"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,

but I have promises to keep

and miles to go before I sleep;

and miles to go before I sleep."

- Robert Frost, Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening

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Beast

Chapter Three:

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The village tavern was booming, as it was most evenings, with a majority of the men who lived within the town. From the farmers who owned large plots of land just outside of the village, to the merchants who sold goods on the cobbled streets of the town, to the ruffians and thugs that spent their time fighting and betting for money.

They sat in their cliques, some at the bar, others at their own tables, gulping down pitchers of mead as they laughed and talked and got good and drunk together, all but one, a couple who sat in the corner of the tavern, away from the merriment and joy. The elder one sat hunched over, his face in his hands, as he looked off at all the other men. The younger sat sipping on a glass of some tea, having denied drinking anything which could impair him, the duo's fiery orange hair looking striking beneath the pale glow of the torches.

Kon, the younger, looked up at his elder cousin, who had been quiet and cheerless ever since their visit to the maiden Orihime's home. It was unfortunate; Kon thought to himself, that the girl's brother had not returned on his horse. The loss of a family member to some unknown disaster was something that the young boy was very familiar with. He, himself, had never even known who his parents were, his earliest memories being that of growing up around the Kurosaki household with his uncle and his three children. His aunt, who had passed with illness before he was even born, belonged to the side of the family he was a part of, and since she was gone he had no knowledge whatsoever of his parents and their whereabouts.

So, naturally, Kon felt an increasing sympathy for the girl.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Kon asked his elder cousin, "Orihime, I mean."

Ichigo did not speak. Instead he just scowled down at the young boy before turning back to observing the other bystanders in the tavern.

"It's a terrible thing to lose someone's family member." Kon continued, looking down into his glass, "I hope that her brother just lost the horse rather than… something else having happened to him."

"Poor girl." Ichigo finally said, threading his fingers through his hands as he gave an exhausted sigh, "How would she survive without a man in her household. All alone, by herself in that shabby home."

Ichigo then looked down at the floor, his hands tightening around each other as his body became tense, "Did you see the way she looked at me?" He had whispered it, so quiet in the loud room that Kon had to strain his ears to hear. Yet, the distress was evident on the elder Kurosaki's face. Ichigo was upset about the denial, from being said no one too many times by the girl. It was the first time Kon had ever seen the man in any mood other than proud.

Kon put on a smile and bumped his cousin in the shoulder. "How about a beer?" He said in a feeble attempt to cheer the man up.

"What for? Nothing helps."

"Ah, come on!" Kon edged on as he ran up to he bar, grabbing a pitcher for his elder cousin. He slammed the pitcher on the table, shouting, "Just one!"

Ichigo looked at him, annoyance evident on his features. Kon just sank down, his face dropping from a cheerful smile to a melancholy frown.

"I'm worried about her, Kon," Ichigo said his eyes dull and sad, "But... I suppose you are right." Ichigo grabbed the pitcher, standing and raising the glass high into the air.

"I'm Ichigo Kurosaki! I can win her heart! No woman is immune to my charm!" Ichigo poured the glass down his throat, drinking the entire drink in one large gulp. "Besides," He grinned at his younger cousin, "She'll need a shoulder to cry one, wont she?"

Kon smiled, "That's the spirit!"

Ichigo pulled his younger cousin to the bar, asking - well, more like yelling - for the bartender to bring him two more glasses. The fiery haired relative held the glasses up to each other.

"To women?" Kon asked.

"To women!" Ichigo shouted. The two clinked glasses and chugged down the drink.

The night was young, the boys were all having a grand time getting wasted and laughing and joking with each other. Ichigo's moods had lifted substantially from before and he was talking and mingling with other patrons of the bar as if they were all old friends.

Of course, all things good must come to an end, and this night came to a quick one when a man bursts through the doors of the tavern. All went silent.

"Sora?" Kon whispered to the elder Kurosaki, "Oh, thank heavens he's alright!:

Orihime's brother looked as if he had ran as fast as he could to the village. His breath was heaving, patches of blood had dried in various places on his body, and his eyes were wide with fear. He ran up to the first man he saw, clutching his shirt and pulling him to his face.

"Help," He pleaded, "Please, help. Someone."

For a moment everyone just stared at in drunken stupor. Ichigo's eyes furrowed in confusion.

Help? What could he possibly need help for?

"Help? For what, boy?" Said the bartender, finally breaking the silence. Sora's head snapped to look at him and he run over to the bar, pushing his body over the wooden counter in desperation.

"My sister! She has been taken!"

"You mean Orihime!" This was Ichigo's time to speak, stepping forward towards the devastated man, "What happened?"

Sora was shaking. Every few words he spoke he began to stutter more and more, "I… w-well, I had been held hostage!"

"Hostage!" Another man yelled.

"Yes!" Sora continued, "By this… this monster! Orihime… she offered herself for my freedom! We have to get her back!"

By this time, Sora's voice had become frantic and everyone in the room had suddenly become confused. A… monster?

A quiet murmur spread through the room at the word of a monster. Didn't those only exist in fairy tales?

"What do you mean by a monster?" Someone finally asked. Sora's voice became deep and foreboding.

"He is monstrous – lives in a palace not far from here in the forest!" Sora said, his hands beginning to flap everywhere in emphasis of his point, "He has wings! Large black wings! And horns on top of his head and a tail – oh! He is truly a demon! – And eyes yellow and green and black and black lines down his face!"

The men in the tavern stared as Sora in disbelief, the drunken men shaking off Sora's claim as a prank of some sort. Slowly, they all began to laugh at the silliness of the situation.

"Please!" Sora yelled, "You have to help me!"

"Boy, you're mad!" The men began to say.

"What is wrong with you?"

"He's gone crazy!"

"What should we do with him?"

"Why don't we take him to Aizen? Maybe he can help?'

"Ah! Yes! The asylum! Great idea!"

"Haha! Yes a few days there should get these ideas of monsters out of his head!"

All the men began to surround Sora, who had suddenly realized the danger of the situation he had put himself into. He tried backing away slowly, but there were men behind him as well.

"Please," He pleaded, "I beg of you, I'm not crazy! I swear!"

He felt a rough hand grip his arm, "Come one, let's take you up to Sosuke."

But Sora wouldn't allow it. He did not want to end up like his mother. He fought to pull his arm away, pushed at the other men who tried to hold him down. He clipped one of them in the jaw, his elbow finding its way into the stomach of the man who's hand was on his arm. The man let go of him with a loud "Shit!" as he tumbled to the floor.

Sora made a break for it, running as fast as he could to the doors, but to no avail, for just as he was about to push himself through and into the outdoors he felt a large, blunt object hit him across the head and all went dark.

Sunlight peeked through the windows as morning finally came, the night having been restless for the young woman who lay in bed, watching the slow sunrise. Her eyes were sore and puffy, her cheeks red, as she had spent the whole night silently sobbing. She thought it unfortunate that the previous night had not turned itself into a horrid nightmare – this was real, she realized.

Orihime, though, didn't find it completely unbearable, for the creature had given her a room all to herself. Inside was a lavish four poster bed, a small bathroom, and a wardrobe with a few articles of clothing. Despite the attempt to make her comfortable, she still remained under her bed sheets, hoping to stay there until Sora had returned with help and she was able to leave the dreaded place.

At just the thought of Sora, her tears began to run again. She hugged herself, pulling the blanket over her head as sobs racked her body. What would become of her, she thought. Would the monster eat her? But, in that case, why would he have given her so many things? Would she even be allowed to leave the room?

She continued sobbing, the noise distracting her from the quiet creak of an opening door.

"Christ, stop crying." Said a voice, a masculine drawl that brought Orihime out of her fit. She slowly lifted the covers off of her head and sat up. At the foot of the bed sat a cat, strangely colored in blue fur. She blinked, once or twice, rubbed her eyes and looked up. Still, the blue cat was there.

Blue?

She shifted awkwardly in the bed, her mouth opening and closing as she thought of things to say, then decided against them. The domesticated animal remained there, it's expression appearing somewhat annoyed and when the feline appeared to raise an eyebrow she jumped.

"Oh, I get it." Said the cat, "You haven't seen a talking animal before."

It took Orihime a few moments to comprehend it, but once she realized that the cat had spoken and that it was completely unnatural for a cat to talk, she screamed and fell off the bed.

The animal scoffed, "Am I really that scary?"

Orihime completely ignored the cat and shot up, sputtering out, "You're a talking cat!"

The animal just stared at her from its spot atop the mattress. She stood up and pointed at the feline, almost yelling this time, "Why can you talk!? Why are you blue!?"

"Does it matter?" The animal said, it's tone somewhat annoyed, "Look, girl, I'm here to help you so quit freaking out, okay?"

"But…!"

A talking cat!

"Shut up."

And she did, not wanting to get the small animal mad for she knew all to well how sharp a cat's claws could be.

She slowly stepped towards the animal, reaching her hands out towards it and picking it up, her hands underneath the feline's armpits. She held the pet up to her face and stared at it. "So, you're a talking cat who is here to help me?"

"Yeah. Sure." It spoke, "Name's Grimmjow Jaggerjaques, personal servant and friend of Lord Ciffer, who's company you were rudely met with last night."

"Lord? You mean that… thing is a lord?"

"Yeah, sure."

"And you're his servant?"

"Yeah."

"And his friend?"

"He'll deny it, but sure."

"And you're a cat."

"Yes."

"How can you talk?"

"Magic."

"Magic!"

"Yes, magic, now put me down! Shit!"

Orihime slowly set the feline back down onto the bed and plopped down next to it. She suddenly felt so confused, and began to wonder if maybe this was a strange, unnatural dream. She placed her hand on her head as she tried to make sense of the situation, her thoughts interrupted as the cat spoke again.

"Don't worry. It's all a bit weird at first."

Orihime ignored his statement, determined to find out more about just what the heck was going on. She turned to the animal, "What was your name again?"

"Grimmjow."

"Grimmjow…" she repeated, "Well, Grimmjow, could you please help me and tell me exactly what has happened? And maybe even let me know what will happen to me, because I am a bit scared at the moment and-"

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be fine." He interrupted her, sitting up and curling into her lap, "And if anything, you're going to be the one helping us, not the other way around."

"What?" Orihime asked, puzzled, "How would I help you?"

Grimmjow stared up at her with his large, blue cat eyes for a few moments before jumping onto the carpeted floor with a quiet thump.

"It's not a big deal. Just get dressed, I was sent to retrieve you for breakfast."

Orihime nodded her head, standing up and walked to the wardrobe, pulling out a simple blue dress before stepping into the bathroom to change. Within minutes, she had joined the blue cat in the hallway and was following the animal through the many corridors and stairways that led to the castle's dining room.

"Um, Mister Grimmjow?" She timidly began, but again the cat interrupted her.

"Just call me Grimmjow."

"Oh, sorry, Grimmjow." She anxiously cleared her throat, "I was just wondering if you could tell me a little about your master… Cifer, was it?"

The cat scoffed, and while Orihime couldn't see his face she was sure he rolled his eyes. She began to wonder if the animal hated his master for some reason, but instead of prying into his personal business she let the blue animal talk.

"His first name is Ulquiorra, and he's basically a little prick. He's selfish, cold, uncaring. I've known him longer than anyone in this castle – we grew up together – and he barely even acknowledges me." Grimmjow said as he walked. He looked up at the young, auburn haired girl, suddenly feeling guilty. Her expression, which when they had left her room was somewhat content, had suddenly dropped to one of fear and sadness. He wanted – no – needed her to feel comfortable here or else he and the rest of the castle's inhabitants would never return to their previous forms. He let out a quiet sigh before returning his attention to the hall in front of him and continued speaking.

"Yet, he is still a good person, I suppose. He isn't cruel or evil, just depressed. He may look frightening, but really he's just a big softy with an ego."

Again, Grimmjow turned his head slightly, enough to see the girls face once more. To his delight, she was looking at him with curiosity in her eyes. He figured that was at least a better emotion to have than fear.

"So, have you always been a cat, Grimmjow?" Orihime asked after a few moments. There was a period of uneasy silence before the animal replied to her.

"No," he said solemnly, "No, I was a human once."

"A human!" Orihime shouted, her curiosity taking the best of her, "Then how did you become a cat!"

"I told you," Grimmjow replied as he stopped in front of a pair of large, wooden doors, "magic."

He motioned for her to enter through the doors and slowly she opened one until it was as wide as it could go. She was met with a beautiful dining room, a large, crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The wall in front of her was covered in windows, a door leading out to a terrace. A long wooden table took up the center of the room, and on the farthest side were plates and cups set out for her. She looked down at the animal once more, as if asking if the plates were for her. Grimmjow nodded his head and Orihime's mouth widened in a smile as she almost ran to the seat.

Fruit, pastries, and gourmet dishes sat before her on the plates in a buffet fashion. Immediately she dug into the food, realizing that she hadn't eaten since early the previous day. She was almost literally starving, and when the blue animal jumped upon the table to observe her she realized how much she must appeared to look like a pig.

Slowly she set some of the food back on the place, swallowed what was already in her mouth, and wiped her face with a napkin before starting the meal again, this time much slower.

"You don't need to eat properly in front of me." Grimmjow said, sitting with a straight back and flicking tail just in front of her.

"I have to," Orihime replied, "I don't like being a messy eater in front of people."

Grimmjow chuckled, "Well, I'm a cat, so you don't have to worry about me."

Orihime smiled at him, but nonetheless she continued eating in a polite manner, just as she had been raised to do. Sora had always taught her proper table etiquette – don't chew with you mouth open, elbows off the table, eat slowly. By this age, those things were already plastered into her mind permanently and she…

Sora.

She suddenly felt the tears crawl up from her eyelids once more as she thought of her brother, and how she would never see him again. She fell forward on the table, covering her face in her hands as she sobbed. She felt Grimmjow rush over to her, his furry body gliding against her arms.

"Hey, hey, don't cry." She heard his quiet voice said, "Please, I told Ulquiorra that he would be able to talk to you and he can't see you like this."

She continued to cry, ignoring the animal as it attempted – a very unsuccessful attempt – to comfort her.

"I don't want to be here," She mumbled into her palms, "I want to be at home with my brother. I want to go read the books at the bookstore. I want… I want this to be over."

Grimmjow's eyebrows furrowed as he looked at her, feeling quite sorry for the girl. She didn't deserve this if it was hurting her, and he almost considered running off to ask his master to let her leave. It was strange, though. It seemed as if Ulquiorra knew she was upset, because in that moment he walked through the doors – wings and fur and horns and all – and stood there silently, watching the auburn haired girl sob into her hands.

Grimmjow turned to look at him, then nodded his head and jumped off the table to leave the two alone. Just as he brushed by Orihime's face he whispered, "He is here. Please try to compose yourself."

Orihime had straightened up in her seat before the small domestic animal had left the room, her tear tracks beginning to dry on her cheeks. She looked at the monster with a fearful look, her body tense and her hands clasped. With wide eyes she stared at the thing in front of her. Finally, she broke the silence.

"Why?" Orihime asked, her voice soft and timid, "Why offer to let me stay here with you? What did I ever do to you?" Her body fell forward in another sob, her emotions taking the better of her in the moment.

Ulquiorra stood there, silent and still as a stone. His cold eyes looked over her, watching the way her body moved as she cried into her hands. He should have felt something for her – sympathy, compassion, sorrow – but he had lost most of his emotions long ago when this curse was first placed upon him. Now, all he saw her as was trash.

"Woman." He said forcefully, her sobs immediately stopping as she slowly raised her head to look at him, "Compose yourself."

Now, fire was in her eyes as she looked on at him from her seat, "You don't care? You're forcing me to stay in your home and you don't care? Do you?"

"You are strange." Ulquiorra interrupted her, his monotonous voice booming through the room, "Not many people are quick to speak to me like that."

"Yes, you're frightening, but if you wanted to kill me or torture me you wouldn't have given me a bed to sleep in or food!" Orihime almost yelled, frustrated with the ignorant creature before her. He was quiet and didn't reply to her, a gesture that she hoped to be something akin to regret.

"You are needed here." Ulquiorra finally said, his voice cold and calculating. He observed her, her every movement adding to his impression of her. At this point, Ulquiorra saw her as something less than tolerable.

Orihime didn't know what to do anymore. This thing in front of her – she didn't want to talk to it. She didn't want to see it – it was hideous, after all, and it frightened her. Sadly, Orihime was too kind hearted of a person to leave him – and also a bit scared of what he may do if she decided to start ignoring him. She slowly got out of her seat, watching his eyes follow her as she took two nervous steps forward.

"Why?" She asked quietly, "Why do you need me here?"

Ulquiorra didn't want to tell her. He couldn't – after all, did she really need to know about the curse he and his household was given? She would need to find out on her own time and he most certainly was not going to tell her.

"You see, woman – "

"Orihime."

Ulquiorra stared down at her, noticing the redness in her cheeks and the fire in her eyes.

"Orihime?" He questioned.

"Yes. That is my name. Not woman – Orihime."

His eyes squinted at her in confusion before he turned and began to storm towards the terrace, his stride looking as if he was trying to hold in his anger.

"Wait!" Orihime said, surprised, as she stepped after him, "You haven't answered me yet!"

Ulquiorra stopped in his tracks, his back to her, as he said "Why would I answer a question like that to a woman as unladylike as you."

"Unladylike!" Orihime shouted, "I'm sorry that I would like to know what is going on! You could kill me if you wanted to! So why not? Why haven't you done it yet? You said you need me, but why?"

"Leave me be, woman." He mumbled to her and before she could retort, Ulquiorra had taken to the skies, his black wings outstretched as he glided through the air, above the forest.

Orihime stood there, angry and frustrated. Grimmjow was right, his master was indeed selfish, cold, and uncaring. She didn't even wait for the blue feline to return to the dining room. She didn't feel like she particularly needed a guide through the house.

Independent, she showed herself out of the large room and into another, smaller one, hoping she wouldn't get too lost as she walked through more doors and hallways.

Ulquiorra had landed on a balcony, which protruded from the tallest tower in his palace. Like clockwork, Grimmjow had been waiting there for him. He looked down at the feline, his face relaxed in a hopeless grimace. Grimmjow couldn't stop himself from looking away from the man before him, the appearance of complete despair unnerving him. Finally, Grimmjow cleared his throat.

"Making her hate you isn't the best way to her heart." The blue animal stated, his eyes darting anywhere except on his life-long friend in front of him.

"What else can I do? She upsets me." Ulquiorra replied. He held his clawed hand up to his face, flexing the digits. He couldn't believe that three years had already passed like this – three years as a demon with no one to turn to for help. Finally, someone – this woman – walks into his life and gives him hope that he may become human again and what does he do? He ruins it.

"Besides," Ulquiorra said as he walked out towards the edge of the balcony, his tail flicking unconsciously as he walked, "Who could ever love a hideous beast like me?"

"Shit, you have to be more optimistic than that." Grimmjow said, scoffing. Ulquiorra, not used to hearing Grimmjow speak to him in such a manner, turned quickly towards him with an angry gleam in his eye. Grimmjow shrank back in fear, before stuttering up a follow-up to his statement.

"What I mean, sir, is that the witch had said that you needed to become selfless in order to break the curse. She's a woman, and in case you didn't know, women are fragile. Think about it, sir, she just lost her brother, is forced to stay in a strange new home with a Lord who has the appearance of a monster and her only companion at the moment is a talking cat. She doesn't feel very… good right now."

Ulquiorra understood. He was a smart man and, with that small push, was able to see how she may feel about her situation. It was strange – before this curse he would dismiss Grimmjow's advice as rubbish, but now… now he found himself listening to the feline religiously.

He hated Grimmjow whenever the two of them were human, but after both being turned into something they weren't, he had become to rely on the man who called him his friend. Ulquiorra, though, had not entirely become softhearted, for there weren't any other of his servants that he felt so much respect towards.

Grimmjow was the only person who's opinion he held in high regards anymore.

"We only have one more year, sir," Grimmjow said, "One more year until this all becomes permanent. She may be out last chance."

"She is not fit to be mine, Grimmjow," Ulquiorra replied, "She is trash. Weak. She has done nothing but sob over her brother since she arrived here."

"And can you blame her! This is a scary thing for her! If you ask me, she's actually handling this very well."

"I do not like her, Grimmjow. She annoys me."

Grimmjow rolled his eyes.

"Besides," Ulquiorra continued, "I have begun to think that I may wish to stay in this form. I have become so accustom to it. In fact, I hardly remember what it was like to be human. Perhaps I would be happier if I continue with this hideous appearance."

That was enough for Grimmjow. His master had given up, and Grimmjow was not ready to let him. Fuck the consequences. He was tired of all the sadness Ulquiorra brought to the castle.

"God fucking damn it, Ulquiorra," Grimmjow said. Ulquiorra turned to him, anger shown in his eyes, yet Grimmjow held his stance and continued, "You weren't the only one to change that day, obviously. All of us - me, Nel, Starrk - we stayed here by your side even though we could have left. We want to help you, but you have to want to help yourself first, you selfish prick."

"Grimmjow," Ulquiorra began, but the feline ignored him.

"Maybe this was what that witch was talking about. Maybe you are a little bitch like she said. Figure out your priorities."

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra remained there, the two of them looking as if they were staring each other down. Grimmjow felt a shock of fear run through him but he kept his strong facade. Grimmjow had never shown this side of him to Ulquiorra and Ulquiorra had never seen Grimmjow get angry, so this sudden outburst came as a surprise to the both of them.

Moments passed and finally, Grimmjow turned towards the stairs, his tail flicking behind him as he walked out of the North Tower, leaving behind a beast with a despairing and guilty look on his face.

Sora woke up on cold, hard floors. His head was throbbing and he felt his limbs were sore – from what, he had no idea. He looked around, finding himself in an enclosed space. On three sides of him were brick walls, and on the fourth side was a wall of bars – like a prison. A bed sat in the corner and opposite side of it was a hole in the ground for, what Sora believed, his business.

But this wasn't a prison. This was the Asylum. Sora knew this place all too well, having visited his mother in this dreadful place multiple times. He felt scared, and rushed to the bars, clasping the iron bars in between his palms.

"Please!" He yelled to the adjacent cells, to the building, to anyone who could hear him, "I'm not crazy! I promise you! There really is a beast! In the forest, in a castle! He has my sister! Please!"

Sora reached his hands through the bars, tears violently falling down his cheeks as he reached in desperation and fear. After minutes of this, he felt his limbs give out and he slid down to the ground, his sobs quieting as he felt his limbs go limp.

Suddenly, he heard a shuffling noise come from the cell across from him. He looked up, his eyes red and puffy from his tears. In the sudden silence, Sora could hear the faint cries of other inmates and he wondered how his mother had survived so long in a place so depressing as this.

He heard the noise again, and looked towards the cell on the other side of the hall. Shadows covered most of the cell, but he could see the faint figure of a man through the dark.

"Did you say beast? In the forest?" Said a shaky voice, a voice that sounded as if they had spent too long confined to this hospital. Sora pressed himself against the bars.

"Yes. Yes I did. Do you know anything about them? Please! I –"

"I know, I know," The voice said. Sora heard a bit more shuffling, the dark figure inching closer and closer to the dim light, "It took your sister, was it?"

Sora gulped, "Yes."

A low chuckle vibrated through the room. It sounded devious and evil, and finally Sora saw a stark-white hand wrap itself around the bars. His eyes widened as the man's face slowly inched into view.

"Don't you worry," He said, cold, golden eyes staring straight at Sora, "I believe you, even if no one else does."

I am happy to finally bring y'all Chapter Three of Beast. Sorry it took so long.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review if you find it in your heart to! Any sort of criticism is welcome! (: