A/N: I'm back to fairytale world once again… I hope you will enjoy this one. It was written a few months ago.

There are many different versions of "Beauty And The Beast"; I've read them all and taken from each one what I liked the most. There are no twists this time. It is basically a simple re-telling of the fairytale with the Naruto characters, which are a bit OOC to fit the story.

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Beauty And The Beast

Prologue

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The man, travelling on horseback, finally managed to reach the town in the first morning light. When he was there, he asked for the ship "Shuriken", which should have arrived in port not long before. Some people told him where it was, and he thanked them gratefully.

He went to the port and found the ship. Unfortunately, it wasn't what he had hoped to find. It was one of his smallest ships, and it had been badly damaged by the storm which had destroyed all the others. Its contents could not be used again. Only the wood could be recuperated.

Therefore, the man worked the rest of the day to recover as much wood as possible, and then sold it. What he received for it wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. At least "Shuriken" had been able to give something to its master.

The man then got his horse again and took the road to go back home. It was already late and he knew he wouldn't get back before the next morning, not even if he travelled the whole night. He hoped the weather would remain serene, so he could sleep near the street with a small fire, like he had done the previous night.

Unluckily for him, it started raining a short while later. And it wasn't just any rain. It was torrential, and it was impossible to continue travelling in those conditions.

Quite worried, the man looked around for a dry place to use as shelter. He didn't see any. He continued to look around, getting now a bit desperate. There might be wolves in the forest and who knew what other beasts. He really needed to find something. In the exact moment when those worries crossed his mind, suddenly he thought he got a glimpse of something. Something which looked like a castle, and wasn't very far.

Without better options, the man made his horse go in that direction. The animal seemed to understand that his master was trying to find shelter for them both, and quickened its step.

A few minutes later, they reached the front gates of the castle. There was a deep moat preventing them from going in.

Just as the man was wondering on how to proceed, the draw-bridge opened slowly, with a clicking sound. The sound was strange, but not sinister.

Now a bit wary, the man dismounted and took the reins, carefully entering the huge courtyard. It was still raining, so he quickly brought his horse to the stables, which were empty, and made sure it was comfortable for the animal and that there was enough hay.

Then he reached the entrance of the castle. The door was slightly open, as if whoever lived there was expecting him. The man entered.

Inside, there was no one. The man wandered through some halls and found then a dining room. It was warm and bright, invigorated by a crackling fire. The table was set for one person, with food and everything.

The man was astonished. It seemed as if the castle owner had been expecting him! He tried to call around the rooms, loudly asked if there was anyone, but he received no answer.

Still hesitant, the man thought quickly. He was tired and hungry. There was a table already set. He knew it was rude to just sit down and eat, but no one seemed to be there. Besides, the man reasoned, he would pay everything back. He would not simply take the food and not give anything in exchange for it.

So he took off his wet coat, sat down and ate. The food was delicious! It tasted wonderfully, and the man was now more determined than ever to repay the castle owner.

After that dinner, the man looked around and tried to call again for any inhabitants of that place. Nobody answered. So he went to look for a quiet room, or a place with a couch or just a mattress where he could lie down and rest.

Wandering around, he noticed that there seemed to be a very light trace of dark on the floor, heading to a precise direction. Curious, he decided to follow it. It stopped in front of a door. The man opened it and walked in.

It was a bedroom, already prepared for the night. It seemed to be expecting him and inviting him in.

The man didn't really know what to do. He called again through the corridors, but no one answered. So he loudly said that he was really thankful for what the castle owner was doing for him.

He didn't even know if it was a male or a female. But something about every room and object told him that the owner was a man, and probably a young one.

The man then decided to go to sleep. He took off his wet and wrinkled clothes and put them on a chair near the bed, hoping they would dry before the following morning. Then he fell asleep.

The next morning, he woke up feeling well-rested. He was about to check if his clothes were dry, only to find out they had disappeared. To his great surprise, there were new ones there for him. They were exactly his size, and were even warm.

He put them on, now quite in awe, but also more curious. Who was the owner of that castle? Who was the person, or people, who had prepared a meal and new clothes for him?

When he was dressed, he took his things and went through the castle again. He called loudly, but, again, no one answered. And again, the man felt even more curious.

While going through the enormous castle, the man noticed how beautiful it was. It was obviously inhabited by someone who was rich but also reserved, since nothing was ostentatious or opulent. The owner seemed to have an elusive personality, difficult to understand.

The man visited the whole castle, not finding anyone. Only one part of the castle, after a mahogany door, remained to see. He went that way, and, to his great surprise, found a wonderful garden, which was inside the castle walls.

It was really exquisite. There were trees, bushes, and flowers, oh so many flowers. But especially, there were roses. Breathtaking roses.

In the exact middle of the large garden, there were magnificent red roses. The man approached them, in awe. Remembering something, he observed the roses, and he chose the most beautiful one.

He picked the red rose.

And the earth began to shake.

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The man looked around, frightened. A deep growl could be heard, and suddenly, a huge form appeared in front of him.

"How dare you," a deep voice said menacingly. "I have received you in my house when you were in need, I gave you food to restore yourself, I prepared a bed for you, I made sure you had proper clothes, and you repay me by stealing my roses, the only joy I have here!"

The man was courageous, but even a man ten times more courageous than him would have backed away in fear.

In front of him there was a huge beastly form. It was tall, hairy and quite scary. Its eyes were red, spinning, and were currently observing the man with rage, but there was also sadness and loneliness in that gaze. The man, however, could not see it, since he was too terrified.

The monster advanced. "I have tried my best to be polite towards you. But you betrayed my hospitality. I have no choice," and the monster seemed to wince, "but to punish this act with death."

The man, though scared, wasn't one to let fear consume him. So he replayed, voice shaking a bit, "Please, sir…"

The beast growled again. "Do I look like a sir to you? I'm the Beast."

The man managed to control his fright. "I apologize for picking this rose. But please, let me explain why I did this. It was not a selfish act or a theft. Please allow me to tell you my story."

The Beast observed him penetratingly for a moment, and then nodded curtly. The man took a deep breath.

"My name is Kakashi Hatake, and I'm a merchant," he began. "My trade business, which stretched around the ocean, went well until a few years ago. I lost most of my ships and therefore my goods. I had to turn to agriculture, and I have been doing quite well with it. A week ago, I was informed that a ship of mine had remained intact. So I went to see if it was useable, but unfortunately, it wasn't.

Now, the reason why I picked this rose. I have three daughters. When I was informed that a ship had been recuperated, my two eldest daughters immediately asked for things they'd like to have if the ship proved to be as rich as we expected. My youngest didn't ask for anything. She's the sweetest of my daughters, and I insisted she tell me what she wanted as well. Reluctantly, she admitted she would have loved a red rose, like… like the ones her mother used to give her on her birthdays." The man had to stop for a moment, averting his eyes while thinking about his beloved wife, and the Beast, surprisingly, seemed to respect that moment of silence. "You see, my daughter never asks for anything. She was the most helpful when I lost my fortune, and always, always helped with every hard work that was necessary. I was not able to satisfy the requests of any of my daughters, but when I saw these beautiful red roses, I thought… I thought that maybe I could do something for my most deserving one."

The Beast had stayed silent the whole while, and remained quiet for another while. Then it said, with a calmer voice, "I understand the reason behind your gesture, Kakashi Hatake. But I still can't forgive you. I will change the punishment, though. Since your daughter is the one who asked for the rose you picked, you will bring the flower to her. But you will also come back here, and your daughter will come with you. She will then stay here, while you'll be allowed to go back."

Kakashi was shocked. He fell on his knees. "No, please!" he begged. "Kill me this instant, but don't harm my daughter! I'm the culprit here! She's young and pure, she does not deserve such a cruel fate!"

The Beast didn't seem touched. "I have never said I will harm her, Kakashi Hatake. But she will have to come here, and she will have to stay. You have one week to bring her to me."

The Beast then turned around and began to walk away. But before it actually disappeared, it turned his head a little towards the man again. "I am not as cold-hearted as it seems, Kakashi Hatake. But you will do what I ask, or your daughter's fate will be a thousand times worse."

Then it left.

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