emo-toaster

[emo-toaster]

No thoughts. Just a tiny krampus Gyutaro sketch I did 😭

Dunno, just wanted to do some fun doodles.

(⁠ﾉ⁠≧⁠∇⁠≦⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠ ⁠ﾐ⁠ ⁠┻⁠━⁠┻

[emo-toaster]

For me it's

1. Gyutaro (Kny)

2. Tomura Shigaraki (MHA)

3. John Doe (John doe the game)

I'm cooked.

You ain't escaping me. Really, you're the only ppl I'm not afraid to tag sghsg

@artsycervidae @luk-recja

fine.. I'll start one..

You are stuck in a room with the top 3 people you simp for, how cooked are you?

I'll start first:

Gyutaro (KNY)

Bob Velseb (Spooky Month)

Gonta Gokuhara (Danganronpa V3)

if Gonta or Gyutaro dont protect me then im cooked.

TAG SOMEONE YOU FOLLOW (MAX: 3)

@emo-toaster @artsycervidae @ferf-bish

[emo-toaster]

Yooo

Kimetsu academy Gyutaro. I'd say I'm pretty safe! Well, as long as I'm not gonna be considered perfect target for some bullying (ᵕ—ᴗ—)

Dunno who to tag— so Imma tag the first ppl who show up after I type @ 😭

@luk-recja @artsycervidae

You’re stuck in a room with the last character in your gallery. How safe are you?

Thanks for tagging me @artsy-girl-76 @schnarfer @oonajaeadira @jeewrites (I’m so sorry if I missed anyone!)

Does this guy count?

YOU GUYS. It told me the gif was “too big”…. I’m not safe AT ALL 😅

Tagging @burntheedges @grogusmum @perfectly-imperfect-me23 @ishabull @davnittbraes

[emo-toaster]

Okay, since chapter 6 of my beauty and the Beast fic isn't out yet, I wanna make it up to you!

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No warnings. Just fluff Headcanons

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Gyutaro - Dating Headcanons ๋࣭ ⭑⚝

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╰┈➤ It takes him quite a while to get used to the new relationship dynamics you have. He's overthinking a lot and doesn't know what to do at first. Trust me tho, when he gets the hang of it, finally, he'll be the sweetest boyfriend he can be. He'll sure try!

╰┈➤ Gyutaro will take anyone who shows him genuine affection and care. Male, Female, Non-binary, it doesn't matter. He's simply happy to have you.

╰┈➤ Gyutaro is usually the big spoon, occasionally he'll be the little spoon, it makes him feel better. Like he doesn't have to be the one to deal with every problem all the time, finally rest and be vulnerable.

╰┈➤ If you have long hair, he'll brush it and braid it. He used to do the same thing for Daki back when they were human, and it brings him comfort. He'll be over the moon if you do the same for him. Gyutaro is pretty touch-starved, so when your fingers go through his hair, brushing it, braiding... he'll melt.

╰┈➤ He isn't fond of mirrors. Even though he learned to be proud of his ugliness at some point, he's like that only with other people around. When he's alone, he truly hates his appearance. He'll often doubt himself, wondering if he even deserves you and all the good things that happened to him so far. Gyutaro will then claw at himself, muttering insults and curses directed at himself, well, at least until you find him and get him busy with cuddling with you instead. He'll need a lot of comfort and reassurance from you, but eventually he'll feel better.

╰┈➤ Expect a lot of random gifts from him. Pretty rocks, flowers, hairpins, sweets or anything he'll find good enough will go straight into your hands. Gyutaro will make sure that everything he brings makes you happy, so overtime he's gonna bring more and more stuff that you may like and find useful. Favourite sweets, accessories that go well with your favourite pieces of clothing, random trinkets in your favourite colour. Gyutaro will make sure to pay attention to your preferences.

╰┈➤ There will be a lot of learning, that's for sure. Gyutaro grew up poor and unlike his sister he didn't get great education afterwards. He can read and write alright, but his handwriting is pretty wonky and looks like chicken scratch, he makes hiragana and katakana characters look complicated or unrecognisable— he'll need help with reading too, he can read kanji of course, but it takes him a good minute or two to remember it's meaning.

╰┈➤ Since Gyutaro and his sister reside in the entertainment district of Yoshiwara, your dear demon boyfriend will make sure that no-one bothers you, and if they do...well, he'll take care of them alright. He's very protective of you and his sister, so anyone who messes with you or her will get the same treatment.

╰┈➤ It took a while for Daki to finally accept you. She wasn't very fond of you at the begging, but she grew to tolerate you. She doesn't see you as an equal tho, but she doesn't see any human as such, so it's nothing to worry about. Daki is acting pretty nice around you actually, putting on the sweet facade she also uses in the presence of Kyogoku House's owner. She'll keep all the nasty things she has to say to herself. At the bottom of her heart she is happy that her brother found someone for himself, and she doesn't necessarily want to ruin it.

╰┈➤ Gyutaro will ask you to become a demon. Once in a while he'll bring it up in a conversation, asking if you'd want that. If you refuse, he'll just ask you another time, but if you agree, he'll be more happy to give you his blood so you can join him and his sister.

╰┈➤ He probably doesn't have fleas anymore! Probably.

╰┈➤ It's very surprising, but from time to time Gyutaro tries to show off, prove that's he's good enough for you. He knows he isn't handsome, so if he's not gonna be the good-looking boyfriend, he'll be the strong one. Gyutaro will show off his strength a lot, at some point he'll also want to teach you about fighting with his sickles if you're willing to try. Gyutaro enjoys fighting, it's the first thing he was actually good at, so doing something related to it with you will bring him a lot of joy.

╰┈➤ He's pretty shy if it comes to kissing, but he'll try to be more confident for you. Just be patient with him, he still has so much to learn.

╰┈➤ It's not a surprise, but you're actually his first partner. Back when he was human people wouldn't go near him if possible, after he became a Demon people were even more terrified of him, so it's truly a miracle that he has you with him now.

╰┈➤ If you have a bit of a tummy, then there's nothing to worry about! Gyutaro will be very happy about that, after all it means that you're eating well and you don't go to sleep with an empty stomach. It makes him glad, knowing that you don't have to worry about the same hunger he felt so many times as a human. Besides, he'll love to lay his head on your stomach during your cuddling sessions.

╰┈➤ If you like painting your nails, he'll do it with you. Gyutaro has naturally dark nails ever since he became a demon, so if you like having black nail polish on, it will make him feel great. After all, you two now match! Any other colour will be fine too, but he's still more comfortable with darker shades.

╰┈➤ Well, Gyutaro never had the greatest hygiene, but for you'll he'll try his best. He likes when you take care of it tho, he can then do the same for you afterwards and it brings him comfort.

╰┈➤ he likes listening to your talking. You can yap about anything to him for hours and he'll just sit there with a dumb grin on his face, happy to learn more about your interest or the topics you like.

╰┈➤ Gyutaro doesn't have to sleep since he's a Demon, but from time to time he'll happily take a nap with you, and he'll definitely enjoy it.

╰┈➤ Once, when there was a spider in the room and you asked him to take care of it... he ate the damn spider. After that you begged him to never do that again, and now he just throws them out or kills with one of his sickles.

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[emo-toaster]

Good advice ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧

Yeah— if you're wondering why I'm not posting much; it's because of school. I just wanna end this semester with fairly good grades if possible

( ꩜ ᯅ ꩜;) 

[emo-toaster]

Just gonna say that I dunno when chapter 6 of my beauty and the Beast au will be out. As soon as I have an idea and I'll write it down and post it. I'm sorry, please, don't be angry with me! !! ( ･ั﹏･ั)

[emo-toaster]

I love avatar the last airbender. AND GYUTARO WOULD BE THE BEST BLOOD BENDER EVER!

Anyways, Shoji and Gyutaro again yay! (≧▽≦)

I swear— I'm gonna write kny Beauty and the Beast chapter 6 soon—

[emo-toaster]

We're getting somewhere! I wrote this chapter yay! I'm sorry you had to wait, but unlike with the other chapters I didn't get an instant idea on this one + I was sick and felt like crap for about 2 days ಡ ͜ ʖ ಡ

This chapter contains: fluff and angst >:D

Warning!: English is my second language. If you find any errors in my writing, please understand. I used autocorrect to help me with my grammar and spelling, so I'm deeply sorry if any mistakes were made. Dyslexia + writing in a second language = challenging task (ᵕ—ᴗ—)

Word count: 4,6k

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Beauty and the Beast

Miko is still going somehow.

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Chapter 5: something there

A loud, angry hiss left Gyutaro's lips as you slowly pressed a wet cloth against the gash on his back caused by the wolf attack. His body twitched, moving away from the wet fabric that bought the painful stinging to his injury. He was currently lying on a futon in his room, which got a bit tidied up to actually resemble a bedroom, angry and unamused. The very room he tried to keep away from you and everyone else was now full of people, fussing over him as if he was a baby, it really had to be a bad joke. And you, you were the worst of them all, you walked in here, then ran away and got yourself in danger, causing him to have to go after you and now…you were the one literally torturing him. Well, it wasn't torture, but rather cleaning up his wounds, but it felt the same as torture!

“Stop it! It hurts!” Gyutaro snarled, moving away from you with a clear frown on his face. You could see his chest moving as he breathed in and out slowly, clearly exhausted after everything that happened tonight.

“If you'd hold still, it wouldn't hurt as much.” You answered, moving closer to him and slightly tilting your head to better see the wound.

“Well, if you hadn't have run away, this wouldn't have happened.” Gyutaro huffed in response, mumbling curses to himself, trying to get comfortable on the futon.

“If you hadn't frightened me, I wouldn't have run away!” You answered with a small frown on your face, seriously getting tired of this.

“Well, you shouldn't have been snooping around without my permission!” He added with a smirk on his face, feeling triumphant with this great argument of his.

“Well, you should learn to control your temper!” You answered, smirking too, seeing him tensing up in defeat. Your face softened afterwards, remembering what he did for you and that he was hurt right now, it actually made you feel bad for him. Slowly, you continued cleaning his wound, this time being a bit gentler, trying to do it softly and carefully so it wouldn't sting. Your actions quickly brought productive results because Gyutaro stopped moving around and actually calmed down, letting you actually help him.

“Uh…by the way, thank you— you saved my life.” You said softly, causing Gyutaro's head to perk up. His eyes looked at you, softening a bit after he heard what you said. This actually felt good; being appreciated helped the cursed prince deal with all the feelings rushing through his mind right now.

“You’re welcome…” He answered, his voice was softer this time. There was undeniable warmth going through him, he felt all nice and tingly inside. Gyutaro was confused, not sure what to make out of all this, but slowly he accepted the fact that he didn't hate you as much as he thought he did.

Once your work was finished, you slowly got up, looking down at Gyutaro. He seemed so peaceful now, it was a nice change, seeing him calm and quiet, not on edge and screaming constantly. Now, it will be your job to help him out a bit, not because others couldn't do it, but because you felt as if you owe it to him for saving you. You left his room, wanting to give him some space for now, after sliding the door closed, you turned around just to see Douma, Kotoha and Akaza staring at you impatiently.

“So…how did it go?” Douma hummed, smiling at you, awaiting your reply.

“It was alright. He's doing okay.” You answered, rubbing the back of your neck, feeling a bit awkward.

“That's great, I was growing so worried…” Kotoha chimed in, sighing deeply with relief as a soft smile appeared on her face. You wondered what was truly going on in this castle, if you'll be staying here, you might as well get a grasp on what's actually happening around you.

“Please, tell me, why are you here? Why won't you leave? What happened here? I was in his room, he's hiding something. Please, tell me what it is, I can feel it eating me up from the inside!” A soft sigh left Kotoha at your questions and pleas, Douma became a bit more serious as well, avoiding your gaze.

“We can't really leave. Believe or not, we're all cursed here.” Akaza sighed, turning his head away, not willing to say anything more. Douma then lifted his head, wanting to give you some more context.

“Look, we're bound to this place not only by that curse, but also by some way too complicated stuff. Don't worry yourself with all this, it's a lot of process.” He hummed, putting on a smile as if it was his way of coping with everything. You slowly began noticing things that were hidden before.

“You're cursed? Why? What happened?” You asked immediately, but you doubted that you'd actually receive an answer.

“Oh well, it's a long story, but it's not ours to tell. Forgive us for not being able to explain everything, but it's a sensitive topic…” Kotoha answered almost immediately. You could feel the awkward silence that grew between all of you, it felt pretty strange. You understood that whatever happened, it was a rather painful memory for all of them, and it wasn't easy to deal with it.

“Can I help somehow?” You asked, wanting to make them feel better. Seeing them like this brought some pain into your heart. After all, a few hours earlier they were all so happy, and now they were like the shells of their former selves.

“Uh— well, there is a—” Douma was about to say something, but Akaza nudged him with his shoulder, successfully silencing the candelabra for a moment.

“Don't worry about it, you've already helped a lot by bringing Master back to the castle and taking care of him, we'll be forever grateful.” Kotoha smiled warmly at you, actually lifting your spirits a bit, but more curiosity rose within you.

“Why do you care so much for him?” You asked, looking at the three of them, hoping for an actual answer now.

“You see, we've been around him for a rather long time, it's almost as if we're a family— maybe an odd one, but still.” Douma answered, shrugging as Kotoha nodded along. They had a bond, almost a familial one, but you couldn't help but think about it some more. That painting you saw earlier, you wanted to know who these people were! Douma, Kotoha and Akaza weren't telling you everything, that was painfully obvious, but it was even more infuriating when you knew that something was up.

.

.

.

For the next few days, you were looking for your answers, but to no avail. There was simply no one who was willing to tell you at least a word. Maybe it was all just pointless? Perhaps you were just wasting your time? Who knows. When you began falling into a train of thoughts, a soft groan made you focus back on what was actually happening. You finished changing Gyutaro's bandages, putting the old ones aside. It seemed that he got used to you being around, because you swore that not even one angry grumble escaped his lips when you were around. Perhaps your presence just stopped bothering you? Well, Gyutaro was also puzzled by this change. It seemed like his earlier plan backfired on him. “You can influence those you take care of”, funny. Now that you were taking care of him, it seemed as if you began influencing his behaviour instead. Even though things started looking better, there still was this awkward silence between you two.

Gyutaro never knew what to say, and you didn't really start the conversation, so it was difficult to build a bond of any kind. It honestly infuriated Gyutaro, more than he'd like to admit. Every day he had to look at the magic rose in the corner of the room, seeing the very few petals that were left. His time was running out, and he knew that very well, so knowing that starting a conversation with you was something almost impossible to him made him feel bitter and irritated.

“Does it still hurt?” You asked, looking at Gyutaro, who shifted on the futon into a more comfortable position, letting out a soft yawn. Recently, all of his mornings got rather lazy. For the past few days, he's been stuck in bed, not really moving around the castle much. Most of the time he slept, which actually improved his well-being. He really needed some rest, but it didn't change the fact that he was still rather moody.

“ehh… I told you already, I'm fine. It's just a scratch now. There's no need to fuss over me, man…quit it.” he croaked out as a small scowl showed up on his face. The cursed prince slowly brought his hand to his cheek, scratching it, just like he always did.

“You really should stop scratching yourself, last time you did that you were literally clawing at your flesh. It's not good for you.” You said softly, actually scolding him for his bad habits. You didn't even notice when your hand moved towards his, gently moving it away from his cheek before he actually damaged his skin again. Gyutaro's eyebrows shot up at what happened, causing him to look up at you with both a puzzled and amused look on his face.

“Ah, and what are you now, my new nanny?” He chuckled, moving his hand away from yours, still not really trusting you. You began to grow annoyed with your behaviour, and he's been like this ever since you brought him back to the castle. But it clearly was the time to change that!

“Well, maybe you need one, since you're acting pretty immature in my opinion.” You sighed, rubbing the bridge of your nose as you watched him turn his head away with a huff, acting offended.

“Eh…you're no fun, y’know?” He muttered, curling up on his futon with a soft groan leaving his lips. This statement actually caught your attention. Was he teasing you in one way or another? Well, he certainly stopped pushing you away as much as before, that was new, and you didn't really mind that change. It was still better than him throwing a damn sickle at you, so you decided to play along.

“Who says I'm no fun? You just didn't give me a proper chance to prove myself.” You responded, crossing your arms against your chest, immediately getting him to continue.

“Yeah? Well, enlighten me, then. What's so fun about you, eh…?” Gyutaro snicked, lifting one of his thin eyebrows up.

“Well, I'd say my mind is pretty sharp, I read a lot, that's why. I'm pretty good at many things, I can take care of myself, that's for sure.” You answered, trying to sound confident, just to warn a chuckle from the monster.

“Take care of yourself? Please…if I didn't follow you when ya ran away, you'd be dead. Gobbled up by wild beasts~” he smirked, showing off his sharp teeth, but this time, his smile was rather teasing. He wasn't that intimidating, it all seemed so different now.

“Trust me, I'm usually great at taking care of myself. I just never had to deal with this kind of stuff!” You tried to protest, but you gave up after hearing Gyutaro chuckling some more.

“Well, you can explain yourself as much as you like. Say, you were saying something about reading?” He murmured as if he was testing you, wanting to see how you'd answer.

“Yes. I've read a few books, actually, and they were really life-changing. Like Romeo and Juliet, one of the popular books in the west. There is a library in my town, it was truly life-saving.” You hummed, remembering all those times when the books saved you from the disappointing reality, at least for a moment. It wasn't a surprise that Gyutaro cringed a bit after hearing that, not understanding the appeal of the book you just mentioned.

“Oh, well. You're one of those people who enjoy this kind of literature? Hm…there's a ton of better books. ” Gyutaro grumbled before an idea popped up in his head. “I could show you—”

Now he had your attention. You gave him a soft nod, wondering what was about to happen. This weird tingly feeling sparked inside Gyutaro once more, but this time it was stronger. Some panic took over him as later on he led you through the long hallways of the castle before stopping in front of a particular pair of doors.

“I…uh…the castle has been storing a lot of information sources. Poetry, history, facts— it's all here. Well, you'll find out for yourself. Now, do you trust me with this?” He asked, sounding…soft, for the very first time. When he saw you nodding again, he slowly took your hands in his, leading you into the room.

“Take a look around, you should find something interesting for sure.” Gyutaro added, looking around the room as you did the same. Rows of books were visible from where you were standing. Everything was neatly placed on dark wooden shelves, bringing a sense of peace over you. The room was nice and tidy, and most importantly, filled to the brim with books.

“I have never seen so many books in my entire life…” You said softly, slowly walking around, looking at all the bookshelves surrounding you. Gyutaro gulped softly, his Adam's apple bobbed before he stepped closer to you, smiling softly. It was the very first time you saw him smile so genuinely. Earlier he'd just smirk or flash you a malicious grin, but this time his smile was soft, genuine and happy.

“You like it…?” He croaked out, feeling his heart speeding up as you slid your hands back in his. Today was the very first time you held hands with him, feeling their roughness, but also strange softness. Even if the skin was dry and calloused, it was still pleasant to hold.

“I do. It's wonderful…” When you smiled back at him right after saying that, the cursed prince felt as if something had exploded inside him, causing a pleasant warmth to spread through his whole body.

There was something more to him, now you actually could see it. Once you both came to an understanding, everything became so much better, so suddenly. You were honestly doubting if all of this was even real. He was acting like a completely different person.

It was the very first time when he felt good after…after what happened all those years ago. It still pained him to this day, everything that he's gone through, everything that was taken away from him. Looking back at it all, this room brought him a few of those painful memories back, causing his heart to ache a bit.

“You should check out some of those books…maybe you'll find something interesting.” He said softly, letting go of your hands as his smile dropped a bit. All those bad feelings began culminating in him again, he was about to start clawing at his flesh again, but he stopped himself, remembering what you said earlier. It wasn't good for him. But he was already hurting on the inside, what difference would it make if he’d be hurting on the outside too? He didn't know how to deal with all this, it was too much for him to handle at the moment. Gyutaro felt as if he was about to explode, before he felt a hand on his shoulder. You didn't move from your spot even one bit. You just stood there, looking at him with this damn concerned look on your face. He wanted to get angry and just lash out, to solve his problems the easy way, but last time he did that, you ran away from the castle straight into danger, and he didn't like that outcome.

Gyutaro was confused. He didn’t know how to act, what to do. On one hand he wanted to say something, to explain himself at least so you’d understand, but on the other hand talking about some things was just straight up painful to him, and he didn’t know how to deal with the emotions that would accompany those painful memories.

“You…don’t have to stand here like this. Go check out the books…” He muttered a bit harshly. “I said GO!”. The cursed prince immediately regretted raising his voice, after all, he made it without getting aggressive so far, and now it was all lost as he saw you slightly tensing up at his harsh command. Gyutaro took a step away, backing up against the wall, wanting to hide in a corner and just sit there, sulking.

“I’m sorry…” He muttered out, losing some of his previous confidence. He didn’t like looking at you when you were scared, it just brought more pain. You reminded him so much of the past, without even looking like the person that was dearest to him. How did this even work?! All the shame, hatred and disgust he felt for himself began rising in him even more ever since you arrived, ever since he didn’t treat you like his mortal enemy any more. You weren’t his enemy, that he managed to understand after some struggle. Ever since his life went downhill, he’s been wary of others, especially strangers. You weren’t a stranger, not after that night when you ran away and he saved you. If you weren’t an enemy, then were you a friend? No, he couldn’t call you a friend yet, right? He didn’t deserve to call you a friend, he didn’t deserve anything good happening to him. He deserved to be cursed, alone and in a cold, dark castle away from the outside world. That’s what Gyutaro told himself, that’s how it’s supposed to be. He would never forgive himself all the bad stuff that happened because of him, the only person he cared for was gone and it was only his fault. You’ll be gone too sooner or later, he was sure of it. Every time he has a little god-damn ray of freaking sunshine, the world will take it away from him, he will take it away from himself.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Gyutaro lifted his head up, looking at your face after he heard your voice. Did he want to talk? He wasn’t sure, he never told anyone about what happened. Douma, Akaza, Koyuki, they all knew what happened, they never brought it up because it drove Gyutaro crazy with rage when he had to go through those painful memories. He never talked about what was bugging him, so maybe it was a good moment to start? He was afraid, he was never vulnerable with anyone besides…her. How did it happen that he was scared of even mentioning her name? It was bad, he knew it was bad, so maybe, just maybe…he should face his problem.

“I do.” Gyutaro gulped, feeling himself tensing up. This will be hard for him, he knew it, but he wasn’t a coward, the prince could handle it.

“I had a sister. Her name was…Ume.” He croaked out, feeling his lower lip trembling. It was crushing him from the inside, but he kept going, wanting to try to get this off his chest.

“We weren’t born here, we weren’t meant to be royalty. Well, at least I wasn’t.” Gyutaro sighed, slightly relaxing his body, wanting to tell you everything.

“I was something you would call a street rat when I was a child. A beggar. Nobody, a damn, worthless nobody. I was truly a pathetic sight, at least until Ume was born. My little sister was absolutely gorgeous, a little angel. She was my pride and joy, you better believe it. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to give her the life she deserved. We were lucky to even have dinner sometimes, but all that changed when royalty showed up in this damn hellhole I called my home. I think it was just my sick luck, but a powerful ruler took a liking to me, praising me for my strength and values. My little sister and I were brought to this castle, adopted and raised into becoming royals ourselves. No one outside this damn castle knew about this, so I could finally get something out of my life and not worry about anyone destroying it. My sister was happy too, she was always my little princess, and now I was able to treat her like one, proving to her and myself that I wasn’t a shitty brother after all. She grew up to be a bit harsh, just like her brother…but I loved her too much to care that I was a bad influence. The man who took us in began teaching me his ways, making me into something far greater than I could ever become solely on my own. I would fight for him, kill for him, destroy for him, well, at least he thought I was doing it for him. I still remember the disappointment and anger on his face when instead of joining him in battle, I rushed back home to my sister. That man understood that my sister was my priority. That’s when he left. I never understood why, where or how. No one did. That man just disappeared, maybe creating another kingdom for himself somewhere else…” Gyutaro huffed, looking at your face as you listened to him. Not wanting to keep you curious, he continued.

“That’s when everything became shitty for us. When Master disappeared, I took his place. Our lands became a common target, making me go over to slaughter all those who dared to try and take away what was now mine. I was away from home so often, My sister was left without my protection and then…” He paused, gulping softly as his eyes glazed with tears. He didn’t want to let them fall, but he failed. “Then they burned her.” He growled, tightening his fists.

“Our castle was of course defended, but a damn samurai sneaked in with the help of Ume’s maid. I came back just in time to kill them both, but my sister was long gone afterwards. I couldn’t find her body…there was no sign of her…and then another night a woman came and….” He paused again, turning his head away.

“The rest is not important.” He gulped, wanting to just go and mourn it all alone…but he felt a pair of arms wrapping around him. Gyutaro let out a small, surprised groan as you hugged him. For a moment he wasn’t sure what to do, but after a few seconds he hugged you back, letting out a pained sniffle, letting himself let some of that pain out.

“If I was quick enough and…if I…’’ He mumbled before you shushed him, causing him to hug you tighter.

“You did all you could.” You cooed, snuggling up closer to him, trying to ease some of his pain. Even if he wouldn’t get over something so traumatic in one day, you could already see some improvement. He wasn’t bottling up his emotions any more, at least not as much as before.

“I never regretted anything in my life. I don’t regret what I became, I don’t regret being a monster at all, damn, I even like what I am now. But I can’t forgive myself failing her. I’m ashamed that by becoming who I am now, I influenced her in a bad way…”

You sat with Gyutaro for a longer time period after that. It was the first time he got any type of emotional support. He sat there with you, curled up, looking almost like a sad kitten as you tried to console him. He listened to your voice as you read him books, trying to put him at ease. After what he told you, you finally understood him a little, he was hurting greatly. To be honest, you both missed someone you loved very much. You could see the monster slowly calming down, listening to your voice as you occasionally stroked his hair or back, bringing him the comfort he very much needed.

After that day, things changed. Gyutaro began acting like someone else entirely, if it was even possible for him. Well, he wasn’t a brand-new person of course, but he became calmer, softer and kinder when it came to you. You could say that you began filling up the void he had in himself. Gyutaro found a safe space of sorts by your side, making him grow a bit attached to you. You never expected to become friends with him, but it happened somehow. You two would take walks around the garden, read in the library together; well, it was you who was reading. Gyutaro would often just listen and fall asleep to the sound of your voice, which never failed to lull him into peaceful slumber. He became less tense when around you, finally feeling safe himself. Having dinner with him became a pleasure instead of a nightmare like before, slowly you began noticing his other, good traits. He was protective, playful, quite sly, but at the same time a bit self-conscious. Seeing him light up after every praise he got from you was truly heart-warming. Maybe you really did it? Maybe you really tamed this damn monster? No…you’d never say that you tamed Gyutaro. You made him your friend, there was no taming needed. He was no wild animal, he was a person. A person you grew to slowly appreciate.

For the first time in a very long time, you felt happy and at peace. Finally living your best life for at least a moment. Every day seemed so peaceful and relaxing, having him by your side as you two walked through the garden which was covered in snow. Your conversations became more and more interesting and personal over time and you didn't have to fish for information that much. Learning more about him came in naturally now, without every attempt on getting any sort of information ending up in a heated argument or a life threatening adventure. Things were just as they should be.

.

.

.

“What are you reading?” You hummed, coming up to Gyutaro and sitting down next to him. The cursed prince quickly put the book away, shifting his attention to you almost immediately.

“Eh… Nothing important...” He croaked out, lowering his head a bit. You looked at him and then at the little book in his hands.

“Is that a romance novel?” You asked with a small smile, seeing Gyutaro blush a bit in embarrassment, not really knowing how to respond.

“I guess…” He muttered, soon enough gulping softly as you leaned against him a bit.

“I’m happy that you’re trying out something new.” A soft sigh left your lips when you two sat like this together, enjoying the silence. Well, the silence didn’t last long because Douma screamed loudly, running away as Akaza chased after him. A soft chuckle left your lips and soon enough Gyutaro did the same. His laugh became precious to you with time, it wasn’t a cruel cackle any more, at least. Well, he still sounders as if he smoked 50 cigarettes a day, but you didn’t mind.

“They know how to have fun…” You smiled, looking up at Gyutaro who's lips also formed a tiny grin.

“I suppose so…but when I enter the room, laughter magically dies.” He exhaled heavily, resting his chin on his hand.

“I guess I know what you mean. I get the same treatment back home. People would often call me funny…but it wasn’t a complement. It makes you lonely at some point, just like in your castle. Gyutaro perked up almost immediately, giving you a puzzled look.

“For real? Aww, man…that sucks. Your village is straight up terrible.” He snickered, making you roll your eyes and nudge his shoulder playfully.

‘’But, you make the loneliness go away.” You added, causing Gyutaro to look at you with a serious look on his face. His heart slowly melted at the statement, making him lean against you as well, just like you leaned against him.

“Same goes for you. You make it all better...” He sighed quietly, rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish, crooked smile on his face

“Really?” When you asked him that, Gyutaro nodded, agreeing immediately with what he just said.

“Yeah…really.” He repeated.

Silence fell over you two again, but you didn't seem to mind. It was comfortable. When he was around, silence was never a problem.

But little did you know that some stuff started happening behind your back. Oh, it was Douma's clever plan on supporting Gyutaro from the shadows. Well, as much as he loved to be in the spotlight, Akaza was making sure that everything was going just right. Every dinner had to be perfect and feel a bit like a date, every alone time you and Gyutaro got had to be quiet, perfect and romantic. Well, there was nothing to lose. The rose was slowly losing it's petals, time was running out, so something had to be done. The biggest surprise was planned to happen in a few days, the grand finale! Everyone was already working hard on bringing their fantasy to life. When you weren't looking, Gyutaro himself made sure that every detail was perfect. That night would be something you'll never forget, and it had to be grand, luxurious and beautiful, a date like no other.

The curse will be broken, and everyone in the castle planned on making sure of it, there was no doubt.

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And we're done! I hope you didn't mind the wait. I don't want to disappoint anyone tbh. Believe it or not, but I'm really damn conscious about this fic since it's the first one that I posted online ( ≧Д≦)

Anyways! Have a good day/night!

[emo-toaster]

Is the internet still into Deadpool and Wolverine?

Tbh I kinda used every Krita brush I could find while colouring this drawing😭

why is digital art harder than traditional art aghhhgh

Anyways, recreated one of the posters I found on Pinterest with those two. I'm surprised I even had energy for it, cuz I'm currently sick—

[emo-toaster]

Hi! To everyone who's been reading my Beauty and the Beast au Fic , I just wanted to say that the next chapter might be out in a few days, so please understand. I kinda work in sudden bursts of energy, that's why I wrote 4 chapters in a row. I dunno, I just wanted to explain why the next chapter might come out later. (´-﹏-`；)

[emo-toaster]

Gyutaro art dump! Actually, Gyutaro + Shoji, but still!

Now...tell me that Shoji wouldn't slay in Belle's dress! I dare you.

He would wear high heels with it and have fun.

[emo-toaster]

AGHHHH LOOK AT THIS MASTERPIECE!!!

I just had to reblog cuz it's so cute and pretty and it features my Oc!

aghhh— I love it!

And though the days are hard and often unfortunate, how lucky are we to have each other? Come by after work and I'll save some dinner for you.

(Shoji belongs to @emo-toaster)

[emo-toaster]

Ah, I'm back with another chapter! Yay! in this one I feel as if I got a bit bold? So here's a small list of thing that will appear! As you can see right below, this chapter contains songs. I will only write about songs happening when the songs happened not necessarily because Beauty and the Beast is a Disney MUSICAL— you know what I mean. (ᵕ—ᴗ—)

This chapter contains!!: Song lyrics from Disney's Beauty and the Beast soundtrack (If you don't like songs in fics, you can skip those parts!) , some violence at the end!

Warning!: English is my second language. If you find any errors in my writing, please understand. I used autocorrect to help me with my grammar and spelling, so I'm deeply sorry if any mistakes were made. Dyslexia + writing in a second language = challenging task (ᵕ—ᴗ—)

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Beauty and the Beast

Miko's attempt at writing something good.

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Chapter 4: Tension

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How could they? Kaigaku couldn't believe it. He got rejected, clearly rejected, but he couldn't fully accept that. He sat down in the noodle shop where he usually spent his time, thinking things over and today, today he was sulking. In the background he could hear Zenitsu's voice as he talked with his two friends. Honestly, Kaigaku didn't like them one bit, but he couldn't do much about Zenitsu spending time with them, Gramps would be mad. Kaigaku started noticing that most of the people in this damn town irritated him. Gramps, because he kept Kaigaku from doing, in his opinion, good stuff, Zenitsu, for being a damn good-for-nothing coward, and he didn't like his friends either. That kid with a rock-hard forehead just seemed irritating to him, and that other guy, a literal wild child who currently slurped his noodles like a damn pig. It was infuriating, really.

Zenitsu though, couldn't help but notice how Kaigaku was doing. He was actually thinking if he should do something or just reveal in the moment with his friends, but a quick look at Gramps' face made him want to do something. It felt awful; watching his teacher worry about his students, not being able to do much himself. The yellow-haired boy looked around, trying to think of something. A train of thoughts rushed through his brain, making up the perfect plan. Kaigaku was admired by a lot of people in the town, so maybe a little validation from everyone would help? Zenitsu knew what to do. Slowly, the young man made his way across the restaurant, scooting over to Kaigaku, seeing him scowling at him almost immediately. Oh well, Zenitsu couldn't back off now…

“G-gosh, it disturbs me to see you, Kaigaku, Looking so down in the dumps. Every guy here'd love to be you, Kaigaku! Even when taking your lumps.” Zenitsu shuttered, putting out a sheepish smile as he saw Kaigaku grumbling to himself angrily. The yellow-haired boy wanted to get along with Kaigaku for so long now, so Gramps would be happy, and now it was the best moment to gain Kaigaku's appreciation. Perhaps this would lead to friendship?

“There's no man in town as admired as you, you're everyone's favorite guy! Everyone's awed and inspired by you, and it's not very hard to see why…” Zenitsu added, seeing one of Kaigaku's eyebrows lifting up; a sign that Zenitsu should continue with the praises. ”No one's slick as Kaigaku, no one's quick as Kaigaku! No one's swordsmanship is as incredibly impressive as Kaigaku's! For there's no man in town half as manly! Trust me, you can ask anyone you want, and they'll tell you whose team they prefer to be on…”

Zenitsu continued, earning a scoff from Inosuke who'd definitely prefer the praises to be directed at him. Friendship with Inosuke surprisingly teached Zenitsu a thing or two, and this was; that comforting stubborn people is usually based on giving them validation and praise, which makes them stop fuming with anger. He slowly began noticing that this actually worked as a confident smirk showed up on Kaigaku's face. Slowly, more people started picking up on what was happening and cheering on. At some point it helped both Kaigaku and Zenitsu with their self-esteem. Finally, Zenitsu did something right and got the approval that made him feel giddy inside.

Kaigaku on the other hand couldn't help but feel as triumphant as ever. People cheering his name, throwing praises left and right, loving him, supporting him…oh, that felt good!

“I need encouragement, You're useful for once it seems” He muttered with a confident smirk on his face as he took in the admiration that surrounded him.

“Yeah— no worries.” Zenitsu chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. That felt good, Kaigaku was pleased with him and Gramps was happy that they finally got along. Usually, Zenitsu felt a lot of self-hatered, seeing himself as a failure, but today…today he was a winner who was making things better! He heard the crowd cheering, having fun as the place became a bit more lively. Zenitsu's hands then reached out for his shamisen, music brought good vibes, right? That's what he needed right now so he started playing, smiling happily. This wasn't just Kaigaku's triumph today, it was also Zenitsu's. He didn't mind that he was just the background for Kaigaku showing off his greatness, because a good background always made a difference, he made a difference.

“Who has brains like Kaigaku? Entertains like Kaigaku!?” Zenitsu cheered, looking at Kaigaku. The dark haired boy looked at him, smiling proudly, full of confidence.

“Keep it up, what else do you think, hm?!” He smiled, relishing in people's approval and admirations, which made his ego grow like crazy.

“Say it again! Who's a man among men? Who's a super success? There's just one guy in town

Who's got all of it down~” Zenitsu cheered, getting pulled in by Kaigaku and held by his side as he waited for the yellow-haired boy to say more praises.

“And his name’s 'K-A-I...I believe there's another I? It just occurred to me that I haven't really checked the kanjis for your name...and I've never actually had to spell it out loud before…” Zenitsu gulped, looking up at Kaigaku, seeing the other looking daggers at him.

“♪ Kaigaku! ♫” Zenitsu quickly chimed again, getting Kaigaku's attention back to the praises, which luckily eased the tension. Ah, that was close! Everything seemed to be perfect, until—

The door quickly opened as an old man rushed in, breathing heavily, clearly distressed and terrified. Kaigaku forowned, wondering what was happening and recognizing the man shortly after. Y/N's father. He was away for quite a while, but it looks like he's back now, but what happened? He wasn't this shaken up everyday, oh no.

“You have to help me, they were taken p-prisoner, h-he trapped them in a castle, in the forest, we have to go there!” The old man mumbled, stuttering and panting, clearly anxious. Zenitsu immediately got spooked, meanwhile Kaigaku's interest grew.

“What happened? Just say it clearly!” Kaigaku answered, stepping closer to the man with a skeptical yet interested look on his face.

“A monster! A damn monster took Y/N as his prisoner. He's keeping them in a cold, cramped dungeon or worse! It held me there first, but then it took my child instead!” The man shouted, scaring some people and making some chuckle at the absurd news. Kaigaku just chuckled, patting the old man's shoulder.

“Now, now, I'm sure you wandered around in the cold for too long, it's getting quite chilly outside after all. I visited your house today, Y/N was safe and sound! I'm sure they're waiting for you with hot dinner like always, and I think you really should go, because you might be getting sick…” He hummed, looking at the old man's panicked face.

“No, no, you don't understand! I saw that monster, it's tall…it has horns and razor-sharp teeth!” The man continued before he was led outside by others, still mumbling about a monster in a castle that's hidden in the forest. Kaigaku just scoffed, sitting down at one of the tables and ordering himself some noodles.

“You think he was telling the truth? You know, about the monster and all…” Zenitsu said, sitting down as well. His question earned a hearty chuckle from Inosuke and soon enough also Kaigaku.

“What? Don't be silly, monsters, demons, yōkai…all that spooky stuff doesn't exist. Don't fall for this crap, or are you just a coward, hm? Zenitsu?” Kaigaku answered, frowning his eyebrows.

“The old man is just delusional. He's probably just sick and he's talking all this nonsense because he's feeling bad.” Kaigaku answered, slurping his noodles as soon as they were served to him.

Zenitsu just nodded, looking away, getting lost in his thoughts. Right, all that spooky stuff doesn't exist, it's silly. Monster's don't exist…right?

.

.

.

It felt lonely. You say in your room, curled up against your bed, scared, confused and hungry. But what could you do? This was all so new to you, it was hard to grasp it all and come to terms with your new reality, so when you heard something behind the door you were on high alert. Fortunately, your worries were eased when a woman's voice softly called from the other side.

“Hello? May I come in? Don't worry, it's just Kotoha with tea!” The woman said softly through the door.

“Yes…uh, please, come in.” You answered as the shoji door opened and a small, green teapot came in with a happy smile on her face as she pulled a tray with cups after herself.

“Oh…look at you, you're so adorable!” She chimed, immediately coming closer and pouring some tea into one of the cups. “Why don't you drink some tea? I'm sure it'll cheer you up…we all already know what happened.” You looked at her with your eyebrows moving up. News really got around fast in this place, Huh?

“Uh— yes…” you mumbled, lifting the cup up to your lips and taking a sip of the hot drink.

“Don't worry, please, I know this is a lot to take in, but it'll get better overtime. You'll see, everything will be fine.” She said softly, trying to comfort you as best as she could.

“I miss my father.” You whispered, tensing up a bit, which got Kotoha immediately worried.

“I understand how that is…I myself miss my son. I haven't seen him in a very long time, he grew up without me, I'm sure of it. I just want him to know that I love him a lot, even if he's far away. Your father loves you a lot, even if you're far away too…” She smiled, trying to make you feel better. You wanted to ask questions about her son and what happened, but you figured out it was better not to, sometimes asking straight away wasn't the right thing to do, and it seemed to be a very sensitive topic for her.

“Well, you must be hungry, why don't we go down to the dining room for a meal?” Kotoha smiled softly, looking at you with those soft, green eyes.

“Mhm…But he said—” You started before getting shushed by the teapot.

“Just because the Master said something, it doesn't mean we have to necessarily listen. Especially when it's against you getting a proper meal.” Kotoha smiled, moving towards the door. You smiled back at her, following the teapot towards the dining room. Maybe this place wasn't so bad? Everyone seemed pretty nice, well, almost everyone, but it was still a pleasant surprise.

The dining room looked pretty cozy actually. Warm light was illuminating the spacious room before it got a bit darker. As you stepped in further, on the table you could see a spotlight with Douma standing in it proudly.

“It's dinner time, everyone. Unfortunately, our master won't be joining us today, so to make up for that unexpected twist…we'll make the dinner extra special tonight!” Douma chimed, bowing lowly towards you with a charming smile on his face. As you took your seat, you could feel the zabuton sliding closer to the table.

“Truly, it is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that we welcome you here tonight. And now…we invite you to relax~ let us pull up the zabuton as the dining room proudly presents—!” Douma announced, building up the anticipation as some white paper confetti shot up into the air. “Your dinner…”

You smiled, already entertained with what was happening, soon enough observing as plates, bowls and trays slid closer to you with various foods on them.

“Beef and pork, miso soup, great rice pudding is here too! We'll prepare and serve with flair a culinary cabaret~. You're alone and you're scared, but the banquet's all prepared! No one's gloomy or complaining while the flatware's entertaining! We tell jokes, I do tricks with my fellow candlesticks!” He mused, presenting all the dishes that appeared on the table while turning the dinner into a fully fledged musical. There really was a lot to choose from “And it's all in perfect taste that you can bet!” He added with a smile.

“Come on and lift your glass~ You've won your own free pass to be our guest! if you're stressed, it's fine dining we suggest! Be our guest, be our guest, be our guest!” Douma cheered as the light followed him across the table, as if he was the greatest primadonna in a popular opera House.

“Life is so unnerving for a servant who's not serving…He's not whole without a soul to wait upon.” He continued with his voice growing a bit more quiet and serious to the point where you started to worry about what he'll say or rather sing next.

“Ah, those good old days when we were useful, right, Akaza-dono? Suddenly those good old days are gone…~ ♫” he dramatically vocalized, throwing himself onto the table dramatically and wiping his eyes with a napkin, throwing it away to land on Akaza, who just looked at him with an unamused look on his face, not really happy that he got pulled into this damn performance.

“Too long we've been rusting, needing so much more than dusting! Needing exercise, a chance to use our skills! Most days we just lay around the castle….” Douma sighed before smiling again and lifting himself up almost immediately. “Flabby, fat and lazy, you walked in and oops-a-daisy!”

The room suddenly got loud and happy once more, with colorful lights shining around and the flatware moving around in a beautiful choreography.

“It's a guest, it's a guest! Sake's alive, well I'll be blessed. Sake's been poured and thank the gods I've had the napkins freshly pressed. With dessert, they'll want tea, and my dear that's fine with me! While the cups do their soft-shoein' I'll be bubbling, I'll be brewing…”

Kotoha chimed in, clearly enjoying the show and wanting to be a part of it. They all seemed so happy that even you started feeling at ease, for a moment forgetting about all the horrors of today.

“I'll get warm, piping hot! Heaven's sakes, is that a spot? Clean it up, we want the company impressed…” The teapot hummed, looking at everything and bringing it down to perfection.

“We've got a lot to do,Is it one lump or two?

For you, our guest!” She smiled, appearing with a cup of tea that you immediately took, enjoying the show where ‘people’ sang, danced and did they work perfectly.

“Our command is your request…It's been years since we've had anybody here, and we're obsessed! With your meal, with your ease…Yes, indeed, we aim to please. While the candlelight's still glowing…Let us help you, we'll keep going!”

Douma cheered with everyone else, sending more food your way to the point it was hard to keep up with trying every single dish. You couldn't hide the fact that you were having fun, and to be honest, it wasn't only you, at some point they either bribed Akaza in or were charismatic enough to convince him, because the clock joined the performance as well.

“Course by course, one by one…'Til you shout, "enough, I'm done"! Then we'll sing you off to sleep as you digest~ Tonight you'll prop your feet up, but for now, let's eat up. Be our guest…~!” The crowd repeated the last sentence a few times more before the music ended and everyone finally got a break, breathing heavily after the amount of singing and dancing they've done.

“Please, be our guest…and how about a dessert?” Douma hummed, presenting to you one single mochi with a wide grin on his face. After a moment, your laughter filled up the room alongside a loud applause.

“That was amazing.” you answered, gently taking the mochi and smiling at everyone. It was a big mystery; how could they be so sweet and happy while working in a place like this? Well, perhaps the answer will appear on its own sooner or later.

.

.

.

After the great show and delicious dinner you were sent back to your room. It was pretty late and those guys seemed to really care, because Kotoha made sure that your bedtime would guarantee you a good night's sleep. She acted like a concerned mother, that's for sure. You knew about her being away from her son, so that explained a lot in this situation. You could at least glad that you made her feel better.

Honestly, you couldn't help but feel curious about this place, so just tonight instead of going straight to your room you decided to explore. You knew nothing about the castle, just that it was fully available to you, not including a few places, that's the most information you fished out of Douma at least. You were supposed to wander around the main rooms and in the area of your own quarters, so when you were walking up the stairs, you took a different path instead. The path was clear so far, it was a good sign. You were just gonna get a quick peak on what was in the other parts of this castle, just in case, there's no harm in that, right? When you tried asking questions you didn't get much answers, like what's in the parts of the castle that you shouldn't go to, unlike every other information, Douma kept an answer to this question a secret, so it had to be important. Every other answer would be fished out of him pretty easily, so this just made you more curious.

Before you knew it, you found yourself walking down a long corridor, with some of the doors damaged, paintings ripped and furniture removed. At the end of it, you saw another door, but those were leading into an important place for sure, they were bigger, crafted with more precision and not that damaged. With a deep breath you slowly slid them open and peeked inside. The room was dark, lit only by the moonlight from the outside. As you stepped in, you noticed a lot of furniture being damaged or straight up destroyed, there was no comfy bed like in your room, no, in the corner of the room you could see a futon, slightly ripped and damaged at the ends. The futon was surrounded with a few things like clawed cushions, ripped paintings and pieces of fabric, or rather rags at this point. This had to be the monster's lair then. You looked around, taking in the appearance of this whole place. The room seemed empty, which eased you up a bit, and with that you began exploring the area more freely. Your eyes quickly found the only painting that was still landing on the wall, all though in some places it was ripped and clawed, it was still in good shape. As you approached, you began slowly making out what was on it. There were three figures, but only one of them didn't have their face clawed or ripped out, and this person on a painting was a girl. A beautiful girl with white hair and blue eyes, dressed in a fine kimono with a red hairpin in her snow-white locks. The other two figures seemed to both be men, with one being dressed in western clothes, and the other one in traditional clothing. You looked at the painting for a moment before something else caught your eye. There, on a low table next to a big window there was a bell jar with a rose inside. As you slowly approached, you could notice that the flower emitted a faint glow that was reflected by the forested glass protecting it. In an act of curiosity you slowly reached out, wanting to touch the bell jar…

In that moment, a sickle came flying towards you, followed by a low, angry growl. In the matter of seconds you backed away, managing to avoid the sharp object that was supposed to hit you. The sickle made a soft noise as it stuck the wall, staying there. Meanwhile, you slowly turned your head around, facing Gyutaro. Your blood ran cold as your eyes locked. He shot you a cold, unpleasant glare before rising to his full height, not hunching anymore. You had to admit that he was pretty tall, and the horns on his head didn't help to make this less intimidating.

“What are you doing here, eh? Came to steal, just like your father? I knew that The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, man, I just knew it…” he rasped as an ugly scowl graced his hideous face. Your heart sped up immediately, making you back away from him, but to no avail, because the demon just followed you, slowly getting closer.

“What's wrong, eh…? Cat got your tongue? Why are you so scared, you were so brave the last time we met…where did all that bravado go?” He cackled, showing off his razor-sharp teeth, taking in all the panic he caused with great pleasure. You were intimidated? Good, he hated thieves. You didn't even get a chance to explain yourself before the monster growled again with anger, clawing at his skin violently. This was bad, definitely bad, but not half as bad as the moment when he realized that you gnawed at the painting in his room, this brought his blood to a boil as rage rose within his body. But besides anger, something else was rising in him, and it was panic. Panic that he didn't know how to deal with.

“Who even gave you permission to go in here? Gaway…go away, go away! I don't want to see your face in this place ever again. GO! Get out! GET OUT! I swear to gods, I'll rip you to SHREDS!” He roared out, quickly picking the sickle from the wall with great strength before throwing it in your direction again. Your heart began speeding up while tears welled up in your eyes from pure fear. The moment after, you heard a loud smash as Gyutaro's fist hit the wall, causing it to seriously crack. He was enraged to the point where you feared for your life.

With a choked up breath you quickly turned around, running as fast as possible. You could only hear loud smashes and the sounds of a sickle being thrown behind you as you ran away. This was a pure nightmare, you never thought you'd say this, but you missed the times when it was only Kaigaku bothering you.

Running down the stairs, your silhouette was noticed by both Douma and Akaza, who tried to stop you but to no avail. Right before their eyes you opened the main door and slid through them, going outside and running towards the main gate in panic.

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Your warm breath turned into mist against the cold air outside. Snow fell down from the sky like crazy, making your escape even harder. You passed by trees, bushes and ran as fast as possible, just to get away as far as possible from that castle. It was cold, so cold…you still didn't have any winter clothes, so the cold began stinging your body, causing your hands to tremble as the tips of your fingers grew red. You didn't think it could get even worse, that was until you heard loud howling. It seemed as if fate was playing a cruel prank on you, especially if wolves were supposed to be extinct in Japan! Well, with everything you saw today, you were able to believe everything. Compared to a monster, living furniture and items and a magic castle, wolves were the most ordinary thing that has found you today. But you quickly realized that with wolves came trouble.

You ran as fast as possible, trying to navigate through the labyrinth of trees and all the snow that blocked your sight. You were slowly getting out of breath as the howling got louder. At some point you realized that you probably wouldn't make it, that this was the end. It all became even worse when you tripped and fell down, face-straight into the snow, shuddering at the cold surrounding your now whole body. Now, you just waited, hoping that your death would be quick and hopefully not that painful. As you closed your eyes, bracing yourself for what's about to happen…you heard a loud thump above you and a "dog's" whine coming from nearby. When you felt warmth above you, your eyes opened, slowly looking up just to see…Gyutaro? What was happening? You lifted your head, wanting to understand what was going on, why was he here…

As more of the wolves approached, growling and snarling at the two of you, Gyutaro bared his sharp teeth at the beasts as well, gripping his trusty sickle in his hand. From your angle, you could see the calluses on his hands, so he's been probably using this sickle for a while now, or rather sickles, before shortly after he pulled out another one. With twin sickles in his hands, the cursed prince rushed towards the beasts. The wolves did the same, quickly surrounding him and attacking. A quiet yelp left Gyutaro's lips as one of the wolves jumped onto his back, biting him until fresh, warm blood stained the fabric of his worn down yukata. With a swift movement, Gyutaro threw the animal off his body, cutting it with his sickle as a warning. You could only watch in horror as the wolves pounded at him in a group attack, causing the demon to defend himself on his own.

With a soft gulp, you grabbed a fallen branch that was buried in the snow nearby, hitting some of the wolves with it, trying to help Gyutaro out , until the animals got their attention back on you. Well, not until Gyutaro attacked them again, sending a few of them flying. Some of the wolves hit the trees nearby, whining pathetically and backing away, giving up.

You felt relieved, the danger ran away and you were safe! You were safe…thanks to him. As you turned your head towards Gyutaro, your eyes widened, seeing the monster falling down onto the ground, staining some of the snow with his blood. For a moment you thought about running when he wasn't able to chase you down, but after a moment you abandoned that idea, instead coming up closer to him. You could see that he was in pain, no matter how calm he tried to stay, he was hurting. Carefully, you came closer to him, bringing his body towards yours, wanting to support and lead him back to the castle. As you began walking, you felt him clinging to you like a scared child, you didn't blame him for it tho. This was a hard day for the both of you, all that was left to do is getting back to the castle, which seemed to be a difficult task, but it had to be done. You couldn't just leave him to die here, and you couldn't let yourself die either, so you stepped forward, slowly making your way back to the castle that you so badly wanted to escape earlier.

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Aaaand— we're done here! Thank you for reading! I have some good news, because the next chapters will contain fluff and some romance! Finally!!!

But for now, I wish you all good day/night!

[emo-toaster]

I'm back with some small doodles. (≧▽≦(

Yea, I figured out I'd give clock Akaza a simpler design, it just looks better.

[emo-toaster]

AGH, my fingers hurt from all the writing!For some reason I decided to write all this in one go, so maybe that's why, but don't blame me, I myself got invested into the story ( ˶°ㅁ°) !!

Warning!: English is my second language. If you find any errors in my writing, please understand. I used autocorrect to help me with my grammar and spelling, so I'm deeply sorry if any mistakes were made. Dyslexia + writing in a second language = challenging task (ᵕ—ᴗ—)

Okay, okay, enough talking! Enjoy!!

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Beauty and The Beast

Miko is trying his best!

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Chapter 3: An invitation.

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A powerful castle, that's where the boxes had led you. You could already see your father's cart behind the huge gate that was for some reason open. Whatever was in this castle, it certainly wasn't good. Your father wouldn't just abandon you for a better life, he wasn't that type of a person. You could only hope that he was doing alright. Slowly, you approached the gate, opening it further and getting onto the courtyard. Snow was falling down from the sky, looking like pieces of soft cotton, snowflakes that were stuck together in bigger pieces hit the ground to either join the piles of snow or melt on the hard stone. You slowly stepped in further, nearing the huge building. Your geta made either a hard click against the ground or a soft crunch when it stepped on the snow. Slowly but surely, the main door was opened by your hands that were slightly reddened due to the cold temperature outside. Inside there was a lot of western furniture, the place was owned by someone wealthy, with no doubts, but admiring the place had to wait, your father was more important.

“Hello? Is anyone here?” You called out only to hear the echo of your own voice bouncing off the walls. It was so quiet in here, as if the place was abandoned and long dead. As you stepped further, quiet whispers and murmurs could be audible, or maybe it was still just an echo? Maybe your imagination, who knows?

“Look, a visitor…” You could hear. Your head immediately snapped towards the source of the sound, but the place was still empty, there was only a low table with a candelabra and a clock on it. No one was there. You gulped softly, feeling shivers running down your spine. This place was definitely playing tricks on you, as if it just wanted you to go crazy. Your own thoughts started bothering you, nagging and torturing you from the inside, a weird feeling of anxiety and fear started showing itself, wanting to drive you nuts and then…you heard coughing. Your father's coughing! He was nearby, alive, that was a good sign!

“Father!” You called out, quickly trying to localize where he was. When it was finally clear, you grabbed the candelabra from the table, rushing towards the stairs that led you to the cold dungeons.

It felt as if you came back outside, the dungeon was cold to the point you could see frost in a few places. Your breath turned into mist due to the different temperatures, it really was freezing cold, and your father was locked in here?! You quickly walked alongside the dungeon, looking into each cell to spot your father, and you did it pretty quickly.

“Father! What happened? I was so worried, who locked you in here?!” You asked, quickly kneeling next to the cell, putting your hands on the cold bars and squeezing them as you looked at the old man inside. The only light source was the golden candelabra that you took from the table…at least you thought it was golden, the upper part had a reddish hue, the wax on it was also shaped in a weird way, but you paid no mind to it at the moment.

“How did you even get here—” Your father asked, clearly surprised you found this godforsaken place.

“You dropped a few boxes…” When you said that, your father perked up, understanding everything in an instant, which caused a small smile to appear on his wrinkled face.

“Well, that explains it, but you shouldn't stay here. This place is not safe, it's dangerous, very dangerous. This castle is alive!” The old merchant exclaimed, looking at you with a stern yet still worried look on his face. For a moment you wanted to touch your father's forehead to check if he wasn't having a fever. Alive? How could this castle be alive to begin with?

“What? What do you mean, explain it to me, please.” You asked, starting to worry about your dear old man. Maybe this place already got to him, causing him to get paranoid?

“There's no time, please, leave this place, leave as long as you are safe and out of his reach.” Your father answered, trying to gently push you away from his cell so you'd go away.

“What? Out of who's reach? What are you talking about, father…” You said, immediately going back to the cell, looking at the lock. You quickly picked up a piece of brick that was lying by the wall and quickly hit the lock with it, trying to break it to your father's horror.

“What are you doing?! Stop it! Run! Y/N, I'm serious, please just listen to me!” Your father shouted, clearly panicked before a low growl came from the darkness nearby. You could see that your dad froze in one spot, paralyzed by fear. In the darkness, you saw a pair of down-turned eyes, staring daggers at you. You felt like a butterfly that was about to be devoured by a hungry mantis.

“I hate trespassers…oh, I really do…” A croaky, raspy voice stated as a tall, dark figure moved through the shadows.

“At first it was the old man, now it's you…oh, it makes me mad, so mad.” He continued, mumbling curses to himself.

“Who are you? Why did you lock my father up?! Can't you see that he's getting sick in this damn dungeon?!” You answered, quickly grabbing the candelabra from before, it actually brought you some comfort, and the fire dancing on the candles helped you fight off the cold.

“He trespassed and in the end stole from me! Just how low can he stoop, eh?! I hate trespassers and I really hate thieves. Those who dare to take from me will face severe consequences. Take from them before they take from you, that's kinda my style of life if you could say that…but I've been so gracious and let him leave my castle unharmed. How did he repay me, you may ask? Well, by stealing roses from my garden…oh, it infuriates me!” The one from the darkness answered with a wild, angry scream. You couldn't see him very well, but with a bit of focus you noticed one of his hands going up, violently scratching his neck.

“You locked him up for taking a rose?” You asked, disbelieving his words. How could he do such a thing because your father took a flower?!

“Oh, compared to my cruel fate, his is like a vacation…” The man rasped, looking away from you and your father. It sounded almost surreal, it was hard to believe it all, but you had to do something.

“Well, I asked for the rose, therefore you should lock me up instead. It's only…uh— fair.” You answered, trying to do anything to save your dear father. He can't stay in this damn dungeon, in this damn castle.

“No— you cannot—!”

“Be quiet for once…” The man in the shadows cut off his father when he tried to protest. Now, the stranger seemed more interested in the conversation.

“You, instead of him? Look at that, why haven't I thought about it sooner?! But you know, you'd have to stay here forever, eh? Still interested?” A crazed cackle left his lips. You could just stand there, feeling your heart speeding up at the sound, so wicked and cruel it made your blood run cold.

“Come into the light…” you said softly without even noticing it. The tall figure stopped laughing, turning his head towards you with a puzzled look on his face that you couldn't even see due to the darkness surrounding him.

“Hmm…? Oh, are you sure? Fine, feast your eyes then…” He crooned, slowly stepping into the lit area. You could just observe as a tall, gangly figure slowly appeared before you. His body appeared emaciated to the point of being able to see his bones. However, his arms and chest were abnormally muscular. Dark, curly hair was tied into a messy bun with dark green locks mixed in with his predominantly black hair. Black spots splattered his skin, as if it was just ink on paper His yellow eyes surrounded by dark circles gave off a menacing aura as they gazed at you with coldness. When his body moved, the tattered, blue yukata with black vertical stripes moved slightly, while the red obi with black patterns showed off his abnormally thin waist. Sharp teeth shined in his mouth as his face twisted into a snarl. Your breathing sped up immediately, as if he'd grab your neck with his strong, veiny hands, piercing it with sharp, black claws that adorned his digits instead of regular nails. This of course never happened, but you felt intimidated once his dark shadow fell onto you. His tall figure allowed him to stand tall and proud as his horns slightly blocked out the light, as if his silhouette was supposed to resemble that of the devil himself. Maybe he was in fact the devil? You weren't sure, but you couldn't let your father stay with this monster.

“You have my word. I'll stay.” You answered, only watching as the hideous being before you grinned, satisfied with your answer.

“Done. You're staying, he's out.” He hissed, walking past you towards the prison cell before his clawed hand grabbed it, opening the door and dragging your father out, ignoring his screams and cries, not moved by any of it. As you walked into the cell yourself you couldn't watch as your father was once and for all disappearing from your life. In the last moment you rushed forward, looking at him one last time.

“Please, don't hurt him…be careful, I beg you!” You called out, feeling utterly helpless. Warm tears ran down your cheeks as you weeped in the cold, lonely dungeon. It seems like you've got yourself “something more” that you so desperately wanted from life…you just didn't think it would turn out to be so horrible in the end.

.

.

.

A soft sniffle left you as you sat curled up in the corner of the cell. With your knees hugged snugly against your chest, you hid your face in them, still not being able to accept your new reality. That was…until the door opened with a loud crack. You immediately got up, preparing to have to defend yourself against the demon that took away everything you held dear.

“Ah— there we go!” A melodic voice hummed before chuckling. “I'm truly sorry about all the drama that happened before, but I hope this won't hold you back from going to your new room~!”

“But I—” You wanted to answer but couldn't, it was a lot to take in, this whole castle, it's horrible master and the loss of your beloved father.

“Ah, I get it, I get it, trust me, if he could he'd bully and mock people until they're crying like babies, but you don't have to let it get to you~” The man answered happily before adding “Trust me! I'm saying it all from my own experience, and I'm great in not listening to other's complaints.”

You slowly stepped out of the cell, holding a stool that was in its corner, when you peeked out you saw…the candelabra?! But it was moving and talking and…it had a face! You gasped, hitting the thing with the stool and looking down at it to see what happened.

“Ah…you certainly have a lot of strength, I admire that.” The candelabra groaned before getting up and dusting himself off.

“Now, if you please…you may call me Douma, the one and only.” The candelabra answered, bowing and winking at you. Something was telling you that there was a lot of sass in this little fella…

“Y/N.” You answered, still skeptical about all this.

“Wait, wait! Hold on! What do you think you're doing?” Another voice called out as a clock climbed the stairs, coming up towards Douma.

“You can't just let them out like this!” The clock shouted angrily, staring daggers at the candelabra.

“Akaza-dono…if this was a normal situation, I'd say you're right, but when was the last time we had a visitor? They're not a prisoner, but a guest, my dear friend…” Douma chimed, chuckling quietly, confident in what he was saying.

“Fine, but I'll agree to this only to have around someone who's able to shut you up properly. I quite enjoyed seeing you struck with a stool…”

Akaza smirked, which caused Douma to giggle once more.

“Ah, you must raise your defenses, Akaza-dono, either way everyone will know what makes you tick…just like I did already. Anyways, let's not waste any more time, it certainly is precious to you, isn't it?” Douma hummed, softly going down stairs, leading the way. Akaza groaned, not amused by the puns that damn candelabra threw into his statement, he definitely was aware of how irritated Akaza was due to being a clock.

The long hallways seemed to be almost endless, the whole castle was like a maze, honestly it was a miracle that Douma and Akaza could walk around without getting lost. Countless rows of fusuma doors, thin walls made you feel like the castle was infinite, but it wasn't, it couldn't be. After a long walk, finally you reached a different door, one that was beautifully decorated. Douma hopped towards it, slowly the door opened itself after a soft sound of biwa and revealed a spacious room. As you looked behind yourself, on a high point you could see a wooden figurine of a woman with a biwa, gently moving the bachi across the strings.

“Who is she?” You asked, looking towards Douma with a puzzled look.

“Oh, that's Nakime, she always sits there. At some point she became the whole castle, her biwa controls the doors and stuff…she's doing a lot here.” Douma answered, waving at Nakime before the soft sound of her biwa shut the door.

“She's not much of a talker…” Douma added with a nervous shrug before going deeper into the room.

“You all are under the rule of that…uh— you know, him.” You asked, looking at both Douma and Akaza.

“At some point, it's complicated, others are submissive because he's either stronger than them or because he's respected. It's too much to explain, but the castle had a different master before, and because he saw potential in Gyutaro, the respect still lingers.” Akaza explained. Douma just nodded along before climbing onto the western styled bed.

“Well, I wouldn't worry about that when this room is so comfy~!” He sighed before Akaza pulled him down from the bed harshly.

“It's a shame it isn't yours then, truly.” You couldn't help but smile at it, those two had an interesting chemistry, and they provided a lot of information as well. So the monster who trapped you here was called Gyutaro? You had a feeling that you're gonna hate that name with passion.

“Why did you even bring me here? I don't understand any of it.” You said, sitting down on the bed as Akaza and Douma turned their heads towards you.

“Well…Our master told us to.” Douma answered, stepping into Akaza's leg when he was about to protest. When the clock was about to punch him, Douma looked at him snugly.

“Nah, you can't, I'm ranking higher than you~” The candelabra chimed, moving away from Akaza.

Well, the fact that this monster told them to give you the room was definitely a twist, but once you got answers, there appeared more questions as well.

“What ranking? You asked, not understanding what Douma meant.

“Ah, it's kinda pointless to me, but the residents of the palace have a ranking, but it doesn't matter! The only thing that matters is that I'm higher than Akaza-dono on that ranking!” Douma claimed proudly, making Akaza groan in displeasure.

“Well, I'm sure you're tired by now. Rest a bit, we'll perhaps check on you later. Please excuse me, but I have to snuff out a certain candle—” Akaza said through gritted teeth before dragging Douma out of the room. The door soon enough slid back closed, leaving you alone in the new environment. Lost and confused…

.

.

.

“You did what…?” A low growl was audible in the room as Gyutaro's face twisted into a scowl. He peaced around the room, clearly tense and on edge.

“Hey, what's with the frown? I did the right thing, it'll be very beneficial for us!” Douma chimed, sitting down on the table as the fire on his candle hands and head danced, emitting warm, comforting light. “With a little encouragement, they'll come swooning over you in no time! I don't know if you've noticed, but they could perhaps break the curse—”

“Of course I've noticed, I'm not blind…but even before the curse I had no luck in both relationships and looks, so don't get your hopes up, you'll just end up disappointed. But if that's what you're looking for, then be my guest.” Gyutaro answered, letting out an annoyed huff. His hand violently clawed at his skin to the point in some places blood was visible.

“Well, you could try, there's still time. Look, you charm them, they fall in love with you and poof…we're not cursed anymore. It's that easy!” Douma answered, trying to be positive.

“It's not easy at all! Stop saying that! Maybe it's easy for you, but I'm…well, I'm me. With or without the curse. You can't do anything about it.” Gyutaro barked. Douma sighed softly at that statement, feeling helpless. Gyutaro was always like this; comparing himself to others, internally beating himself up for everything, even if it wasn't necessarily his fault. That was pretty depressing if you ask Douma, he still tried his best to ease the tension. He was a ‘nice guy’, so he'll try to help— even if he has to deal with Gyutaro's temper alone.

“Well, dinner dates are getting popular…” He chimed, looking suggestively at Gyutaro.

“No!” The monster answered almost immediately.

“Yes~” Doua mused back. “Sooner or later you have to do something in that direction…” Douma answered, crossing his arms against his chest.

“No, I don't. There will be no charming anyone, no dinner dates, no romance, I won't stoop that low to try and win over the child of some dirty, pitiful thief, that would be simply disgraceful.” He answered, turning his head away before Kotoha perked up. Before she was just taking care of her daily duties, pouring tea and helping around in the kitchen, but that statement made her pay attention.

“You shouldn't judge anyone for their parent's doing, even if their father did something wrong, they're still innocent.” She answered, sternly lecturing the cursed prince. “What they did today was truly sweet and admirable, and we shouldn't make it harder for them. They're innocent, treating them like a guilty prisoner isn't right…” she added shyly, not really being the one to speak out in situations like these.

“Take from them before they take from you, that's my moral codex. Sooner or later something will happen, they will be guilty. I won't lower my defenses only because they haven't done anything yet. They're their father's child, what do you think he taught them? It's easy to influence people you take care of…and their father already showed what type of an influence he is.” Gyutaro growled, sitting down on his zabuton, clawing at his skin. It seemed hard to convince him to actually do something, it required something more…

“Well, maybe you should be their influence from now on, hm?” Akaza hummed, lifting one of his eyebrows up as Gyutaro turned his head towards him. “You said it yourself, it's easy to influence people who are under your care, they're under your care now, so go on, influence them.” Akaza added as if challenging Gyutaro.

“Very well, I will, but don't blame me for anything that happens next.” He growled, slowly getting up and slowly going towards the door. “Dinner date it was, right? Fine, make the food and set the table, you'll be cooking for two today.”

All three of them; Kotoha, Akaza and Douma smiled with the feeling of triumph sparking in them. Finally something was happening, who knows, maybe the curse will be only a bad memory in a span of a few days?

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.

.

It wasn't long before you heard a noise outside of the door. Someone was on the other side, maybe Douma or Akaza? They said they'll be checking on you later. Well, you didn't have to wait long to know who it was.

“Join me for dinner.” That damn croaky voice said in a commanding manner. You moved closer to the door as a small frown showed up on your face.

“I refuse.” You answered, turning your head away from the door, not wanting to slide it open. You could hear an angry grumble from the other side, looks like someone had troubles with their temper, Huh…

“That wasn't a request, now, open the door and come down to have dinner with me.” Gyutaro hissed as a scowl appeared on his face.

“You're seriously asking me to have dinner with you after imprisoning me and sending my father away? Are you hearing yourself right now?” You asked, genuinely angry at him for what happened before.

“I'm trying to be a good host…but you're being a difficult, ungrateful brat.” He answered, also getting angry.

“You had your chance before! I'm not interested in being in your presence.” Will this end up being a simple banter or rather a heated argument? You just wished he'd go away. It seemed like it was just your luck, no matter where you go, there's always a nasty guy nagging you, but it was easier to get rid of Kaigaku, you didn't know what it'll take to get rid of a monster.

Gyutaro meanwhile breathed in and out heavily, trying to control his temper. It infuriated him, you were clearly very brave or very stupid. At some point he wished he could just tear the door open and drag you outside. Well, technically he could, but he held himself back.

“Very well…starve yourself to death. See if I care…if you don't want to eat with me, you won't eat at all, it's as simple as that.” He cackled, slowly walking away from the door that his claws scraped in anger. Anger was bubbling up in him, but he tried to hold it in for as long as he could. To no avail tho, in mere seconds he started clawing at his own flesh. Blood ran down his neck which he scratched the most. He furiously marched towards his room, violently sliding the door closed, throwing aside everything that was in his way. With a snarl on his face he approached a small low table in the middle of the room. There's under a bell jar covered by frost was a rose, the very same rose that showed him how much time he had left. It made him sick to the stomach as he had to watch another petal falling down from the flower. He turned his head away, wanting to focus on something else, not think about this damn curse, damn time limit and damn prisoner!

His eyes slowly turned towards a painting hanging on the wall. Every time he looked at it something tugged at his heart, it brought him so much pain, but he wasn't able to destroy it, he couldn't… He lost so much already, and it truly gnawked at him. Sometimes he just felt like he was about to vomit due to all this anger and anguish that he had to hold inside himself. He was both furious and ashamed, ever since his life started going downhill he couldn't do anything but watch as everything was slowly taken away from him.

Maybe he deserved it all? Sometimes he wondered if that was the point. Gyutaro already screwed up so much, he wouldn't be surprised if all this was just a fair punishment. If that's the case, then he'll just sit there and rot, waiting for all this to end. There was simply no hope, with or without this damn curse…he'll be seen as a monster and there's no changing that.

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Yay! It's the end of this chapter. I tried to make it a bit longer so I hope you liked it! I'll try to post the 4th chapter soon so you won't get bored. (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧

Have a nice day/night!

[emo-toaster]

With the 2nd chapter of my Beauty and the Beast au out, here's the first, quick drawing:

(I just wanna say that Kotoha and Douma's relationship is different from canon kny of course. They're on good terms and everything is alright, I'd say they're friends— I just don't want to upset anyone and stop them from enjoying what I'm creating!)

At first, I was thinking about making them more human, but I enjoy drawing Douma as this little candelabra, so this design will probably stay!

Bonus: Kaigaku Rizz

[emo-toaster]

Look at that! I'm back with chapter 2 already! I guess you guys gave me some motivation to finally start writing more of this story. I hope the 2nd Chapter will not disappoint! I'll be posting some art soon so you can imagine the characters better while reading!

Warning!: English is my second language. If you find any errors in my writing, please understand. I used autocorrect to help me with my grammar and spelling, so I'm deeply sorry if any mistakes were made. Dyslexia + writing in a second language = challenging task (ᵕ—ᴗ—)

But besides that, enjoy!!!

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Beauty and the Beast

Miko's attempt at writing the 2nd chapter.

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Chapter 2: This world is full of surprises.

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The forest was so quiet…even birds wouldn't make a sound. The old merchant, known more as your father, slowly walked through the deep, dark woods, pulling a cart with his creations inside. He was supposed to get into the capital and sell his products, but the seemingly right path wouldn't lead him anywhere. This definitely wasn't his best journey, on the way here from home a few boxes already got lost due to him being deep in his thoughts. That was certainly a shame, he'll get less money if he has less merchandise, but going back to find the lost items would be too time consuming, so it was better to just keep going. Your father was a strange man sometimes, he was a perfectionist but could also be messy and forgetful, he would say one thing and then do the other. Seems like it could just run in the family, but it wasn't a flaw, at least for you. Stuff like this built character, that's for sure.

It was slowly getting colder and colder, which was odd since it was the middle of June. At some point the old man could hear delicate crunching underneath his geta, just to look down and see a tiny bit of…snow?

“What's wrong with this path…” He muttered out, shaking his head and continuing to walk. Maybe he just picked the wrong way? Maybe, because the environment began slightly changing, with the plants growing there becoming rather like those you'll find in the mountain area. That was suspicious, but maybe it wasn't? Your father many times admitted that he always has this feeling that he's doing something wrong just for it to be nothing more than a simple suspicion in the end. Well, even if he went the wrong way, it doesn't mean he won't find wealthy customers that will be willing to buy his beautiful music boxes.

Slowly, more snow started appearing. It all felt a bit off, and perhaps it should be alarming, but your old man unfortunately had a lot of optimism in himself and would continue his journey. With more and more time passing, the cart was getting harder to pull. The woods grew deeper and darker, silence was almost eerie and it made even the simplest sounds like breaking a branch or going through the bushes utterly terrifying.

In the distance, there was a faint howling audible. This was certainly weird, wolves were supposed to be extinct in Japan. Of course, maybe a few were still around, and this place seemed to be fully claimed by nature. This path was definitely abandoned, so the old man's suspicions were right, he did get a bit lost. Well, it seems that's enough for today, it's better to just turn around and find the right path instead of wandering around like a helpless child. The merchant was about to go back but…there was no path. Perhaps he came down from it, walking through a new area instead? No, he could've sworn that a path was there just minutes ago. The man didn't get much time to think, because a low growl was audible in the bushes. Maybe it was a fox or something similar, it couldn't be a wolf, right? It wasn't worth the risk, especially when he was pulling a cart with his precious music boxes inside. The old man quickly walked away, slowly speeding up whenever he felt like something could follow him. This was all a disaster, if he gets lost in the woods instead of selling his music boxes, he'll be disappointing his dearest child. That wouldn't do, even if Y/N would understand, the man wouldn't bear to come back empty handed. He'll think of something for sure, in situations like this people tend to have the best ideas.

The growling wasn't audible ever again after that, so it was probably safe. The old man didn't know why this creature, whatever animal it was in the end, wouldn't follow him anymore. He quickly understood why though. Before man there was a heavy gate connected to a thick wall, protecting an even more impressive Castle. The place was huge, yet looked almost abandoned. To the man's surprise, the gate was opened. The presence of a huge palace in the woods was mysterious enough, no one in their right mind would enter, but as they said, your father wasn't in his right mind. The now thick snow made a satisfying crunch as the old man walked through the gate, pulling his cart and leaving it next to the wall as he himself walked further, exploring the courtyard. It was so quiet, the only sound was the howling wind as snow fell down from the sky. All this in the middle of June! It was so cold outside, the old man was wearing only a thin yukata so the low temperature made it even worse for him.

To the merchant's surprise once more, the main door was open as well! It wasn't protected by anyone or anything, the locks were loose, just waiting for the door to be opened.

“I shouldn't, this place is probably occupied…” The man muttered, but then once again, someone wealthy had to live in this palace. He could possibly sell his music boxes and come back home with a lot of money for him and his child! The old man gently knocked on the door, and when there was no answer, he slowly walked in.

Inside there was darkness, everything was so quiet. The man stepped inside, slowly taking in his surroundings. The palace was beautifully furnished with both Japanese and western furniture, trinkets and other gizmos. On a low table there was a candelabra and a clock, both beautifully crafted, probably by a western master due to their complex form and detailed look.

“A work of art, truly…” The merchant muttered before picking up the candelabra, slowly examining it before his eyes fell on the beautifully crafted clock, also admiring it's painting, details and the mechanism. The man looked at both items in awe before hearing a noise in the distance, which made him put the candelabra back to it's original spot and move towards another room, looking for anyone he could talk to.

“You heard that? He called me a work of art…” The candelabra chuckled quietly before an annoyed sigh came from the clock.

“Exactly, and works of art don't utter a word.” The clock huffed immediately, which earned another melodic chuckle from the candelabra.

“That's why you're speaking as well, I presume, Akaza-dono~” The candelabra giggled before immediately silencing itself when the old man turned his head towards them again with a puzzled look on his face.

“Hello, is anyone—...there?” The man hummed, not seeing nor hearing anyone or anything. He shrugged it off, slowly stepping further into the castle.

Maybe this place was just playing pranks on him? The old man wasn't sure. He could've sworn that he heard someone! But he was alone in the end. Before he even knew it, the man made it to another room, the dining hall it seemed. The room was beautifully furnished as well, with western and Japanese furniture once again. Oh, someone rich had to live there if they could get themselves so much western furniture. On the table there was one, hot meal. Steamed rice, fish, soup on the side and even some sweets! At this sight the old merchant could feel his stomach rumbling, but he knew better than to take someone's meal without permission, so he helped himself to some tea instead. The man gently took the teapot, pouring some tea to the cup before…the cup slid across the table on it's own towards the man.

“What the—” Your father gulped softly before looking at the teapot which also moved!

“Would you like some sugar? It goes great with black tea, people from the west add sugar to it— it tastes great, you can trust me!” The teapot chimed softly before looking up at the terrified merchant.

“Oh, I'm sure, but you see, ma'am, I think I forgot something from my cart…” The man answered calmly before quickly rushing out of the room and running through the dark hallway towards the main entrance as fast as an old man can run.

“Ah, Kotoha my dearest, it seems like you spooked the guy.” The candelabra chuckled, slowly making it's way to the dining room and onto the table, not being able to hold his soft laughter at the sight.

“Oh, what a shame, I was hoping he'll stay for dinner.” Kotoha answered with a small sigh, sounding clearly disappointed.

“Oh, don't be silly, maybe he's really ‘’getting something he forgot from the cart'.” Douma joked again, letting out another stream of chuckles before getting a punch from akaza.

“Let's hope not. It's enough that he entered without permission. I hope the man just leaves and doesn't bring trouble.” The clock, Akaza huffed with a stern look on his face.

“Ah, you're no fun these days, you're truly hurting me, Akaza-dono…” The candelabra whined dramatically, throwing himself down onto the table like an offended diva.

.

.

.

As the old merchant neared his cart, his legs were already hurting. Maybe he was really getting too old for this? Well, he'll have to remember the path to the castle, so that he'll never come across it again. That teapot was alive! As your father slowly made it to the gate he remembered something. Roses. Roses grew on the castle grounds. He promised you a rose when he comes back. He already didn't make it to any town, not even one music box has been sold, he failed at everything else, so he won't at least fail at delivering his dearest child a flower. The old man slowly stepped away from the cart, going towards the rose bushes. How did those even bloom here? It was so cold and there was snow all around the castle! It was truly magical, this whole place had to be cursed at some point.

The old man didn't dwell on this any longer, he just stepped closer to the bush, slowly reaching out for one of the flowers and plucking it.

“There we go…this will do.” He muttered, looking at the flower he just took before hearing a low growl behind him. The old man turned around just to see a tall, skinny figure jumping down from some high point right in front of him.

“Good for you…good for you. A cart full of goods, probably a warm home is waiting for you to come back…you have it good man, you know…?” A raspy, croaky voice said as the creature neared the man. Even if this thing was hunching, it was still towering over the merchant.

“You have so much, man, yet you still came to steal from me…oh that's unforgivable!” A wild scream left the thing's throat as a rough, veiny hand grabbed the old man by his yukata, lifting him up angrily

“No, I'm sorry, I didn't know— I would never—” Your father stuttered, trying to apologize. His eyes slowly wandered at the other's face, looking at those down-turned, bloodshot eyes. Those eyes felt so inhuman as the warm yellow sclera, with lime and red iris shone in the darkness with a menacing glow.

“What'cha staring at, eh?” The creature growled, squeezing the man's clothing even tighter. It seemed to just grow more and more angry with every second as the old man couldn't get his eyes away.

“Ah…so you came here to stare at me? Oh…I hate people like you— I can't stand it!” He roared out as his other hand clawed at his face. Only then the old man could see the face of his oppressor, which made him gasp in horror at what he saw. This seemed to anger the being even more as it harshly dragged the old man into the castle, not listening to his screams nor pleas…nor cries.

✦————————————————————————✦

Father and to be busy. Maybe he was living his best life, selling as many music boxes as possible? You wondered what could've happened, father didn't come back yet, and you started to worry. Days were passing so slowly when you were alone. Avoiding Kaigaku became even more challenging. For some reason he grew more and more stubborn, and it was slowly becoming annoying. What could you do? The person who'd usually give you advice was gone right now and it was slowly driving you crazy.

You could swear that you'll go crazy if everything will stay like this. The days were all the same and it was awful! As if life was playing a cruel prank on you, very slowly bringing in more and more torture. You began losing all hope before there was a knock on the door! Father! Father came back for sure!

You rushed to the door, getting excited that your parent finally came back from his journey. You opened the door, smiling happily and…

“Oh, someone seems happy to see me.” Kaigaku chuckled softly, proudly sticking out his chest and smirking. Oh no, not this again.

“Kaigaku—” you began saying, but you were quickly silenced by him.

“Ah, no need for all this. I came with an offer. See, my training has been getting successful, I'm getting high in life, slowly becoming a powerful samurai…one or two years and I'll be at the top as an honorable warrior…and every warrior needs their person of honor, no?” Kaigaku hummed, smirking at you as he took a step closer.

“Say, what?” You muttered, obviously dumbfounded before backing into your house. Kaigaku followed you in, kicking off his zōri and looking around the house as he continued talking.

“Picture this…me coming back home from a long, awesome journey, full of slaying dangerous beasts and enemies, and there would be you, waiting for me with a basket of peaches and dinner already waiting for me at the table…” He hummed as he followed you when you still stepped backwards. Honestly, just thinking about your future looking like that made you cringe.

“Just you, me…maybe some kids too, who knows. You know, I'm truly worried for you! I don't want you to end up like poor lady Tamayo, with nothing going on for her, living alone in a small shack, amfar away from the village...” He added. Oh no, no, no, this was the worst idea you've ever heard. As Kaigaku neared you, you slowly dodged, going back to the door and leaning against it.

“Oh, this sounds so interesting, I don't know what to say…” you answered as Kaigaku leaned in with a small smile.

“Just say we'll get married, hm?” He answered, leaning in even more…

“Oh, truly, that's a really nice offer but…oh, Kaigaku, I just don't deserve you!” You answered before swiftly dodging him and sliding the door open, making Kaigaku fall out of your house before the door was shut behind him once again.

Zenitsu, who followed Kaigaku here of course, couldn't help but chuckle softly, but when Kaigaku stared daggers into him, Zenitsu immediately cowered, running away, knowing what was coming. You probably got lucky, because Kaigaku immediately chased after Zenitsu, shouting at him in anger.

Seems like you've just dodged a bullet. A soft sigh left your lips as you walked out of the house through the second door in the back. There was still no trace of your father. But, when he'll come back everything will be better…he has to come back— or you'll have to really get hitched with Kaigaku, which sounded like a literal nightmare.

The blades of grass danced softly on the gentle wind as you walked through the less crowded parts of the village, slightly getting away from it to find some peace of mind. The sun fell onto the rice fields in the distance as clouds swam through the blue sky like little pieces of cotton on a lazy river. There had to be something waiting for you out there, something more than this simple, provincial life where there were limited options for happiness. As your hair danced on the find you could just feel yourself begging for something to happen, for something more to come your way! This couldn't be all this world had in store for you, there had to be more, and if there indeed wasn't, you'll go get it yourself! People are alive to do great things, this world has so much to offer and it's just waiting to be discovered by someone! There's no way that in all this there wasn't something that was waiting just for you…there had to be. Right? You began to doubt yourself a little before you stopped walking as your feet hit something hard.

A box. One of the boxes that had your father's music boxes inside— he dropped it? Before you knew it you could see another one in the distance. The lost boxes had to create a small trail, so perhaps they'd lead you to your father? Besides, it would be good to collect them anyway, once father comes back, he'll be able to sell those too later. You gathered up all your courage and determination, picking up the first box and rushing towards the next one. Slowly stepping into the dark forest. Whatever is in those woods, it better brace itself, because you're on the way to get your father back home.

✦————————————————————————✦

And with that, chapter 2 is over! I don't know how many chapters will be there in total, but I'll try to make them a bit longer since I want you to enjoy the story to the fullest! Also, I want you guys to fully grasp the idea that I have in mind.

With all that said, have a nice day/night!