Band: Moran, mentioned Matenrou Opera and Versailles
Pairing: Soan&Hitomi, Ivy&Vivi and Sizna&Sono in the background
Rating: 17+
Genre: romance, fantasy, AU
Series: "Beauty and the Beast"
Warnings: magic, violence
Note: Kirei (Hitomi) has to escape from hunters and meets Yajuu (Soan), who doesn't want to be involved in any interactions with other humans.
____________
Kirei - Belle
Yajuu - the Beast
We should start with the fact that everything happened in some normal village with normal citizens... Okay, maybe not all of them were. There was a lake near the village and mermaids lived there. They loved to seduce their neighbours from the surface land. And my mum was among them.
They call us "mutts". And, to be honest, people usually don't like us. The reason is that humans are often obsessed with us.
"Kirei!" I heard and I saw the ideal example of what I was thinking about just a moment before.
Kamijo, my crazy admirer. He didn't care that I was a man - all that mattered to him was my mermaid genes. He wanted to fuck me and enslave me, in any order.
"What do you want, Kamijo?" I sighed, when he embraced me with his arm.
Well, I have to stop reading a book for now. I closed it and looked at my admirer. I wonder, when he's going to learn the word "no".
"Kirei, Kirei, my dear. You'll marry me, won't you?" Kamijo smiled radiantly and I looked at the sky and wondered, if I'm gonna be struck by lightning, if I'll look for long enough.
"Kirei, are you even listening to me?"
"Not really" I replied honestly. "Can you let me go? I want to read."
"Are you really doing this bullshit again?" asked Kamijo, looking at me with disgust. "You should stop."
"You're the one, who should stop" I got up and smacked Kamijo's head with my book. "No means no. Find yourself a woman."
"I don't want a woman, I want you" Kamijo hugged my legs. "You're so... Perfect~!"
I broke free and went back to my home. Why is he so stubborn? He even followed me, but I just didn't care about him.
* * *
I woke up in the middle of night, hearing some noise. My frightened mum burst into my room.
"Kirei, wake up" she said, covering me with a blanket and giving me a basket. "You have to go."
"Go?" I asked, when she took me out the back door. "But why? What happened?"
"They want to burn all the mutts at the stake" she said, helping me onto my horse, Horase. "Go."
"What about you?"
"I can handle it. Run away!" she shouted, slapped the horse's bum and ran back home.
Oh, so that's why Kamijo was so annoying recently. He probably tried to protect me, because he knew that if I were his boyfriend, he would do everything to safe my life. And lives of others mutts probably too. Well, I'm too proud to be a private prostitute for this naive aristocrat. I'd rather die than let him touch me.
I've been riding through the forest and I reached... a castle. I blinked. A castle. In the middle of the forest. So close to our village. How?
I looked around. Maybe there is some wizard, who's just playing with my mind? Or a fairy? Or some other creature?
I jumped off Horase and opened the gate, then I walked into the palace's garden. As I was coming closer to it, it seemed to be more and more abandoned and in a bad shape.
I left Horase outside and walked into the castle. I was surprised, because there was a fire in the fireplace. So it's not abandoned, fine.
"Good evening. Is anybody here?" I asked, but nobody answered.
I walked to the fireplace and sat in the armchair, because I wanted to warm up. Then I felt someone's eyes at me, so I looked in that direction. I saw a table and a teacup, which was staring at me.
Wait.
A teacup...
I looked at it again. Yes, it really was staring at me. It was blinking. And smiling.
I thought that I'm experiencing hallucinations. Kirei, it's because you're tired. Teacups don't blink and don't stare.
"Good morning" I said, looking at the teacup and it... chuckled.
"You have a funny expression" it said with girly voice. "You should say >>Good evening<<. It's dark outside already."
I froze and smiled hysterically.
A TEACUP IS TALKING TO ME.
"Dura! Don't scare our guest" a kettle scolded her.
A kettle.
A KETTLE.
"I'm sorry, dad" mumbled Dura.
"I hope that you didn't panic, mister" said the kettle.
Nah, I didn't.
I'M JUST TALKING WITH A PORCELAIN.
"I think that silence means you scared him" said the candlestick, climbing on the tea table. "I'm Ivy and I'm the butler. And I promise you don't have to worry about anything, mister! They're not dangerous. They're just a chef and his adoptive daughter. By the way, he's obsessed with her."
"Ivy!"
"Easy, Sizna" Ivy smiled brightly. "Or our majordomo is going to scold us for being too loud."
"Of course you're too loud" a mechanical clock climbed onto the table.
"This is Sono, our majordomo" introduced him Ivy, then he patted a little broom in a shape of some bird, laying on the table. "Vivi, wake up. You don't have to pretend anymore."
The broom sat up and rubbed its eyes.
"I think I fell asleep" it said with a high-pitched manly voice. "Good morning, mister."
"Good evening, it's dark outside" corrected him Dura.
"Stop talking" Sono waved his >>arms<<. "If you wake up our master, we're going to have a problem and this youngster will be torn apart!"
"Now you're the one, who's screaming" noticed Sizna.
"By the way, what's your name?" asked Ivy, smiling friendly.
Trinkets. I talk to trinkets and porcelain.
Yes.
It makes sense.
"Kirei" I replied.
"Oh, how pretty" Ivy jumped from excitment. "Are you lost?"
"I ran away, because people were hunting my kind" I replied.
They looked at me suspiciously. Well, I should stop being so shocked. I mean I'm...
"...I'm a half-mermaid. A mutt."
"That explains a lot" Ivy nodded.
"What?" asked Vivi.
"Why he's so beautiful" explained Ivy.
"Ivy!"
I blushed and sat in the armchair. A candlestick is complimenting me...
At this point, the heat from the fireplace and the exhaustion finally got me and I fell asleep.
* * *
I woke up, hearing footsteps. I managed to notice that someone covered me with a blanket, when I fell asleep, before someone's hand didn't clench on my shirt and I didn't hit a wall next to the fireplace.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?!" screamed... the monster, who was clenching his fingers on my shirt.
I'm sorry for using such peiorative words, but when you wake up and see some two metres tall, covered with black fur beast with horns, tail and big cat claws, how can you call it then?
"I hid from humans, who wanted to kill me" I explained, trying to stay calm.
"I'm going to be the one, who'll kill you" growled the beast, glaring at me. "Tell me the truth. Why are you here?"
"I told you already that I just hid from humans."
"I don't believe you."
"I wouldn't walk into some monster's castle otherwise" I said and he dropped me, then grabbed my leg and started dragging me across the floor, walking in an unknown direction. "What are you doing?!"
"I won't let anyone callin me a monster" replied the beast.
"So tell me your name" I said. "I'm Kirei."
"Is it really a name or your ego is so big?" the beast snorted. "I'm Yajuu. And you're going to sleep here."
He threw me into a cell and closed the gate.
"Good night."
"Good night" I replied, when he turned on his heel and left.
I sat against the wall. Out of the frying pan into the fire, like they say. I stopped being confused, why Sono was was overdramatic.
I sighed. I wonder, if he'll let me out someday?
I cuddled on the floor. When I thought that it's cold, suddenly some blanket hit my face.
I looked up. Yajuu glared at me and left the cell again.
I covered myself with a blanket and I tried to sleep. It was so uncomfortable that I fell asleep only after a while.
"Knock knock" I heard suddenly, waking up.
Ivy stood behind bars, smiling friendly.
"I see that Ya-san wasn't happy that you visited us, Ki-san."
"He wasn't" I sat up. "You can even say that he was furious."
"He's like that sometimes" Ivy climbed through the bars and jumped on some lift, pulling it down.
Gate opened immediately.
"Let's go."
"But Yajuu is going to throw me into the cell again."
"Don't be silly" Ivy laughed, jumping on the floor. "But you shouldn't do this thing again."
"What thing?"
"Don't call him a >>monster<<" explained Ivy. "He doesn't like it."
"I managed to notice it already..." I mumbled, following him.
Ivy lead me to a chamber. I was right with saying that this castle looks like it's abandoned. It was. Besides Yajuu and these living things, there was no human here.
I laid down on a bed and looked at the ceiling. I should run away. But where to? To the village? That is out of question.
I closed my eyes. This bed was so comfortable...
"Do you want some tea?" I heard suddenly and sat up.
I saw Sizna and Dura.
"Dad, he probably wants to sleep" said Dura.
"In his daily clothes?" Sizna was confused. "Kirei, you should change into pajamas. Vivi, find some for him."
"Of course" Vivi opened the closet and pulled out some aristocratic nightgown.
I picked it up and when everyone had left, I put it on.
I laid down in the bed. I could finally sleep now.
* * *
I woke up in the morning. I walked to the window and saw that it was snowing.
"Nice weather, right?" asked Sono, walking to me. "Yajuu hates it."
"He doesn't like winter?"
"He hates it" repeated Sono. "Ivy told me that he wants to show you around the castle. But firstly you have to eat breakfast."
I changed and went downstairs with Sono, straight to the dining room. I realised, how hungry I was. I haven't eaten anything since I finished food prepared by my mum.
I sat at the table and started eating, when I felt someone's eyes on me. I looked up and saw Yajuu.
"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked, trying not to kill me.
"Sono led me here" I replied.
"Who let you escape?"
"Ivy."
"I'm going to kill him" Yajuu shook his head and grabbed my hand. "Now we go."
"But wait!" I yelled. "I wanted... I wanted to apologise."
"For what? For calling me a monster, sneaking into my castle or eating breakfast in my dining room made by my cook? Or maybe for sleeping in one of my beds?"
"You used too much >>my<< in two sentences" I scolded him.
"And you spent too much time here" growled Yajuu. "Go away or I'll throw you into your cell again."
"Then I prefer to leave into the unknown than staying here any longer" I announced, pushing Yajuu away, then I ran towards the front door.'
"Ki-san, wait!" Ivy tried to catch up with me, running on his short, candlestick's legs. "Ki-san, stop!"
But I stopped listening to him already. I mounted my horse and rode in the direction I had been heading before stopping at the castle.
It started snowing.
And then I realised, why Ivy was trying to stop me.
Wolves.
They had to have their own territory around the castle. And there were about ten of them.
"Horase, time to turn back" I said to my horse. "Go!"
I drove towards castle. It was snowing heavily.
I heard howling.
I drove to the gate and shook it.
It didn't want to open.
"Ivy!" I called him and at this moment one wolf bit my shoulder and pulled me away from my horse. "Open the gate, please!"
I kicked one wolf and then I kicked another one. There was too many of them.
"Get off!" I heard along with the gate opening.
Wolves froze.
"I said, get off!"
Wolves looked at me and ran away. I looked at Yajuu standing in the gate and fainted.
* * *
I woke up in the bed, feeling some cold cloth on my head.
"Oh, Si-san, Ki-san is probably awake" I heard Ivy's voice.
"Kirei is alive!" exclaimed Dura.
"Be quiet, he doesn't have to get a migraine just after returning to the world of the living" growled Sono.
"You're talking like he was dead" mumbled Sizna. "But he's been alive all the time. He eas breathing, he was just unconcious."
"Exactly" Vivi nodded.
I opened my eyes. I saw the only person, who had been silent, leaning over me. And it was Yajuu.
"Sorry" he said quietly, taking a wet cloth from my forehead and washing it in the bowl standing on the night stand. "It's my fault you're hurt. The only thing I'm able to do is making humans my enemies..."
"I'm not fully a human" I admitted.
Yajuu looked at me with curiousity.
"My father was a mermaid."
"Oh, so you're a mutt" Yajuu smiled slightly, putting his paw on my forehead. "Well, your fever is gone finally. I thought it would never pass."
"Thanks for scaring off these wolves" I smiled to him.
"I don't like, when they come too close to the castle" replied Yajuu. "Kirei, right?"
"What?"
"It's your name, isn't it?"
"Yes, I'm Kirei."
"Forgive me, Kirei. I forgot already, how to be a human" he smiled apologetically.
"You were a human?" I was surprised a little.
"I was a bad human" replied Yajuu. "I was much worse, in fact. That's why I look like this right now."
"Your servants also weren't just talking rubbish, right?"
"I used to eat pasta!" cried Ivy. "And I'm never going to eat it again..."
"You're going to eat pasta again, little pug" Vivi patted his... shoulder?
I sighed.
"Yajuu?"
"What?"
"It's a curse, isn't it?"
"You're right."
"Is there a way to lift it?"
"It is" confirmed Yajuu. "But you can't do it."
"Why?"
"You're a man. Only a woman can do it" explained Yajuu, getting up. "But maybe I don't know about something?"
"If we're talking about my gender, you're right, unfortunatelly" I confirmed.
"So the only thing I can do now is waiting for her" announced Yajuu, walking towards the door. "Sleep, Kirei. You're going to feel better."
"You're right" I yawned, rubbing my eyes and covered myself with a quilt. "Good night, Yajuu."
He froze suddenly and sighed.
"Good night, Kirei" he replied finally and left.
* * *
Some days later, during which Yajuu tried to be nice, I woke up in the middle of the night. After a while I realised that I can hear a melody. Someone has been playing on the piano.
I got up, streched and put on my dressing-gown. I walked out to the corridor and went towards the music. It was quiet. Really quiet.
This melody led me to the left wing of the castle. I walked upstairs and opened the door to one chamber.
Yajuu was playing the piano. He looked so calm that his humanity seemed to be back just for this moment. His fingers were touching keys, his eyes followed every move of them. To be honest... His eyes were beautiful. Even if he was a monster, they were the only part of his body that stayed human.
The melody was melancholic and sad, full of longing for the past, probably to days, when Yajuu didn't look like a scary creature.
Yajuu finished the song and sighed, then he closed keys with a loud slam and got up. He turned around, noticed me and... got embarrassed like I caught him red handed, while he was doing something bad
"Oh, it's you" he mumbled, embarrassed. "Sometimes I play... You know, because I'm bored."
"It was beatiful" I said, walking to him. "Really."
"You think so?" he asked.
I nodded.
"Thank you."
"Can you teach me?" I asked, making Yajuu freeze.
"What?"
"Playing on the piano. I've always wanted to learn, but we couldn't afford it."
Yajuu glared at me, like he wanted to be sure, if I'm not joking.
"We can start tomorrow" Yajuu smiled fondly. "Now we have to go to sleep. How are your wounds?"
"Fine. They almost healed" I replied.
Yajuu turned around and waved his paw.
"Good. Good night, Kirei" he replied and went towards his bed.
"Good night, Yajuu" I replied, leaving his chamber.
...from what direction I came here?
"Did something happen, Ki-san?" asked Ivy, appearing beside me.
"I don't remember, where is my room."
"Well, not good" said Ivy. "Follow me, I'll lead you."
Ivy led me to my chamber. I jumped into my bed and fell asleep soon.
* * *
The next day Yajuu took me with him to the first piano lesson.
"First, you have to know that if you don't feel instrument, you won't do anything correctly" he said, sitting me down on the chair. "You have to feel that you and the piano are one. Pour your soul into it. Name the melody."
"How can I do it, if I don't have any music sheets?"
"Do you really think that what I played during last night, was from music sheets?" Yajuu laughed, grabbing my hands. "You have to be best friends with the instrument first. Then you can read these sheets."
Yajuu's claws pressed my fingers, which pressed the keys. I heard loud bing.
"What do you feel?"
"What do you mean?"
"What do you think about keys?"
"They're cold. But your hands are warm" I replied.
"Hands..." Yajuu laughed, sounding almost hysterical. "They're paws, not hands. Anyway, try to press every key in a row. First white, then black."
I did, what he told me. It was amazing.
"Did you feel it?"
"Music?"
"Music."
"I felt it."
"Exellent" Yajuu pulled out the music score. "So now we can start with something easy."
It was easy, but only for him. I made as many mistakes as my classmates during caligraphy lessons.
"Don't worry. It was just your first lesson" Yajuu stroked my head.
I sighed. I didn't believe that I'll be as good as him.
But I learned a lot during next lessons. I practiced this song for two weeks and I could play it almost perfectly.
"See, Kirei? You just need to believe in yourself" said Yajuu.
I looked at him. He looked so nice during these lessons. Just like the fact that he was a beast was completely unimportant.
"How are your piano lessons, Ki-san?" asked Ivy, walking beside me, when I was coming back to my chamber.
"Good. Why do you ask?" I looked at him, curious.
"Ya-san hadn't been so happy for years" explained Ivy.
"Really?"
"Ivy is right" Vivi flew to me and sat down on my shoulder. "Yajuu likes you."
"He likes me?"
"Yes, strangely. He doesn't like people" said Sono, catching up with us finally. "And no one likes him."
"So we won't be surprised, if you tell us you don't like him too" added Sizna, standing with Dura on the cupboard.
I had to ask myself. Do I like Yajuu?
"I think I have a soft side for him" I said.
"Wow, soft side" Dura jumped. "Do you hear, daddy? Soft side!"
"Dura-chan, don't scare him" Sizna scolded her.
"Okie-dokie" Dura sighed.
I returned to my chamber and laid down on my bed. I closed my eyes.
Are "soft side" good words for what I'm feeling?
Or maybe it's not just a "soft side"?
* * *
"Almost perfect" Yajuu sat down beside me and grabbed my hands, just like during our first lesson. "Here, I'll show you, how you should do it."
Clink, clank. The melody slowly flowed from under our fingers. It was so beautiful. So lively. And Yajuu's hands were warm like the summer sun on this winter day.
"See? Perfect" Yajuu smiled fondly. "Try to do it yourself."
I tried once again and I succeeded this time. I didn't make any mistake.
"Congrats!" exclaimed Yajuu and clapped his hands. "By the way, can you sing?"
"A little..." I admitted.
I've always been shy about it.
"Here, it's lyrics" Yajuu pointed on text with his claw. "If you want to sing, you can do it."
"I don't know, if I can play and sing at the same time" I said.
"I'm going to play. Just sing" he said and started playing.
At first I was singing just queitly, but then I felt the rhythm and somehow managed to sing a little louder. And in tune with the melody.
I looked at Yajuu. He had an expression as if he was deeply analyzing something.
"Do you want to see the ballroom?"
"Ballroom?"
"Yes."
"Don't you think that we should wear some elegant clothes, if we want to go to the ballroom?" I asked, pointing on Yajuu's rags and my village clothes.
"True" Yajuu nodded. "Vivi will find us something. Let's go."
He grabbed my hand and pulled me with him.
And it was the moment I realised that I would follow him to the edge of world.
* * *
I got a suit with golden ornaments from Vivi and Ivy opened the door to the ballroom for me. It was wonderful, even if a little dusty and seemed to be not used for a long time.
"You know, Kirei" I heard Yajuu's voice behind me. "I understand now, why they named you like this."
I turned around. He was in a blue suit with white ornaments. He tied his long black hair into a pony tail. I smiled and he grabbed my hands.
"Can you dance?"
"I can. I went to dance lessons in our village" I told him.
"Wonderful" said Yajuu, still holding my hands. "I don't have to worry that we'll hurt each other."
I realised that he really wants to dance with me. And I agreed.
I felt his warm body close to mine. His fond look on me. I saw my reflection in his eyes. Deep, black eyes, which made me calm. Until they suddenly narrowed.
Yajuu stopped abruptly, hearing some noises. I stopped too, catching his arm not to trip.
"What was that?" he asked.
"I have no idea. Maybe your servants?"
"I doubt it" he replied and then balcony doors opened wide.
Kamijo appeared in the treshold.
"Kirei! I came here to save you!" he announced, holding a crossbow in his hand. "For beautiful roses' sake, what the hell is that monster?!"
"Don't call me a monster!" yelled Yajuu, walking towards him. "And get out of my castle!"
"I won't leave without Kirei!" Kamijo pointed his weapon to Yajuu.
"Do you want to go with him, Kirei?" asked Yajuu.
I shook my head.
"See? He wants to stay."
"You brainwashed him, you beast!" shouted Kamijo.
"I didn't brainwash anyone. And for sure I didn't break into someone's house. Get out, before I'll stop being patient" announced Yajuu.
"Kirei is mine! I won't let him go with such a beast" growled Kamijo and released an arrow.
Yajuu jumped away, so arrow just scratched him, then he lunged towards Kamijo, knocking him off. Then he picked him up and threw away through balcony doors, which he close immediately.
"Do you know him?" asked Yajuu.
"Yes. He's just an annoying womanizer, who also happens to like me" I replied.
But then we heard glass breaking.
Before Yajuu could turn around, Kamijo managed to shoot from his crossbow through the broken window. It was an impulse. I jumped in front of Yajuu and shielded him with my own body.
Arrow pierced my chest. I felt strong pain and fell to my knees, even if Yajuu tried to catch me.
"Kirei!" he called my name and I was sitting on the cold floor, feeling taste of blood in my mouth.
"You beast!" I heard Kamijo's voice. "You killed him! You brainwashed him!"
"I didn't shoot at innocent people!"
"You're not innocent!"
"But he is!"
My vision was blurry. I saw Yajuu knocking Kamijo down once again and tying him with curtain rope. Then he ran to me and picked me up.
"You're going to be okay, Kirei. I promise" he whispered, but I saw tears in his eyes.
Even if I almost couldn't see anymore.
"Yajuu..." I smiled weakly. "Yajuu... I... fell in love with you, you know?"
"What?" Yajuu looked at me in shock.
"It's weird, but... I think I love you" I said quietly and closed my eyes.
I couldn't leave them open anymore.
I still felt warmth of Yajuu's body and heard his voice for next few seconds.
"Kirei. I fell in love with you too. I love you unlike anyone else. I love you more than myself. Don't die, I beg you!"
And then the world went black.
* * *
I woke up on the floor in the ballroom, hearing some voices. I opened my eyes. I saw a little girl, who had black hair tied with a white ribbon. She also had a black-white dress and shoes and green eyes.
"Oh, you're awake~!" she exclaimed happilly.
I knew her voice, but...
"You're scaring him, Dura. They just revived him" I looked up.
I saw Sizna, but he wasn't a kettle. He was a tall, slender man. He had short, brown hair and small eyes.
"Sizna?" I asked, then I was suddenly hugged.
"Ki-san, I can eat pasta!" exclaimed Ivy, who had long brown hair, chubby face and happy eyes.
He wasn't as slender as Sizna, but I wanted to feed him with onigiri.
"You're going to break his ribs, Ivy" murmured black-haired, shorter than Sizna and Ivy man.
His nose was like an eagle's beak.
"Don't be mean to Ivy, Sono" quietly said blonde-haired young man with big eyes and petite body.
"Kirei?" I heard from my right side and looked up.
And, to be honest, I froze.
I recognised him because of his deep, black eyes. He was as tall as this blonde-haired youngster, probably Vivi, but... Yajuu was handsome, not so fragile and cute like him. His hair were shoulder lenght, he was slim, muscular and I almost forgot, how to breathe at first. His voice sounded much different than in his beast form. It was deep like a well in my village.
"I was wrong. You are the one, who broke the spell" Yajuu took my hand and helped me get up.
"But I died" I reminded him.
"The Sorcerress revived you just after she lifted the curse" explained Yajuu and kissed me gently.
I heard Ivy and Dura crying with joy and Sono whining about it. But I didn't care.
We moved away from each other. Yajuu smiled fondly. Ivy took Vivi in his arms and kissed him, making him embarrassed.
"What? I haven't kissed him for years" said Ivy, when he saw Sono's scolding look. "You should kiss Sizna too."
"I won't show my feelings in front of other people" snorted Sono, making Sizna laugh.
"Gods, my head" I heard a voice behind me.
We turned around. Poor Kamijo was still tied up.
"Where's this monster?" he asked, when Yajuu walked to him to untie him.
"I killed it" he replied, untying the ropes. "Why do you ask?"
"So can I take Kirei with me?" he asked, looking at me. "Wait a minute... Didn't you die?"
"I died" I confirmed.
"So, are you a ghost?" he asked and I thought for a moment.
"Exactly" I nodded, thinking that it's the best conclussion. "Go to our village and tell everyone that I'm dead. And ask my mother to come here. I want to say my goodbyes, before I go towards the light."
"Of course" Kamijo got up from the floor. "So, goodbye. And I'm sorry once again."
"Goodbye" we replied.
"I'll show you the way, mister" said Sono, taking him from the ballroom.
"Did he really... believe you?" Yajuu was surprised.
"He's never been too smart" I shrugged, making Yajuu laugh.
* * *
Kamijo kept his promise. My mum arrived to the castle some days later. She jumped into my arms. She accepted me and Yajuu. She told me it's important for me to be happy, no matter with whom.
And no one called Yajuu a monster ever again. Well, maybe a demon. In the bed.
The end
