the kettle, seeing the subtle soft red boil into a roaring and crimson shade that darkened so quickly that Belle throughout would turn into a turbulent and bubbly black.

"Making coffee?" A rumbling voice inquired as they walked across the threshold into the kitchen. The Heartless' sense of smell baited him into the kitchen, the smell of bitter black coffee, mixed with the tooth aching sweetness of spongy white cakes with his tongue drowning from his salivation when he detected a hint of chocolate. Then there came the copper tones and heart sinking smell of fresh hot blood that washed away the smell of sweets in the air. Canceling out the sweetness with a taste of violence on his tongue. "And cake?"

"No, stranger. I'm making something for the Beast." Belle said with a whimsical sweetness to her tone that it made Kuro's heart settle completely with just a few notes of her divine voice. "Is that what you smell?"

"More or less." Kuro mumbled as he joined Belle at her side in the kitchen. He glanced over at her. Then to the pot. "What are you making, Belle?"

"I'm making-" Belle's voice fell as she turned to the Heartless and gave him a snide smirk and a playfully squinted eye. "I don't recall telling you my name."

"The pot told me." Kuro said quickly, almost too quickly for it to be true. Even if Mrs. Potts mentioned Belle's name, he couldn't forget one of the seven Princesses. Particularly one that his original self's companion tore through the fabric of space and darkness for. "You were cooking?"

"It's a highly sought after potion… well. It should be, I'm still working on it." Belle said, as she walked over and read the instructions yet again. Kuro admired her as she worked diligently. She was the Beauty Princess, and Kuro had no doubt why she would be labeled as such. She was beautiful, with tender hazel eyes and chestnut brown hair. Her round cheeks pulled into a beautiful smile and her mere presence brought a sense of relief to any situation. She was special, Kuro had surmised. The Heartless' eyes flickered and his stare focused on the woman as she continued to brew her potion. A steady strobe of rose shaded desire resonated in her torso, the fact she was making this for the master of the castle must've made this all the more special for her.

"What were you doing out there in the dark, Stranger?" Belle asked, her eyes darting over to him as he simply stared at the work she was doing. He blinked and let out a short smile. It was time to get to work.

"Kuro. My name is Kuro. And I was actually hoping you could help me. I was hoping to find someone-" Kuro begins to speak only for the roaring boil of the pot to interrupt him. Belle is startled with the sound of her brew and she pulls the pot quickly off of the flames and pours it into a set aside bowl.

The brew that is concocted is a deep and murky crimson liquid that fills the basin. It's a thick swirling and rich shaded potion that permeates the room in a sweet and alluring smell, Kuro's eyes going wide and his mouth falling as he realizes what she had done.

"A Hi-potion." Kuro whispered, staring into the drink. Impressed with the Princess. "You made a Hi-potion with just the local plants?"

"I just need to add in a…" Belle stared into the recipe for the Elixir and smiled widely. She mumbled a few things. Finishing wifh a light hearted giggle. "Onions… some more sage. A few animal talons. I hope they are fine with chicken talons!"

Belle noted these ingredients with certainty and authority, walking over to the basket of aromatics along the counter and grabbing three onions. Kuro glanced over at a knife block on the counter and reached for it, taking a blade out and nodding towards Belle.

"Can I help?" Kuro asked with a slight smile, seeing her reciprocate the smile and handing over the onions to Kuro. He immediately took to slicing and dicing the onions. Belle takes the animal talons and pinches of sage into a mortar and pestle. She begins to grind the ingredients together and hums tenderly to fight against the grating sound of nail snapping. Kuro finishes dicing a single onion and palms it into a nearby bowl. "So, Beast's been on the offensive, I've heard?"

"He has." Belle whispered, continuing to grind the talons and sage into a fine powder. Her hip resting against the counter's edge as she keeps the pace of her mortar and hums lowly. She can easily recall the thundering sound of the Beast's canine paws knocking against the floors of his halls, the roars of fury that reverberated off of the walls and resounded through the castle. "It's been… a trying few months…ever since the world came back."

Kuro stopped his chop halfway through the onion, hearing the exhaustion and the sadness in her voice as she spoke. Watching the way her shoulders slumped and her face twist and contort in a sympathetic way for her Beastly protector. Kuro's lips fell to a half curled frown, returning his eyes to the onion and continuing to chop. He wanted to ask about the Hunter that he tasked himself with hunting, but to know someone who was probably still on Hollow Bastion after he was drawn from the dark, he had to know what happened. But having to explain his own origins to the Princess would be its own challenge in of itself. He would have to be careful.

"Where did you go, before the world came back?" Kuro asked insecurely, his fingers curled as he kept on bringing the heel of the knife to the counter top. Giving, what he hoped, was proper and even slicing and dicing.

"I was taken from this world to this desolate and dangerous place called Hollow Bastion. Me and these five other women were brought there by this evil witch and the Heartless." Belle let out a short worried sigh, images of a horned woman with a cackling evil smile echoing in her mind. Belle cleared her throat, grounding herself and pulling herself out of those negative thoughts. "Beast chased after me into the dark without hesitation. He and Sora saved us all from the evil of that place."

"Did you see… him?" Kuro asked softly, Belle's eyes squinting nearly shut as she let out an uneasy breath and stopped her mortar mid-wrist roll. Belle knew exactly who he referred to.

"We all did. Ansem only desired Darkness, and he was swallowed by the very dark that came out of the Keyhole." Belle noted with a rising fear in her voice. Images of the Seeker of Darkness flashing in her mind. "As the darkness engulfed him, he was smiling. The power that is latent in the worlds is really immense. He thinks it's the source of all the power…"

Kuro's eyes grew wide. The sensation of feeling the light fade from Notre Dame's cornerstone and spike into his body like hooks catching skin. Revitalizing him and giving him a sudden burst of energy and prowess. Kuro's hands flexed absentmindedly, his jaw locking. He returned to the onions and finished the last of the dicing. He walks the onion over to Belle who tosses it into the brew followed shortly by the ground up talons and sage.

The once blood shaded concoction then immediately begins to swirl in its center. As though it were beginning to drain all of a sudden. The Princess and the Heartless' eyes watch as the whirlpool shifts the color of the potion from a deep red to now a deep and vibrant violet. The smell transformed from its original sweet scent to something more exotic and refreshing. It cleared Kuro's sinuses and made his blood pressure skyrocket from the simple waft.

The whirlpool of violet mesmerizing the Heartless and the Princess. The Heartless nodded his chin towards the concoction and took another deep breath. The Princess let out a sigh of relief, her work had been completed and she created the very potion she had tasked herself with making.

"What is that?" Kuro asked with a low and awestruck tone. Belle glanced over and nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders and rolled her eyes.

"I just created an Elixir, no big deal." She noted with a slight bit of pride in herself. She didn't know if this would work, but she was thankful that the Elixir turned out to be such a successful experiment. She scooped up a few ladle fulls and poured them into a rather large flagon. The mixture sloshing in its pitcher and shimmering from the light of the nearby fireplace. She steadily carried it towards the swinging French doors of the kitchen and steadily made her way to the West Wing to where the Beast would root and try to rest. "I'll be back soon!"

Kuro watched her leave, and once she was out of sight, he took a ladle full of the concoction and slugged it down. The mixture was sweet and fulfilling, the way it warmed his lips brought to mind the feel of hot sandy kisses, the taste of sea salt on his tongue, and the smell of his favorite home cooked meal. The taste was delectable and it was just as pleasant as any memory he could recall. He glanced down at his still sensitive wound and didn't feel a single thing change. It was still as aching and just as painful as earlier. His eyes returned to the flames, staring into the roaring fire as it ate away at the wood. His hand absentmindedly rubbing over his entrance wound and letting out a short hum. Trying to bite back a groan as the pressure relieved from the touch also caused a high degree of irritation. Pleasure mixing intricately with the pain.

"If this was just an accident…" Kuro whispered with a grim smile. In the fire, he could see cold blue eyes. In the licks of the flames, he swore he saw raven haired locks. His side ached and he could only laugh it off. "I'd hate to see what kind of damage she could do on purpose."

Kuro's eyes returned to the elixir that Belle had brewed for Beast, thinking back to the days Sora's mother would feed him chicken broth and noodles shaped like dinosaurs when he felt under the weather, and the care packages that Kairi and Riku would leave for him for when he would feel better.

Had Kuro known of his past life's relationship to Beast and how dependent upon his strength and courage when Sora had lost the Keyblade, he would have fought much harder to avoid their confrontation back in Hollow Bastion. And if he had known Beast was out there in the Realm single-handedly protecting his castle from an unending siege of Heartless, he would have come back to assist his friend.

Kuro realized now that he needed to help both the Beauty and the Beast as a way of retroactively helping Sora, and began to try and figure out how exactly to best help the Beast now.

Beast's Castle

The West Wing

Belle approaches the master bedroom of the castle with the jug of Elixir in hand, her eyes staring at the deeply scored wooden door of the Beast's room. As though he marked it thoroughly enough to keep other intruders out. Belle notes this was probably from before a time when he was… emotionally aware, and somewhat more stable.

Belle recalled more pleasant times in the castle during her walk towards the West Wing.

Granted, she arrived at the castle under less than ideal conditions several months ago. When her father's horse returned home without its rider, Belle braved the elements and the beasts of the forest to go and find her. That's when she happened upon the Beast's Castle, and traded her freedom for her father's life. At first there was friction, as there were to be. But over the following weeks, she did begin to see the castle master's tenderness hidden beneath his gruff exterior. This would only evolve and make itself known the longer they spent time together.

It then turned into pleasant days walking around the gardens of the property, snowball fights and admiring the beauty of the season. The days turned into mellow evenings they would spend together in front of the hearth. With her reading to him and teaching him to read to her. Her face buried into his furry warm shoulder as they basked in the warmth of the fed hearth. Enjoying the company of one another.

Those simple wonderful nights have been replaced by him now patrolling the perimeter like a wild animal at all hours of the day. Protecting his territory with the ferocity and determination that she had thought went dormant during their time together. Although he had been growing steadily kinder to her since the first night she spent in the castle, she did feel a steadily splitting ravine between the two of them now.

Although he braved the ruins of Hollow Bastion and she was forever grateful for his kindness and his assistance, he changed when he returned home with Belle in the days that followed the light.

However, she would be lying if his apparent backtracking into the commanding and rather terrifying monster he used to be didn't upset her. He was doing so well in the months before the world fell to darkness, speaking softly and calmly to her and the servants. He would walk her to the room for the simple enjoyment of her company and wanting to spend as much with her as possible prior to bed. Now, he escorts her to her quarters immediately after their evening meal. As though she were a prisoner in their home once again.

"Hello?" She asks aloud in the hall, the sound of the snoring coming from within the master's bedroom just shy of echoing out into the hall. Belle waits for the Beast to come to the door, and she waits for what feels like twenty minutes. She is continually answered with deep chested snores.

She smiles softly, the thought of being offended not crossing her mind in the slightest. Just the sound of him being so deep in sleep he was actually snoring eased some of the tension in her heart. But still, this potion was going to be absolutely amazing and helpful in rejuvenating him back to proper form. She gently opens the door and peeks inside.

Her eyes are immediately drawn to the only thing in the room that has maintained an untampered and untouched appearance. Anything that was solid was covered in bashed in edges or surface level claw gouges. Anything that was soft was torn into singular threads, with its stuffing and cushion shredded into pieces that resembled grains of sand. The windows were punched out with left shards of glass to litter the stone balcony overlooking the front gates and the surrounding lower floors. The vanity mirror was smashed with shards of mirror left in disjointed jagged pieces along the orange rug of his room.

The walls were filled with bashed holes in the wood from furious punches and deeply scored stone walls that he used aggressively as scratching posts. Along the walls of the room were shredded portraits of his family along the wall.

The carefully crafted paintings of his father and mother were claws to a handful of parchments of now indistinguishable painter strips, The most egregious was the torn image of the castle lord proper, which Belle had only seen a handful of times. It was a frontal portrait of the Beast prior to his transformation. With his chilling blue eyes all that was untouched from the defiling that was done to the rest. He wore a firm, form fitting regal tunic with golden pauldrons from what she could make out from the shreds of the portrait that hung loosely in the frame. His skin was one fair and his hair a glorious wave of chestnut brown that hung loose along his shoulders. She slowly scooted into the room and let the door remain slightly ajar, as she slowly made her way over towards the dilapidated bedframe of the Beast.

It resembled more of a rat's nest now, just compounded and compressed pads of cotton and feathers, pressed into the floor from years of slumber. Loose blankets and cushions were piled all along the rim to form a soft landing that would be appropriate for a beast. There he slumbered, resting along his side with his truly massive arms and powerful paws tucked beneath his head.

Belle gently approached the nest and held the jug close to her chest, slowly moving over to him to heel to the floor slides to not disrupt him. She gets to the edge of the outer ring of pillows and slowly gets down onto her knees. Using the layered blankets and shredded furniture stuffing to ease her descent as she gets down onto her knees.

She sees his full lips slightly ajar, his dagger sized tusks peeking out as he huffs and bellows out heavy breaths. She reaches out to tenderly trace the base of his horns and comb over the brown tuft of fur that spiked and laid knotted along the top of his head.

She imagined that had she done this before they were well acquainted, he would have once rolled out of sleep with a growl and a bone rattling bark, slashing at her with his huge claws and bellowing at her to, 'Get Out!'. Instead, out of his slumber he stirs with his head lifting up to bump his head closer into her palm. His eyes still shut and his deep mewl vibrating her hand as he hums lowly against her touch. It reminded her of a purr of kitten, even if it was coming out of a four hundred and fifty pound Beast.

"Belle?" He murmured in the dark, his nostrils flaring as he caught a whiff of her scent. He smiles softly with his eyes still shut, and he bellows out a yawn that transitions to a low roar. His arms stretch out as he bends his back, rolls his shoulders and works out a big stretch. Belle giggles and Beast laps his thick pink tongue over his fangs and takes a whiff of the air. His eyes squint and he glances at the jug of violet liquid in her hand. The smell of his mother's imported tea that Mrs. Potts prepared expertly, his father's cooked venison from the hunting trips that Cogsworth would accompany him on, and the notes of homemade wine that Lumiere would personally harvest, fermentate, age and bottle for the family. Beast's big blue eyes narrowed as he approached the potion. "What is that you have?"

Belle's smile gleams in the darkness as she presents the pitcher of her elixir to the lord of the castle.

"I wanted to show my appreciation for all you've done. And I wanted to give you something that I think would help." Belle sincerely said with a joyful expression that warmed the Beast's heart and lifted his spirits. He took the jug and glanced between the drink and his princess. He let out a huff of disbelief, lips pulled to a tender grin.

"You risked your life for this?" He asked tenderly, trying to keep his rampant emotions and constantly frothing rage in check. The thought that he would be the catalyst for Belle to risk her life for this potion sparked a reaction of heated fury from within his form. He cursed himself for being so tired and being so exhausted from his fighting. If he were stronger and if he were more efficient at patrolling his own property, she wouldn't have had to worry about him so badly. He nods in appreciation and slugs down the drink in two big swallows. Draining the pitcher down to the last drop.

The Beast's eyes were thrown open, his breathing rose steadily to the rampant pace. Not from the potion not being effective or working, but from the flush of positive energy that overwhelmed him. The clicks and stiffness of his joints gave a final jolt and pop until the rolled smooth and steady, irritations in his shoulders and back subsided underneath a deep tsunami of relaxation, allowing him to stand to his full height and breathe comfortably without it being labored. The throbbing pain in his skull and behind his eye from the lack of real sleep felt as though a weight was lifted, snapped off by a quick snip of scissors as he felt his vision shift from blurred along his periphery to returning to his crystal clear sight. His headache subsided as though it were drained like a funnel out of the back of his head, allowing him to think without it feeling as though he slammed a hammer against an anvil inside his skull with every pulsing thought. He took a deep and steady breath and released it all the same.

"Belle…" Beast took up Belle's hands and held them tightly in his rough paws. His eyes glistened with feelings of content and happiness. "Thank you."

Belle returned the smile and reached up to pet along the curls of his goatee and comb it through her thin fingers. His stance relaxed as he felt her fingertips tickle under his chin.

They were interrupted by the knocking of the bedroom door. Beast's took a quick sniff and let out a harsh growl. He smelt the stench of sulfur, the friction of stone and burning wood. The very smell of the Heartless he's been hunting. He lunges to the doors and throws them open, charging ahead and crashing his paw up against the intruder.

Kuro was thrown back before a boulder-sized shoulder slammed into his chest and knocked him off his feet, a massive clawed hand quickly reaching and pinning him to the hallway's wall that sat opposite of the Beast's bedroom. Kuro didn't want to struggle. To invite the challenge.

"Good morning!" Kuro grumbled against the weight of the Beast's strike and grapple. His hands were thrown up as he consciously fought the fighting instinct to grab meaty fingers and start snapping them. "You look well rested!"

"Stran…Kuro?" Beast withdrew his claws, dropping the silver haired man onto the floor and giving him breadth to get back up onto his feet. The Beast rose to his full staggering height, folding one thick muscled arm over the other and he glared down at the Heartless. "You're up and about."

"Yeah…" Kuro shrugged, holding his pain ridden side as he offered a simple smirk in response. "You feeling better?"

"Like day and night." The Beast huffed as he smirked and showed off his sharp fangs. "How about yourself?"

"Nothing that'll kill me." Kuro said with a less than enthused tone, he was unsure that the wound left by the Keyblade wouldn't eventually kill him if left untreated. Kuro shook his head and let out an affirming sigh. "I was hoping I could show you my gratitude for your help."

"You saved Belle." Beast said with a furrowed brow and a confused expression. He tapped his dew claw against the stone floor and shrugged. "I wouldn't ask any more of you than that."

"I want to make up for Hollow Bastion." Kuro said with a slight grin and a nod. He straightened his back and looked up into Beast's stare with determination and appreciation in his eyes. "I was told you have been protecting your castle from harm all by your lonesome here."

"Yes?" Beast inquired with a raised brow. Kuro lived up his right hand and offered a shake, bowing his head slightly to honor the lord of the castle with his request.

"If I can, I would like to help alleviate that stress for a while. As long as I'm here, I'd like to help you patrol the ground and protect your people." Kuro glanced down to his wound and offered a short laugh. "Besides, I need to stay around and try to recuperate from the damage done to me."

Beast looked over Kuro, and felt a slight offense. He wondered if Kuro thought he was weak or incapable of protecting his servants, and above all Belle. He wanted to roar and yell at him for even suggesting the very idea. But then he thought of nights beside the hearth with Belle, dinners he can actually attend and enjoy with a guard on duty to protect the grounds as he basked in the warmth of Belle's company and attention. In the back of his mind, he knew he had to make up for lost time with his Princess either way. Beast dropped his arms, and took Kuro's hand into his paw. With a solid shake, a deal was struck.

Kuro would stay to guard the castle, supporting the Beast and Belle for all their help in battling against the Seeker of Darkness. He would rest up and heal as much as he can from the Keyblade wound, and when he was ready, eventually venture out to find this Hunter from the Cabal of Villains and bring him to the blade.