Once upon a time, in a land far away, there lived a wealthy family of four who owned much of the land. Among the family was two sons, twin boys...but their parents doted solely on the younger twin, planting a seed of anger in the older twin. From then on, he became a cruel and vain boy, obsessed with his looks and a menace to his brother. His parents abhorred him more than they had before, and thus began his dark descent.

One day, his parents informed him that there was a suitor asking for his hand in marriage. He agreed to meet this suitor, thinking that perhaps this person could make him feel a little less lonely...

...but he immediately sent the man away when he saw his scarred appearance. He figured that since he was beautiful, he deserved a beautiful companion and nothing less would do.

But what he didn't know was that this one decision would forever change his life.

As soon as he'd rejected the man, the scars seemed to melt away to reveal one of the most beautiful men he'd ever laid eyes on. His golden eyes burned with rage as he threw his hands in the air and bellowed, "You would turn me away simply for my appearance? For some scars? You may be beautiful, but your heart is ugly! Now you must suffer the consequences...inner shall become outer...find the one who can still love you after that before the rose that I shall leave you wilts, and then you will be free!"

The beautiful boy watched in absolute horror as his skin changed before his eyes, crying out in pain as his skin became marked with scars and even fresh cuts. The man left him bleeding on the doorsteps, pausing only to glare once more.

"You have angered me so, boy. For that, you shall suffer this curse alone!"

Screams filled the air that night, coming from inside the manor house. Most of the servants were lost that night, as were his parents, but luckily a kindhearted witch managed to save his brother and a handful of others inside. But all was not fixed. Those who had been saved by the witch had been saved from the brink of death, and so they became mere specters, half living yet half dead. And the once beautiful boy was left covered in repulsive scars, his beautiful blue eyes turned a sickly yellow and his heart shriveled even more than before. A single red rose was left as a symbol of his curse—he abhorred it but became fiercely protective of it, letting no one touch it in fear that it would be damaged.

Many years passed, and the boy grew more and more discouraged and angry. He knew that no one would ever love him, not with the way he looked, and deep sadness set in at the realization.

But everything would soon change on a stormy night.

"Son, come quick! I've done it! Ooooh, I've finally done it!"

Ventus set down the pad of paper he'd been holding, along with his charcoal. A half drawn person was delicately shaded into the page, only half a face at that point.

"Coming, Father!" he called back with a soft smile as he shook his head in amusement. He hoped that his father was right this time—he'd been trying so hard.

Ventus made his way upstairs to the loft, also known as his father's workshop. It was here that the man invented things...or at least tried to. His inventions usually ended in injury of disaster. Ven still had a burn on his arm from one that had gone wrong earlier that year. His father had nearly lost an eye to another—he could barely see out of it. But still, he continued to invent in hopes that one day, he'd be successful. Ventus admired him for that. No matter what, he persevered.

He could hear his father hooting and hollering as he climbed the stairs, chuckling at the sound. Perhaps he had finally done it—Ventus had never seen him so excited about anything before.

When he reached the top, he found his father covered in soot and dirt, yet grinning like a madman. Ventus snorted at his appearance, trying to restrain his laughter.

"What's funny? Is there something on my face?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

Ventus couldn't help it—the laughter escaped and he couldn't stop it. "Oh father," he laughed, pulling his handkerchief from his pocket and beginning to wipe the man's face. "Sometimes I wonder what you'd do without me."

Cid was a good father. Anyone could see how much he loved his son and how hard he worked to provide for him. He was simply a little...forgetful. Before Ventus' mother had passed, she'd kept him in check and cared for. Now, that job fell to Ventus, though it didn't really feel like a job. He loved his father and would do anything for him.

"I'd be doomed to wander with stuff on my face," Cid answered with a laugh. "You're a good boy, Ven. Thank you for taking care of an old fool like me."

Ven smiled. "You know I don't mind, father."

"I know. You've got a heart of gold, Ventus. Just like your momma."

Sadness tinged at the boy's smiled. Everyone always told him how much he was like his mother. He missed her so dearly—it seemed like it had been only days since her passing, when in reality it had been almost eight years.

He'd been almost nine years old when it happened. He'd been walking with his mother down the road that led to their home when they'd heard it. Ventus had thought it had sounded like a thunderstorm. In reality, it was a spooked horse, galloping full speed toward them with no sign of stopping.

Without a thought for her own well-being, Aerith had pushed her son out of the way. Ven could still hear the sickening cracks as the horse trampeled his mother.

Nightmares of that day had plagued Ven's dreams ever since. They became less frequent as he grew older, but he still had one at least once a week.

Cid sighed. "I sure miss her. But I thank the heavens every day that she left me you, Ventus."

Ventus didn't know how to respond, and so he finished cleaning his father's face before forcing a smile. Thinking about his mother had caused his good mood to plummet.

"Why don't you show me what you've made, father?" he prompted, eyebrow raised.

"Oh!" Cid exclaimed. He took Ventus by the arm and pulled him out the door that led to a set of stairs to the basement. This is where he went when his inventions were too big for the loft. Instantly, Ven's guard went up. If it was bigger, that meant more potential for disaster.

"Look, son! I've really done it!" Cid swept his arm excitedly in front of a hulking black...thing? Ventus couldn't tell what it was supposed to be.

"If I may ask, father...what is it?" he asked, looking it over for some sort of clue that might tell him what it was. It looked like it maybe had a door on the side...?

Cid laughed heartily, clapping his son on the back. "Why, it's a horseless carriage! Powered entirely by charcoal! Simply put some charcoal in the furnace, and steer with these levers in the front! Isn't it genius?"

Ventus chuckled hesitantly. "Father, aren't carriages supposed to be a little more...stylish? And won't travelers get hot and dirty inside?"

Cid waved his hand dismissively. "Details, my boy. The main thing is that it works! The fine tuning can come later, once I find an investor!"

Ventus didn't want to destroy his father's hopes, and so he simply nodded to that with a smile on his face. "Well I think it's wonderful, father. I'm very proud of you."

Cid beamed, hugging Ven close. "Maybe now I can finally give you the kind of life you deserve, Ventus. No more conserving meals. From now on, I'm gonna take care of you the way you've taken care of me."

Ventus chuckled. "I don't mind taking care of you, father." He paused, biting his lip. "Just...don't get too disappointed if it doesn't work out, alright? Because there's always next time."

The blond man grinned. "Oh, I know things are going to work out. It's a feeling I've got, son. This is gonna make us lots of money, I know it!"

Ventus wanted to sigh. There would be no convincing his father that things might not work out—once he got something in his head, he went with it. He was stubborn as a mule. And Ventus knew that he'd have to pick up the pieces.

"C'mon, Ven, be a little optimistic!" Cid exclaimed, his grin faltering. "I know that my track record isn't very good for these things, but this time...this time it works. Doesn't that count for something?"

"Of course," replied Ven with a frown. "But father...you have to be realistic. You can't blindly think it's going to work out, because it very well couldn't. I just think that you should be a little wary about this."

"I suppose you're right," he admitted, letting go of Ven. "But I won't give up on this, Ven. I promise you that I will do whatever it takes to give you a comfortable life." His voice lowered. "I know that you don't want to marry Braig, but I also know that you're considering it because his family is wealthy. I want to give you freedom to choose, Ventus."

"Father..." Ventus didn't know what to say. He hadn't realized how observant his father truly was. He did not in fact want to marry Braig, but he was thinking of doing it anyway so that he and his father would be secure financially. They'd never had much money, after all.

"I don't want you to marry someone you don't love, son. I loved your mother with all my heart—she made me the happiest person alive. I want you to have that feeling someday."

Unable to find words, Ventus simply wrapped his arms around his father. The older man returned the tight embrace, rubbing his son's back.

"You are the most important person in my life, Ventus," Cid murmured, squeezing him tighter. "I won't settle for anything less than your happiness."

Blinking away tears, Ven whispered, "I love you, Father."

Cid chuckled softly. "I love you too, son."

a/n: hello there, lovelies!

so this story has been my baby for about a year now, i just never got around to posting it because i'm lazy as fuck and i have a lot of editing to do (this story is mostly done but it's in horrendous shape so yeah)

i hope you all enjoy my take on beauty and the beast! and yeah the title is lame but i couldn't really think of anything else lololol...the story will be Ven/Vanitas, with a few side pairings ^_^

afom out~