To Love A Beast

Rejections and Schemes.

Sera was angry, the fact that she was trying to be nice. This was something she wasn't use to doing. It hurt more than that all the time she had been rejected. It was weird since all the other times didn't appear to bother her. This is something that really hurt her. She felt it had to do with her appearance. He didn't want to have dinner with a beast-like creature like her. She was a monster on his eyes. Not that her personality was any better. She tried her best not to cry as she made it to his room. Sera calmed herself as she quickly wiped her tears.

"OPEN THE DOOR!" Sera screams out in anger. She wanted to hide the fact she was deeply hurt and was crying.

"NO!" Yamato yells back through the door.

"All right, if he's not going to have dinner with me . . . then he isn't going to have dinner at all." Sera says. Her voice firm with this decision.

"What are you saying princess?" Leo questioned.

"He'll starve. No one feed him. Until he agrees to have dinner with me. Understand!"

"Yes, you're majesty." Amu, Leo and Tusk tell her as they bow their heads as she leaves.

"That's rather cruel." Tusk makes an offhand remarks.

"She means well. Sera . . . I mean the princess is hurting inside from rejection." Amu tells them. As she looked back in Sera's direction in sadness.

"Why can't you be more respectfully of the princess?" Leo tells him.

"He still hurting from being imprisoned. She should give him some time. Perhaps he will change he's mind is all I am saying."

"So . . . you wouldn't turn down having dinner with me?" Amu shyly tells out as she puts her hands to her face turning away, blushing.
"No . . . that's not what I mean." Tusk answers, blushing. "I am saying that I would."

"So you're saying no?" Amu sadly asked. Tusk looked at her, seeing how sad she was about it.

"All right. Maybe later."

"Really?!" Amu excitably tells him as she quickly embraces him and kisses him on the cheek. As she heads off and leaves.

"What did you get yourself into?" Leo mentions, shaking his head in disappointment. Not understanding why he would agree to go on a date with her. Tusk just stood there in silence as he touched his cheek where Amu kissed him.

Sera had gone to her room in the East Wing; she held her hands to her face as she began to cry. She looked up a portrait of herself when she was human back then she was still a child. It had pained her so much that it was shredded at some points where she cut it with her claws.

"It's not that I want to go to dinner with him." Sera sadly tells. She touched the glass casing that was covering the magical rose. It was starting to bud, it looked a bright red. She looks at the magic mirror that was laid face down on the table. She goes over to pick it up as she sees her reflection. It was one her gifts from the Enchantress beside the magical rose. "Show me the boy!" She asks it as the mirror shows her an imagine of Yamato. He had his arms crossed as he sat on the bed in his room. He was clearly angry.

"I don't want anything to do with her." Yamato remarks to himself.

"It's no use. He will never love me. He want nothing to do with me. He would only ever see as some kind of monster." She put the magic mirror on the table as she puts her hands to her heart. Trying to hold back the tears as she looked at the starry-night sky.

Meanwhile back in town . . .

Minako sulked in depression over being rejected by Yamato. No one could resist her; she was the most captivating woman in town. She sat in her chair at the bar, just looking at the fireplace. All she kept thinking to herself is how did this happen to her? It was the most humiliating thing that ever had happened to her.

"Miss. Minako?" Nami questioned. Minako didn't respond. "Please answer . . ."

"Don't talk to me . . . can't you see that I am depressed." Minako sadly tells Nami.

"Is this because Yamato refused to marry you?" Nami questioned to her. She was trying to figure out what was making Minako so she could be her happy, charming self once again.

"I was rejected! He publicly humiliated me. Why it's more I can bare?" She finished drinking as she through the glass at the fire place. It misses as it shatters into a thousand pieces. Nami gets a broom as she begins to clean it up.

"Come on, Minako. They're a million guys out there at your beck and call." Nami swings her chair around to show her all the guys at the bar, swooning at her from a distance. She just ignored it; it bothered her more that Yamato rebuffed her affections. She was going to marry him whether he liked it or not. She just had to figure it out.

"But now of them will ever be as good looking as me."

"That's true but anyone in town will follow you in a second. Both the guys and . . . all even the girls adore you. They see you as a role model." Nami played with fingers as she said this.

"Not everyone." Minako depressingly remarks.

"Please stop sulking . . ." Nami begged. "I can't do anything by myself with you in this state."

"You're really getting on my nerves . . ." Minako irritably tells her.

The carriage had taken Mario all the way to town as he dumped out into the cold of winter. The carriage left and went into the distance as he stared back at it. He had to get back to the castle to free Yamato. No matter what it takes, someone in town had to help him. He looked up as snow fell on him.

"Help . . . me . . . someone help . . ." Mario weakly let's out.

"Mario?!" All them called out.

"Shouldn't you be dressed as an animal for one of your animal sculptures?" Nami teased him.

"It's Yamato . . ." Mario tells them.

"Yamato? What about him?" Minako asked. She seemed to perk up a bit hearing his name. As she looks at Mario.

"He trapped in this castle, there is a beast like creature keeping him prisoner." He tells them as everyone begins to laugh.

"Now, we heard some of your stories but this one takes the cake." Nami adds as she continues to laugh.

"This isn't something I made up. He needs help." Mario weakly tells him.

"Listen darling. Why don't you go home and get some sleep? I am sure Yamato will be back in the morning." Minako assures him, like everyone else. Everyone in town believed he was crazy after all.

"But..." Mario says.

"Go on now." Minako pushes him out the door.

"That crazy old Mario. He will never learn." Nami laughs.

"That gives me an idea." Minako smiles.

"What is it?" Nami questioned.

"Yes, we can use his craziness to our advance. Blackmail Yamato into marrying me." Minako smiled.

"Great . . . I don't get it." Nami says confused.

"You will see soon enough..."Minako laughs menacingly.

Meanwhile outside, Mario was out in the cold, circling around as he went to his knees not knowing what to do. Everyone in town thought he was crazy, they didn't believe him and refuse to help him.

"Please someone . . . anyone . . . help me?" He sobers. "ANYONE?!"

Author's Note: Things will change between Yamato and Sera by the next chapter...well something has to spark a change so their relationship can change. Minako has her own evil plan to try to get Yamato to marry her? What could it possibly be? I hope you enjoy the bit of Tusk and Amu as well...