Fire

Band: The Guzmania&Acme (ex. DIV)

Pairing: Chobi&Chisa

Rating: 17+

Genre: romance

Series: "Nine Elements"

Warnings: -

Note: Chisa came out to his brother and it didn't work too well, so Chobi had to handle it.

Flames cracked in the fireplace. Covered with a blanket I sat on a pillow and looked into them like I was hipnotyzed. Like I was trying to warm myself from the inside.

"Tea?" I looked up.

You smiled, holding two cups in your hands.

"I made jasmine one. There weren't anything else, actually. Every Kurihara drinks jasmine tea?"

"My mum prefers chocolate one" I said, taking green cup with a picture of a dog.

You sighed and layed on the armchair, leaning your legs on the armrest.

"He'll understand" you said. "Meiko had to think about it for a while."

"I'd rather not argue with my brother about me being a weirdo" I muttered.

"Sachi!" you scolded. "Stop it. You're almost thirty, but your self-esteem is on a floor level. Drink your tea insteat of telling nonsense."

"Whatever you wish" I drank some tea.

Its warmth flowed through me, but I still felt like I'm frozen.

I didn't notice when you left. I realised it, when you came back.

With Hotaka.

"Here" my brother gave me a beer can. "We drink. Like guys. Yeah?"

I looked at you confused. You leaned on a doorway, smiling with satisfaction.

"Don't stare at your prince charming. Look at me or I'll change my mind!" screamed Hotaka.

"Alright, alright" I said, punching his arm lightly.

You laughed. How can you be warmer than fire, Hiroki?

The End

Thunderstorm

Band: D=OUT&DIV

Pairing: Satoshi&Shougo, mentioned Naoto&Shougo

Rating: 17+

Genre: comedy, melodrama

Warnings: brief violence

Note: Naoto meets Shougo during an interview and his mind flips, because he's still not over him.

Good thing that he has some control over his emotions, not like some other people.

When Reika was arranging an interview with Kouki and me at NicoNico, I didn't protest. Another meeting where you will have to talk about new releases for a bit. Nothing special.

Worse, it turned out that not only our band was invited.

DIV was invited too.

And of course Shougo and Satoshi had to volunteer.

I have nothing against spending time with bandmates. Or spending time with Shougo. But Satoshi on the other hand...

I think he's seriously suspicious. As if he would leave the band as soon as he dislikes something.

Worse, Shougo is completely crazy about him and sees no signs that there is something wrong with the drummer.

"Hi~!" Kouki greeted them and hugged them both.

Satoshi looked like he had a stroke, Shougo just laughed and hugged Kouki back.

"Hi, Naoto" he said, smiling fondly, when Kouki let him go.

"Hello, Shougo" I replied.

Satoshi didn't say anything. Nor to me and Kouki. 

All I could see was that all he was focused on was not to grab Shougo's hand or hug him.

You can always explain it with a fanservice, man, if you happen to be caught by a photographer.

Really.

I know what I'm saying.

I sat down next to Kouki who took his seat next to Satoshi. Shougo sat next to him and the broadcast could finally begin.

I've been trying to think about my girlfriend and our date tonight. I forced myself to focus on interviewer's questions and on Chou's short, green dress, which she bought recently. She probably would wear these thigh highs with it as usual.

But I've known already that I lost again. That again, after meeting with Shougo, after seeing his smile and probably after going for a beer with him later, when I get home, I'm gonna break another innocent, female heart.

I can't get over him. Even after all these years.

"So, you're in D=OUT now, Naoto?" Shougo asked me after the interview.

We were still sitting on our chairs. It was good, because if we weren't, my mind would become more chaotic than ever.

"Yes. I'm trying to be the good replacement for Minase" I smiled friendly.

"You shouldn't be a replacement, Naoto" Shougo got up and pushed his chair up to the table top. "You should be yourself. It's the best for you."

He shouldn't have said it. Not because I felt nice and the same time painful sting in my heart, but because I didn't know that Satoshi could frown as much.

"You know, Shogo, I don't want to be mean, but just being himself might not be enough for him sometimes, right?" he looked at me with disdain, this time grabbing Shougo's hand and squeezing it a little too tightly, because my childhood friend yanked it out with indignation on his face.

Eventually he was mad because of this unreasonable jealousy.

"Be careful because you can ruin everything by just being yourself" I said before I could think what I was saying.

Kouki looked at Satoshi then at me.

"You don't know Shogo like I do. Nobody knows him that well" Satoshi pushed Kouki away, who swayed slightly and blinked in confusion.

"You think you know Shougo better than I do?" I asked, frowning. "Do you know, how old we had been, when we met for the first time?"

"I don't care" he muttered, clenching his palms into fists.

Is he gonna hit me?

"STOP!" shouted Kouki, pushing us from each other. "I don't know, what's going on, but stop already. Or Reika won't let you go home for a week, Naoto."

"Chobi won't let you as well" said Shougo quietly. "Satoshi, stop."

That moron just looked at him and sighed.

"Ugh, okay" he snorted, turning around and leaving the room.

"Satoshi, wait!" called him Shougo, following him.

Kouki was still keeping a hand on my shoulder.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked.

"Shougo is my ex. And it seems that someone knows about it and has a problem with it" I explained.

"Geez" Kouki shook his head with disapproval. "But I have to admit that I'm amazed."

"By what?" I was confused.

"For the first time I saw him showing any emotions" explained Kouki, making me laugh.

After we said goodbye to the journalist, I thought that nothing would surprise me anymore. Kouki went to do something else and I headed for the exit.

Yet something surprised me. Satoshi was standing by the wall and he seemed to be waiting for us.

"Shogo went out to smoke. I don't feel like inhaling this poison" he said, even if I didn't ask him.

Just like I didn't make him grab my shirt and hit me against the wall.

...my back.

Wait, what?!

"What the hell are you doing?" I looked at Satoshi, confused.

"Don't call, don't send messages, don't talk with him. Just pretend that you don't exist" he growled.

"What?"

"You heard me. Stay away from Shogo. He's mine now and he'll never be yours again" he drawled through his teeth. "Do you understand?"

"Dude, I have a girlfriend. Calm down."

I didn't lie to him. I really still had a girlfriend.

"You don't love her" he said.

Who is he, the soothsayer? The clairvoyant?

"You'll break up with her soon."

"Where did this idea come from?" I was surprised.

"I heard about you changing girls like shoes. Why, are you bored, because they're not like my lover?" the tone of his voice was really disturbing.

"You're silly " I said.

"Naoto?" Kouki approached us.

Satoshi let me go and walked away.

I smoothered my shirt. What the hell happened here?

"Can't you be left for five minutes?" sighed Kouki. "What did he want again?"

"Make rules about talking to Shougo" I replied.

"What rules?"

"There's one: don't do this" I shrugged.

"But you made him realize you're taken?"

"Yes."

Kouki hit his face with his hand.

"We should go already, before he throws you into the sewer or something" he grabbed my arm and started to walk into his car's direction.

What a stupid moron...

But he was right about one thing. I don't love my girlfriend.

I love Shogo. For all this time, constantly, since ten years...

The end

Fires at Icy Midnight

Band: The Guzmania&Acme (ex.DIV) with Moran, heidi., Kalafina, Nightmare, Ganglion and Band-Maid in the background

Pairing: Chobi&Chisa with Ivy&Vivi in the background

Rating: 17+

Genre: romance, fantasy, AU

Series: "Fires at Icy Midnight"

Warnings: magic, violence

Notka autorska: "Fairies, according to legends, are small, cute creatures, who live among the trees, drink nectar from flowers and fly on bumble-bees. When people think about fairies, the last thing they think of are strict rules about mixed offsprings and magic controled by them."

Fairies, according to legends, are small, cute creatures, who live among the trees, drink nectar from flowers and fly on bumble-bees. When people think about fairies, the last thing they think of are strict rules about mixed offsprings and magic controled by them.

There are four original magic elements - water, fire, earth and air. Fairies controling them have butterfly wings and wands with a rose and a diamond. Every element has its colour - water is navy, fire is red, earth is green and air is violet. Fairies have wings, wands and clothes in all of shades of them.

And then we have their mixed offsprings.

Every offspring has wings of a moth and wand with its glass counterpart. Water makes mist with fire, mud with earth and ice with air. Fire and earth are lava, fire and air are light, but earth and air make its opposite element - darkness. When all elements mix, a pixie is born - a fairy without wings, who uses offsprings' wand.

Offsprings aren't liked in society, like always. But light fairies are glorified and spoiled. Light magic is considered as sacred and that's why light fairies are the only offsprings with butterfly wings and rosie wands.

It was one problem with offsprings. Ice, lava and darkness fairies rarely control their powers, so everytime, when something happens, they're sent to the watch centre. It usually works out and after a year of living here, a fairy comes back to the good side of spreading shining dust around.

But sometimes there are fairies who are bullied by other over and over lose control constantly...

I'm an ice fairy. I've spent almost all my life in the watch centre. I can't control my powers for longer than a week. And Ryu, the darkness fairy, is the main reason for that. He loves torturing me.

I jumped from one branch to another and sat down on a leaf. I saw other villagers behind a fence, spending happily their time in park. I was surprised, when I noticed that a representative of almost every element in our small community was there.

Siblings - Chobi and Meiko from the fire clan and Kiri from the air clan. By the way, these two clans were replacing each other on the throne all the time.

Another siblings - Jin and Ivy from the earth clan.

And finally Saiki from the water clan.

There were some mixed offsprings too. The light fairy Hikaru, the mist fairy Akane, the mud fairy Yoshihiko... Oh, and even the lava fairy Vivi and the pixie Ni~ya.

And me, the ice fairy Chisa, hiding behind a fence and watching longingly those, who are free. Just like some butterfly dreaming about flying.

* * *

I left the Watch Centre, folding and unfolding a belt attached to my bag. I could leave, but for how long? Three days? Three hours? I'm going to return there and watch the world through the fence again.

I don't know life outside the Watch Centre. I don't know life in peace. I don't know, how it is to be free.

Suddenly something fell to my feet. I looked at this.

"Chestnut?" I was surprised, picking up the chestnut.

It was immediately covered in frost.

I dropped it. I have to calm down. I can't lose control again. I left the Watch Centre only about three minutes ago!

"Hey~!" I heard and I looked up.

Oh, right. Chobi from the fire clan. He's nice to everyone and probably likes everyone too. Even if he doesn't know them.

Like me.

"Hi" I replied and I felt that the strap of my bag is freezing.

"Oh, my chestnut" Chobi picked it up, but it slipped out of his hands and fell on his foot. "Ouch...

"I'm sorry" I said. "I think I froze your chestnut..."

"No, you just frosted it a little" Chobi smiled brightly and burned the chestnut, which caused it to thaw. "What's your name? I'm Chobi."

"Chisa" I replied.

"Are you going home from the Watch Centre?" asked Chobi, following me.

Go away. Talking to me won't end well for you.

"Yeah" I nodded and he was still following me with his chestnut.

"I rarely see you" Chobi was still talking. "You know, I know everyone. Hotaka is your brother, right? I often see him, when he's going mushroom picking. But he goes there earlier. He's nice, it's a good boy. Is an age gap between you big?"

"Three years" I replied.

"I have a sister, Meiko. But she's three years younger, not older" Chobi smiled slightly.

Oh, so you think that Hotaka is older? Not first time in my life.

"We're going fishing with Ivy. Do you want to go with us?" asked Chobi and I just sighed.

"I can go" I said quietly and followed Chobi to the riverside.

* * *

"Gotch ya!" Ivy lunged at the zander, which immediately knocked it off its back. "Or not. I'll catch another one!"

"Wouldn't it be easier for you with vines?" asked Chobi, creating a bow and an arrow from the flames that pierced the fence.

The fish fell back into the water with a loud splash.

"I made a bet with Vivi that I can do it without it" replied Ivy, grabbing the perch by the tail and letting it drag him for a while.

I was sitting at the riverside and just looking at them. I didn't want to use my strengh or powers or to invest my emotions in this duel.

"Chisa, watch out!" called me Chobi suddenly and I looked up.

A large fish, probably a pike, jumped out of the water and flew straight towards me.

Shhuush. Icicles cut through the air and pierced the fish and nearby trees, cutting down flowers and cutting grass within a radius of several meters.

The fish fell with a thud right in front of my feet, its blood staining our clothes and the river water.

"Awesome" whispered Ivy, holding a bass, who tried to break free from the trap. "We're going to have a party tonight!"

"This pike is going to feed us for a good week" said Chobi, approaching the carcass. "We need to call a few more people, because we can't carry this huge fish on our own."

"I'm sorry, I got scared..." I mumbled under my breath.

"What? No, it's amazing!" exclaimed Chobi, patting my shoulder. "Good job, Chisa. Come with me, we need help. Ivy, kill this fish already, it's getting tired."

"Can't I make it my pet? I would feed it worms" said Ivy, making Chobi laugh.

"If you want it as a pet, I don't care, but I don't know, what would your parents say."

"Mum won't let me, fish are too slimy..."

"You answered your own question" Chobi grabbed my hand and pulled me towards a village. "And now watch these fish or some bear will eat them!"

Ivy nodded.

And I thought that if not Chobi's call, this fish would crash me...

* * *

I sat at the end of the table covered with dishes from the fish we had caught and listened to the happy conversations and watched the emerging romances.

I looked at Ryu, who had been watching me the whole time.

Despite his origins, he was never sent to a control center.

Never.

I felt the cutlery freeze. I thought about it immediately.

I can't let it happen. Calm down, Chisa.

"Are you okay?" asked my mum, looking at me in worry.

I nodded. She had such beautiful, navy wings. Dad had violet ones.

I sighed.

"I have to relax, I'll be fine" I announced, getting up from the table.

Hotaka looked at me, a little worried, but then I noticed that he started to eat my food, which I barely touched.

I leaned against a tree and the bark froze instantly. Chisa, for fuck's sake! Control yourself! This psychopath just looked at you!

"What happened, Chisa?" I heard next to my ear, which made me freeze grass around me. "Whoops?"

I looked at Ryu. He was petting frozen grass, breaking it.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"To get rid of you once again" explained Ryu calmly. "What are you looking at, Chisa? Are you are afraid of me?"

"I'm not afraid of you" I replied, although the crackling of the slowly freezing forest denied this. "I just don't like your company."

"That's rude of you to say that" said Ryu. "Very rude."

He grabbed my shoulder and pinned me to the tree. Frost covered his hand.

"You're very naughty, Chisa" Ryu chucked. "I have to tell autorities, what you're doing."

"Hey, leave him alone!" I heard Chobi's voice, who just ran to us, breaking grass on his way. "Let him go."

"Of course" Ryu took his hand off my shoulder. "I wanted to go anyway."

And he flew away, leaving us alone.

"Are you okay?" asked Chobi, walking to me. "Chisa?"

He grabbed my wrist.

"Don't touch me!" I jumped off him like he burned me, but his hand was covered in frost anyway. "I can't control my powers, I don't know, how to do it."

"It's normal, you're so young, kids..."

"I'm seventeen, Chobi."

He was silent for a moment.

"Seventeen?" repeated Chobi after a while. "You said that Hotaka..."

"That there is an age gap of three years between us. But I'm the older one" I corrected.

Chobi looked at me like I've just told him that we can't fly on swallows.

"Awesome" Chobi laughed. "So we haven't met for past 17 years?"

"Yeah."

"How?" asked Chobi. "How is that even possible?"

"You see? I told you, everything is frozen" Ryu returned with two employees from the watch centre.

"It was your fault, I saw that!" yelled Chobi.

"Children are too loyal to their friends" Ryu smiled maliciously and the watch centre guards grabbed my shoulders.

"I don't want to come back" I cried.

"You have to control your powers first. You won't have to then" replied one man.

"Hey, leave him alone! It's not his fault!" shouted Chobi, but no one listened to him.

And I felt that someting stung my shoulder and fainted...

* * *

I was laying on the bed, drawing in my sketchbook. I've survived outside of the Watch Centre just almost a day. I knew that it's going to be like this.

I heard knocking on the door.

"Come in" I said.

Vivi stood in the treshold, vissibly not pleased because of this situation.

"Hi" he said, closing the door behind him.

"Hey. Have you lost control too?" I was shocked.

Vivi has been in the watch centre once. A long time ago, when we were still children.

"Ivy got mad" started Vivi, sitting on the chair. "I mean, when they took you. Chobi told him, what Ryu has done. I was angry too and then I tried to stop Ivy from fighting with the watch centre's security, but I failed. They knocked Ivy out and I... I lost control, because I was worried about him."

"I see" I nodded, not stopping my drawing. "But you can lose control once a few years."

"You're right" Vivi smiled slightly. "But I'm glad that things turned out like this. Now I can ask you some questions."

"What questions?" I didn't understand, what he's talking about.

"Does Ryu always bring you here?" he asked and I nodded. "Since when?"

"Since I was four" I replied. "He hit my face with sand, when we were sitting in the sandbox. He loved guards taking me to the watch centre so much that I was outside for, I think..."

I thought for a moment.

"Don't tell me that you don't leave this place at all..." Vivi opened his eyes wide.

"Summing this up..." I took a piece of paper and a pen, then I counted days of freedom. "Twenty nine days."

"In one year?"

"Since I was sent there for the first time" I smiled sarcastically and put the paper away.

Vivi looked defeated.

"You're kidding me..."

"No" I shook my head. "Since thirteen years they're keep putting me here and, to be honest, I can control my powers less and less, because..."

"You're so scared that you're going to be sent here that you lose control again" Vivi finished my thoughts. "That's why Hotaka was here only once. It's not genes' fault, but this psycho's."

I nodded and then I heard knocking on the door.

"Come in."

"It's dinner time" announced Hikaru, who worked there. "Oh, Vivi. You're here. So I don't have to visit your room."

"We'll be here in one minute" said Vivi.

I walked to him and put my hand on his shoulder.

"What I've just told is a secret, okay?" I looked at him firmly.

"But..."

"I don't want anyone to pity me" I explained. "Don't tell anyone. Please."

Vivi fell silent. I didn't know, how to interpret this...

* * *

Several days later I sat under the fence and started drawing again. Suddenly I felt that something stung me through the net. I turned around abruptly and saw Chobi.

By the way, the fence was now covered with frost...

"Oh, sorry..." Chobi stepped back from the fence. "You won't have problems because of this, will you?"

"Not here" I replied. "Why are you here?"

"Don't be mean, I came here for you" Chobi puffed his cheeks a little. "Vivi told us about your situation."

"I told him not to do it!"

"But he told us. And it’s good that he did" Chobi knelt next to fthe ence and sat down on his heels. "Chisa, you spent only twenty nine days free, since this psycho started bullyomg you!"

"And what are you going to do? No one believes me, everyone likes him" I sighed.

"I thought that I can at least show you, how it is" he said.

"What do you mean?"

"I can come here and talk to you" he explained. "They shouldn't forbid us to do it, right?"

"Until I lose control, it's fine" I replied.

Chobi smiled brightly.

* * *

Chobi and Ivy were meeting with us everyday. They've been giving us sweets, talking with us, telling jokes and playing games. The fence was the only thing, which prevented us from touching them. And I wanted to do it more and more. But I knew that if someone saw us, they would lock me in my room.

And then a whole year has passed. They let me and Vivi go the same day. Ivy and Chobi waited for us.

"Do you want to go to the riverside?" asked Ivy.

"Tomorrow. Today I want to spend time with my family" replied Vivi.

"Of course" Ivy embraced Vivi with his arm. "I'll walk you home, my lava girl."

"I'm not a girl, Ivy."

"But you're sweet."

"Ivy!"

I laughed and looked at Chobi. He was smiling like always.

"Should I walk you home?" he asked.

"If you want to..." I replied, feeling a little embarrassed.

Chobi led me to my home. I thanked him, we said our byes and I walked inside. I welcomed my family, we had a dinner, then we sat down in front of the fireplace, where we ate cake, which my mum baked specially for my return.

I went to my room. I used to be here so rarely that almost nothing changed since I was a kid. Besides my bed.

I finished a book I started reading in the watch centre already, I ate supper with my family, played some games with Hotaka and went to sleep.

It was nice to sleep in my own bed. But I knew that it was a matter of time until Ryu was going to take this from me again...

* * *

The next day we went to the riverside. Ivy pulled out a fishing rod and sat down with Vivi closer to the shore. I prefered not to touch the water.

"Something happened, Chisa?" asked Chobi, sitting next to me. "Don't you want join them?"

"I don't want to risk freezing the water" I explained.

"Don't panic" Chobi sighed. "When was the last time you had lost control?"

"Yesterday, when I was brushing my teeth" I replied, making Chobi blink. "I'm a hopeless case. I'm stressing out because of my reflection.in the mirror"

"I don't even know, what to say" said Chobi.

We were just sitting there and staring at flowing water. Suddenly we heard Ivy's happy voice.

"Yeah, I caught you, little fish!" he shouted, pulling fishing rod to himself. "Vivi, help me, this fish is stubborn as hell."

Vivi grabbed the fishing rod with Ivy, but this fish was too strong. Chobi ran to help them and then...

SHOOST.

Fish pulled everyone underwater. And pixies are the only fairies, who can swim, so...

"No!" I screamed, jumping on my feet.

Grass around me froze within a radius of about half a meter. I ran towards the river, freezing everything around, and ran into the river, but I didn't even get wet.

Surface was already covered with ice.

"Chobi! Vivi! Ivy!" I tried to find them, but I couldn't.

Only after a while I saw Chobi's red clothes. I fell to my knees and melted the ice there, then I pulled everyone out.

The river froze completely after this and that's why ice didn't break under us.

* * *

"It was terrifying" said Ivy, holding a cup of hot tea in his hands.

We were at Chobi's place and parents of all three fairies practically knelt on the floor in front of me after we explained, what happened.

Even if I still was a little nervous and the armchair I was sitting in was covered with frost...

"You saved our sons" Chobi's mum looked at me gratefully. "I don't know, how to even thank you."

"Well, your mind was cool in such a stressing situation" said Ivy's dad.

"Don't even start with your silly puns again" Vivi's mum threatened him with her finger.

"They’re funny to me" Vivi's dad shrugged.

"Men and their sense of humour..." mumbled Ivy's mum.

"Who wants cake?" Chobi's dad walked into the room with a shortcake he just made.

"I just hope you didn't get in trouble because of us" said Chobi, staring at his cup.

"Why are you so worried about this?" asked his mum.

"He didn't control, what he was doing" explained Vivi. "Well, he still can't control it..."

Everyone looked at the armchair I was sitting in.

"We won't say anything" promised Chobi's dad. "Nothing is going on, it's just frost. It'll melt."

"I could be worse, if Vivi were the one, who lost control" said Hotaka. "Then you wouldn’t be able to save this armchair."

"And floor" added Vivi's dad, making his wife nudge him in his ribs.

"Are you really going to keep this a secret?" asked my dad.

Everyone just nodded.

"Don't you dare even try backing out of it!" warned them my mum. "If you do, I'm going to flood this village!"

"Tsukiko" scolded her my dad.

After afternoon tea, we came back home. I went to sleep, hoping for a better future.

But like they say, hope is a mother of stupid people...

* * *

I was returning with Chobi from mushroom picking. Chobi proudly rolled a large porcino, I settled for a small chanterelle. And then none other than Ryu stood in our way.

"I heard about your heroic adventure yesterday, Chisa" he said calmly, walking towards us. "The whole village is praising you."

"Don't even walk closer" Chobi stood between me and him. "Get out. You can't stress him only because you like it!"

"Bullshit" Ryu grabbed his shirt and threw him away.

Confused Chobi fell on the ground and glared at Ryu, furious.

"Don't throw me like some bones for dogs!" he shouted, burning grass around him.

"Boring" said Ryu and in this moment everything faded to black.

"Chobi, get out from here!" I yelled and then I felt that Ryu punched my stomach.

I curled up and fell on the ground, then I grabbed Ryu's ankle.

"What the fuck are you doing, you ice freak?!" I heard his voice suddenly.

What have I done? I don't know, what. I didn't see anything.

...until the shadows disappeared.

Ryu was almost frozen. He stepped back and his frozen clothes were screeching, breaking like twigs. He couldn't move his left leg at all, after I grabbed it.

"You know what? On the other hand, it couldn't end better" Ryu smiled and ruffled his frosty hair.

"If you're going to call people from the watch centre..." Chobi wanted to punch him, but Ryu did it first.

"Then what? I can blame our little icicle for everything, so I can hurt you even more, you know?" Ryu laughed and flew away.

My powers didn't reach his wings.

"Chisa..." whispered Chobi, then he walked to me and hugged me. "He..."

"Step away!" I yelled, but Chobi didn't listen to me. "Being in my presence is dangerous! Ryu is going to kill you and blame me!"

"I don't care about it" said Chobi.

I pushed him away.

"You saw, what I had just done. Well, you see it all the time. I loose control everytime. I freeze furniture, chopsticks and plants, because I get scared over something trivial!"

"It's all because of him" said Chobi firmly. "It's his fault, not yours."

"I froze your armchair yesterday, because I was still stressed by the lake situation. I didn't notice you or Vivi making holes in floor and you were the ones, who almost died!"

"You're just sensitive, that's all."

"I'm a mixed offspring. You're a pure-blood."

"Vivi is an offspring too."

"But he can control himself! Do you really think I killed this fish, because I wanted to do it?!"

Chobi glared at me.

"You didn't?"

"No. I just wanted to protect myself. And I could've hurt you or Ivy. I didn't control it."

Chobi clenched his fists.

"I can't let him hurt you" I said. "I can't lose you."

"But if they lock you in the watch centre again, I’ll lose you" Chobi stomped his leg like some angry bunny. "And I don't want it!"

"Why?"

"I like you. Very much. Very, very much" explained Chobi. "And that's why I don't want you to return there. I want a normal life for you, not sitting behind the bars all the time."

"But I'm dangerous, why can't you understand that?!"

"Ryu is the dangerous one!"

"Really? So look around us and tell me that you feel safe."

Chobi looked around. He was staring at frozen plants and frosted trees. His porcino was completely frozen. My chanterelle too.

"You were scared. It's because of him."

"Were you scared too, Chobi?"

"Yes..."

"Exactly. And you're not burning forest right now" I sighed and moved away from Chobi, but he grabbed my hand.

"Chisa, there has to be something..."

"Don't touch me!"

Blood splashed over my face, arms, legs, clothes... I was looking in Chobi's wide open eyes. I was watching as he fell on the frozen ground, coughing with blood. He probably tried to understand, why icycles pierced him through and got stuck in a tree behind him. He also tried to call my name, but he couldn't do it and just stopped moving.

And I couldn't do anything, I couldn't even move, I just watched.

Until frightened guards from the Watch Centre didn't inject me with doubled sleeping potion.

* * *

I woke up in a cell...

Wait a minute.

I blinked. It really was a cell. I wasn't in the Watch Centre. I was in jail.

"Good afternoon" I heard someone's voice.

I got up. Guard was looking at me with an emotionless expression.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Light fairies revived your victim" he announced, opening the cell. "He's fine."

"Glad to hear it" I said, when the guard grabbed my shoulder. "Where are we going?"

"You're going to be executed. I want to watch" replied the guard, smiling maliciously.

He didn't even flinch, when I froze his hand.

So that's how I'm going to die.

I don't know, why, but I thought "Finally"...

* * *

I got tied to the trunk surrounded with dry twigs. Funny death for the ice fairy, right? As a total opposite to my powers.

Well, not exactly. They would have to pour lava on me.

"Chisa, the child of water and air, fairy of ice" I heard loud voice of the judge. "You're guilty of murdering Chobi, the child of fire, fairy of fire. Do you admit that you killed him with cold blood?"

I nodded. My mum fainted.

"Well, good night" said the judge and snapped his fingers at executor.

Executor walked to me, lit a flame on his finger and lit up the wood.

I closed my eyes. This is going to hurt. But at least I can finally rest, right?

"No!" I suddenly heard a voice.

I opened my eyes and through smoke I saw Chobi in his pajamas going towards me, pushing other people away.

I felt tears in my eyes, when flames reached my legs.

It hurt.

It hurt like hell.

I closed my eyes.

I was losing my mind.

And probably started crying.

But then fire burned out. I felt someone untying me, picking me up and jumping from the stake with me.

"Don't come closer or I'm going to burn this village to the ground" growled Chobi, still holding me in his arms.

"Chobi, my dear..." I heard his mum's voice. "He killed you..."

"Accidentally" Chobi interrupted her. "He lost control and it was my fault. Well, not only mine, but Ryu's too."

"Ryu?"

"Darkness fairy. He provokes him all the time, just to put him in this mental hospital again! He's obsessed with bullying him!"

"What do you have to say, Ryu?" the judge glared at him.

Ryu just shrugged.

"I just think this ice freak brainwashed him."

"That's not true!" shouted Hotaka. "I've seen you many times, scaring him!"

"I saw it too!" confirmed Saiki. "Akane was with me back then!"

"He's doing everything to make Chisa lose his control" added Akane.

"And we've always been telling you about it" reminded them Saiki.

"But no one listened to us!" shouted Ni~ya. "Because he was acting like this usually only among offsprings."

"You ignored even pure-bloods' words" added Yoshihiko.

"It's really hecking unfair, you know..." said Kiri quietly.

"I can confirm" Hikari nodded. "You have to start listenong to us."

"I understand that teenagers are just children in your eyes, but that doesn't mean that we can't see, what's going on" said Ni~ya.

Ryu just laughed.

"See? You can see? Good luck."

All we could see was darkness. Deep and frightening.

"That's why marriages between earth and air fairies scare me!" cried my dad. "Do you see, what's going on?!"

"Well, we're not, in fact" I heard Ivy's dad voice.

"Dad!" this time it was Ivy himself.

And then we heard a thud, short scream and another thud.

We could see again after that and we saw Meiko, who was leaning over Ryu, holding a torch in her hand.

"I hit him" she announced. "He was annoying and he didn't even notice that I'm blind."

Meanwhile Ryu was a little burned, unconscious and finally defenseless.

* * *

Light fairies healed me, so I could leave the hospital quickly. Ryu was executed, but I didn't ask, how. I really didn't care.

I went with my parents and Hotaka to the park. Today it was a Firefly Festival, so the whole village was there to observe it.

It was almost midnight. I was looking at one of the fireflies, sipping grape juice, when Hotaka nudged my cheek.

"Look" my brother pointed on Chobi, who was standing there with his friends and discussing about something with them happily.

I got up, gave my juice to Hotaka and walked towards Chobi. Ivy saw me first and patted Chobi's shoulder, pointing on me.

"Chisa" Chobi looked at the ground. "You're causing ear;y winter."

"Because of emotions" I started to walk towards him. "Why did you save me?"

"I've told you before. I like you. Very much" replied Chobi, but Vivi smacked his head. "Ouch! Alright, alright. I love you. Are  y o u  happy?"

Ivy and Vivi laughed under their breath.

"What?" I blinked.

"I fell in love with you. That's why I couldn't lose you" explained Chobi.

I walked to him, freezing everything around me.

"And you're not scared?"

"No. I have fire powers. I can melt this everytime" Chobi smiled radiantly.

"Good, because I can become too emotional right now" I said, putting my hands on his cheeks and kissing his lips.

But I think Chobi didn't care about his frosty hair, if he kissed me back.

Melting everything around us, because even pureblood fairies can't control their emotions in such situations.

The end

White Snow

Band: UNiTE., mentioned Canzel, xTripx, D=OUT, DIV, Acme and Kameleo

Pairing: Haku&Mio, mentioned Naoto&Shougo, Icchi&Ruli, Naoto&Mio, Haku&Yukimi, Satoshi&Shougo + others

Rating: 17+

Genre: romance, soft angst

Warnings: main character's melancholy

Note: A story about two broken hearts, which comforted each other.

Haku was sitting on the floor, trying to tune his bass. Icchi crouched down beside him, watching him closely.

"You should tell him already" he said after a moment.

Haku finched, startled.

"Who?" the bassist asked slowly.

He obviously didn't undestand, what Icchi was talking about.

"You really don't know?" Icchi laughed, smiling friendly and meanly at the same time. "Yukimi, of course. Since when you have this crush on him, hmm?"

"For too long" mumbled Ruli, smacking an unlit cigarette in his mouth.

He probably couldn't decide whether to smoke now or in a moment.

"Alright, alright" said Haku and sighed. "I'll go to him after the concert, okay?"

"Of course!" Icchi jumped up and clapped like a little child. "Take your life into your own hands, you're not a teenager anymore~!"

"Yup, he isn't" Ruli took the cigarette out of his mouth and left, finally deciding to smoke it.

After the concert Haku walked to Yukimi and grabbed his arm, stoping him for a moment. He probably wanted to tell him everything and explain, what he felt, but he didn't do it. He just kissed Yukimi without a warning.

Our staff shook their heads and returned to doing their business, Icchi smiled radiantly, but a little meanly and Ruli...

...and Ruli gave me a sympathetic look.

I stood there staring at Haku and Yukimi as if they were my whole world. Or basically the world and someone who destroyed it. It covered itself with crystal white snow and fell into a long winter sleep.

I don't know since when I loved Haku. Maybe from the first meeting? I know I told him about it a few months ago. And I got dumped, because Hiroshi's heart was already occupied. Not by me...

And now I was standing there and watching Yukimi pull away from Haku and say he has been waiting for this for a long time. Hiroshi put his arm around him and they happily went to the wardrobe. And I couldn't move, every cell in my body screamed in emotional pain.

"It's a little sad" Icchi smiled meanacingly, standing next to me. "But I couldn't watch you get your hopes up. It was time to end this, leader."

"You get the most enjoyment out of it anyway" I said softly.

The squeezed throat made it impossible for me to make a louder sound.

"Maybe I'm just being mean?" Icchi shrugged, directing his steps towards the dressing room. "Move, or people will start to think you're having a seizure."

"Icchi" Ruli scolded him and shot him a look that made it clear that if the vocalist didn't shut up soon, he would be the bottom.

"Alright, alright. I'll go. Hurry up, a cold beer is waiting for us" Icchi stretched and went away.

Ruli walked to me and put a hand on my shoulder, but I shook it off.

"I'm okay, you don't have to..." I stopped, when Ruli hugged me. "What are you doing?"

"I'm so sorry about him. And about Yukimi. And about Haku" he said calmly, trying to stroke my spiky hair. "I can talk with Icchi about his problems with his empathy, if you want."

"You don't have to. And now, let me go" I gave Ruli a fake smile and pulled him away. "Can we go already?"

"Yes" Ruli smiled back, but his smile was real, not like mine.

And so began the several years of pretending that everything was fine, that I'm not falling apart slowly to pieces, and that smile isn't just a mask.

* * *

This state was going on and on, and I had the feeling that I would never get you out of my head again.

I've been daydreaming at some boring party with a drink in my hand, although I don't like alcohol. Lin was talking to Chobi, Yui was playing PSP with Hikaru sleeping on his lap. You were hiding somewhere with Yukimi again, and it is probably in the least permitted place you could have sex in. As usual.

"At this moment of the party it's getting boring, right?" I heard a voice next to me. "Everyone is drunk and not responding."

"How do you know that I'm not drunk?" I asked.

Ena, xTRiPx's drummer, just laughed.

"You've been sitting here for hours, drinking one drink, Mio."

"You're a good observer" I said, stirring the straw in my glass.

"Why are you sad?" asked Ena and I frowned slightly.

"I'm not sad" I said.

"You are" said Ena firmly and cast a longing look at Shougo, who was sitting with Satoshi at the table and giggling like a teenager, probably thinking something the drummer said was very funny. "And I know very well, why."

"You still love him?" I whispered.

I knew these two had been together once, but they broke up under not very clear circumstances.

Ena just nodded, and I nudged his shoulder.

"Just don't show it."

"I'm trying not to."

"I'm trying as well."

"But it's hard."

"And you tried..."

"I tried."

"And you did it?"

"No."

"Neither did I."

"Scary, isn't it?" Ena sighed, staring at his almost empty cup. "I don't even like alcohol, but when I look at them, I..."

"...have to drink this?" I finished his thoughts.

He nodded again.

"At least you're cute. You have the rights" Ena laughed shortly.

"I'm not cute!" I was offended, but he put a finger on my lips.

"Should I prove it?" he asked, smirking.

Alcohol, fake relationships and sleeping around. The only way to forget.

And, in some absurd way, to awaken the hope that someday everything will be okay...

* * *

I felt that Haku embraced me, when I tried to tune up my guitar before the concert.

"Nee, Ryosuke?" Haku pulled one of the strings. "Smile."

"What?" I looked at him, confused.

"Smile. I don't like, when you're sad" said Haku.

"I'm not sad. I'm just focused" I explained, putting away my guitar on the sofa. "I'm happy, don't worry."

"You didn't lie just not to worry me, right?"

"I wouldn't dare lying to you."

Haku smiled radiantly, helping me to get up. Even if almost three years passed, I still couldn't believe that he's really by my side. I can touch him. I can hug him. I can do  everything.

After the festival I was sitting a little bored, when Haku and everyone else were drinking like it was the end of the world as we know it. Or as if there were some drinking competition.

Well, everyone besides Sana.

"Hey, Mio" a little drunk Shougo, or maybe even not just a little, sat down next to me on the sofa. "'Sup?"

"Everything is okay" I replied, leaning on Haku's shoulder, when he was talking with Reika about bassists' things.

I didn't understand even a word from this conversation.

"Are you sure?" asked Ena a'ka Naoto, putting a hand on Shougo's shoulder.

I smiled radiantly, nodding.

"Yes, I'm sure."

And Naoto, smiling to his memories, picked up Shougo and walked towards the door.

"What the hell are you doing, for the dogs' sake?!"

"We're gonna go home, princess. Too much alcohol tonight for you."

"We have to take Chisa with us!"

"Alright, alright. I don't want to have my head torn off by a small dumpling almost twenty centimeters shorter than me, don't worry."

And we, for an unknown reason, couldn't stop laughing because of this conversation.

However, that doesn't change the fact that everything was really okay and my laugh finally became real.

The end

Beauty and the Beast - Stone Heart

Band: D=OUT&Acme (ex. xTRiPx), LapLus

Pairing: Naoto&Shougo, Reika&Hikaru and Satoshi&Shougo in the background

Rating: 17+

Genre: AU, fantasy, romance

Series: "Beauty and the Beast"

Warnings: psychopaty

Note: Naoto has to save Kirei (Shougo) from Yajuu (Satoshi), who's a crazy sorcerer.

____________

Kirei - Belle

Yajuu - the Beast

There was a young man living in our small village, who's name, Kirei, matched his person perfectly. But I'm not going to ramble about his beauty, because this story would lose its sense.

The most important thing is that Kirei disappeared one day. I was worried about him and decided to find him.

"It's not a good idea, Naoto" said Reika, my friend, chewing on some dried beef. "Just think about it. Kirei is smart and beautiful. Someone probably seduced him. Besides, he's a man. Do you want to be in a relationship with a man?"

"Yeah, because Hikaru is a woman" I glared at him.

Reika snorted.

"And that's what I mean!" he exclaimed. "Naoto, I know, how complicated the situation it is and I think that..."

"Are you going with me or should I force you to do it?" I asked, losing my patience.

Reika sighed, threw the rest of dried beef to Hikaru's dog and jumped on his horse.

* * *

We've been riding for hours, trying to find Kirei in the forest, when suddenly wolves blocked our path.

"We made a wolf pack mad, Naoto" mumbled Reika, trying to shoot them. "Naoto, where are you going? Naoto!"

But I didn't care about his calling. Snow was squeaking under my horse's hooves.

In June.

"Naoto!" Reika caught up with me and looked at me firmly. "A wolf pack is chasing us, we should go back!"

"Reika, look around. It's winter" I said.

My friend looked at his right side, at his left side and then at me.

"How?" he asked in shock.

"I don't know, but it stinks of black magic" I said. "If Kirei was here, he could've become a victim of some sorcerrer."

"Or wolves" Reika shot another hairy creature. "Is it just me, or they're immortal?"

"Maybe they are. We should find Kirei" I said and suddenly I had to stop my horse abruptly.

Castle. A castle appeared in front of out of nowhere!

"It wasn't there before" said Reika, even if it was obvious.

Maybe he said something like this, because he also hit the gate with his horse.

"Hey, Naoto?"

"Huh?"

"Wolves are running away" Reika pointed on these fucking mutts, which howling and hiding their tails between their hind legs, ran away from the castle.

I looked at the big castle. Who or what lived here that made these animal react like this?

"Help me open the gate" I said, discovering that it wasn't even locked, just very heavy.

We pushed the left gatewing and walked in, bringing our horses with us. We tied them to the fence and walked towards the castle.

"Naoto" Reika nudged my shoulder. "Naoto, do you see these statues?"

"I see. And what?" I asked, looking at sculptures standing on two sides of the road to the castle.

They looked incredible, like people turned into stone.

"Naoto" Reika shook my shoulder this time. "Naoto, these sculptures are observing us. They're alive. They're alive, Naoto. We should go back."

"No way" I growled. "If this thing hurts Kirei, I won't forgive myself."

"And what if it hurts us, huh? Are you going to be happy as a ghost?" Reika stared at the sculpture of some young woman. "They're really alive. It's terrifying."

"I didn't know you're such a coward" I laughed and walked into a castle, then I froze.

There was even more statues here! Beside stairs, in the hall, everywhere!

"Naoto..." Reika clenched fingers on my shoulder. "Naoto, we should go."

"Firstly, we have to find Kirei" I replied, snapping out of shock.

I walked upstairs, feeling the statues' eyes on me. Reika followed me obediently.

We opened the first chamber, but we saw only more statues. It was also super tidy here. As if it wasn't a castle, but some museum.

"Who are you?" we heard a voice out of nowhere.

Reika jumped out of fear and bumped into a wall, breathing hard and I turned around slowly.

I saw a man about my height. He had such strangely built body that I wondered, if he doesn't have a problem with buying clothes, and emotionless expression. Like he couldn't use his facial muscles.

"I'm Naoto, this is Reika" I helped my frightened friend getting up from the floor. "We got lost in the forest, looking for a young man."

"A young man?" repeated the man. "There's no one here. You should leave."

"So you're alone?" I asked.

The man nodded.

"Yes, only me. I'm Yajuu" the man introduced himself. "Can you leave already? I want to be alone."

"But you were alone, before we arrived too" Reika pointed out.

"Don't be such a smartass, you fool" Yajuu walked to us and looked at us from above. "Get out or you're going to end like other lost boys."

"As sculptures?" I asked.

Yajuu glared at me and frowned.

"You're smart. Too smart" he said. "Get out."

"Can I ask you one question?" I asked.

"Naoto, come on, I don't want to be a stone" Reika shook my shoulder.

"Be quiet" Yajuu glared at him. "Ask, if you really have to."

"Have you turned Kirei into a sculpture too?" I asked, making Yajuu sigh.

"Why should I punish someone I love?" Yajuu grabbed my shirt. "Kirei is fine, unlike you."

I heard snapping of his fingers and my body became numb. I could only see, how Yajuu is putting me and Reika against the wall and walks away.

I almost heard in my mind my friend's words "Naoto, you fucking idiot!". Well, maybe I really was one...

* * *

Some days passed. I saw Yajuu wandering many times around the castle. I don't know, if he was looking for something or just liked to walk. I watched him. He was, in fact, insane. He was talking to himself, cried and laughed without reason and cut his wrists just to write on the walls with his own blood. The most interesting part was that everytime he had such episode, the next day he spent on erasing evidence of his madness.

I heard footsteps and looked in their direction. I was surprised, when I saw Kirei. He looked like a shadow of himself. He was barefoot and anxious. He then stopped abruptly and looked at me. I had an impression that he said something like "Impossible".

Kirei walked towards me and looked at me, tilting his head like some puppy, who wonders, why his master doesn't want to give him a sausage.

"I knew that something was wrong with those sculptures" he said. "Why would Yajuu have the sculpture, which looks like you?"

Is he talking to me?

"Kirei?" we heard and he turned around towards the voice.

"Oh, Yajuu" Kirei looked at me somehow apologetically. "Yajuu, these sculptures are scary. Why do you have so many?"

"I'm a collector" announced Yajuu, embracing him. "Come with me, let's drink some tea. You're going to stop being scared."

"I know..."

"Is there something you're scared of, my dear?" asked Yajuu and despite being a sculpture right now, I felt I was going to be sick.

"This sculpture..." Kirei turned towards me. "This sculpture looks like someone I know well."

"Really?" Yajuu seemed surprised.

Well, I was too. We were strangers, we said "Good morning" to each other a few times and that's it. What is he talking about?

"Really" confirmed Kirei. "I mean, we weren't friends. Let's say we were lovers, who didn't see each other's eyes."

If I was still a human, I would freeze on the spot.

Kirei loved me...?

"Oh, I'm sorry" said Yajuu with fake empathy. "I didn't want to make you anxious because of these sculptures."

"It's okay" replied Kirei, grabbing his hand. "I want to drink some tea, before I faint from emotions."

And he left, like this situation didn't happen at all.

* * *

Yajuu came to me at night, picked me up and moved me to the dungeon.

"If he finds you here, I'll break you" he threatened me. "So pray you'll never meet him again."

He closed the gate and ran upstairs, leaving blood on the walls.

* * *

Some days passed and I was losing my mind. I was alone, completely alone. I didn't see anyone, I didn't hear anyone. I couldn't talk, I couldn't breathe and I couldn't move. It was like being in coma, but completely aware. I had an impression that if I won't do something, I'm going to die just because of stress.

I heard footsteps. It was the first sound, which I heard since a long time.

I looked up and saw Kirei.

"He put the sculpture in the cell" Kirei walked downstairs, took the keys from the hook and unlocked the gate. "Sculpture. In the cell."

Kirei walked to me and looked into my eyes.

"I've been looking for you. And I checked something out. I put a hand on one sculpture's chest. You know, the one, which was next to you" Kirei stood on his tiptoes and looked in my eyes. "I felt its heart's beating. Do you have a heart too?"

I felt Kirei's soft hand touching my stone body. I was looking in the eyes of someone I loved and I couldn't tell him about it. I couldn't even talk. I couldn't warn him that these sculptures are cursed people and that Yajuu is a psycho.

"You're alive" said Kirei in shock, stepping back. "You're really alive..."

He thought for a moment, walking around my cell.

"You all are. Every sculpture is a human. He transformed you, right?" he looked at me firmly, but what could've I done?

I couldn't talk.

Kirei walked around the cell one more time, then he walked to me.

"Hey, Naoto?" he put his hands on my shoulders. "You were looking for me, right?"

I wanted to nod, but I couldn't.

"You're in love with me, aren't you? Am I right?"

And I could only stare at him.

"Did I lose my mind?" Kirei sighed. "Everything is just my imagination probably. Or hallucinations. But I should try, right?"

Kirei stood on his toes and kissed me. I blinked. Did he...

Wait. I blinked?

Lifting an arm was hard, but I managed to do it. I embraced Kirei's waist and put my other hand on his cheek, then I kissed him back, still confused with the whole situation.

But this sweet moment couldn't last long. I heard door opening with a slam and I looked towards the stairs. I saw Yajuu, who looked like wanted to kill me right now.

"What are you doing, Kirei?" he asked, walking downstairs towards us.

Kirei moved away from me. His eyes were empty, like he didn't have a soul.

Kirei ran from my cell towards Yajuu's arms.

"I told you that something is wrong with this sculpture" he cried. "That's a living human being."

"It's not" denied Yajuu, pulling out a gun and pointing it at me. "It's just a sculpture."

I dodged the bullet and ran away upstairs, miraclously dodging other bullets too.

So that's what we're doing now? He dropped snapping fingers and being a sculptor? Now he really wants to kill me?

Awesome...

* * *

Trying to hide from Yajuu, I found myself in the ballroom. I turned around and saw this mad insane crazy angry prince, who tried to shoot me, but...

"Stop it!" Kirei probably decided to take things in his own hands. "What are you..."

And then he had this empty look again.

"What are you doing, Yajuu?" asked Kirei. "Why do you want to break a sculpture?"

Illusion? Wait. He's under the spell!

"Don't even think about breaking it" growled Yajuu, confirming that he can read my thoughts.

Awesome.

"Kirei" I said softly, pulling out my gun.

Yes, I suddenly remembered I have a weapon too.

"Kirei, don't hesitate and run."

"I won't run away" replied Kirei, walking towards us. "I'll stay."

"You chose him?" asked Yajuu.

"My head hurts" said Kirei. "I see two realities merging with each other. I'm tired of this situation. Tell me, what's going on, I won't leave this ballroom."

"Go back to your chamber" told him Yajuu. "It's dangerous here, this man has a gun."

"You have a gun too" Kirei turned towards him. "I remember now, Yajuu. I was suppoused to unfreeze your frozen heart. To teach you love. But you're still a terrifying sorccerrer. You can't even learn love. You only know obsession."

"What are you talking about?" I felt a little confused.

"And what did you think, you fool?" asked Yajuu. "He's some kind of a fairy, just male! And I would make him loyal to me, if you didn't show up!"

"You're talking such nonsense..." Kirei rubbed his temples. "Stop messing with my mind! I'm bad at such tricks and you know it well!"

"So you won't stay with me forever?" asked Yajuu.

"I was suppoused to cast a spell on this castle..." Kirei fell to his knees and leaned on the floor. "I wasn't suppoused to stay here... You were suppoused to find your true love later..."

"Whatever you're doing, stop" I said, pointing my gun to Yajuu. "Break this spell. You must see you're hurting him."

"He's mine" Yajuu grabbed Kirei's shoulder and picked him up abruptly. "He's mine and no one else's!".

I decided to do something. Even if it meant that I have to kill him. I don't know, if Yajuu is a human, but he for sure is a monster.

I shot him twice, then thrice, trying not to hurt Kirei. Yajuu fell on the floor and Kirei ran to me, then hid behind me.

"Is he dead?" he asked.

"Are you a sorcerrer?" I asked him a question myself.

He nodded.

"Yes, but I'm weak. I just know some transmutation spells. And some healing potions" he explained. "I was supposed to transform him into a beast. The guild wanted me to do it. But..."

"But he was a monster already" I finished his thoughts. "What are we going to do with other sculptures?"

"I have no idea" replied Kirei. "Naoto!"

I turned around and saw Yajuu, who should be dead already, but instead he shot me. Bullet hit me under my ribs. Well, I didn't expect that.

Then I heard another shot.

Yajuu fell on the floor and I fell beside him. I turned around towards the direction, from which I heard shooting.

I saw Reika and Hikaru, who ran to us.

"Kirei sent me a letter" explained Hikaru. "Let's leave this place."

"Sculptures... They're humans..." I mumbled, feeling like strengh is leaving me.

"Shut up, you pathetic hero" growled Reika, throwing my arm over his shoulder. "Why do you care about some strangers? Now you're in such condition that you should focus... What an undead cockroach!"

Reika turned around and shot Yajuu straight in the forehead.

"Why can't he just die?" Reika kicked Yajuu, like it was going to help. "Die, you fucking creature!"

"Maybe we should burn him or something?" asked Hikaru.

Well, I was a little surprised it was him, who said this.

But the room could've stopped swirling...

Can I faint already? It's too exhausing...

"Damn it, Naoto, don't go to the light!"

Oh, thanks.

* * *

I woke up in my own bed and I saw Kirei, who was treating my wound with a cloth soaked in some stinky substance.

"Oh, you're awake" he said emotionlessly. "If you want to know, we burned that castle."

"What about the sculptures?" I asked.

"I've told you betore that transmutation is my main field of magic" Kirei gave me a cup with something, which had even worse scent than this stinky mud. "I transformed everyone back into humans. It was a good idea, because Hikaru wasn't able to pick me up..."

"Wait, pick you up?"

"I fainted. I used too much energy" explained Kirei. "Sorry that I put you in such a situation. Well, I mean, you decided to look for me yourself, but I guess you were bored."

"I was bored of being single" I shrugged. "But I'm not single anymore, right?"

"I'm not going anywhere" said Kirei. "If you don't tell me to go. But I'm afraid I'm going to destroy this little town then."

"Do you have so much power?"

"Don't underistimate me!" Kirei seemed offended.

"You told me yourself that you're weak."

"I didn't mean it so literally!"

"Are you sure?"

"Naoto!"

From frying pan to the fire, like they say. Maybe I should die in this castle.

Kirei hit me with a pillow.

Can he read my mind too or is he only still mad?

The end

Beauty and the Beast - The Rose of Darkness

Band: The Guzmania&Acme (ex.DIV), NEXX

Pairing: Chobi&Chisa

Rating: 17+

Genre: romance, fantasy, AU

Series: "Beauty and the Beast"

Warnings: magic, violence

Note: Yajuu (Chisa) has a body of a beast because of his curse, but when he meets Kirei (Chobi), he suddenly realises that he's not a monster at all.

____________

Kirei - Belle

Yajuu - the Beast

He appeared suddenly, in the middle of the night. He was some old man asking for shelter. And we, naive people, let him in.

He stayed in our castle for a week. He was a little annoying, but he was just a poor, sick grandpa. He's old and he's getting crazy because of it. And he had a soft, if I can call it that, side for me.

"Come with me" he said, grabbing my hand and walking with me to the ballroom. "You're a good kid. Do you want a rose?"

I looked at the rose. It was such a dark shade of red that it was almost black. I looked at the old man. He was grimacing, like he tried to smile, but failed. We thought that he's just like this. He was just a weak grandpa, wasn't he?

"I'm not a girl, so I have to refuse" I said.

"Hey, don't be like that" grandpa put this flower just under my nose. "Take this rose. I got it especially for you."

Of course I was stupid enough to take it from him. Rose’s thorn stabbed my finger, so I hissed and wanted to drop the rose.

But I couldn't let it go of my hand.

"Amazing" said the old man and his wrinkles started to disappear.

I remember that my parents, my brother, my butler and my maid came to see, what happened, when they heard my scream.

A rose crawled under my skin. I felt its thorns, which activated the curse of a sorcerer, because this old man was just that. A sorcerer.

As my father rushed to stop him, the wizard summoned a staff and struck it against the floor. In this moment, my family and two servant-friends became a candlestick, a broom, a clock, a teapot and a teacup.

And the sorcerer stood there and laughed mockingly as I laid on the tiles covered in fur, with a mutated body that I didn't even have the strength to look at at the time.

"If someone is going to fall in love with you, when you're in this body, I'll give back your old one" announced the sorcerer. "For now be my battery of the eternal youth."

He left and I looked at my hands. They were covered with yellow fur, under which, when I spread it with my fingers, I saw a rose. Yes, its vines were under my skin. The flower itself was in my chest. The sorcerrer had a reason to choose me. He could cast a spell on my brother instead, but he prefered to watch the rose irritate my already hypersensitive bronchis, causing an asthma attacks to occur twice as often.

I looked at the mirror only once. I saw claws, tail, fangs, horns and yellow fur over all my body. It was enough to break every mirror in the castle.

And hide in my room, then leave it once a year...

* * *

It was one of winter evenings. I didn't like to go out during the day, because I was scared that someone could see me.

I went to the forest. Branches were breaking under my feet, my tail was sweeping the snow lazily. And then I heard it.

A voice.

"Excuse me, is anybody here?" a little girl's voice.

She probably got lost in the forest.

But I'm a monster! If she sees me, she'll run away...

Well, I have to risk it, wolves are common in this area.

"Where are you, kid?" I asked and I heard a cry of joy.

"Here!" I saw a girl waving her hand. "I got lost, when I went to the forest to pick flowers, because this one boy started chasing me. I don't like him, he's terribly rude."

I looked at her. I couldn't understand, why she's talking to me normally.

"Aren't you scared of me?" I was surprised.

"Why should I?" she replied with a question.

"I'm a monster. You should" I explained.

"Monster?" this time she was the one surprised.

She walked to me and put her small hands on my chest.

"I can feel your beating heart. You can't be a monster. You wouldn't want to help me."

Then I realised.

"Are you blind, right?" I asked.

She nodded.

"What's your name?"

"Meiko" she replied.

"Come with me, I'll take you to my home. In the morning we're going to look for yours" I replied, taking her hand.

"Morning? Is it night already?" she started to panic. "My older brother probably lost his mind by now!"

"You'll meet him in the morning" I promised her.

"Mister..."

"What?"

"You have fur and claws."

"I know."

"So you're really a monster" she said, when we were already in front of the gate. "But you're nice."

"Thanks" I opened the gate and we walked inside.

* * *

"Maybe she's the one, who can lift the curse?" wondered my mum, pouring hot water into the bathtub.

"She's just a kid, Tsukiko" said dad. "Should we keep her here until her twenties, according to you?"

"And do you want to be a clock forever, Jirou?" asked mum, this time pouring cold water to prevent Meiko from burning herself.

"No, but forcing a child to marriage is a little icky" dad sighed.

"Yajuu is beautiful, nobody would deny his feelings!" cried Tsukasa, our butler.

He was kind of obsessed over me, to be honest.

"You can’t force a child to love him" murmured Hayato, my childhood friend.

He's been our manservant since his parents died.

"I helped her getting here" Hotaka, my younger brother, jumped into the bathroom and Meiko followed him, covered only with a towel.

"How old are you?" I asked, helping her get into the bathtub.

"Ten" she replied, holding the towel with her fingers. "Water is fine, it's warm."

"If you want to be alone, just tell us" I said.

She shook her head.

"Nah. My brother always helps me shower" she replied.

"Your brother seems to be nice" I said.

"He is. Sometimes he's too nice" she mumbled.

I helped her to change, but I had to close my eyes, and then we put her in a bed in one of the chambers.

We were supposed to finally take her home in the morning. She needed to sleep.

* * *

I woke up abruptly, hearing a noise.

"Burglar! Burglar is here!" Tsukasa was screaming, running around my bed. "Master, wake up, someone wants to rob us!"

I pulled pants over my rear and ran to check, what is going on. Who was stupid enough to break into a monster’s casle? This sorcerrer told everyone in Meiko's village that such a creature like me lives here!

I ran into the kitchen. The window was opened and our burglar was sitting there with a pot on his head, covered with flour.

"It's you!" he yelled, trying to get up, but he tripped and fell again then got up.

He threw a pot and jumped on me with a knife.

"Tell me, where is my sister, you beast!"

I would tell him, but he sat on me, so I couldn't breathe for a moment and then my body decided to continue this state.

"Hey, little monster. Are you okay?" really, burglar, who wanted to stab me to death, felt pity, because I had an asthma atack?

Really?!

Kitchen was too far from my chamber. And I didn't take my inhaler with me. Awesome...

I lost consciousness after a while, even if this youngster tried to prevent it.

* * *

"Hey, beastie? World to beastie, say something" I heard, waking up.

I saw a burglar, who was sitting at my bedside. He still had flour in his hair.

"Erm, I'm sorry for everything. Meiko already explained to me that I'm an idiot. By the way, your in-something is on the night stand. The kettle told me that I should give you this and wow, you started breathing again. Furries are always like this?"

Gods, why is he talking so much...

"It's just asthma" I replied.

He looked at me with curiosity.

"Is this some illness?"

"Yes."

"Does it make you breathless?"

"Yes."

"Not good" mumbled the burglar. "Oh, right. I'm Kirei, Meiko's brother, nice to meet you. I'm sorry for everything once again."

I smiled slightly.

"My name is Yajuu" I introduced myself.

"Funny name. Listen, I..." he started slowly. "Thanks for saving Meiko. By the way, you're so tall. It's awesome, isn't it? How tall are you, two metres? I want to be tall too, but mother nature hates me."

"You're shorter than 160 centimeters, right?" I asked.

Kirei snorted.

"I'm not! I mean, I’m three centimeters short from that..." he scratched his head and looked away.

I laughed.

"Don't laugh, you're just tall as hell" he mumbled.

"It's because of the curse" I replied.

"Curse?" Kirei seemed confused.

I wanted to explain to him, what the curse is, but I felt such pain that I almost fainted. Rose's thorns were stabbing my body.

Can something eat this sorccerrer, please...?

"Hey, Yajuu? Are you okay?" Kirei put his hand on my cheek. "Is everything fine?"

"I don't think so" I mumbled. "We can't talk about this curse, I think."

"So let's not talk about it" said Kirei. "If something like that is happening, we shouldn't."

I sighed.

"Follow me. I'll find some chamber for you" I said, grabbing his hand.

When we wished each other good night, I realised that he can see me. And he still wasn't scared to touch me, was worried about me and probably carried me from the kitchen to my chamber.

Why is so he nice for such a monster like me...?

* * *

The next day I found winter coats for Kirei and Meiko, because their worn jackets made me feel cold, even if I had fur, then we walked towards the village.

"I hate winter" said Kirei, trying to walk through the snow. "We can't wear summer clothes and we have to dress warm. And we're often sick. It doesn't make sense, right?"

"Right" I nodded.

"If you want to know, he always whines like that" announced Meiko. "Yajuu?"

"What?"

"Do you hear that?"

I froze suddenly.

"I do."

"What you, blind girl and beastie, hear?" asked Kirei and stopped next to me, when he saw this.

Wolves. There were seven of them or more.

The whole pack!

"Run!" I screamed, grabbing Kirei's and Meiko's hands and running back towards my castle.

One of wolves jumped on my back, pushing me into the snow. I kicked it, but others came to help their companion.

"Run! Now!" I urged the young siblings, picked up a branch from the ground and tried to push away these wolves.

Two of them jumped on me, knocking me on the ground. Well, it's going to be fast. They're going to tear me apart and my suffering under the curse wll finally end.

"URYA!" I heard suddenly and both wolves were pushed away with a heavy winter shoe and some thick branch. "He saved my sister's life, get off him!"

Wolves looked at Kirei like was a madman and he started barking like a mutated dog, then he threw stones towards them, which finally made them run away.

"Stupid flea-bags" he mumbled, looking at me. "Hey, beastie, you're bleeding a lot. Are you okay?"

I looked at my hands. Fur wasn't as yellow as always, it was scarlet.

"Hey, but don't faint right now!" he screamed, when I fell on the snow, diving in the darkness.

* * *

"Stupid bastards, hurting poor prince just like that" I heard Tsukasa's voice.

"Prince?" Kirei was confused.

"Yajuu is a prince. And these three there are a king, a queen and his younger brother" explained Hayato.

"Hayato, I don't think that you should talk about it" said mum.

"Tsuki, don't be mad. They would know sooner or later" replied dad.

"He's waking up, I think" I felt that Meiko poked my cheek.

I opened my eyes. Kirei was leaning over me.

"Are you alive, beastie?"

"I think I am..." I replied, trying to sit up, but I failed.

"Well, it doesn't look too well" said Kirei. "You know, what? We should stay here with Meiko a little longer."

"Why?" I was confused.

"You can't take care of yourself in such condition. And you can't rely on walking rubbish to help you" explained Kirei.

"You don't have to pity me..." I said, given up.

"I have to. You saved Meiko's life twice and my own once, sacrificing yourself during our fight with these howling flea-bags" replied Kirei. "I have to pay you back."

"You paid me back. You saved my life, when you came back for me" I pointed out.

"I only paid back my debt. What about Meiko?" asked Kirei. "Don't whine. It's in vain."

I sighed. This boy is really stubborn...

* * *

Kirei has been taking care of me for two weeks or maybe a little longer. I didn't understand, why he's doing it. I looked like a monster. And my asthma wasn't making it any easier for him.

When I felt better, I decided to paint something. I liked to draw since I was a kid and I even was in an art school, before I was cursed.

I thought for a moment. What I should put on the canvas? A landscape or something else?

"Hey, Yajuu. What are you doing?" asked Kirei, appearing suddenly behind my back, which startled me and made me jump, that's why I dropped my paintbrush. "Do you want to paint?"

"Yes, I was preparing to do it" I replied, reaching my hand towards the paintbrush and I caught it in the same moment as Kirei.

We looked at each other just like in these cliche romance books, which my mum used to read, when she was still a human, then we froze.

He saved my life. Probably even twice, because when he broke in, I could have died because of an asthma attack, if he didn't carry me to my chamber and didn't give me my medicine.

And he saved me from these wolves. So he's already returned the favor twice. He has one left.

"Can I paint you?" I asked, when I realised that I wished the last time would be, when he would take the curse off me.

But who can fall in love with someone like me?

"You can, of course" replied Kirei, getting up. "But do you want me to sit still, when you're painting me?"

"Yes, why do you ask?"

"He can't sit still at all" explained Meiko, entering the chamber. "You'll finish your fun time later, there's dinner for you in the dining room."

She turned on her heel and left.

"Is she really just ten years old?" I asked.

"Yes, she is. Why do you ask?"

"She acts very responsible" I explained.

"She's been always like this" Kirei shrugged. "Can we go already? I hope there's going to be a lot of meat, because last time it wasn't enough.

Then he walked towards the dining room, skipping around. I was still weak, so I followed him slowly.

He's crazy. But I love his craziness.

* * *

Working on my paiting lasted for a week. Meiko was right. Kirei couldn't sit still even for a minute.

But in the end his portrait was finished.

"Done" I announced, slipping from the chair and walking towards Kirei. "Come with me, I'll show you. Just close your eyes."

I grabbed his hand and led him to the paiting.

"Can I see?"

"Yes."

Kirei opened his eyes slightly, but then he immediately opened them wide. He looked at the paiting, then at me, totally in shock.

"It's wonderful!" he exclaimed. "How? My gods, you're so talented, beastie!"

I wanted to hide under my desk.

"Do you really think so?" I asked, blushing.

"I'm serious! Don't you want to be a professional artist? Or maybe you can't be, if you're a prince?" asked Kirei.

"I would like to, but..." I sighed. "I can't with this look."

"Don't be silly, if you put on a hood, you can do it" said Kirei. "You can't just give up your dreams, you know? You have to believe in yourself. The art you've made is beautiful. It's a shame that you can't paint Meiko... I mean, you can, but she can't see it."

"If I stick different size pebbles to the canvas, she can see it with her fingers" I suggested.

"Can you really do it?" Kirei was surprised.

"Of course" I nodded. "In my garden there's a lot of them. Can you help me pick them up?"

"Yeah!" he grabbed my hand. "Come with me, beastie. We have to make my sister happy. She deserves this."

I followed him. I felt this positive, bubbly energy in his presence. It was making me smile. I haven't been smiling so much since I became a beast.

* * *

We sat Meiko down against the wall. First I drew a sketch with a pencil, then I stuck stones and pebbles to it. Then I painted them It lasted about as much as with Kirei's portrait, because Meiko could sit still for a long time, not like her older brother.

"You have to wait until the paint dries up" I told her, when I finished the paiting.

"For now you can show it to my brother. He's probably more excited than me" said Meiko.

"I'll show both of you tomorrow. Now go to sleep" I stroked her head and she giggled.

Why those siblings treat me like that? I'm just an ugly and scary monster...

I returned to my chamber. I opened the door, but then Kirei walked to me.

"Hey, Yajuu, I have a problem" he scratched his head. "You know... I have no idea, where my chamber is."

"You've been here for a month" I said, surprised.

"I know, I'm clumsy" he laughed a little hysterically. "Can you lead me there?"

"Of course" I replied and he grabbed my hand, then he started walking somewhere.

Didn't he just say that he doesn't know, where his chamber is?

He led me to the balcony. Snow was shining on trees, reflecting the moonlight.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" asked Kirei.

"Yes" I admitted. "But I spoil the mood, I think."

"You?" Kirei blinked. "Stop it. True beauty is internal. And sometimes people can look just perfect, meanwhile inside they're rotting like old apples. You can't judge a book by its cover."

"What do you mean?" I didn't understand, what was the point of his speech.

"That you have a heart of gold" he put his hand on my chest, just like his sister, when we first met. "Don't worry about your appearance. Until your heart is beating, everything is okay."

I froze. I was staring at him in shock. What is he talking about? Does he really think that I'm beautiful just because of my personality? But I am...

"And don't cry, for gods' sake!"

...just an emotionally unstable monster...

"Kirei..." I whispered and he smiled fondly.

"I'm going to sleep" he announced, streching out. "I know the way. I just wanted to make you realise, how wrong you are about yourself."

And he left the balcony, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

* * *

The next day I showed Kirei and Meiko the latter's portrait. They both were amazed.

"How beautiful" said Meiko. "Like you."

"Like me?" I repeated.

"You took care of us" she giggled. "No one wanted to do it before."

"Before?"

"We're orphans" explained Meiko. "Kirei is my only family. No one wanted to take care of us, because... You know. I'm blind. So my nine years older brother had to do it."

"So he's ninteen?"

"Yes. Is it a problem?"

"No, but I'm one year younger than him" I replied, making Meiko surprised.

"Strange, I thought you're older" she said. "But I'm still grateful."

"No problem" I smiled and stroked her head. "Do you want to go to the ballroom?"

"I don't know... I can't see it" she said.

"But you can hear the music" I grabbed her small hand.

"Kirei!" Meiko called him, when we were passing by the kitchen.

Kirei walked out with a cookie in one hand and a ham onigiri in other.

"What happened, sis?"

"We're going to the ballroom. Come with us" she urged him and he followed us without whining.

We walked into the ballroom. I snapped my fingers, turning music on. After the sorcerrer put spell on us, the castle was alive.

"Wow, this music is pretty" said Meiko, starting dancing like a nixie on the clearing.

"Kirei?" I looked at him.

He was thinking about something.

"Someone put a curse on you" he said suddenly. "On you, your family and your servants. That's why you look like a monster, your castle is alive and your loved ones are dishes and other things. Is there some way to turn you into a human again?"

"It is, but..." I felt this pain again.

I fell to my knees. Kirei ran to me and grabbed my shoulders.

"Say it! He won't kill you. He has some reason to not do it, right?"

"This rose is a source of energy to his eternal youth" I explained, feeling spikes stabbing me deeply. "Someone has to fall in love with me to make me a human again. But who can do it, if I look like a beast?!"

Kirei caught me, when I almost fell on the floor.

"Me" replied Kirei. "I love you. I told you that true beauty is internal, right?"

"Kirei..." I whispered and then we heard a scream.

We looked up. We saw the sorccerrer, holding Meiko hostage and looking at us firmly.

"So cliche" he said, clenching fingers on her shoulder. "Do you really believe in what I told you back then? That I'm going to let you go, if someone falls in love with you? Bullshit!"

"You promised him, so now do it!" Kirei shouted, getting up and helping me to do the same.

"Whoopsy-daisy, I lied! I'm a sorcerrer, brats. I don't have to keep my promises" the sorcerrer laughed and summoned his staff. "But I can play another game."

Before we could do anything, he touched Meiko with his staff and changed her into a daisy.

"Meiko!" called her Kirei and ran to the sorcerrer, who threw her to him like bones to his dog.

"I'll break the spell, if you leave and never come back" said the sorcerrer.

"You said you don't keep promises" Kirei pointed out.

"Of course I don't! Unless they're helping me in my plan" the sorcerrer laughed. "So?"

"Kirei, go" I said. "Go and save your sister."

"Forget about it" said Kirei. "I won't leave nor you or Meiko!"

"So I don't have a choice" the sorcerrer put his hand into his pocket. "I don't want to waste my time for you."

Knife he threw towards Kirei was sharp. It was a beautiful dagger, with gilded ornaments. I could've examined it perfectly, because it pierced my chest and was stuck in it.

"Yajuu!" Kirei ran to me and caught me and pushed away the sorcerrer, who tried to do the same. "You asshole!"

Kirei put Meiko on me and ran towards the sorcerrer, then he punched him and took his staff away from him.

"I have to heal him, you idiot! Give this to me!" he shouted forst wrinles started appearing on his face. "Give it back to me!"

"Never" Kirei threw the staff against the wall. "You won't touch anyone I love!"

"Have you fallen in love with this ugly creature for real?" the sorcerrer was shocked.

He looked just like when he gave me the rose. He tried to get up, but he couldn't. His body was too old.

"Yajuu" said Kirei and ran to me. "Yajuu!"

He shook me.

"Yajuu, don't die! I really love you! I didn't lie just to break the curse! Really!"

"I believe you" I whispered. "I fell in love with you too, Kirei. But until I die, he won't lose his powers and is going to live..."

Before I closed my eyes, I saw the sorcerrer crawling towards his staff. He desperately tried to catch it. But then only Kirei's voice, whispering and sobbing, left. And finally everything disappeared.

* * *

"Yajuu, sweetie, can you hear me?" I heard my mum's voice and I opened my eyes.

I saw her leaning over me.

Wait a minute.

I sat up and looked around.

My parents, brother, Hayato and Tsukasa were humans.

Meiko too.

Withered rose was laying next to me and I saw a pile of ash nearby.

"Kirei broke the staff" explained Hotaka. "I mean, when you died, this asshole died too and we returned to our bodies."

"We ran here and Kirei explained, what happened. We were worried about you, because even if this cursed rose left your body, you were still laying on the floor lifeless" added Tsukasa. "Kirei was standing above you, because, you know, you returned to your body too and he probably couldn't understand your beauty."

"And then he picked the staff up and, just like Hotaka said, he broke it" added Hayato. "Some dust fell from it, so Kirei decided to spread it over you in hope that maybe it's going to wake you up."

"It didn't work, so Tsukiko said that maybe it has to be activated, so this crazy boy kissed you" explained my dad, looking like he was in shock that his son was kissed by a man.

"So, you're alive, right?" asked Meiko.

"Yeah, I'm alive" I confirmed, then I looked up.

Kirei stood there, with a broken staff in his hands, and was smiling.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Nothing" he dropped a staff, grabbed my hands and helped me to get up. "I'm just happy that you're not as tall as you were, when you were a beast, so I won't have a problem with doing it. And I think that my name matches you better."

"What are you talking about?" I blinked, then I was kissed again.

This time I was conscious, thouhg.

"Jirou, stop it, he's finally happy" I heard my mum's voice, who probably nudged my dad's ribs, just like always, when she didn't agree with him.

Ladies and gentlemen, lady Tsukiko, serious queen and mother of two sons...

But she's right. I'm finally happy.

The end