Title: The Beauty and the Beast
Author: Aurora Ciel
Characters/Pairings: Sasuke/Sakura, Naruto/Hinata, Kakashi minor: Lee, Tsunade.
Rating: M
Alternate Summary: He was a God cursed to be a demon for his cold heart, she was the beautiful sacrifice he'd taken prisoner. Over time they were no longer the prisoner and the monster, the beauty and the beast, but two halves to the same whole.
Warnings: Language, violence in some chapters, sexual content in later chapters.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor the musical and/or Disney movie Beauty and the Beast.
Note 1: This story is very AU. There are still ninja but only males are allowed, females with good chakra control may go into medicine if they choose to. Demons and Gods are common in this universe and, while they are treated with utmost respect—and fear, they would not be regarded as something out of the ordinary like they would be today. I guess the best examples I can think of are the movie Spirited Away or the manga/TV show Inuyasha.
Note 2: There isn't exactly a time period to this story. I like to think of it as in the past, but without a certain time frame, if that makes sense. You can choose to decide whenever you want it to take place.
Note 3: Yes, I got the major plot idea for this from the storyline of Beauty and the Beast. I love the musical and the movie and have been toying around with this idea for a long time. While some parts will follow the plot of the story, other areas are completely my own, so don't go into this expecting to know everything that's going to happen. I hope you enjoy it!

Prologue

"Uchiha Sasuke, you will not ignore me!" a shrill voice hissed. A young God with hair darker than a raven and skin the color of ivory made his way out of the front hall of his castle, gracefully moving up the staircase two steps at a time.

"Ino-sama," another voice from below called out to the angry Goddess storming behind him, "You've been chasing after Sasuke-teme for nearly fifty years now—why don't you give it a rest?"

She chose to ignore the half-breed male below her, increasing her speed up the marble stairs. Her waterfall of golden hair swished behind her as she hoisted up the skirts of her kimono higher so she could more easily make the climb behind the gorgeous God ahead of her.

"I mean, it's nothing personal, the teme just isn't very social! He's not looking to settle down yet…" he continued, starting to scamper up the stairs after her.

"Naruto," Ino snapped, pausing in her chase for a moment to toss a glare behind her shoulder, "you will shut your mouth or I will hit you hard it'll make that Kyuubi locked up inside you look like a harmless little chipmunk."

The boy, who was a God with the Kyuubi demon locked inside him, was considered a biracial creature of their spiritual realm. He was shunned by the Gods for the evil inside him and rejected by the demons because of his pure heart and soul, and therefore had few options when it came to companionship. Interestingly enough, he found friendship in Sasuke, the only remaining God in the Uchiha clan, notoriously emotionless and isolated.

"Now," Ino continued, turning her dangerous blue eyes back towards the God she was pursuing, "Sasuke-kun, this is my final offer: are you ready to take me as your mate?"

Sasuke stopped at the head of the staircase, one hand placed on the narrow marble column at the edge of the railing, the other fisted in his pocket. Ino and Naruto froze, neither expecting this response from the anti-social deity.

"Ino," he said quietly. The river Goddess straightened, quickly brushing her slender fingers through her long golden locks and fluttering her eyelashes at him. He turned around, disgust clearly evident on his face, "Tch. You're annoying. Get out."

Naruto barely had enough time to duck before Ino's fist slammed into the wall next to his head. He could sense the angry aura emanating from her body and struggled to fight the urge to hide.

"Kakashi," Sasuke intoned; a silver-haired spirit with a mask covering the side of his face appeared from a doorway on the lower floor. "Show Ino the way out. She is obviously incapable of doing so herself."

Ino's eyes bled red as she gritted her teeth, her hands balling into tight fists. A wind began to blow and her hair lifted to float around her as if she were underwater. "I've tried to be patient with you, Uchiha Sasuke. But I think it's time someone taught you a lesson."

Thunder crashed outside as rain came down in a harsh downpour. Naruto was quick-thinking enough to leap off the staircase before it crumbled to pieces, landing next to Kakashi. They watched quietly, unsure of how to react to the menacing Goddess. Ino was suspended in midair, bobbing slightly as she continued floating, both hands stretched out towards Sasuke, who was standing at the edge of what was left of the staircase. His face kept a bored expression, as if he were merely counting down the minutes before she left.

Sasuke's indifference to her rather melodramatic show only fueled the fire. Ino swished a hand through the air and the floor surrounding Sasuke crashed to the level below it, leaving Sasuke standing on a few floorboards left suspended in the air.

Every candle and torch in the castle went out with another flick of the angry Goddess's wrist, the only light given off by the occasional flash of lightening and the eerie glow Ino's hands were beginning to give off. She snarled, her eyes flicking back up to Sasuke's as she began to speak.

"You seem to be so adverse to any kind of social interaction that I'm going to give you what you want."

Naruto's eyes widened and he glanced over at Kakashi, wondering if they should step in. Kakashi was Sasuke's guardian, and therefore would know what was best for him. But Kakashi kept his gaze on his young master, as if trying to anticipate the next move to come.

"Uchiha Sasuke," Ino repeated, "you are heartless and cold, the characteristics only a true demon can possess, and therefore, a demon you shall become. It is time for your appearance to match your personality. Since you choose your behavior to be cruel, dark and ugly—so shall your appearance."

Sasuke dropped to his knees as he felt a searing pain in his neck, as if the very fire from Hell were resting on his shoulders. His skin felt like it was melting off of his body, his head was ready to explode. He looked down to see claws beginning to sprout from his fingers. His gaze wavered as he looked back up at Ino, seeing a satisfied smirk grow on her face.

"Until you find a woman who will love you for what you truly are," her eyes flashed as if to imply that this was the reflection of his true form, "you will remain this way—in the body of a demon."

He let out an pained groan, the tendons in his neck extending, as he felt two bursts of pain shoot out of his back, right at the shoulder blades. His mind clouded over in a haze as Sasuke felt his body crash to the ground heavily. Darkness seeped into his vision as he struggled to retain consciousness, only able to focus on his harsh panting breaths, the rain crashing on the windows, and the malicious sound of Ino's laughter.

"You wanted so badly to be alone Sasuke? Looks like you got your wish."

-O-0-O-

Sasuke awoke to the sound of Naruto and Kakashi's hushed voices. He opened his eyes and moved to lift his head, grunting at the sudden jolt of pain that shot through his shoulder blades at the movement.

"Sasuke-teme!" Naruto rushed to his friend's side, his clear blue eyes quickly scanning over the Uchiha's face. "You're awake!"

"Naruto," Kakashi said calmly, moving to the other side of Sasuke, "calm down."

"Kakashi," Sasuke turned to his guardian, not able to get past the way the older spirit's lone eye seemed determined to look at anything but him. "What…happened?"

Kakashi's jaw clenched and he moved to help Sasuke up, "I think you need to see for yourself."

As he stood, Sasuke glanced down and his eyes widened. His white haori had been ripped off, revealing dark gray flesh. He flexed his hands, looking at the black talons that were now in place of his fingernails. "Kakashi…" he repeated, noticing for the first time the way his voice had turned into more of a growl.

Naruto lead the way to a washroom, and Sasuke found himself tensing before he turned toward the mirror.

There was no way to even remotely describe the way Sasuke felt when he saw his reflection. He'd never been a vain man, but he had to admit he was repulsed by his new appearance. While his hair had once been black as night, it was now more the color of bluish charcoal as it fell past his shoulders, his skin a brownish-gray. He remembered the pain that had shot out of his shoulder blades and turned to see two claw-like wings now protruding. His eyes had bled into a demonic crimson shade and he realized they looked as though he were permanently using the Sharingan, his clan bloodline trait. Between the two blood rubies that were his eyes were two dark slashes, one going up the other side to side, crossing in the exact middle, creating an odd star-like design.

Finally his eyes landed on a strange mark at the juncture of his left shoulder and he realized Ino had put a cursed seal on him, ensuring there was no way to break the curse without the solution she'd prescribed.

Naruto, seeing Sasuke's gaze on the cursed seal, mused, "Ironic, she turned him into a creature from Hell using the Cursed Seal of Heaven…."

Sasuke couldn't tear his gaze away from the monstrosity that was his appearance, "I…I…."

Kakashi moved to place a comforting hand on the Uchiha's shoulder, but Sasuke lurched away from his companions quickly. They watched as he walked back into the shadows, leaping up to the second floor where the staircase once stood.

"Sasuke, come back!" Naruto called out, following after his friend. He stood amongst the rubble, seeing Sasuke pause for a moment.

"I'm a monster," Sasuke muttered. "I'm never leaving this place again."

"B-But Sasuke, how will you get a girl to fall in love with you if you stay cooped up—"

Sasuke lurched over the railing, his eyes flashing like dark rubies as a disgusting smirk grew on his face, "Do you really think anyone could love me like this?"

When Naruto remained silent, he scoffed and slinked back into the shadows. Naruto turned to Kakashi, who was kicking around pieces of smashed marble.

"What do we do Kakashi? If he stays locked up in this castle the curse will never be broken, he'll be stuck like…that."

Kakashi sighed, his one-eyed gaze drifting back to where Sasuke had disappeared to. "I don't know what to tell you, Naruto. Where do you think we could find a woman who would love someone with Sasuke's personality, matched with this new curse? I can't even imagine a woman who will want to look at him now."

Naruto frowned, sitting down on a bigger hunk of marble and rested his face in his hands. "Surely there's got to be someone out there with a big enough heart to love Sasuke…."

Notes: Yes I know its short, but hey it's just a prologue! Please review and I'll try to get the next chapter out soon!!