I have ascertained that as a fanfic-writing fangirl, I must have at least one ongoing multi-chapter story to work on. So, here's the prologue. If you like it, review for more.

Just so you know, the first few chapters are going to be pretty slow moving. And it won't be sticking to the precise plot of the Disney version very much. For example, I've casted Rufus as Gaston in my head, but he won't be a crazy, homicidal bastard that tries to kill people just to marry some chick that he likes. And there's more than one candle. And Vinny isn't going to be furry with anger management problems. And...well, I'll let you see on your own.

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII or Beauty and the Beast. I only own the idea to sorta mesh them together. I gain nothing from this but satisfaction. So fuck off, lawyers.

Once upon a time, there was a young man of noble lineage. He lived in a grand mansion with no company but that of his servants, several miles from the nearest town. On one of his journeys into the village, he met a woman with whom he fell deeply in love. From that day onward, he went to see her every day. He brought her gifts; anything she desired, he would give to her. He would have given her his own life, if only for the sake of her happiness.

But it was all in vain, for he did not know that she was engaged to be married to the mayor's son, a proud, arrogant young man that held himself above all others. When she told him, intending to invite him to the wedding, he was heartbroken, angry, betrayed, and refused to go. For all her deception, she did not want him to miss her wedding, so she arranged it to be held in the courtyard outside his home.

The day of the ceremony was a bright one. Throngs of people crowded around the newlyweds. The couple was ecstatic, blissful. No one cared enough to notice the lone figure watching from the mansion's window.

The young man's cold, blood red gaze never left the form of the bride. There was no feeling in his heart, save the ache of emptiness and sorrow.

That night, there was a great storm. Thunder boomed, lightning crashed, rain poured down in sheets.

An old crone, clothed in a tattered cloak, came to the mansion seeking shelter and a place to stay for the night. She offered nothing in return but a single, budding rose. The young man, feeling no sympathy, turned her away.

In that moment, the woman's rags melted away to be replaced by a shimmering gown, and her ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress. She had judged the man to have no love in his heart, and so transformed the young man into a hellish fiend, and cursed every living creature on the grounds.

The rose, she said, would bloom until the day a human from the town came to visit the mansion. When that day came, it would begin to wilt. If he could find love before the last petal fell, the spell would be broken.

But if not, he and all those in the household would be doomed to remain as they were for all eternity.

Well, there you have it. Prologue. Yay.

P.S. I know it's not said, or even implied, but Aerith is the enchantress, at least in my head. You know, roses, flowers, flower girl, Aerith? You don't need to know this to get the story, but it's nice to have people understand what's going on in my head when I write these things.

Now, review if you want the first chapter. If you don't, I'm going to assume that you hated it and thought it was crap, and I won't even bother writing any more.