Disenchanted

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Disenchanted

By

Renegade Raine

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~Chapter Three~

A Taste of What’s To Come

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Xemnas stood among the edge of the room that he chose to call the Alter of Naught. There was not much to look at right now, but if all his careful planning succeeded, it would soon be the place where Kingdom Hearts would be displayed. Xemnas looked up at the blank, empty sky as he anticipated the creation of the thing which would return his heart back to his body. But for now, he had to wait.

Behind Xemnas, a black portal appeared and faded to reveal Xaldin, without his hood up. It was the first time that Xaldin appeared since he was assigned to Beast’s castle, so he was unsure what reaction to expect out of the Superior for taking so long to report back.

“Xaldin…” Xemnas greeted, without turning around. “How is your mission coming along?”

“I’ve got everything put into place…all I have to do now is wait.” Xaldin replied.

“Keep in mind that we do not have an infinite amount of time.” Xemnas noted. “But if you don’t mind telling me, what is it exactly that you are waiting for?”

“I have the feeling that my mission will go much more smoothly if I gain the trust of the woman, Belle.”

“I see.” Xemnas said with a slight smirk and finally turned to face Xaldin. He was pretty sure he understood exactly what Xaldin was planning. “You’re a very cruel man, Xaldin.”

“Perhaps if I had a heart, I would care whether I was cruel or not.” Xaldin said, with a dark look passing through his features.

“I suppose so.” Xemnas said with a shrug. “But continue on your mission. Just make sure you don’t get too greedy.”

“Understood, sir.” Xaldin said with a bowing of his head. Not long afterwards, he summoned himself another portal, went through it, and disappeared from the room.

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Elsewhere, Belle paced around her room, considering what to do with the offer that the hooded man, Xaldin had presented to her. The last thing she wanted was to have Beast, Lumiere, Mrs. Potts, Cogsworth, and all the rest of her friends to perish when she could have had the power to stop it. On the other hand though, her virginity was something she cherished, and she didn’t want to give it up to a stranger whose face she hadn’t even seen yet. Either way, she could not tell anyone else about the deal. She was already in a bad enough situation as it was, there wasn’t any need to make it worse. Belle sighed and continued to pace around the room. She did not even notice Mrs. Potts come into the room until she turned around and nearly tripped on the little teapot.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” Belle said, as she covered her mouth.

“It’s quite alright, child.” Mrs. Potts said with a concerned look in her eyes. “But I’m worried about you.”

“Oh, I’m fine, really!” Belle stammered, but Mrs. Potts didn’t look totally convinced.

“I came to tell you that Beast has invited you to dinner tonight.” Mrs. Potts said. “If you wish to attend, I’ll escort you to the dining room.”

“Oh, sure!” Belle said with a forced smile. “I’d love to!”

“All right, then we should be going then. Beast is waiting for you.”

Belle followed Mrs. Potts out into the hallway, and continued to walk behind her, until they reached the dining room of the castle. Immediately, Beast stood up from his chair, and pulled out another chair for Belle to sit on. Belle thanked Beast and sat down. Beast then went back to his chair and sat as well. The two ate in silence for a while, before Beast finally cleared his throat and spoke.

“Listen Belle, I’m sorry for lashing out on you the other night…” Beast said with a tone of regret in his voice.

“It’s okay.” Belle said with her head down, but then looked up at Beast. “I know you were just trying to protect me.”

“Yes, but you didn’t deserve to be treated that way.” Beast said with a sigh. Belle didn’t want him to feel bad about it, but she knew that there wasn’t anything she could really say to make him think otherwise. The rest of the time, the two continued to eat in complete silence, not noticing the solemn faces of everyone else in the room, as they realized that the chances of Belle falling in love with Beast was fading away more and more. Not long afterwards, Beast walked Belle to her room, without speaking a word.

“Thanks for having me for dinner tonight.” Belle said while opening her door.

“Of course.” Beast said. “But…uh…would you like me to stay to perhaps talk?”

“I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I’m starting to get rather tired.” Belle lied.

“Oh, I understand.” Beast said with a sigh. “Good night then.”

“Good night, Beast.” Belle replied before shutting the door. She didn’t like to hide things from Beast, whom she probably considered her closest friend, but it was better off this way. She was about to reach for the latest book she was reading, but something about her room seemed off. It was almost like someone else was in there. She looked around, with an uneasy feeling in her heart, but she did not see anyone. That is, until she looked toward the open door that lead to the balcony. To her horror, she saw the back of the black hooded coat of the man she had met just a few days before. She bit her bottom lip as she advanced toward him.

“Have you made your decision yet?” He asked impassively.

“How can I be sure that you’ll keep your promise?” Belle asked nervously.

“Which one?” Xaldin responded. “The one about allowing you to visit your father or the one about not hurting your friends?”

“Well, both.” Belle replied. “But it’s been so long since I’ve even caught a glimpse of my father…”

“I see.” Xaldin noted, and then turned around. “Then would you like to see your father now?”

“What?” Belle asked, confused. “Are you serious?”

“Yes, but I want something in return ahead of time.”

“I…I don’t know.” Belle stammered. She did want to see her father, but she was a very moral woman. It didn’t seem right to her that she would have to do…that…just to see her father. She blushed a little while thinking about the predicament, but looked down to try to hide her expression. Xaldin just chuckled at her though.

“Do not worry, I don’t want anything quite as drastic as what you’re probably thinking.” Xaldin assured her. “For now, I’m only going to allow you a glimpse of him.”

Belle very audibly sighed in relief, but she still did not feel completely confident in the situation. She glanced nervously at Xaldin’s hooded face. “Then what is it that you do want?”

Although Xaldin’s face was concealed by the hood, he still grinned. He walked toward Belle without saying a single word. As he got closer to Belle though, she started to take a step back for every step forward that he took. She was so caught up in trying to get away from him, that she didn’t notice how quickly the wall approached her from behind. She hit the wall and Xaldin immediately put an arm out to trap her there. Belle’s face immediately flushed, the situation she was in now reminded her of a few romance novels she had read before. Xaldin took his other gloved hand and used it to lift Belle’s chin up.

“All I want from you…” Xaldin said softly as he brought his head down closer to hers. Belle especially how close their faces were to each other, as she was able to see some of his facial features, which appeared to be human from what she could tell. “…is a simple kiss. Do we have a deal?”

“Y-yeah…okay.” Belle stuttered nervously. Xaldin immediately drew himself even closer to Belle. But just before his lips could touch hers, Belle realized something. “Wait.”

“Change your mind?” Xaldin asked huskily. Neither had moved, so Belle was able to feel his breath gently brush upon her face.

“Let me see your face.” Belle requested. Xaldin paused, considering what to do. It might not be the smartest thing to reveal his face this early. But on the other hand, he had to admit that it was a bit preposterous to think he could gain that woman’s trust by keeping his face hidden.

“Very well then.” He said as he took his hand that he used to hold onto Belle’s chin and slowly pushed his hood back, all while keeping his other hand against the wall.

With his face now fully revealed, Belle studied his features. For some reason, he seemed familiar to her, but she was sure that he had never met anyone with a hair style as weird as his before. Although, she noted, Sora’s hair seemingly defied the laws of natural physics. His sideburns and weird eyebrows were also a little distracting, but other than that, she actually found him to be quite handsome. Considering the current circumstances though, she was more frightened than attracted to him.

“Are you satisfied now?” he asked her. Belle just simply nodded. Xaldin immediately resumed his previous position and put his hand on her chin. As he drew his face closer to hers, he noticed her closing her eyes. He grinned a little, noting how smoothly his plan was flowing already. He bent his head down a little and sucked on her bottom lip. Belle was unresponsive, but it only caused Xaldin to smirk against her lips. He would just simply have to do something to make her respond. He licked across her lip, shocking Belle so much, that she opened her mouth slightly. Xaldin took advantage of this situation by tilting his head and slipping his tongue inside her mouth. Belle yelped a little, surprised by the reaction. But she was barely heard, as any sounds from her mouth were muffled. He continued to run his tongue along the inside of Belle’s mouth until she finally realized that it would be over with quicker if she would just oblige him. She rubbed her tongue against Xaldin’s, hoping that it would be enough to satisfy him. Apparently it was, as he pulled away about a minute later. He pulled his hood up and turned around to look at the sky. He snapped his fingers, which created another dark portal.

“Shall we go then?” Xaldin asked her.

“But what if somebody comes to check on me?” Belle asked, all while still blushing.

“There is no need to be concerned on that matter, everyone will be doing their chores for at least another half an hour.” Xaldin told her. “Besides, we won’t be gone for very long.”

“Okay…if you say so.” Belle said with a sigh. Soon afterwards, Xaldin walked through the portal, with Belle trailing not too far behind. They emerged outside of the castle gates. Belle looked around, obviously confused. “This is not where my father lives.”

“You don’t expect a man to know everything, do you?” Xaldin asked with a little annoyance in his voice. “You’re going to have to show me.”

“Oh…alright then.” Belle said, before walking ahead of him. “It’s odd though that you’re not trying to restrain me.”

“I don’t feel the need to.” Xaldin simply replied. “Why? Would you like me to cuff you to my arm?”

“Well no…it’s just that I’m not used to be allowed to roam around outside.” Belle said.

“I see. But if you don’t mind, try to choose a path where we won’t run into anyone.”

“I understand. That shouldn’t be too difficult.” Belle said with a tiny bit of disappointment in her voice. She continued to walk ahead, taking in the view of the forest at night.

“Why is it that you stay with that Beast anyways?” Xaldin asked her.

“I promised him I would.” Belle replied. “If I didn’t stay there, then he would have left my father in the dungeon to die. Fortunately, he’s much more kind to me.”

“Is that so?” Xaldin asked. “Because it really does not seem like it to me.”

“How would you know?” Belle asked, with a slight scowl.

“I’ve seen enough.” Xaldin responded. “You’re only a tool to him. You’re a woman, and he figures that he’ll be able to turn into a human again if he gets you to love him. Are you really alright with being treated like that?”

“Be quiet!” Belle exclaimed. “You don’t know anything!”

“I think it is you who is the ignorant one.” Xaldin said coldly. “You’re used to being treated that way, so you’ve learn to live with it. It’s quite sad really.”

Belle could only look down and continue walking in response. Perhaps he was right? But she still believed that Beast wasn’t nearly as bad as Xaldin was making him out to be. Behind Belle, Xaldin only grinned at his ability to make her rethink her situation. His plan was going all too perfectly.

“We’re at the outskirts of the town.” Belle noted and stopped.

Xaldin looked around, and noticed that he had that nostalgic feeling again. Another scene then flashed into his mind. The sky was a salmon color, so he was sure that it was dusk or dawn, just like in the previous flashback. But this time, he also saw the slouched body of a young female, followed by his voice asking if she was all right. Once again, he was sure that it was his own voice. He then was snapped back to reality, where he noticed that the place he was in now resembled the place in his flashback. So now he was certain that he had lived at least part of his life in this world. Was it possible that he had also known Belle?

“Is everything okay?” Belle asked, finally noticing that Xaldin had stopped behind her.

“Yes, is it possible for you to point out your house from here?” Xaldin asked. Belle nodded.

“It’s right there.” She said as she pointed to a certain house. Xaldin looked over, and then made a portal.

“Come, this will lead near it.” Xaldin instructed as he walked though. Belle obeyed and walked behind him. Soon afterwards, Belle found herself directly outside of her former home.

“If you are to accept my deal, I promise to actually let you go inside your home.” Xaldin said. “But for now, I will only allow you a peek at your father.”

Belle nodded a little and made her way to the bedroom window. She went on her tiptoes and watched as her father worked on his latest invention. She wanted to run inside the house, give him a hug, and then a kiss on the cheek more than anything, but she wasn’t about to try to anger the man beside her. Just seeing her father though was enough just to make her so overcome with joy, that a couple of tears slipped down her cheek.

“Father…” she said quietly to herself.

“I’ve kept my end of the deal, so now it’s time to go.” Xaldin said coolly. Belle did not want to turn away from the window, but knew she had to. Xaldin created yet another portal, which she immediately entered. She found herself back on the balcony of her room. Xaldin turned toward her as she exited the portal.

“I will be expecting a definite answer from you, regarding my offer, by the next time I visit you.” Xaldin said in his usual, cold tone before disappearing from Belle’s sight. She sighed, taking everything that had happened to her during the night. She felt awful, but after catching a glimpse of her father, she wanted to visit him even more than before. Even if it would cost her dignity, she could not allow her friends to be hurt. It was then when she made up her mind.

She would accept the deal.

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Chapter End/Author’s Comments

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I don’t really have much to comment on this time, but I had fun writing this chapter!

And if any of you are getting antsy at no lemon yet, I'll have it either the next chapter or the one after it.